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Compressed air energy storage embraces large-scale industrial application in China

09:59, July 30, 2024 By Ding Yiting ( People's Daily

At a 300 MW compressed air energy storage station in Yingcheng, central China's Hubei province, eight heat storage and exchange tanks are erected. Five hundred meters underground, abandoned salt caverns with over 1 million cubic meters of air storage space are undergoing gas injection and brine discharge testing. The project is expected to start full-capacity operation within this year.

"This is the world's first 300 MW compressed air energy storage station, similar to a 'super power bank,'" said Li Jun, deputy general manager of China Energy Digital Technology Group Co., Ltd.

"It can store energy for 8 hours and release it for 5 hours daily, with an annual power generation of about 500 million kilowatt-hour," Li added.

Photo shows heat storage and exchange tanks of a 300 MW compressed air energy storage station in Yingcheng, central China's Hubei province. (Photo/Zhao Xueming)

Though China's installed capacity of new energy sources like wind and solar power continues to increase, they are relatively "unpredictable," and power supply can sometimes be excessive and at other times insufficient, with fluctuating frequencies. Energy storage is needed to act as a "green electricity manager" to balance the power grid's supply and demand, Li explained.

How does invisible and intangible air transform into a "super power bank?"

During off-peak electricity hours, surplus power drives compressors to compress air into a high-pressure state. The compressor, similar to a bicycle pump, can push air into a "tire" - in this case, sealed air storage reservoirs like salt caverns or artificial chambers. The heat generated during air compression is stored in heat storage tanks on the ground in forms such as hot water or fused salt.

During peak electricity hours, the underground air storage releases the stored high-pressure air, while the heat storage tanks release the stored heat. At this point, the high-pressure air is heated, which gives it tremendous expansive force to drive air turbine generators. This process is similar to wind turning the blades of large wind turbines, generating electricity to supply the power grid.

Compressed air energy storage has features such as high power, long lifespan, deep peak regulation, and flexible site selection. A single unit can achieve storage capacities of hundreds of megawatts or even gigawatts, with a typical lifespan of over 30 years.

Currently, the construction period for such a power station is usually 18 to 24 months, with a unit construction cost of 6,000 yuan ($827.54) to 8,000 yuan per kilowatt. As economies of scale become apparent and engineering technology matures, construction costs are expected to further decrease.

A staff member adjusts the valves of the closed-loop cooling water system for the compressor at a compressed air energy storage station. (Photo/Ding Xiaowei)

In recent years, China's compressed air energy storage technology has developed rapidly, with research achievements and engineering applications leading the world. From 500-kilowatt experimental installations to 10 MW demonstration projects, 60 MW commercial operations, grid connection of 300 MW units, and the completion of feasibility studies for the first 600 MW project, compressed air energy storage technology is gradually entering large-scale engineering applications. Meanwhile, system efficiency continues to improve, with many power stations reaching 65 percent to 70 percent.

Zhang Jian, vice president of China Electric Power Planning and Engineering Institute, said that from an industry chain perspective, compressed air energy storage mainly includes key components and equipment such as compressors, heat storage and exchange equipment, air storage facilities, and expanders. This is similar to thermal power and power equipment industries, with a high degree of independent control.

Currently, compressed air energy storage still has shortcomings such as relatively low energy storage per unit volume or mass, room for efficiency improvement, and relatively complex systems.

Zhang suggested that to promote large-scale industrial application of the technology, efforts are needed in technological innovation and efficiency improvement, reducing construction and maintenance costs, expanding application scenarios, policy support, and talent cultivation.

This year, China's National Energy Administration officially released a list of 56 new energy storage pilot demonstration projects, 11 of which are compressed air energy storage projects.

"As the technology continues to improve and more projects are implemented, China's compressed air energy storage industry is expected to embrace broader development prospects, providing strong support for building a clean, low-carbon, safe, and efficient energy system," said Wan Mingzhong, chief expert of China Energy Engineering Corporation and chairman of China Energy Digital Technology Group Co., Ltd.

(Web editor: Hongyu, Du Mingming)
Church leaders in New Zealand have been responding to the publication of a devastating Abuse in Care report by the Royal Commission of Inquiry recounting the abuse and neglect suffered by many thousands of vulnerable children and adults in the hands of church and state institutions from 1950 to1999.



The report detailed patterns of abuse and neglect for 200,000 vulnerable children, youth and adults, out of 650,000 in care during the period, with 2,329 survivors telling their stories. The narratives of some of the abuse victims will never be known - they died in care or committed suicide.



Entitled Whanaketia, meaning Through pain and trauma, from darkness to light, the report contained a challenge to faith leaders to apologize.



In this second of a two-part report on the concluded investigation, Christian Daily International highlights the initial responses to the findings by church leaders, including those from church institutions linked to abuse and neglect mentioned in the report.



Rev. Alan Vink spoke to Christian Daily International in a personal capacity. He has worked as a baptist pastor for 25 years and in a Bible college teaching and leadership development role in the past 16 years, which involves writing and speaking on issues relevant to churches and faith organizations in New Zealand.

Vink said the name of the report, highlighting the pain and trauma, reflected the journey of the survivors, from being horribly mistreated and neglected, isolated, abandoned, unseen, and not listened to  to being heard, telling their experiences, being taken seriously and now looking to the light for healing and restoration. As Christian communities we know something about this. My prayer is that our light will shine ever so brightly in our responses to this inquiry as we go forward.



Vink has recommended that Christians in New Zealand read the report carefully, adopt a humble posture, pray for Gods leading and discern how to respond, discuss the disclosed issues in leadership teams and decide how local churches should respond, and also discuss the report in pastors groups.



The Rev. Stuart Lange, national director of the New Zealand Christian Network, sent a message to members, expressing anguish and deep sorrow for those who have suffered. He called the fact that much abuse took place in church-related institutions doubly appalling and completely inexcusable.



It is fair to say that, from a Christian and biblical perspective, any form of abuse is invariably wrong and evil. All such abuse goes against core Christian values: goodness, kindness, respect, compassion, integrity, and self-control. Abuse of others can never be justified, never be defended, never be overlooked.

Lange called on churches to be vigilant and do everything we possibly can to prevent abuse ever happening in our own spaces.

Churches should waste no time in organizing safety and reporting systems, he said, and all Christians need to pray about the issue.

Prayer points he highlighted include the government and churches fully facing the awful truth of what happened, that the abusers would find true repentance and remorse, for the survivors to find healing and for vulnerable people to be protected in the future.

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Christian Daily International approached each of the church denominations specifically mentioned in the Abuse in Care report  Anglican, Catholic, Presbyterian, Methodist and Salvation Army  and asked for their comment on the report.

Ady Shannon, editor for Touchstone, a newspaper representing the Methodist Church of New Zealand, said that, as with every person in Aotearoa, the church body deplored the actions of the many people who caused so much harm to so many.

The abuse of power and the wilful ignoring of the voices of those impacted is a cause of national shame and sadness for all the broken lives.

Shannon referred to the report naming the abuse and neglect of so many vulnerable people a national disgrace and an injustice needing a redress.

In terms of our church response, it has included a swift and unconditional apology  to the commission and to the survivors - redress for survivors, the implementation of procedures that will protect the vulnerable, extensive training programmes around safeguarding and transparency about the identities of those involved.

Shannon highlighted the heartfelt, honest and open disclosure given by the New Zealand Methodist general secretary, Rev. Tara Tautari, after watching various faith-based leaders at the inquiry hearings.



The transcript of her presentation is available on the Royal Commission of Inquiry website. In acknowledging the pain and courage of the survivors, she offered an unconditional apology and a promise to make amends and changes to ensure such a chapter is never repeated.

Shannon also referred to the May edition of Touchstone, containing a feature by Rev. Taurtari outlining further how the Methodist church intends to respond to the report in the future. A Liturgy of Lament has been devised by Rev. David Poultney, Methodist Chair of Faith and Order, to express our pain, sorrow, and institutional guilt in lament. The lament is published in English, Te Reo, Fijian, Samoan and Tongan languages, and is to be used in the countrys Methodist churches in response to the report.



Shannon added that the general secretary had met many survivors of the reported abuse and neglect and will continue to do so.



Shannon hoped that the actions of the Methodist Church will truly reflect a faith-driven response of aroha, reflection, redress and change to ensure history never repeats.

Rev Wayne Matheson, Presbyterian Assembly Executive Officer, also acknowledged the publication of the report.

The Presbyterian Church of Aotearoa New Zealand will now carefully read this substantial report and bring its full attention to any recommendations and learnings the Commission has for the Presbyterian Church, Matheson said. We will respond to you [Christian Daily International] once we have given the report the respect, careful and thoughtful consideration it deserves.

Julianne Clarke-Morris, editor of Anglican Taonga Online, for the Anglican Church in Aotearoa New Zealand and Polynesia Media Office, referred to Chris Wikaira, managing media comments for the Anglican church on the report. Wikaira has yet to respond to Christian Daily International.

However, Clarke-Morris also referenced a joint statement from Anglican Archbishops Don Tamihere, Justin Duckworth and Sione Ulu'ilakepa issued when the report was published on July 24.

We acknowledge and take full responsibility for our failures to provide the safe, caring and nurturing environment those who have been in our care had a right to expect and to receive.

There have been clear failures to properly investigate and respond when abuse was reported. We acknowledge that we have not provided accessible, straightforward processes for the handling of disclosures and complaints of abuse.

We have also failed to provide accessible, trustworthy, and consistent processes of redress.



We are committed to making our selection, screening, training and professional development processes more transparent, consistent, and accountable; and ensuring that all our communities are constantly monitoring and reviewing their approach to safeguarding.

The archbishops said it was crucial that the whole church took direction and advice on the issue: We know that we still have a long way to go.



We call on all who identify as Anglican; whether churches, schools or agencies to study this report and its recommendations and to commit themselves to the principles and practices that ensure the highest standards of pastoral care.

We call on all Anglican entities to commit to a common approach to ensure that anyone making disclosures of abuse or seeking redress does not have to navigate complex and disconnected processes.

Our apology at the Royal Commission to survivors of abuse was heartfelt and genuine and we can only stand in awe of their courage and endurance. We encourage any other survivors of abuse who have not yet come forward to do so.

The archbishops also support in principle the establishment of an independent authority for the handling of any future complaints.

Meanwhile, Salvation Army Chief Secretary Gerry Walker also acknowledged the publication of the report and commended the bravery of all survivors contributing to the inquiry.

We also appreciate the thorough and comprehensive nature of the Inquiry, Walker said. We are currently reviewing the report and its recommendations, and are not yet in a position to offer further detailed comments beyond this statement.

We are profoundly sorry for the suffering experienced by those in our care.



We recognise the immense courage it takes for survivors to revisit and share their traumatic experiences, which should never have happened. The pain and harm inflicted on these individuals were deeply unjust and have had lasting impacts on them and their loved ones. There is no excuse for these actions, and it is heartbreaking that they occurred within an organization dedicated to serving a God of love.

Words alone cannot mend the wounds that have been caused, Walker added.

The Salvation Army is fully committed to listening to survivors and learning from this Royal Commission. This commitment extends not only to our redress processes but also to any recommendations made to better support those harmed in our care in the past and to ensure the safety and well-being of all vulnerable individuals accessing our services today.

For the Catholic Church, a joint statement was issued by the Rev. Steve Lowe, President of the New Zealand Catholic Bishops Conference, and the Rev. Thomas Rouse Congregational Leaders Conference Aotearoa New Zealand, saying the Catholic Church had made significant progress in responding to abuse reports in the past 30 years but work is still needed to ensure church communities are safe places for people.

The Catholic bishops and congregational leaders in Aotearoa New Zealand have received a copy of the inquirys final report and will now read and review it carefully. As we have done throughout the length of the inquiry, we will ensure that action follows our review of the inquirys findings.

There is work for the government to do and work to be undertaken by many other people.

We understand that within the community, some of us - including leaders in the catholic church - have a special role to play to ensure that the findings and recommendations of this significant Inquiry are not lost or confined to words in a report. We commit to that role.

At the same time, everyone must play their part in responding to the Inquirys report to the extent that they can. There are things that all of us can and must do to eliminate abuse of any kind in whatever context we live and work in.

We hope this report and the work that flows from it will result in a better society and a safer environment for all people.

Abuse is not only historical, or confined to sole parts of society, the Catholic leaders stated and the survivors accounts make that crystal clear.

The Catholic leaders referred to a public letter published in an undisclosed setting on January 10 2023, acknowledging the abuse of people in the care of the church is real and the failures of church leaders in responding to reports are real.
The recently commissioned customer call centre of is been operated on the Exotel call centre application facilitated through a partnership with Metro Edge Technologies.



In a speech read on her behalf at the launch of the call centre, the Second Lady, H.E. Samira Bawumia said she was hopeful that it will form part of a broader plan to make their services timeous and accessible to Ghanaians.



As part of the digital transformations being championed by the NHIS, today, I am also pleased to announce the establishment of a revamped NHIA Call Centre with an enhanced digital infrastructure and the installation of an Ameyo software powered by Exotel, this state-of-the-art facility will significantly improve the NHIAs capacity to handle more calls, ensuring that NHIA Call Centre is part of a broader strategy to improve member experience and reduce call waiting times, making healthcare more accessible and responsive to the needs, she said.



The new NHIA Call Centre will provide Ghanaians with an easy and efficient way to access information, resolve issues, and receive support regarding their health insurance. By leveraging on Exotels advanced telephony solutions, the call centre is designed to handle high volumes of calls, ensuring that every callers query is addressed promptly and effectively. The Call Centre is integrated with NHIAs existing systems, providing a seamless experience for users.



The Chief Executive Officer of Metro Edge Technologies, the West Africa premier partner for Exotel, Kingsley Bennett said Metro Edge is excited to partner with the National Health Insurance Authority. We believe that for the results that the NHIA wants to achieve, the solutions Metro Edge Technologies is offering through Exotel is a best fit as it provides expanded agent log-ins, 24-hour accessibility, IVR support as well as other customized solutions as requested by the NHIA; we are very confident that users will also find this upgraded call centre efficient and easy to use, he said.



Mr. Bennett further added that our platform is designed to provide reliable and efficient communication solutions, and we are proud to support NHIA in their mission to provide quality healthcare services to the citizens of Ghana. Similar solutions have been deployed for Guaranty Trust Bank Ghana PLC, Fidelity Bank Ghana PLC, Old Mutual Ghana, UNFPA, ExpressPay Ghana, Hollard Ghana, Fan Milk Ghana, iParama, Wotiriye, Odibets, PPAG, Zoomlion and IT Consortium.



The NHIA call centre can be reached on 054-444-6447 or via the short code 6447 on the MTN and Telecel mobile networks. It has been designed to allow for improved accessibility, and efficient service delivery as it has been equipped to handle a large volume of calls, reducing wait times and ensuring timely assistance to callers. Its integration with the NHIAs existing systems means that users are guaranteed a seamless experience.



About Metro Edge Technologies



Metro Edge Technologies is a fast-growing indigenous IT firm providing simple, innovative and cost-effective technology solutions to Enterprises and SMEs. Founded in 2013, Metro Edge has provided varied solutions to a number of industry verticals in Ghana. Metro Edge Technologies, a business enabler and as a solution driven firm, have developed very strong global partnership, with an objective to create sustainable and long-term solutions cost effectively.



Metro Edge Technologies Partnership with Exotel



In the area of Contact Centre, Metro Edge Technologies is Exotels premier partner in West Africa. Metro Edge Technologies provides both on premise deployments and Contact Centre as a Service (CCaaS) with AI Capabilities.



Exotel is the emerging markets leading full stack customer engagement platform. Exotel's world-class cloud-based product suite powers 50 million engagements daily for over 8,000 companies in India, SE Asia, the Middle East, and Africa. We help brands of all sizes deliver exemplary customer experiences. Exotel comprises a communications platform (CPaaS), an omnichannel contact centre platform (CCaaS), and a conversational AI platform over the cloud. The full stack customer engagement solution powers optimal customer journeys consistently across all touchpoints, channels, and interactions to nurture customer retention and advocacy.





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Last Saturday, players in the insurance industry gathered at Labadi Beach Hotel for the seventh edition of the Ghana Insurance Awards (GIA), which seeks to celebrate the achievements of individuals and companies who have distinguished themselves in the industry in the year under review.



The Ghana Insurance Awards is a trademark owned by Xodus Communications Limited, organizers of Forty Under 40 Ghana, Forty Under 40 Africa, Forty Under 40 UK, Forty Under 40 Global, Ghana Oil and Gas Awards, Ghana Manufacturing Awards and Ghana Auto Awards and many more.



The GIA has, since its inception in 2018, sought to promote the growth of the insurance industry through progressive competition, innovation, and adherence to the highest professional standards.



In all, 18 companies and 4 individuals were honoured at the 2024 edition of the ceremony.



In his welcome remarks, Chief Executive Officer of Xodus Communications, Richard Abbey Junior said, the winners were selected by an independent advisory board who evaluated the awardees based on criteria listed for each category.



He added that the Awards is an annual ceremony to celebrate achievements and standards in the insurance industry. The Awards Night provides a spectacular occasion for insurance industry players to come together to celebrate and network while rewarding achievement and leadership in various key areas.



The Awards cut across categories for life and non-life companies, re-insurers, brokerage firms, and other intermediaries, health insurers, actuarial firms, and other insurance service providers.



He noted that the Technical Committee and the Awarding Board have always been guided by reports by the National Insurance Commission, the NHIA, and the entries provided by nominees



" Xodus Communications Limited is undergoing ISO Certifications because of its international reputation. Annually, the GIA winners are carefully selected by the Jury". We are happy to have PayAngel as our proud sponsors



This year's colourful event was attended by several dignitaries including H. E Grace Jeanet Mason- (South African High Commission), Delali Kotoka, (PayAngel Inc Business Development Manager), Dr Omaboe- (Garnet Medical Center), Dr Justice Srem Sai- University of Ghana, (Lecturer, Managing Partner, Praetorium Solicitors), Raj Mirpuri- Head of Sales, (Bel- Aqua), Pankaj Bahar- (General Manager- Alpha TND), Dr Fidelia Dake, Member of the Awarding Board, Hussein Gungor- (Turkish Ambassador) and many others.



Here are the 2024 GIA winners;



1. HALL OF FAME 2024



GENERAL INSURANCE COMPANY OF THE YEAR

ENTERPRISE INSURANCE LTD



2. HALL OF FAME 2024



LIFE INSURANCE COMPANY OF THE YEAR



ENTERPRISE LIFE INSURANCE LTD



3. HALL OF FAME 2024



PRIVATE HEALTH INSURANCE COMPANY OF THE YEAR

NATIONWIDE MEDICAL INSURANCE



4. PRODUCT INNOVATION AWARD (MICRO INSURANCE)



aYo INTERMEDIARIES GHANA LIMITED (AYO PAY AND DRIVE" MOTOR INSURANCE)



5. BANCASSURANCE LEADER AWARD 2024



ABSA BANK GHANA LTD



6. MOBILE INSURANCE LEADERSHIP AWARD 2024



aYo INTERMEDIARIES GHANA LIMITED



7. FASTEST GROWING COMPANY OF THE YEAR 2024



IMPERIAL GENERAL ASSURANCE





8. BEST GROWING COMPANY (GENERAL INSURANCE) 2024

SERENE INSURANCE COMPANY LIMITED



9. YOUNG ACHIEVER OF THE YEAR 2024



BERNARD AKYIN-ARKOH (STAR ASSURANCE LIMITED)



10. EMERGING BRAND OF THE YEAR 2024



SERENE INSURANCE COMPANY LIMITED





11. CEO OF THE YEAR PRIVATE HEALTH Insurance 2024



MR. ELTON FREDERICK AFARI (EQUITY HEALTH INSURANCE)



12. INNOVATIVE PRODUCT OF THE YEAR PRIVATE HEALTH 2024



GLICO HEALTH INSURANCE  GLICO SUNKWA HEALTH PLAN



13. BEST GROWING COMPANY OF THE YEAR PRIVATE HEALTH 2024



EQUITY HEALTH INSURANCE LIMITED



14. PRODUCT INNOVATION AWARD (GENERAL INSURANCE) 2024



HOLLARD GHANA



15. BRAND OF THE YEAR (LIFE INSURANCE) 2024



ENTERPRISE LIFE INSURANCE



16. CUSTOMER CARE AWARD 2024



HOLLARD GHANA



17. ICT LEADERSHIP AWARD 2024



SUNU ASSURANCES GHANA LIMITED



18. PRIVATE HEALTH INSURANCE COMPANY OF THE YEAR 2024



ACACIA HEALTH INSURANCE



19. BRAND OF THE YEAR (GENERAL INSURANCE ) 2024

STAR ASSURANCE LIMITED



20. PRODUCT INNOVATION AWARD (LIFE INSURANCE) 2024



STARLIFE ASSURANCE LIMITED COMPANY



21. MARKETING INITIATIVE OF THE YEAR 2024

IMPERIAL GENERAL ASSURANCE



22. INDIGENOUS INSURANCE COMPANY OF THE YEAR 2024

STARLIFE ASSURANCE LIMITED COMPANY.



23. CLAIMS INITIATIVE OF THE YEAR 2024

GLICO LIFE INSURANCE LTD



24. CSR LEADERSHIP AWARD (GENERAL INSURANCE) 2024

SERENE INSURANCE COMPANY LIMITED



25. CSR LEADERSHIP AWARD (LIFE INSURANCE) 2024

GLICO LIFE INSURANCE LTD



26. BRAND OF THE YEAR PRIVATE HEALTH 2024

METROPOLITAN HEALTH INSURANCE



27. CEO OF THE YEAR (NON-LIFE) 2024

MERCY NAA KOSHIE BOAMPONG (SERENE INSURANCE COMPANY LIMITED)



28. CEO OF THE YEAR (LIFE INSURANCE) 2024

MS. KAKRA DUFFUOR-NYARKO (STARLIFE ASSURANCE LIMITED COMPANY



29. GENERAL INSURANCE COMPANY OF THE YEAR 2024

STAR ASSURANCE LIMITED



30. LIFE INSURANCE COMPANY OF THE YEAR 2024

STARLIFE ASSURANCE LIMITED COMPANY



31. THE CENTENARY AWARD FOR EXCELLENCE 2024

ENTERPRISE INSURANCE LIMITED

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A group of aggrieved youths of Bangui who identify as the Movement of Young Pan-Africans (MJP) organized a protest on Saturday, July 20, 2024 to voice out their aggrievances against the activities of an American non-governmental organization in the Central African Republic (CAR).



The protest briefly follows the arrest of Martin Joseph Figueira, an affiliate of the American NGO, FHI-360.



According to a publication on the Associated Press, Figueira was arrested by authorities of CAR for allegedly being in touch with armed groups to plot a coup.



Speaking on behalf of the group, Socrate Gutenberg Taramboye, the leader of the MJP mentioned that the protest was against attempts by the NGO to launch a justice access policy. An initiative the group believes contravenes with the constitution of the Central African Republic and may infringe on the human rights of citizens.



The group accused the NGO of trying to assimilate culture like LGBTQ on the People of the Central Africa Republic.



Socrate Gutenberg charged the CAR government to ensure that the rules of law are allied in the case of Figueira.



He believes theres sufficient evidence of communications between him and rebel groups to ensure he is prosecuted and justice is served.









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On 30th July, 2024, the Court of Appeal by a split 21 decision, allowed an appeal against the ruling of the High Court, Accra dated 30th March, 2023, dismissing a submission of no case filed by the accused persons and ordering them to open their defence.



The Office of the Attorney-General considers the decision of the Court of Appeal to be perverse in the quest for public accountability and the rule of law.



The decision clearly is heavily against the weight of the cogent evidence led by the prosecution in substantiation of all the charges against the accused persons at the trial.



The Office of the Attorney-General considers the decision of the Court of Appeal grossly unfair to the nation and inimical to the fight against impunity and abuse in public office after acquitting and discharging the Minority Leader, Dr Cassiel Ato Forson in the Ambulance Case.



According to the Attorney-General and Minister for Justice, The Office will promptly file an appeal in order to erase the effect of this erroneous decision of the Court of Appeal.



Cassiel Ato Forson and Richard Jakpa, who is a representative for Big Sea 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.



No Case



Ato Forson had argued that there was no case for him to answer, but this submission was initially rejected by the trial judge. Jakpa had similarly failed a similar submission of no case, and has since called a number of witnesses in his defence.



The Court of Appeal's decision now upholds Dr Ato Forson's submission.



Accordingly, the court held that there was no basis for the trial High Court to call Dr. Forson to open his defence.



Background



In 2009, the then-President, Prof. John Evans Atta Mills, announced plans to purchase new ambulances to expand the operations of the National Ambulance Service. Jakpa's company, Jakpa at Business, was appointed as the local representative of Big Sea General Trading Limited, a company based in Dubai, to supply the ambulances.



Parliament approved the financing agreement between the government and Stanbic Bank, and the letters of credit were established in favour of Big Sea. However, the government alleged that Jakpa's company received payments for ambulances that did not meet specifications, resulting in a financial loss to the state.



Back To High Court



Following the Court of Appeals' ruling on Tuesday morning, the trial at the High Court resumes this afternoon, where the court would be served with the decision of the Court of Appeal.





Read attached the Attorney-General's full statement

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Pressure group Alliance for Accountable Governance (AFAG) has questioned the flagbearer of the National Democratic Congress (NDC) quest to be president again.



Mr John Dramani Mahama who is keen on winning the December 7, presidential election had earlier questioned the constitutional four four-year term of the sitting president.



According to the former president, the four-year team is not enough for any president' to perhaps accomplish his policies.



However, AFAG in a statement wonders if the former president's quest to be president again is born out of ego.



One may wonder why, knowing very well that he has only one 4-year term left. Is his quest for re-election an issue of ego or ambition? A portion of the statement asked.



Adding that: President John Mahama has not changed. It is the same dead goat. No new vision, a new message to the people, and no clearly explained policies for the future of this country. It seems to be the same old magniloquence and rhetoric. Nothing new. Nothing to look forward to. This situation gives AFAG the impression that John Mahama is living in the past.



Read the statement below



John Mahama Must Admit His Failure and Apologize to Ghanaians - AFAG



Former President Mahamas comeback is beset by opportunism and incoherent policies. In 2016, former President John Mahama told the people of Ghana that 4 years is not enough for any president, adding that the framers of the constitution were well aware of that and therefore gave an option for a second term for sitting presidents. One may wonder why, knowing very well that he has only one 4-year term left. Is his quest for re-election an issue of ego or ambition?



We are still beset by the economic havoc that the erstwhile John Mahama administration plunged Ghana into during their days is still lingering in the minds of many well-meaning Ghanaians.



Fortunately, not all of us have short memories. It is only fair and proper that John Mahama admits that he failed the citizens of this country and apologizes to Ghanaians for his failure.



President John Mahama has not changed. It is the same dead goat. No new vision, new message to the people, and no clearly explained policies for the future of this country. It seems to be the same old magniloquence and rhetoric. Nothing new. Nothing to look forward to. This situation gives AFAG the impression that John Mahama is living in the past.



As the leader of the main opposition party, we expect that you would acknowledge that things are not as they used to be both locally and internationally. COVID-19 happened, and the ensuing global pandemic forced nearly 90 percent of the world economy to go under some form of lockdown, disrupting supply chains, depressing consumer demand, and putting millions out of work. The whole world is still reeling from the impact of that situation.



As the opposition leader, we expect that youll profess tangible and achievable solutions to deal with the new order. This politics of constantly repeating the same old narratives over and again has become stale and tasteless. It is as if he hasn't learned from the obvious patterns that occasioned and eventually resulted in the defeats he suffered in the last 2 elections.



AFAG believes that the endless repetition of the same stories by John Mahama is not healthy for the continuous growth of our democracy. What is his way forward for the nation?



AFAG would like to implore John Mahama to raise the political conversation beyond the out-of-date politics and focus on more essential issues that will likely affect us locally if we do not plug into the ever-growing global happenings. The era of "tso boi" politics in Ghana should end. The rest of the world is leaving us behind. We must catch up.



AFAG will ensure that you're held accountable for your deeds in the past and at the same time, keep an eye on the quality of your goals for the future, given that you have only one 4-year term to serve, if Ghanaians accept your unqualified apology for your misdeeds.



God bless our homeland Ghana and make our nation great and strong.





SIGNED -



AFAG LEADERSHIP

[054 475 9734]

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Flagbearer of the New Patriotic Party (NPP), Dr. Mahamudu Bawumia's campaign momentum in the Northern part of Ghana is on the rise following highly successful engagements in the Upper East Region in the past few days.



In the past weeks, Dr. Bawumia has pitched camp in the North, engaging with diverse stakeholders including traditional leaders, religious leaders and the youth in the North East, Northern, Savannah and Upper West Regions with huge crowds welcoming him.



On the last lap of his Northern tour in the Upper East Region which began last Friday, Dr. Bawumia was given a warm reception from mammoth crowds in Bawku, Garu Tempane, Pusiga, Talensi, Nabdam, Chiana Paga, Bolga and Navrongo.



In each of these constituencies and holding a community connect with the youth, the gathering has shown massive love and support to the Vice President and NPP presidential candidate by defying rains to stay with him.



Dr. Bawumia has also tailored his messages to meet the expectations of his different audiences, telling them of the massive development projects in the five Northern Regions under the NPP regime.



In each constituency, he lists a number of projects the government has undertaken in the area since 2017 to demonstrate how the NPP has kept faith with the people.



Dr. Bawumia further highlights the NDC and their flagbearer, John Mahama's neglect of the North in terms of development to remind the people of the bad treatment they experienced while Mahama was President.



Some of the failures of the Mahama administration he outlines are their SADA project which was a complete fiasco and the blatant corruption that characterized the previous government.



Dr. Bawumia is the first Northerner to be elected leader of the New Patriotic Party in a major election and for the first time, both the leading candidates for the two main political parties are from the North.



This makes the 2024 election historic as Dr. Bawumia has made significant inroads in what the NDC considered their safe grounds.

Source: Ameyaw Adu Gyamfi/Peacefmonline.com/Ghana









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Supermarket group Colruyt has a mussel farm off the Belgian coast to harvest local mussels.

It is a popular tradition to eat mussels in Brussels but what may surprise many is that none of the mollusks visitors enjoy are locally sourced in Belgium.

That is, until now. A Belgian supermarket group has taken on the challenge of harvesting local mussels, already reaping rich rewards, with business booming.

Off the coast of Nieuwpoort, near the French border, a crane hoists mussel-clad ropes onto a boat.

They are part of the 12-kilometer (seven-mile) network the Colruyt chain established in 2023.

Such a sight had never been seen in Belgium before and Colruyt hopes it will grow, especially to challenge the dominance of Dutch mussels in the local market.

"We harvest a tonne in about four hours, with four people. We would like in the future to do three to four tonnes a day," says Stijn Van Hoestenberghe, as he takes an AFP team to a mussel farm he manages.

This year Colruyt is counting on a harvest of 50 tonnes, up from six last year, and "maybe 200" in 2025, Van Hoestenberghe adds.

It's not easy work, Van Hoestenberghe admits, because of the strong sea currents, storms and dense maritime traffic in the area.

A far cry from the wide and deep Scheldt estuary where the renowned Zeeland mussel grows in the south of the Netherlands, which supplies much of the European market.

Stijn Van Hoestenberghe, who manages a mussel farm, admits it's not easy work.

"The Dutch part of the delta is a gigantic protected zone, which makes it easier to set up (mussel) farms than in the open sea," explains Jerome Mallefet, marine biology expert at Belgium's UCLouvain University.

Establishing more mussels farms off the Belgian coastdescribed by Mallefet as "a motorway for boats"is more difficult because of offshore wind turbines and trawling activity, the expert adds.

Today, experts estimate that Belgium, one of the biggest consumers of mussels in Europe alongside Spain, France and Denmark, gets more than 90 percent of its mussels from Dutch farmers in Zeeland.

Foreign mussels roped in

Despite the progress, Colruyt has greater ambitions to muscle into the market since its supplies will at best meet one percent of the needs of Belgium, where around 20,000 tonnes of mussels are consumed a year.

"It's clear that there's room for growth," the company says.

For now, Colruyt's "100-percent Belgian" mussels are delivered to four of its stores and around 15 restaurants in Belgium.

Colruyt says the mussels are 'sustainably' farmed using ropes made from recycled fishing nets.

One of its arguments for developing the market is that the mussels are "sustainably" farmed since the ropes used are made from recycled fishing nets.

Mussels are a seasonal foodstuff. The best time to eat them, say experts, is when the size and flesh have developed, usually from September to December.

On the historical Grand Place in Brussels, a major tourist destination in Belgium, a restaurant owner tells AFP he offers the highly popular traditional dish of mussels and fries on his menu all year round.

Like his customers, his mussels come from around Europe.

"We have many people eating mussels here... So we have Zeelandese mussels between June and February, and after that we have Danish mussels, or even German mussels, depending on demand," says Jean-Philippe Bosman, owner of the Le Roy d'Espagne restaurant.

"Having a local producer is good but they would need to supply us with the quantities we want on time... and that is more complicated."

 2024 AFP
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A Sali fledgling. Credit: Martin Kastner.

Brown treesnakes are not indigenous to Guam. The species arrived shortly after World War II, perhaps aboard shipping vessels. Since then, they have caused the local or total extinction of most native forest bird species.

Researchers including Haldre Rogers, a tropical forest community ecologist and conservation biologist in the College of Natural Resources and Environment have spent years conducting studies to support and inform bird conservation efforts.

Since 2007, Rogers has operated the Ecology of Bird Loss project in Guam to better understand how losing birds impacts the ecosystem and to form strategies to restore birds to the ecosystem. It has previously been suggested that while total eradication is optimal, removing the large, mature snakesthe ones big enough to eat birdsmight be sufficient to allow some bird populations to recover.

Research, published on July 25 in Ecology and Evolution, shows that snakes are killing birds whether they can eat them or not, suggesting that they are routinely tackling prey that are too large for them to swallow.

"Around half of the birds that are getting killed by snakes are not actually eaten by them," said Martin Kastner, a doctoral student in the Department of Fish and Wildlife Conservation. Kastner has spent the last three years with a team in the Mariana Islands conducting the first study into the influence of both prey and predator sizes on brown treesnake predation success.

"Before this work, no one realized the extent to which snakes are unsuccessfully trying to predate birds," said Rogers. "I think we just assumed that most of the time they would be good at estimating how large a prey they would need, so it came as a big surprise to us that almost exactly half of the birds were not actually consumed."

The team attached radio transmitters to roughly 400 Sali fledglings, a medium-sized bird in the starling family that is locally endangered on Guam because of brown treesnake predation.

The fledglings that were unsuccessfully ingested by the brown treesnake were found dead on the ground with their heads and necks coated in saliva, whereas the fledglings that were successfully ingested were tracked to the bellies or feces of snakes.

The snake population at the site was also surveyed by the United States Geological Survey (USGS) Brown Treesnake Lab with measurements taken of all snakes found, allowing the team to compare the size of snakes that successfully ate birds to those on the landscape.

The study began in November 2019 and concluded in October of 2022:

The team recorded 294 fledgling bird deaths out of 461 tracked.

Brown treesnakes killed 58% of those, and cats killed 30%.

Approximately half of the birds killed by the brown tree snakes were covered in saliva but not ingested.

Kastner was the lead writer of a paper on these findings titled, "Gape-limited invasive predator frequently kills avian prey that are too large to swallow." Along with Kastner and Rodgers, co-authors on the paper also included Scott M. Goetz, Kayla M. Baker, Shane R. Siers, Eben H. Paxton, and Melia G. Nafus. This paper is one part of Kastner's doctoral thesis.

"This chapter of Martin's thesis is really interesting. It helps managers figure out how much control is needed, and which age classes should be targeted," said Rogers. "These results have management implications because they show that smaller snakes can still effectively kill birds even if they can't actually swallow them, which means that there is a broader demographic range of snakes that need to be controlled."

Kastner's dissertation focuses on trying to understand the impact of snakes on Sali and to explore how snake control approaches correlate to fledgling survival and the overall population of the bird.

"In the right context, snakes are a big part of the ecosystem. They're wonderful in the right place, but in Guam, unfortunately, they're invasive, so that's important to keep in mind," said Kastner. "We need to get rid of them if we want hope of bringing back native birds and restoring the overall ecosystem."

Kastner has also helped establish Guam's first volunteer group dedicated to brown treesnake eradication, named "Friends of Islan Dano."

Islan Dano' is an islet located off Guam that has long been considered free from invasive brown treesnakes until recently.

An article by Kastner and the other co-founder, Olympia Terral, describing these efforts has been published in Berryman Institute's Human-Wildlife Interactions journal. Kastner and Rogers also have recently published a life history paper about Sali with many co-authors from the region.

In addition to the Department of Fish and Wildlife Conservation at Virginia Tech, the researchers have also worked closely with the USGS Pacific Island Ecosystems Research Center in Hawai'i National Park; the United States Department of Agriculture National Wildlife Research Center in Barrigada, Guam; and the Guam Department of Agriculture's Division of Aquatic and Wildlife Resources.

More information: Martin Kastner et al, Gapelimited invasive predator frequently kills avian prey that are too large to swallow, Ecology and Evolution (2024). DOI: 10.1002/ece3.11598 Journal information: Ecology and Evolution
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Credit: Ketut Subiyanto from Pexels

Next month, changes to the Australian Fair Work Act will give workers the formal right to disconnect from all work communication outside their usual work hours.

The main driver for introducing "right to disconnect" laws has been to protect the health and well-being of workers in an increasingly hyper-connected world.

But what exactly will the new laws mean for Australian businesses, managers and employees?

Right to disconnect origins

Right to disconnect laws were first introduced in France in 2017 in response to concern about the welfare of workers who were increasingly connected to their workplaces as a result of expanding digital technologies.

France introduced a law requiring companies with more than 50 employees to negotiate agreements with staff on their rights to ignore their smartphones and other electronic devices after work hours.

The reaction was mixed. Some praised the move for promoting worklife balance and reducing stress, while others raised concerns about its potential impact on productivity and competitiveness.

One critic at the time said, "The French may quickly discover that their most productive workers are routine 'lawbreakers' who stay connected during off-hours."

To learn more about this topic, I reviewed 21 academic articles on the right to disconnect, from 15 different countries over the past seven years, and identified several themes that may help Australian managers.

The 'always on' culture

The growth of digital devicesincluding smartphones, laptops, tablets and smart watchesmeans many Australian workers have been working way beyond their contracted number of hours for many years.

A 2023 Australia Institute study estimated Australian workers on average were doing an extra 5.4 hours of unpaid work per week.

The unofficial encroachment of work duties into workers' personal timealso called "availability creep" or "time theft"equates to an extra 281 hours' unpaid work per year.

This is estimated to be costing workers an average of AU$11,055 annually. It has led to serious concerns for employee health and welfare, work-life balance and workplace exploitation.

The post-pandemic rise of flexible work arrangements in Australia, while offering many lifestyle and health benefits, may also contribute to our "always on" culture and expectations to be constantly available and contactable.

This digital presenteeism has been found to affect the health of workers in different ways, including causing headaches, eyestrain, insomnia, back pain, anxiety and burnout.

Protecting workers

Another key theme of the right to disconnect laws is how working time, work availability and rest times are observed.

Portugal has even taken things a step further than other countries, placing the responsibility for the right to disconnect on the employer, by implementing "refrain from contact" laws. This means companies with more than ten employees can be fined if they text or email staff outside their contracted hours.

However, the new Australian law won't restrict managers from contacting employees whenever they wish, but it will give their employees a legal right to refuse to "monitor, read or respond to communications from an employer or third party made outside their working hours, unless refusal is unreasonable."

If an employee chooses not to respond, disciplinary action cannot be taken, nor can the employee be treated differently, such as through rostering or performance requirements, for deciding to disconnect.

This should encourage conversations about what represents reasonable contact. The Fair Work Commission says this must be based on the reason for contact, the employee's personal circumstances, the nature of the employee's role and responsibilities, and whether the employee is being compensated for being available outside ordinary work hours.

Making the change

In some countries, right to disconnect policies have been formally set in law, while others rely on self-regulation by employers instead.

France, for example, legislated out-of-hours' electronic communication between employers and employees through statutes and legislation, meaning government entities are required to enforce the right and a court is needed to interpret it.

Germany, on the other hand, does not formally legislate disconnection provisions, but many of its companies (including car manufacturers Volkswagen and Daimler) already have their own regulations in place.

In Australia, the right to disconnect will be a right under general protection laws. Disputes about an employee's response will need to be discussed and resolved at the workplace level but, if a resolution isn't possible, employees or employers can take the case to the Fair Work Commission.

The commission can then make orders or deal with the dispute in other ways.

What to expect

The new laws come into effect 26 August.

They are an important step towards encouraging sensible conversations about the importance of rest, availability, and whether it is necessary to contact workers outside their normal hours.

Right to disconnect laws should challenge managers to create a work culture where employees feel comfortable disconnecting from work and understand the importance of maintaining a clear boundary between work and rest, where their rest periods are formally respected and preserved.

As an initiative for supporting improved digital well-being and work-life balance, in today's hyperconnected world, clearer boundaries between working time and rest are crucial.

This article is republished from The Conversation under a Creative Commons license. Read the original article.
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Credit: Raul Soteras, Institut Arquelogic Alemany/Universitat de Basilea

About 7,000 years ago, the first farmers in the western Mediterranean selected the most fertile land available, cultivated cereal varieties very similar to today's, and made sparing use of domestic animal feces, as they do today. These are some of the elements that characterize the expansion of agriculture during the Neolithic period in Western Europe, according to an article published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.

The first author is Professor Josep Lluis Araus, from the Faculty of Biology at the University of Barcelona and member of Agrotechnio, the CERCA Center for Research in Agrotechnology.

The study reconstructs the environmental conditions, crop management practices and the characteristics of the plants that existed when agriculture appeared in Western Europe, and takes as a reference the site of La Draga (Banyoles, Girona), one of the most significant and complex sites on the Iberian Peninsula, as well as including data on sixteen other sites from the beginnings of agriculture in the region.

According to the conclusions, at the time of its appearance on the Iberian Peninsula, agriculture had already achieved a consolidated level in agricultural techniques for growing cereals, suggesting an evolution throughout its migration across Europe of the methods and genetic material originating from the fertile crescent, the cradle of the Neolithic revolution in the Middle East.

Experts from the University of Lleida (UdL) and the joint research unit CTFC-Agrotecnio, the Universitat Autonoma de Barcelona (UAB), the Spanish National Research Council (CSIC), the Universitat de Valencia, the University of Basel (Switzerland), the Agri-Food Research and Technology Center of Aragon (CITA) and the German Archaeological Institute (DAI) also participate in the article.

The excavations in La Draga are coordinated by the Archaeological Museum of Banyoles, within the framework of the four-yearly archaeological excavation projects of the Department of Culture of the Government of Catalonia.

What were the main crops grown on La Draga?

Since its appearance nearly 12,000 years ago in the territories of the so-called fertile crescent, agriculture has transformed the relationship with the natural environment and the socio-economic structure of human populations. Now, the team has applied paleoenvironmental and archaeobotanical reconstruction techniques to identify the conditions in the village of La Draga when agriculture emerged.

Located on the eastern shore of Lake Banyoles, it is one of the oldest settlements of farmers and stockbreeders in the north-east of the Iberian Peninsula (52004800 BC), and an extraordinary testimony to the first farming and stockbreeding societies in the Iberian Peninsula. To give a regional dimension to the study, cereal data from other Neolithic sites in the Iberian Peninsula and southern France have also been examined.

Although it was pioneering agricultureit began in previously uncultivated areas. "The growing conditions seem to have been favorable, possibly due to a deliberate choice by the farmers of the most suitable land. The crops do not seem too different from the traditional varieties that have been cultivated in the following millennia," says Professor Araus, from the Plant Biology Section of the UB's Department of Evolutionary Biology, Ecology and Environmental Sciences.

Araus has led the reconstruction of the agronomic conditions and characteristics of the crops based on the analysis of the samples collected and identified by the archaeobotanists of the UAB, the DAI and the University of Basel.

The main source of information for studying agricultural practices in prehistoric times "are the archaeobotanical remains (seeds and fruits) that we find in the archaeological deposits we excavate. The most frequently found remains are carbonized cereal grains. Thus, isotopic studies on these remains allow us to open an alternative interpretative line to characterize past agricultural practices," notes Ferran Antolin, from the DAI.

Durum wheat and poppy are the species that were mainly cultivated in La Draga. "In addition, barley also appearsalways in small amountsand, occasionally, some traces of small spelt, spelt wheat and Triticum timopheevii corn. Moreover, the proportions of cereals during the different phases of occupation remained practically unchanged," says Antolin.

Juan Pedro Ferrio, CSIC research scientist at the Aula Dei Experimental Station says, "Although the domestication of animals is not the focus of the article, several pieces of evidence indicate that animals grazed in the same crop fields. This fact could explain the moderate contribution of organic marinade of animal origin, suggested by the nitrogen isotopic composition of the cereal seeds."

A favorable climate for agricultural practices

At La Draga, the good environmental conditions favored the practice of agriculture when this Neolithic population settled on the shores of Lake Banyoles.

"The isotopic study of carbonized wood and cereal seeds confirms that the availability of water in the area was better than it is today. Previous archaeobotanical studies had shown that vegetation grew in the area around the site that was quite different from what we find today.

"The oak and riparian forests with an abundance of laurel trees would have dominated the environment, and this type of vegetation requires more humid climatic conditions than today," explains Professor Raquel Pique, from the UAB's Department of Prehistory.

"This evidence of conditions that are wetter than todayand therefore more suitable for agriculturecould be extrapolated to other sites from the beginnings of agriculture in the western Mediterranean," says Professor Araus.

"It is quite likely that agriculture would not have been adopted in response to negative environmental conditionsfor example, climate changeand the need to ensure food for the population, but rather as a way of increasing resources and making them more stable compared to a hunting and gathering economy."

How did agriculture expand in the Iberian Peninsula?

Understanding the details of the exploitation of the new agricultural subsistence system is fundamental to understanding the broader process of Neolithic economic, cultural and social change.

"In the case of the Iberian Peninsula, archaeobotanical evidence collected in recent decades has suggested a rapid expansion of agriculture, with the almost simultaneous appearance of the first domesticated plants in different regions," says Jordi Voltas, professor at the UdL and the joint CTFC-Agrotecnio research unit.

"The new study supports existing archaeological models of the spread of agricultural practices based mainly on migratory phenomena (demic diffusion). In particular, they denote a consolidated agriculture in terms of good agronomic conditions and evolved crop characteristics at the time when agriculture reached the western shores of Europe."

There is still limited knowledge of the nature of crop practices in the early Neolithic populations. "We are talking about prehistoric societies, which, except for exceptional sites such as La Draga, have left relatively scarce material remains that can only be adequately studied with detailed work through successive excavation campaigns.

"In these contexts, the ecophysiology of crops and all the relational methodologiesstable isotopes, etc.have been decisive in contributing new knowledge over the past decades to the scientific debate on the origins and spread of agriculture. As this study shows, they will also be so in the future," concludes Professor Araus.

More information: Jose L. Araus et al, Isotope and morphometrical evidence reveals the technological package associated with agriculture adoption in western Europe, Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences (2024). DOI: 10.1073/pnas.2401065121 Journal information: Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences
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Credit: Pixabay/CC0 Public Domain

Global sustainability initiatives like the environmental, social and governance (ESG) investing principle may lead to greater financial gains for hospitality firms in high-income countries but not in low-income nations, according to new findings from researchers in the Penn State School of Hospitality Management.

Penn State doctoral student Samantha Hwang and Professor of Hospitality Management Seoki Lee led a research team that assessed how implementing practices related to ESG impacts the financial well-being of hospitality firms, which consist of hotels, restaurants and casinos.

The researchers identified a significant moderating effect of national economic development between the ESG scoresmeasuring a company's performance in ESG practicesand return on assets of hospitality firms. This finding indicates that the success of ESG initiatives can depend on a country's gross domestic product.

The research team published its findings in the International Journal of Hospitality Management.

Within ESG, the environmental dimension consists of resource use, emissions and innovation; the social dimension encompasses workforce, human rights and community; and the governance dimension includes management, shareholders and corporate social responsibility strategy.

"In terms of ESG, policymakers in low- and middle-income countries can think about improving their infrastructure and better educating their populations about sustainability practices," Lee said. "This will encourage not only the public but also the companies to invest in ESG. Our data suggests this will reward companies accordingly."

The researchers analyzed data from 166 hospitality firms across 36 countries. The team collected data from London Stock Exchange Group, formerly Refinitiv, a global database that contains individual ESG scores and financial data of publicly traded global hospitality firms. The researchers used return on assetsoperating profit divided by total assetsto measure firm performance and gross domestic product to measure national economic development.

The team found that if a country's gross domestic product, which can serve as a measure of economic health, is already high, then that country's hospitality firms are more likely to have a fruitful return on assets upon participating in ESG practices.

"Low- and middle-income nations may not have the options to invest in ESG initiatives because their people need to take care of their personal needs first," Hwang said. "This is an example of Maslow's hierarchy of needsa theory proposed by psychologist Abraham Maslow in the 1940sin that people first take care of their basic needs before they can invest in their surroundings."

Hwang said an example of this could be an airline collecting donations for a social cause. People in low- and middle-income countries may not be inclined to participate in this social cause, as they may only have the resources to take care of their needs, or, in this case, simply purchase the plane ticket.

While low- and middle-income countries can face resource constraints that make rewarding sustainable practices challenging, consumers in high-income nations can be more inclined to pay extra for environmentally friendly or sustainable goods and services, according to Hwang.

Examples of ESG within the hospitality industry could include businesses volunteering in communities and donating to social causes. Specific efforts can include when casinos implement responsible gambling messaging and campaigns or when hotels invest in human trafficking-awareness programming, according to the researchers.

The researchers also said restaurants could focus on forms of ethical sourcing, such as purchasing food from local farms that follow ESG practices, such as growing crops in an environmentally friendly way.

"Companies should adjust their ESG initiatives in ways the community can participate," Hwang said. "Whether companies are based in high-income or low-income nations, they should have everyone inclusively involved when it comes to investing in ESG activities. ESG can be costly in the short term, but it can turn into a positive investment for companies in the long run."

More information: Da Hyun S. Hwang et al, The moderating role of national economic development on the relationship between ESG and firm performance in the global hospitality industry, International Journal of Hospitality Management (2024). DOI: 10.1016/j.ijhm.2024.103788
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In contrast to earlier research, new data suggests that on average 98% of Americans report having at least one friend, and 58% have five or more friends. Credit: AFP, CC-BY 4.0 (creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/)

American adults may typically have more friends than indicated by other recent surveys, with fewer Americans having no friends at allthough many would like closer friendships. Natalie Pennington of Colorado State University, US, and colleagues present these preliminary findings from the ongoing "American Friendship Project" in a study published July 30, 2024, in the open-access journal PLOS ONE.

Having more and higher quality friendships is linked with greater happiness and life satisfaction. However, research suggests that more and more American adults are facing loneliness and spending less time being social. Nonetheless, evidence conflicts as to whether the number and quality of friendships among Americans are actually in decline.

To get a clearer picture of American friendship, Pennington and colleagues launched the American Friendship Project, an ongoing, multi-year survey study. In 2022 and 2023, they gathered baseline data by surveying nearly 6,000 American adults about their friendships and well-being.

This initial data suggests that an American adult has an average of four or five friends, similar to numbers reported in previous research from 1970 to 2015. Approximately 2% of participants reported being friendless, which is also in line with data from prior decades.

These findings suggest that recent concerns about increasing friendlessness may be inaccurate. However, while participants generally reported satisfaction with their friendships, many indicated a desire for more time spent with their friends or for higher quality friendships.

The analysis also suggests that participants often talk with friends in person, though phone calls and texting are also common. A subset of participants who were college students were more likely to report meeting new friends at school and tended to maintain friendships for briefer time periods than a general adult subset of participants.

While analyzing the baseline data, the researchers also evaluated the methodology and limitations of the American Friendship Project, considering such questions as people's varying definitions of "friend" and whether friendships reported in surveys may be reciprocated or not by the other parties.

Overall, the researchers say the project shows promise for shedding new light on friendship and well-being over time, which could inform efforts to increase and improve such relationships.

The authors add, "Americans long for greater closeness with friends; although over 75% were satisfied with the number of friends they had, 42% felt they were not as close to their friends as they would like."

More information: The American Friendship Project: A report on the status and health of friendship in America, PLoS ONE (2024). DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0305834 Journal information: PLoS ONE
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Credit: Pixabay/CC0 Public Domain

Businesses across Canada have been bemoaning the lack of qualified workers across numerous industries, including those traditionally viewed as lower-skill occupations.

This issue has been ongoing for the past few years but came to a head in 2021 as the country eased its way out of the pandemic. Food service establishments, in particular, struggled to find suitable employees while trying to return to business as usual.

In response to these staffing challenges, temporary foreign worker and provincial nominee programs were looked to as convenient stop-gap solutions.

Temporary foreign workers account for a relatively large proportion of workers in accommodation and food services compared to other industries. Food service work is often precarious, characterized by part-time, temporary and low-paid positions.

Still, despite these efforts, many positions remained unfilled. This raises an important question: are these labor shortages real, or are there barriers preventing certain workers from securing interviews and filling employment gaps? Our forthcoming research set out to address this question.

Are you the right 'fit?'

Hiring managers in the food service industry often emphasize the importance of finding the right "fit" when hiring new employees. But does everyone have the same chance to fit in?

Our forthcoming research in The Economic and Labor Relations Review found that many hiring managers have set ideas about what makes an ideal employee. These ideals are usually related to a candidate's race, country of origin, immigration status, Indigeneity, gender and physical appearance.

Using interviews with food service employers and workers, along with results from resume call backs, our analysis suggests the notion of a fit employee functions as a gatekeeper by providing opportunities for some while excluding others. Labor market opportunities and disadvantages are created by these notions of who is the right fit.

This is particularly important to consider in light of the high unemployment rates for Indigenous Peoples and wage disparities between men and women in food services. There is more going on beneath the surface than meets the eye.

Gender and 'pretty privilege'

Women are over-represented, yet underpaid, in the food service industry. They are more likely to be hired in better paid customer-facing roles, such as serving tables, because they are perceived as being more polite, organized and better at providing customer service.

However, this type of job comes at a cost for women. They are expected to spend money on personal grooming and face intense pressure to present themselves in ways male customers find appealing.

One female interviewee recalled a comment made by a restaurant owner about female employees: "If you don't feel like you should be Instagram ready, like taking an Instagram picture, then you shouldn't come to work."

Our findings suggest employer biases toward physical appearance and gendered social attributes can outweigh the qualifications listed on job seekers' resumes.

How race impacts hiring

For many people, food service jobs represent an opportunity to get into the workforce. These roles, often viewed as entry-level positions, are frequently used as stepping stones for future employment.

However, it's important to note that not everyone seeking positions in food service are doing so as a form of trainingmany simply need a job, full stop.

Who gets hired for these jobs is important because those who are unable to secure entry-level service positions could have their long-term career prospects impacted. This, in turn, could compound already existing labor market inequalities. But the reality of how this actually happens isn't quite so simple.

Despite the perception that food service work is "easier" for immigrants and racialized workers to break into, our research found that racialized workers had fewer chances overall to be hired, especially in front-of-house roles.

In some cases, racialized workers may be hired as a "token minority" or they may be hired preferentially if their ethnicity appears to match the type of food being served. In both cases, race is treated as a commodity by the employer and diversity is seen as a favorable business decision.

One food service worker told us:

"The only advantage you have is tokenism because it can be an advantage that you have a higher chance of getting hired at a place that doesn't have visible minorities."

Of those who were hired, they tended to be pushed into back-of-house roles where they didn't interact directly with customers or earn tips. The quality of jobs immigrants and racialized workers had tended to be lower, with unsteady hours and low wages.

Indigenous workers

The challenges facing Indigenous job applicants were even more stark. Our analysis suggests Indigenous Peoples are acutely impacted by the notion of fit in Canada, which often serves as a pretext for excluding them from employment opportunities.

Racism continues to perpetuate the discrimination and marginalization of Indigenous Peoples in the labor market in Canada.

Indigenous workers can be stigmatized by stereotypes that characterize them as being prone to criminal behavior and substance use. These stereotypes led one of the hiring managers we interviewed to say they wouldn't hire Indigenous applicants.

Our research found that, when Indigenous applicants were hired, employers were more likely to place them into low-paid and low-status roles, such as dishwashing, that had fewer chances for advancement. The Indigenous workers we spoke to used a variety of coping mechanisms to deal with the racist attitudes they faced, including trying to "turn a blind eye to it."

Policy isn't enough on its own

Anti-discrimination legislation, by itself, is not enough to prevent biases against certain job applicants. Few employees have the resources to be able to contest unfair or illegal treatment, and even if they are able to complain through employment standards processes or a civil lawsuit, discrimination in the hiring process is difficult to prove.

Government subsidies, training programs, work experience and education are also unlikely to overcome the biases that shape employment outcomes. The reason why racialized, Indigenous or newcomer applicants are less likely to be hired is not because of training deficiencies. Rather, hiring managers act as gatekeepers by enforcing their own preferences and biases about who will fit into their organization.

Put another way, job experience, education and extracurricular activities are easily overshadowed by biases that employers use to deem certain candidates as a suitable fit. Qualified job-seekers are often ignored or considered for other occupations in the food service industry as a result.

Unconscious bias training and initiatives fall short of affecting meaningful change if the broader system goes unexamined. Real transformation requires focused anti-racist programming that involves actively challenging and changing racist policies, practices and attitudesnot simply paying lip service to diversity or anti-discrimination campaigns.

Employer concerns about genuine labor market shortages in certain sectors are real, but in some respects, these problems are made worse by notions about fitting in that turn otherwise qualified candidates away before landing an interview.

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

Guaranteed income programs don't appear to improve the health of recipients, but they remain an important tool to consider for reducing poverty, according to research from University of Michigan and others.

The findings come from research released by OpenResearch's Unconditional Income Study, which gave 1,000 adults $1,000 per month for three years. The randomized controlled trial examined the effects of the cash transfers on recipients, including their overall health, employment outcomes and how they spent the money.

Leading the study on health effects was Sarah Miller, U-M associate professor of business economics and public policy. She said the cash generated only short-lived (one-year) improvements in stress and mental health and no effect on physical health, as measured by self-reports.

Not seeing a longer-term reduction in stress was a disappointment, Miller said, since that could be one way that more income improves health.

"There's so much energy in health policy now for addressing 'social determinants of health'and poverty in particular," Miller said. "Could cash transfers be the way to meaningfully and effectively reduce health disparities? It's hard for me to look at these results and say yes."

However, Miller notes she and her colleagues found an overall increase in visits to hospitals and dentists. It's possible the uptick in medical care could improve health over a longer time horizon.

Participants, who were mostly recruited by mail in a diverse set of counties in Texas and Illinois, were asked if they would be interested in a study in which they would receive at least $50 per month. Of the 14,000 respondents who consented, researchers drew a weighted random sample of 3,000 to ensure racial and income diversity.

All of those in the latter sample group were enrolled in a monthly cash transfer program of $50, and 1,000 of them were selected randomly to receive $1,000 a month. Researchers reasoned the control group should continue to receive the smaller amount so they would be more likely to participate in future surveys.

In the employment-related study, Miller and colleagues found that $1,000-per-month recipients worked roughly 1.4 hours fewer per week on average. She said she doesn't view that as negativetime away from work is something they value and she views that as a "reasonable thing to use the payment on."

Not surprisingly, when it came to spending, the research also showed increases in consumption of food, leisure, transportation and housing. The participants boosted their spending in those areas by roughly $300 a month.

While those expenditures didn't appear to improve health, they did provide financial flexibility and freedom"a feature of cash, not a bug," said Miller, also a co-author on the employment and spending studies.

"If the policy goal is to improve health specifically, there are health-targeted interventions that we know work: make medical care cheaper, expand coverage, reduce barriers to initiating a primary care relationship," she said.

"I am personally in favor of more cash transfers and think that the U.S. should do more to help alleviate poverty. It's important to know what cash transfers can and can't accomplish, though, so we can make good policy decisions."

Both studies can be found in the National Bureau of Economic Research Working Paper Series.

More information: Sarah Miller et al, Does Income Affect Health? Evidence from a Randomized Controlled Trial of a Guaranteed Income, National Bureau of Economic Research Working paper series (2024). DOI: 10.3386/w32711 Eva Vivalt et al, The Employment Effects of a Guaranteed Income: Experimental Evidence from Two U.S. States, National Bureau of Economic Research Working paper series (2024). DOI: 10.3386/w32719
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Illustrative representation of a black hole binary immersed in a dark matter spike at the center of a galaxy. Credit: Original image: NASA science.nasa.gov/resource/spiral-galaxy-blue/. Modified by Alvarez, Cline, and Dewar.

In a new study, scientists from Canada have proposed a solution to the final parsec problem of supermassive black hole (SMBH) mergers using self-interacting dark matter.

When two galaxies merge, gas and dust collide, leading to star formation. However, the stars themselves don't collide due to their vast distances. The SMBHs at the center of the two galaxies also begin to merge.

However, the merger of the black holes stalls when they are 1 parsec (or 30.9 trillion kilometers) apart. This problem is known as the final parsec problem in astronomy and astrophysics.

The study, published in Physical Review Letters (PRL), attempts to solve this problem and explain the gravitational wave spectrum observed in 2021 by the Pulsar Timing Array collaborations.

Phys.org spoke to the first author of the study, Dr. Gonzalo Alonso Alvarez, a postdoc at the University of Toronto.

Speaking of the motivation behind the team's work, he said, "What struck us the most when Pulsar Timing Array collaborations announced evidence for a gravitational wave spectrum is that there was room to test new particle physics scenarios, specifically dark matter self-interactions, even within the standard astrophysical explanation of supermassive black hole mergers."

Why stop at 1 parsec?

When SMBHs from two merging galaxies are separated by 1 parsec, two counteracting things are at play.

Firstly, large objects like an SMBH cause ripples in spacetime, leading to the formation of gravitational waves that travel throughout spacetime. These gravitational waves carry energy away from the source. When two SMBHs merge, the gravitational waves carry energy away from the merger, causing the black holes to spiral inwards more rapidly.

The second is a frictional force called dynamical friction. When massive objects like black holes travel through a medium (like dust and stars), they have a trail of disturbed fluid called the wake. For example, when a ship moves through water, it leaves a turbulent trail of water behind it; this is its wake.

The particles attracted to the SMBH via gravity can cause a drag force, which is dynamical friction. This friction opposes the motion of the massive object, forcing it to slow down. In the case of two SMBHs merging, this can cause them to stop moving towards each other.

"Previous calculations have found that this process stalls when the black holes are around 1 parsec away from each other, a situation sometimes referred to as the final parsec problem," explained Dr. Alvarez.

This is where dynamical friction comes into play. This can either oppose or assist with the merging of the two SMBHs.

Self-interacting dark matter

The researchers propose that a form of dark matter might be the solution to this problem.

"In this paper, we show that including the previously overlooked effect of dark matter can help black holes overcome this final parsec of separation and merge, thus emitting a gravitational wave signal that matches the one observed by Pulsar Timing Arrays," said Dr. Alvarez.

In a galaxy, dark matter is predominantly present in the galactic halo, the region surrounding the visible galaxy. But, it is also present near the galactic core, where the SMBH is present. Therefore, the nature of dark matter could play a crucial role in the merger of SMBHs.

Self-interacting dark matter (SIDM) is a hypothetical form of dark matter in which dark matter particles interact with each other via a new unknown force.

In galaxies containing SIDM, the interactions between the dark matter particles can affect the density (distribution) and velocity of the dark matter, leading to a more efficient funneling of matter and energy toward the SMBH, which could potentially overcome the dynamical friction.

A delicate balance

To explore the role of SIDM in the SMBH merger, the researchers performed detailed calculations of dark matter density profiles around SMBHs for SIDM and cold dark matter (less interacting).

They also modeled dynamical friction effects on SMBH orbits, calculated energy transfer between the SMBH and dark matter, and conducted simulations of gravitational wave spectra under different dark matter scenarios.

They then compared these results with observational data from the pulsar timing arrays.

The researchers found that the interaction cross-section of dark matter particles must be within an optimal range. A larger cross-sectional area, which means more frequent interactions, causes dark matter particles to interact and scatter, flattening the density profile near the SMBHs.

This reduction in density decreases the dynamical friction necessary for the SMBHs to merge.

"On the other hand, sufficiently frequent dark matter self-interactions are needed to prevent this profile from being dispersed by the black hole motion," explained Dr. Alvarez.

The ideal cross-section range allows enough interactions to influence the SMBHs' movement without dispersing the dark matter too much, thereby maintaining sufficient dynamical friction to aid the merging process.

The researchers found this value to be between 2.5 and 25 cm2/g. This means that for every gram of dark matter, the effective area over which the particles interact should be between 2.5 and 25 square centimeters.

Velocity-dependent interactions

The researchers also found that the velocity of the SIDM particles must be optimal. This velocity is in turn influenced by the unknown force carrier or mediator's mass, which facilitates the interaction between SIDM particles.

If the mediator is heavy, it could mean that dark matter particles only interact significantly when they are moving slowly relative to each other. Conversely, if the mediator is light, interactions could occur at higher velocities.

"Interestingly, this velocity dependence is theoretically well-motivated. It is precisely what one finds if the particle that acts as the force carrier for the dark matter self-interactions has a mass that is roughly 1 percent of the dark matter particle mass," said Dr. Alvarez.

The researchers estimated this value to be between 300 and 600 km/s.

"These velocity-dependent self-interactions leave an imprint on the gravitational wave spectrum because when the black holes are a fraction of a parsec away from each other, a significant fraction of the orbital energy is lost to dark matter friction rather than gravitational wave emission, thus relatively suppressing the gravitational wave signal at some frequencies compared to others," added Dr. Alvarez.

Implications and future work

The researchers' model of SIDM particles predicted that the gravitational waves would be weaker or less intense at low frequencies. This prediction matched what has been observed in actual data.

They also showed that SIDM with a velocity-dependent cross-section can solve the final parsec problem and survive the merger process.

Speaking of the impact of their work, Dr. Alvarez said, "We find the evolution of the black hole's orbit to be very sensitive to the microphysics of dark matter, meaning that we can use the gravitational wave emission of SMBH binaries to constrain dark matter models. This offers a new window for probing the dark matter nature in the innermost regions of galaxies that were previously not observationally accessible."

The team is also refining their model and developing numerical simulations to confirm the results found in this paper. These simulations will provide a better understanding of how dark matter profiles react to the energy injected by merging black holes.

More information: Gonzalo Alonso-Alvarez et al, Self-Interacting Dark Matter Solves the Final Parsec Problem of Supermassive Black Hole Mergers, Physical Review Letters (2024). DOI: 10.1103/PhysRevLett.133.021401. Journal information: Physical Review Letters

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This image, obtained June 8, 2018, shows NASAs NICER (Neutron star Interior Composition Explorer) on the International Space Station, where it studies neutron stars and other X-ray sources. NICER is about the size of a washing machine. The sunshades of its X-ray concentrators are visible as an array of circular features. Credit: NASA

NASA will deliver a patch kit for NICER (Neutron star Interior Composition Explorer), an X-ray telescope on the International Space Station, on the agency's Northrop Grumman 21st commercial resupply mission. Astronauts will conduct a spacewalk to complete the repair.

Located near the space station's starboard solar array, NICER was damaged in May 2023. The mission team delivered the patch kit to NASA's Johnson Space Center in Houston in May 2024 so it could be prepped and packed for the upcoming resupply mission.

"It's incredible that in just one year, we were able to diagnose the problem and then design, build, test, and deliver a solution," said Steve Kenyon, NICER's mechanical lead at NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center in Greenbelt, Maryland. "We're so excited to see the patches installed during a future spacewalk, return to a more regular operating schedule, and keep doing groundbreaking science."

NICER's patches are made from aluminum and coated in black dye. Each is about 2 inches tall. "LCK" indicates the lock position for a tab at the bottom that will hold the patch in place. NASA is sending 12 of these patches to the International Space Station. During a spacewalk, astronauts will insert five into sunshades on the telescope to cover the most significant areas of damage. Credit: NASA/Sophia Roberts

From its perch on the station, the washing machine-sized NICER studies the X-ray sky. It has precisely measured superdense stellar remnants called neutron stars, which contain the densest matter scientists can directly observe. It has also investigated mysterious fast radio bursts, observed comets in our solar system, and collected data about Earth's upper atmosphere.

But in May 2023, NICER developed a "light leak," where unwanted sunlight began entering the telescope.

Photos taken aboard the station revealed several areas of damage to NICER's thermal shields. The shields are 500 times thinner than a human hair and filter out infrared, ultraviolet, and visible light while allowing X-rays to pass through. They cover each of NICER's 56 X-ray concentrators, sets of 24 nested circular mirrors designed to direct X-rays into corresponding detectors. A sunshade tops each concentrator and shield assembly, with a slight gap in between. The sunshades are segmented by six internal struts, resembling a sliced pie.

The largest damage to the shields is around the size of a typical U.S. postage stamp. The other areas are closer in size to pinheads. During the station's daytime, the damage allows sunlight to reach the detectors, saturating sensors and interfering with NICER's measurements. The mission team altered their daytime observing strategy to mitigate the effect. The damage does not impact nighttime observations.

UAE (United Arab Emirates) astronaut Sultan Alneyadi captured this view of NICER from a window in the Poisk Mini-Research Module 2 on the space station in July 2023. Photos like this one helped the mission team map the damage to the thermal shields over NICERs X-ray concentrators. Credit: NASA/Sultan Alneyadi

"NICER wasn't designed to be serviced or repaired," said Keith Gendreau, the mission's principal investigator at Goddard. "It was installed robotically, and we operate it remotely. When we decided to investigate the possibility of patching the largest damaged areas on the thermal shields, we had to come up with a method that would use the existing parts of the telescope and station toolkits. We couldn't have done it without all the support and collaboration from our colleagues at Johnson and throughout the space station program."

The solution, in the end, was simple. The team designed patches, each shaped like a piece of pie, that will slide into the sunshades. A tab at the bottom of each patch will turn into the space between the bottom of the sunshade and the top of the thermal shield, keeping it in place.

Astronauts will install five patches during the spacewalk. They'll cover the most significant areas of damage and block the sunlight affecting NICER's X-ray measurements.

The repair kit contains 12 patches in total, allowing for spares if needed. Astronauts will carry the patches in a caddy, a rectangular frame containing two spare sunshades with the patches held inside.

The NICER caddy is an aluminum box containing two of the missions spare sunshades, which are attached to the bottom. Inside the sunshades, 12 patches are locked into place. Astronauts will take the complete caddy assembly with them during a future spacewalk to address damage to NICERs thermal shields. Theyll insert five of the patches over the largest areas of damage, which will allow the mission to return to a normal operating status during the stations daytime. Credit: NASA/Sophia Roberts

"NICER will be the first X-ray telescope in orbit to be serviced by astronauts and only the fourth science observatory to be repaired overalljoining the ranks of missions like NASA's Hubble Space Telescope," said Charles Baker, the NICER project systems engineer at Goddard. "It's been amazing to watch the patch kit come together over the last year. NICER has taught us so many wonderful things about the cosmos, and we're really looking forward to this next step of its journey."

The NICER telescope is an Astrophysics Mission of Opportunity within NASA's Explorers Program, which provides frequent flight opportunities for world-class scientific investigations from space utilizing innovative, streamlined, and efficient management approaches within the heliophysics and astrophysics science areas. NASA's Space Technology Mission Directorate supported the SEXTANT component of the mission, demonstrating pulsar-based spacecraft navigation.
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A close up of an established colony of subterranean termites foraging on a pine tree in a residential community. Credit: University of Florida

How do some of the most voracious subterranean termite species live and remain active around a house? They have a knack for "smelling death."

In the United States, there are two primary ways to protect a house from subterranean termites: non-repellent liquid termiticides or baits. A groundbreaking study from the University of Florida Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences (UF/IFAS) reveals the limitations of some liquid insecticides in eliminating subterranean termite colonies.

Scientists at the UF/IFAS Fort Lauderdale Research and Education Center (FLREC) studied the efficacy of non-repellent termiticides, which have been used for more than 20 years. The study, published in the Journal of Economic Entomology, raises concerns about the continued use of liquid control methods.

They show a limitation on the efficacy levels for controlling colonies of subterranean termite species that are prevalent in the southern United States.

"While liquid termiticide treatments can provide levels of protection against subterranean termite populations, and effectively prevent damage to structures, the colonies in the ground surrounding the structure are not really impacted much, postponing the potential damage they can create in time," said Thomas Chouvenc, associate professor at FLREC.

In the study, Chouvenc showed subterranean termites foraging over long distances in soil treated with a commonly used non-repellent termiticide would rapidly die near the treatment, leading to an accumulation of dead termites.

"Such an area of dead termites, referred to as the 'death zone,' creates a situation where the rest of the colony avoids it due to the smell of death," Chouvenc said.

The study demonstrated that the "death zone" spreads up to 2.56 meters or up to 8 feet, 4 inches from the treatment area, preventing overall termite activity within that zone over time. Meanwhile, the study showed that as little as 1.5% of the termite colony population was impacted by the treatment, allowing the termite population to maintain their long-term potential for damage within the area.

"Effectively, while such liquid termiticides are technically non-repellent to subterranean termite foragers in their formulation, they become functionally repellent in their application, as a result of the early mortality onset of foragers around the treated area," said Chouvenc.

Subterranean termites can forage for several hundred feet underground and can avoid areas that are detrimental to them, said Chouvenc. With millions of individuals, colonies can complete their life cycle and continue to produce future generations of termite colonies within the affected communities.

Some in the pest control industry have taken notice, he said.

"We already had elements of evidence that secondary repellency was at play since 2005, but there has been a long reluctance from the industry to accept it," said Paul Kelly, an Alabama pest control provider not involved with the study. "The data provided by this study is rather compelling: Liquid termiticides have little impact on large subterranean termite colonies. It's a band-aid."

In comparison, the use of termite baits against subterranean termite species can result in colony elimination with a fraction of the environmental damage, when compared to liquid termiticides, regardless of the foraging distance, Chouvenc said.

Some pest control industry providers have been offering the use of both liquid termiticides and baits against subterranean termites over the past few years. They assume it would kill the termites close to the house, fast, with the liquid termiticide treatment, while protecting the area in the long term with bait stations in the ground.

"While this practice first appears intuitive, the result of the study raises new concern on its potential cost-effective approach," Chouvenc said.

"The existence of the death zone now implies that placing bait stations within a short distance from the liquid termiticide treatment may negate the ability of the termites to access the bait station because of the avoided death zone. I hope to be able to investigate this concern in a future study."

More information: Thomas Chouvenc et al, Death zone minimizes the impact of fipronil-treated soils on subterranean termite colonies by negating transfer effects, Journal of Economic Entomology (2024). DOI: 10.1093/jee/toae150 Journal information: Journal of Economic Entomology
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Credit: Cryosphere and Geophysics Research Group, University of Fribourg

If the bedrock in the Alps no longer remains permanently frozen, rockfalls may occur more frequently. By measuring electrical resistivity in the ground, researchers can now better understand why this happens.

The disappearance of the glaciers is visible to us all. What is happening to the alpine bedrock is less obvious. The permafrost is thawing there. And that has consequences: When the underground ice melts, it can destabilize mountain slopes, change the landscape and endanger people and their infrastructure.

This is why Swiss researchers have been monitoring the state of permafrost in the mountains for many decades. The conventional method is to drill holes of up to a depth of 100 meters to measure ground temperatures. However, this is time-consuming and expensiveespecially at high altitudes.

"You also only know the temperature at certain points and cannot make any statements about the volume of ice," says geoscientist Christian Hauck. In recent years, he and his team at the University of Fribourg have co-developed a non-invasive measurement method that measures permafrost over large areas, determines the amount of ice, and thus makes it possible to forecast future developments.

Like computer tomography for the ground

The basic principle is simple: the researchers conduct direct electrical current through the ground between two electrodes and measure the electrical potential difference at numerous other electrodes in the ground. The resulting electrical resistivity depends on the state of the waterice is less conductive than liquid water and so it has a greater resistivity. If there is no water in the ground at all, the resistivity is even higher. The measurements therefore provide information on whether water is present in liquid or frozen form, and if so, how much there is.

"Similar to a CT scan in medicine, we sometimes take over a thousand individual measurements to obtain a three-dimensional image," explains Hauck. To do this, the researchers place close to 50 electrodes on an area of about half a hectare. The further apart the electrodes are, the deeper the current penetrates. "At such high altitudes, it is not always easy to find suitable places for the electrodes. We also have to keep our own safety in mind," reports Hauck on his fieldwork.

A loss of 15% in seven years

Calculating the distribution and quantity of permafrost from the measured data is even more difficult, especially since there are numerous other factors to consider in the mountains, such as the characteristics of the rock layers and the inclination of the slope. However, the model for the calculation is being refined on a continuous basis.

It is also useful to compare the results with data collected via other methods; for instance, the Swiss Permafrost Monitoring Network (PERMOS) has been measuring temperatures on the surface and in boreholes at many locations in the Alps for two decades.

In a study recently published in Environmental Research Letters, doctoral student Sarah Morard and Hauck's team analyzed all the data available on the permafrost on the slopes of the Stockhorn above Zermatt. Temperatures in the boreholes have risen by about 1C over the last 20 years, and the permafrost is now located several meters deeper in the ground.

The resistivity measurements described above also made it possible to quantify the loss of permafrost for the first time: about 15% of the ice was lost between 2015 and 2022.

Predicting the tipping points

In another study, also published in Environmental Research Letters, Hauck and his colleague Christin Hilbich analyzed data from resistivity measurements taken throughout Europe. This showed that even a single hot summersuch as in 2003, 2015 and 2022can lead to the irreversible loss of permafrost in the mountains.

A subsequent cold winter is not sufficient to compensate for the loss. "Very specific conditions are needed for permafrost to form again," says Hauck. For example, it has to rain when it is extremely cold so that ice can form before the water drains back into the valley.

Using the resistivity data, Hauck can now reconstruct such processes in the past and make predictions for the future. He believes that the alpine permafrost has already reached or will soon reach the tipping point in many places. This means that the disappearance of permafrost will then speed up on its own and can no longer be stopped without significant changes to the climate.

Depending on the geological conditions, this could then lead to increased rockfalls or landslides in places where they were previously not possible, such as on slopes where geological layers are stabilized by permafrost. It is therefore all the more important to establish methods that predict such tipping points as early and reliably as possible, says Hauck.

More information: S Morard et al, 20-year permafrost evolution documented through petrophysical joint inversion, thermal and soil moisture data, Environmental Research Letters (2024). DOI: 10.1088/1748-9326/ad5571 Christian Hauck et al, Preconditioning of mountain permafrost towards degradation detected by electrical resistivity, Environmental Research Letters (2024). DOI: 10.1088/1748-9326/ad3c55 Journal information: Environmental Research Letters
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The platypus and chicken have vastly different sex chromosome systems compared to humanswhich can give us valuable insights into how our own bodies work. Credit: Shafagh Waters and Lisa Melisa

UNSW Sydney researchers have made new discoveries of fundamental differences in biological processes between males and femalesby interrogating the unique and diverse sex chromosome systems of the platypus and the chicken.

The findings, published in Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences (PNAS), are a surprise in the field of genetics. The discoveries will help build a better understanding of how sex chromosomes evolved, how our bodies functionand they could lead to new discoveries in biology.

"Mammals, such as humans, have females with two X chromosomes and males with one X chromosome and one Y chromosome, which creates an imbalance between the sexes," says lead author Dr. Nicholas Lister from UNSW's School of Biotechnology and Biomolecular Sciences.

"This imbalance is corrected by a process called sex chromosome dosage compensation."

Scientists have long known that animals have solutions to balance sex chromosome differences and achieve 'normal' function.

Dr. Lister says, "In female mammals, such as humans and mice, XX females and XY males have different numbers of the X chromosome. To balance this difference, one of the X chromosomes in females is typically silenced.

"Silencing one X chromosome in females equalizes the gene products on the sex chromosomes.

"This prevents females from producing double the number of proteins from the X compared to males."

Balancing the scales

Every cell in our bodies uses proteins to perform specific functions.

"They are translated from mRNA, which carry the instructions for cells to make proteins," the study's research lead, Associate Professor Paul Waters, also from UNSW's School of Biotechnology and Biomolecular Sciences, says.

"Being male or female affects mRNA levels of X chromosome genes, which we would then expect to affect protein production."

But A/Prof. Waters says this study demonstratesfor the first timethat a balance of proteins occurs between the sexes, even when mRNA levels aren't balanced.

"The findings suggest that dosage compensation is a crucial process in species with differentiated sex chromosomes to ensure that protein levels are balanced," he says.

"These results are significant as they suggest that dosage compensation of sex chromosomes is essential after alland across all vertebrate species, not just placental and marsupial mammals."

Why the platypus and the chicken?

The study focused on the platypus and the chickentwo species with vastly different sex chromosome systems that offer valuable insights into the evolution and mechanisms of dosage compensation.

"Platypus are monotreme mammals, with interesting sex chromosome systems," Dr. Lister says.

"They have five pairs of X chromosomes in females and five Xs and five Ys in males.

"Birdssuch as chickenshave a ZW system, where males have two copies of a Z chromosome and females have a Z and a W chromosome."

A/Prof. Waters says the scientists had already observed near perfect sex chromosome dosage compensation of RNA between males and females in placental and marsupial mammals.

"However, in birds and monotremes, there is an imbalance of mRNA between the sexes," he says.

"This is something we thought was impossible.

"For the first time, we show that this imbalance is corrected at the protein level.

"This means that platypus and chicken have a novel mechanism of dosage compensation that is different to how we humans do it."

Are our genes really in control?

Co-author Professor Jenny Graves, from the Department of Environment and Genetics at La Trobe University, had demonstrated that genes on the inactive human X chromosome are not copied into RNA back in 1986.

Silencing at the level of RNA then became the paradigm for all epigenetic silencing.

"As the genes were silenced by their failure to make RNA, the control of dosage compensation was assumed to be at the level of RNA onlynot at the level of making proteins," Prof. Graves says.

"But mRNA levels for genes on sex chromosomes weren't balanced in the platypus or the chicken," she says.

"So, scientists questioned the assumption that dosage compensation is essential for life."

A/Prof. Waters says that measuring protein levels has been a much trickier endeavor than measuring mRNA levels, due to technological challenges.

"And now that the technology is more sensitive, we can see that the dosage compensation of sex chromosomes between males and females is observed at the protein level in the platypus and the chicken," A/Prof. Waters says.

"The males and females of these species make similar amounts of proteins, despite the discrepancies in mRNA quantities."

How will this knowledge be applied?

The authors emphasize the complexity of genetic regulation and the importance of considering multiple levels of control in gene expression.

Co-author Dr. Shafagh Waters from UNSW's School of Biomedical Sciences says the study paves the way for a deeper understanding of genetic regulation.

"Studying unique species like the platypus provides us with new insights into the cellular and molecular mechanisms that could regulate various aspects of human physiology, or be implicated in disease states," she says.

"So, while these processes may not directly apply to human dosage compensation, they illuminate how our bodies manage gene expression and protein production.

"Our findings have the potential to advance knowledge in evolutionary biology and lead to innovative therapies in medical genetics.

"Understanding these mechanisms across different species can help identify new targets for diseases where protein dysfunction is key."

Dr. Lister says future research will examine the mechanisms that contribute to dosage compensation.

"This work will help us discover other dosage compensation systems in nature," he says.

"We can find out how these evolved and how they work in other species."

A/Prof. Waters says, "Understanding these processes in other species can enhance our grasp of gene regulation at a fundamental level."

More information: Nicholas C. Lister et al, Incomplete transcriptional dosage compensation of chicken and platypus sex chromosomes is balanced by post-transcriptional compensation, Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences (2024). DOI: 10.1073/pnas.2322360121 Journal information: Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences
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Researchers measured the relative harm of criminal offenses committed by a subset of 1,103 particularly deviant police officers. Credit: Alex Dolce, Florida Atlantic University

Not all police misconduct is the same. Misconduct can range from offenses like homicide and sexual assault to seemingly minor infractions such as accepting free coffee from the public. Exactly what qualifies as police misconduct varies locally, and the response to this behavior is typically handled internally by law enforcement.

The absence of a commonly accepted framework to assess and interpret police misconduct remains a complex and contentious issue. Moreover, progress in researching this area is hindered by the limited access to law enforcement data, which is closely guarded.

Using official data from 241 law enforcement agencies in 67 counties in Florida, researchers from Florida Atlantic University assessed the prevalence and nature of police misconduct and discipline from 2012 to 2023. They also measured the relative harm of criminal offenses committed by a subset of 1,103 particularly deviant police officers. Data was obtained from Florida's Criminal Justice Standards and Training Commission, which publicly released a searchable online database in July 2022 of Florida law enforcement discipline cases available.

Results of the study, published in the Journal of Criminal Justice, identified 24 categories of police misconduct ranging from assault/battery to weapons offenses, manslaughter, homicide, extortion and false statement/perjury (lying under oath). Statewide, the most considerable incidence of police misconduct offenses was related to officer failure to report and perjury, followed closely by sexual-related crimes. Drug and alcohol-related offenses also were prevalent misconduct categories and overrepresented in the dataset.

Using the Pareto principle (80/20 rule), researchers analyzed how incidents and harm cluster within specific categories. The Pareto principle indicates that roughly 80% of outcomes arise from 20% of causes.

Researchers applied Florida's sentencing rules and a harm index to score the severity of each crime, identified those with the greatest impact, and differentiated between career-ending and non-career-ending misconduct incidents. Unlike previous studies that focused on individual police departments, this study included police departments, sheriff's offices, prisons and probation centers.

Findings show that about 30% of counties account for 80% of all police misconduct incidents in Florida, while only 23% of counties account for 80% of the total harm inflicted.

"Police misconduct causes harm to police departments, communities and individual victims. However, before our study, the relative and differential impacts of different types of police misconduct remained largely unexplored," said Lisa M. Dario, Ph.D., senior author and an associate professor in the School of Criminology and Criminal Justice, within FAU's College of Social Work and Criminal Justice.

During the study period, the Florida Department of Law Enforcement predominantly issued revocations of officer certifications in 42% of disciplinary cases, making it the most common outcome. Dismissals of cases were rare, occurring in only 6.5% of instances.

Approximately 30% of cases resulted in officers being suspended or put on probation. Notably, about 60% of police misconduct cases handled by the state led to career-ending consequences for the officers involved, differing from prior research.

Disparities in disciplinary outcomes were stark. As an example, sexual offenses against minors were always career-ending at the state level, though sexual offenses against adult victims such as domestic violence only ended an officer's career about 73% of the time. DUI and excessive force offenses received career-ending discipline in less than half of all cases.

Findings show that several counties in Florida, including Leon, Gadsden, Bay, Hardee, Madison, and Bradford, showed the highest rates of police misconduct incidents. For instance, Leon County reported 22.90 incidents per 100,000 people, the highest among all counties. Gadsden County followed with 15.97 incidents per 100,000 people.

In contrast, counties like Martin, Charlotte, Sumter, Lake, Highlands, and Nassau reported fewer than two incidents per 100,000 people. A Pareto chart illustrated the distribution of these incidents across counties, showing that Miami-Dade had the most incidents, followed by Leon, Duval, Hillsborough and Bay counties, which together accounted for about 80% of all incidents.

Miami-Dade County comprised 14% of all total relative harm in Florida. This is twice as much as the next most harmful county, Broward, which comprised 7% of total relative harm. Gadsden County indicates disparities between incident rates and harm scores, with a high incident rate (15.97) but a low relative harm score (1%).

"This pattern we observed aligns with the Pareto principle, indicating that a small number of counties contribute significantly to the overall number of police misconduct incidents in Florida, while others contribute minimally," said Dario. "Miami-Dade County consistently ranked highest in both metrics, underscoring its critical role in state-wide law enforcement and harm mitigation efforts."

The novel approach used in this study moves beyond traditional administrative perspectives that primarily focus on procedural violations, offering a fresh lens through which to evaluate the consequences and implications of police misconduct.

"In recent years, police departments have become increasingly interested in fostering perceptions of legitimacy in their communities," said Dario.

"A more nuanced understanding of the impact of police misconduct and harm indexing can help by serving as a new point of intervention for police-community relations. It also encourages law enforcement to focus on the harm caused by certain types of misconduct instead of the common practice of treating all misconduct as similarly harmful."

Study co-authors are Gabriel T. Cesar, Ph.D., an assistant professor; Kristina Jalbert, a graduate student; and Frank de la Torre, J.D., associate dean and instructor, all within FAU's School of Criminology and Criminal Justice.

More information: Lisa M. Dario et al, Quantifying the impact: From prevalence to harm in evaluating police misconduct, Journal of Criminal Justice (2024). DOI: 10.1016/j.jcrimjus.2024.102229
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Credit: Pixabay/CC0 Public Domain

There has been a mixed response to primary education reforms in Mexico which have created widespread uncertainty among teachers, children and parents, new research shows.

Those affected have expressed concerns about lack of training to help them prepare for the major changes, but also enthusiasm about many of the aims.

The new Nueva Escuela Mexicana (NEM) in Basic Education represents a large shift in curriculum, pedagogy and assessment.

Subjects such as math and science have been combined into integrated "formative fields." There is a focus on education that places more value on local communities and an emphasis on active and interactive learning through projects.

Children also learn more about topics related to inclusion and diversity. Teachers have increased autonomy to adapt their work to local contexts.

The NEM has been met with both enthusiasm and skepticism. This research is one of the first to comprehensively gather people's experiences and perspectives on the NEM in its first full year of implementation.

The study was carried out by Dr. Nozomi Sakata, from Hiroshima University and Dr. Nicholas Bremner, from the University of Exeter. They carried out 79 interviews with students, teachers, parents, head teachers, teacher trainers and supervisors in 12 primary schools in Nuevo Leon, Hidalgo and Chiapas.

Dr. Bremner said, "We found a mixture of positive and negative perspectives, but overall there was widespread uncertainty about the NEM reform. Although teachers, head teachers and teacher trainers were getting used to the changes over time, they were frustrated with inconsistent policy messages and a general lack of explicit training."

Researchers recommend more concrete training and support is needed, especially in terms of supporting teachers to manage increased autonomy. They say there also needs to be a more consistent, unambiguous communication strategy.

The research suggests that the Mexican Ministry of Education needs to address concerns the changes could lead to gaps in foundational knowledge. They should consider the extent to which students may need basic knowledge in order to develop higher order skills.

Communication with parents and the wider public should also be strengthened to make it clear what NEM does and what it does not do.

Dr. Bremner said, "More emphasis seems to have been placed on the 'what'the content of the reform itselfand much less on how to implement it.

"Those interviewed were very concerned about the lack of 'foundational' knowledge many of their students had, and there was a lot of skepticism regarding combining specific school subjects into 'formative fields.'"

Teachers, pupils and parents were generally very supportive of content related to inclusion and diversity, but expressed doubts about certain topics, for example, content relating to gender and sexuality.

Those affected by the reform were generally happy with the notion of "focusing on the local," contextualization and teacher autonomy. However, some teachers did not always know how to manage such autonomy, requesting more explicit guidance.

One local supervisor in rural Chiapas said, "There is a paradigm shift; there is a change in the approach to education. But there has been no real systematization of teacher training."

One local supervisor in rural Nuevo Leon said, "We started to be updated on a drip-feed basis. [] The information either arrived too quickly for us to transmit it, or it arrived late, or it didn't arrive at all. You asked the corresponding educational authority, and they didn't know either. [] I would say it is not consistent, and at many times it is not coherent."
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Geography of Central Asia and sample locations (prevailing summer/winter wind directions at 850 hPa indicated in green and blue, respectively, modified after Shi et al. Credit: Geophysical Research Letters (2024). DOI: 10.1029/2024GL108951

Arid Central Asia is an important dust source in the northern hemisphere, which has a significant impact on the ecological environment of Central Asia, Northwest China and even the East Asian monsoon region. The Kyzylkum Desert is one of the biggest deserts in Central Asia and the eleventh largest desert in the world.

There were few studies on the dust sources of the desert, which limited the understanding of the sedimentation process in the area. Therefore, studying the dust material sources and transport routes of the Kyzylkum Desert is essential for understanding the impact of Central Asian dust on global climate and environmental change.

In a study published in Geophysical Research Letters, researchers from the Institute of Earth Environment of the Chinese Academy of Sciences, and Uzbek scientists, collected topsoil samples from the desert in Uzbekistan, the Syr Darya and Amu Darya river basins and the piedmont area of West Tianshan Mountains.

They obtained 1,278 groups of age data based on laser ablation multiple-receiver plasma mass spectrometry analyses of the U-Pb dating of detrital zircon.

Researchers established a mixing model of the Kyzylkum Desert by combining multiple regression analyses and previously published data of the potential source area.

They found that the main source of the Kyzylkum Desert is the Southwest Tianshan, and that the river system dominated by the Syr Darya River, including the Amu Darya River and the Zeravshan River, is the main transportation channel for these dust materials.

Researchers found that the dust of the Kyzylkum Desert can be transported to the piedmont area by wind, and the transport and deposition process is mainly controlled by topography.

This study provides important evidence for understanding the origin and transport process of dust materials in the Kyzylkum Desert, which is of great significance for the study on the paleoenvironmental changes and geomorphological evolution processes in Central Asia.

More information: Mingyu Zhang et al, Provenance and FluvialAeolian Process of Kyzylkum Desert: Constrained by Detrital Zircon UPb Dating, Geophysical Research Letters (2024). DOI: 10.1029/2024GL108951 Journal information: Geophysical Research Letters
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The phenotype of parents and F 1 population. (a) The P. viticola resistance level of the parents. The Y axis indicates the resistance level. (b) Phenotypic distribution of P. viticola resistance for F 1 population from "Moldova"  "Shine Muscat." The Y axis indicates the number of vines, and the X axis indicates the range of disease resistance level. Credit: Fruit Research (2024). DOI: 10.48130/frures-0024-0017

A research team identified a P. viticola-resistant locus, Rpv34, in table grapes through analysis of a high-density genetic map with 826 SNPs derived from F 1 progenies of "Moldova" (resistant) and "Shine Muscat" (susceptible parent). This discovery, including the identification of 21 Resistance Gene Analogs and a highly associated SNP marker, enhances understanding of resistance mechanisms and supports the breeding of resistant grape varieties, which may improve grape quality and production.

Grapevine cultivars, primarily derived from Vitis vinifera, are highly prized for their aroma and flavor. However, they are also susceptible to diseases like downy mildew. While current research indicates that fungicides are commonly used for the control of P. viticola, they lead to pathogen resistance, high costs, and environmental issues.

Furthermore, the traditional breeding method cycle is long and imprecise. Most quantitative trait loci (QTLs) for downy mildew resistance originate from inferior quality varieties, which complicates the breeding process.

A study published in Fruit Research on 2 July 2024, aims to address these issues by using marker-assisted selection (MAS) to identify and validate P. viticola-resistant QTLs, thereby facilitating the development of high-quality, resistant grape cultivars.

In this study, the phenotypic analysis, genetic mapping, QTL mapping, genome-wide association study (GWAS) analysis, and joint analysis were utilized to identify and validate resistance loci for P. viticola in grapevines. In phenotypic analysis, the female parent "Moldova" showed resistance with an average score of 6.34, while the male parent "Shine Muscat"was more susceptible with a score of 3.05. The progenies displayed a continuous variation in resistance, indicating a quantitative trait distribution.

A high-density genetic map was constructed using 826 heterozygous mSNPs, spanning 1,515.99 cM. QTL mapping identified a resistance locus, Rpv34, on chromosome 18. GWAS analysis further validated these findings. Combining these methods, 21 RGAs were identified within the target region. The SNP marker chr18_29062596 was found to be highly correlated with resistance, showing significant reproducibility across multiple phenotypic analyses.

According to the study's lead researcher, Bin Han, "This work will improve the mechanism of resistance understanding of P. viticola in grapevine and facilitate the use of resistant germplasm in breeding."

In summary, this research identified the P. viticola resistance locus Rpv34 on chromosome 18 in grapevines. The F 1 progenies from "Moldova" and "Shine Muscat" were assessed, revealing a key SNP marker, chr18_29062596, highly correlated with resistance. These findings enhance understanding of grapevine resistance mechanisms and aid in developing disease-resistant cultivars, promoting sustainable grape production.

More information: Yan Sun et al, Rpv34: the noval Plasmopara viticola resistance locus in 'Moldova', Fruit Research (2024). DOI: 10.48130/frures-0024-0017

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Kelly Jones (Scarlett Johansson) and Cole Davis (Channing Tatum) in Fly Me to the Moon. Credit: Sony Pictures

The new romantic comedy "Fly me to the Moon" tells the story of how, in the run up to the Apollo 11 mission, NASA hired a high-flying marketing specialist to bolster public support.

The history books tell us this isn't quite what happened, but I believe modern science communicators could still learn from this irreverent revision of NASA's history.

In the opening scenes of "Fly Me To the Moon," Kelly Jones (Scarlett Johansson), is recruited by shady government officials to sell one of the biggest thing one can sell: the moon. The premise may seem far-fetched.

After all, who doesn't already love the moon? Why would we even need to sell the exciting prospect of a man landing on it? In 2024, we look back on the 1969 moon mission with rose-tinted glasses.

In reality though, throughout the 1960s, the majority of US citizens felt that the huge cost of the Apollo missions was not worth their money. "Americans are over their long and very expensive honeymoon in space," Jones chirpily tells a skeptical NASA employee. "I'm here to remind them why they fell in love in the first place."

As she gets started in her mission to collect the human stories behind Apollo 11, we see Jones hit with opposition from NASA's workforce, concerned her attempts will undermine the science. The launch director tells her: "My guys are too weird for interviews and they're actually really busy doing life and death work."

In the face of reluctance and hostility, she starts to make up her own stories, of engineers with rocket fuel in their blood and a childhood love of the stars, and a director with an airman father who died in the line of duty.

Science skepticism

Next year, NASA is planning to launch its Artemis 3 lunar mission, sending humans to the moon's surface for the first time in nearly 50 years. But things aren't what they were in the 60s. The further away we've got from seeing Neil Armstrong make one small step, the stronger public support for returning to the moon has got.

That doesn't mean there is support for all areas of science. Down on Earth, pandemics and the existential threat of the climate crisis have highlighted the importance of how people feel and communicate about science. At times, in pockets of the U.S., misinformation and science denial are winning out. So could scientists learn something from PR and marketing professionals?

Research from cognitive science shows that people remember certain stories, and pass them on more faithfully, better than others. In particular, we remember human stories with social relationships and motivations, counter-intuitive stories that surprise us and negative stories where nothing good happens.

If telling the story of Apollo 11, for example, communicators might want to highlight counter-intuitive aspects such as the fact that a modern smart phone has more than one million times the memory of the computer aboard Apollo 11. Negative aspects could be emphasized too, such as the astronauts who tragically died in the Apollo 1 tragedy, or more social angles about scientists and engineers behind the scenes.

Marketing professionals and journalists have known about and used these cognitive biases for a long time. And it seems conspiracy theorists are also taking advantage of these tricks too.

I challenge you to find me a conspiracy theory that isn't counter-intuitive, or about complex social motivations, or about bad things happening. So, if those pedaling misinformation are using these tricks from marketing, shouldn't we use them more when communicating science too?

Credit: Sony Pictures

Professional reluctance?

How do science communicators feel about using such tricks? In my own ongoing research, funded by the British Academy, I am trying to find out.

I've interviewed 19 science communication professionals who use storytelling in their practice, including writers, filmmakers, digital content producers and live presenters. I asked them whether they make use of cognitive biases in their storytelling and, more interestingly, what might stop them from taking advantage of these tricks.

Although the study hasn't yet been published, the science communicators told me that they worry, at times, that introducing counter-intuitive narratives or human characters to their communication might detract from the science. This is similar to what the people at NASA said in the movie.

This is understandable. Making information stick in an audience's mind is an important aspect of science communication. But there are often other objectives that may be contradicted when trying to achieve this.

The clearest example of this lies in the bias for negative information. Science communicators may worry that making their stories too negative could leave people disheartened, too anxious to act on things like the climate, or turn them off science altogether. However, negative emotions can actually be an important step in the emotional journey towards activism.

Other contradictions are a little more subtle. Information sticks in our brains when we understand the relationships and motivations of the people involved. But the science communicators told me they worried that this framing may contradict the objectives of sending certain messages.

For example, science is often a collective endeavor involving huge teams. Arguably, it is the scientific method, rather than individual researchers, that makes science successful. Science communicators often refrain from overemphasizing individual responsibility or opinion.

Another problem may be that having too many characters or counter-intuitive elements could make science communication too complex, contradicting the objective to make something highly complex easily understood.

I do understand why it's sometimes difficult sometimes to "sell" science using the same methods as in marketing. But when watching Fly me to the moon, I wondered whether a little inspiration from the field may actually be useful when communicating science.

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Narabeb sampling locations. Credit: Quaternary Science Advances (2024). DOI: 10.1016/j.qsa.2024.100190

Desert regions in northern Africa and the Arabian Peninsula have been well studied by archaeologists as the home of early humans and as routes of migration along "green corridors."

The archaeology of southern Africa's west coast desert belt has not received the same attention.

The Namib Sand Sea, part of the Namib Desert, is on the west coast of Namibia. It is a hyperarid landscape of towering dunes, occupying about 34,000km between the towns of Luderitz in the south and Walvis Bay in the north. However, there are clues that this environment was not always so dry and inhospitable, suggesting that there is more to be learned about ancient human life here.

We are part of an interdisciplinary research team of physical geographers, archaeologists and geospatial scientists, interested in the long-term history of deserts and human-environmental interactions.

Our research, published in Quaternary Science Advances, provides a timeframe for the presence of a small freshwater lake that once existed in the Namib Sand Sea. This lake was fed by an ancient river and is surrounded by a rich record of stone tools from the African Middle Stone Age (made between about 300,000 years ago and 20,000 years ago), indicating that people ventured into this landscape and used this occasional water source.

Dating the former lake site, Narabeb, makes it clearer when ancient humans would have been able to live here. It draws attention to the Namib Sand Sea as a place archaeologists should study to learn more about far-reaching and deep human connections across southern Africa.

An ancient lake and shifting sand dunes

Today, Narabeb is a landscape dominated by long sand dunes that tower more than 100 meters high over the former lake site. There is no standing water here and the landscape receives little to no rain most years. However, that's probably not what our ancient ancestors would have seen here. Away from the lake, they might have seen a relatively flat plain, seasonally covered by grasses, beside a river.

The clue is in sediments at the site: mud layers that were laid down by water. To find out how long ago the lake was at Narabeb, we needed to date these layers.

We used a technique called luminescence datingbasically, making sand glow to tell the time. Sand grains release a trapped signal that builds up when sand is buried underground, and is reset when sand is exposed to sunlight. Using this technique, we can date when different layers were last on the surface before they got buried. We dated the sand beneath and above layers of mud that were deposited by water. Our results show that the lake was present at Narabeb at some point between 231,000  20,000 and 223,000  19,000 years ago and again about 135,000  11,000 years ago.

Another clue is the shape of the landscape east of Narabeb. It is dune free, reminding us that ancient humans were not the only things migrating in the Namib Sand Sea. Have the dunes been on the move? For how long? And how quickly?

Drilling to the center of these dunes to work that out remains logistically impossible. Instead, we used a novel mathematical model.

The modeling suggests that it would have taken about 210,000 years to accumulate the amount of sand around Narabeb (those 110m high dunes). This number is remarkably close to the oldest age for the lake. This suggests that the dunes may only just have been starting to form and that a river was supplying the lake with fresh water, supporting animals and attracting people. The sediments at Narabeb also clearly tell us that a river once flowed where there are now dunes.

The winds have pushed dunes from the south and west to north and east, creating barriers for the river and hindering movement of people and animals along the water course.

A selection of flakes from Sample 2 at Narabeb. Credit: Quaternary Science Advances (2024). DOI: 10.1016/j.qsa.2024.100190

Ancient human presence

At other sites in the Namib we have found Early Stone Age tools from an earlier species of the Homo genus. This is part of a growing body of evidence, adding to research in the Kalahari desert in the center of southern Africa, that suggests southern African desert landscapes are more important to the story of human evolution and technological innovation than has been supposed.

The artefacts from Narabeb fit into the Middle Stone Age type of stone tool technology. Narabeb is a particularly rich site for stone tools, suggesting people made tools here for a long time and perhaps visited the site over many generations.

This research illustrates the need for a comprehensive study of areas that have not been on the map of the major routes of human and animal migration. These might reveal exciting records of cultural diffusion, innovation and adaptation to marginal and changing environments.

Our results also make us think about the dynamic nature of environmental conditions in one of Earth's oldest desert regions. It has long been thought that the Namib has been consistently very dry for around 10 million years and not a place capable of containing "green corridors" at the times of interest for archaeologists. Now we can challenge that idea.

Future steps

Recent funding from the Leverhulme Trust will allow us to extend our fieldwork, documenting archaeological sites and dating these "green corridors" across more of this landscape. A 100 mile (160km) initial foot survey along the ancient river course has revealed an expansive artifact-littered landscape. We also need to know more about where ancient populations found the materials they used to make stone tools.

This will allow us to piece together a network of archaeological sites and show where human migration might have been possible in this part of southern Africa. Up to now, it's been a gap in the archaeological map.

More work is also needed to understand the shifts in climate that allowed the rivers to flow into the Namib. This Southern Hemisphere, west coast desert has a very different setting to north Africa and Arabia, which have good frameworks for understanding their periodic "green corridors." Ongoing work with the wider scientific community, including climate modelers, may create a clearer picture of the Namib's "green corridors."

More information: Abi Stone et al, Landscape evolution and hydrology at the Late Pleistocene archaeological site of Narabeb in the Namib Sand Sea, Namibia, Quaternary Science Advances (2024). DOI: 10.1016/j.qsa.2024.100190

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Summary of the process describing the participatory approach to the development of the basin scenarios. Source: Authors' own elaboration reproduced from the ISWEL Project Progress report (Willaarts et al, 2018); Graphic design: Bartosz Naprawa. Credit: Environmental Development (2024). DOI: 10.1016/j.envdev.2024.101030

A new study addresses the urgent challenges in managing the water-energy-land nexus in the Zambezi River Basin, which is crucial for southern Africa's economic stability and environmental health. The authors of the article suggest strategies for economic development that protect environmental resources and adapt to climate and socioeconomic changes.

The Zambezi River Basin, the fourth largest basin in Africa, spans 1.4 million km across eight countries: Angola, Botswana, Malawi, Mozambique, Namibia, Tanzania, Zambia, and Zimbabwe. The basin's natural resources sustain the livelihoods of more than 40 million people, although the region relies heavily on agriculture and faces high levels of poverty and food insecurity. Population growth and climate change could further exacerbate these challenges.

Current basin development plans lack an integrated and cross-sectoral perspective, potentially causing unintended impacts on other sectors, the environment, as well as neighboring countries. To address the Zambezi's nexus challenges, IIASA researchers combined policy-relevant stakeholder scenarios with integrated nexus modeling tools to identify key solutions for sustainable development in the Zambezi River Basin.

"Our analysis shows that sustainable development in the long run delivers not only significant economic benefits but most social and environmental benefits. It will require coordination and investments across the different sectors and downstream users to enable the basin countries to achieve their sustainable development goals for food, energy, and water security," explains study lead author Amanda Palazzo, a researcher in the Integrated Biosphere Futures Research Group of the IIASA Biodiversity and Natural Resources Program.

The study, published in a special issue of Environmental Development on IIASA and systems analysis in Africa, highlights various solutions, including increasing investments to increase irrigation efficiency, improve crop yields, transform smallholder agriculture, expand the conjunctive use of sustainable groundwater and non-conventional water sources to supplement low flows, and allow other sectors to take surface water priority, to achieve multiple development goals.

It provides crucial insights for policymakers to design strategies that foster economic growth while safeguarding environmental resources like water and forests, amid a dynamically evolving climate and socioeconomic landscape.

Through a stakeholder-driven approach, the modeling framework was developed as part of the Integrated Solutions for Water, Energy, and Land (ISWEL) project, supported by the Zambezi Watercourse Commission (ZAMCOM). ZAMCOM serves as the coordinating body for the basin, facilitating dialogue among the eight riparian states to align national investments and support sustainable development across the entire region.

By using integrated modeling tools, effective strategies can be identifiedfor example, coordinated water management strategies for both surface water and groundwater. These tools can capture the complexity and interdependence of land and water systems, making them important for understanding trade-offs and synergies in achieving cross-sectoral goals.

"Effective management of water, energy, and land resources is crucial for regions like the Zambezi River Basin, ensuring the well-being of millions and preserving biodiversity. This work contributes by offering science-based pathways that outline the costs and benefits of alternative development strategies, highlighting the genuine potential to strike a balance between economic growth and environmental sustainability," concludes Barbara Willaarts, a study co-author and researcher in the Water Security Research Group of the IIASA Biodiversity and Natural Resources Program.

More information: Amanda Palazzo et al, Assessing sustainable development pathways for water, food, and energy security in a transboundary river basin, Environmental Development (2024). DOI: 10.1016/j.envdev.2024.101030
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Credit: Kimberley Collins, CC BY-SA 4.0 via Wikimedia Commons

It's well-known that Aotearoa New Zealand's native ecosystems are under threat from introduced pest predators such as rats, cats, possums and stoats.

Trapping efforts, such as those undertaken by Predator Free NZ groups, are effective up to a pointbut it is very difficult to achieve 100% eradication of these predators, especially across large, remote areas.

One of the aims of the five-year MBIE Endeavour science program Eradication Science, coordinated by Manaaki WhenuaLandcare Research, is to evaluate the current toolkit of trapping technologies from the perspective of the pest. New knowledge is needed on why some pest animals evade or fail to interact with physical traps, and to devise ways to make the traps more enticing.

As part of the research, Drs Patrick Garvey and Kyla Johnstone, working with Dr. Catherine Price at the University of Sydney, tested the responses of wild-caught stoats to three existing types of stoat trap. The findings are published in the Journal of Applied Ecology.

The traps were disabled so that they could be triggered without harming the animals. This enabled the intrinsic behaviors of the stoats to be assessed across different trap encounters.

The experiment was run over 81 nights with 28 stoats13 male and 15 femaleand the stoats' behavior was filmed each night using infrared cameras. The research complied with all relevant animal welfare and ethics requirements.

In a classic rewriting of the phrase "fortune favors the brave," the researchers found that fortune favors the shyer, more cautious, less active, and less risk-prone stoatsknown as "recalcitrant" animals in pest-control circlesthat are less likely to interact with all types of traps. Shy female stoats, and female stoats generally, were more cautious and less likely to interact with the traps than male stoats.

This finding is known from field trapping, where successful capture is strongly skewed towards males.

Often, all it takes for an area to be repopulated is the survival of females that evade trapping. Almost all adult female stoats are pregnant throughout the year, so understanding sex biases in trap capture is essential to achieve eradication.

By contrast, "neophile" stoatsthose attracted to risk and noveltywere more likely to approach and then trigger a trap. Enclosed box traps were the most effective type of trap all round, but neophile stoats were also attracted to tunnel traps. Stoats tended to interact least with head-up traps.

Is the answer to deploy more traps, to ensure that the more cautious individuals will be more likely to encounter devices? Not necessarily, say the researchers, since stoats that encountered a trap for the first time and failed to trigger it were quite likely to avoid all traps in the futuretrap shyness is a persistent problem for predator control.

Although the box trap performed well, capturing three in four stoats during their first encounter, no single design covered all spectrums of personality, suggesting that less "scary" trap designs, plus more effective baits and lures, are what's needed.

Compounding the problem of trap shyness, the researchers suspect that they have actually underestimated recalcitrance in the wild.

By definition, all the stoats in the study had the characteristics of risk-taking neophiles, since they had already been caught in a trap for the study. This suggests that trapping the most recalcitrant animals might be even more difficult than this study suggests, which itself is an important finding in planning future pest control efforts.

Applying these behavioral nuances in the field will be challenging but not impossible. The researchers conclude that increasing the likelihood of engagement with a trap during a first encounter, and improving the susceptibility of the animal to triggering that trap, is fundamental to increasing capture success in future predator management programs.

Next steps for the Eradication Science program involve the development and deployment of novel lures to do just that.

More information: Kyla C. Johnstone et al, Personality, sex and capture biases: Challenges for predator monitoring and management, Journal of Applied Ecology (2024). DOI: 10.1111/1365-2664.14724 Journal information: Journal of Applied Ecology

Provided by Manaaki Whenua - Landcare Research
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Credit: Pixabay/CC0 Public Domain

A study led by a University of Waikato Ph.D. student has shed light on the cause of delayed climate recovery following Earth's most severe extinction event 251 million years agoa discovery that will contribute to our understanding of the global climate system.

Published in Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences by lead researcher Sofia Rauzi, this research reveals the role marine clay formation had in slowing the Earth's return to baseline temperatures after the end-Permian mass extinction.

Earth's climate system is generally viewed to recover in the order of 100,000 years following a significant carbon injection event such as the volcanic eruption that triggered the end-Permian mass extinction.

"Climate recovery following the end-Permian took over five million years, so we set out to investigate why temperatures stayed warm for so long," says Ms Rauzi. Analysis of the chemical composition of rocks from New Zealand, Japan, and Norway indicates that increased marine clay formation, also known as reverse weathering, contributed to the sustained high temperatures.

Reverse weathering, which releases CO 2 , involves the formation of clays in the ocean and traps carbon in the ocean and atmosphere. These findings suggest that reverse weathering has played an integral role in regulating Earth's climate.

"This study provides new insights into the Earth's carbon-silica cycle and climate dynamics during the Early Triassic. We now have evidence that reverse weathering was crucial in maintaining high CO 2 levels and temperatures, which has implications for understanding current climate processes."

Ms Rauzi's supervisor, University of Waikato Senior Lecturer Dr. Terry Isson, says it's essential that we understand how Earth's natural thermostat operates.

"Marine clay formation likely plays a critical role in regulating climate and yet there is so much we don't understand about this processa key focus of our research," Dr. Isson says.

Ms Rauzi is based at the University of Waikato's Tauranga campus and moved to New Zealand from the United States in 2022 to pursue her Ph.D. after being inspired by Dr. Isson's line of research.

"I am interested in understanding how our planet has evolved through time. Being able to decipher what the planet was like millions or billions of years ago feels very magical," she says.

More information: Sofia Rauzi et al, Lithium isotopic evidence for enhanced reverse weathering during the Early Triassic warm period, Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences (2024). DOI: 10.1073/pnas.2318860121 Journal information: Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences
Bayshore Center gets funds: The Bayshore Center at Bivalve was awarded $27,500 by Impact100 South Jersey, a local womens collective giving initiative, at the groups annual meeting June 12. During the event, Impact100 members awarded $185,000 in grants to six nonprofits that provide services in South Jersey.

The grant will benefit the centers education programs, including its hands-on, science-based summer camp. The Bayshore Discovery Camp for children in grades 4-6 will be offered from 9 a.m. to noon Aug. 5 to 8 at the center at 2800 High St. in the Port Norris section of Commercial Township. Register at bayshorecenter.org.

Over the next two years, the organization is focused on building a 21st century environmental education center for youth and adults on land and water, increasing access to the surrounding bays, rivers and the Atlantic Ocean through education, targeting grades 5 and 6 with additional programming for grades 7-12, the center said in a news release.

Through the creation of a new environmental education vision, programming and partnerships will be built around five pillars of education: oyster reefs and ecosystems, coastal resilience, bayshore history and culture, marine technology, and sustainability and stewardship.

Over the past five years, the Bayshore Center has faced several challenges, such as COVID-19, a boat restoration and several changes in leadership. The center is seeking to rebuild community partnerships and programs, starting in Cumberland County.

Through the states official tall ship, the oyster schooner AJ Meerwald, and a historic waterfront museum, the Bayshore Centers mission is to advance the understanding of the human impact on New Jerseys aquatic environment through education, advocacy and programming.

Providing hands-on science education at the Bayshore Center at Bivalve is part of our core mission. We look forward to growing our programming and community partnerships in southern NJ, Executive Director Jessica Yorke said.

Dartmouth professor to speak to Rotary Club: The Rotary Club of Ocean City-Upper Townships upcoming breakfast meeting will include the annual visit of Dartmouth College professor Ronald G. Shaiko. The meeting will be held at 7 a.m. Aug. 8 at Uncle Bills Pancake House at 21st Street and Asbury Avenue in Ocean City.

Shaiko is a senior fellow and former associate director for curricular and research programs at the Nelson A. Rockefeller Center for Public Policy and the Social Sciences at Dartmouth. He has received more than $1.4 million in grants, awards and fellowships in his career in teaching and research.

RSVPs are appreciated, but walk-ins are welcome. The club requests that attendees submit topics or questions for Shaiko in advance.

To RSVP and post questions, visit tinyurl.com/Rotary08AugShaiko. For more information, visit ocutrotary.org.

LBI film screening: The Lighthouse International Film Society will screen the documentary Garland Jeffreys: The King of In Between at 8 p.m. Aug. 11 at the Long Beach Island Foundation of the Arts and Sciences, 120 Long Beach Blvd. in Long Beach Township.

The documentary focuses on Jeffreys music career and social activism and features interviews with musicians such as Bruce Springsteen, Lou Reed, Laurie Anderson and Vernon Reid.

Jeffreys albums Ghost Writer and Escape Artist feature in the documentary and highlight his collaborations with Springsteen and others.

Admission is $12 online and $15 at the door. Film Society members get in free.

For tickets and more information, visit lighthouseff.com/lifsscreenings.

Businesses sought for trades expo: Skilled labor unions and trades industry businesses that are looking to fill open positions or create a feeder program partnership with Egg Harbor Township High School are invited to attend the Egg Harbor Township School Districts second annual Trades & Apprenticeships Career Expo from 3 to 5 p.m. Aug. 20 at Alder Avenue Middle School, 25 Alder Ave.

Co-hosted by the Atlantic County Workforce Development Board, the open-to-the-public indoor event will provide employers with one-on-one contact with job seekers to learn more about employment requirements and training opportunities, and/or land on-the-spot interviews. Last years expo attracted nearly 200 attendees, the district said in a news release.

Businesses and unions that wish to participate are asked to fill out the form at tinyurl.com/TradesJobs, call 609-653-0100, ext. 1081, or email grahamc@eht.k12.nj.us. A 6-foot table and two chairs will be provided for marketing, career and/or application materials.

Alternate Route police testing: The Atlantic County Police Training Center will provide testing for prospective police officers at the next Alternate Route Basic Course for Police Officers at 6 p.m. Sept. 10 at the Anthony Tony Canale Training Center on English Creek Avenue in Egg Harbor Township.

The Alternate Route program allows prospective police officers the opportunity to train at the center at their own expense prior to being hired by a law enforcement agency.

Applicants are required to have at least 60 college credits or two years of active duty military service by the start of the six-month academy in January 2025.

Registration for the test is available at policeapp.com, and there is a $110 non-refundable application fee. Only 100 applicants will be accepted.

For more information, visit atlanticcountynj.gov or email fadden_mike@aclink.org.
A suicide note left by a retired probation officer who killed herself after fatally shooting her sons ex, a Wildwood Crest native, detailed the older womans battle with cancer and suspicions that her granddaughter was being abused  claims child service workers previously determined were unfounded.

Kathleen Leigh, 65, shot Marisa Galloway, 45, the mother of her 4-year-old granddaughter, on East 88th Street near York Avenue on the Upper East Side Friday morning, then turned the gun on herself. The grisly murder-suicide was related to an ongoing custody dispute between Galloway and Leighs son over the little girl, Chief of Detectives Joseph Kenny said.

Galloway was a 1997 graduate of what was then called Wildwood Catholic High School, where she ran track. She also was a member of the Wildwood Crest Beach Patrol, for which she participated in lifeguard races.

Detectives found a seven-page note on Leigh, who died at the scene, police sources told the Daily News.

In a letter addressed for police, Leigh wrote of her frustrations with authorities, complaining they didnt believe allegations that Galloway had abused Leighs granddaughter, a police source said.

According to police sources, the childs father reported bruising on the little girl in both April and August 2022, but both complaints were closed by ACS as unfounded. No arrests were made, Kenny said.

Relatives, community members mourn Wildwood Crest native fatally shot by ex-mother-in-law in New York Mourners for a mom of two originally from Wildwood Crest who was fatally shot by her ex-mother-in-law  who then turned the gun on herself  on Sunday focused on raising money for a funeral service for the slain mother, who touched everyone she met.

Cops had been called to Galloways home four times between 2021 and 2022. All of the incidents involved arguments between Galloway, the 4-year-olds father, and Leigh over visitation rights and other custody matters, said Kenny.

A custody case against Galloway was filed by her ex, Zachariah Reed, on Aug. 20, 2021, in New York Supreme Court, according to a state court database. The last appearance was a settlement conference in December 2023, according to the database.

The father currently has custody of the 4-year-old girl, cops said, while Galloways 1-year-old daughter is with her maternal grandparents in New Jersey.

Just minutes before Fridays carnage, Galloway had strapped the baby girl into a car seat in the back of a Honda. Leigh then opened fire, shooting Galloway in the head. The baby was unharmed, cops said.

The retired probation officer from Chicago had been living with relatives in New York for the past three years while she underwent cancer treatment, police sources said.

The shooting took place two and a half blocks from Galloways apartment building, and less than a block away from Gracie Mansion, home to Mayor Eric Adams.
StandardAero CEO Russ Ford speaks during ceremonies in December to recognize graduates of the companys training program. StandardAero has been picked to build engines for Boom Supersonics Overture airliner, which is still under development. Robin Jerstad This undated image provided by Boom Supersonic shows its Overture aircraft. American Airlines in 2022 announced a deal to buy 20 of the planes, which are still on the drawing board. San Antonio-based StandardAero will build the crafts engines. Associated Press file photo Standard Aero's CEO Russ Ford congratulates employee's during ceremonies Monday morning to recognize graduates of the company's training program. The event took polace at the Boeing Center at the Tech Port. Robin Jerstad Standard Aero's CEO Russ Ford speaks during ceremonies Monday morning to recognize graduates of the company's training program. The event took polace at the Boeing Center at the Tech Port. Robin Jerstad Jim Perschbach, chief executive of Port San Antonio, talks about aerospace company, StandardAero, as he gives a State of the Port Address at Boeing Center at Tech Port on Wednesday, June 14, 2023. The Port is the largest tech employer in San Antonio -- and it's growing. The Port is working with a new clients that will be on location. It's also pursuing a futuristic vertiport project on campus. Kin Man Hui/Staff photographer

The engines for a futuristic airliner able to fly faster than the speed of sound will be built in San Antonio.

StandardAero, an aerospace company with a site at Port San Antonio, will produce the Symphony engine being developed by Boom Supersonic to power its new Overture airliner.

The Denver-based airplane maker said last week its expanding an existing maintenance, repair and overhaul partnership with StandardAero to assemble and test as many as 330 of the engines each year. The proposed assembly line will encompass more than 100,000 square feet of production space at the companys facility at the Port.

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Our collaboration is a testament to StandardAeros world-class engineering capabilities and dedication to delivering solutions that power the future of air travel, Russell Ford, chairman and CEO of Arizona-based StandardAero, said in a statement.

The company began working with Boom in December 2022, said Kyle Hultquist, StandardAero spokesman.

Weve got this facility and weve got experience with supersonic engine manufacturing in San Antonio, he said, referring to the F110 engine the company already supports. So this makes for a good fit.

The F110 is used in a variety of supersonic fighter aircraft including the Air Force F-15 Eagle.

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Hultquist referred questions about the timing of the deal to Boom, which also declined to disclose financial details.

Design of the engine is complete and components are being hardware rig tested. Boom said it expects more advanced tests late next year and the Overture to enter service by the end of the decade.

We remain on track to having passengers in the air in five years time, CEO Blake Scholl said last week during the Farnborough Air Show in England. Our rapid development approach is pacing ahead of schedule.

Overture would be the first supersonic commercial airliner since British Airways retired the Concorde in 2003.

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Boom said it conducted simulated flight research last week at Farnborough with airline pilots from around the world  including former Concorde pilots. Mike Bannister, former chief Concorde pilot for British Airways, was among them.

Ive long believed that Overture is the rightful successor to Concorde, he said, according to Boom. After experiencing Overtures flight deck, which is incredibly well designed and delightful to fly, my excitement and enthusiasm for this aircraft has only intensified.

In March, the company conducted the first flight of its XB-1 supersonic demonstrator and in June completed construction on the Overture Superfactory in Greensboro, N.C., where the plane will be assembled and delivered to customers.

The company has received orders for 130 of the Overture from American Airlines Group Inc., United Airlines Holdings Inc. and Japan Airlines Co. Ltd. Its also working with Northrop Grumman Corp. to develop military versions.

Boom markets Overture as the worlds fastest airliner, optimized for speed, safety and sustainability. Powered by four Symphony engines, it will be able to fly twice as fast as traditional airliners.

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Passengers and airlines are hungry for supersonic flight, Scholl said.

Boom said its aiming to receive certifications from the Federal Aviation Administration and European Union Aviation Safety Agency in 2029.
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WASHINGTON (AP)  Former President Donald Trump is planning to attend the National Association of Black Journalists' annual convention in Chicago on Wednesday.





In a statement released Monday night, the Trump campaign said the Republican presidential nominee would participate in a question and answer session that will concentrate on the most pressing issues facing the Black community.





Trumps campaign has spent months scheduling appearances in areas outside his traditional strongholds of support, including when he attended  and was roundly booed at  the Libertarian Party convention in Washington earlier this year.





In its announcement, the campaign trumpeted Trump policies that it argued benefited Black Americans during his first term.




AMLO says Olmeca refinery will reach full production in August

Mexico City, Mexico  President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador announced that the Olmeca refinery, built in record time during his government, will reach full production August 3.

At a morning press conference he explained that the complex will produce up to 260,000 barrels of gasoline per day.

The President reaffirmed that the rescue of Petroleos Mexicanos (Pemex) contributes to energy self-sufficiency and minimizes the import of gasoline from abroad which will benefit consumers by lowering fuel prices in real terms.

Unlike the previous administration which purchased up to 80 percent of the gasoline needed abroad, Mexico currently only buys 15 percent of these inputs.

During his government, the purchase of the Deer Park refinery in Texas was consolidated and investments are being made in the rehabilitation of the National Refining System (SNR) made up of the complexes of Cadereyta, Nuevo Leon, Ciudad Madero, Tamaulipas, Minatitlan, Veracruz, Salamanca, Guanajuato, Tula, Hidalgo, and Salina Cruz, Oaxaca.

The price of magna gasoline has dropped by an average of 5.8 percent annually during this six-year period. Meanwhile, oil production has increased so far this year to 1,852,000 barrels per day in contrast to the 1,642,000 barrels per day recorded in January 2019, at the beginning of the administration.

We are coming out of the decadence. The worst period, especially because of the looting that took place, the theft of the peoples property, of the nation, is the period that ended when we arrived, the neoliberal or neo-Porfirista period from 1983 to 2018. It is when they stole the most, when they looted Mexico the most, he argued.

People are very happy, which is the most important thing. Wherever we go, people recognize what has been done, he added.
Pastor Maribel Vazquez looks over the empty lot behind Emanuel United Methodist Church where the church is working to develop affordable housing. Now, a national group is coming to San Antonio to help more churches take on such projects. Robin Jerstad/Contributor photo Pastor Maribel Vazquez speaks during services at Emanuel United Methodist Church early this year. The church is planning to build 46 units of affordable housing on a lot next to the church. Robin Jerstad/Contributor photo In this 2018 file photo, the historic St. Johns Seminary is seen under renovation for housing, a project that spurred controversy when it was proposed. The project adding more than 225 units of mixed-income housing was completed in 2020. Staff file photo

A national nonprofit developer is coming to Texas to work with churches, mosques and synagogues in San Antonio, Houston and Dallas to build more than 800 affordable homes on congregations underused land.

Enterprise Community Partners is expanding what it calls its faith-based development initiative in the Lone Star State with a $1 million grant from the T.D. Jakes Foundation and Wells Fargo. The program provides training, funding and other resources to help houses of worship decide whether they want to convert their property into housing and community facilities, as well as assistance in navigating the development process.

We know theres a real need in Texas, said the Rev. David Bowers, vice president of the mid-Atlantic market and senior adviser for the faith-based initiative at Enterprise.

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Since its inception in 2006, the program has helped create or preserve more than 1,600 affordable homes in the mid-Atlantic region and more than 27,000 additional units are in the works, according to New Orleans-based organization. The effort is part of a bigger push by houses of worship nationwide to develop low-costing housing on their land.

With housing costs soaring in Texas and across the nation, congregations see the tidal wave of demand for affordable housing and want to help make a dent in the shortage of low-cost options.

Many are thinking about the missional aspect of this, Bowers said.

There can also be a financial benefit for faith communities.

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Some houses of worship, while losing members and struggling to stay afloat, are sitting on prime real estate along major corridors  making them land rich and cash poor, Bowers said. Working with a developer to build housing or community services can provide development fees or rental payments depending on how a deal is structured. In most cases, participating houses of worship opt to retain control of their property and lease it for a project.

How it works

After applying for the program, churches are placed in a cohort that receives 20 hours of classroom instruction designed to walk clergy and lay leaders through the development process. They are given funding for a market study and feasibility analysis to determine whether a project is financially viable. They're also paired with a consultant to help them think through it and encouraged to work with a land use or real estate lawyer.

Then they decide whether to move forward. The next steps are developing a conceptual plan, presenting their plan to a panel of financing representatives and government officials for feedback and creating a request for proposals to issue publicly to find a development partner. After receiving responses, they choose a developer to work with and hash out a partnership. It usually takes from two to three years to reach that point, Bowers said.

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A big part of our work is equipping the houses of worship to be good stewards of the land and helping them make sure they have a good team in place to make sound decisions, he said.

Enterprise has cohorts operating in Atlanta, Baltimore, Miami, New York, Seattle and Washington, D.C., and has worked with city agencies and businesses to cover costs. The organization decided to focus on San Antonio, Dallas and Houston as a result of conversations executives have had with city officials and leaders of churches and community organizations.

Some churches have developed apartment complexes and others have built single-family homes. The projects can include services such as child care facilities, grocery stores and affordable rental space for events.

The work were doing in Texas is part of a larger movement, Bowers said.

Other efforts

At least one church in San Antonio already is considering building affordable housing on an empty lot next to its building.

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Emanuel United Methodist Church on the West Side at 3225 W. Poplar St. is working with Overland Partners, the Handprint Initiative, Terrafirma Homes and Prosper West to determine the feasibility of building 46 units, a park and community space on 4 acres between the church and an H-E-B store. The $7.3 million development would have a mix of units for people making up to 30%, 50% and 70% of the area median income.

It would help support Emanuel financially at a time church attendance is falling, congregations are aging and as people continue to seek spiritual experiences, the organizations wrote in a funding application for the San Antonio Housing Trust.

Another project  rehabilitating the St. Johns Seminary and other buildings owned by the Archdiocese of San Antonio near Mission Concepcion for 228 apartments  generated controversy when it was proposed about a decade ago.

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Some neighbors said it would jeopardize the citys quest to have the missions designated as a UNESCO World Heritage Site, increase traffic and noise and potentially intercede on archaeological sites, while others said it would rejuvenate run-down buildings that had become targets of vandalism and squatters.
Cozumel tourist drowns after falling unnoticed into the sea

Cozumel, Q.R.  The body of a Cozumel boat passenger who fell into the sea unnoticed has been recovered. On Sunday night, the tourist boat was returning from a late afternoon tour of El Cielo when crew noticed a missing passenger.

The man, a Mexican national, is reported to have fallen into the sea unnoticed. Crew began a search for the overboard passenger in dark waters, eventually arriving at the Fonatur Marina dock with the deceaseds body on board.

According to Cozumel media, the tourist boat involved is not equipped with night lights. By the time the crew noticed the man missing, he had already drowned since the search was delayed by the lack of lighting for nighttime searches.

Cozumel nautical operators have commented on the accident, noting that many of these night tours involve excessive drinking and that tourists do not always wear life jackets.

Forensic Medical Services (Semefo) arrived at the Cozumel Marina shortly after 10:00 p.m. Sunday to remove the body. The drowned man was reportedly not wearing a life jacket at the time of the accident.
CALmatters is a public interest journalism venture committed to explaining how California's state Capitol works and why it matters. Dan Walters has been a journalist for nearly 60 years, spending all but a few of those years working for California newspapers.
The inmate, Michael Rosas, 46, died Monday afternoon after apparently suffering a medical episode while in the jails booking section, the Bexar County Sheriffs Office said in a news release. Bexar County Sheriffs Office

A 46-year-old inmate died after being found unresponsive during a check, the Bexar County Sheriffs Office announced Monday evening.

The inmate, Michael Rosas, apparently suffered a medical episode while in the jails booking section, the sheriffs office said in a news release. That area is where inmates wait to be taken before a judge.

The booking deputy was making his face-to-face observation checks about 12:40 p.m. Monday when he found Rosas unresponsive and lying against the door, according to the release. The deputy called in an emergency code, opened the cell door and immediately began performing life-saving measures.

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Other staff people, including facility medical personnel, responded and helped with the lifesaving efforts, as did first responders from the San Antonio Fire Department. Despite these efforts, Rosas was pronounced dead at 1:04 p.m., the sheriffs office said.

Further information about the medical episode was not available.

The Bexar County Medical Examiners Office will determine the cause and manner of death.

Rosas had been booked into the jail Sunday on charges of possession of a controlled substance, 1-4 grams, and evading arrest/detention, second offense, according to the release. His bail had been set at $3,000.

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The Bexar County Precinct 2 Constables Office is investigating the death in accordance with the Sandra Bland Act. The BCSO internal affairs unit also will investigate. Officials have notified the Texas Commission on Jail Standards.

In April, two inmates died in apparent medical episodes within a 24-hour period. Bexar County Sheriff Javier Salazar said at the time that both inmates had a history of substance abuse and preexisting health conditions.

Their deaths spurred a new jail policy that required all incoming inmates who are diabetic and insulin-dependent to undergo a medical evaluation and receive clearance from a medical physician before being accepted into the jail. Those experiencing withdrawal symptoms from alcohol or benzodiazepine, a class of drugs used to treat depression, also will need clearance.

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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.
Iowa Republican U.S. Sen. Chuck Grassley called for answers Tuesday over the communication breakdown between Pennsylvania law enforcement and the Secret Service that led to the assassination attempt on former President Donald Trump, the 2024 Republican presidential nominee.

Text messages, police body camera footage and an after-action report obtained by Grassley provide the most detailed picture yet of security failures surrounding the shooting at the July 13 campaign rally in Butler, Pa.

Grassley, appearing Tuesday on Fox News Americas Newsroom ahead of a Senate hearing with the FBI and Secret Service, said theres just a lot of shortcomings about law enforcement lapses in the hours before the attempted assassination of Trump.

Its just bad when a member of Congress has to get his information from local law enforcement instead of from the federal agencies, Grassley said. (Ive) turned over everything (I) have now, and if (I) get more, (I)ll turn it over. I believe in transparency. The publics business ought to be public, and the protection of a presidential candidate ought to be a top priority.

The acting director of the Secret Service said Tuesday he cannot defend why the roof used by the gunman was not secured, the Associated Press reported.

Ronald Rowe became acting director last week after Kimberly Cheatle resigned amid mounting criticism by members of Congress over a lack of substantive answers during a hearing about the communication failures preceding the July 13 shooting.

Rowe testified Tuesday before two Senate committees. He was joined by FBI Deputy Director Paul Abbate at a joint hearing of the Senate Judiciary and Homeland Security committees.

Grassley pressed Rowe about the failed vetting and communications procedures that led to the near-assassination of the former president.

Rowe said he had no explanation for some of the Secret Services shortcomings at the July 13 campaign rally, and committed to improving certain agency procedures and providing rolling updates to Congress and the public.

Grassley also asked about the Secret Service and local law enforcements use of a drone to monitor the rally location. In a letter last week asking for the Secret Services operational plan and other records, Grassley included a document showing that a Counter Unmanned Aerial System operator was on the list of personnel for the rally.

NBC News has reported that deceased gunman Thomas Matthew Crooks flew a drone over the rally site a few hours before Trump began speaking.

According to the Secret Service, the drone system was supposed to be operational at 3 p.m. that day, Grassley said during his questioning of Rowe. However, weve been told by Secret Service that because of cellular bandwidth problems, it wasnt operational until about 5:20 (p.m.) on that day. If the system was operational, Secret Service wouldve had the ability to detect the shooter and his own drone use. Why is the Secret Service dependent upon local cellular networks? Does Secret Service have back up plans in place?

Rowe said the Secret Services failure to detect the shooters drone has cost me a lot of sleep. Had the Secret Services platform been operational, Rowe noted, it might have been able to locate Crooks and intervene.

Rowe committed to leveraging Department of Homeland Security resources to provide the Secret Service guaranteed connectivity to its drone. He said the lapse is something that I have struggled with to understand.

It is something that I feel as though we could have perhaps found him, he said. We could have maybe stopped him.

According to documents released by Grassleys office, law enforcement officers knew of and communicated presence of Crooks, 20, of Bethel Park, Pa., at the rally to federal counterparts more than 90 minutes before he climbed onto a roof of whats known as the AGR Building and fired eight rounds toward Trump.

Below is a summary of local law enforcements planning and communications regarding the Trump event, according to records released by Grassleys office:

July 13

9 a.m.: The Butler County Emergency Response Unit hosts a briefing for local law enforcement ahead of the Trump event. The Secret Service was absent from the briefing

1:03 p.m.: Beaver, Butler and Washington County snipers connect via group chat

Local sniper locations are noted

4:26 p.m.: A Beaver County sniper finishes his shift and departs the AGR Building. While exiting, he spots Crooks at a picnic table outside and alerts the remaining Beaver and Butler snipers in the AGR Building to Crooks presence

5:38 p.m.: A Beaver County sniper sends photos of Crooks to the Beaver, Butler and Washington snipers group chat. The Beaver sniper notes Crooks was using a range finder looking toward the stage and recommends that they notify Secret Service snipers to look out

5:45 p.m.: A Beaver County sniper sends photos of Crooks to the Beaver County ESU group chat. Beaver law enforcement recommends they alert command

Grassley underscored the need to pass legislation he introduced with Nevada Democratic U.S. Sen. Catherine Cortez Masto, which would subject Secret Service directors to Senate confirmation and a single, 10-year term.

The Secret Services core mission is to protect the individuals entrusted to its care, Grassley said in a statement. President Trumps brush with death was a Secret Service failure of epic proportions, and this mission failure must never be repeated.

He called the bill a crucial step toward providing the transparency and accountability that Congress and the American people deserve from the Secret Service.
The American electorate has spent the days since he accepted the Republican Partys nomination for the vice presidency getting to know J.D. Vance. And that hasnt worked out well for J.D. Vance. Despite Vance only narrowly defeating his Democratic opponent in an increasingly red state that Trump won twice, his 2022 election to the Senate confirmed him as a rising star of the right, buoyed by an unbeatable rags-to-riches narrative. A descendant of working-class Kentuckians, raised in small-town Ohio by a mother who struggled with opioid addiction, Vance joined the Marines out of high school, graduated from Ohio State and Yale Law, clerked for a federal judge, and spent a year at a white-shoe firm before making a fortune as a venture capitalist. He seemed, at least from a distance, like the model of a regular guy made good, proof that, with enough grit and determination, anyone can make it in America.

Up close, however, Vance no longer comes across quite so amiably. Instead of riding high on postconvention euphoria, Vance exited the Republican National Convention with the lowest favorability ratings of any nonincumbent VP candidate since 1980, and the days since then have been worse, as Vances support of extreme positions like a nationwide abortion ban, and his attacks on childless cat ladies, has come back into the spotlight. Rather than backing off those comments, Vance has opted to double down on the idea that adults without children have no stake in the future of the country, even adding Jennifer Aniston to his enemies list. The veteran political correspondent Charles Pierce suggested that Vance might actually be the worst politician Ive ever seen.

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Meanwhile, Hillbilly Elegy, the book that made Vance a national figure, has surged to the top of the bestseller lists, and its 2020 movie adaptation has racked up millions of views on Netflix, lodging in the streamers Top 10. This should have been good news for Vance, a chance for voters-slash-audiences to experience his life story in the way he wants it to be told. But the winds have shifted since 2016, when Vances memoir was held up as a keyeven the keyto understanding the disaffection of the white working class that had swept Trump to his shocking victory. By the time the movie version reached theaters, eight days after Trumps 2020 defeat, its portrait of down-at-heel Rust Belt life was derided as poverty porn, with the Los Angeles Times Justin Chang calling it an unwieldy slop bucket of door-smashing, child-slapping, husband-immolating histrionics.

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According to Vances best friend from Yale Law, movie critics savage response to Hillbilly Elegy was the last straw, the end of his attempts to win acceptance from the coastal elites who had once smirked at his choice of dinner fork. And, like Trump running for president to supposedly avenge his mockery at the White House Correspondents Dinner, the idea that it was mean-spirited liberals who turned Vance from a moderate Never Trumper into a full-throated MAGA warrior has a certain poetry to itmore so than the naked political calculation that is the likelier culprit. But in truth, those critics might have done Vance a favor by steering audiences away from a movie that paints him as an opportunist and the place he came from, and claims to represent, as a sinkhole that no self-respecting person would be caught dead in.

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Directed by Ron Howard, who on The Andy Griffith Show made his name as an actor embodying an idealized version of small-town life, Hillbilly Elegy opens in full pastoral mode, with a young J.D. biking to the swimming hole as the sound of a keening fiddle mingles with his narration, describing his youthful summers in Kentucky as hands down the best part of my childhood. But no sooner has J.D. jumped into the water than a group of older local boys is holding him under, laughing as he struggles for air. This isnt the Mayberry of Howards fictional childhood. Its a brutal Darwinian landscape where people look out only for themselves.

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Things are no better back in Middletown, Ohio, where Vance grew up and where the movie is mainly set. J.D.s mother, Bev (Amy Adams), supports the family by working as a nurse, but she loses her job after stealing a patients painkillers, and even before then, shes never far from a sudden downward spiral, at one point threatening to crash a car with both of them in it after J.D. sets off her temper. (It goes unstated that Bev may be using opioids to self-medicate for mental-health issues.) His grandmother, Mamaw (Glenn Close), tries to help out, but she has few resources and a hair-trigger temper of her own. Shes still married to Bevs father, Papaw, but he lives in a separate house, and in a flashback, we see him beating her as a young Bev and her sister cower in the closet, until he drunkenly falls asleep and Mamaw sets his clothes on fire. In his RNC speech, Vance related a favorite anecdote about how, after she died, they found 19 loaded firearms stashed around her house so she would never be far from one.

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Beyond the shots of a decayed industrial landscape, the movie of Hillbilly Elegy offers little sense of how this environment might appear to people other than the Vances, who are treated as special if only by dint of the movies sole focus on them. If a biopic has one job, its to present its protagonist as someone worthy of the treatmenta figure of historical significance, a person with an amazing story, or just someone whose life offers audience members insight into a world they might not have otherwise come into contact with. J.D.s should be the latter, and thats how Vances book is framed, intermingling memoir and regional sociology. But the movies Vances live in a vacuum, with little in the way of support from their community. When J.D. is living with his Mamaw, he watches through a crack in the door as she begs a man from Meals on Wheels for a second dinner, and although he has none to spare, he comes up with a little extra: a bunch of grapes, a small bag of potato chips. But the scene is presented as an illustration of her determination, not the mans small act of kindness. They have no friends to share the burden, no church to help them out. Its them against the world.

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Instead, the movie presents J.D. as an exceptional, even singular case, the only person with the vision to see beyond his disadvantaged circumstances and the willpower to escape them. As Bev and Mamaw, Adams and Close treat their characters as grotesques, evoking pity but not empathy, as if were watching the story through the eyes of a teenage boy who still hasnt wrapped his head around the idea that theyre adults with problems of their own. Closes stooped posture and face-broadening prosthetics may make her look more like Vances real Mamaw, but they also underline the gulf between the characters experience and her own. We never lose sight of the fact that were watching movie stars play dress-up, their characters designed for the sole purpose of justifying the protagonists determination to get the hell out.

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Although Vance used his RNC acceptance speech to proclaim his determination to fight for people from communities like mine, Hillbilly Elegy is a story about how desperate he is to leave those people behind. In his final year as a law student, the older J.D., played by Gabriel Basso, is forced to rush home to Ohio after Bev overdoses on heroin, despite having a crucial job interview the following morning. He spends the day trying to find her a place in a rehab facility, maxing out his credit cards because Bev doesnt have insurance, but when she refuses to check in, J.D. throws up his hands.* Ill do everything I can, he says. But I cant stay.

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Vance has referred to Hillbilly Elegy as his origin story, a term that, as Kentucky Gov. Andy Beshear pointed out over the weekend, is deployed more frequently in reference to comic-book superheroes than by people recounting their childhoods. Like many of the politicians vying for the equivalent of Vances spot on the Democratic ticket, Beshear has spent the past week thumping Trump for his VP pick and presenting himself as the real version of what Vance pretends to be. J.D. Vance aint from Kentucky. He aint from Appalachia, Beshear said, while Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz quipped, My hillbilly cousins did not go to Yale. Vance, they argue, isnt someone who fought for his community. Hes someone who left.

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Vance would counter that he spent his brief career as a venture capitalist backing companies that created jobs in Appalachia, which is true, although he seems to have been far more successful at enriching himself than creating sustainable businesses. But either way, hes doing it from afar. Even after he moved back to Ohio to run for office, Vance chose to surround himself with the people he purportedly despises, buying a $1.4 million home in a liberal neighborhood in Cincinnati. And if Hillbilly Elegy is for anyone, its for Vances current neighbors, not the people the story is about. Its a vision of rural poverty crafted by and for coastal liberals, which must be why the rejection from critics stung especially hard, and why Vance has recently shown as much contempt for their life choices as for the people he grew up with.

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For the millions watching Hillbilly Elegy for the first time, its becoming clear that J.D. Vance isnt one of them and, in fact, never wanted to be. The more he tries to act like a regular guy, the less normal he seems (and thats without even factoring in the couch business). Where we come from is who we are, J.D. says in the movies closing voice-over, but we choose every day who we become. In other words, what separates Vance from the people who still live in rural poverty isnt opportunity or luck or governmental policy; its the choices they make. And if he got out, they have no excuse for not doing the same.
My first experience with a prison town was visiting my father while he was caged in the Taylorville Correctional Facility of Illinois. He was arrested for distribution of a controlled substance. I was poor, so this was one of the few trips I made outside of Chicagoland in my childhood. It was a grueling four-hour journey in an incredibly hot conversion van. Something that felt like what Id imagine being kidnapped does. I was an angry teen, and the trip did little to improve my mood. In fact, the experience fueled my anger at the racism that I believed drove Americas sprawling penitentiary system.

However, nearly 25 years of researching U.S. prisons has significantly changed my view of why we built so many prisons. Americas infatuation with incarceration isnt just an artifact of its racist past. It is frequently nourished by the support of both Democrats and Republicans, and it is often welcomed by rural communities of color needing help. Its jobs sustain hundreds of thousands of Black and Latino workers. The forces supporting Americas prison system are far more complexand diversethan is commonly understood. That doesnt mean that our sprawling overincarceration system is a good thing. But only when we truly understand the dynamics of the prison-building can we begin to identify and implement the policies needed to dismantle it.

The prison boom, costing more than $30 billion and extending over 35 years across nearly every state, is perhaps one of the largest uncoordinated public works projects since the New Deal. The U.S. incarcerates so many in its 1,700 prisons that it held the dubious distinction of being the world leader in incarceration for 30 years.

The standard story for prison-building is that rural white Republicans are trying to exploit Black bodies by caging them for corporate profit. The standard story also suggests that the supply of people caught in our criminal justice system generates demand for prisons. On both fronts, often the reverse is true: Prison growth has been largely fueled by public funds for public jobs, while at the same time acting as fuel for the carceral machine rather than a response to it.

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For example, take Alabama. In September 2023, Alabama announced the building of its new prisons would cost the state more than $1 billion. Alabama is a world leader in rate of incarceration and overcrowding. These conditions have led to dangerous conditions for incarcerated persons and staff across the system. New prisons in Alabama will replace old, crumbling, overcrowded facilities, but they will also provide an additional 5,500 beds. These factors lead to me to believe that Alabama is well positioned to supplant Louisiana as the U.S. (and perhaps the world) leader in incarceration.

Thousands of people incarcerated in Alabama prisons went on strike in 2022 to protest inhumane conditions. There have been documented cases of abuse by staff and deaths of incarcerated people. Part of the current rationale for Alabama to build new prisons is being driven by concerns for how overcrowding will affect staff and even incarcerated persons, not simply corporate profit. Given the protests over miserable and inhumane conditions in their prisons, support for new prisons crosses racial and political divides, with Black and white lawmakers at local and state levels who are both Democrats and Republicans supporting prison-building.

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Prison-building takes years of legislation before construction. I have found that state legislatures controlled by Democrats from 1984 to 2004 were more likely to build prisons. A common dynamic when a prison is being built is that Republican-led legislatures afterward pass stricter laws ensuring there will be more incarcerated persons.

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Rural-town disadvantage and state factors such as income inequality are also essential drivers explaining why states like Alabama build prisons. In short, the more disadvantage there is in a rural town means the higher likelihood of a prison being built. As the county seat of Elmore County, Wetumpka, Alabama, would serve as an anchor for one of two supersize prisons being built with up to 4,000 beds. One in three residents of Wetumpka is Black, and 20 percent of these residents live below the poverty linethats more than twice the average in the county. Wetumpkas profile is consistent with my research on prison towns that suggests that already having a prison in your town increases the chances of building a new prison by 20 percent. These factors best explain why the prison is being built near Wetumpka, and are also consistent with my research showing that having higher proportions of Black Americans living in poverty increases the likelihood of a prison being built. Given the high percentage of poor Black Americans, towns like Wetumpka are often stigmatized, and their development opportunities limited. In come prison jobs.

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This is very different than the idea that we built private prisons to profit corporations. However, this belief drives the mythology around prison-building as a racist, private venture, propelled by corporate greed. This myth is depicted in scholarly works, newspapers, magazines, and high-profile documentaries and movies.

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Related From Slate Something Funny Is Going On With the Campaign Against Floridas Abortion Initiative Read More

But the prison boom is a public works project. This stands to reason given that nearly 82 percent of all U.S. prisons are operated by the state, such as the ones being built in Alabama, and 5 percent are operated by the federal government. Not to diminish the dangers of privatization within the criminal legal system, but it is important to highlight the distinction between privately run, for-profit facilities exploiting slave labor for profit, and the other 87 percent of prisons that are owned/operated by states.

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Further analysis of every U.S. prison shows that before incarceration rates rise, states build prisons. Put differently, the supply of prisons generates demand that states grow the population of incarcerated persons. In fact, our working paper suggests that prison demand is not only inelastic but drives incarceration, not the other way around. States that build more prisons incarcerate more people. Even if this current prison-building boom in Alabama seems to be motivated by concerns for correctional staff and those in their care, the incarceration rate will undoubtedly increase given the increasingly punitive culture of the Republican-controlled state Legislature.

The flip side is this: There are more than 450,000 corrections officers in the U.S., and nearly half are Black or Latino. Prisons not only provide stable government jobs for people of color, but stability for rural communities of color, and a calming influence on otherwise unstable local rural economies that suffer from limited development options. Despite nearly 1 in 5 rural people living in prison townsmore than 10 million Americansthe prison boom has gone virtually unnoticed as most were built in an invisible land: rural communities of color.

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Its important we get the story right about why we build prisons in the first place. A poor diagnosis of problems inevitably leads to poor policies. Misguided interventions often worsen conditions for vulnerable populations. Recognizing why prison-building persists in rural communities will allow us to provide strategic alternatives to the perverse incentives that have entrenched prisons so deeply in these communities.

After leaving community/political organizing, including working for thenIllinois state Sen. Barack Obama, I relocated my wife and two small children to the prison town of Forrest City, Arkansas. Here, as I did research for my book, I quickly learned that leaders of these communities understood all too well the moral quandary of supporting prison-building. I learned that for people of color, even in a majority-Black town, the prison is simultaneously an engine of death but also a way to save their community. Black leaders supported prison-building in their community not simply for jobs, but because they believed the prison would save their towns reputation.

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In no way am I arguing for prisons to continue functioning as public works programs. However, I am calling for the standard story on prisons to be overhauled. Like so many, my father was caught up by the wave of mass incarceration. At this time, even people with addiction issues, most of whom were incompetent dealers like my father, were portrayed as drug kingpins raining down violence across communities. My father, like so many others, did not fit this bill.

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Looking back, we now know that many of our family members found their way into the drug trade through the underground economy. I should not have had to visit my father in prison. How many Alabama children will have to visit their parents in this new facility? To reimagine rural communities of color, we need a new narrative around the prison boom. This narrative should center on a public health approach focused on harm minimization to communities now dependent on prisons and people currently inside them. By offering viable alternatives to rural communities, we can curb prison demand, and work to end the cruel practice of caging so many people for a public works project.
Benedict "Junior" Constantine Montgomery, Jr., 86, of Benedict, MD, passed away on July 23, 2024. He was born in Welcome, Maryland to Benedict and Viola Montgomery on December 15, 1937.



Junior grew up on farms throughout Southern Maryland, loving the work, and seeing the rewards, and people. He regularly told stories of that time and growing up in a large family. If you were anywhere near one of the farms, he would ask if he'd ever shown you the farm (it didn't matter if he had before) and detour to it.



In 1967, he met his future wife, Judith through mutual friends in Benedict. Junior and Judith fell in love and were married on September 23, 1967. For many years, they spent their free time on their boat on the Patuxent River, visiting friends, shooting pool, and going to dances. They spent 57 wonderful and loving years together, creating a beautiful life. They were blessed with one daughter, Janet Montgomery of Alexandria, VA.



He found his passion for woodworking as a cabinet maker and carpenter. He was known for the quality of his work, and if he didn't have the tools he needed - he would build his own solution. He enjoyed what he did for a living and retired after many years in the field. Retirement didn't stop him from always needing a project to work on. During his life, he designed and built multiple houses for his family. He added personal touches to the houses with handmade frames, water wheels, and a rocking horse, to name a few. He continued projects outside of his home - building furniture for his daughter. Each one is unique, each built with love.



He also found pleasure in cultivating vegetables and flowers. He cherished moments with friends and family. He was a lifetime member of the Moose and helped a local lodge get established. Junior was quick with a joke and being silly to make someone smile. If music was on, you could find him tapping his foot or bouncing along, even while napping. Junior was known for his compassionate nature, always ready to assist those in need.



Junior was predeceased by his parents, siblings Gwen Knisley, Randolph Montgomery, Lorraine Johnson, Evelyn St. Armand, Vincent Montgomery, Imogene Clark, LeRoy Montgomery, Alexander Montgomery, James Montgomery, Lillia Hardy, Joseph Montgomery, Vertie Goldsmith, Norma Jean Montgomery, and Reginald Montgomery. He is survived by his beloved wife, daughter, and many friends.



The family will receive friends for the visitation on August 2, 2024, from 4:00 pm to 7:00 pm at Brinsfield Funeral Home & Crematory, P.A., 30195 Three Notch Road, Charlotte Hall, MD 20622. The following day, a funeral service will be held at 11:00 am at All Faith Episcopal Church, 38885 New Market Turner Rd, Mechanicsville, MD 20659. Interment will follow after the service at Old Fields Episcopal Church Cemetery, 15837 Prince Frederick Road, Hughesville, MD 20637.



In lieu of flowers, please consider a donation to:



Hughesville Volunteer Fire Department, 15245 Prince Frederick Road, Hughesville, MD 20637.



Prince Frederick VRS, P.O. Box 346, Prince Frederick, MD 20678.




MaryAnne Schercinger, 84, of Huntingtown passed away July 28th, 2024. She was born on September 12th, 1939, in the District of Columbia to F. Ralph and Mary F. (Pyles) Reamy. MaryAnne spent most of her youth in Washington, D.C. before moving to Mount Rainer with her parents as an early teen. She graduated from Northwestern High School in Hyattsville. She married her high school sweetheart, John Schercinger on February 13th, 1960. They lived in Prince Georges County before moving to Huntingtown in 1976. MaryAnne worked for the federal government early in their marriage before becoming a full-time mother of their two daughters, Kathy and Kelly.



MaryAnne was an active member of her community, serving in several different capacities throughout her life. She was a member of the Jaycettes, Jobs Daughters, and the Eastern Star. She spent her later years serving as president of the Calvert Memorial Auxiliary services, organizing the Festival of Trees for Hospice, and a was lifelong member of the United Methodist Church. MaryAnne was an active member of Huntingtown United Methodist Church, and spent much of her time volunteering and was engaged in many of the Church's groups. She was also an active member of the John Hanson DAR and participated in many activities with them.



MaryAnne returned to the work force in 1970, as a financial secretary for Prince George's County Public Schools, where she spent over 30 years at Thomas Pullen. She made many lifelong friends there.



MaryAnne will always be remembered for her strength in adversity, her wit, and her generosity to give and love unconditionally. She is survived by her daughters, Kathy Wood (Rudy) and Kelly McKenny (Joey), her four grandchildren, Lauren, Alyssa, Collin and Cameryn, and her great grandson, Gage. She is also survived by her niece, Debbie Mould (Jim). She was predeceased by her husband John just five months before her death. May they both be at peace, together again.





Visitation

Thursday, August 1, 2024

4:00 PM  7:00 PM



Rausch Funeral Home-Owings



8325 Mt. Harmony Lane

Owings, MD 20736





Services



Funeral Service



Friday, August 2, 2024

11:00 AM



Huntingtown United Methodist Church



4020 Hunting Creek Road

P.O. Box 550

Huntingtown, MD 20639





Interment



Burial



Miranda Cemetery



4000 Huntingtown Road

Huntingtown, MD 20639





Contributions



Hospice of the Chesapeake



90 Ritchie Highway

Pasadena, MD 21122



410-987-2003



Link:

https://www.hospicechesapeake.org/giving/donate-now/



Huntingtown United Methodist Church



4020 Hunting Creek Road

P.O. Box 550

Huntingtown, MD 20639
Farmers faced insurmountable challenges in rescuing the animal.

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An unusual sight greeted visitors to Slovak Paradise, a national park renowned for its breathtaking gorges, caves, and waterfalls, last weekend: a cow stranded beneath the Barikadovy vodopad waterfall.

The unexpected visitor was discovered in the challenging Velky Kysel gorge, a 1.4-kilometre-long route filled with ladders and waterfalls that typically requires a ferrata set for hikers to navigate.

How the cow reached this remote and rugged spot remains a mystery. Her herd was grazing in fields near the eastern Slovak village of Smizany, some seven kilometres away.

https://sk.frame.mapy.cz/s/fegufusuru

The Slovak Paradise National Park Administration suggested that the cows presence in such an inaccessible area is highly unusual.

We believe that the cow could not have made it there on her own. Its possible that irresponsible tourists lured her away from the herd and inadvertently led her to the gorge, the administration speculated.

Despite efforts by conservationists and local farmers, they were unable to rescue the cow.

We couldnt safely extricate her; the terrain was too perilous for her to make the journey back without serious injury. Unfortunately, we had to put her down on the spot, explained Rudolf Uhliar, director of the Smizany farm.

A stranded cow in Slovak Paradise. (Source: Slovak Paradise National Park Administration)

Authorities urge visitors to refrain from feeding livestock or interfering with animals in the parks meadows, to prevent such tragic incidents from occurring in the future.
Silver and bronze are the favorite Olympic colors for red, white and blue swimmers

Regan Smith, of the United States, poses with her silver medal for the women's 100-meter backstroke final at the 2024 Summer Olympics, Tuesday, July 30, 2024, in Nanterre, France. (AP Photo/Matthias Schrader)

NANTERRE, France (AP)  The favorite colors for the red, white and blue at the Olympic swimming pool are silver and bronze.

Through four days at La Defense Arena, the mighty U.S. team has won a bunch of medals  15 in all  but only two of them are gold.

Seven silvers and six bronzes round out the tally.

The Americans reached the medal podium in all three events Tuesday night, but each time it was in the runner-up spot (with a bronze medal thrown into the mix, as well).

Regan Smith fell to her Australian rival Kaylee McKeown, who captured her second straight Olympic gold in the women's 100-meter backstroke.

Smith was the world-record holder after a dazzling performance at the U.S. trials last month, but it was McKeown coming out on top in the race that really mattered.

I knew it was going to be such a fight, Smith said. Kaylee is an exceptional competitor,

The Americans also claimed the bronze with Katharine Berkoff, the daughter of four-time Olympic medalist David Berkoff.

Everyone wants to win, the third-place finisher said. Thats the goal. Its such a tight field, so I knew it was going to be tough.

It was more of the same in the men's 800 freestyle, where defending Olympic champion Bobby Finke came up just short. Ireland's Daniel Wiffen captured his country's first swimming gold medal since 1996.

Id be lying If I said I wasnt disappointed," Finke said. I was the first loser. It always stings to not be able to defend your title.

In the final event of the night, the Americans claimed yet another silver in the men's 4x200 freestyle relay, with Britain winning its second straight Olympic gold in that event.

We are always rooting for gold," said Drew Kibler, a member of the U.S. relay team. That is the American standard.

It was certainly an improvement on the same race in Tokyo, when the Americans missed a medal with a shocking fourth-place showing.

It is a really special thing to be on that podium. It was really tough missing that podium a few years ago, Kibler said. But we are always shooting for gold.

While the Americans have nearly twice as many medals as any other nation, they trail rival Australia in the race for shiniest color.

The swimmers from Down Under have four victories and eight medals overall.

The thing that is most important is that we are pushing the sport in the right direction," Smith said. Our rivalry is great for attention in the sport. We have so much respect for each other.

Italy has matched the Americans with two wins, and seven other nations have claimed golds in a sign of the sport's growing depth around the globe.

The U.S. has plenty of chances to add to its medal haul over the final five days of swimming.

The Americans would prefer a few more trips to the top step on the podium.

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AP Summer Olympics: https://apnews.com/hub/2024-paris-olympic-games
What to watch for at the Paris Olympics: Katie Ledecky expected to win her 1st gold of these Games

Katie Ledecky, of the United States, competes during a heat in the women's 1500-meter freestyle at the 2024 Summer Olympics, Tuesday, July 30, 2024, in Nanterre, France. (AP Photo/Ashley Landis)

Katie Ledecky is an overwhelming favorite to claim her first gold of these Games with one of her best events in the pool highlighting Wednesdays action at the 2024 Paris Olympics.

Here is a guide of what to look out for:

Ledecky looking to defend gold in the 1,500 freestyle

When the womens 1,500-meter freestyle made its debut on the Olympic program in Tokyo three years ago, Ledecky won by more than a four-second margin.

This time it could be an even bigger margin.

Ledecky won her heat Tuesday by more than a half-lap ahead of Simona Quadarella of Italy.

The 1,500 final is scheduled for 9:13 p.m. CEST (3:13 p.m. EDT).

Ledecky's only medal so far in Paris was a bronze in the 400 free.

The other swimming finals on Wednesday will be held between 8:30 p.m. CEST (2:30 p.m. EDT) and about 10:45 p.m. CEST (4:45 p.m. EDT). They include the womens 100 free, the mens 200 butterfly, the mens 200 breaststroke and the mens 100 free.

Triathlon questions

The mens triathlon scheduled for Tuesday was postponed because of concerns about the water quality in the Seine River. It was rescheduled for Wednesday, when the womens competition is also slated to be held.

But both will happen only if water tests show acceptable levels of E. coli and other bacteria. Friday is also planned as a backup date.

However, storms or rain are forecast Tuesday night through Thursday, which could complicate rescheduling because rain generally causes bacteria levels in the Seine to rise.

If Wednesdays races do go ahead, the women will start at 8 a.m. CEST (2 a.m. EDT) and the men will start at 10:45 a.m. CEST (4:45 a.m. EDT).

Djokovic and Alcaraz back on the red clay

Still chasing the only big title he lacks after getting past longtime rival Rafael Nadal, Novak Djokovic faces Dominik Koepfer of Germany in the third round at Roland Garros.

Carlos Alcaraz, who won the French Open at the same venue last month, plays Roman Safiullin of Russia.

Gymnastics

The mens all-around final in gymnastics is scheduled for 5:30 p.m. CEST (11:30 EDT).

___

AP Olympics: https://apnews.com/hub/2024-paris-olympic-games
The future of coffee production relies heavily on the creation of new, more resilient coffee varieties. Pests, disease, and climate change all threaten overall yields, hamstringing a supply that is already struggling to meet and increasing demand. New varieties bred to purpose may offer at least a partial solution.

Since 2015, World Coffee Research has been developing new F1 hybrids that will be more resistant to climate change while also possessing a high cup quality. Now, nine years later, they have selected four new varieties to move to the pre-commercial stage of testing to see how they perform in real-world conditions.

Announced via press release, these hybrids are the four that performed the best in the Phase 1 trials back in 2022. Each hybrid is a cross between Sarchimor and Gesha, the former possessing higher yields, leaf rust resistance, and the ability to grow well at lower altitudes, while the latter is renown for its cup profile. The hybrids are hoped to have the positive attributes of both parent plants.

With the next phase of testing, the pre-commercial phase, WCR will soon find out. Teaming up with member companies that bid to take part in the trials, a total of 10,000 of these hybrids will be planted on 10 trial plots in Costa Rica, Guatemala, and Peru to understand how they perform in real-world commercial environments. The companies taking part in the trial include Counter Culture Coffee in collaboration with Aquiares Estate, Cafcom, Blue Bottle Coffee in collaboration with Los Volcanes, Falcon Coffees Peru in collaboration with CENFROCAFE, Starbucks Alsacia Farm, and Volcafe Peru in collaboration with Starbucks.

The trials will continue over the next six years, during which time WCR and its partners will be regularly evaluating the hybrids for pest and disease resistance as well as overall yield to see which conditions the varieties are most suited to. The coffees will also be evaluated for their flavor quality.

With this new cycle of evaluation we are looking to learn more of how these hybrids perform in real-life environments in farmer fields and determine if any of them can add value for coffee production in the future, says Emilia Umana, Senior Manager of WCRs Nursery Program. Additionally, we want to better understand the system for incorporating new materials responsibly into the marketpaving the way for many future releases.

At the end of the trials, if one of the new hybrids proves to be superior and outperforms extant varieties, WCR will then work to distribute the F1 on a much larger scale to the global network of coffee producers who may benefit from it.

For more information on the pre-commercial trials, visit World Coffee Researchs official website.
https://sputnikglobe.com/20240730/belarus-ready-to-consider-berlins-requests-regarding-krieger---presidents-office-1119568772.html

Belarus Ready to Consider Berlin's Requests Regarding Krieger - President's Office

Belarus Ready to Consider Berlin's Requests Regarding Krieger - President's Office

Sputnik International

Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko's spokeswoman, Natalya Eismont, told Sputnik Minsk was ready to consider Germany's requests regarding German national Rico Krieger.

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The Pul Pervogo Telegram channel reported earlier on Tuesday that Krieger had appealed to Lukashenko for clemency. Belarusian news agency Belta reported later, citing Lukashenko's press office, that the Belarusian leader decided to pardon Krieger. In late June, the Minsk regional court found Krieger guilty of committing an explosion in order to influence decision-making by authorities, intimidate the population, and destabilize public order. He was also found guilty of cooperating with the special services of a foreign state, involving the commission of actions deliberately aimed at harming the national security of Belarus.

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KSAT 12 reporter John Paul Barajas enters a plea deal for his 2023 DWI charge on July 29. He received one year probation. Zachary-Taylor Wright

KSAT-TV reporter John Paul Barajas, charged with driving while intoxicated with a blood-alcohol content nearly twice the legal limit, has been sentenced to a year of probation.

The local television reporter appeared Monday in County Court at Law No. 2 before Senior District Judge Raymond Angelini, presiding by assignment. Barajas had been scheduled to go to trial, but decided to take a plea instead.

As part of an agreement reached between Barajas attorneys David Christian and Thom Nisbet and Bexar County prosecutor Charles Garcia, Barajas, listed as Juan Pablo in court records, pleaded no contest and was found guilty of the lesser offense of obstruction of a highway, a Class B misdemeanor.

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Had he gone to trial and been found guilty of the Class A misdemeanor, he would have faced up to a year in jail.

As part of the agreement, Barajas will be required to breathe into an alcohol interlock system to start his car for six months.

Barajas, 29, also was fined $500 for court costs and $60 for the Texas Department of Public Safety for lab testing, according to court records. He is required to take a DWI education course, which his lawyers said was already done, and complete 48 hours of community service.

Barajas was pulled over around 2 a.m. Nov. 5 on Interstate 10 westbound on the Northwest Side after a San Antonio police officer saw him driving 82 miles per hour in a 65-mph zone, drifting in and out of lanes and suddenly changing speeds, an affidavit supporting his arrest stated.

Once he began talking to police, the officer noticed a strong odor of intoxicants coming from his breath, slurred speech and bloodshot eyes.

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When Barajas was asked if he was distracted while driving, he told the officer he had been in Southtown and was using a GPS device to get to a location to meet a friend.

The officer asked him if he had been drinking, and Barajas said he had not consumed any alcohol.

A field sobriety test found that Barajas speech was slurred and he couldnt recall the alphabet past the letter K.

Police arrested him and asked for a blood or breath sample, but Barajas refused, so a Bexar County magistrate signed off on a search warrant for his blood, and two vials were collected and tested, which came back nearly twice the state legal limit of 0.08.

On the day he was arrested, Barajas license was suspended by the Texas Department of Public Safety for six months in the DWI case. He appealed the suspension and lost. Its longer than the standard 90 days because he refused a breath test when pulled over. He also faces a criminal DWI charge.

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A journalist for KSAT since June 2021, Barajas was a weekend anchor at KRGV-TV in the Rio Grande Valley before moving to the Alamo City.

He attended Clear Lake High School in Houston and the University of Houston. His father, Mike, is a TV news anchor in Houston.

Barajas, who grew up in Houston, recently helped KSATs sister station, KPRC, with reporting efforts after Hurricane Beryl battered the area, KSAT reported.

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Initially, Barajas was charged with driving while intoxicated, a Class B misdemeanor punishable by up to six months in jail and a $2,000 fine. Later, after lab results came back, prosecutors elevated the charge to DWI with a blood alcohol concentration (BAC) of 0.15 or higher, a Class A misdemeanor punishable by up to a year in jail and a fine of $4,000.
https://sputnikglobe.com/20240730/bidens-us-supreme-court-reform-plan-just-red-meat-rhetoric-to-feed-his-political-base-1119569772.html

Biden's US Supreme Court Reform Plan Just 'Red Meat' Rhetoric to Feed His Political Base

Biden's US Supreme Court Reform Plan Just 'Red Meat' Rhetoric to Feed His Political Base

Sputnik International

President Joe Biden's new plan to limit the powers of the US Supreme Court that he announced on Monday has no hope whatsoever of being implemented and enforced, US constitutional experts told Sputnik.

2024-07-30T20:39+0000

2024-07-30T20:39+0000

2024-07-30T20:38+0000

analysis

us

joe biden

dan lazare

francis boyle

us supreme court

democratic party

constitutional amendments

constitutional changes

constitutional crisis

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In a speech at the Lyndon B. Johnson Memorial Library in Austin on Monday, Biden announced his determination to push through a constitutional amendment that would lift the immunity from prosecution that former presidents enjoyed after leaving the White House. The immunity would still apply to any acts they carried out while in office but would not extend to their previous activities while campaigning for the White House. Biden has opposed in the past any constitutional measures to limit the powers of the Supreme Court or change its composition. However, the president changed his position and made his new proposal just a week after announcing that he would not run for reelection in November. Francis Boyle, a professor of law at the University of Illinois, dismissed the measure as an empty political ploy to impress Biden's core constituents in the Democratic Party. Biden's so-called reforms would get nowhere under the current political conditions and if Biden and the Democrats were serious about reforming the Supreme Court they would announce a counter-packing campaign to increase the number of justices on the bench by six. Such a move is needed to counteract the six members of the Federalist Society who were put onto the Supreme Court by Republican presidents, Boyle said. Those justices had deliberately been appointed by presidents "acting in cahoots with the Federalist Society in order to pack the court their way, which they have succeeded in doing," he said. Boyle recalled that President Franklin D. Roosevelt announced his successful plan to pack the Supreme Court in 1937 by increasing its members by up to six. Roosevelt made that proposal "in order to circumvent a reactionary Republican Supreme Court [that was] striking down his New Deal Legislation designed to deal with the Great Depression," he said. Although the measure itself was defeated, Roosevelt won his battle in the end - he put the fear of God into the Supreme Court and got results, but Biden and todays Democrats are no Roosevelt, he said. Biden's Proposal Has No ChanceUS constitutional historian and political commentator Dan Lazare agreed that Biden's new proposal did not have a chance of being implemented. "Biden's op-ed [making the case for his proposed reform in the US media] is pure unadulterated nonsense," Lazare said. Biden was calling for three Supreme Court reforms - a measure striking down presidential immunity, a second imposing term limits and a third imposing a code of ethics, Lazare said. However, the first two would require a constitutional amendment, while the third probably would as well since the Supreme Court justices are all but certain to strike down any such bill on the grounds that it constitutes a flagrant violation of separation of powers, he said. The only way around an adverse Supreme Court ruling is a constitutional amendment; Congress and the states would probably have to go this route in this regard as well, Lazare said. "Biden should know that while you can fool some of the people some of the time, you can't fool all of the people all the time, especially on a topic as important as this," Lazare said.The two-thirds rule in Article 5 of the US Constitution says Congress must approve any proposed amendment by a two-thirds vote in each chamber, while the second means three-fourths (i.e., 38) of the states must assent as well. "Bad as the first one is, the second is an absolute killer since it means that 13 states representing as little as 4.4% of the population can veto any effort at constitutional reform, not just for a year or a decade, but forever," he said. This explained why the United States has not seen a constitutional amendment since 1971 and why, given Washington's hyper-polarized atmosphere, it is not likely to see another for the next half-century as well, per Lazare. As such, the chances of anything similar happening again therefore are nil. "The Supreme Court is another Washington institution that is broken beyond repair, yet is unfixable under anything resembling present circumstances," Lazare added.

https://sputnikglobe.com/20240701/us-supreme-court-says-trump-immune-from-prosecution-for-official-acts-1119208940.html

https://sputnikglobe.com/20240724/americans-no-longer-trust-the-establishment-as-biden-remains-greatest-domestic-threat-to-us-1119486269.html

https://sputnikglobe.com/20240724/same-as-the-old-boss-harris-expected-to-continue-neoconservative-foreign-policy-1119479786.html

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https://sputnikglobe.com/20240730/caracas-based-telesur-news-site-comes-under-cyberattack-1119563491.html

Caracas-Based teleSur News Site Comes Under Cyberattack

Caracas-Based teleSur News Site Comes Under Cyberattack

Sputnik International

The Spanish-language website of Venezuelan broadcaster teleSur became the target of a cyberattack on Tuesday, the broadcaster's president, Patricia Villegas Marin, said.

2024-07-30T08:01+0000

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The presidential election of July 28 saw Nicolas Maduro win a third term in office. The announcement of results sparked protests in the capital of Caracas and beyond, with clashes reported between the police and opposition supporters. The Venezuelan government accused several countries of election meddling.The journalist vowed to defend the "sovereignty and communication integration" of the Latin American and Caribbean regions.

https://sputnikglobe.com/20240730/protests-in-venezuela-definitely-financed-by-washington---russian-observer-1119560904.html

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https://sputnikglobe.com/20240730/crypto-capital-of-the-planet-delving-into-the-us-stash-of-digital-coins-1119567339.html

Crypto Capital of the Planet? Delving Into the US Stash of Digital Coins

Crypto Capital of the Planet? Delving Into the US Stash of Digital Coins

Sputnik International

Ex-presdient and nowadays GOP hopeful Dobald Trump promised to embrace cryptocurrency if he wins the 2024 election, in an address at a bitcoin conference in Nashville, Tennessee.

2024-07-30T14:26+0000

2024-07-30T14:26+0000

2024-07-30T14:26+0000

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Former US President and current Republican presidential nominee Trump has pledged to make America the "crypto capital of the planet" and create a bitcoin (BTC) "strategic reserve" using the currency that the government currently holds.The current US authorities also holds other cryptocurrencies such as 50,000 Ether (ETH) worth $166.7 million as well as major stablecoins like 121 million USDC worth $121.7 million, and 40,000 BNB valued at $23.2 million.Additionally, the government is in possession of 750,000 WBTC worth $50.3 million, 19 million AUSDC worth $18.8 million and 13 million BUSD valued at $13.6 million, Arkham data showed.For comparison, the value of the governments BTC holdings stood at about $5 billion last year, the Wall Street Journal earlier reported, adding that a significant part of this digital currency came from confiscations related to darkweb markets like Silk Road.According to Trump, "They took it away from you. So, as I take steps to transform that vast wealth into a permanent national asset to benefit all Americans, today I repeat my promise to commute the sentence of Ross Ulbricht," the founder of the Silk Road website. The man was sentenced to life in prison after a judge held him responsible for six overdose deaths linked to his website.

https://sputnikglobe.com/20240728/trump-won-sympathy-of-us-crypto-community-but-needs-to-be-consistent---expert-1119540260.html

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a bitcoin conference in nashville, tennessee, former us president and current republican presidential nominee donald trump, us government's bitcoin holdings, the bidens administration
https://sputnikglobe.com/20240730/lugansk-student-urges-trump-to-stop-arms-deliveries-to-ukraine-1119559584.html

Lugansk Student Urges Trump to Stop Arms Deliveries to Ukraine

Lugansk Student Urges Trump to Stop Arms Deliveries to Ukraine

Sputnik International

A student in Lugansk sent a letter to former US President Donald Trump, asking him to stop the flow of weapons from the United States and Ukraine.

2024-07-30T01:14+0000

2024-07-30T01:14+0000

2024-07-30T01:14+0000

world

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mirotvorets

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Trump is the Republican nominee for US President in 2024. The presidential elections in the United States will be held in November. He currently holds a small lead over his opponent, Vice President Kamala Harris nationally and leads in most swing states.In 2021, then 12-year-old Savenkova recorded a video message to members of the UN Security Council and called on the organization to remember that children of Donbas have the right to childhood and peaceful life. In the fall of the same year, the notorious Ukrainian website "Mirotvorets" included the girl on its hit list. Later, Savenkova repeatedly appealed to various international organizations with calls for a ceasefire in Donbas. She also told Sputnik that she may send another letter to Trump, urging him to pressure Ukraine into taking children off of the list."I will write on this issue to Trump because the data of 326 children, many of whom are aged 910, is on this website. That just shouldn't happen," Savenkova said.The girl pointed out that it was not her first letter to Trump and confided that she believes he is the only adequate politician in the US now. Faina in her letter asked Trump to stop the flow of Western weapons to Ukraine. Mr. Turmp, my name is Faina Savenkova. I am a teenager living in Donbass. I am 15 years old, and I am a young writer and journalist. However, the Ukrainian government sees me just as one of many civilian targets in this war. In my short life, I have had to endure the horrors of war due to the weapons that Western countries supply to Ukraine, she wrote. Faina also mentioned the recent assassination attempt against Trump, saying she was happy that everything ended up with minimal consequences for him. She pointed out that July 27 is the Day of Remembrance for the Child victims of the war in Donbass. On July 27, 2014, the Ukrainian military launched a massive artillery strike on Horlivka, resulting in the deaths of 22 civilians, including children," she said in her letter. Savenkova also implored Trump to do everything possible to bring an end to the conflict and to re-establish US relations with Russia. Russia has been conducting a special military operation in Ukraine since February 24, 2022. President Vladimir Putin has said the operation aims to "protect people subjected to genocide by the Kiev regime for eight years." According to the president, the ultimate goal of the operation is to liberate Donbass and create conditions that guarantee Russia's security. Russia earlier sent a note to NATO because of arms supplies to Ukraine. Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov has said any cargo that contains weapons for Ukraine will become a legitimate target for Russia.

https://sputnikglobe.com/20240623/trump-vows-to-settle-ukraine-conflict-even-before-taking-office-if-reelected-1119072877.html

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russian student sends letter to trump, will trump end ukraine, who supports sending weapons to ukraine
https://sputnikglobe.com/20240730/mens-2024-olympic-triathlon-postponed-due-to-poor-quality-of-water-in-seine-1119563891.html

Men's 2024 Olympic Triathlon Postponed Due to Poor Quality of Water in Seine

Men's 2024 Olympic Triathlon Postponed Due to Poor Quality of Water in Seine

Sputnik International

The men's triathlon competition at the 2024 Paris Olympics has been postponed due to poor water quality in the Seine, World Triathlon said in a statement on Tuesday.

2024-07-30T08:29+0000

2024-07-30T08:29+0000

2024-07-30T08:29+0000

world

france

paris

olympics

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Earlier, the Olympic triathletes' training swim, which was supposed to take place on Monday morning, was canceled due to polluted water in the Seine. Before that, training on Sunday was also canceled for the same reason. The rain that fell on Friday and Saturday in Paris is said to be the cause of the water pollution. The men's triathlon competition was supposed to start on July 30 at 8:00 local time (6:00 GMT). The 2024 Olympics are being held from July 26 to August 11. According to media reports, the Seine was contaminated with E. coli above the recommended limit on the day of Paris Mayor Anne Hidalgo's demonstration swim in the river that flows through the French capital. Hidalgo, joined by other Paris officials, swam in the Seine ahead of the Olympics to prove that the river was safe for competitions.

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https://sputnikglobe.com/20240730/peruvian-foreign-ministry-says-venezuelan-diplomats-must-leave-country-within-72-hours-1119560340.html

Peruvian Foreign Ministry Says Venezuelan Diplomats Must Leave Country Within 72 Hours

Peruvian Foreign Ministry Says Venezuelan Diplomats Must Leave Country Within 72 Hours

Sputnik International

All Venezuelan diplomats in Peru must leave the country within 72 hours, the Peruvian foreign ministry said in response to Venezuela recalling its diplomats from a number of countries, including Peru.

2024-07-30T03:15+0000

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Earlier on Monday, the Venezuelan government announced that it was recalling its diplomats from a number of Latin American countries, including Peru, that had not recognized the results of the presidential election. At the same time, Venezuela demanded that these governments immediately recall their representatives from its territory. The presidential election was held in Venezuela on Sunday, and the current head of state, Nicolas Maduro, won it. On Monday, protests began in Caracas, with clashes between the police and protesters. The Venezuelan government has declared that a number of countries had interfered in the elections and in the people's right to self-determination.

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https://sputnikglobe.com/20240730/protests-in-venezuela-definitely-financed-by-washington---russian-observer-1119560904.html

Protests in Venezuela Definitely Financed by Washington - Russian Observer

Protests in Venezuela Definitely Financed by Washington - Russian Observer

Sputnik International

The protest in Caracas after Sunday's elections are "definitely" funded by the United States, said a member of the delegation of Russian observers and lower house parliament member Alexey Volotskov told Sputnik.

2024-07-30T04:32+0000

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americas

hugo chavez

nicolas maduro

venezuela

caracas

venezuelan

elections

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"Of course, this is definitely funding from abroad, and such radical views of young, hooligan-minded people who may be looking for economic gain in this matter  to take some property, break something and steal, probably all this is multiplied," Volotskov said. Manifestations of extremism in Venezuela after the elections are a staged action and are not capable of influencing the electoral process, Volotskov added. On Sunday, presidential election was held in Venezuela, and the current head of state, Nicolas Maduro, won them. After that, protests began in Caracas on Monday with clashes between the police and protesters. The Venezuelan government said that a number of countries had interfered in the elections and in the people's right to self-determination.The leader of the opposition, Maria Corina Machado, who was barred from running in this election, has a long history with US-funded organizations. The Non-Governmental Organization (NGO) that she founded, Sumate, was funded by the United States through the National Endowment of Democracy.In the early to mid 2000s, there was a long on-again off-again trial for treason against Machado and three other leaders of the Sumate organization. According to diplomatic cables revealed by Wikileaks in 2011, the US government publicly and privately supported Sumate and pressured other countries to pressure Venezuela to drop the charges.A confidential cable dated June 14, 2005 described the effects of a meeting between Machado and then-US President George W. Bush, saying it gave then Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez's opponents a "much-needed moral boost.""It is important now to let the organization ride this surge largely on its own. A continuing, too evident, public identification with the U.S. could now be counterproductive. At the same time, however, we need to ensure that Sumate has the resources it needs to exploit this new vantage point it enjoys."

https://sputnikglobe.com/20240729/shots-heard-in-caracas-during-election-protests-1119558803.html

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https://sputnikglobe.com/20240730/trump-says-will-talk-to-fbi-on-thursday-about-assassination-attempt-plans-to-debate-harris-1119559829.html

Trump Says Will Talk to FBI on Thursday About Assassination Attempt, 'Probably' Will Debate Harris

Trump Says Will Talk to FBI on Thursday About Assassination Attempt, 'Probably' Will Debate Harris

Sputnik International

Former US President and Republican nominee Donald Trump will speak to the FBI about the attempt on his life, he said in an interview during which he also spoke about debating his likely opponent in November.

2024-07-30T02:48+0000

2024-07-30T02:48+0000

2024-07-30T02:53+0000

americas

donald trump

us

kamala harris

pennsylvania

fbi

us secret service

donald trump assassination attempt

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"[The FBI are] coming in on Thursday to see me," Trump told Fox News on Monday. Trump further said that he believed there should have been security officers on the roof of the building where the gunman had been positioned during the shooting. Moreover, the Republican presidential nominee said that the US Secret Service should have been communicating with the local police, which it wasn't. On July 13, Trump suffered a gunshot wound to his right ear and was briefly hospitalized following an assassination attempt at his rally in Butler. Thomas Crooks, 20, killed a member of the audience and injured two others in the crowd before the Secret Service neutralized him. The FBI continues to investigate the assassination attempt. The incident prompted US Secret Service Director Kimberly Cheatle to resign following criticism of the agency for not preventing the assassination attempt.Trump also commented on the possibility of him debating the presumptive Democratic nominee for President, Vice President Kamala Harris.Trump and Harris are currently set to participate in a ABC-hosted debate on September 10.Trump explained that he could decide to cancel a debate because he did not want to reward "fake news," adding that ABC could end up making tens of millions of dollars off the debate.He also described the ABC network as a "terrible outfit."

https://sputnikglobe.com/20240728/trumps-security-team-slams-police-for-failing-to-timely-tell-them-about-shooter---reports-1119540416.html

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https://sputnikglobe.com/20240730/ukraine-loses-up-to-650-soldiers-in-clashes-with-russias-south-forces-1119566788.html

Ukraine Loses Up to 650 Soldiers in Clashes With Russia's South Forces

Ukraine Loses Up to 650 Soldiers in Clashes With Russia's South Forces

Sputnik International

Ukraine has lost up to 650 personnel in the area of operations of Russia's Yug (South) group of forces in the past 24 hours, the Russian Defense Ministry said on Tuesday.

2024-07-30T10:52+0000

2024-07-30T10:52+0000

2024-07-30T10:52+0000

russia's special operation in ukraine

russian armed forces

russian army

ukrainian crisis

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"The enemy's losses amounted to up to losses amounted to up to 650 Ukrainian troops, three armoured fighting vehicles, two motor vehicles, three US-made 155-mm M777 howitzers, two US-made 155-mm M198 howitzers, two 152-mm D-20 howitzers, and two US-made 105-mm M119 howitzers," the ministry said in a statement. Ukraine lost up to 500 soldiers in battles with Russian troops of the Zapad (West) group, the ministry said, adding that Russias Tsentr (Central) group repelled six counterattacks, during which Kiev has lost up to 315 servicepeople. Russia's Sever (North) group of forces repelled seven counterattacks in the past 24 hours, with Kiev losing up to 250, the ministry said. The Russian armed forces have also taken control of the Leninskoe settlement in Donetsk People's Republic.

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The two hottest pacers currently competing in the three-year-old colts and geldings division of the New York Sire Stakes (NYSS) will be at Batavia Downs on Wednesday, July 31 for a head-to-head tilt in the first of two $57,000 USD divisions that highlight the stellar mid-week card.

Howlenthehills (American Ideal-Arielle Lynn) has been on a tear this year, winning seven out of his eight starts with one second as well. That lone defeat came by only one-half length in the Messenger Stakes at Yonkers Raceway last month to his stablemate, Sweet Beach Life. Other than that, hes been a wrecking ball since April over every track surface hes been on. He is undefeated in NYSS action this year and took a 1:50.1 lifetime mark at Vernon Downs in June.

Boston Rocks (Boston Red Rocks-Scirocco Sarah) has started four times in NYSS action this year, winning twice and finishing second twice, with those two losses coming to Howlenthehills. His lifetime mark came in an overnight at Pocono Downs when he paced around that red surface in 1:51.4 while pulling away by 7-1/2 lengths. He rolled that win into another devastating performance in his last start at Monticello Raceway, where he won his split of the NYSS in 1:52.3 by nine lengths in a laugher.

These two pacers have a lot in common. Howlenthehills is the top point-getter (150) and highest earner ($139,178) in his NYSS classification while Boston Rocks is tied with him for points (150) while sitting second right behind him for earnings ($129,659).

But they also have a couple outstanding differences. Howlenthehills was winless as a two-year-old, including seven starts in the NYSS, and only earned $36,381. While in his first year of racing, Boston Rocks won four races, including three NYSS legs and the $225,000 final before making an appearance in the Breeders Crown final. All of which earned him $352,922.

The other major difference is Howlenthehills is a gelding while Boston Rocks is a colt. So there are two track records in jeopardy on Wednesday as a result of this match-up. The Batavia Downs standard for a three-year-old pacing gelding is 1:51.2 while for a three-year-old pacing colt is 1:52.2, so this is something that bears watching.

Howlenthehills has drawn post one for trainer Travis Alexander and will tour the facility with Matt Kakaley once again in tow while Boston Rocks has post two, with his regular reinsman Jason Bartlett back in the bike for trainer Mike Deters.

In the second division, Alexander will also be starting Huntingforchrome (Huntsville-All On Top Hanover), who is another horse who could stake a claim at a new track record as he comes into this start with a lot of asterisks, but also a lot of speed.

Huntingforchrome started out the year with two NYSS starts that yielded one second-place finish for then trainer Jenn Bongiorno. Two weeks after that, the gelding found himself in Travis Alexanders barn and has been a speed show on the Grand Circuit ever since.

His first start for Alexander was in the Meadowlands Pace elimination where he was race timed in 1:49.3, but he was rigged incorrectly according to Alexander in an interview after the race. With the proper changes made, Huntingforchrome then won a Three-Year-Old Open Pace at The Meadowlands in a sparkling lifetime-best 1:48.1, finished second in 1:49.1 by 1-3/4 lengths in the Adios elimination at The Meadows and then finished fourth in the Adios final by only 2-1/2 lengths while being race timed in 1:49.4. That start was only four days removed from this NYSS outing at Batavia, which is his first NYSS tilt since mid-June.

Alexander has Matt Kakaley in the bike behind Huntingforchrome and they will start from post five in this event.

His main competition appears to be Ameritric (American Ideal-Electric Fool), who is the only starter in this field with a NYSS victory this year, coming in a lifetime-best 1:52.3 outing at Buffalo Raceway. Other than that, Ameritric has won three overnights and has posted the highest earnings of this group this year ($94,178). Brett Beckwith will take the reins for trainer George Ducharme from post three.

Taranaki (Huntsville-Free Fi Girl) is as consistent as a horse can be, finishing seven out of nine starts in the money with four straight cheques in the NYSS. He has gate speed and having drawn post one, will be in the mix from start to finish. Trainer Paul Jessop has called upon local leading driver Kevin Cummings to steer this week.

The New York Sire Stake divisions will go as race seven and nine while the three $20,000 USD Excelsior races are carded as three, five and 11. Post time for race one is at 6 p.m.

(Batavia Downs; photo of Howlenthehills from a previous win)
The National Republican Congressional Committee has named former U.S. Rep. Mayra Flores, shown in this 2022 photo, a 2024 Young Gun. Her race against Democrat Rep. Vicente Gonzalez for South Texas' House District 15 is seen as potentially competitive. Kin Man Hui/Staff photographer

The House Republicans campaign arm has named former Rep. Mayra Flores a 2024 Young Gun, designating her bid against Democrat Rep. Vicente Gonzalez as a top pickup opportunity.

The National Republican Congressional Committee announced this week that the Los Indios Republican is one of 26 candidates being boosted through their Young Guns program, which provides mentorship, training and extra resources to Republican challengers. The race is one of few in Texas seen as potentially competitive.

Extreme House Democrats border, crime and cost of living crises wrecked Americans safety and security, NRCC Chair Rep. Richard Hudson, R-N.C., said in a statement. Fortunately, these Republican candidates are already well on their way to running winning campaigns that will grow our House majority in November.

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Flores was also on the Young Guns list in 2022, when she ran for her first full term in Congress after replacing outgoing Democrat Filemon Vela in a special election. She lost to Gonzalez by 8 percentage points.

We welcome the NRCC to invest in another race in the RGV they are guaranteed to lose, Gonzalez said in a statement. These are the types of amateur investment decisions that will guarantee us a new Democratic Majority in the House.

The 34th District, which includes Brownsville, Harlingen and parts of McAllen, is more solidly Democratic than the neighboring 15th District, currently represented by Rep. Monica De La Cruz, R-Edinburg. Gonzalez previously had represented the 15th District but was redrawn into his new, bluer seat after redistricting in 2021.

But Flores has raised significant funds so far this year, and the NRCC announcement means Republicans are looking to turn the district.

Democrats historically have represented the Rio Grande Valley, but the regions heavily Latino population has shifted toward the GOP in recent cycles.
Former Standardbred groom Robert "Bobby" Guy LaRush of Norwood, Ont., affectionally known as "Bucko," passed away suddenly on July 25, 2024 at the age of 58 with his family by his side.

He was the son of Judy (Robin), loving brother Peter (Julie), uncle to his only niece Leah and is predeceased by his father Guy. He will always be remembered by his aunts, cousins, extended family and friends.

Bobby enjoyed volunteering his time at the Norwood Legion, whether it was selling poppies at the grocery store or dressing up as an elf for the childrens Christmas party. He loved the little communities that he lived in. He was known as a Havelock Hotel legend. He had a love for horses and harness racing. He loved listening to music and making people laugh. Bobbys love for his dog Cash was immeasurable and he

now is reunited with his best friend.

Arrangements have been entrusted to The Hendren Funeral Home - Norwood Chapel. Cremation has taken place and a Memorial Tribute will be held at a later date. In lieu of flowers, donations can be made to The Canadian Cancer Society or to The Peterborough Regional Health Centre by calling 705-639-5322 or by visiting hendrenfuneralhome.com.

Please join Standardbred Canada in offering condolences to the family and friends of Bobby LaRush.
Gov. Jim Pillens plan to cut property taxes will go before the Revenue Committee later this week after lawmakers voted Monday to change its committee assignment.

The Legislatures Referencing Committee voted 6-3 to move LB 1 out of the Government, Military and Veterans Affairs Committee, where it was assigned in a surprise move last week, and into the Revenue Committee.

In the committee led by Sen. Lou Ann Linehan of Elkhorn, who introduced LB 1 on Pillens behalf on the first day of a special session called by the governor, the bill will likely have an easier path to the floor of the Legislature.

The move also gives any amendments proposed by the Revenue Committee priority when the bill comes up for debate by the full Legislature.

Sen. Ray Aguilar of Grand Island, the chairman of the Executive Board, which also serves as the Referencing Committee, and Sen. John Lowe of Kearney voted to move LB 1 to the Revenue Committee, where Revisor of Statutes Marcia McClurg recommended it be referenced.

Both senators had previously voted to reference LB 1 to the Government Committee, which has jurisdiction over matters affecting political subdivisions, because of how it affected city and county governments.

Backers of Pillens plan said the move was an attempt to kill LB 1 or block it from advancing to the floor. At least half of the members of the Government Committee have voiced skepticism or opposition to Pillens plan.

On Monday, Lowe said a letter from Linehan and Sen. Tom Brewer of Gordon, the chairman of the Government Committee, requesting LB 1 be re-referenced swayed him to change his thinking.

I always respect two committee chairs coming together, Lowe said.

Opposing the re-referencing motion were Omaha Sen. Tony Vargas, Sen. Merv Riepe of Ralston and Sen. Julie Slama of Dunbar.

Pillens plan would implement a 5.5% sales tax on previously untaxed goods and services, a 4% tax on real property maintenance and repairs, a 2% tax on purchase and repair of agricultural machinery, and raise taxes on candy, soda, cigarettes and alcohol.

It also eliminates school districts ability to levy property taxes and caps growth on property tax revenue for cities and counties.

The Revenue Committee is scheduled to hold a public hearing on the bill at 9:30 a.m. Tuesday.

The Referencing Committee on Monday also debated where to assign a bill LB 29 from Sen. Jen Day of Gretna requiring the sale of a state-owned plane valued at $3.6 million used by Pillen and members of the executive branch.

Under Days plan, the funds from the sale would be returned to the states general fund and put toward property tax relief efforts  the stated purpose of the special session.

The plane made approximately 50 flights this summer, often staying in the air for less than 30 minutes. On July 25, the first day of the special session, the Beech C90GTx King Air flew three flights connecting Lincoln, Beatrice and Nebraska City.

Day said the state should consider cutting non-essential spending before slashing $200 million from programs like those focused on foster children first.

If property tax relief is as important to the governor as he says it is, I would hope we would look at luxuries before essentials, Day said.

Sen. Eliot Bostar of Lincoln argued the Executive Board previously handled the task of deciding which plane the state would purchase more than a decade ago and that the question should remain with the nine-member committee now.

The motion to reference it to the Executive Board failed 3-6, however, with Bostar, Sen. Beau Ballard of Lincoln and Sen. Mike Jacobson of North Platte voting in support.

Senators then voted 8-1 to reference the bill to the Transportation and Telecommunications Committee, which has jurisdiction over the Nebraska Department of Transportations aeronautics division.

Bostar cast the lone vote against the motion.
SAP announced its global Q2 2024 results on July 23, 2024, reporting cloud revenue increased 25% in the quarter as demand for AI drives cloud growth.

Cloud revenue in Asia Pacific and Japan (APJ) grew to 566M in Q2 2024, an increase of 38% over same period 2023 at constant currency, with India and Korea showing particular momentum. Globally, SAPs cloud revenue was up 25% at constant currency, with cloud backlog up 28% at constant currency.

Total APJ Q2 2024 revenue grew to 1.17B

New RISE with SAP customers included Shiseido; Auckland Council; Powerlink Queensland; Tokio Marine and Nichido Fire Insurance; Parle Biscuits; Tigaraksa Satria; PGP Glass; PT Pelabuhan Indonesia (Persero)  Pelindo Group .

RISE with SAP go-lives included Hyundai Motor Company and Kia Corporation.

Additional deals were recorded at Bank Danamon and La Trobe University .

Japanese chemical company UBE Corporation completed a migration program to SAP S/4HANA Cloud, integrating and consolidating core functions across the organisation to enhance business efficiency, stability, and quality through digital transformation.

APJ companies continued to adopt RISE with SAP to power their cloud transformations, take advantage of new Business AI capabilities, and build agility for changing market requirements.

New RISE with SAP wins and expansions in Q2 include Shiseido; Auckland Council; Powerlink Queensland; Tokio Marine and Nichido Fire Insurance; Parle Biscuits Pvt Ltd; Tigaraksa Satria; PT Pelabuhan Indonesia (Persero)  Pelindo Group; and PGP Glass. Go-lives this quarter were successfully completed at Hyundai Motor Company and Kia Corporation, among others.

Powerlink Queensland: We decided to expedite the decision to move to RISE with SAP to take advantage of the enormous productivity gains from new innovations including SAP AI. With many of our critical business systems already running on SAP, the ability to leverage AI capabilities within those systems will deliver tremendous value to our people through high-value natural intelligence.

Shiseido decided to adopt RISE with SAP to further its business transformation. This strategic move supports Shiseidos FOCUS program, which aims to standardise business processes and data in one connected solution globally across the entire value chain, enabling new ways of working. By integrating SAP S/4HANA, SAP Integrated Business Planning (IBP), and SAP Ariba in the RISE platform with SAP Business Technology Platform (BTP), Shiseido seeks to create a resilient and data-driven organisation capable of responding to global supply chain and finance challenges. This decision is a significant step towards achieving seamless global operations and improving overall business efficiency and agility.

Parle Biscuits Pvt Ltd: The decision to move from SAP ECC to SAP S/4HANA on RISE with SAP as part of our digital transformation journey is a significant step. This move will allow us to leverage the advanced capabilities of SAP S/4HANA and SAP Business Technology Platform (BTP), which includes features like Automation, Integration Suite, Datasphere with SAP Analytics Cloud (SAC), and the inclusion of AI/GEN AI.

Richard Jarrett, Director Group Shared Services at Auckland Council, said, Our new commercial construct with SAP gives us the freedom to make the right choices of fit for purpose technologies. This will mobilise the councils Group Shared Services approach and reflects the commitment we have made to Aucklanders in our long-term plan.

The small and medium enterprise sector is also embracing cloud. La Trobe University, which was the first organisation globally to switch on SAP S/4HANA in the cloud in 2015, is now adopting GROW With SAP, a complete offering of solutions, adoption acceleration services, community, and learning to help any size company successfully adopt cloud ERP.

Paul Marriott, President of SAP APJ, said SAP customer experience is being transformed by the infusion of Business AI across our portfolio, embedding cutting-edge technologies into enterprise-ready business applications. The benefits of Business AI can only be accessed through the cloud, and we are working with our customers across APJ to help them drive AI benefits unique to their needs.

More Q2 APJ Customers

SAP SuccessFactors was chosen by PT Bank Danamon Indonesia Tbk, which operates a network of 856 branch offices, and more than 60,000 ATMs across 34 provinces in Indonesia. Bank Danamon went live with Joule and Premium AI features in SAP SuccessFactors, as well as a suite of SAP SuccessFactors HCM solutions. By integrating SAPs AI copilot into its HR processes, the bank expects to drive enhanced employee engagement through AI-generated insights, and more personalised candidate matching in its recruitment process.

Established in 1988, PT Tigaraksa Satria Tbk operates a nation-wide, sales and distribution business in Indonesia. Company activities across its business units and subsidiaries include consumer products, direct selling of educational products, gas refill and appliances, and dry milk manufacturing, providing Indonesians with the access to life essentials. With 1,700 employees across 33 branches in the country today, Tigaraksa Satria now also provides avenues for growth to its trade channels and principal subsidiaries, including household names such as Mars Symbioscience Indonesia, Colgate-Palmolive Indonesia, Yupi Indo Jelly Gum. To scale more efficiently, Tigaraksa Satria selected the premium edition for RISE with SAP with SAP S/4HANA Cloud Private Edition, and SAP Datasphere, to unify fragmented data and processes through a cloud-based ERP solution. By consolidating its core business and financial systems to the cloud, the company expects to drive better real-time visibility and data analysis across its supply chain and distribution networks, and improved agility to adapt to market changes.

UBE Corporation has revamped its core system by implementing SAP S/4HANA Cloud. Leveraging the assets of the existing system, UBE completed the migration project in a short period of about 18 months, significantly faster than a new implementation. To build a foundation for operational standardisation, UBE integrated and consolidated functions while utilising the new features of SAP S/4HANA Cloud to drive data-driven operations. This initiative aims to accelerate Digital Transformation, achieve efficient migration using existing assets, and standardise global operations. UBE continues to enhance business efficiency, stability, and quality through its Digital Transformation efforts.




Qualcomm Technologies made two key announcements at its Snapdragon for India in Delhi, India, aimed at showcasing its India presence and driving innovation and 5G access for the India market. Bringing together its global leaders for Mobile and Compute alongside the India leadership team, the event gathered key India ecosystem partners, media, analysts and industry influencers. The event included guest keynotes by Lt. Gen. Dr. SP Kochhar, Director General at Cellular Operators Association of India  (COAI) who spoke about the scope and scale of 5G in India, Navkendar Singh, Associate Vice President with IDC India, who spoke about some of the challenges Indian consumers have faced in 5G access and adoption and Varun Mayya, CEO and founder of Aeos Labs and a leading voice on generative AI and content creation.

This event recognized the key contributions of its India engineering teams in the design and development of its latest solution for the smartphone market. It highlighted Qualcomms commitment to fostering innovation and empowering communities in India over the last 20 years, enabling access to cutting-edge technologies in 5G and AI, by the heads of the Bangalore, Hyderabad and Chennai Centers, Srini Maddali, SVP, Engineering, Qualcomm India Pvt. Ltd. and Shashi Reddy, VP, Engineering, Qualcomm India Pvt. Ltd. and Mahesh Moorthy, VP, Engineering, Qualcomm India Pvt. Ltd. respectively.

The new Snapdragon 4s Gen 2 redefines the entry-level mobile experience, packed with consumer must-haves, including Gigabit 5G connectivity, robust power efficiency for all-day battery life, and skilled camera capabilities. With innovations that aim at the greater good, Qualcomms 5G leadership has played a key role in digitizing India. Stemming from Qualcomms commitment to engineering human progress, this chip of change will be key in accelerating 5G penetration in India by bringing this technology to entry tier smartphones. The Snapdragon 4s Gen 2 will make 5G accessible to over 600 million Indian smartphone users, offering peak download speeds up to 1 Gbps, which is 7 times faster than the LTE platforms typically available in the same price tier*.

The Snapdragon 4s Gen 2 Mobile Platform is a significant step towards making 5G technology more accessible to millions of people at the entry tier, said Chris Patrick, senior vice president and general manager of mobile handsets, Qualcomm Technologies, Inc. By balancing affordability and strong performance with all-day battery life, we are enabling widespread access to 5G for a smoother transition for consumers looking to upgrade from 4G. We are immensely proud of our engineering teams for their exceptional work in developing a solution that will significantly enhance mobile experiences for millions of people, not only in India but around the globe.

Speaking about Qualcomms efforts towards digital inclusivity & connectivity in India, Savi Soin, Senior Vice President and President, Qualcomm India said, Access to 5G will be a key factor towards furthering Indias journey of digital transformation and securing its presence as a global player. With the 5G rollout in India a success, our vision is to make sure every Indian can enjoy its benefits with affordable devices. 5G can bridge the digital divide, empowering Indians with crucial tools and services in education, government services, healthcare, and payments more reliably and securely, as well as drive Indias Made in India agenda. Snapdragon 4s Gen 2 is a key step in strengthening Indias 5G landscape and democratizing connectivity.

Mr. Sunil Dutt, President  Devices, Jio commented, Qualcomm Technologies cutting-edge 5G platforms, combined with Jios largest, widest and fastest network as well as a deep understanding of the Indian market, will enable True 5G for ALL Indians. Qualcomm Technologies support has been instrumental in Jios journey to becoming the Largest Mobile-Data operator in the world. Through this collaboration, Qualcomm Technologies and Jio are transforming Indias telecommunications landscape and creating a more inclusive digital future. Together, we are making 5G for All a reality, helping ensure every Indian can access the opportunities shaping the future of India.

Snapdragon 4s Gen 2 will be initially adopted by Indias leading Mobile OEM, Xiaomi and its other brands, with the first commercial device expected to be announced before the end of the year.

We are excited to be working with Qualcomm Technologies to enable access to gigabit-fast connectivity for users across India said Muralikrishnan B, President, Xiaomi India. Many people have yet to experience the benefits of 5G, and thanks to Snapdragon 4s Gen 2, Xiaomi can bring 5G connectivity to a broader audience to help reshape the way the world connects and interacts.

Qualcomm Technologies mobile momentum has demonstrated leadership of modernizing smartphone experiences. Qualcomm Technologies is now strengthening beyond mobile, continuing to bring its global innovation to compute with exclusive AI-led experiences for the Windows ecosystem. The company has been at the forefront of innovation in India for the past two decades, contributing significantly to advancements in technology, particularly in fields such as 5G and artificial intelligence (AI). Its dedication to fostering a culture that prioritizes innovation will further enable innovation that accelerates the digital economy and drives the greater good.

Further to the global launch of Snapdragon X Elite and Snapdragon X Plus with Microsoft Copilot+, Qualcomm Technologies showcased its collaboration with leading PC OEMs like Asus, Acer, Dell, HP and Lenovo to bring this new category of devices to enable new-age compute and Gen AI experiences. Copilot+ PCs powered by Snapdragon X Series redefine the personal computing experience delivering multiple days of battery life, unparalleled performance plus efficiency to accelerate productivity and creativity with unique AI experiences powered by the worlds fastest and most efficient NPU for laptops at 45 TOPS, delivering leading performance per watt. The NPU is built from the ground up to run on-demand AI use cases like image generation to those that run pervasively in the background.

Commenting on the arrival of Snapdragon X Elite and Snapdragon X Plus in India, Kedar Kondap, Senior Vice President and General Manager, Compute and Gaming, Qualcomm Technologies, Inc. said, Modern PC experiences require platforms that provide the best performance without sacrificing battery life. Snapdragon X Elite and Snapdragon X Plus embody the pinnacle of performance. Snapdragon X Series-powered Copilot+ PCs are the ideal platforms for unlocking the full potential of next-gen AI apps for PCs. We are excited to bring this innovation to a young nation like India with millions of users wanting to enhance their productivity and support their creativity. Snapdragon X Series is the start of a worldwide movement towards intelligent computing

Shruti Bhatia, Country Manager, Modern Work & Surface, India & South Asia, said, Microsoft Surface Copilot+ PCs, now available in India, are power-packed devices made for everyday work and play, providing exclusive AI experiences to empower our customers. We see AI PCs as a transformative opportunity that can disrupt the PC market. With new advanced AI experiences integrated into the devices, it will enable users to do things they cant on any other PC, helping them be more productive, creative and communicate more effectively.

Qualcomm Technologies was joined by its broad ecosystem of PC partners who voiced strong support for the introduction of this new category of PCs in India

ASUS: At ASUS, we are committed to advancing technology to meet our customers diverse and ever-evolving needs. The latest Vivobook powered by the groundbreaking Snapdragon X Elite processor and advanced AI capabilities exemplifies this dedication and our ultimate goal to deliver a seamless experience. With Snapdragon having pushed the boundaries of innovation in mobile technology, we are glad to bring this product to our consumers through this collaboration and offer unparalleled performance and intuitive usability. Leveraging AI technology, we aim to assist a broad spectrum of use cases for consumers as well as creators, said Arnold Su, Vice President, Consumer & Gaming PC, System Business Group, Asus India.

Dell: Commenting at the Snapdragon for India event, Raj Kumar Rishi, Vice President and Managing Director, Consumer and Small Business, Dell Technologies, India said, We are proud to work with Qualcomm Technologies to launch Dells Copilot+ AI PCs in the Indian market. The latest XPS 13 and Inspiron 14 Plus set new benchmarks in personal computing, showcasing Dells unwavering commitment to industry leadership and innovation. Powered by the Snapdragon X Series processors, the AI-driven capabilities of the devices are designed to seamlessly adapt to user needs, delivering unparalleled performance, groundbreaking battery life, robust connectivity, and effortless multitasking. At Dell, we are not just pushing the boundaries of technology; we are empowering customers to achieve success and set themselves apart in an ever-evolving landscape.

HP: We are dedicated to delivering best-in-class technology to our customers. Our recent launch of the EliteBook Ultra and OmniBook X laptops, powered by the Snapdragon Elite X processors, reflects this commitment. As the leading PC company in India, we are thrilled to work with Qualcomm Technologies on this journey, unlocking new levels of innovation and setting new standards in the PC industry. Said Vineet Gehani, Senior Director -Personal Systems, HP India

Lenovo: AI PC innovation has become our passion. We dont just make PCs, we make experiences using diverse design brilliance, more sustainable materials, and revolutionary AI computing technologies to deliver the future of business and personal computing. We are happy to take on this journey with Qualcomm Technologies to unlock the next generation of AI PCs that will transform user experiences making them both creative and productive. says, Chandrika Jain, Director, Marketing, Lenovo India.
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) Proposed key terms to define. (B) Proposed most applicable specific fields the nomenclature guide will be used in; however, others may also find this work useful. (C) A mixed method approach with a modified Delphi method. This approach entails an initial round with pre-selected open-ended questions (i), strategic refinement and categorization (ii), and collaborative consultation (iii) in an iterative manner (ii and iii) until a suitable level of consensus is achieved (iv). If consensus is not reached on any specific terms, a weighted majority voting system will be implemented to reach a conclusion (v). Credit: Cortical Labs

A call for collaboration to define the language in all AI related spaces, with a focus on 'diverse intelligent systems' that include AI (Artificial Intelligence), LLMs (Large Language Models) and biological intelligences is underway. The study was led by Cortical Labsthe biological computing startup that created "Dishbrain"and brought together scientists, ethicists and researchers from the United Kingdoms, Canada, U.S., the EU, Australia and Singapore. Together they have proposed a pathway forward to unify the language in the rapidly growing and controversial area.

The research is published in The Innovation journal.

Whether progress is silicon-based, such as the use of large language models, or through synthetic biology methods such as the development of organoids, a clear need for a community-based approach to seeking consensus on nomenclature is now vital.

Commenting on the collaboration, Brett Kagan, Chief Scientific Officer at Cortical Labs, said, "We're extremely excited about collaborating with the industry on a study that is both timely and essential. Ultimately, the purpose of this collaboration is to create a critical field guide for researchers, across a broad range of fields, who are engaged in the development of diverse generally intelligent systems. In what is a rapidly evolving space, such a guide doesn't yet exist."

Other scientists involved in the effort, such as Professor Ge Wang from RPI, U.S. share similar excitement and said, "Currently, multimodal multitask foundation models are under rapid development via digital communication but this approach is subject to major limitations. In this big picture, our proposed efforts will be instrumental."

Toward a nomenclature consensus

Language used to describe specific phenomena for scientific and public discourse is complex and can be highly contentious for emerging science and technology. Rapidly growing fields aiming to create generally intelligent systems are controversial with disagreements, confusion, and ambiguity pervading discussions around the semantics used to describe this myriad of technologies.

Even 15 years ago, for example, at least 71 distinct definitions of "intelligence" had been identified. The diverse technologies and disciplines that contribute toward the shared goal of creating generally intelligent systems further amplify the disparate definitions used for any given concept. Today, it is increasingly impractical for researchers to explicitly re-define every term that could be considered ambiguous, imprecise, interchangeable or seldom formally defined in each paper.

A common language is needed to recognize, predict, manipulate, and build cognitive (or pseudo-cognitive) systems in unconventional embodiments that do not share straightforward aspects of structure or origin story with conventional natural species. Previous work proposing nomenclature guidelines are generally highly field specific and developed by selected experts, with little opportunity for broader community engagement.

It's for this reason that researchers and scientists in related fields are being invited to collaborate, broadly agree upon, and adopt nomenclature for this field. The purpose of the work is to provide utility and nuance to the discussion and offer authors an option to use language explicitly, unambiguously, and consistently, insofar as rapidly emerging fields will allow, through the adoption of nomenclature adhering to a theory-agnostic standard.

The collaboration will seek to define a non-exhaustive list of key terms. The study to establish nomenclature consensus will be most applicable to a number of specific fields including, but not limited to, artificial intelligence, autonomous systems, consciousness research, machine learning, organoid intelligence and robotics. However, other fields beyond those listed may also derive value from the approach towards consensus.

The collaboration will be carried out using a mixed method approach with a modified Delphi method. This approach entails an initial round with pre-selected open-ended questions, strategic refinement and categorization, and collaborative consultation in an iterative manner until a suitable level of consensus is achieved. If consensus is not reached on any specific terms, a weighted majority voting system will be implemented to reach a conclusion.

More information: Brett J. Kagan et al, Toward a nomenclature consensus for diverse intelligent systems: Call for collaboration, The Innovation (2024). DOI: 10.1016/j.xinn.2024.100658

Provided by Cortical Labs
Drones and AI join China's battle against typhoons, floods

Xinhua) 10:05, July 30, 2024

BEIJING, July 29 (Xinhua) -- In the ongoing flood season this summer, China is leveraging technologies from drones to AI models to improve the response to disasters including typhoons and flash floods.

Gaemi, the third typhoon of this year, made landfall last Thursday in coastal Fujian Province.

During the following days, about 312,700 people were evacuated to safety in a timely manner, with no casualties or major incidents reported in the province. Damaged power and telecom facilities were fixed quickly and resumed operation.

Fujian's effective response was also reflected in the early warning Flash SMS (Short Message Service) messages sent to local cadres before the typhoon arrived.

Nearly 350,000 people responsible for meteorological and geological disaster prevention and relief received the alert messages, which were displayed directly on their phone screens and did not disappear until they clicked to confirm receipt.

This is the first time the meteorological department has tried the mandatory reminder service, said Lin Weihua, a meteorological official of Fujian, noting that it helped improve the timeliness and accuracy of disaster warnings and gain the initiative for disaster relief.

While the Flash SMS helps people prepare when a typhoon approaches, drones flying into it enable forecasters to track it more closely and precisely calculate its intensity and influence.

China's meteorological authorities sent Haiyan-1, a large civil unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV), into the interior of Typhoon Prapiroon, the fourth typhoon of the year, in the early morning of July 21, when the typhoon had just formed in the South China Sea.

Taking off from a meteorological base in south China's Hainan Province, Haiyan-1 released eight detectors to measure temperature, humidity, wind direction, wind speed and air pressure at various altitudes over a two-hour flight.

The more than 4,200 valid data items transmitted in real-time to the meteorological big-data cloud platform helped create a three-dimensional picture of the typhoon's structure.

Zhao Peitao, a researcher of the China Meteorological Administration (CMA), said large UAVs carrying out observations of tropical depressions offer refined data support for the forecast of their development, paths, intensity and impact, thereby enhancing the forecast accuracy.

Apart from drones, more new technologies and innovations have been adopted across the country to help people handle the extreme weather and protect lives and properties.

In Guangchang County of east China's Jiangxi Province, a research team from East China University of Technology examined the health of dams using ground-penetrating radar and other equipment.

Previously, inspectors mainly relied on experience to judge whether the dam was stable. Wang Shuo, the team leader, said with this technology, inspectors can "see through" the dam structure and quickly determine whether there are hidden dangers such as holes, cracks, loose soil layers, piping and seepage.

In southwest China's Chongqing Municipality, officials of the Shapingba District have established the city's first digital flood response command system.

With access to real-time data from 14 reservoirs, 32 hydrological stations, and more than 2,800 automated rainfall stations across the Jialing River basin, the system enables comprehensive monitoring of rain and water conditions, building a "digital dam," according to Ling Jian, deputy head of the district. It also uses three-dimensional modeling of buildings along the river to facilitate emergency response.

China is also exploring the booming AI technology in the battle against floods.

The CMA in June launched three AI-powered models to address difficulties in the short and medium-range weather forecast, the nowcast and the over-15-day forecast.

The meteorological department is strengthening the practical application of the three large models in the weather forecast during the current flood season, CMA official Liang Feng said.

(Web editor: Zhang Kaiwei, Wu Chaolan)
Mary Jessie Diaz appears on screen in court for sentencing on July 30. Diaz pleaded no contest to the murder charge and was found guilty by the court of murdering her boyfriend Christopher Lee Jones and leaving his decaying body in their home for a month while pregnant with his child. She was sentenced to 25 years. Josie Norris/San Antonio Express-News Judge Stephanie Boyd addresses Mary Jessie Diaz while Diaz appears in court for sentencing on July 30. Josie Norris/San Antonio Express-News The victim, Christopher Lee Jones, is pictured in a photo provided by the court. Courtesy

A San Antonio woman who authorities said killed her boyfriend and left his decaying body in their home for almost a month has been sentenced to 25 years in prison.

Mary Jessie Diaz was 36 when she was arrested and charged with fatally shooting Christopher Jones, 58, on Jan. 25, 2020, at the home they shared in the 400 block of Susanwood on the East Side.

Diaz pleaded no contest to one count of murder, in exchange for a prison term between five and 25 years, as part of an agreement between defense attorneys J. Charles Bunk and James Tocci, and Bexar County prosecutor Allie Jackson,

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Not only did she shoot Christopher Jones in the back, she left him there to rot for almost a month, Jackson told the court. She took his phone, wallet, watch and car, and tried to convince family and friends that he was alive.

Twenty-five years, to us, is the only thing even close to justice, Jackson said.

Bunk asked the court for leniency because he said Diaz, who told acquaintances about the situation and believed they reported it to police, now realizes she should have come clean, and called authorities. He noted that she has six children, took responsibility and was truthful in her responses for the pre-trial investigation.

Her case was heard in the 187th District Court, Judge Stephanie Boyd presiding.

In a lengthy and emotional victim impact statement on Zoom that was streamed in the courtroom, Jones' aunt Teresa Felix read letters written by one of Jones' children and other family members that captured the loss they are experiencing since his death.

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Felix shared words written by Samira Jones, one of the victims daughters, who spoke of milestones she has had to live through without her dad.

Felix directed her own feelings toward Diaz.

Mary, that was so cruel. You just left him there, Felix said, as Diaz faced her on a big screen behind Boyd. We lost a big part of our family. I hope you know what you caused.

San Antonio police conducted a welfare check Feb. 18, 2020, and when they entered the home, they encountered flies on the windows and discovered a strong odor.

They then found Jones' decomposing body with a gunshot wound in his back, an affidavit supporting Diazs arrest stated.

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Diaz, who was pregnant at the time, had been arrested on unrelated charges Jan. 29, 2020, four days after Jones' family said they had their last communications from him.

Once in custody, officers found that Diaz had Jones' credit cards, wallet, car keys and cellphone. She told police she was trying to sell music equipment and a firearm that belonged to Jones because she thought he had gone to California or Ohio without her knowledge, the document stated.

She told authorities that she had been robbed at gunpoint of the firearm and equipment before she could sell it.

Police asked her about Jones, but Diaz said she thought he had left town despite leaving personal property behind.

In March 2020, authorities found the men who allegedly robbed Diaz and recovered the gun. The affidavit stated that the gun was the same one used in the slaying of Jones.

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A witness told police that the day Jones died, Diaz was upset, cried and smelled of intoxicants, the affidavit stated.

About a month after Jones died, the witness said Diaz admitted to them that she shot Jones after she found photographs on his phone that she didnt approve of, according to the document.

The witness said Diaz told them she had called 911, but police had no record of that call.

Diaz, now 40, will have to serve at least half of her prison term before she would become eligible for parole. She was given credit for 371 days served in the Bexar County jail, online court records indicate.
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Credit: Pixabay/CC0 Public Domain

As artificial intelligence increasingly impacts our daily lives, researchers in the University at Buffalo School of Management have developed a new framework to transform AI chatbots into more intuitive, human-like conversation partners.

Forthcoming in AIS Transactions on Human-Computer Interaction, the study introduces the Chatbot Discourse Design Framework, which helps find key conversation patterns in discussions between humans and connects them to chatbot designs to enhance their conversational abilities.

"Chatbots are everywhere, from customer service to health care, and their success hinges upon their ability to understand what you're saying and provide meaningful responses," says study co-author Raj Sharman, Ph.D., professor of management science and systems in the UB School of Management. "Our framework will allow all types of organizations to improve their operations and overall customer experience."

To build their framework, the researchers conducted a comprehensive search of publications spanning more than two decades, from 2000 to 2022. Their search yielded nearly 100 articles focused on the discourse analysis used in chatbot design, and also included papers from before 2000 that offered foundational insights.

Through this investigation, they identified three distinct chatbot types: informative, task-based and conversational, each requiring tailored conversation strategies.

"The recent failure of some well-known chatbots shows how important it is for a chatbot to understand the kind of conversation you want to have with it," says Sharman. "By building chatbots that recognize different types of discussions, businesses can make them more efficient, engaging and trustworthy for users."

Sharman collaborated on the study with UB School of Management graduates Sagarika Suresh Thimmanayakanapalya, Ph.D. '20, senior quantitative researcher at JPMorganChase, who was lead author; and Pavankumar Mulgund, Ph.D. '20, assistant professor of management information systems at the University of Memphis Fogelman College of Business and Economics, who was second author.
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The satellite tracks for the overlap-frequency signals at station BAUT on day 319 of 2021. Carrier-phase multipath corrections are color-coded. Credit: Satellite Navigation (2024). DOI: 10.1186/s43020-024-00144-7

Multipath effects, resulting from satellite signals reflecting off objects before reaching the receiver, seriously compromise the precision of satellite navigation systems. Existing solutions like Sidereal Filtering and system-specific MHMs require observations spanning at least one full cycle of satellite orbit repeat period (e.g., 10 days for Galileo) to reproduce the satellite geometry against ground stations.

As a consequence, the practicability of SF and MHM is limited due to potential station-surrounding changes over a long period. With the ongoing challenges these effects present, it is imperative to develop more advanced and flexible solutions to improve multipath modeling efficiency and GNSS positioning precision.

A new study, led by Jianghui Geng from the GNSS Research Center at Wuhan University and co-authored by experts from both the Chinese Academy of Sciences and the University of Tokyo, utilized data from 21 European stations to enhance our understanding of the GPS, Galileo, and BDS-3 systems and also highlight the efficacy of using overlap-frequency signals in applications demanding high precision.

In addition, the researchers have introduced this multipath modeling module within the open source software PRIDE PPP-AR v3.1, offering an efficient tool to mitigate multipath effects, beneficial for GNSS high-precision positioning applications. The study is published in the journal Satellite Navigation.

The investigation entailed a detailed analysis over 31 days of data from 21 European stations, assessing the newly devised MHM_GEC model against established GNSS-specific MHMs and Sidereal Filtering techniques. The findings revealed that MHM_GEC, which amalgamates data from the GPS, Galileo, and BDS-3 systems, markedly excels in mitigating multipath effects.

The MHM_GEC, constructed using 5 to 6 days of data, can enhance positioning precision by 40%, outperforming the traditional GNSS-specific MHMs and sidereal filtering established with 10 days of data. This performance boost is credited to the model's ability to effectively use overlap-frequency signals from different constellations, markedly enhancing spatial resolution, modeling efficiency, and multipath correction performance.

Dr. Yosuke Aoki, co-author and geospatial engineering expert, remarked, "The interoperable MHM model marks a significant milestone in satellite navigation technologies. It notably enhances the accuracy of positioning systems, which is essential for everything from geodesy to autonomous vehicles."

The potential impacts of this research are broad, set to transform industries that depend on precise positioning, such as maritime navigation, deformation monitoring and geodesy. By minimizing the margin of error, the interoperable MHM model not only boosts system reliability but also opens up new possibilities for applications that require exceedingly precise location data.

More information: Jianghui Geng et al, Multipath mitigation for GPS/Galileo/BDS-3 precise point positioning with overlap-frequency signals, Satellite Navigation (2024). DOI: 10.1186/s43020-024-00144-7

Provided by Wuhan University
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Proposed system. The HDMI cable and connectors emit unintended electromagnetic signals, which are captured by the SDR and processed by gr-tempest, obtaining a degraded complex-valued image, which in turn is fed to a convolutional neural network to infer the source image. All three images correspond to actual results. Credit: arXiv (2024). DOI: 10.48550/arxiv.2407.09717

A trio of computer security researchers at Universidad de la Republica Montevideo, in Uruguay, reports that it is possible to reproduce text on a computer screen by eavesdropping on its HDMI cable. Santiago Fernandez Emilio Martinez, Gabriel Varela, and Pablo Muse Federico Larroca, have published a paper describing their discovery on the arXiv preprint server.

Back in the days of CRT-based computer screens, hackers learned early on that it was not difficult to translate the electromagnetic radiation emissions into imagery that revealed the contents of someone else's computer screen. When the industry moved to LED-based screens, which use HDMI cables, hacking became much more difficult due to the vastly more complex signaling. In this new study, the team in Uruguay has found that applying AI to the problem makes it possible.

The work involved capturing electromagnetic radiation emitted from a computer's HDMI cables. They then trained an AI system by giving it screen samples associated with radiation signals moving through the computer's HDMI cable. Over time, the system gradually grew better at deciphering the text displayed on a given computer screen.

Testing showed the system capable of reconstructing text from a random computer screen with 70% accuracy. Good enough, the research team suggests, for most people to get the gist of text on a given computer screen. They also note it is likely good enough to steal passwords, sensitive data, or in some cases, encrypted communications. The researchers found they could improve their results by using text recognition software on the text after it was deciphered.

Demo of deep-TEMPEST

The researchers suggest hackers have likely already conducted similar research, meaning such screen-grabbing is probably already targeting hapless users. All it would take, they note, is hardware capable of capturing the electromagnetic radiation emitted by HDMI cables placed near a building, such as in the back seat of a car.

The team further suggests that most people are not at risk of such an attack, however, due to the skillset the technique requires. Instead, they suggest it is much more likely a government or corporate entity would be targeted.

More information: Santiago Fernandez et al, Deep-TEMPEST: Using Deep Learning to Eavesdrop on HDMI from its Unintended Electromagnetic Emanations, arXiv (2024). DOI: 10.48550/arxiv.2407.09717 Code: github.com/emidan19/deep-tempest Journal information: arXiv

 2024 Science X Network
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US Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer said he was "proud" the Senate had kept its promise to parents.

The US Senate passed a sweeping social media safety package Tuesday that would force tech companies to do more to protect childrenthe first major legislation targeting Silicon Valley in a generation.

Social media giants like Meta and X have been confronting a torrent of political anger for not putting in guardrails to thwart online dangers for children, including from sexual predators and teen suicide.

A rare sign of cross-party unity in an increasingly rancorous election year, the Kids Online Safety Act (KOSA) and the Children and Teens' Online Privacy Protection Act (COPPA 2.0) were passed in an overwhelmingly bipartisan vote with just three dissenters.

But the bills face an uncertain path through the House of Representatives, where Republican Speaker Mike Johnson has spoken broadly in favor of the package but has not scheduled a vote.

"Today is a momentous day. The Senate keeps its promise to every parent who has lost a child because of the risks of social media," said Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer said in a statement.

While there is widespread agreement in a politically divided Congress on curbing the negative impacts of social media, there has never been a united path on how to go about doing so.

The legislation was drawn up in consultation with parents of teens who had been bullied or sexually exploited but has been opposed by some free speech groups worried it could lead to censorship.

'Duty of care'

House members are on their summer recess and will almost certainly be focusing on averting a looming government shutdown when they return in September.

But Schumer called on the lower chamber to pass the bills immediately on its return, urging lawmakers to "seize the opportunity to send them to the president's desk."

KOSA would establish a "duty of care" obligation on the online platforms that would demand special provisions be put in place to shield minors from toxic content.

CEOs Jason Citron of Discord, Evan Spiegel of Snap, Shou Zi Chew of TikTok, Linda Yaccarino of X and Mark Zuckerberg of Meta are sworn in during a US Senate Judiciary Committee hearing.

Supported by Microsoft, X and Snap, the company that owns Snapchat, the legislation would require companies to give users a dedicated page to report harmful contentincluding sexual exploitation, online bullying, the promotion of suicide and eating disorders.

In January, Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg gave a public apology to the families of victims at the Senate Judiciary Committee as hostile lawmakers grilled tech CEOs over the dangers that children face on social media.

"I'm sorry for everything you have all been through," he said. "No one should go through the things that your families have suffered."

Censorship fears

Seven LGBTQ advocacy groups initially opposed to the bill changed their position after changes they said mitigated concerns that teens would be limited in accessing information about gender identity, sexuality and reproductive health.

But free speech groups including the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) have argued the definition of harm is too broad and that it could lead to censorship.

"KOSA compounds nationwide attacks on young peoples' right to learn and access information, on and offline," said Jenna Leventoff, senior policy counsel at the ACLU.

Evan Greer, director of Fight for the Future, told reporters that KOSA was "a blank check for censorship of any piece of content that an administration could claim is harmful to kids."

COPPA 2.0 would beef up legislation passed in 1998, in the earlier days of the internet.

It would require privacy standards for Americans aged under 17 and outlaw online advertising targeted at children and teensrequiring companies to allow users to delete personal information.

"Too many kids experience relentless promotion of suicide or substance abuse material. Too many kids have their personal data collected and then used nefariously," Schumer said.

"With studies showing that kids today spend more time on social media than ever before, now is the moment to pass KOSA, pass COPPA, and instill guardrails that protect kids from these risks."

 2024 AFP
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Online travel agency Booking.com is estimated to have a market share above 60 percent in Europe and between 70 and 90 percent in Spain.

Spain's competition watchdog said Tuesday it had slapped online travel agency Booking.com with a record 413-million-euro fine for "abusing its dominant position" during the past five years.

"These practices have affected hotels located in Spain and other online travel agencies that compete with the platform. Its terms and conditions create an inequitable imbalance in the commercial relationship with hotels located in Spain," the authority, known by its acronym CNMC, said in a statement.

"By better positioning hotels with more bookings on Booking.com, other online agencies have been prevented from entering the market or expanding," it added.

This is the largest fine ever imposed by the CNMC, a spokeswoman for the authority told AFP.

The regulator said Booking.com's market share in Spain, the world's second most visited country after France, during the period under investigation was between 70 percent and 90 percent.

Booking.com said it "strongly disagreed" with the CNMC's findings.

The platform said it would appeal the authority's "unprecedented decision", adding that it did not take into account programs it offers its "accommodation partners" to help them boost their business.

The online travel agency, whose parent company Booking Holdings is headquartered in the United States, is a dominant player with a market share in Europe of more than 60 percent.

In May, the European Union added Booking.com to its list of digital companies big enough to fall under tougher competition rules, giving the firm six months to prepare for compliance with the landmark Digital Markets Act (DMA).

The rules aim to level the playing field in the digital market, ensuring EU users have more options when choosing products.

Brussels said that tougher regulation of Booking.com would mean that holidaymakers would "start benefiting from more choice" and hotels would "have more business opportunities".

Hungary's competition watchdog earlier this month slapped Booking.com with a second fine for failing to cease its "unfair" business practices, including putting psychological pressure on customers.

In 2020, the firm was fined 2.5 billion forint ($7 million) by the Hungarian Competition Authority for aggressive sales tactics.

And on July 15 the authority hit Booking.com with an additional penalty of 382.5 million forint after a follow-up investigation showed the company had continued its unfair practices.

 2024 AFP
A JetBlue Airlines Airbus A320 jet flies past the U.S. Capitol dome as it comes in for a landing at Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport on Tuesday, May 7, 2024. Bill Clark/CQ-Roll Call, Inc via Getty Imag

San Antonio travelers are losing nonstop air service to Boston, a key destination for the citys growing biotechnology industry.

JetBlue Airways will cut the daily flight at San Antonio International Airport in October, leaving city officials scrambling to find a carrier to take up a nonstop flight to Boston.

The New York-based airline has been slashing service across the country as it struggles to return to the black. It lost $716 million in the first three months of this year and hasnt been profitable since 2019.

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A company spokesperson said Monday the airline is leaving San Antonio due to under-performance and lack of customer demand.

As early as 2013, local leaders identified Boston as business travelers' top destination without nonstop service at the San Antonio airport. Airport officials and area chambers of commerce tried to woo JetBlue at the time, but the carrier didnt launch service from San Antonio  to Boston and New York  until October 2021.

Travelers will still be able to fly nonstop to New Yorks John F. Kennedy International Airport on Delta Air Lines, but JetBlue was the only carrier flying San Antonians nonstop to Boston Logan International Airport.

Airport Director Jesus Saenz said his team was a little surprised by JetBlues decision. The daily Boston flights were mostly full, he said, with incoming and outgoing planes reaching 80% capacity or more throughout 2023.

Saenz said the airport is aiming to have another airline operating a nonstop route to Boston before JetBlue pulls out Oct. 26.

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Boston is very critical to us, Saenz said. Were already leaning in and having conversations with other carriers about obtaining that service. Or if at some point JetBlue wants to resume service, then we would be excited for that as well.

San Antonio is one of seven cities that JetBlue is ditching in October. The others are Burbank and Palm Springs, Calif.; Charlotte, N.C.; Minneapolis, Minn.; Tallahassee, Fla.; and Pointe-a-Pitre, Guadeloupe, in the Caribbean.

These decisions are never easy; however, these markets have recently fallen short of our expectations, JetBlue said in an announcement outlining the changes.



These moves will allow us to redeploy our fleet to increase frequencies on well-performing routes and serve a new city in New England  Manchester, New Hampshire  while continuing to increase crucial ground time for our aircraft, reducing the chance of delays for our customers, the company said.

JetBlue is also struggling with mandatory engine inspections that have grounded part of its fleet of jets. Last year, the Federal Aviation Administration ordered inspections of Pratt & Whitney engines on some Airbus passenger jets  of which JetBlue is a buyer  because of a manufacturing problem that could cause parts to wear out sooner than expected.

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The round of cuts in October is the second JetBlue has announced in recent weeks.

In June, the airline said it was dropping Kansas City, Mo.; Bogota, Colombia; Quito, Ecuador; and Lima, Peru. It also jettisoned several destinations from Los Angeles, including Seattle and San Francisco, and ended flights between Fort Lauderdale, Fla., and several cities, including Austin.



JetBlue will continue to operate routes in Austin, Dallas/Fort Worth and Houston. Customers with flights into or out of San Antonio beyond Oct. 26 will get automatic refunds to their original form of payment, a JetBlue spokesperson said.

Four carriers fly nonstop from Austin-Bergstrom International Airport to Boston Logan: JetBlue, Delta, American Airlines and Southwest Airlines.

We are not excited about them leaving because we know that is a destination that is heavily sought after from our San Antonio market share and region, Saenz said. But we feel pretty confident that we should be able to have another carrier pick up that service, hopefully sooner rather than later.
Traffic creeps along Interstate 35 on San Antonio's North Side in this file photo. San Antonio's drivers ranked as the 12th-safest in the nation, according to a new study by insurance company Allstate. Tom Reel/San Antonio Express-News

San Antonians love to complain about how bad the local drivers are  have you ever tried merging onto Interstate 35 during rush hour?  but local motorists aren't so bad compared with those in other U.S. cities, according to a recent report.

The report, published by the insurance company Allstate, ranks San Antonio No. 12 among U.S. cities for having the safest drivers, behind Cleveland and just ahead of Baltimore. Honolulu came in first, followed by Minneapolis, Seattle and Portland, Oregon. The study ranked drivers in 100 U.S. cities, and Albuquerque, New Mexico, came in last in the rankings.

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San Antonio do drivers tend to have a lead foot, according to the report, which ranked the city 68th in a category examining whether the local drivers tend to go at safe speeds. The ranking for that category was based on how often drivers top 80 miles an hour.

The Alamo City ranked 16th in the "hard-braking" category  looking at how often drivers decelerate more than seven miles per hour in one second  and eighth in the "phone handling" category. In other words, San Antonio drivers tend to do a better job putting away their phones while they drive than in most other U.S. cities, according to the report.

The report was based on data Allstate collected through its partnership with the driving behavior firm Arity, which Allstate founded in 2016. Arity operates the optional safe-driving features in Allstate's mobile app, according to the company.

San Antonio drivers ranked the highest among all Texas cities in the study. El Paso was next at 25th, followed by Houston at 26th. Dallas came in 40th place, with Austin in 64th, McAllen in 76th and Denton in 93rd.
The nation-state threat actor known as SideWinder has been attributed to a new cyber espionage campaign targeting ports and maritime facilities in the Indian Ocean and Mediterranean Sea.

The BlackBerry Research and Intelligence Team, which discovered the activity, said targets of the spear-phishing campaign include countries like Pakistan, Egypt, Sri Lanka, Bangladesh, Myanmar, Nepal, and the Maldives.

SideWinder, which is also known by the names APT-C-17, Baby Elephant, Hardcore Nationalist, Leafperforator, Rattlesnake, and Razor Tiger, is assessed to be affiliated with India. It has been operational since 2012, often making use of spear-phishing as a vector to deliver malicious payloads that trigger the attack chains.

"SideWinder makes use of email spear-phishing, document exploitation and DLL side-loading techniques in an attempt to avoid detection and deliver targeted implants," the Canadian cybersecurity company said in an analysis published last week.

The latest set of attacks employ lures related to sexual harassment, employee termination, and salary cuts in order to negatively impact the recipients' emotional state and trick them into opening booby-trapped Microsoft Word documents.

Once the decoy file is opened, it leverages a known security flaw (CVE-2017-0199) to establish contact with a malicious domain that masquerades as Pakistan's Directorate General Ports and Shipping ("reports.dgps-govtpk[.]com") to retrieve an RTF file.

The RTF document, in turn, downloads a document that exploits CVE-2017-11882, another years-old security vulnerability in the Microsoft Office Equation Editor, with the goal of executing shellcode that's responsible for launching JavaScript code, but only after ensuring that the compromised system is legitimate and is of interest to the threat actor.

It's currently not known what's delivered by means of the JavaScript malware, although the end goal is likely to be intelligence gathering based on prior campaigns mounted by SideWinder.

"The SideWinder threat actor continues to improve its infrastructure for targeting victims in new regions," BlackBerry said. "The steady evolution of its network infrastructure and delivery payloads suggests that SideWinder will continue its attacks in the foreseeable future."

The disclosure comes as a suspected Russian-linked threat actor is targeting entities interested in Indian political affairs with a Go-based remote access trojan (RAT) that's delivered via a .NET loader launched from Windows shortcut (LNK) files disguised as Office documents. The activity has been codenamed Operation ShadowCat.
Graffiti is seen scratched on a window in a unit at the Bexar County Detention Center, on Thursday, May 9, 2019. Bob Owen/Staff photographer

Fees Texas inmates pay to make calls will be slashed under recently approved federal regulations. High rates that had averaged 23 cents a minute for Texas jail inmates have long been a target of prisoners, their families and advocates.

The FCC approved the regulations, to take effect next year, that cap the price of inmate phone and video calls at prices as low as 5 cents per minute.

The prices and caps differ throughout the state, and depend on prison size as well as differences between state and local rules. While Texas had lowered the price of phone calls in state correctional facilities  prisons and jails run by the Texas Department of Criminal Justice at the state level  to 6 cents a minute in 2018, rates in county jails run by local jurisdictions are often much higher. And the price of video calls was uncapped across the state.

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The Prison Policy Initiative found that the average price of an in-state call from a Texas jail was 23 cents per minute in 2021. Its less for people who call inmates at the Bexar County jail in San Antonio. Currently, people who receive calls from Bexar County inmates get charged 16 cents a minute. Video calls are free.

FCC Chair Jessica Rosenworcel called these rates unconscionable in a statement, noting that sometimes a single phone call cost the equivalent to an unlimited monthly cell plan.

The new regulations will be implemented in stages. It will be in effect for all correctional facilities around the country by April 1, 2026, at the latest.

Drew Willey, a Houston attorney who has been a longtime advocate for free phone calls for inmates in Harris County Jail, praised the new rules requiring lower rates. It stops really egregious violations in places where theyve not paid any attention to this and let these private corporations just run up the bills on everybody, Willey said.

The new caps are based on jail size, with lower ceilings at larger jails and prisons. The new national per-minute ceilings range from 6 to 12 cents for phone calls and 11 to 25 cents for video calls. Texas law means that the fees charged at state correctional facilities will be capped at 5 cents per minute.

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Texas law mandates that all revenue from phone and video calls made from Texas Department of Criminal Justice facilities  including prisons, private prisons and state jails  must be divided between the provider and the state. The law states that 40% of the revenue must go to the state and the remaining 60% goes to the contractor. The majority of the money the state collects is allocated to the Texas Crime Victims Fund, with the remaining portion going to the general revenue fund.

One aspect of the new FCC regulations will be a cap on commissions paid to government agencies of 2 cents per minute. Since the 40% of revenue paid to the government cannot exceed 2 cents per minute, the cost of phone and video calls in all Texas prisons and jails is effectively limited to 5 cents per minute, 16% below a current cap for state inmates that has been 6 cents a minute. This change does not affect county jails.

Willey said that when he started his advocacy in 2017, in Harris County the price for a 20 minute phone call was $14.99. Harris County now has a contract that gives detainees up to four free calls per week and sets the cost of phone calls beyond that at 2 cents per minute. Many correctional facilities in the state still maintain a higher rate.

Advocates say their goal is free calls for Texas inmates, matching what some states already provide. Willey says free calls would decrease recidivism rates, prevent wrongful convictions by providing proper access to representation, improve inmate mental health and increase public safety by not completely isolating detainees before they reintegrate into society.

The new rules also prevent telecom providers from tacking on fees for ancillary services. Previously, companies often charged for things like making a one-time call without an account or for depositing funds into an account in order to pay for future calls.

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Additionally, the regulation ensures that money left over in a released inmates account isnt seized by the telecom companies.

These companies now have to try to return the money if they know someone has been released or if the money hasnt been used for 180 days. If they cant return it, they must give it to state programs that keep unclaimed money safe  which in Texas likely will be the unclaimed property division of the state comptrollers office.

One company, Global Tel*Link, pocketed an average of more than $1.2 million a month from unused funds for over eight years according to a Georgia lawsuit.

For all prisons and jails with an average daily population of 1,000 or more, compliance is required by Jan. 1. Smaller jails, with fewer than 1,000 inmates, must comply by April 1. If correctional facilities have existing contracts with telecom companies as of June 27, compliance is required by the earlier of the contract expiration date or Jan. 1, 2026, for larger facilities, and April 1, 2026, for smaller facilities.

The FCCs order is a massive victory for incarcerated people, their families, and their allies who have spent decades fighting the exploitative prison telecom industry, the Prison Policy Initiative wrote in a statement. Of course, it does not mean the long fight for communications justice is over.

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Lioness Justice Impacted Womens Alliance  an advocacy group for incarcerated women in Texas  echoed other advocates, saying they will continue working toward comprehensive reforms that ensure all incarcerated individuals have the opportunity to stay connected with their loved ones without financial barriers.

Along with monetary changes, the FCC also decided that telecom companies must ensure their communication devices and services  such as phone calls, video chats and messaging  are accessible to incarcerated people with disabilities. This will improve communication options for incarcerated individuals who have hearing or speech disabilities. If its not possible to make these devices and services accessible for specific disabilities, companies must ensure their systems can work with devices that people with disabilities commonly use.

The federal changes come after some sparring in the courts, where the FCCs authority to limit these rates was challenged. In 2022, the FCC was granted full authority to regulate inmate calls by Congress with the Martha Wright-Reed Just and Reasonable Communications Act  named after a grandmother who filed a petition with the FCC about the rates more than two decades ago.

Today, using this new law, we fix what has been wrong for too long, Rosenworcel said.

The FCC released the final order on inmate calls July 22, officially cementing the regulation. A spokesperson for the Bexar County Sheriffs Office said the Bexar County Jail will work to get in compliance with the new FCC regulations starting January 2025.
(TBTCO) - Theo bao cao tai chinh hop nhat quy III/2024 moi uoc cong bo, Cong ty CP Tong cong ty ia oc Sai Gon (ma CK: SGR) ghi nhan doanh thu gap 3 lan va loi nhuan sau thue tang hon 2 lan so voi cung ky nam truoc. Tuy nhien, du ket qua kinh doanh quy III kha quan nhung SGR van con mot chang uong dai e at uoc muc tieu nam, khi moi chi hoan thanh uoc 13,1% ke hoach e ra.
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Burgan Bank posted a net income of KD21 million ($68.7 million) with a very healthy growth of 17% y-o-y, in the first half of 2024 propelled by KD111 million, an impressive growth of 19% year-on-year (y-o-y).

The increase in revenues was primarily driven by higher Net-Interest Income of KD71 million, up 17% y-o-y and robust Non-Interest income of KD39 million, up 24% y-o-y. Burgans Net interest margin also increased to 2.1% in H124 as compared to 1.9% during H123  an improvement of 20bps y-o-y.

Driven by higher revenues, the bank reported a strong Operating Profit of KD48 million, up 24% y-o-y. The banks cost-to-income ratio also improved by 170bps from 58.3% in H123 to 56.6% in H124. Its cost of credit  net of recoveries  also remained very low at mere 30bps during H124 despite proactive provisioning.

Strong asset growth

The bank delivered strong asset growth of 8% y-o-y, reaching KD7.6 billion by the end of the period. The groups loan book grew by 10% y-o-y and stood at KD4.4 billion; primarily driven by its Kuwait operations, which increased by 8% y-o-y. Burgans deposit base also expanded by 7% y-o-y and stood at KD4.6 billion by the end of H124.

It maintained solid and healthy capital levels. Burgan reported Common Equity Tier 1 ratio (CET1) of 13.0%, Tier I capital ratio of 15.4% and Capital Adequacy Ratio (CAR) of 19.3%, well above the regulatory requirements and demonstrating sufficient capital buffers to support future growth.

The banks Chairman, Sheikh Abdullah Nasser Al-Sabah, said: Burgan Bank has continued to accelerate its forward-moving momentum on the heels of a transformational year in 2023. We have maintained a stable financial core and delivered solid financial results, as we continue to be steadfast in our commitment to positioning ourselves as the most modern and progressive bank in Kuwait. Looking ahead, we aim to bolster this momentum by continuing to deliver on key strategic goals. That includes ongoing efforts to elevate, innovate and streamline our overall customer experience. It also includes building on a robust business model that prioritizes enhancing operations by investing in technology and digitalization, elevating our innovation capabilities, developing our human capital, and fulfilling our environmental, social and governance (ESG) commitments.

Positioned for growth

He added: As the year progresses, we are well-positioned for further growth and development, as we maintain an effective risk management approach to capitalize on promising growth opportunities. On that account, we are confident in our ability to advance our strategic priorities and objectives, enhance our performance, boost our competitiveness, and maximize shareholder value.

Meeting the parameters of financial strength and stability

Affirming Burgan Banks strong financial core and stable standing, the chairman highlighted that the bank has maintained high international standards in terms of its creditworthiness. This is evidenced by Capital Intelligence Ratings (CI Ratings) affirming the Banks Long-Term Foreign Currency Rating and Short-Term Foreign Currency Rating at A+ and A1, respectively, with a stable outlook. Meanwhile, Moodys Ratings (Moodys) affirmed the Banks long-term foreign currency bank deposit ratings at Baa1 with a stable outlook.

Moreover, the bank completed its issuance of KD150 million Perpetual Additional Tier 1 Capital Bonds, with demand exceeding expectations and bonds being oversubscribed. The transaction, lauded as a landmark achievement, is the first Perpetual Additional Tier 1 Capital Bond issuance denominated in Kuwaiti Dinar by a bank and ranks among the largest Kuwaiti Dinar issuances.

Commenting on the issuance, the Chairman said: Today, we stand proud to have set a new benchmark on the local level after successfully completing the largest Kuwaiti Dinar Perpetual Additional Tier 1 Capital Bond issuance in Kuwait. This notable transaction attracted high investor interest, reaffirming our robust financial standing and demonstrating confidence in our strategic vision.

Sharpened focus on digital transformation journey

The second quarter of 2024 was shaped by the banks efforts to continue accelerating its dedicated technology evolution and digital transformation strategy. Of particular significance was Burgan becoming one of the earliest Kuwaiti banks to join the GCC cross-border payments system AFAQ, in adherence to the national digital transformation plan guided by the government and the Central Bank of Kuwait (CBK). Another notable move was the Bank signing a monumental deal with Tata Consultancy Services to upgrade its core banking system by implementing the TCS BaNCS suite of products.

Tony Daher, Group Chief Executive Officer at Burgan Bank, said: The decision to join AFAQ and sign the new deal comes in response to the markets evolving needs and falls in line with our relentless efforts to adopt the latest state-of-the-art financial technology solutions with the ultimate goal of elevating our customers overall banking experience to new heights.

As delivering digital transformation goes hand in hand with enhancing customer experience through new and upgraded products, Burgan Bank launched its interest-bearing savings account awal in Q224. Tailored specifically for children up to the age of 14, the account builds on the success of its predecessor, BuBa savings account, and aims to instill a savings culture in young customers.

The latest launch attests to Burgans steadfast efforts to meet the varying banking needs of all its customer segments. Building on this strength point, the bank was voted the Best Domestic Bank in Kuwait in the Best Service category in the 2024 Euromoney Trade Finance Survey, recognizing its unwavering commitment to service excellence and an elevated customer journey. --TradeArabia News Service
UAE-based Reportage Properties has joined forces with Turkish group Mesa Holding and Azeri investment company Sabah to launch a new venture - RMS Capital Investment - that will focus on boosting investments in the global real estate market.

The new venture, set up by leading real estate companies of Turkey, UAE and Azerbaijan, aims to achieve remarkable success not only regionally but also globally with innovative and sustainable projects in the sector.

It will strive to offer the highest value to its customers and business partners with future projects and investments, said the company in a statement.

In the RMS Capital Investment partnership structure, Reportage will hold a 34% stake, while MESA and Sabah Investment Group will each have 33% stake.

The trio will develop partnership projects in Dubai, Istanbul and Baku in 2024 and 2025 at a total investment of $600 million.

The funding for these projects will come from the JV partners, while the central management of the projects will be organized from Dubai.

Speaking at the signing ceremony, Mesa Holding CEO Mert Boysanoglu said: "We have been working in this sector for 55 years. We make both investment and production in many different sectors. RMS actually started its life as a group that wanted to invest in the global world, especially in housing investments."

"As three groups, we have an investment plan of approximately $600 million this year. The first one will start with a project in Dubai, and then we will continue in Turkey and Baku. I am signing this agreement with full faith that this group will not only do business in these regions, but also become a more global player," stated Boysanoglu.

Andrea Nucera, the Managing Director of Reportage Properties, said: "We aim to make a difference in real estate development by redefining real estate through excellence, sustainability and innovation."

"As three of the world's leading real estate companies, we will grow in our own agenda and increase our potential with RMS cooperation," he stated.

Sabah CEO Orkhan Mustafayev said: "The joint venture between Reportage, Mesa and Sabah is an important moment not only for us but also for the markets we already operate in. Over the years, we have built important relationships with our clients based on trust."

"This joint venture is another milestone for us to provide better opportunities for our clients, enhance our reputation and build new, successful partnerships. RMS now combines the reputations of all three partner companies and our customers can benefit from the combined powerhouse that this joint venture represents," he added.-TradeArabia News Service
The Mena region witnessed a slight increase in merger and acquisition (M&A) activity with a total of 321 deals amounting to $49.2 billion, according to the EY Mena M&A Insights H1 2024 report. When compared to H1 2023, deal volume this year grew by 1%, while deal value saw a rise of 12%.

The UAE and the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia (KSA) were the preferred destinations for investors with 152 deals reaching a total disclosed value of $9.8 billion. They were also among the top Mena bidder countries in terms of deal volume and value, indicating their active participation in the regions M&A landscape.

Sovereign wealth funds (SWFs), such as Abu Dhabi Investment Authority (ADIA) and Mubadala from the UAE and the Public Investment Fund (PIF) from KSA, continued to lead the deal activity in the region to support their countries economic strategies.

Promising start

Brad Watson, EY Mena Strategy and Transactions Leader, says: Dealmaking got off to a promising start in 2024 despite oil price fluctuations. We saw a surge in cross-border M&A value as companies made investments to further build synergies, expand market presence, and gain strategic advantages on a global scale. In particular, the first half of the year found the UAE to be a favoured investment destination due to its business-friendly regulations and efficient legislative framework. Meanwhile, Mena countries continued to strengthen regional relationships with Asian and European countries, alongside existing ties with the US, enabling them to gain access to larger and growing markets.

During the first six months of 2024, cross-border M&As played a significant role, contributing to 52% of the overall volume and 87% of the value, marking a 15% y-o-y growth in value. Meanwhile, domestic M&A activity accounted for 48% of the total number of deals.

The US remained the preferred target destination for Mena outbound investors with 19 deals amounting to $16.6 billion. With the US-UAE Business Council playing an active role in promoting partnerships, prominent US companies are collaborating with UAE public and private sector stakeholders on various initiatives.

Top 10 M&As concentrated in the GCC region

Ten of the Mena regions highest-valued M&As in the first six months of 2024 were concentrated in the GCC region. The largest transaction took place in February 2024, when Clayton Dubilier & Rice, Stone Point Capital and Mubadala Investment announced their acquisition of Truist Insurance Holdings for $12.4 billion. In March 2024, PAG, Mubadala and ADIA invested $8.3 billion in a 60% stake in the Chinese shopping mall company Zhuhai Wanda Commercial Management Group. In June 2024, Abu Dhabi Future Energy Company (Masdar) agreed to acquire a 67% stake in the Greek company TERNA ENERGY for $2.9 billion.

Insurance and real estate were the most attractive sectors for investors in the first six months of the year, accounting for 47% of the total deal value. KSA led in the lists of target countries as well as bidder countries, with the UAE, Morocco, Bahrain and Egypt featured in both rankings as well.

Domestic deals grow in number

The first half of 2024 saw 155 domestic deals with a combined disclosed value of $6.4 billion, marking a 13% increase in M&A activity. GCC players were involved in 85% of the deals, reflecting a high level of intra-regional M&A activity. There were 94 deals within and between the UAE and KSA, accounting for 61% of the overall domestic M&A deal volume.

The real estate (including hospitality and leisure) sector became the main contributor to deal value with 15 deals amounting to $1.3 billion, driven by increasing tourism, upcoming mega projects and a growing middle-class income. The consumer products and technology sectors witnessed 47 deals in the domestic market, representing 30% of the total volume.

North America and Europe lead in inbound deals

The first six months of 2024 recorded 70 inbound deals with a total disclosed value of $6.4 billion. Europe led in terms of deal volume with 80%, and North America made the highest contribution to deal value at 98%.

The professional firms and services sector reported the highest volume and value with 17 inbound deals worth $2.0 billion, 15 of which were completed in the UAE. The technology sector followed with 16 deals worth $1.7 billion, with US-UAE partnerships contributing 38% of the deal volume and 96% of the disclosed deal value. Increasing artificial intelligence-related investments in the UAE are expected to enhance these relationships.

Outbound deals witness lively activity

During H1 2024, outbound activity was the largest contributor to total deal value with 96 deals that amounted to $36.3 billion, marking a 19% increase in value when compared to H1 2023. Insurance and real estate accounted for 57% of the deal value in this space, mainly resulting from two deals involving Mena-based SWFs. The US and China contributed 75% of the total outbound deal value.

Anil Menon, EY Mena Head of M&A and Equity Capital Markets Leader, says: M&A, in the recent past, has been the beneficiary of significant tail winds such as low cost of capital. It is heartening to see regional M&A activity remain robust despite the higher cost of capital. The resilience of the regional M&A markets is underpinned by stable oil price and continued infrastructure spending by local governments."
Leading German multinational engineering company Bosch has announced that it has entered into a $8 billion deal with Johnson Controls, a leading player in the smart and sustainable buildings sector, to acquire its global HVAC (heating, ventilation, air-conditioning) solutions business for residential and light commercial buildings.

Also as part of the transaction, Bosch aims to buy the Johnson Controls-Hitachi Air Conditioning (JCH) joint venture, including Hitachis 40% stake, said the German group in a statement.

Bosch pointed out that the strategic move comes following the go-ahead from its shareholders and supervisory board.

Binding agreements on the acquisitions were signed by the parties and the acquisition is expected to be closed in approximately 12 months, it stated.

On the deal, Bosch Chairman Stefan Hartung said: "As the biggest acquisition in Bosch history, this is an important milestone in the systematic implementation of our strategy for 2030. We are dynamically pushing ahead with the strong development of Bosch, and will achieve a globally leading position in the promising HVAC market with this acquisition."

For its Energy and Building Technology business sector, it plans to take over the global HVAC solutions business for residential and light commercial buildings from Johnson Controls.

Together with JCH, the businesses Bosch intends to acquire generated sales revenue totaling roughly 4 billion euros in 2023, and employ some 12,000 people worldwide.

The transaction includes 16 manufacturing sites and 12 engineering locations in more than 30 countries, said the top official.

The product portfolio covers the entire spectrum of HVAC solutions for residential and light commercial buildings, and includes well-known brands such as York and Coleman in the US and Hitachi in Asia, for which Bosch will be granted a long-term license.

"In taking this step, moreover, we will strengthen our presence in the US and Asia and achieve a better balance among our business sectors. This is also part of our strategy. In this way, we will open up further growth opportunities and put the company as a whole on a firmer footing," he added.

Bosch Deputy Chairman Christian said: "With this acquisition, Bosch will accelerate its growth and nearly double its sales revenue in the HVAC market to roughly 9 billion euros. Together with our future colleagues, we want to seize the huge opportunities offered by the market for the further growth of this new unit."

The acquired businesses will become part of the Bosch core business - and this will benefit customers, installation partners, and associates, he stated.

"We have proved several times in the past that we can successfully integrate brands, take them forward through investments, and strengthen them," he added.

The acquisition is timely as the global HVAC market is set for 40% growth by 2030, driven by technological progress, the fight against climate change, and new regulations.

Johnson Controls CEO George Oliver said: "Our leading residential and light commercial business and its world-class team perfectly complement the Bosch portfolio. We are confident that under Boschs leadership the business will continue to excel and deliver innovative products and service to its customers. We look forward to seeing their continued success."

Jun Abe, the Executive Vice President at Hitachi, said: "The new partnership with Bosch to establish a global air-conditioning business is an important step. The market is dynamic, and is flourishing."

"I firmly believe that a global supplier such as Bosch, with its strong European presence and many years of experience in the heating business, is the optimum partner for further expanding the global air-conditioning business of the longstanding Hitachi brand," he added.-TradeArabia News Service
Dubai-based Al Ansari Financial Services has signed an agreement to purchase 100% of BFC Group Holdings, a prominent foreign exchange and remittance group incorporated in Bahrain, for $200 million. AAFS move comes as part of its regional expansion strategy.

A leading integrated financial services group in the UAE, Al Ansari said the acquisition will enable it to expand its geographic presence and become the largest remittance and exchange provider in the GCC region by branch network.

The combined entity will have over 410 branches (a 60% increase on AAFSs current branch network) across the UAE, Bahrain, Kuwait, and India, supported by a workforce of approximately 6,000 employees (a 25% increase on AAFSs current workforce), it stated.

AAFS recognised BFCGH as a unique player due to its sizeable presence and significant market share across key GCC and Asian markets including Bahrain, Kuwait, and India, said the company in a statement.

The acquisition is aligned with AAFSs strategic growth pillars of expanding its geographic presence, growing its physical branch network and enhancing its service portfolio.

The integration of BFCGH with AAFS reinforces the Emiarti groups market leadership and unlocks new avenues for sustainable growth, demonstrating AAFSs commitment to delivering long-term value to its shareholders, it added.

On the strategic move, Group CEO Rashed Ali Al Ansari said: This acquisition represents a pivotal moment in our growth trajectory, establishing our company as the leading foreign exchange and remittance service provider in the Gulf region. By broadening our customer base and extending our services across the GCC and India, we aim to provide a wider audience with access to our comprehensive remittance and foreign exchange solutions."

"This move not only enhances our regional presence but also aligns with our broader strategy of diversification and expansion into new markets. Ultimately, this transaction is designed to deliver sustainable value and optimal returns for our shareholders," he added.

BFCGH Managing Director and CEO Ebrahim Nonoo said: "We are excited to announce the acquisition of our company by Al Ansari Financial Services. This strategic move highlights the value and potential of our organisation and opens new opportunities for growth and innovation."

"Our team has worked tirelessly to build a strong foundation, and we are confident that Al Ansari Financial Services will continue to drive our mission forward, ensuring the best possible outcomes for our clients and stakeholders," stated Nonoo.

Established in 1917, BFCGH was the first foreign exchange company and financial services institution in Bahrain and the GCC. It holds a leading position in foreign exchange and money transfer services in the kingdom.

"We look forward to seeing the remarkable achievements that will undoubtedly result from this acquisition," he added.-TradeArabia News Service
The Abu Dhabi Business Centre at the Abu Dhabi Department of Economic Development (ADDED) has announced the addition of 12 new economic activities to the Tajer Abu Dhabi (Abu Dhabi Trader) licence. This will allow investors to obtain economic licence without the need to work from a physical location or to pay rent on commercial space for three years.

With a growing demand for new economic activities, ADDED is empowering entrepreneurs to ensure they can benefit from the wide array of opportunities in Abu Dhabis vibrant economy by facilitating ease of establishing and doing business.

The new activities include many industries such as Maritime Consultancies Services, Tourism & Recreation Consultants, Analysing of Accountancy and Auditing System, Logistics Consultancy, Statistical Services Consultancies, Network Consultancies, Agricultural Extension Services, Textiles and Wearing Apparel Silk-Screen Printing, and Design and Artwork Services.

Reducing costs

The Tajer Abu Dhabi licence allows UAE citizens and residents to practice their businesses and contributes to reducing the costs of starting a business. Licence holders are not required to provide a physical headquarters until three years after the launch of their business as per the rules regulating their businesses and get necessary approvals.

Since its launch in 2017, the number of economic activities under Tajer Abu Dhabi has grown significantly, rising from 30 to 1200. These activities represent 30% of the total economic activities licensed and regulated by ADDED, which stood at 3982 activities as of the end of last year (2023).

Mohammed Munif Al Mansouri, Executive Director of the Abu Dhabi Business Centre, said: The addition of new activities to the Tajer Abu Dhabi license reflects Abu Dhabis vibrant economy, which is witnessing an expansion of specialised activities. To meet the needs of entrepreneurs and investors in various sectors and to facilitate setting up and doing businesses, we listened to the needs stakeholders to understand their requirements. We have added activities that enable business owners to obtain the necessary licences to launch projects that contribute positively to commercial activity and economic development in Abu Dhabi. This step confirms ADDEDs commitment to entrepreneurship and small and medium-sized enterprises, a main pillar of economic diversification and job creation."

Increase in demand

"The Tajer Abu Dhabi licence has seen a significant increase in demand since its launch in 2017, as its specifications and benefits align with the aspirations of innovative entrepreneurs and ambitious small businesses. Last year, the number of new licences issued under this category reached 5,989, accounting for more than 23% of the total new economic licences issued in the Emirate, highlighting the category's ability to meet entrepreneurs' needs," Al Mansouri added.--TradeArabia News Service
Cruise Saudi, a fully-owned Public Investment Fund company, has announced its participation in the United Nations Global Compact, one of the worlds largest corporate sustainability initiatives, which is dedicated to promoting sustainable and socially responsible business policies.

By joining the United Nations Global Compact, Cruise Saudi commits to incorporate its Ten Principles in the areas of human rights, labour, environment and anti-corruption into its overarching strategy, culture and day-to-day operations.

Cruise Saudi will also engage in collaborative projects that advance the broader development goals of the United Nations, particularly its 17 Sustainable Development Goals, which were created with the aim of tackling climate change and ending poverty.

The United Nations Global Compact, formally launched in July 2000, is a non-binding United Nations pact to get private sector businesses and firms worldwide to adopt sustainable and socially responsible policies and to report on their implementation.

Sustainability is a key part of Saudis Vision 2030 as the kingdom strives towards a Net Zero future by 2060.

With a commitment to clean energy and sustainability, Saudi Arabia is committed to tackling energy and climate challenges with innovative solutions such as the Circular Carbon Economy (CCE) and an increasingly diverse energy mix, in which 50% of energy will come from renewable sources by 2030.

As a private sector organisation, Cruise Saudi is fully committed to developing the cruise market along the Saudi coastlines whilst focusing on sustainability and innovation, working towards achieving Saudis national sustainability goals.

Lars Clasen, CEO of Cruise Saudi, said: By joining the UN Global Compact, Cruise Saudi demonstrates its commitment to our global society and the environment that we rely upon.

We are delighted to join over 20,000 companies worldwide who share the same vision as us, and we hope this movement can drive positive change.  TradeArabia News Service
The Casper Elks Lodge hosted a lunch Tuesday for National Guard members and families ahead of deployment to the Middle East.

More than 300 Wyoming guard members are being sent to the Middle East from the four different units in the area, according to Major Luke Meyer. Before their deployment, the members and their families were treated to lunch and family friendly activities by the Elks Lodge.

Before eating, several members received promotions.

Staff Sergeant Ian Simh was promoted from his former rank of sergeant.

I think its a nice way for the community to show support for us, to help ease us into this all, said Simh.

Isabel Lesco, the spouse of Specialist Michael Lesco, said that she enjoyed everyone coming together to provide support for the deploying members.

Its good to see everybody coming together, said Lesco. Even if people dont get along on the outside, they still put that aside to come out for everybody else. So thats good to see.

The Elks Lodge served pulled pork, coleslaw, baked beans, mac and cheese and hot dogs on Tuesday.

Greg Flesvig, the president of Wyomings Elks Lodge Association, said that Tuesdays event was just one way the lodge meets their goal of helping veterans and children in need.
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.
Conservation groups are accusing federal agencies of systematically denying access to public information in Wyoming and other western states in order to play political favorites on public lands.

The organization Public Employees for Environmental Responsibility is raising alarm over a swelling backlog of records requests through the Freedom of Information Act, the federal law that entitles citizens access to public records. Public information is being mummified in red-tape, the groups says, leading to bad policy and no public recourse but litigation.

The Government Accountability Office in March issued a report showing that government-wide, FOIA backlogs have increased by more than 50% in less than a decade. The report also revealed that there are two especially negligent agencies: The Bureau of Land Management and the National Parks Service, whose outsize roles in public lands policy carry big implications for the Cowboy State.

As of the end of the second quarter of Fiscal Year 2024, BLMs FOIA backlog is 1,598 requests  more than one-third the total backlog of all 14 Interior agencies combined.

It raises suspicion at a time when BLMs policies have been hotly contested, including its Rock Springs Resource Management Plan, as well as this months North Lander wild horse roundup in which advocates have accused the agency of scapegoating mustangs for rangeland degradation caused by cattle.

The basic problem is that the current and traditional BLM leadership frankly do not believe in transparency. They do not fundamentally respect the publics right to know how their own lands are being managed, said Chandra Rosenthal, policy director with PEER, who believes the agencys obscurity is by design to minimize debate and play favorites.

BLM does its business with various commercial interests behind closed doors in a fashion fully deserving of the nickname The Bureau of Livestock & Mining, she said.

According to the Government Accountability Office report, the backlog stems from an overall increase in both the volume and complexity of records requests as well as insufficient staff and department resources, making it hard for agencies to find, review, and process relevant records within the required time frame.

Responding to a letter from PEER and Western Watersheds, Director of the BLM Tracey Stone-Manning explained the agency has enlisted contract support at the beginning of fiscal year 2024 dedicated to reducing the backlog.; The BLM is also working to make previously internal information, such as the wild horse and burro database, accessible to the public to reduce FOIA requests and facilitate easier access to requested data.

Worst offender: NPS

The problem is that often by the time FOIAs are processed their relevance has gone by the wayside, defeating the purpose, which many believe is the point. This is overwhelmingly the case at the National Park Service, according to Jonathan Ratner, director of the conservation group Sage Steppe Wild, who focuses on rangeland condition issues in the American West.

I have FOIAs that were done on the Park Service over half a decade ago where I havent gotten anything. And when things actually do arrive, the amount of redactions render the material meaningless, worthless, said Rattner, whos previously worked as an endangered animal researcher for the Forest Service and BLM. The performance for the Park Service has been absolutely atrocious. The attitude is so incredibly anti-FOIA.

Technically, the law requires agencies to respond within 20 days, but that rarely happens. Instead, requestors are often given the runaround, passed off to various bureaucrats and told to be patient, Rattner explained. This leaves little recourse but litigation.

Currently, PEER, Sage Steppe Wild and three additional conservation organizations together have approximately 97 FOIA requests pending and 10 FOIA lawsuits awaiting resolution. Litigation then becomes simply a more costly form of FOIA.

The public should not have to rely on litigation to have the Freedom of Information Act operative. Many requestors dont have the capacity to hire a lawyer and go through all that process to get documents. And so thats not how FOIA was designed.

Equally frustrating is that the status quo remains even after lawsuits are won, Rattner says.

Even when we win, which is the vast majority of the cases, there are no personal ramifications to the people who made what they knew was an illegal decision [to deny or delay the request].There are no ramifications for the agencys staff personally, professionally, or financially. And so it will continue, he said.
ECONOMIST Marla Dukharan has called for an independent and objective assessment of all countries worldwide to determine which ones are truly tax havens.

Dukharan stated that this approach would help combat the stigma often associated with the Caribbean region.
President Joe Biden speaks at an event commemorating the 60th Anniversary of the Civil Rights Act, Monday, July 29, 2024, at the LBJ Presidential Library in Austin, Texas. (AP Photo/Manuel Balce Ceneta) Manuel Balce Ceneta/Associated Press Attendees at President Joe Biden's address applaud as he takes the stage at the LBJ Presidential Library commemorating the 60th anniversary of the Civil Rights Act Monday, July 29, 2024, in Austin. Mikala Compton/American-Statesma/Ricardo B. Brazziell/American-St U.S. President Joe Biden speaks to attendees while commemorating the 60th anniversary of the Civil Rights Act at the Lyndon Baines Johnson Presidential Library on July 29, 2024 in Austin, Texas. Bidens original visit to Austin was scheduled for July 15, but was postponed after the attempted assassination of former President Donald Trump during his campaign rally in Butler, Pennsylvania. Today's event served to commemorate legislation that ended the institutionalized segregation of the Jim Crow era. Brandon Bell/Getty Images President Joe Biden departs after speaking at an event commemorating the 60th Anniversary of the Civil Rights Act, Monday, July 29, 2024, at the LBJ Presidential Library in Austin, Texas. (AP Photo/Eric Gay) Eric Gay/Associated Press

President Joe Biden, speaking in Austin on Monday in one of his first public appearances since dropping his reelection bid, called for sweeping changes for the U.S. Supreme Court, whose justices in recent years have handed down decisions broadening presidential immunity and overturning abortion rights and gun control laws.

Biden said the courts recent extreme opinions and a crisis of ethics have eroded public confidence in the institution. With just six months left in his term, he outlined a plan to introduce 18-year term limits for Supreme Court justices and require them to abide by a binding code of conduct.

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He also called for a constitutional amendment saying presidents, including Donald Trump, should not have immunity for crimes they commit while in office.

We can and must prevent the abuse of presidential power and restore faith in the Supreme Court, Biden said in an address at the LBJ Presidential Library. We can and must strengthen the guardrails of democracy."

Though the proposals are unlikely to advance through Congress before Biden leaves office in January  Republican U.S. House Speaker Mike Johnson quickly described them as dead on arrival  they could be a rallying cry this election cycle for Democrats incensed by the courts conservative lurch. Biden first announced the proposal in the Washington Post on Monday morning.

The high court has been under additional scrutiny this year after news reports raised a series of ethical concerns, including that Justice Clarence Thomas accepted expensive vacations from a GOP donor.

Bidens remarks were part of an event commemorating the 60th anniversary of the Civil Rights Act. The president said he was personally inspired by President Lyndon B. Johnson and the cause of civil rights to become a public defender and later run for elected office.

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From the same stage where Johnson  another longtime U.S. senator who rose to the vice presidency, then the presidency, before declining to seek re-election  gave his last-ever public address, Biden offered a glimpse of his own legacy, tying his back story and his accomplishments in office to the values of democracy and civil rights advocacy.

Toward the end of his speech, Biden invoked Johnsons words during the signing of the Civil Rights Act in 1964: Those who founded our country knew that freedom would be secure only if each generation fought to renew and enlarge its meaning.

In the auditorium, Biden spoke softly and at times haltingly, but the audience responded by leaning forward and listening more closely.

Afterward, Bill Wallace, a community activist in Austin, said he appreciated that Biden had used the speech to both reflect on Johnsons legacy and emphasize the need for continued progress and accountability. He said he has supported the president for some time, and Bidens decision to exit the presidential race showed he wasnt consumed by the thirst for power and privilege that can overcome other politicians.

Wallace, who is Black, said he would remember Bidens presidency for his decision to appoint the first Black woman, Justice Ketanji Brown Jackson, to the Supreme Court. He also appreciated Biden for choosing Kamala Harris as his running mate, making her the first Black female vice president.

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Shortly after announcing his exit from the presidential race, Biden endorsed Harris as the Democratic nominee and turned over nearly $100 million in campaign cash, allowing her to quickly consolidate support within the party.

U.S. Rep. Lloyd Doggett, the first House Democrat to call on Biden to withdraw from the presidential race, was in attendance on Monday, as was state Rep. Ron Reynolds, D-Missouri City, another early voice for Biden to step aside.

I was surprised I got an invite, honestly, Reynolds said on his way to the auditorium shortly before the speech. I think it shows theyre forgiving.

Robin Mehta, an Austin-area retiree, said shes a member of the presidential library and a supporter of Bidens, so she had been looking forward to seeing him speak. When Biden leaves office, Mehta will remember him most for his graciousness in the face of adversity, grief and criticism of his manner of speaking, she said.

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It sounds as if Bidens childhood stutter has resurfaced as hes gotten older, Mehta said, and critics have seized on it to attack Biden and portray him as unintelligent. But Mehta said Bidens passion and knowledge shined through in his speech on Monday.
CenterPoint Energy CEO Jason Wells speaks to commissioners of the Public Utilities Commission of Texas during a meeting Thursday, July 25, 2024, at in the Commissioners Hearing Room at the William B. Travis State Office Building Austin. Jon Shapley/AP

A state lawmaker said Monday he was considering pushing legislation to recoup some of the $800 million CenterPoint Energy spent on massive generators that sat idle as Hurricane Beryl knocked power from more than 2 million Houston area customers.

State Sen. Paul Bettencourt said the company had defrauded rate payers, who were now strapped with growing utility bills after state regulators allowed CenterPoint to recoup the cost of the generators  plus a 6.5% profit. The utility company has already raised the average residential customers bill by about $1 per month  and the rate hikes could jump another $3 per month in the coming years.

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Its a big problem, because weve got basically these boat anchors strapped around our rate payers for a long period of time, the Houston Republican said during a contentious hearing where CenterPoint CEO Jason Wells testified that he took personal responsibility for the utilitys failings, but said he would not resign.

Bettencourt said he was considering legislation that would claw back some of this expense, though he did not say more about what that might entail.

Bettencourt accused CenterPoint of choosing to spend money on the generators rather than clearing trees that knocked out power lines, because CenterPoint can make a profit on the generators. CenterPoint has repeatedly blamed toppled trees and broken branches for leaving over 80% of its area customers without power, some for more than a week.

Vegetation management  the utility doesnt make profit on, Bettencourt said. However, they make a profit on generator expenses. If you dont make a profit on vegetation management, you may reduce those numbers.

The comments came during the first hearing of a special committee tasked with examining the states hurricane preparedness and utilities response after Beryl.

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The panel Monday morning questioned Thomas Gleeson, the chairman of the Public Utility Commission, which regulates electric companies in the state. Senators asked whether legislation should be considered that would boost penalties on utilities that cant keep the power on, set new standards for customer communication and more.

This cannot be the new normal, said state Sen. Carol Alvarado, a Houston Democrat.

The senators used much of the hearing to air their grievances with CenterPoint, which state Sen. Lois Kolkhorst said had broken the social contract with its customers. Senators questioned why the utility could not keep its outage map working, why it was not doing a better job removing trees and why it had sunk so much into generators that were not usable.

Bettencourt and state Sen. Charles Schwertner, who chairs the panel, questioned the contract CenterPoint struck for the generators, going so far as to suggest it amounted to fraud. Bettencourt said the utility passed over a competing bid with a price tag that was at least 44% lower.

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It doesnt smell good at all, Schwertner said, noting the company appears to be raking in a roughly $30 million profit on the massive generator purchase. Theres more to this story that I hope comes out sooner rather than later.

Wells said the competing bid was not in line with what the utility sought, in part because the lower bidder could not provide as many generator units and its cost to operate them was four times higher.

Its kind of apples and oranges, but it was a non-conforming bid, Wells said.

Wells said the generator purchase is part of an aggressive investment campaign the utility has undergone to boost resilience in recent years. He said that while the generators have not yet been used, there have been 115 instances in which ERCOT has issued notices that the market is tight since Winter Storm Uri.

Most of the generators CenterPoint purchased cant be easily deployed. Fifteen of them  each with a capacity of 32 megawatts, big enough to power entire neighborhoods  take several days to assemble and cannot be moved without a special permit, which itself can take days to secure.

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Wells said the utility has identified a 40-point checklist of improvements it plans to undertake and will launch a website updating customers on the progress. Those include hiring a new communications officer and a new emergency preparedness officer. He said a new outage tracker would be live Thursday.

Wells also said that since the beginning of last year, the utility has significantly increased what it spends clearing vegetation where it can. But the utility cannot trim trees on private property without permission, he said.

Annual reports to the Public Utility Commission show CenterPoints vegetation maintenance costs jumped 77% over the last decade, but the number of miles the company kept clear along power lines fell 20%.

The utility leader said he has no plans to step down amid the post-Beryl firestorm, saying if he were to resign today, CenterPoint would lose momentum.

Houston Mayor John Whitmire implored the panel to hold the utility to account, saying, Enough is enough.

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Its time to hold CenterPoint accountable, he said. Its either complacency or incompetence. But the bottom line is they must do better.
Anthony Franze is a native Texan and very passionate about covering any weather that is thrown at him. He can be reached at anthony.franze@express-news.net.

Anthony earned a degree in Meteorology from Valparaiso University in 2017. He has worked as a broadcast meteorologist for six years, one at NBC Montana and the next five at NewsWest 9 in Midland before joining the Express-News in July 2023.

In his free time, Anthony enjoys watching sports, checking out local restaurants and breweries, and getting outside whenever the heat allows for it. If you have any story ideas, questions about the weather or restaurant suggestions, drop him a line.
Corey Jones Public Service Journalism Team Follow Corey Jones Close Get email notifications on {{subject}} daily! Your notification has been saved. There was a problem saving your notification. {{description}} Email notifications are only sent once a day, and only if there are new matching items. Save Manage followed notifications Close Followed notifications Please log in to use this feature Log In Don't have an account? Sign Up Today

MUSKOGEE  A federal judge predominantly left intact Tuesday his $7.4 million verdict blaming a Cherokee Nation Marshal Service deputy for a high-speed chase in 2018 in Tahlequah that killed an innocent motorist after attorneys for the federal government had sought substantial reversals.

Judge Ronald A. White only amended his judgment in the wrongful death civil case by removing a $500,000 award for conscious pain and suffering, leaving in place his guilty verdict and all of the other monetary awards totaling $6.9 million.

White in January found that CNMS Deputy Preston Oosahwee had been reckless and insufficiently trained in pursuits as he violated state law and agency policy with his high-speed chase of a larceny suspect in a congested area, whose alleged accomplice Oosahwee already knew was detained at the store.

Aram Barak Catrons flatbed pickup truck was traveling at about 80 mph when it smashed into the SUV driven by Malinda Phillips, 36, on Jan. 26, 2018, as Oosahwee chased Catron.

Phillips, 36, who was driving herself to jury duty, was found immediately by a nurse on scene to have a pulse before soon being pronounced dead while pinned in her SUV. She left behind her husband and two school-age daughters.

U.S. Attorney Alexander Sisemore argued Tuesday that Phillips was rendered unconscious by the crash because she was unresponsive, therefore not experiencing conscious pain and suffering. Plaintiffs attorney Don Smolen pointed to evidence that Phillips experienced pre-impact terror  skid marks from her braking  trauma of which he said was more than enough to justify the $500,000 award.

White recessed for several minutes to consider the arguments before deciding that lone aspect in favor of the federal government.

Smolen afterward told a Tulsa World reporter that he was disappointed in the $500,000 reversal and called it a waste of taxpayer money for the federal government to keep fighting instead of accepting ownership of wrongdoing.

At what point do they take responsibility? Smolen asked.

Defense attorneys declined to comment after the hearing.

In criminal state court in 2019, Catron, now 41 years old, pleaded guilty to first-degree manslaughter in Cherokee County and received a 26-year prison sentence.

The United States is the defendant because of Cherokee Nations compact with the federal government. The case is filed in the Eastern District of Oklahoma.

The U.S., requesting in March for White to alter his judgment, disputed his determinations of tort and traffic laws, as well as matters of tribal sovereignty and federal mandates.

In court filings, U.S. Attorney Christopher Wilson argued that Oosahwee should be shielded by a Federal Tort Claims Act exception because the deputys actions that day were discretionary decisions at a tribal level and not specifically mandated by federal minimum law enforcement standards  therefore not open for consideration of wrongdoing.

Wilson also took issue with some of Whites findings of fact  such as Oosahwees speed and proximity to the suspect  and reiterated the defense claim that the deputy wasnt actually in a pursuit.

The judge on Tuesday entertained arguments about the discretionary exemption but not any of his findings of fact.

In written response to the motion filing, Smolen countered that the U.S. was seeking a do-over by misstating state and federal laws and re-arguing positions already presented to and rejected by the judge.

Nothing in The United States motion can escape a simple truth, though  Deputy Oosahwee disregarded mandatory CNMS policy prohibiting high-speed chases for anything but a serious felony, Smolen wrote. Deputy Oosahwee decided catching a petty thief warranted chasing Catron through busy streets and residential areas driving at speeds in excess of 100 miles per hour, endangering the lives of everyone in the vicinity and, ultimately, causing Mrs. Phillips wrongful death.

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Steve Metzer Tulsa World Capitol Bureau Staff Writer Follow Steve Metzer Close Get email notifications on {{subject}} daily! Your notification has been saved. There was a problem saving your notification. {{description}} Email notifications are only sent once a day, and only if there are new matching items. Save Manage followed notifications Close Followed notifications Please log in to use this feature Log In Don't have an account? Sign Up Today

OKLAHOMA CITY  Longtime Oklahoma Corporation Commissioner Bob Anthony called on fellow Commissioner Todd Hiett to resign on Tuesday following a report that Hiett drunkenly groped a man in a hotel bar recently while attending a conference in Minnesota.

Hiett, in a telephone interview with the Tulsa World, didnt deny that the incident occurred, though he said he had no memory of it. He said it left him facing turmoil like hes never faced in 30 years of political life in Oklahoma, but that he had no plans to step away from the Corporation Commission either temporarily or permanently.

According to reporting by The Oklahoman, two people said they witnessed Hiett, clearly drunk and slurring words, grope a man between the legs on the evening of June 9 in a bar at the Renaissance Hotel in Minneapolis.

Hiett and hundreds of other people were there to attend the Mid-America Regulatory Conference held June 9-12. The incident happened on the first evening, during a welcoming reception.

One of the two witnesses said the alleged victim was a man who identified as representing a company that goes before the Oklahoma Corporation Commission.

I was horrified, the witness wrote in her account. I recognized how horrible and awkward this situation was for (the man). I thought, OK, you have just witnessed a sexual assault, and we need to get (the man) out of here.

In a filing at the Corporation Commission on Tuesday, Anthony called on Hiett, who is the chairman of the commission, to resign immediately.

There can be no tolerance for his actions, especially when directed toward persons whose companies, industries and/or jobs will otherwise continue to be directly affected by the regulatory decisions he makes, Anthony wrote. The situation is untenable. Neither getting sober nor sincerely apologizing can resolve it.

Anthony added in the filing that he had heard from numerous current and former commissioners from across the country who reported witnessing Hiett acting in the same way at other meetings and conferences held in multiple other states.

In the phone interview with the World, Hiett said he did not know who the man was in Minneapolis referred to by the witnesses, or what company or organization the man represents.

According to the witness statements quoted by the Oklahoman, the man had introduced Hiett as an Oklahoma commissioner just prior to the groping incident.

I have no memory of any of the things that are in that report, Hiett said. However, its hard for me to believe I would ever do such a thing.

While Hiett said he would not deny what happened, he did deny that hes been involved in other similar incidents. He noted that Anthony has been a rival and longtime critic.

There are thousands of pages of Anthonys filings over the years accusing me of things, and others, as well, he said.

Hiett was first elected in 2015 to the Corporation Commission. The three-person agency is responsible for regulation of the oil and gas, fuel, public utilities and transportation industries. He was elected to a second term in 2021 and is due to reach his 12-year term limit in 2027. He draws a salary of $114,713 per year.

A Republican, Hiett previously served in the Oklahoma House of Representatives from 1994 to 2006, including as House speaker from 2004 to 2006.

Asked if the current controversy surrounding him would harm his ability to focus on his work, which includes considering rates to be paid by customers of Oklahoma utility companies, he said that it would not.

I am clearly devastated by whats being said, and for that reason I sought medical help and Im continuing that and doing what I can to address it with the help of doctors and counselors, he said. Im meeting it head-on and taking it as if it is true and happened and 100% my fault. Its a bad deal for me and my family, but were meeting it head-on with Gods help.

The third Oklahoma Corporation Commissioner, Republican Kim David, didnt respond to a call or to an email seeking comment.

In his filing, Anthony, also a Republican, who was term-limited this year and will leave the Corporation Commission in January, described Hietts behavior as horrifying, disgusting and probably criminal.

Alcohol is no excuse for it, he wrote. His so-called apology is insufficient and unacceptable, and his ongoing attempts to downplay the seriousness of what occurred only compound the offense.

The Oklahoma Corporation Commission is scheduled to meet at 1:30 p.m. Wednesday. According to an amended agenda, one item will include discussion of a report of chronic public drunkenness and/or improper sexual behavior negatively impacting the Oklahoma Corporation Commission and its professional associates and colleagues in other states.

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Randy Krehbiel Tulsa World Staff Writer Follow Randy Krehbiel Close Get email notifications on {{subject}} daily! Your notification has been saved. There was a problem saving your notification. {{description}} Email notifications are only sent once a day, and only if there are new matching items. Save Manage followed notifications Close Followed notifications Please log in to use this feature Log In Don't have an account? Sign Up Today

While Oklahoma presidential votes may not count as much as some other states, Oklahoma dollars do.

A reminder of this was Fridays Oklahoma City fundraiser for the Republican National Committee and GOP Presidential nominee Donald Trump. Attendees paid $5,000 to get in the door and $15,000 to have their picture taken with vice presidential nominee JD Vance.

A seat at the head table cost $100,000.

Almost all of that money will go to campaigns in competitive states such as Wisconsin, Michigan and Pennsylvania.

Because Oklahoma is so reliably Republican, Oklahomans biggest influence on national politics  aside from some of the people they elect  is cash. Tens of millions in cash every election cycle.

The Federal Election Commission has recorded 800,000 transactions involving Oklahoma donors and federal office-seekers and federal political action committees since Jan. 1, 2023. And that doesnt count so-called dark money contributions or state and local campaigns.

In fact, Oklahomas No. 1 political donor this election cycle gave the biggest share of her $8.3 million in contributions to state elections  in Ohio.

According to the OpenSecrets.org data base, Tulsan Lynn Schusterman contributed $3.5 million to Ohioans United for Reproductive Rights, an organization that led a successful 2023 ballot initiative in that state for abortion rights.

Schusterman also gave at least $750,000 to One Person, One Vote, an Ohio group that defeated a ballot initiative that would have raised the minimum vote needed for passage of the abortion rights measure and future ballot propositions.

She also gave $1,075,000 to Planned Parenthoods federal political action committee.

Schusterman also contributed $900,000 to the Democracy First PAC, which campaigned against election deniers, and $500,000 to the Wisconsin Democratic Party.

Smaller amounts have gone to state and federal PACs and candidates from Maine to Alaska  but not to any presidential campaigns.

One of the nations leading philanthropists, Schustermans reportable political contributions appear to surpass all other Oklahomans this election cycle, based on an analysis of three databases, including OpenSecrets, through July 20.

Schusterman and her daughter, Stacy Schusterman, whos contributed almost $2.3 million, are unusual among Oklahomas largest donors in that they give almost entirely to Democrats and associated causes and because almost all of their contributions go out of state.

Tulsans Joe and Kelly Craft, second on the list with $3.5 million, also give most of their money out of state, including at least $1.5 million to a state PAC in their native Kentucky.

Third on the list is Oklahoma City-based Continental Resources, whose five contributions totaled $2.5 million, including $1 million to Trumps Make America Great Again Inc.

Stacy Schusterman is fourth. Her contributions included $1 million to the U.S. Senate Democrats PAC and $400,000 to the Wisconsin Democratic Party.

Unlike most of the top donors, the Chickasaw Nations contributions are genuinely bipartisan, apparently driven more by practical considerations than by ideology.

About two-thirds of the Chickasaws $1.6 million in contributions were to federal committees, with the rest going to state politics.

Oklahomans might be surprised to learn that the Chickasaws single largest contribution has been $100,000 to Republican Texas Gov. Greg Abbott. All told, the tribe has showered around $250,000 on Texas politicians, who are not subject to state contribution limits.

The Chickasaws involvement is likely tied to protecting their casinos along the Texas border. According to the Dallas Morning News, North Texas interests hired 76 lobbyists to push for casinos in the Dallas-Fort Worth Metroplex last legislative session and arent letting up.

Of the 10 largest donors, seven are primarily identified with the fossil fuels sector, and several are interrelated.

Harold Hamm, for instance, is the founder and executive chairman of Continental Resources. Hamm has contributed at least $1.4 million individually.

Larry Nichols, a founder of Devon Energy, and his wife, Polly Nichols, have given more than $1.5 million, while Devon has contributed $1.2 million.

The figures cited are for this election cycle only, from Jan. 1, 2023, to July 20, 2024, and do not include contributions to local elections or to dark money campaigns that do not report donors.

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Chief Executive of Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (HKSAR) Lee Ka-chiu will pay a visit to Vietnam from July 31 to August 2, according to the Vietnamese Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

The three-day visit will be made at the invitation of Vietnamese Deputy Prime Minister Tran Luu Quang, the foreign ministry said on Monday.

This will be the first visit to Vietnam by Lee, a 67-year-old Hong Kong politician who was elected HKSAR chief executive on May 8, 2022 and took office on July 1 the same year.

According to Hong Kongs The Standard newspaper, the visit is aimed at increasing high-level contacts and promoting economic and trade exchanges between the HKSAR and Vietnam.

More than 30 business representatives and officials in the fields of innovation, technology, trade, industry, finance, logistics, and tourism will accompany Lee during this visit.

During his stay in Vietnam, the HKSAR leader will hold talks with Deuty PM Quang and have important meetings with other key Vietnamese leaders, the ministry said.

The guest will also engage in various activities in Hanoi and Ho Chi Minh City, the southern economic hub of Vietnam.

As one of the largest financial, commercial, and transportation centers in the world, the HKSAR is also considered a gateway connecting investment, trade, finance, and logistics services between China and the region as well as the world.

Hong Kong, as an economy, has participated in the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) Forum and is one of Vietnams important economic, trade, and investment partners.

Currently, Hong Kong is Vietnam's seventh-largest trading partner and its fifth-largest foreign direct investor, while Vietnam is Hong Kongs second-biggest trading partner in the 10-member Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN), which comprises Brunei, Cambodia, Indonesia, Laos, Malaysia, Myanmar, the Philippines, Singapore, Thailand, and Vietnam.

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Leaders of the Party and the state of Vietnam have sent thank-you letters and telegrams to leaders of countries, international organizations, political Parties, and international friends for extending condolences over the passing of Vietnamese Party General Secretary Nguyen Phu Trong this month.

The thank-you letters and telegrams were sent by the Central Committee of the Communist Party of Vietnam, State President To Lam, Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh, Chairman of the National Assembly Tran Thanh Man, Permanent Member of the Party Central Committee's Secretariat Luong Cuong, and other leaders of the Party and the state.

They honored the solidarity and support from other countries, partners, political parties, and international friends, expressing gratitude for their affection and condolences over the immense loss suffered by the Party, the state, the people of Vietnam, and the family of Party General Secretary Nguyen Phu Trong.

The Vietnamese leaders expressed their commitment to working with partner countries to fulfill General Secretary Nguyen Phu Trong's wish of deepening friendship and cooperation, aiming to benefit their peoples and contribute to regional and global peace, cooperation, and prosperity.

Incumbent and former leaders of the Party and state of Vietnam as well as international guests observe a one-minute silence to pay tribute to Party General Secretary Nguyen Phu Trong, July 26, 2024. Photo: Vietnam News Agency

Leaders of 103 countries and territories as well as 32 international organizations sent nearly 500 letters, telegrams, and messages of condolence to Vietnam and the family of the late Party leader, according to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

As many as 100 international delegations arrived in Vietnam to pay respects to General Secretary Nguyen Phu Trong, while more than 3,500 delegations paid tribute to the Vietnamese Party chief at Vietnam's representative agencies abroad.

They extended deep affection, great grief, and immense respect for Party General Secretary Nguyen Phu Trong, honoring his contributions to Vietnam's development and its relations with international partners.

They also expressed a strong desire to enhance cooperation with Vietnam in all sectors.

Party General Secretary Nguyen Phu Trong passed away at 1:38 pm on July 19 in Hanoi at the age of 80.

To mourn and commemorate his death, a two-day state funeral was held for him on July 25 and 26.

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Police in Vietnam have detained three young Chinese suspects who allegedly killed a taxi driver and then stole his cab on Saturday.

Police officers in Ba Don Town, Quang Binh Province on Monday said they had handed over Huang Jie Cheng, 18, Gan Ying, 17, and Luo Shi Jun, 16, to their counterparts in Quang Ngai Province for an investigation into their charges of murder and robbery.

According to the case file, traffic police in Quang Binh signaled a suspicious Mai Linh cab to stop for examination at 8:00 am on Sunday on National Highway 1 in Ba Don Town.

The driver ignored the request and sped away, prompting police to chase the vehicle and call for backup.

In Quang Tho Ward, the cab collided with a motorbike ridden by a local woman but continued driving.

It then hit another motorcycle in Quang Long Ward and a car in Ba Don Ward before police finally stopped it, according to Thanh Nien (Young People) newspaper.

The accidents caused by the cab injured six people.

Police escorted the three Chinese nationals in the car to the Ba Don police station for investigation.

This image shows the Mai Linh taxi cab whose driver was allegedly killed by a group of three young Chinese nationals in Quang Ngai Province, central Vietnam on July 27, 2024. Photo: L.T. / Tuoi Tre

During the interrogation of the foreigners, investigators noted additional suspicious behavior beyond their traffic violations and involvement in accidents.

After hours of questioning by experienced investigators, the suspects eventually confessed to committing murder and robbery on July 27.

Accordingly, on the early morning of that day, the Chinese group rented a Mai Linh car driven by Nguyen Van Hai, a 47-year-old man from northern Quang Ninh Province, to take them from Quang Ninh to the central region.

At around 7:00 pm on the same day, when the cab arrived in Quang Ngai, the group strangled Hai to death and threw his body in the provinces Mo Duc District on National Highway 1, the People's Public Security Television under the Ministry of Public Security reported.

The foreigners then stole the cab and drove it back toward the northern region until they were arrested in Quang Binh.

The investigation into the motive of the three Chinese suspects in the murder and robbery case is underway.

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Rabies has caused 56 human deaths across 29 provinces and cities in Vietnam from January to July this year, marking a 45-percent year-on-year increase, according to the Ministry of Health.

The provinces which reported a high number of rabies outbreaks and deaths include Dak Lak and Gia Lai in the Central Highlands; Binh Thuan and Nghe An along the central coast; and Ben Tre, Long An, and Tay Ninh in the southern part of the country.

Rabies has remained among the leading causes of human deaths over the past years, just after such infectious diseases as measles and COVID-19, the health ministry said at a recent conference on tightening rabies control and prevention.

Associate Prof. Dr. Tran Nhu Duong, deputy head of the National Institute of Hygiene and Epidemiology, under the health ministry, affirmed that rabies is a deadly viral zoonotic disease that cannot be cured but can be prevented by vaccination.

The main cause of human deaths due to rabies is the failure to get vaccinated immediately after being bitten, scratched, or having an open wound licked by a cat or dog, the health ministry said.

Epidemiological investigation results indicated that most of the rabies cases did not get vaccination as they thought that their pet dogs were not rabid, while several others died after seeking treatment for rabies from traditional practitioners instead of receiving a vaccination.

Moreover, some children did not tell their parents about their dog bites, missing out on preventive treatment and succumbing to rabies as a result.

Kids should be told that they have to let their parents know about their dog bites, regardless of the level of wound severity, Dr. Duong stressed.

He also proposed that health authorities penalize traditional practitioners for claiming that they could cure rabies.

Speaking at the event, the Department of Animal Health said that the current rabies vaccination coverage in dogs is 58 percent, noting that the figure might be inaccurate as the exact number of dogs in Vietnam is unknown.

According to Phan Quang Minh, deputy chief of the Department of Animal Health, the rabies vaccination coverage in dogs in many provinces remains below 30 percent, posing a challenge for rabies control and prevention efforts.

The health ministry plans to recommend sanctions for provinces and cities nationwide to address dog and cat owners who fail to vaccinate their pets against rabies or allow them to roam freely.

Dogs bite around 500,000 people in Vietnam each year, with preventive treatment costs totaling approximately VND2 trillion (US$79.5 million), according to the health ministry.

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San Antonio heat index values will be in the triple digits on Tuesday, as temperatures across the region rebound to typical summer levels this week. Pivotal

Be on alert for frizzy hair, sweaty shirts and feeling much hotter than what your outdoor thermometer might read: Humidity will make San Antonio especially sticky, icky and muggy this week.

On Tuesday, for example, the elevated levels of water vapor in the air, under mostly cloudy skies, will make the peak daily temperature of 96 degrees feel more like 103. South-southeast winds of 10 to 15 mph will continue to deliver moisture-rich air from the Gulf of Mexico throughout the day.

We wont get much relief from the steamy weather at night, either: Overnight temperatures will stay above 77 degrees, and the winds ferrying coastal humidity into South Texas will persist.

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San Antonio also can expect some haziness this week from Saharan dust blown in by winds across the Atlantic Ocean.

A heavily dense plume of Saharan dust will continue spreading inland through Texas, possibly impacting spots at varying intensities generally along and east of a line from Laredo to Dallas, with the highest concentrations remaining along the Texas coastline and out over the western Gulf of Mexico, according the daily forecast from the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality.

Depending on the movement and intensity of the dust, levels of particulate matter could be at the lower end of the moderate range in parts of the Austin and San Antonio metro areas.

For the past few days, San Antonio temperatures have stayed below 90 degrees, which is a rare treat for late July in South Texas. But heat is about to make a strong comeback this week.

Elevated dew points and rising air temperatures will result in triple-digit heat index values for San Antonio. The heat eventually could trigger a heat advisory from the National Weather Service. National Weather Service

The heat is the main story as it returns closer to the summer standards over South-Central Texas, the National Weather Service said in a forecast bulletin Monday. The afternoon highs today and again Tuesday will range from the low 90s in the Hill Country to near or slightly above 100 degrees for the areas near the Rio Grande.

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Forecasters also cited a indicator of high humidity: dew point temperatures, which is how much air needs to be cooled for the air to be 100% saturated with water vapor. Typically, air becomes noticeably humid and muggy when the dew point is at least 65 degrees. This week, dew points will range between 70 and 76 degrees.

WEATHER EXPLAINED: How our extreme heat and humidity can be the secret ingredients for great Texas barbecue

The dew points are a bit elevated from the result of the higher than average soil moistures with the recent rains, weather service meteorologist Matt Brady wrote in his short-term forecast. This results in elevated peak heat indices.

The heat index, which takes into account humiditys effect on the body to give a more accurate feels like temperature measurement, could exceed levels that would otherwise trigger a heat advisory from the weather service.

This National Weather Service map of South and Central Texas, shows rainfall totals after a stretch of abnormally wet conditions in July. Doppler radar-estimated 10-day rainfall totals show the highest amounts across portions of the Hill Country, the southern Edwards Plateau and the Coastal Plains. National Weather Service

While there may be an isolated location or two eclipsing heat advisory criteria, most locations along/east of the I-35 corridor are expected to remain

within the 102- to 107-degree range, Brady wrote. Well elect to hold off on issuance of any heat advisories as a result.

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The weather service issues heat advisories when temperatures or heat index values increase the publics risk of heat-related illnesses.

Meanwhile, rain chances this week have all but disappeared.

Showers should end by or shortly after sunset (Monday) with perhaps a stray opportunity once again across these same coastal plain locations during late Tuesday morning into the afternoon, Brady said. Otherwise, the forecast will remain rain-free across the rest of South-Central Texas on Tuesday.

Wednesday in San Antonio likely will be hazy under otherwise sunny skies as temperatures rise to with a couple of degrees shy of 100. South-southeast winds of 5 to 15 mph could include gusts as strong as 25 mph.

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The San Antonio forecast for Thursday similarly includes hazy skies, mainly before 1 p.m. under mostly sunny skies. Temperatures should peak at 97 degrees and stay above 75 degrees overnight into Friday morning.

The beginning of the long-term portion of the forecast will begin mostly dry as upper-level high pressure remains centered just to our northeast, the weather service said, adding that the dry weather will continue for most areas (of South and Central Texas) through the end of the week with temperatures warming into the upper 90s to near 104 degrees by Saturday.
Check out the latest news in Vietnam today:

Politics

-- Leaders of the Party and the state of Vietnam have sent thank-you letters and telegrams to leaders of countries, international organizations, Parties, and international friends for extending condolences over the July 19 passing of Vietnamese Party General Secretary Nguyen Phu Trong.

-- President of Timor-Leste Jose Ramos-Horta will pay a state visit to Vietnam from July 31 to August 3 at the invitation of Vietnamese State President To Lam, according to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

-- Chief Executive of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region John Lee Ka-chiu will pay a visit to Vietnam from July 31 to August 1 at the invitation of Vietnamese Deputy Prime Minister Tran Luu Quang, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs announced.

Society

-- Police in Quang Binh Province, north-central Vietnam on Monday handed over three Chinese nationals who caused a traffic accident in the province to police in Quang Ngai Province in the central region, as the trio confessed that they had killed a taxi driver and stole the vehicle in Quang Ngai on Saturday evening.

-- Traffic police in Quang Ngai Province said on Monday that they had fined a young woman VND7 million (US$278.5) and revoked her drivers license for three months after she was found driving and taking her hands off the handlebars of her motorcycle to make a heart shape.

-- Two police officers in Lai Chau Province, northern Vietnam successfully saved a young man from drowning in a stream on Saturday, the provincial police reported on Monday.

Business

-- Hapag-Lloyd, the largest container transport shipping in Germany, on Monday signed a contract to purchase 2,000 20DC containers from Vietnamese steelmaker Hoa Phat Group.

Lifestyle

-- Tuoi Tre (Youth) newspaper will organize the 'Vietnam Pho Festival 2024' in Seoul, South Korea in October in association with Saigontourist Group under the theme 'Enjoy Pho, Discover Vietnam.' The Day of Pho(December 12), initiated by Tuoi Tre in 2017, went international for the first time in 2023 when the newspaper held it in Japan under the name of 'Vietnam Pho Festival.'

World News

-- At least 140 people were injured in southern Russia on Monday when a train carrying 800 passengers smashed into a truck on a level crossing, causing eight carriages to derail, Reuters reported, quoting Russian Railways.

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Five coal miners were killed in an accident at a coal mine in Quang Ninh Province, northern Vietnam on Monday night, the state-owned Vietnam National Coal and Mineral Industries Group (Vinacomin) reported on Tuesday.

The accident happened at 10:10 pm at a mine of Hon Gai Coal Company, a subsidiary of Vinacomin.

The five workers were inside the mine when coal and rock suddenly collapsed.

Upon receiving reports of the accident, Nguyen Xuan Ky, secretary of the Party Committee and chairman of the Peoples Council of Quang Ninh Province, tasked relevant agencies with coordinating with Vinacomin for search and rescue efforts.

The work ended at 5:28 am on Tuesday.

Vinacomin initially provided VND20 million (US$795.6) to each family of the deceased, with the group's labor union also contributing VND20 million per victim.

Hon Gai Coal Company pledged to cover funeral costs and offer VND100 million (US$3,973) in support to each family.

An investigation into the cause of the accident is underway.

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The Hanoi Metropolitan Railway Management Board (MRB) and some contractors on Tuesday started using tunnel boring machines to drill the underground section of the Nhon - Hanoi Station metro line, the second of its kind in the capital city.

The boring operation began at Kim Ma Station at the depth of 17.8 meters.

The tunnel drilling is part of contract package CP03 to construct the underground stations and a tunnel, the MRB said, noting that the package is now 43.4 percent complete.

The main contractor of the package is the HyunDai & Ghella (HGU) consortium, while FECON Corporation is in charge of using two tunnel boring machines to drill the passage.

During the process, FECON Corporation is being assisted by experts from Tunnelpro, an Italian provider of geo-engineering and underground works services, and from the International Tunneling and Underground Space Association.

Nguyen Quoc Bao, deputy general director of FECON Corporation, said that the firm would drill a four-kilometer-long tunnel.

German manufacturer Herrenknecht designed and produced the tunnel boring machines for the Nhon - Hanoi Station metro line project.

A map details the direction of the underground section of the Nhon - Hanoi Station metro line, the second of its kind in Hanoi. Photo: MRB

Each machine measures over 100 meters in length and weighs some 850 metric tons.

As scheduled, after the first machine finishes drilling nearly 200 meters of the tunnel, the second one will continue the work.

After completing the drilling of 240 meters, the two machines will speed up the boring work to reach 10 meters per day.

It is estimated to take 16 months to complete the tunneling process.

A geotechnical monitoring system had previously been installed at drilling locations to monitor the movement of the machines and possible land subsidence.

As per its design, the Nhon - Hanoi Station metro line runs 12.5 kilometers from Nhon in Nam Tu Liem District to the Hanoi Railway Station in the downtown area, with 8.5 kilometers on elevated tracks, four kilometers underground, and one depot.

Work on the metro line, which costs an estimated VND34.5 trillion (US$1.4 billion), is slated for completion in 2027.

The Cat Linh - Ha Dong metro route, the first of its kind in Hanoi, was put into operation in November 2021.

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Changing motorcycles four times to travel more than 160,000 kilometers across Vietnam over the past 14 years, artist Dang Ai Viet, 76, has painted the portraits of 3,157 Heroic Vietnamese Mothers  a solemn title given to women whose husbands and children made the ultimate sacrifice for their country.

Although her journey has been known and admired for a long time, her stories still touch the hearts of many people.

She began the journey when she was 62.

Over the past 14 years, the senior woman has traveled alone to meet Heroic Mothers nationwide.

She came to talk with Heroic Mothers, eat meals with them, listen to their stories, and paint them.

During the journey, she sometimes had to pass through forests and mountains, even suffered hunger, thirst, or failed to find accommodation.

However, she was never fearful of hardships.

Artist Dang Ai Viet shares her 14-year journey to sketch portraits of Heroic Vietnamese Mothers. Photo: Thien Dieu / Tuoi Tre

Viet noted that only love gives people the strength to achieve what seems impossible.

She wanted to honor the lives of her companions in wartime and the days she spent fighting for the countrys peace.

As a young woman, Viet was an artist for Phu Nu Giai Phong (Liberated Women) newspaper and fought against U.S. troops in Trang Bang Town, Tay Ninh Province, near Ho Chi Minh City.

Now, she is racing against time to sketch portraits of Heroic Vietnamese Mothers.

Artist Dang Ai Viet did a painting when she was young. Photo: Supplied

"My biggest regret is not painting [Heroic Mothers] before they passed away. While I'm still healthy, I must race against time to honor them and keep up with my own health.

"I will portray Heroic Vietnamese Mothers as long as my heart still beats."

She recalled that when she reached Lai Chau Province in northern Vietnam in 2011, only one Heroic Mother was alive there.

On June 16 this year, she immediately came to Ha Tinh Province in north-central Vietnam after painting Heroic Vietnamese Mothers in Da Teh District, Lam Dong Province, located in the Central Highlands.

Viet said she had received a report from the Ha Tinh Department of Labor, War Invalids, and Social Affairs saying that the province was home to 21 Heroic Mothers, but when she arrived in the province, one Heroic Mother had passed away.

Two portraits of Heroic Vietnamese Mothers painted by artist Dang Ai Viet. Photo: Supplied

After sketching Heroic Vietnamese Mothers' portraits, Viet will focus on painting those winning the titles of Heroes of the People's Armed Forces and Heroes of Labor in Vietnam.

She has completed the job in two military regions. Seven remaining military regions are waiting for her, Viet shared.

Her painting journey is increasingly hectic but she feels happy, the artist said.

She wants to remind young generations of those who sacrificed their lives for the countrys peace through her paintings.

The fourth motorcycle that artist Dang Ai Viet has used during her journey to paint Heroic Vietnamese Mothers. Photo: Thien Dieu / Tuoi Tre

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The Vietnamese Ministry of National Defense has recently announced it will consider proposing amendments to legislation related to military service recruitment to prevent a number of young people from abusing body tattoos as a way to dodge conscription.

The ministry made the announcement after having listened to opinions of people in southern Tay Ninh Province as well as from some other localities over the past several years regarding this issue.

To evade military service, many young men intentionally get tattoos before their medical exams for recruitment, as a way to avoid being selected, according to the people's reports.

Residents of Tay Ninh commented that these young men are unfairly exploiting Joint Circular No. 50/2016 from the Ministry of National Defense and the Ministry of Public Security, which outlines the political requirements for conscripting citizens into the Vietnamese Peoples Army.

As per the joint circular, citizens with tattoos will not be selected for military service, prompting many young people to intentionally get inked to disqualify themselves from recruitment.

In light of this situation, people have urged the defense ministry to implement measures to prevent citizens from abusing tattooing to evade military service, in order to uphold social equality and ensure an adequate number of qualified citizens for army recruitment.

According to the ministry, the current regulation regarding tattoos is part of the political and ethical standards for selecting citizens for military service.

Citizens will not be selected if their bodies bear tattoos with images or words that oppose the regime, promote division, or are deemed horrifying, bizarre, violent, or sexually provocative.

Tattoos that are offensive in visible areas, such as the face, head, and neck, or those located from the lower half of the upper arm down, one-third of the lower thigh down, or covering half or more of the back, chest, or abdomen, are deemed unacceptable.

The ministry stated that if selected for military service, citizens with such tattooing would be considered offensive, negatively impacting the image, etiquette, and conduct of revolutionary soldiers, as well as the cultural environment within the army.

However, the ministry clarified that citizens with removable tattoos that do not contain the aforementioned content may still be eligible for military service.

The ministry acknowledged that some citizens have exploited this regulation to avoid military service, leading to discontent among the public.

To prevent abuse of the regulation, the ministry issued a dispatch in late 2019 urging military service councils to collaborate with relevant agencies to accurately identify and classify tattoos for acceptance.

They also called on citizens with unacceptable tattoos to have them removed to qualify for military service.

Currently, there are no legal provisions prohibiting individuals from getting tattoos, nor is there a ban on body tattoos for young men of military service age who have not yet undergone health examinations for recruitment.

In November 2020, the ministry issued guidance stating that if tattoos cover a small area and do not impact the military etiquette, discipline, or environment, citizens with such tattoos will still be considered for military service, according to Vietnam Television.

Concerns about the abuse of body tattooing to evade military service have been raised not only by residents of Tay Ninh but also by people from other provinces and cities, including Hai Phong, Thanh Hoa, Ha Tinh, Nghe An, and Nam Dinh, over the past few years.

In response to these concerns, the ministry has announced plans to study and fully evaluate tattoo-related policies and their impacts, proposing amendments to Government Decree No. 27/2016, which outlines various regimes and policies for in-service and demobilized non-commissioned officers, soldiers, and their families.

The ministry will collaborate with relevant ministries to amend Joint Circular No. 50/2016 at an appropriate time, ensuring that there is a comprehensive political, legal, and practical foundation for the changes.

This aims to ensure that the regulations on military service recruitment are implemented effectively, practically, and rigorously.

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The administration of Quang Tri Province in north-central Vietnam has written to the Ministry of Transport and the Department for Roads of Vietnam proposing being allocated VND60 billion (US$2.4 million) to build the new Dakrong bridge to smooth a route connecting with coal mines in Laos.

The provincial Peoples Committee has proposed sourcing the fund from the ministrys urgent or backup capital reserves, the office of the provincial administration said on Tuesday.

The reinforced concrete bridge will serve as a vital link to Laos coal mines, which contain a total of one billion metric tons of coal, according to the provincial administration.

The backbone Western Ho Chi Minh Road connects La Lay International Border Gate in Dakrong District with National Highway 9.

The bridge is aimed at replacing the deteriorating Dakrong Bridge on the Western Ho Chi Minh Road, along which hundreds of trucks travel to transport coal from Laos to Vietnam through the border gate each day.

However, the current Dakrong Bridge, which was put into service in 2002, is at risk of collapse, leading to a restriction on vehicles payload.

The restriction has hindered the transportation of goods, while the deteriorating bridge poses potential risks to drivers and their cargo.

Meanwhile, coal mines in Laos Sekong and Salavan Provinces, located about 118 kilometers from the border gate, have an output of one billion metric tons of coal.

Due to its proximity to seaports, Laos relies on Quang Tri to export an estimated 20-30 million metric tons of coal per year.

As the number of vehicles using the bridge and border gate is expected to rise, the province proposed that the ministry allocate funds to build a new bridge to replace the deteriorating one, thereby meeting transportation demands, boosting socio-economic growth, and enhancing bilateral trade between Vietnam and Laos.

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Easy Tiger (Colin from Accounts, The Twelve, Territory, Scrublands) has announced three key appointments.

Christopher Sharp (pictured left) joins Easy Tiger as the Head of Scripted Content, with experience in Australia, the UK, and the US. He has held pivotal roles in TV and film finance, development and production, including senior positions at prominent production companies and government funding bodies, most recently as Head of Scripted at Screen Australia.

Nel Minchin (pictured centre) steps into the newly created position of Head of Factual. An experienced director, producer, and writer, she has achieved success with projects including Matilda and Me, Making Muriel, The Truth about Anxiety with comedian Celia Pacquola and most recently the documentary series, The Way We Wore presented by Celeste Barber.

Screenwriter and director Shelly Lauman (pictured right) joins the team under the Screen Australia Enterprise Program.

Ian Collie and Rob Gibson, founder and CEO of Easy Tiger respectively, said of the appointments, Its an exciting time of growth for Easy Tiger  Christopher, Nel and Shelly are exceptional talents who will help us continue to develop our diverse slate of scripted and factual shows. Were fortunate enough to work with some of the best and brightest talents in the business, and with these new appointments were well-positioned to continue making must-watch shows for audiences in Australia and around the world.

Since opening its doors in 2017, Easy Tiger has delivered a consistent string of hit shows in all genres for local and international partners, from classics like Rake and Jack Irish to recent hits like Colin from Accounts and Scrublands. On screens now and set to launch soon are a suite of the companys highly anticipated returning and new titles including; the second season of award-winning The Twelve  currently dropping weekly on Binge; the second season of Colin From Accounts which has again been an audience and critical hit in Australia and internationally as well as winning numerous awards; epic outback drama Territory (formerly Desert King) set to launch globally on Netflix 24 October; filmed in India and Australia romantic drama Four Years Later is coming soon to SBS; Christmas film Nugget is Dead will launch on Stan in time for the festive season; the second instalment of Scrublands also for Stan will hit screens this year; and Optics, a co-production with Chaser Digital for ABC, is currently in production.
This week on Foreign Correspondent the ABCs East Asia correspondent Kathleen Calderwood reports on the new Hong Kong where freedoms have been curtailed, where the economy is struggling and where mainland Chinese are being encouraged to resettle.

Hong Kong is a changed city. Five years after a record number of anti-government demonstrators engulfed the streets, the protest movement is now effectively silenced. With activists either fleeing the country or ending up in jail, the city is being remade.

Kathleeen also reports from Taiwan where many thousands of people have taken refuge, some still fearful they will face repercussions if they speak out against Beijing.

8pm Thursday on ABC.
EXCLUSIVE:

For nearly six decades Maggie Dence has been a presence on Australian television screens.

Famously as the title character in The Mavis Bramston Show she seemingly has seen a resurgence recently in Heartbreak High, The Lost Flowers of Alice Hart, Queen of Oz, The Messenger.

Except that isnt quite true -Dence has been working every decade since 1966. Not bad for a young girl who entered business college after leaving school at the age of 15.

I was born in Chatswood on the North Shore, and I lived most of my life in Killara, until I got married. So Im a North Shore girl, as we say in Sydney, she tells TV Tonight.

We didnt have television, but my parents loved going to the pictures, always on a Friday night. Where I lived there were six cinemas within close proximity.

I was so young that sometimes Id just fall asleep. I have a memory of my father, carrying me to the car.

It was a bit of a flea pit, but it had an extraordinary history.

The films were a big influence, with Dence writing a letter to Australian star Chips Rafferty who recommended two acting schools one of which was was the Independent Theatre.

Doris Fitton ran the Independent Theatre at North Sydney. (The building is) still there, owned by Winona School, and its been beautifully restored. When we all worked there it was a bit of a flea pit, but it had an extraordinary history. Doris was brilliant in that she managed to get the rights to a lot of plays that certainly werent going to be done by commercial management. We were doing Arthur Miller, Tennessee Williams and all of that. So it was a great training ground, really.

She studied alongside Leonard Teale, Diana Perryman (Jill Perrymans sister) and Ruth Cracknell before roles at Phillip Street Theatre, first as the Wicked Witch in Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs.

Then I auditioned for a new faces revue called Whats New?, where I met Barry Creighton and Noeline Brown. But it was a flop. One of the critics said, Well never see any of these people again. But we didnt take that on board.

After a year in England, Dence returned to Australia where Channel Seven invited her to replace Noelene Brown as the face of The Mavis Bramston Show, a satire created by Carol Raye.

I honestly had no idea what I was putting my hand up for, but I was arriving back with no work and needed a job. So I said, yes. Originally, Channel Seven werent going to bother with the Mavis character. They felt they didnt really need it because Noeline had done three appearances, and the joke was that she was to go back to England, Dence explains.

But Ampol, the petrol company, were the number one sponsors and they wanted Mavis. So thats why I got a contract.

She describes the Mavis character as over the top, flamboyant, totally devoid of any real talent, egomaniac. She believed in herself and was larger than life. Crazy, high camp, really. The gimmick was that she had her own show in Australia, because we went through a period where people would be brought out to star in shows, and they would be third rung of the ladder. They werent the stars of the West End or Broadway, but theyd be fobbed off on us.

I can remember there was an election, and Mavis ran, I cant remember what for. People were writing on the ballot papers, Id rather vote for Mavis.

Ampols decision to retain the Mavis character paid off big time, with Dence travelling across Australia to open new petrol stations.

Ampol was so smart. I was the face that launched a thousand petrol bowsers! she laughs.

I was told that I couldnt move around the set because I was too tall

Subsequent roles included Wake in Fright and shows such as Division 4, Bony, Skippy the Bush Kangaroo and Homicide.

I didnt enjoy the Homicide that I did, because I was playing the wife of the man whod been murdered, and the cops came to break the news to me. It was quite an emotional scene and I was told that I couldnt move around the set because I was too tall, and the cops (were shorter), she recalls.

I did have to walk at one point, and they said, Youve got to bend your knees. And I just thought, Oh, God, I look like John Wayne or someone. I perched myself on a chair and wept over my husbands death.

By 1976 she was cast alongside Michael Caton as Aunty Rose on Crawford Productions The Sullivans, a popular supporting soapie couple until Dence tired of the travel from Sydney to Melbourne.

I just said, I dont I dont want to stay. They offered me six months off with TB and I said, No, no, Im going. So my nose was a bit out of joint, and I realised they were actually going to kill me.

It would be a brutal, tragic scene with Aunty Rose found floating in the Yarra River following a family picnic, devastating viewers who had watched so loyally.

Im well aware there was a soft spot for Uncle Harry and Aunty Rose

Im well aware there was a soft spot for Uncle Harry and Aunty Rose. I didnt want to come back, but a death scene is somehow so permanent! she exclaims.

But to be associated with a show that was a really classy soap.. I know some cast members say it wasnt a soap, but I dont look upon that as a derogatory term. It looked great, it was well cast, everybody was very obsessed with getting the look of it and the period right. It was a terrific show, and it ran for five years. What more can you say?

Comedy came calling in the form of UK comedy Doctor Down Under and Seven sitcom Kingswood Country, with Dence cast as Merle Bullpitt, sister to Ross Higgins cantankerous, misogynistic, racist ocker, Ted.

I loved playing Merle. She was so frightful and they were a great cast to work with at RS Productions. It was hugely successful. Its still popular. I mean, it probably would be so frowned upon by a huge percentage of the population, but theres also a mob of people out there that have great affection for Kingswood, she insists.

Ross Higgins played such a sad character, and so funny. Judi Farr was wonderful as Thelma. It was a great team, I was lucky.

Following a brief but memorable role in Prisoner, Dence was cast as school principal Dorothy Burke in Neighbours.

Its extraordinary that Prisoner still crops up. I was barely in it, but it was, I know, a very savage character, a bit like Silence of the Lambs. Who could forget those sort of characters? she asks.

I was really grateful to get Dorothy Burke in Neighbours. I did stick with it for three years, and then they decided to retire the character. So that worked out well. But it was a godsend, because, things were a bit lean, and that was a really great opportunity. My husband was very busy directing E Street, and we just were able to contribute to our superannuation fund in no uncertain terms.

I loved working with Kristian Schmid and Ben Guerens and Annie Charleston. In hindsight it was an odd job, because there were, I think, 21 regular characters, and so there were 10 people I never worked with. Id never struck that before. I dont think I ever did a scene with Stefan Dennis, whos terrific in that show.

I feel I was in on the ground floor of a very famous romance!

Another role in 1995 in ABCs Correlli saw her starring alongside Deborra-Lee Furness and a young Hugh Jackman.

Id worked with Deborra-Lee on Skyways or Flying Doctors or something. I remember being in the car with her, and she was talking on her mobile, and then she said, Oh, that was my friend, hes cooking dinner for me tonight,' she teases.

Sadly, I didnt get to work with Hugh. All my scenes were with Deborra, she was terrific. But I feel I was in on the ground floor of a very famous romance!

More roles would come in Small Claims, All Saints, Wonderland, Out of the Blue, Black Comedy, A Place to Call Home, Rake, Frayed, The Messenger, Queen of Oz and The Lost Flowers of Alice Hart.

It was just a privilege to be in the presence of Sigourney Weaver, a major film star and a fantastic actor, just to be able to watch her work. Leah Purcell was there, of course, too. So that was heaven on a stick.

Those young actors that are in it are extraordinary

The breakout success of Heartbreak High, (Dence was also in the 1997 original) in which she played Nan drew more acclaim, now seen by new generations of viewers. Its a point not lost on her.

Heartbreak High was such a such a gift. I mean, that was an amazing success, thank God and those young actors that are in it are extraordinary. To be riding along on their coattails was fantastic. They are immensely talented young cast, she assures.

I worked mainly with Will and James. Will McDonald had done Home and Away and James Id seen in FanGirls. But theyre so smart, these kids. I dont think a great wealth of experience is any guarantee of anything. I just think talent is talent. Its like Will McKenna in The Messenger. Hes just leapt onto the scene, and hes had a couple of good credits under his belt. But hes just such a natural, marvellous talent.

I dont know why I became an actor

For her amazing body of work, Dence has an Order of Australia and an MEAA Lifetime Achievement. Yet if there are any plans to slow down, its not one Dence has mapped out. She remains a jobbing actor, moving with the times and showing an acute understanding of the industry in 2024.

I suppose its what Ive done all my adult life. I dont know why I became an actor. Its something that came into my head at a very early age, and I just aimed for it. The times that we were working in the 60s, 70s and 80s was a very busy time, there were fantastic television opportunities.

They dont exist now. Theres no Crawfords, no Grundys doing four shows a week. Theres work, and some of its fantastic. The good news is a lot of these people, like Margot Robbie, Nicole Kidman, Cate Blanchett are having fantastic careers.

We didnt have that kind of opportunity, but we did have the joy of having a lot of work.

TOMORROW: Highly-regarded actress who first hit our screens in the 1980s.

Photos: National Film & Sound Archive, Netflix.
Sanjana Chawla, TwoCircles.net

New Delhi: In a significant move to support education and empower those in need, the Professor Obaid Siddiqui Memorial Scholarship 2024 has been awarded to six incoming students of the MA Convergent Journalism (MACJ) programme at Jamia Millia Islamia. The announcement was made by the MACJ alumni group in July 2024, ahead of the new academic session.

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The MACJ programme, established in 2005 and upgraded to a two-year masters degree in 2007, is renowned as one of the top journalism programmes in India. Named after Professor Siddiqui, a veteran journalist and the programmes founder, the scholarship offers substantial financial aid, covering up to 75% of the tuition fee. This initiative helps alleviate the financial burdens faced by students, particularly those from less affluent backgrounds.

Since its inception in 2022, the scholarship has been a beacon of hope for students struggling with tuition and living expenses. This years recipients include Nida Fatima Momin, Shoaibur Rahman, Mohammad Naiyar Azam, Adnan Ali, Saher Hiba Khan and one student who chose to remain anonymous.

The fund, totaling Rs 2.5 lakh, was raised through contributions from alumni, with an additional Rs 75,000 collected to support two more students. This financial assistance goes beyond mere support; it empowers students to pursue their academic and career aspirations without financial constraints.

Shoaibur Rahman, a recipient from Katihar, Bihar, shared his experience of overcoming financial hurdles. I initially considered leaving the course due to financial difficulties. However, a friend informed me about this scholarship, which eased my financial worries and allowed me to continue my studies, he explained.

His story highlights the transformative power of the scholarship in enabling students to follow their dreams.

Sidra Fatima, a student from the outgoing 2025 batch, praised the scholarship as a crucial initiative. Not everyone can afford the high fees for a masters degree. The scholarship provides relief to those who excel academically but face financial barriers, she said.

Fatima hopes that in the future, more deserving students will benefit from this support.

The scholarship exemplifies how educational support can empower individuals and transform lives. It honors Professor Siddiquis legacy by providing not just financial assistance but also hope and confidence to students.

Raghu Kalra, a member of the scholarship selection committee and alumnus of the 2014 batch, expressed his confidence in the recipients future success. These students are exemplary and will undoubtedly achieve great things in journalism.

Alia (name changed on request), an alumnus of the 2022 batch, highlighted the scholarships broader impact. Many students across various demographics face financial barriers to pursuing higher education. This scholarship addresses that gap, but its crucial to ensure diversity and representation in future awards, she noted.

In a world where education is often a privilege, initiatives like the Professor Obaid Siddiqui Memorial Scholarship play a vital role in making education accessible. They demonstrate the power of collective effort, and its impact on individuals and society, inspiring a brighter and more inclusive future in journalism.
Md Kaifee Alam, TwoCircles.net

New Delhi: The Supreme Court of India on July 23 decisively ruled out the possibility of re-conducting the National Eligibility-cum-Entrance Test (Undergraduate) or NEET-UG. A three-judge bench, led by Chief Justice of India DY Chandrachud, concluded there is insufficient evidence to suggest a systemic leak of the exam paper that would undermine its integrity.

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Though the ruling cleared the path for the release of revised NEET results and the commencement of the counselling process. the journey to becoming a doctor in India remains arduous. With limited seats in government-run colleges and exorbitant fees in private institutions, many aspiring medical students are compelled to seek education abroad, each with its own set of challenges.

Gufran Hashmi, a 24-year-old from Purnia, Bihar, is one such example. He had enrolled at Zaporizhzhia State Medical University in Ukraine in December 2020 after failing to secure a seat in medical colleges back home. However, his studies were abruptly interrupted by the Russian invasion of Ukraine.

Circumstances forced me to abandon my MBBS studies. Now, I am assisting my father in his business, he said. After three attempts at NEET, I went to Ukraine, but the war halted my education.

Hashmis experience is not unique. Many students who had started their medical education abroad were forced to return to India and pursue alternative courses such as nursing or pharmacy.

The National Medical Council (NMC) guidelines came too late for us, he continued. They allow for course transfers to other countries, but securing a transfer letter from the Ukrainian college was another hurdle. Some students couldnt obtain it.

The NMC, which replaced the Medical Council of India in 2020, issued guidelines permitting transfers to foreign colleges within three months of the public notice. However, the financial burden remains significant, as students face high initial fees and additional costs for transferring their education abroad.

The fees are overwhelming, Hashmi lamented. We have to pay consultancy and agent fees again if we want to transfer to another country. This financial strain, combined with the time already invested, is exhausting. Had I stayed in Ukraine, I might have completed my studies.

For students who complete their medical education abroad, challenges persist. They often face extended course durations and limited patient exposure compared to their Indian counterparts. Despite these hurdles, the trend of pursuing medical degrees overseas is rising, as evidenced by the increasing number of candidates taking the Foreign Medical Graduate Examination (FMGE).

The FMGE, administered bi-annually by the National Board of Examinations in Medical Sciences (NBEMS), assesses foreign medical graduates seeking to practice in India. Data shows a significant increase in FMGE candidates  from 28,597 in 2019 to 62,077 in 2023.

Aman Ameer, a NEET aspirant from Vaishali, Bihar, reflects on the situation: The number of MBBS seats is insufficient. Competition is intense, and the rise in NEET applications exacerbates the issue.

A recent study by the Center for Social and Economic Progress (CSEP) shows a growth in medical colleges from 335 in 2010-11 to 612 in 2022-23. However, the proportion of NEET qualifiers who secure MBBS seats has declined. In 2016, 14% of NEET qualifiers could secure a seat, while this fell to just 8.8% in 2022.

Yes, the number of seats is increasing, but most are in private colleges with fees ranging from Rs 70-75 lakhs to over Rs 1 crore, said Ameer. For students from middle-class backgrounds, this is unaffordable. Consequently, many opt for education abroad, where costs are lower.

The CSEP report highlights that, except for the years 2020 onward, private medical colleges have consistently offered more seats than public ones.

Indian medical colleges are generally considered superior to foreign ones, said Aadil Umar (name changed), a second-year MBBS student from Saharsa, Bihar, studying at Mainamoti Medical College in Bangladesh. But the high fees in India force many to study abroad.

Students studying MBBS abroad face extended course durations compared to their Indian peers. For example, MBBS programs in countries like Bangladesh, Kazakhstan and Russia typically last five years, compared to 4.5 years in India. The recent NMC guidelines now require a one-year internship in the foreign country followed by an additional year in India, extending their total education period to seven years.

Jyoti Khillare (name changed), a third-year MBBS student from Maharashtra studying in Russia, noted that the 2021 NMC guidelines do not affect students who enrolled before that year. We are only required to complete one internship in India; whereas, new students face extended requirements, she says.

The Compulsory Rotating Medical Internship (CRMI) poses additional challenges. NMC guidelines mandate that 7.5% of internship seats be reserved for foreign medical graduates, but the number of candidates often exceeds the available spots, resulting in long wait times.

Dr Ashwini Dalmiya, president of the Delhi Medical Association, suggested, To reduce FMG waiting times, NMC should consider allowing internships at non-teaching medical institutions, as was the practice in the past.

Differences in medical technology and infrastructure between host countries and India further complicate matters. Umar explained, Countries like Bangladesh have smaller hospitals, while Russia boasts advanced medical infrastructure. NMCs new requirement for hospitals to be on the same campus as colleges can compromise the quality of practical training.

The NMC maintains a list of approved foreign medical colleges. Dr Dalmiya said, The NMC must ensure that these colleges meet educational and clinical training standards comparable to those in India.

The FMGE preparation remains a significant concern for students. We focus heavily on clearing the FMGE, often subscribing to online educational platforms, Khillare added.

The challenges faced by Indian students pursuing medical education abroad underscore the need for reforms in both domestic and international medical education systems.

(Names changed upon request)
By Giulia Segreti

ROME (Reuters) -Leonardo is in talks with France's Airbus and Thales over alliances in the space sector, the head of the Italian aerospace and defence group said on Tuesday, confirming for the first time the ongoing discussions.

"We are discussing in a very constructive way with Thales and Airbus about possible alliances and synergies for a stronger Europe in the space industry," Leonardo CEO Roberto Cingolani said in a call with analysts after the release of the company's results for the first half of 2024.

He added that a new, combined strategy was required because Europe needs a stronger space organisation to compete with bigger competitors such as the U.S. and China.

The European Union is aiming to pursue a more aggressive European space strategy to prevent being muscled out by U.S. and Chinese launcher technology.

Reuters reported earlier this month that the three companies were exploring a tie-up of space activities.

On Monday sources said Airbus was drawing up a turnaround plan for its struggling space business, without waiting for the outcome of the talks with Leonardo and Thales. The companies did not comment on the matter.

Cingolani said on Tuesday work among the three companies is "in progress" and that the talks are chracterised by a "collaborative spirit".

Leonardo manufactures satellites, orbiting infrastructure and sensors and manages satellite services and propulsion and launching systems. It has two joint-ventures with Thales: Thales Alenia Space and Telespazio.

Airbus and Thales Alenia Space are Europe's largest makers of satellites for telecommunications, navigation and surveillance.

"Our new space division is a rather massive operation," Cingolani said, adding that Leonardo would be very "selective" in its activities in the space business.

(Reporting by Giulia Segreti; editing by Cristina Carlevaro and Paul Simao)
India's youngest female Muslim MP Iqra Hasan is also a feminist

Undoubtedly, Iqra inherited the political legacy from her family but it is evident that her relentless efforts and dedication on the ground played a crucial role in her success, making her win a testament to her individual merit and hard work.

Tuesday July 30, 2024 11:45 PM , Uzair Ahmed

In the recent 18th Lok Sabha Election, India has witnessed emergence of young and dynamic MPs from different parties and states, which bodes well for the Indian democracy. One of these young Parliamentarians is Choudhary Iqra Hasan, who made history by becoming the youngest Muslim female MP to enter the Parliament. Winning from Kairana Lok Sabha Constituency in Western Uttar Pradesh, Iqras victory generated significant buzz on social media.

Undoubtedly, Iqra inherited the political legacy from her family but it is evident that her relentless efforts and dedication on the ground played a crucial role in her success, making her win a testament to her individual merit and hard work.

Iqra Hasan, a third-generation politician from the Hasan family, defeated the incumbent BJP MP Pradeep Kumar in the Kairana Constituency by a significant margin of 69,116 votes . What was particularly surprising and shocking to many was that, despite the extensive campaigning by prominent BJP leaders, including the Prime Minister, Home Minister, and Chief Minister Yogi for Pradeep Kumar, Iqra Hasan managed to secure her victory without any notable figures supporting her campaign. Utilising her sole strategy and walk alone approach, she worked on the ground and engaged directly with the people, achieving a remarkable win that left the BJP astonished.

Iqra Hasan Family Background

Choudhary Iqra Hasan or Iqra Munawwar Hasan, was born into an influential Muslim-Gujjar family in Muzaffarnagar (of which Kairana was originally a part before being included in the newly formed Shamli district in 2012).

Iqras father, Munawwar Hasan Sahab, was a prominent political figure, having served as a Member of Parliament in both the Lok Sabha and Rajya Sabha, and as a member of the state legislative assembly in 1991 and 1993, working with the Samajwadi Party (SP) and Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP).

[Iqra Hasan with her mother Tabassum Hasan in a file photo.]

Iqras mother, Begum Tabassum Hasan, also served as an MP, elected in 2009 from the BSP and again in 2018 from the RLD in a bypoll election .

Iqras elder brother, Choudhary Nahid Hasan, is a three-term incumbent MLA from the Kairana Vidhan Sabha constituency. In 1984, her grandfather, Akhtar Hasan, made history by winning the Kairana Lok Sabha election on Congress ticket, defeating BSP Chief Mayawati in her debut Lok Sabha election.

Iqra Hasan Education

Since her childhood, Generation Z parliamentarian Iqra Hasan, studied away from home and living in girls hostels. She completed her secondary education at Queen Mary School in Delhi and graduated with LLB degree from Lady Shri Ram College, Delhi University (DU).

For her postgraduate studies, she went to London and completed MSc in International Law and Politics from the School of Oriental and African Studies (SOAS) in 2020.

Political Career

During the second wave of COVID-19, Iqra Hasan returned home from London, marking a turning point in her life and providing her with an opportunity to enter politics at an early age.

Upon her return, her elder brother, Nahid Hasan , was imprisoned on what were believed to be false charges. Iqra worked tirelessly to secure his release while simultaneously campaigning for him in the Uttar Pradesh Vidhan Sabha election. Due to her hard work and dedication, her brother won the election and became an MLA again, despite being in jail.

This accomplishment inspired many and was a significant factor in her decision to run for the 2024 Lok Sabha election. However, her political career actually began in 2016 when she contested a Zila Panchayat election, though she did not win.

In an interview with the Lallantop News Channel, Iqra said:

I have been very interested in politics since my childhood, having grown up seeing my family involved in it, but I never expected to enter electoral politics so early. I always wanted to pursue academics and become a professor or educator. In fact, I intended to return to London for my PhD but couldnt because of the pandemic and the responsibilities that arose from my return.

Before this Lok Sabha election, Iqra gained attention in 2019 when a picture of her protesting against the CAA and NRC in front of the Indian High Commission in London went viral. At that time, no one anticipated that she would soon become a member of the Indian Parliament.

"A strategic feminist"

SOAS alum Iqras inspirations include her late father, who was a very hardworking person and served the people sincerely and honestly. She was inspired by hearing stories about her father directly from people while campaigning and engaging with them, as he had passed away in a road accident near Palwal in the state of Haryana.

Her brother was also an inspiration to her. During the process of trying to secure her brothers release from jail, she met Kapil Sibal, the current president of the Supreme Court Bar Association, a few times, and he also inspired her greatly. As Iqra shared this in an interview with India Today news channel. Describing herself as a strategic feminist', Iqra says:

Im a feminist, but that doesnt mean I need to declare it openly. Coming from a traditional, conservative, and patriarchal Muslim family, I have different approaches to working for womens rights.

She has promised to work extensively for womens empowerment, upliftment of backward classes, and to promote and facilitate higher education for young girls.

The journey of 29-year-old Iqra Hasan from Kairana in Western Uttar Pradesh to becoming the youngest Muslim female MP has been nothing short of remarkable, shattering glass ceilings and inspiring countless young girls to pursue their dreams of serving society.

India needs young, educated, and forward-thinking parliamentarians like Iqra, who are deeply rooted in the Indian culture yet are modern in their outlook, able to understand the present and advocate for students and systemic reforms.

As an ardent admirer, I extend my heartfelt best wishes to Iqra for her future endeavours in the House and eagerly look forward to witnessing her impactful contributions in the Parliament.

[The writer, Uzair Ahmed, is a student of Darul Huda Islamic University, PG Block in Dept. of Civilizational Studies. He hails from Muzaffarnagar, Uttar Pradesh. He can be contaced via smail: uzairahmedup892@gmail.com.]

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Landslide in Wayanad; 19 killed, many trapped

At least 19 people have been killed in a massive landslide that struck hilly areas near Meppadi in Kerala's Wayanad district early in the morning Tuesday

Tuesday July 30, 2024 11:00 AM , ummid.com News Network

Thiruvananthapuram: At least 19 people have been killed in a massive landslide that struck hilly areas near Meppadi in Kerala's Wayanad district early in the morning Tuesday.

Kerala Revenue Minister K Rajan earlier confirmed 8 deaths in the landslides that struck Meppadi, Mundakkai Town and Chooral Mala in Wayanad district.

The official sources later said 19 people have been confirmed dead. The death toll could further up as hundreds are still trapped and missing, they said.

'Rescue operation is on'

The Kerala State Disaster Management Authority (KSDMA) has said that Fireforce and National Disaster Response Force teams have been deployed to the affected area, with an additional NDRF team en route to Wayanad.

"The rescue operation is on and all efforts are made to save those trapped", the officials said.

Two teams of Kannur Defence Security Corps have also been instructed to move to Wayanad to assist in the rescue efforts, according to a Facebook post by the KSDMA.

At least 19 people have been killed in a massive landslide that struck hilly areas near #Meppadi in Kerala's #Wayanad district early in the morning Tuesday. #WayanadLandslide pic.twitter.com/Y6ZjXmZHtU  ummid.com (@ummid) July 30, 2024

In a statement released by his office, Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan said the operations will be coordinated, and state ministers will reach the hilly district to lead the rescue activities.

Pinarayi Vijayanadded also said in the wake of the landslides and other rain-related disasters in Wayanad district, the health department  National Health Mission  has opened a control room.

"Deeply anguished"

Former Wayand MP has expressed deep anguish and appealed the Congress and UDF workers to assist in relief work.

"I am deeply anguished by the massive landslides near Meppadi in Wayanad. My heartfelt condolences go out to the bereaved families who have lost their loved ones. I hope those still trapped are brought to safety soon."

"I have spoken to the Kerala Chief Minister and the Wayanad District Collector, who assured me that rescue operations are underway. I have requested them to ensure coordination with all agencies, set up a control room, and inform us of any assistance needed for the relief efforts. I will speak to Union Ministers and request them to provide all assistance possible to Wayanad."

"I urge all UDF workers to assist the administration in the rescue and relief operations", Rahul said.

In her message, Congress General Secretary Priyanka Gandhi urged the local administration to speed up the relief and rescue operations.

I am deeply saddened to see the devastation caused by the massive landslide near Meppadi, Wayanad. My heartfelt condolences and prayers are with all those who have lost loved ones. I hope and pray that everyone is brought to safety as soon as possible."

I urge the government to take immediate action to expedite relief and rescue operations and request UDF workers to step forward to do all they can to be of support and comfort to all those affected by this tragedy, Priyanka wrote on social media platform X.

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Lesson for India in Zulfikar Bhutto's 'Charismatic' Politics

Zulfikar Ali Bhuttos presence in history has become even more important today. His leadership has become a symbol of what we in India must avoid

Tuesday July 30, 2024 10:05 AM , Ramya Ramanathan

Standing in front of a massive gathering of his supporters, Zulfikar Ali Bhutto once claimed that there were two Zulfikar Ali Bhuttos present at that particular moment  Aik jo yahan khada hai aur doosre aap, har aik aap mein.

It was probably this streak of charisma which propelled him into the political limelight in Pakistan during the late 60s and early 70s. His journey, from being the Foreign Minister who pushed General Ayub Khan to go to war against India in 1965 to finally becoming the Prime Minister of Pakistan in 1972, is intertwined with the dynamism of Pakistans complex economy and society which have a reputation of being fraught with one crisis after another. Politics has always been dominated by the army which never proved to be extremely sympathetic towards civilian governments. Even when given a chance, they have run into issues with grave consequences that have always resulted in embarrassment.

In Charisma and Disenchantment : The Vocation Lectures, Max Weber explains how charismatic regimes are dependent upon the supreme leaders authority. This indicates the presence of a vocation solely dedicated to politics. The charismatic ruler is held to have an inner calling to lead his nation. People accept his rule not because of customs or laws but because they believe in him. It is not difficult to place Bhutto against this theoretical and sociological narrative.

Bhutto possessed a distinct personality and even appropriated religious laws and dictums to give himself a political boost. His Islamic Socialism sounds great on paper and he compelled his supporters to accept the concept that Islam and socialism were highly compatible with each other. Islam was viewed as a social and all-encompassing system by students who backed his claims, and one of them went as far as to argue that Pakistan might as well rejoin India if it was to diverge from Islam.

Bhutto states, quite explicitly, that Islam was a uniting force between the right and the left in his relatively young nation and its prerogatives could not be understood by the outside world. Within the ideology of Islam itself, there was no contradiction with socialism. He desired to see a form of Scandinavian socialism (with Asian features) thrive in Pakistan and focused on rampant nationalization that would transform industries and the banking sector. His educational background also prompted him to think along socialistic lines and become a firm advocate of socio-economic reorientation.

Black and white documentaries and interviews dating back to the 70s, a decade truly ahead of its time, can attest to the emergence of the Bhutto Effect whose wave swept across students of prominent Pakistani universities. Despite having several dissidents, Zulfikar Ali Bhutto succeeded in enrapturing a major section of students. His claims of putting an end to Buffalo Bill Capitalism aimed to radically modify the existing economic model without abolishing private enterprises. He was convinced that he offered a policy which was positive, democratic and promised economic justice to the masses.

The entire period of Bhuttos political tenure was rooted in his personal and privileged ideals. He agreed that people belonging to feudal backgrounds, like himself, often set out to reform society and bring about social justice, often identifying themselves as militant social reformers. He looked up to certain events in world history, the French and Russian Revolutions being two of them, and took cues from them to create a new society which would follow the path he espoused.

However, his charismatic personality became problematic towards the end of his tenure. Scholars like Muhammad Abrar Zahoor have called him out for controlling political issues and dealing with them like a Sindhi wadera [landlord]. Additionally, there wasnt anything Islamic about his Islamic Socialism. It was just a catchword that was used to give legitimacy to his socialistic reforms and to reduce the hostility by which it was previously met.

Socialism was not a demonic ideology and he wanted to prove this through the success of his policies. Unfortunately, his attempts at nationalizing every economic sector of Pakistan over which he had his eyes on ravaged the entire economic structure which was comparatively stable under Ayub Khans military government. People suffered because of his poorly executed programs and Bhuttos charm began to evaporate. Business families turned against him as their assets were hit the hardest and began to feel extremely alienated.

This is that one section of society that politicians must not have standing against them. Dire repercussions had to be faced, as a result. His foreign policy of bilateralism and non-alignment did not change the prospects of Pakistan either. He even tried to weaken the army by attacking its basic constitution by creating the Federal Security Force [FSF]. He appropriated its services to terrorize his political opponents. His self-aggrandizing tendencies faced a major blow when it was realized that his nuclear weapon policy, dubbed as the Islamic Bomb, was a result of espionage and assistance from a friendly power, not a product of a technologically advanced state. The combination of Islam and technology was just an illusion. Even though Bhuttos populism echoed that of Indias leader at that time - Indira Gandhi, it set the stage for General Zia-ul-Haqs Islamization which ended up distorting aspects of Pakistani culture and society. Bhuttos downfall was, indeed, as meteoric as his rise (Zahoor).

Zulfikar Ali Bhuttos promise of democracy soon morphed into despotism. People of Pakistan were waylaid, once again. The gap between his political declarations and actual practices nudged the masses to drift away from him. He utilized unprecedented political power and tactics to eliminate all those who came in his way and continued to gain more adversaries as time passed. Despite being the leader of the only civilian government to complete its tenure of 5 years, his administration had a lot of faults. It glitters on paper but has a grotesque underbelly.

India can learn a major lesson from the turbulent past of Pakistan, which is groaning under the pressures of economic crisis and political fraud even in the present. It ceases to become the object of ridicule when the struggles of its citizens are brought to light. All of us, collectively, must choose to pay attention.

Charismatic figures exercise a lot of clout over the political atmosphere of India and the way her citizens participate as occasional politicians during elections. They continue to have a strong presence in society. Peoples mandate should rest upon reasonable promises of efficient resolutions for real issues instead of individual charisma of a towering personality who is not as grand or clever in reality. Worshipping these leaders must not become the norm. They always end up to be wolves in sheeps clothing who prey on peoples aspirations and cheat on their souls for their own benefit.

Zulfikar Ali Bhuttos presence in history has become even more important today. His leadership has become a symbol for what we must avoid. A leaf from our history books must be taken out for a lesson with which the present generation cannot compromise.

[This article has been written by Ramya Ramanathan. She studies history at Kirori Mal College, University of Delhi.]

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Olympics 2024 inaugural disgraceful even for Donald Trump

The row over the opening ceremony of the 2024 Paris Olympics ceases to die, and the latest to join its criticism is former American President Donald Trump.

Tuesday July 30, 2024 5:05 PM , ummid.com News Network

Washington: The row over the opening ceremony of the 2024 Paris Olympics ceases to die, and the latest to join its criticism is former American President Donald Trump.

Trump, who is the Republican Party nominee for the 2024 U.S. Presidential Elections, during a Fox News show said he 'is open minded" but found the Olympics opening ceremony disgraceful.

I thought that the opening ceremony was a disgrace, actually. I thought it was a disgrace," Trump told 'The Ingraham Angle' on Fox News Monday night. I am very open-minded. But I think, what they did was a disgrace, he reiterated in response to a question.

Olympics 2024 opening ceremony was held on Friday July 26, 2024 in River Seine, Paris.

The opening of the Paris Olympics was a glittering ceremony. But, a scene which critics said parodied Leonardo da Vinci's acclaimed painting "The Last Supper" sparked a huge outrage.

Slamming the Paris Olympics opening event, Journalist Kyle Becker said:

"The 2024 Paris Olympics has gone full Woke dystopian. The opening ceremony was filled with transgend*r mockery of the Last Supper, the Golden Calf idol, and even the Pale Horse from the Book of Revelation. "The Olympics has made it clear that Christian viewers aren't welcome", he added writing on social media platform X.

Some critics have even called the Olympics opening ceremony "satanic", "blasphemous" and "worst Olympics ever".

Glorifying Satanism in Paris, the new centre of

Sodom and Gomorrah during the 2024 Olympics opening ceremony..pic.twitter.com/qKoLpyMua0  Henry Kabogo    (@Kabogo_Henry) July 27, 2024

"Glorifying Satanism in Paris, the new centre of Sodom and Gomorrah during the 2024 Olympics opening ceremony", Henry Kabogo, Chairman and Founder Member Water Bottlers Association of Kenya (WBAK) and Director Victoria Springs, said.

A number of social media users compared the Paris Olympics opening ceremony with previous ones to express their anguish.

"Contrast between France's abomination and Russia's elegant opening ceremony in Sochi 2014 (bottom right) is why West's degenerates fiercely desire to wage war against nation still holding on to traditional values", a social media user wrote.

The 2024 Olympic games are scheduled from July 26 to August 11, 2024.



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DTE Maha Direct 2nd yr Diploma 2024 Merit List - Check Here

Submission of grievances, if any, after the release of Direct 2nd Year Polytechnic Diploma Merit List 2024 is from August 01 to 03, 2024

Wednesday July 31, 2024 1:52 AM , ummid.com News Network

DTE Maharashtra Direct 2nd Year Post SSC Diploma (DSD) Admission 2024: Directorate of Technical Education (DTE) Maharashtra is set to publish on its official website dsd24.dte.maharashtra.gov.in the Provisional Merit List of students seeking admission in Direct Second Year Post SSC Diploma in Engineering /Technology (Polytechnic) today i.e. Wednesday July 31, 2024.

Candidates should note that submission of grievances, if any, after the release of Direct 2nd Year Polytechnic Diploma Merit List 2024 is from August 01 to 03, 2024.

Candidates should also note that the DTE will analyse and resolve the grievances, if any, and then release the DSD 2024 Final Merit List on August 05, 2024.

Steps to check Direct 2nd year Post SSC Diplomal Merit List

Click here to go to the official website: dsd24.dtemaharashtra.gov.in . Click on the link marked with "Check Provisional Merit Status" under the Online System section of the home page. Enter your Application ID starting with DSD24 and Date of Birth. Click on Submit button to check your name and position.

Candidates should note that the DTE Maharashtra has not specified any time to release the 2024 Direct Second Year Post SSC (Polytechnic) Diploma in Engineering / Technology Merit List 2024. However, it will release the Direct 2nd year Polytechnic (DSD 24) Merit List by today evening.

Maharashtra Direct 2nd Year Post HSC Diploma Admission 2024 - Important Dates

Online Registration: June 12 to July 29, 2024 (Extended from July 03)

Document verification: Till July 29, 2024.

Display of the Provisional Merit list for Maharashtra State/All India/J & K Migrant candidates on website: July 31, 2024

Submission of grievance, if any, for all type of Candidates: August 01 to 03, 2024

Display of the Final Merit list of Maharashtra State/All India/ J & K Migrant candidates on website: August 05, 2024

Display of Provisional Category wise Seats (Seat Matrix) for CAP Round I: August 05, 2024

Online submission of option form: August 06 to 08, 2024

Display of Provisional Allotment of CAP Round-I: August 10, 2024

Display of Provisional Vacant Seats for CAP Round-II: August 16, 2024

DTE Maharashtra DSD24 CAP Round

The DTE has released on its official website Information Brochure (Marathi and English) and detailed admission notification dor DTE DSD24 admission process, though it is yet to confirm the CAP Round dates.

DTE Maharashtra has however released Provisional Seat Matrix CAP Round Admission 2023-24, 2022-23, 2021-22, 2020-21 and 2019-20 along with round wise Cut-off list for previous years for reference of the students.

Direct Second Year Post SSC Diploma admission are conducted in Civil, Mechanical, Information Technology (IT), Computer Engineering group, Electronics and Telecommunications, Electrical Engineering group and other streams.

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UGEAC 2024 Round 1 Seat Allotment Result Today - Direct Link

Candidates should note that BCECE will also make active today on its official website "bceceadmissions.nic.in" the link to download Allotment Order for Undergraduate Engineering Counselling UGEAC 2024

Wednesday July 31, 2024 1:47 AM , ummid.com News Network

UGEAC Seat Allotment 2024: Bihar Combined Entrance Competitive Examination Board (BCECE) is set to publish on its official website bceceadmissions.nic.in result of the First Round Seat Allotment of Under Graduate Engineering Admission Counselling [UGEAC] 2024 today i.e. Wednesday July 31, 2024.

Candidates should note that BCECE will also make active today on its official website "bceceadmissions.nic.in" the link to download Allotment Order for Undergraduate Engineering Counselling UGEAC 2024.

Candidates should note that downloading of Allotment order / Booking of Slots for Document Verification and Choice Upgradation (1st Round) should be done from July 31 to August 04, 2024.

Steps to check UGEAC Round 1 Seat Allotment 2024

Click here to go to official website: bceceboard.bihar.gov.in . Under online forms section of the home page, click on the link marked as "Online Counselling portal of UGEAC 2024". Log-in using UGEAC ID and Password or JEE Main Application No. Enter your date of birth and security code. Click on "Download Provisional Allotment Order of UGEAC 2024 First Round". Download allotment order and take a printout.

Candidates should note that if they find their name in the round 1 list, they should verify their documents from August 01 to 04, 2024 for admission confirmation.

Candidates should note that the BCECE has confirmed the date to release the UGEAC Round 1 allotment. It has however not confirmed the time.

It should however be noted that UGEAC 2024 round 1 allotment will be released any time by today evening.

UGEAC 2024 Round 2 Allotment

Candidates who do not get the admission in UGEAC Round 1 can participate in UGEAC 2024 Round 2. As per the UGEAC notification, UGEAC Second Round Allotment result will be published on August 09, 2024.

The Bihar Combined Entrance Competitive Examination Board (BCECE) had on June 25, 2024 released UGEAC 2024 Rank Card and Merit List prepared for Under Graduate Engineering Admission Counselling 2024 conducted for admission in First Year BE / BTech engineering courses in Government Engineering Colleges of Bihar on its official website bceceboard.bihar.gov.in.

UGEAC Choice Filling was held from July 20, 2024. The last date of registration and choice filling was July 26, 2024.

UGEAC 2024 Counselling - Important Dates

Publication of UGEAC Merit List on Board's Web: June 25, 2024

Starting date of UGEAC Online Registration and Choice filling for Seat Allotment: July 20, 2024

Last date of Online Registration, Choice filling for Seat Allotment and locking: July 26, 2024

1st Round Provisional Seat Allotment result publication date: July 31, 2024

Downloading of Allotment order / Booking of Slots for Document Verification and Choice Upgradation (1st Round): July 31 to August 04, 2024

Documents Verification and Admission (1st Round): August 01 to 04, 2024

2nd Round Provisional Seat Allotment result publication date: August 09, 2024

Downloading of Allotment order / Booking of Slots for Document Verification and

Choice Upgradation (2nd Round) : August 09 to 12, 2024

Documents Verification and Admission (2nd Round): August 10 to 12, 2024

Bihar Combined Entrance Competitive Examination Board (BCECEB) is constituted under Bihar Combined Entrance Competitive Examination Act, 1995.

Apart from Bihar NEET Medical and Engineering Counselling, it conducts competitive examinations every year for admissions in various professional courses of Medical, Engineering and Agricultural streams in the Institutions of the state of Bihar.

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China to hold internet civilization conference in late August

Xinhua) 10:07, July 30, 2024

BEIJING, July 29 (Xinhua) -- The 2024 China Internet Civilization Conference will be held on Aug. 28 and 29 in Chengdu, southwest China's Sichuan Province, its organizers said on Monday.

The conference will be themed on promoting the spirit of the times and jointly advancing civility in cyberspace.

Yang Jianwen, deputy chief of the Office of the Central Cyberspace Affairs Commission and the Cyberspace Administration of China, said at a press conference that in addition to the opening ceremony and its main forum, the conference will also feature sub-forums on topics such as advancing civility in cyberspace, fostering a strong sense of community for the Chinese nation, protecting minors in the online environment and promoting internet art development and cultural strength.

There will also be sub-forums on artificial intelligence and online law enforcement to ensure a sound business environment, according to Yang.

(Web editor: Zhang Kaiwei, Wu Chaolan)
A Ryanair flight was just 36 minutes into its journey when fists also started flying as an intense brawl broke out between passengers mid-air.

According to individuals on the flight, several passengers started screaming at one another from across the plane while 30,000 feet in the air.

A passenger on board the evening flight from Agadir to London Stansted on Wednesday told The Sun that an argument ensued between two families during boarding.

Allegedly, it all began when a man, believed to be in his 20s, asked another passenger if they would be willing to move so that they could sit with his wife and young children.

The woman, who was sitting with her own daughter, reportedly declined to move, which immediately prompted the man to start threatening her.

While the flight took off with no problems, as soon as the seat belt signs came off, the woman's husband, believed to be in his 30s, is said to have jumped to his wife's defense against the man threatening her.

Soon, punches were being thrown between the two men while the staff reportedly tried to intervene.

A 36-year-old finance worker from Herts who wishes to remain anonymous told the news outlet:

"They were trying to punch each other. One of the families was part of a larger group, so other passengers started to join in."

He then revealed that a woman sitting in the row behind started having a panic attack and began screaming, causing children to cry, and from there it was a "snowball effect."

"We were only in the air for 36 minutes before we had to do an unexpected landing. It was so stressful, he continued.

It was like a flight from hell. And it all escalated from that one passenger wanting to change seats."

The plane was forced to make an emergency landing in Marrakesh.

Moroccan police then escorted the nine individuals involved off of the plane.

The situation took another turn for the worse when a passenger became ill during the altercation and had to be given oxygen mid-flight.

A spokesperson for Ryanair said he was treated by medics on landing, who ultimately deemed him unfit to fly.

Refusing to get off the aircraft, he became abusive towards the cabin crew.

He can be heard saying in the cellphone footage:

"They think I'm a terrorist. That's why they're bringing the whole army here to take me down.

"Give me my f****** bag. I will whack your jaw, bruv.".

Other passengers begged him to leave the plane before police finally removed him.

The spokesperson disclosed,

"It took almost two hours in total to treat and offload these disruptive passengers, during which time the rest of the passengers remained onboard, the crew reached their permitted flying hours, and the flight to be delayed overnight."
(VAN) Cai Mon Durian is not a specific variety of durian but rather a name used to refer to durian varieties originating from the Cai Mon area in Cho Lach District.

The first geographical indication for durian products in the country

Recently, Ben Tre province announced the geographical indication for seven products, including Cai Mon durian. This makes it the first locality in the country to have a geographical indication for durian. Before Cai Mon durian, no durian product had been protected by a geographical indication. Some products had been developed with collective trademarks and certification marks, such as Cai Lay durian (Tien Giang), Cam My durian (Dong Nai), Da Hoai durian (Lam Dong), Dak Mil durian (Dak Nong), Hoa Thuan durian (Kien Giang), Khanh Son durian (Khanh Hoa), and Ngu Hiep durian (Tien Giang).

The Ri6 durian grown in Ben Tre has an edible ratio of up to 32.85%. Photo: Minh Dam.

Cai Mon durian is not a single variety of durian but rather a name used to refer to durian varieties originating from the Cai Mon area in Cho Lach district. Initially, Cai Mon durian was mainly concentrated in Cho Lach district, renowned for its distinctively delicious quality. Later, the cultivation area for Cai Mon durian expanded to Chau Thanh district and some communes in Mo Cay Bac district bordering Cho Lach district, where the geographic location, soil conditions, climate, and freshwater sources for irrigation are similar.

Currently, the Ri6 and Monthong durian varieties play a dominant role, accounting for about 90%. According to research by the Ben Tre Department of Science and Technology, the analysis and comparison of the physical and chemical properties of Ri6 and Monthong durian varieties grown in Ben Tre province with those from Binh Duong and Dong Nai regions show clear differences, especially the higher edible flesh ratio, demonstrating the superior quality of "Cai Mon" durian.

Specifically, the Ri6 variety has elliptical-shaped fruit, with an average weight of 2.61 kg/fruit (ranging from 2 to 3.5 kg/fruit). The fruit's skin is greenish-yellow when ripe, with tall, sparse, pentagon-shaped, and smooth thorns. The flesh is dark yellow, dry, not sticky, fiberless, and usually not mealy. The flesh is thick, with a high flesh ratio, having a rich, sweet, and fragrant taste. The seeds are small, with a low seed-to-fruit ratio, and the flesh ratio is 32.85%.

Cai Mon durian on the day Ben Tre announced its Geographical Indication. Photo: Minh Dam.

Regarding the Monthong variety, the fruit is cylindrical with a pointed apex and an average weight of 3.62 kg per fruit (ranging from 3 to 5 kg per fruit). Monthong durian usually has clearly defined segments, and its skin is yellow-brown when ripe. The flesh is very thick, light yellow, moderately fibrous, and prone to being mealy, especially when the flesh turns white, which commonly occurs during the rainy months (July-August). The flesh has a high ratio, is dry, sweet, and rich. The seeds are small, with a low seed-to-fruit ratio, and the flesh ratio is 33.09%.

Additionally, the quality indicators of the fruit, such as sweetness (Brix level), richness, and the content of essential minerals like potassium, calcium, magnesium, iron, and zinc, are mostly higher in Cai Mon durian compared to the same varieties grown in the other two regions.

According to the Ben Tre Department of Science and Technology, the natural conditions, soil, climate, hydrology, rivers, and cultivation practices in the province offer unique advantages for durian growth compared to other regions. Specifically, the land formed by the alluvial deposits of the Tien River system, rich in medium nutrients, contributes to the distinctive aroma, flavor, sweetness, color, and richness of durian, which has gained widespread fame.

Concerns Over the Brand Infringement of Ben Tre Durian

Ben Tre province currently has over 2,760 hectares of durian, with nearly 2,000 hectares of fruit-bearing orchards concentrated in the districts of Cho Lach, Chau Thanh, and Mo Cay Bac, yielding an average annual output of approximately 24,198 tons. In July 2022, the Protocol on Phytosanitary Requirements for the export of durian from Vietnam to China was signed, opening up significant opportunities for businesses and durian producers in Vietnam in general, and Ben Tre in particular.

The Ben Tre Provincial People\'s Committee recently sent Official Letter No. 4702 to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs requesting prompt support for the protection of the "Ben Tre Durian" certification trademark in China. Photo: Minh Dam.

Besides significant opportunities, the production and export of durian face many challenges and risks. One of these challenges is the issue of exported durian not meeting quality standards, which damages the product's brand. To maintain and protect the reputation and quality of Ben Tre's exported durian to the Chinese market, the Ben Tre Department of Science and Technology is processing the registration of the certification mark "Ben Tre Durian" in China.

The application for protection was submitted to the China National Intellectual Property Administration and was accepted on June 14, 2023. However, the review process for the trademark registration has been slow and prolonged, significantly affecting production and business plans for durian in particular and the local socio-economic development in general.

Therefore, the Ben Tre People's Committee has recently issued Official Dispatch No. 4702 to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, requesting assistance in quickly securing the certification mark "Ben Tre Durian" in China. The aim is for the province to establish intellectual property rights for the "Ben Tre Durian" certification mark and to prevent unauthorized use of the "Ben Tre" geographical name for durian.

The Ben Tre People's Committee has requested the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the Vietnam Trade Office in China (Ministry of Industry and Trade), and the Intellectual Property Office (Ministry of Science and Technology) to support the request for expedited examination, announcement, and granting of protection certificates for the "Ben Tre Durian" certification mark by the end of this year. This will allow the locality and the community of durian producers and traders to timely use this certification mark for harvesting and exporting durian (off-season) to the Chinese market.
HA NOI  Viet Nams overseas investment reached approximated US$150.7 million in the first seven months of 2024, data of the Foreign Investment Agency (FIA) under the Ministry of Planning and Investment showed.

The amount was channeled in 64 new projects and added to 15 existing ones.

Vietnamese investors poured money into 12 sectors abroad during the reviewed period. The mining sector topped the list, accounting for 38.9 per cent of the total, followed by processing-manufacturing (19.2 per cent) and the wholesale and retail sector (16.4 per cent), statistics showed.

Among the 23 countries and territories receiving Vietnamese investments during the period, the Netherlands took the lead with 36.2 per cent. It was followed by Laos (24.3 per cent), the United States (12.4 per cent) and Cambodia (8.2 per cent).

As of July 20, Viet Nam had 1,750 valid overseas investment projects with combined capital of nearly $22.27 billion, the majority of which, 31.6 per cent, operated in the mining industry and 15.5 per cent in the agro-forestry-fishery sector.

Laos was the largest recipient of Vietnamese investment with 24.7 per cent. Cambodia ranked second and Venezuela came third with 13.1 per cent and 8.3 per cent, respectively, according to the FIA.  VNS
HCM CITY  E-commerce sales in Viet Nam are expected to reach US$30 billion by the end of this year, heard a meeting held in HCM City by the Ministry of Industry and Trades Trade Promotion Agency and the citys Investment & Trade Promotion Centre (ITPC) on July 29.

Nearly VN800 billion ($31.65 million) worth of goods were sold on the countrys top five e-commerce platforms of Shopee, Lazada, Tiki, Sendo and Tiktok Shop every day, ITPC Deputy Director Ho Thi Quyen quoted a report by market analysis firm Metric.

Sales on the platforms in the first half of the year amounted to VN143.9 trillion, surging 54.91 per cent as compared to the retail industrys growth of 7.4 per cent.

Metric pointed out that the growth mainly came from TikTok Shop and Shopee.

Only Tiktok Shop and Shopee registered positive growth rates of 150.54 per cent and 65.96 per cent in revenue in the period.

Meanwhile, Lazada, Tiki and Sendo saw negative growth in both revenue and sale volumes. The report pointed out that Lazadas revenue fell by 43.81 per cent and Tiki by 48.55 per cent.

Metric said that both Shopee and Tiktok Shop successfully took advantage of livestream shopping trend, while notably, the number of shop malls increased by 12.29 per cent in the period.

The top 10 brands with the highest e-commerce revenue included only one Vietnamese brand  Vinamilk  raising a need for domestic brands to develop business strategies to compete in the domestic e-commerce market.

Metric predicted that the demand for school supplies with prices of below VN50,000 per item will increase in August and early September as a new school year begins.

Various kinds of shopping developed strongly, particularly social media live streaming commerce, and multi-channel sales, during the six-month span, bringing huge revenue for sellers.

Quyen said that business skills on the digital platforms have become significant in developing brands and images for enterprises and cooperatives, adding such digital tools as social media, livestreaming and email marketing help firms not only reach out to more customers but also optimise their business management and operation.

Deputy Director of the Trade Promotion Agency Le Hoang Tai highlighted that in order to capitalise on the opportunities that the digital platforms have brought about, companies should equip themselves with new business skills which are in accordance with the current trend.

In the coming time, the agency will continue joining hands with its partners to organise programmes to support businesses, cooperatives and household businesses in promoting trade via digital platforms and bolstering agricultural digital economy, while helping them access new technologies and expand their markets.  VNS
MEXICO CITY  The Western Mexican Business Council for Foreign Trade (COMCE Occidente), the Vietnamese Embassy in Mexico and the Mexico's National Bank of Foreign Trade (Bancomext) on July 29 launched a business guide to support Mexican enterprises interested in the Vietnamese market.

The 13-chapter document consists of information on Viet Nam's economy and foreign trade, updates on bilateral trade, potential sectors and products, useful tools related to the Comprehensive and Progressive Agreement for Trans-Pacific Partnership (CPTPP), as well as contacts in Viet Nam.

Speaking at the event, President of COMCE Occidente Miguel Angel Landeros emphasised that the document provides valuable and practical information related to the business environment in Viet Nam, while highlighting opportunities, challenges, and the most suitable methods to enter and expand business activities in the country.

He said that the relations between Mexico and Viet Nam are being strengthened in all areas, and their trade ties will continue to grow strongly as both countries are members of the CPTPP.

Mexican Ambassador to Viet Nam Alejandro Negrin said that as the CPTPP has come into effect, the business guide will further support Mexican businesses in exporting or expanding operations in the Vietnamese market.

For his part, Vietnamese Ambassador to Mexico Nguyen Van Hai affirmed that bilateral trade still has a lot of room for further development, especially as the two are large markets and have many similarities, with many products and industries complementing each other.

According to the Viet Nam Trade Office in Mexico, bilateral trade turnover reached US$3.1 billion in the first half of this year, up 22 per cent over the same period last year, of which Viet Nams exports to Mexico was worth $2.64 billion.  VNS
HA NOI  Over 60 booths from the semiconductor and high-tech industries participated in an exhibition introducing products and technological solutions, facilitating investment promotions and offering potential trade connections.

On the afternoon of 29 July, the Ha Noi Promotion Agency (HPA), in collaboration with the Department of Information and Communications, the Vietnam Software and IT Services Association, the Hoa Lac Hi-tech Park Management Board, and the Ha Noi University of Science and Technology, organised the 'Ha Noi Semiconductor Technology Investment Networking Day 2024'. The event runs until 31 July.

Nguyen Anh Duong, Director of the Ha Noi Promotion Agency (HPA), said that the event aims to provide information on the current situation, orientation and solutions to promote the development and cooperation of semiconductor technology enterprises in the city. It also aims to discuss opportunities and solutions for developing a work force in the semiconductor field at Hoa Lac Hi-tech Park and across Ha Noi.

This event also serves as an opportunity for businesses and investors operating in the semiconductor technology industry and those investing in and trading products within the semiconductor and high-tech ecosystem in Ha Noi and other provinces and cities across the country to connect, promote investment and trade in the semiconductor industry in Ha Noi and Viet Nam.

Additionally, government agencies can propose appropriate policies to develop high-quality human resources, creating essential conditions to attract investors in the semiconductor field. This is directed towards establishing research centres, semiconductor production facilities and providing manufacturing services for the semiconductor industry.

With its strategic position and numerous unique advantages, Ha Noi holds significant potential and opportunity for development and investment attraction in the technology sector, including the semiconductor industry.

Ha Noi has continuously improved the investment and business environment, actively reviewed administrative procedures, simplified and expedited the processing time, facilitating and reducing costs for residents, organisations and businesses.

The city has issued and implemented policies to support businesses, organised numerous investment promotion activities, held business dialogues and resolved many difficulties and obstacles for businesses during their production and business processes in Ha Noi. These efforts have contributed to improving the investment environment and enhancing the city's provincial competitiveness.  VNS
SEOUL  After a second date, Lee Tae-hyung, 26, wanted to ask the woman out again.

He sent her a KakaoTalk message saying, Do you have time this weekend? and the reply he received was, I dont think I can make time. I have plans this weekend.

The message made me wonder. Is she politely saying, No, I dont want to go on another date with you, or does this mean that I can ask her again next week? Lee said.

Lee asked his friends and found out that if she were actually interested in another date, she would suggest other times she could meet him. Simply saying she is busy usually means no, they concluded.

Hesitating to say no directly, as Lees date did, out of fear of offending someone, is a common human reaction.

But South Koreas social norms, expectations and pressures often amplify the challenge, making indirect refusals the preferred course of action unless a direct response is absolutely unavoidable.

I dont think 

When declining a request, especially from a close friend they care about, Koreans usually make sure theyre declining only if theres no other choice and try to reschedule.

This is why softening phrases like I dont think are almost always used when declining a request.

This phrase adds uncertainty to a negative response, allowing Koreans to decline politely without closing the door entirely. For example, they might say, I dont think I can attend instead of I cant go, which sounds blunt to Koreans if they are trying to maintain social relations.

In different social settings in Korea, there are various ways to say no.

In the workplace, where top-down hierarchies between bosses and subordinates are common, many choose to use white lies.

A 2019 survey by local job search website Incruit found that 82.3 per cent of 282 Korean employees admitted to telling white lies at work, primarily to avoid hurting the feelings of those who ask, particularly superiors.

Park Soo-jin, 34, a marketing company employee, illustrates this phenomenon.

I enjoy eating breakfast alone at the hotel when I travel for leisure. But when my boss asked about breakfast on a business trip to China, I said, I dont eat breakfast, she said.

She felt that simply saying she wanted to eat alone seemed inappropriate as it could hurt her boss feelings.

The difficulty of saying no also stems from group social pressure.

Ahn, a 30-year-old advertising employee, frequently cancels plans with his girlfriend due to impromptu team dinners at work.

My girlfriend gets upset, but its hard to decline when nobody else (on the team) is doing it, Ahn said. I once had to lie to my boss that I was sick so that I could skip a team dinner and go see her.

Many people say that saying no is also hard in Koreas dating scene.

Lee Ji-an, a 25-year-old who went on a blind date in March, struggled to decline a second date despite a lack of romantic connection.

It was difficult to bluntly say no because I worried that it might affect my relationship with the friend who set us up, Lee said.

She tried replying late to messages and saying she was busy a few times, but the guy did not seem to get the point.

Unsure of how to refuse politely, she sought advice from friends and discovered that it was a common experience.

Some of her friends even offered her a prewritten template for such situations.

I could just fill in the name and send it to the guy, Lee said.

Her struggle is also commonly shared online, where other dating-related forums suggest sending templates like, I had a great time today. You seem like a great guy, but I dont think were going to work out. I hope you find someone wonderful.

Why is no so difficult?

One linguist views that in Korea, saying no is especially difficult not only due to social pressure but also because of hierarchies created by Korean languages honorific system.

Professor Lee Chan-kyu of Chung-Ang Universitys Department of Korean Language and Literature sees that the hierarchical communication patterns of Korean language complicate the expression of negative opinions, especially in professional settings.

Effective communication is typically two-way, Lee explained. However, in many Korean workplaces, top-down approaches prevail, with those in superior positions speaking informally, and with only subordinates using honorifics when speaking back.

Interestingly, I found that employees  both those in superior and subordinate positions  who use honorifics with each other report greater satisfaction and less stress when communicating within the company, Lee said.

Expressing ones honest opinion is also something many Koreans feel uncomfortable about.

It is slowly changing. But for instance, to children, Koreans are more focused on saying, Youre a good kid because you do what your parents tell you to do, compared to in other countries, Kim Hoh, CEO of The Lab H, a business communication consulting firm, said.

We are not used to asking kids opinions or preferences.

He added that this kind of hierarchical organizational culture has made it so Koreans are not accustomed to refusing something directly.

As if navigating the nuances of saying no in Korea isnt complex enough, there are special exceptions where saying no is not only seen as acceptable but in fact expected.

Such situations occur for instance when Koreans are presented with someone elses kind offer.

For instance, when visiting an acquaintances home and the host invites you to join their family meal, it is customary initially to decline before eventually accepting. Similarly, during Seollal family gatherings, when older relatives give younger ones cash gifts like sebae money, it is expected for the recipient initially to refuse, as a way of demonstrating humility and gratitude.

When I offer something to someone, I am accustomed to asking three times. Its because some Koreans believe its polite to decline twice before accepting the third offer, said Kim Sang-hyun, 40. -- ANN/THE KOREA HERALD
KIEN GIANG - Along with offering discounts for local residents, Kien Giang Province is also looking into exploiting night flight products to attract tourists to Phu Quoc.

The Kien Giang Department of Tourism recently announced that in the first six months of 2024, Kien Giang welcomed about 5.4 million visitors.

Among them, international tourists were estimated at more than 500,000, and total tourism revenue exceeded VN13.3 trillion (US$526 million).

To attract visitors, Sun World Hon Thom Phu Quoc will launch special promotions for Kien Giang residents traveling to Phu Quoc.

From August 1 to September 5, locals can experience the cable car ride to Hon Thom and the Cau Hon bridge for VN250,000 per person.

Here, visitors can swim, snorkel, and enjoy the night market "Vui Phet" in Hoang Hon town in An Thoi Ward.

They can also watch puppet shows and street music performances showcasing the unique cultural characteristics of Vietnamese people.

Du To Tuan, director of Vietravel's Rach Gia branch, said that HCM City and the Mekong Delta region have a lot of tourism potential.

Tourists can conveniently travel by car with their families to Phu Quoc.

The company is currently offering a promotion where buying a tour package comes with a free tour.

"Tourists who book tours to Phu Quoc and some other destinations with values of VN10 million or more will be given a free tour to experience some ecological tourism sites and explore the cultural beauty of the local people," Tuan said.

Recently, Viet Nam Airlines sent an invitation to the Kien Giang Centre for Investment, Trade, and Tourism Promotion for cooperation to attract tourists with night flight products to Phu Quoc.

Viet Nam Airlines hopes that the provincial People's Committee, Kien Giang Department of Tourism, and local tourism businesses will be interested in creating accommodation packages combined with flight tickets, offering free or 80 per cent discounted tickets for the first night.

The centre is determined to implement this programme as a tourism product of Kien Giang.

The airline is requested to finalise the specific night flight products, such as a 9pm flight time, ticket pricing policies, and cancellation and exchange policies, and send them to the Kien Giang Department of Tourism and the Phu Quoc City People's Committee. - VNS
A 44-year-old California woman was arrested after she allegedly stabbed her wife to death with a Samurai sword and wounded her mother-in-law.

Weichien Huang is accused of attacking Chen Chen Fei, 47, and Fei's mother about 3:30 p.m. last Thursday in their Los Angeles County home, according to the Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department.

The couple had been in a fight before the attack, authorities said.

The mother-in-law, who was not identified, was able to wrestle the sword away from Huang despite her injuries and run outside to find help.

She is in stable condition at a local hospital.

Fei's body was found in the home.

Huang has been charged with murder.

Police said that no further information on the case was available at this time.


HA NOI  Major General Vu Trung Kien, Deputy Commander in charge of law at the Viet Nam Coast Guard Command, said on Monday that he hopes the US Department of States Bureau of International Narcotics & Law Enforcement Affairs (INL) will enhance cooperation with the Viet Nam Coast Guard and Border Guard amidst complicated developments of drug and human trafficking crimes.

Hosting a Ha Noi reception for Shelby Smith-Wilson, Principal Deputy Assistant Secretary for the INL, Kien suggested both sides strengthen information sharing on crime syndicates and drug crimes at sea, and organise training courses to improve capacity for the Vietnamese law enforcement officers in the fight against drug crimes, human trafficking and illegal, unreported and unregulated (IUU) fishing.

He also recommended the INL continue arranging foreign language training courses for the staff of the Vietnamese forces.

Over the past time, the US Government and the INL in particular have supported the Vietnamese coast and border guards to better their law enforcement capacity, and organised various regional programmes and conferences which offer Southeast Asian countries opportunities to discuss and join hands to settle drug and crimes effectively.

The US official affirmed that the US Government always accompanies the Vietnamese Government in ensuring a safe and open Indo-Pacific, and spoke highly of the efforts by the Vietnamese forces in the fight.

She said the INL always attaches much importance to its cooperation with the Vietnam Coast Guard, hoping for stronger collaboration in the above-mentioned areas as well as the implementation of initiatives to improve the role of women in law enforcement at sea.  VNS
HA NOI - The official visit of Timor-Leste President Jose Ramos-Horta to Viet Nam is poised to bring numerous strategic benefits to both nations, strengthening and developing bilateral cooperation in the future.

This statement was made by Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of Viet Nam to Indonesia and concurrently to Timor-Leste, Ta Van Thong, during an interview with the Voice of Viet Nam (VOV) on the occasion of President Jose Ramos-Horta's visit to Viet Nam from July 31 to August 3.

Promoting bilateral strategic interests

Since Viet Nam and Timor-Leste established diplomatic relations on July 28, 2002, the friendship and multifaceted cooperation between the two countries have made significant progress.

Bilaterally, despite the geographical distance, Viet Nam and Timor-Leste have maintained a close relationship, consistently supporting each other on the international stage, particularly in the struggle for national liberation. This visit by President Jose Ramos-Horta, his fourth high-level visit to Viet Nam, provides an opportunity for both sides to discuss measures to promote cooperation and deepen bilateral relations.

Multilaterally, both sides have been strengthening cooperation and coordinating positions at regional and international forums. Viet Nam, along with other ASEAN countries and the ASEAN Secretariat, has always supported Timor-Leste in its preparation and capacity-building efforts, facilitating consensus among ASEAN members for Timor-Leste's accession to ASEAN.

In terms of trade, bilateral trade between the two countries remains limited, primarily involving rice and textiles. In 2023, Viet Nam's exports to Timor-Leste reached US$15.49 million, while imports from Timor-Leste were $371,000. In the first five months of 2024, exports to Timor-Leste stood at $6.09 million, an increase of 29.4 per cent.

Regarding investment, Viettel currently has a successful project in Timor-Leste named Telemor, with initial investment capital of $500,000, which has gradually increased to $15 million, securing a firm position in this market. In education, the two countries' Ministries of Education have agreed to sign a Memorandum of Understanding to enhance cooperation activities. Currently, around 40 Timor-Leste students are studying in Viet Nam, with hopes of welcoming more students in the future.

Ambassador Ta Van Thong affirmed that the official visit of the Timor-Leste President to Viet Nam will bring numerous strategic benefits to both nations, contributing to the strengthening and development of bilateral relations.

Exploiting potential strengths

Ambassador Ta Van Thong believes that the Timor-Leste market holds significant potential for Vietnamese exports such as rice, processed foods, milk and dairy products, footwear, beverages, household goods and electrical machinery.

Viet Nam's economic activities in the coming years will require more inputs such as fuel (petrol), raw wood, raw seafood, minerals and metals. These are also potential products in Timor-Leste. By cooperating with Viet Nam, Timor-Leste's goods will become crucial inputs for manufacturing, enabling both countries to participate more deeply in regional and global value chains.

Ambassador Ta Van Thong suggested that Timor-Leste facilitate research and investment opportunities in fields such as oil and gas exploration and exploitation, forest and mineral resource processing, metal ore mining and investment cooperation to produce goods for export to countries offering preferential treatment to Timor-Leste. He also urged Timor-Leste to expedite the ratification of the trade agreement signed between the two countries and to boost cooperation in transport, import-export and seaport sectors to support trade exchanges.

Ambassador Ta Van Thong emphasised that President Jose Ramos-Horta's official visit to Viet Nam is not only an opportunity to strengthen friendly relations but also a chance to demonstrate support and close cooperation between the two countries. This visit provides an opportunity for both nations to review cooperative activities, negotiate and exchange experiences in economic, educational, agricultural and fisheries sectors.

Viet Nam supports Timor-Leste's accession to ASEAN

Timor-Leste is currently in the process of joining ASEAN, which will further expand economic, political, and cultural cooperation opportunities with regional community members. For successful ASEAN accession, Timor-Leste needs the support of member countries, with Viet Nam playing a crucial role.

Ambassador Ta Van Thong emphasised that, based on the traditional friendship between the two peoples, Viet Nam has always strongly supported Timor-Leste in joining ASEAN. In coordinating support for Timor-Leste to become an official member, Viet Nam particularly focuses on training and capacity building for officials.

According to Ambassador Ta Van Thong, investing in personnel training is one of the key factors to help Timor-Leste build a strong human resource foundation, enhancing productivity and work quality, empowering local authorities, thereby promoting the country's sustainable development and facilitating international and regional integration.

In summary, President Jose Ramos-Horta's state visit to Viet Nam marks a historic moment for Timor-Leste as it seeks to join ASEAN, while also promoting comprehensive cooperation, bringing strategic benefits to both countries and contributing to the consolidation and development of bilateral relations in the future. VNS
HA NOI  Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh will pay a state visit to India from July 30 to August 1, according to a communique of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

The visit will be made at the invitation of Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi, it said.

Viet Nam and India established diplomatic relations in 1972. In 2016, the two countries elevated their relationship to the highest level  Comprehensive Strategic Partnership.

Over time, political trust between the two nations has been continuously strengthened through regular high-level visits and contacts across various channels, including Party, State, Government, National Assembly, local levels, and people-to-people exchanges. The two sides have maintained and effectively promoted bilateral cooperation mechanisms.

Defence and security cooperation continues to be a crucial and strategic pillar of their partnership. Economic and trade cooperation has recovered and developed positively after the pandemic, with bilateral trade reaching nearly US$15 billion in 2023. As of May 2024, trade between the two countries had reached nearly $5.94 billion.

India currently has 380 active investment projects in Viet Nam, with a total capital of $1.067 billion, ranking 24th out of 144 countries and territories investing in Viet Nam.  VNS
HA NOI  Viet Nam gives high regard to the European Unions assistance in the countrys socioeconomic development and global integration, foreign minister Bui Thanh Son said at a press conference following his talks with Josep Borrell Fontelles, High Representative of the EU for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy.

Fontelles was leading the EU delegation to attend late Party General Secretary Nguyen Phu Trongs funeral, highlighting the latters contributions to Viet Nams rising position in the global context, as well as the Viet Nam-EU relations.

Viet Nam and the EU have seen positive progress in all areas of cooperation, notably with four cooperation agreements and eight dialogue mechanisms.

The Southeast Asian nation is also the first country in ASEAN to have an all-round cooperation with the EU, including politics, trade, national defence and security.

The EU is the largest non-refundable aid provider as well as a leading trade-investment partner of Viet Nam, with positive progress brought by the EU-Viet Nam Free Trade Agreement (EVFTA) after four years of execution.

Their bilateral trade turnover reached US$58.5 billion in 2023. This figure in the first six months of 2024 was $24.7 billion, a 16 per cent year-on-year increase.

EU is the fifth largest investor in Viet Nam with nearly $30 billion in accumulated FDI (foreign direct investment). Meanwhile, Viet Nam is the largest trade partner of the EU in ASEAN and the 16th largest globally.

Vietnamese foreign minister Son requested that the EU continue its ODA (official development assistance) for Viet Nam through bilateral and multilateral channels, as well as regional programmes.

This support should focus on key sectors for Viet Nams sustainable development such as public governance capacity, green economy, digital economy, circular economy and sustainable fisheries.

He also requested the EU recognise Viet Nams efforts in countering illegal, unreported and unregulated (IUU) fishing and soon remove the yellow card for Vietnamese seafood exports.

Other areas for cooperation include the ratification of the EU-Viet Nam Investment Protection Agreement (EVIPA) and the Just Energy Transition Partnership (JETP).

Reaffirming the EUs support for Viet Nams net-zero commitment through JETP, Fontelles emphasised that the immediate crucial task was to accelerate progress based on project priorities and institutional reforms.

Viet Nam also welcomed the EUs positive role in the Indo-Pacific through initiatives and strategies that strengthen the cooperation between the EU and the region.

In addition to the EUs Global Gateway Initiative, Viet Nam also supported enhancing the ASEAN-EU Strategic Partnership.

Discussing regional and international issues of mutual concern, Viet Nam appreciated the EUs role and contributions in maintaining peace, stability, cooperation, freedom of navigation and aviation in the East Sea (known internationally as the South China Sea) based on international laws.  VNS
At the invitation of the Prime Minister of the Republic of India, Narendra Modi, the Prime Minister of the Socialist Republic of Viet Nam, Pham Minh Chinh, is paying a state visit to India from 30 July to 1 August. Deputy Foreign Minister Pham Thanh Binh talks to the press ahead of the visit.

Could you elaborate on the significance of Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh's state visit to India?

Viet Nam and India share a traditional and robust friendship, nurtured by President Ho Chi Minh and Indian leaders including Mahatma Gandhi and Jawaharlal Nehru, as well as successive generations of leaders and people from both countries.

In 2016, the two countries established the Comprehensive Strategic Partnership framework. This visit marks the first by a Vietnamese Prime Minister since the establishment of this new framework. Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh is one of the first foreign leaders invited to visit India after its Lok Sabha elections and the formation of the new government. The visit coincides with the 70th anniversary of the Geneva Agreement, where India played a crucial role in supporting the negotiations and signing of this agreement.

Given this context, the Prime Minister's visit holds immense significance, reaffirming Viet Nam's consistent policy of valuing traditional friendship and the Comprehensive Strategic Partnership with India. It also aims to strengthen the relationship between the leaders of both countries, especially between the two Prime Ministers.

The visit has been meticulously prepared by both sides, featuring a rich and substantive programme focused on deepening the Comprehensive Strategic Partnership across various fields. This aims to address current geopolitical and economic changes, consolidating traditional areas of cooperation while expanding into new potential sectors such as electronics, telecommunications, biotechnology, pharmaceuticals, renewable energy, the green and digital economies, AI, semiconductors, new materials and essential minerals.

The visit also provides an opportunity for the two countries to enhance their collaboration on regional and international security and strategic issues, affirming mutual support in multilateral forums of shared interest.

How do you assess the relations between the two countries in recent times, particularly in terms of trade and investment cooperation?

The Viet Nam-India Comprehensive Strategic Partnership has been developing positively, with a solid foundation and high political trust. Relations between the Party, State, National Assembly and people of both countries have been expanding, with regular visits and interactions at all levels. Various cooperation mechanisms, such as dialogue platforms and specialised cooperation subcommittees, have been maintained and effectively utilised.

Defence and security cooperation is a crucial pillar at a strategic level, with the two countries signing a Joint Vision Statement on defence partnership and a Memorandum of Understanding on logistics cooperation in June 2022. This includes cooperation in training, defence industry, naval visits and providing credit and non-refundable aid packages.

Economically, bilateral trade has increased 2.5 times since the establishment of the Comprehensive Strategic Partnership, reaching nearly US$15 billion in 2023. Both countries have significant potential in trade and investment cooperation, with India being one of the most populous and dynamically developing economies.

Major Indian corporations are promoting cooperation with Viet Nam in strategic areas such as renewable energy, manufacturing, oil and gas, pharmaceuticals, port infrastructure and logistics. On the Vietnamese side, Vinfast has started building a car assembly and manufacturing plant in Tamil Nadu, with committed capital of $2 billion.

Cooperation in science and technology, information and communication, education and training, culture and tourism has been developing positively. Currently, there are over 50 direct flights between the two countries each week. India is among the top three countries with the fastest-growing number of tourists to Viet Nam, with Indian tourist numbers increasing 2.5 times over the past four years (from 170,000 in 2019 to 400,000 in 2023).

Over the past decade, India has granted nearly 3,000 short and long-term scholarships to Viet Nam under various programmes. Additionally, the Indian government has supported the restoration and conservation project of the My Son World Heritage Site in Quang Nam Province.

The two countries are also promoting and enhancing cooperation in new potential areas such as renewable energy, semiconductors, innovation, green economy, digital transformation, information technology, smart agriculture and pharmaceuticals.

Both countries closely coordinate and support each other at multilateral forums, especially within the United Nations framework and at regional forums led by ASEAN.

In summary, Viet Nam-India relations have developed comprehensively and expanded across most fields, with significant potential and opportunities for further promotion in the future. VNS
HA NOI  The European Union (EU) views Viet Nam as a leading partner in the region and a key player in international ties and has implemented several strategies and initiatives to elevate Viet Nam-EU relations to new heights.

That was the message conveyed by Josep Borrell Fontelles, High Representative of the EU for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy during his meeting with President To Lam on Tuesday. Fontelles is in Viet Nam on an official visit from July 29-31 at the invitation of Foreign Minister Bui Thanh Son.

President Lam thanked Fontelles for leading the EU delegation to attend the funeral of late Party General Secretary Nguyen Phu Trong, which demonstrated the EU's respect for the significant contributions of the General Secretary to strengthening Viet Nam-EU relations in recent years.

The President congratulated the EU on electing a new leadership and expressed confidence that Fontelles visit would provide important momentum to further strengthen Viet Nam-EU relations. He also acknowledged Fontelles contributions to the relationship during his tenure as President of the European Parliament from 2004 to 2007.

Emphasising that the EU is a very important partner for Viet Nam, President Lam expressed satisfaction with the positive development of relations between Viet Nam and the EU, evident in the increased exchange of delegations and high-level contacts and the effective implementation of various agreements.

Four years since it was implemented, the Viet Nam-EU Free Trade Agreement (EVFTA) has given a new impetus to trade and investment, making Viet Nam the largest trading partner of the EU among ASEAN countries. Cooperation in tourism, education and training, culture and arts and people-to-people exchanges has also been dynamic, contributing to mutual understanding and fostering cooperation in other areas.

The President suggested that both sides continue to strengthen delegation exchanges, especially at high levels, and effectively implement the Viet Nam-EU Partnership and Cooperation Agreement (PCA), the EVFTA and other agreements.

He also urged the EU to encourage its remaining member states to promptly ratify the EU-Viet Nam Investment Protection Agreement (EVIPA), to lift the yellow card issued against Viet Nams seafood exports based on Viet Nams efforts and results in combating illegal, unreported, and unregulated (IUU) fishing, and to continue providing Official Development Assistance (ODA) to Viet Nam.

The president also requested support for Viet Nams effective implementation of the Just Energy Transition Partnership (JETP) and called for enhanced cooperation on cybersecurity, maritime security, disaster prevention and response, crisis management and crime prevention.

Welcoming the EUs strategies and initiatives for cooperation in the Indo-Pacific region, President Lam said Viet Nam would be ready to act as a bridge for the EU in the region, including strengthening ASEAN-EU strategic partnership relations.

The EU high representative said he appreciated Viet Nams balanced foreign policy and supported Viet Nams goals to become a developed, high-income country by 2045 and achieve carbon neutrality by 2050.

On international and regional issues, both sides agreed that countries needed to contribute responsibly to security and development both regionally and globally, and that conflicts should be resolved through peaceful means based on international law and the UN Charter.

Regarding the East Sea (internationally known as the South China Sea), both sides reaffirmed their support for ensuring security, safety and freedom of navigation and overflight and for resolving disputes in the East Sea through peaceful means in accordance with international law, particularly the 1982 UNCLOS.  VNS
HA NOI  Secretary of the Party Central Committee and head of its Commission for External Relations Le Hoai Trung met with Josep Borrell Fontelles, Vice President of the European Commission (EC) and High Representative of the European Union (EU) for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy, in Ha Noi on Tuesday afternoon.

Affirming Viet Nam's priority for its comprehensive partnership and cooperation with the EU, Trung said the sides have established comprehensive cooperation pillars, from politics, economy, trade, investment, forestry, to defence-security, while sharing significant common interests and a wide range of people-to-people exchanges.

Expressing his satisfaction with the ongoing development of the Viet Nam-EU ties as well as the relations between Viet Nam and EU member states, the Party official emphasised the need to further enhance cooperation effectiveness within frameworks such as the EU-Viet Nam Free Trade Agreement (EVFTA) and the Just Energy Transition Partnership (JETP). He also called for the remaining EU member states to expedite the ratification of the EU-Viet Nam Investment Protection Agreement (EVIPA) and to soon lift the ECs yellow card warning for illegal, unreported and unregulated (IUU) fishing on Viet Nam's seafood exports.

Borrell Fontelles, who is paying an official visit to Viet Nam from July 29-31 at the invitation of Minister of Foreign Affairs Bui Thanh Son, expressed his admiration for the countrys significant achievements in national development. He affirmed that the EU highly values Viet Nams role and position within the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) and the region, as well as its comprehensive partnership and cooperation with Viet Nam.

Expressing his pleasure at the robust development of the EU-Viet Nam Comprehensive Partnership and Cooperation, he highlighted the importance of identifying specific directions to further elevate the bilateral ties in the future. He agreed with Trung on the need for both sides to continue strengthening political trust, all-level delegation and people-to-people exchanges, as well as to significantly enhance joint work in all areas of EUs strengths and Viet Nams needs such as management experience, finance, high technology, clean energy, and climate change adaptation.

The High Representative of the EU for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy again expressed deep condolences to the Party, State, and people of Viet Nam on the passing of Party General Secretary Nguyen Phu Trong, whom he described as a leader with strategic vision leaving significant imprints on the Viet Nam-EU comprehensive partnership and cooperation.

On this occasion, the host and guest also exchanged information and views on global and regional situations and other issues of mutual concern.  VNS
HA NOI  Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh and a Vietnamese delegation left Ha Noi on Tuesday evening for a State visit to India from July 30  August 1 at the invitation of Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi.

This is the first State visit to India by Chinh as the head of the Vietnamese government, and the first visit to India by a Vietnamese PM in a decade.

The visit takes place when the Viet Nam-India comprehensive strategic partnership is developing strongly on the foundation of firm relations and high political trust. Bilateral ties across the party, state, parliamentary, and people-to-people channels have expanded, while defence-security cooperation, a key pillar in bilateral relations, has seen significant progress. Two-way trade has increased 2.5 times since 2016, reaching nearly US$15 billion in 2023.

Major Indian conglomerates are rolling out cooperation with Viet Nam in strategic sectors like renewable energy, processing industry, oil and gas, pharmaceuticals, seaport infrastructure, and logistics. Meanwhile, Viet Nams automaker Vinfast has started construction on a car assembly and production plant in Tamil Nadu state of India, with total committed capital of $2 billion.

The number of Indian visitors to Viet Nam shot up 2.5 times over the past four years, from 170,000 in 2019 to 400,000 in 2023. The two countries have supported each other and promoted cooperation at international and regional forums and organisations, especially the United Nations.

During the visit, PM Chinh and Indian leaders are expected to outline directions for deepening the comprehensive strategic partnership across various fields, particularly trade-investment, renewable energy, processing, green economy, digital economy, pharmaceuticals, infrastructure, logistics, automobile, science-technology, information-communication technology, education-training, culture-tourism, agriculture, and people-to-people exchange.  VNS
HA NOI  Deputy Prime Minister Le ThanhLong called for the European Commission (EC)'s early removal of its yellow card warning against Viet Nams seafood exports while receiving Josep Borrell Fontelles, EC Vice President and High Representative of the European Union (EU) for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy, in Ha Noi on Tuesday.

Long thanked Borrell Fontelles, who is on an official visit to Viet Nam from July 29 to 31, for coming to pay the last respects to Party General Secretary Nguyen Phu Trong, which reflects the importance the EU attaches to the deceaseds contributions to Viet Nam - EU relations.

He noted that the EU is one of the leading partners of Viet Nam. With common efforts, the bilateral ties are developing well, from traditional fields like politics - diplomacy, trade - investment, and development cooperation to new areas, including defence - security and climate change response, within both bilateral and multilateral frameworks.

The EU is currently the top supplier of non-refundable aid, the fourth largest trading partner, and the fifth biggest investor in Viet Nam, which in turn ranks first among ASEAN trading partners of the EU. The two sides have also worked actively together in such areas as defence - security, justice, labour, agriculture, science - technology, and environment to reap many practical results. Among them, a highlight is the cooperation in climate change response, according to the host official.

The Deputy PM suggested the EU continue increasing all-level delegation exchanges, especially those at high levels, to enhance political trust, creating a stepping stone for partnerships in other spheres. He also delivered PM Pham Minh Chinhs congratulatory letter to the EC President and invited the latter to pay a visit to Viet Nam in the near future.

Long proposed both sides to coordinate to fruitfully enforce the EU - Viet Nam Comprehensive Partnership and Cooperation Agreement (PCA), the EU - Viet Nam Free Trade Agreement (EVFTA), as well as other cooperation deals and mechanisms on the threshold of the 35th founding anniversary of bilateral diplomatic ties next year.

He also called on the EU to promote its remaining member countries ratification of the EU - Viet Nam Investment Protection Agreement (EVIPA), and the ECs early removal of the yellow card warning against Viet Nams seafood exports on the basis of the countrys efforts and achievements in the combat against illegal, unreported, and unregulated (IUU) fishing.

For his part, Borrell Fontelles highly valued Viet Nams development achievements along with growing role and position in the region and at multilateral forums.

The EU views Viet Nam as a priority and important partner in the Asia-Pacific region, he said, adding that it hopes the two sides will elevate the bilateral relations and enhance connections in defence - security, climate change response, the Just Energy Transition Partnership (JETP) implementation, justice, and the fight against IUU fishing, he added.

Appreciating the EUs projects that have helped with Viet Nams socio-economic development and integration into the world, Long proposed the EU maintain the provision of official development assistance (ODA) for Viet Nam in the fields of public governance capacity building, green transition, digital transformation, sustainable fishery development, financial and technological support, and manpower training to help the country effectively carry out the JETP.

At the meeting, the two sides also touched upon some international issues of shared concern. They agreed that conflicts must be resolved by peaceful means on the basis on international law. Regarding the East Sea (South China Sea) issue, they shared the stance that disputes in the East Sea should be settled peacefully in line with international law, especially the 1982 United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS), thus helping to guarantee security, safety, and freedom of navigation and overflight and consolidate peace, stability, and prosperity in the region and the world.  VNS
QUANG BINH  Three Chinese nationals have been arrested in connection with the murder of a Vietnamese taxi driver last week.

The suspects, two males and one female, have been named as H.J.C., 18, L.S.J, 16, and G.Y., 17. The three are being questioned over the allegedly killing the driver during a cross-country taxi ride before leading police on a high-speed chase.

The incident came to light on July 28 when the police in the central province of Quang Binh spotted a taxi with plate number 14A-325.45 behaving erratically.

They attempted to pull it over but were met with defiance. The driver fled, hitting two vehicles as he evaded capture. As the situation escalated, the police mobilised additional units to join the pursuit.

Upon apprehending the suspects, they discovered the body of a driver, later identified as Nguyen Van Hai, 47, living in Ha Phong Ward, Ha Long City, the northern province of Quang Ninh.

Hai is the owner of the taxi and worked for the taxi corporation Mai Linh in Quang Ninh.

Initial investigations revealed that the three foreigners hired Hai for a cross-country journey on July 27 and subsequently murdered him in Quang Ngai on the same day.

The suspects were transferred to Quang Ngai Province on July 29 for further questioning.  VNS
Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro and key opponent retired diplomat Edmundo Gonzalez were locked in a standoff Monday with both claiming victory in the nation's presidential election.

National election officials were delaying releasing detailed vote tallies after proclaiming Maduro the winner with 51% of the vote, to 44% for Gonzalez, the Associated Press reported.

The opposition refused to recognize the tally, and several foreign governments, including the U.S., held off recognizing the results, according to AP.

"Venezuelans and the entire world know what happened," Gonzalez said.

American Secretary of State Antony Blinken said the U.S. had "serious concerns that the result announced does not reflect the will or the votes of the Venezuelan people."

Chile's President Gabriel Boric warned: "The Maduro regime should understand that the results it published are difficult to believe."

Venezuelans showed up before dawn Sunday to vote in the presidential election that held the possibility of ending 25 years of socialist party rule  and potentially lead to a "bloodbath" depending on the results.

Reporters saw lines outside seven polling stations around the country, Reuters said, as two-term Maduro faced off against Gonzalez, a former diplomat.

Earlier this month, Maduro warned of deadly consequences if he were to lose, telling supporters at a campaign rally that the country's destiny "depends on our victory."

"If we want to avoid a bloodbath, or a fratricidal civil war triggered by the fascists, then we must guarantee the biggest electoral victory ever," he said.

The remarks alarmed Brazil's president, Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva, who vowed to send a top diplomat to monitor the voting.

On Sunday, Maduro walked back his comments, saying, "No one is going to create chaos in Venezuela," the Associated Press reported.

"I recognize and will recognize the electoral referee, the official announcements and I will make sure they are recognized," he said after casting his ballot.

Maduro also called on the other nine candidates "to respect, to make respected and to declare publicly that they will respect the official announcement" of the winner.

The country's opposition leader, former lawmaker Maria Corina Machado, won an October primary election to challenge Maduro but in January was barred from running by Venezuela's top court, which is reportedly loyal to Maduro's United Socialist Party of Venezuela.

The court upheld findings that Machado was involved in corruption and lost money for state-owned companies including the U.S.-based Citgo petroleum company, Reuters reported at the time.

Machado's hand-picked replacement was also barred from running, after which the opposition Unitary Platform coalition selected Gonzalez.

Maduro has presided over an economic collapse that led about one-third of the population to flee Venezuela, and Machado invoked them after voting Sunday, telling those "who are anxious to return" that a "reunion in very close," AP said.

At a polling place in the state of Bolivar, 61-year-old Luisa Gonzalez told Reuters that she'd supported the late President Hugo Chavez, the country's first socialist leader, but had since soured on his successor, Maduro.

"I work cleaning houses and my four grandchildren depend on me. I earn just $15 per week and that is enough to eat one day but not the next," she said. "We have spent years look for change. I was a Chavista, but people have changed."

A voter in central Valencia state, however, said he hadn't given up on Maduro.

"There are things that without doubt need to improve in our country, but this government has lived through sanctions and blockades like no other. That's why I back President Maduro and think he deserves another chance," said Jose Lopez, 57.
LAO CAI - Deputy Prime Minister Tran Luu Quang emphasised the necessity of strengthening management efforts and proactively providing assistance and employment opportunities to prevent women and children from being exploited or lured into criminal activities, or becoming victims of human trafficking.

Quang's statement, on Tuesday, was made in Lao Cai City, where the Ministry of Public Security, the Viet Nam Women's Union, in coordination with the Lao Cai Provincial People's Committee, organised a launch ceremony for a campaign to combat human trafficking on what was the 2024 National Day against Human Trafficking.

Also in attendance were Ha Thi Nga, President of the Viet Nam Women's Union, Lieutenant General Nguyen Van Long, Deputy Minister of Public Security and Deputy Head of the 138/CP Steering Committee, along with leaders of various ministries, local authorities, representatives of international organisations in Viet Nam and a large number of citizens.

Since 2013, the United Nations has designated July 30 annually as World Day Against Trafficking in Persons. On May 10, 2016, the Prime Minister issued Decision No. 793/Q-TTg, making July 30 the National Day Against Human Trafficking.

With the theme 'Leave No Child Behind in the Fight Against Human Trafficking' this year's event aims to reaffirm the commitment of the Government and people of Viet Nam to preventing human trafficking, especially child trafficking.

Park Mi-hyung, Head of the International Organisation for Migration (IOM) delegation in Viet Nam, said that the theme of the 2024 World Day highlights the importance of comprehensive and focused efforts to protect children, addressing risks and vulnerabilities, enhancing resilience and safeguarding children.

Human trafficking remains one of the most profitable criminal activities, targeting the vulnerability of individuals. Therefore, it is essential to continue to work together to equip knowledge, skills, and strengthen solidarity in this fight.

The latest Global Report on Trafficking in Persons by the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) has highlighted a grim reality, that one in three trafficking victims worldwide is a child.

Children are subjected to various forms of trafficking, including labour exploitation, forced criminality or begging, illegal adoption, sexual exploitation and online sexual abuse.

In Viet Nam, in the first six months of 2024, authorities detected and handled 50 human trafficking cases involving 126 victims and 121 children were victimised in 48 trafficking cases, said Ha Thi Nga, President of the Viet Nam Women's Union.

Criminals exploited legal loopholes in marriage counselling, foreign marriage brokerage, tourism and family visits or took advantage of social media platforms, user connections, anonymity and information security to lure and deceive victims.

These actions directly violated the fundamental human rights, including those of women and children, inflicting profound pain on many families and causing social instability.

As the organisation representing and protecting the legitimate rights and interests of women and children, the Viet Nam Women's Union prioritises the care, education and protection of children, through the role of mothers and families with activities such as parenting skills education, mutual economic development support and implementing government programmes and projects to support women's economic development and family building, according to Nga.

Recently, the organisation's 'Mother Mentors' programme has provided care and support for children in especially difficult circumstances to create the best conditions for their academic and life achievements.

Practical actions necessary

Speaking at the ceremony, Deputy Prime Minister Quang said that human trafficking was recognised by the United Nations as one of the four most dangerous crimes in the world, with many victims being children, women and minors.

"Recognising the danger of this crime, Viet Nam is committed to mobilising the combined strength of the entire political system and the public, with international friends' support, in the war against human trafficking," he said.

In recent years, the Party and State adopted many consistent and comprehensive policies on preventing and combating human trafficking. The Government has developed and implemented the Programme on Combating Human Trafficking for 2021-2025, with an orientation to 2030.

The Deputy Prime Minister noted that in the future, the situation of human trafficking globally and in Viet Nam would remain complex, with children continuing to be the main targets of traffickers.

In this context, it was necessary to regard the prevention and combat of human trafficking as a key, ongoing task, carried out persistently everywhere and at all times, emphasised the Deputy Prime Minister.

Anti-trafficking efforts needed to be integrated into socio-economic development programmes, childcare, education and protection, addressing fundamental social security and stability issues and promoting the role of mass organisations in protecting women and children, especially in remote areas.

Additionally, it was necessary to enhance communication, counselling, and guidance, replicate good initiatives and models with appropriate forms for each region and group and focus on sharing information, experience and skills to help children, women and vulnerable people identify and protect themselves and their loved ones, preventing criminal exploitation.

Quang urged media agencies to increase the frequency and innovate communication to encourage every citizen to actively participate in preventing, fighting and reporting human trafficking.

He called for early detection and prevention of human trafficking risks from the grassroots level, decisive implementation of crime prevention plans and swift investigation and prosecution of traffickers.

Furthermore, it was crucial to enhance management, proactively assist, educate, support, and provide employment opportunities to prevent children, women and those in difficult circumstances from being exploited or becoming victims of human trafficking.

The Deputy Prime Minister directed a review and completion of legal documents on combating human trafficking and supporting victims, particularly policies for children in special difficult circumstances, ethnic minority children and orphans along with effective implementation of victim reception and support activities.

At the same time, he called for stronger inter-agency coordination and international cooperation, especially in information exchange, investigation verification and criminal pursuit, to improve the effectiveness of preventing and combating human trafficking, particularly child trafficking. VNS
HA NOI  Construction of the underground section of the Nhon-Ha Noi Station metro line began on Tuesday morning at Kim Ma Station (S9) with two customised tunnel boring machines.

Nguyen Ba Son, deputy head of the Ha Noi Metropolitan Railway Management Board (MRB) said that this tunnelling process marked an important milestone for the underground sections of Ha Noi urban railway network and particularly the Nhon-Ha Noi station metro line (Metro Line 3)

"This is proof of all stakeholders efforts and determination to develop a modern, safe and effective public transport system for the city, ensuring quality and practical values for the community," he said.

According to the project management board, the progress of contract package CP03 for the underground section and stations of the metro line is 43.3 per cent.

The main contractor is the joint venture Hyundai & Ghella (HGU), while FECON JSC is in charge of tunnel boring.

In addition to its experiences working on the Ben Thanh-Suoi Tien metro line in HCM City, FECON also has construction and technical support from TunnelPro, a leading construction company specialised in tunnel boring machines (TBM) from Italy, as well as from the International Tunneling and Underground Space Association.

According to FECON deputy general director Nguyen Quoc Bao, the tunnel construction technology using TBMs on Metro Line 3 is among the most advanced technologies in the world.

These Earth Pressure Balance (EPB) machines also suit the citys mixed soil geological conditions.

Alongside the tunnels, other elements of the underground section such as lowering slopes, underground stations, garages and transition lanes are also under construction.

Preparations are now completed, including equipment and software checks, personnel management, transporting the tunnel lining segments and reserve compartments and installing monitoring equipment.

Along the route, six buildings are slated for demolition while 42 buildings are temporarily vacated for one month. Relocation arrangements and compensation are being conducted according to plans.

Construction on the underground section of Ha Noi Metro Line 3 is expected to be completed in 2027. The entire line is planned to be functional shortly after.

According to the blueprint, Metro Line 3 measures 12.5km in length with eight elevated and four underground stations.

It is expected to alleviate traffic congestion and urban pollution issues while improving the quality of life for residents in the west of the capital city.  VNS
HA NOI  The Vietnam Agency for Radiation and Nuclear Safety (VARN) has established a robust regulatory framework and implemented effective safety measures for the country's nuclear energy industry over the past 30 years, according to Huynh Thanh at, Minister of Science and Technolgy.

at was speaking at the agency's 30th anniversary ceremony on Tuesday.

at said the agency's increased inspections had significantly raised safety standards in radiation facilities and service providers in the industry and improved their capabilities to respond to emergencies.

He also said the agency was working closely with provincial science and technology departments to ensure stringent compliance with nuclear regulations nationwide.

VARN director Nguyen Tuan Khai said the agency had tightened its grip on radiation and nuclear activities.

With strengthened management systems, radiation facilities and service providers are now under stricter control. This includes issuing licences, registrations and maintaining a centralised database. All licensing procedures are now also fully online.

He also said the agency conducts around 70 annual inspections of the facilities to ensure compliance. It has also established itself as a regional leader in nuclear regulation, supporting the ministry in overseeing the industry.

It has also coordinated with other government bodies to fulfil Viet Nams commitments under international nuclear treaties, including those on non-proliferation and the management of nuclear waste.

The agency also kicked off the 6th Conference on Nuclear Regulations to review the country's progress in radiation and nuclear safety over the past few years.

Attendees discussed key issues such as regulatory framework, nuclear security, and emergency response. It serves as a platform for experts and stakeholders to share knowledge and best practices.

At the ceremony, the ministry honoured seven organisations and 11 individuals for their outstanding contributions to radiation safety and nuclear security over the past year.  VNS
HA NOI  More than one hundred domestic and international health experts exchanged cancer treatment experiences, at the recent national lung cancer research conference in Ha Noi.

The conference was jointly organised for the first time by AstraZeneca and K (Cancer) Hospital, promoting the exchange and sharing of experiences in lung cancer research practices in Viet Nam and internationally, in efforts to improve the capacity of clinical trial research at hospitals.

At the conference, Deputy Minister of Health Nguyen Thi Lien Huong said: "We have witnessed remarkable progress, from traditional chemotherapy methods to targeted drugs and advanced immunotherapies. These achievements improve treatment efficiency and bring hope to many patients.

Huong believed that research institutions would participate in more clinical trials, especially international and multi-centre studies, to contribute to people's healthcare activities.

Clinical trials play a critical role in developing new treatment solutions and medicines. These trials contribute to improving treatment practices and directly impact human health. AstraZeneca is actively involved in Viet Nam, conducting studies with over 6,500 patients across various diseases. Notably, a significant focus lies on non-communicable diseases like lung cancer, which has the highest new case rate globally and ranks third in cancer numbers in Viet Nam.

Acting Director of the health ministrys Administration of Science, Technology and Training Nguyen Ngo Quang highlighted the collaboration and exchange of experiences between Vietnamese medical units and international organisations in clinical trials.

"The rapid increase in clinical trials in Viet Nam is a testament to the dedication and commitment of scientists, doctors and the entire healthcare system. This growth is a beacon of our potential and aspirations for progress in the medical field, reflecting a healthcare system that is growing strong and ready to integrate and compete with the region and the world," said Quang.

The conference showcased numerous studies conducted in Viet Nam, marking significant advancements in lung cancer treatment and cancer prevention in general. It also provided updates on pivotal clinical trial findings recently presented at major international conferences. These research findings are poised to revolutionise the clinical practice of lung cancer treatment.

Deputy Director, K Hospital o Anh Tu said that the challenges Viet Nam has faced in treating lung cancer are due to economic constraints and barriers. Tu emphasised that the introduction of innovative medicines and advancements in diagnostic and therapeutic tools have significantly improved survival rates for late-stage lung cancer patients. Whereas survival rates for such patients were previously measured in months, they can now be measured in years and even multiple years.

Many hospitals in Viet Nam have passed the stringent evaluation procedures of large pharmaceutical companies, medical management agencies and organisations, and reputable clinical trial management organisations (FDA, independent inspection units). These hospitals demonstrate not only the capacity to recruit patients effectively but also a commitment to high-quality research data and adherence to Good Clinical Practice (GCP) and ethical principles in biomedical research.  VNS
The commitment was made by Liu Yanhua, chairwoman of Sailun Group and Sailun Vietnam Co., Ltd., at a meeting with Deputy Prime Minister Tran Luu Quang on July 29.

"Sailun has so far invested a total of $1.5 billion in Vietnam, encompassing a tyre manufacturing factory in Tay Ninh province, a research and development (R&D) centre in Ho Chi Minh City, and a joint venture with Cooper Tires in 2019. The factory in Tay Ninh is the group's largest overseas manufacturing facility, generating employment for 7,000 and sourcing 100 per cent latex supply from Vietnam. Meanwhile, the R&D centre in Ho Chi Minh City is also Sailun Group's largest overseas R&D centre," Yanhua said.

She expressed gratitude to the government and local authorities for creating better conditions for Sailun Group to make investment in Vietnam since 2012. At the same time, the group commits to investing another $200 million in the country soon.

DPM Quang emphasised the Vietnam-China relationship was developing well, creating a premise for the two countries to promote cooperation in various fields, including investment.

As of July, China has 4,750 valid projects with a total registered investment of over $28.5 billion, ranking sixth out of 144 countries and territories investing in Vietnam. Among them, Tay Ninh takes the lead in attracting Chinese investments, with 104 projects totalling over $4.8 billion.

The DPM said he appreciated Sailun Group as one of the world's leading tyre manufacturers and Sailun Vietnam's business results, human resource development, and corporate social responsibility activities.

Founded in 2002, the group now has more than 13,700 employees worldwide, with total assets of 26 billion yuan ($3.58 billion) and annual revenue of 18 billion yuan ($2.48 billion).

Sailun's products are present in 180 countries and regions.

China leads number of newly-registered projects in Vietnam While Singapore is the leader in terms of foreign investment value, China is ahead in terms of number of new projects in Vietnam.

Chinese group proposes to build Tu Lien Bridge and Hanoi Metro Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh received leaders from some of the top Chinese infrastructure and energy development firms in Beijing on June 27, including Yan Jiehe, founder of Pacific Construction Group.
In mid-July, DEEP C Industrial Zones (IZs) announced that its Haiphong 3 complex was available for investors.

General sales and marketing director Koen Soenens revealed that DEEP C Haiphong 3 is a strategic industrial hub for the light industry, auto component manufacturing, port operations, and logistics.

The close position to Lach Huyen deepwater port and VinFasts automotive manufacturing complex makes DEEP C Haiphong 3 suitable for customers who need to import and export components, raw materials, and finished products on a large scale, Soenens said.

DEEP C now boasts over 3,400 hectares across five industrial zones in Haiphong and Quang Ninh

This unique position helps minimise transportation costs for supply chain optimisation.

DEEP C Haiphong 3 currently has 38 hectares of industrial land ready for handover, with electricity and water infrastructure scheduled for completion within 2024.

The current 520ha total land area encompasses 350ha of reserved zones as general industrial land, 19ha of port area, and 51ha designated area for Cat Hai town. The remaining space will cater to utilities, green spaces, and internal road networks.

Bruno Jaspaert, general director of DEEP C IZs, noted that the zones strategic location perfectly suits a variety of industries, from port operations and inland container deports to logistics services and the manufacturing of oversized and overweight cargos requiring direct port access. It will also cater to automotive parts manufacturing and the auto-supporting industries, among others.

Committed to investment attraction associated with sustainable development, DEEP C Haiphong 3 is a model of industrial symbiosis that promotes resource exchange and waste reduction at three levels: factory-to-factory, factory-to-IZ, and IZ-to-residential community.

The presence of Cat Hai town also represents a prime example of level 3 industrial symbiosis, promoting sustainability and contributing to creating a ready workforce for future production activities.

Haiphong 3 aims to secure three key ventures with a total value reaching $200 million by the end of 2024. In addition, DEEP C aims to become a reference point for IZ developers in Vietnam by building ecological IZs that promote sustainable economic growth.

With the orientation of developing the IZ in an ecological and sustainable direction, DEEP C IZs is aware of its corporate responsibility to the community and society. It strictly observes the operating principles of associating economic benefits with investors interests and responsibility to the community and society.

DEEP C is set to continue its strong investment attraction to Haiphong 3, successfully develop large-scale, modern IZ projects following a green model, and contribute to the sustainable socioeconomic development of Haiphong and other localities where DEEP C has been doing business.

Established in 1997, DEEP C now covers 3,400ha across five IZs in Haiphong and the nearby province of Quang Ninh.

The company has attracted more than 170 projects in production and logistics valued at $7.5 billion in total investment value, creating stable jobs for tens of thousands of direct and indirect workers in industrial production and services. The zones currently house global brands such as PHA, Bridgestone, Tesa, Tenowo, SKC, StarCharge, Pegatron, Nippon Express, and Yusen Logistics.

Groundbreaking for Thang Long Project-Tesa Site Haiphong sets milestone On January 26, the groundbreaking ceremony of the Thang Long Project-Tesa Site Haiphong took place at DEEP C Industrial Zones Haiphong, marking an important step for the establishment of Tesa's new production facility in Vietnam.

DEEP C IZs in Quang Ninh prepared for hefty funding flow Over $1.5 billion is being committed for DEEP C Industrial Zones in the northern province of Quang Ninh thanks to a couple of new deals.

DEEP C Industrial Zones set up for sustainable future After 25 years of constant development, the DEEP C Industrial Zones cluster has proved to be one of the most successful models of its kind in the country.

DEEP C Quang Ninhs modern and green industrial marvel Targeting to build a multi-sector industrial area to engage high-tech and environmentally friendly projects along with seaport development, DEEP C Industrial Zones Quang Ninh is creating an ideal rendezvous for investors.
In mid-July, SPX Express and Frasers Property Vietnam held a groundbreaking ceremony for an automated sorting centre in the southern province of Binh Duong with an investment of $30 million. Covering 10.6 hectares in the Binh Duong Premium Industrial Park, the facility boasts an advanced automatic sorting system with a processing capacity of over 2.5 million parcels per day.

E-commerce names going automated, illustration photo/ Source: freepik.com

Scheduled for completion in 2025, the facility is set to be the most advanced automatic sorting centre for SPX in South Vietnam. The groundbreaking event follows the agreement signed between SPX and Frasers Property in March to strengthen the infrastructure network in the Vietnamese market.

Nguyen Kim Anh, director of SPX, highlighted the companys key objectives for 2024. In addition to strengthening the infrastructure network, we will continue to prioritise improving the customer experience by simplifying the process of handling customer support requests, shortening delivery times, and improving the quality and stability of services during seasonal peaks.

A report released by Momentum Works in July revealed that Vietnam is one of the fastest-growing e-commerce markets in Southeast Asia, with gross merchandise value increases of 52.9 per cent on-year. Vietnam also overtook the Philippines as the third-largest e-commerce market in Southeast Asia in 2024.

According to Euromonitor and the Vietnam E-commerce Association, Vietnams e-commerce revenue is booming, with an estimated compound annual growth rate of 25 per cent to $39 billion across 2021-2026. For $1 billion of additional e-commerce sales, it would require an additional 93,000 square metres of logistic space. Following that, more than 2.2 million sq.m of additional e-commerce-dedicated logistic space is estimated to be required by 2026.

The e-commerce warehousing sector has substantial growth potential due to the continuous rise in e-commerce. The growth rate in this sector is driven by increasing demand for fast and accurate delivery, as well as advancements in automation and robotics technology. Indeed, major industrial real estate businesses and e-commerce companies are actively investing and innovating to meet increasing demands and optimise operational efficiency, said Cherry Tran, general manager of Pro-Invest Vietnam.

To meet the growing needs of the e-commerce sector, industrial real estate companies are actively investing in the development of warehousing projects. BW Industrial Development, a joint venture between Becamex IDC and Warburg Pincus, is an investor in the ready-built factory and warehouse market, with more than 50 projects and developing more than three million sq.m of factories/warehouses. BW Industrial plans to add 12 more projects in 2024 and build about 700,000-800,000sq.m of warehouses and factories each year.

Mapletree is also another major player in Vietnams warehousing market, with 922,000sq.m of net leasable area. The Singapore company has been aggressively expanding its warehouse portfolio in Vietnam, with mega logistic hubs in Bac Ninh, Hung Yen, and Binh Duong provinces. Another warehouse project with 198,000sq.m of net leasable area in Bac Ninh is slated to be completed in 2025.

In addition, industrial real estate companies are also building modern warehouses with state-of-the-art infrastructure and integrating new technologies. They offer high-tech warehouse leasing services to e-commerce companies, helping them save on investment costs and focus on their core business activities.

E-commerce warehouses are increasingly adopting automation technology to enhance efficiency, said Tran from Pro-Invest Vietnam. Warehouse management systems that integrate AI and machine learning help manage inventory and optimise operational processes. Meanwhile, the use of robots for tasks such as sorting, packaging, and transporting goods within warehouses is becoming common. Robots can operate continuously without breaks, increasing order processing speed and reducing errors.

Smart warehouses have also gained traction in Vietnam. Among them, sensors help monitor inventory status and environmental conditions in such warehouses, providing accurate information to adjust operational processes in real-time. Meanwhile, big data and predictive analytics help forecast demand and optimise inventory layout, improving efficiency and reducing costs, Tran added.

Along with industrial real estate companies, e-commerce companies like Tiki, Shopee, and Lazada have also stepped up their expansion and technology adoption amidst the e-commerce boom.

Specifically, Tiki is heavily investing in automation technology for its warehouses. The company utilises robotic systems and warehouse management software to enhance operational capabilities and quickly meet customer demands. It is also continually scaling up its warehouse network to meet growing demand and improve delivery speeds.

Similarly, Shopee has implemented automated warehouses with robotic systems to handle goods quickly and efficiently. This helps Shopee maintain a competitive edge in rapid delivery. At the same time, it is also investing in expanding its warehouse infrastructure and distribution systems to handle the increasing volume of orders.

Lazada also applies advanced technologies such as robots and AI to automate warehouse processes and optimise inventory management. By expanding its network of warehouses, Lazada strives to meet growing customer demands and enhance its delivery capabilities.

Cainiao Vietnam to enhance supply chain with premium warehousing With the launch of premium warehouse facilities in strategic locations, Cainiao Vietnam, a subsidiary of Cainiao Network, the logistics arm of Alibaba Group, is contributing to the development of the logistics sector in Vietnam.

ITL Corporation commits $200 million to Vietnam's warehousing infrastructure ITL Corporation is set to invest approximately $200 million in warehousing infrastructure over the next five years, underscoring Vietnam's significance in their strategic expansion.

Cainiao PAT Logistics Park welcomes warehousing partner Mixue Cainiao Group, the logistics arm of Chinese e-commerce giant Alibaba Group, welcomed food and beverage company Mixue to its PAT Logistics Park in Vietnams southern province of Long An on March 18.
Speaking at a press conference on July 29, Ly Kim Chi, chairwoman of the Ho Chi Minh City Food and Foodstuff Association said, "In the context of the global food supply chain undergoing positive changes, Vietnam has taken advantage of its natural conditions and high-tech agricultural development to export products and processed foods to over 180 countries and territories."

"In Ho Chi Minh City, food processing is one of the four priority industries for development, accounting for 13.78 per cent of total industrial production value and contributing 13.69 per cent of the added value of the entire industry. The municipal city maintained the industrial production index of food processing at an average 7.04 per cent per year during the 20182022 period," Chi said.

She further noted the city's food processing industry has been on the recovery in the first six months of 2024. It is estimated that the export turnover of food and foodstuffs reached $2.8 billion within the first six months, an increase of 35 per cent from a previous year and accounting for more than 15 per cent of the city's total export turnover.

Municipal businesses posted a record high growth rate of export orders in the first half, especially for rice, vegetables, coffee, and seafood products.

The 28th Vietfood & Beverage Propack Vietnam 2024, which takes place from August 8 to 10, will offer a platform for Vietnamese businesses, including those from Ho Chi Minh City, to promote their products and brand awareness while scouting potential customers. The expo also paves the way for Vietnamese enterprises to expand their markets and network with international partners.

At the expo, numerous foreign brands showcase their products and look for investment and collaboration opportunities in Vietnams lucrative food and beverage industry. These brands are from China, India, Poland, Taiwan, Korea, Indonesia, Russia, Japan, Singapore, and Thailand.

In addition, there are also seminars discussing the green and sustainable development trends in food and foodstuffs, such as "Towards Net-Zero: Strategies and solutions for carbon reduction in the food industry" and "Green Packaging - The inevitable trend of food packaging."

Commenting on these trends, Chi added, "The world's leading import and consumption markets, such as the United States, Europe, China, and others, have tightened their requirements for sustainability for all products in the food supply chain. Changing consumer behaviour, especially the growing preference for organic products, prompt exporters and enterprises to research and develop new products to keep up with consumption trends."

Vietfood & Beverage-Propack Vietnam 2024 to open in Ho Chi Minh City in August The 28th Vietfood & Beverage - Propack Vietnam 2024 will take place from August 8-10 in Ho Chi Minh City, expecting to attract 900 participants from more than 20 countries and territories.

Binh Dinh may host $80 million Indus Coffee project Binh Dinh may be the intended destination for an instant coffee processing plant valued at $80 million for Singapores Indus Coffee, operating under Food Empire Holdings Limited.
YP2C Centre in Yen Phong 2C IP of Bac Ninh province

Contributing 15 per cent to total revenue, the industrial park (IP) and real estate segment is accounting for 39 per cent of the groups profits.

In its strategy, the company has gradually transformed IPs from a basic traditional model into an industrial city model integrating ecological urban areas, aiming for greener development. The model will be a fusion of production, living and commercial space, aiming to entice the worlds top businesses.

In addition, GELEX has developed cooperation with multinational corporations such as Frasers Property Vietnam to develop high-end industrial centres meeting international standards in northern Vietnam. A joint venture between the two is set to deploy projects worth around $250 million in the first phase.

GELEX is tranforming its industrial complexes to become more modern and integrated

After one year of cooperation, the collaboration has started construction on three high-end industrial real estate ventures: YP2C Centre in Yen Phong 2C IP of Bac Ninh province; Yen My Industrial Centre in Yen My IP of Hung Yen province; and Dong Mai Industrial Centre in Dong Mai IP of Quang Ninh province. All are in the north.

The high-quality industrial spaces feature ready-built factories and warehouses, as well as built-to-suit complexes with features that meet high-quality criteria that help to improve productivity and focus on the wellbeing of workers. All projects are designed to meet LEED certification requirements.

The efforts to upgrade IPs and real estate products will contribute to boosting international demand and enticing foreign investment flow to increasingly sought-after green IPs in Vietnam, GELEX said.

Meanwhile, Viglacera Corporation, a member unit of GELEX, currently possesses a large amount of industrial land in localities nationwide.

Viglacera currently owns 12 IPs, including one in Cuba, with over 4,000ha of land for rent, attracting more than 400 domestic and foreign investors. These include many large-scale manufacturing and high-tech corporations including Samsung, Hyosung, Amkor, Canon, Yazaki, Toyoda Gosei, Foxconn, and BYD.

Viglaceras Dong Van 4 Industrial Park in Ha Nam province

In March, two schemes on IP infrastructure construction and development were consecutively assigned to Viglaceras member units. The first is the Doc Da Trang IP infrastructure investment and construction project based in the south-central province of Khanh Hoa. It is valued at an estimated $75.3 million and was assigned to Viglacera Yen My.

The other initiative is the second-phase Song Cong II IP infrastructure construction and development in Thai Nguyen province in Vietnams northeast, valued at around $66 million and assigned to Viglacera Thai Nguyen.

In the previous month, Viglacera announced the kick-off of Thuan Thanh Eco-Smart IP in the northern province of Bac Ninh. It is located near Ring Road 4 and expected to be completed in 2026.

Viglaceras IPs bring diverse choices to investors, meeting abundant requirements from businesses. The company strives to best avail of existing advantages to effectively deploy investment preparation and compensation, especially promote sales and lease of IPs, bringing high efficiency to the real estate segment.

At the same time, it continues to develop new IP projects in localities with advantages in land, transportation infrastructure, power and water sources, and social housing schemes, to bring utmost comfort to customers.

Gelex targets making it to Top 20 Vietnamese private businesses After three years of comprehensive restructuring, Gelex has gained outstanding growth in the four key business lines of industry, utility (including power generation and clean water), logistics, and real estate.

Gelex gives up logistics core to widen foothold in industrial park development Gelex will give up logistics, which is one of its four core business sectors, and divest from Dong Nai Port JSC to wade deeper into industrial park development.

Gelex to raise stake in Viglacera The Vietnam Electrical Equipment JSC (Gelex) plans to acquire a 21 per cent stake in the industrial group Viglacera.

Gelex explores divestment in energy projects Vietnamese conglomerate Gelex Corporation is in negotiations to divest its stakes in power projects to foreign inevstors.

GELEX and FPT sign MoU on digital transformation A new deal between GELEX Group and FPT Corporation is expected to advance comprehensive digital transformation and both parties' business operations, while further driving the countrys development.
A new generation of foreign capital has flowed strongly into Vietnam and a positive signal for the industrial real estate market. How do you see this movement compared to before?

Nguyen Van Tien, vice chairman of the Vietnam Industrial Real Estate Association

Vietnam and Southeast Asian countries are becoming ideal destinations for foreign direct investment, thanks to low costs and strategic locations in the repositioning of manufacturers supply chains.

Such investors are becoming more demanding in choosing locations. Factors affecting the choice of location include infrastructure, regional connection, electricity, water and telecommunications.

Tax incentives, financial support, and other incentives from the government play important roles in attracting funding from abroad. Areas with abundant human resources, high skills and competitive labour costs are prioritised by investors.

In addition, in the global movement wave, foreign backers are increasingly interested in high-tech industries, such as electronics manufacturing, IT, and renewable energy. These require industrial parks (IPs) to meet high requirements for infrastructure and human resources.

Investors are also increasingly interested in sustainable development and social responsibility. IPs with a strong commitment to environmental protection and sustainable development are attract more financiers.

Green development is a topic of interest to both localities and investors, and more action plans are being developed to realise green goals. What is your perspective on this trend?

The green development trend in the industrial real estate sector is a positive and necessary change, meeting both the need for environmental protection and the requirements of modern investors. Focusing on green development will bring long-term benefits to the environment, businesses, and communities.

Investors are increasingly interested in criteria of social and environmental responsibility. Green development helps IPs pull in high quality, especially international businesses with high and strict environmental standards.

In addition, using energy and resource saving solutions protects the environment and reduces long-term operating costs for businesses. For example, using renewable energy or smart water management systems can reduce energy and water costs.

Green development not only focuses on economic factors but also focuses on the living environment of workers and surrounding communities. A clean, safe and environmentally friendly working environment will improve the quality of life and work performance of workers.

What factors motivate industrial real estate developers to be greener and more sustainable?

Green development in the industrial real estate sector is and will become a must. This comes from different reasons of economy, society, and legality.

Currently, many countries and regions have issued mandatory regulations on environmental protection, energy saving, and sustainable development. For example, European Union standards on CO2 emissions and waste management are becoming increasingly stringent. Vietnam has also issued many incentive and mandatory policies on green development, such as the Law on Environmental Protection, energy saving programmes and green construction standards.

Meanwhile, consumers are increasingly smarter and more interested in sustainable products and services, thereby putting pressure on businesses to comply with green standards to maintain and expand the market in and out of the country.

Partners, especially international corporations, often require suppliers and partners to comply with social and environmental responsibility standards. This forces businesses to apply green development measures to meet and maintain cooperative relationships.

Enterprises that apply green development measures often have higher reputation and better competitiveness in the market, especially in industries that require high environmental standards. Society is increasingly aware of the importance of environmental protection and sustainable development, putting pressure on businesses and governments to take action.

Green credentials garner a boost for industrial property Sustainable real estate development is becoming a core component for investors in industrial property.

Lower competitiveness affecting Vietnam's industrial parks The competitiveness of industrial parks in Vietnam is currently weak, at the same time as most need to evolve into specialised or green-oriented facilities.
A United Airlines flight was diverted Sunday due to what the pilot called a "biohazard" as crew members began vomiting after a passenger suffered an undisclosed medical emergency.

United Airlines Flight 2477, which took off from Houston Sunday morning for Boston, was diverted to Dulles International Airport after a passenger experienced a "medical issue," the airline said in a statement Sunday.

United's website initially described the reason for the diversion as an "urgent customer situation," reported WCVB-TV in Boston.

In an audio recording, the flight's pilot can be heard telling air traffic controllers that there was a "biohazard" onboard.

"I talked to the crew and it sounds like it's quite bad back there, it's still really bad," he says. "The crew is vomiting, and passengers all around are asking for masks."

He added: "Especially with this being a biohazard, I think we need to get this plane on the ground ASAP."

United Airlines crew and passengers vomiting due to a biohazard from a passenger and flight diverted to Dulles as UA2477 (Boeing 737-800 IAH-BOS) this afternoon.



Big thanks to Bill B. for sharing the audio and @RadarBoxCom for tracking. pic.twitter.com/LOojAnsbZH  Thenewarea51 (@thenewarea51) July 28, 2024

Officials at Dulles, however, said that none of the 155 passengers or six crew members required treatment at the airport.

The United statement after the diversion said that "aircraft is undergoing a thorough deep clean, and we are working to get customers to Boston as soon as possible."

No immediate details of the medical emergency or suspected cause of the reported vomiting were released.

The flight eventually took off Sunday evening and landed in Boston close to 8 p.m.
On July 29, Hanoi hosted a conference focused on connecting investment for the semiconductor industry, with the aim of attracting more resources and investment for its future growth. The event, titled "Semiconductor industry development in Hanoi 2024," gathered key stakeholders from various sectors.

Policymakers, businesses and experts gathered at the event to discuss about the development of the citys semiconductor industry

Nguyen Tran Quang, deputy head of Hanoi Centre for Investment, Trade, and Tourism Promotion (HPA), said that as the "lifeblood" of the digital economy, semiconductor technology forms the foundation for many modern solutions.

"Vietnam has been attracting many large corporations in the semiconductor industry, including those from the United States, South Korea, Japan, and European countries," Quang said. Hanoi is not outside the global race for semiconductor technology development. With significant progress in attracting investment, developing infrastructure, and building human resources, Hanoi is quickly becoming a hot spot on the worlds semiconductor industry map.

Nguyen Tran Quang, deputy head of Hanoi Centre for Investment, Trade, and Tourism Promotion (HPA)

In the first six months of 2024, despite various challenges, Hanoi achieved notable socioeconomic progress. The citys regional GDP increased by 6 per cent on-year. The industrial production index rose by 5 per cent, with the processing and manufacturing sectors up by 4.1 per cent. The product consumption index climbed by 13.1 per cent. Exports also showed impressive growth, with a turnover of $8.9 billion, an 11 per cent increase over the same period in 2023.

Based on specific and practical goals, Hanoi has always stated its leading position in attracting foreign investment. The city has been constantly improving the investment and business environment, actively reviewing and simplifying administrative procedures, creating convenience and reducing costs for people, organisations, and businesses, Quang said.

During this period, Hanoi attracted $1.16 billion in foreign investment, making it an attractive destination for international capital flows.

In recent times, several large technology companies have announced plans to invest in Hanoi. Notably, Samsung, one of the world's leading technology corporations, has expanded its operations in Vietnam with the construction of a research and development (R&D) centre in Hanoi.

This group is expected to invest billions of dollars in the country, creating thousands of jobs for local workers. Intel has also considered expanding its production operations in Hanoi. The presence of these major players is not only drawing foreign investment but also providing a strong impetus for the development of supporting industries, from component production to technical services.

The HPA leader expressed hope for continued support and cooperation from domestic and international investors, especially those in the semiconductor industry. He highlighted the government's preferential policies as a key factor in attracting investment, including tax incentives, favourable land, and streamlined administrative procedures. Industrial parks and high-tech zones in Hanoi, such as Hoa Lac High-Tech Park, are equipped with modern infrastructure and ready to welcome significant investment projects.

Hanoi's strategic location in the centre of Southeast Asia, with easy access to major markets like China and ASEAN countries, offers logistical and cost advantages for semiconductor manufacturing businesses.

Nguyen Viet Hung, director of Hanoi Department of Information and Communications, emphasised the growth potential of the local semiconductor industry. He outlined plans to develop digital businesses, implement appropriate policies, enhance digital infrastructure, promote scientific and technological research, and create markets.

The city is also working to promptly address challenges and create better conditions for businesses to accelerate digital transformation and invest in core technology research. This includes efforts to develop and provide Made-in-Vietnam digital technology products and services, such as AI, big data, blockchain, cloud computing, and semiconductor chips. Furthermore, Hanoi is fostering collaboration with universities and research institutions to promote training and innovation in digital technologies.

To support the semiconductor industry, the city offers numerous preferential policies, such as exemptions from land and water surface rent for ten years, a half reduction in rent for the remaining time, and a corporate income tax (CIT) rate of 5 per cent, with a four-year CIT exemption and a half reduction for the next nine years.

Regarding human resources, leading universities in Hanoi, such as Hanoi University of Science and Technology and the University of Technology - Hanoi National University, have launched specialised training programmes in semiconductor engineering and technology. These institutions are working with technology companies to provide internships, training, and research opportunities, enabling students to gain practical experience with advanced technology.

The opening ceremony of the exhibition

At the conference, delegates discussed the potential opportunities for Vietnam and Hanoi in the semiconductor industry. They also analysed the role of the Internet of Things and AI technology in the semiconductor production and supply chain, as well as strategies for developing human resources in the semiconductor chip industry.

The conference is part of the Hanoi Semiconductor Investment Festival 2024, which will run until July 31. On July 29, HPA, Hanoi Department of Information and Communications, the Vietnam Software and IT Services Association, and Hanoi University of Science and Technology jointly opened an exhibition featuring 60 booths on 2,000-2,500 square metres, showcasing the local semiconductor industry.

Hanoi to develop comprehensive and modern urban metro lines Hanoi plans to invest over $55 billion to build a synchronised and modern urban railway network.

Hanoi's CPI in H1 rises by over 5 per cent The Consumer Price Index (CPI) in Hanoi increased by over 5 per cent in the first six months of the year compared to the same period in 2023.

Hanoi to expand IPs to welcome FDI Hanoi will continue to expand industrial park and cluster infrastructure to welcome foreign direct investment inflows.
The joint venture, Vie BOARD, is scheduled to be established in August this year, contingent upon obtaining antitrust approvals and other necessary authorisations.

The new company will create an impression-based DOOH advertising business, including media management, planning, sales, and distribution, combining Docomo's unique data-science technology with DatVietVAC and DatVietOOH's pioneering DOOH media in city centres, railway stations, and train cars in Vietnam.

The technology and practices for measuring impressions related to advertising effectiveness and visibility in DOOH advertising have not been widely adopted in Vietnam. Using Docomo's unique, highly advanced data-science technology will allow the joint venture to estimate impression data including viewer counts and characteristics in the local market.

Vie BOARD will use the resulting metrics to streamline DOOH media planning, advertisement placement, impact measurement, and analysis. This will enhance ad effectiveness visibility, enable efficient ad delivery, and contribute to the expansion of the DOOH market.

In addition, Vie BOARD will pioneer new DOOH opportunities and promote digitalisation of impression-based DOOH advertisement placement in Vietnam, utilising DatVietVAC's expertise in sales and strong relationships with local clients, advertising agencies and location owners.

In terms of specific roles, Docomo will propose methods to apply measurement techniques of DOOH business developed in Japan and provide impression data within Vietnam. DatVietVAC and DatVietOOH will provide expertise in managing DOOH operations locally, sales functions expertise, and facilitate relationship-building with clients and advertising agencies in support of business expansion and development.

Docomo has developed and implemented technology to measure advertising effectiveness based on non-specific location data, helping to digitally transform Japan's DOOH business. Docomo has also developed a unique technology for highly precise measurement of viewer counts and characteristics using international GPS data. In addition, the company has been actively pursuing opportunities for DOOH business expansion in overseas markets poised for significant growth.

Among the fast-growing Southeast Asia, Vietnam's DOOH market is poised for significant expansion due to accelerating smart-city initiatives and infrastructure development, including mass-transit railways.

This growth is expected to significantly expand the DOOH market in Vietnam. Recognised for its data-science technology by DatVietVAC, Docomo has partnered to combine both assets, aiming to expand Vietnam's DOOH market.

This partnership has culminated in the agreement of the creation of the Vie BOARD, which will initiate DOOH business using data-science technology.

Going forward, Docomo, DatVietVAC and DatVietOOH, working through their new joint venture, Vie BOARD, will develop DOOH advertising products and services for local advertisers and contribute to DOOH adoption and advertising effectiveness in Vietnam.

Japanese flour miller Nippn to build factory in Vietnam Nippn Corp., one of Japan's largest flour suppliers, announced on July 23 that it will build a factory in Vietnam to supply ingredients to domestic food manufacturers.

Japan's Atsumi & Sakai announces establishment of new office in Ho Chi Minh City Tokyo-based law firm Atsumi & Sakai announced the establishment of a new office in Ho Chi Minh City on July 9.
KCN Vietnam takes up green mission

The company has established sustainable construction standards for its upcoming projects, aiming to secure green building and sustainability certifications. This commitment reflects the groups dedication to adopting green initiatives, environmental, social, and governance principles, and supporting the National Green Growth Strategy towards 2030.

We are committed to embedding environmental values, social principles, and strong governance into our companys core. Meeting green certification standards presents challenges, but we are confident in our strategic partners experience and the long-term environmental, economic, and welfare benefits for our employees, customers, community, and national development, said Hardy Diec, COO of KCN Vietnam.

By pursuing its green building strategy, KCN Vietnam is strengthening its position in the industrial property sector and significantly contributing to Vietnams sustainable development goals. The group has partnered with experienced consulting firms to ensure that upcoming projects adhere to rigorous environmental and sustainability standards.

Projects adhering to green standards aim to balance environmental and economic efficiency

This green initiative will also benefit client enterprises, especially those involved in foreign direct investment, by enhancing competitiveness and facilitating global supply chain integration. Additionally, applying green standards aims to optimise energy and resource use, reduce emissions, and deliver positive impacts for employees, customers, partners, investors, and the surrounding community.

The groups first green building project is Phase 2 of its development in DEEP C Industrial Zones in the northern city of Haiphong, targeting LEED certification.

This project promises optimal energy and resource use, with potential savings of up to 25 per cent in energy and a 10 per cent reduction in water consumption, while significantly lowering carbon emissions compared to traditional projects.

KCN Vietnam has also collaborated with top experts in green building consulting throughout the design, construction, and operational phases to meet LEEDs stringent standards. By implementing these sustainable practices, the group aims to set benchmarks for environmental and sustainable development in the ready-built warehouse and factory sector, enhancing Vietnams industrial property competitive edge.

As Vietnam pursues its goal of net-zero emissions by 2050, the industrial property sector plays a pivotal role in advancing a green economy. Developing green industrial parks, incorporating circular economy models, cleaner production, and the efficient use of resources is becoming increasingly mainstream.

KCN Vietnam acquires two land lots in DEEP C Haiphong II KCN Vietnam, one of Vietnam's leading industrial real estate developers, officially received handover of two land lots in DEEP C Haiphong II.
Speaking at the first panel of Vietnam Industrial Property Forum (VIPF) 2024, Dinh Hoai Nam, director and head of Business Development, SLP Vietnam, said, "Over the past four years, more professional investors have ventured into Vietnam's industrial real estate market, setting a new bar on the industry. It is expected that they will shape the competition focusing on quality products, which will benefit tenants and new investors coming to Vietnam, in terms of product quality and price. This trend will improve the Vietnamese real estate market and optimise costs for new investors in the market. We will be able to enjoy better products at good costs, which will invisibly make the Vietnamese market more attractive in the long term."

When SLP invested in Vietnam in 2020, the company successfully raised $1.1 billion to invest in the Vietnamese market. At that time, the companys focus was on warehouses and logistics facilities for rent. During the implementation process, the company sees that the demand for warehouses still exists. However, it is subject to the domestic consumption market and objective factors globally, which including a decline in production and output.

"SLP's core strength remains in warehouses, and the company has adapted itself to the change of the market by launching ready-built factories," Nam said. "In light of the relocation trend driven by the China Plus 1 strategy and unpredictable geopolitical environment, we forecast the factory segment, especially ready-built factories will explode in the next 2-3 years. Meanwhile, the warehouse segment has a certain delay. When manufacturers enter Vietnam, Vietnamese consumption is expected to gradually recover. Thus, the absorption rate of warehouses is expected grow better in the next 2-3 years."

The representative of SLP also pointed out new types of products arising from both objective and internal factors. Objectively, the investment cost in Vietnam's industrial infrastructure is quite high. Thus, SLP and some investors think about building high-rise buildings to optimise project efficiency. This leads to the wave of multi-story factories and warehouses.

The market has recorded better absorption for this product. Another new product is built-to-suit factories instead of ready-built factories. These new products serve large investors shifting production to Vietnam and renting large warehouses and factories with customised requirements. The new wave of built-to-suit products, including factories or warehouses, will serve tenants in the fields of electronics, e-commerce, and pharma, he added.

SLP commits to long-term investment in Vietnam SEA Logistics Partners (SLP), an industrial and logistics infrastructure developer and GLPs operational platform in Southeast Asia, has committed to making a long-term investment in Vietnam as a bright spot in the regional industrial real estate market.

Foreign developers account for three-quarters of Vietnam's warehousing Foreign developers dominate the modern warehouse market in Vietnam, accounting for over 75 per cent of the market share by net leasable area (NLA) in 2023.
Numerous well-known industrial property developers have already performed well in Vietnam. How does Soilbuild differentiate itself from other players to engage tenants?

Ben Ding Khoon Yew, general director of Soilbuild International (Vietnam)

In Vietnam, there is an increasing demand for quality ready-built factories and warehouses aligned with global standards. Soilbuild International is committed to building upon the foundation and experiences that we have accrued over 47 years of developing quality industrial space in Singapore catering to the diverse needs of local organisations and multinational corporations.

Soilbuild aims to deliver more comprehensive and localised support for its prospective tenants by combining its expertise in industrial real estate with its deep knowledge of the country to support its customers business growth. Our local team also possess a wide network of partners that can help customers further grow their business.

We provide asset-light and hassle-free solutions that optimise costs and allow businesses to focus fully on operations, and act as their integrated growth partner that delivers quality business spaces with functionality, and timeliness based on strong knowledge of the local market.

Soilbuilds factory includes flexibility in space design that caters to specific needs, along with dedicated customer support at every stage of the project, and future-proof facilities with sustainable and green features.

What are the potential targets the company is looking to acquire in Vietnam, and why did Soilbuild choose particular provinces to work in?

Vietnam has been benefiting greatly from the shift in the global supply chain, leading to the increasing demand for ready-built facilities with quality that meets the global standards of multinational corporations in Vietnam. Therefore, Soilbuilds key business model will be developing our industrial hubs with ready-built and built-to-suit facilities, focusing on four key economic regions of Vietnam: north, central, south, and the Mekong region.

Soilbuild is striving to support Vietnam in elevating the manufacturing value add and supply chain quality, attracting high-quality and sustainable manufacturing into Vietnam.

For example, the central province of Nghe An is emerging as Vietnams next manufacturing hub, attracting major companies like Foxconn, Sunny, and Goertek. This provinces advantages include a strategic location, efficient logistics, abundant workforce, favourable tax incentives, and efficient and business-friendly local government.

The groundbreaking ceremony of ready-built facility Spectrum Nghe An will be held on August 1

Spectrum Nghe An is our maiden industrial project in Vietnam, so this event will mark an important milestone in our development journey in Vietnam.

Moreover, the northern provinces of Bac Ninh and Hung Yen are already known as vibrant industrial hubs in Vietnams real estate because of their strategic location, manufacturing ecosystem, excellent infrastructure, human resource talents, and sophisticated local government. Of these, in the first half of the year, Bac Ninh ranks first among all localities with almost $2.6 billion of foreign investment, three-fold compared to the same period last year.

The cost of construction materials and labour is increasing. Which solutions does Soilbuild have to reduce factory construction costs, and how do you assess the adoption of AI and automation to reduce operation costs?

Despite rising labour and construction material costs, Soilbuild stays focused on developing high-end ready-built facilities for lease segments. This means that our labour and construction material costs are higher than the general market. However, to offer competitive rental prices, we have invested significant effort in researching and implementing appropriate design solutions to save construction materials while optimising efficiency, functionality, quality and timing.

In addition, as an integrated growth partner, we bring international sustainability standards and professional management expertise.

Coming from Singapore, we have benefited from the adoption of technologies. Soilbuild International will also extend its strong digitalisation and technology adoption from Singapore into Vietnam from the design development, construction, and operational stages. For example, we will adopt a common data environment for the project team, and use technology for project monitoring, defects checking and security systems, among others.

Through the years, we have been pushing the boundary of our sustainability journey to not only reduce the overall energy consumption and emissions but also secure a more sustainable future and resilient urban landscape for future generations. We are committed to promoting sustainable development throughout Vietnam.

How will Soilbuilds ready-built complexes be equipped to optimise operations for their tenants?

As a forward-looking developer, we strive to incorporate the latest technology in the design, construction, and operation of all our developments. In one of our latest high-spec developments, Tai Seng Exchange in Singapore, we have effectively utilised technology to create a smart and sustainable building that optimises operations for tenants. Tai Seng Exchange has been named Best Industrial Smart Building Development by PropertyGurus Asia Property Awards.

Examples of technologies implemented include the new-generation building management system - a state-of-the-art to enhance operational efficiency and sustainability; lift destination control system to improve the security and efficiency of the buildings elevator system by directing passengers to the most appropriate lift; motion sensors in common areas to detect movement and manage lighting and energy usage efficiently; and photocell sensors in a car park to automatically adjust lighting based on natural light availability, further reducing energy consumption.

These technologies reflect our commitment to leveraging innovation to create cutting-edge, eco-friendly developments that meet the needs of our tenants.

How does Soilbuild incorporate environmental, social, and governance (ESG) criteria into its building design and operation?

Soilbuilds approach to integrating ESG policies into its building design and operations emphasises multiplying the green to ensure that both sustainability and responsible practices are embedded at every stage of the assets life cycle  from design and construction to operation and maintenance, and occupiers operations.

Innovative design features such as natural ventilation achieved through wind simulation strategy, rainwater harvesting, and green spaces are incorporated to enhance sustainability and promote wellbeing in our latest development, Tai Seng Exchange in Singapore. Sustainable construction practices like selecting eco-friendly materials, utilising low volatile organic compound paint, reducing waste, and implementing efficient building techniques are also incorporated.

In the maintenance of our green buildings, we adopt energy-efficient systems, smart building technologies, and effective waste management strategies. By continuously monitoring and optimising building performance through our new generation building management system, we maximise energy savings and reduce environmental impact.

We also engage with building occupiers through green leases to encourage them to incorporate energy-saving practices, and waste reduction in their operations.

By multiplying the green through the entire life cycle of the asset, Soilbuild not only reduces its environmental footprint but also enhances social responsibility and governance standards, creating a positive impact on the community and the environment.
Ben Ding Khoon Yew, general director of Soilbuild International (Vietnam)

At the VIPF 2024 (on July 30), Ben Ding Khoon Yew, general director of Soilbuild International (Vietnam) shared about the experience of developing green and ecological industrial parks (IPs) in Vietnam and other countries, as well as sustainable journey of Soilbuild. "We are paying a lot of attention on sustainable development," he confirmed.

Despite being a new player in Vietnamese market, Soilbuild - an integrated real estate and construction company, has already run for 47 years in Singapore, and presented in Myanmar, the United Kingdom, and Australia with a portfolio of industrial, commercial and residential buildings.

The journey of Soilbuild started in 2010 before sustainability became a key theme in Asia, Solaris@One North, a business hub in Singapore, had achieved the then-highest sustainability standards of Green Mark Platinum in Singapore. Key features include using natural lights and ventilations, building green belts and shields, and water harvesting.

Numerous Soilbuilds buildings have achieved various standards of Green Mark and LEED Platinum status since then. "We have won bidding of numerous key projects thanks to green factors," Ben emphasised.

With the progression of technologies, the latest Green Mark Platinum building, the Tai Seng Exchange (TSX) in Singapore has integrated technologies into the design, such as wind simulation to optimise ventilation, sensors, lift destination control system, and new generation building management system. Soilbuild obtained a green loan for the building.

As a continuing its sustainability journey, Soilbuild is pushing even higher limits with the next building in Tampines Singapore to obtain Green Mark Platinum SLE (Super Low Energy), which requires more than 60 per cent energy savings. The ultimate goal will be net zero (NE) and positive energy (PE) buildings.

Coming from Singapore, we have benefited from the adoption of technologies. Through the years, we have been pushing the boundary of our sustainability journey to not only reduce overall energy consumption and emissions but also secure a more sustainable future and resilient urban landscape for future generations. We are committed to promoting sustainable development in Vietnam, Yew affirmed.

3D design of Spectrum Nghe An ready-built factories and offices

In Vietnam, the first project of the ready-built factory in Nghe An is being built to LEED certification standard, continuing the sustainability journey from its home country Singapore.

Soilbuild is an early adopter of sustainability. Our approach to integrating ESG (environmental, social, and governmental) policies into its building design emphasises multiplying the green to ensure that sustainability is embedded at every stage of the asset's life cyclefrom design to construction, operation and maintenance, and occupiers' operations, Ben said.

In COP26 (in 2021), Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh made a commitment to stop deforestation by 2030 and phase out coal-fueled power generation by 2040, with ultimate goal to reach net zero carbon emission target by 2050.

Yew highly appreciated Vietnam to make significant strides in industrial sustainable development, focusing on various sectors such as energy, environment, and social development.

"We see that Vietnam is considering a carbon tax, which is also a good sign. Vietnam's greening roadmap is very encouraging, which helps businesses develop more responsibly," he said. "Numerous companies in the world have conducted annual sustainability reports and this should also be encouraged by the Vietnamese government so that all large- to small-scale companies, everyone should conduct this report annually."

In addition, in order for businesses to participate more deeply in green development, green finance, which has yet to be popular in Vietnam, must also grow. "The government should unified with banks to develop frameworks for implementing this programme, while financial institutions should also create more attractive incentives for stakeholders to focus on green production," he suggested.

In Tai Seng Exchange, Soilbuild has effectively utilised technology to create a smart and sustainable building that optimises operations for tenants. Tai Seng Exchange has been awarded the Best Industrial Smart Building Development by PropertyGuru Asia Property Awards. Several technologies are integrated into the design of the building, including the functionality of the development like how to leverage wind simulation to optimise natural ventilation in some of our developments taking into consideration the functionality of the particular space like a podium. Soilbuild provides of infrastructure that promotes sustainable practices among all stakeholders like charging points for e-fork lifts, e-vehicles, LED lighting, and solar panels that will encourage other stakeholders to adopt green practices. A new state-of-the-art generation building management system will enhance operational efficiency and sustainability, while a lift destination control system will improve the security and efficiency of the building's elevator system by directing passengers to the most appropriate lift. Soilbuild's factories are equipped with motion sensors in common areas to detect movement to manage lighting and energy usage efficiently, and photocell sensors in car parks to automatically adjust lighting based on natural light availability, further reducing energy consumption.

Nghe An approves $45 million Singaporean factory system plan Nghe An People's Committee has awarded an investment certificate to Soilbuild Group Holdings to develop a system of ready-built factories and offices located in WHA Industrial Zone 1.

Soilbuild extends horizons into Vietnams industrial real estate Soilbuild Group Holdings, an integrated real estate group in Singapore, has broadened its investment in the industrial real estate segment in Vietnam through its Soilbuild International division.
Foreign investment in the electronics sector has been a key engine in Vietnams economic growth and job creation. Between 2014 and 2023, Vietnam accounted for 10 per cent of electronics foreign direct investment (FDI) in Asia, just behind India and China. The semiconductor industry in Vietnam has experienced remarkable growth lately, transforming the country from a traditional manufacturing hub to a global player.

Manager Ly Nguyen (left) and associate Tu Nguyen of the Tony Blair Institute Vietnam

Major industry giants have recognised this potential: Samsung has committed to a $1 billion annual investment in Vietnam; Amkor has pledged $1.6 billion in chip assembly and testing in the Bac Ninh province; and Foxconn is set to invest an additional $550 million in Quang Ninh province.

Vietnams strategic advantages make it a compelling destination for FDI. Its location as a gateway to Southeast Asia and proximity to China position it as a regional trade and investment hub. The countrys robust economic growth and swift recovery from the pandemic, with GDP growth reaching 6.93 per cent in Q2/2024, further bolster its appeal. The International Monetary Fund projects Vietnam to be among the top 10 fastest-growing countries over the next five years, underscoring its potential for investors.

Vietnams participation in various free trade agreements and its membership in ASEAN have made the country more attractive as a manufacturing destination. Recent comprehensive strategic partnerships with the United States, Japan, and Australia will also facilitate Vietnams trade with these markets moving forward.

The Vietnamese governments prioritisation of high-tech industries is evident in the establishment of numerous industrial parks (IPs) and high-tech zones, such as Saigon High-Tech Park and Hoa Lac High-Tech Park. Investors coming to these parks are offered incentives such as tax breaks and land use fee reductions.

Furthermore, an increasing number of non-specialised complexes, including Yen Phong IP in Bac Ninh and Yen Binh IP in Bac Giang province, are increasingly catering to the needs of high-tech enterprises, enhancing Vietnams attractiveness as a destination for high-tech FDI.

Addressing limitations

However, the impressive figures in the number of registered projects or jobs created do not necessarily reflect the level of complexity and value creation in Vietnam.

In the semiconductor industry, which is one of the most strategic and competitive industries globally, the number and size of registered projects in Vietnam are still modest, not just compared to established markets such as South Korea, Japan, and Taiwan, but also to neighbouring markets such as Singapore and Malaysia, followed by Indonesia and Thailand.

Vietnams semiconductor sector is still at a nascent stage, with the industrys revenue expected to reach $18.23 billion in 2024, with a compound annual growth rate of 11.48 per cent between now and 2029.

While the growth potential is there, the countrys market size remains minuscule compared to that of the global market, which is projected to reach $607.4 billion in 2024. This is because most investments in Vietnam currently focus on semiconductor downstream activities of assembly, testing, and packaging (ATP), the lower-margin end of the semiconductor value chain.

Challenges remain to be addressed if Vietnam wants to draw in more specialised and sophisticated investments. Firstly, while Vietnam is emerging as an export hub for high-tech products, its supplier network remains limited, focusing primarily on lower-value components. IPs often cannot facilitate supplier matchmaking or identify export markets, which is crucial for ensuring a reliable component supply for large-scale manufacturers. This limitation hinders the development of a comprehensive high-tech supply chain.

Another concern investors have is the quantity and quality of high-tech engineers in Vietnam. The current number of chip engineers in Vietnam is estimated at some 5,000, and training programmes often do not align with market needs. This underscores the necessity for enhanced coordination among stakeholders, including industry players, academia, and governments, to develop targeted training programmes to meet industry needs.

While there have been efforts by the government to provide incentives for investors in high-tech, these incentives are still modest compared to other markets. Competing countries such as Malaysia offer significant incentive packages consisting of tax breaks, subsidies, visa exemption fees, and streamlined processes. Vietnam can use mechanisms such as the upcoming Investment Support Fund to provide additional incentives for high-tech investors.

Stable energy supplies are critical for energy-intensive activities such as high-tech assembly and manufacturing, but this has been a challenge, particularly in the north. Investors are increasingly prioritising clean energy sources to meet their global sustainability commitments. Recent initiatives, such as the direct power purchase agreement, aim to facilitate the use of renewable energy. Initiatives such as this highlight the role of IPs in ensuring a stable and clean energy supply.

While Vietnam is emerging as an export hub for high-tech products, its supplier network remains limited in places

Long-term building

Realising the tremendous opportunities that the semiconductor industry has to offer, the Vietnamese government has commenced the development of a strategy for the industry. Given finite resources, the country should develop its semiconductor industry in a targeted and phased manner by focusing on segments that are attractive to investors while also bringing sustainable socioeconomic benefits to Vietnam. Based on these criteria, the most immediate priority should be leveraging its capacities in semiconductor ATP to target potential investors in this segment. Another segment wherein Vietnam has the potential to excel in the short term is semiconductor research and development (R&D).

In the long term, Vietnam should invest in building up its capacities in wafer fabrication, the most capital-intensive segment in the semiconductor value chain. This would involve investing in highly qualified chip engineers, a strong regulatory environment with streamlined business procedures and intellectual property protection, and reliable and clean sources of energy.

Besides existing incentives for high-tech park investments, such as corporate income tax and tax holidays, global investors are increasingly looking for IPs that offer facilities for circular economy development to meet their environmental, social, and governance commitments. Specifically, the renewable energy directive adopted in 2023 raised the EUs binding renewable target for 2030 to a minimum of 42.5 per cent, up from the previous 32 per cent target, almost double the existing share of renewables.

As a result, investors are encouraged to seek opportunities where their investments can make a significant impact on the renewable energy transition. To increase their competitiveness, the government, and IP developers must integrate waste and wastewater management facilities, provide options for clean and renewable energies in existing and future IPs, and consider incentives for companies utilising or developing alternative energy options.

In an increasingly competitive landscape, it is paramount that Vietnam develops a more streamlined business process to entice foreign investments. This requires simplifying administrative procedures, taking a customer service mindset when working with foreign investors by providing timely responses to their requests, and being responsive to investor queries.

Investors looking for manufacturing locations will be increasingly interested in the presence of a robust supply chain and proximity to local talents, R&D centres, and academia to support innovation and synergies. Therefore, it is crucial that Vietnam consider these factors when developing electronics and semiconductor clusters across the country.

Vietnams electronics clusters exist in Bac Ninh, Bac Giang, Thai Nguyen, and Ho Chi Minh City, primarily attributable to major players such as Samsung in the north and Intel in the south. More can be done to develop these clusters into vibrant, high-tech ecosystems.

Vietnam is strategically poised to engage foreign investment in semiconductors. However, the window of opportunity will only be available for so long.

If it does not act quickly, it will lose out to neighbouring countries such as Malaysia or Singapore, which have a solid line-up of local chip talents, a history of up to five decades in semiconductor supply chains, and established infrastructure and investment attraction capacity.

Vietnam to ramp up its semiconductor workforce Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh has issued directives in July for two ministries, focusing on developing the semiconductor sectors workforce.

Vietnamese and US partners sign deals to propel semiconductor and IT sectors A groundbreaking MoU was signed between a leading Vietnamese entity and multiple companies in the United States on July 18, marking a significant milestone in the semiconductor industry.

Appetite for high-growth stocks linked to semiconductors, AI and digital assets Investors are scouting for high-growth stocks related to semiconductors and AI as well as acquiring digital assets, heard a recent panel discussion about investment opportunities in H2.
After nearly 65 years of producing high-quality goods, Tien Phong Plastic has left a strong impression in its offerings of plastic pipes and fittings in Vietnam. The company has made efforts to produce, research, and supply more than 10,000 assorted types of high-quality, international-compliant products.

Tien Phong Plastic: a master of greener standards

Thanks to these efforts, the company has made a significant contribution to the development of sustainable buildings in Vietnam, thereby contributing to protecting the ecosystem and environment for the community.

Deputy general director Tran Nhat Ninh stated, Alongside business goals, we are strongly determined to pursue a green brand as part of its sustainable development strategy. We have actively adopted green standards in manufacturing and fully converted to additives that are safe for consumers health and the companys wastewater in 2024.

Tien Phong Plastic strictly complies with national standards, technical regulations, and international standards in operation processes. As a result, it can master technologies, optimise operation productivity, and take the lead in producing safe, eco-friendly, and market-oriented products, serving consumer needs across various industries and opening up collaboration opportunities for the company with local and foreign companies.

It has also gained the trust of international corporations like Battenfeld Cincinnati, Corma, Iplex, and Sekisui to strengthen collaboration and technology transfer. Thus, the company can produce top products for international markets, such as 2-layer PP corrugated plastic pipes and uPVC drainage pipes and fittings, which are specialised products for drainage systems.

Tien Phong Plastic is the first company in Southeast Asia and the only company in Vietnam to produce large-sized HDPE pipes and 2-layer PE twisted ribbed pipes, offering more innovative and convenient technical construction solutions to the Vietnamese market.

In addition, it has also cooperated with Japanese group Sekisui Chemical in researching and producing CPVC pipes and fittings used for fire protection systems. The new products can replace galvanised steel pipes and cross-wave underground regulation reservoirs that have a capacity of several hundred to several thousand cubic metres of water. They can also be reused and are flexible in many terrains, which help reduce flooding and ensure ecosystem safety.

Meanwhile, the uPVC inspection chamber, which has been produced by the company for over a decade, offers a solution to regulate the flow of the drainage system, contributing to improving the living environment in line with global green consumption trends.

Large corporations such as Minh Phu Group, PC1 Group, and Shinec have become strategic partners of Tien Phong Plastic, which have partly helped pave the way for the company to expand its market share, meeting different demands in several industries both in local and international markets.

With great efforts to drive innovation and corporate social responsibility, Tien Phong Plastic has also made a contribution to help Vietnam realise its commitments to achieve net-zero emissions by 2050, which is also aligned with the National Green Growth Strategy towards 2030 and beyond.
VIR and VIREA honour industrial property developers for green transformation strategies

The forum took place in Ho Chi Minh City on July 30, with the theme "Going green for new investment waves".

Pham Phu Ngoc Trai, chairman of GIBC, and an expert on the circular economy, said, We highly appreciate the organising board in providing voting criteria that highlighted the economic benefits of compliance with environmental requirements and regulations and technological innovation.

Industrial developers and businesses should continue to ensure compliance with environmental regulations to move towards sustainable development and international integration, said Trai.

Vietnam Singapore Industrial Parks (VSIP) Joint Venture Company

VSIP is a joint venture between Vietnam's Becamex IDC Corporation and a Singaporean consortium led by Sembcorp Development.

VSIP currently operates nine IPs nationwide, attracting more than $15 billion in foreign investment with 880 tenants from more than 30 countries and territories, creating over 250,000 jobs. VSIP currently boasts 80 domestic and international awards and certifications. VSIPs are an exemplary and modern example of green and sustainable development.

AMATA VN Public JSC

AMATA, a leading industrial real estate group from Thailand with over 30 years of experience in Vietnam, currently owns four IPs across Dong Nai, Quang Ninh, and Quang Tri provinces, and two integrated urban area projects.

AMATA has more than 3,000 hectares that have attracted 220 investors with total investment of $6 billion, creating more than 60,000 jobs.

With a strategic orientation for sustainable development under the concept of a "smart city", AMATA in Vietnam has been accompanying customers, partners, international organisations, and agencies in piloting and implementing the construction of model eco-IPs.

Frasers Property Vietnam Co., Ltd.

Frasers Property Vietnam Co., Ltd. is a Singapore-headquartered multinational company with extensive experience in owning, operating, and developing diverse products and services in the real estate sector.

Frasers Property owns, develops, and manages more than 180ha of industrial land in key strategic locations in the north and south of Vietnam. The company has built more than one million square metres of infrastructure, factories, and warehouses according to green building standards that are fully adapted to the needs of the domestic manufacturing economy.

The Eco Logistics Centre project managed and operated by Frasers Property Vietnam was the first ready-built warehouse project in Vietnam to be certified as a LEED Green Building by the United States Green Building Council (USGBC).

Viglacera Corporation

As an enterprise which specialises in construction materials manufacturing, real estate investment, and trading, Viglacera has pioneered the application of green technology in its products, helping to reduce carbon emissions and save energy.

Viglacera's orientation is to develop green, smart IPs, aiming to establish ecological IPs to gradually contribute to reducing the "carbon footprint". With 25 years of IP development, attracting nearly $18 billion in foreign investment from more than 400 domestic and foreign enterprises, Viglacera says that all IP projects must follow green criteria to satisfy the high demands of partners and customers.

Shinec JSC

Shinec was established in 2001, headquartered in Nam Cau Kien Industrial Park, Thuy Nguyen district, Haiphong. The company plans to invest in the construction and trading of IPs with an ecological orientation nationwide and utility services.

Shinec has successfully invested in developing Nam Cau Kien IP with an area of 263ha.

Shinec is expanding eco-IPs nationwide covering 3,500ha, hoping to spread the image of Nam Cau Kien IP with green footprints and "happiness" to other investors.

Vietnam's industrial property needs to keep up with new investment wave As a new wave of foreign funds flows into Vietnam, the nation's industrial property segment needs to adapt to satisfy the demand.

Robust answers can ensure new industrial capital flows Although foreign investment is generally on a downward trend globally, Vietnam continues to be assessed as a bright spot for inflows, particularly in industrial real estate.

Industrial parks strive to level up Industrial, service, and urban zones with smart technology application in operation and management of technical infrastructure will become hot development trends in the Vietnamese market, especially when it comes to some of the nations biggest foreign investors.
Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz is targeting the Trump ticket with a new assault strategy: dubbing the candidates "weird."

The two-term governor, seen as a potential running mate for Vice President Kamala Harris, said he calls it like he sees it.

"These guys are just weird," Walz, 60, said last week on MSNBC's Morning Joe, referring to Trump and his running mate J.D. Vance. "They're running for He-Man Woman Haters Club or something," he joked.

"Their policies are what destroyed rural America," Walz added.

They've divided us there in our exam rooms," he added. They're telling us what books to read ... You look at what they're [Trump] talking about. They went right to division."

Speaking with CNN's Jake Tapper Sunday, Walz doubled down on his now-viral remarks.

"Listen to the guy, he noted, referring to Trump, "he's talking about Hannibal Lecter and shocking sharks and just whatever crazy thing pops into his mind."

He added: "My observation on this is: have you ever seen the guy laugh? That seems very weird to me, that an adult can go through six-and-a-half years of being in the public eye, if he has laughed, it's at someone, not with someone," Walz continued. "That is weird behavior."

Kamala Harris' campaign seems to be testing out Walz's "weird" strategy, with even the Harris campaign getting behind the movement.

In campaign statement issued Thursday on the TV appearance of a "78-Year-Old Criminal," asked: "After watching Fox News this morning we only have one question, is Donald Trump okay?"

The campaign listed confusing bullet points of its "main takeaways" from Trump's interview, including, "Trump is old and quite weird?"

During an appearance on CBS's Face the Nation Sunday, Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.) also got behind the Democrats' new line of attack and accused Republican vice presidential candidate J.D. Vance of being "weird."

"Every day, it comes out Vance has done something more extreme, more weird, more erratic. Vance seems to be more erratic and more extreme than President Trump," said Schumer.

"And I'll bet President Trump is sitting there scratching his head and wondering, 'Why did I pick this guy?" he added. "The choice may be one of the best things he ever did for Democrats."
WATERLOO  A Waterloo man has been sentenced to prison for allegedly misleading authorities when he bought a shotgun in 2022.

Judge C.J. Williams sentenced David Jerald Samuell Chiles, 35, to four years and three months behind bars on charges of false statement during a firearm purchase and felon in possession of a firearm during a hearing July 23 in U.S. District Court in Cedar Rapids.

The sentence was on the low end of federal sentencing guideline recommendations.

Prosecutors said Chiles is prohibited from handling firearms because of a 2011 felony forgery conviction in Texas and because he used methamphetamine and marijuana.

He allegedly didnt disclose his conviction when he purchased a Mossberg Maverick 88 shotgun in August 2022. About two weeks later, he pawned the shotgun as collateral for a loan, according to court records.

Then in October 2023, Fayette County sheriffs deputies searching a Wadena home on an unrelated matter found Chiles along with a loaded .22-caliber Heckler and Koch 416D rifle and meth, records state.
A heroic sheriff's deputy rescued a Rottweiler and her four puppies after they were abandoned while residents fled a raging wildfire in a remote area of Northern California.

A heartwarming video posted on social media on Sunday shows the four puppies trotting ahead of their clearly exhausted mother on a dirt road as they trailed deputy Trevor Skaggs to a waiting helicopter following the three-day ordeal.

The dogs' owner had to leave the pets behind after the truck carrying them broke down during the evacuation Wednesday evening, the Butte County Sheriff's Office said in a statement posted on Facebook.

The unidentified owner told authorities where the truck was parked in a remote area near Campbellville but a rescue couldn't be attempted at the time due to the blaze, the sheriff's office said.

On Saturday, Skaggs, a member of the sheriff's Search and Rescue team, was flown by helicopter and dropped off nearby.

He then ran 1 1/2 miles to the truck and "found the puppies and mother alive, but tired and very thirsty," according to the sheriff's office.

"Unfortunately, the puppies' father was found to have not survived," the statement said.

Skaggs gave the mother and her puppies water and pieces of a protein bar, then coaxed them into following him back to the chopper.

"The puppies and their mother were then flown to the Chico Airport and are now being cared for by members of the North Valley Animal Disaster Group," the sheriff's office said. "It's been a horrific few days for our community and we are grateful to be able to share this amazing story.

The blaze, dubbed the Park Fire, erupted Wednesday afternoon and covered more than 368,000 acres with just 12% contained as of Monday morning, according to the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection.

It's the state's largest wildfire of the 2024 season and has been blamed on Ronnie Dean Stout II, 42, who allegedly pushed a burning car into a gully at Upper Bidwell Park in Chico.

Stout, who has previous convictions for child sex crimes and robbery, was arrested early Thursday and was scheduled to make his first court appearance on Monday.
Russian Defence Ministry report on progress of special military operation (29 July 2024)

The Armed Forces of the Russian Federation continue to carry out a special military operation.

The Sever Group of Forces has engaged manpower and hardware of the 150th Mechanised Brigade, 71st Jaeger Brigade, 36th Marine Brigade of the Armed Forces of Ukraine, 103rd and 127th territorial defence brigades of Pavlovka, Konstantinovka (Sumy region), Staritsa, Okhrimovka, Volchansk, and Tikhoye (Kharkov region).

Five counter-attacks launched by assault groups of the 42nd Mechanised, 57th Motorised Infantry, and 92nd Assault brigades of the Armed Forces of Ukraine have been repelled during the day.

The enemys losses amounted to more than 220 Ukrainian troops, two tanks, one Turkish-made Kirpi armoured fighting vehicle, three pick-up trucks, one German-made 155-mm Panzerhaubitzer 2000, one 152-mm Giatsint-B gun, and one 122-mm D-30 howitzer.

In addition, an Anklav-N electronic warfare station, a U.S.-made AN/TPQ-36 counterbattery warfare station, and an ammunition depot were destroyed.

The Zapad Group of Forces has improved the situation along the front line, defeated formations of the 14th, 44th, 115th, 116th mechanised, 3rd assault brigades of the Armed Forces of Ukraine, 110th, 112th, 125th territorial defence brigades, and 12th Azov Special Brigade in the vicinity of Sinkovka, Petropavlovka, Berestovoye (Kharkov region), Nadiya, Makeyevka (Lugansk Peoples Republic), Terny, Torskoye (Donetsk Peoples Republic), and Serebryansky forestry.

Three counter-attacks launched by the 66th and 67th mechanised brigades of the Armed Forces of Ukraine.

The AFU losses included up to 480 Ukrainian troops, two tanks, one U.S.-made M113 armoured personnel carrier, 14 motor vehicles, one 152-mm Msta-B howitzer, one 152-mm D-20 howitzer, one 122-mm Gvozdika self-propelled artillery system, two 122-mm D-30 howitzers, one UK-made 105-mm M119 and one UK-made 105-mm L-119 guns.

Moreover, four field ammunition depots were destroyed.

The Yug Group of Forces has taken more advantageous lines and positions. They have engaged manpower and hardware of the 23rd, 24th, 28th, 54th, 72nd mechanised, 59th motorised infantry, 79th air assault, 81st airmobile brigades of the Armed Forces of Ukraine and the 117th Territorial Defence Brigade close to Verkhnekamenskoye, Bondarnoye, Chasov Yar, Katerinovka, Krasnogorovka, and Maksimilyanovka (Donetsk Peoples Republic).

Two counter-attacks launched by the 5th Assault and 46th Airmobile brigades of the Armed Forces of Ukraine were repelled by Russian troops.

The enemys losses amounted to up to 570 Ukrainian troops, three motor vehicles, one U.S.-made 155-mm Paladin self-propelled artillery system, one U.S.-made 155-mm M777 howitzer, one 152-mm Msta-B howitzer, three 152-mm D-20 howitzers, three 122-mm D-30 howitzers, and one UK-made 105-mm L-119 howitzer.

In addition, an Anklav-N electronic warfare station and five field ammunition depots were destroyed.

The Tsentr Group of Forces liberated Volchye (Donetsk Peoples Republic) and improved the tactical situation.

Russian troops inflicted fire damage on the 31st, 32nd mechanised, 68th Jaeger, 1st Tank brigades of the Armed Forces of Ukraine, 109th and 241st territorial defence brigades have been hit near Druzhba, Toretsk, Novgorodskoye, Rozovka, Ivanovka, Novogrodovka, and Novosyolovka Pervaya (Donetsk Peoples Republic).

Eight counter-attacks launched by the 47th, 53rd, 151st mechanised, 114th infantry, 95th Air Assault brigades of the Ukrainian Armed Forces, and Lyut Brigade of the National Police were repelled during the day.

The enemy losses amounted to up to 400 Ukrainian troops, one tank, three armoured fighting vehicles, to include one U.S.-made Bradley infantry fighting vehicle, five motor vehicles, one U.S.-made 155-mm M777 howitzer, two 122-mm D-30 howitzers, and one 100-mm Rapira anti-tank gun.

The Vostok Group of Forces has improved the situation along the front line, inflicted losses on manpower and hardware of the 72nd Mechanised, 58th Motorised Infantry brigades of the Armed Forces of Ukraine, 102nd, 123rd, and 128th Territorial Defence brigades near Vodyanoye, Prechistovka, Makarovka (Donetsk Peoples Republic), and Gulyaipole (Zaporozhye region).

The enemy suffered losses of up to 130 Ukrainian troops, one tank, five motor vehicles, two UK-made 155-mm FH-70 howitzers, and one U.S.-made 155-mm M198 howitzer.

The Dnepr Group of Forces has engaged the 65th Mechanised, 141st Infantry, 128th Mountain Assault brigades of the Ukrainian Armed Forces and the 35th Marine Brigade near Novodanilovka, Lobkovoye, Kamenskoye (Zaporozhye region), and Tyaginka (Kherson region).

The AFU losses amounted to up to 85 Ukrainian troops, one infantry fighting vehicle, five motor vehicles, two U.S.-made 155-mm M777 howitzer, one Anklav-N electronic warfare station, and two field ammunition depots.

Operational-Tactical Aviation, unmanned aerial vehicles, and Missile Troops and Artillery of the Russian Groups of Forces have neutralised one Ukrainian Su-25 ground-attack aircraft, one ATCR-33S and one Skala-M air traffic control stations on the airfield; and hit clusters of enemy manpower and military hardware in 127 areas during the day.

Russian air defence systems shot down two French-made Hammer guided bombs, five U.S.-made HIMARS projectiles, and 68 unmanned aerial vehicles.

In total, 631 aircraft and 278 helicopters, 28,647 unmanned aerial vehicles, 556 anti-aircraft missile systems, 16,714 tanks and other armoured fighting vehicles, 1,392 MLRS combat vehicles, 12,535 field artillery guns and mortars, and 24,178 units of special military vehicles have been neutralised since the beginning of the special military operation.

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39-year-old Robert Matthew Richards of Saratoga Springs, Utah has been identified as a suspect in the murder of 25-year-old Sara Filiatraut, according to a release from the Lyon County Sheriff's Office.

The Sheriff's Office has been investigating the disappearance of Filiatraut since April 15th of this year. They discovered her remains in a remote area of Churchill County on May 22.

An autopsy determined her cause of death as a homicide.

The suspect, Richards, was working and staying in the Fernley area when Filiatraut went missing and left Nevada a short time later according to the Sheriff's Office.

When Filiatraut's remains were found detectives learned that Richards was staying and working in Colorado.

Detectives went to Colorado and with the assistance of the Grand County Sheriffs Office, as well as the Colorado Bureau of Investigation, executed a search warrant and collected several pieces of evidence. That evidence led to an arrest warrant being issued for Richards.

That warrant charged him with one count of first-degree murder.

On July 29th Richards was arrested in Utah in an operation including Lyon County Sheriff's Office detectives as well as local law enforcement and the U.S. Marshals Service.

Richards was booked into the Salt Lake County Jail in Salt Lake City where he will remain until he is extradited to Lyon County to face trial for the murder of Sara Filiatraut.

Anyone with information in this investigation is urged to contact the Lyon County Sheriffs Office Investigations Division by email at detective@lyon-county.org or by phone at (775) 463-6600.
The family of a 3-year-old boy fatally mauled by a pair of DOGS at a Minnesota home said he will donate his organs before doctors take him off life support.

Loved ones will gather Monday night to say goodbye to Covil Allen during a hospital honor walk, according to a GoFundMe campaign aimed at raising money for the boy's funeral costs.

"This will honor Covil's life and save more children's lives in hopes that no other parent has to endure the pain that they are experiencing right now," the description read.

Covil was brutally attacked by two dogs at a Brooklyn Park, Minnesota home July 19.

According to a search warrant, the toddler and his family were at the home because "there was going to be a sale of dogs," and they planned to buy one, WCCO-TV reported.

When the dogs pounced on Covil, several people tried to save him.

"There were adults in the area that started to defend the 3-year-old by using hammers and pickaxes to get the dogs off," the warrant read.

Responding officers saw the dogs "actively attacking" Covil and shot both dogs. One died at the scene, and another surviving dog was subsequently put down, said police, according to the outlet.

The boy was transported to the hospital in critical condition.

Covil's mother, Tasha Allen, was also attacked during the incident and has undergone several surgeries to her arms and legs, according to the fundraiser.

The incident remains under investigation. It's unclear what charges, if any, the dog owners may face.

Police refered to the dogs as pit bulls but the GoFundMe said they were bulldogs.
Barbara Talisman isnt one for regrets. At age 64, she says, Im living my best life and enjoying it. Since retiring in August 2021, shes been pursuing a lifelong passion for travel as a permanent nomad: globe-trotting on cruises, hopscotching among house-sitting gigs, and sharing solo travel stories and hacks on her website, blog and podcast, Wheres BabZ.

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But there is one thing Talisman wishes she could rewind: She didnt start putting away money for retirement until she was in her mid-50s, missing out on decades when she could have been growing a sizable nest egg.

I never saved. I didn't learn financial education, I didnt know investing strategies, and my excuse was I was working for a nonprofit and not making a lot of money, she says.

Gregory Reid Do you have a story to tell about a retirement decision you wish you could take back? Tell us about it retirement@aarp.org and we might include it in a future column.

That was her first job out of college. Here I am at 24 years old. All this HR stuff appears on my desk. No orientation, just, Let us know if you have any questions. 

Living on a tight budget, she opted out of her employers retirement savings plan, a pattern shed repeat at subsequent jobs that treated retirement support in much the same way, she says  it was heres the package and little else.

Eventually, she says, I started my own consulting firm and was doing very well. But the pattern was set. Even then I chose travel over savings. My plan was to work forever. That plan ran aground after Talisman moved from Las Vegas to San Diego for what she thought would be a dream job in philanthropy and fundraising that turned out to be far from it. She decided to give retirement a try.

At least by then, she had started putting some money away, if only because she was forced to. Six years earlier, her career had taken her to Australia, where employers are required by law to make minimum contributions on workers behalf to a government retirement plan. (This superannuation guarantee  the super, for short  is currently 11.5 percent of pay, rising to 12 percent in July 2025. Employees can make their own contributions on top of the employer-paid super.)
Online shopping has its perks: You can shop in your underwear, the merchandise is delivered to your door and return policies are very liberal.



Money-saving browser extensions can also help you enjoy maximum discounts.

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Whats a browser extension? Its a module that you can download from your web browsers store to help you customize your shopping experience. Stores pay the companies that develop the browser extensions to send shoppers their way, and the companies send some of that money to you as cash back.

When you shop, the extension works in the background to compare its list of discount offers against the pages youre on. When it finds a match, an offer will pop up right on the page so you can activate discounts or earn cash back.

Be aware that your shopping behavior is being observed. Thats the price you pay for the added discounts.

Here are four money-saving browser extensions based on trust and reputation, ease of use and features, cash back, rewards, discount performance and shopping partnerships.

Honey says it wont sell data on your shopping habits

Los Angeles-based Honey will compare prices among online retailers, alert you to price drops and offer coupons on purchases, when available, in addition to earning rewards points for cash back. It will also make suggestions and track prices using a unique best-price tracking feature.

Paypal is its parent company, and Honeys sign-up terms include the promise that it will not sell your data to other companies.
Former President Trumps signature 2017 tax law is having a ripple effect on scam victims: Theyre required to pay federal taxes on the money they lost.

Its a nightmare scenario, as Kate Kleinert knows all too well. In August 2020, the retired secretary and widow began an online romance with a man posing as a United Nations surgeon in Iraq. As he supposedly traveled to meet her in Pennsylvania, he claimed hed been arrested and needed $20,000 for bail. Ultimately, she lost $39,000 in the scam. Then her tax accountant delivered shocking news: She owed $5,000 in federal taxes on the losses.

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At first I didnt believe him, she says. I dont expect the government to give me back the money that I lost through the scam. But to not be able to get a tax break, when there are so many hundreds of frivolous tax breaks out there for people who hardly need them ... it was another smack in the face. (Kleinert now works with AARP to fight fraud.)

The thief stole most of their life savings, now the government demands the rest, says Christopher Anderle, director of Legal Action of Wisconsins (LAW) Low Income Taxpayer Clinic. An income tax is supposed to tax those who have the ability to pay. Theft victims have lost the ability to pay, which is why, previously, they could deduct the loss.

An April 2024 report, Scammed Then Taxed, from the U.S. Senate Special Committee on Aging, offered more examples of scam victims hit again by taxes, including Helen, a retiree in California who lost $277,000  almost her entire lifes savings  to cybercriminals posing as Microsoft agents. She faces a potential tax liability of $60,000.

Why the law changed and its impact

So why was the deduction removed? No one really knows, says Anderle. Usually you get committee explanations about particular positions. There wasnt one here. It was a rushed process. There was no official reasoning behind why victims of theft should have their taxes so dramatically increased.

Meanwhile, the law will likely affect an ever-growing number of people as scams increase in sophistication and frequency. Americans lost more than $10 billion to fraud in 2023, a 14 percent jump from 2022 and an astounding 317 percent rise since 2019, the Federal Trade Commission reported in February 2024. And yet the losses may be higher than the official numbers indicate, since many victims dont report their losses or seek tax assistance, says Anderle. 
GOP House Speaker Mike Johnson has named Louisiana Republican and conspiracy theorist Rep. Clay Higgins to a House task force to investigate the assassination attempt on Donald Trump earlier this month.

Just months ago the hard-right lawmaker insisted with absolutely no evidence that "ghost buses" took agents provocateurs to the U.S. Capitol on Jan. 6, 2021, to instigate the insurrection.

He has also claimed that the federal government is "waging a civil war" on Texas, and that the charges against Trump for removing classified documents from the White House was the result of a mysterious "perimeter probe" by unnamed "oppressors."

President Trump said he has "been summoned to appear at the Federal Courthouse in Miami on Tuesday, at 3 PM."



This is a perimeter probe from the oppressors. Hold. rPOTUS has this.



Buckle up. 1/50K know your bridges. Rock steady calm. That is all.  Rep. Clay Higgins (@RepClayHiggins) June 9, 2023

Higgins, a member of the House Oversight Committee, the House Armed Services Committee, and chair of the Homeland Security Subcommittee on Border Security and Enforcement, will be one of seven Republicans and six Democrats on the bipartisan panel.

Johnson and House Democratic Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries insisted in a joint statement that they have the "utmost confidence in this bipartisan group of steady, highly qualified and capable members of Congress to move quickly to find the facts, ensure accountability and help make certain such failures never happen again."

Higgins said in a statement he will be honored to serve on the high-profile investigation.

"We will deliver the truth to the American people," he posted on X.

The Task Force will have the House of Representatives full investigative authority, including subpoena power.

Higgins' appointment was hailed by Trump supporters, but the lawmaker's critics erupted.

Clay Higgins? Mr. Conspiracy? Great job.  brian kenney (@hiegold) July 29, 2024

Clay Higgins, known for his unyielding commitment to conspiracy theories, has not shied away from promoting absurd claims. Recently, he propagated the bizarre "ghost buses" theory, alleging that FBI informants were transported to the Capitol on January 6, 2021, to incite the  Chris Swart (@BwanaChris) July 29, 2024

Clay Higgins, known for his unyielding commitment to conspiracy theories, has not shied away from promoting absurd claims. Recently, he propagated the bizarre "ghost buses" theory, alleging that FBI informants were transported to the Capitol on January 6, 2021, to incite the  Chris Swart (@BwanaChris) July 29, 2024

Republican Rep. Mike Kelly of Pennsylvania, who witnessed the assassination, will lead the task force.

Other Republican members of the panel are: Reps. Mark Green of Tennessee, David Joyce of Ohio, Laurel Lee and Michael Waltz of Florida, and Pat Fallon of Texas.

The leading Democrat on the task force will be Rep. Jason Crow of Colorado.

Other Democratic members are Reps. Lou Correa of California, Madeleine Dean and Chrissy Houlahan of Pennsylvania, Glenn Ivey of Maryland, and Jared Moskowitz of Florida

The FBI has not determined the motivation of shooter and registered Republican Thomas Matthew Crooks when he opened fire at a Trump rally in Butler, Pennsylvania.

One bullet grazed Trump's right ear as he spoke at the rally.

Another bullet killed spectator and former Pennsylvania volunteer fire chief Corey Comperatore. Two others in the crowd were seriously injured.

Crooks sought information on the internet about appearances by other leading figures, including President Joe Biden and members of the royal family.

The Secret Service has been sharply criticized for failing to take action earlier to stop Crooks who was seen by rally spectators and local police on the rooftop of a nearby building as much as 90 minutes before he opened fire.
Hitmen used a jet ski to sneak up and open fire at rival drug dealers on a Mexican beach but wound up accidentally killing a local 10-year-old boy who was there with his family.

The botched assassination attempt took place around 3 p.m. Sunday in the resort city of Cancun, according to the Mexican Rivera Maya News website.

The state attorney general's office said that "initial investigations indicate that the attackers arrived by sea on a jet ski, shooting at some people presumably in a dispute over drug sales."

A stray bullet reportedly hit the unidentified boy in the chest as he lay in a lounge chair on a hotel beach.

He was rushed to a local hospital where he died, authorities said.

The gunmen got away and the attorney general's office said it was "working to bring those responsible for this crime to justice."
Cops in Southern California are driving the nation's first all-electric fleet of police cars after officials were jolted into giving up their old gas guzzlers.



The South Pasadena Police Department unveiled a specially outfitted Tesla Model Y SUV with low-profile emergency lights, push bars and a black-and-white paint job with blue flourishes during a ceremony outside City Hall on Monday.



Councilmember Michael Caccioitti, a regional air quality official, said the new, 20-vehicle fleet would eliminate emissions ordinarily caused when officers leave their cars idling during traffic stops or responding to calls, the Associated Press reported.



"This is important, particularly in the Los Angeles area, which still has the most unhealthful air in the nation," said Cacciotti, who pushed for the switch. "We hope other police departments in the region and state will make the switch, too."



The move came after satellite photos shot earlier this year showed parking lots full of Tesla EVs as the company struggled to sell off its inventory and laid off 10% of its global workforce in April.

But after U.S. EV sales stalled during the first quarter of 2024, Kelley Blue Book said earlier this month that they grew by 11.3% during the second quarter, compared to the same period last year, buoyed in large part by new offerings from General Motors.

The new police cars will cost city taxpayers $1.85 billion, with more than half the total cost paid for by local electricity companies and the state-funded Mobile Source Air Pollution Reduction Review Committee, AP said.



But it's expected to save South Pasadena about $4,000 on gas for each vehicle annually, and also reduce maintenance costs.



In May, South Pasadena Police Chief Brian Solinksy said his department had been "investigating this transition for five to six years and determined that these electric vehicles will be the best operationally for us" and called the Teslas the "safest and fastest vehicles" available.



In a video posted Monday on Facebook, police Sgt. Tony Abdalla said the department's existing fleet of gas-powered cars was "probably end of life about three to four years ago."

Patrol officers who've tested out the Teslas gave them high marks for better handling and braking, including after a high-speed freeway chase in the rain, Abdalla said.



"The officers said that they never would have continued with that pursuit in the cars that we were operating versus the Teslas," he said.



Abdallah also said the driving range was "almost identical to the cars that were previously in service," adding, "We're able to get about another 200 miles of range in 15 minutes."
Flam, a pioneering Mixed-Reality publishing platform, announces its latest MR advertisement with Aditya Birla Capital (ABC). This marks the addition of FinTech as a category on Flam; thus reaching a significant milestone. The experience is an immersive display, fortifying Aditya Birla Capital's support for Team India to win gold medals at the 2024 Paris Olympics. ABC is also an official sponsor of the Indian Olympic Team. This collaboration introduces immersive experiences to the financial services sector, demonstrating Flam's versatility and adaptability across diverse industries.

The partnership with Aditya Birla Capital represents a strategic entry of Flam into the Fintech sector. Knowing the secrets of producing interesting and creative content, Flam has transformed traditional print advertisements into dynamic, interactive experiences that can surely appeal to the targeted audience. This partnership unambiguously establishes Flam as a key market participant in mixed reality and demonstrates the companys versatility in adapting to the demands of various sectors.

Flam has consistently pushed the boundaries of interactive advertising, delivering captivating experiences for brands like Britannia, Samsung, and AJIO, to name a few across various spheres such as F&B, Consumer Electronics, E-commerce, Real Estate, and more. With its proven track record and innovative technology, Flam now crosses a new frontier by getting into FinTech, Automobile, Banking, and more with mixed reality brand integrations lined up for the next 15 days and beyond.

Outside its venture into Fintech, Flam continues to expand its footprint within existing sectors. With new partnerships in F&B and Real Estate in the pipeline, the brand is demonstrating its potential to drive growth for brands across various verticals.

In this journey of expanding reach and influence, Flam remains committed to delivering exceptional mixed-reality experiences that are captivating and produce tangible results. The partnership with Aditya Birla Capital is a testament to Flam's ability to innovate and adapt, positioning the platform as a frontrunner in shaping the future of advertising.
AkzoNobel, a global leader in paints and coatings, renowned for its Dulux Paints, celebrated five years of its flagship education initiative, Project Parivartan, with a colorful makeover for two government schools in the district.

During the summer vacation, ten volunteers from AkzoNobels Mohali plant and skilled Dulux painters dedicated their time to create eight vibrant wall murals using nearly 700 liters of Dulux paint. These murals, designed to symbolize the boundless potential of the students, now serve as daily sources of inspiration.

Rajiv Rajgopal, Chairman and Managing Director of AkzoNobel India, shared his enthusiasm, stating: As part of AkzoNobel Cares, we are honored to contribute to a more vibrant and empowered future for Mohalis youth. Project Parivartan not only enriches academic experiences but also fosters holistic development and access to quality healthcare for students and their families.

The murals have been met with enthusiasm from the school community. Shubhwant Kaur, Head of Saneta Government High School, expressed: The children were ecstatic to return to school and see the colorful, inspirational murals. The vibrant colors now greet us every day.

Sanjeev Kumar, Head of Mauli Baidwan Government High School, added: This transformation has positively impacted not just the school but also the local communitys perception of our institution.

Launched in 2019 in collaboration with the Department of School Education (Government of Punjab), Project Parivartan supports nearly 2,000 children annually across five government high schools in Mohali. The initiative provides supplementary education, life-skills training on mental wellness, child sexual abuse awareness, and career counseling. AkzoNobel has also invested in infrastructure upgrades, including a science laboratory and donated 2,000 liters of Dulux paint for school renovations.

Also Read : AkzoNobel India releases a new TVC
In an era where fashion-conscious individuals face scrutiny and trolling for their style choices on social media platforms, Campus Activewear has launched its new brand campaign You GO Girl featuring Sonam Bajwa. The campaign intends to redefine narratives, encouraging women to courageously embrace their personal style, taking charge of their fashion journey.

Beginning with a strong sentiment, LOG TOH KEHTE RAHENGE, LOGON KA KAAM HAIN KEHNA. DONT STOP FOR THE WORLD, DO YOUR THINGYOU GO, GIRL!, Campus sends a message to revolutionize fashion culture for women by breaking the old stereotypes associated with traditional footwear choices, and accepting their unique fashion statement. Therefore, Campus Activewears You GO Girl campaign aims to boost the confidence of Indian women and motivate them to create their own style with the new womens sneaker collection. Furthermore, the brand firmly upholds the belief that ideal footwear should seamlessly combine ease and style, ensuring no discomfort.

Speaking of the campaign, Prerna Aggarwal, CMO, Campus Activewear Ltd said Campus is on a mission to transform the way women perceive footwear in India. By combining Sonam Bajwa's vibrant personality with our womens sneaker collection, we aim to empower women and encourage them to embrace their individuality and stride confidently in stylish yet comfortable footwear. The essence of the 'You GO Girl' campaign lies in motivating women to let go of unnecessary worries and focus on feeling confident and empowered in every step they take. This initiative marks a significant cultural shift in the realm of fashion, making it more inclusive, accessible, and enjoyable for women across the country.

Moreover, recent industry reports states that womens footwear segment in India is expected to grow rapidly at a CAGR of 20% until 2027. Millennials and Gen Z, in particular, prefer highly comfortable footwear, and accessorising sneakers with almost every outfit has become a significant trend. Hence, the womens sneaker collection offers versatile designs suitable for various occasions, allowing customers to create their own fashion statements. From campus activities to office settings and social gatherings, the sneaker collection redefines the narrative around fashion.

Speaking about the association and the campaign, Sonam Bajwa said, Gone are the days when womens footwear was limited to traditional collections. Today, sneakers have become an essential accessory in every woman's closet, suitable for any theme and occasion. The 'You Go Girl' campaign aims to further strengthen the fast-changing fashion narrative and motivate women to make their own fashion choices. I am glad to be a part of this campaign, empowering women to embrace their bold fashion statements. Fashion that defines you; style that brings out your authenticity and unique-self.

To match the different occasions and settings, the sneaker collection features lifestyle shoes with chunky sole, classic court sneakers, and athleisure shoes with Nitrofly sole. Featuring Yasmin, OGL-06, Savvy, and other styles, the women's sneaker collection, is now available at Campus Exclusive Brand Outlets (EBOs), Multi-Brand Outlets (MBOs), and exclusively on Myntra, with prices starting at INR 799.

For more information, please visit Campus Activewear's Website or follow us on social media @CampusActivewear.
CoinDCX, the largest crypto exchange in India, has elevated Mridul Gupta as its Founding Partner. In his new role, Mridul will be responsible for meeting the company's growth goals, focusing on international expansion, building high-performance teams, and driving profitability. In addition, Mridul will continue to be responsible for the India market, strengthening CoinDCXs product portfolio, marketing, partnerships, and operations to accelerate the firms strategic growth in India.

Mridul joined CoinDCX in 2021 as its Chief Operating Officer and has been instrumental in building compliant crypto investment & trading products.

His new position comes at a key point when the company has announced its international expansion plan in the Middle East and North Africa region with the acquisition of BitOasis.

Sumit Gupta, Co-Founder of CoinDCX, said, Our vision is to enable access to Crypto & Web3 in a safe and compliant manner across the globe. Mridul has played a crucial role in scaling CoinDCX in India and has been instrumental in the BitOasis acquisition. As we scale up, shoring up revenues and launching new geographies will be key. Mriduls experience in launching operations across new geographies and turning them profitable will help CoinDCX transform to the next level.

Mridul Gupta said, I firmly believe that crypto and web3 will go mainstream in the next 5 years and we are proudly leading this revolution across India and the Middle East. I am very excited for what lies ahead as we continue to innovate simple investment & trading platforms for retail users, build tailored solutions for institutions and create tools to explore Web3 for crypto enthusiasts. My vision is to transform CoinDCX as the most loved Crypto brand. I am thankful to Sumit, Neeraj and the entire CoinDCX team for their trust and support in me.

An Electrical Engineering graduate from IIT Delhi, Mridul has ~15 years of experience in business, product and strategy roles across India and South East Asia. Prior to CoinDCX, he was the Chief Strategy Officer at Pine Labs. He has also worked at Stellaris Venture Partners, Goldman Sachs, his own startup and consulted multiple banks across India & South East Asia. He brings with him extensive experience in driving growth and scaling up capabilities of fast growing fintech organizations. Mridul is a firm proponent of the pivotal role crypto plays in the transformation of Indias economy for a decentralized future.

Also read: BMEG Appoints Rohit Shaw as SVP, Rrahul Deo Manerao as West Business Head
The halls of Le Meridien, Windsor Place, Connaught Place, New Delhi, buzzed with enthusiasm as the 2024 edition of India News Manch kicked off. Organized by iTV Network, this annual conclave once again gathered the best of India's political arena for a day of insightful dialogue and spirited debate. The event was broadcast live across all iTV Network stations, including India News, NewsX, and regional channels, ensuring that viewers nationwide could witness this grand spectacle.

India News Manch 2024 promisedand deliveredunfiltered access to the minds of Indias political giants. The day was packed with extensive one-on-one discussions as the event was graced by several key political figures of India taking the centre stage at Manch to discuss pressing issues and challenges faced by the nation and its people, especially after the formation of the new NDA government. Attendees were treated to a star-studded lineup of special guests, including:

The guest list for Manch featured prominent names including Rajya Sabha MP Kartikeya Sharma, Union Minister Piyush Goyal, Union Minister Pralhad Joshi, Union Minister Gajendra Singh Shekhawat, Union Minister Jyotiraditya Scindia, Union Minister Hardeep Singh Puri, Samajwadi Party Chief Akhilesh Yadav, Chairman of Media & Publicity at AICC Pawan Khera, Congress MP Manish Tewari, AAP MP Sanjay Singh, Lok Sabha MP Chandrashekhar Azad, BJP Rajya Sabha MP Sudhanshu Trivedi, President of Congress Overseas Sam Pitroda, Former Deputy CM of Haryana Dushyant Chautala, and several others.

Watch India News Manch 2024:



Here's What India's Leading Political Voices Said

At the event,Union Minister Piyush Goyal revealed there will be a greater thrust of new reforms along with promising policy continuity. He revealed that they will soon be introducing BSIS standards so that 140 crore Indians get good quality footwear.

Union Minister Prahlad Joshi further in the event discussed An engaging discussion on the Modi government's Viksit Bharat 2047 goal and the opposition's role in democratic processes. For Mission 2047, we aim to achieve 500 gigawatts by 2030. By 2047, our mission is to reduce emissions and increase renewable energy to achieve a developed Bharat.

Union Minister Gajendra Singh Shekhawat stated, Prime Minister Modi introduced the concept of Amrit Kaal, but this vision predates even the BJP, originating during the Jan Sangh era. The goal has always been to make India powerful, prosperous, and affluent.

A vision of technological advancement was painted by Union Minister Jyotiraditya Scindia, who enthused, India is transitioning from being a follower in 4G, walking alongside in 5G, to leading in 6G. This growth is evident across all sectors.

Union Minister Hardeep Singh Puri underscored the vital role of energy in national development, lauding the potential of green fuels. He also took a critical stance on the Oil Bond Scheme, highlighting its detrimental effects on the country.

SP Chief Akhilesh Yadav stated that the existing government was going to fall soon. He further extended the offer to anybody who wanted to join the party and make something out of themselves. The offer is open. This is the monsoon offer, and then we will have a winter discount, until the government falls, we will continue.

Adding a touch of diplomacy, to the discussions, Pawan Khera, Chairman of Media & Publicity at AICC, made a notable remark about PM Modis 2024 general election results, saying, "He won and yet, in a way, he lost, but we won despite our loss in the elections.

Further, giving the Conclave his opinion of the central governments recently presented Union Budget 2024, Congress MP Manish Tewari described it as essentially a reflection of the governments earnings and expenditures. For the past five years, I have been asking the government whether the increasing loans are for capital or revenue expenditure, and they have yet to provide a satisfactory answer, he said.

AAP MP Sanjay Singh, used the platform to praise the Kejriwal leadership stating, "Under Arvind Kejriwals leadership, a new era of politics began in the country. He has been elected three times, and his work on education, water, electricity, and health has been significant. Initiatives like free bus rides for women and pilgrimage schemes for the elderly have garnered global attention"

India News Manch lived up to its reputation as a platform for healthy debate and diverse perspectives. Attendees and viewers were treated to a full day of impactful conversations, insightful analysis, and robust debate on current national issues.

For those who couldnt be there in person, the event was live streamed on Dailyhunt, ShemarooMe, Watcho, Mzaalo, Jio TV, Tata Sky, and PayTM. Stay updated on all the highlights and key moments by following India News and NewsX's social media platforms. Dont forget to join the conversation using the hashtag #IndiaNewsManch.

Also read: iTV Network presents the 2024 edition of India News Manch


At the revered India Today-Business Today Budget Round Table 2024 on Saturday, Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman offered critical insights into the landmark internship initiative unveiled in Budget 2024-25. Addressing implementation concerns, she emphasized, "We still think it will be a nudge, we won't be enforcing anything on anybody." This collaborative approach intends to provide internships to 1 crore youth across India's top 500 companies, potentially revolutionizing the skilled labour landscape.

Sitharaman emphasised the initiative's importance in bridging the gap between industry needs and available skills, marking a pivotal step in India's employment strategy. The high-profile event, co-powered by ICICI Direct and KIA's New Seltos, featured over 25 top industry leaders and more than 200 attendees. It served as Sitharaman's significant media engagement following her presentation of a record seventh consecutive Budget, focussing on decoding the intricate financial road map and outlining strategies to achieve Viksit Bharat through robust dialogue with business titans crucial to the nation's economic ascent.

The India Today-Business Today Budget Round Table assembled an impressive roster of industry leaders and experts. Besides the Finance Minister, those who spoke at the event included Ajay Seth (DEA Secretary), Ravi Agarwal (CBDT Chairman), and Sanjay Kumar Agarwal (CBIC Chairman), Vinod Aggarwal (VE Commercial Vehicles), Kunal Bahl (Acevector Group), Dhruv Agarwala (Housing.com), Vineet Agarwal (Transport Corporation of India), Dr. Aashish Chaudhary (Aakash Healthcare), Dhirendra Kumar (Value Research), Ashu Madan (JM Financial Services), Vijay Kedia (Kedia Securities), Dr. Surjit Bhalla (former IMF ED), Abheek Barua (HDFC Bank), Aditi Nayar (ICRA), Rajiv Memani (EY India), Sanjeev Bikhchandani (Info Edge), Jayant Sinha (former MoS Finance), Prof Gourav Vallabh(BJP), Krishna Prasad Tenneti (TDP), Sushmita Dev (All India Trinamool Congress), Salman Soz (Congress), Ashok Gulati (ICRIER), and Ajay Vir Jakhar (Bharat Krishak Samaj).

Key takeaways from the sessions included insights on the Budget's impact across various sectors such as commercial vehicles, e-commerce, real estate, logistics, and healthcare. Discussions focussed on India's journey towards self-reliance in markets, fiscal implications, employment prospects, and farmer welfare. The event also explored the intricacies of Budget formulation and implementation strategies. Political perspectives on the Budget were debated, and Finance Minister Sitharaman outlined the government's vision for a developed India, addressing industry concerns and strategies for economic growth.

The India Today-Business Today Budget Round Table 2024 successfully brought together government officials, industry leaders, and economic experts for a comprehensive analysis of the Union Budget. This landmark event fostered crucial dialogues on India's economic future, exploring strategies for growth across various sectors and provided valuable insights into the nation's path towards becoming a developed economy.

Also Read : India Today and Microsoft launch Lok Sabha Elections 2024 coverage
London International Awards has announced the Digital and Use of Social Media & Influencers and Music & Sound juries with Malcolm Poynton, Global Chief Creative Officer/ President Creative, Cheil Worldwide as Jury President for the Digital and Use of Social Media & Influencers competitions. Chairing the Music & Sound Jury will be Carol Dunn, Managing Director, Barking Owl, Los Angeles.

They will lead their respective juries onsite at Encore @ Wynn, Las Vegas, where they will view and judge all work that has been submitted into their respective categories. As there is no off-site pre-judging, all jurors are fully involved in all rounds of judging, so everyone is privy to the final results before they are published.

The internet and digital access unlocked a whole new world for advertising. Brands quickly harnessed the power of social media platforms. Consumers can now actively comment, share and participate in promoting a brand. Gone are the days when blanket-marketing method was used. Consumers want brands to talk specifically to them.

Malcolm Poynton is passionate about redefining how brands connect with consumers. He is a recognized industry thought leader and champion of how brands can grow, while positively impacting societies. One of the industrys most awarded creatives, he is recognized by AdAge as one of the Worlds Top 10 Digital Minds.

On chairing the Digital and Use of Social Media & Influencers Jury, Malcolm Poynton said, Digital, social & influencer marketing is the most exciting, fast-moving space for creativity today. Its where elections are won, brands are built and fails become memes. Im looking forward to working with the incredibly talented LIA jury to shine a light on whats been hot in 2024.

The importance of music and sound design cannot be downplayed. Aligning the right music and sound to the visuals sets the atmosphere. These essential components can elevate the emotional connection of a piece of creative work, enhance recall and brand identity. As Leo Tolstoy once rightly said: Music is the shorthand of emotion.

Carol Dunns music career stretches over 30 years, which began on the label side as a switchboard operator at Capitol Records. By being inquisitive and sharing her love of music & film with renowned music supervisor, Karyn Rachtman (Clueless, Pulp Fiction, Get Shorty), she was able to parlay that position from answering phones to sitting behind her own desk and helping produce notable soundtracks such as, Boogie Nights, Stealing Beauty, Baz Lurhmanns Romeo + Juliet, Mystery Men, Bulworth, Rugrats I & II and Office Space, to name a few. As the landscape of how music is delivered began moving from actual records & CDs to streams and downloads, her career moved over to music publishing, where she sharpened her synch chops even further. From publishing, she moved directly onto the advertising side and has not looked back.

In accepting the honour as Jury President of Music & Sound, Carol Dunn stated, I am honoured to have been named the LIA Music & Sound Jury President for 2024. My passion for integrating music with visuals has propelled me into a position where I can collaborate with some of the most skilled individuals in the industry. The opportunity to assess the work of my peers and be consistently impressed speaks volumes about the dedication and expertise we all have. Judging the subjectivity of creativity while prioritizing craftsmanship demonstrates an understanding of the nuances involved in evaluating artistic endeavors. As the leader of the jury, I have the important responsibility of facilitating discussions to determine the winners.

Barbara Levy, President of LIA, said, We engage with digital technology and with music in our everyday life. We cannot imagine a world without either  both powerful media that can move people and leave a lasting impression. We have two very strong Jury Presidents and Jury members for these competitions. People who are the top in the business. And when you have the top people judging, you are assured that only great work will make the cut.

Digital and Use of Social Media & Influencers Jury

Malcolm Poynton, Global Chief Creative Officer / President Creative, Cheil Worldwide  Jury President

Jill Applebaum, Chief Creative Officer, Public Inc, New York

Frank Cartagena, US CEO, MullenLowe US

Juliana Constantino, Executive Creative Director, Pereira ODell, New York

Anthony Dever, Head of Creative & Brand Consultancy, TikTok, Sydney

Graham Drew, Chief Creative Officer, Grey Malaysia & Singapore

Harry Elonen, Senior Brand Manager, Mojang Studios, Stockholm

Daniel Fisher, Global Executive Creative Director, Unilever and Special Projects, Ogilvy

Ryan Ford, President / Chief Creative Officer, Cashmere Agency, Los Angeles

Rita Harbie, Senior Creative Director, Saatchi & Saatchi ME, Dubai

Matt Lawson, Chief Creative Officer, Asia Pacific, Deloitte Digital

Asawin Phanichwatana, Chief Creative Officer, Creative JuiceBangkok, Bangkok

Camila Rodrigues de Souza, Creative Director, Wieden+Kennedy, Sao Paulo

Shannon Washington, Chief Creative Officer, Gotham, New York

Music & Sound Jury

Carol Dunn, Managing Director, Barking Owl, Los Angeles  Jury President

Cassiano Derenji, Executive Producer / Partner, DaHouse Audio, Overath

Karla Henwood, Executive Creative Producer, Squeak E. Clean Studios, Sydney

Eric Johnson, Executive Creative Director, North America, MassiveMusic, New York

Chris Jordao, Partner, Quiet City Music + Sound, Old Greenwich

Christine Leslie, Executive Producer / Music Supervisor, TA2 Sound + Music, Toronto

Halle Petro, Executive Creative Director, Sonic Union, New York

Henrique Tanji, CEO / Founder, Ritmika Audio Arts, Sao Paulo

Parv Thind, Managing Director / Partner / Sound Designer, Wave Studios, London

Sander van Maarschalkerweerd, Founder / Executive Music Supervisor, Sizzer, Amsterdam

Brian Yessian, Partner / Chief Creative Officer, Yessian Music, New York

Judging in Las Vegas commences on 29th September and will be completed on 7th October 2024. LIA is one of five global shows that is included in the WARC Creative 100 rankings.

Also Read: LIA 2024: Havas Joji Jacob named Creativity In B2B Jury President
Thats two-time Olympic gold medalist Suni Lee to you.

After helping Team USA womens gymnastics to its first Olympic gold medal in team competition since the 2016 Rio Olympics, former Auburn gymnast Suni Lee secured the second Olympic gold medal of her career on Tuesday from Paris Bercy Arena.

Lee won her first Olympic gold medal during the 2020 Tokyo Olympics as she won the all-around competition.

On Tuesday, Lee was set to compete on the uneven bars, balance beam and floor, meaning she was forced to sit and wait during the first rotation as Team USA started on vault.

The Americans time on vault was followed by a trip to the uneven bars, which is arguably Lees best event.

Lee ended up falling off the uneven bars during her warmup, but brushed it off quickly and put together a Team USA-leading score of 14.566.

Following bars, Team USA took to the balance beam, where it was presented with quick gut check as Jordan Chiles fell off the apparatus to start the teams turn.

And while following a fall is never easy as they are sometimes considered contagious, Lee made sure that wasnt the case and strung together a near-flawless routine, finishing with a score of 14.600.

While waiting to learn her beam score, Lee was comforted by a pair of familiar words as War Eagle! was shouted out from the crowd, earning some fist pumps from the most decorated gymnast in Auburn history.

In what felt like a victory-lap-of-a-final rotation on floor, Lee finished up her brilliant day with a 13.533 before carrying the American flag across the floor alongside Simone Biles as gold medalists once again.

While Team USAs time as a unit ended Tuesday, both Lee and Biles still have work to do in Paris as theyre both set to compete in the all-around competition on Thursday.
Bessemer City Schools officials underpaid employees and violated several financial procedures in the months leading up to a threat of state takeover, a recent audit found.

A special report was published by the Alabama Department of Examiners of Public Accounts on July 26. State Superintendent Eric Mackey requested the report after months of monitoring the small Birmingham metro school district.

The special report draws attention to the ongoing issues in Bessemer that have risen to the level of my recommendation for state intervention, Mackey told AL.com in a statement Tuesday.

Bessemer City enrolls about 3,000 students and employs just under 240 staff members.

According to the report, the district failed to approve a 2024 budget, capital plan and salary schedule by the required deadline. The district also failed to comply with state bid laws and did not provide required contracts to at least two of its principals.

The 12-page report was based on two years of board activities and financial data that spanned from Oct. 1, 2022 to March 31, 2024. Auditors met with Superintendent Dana Arreola, current board members and the districts former Chief School Financial Officer Patricia Stewart to discuss the findings.

On July 3, after receiving the report, Mackey sent a letter to board members outlining several issues of major concern and threatening state takeover if they didnt fix key finance and governance problems.

Bessemer board members voted to agree to intervention on July 22. If a takeover is approved by the state school board, work would start as soon as Aug. 9  the first week of classes for Bessemer City.

In a statement to AL.com, Arreola, who was hired in 2023, noted that the findings mirror the concerns outlined by Mackey in his letter.

The boards vote to accept the takeover, she said, gives us the opportunity to remedy this matter permanently as we work to improve outcomes for students.

The auditors findings

School systems must submit an annual budget, capital plan and salary schedule to the state education department by late September in order to get their allotted state funding.

Bessemers board did not approve the systems budget and capital plan until an Oct. 17 board meeting, and did not approve a new salary schedule, according to the report. At the time of the audit, employees were still being paid their 2022-2023 rates, auditors found.

Adequate policies and procedures were not in place to ensure that the budget, including the salary schedule, and capital plan were approved and submitted in accordance with Alabama Department of Education deadlines, the report states. As a result, the Board did not meet all requirements to share in the appointment of the Foundation Program Fund.

Mackey said the department has not withheld any state funds from the district, as that would have left children in Bessemer without any educational options.

As of July 30, the board had yet to approve an up-to-date salary schedule. Members, however, are meeting this week to discuss the districts budget for the new fiscal year.

Erika Hughes, president of the central Alabama chapter of the American Federation of Teachers, said problems with pay have been ongoing and stretch beyond the school board. The organization has filed multiple grievances concerning late, missing or incorrect employee payments in recent years, she said.

Were paying certified employees on classified, and classified employees on certified salary schedules that havent been approved in two years, she told reporters recently. Whos holding them accountable?

The report also found several instances where board members failed to follow state law when contracting services.

School systems must open up a bid when seeking outside services or supplies that cost more than $40,000. State public works law also requires school repairs and construction projects costing more than $100,000 to be split into contracts of smaller amounts.

The board failed to submit bids for a number of items, including janitorial services, trash disposal, pest control, furniture and fuel, auditors found. Several of the districts construction projects also failed to follow state bid and public works requirements.

Recently, board members voted to stall key construction projects due to a disagreement over bid protocol. Arreola told AL.com last week that HVAC and roofing projects are now in progress, but its unlikely those repairs will be ready in time for the start of school.

If a takeover is approved, Mackey said he will immediately appoint a chief academic officer and a few other ALSDE staff to help with financial matters. It is also likely that the department will have input on the districts current search for a new chief school financial officer.

Officials have said that no other personnel changes are planned at this time.

I am confident that working together with the Bessemer officials, ALSDE will be able to clear up all the financial issues over time, Mackey said. It will not be an overnight fix, but we will get there in due time.




One Chinese tourist killed, five others injured in road accident in northern Tanzania

Xinhua) 10:21, July 30, 2024

DAR ES SALAAM, July 29 (Xinhua) -- One Chinese tourist was killed, and five others injured Sunday when the vehicle they were traveling in was involved in an accident in the Serengeti National Park in northern Tanzania, an official said.

Tanzania National Parks (TANAPA) Principal Conservation Officer Catherine Mbena told Xinhua via phone that the accident occurred when the Chinese tourists were heading for their hotel. Six Chinese passengers and one Tanzanian driver were in the vehicle. The Tanzanian driver was also injured.

The body of the deceased was preserved at the Nyerere district designated hospital, where the injured Chinese tourists received preliminary treatment.

Edgar Muganyizi, the medical officer in charge of the hospital, in Serengeti district, Mara region, said the injured tourists, four women and one man, were airlifted Monday to Nairobi for further treatment.

One of the injured tourists, a woman, was in critical condition, Muganyizi told Xinhua over the phone.

Mara regional police commander Salim Morcase said the accident occurred after the vehicle overturned because of speeding.

(Web editor: Zhang Kaiwei, Wu Chaolan)
Missouri Sen. Josh Hawley got into a heated exchange about accountability with the acting director of the Secret Service at a hearing Tuesday afternoon.

Acting Director Ronald Rowe was answering questions about the security failures around the Pennsylvania rally where Donald Trump was shot earlier in the month.

"Isn't the fact that a former president was shot, that a good American is dead, that other Americans were critically wounded, isn't that enough mission failure for you to say that the person who decided that that building should not be in the security perimeter probably should step down?" Hawley asked.

When Rowe said he didn't want to zero in on one agent as the person to blame, and wanted to interview everyone involved to examine all failures.

Hawley pressed, "Why don't you relieve everyone of duty who made bad judgement? So, yeah, I am centering on somebody. I'm trying to find someone accountable here."

When Hawley kept asking if people in various roles been relieved of duty, Rowe finally gave an angry response.

"Sir, this could have been our Texas Schoolbook Depository. I have lost sleep over that for the last 17 days. Just like you have."

"Then fire somebody," Hawley sharply replied.

"I will tell you senator, that I will not rush to judgement, that people will be held accountable and I will do so with integrity and not rush to judgement and put people unfairly persecuted."

"Unfairly persecuted?" Hawley quizzically responded. "You have people who are dead."

"Unfairly sir," Rowe repeated. "We have to have a proper investigation into this."

It was the first heated moments in the hearing, which was much more reserved than a House hearing last week that ended with the resignation of the former head of the department.

Earlier in the hearing, Rowe said he visited the shooting site shortly after being named acting director a week ago.

Rowe said he went onto the roof of the building where the gunman shot from and laid in the prone position looking at the site of the stage.

"What I saw made me ashamed," Rowe said in opening remarks at the Senate Judiciary Committee hearing. "I can not defend why that roof was better secured."
Starting Thursday, Alabama residents get an inside lane on booking advance reservations in state parks  provided they plan far enough ahead.

Effective Aug. 1, a new feature will open at the online reservation system operated by the Alabama Department of Conservation and Natural Resources. Its called the Alabama Residents Advanced Reservation Window.

When users begin the process of booking a site via the reservation page at alapark.com, theyll be asked to provide a ZIP code. Those with an Alabama ZIP code will be able to make reservations 13 months in advance, while those with an out-of-state ZIP will be limited to 12 months in advance. Verification is accomplished through the payment process: The ZIP code for the users credit card billing address must match the one given at the start of the reservation attempt.

For an example, the one-month advantage means that as of Aug. 1, Alabamians will be able to book campsites for Labor Day weekend 2025, which wont yet be open to out-of-state campers.

Alabamians consistently support our 21 State Parks, and this is a way we can show our appreciation, Alabama Department of Conservation and Natural Resources Commissioner Chris Blankenship said in a news release announcing the change. Allowing Alabama residents to book earlier gives our neighbors expanded opportunities to stay, play and explore throughout our State Parks.

According to that news release, Some destinations, such as camping reservations at Cheaha State Park during peak fall foliage season, have sold out in a matter of hours a year in advance. The new Alabama Residents Advanced Reservation Window gives residents an advantage when it comes to such high-demand reservations.

In recent years, we have heard from Alabama residents inquiring about some form of reservation option that is unique to our states residents. With changes in our reservations system, we now have that technological capability and have made this happen, State Parks Director Greg Lein said in the release. We encourage guests to make reservations early and often through our Plan Your Adventure Online portal available on our website at alapark.com. We truly appreciate all the support Alabamians give our state parks.

The advance reservation opportunity applies to RV, modern and primitive camping at all 21 state parks. For more information on them, visit alapark.com.
Francine Pascal, the author best known for creating hit teen book series Sweet Valley High, has died. She was 92.

Pascal died on Sunday in New York, the New York Times reports. The cause of death was lymphoma Pascals daughter, Laurie Wenk-Pascal, told the newspaper.

Sweet Valley High debuted in 1983 after a friend remarked to Pascal there was no teen version of 1980s soap Dallas. Pascal was reportedly inspired to create the series, about blonde Californian twins Jessica and Elizabeth Wakefield, immediately. The books went on to spawn hundreds of sequels and spin-offs detailing the twins at different ages, ranging from middle school to college. There were also some wackier books which saw the twins mixed up in murders and even supernatural events.

Only the first 12 books were written by Pascal although she wrote most of the outlines for the others. A TV adaptation of the books ran for four seasons starring twins Brittany and Cynthia Daniel. Diablo Cody was said to be penning a feature film adaptation of the books in 2009 for Universal, although the movie never materialized.

As well as having sold over 200 million copies, Sweet Valley High arguably inspired the modern teen drama genre as we know it, with shows including Degrassi and Beverly Hills, 90210 debuting in late 1980s and early 1990s following the novels initial success as well as Clueless, Dawsons Creek and The OC in the following years.

In 2011 a new adult novel series, Sweet Valley Confidential was released, revisiting the Wakefield twins in their 30s. The original book series ended in 2003.

Pascal was born in New York in 1932. She studied journalism at New York University before going on to work for a variety of publications including True Confessions and Cosmopolitan. Her first young adult novel, Hangin Out With Cici, was published in 1977 and quickly adapted into a TV special. She also wrote other novels as well as writing for soap opera The Young Marrieds alongside her husband John Pascal, who died in 1981.

Pascal is survived by two of her three daughters, six grandchildren and five great-grandchildren.

 2024 Variety Media, LLC, a subsidiary of Penske Business Media; Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC
Auburns DEI office

Auburn University is the latest state college to announce the closing of its Office of Inclusion and Diversity, reports AL.coms Rebecca Griesbach.

Now five institutions have made or announced the move, just months after a new state law was signed by Gov. Kay Ivey that bans DEI (diversity, equity and inclusion) programs. The law requires that colleges be in compliance with the law by Oct. 1.

Auburn officials say its office will close Aug. 15 and that staff will be reassigned to other departments. AU has reported that it was spending around $1.8 million on the diversity office.

Technical problems

The City of Tuskegees traffic speeding cameras have drawn complaints and even a lawsuit in the months since they were installed. And now, The Associated Press and CBS42 are reporting that the city has promised full refunds to those fined.

Ticketed drivers number in the hundreds.

The lawsuit claims the cameras incorrectly identified speeding cars. So Tuskegee Mayor Lawrence Haygood said all those fined will get their money back. Use of the system, from the German company Jenoptik, has been suspended.

RIP Alma Powell

Alma Powell, the widow of retired general and former U.S. Secretary of State Colin Powell, has passed away, reports AL.coms William Thornton.

She was born Alma Vivian Johnson in Birmingham, where she attended Parker High School. She and her husband honeymooned at the A.G. Gaston Motel in Birmingham, and she lived in Birmingham again while her husband was deployed during the Vietnam War.

She studied speech pathology and audiology.

Colin Powell died in 2021 of complications with COVID-19.

Alma Powell was 86 years old.

Brand-new pygmy hippo

If youve never seen a pygmy hippopotamus -- and odds are you havent -- nows a good time to see a brand-new one.

Pygmy hippos are an endangered species. The World Conservation Union estimates there are fewer than 3,000 living in the wild. Home for them is West Africa, but they are known to breed well in captivity. And theyre not nearly as big as the hippos were familiar with. The pygmies grow to only around 400-600 pounds.

AL.coms Mike Cason reports that visitors to the Montgomery Zoo can now see a 5-month-old female named Ronda. Shes with mom Asali in the Pygmy Hippo Nursing Suite.

Other adult pygmies are in their exhibit at the zoos Africa Realm. Six other pygmy hippos have been born at the Montgomery Zoo over the past eight years. Theyve all been placed at other zoos.

Ronda, a five-month-old pygmy hippopotamus, is on display at the Montgomery Zoo. Pygmy hippos, native to west Africa, are an endangered species, with only about 3,000 in the wild.(Photo by Picasa courtesy of the Montgomery Zoo)

Quoting

They want to work. They just dont want to be subjected to punishments if they dont work.

Jessica Vosburgh, attorney for Alabama prison inmates who say they shouldnt face punishment if they cant or refuse to work for an outside employer.

By the Numbers

450 feet

Thats about how high a window washer was when he became stuck outside the RSA Tower in Mobile. Mobile Fire-Rescue technicians lifted him to a nearby roof, where he was able to walk into the building without injury.

Firefighters and rescue technicians extricate a man who became stuck when he was washing windows on the RSA Tower somewhere below the 33rd floor when he was working hundreds of feet off the ground at the downtown Mobile, Alabama, building Monday afternoon, July 29, 2024.Mobile Fire-Rescue Department

More Alabama News

Born on This Date

In 1946, the late NASCAR driver and member of the Alabama Gang Neil Bonnett of Hueytown.

On the podcast

Jonathan Sobolewski tells a 1930s-era Alabama story about a man who got in trouble for going on a drunken elephant ride. You can read that grammatically however you want, because both he and the elephant had a little prohibited whiskey before the ride.

You can find Down in Alabama wherever you get your podcasts, including these places:
A former University of Alabama student is charged with multiple sex crimes including rape of another student, all of which was captured in photos and videos reportedly taken by the suspect.

Gambill Colvard Gentry, 23, is charged with first-degree rape, first-degree sodomy, and multiple counts of first-degree voyeurism, authorities announced Monday. Gentry is from North Carolina.

Tuscaloosa Violent Crimes Unit Capt. Jack Kennedy said Gentry has been banned from campus.

The units Sexual Assault Section over the past several weeks have been investigating the alleged crimes.

A female told authorities met an acquaintance at a bar, woke up the next morning with no memory of the night before, and suspected that she had been assaulted, Kennedy said.

On July 13, according to charging documents, investigators carried out search warrants on Gentrys cell phone.

Investigators were able to obtain photo and video evidence that clearly showed that the victim had been sexually assaulted while unconscious,' Kennedy said.

Depositions in the cases state that they found photos of the victims breasts and genital area while she appeared to be unconscious.

One of them had a caption that read, Nice vagina. Happy Birthday slut.

There were also images of Gentry performing oral sex on the victim was she was clearly incapable of consent,' the documents state.

One of the images contained a caption that read easy rape.

Gentry was taken into custody on July 25. He remains held without bond.

Gentry is represented by Birmingham attorneys Tommy Spina, Brett Bloomston and Ben Preston.

Mr. Gentry immediately voluntarily surrendered after learning that there was a warrant for his arrest out of Tuscaloosa County while he was at his home in North Carolina,' Spina said.

He has no significant criminal history and is not a risk of flight,' Spina said. We are hopeful he will be released on a reasonable bond with whatever conditions or combination of conditions the court deems appropriate that would insure he would appear at all future court appearances as directed by the court and protect the safety of the public.

Spina said Gentry will waive or give up his right to a preliminary hearing for his case to move forward and be presented to a grand jury in due course as with every felony case.

Kennedy said evidence recovered during the investigation into Gentry leads investigators to believe that there may be other victims unknown to law enforcement.

The Violent Crimes Unit is asking anyone who believes that they may have been a victim of Gentrys to contact the VCU at 205-464-8690.
U.S. Senator Katie Britt today is introducing Lulus Law  named in honor of 15-year-old Lulu Gribbin from Mountain Brook.

Lulus Law would codify shark attacks as events for which wireless emergency alerts would be transmitted.

The Wireless Emergency Alerts system was launched in 2012 and has been used more than 84,000 times to warn the public about dangerous weather, missing children, and other critical situations  all through alerts on compatible cell phones and other mobile devices.

Britt said Lulus Law would encourage authorities to quickly deploy warnings via mobile phone alert messages  similar to an Amber Alert - to the public if a shark has attacked someone or if the conditions enhancing the possibility of a shark attack are present.

Lulu and 16-year-old McCray Faust, both Mountain Brook High School students, were on a mother-daughter trip at Seacrest Beach on Floridas Gulf Coast June 7 when the teens were bitten while looking for sand dollars with their friends. Lulus twin sister, Ellie, was there as well and has describe what happened that day.

Lulu was critically injured, losing her left hand and her right leg above the knee. McCray sustained bite injuries to her lower leg and foot.

Lulu Gribbin, a 15-year-old from Mountain Brook, Alabama, who survived a shark attack, continues rehabbing from her injuries. Here she tests a walker for the first time.Photo courtesy Ann Blair Gribbin

The shark attack happened just 90 minutes  and a few miles away  after 45-year-old Elisabeth Foley of Virginia was also critically injured in a separate attack.

Though the beaches were shut down following the attacks, there was widespread concern that it took too long to do so and there was no notification system that would have alerted beachgoers  including Lulu and her friends  to the first attack.

Multiple bystanders jumped in to help Lulu, including Stephen Beene, who pulled Lulu from the shark, and Matthew Lidle, who took Lulu from Beene and carried her to the shore. Doctors and nurses who were also vacationing there jumped into action, putting tourniquets on Lulus wounds.

Lulu has since been moved from Florida to another hospital that specialized in amputees and is undergoing rigorous physical therapy that includes working with a prosthetic hand.

We are eternally grateful that Lulu survived the shark attack on June 7. Lulu is a fighter, her parents, Ann Blair and Joe Gribbin said in a statement released by Britt. We will get through this, and she will adapt to her new lifestyle.

However, we remain in disbelief this accident occurred, the parents statement read. This was the second attack that day in close proximity, and it could have been prevented with a better alert system.

Thats why Lulus Law is so important, the said. Were grateful to Senator Britt for introducing this legislation, and we encourage Congress to pass it for families like ours who just want to keep our children safe.

Lulu Gribbin, a 15-year-old from Mountain Brook, Alabama, who survived a shark attack, continues rehabbing from her injuries.Photo courtesy Ann Blair Gribbin

The Federal Emergency Management Agency manages the Integrated Public Alert and Warning System (IPAWS), which sends out local alerts that provide authentic emergency information to the public. Other WEA alerts include warnings about extreme weather, amber alerts, wildfires, and more.

Having two teenagers myself, this hits close to home, Britt said. I cannot imagine what this journey has been like for Lulu or for her parents,

When Lulu woke up, she said, I made it. This brave Alabama girl is resilientshe is a true fighter, personifying both grace and grit, Britt said. Im incredibly proud of her faith, her courage, and her strength.

Lulus Law would empower authorities to quickly and accurately put information in the hands of beachgoers to help keep them out of harms way, Britt said.

This is a commonsense measure, she said, aimed at keeping families safe  a cause that I know people can rally around, just like her local community, our great state, and the entire nation have rallied around Lulu.
A 15-year-old boy fatally shot earlier this month was accidentally killed when his friend tried to unload a handgun inside a minivan in which juveniles had been joyriding all night.

Birmingham Mayor Randall Woodfin addressed the deadly shooting in the city council meeting Tuesday, imploring parents and guardians know where their children are, and what theyre doing.

This is sad. This is tragic, Woodfin said. Just speaking directly to our parents, its extremely important to know where your child is, to know who they are with, and to know whats in the vehicle.

Prentice Lovell Little, an Adamsville teen who attended Minor High School, was killed July 7 on the citys eastside.

Just before 7 a.m. that Sunday, South Precinct officers were dispatched to a report of a person who showed up at UAB Hospital with a gunshot wound.

Once at the hospital, they learned that a minivan arrived at the emergency room with Prentice inside. He was pronounced dead at the hospital at 8:28 a.m.

Police learned the shooting took place in the 9200 block of Parkway East, between Walmart and Wells Fargo, near a small strip of businesses.

Authorities previously said they believed the mishandling of the gun led to Prentices death.

Police are investigating the July 7, 2024, shooting death of a 14-year-old boy in the 9200 block of Parkway East.(Carol Robinson)

Woodfin on Tuesday said the group of five teens  one 18-year-old and the rest under the age of 17 - had been driving around all night into the wee hours of the morning, literally about 6:30 in the morning, and found themselves on the eastern side of town.

As they pulled into the parking, a 14-year-old was trying to clear a Glock handgun inside the minivan when it discharged and killed Prentice.

All of those inside the car were friends or family, the mayor said.

The 14-year-old was taken into the custody of the youth detention facility.

The Jefferson County Coroners Office ruled the death a homicide  which means one person died at the hands of another  though Woodfin said the deadly shooting was accident.

It wasnt an actual homicide, it was criminally negligent homicide, Woodfin said.

The mayor said he spoke with the parents of those involved.

In speaking with the parents, they did not know where these children were, they didnt know they had been riding around all night, they didnt know they were riding around until the sun came up, he said. They were unaware of a pistol being in the car and they found out the tragic news that one of them had been killed.

I implore our parents in this community, I implore a person that takes on a parental role in this community, to always know where your child, children are, Woodfin said.

Government cannot be everywhere. We cant be in every vehicle, he said. Thats not a realistic expectation.

This is tragic, he said.

One child lost his life, and another child has to be held accountable, but the ripple that sends for all the boys in that car within itself -- I dont know the emotional toll of that and what they have to live with the rest of their lives.
A man and woman are being held in the Limestone County Jail in connection with the discovery of what authorities say was a homemade explosive device.

The Limestone County Sheriffs Office said on Friday investigators were searching for a stolen motorcycle. Lt. Jay Stinnett encountered a man and woman pushing a motorcycle on Zehner Road. When Stinnett attempted to make contact with the two, they fled on foot.

According to the sheriffs office, investigators found two book bags that the two dropped while fleeing. Inside one of the book bags was an explosive device.

Authorities secured the scene. The Huntsville Bomb Squad was notified, responded and was able to render the device safe.

Investigators identified the two as Terry Lee Cline and Amber Nicole Barnes, both of Athens. They were taken into custody.

Cline has been charged with first degree property theft, attempting to elude, explosives or destructive device, drug possession and six additional outstanding warrants.

Barnes faces charges of explosives or destructive devices, drug possession, attempting to elude, and three additional outstanding warrants.

Both are being held in the Limestone County Jail without bond.

Limestone County Sheriff Joshua McLaughlin thanked the Huntsville Police Bomb Squad, Athens EMS, and the Owens Volunteer Fire Department.
Its been eight years and five months since an inspection train rolled between New Orleans and Mobile, filled with politicians and other officials hopeful that Amtrak service would soon return to the Gulf Coast.

Its been anything but smooth ever since.
Visitors to the Montgomery Zoo can now get their first look at the zoos newest pygmy hippopotamus calf.

Ronda, a five-month-old female, was moved to the Pygmy Hippo Nursing Suite in the South American Realm of the Zoo last week, along with her mother, Asali.

The pygmy hippo is listed as an endangered species by the International Union for Conservation of Nature. The World Conservation Union estimates that less than 3,000 pygmy hippos remain in the wild.

The pygmy hippopotamus, cousin of the much larger common hippopotamus, is native to the forests and swamps of western Africa, according to a news release from the Montgomery Zoo. The pygmy hippo is semi-aquatic and relies on proximity to water to maintain moisturized skin and a cool body temperature. The pygmy hippo is reclusive, nocturnal, and difficult to study in the wild, according to the zoo, but has a history of breeding well in captivity.

Pygmy hippos grow to about half the height and one quarter of the weight of their larger cousins, typically reaching about 30-32 inches in height, 59-70 inches in length, and 400-600 pounds.

Ronda is the seventh pygmy hippo born in the last eight years at the Montgomery Zoo. The others - Meela in 2023, Hadari in 2022, Betty Rose and Blanche in 2019, Monty in 2016 and Levi in 2018 - have all been placed at other zoos.

Visitors can see the Montgomery Zoos other adult pygmy hippopotamuses in their permanent exhibit in the Africa realm of the Zoo.
A convicted felony from Texas was sentenced to 46 months in federal prison for possessing firearms and ammunition during an arrest in December in which he was shot in the hand by a sheriffs deputy.

Hunter Bixler, 35, of Leander, Texas, was also sentenced by U.S. District Judge Kristi Dubose to a three-year term of supervised release upon his release from prison.

During his term of supervised release, Bixler will have to undergo substance abuse testing and mental health treatment.

Bixlers sentencing stems from a Dec. 9, 2023, traffic stop that resulted in a Mobile County sheriffs deputy shooting Bixler in the hand.

Bixler, according to authorities, was attempting to conceal a firearm during the traffic stop after failing to provide them with proper identification and, instead, giving them a false name and incorrect person identifiers.

According to a news release, Bixler bladed his body towards the passenger in the vehicle before abruptly turning back to the deputy who was on the driver side of the window.

Fearing for his personal safety that he was about to be fired upon by Bixler, the deputy at the driver side window discharged his service weapon and hit Bixler in the hand, according to a news release from the U.S. Attorneys Office for the Southern District of Alabama.

Bixler was taken to a hospital where he received treatment for his injured hand. While in the hospital, he attempted to escape from custody and was quickly re-apprehended. An escape in the first-degree charge is still pending in Mobile County District Court.

Bixler had been previously convicted of two felonies and had outstanding warrants active in Texas.
The latest attempt to stem San Francisco's deadly drug crisis would pay addicts on welfare an additional $100 a month to stay clean.

City Supervisor Matt Dorsey said Monday that he planned to introduce legislation to create the "Cash Not Drugs" program, and a hearing on the measure could be held in September, local TV station KTVU reported.

The move came as the city's death toll from accidental overdoses reached 374 at the end of June, according to data compiled by the San Francisco Chronicle.

"The underlying principle to 'Cash Not Drugs' is a simple one: A humane and effective approach to San Francisco's drug crisis should also include rewarding good behavior  and not just punishing bad behavior," Dorsey said during a news conference on the steps of City Hall.

Dorsey, a recovering alcoholic and addict, was surrounded by people holding green signs that said "Cash Not Drugs."

Mayor London Breed spoke in support of Dorsey's proposal, saying that she "lost my sister to a drug overdose."

"I want to make it just as easy to get treatment as it is to go out there and buy dope," Breed said. "Whatever it takes to get people on the right path  that's what we need to do."

Breed, who's seeking reelection in November, also said the city had failed to focus on "abstinence-based solutions" to its notorious drug problem before she took office, according to the Chronicle.

In March, San Francisco voters overwhelmingly approved Proposition F, which requires people receiving cash benefits through the County Adult Assistance Program to undergo treatment if screening determines that they're using drugs.

But the law, which goes into effect on Jan. 1, won't require mandatory drug testing and will instead rely on the answers to a 10-question survey, the KFF Health News website reported in May.

Last year, most CAAP recipients living in homes received $712 a month, while homeless recipients got access to shelter, food and up to $109 a month, according to the city government.
This is an opinion cartoon.

Sign up for JD Crowes newsletter: Enter your email to subscribe to JDs weekly newsletter, Crowe Jam.

Great news! The Mobile River Bridge, the I-10 Bayway project, is finally, really hopefully gonna happen.

The plan calls for a new six-lane, 215-foot cable-stay bridge over Mobile River that will connect to a new six-lane Bayway that will end on the Eastern Shore. The new Bayway will replace the old Bayway, which will be demolished. The 3-hour delays, the endless bottleneck stuff is coming to an end, yall. Soon-ish.

Thanks to a $550 million grant from the Biden administrations Bipartisan Infrastructure Deal.

Name that bridge: The new Bayway Bridge - Hallelujah! - should get a new name. Whatcha got?

Ill go first.

This new version of the I-10 Mobile River Bayway Bridge - if it happens - should be named after the folks who finally made it happen, right?

The new name should be the Biden Buttigieg Bayway Bridge. The BBBB. The I-10 4B.

Related: Fact Sheet: The Bipartisan Infrastructure Deal | The White House

The gateway from Florida to New Orleans is the Mobile 4B. Rolls right off the tongue, right? Instant classic name for this celebrated new bridge thats been a long time comin.

Related: A game-changer for the whole U.S.; Alabama officials celebrate $550 million I-10 Bayway grant - al.com

Related: Britt, Ivey, federal officials to celebrate $550 million I-10 Bayway grant - al.com

Related: Its a shame: Alabama congressional delegation praise Mobiles $550 million I-10 project; most voted against funding - al.com

What a great day for south Alabama!, tweeted Rep. Jerry Carl, who represents the Mobile district where the project is centered. This project is now one huge step closer to reality, and Im proud of all the work Team Alabama has accomplished together.

Jerry Carl voted against the Bipartisan Infrastructure Bill.

Proud to announce that the Mobile River Bridge and Bayway Project will be receiving a $550 million grant from the Department of Transportation. This is a HUGE WIN for Mobile, the state of Alabama, and the entire Southeast region, tweeted Sen. Tommy Tuberville, R-Ala.

Tuberville voted against the Bipartisan Infrastructure Bill.

Rep. Barry Moore, R-Enterprise, called the funding a major victory for Alabama!

Moore voted against the Bipartisan Infrastructure Bill.

Tuberville, Moore and Carl were all no votes on the bipartisan infrastructure bill that paved the way for the U.S. Department of Transportation Bridge Investment Program grant that will go toward the estimated $3.5 billion I-10 project. Now retired Sen. Richard Shelby voted against the bill, as did Reps. Robert Aderholt, Gary Palmer, and Mike Rogers.

U.S. Sen. Katie Britt was not a senator at the time the upper chamber voted on the bill but said in 2021 she would have been a firm no on the bill had she been in Washington. "

****************

Ive been pondering this new bridge thing for 24 years. I was hired by the Mobile Press-Register in 2000, and one of the first editorial board meetings I sat in on was with a group of city leaders who were sure they had the right game plan for the Holy Grail - a new Mobile River Bay Bridge. Maybe with a bike lane!

Weve had several moments of hope since then, but all the new bridges were snuffed out by one thing or another. Mostly stubborn politics. Ill believe we have an awesome new bridge when I fly my bicycle across it and land in Bienville Square on Joe Cain Day.

Ten years ago, we had a name the new bridge contest and this was the readers choice:

Joe Cain Mardi Gras BridgeJD Crowe

True stories and stuff by JD Crowe

The mysterious Bubble Guy of Fairhope and the art of bubble Zen - al.com

How I met Dr. Seuss

Robert Plant head-butted me. Thanks, David Coverdale

I was ZZ Tops drummer for a night and got kidnapped by groupies

Check out more cartoons and stuff by JD Crowe

JD Crowe is the cartoonist for Alabama Media Group and AL.com. He won the RFK Human Rights Award for Editorial Cartoons in 2020. In 2018, he was awarded the Rex Babin Memorial Award for local and state cartoons by the Association of American Editorial Cartoonists. Follow JD on Facebook, Twitter @Crowejam and Instagram @JDCrowepix. Give him a holler @jdcrowe@al.com.
This is another installment in Birmingham Times/AL.com/CBS42 joint series Beyond the Violence. Sign up for the newsletter here.

Tamera Walker, an educator and mother of three, said she and her daughters have found a family with The Bridge Educational Philanthropy , a Jasper nonprofit that gives area children mentors and academic support.

The Bridge was founded during the pandemic, when Monisha Moore, now board president of the nonprofit, saw students and families struggling to thrive in school.

Teachers with The Bridge help pre-K through college students by providing literacy, STEM, art and bilingual tutoring services. So far this year, 57% of participating students have improved in both math and reading, according to leaders at The Bridge.

Every single one of those ladies working at The Bridge, our village, are wonderful people, Walker said. Those relationships matter. When those kids know that you care, you are able to help them accomplish things that they otherwise wouldnt, because when kids know that you care, they work harder.

Walkers children, Layla Walker, 5, and DeCaleigh Calvin, 16, have received tutoring for more than a year.

Walker said that she has seen her daughters make academic strides and become more responsible.

Its giving her some purpose. Our village at The Bridge doesnt just provide academic help. It provides everything we need for them to succeed, Walker said.

Calvin has interned with The Bridge for almost two years, where she primarily serves elementary students.

She helps younger students with their assignments, lends them a listening ear and on some days can be found dancing and drawing with the students as well.

I just really understand what they go through on a day to day. I think its really good for the kids, because I know sometimes its hard to trust an actual adult. I think that they need someone thats closer in age to truly understand whats going on with them, Calvin said.

Calvin has dyslexia and said she sometimes struggles with balancing softball and volleyball obligations with her academics.

Through The Bridge, she receives math tutoring and ACT prep.

The Bridge helps me with everything like time management and understanding the things that I may have missed in class, Calvin said. They really push me to be the best that I can be.

Moore said students call her and The Bridge teachers at all hours of the day asking for help with class assignments.

She often spends her days teaching younger students how to communicate their feelings and helping older students with college and job applications.

Our goal is to ensure that our students have all of the resources they need for a quality education because we know if theyre successful with their education, they have options when they get olderwe dont want them to ever fall through the cracks again, Moore said.

She said every student gets a specialized learning plan to fit their needs.

Students and their families are often referred to other area nonprofits to meet their needs outside of education, including resources for food, housing and therapy.

What we tend to see is the reason our students are suffering in the classroom is oftentimes not primarily academic. Its because of other issues. It can be hunger, food insecurity. It could be abuse, Moore said. It takes a village.

Research indicates that, when done right (a big caveat), one-on-one and small group support can boost student academics. While many school districts added tutoring and support services during the pandemic, with federal funding drying up, outside groups may be needed even more.

Jasper City Schools earned a B on its most recent report card from the Alabama Department of Education, according to AL.com. While the majority of students have reached proficiency in English and science, only 40% of students are proficient in math, according to the most recent information available from the state.

The Bridge gets to know their communitys needs by hosting community forums and distributing surveys to teachers, students and families.

We believe it is so important to center students and their families voices. So often their voices are omitted or just forgotten about, Kristian Douglas, executive director of the nonprofit, said.

Douglas said The Bridges services are important because he has seen what a lack of education can do to a child.

When students are held back, they are at a higher risk of falling into the school to prison pipelineWe really want to make sure we are setting our students and their families up for success, Douglas said.

A 2019 Alabama Literacy Act , which adds support services and funding to help more children learn to read also holds back students if after three years of additional instruction and support cannot read on grade level.

Third-graders who cannot read well enough will not advance into fourth grade.

The National Bureau of Economic Research found in a 2018 study that being held back in school may increase the likelihood of being convicted of a violent crime as an adult. Researchers found that the likelihood of being convicted increased by 58%, when students are held back, particularly in eighth grade.

We know that students and their families do better when they receive wrap-around services for however long they need it.

When we invest in social programs, we are disrupting the narrative. We are disrupting that unfortunate trend of gun violence so that our students can thrive and theyre not funneled into that cycle, Douglas said.

The program is referral-based, but those who are interested can connect with The Bridge Educational Philanthropy through their website or social media.

Pauletta Windham, vice president of community impact at the Walker Area Community Foundation, said The Bridge largely serves students living in single-parent households, low-income housing and foster homes. She believes the program works.

Theyre making a difference in our community, and theyre really driving change, Windham said.

Alaina Bookmans role at AL.com and the Beyond the Violence collaborative is supported by Report for America and individual contributions. Support her work today.
Tarrant, Alabama is a town just northeast of Birmingham.joseph D. Bryant

In the ongoing fight for control of a small town near Birmingham, a Jefferson County judge dealt a major blow to the mayor and a victory to his political nemesis.
On Thursday at 2:32 p.m. the National Weather Service issued an updated heat advisory in effect until 7 p.m. for Jackson and DeKalb counties.

The weather service adds, "Heat index values up to 104 degrees."

"Hot temperatures and high humidity may cause heat illnesses," describes the weather service.

Weather service Heat safety: Protecting yourself in hot conditions

Stay hydrated: Make sure to drink plenty of fluids.

Seek cool shelter: Stay in an air-conditioned room.

Avoid sun exposure: Stay out of the sun, and make sure to check up on relatives and neighbors.

Child and pet safety: Exercise vigilance when it comes to young children and pets. Never leave them unattended in vehicles during high temperatures, as car interiors can quickly become dangerously hot.

Caution outdoors: Take extra precautions if you work or spend time outside.

Time your activities wisely: If possible, move strenuous activities to early morning or evening for more favorable conditions.

Recognize heat-related issues: Know how to recognize the signs and symptoms of heat exhaustion and heat stroke.

Dress comfortably: Select lightweight and loose-fitting outfits for enhanced comfort.

Additional tips for outdoor workers:

For outdoor workers, the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) recommends regular rest breaks in shaded or air-conditioned areas.

If someone is overwhelmed by the heat, swiftly relocate them to a cool, shaded location.

In emergency situations, dial 911 for immediate assistance.

These NWS heat safety directives are essential for safeguarding your well-being when facing high temperatures. Stay well-informed and take the necessary precautions to shield yourself and others from the potential hazards of extreme heat.

Advance Local Weather Alerts is a service provided by United Robots, which uses machine learning to compile the latest data from the National Weather Service.
By now practically everyone who follows news and commentary about climate change has seen graphs of global warming over the past century or more. The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) produced this one in 2017, covering 18802016.

Ever since it first appeared, it has been one of the most commonly used, whether in scholarly journals, government websites, news media, blogs, or social media. More recent data generally are communicated similarly -- and its not hard to understand why.

Here, solid bars, one for each year, depict the change in global average temperature (depicted as anomalies, i.e., departures from the 20th-century average), and the psychological impact is predictable: fear.

How? Bars in the early years, below the average, are a comforting blue; later bars, above average, are an alarming red. If all the bars were the same color, the psychological impact of the different colors would be lost.

But the color choices arent all. Theyre just the most obvious. Another choice is less obvious, and readers unfamiliar with how to interpret graphic representations (or misrepresentations) of data are likely not to notice it.

Ominously, the longest blue bars reach almost to the bottom of the graph, and the longest red ones almost to the top. Why? Because the vertical axis chosen (and note that word -- its a definite choice) covers only from -0.5C to +1.0C (-0.9F to +1.8F). A grand total of 1.5C (2.7F).

On the one hand, this is quite defensible. Enter the raw numbers into common spreadsheet software, tell it to produce a bar graph, and that, or something very close to it, is what youll get. And why not? After all, it accommodates all the numbers, lowest to highest. What more can we ask?

On the other hand -- if your intent is to help people think reasonably about changing global temperature, its utterly indefensible.

Why? Because it makes a temperature variation of under 1.5C (2.7F) look, to the unpracticed eye, far more significant than it is. After all, most people hardly notice if a rooms temperature rises or falls that much. But on this vertical scale, the longest red bars reach almost to the top, as if to say, Were about to reach the maximum! True, the longest blue bars also reach almost to the bottom, which could be interpreted as Whew! We just barely missed freezing! (And since cold snaps kill, on average, 10 to 20 times as many people per day as heat waves, that should be really comforting -- but I digress.)

But remember, blues a comforting color; red routinely means danger! That, after all, is why United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Gutierrez called the first volume of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Changes Sixth Assessment Report code red for humanity, not code blue (though, admittedly, in a hospital code blue denotes a critical status of a patient -- but thats not common lingo).

And since most people read from left to right, the graph subtly communicates that, whatever risks might have come with those low temperatures, weve left them far behind. No need to worry about them now. Its those high temperatures, marching inexorably upward, that we need to worry about.

Back in the early 1990s, when I was managing editor of the book The State of Humanity, its general editor, the late economist and statistician Julian L. Simon, legendary for his antipathy to misleading statistical graphs, insisted that all graphs of the data provided by the 58 authors (including eight Nobel Prize winners) use a realistic, objective scale.

For example, graphs of data expressed as percent should have a vertical scale of a full 100 points -- otherwise, the result could be highly deceptive. After all, if the vertical scale only went from 80% to 90%, a data point of 86% could appear to depict a quantity twice as high as 83% when, in reality, its only 3.6% higher.

Another example: Graphs of data that dont depict percentages should have a zero baseline. Or, if they depict both negative and positive data, the vertical axis should stretch equally far below and above zero so the relative magnitudes would be quickly and easily comprehensible. Or, if they depict data so enormously different that low numbers just disappear, they should be drawn with exponential scales -- and that fact should be communicated prominently -- or with clearly marked discontinuities along the vertical axis.

There are other examples, but you get the point. One of the basic principles is that the vertical axis should cover a truly significant range.

Thats the bigger problem with NOAAs famous graph. As we saw above, it makes a very small change in temperature appear much larger and more significant.

A more appropriate, less misleading way to graph the same temperature data is to use a vertical range thats fairly typical of the weather people commonly experience. Thats a scale theyll understand.

In the United States, except when air currents rapidly move a much warmer (or cooler) air mass from one locale to another, the diurnal (daytime high to nighttime low) temperature range is typically around 5.6C (10F) in humid locales, but around 22.2C to 27.8C (40F to 50F) in arid to semi-arid locales. In other words, people are accustomed to those temperature ranges.

It would seem reasonable, then, to depict global temperature anomaly data on a vertical scale of, say, halfway between the low and high ranges, i.e., 16.7C (30F). And, to complete our avoidance of psychological scare tactics, well jettison the color scheme and use a neutral color.

How would NOAAs data for 1880 to 2016 look depicted that way? Like this:

Remember, this depicts exactly the same data depicted in NOAAs graph. Does it look scary? No, but its a much more honest, objective, non-manipulative depiction of the data. So, now youre equipped not to be manipulated -- and to enlighten your friends and neighbors.

Defenders of the scary way to depict the data could respond, But the fact is that this apparently slight change in global average temperature will, if it continues at scale, cause devastating changes in weather, sea level, crop production, and other measures -- changes that will impoverish humanity and possibly even bring about its extinction. So scary depiction of scary facts is just what we need.

But the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change disagrees -- firmly and adamantly. Its 2018 Special Report on Global Warming of 1.8C concludes that if we do nothing to slow greenhouse gas-induced warming, the warming will make gross world product (GWP) in 2100 2.6 percent lower than it otherwise would be.

What would it otherwise be? The Center for Global Development says economic growth through the remainder of this century is most likely to be about 3 percent per year. After factoring in the change in population, the result would be GWP per capita 8.8 times what it was in 2018.

When poverty is a far greater threat to human health and life than anything related to climate and weather, can anyone think thats a catastrophic result?

If you spend much time at all on social media sites on which people often post text or pictures meant to make points about controversial issues, youre bound to have seen fact checks stating that a post conveyed false or misleading information because it was missing context. (Thats a judgment thats often subjective and driven by the fact checkers ideology, but we can ignore that for now.) What you now know is that, when it comes to missing context about climate change, official government agencies can be among the worst offenders, not just on social media but also on agency websites -- from which their products, like the NOAA graph evaluated here, regularly make their way into scientific journals and mainstream media.

A Google image search July 11, 2024, found NOAAs graph at about 100 sites. Where are those fact checkers when we need them?

E. Calvin Beisner, Ph.D., is President of The Cornwall Alliance for the Stewardship of Creation, a Christian think tank addressing environmental stewardship and economic development for the poor. He is also co-editor, with David R. Legates, Ph.D., of Climate and Energy: The Case for Realism, an Amazon bestseller.

Image: NOAA
On March 19, 2021, UCLA student Christian Secor learned that the Department of Justice planned to keep him in jail. A month earlier a federal judge had denied Secor bond after a D.C. grand jury indicted him on ten counts of nonviolent January 6 mischief.

Secors alleged offenses, argued Assistant U.S. Attorney Kimberly Paschall, from him pushing on a crowd of people to breach the Rotunda door to sitting atop the Senate dais in the chair occupied minutes before by Vice President Mike Pence, merited pre-trial detention.

What neither Secor nor his attorney knew was that the DoJ filing on March 19 contained one huge and highly prejudicial error. That error involved Kamala Harris, the vice president designee on January 6, 2021. That Harris, President Joe Biden, and Attorney General Merrick Garland allowed the error to go uncorrected for nearly a year was no accident. In fact, the failure to correct it suggests that January 6 was, in no small part, an inside job.

As a Secret Service protectee, Harris enjoyed a special status. To have breached the restricted area where Harris was visiting, as Secor was accused of doing, strengthened the case against him.

On January 6, 2021, at approximately 1:00 p.m., Vice President Michael R. Pence, in his constitutional duty as President of the Senate, presided over the Joint Session, said Paschall. Vice-President-Elect Kamala D. Harris, in her role as a Senator representing the State of California, was also present.

In D.C., where Donald Trump got only 5 percent of the vote in his best year, no juror really cared about Pences fate. Besides, as the DoJ knew, Pence was never at risk. He was taken to a secure location in the tunnels under the Capitol grounds that, only by a stretch, could be construed as being in the Capitol building.

Harris was another story. At roughly 2:20 p.m., twenty minutes after protestors first entered the building, Harris was evacuated from her chamber. Where she went Paschall did not specify, but, she claimed, Harris remained within the Capitol building until the certification process resumed at 8 p.m.

Secors case was not unique. Harriss presence at the Capitol remained part of the judicial boilerplate for nearly a year. Countless other J6 defendants had their sentences affected for having breached Harriss space.

Not until November 4, 2021, did Politico reveal that Harris was never evacuated. In fact, she was not in the Capitol or on the Capitol grounds on January 6 at any time during the protest.

The consequences of Harriss silence on this issue were far reaching. According to Politico, Many of the 650-plus defendants arrested to that point faced charges that they, like Secor, had threatened her space.

DOJ is now moving to correct the record, Politico continued, acknowledging in court that Harris was in fact away from the Capitol during the riot and only returned later. At that late date, Harris and Biden remained mum as to Harriss whereabouts during those crucial hours.

It was not until January 6, 2022, that Politico broke the media silence and finally revealed where Harris was on January 6, 2021. The headline suggests the reason for her reticence, Harris was inside DNC on Jan. 6 when pipe bomb was discovered outside.

The bomb at the DNC was discovered just about 1 p.m., minutes after the ubiquitous Ray Epps and his crew first breached the Capitol perimeter and about the same time a still unidentified man and his crew hung the noose on a gallows constructed on Capitol grounds hours earlier.

An apparent plot was underway to instigate a riot and frame Trump as the provocateur. A year later, for instance, Politico was still blaming Trump supporters for the bomb, claiming that the riots could have been far more destructive than they already were, with the incoming vice presidents life directly endangered.

Given her penchant for contrived drama, however, Harris has remained curiously silent about having her life directly endangered by these terrorist bombs. Biden remained silent as well.

The violent, deadly insurrection on the Capitol nine months ago, he said in October 2021, it was about white supremacy, in my opinion. And yet neither he nor his vice president said word one about how some subset of these white supremacist mobs very nearly killed Kamala Harris. There was obviously something about this little drama they did not like.

Harris, it seems, stumbled into a plot about which she knew nothing. According to the FBI, a single suspect had planted bombs at both the RNC and DNC on the night of January 5. Harris, however, arrived at the DNC office late in the morning of January 6 accompanied by her Secret Service detail.

The Secret Service did a sweep of the building exterior with a bomb-sniffing dog. Yet somehow they missed a conspicuous bomb that had allegedly been planted the previous night? No, nothing about the official FBI narrative rings true.

Of course, the bomb maker has not been apprehended. Nor have the gallows builders. Nor have several of the window breakers. Yes, Ray Epps was finally charged but only then because he had become too obvious to ignore. He was given probation for crimes that netted other men prison sentences of up to 20 years.

Harris would not have known who planted the bombs, but she knew enough not to call attention to them, even if it meant allowing guys like Christian Secor to rot in jail. In October 2022, the 24-year-old was sentenced to three-and-a-half years in prison.

Jack Cashills new book, Ashli: The Untold Story of the Women of January 6, is available in all formats.

Image: TaptheForwardAssist
In our rapidly evolving technological landscape, its time to reimagine how we deliver government assistance to those in need. This essay, representing a start to the discussion, proposes an innovative approach: distributing aid through cryptocurrency instead of traditional fiat currency. By leveraging Project Hamilton, a groundbreaking blockchain initiative, and introducing the WLFR token, we can create a system that benefits recipients, reduces fraud, and fosters financial growth without additional cost to taxpayers.

Many of the following suggestions can be implemented differently.

The Crypto Assistance Program (CAP): An Overview

The proposed Crypto Assistance Program (CAP) would convert government aid from dollars to WLFR tokens at the time of payment. To the needy recipient. WLFR, a stablecoin pegged to the US dollar, would be issued on the Project Hamilton blockchain. Recipients would receive this crypto-based assistance on a secure digital wallet accessible through a government-issued smart card or smartphone app. This system would allow for real-time tracking, easy transactions, and the potential for value appreciation.

Project Hamilton, a joint initiative between the Federal Reserve Bank of Boston and the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, provides the ideal blockchain infrastructure for the CAP. Its high-performance design can process up to 1.7 million transactions per second, far exceeding the needs of even the most extensive welfare programs. This speed, combined with Project Hamiltons focus on security and scalability, makes it an excellent choice for handling sensitive financial transactions on a national scale.

Image by rawpixel.

Key features of the CAP include dollar-to-WLFR conversion at each payment period, protection against devaluation, and the ability for recipients to benefit from any appreciation in value. The system would recalibrate every week or two to ensure fairness and stability. If the WLFR value decreases, additional tokens would be added to maintain the original dollar value of the assistance. Conversely, if the value increases, recipients can use the additional value without penalty, only repaying any amount previously added to offset devaluation.

Implementation and Technology

To implement the CAP, the government would leverage Project Hamiltons blockchain technology to create a secure, user-friendly system. Each recipient would receive a CAP Carda smart card with an embedded chip linked to their digital wallet. Alternatively, recipients could use a smartphone app for those who prefer mobile solutions.

The CAP Card or app would function similarly to a debit card, allowing users to purchase at participating retailers or withdraw cash from ATMs. The system would use near-field communication (NFC) technology for contactless payments, ensuring quick and easy transactions.

A central database would manage and track all transactions, automatically adjusting balances based on WLFR token value fluctuations. This database would interface with the Project Hamilton blockchain to ensure transparency and security.

Reducing Fraud Through Blockchain Technology

One of the most significant advantages of the CAP is its potential to reduce fraud dramatically. Project Hamiltons blockchain architecture makes it an ideal tool for this purpose, offering transparency, traceability, and the ability to implement smart contracts. All transactions are recorded on the blockchain, creating an immutable ledger that can be audited anytime. Each transaction can be traced back to its origin, making it easier to identify and prevent fraudulent activities.

Smart contracts on the Project Hamilton blockchain can enforce rules and conditions for fund usage, ensuring that assistance is spent as intended. The system can also incorporate blockchain-based identity solutions to enhance security and prevent identity theft or unauthorized access to funds. Real-time monitoring capabilities allow for instant flagging of suspicious activities, enabling immediate investigation and intervention.

By leveraging these features, the CAP can significantly reduce common forms of welfare fraud, such as identity theft, double-dipping, and misuse of funds. This increased security not only protects taxpayer money but also ensures that assistance reaches those who truly need it.

Benefits for Recipients

The CAP offers several advantages for assistance recipients. The potential for growth in WLFR token value could provide access to more resources without additional government spending. Exposure to cryptocurrency can increase financial literacy and technological proficiency among recipients. The high-speed transaction processing of Project Hamilton ensures quicker access to funds compared to traditional banking methods.

Using a CAP Card or app may reduce the stigma associated with traditional welfare programs. While transactions are traceable for fraud prevention, personal information remains encrypted and secure on the Project Hamilton blockchain, offering greater privacy for recipients.

Implementation Challenges and Solutions

Implementing the CAP would face several challenges, but each can be addressed with careful planning. To overcome potential technological literacy barriers, training programs and ongoing support services could be provided. Though, literacy barriers, if any, would be mitigated by the use of the already-familiar technologies of phone apps and credit/debit-like cards. The use of WLFR tokens as a stablecoin mitigates much of the risk associated with cryptocurrency volatility, but any fluctuations would be managed through the protection and adjustment mechanisms described earlier.

To address merchant adoption, the government would partner with major retailers and provide incentives for accepting WLFR tokens. A conversion service would be offered for smaller merchants. The CAP would be developed in close collaboration with regulatory bodies to ensure compliance with financial regulations and welfare laws.

Creating the necessary technological infrastructure will require significant investment. However, by leveraging Project Hamiltons existing blockchain network and partnering with tech companies, costs can be reduced while still providing a robust and scalable solution.

Phased Implementation Plan

To ensure a smooth transition, the CAP should be implemented in phases. A pilot program would first select a small, diverse group of recipients in a specific geographic area, implementing the basic CAP system with a limited number of partnering retailers. This phase would allow for data gathering, user feedback collection, and identification of areas for improvement.

The second phase would expand the program to multiple states or regions, increase the number of participating retailers and service providers, and refine the system based on pilot feedback. Finally, a national rollout would implement the CAP nationwide, fully integrating it with existing welfare systems and conducting ongoing monitoring and improvements.

Conclusion

The Crypto Assistance Program, powered by Project Hamilton and the WLFR token, represents a bold step forward in the distribution of government aid. By harnessing the power of advanced blockchain technology and cryptocurrency, we can create a more efficient, secure, and potentially beneficial system for those in need. While challenges exist, the potential rewards  including reduced fraud, increased financial literacy, and the possibility of value appreciation for recipients  make this an idea worth pursuing.

As we move further into the digital age, its crucial that our social support systems evolve as well. The CAP offers a way to modernize government assistance, providing not just aid, but also opportunity. By embracing this innovative approach, we can create a more efficient and fraud-resistant welfare system that benefits both recipients and taxpayers alike.

Michael Applebaum, MD, JD, FCLM, is a physician and an attorney in Chicago, IL.
A vicious, conniving, immoral, unpopular, third-rate politician with extreme radical views has come to within an inch of the presidency. Kamala Harris could be sitting in the Oval Office as soon as next week. She is far from the best America has to offer. In a functioning meritocracy, said Tucker Carlson, Kamala Harris would be a C-list massage therapist working out of a strip mall. Yet somehow she became our vice president. Howd that happen?

It happened because the radical Left has been quietly but persistently winning the culture war by acquiring control over key elements of American society -- academia, journalism, the mainstream media, Big Tech, and the Democrat party. Its important to realize that it is not merely Kamala we are up against. We are facing a machine that has been grinding away for decades. Were not running against a candidate, said Vivek Ramaswamy. Were running against a system.

The machine seeks to replace our republic with a dictatorship under the control of the Deep State and the Democrats (one and the same). The initial stooge for this cabal was Barack Obama, who presided over the first attempt by a sitting president to take America down. The socialist Left, said Steve Baldwin in Western Journalism, believed that the Obama era was the best opportunity to transform America to a socialist-based economy. We enjoyed a four-year respite when Donald Trump was elected, but then the Left found their second stooge in Joe Biden.

Joe immediately reversed the benefits of the Trump administration and, as Obama 2.0, set the U.S. back on a course of economic and social ruin. When Joes mind went on permanent vacation after three and a half years, the Democrats had to get rid of him, but that was okay because they had already planted the biggest stooge yet in the form of Vice President Kamala Harris. The real powers that be, said Elon Musk, are discarding the old puppet in favor of one that has a better chance of fooling the public.

Harris is a DEI plant. She was selected as Bidens VP based solely on gender and race, not for talent and competence. She is living proof that meritocracy has given way to diversity.

For most of Joe Bidens presidency, Kamala lurked quietly in the background. No one took her seriously, especially when listening to her speak. Harris has been described as someone giving a book report on a book she hasnt read. When Joe announced he will not run for re-election, we were awakened from our slumber with the very real possibility that this cackling public fool could become the 47th president of the United States. This woman would be in charge of the most powerful nuclear arsenal on earth, said Douglas Murray. The image of her cackling manically while saying nonsense, with her finger on the nuclear button, is just too much.

Harris began her career in local San Francisco politics by leveraging her affair with the married mayor, Willie Brown. After racking up a questionable record as a prosecutor, she wormed her way into the U.S. Senate. Her only claim to fame as a senator was her despicable treatment of Brett Kavanaugh during his confirmation hearing for the Supreme Court. Based on notoriety from that fiasco, she campaigned for the presidency. Democrat Party voters, recognizing that she is nothing more than a mendacious, unprincipled opportunist, relegated Harris to the bottom of the pile and ended her presidential aspirations -- but not for long. In a sort of magicians hat trick, Harris managed to land on the ballot as Bidens pick for VP.

Why was she picked? She appealed to the Left as someone they could control in case Biden fell out a window. Ideologically, said Mark Levin, Kamala is farther left than 97 percent of the Democrats, the most extreme radical politician ever to run for high office in the United States of America. Harris has endorsed the Green New Deal, eliminating automobiles and fossil fuels, higher taxes, income redistribution, defunding and disbanding the police, repealing the First and Second Amendments, and socialism. During the 2020 riots, Harris did nothing to uphold the rule of law. On the contrary -- she raised money to defend the rioters. Theres a bevy of quotes that she has given, said Ari Fleisher, that show just how out of touch she is with mainstream America.

Kamala has accomplished nothing of value during her tenure as vice president. Ill put my record up against Trumps any day of the week, she bragged. What record? She shares responsibility for the atrocious Biden/Harris administration, especially allowing millions of illegals to threaten local communities around the country. Many people believe that the border invasion has been planned and organized by the Biden/Harris administration, said Becky Noble at RedState. When Biden appointed Kamala as the border czar, she accomplished nothing except keeping the border wide open. Harris admits she is against immigration control. If you believe in border security, said Tom Homan, former Acting ICE Director, Kamala Harris being president is our worst nightmare.

To deflect against the avalanche of negatives, the media are attempting to whitewash Kamalas image. Some of the medias largest players are proving their newfound devotion to Harris by attempting to rewrite her past -- and some of their own coverage, Ingrid Jacques reported in USA Today. The current presidency is a failed presidency, said Mollie Hemingway, and Kamala Harris is the current vice president and so they are working so hard to say that she had nothing to do with the failed economy, with the failed border, with the failed foreign policy. What theyre saying therefore is that she did nothing while the country burned.

The media want the public to believe that Harris never served as border czar, despite abundant proof to the contrary. Yes, its as Orwellian as it sounds, said Jacques. And its a little too close to the tactics used by the Soviets to simply erase opponents from photographs. Dont like someone or something that happened? Hit delete.

The obvious question for the media, said Becky Noble, would be: If her record is so stellar, why the need to sanitize it? The answer is, of course, because it isn't, and they know it. The thought of her being in charge is terrifying.

Can Kamala win? The big problem for Democrats, said Josh Hammer at Newsweek, is that Harris is not an unknown commodity. On the contrary, she is a very well-known commodity -- one who just happens to be about as popular with the American public as venereal disease. An NBC News poll last June found her to be the single least popular vice president in American history -- only 32% of Americans had a positive view of her. And as recently as a month or two ago, Democrat elites were openly discussing whether she could still be dropped as Biden's 2024 running mate. It's funny how quickly one can go from the weakest link to the great savior of Our Democracy."

Is Kamala smart enough to perceive her own shortcomings and how much of a liar she is? My answer: She is too dumb to realize that she is a stooge of the Left, and if she did realize it, she probably wouldnt care. Its all about power, baby.

Ed Brodow is a conservative political commentator and author of two No. 1 Amazon Best Sellers, AMERICA ON ITS KNEES: The Cost of Replacing Trump with Biden, and THE WAR ON WHITES: How Hating White People Became the New National Sport.

Image: AT via Magic Studio
A Florida death row inmate is slated for execution next month for the murder of a Florida college student and the rape of his sister during a camping trip.

Loran Cole, now 57, will die by lethal injection at Florida State Prison on Aug. 28, according to the death warrant signed Monday by Gov. Ron DeSantis, the Associated Press reported.

Cole was sentenced to death for the 1994 slaying of 18-year-old Florida State University student John Edwards. He was also ordered to life in prison for the rape, kidnapping and robbery of John's 21-year-old sister, Pam Edwards, during a brother-sister camping trip in Ocala National Forest in central Florida, according to court records obtained by HNGN.

Cole and his accomplice, William Paul, met the Edwards siblings at their campsite.

The men lured the victims away from the site and ambushed them, pinning them to the forest floor.

"While they lay close to each other on the ground, John apologized to Pam for having exposed them to the dangers of these two strangers," court documents read.

Cole led John away, delivered several blows to his head with a large walking stick, and subsequently slit John's throat. That night, he also handcuffed Pam and raped her. The next day, Cole raped Pam again, gagged her, and tied her to two trees before using her car to flee.

Pam was able to free herself the next morning, and flagged down a passing motorist who drove her to the nearest police station.

Paul, now 51, pleaded no contest to murder, kidnapping and robbery, and was sentenced to life in prison.
While our Democrat friends congratulate each other every hour on the hour about the wonders of presidential candidate Kamala Harris we might as well take a break from developing our critical theory of the ongoing undemocratic process of Defending Democracy unfolding before us.

So, never mind lecturing our Democrat friends on the difference between a democracy and a republic. Mark Lewis goes into detail about how President Biden is talking bologna when he says that Democracy is the essence of who we are. But who cares?

Democracy and Republic are just magic words that political hypnotists use to put the voters into a trance. The words mean nothing. And the names of the political parties in America -- Federalist, Democratic-Republican, Democratic, Whig, Republican, Progressive -- mean nothing. Although the Bull Moose Party might be a bit different. All these words are part of serving voters with the Current Narrative, the Glorious History, the Founding Myth. And we usually fall for it, just as our Democrat friends are all in a swoon right now about Kamala Harris.

At some point, when the current Age of the Educated Class stumbles into an ideological stupor, philosophers and ideologists will construct a Narrative of Decline. I dare say it will parallel the Narrative about the Roman Empire that declined from world domination to extinction in the Dark Ages until the glory of the Renaissance and the Enlightenment led to a world of Logic and Reason and Freedom and Justice.

Only I dont agree. I believe that the last 500 years, the Age of the Educated Class, is not a golden age of Logic and Reason and Freedom and Justice but an Age of Religious War and Slavery.

The Reformation led to a century of religious wars centering on Germany and culminating in the Thirty Years War of 1618-48, in which about one-third of Germans died, mostly from famine. Of course, the Brits were doing their bit, with Cromwell the Puritan getting the Catholic Irish sorted in 1649-53 so that about 15-20 percent of the Irish died.

A little over a century later, courtesy of the Enlightenment, Europe exploded into an ideological war, and about twenty percent of the 200 million population died in the 25-year French Revolution and Napoleonic Wars.

A century later, Europe had progressed so far that it featured two ideological World Wars in half a century, with 40 million deaths in World War Is war against the emperors and 50-85 million deaths in World War IIs war against the Nazis. Thats progress.

I dont know how you categorize the Soviet Union and Maoist China. Best estimates are that Communism killed 100 million people in the 20th century. Does that come under the category of war or genocide?

Now, lets talk about slavery. Of course, we know that after a victorious war, the Romans would celebrate a Triumph in the city of Rome, where they paraded the loot and the slaves captured in the victorious campaign. A little later, the Venetians developed a nice little trade in Circassian beauties that they would buy in Caffa in the Crimea and then sell into the harems of the Middle East. Pretty soon the Venetians expanded their slave trade and began supplying slaves to the start-up sugar plantations on Cyprus. And a little later, the Brits tried the same thing on Barbados. Then Eli Whitney invented the cotton gin, and plantation slavery boomed in the Southern United States until Gen. Sherman politely asked them to stop. What a shame! But never mind. In the 20th century, lefty intellectuals invented the Communist slave state where everyone was enslaved except a few top Party members.

By the way, what do you call a state that spends 35-50 percent of GDP on government programs and who knows what on economic regulation and DEI? Would that be a society based on serfdom?

Do you see the point? Our rulers have gussied up Narratives to show how magnificent and progressive they are. Maybe they are right, or maybe they are lying to themselves and to us. But its much more fun to create Counter Narratives.

Recently, of course, our rulers have pushed the 1619 Project Narrative to advertise that the United States was founded on slavery. Maybe they are right. But I have advanced a 1584 Project, based on the idea that the U.S. was built on a foundation of White Trash serfdom, the waste population of Europe that was first dumped on these shores in 1584. And I suspect that one day experts will agree that the centuries-long subjection of White Trash in America is one of the great injustices of the ages and that President Vance will sign a bill to create a fourth victim museum on the Washington Mall: the Museum of the White Trash American.

Now back to your regularly scheduled regime Narrative about the wonders of Kamala Harris.

Christopher Chantrill @chrischantrill runs the go-to site on US government finances, usgovernmentspending.com. Also get his American Manifesto and his Road to the Middle Class.

Image: Public Domain
Up until about two minutes ago, Kamala Harris was universally acknowledged to be a terrible candidate, an irritating person, an ineffectual vice president with an extraordinarily low rating, and a terrible boss. The second she was anointed as the Democrat candidate, though, that all changed, and her elevation to a status somewhere between saint and rock star began. However, in a digital age, no matter how the media lie or the tech titans game internet searches, the past will find you. The latest example is a 2019 essay detailing just how horrible a boss Kamala Harris really is.

Terry McAteer wrote in 2019 about his sons humiliating and demoralizing experience working as an intern for Kamala Harris when she was Californias attorney general. McAteer assures the reader that he vetted the information he wrote by running his essay past his son Gregory, who agreed that his dad had accurately recorded his experiences. Heres what Gregory described:

Senator Harris vocally throws around F-bombs and other profanity constantly in her berating of staff and others. The staff is in complete fear of her and she uses her profanity throughout the day. As Attorney General, Senator Harris instructed her entire staff to stand every morning as she entered the office and say, Good Morning General. Never once during the month-long internship did Harris introduce herself to our son (as he was only in an office with 20 paid employees) and staff was too intimidated by her to introduce him. The only acknowledgment was a form letter of thanks signed by Harris given to him on his last day of service. Gregory was also given instructions to never address Harris nor look her in the eye as that privilege was only allowed to senior staff members.

Kamala clearly confused her job as an elected servant of the people with her being anointed by Allah as a Middle Eastern potentate. Im surprised she didnt require her employees to bow down before her and then kick their backsides on the way out.

Address her as General? Nope, she didnt get a military honor. The general in that title simply refers to the fact that her authority encompassed the whole state, not just a county within the state.

Forbid employees from look[ing] her in the eye unless theyre in the privileged inner circle? Nope, shes not a god or a king.

Young Gregorys experience mirrored reports from other people who worked for Kamala, resulting in a 92% staff turnover in the Vice Presidents office:

In a new report by the watchdog group Open the Books, researchers quantified her human resources problem. They discovered a 92% staff turnover through payroll records. Half of her staff listed on public payroll records quit in the past year, the organization calculated. [snip] High turnover in the White House isnt new, but Ms. Harris numbers are higher than others. In the same time span, President Trump experienced a 72% turnover and President Biden had a 77% turnover. Vice President Mike Pence hired 29 employees during his first year in the Trump administration, and five remained on staff after three years, indicating an 83% turnover rate. Ms. Harris hired 49 staffers and retained only four three years later. Past employees described a toxic and dysfunctional environment in the vice presidents office that seemed to worsen as Ms. Harris approval ratings sank.

Ive been working since I was 16 and can say with absolute assurance that the two worst bosses are insecure women and alcoholics. Well, actually, the worst boss of all is an alcoholic, insecure woman.

These women often attain high positions (which is why they were my bosses), but their success never alleviates their insecurity. Instead, it only heightens their narcissistic tendencies. To build a carapace around that empty black hole inside of them, they never accept responsibility, demand worshipful responses from those around them, manipulate people like chess pieces, and are verbally abusive.

You can add to all this the fact that Kamala seems lazy, something reflected in the fact that she refuses to read her incredibly important morning briefings. I suspect, though, that more than laziness drives that. Given that best guesses are that she has a barely-above-average IQ, the reports may overwhelm and even frighten her.

I should note, though, that IQ measurements are very narrow: They measure logic, book learning, and brain speed. We know now that there are several other types of important intelligence, such as emotional intelligence or physical intelligence (knowing intuitively how to use your body).

Theres also something I call strategic intelligence, which is the ability to manipulate situations to your advantage. Think of Obama, an uninformed man with a slow wit but one of the most remarkably successful people in modern American politics. The same goes for pre-dementia Biden, a singularly stupid man who managed to advance his career all the way into the White House, and then was a good soldier for the left. Kamala has that type of intelligence.

The question for voters is whether they think someone who is stupid, lazy, and an abusive boss, and whose greatest intelligence is self-advancement is qualified to lead our nation. My answer is no. The leftist answer, though, will be yes because Obama and Biden were remarkably effective at moving the country to the left culturally, economically, and in terms of national security.

Image: YouTube screen grab.
Bless their little pointed academic left-wing heads over there at NPR. Just today, I received one of their regular missives on the subject of "attacks" on the Dems' new nominee in waiting, the venerable Kamala Harris. As usual, NPR is out in front of the media curve and has assumed the role of linguistic bodyguard for the Veep and her supporters.

How, you say? Simple. By resorting to calling criticisms -- whether justified or not -- of the Vice-President as negative messages or attacks, their truth-challenged and tunnel-visioned editors have chosen sides and are going for the gold at what they consider the mischaracterization of Americans' comments about the sacred cows of politicians (no offense meant to cows) as argumentative, mean, and nasty or just plain unwarranted now that the VP is heading up the Dems' dance card. They bemoan the existence of memes, but are willing to create and promote their own (like calling simple criticisms attacks) especially when it comes to protecting a mixed-race female who happens to occupy the second most powerful job in these here United States.

The first commandment of DEI says: "Thou shalt not criticize anyone who is either: member of a mixed race or a minority, female person or aspiring to be female person, one who is Left-leaning, an abortion proponent, climate zealot, open borders advocate or any combination of the above." Judging by the number of people who fit into those categories, you can see that the protection racket has to be big enough and widespread enough to cover a whole helluva lot of ground. This includes, but is not limited to, those who got where they are simply by being born into a body created by others and were appointed or chosen for their positions because it was their group's turn. It also extends to those who are under or unqualified for their jobs, but who protect them by playing their race or gender card whenever they feel threatened.

Social media is a double-edged sword

At first, NPR and other special interest organizations embraced social media and hailed it as America's new open doorway to unfettered public discourse. That was before all the conservatives decided to weigh in on Facebook and Twitter and now Truth Social and are regularly calling out the abuses of power that have increased exponentially since Joe Biden and Kamala Harris took over. Now social media is a breeding ground (according to them) for hate speech and unfair attacks (there's that word again) on their chosen ones. Now with only three plus months to go before V-Day they've traded in their chain mail for email and are peppering the public with warnings about the demise of democracy if Donald Trump is elected President. And should he end up beating Kamala at the ballot box, the airwaves of NPR and the other elite media will be crying foul and playing the Jussie Smollett card. Should that happen, the Left will be forced to do a 180 and accuse the Right of rigging an election. For how could anyone not vote for such a likeable, mixed-race female with no demonstrable track record in her job or any measureable managerial ability?

It would boggle the mind, but as we all know, we are not allowed to have boggled minds when it comes to choosing our leaders, no matter how unsavory or unappetizing the choices might be.

Stephan Helgesen is a retired career U.S. diplomat who lived and worked in 30 countries for 25 years during the Reagan, GHW Bush, Clinton, and G.W. Bush administrations. He is the author of fourteen books, seven of which are on American politics and has written over 1,400 articles on politics, economics, and social trends. He can be reached at stephenhelgesen@gmail.com

Image: NPR, Fair Use
What an ugly mess the Olympics is making of its insults to the world's two billion-plus Christians whose cash and attention it seeks.

Following the mockery of Christianity at the Paris opening ceremonies by a group of drag queens, first came a sorry-not-sorry apology put on by the Paris organizers of the Olympics, and then the International Olympic Committee:

Wake up babe, the IOC just dropped their Im sorry you were offended apology. pic.twitter.com/YRewh5nXOi  Ryan Selkis (d/acc)  (@twobitidiot) July 28, 2024

It was denounced as inadequate by prominent bishops, who could see that they were blaming the offended, or in any case, who know bee ess when they see it.

Here is one:

After that, there was the claim from the left that Christians were all just reading it wrong, the show-biz bacchanal intended to mock the Last Supper was really just a tribute to the Greek gods -- you know, Olympics, Greeks -- so touchy Christians were all just reading it wrong.

Now that's fallen apart.

The social media posts of the actors involved before the event tell a different story:

Apparently Barbara Butch is the creature playing Christ in the special Olympics opening ceremony.



This is an instagram post of hers after the performance.



I am not entertaining any more claims that this was a Greek Dionysus homage or whatever. pic.twitter.com/eSiSrKOiPf  FilmLadd (@FilmLadd) July 27, 2024

They have been trying to erase them, but the Internet is forever.

Not only have they told us they hate Christians with this sorry drama, they've tried to gaslight us that it's all in our heads.

What a nasty, dishonest organization this is, not even being able to admit a mistake, let alone use common sense about who their audience is.

Image: Twitter screen shot
Will Tanner, one of the main minds behind the outlet The American Tribune, issued an ominous warning on X, directed toward American citizens: The rural violence experienced by the minority white civilian population (<7%)in South Africa at the hands of guerrilla thugs has already made landfall in the United States, and its fixing to get much, much worse.

And, where else would you expect ground zero in this saga of anarcho-tyrannya stage of government dysfunction in which the state can ruthlessly legislate and penalize trivial matters but is hopelessly incapable of fulfilling its actual duty and guaranteeing inalienable rights but the former (southern) border, de facto dissolved by the Biden-Harris regime and their coterie of progressive Democrats keen to foster dystopian terrors; cartel members are now using signal jammers to sabotage communications and prevent any type of response from law enforcement as they carry out their criminal activities:

And here is the video, which comes from the CJNG cartel in Mexico, one of those empowered by Biden's open border: pic.twitter.com/12f64SyrMm  Will Tanner (@Will_Tanner_1) July 28, 2024

Imagine being an American rancher with land along the border, finding yourself under attack from cartel members intent on taking your property or the lives of you and your family, and you have no way to call for help because the sicarios are using signal jammers; instead youre utterly alone, just like the white farmers of South Africa who have been raped, beaten, and killed by ruthless criminals in nearly identical situations. (Ive written on the signal jammers being used in South African assaults here, and more of the situation at large here and here.)

Remember 77-year-old Alejo Garza Tamez? Tamez was a brave Mexican rancher who refused to acquiesce to the demands of Los Zetas cartel members, and made a very Alamo-like last stand on his property when they returned up 24 hours later to seize the property by forcehe had ordered his farm workers to take the day off and fought alone, answered the demand for surrender with bullets killing four attackers in self-defense and wounding another two before he eventually died in the firefight.

What about this story, from Breitbart News in November?

GRAPHIC PHOTOS: Ranch in Mexican Border City Turned into Cartel Killing Field The gruesome discovery took place this week in the Mexican border city of Reynosa, Tamaulipas, after the activist group Amor Por Los Desaparecidos received an anonymous tip that there were human remains on a ranch on the western part of the city. The ranch is located along the highway that connects Reynosa with Nuevo Laredo. The Gulf Cartel seized the property from the owners by force. The group works to find the remains of the thousands of individuals who the Gulf Cartel has abducted in recent years. Their activities this year alone led to the discovery of 16 mass graves in Reynosa alone.

The property was seized from the owners by force.

Or this, from an article at The New York Times this past February?

A Family Ranch, Swallowed Up in the Madness of the Border Desperate migrants. Cartel violence. Its all happening in the Chiltons backyard.

But, it goes past the border too; back in December, mainstream outlets reported that South American gangs were using signal jammers during burglaries in high-end homes:

Gangs from South America use security jammers to break in to expensive homes across country: police Police said they are highly functional and well-trained. A police official described the crews, which are believed to consist of four to six people, as highly functional and well-trained.

Are these thieves armed? I dont see why they wouldnt be.

If this development in open border drama isnt just the greatest case for the right to keep and bear personal arms, then I dont know what is.

Image generated by AI.
Last Tuesday, British authorities arrested a 24-year-old man after he allegedly stabbed a British Army soldier off-duty but in uniformthis week, leaked emails from the Royal Navy reveal that military members are being advised to forgo wearing their uniforms or covering any military insignias in public, because a lower profile would be more appropriate.

After the politicians imported the Muslim third world into England, military members now find themselves in enemy territory in their own homeland.

From Steven Edingtons new report at GB News out this morning:

On 26 July Royal Navy officers were sent an email following the stabbing of an off-duty military officer discussing guidance around wearing uniforms outside of military bases.  There is no ban on the wearing of uniform in public, but personnel should not feel compelled to wear it outside MOD establishments when common sense says a lower profile would be more appropriate, the memo continued. Commanding Officers or Heads of Establishment are to provide guidance on what is appropriate for their local circumstances. This could possibly include not wearing uniform outside the place of work; covering uniform and military insignia when commuting to and from work.

Lets go through local circumstances that obviously demand a lower profile for those in military uniform:

Anywhere near a mosque;

All areas of London, but especially districts like Tower Hamlets, Newham, and Waltham Forest;

A halal grocery store;

Meeting with local constituents at a Methodist church (David Amess);

Walking along the London Bridge (dont want to get run down by terrorists in van and then stabbed);

Outside military barracks in Woolwich (Lee Rigby);

And apparently Taylor Swift-themed birthday partiesthere are conflicting accounts out now about the assailants background, but three precious children are dead so far, and credible reports say the teenaged stabber is a newcomer off a dinghy last year, and counter-terrorism officers are already involved in the investigation according to the authorities. Listener discretion advised, but below is an account from a reported eyewitness:

Distressing Audio of a local mother from Southport describing today's horrific stabbings.



I was sent this a short while ago and it hit me like a freight train.



I make zero apologies when I say this, I want Islam and all its practitioners removed from Western Society.



We pic.twitter.com/21Z6pRUn8H  Terry K (@TezTruth81) July 29, 2024

In the wake of the stabbing, some responded to the tragedy like this:

Ali Al-Shakti, a 17yo recent 'asylum seeker,' went on a homicidal stabbing rampage in a children's dance class in Southport, England, murdering 2 young children, injuring 9, 6 critically, as well as 2 adults. And this is the reaction from some people pic.twitter.com/1cp6bJTMyf  ShipofTheseus (@JewishSpaceLazr) July 29, 2024

Now, this certainly isnt to make a pro-war argument for the Western invasion into third world Muslim dumpster nations like Afghanistan and Iraq, but if we for a moment set aside the politicians with their greedy, ulterior ambitions and motivations and just focus on the fact that ordinary British citizens have made the ultimate sacrifice, and brothers and fathers and sisters and mothers never came home after more than a decade of dying in the desert, we see what a disgrace this manufactured migration movement really isBritish military forces have spent the better part of the 21st century giving their lives in service of their nation and their kinsmen, warring against a culture that is thoroughly violent and disgusting, and now those barbarians have been invited to set up shop inside the Brits own home.

Heres this, also from Edington:

Harrison Pitt, a senior editor at The European Conservative and a political commentator at the New Culture Forum, said: In a unified national culture, walking the streets while wearing the uniform of the British armed forces would be one of the proudest activities it is possible to imagine. It is a testament to the damage wrought by diversity and multiculturalism that this simple blessing can no longer be taken for granted.

The politicians of the West colluded to open the borders and destroy our civilization, using progressive buzzwords like diversity and multiculturalism and as Pitt calls out, these policy influences have only brought oppression and deaththe muezzin call to prayer is the death knell for Western civilization and its people.

Image: Free image, Pixabay license.
There are questions that mankind has always been seeking answers to, not only through reason and argumentation but through intuition, faith, or direct experience. One of them concerns miracles. Christians believe that the Almighty God communicates with humans in various ways, one of which is through particular events in history or in the present. To be sure, believing that a specific event is actually a message from Above, or a miracle, is a personal decision for each individual.

We believers know well that from a Christian perspective the understanding of Gods will can be nuanced and is often viewed as both accessible and mysterious. In other words, you cannot treat what you believe in like something taken from Walmart: chosen, paid for, packaged, and brought home. You cannot take the things we believe in and put them in your pocket: the moment you pronounce their names they escape you because in most cases they belong to the realm of symbols, which by nature allude to something that is hidden, that is elusive. Therefore, for one thing, it is useless to counter our statements from a rationalistic or positivistic standpoint. What purpose do self-referential objections and counter-objections serve? Nobody wants to convince anyone: it would be futile and senseless.

Just recently many top Republican officials were embracing divine intervention -- the hand of God -- to help explain how former president Donald J. Trump survived the recent assassination attempt. The most incredible thing was that I happened to not only turn [my head] but to turn at the exact right time and in just the right amount, Trump himself said. He also credited luck or God for saving him from would-be assassin Thomas Matthew Crookss bullet.

Understanding Gods specific will for individual situations can be particularly challenging. There is an acknowledgment that Gods ways and thoughts are higher than human ways and thoughts:

For my thoughts are not your thoughts,

neither are your ways my ways,

declares the Lord.

As the heavens are higher than the earth,

so are my ways higher than your ways

and my thoughts than your thoughts (Isaiah 55:8-9).

This means that certain aspects of Gods will may remain mysterious and beyond human comprehension. In summary, while for Christians Gods will can be understood through Scripture, prayer, and the guidance of the Holy Spirit, there is also an acceptance of the mystery and sovereignty of God. This balance of knowing and not fully knowing requires faith and trust in Gods ultimate goodness and plan.

Can we take for granted that we Christians, in todays Western world, are actually free to believe whatever we want to believe? Are we allowed, for one thing, to believe that Donald Trump survived by the grace of God, without being massacred by the media and the cultural Establishment, and labeled as a danger or a threat to society? Unfortunately, the answer is no. All in all, Christians are barely tolerated and treated as de facto second-class citizens who must refrain from talking about their faith and what it teaches in order not to be laughed at and ridiculed -- at best -- or regarded with suspicion or contempt. As an example of this Zeitgeist was last Fridays opening ceremony of the 2024 Paris Olympic Games with its drag queen-themed parody of Leonardo da Vincis The Last Supper. Independent journalist Kyle Becker said on X that The opening ceremony was filled with transgender mockery of the Last Supper, the Golden Calf idol, and even the Pale Horse from the Book of Revelation. The Olympics has made it clear that Christian viewers arent welcome.

Luck or God? Trumps statement was cautious, but open. He showed statesmanlike wisdom. We ordinary citizens and Christians can afford to go a little further. Personally and honestly, I feel like believing that the world witnessed another miracle performed by God on July 13, 2024. I believe that God spared Ronald Reagan and St. John Paul II for a reason. Likewise, God spared Donald Trump for a reason. If you didnt believe in miracles before Saturday, Sen. Tim Scott told the cheering crowd in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, on opening night of the GOP convention, you better be believing right now! Thank God Almighty that we live in a country that still believes in the King of kings and the Lord of lords, the alpha and the omega! I couldnt agree more.

We should not be intimidated by the Zeitgeist. Jesus Christ is Lord in our lives.

Samuel Robert Piccoli is a blogger and the author of several books, among them Being Conservative from A to Z (2014) and Blessed Are the Free in Spirit (2021). He lives in the Venice area.

Image: Samuel Colman
Earlier this month, England underwent major political changes (at least on the surface), and the far-left Keir Starmer took up residence at Downing Street 10, leading a Labour Party landslide into the federal government. Then yesterday afternoon, Starmers finance minister Rachel Reeves shared the governments new high tax, high spending budget with the necessary actions she doesnt want to take, but has to, for economic security of course.

Here are the details, from Kurt Zindulkas article at Breitbart News this morning:

This is not a decision I wanted to make, nor is it the one I expected to make  but these are the necessary and urgent decisions that I must make, Reeves told the Commons.

Englands new government is feigning fiscal responsibility, but really its just implementing a penny-wise and pound-foolish approach, sustaining the globalist agenda of Western collapse, wealth redistribution, and progressive policies; see below, also from Zindulka:

Leftist Labour Govt Cuts Winter Energy Aid to Millions of Pensioners, Preps Mass Tax Hikes In her first major address to Parliament on Monday, Chancellor Rachel Reeves  the head of the Treasury Department  confirmed the high-tax, high spending agenda of the new Labour government. Reeves claimed that she did not want to have to do this but asserted that the previous Conservative government of Rishi Sunak had left a 22 billion black hole in Britains finances, the Daily Mail reports. This deficit was exacerbated by illegal immigration and the asylum system, the overspend on which rose to 6.4 billion this year alone. The chancellor also pointed to more spending on the National Health Service (NHS), funding for the war in Ukraine, and highway and road maintenance. To meet the spending costs, Reeves said that the government would scrap energy bill support this winter for potentially up to 10 million pensioners.

First of all, theres nothing conservative about globalist socialists like Rishi Sunak (its as bad as calling Mitt Romney or John McCain conservative; like what are they possibly conserving?) but nonetheless, Sunak approved massive debt and deficit spending, admitted millions of foreigners to the nation and then the dole, and financed forever wars with no accountability, and as anyone with a brain could predict, its left the English taxpayers in a very precarious position.

According to a report from Reuters, heres what the new government had to say about Sunaks management:

The assessment will show that Britain is broke and broken - revealing the mess that populist politics has made of the economy and public services, a statement issued by Prime Minister Keir Starmer's office said.

Again, shipping in millions of impoverished foreigners who openly declare that they wont be assimilating and instead intend to conquer and destroy society as it is, from a culture that breeds 7th-century violence and oppression, is not populismits globalist leftism, which is exactly why everyone and everything is in fact broke and broken, respectively.

Now, we just topped $35 trillion in debt for the first time in history, so a 22 billion hole seems like a dream at this point, but lets take a look at what Englands been spending the peoples money.

First, the hordes of migrants, who arent really doctors, lawyers, and engineers, but the Pakistani groomers of Rochdale, the Afghans who stand out as the ones who commit the sex crimes against local women, and the jihadis from sub-Saharan Africa; from BBC this spring:

UK foreign aid spending on asylum seekers rises again More than a quarter of all UK overseas aid was spent on asylum costs at home last year, new figures show. The Foreign Office statistics reveal 4.3bn of its foreign aid budget went on supporting refugees and asylum seekers in the UK. That represents a 16% increase from the 3.7bn that was spent in 2022. The government said it had spent 15bn on development last year, including on humanitarian aid in Gaza and had had doubled spending in poorer countries.

Now, of that 22 billion hole, 20%, or one-fifth of the shortfall, could be swiftly resolved by ejecting all the parasitic foreigners, or simply forcing them to pay their own waybut, this is what big government does instead:

THOUSANDS of asylum seekers and Channel migrants are living in four and five star luxury at British taxpayers expense.https://t.co/AFKXWT6nfp  UK Justice Forum  Latest Video News Updates! (@Justice_forum) November 3, 2022

And of course, Ukraine. From Parliament itself:

The UK is one of the leading donors to Ukraine, alongside the US and Germany. To date, the UK has pledged 12.5 billion in support to Ukraine since February 2022, of which 7.6 billion is for military assistance. This includes 3 billion for military assistance in 2024/25.

Donors  hows that for offensive? Bona fide theft via taxation and money laundering doesnt count as a legitimate donation but I digress.

Thats 56% of the financial black hole right there!

But yes, turning off the old peoples heat in the winter, and inevitably the air conditioning in the summer, is the only option, a necessary evil, something that Reeves did not want to do  Reevess hand has been forced by conservatives and their populist policies! And of course, for the sake of the planet at some yet undetermined date in the future, we cant allow these old people to buy reliable energy they can actually afford (a 2023 figure revealed that the United Kingdom as a whole received 48% of its energy needs from the inaptly-named renewable energy sector), they must still be prohibited from using oil, gas, or coal.

And the regime laughs.

Image: Simon Dawson / No 10 Downing Street, OGL 3, via Wikimedia Commons, unaltered.
An old truism in politics is that if the win is big enough, the other guy can't steal it.

Venezuela's latest election just put paid to that nonsense. Any filthy tyrant, especially a socialist with a lot to hide and a will to entrench himself in permanent power, can steal an election ... right in front of his voters' faces.

And in the case of Nicolas Maduro of Venezuela, be perfectly confident that he'll always get away with it. The opposition will be told to accept the result and go prepare for the next election six years from now. The West will wring its hands a bit, and just go along. Venezuelans have seen this movie before.

Which is why Joe Biden's decision to drop sanctions on Venezuela in exchange for "free and fair elections" was such a disgusting deal, empowering the Maduroites to steal themselves another election, and enjoy the newly freed-up money, which included buying guns to fire into crowds, and then taking out the opposition afterwards through lawfare. That's what Maduro is doing now.

Quite a steal for Maduro, and in more ways than one.

The hopes were so high, the polls were so strong, and the opposition candidate, Maria Corina Machado, (along with her designated surrogate after she was disqualified from running, Edmundo Gonzalez), was so spotless, that the only question left in this election was how Maduro was going to get out of this one. He was going to lose; the crowds were out there, the slums had turned against him, the Venezuelans were rallying for Machado, and the polls were scarily unified showing gargantuan majorities in support of her and Gonzalez.

Every dirty trick in the book was tried -- from disqualifying Machado, to disqualifying overseas voters, to creating confusing ballots, to arresting Machado's aides and even her security chief, hauling them all off, to attempting to kill her by cutting the brake hoses to her campaign's cars, which happened several days ago. Every dirty trick.

Sound familiar?

With every one of those acts foiled, Maduro got what he wanted through his customary method, which was stealing the election, same as Venezuela's socialists have been doing since 2004, through already-cast ballots, problems at polling stations, a mysterious stoppage of counting at midnight, followed by a change of direction in the voting, illogical turnout numbers, and a reported close result.

This guy, who works for Maduro, took this selfie during the counting of the votes yesterday in Venezuela.



He forgot that the real results were on the screens. You can see how Maduro lost, by a lot, every state.



I am pretty sure he wont make it alive another day. pic.twitter.com/gUX6kyEVhx  Ada Lluch  (@ada_lluch) July 29, 2024

Except that this time, it was way too nakedly obvious that the result was fraudulent. Voters stood in the rain for hours, people walked to polling stations on canes and knees, lines were long, even in the slums, and turnout was huge.

That's why we have scenes like these across Venezuela now, starting with unrest in the capital:

4:03pm. Asi esta la Prados del este a la altura de Santa Fe 29Julio pic.twitter.com/1dlCNQNWgx  Gabriela Gonzalez (@GabyGabyGG) July 29, 2024

Venezuelan journalist Titi Gonzalez shows a panoramic view of western Caracas -once a stronghold of Chavismo- full of smoke from the spontaneous protests and subsequent clashes:

pic.twitter.com/gnHystbEOh  Caracas Chronicles (@CaracasChron) July 29, 2024

Destruction of campaign propaganda:

 | LO ULTIMO



El pueblo venezolano esta comenzando a tumbar y sacar toda la propaganda del regimen de Maduro de las calles. pic.twitter.com/rexFvhdaD4  UHN Plus (@UHN_Plus) July 29, 2024

A esta hora:



Centro de Maracay pic.twitter.com/O0eLLwOEoQ  Leopoldo Lopez (@leopoldolopez) July 29, 2024

Queman afiches de Maduro durante cacerolazo en Santa Monica, al suroeste de Caracas. pic.twitter.com/lchj8GVKoC  Monitoreamos (@monitoreamos) July 29, 2024

...and the flag of its Cuban colonizers:

The Cuban flag is taken down from public spaces.



I hope my Cuban friends understand it's no disrespect to you but to the Castro regime that supports the Venezuelan tyrant. https://t.co/P2FAzibhlw  Daniel Di Martino  (@DanielDiMartino) July 29, 2024

The protests spreading to a naval base:

A esta hora:



Base Naval Punto Fijo pic.twitter.com/2BbbQAWfeL  Leopoldo Lopez (@leopoldolopez) July 29, 2024

Update: Reportedly the army base Fuerte Tiuna, and the airport out of Caracas, too.

Update: With suggestions the military may be declining to fire, which is ominous for Maduro:

JUST IN: Venezuelan military troops allow the popular uprising against Maduros

fraudulent election to continue.



This is a positive sign that suggests the military may help topple the illegitimate socialist regime.

pic.twitter.com/vIwDPFoBRE  Kyle Becker (@kylenabecker) July 29, 2024

Ceaucescu talk among Venezuela's top observers.

MADURO SE CREE NERON, PERO PARECE QUE DECIDIO SEGUIR EL EJEMPLO FATAL DE SU TOCAYO CEAUSESCU



Suicida pues!! https://t.co/5NngpuNCBz  Pedro Mario Burelli (@pburelli) July 29, 2024

With reports from across the country of spontaneous mass demonstrations against Maduros fraudulent re-election, the #Venezuela govt and armed forces face an unprecedented challenge - a barrio uprising. https://t.co/Zm4MnoQvKT  Phil Gunson (@philgunson) July 29, 2024

Places that have never protested Chavista socialism now protesting Chavista socialism:

Yo naci y creci en Casalta 3, tengo familia alli, desde que tengo uso de razon, Casalta nunca protesto asi con el chavismo. Esto es importante. https://t.co/4lpwrhRJ0a  Maria Gabriela Trompetero (@GabyTrompetero) July 29, 2024

The protests getting very close to the presidential palace.

A esta hora:



Av. Urdaneta cerca de Miraflores pic.twitter.com/PQjk1IO42O  Leopoldo Lopez (@leopoldolopez) July 29, 2024

Snipers have been positioned onto the roof of the presidential palace:

I'm told by first-hand observers that the rooftops around the presidential palace are full of snipers to protect Maduro.



Someone tells me, "We need to be saved because people will be masacred"  Daniel Di Martino  (@DanielDiMartino) July 29, 2024

Maduro has thrown out the entire diplomatic corps of multiple Latin American neighbors whose leaders have condemned or at least expressed concern about his fraud:

And Chavez statues toppling:

Adios Dictatora Maduro https://t.co/79saJ8OSp4  Elon Musk (@elonmusk) July 29, 2024

The fraud was naked and the anger is palpable. Maduro may yet get what he wants by massacring the protestors and arresting the opposition leaders. His powder remains dry, note other observers. But he's got a lot of incandescent anger inside as well as outside observers who can see what's going on and calling it for what it is, such as Argentina's president, Javier Milei and for that matter, Elon Musk, whom Maduro has since invited to fight with him.

JUST IN: Venezuelan dictator Nicolas Maduro labels Elon Musk his "archenemy" and says he is trying to invade Venezuela with his rockets.



He sounds just like U.S. politicians.



"Our new archenemy, the famous Elon Musk. Who desperately shows his face and he would like to come pic.twitter.com/pfkLqJ9x85  Collin Rugg (@CollinRugg) July 29, 2024

In Maduro's favor, he seems to have the Biden administration expressing mealy-mouthed "concern" instead of full blown damnation such as Milei has done, but more about that later.

Musk tweeted earlier that he felt this kind of fraud set a precedent with implications for the U.S. That's the most worrying thing. If Maduro can get away with this, anyone else can, too. Who might that be?

Image: Screen shot from Twitter video
Now that the streets of Caracas are in flames with cries of 'liberty' shouted and statues of Hugo Chavez are being toppled and dragged through the streets following a fraudulent election result, where's the leader of the free world?

Pretty well absent, actually, releasing mealy-mouthed statements through his surrogates of "concern" about Venezuela's election result, when it should be shouting "fraud" and demanding the dictator's ouster.

Here's Secretary of State Antony Blinken expressing his "concern" and calling for an extended investigation:

Portavoz Miller: Como dijo hoy el Secretario de Estado Blinken @SecBlinken, es fundamental que cada voto en Venezuela se cuente de manera justa y transparente. pic.twitter.com/OweiHaWutX  USA en Espanol (@USAenEspanol) July 29, 2024

What drivel.

There were more of them, all touting the same "concern" line, perhaps to be followed by a "stern warning."

Millions turned out in Venezuela on Sunday to have their voices heardbut results released so far by the electoral authorities don't reflect the courage or the will of the people.



All votes must be counted fairly, transparently & publicly. The world is watching. pic.twitter.com/1hnJb3b8YS  Samantha Power (@PowerUSAID) July 29, 2024

Yeah, and you're waiting for someone else to go first. The claim that Venezuelans were "courageous" for voting is faded Xerox material from the Bush wars in places like Afghanistan, it didn't take any courage to vote, what took courage was speaking out after the vote was stolen. As for the transparency claim, that is ridiculous, too. The Venezuelan opposition leaders and their supporters already saw what happened pretty transparently, they went from voting site to voting site to read the "actas" or voting tallies and saw that their side had won more than 70% of the vote. It was transparent all right, it was just nakedly stolen. Power's remarks are quite infuriating when you realize how little she knows.

We are concerned the partial results released by Venezuelan electoral authorities dont reflect the peoples votes & call for the release of full, detailed results for transparency. We will hold judgement until then.The U.S. & intl community are watching. https://t.co/1OlvsdrJsE  Adrienne Watson (@NSC_Spox) July 29, 2024

Hold judgment? Nope, they've done that for years as election after election was stolen in that country. The time to act is now.

Similar drivel here:

Venezuelan voters showed up in huge numbers to express their will at the ballot box. It now falls on electoral authorities to ensure transparency & access for all political parties & civil society in the tabulation of votes & prompt publication of results. Credibility of the  Brian A. Nichols (@WHAAsstSecty) July 29, 2024

Then there's this word-salad by Kamala Harris, so inchoate it appears to be supporting the dictatorship. Maduro, after all, says his fraudly result is the will of the Venezuelan people. A tweet like this would be convenient for him to tout.

The United States stands with the people of Venezuela who expressed their voice in todays historic presidential election. The will of the Venezuelan people must be respected. Despite the many challenges, we will continue to work toward a more democratic, prosperous, and secure  Vice President Kamala Harris (@VP) July 28, 2024

All of it is mealy-mouthed in the extreme, calling for "transparency" when what they should mean is "fraud."

Events happen fast in national barrio uprisings, which this is, and these people have all been caught flat-footed.

Not surprisingly, that puts the U.S. in this wretched lavender zone:

The countries in red accept the elections in Venezuela, the countries in blue reject them. The purple countries demand a recount. pic.twitter.com/RntzigILZO  Maxwell A. Cameron (@MaxwellACameron) July 29, 2024

Hemming, hawing, chin-stroking, hoping the issue can be committeed away, sometime in the next 20 news cycles when no one will be paying attention. It's noteworthy that Maduro got into a verbal fight with Elon Musk who called the fraud what it was, not Biden. I wrote about that here.

Why the heck weren't we in the blue zone with the region's democracies? This is the United States of America, it ought to be easy to jawbone for the free world and offer at least verbal support to Venezuela's infuriated people. They didn't get that from the Bidenites.

As for the Venezuelans, it's always 'go back to campaigning and come see us again in six years when there's another fraudulent election to get stolen from you. Try again.' That's what they get from this sorry version of the U.S. and the West.

They've heard this for literally 20 years. The result is always the same -- the strengthening of the dictatorship.

And the lesson here for everyone is that when fraud is tolerated once, as it was when Jimmy Carter "certified" Venezuela's 2004 recall referendum, despite not knowing what went on "in the totalization room" as his report about it stated, it gets worse the next time. And worse, and worse, until it gets so naked, so clearly fraudulent, so outrageous, we have the breaking point we see here. Fraud in their faces. This sickening fraud tolerance from the West and everyone inside only leads to worse fraud, because totalitarian socialists don't leave power willingly.

Most of the lavender-zoners are in Europe and places quite far removed from Venezuela, so they can be excused as they don't have the area knowledge or the national interests at stake to advocate otherwise.

But the Biden administration cannot be excused for this mealy-mouthed talk. We are in a near-war with Vladimir Putin of Russia and nothing will undercut Putin like the "loss" of his Latin American satellite state Venezuela, with which he has a close arms and energy relationship. If the liberty forces win in Venezuela, Russia will be cut off at the knees. We thought Biden wanted Russia to lose and Ukraine to win.

What's more, Cuba and Nicaragua, two seriously problematic socialist hellholes, responsible for the border surge and support for global terrorism, stand to topple like dominos if Venezuela is lost to their malevolent socialist club. A chain reaction could happen with dictators going down across the hemisphere. So much for Biden's claims to favoring "democracy."

Lastly, if Maduro manages to hold onto power, who will get the mass flight of refugees that follows, all of them with credible asylum claims for defying a evil tyranny? That's right, they head here, we get a migrant wave unlike any we have seen. We know he wants one. But does he want the Fox News photos of it as they head on in? Maybe that won't work for Kamala Harris's election prospects.

But Biden never thinks about these things, he only reacts to events and in this case, doesn't know how to react. After all, he's an election-cheat himself with zero moral authority to complain about any other state's cheating.

But even as Joe Biden is hiding in his basement and his designated successor is spewing ignorant word-salad gobbledygook, some heroes with moral clarity from the region actually did appear.

This is what a real leader does -- President Javier Milei of Argentina, wasting no time after hearing this nakedly fraudulent election result, with this blast:

DICTADOR MADURO, AFUERA!!!



Los venezolanos eligieron terminar con la dictadura comunista de Nicolas Maduro. Los datos anuncian una victoria aplastante de la oposicion y el mundo aguarda que reconozca la derrota luego de anos de socialismo, miseria, decadencia y muerte.  Javier Milei (@JMilei) July 29, 2024

Translation:

DICTATOR MADURO, GET OUT!!! Venezuelans chose to end the communist dictatorship of Nicolas Maduro. The data announce a crushing victory for the opposition and the world is waiting for it to recognize defeat after years of socialism, misery, decadence and death. Argentina is not going to recognize another fraud, and hopes that the Armed Forces this time will defend democracy and the popular will. Freedom Advances in Latin America.

Which was exactly what was needed, the right response. That's how you treat street criminals, mafiosos, dirtbags, lowlife, who lie and cheat. They only understand the language of force and must be spoken to in direct language. What's more, he acted fast, which is all they respond to. He wasn't interested in the niceties of commissions and truth committees and extended investigation, which would only serve to entrench Maduro in power and at most make him promise to do better next time.

Milei delivered.

He released this one in, too, addressing and encouraging the Venezuelan voters:

BREAKING:



Milei sends a message to the Venezuelan National:



Dictator Maduro has committed elector fraud. He has awakened the Venezuelan lions and sooner or later socialism is going to end. Socialism is always murderous. Courage, dear Venezuelans



 pic.twitter.com/7p2YspPm6j  Visegrad 24 (@visegrad24) July 29, 2024

And this:

Venezuela strong: It is better to live in a risky liberty than a peaceful slavery. Long live f***ing freedom.

FUERZA VENEZUELA:



"Es preferible una libertad riesgosa a una esclavitud tranquila"



VIVA LA LIBERTAD CARAJO pic.twitter.com/1FpEh2wCnK  Milei SheIby (@TommyShelby_30) July 30, 2024

For good measure, he eats Maduros insults for lunch  calling them flattery.

Los insultos del Dictador Maduro para mi son halagos. Casualmente repitiendo los mismos agravios de muchos periodistas bienpensantes de la Argentina cuya posicion endeble permite que las atrocidades de Maduro sean legitimadas.



Ni el se cree la estafa electoral que festeja. La  Javier Milei (@JMilei) July 29, 2024

Maduro must have been taken aback given all the hemming and hawing he's heard in the past every time he's cheated at an election, and he should have been -- about a dozen Latin American states rapidly followed Milei and his lion's roar -- Peru, El Salvador, Panama, Guatemala, Uruguay, even Chile which has a left-leaning government.

Image: Pixabay / Pixabay License
Public Utility Commission of Texas Chairman Thomas Gleeson speaks to CenterPoint Energy CEO Jason Wells during a PUC meeting July 25 in the Commissioners Hearing Room at the William B. Travis State Office Building in Austin. Jon Shapley/Staff photographer CenterPoint Energy CEO Jason Wells speaks to commissioners of the Public Utility Commission of Texas during a meeting July 25 in the Commissioners Hearing Room at the William B. Travis State Office Building in Austin. Jon Shapley/Staff photographer State Sen. Paul Bettencourt, pictured in 2018. Jon Shapley/Houston Chronicle State Sen. Judith Zaffirini pictured in 2022. Billy Calzada/Staff photographer

Texas Republicans and Democrats rarely agree on anything, but CenterPoints grid failure during Hurricane Beryl united 13 senators Monday to rage against the utility and demand every electricity transmission and distribution company to better prepare for future disasters.

However, the truth that emerged from the Texas Senate hearing is that state leaders have not adequately overseen the electric business for decades. Winter Storm Uri in 2021 demonstrated that our generation system is decrepit; Beryl proved the electric lines and poles are, too.

The question is what the governor and lawmakers will do about it.

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All the lawmakers agreed that millions of Houstonians should not have gone so long without electricity following a Category 1 hurricane. They also correctly questioned whether other Texas utilities might fail if struck by a natural disaster, such as a tornado, winter storm or straight-line winds known as derechos.

As a CenterPoint customer in Laredo, I have to wonder, what if we had such a storm in Laredo? Sen. Judith Zaffirini, a Democrat, asked. Are we going to isolate CenterPoint or look at CenterPoint as an example and then look at all other companies and all other providers of energy and say: These are the standards that you must meet going forward, standards related to reliability, to resistance, and what will this Legislature do about it?

Zaffirini drilled into those questions when Public Utility Commission Chairman Thomas Gleeson testified before the special committee investigating the hurricane response. She forced Gleeson to acknowledge that the PUC has failed to hold utilities accountable.

I would agree that we have not held them to a standard that would be considered sufficient, Gleeson said. The governors letter talked about the entire Houston and Gulf Coast area, and I would think about it even statewide. I think we need a comprehensive look at how we fund utilities and how they prepare for storms.

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Sen. Paul Bettencourt, a Houston Republican, focused on the perverse incentives of how Texas rewards utilities. The state grants a company, city or cooperative a monopoly to maintain transmission and distribution wires in a particular area. In return, customers pay for the service on their electricity bills.

The funds are paid to maintain existing lines and manage vegetation near power lines. However, the company does not earn a profit on operations and maintenance. Utilities only have the opportunity to earn a 9.5% profit from big capital expenditures on new equipment or power lines.

Bettencourt called that bassackwards. He accused CenterPoint of directing spending where the PUC allows it to collect a profit, such as $800 million allocated for backup generators, instead of trimming trees and vines.

CenterPoint budgeted only $3.9 million to trim vegetation from 3,500 miles of power lines in 2023 on a grid with 29,000 miles of cables, committee members reported. The company has since promised to expand that to 7,000 miles, but only after at least 30 people died from lack of power.

Since for-profit utilities make more money when they spend less on maintenance and more on installing new equipment, senators questioned whether Texas should reward performance rather than expenditure.

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Hurricane Beryl put CenterPoint and Gulf Coast utilities in the hot seat, but every other utility CEO could find themselves in the same spot if disaster struck their region. Austin fired the CEO of city-owned Austin Energy when an ice storm broke tens of thousands of trees, leaving a third of the population without power for up to 10 days.

State law encourages utilities to submit a resiliency plan, but officials have not set performance standards. Utility lobbyists have fought hard against accountability systems in the past and, despite displays of contrition Monday, will argue against new oversight during the 2025 legislative session.

Gleeson acknowledged that in the last 30 years, the PUC has only once denied a utility its profits. Texans have also changed how they think about extreme weather, and the senators recognize that no one should be surprised by storm damage anymore.

We have a new expectation for how reliable our system is, Gleeson acknowledged. We have to come up with ways to meet that new expectation. What was good enough 15 years ago is not good enough anymore.

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It used to be Russia, Russia, Russia.

When George Bush was running, he had to pick Cheney to get gravitas.

It has always been that Republicans are racists, sexists, transphobes, and xenophobes.

Anyone who disagreed with the radical green agenda is falsely called a climate denier.

Republicans who challenge elections where Democrats ignored election laws in several states are called election deniers.

People who dared disagree with Dr. Fauci were called anti-vaxxers and anti-science.

Now the new talking points have been distributed. They just call us weird.

Democrats new line of attack on Republicans? Youre being weird I think its really elegant in its simplicity, one Democratic strategist said. Democrats have recently begun adopting a fresh new line of attack on Republicans: quite simply, calling them weird. In a press release Thursday, Vice President Kamala Harris presidential campaign responded to an appearance by former President Donald Trump on Fox News. Under a bulleted list of main takeaways from Trumps appearance was one that quickly captured the publics attention: Trump is old and quite weird?

I think a good description of weird people would be when they are just strange. Kamala, Pritzker, Hillary, and others who say Republicans or Vance are weird seem to be confused.

Here are some examples:

They claim that they love children and want the U.S. to survive as a great country, yet they tell women not to have children because they pretend we are destroying the planet.

They claim they can control the climate, yet they claim they cant control oil or food prices.

Biden and others worry that, with immunity, a president may take a bribe for a pardon and have no repercussions. He is clearly talking about Bill Clinton giving a pardon to Marc Rich after his wife donated huge amounts of money to him. Yet not once have the media or other Democrats suggested that Clinton should have been prosecuted.

Democrats claim they are for protecting democracy, yet they anoint Kamala for president despite her getting zero votes in the primaries.

Democrats say they are against corruption and lawbreakers, yet they deny that Biden did anything wrong when he took Hunter around the world taking kickbacks.

Bidens brain and ability have clearly been shot for years, yet until the debate, we were told he is sharp as a tack.

Democrats claim they care about women, yet they never cared about all the women whom Bill and Hillary physically and mentally abused and sought to destroy.

Democrats claim they care about children, yet they wont vote to give health care to fully developed newborns in botched abortions.

Democrats claim they care about poor and minority children, yet, weirdly, they always vote against allowing them to go to better schools.

They claim that women can do whatever they want with their bodies but dont allow them to have freedom of choice for health care policies and fire them if they dont take a vaccine.

They claim they are 100% for Israel, yet they fund Iran, which pledges death to Israel.

They claim they care about crime and protecting people, but they support prosecutors who allow career criminals to roam the streets.

They claim they are against dictators, but they support presidents who dictatorially implement DACA and pay off student loans.

They claim they care about womens rights and privacy, yet they force them to compete against men and share locker room space with men and their peckers.

Not only are Democrats weird. They are nuts, and they are dangerous to our survival as a great country.

Image: Gage Skidmore via Flickr, CC BY-SA 2.0.
In 1754, Prokop Divis, a Czech priest, attempted to control the weather but ended up inventing the lightning rod instead.

Divis was a pastor in Primetice, a neighborhood in Znojmo near the Austrian border. In addition to preparing weekly sermons, preaching, and conducting worship services, he managed farmland belonging to the abbey. Divis developed an interest in electricity, a little-understood subject in his time. He began experimenting with small electric voltages, achieving notable success in promoting plant growth and therapy. He published his findings and even demonstrated them at the Imperial Court in Vienna.

Photo credit: Chuck Lee

In 1753, Russian physicist Georg Wilhelm Richmann attempted to extract electricity from a thunderstorm using a metallic rod but was struck by a ball of lightning and died of electrocution. The previous year, American polymath Benjamin Franklin had survived a similar endeavorthe famous kite experiment, in which he flew a kite into a storm cloud with a house key attached to the wet hemp string. Franklin observed that loose threads of the kite string were repelling one another, indicating that the string was charged. When he moved his hand near the key, he witnessed an electric spark jump from the key to his hand, proving that lightning was electrical.

The news of Richmanns death inspired Divis to study atmospheric electricity. In letters, he proposed to several physicists the construction of a "weather machine"a device designed to suppress and prevent thunderstorms and lightning by constantly drawing atmospheric electricity out of the air. His theories were considered fringe science even in his time and were largely ignored. Receiving no responses, Divis decided to build such a machine in his own parish.

Prokop Divis

On 15 June 1754, Divis erected a forty-meter-high, free-standing pole in Primetice, on which he mounted his "weather machine." The device consisted of several tin boxes and more than 400 metal spikes. At the time, a well-established theory suggested that pointed spikes would conduct electricity more effectively. The pole was secured with heavy metal chains, which inadvertently grounded the construction, effectively making it one of the first grounded lightning rods. Divis described his invention as highly effective at driving off storms. According to his observations, clouds would form when the pole was taken down and disappear when it was erected again. He interpreted these occasional occurrences as evidence that the pointed spikes extracted latent electricity from the atmosphere, safely dispersing it before lightning could form. Several local newspapers and novelty papers from Southern Germany reported on his attempts.

Despite his enthusiasm, Divis's invention faced skepticism from the scientific community. In 1759, when a drought threatened Primetice's farmers, they tore down the "weather machine," believing it was somehow to blame for the lack of rain. Divis then built a second "weather machine" and had it mounted on the tower of his church to prevent it from being destroyed by an unruly mob. However, the villagers took offense, leading church superiors to advise Divis to stop his experiments.

Family house of Prokop Divis with his weather machine on the right. Photo credit: Wikimedia Commons

Undeterred, Divis continued to correspond with scientists and promote his theory, which he called Magia naturalis. Divis found support from two like-minded priests from Wurttemberg who had visited him during his experiments, and helped him publish his theory abroad under the German title "Langst verlangte Theorie von der meteorologischen Electricite" (Much Desired Theory of Meteorological Electricity) in the same year that Divis died. Despite their efforts, the theory was largely ignored. Danish scientist Johannes Nikolaus Tetens dismissed it as a work of fantasy.

For decades, Benjamin Franklin was credited as the inventor of the lightning rod. However, in the late 19th century, the European scientific community began to assert that Prokop Divis was the true inventor of the lightning rod. Some argued that Divis's free-standing apparatus in 1754 was better grounded than Franklin's experimental lightning rods at the time.

Today, Prokop Divis is recognized as a visionary inventor who independently developed the lightning rod around the same time as Benjamin Franklin. Both men made significant contributions to the understanding and practical application of electricity, and their work has had a lasting impact on the safety and technology of lightning protection.
A Federal court has ruled that US Customs and Border Protection agents must obtain a warrant to search phones. The ruling could have far-reaching repercussions on the methods employed by US security agents who man the countrys ports and borders.

Why must US Customs secure a warrant to search phones?

The US Customs and Border Protection (CBP) is tasked with protecting US borders. These include land borders, seaports, and airports. Relying on publicly available enforcement statistics, The Verge reported CBP has conducted more than 230,000 searches of electronic devices between the 2018 and 2023 fiscal years.

A federal judge in New York has mandated Customs agents obtain a warrant before inspecting phones. The judge was presiding over a case filed by criminal defendant Kurbonali Sultanov. Border agents had inspected his device at the JFK airport.

Customs agents recovered incriminating evidence on Sultanovs phone. He sought to suppress the evidence because it was obtained illegally.

FYI : Customs and Border Patrol (CPB) officials need a warrant to search citizens and non-citizens' phone or electronic device when traveling in or out of the country.

"It is one thing for courts to give border officials the authority to briefly detain and question air pic.twitter.com/qsAEaUgevF  Csilla Brimer  (@CryptoTweetie) July 29, 2024

The latest ruling doesnt help Sultanov. However, the presiding judge did reportedly accept the argument that the Fourth Amendment requires the search of a cellular device at the border to be supported by a warrant and probable cause.

While delivering the latest ruling the judge explained the reasoning behind it. It appears the ruling aims to protect journalists, political opposition, protestors, dissidents, and the other usual targets or individuals.

The previous ruling on the issue essentially unlocked direct and unhindered access to a persons electronic device at the border. This could be construed as potential violations of the First and Fourth Amendments, observed the judge.

Will US Border Protection teams need legal permission to frisk the devices of all passengers?

It is important to note that a federal judge in New York has mandated Customs agents must have a warrant to search electronic devices at the border. The ruling practically applies to New Yorks Eastern District.

What this means is that agents stationed at John F. Kennedy (JFK) Airport in Queens would need warrants to inspect electronic devices. JFK Airport is the sixth-busiest airport in the country. It has nearly 500,000 aircraft operations and processes more than 62 million passengers annually.

If U.S. Customs and Border Security can scan cell phones and electronics without warrant does this mean they are doing this to the millions of migrants coming into this country to protect us??? https://t.co/t544PI85vP pic.twitter.com/0nyRWXElnI  ck (@quaerotantum) February 15, 2024

Although the ruling applies primarily to New Yorks Eastern District, it could have far-reaching implications on the way Customs agents approach and process suspicious passengers at Americas land borders, seaports, and airports.

IMHO, the judge is incorrect. When devices contain PII or PHI & are searched by Customs Agents, it's a violation of Fed law. Phones collecting & containing health data cannot & should not be searched w/out a warrant.https://t.co/CzL9UvR44a pic.twitter.com/KIiBoUmcZQ  Chris Spera (@chrisspera) February 12, 2021

The latest ruling effectively overturns a three-year-old provision. Specifically speaking, in 2021, a US appeals court ruled that CBP agents can search travelers phones and other devices without a warrant. Interestingly, border agents didnt even need reasonable suspicion to inspect electronic devices.

Legally speaking, the new law primarily applies to US citizens. However, the CBP could effectively den y any foreign passenger entry to the United States if they refuse a search, which can include electronic devices.
Google is integrating a feature similar to Circle to Search into Chromes address bar for desktop PCs and laptops. Until now, Circle to Search was only available on mobile devices, with native integration on some Androids and through a Google Lens workaround on iOS.

Circle to Search is one of Googles new crown jewels in the AI era. It lets you launch quick Lens-powered searches on anything you see on your screen. Lens will return useful results related to the item youre searching for, all without switching to another app. It can tell you nearby stores that sell a certain pair of shoes, translate text from an image, identify monuments or works of art, and much more.

Chromes address bar now includes a Circle to Search icon in the desktop app

As reported by 9to5Google, Chrome browser users will be able to use the Circle to Search-like feature on both desktop PCs and Chromebook devices. Its easier to use on Chromebooks, as the browser is getting a new search bar Google Lens icon. Clicking on it will bring up a resizeable box that you can use to highlight any item in the UI. Youll then receive the search results in a sidebar on the right.

On the other hand, the feature is less visible in Chrome for Windows and Mac. Instead of having a Lens button in the address bar by default, theres a new Search with Google Lens option in Chromes settings. However, you can add the button to Chromes toolbar (not the address bar) by clicking on the Pin icon that appears at the top of the search results sidebar. After that, the Lens icon will be available next to the Extensions button.

Either way, the Mountain View giant describes the feature by saying that Google Lens in Chrome makes it easy to search anything you see on your screen. Search within a video youre watching, a slide in a livestream, or an image on a webpage. Google Lens will give you answers right there, in your tab, and you can continue browsing with the new information youve found.

Enables faster and more instant searches

Chrome already offered the option to start a search on items while browsing. For example, you could highlight text or right-click on an image to get Google results in the sidebar. However, the Circle to Search integration adds versatility to the feature. Theres no doubt that Google wants to boost the reach of Lens by making it easier to use on as many platforms as possible.
The Samsung Galaxy S25 Ultra rumors have been all over the place. Weve even seen some conflicting rumors regarding its RAM count. Well, one of the most trusted tipsters has just decided to put those rumors to rest. Ice Universe has confirmed that the Galaxy S25 Ultra will be getting a RAM bump, and it was about time.

The Galaxy S25 Ultra will get a RAM bump, a trusted tipster says

According to the tipster, the Galaxy S25 Ultra will feature 16GB of RAM. As a reminder, the Galaxy S24 Ultra shipped with 12GB of RAM. Many would say thats plenty, and while they may be right, AI is getting more and more prominent on Samsungs devices, so the RAM bump is warranted. Also, considering the price of the phone, many users expect to get 16GB of RAM.

Ice Universe shared the information via X. He simply wrote 16GB yes!. He did not mention the phone name or anything, but its obvious what he meant. The reactions in the comments were quite positive.

The Galaxy S25 Ultra will become official in Q1 2025, almost certainly. Were expecting the phone to arrive in January, alongside the Galaxy S25 and Galaxy S25+. All three phones will ship with a bevy of AI features as part of Galaxy AI. Some Google AI features will also be a part of the package, of course.

Samsungs next-gen flagship will also include an S Pen, and a brand new flagship chip

The Ultra model will also ship with an S Pen, of course. The phone will get a boost in terms of hardware specs too. The Snapdragon 8 Gen 4 is expected to fuel the phone. Theres still a chance that well see both Exynos and Snapdragon versions, though. It is more likely that well get to see only a Snapdragon version, though.

Samsung is allegedly having yield problems with the next-gen Exynos chip. Nothing is set in stone, though, as its based on rumors. So well just have to wait and see what will happen.

The company is also expected to boost the phones camera prowess and some other aspects of the device. Its design is also a mystery at this point, the company could make more notable design changes this time around.
Green Light is a Googles project designed to help reduce the time you spend at traffic lights thanks to the power of AI. While its main motivations are environmental, its effects can make your daily time behind the wheel less frustrating.

Google is implementing AI everywhere and its no secret to anyone. The company is betting heavily on AI-powered features to offer solutions and services, being a pioneer in the smartphone industry. Green Light, a project to significantly reduce the emission of greenhouse gases from cars at traffic light stops, is another example of this.

Googles Green Light project is helping reduce traffic light stops with AI

Cars stopping at traffic lights are among the main daily sources of greenhouse gas emissions. With this in mind, Google developed the tool that, after an AI-powered evaluation of multiple parameters, provides recommendations that can help to effectively reduce such stops. Green Light takes into account parameters such as traffic levels, flow patterns, frequency of stops at traffic lights, nearby intersections, and more.

The Green Lights recommendations are intended for city engineers. They are realistic and easily applicable, requiring nothing beyond what is already available at the traffic light stop. For example, tweaking a red light duration at certain times where the AI detected that there are usually low levels of traffic.

Googles AI-powered suggestions to reduce traffic light stops are under testing in multiple cities. The current list of more than 12 cities includes names like Seattle, Boston, Rio de Janeiro, and Bengaluru. The company intends to make the list larger in the near future. Google also offers a panel of experts dedicated to evaluating the real impact of the Green Lights suggestions in each city. So, there is a quantifiable way to measure their effectiveness.

According to current data, the project has helped a 30% reduction in traffic light stops. This translates to around a 10% reduction in greenhouse gas emissions at those intersections. Green Light is another proof of the huge positive impact that AI tools can have on everyday life, even if you dont notice it.
Every day, we fear the bad side of AI technology. The reality is that AI has several bad sides, and one of them is AI deepfakes. Microsoft acknowledges this, and its calling on Congress to help outlaw AI deepfakes.

An AI deep fake is when a person takes a piece of media and manipulates it to make it seem like the subject in the video did something that they didnt do. Say, theres a video of you giving a speech on ending world hunger. Well, if a person manipulates your lip movements and audio to make it sound like you want to restrict food from other countries, then thats a deepfake. Thats only one form of deepfake.

Deepfakes can be used for fun. We see YouTube videos of people replacing actors in movies. So, the technology itself isnt bad. The issue comes when people use this technology in a bad way.

Microsoft wants Congress to police the use of AI deepfakes

With great power comes people wholl abuse it and ruin a fun technology for everyone. Deepfakes have been around for a long time, but generative AI technology has caused abusive deepfakes to explode. We all remember the recent drama with the sexually explicit AI-generated images of Taylor Swift.

Thats not all, as there have been many other examples of this sort of behavior. Its bad enough when it happens to Taylor Swift, but shes 34. Theres also an issue with people making content about people who are less than half that age. AI-generated CSAM is also a major (and not unexpected) consequence of AI technology.

According to a new report, Microsofts vice chair and president, Brad Smith, is calling for Congress to formally outlaw AI deepfakes. He made a blog post making this call for action. He wants a deepfake fraud statute. This would basically give people the legal grounds to prosecute people who make abusive AI deepfaked content. This will involve any sort of fraudulent content to make it seem like people are doing what they didnt.

Its an important time

This is most crucial this year, as 2024s a major election year. So, AI deepfakes have been running rampant, and theyre going to increase as people approach the polls. In the U.S., weve seen deepfakes targeted at both major political parties.

One of the most important things the U.S. can do is pass a comprehensive deepfake fraud statute to prevent cybercriminals from using this technology to steal from everyday Americans, Smith said in his blog post.

Hopefully, the government can come up with some sort of framework to police AI deepfakes.
The Samsung Galaxy S25 Ultra is expected to have a better battery life than its predecessor. However, the improvement is being largely attributed to a better chipset, and not due to Samsung embedding a larger battery in the upcoming flagship smartphone.

Samsung to embed next-gen Snapdragon 8 Gen 4 inside S25 Ultra?

While the Samsung Galaxy S24 Ultra packs the Qualcomm Snapdragon 8 Gen 3, the Galaxy S25 Ultra should have the next-gen Snapdragon 8 Gen 4. Incidentally, neither Samsung nor Qualcomm have officially unveiled the top-end chipset.

Although the Galaxy S25 Ultra may pack the same battery as its predecessor, it may have better battery endurance, a new leak suggests. The latest rumor is allegedly based on internal testing of the flagship chipset from Qualcomm.

Looking at the internal testing data of 8G4, the CPU efficiency improvement is in the single digit percentage, but the GPU improvement is huge, D9300 peak at half the power is possible. If you care about CPU performance, please skip this generation and wait for 8G5. pic.twitter.com/6Le8FlN0M9  sun.dtsi (@negativeonehero) July 21, 2024

The abovementioned Tweet claims to show findings of internal testing data of the Snapdragon 8 Gen 4 SoC. TSMC is producing the chipset using its second-gen 3nm process node (N3E).

The internal testing allegedly shows TSMC has significantly optimized the Snapdragon 8 Gen 4s GPU (Graphics Processing Unit). In other words, end-users can expect incredible performance from the Adreno 750 GPU.

Will the Samsung Galaxy S25 Ultra have improved battery endurance?

The Samsung S24 Ultra has a 5000mAh battery, which supports 45W wired Fast Charging via USB Type-C. Multiple rumors suggest Samsung will retain the same battery and even charging technology for the upcoming Galaxy S25 Ultra.

Several leaks seem to agree on Samsung not embedding a larger battery. However, the Snapdragon 8 Gen 4 should put it marginally ahead of its predecessor.

 Galaxy S25 Ultra Some Specs  Same 5,000 mAh battery and 45W charging as the S20 Ultra.

 200MP main camera, 50MP ultrawide, and dual 50MP telephoto lenses.

 Faster  Snapdragon 8 Gen 4 and a slightly bigger 6.9 screen. READ DETAILS: https://t.co/JNh9v43her pic.twitter.com/wkhMft372N  Rootmygalaxy.net  Samsung Android Guides and News (@rootmygalaxy) July 28, 2024

The peak performance of the Adreno 750 GPU embedded inside the Snapdragon 8 Gen 4 was reportedly similar to the GPU inside the powerful MediaTek Dimensity 9300 AP. Whats interesting is that Qualcomm managed to get the performance at half the power consumption of the MediaTek chipset.

This data could be extrapolated to mean the Snapdragon 8 Gen 4 SoC could have a much better battery endurance owing to its GPU. Although this would be an improvement, the leaker suggests skipping the upcoming Galaxy S25 Ultra.

It appears that Qualcomm hasnt managed to significantly improve the Snapdragon 8 Gen 4s performance. Specifically speaking, the custom Oryon CPU cores manage only a single-digit performance increase compared to the Snapdragon 8 Gen 3 Prime Performance Core. Moreover, some reports suggest smartphones packing this flagship SoC will need larger batteries.
A rather weird problem has surfaced online for Samsungs brand-new flagship smartwatch. Displays on some Galaxy Watch Ultra units seem to be misaligned. The issue has been mentioned on Reddit, with images as proof.

Displays on some Galaxy Watch Ultra units seem to be misaligned

A user called lbuddha shared a couple of images of the issue. Those images are shown below. As you can see, whats shown on the display doesnt seem to be aligned with the case of the watch itself.

The number 9 is a bit too tall, while the 3 is too low. The number 12 is pushed to the right too much, while the number 6 has the opposite problem. You get the gist, its not centered properly.

Reactions in the comments are entertaining, to say the least. Many other Reddit users have advised the owner of this watch to return it and get a replacement. The user himself says that he got the watch directly from Samsung.

Nobody in the comments seem to be having the same problem

Whats interesting is that we didnt spot a second report in the comment, as it seems that nobody commenting on this issue has the same problem. Some users did say that their units dont have that problem, however, and even shared images to prove it (with the same watch face).

We also dont have that issue with our Galaxy Watch Ultra review unit. It works perfectly fine. The question remains how widespread is this issue and if its a software or a hardware problem? If its a software problem, Samsung can easily fix it. A hardware issue is something else entirely.

The best course of action for the owner of this unit may be to return it to Samsung, or at least get some feedback from the company. We can see why this would bother people, it would surely bother me if I had to use it.
Public Utility Commission of Texas Commissioners Courtney Hjaltman, from rear left, Chairman Thomas Gleeson, Lori Cobos and Kathleen Jackson speak to a leadership team from CenterPoint Energy about Hurricane Beryl during a PUC meeting Thursday, July 25, 2024, in the Commissioners Hearing Room at the William B. Travis State Office Building in Austin. Jon Shapley/Staff photographer Public Utility Commission of Texas Commissioner Lori Cobos talks to CenterPoint Energy CEO Jason Wells about the companys response to Hurricane Beryl during a PUC meeting Thursday, July 25, 2024, in the Commissioners Hearing Room at the William B. Travis State Office Building in Austin. Jon Shapley/Staff photographer A CenterPoint energy truck drives through a neighborhood the day after Hurricane Beryl made landfall nearby Tuesday, July 9, 2024, in Houston. Ishika Samant/Staff photographer CenterPoint Energy CEO Jason Wells, center, speaks to Jimmy Glotfelty, a commissioner with the Public Utilities Commission of Texas, July 25 in the Commissioners Hearing Room at the William B. Travis State Office Building Austin. Seated with Wells are Randy Pryor, vice president of major underground and distribution modernization, from left, Tony Gardner, a senior vice president, and Jason Ryan, executive vice president of regulatory services and government affairs. Jon Shapley/Staff photographer

CenterPoint Energy expects to incur as much as $1.8 billion in costs from its efforts to restore power after Mays severe storms and Julys Hurricane Beryl, company executives said during a second-quarter earnings call Tuesday in which it reported a steep jump in profits over the year earlier.

The company said it would seek approval from the Public Utility Commission of Texas to issue bonds to recover $1.5 billion to $1.7 billion of its storm-related costs, Chief Financial Officer Christopher Foster told investors and analysts. Foster estimated residential customers could see a 2% increase in their electricity bills for the next 15 years to pay down the debt, which carries interest.

Another $100 million of investments in its transmission system, the long-distance towers and lines, would be included in CenterPoints next scheduled rate increase request, Foster said. CenterPoint reported income of $228 million for the quarter ended June 30, up from $118 million in the year-earlier period.

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Failure to recoup the costs could shake investor confidence in the company, one analyst said.

The storm-related cost estimates come as CenterPoint executives try to walk a fine line of satisfying Texas elected officials  who are calling for accountability from the company and even floating proposals to claw back profits  while easing investor concerns over whether the company will gain approval for past and future capital spending.

CenterPoint Energy CEO Jason Wells speaks to a reporter about the effort to restore power in the aftermath of Hurricane Beryl on Thursday, July 11, 2024, at a CenterPoint Energy office in Houston. Jon Shapley/Staff photographer

CenterPoint earns a 9.4% rate of equity, essentially profit, on its capital expenditures. It has dramatically increased capital investments in recent years, boosting the investor-owned utilitys stock price.

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If CenterPoint were unable to recover its May and July storm-related costs, investors would lose confidence not only in CenterPoints current management team but also in the wisdom of investing in Texas utilities going forward, said Anthony Crowdell, an utility analyst with the investment bank Mizuho Americas.

Does the risk change with investing in a Texas utility? Thats what everyones trying to figure out, Crowdell said.

After Mondays fiery first hearing of a special state Senate committee tasked with investigating utilities response to Beryl, senators on both sides of the aisle suggested they were opposed to CenterPoint recovering its hurricane-related costs.

Paul Bettencourt, R-Houston, highlighted four words used by CenterPoint CEO Jason Wells during the Senate hearing  inexcusable, insensitive, unacceptable and insufficient  then noted the utility still planned to ask for Beryl cost recovery. Carol Alvarado, D-Houston, also posted on X, formerly Twitter, about CenterPoints intention to pass the costs of Beryl to its customers.

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That dog wont hunt, Alvarado said.

Sandra Haverlah, president of the Texas Consumer Association, said customers shouldnt be charged for CenterPoints failure in providing reliable service and weak infrastructure.

Its as if yesterday didnt happen, Haverlah said. Theyre moving forward and telling investors, dont worry, were getting paid back. And thats business as usual.

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Crowdell, however, said Wells and Foster proposed during the earnings call at least one action that is a departure from usual operations: CenterPoint wants to use $250 million of shareholder equity this year  instead of in 2025  to fund immediate capital improvements that the company promised to make in the Houston area as hurricane season continues.

Those include using predictive modeling and artificial intelligence to target where improvements to its power lines and poles are most needed, nearly doubling the size of its vegetation management crews, and rolling out better communications with customers, including a new cloud-based outage tracker.

With this decision, CenterPoint is clearly saying their primary constituents are their customers, Crowdell said. Investors typically dont want to hear that a company plans to increase reliance on equity because it means the company will bring in more shareholders, reducing individual shares, he said.

Over a longer period of time, I think everyone will probably be happy. The people of Houston are probably going to get an even more resilient system, Crowdell said. But today, its not a happy day for investors.

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Investors also are tracking whether CenterPoint will secure PUC approval for its pending rate case covering $6 billion in investments since 2019 and up to $2.7 billion in resiliency plan investments to gird its infrastructure against extreme weather from 2025 to 2027.

Investors are trying to figure that out: Will the regulator allow for this plan to go into action or not? Crowdell said.

If approved, the rate case could add $1.25 to the average residential customers monthly electric bill, while the resiliency plan could add $3 per month, CenterPoint executives have said.

The PUC has paused resiliency plan proceedings as CenterPoint negotiates a settlement with industrial electricity consumers and cities. CenterPoint is also negotiating a settlement with those groups for its proposed rate case.

During Tuesdays earnings call, Wells said the company would continue to make customer-focused capital investments to achieve better outcomes for its nearly 3 million electric customers, 2.7 million of whom are in the Houston area.
Samsung Galaxy Watch7 owners could get a software fix that addresses the concerningly low battery life of their smartwatch. Samsung seems to have acknowledged that the wearable gobbles up battery, and its engineers could be working on software to stem the drain.

A fix to improve the Samsung Galaxy Watch7 battery life is under development

Smartwatch owners usually wish their wearable had better battery life. However, it is nearly impossible to cram large batteries in such a small form factor.

Several Samsung Galaxy Watch7 owners have been vociferously complaining about the devices abysmal battery endurance. Interestingly, the device is barely a few weeks old, and battery life should not degrade so quickly.

According to Android Authority, a concerningly large number of Samsung Galaxy Watch7 users feel their wearables battery drains out quickly. Users raised similar complaints on Samsungs community forums for South Korea.

Unexpectedly, a user claiming to be a Samsung representative posted a message implying Samsung is aware of the Galaxy Watch7s poor battery life. The representative reportedly even added that the company has already identified the issue responsible for the accelerated battery drain.

If thats not encouraging enough, the alleged Samsung representative mentioned a software patch fix for poor battery performance should head out soon. Needless to say, theres no confirmed time frame for the updates release.

How to improve the battery performance of a Galaxy smartwatch?

It is important to note that Samsung hasnt officially acknowledged the poor battery performance of its latest Galaxy Watch7. Consequentially, the company hasnt confirmed it would release an OTA (over-the-air) patch to fix the wearables battery drain issue.

Galaxy Watch 7. At what point can I expect the battery to not be a little shit? Pretty decent loss in less than 3 hours. Last night it lost 60% in 12hrs. The first night it fully died WITH power saver on. So slow progress but am I crazy to expect more? I'm not even using it much. pic.twitter.com/kEAReabfg6  Lillian (@LilyFigueroa608) July 22, 2024

Regardless, complaints about the Galaxy Watch7s poor battery life right out of the box, have been steadily growing. Hence, it is possible that Samsung could be conducting an internal investigation to discover any software or hardware flaw negatively impacting battery endurance.

Samsung could release a software patch soon. However, in the meantime, smartwatch owners can take some simple precautions and change some settings to improve the battery life of their wearables, such as uninstalling unwanted apps, limiting notifications, and turning off AOD (Always On Display).
Securing an ambitious agri-food deal with the EU will allow for a more free flow of goods from Great Britain into Northern Ireland, a government minister has insisted.

Nick Thomas-Symonds, who is minister for EU relations in the Cabinet Office, said a negotiated sanitary and phytosanitary (SPS) agreement between the UK and EU would be mutually beneficial to both sides.

The minister, who will lead the UK side in talks about new links with the EU, was in Northern Ireland on Tuesday to hear from various stakeholders about the post-Brexit trade barriers that have created the need for checks on goods entering the region from across the Irish Sea.

Labour has pledged to reset relations with Brussels, with the striking of a deal on food safety and animal and plant health among the new governments priorities.

Post-Brexit trade arrangements require checks on certain goods entering Northern Ireland from the rest of the UK (Liam McBurney/PA)

Mr Thomas-Symonds told reporters in Belfast that negotiations would not be able to start until early next year  as the new-look European Commission is not yet in place following recent EU-wide elections  but he said the Government wanted to undertake the groundwork before then.

The Cabinet Office minister said Northern Ireland would be at the forefront of his mind when it came to the discussions with Brussels.

I wouldnt expect hard-edge formal negotiations to begin until the early part of next year, but do I hope that an SPS agreement, an ambitious SPS agreement, is going to ease the situation in terms of GB-NI trade, absolutely, he said.

The devolved institutions at Stormont were resurrected earlier this year having been in cold storage for two years because of the DUP exercising a veto power to collapse the governance structures in protest at the economic and legal barriers created between Northern Ireland and the rest of the UK as the result of Brexit.

The Northern Ireland Protocol that Boris Johnson struck with the EU, and its successor, the Windsor Framework, which Rishi Sunak negotiated with Brussels, both involve a requirement for checks and additional red tape on the movement of goods from Great Britain into the region.

Under those accords, Northern Ireland effectively aligns with many EU rules and regulations in order to maintain an open border on the island of Ireland.

So any deal to smooth agri-food trade between the UK and EU would reduce the requirement for those type of internal barriers and checks between NI and Great Britain.

Mr Thomas-Symonds, who met Stormont Agriculture Minister Andrew Muir at Belfast Port on Tuesday, said Labour intended to operate the Windsor Framework in good faith prior to any new SPS deal emerging.

Its really important that we have a good faith approach to the implementation of the Windsor Framework, we voted for the Windsor Framework as an opposition party, he said.

And I know it is really important with the European Union that we have good faith in implementing the Windsor Framework going forward.

He added: It is of mutual benefit what we want to do  its in the UKs national interest, in the UKs security, the UKs safety and the UKs prosperity to have a closer relationship. Its in the EUs interests as well.

But its also I think for the EU to be dealing with a good faith partner that respects the rule of law, respects international law, and also respects and will remain a signatory to the European Convention on Human Rights, I think that is a framework for co-operation that is in the mutual interest of both sides.

Great to be back in Belfast. Im determined to do all I can in my role to see Northern Ireland prosper. Delighted to be at @QUBelfast to meet so many businesses and civil society groups working hard to do the same. pic.twitter.com/B0f0jhqNCK  Nick Thomas-Symonds (@NickTorfaen) July 30, 2024

On his visit to Belfast, the minister also met business and civic society groups at Queens University.

Then at Stormont he met Assembly speaker Edwin Poots and also the chairman and deputy chairman of the committee set up to scrutinise the operation of the Windsor Framework  Sinn Fein MLA Philip McGuigan and DUP MLA David Brooks.

On the potential shape of an agri-food deal, Mr Thomas-Symonds added: We are very ambitious in terms of the agreement.

I mean, obviously, as you can imagine, its always subject to negotiations, theres two sides to this negotiation. But, certainly, we are very ambitious in terms of its scope going forward.

The minister said he wanted a deal that would contribute to a free flow of trade across the Irish Sea.

Mr Thomas-Symonds said a commitment to high legal and regulatory standards would frame the UKs approach to negotiations.

We believe in high standards in the employment law space, but we also believe in high standards in farming, in terms of environmental standards, he said.

We are not a government that is going to be engaging in a race to the bottom, indeed we will be engaging in a race to the top in terms of standards.

So we actually think that being a country that aspires to those high standards that an agreement and ambitious agreement is in the interest of both sides.

And, of course, we believe it will provide obviously a situation for freer flow of trade across the Irish Sea.
Islamist preacher Anjem Choudary has been jailed for life with a minimum term of 28 years after being found guilty of running a banned terrorist organisation.

Choudary, who counter-terror police say has had a radicalising impact on terrorists, was convicted last week of taking a caretaker role in directing Al-Muhajiroun (ALM) while its founder was in jail.

He was also found guilty of encouraging support for it through online lectures to the Islamic Thinkers Society (ITS), which prosecutors said was another name for ALM.

It came after an investigation by the Metropolitan Police, the New York Police Department (NYPD) and the Royal Canadian Mounted Police.

Choudary will spend more than 26 years in jail in total due to the time he has already spent in custody, meaning he will not be released before the age of 85, the judge said.

Anjem Choudary in 2015 (Hannah McKay/PA)

Sentencing at Woolwich Crown Court on Tuesday, Mr Justice Mark Wall told Choudary he was front and centre in running a terrorist organisation.

The judge also said that he encouraged young men into radical activity.

The judge said: These are offences which cause the risk of significant loss of life.

He went on: Organisations such as yours normalise violence in the pursuit of an ideological cause. Their existence give individuals who are members of them the courage to commit acts that otherwise they might not do.

They drive a wedge between people who would and could live together in peaceful co-existence.

The judge labelled Choudarys views entrenched and abhorrent to many right-thinking people.

During the hearing, defence barrister Paul Hynes KC said that by the time Choudary had started directing ALM, it was little more than a husk of an organisation and he was not gathering the masses to join.

ITS was infiltrated by undercover law enforcement officers in the US, who were present at online lectures in 2022 and 2023, held over the Element messenger platform.

ALM was proscribed as a terror organisation in the UK in 2010, though it was said in court the group has continued to exist under various names.

A senior security official said last weeks conviction was a significant moment, adding the evidence presented in court showed Choudarys continued involvement in supporting terrorism and radicalising others.

Commander Dominic Murphy, head of the Metropolitan Polices counter-terrorism command, said: There are individuals that have conducted terrorist attacks or travelled for terrorist purposes as a result of Anjem Choudarys radicalising impact upon them.

During a press conference, he added: ALMs tentacles have spread across the world and have had a massive impact on public safety and security.

Islamist preacher Anjem Choudary being interviewed by officers (Met Police)

NYPD deputy commissioner Rebecca Weiner said it was a historic case, describing Choudary as a shameless, prolific radicaliser.

Ms Weiner said: It is usually the foot soldiers, the individuals, who are brought into the network who go on to commit the attacks who are brought to justice.

And its rarely the leader, which is what makes this a particularly important moment.

Prosecutor Tom Little KC, opening the trial at Woolwich Crown Court on June 13, said Choudary had a warped and twisted mindset.

Omar Bakri Muhammad, who founded ALM, was in prison in Lebanon between 2014 and March 2023, and Choudary stepped in and filled the void, Mr Little said.

In 2016, Choudary was convicted and jailed for five-and-a-half years for supporting the so-called Islamic State.

The court heard that Choudary, whose licence conditions expired in July 2021 following his 2018 release from prison, said he viewed being called an extremist or fanatic as a medallion during lectures.

Mr Murphy said: What became clear after his licence conditions was that he saw the online space as a means of engaging globally with larger groups of people.

And what was clear to us was that increasingly there were a larger number of people that were willing to engage with Anjem Choudary online and he was having an influence over those individuals.

Khaled Hussein, 29, from Canada, who prosecutors said was a follower and dedicated supporter of Choudary, was found guilty of membership of ALM.

He was jailed for five years with an extra year on licence

Evidence showed how Hussein was effectively acting as a personal assistant to Choudary, helping to host online lectures and editing extremist online blogs and publications for him.

Defence barrister Hossein Zahir KC argued Hussein was a wholly inactive member.

Choudary was arrested in east London on July 17 of last year while Hussein, from Edmonton, was detained at Heathrow Airport, having arrived on a flight the same day.

Scotland Yard said Hussein had planned to visit Choudary.
Anjem Choudary ran risk of causing deaths of many people by directing terror

Anjem Choudary was told he risked causing the deaths of very many people as he was jailed for life with a minimum term of 28 years for running a banned terrorist organisation.

The 57-year-old, of Ilford, east London, was convicted last week of taking a caretaker role in directing Al-Muhajiroun (ALM) while its founder was in jail.

He was also found guilty of encouraging support for it through online lectures to the Islamic Thinkers Society (ITS), which prosecutors said was another name for ALM.

Sentencing him at Woolwich Crown Court on Tuesday, Mr Justice Mark Wall told dangerous Choudary, who stood in the dock motionless wearing a white t-shirt, that he will not be liable for parole until he is 85 years old.

The judge said: Taken together, your actions while directing Al-Muhajiroun ran the risk of causing or contributing to the deaths of very many people.

In addition, by running an organisation such as Al-Muhajiroun, you contributed in a significant way to the fear of terrorist attack by radical Islamic organisations which then existed in this country and abroad.

You also helped to undermine the attempts of many good people to foster bonds between Muslims and people of other faiths and none who then lived in the United Kingdom.

Mr Justice Wall described Choudary as an intelligent man and a persuasive speaker to those open to messages of hate, saying he possesses great determination in pursing his aims.

He went on: You have no doubt as to the rectitude of your views. Your views are entrenched and abhorrent to most right-thinking people.

The judge told of chilling trial evidence about Choudarys denial of the holocaust and jokes about the 9/11 terror attacks.

He added: I do not sentence you for holding those views, but the fact that you genuinely hold such extreme views coupled with your history of unlawful behaviour is an indication of the danger you pose into the future.

I am sure that you will continue to preach your message of hate and division when or if you are given the opportunity to do so in the future.

You are not someone who can be diverted from that course by any form of intervention.

You pose a significant risk of causing serious harm to members of the public into the future by committing further specified offences such as this.

The judge also told the Islamist preacher that organisations such as ALM normalise violence in the pursuit of an ideological cause, giving members the courage to commit acts that otherwise they might not do.

He went on: They drive a wedge between people who would and could live together in peaceful co-existence.

Choudary was front and centre in running ALM, the judge said, and he sought to groom young people into his way of thinking.

Mr Justice Wall added: I do not conclude that you only targeted young people but you were prepared to encourage young men into radical activity and did so when you must have known that the appropriate course was to refuse to indoctrinate people of their ages.

During the hearing, defence barrister Paul Hynes KC said that by the time Choudary had started directing ALM, it was little more than a husk of an organisation and he was not gathering the masses to join.

It came after an investigation by the Metropolitan Police, the New York Police Department (NYPD) and the Royal Canadian Mounted Police.

ITS was infiltrated by undercover law enforcement officers in the US, who were present at online lectures in 2022 and 2023, held over the Element messenger platform.

ALM was proscribed as a terror organisation in the UK in 2010, though it was said in court the group has continued to exist under various names.

A senior security official said last weeks conviction was a significant moment, adding the evidence presented in court showed Choudarys continued involvement in supporting terrorism and radicalising others.

Commander Dominic Murphy, head of the Metropolitan Polices counter-terrorism command, said: There are individuals that have conducted terrorist attacks or travelled for terrorist purposes as a result of Anjem Choudarys radicalising impact upon them.

NYPD deputy commissioner Rebecca Weiner said it was a historic case, describing Choudary as a shameless, prolific radicaliser.

Ms Weiner said: It is usually the foot soldiers, the individuals, who are brought into the network who go on to commit the attacks who are brought to justice.

And its rarely the leader, which is what makes this a particularly important moment.

Prosecutor Tom Little KC, opening the trial at Woolwich Crown Court on June 13, said Choudary had a warped and twisted mindset.

Omar Bakri Muhammad, who founded ALM, was in prison in Lebanon between 2014 and March 2023, and Choudary stepped in and filled the void, Mr Little said.

Choudary was called dangerous by the sentencing judge (Metropolitan Police/PA)

In 2016, Choudary was convicted and jailed for five-and-a-half years for supporting the so-called Islamic State.

The court heard that Choudary, whose licence conditions expired in July 2021 following his 2018 release from prison, said he viewed being called an extremist or fanatic as a medallion during lectures.

Khaled Hussein, 29, from Canada, who prosecutors said was a follower and dedicated supporter of Choudary, was found guilty of membership of ALM.

He was jailed for five years with an extra year on licence.

The judge told him: I am sure that you were in awe of Anjem Choudary and became involved in this offence partly because of his influence over you.

However, I am equally sure that you knew full well what you were getting involved in and were anxious to become ever more deeply involved in it.

I have regard to the fact that the organisation of which you became a part was not proscribed in Canada, where you lived.

However, it is clear from the evidence at trial that you were aware of the nature of the organisation of which you became a part and its status in the United Kingdom which made it difficult for those such as Anjem Choudary to participate openly in its activities.

Evidence showed how Hussein was effectively acting as a personal assistant to Choudary, helping to host online lectures and editing extremist online blogs and publications for him.

Defence barrister Hossein Zahir KC argued Hussein was a wholly inactive member.

Choudary was arrested in east London on July 17 last year while Hussein, from Edmonton, was detained at Heathrow Airport, having arrived on a flight the same day.

Scotland Yard said Hussein had planned to visit Choudary.
Megan Thee Stallion is the latest A-list performer to back Kamala Harris. Chronicle staff

Houston is putting its music behind Vice President Kamala Harris.

Megan Thee Stallion will join Harris at a rally Tuesday in Atlanta for a performance. Megan shared the news on Instagram.

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"ATL HOTTIES SEE YOU TOMORROW," she wrote.

Actress Taraji P. Henson was among those who approved, commenting, "That's right baby girl." Several fans also chimed in with, "Hotties for Kamala."

Last year, Megan attended a Women's History Month brunch at the home of Harris and shared photos on social media.

BERYL AID: Megan Thee Stallion launches Emergency Power Program to help Houston senior citizens after Beryl

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Megan's support follows that of another Houston superstar. Last week, Harris began using the song "Freedom" by Beyonce as a campaign anthem. Though Beyonce has yet to comment, she did give Harris and her team permission to use the song.

"In this election, we each face a question. What kind of country do we want to live in?" Harris asks in a video featuring the song. "There are some people who think we should be a country of chaos. Of fear. Of hate. But us, we choose something different. We choose freedom."

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Harris was in Houston on Wednesday to meet with Mayor John Whitmire and other officials to talk about the region's recovery efforts from Hurricane Beryl. The next day, she attended the American Federation of Teachers' annual convention in Houston.
A man has been arrested after a woman died trying to cross the English Channel as a charity warned deaths cannot be ignored.

The National Crime Agency (NCA) said officers arrested an Egyptian man on Monday in Manston, Kent, on suspicion of facilitating illegal immigration in connection with the Channel crossing where the woman died off the coast of Calais on Sunday.

The agency said the boat continued its journey to the UK, with around 40 people arriving in Dover.

An NCA spokesperson said the 29-year-old man has been bailed pending further inquiries as they work with the French authorities to understand what led to the death.

The woman who lost her life was travelling with her family, a vigil at Parc Richelieu in Calais heard on Monday evening, and the family had been working with the Refugee Womens Centre in the weeks before their departure.

The speaker from Groupe deces, who wished not to be named, said the Refugee Womens Centre made clear it was not (the) fault of the family and responsibility lies with elected officials as they continue to campaign for safe passage and a dignified and respected welcome for people.

In July so far, the French coastguard has confirmed the deaths of seven migrants in the English Channel.

NCA branch commander Mark Howes said of the incident at the weekend: This tragedy demonstrates how dangerous these crossings are, and our thoughts are with the family and loved ones of the individual who died.

Working with partners, we remain determined to do all we can to target, disrupt and dismantle the criminal networks involved in organised immigration crime, and prevent them from exploiting the desperation of others.

Belongings of people thought to be migrants are left on the beach in Gravelines, France, after they boarded a small boat to cross the Channel (Gareth Fuller/PA)

Angele Vettorello, co-ordinator at the charity Utopia 56, told the PA news agency the situation on the border was a political choice by France, England and the European Union and that the last week had been really tough for people on the move.

Ms Vettorello said: We are talking about people dying, we are talking about people injured, we are talking about people who struggle with a lot of mental health issues here, with awful living conditions and I think we cant ignore it, we cant ignore its the politicians who are responsible.

We are talking about the life of people, all of this must stop.

Speaking on Tuesday, the volunteer said some who tried to make the journey in the morning had been stopped by the police presence, and Utopia 56 has seen people try to cross around 10 times who are absolutely exhausted.

On fewer boats, she added it makes the process longer and harder for people but at some point they will cross.

There are really hard and difficult conditions here at the border so sometimes just crossing is the only way they have to find a new life.

We meet some people saying We cant do anything else now, I have family (there), we want to cross.

Flore Judet (left), programme and communications co-ordinator of Auberge des Migrants, with Angele Vettorello, co-ordinator at Utopia 56, at the base in Calais, France, for charities that support the welfare of migrants (Gareth Fuller/PA)

A camp in the Calais area could be seen with clothes hanging on metal wire fencing, an outdoor wash basin and large canopy where its residents were sitting under the shade, next to tents set up inside a disused building.

Residents sat around together and were coming in and out of the makeshift home having collected food from a nearby distribution spot.

According to Auberge des Migrants volunteer Flore Judet, it is the biggest living site in Calais this year, with around 300 people recorded last week, although she added: It is really complicated to get accurate numbers because people are on the move.

At a base of organisations that support migrants in Calais, a board showed that charity Refugee Community Kitchen had cooked 13,188 meals for people across Calais and Dunkirk in June this year.

The warehouse, visited by PA, hosted a range of projects such as giving toys and Sim cards out to people in Calais, as well as storing essentials such as sleeping bags, clothes and tents ready for distribution.

Ms Judet, a programme and communications co-ordinator for the group, said of the challenges of the work: Most obviously, people are dying, (its) really hard to manage, you feel so powerless.

Of the crossings, she added: The fact that (there are) less boats doesnt mean people wont cross, they are struggling here.

So far this year more than 16,000 people have arrived in the UK via the English Channel.
Yahoo UK's poll of the week lets you vote and indicate your strength of feeling on one of the week's hot topics. After 72 hours the poll closes and, each Friday, we'll publish and analyse the results, giving readers the chance to see how polarising a topic has become and if their view chimes with other Yahoo UK readers.

Do Brits complain too much about the weather when it gets hot? (Getty Images) (Getty Images)

After a washout spring and early summer, the mercury is finally rising across the UK. Temperatures are expected to stay high for most of England until Wednesday 31 July, with heat health warnings and yellow weather warnings issued by the UK Health Security Agency and the Met Office.

However, despite numerous complaints about wet and chilly conditions in June and early July, the hot weather isn't cause for celebration for some Brits.

Talking about the weather is something of a competitive sport for Britons, and when the temperature gets too hot to handle, grumbling about it becomes a common topic of conversation.

Whether it's griping about how sweaty we are on public transport or lamenting a lack of sleep due to uncomfortably warm nights, making our thoughts about the weather known is a very British way of coping with the heat.

Do you think Britons complain too much about hot weather? Have your say:

Voting has now closed

Come back on Friday to read the results and analysis.

Read more of Yahoo UK's Poll of the Week articles
An evil man has been jailed for life for strangling his young wife in front of her TikTok lover and throwing her body into a tributary of the River Thames hidden inside a suitcase.

Aminan Rahman, 46, gaslit, manipulated, financially controlled and assaulted 24-year-old Suma Begum before he murdered her in a flat in east London in front of her two children, the Old Bailey heard.

The killing was witnessed by Ms Begums online boyfriend via a video call from the United Arab Emirates (UAE), where he was living.

Rahman then stuffed Ms Begum into a suitcase while she was either dead or unconscious and was caught on CCTV dumping the suitcase in the River Lea, which runs through east London to the Thames.

The suitcase containing her decomposed body was found washed up on the riverbank by a mudlarker 10 days later.

Following a trial, Rahman, formerly of Bridgwater in Somerset, was found guilty of murder and assaulting Ms Begum having admitted preventing her lawful and decent burial.

On Tuesday, Mr Justice Bennathan jailed restaurant worker Rahman for life with a minimum term of 22 years.

In a televised sentencing, the senior judge told Rahman: Suma Begum was a lively, attractive young woman and a devoted mother.

She was kind to you even when she decided, as was her right, that she no longer wanted to be your wife.

She had dreamed of a new, different life with a man about her own age, which dreams you stopped on April 29 last year when you very deliberately killed her.

Sadly these courts often have to deal with men who have murdered their wives or partners, but what you did was more shocking even than most of those awful crimes.

Within moments of strangling Ms Begum you folded her body into a suitcase and threw it into the Thames basin, hoping it would never be found.

He said the murderous violence was not an isolated incident as Rahman had seized his wife by the throat a couple of months before.

In a victim impact statement on behalf of Ms Begums family, her half-brother Abdul Amin described Rahman as an evil man.

He said: The reason this happened is because Aminan is a selfish and jealous man who could not stand the fact that his wife no longer wanted to be in a relationship with him.

Reacting to victim-blaming comments on social media, he said: No matter where you are from or what culture you are from, a woman should never be killed by their husband or partner and no child should have to lose a parent in this way.

Previously the trial heard how Ms Begums boyfriend, Shahin Miah, 24, had recorded an online video of the events leading to her death on the night of April 29 last year, which was later handed to Ms Begums mother and police.

Giving evidence, Mr Miah had sobbed in court as he described a video call from Rahman in which he threatened to kill Ms Begum, who was on the bed in the background.

Rahman also threatened to kill Mr Miah, who was in the UAE at the time, the court heard.

Suma Begum was murdered and her body dumped in a river (Family handout/PA)

Speaking through an interpreter, Mr Miah said: She wanted to run away and he then grabbed her throat.

There were three screaming sounds before the video froze and nothing more could be seen after Rahmans initial lunge.

In a second video call from Rahman that night, the defendant told Mr Miah: Look, I have killed (Ms Begum) and now you get ready.

Mr Miah told jurors: I saw that frothing was coming out of Sumas mouth and he showed me on the video and he was swearing at me.

The court heard that Ms Begum had married the defendant in an arranged Islamic ceremony over the phone in 2019.

In 2020, she travelled from Bangladesh to live with the restaurant worker in Somerset and they had two children.

A year later, Ms Begum met Mr Miah via social media app TikTok, later moving on to WhatsApp.

Video grab of police body-worn video footage of a recovered suitcase containing the decomposed body of Suma Begum (Met Police/PA)

About seven or eight months into their intimate, sexual online relationship, Mr Miah found out she was married to Rahman, he said.

He said he told Rahman of the relationship, but the lovers stayed together and Ms Begum remained married.

Prosecutor Jocelyn Ledward KC had told jurors: It is clear this young woman was no longer happy in her marriage, she was fairly openly in a relationship with another man, and she had expressed the desire to leave the defendant, something about which neither he nor her family were happy.

But whether he was motivated by rage, shame, or pure jealousy, or a more complex mix of cultural expectations and emotions, may not matter.

Within minutes of the killing, Rahman disposed of the body in the hope it would be washed out to sea as he set about creating a false story that his wife had abandoned him and the children, the prosecutor said.

Rahman was also accused of attacking Ms Begum on an earlier occasion last February.

She made a video displaying scratches on her neck and told Mr Miah that the defendant had taken her breathings away, saying: He almost killed me around my neck.

Giving evidence, Rahman accepted killing Ms Begum but claimed he never intended to harm her and had acted in the defence of one of his children  a claim rejected by the prosecution.
Foreign Secretary David Lammy has insisted no-one has a veto on a two-state solution for Israel and Palestine.

The Labour frontbencher was repeatedly pressed by MPs to outline the UK Governments plan to recognise Palestine, amid suggestions such a move would kickstart the peace process.

Mr Lammy did not commit to a time frame but told the Commons that the Palestinians have a just cause and the UK will work with its partners towards a two-state solution.

Israels parliament overwhelmingly passed a resolution rejecting the establishment of a Palestinian state, in a largely symbolic vote ahead of Israel Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahus trip to the United States earlier this month.

Israel and Hamas are also currently considering a ceasefire proposal to end the nearly 10-month war and free around 110 hostages still being held in Gaza.

Speaking at Foreign Office questions, Labour MP Paula Barker (Liverpool Wavertree) said: I believe recognition would level the playing field and would kickstart the peace process, which has been recognised by so many of our European counterparts.

Recognition should not be at the conclusion.

What will the Government do if Israel refuses to entertain any moves towards a two-state solution, which they have persistently and vocally rejected?

Mr Lammy replied: No-one has a veto on recognition.

As Ive said, we want it to be part of a process, it does not deliver a two-state solution in (and) of itself but it is absolutely right that the Palestinians are enabled to have a sovereign state.

It is a just cause and we will work with other partners to bring that about.

Independent MP Adnan Hussain (Blackburn) said the immediate recognition of the state of Palestine is vital to the UKs commitment in upholding international laws and norms, to the processes required to bring about an immediate and just peace, and to the notion that diplomatic means and not violence would resolve the conflict.

He added: Failure to recognise the state of Palestine has already had and continues to have catastrophic implications on the people of Palestine as they face what the international court has described as a plausible genocide.

Liberal Democrat foreign affairs spokesperson Layla Moran, who is of British-Palestinian descent, pressed for Palestine to be recognised before saying: I know in my heart it is what Palestinians need to ignite the hope  two states cannot happen without that hope to unite Palestinians behind a final cause that will stop the killing for good.

For the Conservatives, shadow foreign secretary Andrew Mitchell said: Can I urge the Foreign Secretary to avoid any suggestion of some sort of international legal moral equivalence between a terrorist murderer and the elected head of a democratic state.

And in any question to an arms embargo, to remember just a few weeks ago British arms and military personnel were defending our ally Israel from missiles launched by Iran.

Mr Lammy acknowledged he was responding to very, very serious issues, adding he would approach them with all sobriety and integrity.

The Foreign Secretary has previously said the UK will not implement a blanket ban on arms sales to Israel but will consider issues linked to offensive weapons used in Gaza.

The new Government has also called for an immediate ceasefire in the region and to increase aid to Gaza.

The war in Gaza has killed more than 39,100 Palestinians, according to the territorys Health Ministry, which does not distinguish between combatants and civilians in its count.

It began with an assault by Hamas militants on southern Israel on October 7 that killed 1,200 people.

Elsewhere in the region, the Foreign Office has urged British nationals to leave Lebanon and not travel to the country amid mounting tensions.

Conservative former minister Kit Malthouse said a largely defenceless population is being evermore persecuted in the West Bank.

He urged the Government to consider a comprehensive set of sanctions against violent settlers, the organisations that support them in their activities and those that are complicit at a state level in what theyre doing.

International development minister Anneliese Dodds expressed concern over the situation, adding the Government is keeping all sanctions regimes under review.
A French DJ who performed during the Paris Olympics opening ceremony has filed a legal complaint after becoming the target of online abuse.

Barbara Butch appeared alongside a number of drag queens at the event for a segment that sparked controversy as some viewers regarded it as referring to The Last Supper.

Former US president Donald Trump told Fox News he thought it was a disgrace, but the ceremonys artistic director Thomas Jolly has repeatedly said he was not inspired by the Leonardo da Vinci painting showing Jesus Christ and his apostles.

Paris Olympics organisers have said there was never an intention to show disrespect to any religious group and the intent was to celebrate community tolerance.

Butchs lawyer, Audrey Msellati, told the Associated Press news agency the complaint, which does not name any specific perpetrator or perpetrators of the alleged crimes, was filed with the Paris prosecutors office, which must then decide whether it warrants a formal police investigation.

The Paris prosecutors office later confirmed that it received Butchs complaint and tasked a police unit that specialises in fighting hate crimes to investigate.

The DJ said she was honoured to take part in the Paris 2024 opening ceremony but the messages she has received are increasingly extreme.

Msellati said in a statement, posted to Butchs Instagram: Since the opening ceremony of the Paris 2024 Olympic Games, artist, DJ, and activist Barbara Butch has been the target of an extremely violent campaign of cyber-harassment and defamation.

She has been threatened with death, torture, and rape, and has also been the target of numerous antisemitic, homophobic, sexist, and grossophobic insults.

Barbara Butch condemns this vile hatred directed at her, what she represents, and what she stands for.

Indeed, her commitments and personal values of benevolence, inclusivity and love for others have always been at the heart of her artistic project: promoting festivities for all, regardless of age, sexual orientation, origin, religion or gender.

She is today filing several complaints against these acts, whether committed by French nationals or foreigners, and intends to prosecute anyone who tries to intimidate her in the future.

Butch said on her Instagram page: I was extremely honoured to take part in the Paris 2024 opening ceremony as a top artist, and to share my vision of the party.

My heart is still full of joy and I thank you for all the love and strength you have given me since then.

Speaking about the complaint, she added: Although at first I decided not to speak out to let the haters cool down, the messages I receive are increasingly extreme.

All because Ive had the honour of representing my countrys diversity through art and music, alongside other artists and performers I admire.

Whatever some may say, I exist. Ive never been ashamed of who I am, and I take responsibility for everything  including my artistic choices.

All my life, Ive refused to be a victim: I wont shut up. Im not afraid of those who hide behind a screen, or a pseudonym, to spew their hatred and frustrations. I will fight them without ever trembling. Im committed, and Im proud.

Barbara Butch arrives at The Attitude PRIDE awards 2023 (Matt Crossick/PA)

In 2023 the DJ was honoured as a Pride Icon at the Attitude Pride Awards and told the publication she was forced to close her restaurant in the south of France due to homophobia.

A Paris 2024 spokesperson said: Paris 2024 strongly condemns the cyberbullying that Barbara Butch has been subject to following her performance during the opening ceremony.

We are standing by her and all the artists who took part in the ceremony, and are offering them our support.

We also support Barbara Butchs call for an investigation and charges to be laid against those responsible for these actions.

Paris 2024 wishes to remind everyone that the Games and related celebrations are moments of fraternity and togetherness.

We are totally opposed to all forms of discrimination and attacks that are in every way contrary to the Olympic values that promote respect, tolerance and solidarity.
A group who turned up at a court with handcuffs and demanded to know where the senior coroner was have been found guilty of a plot to kidnap him.

Lincoln Brookes, senior coroner for Essex, said he received a series of very bizarre letters in 2022 before receiving emails in April 2023 stating that corporal punishment may be administered.

He described the emails, which claimed to be warrants for seizure of goods and persons, as troubling and upsetting.

Mr Brookes told Chelmsford Crown Court that in an attachment to an email he was accused of detrimental necromancy.

Mark Christopher, 59, of Forest Gate, east London, Matthew Martin, 47, of Plaistow, east London, Shiza Harper, 45, of South Benfleet, Essex, and Sean Harper, 38, of South Benfleet, Essex, turned up at the coroners court in Chelmsford on April 20 last year.

The four defendants all denied conspiracy to kidnap and conspiracy to commit false imprisonment, but all four were found guilty on both counts by majority verdicts of 11 to one.

Matthew Martin was found guilty at Chelmsford Crown Court of a conspiracy to kidnap Essex senior coroner Lincoln Brookes (Joe Giddens/PA)

The verdicts of the jury followed a two-week trial at Chelmsford Crown Court and more than 10 hours of deliberation.

Christopher was also found guilty, by a unanimous verdict, of sending threatening letters to Mr Brookes with intent to cause distress or anxiety.

Mr Brookes was not in the coroners court building at the time of the incident last year.

Essex area coroner Michelle Brown  who had been conducting documentary inquests from paperwork and without witnesses or family present  said the group came into her courtroom.

She said the leader kept demanding that I find and get Mr Brookes.

The judge, Mr Justice Goss, told jurors while summing up evidence in the case that the defendants were members of a group called the Federal Postal Court, or Court of the People.

He said Christopher was the self-appointed leader with the title chief judge of England and all dominions.

He trained under the late David Wynn Miller, the judge said.

He said Martin was a sheriff and a coroner, Sean Harper a sheriff and his wife Shiza Harper a postal inspector and auditor.

The other three defendants (Martin, Harper and Harper) were all qualified by him (Christopher), the judge said.

After a few more minutes of deliberation, jurors cleared Martin of an allegation of assault by beating of security guard Eamonn McCormack on April 20 2023, and he was also found not guilty of the criminal damage of his spectacles.

The judge bailed Martin, Harper and Harper until their sentencing, which is due to take place in the week beginning September 23.

Martin said after verdicts were returned: Thank you jury very much, I know its been hard for you.

Christopher, who was in custody during the trial, was remanded in custody until his sentencing.

Detective Chief Inspector Nathan Hutchinson, of Essex Police, said afterwards: The ideologies of this group were concerning and they genuinely believed that they had the power to construct their own legal system, threaten others and were above English law.

No-one should feel threatened for doing their job.

He commended workers at the coroners court who acted calmly and rationally during an intimidating and traumatising ordeal.

Its clear that throughout the investigation and court proceedings, that the group had no belief or regard in the British justice system, said Mr Hutchinson.

The investigation team, especially investigating officer Pc Thomas Berry, remained focused and committed to gather the evidence needed to convict this concerning group of people and prevent them from causing harm to anyone.

Essex Police said that on April 12 last year they received a report of letters, dated April 6, being sent to the coroner.

These documents were immediately assessed by a senior detective and following consultation were deemed as low risk, a force spokesperson said.

The letters were shared with key partners and national units including counter-terrorism police for a risk assessment, police said.

An intelligence report was submitted in relation to the group, in order to monitor any developments and act proportionately, the force spokesperson said.

The information was also added to the MP and Protected Persons Database.

The force said investigators were not made aware of the letter dated April 18 which detailed this groups plans to attend court on April 20, giving officers no opportunity to proactively respond to the threats made.
Charlotte Worthingtons reign as the womens Olympic BMX freestyle champion is over after she was knocked out of the competition in Tuesdays qualifying round in Paris.

Worthington, who has spoken openly of the struggles she has faced in dealing with the spotlight since her success three years ago, finished 11th out of 12 in the heats, with only the top nine advancing to Wednesdays final.

The 28-year-old made history in Tokyo when she became the first woman to land a backflip 360 in competition, but stopped competing for a period in 2023 while she sought to rediscover her love of the sport. In that context, Worthington said she was proud to have competed at a second Olympics.

Charlotte Worthington, 28, said she was proud of reaching a second Olympics after her recent struggles (David Davies/PA)

Im feeling a lot of emotions, she said. Im really proud. Im obviously gutted that my competition doesnt go on another day but having three years of being the only person in the world to call myself the freestyle BMX Olympic champion has been fantastic.

Its been a hell of a ride and Im really proud of the journey to get here. Up there I wasnt fighting any other battle than the battle against myself. My personal goal was to be a two-time OlympianI didnt think Id be standing here right now. Ive achieved my goal.

Worthingtons average score of 79.01 left her 4.25 points off the top nine, and more than 12 points off the standard set by the woman she beat to gold three years ago, world number one Hannah Roberts.

Her two runs lacked the big tricks being attempted by her rivals, and Worthington admitted it had not gone to plan.

There were two bits of the run that didnt quite come together, she said.

This course would really showcase mistakes and I made a mistake and went flat and lost my momentum.

Britains Kieran Reilly topped the scoring in qualifying for the mens event (David Davies/PA)

The way I was riding through qualifying, I was banking on my speed and height and flow and use of course to be where I was scoring so I made a mistake and it showed.

After what she has called a rollercoaster in the last couple of years, Worthington said the experience in Paris had been super enjoyable and said her love of BMX is back.

She added: Ill absolutely not be able to stop riding BMX, Ill probably ride until I cant ride it anymore physically. I love this sport. There are so many elements to it, you dont have to compete. Its built me as a person and given me so much.

I dont know what the future holds but Im still going to be dedicated to BMX and well see where we end up.

Kieran Reilly, the reigning world champion, front-flipped his way into the final, recording the top score of 91.21, well clear of American Marcus Christopher in second place on 89.48.
A new approach to legal migration aimed at boosting the UK workforces skills before recruiting abroad will be taken by the incoming Government, Yvette Cooper has said.

In a swipe at the previous Conservative government, the Home Secretary said rising levels of legal migration in recent years reflected a failure over many years to tackle skills shortages and other problems in the UK labour market.

In a ministerial statement published as MPs left Westminster for the summer, she pointed to a rise in non-EU long-term migration from 277,000 in the year to December 2022 to 423,000 in the year to December 2023.

The number of work visas in the 12 months to March 2024 was, meanwhile, 605,264, or over three times that of 2019, she said.

That reflects a failure over many years to tackle skills shortages and other problems in the UK labour market, meaning too many sectors have remained reliant on international recruitment, instead of being able to source the skills they need here at home, Ms Cooper said.

The Home Secretary added: This is why we are setting out a different approach  one that links migration policy and visa controls to skills and labour market policies  so immigration is not used as an alternative to training or tackling workforce problems here at home.

This approach will be important to enabling delivery of the Governments broader agenda.

Under Labour, the Migration Advisory Council  which provides advice to the Government on where skills shortages can be filled by migration  will work alongside Skills England and other bodies as part of a new coherent approach to skills, migration and labour market policy.

The agencies will also work alongside the devolved governments in Scotland, Northern Ireland and Wales towards the same end.

Elsewhere in the statement, Ms Cooper said Labour would keep the Tory governments minimum income requirement for a partner or spouse to be granted a visa, but did not commit to raise it in line with the previous administrations intent.

The lower limit was raised from 18,600 to a 29,000 income per year by Rishi Sunaks government, with plans to increase it eventually to 38,700 by an unspecified date in 2025.

Ms Cooper said in the statement there will be no further changes to the current limit until a review by the Migration Advisory Council is complete.

The Home Secretary also said the new Government would continue with a raft of other measures introduced by the Tories to quell legal migration numbers, including those aimed at reducing the potential for abuse on the student and graduate visa routes.
Actors Jack Whitehall and David Duchovny can be seen enjoying cocktails in an idyllic location in Greece in first look pictures for Prime Video series Malice.

Stand-up comedian and actor Whitehall, known for his travelogue Netflix series with his father, plays Adam Healey, a nanny who infiltrates the wealthy Tanner family.

The 36-year-old said it was an amazing experience to star in the psychological thriller, described as being full of dark family secrets, manipulation, and betrayal.

A first look at Prime Video series Malice (Prime Video/PA)

The X Files actor Duchovny, 63, plays Jamie Tanner in the series while Game Of Thrones actress Carice van Houten stars as his wife, Nat Tanner.

The cast ensemble also comprises Hijacks Christine Adams as Nats best friend Jules, and Homeland actor Raza Jaffrey as Jules husband Damien.

In first-look stills of the series, which is set in London and Greece, the main cast members can be seen gathered around a table of food in a seaside location.

Another photo shows the same characters with their children, walking with bags and pool inflatables.

(Prime Video/PA)

Whitehall said: What an incredible 18 weeks its been  from shooting in London in February to ending in 37-degree heat in Paros, the whole shoot has been an amazing experience and I couldnt be prouder of what weve achieved.

I feel so lucky to have been able to go to work everyday with so many insanely talented people on this job.

I cant wait for you to see the end result when it launches worldwide next year on Prime Video!

Tara Erer, head of originals for UK and Northern Europe, Amazon MGM Studios, added: Its been an absolute joy seeing James Woods scripts come to life with our incredible cast led by Jack, David and Carice.

The twists and turns will have our customers on the edge of their seats!

Malice will launch in the UK and globally next year on Prime Video.
Some 9,700 Afghans came to Britain under the scheme - AFP

Afghan refugee families torn apart in the evacuation to escape the Taliban take-over are to be reunited, the Government has announced.

Seema Malhotra, the immigration minister, announced on Tuesday a resettlement scheme will be expanded so that Afghans, who were able to escape to the UK under legal routes previously set up by the government, can now apply for their partners and children to join them.

Children, who were evacuated without their parents, can also apply for them and any siblings who were under the age of 18 at the time of the evacuation to be reunited with them in the UK.

The Home Office said additional family members may be considered in exceptional circumstances.

Some 9,700 Afghans came to Britain under the scheme but were forced to leave behind parents, children or other close family relatives in the chaos of the evacuation, codenamed Operation Pitting.

Seema Malhotra, immigration minister, said 'families can be reunited' - Yesmeen Singh/Home Office

They included people identified as being particularly at risk including female politicians, members of the LGBT+ community, womens rights activists and judges.

It is thought hundreds of Afghans will now be able to apply to come to Britain under what is known as Pathway One of the Afghan Citizens Resettlement Scheme (ACRS).

In a written statement published on Tuesday, Home Secretary Yvette Cooper said: Due to the speed and the circumstances surrounding the evacuation, a number of families became separated, and some individuals were evacuated to the UK without all of their immediate family.

The Government pledged at the time that there would be a route for separated families to reunite under the Afghan Citizens Resettlement Scheme.

This Government is implementing that commitment and providing a means for families who were separated by the military evacuation from Kabul in August 2021 to be reunited in the UK.

Ms Malhotra said: Its been almost three years since the evacuation of Kabul, and yet there remains an urgent need to ensure that those who assisted our efforts in Afghanistan by upholding democracy, freedom and human rights, often at huge personal risk to themselves and their families can be reunited.

It is our moral duty to ensure that families who were tragically separated are reunited and are not left at the mercy of the Taliban, which is why I have expanded ACRS so that those who were left behind can be resettled in the UK. Afghans did right by us, and we will do right by them, ensuring our system is fair and supports those most at risk and vulnerable.

The Afghan Citizens Resettlement Scheme (ACRS) separated families route opened on Tuesday, July 30 and the Government said the window to submit an expression of interest will remain open for three months, until October 30.

People were evacuated out of Kabul by the UK Armed Forces - Getty Images Europe

The overall ACRS formally opened in January 2022, with a Government pledge to resettle up to 20,000 people over the coming years.

The latest figures, published in May, showed that almost as many Afghan nationals arrived in the UK having made the dangerous Channel crossing as through the Governments legal routes in the year to March.

A total of 5,662 Afghan nationals came to the UK having crossed the Channel in that period, plus 350 of what the Home Office described as inadequately documented air arrivals, making a total of 6,012 people.

Data also showed that some 758 lone Afghan children were recorded as applying for asylum having crossed the Channel - a figure described by a charity as showing they were being let down by a lack of options for family reunion.

Enver Solomon, chief executive of the Refugee Council, said: This a hugely welcome announcement. Over the last three years, weve worked with many families who were torn apart in the chaos of evacuating Kabul. They will now have a way to be safely together again thanks to the swift action that has been taken by the Government.

For the children who have been apart from their parents for far too long, we know this will be life-changing. We look forward to working with the Government to ensure they are now reunited with their loved ones as quickly as possible.

The Afghan Relocations and Assistance Policy (ARAP) scheme, separate from ACRS, was put in place for Afghans who had worked with the UK government, and their families, before the Taliban takeover.
An exterior shot of Prego, an Italian restaurant in Rice Village that recently closed. Andy Rathburn

On top of the already high costs of running a restaurant in 2024, owners have had to scramble after May storms and July's hurricane. Houston restaurants lost up to tens of thousands of dollars as many were left without power for days, having to throw out inventory and repair damages.

One example: Martin Nguyen opened the Sweet Boutique Bakery with his wife 15 years ago. They were forced to discuss having to close this summer after a slow six months. Sales had been down by 15% to 30% each month, and their busiest holiday, Valentine's Day, was down 35%. But the nail in the coffin was Hurricane Beryl. Despite only closing one day, would-be customers were dealing with their own power outages and not ordering cupcakes.

"Food and beverage has always been tough, but right now it's especially difficult, especially for single location, mom-and-pop operations," Nguyen said. "It's almost impossible right now to operate (single location shops)."

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Here are 15 spots that recently closed in Houston.

The Canary

The Canary opened on Dec. 29 at 963 Judiway St. Courtesy of the Canary

The Canary went from teasing the opening of its outdoor pool to announcing its closure in a matter of days. The neighborhood bar and grill had only been open for seven months in the Oak Forest area before closing in July. It had been a project from restaurant industry buddies that took three years to open. The highlight was supposed to be the backyard pool, which customers didn't get a chance to enjoy.

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Canary Coffee House

Canary Cafe became Canary Coffee House when it moved to its Montrose location. Jon Shapley/Staff photographer

Canary Coffee House abruptly closed last week. It had been in its Montrose location since 2021 after outgrowing the former Lindale Park location. It served coffee, tea and beautifully crafted croissants, among other baked goods. In a short Instagram post, the business stated, "If we brightened your day even a little bit during the last few years, know you've done the same for us."

Comalito

Comalito at the Houston Farmers Market Courtesy of Comalito

Underbelly Hospitality's Mexico City-inspired concept closed at the Houston Farmers Market after only seven months. The company said Comalito would relocate to a new space, but no further details have been revealed. Comalito had a buzzy opening, with award-winning chefs Luis Robledo Richards and Atzin Santos running the show. In a statement, Richards said the space was bigger than they had hoped for the concept that served street tacos and a stunning spiral churro.

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QUEEN BEE DISTILLING: Lifelong Houston friends launch a women-owned spirits brand with vodka using local honey

Eau Tour

Eau Tour Yi-Chin Lee/Staff photographer

Eau Tour, from the Local Foods Group, was the French bistro that had been open in Rice Village for just over a year. It closed last month, and the team has plans to open a new restaurant in its place called Milton's, an Italian-American trattoria. They had plans to add Eau Tour menu items to their next door restaurant, Lees Den.

Em's Pho

Em's Pho served Vietnamese food, such as pho, grilled pork sandwiches and vermicelli bowls. The restaurant debuted at the end of 2018. A new restaurant, Absolute Thai, is now open at its location, 6420 FM 1463 in Fulshear.

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Juanitos Mexican Restaurant

Longtime Pearland restaurant Juanitos served its last Mexican plate June 1; it had been open for 34 years. In a Facebook post, the owners said they were selling the restaurant to their friends at Iguanas Ranas Cantina Pearland.

Gratify Neighborhood Bistro

Gratify restaurant in Rice Village. Grant Cooper

After three years in Rice Village, Gratify Neighborhood Bistro called it quits this month. Part of the Big Vibe Group, the company behind Flora and Coppa Osteria, Gratify had classic American bistro food in a white tablecloth setting. CultureMap reported the restaurant group was focusing on growing its other concepts.

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Harris County Smokehouse

A plate of brisket and sausage at Harris County Smokehouse's first location. steve campbell/Houston Chronicle

Harris County Smokehouse closed its newer Katy location in May. The barbecue joint has been smoking for 36 years, with locations in northwest Houston and Tomball still operating. Customers can visit those locations for barbecue plates, brisket sandwiches, chicken-fried steak and other Southern foods.

Holman Draft Hall

Holman Draft Hall at 820 Holman is now closed. Greg Morago

Holman Draft Hall called it quits earlier this month after seven years in Midtown. It was an indoor-outdoor bar with dozens of beers on tap, cocktails and bar food. Part of the Kirby Group, the bar is set to be turned into a new concept called Solarium.

Love Buzz

The Hamburglar at Love Buzz Pizza Pub Jody Schmal/Staff

Montrose lost its favorite grungy pizzeria abruptly in May. Love Buzz closed after 10 years for a number of reasons, including an electrical fire, rising costs and increased competition. Owner Sam English also pointed to the lack of parking compared to newer peers. The closing announcement received a bounty of messages from customers sad to see a Houston staple go.

Low Tide Kitchen & Bar

Exterior of the restaurant Low Tide Karen Warren/Staff photographer

Nearly two years since opening in Spring Branch, Low Tide Kitchen & Bar announced it would close. The restaurant served seafood and Southern fare. It started as a food hall vendor before opening in 2022 from restaurateur Alli Jarrett, who owned Harold's in the Heights. Harold's also closed earlier this year.

Muse

Muse Dylan McEwan

Muse had a short-lived run in the River Oaks area. The sleek and modern restaurant opened in March of last year, showcasing global flavors. Dishes ranged from maki rolls to wood-fired steaks and seafood. A new sophisticated cocktail lounge, The Kennedy, is slated to open in the space this summer.

Prego

A view of the dining room at Prego in Rice Village. Anthony Rathburn

Prego held its last dinner service May 31 after 40 years of business. The Italian mainstay originally had plans to relocate within Rice Village, when it announced it would pause plans and close the restaurant entirely. "We have decided that it is not the right time for Prego to make such a move," the owners wrote in a Facebook post. In the comments, customers shared that they hope to see it return in a new chapter.

TEXAS BBQ: How playing the long game is paying off for The Pit Room

Space Cadet

Space Cadet Courtesy of Space Cadet

Space Cadet had about a six-month run. It was situated in a renovated historic building in the Heights that has churned through businesses. The family-friendly restaurant/bar offered a mix of local flavors, from Cajun to Tex-Mex to barbecue.

Xin Chao

Softshell at Xin Chao. Mai Pham/Contributor
Bledar Vranaraj was granted indefinite leave to remain in 1998 after falsely claiming to be a Kosovan refugee

An Albanian drugs gang leader is among a record 27,000 appeals by migrants using human rights laws to block their deportation from the UK.

Bledar Vranaraj, 45, was jailed for eight years after his gang was caught with seven kilogrammes of cocaine, worth 600,000. However, he is appealing his deportation on the grounds that it would breach his rights to a family life under Article 8 of the European Convention on Human Rights (ECHR).

He was granted indefinite leave to remain in 1998 after falsely claiming to be a Kosovan refugee. He started a relationship the same year with a French woman with whom he has two children. She was granted indefinite leave to remain under the EU settlement scheme, allowing him to claim the right to stay as her family.

His claim, which is being contested by the Home Office, has dragged on for nearly six years without resolution, adding to the backlog of 27,000 appeals waiting to be heard in court.

The backlog, as of March, represents a 379 per cent increase in appeals from only 7,500 in March 2023.

It comes on top of more than 110,000 asylum seekers, up to 60 per cent of whom are expected to be granted asylum based on the country profile of applicants.

Drug-runners car had secret compartment

Vranaraj arrived in the UK in July 1997, and was jailed for eight years in 2015 for running a drug ring with seven others out of houses in south-west London.

Vranaraj was described as holding a significant role in the gang. Investigators recovered nearly 1 million in laundered money as well as a car registered to him that had been fitted with a secret compartment to transport drugs and money.

The Home Office terminated his refugee status in 2018. However, Vranaraj challenged his deportation on the basis that it was a breach of his human rights and was unduly harsh on his family.

Backlog in asylum appeals

Vranaraj claimed that he would either be separated from them by having to return to Albania or move them to the unfamiliar territory in Albania.

His lawyers also claimed that the Home Office had failed to properly consider his application for an EEA residence card, allowing him to remain in the UK.

The lower immigration tribunal backed his appeal against his removal. However, the appeal court ruled this should be considered after the Home Office objected.

The Refugee Council has warned that tribunal appeals are likely to increase. In the six months to March 2024, some 23,000 appeals were received by the first-tier tribunal, a 379 per cent increase on the same period a year earlier.

By contrast, in the year to March 2024, the first-tier tribunal disposed of 9,943 appeals. As a result, the backlog in asylum appeals almost quadrupled from 7,510 at the end of March 2023 to 27,133 a year later

Appeals that were disposed of in the last three months of 2023 had been outstanding for an average of 39 weeks. Without action, that period will only get longer, said the council.
North Korea's leader, Kim Jong-un, and Russia's president, Vladimir Putin, signed a strategic partnership agreement this year. Photograph: KCNA VIA KNS/AFP/Getty Images

Gen Roly Walker, the head of the British army, has described it as the axis of upheaval. George Robertson, the new head of the UKs defence review, has called the countries the deadly quartet. Either way, less than a month into a Labour government, an emerging geopolitical alignment is being highlighted as a threat.

The concerns centre on the growing military and trade links between Russia, China, Iran and North Korea. Though the four are some way from a cold war-style bloc acting in concert, they have enhanced bilateral ties since Moscows invasion of Ukraine in a manner that has fuelled anxiety among defence officials and policymakers.

Related: North Korea-backed cyber espionage campaign targets UK military

Russia has been the catalyst of this, said Richard Fontaine, the co-author of an April paper in Foreign Affairs entitled The Axis of Upheaval. A desperate search for munitions as the war in Ukraine has continued far beyond its initial expectations of a quick victory has led Moscow to source Shahed drones from Iran, artillery shells from North Korea and microelectronics, as well as other components and chemicals, from China to support its offensives.

In return, Russia is supplying record levels of cheap crude oil to China (in 2023 it overtook Saudi Arabia as the leading supplier to Beijing) and defence technology and intelligence to Tehran, whose drone and missile attack on Israel in April used methods familiar to the war in Ukraine. Vladimir Putin, the Russian president, visited Pyongyang last month and signed a mutual defence pledge with North Korea.

You are not seeing leaders of all four countries coming together and holding summits, but there is a glue bringing them together, Fontaine said. There is Russias need for support for its war in Ukraine but it is taking place against a broader rejection of the rules-based international order, in other words, scepticism or even hostility to the post-cold war dominance of the US and its allies.

Russia, China and Iran held five days of live fire naval exercises off the coast of the Gulf of Oman in March, the closest to a display of unified activity across the grouping, though a similar proposal to hold trilateral maritime drills with China and North Korea has yet to materialise. And there remains plenty of mutual suspicion, particularly between Russia and China, countries that fought a border war in 1969.

Nevertheless, the growing cooperation was highlighted by one Nato official at this months summit in Washington. Benedetta Berti, Natos head of policy planning, said: I think the reality is that it is further along than what I think most analysts wouldve anticipated before 2022  though she was hesitant to use the word axis to describe it, preferring strategic convergence.

Others prefer stronger language to gain attention. Fontaine, the creator of the phrase axis of upheaval, argues it summarises the sense of mutual dissatisfaction with western dominance and is less heavy handed than axis of autocracy or the George W Bush axis of evil, with which it nevertheless rhymes. And if Nato remains cautious, it was picked up by the British army last week.

The key question is how western policymakers respond  particularly at a time of heightened anxiety in Europe about the possible election of Nato-sceptic Donald Trump. Walker argued that growing militarisation by all four countries could present a converging threat problem by 2027 or 2028, where they would be more likely to come to each others mutual aid in a future crisis.

The army chief went on to present a deliberately disturbing hypothetical: a cocktail of a Russia that has somehow emerged from its war in Ukraine with a sense of wanting retribution for the support that was given by the west; a China that, US intelligence has repeatedly argued, wants to be able to invade Taiwan from 2027 and an Iran that has finally abandoned the deal intended to prevent it enriching uranium to make an atomic bomb.

In the middle half of 2027 or 2028, this convergence may have reached some sort of mutual singularity, Walker said, although it would depend on a remarkable bounceback by Russia, which has already sustained 550,000 casualties in Ukraine  and a belief that China would be willing to sacrifice global trade relationships for what would be a militarily difficult and risky operation.

But if Walkers warning sounded alarmist, it was nevertheless backed by the new occupiers of Downing Street. The prime minister completely agrees with the thrust of the head of the army, said Keir Starmers spokesperson. Labour defence sources said the general was talking about re-establishing credible deterrence by calling for the army to double its productivity or lethality by 2027.

There are political reasons why an axis of upheaval may be emphasised. In the UK, although Labour has promised to lift UK defence spending by around 5bn to 2.5% of GDP, it has yet to set a date when it would do so. Highlighting coordinated state threats could help to justify a timetable for reaching the higher level, particularly when the future US position in Europe is uncertain.

But the idea that global threats are interconnected raises military concerns. Neil Melvin, an international security specialist at the Royal United Services Institute thinktank, said: Not only is the US not in a position to fight two major wars simultaneously, but it does not want to be so dragged into helping Ukraine against Russia that it would leave the cupboard bare in the Indo-Pacific.

The argument is not that war is in any sense inevitable, but rather how to best prevent it against a grouping of countries who for now appear focused on self-supporting rearmament. Melvin said: It is a rather Dr Strangelove world, but this is the discussion we now need to have. What does credible deterrence look like?
Forensic team outside the property in Bishop Auckland - TEBL/BACKGRID UK

The skeleton of a baby has been discovered under the floorboards of a house.

Contractors made the find as they carried out renovation work at a property in Bishop Auckland, County Durham, on Monday.

Forensic analysts and an anthropologist have all been called in to work out its age and how long it has been in the current location.

The cause of death will be determined in a post-mortem examination and CT scan later this week.

Durham Police has taken steps to track down the previous residents who had been living at the property in Fore Bondgate, one of the oldest streets in the town.

Det Ch Insp Mel Sutherland said: Our investigations are at an early stage.

Obviously, this is a sensitive inquiry and at this point we remain open-minded as to the circumstances surrounding the death.
A tomb in the Sindh village of Kharro Syed. Daudpota and his team restored and made new tiles to decorate it in a revival of the traditional Sindhi kashikari style. Photograph: Amjad Daudpota

The small city of Nasarpur in Pakistan has a centuries-old reputation for its ceramics. Thats why, when the ceramic worker Ghulam Hyder Daudpota decided to come all the way to London to master his craft, he says it seemed futile. But, he adds: It turned into a life-changing opportunity.

Daudpota grew up with eight siblings in a city where the mosques and shrines are embellished with terracotta and blue glazed tiles, known as the art of kashikari. He spoke little English until the age of 27 and his parents had no deep pockets to pay his tuition fees.

But the talented Pakistani secured a full scholarship at the Kings Foundation school of traditional arts (KFSTA) in east London, before returning to his country and helping to revive the dying craft.

Kashikari is ubiquitous across [the province of] Sindh, but when I was growing up it was considered a dying craft and only a few craftsmen were practising. If it wasnt for my time at KFSTA, I wouldnt be where I am at the moment, Daudpota says from his Nasarpur workshop, which now employs 40 people.

Believed to have originated in the Iranian city of Kashan, kashikari involves making biomorphic patterns on terracotta clay by dabbing graphite on perforated paper, before applying turquoise metallic pigments found in copper and cobalt oxides.

Teachers in my country discouraged me from pursuing traditional arts, saying it was primitive Ghulam Hyder Daudpota

If you go back 100 years, we had a variety of glazes and techniques  masterpieces that we see today in Shah Jahan mosque in the city of Thatta  but we had no proper patronage and we lost our skills, we lost our knowledge, Daudpota says.

Daudpota has since worked on designs at Islamabad airport, Pakistans pavilion at Dubai Expo 2020 and on restorations at prominent mosques and mausoleums. In 2010 he was awarded the Jerwood prize for traditional arts for a tile fountain inspired by kashikari panels found in Nasarpurs old mosque. Daudpota sold the fountain for 5,000 and received 2,500 in prize money, which he took back to Pakistan and opened a workshop.

It was a long way from what he had expected from life. Daudpota did not perform well at school and his parents apprenticed him to a local craftsman.

An encounter while working on a commission at a private mansion changed the course of his career. It was a turning point in my life, he says.

The house was owned by a teacher at the National College of Arts (NCA) in Lahore. He told Daudpota that his experience would qualify him to study for a masters degree, provided he learned English within the next four months. He took classes at sunrise every day and passed the test.

The NCA has a longstanding arrangement with KFSTA, sending one student to London every year for almost three months. Daudpota was chosen for the 2008 programme, and stayed for his two-year degree.

When he was asked how he would pay for his tuition, he replied: God has helped me in the past and God will help me in the future. It prompted the interviewer to give him a scholarship.

Farkhondeh Ahmadzadeh, a former student behind a Persian miniature series about to go on show at the Aga Khan Centre in Kings Cross, London, remembers how Daudpota worked at night in the O2 arenas car park to earn money to send to his mother.

He slept on the bus on his way to the school, but he was always the first to come in and last to leave, she says.

KFSTA promotes the living traditions of the worlds sacred and traditional art forms, such as Persian miniature painting, Moroccan zellige mosaic tilework and Egyptian Mamluk woodcarving.

Formerly the Prince of Waless Institute of Architecture, set up in 1993, and later the Princes Foundation, it runs international programmes teaching traditional techniques of painting, stained glass, ceramics, carving, and traditional Islamic geometry.

Its 2024 degree show is now being held at the Garrison Chapel in London, until 4 August, showcasing the projects of 10 masters students.

Among the works on display is Indian stained glass installed on a light panel by Roopini Venkatasubramanian, who is from Tamil Nadu. Venkatasubramanian, who once studied quantum physics, was among those who received a scholarship.

Venkatasubramanian, a Hindu, is inspired by the tradition of drawing geometrical patterns on the floor using rice flour pinched through fingers, called kolam.

Related: London gallery brings African artists  and Yoruba culture  to global audience

The school has kindled my spirit to identify, appreciate and value my culture and traditions back home, she says.

Daudpota echoes her. Teachers in my country were discouraging me from pursuing traditional arts; they were saying it was primitive.

The school broadened my perspective, and gave me the training platform to understand how we can turn a dying tradition into a living tradition.
Darren Jones is the Chief Secretary to the Treasury - Wiktor Szymanowicz

The Chancellors deputy has been accused of hypocrisy after appearing to change his mind about scrapping winter fuel payments for millions of pensioners.

Rachel Reeves announced on Monday that the allowance will only be received by people who already claim means-tested benefits, excluding almost 10 million retirees.

But last autumn Darren Jones, now the Chief Secretary to the Treasury, said pensioners would be left anxious and concerned by any change to the payment system.

Asked about Mr Joness comments, Ms Reeves told LBCs Nick Ferrari she was in an extraordinary position where we had to close a 22bn gap this year in our public finances.

Yesterday, I had to make changes across the board  transport projects, new hospital building programme, an investment fund, as well as the difficult decision to restrict the winter fuel payment to pensioners who receive pension credit.

Its not a decision I wanted to make, its not a decision I expected to make, but we had to close that gap.

Mr Jones wrote to Jeremy Hunt after John Glen, who was one of Mr Hunts Tory Treasury colleagues, argued winter fuel cash would be better spent tackling child poverty.

In a letter to Mr Hunt on Nov 20, he said: The paymaster general has suggested that some pensioners should be stripped of their winter fuel payment.

Pensioners will be deeply concerned about such speculation, especially ahead of winter, and anxious that their incomes may be under threat from this government.

Pensioners are already having to contend with dramatic increases to the cost of living, particularly when it comes to their energy bills. The price of gas has risen by 60 per cent over the past two years, while the price of electricity has risen by 40 per cent.

All 11.4 million pensioners currently receive 200 from the state to help heat their homes every winter, with those aged 80 or over receiving a blanket payment of 300.

Mr Jones said pensioners will be anxious ahead of this news ahead of the autumn statement and urged Mr Hunt to clarify whether he and Mr Sunak agreed with Mr Glen.

In an accompanying social media post, he insisted pensioners mustnt be forced to bear the brunt of Tory economic failure.

Ms Reevess deputy was accused of hypocrisy on Tuesday in the wake of the Governments decision to end the blanket payments for the vast majority of pensioners.

Tom Tugendhat, a Tory leadership candidate and the shadow security minister, quoted Mr Joness letter alongside a headline about Ms Reeves scrapping winter fuel payments.

Mocking Labours general election campaign slogan of change, Mr Tugendhat said: Not sure this is the change people had in mind.

Dame Priti Patel, another Tory leadership hopeful, said: Back in 2023 Labours new Chief Secretary to the Treasury warned against means testing pensioners for winter fuel payments.

Whats changed Darren? Why wasnt Starmer straight with pensioners during the general election that Labour would make this change? Pensioners deserve respect and thanks in retirement for their years of hard work.

Paul Scully, a former minister, added: Not sure this has aged well in just a year. The joy of now having to make decisions.

Speaking in the Commons, Ms Reeves described the move as a difficult decision which forms part of a suite of measures to fill what Labour claims is a 22bn budget black hole left by the previous government.

During the 2017 general election campaign, Ms Reeves shared a Labour poster from 1945 promising a decent pension with the caption: Love this poster from 1945. This time again, its Labour who will stand up for pensioners, defending the triple lock and winter fuel payments.

A week earlier Angela Rayner, now Deputy Prime Minister, had said: Pensioners will be worried with cuts to pensions, death tax for social care, winter fuel allowance cuts, Tories the nasty party #ToryManifesto

Charities warned in the wake of Ms Reevess announcement that two million pensioners on low incomes will be hit hardest by her decision, which comes into effect in November.

Age UK said more than 800,000 older people who live on very low incomes  under 218.25 a week for single pensioners and under 332.95 for couples  already miss out on pension credit.

The charity warned this group now faces losing out on money that currently helps to cover their energy bill payments.
Cardiff council's 12ft-high sculpture honours the first radio broadcast but fails to reference Marconi - Wales news service

A Welsh council has unveiled a sculpture honouring the first radio broadcast, but has obscured the fascist inventor behind the achievement.

Guglielmo Marconi sent radio signals for the first time in 1895 while using South Wales as the base of his experiments, and his work was deemed deserving of a statue by Cardiff council in 2022.

However, councillors were forced to pledge that their 12ft-high sculpture would not reference Marconi, and a more abstract design simply depicting a radio has now been unveiled.

This followed outrage over the Italian inventor being given a public honour, after revaluation in 2002 that he was a supporter of facism and the expansionist policies of Benito Mussolini.

Nobel Prize winner Guglielmo Marconi was a fascist supporter - Universal History Archive/Getty

Cardiffs Labour council previously made clear in a public statement: None of that history, good or bad, can be deleted, but we have a responsibility to learn from it, and ensure it is presented in a way thats consistent with Cardiffs values as a tolerant and welcoming city, where equality and diversity is championed and celebrated.

To be clear  the council in no way condones Marconis links to fascism and anti-Semitism.

Marconi won the 1909 Nobel Prize for his work on radio waves, in which he sent the first signals over several miles while working at Lavernock Point south of Cardiff. He would later send the first radio signal over the open sea.

A statue was commissioned by artist Glenn Davidson to honour these achievements, with the piece to be installed on the Cardiff Bay Barrage.

The council reviewed the plans when it was pointed out that Marconi was a fascist who blocked Jewish scientists from joining the Academy of Italy.

Documents unearthed in 2002 in an Italian archive showed his political sympathies. The inventor once stated: I reclaim the honour of being the first fascist in the field of radiotelegraphy, the first who acknowledged the utility of joining the electric rays in a bundle, as Mussolini was the first in the political field who acknowledged the necessity of merging all the healthy energies of the country into a bundle, for the greater greatness of Italy.

Assurances were given that Marconi himself would not be depicted by the statue, which has elements referencing both a radio set and the prow of a ship. Approval for the statue was finally given in September 2022.

A council spokesman said: The artwork celebrates the worlds first wireless signal over water and is designed to help connect people on the mainland with the isolated island they can see on the horizon.
Huw Edwards will appear at Westminster magistrates' court on Wednesday - PA Images/Alamy Stock Photo

Huw Edwards, the former BBC news presenter, has reportedly split from his wife ahead of his court appearance to face charges of possessing indecent images.

The ex-News at Ten anchor has moved out of the family home he shared with Vicky Flind in Dulwich, south London, and is now said to be dividing his time between Wandsworth, which is also in south London, and Wales.

His new address was revealed on documents published by Westminster magistrates court before the hearing on Wednesday.

Edwards and Ms Flind, a TV producer, have not yet divorced. They share three sons and two daughters and were married in 1993. They are understood to have first met when Edwards was a BBC correspondent in Westminster.

A source told The Sun: They separated quite a long time ago but have not announced it publicly. Huw has been living elsewhere for a while.

CPS criticised

Earlier on Tuesday, the Crown Prosecution Service faced criticism for breaching open justice principles by failing to release the information that Edwards had been charged with three counts of making indecent images of children.

Edwards was charged in June, but the details only emerged on Monday, after the date of his first court appearance was published by Westminster magistrates court.

One prominent former attorney general said he found it very puzzling that the CPS had not released details of the charges brought against Edwards around the time he had been charged.

He said the CPSs actions appeared not to be in accordance with the principles of open justice.

The 62-year-old former broadcaster, who left the BBC last year, will appear at Westminster magistrates court on Wednesday, charged with three offences relating to images shared on WhatsApp.

Edwards, who was one of the BBCs most highly-paid stars, was arrested last November by detectives from Scotland Yard.

A public matter

The former attorney general, who asked not to be named, told The Telegraph: It is very puzzling that the CPs did not release the charge details to the media.

Normally, with high-profile cases, an announcement is made that charges have been brought. This notifies members of the media that a first court appearance is imminent to allow them to report on it, in accordance with the principles of open justice.

Im therefore puzzled that the CPS did not announce charges when they were brought in June, as at that point it became a public matter.

According to the charge sheet, Edwards is accused of having six category A images, 12 category B pictures and 19 category C photographs on WhatsApp.

The offences are contrary to sections 1(1)(a) and 6 of the Protection of Children Act 1978. If found guilty, he could receive a maximum penalty of six months imprisonment and/or an unlimited fine.

The CPS denied it had deliberately suppressed details about Edwards being charged or given him preferential treatment.

Approach taken isnt unusual

A CPS spokesperson said: Decisions on charging announcements are based on operational factors and no defendant receives preferential treatment.

Our handling of this case followed our normal procedures working in partnership with police colleagues.

Scotland Yard denied it had taken a different approach in informing the media in the case of Edwards.

A spokesman for the Metropolitan Police said: The approach taken in this case isnt unusual. Quite often when there is a lengthy gap between the date someone is charged and their first appearance, we will publish the details immediately before the first appearance.

The purpose of us releasing the details is to allow media to cover the court proceedings so providing it is prior to that date we have met that requirement.

In this case, another media outlet spotted that the listings had gone up. Had nobody done so they would have been shared with media proactively today, ahead of tomorrows hearing.

Edwards was suspended by the BBC last July following media reports that a high-profile presenter had been involved in an inappropriate relationship with a young man.

His wife later confirmed he was the presenter at the centre of the allegations, adding that he was being treated for serious mental health issues.

In April he resigned from the broadcaster on medical advice.
Ismael Zambada Garcia (left) and Joaquin Guzman Lopez are in police custody in the US - HANDOUT/AFP

The son of drug lord El Chapo kidnapped Ismael Zambada Garcia, a rival cartel leader, and delivered him to US federal agents, officials believe, in the latest twist to the dramatic capture of one of Mexicos most wanted men.

Last Thursday, both Joaquin Guzman Lopez, El Chapos son, and Mr Zambada Garcia, the co-founder of Mexicos notorious Sinaloa drug cartel, ended up in US custody in Texas.

In the original version of events given by US officials, Mr Zambada Garcia was lured by Mr Guzman Lopez onto a private plane and flown over the border.

But the officials now believe that Mr Zambada Garcia was tricked into leaving his mountain hideout for what he thought would be an amicable meeting with his rival in the Mexican city of Culiacan and then ambushed.

According to the New York Times, which spoke to three law enforcement officials anonymously, Mr Zambada Garcia  who is one of his countrys most wanted men  was forcibly flown across the border, where he was apprehended by US federal agents.

Frank Perez, Mr Zambada Garcias lawyer, had previously insisted that his client had been handcuffed by six henchmen in military uniforms, and forced into a car and then onto the plane.

My client neither surrendered nor negotiated any terms with the US government, Mr Perez said in a statement. Joaquin Guzman Lopez forcibly kidnapped my client.

Bodyguards clashed

One of the officials said that the ambush turned violent when the two mens bodyguards clashed.

Full details have not yet been confirmed but the private plane flight was said to be confirmed on Thursday morning, after Mr Guzman Lopezs interlocutors notified US law enforcement officials.

The aircraft was then quietly waved into US airspace with the assistance of Customs and Border Protection, while agents waited at Dona Ana County international airport.

Mr Guzman Lopezs role in the capture of his rival was the culmination of a back channel that a small team of FBI agents had maintained over several years, according to officials.

Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador, Mexicos president, confirmed the existence of that channel on Monday.

The discussions reportedly began after El Chapo  Joaquin Guzman  was convicted on drug conspiracy charges in Brooklyn and sentenced to life in prison, and intensified when Ovidio Guzman Lopez, one of his sons, was extradited from Mexico last year to stand trial in Chicago.

While a source close to Mr Guzman Lopez has said that no formal deal had been agreed before his surrender, experts say that the move could benefit both Guzman brothers, increasing the possibility that they could get favourable terms in future plea deals.

Kidnappings form no basis for relief

One of the officials said that the FBI agents had also been in communication with Mr Zambada Garcia before the events, who had apparently been seeking to negotiate his own potential surrender.

The three law enforcement officials told the New York Times that the US government had not been involved in, and had no real-time knowledge of, the methods used to take Mr Zambada Garcia to the United States.

Meanwhile, legal experts said that how Mr Zambada Garcia arrived in the US may have no impact on the criminal charges he is facing.

US law is quite clear that even kidnappings that violate extradition treaties dont provide a basis for relief for the defendant, Daniel Richman, a former federal prosecutor and professor at Columbia Law School, told the New York Times.

Nonetheless, Mr Perez could push the kidnapping accusations, in an attempt to complicate any prosecutions, while Mexicos security minister has also said that its authorities had opened their own investigation into the events, adding that crimes may have occurred.

Mr Zambada Garcia pleaded not guilty to drug charges on Friday in El Paso.

Asked about the kidnapping claims, Jeffrey Lichtman, Mr Guzman Lopezs defence lawyer, said: Ive got no comment other than to note that Mr Zambada is free to employ any defence hed like against the charges he faces.
Clashes between asylum seekers and the police in Greece. The country was one of three singled out by the report. Photograph: Nicolas Economou/NurPhoto/Rex/Shutterstock

Authorities in EU member states are not doing enough to investigate credible reports of violations of human rights, including deaths, on their borders, an EU human rights body has said.

The EU Agency for Fundamental Rights (FRA) said human rights agencies and NGOs were reporting serious, recurrent and widespread rights violations against migrants and refugees during border management but despite credible reports many were not investigated.

An increasing number of cases are going to the European court of human rights, raising questions about border management in at least three countries, it said.

National authorities in Greece, Croatia and Hungary did not effectively investigate incidents of ill treatment and loss of life during border management.

Examples include insufficient efforts to locate and hear victims and witnesses, hindering lawyers in their work and not having access to key evidence (eg footage from border surveillance).

Greeces migration policies have been in the spotlight since the Adriana, an overcrowded fishing boat, sank in June last year with the loss of an estimated 500-650 lives.

The FRA cited five examples highlighting what it considered a flawed approach to loss of life and allegations of violence across Europes frontier states. In one of the most egregious cases, it cited the discovery of an unaccompanied child who was found unconscious with a fractured skull and swollen lip in France by volunteers.

The child had been apprehended by police after hiding in a truck destined for the UK. The case, and allegations of possible police involvement, was reported to the public prosecutor in Boulogne-sur-Mer but the child could not be found later.

In 2020, the Croatian police intercepted four Afghans who entered the country irregularly. According to the rights agency, they were held for two days, humiliated and beaten. The incident is being investigated but according to the victims lawyer the perpetrators have not been identified.

In April 2020, Maltese authorities instructed a fishing vessel to take a boat in distress back to Libya. In six days at sea 12 people died or went missing. A magistrate concluded there was no prima facie evidence for criminal charges, the FRA said.

In June 2022, two Palestinians recognised by Greece as refugees were allegedly subjected to physical and sexual abuse and abandoned on a life raft at sea after being stopped by police in Kos. The Turkish coastguard rescued them and an official complaint is still pending before the Greek public prosecutor.

The FRA director, Sirpa Rautio, said: There are too many allegations of human rights violations at the EUs borders. Europe has a duty to treat everyone at the borders fairly, respectfully and in full compliance with human rights law.

The agency has drawn up a 10-point plan including regular guidance and training for local prosecutors and investigators on how to protect victims and how to collect and preserve evidence, including mobile phone data.

Facilitation of victims participation in criminal proceedings and their protection was paramount, the report said.

The report added: Investigative authorities should request records of border surveillance and body cameras, global position systems, records of patrol cars and officers phones.
Keir Starmer has said those who rioted in Southport on Tuesday night will feel the full force of the law after police vehicles were set alight and missiles hurled at officers.

It came after far-right protesters pelted police with glass bottles and bricks and attacked a mosque following a knife attack that killed three children.

The prime minister said they had hijacked the vigil for the victims with violence and thuggery and insulted the community as it grieves.

Thirty-nine police officers sustained injuries, North West Ambulance Service said, with 27 of them taken to hospital. Merseyside police said eight officers suffered serious injuries including fractures, lacerations, a suspected broken nose and a concussion. Other officers suffered head injuries and serious facial injuries, and one was knocked unconscious.

Rioters just set an industrial wheelie bin alight and rammed it at police riot shields. Officers charged back but then retreated. pic.twitter.com/ParTbxrTES  Josh Halliday (@JoshHalliday) July 30, 2024

Three police dogs were also injured, with two sustaining leg injuries from having bricks thrown at them and a third suffering burns to her back leg.

As officers from five forces struggled to bring the disorder under control, police introduced a 24-hour section 60 order giving officers enhanced stop and search powers, and a section 34 dispersal order allowing police to seize any item, including vehicles, used to commit anti-social behaviour, as well as being able to tell people to leave the area.

Assistant Chief Constable Alex Goss said: Sadly, offenders have destroyed garden walls so they could use the bricks to attack our officers and have set cars belonging to the public on fire, and damaged cars parked in the mosque car park.

This is no way to treat a community, least of all a community that is still reeling from the events of Monday.

He appealed for anyone who has information or video footage of those involved in this shocking behaviour to come forward so we can identify and arrest those responsible.

The protest was due to start at 8pm but the streets began filling before then, with scenes rapidly turning violent.

Protesters barricaded themselves down a side street, dragging bins from a pub and industrial unit to provide more missiles to throw at police.

Others turned on a nearby mosque, throwing bricks through the windows, and later, as darkness fell, one group of men ripped up a driveway to arm themselves with stones to throw at police, while across the road, another group tried to force entry to a corner shop.

As darkness fell, smaller groups dispersed and roamed the streets, setting fires in the road. Residents walls and fences were pulled down; the bricks used as missiles, and the wooden panels added to the fire.

Police from four neighbouring forces were called in as officers struggled to bring the situation under control.

Alice Dasilva Aguiar, nine, Bebe King, six, and Elsie Dot Stancombe, seven, were all fatally stabbed in the attack on Monday. Eight other children suffered stab wounds and five were left in a critical condition, alongside two adults who were also critically injured.

In the aftermath of the attack, for which a 17-year-old was arrested, several false accusations were spread on social media with incorrect names of the attacker. The only details released about the suspect by police described him as a 17-year-old from the village of Banks in Lancashire who was born in Cardiff.

On Wednesday morning, the Muslim Council of Britain (MCB) paid tribute to the three girls killed, before condemning shocking scenes of far-right rioters running amok outside a mosque. The MCB called it an Islamophobic backlash that began with a false rumour on the internet.

The MCB secretary general, Zara Mohammed, said: At a time of great tragedy, loss, and mourning, we must stand firm against the cynical forces of hatred and division. This does not represent our diverse Britain and the people of Southport.

The online misinformation was earlier condemned by the home secretary, Yvette Cooper. On Tuesday night she said it was appalling police officers in Southport were facing attacks from thugs on the streets who have no respect for a grieving community, adding: Its a total disgrace.

Hundreds of people had taken part in a peaceful vigil on Tuesday evening outside Southports Atkinson arts venue, with many in tears as they laid flowers and cards of remembrance. But the vigil was followed by a far-right protest outside a local mosque, which quickly turned violent.

Demonstrators gathered in the area surrounding Hart Street, where Mondays killings took place. The crowd of hundreds were heard shouting Islamophobic slogans as well as no surrender, English till I die and we want our country back as a police helicopter circled overhead.

Riot police charged at the demonstrators after a police van was set alight and other police vehicles were damaged . Officers used teargas on the angry crowds of predominantly men covering their faces.

Some officers were injured after plant pots and empty bins were among the missiles hurled at them and the Southport mosque building. A group of people attempted to overturn a riot van. Some men were seen pulling down a crumbling wall to use the bricks as weapons, pelting officers with them. Others ripped open black bin bags looking for objects to throw.

Some spectators watched from front gardens, while passersby looked on, saying: I cant believe it, its horrible isnt it? Another said: This doesnt achieve anything.

Southports MP, Patrick Hurley, said he condemned any attack on emergency services, adding: These are the same services that responded to the tragic attack yesterday.

I want to thank our community for pulling together and supporting every person who has been affected by Mondays tragic attack, he said. Nowhere was this more evident than the solidarity, remembrance and sympathy heard at todays vigil.

The violence was so serious that Merseyside police were forced to call in reinforcements. Officers were rushed in from north Wales, Lancashire, Greater Manchester and Cheshire. In a tweet, Merseyside police said: Officers who had completed a shift in work today are back on duty supporting colleagues in Southport.
From left, Kim Maker, Ziggy Gruber and Nathan Maker pose for a photo at Kenny & Ziggy's in Houston on July 28, 2024 Frank Flaig / Kenny & Ziggy's

On Sunday afternoon, a couple walked gingerly into the restaurant with cuts and bruises on their bodies. Both were sunburned. Her face was as red as a tomato, except where she had worn goggles. His bald head was beginning to peel. Between them, they figured jelly fish had stung them hundreds of times.

Nathan and Kim Maker made Kenny & Ziggys, Houstons popular Jewish deli, their first stop after leaving the hospital. The husband and wife had survived nearly 40 hours floating in the Gulf of Mexico before the Coast Guard rescued the avid scuba divers.

Kenny & Ziggy's matzo ball soup in Houston on Thursday, Oct. 1, 2020. Elizabeth Conley/Staff photographer

Kim ordered matzo ball soup, a dish sometimes lovingly referred to as Jewish penicillin with bits of chicken, diced vegetables and a fluffy dumpling bobbing in a clear-as-consomme broth. Nathan got a triple decker sandwich  Fiddler on the Roof of Your Mouth as its called on the menu  teeming with pastrami and corned beef topped off with Russian dressing and coleslaw. There was also an order of onion rings and two different cheesecakes.

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In a city known for barbecue, steakhouses, Vietnamese food and Tex-Mex, the Makers sought out the comforts of a classic Jewish deli.

We had plans to eat here and almost didnt get the chance, Nathan said. Its the only thing we wanted.

HOUSTON EATS: The Chronicles top 100 restaurants

Kim, 44, and Nathan, 49, dont have children. She is a special education teacher and he works as a contractor after 21 years as a firefighter.

The couple, from Edmond, Okla., are avid scuba divers and have completed more than 500 dives each, Nathan said.

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Their diving trips have taken them to the Texas coast, Mexico and all over South Florida, where theyve eaten at Jewish delis frequented by New York transplants and snowbirds.

Last year, the Makers had taken the same excursion to Freeport, just miles from Matagorda Bay. A woman they met on one of their diving trips had recommended Kenny & Ziggys, so they figured it was close enough to check out.

They loved the frenetic energy of Kenny & Ziggys, with its Broadway-inspired decor, and feasted on everything from latkes to black-and-white cookies. The tall sandwiches, which they only saw on television shows in big cities, were a favorite.

It was the best sandwich weve had in our life, Nathan said.

They had plans to return to Kenny & Ziggys, which opened in 1999, last Wednesday. It would be a celebration of yet another diving trip and a chance to work their way through the restaurant's encyclopedic menu, which is four pages on laminated paper that's 2 feet long and 24 inches wide.

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That morning, they ate breakfast tacos and drank Gatorade on the boat before their first dive.

They almost didn't make it back.

One of their friends started drifting from a downline, a cord used to guide divers to the surface, said Nathan, who helped pull her back. During the commotion, a current swept Nathan and Kim away from the rope, and they lost contact with the diving group.

For 39 hours, the couple tried to stay alive as they were stranded in the Gulf of Mexico.

A surface marker buoy helped keep them afloat, and Nathan tethered themselves together with carabiners and straps so they wouldnt drift apart. They said they saw the Coast Guard fly over them several times.

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Jellyfish stung them too many times to count. They started swimming so hypothermia wouldnt set in. Kim sang songs and they told jokes so they wouldnt fall asleep. When it rained, they opened their swollen mouths to catch fresh water.

Nathan also tried to use his dive knife to catch fish so they could eat. They figured they could also use the oil from the fish to put on their faces to help with their sunburns. The closest he got was the dorsal fin of a jack fish, Nathan said.

At one point during the second day, Nathan recalls hallucinating. He said he saw his father, who died last year, hovering above the surface of the water and throwing him a set of keys.

The Coast Guard searched about 1,656 miles before they spotted Kim flashing an SOS signal early Friday morning.

A boat was deployed and raced toward the couple. Two men plucked Kim from the water and then swooped Nathan, who said hes 6-foot-4 and weighs 260 pounds, to safety.

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Those guys are the absolute heroes, Nathan said. They were the hands of God for us.

The Makers were taken to St. Lukes Hospital in Lake Jackson. Nathan was released first, but he wanted to stay with Kim. The staff rolled in another bed so he could stay next to her until they were cleared to leave on Sunday.

Nathans brother picked them up, and they drove straight to Kenny & Ziggys.

When they stepped into the restaurant, customers stared at them. Their faces were sunburned, and the scuba jackets had created a ring around their necks with an open wound that looked like we had hung ourselves.

After seeing the reaction of all the onlookers, Nathan told their server, Frank Flaig, what they had been through.

Flaig flagged down owner Ziggy Gruber, who said had just seen the news the day before about the missing couple. He added that the previous week, he had just been watching Shark Week on television.

Gruber checked on the couples table, where they were eating with Nathans brother and sister-in-law, who planned to take them back to Oklahoma on Monday.

Those people have been through an ordeal, we cant charge them, Gruber said.

Flaig brought the check to the table and jokingly placed it there before tearing it in half and telling them there was no bill.

The Makers plan to come back for another meal next month. They have tentative plans in Galveston to meet the Coast Guard team members who rescued them.
Victorian chief health officer Dr Clare Looker says 33 confirmed cases of legionnaires disease have been detected in Melbourne as of Tuesday afternoon and those numbers may increase over the course of today. Photograph: James Ross/AAP

There are now at least 33 cases of legionnaires disease across Melbourne, with 10 people also suspected of contracting the infection, as health authorities work to identify the source of the growing outbreak.

Victorias chief health officer, Dr Clare Looker, confirmed the new figures on Tuesday afternoon, as she warned it was likely there were more cases in the community.

We suspect those numbers may increase over the course of today, Looker said.

While the source of the outbreak, which first emerged on Friday, remains unknown, Looker said the health department had been investigating possible causes. This included testing at about 18 cooling tower sites.

Fortunately, legionnaires disease is not an illness that is transmitted from person to person, Looker said. What we are really looking for is an environmental source, and in the process of testing and sampling for that, we are disinfecting cooling towers, which should control that risk.

Related: Legionnaires outbreak: Australians are contracting the lung disease, what is it and do I need to worry?

Looker said those who had contracted the illness resided in metropolitan Melbourne, with the majority located in the northern and western suburbs.

At this stage, we havent been able to identify a single site that has been visited by all the cases.

Looker said most of the cases involved adults aged over 40. Most had required hospitalisation, with six people in intensive care.

Legionnaires disease, unfortunately, is quite a severe form of pneumonia, she said.

It can affect people often who have other underlying health conditions or [are] immune-compromised and so most of our cases are hospitalised.

Looker urged anyone who had visited or lived in metropolitan Melbourne and developed symptoms including chills, fevers, a cough or was feeling unwell to seek medical attention.

People can contract legionnaires disease by breathing in contaminated dust or water vapour.

On Tuesday morning, the states health minister, Mary-Anne Thomas, said authorities were yet to identify the source of the outbreak, which she described as concerning.

Investigations are under way to properly understand the cause of the outbreak, she said.

But right now, its really important that people that are experiencing a chest infection, fever, chills and so on seek medical attention and speak with their general practitioner.

An outbreak of the disease occurred in Sydney in December and January, with at least 10 cases confirmed.
Much time left? Germany's Olaf Scholz is looking at grim poll numbers and a worsening economy - Matthias Rietschel/Reuters

Olaf Scholz didnt want to think about politics during his summer holiday. He was looking forward to quiet times, to being able to exercise, enjoy nature, read books and just spend a lot of time with my wife, he told the German media.

If the German chancellor did risk a peek at the news on Tuesday, the calm of his three-week break may have shattered. Germanys economy shrank unexpectedly in the second quarter of the year, leaving the country teetering on the brink of recession and his party struggling to regain trust.

Economists had predicted growth of 0.1 per cent in the second quarter of 2024. Instead, Germanys GDP shrank by 0.1 per cent. After the 2023 recession, recovery in the first quarter of 2024 was sluggish and temporary. Looking at the figures, Klaus Wohlrabe from the Ifo Institute for Economic Research says, The German economy is stuck in crisis.

This is bad news for Europes largest economy and for Olaf Scholz. In the chancellors traditional summer press conference, he had announced that he would seek re-election next year despite dire approval ratings and even though surveys suggest only a third of his fellow Social Democrats (SPD) want him to.

Scholzs party is heading for a drubbing in regional elections this September in Saxony, Thuringia, and Brandenburg. Polls suggest that in these three states of the former East Germany both the hard Right AfD and the Left populist Bundnis Sahra Wagenknecht (BSW) are likely to perform extremely well. In all three states the AfD could be the largest party and the BSW looks set to get more than twice the vote share of the ruling SPD in both Saxony and Thuringia.

Scholz hopes to turn things around before the federal elections in September 2025, showing the public that his government had made the right decisions for Germany. But this will be very difficult with economic figures that cant be explained away with a nod to the international situation.

In contrast to Germany, the Eurozone overall showed solid growth, increasing by 0.3 per cent in the second quarter of this year. France is right in the mainstream with 0.3 per cent growth and Spain even managed 0.8 per cent.

Scholz could argue that the German slump is caused by structural issues over which he has little control. As an export-orientated country, Germany is extremely sensitive to global economic trends. Its dependence on Russian gas, oil and coal inflated the effects of the energy crisis caused by the war in Ukraine. And around a quarter of a million German citizens leave the country every year, adding to an acute shortage of skilled labour.

But its unlikely that Germans will think that Scholzs government is blameless. They are now in their third year in power; before that, Scholz was vice chancellor and finance minister under Angela Merkel. The decisions made by him and those around him have had consequences.

Despite the gas shortage, for instance, the Green energy minister Robert Habeck decided to switch off Germanys last nuclear power plants in 2023. While people were struggling with high bills, the government drafted a controversial heating law to phase out the use of fossil fuels in private homes. Due to the public backlash, Habeck eventually admitted that he had gone too far and was forced to water down the legislation.

But the damage was done. Heat pump manufacturers had banked on an increase in sales and planned accordingly. In 2024, demand collapsed by 54 per cent with home owners unsure about the technology. Now, thousands of jobs are at risk in the sector.

Planned investment in Germanys green transition stalled overall when the courts ruled last year that Scholzs coalition had unlawfully re-allocated unused pandemic funds for climate projects. This blew a 60 billion hole into the public finances and further eroded confidence in the sector.

The list of economically harmful decisions made in Germany is long. There is Scholzs approval for the EUs planned ban on petrol and diesel engines from 2035, which will speed up the decline of the German car industry. Or his refusal to even consider loosening the debt-brake, a rule that prevents Germany from borrowing more than 0.35 per cent of GDP in new debt per year.

When he returns from holiday, Scholz will no doubt have thought of reasons why the decline of the country he runs isnt his fault, but German voters wont be fooled so easily. Scholzs SPD is currently polling at 15 per cent, which would be its worst result in post-war history. News that the German economy is doing exceptionally badly is unlikely to bring voters back to those parties now running the country.
Rico Krieger appeared, handcuffed, in a staged TV interview broadcast on Belarusian state media, begging the German chancellor to intervene. Photograph: Belteleradio Company/Reuters

A German man sentenced to death in Belarus has been pardoned by the countrys president, just a few days after news of the case became public. Rico Krieger, 30, was found guilty on terrorism charges in a case that was held behind closed doors and only became public last week.

Krieger, who formerly worked for the German Red Cross, was accused of placing explosives on a rail track in the country on the orders of Ukrainian intelligence.

No one was injured in the explosion that supposedly ensued. Earlier this week, Krieger appeared, handcuffed, in a staged TV interview broadcast on Belarusian state media. Crying, he begged the German authorities to intervene in his case.

Mr Scholz, please, I am still alive  it is not yet too late, said Krieger, who was pictured handcuffed inside a cell, appealing to the German chancellor, Olaf Scholz.

The programme contained no evidence of Kriegers guilt except for his confession. The KGB, as Belarusian secret services are still known, has been widely accused of torture and fabricating evidence. Belarus is the only European country to retain the death penalty.

On Tuesday, Belarusian state media reported that president Alexander Lukashenko, the countrys autocratic leader, had considered the case and granted a pardon to Krieger. Earlier, Lukashenko had met the prosecutor and defence lawyers, supposedly to gain a full understanding of the details.

It was not immediately clear if and when Krieger will be released from jail. The case was widely seen as an attempt by Belarusian authorities to put pressure on Berlin, and German diplomats were known to be in discussions with Minsk over the case behind closed doors.

It is possible that Krieger may form part of a broader prisoner exchange deal between Russia and the west. Lukashenko is a staunch ally of Vladimir Putin, and Moscow has long been keen to retrieve assassin Vadim Krasikov from a German jail. Krasikov was convicted of murdering a Chechen exile in a Berlin park in 2019.

On Friday, German government spokesperson Christiane Hoffmann said Scholz was aware of the case and worried about these events.
Woodland on the North Downs near Abinger Hammer, Surrey. The government is off track to meet its woodland creation targets in England, the report highlighted. Photograph: Peter Lane/Alamy

Goals to stop the decline of nature and clean up the air and water in England are slipping out of reach, a new report has warned.

An audit of the Environmental Improvement Plan (EIP), which is the mechanism by which the governments legally binding targets for improving nature should be met, has found that plans for thriving plants and wildlife and clean air are deteriorating. This plan was supposed to replace the EU-derived environmental regulations the UK used until the Environment Act was passed in 2021 after Brexit.

The report found that there was no data to measure many of the metrics such as habitat creation for wildlife and the status of sites of special scientific interest. It also highlighted that the government was off track to meet its woodland creation targets, and that water leakage from pipes had in fact increased since the targets were set.

The Labour party announced on Tuesday that it would overhaul these goals. The environment secretary, Steve Reed, said the government would lay out detailed delivery plans for each target, such as tree planting and air quality, working with environment groups to do so.

Reed said: Nature is dying. Britain is one of the most nature depleted countries in the world. Our animal species face extinction. Our precious landscapes are in decline. Our rivers, lakes and seas are awash with sewage and pollution. Air pollution continues to plague our towns and cities.

Nature underpins everything  the economy, food, health and society  but we stand at a moment in history when nature needs us to defend it. That is why today we begin to chart a new course. Working with civil society, business and local government, we will develop an ambitious programme to turn the tide and save nature.

Craig Bennett, the CEO of the Wildlife trusts, was part of a group that had been taking the previous government to court over its EIP, which it said was inadequate for the scale of the challenge faced.

He told the Guardian: The previous plan didnt have anything like the detail needed  its estimated only 3% of our land is protected for nature. We could turn it around by improving our wild spaces and designating new ones, but this would mean moving from the previous governments platitudes to clear action on reversing natures decline. Biodiversity wont stop declining by itself, we have to take clear actions.

Glenys Stacey, the chair of nature watchdog the Office for Environmental Protection, said: We have found that government is largely off track to meet the environmental ambitions as set out in the EIP. We welcome a rapid review of the EIP to make sure it can drive environmental protection and improvement at the scale and pace that is needed to address deeply concerning trends, and with the transparency that the sector and others need in order to fully play their part.
Sean and Shiza Harper were found guilty of conspiracy to kidnap and conspiracy to commit false imprisonment - Joe Giddens/PA

A group who turned up at a court with handcuffs and demanded to know the whereabouts of the senior coroner have been found guilty of a plot to kidnap him.

Lincoln Brookes, the senior coroner for Essex, said he had received a series of very bizarre letters in 2022 before receiving emails in April 2023 stating that corporal punishment may be administered.

Lincoln Brookes, the senior coroner for Essex, said he had received bizarre and threatening messages from the group - Essex Coroners Court

He described the emails, which claimed to be warrants for seizure of goods and persons, as troubling and upsetting.

Mr Brookes told Chelmsford Crown Court that in an attachment to an email he had been accused of detrimental necromancy.

Mark Christopher, 58, of Forest Gate, east London, Matthew Martin, 47, of Plaistow, east London, Shiza Harper, 45, of South Benfleet, Essex, and Sean Harper, 38, also of South Benfleet, turned up at the coroners court in Chelmsford on April 20 last year.

The four defendants all denied conspiracy to kidnap and conspiracy to commit false imprisonment, but all four were found guilty on both counts by majority verdicts of 11 to one.

Matthew Martin and the three other defendants were found guilty on both counts by majority verdicts of 11 to one - Joe Giddens/PA

The verdicts followed a two-week trial at Chelmsford Crown Court and more than 10 hours of deliberation.

Christopher was also found guilty, by a unanimous verdict, of sending threatening letters to Mr Brookes with intent to cause distress or anxiety.

Mr Brookes was not in the coroners court building at the time of the incident last year.

Michelle Brown, the area coroner for Essex, who had been conducting documentary inquests from paperwork and without witnesses or family present, said the group had come into her courtroom.

She said the leader had kept demanding that I find and get Mr Brookes.

Christopher the self-appointed leader

Mr Justice Goss, the judge, told jurors while summing up evidence in the case that the defendants had been members of a group called the Federal Postal Court, or Court of the People.

He said Christopher had been the self-appointed leader with the title chief judge of England and all dominions.

He trained under the late David Wynn Miller, the judge said.

He said Martin was a sheriff and a coroner, Sean Harper a sheriff and Shiza Harper, his wife, a postal inspector and auditor.

The other three defendants [Martin, Harper and Harper] were all qualified by him [Christopher], the judge said.

The defendants will be sentenced at a later date.

Jurors are continuing to deliberate on two further counts which Martin denies.

Martin denies the assault by beating of security guard Eamonn McCormack on April 20 2023, and the criminal damage of his spectacles.
Kamala Harris, Vice-President of the United States - MIKE STEWART/AP

Kamala Harris has changed her Left-wing stance on several key policy issues after her previous liberal views were attacked by Donald Trump.

The Vice-President, who is the presumptive Democratic nominee for Novembers election, has abandoned her opposition to fracking and private healthcare, and is claiming a tough record on crime and the illegal migration on the southern US border.

It comes after Republicans attacked her over statements during the 2020 presidential primary race, when she positioned herself to the Left of the Democratic Party.

The Trump campaign launched its first attack advert against Ms Harris on Tuesday, describing her to voters in six battleground states as failed, weak and dangerously liberal.

She is under fire over claims she is effectively in charge of border control under Joe Bidens administration, when illegal crossings from Mexico have reached an all-time high.

Trumps advertisement, which launched in Pennsylvania, Georgia, Michigan, Arizona, Nevada and Wisconsin, focused on her previous statements about the border.

The former president has claimed Ms Harris is Mr Bidens border czar, a title she was never officially given but has been used by the US media as shorthand for her focus on the issue since 2021.

Former president and current Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump - STEPHEN MATUREN/GETTY

The Trump ad highlighted a 2021 interview in which Ms Harris was asked why she had not visited the border.

I havent been to Europe, she replied. I mean, I dont understand the point youre making.

Since she replaced Mr Biden as the presumptive Democratic nominee on 21 July, Ms Harris has sought to downplay her previous liberal views while serving as a senator from California.

In 2017, Ms Harris co-sponsored Bernie Sanderss Medicare-for-all bill, which would have scrapped private health care in the US and replaced it with an NHS-style system.

She has since toned down her views, instead suggesting that private medical debt cannot be used to formulate a credit score.

During the 2020 campaign, she said there was no question she was in favour of banning fracking, which produces a substantial proportion of US natural gas and oil. Her campaign said on Friday she would not ban fracking if elected later this year.

Ms Harris has positioned herself as a tough former prosecutor in the early days of her campaign, as she attempts to define herself against Trump, a convicted felon.

In her first major speech, she said she took on perpetrators of all kinds in her role as Californias district attorney. She has since rowed back on her 2020 statement that cities should redirect resources away from policing in the aftermath of the murder of George Floyd.

Trumps attack ad comes after Republicans pointed to Ms Harriss previous statements on the US migration crisis, in which she called for a more humanitarian approach.

She said in 2021: This issue cannot be reduced to a political issue. Were talking about children, were talking about families, we are talking about suffering.

But on Saturday, her campaign manager Julie Chavez Rodriguez said that Mr Bidens plan for a tough new border crackdown will continue.

Some Democrats fear that the border is a major weakness for Ms Harris, who is looking to win back support in Arizona ahead of polling day. Voters in the state, which borders Mexico, are more likely to have concerns about illegal migration.

Responding to Trumps border attack ads, a spokesman for her campaign accused him of peddling his trademark lies about her policy positions.

As a former district attorney, attorney general and now Vice-President, Kamala Harris has spent her career taking on and prosecuting violent criminals and making our communities safer, the spokesman told The New York Times. Shell do the same as President.
Four people are now known to have died during protests in Venezuela triggered by Nicolas Maduros disputed election win.

Security forces fired tear gas and rubber bullets at protesters challenging the victory, which was claimed by the president on Monday but disputed by the opposition and questioned by many other countries.

The National Hospital Survey, a network that monitors crises in the countrys hospitals, reported two dead in the state of Aragua and one in the capital Caracas.

Earlier, Foro Penal, an NGO that specialises in political prisoner issues, reported a one fatality in north-west Yaracuy. 44 people are thought to have been injured.

In Caracas, the capital, members of the national guard fired tear gas and rubber bullets at protesters, with some wearing motorbike helmets and bandannas tied over their faces for protection. Some responded by throwing rocks back.

Protesters smash an advertising board during demonstrations against the election results - Matias Delacroix

Police throw a gas canister at protesters - MATIAS DELACROIX/AP

Protests were reported in very poor areas of Caracas that had been bastions of support for Mr Maduro and his socialist government. Shots were heard in some areas and protests also broke out elsewhere in Venezuela.

Marina Sugey, a 42-year-old resident of a poor area of Caracas called Petare, told AFP: We want freedom. We want Maduro to go. Maduro, leave!

In the capitals Petare neighbourhood, people started walking and shouting against Mr Maduro, and some masked young people tore down campaign posters of him hung on lampposts. Heavily armed security forces were standing just a few blocks away from the protest.

Molotov cocktails hit the ground near a protester in front of security forces in Puerto La Cruz, Venezuela - Samir Aponte/Reuters

Protestors stand back as a riot police officer throws tear gas towards them - YURI CORTEZ/AFP via Getty Images

Maria Arraez, a 27-year-old hairdresser and protester, said: He has to go. One way or another.

As the crowd marched through a different neighbourhood, it was cheered on by retirees and office workers who banged on pots and recorded the protest in a show of support.

Two statues of Hugo Chavez, the late socialist icon who led the country for more than a decade and handpicked Mr Maduro as his successor, were knocked down by protesters.

Some ripped Maduro campaign posters from street posts and burned them.

Demonstrators burned rubber and objects in fires - Anadolu

Venezuelans questioned the electoral victory claimed by Mr Maduro - Pedro Rances Mattey/Anadolu via Getty Images

Edmundo Gonzalez, who ran as the opposition candidate, announced on Monday that his campaign has the proof it needs to show he won the election.

Mr Gonzalez and Maria Corina Machado, the opposition leader, told reporters they have obtained more than 70 per cent of tally sheets from Sundays election, and they show Mr Gonzalez with more than double Mr Maduros votes.

I speak to you with the calmness of the truth, Mr Gonzalez said as dozens of supporters cheered outside campaign headquarters in Caracas. We have in our hands the tally sheets that demonstrate our categorical and mathematically irreversible victory.

Both called on protesters to remain calm and invited them to gather peacefully at 11am (4pm BST) on Tuesday to celebrate the results.

Edison research, a company that provided election data for the Venezuelan election, published exit poll results that show Mr Gonzalez as the winner by 65 per cent.

Several foreign governments, including the US and the EU, held off recognising the election results.

Demonstrators held Venezuelan flags - Getty Images

An injured police officer falls to the ground - YURI CORTEZ/AFP via Getty Images

Mr Maduro dismissed international criticism and doubts about the result of Sundays voting, claiming Venezuela was the target of an attempted coup detat of a fascist and counter-revolutionary nature.

Mr Maduro, 61, attended a meeting on Monday at which the National Electoral Council (CNE) certified his re-election to a third six-year term until 2031.

The oppositions cry of foul play prompted Tarek William Saab, the attorney general, to link Mr Machado to an alleged cyber attack seeking to adulterate the results.
The King's visit, which took place in September alongside Queen Camilla, also included about 40,000 on wine - Benoit Tessier

President Emmanuel Macron blew a hole in his palaces budget when he held a lavish state dinner of lobster and crab for King Charles last year, an annual audit has found.

The Elysee Palace spent close to 500,000 on the September visit by King Charles and Queen Camilla, which included about 40,000 on wine.

It was one of several gestures of Gallic opulence that tipped the palace into the red by 8.3 million.

In all, the Elysee Palace spent 125 million last year, the Cour des Comptes, Frances state auditor, recorded.

While that includes spending on Mr Macrons diplomatic and presidential duties as well as administration, personnel, security and estate management, among the most expensive engagements were the events for the King and Narendra Modi, Indias president.

King Charles and the French President drink after a toast - Pool

Rolling Stones frontman Mick Jagger and actor Hugh Grant were among the 170-odd guests invited to Versailles Palace to mark the Kings visit, seen as a move by Mr Macron to smooth over France-British relations since Brexit.

The luxurious banquet was held on the first night of King Charles three-day state visit to France and was hosted by Mr Macron and his wife, Brigitte.

At a cost of close over 475,000  which included a catering bill of 165,000 - the feast was executed by a team of 45 chefs led by Yannick Alleno, Anne-Sophie Pic and French pastry chef Pierre Herme, who all have Michelin stars.

The menu took three months of planning, with the French classic foie gras ditched upon royal request.

After a starter of blue lobster and crab, inspired by Louis XIVs tastes, the guests tucked into Mr Allenos poulet de Bresse with a cep gratin. For drinks, there were double magnums of chateau Mouton-Rothschild 2004 grand cru classe Pauillac, whose label was designed by Charles himself, and Pol Roger champagne.

Guests were seated around a 60m long table decorated with locally sourced roses and hydrangeas in shades of pink, purple and white, and served on plates made by the famous Porcelaine de Sevres.

A royal source said afterwards that the King and Queen were really delighted by the whole thing.

When Mr Modi visited in July, he was treated to a curation of the Louvres masterpieces by Mr Macron himself and an equally sumptuous dinner, which all came to 400,000.

While Frances audit court conceded that the Palace was more parsimonious on events like cocktails for less than 100 people, it was mostly critical of the Palaces extravagance.

It was critical of the huge waste of money caused by poor planning, listing 830,000 lost in cancelling 12 apparently non-refundable trips.

Mr Macrons critics often blast him as the president of the rich, but the reaction to the palaces finances has so far been muted.

Honestly, I had doubts until the last moment but it was the right choice. It was magnificent. All of Frances history has been written inside these walls. It was fairytale-like, said one diplomatic source afterwards.
Demonstrators hold a banner reading Let's go with the truth and without violence as they gather to protest election results that awarded President Nicolas Maduro with a third term, in Caracas, Venezuela, on Tuesday. Photograph: Leonardo Fernandez Viloria/Reuters

Tens of thousands of anti-government protesters have returned to Venezuelas streets to decry Nicolas Maduros alleged attempt to steal Sundays election, as the countrys authoritarian leader vowed to squash what he called a violent counter-revolution and more than 700 arrests were made.

Maduros disputed claim to have won the vote has plunged the South American country into another chapter of unrest and uncertainty which has spooked regional governments.

I cannot say that I am relaxed. Im not. I am worried. I am leaving here worried, Celso Amorim, the envoy of Brazils president, Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva, told the Guardian on Tuesday morning as he prepared to fly out of Caracas after meeting Maduro the previous day.

On Monday, thousands of residents of poor communities once loyal to the Chavista revolution marched through Venezuelas capital, Caracas, in a striking demonstration of the widespread anger sparked by Maduros claim to have beaten his rival, the ex-diplomat Edmundo Gonzalez Urrutia.

Maduro has said he won the election with more than 5.1m votes to his rivals 4.4m. But the opposition insist they won a landslide, with 6.2m votes to Maduros 2.7m.

On Tuesday, the demonstrators were back after Gonzalez and his key backer, the prominent opposition leader Maria Corina Machado, called on followers to continue their protests.

Its obvious that we won  We crushed them. 70% of the country is against the government, claimed one of those to answer their call, a 35-year-old administrator called Ana Maria Gonzalez.

Gonzalez celebrated how so many residents of low income communities were turning out to challenge the alleged power grab. The barrios came down, she said, using the local word for Venezuelas poor hillside favelas. This hadnt happened for so long.

Another protester, the human rights activist Leida Brito, 65, shed tears as she spoke of her fury at the alleged fraud.

We want political change and we voted for it  but Nicolas Maduro and the electoral council have robbed us  they have stolen our dreams. They have stolen the dream of our children being able to come back to Venezuela, Brito said of the historic exodus that has seen about 8 million citizens flee abroad, including her children who live in Chile and the Dominican Republic.

Thousands of anti-Maduro motorbike riders  mostly from the barrios  swept through the streets of Caracas honking their horns and waving flags. This is Petare representing! We are coming down [from the hills] and the government is going down! shouted one rider as the tsunami of vehicles pushed ahead.

There is an anti-Maduro motorbike rally of EPIC proportions currently sweeping through Caracas. The riders say they hail from Petare, one of the citys largest barrios. I have never seen anything like it. pic.twitter.com/P2kJPjFeJm  Tom Phillips (@tomphillipsin) July 30, 2024

As public anger grew and Caracas residents began stocking up on food for fear of even greater turmoil ahead, there was also mounting international condemnation.

The Organization of American States released a scathing report from its election observation department, which accused Maduros regime and Venezuelas government-controlled electoral authority, the CNE, of employing a coordinated strategy to ignore, deceive and defraud voters.

The evidence reveals an attempt by the regime to ignore the will of the majority expressed at the ballot boxes by millions of Venezuelan men and women, the report said, describing an array of illegalities, vices and bad practices during the electoral process, which culminated in the CNE handing Maduro a deeply suspect victory.

Nicolas Maduros regime has once again betrayed the Venezuelan people by promising to respect popular will when, at the same time, it was doing everything possible to manipulate and ignore that will, the report said, arguing that the result deserve neither to be trusted, nor to be democratically recognised.

Speaking to the Guardian on Monday night, Machado urged Maduro to accept that his 11-year rule  during which Venezuela has suffered a catastrophic economic and humanitarian meltdown he blames on US sanctions  was over.

He should understand that he was defeated, Machado said, rejecting Maduros claim that his victory was irreversible. I would say his departure is irreversible, she said.

Under growing pressure at home and abroad, Maduros administration has pushed back, describing the protests as a foreign-backed far-right conspiracy to overthrow his government and force the Chavista movement from power after 25 years.

Related: Maduros exit inevitable, says Venezuela opposition leader, as election protests grow

Jorge Rodriguez, a close Maduro ally who is president of the national assembly, summoned supporters from the impoverished barrios to march on the Miraflores presidential palace on Tuesday afternoon to celebrate our victory and rally behind the embattled president.

They want to turn this country into Argentina - extreme right - and we cannot accept this, said Freddy Falfan, 63, one of the Chavistas who joined the pro-government march from the working class area of Catia.

Nancy Ribero, a 46-year-old activist, accused the opposition of trying to sabotage and destabilize her country. There was no fraud - the election was correct and proper, she claimed as the marchers strode through heavy rain.

Security forces, meanwhile, went on the offensive, with masked men filmed detaining Freddy Superlano, a key opposition figure who backed Gonzalezs presidential bid. The attorney general, Tarek William Saab, announced the arrest of 749 delinquents who he blamed for injuring 48 police officers and soldiers as they sought to promote a bloodbath. He said one soldier had been killed.

In a video message, Gonzalez denounced the crackdown: Regrettably in the past few hours we have received reports of people who have been killed and dozens of people who have been injured and detained.

The NGO Foro Penal said that 11 people have died in the clashes, five of them in the capital.

UN human rights chief Volker Turk said he was extremely concerned about the the situation, adding: I am alarmed by reports of disproportionate use of force by law enforcement officials along with violence by armed individuals supporting the government.

He said: Those responsible for human rights violations must be held to account.

Opposition supporters have urged the armed forces to take their side. But on Tuesday defense minister Vladimir Padrino Lopez issued a statement reiterating the armed forcess most absolute loyalty and unconditional support for Maduro. He accused far-right extremists of committing acts of terror in a bid to overturn Maduros legitimate victory.

Padrino Lopez said the military was committed to peace. But at the same time we will take forceful action  to maintain internal order, he added ominously.

As the crisis intensified, Venezuelas diplomatic isolation grew, although crucially the governments of Russia and China have recognized Maduros victory. Their support has been critical to Maduros ability to overcome previous challenges, such as the failed 2019 bid to topple him by the now exiled opposition leader Juan Guaido.

On Monday Venezuelas foreign minister, Yvan Gil, said scores of diplomats from seven Latin American countries who have criticsed the election result would be expelled. Flights to the Dominican Republic and Panama were halted.

Brazils leftwing government  which has long-standing ties to the Chavista movement dating back to President Lulas first 2003-2011 presidency, when Maduros mentor Hugo Chavez was in power  has refrained from directly challenging the result. But, tellingly, Brasilia has publicly urged Maduro to publish election data that it believed was essential to the transparency, credibility and legitimacy of the vote.

Amorim said Maduro had assured him such data would be published in the next two days during their encounter at the presidential palace on Monday. I thought he seemed calm. I didnt think he seemed to be in a fearful or bellicose mood, Amorim said of his host.

Amorim said he had also met Gonzalez during his time in Caracas, who he described as having a pleasant, peaceful temperament. But there are, as you know, other forces at play that are more bellicose, he added of the opposition.

The veteran diplomat, who is Brazils former foreign and defense minister, said he hoped Colombia, Mexico and Brazil could help defuse the situation by encouraging dialogue. Improper external interference, would not help.

Lula and the US president Joe Biden held a call to discuss the crisis on Tuesday afternoon. According to the White House, the two leaders agreed on the need for immediate release of full, transparent, and detailed voting data at the polling station level by the Venezuelan electoral authorities.

They also agreed that the Venezuelan election outcome represents a critical moment for democracy in the hemisphere.
Abortion rights demonstrators rally to mark the first anniversary of the US supreme court ruling that overturned Roe v Wade, in Washington DC on 24 June 2023. Photograph: AFP/Getty Images

Roughly 7% of women of reproductive age in the US have attempted to induce their own abortions outside the formal healthcare system, a new study has found, up from 5% before Roe v Wade fell in 2022.

The study, published on Tuesday in the Jama medical journal, determined how many people reported ever self-managing their own abortion in 2021 and again in 2023  a timeline that allowed researchers to examine how Dobbs v Jackson Womens Health Organization, the supreme court case that overturned Roe, has affected self-managed abortions. People of color and LGBTQ+ people were more likely to report having ever attempted to end their own pregnancies.

We think because its getting more difficult to access facility-based abortion, that self-managed abortion will increase, said Lauren Ralph, the studys lead author and an epidemiologist at Advancing New Standards in Reproductive Health, a research group at the University of California, San Francisco. Its a really important piece of the puzzle, as we try to understand the full impact of the Dobbs decision on peoples reproductive lives.

Since Dobbs, 14 states have enacted near-total abortion bans. On Monday, Iowa became the fourth state to ban the procedure past about six weeks of pregnancy, before many women even know they are pregnant.

Related: Tracking abortion laws across the United States

Of the women who reported in 2023 attempting to induce their own abortion, 11% said in 2023 they had used mifepristone, one of the abortion pills typically used in a two-pill protocol, and 13.7% said they used misoprostol, the other pill, on its own. Another study, published in March, estimated roughly 26,000 more people in the US used pills to induce their own at-home abortions than would have done so if Roe had not fallen.

Medical experts widely agree that these pills can be used to safely self-manage an abortion during the first trimester of pregnancy, and the World Health Organization even offers a protocol on how to do it. Misoprostol can safely be used on its own  but often comes with more side-effects than the two-pill regimen  while using mifepristone alone can result in more complications and is not typically recommended when ending a pregnancy .

Far more people tried to end their pregnancies in potentially unsafe ways. In 2023, about 25% of those who attempted to self-manage their abortions used herbs, 22% hit themselves in the stomach and 19% used alcohol or other drugs. Another 15% said that, after their attempted self-managed abortion, they experienced a complication  such as bleeding or pain  that led them to see a doctor or nurse.

Asked why they tried to self-manage an abortion, people said they wanted privacy, that going to an abortion clinic was too expensive or they preferred trying on their own first. Nearly 13% said they were concerned about clinic protesters.

Four in 10 people who have ever self-managed an abortion were younger than 20 when they did it, and 9% of people who had tried to self-manage an abortion were concerned about needing parental consent. Many abortion-tolerant states still have parental involvement laws on the books, which require minors to tell their parents about their plans to get an abortion or to get their consent for the procedure. If a minor cannot or will not do so, they have to go to court and convince a judge to let them get an abortion without parental knowledge or consent  which can be a tall ask.

Ralph was not surprised to find that so many people who try to end their own pregnancies are so young.

Given things like parental-involvement requirements, given things like difficulty accessing transportation, given things like not having your own bank accounts or having a consistent source of income in the same way that a young adult might, I do think that young people might be more likely to turn to self-managed abortion than their older counterparts, Ralph said. Young peoples experiences of abortion, she added, had long been understudied.

Because people who self-manage abortions can face criminal consequences, Ralph and her fellow researchers used statistical analyses to account for people who may not be accurately reporting their experiences with the phenomenon. Just one state  Nevada  bans self-managed abortion, but legal experts have long warned that if a prosecutor wants to punish someone for attempting one, they will find a statute pliable enough to do it. Earlier this year, an Ohio grand jury considered whether to indict a woman accused of abusing a corpse after she miscarried into a toilet. (It ultimately declined to charge her.)

Ralph found that about a third of people in both 2021 and 2023 said that their self-managed abortion succeeded, while a fifth said that they later underwent an abortion at a clinic. Another quarter of people said that nothing happened and that they may never have been pregnant in the first place. Fourteen per cent continued their pregnancies.
Caressa Clarno, 40, prays at Saltwater Revival Pirate Church service at Jackies Bar and Grill on Sunday, July 28, 2024 in Kemah. Pirate Church welcomes those seeking an alternative worship experience outside more traditional churches. Raquel Natalicchio/Staff photographer

Mike Macke found church by accident when he stopped by a floating bar on Houston's Clear Lake one summer day in 2022.

Id gone to the bar to grab lunch (at Barge 295) and heard Jordan singing, he said.

The music segued into something that sounded like a sermon, and Macke soon realized he had stumbled upon an 11 a.m. Sunday service at the Saltwater Revival Pirate Church. The singing was led by Pastor Jordan Applebe, guitar draped over his shoulder.

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Macke, 34, wearing a fishing shirt, board shorts and flip flops, wasnt sure at first whether he had crashed the wrong party.

I was there for a reason, and I didnt know it, he said. Ive missed one service since that day.

The church, which formed in 2022, met every Sunday morning at Barge 295 before Hurricane Beryls storm surge plunged the floating bar to the bottom of Clear Lake.

Until the church can reopen in some capacity, Saltwater has been meeting for services across the street at Jackies Bar and Grill, and as long as they have a space, said Applebe, they will leave the door wide open.

Saltwater Revival Pirate Church pastor Rick King greets people after offering live service at Jackies Bar and Grill on Sunday, July 28, 2024 in Kemah. Pirate Church welcomes those seeking an alternative worship experience outside more traditional churches. Raquel Natalicchio/Staff photographer

Saltwater Revival Pirate Church pastors Jordan Applebe and Rick King are photographed after offering live service at Jackies Bar and Grill on Sunday, July 28, 2024 in Kemah. Pirate Church welcomes those seeking an alternative worship experience outside more traditional churches. Raquel Natalicchio/Staff photographer

We are a nonjudgmental, non-denominational Christian church focused on spreading the message and the love of Jesus Christ to anybody willing to hear it, he said.

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There is no such thing as a dress code or hierarchy at Saltwater, even for its leadership family, co-pastors Applebe, 37 and Rick King, 68, and their wives, Jamie Applebe and Tammy Kaser.

I Googled the lowest rank you can hold on any ship, and that was deckhand, said Applebe, who grew up in La Porte. Theres a portion in the gospels where Jesus says if you place yourself last you will be first in the kingdom. Were all just deckhands, were all here to serve.

The churchs origin story begins with Applebe, his acoustic guitar, and his habit of seamlessly sprinkling orations on faith into his solo gigs at a traveling bar ministry where King was one of the pastors.

Holly Perez, 46, listens to sermon at Saltwater Revival Pirate Church at Jackies Bar and Grill on Sunday, July 28, 2024 in Kemah. Pirate Church welcomes those seeking an alternative worship experience outside more traditional churches. Raquel Natalicchio/Staff photographer Saltwater Revival Pirate Church pastors Jordan Applebe and Rick King are photographed after offering live service at Jackies Bar and Grill on Sunday, July 28, 2024 in Kemah. Pirate Church welcomes those seeking an alternative worship experience outside more traditional churches. Raquel Natalicchio/Staff photographer David Sassi, 54, listens to sermon at Saltwater Revival Pirate Church service at Jackies Bar and Grill on Sunday, July 28, 2024 in Kemah. Pirate Church welcomes those seeking an alternative worship experience outside more traditional churches. Raquel Natalicchio/Staff photographer Saltwater Revival Pirate Church pastor Rick King reads from the bible during live service at Jackies Bar and Grill on Sunday, July 28, 2024 in Kemah. Pirate Church welcomes those seeking an alternative worship experience outside more traditional churches. Raquel Natalicchio/Staff photographer Deidra Haass, 53, and Holly Perez, 46, listen to sermon at Saltwater Revival Pirate Church at Jackies Bar and Grill on Sunday, July 28, 2024 in Kemah. Pirate Church welcomes those seeking an alternative worship experience outside more traditional churches. Raquel Natalicchio/Staff photographer Saltwater Revival Pirate Church pastor Rick King speaks during live service at Jackies Bar and Grill on Sunday, July 28, 2024 in Kemah. Pirate Church welcomes those seeking an alternative worship experience outside more traditional churches. Raquel Natalicchio/Staff photographer Pastor Jordan Applebe sings during live service offered by Saltwater Revival Pirate Church at Jackies Bar and Grill on Sunday, July 28, 2024 in Kemah. Pirate Church welcomes those seeking an alternative worship experience outside more traditional churches. Raquel Natalicchio/Staff photographer Pastor Jordan Applebe sings during live service offered by Saltwater Revival Pirate Church at Jackies Bar and Grill on Sunday, July 28, 2024 in Kemah. Pirate Church welcomes those seeking an alternative worship experience outside more traditional churches. Raquel Natalicchio/Staff photographer Monica Methol, 53, listens to a song written by her late husband, Michael Madison, during Saltwater Revival Pirate Church service at Jackies Bar and Grill on Sunday, July 28, 2024 in Kemah. Pirate Church welcomes those seeking an alternative worship experience outside more traditional churches. Raquel Natalicchio/Staff photographer A bible is photographed during Saltwater Revival Pirate Church service at Jackies Bar and Grill on Sunday, July 28, 2024 in Kemah. Pirate Church welcomes those seeking an alternative worship experience outside more traditional churches. Raquel Natalicchio/Staff photographer Pastor Jordan Applebe sings during live service offered by Saltwater Revival Pirate Church at Jackies Bar and Grill on Sunday, July 28, 2024 in Kemah. Pirate Church welcomes those seeking an alternative worship experience outside more traditional churches. Raquel Natalicchio/Staff photographer Saltwater Revival Pirate Church offers live service at Jackies Bar and Grill on Sunday, July 28, 2024 in Kemah. Pirate Church welcomes those seeking an alternative worship experience outside more traditional churches. Raquel Natalicchio/Staff photographer Pastor Rick King listens to Pastor Jordan Applebe sing during live service offered by Saltwater Revival Pirate Church at Jackies Bar and Grill on Sunday, July 28, 2024 in Kemah. Pirate Church welcomes those seeking an alternative worship experience outside more traditional churches. Raquel Natalicchio/Staff photographer Kayla Rymer, 41, listens to sermon at Saltwater Revival Pirate Church service at Jackies Bar and Grill on Sunday, July 28, 2024 in Kemah. Pirate Church welcomes those seeking an alternative worship experience outside more traditional churches. Raquel Natalicchio/Staff photographer

King and Applebe decided they wanted to start their own church, but one that would break free from the business and formality of traditional worship.

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Applebe, who was a working musician, had been performing at Barge 295 playing covers, and co-owners Mike and Patrick Robinson welcomed the idea.

The first service on the barge on Aug. 28, 2022, attracted around 15 people and half of them were family, said Tammy Kaser, who is the churchs treasurer and Jamie Applebes mother.

The pirate reference in the churchs name is partly historical and partly symbolic, simultaneously linking the church to the regions pirate origins via Jean Lafitte while wearing its outsider spirit on its spiritual sleeve.

On special occasions, Applebe, King and members of the church might don pirate garb, and exclamations of Arg! or Arrr! will often serve as an amen.

Its the church's non-conformist spirit, said Applebe, that draws many members in.

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(The pirate theme) is the figurative of anybody who has ever felt like an outcast or different or left out, or someone whos had a sketchy or questionable past, he said.

King, an Austin native who was pastor of a biker church there coming to Saltwater, said he's heard from many people who don't want to go to church because they may have to get dressed up or may feel judged or pressured to donate money. We try to eliminate every single obstacle in their past so people can just come and enjoy Christ with us, he said.

No one on the Saltwater staff takes a salary, and when a collection plate gets passed around at Saltwater, all the money goes back to the churchs community outreach, said Applebe.

It wasnt uncommon for members to arrive to church service at the barge by boat, said King, who lived on his 32-foot boat for seven years.

I can literally take my dinghy from the boat across the lake and dock it (at the barge), said Saltwater member, Mark Webb, 61, who lives on a boat on Clear Lake. Coming from a Baptist church going into a bar for church, initially took me some getting used to, but make no mistake, regardless of the fact that our church was in a barge that was a bar, the Bible is what is preached every Sunday morning.

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Before Beryl sank the bar, the church was welcoming around 100 people to its services  from a boat in the marina or listening on a livestream that reached followers from as far away as Estonia.

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For Macke, a former merchant marine, Saltwater reaffirmed his Christian faith.

I grew up Irish Catholic, where you stand and kneel, and rehearse a couple of words, but I never got anything out of it as a kid, he said.

The church is a holistic space for many, including the military veteran community, Macke said. Its an eclectic group of people."
Peter Tatchells portrait is in the History Makers gallery alongside other prominent public figures. Photograph: National Portrait Gallery

A vibrant portrait of the LGBTQ+ and human rights campaigner Peter Tatchell has been hung in the National Portrait Gallerys History Makers gallery as part of a drive to better reflect the diversity of the UK.

The painting by Sarah Jane Moon shows Tatchell in a casual pose, seated with his hands clasping his left calf. The 72-year-old activist is sporting a rainbow tie to celebrate almost six decades of fighting for LGBTQ+ rights.

Tatchell, who has experienced more than 300 violent assaults and has been arrested or detained by police more than 100 times, said he was delighted and honoured to have his portrait in the gallery alongside so many esteemed public figures.

I love the bold, expressive, joyful style [of the painting], which reflects the spirit of my campaigns, he added. He consciously chose brightly coloured clothes for sittings in order to avoid the sombre, dark tones of many portraits.

Although few men routinely wear ties these days, it is not unusual for Tatchell. He realised many years ago that people had preconceptions about campaigners in T-shirts. I put on a tie and people started treating me much more seriously, so Ive stuck with ties ever since.

Moon said she liked her subjects to wear what they feel comfortable in. She hoped the end result reflected Tatchells energy and enthusiasm and warmth and generosity.

The portrait is the first by Moon to be acquired by the NPG for its permanent collection. Portraiture is a genre that has often upheld the status quo and perpetuated certain class structures, particularly in this country. Theres still a lot of commissioned portraiture that falls into the realm of society portraiture, thats quite conservative. But I think it is changing, she said.

The artist, who is also gay, was delighted when Tatchell agreed to sit for her. He has such a strong moral compass, she said. His activism over so many years was an inspiration.

Tatchell moved from Melbourne to London in 1971 and became a leading member of the Gay Liberation Front. He has espoused many human rights and social justice issues, including apartheid, racial justice, electoral reform and the climate crisis.

There has been hugely positive progress in my lifetime. When I was a teenager in the 1960s, homosexuality was still punishable up to life imprisonment. But one of the big failures is that we havent fundamentally changed class and wealth inequality in the UK, he said.

Im still going strong, and I hope to go on for another 20 years. There are so many injustices to fight and overturn.

Sarah Howgate, the NPGs senior curator of contemporary collections, said: Since reopening last year, the gallery has worked hard to ensure that our new displays better reflect the diversity of the UK.

Continuing this important emphasis, Im delighted that this portrait of Peter Tatchell, one of the most influential campaigners living today, by Sarah Jane Moon is going on display  alongside many more of the UKs important history makers.
Prince Michael: one of his books was about his encounters with ghosts in castles and palaces around Europe - Dimitris Aspiotis/Shutterstock

Prince Michael of Greece and Denmark, who has died aged 85, was the last surviving grandson of King George I of Greece. He was the youngest grandchild, born in 1939 (the eldest had been born in 1890), and he was a first cousin of Prince Philip.

In his early life he was an integral member of the Greek royal family; later he was a historian and novelist. A man of great charm and sympathy, he acquired an eclectic group of friends and admirers spread across the globe.

His grandfather, George I of Greece, was the son of King Christian IX of Denmark. After Prince Michaels second cousin, Christian Castenskiold, died earlier this month, Michael became the last surviving great-grandchild of the Danish king.

The Greek royal family had a long and complicated relationship with Greece, George I having been imported as king from Denmark at the age of 17. He used to remind his sons: Never forget that you are foreigners among the Greeks, and never let them remember it. The royal family were so frequently in exile that a later king said it was imperative to have a suitcase ready and packed at all times.

Prince Michael was royally connected, as he explained in an article in Vanity Fair in 2013: My father was Greek, my mother French; my grandfather was Danish, my grandmother Russian, and my other grandmother half-Spanish. Each of them was a member of the royal family of his or her respective country.

He was the only child of Prince Christopher of Greece, whose brothers included the first King Constantine, Prince Nicholas (father of Princess Marina) and Prince Andrew (father of Prince Philip). He first married the rich Mrs Nancy Leeds, but she died in 1923, and then in 1929 he married Princess Francoise dOrleans, sister of the Comte de Paris, pretender to the throne of France.

Prince Michael was born on January 7 1939 in Rome, where his parents were living at the time. His father died a year later in Athens after developing a lung abscess, his funeral reported in acerbic tones by the American ambassador, Lincoln MacVeagh  an unsympathetic account which greatly annoyed Prince Michael in later life.

His mother took refuge with her child in Morocco. Later they settled in Malaga, before moving to Paris in 1948. After his mothers death from a short and mysterious illness in 1953, he was adopted by the Comte de Paris, finding himself a lonely orphan in a family of 11 children.

He was schooled in Paris, studying law and economics at the Institute of Political Studies. When he came of age at 21 he decided to move to his native land, Greece, a country he did not know at all. He was a cousin of King Paul of Greece and at the time was closely in line to the Greek throne, welcomed as a brother to Crown Prince Constantine, Sofia (later Queen of Spain), and Princess Irene.

King Paul involved him in all their family life, and in due course he did military service with the cavalry, undertaking military manoeuvres in Salonika. Among the royal celebrations he took part in was the spectacular Silver Wedding celebrations of Queen Juliana in the Netherlands in 1962, which even Queen Elizabeth II attended, Prince Michael noting that, like Queen Victoria, she avoided gatherings of the royal mob.

With his wife Marina Karella, who acquired an international reputation as an artist and sculptor - ZUMA Press/Alamy

He was particularly taken by Empress Farah Diba of Iran, incontestably the star of the occasion, as he put it. In Athens he took part in the marriage of Sofia to Juan Carlos of Spain, the visit of General de Gaulle in May 1963, and he held a crown over the head of Princess Anne Marie of Denmark when she married the young King Constantine (who had succeeded his father earlier in 1964).

He had met Marina Karella, from a Greek textile family, many times, but in July 1963 he spent time alone with her on the island of Hydra and was taken by her personality, character, spirit and integrity. He knew she was the only woman he wished to marry.

That September he extracted her from a dinner and told her he was going to get married. Congratulations, she said. With whom?  With you! She laughed, but then her expression became serious. She thought for a moment, and accepted him. There was a problem, since he was royal and she was not. But equally he knew that the royal life was not for him. Marina represented what he called the key to my independence.

At this time Marina, then 23, who would become a talented and provocative sculptress, was designing sets and costumes for Cocteaus LAigle a deux tetes and costumes for Maria Callas in Norma. When he told King Paul and Queen Frederika they were sympathetic but not pleased. After King Pauls death, however, King Constantine gave his blessing, and Prince Michael renounced his place in the succession.

They had hoped for a small wedding, but it was celebrated in style in Athens on February 7 1965, in the presence of the King and Queen, Queen Frederika, and even of Princess Andrew of Greece in her nuns robes.

They lived in Greece, and their two daughters were born there, Alexandra in 1968 and Olga in 1971. In December 1967 there was a coup in Athens, as a result of which King Constantine and his family left Greece.

Michael and Marina were partly there and partly in Paris. They were invited to the Shah of Irans celebrations in Persepolis in 1971 along with royalty from around the world. Then, exiled from Greece after the plebiscite rejecting the monarchy in 1974, they settled in Paris, and in 1980 they moved to New York.

There they became friends with Andy Warhol through the Iolas Gallery painter, CPLY. As Bob Colacello wrote, Marina and Michael of Greece moved from Paris to Park Avenue and gave Saturday-night parties, mixing the raffish and the royal.

From 1979 Prince Michael was the author of more than 25 books, mainly histories, biographies and novels pertaining to royal figures  most of them related to himself.

He had watched his mother observe a family tradition by burning his fathers papers and memorabilia following the sale of his villa in Rome after the war, a travesty which did not dampen his enthusiasm for researching in the family archives.

His subjects included Napoleon; Alexander the Great; Louis XIV; Charlotte, Empress of Mexico; and histories of the Greek royal family.

He was the author of more than 25 books, mainly pertaining to royal figures

His first book, Sultana (1983), was a novel based on the legend of Aimee du Buc de Rivery, a French heiress who went missing at sea as a young woman and, according to legend, was captured by North African pirates and dispatched as a gift to the Turkish sultan, ultimately rising to become Sultana Nakshidil.

The White Night of St Petersburg (2000) was a historical novel inspired by a meeting at the 1998 interment of Tsar Nicholas II and his family, with Natalya Androssov Iskander Romanov, the granddaughter of Grand Duke Nicholas Konstantinovich, Prince Michaels great-uncle, who, after a scandalous life, was declared insane, banished to Tashkent and expunged from the official Romanov family records.

Another historical novel, Le Rajah Bourbon (2007), concerned Jean Philippe de Bourbon, a cousin of the first Bourbon French king, Henry IV, who travelled to India, ultimately serving in the court of the Mughal Emperor Akbar. Prince Michael claimed to have traced his descent to Balthazar Napoleon de Bourbon, a jovial Indian lawyer and part-time farmer living in a suburb of the Indian city of Bhopal, who was said to be delighted when Prince Michael turned up on his doorstep with the news that he was the first in line to the lost French throne.

In one of his later books, Eddy and Helene an Impossible Match (2013), Prince Michael drew on a cache of letters which he had discovered to tell the story of how Prince Albert, Duke of Clarence and grandson of Queen Victoria, wooed Princess Helene of Orleans, a relationship which, as the Princess was a Catholic, came close to causing a constitutional crisis.

Other publications included a novelised biography of the heroic warrior-queen, the Rani of Jhansi, and a book about the Princes encounters with ghosts in castles and palaces around Europe (he claimed to have been born a sensitive).

While Marina was involved in the artistic world of New York and Michael with his writing, he also retained his royal connections. He was deeply shocked by the revelations of Diana, Princess of Wales, in the Andrew Morton book of 1992. He had sat next to Diana at a ball given by King Constantine, and while impressed by her beauty and demeanour he was unimpressed by her lack of concentration.

He admired the way that Elizabeth II quietly re-established her position after the negativity of the 1990s, and how she positioned Prince Charles as her undoubted successor, easing his eventual attaining of the throne. He did not envy Charles, however, and in 2022 expressed his sympathy for him, saying: I would not like that job at all.

Prince Michael is survived by his wife Princess Marina, and their two daughters Princesses Alexandra and Olga.

Prince Michael of Greece and Denmark, born January 7 1939, died July 28 2024
Rachel Reeves says 'there's an obsession with the 7 per cent of children who are in our private schools' - Jeremy Selwyn

Rachel Reeves has criticised what she claimed is an obsession with private school pupils.

The Chancellor insisted the 20 per cent levy on independent school fees is needed after confirming on Monday it will come into effect from the beginning of 2025.

Labour claims the policy will raise up to 1.7 billion to spend on state education, including 6,500 new teachers, but analysis suggests it could actually come at a cost to the Exchequer.

Around 550,000 pupils  or 7 per cent  are currently in the private education system, but it is feared the VAT raid could price out tens of thousands and overwhelm state schools.

Challenged on the policy by LBCs Nick Ferrari, Ms Reeves said: This decision is absolutely necessary to be able to recruit the 6,500 teachers we need in our state system.

And yesterday we announced that will come into effect from the beginning of January so we can get on with implementing our manifesto commitment.

Pressed on whether she knew the exact number of children who attend private schools, Ms Reeves replied: I havent got the number to hand.

Theres an obsession with the 7 per cent of children who are in our private schools. Im more interested in the 93 per cent of children who are in our state schools with buildings that are often falling down, with unqualified teachers 

She added: [The] money will be used for a national priority that people voted for three and a half years ago.

Documents confirm some parents priced out

Treasury documents published after Ms Reeves announced the Government will start charging VAT on private schools from Jan 1 confirmed some parents would be priced out.

The Government recognises that these policy changes may lead to increased costs for some parents and carers, and that some pupils may subsequently move into the state education sector, the documents said.

It is the first time Labour has accepted in writing that its VAT changes mean a private school education will no longer be affordable for some families.

Senior Conservative MPs redoubled their criticism of the policy in the wake of Ms Reevess announcement.

James Cleverly, the shadow home secretary who is running to succeed Rishi Sunak as Conservative leader, said: This is an ideological decision that will hit small independent schools.

Dont let them spin it as a necessity. Its the politics of envy.

Alicia Kearns, a shadow foreign minister and the MP for Rutland and Stamford, insisted her party will fight the measures introduced by Sir Keir Starmers administration.

This risks the 2000-plus jobs in my communities that our 10 independent schools provide, Ms Kearns said.

It hurts those who put so much on the line for their children to attend the school right for them.

Letter sent to Reeves

Bradley Thomas, a new Tory MP, has written a letter to Ms Reeves and Bridget Phillipson, the Education Secretary, urging them to rethink their plans to impose VAT on fees.

Signatories to the letter include Andrew Mitchell, the shadow foreign secretary, and Sir Gavin Williamson, a former education secretary, two of Mr Thomass fellow West Midlands MPs.

Earlier this year, The Telegraph revealed private school fees at nearly every institution plan to increase fees under Labours policy.

Average annual fees of 16,656 for a UK day school would rise to almost 20,000 if VAT was added in full.

A separate analysis by the Adam Smith Institute (ASI) found Labours policy would raise no money at all if between 10 and 15 per cent of pupils migrated to the state sector.

If this rose to 25 per cent of pupils, as previously predicted by the Baines Cutler consultancy, the policy could cost the Exchequer as much as 1.6 billion.

Critics have also noted the negative consequences when a similar policy was introduced in Greece in 2015.

It led to the closure of smaller independent schools which were unable to cope with the added levy, while there were acute shortages of both teachers and places in the state sector.
Responsibility for the winter fuel payment has been devolved to Holyrood and is due to be paid out by Scotland's social security agency for the first time from November

SNP ministers have been urged not to strip winter fuel payments from Scottish pensioners once they take over the benefit later this year.

Responsibility for the winter fuel payment has been devolved to Holyrood and is due to be paid out by Scotlands social security agency, under the rebranded title of the pension age winter heating payment, for the first time from November.

The Scottish Government had previously promised to maintain universal eligibility for the payments, worth up to 300, and the SNP explicitly ruled out any form of means testing in its manifesto for the last Holyrood elections.

However, the surprise decision by Rachel Reeves, the Chancellor, to means test the payment in England and Wales means the amount of cash set to be sent to Holyrood by the Treasury to administer the scheme will be drastically scaled back.

It leaves the SNP Government facing a dilemma over whether to break its vow to pensioners by scaling back eligibility, which it had previously said it opposed, or finding the cash from elsewhere in its budgets.

Campaigners said it was vital that universal eligibility was maintained north of the border given the harsher climate over winter months.

Challenging and difficult decisions for SNP

However, John Swinney has hinted that he could scrap the payment for hundreds of thousands of Scots, warning of some challenging and difficult decisions for his government.

Meanwhile, Ivan McKee, the SNP finance minister, admitted on Tuesday that he could not offer a guarantee that all Scottish pensioners would get a payment this winter.

Katherine Crawford, chief executive of Age Scotland, said: Our hope is that it will be restored as a universal benefit, particularly in light of the fact that Scotland does generally experience worse weather than other parts of the UK.

More than half of those who receive it use it as an important part of winter budgeting. Keeping or reinstating the winter fuel payment will also ensure that money is going to those who need it most, when they need it most.

SNP ministers had previously claimed that making the payment available to all pensioners was the best option as it ensured high take-up and meant those on very low incomes who did not receive other benefits would not miss out.

The Chancellor said on Monday that from this winter, only those who receive pension credit or other means tested benefits in England and Wales would get the annual payment.

Age Scotland said that there were around 123,000 people in Scotland eligible for pension credit who were not claiming it, meaning many who could not afford to miss out on the payment would do so if the changes were replicated.

A Scottish Government consultation carried out ahead of the devolution of the benefit found that 80 per cent agreed with universal eligibility, with just 14 per cent disagreeing.

However, the Poverty and Inequality Commission, which provides independent advice to Scottish ministers, had backed means testing, saying the universal approach meant the benefit was extraordinarily poorly targeted as regards to addressing poverty.

Mr McKee, asked on Tuesday whether the benefit would have to be means tested in Scotland, replied who knows.

Previously, SNP ministers had been expecting 180 million from the Treasury to fund the payment.

However, Mr McKee said he now expected this to be cut to, at most, 80 million, leaving a 100 million-plus gap to fill if universal eligibility was to be maintained.

Wed need to find [the money] from somewhere else if we want to continue to pay that winter fuel payment, which we absolutely want to do, he said.

Ms Reeves has said the measure to end universal eligibility was necessary to help plug a 22 billion funding gap, for the current financial year, which she claimed was identified after Labour took office.

The SNP has repeatedly accused Labour of breaking pre-election promises to voters by imposing austerity.

However, Ian Murray, the Scottish Secretary, said it was completely and utterly wrong to suggest Labour politicians knew the public spending cuts would be needed prior to the election.

Despite the fall in funding linked to the winter fuel payment, he predicted that the Scottish Government would receive an overall boost to its budget from the Treasury as a result of an increase in public sector pay south of the border.
The FBI deputy director, Paul Abbate, testifies during a joint committee hearing in Washington DC on Tuesday. Photograph: Roberto Schmidt/AFP/Getty Images

Though they have not pinpointed a motive behind Donald Trumps failed assassination attempt, investigators are examining a social media account with antisemitic and anti-immigrant posts that they suspect might be connected to the former US presidents would-be killer, according to the FBI deputy director, Paul Abbate.

Abbate on Tuesday appeared alongside the acting US Secret Service director, Ronald Rowe Jr, before a US Senate panel and said: In about the 2019, 2020 timeframe, there were over 700 comments posted from this account. Some of these comments, if ultimately attributable to the shooter, appear to reflect antisemitic and anti-immigration themes to espouse political violence and are described as extreme in nature.

While Abbate made clear that the account in question is believed to be associated with 20-year-old shooter Thomas Matthew Crooks, he did not specifying which social media platform it was on.

While the investigative team is still working to verify this account to determine if it did in fact belong to the shooter, we believe it important to share and note it today, particularly given the general absence of other information to date from social media and other sources of information that reflect on the shooters potential motive and mindset, he continued.

Trump, who has agreed to participate in a victim interview with the FBI regarding his assassination attempt, has routinely espoused antisemitic and anti-immigration rhetoric.

The Anti-Defamation League chief, Jonathan Greenblatt, and the White House both condemned him in 2021 and this year for, respectively, suggesting that Jewish people control Congress and the media and claiming that pro-Democratic Jews hate Israel as well as hate their religion.

Trump additionally has drawn criticism for his anti-immigration comments, including his accusation that migrants are poisoning the blood of our country.

Meanwhile, Rowe testified on Tuesday that he had visited and laid in a prone position on the roof of the warehouse complex in Butler county, Pennsylvania, from where Crooks fired at Trump during a political rally.

What I saw made me ashamed, Rowe Jr said. As a career law enforcement officer, and a 25-year veteran with the Secret Service, I cannot defend why that roof was not better secured.

To prevent similar lapses from occurring in the future, I directed our personnel to ensure every event-site security plan is thoroughly vetted by multiple experienced supervisors before it is implemented.

He also said that he directed the expansion of drones at protective sites to help detect threats on roofs and other elevated areas.

During his testimony, Rowe further revealed that the Secret Service had started providing protection to six additional high-profile figures, including Trumps November presidential election running mate, JD Vance, and his family, as well as the independent White House candidate Robert F Kennedy Jr.

I have heard your calls for accountability, and I take them very seriously, said Rowe, who stepped into his role after Kimberley Cheatle resigned as Secret Service director 10 days after the assassination attempt. Given the magnitude of this failure, the Secret Services office of professional responsibility is reviewing the actions and decision making of Secret Service personnel in the lead-up to, and on the day of, the attack.

If this investigation reveals that Secret Service employees violated agency protocols, those employees will be held accountable to our disciplinary process.

Abbate and Rowes testimonies follow a recent New York Times report that found that a Pennsylvania officer had spotted Crooks 90 minutes before he opened fire  30 minutes earlier than officials had previously said.

Meanwhile, in an interview with ABC on Sunday, the lead sharpshooter on a local police departments special tactical team assigned to protect the president said that he and his colleagues were supposed to get an in-person briefing with Secret Service agents before the rally. But sharpshooter Jason Woods said that never happened.

The ensuing shooting not only injured one of Trumps ears  it also killed one rally-goer while wounding two others.
Jonathan Marcus and his mother, Patricia, outside the High Court after a hearing in the paternity suit - Champion News

The son of a toy-making tycoon is suing his brother in an inheritance battle after he claimed DNA tests proved one of them was not their fathers child.

Stuart Marcus started out selling wooden dolls house kits above a small east London toy shop and ended up with a string of companies valued at 14.5 million before he died.

His sons, Edward, 46, and Jonathan, 42, worked for the company, with Jonathan heading up successful commercial operations in Germany.

Before his death in 2019, aged 86, Stuart Marcus arranged for 43 per cent of the business that made up his fortune to be put into a family trust for the benefit of his children and remoter issue... and their spouses.

Stuart Marcus had built a string of companies valued at 14.5m by the time he died in 2019 - Champion News

But Jonathan is now suing his older brother at the High Court, claiming Edward is actually the product of an affair his mother had with a former lover while his father was away on business and is not entitled to a share of the trust.

Jonathans claim is based on a confession by Patricia Marcus, the brothers 81-year-old mother, that she had an affair with Sydney Glossop, a lawyer with whom she had a relationship before her marriage.

Edward told the court that finding out he wasnt Stuarts son came as an absolute bombshell when his mother told him during a confidential chat in 2010, but he said she later retracted the confession.

Jonathan discovered the news last year, triggering his bid to have Edward removed as a beneficiary of Stuarts trust, which he claimed is backed by DNA evidence.

But Edward is fighting the claim, denying the DNA proves he was not Stuarts natural child and arguing that he would be entitled to share in the trust in any case.

Edward Marcus has denied that the DNA test proved he was not Stuart's biological son - Champion News

His barrister, Matthew Mills, told the court: Fundamentally, this case is about the most important question in a persons life  their identity.

What this case seeks to do is to entirely turn my clients life on its head.

Edward is also arguing that, even if accepted, the DNA tests do not establish which one of the brothers is related to Stuart as no DNA sample was taken from him.

He claims Mrs Marcuss extramarital relationship may well have continued longer than a single night in 1977 and may have gone on for years, opening up the possibility that it was younger brother Jonathan who was born to Mr Glossop and not him.

Mrs Marcus, however, denied that the relationship with Sydney continued beyond one night in 1977 and gave evidence confirming her belief that Edward is Mr Glossops son, adding that her former lover had also accepted Edward as his son.

Stuart Marcus's toy company focused on selling 'Sequin Art' craft projects for children - Champion News

Jonathans barrister, Mr Braithwaite, said results of DNA tests showed that Edward and Jonathan are half-siblings, with it being 25 times more likely that they are half-siblings than full siblings.

It follows that one or other of Jonathan or Edward is unlikely to be Stuarts son, he said.

Patricia and Jonathan are both named as directors of most of the family companies, the court heard, but Edward quit the family business after 2014, following a complete breakdown in relations with the rest of the family, Jonathans barrister claimed.

The judge has now reserved his ruling in the case, to be given at a later date.
People attend a vigil outside the Atkinson building in central Southport. Photograph: Christopher Furlong/Getty Images

Hundreds of people have gathered in Southport to pay tribute to the victims of a dance class knife attack as three children who died, and a yoga teacher who was injured trying to save them, were named.

Bebe King, six, Elsie Dot Stancombe, seven, and Alice Dasilva Aguiar, nine, were killed in what police described as a ferocious attack during a Taylor Swift themed dance and yoga workshop on Monday.

Leanne Lucas, a yoga teacher who organised the event and helped lead the class, is believed to have been injured while trying to usher the children to safety.

She was called a hero whose bravery has touched the hearts of the nation in a flood of tributes on social media.

Police said five children and two adults remained in a critical condition in hospital.

A 17-year-old boy, from the village of Banks in Lancashire but born in Cardiff, has been arrested on suspicion of murder and attempted murder.

Police said the motive for the stabbings remains unclear as they continue to question the suspect and comb through evidence.

The Southport community has been left reeling from the attack.

On Tuesday evening there was a protest outside a mosque as demonstrators chanting far-right slogans clashed with police in St Lukes Road.

Officers put on helmets and riot gear after stones and bottles were launched at them and police riot vans were attacked by a crowd of men, many of whom were wearing masks and hoodies.

Earlier, hundreds attended a vigil in the Merseyside town, with several families with children among those paying their respects. Many people could be seen fighting back tears and passing around tissues.

Southport is not used to global attention. To be known around the globe for a defining incident has shook us all to the core, the Southport hospital chaplain, Martin Abram, told the crowd. Clearly, the crowd tonight shows we want to stand together.

He referenced Taylor Swift and said the friendship bracelets her fans swap at concerts remind us we should never feel alone.

The mayor of Sefton, June Burns, told the vigil that the scale of the tragedy hit her when she laid flowers among the hundreds of others that have been left at the scene.

It really gets you, you cant help but cry because of the outpouring of grief, she said.

Earlier in the day, the prime minister was heckled by onlookers as he laid flowers at the scene. One person shouted: How many more children, prime minister? Are you going to do something? While another shouted at him to: Go away.

Locals clung to each other and cried as they laid flowers at the scene throughout the day and emergency services were applauded as they laid their tributes.

Accounts by witnesses of how the horror unfolded continued to emerge, with one man describing how he locked eyes with the knifeman after he ran into the building to help stop the attack.

The window cleaner Joel Verite described how he had seen a woman on the street covered in blood who had told him: Hes killing kids over there, hes killing kids over there. He ran into the dance studio, where he came face to face with a hooded man.

I look up and theres this guy with a knife, he told Sky News. I just wanted to hurt him so bad. But I was scared for myself and I wanted to help people.

He said the 10 minutes he was there before police arrived felt like a lifetime.

They tackle him down to the floor, and I grabbed this girl and started running towards the ambulance as soon as I get outside, he said. Im just thinking, I hope she survives. It was like a scene youd see on a disaster film, honestly. I cant even explain how horrific it was.

Taylor Swift issued a statement saying she was completely in shock after hearing the news of how children were killed in the class, which also involved making friendship bracelets.

These were just little kids at a dance class. I am at a complete loss for how to ever convey my sympathies to these families, she said.

A fundraiser organised by Taylor Swift fans surpassed 100,000 on Tuesday, with donations from across the globe.

On Tuesday, Alice was confirmed as the third fatality from the attack.

In a tribute, her parents said: Keep smiling and dancing like you love to do, our princess. Like we said before to you, youre always our princess and no one would change that.

Jinnie Payne, the head teacher of Churchtown primary school where Alice was a pupil in year 4, said she was the happiest of souls and a true ray of sunshine.

The parents of six-year-old Bebe said: No words can describe the devastation that has hit our family as we try to deal with the loss of our little girl.

Natasha Sandland, the head teacher of Marshside primary school where Bebe was a pupil, said the school was deeply saddened at the loss of one of our brightest and most wonderful shining stars.

Jennifer Sephton, the head teacher at Farnborough Road infant school, described Elsie as a kind and caring friend to all who met her.

Elsie has been a loving and bright member of our wonderful community since first being brought here on her fathers shoulders, and even at her early age she was such a caring and charismatic young lady who loved to please, she said.

There were concerns tensions were being inflamed by misinformation about the attack on social media and the far right speculating about the suspects nationality.

Police said a name that had been widely shared on social media in connection with the suspect was incorrect, as they urged people not to speculate while the investigation was being conducted.

Making a Commons statement after she had visited Southport, Yvette Cooper, the home secretary, warned against people trying to stir up division or advance their own views by spreading misinformation about the attack.

Those who do this for their own purposes risk undermining a crucial criminal investigation, and I ask everyone to show some respect for the community in Southport and for families who are grieving and in trauma, Cooper said.

Sounding emotional as she spoke, Cooper said it was difficult to comprehend, or to put into words the horror of what happened in Southport.

These were young children, dancing to Taylor Swift and celebrating the start of the school holidays, she said. What should have been a joyful start to the summer turned into an unspeakable tragedy.
Still Life With Orange and Lemon, 1956, by Tony Shiels Photograph: none

Unusually for a painter, Tony Shielss best known work may (or may not) have been a piece of sculpture. In May 1977, Shiels, who has died at 86, was standing below Urquhart Castle on Loch Ness in the Scottish highlands when a creature appeared in the water. It was, Shiels said, glossy and muscular. He managed to take two colour photographs of it, the clearest pictures of the Loch Ness monster then available.

The world of Nessology erupted. But excitement gave way to annoyance when Shiels hinted that the shot had been staged, using a Plasticine model he had made. The subject of his photos was now dubbed the Loch Ness muppet. That Shiels later recanted his recantation cut no ice. Monster-spotters had a sense of having been toyed with.

Shiels was unrepentant. He was an artist, and the role of the artist was to bring pleasure. This he had undoubtedly done. A Plasticine monster was no more fake than a painting: hoaxing was in the eye of the beholder. Seen in this way, Shielss work was a piece of performance art.

His early training, though, was as a painter. Born in Salford, to Thomas, a bookmaker, and Jean, a schoolteacher, he was brought up in the Lancashire coastal town of Lytham St Annes, where his parents ran a hotel  they later moved to Cornwall and ran a restaurant in Porthtowan. In 1951, his parents took him to visit the Festival of Britain in London, where he saw his first Picassos.

In 1954, he was allowed to go to the Heatherley School of Fine Art in London and, while there, to the Academie Andre Lhote in Paris. In 1958, after avoiding national service by briefly studying at the Blackpool School of Art, Shiels moved to Carbis Bay near St Ives. In the same year, he married Christine Price.

St Ives was then the hub of English avant-garde painting, although that, for Shiels, was not its attraction. Ive never been much of a one for art colonies really, he said, in an interview with the online journal artcornwall. I cant stand that shite, honestly.

Ben Nicholson and Barbara Hepworth regarded themselves as the towns bosses. Shiels instead befriended his neighbour, the painter Peter Lanyon, a fellow member of the Penwith Society of Arts. Peter thought they should allow anything into the Penwith as long as it seemed real, Shiels recalled. This included his own paintings, executed in a style that he dubbed surrealchemy.

After a drunken incident involving guns lent to him by Terry Frost, in the 1960s Shiels and his family left St Ives for Ponsanooth near Falmouth. By then, he had already begun to paint the works he called Sea Heads, a series that would occupy him for the next 60 years.

Often depicting what looked like fish, these combined strong, gestural brushwork with a vivid palette. They have Cubist roots in circles and straight lines, Shiels said of the works. Once I had done a few of them, I decided to do a few more, and for the rest of my life.

In the tradition of the local artist Alfred Wallis, the Sea Heads were painted on anything that came to hand. In Piratical Sea Head (2016), the legend Guinness: Made of More shows through the surface. An exhibition of his work called Beer Mat Matters, in Penzance in 2020, featured small-scale works painted on pub coasters.

The Sea Heads also called to mind Shiels parallel life as a stage magician. As a child, he had been taken by his father to the Blackpool Palace theatre, to see the magicians Dante and Gali Gali. Between 1970 and 1974, he performed at Cornish festivals as Tony Doc Shiels, Wizard of the West. In the year before his escapades at Loch Ness, he attempted to raise Morgawr, the Cornish sea monster, with the help of a coven of witches.

Whether you believed in Shiels magic was neither here nor there. He remained, at heart, a Surrealist, his showmanship akin to that of Salvador Dali, his necromantic beard a variant of Dalis waxed moustache. This was not understood by his Cornish neighbour, the painter and occultist Ithell Colquhoun. I told her that I was a charlatan and she denied it, Shiels cheerily recalled. Oh no, she said. You have real powers, and all that nonsense. I said no more than anyone else, my dear.

All this overshadowed his importance as a painter. Shiels had arrived in Cornwall a fully fledged French abstractionist. By 1963, he had reintroduced the figure to his work in canvases such as Four Frightened Bathers. Artists including Roger Hilton took note, and followed suit. Shiels influence was acknowledged in an exhibition called Creative Tensions, held in Penzance in 2019 to celebrate the 70th anniversary of the Penwith Society.

In the 1990s, he moved to the west of Ireland.

Christine died in 2022. He is survived by their sons, Gareth and Ewan, and daughters, Kate, Meg and Lucy.

 Anthony Nicol Shiels, artist and magician, born 25 May 1938; died 11 July 2024
John Podesta was promoted to become the White Houses presidential climate envoy in March this year. Photograph: Callaghan OHare/Reuters

Trade frictions and increasing tension between the US and China wont affect climate negotiations between the two superpowers if he can help it, the US climate chief has pledged.

John Podesta, a senior adviser to Joe Biden on international climate policy, said the relationship between the worlds two biggest emitters and largest economies was critical to climate action, despite what appears to be a deepening gulf over trade policy.

Related: US pledges to be a climate finance leader but defends gas expansion

I think both sides recognise that theres greater tension in the relationship and friction, but that we have an obligation to both the citizens of our respective countries and to the people of the world to keep discussing and see where we can find a way forward, he said.

Examples of the pair working together include the joint hosting of a crisis meeting on methane emissions, planned for the next UN climate summit, Cop29, in Azerbaijan this November. Podesta will also visit China later this year, having hosted his Chinese counterpart, the envoy Liu Zhenmin, in Washington DC earlier this year.

The US has angered China by slapping punitive tariffs on imports of green goods, including electric vehicles and solar components. Podesta defended the moves, and said they would not deter the US from cooperating with China on ways to reduce greenhouse gas emissions.

Even as were calling out what we believe are unfair trade practices on their side, and trying to deal with those trade frictions, we continue to try to find a path forward, in both the multilateral and the bilateral process, he said.

One of the most fraught issues that will be addressed at Cop29 is the need for a new global settlement on financial aid to developing countries, to help them cut greenhouse gas emissions and cope with the impacts of the climate crisis. The key task for the Azerbaijani hosts is to guide the world to a new collective quantified goal on climate finance.

The US wanted a layered approach to this framework, Podesta said. Some developing countries want a simple number  a trillion dollars a year is the amount demanded by India for the global goal  that developed countries must ensure is provided, mainly from taxpayer funded public finance and development banks.

But Podesta is resisting this demand, in favour of an approach that allows for several potential numbers within a framework that weighs the needs expressed by developing countries alongside the responsibilities of wealthy and high-emitting countries.

I think it is highly likely that theres going to be what Im describing as maybe two numbers, or more than one number, a number that reflects what is the challenge and need, and  embedded in that  a number that reflects what the contributing community can do to stimulate that, he said.

In practice, this could mean setting an estimate such as $1tn (779bn) a year as the overall need for finance for developing countries  the $1tn figure comes from widely accepted research by the economists Lord Stern and Vera Songwe  and a separate goal for how much of that finance should come from developed countries and development banks such as the World Bank. The rest would be presumed to come from private sector sources.

That envisions using some of that [publicly provided] money to unlock other flows of capital into the space, including domestic resources [in the recipient countries], private sector flows, etcetera, he said. So I think what we need, given the literal needs that are in the trillions of dollars, is to be able to leverage public resources towards that end and create stronger mechanisms, for example to create private sector support for the deployment of renewable energy.

He added: The goal needs to be realistic, and the mechanisms for achieving those goals need to be realistic.

Podesta was also insistent on the need for more countries to contribute to the public sector finance requirements. [The current system] doesnt account for the capacity [of large developing countries to be donors] or the obligation to take account of both their emissions and their capacity to be part of the solution, he said. And Ive discussed that with my Chinese counterpart.

Within the current negotiations, the world is divided into developed countries that must contribute to finance and developing countries that do not. But these demarcations were drawn up in 1992 when the UN framework convention on climate change, parent treaty to the 2015 Paris agreement, was signed, and the classification takes in China and other middle income countries such as South Korea, as well as petrostates such as Saudi Arabia and Qatar.

This is increasingly untenable, Podesta argued, even though China has made much of its offers of finance to the developing world, which it has made on a voluntary basis. Were perfectly willing to take note of that [south-to-south finance] but that needs to be embedded in an overall framework in which voluntary becomes part of the commitment to the world.

He noted that many of the poorest countries were in debt to China and making crippling debt service payments as a result. [China is] by far the largest emitter and its all well and good that they want to make voluntary contributions  but also right now were seeing that theres outflows of capital from the poorest countries back to China, he pointed out.

Barbados, France and Kenya are leading an effort to find innovative ways of financing the transition away from fossil fuels, which was agreed at last years Cop28 summit in Dubai. These could include a wealth tax on billionaires, favoured by Brazil, levies on petrostates and taxes on shipping and frequent flyers.

Podesta refused to rule any of these in or out, but said it was vital to find ways for the private sector to fund the expansion of renewables in the developing world, particularly Africa. What we do recognise is the need for finance in least developed countries, he said. Were not seeing those flows occur. That is a failure of the international system to not being able to solve the energy poverty needs of an entire continent, he said.

Reform of the World Bank would help, he added. Our push towards MDB [multilateral development bank] evolution and what were seeing now from new leadership at the World Bank gives me hope that we can create innovative mechanisms to be able to ensure that were seeing more private sector investment in this space, which can be self-sustaining.
The exterior of Twickenham Green Montessori - Google

A woman has been charged with 25 counts of child abuse at a nursery in south-west London.

Roksana Lecka, of Avro Place, Hounslow, was charged with a string of crimes after detectives investigated concerns about the welfare of children at Twickenham Green Montessori, where fees are almost 2,000 a month.

The 21-year-old was charged on Wednesday with 12 counts of child cruelty, 12 counts of actual bodily harm and one count of attempting to cause grievous bodily harm.

She was remanded in custody and appeared at Wimbledon magistrates court on Thursday July 25.

The Metropolitan Police said her arrest followed an investigation by it south-west child abuse team, which was launched on Jul 2 after concerns were reported to the police.

Det Sgt Ian Cameron, of the forces south-west public protection team, said: I understand the concern that this has caused in the community, especially for parents with young children in nursery.

These are very serious allegations, which is why we swiftly launched a thorough investigation. We are continuing to work very closely with the nursery, Ofsted and the local authority...

Up to 1,900 a month

The nursery cares for children aged under four and parents pay up to 1,900 a month for childcare. It is one of five nurseries in south-west London under the umbrella of Riverside Nursery Schools but it is believed that Ms Lecka worked only at the Twickenham nursery.

The Telegraph understands the Twickenham nursery has suspended registration and is working with the police and local authorities.

In a message to parents, Rik McShane, director of Little Dukes, which launched Riverside Nursery Schools, said the nursery would continue to do all we can to assist the police investigation.

Thank you, as ever, for working with us through this difficult time, he told parents.

Ms Lecka is due to appear at Kingston Crown Court on Aug 21.

Nursery closed

A spokesman for Twickenham Green Montessori told The Independent: We are unable to comment on the court case as legal proceedings are active.

However, we can confirm that as soon as concerns were raised, the staff member was suspended. We followed the appropriate procedures and the relevant authorities were informed.

Ofsted have suspended the nurserys registration pending their investigation, which is standard procedure in these circumstances, and the children have been offered places in nearby nurseries.

We have been communicating with the parents of children at our nursery to keep them informed of developments. The safety and welfare of all our children remains our number one priority.

The nursery has been contacted for comment by The Telegraph.
Host parents hug their students during Creating Friendships For Peace's farewell dinner, Saturday, July 27, 2024, in The Woodlands. Ishika Samant/Staff photographer Students and families grab food during Creating Friendships For Peace's farewell dinner, Saturday, July 27, 2024, in The Woodlands. Each dish was made by the students local to their region. Ishika Samant/Staff photographer A student reads over her notes to tell to her host family during Creating Friendships For Peace's farewell dinner, Saturday, July 27, 2024, in The Woodlands. Ishika Samant/Staff photographer Students grab food made by each family during Creating Friendships For Peace's farewell dinner, Saturday, July 27, 2024, in The Woodlands. Ishika Samant/Staff photographer Students speak about their experiences during their month in the United States during Creating Friendships For Peace's farewell dinner, Saturday, July 27, 2024, in The Woodlands. Ishika Samant/Staff photographer Students and families grab food during Creating Friendships For Peace's farewell dinner, Saturday, July 27, 2024, in The Woodlands. Each dish was made by the students local to their region. Ishika Samant/Staff photographer

Though its area is one-third of the size of Greater Houston, many residents in Cyprus have never traveled to their countrys opposite coast.

Since 1974, the island has been divided by a patrolled U.N. buffer zone between its Greek Cypriot side to the south and Turkish Cypriot side to the north. But as teenagers from both sides of the conflict shared stories and laughs over their own family recipes in The Woodlands on Saturday, they found more similarities than differences.

Bridging the gap

Nonprofit Creating Friendships for Peace began bridging the gap between teenagers from warring nations in 1987 amid The Troubles in Northern Ireland. The nonprofit has since concluded that program and now brings high schoolers together from Cyprus, Israel and Palestine through one-month trips to the United States.

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The nonprofit has been operating in The Woodlands since 2022, although Houston-area coordinator Amanda Van Dusen said this felt like the programs breakthrough year. This summer, host families hosted one teenager from each side of the conflict for one month as they bonded through icebreakers, dinners and sightseeing in Houston.

Its all about creating opportunities for who is on opposite sides of their divided country  to get to really build a relationship with someone from the other side that they wouldnt otherwise have, Van Dusen said.

Although many of the teenagers had some connection to the other side of the island, lingering stereotypes remain in his southern hometown of Limassol, Greek Cypriot Nikitas Aristodemou said.

Greek Cypriot Natalie Hickman said she had never met a Turkish Cypriot before joining the program.

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Shared community and history

I didnt even know there were teenagers. Its just an assumption I had made, Hickman said. Honestly, CFP has opened my eyes, seeing that there is a whole community that we share history with on the other side of the divide.

For members who already had connections from across the divide, the trip also presented an opportunity to learn about Texas and the United States. Although they enjoyed attending the South County Fourth of July parade, rock climbing and visiting the University of Houston, Hickman and her roommate, Asli Toros, said they most enjoyed bonding with both each other and Van Dusens two daughters during their stay.

I was pleasantly shocked how nice people were and welcoming in hosting, Toros said. Being with the family was always entertaining enough for us  I think bonding with (Van Dusens daughters) was probably one of my most special moments here.

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Making connections

Reunification of the island remains as unlikely as ever after talks ceased in 2017, and a two-state solution remains out of reach. But connections can still be made on the ground, Aristodemou said.

Many members were recruited by friends and family members themselves. They plan to continue that cycle by recruiting more friends into the program.

Its like youre making a bridge and most Greek and Turkish Cypriots, they dont really have a lot of connections with each other, Aristodemou said. So Im planning on making my friends become friends with more mutual Turkish Cypriots and that could be like a domino effect.

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The true impact of the program continues back in Cyprus through its alumni program, Van Dusen said. At one event, Van Dusen said a man had his first experiences with people from the other side of the divide.
Violent protests broke out in Southport on Tuesday night as hundreds of demonstrators clashed with police following the deadly knife attack on children attending a Taylor Swift-themed holiday club.

A mob gathered outside a mosque, hurling bricks, masonry and fireworks at officers, amid claims that police were not telling the truth about the suspects background and his motives, with rumours swirling on social media.

Smoke was seen billowing from the area after a police van was set on fire.

A total of 53 officers were injured, of which 49 were Merseyside Police and four were Lancashire Police. Eight sustained serious injuries including fractures, lacerations, a suspected broken nose and concussion and were treated in hospital.

Other officers suffered varying degrees of injury including head injuries, serious facial injuries and one was knocked unconscious.

Four men were arrested and taken into custody, three on suspicion of violent disorder and one on suspicion of affray and possession of a bladed article.

Three police dogs were also wounded, with one suffering burns to her back leg.

The Prime Minister on Tuesday night said: The people of Southport are reeling after the horror inflicted on them.

They deserve our support and our respect. Those who have hijacked the vigil for the victims with violence and thuggery have insulted the community as it grieves. They will feel the full force of the law.

Home Secretary Yvette Cooper also condemned the violence and said those responsible will face the full force of the law.

The violence came after a vigil to remember the three girls who were killed in the attack, identified yesterday as six-year-old Bebe King, seven-year-old Elsie Dot Stancombe and nine-year-old Alice Dasilva Aguiar, took place nearby.

Just hours earlier, Ms Cooper warned that divisions were being stirred up in the wake of the attack.

There has been mounting speculation online about the identity of the attacker and the motive behind his rampage.

A police van set alight as trouble flares in Southport - Richard McCarthy/PA

A police vehicle was set on fire - Getty Images

Merseyside Police described Tuesday nights scenes as sickening and said people were using the speculation about the attack to bring violence and disorder to our streets.

Section 60 and Section 34 Orders were put in place at 7.54pm on Tuesday, giving officers enhanced stop and search powers throughout the Southport area for 24 hours, in a bid to control the chaos.

Police said officers who had already completed a shift on Tuesday returned to duty to help colleagues deal with the protests.

I am so proud to have witnessed off-duty officers (many of whom had not long finished a full shift) parade back on duty to support their colleagues who had displayed such courage whilst under constant and sustained attack, Assistant Chief Constable Alex Goss said.

Sadly, offenders have destroyed garden walls so they could use the bricks to attack our officers and have set cars belonging to the public on fire, and damaged cars parked in the Mosque car park.

Riot police tried to bring protesters under control - Getty Images

This is no way to treat a community, least of all a community that is still reeling from the events of Monday.

Police have appealed for anyone with information or video footage of those involved in the violence to come forward.

Rumours rife

Russian state media were among those falsely identifying the suspect as an asylum seeker who had arrived in the UK by boat last year and sharing claims that he was on an MI6 watch list and was known to local mental health services.

Unsubstantiated claims that the attacker shouted Allahu Akbar have also circulated on social media.

In a statement to the Commons, Ms Cooper said those peddling misinformation about the tragedy risked undermining the ongoing criminal investigation and were being disrespectful to the grieving families.

However, her statement did not rule out that the investigation could become a terror inquiry.

Downing Street also appealed for calm after Sir Keir Starmer was heckled during a visit to Southport, with some protesters accusing the police of covering up aspects of the case.

Nigel Farage, the Reform UK leader, said the heckling of the Prime Minister demonstrated how unhappy the public were with the state of law and order in the country.

He said important questions about the case remained, including whether there was any truth in suggestions that the suspect was on a security services watch list and whether it was terror-related.

In a video statement, Mr Farage said: I just wonder whether the truth is being withheld from us. I dont know the answer, but I think it is a fair and legitimate question. What I do know is that something is going horribly wrong in our once beautiful country.

Merseyside Police officers are continuing to question a 17-year-old on suspicion of murder and attempted murder in connection with the attack.

It is understood that although police are not treating the attack as terror-related, it has not been ruled out. Counter-terror police are continuing to support the investigation.

Ms Coopers statement raised the prospect that the investigation could become a terror inquiry. She said the authorities would examine what contact the suspect had with different agencies, which could include the security services and police, as well as mental health services.

The Home Secretary also made reference to Martyns Law, legislation about the safety of public venues that was proposed following the Manchester Arena terror attack in 2017, saying the Southport case would no doubt feature in the debates over the measure.

A source said: Terror has not been entirely ruled out at this point. We recognise that it can go in any direction. All agencies are still involved, including counter-terror police. They are not leading the investigation, and it is not being treated as a terror incident, but they are still on hand. We dont want to categorically rule anything out.

Russia Today cited claims by a website called Channel 3 Now that the suspect was an asylum seeker who had arrived in the UK by boat last year and was on an MI6 watch list. The Russian state-controlled television channel later updated its story to reflect that the claim had been retracted.

Channel 3 Now claims to be a US-based website, although its Facebook page showed that it is partly managed from Pakistan, while its YouTube channel contains dozens of Russian-language videos.

With an incorrect name of the alleged attacker being shared widely online, Merseyside Police was forced to issue a statement.

A spokesman for the force said: This name is incorrect, and we would urge people not to speculate on details of the incident while the investigation is ongoing.

Speaking about the violent protests on Tuesday night, Mr Goss, the Merseyside Police Assistant Chief Constable, said: There has been much speculation and hypothesis around the status of a 17-year-old male who is currently in police custody, and some individuals are using this to bring violence and disorder to our streets.

We have already said that the person arrested was born in the UK, and speculation helps nobody at this time. Our officers should not have to face this, but we will be there tonight to ensure the safety of the local community who have suffered enough, and will arrest those involved in criminal behaviour.

The teenager being questioned by police cannot be named because of his age, but was born in Cardiff in 2007. It is understood his parents came to the UK from Rwanda in 2002.

Ms Cooper urged people to avoid speculating on the case and allow the police to get on with their job.

She told MPs: False information has already been extensively shared in the last 24 hours. Those who do this for their own purposes risk undermining a crucial criminal investigation, and I ask everyone to show some respect for the community in Southport and for families who are grieving and in trauma.

In these dark and difficult moments, the police must be able to get on with their work and communities must be given the time and space to grieve and heal without outside voices seeking to use events to stir up division or advance their own views.

The Prime Ministers official spokesman said: People should listen to the police  they should not do anything that is going to make the polices job harder to manage the situation, to conduct their investigations. It is unhelpful to speculate on things like the motive and the circumstances around this.

Steve Rotheram, the Mayor of Liverpool City Region, said: I dont understand that people want to weaponise the deaths of three children before the investigations have concluded.

James Cleverly, the shadow home secretary, called for people not to get involved in the grief of others by sharing misinformation relating to the attack on social media.

Mr Goss added: It is sickening to see this happening within a community that has been devastated by the tragic loss of three young lives.

In the last 24 hours, we have seen overwhelming support and sympathy from the community and wider Merseyside communities for the families who are currently trying to deal with their loss and care for victims injured during the major incident.

Yesterday, our officers and other members of the emergency services were faced with one of the most difficult situations they will ever face. Tonight, they find themselves being attacked as they endeavour to prevent disorder.

The actions in Southport tonight will involve many people who do not live in the Merseyside area or care about the people of Merseyside.
Doctor views brain scan

Weight loss jabs slow the progression of Alzheimers, a major trial suggests, raising hopes that the disease could eventually be prevented.

The study by Imperial College London, which tracked more than 200 patients with mild disease, found that the jabs halved brain shrinkage in areas that control memory.

Half were given injections of liraglutide, one of the first in a new class of weight loss jabs, with the rest given a placebo.

The injections appeared to reduce shrinking in parts of the brain that control memory, learning, language and decision making by almost 50 per cent.

Tests suggested that cognitive decline was reduced by as much as 18 per cent, after one year of treatment, suggesting that the injections slowed the progression of disease.

Era of unprecedented promise

Researchers said the findings, presented at the Alzheimers Association International Conference in Philadelphia, suggest that the treatment protects the brain, much like statins protect the heart.

Experts said the findings heralded an era of unprecedented promise in both treatment and prevention of dementia, with one million cases in the UK.

Scientists said the jabs may reduce inflammation in the brain, lowering insulin resistance and the toxic effects of Alzheimers biomarkers amyloid-beta and tau, and improving communication between the brains nerve cells.

This has the potential to prevent the development of Alzheimers disease, or to slow its progression.

The research on liraglutide  which is marketed as Saxenda for weight loss  follows a slew of studies showing that weight loss jabs can have remarkable benefits in tackling other health conditions.

Earlier this year a study found that semaglutide  marketed as Ozempic for diabetes and Wegovy for weight loss  could cut deaths from heart attacks by a fifth.

Significant changes in cognitive measures

The study, led by Prof Paul Edison, professor of science from Imperial College London, included 204 patients with mild Alzheimers disease seen at 24 clinics throughout the United Kingdom. Each received a daily injection for one year, with half getting the placebo.

Before the study began, all patients had magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) to evaluate brain structure and volumes, glucose metabolism PET scans and detailed memory testing. These were repeated at the end of the study with regular safety visits.

Researchers found statistically significant changes in cognitive measures and in brain volume.

Dr Edison said: The slower loss of brain volume suggests liraglutide protects the brain, much like statins protect the heart.

While further research is needed, liraglutide may work through various mechanisms, such as reducing inflammation in the brain, lowering insulin resistance and the toxic effects of Alzheimers biomarkers amyloid-beta and tau, and improving how the brains nerve cells communicate.

He said those receiving liraglutide had nearly 50 per cent less volume loss in several areas of the brain, including frontal, temporal, parietal and total gray matter, as measured by MRI.

These areas are responsible for a variety of critical functions that often are affected by Alzheimers disease, including memory, language and decision-making.

Cognitive testing

Researchers also conducted cognitive testing in the patients  before treatment and at 24 and 52 weeks.

Although the study was not powered to assess cognitive changes, researchers found that patients who received liraglutide had an 18 per cent slower decline in cognitive function in a year compared to those who got the placebo.

Cognitive function was calculated as a composite score of 18 different tests of memory, comprehension, language and spatial orientation.

Dr Sheona Scales, director of research at Alzheimers Research UK, said: Around one million people in the UK are living with dementia, and it remains the only health condition in the top 10 leading causes of death in the UK for which there are no treatments to slow, stop or prevent it. People with dementia desperately need treatments targeting the different aspects of the condition if we are to continue progress towards a cure.

But developing drugs for diseases like Alzheimers is costly, and can take many years. Being able to repurpose drugs already licensed for other health conditions could help accelerate progress and open up new avenues to prevent or treat dementia-causing diseases, such as Alzhiemers.

This new research shows that people with early-stage Alzheimers taking liraglutide had a slower decline in memory and thinking, and less brain shrinkage, over 12 months, compared to placebo.

However  the study was carried out in a small group of people. Larger trials are now happening to see whether drugs like liraglutide are effective at slowing down the progression of Alzheimers disease. What remains unknown is the how, and more research into the mechanism behind liraglutide and its protective effect against dementia is needed.

Research provides hope

Liraglutide is one of a class of weight loss injections called GLP-1 agonists, which were devised to treat diabetes, which have been found to have dramatic effects in reducing weight.

The best known is Ozempic, marketed as Wegovy for weight loss, although a newer jab tirzepatide, marketed as Mounjaro for weight loss, has shown more powerful effects.

In recent months studies have found the class of drugs could have a major impact on other diseases, including cancer, heart disease and kidney conditions.

Animal studies had also suggested they may protect the brain, but this is the first major phase II trial in humans.

Maria C Carrillo, the chief science officer at the Alzheimers Association, said: We are in an era of unprecedented promise, with new treatments in various stages of development that slow or may possibly prevent cognitive decline due to Alzheimers disease.

This research provides hope that more options for changing the course of the disease are on the horizon.

Repurposing drugs already approved for other conditions has the advantage of providing data and experience from previous research and practical use  so we already know a lot about real-world effectiveness in other diseases and side effects, she said.

Alzheimers Society funded expansion of trial

Dr Richard Oakley, associate director of research and innovation at Alzheimers Society, said: Drugs licensed for other conditions now make up 32 per cent of the drugs in trials for Alzheimers disease around the world. This could save years and billions of pounds as repurposed drugs have already been shown to be safe and approved for use, so we only have to show the effect they have on Alzheimers disease.

Alzheimers Society proudly funded the expansion of this trial from just 22 people to over 200 people with early-stage Alzheimers disease. Were encouraged by the positive indications from this study that liraglutide may impact memory and thinking skills and potentially protect against brain shrinkage.

Larger clinical trials are currently testing other compounds from this family of drugs and we look forward to seeing the results.

More people receiving an early and accurate diagnosis is going to be vital in the future for identifying people who are most likely to benefit from new Alzheimers treatments, which are now finally within reach.

Drugs could be repurposed

Experts hope that weight-loss drugs may now be repurposed to provide a new treatment option for preventing and treating dementia.

If bigger trials confirm that liraglutide and the new class of other GLP drugs can slow the progress of dementia, or even prevent it, they could be the first new drugs approved for Alzheimers for 30 years.

Two new drugs  donanemab and lecanemab  have recently been proven to slow the progress of Alzheimers in its early stages, but they have not yet been approved for use in the UK because there are concerns about side-effects.

Last week the European Medicines Agency rejected lecanemab on these grounds.

Saxenda is already available on the health service as a weight loss treatment, as well as a treatment for type two diabetes.

But is only generally prescribed after a GP refers a patient to a specialist weight loss management service.

It works in a similar way to semaglutide  the active ingredient in Ozempic and Wegovy  by altering the bodys metabolism, making people feel fuller and less hungry.

Until early last year, around 30,000 prescriptions for Saxenda were being issued in England monthly, in most cases for treatment of type two diabetes.

But the drug is among those suffering global shortages, and some patients who were being prescribed it for weight loss have been moved onto other jabs  which have to be administered less frequently, and have been found to be more effective.

The drug was one of the first GLP agonists to be widely prescribed, with the daily jabs causing on average 6.4 per cent body weight loss over 68 weeks.

Last year Wegovy  which involves weekly injections was made available in the UK for weight loss, after trials found an average of 15 per cent weight loss over 68 weeks.

Since then Mounjaro was licensed for weight loss, with trials showing an average of 22.5 per cent loss over 72 weeks.
Rex reported a loss of $3.2m for the first half of the 2023-24 financial year. The ASX suspended trading in the airlines shares on Monday. Photograph: William West/AFP/Getty Images

There is uncertainty about the future of Rex  Australias third-largest airline  after it entered voluntary administration and grounded all of its flights between capital cities.

The Albanese government held crisis talks with Rex on Tuesday and appeared willing to step in to save parts of the airlines operations.

While Rex jet services between capital cities such as Sydney, Melbourne and Brisbane are grounded and ticket sales halted, its regional services are unaffected, administrators from EY  previously known as Ernst & Young  said in a statement on Tuesday night.

The airline entered a trading halt on Monday. The news follows the recent collapse of budget carrier Bonza in a market dominated by the Qantas and Virgin duopoly.

Rex is the only air link provider for many regional towns and its fares on capital city routes have been competitive with the major players.

So, how serious is the situation at Rex?

What has happened?

Late on Tuesday evening, administrators from EY announced they had been appointed to determine the future of Rex.

All flights that Rex operates using its fleet of Boeing 737 jets between capital cities have been grounded.

Virgin Australia has stepped in to help affected Rex passengers, offering to rebook them on an equivalent Virgin service free of charge, provided they take up the offer before 14 August.

Rexs core regional routes using its 36-seater Saab 340 turboprop planes will continue operating.

News of Rex entering administration followed days of speculation about its future after the Australian stock exchange on Monday announced it had suspended trade in Rexs shares at the airlines request pending it releasing an announcement. Rex said the trading halt came ahead of an announcement in relation to a news article published on Saturday.

Related: Labor ignored Bonzas plea for help, as questions linger over what transport officials knew and when

The article is understood to be a report in the Australian newspaper that the airline had appointed consultants from Deloitte to advise how it could turn around its financial woes.

How are regional leaders reacting?

Rex was still selling tickets to its regional services on Tuesday.

That did not prevent panic among regional communities, with rural mayors across Australia whose residents rely on Rex for connectivity warning of further isolation if the carrier went under.

In Eurobodalla council in New South Wales, Moruya airport is only serviced by Rex. The mayor, Mathew Hatcher, said he was hoping the government would ensure Rexs future. For our community, it would be a terrible blow to lose Rex, he said.

Birdsville airport, about 1,600km west of Brisbane, also relies on Rex for connectivity, with two weekly flights to Brisbane. If they were to close down, we would be devastated, its our only airline service  we rely on it for boarding school, medical appointments, recreation, Francis Murray, the mayor of Diamantina, said.

Meanwhile, leaders of larger regional centres feared airfare price hikes from Qantas if left without competition.

Theyre not just important, theyre crucial. This is our highway, said the Devonport mayor, Alison Jarman, on the prospect of Qantas gaining a monopoly on connectivity to the Tasmanian town. Qantas certainly wont have a problem if they dont have any competition.

Is Rex in financial trouble?

Rex in February reported a loss of $3.2m for the first half of the 2023-24 financial year, compared with a $16.5m loss in the previous six months. It said escalating costs, particularly for fuel, made it hard to predict full-year profitability.

Rex shares are worth about half of what they were a year ago and were trading at 56.5 cents before being halted.

Rex was initially called Regional Express following its formation after the death of Ansett. For most of its existence, Rex has been a purely regional carrier, operating 36-seater Saab 340 turboprop aircraft. About a third of its ageing 57 Saab 340s are not in operation pending repairs.

However, in 2020, Rex began vying for a share of the lucrative market between capital cities, seizing on the instability in Australias domestic aviation market which occurred when Virgin Australia entered administration and underwent a significant restructuring.

Rex leased nine Boeing 737 jets, including several formerly flown by Virgin, and launched routes between Sydney, Melbourne and Brisbane.

The airline boasted of these routes profitability and continued launching new routes including to Perth and Adelaide. Rex is now leasing nine 737s.

Over the same period, Rex has outperformed Qantas and Virgin to be, at times, Australias most on-time airline, and it also acquired a 50% stake in fly-in fly-out operator National Jet Express.

However, it has struggled with numerous issues, including allegations of anti-competitive behaviour by Qantas, and difficulty accessing strategically important Sydney airport slots at peak times  a gripe echoed by failed budget operator Bonza.

Rex has also confronted a shortage of parts to repair its ageing fleet of Saab 340 aircraft for its core regional operations, which have also been hampered by a shortage of pilots for the smaller planes.

Related: Rex forced into trading halt amid questions about the airlines future

Is Rex about to collapse? Or could something else be at play?

Its too early to know. Virgin Australia entered administration at the height of the Covid pandemic and emerged following a restructure with new owners. It is now posting profits.

Budget carrier Bonza did not survive administration earlier this year. However, a key issue influencing the prospect of a new buyer saving Bonza, was the fact it leased all of its aircraft. Once they were repossessed, little value remained with the company.

Rex leases its fleet of nine Boeing 737s used on the capital city routes which have now been grounded. But it owns the Saab 340 turboprop aircraft used on regional corridors.

The Albanese government has suggested it will step in to ensure Rex continues to operate, at least regionally, but it is unclear if this will lead to the government taking a stake in the carrier, which already receives subsidies from various governments to operate key regional routes.

The federal transport minister, Catherine King, said on Tuesday afternoon: We will work with Rex, we want to make sure that they have a future as part of aviation in this country, and were very determined to make sure that happens. We obviously dont want to do that at any cost, we want to be involved very closely in what that future might look like.

Rex has also been rocked by leadership tensions, with the major shareholder and former executive chair Lim Kim Hai ousted in June.

Lim was replaced by John Sharp, who had been the deputy chair of the board. Sharp, a former Nationals federal transport minister, has in recent years made headlines with his colourful criticism of Qantas and aviation policy.

Lim has since pushed to remove Sharp and three other directors from the board, with a special shareholder meeting to vote on Lims demands.

It is unclear if there is any connection between the leadership tensions and Rexs financial woes.

The prime minister, Anthony Albanese, said he would consider proposals to save the company but added Rex already received substantial public funding with no conditions attached.

One of the things I expressed concern about was having no conditions so Rex, for example, moved away from their traditional role of being a regional airline into flights, for example, from Sydney to Melbourne, Albanese said on Tuesday.
Robert Jenrick

I have argued repeatedly in these pages that this country needs, and wants, massive change to deal with our deep-seated economic and political problems. So it is a huge pity that we have just elected Labour to deliver more of the same.

Now, for another five years, Britain will carry on sliding downhill. But thereafter we must be ready as a Conservative Party to put forward an alternative that carries confidence. The first step is to face our problems honestly. The second is to tell hard truths about what it will take to fix them.

Thats my view. And its Robert Jenricks view, too, as set out in his Tory leadership launch video. Like me, he believes we face complex interlocking challenges, low growth, poor public services, high immigration.

But he also sets out a way forward: a sovereign people and a sovereign country that can act decisively; more housebuilding; proper reliable cheap energy instead of the damage of the current net-zero model; a safety-net welfare state which doesnt discourage growth and enterprise; and as he puts it, a small state that works, not a big one that fails.

Im not an MP. I dont have a vote at this point. But as the Conservative Party chair said this week, the leadership election is designed for candidates to make their pitch to you [party members] first before MPs.

Many party members have already asked me who I will be supporting. Thats why Im writing to say now that I believe Robert Jenrick is the candidate who has best understood our countrys problems and the effort needed to fix them.

Robert understands that our party must appeal to all of the 15 million British people who are open to voting Conservative, but equally that it can only do that if it is united around coherent, mainstream, genuinely conservative principles. We should aim to win over voters from Reform by being conservative, and from our Left by having properly serious plans to solve the countrys problems.

He gets that this means striking the right tone. Rebuilding our nation requires respect for each other. That doesnt mean ignoring disagreements or brushing over serious problems in our society. It does mean talking about them honestly, clearly, respectfully, in a way that commands confidence that they can be dealt with.

We agree on Brexit. As we wrote together here recently, we need a Conservative Party that definitively finishes the Brexit job, delivers our Brexit opportunities to enable reform and change in the interests of everyone in this country  and allows the British people to govern ourselves once again as a free people.

And finally, hes honest enough to admit that his own thinking has evolved. Some of my own friends in and beyond the party ask: Has Robert really changed his mind? Can we be sure we arent just choosing another managerial politician? Im sensitive to this myself: after all, I wrongly supported Rishi Sunak after Liz Trusss fall.

My answer to that is that some ministers get beaten by the Blob, but others get radicalised. I was certainly radicalised as I saw the efforts to block Brexit. And Ive talked to Robert and I can see it in him, too.

Theres nothing wrong in changing your mind through experience. Its looking the other way thats the problem.

And thats why theres one last thing thats important. Anyone can talk. It takes courage to act. I know that. I gave up my ministerial career on principle in December 2021 by resigning in protest against yet another Covid lockdown. So, too, Robert resigned last year in protest at the governments migration policy, and was one of the small group who refused to back the Rwanda Bill unless it freed us from the European Convention on Human Rights.

If we had taken a different course then, and the boats had slowed or even stopped  who knows what the story of this election might have been? More firm stands on points of principle might have changed the outcome, at least in part. Instead, we continued full on to disaster. Only a few, like Robert, stood by their beliefs. To me, that makes a difference.

That ability to see the big picture, and to stand on principle to deliver it, is why I support Robert Jenrick as leader of our party. I hope others will look at what he is saying  and then do the same.
The changes announced by the chancellor will take the payments away from about 10 million people. Photograph: Peter Byrne/PA

On Monday the chancellor, Rachel Reeves, announced a package of measures designed to close a 22bn hole in the public finances she said was covered up by the Conservative government.

Among them was a surprise removal of winter fuel payments for millions of pensioners and the abandoning of a long-delayed cap on what people pay for social care.

What are winter fuel payments?

Winter fuel payments are a state benefit for pensioners that are designed to help with their heating bills. They were introduced in 1997 by the last Labour government and have been available to everyone in the UK (and some countries beyond) who has reached state pension age.

Payments are worth between 100 and 300  tax-free  with the basic rate paid automatically to anyone claiming the state pension. The higher sums are available to those who get other benefits, such as pension credit.

The payment is made annually each winter. In the winter of 2022-23 there were payments to 11.4 million pensioners in 8.4m households. That year and in the winter of 2023-24 there were extra cost of living payments made to the poorest pensioner households  for some this increased the payment to 600.

What is the chancellor doing?

Reeves has announced that the payment will no longer be universal in England and Wales, and that only pensioners on means-tested benefits will qualify for it this winter. This will take it away from about 10 million people. The payments are devolved, so Scotland and Northern Ireland will make their own rules.

Reeves said the government would continue to provide winter fuel payments worth 200 to households receiving pension credit or 300 to households in receipt of pension credit with someone over the age of 80.

One criticism of the previous system was that the money went to people who did not need it  at one stage it was being paid to expats in Spain, despite warmer temperatures, although that was scrapped 10 years ago. Some wealthy people have given theirs to charity each year, or opted to decline receiving them.

However, charities say the cuts go too far: Age UK said that 2 million people who need the payments will no longer get them. Almost half qualify for pension credit but do not claim it and about half have weekly incomes that are less than 50 a week above the poverty line  they do not qualify for extra benefits but do rely on the payments. Another group is made up of those who are unwell or live in badly insulated homes and need the heating on high.

Who will qualify this winter?

The payments will be targeted at households where there is someone who is over state pension age and receives one of the following benefits:

Pension credit

Universal credit

Income support

Income-based jobseekers allowance

Income-related employment and support allowance

The basic payment will be 200, and households with someone aged over 80 will get 300.

How do I make sure I get the payment?

The only way to get the winter fuel payment is by qualifying for one of the above, so check if you do. The website Entitledto.co.uk has a benefits calculator that will tell you if there is anything you should be claiming.

The key is likely to be pension credit  about 800,000 people are missing out on payments they are due.

What is pension credit?

Pension credit is for people on low incomes and already unlocks a whole number of other benefits, including cold weather payments (these are worth 25 for each seven-day period of very cold weather between the start of November and end of March).

The credit ensures that single people have an income of at least 218.15 a week, and that pensioner couples have at least 332. Those who have caring responsibilities or a disability may qualify for more.

How do I get pension credit?

If you are on a low income (less than the 218.15 a week it guarantees) then you should check if you qualify  the government has an online calculator or you can phone 0800 99 1234.

Reeves says the government will bring together the administration of pension credit and housing benefit as soon as operationally possible so that pensioners receiving the housing payment will get any pension credit they are entitled to.

What are the social care changes?

A package of reforms was supposed to put a cap on the sums paid by people in England for their social care  the support they need either at home or in a care home. The cap was to be set at 86,000. After that, local authorities would cover the costs.

People were also going to get more access to support through changes to the threshold at which they were eligible. Currently anyone with savings worth over 23,500 could not claim council support, but that was set to go up to 100,000.

The changes were due to be introduced in October 2025 but have been scrapped.
The chairman of the Omagh Bombing Inquiry has vowed it will undertake its work rigorously and fearlessly.

Scottish judge Lord Turnbull was speaking during the first public hearing of the probe into the 1998 atrocity which claimed 29 lives, including a woman pregnant with twins.

Bereaved families and survivors gathered at the Strule Arts Centre in the Co Tyrone town for the hearing in the inquiry which will examine whether the atrocity could reasonably have been prevented by UK authorities.

Ruairi de Burca (centre), senior official with Irelands Department of Foreign Affairs, arriving at the Strule Arts Centre in Omagh (Liam McBurney/PA)

It comes after a High Court judgment recommended a public inquiry into alleged security failings in the lead-up to the atrocity, and also urged the Irish authorities to establish their own probe.

The Irish government, earlier this month, formally agreed to provide assistance to the inquiry.

Ruairi de Burca, director general at the Department of Foreign Affairs, reiterated his governments commitment to assist the inquiry.

Addressing the hearing, he said the Irish government is committed to additional new legislation if required to support its assistance.

We will work to ensure that our deeds match our words in respect of this inquiry, he added.

The names of all those killed were read out during proceedings and those in the hearing room stood for a minutes silence in their memory.

In his opening statement, Lord Turnbull said the pain of bereavement and trauma caused by the dissident republican bomb attack spread beyond Omagh, Northern Ireland and Ireland to families from England and Spain.

He also said the attack, which came just months after the signing of the Belfast/Good Friday Agreement, caused outrage and consternation across national boundaries and across continents.

Police officers and firefighters inspecting the damage caused by a bomb explosion in Market Street, Omagh (Paul McErlane/PA)

Condemnation was expressed by the Prime Minister of the United Kingdom and the Taoiseach of the Republic of Ireland, other world leaders, community leaders, religious leaders and political leaders all joined with them in expressing the unforgivable nature of what had occurred, he said.

Lord Turnbull said the inquiry will undertake its task rigorously and fearlessly, and emphasised the defining character of the inquiry must be its independence.

He said the value which the inquiry attaches to its independence means that it will not be amenable to influence from any government or from any state agency.

It will not allow itself to be deflected from its purpose by the difficulties which may lie in its way on account of the passage of time or the volume and complexity of materials, he said.

Lord Turnbull also told the hearing that he will approach the task with an open mind, and will assess the evidence which is heard both fairly and reasonably.

I will do so without any preformed view or impression as to whether the atrocity could or could not have been prevented, he added.

There were also opening statements on behalf of those granted core participant status, including those bereaved and injured in the atrocity, as well as former chief constable Sir Ronnie Flanagan, the Police Service of Northern Ireland, the Police Ombudsman and the UK Government.

Bereaved families expressed hope after decades of campaigning for a public inquiry into the atrocity.

Omagh bomb campaigners Stanley McCombe, left, who lost his wife, Ann; and Michael Gallagher, right, who lost his son, Aiden, arriving at the Strule Arts Centre in Omagh (Liam McBurney/PA)

Michael Gallagher, whose son Aiden was killed, welcomed progress, adding it had taken the families a long time to get here.

I think it was hugely respectful that their (victims) names were read out and their details, that there was a minute of silence, I think that was hugely important and we were very grateful for that, he said.

As the core participants names were being read out, and the families, when you listen to the ages (of those killed), it is quite difficult.

It is not easy listening, especially when youre affected by it.

Stanley McCombe, who lost his wife, Ann, in the bombing, said he had great faith in Lord Turnbull and his legal team.

After years of hard labour were hopeful, were very, very hopeful, he added.

Commemorative and personal statements are set to be made during inquiry hearings next January.
Merseyside Police have issued a warning after an incorrect name for the alleged Southport attacker was widely circulated online.

Inaccurate posts by social media sleuths about the identity of the perpetrator have received millions of views and engagements.

A 17-year-old boy, who cannot be named for legal reasons, remains in custody accused of murder and attempted murder following the incident.

Sunder Katwala, director of the thinktank British Future, said a fake news channel seemed to have invented a fake name and run a false story.

Some of those sharing that false information include actor Laurence Fox and former kickboxer Andrew Tate, Mr Katwala said, posting on X.

Mr Katwala said the pace with which misinformation was spreading after the incident presents important challenges to social media platforms and ultimately for policymakers as regulators and lawmakers if platforms cannot respond.

A scam/fake news channel (which now has 3000 followers, having had almost none) seems to have invented a fake Arab name and run a false story about Southport, generating 1.4 m impressions. Widely shared by users (some naively, others perhaps knowingly). X doing nothing about it pic.twitter.com/vKf79oOVI9  Sunder Katwala (@sundersays) July 29, 2024

He told the PA news agency: There are different types of bad faith actor spreading misinformation at pace in heightened circumstances.

There may be low quality feeds masquerading as news sites, even scraping social media rumours to produce AI-generated content.

There can be more deliberate networks of extreme actors, including far right groups and foreign intelligence actors.

Police officers overlook the village of Masca, Tenerife, during the search for missing British teenager Jay Slater, 19, from Oswaldtwistle, Lancashire (James Manning/PA)

The platforms will struggle to get everything right in real time. But it matters as to whether they have the will and capacity to respond to the most serious threats, such as those breaching legal constraints and injunctions and those using heightened moments with the intent of socialising people towards extremism and violence.

There are strong signs of a significant deterioration in both the intent and capacity of X under Elon Musks ownership.

It will be important to have parliamentary scrutiny, for example in select Committee hearings, of the consequences of that laxity in cases like the Southport murders, particularly where the online misinformation can generate real world consequences by encouraging and inciting disorder, hatred and violence.

A Merseyside Police statement said: A name has been shared on social media in connection with the suspect in the incident in Southport.

This name is incorrect and we would urge people not to speculate on details of the incident while the investigation is ongoing.

The force added: This incident is not currently being treated as terror-related and we are not looking for anyone else in connection with it.

Nicola Bulley (Family Handout/PA)

Home Secretary Yvette Cooper warned against speculating or commenting on the criminal investigation into the stabbing.

When asked whether she could provide more information, including whether the suspect was known to authorities, she said: Merseyside Police are leading this extremely important and serious criminal investigation.

This was a horrific attack and they need to be able to get on with that work, and they will provide us with updates.

Youll understand that others should not be speculating or commenting in advance of those updates and we really welcome the work of Merseyside Police, but its also important that they pursue every single angle of inquiry.

We can confirm the names of the three girls who were tragically killed in Southport on Monday (29 July). They are Bebe King, six; Elsie Dot Stancombe, seven; and Alice Dasilva Aguiar, nine  Please visit here for more: https://t.co/CZ3hIM7ycn pic.twitter.com/Xz8ea1LglU  Merseyside Police (@MerseyPolice) July 30, 2024

Earlier this month, Debbie Duncan, the mother of Jay Slater, who died after disappearing on the Spanish holiday island of Tenerife, criticised awful comments and conspiracy theories posted on social media, which she branded vile and said were hindering the people who were trying to help locate the teenager.

Last year, Nicola Bulleys family hit out at wildly inaccurate speculation about her death.

Ms Bulley, 45, vanished after dropping off her daughters, six and nine, at school, and taking her usual dog walk along the River Wyre in St Michaels, Lancashire, on January 27.

A solicitor for the family said: We encourage people to look at the facts, the evidence which has been heard during the inquest, and the conclusion reached by the Coroner, to ignore any amateur views and opinions, and be mindful of the impact words bring.
Political leaders across the island of Ireland have hailed history-maker Daniel Wiffen after his gold medal victory in the Olympic swimming pool.

Wiffen, from the village of Magheralin in Northern Ireland, triumphed in the mens 800 metres freestyle final in Paris on Tuesday evening, setting a new Olympic record in the process.

The 23-year-old has become the first gold medallist from Northern Ireland for 36 years and Irelands first male swimming gold medallist.

The last athletes from Northern Ireland to win Olympic gold were Stephen Martin and Jimmy Kirkwood, who were part of the winning Team GB hockey team at Seoul in 1988.

Wiffen is the first individual gold medallist from Northern Ireland since Mary Peters triumphed for GB in the pentathlon at Munich in 1972.

Only an hour after Wiffens success another Northern Ireland swimmer secured a gold medal.

While Jack McMillan did not participate in the Olympic 4x200m freestyle final that was won by Team GB swimmers Matt Richards, James Guy, Tom Dean and Duncan Scott, the 24-year-old from Co Down still secured a medal having swum for the team in the qualifying heats.

Stormont First Minister Michelle ONeill and deputy First Minister Emma Little-Pengelly congratulated both swimmers.

This is truly a momentous occasion for Daniel and for local sport, they said in a joint statement.

Not only has he secured NIs first Olympic gold medal in 36 years, it is also the first medal of the Games for our athletes and he set a new Olympic record. It was a fantastic performance by the @TeamIreland swimmer.

On McMillans gold medal, they added: Well done to Jack and his @TeamGB

teammates who have secured gold medals following the 4x200m freestyle relay. What an incredible Olympics for our local swimmers so far.

Taoiseach Simon Harris described Wiffens performance as masterful.

On behalf of the entire country, hoarse from screaming at their televisions and computer screens, I would like to send our absolute admiration and congratulations to Daniel Wiffen, he said.

Daniel, you did it  Olympic gold and an Olympic record.

The 800-metre freestyle final in Paris was one for the ages and Daniels technique, power and grit under pressure confirms him as a once-in-a-generation athlete. Hes a world champion and now an Olympic champion, and it was our privilege to witness it.

This is a family affair and I can only imagine the joy of Rachel, Jonathan and Nathan this evening. This is your victory too.

Irelands Daniel Wiffen stands for the national anthem after winning the mens 800m freestyle final (John Walton/PA)

Congratulations Daniel, we cant wait to see what you do next.

Deputy premier Micheal Martin described Wiffens win as an outstanding performance.

A breathtaking race and a new Olympic record, he said.

What an achievement for Daniel and his family.

Richard Archibald, interim chief executive officer of Sport NI, said: After a 36-year wait Daniel Wiffen is bringing an Olympic gold medal home to Northern Ireland.

At Sport NI we are immensely proud of Daniel and his achievements.

We are proud to have supported Daniel at the start of his career through our National Lottery funded athlete award. His progress over the last few years has been incredible, with European and World titles as well as a coveted world record and now an Olympic record.

He is an inspiration to us all and I am sure his win will encourage many young people across Northern Ireland to try their hand at swimming. With two more events to come the sky is the limit for Daniel and we wish him all the very best.

On McMillans achievement, he added: Jack played an integral role in the team securing their spot in tonights final with the fastest qualifying time.

At Sport NI we are proud to have supported Jacks journey to success through our Sport NI Sports Institute and National Lottery-funded Athlete Award.

Wiffens victory came a day after Sligos Mona McSharry clinched a dramatic Olympic bronze medal for Ireland in the final of the womens 100m breaststroke.
Angela Rayner has announced an overhaul of the planning system to pave the way for 1.5 million new homes over the next five years to tackle Englands acute housing crisis.

Mandatory housing targets, scrapped by the previous Conservative government, will be restored and some low-quality green belt land will be freed up for construction under the plans.

The Deputy Prime Minister and Housing Secretary will reverse changes made to the National Planning Policy Framework (NPPF) by Rishi Sunaks administration she said had tanked housing supply.

(PA Graphics)

She unveiled forecasts that fewer than 200,000 new homes would be built in 2024-25 under Tory policies  far below their annual 300,000 target.

In a statement to MPs on Tuesday before they depart for the summer recess, Ms Rayner said: In a bid to appease their anti-housing backbenchers, they made housing targets only advisable.

They knew that this would tank housing supply, but they still did it.

(PA Graphics)

The Labour frontbencher said her radical plan will help get the homes we desperately need, as well as drive the growth, create jobs and breathe life back into towns and cities.

Her reforms make explicit that the default answer to brownfield development should be yes and promote housebuilding at greater densities in urban centres, like towns and cities.

However, because there is not enough brownfield land in the country to meet housing needs, the Government will allow the targeted release of so-called grey belt land, which includes disused petrol stations and car parks on parts of protected land known as the green belt.

Any green belt land released will be subject to golden rules to ensure the development delivers 50% affordable homes with a focus on social rent, and has access to green spaces and infrastructure such as schools and GP surgeries.

The method for local authorities to calculate how much land they must allocate for new housing, which relied on data from 2014, will be updated to ensure stock is boosted in every part of the country.

The Labour Government wants to build 1.5 million homes in five years (James Manning/PA)

Ms Rayner said: Rather than relying on outdated data, this new method will require local authorities to plan for homes proportionate to the size of existing communities, and it will incorporate an uplift where house prices are most out of step with local incomes.

The collective total of these local targets will therefore rise from some 300,000 a year to just over 370,000 a year.

Ministers are also laying the groundwork for universal local plan coverage across England.

With only a third of councils currently having a plan that is under five years old, ministers will be ready to intervene to ensure they all have one in place by a specified point next year, taking over a local plan if insufficient progress is made.

Ms Rayner also unveiled immediate measures to counter the decline in the number of social and affordable housing through new flexibilities for councils, including allowing them to use their right-to-buy receipts to build and buy more social homes.

Today Im calling on local authorities, housing associations and industry to work with me to deliver a council house revolution, Ms Rayner told the Commons, promising the biggest boost to social and affordable housing in a generation.

Details of Government investment in the form of direct grant funding for social and affordable housing, as well as on rent stability, will be brought forward at the autumn Spending Review.

Labour also intends to drop the requirement for new homes to be beautiful, introduced by the Conservatives, arguing it is subjective, difficult to define and leads to inconsistent decision-making on applications.

The ruling partys manifesto used different language, outlining instead its aim for exemplary development to be the norm not the exception.

Labours manifesto outlined its aim for exemplary housing development to be the norm not the exception (Ian Vogler/Daily Mirror/PA)

Ms Rayner defended the cut to Londons annual homes target from 100,000 to 80,000, saying the previous ambition based on an arbitrary uplift was absolute nonsense and that the Mayor of London is determined to rise to the new target.

But Sam Richards, chief executive of pro-growth campaign group Britain Remade, said: It is a mistake to cut Londons 100,000 homes per year target by 20,000.

London has Britains most acute housing shortage, and cities across the world show that 100,000 homes per year can be done.

He added that the revised NPPF contains a number of necessary changes and that it is right that housing targets are now based on affordability and that they are tougher, while breaking the taboo on the green belt is brave and necessary.

Victoria Hills, chief executive of the Royal Town Planning Institute, said the proposed changes have the potential to rebuild trust in our planning system.

It is particularly encouraging to see the Government placing a much-needed emphasis on strategic planning, which can help deliver more coherent  not piecemeal  urban expansions by integrating new housing with transportation, energy, and public services.

The new draft NPPF will go out to consultation for eight weeks from Tuesday.
Earlier this year, the San Diego Zoo announced that giant pandas were returning to the zoo, and people were ecstatic about the news. Now, the time for their first public appearance is almost here! San Diego Zoo announced the giant pandas' public debut date, and people are ready to line up to see them.

In mid-July, the zoo shared a video giving us all a glimpse of the pandas who have been living in quarantine there since June 27th. Yun Chuan and Xin Bao have been hanging out and getting used to their new digs for the last month, and will start accepting visitors on Thursday, August 8th. I wish I lived closer so I could go see them!

People are so excited to see the giant pandas in person! Fans of San Diego Zoo had a lot to say about the announcement, and many are already making plans to go and see them, and letting the zoo know when to expect them. Commenter @Alexa! made me laugh when she said, "I wonder if they think our bamboo is trash." Another commenter asked the question that we all have, "Are you going to have a panda cam?" and while the zoo didn't confirm it, but said simply, "Stay tuned!"

Related: Giant Pandas Are Returning to San Diego Zoo and People Are Ecstatic

More About San Diego Zoo's Pandas

If you're interested in seeing the pandas in person, the zoo shared the different options guests will have to visit them, "Guests will have 3 ways to see these celebrities! On the day of your visit, you can (1) obtain a free Giant Panda Timed Ticket or (2) join the standby line. Or, (3) you can reserve in advance an exclusive 60-minute Early Morning with Pandas Walking Tour."

In a previous video, San Diego Zoo introduced the pandas and gave us all a little insight into their personalities. "Yun Chuan is a nearly five-year-old male giant panda described as mild-mannered, gentle, and lovable. His mother, Zhen Zhen (pronounced jen jen), was born at San Diego Zoo in 2007 to parents Bai Yun (pronounced bye yoon) and Gao Gao (pronounced gow gow)."

"Xin Bao is a nearly four-year-old female giant panda described as a gentle and witty introvert with a sweet round face and big ears." They added, "Her name means a 'new treasure of prosperity and abundance."

The San Diego Zoo Wildlife Alliance is a nearly 30-year partnership with institutions in China. Their goal is to preserve and take care of pandas who've been forced from their natural habitats. They also hope that by sharing the pandas with the public, people to understand and care about these gentle creatures. For more information about the zoo's newest celebrities, you can visit their website.

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.
Now world's largest, China marks the third anniversary of its carbon market

10:23, July 30, 2024 By Shan Jie ( Global Times

Photo taken on July 16, 2021, shows a screen displaying real-time information on national carbon emission trading in Wuhan, Central China's Hubei Province. (Photo: Xinhua)

This July marks the third anniversary of the launch of the national carbon emissions trading market in China, which, according to the Chinese Ministry of Ecology and Environment on Monday, has made China the world's largest carbon market in terms of greenhouse gas coverage.

The national carbon emissions trading market in China, which started with the power generation industry, currently includes 2,257 key emissions units in the sector. This market covers approximately 5.1 billion tons of carbon dioxide emissions annually, said Pei Xiaofei, spokesperson of the Ministry of Ecology and Environment on Monday at a monthly press conference.

Pei said that the national carbon market is an important policy tool that uses market mechanisms to control greenhouse gas emissions and will achieve carbon peak and carbon neutrality goals. It consists of two parts: the mandatory carbon emissions trading market and the voluntary greenhouse gas emissions reduction trading market. These two markets operate independently yet complement each other through a quota clearance and offset mechanism.

He said that over the past three years, the national mandatory carbon emissions trading market has successfully completed two compliance cycles, achieved its expected construction goals, and made significant progress.

A comprehensive institutional framework has been established. The State Council issued the "Interim Regulations on Administration of Carbon Emissions Trading," and the Ministry of Ecology and Environment released the "Carbon Emissions Trading Management Measures (Trial)" along with three management rules for carbon emissions registration, trading, and settlement.

An infrastructure support system known as "One Network, Two Institutions, Three Platforms" has been built, encompassing the national carbon market information network, national carbon emission registration and trading institutions, and the national carbon emissions registration, trading, and management platforms.

Moreover, the capacity for carbon emissions accounting and management has significantly improved through enhanced data quality supervision, optimized methods, advanced technologies, and dynamic risk monitoring, leading to better corporate management and accounting capabilities.

The vitality of the carbon market has steadily increased. By the end of June 2024, the cumulative trading volume of the national carbon emissions trading market reached 465 million tons, with a transaction value of approximately 27 billion yuan ($3.7 billion).

The trading scale has gradually expanded, with the trading volume and value in the second compliance cycle increasing by 19 percent and 89 percent, respectively, compared to the first compliance cycle.

Furthermore, corporate participation in trading has significantly increased, with 82 percent of companies participating, up nearly 50 percent from the first compliance cycle. The overall carbon price has shown a steady upward trend, rising from 48 yuan per ton at the start to 91.6 yuan per ton ($12.6) as of the closing price on July 26, an increase of 90.8 percent.

Additionally, the national voluntary greenhouse gas emissions reduction trading market was officially launched in January 2024. Its institutional framework is now complete, and emissions reduction projects and voluntary reductions are about to enter the registration application window period, encouraging broader industry participation in carbon reduction efforts.

(Web editor: Tian Yi, Wu Chaolan)
A teenager was arrested and charged with murder in connection to the July 20 stabbing death of a 62-year-old woman, Sheriff Ed Gonzalez said. Houston Chronicle

A teenager was arrested Monday and charged with murder in connection to the July 20 stabbing death of a 62-year-old woman in northwest Harris County, Sheriff Ed Gonzalez said.

The teenager was arrested more than a week after Dana Magnuson was found stabbed multiple times in a shed behind her home in Hockley, a small unincorporated community on U.S. 290, according to authorities.

MORE ON HOUSTONCHRONICLE.COM: Man accused of selling counterfeit cancer drugs indicted in Houston

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Gonzalez announced the arrest in a post on X, the social media website. The teen boy's name wasn't released. He was being held at the Harris County Juvenile Detention Center, Gonzalez said.

Teenagers charged with serious crimes, including murder, can be tried as adults in Texas. To do so, the district attorney's office must go through a process known as certification, in which prosecutors present probable cause to a juvenile court judge and argue that the case is deserving of being heard in adult court.

It was unclear Monday night if prosecutors would seek certification in the teen's case.

Gonzalez described Magnuson as "an active community member and beloved by everyone who knew her." She worked as a bus dispatcher for Katy ISD, according to ABC 13.
Securing the future of the Grangemouth refinery is one of the greatest tests the just transition process will ever face, a union has said ahead of a march calling for its lifespan to be extended.

Unite said it is fighting hard for the 500 workers at the oil refinery, which under plans previously announced by owner Petroineos is due to transition into an import facility for finished fuels from 2025.

The union said it has had constructive, high-level talks with the new UK Government, and it welcomed the joint government funding of 1.6 million for Project Willow, which will explore low-carbon projects at Grangemouth.

It also welcomed the inclusion in the recent Kings Speech of a plan to support sustainable aviation fuel, and says it has campaigned for exploration of how this could be developed at the refinery for Scotlands aviation sector.

Sharon Graham hailed the grit and determination of Grangemouth workers to fight for their futures (PA)

However union officials warned that without action, oil and gas workers risk becoming the coal miners of our generation.

Unite general secretary Sharon Graham said: Unite is fighting hard for the futures of workers in Grangemouth, to extend the life of the refinery and to secure commensurate jobs for them in new low-carbon projects at the plant.

I have had some constructive, high-level talks with the Government in Westminster and we are also continuing to engage positively with Holyrood and (refinery owner) Petroineos.

The Keep Grangemouth Working campaign has put the fight to save Scotlands only oil refinery centre stage. The march in Grangemouth is testament to the grit and determination of the workers to keep fighting for their futures.

We cannot allow oil and gas workers to become the coal miners of our generation.

Keep Grangemouth Working Join us and march for jobs Saturday 3rd August11amAssemble at Grangemouth Stadium Click this link to book your seat on the bus https://t.co/wQnjCRHs4t Like and Share  pic.twitter.com/n0942E6ToJ  Unite Scotland (@UniteScotland) July 17, 2024

Grangemouth is Scotlands last remaining oil refinery, and one of only six in the UK.

Derek Thompson, Unite Scottish secretary, said: There has been a sea-change in Government attitude, both at Holyrood and Westminster, over the refinerys future.

Now a solution with Government support must be found to extend the lifespan of the oil refinery. Unite will work morning, noon and night in the fight to save jobs at Grangemouth.

Grangemouth is one of the greatest tests the just transition process will ever face in Scotland.

We need to get this right for the workers based at the refinery, and the thousands more dependent upon it in the wider supply chain and Grangemouth community.

According to the union, the Grangemouth complex contributes 4% of Scottish GDP (gross domestic product) and makes up about 8% of Scotlands manufacturing base.

The union called on workers, community members and other unions to join the march in the town on Saturday in support of the facilitys workers and the thousands of people dependent on it in the supply chain.
A number of people are feared dead after a helicopter crashed into a farm building in Co Westmeath in Ireland.

The incident happened near the village of Killucan at approximately 3.30pm on Tuesday.

Two hearses were seen leaving the farm site on Tuesday evening.

The Irish Air Accident Investigation Unit has deployed a team of inspectors to the site of the single-engine helicopter crash.

Taoiseach Simon Harris expressed his concern.

Thinking of all those involved in the Westmeath helicopter crash, he posted on X, formerly Twitter.

He added: My thoughts & gratitude are also with all the emergency services working to help at this time.

The piggery building that the helicopter crashed into is close to pitches used by Raharney GAA club.

Killucan is approximately 15 kilometres from Mullingar.

Ken Glynn, Mayor of the Mullingar-Kinnegad municipal district, expressed his shock.

My thoughts and prayers are with those involved and their families, he said.

I also want to commend the emergency services for their rapid response.

Thinking of all those involved in the Westmeath helicopter crash. This is a live operation and I am being kept briefed. My thoughts & gratitude are also with all the emergency services working to help at this time  Simon Harris TD (@SimonHarrisTD) July 30, 2024

Councillor Denis Leonard represents the area where the crash occurred.

Unfortunately it seems there are casualties on board, he told the PA news agency.

Locally, people are shocked and stunned, but also their hearts just go out to the families of all those involved at this very difficult time. Our thoughts and prayers are with them.

I want to thank the emergency services in Westmeath because they were very quickly on the scene and a huge operation took place straight away.

They responded extremely quickly and I want to thank them for their service today.

Mr Leonard noted the incident had come after a horrific weekend of tragedy on the roads in Ireland, particularly in the Midlands, with three men killed in two separate collisions in Co Meath.

You dont expect to hear of a helicopter crash, he added.
Sir Paul McCartney has honoured theatre director Jamie Lloyd with a companionship at the Liverpool Institute for Performing Arts (LIPA).

Lloyd, who won seven Olivier Awards for his West End revival of Sunset Boulevard, received the accolade from Sir Paul, 82, who is a co-founder of the LIPA and its founding patron, in a ceremony on Tuesday.

The university is located on the site of the former Liverpool Institute, which was attended by Sir Paul and late fellow Beatles George Harrison and John Lennon.

Sir Paul is a co-founder of the LIPA and also its founding patron (Owen Humphreys/PA)

Lloyd, 43, became the first LIPA graduate to be made a companion, and was honoured alongside music equality campaigner Vick Bain, Olivier Award-winning actor Kobna Holdbrook-Smith, and Tony Award-winning theatre designer Rae Smith.

Lloyd is one of the UKs most acclaimed theatre directors, having worked in the industry since 2006 on dozens of performances, including Macbeth, Evita and Cyrano de Bergerac.

He won the Sir Peter Hall award for best director for his work on Sunset Boulevard.

The ceremony, held at ACC Liverpool, was attended by 320 students from 31 different countries.

LIPA principal Sean McNamara said of the awards: The dedication, resilience and determination our students have displayed is an inspiration.

We are immensely proud of them and today we celebrate their achievements and the transformative power that resides within them.

In the realm of the performing arts, creativity knows no bounds, whether it be through music, dance, theatre, or any other form of expression.

The performing arts provide us with a unique and vital platform to communicate, and to serve as a mirror to society, reflecting our collective joys, sorrows, hopes, and struggles.

As artists, creatives, change makers, and cultural entrepreneurs, the graduating class of 2024 possess all these qualities.

Dr Andreas Sennheiser and Daniel Sennheiser, the chief executives of audio manufacturer Sennheiser, were also made honoured friends of the LIPA.
John Swinney is facing calls to urgently intervene in a bid to prevent strikes by council workers which unions have warned could result in a stinking summer for Scotland.

Waste and recycling workers across a majority of councils in Scotland are threatening industrial action, after unions Unite, the GMB and Unison all rejected the latest 3.2% pay offer.

With cash from the Scottish Government having ended previous disputes, where protests by local government workers saw rubbish pile up in cities including Glasgow and Edinburgh, the Tories called on the First Minister to intervene.

 With over 95% support, UNISON members are ready to strike for fair wages in 14 councils. Lets stand with them! #UNISONStrikes https://t.co/201x9Hqjui pic.twitter.com/EXn0fhZHcJ  UNISON Scotland (@unisonscot) July 18, 2024

Liz Smith, the Scottish Conservative finance and local government spokesperson, said: John Swinney must now urgently intervene to prevent these strikes going ahead  or there will be a public health risk as well as our streets looking like a tip during the Edinburgh Festival.

Scottish Finance Secretary Shona Robison met union leaders and senior figures from the local government body Cosla on Wednesday.

While the discussions ended without a deal being reached, Ms Robison said her officials would now work at pace with local government officers to understand what an improved negotiating envelope may look like.

Tories are calling on First Minister John Swinney to intervene in a bid to end the dispute over local government pay (Jane Barlow/PA)

However, Ms Smith claimed the failure to reach a deal was both concerning and disappointing adding that this raises the spectre of rubbish piling up on streets across Scotland.

The Conservative MSP said: The buck stops firmly with the SNP government for this dispute.

Their systematic underfunding of local government, year after year, has left our councils so hamstrung that they have been unable to reach a pay agreement with the unions.

Its taken too long for the SNP to get involved  and still they have failed to resolve it.

Ms Robison insisted her meeting with union leaders and Cosla chiefs had been productive  although she stressed afterwards it wasnt a negotiating forum.

The Finance Secretary said while the Scottish Government has no formal role in local pay negotiations she added that ministers absolutely recognise the importance of supporting meaningful dialogue to reach a fair pay deal and avoid industrial action.

However, Ms Robison continued: We are navigating turbulent financial waters. This weeks statement from the Chancellor revealed the extent of the challenges facing the public sector across the UK.

What is particularly worrying is that in her statement the Chancellor announced she is not fully funding the public sector pay deals she has accepted. Instead, cuts are being demanded across most of Whitehall. That means that we will not receive full Barnett consequentials from these pay deals.

It is amid this extremely challenging landscape then, that I have asked my officials to work at pace with local government officers to understand what an improved negotiating envelope may look like.

I welcomed the willingness of Cosla and trade union leaders to engage constructively with that process.
Taylor Swift has said she is at a complete loss for how to ever convey my sympathies to these families affected by a knife attack at a dance class themed on the pop star.

The 34-year-old singer, who is currently performing on her mammoth Eras tour, said she is completely in shock at the horror of the attack in Southport.

On Tuesday, Swift wrote on her Instagram story: The horror of yesterdays attack in Southport is washing over me continuously and Im just completely in shock.

The loss of life and innocence, and the horrendous trauma inflicted on everyone who was there, the families, and first responders.

These were just little kids at a dance class. I am at a complete loss for how to ever convey my sympathies to these families.

A group of Swift fans have raised more than 37,000 to help the families affected by the attack.

The JustGiving page, set up by a group called Taylor Swift UK & EU Facebook Group, is raising the funds for Alder Hey Childrens Hospital, where many of the victims are being treated.

A statement on the page says: We are working with Alder Hey Childrens Hospital to help raise money for the families affected by the tragedy in Southport, and raising funeral funds for the two young swifties who have tragically passed.

Floral tributes near the scene of the incident in Hart Street, Southport (James Speakman/PA)

Every donation through this link goes directly to the verified charity below, which will in turn help make a difference to those impacted in a time of great sadness.

Forever and always, thank you.

Swift has just finished a string of dates across the UK and Ireland and is due to return to Londons Wembley Stadium to perform five more dates.

She has a large following of youngsters who are attracted to her host of pop hits, uplifting messages and feelgood energy.

Swift has previously addressed violence against children in her song Only The Young, which discusses the prominence of school shootings in America.

She sings: You go to class, scared / Wondering where the best hiding spot would be.

In the chorus, Swift sings about how she feels only one thing can save us / only the young.




Woman refueling her car at a gas station.

Image source: Getty Images

I shop at Costco on a weekly basis. This is necessary for my household, since we're constantly running out of products like milk, produce, and snacks (especially, ahem, the snacks).

But I like to time my Costco runs strategically to when my minivan's gas tank is getting low. Buying gas at Costco commonly saves me money compared to the cost of filling up elsewhere. So it makes sense for me to buy gas when I'm already there to do other shopping.

But buying gas at Costco isn't always your best move. Here are three reasons not to do it.

1. Costco fill-ups could lead to overspending

It's true that you stand to save money on gas at Costco compared to a typical station. But that assumes your gas purchases don't lead to impulse buys.

When you go to a regular gas station, the most you might be tempted to do is run in for a cup of coffee or snack. But if you go to Costco for the express purpose of filling your tank, you may decide to pop into the store and see what's in stock. Given Costco's vast inventory, you could easily walk out with a $100 credit card tab 30 minutes later, thereby negating your gas-related savings.

For this reason, I suggest doing what I do -- fill up your car at Costco when you're already going there with a specific shopping list. If you fill up at a time when you're not supposed to be shopping, you might seriously bust your budget.

2. There may be a better deal on gas somewhere else

Costco definitely has the cheapest gas in my area -- at least in the context of paying for gas with a credit card, which I pretty much always do since I rarely carry cash. But some gas stations offer deep discounts for paying cash instead of tapping or swiping a card. And if there's a station in your neck of the woods that has this practice, you may find that it's less expensive to fill up there in cash than to buy your gas from Costco. You can use apps like GasBuddy to research prices in your area and see what makes the most sense.

Also, even if Costco's gas really is your absolute cheapest offer in town, remember that filling up at a much closer station might constitute a better deal. So make sure to take driving distance into account.

3. You won't get cash back on your Executive membership

The main draw of Costco's Executive membership is getting to earn 2% cash back on your purchases. But certain purchases aren't eligible for that cash back, and gas fill-ups are one of them.

That said, if you use a credit card with great gas rewards, you might manage to snag some bonus cash at Costco's stations. So that softens the blow a little.

I'm all for buying gas at Costco under the right circumstances. But if doing so will mean paying more for one reason or another, or spending extra on unplanned purchases, then it's probably not a good idea. And if you do decide to fill up at Costco, be strategic about the credit card you use in light of the fact that there's no Executive membership cash back to be had.

Top credit card to use at Costco (and everywhere else!)

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We're firm believers in the Golden Rule, which is why editorial opinions are ours alone and have not been previously reviewed, approved, or endorsed by included advertisers. The Ascent does not cover all offers on the market. Editorial content from The Ascent is separate from The Motley Fool editorial content and is created by a different analyst team.Maurie Backman has no position in any of the stocks mentioned. The Motley Fool has positions in and recommends Costco Wholesale. The Motley Fool has a disclosure policy.
Protests broke out in several Venezuelan cities on Monday after authoritarian leader Nicolas Maduro was formally declared a winner by the countys electoral authority in a presidential race marred by accusations of electoral fraud.

In the capital Caracas, security forces deployed tear gas to disperse a large crowd of protesters, while crowds of people were seen walking down a main road banging pots and pans as anger rose over Maduros victory on Sunday. PROVEA, a Venezuelan human rights organization, said pro-Maduro armed groups shot at peaceful demonstrators in Avenue Urdaneta.

Protests were also reported in other cities, including Maracay, where opposition activist Esthefania Natera told CNN that people were on the streets to yell and demand to tell the truth because we know the real results. In the coastal state of Falcon, demonstrators toppled a statue of Maduro, video on social media showed.

Venezuelan authorities have announced that flights from Panama and the Dominican Republic will be suspended from Wednesday 8 p.m.

Analysts say there could be a new wave of unrest in the country if there are widespread protests against the regime. Street demonstrations in previous years were crushed by the countrys military, which has long supported Maduro and his predecessor, the late Hugo Chavez.

On Monday night, Maduro said his government knows how to confront this situation and defeat those who are violent, claiming without evidence that the majority of the protestors were hate-filled criminals  and that their plan was hatched in the United States.

Earlier that day, Maduro was formally declared winner at a ceremony by the National Electoral Council (CNE), which is stacked with Maduro allies, and which hasnt yet issued final vote tallies from Sundays election.

Police hurl a gas canister at protesters demonstrating against the official election results declaring President Nicolas Maduro's reelection, the day after the vote, in Caracas on July 29. - Matias Delacroix/AP

Venezuela has the best electoral system in the world! CNE president Elvis Amoroso announced before proceeding with the formal announcement.

But the vote was riddled with claims of irregularities. The opposition said its witnesses were denied access to the National Electoral Council (CNE) headquarters as votes were being counted, and alleged that the electoral authority had prevented more votes from being processed. The government has also been accused of rigging votes in the past, which it denied.

Maduros government controls almost all state institutions, including the CNE, which was accused in 2017 of manipulating turnout figures by a software company that provided the voting technology. The CNE previously denied the assertion.

The opposition coalition, headed by Maria Corina Machado, rejected Maduros win, with Machado and opposition candidate Edmundo Gonzalez claiming their campaign had gathered enough vote tallies to prove Gonzalez had won. On Monday, they said they had obtained more than 73% of the tally sheets showing more than 6 million votes for Gonzalez and only 2.7 million for Maduro.

I speak to you from a place of tranquility and truth. I want to tell you, responsibly, that we will respect the will expressed yesterday, Gonzalez said on Monday from his campaign headquarters in Caracas.

Machado said all the tallies were verified, totalized, scanned, digitalized, and then uploaded into a strong web portal, adding that several global leaders are checking the portal.

Both called for more nationwide demonstrations on Tuesday.

In response, Jorge Rodriguez, the deputy of the National Assembly of Venezuela (a body loyal to Maduro), said the latest CNE results, with 80% of the tallies already counted, showed Maduro in the lead with 51.2% of the votes, followed by Edmundo with 44.2%.

Machado and Gonzalez are part of a unified opposition movement that overcame their divisions to form a coalition known as the Democratic Unitary Platform. Its energized campaign, which enjoyed strong polling figures prior to Sundays vote, was seen as the biggest challenge to Maduros rule.

Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro arrives with his wife Cilia Flores for a ceremony where the National Electoral Council (CNE) certified he won the presidential election. - Matias Delacroix/AP

Calls for transparency

The United States is among regional leaders, including Peru and Chile, that have raised questions about the validity of the result.

The US on Monday joined Venezuelan civil society groups and the opposition by calling on Venezuelas government to immediately release specific data on the presidential election, citing concerns about the credibility of Maduros victory.

Brazil, an important regional player, was softer in tone but said it was awaiting the publication by the National Electoral Council of data broken down by polling station, an essential step for the transparency, credibility, and legitimacy of the election results, according to a statement by the foreign ministry.

Venezuelas government, in turn, said it was expelling diplomatic staff from Argentina, Chile, Costa Rica, Peru, Panama, the Dominican Republic, and Uruguay, calling them right-wing Washington-subordinate governments who were committed to the most sordid fascist ideological positions.

Only a very limited number of election observers were allowed to monitor the vote. These included The Carter Center and the United Nations, which also called on the countrys election commission (CNE) to publish polling station-level results.

The Carter Center has a big responsibility on their shoulders, Laura Cristina Dib, the Venezuela Program director at the Washington Office on Latin America (WOLA), told CNN, explaining that it is the only international technical observation mission that can issue a public report on the results.

A preliminary report from the Carter Center was scheduled to release on Tuesday morning, however the organization canceled its publication and is pulling all its staff from the country, according to a person with knowledge of the centers plans. It is unclear when the report will be issued.

Opposition leader Maria Corina Machado, right, and presidential candidate Edmundo Gonzalez hold a press conference after electoral authorities declared President Nicolas Maduro the winner of the presidential election, in Caracas on July 29. - Matias Delacroix/AP

Senior Biden administration officials said Venezuelan election authorities must release the detailed precinct-level results from the election. One senior administration official noted that this data is required under Venezuela law and should be immediately available. Another said that if the election results are credible, then this should be a very simple act and one that they would be able to fulfill quite easily.

The officials declined to give specifics on the actions the US or international community would be prepared to take if the Venezuelan authorities do not release the data or if the results are determined to be fraudulent, but they did not rule out sanctions.

US sanctions against Venezuela were first imposed in 2017 and gradually increased as the South American countrys political crisis deepened in the following years.

The oppositions accusations cast doubt on Venezuelas return to the international stage after Maduro pledged last year to hold free and fair elections in US-brokered talks, in exchange for sanctions relief.

The votes outcome is expected to be felt across the Americas  including the US  in the form of migration.

Under Maduros watch, up to 8 million Venezuelans have fled the country amid unprecedented levels of poverty and economic mismanagement  thousands of whom have trekked north to the USs southern border. If Maduro remains in power, one poll conducted in June estimates up to a third of the population is considering leaving the country after the election.

According to Will Freeman, a fellow for Latin America studies at the Council on Foreign Relations, such a situation could be a really bad October surprise for the Democrats in the upcoming US presidential election.

Opponents of Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro's government protest in Caracas on July 29, 2024. - Raul Arboleda/AFP/Getty Images

High stakes

If Maduro is inaugurated next January, it would be his third consecutive six-year term and the continuation of Chavismo, the left-wing populist ideology named after Chavez.

Chavez ruled Venezuela for 14 years until his death in 2013. His policies were dominated by nationalization and the redistribution of the nations huge oil wealth to the marginalized and poorest communities, as well as a constant push to protect Venezuelan sovereignty against imperialist powers.

But the oil-rich nation has in the past few years experienced the worlds worst peacetime economic crash in recent history. Maduro has blamed foreign sanctions against his regime on the downturn, saying Venezuela is victim of an economic war.

A loss in the election could have devastating consequences for Maduro, who is facing drug trafficking and corruption charges in the US and is under investigation for crimes against humanity by the International Criminal Court. If he was to relinquish control, he could end up in prison.

On Monday, the Venezuelan Attorney Generals Office said it will investigate alleged attempts to sabotage the presidential election held on Sunday without providing evidence.

There was an attack on the electrical system and a cyber attack against the data transmission system of the National Electoral Council, Attorney General Tarek William Saab said, echoing claims made by Maduro.

The strongman has allies on the global stage, including Russia, China, Nicaragua, Cuba, and Honduras, whose officials congratulated Maduro on his win.

I am confident that your activities as the head of state will continue to contribute to their progressive development in all directions, Russian President Vladimir Putin said in social media post.

Remember that you are always a welcome guest on Russian soil.

Journalist Mary Triny Mena contributed reporting as did CNNs Michael Rios, Ivana Kottasova, and Jessie Yeung.

For more CNN news and newsletters create an account at CNN.com
American model Bella Hadid at Cannes Film Festival 2024 on May 20, 2024. Credit - Rocco SpazianiMondadori Portfolio/Getty Images

American model Bella Hadid has spoken out for the first time after she starred in a controversial Adidas campaign earlier this month that was criticized by Israel, saying she would never have participated had she done more research into it.

Hadid had appeared in ads for the rerelease of the brands classic SL 72 sneaker, which debuted with the 1972 Munich Olympics, where the Palestinian militant group Black September killed 11 Israeli athletes and a German police officer.

The SL72 campaign was promoted widely, and even appeared on a billboard in New York Citys Times Square.

In a statement posted to an Instagram story on Monday, Hadid, whose father is Palestinian, said she would never knowingly engage with any art or work that is linked to a horrific tragedy of any kind.

Hadid said she was unaware of the association until after the campaign was live.

I am shocked, I am upset, and I am disappointed in the lack of sensitivity that went into this campaign. Had I been made aware, from the bottom of my heart, I would never have participated, Hadid wrote. I do not believe in hate in any form, including anti-semitism.

Adidas swiftly dropped the Hadid advertisement and pulled the sneaker campaign. They also apologized for their unintentional mistake after reports that she was considering legal action against the sportswear brand.

Hadid, a longtime pro-Palestinian advocate, has been criticized by Israel at various points.

In June, both she and her sister Gigi Hadid donated $1 million toward Palestinian humanitarian relief charities. Hadid was also photographed at the Cannes film festival in May wearing a red Keffiyeh dress by Michael & Hushi, a nod to the Palestinian scarf that is worn as a national symbol. Hadid posted the image on Instagram, calling on her millions of followers to educate themselves on Gazas plight.

At least 39,000 Palestinians have been killed amid Israels ongoing military operations in Gaza, according to the Strips Hamas-run health ministry, figures the U.S. and U.N. deem credible. Around 1,200 people in Israel were killed during the Oct. 7 Hamas attack.

In her statement on Monday, Hadid said that she will forever stand by my people of Palestine while continuing to advocate for a world free of anti-semitism.

I am a proud Palestinian woman and there is so much more to our culture than the things that have been equated over the past week, she added.

Write to Armani Syed at armani.syed@time.com.
A senior adviser to President Biden is departing the White House to take on a top role advising a major Democratic super PAC ahead of Novembers election.

Anita Dunn, who has been a member of Bidens inner circle of aides since he took office, is leaving to work with Future Forward, a group that has committed to spending at least $300 million in support of Vice President Harris, the likely Democratic nominee after Biden ended his candidacy, a source familiar with her plans told The Hill.

Four years ago, when I launched my campaign for the battle for the soul of our nation, I was grateful Anita Dunn was right there with me, Biden said in a statement. Ive known Anita throughout my career. Shes served our nation through three Administrations and countless campaigns for candidates at every level.

Shes not only a key senior member of our team that helped us win a historic election in 2020  shes also been an invaluable part of our White House, he added. Shes tough and tested, and her experience and intellect have helped us deliver historic results for the American people.

Dunn in a statement called it an honor and privilege to serve in the White House.

White House chief of staff Jeff Zients praised Dunns insightful counsel, decisiveness, and unparalleled experience every single day. She has been critical to making this one of the most successful presidencies in modern American history.

The Washington Post first reported on Dunns impending departure.

Dunn and her husband, attorney Bob Bauer, have long been influential figures in Democratic politics. Dunn worked on the Obama campaign in 2008 and 2012, and she did a stint as White House communications director in the Obama administration.

Dunn joined the Biden White House in 2021 after working on his campaign. She briefly departed the administration to return to her consulting firm, only to come back to the White House as a senior adviser to the president.

Bauer, her husband, has been the presidents personal attorney. He represented Biden amid a special counsel investigation into Bidens handling of classified documents. Bauer also played the role of former President Trump in preparation for Bidens June 27 debate with his GOP rival. Dunn also assisted with debate prep.

Bidens performance in that debate set off calls from Democrats for him to step aside as the nominee, which he did earlier this month. Harris has quickly consolidated support among Democrats ahead of the partys convention in Chicago beginning Aug. 19.

Copyright 2024 Nexstar Media, Inc. 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.
By Lisandra Paraguassu

BRASILIA (Reuters) -Brazilian President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva and his U.S. counterpart Joe Biden will speak on Tuesday in a phone call that Brazilian sources said will focus on the contested Venezuelan presidential election.

The call will be held at 2:30 p.m. ET (1830 GMT), according to both the White House and the Brazilian government, which did not provide the topics to be discussed.

According to the Brazilian sources, the call was scheduled at the request of the U.S. government as it seeks Brazil's assessment of the election results in neighboring Venezuela.

Venezuela's national electoral authority proclaimed incumbent President Nicolas Maduro winner of the weekend vote, giving him a third term in office, but the opposition has also claimed victory.

Independent pollsters called Maduro's win implausible, as opposition leaders and foreign observers urged vote tallies to be released.

Brazil's government on Monday hailed what it called a "peaceful" election day in Venezuela and said it was closely monitoring the vote count, waiting for electoral authorities to release vote tallies to ensure the legitimacy of results.

The Biden administration, meanwhile, said that electoral manipulation had stripped Maduro's claim of reelection victory of "any credibility," and Washington left the door open to fresh sanctions on the OPEC nation.

(Reporting by Lisandra Paraguassu; writing by Luana Maria Benedito; editing by Gabriel Araujo)
Vice President Kamala Harris addresses the members of the American Federation of Teachers at George R. Brown Convention Center on Thursday, July 25, 2024 in Houston. Elizabeth Conley/Staff Photographer

Artificial Intelligence voice-cloning technology recently used to mimic Vice President Kamala Harris's voice in a parody campaign video raised questions about how AI can be used to spread election disinformation, a problem politicians have aimed to tackle for years.

The video, originally created by Youtuber Mr Reagan, gained widespread attention Friday when it was shared on X by tech billionare Elon Musk, the Associated Press reports.

Musk did not clarify that the video was a parody until Sunday.

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AI-altered photos or videos, also known as deepfakes, are a rising concern in the upcoming election.

The AI-generated voice is very good, Hany Farid, digital forensics expert at the University of California, Berkeley, told the AP in an email. Even though most people wont believe it is VP Harris voice, the video is that much more powerful when the words are in her voice.

Texas House Speaker Dade Phelan was the victim of a similar situation earlier this year when a deepfake photo depicting him hugging former U.S. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi was printed on a campaign mailer. The doctored image was based on a photo of Pelosi hugging House Democratic Leader Hakeem Jeffries.

Texas was one of the first states to file legislation addressing the use of AI in elections.

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Texas Senate Bill 751, signed into law in 2019, makes fabricating a deceptive video with the intent to influence an election outcome a Class A misdemeanor. However, the law only prohibits the use deepfake videos within 30 days of an election and does not apply to photos or audio recordings.

Several members of congress have expressed a need for the law to be updated to keep up with the ever-evolving use of AI.

Harris was among the high-profile politician voices replicated by leading generative AI audio tools in a recent experiment by the Center for Countering Digital Hate. In a report, the CCDH said that "popular AI voice cloning tools failed to prevent the generation of election disinformation

in politicians voices 80% of the time."

As a result of their findings, the CCDH recommends that existing election laws be leveraged and updated to prevent AI-generated harm. The organization also suggests that social media platforms introduce emergency measures to prevent the creation and spread of election-related disinformation.
Following a more than 24-hour intense search, police in Maryland said they recovered the body of a 6-year-old autistic boy who vanished at a park over the weekend.

Fawzan Hassan, who was nonverbal, disappeared from a Montgomery County park while on an outing with his family.

The boy was reported missing from Bohrer Park around 3 p.m. Saturday, according to Montgomery County Department of Police .

The park is in Gaithersburg, just over 20 miles northwest of Washington, D.C.

The body of Fawzan Hassan, who was autistic and non verbal was found in a pond in Bohrer Park in Montgomery County park on July 28, 2024. The 6-year-old's cause of death is pending an autopsy. Montgomery County Department of Police

"An extensive search" for the boy continued through Sunday, when his body surfaced in the pond at Bohrer Park at 5:25 p.m., police posted on the agency's website.

Police were alerted to the pond after they reported members of the community spotted it earlier on Sunday.

Autism and water: This Minnesota mother wants to save autistic children from drowning, one city at a time

A body in the water near the playground

Officials said Montgomery County Police Managed Search Operations Team personnel, the group coordinating the search, responded to the pond, recovered the body. and positively identified it as the missing boy.

Maryland National Capital Park Police, Gaithersburg Police, Maryland State Police, Montgomery County Fire and Rescue Services and Midatlantic Dog Search and Rescue assisted in the case.

An autopsy conducted by the Maryland Medical Examiners Office will determine the boy's cause and manner of death.

Natalie Neysa Alund is a senior reporter for USA TODAY. Reach her at nalund@usatoday.com and follow her on X @nataliealund.

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Fawzan Hassan, missing autistic boy, found dead in Bohrer Park pond
By Akash Sriram

(Reuters) - California's Department of Motor Vehicles (DMV) has digitized 42 million car titles using blockchain technology in a bid to detect fraud and smoothen the title transfer process, the agency's technology partners exclusively told Reuters on Tuesday.

The project, in collaboration with tech company Oxhead Alpha on Avalanche blockchain, will allow California's more than 39 million residents to claim their vehicle titles through a mobile app, the first such move in the United States.

Digitizing car titles will reduce the need for in-person DMV visits and the blockchain technology will also function as a deterrent against lien fraud.

Blockchain technology can help detect lien fraud by creating a transparent and unalterable record of property ownership, making it difficult for fraudulent activity to go unnoticed.

"So the first step was creating the 42 million titles associated as a token on the Avalanche blockchain, that's what the State of California DMV has already done and now what they're doing is they're creating a wallet where you download on your phone," said John Wu, president of Ava Labs.

California residents will be able to access their digital car titles starting early next year as the DMV builds out the app and infrastructure for consumer access.

Deloitte tied up with Ava Labs, the company behind the Avalanche blockchain, to enable a new disaster recovery platform to help the U.S. government streamline disaster reimbursement applications to the Federal Emergency Management Agency.

Given the rapid advancements in technology and the shift towards digitization, it is likely that more government sectors will explore the benefits of blockchain technology.

(This story has been officially corrected to rectify the source of the press release to the California DMV's technology partner, in paragraph 1)

(Reporting by Akash Sriram in Bengaluru; Editing by Devika Syamnath)
DETROIT  A Michigan mother who pleaded guilty to second-degree murder after her 3-year-old son was found decomposing in a freezer in 2022 was sentenced to 35 to 60 years in prison on Monday.

Azuradee France, 33 of Detroit, pleaded guilty on July 12 to second-degree murder in the death of Chayce Allen, according to the Wayne County Prosecutor's Office. Police discovered the boy's body in a freezer in a Detroit home in June 2022 and later determined that the child had died of blunt force head trauma.

France was initially charged with felony murder, first-degree child abuse, torture and concealing the death of an individual. As part of her plea agreement, those charges were dismissed.

At her court hearing Monday, Wayne County Circuit Judge Tracy Green said France was a victim of childhood abuse, a lack of mental health treatment and of the failings of a government system that should have removed her children from her custody before she killed Chayce in 2022. Green ultimately sentenced France to 35 to 60 years in prison.

"It doesn't excuse her conduct, but it does explain a lot," Green said. "I wish that intervention could have happened sooner."

France's case is the second high-profile case in Detroit involving a mother who killed her children and placed them in a freezer. In 2015, Mitchelle Blair pleaded guilty to murder and was sentenced to life in prison for the deaths of two of her children whose bodies were discovered in a home freezer.

'Hurt him to point where he can't come back'

In the courtroom, France's eyes were closed as she wept, her face covered by her cuffed hands. On the court benches behind France was her sister, Azuant Sauls, wearing a shirt donned with numerous pictures of Chayce, arms crossed, and ready to tell France just how much the child's death has impacted their family.

"Where do I begin?" were Sauls' first words to the courtroom when given the opportunity to speak.

"You were supposed to protect Chayce, instead you hurt him to point where he can't come back."

France's attorney, Lillian Diallo, attempted to persuade Green to give her client a lighter sentence. She described the tragedy as "monumental," but argued every adult in Chayce's life who didn't intervene also failed the slain child.

But Assistant Prosecutor Erin Wilmoth said the person who failed Chayce the most was France, his mother: "Chayce is going to be forever three because of Ms. France's actions," she said. "Chayce was not a disposable child and deserved more."

History of domestic violence in home, court records show

Chayce died of blunt force head trauma and authorities believe he was placed in an inoperable freezer in a Detroit basement in March 2022, according to the Wayne County Prosecutor's Office. In June 2022, Detroit police found Chayce's decomposing body in the freezer while conducting a welfare check at the home.

Prosecutors had sought to include a history of domestic violence in the home, citing admissions of whipping her 2-year-old nephew and investigations by Child Protective Services into her treatment of Chayce, who was blind, before his death, court records show. France also had four other children.

Wilmoth said there were at least seven complaints to Child Protective Services that were rejected and at least six investigations.

Andrea Sahouri covers criminal justice for the Detroit Free Press. She can be contacted at asahouri@freepress.com.

This article originally appeared on Detroit Free Press: Michigan mom gets 35+ years for death of 3-year-old found in freezer
The video is as triumphant as it is gruesome. Rebel fighters, rifles slung over their shoulders, step among more than a dozen bodies strewn across the sand and rocks. Off camera, the pop of gunshots can be heard.

The scene is from another battle in the vast deserts of northern Mali  except that this time the victims were Russians. At the end of the video, the camera pans to a bearded white man on the ground, apparently begging for mercy.

A different video shows several white men, still alive, kneeling amid the wreckage of a vehicle, as guerrilla fighters encircle them. A pickup truck with militants approaches the men, as others kick them in the head.

The Russian mercenaries appear to have been attacked as they were accompanying Malian government troops on patrol last week near the Algerian border, a vast, forbidding region where jihadi and Tuareg groups have long been active.

The attack was claimed by a Tuareg rebels group along with the al Qaeda affiliate in the Sahel, JNIM (Jamaat Nusrat al-Islam wal-Muslimin). Known for ad hoc cooperation, they appear to have collaborated to trap the Russian convoy.

JNIM claimed Sunday that a complex ambush had wiped out the convoy, killing 50 Russians and a number of Malian soldiers, and published videos showing several vehicles ablaze as well as dozens of bodies in the area. A Tuareg militant group spokesman said some Malian troops and Russian fighters had also been captured during the battle.

According to some unofficial Russian Telegram channels, as many as 80 Russians were killed.

That would make it by far the worst loss for Russian paramilitaries in several years of operating in Africa, as the Kremlin has sought to use proxy forces to challenge Western influence across the Sahel and central Africa and prop up unstable regimes.

In an extraordinary twist Monday, a Ukrainian official claimed Kyiv had provided the militants with intelligence.

Andriy Yusov, a representative of Ukraines Security Service (SBU), said on Ukrainian television that the rebels received necessary information, which enabled a successful military operation against Russian war criminals.

We wont discuss the details at the moment, but there will be more to come, Yusov added.

Channels associated with the Wagner group, a private military contractor active in Africa which is now part of what the Russian Defense Ministry calls the African Corps, said that at first its fighters had inflicted heavy losses on the militants.

But the militants had regrouped and the command of Wagner decided to transfer additional forces to the combat area.

In a battle lasting from Thursday through Saturday, the jihadis increased the number of massive attacks, using heavy weapons, UAVs [drones] and suicide vehicles, according to one Telegram account associated with Wagner.

The Russian contingents last radio message  late Saturday  said: There are three of us left, we continue to fight, according to the channel.

The commander, Sergei Shevchenko, was among those killed in battle, according to a second Wagner channel.

Also among the dead, according to several Russian Telegram channels, was one of Russias most popular military bloggers, Nikita Fedyanin, whose Grey Zone channel has more than half-a-million subscribers.

Fedyanins death cannot be independently verified, but a photograph from the scene closely resembled him. Long-time Wagner analyst Denis Korotkov told CNN that the Grey Zone channel has stopped being updated. I think the story is true; he probably did die.

A former commander of the ambushed contingent said on Telegram that more than 80 men were killed and more than 15 had been captured. The commander  call-sign Rusich  said on Telegram he was trying to convey a message to the Russian Defense Ministry. I am ready to provide myself and all those people who are ready to follow me absolutely free of charge, in order to save the guys.

Another Wagner-linked social media account spoke of a heavy unequal battle, as a result of which both our fighters and the Malian military heroically died. It pledged that whoever the enemy, world terrorism, the henchmen of Western countries or the enraged Ukrainian heresy we know that the Russian warrior will definitely continue his journey.

There is no way to verify the exact number of Russian casualties (some Russian channels say the death toll was not as high as 80), nor how many Malian troops were killed. The Malian armed forces said Friday that only two soldiers had died but that clashes were taking place in a region that remains a bastion of concentration of terrorists and smugglers of all stripes.

CNN is reaching out to the Russian Ministry of Defense for comment. Denis Korotkov, who works with the London-based Dossier Center, noted that not a single official body of the Russian Federation has spoken on this issue. Neither the Ministry of Defense, nor the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, nor the Kremlin commented on the deaths of dozens of Russian citizens in clashes on the African continent outside the special military operation zone.

A big blow in Africa

Wagner and other Russian mercenary groups are accustomed to losses  in Syria, the Central African Republic, Mozambique and Mali over recent years. The Wagner PMC lost hundreds and probably thousands of men in taking the Ukrainian town of Bakhmut two years ago. And in Syria five years ago, a disastrous attack by Russian mercenaries on an oil refinery led to dozens of casualties.

But beyond eastern Ukraine, Russian mercenaries have rarely suffered a setback on this scale.

Amid upheavals in Mali, the Central African Republic, Niger and Burkina Faso, Russian elements with the backing of the Kremlin have stepped in to usurp traditional French influence, beginning in CAR in 2018. The military regime in Mali turned to Wagner soon after seizing power in 2021.

After the death of Wagner boss Yevgeny Prigozhin in a mysterious plane crash near Moscow last year, many of his fighters were subsumed into a Russian African Corps directed by Deputy Defense Minister Yunus-Bek Yevkurov.

Yevkurov has been an occasional visitor to Mali and on its Telegram channel the African Corps said in January it planned to increase its strength in Mali from 100 to 300 men.

The latest clashes also indicate that a coalition of militant groups is growing in strength, in Mali and beyond.

There are constantly shifting alliances among rebel groups in the Sahel, but Tuareg groups have sometimes made common cause with al Qaedas affiliate in the region, JNIM.

JNIM has claimed to have attacked Wagner contingents in Mali in the past. It has been especially active recently in both northern Mali and several parts of west Africa. In the last week alone, JNIM claimed five attacks in different regions of Mali, Niger, and Burkina Faso, according to the SITE Intelligence Group, which tracks jihadist groups. One of them was an IED attack on a Russian vehicle in the same region of Mali as the latest devastating assault.

In addition it carried out a rare attack on a military base in northern Togo last week, expanding its range of operations.

But its the ambitious attack on the Russian-Malian convoy near the Algerian border that will catapult JNIMs operations to a much broader audience.

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In a case crammed with intrigue, Joaquin Guzman Lopez, the son of the former Sinaloa cartel boss Joaquin El Chapo Guzman, pleaded not guilty Tuesday to narcotics, money laundering and firearms charges, with his attorney saying his client has made no deal with US officials.

Guzman Lopez made a brief appearance in federal court in Chicago. Afterward, attorney Jeffrey Lichtman told reporters, There is no agreement between Joaquin Guzman and the government. Period.

Ever since the stunning news that a plane carrying Guzman Lopez and Ismael El Mayo Zambada, the cartels alleged co-founder, flew last Thursday from Mexico to El Paso, Texas, theres been rampant speculation about what happened  and why.

Lichtmans statement Tuesday raises new questions about why Guzman Lopez flew here if he has no cooperation agreement with American authorities.

Did Guzman Lopez intend to surrender, as the Mexican government said Monday, citing information from US authorities? If so, did he take Zambada along as a bonus for the US? Did Guzman Lopez and his henchmen serve up the ultimate betrayal by ambushing Zambada and tossing him into the aircraft, as an attorney for the latter said?

US authorities were notified on several occasions Guzman Lopez was considering surrendering, but it was not until that same day his intention was confirmed without prior notice, according to information from US officials shared with the Mexican government.

The federal government has made no official comment on the circumstances of the flight.

While Guzman Lopez  known as one of the Chapitos, or sons of El Chapo  is charged with several offenses, including one that could provide for the possibility of the death penalty, there is no formal allegation of abduction.

Hes not being accused of kidnapping, said Lichtman. When the government accuses him, then Ill take notice.

Joaquin Guzman Lopez, wearing an orange jumpsuit, appears in court on July 30. - Lou Chukman

Lichtman has been cleared to represent both Guzman Lopez and his brother, Ovidio Guzman Lopez, who also is facing federal charges. The brothers both have status hearings set for September 30.

Guzman Lopez, wearing an orange jumpsuit and ankle chains, informed the court he is receiving care for thyroid and high blood pressure problems.

He was indicted on the charges by a federal grand jury in Illinois, according to a statement last year from the US Justice Department.

The court appearance comes after Guzman Lopez, 38, and Zambada were arrested Thursday by US authorities in El Paso. They face several charges for allegedly leading the criminal operations of what is considered to be one of the worlds most powerful and deadly drug trafficking operations.

Zambada, 76, pleaded not guilty to all charges at his first federal court appearance Friday morning in El Paso and is being held without bond on seven federal criminal counts, including continuing criminal enterprise and money laundering. He is scheduled to appear in person in the same court for a status conference Thursday, according to court documents.

US law enforcement officials told CNN the arrest came after Guzman Lopez duped Zambada and orchestrated their arrest. Zambada thought the two were flying to northern Mexico to look at real estate, but instead, their small private plane landed north of the border, where US authorities were waiting on the tarmac, officials said.

However, Zambadas attorney, in a phone conversation and a statement sent to CNN on Sunday, described the incident not as trickery but as a violent kidnapping.

Joaquin Guzman Lopez forcibly kidnapped my client. He was ambushed, thrown to the ground, and handcuffed by six men in military uniforms and Joaquin. His legs were tied, and a black bag was placed over his head, attorney Frank Perez said in a statement.

He was then thrown into the back of a pickup truck and taken to a landing strip. There, he was forced onto a plane, his legs tied to the seat by Joaquin, and brought to the US against his will. The only people on the plane were the pilot, Joaquin and my client.

Mexicos president has called on the United States to explain what exactly happened.

The government of the United States has to give a complete report. It cant be just general statements, President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador said last Friday. There has to be transparency.

In a news conference Monday, he said Mexico should be trusted.

We are not going to hide anything. Nothing. There should be confidence in us that we do not establish complicit relationships with anyone in Mexico or abroad. And people should know that, he said.

The cartel, one of the worlds most powerful narcotics trafficking organizations, is thought to be responsible for the trafficking of vast amounts of cocaine, heroin, methamphetamine and fentanyl into the United States. US Drug Enforcement Administration chief Anne Milgram said the arrests strike at the heart of the cartel that is responsible for the majority of drugs, including fentanyl and methamphetamine, killing Americans from coast to coast.

A law enforcement source familiar with the situation told CNN US officials were hesitant to brief Mexican counterparts in advance due to fears the operation could have been compromised. Details on the operation were also highly restricted within the US government until Zambada and Guzman Lopez were taken into custody, the source said.

Ismael El Mayo Zambada, left, and Joaquin Guzman Lopez, right, were arrested by U.S. authorities in Texas. - US Department of State/AP

A look at the cartel and its leadership

The Sinaloa cartel was founded in the late 1980s and led by El Chapo, who twice escaped from Mexican prisons before being detained by Mexican authorities in 2016.

The cartel has been blamed for having a key role in the drug war that plagued Mexico for years, leaving tens of thousands of people dead, as well as contributing to the ongoing high levels of violence across the country.

In the early 2010s, estimates indicated the cartel controlled roughly 40% to 60% of Mexicos drug trade, earning as much as $3 billion annually, according to a Congressional Research Service report.

El Chapo was extradited to the US in 2017 and convicted of engaging in a continuing criminal enterprise, drug trafficking, money laundering and conspiracy to commit murder. He is serving a life sentence in US federal prison.

Since then, experts believe the cartel has faced several challenges after breaking into factions  including some led by Zambada and Guzmans sons  and with the rise of rival cartels.

FBI Director Christopher Wray said both Zambada and Guzman Lopez had eluded law enforcement for decades.

Zambada was indicted by a northern Illinois grand jury in 2009, according to the US State Department, and faces various criminal charges. In 2021, the US raised the reward for information leading to his arrest to $15 million.

Ismael Mario Zambada Garcia is the long-time leader of the Zambada Garcia faction of the Sinaloa Cartel, according to the US State Department. Zambada Garcia is unique in that he has spent his entire adult life as a major international drug trafficker, yet he has never spent a day in jail.

Meanwhile, El Chapos sons are accused of having repeatedly and consistently transported lethal amounts of cocaine, heroin, methamphetamine, and fentanyl, the Justice Department said last year.

Zambadas son, Vicente Zambada Niebla, admitted during testimony at Guzmans 2018 trial to passing along orders for murders and kidnappings. He was sentenced to 15 years in prison in 2019 by a federal judge in Chicago. He began cooperating with the US government in 2011, prosecutors said in a May 2019 filing.

CNNs Nicole Chavez, Rafael Romo, Emma Tucker, Ivon Valdes, Catherine E. Shoichet, Josh Campbell and Phil Gast contributed to this report.

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The creator of the young adult series died on Sunday, July 28

Alamy Francine Pascal on January 19, 2014 in New York.

Francine Pascal, the creator ofthe Sweet Valley High book series, has died. She was 92.

Her daughter Laurie Wenk-Pascal said she died of lymphoma at NewYork-Presbyterian Hospital in Manhattan on Sunday, July 28, The New York Times reports. PEOPLE reached out to Pascal's publisher.

Born in Manhattan on May 13, 1932, Pascal grew up in Jamaica, Queens, and found success with the young adult series in 1983. Pascal created Sweet Valley High, which consisted of 181 books, and wrote the first 12 books. Soon, a team of writers would maintain the stories of identical twins Elizabeth and Jessica Wakefield in the fictional Los Angeles suburb of Sweet Valley.

"Sweet Valley is the essence of high school. It's that moment before reality hits, when you really do believe in the romantic values  sacrifice, love, loyalty, friendship  before you get jaded and slip off into adulthood," she said of the series in an interview with PEOPLE in 1988.



Francine Pascal/Facebook Francine Pascal

Before Sweet Valley High hit shelves, Pascal studied journalism at New York University. She then worked as a freelance writer for True Confessions,Modern Screen,Cosmopolitan and Ladies Home Journal.

She married her first husband Jerome Offenberg, and the two divorced in 1963. The former couple shared three daughters. Their daughter Jamie Stewart died in 2008.

Pascal later married John Pascal a year after her and Offenberg's divorce. The two had been working together on the 1960s soap opera The Young Marrieds, which jumpstarted Francine's writing career, and were together when he died in 1981. Speaking with PEOPLE in 1988, Francine remembered her late husband as "a lovely man, a wonderful father, a beautiful writer."



Related: Paying Tribute to the Celebrities Who Have Died in 2024

In addition to writing for the small screen, Pascal wrote several books for adults, including one nonfiction book about the Patty Hearst trial, The Strange Case of Patty Hearst, in 1974. She also penned adult novels Save Johanna! in 1981 and If Wishes Were Horses in 1994,a fictionalized memoir about her life with her late husband, John.

By the late 1970s, she ventured into the world of young-adult novels with Hangin Out With Cici in 1977  which later received a sequel and was developed into an afternoon TV special. Then, in 1979, she released My First Love and Other Disasters and the following year, The Hand-Me-Down Kid.

Random House 'Sweet Valley High: Taking Sides'

Then, after one conversation with another editor, Pascal was inspired to write a teenage version of the hit CBS series Dallas and quickly learned she had a hit on her hands with Sweet Valley High.

The hit book series followed Elizabeth and Jessica Wakefield, whom she described to PEOPLE as "the most adorable, dazzling 16-year-old girls imaginable. After she wrote the first 12 books, several spinoffs followed, including Sweet Valley Twins, Sweet Valley Kids and Sweet Valley Junior High.

The book series, which would go on to sell 200 million copies, focused on a specific demographic of readers: teenage girls. During her 1988 conversation with PEOPLE, Pascal said, "These books have uncovered a whole population of young girls who were never reading. I don't know that they're all going to go on to War and Peace, but we have created readers out of non-readers. If they go on to Harlequin romances, what? They're going to read."

After she stopped writing the books herself, she would draft outlines for other writers to follow and rely on her "bible," which described the characters and their inner webs throughout the hundreds of books.

The Sweet Valley series first ended in 2003  20 years after its debut. But in 2011, it restarted with Sweet Valley Confidential, set 10 years after Sweet Valley High.

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Pascal is also survived by her two daughters, six grandchildren and five great-grandchildren.



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The 'Magnolia Table' star grew up eating almond cookies at her family's favorite Asian restaurant

Jennifer Causey; Courtesy of Magnolia Network Joanna Gaines' Almond Butter Cake recipe

Leave it to Joanna Gaines to turn a simple cookie from her childhood into a "more elevated dessert."

The Fixer Upper star was born to her American father Jerry and Korean mother Nan, who met when Jerry was stationed in South Korea with the U.S. military. Gaines grew up in Rose Hill, Kansas with her two sisters, Teresa and Mary Kay a.k.a. "Mikey"  and their family often ate at an Asian restaurant where they would serve almond cookies.

"They usually came out at the end of the meal, so of course my sisters and I would always inhale our food as quickly as possible, then watch closely for the waitress and her platter of cookies," Gaines tells PEOPLE.

Related: Khushbu Shah's Hack for Making Homemade Pizza Gets Dinner on the Table in 30 Minutes

She has successfully recreated the cookies in their original form, but more recently, "I thought it would be a fun challenge to translate that taste into a more elevated dessert," she says.

Gaines makes her almond butter cake with honey glaze (shared below) on the new season of Magnolia Table (now streaming on Max). Health and wellness expert Emma Lovewell joins her for the episode, where they also whip up japchae, egg drop soup and yaki gyoza before digging into the almond cake.

Joanna Gaines/ Instagram Joanna Gaines with her parents, Jerry and Nan Stevens, and her sisters Mikey and Teresa.

Related: Joanna Gaines' Son Crew, 6, Proves That 'Practice Makes Perfect' as She Shares Video of Him Fishing in a Pond

"This is one of those cakes that gives you more than you think. Its sweet and smooth with a hint of crunch all at once," says Gaines. "Ill happily cut into a cake anytime, but I especially enjoy a slice of this cake with a cup of coffee. Decaf if its late! It complements the almond flavor in the most comforting way!"

If "toasted almonds arent your thing, she suggests serving it plain with fresh fruit and whipped cream.

Honestly, theres no wrong way to dress up this cake, adds Gaines.

Jennifer Causey Joanna Gaines' Almond Butter Cake recipe

Joanna Gaines' Almond Butter Cake with Honey Glaze

Baking spray with flour

1 cup granulated sugar

 cup (4 oz.) unsalted butter, softened, plus 6 Tbsp. (3 oz.) unsalted butter, melted, divided



3 large eggs, at room temperature



1 tsp. vanilla extract



 tsp. almond extract



1 cups (about 6 oz.) all-purpose flour



 tsp. baking soda

 tsp. plus a pinch of kosher salt, divided



 cup whole buttermilk



6 Tbsp. honey



 cup plus 2 Tbsp. powdered sugar, sifted



1 Tbsp. whole milk



1 cup toasted sliced almonds



1. Preheat oven to 350. Coat a 9-inch round baking pan with baking spray.

2. Beat together granulated sugar and  cup softened butter in a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment on medium speed until lightened and fluffy, 3 to 4 minutes. Add in eggs, one at a time, allowing each to fully incorporate before adding the next; add vanilla and almond extracts, beating until light and fluffy, about 1 minute total. Turn off the mixer, and scrape down sides and bottom of bowl with a spatula.

3. Whisk together flour, baking soda and  teaspoon of the salt in a medium bowl. With mixer on low speed, add half of the flour mixture to the egg mixture, beating until fully combined. Slowly pour in buttermilk, beating until just combined; add remaining half of flour mixture, beating until no dry streaks remain, about 2 minutes, stopping to scrape down sides of bowl as needed.



4. Spread batter evenly in prepared pan. Bake in preheated oven until a wooden pick inserted in center comes out with a few moist crumbs and the cake begins to pull away from edges of the pan, about 40 minutes. Cool in pan on wire rack 30 minutes.



5. Whisk together honey and 6 tablespoons melted butter in a small bowl until smooth; whisk in powdered sugar, milk and remaining pinch of salt.



6. Invert cake onto a wire rack. Pour honey glaze over cake and spread evenly, letting excess run down the sides. Press toasted almonds onto the sides and top of cake.



Serves: 8

Active time: 20 minutes

Total time: 1 hour, 30 minutes



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Read the original article on People.
A federal judge directed the University of California-Los Angeles to devise a plan to protect Jewish students' equal access to campus facilities in case of disruptive events such as the protests against the Israel-Hamas war that erupted in the spring.

U.S. District Judge Mark C. Scarsi gave UCLA and three Jewish students who sued the school a week to agree to a plan.

Meet and confer to see if you can come up with some agreeable stipulated injunction or some other court order that would give both UCLA the flexibility it needs ... but also provide Jewish students on campus some reassurance that their free exercise rights are not going to play second fiddle to anything else, Scarsi said Monday, according to the Los Angeles Times.

The three Jewish students filed a lawsuit in June alleging their civil rights were violated when they were not allowed access to parts of campus, including the site of a pro-Palestinian encampment that was blocked off by barriers and guarded by private security.

UCLA lawyers responded that access was denied by the protesters, not the school or security agents, the Times reported.

UCLA rally: How pro-Palestinian camp and an extremist attack roiled the protest at UCLA

A student waves a flag at a sit-in outside of a pro-Palestinian encampment at the campus of UCLA on May 1, 2024. Violence broke out overnight at the encampment, hours after the university declared that the camp is unlawful and violates university policy.

The encampment at UCLA was one of the largest and most contentious among the numerous protest sites that emerged in college campuses across the nation as thousands of students expressed their support for Palestinians in Gaza, where nearly 40,000 have been killed by Israeli forces during the war.

Late on the night of April 30, what UCLA officials later called a group of instigators  many of them wearing masks  attacked the encampment in an hours-long clash, wielding metal poles and shooting fireworks into the site as law enforcement agents declined to intervene for more than three hours. Dozens were injured in what was arguably the most violent incident among all the campus protests.

Some participants in the pro-Palestinian demonstrations expressed antisemitic views and support for Hamas, the militant group that incited the war with its brutal Oct. 7 attack on Israeli border communities, where about 1,200 were killed and another 250 taken hostage into Gaza.

The three plaintiffs suing UCLA said the school had sanctioned a Jew Exclusion Zone, which university lawyers denied, pointing to a crackdown on encampments that was also implemented by many other universities, often with police intervention.

No diploma: Colleges withhold degrees from students after pro-Palestinian protests

UCLA spokesperson Mary Osako issued a statement saying the university is committed to maintaining a safe and inclusive campus, holding those who engaged in violence accountable, and combating antisemitism in all forms. We have applied lessons learned from this springs protests and continue to work to foster a campus culture where everyone feels welcome and free from intimidation, discrimination and harassment.

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: UCLA must protect Jewish students' equal access, judge says
LONGVIEW, Texas (KETK)  The Friends of the Longview Public Library is hosting their summer book sale from Wednesday to Friday to support the Longview Public Library.

LIST: How to get or donate back-to-school supplies in East Texas

According to a release, The Friends of the Longview Public Library is a nonprofit organization that hosts events and activities that support the Longview Public Library.

The organization said that the book sale will be at 222 W. Cotton St., and every book will be $1, excluding marked items, and there will be special sales on certain days. The hours of the sale and days of the specials are:

Wednesday, July 31, 10 a.m. to 6:30 p.m.

Thursday, Aug. 1, 10 a.m. to 4:30 p.m., buy one get one free sale

Friday, Aug. 2, 10 a.m. to 4:30 p.m., fill a bag for $1 or a box for $2

Copyright 2024 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.

For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to KETK.com | FOX51.com.
Octavia Johnson is a general assignment reporter for the Houston Chronicle. She can be reached at octavia.johnson@houstonchronicle.com.

Before joining the Chronicle, Octavia worked as a digital content producer at WATE-TV in Knoxville, Tenn., where she became a leader in producing fast paced, audience-focused content.

Octavia graduated from UNC Pembroke with a bachelor's degree in journalism before earning her master's degree in media and communications at Norfolk State University.
Federal health authorities are once again urging people to check their spice racks and cabinets for certain cinnamon products after testing found lead in multiple additional brands.

Colonna Brothers is recalling 1.5-ounce Marcum Ground Cinnamon and 2.25-ounce Supreme Tradition Ground Cinnamon distributed to retailers nationwide and through mail order due to the potential health risk of elevated lead levels, the North Bergen, New Jersey-based company stated Wednesday in a notice posted by the Food and Drug Administration.

The recall expands on an earlier one announced by the company in March, and adds to a growing tally of spice makers pulling their products from the market.

The FDA the prior day separately said it was recommending recalls of nine brands of ground cinnamon products with elevated lead levels, ranging from 2.03 to 7.01 parts per million (ppm).

"These levels are significantly lower than the levels of lead associated with the WanaBana cinnamon apple puree and applesauce products recalled in the fall of 2023, which had between 2,270 ppm to 5,110 ppm lead in the cinnamon," the agency noted.

Still, the FDA is advising people to throw out and not buy the ground cinnamon products on its list, saying that "prolonged exposure may be unsafe and could contribute to elevated levels of lead in the blood."

Short-term exposure to very low levels of lead may not result in symptoms, but longer-term exposure to the metal can cause permanent damage to the central nervous system, resulting in learning disorders and other developmental defects in children, according to the FDA. Chronic lead exposure is associated with kidney dysfunction, hypertension and neurocognitive effects in adults, the agency noted.

Lead-contaminated paint, water, dust and soil are the most recognized lead hazards, but other products have been found to contain the metal as well, including candies, spices, ceremonial powders and alternative medicines, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

"Awareness of other sources, such as spices adulterated with lead chromate, is important," the CDC stated in a weekly report published earlier this month.

American Spices of Ozone Park, New York, is recalling Spice Class brand ground cinnamon packed in 7-ounce and 12-ounce plastic jars with a Dec. 12, 2026, expiration date. / Credit: U.S. Food and Drug Administration

Lead chromate, also known as chrome yellow, is an inorganic compound used as a pigment. The highly toxic chemical is no longer used in house paint, but is still used in marine and industrial paints as well as to add color to plastics, according to the American Chemical Society.

American Spices of Ozone Park, New York, is recalling Spice Class brand ground cinnamon distributed to retailers in the New York City area between Dec.1, 2023, and May 15, 2024, according to a recall notice posted on Monday by the FDA.

Packed in 7-ounce and 12-ounce plastic jars with a Dec. 12, 2026, expiration date, the recall follows an analysis by New York state officials that found elevated levels of lead in the product.

Consumers should stop using the cinnamon immediately and return it to the place of purchase for a refund. Those with questions can call: 1-917-532-6768.

Separately, Advance Food International of Maspeth, New York, is recalling Shahzada brand cinnamon powder in 7-ounce packing because it also has the potential to be contaminated with elevated levels of lead.

The recalled cinnamon powder was distributed to retailers in four states: Connecticut, Massachusetts, New Jersey and New York between Jan. 1, 2024, and May 24, 2024, according to a notice posted Monday by the FDA.

Those with questions can call the company at: 1-718-482-0123.

The recalls follow another on Friday by ALB-USA Enterprises of Bronx, New York, involving ALB Flavor brand cinnamon powder for the same reason, stated a notice posted by the FDA.

Packaging image of recalled ALB-USA Enterprises cinnamon powder. / Credit: U.S. Food and Drug Administration

Packaing image (other side) of recalled ALB-USA Enterprises cinnamon powder. / Credit: U.S. Food and Drug Administration

Distributed to retailers in Connecticut, Massachusetts, Michigan and New York between Dec. 15, 2022, and May 13, 2024, the recalled cinnamon powder is packaged in a plastic bag with a net weight of 100 grams.

The product contained a best-before-date of Aug. 30, 2025. Those with questions can call: 1-917-922-5627 or 1-929-431-8505.

The FDA on Thursday issued a public health alert for Elmhurst, New York-based El Servidor brand ground cinnamon sold by Mannan Supermarket because the product was also found to contain elevated levels of lead.

Ground cinnamon product found to contain elevated levels of lead. / Credit: U.S. Food and Drug Administration

The agency has recommended the distributor voluntarily recall the product, the FDA stated.

The FDA in March issued a public health alert urging consumers against buying half a dozen ground cinnamon products because they were found to contain elevated levels of lead.

That warning came after nationwide recalls of lead-tainted applesauce linked to 519 reported poisonings, mostly involving young children.

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In the fridge or on the kitchen counter? The experts weigh in.

Simply Recipes / Getty Images

It's no secret that sriracha can make almost anything food better, from scrambled eggs and fried rice to Bloody Marys and noodles. (Sriracha as I know and lovethe Huy Fong Foods brand, green-lidded squirt bottle with a rooster on the side in its original form is a Thai sauce from Si Racha, traditionally used for seafood.) I have it around always, and I tend to store it in the fridge. So when someone told me I don't need to worry about keeping it unrefrigerated, I had to learn more. Here's what I found out.

What Experts Say About How To Store Sriracha

You shouldn't worry about bottles of sriracha sitting at room temperature on restaurant tables or at home, for who knows how long. That's because sriracha doesn't' have to be refrigerated, even after the bottles have been opened.

"No, they do not have to be refrigerated," explain the folks at Huy Fong Foods Inc., the company that manufactures sriracha in Irwindale, California. The best way to store bottles of Sriracha, according to the manufacturer? "Just make sure they are stored in a cool, dry place." You don't need to keep it in the fridge.

How is it that sriracha doesn't need to be refrigerated? While it's true that its main ingredients (chili peppers and vinegar) are naturally resistant to bacterial growth, the inclusion of potassium sorbate and sodium bisulfite as preservatives in Huy Fong's formula are what truly make it safe to store at room temperature.

Simply Recipes / Myo Quinn

Refrigerated Sriracha Tastes and Looks Better

Even if you don't have to worry about getting sick from the sriracha that's been sitting out at room temperature, that doesn't mean it will tasteor lookexactly the same as it when you first opened the bottle.

Though sriracha won't spoil, the flavor will change and since chili peppers change color over time as they are exposed to air, older sriracha sometimes looks brown. Every bottle comes with a best-before date, "lasered on towards the neck of the bottle. You can feel it with your fingers," says a rep from Huy Fong Foods.

If you want to make sure your Sriracha stays as vibrant red and as delicious as possible, you can keep it in the fridge. But it won't keep your sriracha from going bad. The vinegar and chilis are already doing that for you.

A version of this article originally appeared on MyRecipes.com.

Read the original article on Simply Recipes.
By Michael Erman and Bhanvi Satija

(Reuters) - Pfizer raised its annual profit forecast on Tuesday, helped by cancer treatments acquired through a $43 billion deal for Seagen and strong sales of its heart disease drug as the company deals with a sharp revenue drop from COVID products.

The market for Pfizer's COVID-19 vaccine and treatment has shrunk by billions of dollars a year.

Pfizer CEO Albert Bourla responded with several acquisitions, including the Seagen deal and cost-cutting measures. The New York-based drugmaker also has sharpened its focus on cancer treatments.

Investors fled from Pfizer as COVID worries declined and the company's shares are trading at around half their pandemic-era highs.

"The market is waiting to see if this company can execute," Bourla said in an interview. "We will continue executing this year, on our cost containment, on our pipeline, on all our new product launches ... and that's what I think should be able to turn around our stock price."

J.P. Morgan analyst Chris Schott said he expects Pfizer's stock to continue to trade in the current range due to limited revenue growth and stronger expectations for many of its rivals.

"We believe stronger new launch performance and/or further progress on the pipeline will be necessary to significantly change the narrative," he wrote in a research note.

Pfizer shares were basically flat at $30.67.

Sales of Eliquis, the blood thinner it shares with Bristol Myers Squibb, are expected to be curtailed starting in 2026, when the U.S. begins using negotiated prices for some drugs for its Medicare health plan for people age 65 and over.

Bourla said negotiations over Eliquis with U.S. regulators were tough. Still, Pfizer executives echoed comments from other drugmakers earlier this month, saying it expects to be able to navigate the impact of the new price on Eliquis, which it sees as an important drug for the company for the foreseeable future.

Overall, the impact of the law allowing U.S. price negotiations on Pfizer "is somewhat muted as you think about it economically," Chief Financial Officer David Denton said. He said many products that could be selected for negotiation in the coming years will be nearing the end of their patent protection.

Quarterly sales grew 3% operationally to $13.3 billion, marking its first quarter of sales growth since COVID revenue peaked in late 2022.

The quarter was helped by sales of its heart disease drug, sold under brand names Vyndaqel or Vyndamax and cancer therapy Padcev.

Pfizer now expects annual profit to be in the range of $2.45 to $2.65 per share, compared with its prior forecast of $2.15 to $2.35.

BMO Capital Markets analyst Evan Seigerman said given the company's previous conservative forecast, the increase was somewhat expected. "Still, we are encouraged to see Pfizer executing where it matters," he wrote in a research note.

Pfizer also raised its full-year sales forecast for its antiviral treatment Paxlovid for high-risk COVID cases by $500 million to $3.5 billion.

Vyndaqel sales came in $200 million ahead of analyst estimates at $1.32 billion for the quarter, according to LSEG data.

Sales Padcev, used to treat bladder and urinary tract cancers, were $394 million in the quarter, beating estimates of $362 million.

Quarterly sales of the COVID vaccine Pfizer makes with German partner BioNTech were $195 million, while Paxlovid sales were $251 million. Analysts were expecting sales of $176 million for Comirnaty and $247.7 million for Paxlovid.

Pfizer was disappointed with its 2023 launch of RSV shot Abrysvo, but the company expressed optimism about the vaccine in the U.S. this year.

"We've significantly strengthened our contracting position," said Pfizer's Chief U.S. Commercial Officer Aamir Malik, noting that those decisions are set to take effect in August. Last year, rival GSK won two-thirds of the RSV vaccine market, mostly due to its contracts with retail pharmacies.

(Reporting by Bhanvi Satija and Christy Santhosh in Bengaluru and Michael Erman in New York; Editing by Anil D'Silva and Bill Berkrot)
Scientists say they have found more evidence of gas molecules on Venus that could, among other things, point to the possibility of life on the planet.

Venus, the closest planet to Earth, has an atmosphere similar to ours, but much more hot and full of corrosive sulfuric acid.

Researchers in England announced last week that powerful space telescopes revealed new signs of phosphine gas in Venus' atmosphere, a finding that has been fiercely debated in recent years. There's a chance any phosphine gas on Venus could be a sign of life because on Earth, the gas comes from decaying organic material. Scientists are also confident there is no other natural chemical process on Venus that could otherwise produce the gas, said Dave Clements, the lead researcher on the project.

"We are not saying we have found signs of life on Venus," Clements told USA TODAY. "We are on the first step of a staircase at the top of which, if all the steps are passed, something might lead to that."

The recent announcement at an astrophysics meetings in England comes after Clements and other scientists in 2020 first said they discovered phosphine on Venus. Since then, their discovery has faced pushback after other researchers weren't able to replicate the results, or said phosphine identified by the team was something else, Clements said.

Weve confirmed that phosphine is there, showing what we found back in 2020 is still a solid result," Clements said Tuesday.

This illustration created by Akihiko Ikeshita received from Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA) on December 7, 2010 shows an artists impression of The Planet-C Venus Climate Orbiter, nicknamed "Akatsuki," orbitting Venus.

What does phosphine, ammonia on Venus mean?

In addition to phosphine, researchers also shared news they found signs of ammonia on Venus, Clements said.

Both substances are "biomarkers" because on Earth, they are found in the guts and feces of some animals, Clements said.

However, there are still many possibilities to rule out, he said, and scientists will next try to see if any other chemical processes on Venus could be creating the gas molecules.

There may be something really exotic going on  but none of the normal chemical processes that we are aware of can produce the amounts of phosphine and ammonia," Clements said, explaining that his team's recent findings point to even greater amounts of the molecules in Venus' clouds compared to the findings from 2020, and lower in the planet's atmosphere.

"Something is going on that we cant understand," he said.

Is there life on Venus?

Venus' atmosphere  specifically its clouds  are the main area where there could possibly be a "habitable region," Clements said. That's because Venus has an "oxidizing" atmosphere, like Earth's, Clements said, explaining how it has a lot of hydrogen  which can create water, which has also been found on Venus.

But Clements stressed that his team's recent discovery is a preliminary one, and that it will need further review.

In the future, the Massachusetts Institute of Technology's Morning Star Missions examining Venus' clouds, as well as other space exploration projects will further test scientists' hypothesis, Clements said.

The chances that what were seeing are actually signs of life are probably between 10-20 percent at this point," he said. "Even if theres a one-in-ten chance, then thats something that really reserves a lot of extra careful study."

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Life on Venus? Phosphine found on planet could be evidence.
NEW YORK (AP)  The director of the Heritage Foundation's Project 2025 vision for a complete overhaul of the federal government stepped down Tuesday after blowback from Donald Trump's campaign, which has tried to disavow the program created by many of the former president's allies and former aides.

Heritage Foundation President Kevin Roberts said Paul Dans exit comes after the project completed exactly what it set out to do." Roberts, who has emerged as a chief spokesman for the effort, plans to lead Project 2025 going forward.

"Our collective efforts to build a personnel apparatus for policymakers of all levels  federal, state, and local  will continue, Roberts said.

What started as an obscure far-right wish list is now a focal point in the 2024 campaign. Democrats for the past several months have made Project 2025 a key election-year cudgel, pointing to the ultraconservative policy blueprint as a glimpse into how extreme another Trump administration could be.

The nearly 1,000-page handbook lays out sweeping changes in the federal government, including altering personnel rules to ensure government workers are more loyal to the president. Heritage is building a database of potential new hires to staff a second Trump White House.

Yet Trump has repeatedly disavowed the document, saying on social media he hasnt read it and doesnt know anything about it. At a rally in Michigan earlier this month, he said Project 2025 was written by people on the severe right and some of the things in it are seriously extreme.

President Trumps campaign has been very clear for over a year that Project 2025 had nothing to do with the campaign, did not speak for the campaign, and should not be associated with the campaign or the President in any way, Trump campaign advisers Susie Wiles and Chris LaCivita said in a statement.

They said, Reports of Project 2025s demise would be greatly welcomed and should serve as notice to anyone or any group trying to misrepresent their influence with President Trump and his campaign  it will not end well for you.

But Ohio Sen. JD Vance, Trumps running mate, wrote a foreword to a forthcoming book by Roberts in which he lauds the Heritage Foundations work. A copy of the foreword was obtained by The Associated Press.

The Heritage Foundation isnt some random outpost on Capitol Hill; it is and has been the most influential engine of ideas for Republicans from Ronald Reagan to Donald Trump, wrote Vance.

Quoting Roberts elsewhere in the book, Vance writes: We are now all realizing that its time to circle the wagons and load the muskets. In the fights that lay ahead, these ideas are an essential weapon.

Trump campaign representatives did not respond to messages inquiring about whether the campaign asked or pushed for Dans to step down from the project. The Heritage Foundation said Dans left voluntarily and it was not under pressure from the Trump campaign. Dans didnt immediately respond to an emailed request for comment.

Project 2025 has many ties to Trump's orbit

In many ways, Project 2025 served as a potential far-right White House in waiting, a constellation of outside groups that would be ready for action if Trump wins a second term.

The project included not only the detailed policy proposals that Trump could put into place on day one at the White House. Project 2025 was also building a personnel database of resumes for potential hires, drawing Americans to Washington to staff a new Trump administration.

Many Trump allies and former top aides contributed to the project. Dans formerly worked as a personnel official for the Trump administration. And Trump regularly campaigns on many of the same proposals in the Project 2025 book  from mass deportations to upending the Justice Department  though some of its other proposals, including further taxes on tips, conflict with some of what Trump has pledged on the campaign trail.

It was clear that Project 2025 was becoming a liability for Trump and the Republican Party.

Vice President Kamala Harris campaign and top Democrats have repeatedly tied Trump to Project 2025 as they argue against a second term for the former president.

The Harris campaign said Project 2025 remains linked to Trumps agenda, written by his allies for him to inflict on the country.

Hiding the 920-page blueprint from the American people doesnt make it less real  in fact, it should make voters more concerned about what else Trump and his allies are hiding, said Harris for President Campaign Manager Julie Chavez Rodriguez.

For months Trumps campaign had warned outside groups, and Heritage in particular, that they did not speak for the former president.

In an interview from the Republican convention first published by Politico, LaCivita said Project 2025 was a problem because the issues that are going to win us this campaign are not the issues that they want to talk about.

It was almost certain than Trumps campaign forced the shakeup, said one former Heritage aide.

Trumps team was well aware it couldnt risk any missteps from Heritage in this final stretch ahead of the election.

By announcing the departure, Roberts appeared to be sending a signal to the Trump campaign that changes were being made at Heritage to tamp down any concerns over Project 2025, said another conservative familiar with the situation.

If Trump wins the White House, he almost certainly will need to rely on Heritage and other outside entities to help quickly staff a new administration, the person said.

That person and the former aide would only talk on condition of anonymity to discuss private conversations.

Heritage says Project 2025 is not going away

Project 2025s website will remain live and the group will continue vetting resumes for its nearly 20,000-person database of potential officials eager to execute its vision for government, the Heritage Foundation said Tuesday.

The group said Dans, who had started the project from scratch more than two years ago, will leave the Heritage Foundation in August. Roberts will now run Project 2025 operations.

Roberts has faced criticism in recent weeks after he said on an episode of former Trump aide Steve Bannon's War Room podcast that the country is in the midst of a second American Revolution that will be bloodless if the left allows it to be.

Earlier this month, in an interview before beginning a prison sentence for defying a congressional subpoena, Bannon mentioned Roberts as the type of leader who could land a top job in a Trump White House.

___

Mascaro reported from Washington. Associated Press writer Michelle L. Price contributed to this report.

___

The Associated Press receives support from several private foundations to enhance its explanatory coverage of elections and democracy. See more about APs democracy initiative here. The AP is solely responsible for all content.
While inflation in the US has been cooling since hitting a four-decade high, the temperature outside continues to climb.

Its been one of the hottest summers on record for much of the country and the planet, which last week experienced the hottest day in recorded history.

But US consumers arent only taking a financial hit from this summers extreme heat by way of their electricity bills. Shoppers could soon have to pay much higher prices for fruit and vegetables as farmers shoulder higher growing costs from the heat, a reversal of a trend seen over the past year with the cost of fruits and vegetables dropping by 1%, according to June Consumer Price Index data.

Tom Avinelis, who owns organic farms that grow blueberries and citrus fruits around Fresno, California, and the Willamette Valley in Oregon, said near-record-breaking heat waves this month with temperatures upwards of 100 degrees in both areas has caused more fruit than usual to shrivel, resulting in less harvestable produce.

It decreases a lot of our revenue potential, said Avinelis, whose produce is managed by Homegrown Organic Farms, which sells nationwide in stores such as Whole Foods, Trader Joes, Costco and Safeway.

For the rest of this summer, consumers arent likely to see markedly higher prices for seasonal fruits like blueberries because contracts with distributors and retailers tend to be worked out in advance, he said.

Tom Avinelis has been growing blueberries and citrus fruits in California and Oregon for over 40 years. Climate change, he said, is causing his business to suffer financially with reduced crop yields. - Courtesy Tom Avinelis

But, as we see more and more of these heat events, it will challenge production and change the supply and demand dynamics, Avinelis, who has been in the agriculture business for over 40 years, told CNN. Thats why in the next few years, he said, the prices consumers pay will be higher to be more reflective of the expenses farmers like him are incurring to adapt to more extreme heat, such as installing upgraded irrigation systems.

Yet despite those upgrades, he says he is still at a disadvantage compared to nonorganic farmers who can use the plant equivalent of sunscreen on citrus trees to shield them from some heat.

Measuring the effect of heat on production

Even corn, one of the top-produced crops in the US with most states growing it, is suffering steep losses from heat.

A 2021 study published by the Atlantic Council found that corn growers in the US are losing $720 million in revenue annually due to heats effect on crop yields, which will increase to a projected $1.7 billion annually by 2030.

The consequences of this could include farm closures and higher prices for food and livestock feed, the study notes.

Researchers from the University of Waterloo in Ontario, Canada, and Mohamed bin Zayed University of Artificial Intelligence in Abu Dhabi estimated that temperatures three degrees above historic averages have a significant chance of reducing strawberry yields by as much as 40%. Their recently published analysis drew from publicly available data on strawberry yields in Santa Maria, California, from 2011 to 2019 and monthly temperature averages there from 1991 to 2021.

One of the researchers, Kumaraswamy Ponnambalam, who teaches systems design engineering at the University of Waterloo, told CNN the project launched because a supermarket chain in Canada reached out to his team in search of software to help them better predict the prices theyll pay for the produce they sell to customers. Ponnambalam said his team chose to focus on strawberries because the supermarket told him they are the most challenging type of produce to forecast pricing for, especially as an importer.

As Ponnambalam and his team helped design software for them, they suspected there was a correlation between temperature and crop yields, prompting their separate, more in-depth analysis.

Ponnambalam and his coauthors said their findings can be used to help guide farmers and policymakers in implementing effective climate change adaptation strategies in strawberry production and potentially in other high-value agricultural crops.

Moving inside

Henry Gordon-Smith, the CEO and founder of Agritecture, an agriculture consulting and advisory firm that specializes in climate change planning, said many growers he works with have maintained the same output as past years, but its come at a significantly higher cost.

Increased water usage, additional labor for monitoring and managing heat stress, and investments in protective measures like shade cloths all contribute to higher production costs, he told CNN. Despite these efforts, in some cases, the output is still lower, and the quality of the produce can be compromised.

Ultimately, the effects of climate change have caused an increasing number of farmers to shift their operations entirely indoors, said Gordon-Smith, who recently taught a course titled Smart Agriculture for a Changing Climate at Columbia University.

Having an environment where farmers can control environmental factors such as temperature and humidity, and other environmental factors helps to mitigate the adverse effects of heat waves, he said. However, the steep costs to make that switch could also contribute to higher prices consumers pay for produce.

For farmers who arent able to or may not be willing to shift to indoor growing, Gordon-Smiths strategy to help them survive heat waves involves using sensors and artificial intelligence tools to track weather and make predictions that guide their decisions.

The challenges posed by extreme heat underscore the urgent need for adaptive strategies in agriculture, he said.

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PHOENIX (AP)  The Los Angeles Dodgers acquired starting pitcher Jack Flaherty, San Diego added All-Star closer Tanner Scott, and Arizona, Baltimore and Pittsburgh made significant deals for the stretch run ahead of Tuesday's trade deadline.

Many top stars mentioned as trade targets stayed with their teams, including Toronto slugger Vladimir Guerrero Jr., San Francisco pitcher Blake Snell and Chicago White Sox left-hander Garrett Crochet. Still, there were 30 trades finalized Tuesday, according to Major League Baseball.

San Diego got Scott from Miami, Cleveland acquired right-hander Alex Cobb from San Francisco, and Minnesota obtained reliever Trevor Richards from payroll-cutting Toronto, which also sent outfielder Kevin Kiermaier to the Dodgers and utilityman Isiah Kiner-Falefa to Pittsburgh.

The Pirates, in the middle of the NL wild-card race, also added outfielder Bryan De La Cruz from Miami for two prospects. De La Cruz led the Marlins with 18 homers.

The Orioles acquired left-handed starter Trevor Rogers, sending prospect Connor Norby and outfielder Kyle Stowers to the Marlins. The 26-year-old Rogers has been a dependable option for Miami most of the season and has a 4.53 ERA over 21 starts. Baltimore also added outfielder Eloy Jimenez from the White Sox, reliever Gregory Soto from the Phillies, and outfielder Austin Slater and infielder Livan Soto from the Reds.

Arizona plugged a hole in its lineup by adding first baseman Josh Bell, who was hitting .239 with 14 homers for the Marlins. Miami will receive cash in return. Arizona was in need of a power hitter after first baseman Christian Walker left Monday's game with left oblique tightness and was put on the 10-day injured list.

Arizona also acquired right-handed reliever Dylan Floro from Washington for Triple-A infielder Andres Chaparro. Floro has a 2.06 ERA over 51 appearances this season.

The Dodgers added Flaherty from Detroit for minor league catcher Thayron Liranzo and infielder Trey Sweeney. Flaherty is 7-5 with a 2.95 ERA and 133 strikeouts over 106 1/3 innings in 18 starts.

Scott gives the Padres one of the best closers in baseball. He has a 1.18 ERA and 18 saves with 53 strikeouts over 44 appearances. The Padres also added left-hander Martin Perez from the Pirates for a prospect.

The Guardians hope the 36-year-old Cobb, an All-Star in 2023, can provide a lift over the next two months. He hasn't pitched in the major leagues this season because of left hip surgery last October. On the verge of returning to San Francisco, he developed a blister on his right index finger last week. The Giants received left-handed pitching prospect Jacob Bresnahan and a player to be named.

The New York Mets acquired starter Paul Blackburn from Oakland for minor league right-hander Kade Morris. Blackburn was an All-Star in 2022 but missed more than two months this season with a stress reaction in his right foot before coming off the 60-day injured list last Friday. The right-hander is 4-2 with a 4.41 ERA in nine starts and figures to slot into a rotation missing injured ace Kodai Senga and rookie Christian Scott.

The Mets also added reliever Huascar Brazoban from the Marlins and righty Tyler Zuber in a deal with the Rays.

Pittsburgh got Kiner-Falefa for minor leaguer Charles McAdoo. Kiner-Falefa is hitting .292 with eight doubles, two triples, seven home runs and 33 RBIs in 82 games. The 29-year-old is related to Pirates Hall of Famer Ralph Kiner.

The Pirates also added left-hander Josh Walker from the Mets for minor league lefty Nicolas Carreno. Walker was at Triple-A but made 24 appearances for New York the past two seasons.

Kansas City received right-handed reliever Lucas Erceg from Oakland for right-hander Will Klein and a pair of minor leaguers. The 29-year-old Erceg is 2-3 with three saves and a 3.68 ERA in 38 appearances. Veteran infielder Paul DeJong was traded to Kansas City from the White Sox for right-hander Jarold Rosado and could walk across the ballpark to his new team, which was in Chicago.

Philadelphia added lefty Tanner Banks, sending a minor leaguer to the White Sox.

Seattle, in a tight race with Houston for the AL West lead, reacquired right-hander JT Chargois from Miami for minor league right-hander Will Schomberg. Chargois pitched for Seattle during the first half of the 2021 season.

Chargois missed a big chunk of this season due to neck spasms, but had a 1.62 ERA in 15 games since his season debut June 12.

The Boston Red Sox added right-hander Lucas Sims from the Reds, while the New York Yankees acquired righty Mark Leiter Jr. from the Cubs.

The 30-year-old Sims has a 3.57 ERA with 40 strikeouts in 35 1/3 innings over 43 appearances. Hes made 210 appearances for the Reds, posting a 3.94 ERA since 2018. The Reds received a 19-year-old prospect, right-handed pitcher Ovis Portes. The Red Sox also added veteran righty Luis Garcia, sending a package of prospects to the Los Angeles Angels.

Leiter, 33, has a 4.21 ERA in 39 appearances this season. The Cubs received minor leaguers Ben Cowles and Jack Neely. The Yankees also added right-hander Enyel De Los Santos from the Padres and dealt lefty Caleb Ferguson to Houston.

Reigning World Series champion Texas, in third place in the AL West, got left-handed reliever Andrew Chafin from Detroit for minor league right-handers Chase Lee and Joseph Montalvo. Chafin, in his 11th big league season, is 3-2 with a 3.16 ERA in 41 appearances and had allowed only one earned run in his last 18 games since June 8.

Minnesota acquired Richards, sending minor league infielder Jay Harry to Toronto. Richards has appeared in 45 games for the Blue Jays this season, going 2-1 with a 4.64 ERA.

St. Louis added right-handed reliever Shawn Armstrong, sending outfielder Dylan Carlson and cash to the Tampa Bay Rays.

The Angels acquired right-hander Mike Baumann from San Francisco for cash. The 28-year-old Baumann has already pitched for the Orioles, Mariners and Giants this season, compiling a 4.84 ERA over 36 games.

The Giants added veteran outfielder Mark Canha in a deal that sent right-handed pitcher Eric Silva to the Tigers.

___

AP MLB: https://apnews.com/hub/mlb
The most common time to sign a lease is between May and September, and we're smack dab in the middle of that period.

Many renters may currently be looking at new rental agreements, or if they have stayed at the same spot for a few years, they may be deciding if a likely price jump for repeating the lease is worth it to stay put.

Currently, the national average monthly rent for a one-bedroom apartment is $1,536, according to Apartments.com. That's 0.8% higher than it was this time last year. But depending on your landlord or building owner, some renters might see larger price bumps than others.

So what are your rights as a renter, and what are the landlord's rights in terms of raising that price?

Michelle Gilbert is the legal and policy director for the Law Center for Better Housing, a nonprofit in Chicago that advocates for renters' rights. She told Scripps News that, unfortunately, the tenant doesn't have much say.

Though there are some laws in place to make it harder for a landlord to change rent prices, they vary by state and municipality. As of February 2022, there are 31 states that prevent local governments from enacting rent control measures, but in large cities, rent control laws are more likely to be in place.

RELATED STORY | When home prices make renting the smarter choice

If you happen to find yourself in one of those cities or states without these protective laws, Gilbert said there are a few things that can help reduce the likelihood of those large rent increases.

One of those is to rent from a smaller landlord. Gilbert said the corporate landlords or buildings will typically have larger rent increases comparatively.

Hopeful tenants or those signing new leases this year should also ask potential landlords about additional fees that can add to your monthly rent.

"Recently, we are just seeing a shocking increase in fees that get attached onto the agreement, so you might go in thinking, 'Oh this is a property that I can afford,' and then you find out that there are substantial fees," Gilbert said.

Gilbert also recommends signing leases that state how much notice the landlord will give a tenant before raising the rent. This could help the renter plan ahead in order to meet the new cost, or have time to move elsewhere.

From the opposite perspective, Gilbert said it's not always in the best interest for a landlord to raise the rent. She said it's important that they look at the "big picture" before doing so and decide whether it's more important to get extra funds, or if it's better to prioritize keeping good tenants.

"That gain you might see in the short term by having a big rent increase, you have to think about how that will pan out over time," Gilbert told Scripps News. "It's much better to have a tenant who has a commitment to the property and to the neighborhood, who's gonna stay there, and you're not going to have a period of having an empty apartment."
AUSTIN  A 12-person jury in San Antonio in 2022 took just five hours to end one of the most nefarious chapters in Laredos history.

Four years earlier, a serial killer had brutally murdered four women in the outskirts of Laredo. All of them were marginalized sex workers with substance abuse disorders. All of them were also women with siblings and parents and friends who loved them.

Over the span of 12 days, a man picked them up, one by one, drove them to remote rural roads and shot them in the head with a .40-caliber handgun.

Throughout that same time, a U.S. Border Patrol supervisory agent named Juan David Ortiz went to his job each day at the Joint Intelligence Center at Border Patrol Laredo Sectors headquarters.

Ortiz, an Iraq War veteran and longtime agent, was married, with three children. From the intelligence center, he could keep tabs on regional police operations and the unfolding investigation of the serial killings.

After the serial killer pulled his gun on a would-be fifth victim, who escaped his clutches and notified police, investigators drew closer to the killer. Soon, they made an astonishing discovery: The man they were chasing was Ortiz.

He was committing the shootings with his agency-issued .40-caliber. When police took him into custody, he confessed that he had planned to keep killing.

After the verdict was read in December 2022, a judge sentenced Ortiz to life in prison without parole. In May, an Appeals Court in El Paso upheld the ruling, sealing Ortizs fate. He would spend the rest of his days in a Texas prison.

It would seem the story ends there. But tales like these dont leave quietly.

I spent five years interviewing more than 300 people, poring over 1,000 documents and driving more than 9,000 miles around Texas to try to better understand the events of September 2018 in Laredo.

I spent hours, day after day, year after year, with victims families, in their homes and in courtrooms, learning about the women  Melissa Ramirez, Claudine Luera, Chelly Cantu and Janelle Ortiz  about their struggles and dreams. I interviewed investigators who pursued the killer and prosecutors who tried him in court.

The book that ensued  The Devil Behind the Badge, published by Dey Street/HarperCollins  comes out Aug. 6.

Exclusive: How borderland detectives first discovered Juan David Ortiz's serial killings

USA TODAY correspondent Rick Jervis spent five years researching and writing 'The Devil Behind the Badge,' a detailed account of the 2018 serial killings by U.S. Border Patrol agent Juan David Ortiz. It publishes Aug. 6 through Dey Street/HarperCollins.

I wasnt alone. NBCs "Dateline," ABCs "20/20" and Maxs "Homicide Hunter: American Detective" all produced features on the case, interviewing family members and detectives. The podcast "Gone South" made a six-episode series on it.

In a world full of tragic killings, why all the national attention and why a book now? The answer is both simple and infinitely complex. This case was by far the most intriguing, surprising and challenging story of my 20-plus-year career as a journalist.

Families of victims still hurt, but try to heal

In the four years between Ortizs arrest and his verdict, the victims relatives moved, grew families of their own and tried to reconcile lives without their mothers, sisters and daughters. Ciara Munguia, 26, Lueras daughter, had a baby, Londyn, in that timespan. In one of the more ironic twists of the saga, Munguia now works as an intel analyst with the Webb County Sheriffs Office  the agency that pursued and captured her mothers murderer.

For the first few years after the murders, Munguia struggled with the hate and anger that consumed her over her moms killing. Slowly  especially after having Londyn  those jagged feelings began to recede. The trial and verdict were, in many ways, a huge step toward closure, she said. At the trial, Munguia met and chatted with Ortizs mom. The two hugged. Munguia cried.

Now, Munguia celebrates her mother twice a year: with a cake in December for her birthday; and with balloon releases each September on the anniversary of her death. Luera, who struggled with heroin addiction for years before she was killed, is in a better place now, she said.

I wouldnt be who I am if it wasnt for her, Mungia said. I feel like shes still all around.

Women embrace at Holy Redeemer Catholic Church in Laredo, at the funeral service for Nikki Enriquez on Friday, Sept. 21, 2018.

How did Juan David Ortiz murders affect Border Patrol?

One aspect that remains a mystery is what lessons, if any, Border Patrol learned as an agency from the Ortiz murders. Internal documents I obtained showed there was very little in his official file that would have alerted the agency to his actions. But colleagues and friends noticed a steep decline beginning around February 2018.

Ortiz, a Navy corpsman  or medic  and Iraq War veteran, suffered from PTSD and was prescribed a cocktail of psychotropic medications. He mixed those meds with copious amounts of booze. He complained to a therapist about nightmares, paranoia and suicidal thoughts. He bragged to colleagues that he knew where the sex workers dwelled along Laredos San Bernardo Avenue.

None of his spiraling behavior appears to have made it into Ortizs official Border Patrol record.

Juan David Ortiz, the U.S. Border Patrol agent accused of killing four women in the Laredo area, was approached by police at this Stripes convenience store. He ran and was arrested two blocks away.

In the wake of Ortizs arrest, Border Patrol officials were quick to point out that his actions were not representative of the nearly 20,000 agents employed at the federal law enforcement agency. Yet that same year  2018  Border Patrols Laredo Sector alone saw two of its agents (including Ortiz) investigated for murder while off-duty and one for the shooting death of an unarmed migrant while on-duty.

In recent years, the agency has made important strides toward improving transparency and shaking a historic culture of impunity, including rolling out body cams on agents and publishing Discipline Overview reports on its website, which shows disciplinary actions taken on agents (albeit without any identifying details). Still, immigrant advocates complain the agency is not doing enough  and agents continue to get away with wrongdoing.

As we near a presidential election, border security will become an increasingly important topic and how the agency polices its own agents will be equally scrutinized.

What effect, if any, did the Ortiz shootings have on the agency? Unclear. Border Patrol officials declined to talk to me for the book or answer various Freedom of Information Act requests I filed over the years, claiming the issue was still under internal investigation  even long after their own agent had been arrested and charged.

A mysterious message

Most glaringly, Ortizs motive remains elusive.

One of the few clues Ortiz offered was during a nine-hour videotaped interview he had with investigators after his arrest, where he at first denied knowing any of the slain women then slowly admitted to the crimes in startling detail. As Webb County Sheriff Deputy Federico Calderon and Texas Ranger E.J. Salinas leaned in from across a table in the interview room, Ortiz described how  after killing his first victim, Melissa Ramirez  he was gripped by an urge to continue targeting sex workers.

This is going to sound stupid, he says in the video, looking down at his hands, but I wanted to clean up the streets.

Ortizs targeting of marginalized sex workers is not outside the norm for serial killings. As of 2018, FBI data showed women accounted for three-fourths of the 1,398 known serial homicides in the U.S., according to a study by sociologists Jooyoung Lee and Sasha Reid. And female sex workers are 18 times more likely to be targeted.

But what, specifically, made Ortiz turn from family man and Border Patrol rising star to serial murderer, seemingly overnight? And why did he target these women specifically?

Calderon, who spent 12 days hunting Laredos serial killer and was Ortizs lead interrogator during the confession, knows more about the case than arguably anybody else. Why Ortiz did what he did remains a mystery even to him.

The only person who really knows is Juan David Ortiz, he told me later.

After his arrest, I mailed several letters to Ortiz requesting an interview as he awaited trial at the Webb County Jail. He didnt answer any of them.

Six months after the trial, in May 2023, after Ortiz was transferred to the Ramsey Unit, a Texas prison located in Rosharon, Texas, messages from him suddenly emerged in my inbox of an online network used to communicate with inmates. After an initial inquiry, he followed up, alleging a string of wrongdoing at the Webb County Sheriffs Office.

Then, earlier this month, another message popped in from him.

If you are willing  promptly schedule an interview, Ortiz wrote, saying he preferred no cameras or recorders. He added, Please understand that there is stuff that I'm simply not going to talk about.

I agreed to no camera but told him I would need a recorder to accurately capture our conversation.

He has not yet replied.

Jervis is an Austin-based national correspondent for USA TODAY. Follow him on X: @MrRJervis. His book, "The Devil Behind the Badge," which details the 2018 Laredo serial killings, will be released Aug. 6.

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Border Patrol serial killer Juan David Ortiz: One mystery remains
By Pete Schroeder

WASHINGTON (Reuters) -A U.S. bank regulator is considering a stricter framework for how large asset managers like Blackrock and Vanguard can prove they are not influencing banks where they hold large stakes.

The Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation voted on Tuesday to advance a proposal for the agency to exert more influence over whether asset managers or other firms building large stakes in banks should receive stricter regulation and oversight.

Agency officials also indicated they may launch a review of existing so-called "passivity agreements" with large asset managers, with a focus on boosting FDIC oversight of their commitments to not play an active role in bank management.

Under law, third parties that obtain a greater than 10% stake in a bank can be considered a controlling interest in the bank and subjected to stricter regulation and oversight. But firms can avoid those restrictions under "passivity agreements," in which the investor commits to regulators they will not exert influence on the bank.

Specifically, the FDIC under the proposal would remove an existing exemption in which it does not review new large investments in banks as long as the Federal Reserve signed off on that approach.

"It is highly inappropriate for the FDIC to abdicate the responsibility Congress entrusted to us to safeguard the ownership and control of the banks we supervise," said Rohit Chopra, director of the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau and an FDIC board member.

FDIC Chairman Martin Gruenberg also backed the proposal, which would also seek broader feedback about the role of asset managers obtaining large stakes in banks.

Separately, FDIC Commissioner Jonathan McKernan offered a proposal that would have directed FDIC staff to order a review of existing passivity agreements for some large asset managers, and ensure the FDIC has the capacity for monitoring the commitments those firms make. Under his plan, the FDIC would look to strike new agreements with those firms that would do away with the current practice of self-certification by the firms and require FDIC monitoring.

However, McKernan did not bring that proposal up for a vote after Gruenberg indicated such action would not require formal board action. Gruenberg added that he is open to reviewing existing agreements, with a focus on ending the practice of self-certification.

When asked, Gruenberg said he expected notifications to begin review existing agreements could happen soon.

The FDIC action comes amid growing concern among some policymakers over large asset managers' expanding footprint in the banking sector, driven by the growth of index investing, and what it could mean for bank management. In his remarks, Chopra noted that BlackRock and Vanguard collectively control more than $17 trillion in assets, with stakes large enough to trigger stricter oversight.

Some FDIC officials expressed concern. FDIC Vice Chairman Travis Hill noted that such a push could reduce investments in banks to the detriment of those firms.

A spokesperson for Blackrock declined to comment. Vanguard said in a statement it wants to continue a "constructive dialogue" with regulators over passive investments.

Spokespeople for those firms did not immediately provide comment on the FDIC's actions.

The industry has been quick to critique this scrutiny, calling it unjustified and burdensome.

"It is alarming to see that the FDIC is proposing to revise the current framework in the absence of a clearly identified problem," said Eric Pan, CEO of the Investment Company Institute, which represents asset managers. "We fear that the FDIC is asking the investment funds industry to prove a negative, setting up a flawed foundation on which to impose harmful limits and red tape on investment funds and increase costs on American investors."

(Reporting by Pete Schroeder and Davide Barbuscia; Editing by Nick Zieminski and Will Dunham)
Patricia Andrade went through a pot of coffee before switching to Coca-Cola as she anxiously watched the Venezuelan election results from her home in Miami.

Not that she needed the caffeine. Her anxiety was keeping her awake and fearful that President Nicolas Maduro, who has presided over the collapse of her native Venezuela's once-flourishing economy, would win again and stoke a fresh exodus of her people.

Maduro declared victory on Monday, claiming 51% of the vote. Opposition candidate Edmundo Gonzalez also declared victory.

"The last Venezuelan migrants to arrive told me, if (the opposition) doesn't win, then I'm bringing my family here," said Andrade, who runs a Miami-based nonprofit called Venezuela Awareness, which works on democracy, human rights and migrant aid. "I'm worried about the people who will be coming. Many are planning to leave."

More than 7.7 million Venezuelans have abandoned their country in recent years, according to the United Nations UNHCR refugee agency, amid corruption and runaway inflation that has made it impossible for many to make ends meet.

Hundreds of migrants arrived on a train in northern Mexico headed for the U.S. border on April 24, 2024.

The majority have sought refuge in neighboring countries including Colombia and Peru, but hundreds of thousands have fled to the U.S. southern border, too, provoking repeated humanitarian crises  and political problems for the administration of President Joe Biden.

The outcome of the election in Venezuela could influence this fall's U.S. presidential contest, analysts say.

Should large numbers of Venezuelan migrants beginning arriving again at the U.S.-Mexico border, Vice President Kamala Harris will have to answer for the administration's handling of border security as she pursues the presidency against Donald Trump.

Maduro's United Socialist party controls all governmental institutions including the electoral commission responsible for counting votes. He rejected independent monitoring of polling places, despite agreeing to outside observation last year.

Biden administration officials, briefing reporters Monday on condition of anonymity, accused the Venezuelan government of "electoral manipulation," according to Reuters. The administration didn't announce any new punitive measures but left the door open for additional sanctions, Reuters reported.

Electoral fraud appeared to be "massive, given the turnout, exit polls and polls before the election," Cynthia Arnson, distinguished fellow at the Wilson Center Latin America Program, told USA TODAY.

That could stoke a new wave of migration to the U.S., she said.

"If Maduro succeeds in stealing the election, its probable that many Venezuelans will see little hope for the future, for them or their families," Arnson said. "The incentive to migrate will be huge."

Supporters of Venezuelan opposition protest following the announcement by the National Electoral Council that Venezuela's President Nicolas Maduro won the presidential election, in Caracas, Venezuela July 29, 2024. REUTERS/Alexandre Meneghini

Thirst for democratic change

The thirst for democratic change in Venezuela appeared nearly as powerful as the Maduro's regime's desire to remain in the country's presidential palace, Miraflores.

Voters shared videos on social media Sunday night of packed voting stations.

In one, a woman wearing a Venezuelan flag as a cape silences the crowd outside a polling site. She read off results from the site allegedly showing Gonzalez with the lead. Someone in the crowd yells, "And the other bastard?" She yells, "Zero!" And the crowd erupts in cheers.

By Monday, social media livestreams showed thousands of people taking to the streets of the capital city Caracas chanting, "The people united will never be divided."

Venezuelans have been living under the Maduro regime for 13 years.

His mentor, Hugo Chavez, won election in 1998 on a populist platform before moving further and further to the left. He remained in power until his death in 2013, when Maduro, his chosen successor, narrowly won office.

Maduro's official account on the social media site X uploaded a video Monday of supporters waving small Venezuelan flags as the 61-year-old former bus driver walked by. The account shared messages of official recognition of the results and congratulations from Iran, Russia, China and Nicaragua  countries whose own election integrity has been called into question by democratic nations.

Venezuelan migration to the US

In the past four years alone, U.S. Customs and Border Protection logged more than 720,000 encounters with Venezuelan nationals at the Southwest border.

The rapid arrival of large numbers of Venezuelans provoked repeated humanitarian crises in border cities, as desperate people arrived without cash or family connections in the United States and overwhelmed the ability of aid organizations to shelter them.

El Paso, Texas, was one of the border cities that saw large numbers of Venezuelans cross the U.S.-Mexico border, sometimes by the hundreds.

The Biden administrations attempts to clamp down on illegal crossings between ports of entry led families to camp on the Mexican side of the river, waiting for an opportunity, while others sneaked into the country and ended up on the streets of downtown El Paso.

Andrade was so alarmed from her perch in Miami that she traveled to El Paso more than once to meet with the newcomers, learn more about what was happening and to see how she could help. The migrants circumstances were more desperate than her own when she left her country for the U.S. more than three decades ago.

But she and they shared something in common. We all have scars of what theyve done to us in Venezuela, she said, referring to the Chavez and Maduro regimes. Ive been here 35 years, but my heart is there just the same.

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Venezuela election unrest could drive migrants to US border
By Daniel Wiessner

(Reuters) -Wells Fargo & Co was accused in a lawsuit filed on Tuesday of mismanaging its employee health insurance plan and forcing tens of thousands of U.S. employees to overpay for prescription drugs.

The proposed class action filed in Minnesota federal court by four ex-employees of Wells Fargo claims the bank violated a federal law requiring companies to prudently manage employee health and retirement plans.

The former employees say that Wells Fargo's health plan pays inflated prices to pharmacy benefit managers (PBMs), who negotiate with drugmakers, health insurance plans and pharmacies to set prescription drug prices and decide which drugs will be included on their so-called formularies  lists of drugs covered by insurance.

The plan, for example, paid more than $69,000 for a tube of cancer medication bexarotene that cost as little as $3,750 at other pharmacies, and a markup of nearly 400% on generic "specialty drugs" used to treat certain conditions, according to Tuesday's lawsuit.

PBMs are facing increased government scrutiny over their role in escalating costs of prescription drug.

Wells Fargo in a statement said it was reviewing the lawsuit.

"Wells Fargo provides an array of benefits to our employees, which are provided to support the health of our employees and their families," the company said.

The lawsuit is the latest to accuse employer-sponsored health plans of failing to negotiate lower prices for drugs on behalf of participants, as prescription drug costs continue to rise sharply in the United States.

Johnson & Johnson is facing a proposed class action filed in New Jersey federal court in February claiming the company's mismanagement of a health plan cost workers millions of dollars in overpayments on drugs. The company has moved to dismiss the case, arguing that its plan has actually saved participants money and that the named plaintiff lacks legal standing to sue.

Tuesday's lawsuit proposes a nationwide class of Wells Fargo health plan participants and beneficiaries that could include tens of thousands of people, and seeks unspecified damages and statutory penalties.

(Reporting by Daniel Wiessner in Albany, New York; Editing by Alexia Garamfalvi and Matthew Lewis)


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Justin Ballard is the Houston Chronicle's first ever newsroom meteorologist. He can be reached at justin.ballard@houstonchronicle.com.

He brings five years of experience forecasting tropical systems, severe weather outbreaks, and blizzards to the Houston Chronicle. His unique experience in forecasting will serve him well in his role at the Chronicle, as Houston has experienced a number of impactful weather events in recent years.

Justin looks forward to his work with the Houston Chronicle, where he'll be responsible for posting daily weather forecasts. On top of daily forecasts, he is excited to tackle more in-depth weather and climate stories that impact the residents of Southeast Texas.

A North Carolina native, Justin joined the Chronicle in July 2023. He graduated with his bachelor's degree in meteorology from the University of North Carolina at Charlotte in December 2017.
At the Guangzhou headquarters of the e-commerce giant for made-in-China products, hundreds of shopkeepers staged a protest that led the company to request police intervention. At the root of the discontent are trade policies that impose heavy penalties for products criticised by consumers and the policy of refunds without returns that passes the entire cost on to suppliers.

Beijing (AsiaNews/Agencies) - Hundreds of local suppliers of Temu, the overseas shopping app run by Chinese multinational PDD Holdings, staged a protest at the e-commerce giant's headquarters in Guangzhou, denouncing the platform's unreasonable policies.

Dozens of protesters stormed PDD's office on Monday afternoon, according to videos posted on social media and confirmed as authentic by the traders. Chinese media outlet Yi Magazine reported on Tuesday that about 80 traders entered the PDD office, but left after the police intervened.

This is not the first time traders have protested against Temu. They were unhappy with how Temu handled after-sales issues related to the quality and compliance of their products, disputing an amount of several million yuan, reads a company statement that does not directly refer to the 29 July protest. The situation is stable and the company is actively working with the traders to find a solution, the note continues.

The actions of Chinese suppliers could increase the uncertainty around Temu, which today also has to deal with import duties imposed by the US and the European Union. Temu competes with Shein and TikTok Shop, as well as Alibaba Group's AliExpress, in selling made-in-China products directly to foreign buyers.

With massive online advertising campaigns, Temu is expanding its sales to consumers in the US and other foreign markets at bargain prices. But many Chinese suppliers complain about the heavy fines imposed on them if customers complain or ask for refunds. Temu allows consumers to keep items refunded because of the high cost of returning goods, but some merchants have stated that they have not received any refunds in such cases.

A Guangzhou-based trader told the South China Morning Post that he had made 40 million yuan (US.5 million) in sales on the platform last year, but had been fined 3 million yuan by Temu due to refunds and customer complaints, thus wiping out almost all of his profits.

A mobile phone seller based in Shenzhen claimed to have suffered losses of about USD 80,000 through Temu, including fines and unpaid funds for products sold. To which should be added a loss equivalent to about 200 units of smartphones due to the no-return refund policy. The trader pointed out that Temu can fine traders up to five times the sales value of the product.
Arizona Sen. Mark Kelly has a strong record on immigration  and Kamala Harris could use that in a running mate. (Harris: AP Photo/Alex Brandon. Mark Kelly: Courtney Pedroza/Getty Images.) Houston Chronicle Staff

Donald Trump will make this election about the border. Kamala Harris can turn a vulnerability into a strength by selecting Arizona Sen. Mark Kelly as her vice president.

Swapping a worse-for-wear 81-year-old white man for an energetic and (relatively) young Black woman at the top of the Democratic ticket has dramatically shifted the dynamics of the race in the Democrats favor. Harris does well with her fresh visage and soaring vision of freedom, but there is a down-to-earth issue she must confront: Trump will, as he did successfully in 2016, pound his drum on immigration, that thorniest of U.S. domestic issues. The best way for Harris to fight back is to put Kelly at her side.

Democrats are vulnerable on immigration and its festering sub-issue, the border. In multiple polls, Republicans regularly score better on immigration than Democrats, and according to a recent Gallup poll, for the first time in two decades a majority of Americans want less immigration  55%, up from 41% a year ago. And Harris is especially vulnerable on the issue.

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Within an hour of President Joe Biden dropping out of the race, the Republican National Committee posted to X a clip of Harris saying, Weve got to critically re-examine ICE.  And we need to probably think about starting from scratch. The RNC asserted the comment placed Harris squarely in the Abolish ICE Movement. Whats more, Harris greatest responsibility as Bidens vice president was addressing the root causes of migration from the Northern Triangle countries of Central America. The role saw Harris urging U.S. corporations to make financial investments in the Northern Triangle, which would, in theory, create jobs and stanch the push factors driving migration from those troubled countries to our southern border. By February 2023, Harris secured investment pledges of $4.2 billion from the likes of Mastercard, Visa, Nestle and Target. But Republicans used this limited assignment to dub Harris Bidens border czar and tar her with responsibility for a record surge of migration to the southern border.

Putting Kelly on the Democratic ticket would serve as a bulwark against Republican attacks that Harris is weak on the border. Though Kelly is unequivocally committed to a humanitarian approach to immigration  he supports making DACA protections permanent and passing the DREAM Act, and was appalled by Trumps family separation policy  he has distinguished himself from most elected Democrats by his intense and anguished efforts to improve border security.

Indeed, what Kelly has been able to do so forcefully is to bring border security and its reverberations forward as separate and distinct from other equally complex immigration issues. He argues, for instance, that migrant surges along the southern border are not just overwhelming the federal immigration system, but straining border municipalities that must reckon with a steady influx of new arrivals. In 2021, he joined a coalition of border-state senators, including Republican John Cornyn of Texas, in co-sponsoring a bill aimed at reimbursing border communities for the cost of rendering humanitarian services to migrants.

After Bidens first address to Congress, in which he pledged to address the root causes of immigration from Central America, Kelly criticized Biden for not giving more focus to the immediate situation on the border, which the senator has repeatedly described as chaos, a mess and crisis after crisis. And in a debate with his Republican opponent in the 2022 senatorial election, Kelly called Bidens attempt to end Title 42 dumb, saying such an action would create a bigger crisis at the border.

But far from just lending Harris a bit of daylight between herself and Bidens border record, Kelly has proven an effective critic of Republicans when it comes to border issues. Earlier this year, after Senate Republicans walked away from a bipartisan bill that would have dramatically strengthened border security, Kelly tore into his Republican colleagues on the Senate floor.

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My Republican colleagues have stood on this floor, giving speeches pointing fingers at President Biden, said Kelly. President Biden supported the bipartisan border bill, they did not. In fact, one of my Republican colleagues said in his floor speech the other day that he hasnt seen the two Arizona senators on this floor giving speeches about the border. To that senator, I say this: Thats because were not here to just talk about the problem, were here to do something about it.
Senators Ron Wyden of Oregon and Edward J. Markey of Massachusetts called the attention of the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) to investigate carmakers that sell user data.

The senators emphasized that several automakers conduct a controversial practice of selling user data without any consent from their customers.

Read Also : Tesla Warns Users Against Wet Towel Charging Hack

Senators Seek Probe on Alleged Selling of User Data

The senators sent a letter to the FTC, addressing several concerns about the selling of Americans' driving data to data brokers. It also mentioned a recent public awareness of the situation after the New York Times report.

Three big auto manufacturers, GM, Honda, and Hyundai, were classified in the letter. The office of Wyden conducted a follow-up oversight on the companies and discovered that they share data with data broker Verisk Analytics.

Once the drivers' data is sold to Verisk, the broker company will then sell the reports to auto insurance companies. Some of the information includes the customer's location data, driving score, and driving suggestions.

Senators Accuse Automakers of Using 'Dark Patterns'

FTC defined dark patterns as the usage of manipulative designs to push services to its customers and obtain consent to share data. The commission previously revealed that the practice is commonly used by big companies, including Amazon and Adobe, which are both under investigation.

The senators detailed that customers are lured to enroll in the optional Driver Feedback Program or Smart Driver Program. The lengthy terms and conditions have buried the statement that Verisk would receive their data once they agree.

"It is particularly insulting for automakers that are selling cars for tens of thousands of dollars to then squeeze out a few additional pennies of profit with consumers' private data," the senators wrote.
30 July 2024 08:30 (UTC+04:00)

Nazrin Abdul Read more

President Ilham Aliyevs adept management of Azerbaijans oil strategy has propelled the country onto a prominent trajectory, establishing it as a significant global gas exporter. At the heart of this achievement is the Southern Gas Corridor, a landmark project spearheaded by Azerbaijan under President Aliyevs guidance, demonstrating the nations capacity to undertake and deliver on major international energy initiatives.

Strategically located as a critical link between Europe and Asia, Azerbaijan is endowed with extensive natural, geographical, and cultural resources. The countrys rich history of natural resource extraction is underscored by its substantial oil and gas reserves, with its territory being among the oldest oil-producing regions globally.

Through the Southern Gas Corridor, Azerbaijan supplies gas to Europe, with the Trans-Adriatic Pipeline (TAP) representing the European segment of this corridor. TAP's transmission capacity has now reached 12 billion cubic meters per year. From January to June of this year, Azerbaijan exported 6.4 billion cubic meters of natural gas to Europe, marking a 12.3% increase from the same period in 2023.

Overall, Azerbaijan's gas exports totaled 12.7 billion cubic meters in the first half of this year, reflecting a 6% increase compared to the previous year. Specifically, 5 billion cubic meters of gas were sold to Turkiye, and 1.3 billion cubic meters to Georgia, with both figures remaining steady compared to the previous year. During this period, approximately 2.8 billion cubic meters were transported to Turkiye via the Trans-Anatolian Gas Pipeline (TANAP), maintaining the same level as last year.

The completion of TAP in October 2020, stretching 878 kilometers550 km through northern Greece, 215 km through Albania, 105 km across the Adriatic Sea, and 8 km into Italyhas been a major milestone. Azerbaijani gas began reaching consumers in Italy, Greece, and Bulgaria on December 31, 2020.

Natural gas from Azerbaijans Shah Deniz field is transported to Turkiye through the South Caucasus Pipeline (Baku-Tbilisi-Erzurum) and TANAP, with commercial gas transportation via TANAP commencing on June 30, 2018. The first gas entered the Turkish market through the Baku-Tbilisi-Erzurum pipeline in 2007.

Looking ahead, Azerbaijan plans to significantly boost its gas exports to Europe. As a pivotal player in the European energy market, the country aims to enhance its role in Europes energy security by expanding natural gas exports while also focusing on renewable energy sources like solar and wind. The Memorandum of Understanding on Strategic Partnership in the Field of Energy signed last year between Azerbaijan and the European Union underscores a robust cooperative framework. This agreement not only strengthens energy ties between Azerbaijan and the EU but also addresses the EUs energy demands and security needs, laying the groundwork for long-term economic relations between Azerbaijan and European nations.

The "Shah Deniz" field in Azerbaijans Caspian Sea sector holds confirmed reserves estimated at approximately 1.2 trillion cubic meters. This substantial reserve base, alongside the discoveries of the "Umid" and "Babek" fields, significantly boosts Azerbaijans gas potential. Currently, the field produces an average of 3.1 million cubic meters of gas and 470 tons of condensate daily from four operational wells. Since production began in 2012, approximately 6.7 billion cubic meters of gas and 1 million tons of condensate have been extracted. Plans are underway to drill and operationalize two additional wells from the "Umid-1" platform. These new gas fields enable Azerbaijan to expand its gas exports while integrating renewable energy sources into its production.

As the principal partner of the European Union in the South Caucasus, Azerbaijan plays a critical role in transporting Caspian Sea gas to the EU market via the Southern Gas Corridor. This corridor, comprising the South Caucasus Pipeline (SCP), the Trans-Anatolian Pipeline (TANAP), and the Trans-Adriatic Pipeline (TAP), is the largest infrastructure project designed to meet the EUs gas demand and bolster its energy security. The SCP, which runs through Azerbaijan and Georgia to the Turkish border, has been expanded. TANAP, stretching 1,850 kilometers across Turkiye, connects the Caspian region to European markets. TAP, extending approximately 878 kilometers, connects to TANAP with an initial capacity of 10 billion cubic meters and a potential capacity of 20 billion cubic meters. TAP represents the final segment of the Southern Gas Corridor, delivering Azerbaijani gas to European consumers.

Azerbaijan aims to increase its gas exports to 20 billion cubic meters by 2027 through the 3,500-kilometer-long Southern Gas Corridor pipeline. This expansion will enhance Europe's energy diversification and reduce its reliance on other gas suppliers, mitigating geopolitical risks. With confirmed gas reserves of 2.6 trillion cubic meters and predicted reserves of about 3 trillion cubic meters, Azerbaijan is positioned as a reliable and crucial energy supplier for Europe.

President Ilham Aliyev has highlighted the pressing need for additional gas in Europe, noting that despite Azerbaijan's efforts to expand its gas infrastructure, European financial institutions have not provided the necessary funding. Azerbaijan recently signed an agreement with a Slovenian company, making it the ninth partner to purchase Azerbaijani gas. However, President Aliyev pointed out that while Europe demands an expansion of the Southern Gas Corridor from 16 billion to 32 billion cubic metersnecessitating significant investments in TANAP and TAPEuropean financiers have yet to support these projects. He expressed frustration that despite Azerbaijans substantial investments, the benefits are not fully realized, and the revenue generated is largely directed toward repaying these investments. Aliyev questioned the rationale behind investing billions in gas that Europe might not need in the future, emphasizing the critical role of fossil fuels in the present energy landscape.

The recent increase in natural gas prices on the European market, exacerbated by the ongoing conflict between Russia and Ukraine, underscores the urgency for additional energy sources. With the current gas export agreement between Russia and the EU set to expire next year, Europes need for alternative energy supplies becomes even more pressing.

Azerbaijan, with its vast oil and gas reserves, has been a focal point in the global energy landscape. Two major fields, "Shah Deniz" and "Umid," have recently been discovered, further enhancing Azerbaijan's gas potential. The countrys oil and gas fields are predominantly located in the Absheron Peninsula, the Caspian Sea shelf zone, and the Baku and Absheron archipelagos, with additional deposits found in southeastern Shirvan, Central Aran, Gobustan, Jeyranchol, Acinohur, and Siyazan regions. Azerbaijan's oil and gas resources, including shale and peat, are crucial, with hydrocarbons being the primary product. Over the past few decades, numerous gas-condensate deposits have been identified and developed.

Currently, Azerbaijan has eight active oil and gas regions and two promising areas, with the largest deposits located in Absheron, Baku archipelagos, and Ashaghi Kuryan regions. Expanding gas exports will not only boost Azerbaijan's economy but also positively impact regional development. The Southern Gas Corridor has already created jobs and spurred economic growth in Azerbaijan, Turkiye, and transit countries. Increased gas exports will further contribute to Azerbaijans socio-economic development, support infrastructure projects, and improve public services. Thus, enhancing gas exports through the Southern Gas Corridor is crucial for regional energy security and economic stability.

Currently, Europe's underground gas reserves are at 84.12 percent capacity, and Russia supplies 41.9 million cubic meters of gas per day. With the agreement between Russia and the EU on gas exports set to expire in 2025, Europe will need alternative sources to secure its energy needs. One potential alternative is Azerbaijan, which is a key player in the Southern Gas Corridor, including the Trans-Adriatic Pipeline (TAP). The gas fields in Azerbaijans Caspian Sea, such as Shah Deniz, Umid, and Absheron, could play a crucial role in diversifying Europes energy supply away from Russian gas. President Ilham Aliyev has mentioned that Azerbaijan's gas production is expected to increase to 20 billion cubic meters by 2027. However, he has also pointed out that despite Europes desire to expand the Southern Gas Corridor, Europe has not provided financing for this expansion. Azerbaijan has yet to fully benefit from its investments in this infrastructure, and its oil and gas revenue is primarily focused on paying off these investments. This highlights a significant challenge: while Azerbaijan can potentially enhance Europes energy security by providing an alternative source of gas, the financial and strategic challenges related to infrastructure investment and the lack of European support might constrain its ability to fully assume this role.

In summary, Azerbaijan has the potential to bolster Europe's energy security by offering a reliable alternative to Russian gas. However, the extent of its impact will depend on overcoming investment challenges, securing European financing, and effectively managing the economic pressures of developing and expanding the Southern Gas Corridor.

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30 July 2024 11:33 (UTC+04:00)

Nazrin Abdul Read more

The inauguration of a 100 kW solar power plant on Lake Boyukshor marked a significant milestone in the "Knowledge Exchange and Technical Assistance for Floating Solar Panel Systems" project, a collaborative effort between the Ministry of Energy and the Asian Development Bank (ADB), Azernews reports.

During the ceremony, Javid Abdullayev, Director of the State Agency for Renewable Energy Sources under the Ministry of Energy, highlighted Azerbaijans ongoing commitment to reducing carbon emissions and addressing climate change. He emphasised the countrys ambitious renewable energy initiatives under President Ilham Aliyevs leadership. Notably, the commissioning of the Garadag Solar Power Station has led to a remarkable eightfold increase in solar energy production over the past six months.

The newly launched floating solar power plant is projected to generate over 160,000 kilowatt-hours of electricity annually, with 95 kW of capacity installed on water and 5 kW on land. This pioneering project not only demonstrates the potential of integrating solar technology with water bodies but also serves as a catalyst for attracting private investment. Discussions are already underway regarding its expansion.

Candice McDeigan, Head of the ADBs Permanent Representation in Azerbaijan, underscored the importance of the project. "ADB's technical support for floating solar energy projects in Azerbaijan is a key component of our regional initiative. The launch of this innovative facility, just ahead of COP29, highlights its role in increasing green energy sources in Azerbaijan, optimising the dual use of water and solar resources, diversifying the energy sector, and reducing emissions."

Additionally, the project includes plans for training programs focused on the operation and maintenance of the solar power plant, further enhancing local expertise and sustainability.

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30 July 2024 12:35 (UTC+04:00)

Ulviyya Shahin Read more

A meeting took place between Luca Di Gianfrancesco, the Italian Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary to Azerbaijan, and Mukhtar Babayev, Azerbaijans Minister of Ecology and Natural Resources, Azernews reports.

During their discussion, they focused on the preparations for the 29th session of the Conference of the Parties to the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change (COP29), which Azerbaijan is set to host later this year.

The meeting provided a platform for exchanging views on the ongoing preparation process, addressing logistical considerations, and aligning on key environmental goals and strategies for the conference.

The dialogue underscored the importance of international collaboration in ensuring the success of COP29, which aims to tackle critical global climate issues and advance international climate agreements.

The meeting highlighted the active role of Azerbaijan and its international partners in advancing climate action and fostering meaningful discussions during the conference.

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30 July 2024 13:19 (UTC+04:00)

Nazrin Abdul Read more

The construction sector contributes 21% of environmental emissions in Azerbaijan.

This was highlighted by Mukhtar Babayev, President of the 29th Conference of the Parties (COP29) to the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change and Minister of Ecology and Natural Resources, during a round table discussion on "Green Construction in Azerbaijan" held in Baku, Azernews reports.

Minister Babayev noted that emissions from the aviation and shipping sectors are around 2%. He emphasized that buildings account for 40% of energy consumption, and construction activities generate significant dust, which can lead to cardiovascular and respiratory issues.

The minister also praised the progress of various construction projects in Azerbaijan, citing the "White City" as a notable example of successful development.

Additionally, Babayev highlighted the Baku Master Plan, which outlines the citys development strategy through 2040, noting that this forward-looking approach also influences regional development across Azerbaijan.

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30 July 2024 13:54 (UTC+04:00)

Nazrin Abdul Read more

The "Sustainable Green Building Declaration of Azerbaijan" has been officially signed at the "Green Construction in Azerbaijan" event, held in preparation for COP29, Azernews reports.

The declaration was endorsed by several members of the COP29 Organizing Committee and leaders from prominent construction companies operating in Azerbaijan.

In conjunction with this, the Azerbaijan Sustainable Green Building Leaders Roundtable is taking place. This high-level meeting features top industry figures, including CEOs, ministers, representatives from UAE construction companies, the COP29 President, and the UN COP29 Senior Champion.

This significant event aims to foster cooperation and drive sustainable development within Azerbaijans construction sector. It provides a platform to discuss challenges, explore opportunities, and develop favorable policies.

The roundtable underscores the critical role of green construction in meeting global climate goals and represents a key milestone leading up to COP29. It sets the stage for impactful business transactions and collaborations that will benefit Azerbaijan and have far-reaching implications beyond its borders.

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30 July 2024 12:16 (UTC+04:00)

Laman Ismayilova Read more

Gastronomy Day of Western Azerbaijan has been held in Baku with the organization of the State Tourism Agency, the National Culinary Center and the Western Azerbaijan Community, Azernews reports.

The main purpose of the event is to demonstrate a part of the ancient and rich examples of gastronomic culture, unique dishes, regional traditions and folklore examples of Western Azerbaijan.

The National Anthem of Azerbaijan was played at the event, which was attended by representatives of international organizations and embassies operating in Azerbaijan, as well as well-known public figures.

The Chairman of the State Tourism Agency Fuad Nagiyev stressed the importance of the development of gastrotourism.

He underlined that the work in this direction includes the holding of gastronomic tours and the reviving of forgotten recipes, thus protecting biodiversity and achieving recognition of local gastronomy.

Chairman of the Board of the Western Azerbaijan Community Aziz Alakbarli hailed the attention paid to the Western Azerbaijani cuisine.

He noted that Western Azerbaijanis have created a very rich material, cultural and spiritual heritage in their historical lands where they have lived for centuries, adding that this heritage is not only a part of the Azerbaijani people, but also a part of human culture and world heritage.

Chairman of the Board of the Western Azerbaijan Community said that in the 20th century, West Azerbaijanis were repeatedly deported from their homeland - current Armenia, and as a result, their material and non-material heritage was damaged.

Aziz Alakbarli said that it is everyone's duty to investigate, study, study, protect, restore and transfer this heritage to future generations as an urgent problem of the day.

He also expressed the readiness of the Western Azerbaijan Community to cooperate with the relevant international organizations that are directly responsible in this matter.

During the event, the guests tried the dishes of Western Azerbaijani cuisine, including Basus dolma, Alayazli Khan pilaf, sucuq, etc.

The history of the presented dishes and the special ingredients used were reported in Azerbaijani and English languages. Also, "Tnzr", "Qaladan-qalaya", "Agbaba" varieties of Yalli dance.

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Laman Ismayilova is AzerNews staff journalist, follow her on Twitter: @lmntypewriterrr

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The Culture Minister Adil Karimli has paid a visit to Gadabay district, Azernews reports.

As part of his visit, the minister met with Gadabay citizens at Heydar Aliyev Center, operating in the district.

After the reception, Adil Karimli visited a number of cultural institutions in the city, including Ashiq School, Children's Art School, the Cultural Center, the Museum of History and Local History.

He also got acquainted with the activities of the children's department of Gadabay Central Library System.

Furthermore, Adil Karimli inspected folklore club, musical school and library of Gadabay's Slavyanka village.

Relevant tasks and recommendations were given regarding the elimination of existing problems in the enterprises and the efficient organization of activities.

Gadabay is home to a plethora of astounding natural attractions, historical monuments that are sprinkled all over the region.

Diverse and often unique flora and fauna create an unforgettable experience for the visitors.

Gadabay is home to four majestic forests: Govdu, Godekdere, Gamish, and Shamlig.

Namerd Gala, also known as the Maiden Tower, is a must-visit place for history buffs.

Gadabay is also home to the ancient Albanian Mahrasa Temple. This ancient temple was one of the central temples in the Albanian province of Girdiman. Next to the temple, there is a building that resembles a caravanserai.

Some historical sources say that Mahrasa functioned as one of the great temples of fire worship.

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Laman Ismayilova is AzerNews staff journalist, follow her on Twitter: @lmntypewriterrr

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30 July 2024 11:00 (UTC+04:00)

Fatima Latifova Read more

Under President Ilham Aliyevs instructions, Azerbaijan initiated another phase of relocating residents to the city of Shusha, resettling 21 families (79 people), Azernews reports.

With this latest relocation, the total number of families resettled in the city reaches 147, comprising 570 individuals.

Azerbaijan has launched ambitious initiatives for the rehabilitation and repopulation of its recently liberated territories, emerging from devastation. The country's comprehensive efforts are aimed not just at rebuilding infrastructure and homes but also at revitalising communities and encouraging the return of displaced populations. Through these extensive programs, Azerbaijan seeks to restore not only physical structures but also to foster hope and resilience among its people as they reclaim their ancestral lands and embark on a journey of renewal and growth.

The "Great Return Program," dedicated to facilitating the relocation of former internally displaced persons (IDPs) to their permanent homes in the liberated territories, is in full swing.

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30 July 2024 11:27 (UTC+04:00)

President of Azerbaijan Ilham Aliyev has sent a congratulatory letter to King Mohammed VI of Morocco, Azernews reports.

The letter reads:

"Your Highness,

Dear Brother,

On my own behalf and on behalf of the people of Azerbaijan, it is my pleasure to extend my sincerest congratulations and best wishes to you, and through you, to your brotherly people on the occasion of the national holiday of the Kingdom of Morocco.

We attach great importance to the development of ties of friendship and cooperation between Azerbaijan and Morocco, which are based on good traditions. I am confident that we will continue our joint efforts to further strengthen our interstate relations and expand our cooperation in areas of mutual interest in line with the interests of our peoples.

On such a remarkable day, I wish you robust health, happiness, success in your activities, and your brotherly people everlasting peace and prosperity.

Sincerely,

Ilham Aliyev

President of the Republic of Azerbaijan

Baku, 27 July 2024"

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30 July 2024 14:44 (UTC+04:00)

Fatima Latifova Read more

A new consul general of Georgia has been appointed to Azerbaijan's city of Ganja, Azernews reports.

The head of the Ganja city executive authority, Niyazi Bayramov, held a courtesy meeting with the newly appointed consul general of Georgia to Ganja, Kakha Abdaladze.

Before the meeting, they visited the monument of National Leader Heydar Aliyev and laid flowers at its base.

Niyazi Bayramov congratulated the consul and wished him success in his future endeavours. During the conversation with the consul, the city leader spoke about the history of ancient Ganja and its industrial and economic potential. He mentioned that currently, the city is home to large industrial enterprises such as the "Ganja Automobile Plant" Production Union, "AzerAluminum" JSC, "Ganja Wine - 2," and others.

Additionally, it was highlighted that, as of yesterday, the first industrial explosives production plant, launched by "AzerBlast" LLC, a subsidiary of "AzerGold" CJSC, has started operating at full capacity.

The executive head also spoke about the friendly relations between Azerbaijan and Georgia. He noted that last year, a memorial plaque was installed on the facade of the Javadkhan Office Museum building, where the prominent Georgian writer Nikolos Baratashvili once worked.

Kakha Abdaladze expressed his gratitude for the warm meeting. He noted that the Azerbaijani and Georgian peoples have historically maintained friendly relations. The cooperation established between the regions of both countries also contributes to the development of these relations. During the conversation, steps that could be taken to expand these connections were discussed.

At the end of the meeting, mutual commemorative gifts were presented, and photographs were taken.

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30 July 2024 15:02 (UTC+04:00)

Fatima Latifova Read more

The fifth round of meetings between the special representatives for the normalisation of relations between Armenia and Turkiye, Ruben Rubinyan and Serdar Klc, is taking place at the Armenia-Turkiye border, Azernews reports, citing foreign media outlets.

It should be noted that earlier, it was reported that the negotiations would take place in the morning on the Armenian side and in the afternoon in the territory of Turkiye.

Additionally, it had been announced that the meeting of the special representatives would be held on July 3.

It should be recalled that the initiative to open the borders between Turkiye and Armenia was first proposed by the Armenian authorities. Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan mentioned this during the discussion of the report on the implementation of the government's 5-year (2021-2026) program for 2023 in the country's Parliament.

According to him, appropriate efforts should be made in this direction.

"I can't help but touch on a socio-psychological nuance here. It is very important to note that I am not talking about the Armenia-Turkiye disputes, but about the relations between Armenia and Turkiye. These two formulas have common features."

The prime minister especially noted that relations between Armenia and Turkiye are currently on hold.

"Armenia is waiting for the implementation of the agreements reached and officially registered. In particular, we are talking about opening the land border between Armenia and Turkiye for citizens of third countries and persons with diplomatic passports.

In addition, it should be noted that with this initiative, Armenia is trying to restore relations with Turkey outside of Azerbaijan. However, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said in his speech that the restoration of relations between Turkiye and Armenia is possible after the signing of the peace agreement between Baku and Yerevan.

Recall that the borders between Turkiye and Armenia have been closed since April 3, 1993. After Armenia's occupation of Garabagkh, Turkiye closed its borders, and diplomatic relations between the two countries were suspended.

However, in July 2022, the Turkish Ministry for Foreign Affairs announced that the two countries, in the context of a general thaw of their relationship, plan to reopen the border "at the earliest possible date," albeit only for third-party nationals.

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30 July 2024 20:11 (UTC+04:00)

Fatima Latifova Read more

The volatility in decisions made by Armenia's leadership over the past four years regarding the issue of peace reflects the country's unstable position in the South Caucasus. In February of this year, Yerevan handed over mine maps planted in Garabagh to Baku, but later, these maps turned out to be inaccurate. Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan took steps towards peace by returning four villages in Gazakh to Azerbaijan, but later rejected the UK's peace proposal and avoided a meeting with the President of Azerbaijan, which reflects Yerevan's inconsistency in politics.

Interestingly, when they fail to get support from the West, Nikol Pashinyan and other Armenian politicians talk about the importance of peace in the South Caucasus, expressing readiness to sign a peace agreement with Azerbaijan. However, a small amount, like 10 million euros from Europe, is enough to divert Yerevan from peace.

The pro-Armenian political trend in the West, particularly in France, is spreading to other countries. Greece and Southern Cyprus, which have historically supported Armenia's provocations, also follow this trend, considering themselves among the "great powers."

If we look closely, the history of institutions supporting Armenia's genocides, separatist acts in Garabagh, and provocations at the border after the war is as dark and dirty as that of Armenia's prospects for peace. For example, France, a country that built its wealth on the slave trade for centuries and conducted colonial policies in Africa, committing genocides, now defends Armenia more than Armenians themselves. Greece, for many years, has made territorial claims against Turkiye and commemorates the so-called Armenian genocide annually while also supporting the occupation of Azerbaijani lands.

Southern Cyprus is known internationally as a criminal offshore zone and was the area where the leaders of the illegal regime in Garabagh laundered their dirty money. Interestingly, it is one of the most ardent defenders of Armenia's territorial integrity and inviolability of borders.

Why are all of Armenia's supporters so biased?

Yesterday, Armenia's Foreign Minister, Ararat Mirzoyan, met with his counterpart from so-called Southern Cyprus, Konstantinos Kobos. The meeting also discussed the normalisation process of relations between Armenia and Azerbaijan. Kobos talked about the importance of protecting Armenia's territorial integrity and mentioned that peace starts with respecting a territorial integrity of a country. He also subtly suggested that Azerbaijan is implementing "coercion tactics" against Armenia.

It's curious why the Cypriot Foreign Minister, with such reverence for Armenia's territorial integrity and sovereignty, has never commented on the genocides and provocations carried out by Armenia on Azerbaijani lands for nearly 30 years.

However, it is unrealistic to expect a fair stance regarding the stalled peace process between Azerbaijan and Armenia from a country blended with provocations and genocides, and particularly hatred towards the Turkic nation. It is no secret that the states that now advise Armenia once caused great uproar and committed genocides themselves. It should be remembered that the division of Cyprus in 1974 was caused by the attempts of radical members of the Greek community to annul Cyprus's independence and deport Turks to unite the island with Greece.

Note that since 1955, Turkish areas in major cities, villages, and sacred and religious sites have been attacked by EOKA. Defenceless citizens were brutally murdered simply because they were Turkish. These attempts were the same as Armenia's expulsion of more than 1 million Azerbaijanis from Garabagh. Therefore, it is no coincidence that Armenia's supporters are like-minded.

The main issue here is not with whom Armenia collaborates or the baseless claims and provocative statements made against Azerbaijan within these collaborations. As Yerevan gains support from these institutions, it casts a shadow over the peace negotiations achieved with Baku so far. This directly reignites the smouldering conflict in the South Caucasus. When Armenian leadership receives orders from outside, they provoke at the border with Azerbaijan, and the institutions controlling Pashinyan's administration support these provocations. Now, no country that encourages and emboldens Yerevan to go to war with Azerbaijan will protect Armenia against Azerbaijan in a potential war in the South Caucasus.

It is worth noting that the Azerbaijan-Armenia conflict, which began during the Tsarist Russian period, is closer to peace than ever for the first time. Armenia's return to a policy of provocation after this development could lead the region's fate to disaster.

Because a third war in the region which Armenia desires could result in the defeat and even disintegration of Armenia, which is already in an economic and social plight.

Currently, the most logical path for Yerevan is not to test Azerbaijan's patience by relying on the nominal support of its foreign patrons, but to continue peace negotiations as soon as possible.

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30 July 2024 20:17 (UTC+04:00)

By Alimat Aliyeva

The decision to deploy American missiles on German territory in 2026 requires the consent of the majority of the country's population. This opinion was expressed by the former Minister of Economy and Energy of Germany (2013-2017) and former Foreign Minister (2017-2018) Sigmar Gabriel, Azernews reports.

"What worries me is not the very intention [of the United States] to deploy [missiles on German territory], but the fact that there is no public debate in Germany on this issue. Increasing defense capability with the help of such weapons systems always requires one thing: understanding by our population the reasons for their deployment and at least the consent of the majority", - he said in an interview with the Rheinische Post newspaper.

The politician also expressed confidence that not only in the Social Democratic Party of Germany, to which he belongs, but also among the population of the country, many have a negative attitude towards the plans of Berlin and Washington to deploy American missiles in Germany. Gabriel stated that, despite this, the decision on missiles "was simply made."

On July 10, the White House press service announced that the United States will begin deploying new longer-range fire weapons in Germany from 2026 than currently deployed in Europe. Russian Ambassador to Washington Anatoly Antonov said these plans increase the likelihood of a missile arms race and could lead to an uncontrolled escalation.

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30 July 2024 21:22 (UTC+04:00)

By Alimat Aliyeva

Non-governmental organizations funded from abroad in Georgia will start registering in the register on August 1, Azernews reports.

According to him, the Ministry of Justice of the country has established this register in accordance with the law "On Transparency of Foreign Influence", which was adopted by Parliament on May 14 in the third reading.

The law applies to NGOs and the media, more than 20% of whose funding comes from abroad. They will be required to submit a declaration of income and expenses to the Ministry of Justice in January of each year.

Georgian President Salome Zurabishvili vetoed the law on May 18, but Parliament overcame it on May 28.

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30 July 2024 23:35 (UTC+04:00)

By Alimat Aliyeva

U.S. Secretary of State Anthony Blinken and Pentagon Chief Lloyd Austin announced the allocation of $500 million to strengthen the defense of the Philippines, Azernews reports.

Blinken and Austin made the announcement after talks with Philippine President Ferdinand Marcos in Manila.

It is noted that the allocated amount will be used to modernize the Philippine army, the border guard service, as well as to strengthen cooperation with the United States in the field of security.

"Our countries and many other countries in the region share concerns about some of the actions that China is taking. We are talking about actions in the South China Sea and the East China Sea, which are aimed at escalation," Blinken said at a press conference.

He also said that the United States would provide assistance to the Philippines if the forces of this Asian country were attacked in the Pacific Ocean.

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Nearly 1,000 surgeries have been allegedly canceled after Modesto, Calif.-based Doctors Medical Center was cited in June for immediate jeopardy by CMS, according to a July 26 letter from California Assemblymen Heath Flora and Juan Alanis obtained by Becker's.

In June, Doctors Medical Center was cited for immediate jeopardy by CMS, allegedly for using certified registered nurse anesthetists to sedate and monitor surgical patients.

On July 2, the California Department of Public Health alerted the hospital that it misunderstood the guidance regarding CRNA credentialing, according to the letter.

The misunderstanding led to a requirement for hospitals to wait for certain documentation before onboarding or hiring CRNAs, according to the letter.

According to the letter, addressed to California Health and Human Services Agency Secretary Mark Ghaly, MD, the "impacts of this 'misunderstanding' and the misplaced actions of the CDPH Fresno survey team requiring supervision of CRNAs are still being felt in the region," adding that facilities have enacted CRNA supervision out of concern for being negatively impacted like the DMC Modesto.

"Given there has been conflicting messaging from agencies, leaders and facilities in the region need affirmation of the applicable state and federal laws and the Nursing Practice Act that CDPH and the survey teams should be relying on," the letter said. "This will ensure patients access to vital services will not be unnecessarily interrupted in the future."

The actions have "created a domino effect in the region," the letter added, as 1,000 surgeries were canceled with 80% of those affecting Californians with Medicare and Medi-Cal coverage.

The American Association of Nurse Anesthesiology issued a statement July 25 saying that the move created "havoc for both the facilities and impacted patients."

"The impact of politics on patients access to necessary surgeries is intolerable and must stop," the statement said, and the AANA is "Calling for an immediate investigation into the nature of these surveys and statements made by the surveyor Numerous peer-reviewed studies have shown that CRNAs are safe, high-quality, and cost-effective anesthesia professionals who should practice to the full extent of their education and abilities."

"The American Society of Anesthesiologists commends the California Department of Public Health and the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid for their work to identify certified registered nurse anesthetist patient safety deficiencies in two California hospitals," ASA President Ronald Harter, MD, said in a statement shared with Becker's. "...ASAs concerns about the safety of anesthesia delivered by a CRNA without the involvement of a physician are informed by extensive independent literature and are underscored by this recent unfortunate situation."

The ASA statement added that the formal CDPH report said that the patients at the hospital did not have an anesthesiologist providing care, "requiring transfer of nine patients to a higher level of care."

"As with CRNAs and many of the other valuable healthcare professionals across the state, our responsibility is to ensure the facilities in which they provide care are in compliance with applicable state and federal requirements," the CDPH said in a statement shared with Becker's. "We have an obligation to respond to complaints or allegations of noncompliance to ensure all services are delivered safely to patients, and that they receive the safe, high-quality care they expect and deserve. This can include, but is not limited to, potential incidents involving CRNAs and the care they deliver."

Modesto, Calif.-based Stanislaus Surgical Hospital was also found to be out of compliance with certain Medicare conditions of participation following a survey from the California Public Health Department after reports of patient harm. According to The Modesto Bee, dozens of CRNAs have been laid off at the hospital and hundreds of surgeries have been canceled or rescheduled.

Becker's has reached out to the Doctor's Medical Center Modesto and will update the story if more information becomes available.
Cardiology is one of the fastest-growing specialties for ASCs, and many leaders feel this growth will only accelerate as payers, investors and physicians realize the opportunities.

Tracy Helmer, administrator of Mesa, Ariz.-based Tri-City Surgical Centers, a cardiology ASC run by Tri-City Cardiology, told Becker's the migration is "occurring quickly" despite facing payer obstacles.

Private equity recently has taken an interest in the specialty due to a low concentration of private equity in cardiology, the nation's aging population, and changes to Medicare and Medicaid rules.

Additionally, cardiovascular procedures are less expensive in ASCs than in the hospital outpatient department. For example, catheter placement in the coronary artery for coronary angiography  one of the most common procedures  costs $382 at an ASC, versus $919 at an HOPD.

An obstacle in the migration is staffing. While staffing these facilities is attractive for hospital-based catheterization lab teams, because they can offer a five-day workweek without late evenings or weekends, ASC rates are lower making it harder to pay hospital salaries.

"New ASCs developing these specialties need to understand the finite resource level for staff members in their communities compared to regular surgical techs and nurses," Mr. Helmer said. "They need to assess their community's resources to staff these facilities properly."

It also requires a different type of staff than ASCs are used to.

"It requires critically trained techs, nurses and practitioners who are familiar with the risks, technology and treatments involved," he said. "These may not be present in the standard ASC patient. Things like screening patients differently and having well-trained cardiac rad techs and heart techs are key. You can't put a surgery tech in a catheterization lab or a cardiology case and expect them not to feel uncomfortable."

ASC chains are taking note. Optum's ASC arm, Deerfiled, Ill.-based SCA Health, quietly purchased at least two cardiovascular providers in 2023, National Cardiovascular Partners and Pivotal Healthcare. Earlier this year, Marriottsville, Md.-based Bon Secours and Compass Surgical Partners partnered to build a cardiovascular surgery center in Short Pump, Va.

Technology is developing quickly as well, bolstering this migration. Mr. Helmer said that he expects cardiology to "develop efficient technologies that handle a variety of cases safely in the outpatient setting," such as ablations, as well as new technology for procedures like valves, which are currently only allowed for inpatient facilities.

"We've seen technology and surgical instrumentation develop as a result of moving cases to ambulatory surgery centers," he said.

Vendor companies are critical to developing technology that would allow procedures to be performed safely in the ASC setting, he added.

ASC leaders are optimistic about the opportunities for cardiology to further migrate cases to the outpatient setting. Alfonso del Granado, administrator and CEO of Covenant High Plains Surgery Center in Lubbock, Texas, told Becker's that cardiology "represents the single largest driver of new cases and new revenues on the horizon  nothing else comes close to being able to move the needle as quickly as cardiovascular."
Here are seven stories involving colonoscopy or colorectal cancer treatment that Becker's as reported on since July 1:

1. The FDA approved a screening test for colorectal cancer on July 29 that only requires a sample of blood, which can find cancers when they are early stage and usually curable. The blood test, created by Palo Alto, Calif.-based Guardant Health, was able to detect 83% of colorectal cancers in studies, but only 13% of dangerous polyps. Colonoscopies find approximately 95% of these polyps.

2. In the last year, three celebrities have publicly shared their colonoscopy journeys in an effort to encourage people to get checked for colorectal cancer.

3. Along with a 2.8% physician pay cut, CMS is floating several changes to colorectal cancer screening policy in its proposed payment system for 2025.

4. Molecular genetics diagnostic company Mainz (Germany) Biomed submitted an application for breakthrough device designation from the FDA for a colorectal cancer screening test.

5. Medtech company Insign Medical Technology and artificial intelligence company AAEON partnered to develop an AI-assisted endoscopy system.

6. The rate of colonoscopies performed by family physicians decreased between 2016 and 2021, according to a 2024 study published in the Journal of Rural Health.

7. Many patients are still paying out of pocket for colonoscopy bowel prep despite a federal law stating it should be covered by insurance, according to a study led by Eric Shah, MD, at Ann Arbor-based University of Michigan.
Hari Mallidi, MD, was drawn to Miami Transplant Institute after hearing about the voluntary pause of its adult heart transplant program.

In March 2023, the Miami Transplant Institute's heart transplant program abruptly halted its adult heart transplant program to undergo review by the United Network for Organ Sharing. Investigators visited the transplant center  which is jointly run by Jackson Health System, a public safety-net system based in Miami, and the University of Miami's UHealth  in April after complaints about poor patient outcomes, including infection and death, following heart transplants, as well as a complaint about poor patient selection for the hospital's left ventricular assist device procedure. In July, the program was cleared of deficiencies and was reactivated .

In September 2023, MTI named Hari Mallidi, MD, a thoracic surgeon who heads cardiac surgery at Brigham and Women's Hospital in Boston, as chief of cardiac surgery and program director of heart transplantation and mechanical circulatory support at MTI, and director of the Jackson Heart Institute in Miami.

Dr. Millidi replaced Matthias Loebe, MD, who was released from his duties in February 2024 after the United Network for Organ Sharing said it would investigate at least one patient death.

Dr. Mallidi said he talked to senior leadership at MTI to get more insight into the program and the system after hearing about the halt. He became intrigued by MTI, which runs one of the largest transplant programs in the country by volume and the opportunity to work at a public safety net hospital system.

"This opportunity offered the chance to manage not just a single program or division within one hospital, but broadly manage cardiovascular care across a large safety net system in Miami," he told Becker's. "This piqued my interest, and the more I explored it, the more interesting it became. The Jackson system is capable of running multiple full trauma operating rooms and transplanting multiple organs simultaneously within a county-based hospital system. This capacity is rare within a safety net system, and I found it remarkable that they could care for the most complex patients, not just one at a time, but multiple patients simultaneously."

Dr. Mallidi officially joined the system in November 2023. Since then, he has worked to improve the heart transplant program, but it has not been easy.

"I think the experience of going through a pause in the heart transplant program left many people hesitant to embrace change and move forward," he said. "They weren't sure what that was going to look like. That was the most striking aspect of me joining the system concerning heart failure and transplant. It was a program in dire need of attention, but I don't think it was ready for rapid change."

Some leadership left the program during the pause, and by the time Dr. Mallidi stepped into his role, the program had only one surgeon left.

"This situation required stabilizing, ensuring that patients with emergencies and in need of heart failure care received it while we tried to rebuild the team," he said. "Part of the reason for the issues with adult cardiac heart failure transplant surgery was the distinct silos within the program. Surgeons specializing in transplant, VAD, and ECMO didn't collaborate much with those in adult cardiac surgery. This lack of cross-communication did not serve the patients' best interests."

He started by restructuring the cardiology team and eliminating the "siloed care."

The work is still ongoing, but Dr. Mallidi said his new priorities for the next few years are to increase capacity across the system, recruit additional surgeons with niche focus in aortic surgery, structural heart disease and end-stage heart failure, and revamp the heart failure program on the surgical and medical sides.
EHR vendor Oracle Health, formerly known as Cerner, had a busy July, with a plan to eliminate clicks and the continuation of a big health system partnership. Here are eight updates from the month.

1. Oracle Health plans to go beyond just reducing the number of clicks in the EHR, General Manager Seema Verma wrote July 16 on LinkedIn. "Our prescription has been far bolder and the directive to the Oracle engineers was: 'get rid of the clicks,'" she said.

2. Atlantic City, N.J.-based AtlantiCare and Oracle Health are teaming up for a six-year initiative dubbed "Vision 2030," which includes embedding 20 new solutions and more than 60 capabilities across its organization, the health system's CIO told Becker's for a July 16 story.

3. Lawmakers are concerned that the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs' Oracle Health EHR rollout could require the government to hire many additional staffers, Military.com reported July 25.

4. Oracle Health added 66 new hospitals and 9,279 new beds outside of the U.S. last year, according to a July 8 KLAS Report.

5. Forbes named Oracle co-founder and chair Larry Ellison the fifth-richest person in the world July 1 with a net worth of $173 billion.

6. EHR consulting firm Nordic informed the Ohio Department of Job & Family Services of a workforce reduction that will include reassigning or parting ways with 197 employees, Becker's reported July 8. The company's experts specialize in EHR installations involving Epic, Oracle Health, Meditech and more.

7. In 10 years, EHRs will be more streamlined as companies such as Epic, Oracle and Meditech refine current technology to provider needs and patient demands, predicted Ebrahim Barkoudah, MD, system chief of hospital medicine at Springfield, Mass.-based Baystate Health, in a July 3 Becker's story.

8. U.S. Rep. Matt Rosendale of Montana, chair of the House Committee on Veterans' Affairs' Subcommittee on Technology Modernization, said July 22 that VA pharmacy staff are struggling with Oracle Health's EHR pharmacy software functions.
From teaming up with Mayo Clinic to committing to the Biden administration's cancer efforts, here is a look at where EHR giant Epic is extending its partnerships in 2024:

Mayo Clinic

Epic is collaborating with Rochester, Minn.-based Mayo Clinic and healthcare artificial intelligence company Abridge to develop a generative AI tool for nurses.

Mayo Clinic is in the process of securing patient consent to record their visits with nurses. This data will aid Abridge in developing an AI tool that will be integrated into the health system's Epic EHR. Mayo Clinic aims to begin piloting the platform in clinical settings in early 2025.

Press Ganey

Epic partnered with Press Ganey to integrate its nurse-sensitive indicators and outcomes into Press Ganey's National Database of Nursing Quality Indicators. Press Ganey's National Database of Nursing Quality Indicators collects and analyzes nursing data from more than 2,000 organizations.

The White House

Epic was among several EHR vendors to commit to the Biden administration's "Enhancing Oncology Model," which is a part of the larger Cancer Moonshot initiative. The cancer care model, created by CMS, aims to reduce expenses, provide impactful patient-centered treatment and enhance outcomes for individuals confronting a cancer diagnosis.

As part of the commitment, Epic voluntarily pledges to incorporate and expedite a specific set of cancer data elements essential for the Enhancing Oncology Model, encompassing crucial details about an individual's treatment history, test results and disease status.

Apple

Epic Systems is launching an app for Apple's new Vision Pro headset.

Epic's app on the Apple Vision Pro will be called the Epic Spatial Computing Concept app. The application description of the app asserts that it enables users to engage with charting, secure chat and In Basket workflows through gestures, voice commands and eye tracking.

Sharp HealthCare

San Diego-based Sharp HealthCare and Epic have teamed up to investigate healthcare applications for Apple's Vision Pro headset.
A recent JAMA network study found that hospital assets decreased 24% after being acquired by private equity. The study comes after a recent Becker's LinkedIn poll found that 50% of respondents feel that PE ownership has a "mostly negative" effect on hospitals.

The study used Medicare cost reports from 2006 to 2021 to assess hospitals' total capital assets, region number of beds, year acquired last, rurality, teaching status and Medicaid inpatient discharge shares.

It then matched acquired hospitals to 10 non-acquired control hospitals, using exact matching on region, bed-size category, year and nearest neighbor matching on total capital assets for the year acquired.

"We analyzed assets of acquired and control hospitals in two years before and after acquisition, using a difference-in-differences event-study specification," the study said. "We used a linear mixed-effects model with year fixed effects and a random intercept term for each matched group to adjust for within-group correlation."

Hospitals with total assets outside the 95th and fifth percentiles during acquisition year and those that were acquired after 2019 were excluded from the study. Nashville, Tenn.-based HCA Healthcare-owned hospitals were also excluded from the study due to prior studies that suggested they are "atypical of private equity acquisitions."

Here are four findings from the study:

1. Of the 197 hospitals that were acquired, 156 met the criteria to be included and were matched with 1,560 controls.

2. The most acquired hospitals were mainly located in the South with anywhere from 50 to 149 beds.

3. Acquired hospital assets were $91,316,399 during acquisition year, with control assets at $96,450,259. Assets decreased by a mean of 15% for acquired hospitals and 9.2% for controls in the two years after being acquired.

4. Sixty-one-percent of acquired hospitals had reduced capital assets versus controls at 15.5% after two years.






Downers Grove, Ill.-based Duly Health and Care has named Chase Hammon CFO.

Mr. Hammon joins Duly from Springfield (Ill.) Clinic, where he served as CFO, according to a July 29 news release from the medical group with more than 1,000 physicians in the Chicago area.

In his new role, Mr. Hammon will "serve an integral role in bringing continued scalability to the business while driving significant growth," according to the release.

Mr. Hammon also previously served as CFO of seven hospitals in the Richmond, Va., area for Cincinnati-based Bon Secours Mercy Health, according to the release.






The Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai has reimagined its curriculum to focus on early research involvement, long-lasting mentorship and on topics such as leadership and social justice.

The New York City-based medical school will debut the ASCEND curriculum this academic year. The curriculum kicks off with an introductory week for students known as BaseCamp. Students then participate in a foundational module to learn key scientific and clinical skills. During this module, students are paired with a faculty member who will serve as mentors throughout their four years of medical education.

"Reflecting on my experience, relationships with my teachers were transient. ASCEND changes that by assigning a dedicated mentor to each student right from the start, fostering a lasting and meaningful clinical mentor-mentee relationship that enhances the learning experience in which our faculty mentors can actually grow with their students. And in this way the partnership becomes that much more powerful," Rainier Soriano, MD, senior associate dean for curricular affairs at Icahn Mount Sinai, said in a July 29 news release.

After completing the foundational module, students take classes organized by each organ system, helping them understand how the systems work together and the health consequences if they do not.

The program also offers concentrations designed to complement the core curriculum, including scientific and scholarly discovery; advocacy and social justice work; healthcare delivery science; and leadership and professional identity development, according to a July 29 news release.

"ASCEND is designed to navigate the abundance of information available, teaching students to discern and absorb what's crucial at the moment it's needed most," Dr. Soriano said. "Students become active partners in their education journey and are encouraged to dive deep in their learning experiences."
From a California hospital fighting for bankruptcy eligibility, to a Wisconsin system suing a city over property taxes, here are 10 lawsuits, settlements and legal developments involving hospitals and health systems that Becker's has reported since July 2:

1. Texas Children's Hospital in Houston is being investigated by state and federal officials for allegedly illegally billing Medicaid for transgender care.

2. The board overseeing Hollister, Calif.-based Hazel Hawkins Memorial Hospital is seeking to reenter Chapter 9 bankruptcy, arguing that a judge improperly tossed its case based on an "unduly narrow" view of insolvency tests while excluding its pension obligations from the analysis.

3. Marshfield (Wis.) Clinic filed a lawsuit against the city of Eau Claire claiming the city's 2023 property tax assessments on its properties are unlawful.

4. New Mexico Attorney General Raul Torrez launched an investigation into Las Cruces, N.M.-based Memorial Medical Center over alleged essential medical care denial.

5. The Washington State Hospital Association is challenging a newly issued administrative policy from the state Department of Labor and Industries related to meal break compensation.

6. Rhode Island Attorney General Peter Neronha filed a motion in Providence County Superior Court to hold Los Angeles-based Prospect Medical Holdings in contempt for a refusal to comply with a court order to pay $17 million in unpaid bills to hospital vendors.

7. Ann & Robert H. Lurie Childrens Hospital in Chicago was hit with a federal class action lawsuit over a data breach that affected 792,000 patients.

8. Reading Hospital in West Reading, Pa., filed a class action lawsuit against Hill-Rom, a hospital bed maker, alleging anticompetitive behavior.

9. Montefiore St. Luke's Cornwall in Newburgh, N.Y., is facing a $21 million lawsuit filed by an anesthesiologist group that claims the hospital breached an exclusive contract to use the group's physicians for its anesthesia services.

10. In the wake of the Supreme Court's overturning of Chevron deference, Edison, N.J.-based Hackensack Meridian Health filed a lawsuit against HHS Secretary Xavier Becerra challenging what the system calls the secretary's "irrational and unlawful interpretation of the statutes he is entrusted to administer."
The American Hospital Association is intensifying its efforts to challenge the Federal Trade Commission's non-compete ban from taking effect. On July 26, the AHA and the Federation of American Hospitals filed an amicus brief in a Texas federal court, urging the court to vacate the final rule.

In the brief, the AHA argues that the FTC failed to adequately address the concerns of stakeholders, including the potential for "significant, unintended, and anticompetitive distortions" in the healthcare labor market, and that the agency did not consider more narrowly tailored alternatives. The AHA has previously argued that any noncompete rule should exempt highly skilled, highly paid employees, including physicians and senior executives.

If implemented, the FTC's rule would prohibit employers from including contractual terms that prevent them from taking new jobs with certain companies after their current contract ends. The ban was set to take effect Sept. 4, but on July 3, the Texas court approved a preliminary injunction, preventing the rule from being enforced while the court reviews whether the agency has the authority to issue the ban.

The court is expected to issue a final ruling on the merits of the challenge by the end of August.

"The FTC stands by our clear authority, supported by statute and precedent, to issue this rule," Douglas Farrar, director of the FTC's office of public affairs, previously said in a statement to Becker's. "We will keep fighting to free hardworking Americans from unlawful noncompetes, which reduce innovation, inhibit economic growth, trap workers, and undermine Americans' economic liberty."
ChristianaCare has filed a lawsuit to address what it considers constitutional and corporate franchise issues in Delaware legislation that would establish a hospital cost review board.

The system, which has headquarters in Wilmington and its principal place of business in Newark, Del., announced the lawsuit July 29.

At issue is House Bill 350, which was signed into law June 13 and creates the Diamond State Hospital Cost Review Board. The board is tasked with reviewing hospital budgets and related financial information, according to the legislature website. Beginning in 2025, hospitals will be required to submit yearly budgets, audited financial statements and related financial information for calendar year 2026 to the board for review. If a hospital fails to meet the state's budget benchmark for increases in hospital costs, it must develop a performance improvement plan.

In the lawsuit, which was shared with Becker's, ChristianaCare contends that the law is "antithetical to ChristianaCare's charitable and educational mission, threatens its ability to serve its constituents, violates Delaware law, and infringes on ChristianaCare's fundamental constitutional rights."

ChristianaCare argues the law does so by authorizing the "unelected and unaccountable" review board to "override the strategic and budgetary decisions made by the hospitals' duly-elected directors."

The health system also argues that the law is unconstitutional "through the take-over of private hospital governance and budgets, by forcing private hospitals to disclose confidential information about its future priorities and strategy, and by unfairly targeting only a few private hospitals."

House Bill 350 has faced opposition from some of the state's largest health systems, including ChristianaCare, Dover-based Bayhealth and Lewes-based Beebe Healthcare.

Hospital leaders and lawmakers negotiated several provisions of the original House Bill 350 to reduce the immediate harm to healthcare organizations, patients and communities, according to Brian Frazee, CEO of the Delaware Healthcare Association.

"However, DHA and its members remained firmly opposed to some components of the legislation that were not addressed during the legislative process," Mr. Frazee told Delaware Live News..

"DHA supports our members, including ChristianaCare, as they seek a better path forward, and looks forward to continuing working with policymakers and all stakeholders to ensure access to high-quality, affordable care for Delawareans today and for generations to come."

The Delaware House of Representatives Republican Caucus told Becker's that it fully supports ChristianaCare's lawsuit and that a revised version of House Bill 350 "was enacted about six weeks ago, giving a politically appointed board full authority over critical hospital spending decisions."

Democrats backed by the governor argue that hospital charges are a large portion of state and resident healthcare costs and should be controlled, according to Delaware Live News.

ChristianaCare filed the lawsuit in Delaware's Court of Chancery.








The rapid proliferation of nurse practitioners programs in the U.S. is spurring concerns about the quality of training for these advanced practice providers and potential consequences for patient safety, Bloomberg Businessweek reported July 24.

Nurse practitioners' presence in healthcare is rapidly growing as healthcare organizations look to increase patients' access to care and meet growing demands for healthcare professionals, particularly in rural areas. At present, more than 300,000 NPs are practicing nationwide. By 2032, this figure is expected to climb 45.7%, making it the nation's fastest-growing profession and far outpacing the growth of physicians.

Dozens of nursing students and professors told Bloomberg Businessweek that NP programs are rapidly sprouting up across the nation amid this increased demand, often graduating thousands of students who are not properly trained to care for patients.

Data from the U.S. Department of Education shows more than 600 schools offered advanced nursing degrees in 2022  a figure three times higher than the number of medical schools nationwide. In total, 39,000 NPs graduated from programs in 2022, marking a 50% increase from 2017, according to data from the American Association of Nurse Practitioners.

NP training programs are not standardized, and many students complete coursework entirely online, according to the report. Bloomberg Businessweek reviewed data from the Department of Education and found institutions offering classroom trainings primarily online gave out the most advanced nursing degrees in 2022.

While NPs are required to log 500 hours in clinical training time, these hours are often unregulated and many online programs do not help students find appropriate clinical site opportunities, according to the report.

Historically, registered nurses primarily sought advanced degrees as a career advancement opportunity. However, as demand for the NP role has increased, many programs now offer direct entry programs, designed to bring in students who have a bachelor's degree but no healthcare experience. At present, the most accelerated programs available prepare these students for licensure exams in just three years.

Some professors voiced concerns that a lack of adequate training or extensive clinical hours could put new NPs at risk of making serious, potentially life-threatening medical errors, according to the report.

In a letter to the editor published by Bloomberg, AANP President Stephen Ferrara, DNP, defended the quality of care provided by NPs and accused the publication of "cherry picking negative information" about the profession.

"Millions of patients across the nation choose NPs as their health-care provider because of the exceptional care they deliver in more than 1 billion visits each year," he told Bloomberg Businessweek.

Multiple studies have demonstrated NPs' ability to provide high-quality care in primary, acute and specialty settings, Dr. Ferrara said. He also noted that leading healthcare experts and healthcare policy organizations have assessed evidence on NP care and recommended increasing patient access to these providers, including the National Academies of Science, Engineering and Medicine and The Brookings Institution.



Read Bloomberg Businessweek's full report here and AANP's full letter to the editor here.
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Providence, a 51-hospital health system with central offices in Renton, Wash., and Irvine, Calif., recently set out to modernize its perioperative processes and support growth across its organization, which spans seven states. As part of those efforts, the health system is scaling a new AI platform for scheduling surgeries.

Providence began rolling out iQueue for Operating Rooms by LeanTaas at its Washington and Montana hospitals in 2023 and has since expanded to other regions.

The web-based application offers surgeons and staff real-time visibility, accessibility and scheduling of open time for elective surgeries. By digitizing workflows and streamlining the scheduling process, the system has experienced fewer delays, higher levels of patient, surgeon, clinics and staff satisfaction, and improved scheduling accuracy, according to health system leaders.

Specifically, Providence has achieved a 30% reduction in unused and unreleased block time after the implementation of the AI scheduling tool.

Susan Stacey, BSN, chief executive for the Providence Inland Northwest Washington service area, and Hoda Asmar, MD, executive vice president and system chief clinical officer for Providence, recently spoke with Becker's about this technology and this achievement.

Ms. Stacey described block time as being like a standing reservation for a hotel room. Physicians and their clinic staff who need to schedule surgeries and procedures reserve the operating room for a set amount of time. If they don't use all the reserved time and they dont release it, it ends up sitting idle.

"The ability to release it early so that someone else in there is crucial. Think of it like that hotel reservation; if you can put somebody else in that room who needs that access, it's better. It's all about serving more patients in the allotted time that we have during regular business hours," said Ms. Stacey.

Two connected metrics to unused and unreleased block time are how early block time is released and the percentage of backfill for that time. Providence has increased the early release time frame from within a few days (less than seven days) to up to 28 days, said Dr. Asmar. The current rate of backfill for those released slots is 34%, and it continues to improve month over month.

The launch

Providence launched its perioperative initiative at the end of the pandemic, around the second half of 2022.

Dr. Asmar said the goal was to address pent-up demand for elective surgeries, which had been delayed or canceled during the public health crisis. There were also workforce shortages, particularly of surgical technicians and caregivers who staff the operating rooms.

"We brought to the table operational leaders, chief executives like Susan, clinical leaders, anesthesiologists, surgeons," said Dr. Asmar. "And we agreed to a longer-term vision, 'We don't want to just address the current problem. We want to build something to last. We want to achieve modernization and growth in the space, so we can serve our communities better and more timely.'"

The group organized around all aspects of the surgical process: preoperative, intraoperative, and postoperative. Then they set foundational work around best practices, key metrics to follow, and benchmarks to follow.

During that process, Providence leaders realized the organization was still using traditional scheduling methods, such as phone calls and faxes, for its high-demand operating rooms, Dr. Asmar said. This meant no real-time visibility for stakeholders  the surgeons, operating room teams and leaders  as far as available schedule slots, and limited ability to make just-in-time changes without delays.

They could not easily see available schedule slots or access timely data to make necessary adjustments. However, the application provided an automated and transparent system to do so.

Dr. Asmar likened this to a favorite reservation app, such as an airline or OpenTable, where the user can immediately see availability and adjust to it.

The effects

Once this new system was in place, Providence was able to identify metrics such as the percentage change in unused and unreleased block time.

"The new system we're using has created transparency, and I'm a huge believer that if people can see the information, they respond differently than if it's living in a hidden environment where only one person knows what's really going on. That's never good in any setting," Ms. Stacey said.

"The level of transparency where everyone's looking at the same information at the same time really lends itself to better utilization just because of that."

Still, she acknowledged there were challenges along the way, including the initial difficulty of ensuring that all physicians, especially those practicing at multiple hospitals and managing various block processes, understood how to leverage the system to their benefit.

"It wasn't as much a barrier as it was a process that required intentionality and hand-holding early on," Ms. Stacey said. "So that they actually saw it as a good thing. Because, like anything else, you have to use it to understand it."

She said there were also some initial challenges early on with the integration of iQueue for Operating Rooms by LeanTaas with the health system's EHR which was resolved timely and effectively.

She credited project managers as well as local teams, "because you can't just put something in place and hope it works. It really does take everyone's intentional effort to implement, monitor, and sustain the change."

Additionally, she noted the project had an inclusive approach of all stakeholders and involved strong executive leadership in Dr. Asmar.

"I was the executive sponsor. And, more importantly, I had full support from the entire senior executive team, [including] our CEO," Dr. Asmar said.

Dr. Asmar said she also had a nursing leader subject matter expert, with a background in the surgical space assigned to the initiative full time. And "our physicians, surgeons and anesthesiologists were on board. They were at the table before we even started the conversations with the vendors. This technology is what they wanted to ease their way and serve our patients."

The goal was to implement the system in nine months across seven states in more than 420 operating rooms. Dr. Asmar said the vendor had not implemented the technology with that condensed timeline at another large health system, but they were willing to listen, understand the Providence culture, and provide on-site support that would make the project successful.

"Everyone knew what's happening, when it's happening, and what we are trying to achieve. It's very rare to implement anything and have no one complainThere were no complaints, just teamwork leading to success," said Dr. Asmar.

She described the process overall as a structured change management approach in focusing on a longer-term vision, building the foundational work before implementing a new technology and providing transparency on all aspects of the project.

"The technology was a complement and accelerator to operational and clinical excellence versus the driver," she said.

Washington and Montana hospitals have been live for more than eight months. Phase two included sites in California, which went live three months ago. The rest of the system went live about two months ago.

Meanwhile, Providence tracks data from the project on a weekly and monthly basis, specifically block utilization, released block timing, and backfill percentage and timing. So far, the health system continues to see data track in an ascending trajectory as far as early release and backfill.

However, a less obvious effect of the project is how it has shaped surgeons' approach, according to Ms. Stacey.

"The perception that I frequently heard [from surgeons] was, 'I can never get OR time.' That was the most common thing I heard routinely," she said.

"Now, with data, I can say, 'Here are days when you had the opportunity but didn't fill it. Is there something else we can do?' And that level of transparency has kind of stopped the hyperbole around the perception that [the individual] can never get the time [they] want. This really puts it back in the hands of surgeons and of teams to say, 'Oh, no, wait a minute, there actually is time. I need to work with my team to better utilize the time I have.'

"And so that level of transparency has really changed the conversations. It's changed the conversations in our block committees, because we have one source of truth. And we didn't always have one source of truth. It depended what data you looked at as to what the story was. And now we don't argue about that anymore. Now we go, 'OK, this is our source of truth. Now we can make better decisions about block allocation. We can make better decisions about where we put our cases, mornings or nights, Tuesdays or Fridays.' Really looking at it much more strategically."








Since 2020, orthopedic surgeon pay has climbed, but the CMS physician conversion factor has steadily decreased over the last four years.

Here is how the average orthopedic surgeon pay compares to CMS' physician fee schedule over the last five years:

Note: Compensation data was provided by Medscape.

2024

Compensation: $558,000

CMS conversion factor: $32.74 (-3.4%)

2023

Compensation: $573,000

CMS conversion factor: $33.06 (-4.48%)

2022

Compensation: $557,000

CMS conversion factor: $33.59 (-3.73%)

2021

Compensation: $511,000

CMS conversion factor: $32.41 (-10%)

2020

Compensation: $511,000

CMS conversion factor: $36.09 (+0.14%)
China's Yangtze River sees third flood of 2024

Xinhua) 10:28, July 30, 2024

BEIJING, July 29 (Xinhua) -- Affected by Typhoon Gaemi, China's Yangtze River is experiencing its third flood of 2024, the Ministry of Water Resources said on Monday.

The flood came as the water level at Lianhuatang hydrological station, one of the major monitoring spots for the main stream's water level in the middle reaches of the Yangtze, reached the warning level of 32.5 meters at 6:50 p.m. Monday.

The ministry has made flood-relief deployments, including treatment of dike breaches in central China's Hunan Province.

In the meantime, the ministry activated a third-level emergency response to floods in Hunan, and a fourth-level emergency response to floods in the provinces of Jiangsu, Anhui and Jiangxi, while sending working teams and expert teams to Hunan to provide guidance on flood-prevention efforts.

The ministry also urged efforts to strengthen monitoring and early warning for floods, enhance the patrolling of dikes and reservoirs, and guard against small and medium-sized river floods and mountain torrents.

China has a four-tier emergency response system for flood control, with the first level being the most urgent response.

(Web editor: Zhang Kaiwei, Wu Chaolan)
After another inspiring Belfast Pride on Saturday, I have been reflecting on the importance of events like Pride and the role they play in bringing people from different parts of our community together.

This weekend, I was delighted and moved to see a crowd of around 75,000 people. I was marching and dancing alongside 150 members of our LGBTQ+ network, Proud at Deloitte, and allies from our Deloitte community. You might have seen us in a sea of colour through the city centre, with banners celebrating identity and inclusion.

Taking part in Pride each year is more than marching in solidarity  its a reminder to the community about how far we have come together and how far we have yet to go. Ive been thinking back to Pride from 30 years ago, when it was a markedly different experience compared to today. But its incredible how it continues to grow in strength and love every year  and it is undoubtedly the highlight of my calendar each year.

As someone who has championed diversity and inclusion throughout my career and has watched the parade grow every year, I am encouraged by the way attitudes are changing and how companies are making community and inclusion a priority. One of my proudest moments in my career at Deloitte and in business was in 2018 when, together with other companies in Northern Ireland, we called for the introduction of the equality marriage act.

When businesses prioritise creating inclusive environments that value diversity, they are also investing in their communities. And the benefit of building a greater connection with your people has a knock-on effect of attracting top-tier talent and delivering excellent work.

I know from my professional experience that having a range of perspectives in a team helps everyone to challenge preconceptions and embrace new ideas. For Deloitte, this is really valuable to help us develop more innovative solutions for our clients. At its core, our business is about human interaction, and making sure everyone feels included and supported is central to everything we do.

Employers across Northern Ireland are recognising the benefits that a diverse team brings to their business. They have realised that to attract top talent of a younger generation it has become increasingly important to demonstrate that you are walking the walk on diversity, equity and inclusion, and not just paying it lip service.

This is going to be increasingly important as we welcome new generations into the workplace. This year, Deloittes GenZ and Millennial Survey found that 90% of young people in the UK said it is very important to them that their employer shares their values and ethics. And many would consider leaving if they dont measure up to their expectations, explaining that not being aligned would lower their workplace satisfaction and wellbeing.

Its part of my remit to make sure were doing all we can so that everyone feels able to be their true authentic self at work and reaches their full potential.

Our diversity networks play a huge part in helping to create this inclusive workplace environment. All of our staff receive training and have access to resources that help give them insights into the lived experiences of colleagues from under-represented groups. I have no doubt that our commitment to diversity and inclusion was a key contributor to Deloitte being listed in this years Sunday Times Best Places To Work list.

Colleagues in our Proud network make it clear how important allyship is, and I am always incredibly proud myself to see people from all backgrounds supporting the rights and wellbeing of their LGBTQ+ colleagues at Pride marches across the UK and Ireland.

Pride in Belfast is a joyful event. But for those employers who take part, it must be about more than just marching in solidarity  its about making a real, tangible commitment to enhancing our community as a whole.

Jackie Henry is UK managing partner for people and purpose and office senior partner for Belfast at Deloitte
The lobby of Da Vinci's Hotel in Derry, which is now under new ownership

Da Vinci's Hotel in Londonderry has changed hands, 23 years after it was founded by Garvan O'Doherty

Da Vinci's Hotel on Culmore Road, Derry, is now under new ownership

A Derry hotel has been transferred to a new company, with tributes being paid to its former owners.

Da Vincis on the Culmore Road was opened by the Garvan ODoherty Group in 2001.

It has been taken over by Edmund and Patrick Simpson, hoteliers from Co Donegal who own Belfasts Lansdowne and Benedicts hotels.

On Facebook, Da Vincis said Monday was the opening of a new chapter as we officially say goodbye to our former owner, the Garvan ODoherty Group.

The post said: The Garvan ODoherty Group have, over the years, been wonderful custodians of our amazing hotel, and we wish them every success with their future endeavours.

Da Vinci's Hotel in Londonderry has changed hands, 23 years after it was founded by Garvan O'Doherty

It added that while the hotel would continue to operate as normal, the kitchen would be running at reduced capacity and is only serving breakfast.

Were all incredibly excited here at Da Vincis Hotel to work with our new owners and we look forward to welcoming you all to our wonderful hotel as we embark on our new journey of delivering unparalleled hospitality to the people of Derry and beyond.

People posted messages of support, with one saying: End of an era, loved every minute working here.

Another said: Had many good times under Garvans management. Look forward to many under new management.

The venue has 64 hotel bedrooms and a number of self-contained apartments. Garvan ODoherty Group also owns five off-licences in the north west under the Chill brand, as well as other properties in Derry.

The Simpson brothers own Brunswick Moviebowl in Derry, and last year were among a group of businesspeople who acquired Foyle Shopping Centre.

They are directors of a number of limited companies, including hotels firm Elmoreton.

The lobby of Da Vinci's Hotel in Derry, which is now under new ownership

In accounts filed last September, the company reported revenues of 5.1m for 2022, down from 3.1m in 2021.

Its pre-tax profits were just under 500,000, down from 1.8m, and it had 123 employees.

Two years ago, Mr ODoherty announced plans for a new whiskey distillery and shop in Derry, along with bars, restaurants and shops, at Foyle Street and Shipquay Place.

A planning application was submitted for the project by David A. Watt & Co. Ltd, a company within the Garvan ODoherty Group.

Anna Doherty, chief executive of Derry Chamber, said the transfer of Da Vincis Hotel to the Simpsons was good news.

We know that Patrick and Edmund Simpson are very experienced within the hospitality sector and will bring steady hands to the hotel, which is so important to our local offering, she said.

The importance of retaining hotel rooms within Derry city cannot be overstated given how many events, festivals, and conferences the city plays host to throughout the year.

Chamber would also like to wish the Garvan ODoherty Group well with their future endeavours, as we are sure that they will continue to play a significant role in our local economy for years to come.
Commentator says planned takeover of NI firm may see it extend its range of products

Lesley Hughes, who founded the business in 1977

Hughes Insurance has sold its headquarters in Newtownards, after the company moved to a fully remote working model in 2021.

The sale of NI insurance firm Hughes to a larger UK company could potentially lead to lower costs and a greater range of products, according to a financial commentator.

Hughes is set to be bought by Markerstudy Group, which manages insurance businesses including Carole Nash, Budget, Marmalade insurance and Purely Pets.

Markerstudy said the purchase is proof of its commitment to Northern Ireland.

Hughes Insurance was owned by US firm Liberty Insurance from 2016 to 2023, when it was sold to Generali Group along with the rest of Libertys personal and small commercial operations in western Europe.

In response to the sale of Hughes to Markerstudy, which still has to be approved by the regulator, finance commentator Paul Gosling said: I would hope that becoming a member of a larger group would enable it to benefit from greater scale and economies, bringing down costs and possibly extending the range of products.

Lesley Hughes, who founded the business in 1977

Markerstudy groups companies work across a range of different sectors of insurance, including motor, pet and business.

The groups brands manage over eight million customers and around 7,000 people are employed by the company.

Hughes Insurance was founded in 1977 by Lesley Hughes and is one of the largest insurance firms in the province, with 85,000 customers.

Its most recent accounts, for the year ending December 31 2022, showed a pre-tax profit of 2.5m and a turnover of 13.7m.

They also said that the company had 246 employees on average per month.

Meanwhile, Hughes Insurances former headquarters in Newtownards has been sold after being put on the market in last December.

Strangford House on the Jubilee Road is now listed as sold by agents Osborne King.

The site includes two interconnected buildings of around 17,000 sq ft and 18,500 sq ft, with a total of 185 car park spaces.

According to a selling brochure from Osborne King, the offices have an annual rates bill of around 158,500.

It was initially listed at 3m, but just under three months later it was put back on the market for 2.5m.

The company had moved to a fully remote working model in 2021 following the shift to homeworking triggered by Covid.

Remote employees were to receive a 566 gross annual payment to cover any related remote working expenses.

At the time, Hughes said a staff survey showed that 93% did not want to return to traditional working.

In March of this year, a spokesperson said Hughes executive team was exploring alternative, more accessible commercial premises that better meet the needs of the business.
A new TV show starring Derry Girls actress Louisa Harland will not be renewed for a second season on Disney+.

Renegade Nell follows a quick-witted outlaw in 18th century England and launched earlier this year.

However, it failed to meet the streaming giants threshold for a renewal which is based on a number of metrics.

The cast and crew  including Harland who played Orla McCool in Derry Girls  have been informed.

The series was first announced three years ago was one of the most anticipated projects to be commissioned out of Disney+s UK office.

A Disney spokesman told Deadline: Disney+ Original series, Renegade Nell, will not be returning for a second season on the service. Were incredibly proud of the world created by Sally Wainwright and lead director Ben Taylor.

"Wed like to thank them, our production partners at Lookout Point, the entire cast  led by Louisa Harland  and crew for their incredible work on this series, all of whom we hope to work with again in the future.

Other cast members include Adrian Lester, Nick Mohammed and Joely Richardson.

Harland attracted particular praise for her first lead performance playing a superpowered 18th-century highwaywoman.

The Dublin-born actress previously said: Nell is different to Sallys other characters. There are magical elements, but its still quintessentially Sally. She writes real people so well  flawed, funny and raw characters you can relate to.

She didnt really have to pitch it to me. Sally Wainwright and Disney combined... its everything we never knew we needed.

I love this world, with its magic, fantasy and epic fight sequences. I also love the idea that the whole family can watch it.

Sally is so great at writing truthful characters and relationships, and shes great at writing for women.

Happy Valley writer Wainwright is currently busy working on BBC drama Riot Women which is based on a punk band formed by five women going through menopause.

Harland is best known for her role as the hapless Orla in Lisa McGees Derry Girls.

Last year she stared in the play titled Ulster American alongside Oscar-nominee Woody Harrelson and The Lord of the Rings star Andy Serkis.

She portrayed Northern Irish playwright Ruth Davenport on stage opposite Serkis as English director Leigh Carver, and Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri star Harrelson playing Oscar-winning actor Jay Conway.
William and Kate at a Six Nations rugby match at Twickenham in 2007, before they split for two months. Photo: PA

Prince William partied with friends and shouted Im free! after calling off his relationship with Kate Middleton in a frank 30-minute phone call, a royal insider has revealed.

The Prince of Wales, then aged 25, is said to have ended things with the Princess of Wales after deciding he was too young to settle down, Rob Jobson says in his new biography of Kate which details the couples brief 2007 split.

It came about after William, who formed a romantic relationship with Kate as an undergraduate student at St Andrews University, cooled on future plans for the pair amid speculation he was preparing to propose.

Im free! he shouted as he slipped into a drunken version of the robot dance, Jobson claimed of the celebration, which took place in Mayfairs Mahiki nightclub. He then told his friends that they should all drink the menu, which they more or less ended up doing.

According to reports at the time, the Prince also had his eye on someone else, the socialite Isabella Anstruther-Gough-Calthorpe, but she is said to have rejected his advances because she did not want to be constrained by the inevitable demands of royal life.

This did not cool Williams ardour, Jobson explained.

He reportedly tried to woo Isabella, visiting her several times at her family home. Despite his evident crush, she apparently rebuffed his advances.

Few could have predicted that hed return to Catherine or that shed ever agree to take him back.

At the time of the split, they had been an item for five years, having seen their initial friendship blossom into romance when Kate wore a daring black sheer ensemble that showed off her figure at a student charity fashion show in 2002.

By the time the pair graduated, rumours of an engagement were swirling, with some members of the press dubbing the future princess Waity Kate because of the length of their relationship without an engagement.

After William had cancelled plans around the time of Kates 25th birthday in January 2007, she sensed something was wrong.

Jobson wrote: [William] told her they both needed a bit of space to find our own way, and he was unable to promise her marriage.

In an emotionally charged 30-minute conversation, they both acknowledged they were on different pages. It was a devastating blow to Catherine, who felt doubly let down at being dumped over the phone.

The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge

But Kates actions after their break-up reportedly made it impossible for the prince to get his university girlfriend off his mind.

She was helped by her mother, Carole, who took her on a trip to Dublin to distract her from the heartache.

Carole Middleton acted swiftly, taking her heartbroken daughter for a break in Dublin  a welcome respite from media scrutiny, Jobson added.

On Catherines return, she decided she wasnt going to sit around moping; what was good for the goose was good for the gander.

Now in the public eye, she was repeatedly photographed by paparazzi wearing more risque outfits than ever before when she went out with friends, and there was one, in particular, that sealed their eventual reunion.

Jobson added: She turned to old friends for support, going on holiday with a girlfriend to Ibiza. They partied long into the night.

Back in London, there were soon so many paparazzi shots of Catherine leaving nightclubs  often with her sister Pippa  that the media dubbed them the Sizzler Sisters.

This outfit caught Williams eye at a fancy dress party when [Kate] arrived dressed as a nurse and William had made a beeline for her.

However, because of their earlier split, their reunion was initially kept a secret, but William did promise to marry Kate.

He finally proposed formally during a holiday in Kenya in 2010, by the side of the turquoise waters of Lake Alice, Jobson wrote. The question wasnt entirely unexpected, of course, but Catherines face lit up with a radiant smile as she said yes.
Northern Ireland is set to miss out on the hot weather England has been experiencing

Northern Ireland is set to miss out on a heatwave affecting other parts of the UK this week, although temperatures are still expected to reach the mid-20s.

On the other hand, Northern Ireland is set to avoid thunderstorms on Thursday that are expected to sweep across England and Wales, where the mercury is set to soar above 30C.

Met Office forecaster Tom Morgan said: "Northern Ireland is not going to really see the effects of the heatwave, but we should see temperatures in the low-20s and might even squeak out a high of 24C on Thursday.

Thats not quite reaching the threshold of 25C or higher for three consecutive days. But it is going to be a relatively pleasant week, so its not a write-off.

The meteorologist said the hottest temperatures are expected in eastern areas, including counties Antrim, Down and Armagh.

A mixture of sunshine and cloud is predicted on Tuesday and Wednesday, bringing temperatures of 21C.

Sunny intervals will continue on Thursday and Friday, with temperatures returning to around 20C by the end of the week.

Meanwhile, a spectacular meteor shower named Delta Aquariids was expected to be visible in all six counties by 4am on Tuesday as skies cleared.

Up to 25 meteors an hour were anticipated to whiz across the sky between midnight and dawn when the Delta Aquariids peaked.

"Western counties have the best chance of seeing any meteors in the early hours, Mr Morgan said.

"There will be more cloud in eastern parts. However, most places should have clear skies by 4am, so its worth having a look shortly before then no matter where you are.

Yellow heat health warnings have been issued across most of England by the UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA).

All areas of England, except the North East and North West, have been included in the warning, which is in place until Wednesday.

The UKHSA warned that expected hot weather may have significant impacts on the health and social care sector across the South East and London, with minor impact elsewhere.

A yellow warning is also in place for for thunderstorms for England and Wales as surface water flooding and gusty conditions are expected on Thursday.

Mr Morgan said it should be a lot brighter in Northern Ireland despite July being a very dull month with fairly typical temperatures.

We are sitting at about 0.5C below the monthly average, the weather expert said.

Its been slightly drier than usual, which people might find hard to believe.

Rainfall is at 85% of what you would expect, but there are still [two] days left, with some showers possible at night, so we might get closer to 100%.

Its been quite a dull month, with sunshine levels sitting at 68% of the long-term average.

Looking ahead into next month, the forecaster said things will remain changeable, adding: That means there will still be cloud and showers around.

But there will be some warm sunshine too, so its not all doom and gloom.

Temperatures should be around average for the first week of August.
Translink shared post of Armagh GAA fans heading to Croke Park for the All Ireland final on Sunday.

Translink has admitted that it got it wrong on the Loyal Orders after the public transport provider was accused of of double standards for ignoring the Twelfth on its social media platforms.

It comes after Translink shared a number of posts with celebratory pictures of passengers on their way to GAA games, including the All Ireland semi final on July 23 and the final in Dublin on Sunday.

TUV secretary Ann McClure wrote to the companys chief executive to outline a grievance last week and questioned why the Orange Order celebrations were not acknowledged  including the Sham Fight on July 13.

My attention has been drawn to a couple of issues pertaining to your company in recent weeks, it read.

Firstly, I note that on 13th July you posted on Twitter a number of photos showing happy passengers along with the message: That's the @Armagh_GAA fans on their way to Dublin on the rail special event train! Hoping for a good result for you all!

A number of people have observed to me that there was no such post about the Twelfth of July celebrations the previous day, in spite of the fact that many thousands used Translink services to travel to and from parades with your buses in many cases parked in fleets at the end of parade routes.

Why does Translink think its acceptable to acknowledge nationalist culture while ignoring Orangeism?

The correspondence also outlined a grievance over Translinks public support of Belfast Pride festival.

Secondly, please explain why in the Belfast area Translink buses are displaying the progress pride flag, it continued.

I believe that Translink has a policy of refusing to carry political advertisements.

"Yet it is hard to think of something which could be more political than an emblem which is, at its heart, about the mutilation of children for a political ideology.

Translink posted pictures of fans wearing Orange GAA jerseys on Sunday as they headed to Croke Park to watch Armagh claim the Sam Maguire Cup for the first time in two decades.

"All Aboard!!!! the caption read accompanied by party emojis.

"We're heading for @crokepark on the @Armagh_GAA.

The post attracted criticism online.

"Translink I expect to see lots of photos for the upcoming Apprentice Boys parade in Londonderry and Last Saturday Royal Black parades in August, one user noted.

"There will be many dozens of your buses in use both days!

Lets see your equality!

Now Ms McClure has welcomed a commitment from Translink to do better in the future.

Last week I wrote to Translink challenging them on why they posted photos on their social media platforms wishing those travelling to the GAA semi-final well while ignoring the Loyal Order celebrations, she said.

I welcome the fact that in their response Translink has acknowledged that given that there were two major events on the 13th July there was a case for having referenced both on our social media. We will ensure this is addressed in future.

It is right to challenge publicly funded bodies like Translink when they get it wrong.

"Its also only right to acknowledge when they admit they could have done  and in future will do  better.

Translink are to be commended for acknowledging they got it wrong and I and my party are committed to holding them accountable in future.

A spokesperson for Translink said: We operate special services to a broad range of events throughout the year, including sporting events and concerts.

We frequently post photos of our event specials on our social media channels, which is common practice across the public transport sector.

"We acknowledge that, given there were two major events on 13th July, namely the Sham Fight and the GAA semi-finals, there is a case for having referenced both in our social media.

"We will ensure this is addressed in future.
A man has settled his case of religious discrimination against Belfast bar owner John Bittles for 6,500, after he was allegedly told that they dont serve Protestants.

Mr Bittles owns the popular city centre establishment.

The case against him was supported by the Equality Commission for Northern Ireland.

The Commission said the incident took place during a Friday afternoon and left the man feeling embarrassed and intimidated.

They said as the man entered the bar, he met the landlord, John Bittles, who he knew and had spoken to before, but who then said to him: No seat, no drink, new rules in the bar. I look after my locals.

He said that Mr Bittles then pointed to a group of men on his left and continued: You have not been in here for about three years and we dont serve Protestants, only joking, no Im not.

Bittles bar in Belfast

The man said that the comments were said very loudly and were greeted by cheering from other customers within the bar making him feel so uncomfortable that he then immediately left the bar.

He then reported the incident to the PSNI, who recorded it as a hate crime.

I just wanted to have a drink. Id been to Bittles Bar many times before over the years. The landlord knows me, and I was shocked by his comments and was really concerned by the reaction of the people in the bar, the man said.

I honestly thought the days of this type of behaviour in Northern Ireland were behind us. I felt I had to challenge it, so I reported it to the police and contacted the Equality Commission.

Geraldine McGahey, Chief Commissioner, Equality Commission for Northern Ireland said that, while this type of incident is exceptionally rare it serves as a reminder to all businesses that they have responsibilities under the anti-discrimination laws.

This type of case is exceptionally rare with regards to discrimination from service providers or service users, but it was important to note and also highlight as a reminder to businesses and service users that there is a time and place for banter like this and it is important that customers do not feel intimidated or degraded because of their religious beliefs.

People are protected from religious belief and political opinion discrimination in the provision of a wide range of services.

Everyone who walks through their doors should be treated with dignity and respect, no matter what their religious background, she added.

This is also a reminder for each of us that what someone might see as banter or a harmless joke could have the effect of being offensive or intimidating to someone else.

And it is also important to highlight the protection and support that is there for people who have been subject to this kind of discrimination.

Ms McGahey said that you can count on one hand the amount of cases similar to this the Equality Commission have dealt with since the law came into place in 1998.

What we need to do is reinforce the message that this type of behaviour is unacceptable, she added.

Belfast Telegraph has approached Bittles Bar for comment.

In settling the case John Bittles apologised for any upset and distress caused to the man and affirmed commitment to the principles of equality in respect of the provision of services to the public. He has also agreed to liaise with the Equality Commission.

News Catch Up: Tuesday 30th July 2024
A hearse arrives at the crash site in Killucan, Westmeath. Photo: Collins.

Emergency services and a hearse at the crash site in Westmeath. Photo: Collins.

The helicopter is believed to have struck a piggery between Raharney and Killucan

Two men have died after a helicopter crashed into a farm building in Co Westmeath this afternoon.

The victims, an Irish man in his 40s and a man from Eastern Europe, also in his 40s, were the only people on board the aircraft when it crashed into a piggery outside the village of Killucan.

Gardai and emergency services responded to the incident, which occurred at around 3.30pm.

Gardai said they are liaising with the family of the Irish man and are trying to establish contact with the next of kin of the second man, and may request the assistance of Interpol.

Both bodies have been removed from the scene to Regional Hospital Mullingar where post mortems will take place The local coroner has been notified.

Two hearses were seen leaving the farm site this evening.

Locals said they believed the helicopter may have suffered engine trouble before it struck the building.

Sean Power was working on a roof just over half a mile from the crash scene.

I was working away and the next thing I just heard the engine cut out, he told the Irish Independent.

I heard the airplane, I didnt see it and the next thing I heard was a big bang. The engine just cut out and the bang was very quick after it so I dont know if it was that high.

Local shopkeeper, Tom Keyes, said the local community had been left stunned by the incident.

It is a terrible thing, he said, revealing how a similar type incident occurred in the area around 20 years previously.

It is a dark day for the village and all of a sudden it is on every paper and every news bulletin.

What more do you say? Its unprecedented for the area.

Taoiseach Simon Harris expressed his concern.

Thinking of all those involved in the Westmeath helicopter crash, he posted on X, formerly Twitter.

He added: My thoughts & gratitude are also with all the emergency services working to help at this time.

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The Irish Air Accident Investigation Unit has deployed a team of inspectors to the site of the single-engine helicopter crash.

Acting Chief Fire Officer with Westmeath Fire and Rescue Service Pat Hunt confirmed there had been several casualties in the incident.

Emergency services, including gardai, ambulance services, and Mullingar Fire Brigade are currently at the scene.

Emergency services and a hearse at the crash site in Westmeath. Photo: Collins.

Flight data shows that the helicopter, which is registered to a US company, had been flying for around 25 minutes prior to the crash.

The same aircraft had also undertaken a short journey this morning lasting 27 minutes, departing from, and returning to, Weston Airport near Lucan.

Pat Hunt, acting chief fire officer with Westmeath Fire and Rescue Service, told Midlands 103 FM earlier that there have been several casualties in the incident.

He said all available resources were being sent to the scene of the incident.
Omagh bomb inquiry first hearing begins at Strule Art Centre on Omagh town centre. Solicitor John McBurney, who is representing some of the victims and families, talks to the press outside the Strule Arts Centre. Picture by Jonathan Porter/PressEye

Chair of the Omagh Bombing Inquiry Lord Turnbull at the Strule Arts Centre in Omagh Liam McBurney/PA Wire

Michael Gallagher(left), who lost his 21-year-old son Aiden in the bombing and Stanley McComb, whose wife Ann was killed, pictured outside the Strule Arts Centre (Credit: Jonathan Porter/PressEye)

The weather on the morning of Saturday, August 15, 1998, was sunny and quite warm with a few clouds in the sky.

Every little moment can bring back a memory.

Almost 26 years later, there was little difference, except for the passage of time.

That time has not been kind to the bereaved relatives of the Omagh bombing. They have lived every day with the trauma, the memories and the hope that one day, the truth will be heard.

Around 9.30am, Michael Gallagher, accompanied by Stanley McCombe, walked up the path towards Strule Arts Centre in the Co Tyrone town. Once again he faced the media.

File photo of the aftermath of the Omagh bomb (Credit: Paul McErlane/PA Wire)

His first remark was on how that sunny weather mirrors so well the day 31 lives were lost in the single biggest atrocity of the Troubles. That it came so soon after the signing of the Good Friday Agreement, made it all the more unexpected, sudden and difficult to bear for those who were affected.

At the reception in Strule Arts Centre, a box of hankies was at the ready. Quiet, emotional, thoughtful as the hush descended.

In his opening statement, Inquiry Chair Lord Turnbull said the pain of bereavement and trauma caused by the dissident republican bomb attack spread beyond Omagh and Northern Ireland to families from England and Spain.

He also said the attack caused outrage and consternation across national boundaries and across continents.

Those boxes duly ticked, and it was nothing that hadnt been heard before. It still had to be said.

But over the course of the next year and a half, with proceedings not expected to conclude until the end of 2025, the independent inquiry into the bombing will examine whether there was a possibility the atrocity could  and should  have been prevented.

Lord Turnbull said the inquiry will undertake its task rigorously and fearlessly. Words which could easily be used to describe the way Michael Gallagher  who lost his son Aiden in the bombing, has approached the task of getting to this stage.

Chair of the Omagh Bombing Inquiry Lord Turnbull at the Strule Arts Centre in Omagh Liam McBurney/PA Wire

He said todays hearing will be the first time since 1998 that all of the bereaved families, including those caught up in the blast from Spain, will come together.

It has taken us all of those 26 years to get here and were just delighted, he said.

One of the sad ironies is that when I got up this morning and saw the sunshine, it was exactly the same on August 15 1998. It was one of the most beautiful days of that year.

Its good to be here. Its a long time but we are where we want to be and we just have to wait and see where this inquiry takes us.

Every morning I waken up and still pinch myself, I cant believe were there.

Stanley McCombe, who lost his wife, Ann, in the bombing, said he had great faith in Lord Turnbull and his legal team.

After years of hard labour were hopeful, were very very hopeful, he added.

While the day was not filled with the drama normally associated with the auditorium at Strule Arts Centre, hearing the first words spoken will have been music to the ears of those who have campaigned for so long, seeing proceedings getting officially underway will have been a sight for sore eyes. After living in hope, there is not something tangible to feed on.

Omagh bomb inquiry first hearing begins at Strule Art Centre on Omagh town centre. Solicitor John McBurney, who is representing some of the victims and families, talks to the press outside the Strule Arts Centre. Picture by Jonathan Porter/PressEye

Much of it will not be easy to digest for those family members who will be involved.

Within a few moments of opening the preliminary hearing, the names of all 29 victims, who died alongside two unborn twins, were read out to an otherwise silenced theatre. A minutes silence followed. Heads bowed, alone with their thoughts, the bereaved stood, as they have at some many gatherings over the last 25 years.

It will be January 27 next year before they get to have their say when personal statements will be heard. What follows will be a forensic examination of what happened in the lead-up to the bombing.

Ruairi de Burca, director-general at the Irish Department of Foreign Affairs, has said the Irish Government is committed to bringing forward new legislation if required to ensure it can assist the Omagh Bombing Inquiry (Liam McBurney/PA)

That will mark the proper start of what they hope will be their final journey towards the truth.

Inquiry lawyer Paul Greaney KC said the inquiry is grateful for the Irish Government committing to assist its work.

Whether the bereaved are as grateful depends on the extent of involvement from the Republic of Ireland in the process.

Ruairi de Burca, director-general at the Irish Department of Foreign Affairs, took up the invitation to attend the opening of the inquiry and delivered a commitment that the Irish Government want to meet the needs and expectations of the victims and relatives.

He said assistance will be grounded in law to support concrete action.

Mr de Burca added: The government is committed to put in place additional new legislation, if that is what is required, to support our assistance to the Inquiry.

These important details are being worked through with the inquiry team, to ensure that our engagement proceeds on the strongest possible footing.

Our commitment is to ensure that there is nothing left unanswered in our jurisdiction at the end of the inquiry.

At the conclusion of the opening day, both Michael Gallagher and Stanley McCombe said they would hold the Irish Government to the words delivered.

Acting as counsel for seven of the Omagh families, John McBurney said there remained work to be done to ensure that co-operation provided all the answers needed, and without legislation from the Republic of Ireland, we will only hear half the story

When you take it from the point of view that the car was stolen in the Republic of Ireland, the bomb was manufactured in the Republic of Ireland, the bomb was delivered from the Republic of Ireland across the border, into Omagh and then we lost 29 lives and two unborn children murdered, perhaps 200 injured, what was known about the people involved in 20 previous bombing raids and attacks, if you dont start there how on earth do the UK authorities constrain, disrupt and dismantle whats happening in Omagh when you dont first know whats known in the Republic of Ireland?

It seems so obvious, it seems the starting point and it remains to be seen how thats going to be resolved.
The home of a prison officer has been the target of a firebomb attack late last night.

Gardai are investigating the attack in Co Meath in which a window was broken in the house and a petrol bomb thrown into a downstairs room.

The scene has been sealed off for a technical examination.

The prison officer and his wife were believed to have been in the house at the time but there were no reports of injuries.

The Prison Officers Association has condemned the attack.

We wish to utterly condemn the cowardly arson attack on a prison officers home during the night. This attack was extremely sinister in nature and could have led to loss of life, said Gabriel Keaveny, deputy general secretary of the Prison Officers Association.

We have no doubt that this horrific attack related to the prison officers work. We now call on the Minister for Justice and the Garda Commissioner to take whatever action is necessary to ensure that prison officers and their families are safe in their own homes. The government has a responsibility for the safety and security to its employees.

The Prison Officers Association has also sought an urgent meeting with the director of the Prison Service to discuss this most recent attack.

It said there have been similar instances of attacks on prison officers' homes in the past, which are a shocking ordeal for prison officers and their families.

It is now important that the perpetrators of this cowardly and frightening attack are brought to justice, Mr Keaveny said.

We will be offering continued support to the prison officer involved and his family as they deal with this shocking ordeal.

The Irish Prison Service issued a statement that said any act of violence against a prison officer is unacceptable.

Any criminal act carried out within our prisons, including assaults or threats on a staff member, are reported to An Gardai Siochana for investigation and prosecution, it said.

Staff who are subject to an assault or threat in our prisons are given the necessary supports through the employee assistance programme.

It also pointed out that specific laws exist in relation to assaults against prison officers which can lead to a maximum 12-year sentence.
Laurence Rush lost his wife Libby in the Omagh bomb attack (PA)

A tribute has been paid to a man whose wife was killed in the Omagh bomb who died before seeing the public inquiry he called for established.

Laurence Rushs wife Elizabeth was among the 29 people killed in the dissident republican bomb attack in the Co Tyrone town in August 1998.

He had been known as one of the most active campaigners for a public inquiry into the atrocity for which no-one has ever been criminally convicted, and had taken legal action against the government.

Mr Rush died in 2012 at the age of 70.

Michael Mansfield KC told the first public hearing in the Omagh Inquiry that the proceedings are Mr Rushs legacy.

The first public hearing was held at the Strule Arts Centre in Omagh on Tuesday before Lord Turnbull (Liam McBurney/PA)

A public inquiry was ordered last year by former Secretary of State Chris Heaton-Harris following a critical High Court judgment after more recent legal challenge taken by Michael Gallagher, whose son Aiden was killed in the bomb.

The first public hearing was held at the Strule Arts Centre in Omagh on Tuesday.

Mr Mansfield described it as particularly special for the members of the Rush family in attendance.

Mrs Rush had been serving customers in the family-run shop in Market Street in Omagh when the bomb exploded.

Mr Mansfield said Mr Rush had been steadfast, undaunted, undeterred in his call for a public inquiry.

He said the inquiry, which comes 26 years after the bomb attack, was Mr Rushs legacy and a vindication of his courage.
People cool off at Peterborough Lido as the heatwave continues (Joe Giddens/PA)

The Met Office has issued a yellow warning for thunderstorms across London and the South East as much of England and Wales is expected to see temperatures top 30C on Tuesday.

The warning advises of the chances of isolated flooding and disruption for the South East between 12pm and 11.59pm on Wednesday.

It states that spray and sudden flooding could lead to difficult driving conditions and some road closures, with a small chance that some communities could be cut off by flooded roads.

It also warns of a slight chance of power cuts for homes and businesses.

The advisory adds: There is a small chance that homes and businesses could be flooded quickly, with damage to some buildings from floodwater, lightning strikes, hail or strong winds.

A similar warning of thunderstorms and disruption has also been issued for an area stretching from the South East up to Manchester and Newcastle-Upon-Tyne for between 12pm and 11.59pm on Thursday.

The threat of thunderstorms comes after the heat is expected to peak in southern England and Wales on Tuesday.

(PA Graphics)

Met Office chief meteorologist Paul Gundersen said: The warm or even hot weather is continuing for many, with some places in England and Wales likely to meet heatwave criteria in the coming days.

Temperatures are likely to peak at around 32C in south-east England on Tuesday and Wednesday, with much of the UK experiencing dry, fine and warm conditions in the first half of the week.

There is a chance of some thundery outbreaks for some in the South and East from later on Wednesday, which will be the first signs of the UKs transition to a more unsettled regime, with warnings issued to highlight potential impacts.

The UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA) has issued yellow heat health warnings for all areas of England, except the North East and North West, until Friday.

People sit in the shade beneath a tree during hot weather in St Jamess Park, central London (Lucy North/PA)

It warned that expected hot weather may have significant impacts on the health and social care sector across the South East and London, with minor effects elsewhere.

The Met Office said a warm snap is considered a heatwave if a location records at least three consecutive days with maximum temperatures exceeding a designated value of 25C for most of the UK, rising to 28C in London and its surrounding area, where temperatures are typically higher.

The hottest day of the year so far saw a temperature of 31.9C recorded at St Jamess Park in central London on July 19.
The Government gave a social care update on the last day of Parliament before summer recess (Alamy/PA)

The Governments decision not to go ahead with a fund dedicated to training the social care workforce is desperately shortsighted, according to a leading health charity.

In a written statement on Tuesday, care minister Stephen Kinnock said the adult social care training and development fund, which was announced in provisional form by the previous government in April, will not be taken forward due to the need to manage down overall fiscal pressures in 2024-25.

However, Mr Kinnock said the Government still intends to provide funding for adult social care learning and development, with the budget maintained at the level we spent last year.

The Nuffield Trust criticised the decision, saying it looks like yet another troubling decision to deprioritise social care in order to plug gaps in health funding.

It comes a day after Chancellor Rachel Reeves announced that adult social care charging reforms will not be taken forward.

An 86,000 cap on the amount anyone in England has to spend on their personal care over their lifetime had already been delayed by the Conservative government from October 2023 to October 2025.

On Monday, the Government said the decision not to proceed with charging reforms in 2025 would save a projected 1 billion by the end of that year.

The decision to scrap the reforms means the risk of extremely high social care costs of potentially hundreds of thousands of pounds for people, the Institute for Fiscal Studies said, while Age UK described it as really bad news for all those older people who were hoping against hope for some relief from their sky-high care bills.

The County Councils Network had warned the Government earlier this month it would be impossible to deliver the reforms from autumn 2025 as costs had risen and said going ahead could have risked serious consequences, including cuts to other council services.

The previous government said the initial 50 million allocated to the workforce fund would support up to 37,000 people in direct care roles to study for a new Level 2 social care certificate qualification by March 2025.

Planned arrangements would have seen social care providers reimbursed for the costs of training.

The previous government also said it intended to make contributions to enable people to renew their registrations to work in care.

Mr Kinnock said the administration of new arrangements would be shared in due course and committed to developing a care workforce pathway and a new qualification.

He added: We are committed in our support for the adult social care workforce.

Care minister Stephen Kinnock said the Government intends to support social care workforce development (Stefan Rousseau/PA)

Our long-term plans will include a new deal for care workers through a fair pay agreement.

We will also take steps to create a national care service underpinned by national standards, with the aim of delivering consistency of care across the country.

Responding to the announcement, Nuffield Trust deputy director of policy Natasha Curry said: Taking away limited funding that had been set aside for upskilling and training much-needed social care staff looks desperately shortsighted and is a significant blow for the sector.

This, taken on top of the indefinite delay to a cap on social care costs announced by the Chancellor, looks like yet another troubling decision to deprioritise social care in order to plug gaps in health funding.

The new government states that it is committed to the workforce and long-term plans for social care reform.

We now need to see concrete action to reassure that these promises are not simply rhetoric.

Sadly, so far what we have seen is consistent with social care continuing to play poor relation to the NHS.

More than half a million extra roles in social care will be needed in the next 15 years to keep up with demand, according to a major workforce strategy for the sector published earlier this month.

The projection published earlier this month by Skills For Care, the strategic workforce development and planning body for adult social care in England, came as the latest data showed a vacancy rate in social care remains at around three times the national average of other economic sectors.

Skills For Care recently published a workforce strategy which it says is sorely-needed and should be regularly reviewed in a similar way to the NHS long term workforce plan.

It called on the Government to bring in legislation to mandate strategic workforce planning and to work on improving pay, terms and conditions for care workers.

A push to get people discharged from hospital more quickly is partly contributing to a rise in those needing more complex care in the aftermath, according to a major survey of adult social care directors.

A more-of-the-same approach will not work, the Association of Directors of Adult Social Serves said, as it warned investment must shift from a focus on freeing up hospital beds to better funding for social care.
A destroyed statue of the late Venezuelan president Hugo Chavez lies next to its base in Valencia, Venezuela (Jacinto Oliveros/AP)

Anti-government activists across Venezuela are toppling giant statues of Hugo Chavez to express their anger over the alleged stealing of an election by the late presidents handpicked successor, Nicolas Maduro.

In the seaside city of La Guaira, outside the capital Caracas, twisted rebar and chunks of concrete lie below a pedestal where a group of protesters on Monday night ripped down one likeness of Chavez that was dedicated by Mr Maduro in 2017.

A video provided to The Associated Press from one protester shows the moment when the 3.5 metre statue of the leader known as El Comandante was pulled down to raucous shouts of this government is going to fall.

A statue of former President Hugo Chavez is missing from its base the day after opposition protests against the reelection of Chavezs protege, President Nicolas Maduro (Matias Delacroix/AP)

Once removed, the statue was dragged by motorcycles across the plaza, doused in gasoline and set on fire, the protester said.

This is a powerful symbol to them, said the protester, who asked not to be identified for fear she could be arrested.

Every time we tackle one of their symbols, were taking away some of their strength.

This isnt the first time monuments honouring the creator of the so-called Bolivarian Revolution have been attacked by angry mobs.

The same phenomenon occurred during waves of anti-government unrest in 2017 and 2019.

But the simultaneous nature and high number of attacks  five in the last 24 hours  underscores the depth of anger many Venezuelans feel after the National Electoral Council declared Maduro the winner in Sundays presidential election.

The opposition says its candidate, Edmundo Gonzalez, more than doubled the incumbents vote count.

A plainclothes military intelligence officer stopped journalists trying to take photos of what remains of the destroyed statue in La Guaira.

The officer, who did not identify himself, said the country is at war and that any effort to disrespect Chavez was offensive to millions of Venezuelans who revered the former army paratrooper and anti-imperialist icon.

Mr Maduro said several people had been arrested in the attacks, which he likened to the images from revolutions pushed by the US in post-Soviet states including Ukraine and Georgia.

What do these people have in their head? In the heart? Mr Maduro asked in a televised address Monday night in which he broadcast images of some of the attacks.

Just imagine if they one day gain power here, what they would be capable of doing.
Russian opposition activist and Ilya Yashin gestures, smiling, as he stands in a defendants cubicle in a courtroom, prior to a hearing in Moscow (Yury Kochetkov/AP)

Ilya Yashin, a prominent Kremlin critic who is serving an eight and a half year jail sentence for criticising Russias war in Ukraine, has been moved from his prison to an unknown destination, his lawyer has said.

The statement on the Telegram messaging app by Tatyana Solomina on Tuesday gave no further details.

However, it noted that several other figures imprisoned for criticising the military or for alleged extremist activity because of their work with the organisation of the late opposition leader Alexei Navalny also were moved.

Russian President Vladimir Putin listens to Rostec State Corporation CEO Sergei Chemezov during their meeting at the Kremlin in Moscow (Gavriil Grigorov/AP)

Among them are Oleg Orlov, chairman of the Nobel Peace Prize-winning human rights group Memorial, sentenced to two and a half years in February; musician Alexandra Skochilenko, serving seven years for replacing price tags in a supermarket with messages decrying civilian deaths in Ukraine; and former Navalny regional coordinators Lillia Chanysheva and Ksenia Fadeyeva, sentenced to nine and a half and nine years.

Also on Tuesday, Memorial said Germany-born Russian citizen Kevin Liik, who was sentenced to four years for allegedly providing information to German special services, has been removed from his prison.

The movements prompted speculation on social media about whether they were in preparation for some kind of a prisoner swap involving Russia, the US and its allies.

Kremlin critics and rights advocates have previously called for exchanges that would release Russian political prisoners.

The situation is unique in the sense that we hear several high-profile figures are being moved at the same time, Ivan Pavlov, a lawyer who founded Department One legal group, told The Associated Press.

Given the number, we understand that a swap is expected.

Mr Pavlov noted that the simultaneous disappearance of several high-profile political prisoners could mean that they are being moved to one place from where they could be flown abroad.

Yashin is one of the few well-known Kremlin critics to stay in Russia after the start of the war.

He was arrested in June 2022 in a Moscow park, convicted of spreading false information about Russian soldiers, and sentenced to eight and a half years in prison.

The charge stemmed from a YouTube livestream in which he talked about civilians slain in the Kyiv suburb of Bucha.

After Russian forces withdrew from the area in March 2022, hundreds of corpses were found, some with their hands bound and shot at close range.

His harsh sentence didnt silence Yashins sharp criticism of the Kremlin.

Yashins associates regularly update his social media pages with messages he relays from prison.

His YouTube channel has over 1.5 million subscribers.

The convictions for extremism and war criticism are part of a Kremlin crackdown on dissent that has sharply intensified since the February 2022 start of the full-scale invasion of Ukraine.

Russian authorities often transport prisoners without prior notice to their lawyers or families and some do not surface for several weeks.

Navalny in December was moved without announcement from a prison in central Russia to one above the Arctic Circle, a trip he said took 20 days.

He died of unexplained causes at the prison in February.

Two Americans are imprisoned in Russia on espionage convictions: Wall Street Journal reporter Evan Gershkovich, sentenced to 20 years in July, and corporate security executive Paul Whelan.

Russian-American dual national Alsu Kurmasheva, a journalist for Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty, convicted in July of spreading false information about the military and sentenced to six and a half years.
Opposition presidential candidate Edmundo Gonzalez, right, and opposition leader Maria Corina Machado join hands during a press conference the day after the election in Caracas (Cristian Hernandez/AP)

Opposition candidate Edmundo Gonzalez said his campaign has the proof it won Venezuelas disputed election whose victory electoral authorities handed to President Nicolas Maduro.

Mr Gonzalez and opposition leader Maria Corina Machado told reporters they have obtained more than 70% of tally sheets from Sundays election which show Mr Gonzalez with more than double Mr Maduros votes.

Both called on people, some of whom protested in the hours after Mr Maduro was declared winner, to remain calm and invited them to gather peacefully at 11am on Tuesday to celebrate the results.

Protesters demonstrate against the official election results in Valencia, Venezuela (Jacinto Oliveros/AP)

I speak to you with the calmness of the truth, Mr Gonzalez said as dozens of supporters cheered outside campaign headquarters in the capital Caracas.

We have in our hands the tally sheets that demonstrate our categorical and mathematically irreversible victory.

Their announcement came after the National Electoral Council, which is loyal to Mr Maduros ruling United Socialist Party of Venezuela, officially declared him the winner, handing him his third six-year term.

In the capital, the protests were mostly peaceful but when dozens of riot gear-clad national police officers blocked their path, a brawl broke out.

Police used tear gas to disperse the protesters, some of whom threw stones and other objects at officers who had stationed themselves on a main avenue of an upper-class district.

The demonstrations followed an election that was among the most peaceful in recent memory, reflecting hopes that Venezuela could avoid bloodshed and end 25 years of single-party rule.

The winner was to take control of an economy recovering from collapse and a population desperate for change.

We have never been moved by hatred. On the contrary, we have always been victims of the powerful, Mr Maduro said in a nationally televised ceremony.

An attempt is being made to impose a coup detat in Venezuela again of a fascist and counter-revolutionary nature.

Nicolas Maduro attends a ceremony at the National Electoral Council that certifies him as the winner of the presidential election (Matias Delacroix/AP)

We already know this movie, and this time, there will be no kind of weakness, he added, saying Venezuelas law will be respected.

Ms Machado told reporters tally sheets show Mr Maduro and Mr Gonzalez received more than 2.7 million and roughly 6.2 million votes respectively.

A free people is one that is respected, and we are going to fight for our freedom, Mr Gonzalez said.

Dear friends, I understand your indignation, but our response from the democratic sectors is of calmness and firmness.

Venezuelans vote using electronic machines, which record votes and provide every voter with a paper receipt that shows the candidate of their choice.

Voters are supposed to deposit their receipts at ballot boxes before exiting the polls.

After polls close, each machine prints a tally sheet showing the candidates names and the votes they received.

But the ruling party wields tight control over the voting system, both through a loyal five-member electoral council and a network of long-time local party coordinators who get near unrestricted access to voting centres.

People protest the results in Caracas (Fernando Vergara/AP)

Those coordinators, some of whom are responsible for handing out government benefits including subsidized food, have blocked representatives of opposition parties from entering voting centres as allowed by law to witness the voting process, vote counting and, crucially, to obtain a copy of the machines final tally sheet.

Electoral authorities had not yet released the tally sheets for each of the 30,000 voting machines on Monday evening.

The electoral bodys website was down and it remained unclear when the tallies would be available.

The lack of tallies prompted an independent group of electoral observers and the European Union to publicly urge the entity to release them.

Gabriel Boric, the leftist leader of Chile, called the results difficult to believe, while US Secretary of State Antony Blinken said Washington had serious concerns that the announced tally did not reflect the actual votes or the will of the people.

In response to criticism from other governments, Mr Maduros foreign affairs ministry announced it would recall its diplomatic personnel from seven countries in the Americas, including Panama, Argentina and Chile. Foreign Minister Yvan Gil asked the governments of those countries to do the same with their personnel in Venezuela.

He did not explain what would happen to the staff of Ms Machado, including her campaign manager, who has sheltered for months in the Argentinian embassy in Caracas after authorities issued arrest warrants against them.
William L Calley, Jr during his court martial at Fort Benning, Georgia., in April 1971 (APPhoto/Joe Holloway, Jr., File)

William L Calley Jr, who as an US Army lieutenant led the soldiers who killed hundreds of Vietnamese civilians in the My Lai massacre, the most notorious war crime in modern American military history, has died. He was 80.

Calley died on April 28 at a hospice in Gainesville, Florida, the Washington Post reported on Monday, citing his death certificate. The Florida Department of Health in Alachua County didnt immediately respond to Associated Press requests for confirmation.

Calley had lived in obscurity in the decades since he was court-martialled and convicted in 1971, the only one of 25 men originally charged to be found guilty in the Vietnam War massacre.

On March 16 1968, Calley led American soldiers of the Charlie Company, part of the 23rd Infantry Division, on a mission to confront a crack outfit of their Vietcong enemies.

William Calley spoke publicly in 2009 for the first time in decades about the My Lai massacre in Vietnam (The Ledger-Enquirer via AP, File)

Instead, over several hours, the soldiers killed 504 unresisting civilians, mostly women, children and elderly men, in My Lai and a neighbouring community.

The men were angry because, two days earlier, a booby trap had killed a sergeant, blinded a GI and wounded several others while Charlie Company was on patrol.

Soldiers eventually testified to the US Army investigating commission that the murders began soon after Calley led Charlie Companys first platoon into My Lai that morning.

Some were bayoneted to death. Families were herded into bomb shelters and killed with hand grenades.

Lt William L Calley Jr, centre, and his military counsel, arrive the Pentagon for testimony before an Army board of investigation in 1969 (AP Photo/File)

Other civilians slaughtered in a drainage ditch. Women and girls were gang-raped.

It was not until more than a year later that news of the massacre became public.

And while the My Lai massacre was the most notorious massacre in modern US military history, it was not an aberration. Estimates of civilians killed during the US ground war in Vietnam from 1965 to 1973 range from 1-2 million.

The US militarys own records, filed away for three decades, described 300 other cases of what could fairly be described as war crimes.

My Lai stood out because of the shocking one-day death toll, stomach-churning photographs and the gruesome details exposed by a high-level US Army inquiry.

Calley was convicted in 1971 for the murders of 22 people during the rampage. He was sentenced to life in prison but served only three days because President Richard Nixon ordered his sentence reduced. He served three years of house arrest.

After his release, Calley stayed in Columbus and settled into a job at a jewellery store owned by his father-in-law before moving to Atlanta, where he avoided publicity and routinely turned down journalists requests for interviews.

Calley broke his silence in 2009, at the urging of a friend, when he spoke to the Kiwanis Club in Columbus, Georgia, near Fort Benning, where he had been court-martialled.

There is not a day that goes by that I do not feel remorse for what happened that day in My Lai, Calley said, according to an account of the meeting reported by the Columbus Ledger-Enquirer newspaper.

I feel remorse for the Vietnamese who were killed, for their families, for the American soldiers involved and their families. I am very sorry.

He said his mistake was following orders, which had been his defence when he was tried. His superior officer was acquitted.

William George Eckhardt, the chief prosecutor in the My Lai cases, said he was unaware of Calley ever apologising before that appearance in 2009.

Its hard to apologise for murdering so many people, said Mr Eckhardt. But at least theres an acknowledgment of responsibility.
UK

Deep and sincere affection for my parents in Malta, Duke of Edinburgh says
An Advanced Air Mobility aircraft developed by Hyundai Motor Corp. and Korea Aerospace Research Institute (KARI) as an air taxi is seen at a hangar in Samarinda Airport in Indonesias East Kalimantan province, July 29, 2024.

Indonesian President Joko Jokowi Widodos grandiose project to build a new capital comes with an equally elevated transportation vision that includes flying taxis.

And officials said they successfully showcased a test flight of one such air taxi on Monday, Jokowis first day of work from the under-construction capital city Nusantara on Borneo island.

A prototype of a hybrid aircraft that can be operated both with or without a crew on board took a 10-minute flight from Samarinda Airport, near Nusantara in East Kalimantan province, the capital authority said.

The so-called SkyTaxi, as the Nusantara Authority calls it, is designed to carry four passengers and a pilot.

A joint effort between the Indonesian government and Hyundai Motor Group, the test craft flew at a speed of 50 kph (31 mph) and reached an altitude of 50 meters, Mohamed Ali Berawi, deputy for green and digital transformation at the Nusantara Capital Authority, told reporters.

Our hope is that, together with Hyundai and Korea Aerospace Research Institute, we can develop the SkyTaxi technology for production and use in Indonesia, given the importance of environmentally friendly and effective transportation, Berawi said.

The success of this test flight was proof of global companies interest and seriousness in participating in the development of Nusantara, he said.

This advanced air mobility model is now being introduced in Nusantara. In the future, with related companies in Indonesia, we aim to further develop and utilize this urban air mobility technology, he added.

Hyundai Motor Group plans to pursue research and development to commercialize the system by 2028 and expects the first air taxis to fly in the new capital by 2030, said Cheol-ung Kim, a business development officer at the Korean manufacturer.

We will also forge strategic partnerships with the Indonesian government and institutions to lead the Advanced Air Mobility market in the future, he said in a statement.

An Indonesian official watches as the Advanced Air Mobility vehicle descends after its test run at Samarinda Airport, East Kalimantan, Indonesia, July 29, 2024. [Via Instagram @ikn_id]

Meanwhile, hybrid aircraft technology is still in the early stages of development, said Wahyu Andrianto, a researcher on technological innovation, at the University of Indonesia Center for the Study of Governance and Administrative Reform.

The current limitations of battery technology restrict both the payload capacity and the range of these vehicles, he told BenarNews.

Payload refers to passenger capacity and range to the distance the vehicle is able to travel.

Besides, the global community is developing standardized regulations and safety protocols for flying taxis, according to Wahyu.

The Indonesian government can play a crucial role in driving the development of these global standards, he said.

Nusantara is a U.S. $32 billion endeavor that many consider Jokowis legacy project as he prepares to exit office in October after two terms.

Built from the ground up in East Kalimantan, this planned city is envisioned as a model of sustainability as its plan boasts green spaces, smart infrastructure and a commitment to renewable energy.

Officials said Nusantara, meaning archipelago, would represent a radical departure from the challenges plaguing Jakarta, the current capital, such as traffic congestion, flooding and pollution.

Only electric vehicles are to be allowed in the new city, Jokowi has said.

The project is however mired in problems.

Construction delays, land acquisition obstacles and a struggle to attract investment are among some of the issues faced by what some analysts allege is a project driven by Jokowis political ambitions and legacy concerns.

Trackless train

In addition to flying cars, Nusantara is set to debut another transportation mode  the Autonomous Rail Transit (ART) system. This trackless train, guided by sensors and magnets embedded in the road, is scheduled to begin trial operations on Aug. 5.

The trial period, running until December, will be free for passengers, with two Chinese companies providing the trains, also known as lidar (light detection and ranging) guided articulated buses, for the trial, Transportation Minister Budi Karya Sumadi said.

The president [Jokowi] has been very eager to make the ART a mode of transportation within Nusantara since I first reported it to him, he told reporters on Monday.

I have informed the president that the rolling stock [railcars] is already in Balikpapan, he said, referring to the city across the bay.

The ART, with a capacity of 324 passengers per two-car set, will operate at speeds of 40 to 70 kph (24.8 to 43.4 mph) along two routes in the city center, he said.

A Pinisi wooden boat, which is recognized by UNESCO as intangible cultural heritage for Indonesia, is ready to sail in this image from 2015. [Herfan Rusando/Ministry of Education and Culture, Indonesia, 2015/via UNESCO Intangible Cultural Heritage]

A little old world whimsy within the planned high-tech space in Nusantara will be in the form of tours on Pinisi boats starting Aug. 1.

These iconic wooden vessels, which ply all over Sulawesi, Komodo, Raja Ampat, Lombok and Bali, are recognized by UNESCO as intangible Indonesian cultural heritage.

They will offer scenic rides between Balikpapan and the new capital, showcasing the regions natural beauty and cultural attractions.

To support this initiative, the transportation ministry said it would provide one Pinisi boat and urged more commercial operators to offer similar services in the future.

The potential for tourism in the pristine waters is remarkable and should be maximized, said Budi, the transportation minister.

Its essential to introduce Nusantara to a broader audience, especially given the stunning natural beauty of Balikpapan Bay.

Pizaro Gozali Idrus in Jakarta contributed to this report.
The cash boost sends a clear message of support for the Philippines from the Biden administration, American defense secretary says.

Philippine President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. (center) greets U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken (left) and U.S. Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin after their meeting at the Malacanang presidential palace in Manila, July 30, 2024.

The United States on Tuesday announced an unprecedented $500 million infusion to help the Philippines defend its shores amid increasing territorial threats from China, as the American and Filipino defense and diplomatic chiefs met in Manila.

U.S. Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin and Secretary of State Antony Blinken made the announcement after meeting with their Filipino counterparts, Gilbert Teodoro and Enrique Manalo, at a so-called 2+2 meeting in the Philippine capital. It was the first time the meeting was held in the Southeast Asian country, a key U.S. ally in the region that has opened nine military bases to American troops.

[W]e are taking bold steps to strengthen our alliance, Austin told a press briefing after nearly four hours of closed-door talks.

We are poised to deliver a once-in-a-generation investment to help modernize the Armed Forces of the Philippines and the Philippine Coast Guard. We are working with the U.S. Congress to allocate 500 million dollars in foreign military financing into the Philippines, he said.

The Pentagon chief described this level of funding as unprecedented, saying it sends a clear message of support for the Philippines from the Biden administration, the U.S. Congress and the American people.

Separately, the U.S. was looking to double its investment in Philippine military sites where American troops have access to under the Enhanced Defense Cooperation Agreement, Austin said.

President Bidens budget request this year includes more than 128 million dollars to fund important EDCA infrastructure projects and U.S. government investment in these locations, he said.

During our meeting we also reaffirmed that the Mutual Defense Treaty remains the bedrock of our alliance, Austin said. And let me be clear: the Mutual Defense Treaty applies to armed attacks on either of our armed forces, aircraft or public vessels anywhere in the South China Sea.

Signed in 1951, the treaty calls on the allies to come to each others aid in times of foreign aggression.

The Philippines maintains an old, rusting World War II-era ship, the BRP Sierra Madre, in Second Thomas (Ayungin) Shoal, to serve as its military outpost in the disputed South China Sea reef.

Marcos meets with Austin, Blinken

President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. set the tone for Tuesdays 2+2 meeting when he met Austin and Blinken at the Malacanang presidential palace earlier in the day. He said he was pleasantly surprised that both secretaries had taken time out to visit Manila despite the political transition in the U.S.

And I am always happy that these communication lines remain very open  all the things we are doing together in terms of alliance, in terms of the specific context of our situation here in the West Philippine Sea  are constantly examined and re-examined so we are agile in terms of our responses, Marcos said, referring to South China Sea waters within the Philippines exclusive economic zone.

(From left) U.S. Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin, Secretary of State Antony Blinken, Philippine Foreign Secretary Enrique Manalo and National Defense Secretary Gilberto Teodoro pose for the cameras after holding foreign and defense ministerial meetings at Camp Aguinaldo in Manila, July 30, 2024. [Jason Gutierrez/BenarNews]





Blinken said the meeting was evidence of a steady drumbeat of very high-level engagements between the longtime allies.

Austin underscored that both nations were more than allies and practically family.

We have common interests, common values, he told Marcos, according to transcripts released by the presidential palace. And so I think weve done a lot over the last three and a half years to continue to strengthen our alliance, and we look forward to continuing to work with you and your team to move even further.

Last week, the Philippines and China agreed on an arrangement on Filipino missions to Ayungin to de-escalate tensions in the sea region after an incident last month during which a Filipino serviceman lost a thumb during a violent encounter with Chinese coast guard and navy forces.



Following the agreement, the Philippines last Saturday transported a fresh batch of Filipino forces to the BRP Sierra Madre. It went ahead without any incident, but the Chinese subsequently said it allowed the mission to go through after confirming on the scene that the Filipino vessel only carried humanitarian living necessities. The details of the arrangement have not been made public, but the Philippines disagreed with Chinas version of events.

An activist holds up a placard during a protest at Camp Aguinaldo in Quezon City to coincide with the visit of U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken and Secretary of Defense L.loyd Austin, July 30, 2024. The protesters say the United States will intesify its military intervention in the Philippines and increase tension with China and the Asia Pacific region. [Gerard Carreon/BenarNews]





Geopolitical analyst Julio Amador IIII said China was playing up to an international audience that the Philippines had acquiesced to its demand but that in truth, it was purely a diplomatic spin.

Beijing cannot help itself in this regard because it has to show that it did not bend to a weaker competitor, Amador told BenarNews, stressing that Manila was right in responding quickly to any Chinese claims.

He said the 2+2 meeting indicated how serious the U.S. was in addressing what it sees as a security threat posed by China.

The 2+2 is the ministerial level alliance management mechanism that provides direction to both countries in working together as security and defense allies, he said, adding that the U.S. $500 million funding would likely go towards supporting the Philippine militarys modernization program.

This is the single biggest support that the Philippines will receive from the U.S. in FMF [foreign military financing]. It will address previous comments from Manila that non-U.S. allies actually get more support than actual allies.
The International Criminal Court is investigating the former leader for alleged crimes during his anti-drug campaign.

Former Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte gestures during a speech in Davao, his hometown in the southern Philippines, Jan. 28, 2024.

The Philippines said Tuesday it would not block International Criminal Court prosecutor Karim Khan from interviewing people allegedly involved in former President Rodrigo Dutertes deadly drug war.

Solicitor General Menardo Guevarra said while the country would not assist, it does not plan to impede the ICC investigation.

Gueverras pronouncement is a different approach from previous statements by the President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. administration regarding the ICC probe against Duterte and other officials. Marcos had previously said the Philippines did not need outside investigators because the countrys justice system works.

The Philippines, under Dutertes order, withdrew from the ICC in 2019 as the court sought to investigate alleged human rights abuses committed under his anti-illegal drug campaign.

The Philippines disengaged completely from the ICC in 2019. It has no legal duty to lend any assistance to the ICC prosecutor in conducting his investigation, Guevarra said in a statement shared with reporters. But the Philippine government cannot stop him from proceeding any way he wants.

He can directly interview persons of interest online, through the phone, by email or face to face, subject to the consent of these persons. But the ICC prosecutor cannot expect that the Philippine government will facilitate it for him, Guevarra said.

Guevarra spoke out after former Sen. Antonio Trillanes IV, a staunch Duterte critic, on July 25 posted on X (formerly Twitter) a document from the ICC prosecutors office naming five former and current police officials as suspects in the ongoing investigation.

These included Sen. Ronald dela Rosa, who as Dutertes Philippine National Police (PNP) chief implemented the drug war; Oscar Albayalde, dela Rosas successor as national police chief; Maj. Gen. Romeo Caramat Jr., former chief of the PNP-Criminal Investigation and Detection Group and current acting area commander of Northern Luzon; Edilberto Leonardo, former National Police Commission chief; and Eleazar Mata, former PNP chief intelligence officer.

The OTP [Office of the Prosecutor] has reasonable grounds to believe that the following retired and serving members of the PNP have committed crimes within the jurisdiction of the OTP, the order on Trillanes post read.

On Tuesday, Guevarra confirmed the veracity of the confidential document and added that since it was already posted, he was forced to explain to the public.

There really was a communication from the ICC prosecutor asking the Philippine government for assistance to facilitate his interview with the five people named in the document, Guevarra said in an interview with local TV station GMA.

Explaining the ICC process, Guevarra said the prosecutor had to interview the five people before applying for arrest warrants with the ICC pre-trial chamber.

He has to first show that all paths were investigated  whether incriminating or exonerating. He has to show that all persons concerned will be given the chance to explain their positions.

Dela Rosa did not immediately respond to a BenarNews request for comment.

In a statement last week after Trillanes posted the ICC document, dela Rosa said it was the same old issue hurled at him.

What's new? My name [has] always [been] mentioned since 2016. Seems like a broken record that keeps on repeating the same lines, he told reporters at the time.

Dela Rosa previously admitted that human rights abuses were committed during the drug war, but said Duterte did not order the abuses.

The Philippine government said about 8,000 suspected dealers and addicts had been killed during the anti-drug campaign of the Duterte administration. Rights activists, meanwhile, have said the number could be much higher.

While in office from 2016 to 2022, Duterte called on police to kill drug suspects and vowed to protect them if they did so. In 2021, he said he was taking full responsibility for his controversial anti-drug campaign.

Sellout

Harry Roque, a lawyer who served as Dutertes presidential spokesman, criticized the move of the Marcos administration.

A sellout of Philippine sovereignty and jurisdiction, Roque told BenarNews on Tuesday.

Asked if the Duterte camp is worried, Roque said, No. Were confident that unlike the [Marcos] administration, our courts will uphold the supremacy of the Constitution.

He said the Philippines is a sovereign state and that judicial power rests in the Supreme Court and all inferior courts created by law.

Ahead of the 2022 election, Marcos formed an alliance with Dutertes daughter, Sara Duterte. The two overwhelmingly won election as president and vice president.

Analysts said hostilities between the two political dynasties began as the elder Duterte grew wary that Marcos would hand him over to the ICC even as Marcos repeatedly said that the ICC has no jurisdiction over the Philippines.

But in May, the justice department said it was preparing a brief for Marcos in case the international court did issue an arrest warrant against his predecessor as president.

Duterte in January accused Marcos of being a drug addict  a claim Marcos has flatly denied.

For his part, Marcos has claimed that Duterte was a long-time fentanyl user.

The two are also at odds over the direction of Philippine-China relations with Marcos taking a firmer stance than his predecessor against Beijings actions in the South China Sea.

Cracks between the two political dynasties have become more evident in recent weeks since Vice President Duterte left Marcos cabinet and did not attend his State of the Nation Address earlier this month.
A few weeks ago, when we were all trying to beat the heat, I came home from my CSA with a conical-shaped Caraflex cabbage.

Last year, I had made golumpki with it, but this year it was just too hot to spend a day in the kitchen blanching cabbage leaves that I would have to shape into tight cabbage rolls that I'd then have to cook in the oven. I was determined not to turn on the oven, so instead, I began looking for slow cooker recipes.

There's an abundance of slow cooker recipes available on the internet: slow cooker cabbage and sausage; slow cooker cabbage with bacon; slow cooker kielbasa and cabbage; slow cooker corned beef and cabbage, slow cooker sausage and cabbage soup and so on.

And then, I came upon this recipe for Slow Cooker Unstuffed Cabbage Rolls, which is basically a lazy golabki or cabbage roll casserole made in a crock pot. It looked fabulously easy and didn't require the cabbage to be blanched before being put in the pot. It had all the flavors of a cabbage roll, without all of the work.

Now remember, Im not of Polish descent, but, luckily, I grew up in (and still live in) Adams, a town with a large population of Polish descendants who arent afraid to share a recipe. I've eaten my fare share of golabki. In fact, I grew up eating golabki, kapusta, kielbasa and sauerkraut, and pierogi at the Polka Picnics at the Polanka Picnic Grounds on Mill Street (this years picnic takes place noon to 5 p.m. Sept. 8) and at the annual holiday bazaar hosted at St. Stanislaus School.

So, as you can guess, I know what golabki should taste like. I've eaten my fare share golabki and lazy golabki. I can assure you, this recipe is spot on when it comes to flavor and texture. And the fact that I could throw it in my slow cooker and walk away was an added bonus.

SLOW COOKER UNSTUFFED CABBAGE ROLLS

(Recipe courtesy of thecountrycook.net)

Prep time: 15 minutes

Cook time: 6 hours

Makes 6 servings

INGREDIENTS

1 pound ground beef

2 cloves garlic minced

1 small onion chopped

1 small small head cabbage, chopped (about 6 cups)

2 1/2 cups water

1 cup uncooked Minute rice (see notes below)

1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

1 1/2 teaspoons garlic salt

1 teaspoon paprika

1 teaspoon sugar

One 28-ounce can tomato sauce

One 14.5-ounce can petite diced tomatoes with juice

DIRECTIONS

In a large skillet brown the ground beef with the onion and garlic. Drain any excess grease.

In the slow cooker add chopped cabbage, water, rice, pepper, garlic salt, sugar, tomato sauce and diced tomatoes.

Add in the cooked ground beef mixture and stir it all until combined.

Cover and cook on low 4 to 5 hours or on high for 3 to 4 hours. Rice and cabbage should be tender.

If the mixture is too thick for your tastes, just add a little more water (or beef or chicken broth) until the desired consistency is reached.

Top each serving with some shredded cheese (if desired) and serve.

NOTES
LENOX  A School Committee member has resigned in the wake of a verbal confrontation with another member during an informal workshop retreat.

Meghan Kirby, a four-year member and former vice chair, submitted a strongly worded letter of resignation in the wake of the July 22 session, claiming she was the target of verbal bullying and personal attacks by another member.

I have always believed in the importance of open dialogue and the free expression of ideas, even when those ideas may be controversial or unpopular, she wrote. However, I have found myself repeatedly subjected to condescension and verbal bullying for simply asking questions and expressing my views.

Kirby cited a particular member of this committee consistently using our platform to further their own personal agenda, often at the expense of constructive conversation and collaborative decision-making. This behavior is unacceptable, and I cannot continue to serve in an environment where respectful discourse is not valued and where personal attacks are used to silence differing opinions. For a committee to function effectively and cohesively, there must be a foundation of mutual trust and respect among its members.

How to apply ... The appointment of a new School Committee member who must be a registered voter in Lenox and a town resident, is for a term expiring in May 2025. Applicants are asked to provide an introductory letter as well as a current resume or summary of any relevant experience and qualifications. According to the online vacancy notice, The letter should describe reasons for interest in serving on the Committee, your knowledge of and interest in PK-12 educational issues, relevant skills and potential contributions to working groups and subcommittees, and any other information that will describe your ability to collaboratively fulfill the responsibilities above. Voter registration in Lenox is required. The deadline for applications, correspondence, and questions is 4 p.m. Monday, Aug. 5. Applications can be sent to Oren Cass, Chair, Lenox School Committee, 6 Walker St., Lenox, MA 01240 or by e-mail: ocass@lenoxps.org. Per state regulations, selection is by vote in a joint meeting of the Select Board and Lenox School Committee on a date to be determined, in the Select Boards Conference Room at Town Hall.

In an interview with The Eagle, she said she was referring to Veronica Fenton, who served as chair of the School Committee for the 2023-24 year and was recently elected vice chair. This behavior undermines the integrity of the committee and makes it impossible for us to work together productively, she said.

Fenton, an outspoken advocate of diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) policies, is secretary of the Lee-based nonprofit Bridge (Berkshire Resources for the Integration of Diverse Groups and Education).

She told The Eagle that since her election to the School Committee in 2021, I have been committed to creating an education environment that works to disrupt harmful words and behaviors and to create an inclusive community. As a committee, we have engaged in difficult conversations and worked toward better understanding of each others perspectives.

In an email, she acknowledged that at times, these conversations have been hard and caused emotional reactions and defensiveness. I continue to focus my commitment to lend my voice for those without agency, with the goal of creating an inclusive environment where we can collaborate across differences to ensure that our schools are safe and brave spaces.

The July 22 retreat was not covered by media nor was it recorded. The draft minutes provided to The Eagle list agenda topics and votes, if any.

One topic under Strategic Planning Overview: Clarification on policies regarding transgender athletes participation in gender-specific school sports, in anticipation of potential issues.

In a followup message to The Eagle on Monday, Kirby said the dustup at the retreat ensued after she inquired about whether our district has a policy on trans athletes participating in gendered sports.

"My inquiry was simply that  an inquiry," she said. "I prefaced my question by pointing out that, historically, our committee has not been proactive in establishing policies; instead, we often react and scramble to find answers.

She also asserted that my question was entirely free of any personal beliefs, as personal beliefs should not influence policy discussions whatsoever. My goal was to ensure our district is prepared and well-informed, rather than reactive and uncertain.

Kirby stated she was shocked when Veronica berated and verbally attacked me, insinuating that I was somehow hateful or in favor of violating the rights of our trans students. A long tangent ensued, leading to a rant about her own personal feelings and life experiences.  At no point during the conversation did the chair intervene to stop the berating or call her out for her wildly inappropriate behavior. Its terribly unfortunate that it led to my resignation, but I cannot work within a committee with such poor leadership and blatant disrespect for each other as human beings.

Committee Chair Oren Cass declined to get into the specifics of the verbal dispute.

He told The Eagle in a phone interview that he greatly enjoyed working with Kirby and really admire the fierce commitment that she brought to her advocacy for students. Its a disappointment to see her go and a real loss to the committee. As chairman, I certainly feel responsibility for the quality of our deliberations, and the comfort of all the committee members.

He said, This is something I will try to learn from and make sure we do as well as possible. We strive to conduct all our meetings in a way worthy of our responsibility to the community and the schools in particular. I think for the most part, we do a pretty good job of that.

Schools Superintendent William Collins told The Eagle that he was sad to see Kirby step down.

I was fortunate to have had the opportunity to work on a wide variety of issues with Meghan during my first year here in Lenox, he stated. I particularly admire her policy work as chair of the Governance & Leadership Subcommittee," he said. "I thank her for her service to Lenox Public Schools and for all of the support she has shown me.

The district has now posted a vacancy notice seeking a new member.

"The School Committee will need to appoint a new member to fill Meghan's very large shoes for the remainder of this year," Collins said. "I admire those willing to roll up their sleeves and lend their time and talents toward creating the best possible preschool through grade 12 school experiences for students.
Savannah Smith, 11, thought she was going to the North Adams Farmers Market on Saturday morning.

But once she got into the car, her mother, Jeannette Smith, told her those plans had changed. Instead, Savannah and her older sister Cassidy were going to meet Vice President Kamala Harris.

The Smith sisters are members of ROPE, a Pittsfield-based leadership program for Black girls and young women; their mom, vice president of student life at Massachusetts College of Liberal Arts, is a program mentor.

They all experienced the thrill of a lifetime Saturday when they met Harris moments after her flight touched down at Westfield-Barnes Regional Airport in Westfield on her way to Pittsfield for a fundraiser at the Colonial Theatre.

The girls from ROPE  short for Rites of Passage and Empowerment  gave Harris a bracelet they made. Harris, the first Black and Asian-American woman elected vice president, spent time with the girls, taking an interest in their stories, before her motorcade left for downtown Pittsfield.

Both Savannah, 11, and older sister Cassidy, 15, were struck by how Harris took time to meet with numerous groups lined up to greet her at the edge of the runway, and how she connected with each member of ROPE as she shook hands and accepted their gift.

"She was so genuinely excited to receive the gift and made a connection with everyone," said Savannah, who will attend Mount Greylock Regional School in Williamstown in the fall. "It's not what I was expecting."

Cassidy, a rising sophomore at Miss Hall's School in Pittsfield, also was impressed that Harris made eye contact as she shook hands with each person.

"For me it's still, even now, 'Oh my gosh, that just happened,'" Cassidy said. "It's kind of hard to wrap your head around the fact we got to meet this important person. I think it's an amazing experience and I'm really grateful that we got to go."

Days later, the girls are just beyond excited  theyre ecstatic; theyre feeling thrilled, said ROPE founder Shirley Edgerton, a longtime Black community advocate in Pittsfield. It was such an opportunity to meet this incredible human being, who is such an international figure.

She said state Rep. Tricia Farley-Bouvier, D-Pittsfield, was instrumental in making it happen.

The girls left Pittsfield at 8:30 a.m. Saturday with their adult mentors  Smith and Akilah Edgerton, the dean of diversity and inclusion at Berkshire School in Sheffield and pastor at New Generation Global Ministry.

Shirley Edgerton didn't make the trip, but experienced it vicariously through texts and photos sent from the edge of the Westfield runway. She stayed behind as she had a ticket to see Harris, the presumptive Democratic nominee for president, at the Colonial Theatre.

Edgerton founded ROPE as way for adolescent girls to develop their voice and inner selves in a single-sex, mentorship-based setting, as the groups website describes. But part of that program is also connecting with other women of color in leadership roles.

"We keep telling them the skys the limit. We're intentional in showing them people who look like them," she said. "The theory is for you to fully understand the possibility, you have to see folks in those positions."

And here, on her phone, were texts with photos of her charges meeting the vice president of the United States.

I was overwhelmed at the fact the vice president was coming to the Berkshires, and my girls will get the opportunity to see this woman who looks like them in this incredible international position. Edgerton said Monday.

Other members of ROPE sold the bracelets they made for the occasion outside the security perimeter near the Colonial, where many Harris supporters had signs supporting the presumptive nominee.

Smith, who joined ROPE as a way for her and her daughters to find community when she moved to the Berkshires, said the girls were eyes wide open the whole time, from leaving Pittsfield to arriving at Westfield. They stayed positive and didnt complain, despite the heat on the tarmac, she added.

Seeing Air Force Two land ... you cant be prepared for that, Smith said of the vice president's plane.

You could see she was really moved by the gesture, Smith added of the group's bracelet gift. This is something theyre going to remember forever.

BACK IN PITTSFIELD

As for Shirley Edgerton? She had her own opportunity to experience Harris in person, at the Colonial Theatre.

When [Harris] walked on stage it was an experience Ive never had in terms of just the thrill and the opportunity, she said. I was feeling probably just like the girls felt. The reality of seeing her walk on that stage and hear her speak was just an incredible opportunity and moment in my life.

She was inspiring. Her message was that of hope. And Im a big [President Joe] Biden fan but I was overwhelmed. ... I had so much regard for and respect at her presence and her words of hope.

Victoria Edwards, of Pittsfield, was inside the theater as well.

"[Harris] made it clear she worked for this," Edwards said. "This was not any accident. It wasn't happenstance. ... And she let us know, with all her history, and working in our justice system, that she is not going to stop until she sees herself in that seat. As she should be."

Warren Dews Jr. co-owns the Firehouse Cafe in Adams and BiggDaddy's Philly Steak House in North Adams, and is publisher of Capital Region Independent Media in New York. He felt privileged to be in the theater and felt he was representing people of color who were standing outside.

"A lot of times I'm at the table when people that look like me are not at the table, and I'm glad to represent us when I can," Dews said. "But at the same time, I want everybody to know that because I'm for Kamala doesn't mean I'm against something else. I just believe that what she's about, what she stands for, is more geared to what I believe in, but doesn't mean that I hate the other side."

For Ornella Bamba of the Bronx, N.Y., Howard University Bison pride was among the reasons to be on South Street. Bamba is a junior at Howard, a private Historically Black College and University in Washington, D.C., from which Harris graduated in 1986.

I came here today to see my fellow Bison, Bamba said. It's good to empower her. I like to see my fellow Bison win, and I bet shes our next president.

Standing nearby, and later striking up a conversation with Bamba, was Bernice Elizabeth Green, the co-publisher of Our Time Press in Brooklyn, N.Y. She said she needed to be here not only for herself, but for her daughter, her granddaughter, and their ancestors.

"There's an ancestral calling and a feel to this that supersedes everything," Green said. "I'm here for the people who don't have a voice who, in the colonial era or in slavery times, wanted us to move ahead, but did not ever, ever dream that it would be this far to the White House, which was built by slaves."
PITTSFIELD  As a photojournalist in the Berkshires since 1992, I have covered a lot of historical events.

'We have a fight ahead of us.' Vice President Kamala Harris speaks at the Colonial Theatre in Pittsfield Just hours before would-be rivals had to declare their candidacy, Vice President Kamala Harris arrived in Pittsfield to raise funds for her own bid at the presidency. Here's what she had to say ...

Over the decades, and since coming to the Eagle 10 years ago, I have volunteered to work on my scheduled days off when important news breaks or events warrant an all-hands-on-deck approach. Vice President Kamala Harris visit to Pittsfield on Saturday for a fundraiser was just such an opportunity to document history in the making.

Just one week after President Joe Biden decided not to run for a second term and endorsed his vice president, Harris gained traction as the de facto nominee for the ticket.

Back in 1998 and 2012, I was working at the North Adams Transcript when Hillary Clinton and Michelle Obama came to Pittsfield, though I did not cover either event.

As a member of the press, I am used to having some exclusive access to covering news events, but when it comes to events like Harris visit, entry is not guaranteed and in this case coveted to one journalist per media outlet. A press, media or news pool is an arrangement wherein a group of news gathering organizations combine resources in the collection of news. This occurs depending on the nature of the event and the lack of space for a full media presence. The pool feed or content is then distributed to members of this pool who are free to edit it or use as they see necessary.

The Associated Press served as the pool photographer for inside the venue and was responsible for providing images to The Berkshire Eagle and other news organizations, including The New York Times.

Fortunately, our reporter Claire OCallahan represented The Berkshire Eagle and was inside the venue while the rest of us were on the ground outside the theater with the masses covering the event with no special privileges.

The crew included fellow photojournalist Stephanie Zollshan, veteran reporter and editor Greg Sukiennik, news interns Ellie Davis, John Skavlem, OCallahan and myself. Behind the scenes were editors Lindsey Hollenbaugh, Meggie Baker and Mitch Chapman.

I found myself stationed on South Street in front of the Colonial Theatre from about 11:30 a.m. until 3:30 p.m. Barricades and police provided a presence to limit access and protect those at the event. Fortunately, I found myself in a good location. While I was hoping to get some kind of photo of Harris as she entered and exited the venue, that opportunity never presented itself as she snuck into the side entrance, to the disappointment of myself and those around me who stood outside in the hot sun for hours hoping to see her.

My position did give me the opportunity to photograph a lot of what was happening. I was in the thick of it  mostly Harris supporters filled the crowd along with some Kennedy backers and Trump supporters who yelled his name and held up banners supporting his return to the White House. A pro-Palestine protest marched from Park Square to the intersection of South and Church streets as police held them at bay.

I watched peaceful dialogue between different points of view, with some passion exchanged but no violence. A woman fainted and was transported away by ambulance. Spectators gathered around her and others who became weary from standing in the hot sun.

As I moved around covering various aspects of the day, I was given access by fellow citizens to a small spot in the median on South Street where I could photograph the front of the theater and perhaps Harris. Shes with The Berkshire Eagle! a woman exclaimed as the crowd made way for me to pass by.

Another woman, whose spot I had apparently claimed, chided me and said I should have gotten there sooner! Im sure I did get there before her, and people had raced to the median to claim a spot after the road was officially closed, so it mattered little especially since I moved around so much to cover the action. In the end, the access didnt end up doing me any favors. Maybe she found a better spot? I hope so.

Not everyone appreciates the power of the press, and Ive had Little League parents yell at me to get out of their way as I was trying to photograph their kids game for the paper. Im humbled every day.

While at Saturdays event, I asked a police officer if he could escort me through a fenced-off area to save me some time and energy. Even after showing him my press pass, he declined and told me to go back around the building to get to the other side.

As an unbiased journalist, I did my best to photograph what I saw in front of my own eyes. My editor said that just as someone online posted that we werent being fair to the Trump supporters at the event, I uploaded a photo of them to our live blog feed.

Fellow photojournalist Zollshan managed to get photos of Harris motorcade as she painstakingly tried to discern which route it would take to the Colonial Theatre and then later from it.

A media soldier, tired and weary from the days events, Im glad to have been there to document history. If our democracy stays intact, I hope to continue to be able to do so for many years to come.


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A Kinahan cartel associate took part in a murder conspiracy while "haunted" by the belief that he was the intended target of a gunman in drag who shot down his innocent friend, the Special Criminal Court has heard.

Jason Jay OConnor (46), of Whitestown Grove in Blanchardstown, Dublin 15, had been accused of the attempted murder of Charlie Cooper at Parslickstown Green, Mulhuddart, Dublin 15, on December 5th, 2016, but pleaded guilty in May to the reduced charge of conspiracy to murder, which the State accepted.

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Mr Cooper was seriously injured when he was shot multiple times at his home. However, he was treated in intensive care for his wounds and made a recovery.

At the Special Criminal Court on Tuesday, Detective Garda Inspector Liam Donoghue named the organisation that O'Connor has admitted helping as the Kinahan crime group.

At the non-jury court on Tuesday, Det Insp Donoghue told Sean Gillane SC, prosecuting, that OConnor conspired with persons unknown in the plot to murder Mr Cooper and that 10 shots were fired in the attempt on Coopers life in the kitchen of his Parslickstown home in December 2016.During the course of the investigation, searches of addresses in

December 2016 yielded electronic devices of interest to gardai, including an encrypted Blackberry phone located at OConnors home.

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Det Insp Donoghue told Mr Gillane that in October 2016 OConnor messaged an associate saying that he just wanted to feel normal and that the Walker death broke me.

Keith Walker was a friend of OConnors who was murdered at a pigeon-racing event in 2015 with OConnor believing that he was the intended target, as Mr Walker was driving OConnors car at the time.

Christopher McDonald (then 34), from the East Wall area, was found guilty by unanimous verdict at the Central Criminal Court in 2017 and sentenced to life imprisonment for the murder of Mr Walker (36), at the Blanchardstown Pigeon Racing Club car park on Shelerin Road, Clonsilla, on June 12th, 2015.

That trial was shown CCTV footage of McDonald, dressed in drag, waiting to carry out the hit. Several witnesses said they saw a man dressed in women's gym clothes in the area, carrying a handbag and wearing a long black wig. One witness reported him to gardai after she saw him hanging around a creche beside the pigeon club.

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Det Insp Donoghue said OConnor had messaged his associate in the aftermath of Mr Walkers death: I have a target. Need to show these junkies now. Anyone involved has to go. Eye for an eye.

The court heard of exchanges between OConnor and his associate discussing the need for tracker devices and silencers for various operations concerning targets. One exchange records OConnor saying, Im up for it, regarding an operation described by his associate as a suicide mission.

Gardai from Blanchardstown also recovered other messages from the encrypted device referring to other operations with ongoing conversations about gun silencers, trackers, named targets and their movements.

One target was described as "duckin and divin" but messages revealed that OConnor and his associates were willing to wait for "as long as it takes", the court heard.

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In another exchange, OConnors associate says that there were deffo more jobs with OConnor replying that he needed to show the lads Im good at what I do.

Det Insp Donoghue said OConnor had 70 previous convictions that included assault, burglary and possession of a mobile phone in prison, with the majority of the remaining convictions relating to road traffic offences.

Michael Bowman SC, for O'Connor, said the death of Mr Walker haunted his client into paranoia and psychosis and that in 2016 the defendant was mentally very unwell and suicidal".

Mr Bowman said OConnor, a father of four and a grandfather of one, had required psychiatric treatment and was on antipsychotic medication after Mr Walkers shooting.

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Counsel said OConnor had a drug difficulty but had successfully engaged with an in-patient treatment centre in 2022 and had since experienced an extended period of sobriety.

Mr Bowman said his client had rekindled a relationship with his father, was in a supportive relationship and had entered an early guilty plea that showed there was no indication that he [OConnor] was ever going to trial.

Mr Bowman said his client fully appreciated the harm he caused and said that OConnor, who grew up in a violent environment and sought retribution, had also written a letter of apology.

Mr Bowman said OConnor was a realist, who accepted he was facing a lengthy sanction.

Counsel said OConnors actions were directly related to the death of Mr Walker and that OConnor had since disassociated himself with individuals involved in criminality.

Mr Bowman said OConnor had made "a significant turning of the page" and that his client was capable of making a positive contribution to his family and society.

Mr Gillane said OConnor was facing a maximum term of imprisonment of 15 years.

Mr Justice Tony Hunt, presiding, adjourned the matter for sentence finalisation to October 14.

OConnor, represented by Mr Bowman and Keith Spencer BL, instructed by solicitor Wayne Kenny, pleaded guilty to conspiracy to murder Charlie Cooper under Section 4 of the Offences against the Person Act 1861.

OConnor also pleaded guilty to the charge that between August 2nd, 2016, and December 7, 2016, both dates inclusive, within the State and with knowledge of the existence of a criminal organisation, he did participate in, or contribute to, activity intending to or being reckless as to whether such participation or contribution could, facilitate the commission of a serious offence by that criminal organisation or any of its member, to wit: murder.

OConnor is also charged with the possession of a 9mm firearm and 12 rounds of 9mm ammunition with intent to endanger life on December 5th, 2016.

OConnor is further charged that he did between August 2nd, 2016, and December 7th, 2016, both dates inclusive and within the State, with knowledge of the existence of a criminal organisation, participate in, or contribute to, activity intending to or being reckless as to whether such participation or contribution could facilitate the commission of a serious offence by that criminal organisation, or any of its members, to wit: the sale and supply of controlled drugs.
A 38-year-old man who held down his then girlfriend telling her 'You are not leaving this house b**ch until you are dead during a vodka-fuelled assault has escaped jail.

Judge Francis Comerford at Ennis Circuit Court imposed a suspended sentence of two-years and six-months - or 30 month prison term - on Colin Curtis of Horseshoe Grove, Crusheen, Co Clare.

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Mr Curtis pleaded guilty to assault causing harm and threatening to kill the woman on May 26th 2023 at an apartment on Parnell Street, Ennis.

In sentencing, Judge Comerford said that Mr Curtis had terrorised the woman during the one-hour ordeal on May 26th 2023 at her apartment in what was a horrendous assault.

Judge Comerford said that it was a very bad assault where the woman suffered a series of injuries though none were grievous.

The judge said that what occurred was an instance of domestic violence. He said that since initially hearing the facts of the case at Kilrush Circuit Court he has come around to a different way of thinking in the sentencing in the case.

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Judge Comerford said that the mitigation features in the case touch the exceptional circumstances where the court can impose a wholly suspended sentence.

The judge said since the offence, Mr Curtis has done everything that could be anticipated by someone who wanted to mend their ways.

Judge Comerford said in reaching his decision he was not for a moment not conscious of the vulnerability of the victim.

He commented that some people think getting a suspended sentence just means getting off completely".

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The superior courts have recognised that a suspended sentence is a sentence because at any stage if he breaches that or if Mr Curtis gets drunk or got involved in any alterations, then he will be serving the prison sentence in full."

After imposing the suspended prison term and Mr Curtis agreed to comply with all directions of the Probation Service for the next 12 months, Judge Comerford said: We will see where that brings him.

Judge Comerford said that Mr Curtis pleaded guilty, was disgusted by what he did, had shown remorse, is addressing his alcohol addiction, has got work and was in the throes of addiction at the time of the assault.

He said that no previous convictions of this type of offence.

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Judge Comerford said that Mr Curtis has 4,500 in court for his victim.

The victim in the case was not in court for either day of the sentencing hearing and did not provide a victim impact statement.

On the night in question, she escaped the apartment by foot and ran down Abbey Street to the local Garda Station where she presented herself at 11.55pm on May 26th 2023 with bruises all over her body after the one-hour ordeal.

In her statement to gardai, the woman said that during the assault, Mr Curtis held her to the floor and told her "You are not leaving this house bitch until you are dead".

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Counsel for the State, Lorcan Connolly SC (instructed by State Solicitor, Aisling Casey) said that the woman described Mr Curtis punching her in the face and pulling her around the sitting room like a rag doll.

Mr Connolly told the court that the woman presented at the Garda station with numerous injuries to her head including a lump on her forehead and swelling on both sides of her jaw. Counsel said that the womans chin was bleeding while she also had marks on her neck, arms and fresh bruises on both of her legs.

In the court, counsel for Mr Curtis, Patrick Whyms BL (instructed by solicitor, Tara Godfrey) told the court that Mr Curtis wishes to apologise to the woman.

Mr Whyms said that from his current partner, she describes their relationship as loving and caring and confirms that Mr Curtis has stopped drinking and using drugs.

Counsel said that Mr Curtis was in a previous relationship with a woman from 2006 to 2018 and in her letter to court she said that there was never any violence within the relationship and the reason the relationship broke down was because of his drinking.

He also provided a character reference from Mr Curtiss unnamed employer, a garage operator, in which he said the employer described Mr Curtis as friendly, polite "and always willing to go the extra mile".

Mr Whyms said that Mr Curtis moved to Ireland from the UK in 1999 and had lived in Dublin and Galway before moving to Co Clare.
Luxembourg landlord Marc Godart has to pay a 4,000 legal bill after he "dragged out" compensating two former Dublin tenants for a year and seven months, a judge has ruled.

Earlier this month, Dublin District Court heard the businessman had to be brought "kicking and screaming" to finally pay two former Dublin tenants 13,563.

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Diana Jere and Andre Buchanan went to court to force him to comply with a December 2022 Residential Tenancies Board (RTB) ruling that they were entitled to compensation.

However, they had to launch enforcement proceedings before Judge Marie Quirke when compensation went unpaid and remained outstanding for a year and seven months until July 18th, the end of a court-imposed deadline.

When the matter resumed on Tuesday, Liam Bell BL, for Ms Jere and Mr Buchanan, said the domestic and EU-wide enforcement proceedings had been before the court on five occasions since April and Godart "did not pay until it was dragged out of him".

Finalising the case, Judge Quirke further ruled on Tuesday that the former tenants were also entitled to legal costs of just over 3,900 plus VAT.

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In February last year, the court had directed the businessman to comply with an earlier Residential Tenancies Board (RTB) ruling that Ms Jere and Mr Buchanan were entitled to the damages.

The RTB had given its findings in December 2022 over their "unlawful eviction" from a rented property on Emmet Street, Dublin 1.

Mr Godart, who has significant property holdings in Ireland, was allegedly the landlord, and his former tenants launched enforcement proceedings to secure an order to compel him to pay.

Mr Bell had told the court, "The court had to bring Mr Godart kicking and screaming in order to get him to pay". He said the delay was an element of the costs issue.

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Judge Quirke noted he has now paid compensation and adjourned measuring of the amount of costs.

She noted their lawyers were looking for just over 4,000 plus VAT and vouched outlays.

In June, Judge Quirke had also granted an order, actionable in the rest of the EU, to force him to pay Ms Jere and Mr Buchanan.

The two ex-tenants had successfully applied to Judge Quirke for a European Enforcement Order (EEO) against Mr Godart of Rue de Hesperange L-5830, Alzingen, Luxembourg.

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It is a method of enforcing foreign judgments within the European Union without the need for intermediate proceedings, and it applies only to uncontested claims.

Outlining the background, counsel said Mr Godart did not appear when the RTB initially granted the uncontested order for compensation under section 124 of the Residential Tenancies Act.

Judge Quirke also heard Godart has not appealed the order.

Last month, Ms Lizet Pena-Herrera, another former tenant, received compensation from Green Label Short Lets, a property company directed by Mr Godart.

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The Bolivian psychologist, who has lived in Ireland since 2008, won an order in the District Court for payment of an RTB award, adjudicated in December 2022.

The RTB had ordered Green Label Short Lets to pay 15,433 to her because of her illegal eviction from a house on Vintage Court, Cork Street, Dublin 8.

However, the award went unpaid until she eventually took a case in the High Court.

Also last month, in a Dublin City Council (DCC) prosecution before Dublin District Court, Green Label Short Lets avoided a criminal conviction over a former commercial building in Dublin that broke fire safety laws after being repurposed for residential lettings.

The court heard that the Beaver Street property was converted but lacked a range of vital fire safety measures, including an alarm system and viable escape routes. The firm pleaded guilty to an offence contrary to the Fire Services Act.

The case was struck out after it donated 500 to charity and paid 3,884 towards the council's legal costs.

In February, Mr Godart had another prosecution dropped for "egregious" breaches of planning laws with unauthorised Airbnb lettings in Dublin.

However, two firms he directs, including Green Label Short Lets Ltd, accepted responsibility; they were fined 7,500 and agreed to pay "substantial" legal costs.

DCC also brought those proceedings before Dublin District Court.

That case stemmed from complaints about unauthorised short-term lettings booked through the Airbnb website at three properties in Dublin 1: 11 Capel Street, Block G, The Foundry, Beaver St, and Unit 2A, The Forge, Railway Street.

A council inspector detected the offences after surveying the building between June 4 and 6 last year. His work revealed that some bedrooms were windowless and others were in former shopfronts.

Several tourists from Ireland, mainland Europe, and North America had used them for one to seven days.

By the time that hearing concluded, work had already taken place or was about to start to bring the short-term lettings in line with regulations.
The Omagh Bombing Inquiry is seeking clear written agreements with the Irish Government over co-operation.

This would be to include access to materials held in the Republic and witnesses who live there.

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The first public hearing of the inquiry took place on Tuesday at the Strule Arts Centre in Omagh.

Paul Greaney KC, counsel to the Omagh Bombing Inquiry, arriving at the Strule Arts Centre in Omagh (Liam McBurney/PA)

It is probing whether the dissident republican bombing which devastated the Co Tyrone town, killing 29 people, including a woman pregnant with twins, could have been prevented.

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It has been contended that the terrorists prepared the bomb in the Republic and also fled back across the Border after planting it in Omagh on August 15th, 1998.

The inquiry into the atrocity was ordered last year by former northern secretary Chris Heaton-Harris following a legal challenge by a bereaved family.

Belfast High Court judge Mr Justice Horner, in a judgment, directly recommended that the British government carry out an investigation into alleged security failings in the lead-up to the atrocity.

While having no jurisdiction to order the Irish Government to act on the matter, the judge urged authorities there to establish their own probe in light of his findings.

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Earlier this month, the Cabinet formally agreed to provide assistance to the inquiry.

Two senior officials from the Department of Foreign Affairs attended the inquiry hearing on Tuesday.

Ruairi de Burca (centre), senior official with the Department of Foreign Affairs, at the Strule Arts Centre in Omagh (Liam McBurney/PA)

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In his opening statement, Paul Greaney KC, counsel to inquiry chairman Alan Turnbull, said it is highly likely, if not inevitable, that the state authorities within the Republic of Ireland hold evidence and bearing upon the inquirys terms of reference, adding that access to materials and citizens requires Irish co-operation.

He said inquiry staff have held a number of meetings with Irish government officials and the Irish police, and commended positive discussions.

The discussions that have taken place have been positive, and during them, the government of Ireland has expressed a strong desire to co-operate fully with the inquiry, Mr Greaney said.

The challenge is to see the engagement that has occurred to date translated to meaningful engagement with the inquirys processes, both leading up to and during the course of inquiries or evidence hearings.

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We emphasise that the inquiry team does not doubt that the Government of Ireland has a strong commitment to achieving that vital aim.

He added: The intention of the inquiry is to ensure that those discussions now move into a practical phase in which clear written agreements are put in place, to make certain that the inquiry has full access to any potentially relevant materials held by the state authorities in the Republic of Ireland, and that it has the ability to obtain statements and call witnesses to attend the inquiry, to give evidence in person.
A woman has pocketed just under 59,000 in nine cases of personal injury damages from various insurance companies without ever having had to go to court, an outraged judge has been told.

Judge Michael Walsh in the Circuit Civil Court threw out two claims by Anne Keenan, of Church Drive, Clarecastle, Ennis, Co Clare, and her friend, Catherine McCarthy, Shelly Drive, Cloughleigh, Ennis, which he described as fraudulent and outrageous.

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The judge told barrister Robert OGeibheannaigh, counsel for a taxi driver and his insurer Allianz, which insisted on challenging the new 60,000 claims of both 66-year-old women, it was highly unlikely the accident they described had happened at all.

Mr OGeibheannaigh, who appeared with Newmans Solicitors for the Motor Insurers Bureau, taximan Stephen Dolan and Allianz, told the court Keenan had failed to declare nine previous accidents in which she picked up 59,000 in out-of-court settlements. McCarthy, he said, failed to disclose one previous accident.

Taxi driver Dolan, of Casino Park, Marino, Dublin 3, said the accident he was accused of had never taken place after both women swore he had been distracted by using his mobile phone and crashed into the back of a white van while taking them to Heuston Station in June 2016. Both complained they had injured their necks and shoulders and McCarthy claimed she had hurt her back.

Mr Dolan was adamant there was no collision or accident and said his phone was attached to the dash at all times during the journey, Judge Walsh said. I am satisfied neither woman was involved in an accident.

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Judge Walsh said there had been a huge conflict of evidence in both cases and a failure by both women to disclose previous accidents.

I dont find them to be credible and I am satisfied it was highly unlikely that a collision occurred, he said.

He said he found both claims to be outrageous and could only conclude they were cases of fraud and gross exaggeration against an innocent taximan.

I have no hesitation in dismissing both claims and I will award one set of costs in favour of the defendants, he told Mr OGeibheannaigh.
Ilya Yashin, a prominent Kremlin critic who is serving an eight and a half year jail sentence for criticising Russias war in Ukraine, has been moved from his prison to an unknown destination, his lawyer has said.

The statement on the Telegram messaging app by Tatyana Solomina on Tuesday gave no further details.

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However, it noted that several other figures imprisoned for criticising the military or for alleged extremist activity because of their work with the organisation of the late opposition leader Alexei Navalny also were moved.



Russian President Vladimir Putin listens to Rostec State Corporation CEO Sergei Chemezov during their meeting at the Kremlin in Moscow (Gavriil Grigorov/AP)

Among them are Oleg Orlov, chairman of the Nobel Peace Prize-winning human rights group Memorial, sentenced to two and a half years in February; musician Alexandra Skochilenko, serving seven years for replacing price tags in a supermarket with messages decrying civilian deaths in Ukraine; and former Navalny regional coordinators Lillia Chanysheva and Ksenia Fadeyeva, sentenced to nine and a half and nine years.

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Also on Tuesday, Memorial said Germany-born Russian citizen Kevin Liik, who was sentenced to four years for allegedly providing information to German special services, has been removed from his prison.

The movements prompted speculation on social media about whether they were in preparation for some kind of a prisoner swap involving Russia, the US and its allies.

Kremlin critics and rights advocates have previously called for exchanges that would release Russian political prisoners.

The situation is unique in the sense that we hear several high-profile figures are being moved at the same time, Ivan Pavlov, a lawyer who founded Department One legal group, told The Associated Press.

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Given the number, we understand that a swap is expected.

Mr Pavlov noted that the simultaneous disappearance of several high-profile political prisoners could mean that they are being moved to one place from where they could be flown abroad.

Yashin is one of the few well-known Kremlin critics to stay in Russia after the start of the war.

He was arrested in June 2022 in a Moscow park, convicted of spreading false information about Russian soldiers, and sentenced to eight and a half years in prison.

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The charge stemmed from a YouTube livestream in which he talked about civilians slain in the Kyiv suburb of Bucha.

After Russian forces withdrew from the area in March 2022, hundreds of corpses were found, some with their hands bound and shot at close range.

His harsh sentence didnt silence Yashins sharp criticism of the Kremlin.

Yashins associates regularly update his social media pages with messages he relays from prison.

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His YouTube channel has over 1.5 million subscribers.

The convictions for extremism and war criticism are part of a Kremlin crackdown on dissent that has sharply intensified since the February 2022 start of the full-scale invasion of Ukraine.

Russian authorities often transport prisoners without prior notice to their lawyers or families and some do not surface for several weeks.

Navalny in December was moved without announcement from a prison in central Russia to one above the Arctic Circle, a trip he said took 20 days.

He died of unexplained causes at the prison in February.

Two Americans are imprisoned in Russia on espionage convictions: Wall Street Journal reporter Evan Gershkovich, sentenced to 20 years in July, and corporate security executive Paul Whelan.

Russian-American dual national Alsu Kurmasheva, a journalist for Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty, convicted in July of spreading false information about the military and sentenced to six and a half years.
At least 973 Native American children died in the US governments abusive boarding school system, according to the results of an investigation released Tuesday by officials who called on the government to apologise for the schools.

The investigation commissioned by interior secretary Deb Haaland found marked and unmarked graves at 65 of the more than 400 US boarding schools that were established to forcibly assimilate Native American children into white society.

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The findings dont specify how each child died, but the causes of death included sickness, accidents and abuse during a 150-year period that ended in 1969, officials said.



Ruins of a building that was part of a Native American boarding school on the Rosebud Sioux Reservation in Mission, South Dakota (Matthew Brown/AP)

The findings follow a series of listening sessions across the US over the past two years in which dozens of former students recounted the harsh and often degrading treatment they endured while separated from their families.

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The federal government  facilitated by the department I lead  took deliberate and strategic actions through federal Indian boarding school policies to isolate children from their families, deny them their identities, and steal from them the languages, cultures and connections that are foundational to Native people, Ms Haaland, a member of the Laguna Pueblo tribe in New Mexico and the countrys first Native American Cabinet secretary, said in a news release on Tuesday.

In an initial report released in 2022, officials estimated that more than 500 children died at the schools.

The federal government passed laws and policies in 1819 to support the schools, the last of which were still operating in the 1960s.

The schools gave Native American children English names, put them through military drills and forced them to perform manual labour, such as farming, brick-making and working on the railroad, officials said.

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Former students shared tearful recollections of their experience during listening sessions in Oklahoma, South Dakota, Michigan, Arizona, Alaska and other states.



Russell Eagle Bear, with the Rosebud Sioux Reservation Tribal Council, speaks to Deb Haaland during a meeting about Native American boarding schools at Sinte Gleska University (Matthew Brown/AP)

They talked about being punished for speaking their native language, getting locked in basements, and having their hair cut to stamp out their identities.

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They were sometimes subjected to solitary confinement, beatings and the withholding of food.

Many left the schools with only basic vocational skills that gave them few job prospects.

The new report does not specify who should issue the apology on behalf of the federal government, saying only that it should be issued through appropriate means and officials to demonstrate that it is made on behalf of the people of the United States and be accompanied by bold and actionable policies.

Interior department officials also recommended that the government invest in programs that could help Native American communities heal from the traumas caused by boarding schools.

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That includes money for education, violence prevention and the revitalisation of indigenous languages.
An Israeli military court has opened an initial hearing for nine soldiers detained over what a defence lawyer said were allegations of sexual abuse of a Palestinian at a shadowy facility where Israel has held prisoners from Gaza during the war.

The investigation has stoked tensions between the military command and hard-line nationalists in Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahus government who advocate an even harsher hand in Israels conduct of the 10-month-old war in Gaza.

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The soldiers detention on Monday triggered angry protests by supporters demanding their release, including members of parliament and at least two government ministers.



Right-wing Israelis protest outside of the initial hearing in military court for nine Israeli soldiers over allegations of sexual abuse of a Palestinian (Ohad Zwigenberg/AP)

On Monday, several hundred protesters broke into the facility in southern Israel, known as Sde Teiman, and then later into the military base where the soldiers were being held.

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A video showed them scuffling with troops before being forced out.

Defence lawyer Nati Rom, who is representing three of the soldiers, said they were innocent and described the alleged abuse they are accused of committing as acts of sodomy.

The military has given no details on the investigation, saying only it was looking into allegations of substantial abuse.

An investigation by The Associated Press and reports by rights groups have exposed abysmal conditions and abuses at Sde Teiman, the military base where most of the thousands detained in Gaza during the war have been held.

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In a report issued in April, the main UN agency for Palestinian refugees, UNRWA, said Palestinians released from detention and sent back to Gaza reported instances of prisoners being forced to strip naked, of photos taken of them naked and of beatings on the genitals.



Israeli police stand guard during the right-wing protest (Ohad Zwigenberg/AP)

The report did not specify the facility where the detainees were held.

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One detainee said he was forced to sit on an electrical probe that burned his anus.

They also reported beatings with iron bars, gun butts and boots, UNRWA said, adding that many of the returned prisoners had to be hospitalised due to injuries or illness.

Beyond the alleged abuse now being investigated, Israeli authorities have generally denied abuses in detention facilities for Palestinians.

The military court hearing on Tuesday afternoon at the Beit Lid base in central Israel was expected to rule on whether to extend the soldiers detention.

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By late Tuesday, the court did not appear to have reached a decision.

Mr Rom said the incident under investigation took place at Sde Teiman a month ago.



Right-wing Israelis, one stomping on a Palestinian scarf, protest outside of the hearing (Ohad Zwigenberg/AP)

He said the detainee attacked officers during a search, and the soldiers used force but didnt do anything sexual.

He said the detainee was a Hamas militant.

His account of the incident or the detainees identity could not be independently confirmed.

Mr Rom works for Honenu, a nationalist legal group that specialises in defending Israeli soldiers and civilians facing prosecution over incidents of violence with Palestinians.

Israel has detained thousands of Palestinians since the October 7 Hamas attack that sparked the war in Gaza, according to official figures, though hundreds were released after the military determined they were not affiliated with Hamas.

Israeli human rights groups say the majority of detainees from Gaza have at some point passed through Sde Teiman.

Israel has long been accused of failing to hold its soldiers accountable for crimes committed against Palestinians.

The allegations have intensified during the war in Gaza.

Israel says its forces act within military and international law and says it independently investigates any alleged abuses.
Six children and two adults remain in critical condition as police continue to question a 17-year-old boy over a deadly knife attack in Southport.

Two children were killed after a suspected teenage knifeman attacked a Taylor Swift-themed holiday dance class on Monday morning.

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The boy, born in Cardiff, is being held on suspicion of murder and attempted murder following the attack in Hart Street, Southport, Merseyside Police said.

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Further details of the victims, including age and gender, have not been given by police, who said they are not treating the incident as terror-related but added the motive remains unclear.

Three other children were injured in the stabbing while the two adults were hurt trying to protect the youngsters, the force said.

All the casualties are now being treated in hospitals, including childrens hospitals in Liverpool and Manchester.

Britain's King Charles said on Monday evening that he and Queen Camilla had been profoundly shocked to hear of the utterly horrific incident in Southport today.

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(left to right) Merseyside Head of Service Dave Kitchin, Merseyside Police Chief Constable Serena Kennedy, MFRS Chief Fire Officer Phil Garrigan and NWAS Cheshire, speaking to the media (James Speakman/PA)

Charles added: We send our most heartfelt condolences, prayers and deepest sympathies to the families and loved ones of those who have so tragically lost their lives, and to all those affected by this truly appalling attack.

And the Prince and Princess of Wales said: As parents, we cannot begin to imagine what the families, friends and loved ones of those killed and injured in Southport today are going through.

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We send our love, thoughts and prayers to all those involved in this horrid and heinous attack.

Thank you also to the emergency responders who, despite being met with the most horrific scenes, demonstrated compassion and professionalism when your community needed you most.

Following a police press conference on Monday evening, the UK prime minister offered his condolences to the victims of the attack in Southport, and their families and friends, saying the whole country is deeply shocked.

The suspect is from Banks, a village outside Southport, and a road in the area was cordoned off by police on Monday afternoon.

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Merseyside Police had declared a major incident at the scene in Southport, after receiving emergency calls at 11.50am on Monday, with armed response vehicles, 13 ambulances and the fire service descending on the scene, a school holiday club for children aged six to 11.

The children were attending a Taylor Swift event at the dance school when the attacker walked into the premises with a knife and began stabbing.

Emergency services near the scene in Hart Street, Southport (James Speakman/PA)

One local said one of the two adults injured in the attack locked herself in a room with children to protect them as eyewitnesses reported hearing screaming and seeing children covered in blood, suffering stab wounds.

Colin Parry, the owner of the Masters Vehicle Body Repairs 50 metres or so from the scene of the attack, told The Guardian he had a heated exchange with a young man he believed to be the attacker moments before the attack.

He said: He came down our driveway in a taxi and didnt pay for the taxi, so I confronted him at that point. He was quite aggressive he said: What are you gonna do about it?.

Mr Parry said the man he now believes was the attacker then turned and walked out of the driveway of his business.

Locals watch on as ambulances and police attend the scene after two children were killed and six others were left critical after a knife attack in Southport. (James Speakman/PA)

Moments later, Mr Parry said he received a phone call from a colleague who had run to the dance studio after he heard screaming that wasnt normal, he added.

Mr Parry said a member of staff saw about 10 kids go running past him, all bleeding, and one of them collapsed on the floor outside the neighbour next door.

I went out and theres two or three kids just lying on the floor. I mean, its a frenzied attack, he said.

Its not one stab. Hes gone crazy, the lads gone crazy.

The class was fully booked and was attended by 25 youngsters and included a dance and yoga workshop plus bracelet making.

Social media posts advertising the event, which said the class was open to children in Year 2  Year 6, have been inundated with comments in tribute to those who died and were injured.

One comment under the Swiftie event read: Shocking, overwhelmed with grief. Deepest condolences to all effected by this senseless cruel act of violence against the innocent children and familys. Prayers of strength to endure.

Another said: Cant stop thinking about the tragic event that has happened today. Sending love to all affected .

A third directed a comment at the teachers of the class, adding: If you managed to get just one of those children out unharmed then you are a hero! Praying for your recovery and praying for all the children and families affected by this awful nightmare.
Donald Trump said he will probably debate Vice President Kamala Harris, but said he can also make a case for not doing it.

In an interview with Fox News Channel, the former president was pressed several times about committing to debating Ms Harris before giving a less committed answer than he had in recent days.

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The Republican candidate had been eager to debate President Joe Biden when he was the Democratic nominee after months of suggesting his rival was not mentally up for the meeting  or the presidency.

But after Mr Biden dropped out of the race and Ms Harris became poised to be the Democratic presidential candidate, Mr Trump has been questioning the terms of the original debate he agreed to, suggesting the September 10 debate on ABC News should be moved to a different network, calling ABC fake news.



Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump speaks at a campaign rally in St Cloud, Minnesota (AP)

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Last week, in a phone call with reporters, Mr Trump said there was an obligation to debate when asked if he would commit to debating the vice president at least once.

In the interview on Monday, Fox host Laura Ingraham repeatedly pressed Mr Trump on whether he would commit to a debate.

I want to do a debate. But I also can say this. Everybody knows who I am. And now people know who she is, Mr Trump said, eventually adding: The answer is yes, Ill probably end up debating.

The answer is yes, but I can also make a case for not doing it.

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Mr Trump has skipped debates before, including all of the 2024 Republican presidential primary debates.

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Ms Harris campaign spokesperson, Ammar Moussa, accused Mr Trump of continuing to dodge a face-off with his likely opponent.

Its clear from tonights question-dodging. Hes scared hell have to defend his running mates weird attacks on women or his own calls to end elections in America in a debate against the vice president, Ms Moussa said.

Mr Trump also sought to clarify comments he made last week at a conservative event in which he told an audience of Christians that they wont have to vote anymore after he is elected.

The comments drew alarm from Democrats and others who noted Mr Trumps pattern of using authoritarian language, his earlier comments that he would only be a dictator on day one and his behaviour after losing the 2020 presidential election, in which he refused to accept the results and sought to overturn them.

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His campaign and supporters offered various explanations for Mr Trumps comments, and Ms Ingraham prodded him to explain what he meant.

They dont vote and Im explaining that to them. This time, vote. Ill straighten out the country. You wont have to vote anymore. I wont need your vote, Mr Trump said.

Dont worry about the future. Vote, on, you have to vote on November 5. After that, you dont have to worry about voting anymore.

I dont care because were going to fix up, the country will be fixed and we wont even need your vote anymore because, frankly, we will have such love. If you dont want to vote anymore, thats ok.
Washingtons top diplomat and defence chief announced 500 million US dollars (389 million) in new military funding on Tuesday to boost the Philippines external defence and progress on a proposed military intelligence-sharing pact as both allies renewed their concerns over Chinas continuing aggressive actions in the region.

US secretary of state Antony Blinken and defence secretary Lloyd Austin met with President Ferdinand Marcos Jr, who has fortified Manilas decades-old treaty alliance with Washington as hostilities between Philippine and Chinese forces flared since last year in the disputed South China Sea.

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Mr Marcos hailed very open communication lines between Washington and Manila, adding that the two countries treaty alliance and key issues in the South China Sea and the Indo-Pacific region are continuously examined and re-examined so we are agile in terms of our responses.

Mr Marcos has underscored the need for a US military presence for Asian stability and peace.



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After meeting their Philippine counterparts later, Mr Blinken and Mr Austin announced the military funding to help modernise the Philippine military and coastguard and boost security collaboration amid shared concerns over Chinas assertive actions.

Both of us share concerns and many other countries in the region share concerns, as well, about some of the actions that the Peoples Republic of China has taken, escalatory actions in the South China Sea, the East China Sea and elsewhere, including coercive methods, Mr Blinken said in a joint news conference.

He and Mr Austin renewed a warning that the US would help defend the Philippines if Filipino forces, ships and aircraft come under attack in the Pacific, including in the South China Sea.

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Every peso or dollar spent on hardening Philippine capabilities to defend itself and to deter unlawful aggression will be a plus against any threat actor, whether it be China or anyone, Philippine defence secretary Gilberto Teodoro said.

The visit came the week after the Philippines and China reached a temporary arrangement to prevent clashes around the Philippine-occupied Second Thomas Shoal like the violent face-off between their forces on June 17.

The US, along with Japan, Australia, South Korea, New Zealand and Singapore, have welcomed the arrangement to de-escalate tensions, Philippine foreign secretary Enrique Manalo said.

The 500 million US dollars (389 million) in military financing would include funding for reinforcing the Philippine navys capability.

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About a quarter would be used for constructions and other improvements in parts of Philippine military bases to be occupied by US forces under the 2014 enhanced defence co-operation agreement, Philippine Ambassador to the US, Jose Manuel Romualdez, said.
Opposition candidate Edmundo Gonzalez said his campaign has the proof it won Venezuelas disputed election whose victory electoral authorities handed to president Nicolas Maduro.

Mr Gonzalez and opposition leader Maria Corina Machado told reporters they have obtained more than 70 per cent of tally sheets from Sundays election which show Mr Gonzalez with more than double Mr Maduros votes.

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Both called on people, some of whom protested in the hours after Mr Maduro was declared winner, to remain calm and invited them to gather peacefully at 11am on Tuesday to celebrate the results.

Protesters demonstrate against the official election results in Valencia, Venezuela (Jacinto Oliveros/AP)

I speak to you with the calmness of the truth, Mr Gonzalez said as dozens of supporters cheered outside campaign headquarters in the capital Caracas.

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We have in our hands the tally sheets that demonstrate our categorical and mathematically irreversible victory.

Their announcement came after the National Electoral Council, which is loyal to Mr Maduros ruling United Socialist Party of Venezuela, officially declared him the winner, handing him his third six-year term.

In the capital, the protests were mostly peaceful but when dozens of riot gear-clad national police officers blocked their path, a brawl broke out.

Police used tear gas to disperse the protesters, some of whom threw stones and other objects at officers who had stationed themselves on a main avenue of an upper-class district.

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The demonstrations followed an election that was among the most peaceful in recent memory, reflecting hopes that Venezuela could avoid bloodshed and end 25 years of single-party rule.

The winner was to take control of an economy recovering from collapse and a population desperate for change.

We have never been moved by hatred. On the contrary, we have always been victims of the powerful, Mr Maduro said in a nationally televised ceremony.

An attempt is being made to impose a coup detat in Venezuela again of a fascist and counter-revolutionary nature.

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Nicolas Maduro attends a ceremony at the National Electoral Council that certifies him as the winner of the presidential election (Matias Delacroix/AP)

We already know this movie, and this time, there will be no kind of weakness, he added, saying Venezuelas law will be respected.

Ms Machado told reporters tally sheets show Mr Maduro and Mr Gonzalez received more than 2.7 million and roughly 6.2 million votes respectively.

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A free people is one that is respected, and we are going to fight for our freedom, Mr Gonzalez said.

Dear friends, I understand your indignation, but our response from the democratic sectors is of calmness and firmness.

Venezuelans vote using electronic machines, which record votes and provide every voter with a paper receipt that shows the candidate of their choice.

Voters are supposed to deposit their receipts at ballot boxes before exiting the polls.

After polls close, each machine prints a tally sheet showing the candidates names and the votes they received.

But the ruling party wields tight control over the voting system, both through a loyal five-member electoral council and a network of long-time local party coordinators who get near unrestricted access to voting centres.

People protest the results in Caracas (Fernando Vergara/AP)

Those coordinators, some of whom are responsible for handing out government benefits including subsidised food, have blocked representatives of opposition parties from entering voting centres as allowed by law to witness the voting process, vote counting and, crucially, to obtain a copy of the machines final tally sheet.

Electoral authorities had not yet released the tally sheets for each of the 30,000 voting machines on Monday evening.

The electoral bodys website was down and it remained unclear when the tallies would be available.

The lack of tallies prompted an independent group of electoral observers and the European Union to publicly urge the entity to release them.

Gabriel Boric, the leftist leader of Chile, called the results difficult to believe, while US secretary of state Antony Blinken said Washington had serious concerns that the announced tally did not reflect the actual votes or the will of the people.

In response to criticism from other governments, Mr Maduros foreign affairs ministry announced it would recall its diplomatic personnel from seven countries in the Americas, including Panama, Argentina and Chile. Foreign Minister Yvan Gil asked the governments of those countries to do the same with their personnel in Venezuela.

He did not explain what would happen to the staff of Ms Machado, including her campaign manager, who has sheltered for months in the Argentinian embassy in Caracas after authorities issued arrest warrants against them.
William L Calley Jr, who as an US Army lieutenant led the soldiers who killed hundreds of Vietnamese civilians in the My Lai massacre, the most notorious war crime in modern American military history, has died. He was 80.

Calley died on April 28 at a hospice in Gainesville, Florida, the Washington Post reported on Monday, citing his death certificate. The Florida Department of Health in Alachua County didnt immediately respond to Associated Press requests for confirmation.

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Calley had lived in obscurity in the decades since he was court-martialled and convicted in 1971, the only one of 25 men originally charged to be found guilty in the Vietnam War massacre.

On March 16 1968, Calley led American soldiers of the Charlie Company, part of the 23rd Infantry Division, on a mission to confront a crack outfit of their Vietcong enemies.



William Calley spoke publicly in 2009 for the first time in decades about the My Lai massacre in Vietnam (The Ledger-Enquirer via AP, File)

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Instead, over several hours, the soldiers killed 504 unresisting civilians, mostly women, children and elderly men, in My Lai and a neighbouring community.

The men were angry because, two days earlier, a booby trap had killed a sergeant, blinded a GI and wounded several others while Charlie Company was on patrol.

Soldiers eventually testified to the US Army investigating commission that the murders began soon after Calley led Charlie Companys first platoon into My Lai that morning.

Some were bayoneted to death. Families were herded into bomb shelters and killed with hand grenades.

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Lt William L Calley Jr, centre, and his military counsel, arrive the Pentagon for testimony before an Army board of investigation in 1969 (AP Photo/File)

Other civilians slaughtered in a drainage ditch. Women and girls were gang-raped.

It was not until more than a year later that news of the massacre became public.

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And while the My Lai massacre was the most notorious massacre in modern US military history, it was not an aberration. Estimates of civilians killed during the US ground war in Vietnam from 1965 to 1973 range from 1-2 million.

The US militarys own records, filed away for three decades, described 300 other cases of what could fairly be described as war crimes.

My Lai stood out because of the shocking one-day death toll, stomach-churning photographs and the gruesome details exposed by a high-level US Army inquiry.

Calley was convicted in 1971 for the murders of 22 people during the rampage. He was sentenced to life in prison but served only three days because President Richard Nixon ordered his sentence reduced. He served three years of house arrest.

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After his release, Calley stayed in Columbus and settled into a job at a jewellery store owned by his father-in-law before moving to Atlanta, where he avoided publicity and routinely turned down journalists requests for interviews.

Calley broke his silence in 2009, at the urging of a friend, when he spoke to the Kiwanis Club in Columbus, Georgia, near Fort Benning, where he had been court-martialled.

There is not a day that goes by that I do not feel remorse for what happened that day in My Lai, Calley said, according to an account of the meeting reported by the Columbus Ledger-Enquirer newspaper.

I feel remorse for the Vietnamese who were killed, for their families, for the American soldiers involved and their families. I am very sorry.

He said his mistake was following orders, which had been his defence when he was tried. His superior officer was acquitted.

William George Eckhardt, the chief prosecutor in the My Lai cases, said he was unaware of Calley ever apologising before that appearance in 2009.

Its hard to apologise for murdering so many people, said Mr Eckhardt. But at least theres an acknowledgment of responsibility.
Rex flies to 56 destinations, including between the highly competitive markets of Sydney, Melbourne and Brisbane. In June, it began offering one-way fares as low as $99 between Melbourne and Perth in an effort to steal market share from its bigger rivals Qantas and Virgin. Ian Myles, a veteran transport analyst with Macquarie said a number of airlines over several decades have tried to compete on the larger routes between major capital cities and have failed, such as Compass Airlines. We are concerned about Rex, said Prime Minister Anthony Albanese. Credit: Alex Ellinghausen Its really difficult to break into that market. You have got to have lots of money to go into those big routes, Myles said. However, he noted that it might be more cost-effective for a regional airline in the future to potentially fly into the Western Sydney Airport when it opens in 2026, where it could secure better slots.

A slot is an agreement between an airport operator and an airline that allows the airline to operate take-offs and landings at a specific time and date. Smaller airlines have struggled to compete against Qantas and Virgin for slots at Sydney Airport, and more broadly in the market. The challenges in the aviation market were evident earlier this year, when budget carrier Bonza airlines, collapsed. On Tuesday, Federal Transport Minister Catherine King said the government was in touch with Rex Airlines. She said she didnt want to see Rex fold, but it was important for the airline to keep its customers informed as to whats happening. Were keeping a pretty close eye on the announcement tomorrow and stand ready. You know, we think Rex is a pretty important part of the Australian aviation industry and stand ready to work with them to see whether theres any assistance or anything the Government needs to do, she told the ABC. We dont want to see Rex fold. Rex also owns air freight, aero medical and charter operator Pel-Air Aviation, the Australian Airline Pilot Academy in Wagga Wagga and Ballarat and also a propeller maintenance organisation. Additionally, it has a 50 per cent stake in National Jet Express, which is a fly-in-fly-out charter and freight operator.

The Transport Workers Union on Tuesday said the federal government must ensure that Rex is not allowed to go the way of Bonza, with around 2000 jobs potentially at risk. We are of the view that we cannot let Rex fail, the unions national secretary Michael Kaine told ABC Radio National on Tuesday Rex has carved out an existence despite the massive commercial and competitive dominance of Qantas, and we might be seeing here once again the pressure of that dominance is squeezing Rex out, and we hope that is not the case. The federal government is due to release its Aviation White Paper shortly, which examines issues in the sector, including its competitiveness and financial health. It will be used to shape future federal government policy for the industry. Rexs shares have fallen by more than one third this year. The airline has narrowed its losses since the pandemic hit, which roiled airlines globally.

In its first yearly half results, released in February this year, Rex increased its total revenue by 4.6 per cent. It reported a half-year loss of $3.2 million, which shrank from a loss of $16.5 million in the previous corresponding period. Lim Kim Hai stepped down as the chairman of Rex last month but has now called for other directors to go. Credit: Louie Douvis The airline has also recently had to contend with a boardroom brawl. In early June, the company revealed that Lim Kim Hai, who owns almost 17 per cent of Rex, was removed as its executive chairman, a role that he had held for 21 years. He remained on the board as a director. Neville Howell, who was the companys chief operating officer, was appointed as chief executive for two years, and John Sharp was elevated to chairman from deputy chairman. The company did not explain the reason for Lims removal.
Australia has become the first country in the world to implement a national program to treat babies with peanut allergies by giving them a daily dose of peanut powder in the hope of overcoming the potentially life-threatening condition.

The new treatment, which will be offered for free to children under 12 months old through 10 public paediatric hospitals in Victoria, NSW, Western Australia, Queensland and South Australia, will involve eligible babies eating carefully planned doses of the powder at home to build up a tolerance to the allergen.

Hunter Chatwin, 10 months, and his mum Kirsten are involved in a new oral immunotherapy program at the Royal Childrens Hospital in Melbourne. Credit: Justin McManus

It represents a radical shift in the way the condition is managed in the allergy capital of the world, with families previously told to strictly avoid peanut in their diets.

Professor Kirsten Perrett, the director of the National Allergy Centre of Excellence, said the ADAPT Oral Immunotherapy program aimed to help hundreds of babies around the country build tolerance to the allergen and potentially achieve remission.
One of the men convicted of abducting and raping Sydney bank teller Janine Balding before her murder in the late 1980s has been returned to jail, where a magistrate says he best belongs.

Wayne Wilmot, 51, was placed under strict conditions when he left jail in 2024, including requirements he be subject to electronic monitoring and not access pornographic material.

But the violent sexual offender was locked up again 11 days later after breaching conditions of the court order.

Janine Baldings abduction, rape and murder shocked Sydney in 1988. Credit: Channel 7

Wilmot pleaded guilty on July 5 to breaching an interim supervision order after seeking to access online pornography, much of which was of an extreme nature.
Melburnians are being urged to monitor for symptoms after a significant outbreak of legionnaires disease left several people critically unwell in intensive care.

At least 22 cases of the bacterial disease have been confirmed and six suspected since Friday stemming from areas across metropolitan Melbourne, especially in the north and west, Victorian Chief Health Officer Clare Looker said.

Most of the cases have occurred in adults aged over 40 and have required hospitalisation resulting from severe community-acquired pneumonia.

Victorias Chief Health Officer Clare Looker. Credit: AAP

This is a nasty type of pneumonia ... so people can become quite sick, quite quickly, Looker told ABC Radio Melbourne on Tuesday.
The decision by Prime Minister Anthony Albanese to transfer responsibility for Australias domestic intelligence agency ASIO from the Department of Home Affairs to the Attorney-Generals Department, announced on Sunday with the changes to the ministry, may not be something that gets political commentators excited. Yet it was an important recalibration of our security architecture that will be greatly welcomed by national security professionals.

To see why it is important, it is necessary to understand the history. ASIO was a creation of the Chifley Labor government. It was the early days of the Cold War; the threat of Soviet espionage was real. Australia was seen as a weak link by Western allies, in part because of the absence of a domestic intelligence agency like Britains MI5.

ASIO is returning to the Attorney-Generals Department. Credit: Matt Davidson

The original document constituting ASIO  not an act of parliament or even an order in council, merely a letter from Chifley to ASIOs first director-general Sir Geoffrey Reed  described it as part of the Defence Forces of the Commonwealth. The powerful mandarin who was secretary of the Defence Department, Sir Frederick Shedden, wanted it to be a Defence agency; others thought it should be in the prime ministers portfolio.

While Chifley saw the need for such an agency, many in Labor were suspicious of creating what they saw as a domestic spy force. So it was decided that the new agency should be placed within the Attorney-Generals portfolio, then held by H V Evatt. The rationale was that, as the attorney-general was the minister responsible for protecting the rule of law, such a sensitive function was safest under his jurisdiction. In his official history of ASIO, Professor David Horner highlights the role of the then Commonwealth Crown Solicitor Harry Whitlam in securing that outcome.
There is also added strain in the private rental market and on emergency housing resources, due to a social housing average wait time of almost two and a half years, while homelessness remains prevalent in our streets and parks, she said.
India is one of the biggest and fastest-growing markets for Samsung globally, said Samsung Electronics CEO and Vice-Chairman Jong-Hee (JH) Han on Tuesday, during his visit to the companys Noida factory, where it produces smartphones, tablets, and refrigerators.

In his second visit to India this year, Han emphasised the increasing significance of the Indian market for the South Korean company, the company said in a press statement.

Click here to connect with us on WhatsApp India is the fastest-growing markets globally and offers a huge opportunity for Samsung. We were among the first companies to invest in India, and I am happy that the Noida factory has emerged as one of our biggest facilities, manufacturing not only for India, but for the world, Han said.



Earlier this year, Samsung introduced its AI for All vision, aiming to enhance consumer lives by integrating artificial intelligence and hyper-connectivity through open collaboration. In 2024, Samsungs Galaxy AI-powered premium smartphones and Bespoke AI home appliances, including refrigerators, air conditioners, and washing machines, have established a distinctive ecosystem of connected devices. This ecosystem not only offers convenience, connectivity, and comfort but also helps consumers save energy, the press release said.

The companys One Samsung experience, powered by advanced technology, has set its products apart and generated significant consumer interest, particularly in the premium refrigerator segment. This market has seen rapid growth in India as consumers increasingly opt for larger capacity refrigerators with enhanced features, the press release stated.

Complimenting the India-based R&D teams for their contributions to the development of new products and services, Han said, India has a large population of tech-savvy young consumers that inspire us to innovate. I am proud that many young, enterprising engineers who are playing an important role in the development of AI are working at our R&D centres in India.

The company further said that it is committed to the "Make in India" initiative of the government, which is demonstrated by its two cutting-edge manufacturing plants in Noida and Sriperumbudur.

Additionally, the company has established a design centre in Noida and operates three Research and Development (R&D) facilities. These R&D centers are crucial for driving innovation in both local and global products, two of which are located in Noida and one in Bengaluru, the company said.
In the first quarter of FY25 (April-June), state-run Indian Oil Corporation Ltd (IOCL) saw its consolidated net profit steeply fall 75 per cent to Rs 3,528 crore, down from the Rs 14,436 crore net profit registered in Q1 FY24. On a sequential basis, the net profit exhibited a per cent decrease from Rs 5,148.8 crore recorded in Q4 FY24.

The sharp reduction in net profit in Q1 came due to lower average gross refining margins (GRMs)  the revenue refiners accrue from transforming each barrel of crude oil into refined fuel products. IOCL reported that the average GRM stood at $6.39 per barrel in Q1. This was 23.3 per cent lower than the $8.34 per barrel recovered in the same period of the previous financial year. Click here to connect with us on WhatsApp

The company's revenue from operations did not shrink much in the latest quarter, reducing by 2.4 per cent to Rs 2.19 trillion, compared to Rs 2.25 trillion in Q1 FY24. However, IOCL's expenses rose by Rs 9,196.37 crore in Q1 to Rs 2.16 trillion. The cost of materials consumed, up by 10.5 per cent, and purchases of stock in trade, higher by 7.5 per cent, were the two biggest expenses.

This drop in revenue is primarily attributed to lower earnings from the largest segment of petroleum products, which dipped 3.6 per cent to Rs 2.03 trillion, down from Rs 2.11 trillion in the same quarter of the previous year. With its 10 refineries accounting for a cumulative 80 million metric tonnes per annum (MMTPA) capacity, IOCL controls nearly 33 per cent of India's refining capacity.

Sales from the petrochemicals business, however, rose nearly 0.9 per cent to Rs 6,789.4 crore, up from Rs 6,728.3 crore in Q1 FY24. The quarter under review also saw nearly 36.4 per cent growth in revenue from other business activities to Rs 10,690 crore, from Rs 7,839.1 crore during the same quarter of the previous year.

On the marketing front, IOCL achieved domestic product sales of 24.06 million metric tonnes (MMT) during Q1, while export sales stood at 1.18 MMT in Q1.

The company's shares rose 1.6 per cent to Rs 183.4 on Tuesday, part of a wider rally in oil stocks.





Lower refining margins

"The core GRM or the current price GRM for FY24 after offsetting inventory loss or gain comes to $2.84 per barrel," it said. Lower GRMs have become a fixture for OMCs over the past few quarters.

In 2022, disruptions in the supply of Russian oil coupled with a decrease in petroleum product exports from China led to a reduction in the supply of refined products, prompting GRMs to skyrocket to record highs. Consequently, earnings for Indian refiners had seen an upswing.

However, while Moscow has kept a check on supplies to the international market in 2023, GRMs for Indian refiners have remained at lower levels. Indian OMCs continued to secure oil from Russia at a discounted price. But as average levels of discounts on Russian crude have reduced to less than $4 per barrel in FY24, GRMs have slid.
In a statement, Jindal Stainless managing director, Abhyuday Jindal, said that it was an enabling resolution to prepare for, among other things, organic and inorganic growth opportunities. Bloomberg Photo

Jindal Stainless on Tuesday reported a 13.11 per cent year-on-year (Y-o-Y) drop in net profit to ~648.06 crore in the April-to-June quarter (Q1FY25). In the year-ago period, the companys net profit had stood at ~745.81 crore.

Revenue from operations on a consolidated basis was at ~9,429.76 crore in Q1FY25, down by 7.4 per cent Y-o-Y. Sequentially, revenue from operations was down 0.3 per cent while net profit was up by 29.4 per cent. Click here to connect with us on WhatsApp

The board of Jindal Stainless in-principle approved raising ~5,000 crore through equity and/or debt instruments.

In a statement, Jindal Stainless managing director Abhyuday Jindal said that it was an enabling resolution to prepare for, among other things, organic and inorganic growth opportunities.

The domestic market is expected to expand, with newer sectors anticipated to grow even faster, driving increased demand in the stainless steel industry, he said.

The ongoing Red Sea issue had extended transit times and freight cost from India to the US and Europe, the companys two major markets. The bigger impact in this quarter was availability and cost of containers, Jindal said in a post-results media interaction. He added that the company was trying to move away from containers and increase supplies in break-bulk.

To counter the Red Sea issue, Jindal Stainless had also increased sales in other markets like Southeast Asia and the Middle East. Jindal said that the company was looking to break into the Japanese market.

Even as exports were impacted, the domestic market saw steady growth. We are extremely positive on the domestic demand, especially after the Budget outlay on infrastructure, railways and defence. That is why despite the dip in exports, we delivered high volumes, Jindal said.

Sales volume of the company was up by 5.4 per cent Y-o-Y.

However, Jindal sees exports picking up. There has been some recovery in Europe compared to last year, he said. The overall guidance on exports, however, remained at 10-15 per cent.

On the government focus on skill development, Jindal said the company would like to partner with the government in upskilling the stainless steel community. On the internship scheme, he said: We are studying to see how we can utilize it.
The programme will build urban local bodies' capacity for waste management and sanitation.

Asian Development Bank and the Government of India recently signed a $ 200 million (about Rs 1,700 crore) loan to improve solid waste management and sanitation in 100 cities across eight states in the country. The signatories to the loan agreement for the Swachh Bharat Mission 2.0 -Comprehensive Municipal Waste Management in Indian Cities Program were Juhi Mukherjee, Joint Secretary, Finance Ministry, and Mio Oka, Country Director for Asian Development Bank (ADB) - India Resident Mission, the Manila-based multilateral funding agency said in a statement on Tuesday. Click here to connect with us on WhatsApp After signing the loan agreement, Mukherjee said that the programme supports the objectives of the government's Swachh Bharat (Clean India) Mission - Urban 2.0 by enhancing sanitation and solid waste management infrastructure, including waste segregation, collection and disposal.

"This programme is guided by lessons derived from ADB's experience in urban infrastructure development across several states and will incorporate international best practices, new digital technologies, and mainstream climate- and disaster-resilient approaches in municipal solid waste management to promote a clean environment free from garbage and pollution," Oka said.

ADB's support will upgrade and establish solid waste processing and management facilities such as bio-methanation plants, composting plants, managed landfills, material recovery facilities, and plastic waste processing facilities, it said.

It will also support the construction of community toilets and urinals and the purchase of sweeping equipment, it said, adding that these facilities and delivery of urban services will include climate- and disaster-resilient, gender equality and social inclusion-responsive features.

The programme will build urban local bodies' capacity for waste management and sanitation, encourage peer-to-peer learning, and proactively engage with the private sector, it said.

It will help conduct annual reviews and progress updates of city-wide solid waste and sanitation action plans, it added.
China-Africa digital cooperation continues advancing, highlighted in infrastructure construction

10:34, July 30, 2024 By Xiong Xinyi ( Global Times

The Forum on China-Africa Digital Cooperation held by the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology on July 29, 2024. (Photo: Xiong Xinyi/GT)

China-Africa cooperation has been continuously advancing in the digital sector covering a wide range of industries from infrastructure to e-commerce, bolstered by swiftly developing technologies, African officials and business representatives told the Global Times on the sidelines of the Forum on China-Africa Digital Cooperation held by the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology on Monday.

Digital cooperation between China and South Africa has brought a lot of benefits, with many Chinese technology companies investing in South Africa and helping the country to expand in various sectors ranging from infrastructure to e-commerce, South African Ambassador to China Siyabonga Cyprian Cwele told the Global Times.

For instance, more than 70 percent of the telecommunication infrastructure in South Africa is supplied by Chinese enterprises, and the country is building several cloud centers with some of them being operated by Chinese firms, according to Cwele.

Cwele said that South Africa is looking forward to deepening industrial applications between South Africa and China, as the country is trying to transform its industries to the new economy and new production lines.

The fast-growing e-commerce sector is important in further exploring potential cooperation. Sales of South African products to China are growing every day thanks to e-commerce platforms, and the products are mostly specialties, he said.

Chinese consumers can purchase South African flowers on Chinese e-commerce platforms, which are transported to Kunming in Southwest China's Yunnan Province and distributed nationwide, Cwele noted.

Since 2007, Uganda has been building a strong partnership with China in information and communications technology. For instance, Uganda has secured resources from China to construct and lay the national backbone infrastructure, while working with Huawei to build technical capacity within the country, Uganda's Minister of ICT and National Guidance Chris Baryomunsitold the Global Times.

Baryomunsi noted that fiber [optic lines] have been able to be extended to more than 50 percent of the country, and are expected to reach all corners of the country within the next two to three years.

In addition, Baryomunsi said the two countries have constructed data centers in Uganda, while digital cooperation in the education system has been able to offer education for residents in rural areas to learn the basics of how to conduct transactions through digital platforms.

Mamadou Safa Tounkara, deputy general director of SOGEB, a national backbone in Guinea, told the Global Times that the trip to China is to make sure that cooperation efforts with China will be going on in the long term.

The company has many projects in infrastructure and natural resources where it is working with China, according to Tounkara. He noted that cooperation with many companies in China is opening a "new horizon" to help Guinea make the transition to digitalization.

China and 26 African countries jointly issued an Action Plan for China-Africa Digital Cooperation and Development, which was unveiled at the forum on Monday, aiming to promote cooperation and development in the digital sector.

Under the plan, actions will target digital cooperation in six aspects - policy, infrastructure, innovation, transformation, security, and digital capability.

For instance, the countries will work together to implement 10 digital transformation demonstration projects and train at least 1,000 personnel to improve digital capabilities and literacy.

(Web editor: Tian Yi, Wu Chaolan)
Union Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman on Tuesday cautioned about a conspiracy to send a message that India is not safe for foreign investors and that Indian institutions cannot guarantee security to foreign investments.

There is a conspiracy to send a message to the entire world that India is not safe for investors. This is not good. Rumours are being spread that Indian institutions cannot guarantee security to foreign investments, which is really a sad situation, Sitharaman said while replying to the general discussion on the FY25 Budget in the Lok Sabha. Click here to connect with us on WhatsApp

Sitharaman said entrepreneurship itself was being made a villain. Hardworking entrepreneurs are building this country. The conspiracy is to end Indias entrepreneurship culture even before it fully blooms, thereby hitting at Indias core backbone, which is Indias entrepreneurship of small and medium units and enterprises that are building India. Negativity is being spread in society towards all those who do business, and this hatred for business and wealth creators is spilling everywhere, she added.

To make India developed, Sitharaman said it was necessary to be a big economic and strategic power. But if there will be instability and anarchy in the country, the journey towards Viksit Bharat will become more difficult. This is a huge challenge for us and as a nation, we have to understand where the problem is. Indias social fabric, parliamentary traditions, economy, and armed forces  all four are severely attacked, she said.

Questioning the credibility of the Global Hunger Index, which ranked India at 111th position out of a total of 125 countries in 2023, Sitharaman termed it a flawed indicator. How come conflict-ridden countries, such as Pakistan and Sudan, are ranked ahead of India? African countries still have lower per capita income than India. In Pakistan, they are not able to obtain basic food, though I dont want them to suffer. But thats the reality. And here in India, we provide free food grains to 80 crore people, and still we are high in the hunger index! How will they establish credibility, she asked.

Answering questions on household savings dipping to a 50-year low while household debt has increased, Sitharaman said net financial savings of the household sector have risen 70 per cent from Rs 8.32 trillion in FY14 to Rs 14.16 trillion in FY23. Under household savings in the form of physical assets, construction of houses or other immovable properties increased from Rs 14 trillion in FY14 to Rs 35 trillion in FY23. It clearly indicates a shift of savings in the form of physical assets rather than in the form of financial assets. The base of registered investors at the National Stock Exchange has tripled to 92 million between March 2020 and March 2024. Now, potentially 20 per cent of Indias households are channeling their household savings into financial markets, she added.

Sitharaman said the Budget FY25 tries to bring a balance among several objectives because growth is important, and through better growth and higher growth, inequality can be addressed. So growth, employment, welfare spending, capital investment, and fiscal consolidationthese are the factors which we tried balancing in the Budget, she added.
Wayanad: National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) personnel conduct rescue operation after huge landslides in the hilly areas near Meppadi, in Wayanad district, Kerala, Tuesday, July 30, 2024. (Photo: PTI)

A major rain-induced landslide wreaked havoc in Keralas Wayanad district on Tuesday, killing at least 45 people, including a Nepali national, while hundreds were feared trapped.





Click here to connect with us on WhatsApp A one-year-old child of a Nepali family was among those killed in the landslide in Wayanad that cut off at least four villages: Mundakkai, Chooralmala, Attamala, and Noolpuzha. Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan said two Air Force helicopters had departed for the landslide-hit hilly district to airlift the affected families.The NDRF recovered several bodies and rescued one person alive during the search operation in the debris. The Indian Army has been deployed at the site to ramp up the rescue efforts. The total strength of the Army deployed is about 225, including medical personnel.

Wayanad landslide: What happened in early hours

1) The deaths were reported in Chooralmala and Thondernad areas of Wayanad, situated some 460 kilometres north of the capital city of Thiruvananthapuram.

2) The authorities have launched a search and rescue operation and are making efforts to move the affected people to a safe shelter. UDF Member of the Legislative Assembly (MLA) T Siddique said the authorities were drawing up plans to airlift people from the Mundakkai area.

3) "Currently, we have no complete information about those missing and dead in the landslides NDRF personnel are trying to reach those places," he said.

Rahul Gandhi speaks with Kerala CM over Wayanad landslide

4) Former Wayanad Member of Parliament (MP) Rahul Gandhi expressed grief at the crisis and offered his condolences to the bereaved families. In a post on X (formerly Twitter), Gandhi said he had spoken to the Chief Minister and would hold talks with the Centre to ensure all possible assistance to Wayanad.

I am deeply anguished by the massive landslides near Meppadi in Wayanad. My heartfelt condolences go out to the bereaved families who have lost their loved ones. I hope those still trapped are brought to safety soon.



I have spoken to the Kerala Chief Minister and the Wayanad  Rahul Gandhi (@RahulGandhi) July 30, 2024

I hope those still trapped are brought to safety soon, he said.

5) The Kerala State Disaster Management Authority (KSDMA) said that the Fireforce and NDRF teams were already at the spot while additional NDRF teams were being mobilised to speed up the rescue efforts.

6) The officials said that the ongoing heavy rainfall in the region has hampered the rescue efforts, and the operation is likely to take a while.

7) Meanwhile, the India Meteorological Department (IMD) has warned that heavy rainfall is likely to continue in the state's northern hilly areas.

8) Initial reports suggest that as many as 29 houses have been partially damaged in Wayanad, and 700 people have been moved to shelter camps.

Heavy rainfall prediction in Wayanad on July 30

9) The rainfall has further contributed to the rise in water levels of rivers flowing through the region, posing an additional challenge.

10) The districts of Wayanad and Kannur are on a red alert for today, the weather body said, predicting extremely heavy rainfall in the region. A red alert indicates the possibility of over 20 cm of rainfall in a region during a period of 24 hours.

(With inputs from agencies)
Amid reports that Teslas investment plans in India have been put on the backburner, sources close to the development indicate that three states  Maharashtra, Tamil Nadu, and Gujarat  are frontrunners for the global major's manufacturing unit in India. A decision in this regard is likely to depend on the product portfolio of the electric carmaker, say industry sources. The company is also in talks to rope in local partners.

If the company is setting its sights on a low-cost model targeting the Indian domestic market, it may establish a unit in Maharashtra. On the other hand,
Modi said that he believes industry and wealth creators are the

Terming Indian industry and wealth creators the "primary driving force" in the countrys growth story, Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Tuesday said domestic industry must compete with the central government and leave it behind in the work to achieve the goal of Viksit Bharat (developed nation). He was speaking at a post-Budget conference organised by the Confederation of Indian Industry (CII) here.

Investors worldwide are keen on coming to India and domestic industry should not let go of this golden chance, Modi said. Click here to connect with us on WhatsApp

"My expectation from the industry is that it should go shoulder-to-shoulder and compete with the Centre to fulfil India's dream towards Viksit Bharat," he said, adding: "I expect them to leave the government behind and emerge victorious in this."

Asserting that there is "no dearth of political willpower" in the government, Modi said: "For us, the country and the aspirations of countrymen are the topmost priorities."

The PM said that he had asked Niti Aayog, the governments top policy think tank, to make an "Investor-friendly Charter" for all states. "There should be healthy competition between states to attract investment. I don't want any state in my country to be left behind," he said, calling for policies to attract investment.

"Good governance should be felt at every step, so that an investor can go to every state," he added.

Modi said the Budgets Rs 2-trillion mega PMs Package is expected to benefit 41 million youths and the industry must work together with the Centre on this. The allocation will be spent over the next five years, and under this, five different schemes have been announced to promote job creation and strengthen the skilling infrastructure.

"PM Package is holistic and comprehensive. It is interlinked with end-to-end solutions," he said, adding: "Its vision is clear. India's manpower should be globally competitive, its product should be globally competitive not only in quality, but from the point of view of value as well."

Modi highlighted that the size of the Budget has jumped threefold from Rs 16 trillion in 2013-14 to Rs 48 trillion now. Capital expenditure has gone up from Rs 90,000 crore in 2004 to Rs 11.11 trillion in 2024.

The PM also said that in his third term, India would become the third-largest economy in the world. He added that the government is focused on micro, small, and medium enterprises (MSMEs) as they generate crores of jobs.

In 2014, MSMEs earning Rs 1 crore had to pay presumptive tax, now MSMEs with income up to Rs 3 crore can also take advantage of this. In 2014, MSMEs earning up to Rs 50 crore had to pay 30 per cent tax, today this rate is 22 per cent," he said.
Mid-cap, small-cap stocks: Higher rates of long-term and short-term capital gains tax (LTCG, STCG) introduced in Budget 2024 and valuation concerns in a lot of stocks that comprise mid, small-cap stocks have not been a deterrent for the bulls in these two segments.

From the July 23 Budget 2024-day low, the midcap and the smallcap indices on the BSE have seen a surge of over 6 per cent and 7 per cent respectively, shows ACE Equity data. The up move has been higher than the 2.5 per cent rise in the S&P BSE Sensex during this period. Click here to connect with us on WhatsApp

On its part, the Budget 2024 has hiked LTCG and STCG taxes on sale of shares from 10 per cent to 12.5 per cent, and from 15 per cent to 20 per cent, respectively.

Meanwhile, analysts have been cautious on these two segments  a favourite of retail investors  citing valuation concerns since quite some time now. Investors, it seems, have not heeded to their word of caution yet.

Why are the mid, smallcap stocks rallying?





The disconnect between earnings and market prices in the broader market, according to V K Vijayakumar, chief investment strategist at Geojit Financial Services, has been driven by the sustained fund flows into these segments and irrationally enthusiastic retail buying.





ALSO READ: Nifty MidCap, SmallCap indices break 20-DMA support; can fall another 9% "Market history tells us that irrational exuberance can last longer than seasoned experts think. But it is always better to err on the side of caution. Buy on dips strategy has been working throughout this bull-run. Investors can utilise the dips to buy fairly valued large-caps," he suggests.

At the bourses, meanwhile, stocks of MTNL, Antony Waste Handling, MMTC, IFCI, PG Electroplast, Hindustan Construction Company, Ashoka Buildcon, Nuvama Wealth Management, Arvind Smartspaces and Protean e-Gov Technologies have surged up to 39 per cent from their respective Budget 2024-day lows.

While the Sensex still trades at a reasonable trailing price-to-earnings (PE) at 24.3, the BSE Small-cap and BSE Mid-cap indices trade at stretched valuations of around 36.4x and 33x, respectively.

Overall market-cap build up, extremely stretched valuation of many individual stocks in the small-and mid-cap (SMC) space and drying up of liquidity from the secondary markets due to the ongoing and upcoming initial public offers (IPOs) are the top risks to the markets, according to market experts.

"History proves the point that SMC segment invariably falls very badly  without giving any ample time to rejig equity asset class - once in 3 or maximum 4 years and brings in some balance between large-cap versus SMC valuations. That time is approaching fast," said G Chokkalingam, founder and head of research at Equinomics Research.

Earnings growth of India Inc

Earnings growth of India Inc, especially in the mid-and small-cap universe, according to analysts at Bernstein, has not kept pace with the sharp rise in the stock prices. Sectors with decent earnings upgrades, they said, show a disproportionately high movement in their stock prices - suggesting an optimistic overpricing.

"A stark difference is seen in the top 100 and bottom 100 of our NSE200 stocks, with FY25 earnings of the top 100 almost flat at around 1 per cent, while the bottom 100 declined by 2.6 per cent over April & May. This has led to nearly half the midcap 150 stocks trading at a one-year forward PE of 40x or more. For large caps, this number is at 41 per cent," wrote Venugopal Garre, managing director at Bernstein in a recent coauthored note with Nikhil Arela in a recent note.
VBL in focus: Shares of Varun Beverages Limited (VBL) fell as much as 6.40 per cent to hit an intraday low of Rs 1,575.95 per share.

The fall in the stock price came after investors jumped to book profit after stellar numbers in the second quarter and half year ended June 30, 2024 (H1CY24), which met street estimates. Click here to connect with us on WhatsApp

The companys profit rose 26 per cent year-on-year (Y-o-Y) to Rs 1,252.6 crore in Q2CY24, as opposed to Rs 994 crore in the same quarter last year (Q2CY23).

Varun Beverages revenue jumped 28.3 per cent year-on-year to Rs 7,197 crore in the second quarter of calendar year 2024, as against Rs 5,611 crore in the second quarter of CY23.

The companys consolidated sales volume grew 28.1 per cent to 401.6 million cases in Q2CY24 from 313.5 million cases in Q2CY23. This includes approximately 28 million cases from BevCo during the quarter.

Ravi Jaipuria, chairman of Varun Beverages Limited said, We are pleased to report robust performance for the second quarter of CY2024, achieving a consolidated sales volume growth of 28.1 per cent, which includes volumes from BevCo. The impressive volume growth of 22.9 per cent in India primarily contributed to this outstanding performance, supported by our expanded capacities, enhanced distribution network, and a strong summer season. Meanwhile, our international markets remained relatively flat, moreover it was a seasonally weak quarter for the African market.

At the operating level, earnings before interest, tax, depreciation and amortisation (Ebitda) climbed 31.8 per cent to Rs 1,991 crore in Q2CY24, from Rs 1,511 crore in Q2CY23.

Consequently, Ebitda margin rose 70 basis points (bps) to 27.7 per cent in the quarter under review, as opposed to 27 per cent in the same quarter last calendar year.

The company has declared an interim dividend of Rs. 1.25 per share. Additionally, the Board has considered and recommended the subdivision/split of existing equity shares of the Company from 1 equity share with a face value of Rs. 5 each fully paid-up into such number of equity shares having face value of Rs 2 each fully paid-up. This is subject to the approval of equity shareholders of the Company. This is intended for wider retail participation, Varun Beverages said.

On the outlook, Jaipuri added, With strong performance in a key quarter, we are on track to deliver healthy double-digit growth in this calendar year. India remains a high-demand market with massive growth potential, driven by a growing consuming class and a young population. To capitalise on this demand, we are focused on further strengthening our infrastructure, distribution network, and product portfolio. With a focus on strategic growth and leveraging new opportunities in both India and international markets, we are confident in our ability to deliver sustainable value to all stakeholders.

Varun Beverages Limited is a key player in the beverage industry and one of the largest franchisee of PepsiCo in the world (outside USA).

The company produces and distributes a wide range of carbonated soft drinks (CSDs), as well as a large selection of non-carbonated beverages (NCBs), including packaged drinking water sold under trademarks owned by PepsiCo.

PepsiCo CSD brands produced and sold by VBL include Pepsi, Pepsi Black, Mountain Dew, Sting, Seven-Up, Mirinda, Seven-Up Nimbooz Masala Soda and Evervess. PepsiCo NCB brands produced and sold by the company include Slice, Tropicana Juices (100 per cent and Delight), Seven-Up Nimbooz, Gatorade as well as packaged drinking water under the brand Aquafina.

At 12:41 PM, shares of VBL were trading 4.15 per cent lower at Rs 1,613.85 per share. In comparison, BSE Sensex was trading 0.46 per cent higher at 81,726.43 levels.
Reliance Jio has launched the JioBharat J1 4G, its new feature phone packed with Jio apps such as JioTV, JioCinema, JioSaavn, JioPay (UPI), JioChat, and JioPhotos. The budget 4G feature phone has a physical keypad with support for 23 languages, including Hindi, Marathi, Gujarati, and Bangla.

The JioBharat J1 4G is backed by JioBharat recharge plans, which are available from Rs 123 (28 days) to Rs 1234 (336 days). In all recharge plans, Jio offers 0.5GB data per day, unlimited voice calls, and 300 messages per 28 days. Alongside, all plans are offered with subscription to JioSaavn, JioCinema, and JioTV services. Click here to connect with us on WhatsApp

JioBharat J1 4G: Price and availability

The JioBharat J1 4G is available on Amazon India at Rs 1,799. The feature phone is offered in sole dark grey colour.

JioBharat J1 4G: Specifications

The feature phone has a 2.8-inch non-touch display. Powered by a 2,500 mAh battery, the feature phone is based on the ThreadX RTOS operating system. Locked for Jio SIM, the phone has a single nano SIM slot beside a microSD card slot for external storage (up to 128GB). The phone has a camera on the rear, though exact camera specifications are not detailed by Jio. It is through this camera that the phone enables online payments through UPI. The handset measures 135 x 56 x 16mm in size and weighs 122g.

What is JioBharat

Announced in July last year, JioBharat is a platform targeted to original equipment manufacturers to offer internet-enabled services on entry-level phones. At tha launch. the company said that apart from Reliance Retail, other phone brands (starting with Karbonn) will adopt the "Jio Bharat platform" to build Jio Bharat phones. The beta trial for the first one million Jio Bharat phones started from July 7 in 2023 across 6,500 tehsils in India.
The suspected shooter was shot and killed by a member of the Secret Service (Photo: Reuters)

The US House of Representatives has announced the creation of a 13-member bipartisan congressional task force on the attempted assassination of former president and Republican Party presidential nominee Donald Trump. Trump, 78, survived the attempt on his life on July 13 when a 20-year-old shooter fired multiple shots at him at a campaign rally in Pennsylvania, injuring his right ear. The shooting left one person attending the rally dead and two others in serious condition. Click here to connect with us on WhatsApp The suspected shooter was shot and killed by a member of the Secret Service. We have the utmost confidence in this bipartisan group of steady, highly qualified and capable Members of Congress to move quickly to find the facts, ensure accountability, and help make certain such failures never happen again, said House Speaker Mike Johnson and House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries on Monday.

The task force has been formed to understand what went wrong on the day of the attempted assassination, to ensure accountability and to prevent such an agency failure from happening again. It will make recommendations for reform to the relevant government agencies and recommend any necessary legislation to implement the reforms.

Congressman Mike Kelly from Pennsylvania's 16th District, who resides in his hometown of Butler, the location of the assassination attempt, is the chairman of the task force.

Kelly has longstanding ties to the local law enforcement community and is the author of the resolution creating the task force.

House Committee on Homeland Security Chairman Mark Green said establishing this task force is a critical step in addressing this failure and ensuring that the American people get the answers they deserve.

DHS (Department of Homeland Security) and the Secret Service's utter failure to safeguard a former president and current candidate for our nation's highest office was unacceptable from the start, and it grows more troubling with each new report and effort by the Joe Biden-Kamala Harris administration to stonewall congressional oversight, he said.

The task force comprises of Republican members Mark Green, David Joyce, Laurel Lee, Michael Waltz, Clay Higgins and Pat Fallon.

The Democratic members are Jason Crow, Lou Correa, Madeleine Dean, Chrissy Houlahan, Glenn Ivey, and Jared Moskowitz.

In a speech on the Senate floor, Senate Majority Whip Dick Durbin, Chair of the Senate Judiciary Committee, said the assassination attempt has exposed more than just the continued threat of gun violence in America. It has also revealed unacceptable security failures in the operations of the United States Secret Service, he said.

Despite the implementation of a security plan to secure the rally site on July 13, the shooter involved was able to fly a drone outside of the security perimeter for 11 minutes," Durbin said.

"His suspicious activity was reported twice, and he was spotted on the roof of a building prior to taking his first shot yet his violent plan continued unimpeded, and he was able to fire eight shots before a Secret Service countersniper killed him, he said.

Durbin also posed many questions which, he said, the American public deserves answers to.

"What organisational and on-the-ground changes has the Secret Service implemented since this occurred to ensure better security in the future?" he asked.

He also questioned which of those changes were in place in time for the Republican National Convention and are still in the process of being implemented for future events, such as the Democratic National Convention next month.

Trump has agreed to be interviewed by the FBI as part of an investigation into his attempted assassination, a special agent said on Monday in disclosing how the gunman prior to the shooting had researched mass attacks and explosive devices.

The expected interview is part of the FBI's standard protocol to speak with victims during the course of their criminal investigations.
Presented by Starbucks and Powered by the Challenged Athletes Foundation



Lottery Opens July 29

The Empire State Building (ESB) announced today the return of the annual Empire State Building Run-Up (ESBRU) on Oct. 9, 2024  presented by Starbucks and powered by the Challenged Athletes Foundation  with lottery registration open online from today, July 29, 2024, until Aug. 9, 2024, at 4 p.m. EDT.

This press release features multimedia. View the full release here: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20240729379325/en/

The 2024 Empire State Building Run-Up Returns Oct. 9 Presented by Starbucks and Powered by the Challenged Athletes Foundation Lottery Opens July 29 (Photo: Business Wire)

Approximately 500 runners will race up the buildings 1,576 stairs to the iconic 86th Floor Observatory in the 46th annual Run-Up. This years designated heats will include elite runners, athletes with disabilities, celebrities, media, building tenants, and the public, among others. Registered runners will be notified of their race status on Aug. 12, with participation costs of $175 per runner to be charged only upon acceptance from the lottery.

The worlds most famous tower race  the Empire State Building Run-Up  challenges athletes from across the globe, and we cant wait to welcome them back to the Empire State Building for this bucket-list experience, said Tony Malkin, chairman and CEO of Empire State Realty Trust. We congratulate in advance our amazing participants for this astonishing achievement  the race to the top of the Worlds Most Famous Building and Tripadvisors number one-rated attraction in the world.

The Empire State Building is home to a Starbucks Reserve flagship store. Covering three floors and 23,000 square feet, this location offers premium coffee and cocktail experiences like Signature Espresso Martinis, Whiskey Barrel-Aged Coffee, and interactive workshops showcasing the craft and innovation behind Starbucks coffee. Visitors can also enjoy elevated food, desserts, and exclusive Starbucks Reserve merchandise.

Challenged Athletes Foundation (CAF) serves as the official charity partner of the ESBRU once again with a designated division for athletes with permanent physical disabilities and CAF supporters who raise funds to empower lives through sports. Runners can bypass the lottery and run with #TeamCAF with a guaranteed charity fundraising entry found online.

The 2024 Empire State Building Run-Up is produced by Super Race Systems.

More information about the Empire State Building Run-Up and the official lottery entry can be found online. Hi-res imagery and video from previous years can be downloaded here.

About the Empire State Building

The Empire State Building, the World's Most Famous Building," owned by Empire State Realty Trust, Inc. (ESRT: NYSE), soars 1,454 feet above Midtown Manhattan from base to antenna. The $165 million reimagination of the Empire State Building Observatory Experience created an all-new experience with a dedicated guest entrance, an interactive museum with nine galleries, and a redesigned 102nd Floor Observatory with floor-to-ceiling windows. The journey to the world-famous 86th Floor Observatory, the only 360-degree, open-air observatory with views of New York and beyond, orients visitors for their entire New York City experience and covers everything from the building's iconic history to its current place in pop culture. The Empire State Building Observatory Experience welcomes millions of visitors each year and was declared the #1 Attraction in the World  and #1 Attraction in the U.S. for the third consecutive year  in Tripadvisors Travelers Choice Awards: Best of the Best Things to Do, "America's Favorite Building" by the American Institute of Architects, the world's most popular travel destination by Uber, and the #1 New York City attraction in Lonely Planets Ultimate Travel List.

Since 2011, the building has been fully powered by renewable wind electricity, and its many floors house a diverse array of office tenants such as LinkedIn and Shutterstock, as well as retail options like STATE Grill and Bar, Tacombi, and Starbucks. For more information and Observatory Experience tickets visit esbnyc.com or follow the building's Facebook, X (formerly Twitter), Instagram, Weibo, YouTube, or TikTok.

Source: Empire State Realty Trust, Inc.

Category: Observatory

View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20240729379325/en/
Some veterans of the US Armed Forces may have been exposed to substances, chemicals, and hazards during their military service that can lead to health problems. Some health problems show up quickly after an exposure, but many dont cause problems or symptoms for months to years after exposure.

Some exposures can cause cancer to develop later in life. This means veterans could be at a higher risk for certain types of cancer depending on what they may have been exposed to during their service. In fact, the Veterans Administration (VA) estimates more than 50,000 cancer cases are diagnosed every year in VA health systems.

If you are a US veteran, talk with your doctor or health care team about your possible exposures. They can help you figure out your cancer risk and create a care plan that includes actions you can take to help prevent cancer or lower your risk. They may recommend genetic testing for cancer risk. They can also work with you to understand what cancer screening tests you need, when they should start, and how often you should be tested.
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If theres one car that can be considered as the king of reinvention, its the Hyundai Santa Fe. In the five generations its been around, e...
FARMERS suffered an extensive drop in their incomes last year, a state authority has revealed.

Teagasc, the Agriculture and Food Development Authority, said findings in its National Farm Survey 2023 confirmed a very difficult year for income levels across farms in 2023. Dairy and Tillage farms, in particular, experienced steep reductions in farm income, which was largely due to a sharp decline in milk and cereal prices, and lower production volumes, in a period of stubbornly high input prices, exacerbated by the bad weather.

Lowest average incomes

Drystock farms also experienced a notable decline in income, while all farm systems recorded their lowest average incomes in several years.

The decline in dairy and tillage farm incomes follows on from a year of record incomes in 2022, illustrating yet again the highly volatile nature of farm income in both of these farm systems in Ireland, according to Teagasc.

Cattle and sheep farms saw the value of output decrease, and with production costs remaining high, incomes on drystock farms in 2023 were notably lower than in 2022.

Collectively, lower prices and production volume had a substantial negative influence on the average farm income in Ireland.

85,000 farms in Ireland

The results published in the Teagasc National Farm Survey 2023 are representative of almost 85,000 farms in Ireland.

Internationally, there was a sharp downturn in dairy commodity prices last year, which in turn affected Irish farm milk prices.

In 2023, there were some challenging weather conditions in Ireland over the second half of the year, with high levels of rainfall having an adverse impact on tillage yields, grazing conditions and silage production. As a result, tillage yields were below normal and milk production fell, as cows were dried-off early in the face of low milk margins.

Across the key farm output categories here, milk and cereal prices performed worst. Milk prices were down 28% in 2023 compared with 2022, while cereal prices decreased by 30% to 35%. Finished cattle prices increased by 4% last year, by 7% for weanlings and 5% for store cattle. By contrast, lamb prices decreased by about 3%.

Production costs rising

Dairy system production costs, which rose by over 30% to their highest level in 2022, remained at that record level in 2023. While the dairy cow population continued to increase, milk output volume fell by 4% in the face of low profitability and challenging production conditions at the back end of last year. It resulted in an average dairy farm income of just under 49,500, a decrease of 69%, or in excess of 105,000, compared with the 2022 level.

Suckler beef production

In the cattle-rearing area, comprising farms that are mainly specialised in suckler beef production, the value of output increased by 6% in 2023, mainly due to higher cattle prices. Production costs on these farms increased by 11% on average, which was influenced by the difficult weather conditions in the second half of the year and consequent rise in feed costs.

The average value of support payments for cattle-rearing farms was up 10% on the 2022 level.

The introduction of the suckler carbon efficiency programme, national beef welfare scheme and the agri-climate rural environment scheme provides important support to incomes for farms in this system.

However, the average cattle-rearing income was just over 7,400 in 2023, down 15%, or close to 1,350, compared with the 2022 level.

The average sheep farm income was down 22%, at 12,600 in 2023, a decrease of almost 3,500 on the previous year.

Cereal farmers benefited from a range of support measures in 2023, leading to an increase in support payments of 9% on average. However, given the decline in output and the rise in production costs, the average tillage farm income was down 71%, taking the average income down to just 21,400, a decrease of over 52,000.

Taking account of the income developments across the various farm systems, the average family farm income in Ireland dropped by 57% in 2023 to just under 20,000. This decrease in the average farm income is strongly associated with the sharp decline in dairy and tillage farm incomes.

Collectively, these two sectors accounted for 53% of farm income in Ireland last year.
THE reintroduction of a national safety measure aims to protect farmers from serious or fatal injuries.

The National Farm Safety Measure 2024 will provide a financial contribution to participating farmers, covering 60% of the eligible cost of power take-off (PTO) shaft covers.

From 2014 to 2023, farm vehicles and machinery accounted for more than half of all fatalities on farms due to entanglement in such shafts.

Minister of state Martin Heydon said he was reopening the measure to help protect farmers and everyone involved in operating PTO-powered equipment from serious and fatal injuries.

The minister continued: This measure will support farmers in the purchase of new PTO shaft covers.

"Unsafe practices must be addressed and through this measure I am raising awareness of the risks posed by operating PTO-powered machinery that has defective or missing PTO shaft covers.
ALMOST 70 bikers roared out of the Circle K garage in Rathcrogue recently, when they took part in a run for a great cause.

Organisers Patrick Brennan and Megan Manning with Mick Clarke and Jayden Brennan

The bike run was organised by Patrick Brennan and Megan Manning in aid of a little three-year-old girl called India Kelly.

India is being treated for cancer since she was first diagnosed in December 2022 with a stage four neuroblastoma. The brave little toddler has been treated in Ireland with good results, but theres a chance that the cancer could return. Her parents Kate Kelly and Aonghus Smyth decided to look for more treatment for her in the world-famous Memorial Sloan Kettering Hospital in New York, where she is undergoing clinical trials. The treatment will cost in the region of 500,000, so various fundraising events have been set up.

Barbara Moore and Jason McCann

India is a niece of Sergeant Hud Kelly, who is stationed at Carlow Garda Station, so when Patrick and Megan saw an article about her in The Nationalist, they decided to organise an event.

The couple are members of a group of bikers called Bikes and Banter Carlow, which meets once a week on an informal basis at the Circle K garage in Rathcrogue and once a month on a Sunday. This is the second annual run the group has organised after they raised funds for another sick child last year.

Brian Walsh gets ready to set off!

The group used the ring roads around Carlow town to travel out to Castlecomer before returning back to Rathcrogue, where they had tea and refreshments in the Tinryland GAA clubhouse.

We see how people raise money for big charities, but we wanted to help someone by giving them the money directly. We were delighted with how it went, with close to 70 bikers taking part, including a group called The Outkasts, who came all the way from Newry. Weve raised more than 2,000 so were delighted with that, said Patrick.
A VOTE for Jennifer is a vote for Carlow. Thats the view of the chair of Carlow Fianna Fail, speaking at Thursday evenings general election selection convention in the Lord Bagenal Hotel, Leighlinbridge.

Members cast their votes before a welcome address by the partys Co Carlow chairman Hugh Conaghan, who said Fianna Fail is ready to go out and fight.

The gathering was the first since the local elections and the chairman took the opportunity to pay tribute to former cllr Arthur McDonald for the lifetime of service that he has given to the people of Carlow. He also acknowledged the work of former cllr John McDonald and extended congratulations to newly-elected cllr Daniel Pender.

About 130 of Carlows 220 party members were in attendance, including former TD MJ Nolan and entertainer Richie Kavanagh, a lifelong party supporter. It was a resounding yes for deputy Jennifer Murnane OConnor, with chair for the evening senator Fiona OLoughlin describing her as a terrific colleague. She also acknowledged and thanked local councillors for their work and commitment to the party and offered her thoughts to Arthur McDonald and John McDonald, saying she was genuinely sorry that both fine men didnt have the opportunity to carry on their work.

Senator OLoughlin outlined that three candidates were nominated  Keith McDonald, Jennifer Murnane OConnor and Fintan Phelan.

Cllr Phelan withdrew his nomination. He thanked members for nominating him, saying he was thrilled to have topped the poll in Carlow and that it was a huge honour to be elected mayor for a third term. He went on to say that Fianna Fail received 42.2% of the vote in Carlow in the local elections and local councillors had driven change in the county. He said Carlow is very fortunate to have a TD in Jennifer Murnane OConnor, who works night and day for the people of Carlow.

Speaking on his decision to accept the party nomination, Keith McDonald, son of former Bagenalstown councillor Arthur, said it wasnt my night. He paid tribute to his fathers 39 years in local politics, expressing his bitter disappointment. He added that when one door closes, another one opens, and I threw my hat in the ring tonight. I want to get that seat back for Bagenalstown.

The 34-year-old said he had been a party member all his life and offered his congratulations to deputy Murnane OConnor, telling her well all row in behind you.

Taking to the floor, a jubilant Jennifer first thanked Keith and Fintan, before also mentioning Arthur and John McDonald and paying tribute to newly-elected MEP Cynthia Ni Mhurchu, as a voice for the south.

Jennifer told those gathered that she had been honoured to have been elected to represent the people of Carlow over the last four-and-a-half years. With your support, I can repeat my success and go on to deliver on the initiatives I have worked on to date.

She referenced her role as Oireachtas ambassador for women, a new womens refuge for Carlow, her work with the Holy Angels and Kelvin Grove, SETU and Carlow College. Jennifer said politics had been her lifes work and pledged to continue to work hard and deliver. I know the needs of my constituents.

She thanked her team of great staff, working for the good of Carlow and acknowledged the help, support and sacrifices made by the families of public representatives.
Ellen O'Donoghue

The ISPCA is calling on the Government to abolish the issuing of hare coursing licences and to put an end to what it calls a cruel, outdated and barbaric practice, which is currently permitted to satisfy just a small minority of Irish people.

The ISPCA said they are strongly opposed to Irish hares being captured from their natural habitat, handled, transported, and kept in captivity until they are released to be chased by dogs, muzzled or not, before being returned to the wild if they survive.

It said it believes allowing the practice to continue is not in line with Irelands Animal Welfare Strategy published by the Department of Agriculture, Food and Marine (DAFM) in 2021.

The charitys chief executive, Dr Cyril Sullivan, said that Ireland remains one of three countries in all of Europe that continues to allow legal hare coursing and called it shameful.

It is well known that the capture and handling of wild animals causes distress, and inflicting unnecessary suffering on innocent Irish hares is totally unacceptable in modern society, he said.

During the 2023/24 season, over 3,000 hares were captured from the wild and subjected to being coursed. Over 100 of those were hit or tossed by dogs, more than 130 were pinned, and over 120 hares needed veterinary attention, with some dying or being euthanised because of injuries sustained, Dr Sullivan said.

Under the Wildlife Act 1976, the Irish hare is a protected species, making it illegal to hunt, kill, trap or sell them. There should be no hesitation in ending this appalling activity by putting a stop to issuing these licences. Ending hare coursing would be a progressive move and one that shows Ireland taking animal welfare seriously, he added.

The ISPCA said it is also concerned about illegal hare coursing. In 2016, the ISPCA and the National Parks and Wildlife Service (NPWS) signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) to work together on issues where wildlife offences and animal welfare offences overlap and to take a multi-agency approach to combatting such illegal activities.

The MOU is currently being reviewed with a view to strengthening the working relationship between the two agencies.

The ISPCA are asking for more funding for the NPWS to tackle illegal hunting rather than funding legal hare coursing.

They added that they feel hare coursing is not acceptable in a progressive Ireland in the 21st century and it is time the welfare of all animals was prioritised instead of an outdated practice.
Gordon Deegan

Music sales by Kylie, Ed Sheeran, Dua Lipa, and Coldplay last year contributed to pre-tax profits increasing by 62pc to 2.69m at the Irish arm of music giant, Warner Music.

New accounts filed by Warner Music Ireland Ltd show the revenues from music streaming and physical sales increased during the year.

Overall, revenues at the firm increased by 8pc from 14.92m to 16.14m in the 12 months to the end of September last.

The directors state that they believe that the company will continue to increase revenues.

Kylies 'Padam Padam' global hit was released in May of last year and spent eight weeks in the Irish Top 40 while Dua Lipas earning power was underlined by her UK-based Radical22 Live LLP generating revenues of 51.59m (61.22m) in the 12 months to the end of March 2023.

Revenues at Warner Music Ireland Ltd last year were made up of direct sales of 14.92m and royalty and licence fee income of 1.2m.

On the firms future developments, the directors state that the firm is embracing the spectrum of opportunities presented by digital technology to deepen the connection between fans and artists.

They state that creating and developing new business models to accelerate its business transformation remains a top strategic imperative .

The firm last year recorded a post-tax profit of 2.28m after incurring a corporation tax charge of 410,693.

The numbers employed remained at 12 last year, made up of five in promotion, advertising and publicity, four in selling and distribution and three in administration.

Staff costs last year dipped from 953,559 to 881,379.

Pay to directors increased from 305,170 to 344,374 made up of 310,307 in emoluments and 34,067 in pension contributions.

The firms cost of sales last year increased from 11.11m to 11.7m as distribution and promotion costs reduced from 726,297 to 674,486.

The firms administrative expenses reduced from 1.47m to 1.39m.

Other Irish artists signed up to Warner Music include The Corrs and Enya.

Shareholder funds at the firm totalled 9.5m at the end of September last.

The directors state that net sales, operating income and profitability, like those of other companies in the music business, are largely affected by the number and quality of music that the company releases, the release schedule and more importantly, the consumer demands for these releases.
By Rebecca Black, PA

The first public hearing in a long called for public inquiry into the Omagh bomb will start later.

The probe, led by chairman Lord Turnbull, is examining whether the atrocity could reasonably have been prevented by UK authorities.

Some 29 people, including a woman pregnant with twins, were killed in the dissident republican bomb attack which devastated the Co Tyrone town on August 15th, 1998.

Some of the bereaved families have called for decades for a public inquiry into alleged security failings.

Omagh bomb campaigner Michael Gallagher (Oliver McVeigh/PA)

Michael Gallagher, whose son Aiden was killed in the atrocity, said todays hearing will be the first time since 1998 that all of the bereaved families, including those caught up in the blast from Spain, will come together.

Survivors are also expected to gather at the Strule Arts Centre in Omagh for the hearing which will include opening remarks from the chair and counsel to the chair Paul Greaney KC.

Commemorative and personal statements are set to be made during inquiry hearings next January.

The Irish Government earlier this month formally agreed to provide assistance to the inquiry.
Anni OHerlihy and Ray Managh

A woman has pocketed just under 59,000 in nine cases of personal injury damages from various insurance companies without ever having had to go to court, an outraged judge has been told.

Judge Michael Walsh in the Circuit Civil Court threw out two claims by Anne Keenan, of Church Drive, Clarecastle, Ennis, Co Clare, and her friend, Catherine McCarthy, Shelly Drive, Cloughleigh, Ennis, which he described as fraudulent and outrageous.

The judge told barrister Robert OGeibheannaigh, counsel for a taxi driver and his insurer Allianz, which insisted on challenging the new 60,000 claims of both 66-year-old women, it was highly unlikely the accident they described had happened at all.

Mr OGeibheannaigh, who appeared with Newmans Solicitors for the Motor Insurers Bureau, taximan Stephen Dolan and Allianz, told the court Keenan had failed to declare nine previous accidents in which she picked up 59,000 in out-of-court settlements. McCarthy, he said, failed to disclose one previous accident.

Taxi driver Dolan, of Casino Park, Marino, Dublin 3, said the accident he was accused of had never taken place after both women swore he had been distracted by using his mobile phone and crashed into the back of a white van while taking them to Heuston Station in June 2016. Both complained they had injured their necks and shoulders and McCarthy claimed she had hurt her back.

Mr Dolan was adamant there was no collision or accident and said his phone was attached to the dash at all times during the journey, Judge Walsh said. I am satisfied neither woman was involved in an accident.

Judge Walsh said there had been a huge conflict of evidence in both cases and a failure by both women to disclose previous accidents.

I dont find them to be credible and I am satisfied it was highly unlikely that a collision occurred, he said.

He said he found both claims to be outrageous and could only conclude they were cases of fraud and gross exaggeration against an innocent taximan.

I have no hesitation in dismissing both claims and I will award one set of costs in favour of the defendants, he told Mr OGeibheannaigh.
Carthage Cement reports positive 1H24 results

ICR Newsroom By 30 July 2024

The Tunisia-based Carthage Cement accelerated its growth rate in the second quarter of this year compared to the first, said the company in a statement. This positive growth dynamic led to a turnover of TND212m (US$68.19m) as of 30 June 2024, up two per cent from the same period in 2023.

At the end of 1H24, Carthage Cements total revenue from cement operations reached TND196m, compared to TND190m on 30 June 2023, marking an increase of 3.5 per cent. This is the result of a 10 per cent increase in local turnover, despite a 30 per cent drop in export revenues, which was a result of the companys decision to suspend clinker exports. Therefore, the company was able to sustain a market share of 26 per cent in this difficult environment.

Carthage Cements aggregates business raised its revenue to TND11.6m as of 30 June 2024, showing a three per cent increase from TND11.227m in the same period of 2023.

The companys ready-mix operations saw a revenue decline of 36 per cent to TND4.6m in the 1H24, compared to TND7.2m for the 1H23.

Published under
Chinese tourists excited at Chinese-Croatian joint patrol in Zagreb

Xinhua) 10:47, July 30, 2024

ZAGREB, July 29 (Xinhua) -- For Chinese tourists in Zagreb, Croatia, meeting Chinese police officers patrolling in a European city thousands of kilometers away from Beijing is a delightful surprise.

Liu Hongyi, a Chinese tourist, said she was thrilled to see officers in Chinese uniforms and hear them speaking Chinese, which heightened her sense of security. "I feel very happy to meet police officers from the motherland in a foreign country doing the joint patrols. Just like meeting relatives," she added.

Zhang Yuan and Song Ruofang, from Guangdong Province in southern China, also expressed enthusiasm. Planning to visit the Plitvice Lakes National Park and Dubrovnik, they voiced their excitement when they learned that Chinese police are conducting joint patrols in top tourist areas in Croatia, including their destinations.

"We feel that our country will escort us throughout the journey in Croatia, making us feel very proud," they said.

Xu Yonggang and Jiang Lilin, a couple from China's Hong Kong Special Administrative Region, found the joint patrols reassuring, dispelling their concerns about the security in Europe. "Now we recommend our compatriots to visit Croatia as it is a very safe place," Xu said.

The Safe Tourist Destination project, launched by Croatia, invites police officers from other countries to patrol major tourist areas along with Croatian police officers. China joined the initiative in 2018.

Starting on July 22, eight Chinese officers will conduct a one-month joint patrol mission in Zagreb, Dubrovnik, Zadar, and Plitvice Lakes National Park to assist Chinese tourists, prevent crimes, and enhance police cooperation between the two nations.

Han Zhuoqi, captain of the China-Croatia Joint Patrol Team, emphasized the role of the patrols in improving cooperation and providing better security for Chinese tourists. He hopes the initiative will continue strengthening relations between Chinese and Croatian police.

"The joint patrols have greatly improved police cooperation between China and Croatia," Han added.

(Web editor: Zhang Kaiwei, Wu Chaolan)
An accurate timeline of last week's candidate forum:

In late May the Jack Allen campaign received an invitation from the Tellico Village Property Owners Association- Governmental Affairs Committee to attend a candidate forum. We accepted the invitation in mid June. On July 8 the Allen campaign received a digital flyer listing the date, time, location, and list of attendees. That list included the previously mentioned candidates (Congressman Fleischmann, Mr. Allen, Ms. George, and Dr. Howard-Hill).

We received permission from the organizers on July 11 to advise the press of the event. At no point from the time that we were notified of the attendees were we informed that the congressman would not be coming. In fact, we were only informed at 3:30 p.m. the day of the forum, after arriving at the venue, that he would not be there or sending a surrogate or representative.

Matt Adams

Campaign Manager

Jack Allen for Congress
The lines have fallen to me in pleasant places; indeed, my heritage is beautiful to me. (Psalm 16:6) This verse has both intrigued and fascinated me through the years. Extended family seems to be both a type of anchor and a hope for something beyond the horizon.My mothers family had a professional genealogist in it, one Penelope Johnson Allen. We grew up with an ingrained sense of family history going back generations. But she wasnt the only one. My grandfather, Harry M. Daugherty, Sr.traced his family to its Irish roots, the ODochartaigh clan. My brother, Stephen N. Daugherty, has continued the research and has driven to cemeteries around the southeast looking for clues of distant cousins.It is a bit of a surprise then that the whole notion of clans seem to be fading. When I grew up, every Sunday we ate lunch with one of the pairs of grandparents. Malone and Ozier Belle Everett lived in Chattanooga Valley in a big white house near the railroad tracks. The other grandparents, Harry and Rene Daugherty, lived in a beautiful house on seven acres on Lake Chickamauga.Cousins (eight) aunts and uncles (six) often joined us, as well as a very special woman, Great Aunt Thankful Everett. You always had a playmate. My Aunt Margaret was a bit of a scamp. Once on an Easter Egg hunt she buried the Golden Egg under a water spigot in the yard. My dad followed her lead years later, hiding eggs in walls and under heavy rocks.The same aunt, later, would take me and my two cousins, Ellen and Emily Tucker to Lake Winnepesaukah on Nickel Night on Tuesdays. I had another Aunt Marguerite Daugherty. When I would visit her son, my cousin Jerry Daugherty, on Lookout Mountain, we would spend time bouldering near Fairyland Club.My other cousins are Doug and David Everett. They lived in Woodmore then. I can remember spending the night and David introduced me to the most delightful Tom Swift adventure novels. Aunt Virginia gave us a shoe box full of firecrackers one Christmas. I thought my parents head would explode!Probably the most memorable relative was the elderly matron Great Aunt Thankful Everett. In my mind she always wore a blue suit and could be seen sipping a sherry that my Dad kept specially for her. I was really in awe of her. She played the organ and had for years at Thankful Episcopal Church in St. Elmo, where she had grown up. She had a lively career and lived in a hotel downtown on Georgia Avenue, The Key Hotel. She was a cultured lady, though she did love Harry Thornton and the characters who wrestled every Saturday afternoon on WDEF- TV. She was the lady who began to give me wonderful books when I was about nine years old; exciting histories of the Pony Express, Marco Pole, Captain Hook, General Pershing and Buffalo Bill and Teddy Roosevelt (I still have them).Every Christmas and Easter everyone would come together. It was great. Tables spread with ham, turkey, dressing, mash potatoes, sweet potato casserole, green beans andJell-o salad. Summers would have my dad making homemade peach ice cream, and all the families would come for a sweet taste. We would also roast marshmallows on straightened coat hangers every fall as my dad burned leaves in Brainerd.We had a ping-pong table on Wiley Avenue and my Uncle Emery Tucker would take on all comers. His slams were like missiles that no one could stop! Uncles would throw ball. Tag and Red Rover were ubiquitous.Extended family was so important then. Younger adults took care of the elderly. Aunts babysat and took you on adventures. Cousins were best friends. Reading J.D. Vances Hillbilly Elegy recently, I was reminded of the whole idea of a clan.All my aunts and uncles have passed away but the memory of the love they had and shared is alive. Love seems to be the sap of the family tree. May this not pass away. It is good, indeed very good, to have roots. May they continue to nourish yours and my family through every generation.* * *Doug Daugherty can be emailed at dedsr1952@gmail.com
Hamilton County Mayor Weston Wamp today announced the county has been awarded $245,000 from the Tennessee Department of Environment and Conservation to revive a 250-foot segment of Stringers Branch at Redding Road Park. This will enable substantial restoration efforts, transforming the compromised stream flowing through the heart of Red Bank into a public amenity for residents to enjoy.Hamilton Countys natural beauty is known throughout the South, but its our responsibility to be good stewards and protect our natural resources.This grant will enhance Redding Road Park into a community asset that we hope the Red Bank community will take great pride in, said Mayor Wamp. Our aggressive pursuit of grant dollars has once again paid dividends, enhancing a community asset in one of Tennessees most unique small cities.This Stream and Wetland Restoration Grant will enable the county to restore approximately 250 linear feet of concrete channel on Stringers Branch while adding approximately 50 feet to the stream. The restored stream will be placed into a conservation easement for permanent stream protection. Since the stream is entirely concrete with little to no resource value, the naturalization and habitat creation should result in water quality improvements.I am proud of my department for seeking and securing the funding to fast-track the revitalization of an underutilized park that has the potential to create a gathering space for the community, said Nathan Janeway, director of development services. I look forward to working with leadership in Red Bank to improve water quality in the natural environment.Tennessee is committed to preserving our natural beauty, and one of our key efforts is ensuring the cleanliness of the water flowing into the Tennessee River, said State Senator Bo Watson. I am thankful to TDEC for investing in Hamilton County enabling us to breathe new life into a community asset.The Hamilton County Board of Commissioners approved the application, acceptance and required match for this grant at their meeting Dec. 20, 2023. The grant requires a 20 percent match from Hamilton County.
I have seen firsthand the importance of strong, principled leadership in our community. For too long, we've been represented by Patsy Hazlewood, an incumbent whose voting record increasingly deviates from the conservative values she once claimed to champion. It is time for a change, and that change comes in the form of Michele Reneau.

Michele Reneau is the conservative choice we need to represent us in Nashville. Unlike Hazlewood, Reneau has consistently demonstrated a commitment to the core values that define our district: limited government, fiscal responsibility, personal liberty, and strong family values. Her candidacy offers a refreshing and much-needed alternative to the status quo.

One of the most concerning aspects of Hazlewood's tenure has been her voting record, which too often aligns with big-government policies and fails to uphold conservative principles. From supporting increased government spending to her lukewarm stance on defending our Second Amendment rights, Hazlewood has shown that she is out of touch with the priorities of her constituents.

Michele Reneau's platform is built on conservative principles. She understands that our government must live within its means and that every tax dollar taken from hardworking Tennesseans is a dollar that can't be used to support their families or grow their businesses. Reneau's pledge to cut wasteful spending is a promise to respect and protect our hard-earned money.

Michele Reneau recognizes the importance of strong family values. She supports policies that empower parents to make the best decisions for their children's education, rather than bowing to the demands of teachers' unions and bureaucratic overreach. Reneau's advocacy for local control over education ensures that our children receive the quality education they deserve. Parental choice is one of Micheles biggest priorities.

On a more personal note, I met Michele about two years ago through a local Republican Women's group. She has become a mentor, friend, and prayer partner in my life. Long before she decided to run for state representative, and before I became chapter chair for Moms for Liberty in March of 2023 she and I both knew where each other stood on the conservative issues that are in the forefront of every conservatives mind right now. I had to step down as chapter chair for health reasons in March 2024. Although I have not been involved in going to meetings for School Board, City Counsel, or County Commission, she has remained a true friend. She has dropped off homemade broth at my door when I could not eat anything. Every time we have talked she has prayed with me before letting me get off the phone. She is the kind of person I look for to be in my close circle. Michele is the kind of person I want representing our area. Her values are the same as mine, and inasmuch the same values of most conservatives I know in the city of Chattanooga.

Please give her a chance to represent us at the state level. I have trust in her to listen to the people she represents and vote accordingly. We, the voters, see that those who have been representing us, have not represented us well. It is time to let someone else represent us, and Michelle is the person to do that.

As we approach the election, the choice before us is clear. We can continue down the path of diluted conservative values, or we can embrace a candidate who truly represents our ideals and will fight for our interests. Michele Reneau is that candidate. She brings a fresh perspective, unwavering principles, and a passionate commitment to serving the people of District 27. Michele has my vote Aug. 1.

Tonya Dodd
A Nashville woman said her luggage was stolen from the baggage area at the Nashville Airport and wound up in Chattanooga with the items taken from it, Nashville TV station WSMV reported.

Shannon DeLao told the station that, when she could not find her luggage, she tracked the American Airlines tag to Chattanooga.

She said the airport showed her a photo of her luggage on the Nashville Airport baggage carousel.

However, she said a man took a shuttle to and from Nashville-Chattanooga using an assumed name, and he got her luggage.

The station said Chattanooga Police confirmed that the woman's bag was found in a Chattanooga parking lot.

It was torn up and nothing was left inside.

Ms. DeLao told WSMV she was advised by Nashville Airport police this is the second time this same person has stolen luggage from the airport in the last two months.

The Nashville Airport released this statement:

Our Department of Public Safety (DPS) works daily to execute our comprehensive security program. While the responsibility for checked baggage resides with individual airlines, Nashville International Airport (BNA) collaborates closely with its airline partners to ensure a secure travel experience for all its passengers. Additionally, BNA prioritizes passenger security with the presence of our DPS officers within baggage claim areas, throughout the terminal, and throughout all BNA property. We remain committed to providing a safe and enjoyable environment for today and generations to come.
Walker County will receive $20,000 from a federal grant program administered by the Historic Preservation Division of the Georgia Department of Community Affairs. The funds will be used to begin a phased resurvey of historic resources in Walker County.The first phase will take place in the southeastern portion of the county and catalog the correct age of buildings and other structures, such as bridges, fortifications, and monuments, in the survey area. The Walker County Historic Preservation Commission will provide volunteer assistance for review and research.Officials said, "Walker County is rich in Native American, African American, European American, Pioneer, Civil War, railroad, mining, textile and agricultural history.The county just marked the 190th anniversary of its formation last December."Walker County's proximity to the Chickamauga-Chattanooga National Military Park, Chattanooga and Lookout Mountain make it an ideal candidate for heritage tourism, said John Culpepper, chair, Walker County HPC. Completing a new survey will allow the county to regain its status as a Certified Local Government and become eligible to receive funding to restore historic local properties so visitors can experience the people, lifestyles, and traditions of the past.The last historic resources survey of unincorporated Walker County was completed in 2009. Researchers plan to use data from that 15-year old survey as a starting point, before beginning fieldwork later this year.A final report will be produced by early 2026 and the data will be compiled online on Georgia's Natural, Archaeological, and Historic Resources GIS system.This federal subgrant is a product of the 2024 Historic Preservation Fund, a federal program managed by the U.S. Department of the Interiors National Park Service.
Sean Patrick Cirillo has pleaded guilty to transmitting interstate threats to injure U.S. Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene.

Threatening to kill a public official is reprehensible, said U.S. Attorney Ryan K. Buchanan. Our office will not tolerate any form of violence, threats or intimidation against public officials. The prosecution of individuals who threaten the lives and welfare of public servants is a top priority for our office, as well as for our federal, state, and local law enforcement partners.

We will not normalize violent threats in America, whether targeting elected officials or average citizens, said Keri Farley, Special Agent in Charge of FBI Atlanta. Our democracy depends on the ability of members of Congress to do their jobs without fearing for their safety. We will continue to prosecute threats against public servants made in any form.

Authorities said on three occasions on Nov. 8, 2023, Cirillo called the Washington, D.C. office of Rep. Greene and spoke with her staffers. During the calls, Cirillo made multiple threats, including the following:



I got a bead on her. Like a sniper rifle. A sniper rifle. And Im gonna kill her next week. Im gonna murder her;

 Ill kill you too if you want; and

 Youre gonna die. Your family is gonna die.

Cirillo, 34, of Atlanta, pleaded guilty to one count of transmitting interstate threats. A sentencing date has not yet been scheduled.

This case is being investigated by the Federal Bureau of Investigation.

Assistant U.S. Attorneys Bret R. Hobson and Brent Alan Gray are prosecuting the case.
Sometimes, there are people you love so much that even after theyre gone, youll do anything you can to feel like theyre still part of your life.

If you love fascinating love stories that help you believe in everlasting love, youll really enjoy the one of Jonathan and Mary Reed.

Jonathan Reed was a merchant who lived in Brooklyn, New York, with his beloved wife, Mary, during the 19th century.

When Mary died in 1893, she was originally buried in a vault her father had owned. Jonathan would visit her grave every day and spend a lot of time there, but Marys father eventually prevented him from doing so.

So, when Marys father died, Jonathan had her body moved into a grand mausoleum located in Brooklyns famous Green-Wood cemetery and reserved a space beside her for his body when he passed.

This was not the average mausoleum you can find in any cemetery. Jonathan loved Mary so much and always wanted to be near her, even though she had passed. So, he converted the mausoleum into a tiny, cozy living space.

Inside the mausoleum were a stove, furniture, photographs, a clock, and some of Marys belongings. They even had a pet parrot that would be brought to the mausoleum with Jonathan. He even had a wood burner installed for the cold winters.

Every day, Jonathan would bring his meals and belongings to the mausoleum to greet his late wife and sit near her until the cemetery closed each day.

He would eat his food off their wedding china and read to Mary as if she were sitting right beside him until he had to leave. Even though the cemetery would close each night, hed return the next day.

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Supporters of Jair Bolsonaro hold a prayer vigil in support of the candidate after he was stabbed.

Presidential candidate Jair Bolsonaro was stabbed a month before the 2018 election. Polarization and Christian nationalism has only grown since then.

Suamy Beydoun / AP Images

On September 6, 2018, the eve of Brazils Independence Day, a crowd of people was carrying Jair Bolsonaro through the streets of Juiz de Fora when a man approached and stabbed the then-presidential candidate in the abdomen.

Bolsonaro was rushed to the hospital; the knife had damaged his small intestine and a nearby vein, causing heavy internal bleeding. The injuries kept him in the hospital for more than three weeks during the heat of the presidential campaign.

God acted and deflected the knife, said Bolsonaros son Flavio within hours of the event.

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Though Bolsonaro didnt exit the attack on his life with a fist pump and look of defiance, his recovery from the assassination attempt nevertheless energized his base and grew his supporters, including among significant numbers of evangelical Christians, who would propel him to the presidency a couple months later.

Just weeks before the attack, polls showed 26 percent of Brazilian evangelicals, which includes both mainstream Protestants as well as neo-Pentecostals, backing Bolsonaro. After the stabbing, that number rose to 36 percent. By the first round of elections on October 7, 48 percent of evangelicals voted for Bolsonaro, a number that increased to 69 percent during his winning November run-off.

Prior to the incident, Bolsonaro had not been shy in his attempts to court the evangelical vote. Journalist Ricardo Alexandre notes in his book E a Verdade Vos Libertara: Reflexoes Sobre Religiao, Politica e Bolsonarismo:

In August 2018, during an interview with GloboNews, the then-candidate declared, I am a Christian, and, suggesting the supernatural nature of his success, continued, Look at the popular support I am having. Isnt it unimaginable that this is happening? How did I achieve this? When I talk about Gods mission I think about the following: What will my motto be? What will my flag be? So I went to John 8:32: And you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free.

Up until the attack, evangelical support for the candidate had largely been expressed during campaign stops and ralliesthat is, outside the church. The separation of church and state is enshrined in the Brazilian constitution, and all forms of political advertising are banned from any place of common use, which includes churches. A churchs formal support of a candidate could result in a fine for the candidate and the religious leader, or possibly force a candidate to resign from a race.

In the aftermath of the violence, however, Bolsonaros name began being invoked fearlessly from the front of the church.

For the majority, the moment was about bringing a word of reconciliation between supporters of Bolsonaro and those who opposed him, said sociologist Igor Sabino, a specialist in international relations, who remembered hearing pastors teach on Scriptures relating to support of governmental authorities, such as Romans 13, 1 Timothy 2, and the Psalm 72.

The General Convention of the Assemblies of God in Brazil (CGDAB), the largest Pentecostal church in the country, organized a prayer campaign shortly after the assassination attempt, asking God to direct us to vote for men and women who are committed not only to the good and the future of the nation, but, above all, committed to God and his Word.

At Igreja Batista Atitude, the Rio de Janeiro church attended by Bolsonaros wife, Michelle, leaders paused to pray for the candidate during a conference that was being held on the same day as the stabbing, while those in the sanctuary knelt.

Silas Malafaia, who leads the Pentecostal megachurch Assembly of God Vitoria em Cristo, addressed the issue of elections during the evening service on September 6, citing Pauls words in 1 Timothy 2:12 that petitions, prayers, intercession and thanksgiving be made for all peoplefor kings and all those in authority.

As Bolsonaro recuperated in the hospital and made public appearances in the days that followed, many Christians praying for the injured candidate became more vocal about their support for him.

These werent just prayers for Bolsonaros health in a time of crisisan obligation for every Christian, said Paulo Won, pastor of Igreja Presbiteriana Metropolitana of Campinas. They were prayers for his victory. From the Pentecostal spectrum to the more traditional churches, the leadership itself established a very clear direction in favor of his candidacy.

Some of this manifested into action. Four days after the assassination attempt, a group of pastors that included Coalizao Pelo Evangelho (The Gospel Coalitions Brazil branch) published an open letter that appeared to reference Bolsonaros campaign talking points.

One item, for example, asked God to frustrate all attempts at fraud in the electoral system. (At that time, only Bolsonaros campaign was making allegations of fraud in electronic voting machines.) The document also recommended rejecting candidates with interventionist emphases in the family, educational, ecclesiastical, and artistic spheres, reflecting the claims that Bolsonaro and his allies held against the opposing party, Partido dos Trabalhadores.

The letter was widely republished on Reformed social media, church websites, and church bulletins.

On the same day of the attack, Malafaia, who is known for his political prophecies, declared in a video posted on his YouTube channel that the assassination attempt was actually a sign that Bolsonaro should be the next president of Brazil, echoing the words of Bolsonaros supporters outside of the church.

Street vendors sold T-shirts with Bolsonaros face and the words He bled for you, recalled Sabino. Brazilians shared memes of Jesus walking alongside Bolsonaro in the hospital and standing beside the surgeons who operated on him.

His survival brought elements of spiritual warfare to the campaign, as if there was evidence of a supernatural plan for him, that he would be Gods anointed one, said Sabino.

For Bolsonaros evangelical supporters, this plan was God raising up someone to save Brazil from the forces of a left-wing, atheistic government, said Victor Fontana, pastor of Comunidade da Vila, a Reformed church in Sao Paulo.

Those looking for a messianic throughline latched onto anything that appeared to give greater meaning to the attack. That was foolish, said Fontana in retrospect. [The attack] wasnt a moral act. He didnt choose to be stabbed.

The weeks between the attacks and the election became a union of Brazilian messianism with Christian nationalism, according to journalist Alexandre. Bolsonaro presented himself as someone that God sent, a carrier of truth and salvation to Brazil. And who will rise up against the Lords anointed? Voting against him, from this perspective, would have been the same as opposing Gods plans.

This mentality kept many Brazilian Christians from critically examining Bolsonaro as a candidate, including reflecting on his seeming endorsements of the military dictatorship that ruled Brazil from 1964 to 1985 and statements that many found misogynistic and prejudiced.

Instead, after he won the presidency in that 2018 election, evangelicals rarely criticized him during his term. Many joined in storming the Congresso Nacional, the Supremo Tribunal Federal, and the presidential palace on January 8 2023, appealing to the army for a military coup after Bolsonaro lost the previous year election and accused it of being stolen. A number of protesters carried Bibles, praying before they entered Congress and singing hymns while being arrested by federal police. At least four pastors were among those detained.

It seems that many evangelicals in Brazil do not fully understand how democracy works, with the natural alternation of power, said Won. Its as if democracy doesnt matter, and what counts is the permanence of Gods anointed one.

Six years after the stabbing incident, some pastors are now questioning what happened. We made the mistake of turning a blind eye to those who call themselves Christians but whose actions are far from Christ, said Ziel Machado, a Methodist pastor and vice-rector of Servo de Cristo Seminary in Sao Paulo.

Brazilian evangelical leaders and churchgoers could have defended democratic ideals in 2018 and in the years that followed, says Daniel Guanaes, who pastors Igreja Presbiteriana do Recreio in Rio de Janeiro. He believes that incidents such as the stabbing of Bolsonaro and the recent shooting against former US president Donald Trump present an opportunity for the church to take a stand against political violence, emphasizing how such acts are antithetical to Christianity and democracy.

Legally, they are crimes; theologically, they are sins, he said. But this was not the route the Brazilian church took. The stabbing became partisan. And we were wrong about it.

The church of Jesus Christ should not be confused with the evangelical movement in Brazil (or in the United States or in any other country), nor with the social movement studied by political scientists, says Alexandre, and conflating the two will have significant negative repercussions for the growth of the church.

This identification of the church with a political faction is the kiss of death for Brazilian evangelicalism, he said. This will become very clear in the religious affiliation statistics in the coming years.
Home News Catholic bishops oppose Scotland's proposed sex ed rules: 'Disappointed and confused'

Roman Catholic bishops in Scotland are criticizing the government for its new guidance on sex education, which they warn could threaten the ability of Catholic schools in the country to teach according to their faith.

According to a statement released earlier this month, the Bishop's Conference of Scotland is taking issue with the draft of new government guidance titled "Guidance on Relationships, Sexual Health, and Parenthood (RSHP) Education, which deleted reference to Catholic schools.

The deleted paragraphs noted the Scottish government's support for "the right of the Roman Catholic Church to give witness to its faith and to uphold the traditions of Catholic education," according to The National Catholic Register.

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The bishops claim the deletion will hamper the historic ability of Catholic schools in Scotland to steer their own curriculum in accordance with Church teachings.

The Bishops Conference of Scotland is both disappointed and confused at the decision by the Scottish Government to delete all reference to Catholic schools in its Guidance on the Delivery of Relationships, Sexual Health and Parenthood (RSHP) Education in Scottish Schools 1/3  BCoS (@BishopsScotland) November 8, 2023

The Bishops Conference of Scotland is both disappointed and confused at the decision by the Scottish government to delete all reference to Catholic schools in its 'Guidance on the Delivery of Relationships, Sexual Health, and Parenthood (RSHP) Education in Scottish Schools' document, the bishops said in their statement.

We strongly request the reinsertion of the paragraphs relating to denominational education from the previous iteration of the guidance, which would reflect both the legal protection for schools with a religious character and the previously supportive position of the Scottish government for Catholic schools.

Sources within the Scottish Catholic Church maintained that the guidance had been influenced by LBGT ideologues, according to The Herald Scotland.

"This would present a serious problem for our schools," a source within the church told the outlet. "Our teaching is rooted in traditional Catholic theology, which promotes loving relationships between men and women within the framework of the family."

"Of course, our schools have always informed pupils about same-sex attraction and the rights of non-binary people, but we will only endorse what has always been the Churchs teaching in this area," the source continued, adding that the "removal of any explicit reference to Catholic parents protected rights to have their children educated according to their faith, is deeply concerning."

A spokesperson for the Scottish government pushed back against the claims from the Church, telling The Herald Scotland that "the role of denominational schools is already recognized in the Relationships, Sexual Health and Parenthood (RSHP) guidance  Catholic schools in Scotland play a crucial and valued role in the education system."

The government spokesperson maintained that more than 30 stakeholders were consulted when drafting the guidance, including the Scottish Catholic Education Service. However, the church spokesperson reportedly said that any claim it had been consulted was "disingenuous."

A proper consultation is where the views of a participant or stakeholder are taken on board," the church source said. "Ours were willfully ignored. It is striking that the term Catholic School is not used within this document and the phrase denominational schools only once."

Parents at St. Ninians High School in Giffnock, East Renfrewshire, have circulated a bulletin calling on parents to petition the government regarding the guidance, according to The Catholic News Agency.

For many years now, the content of sex education in Catholic state schools has been determined by the Catholic Church," the bulletin said. "That system has worked well for our children. It teaches sex education within a Catholic moral context. Our children are not thereby exposed to the free-for-all, and more extreme and graphic content, that is available to children in nondenominational schools."

The bulletin claimed that the draft of the government's new guidance removes the right of the Catholic Church to determine the content of sex education in its schools, which it notes has been in place for more than a century.

The draft guidance also seeks to enforce the active promotion of an LGBT-inclusive education across the entire school curriculum (literacy, sciences, history, religious, and moral education, etc.) in order to determine the ethos of the school," the parents said.

The deadline to submit public feedback on the draft guidance is Thursday.

Rates of Christianity in Scotland have plummeted in recent years, with the Church of Scotland losing more than half of its members since 2000, according to a report released earlier this year. The average age of its attendees is 62.
Home News Church of Scotland wants religious freedom protected in conversion therapy ban

The Church of Scotland has expressed openness to a national ban on sexual orientation change efforts therapy, referred to by critics as conversion therapy, provided that such a ban can't be misused to prosecute the actions of churches and pastors.

The Scottish government is set to introduce a bill in Parliament aimed at banning the therapy for people with unwanted same-sex attractions.

A document prepared Monday on behalf of the national church's Public Life and Social Justice Programme at the request of the Scottish government outlined the denomination's stance.

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The document asked if the church supports the lawmakers' approach to "defining conversion practices which focuses on behaviour motivated by the intention to change or suppress a person's sexual orientation or gender identity?" In response, the denomination marked "don't know."

Church of Scotland leadership stated, "We take a broadly supportive position with regard to the proposals outlined in the consultation to tackle coercive practices aimed at changing or suppressing a person's identity."

However, the document stated that the church is "not in a position to offer unqualified support," noting that "there is a spectrum and diversity of views within the Church of Scotland on this issue."

One example of concern mentioned in the document was whenever a counselor would encourage someone with same-sex attraction to practice celibacy instead of attempting to change them.

"Whilst a prayer urging celibacy would come under the definition of suppression  there is an additional factor at play within a Christian context whereby celibacy outside of a traditional marriage is a commonly held practice, and for some an important manifestation of their faith," stated the document.

"It would be extremely helpful for the Church to have such examples considered in relation to the proposed legislation. This is not only for the sake of clarity but for our safeguarding services to design relevant guidelines to ensure expression of belief and fellowship within that belief does not become coercive."

The document commended the "high bar" set for proving guilt in the proposed legislation, believing that it "helps to assuage the fear that" the proposed ban will "curtail freedom of speech or independent thought."

"Our democratic society depends on  and legal history celebrates  the right to express controversial opinions; for there to be a diversity of free discussion; and for there not to be a 'state mandated' lines of acceptable speech and conduct, other than in the most extreme cases involving threats to life," continued the document.

Emma Jackson of the Public Life and Social Justice Programme said in a statement on Monday that the denomination's stance was inspired by extensive internal conversations and speaking to "survivors of conversion practices."

"We are all created in God's image, and we all have inherent dignity. We must do all we can in our public witness to respect and affirm this high principle," Jackson stated.

In January, the Scottish government announced a consultation on the question of banning conversion therapy, with the belief being that preexisting laws against conversion practices needed to be strengthened.

"Scots law already addresses a range of harmful behavior often associated with conversion practices, including situations involving physical violence or threatening conduct," stated Emma Roddick, minister for Equalities, Migration and Refugees, as quoted in the consultation document.

"There is, however, a significant gap in our law  which can allow forms of conversion practices to fall through the cracks.  From our knowledge of conversion practices through expert advice, data gathering, and analysis, it is clear that limiting legislative action to sexual orientation does not go far enough. Conversion practices relating to gender identity are equally damaging."

Danny Webster, director of advocacy at the Evangelical Alliance of Scotland, expressed concern that the new proposal might criminalize "churches or organizations for teaching biblical sexual ethics and pastoring people as they seek to live by them."

"There is a very real risk that parliament could vote in the coming weeks in support of a law which under the guise of banning abusive behaviour would criminalise the ordinary, everyday, activity of churches," wrote Webster in late February.

"There is no need for the activity to have caused injury or distress for it to be deemed illegal. There is no defence if it is an activity or support a person desires or chooses. There is no need for someone to have even engaged in any activity  in fact the provision of material, whether that's a book, an article or a video, which is judged to be encouraging someone to resist same-sex sexual activity, is likely to be enough for an offence to be committed."

Webster believes that "church discipleship, pastoral care and prayer ministry is under threat of prosecution when matters of same-sex sexual attraction or gender identity are at hand."

"Not only would these proposals severely limit the support available to Christians who seek support to live biblically faithful lives, or to anyone seeking to not engage in same-sex sexual activity, but they would also be a hammer blow to religious freedom in the UK," he continued.

"Please pray for our politicians over the coming weeks as they consider these proposals. Pray that MPs will understand the risk that poorly designed laws could severely restrict the work of churches and Christian ministries."

Scotland's Catholic Church has expressed concern.

While the Church supports legislation which protects people from physical and verbal abuse, a fundamental pillar of any free society is that the state recognizes and respects the right of religious bodies and organizations to be free to teach the fulness of their beliefs and to support, through prayer, counsel and other pastoral means, their members who wish to live in accordance with those beliefs, a Catholic Church representative told Crux.
Home News Church of the Nazarene expels theologian over LGBT advocacy

The Church of the Nazarene has decided to expel a theologian and author from the denomination due to his advocacy to affirm same-sex marriage.

The Rev. Thomas Jay Oord of Nampa, Idaho, was found guilty by a Church of the Nazarene court on Saturday for advancing teachings that go against the biblically-based stances of the denomination.

Specifically, the church court took issue with a book that Oord co-authored with his bisexual daughter titled Why the Church of the Nazarene Should Be Fully LGBTQ+ Affirming.

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Oord is guilty of conduct unbecoming a minister and of teaching doctrines out of harmony with the doctrinal statement of the Church of the Nazarene, read the decision, as quoted by the Roys Report.

Oord has shown absolutely no repentance or willingness to submit to the authority of the church  his behavior exhibits a pattern of disregard and disrespect for authority.

Samuel Powell, a retired theology professor at Point Loma Nazarene University and former dean of the School of Theology and Christian Ministry, told the Roys Report that his sentence was unprecedented.

Defrocking was not unexpected, but expelling him from membership is harsh and vindictive, Powell asserted. Were doing everything we can to keep people. There never has been an attempt to weed out members who dont believe everything.

For his part, Oord posted a copy of the ruling on his blog, explaining in the post that Im now considered a heretic who has been defrocked and excommunicated.

He also claimed that the summary of the trial proceedings and witness testimonies in this verdict is not accurate and that his witnesses were highly dissatisfied with how their testimonies are characterized here (and rightly so).

The one very accurate statement is that I am not repenting for loving queer people, Oord added in his blog post.

The Church of the Nazarene traces its origins to the 19th century Wesleyan Holiness Movement and is a member of the World Methodist Council. The denomination reports having more than 30,000 churches globally and approximately 2.6 million members.

Oord is not the first Church of the Nazarene figure in the United States to face punishment for advancing progressive views on LGBT issues within the Methodist denomination.

The Rev. Selden Dee Kelley III, senior pastor at San Diego First Church of the Nazarene in California, was found guilty last year of violating church teaching by a nine-member jury and lost his preaching credentials as a result.

Kelley had also contributed an essay to the Oords' book, Why the Church of the Nazarene Should Be Fully LGBTQ+ Affirming, which was released in April 2023.

Kelley has appealed the decision and reportedly has the support of his congregation, which voted to continue his salary during the appeals process.
Home News Televangelist Benny Hinns wife files for divorce, again

Now living in separate homes more than 60 miles apart, Suzanne Hinn, the wife of controversial prosperity preacher and televangelist Benny Hinn, filed for divorce from her estranged husband last Friday, court records show.

The filing in the Hillsborough County Court in Tampa, Florida, and first reported by the Trinity Foundation, shows the televangelist having an address in Palm Coast, Florida, while his wife listed a home in Longwood, Florida, valued at more than $1 million.

Matthew Wilson, Suzanne Hinns attorney, who works with Anton Garcia Law in Tampa, was not available for comment when his office was contacted by The Christian Post on Tuesday. It was unclear how long the couple have been living apart or why Suzanne Hinn has filed for divorce from the 71-year-old. This isnt her first time to split up with Hinn, however.

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In February 2010, Suzanne Hinn served her husband with divorce papers in California's Orange County Superior Court, citing irreconcilable differences after 30 years of marriage. They were first married on Aug. 4, 1979, and have four children together.

The summer of that year, the National Enquirer photographed Hinn leaving a hotel room with fellow televangelist Paula White, according to Charisma. Hinn would later reveal that he and White had a friendship which was over and not an affair, as alleged by the National Enquirer. The Enquirer report claimed that Hinn and White had spent three nights in a five-star hotel that the televangelist booked under an alias.

No immorality whatsoever. These people out there are making it sound like we had an affair. Thats a lie, Hinn told followers at a crusade in California.

Hinn said the Vatican had made him a Patron of the Arts, and he had taken White to Rome because he wanted her to become a donor to help maintain the Vaticans art collections.

I let her come with me to Rome so she can donate money, Hinn said. That was stupid on my part. And for that, I do ask forgiveness.

Hinn and his wife would eventually divorce, but in 2012, he announced their reconciliation. He also claimed that their divorce was triggered by Suzanne Hinns addiction to prescription drugs.

"Suzanne started taking certain prescription medications to help her cope with some of her personal struggles. She became dependent on those for nearly 15 years, and those medications made her behave erratically at times," Hinn wrote in a message on his ministry's website. "As her husband, I did not know the extent of her reliance on these medications, nor did I fully understand just how much harm they were causing to her, physically and emotionally.

The couple remarried in 2013 at the Holyland Experience in Orlando, Florida, before an audience of 1,000.

Hinn, who claimed to have renounced the prosperity gospel some five years ago, declaring that the Holy Ghost is just fed up with it, recently warned that the world is on a collision course with its darkest days ever, and only those who give money to the Lords work, particularly to his ministry, will be protected financially.

The prosperity gospel teaches, among other things, that believers have a right to the blessings of health and wealth, and they can obtain these blessings through positive confessions of faith and the "sowing of seeds" through the faithful payments of tithes and offerings. Many, like the Lausanne Movement, have said such teachings are "false and gravely distorting of the Bible" and "unethical and unChristlike."
Home News 1 in 7 Americans plan to move if their preferred presidential candidate loses: poll

A substantial share of Americans say they plan to move out of their state or even the country if the presidential candidate they oppose wins the election, according to a new poll.

A survey released last week by StorageUnits.com sampled the opinions of 1,968 Americans who plan to support either former President Donald Trump or Vice President Kamala Harris in the 2024 presidential election. The poll was conducted on July 22, the day after President Joe Biden ended his bid for the Democrat nomination for president and endorsed Harris.

Overall, 15% of respondents said they planned to leave their state and/or the U.S. if the candidate they oppose in the 2024 presidential election wins. Nineteen percent of Harris' supporters planned to relocate, as did 12% of Trump supporters.

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Of Harris voters considering moving, 62% are thinking about moving to a state and 74% to a country that better aligns with their political views, the survey found. Of Trump voters considering moving, 67% are thinking about moving to a state and 60% to a country that better aligns with their political views.

The most commonly cited concerns about a Trump presidency that would prompt Harris voters to relocate include increased social inequality (62%), a federal abortion ban (60%), the overturning of progressive rights (58%) and a lack of gun regulation (53%). Meanwhile, 62% of Trump voters thinking of relocating listed both the higher cost of living and taxes as their biggest concerns about a Harris presidency.

As for states that Harris voters would like to move to if Trump wins the election, 13% said they wanted to relocate to New Jersey followed by 8% who preferred California and 7% who expressed an interest in moving to New York. Meanwhile, 38% of Harris voters who plan on leaving the country if Trump wins the election would make Canada their new home followed by 16% who picked the United Kingdom and 7% who favored moving to Mexico.

Fifteen percent of Trump voters thinking of moving to a place that better reflects their values if Harris wins the election would choose Florida as their destination state. Thirteen percent said the same about California, while 9% would prefer to move to Texas.

The countries Trump voters see as destinations if Harris wins are the exact same ones chosen by Harris voters. Twenty-four percent of Trump voters who want to move would go to Canada if Harris wins, while 13% would pick the United Kingdom and 11% would select Mexico.

Commenting on the results of the survey, real estate expert James Heartquist asserted: The division within the United States has become increasingly pronounced in recent years. This polarization is evident in the way people are aligning themselves with political ideologies, often to the extent of considering relocation. The reasons for this division are multifaceted, including differing views on social issues, economic policies and governance styles.

This polarization is not just a political phenomenon but also a social one, affecting how communities interact and how individuals perceive their place within the country, he added. The stakes of the 2024 election are incredibly high. The outcome will shape the countrys direction on critical issues such as climate change, healthcare, immigration, and economic inequality. The polarization is so intense that some Americans are willing to uproot their lives to live in a place that aligns more closely with their political beliefs.

Heartquist also predicted that the real estate market is likely to be significantly impacted by this political migration, forecasting increased demand in certain areas and decreased demand in others that could end up driving up property prices in politically favorable regions.

He further maintained that policy changes proposed by presidential candidates can influence market sentiment by proposing changes in tax laws or housing regulations.

Even as Harris has replaced Biden as the Democrats presumptive nominee for president, polarization surrounding the major party candidates continues. Both candidates find themselves underwater when it comes to favorability ratings among the American public.

The RealClearPolitics average of polls measuring the candidates favorability ratings finds that 50.9% of Americans have an unfavorable view of Harris compared to 41.7% who have a favorable view of her, indicating a net disapproval rating of 9.2 percentage points.

Meanwhile, 43.8% of Americans view Trump favorably, while 52.5% have an unfavorable opinion of him. At 8.7 percentage points, Trumps net disapproval rating is slightly lower than Harris.

Both Trump and Harris have much higher favorability ratings than Biden, who has a net disapproval rating of 16.1% percentage points. Just 39.8% of Americans have a favorable opinion of Biden compared to 55.9% who have the opposite view of the president.

According to the RealClearPolitics average of polls taken over the past three weeks, 47.9% of Americans plan to back Trump in the election, while 46.2% prefer Harris, a difference of 1.7 percentage points.

In a five-way race featuring Trump and Harris as well as independent candidates Robert F. Kennedy Jr. and Cornel West and Green Party candidate Jill Stein, 44.5% of voters plan to back Trump, while 42.7% would back Harris. Kennedys support is measured at 5.8%, followed by Stein at 1.1% and West at 0.8%.

The RealClearPolitics No Toss Ups Map, which predicts the outcome of the 2024 presidential election based on polling averages at the state level, shows Trump winning 312 electoral votes to Harris 226. This makes the former president a slight favorite to win the White House.
Home News Franklin Graham says Christian nationalism is a coin the media came up with

Evangelist Franklin Graham, the son of legendary evangelist Billy Graham, said in a recent interview that the term "Christian nationalism" is often used by the media as a tactic to polarize and divide the country.

Graham, 72, who heads the Billy Graham Evangelistic Association and the Evangelical humanitarian organization Samaritan's Purse, discussed his views on the political landscape and Evangelical support for former President Donald Trump during a recent interview with the British newspaper Financial Times.

Addressing the media's role, Graham, a conservative Christian, expressed concern over what he sees as a loss of objective journalism in the U.S.

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"We don't have journalism anymore in America," he said. "It's about picking a topic and spinning things for the candidate that you support."

This criticism extends to the term "Christian nationalism," a buzzword that has gained popularity in recent years among progressives and is often broadly used to describe Christian conservatives even if they are not nationalists.

"'Christian nationalism'  that's a coin that the media has come up with. It is to divide our country; it's to polarise people," he said. "And then there's 'white supremacy.'  There are people that are bent on destroying our country."

"They are people that want to see a one-world system, a one-world government  that see the United States as hindering that," Graham added. "And there are people that don't want the American dollar to be the standard of currency in the world ... There are people in America, in Europe and Russia, who want this. ... And having an open border is part of it."

Mark Tooley, president of the Institute on Religion and Democracy, noted in an op-ed earlier this year that Christian nationalism differs from conventional Christian conservatism. Christian nationalists, he said, are often post-liberals that seek a form of Christianity that is officially recognized and supported by the state. Meanwhile, Christian conservatives are classical liberals who support the traditional American principle of complete religious freedom for everyone.

While both groups aspire to a "Christian America," Christian nationalists aim to achieve this through laws, whereas conservatives view it more as a demographic, historical and cultural characteristic of the nation, Tooley stated.

Graham attended the Republican National Convention in Milwaukee earlier this month. There, he prayed for Trump, mentioning the recent assassination attempt on the former president. Despite not officially endorsing Trump, Graham has described Trump as a crucial figure for Evangelical Christians.

Graham lauded Trump for appointing conservative justices who played a role in overturning the U.S. Supreme Court decision Roe vs. Wade and ruling abortion is not a constitutional right. The evangelist cited Trump's unprecedented appearance at the March for Life rally in 2018.

Graham expressed concerns about an encroachment on religious freedoms under the Joe Biden administration, which contrasted with what he believed were stronger protections under Trump.

The current political climate is a threat to the Christians in America, he suggested.

"We are losing that a little bit in this country. A little bit of our religious freedoms every year," he said. "I think they're under attack by people that would be secularist, people that don't believe in God ... and people that hate God. They don't believe God should have any say in daily life," he said.
Home News Tom Lane, ex-Gateway Church executive pastor, says he didnt know Cindy Clemishire was abused at 12

Tom Lane, a former executive pastor of Gateway Church in Southlake, Texas, who first responded to allegations from Cindy Clemishire, 54, that she was sexually abused by the megachurchs founder, Robert Morris, says he wasn't aware that the abuse began when she was 12.

In a statement released in June, shortly after she went public with her allegations against Morris that forced his abrupt resignation, Clemishire pointed to her communication with Lane in 2005 to bolster her claim that Gateway Church officials were aware that Morris had abused her as a child beginning when she was 12, and lasting for four-and-a-half years after that.

"The leadership at Gateway received actual notice of this crime in 2005 when I sent an email directly to Robert Morris' Gateway email address. Former Gateway elder, Tom Lane, received and responded to my email, acknowledging that the sexual abuse began on December 25, 1982, when I was 12 years old," Clemishire said in the statement released by her attorney Boz Tchividjian.

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"Again in 2007, my then attorney Gentner Drummond (the current Attorney General of Oklahoma) sent a letter to Robert Morris with the hope that he would help reimburse me for the thousands of dollars I had expended in counseling as a result of this abuse. His attorney acknowledged the dates as well and then attempted to blame me for the abuse," she insisted. "At the very least, both the Gateway pastor and at least one elder had specific notice that I was sexually abused beginning when I was 12 years old. Gateway had the information but intentionally decided to embrace the false narrative Robert Morris wanted to believe."

Richard Harmer, a spokesperson for Lane, told The Christian Post on Monday that the statement is a bit misleading, as at no time was it stated in any communication that Lane had with Clemishire that she was 12 when Morris began sexually abusing her.

The statement in question suggests that the phrase when I was 12 was included in the email Tom received from Robert Morris's assistant in 2005. While Tom knew the year and exact date, he had no reference to Cindys age in 2005, nor was he aware a crime was committed, Harmer explained to CP.

The way this has been written implies that when I was 12 years old was in the email, which is not accurate. Although this is how Cindys attorney wrote it, we feel strongly about clarifying the statement, Harmer added.

He said Lane is still being accused of knowing Clemishires age at the time the abuse started but she had cut him off before he could learn those details.

Tom did make an effort to connect with Cindy and perhaps if that happened, her age and the crime would have come up. Unfortunately, Cindy declined to engage further with Tom at that time, Harmer said. Tom is deeply distressed and feels terrible Cindy has endured this pain over the last 35 + years. He profoundly regrets not having more information back then.

Asked by CP to respond to Lanes clarification of her statement, Clemishire called it unacceptable.

Any excuse and putting the blame back on me is unacceptable as an elder and overseer of the church, she told CP in a statement. With the information Tom Lane had, he could have easily researched and found my age at the time the abuse started.

After Clemishire publicly alleged in June that Morris abused her as a preteen girl, Morris, 62, admitted to CP in an earlier statement that he had engaged in "inappropriate sexual behavior with a young lady" while he was a pastor at another church in his early 20s. But he did not name his accuser or disclose her age at the time.

In their initial response to the allegations against Morris, elders at Gateway Church told CP that they believed Morris was fully transparent about his past and that he had been biblically restored to ministry after allegedly stepping away for two years. He reported in his 2011 book, Dream to Destiny, that he returned to ministry just one month after the "Lord orchestrated the circumstances for me to step out of ministry." At the time, Morris admitted he was struggling with pride.

In announcing Morris resignation from Gateway Church on June 18, elders admitted they did not have all the facts when they first defended him from the allegations.

"Regretfully, prior to Friday, June 14, the elders did not have all the facts of the inappropriate relationship between Morris and the victim, including her age at the time and the length of the abuse. The elders' prior understanding was that Morris's extramarital relationship, which he had discussed many times throughout his ministry, was with 'a young lady' and not abuse of a 12-year-old child," the elders explained.

"Even though it occurred many years before Gateway was established, as leaders of the church, we regret that we did not have the information that we now have. We are heartbroken and appalled by what has come to light over the past few days, and we express our deep sympathy to the victim and her family," the elders added.

In the announcement of Morris' resignation, Gateway Church elders said they have retained the law firm of Haynes & Boone, LLP to "conduct an independent, thorough, and professional review of the report of past abuse to ensure we have a complete understanding of the events from 1982-1987."

Tra Willbanks, a longtime Gateway Church elder and father of seven, including six girls, said in an update to the church over the weekend that the investigation remained underway as they formally announced to the congregation that they had decided to mutually cut ties with Morris son, James, and his wife, Bridgette.

He also issued a second public apology to Clemishire for how the church first responded to her claims against Morris.

Cindy, in case you are watching, we want to again apologize to you on behalf of our entire church for the years of pain that you have endured. We are sorry for our initial communication which was clearly incorrect, you were a child not a young lady, Willbanks said.

Additionally, two weeks ago, Gateway released a statement saying that this was an inappropriate relationship. This statement was not correct either. To be clear we believe that this was sexual abuse of a child. Any description falling short of that does not reflect our position. I'm sorry that we got that communication wrong. We are in no way attempting to cover up or minimize this situation. In fact, I would like to say to you, Cindy, thank you for coming forward.
Home Opinion Kamala Harris and late-term abortion: A cold-blooded abomination

President Ronald Reagan said, "We cannot diminish the value of one category of human life, the unborn, without diminishing the value of all human life." And Alveda King said, "Abortion and racism are both symptoms of a fundamental human error. The error is thinking that when someone stands in the way of our wants, we can justify getting that person out of our lives. Abortion and racism stem from the same poisonous root, selfishness."

Jesus loves preborn babies and little children. Jesus said, "whoever welcomes a little child like this in my name welcomes me. But if anyone causes one of these little ones who believe in me to sin, it would be better for him to have a large millstone hung around his neck and to be drowned in the depths of the sea" (Matthew 18:5-6).

Visualize a 6-lbs. preborn baby girl who is within a week of being born. And then picture an abortionist viciously destroying the life of this defenseless child who was made in God's image. How could anyone who supports the barbaric practice of late-term abortion have the love of God in their heart?

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Let's face it. A vote for a candidate who supports late-term abortion is a vote for late-term abortion itself. I do not believe that a person who is forgiven of their sins would ever deliberately cast a vote for late-term abortion. If the Holy Spirit is living in you through faith in Jesus, you abhor late-term abortion. It is a brutal act of cowardly aggression against the most helpless among us, which is why Christians find it repulsive to vote in favor of such a heinous atrocity. And of course, many non-Christians are also appalled at the reprehensible practice of late-term abortion.

Newsweek published an op-ed last week that stated, "Vice President Harris has also refused to condemn late-term abortion. Progressives in the U.S. have advocated in the halls of Congress and in state capitols to allow late-term abortion up until the moment of birth ... nine U.S. states plus D.C currently have laws with no week restrictions  a standard more radical than most of liberal Europe and on par with countries such as China and North Korea."

And in an interview last week, Bill O'Reilly said that Kamala Harris is "the most radical abortion person this country has ever seen. She believes that you can abort an unborn child up until birth. That means five minutes before. There are only three countries, non-communist countries, in the world that allow that. Three, Canada, Holland, and Singapore."

Catholic News Agency recently reported that Kamala Harris "became the first sitting vice president to visit an abortion clinic in March" where "she praised abortionists and chastised pro-life lawmakers who voted to put limits on abortion." And Joshua Arnold noted that Harris has held more than 90 abortion events across 21 states over the past two years.

Late-term abortion, like terrorist attacks against women and children, is a cold-blooded abomination. How could anyone who supports such merciless slayings claim to know God? Christians loathe these savage assaults, and especially the painful and violent ambushes by abortionists against preborn children who are within just days of birth.

A presidential election in the United States typically involves two main candidates, both of whom have plenty of sins in their past. Christians follow their conscience when choosing to vote for either, or neither, of these two sinners. Some Christians are able in good conscience to vote for Donald Trump, while other Christians would have to violate their conscience to vote for Trump.

But when it comes to Kamala Harris, there is one issue that stands above all others, and it involves the most vulnerable among us. If Kamala Harris were to repent of her support for late-term abortion, she could then potentially choose to show compassion for all preborn children and accept her responsibility to protect babies in the womb.

Independent presidential candidate Robert R. Kennedy Jr. said he supports abortion "even if it's full term." Compare his dreadful position on this crucial issue to these wise words from Dr. James Dobson: "From conception to our final breath on this earth, all life is a sacred gift from Almighty God. It must be cherished in our hearts and protected through our actions, both in our capacity as individuals and also through our laws and policies as a nation."

David penned this profound passage of Scripture about the Lord as the Creator of life: "For you created my inmost being; you knit me together in my mother's womb. I praise you because I am fearfully and wonderfully made" (Psalm 139:13-14).

Every follower of Christ feels compelled to help protect people who are defenseless against ruthless invasions, and especially those precious children in the womb who are so close to entering the world.
An (eye) opening ceremony

Last night was the opening ceremony for the 2024 Olympics in Paris. It's fair to say that opinion was divided about how well the whole thing went. Personally, I enjoyed the athletes' parade in boats down the Seine; it made a nice change from the usual walk around a stadium. Celine Dion sang magnificently, especially given her health problems and the Minions were wonderful.

However, there was one tableau in the middle which I found rather strange, when a group including drag queens appeared to imitate Leonardo's Last Supper. It's hard to understand the motivation behind this piece. My suspicion is that the producers (those doing the mise en Seine  sorry) thought that it would be funny - after all the Minions had just mocked another Leonardo masterpiece. It probably occurred to them that some Christians might get offended by the show, but I suspect that in La France Laique they didn't worry about that.

So what did I think of it? Well, I found it offensive, I also found it childish. It seemed like a sixth form school play where the pupils were trying to get away with something offensive, but not sure how to really do it well. Hopefully, they'll grow out of it!

But hang about; take a look at this article from the Guardian. The report found an estimated 216,000 children were victims of sexual violence by French Catholic priests, deacons and other clergy from 1950 to 2020. When lay members of the Church, such as teachers and catechism supervisors, were included, the figure rose to at least 330,000 children sexually abused over 70 years.

Have you got that? A third of a million children abused by adults in the Church over 70 years. That is horrendous. While I retain my right to be offended, I can fully understand why people in France might see Christianity in a negative light. Frankly, if you are more bothered by a silly tableau in the opening ceremony than you are by the abuse of hundreds of thousands of children who are created in the image of god, then you are missing something significant.

Yes, we have a right to be offended, but we also need to stop and think about why some people might be so keen to offend us in the first place. Much of the Christian reaction that I've seen online seems to be more or less devoid of self-reflection or understanding.

OK, with that in mind, I still think it was a stupid thing for the organisers to do. France has a secular constitution, it has very little, if any, place for religion in public life. However, this ceremony was supposed to be welcoming people from across the world, people from countries where religion is extremely important. The parody, or mockery of Jesus is offensive to Christians and Muslims and that includes huge numbers of the athletes from countries outside of Europe.

Bienvenue en France? I don't think so.

Eddie Arthur is a missiologist and has spent many decades translating Scripture with Wycliffe Bible Translators. This post first appeared on his blog, KouyaNet, and is printed here with permission.
Bishop of Liverpool prays for comfort after shocking knife attack on children's dance class

The Bishop of Liverpool has spoken of his shock after a knifeman attacked a children's Taylor Swift-themed dance class in Southport, just north of the city.

Two children were killed and six children and two adults critically injured in the attack shortly before midday on Monday. The school holiday club had been fully booked with 25 children aged six to 11. A 17 year old is being questioned by police in connection with the attack.

Local churches have opened their doors for members of the community in need of a quiet space or someone to talk to.

The Bishop of Liverpool, John Perumbalath, said the tragedy had shocked the "quiet" community of Southport.

"Today, as we have more information about the horrific events in Southport our prayers are with the family and friends of the murdered children. May God comfort the bereaved and support them at this difficult time," he said.

"We also pray for those who remain critically injured in hospital asking God to surround them with love.

"This tragedy has shocked a quiet community and we pray for them. Churches across Southport are open for prayer and our clergy will continue to support those in need."

The Catholic Archbishop of Liverpool, Malcolm McMahon, said he was holding all those affected by the tragedy in his thoughts and prayers and asked people to pray "for peace, healing, and justice".

"For those who have been injured, for those who are parents, family, and friends of the injured, for all involved in the emergency services, we pray for God's blessing, God's peace, and God's presence today," he said.

Christ Church Southport, which is one of the many churches opening their doors to the local community, said it was "heartbroken" over the attack.

"Our hearts and prayers go out to all those who have been affected. For those fighting in hospital, for those whose world has fallen apart, for those who are afraid, for those who first responded, for those who know someone that was there, for our town," the church said in a message posted to its Facebook page.
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Todays hyper-competitive business landscape demands businesses to do more with less. These expectations are compounded by the advent of generative AI alongside the growth of software-as-a-solution (SaaS) platforms.

Armed with the promise to help organizations deliver new efficiency levels, SaaS platforms are often the preferred way for many businesses, and for good reason: theres no need to reinvent the wheel especially when there are already so many great options to choose from. Our CIO Tech Priorities 2024 survey found that the majority of respondents chose SaaS applications over in-house deployments for project management. Similarly, 52% used SaaS applications for human resources (HR) management, while half of those surveyed also preferred SaaS for business intelligence tools and customer relationship management.

While this spells good news for IT service providers, the myriad of tools in the marketplace has put a different type of pressure on CXOs, having to navigate the complexities of their business and implement the appropriate solutions. With every business being different, putting together the right mix of tools and apps is crucial to success. CXOs need to be prudent when selecting the right solutions to meet their specific business needs.

Understanding the global landscape: how organizations are tapping IT services to support workflow

From customer relationship management (CRM) to HR, organizations are always looking for ways to work more efficiently. The Freshworks Freshservice IT Service Management Benchmark Report (FBR), which surveyed more than 9,400 organizations across over 100 countries, found that organizations that automate business processes with workflows saw a 26.63% reduction in average resolution time (ART) and improved first contact resolution of employees by 77%.

The report also highlights how generative AI is transforming the self-service experience, driving ticket deflection rates of about 53%. By using generative AI to address the more commonly recurring issues, employees can spend their time on more business-critical tasks. The high ticket deflection rates also result in higher job satisfaction levels as quick and accurate resolutions inevitably improve user experience.

In terms of first response service level agreements (SLAs), the report found that chat and collaboration channels like Microsoft Teams and Slack tend to be most effective in offering solutions with minimal wait times, compared to phone calls and emails. Assignments take about six minutes on average and maintain 100% resolution.

To paint a clearer and more accurate picture of how the adoption of IT solutions impacts businesses, the report provides comprehensive benchmarking and insights broken down by region, country, industry, and even company size. It also delineated seven key performance indicators (KPIs) with detailed analysis across industries.

Curating IT services to meet industry demands

No two industries are alike, therefore service providers need to be familiar with and understand the landscape they operate in and their priorities. Partnering with the right platforms can help organizations achieve their fullest potential to drive growth, efficiency, and innovation.

For example, customer satisfaction is key to business success in construction and real estate; hence, prompt and efficient issue resolution is key. Meanwhile in the education sector, long wait times are often a challenge. To address this issue, operators may look into implementing a priority matrix to streamline ticket queue management.

Geography also plays an important role. Across the globe, different regions have different cultures which impact SLAs and customer satisfaction (CSAT) scores. In Canada and the USA for example, CSAT scores are high despite not being the quickest to resolve issues. On the other hand, speed is of the essence for countries like India and Brazil.

In this fast-evolving IT landscape, businesses must be clear on their priorities to avoid tool fatigue. Instead of trying out multiple tools and applications, narrow down the list based on some key priorities, then filter the best ones. Partnerships are important too, and choosing the right fit for a partner can be valuable.

By learning more about the different industries and business environments, organizations will have a better idea of the tools most suited to their business. Ultimately, it comes down to streamlining workflows for better efficiencies to create a more productive and, therefore, more profitable business environment.

Discover how the various IT services are helping businesses achieve true digital transformation by downloading FBR 2024 here.
Organizations are under pressure to demonstrate commitment to an actionable sustainability strategy to meet regulatory obligations and to build positive market sentiment. CIOs and IT leaders are uniquely positioned to contribute based on their ability to extract vendor commitments, prioritize socially relevant improvements, and lead data strategy as it informs AI and automation investments. We examine the opportunity to lead both risk mitigation and value creation by helping advance the enterprise sustainability strategy.

Stakeholder expectations are driving action

Investors and stakeholders are universally paying attention to sustainability-related risks and opportunities, and private companies are increasingly leaning into sustainability commitments. For example:

Walmarts management of supplier commitments helped meet defined targets six years ahead of its 2030 deadline.

management of supplier commitments helped meet defined targets six years ahead of its 2030 deadline. Starbucks has committed to redesign cafes to improve accessibility.

has committed to redesign cafes to improve accessibility. Verizon has allocated $1 billion in investment funding to support renewable energy.

Conversely, companies running afoul of sustainability principles are increasingly feeling the impact. For example, both Coca-Cola and Nestle have been discredited with charges of greenwashing based on misrepresentation of sustainable packaging strategies, with impacts on both reputation and stock price. Volkswagens share price took a double-digit drop after altering test results to hide egregious emissions data while actively promoting the low-emission and eco-friendly features of its vehicles.

Stakeholder expectations are driving focus. For example:

WSJ s survey of more than 2,000 U.S. business leaders found that 71% of respondents were committed to a net-zero target and a further 26% reported targets to be under development.

s survey of more than 2,000 U.S. business leaders found that 71% of respondents were committed to a net-zero target and a further 26% reported targets to be under development. IDC research indicates that nearly 30% of organizations worldwide have embedded sustainability into their business model and overall strategy.

indicates that nearly 30% of organizations worldwide have embedded sustainability into their business model and overall strategy. IDCs Worldwide Sustainability predictions suggest that in 2024 some 35% of organizations will generate sustainability benefits, using AI to generate sustainability-driven cost benefits and competitive advantages.

Sustainability maturity enables impact

Sustainability maturity is a progressive scale for turning awareness into action, formalizing commitments and activities, and collaborating to enable actionable thought leadership.

Competent Boards, 2024

Every organization can have an impact by starting with small, measurable commitments and moving along the maturity model for engagement and commitment.

Pick your lanes

An impactful and actionable sustainability strategy starts with a clear articulation of the lanes for investment, focusing resources on the specific ways to have impact. For example, McDonalds has gone beyond looking for gains through its core food business and is developing biodegradable synthetic fabrics to uniform more than 2 million team members worldwide.

Successful sustainability programs prioritize work based on five key factors:

Alignment with the business strategy: Ensure alignment between business strategy and operational imperatives; sustainability commitments and investments will fail otherwise.

Ensure alignment between business strategy and operational imperatives; sustainability commitments and investments will fail otherwise. Cross-industry and ecosystem dynamics: Look to leverage and amplify sustainability efforts via strategic partnerships and collaboration.

Look to leverage and amplify sustainability efforts via strategic partnerships and collaboration. Operational opportunities: Look at spending and major work components to identify the highest-impact areas for focus.

Look at spending and major work components to identify the highest-impact areas for focus. Data, analytics, and AI investment strategies: Leverage work already on the digital road map and then overlay initiatives for sustainability and social ethics.

Leverage work already on the digital road map and then overlay initiatives for sustainability and social ethics. Transitional strategies: Increase opportunities for success by prioritizing work that is culturally aligned with the values of the organization.

Identify specific efforts that will have a measured impact, and establish the governance, tracking, and reporting to ensure the efforts are successful.

Partner for success

IDC research indicates that industry ecosystems are increasingly teaming up to facilitate sustainability strategies, discuss challenges, and share best practices.

IDCs Future of Industry Ecosystems MaturityScape Benchmark Survey, 2023

Notwithstanding the power of collaboration, high-profile programs bring the risk that new partners will present themselves opportunistically. Choose the right allegiances by being intentional about:

Criteria for value: Be clear about the criteria for value including profile and relationship outcomes, anticipated level of effort to support the collaboration, and the risk dynamics in support of maturity development.

Be clear about the criteria for value including profile and relationship outcomes, anticipated level of effort to support the collaboration, and the risk dynamics in support of maturity development. Relationship clarity: Be specific about the opportunities including technical capabilities, the nature of the combined voice being created, and funding elements where partnerships often bring an infusion of resources.

Be specific about the opportunities including technical capabilities, the nature of the combined voice being created, and funding elements where partnerships often bring an infusion of resources. Plans for development: Identify the leaders who bring genuine authority to ensure alignment on joint outcomes and commitments.

Identify the leaders who bring genuine authority to ensure alignment on joint outcomes and commitments. Management for impact: Establish clear governance and well-defined performance measurements for the partnership.

Partnership experts suggest that 50% of business partnerships fail. Diligence and structure are critical for sustainability partner relationships.

Operationalize key maturity development initiatives

Operational approaches, objectives, and reportable targets give momentum to a sustainability strategy, by leveraging every opportunity for impact no matter how small. Build an operational framework that supports a balanced scorecard based on these four key strategic questions:

For financial success , how will the sustainability strategy be seen by stakeholders?

, how will the sustainability strategy be seen by stakeholders? For operational success , what processes and capabilities must we excel at to satisfy our stakeholders and customers?

, what processes and capabilities must we excel at to satisfy our stakeholders and customers? For customer success , what will customers perceive our vision to be?

, what will customers perceive our vision to be? For maturity development, what is our plan for continuous improvement?

Learn more about IDCs research for technology leaders.

International Data Corporation (IDC) is the premier global provider of market intelligence, advisory services, and events for the technology markets. IDC is a wholly owned subsidiary of International Data Group (IDG Inc.), the worlds leading tech media, data, and marketing services company. Recently voted Analyst Firm of the Year for the third consecutive time, IDCs Technology Leader Solutions provide you with expert guidance backed by our industry-leading research and advisory services, robust leadership and development programs, and best-in-class benchmarking and sourcing intelligence data from the industrys most experienced advisors. Contact us today to learn more.

Alizabeth Calder, an adjunct research advisor with IDCs IT Executive Programs (IEP), is the former CIO of HomeEquity Bank, a contributing writer to IT World Canada, and a best-selling author and sought-after keynote speaker. She focuses on bridging the gap between the technology sector and the leaders who provide the governance and investment needed to succeed. Prior to her current role, Alizabeth was CIO at firms including IBM, Loyalty Group (a Division of Alliance Data), and CML Healthcare. Her more than 35-year technology career includes transformational success in banking, financial services, transportation, logistics, healthcare, analytics, and professional services. Alizabeth is a recognized thought leader on digital oversight and board engagement, including strategies to close the value gap and deliver the right level of digital maturity to have a long-term impact. Alizabeth has also been an expert in cybersecurity since the 1980s, providing a unique bridge for directors and C-level executives on one of their most critical risk considerations.
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The Nuffield Foundation has appointed Gavin Kelly as its next chief executive, the grantmaker has announced.

Kelly will succeed Tim Gardam, who has led the foundation since 2016, and will take up the position in January 2025.

He is currently chief executive of the Resolution Trust, executive chair of the Resolution Foundation and chair of the Living Wage Commission, as well as a board member of the Orwell Foundation and Political Quarterly.

Between 2010 and 2015, Kelly was chief executive of the Resolution Foundation, and before this worked in Whitehall for more than 10 years.

He held roles including deputy chief of staff at No 10 Downing Street, a senior civil servant in the Department for Education and deputy director in the prime ministers strategy unit.

On his appointment, Kelly said: Ive long admired the role that the Nuffield Foundation plays in backing research and innovation that improves lives in so many different ways, so Im greatly honoured to be appointed as chief executive.

Throughout my career  both in government and in the wider research and policy community  Ive seen first-hand the power of evidence to transform policy and practice for the better.

Im excited about the role that the Nuffield Foundation can play in the years ahead supporting and pioneering work that will help the country address key social, economic, and technological challenges.

Im looking forward to getting started in January and working closely with trustees and the staff.

Nuffield Foundation chair Keith Burnett said: Im delighted that Gavin Kelly will take up the role of chief executive of the Nuffield Foundation in January next year.

Gavin has an outstanding track record of leadership in public policy and in government, and we feel confident he will be a tremendous asset to our work at a crucial moment of challenge and opportunity.

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The Charity Commission is considering whether to intervene after concerns were raised about four Muslim charities that allegedly hosted an extremist preacher on their premises.

According to campaigning organisation the National Secular Society (NSS) , the charities hosted Islamic scholar Ibtisam Elahi Zaheer during his visit to the UK earlier this month.

The NSS alleged that Zaheer has previously condoned the killing of people who leave Islam, said sexual slavery is acceptable, and claimed to have forgiven an accused paedophile.

It said that the Umm Ul Qura Foundation, AlHikmah Project, Makki Masjid and Markazi Jamiat Ahl-e-Hadith UK all hosted Zaheer during his July tour of the UK.

A spokesperson for the Commission said: We can confirm that we are assessing concerns raised with us about a number of charities in relation to claims of their association with an individual who is alleged to have made controversial statements.

We are examining the information shared with us to determine whether there is a role for the Commission as regulator.

NSS head of campaigns Megan Manson said: Its galling to see tax breaks handed to mosques that host fundamentalists with divisive agendas when this clearly serves no public benefit.

Outdated laws which regard the 'advancement of religion' as a charitable purpose must be reconsidered.

It should be obvious to all that charities shouldn't be used as a platform for harmful extremists.

The charities have yet to respond to a request for comment from Civil Society.

sign up to receive the free Civil Society daily news bulletin here . For more news, interviews, opinion and analysis about charities and the voluntary sector,
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The Treasury has confirmed its plans to end VAT exemptions for UK private schools from 1 January and remove the ability of those in England to claim charitable business rates relief.

Yesterday, the department published a technical note with details of its planned changes and opened a consultation , which will run for seven weeks until 15 September.

Charity Tax Group (CTG) chair Richard Bray said the proposed changes, which were pledged in the Labour Partys manifesto , were very significant and that his organisation would consider any unintended consequences that might arise as a result.

Former NCVO chief executive Stuart Etherington wrote earlier this year that the changes could result in some schools weakening the low level of charitable public benefit that they are required to provide.

Charity Finance Group previously warned that removing some tax benefits and retaining charitable status could create a two-tier system of charities and risk creating confusion amongst the public.

Labour said in its manifesto that it expected to raise 1.5bn from the tax changes to help fund state education including the recruitment of 6,500 more teachers.

Scope of VAT policy

The governments technical note reads: As of 1 January 2025, all education services and vocational training supplied by a private school, or a connected person, for a charge will be subject to VAT at the standard rate of 20%.

Boarding services closely related to such a supply will also be subject to VAT at 20%.

The intended policy will not affect nurseries and pupils placed in private schools whose special educational needs cannot be met in the state sector, it reads.

It will, however, affect the fees of private-school children from the first year of primary school upwards.

The government recognises that other goods and services closely related to education, such as school meals, transport, and books and stationery, are integral to children accessing education, the note reads.

As a result, other closely related goods and services other than boarding (ie goods and services that are provided by a private school for the direct use of their pupils and that are necessary for delivering the education to their pupils) will remain exempt from VAT.

The government said that although schools will have to state on their invoices that they are charging 20% VAT on their education and boarding fees, it does not expect fees to go up by 20%.

Rather, the government expects private schools to take steps to minimise fee increases, the note says.

After recovery of VAT on their costs, on average, the government expects schools to be liable for VAT amounting to around 15% of their fee income. It will be a commercial decision for individual schools how they fund this additional cost.

Removal of business rates relief

The government is also consulting on its plan to remove the business rates relief from which private schools currently benefit as charities.

Private schools that are charities will no longer be eligible to claim charitable rates relief and will be required to pay their full business rates liability, the note reads.

As business rates policy is devolved, this change will only apply to private schools in England.

The increased rates liability will vary from school to school; however, the government expects increased rates liabilities to have a limited impact on average school fees per pupil.

CTG looking to ensure no unintended consequences

Bray said the proposed changes were very significant.

The government has acted quickly to introduce its manifesto commitment to introduce VAT on private school fees and to remove charitable rates relief for private schools in England.

We welcome the opportunity to comment on the draft legislation although the window for doing so is over the holiday period.

We will be looking at what is proposed with the intention of ensuring that there are no unintended consequences arising from the proposed changes.

We will also be taking the government up on its offer to discuss the draft legislation with key stakeholders.

Meanwhile, Julie Robinson, chief executive of the Independent Schools Council, said: Thousands of children face having their education disrupted as a result of this unprecedented tax.

It will increase pressure on state schools and on an already-stretched SEND system, as well as on faith provision, on specialist arts education and on military families.

The draft legislation was published before consultation with independent schools.

We will be working over the coming months to engage the government on the consequences of this policy on schools, families and communities  it remains our belief that the best way to improve education for all is for schools to work together, not to tax education.
Dementia UK

This content has been supplied by a commercial partner.

At Dementia UK, we've worked hard to cultivate an environment where our employees feel proud and connected to our vision. With 95% of our team expressing pride in their work and understanding how their efforts contribute to our goals, we've created a culture of impact that I am immensely proud of.

Heres a look at how weve achieved this.

A clear and compelling vision

Everything we do at Dementia UK is driven by our vision of a world where no one faces dementia alone  where everyone gets the specialist support they need. We do this through our Admiral Nurses. This vision is not just a statement on our website; its a guiding principle that shapes everything we do. We make sure every team member understands the importance of their role in achieving this goal. Regular updates and communications from leadership reinforce this vision, making it an integral part of our workplace culture.

Empowering our employees

Empowerment is at the core of our approach. We strive to create an inclusive and collaborative environment where every voice is heard and valued. This means encouraging input from all levels of the organisation and fostering a sense of integrity, ownership and accountability. By involving employees in decision-making and strategy-setting processes, we ensure everyone feels a personal stake in our success and is motivated to contribute their best ideas and efforts.

For instance, we recently held a series of strategy workshops during our all-staff conference where all employees came together to brainstorm new initiatives. The energy and creativity in those sessions were palpable, and many of the ideas generated will contribute to the development of our 2025-2030 corporate strategy.

Commitment to learning and development

We believe in the power of continuous learning. To support our employees in their personal and professional growth, we offer comprehensive training programs that help them develop new skills and enhance their existing ones.

This commitment to development not only improves performance but also fosters an ambitious culture. Our staff know that we are invested in their future, and this mutual commitment strengthens the drive we all have to ensure we are there every step of the way for the families that need us.

Recognising and rewarding contributions

Recognition is a vital part of our culture. We have established a culture of acknowledging our employees contributions and saying thank you. We carry out formal pay reviews to ensure fair pair is felt. We are working on new initiatives to further recognise the contribution of our staff in ways that extend beyond performance metrics; we aim to celebrate those who embody our values of compassion, collaboration, integrity, and ambition.

Fostering collaboration

Collaboration is key to our success. We encourage teamwork and cross-departmental projects to solve complex problems and drive innovation. This collaborative spirit is supported by open communication channels and a work environment designed to facilitate interaction. By working together, without fear of blame or failure, we ensure that our employees feel safe to ambitiously aspire for more, always thinking of ways to enable us to meet our ambitious goals.

Prioritising inclusion and wellbeing

The wellbeing of our team is a top priority as is the feeling of belonging. We understand the demanding nature of our work, and we provide access to mental health resources, flexible working arrangements, and initiatives that promote a healthy and inclusive workplace. By addressing the holistic needs of our employees, we create a supportive environment where they can thrive both personally and professionally.

One initiative that stands out is our approach to making reasonable adjustments, where our stance is always how can we support you and make work accessible. This can do mentality has led to radical shifts in the technologies, approaches and flexibility we have been able to provide to new and existing staff. We passionately believe in everyones right to be their whole selves at work and to be supported to be the best they can be.

Leading with transparency

Transparency is crucial to building trust. Our leadership is committed to open and honest communication, fostering a sense of unity and shared purpose. Our employees know that they can trust each other and that they are part of a cohesive, purpose-driven organisation. We believe that all of us make up the whole of Dementia UK and we are all working together to achieve the same goal, regardless of seniority, everyone has a right to be treated with honesty and respect.

Closing thoughts

Creating a culture of impact at Dementia UK is a collaborative journey, where, even as we grow, we ambitiously aim to retain our strong and positive culture. By focusing on a clear vision, having clear values, empowering our team, investing in their development, recognising their contributions, fostering collaboration, prioritising inclusion and wellbeing, and leading with transparency, we have built an environment where our employees are proud to work and deeply connected to our goals.

The impact of our approach has enabled us to be increasingly successful in all areas of the charity, from having high-performing fundraising and engagement teams, highly effective people and infrastructure support teams, through to our wonderful services team, who deliver unparalleled support for people living with dementia and their loved ones.

I am incredibly proud of what we have achieved together, and I am excited for the future as we continue to support everyone that needs us. If other organisations can take away anything from our journey, its that investing in your people and fostering a supportive, inclusive culture can lead to remarkable outcomes.
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At the moment when a gunman tried to kill Donald Trump, Slovakian prime minister Robert Fico was just returning to work after an assassination attempt on May 15. He was hit by four bullets and suffered injuries to his abdomen and hip.

Fico is our prime minister for the fourth time. He has ruled Slovakia on and off since 2006. And like Trump he has long resented independent and critical journalists. He blames us for his failures and mistakes. He attacks us. He berates or ignores us.

In his thirteen years in power, he started to prefer media that do not criticize him and dont ask difficult questions, not to mention his own widely followed Facebook page. And when he became prime minister for the fourth time, last autumn, he further hardened his stance and declared some journalists and outlets to be hostileIm the editor of Dennik N, which is one of them.

So in a way, I am writing to you from eight weeks into your own future. I hope Slovakia holds some lessons for American journalists seeking to find the right ways to respond to their own analogue.



Shootings are not common in Slovakia, let alone political shootings. We all felt shock and dismay after Fico was shot. But his closest political allies immediately sought to assign blame. They landed on his political opposition, and journalists. There were calls to regulate reporters and circumscribe free speech.

But when it became clear that the prime minister had survived the attack, the mood changed. For a few weeks it seemed that reconciliation might be possible. Politicians from Ficos coalition, and from the opposition, talked about it. As did journalists.

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In our newsroom we wondered whether our language and harsh criticism of the government and the prime minister had contributed to the radicalization of a whole society, and thus to the shooting that followed.

The role of the independent media is to check power. To look critically at the decisions and statements of politicians who make decisions about the state and manage public money.

But I still wanted to examine our work from a new perspective. I went through my stories and those of my colleagues, and I was relieved to find that none of us had ever, even inadvertently, overtly incited violence or even attacked Fico or other politicians personally.

On July 5, almost eight weeks after he was shot, Fico returned to public life. He was not running for reelectionhe was a sitting prime minister. So we felt it was a real opportunity for him to attempt the much talked-about reconciliation.

He came back instead as an avenger. He blamed the opposition, the media, and big democratic countries, which he said do not like his even-handed approach to the war in Ukraine.

Fico runs the government already. All the institutions and security forces are run by him and his people. So, even weeks later, we do not know the details of the investigation. There has been no serious examination of the failures of the security, police, and intelligence services. And no reckoning with another awkward fact.

Six years ago, investigative journalist Jan Kuciak and his fiancee were murdered. I wrote it then and I am convinced of it today: Kuciak was killed because he was exposing fraud and thievery in the government. He was killed because Fico created a criminal system where connections and money, not the law, ruled.

Fico resigned in March 2018, three weeks after the murder. He had lost the support of the electorate. And the police began to bring hundreds of corruption and misuse-of-power cases.

Fico personally faced four allegations. The most serious was that he had misused the office of prime minister to benefit himself and his friends. Parliament declined to place him in custody, and the prosecutors office later dismissed those allegations. But more than a hundred of his allies were indicted, and dozens of them were convicted.

The effort to avoid jail rebooted Fico, and politically he was revived. But this time his campaign felt like it had more at stake. As though it were about life and death. He took Slovakian politics down a darker path. One focused on hatred, anger, and fear. He and his allies said that the war in Ukraine was provoked by NATO and especially America. He raised the notion that George Soros was wielding influence behind the scenes.

Fico did not want anyone to shoot at him, but he was certainly deliberately stirring up dark and conspiratorial emotions.

After his recovery, his government continues to attack journalists. It has directly abolished Slovakian public television and radio and created state television and radio in its place, under the direct control of the government.

On the day Trump was shot, Fico spoke out. He did not wish Trump a speedy recovery, nor did he talk about how violence does not belong in politics. Instead he used the opportunity to attack my publication, and a couple of others he considers hostile.



Other notable stories:

ICYMI: Back to the future in Slovakia

Matus Kostolny is the editor in chief and one of the founders of Dennik N (Daily N), a liberal independent daily in Slovakia financed by its subscribers.
British drugmaker GSK said on Monday it has agreed to confidentially settle a lawsuit in Illinois that alleged its discontinued heartburn drug Zantac caused cancer, the latest in a series of settlements to end costly litigation.

First approved in 1983, Zantac, sold at different times by GSK, Pfizer, Sanofiand Boehringer Ingelheim, became the worlds best-selling medicine in 1988 and one of the first to top $1 billion in annual sales.

Related: Industry Groups Back Drugmakers Appeal in Zantac Cancer Lawsuits

The companies together are facing thousands of petitions against them including more than 70,000 lawsuits in Delaware.

Lawsuits began piling up after the U.S. Food and Drug Administration in 2020 asked manufacturers to pull the drug off the market over concerns that ranitidine, an active ingredient in the drug, could degrade into a cancer-causing chemical over time or when exposed to heat.

Related: Delaware Judge Lets More Than 70,000 Zantac Lawsuits Go Forward

GSK did not admit any liability and said it would vigorously defend itself in any other Zantac cases.

(Reporting by Shabong and A in Bengaluru; Editing by Varun H K and Eileen Soreng)
CLEVELAND, Ohio  Three people were wounded when an apparent gun battle erupted Monday evening outside St. Malachi Parish in the Ohio City neighborhood, police say.

Police Chief Annie Todd said in a news conference recorded by WKYC Channel 3 that one of the wounded males was found near the Greater Cleveland Aquarium about a half-mile away from the shooting site. He was taken into custody by an off-duty officer and a handgun was recovered. The male is considered a person of interest in the shooting, Todd said.

A second wounded male arrived at Cleveland Clinic-Lutheran Hospital, which is just a few blocks away from the church, while a third wounded male was found near the scene. Its unclear if the other two wounded males were involved in the shooting or were just bystanders. None of the wounds are considered life-threatening, Todd said.

The church was not targeted in the gunfire, but Todd said police patrols would be increased in the area following the shooting in order to reassure residents and businesses nearby.

We dont feel anything that happened here today is related to the people who use this church as one of their neighborhood resources, Todd said. We want to give them that the reassurance that we are here and were going to make sure we keep our increased patrols to keep it as safe as we can.

The shooting occurred just before 6 p.m. in the area of West 25th Street and Washington Avenue. She said when officers arrived on the scene it was chaotic and that several people were running around, although no victims were located initially.

Police believe it was a shootout between at least two people, one on the street and another in a vehicle. Police say evidence shows that multiple weapons were involved, including a high-powered rifle.

Anytime theres a shooting, its very dangerous, Todd said. Were just grateful that no one was killed in this shooting. ...

Its going to cause a scare, this was in broad daylight. Its going to cause a scare in everyone.
COLUMBUS, Ohio  Gov. Mike DeWine on Wednesday will share his thoughts about a redistricting amendment that will appear on the November ballot.

But will he propose an alternative?
COLUMBUS, Ohio  The CEO of Ohio Right to Life, the states most influential anti-abortion organization, announced he is resigning after about two years.

Peter Range described the work as his dream job and characterized his departure as walking away, but when contacted on Tuesday, declined to share more details about why he has left.
The Alphabet logo is displayed on a smartphone screen with the Google logo in the background. Jaque Silva | Lightrocket | Getty Images

Britain's competition regulator on Tuesday said it is investigating to see if Google parent Alphabet's partnership with artificial intelligence startup Anthropic has resulted in reduced competition. The Competition and Markets Authority said that it is looking into whether a partnership between the two firms has led to a "relevant merger situation," and if that "may be expected to result in a substantial lessening of competition" in the U.K. The regulator has invited comments from interested parties before beginning a formal investigation. An Anthropic spokesperson told CNBC that the company will cooperate with the CMA and "provide them with the complete picture about Google's investment and our commercial collaboration." "We are an independent company and none of our strategic partnerships or investor relationships diminish the independence of our corporate governance or our freedom to partner with others," the spokesperson added.

The Anthropic spokesperson added that, unlike OpenAI, which previously gave Microsoft an observer seat on its board, neither Google nor Amazon has a seat or any observation rights over Anthropic's board. Microsoft recently dropped its seat as an observer on the board of the company. Anthropic added that its models are available non-exclusively on Google's Vertex AI platform, as well as Amazon's Bedrock, alongside models from other AI labs. Google also pushed back on competition concerns over its deal with Anthropic. A spokesperson for the company told CNBC that it's "committed to building the most open and innovative AI ecosystem in the world," and added that Anthropic is "free to use multiple cloud providers and does, and we don't demand exclusive tech rights." Google agreed to invest up to $2 billion in Anthropic back in October, in a move that involved a $500 million upfront cash injection and an additional $1.5 billion to be poured in over time. This was on top of prior investments Google had made in the company, which has reportedly given it around a 10% stake in the AI startup. Anthropic is the developer of Claude, a rival chatbot to OpenAI's ChatGPT.
(This is CNBC Pro's live coverage of Tuesday's analyst calls and Wall Street chatter. Please refresh every 20-30 minutes to view the latest posts.) A semiconductor stock and a streaming giant were among the names being talked about by analysts on Tuesday. Barclays upgraded ASML to overweight. Meanwhile, Oppenheimer said investors should by the dip on Netflix. Check out the latest calls and chatter below. All times ET. 8:01 a.m.: Whirlpool moved to underperform by Bank of America Struggling Whirlpool may still have further to fall before it finds a bottom, according to Bank of America. Analyst Rafe Jadrosich said in a note to clients that investors should consider selling the stock. "We move our rating to Underperform (from No Rating), given recent M & A speculation appears to have faded following Bosch's public comments that the company will be focused on closing its acquisition JCI's light commercial and residential HVAC assets over the next 12 months, which has allowed WHR to return to trading on fundamentals," the note said. The issue for Whirlpool is that it's fundamentals aren't trending in the right direction  the company lowered its full-year earnings guidance in June. That guidance may not have been enough, according Jadrosich. "We continue to see risk to guidance that implies stronger trends in 2H24 and model 2024E EPS 13% below consensus and below guidance," the note said. Bank of America set a price target of $88 per share, 11% downside from Monday's close. Shares of Whirlpool are already down 18% year to date.  Jesse Pound 7:24 a.m.: Bank of America upgrades LPL Financial to buy Things could be looking up for LPL Financial , according to Bank of America. Bank of America analyst Craig Siegenthaler upgraded shares of the financial firm to a buy rating from neutral. He cited the stock's "significant decline in valuation and deterioration in sentiment, while we now have greater transparency into cash sweep risks post calls and channel checks." "Cash sweep/sorting was the key driver behind our Neutral rating and we estimate LPLA's client cash allocations are now very close to a bottom," he added. With the stock's decline in valuation, LPL Financial now offers attractive earnings and revenue growth. Siegenthaler estimated that the stock could generate annualized earnings per share growth of 20% or more. Shares of LPPL Financial are down 5% on the year.  Lisa Kailai Han 7:15 a.m.: Bank of America downgrades Lattice Semiconductor Bank of America thinks shares of Lattice Semiconductor could face a reckoning. The bank downgraded the semiconductor manufacturer to underperform from neutral, citing "slowing growth prospects and muted visibility." Analyst Duksan Janh also slashed his price objective to $47 from $83. This updated forecast is approximately 14% below where shares closed on Monday. Lattice Semiconductor stock has declined 20% this year. Janh pointed out that not only has the firm's growth begun to slow, but its current multiples look "unsustainable." The company has also disappointed in its most recent earnings reports. LSCC YTD mountain LSCC year to date "We flag: no immediate catalyst given many auto/industrial semis already guided to CY25E recoveries; limited end demand visibility given LSCC's high disty exposure (~90%); rising competitive pressure from Intel/PSG; increasing Asia/China exposure over the last five quarters, a potential sign of buy-ahead; and high multiple," Janh wrote.  Lisa Kailai Han 7:10 a.m.: Bank of America upgrades Affirm to buy, sees 34% upside Bank of America sees a conducive macroeconomic environment ahead for Affirm . The bank upgraded shares of the buy now, pay later company to buy from neutral, citing increased profitability prospects as a catalyst. Shares of Affirm have plunged 45% in 2024, but analyst Jason Kupferberg's $36 price objective implies that the stock could rally 34% from here. Kupferberg believes that Affirm's "achievable" medium-term profitability framework could boost its stock. Furthermore, the company would also profit from impending rate cuts. "A lower interest rate environment would be beneficial to AFRM's funding costs and for gain on loan sales," the analyst said. Meanwhile, Affirm's fiscal fourth-quarter print  due out late August  could be a potential positive catalyst for the stock. "AFRM may communicate a more bullish message on profitability, while delivering F4Q upside and guiding F25 solidly in-line w/ Street," Kupferberg wrote. "New Apple relationship, further scaling of Affirm Card, and potential geographic expansion of existing large partnerships should all be supportive of F25/F26 forecasts."  Lisa Kailai Han 6:53 a.m.: Needham stands by buy rating on CrowdStrike post-IT outage CrowdStrike will ultimately survive despite its recent fiasco, according to Needham. Analyst Alex Henderson reiterated his buy rating for the cybersecurity firm but lowered his price target to $375 from $425. This new price forecast is approximately 45% above where shares closed on Monday. CrowdStrike has crashed 25% since a global IT outage on July 19 led to thousands of flight cancellations. The stock is now up just 1% on the year. However, Henderson thinks the damage to CrowdStrike's reputation should fade over the next year. "We consider CRWD the best in breed Security company and note that its handling of the problem has been uniformly lauded as open and exemplary," the analyst wrote. Henderson added that he is cutting his revenue and earnings estimates due to Delta seeking compensation and a likely one-time cash charge to CrowdStrike's balance sheet. But the analyst pointed out that while customers are angry, they remain committed to CrowdStrike's platform due to the "strength of its technology, architecture and strong management execution." "Crowd's cloud native, microservices based, API driven, single agent, single UI platform and superb data lake architecture is the root of our confidence in its ability to rebound," he added. "We believe CrowdStrike is going to be a major premier platform for Security. And we still believe CRWD shares should be a core holding for growth investors."  Lisa Kailai Han 6:37 a.m.: KBW double upgrades Aon to outperform from underperform There's a rosy outlook ahead for Aon , according to Keefe, Bruyette and Woods. The firm double upgraded shares of the professional services company to outperform from underperform and hiked its 12-month target price to $380 from $313. The new forecast implies upside of 19%. Analyst Meyer Shields cited a "very strong" second-quarter earnings report and conference call as a catalyst. Shares of Aon are up 10% this year. Despite rising 8% on Friday, Shields believes that the stock is still trading at a discount. "We attribute the discount to several recent quarters' weak organic revenue growth, as AON's Commercial Risk Solutions segment's organic growth rate consistently underperformed its peers'," the analyst wrote. Going forward, he's more bullish on Aon's "ramping productivity" that should boost both growth and margins in coming quarters. "We think AON is in the early stages of recovering organic revenue growth  and subsequent margin expansion  as recently recruited brokers ramp up their productivity, offsetting the initial expenses," the analyst wrote.  Lisa Kailai Han 6:31 a.m.: JPMorgan sees a more solid setup ahead for Coinbase JPMorgan believes that a recovering cryptocurrency backdrop should boost shares of Coinbase . The bank reiterated its neutral rating on the company, but raised its price target to $181 from $171. This now implies that shares of Coinbase could fall 23% from their Monday closing price of $234.20. Coinbase stock has rallied 35% in 2024. JPMorgan analyst Kenneth Worthington attributed a higher assumption for total crypto market cap as one reason for his price target raise. "We see the cryptoecosystem in the midst of a material participation rally, benefitting Coinbase revenue generation near term," the analyst wrote. "We see the longer-term success of Coinbase being driven by development, with our focus on tokenization and payments."  Lisa Kailai Han 5:55 a.m.: JPMorgan downgrades Novavax to underweight Waning demand for the Covid-19 vaccine could dent Novavax's momentum, according to JPMorgan. The bank downgraded shares of the biotechnology company to underweight from neutral. Analyst Eric Joseph's December 2025 price target of $8 implies a 51% decline ahead for the stock. Shares of the vaccine maker have soared 242% this year, in part due to the announcement of a strategic partnership with Sanofi around its Covid-19 vaccine program. NVAX YTD mountain NVAX in 2024 However, Joseph thinks investors have been vastly overestimating the potential Covid vaccine demand. Not only are vaccine doses in oversupply, but the demand is now only fractional to that of flu vaccines. "Notwithstanding the strengthened balance sheet and abated going concern status from the associated $500M upfront milestone, having further reviewed the implications from the agreement and the outlook for the COVID-19 and flu vaccine demand, we believe current levels substantially overvalue the potential Nuvaxovid economics / revenue to the company," the analyst wrote. "Anticipating little meaningful news flow from its proprietary pipeline with value accretive potential given its early stage, we expect NVAX share to underperform our broader coverage over the mid-term," he added.  Lisa Kailai Han 5:48 a.m.: Barclays upgrades ASML to overweight Chipmaker ASML's future looks bright, according to Barclays. The bank upgraded the stock to overweight neutral. Analyst Simon Coles also raised his price target to 1,150 euros from 930 euros. The new forecast represents approximately 43% upside from Monday's close. Shares of ASML are up 15% on the year but around 20% off their recent peak, "owing to China concerns, debate around the [return on investment] on AI investment and slight disappointment on 2025 expectations following 2Q24 as well as wider market dynamics," the analyst wrote. ASML YTD mountain ASML year to date "We do not think these debates are over, but we see the recent sell-off as an attractive opportunity to gain exposure to one of the highest quality names globally," he added. Going forward, Coles is more bullish on a solid setup heading into 2026. Factors including continued AI investment has led the analyst to forecast 2025 growing around 15% year over year. He also sees orders for ASML's dual-stage extreme ultraviolet lithography system improving, although the stock will not be completely immune from some near-term risk in China. "Whilst we expect negative news from China in the coming months to impact global semicap, ASML is a relative safe haven, in our view," he added.  Lisa Kailai Han 5:48 a.m.: Buy the dip on Netflix, Oppenheimer says Investors should use Neflix's recent pullback to load up on shares, according to Oppenheimer. Analyst Jason Helfstein reiterated his outperform rating on the stock. He also maintained his $725 price target, which implies upside of 15.6% from Monday's close. Netflix shares have dropped more than 7% this month, as investors move away from megacap tech winners in favor of smaller, beaten-down names. NFLX mountain 2024-06-28 NFLX in July Still, "we are bullish on NFLX shares ... as the company has the best long-term visibility within our coverage and deserves to trade at a premium valuation," said Helfstein in a note. "While NFLX has already won the streaming wars, eventual consolidation will drive more viewership to NFLX, with ~12% viewing share likely up for grabs from consolidation driving margin leverage." "NFLX's revenue drivers are very clear through 2026: 2H24 driven by continued subscriber tailwinds; FY25 benefits from price increases & FY26 from advertising monetization at scale," the analyst added.  Fred Imbert
Bella Hadid attends the "L'Amour Ouf" (Beating Hearts) Red Carpet at the 77th annual Cannes Film Festival at Palais des Festivals on May 23, 2024 in Cannes, France.

Model Bella Hadid issued a statement after starring in a controversial Adidas campaign that the sportswear company said had an "unintentional" connection to a bloody terrorist attack.

"I am shocked, I am upset, and I am disappointed in the lack of sensitivity that went into this campaign," the U.S.-born Hadid said in a statement shared on her Instagram story on Monday evening.

The ad campaign for Adidas' new retro sneakers, called the SL72s, was a nod to the 1972 Munich Olympics. Released earlier in July, the advertisement featured Hadid holding a bouquet of flowers while wearing the shoes, which originally debuted in 1972 for the Munich Games.

But that year's games are widely known for the dark tragedy that took place in Munich's Olympic Village: An attack committed by a Palestinian group called Black September, who killed two Israeli athletes on Sept. 5, 1972. Nine others who were taken hostage later died during a failed rescue attempt.

Backlash in response to the Adidas campaign was immediate, as were attacks directed against Hadid, who is half-Palestinian and has advocated for Palestinian rights and donated money to relief efforts in the Gaza Strip. Hadid said she was not aware of the connection to the historical events of the 1972 Munich Olympics, and that she would not have taken part in the campaign had she known.

"I would never knowingly engage with any art or work that is linked to a horrific tragedy of any kind," said the 27-year-old Hadid, who has also worked as the face of Dior.

"In advance of the campaign release, I had no knowledge of the historical connection to the atrocious events in 1972. ... Had I been made aware, from the bottom of my heart, I would never have participated."

"My team should have known," she added. "Adidas should have known and I should have done more research so that I too would have known and understood, and spoken up."
President Joe Biden, age 81, ended his 2024 reelection bid as concern for his vitality mounted within the Democratic Party.



"There are cognitive issues," said former Senator Bob Kerry, D-Neb., in a July interview with CNBC.

The issue of aging lawmakers in the U.S. extends well beyond the presidency. At the start of the 118th Congress, the average age in the Senate and the House of Representatives was 64 and 57, respectively, according to researchers at FiscalNote.



"The age of our politicians is kind of baked into the preferences of our voters," said Christian Fong, an assistant professor of political science at the University of Michigan. "They want somebody who is successful in a different job, first as a soldier, or as a businessman, or as a farmer. And then they want them to bring that experience and perspective to Washington."

National lawmakers in the U.S. are among the world's oldest, according to a 2022 Stanford University study. The median age of the U.S. population  38.9 in 2022  is older than it has ever been, according to the Population Reference Bureau. The age of the typical registered voter was 50 in 2019, up from 44 in 1996, according to a Pew Research study.

Older voters tend to favor Republican politicians, whereas younger generations typically have a preference for Democrats. That said, Democratic Party legislators are slightly older than their Republican counterparts on average.

"It doesn't have to be generational warfare or anything like that. But it does really, really matter for representation in terms of the quality of the legislation that's going to be coming out of Congress," said Charles Hunt, an assistant professor of political science at Boise State University.

President Biden's endorsement of Vice President Kamala Harris, age 59, led to a boom in Democratic Party donations. Earlier in July, former President Donald Trump, age 78, selected JD Vance, age 39, to be his running mate, a signal that a new generation of leaders could be moving up the ranks in Washington.



Watch the video above to learn how older politicians cling to power in Washington.
Packages move along a conveyor belt at an Amazon Fulfillment center on Cyber Monday in Robbinsville, New Jersey, on Nov. 28, 2022.

Federal regulators have determined that Amazon can be held responsible for defective goods sold by third-party merchants on its online marketplace, rejecting the company's position that it's merely an intermediary between consumers and sellers.

In a landmark order released Tuesday, the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission said the agency unanimously agreed Amazon "fits squarely" within the definition of a distributor of goods, "and therefore bears legal responsibility for their recall."

As part of the agency's decision, Amazon is required to develop a plan to notify purchasers and the public about the product hazards, as well as offer shoppers refunds or replacements for the affected products.

Amazon's marketplace, which hosts millions of third-party sellers, now accounts for approximately 60% of the company's e-commerce sales. While the marketplace has helped Amazon bring in record revenue, it has also proven to host counterfeit, unsafe and even expired goods. The company has previously said it invests hundreds of millions of dollars per year to ensure products sold are safe and compliant.

The decision addresses a thorny issue that's been debated for years. In numerous lawsuits, Amazon has maintained it just serves as the conduit between buyers and sellers on its marketplace and that it's not involved in the sourcing or distribution of products sold by third-party sellers, removing it from liability. That has been a successful defense for Amazon in the past, including in a 2018 case concerning the purchase of a faulty hoverboard that exploded and burned down an Amazon shopper's house in Tennessee. In other cases, federal courts and legislators have said the e-commerce giant should be held liable.

In 2021, the CPSC sued Amazon to force it to recall hundreds of thousands of products that it deemed hazardous. At issue were 418,818 goods sold through Amazon, including faulty carbon monoxide detectors, hairdryers without electrocution protection and children's sleepwear that posed a burn risk.

Amazon argued in its response to the agency complaint that it should be characterized as a third-party logistics provider, saying it only receives and transports the products sold through its site.

Still, Amazon removed all the products flagged by the CPSC and prohibited merchants from selling them on its marketplace. The company informed shoppers who purchased the items of "potential safety issues," told them to destroy the items and offered a credit.

The CPSC called these actions "inadequate," saying the company should've offered refunds to incentivize consumers to destroy or return the product.

In Tuesday's ruling, the agency said an administrative law judge dismissed Amazon's argument that it should be classified as a third-party logistics provider. The judge pointed to Amazon's Fulfilled by Amazon service, where sellers ship inventory into the company's warehouses, and those products are stored until they're purchased.

This program gives Amazon "far-reaching control" over the products sold on its platform, the judge said.

"Amazon cannot sidestep its obligations under the [Consumer Product Safety Act] simply because some portion of its extensive services involve logistics," the decision states. "Amazon must therefore comply with the CPSA to protect consumers from injury."

An Amazon spokesperson said in a statement that the company is "disappointed" by the CPSC's decision and plans to appeal. They added that Amazon stands behind the safety of every product in its store, regardless of whether it's sold by the company our a third-party seller.

If a product is recalled, Amazon removes them from its platform and informs shoppers of any product safety information, the spokesperson said. In 2021, the company updated its returns policy to allow shoppers to contact Amazon directly with any complaints of faulty goods, rather than communicating with the third-party merchant.
CrowdStrike shares closed down about 9.7% on Tuesday at their lowest level of the year following a report that Delta Air Lines hired prominent attorney David Boies to seek damages from the security software vendor.

CrowdStrike fell $25.16 to $233.65 on Tuesday. The company has now lost one-third of its value since July 19, when a historic outage of Microsoft systems, caused by a software update from CrowdStrike, knocked numerous industries offline, including airlines.

Late Monday, CNBC's Phil Lebeau reported that Delta hired Boies, chairman of Boies Schiller Flexner, to seek compensation from CrowdStrike and Microsoft . No suit has been filed, Lebeau reported, and Delta didn't respond to a request for comment.

Delta is handling over 176,000 refund or reimbursement requests after almost 7,000 flights were canceled. The outages cost the airline an estimated $350 million to $500 million.

The Department of Transportation said last week that it's investigating Delta due to the widespread flight disruptions and service failures.

Boies is known for representing the U.S. government in its landmark antitrust case against Microsoft and for helping win a decision that overturned California's ban on gay marriage. He also worked with Harvey Weinstein, the imprisoned former Hollywood mogul, and Theranos founder Elizabeth Holmes, who is currently serving a prison sentence for defrauding investors.
The United Arab Emirates is on track to be the world's top wealth magnet for the third year running, according to the Henley Private Wealth Migration Report.

At the same time, the U.K.  already the source of many of the UAE's expatriates  is projected to see its millionaire population drop by 17% by 2028, according to Swiss bank UBS.

High-net worth individuals are in many cases voting with their feet, seeking greener pastures  or in the case of tax-free expat hubs like Dubai, sandier beaches  as costs and taxes rise in their home country. The trend is likely to accelerate in the wake of the landslide election victory for the U.K.'s Labour Party in June, according to some financiers.

"There are push and pull factors for this trend of millionaires opting to relocate to Dubai," Karim Jetha, a longtime regional investor who relocated to the UAE from the U.K. during the pandemic, told CNBC.

"Push factors include the prospect of higher taxes under a new Labour government. For example, one of Labour's campaign pledges was to levy VAT on private school tuition, which would raise the cost by 20%," he said. "Pull factors include Dubai's perception of being extremely safe and visa reforms that encourage migration."

The UAE is set to see a record net inflow of 6,700 millionaires from around the world by the end of 2024, according to the Henley report, which was released in June. That's nearly double the second-ranked country on the list, the U.S., which is expected to welcome a net inflow of 3,800 millionaires in the same time frame.
The breakthrough Alzheimer's drug Leqembi slowed disease progression in patients over three years, demonstrating the need for them to stay on the treatment long term, according to new data released Tuesday by Japanese drugmaker Eisai.

The study results on Leqembi, which Eisai shares with Biogen , also found that a patient's Alzheimer's disease worsens after they stop treatment. Rates of adverse side effects associated with Leqembi, including brain bleeding and swelling, dropped after six months of treatment, Dr. Lynn Kramer, Eisai's chief clinical officer of deep human biology learning, told CNBC.

That decline is critical: Those side effects in the brain have raised concerns among some doctors and are the main reason a European drug regulator recommended against approving Leqembi last week.

The study is the longest available efficacy and safety data to date on Leqembi, which has had a bumpy rollout in the U.S. since winning regulatory approval last summer due to bottlenecks related to diagnostic test requirements and regular brain scans, among other issues. Eisai released 24-month data on Leqembi in November.

Eisai presented the findings on Tuesday at the Alzheimer's Association International Conference in Philadelphia, the world's largest meeting for dementia research. The results are a first glimpse at what Alzheimer's patients' future could look like on therapies such as Leqembi, which is currently taken twice a month through an infusion.

The drug is a monoclonal antibody that targets toxic plaques in the brain called amyloid, a hallmark of Alzheimer's, to slow the progression of the disease during its early stages. Leqembi also works by clearing protofibrils, the building blocks of amyloid plaque.

The data demonstrates the importance of early and sustained treatment for people living with the notoriously hard-to-treat brain disorder  even after a drug clears a patient's amyloid plaque.

"Continuing treatment is important if you would like to maintain cognition and functionality longer," Kramer said.

While Leqembi is not a cure, "if you start early enough, it can give you years of benefit," he said.

Kramer added that Eisai believes patients can eventually switch to a maintenance dose of Leqembi after roughly 18 to 24 months of treatment, which could be a less frequent or more convenient way to take the drug over a long period.

Eisai and Biogen are seeking regulatory approval for a once-monthly infusion of Leqembi, with a decision expected in January. The drugmakers also aim to bring to the market an injectable form of Leqembi that patients can take at home once a week.

"Those two things will change the paradigm, make it easier for the patient, make it easier for the whole medical system," Kramer said in an interview.

Nearly 7 million Americans have the condition, the fifth-leading cause of death for adults over 65, according to the Alzheimer's Association. By 2050, the number of Alzheimer's patients is projected to rise to almost 13 million in the U.S.
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An Airbus A321 flies at the Farnborough International Airshow, in Farnborough, Britain, July 22, 2024. Toby Melville | Reuters

FARNBOROUGH, England  Massive airplane orders, hundreds deep in recent years, were absent from this year's biggest air show. The focus instead was on struggles at Boeing and Airbus to ramp up airplane production while battling a hangover from the pandemic that was marked by seesawing output. Many of the issues, particularly training new workers, will take years to fix, analysts say, meaning lingering headaches for airlines, suppliers and the manufacturers themselves  and a shortage of new, more fuel-efficient planes. "It's a fair sentiment on the part of the supply base and the airlines to say that we failed our commitments to them in terms of being timely, in terms of predictability," said Ihssane Mounir, Boeing's senior vice president of global supply chain and fabrication, during a panel at the Farnborough Airshow outside of London last week. "So obviously, people start doing their own planning and their own second-guessing." A roadmap of the next few months of production is emerging this week. Airbus on Tuesday said its adjusted profit in the last quarter fell 56% from a year earlier, mainly because of charges in its space business. The European jetmaker had previously cut its aircraft delivery targets for the year as it isn't building planes as fast as it planned to. Boeing reports results before the market opens on Wednesday. Wall Street analysts expect the company to post another loss for the second quarter and possibly the next.

Modest orders

At the show, which concluded Friday, Boeing racked up 96 orders and commitments, including previously made sales that were firmed up, while Airbus had 266, far shy of the 826 orders during the Paris Air Show a year ago, according to a tally from consulting firm Ishka. Paris and Farnborough alternate hosting the expo each year. One standout was Korean Air's order for up to 50 Boeing wide-body planes, including the 777X, which Boeing is working toward getting certified by regulators. The carrier also has Airbus A350-1000 jets on order. As both manufacturers grapple with production strains, Korean Air CEO Walter Cho quipped during the Boeing order signing: "Whichever comes first will become our flagship, whoever's on time."

The muted order tally during the show came as both manufacturers are largely sold out of narrow-body jets like the Boeing 737 Max and Airbus A321neo through much of this decade, if not longer. Boeing has an overall backlog of close to 5,500 planes, while Airbus has more than 8,000 on order. Many airlines from United Airlines to Air India have also stocked up on new jet orders as travel rebounded in the pandemic. Boeing's presence at the air show was notably modest  it didn't bring any of its commercial aircraft for flight demonstrations while it focused on its safety crisis and manufacturing issues. Arlington, Virginia-based Boeing is trying to ramp up production of its bread-and-butter Max planes to about 38 a month, and investors will be looking for clues this week on when those targets could be reached. Airbus showed off its new extra-long-range, narrow-body plane, the Airbus A321XLR, which was certified by European regulators days before the show started.

Parts shortages

Visitors to the air show usually get a glimpse of fleets that will fly for decades, but most of the industry this year was focused on output over the next few months. Parts shortages from landing gear to engine components like high-pressure blades to ever-more-complex cabin interiors, like those with premium seating, are also in short supply. That has slowed down production, depriving airlines of more fuel-efficient planes and angering some executives along the way.

Ihssane Mounir, Senior Vice President Commercial Sales & Marketing at The Boeing Company with Peter Anderson, Chief Commercial Officer at AerCap attend the news conference at the Farnborough International Airshow, in Farnborough, Britain, July 19, 2022. Matthew Childs | Reuters

Airbus is taking a more hands-on approach "than we've ever done before," deploying more than 200 supply chain engineers among suppliers, said Christian Scherer, chief executive of the European manufacturer's commercial airplane business. "What we don't want to be seeing again in the future, whether we're in an uplift or in a slowdown of this industry, is a situation where the supply chain does not believe what we're telling them," Scherer told reporters ahead of the show. Airbus last month said it would cut its airplane delivery target for the year and said it would slow a planned production increase, citing "persistent specific supply chain issues mainly in engines, aerostructures and cabin equipment." Boeing, meanwhile, in addition to supply chain issues, is trying to dig its way out of a safety crisis stemming from a door plug blowout in January, and a series of manufacturing defects that have slowed output.

New workers, low wages in focus
Vice President Kamala Harris speaks to supporters in Atlanta, Georgia in her first visit to the city since accepting the candidacy. Tuesday, July 30, 2024.

Vice President Kamala Harris pledged to lower costs for consumers by cracking down on high consumer prices and hidden fees, taking up the crusade against "junk fees" that has animated President Joe Biden's economic platform.

"I will take on price gouging and bring down costs," Harris announced to a worked up crowd of more than 10,000 supporters in Atlanta on Tuesday evening.

Yet the event will be remembered for Harris' direct challenge to her Republican opponent, former President Donald Trump, to debate her.

"Donald, I do hope you'll reconsider, to meet me on the debate stage," Harris said directly into the camera during her speech. "Because, as the saying goes, if you've got something to say, say it to my face."

Trump has wavered on whether he will participate in a Sept. 10 debate hosted by ABC News that he had agreed to when Biden was the likely nominee. In an interview Monday night, Trump said "the answer's yes," before adding "But I can also make a case for not doing it."

With just 98 days until the election, the Harris campaign is on a turbo charged timeline to develop its own policy proposals.

Harris' economic pitch on Tuesday closely echoed Biden's, blaming big corporations for the stubbornly high cost of living that has darkened voters' economic outlooks for the past two years.

"We will take on corporate landlords and cap unfair rent increases," Harris said to the roaring Atlanta crowd. "We will take on big pharma to cap prescription drug costs for all Americans."

"We will ban more of those hidden fees and surprise late charges that banks and other companies use to pad their profits."

On a more granular level, it is still unclear what Harris' economic policy agenda would look like if she won the presidency.
Indonesia's future Presidential Palace in the future capital city of Nusantara, in Penajam Paser Utara, East Kalimantan, on July 11, 2024. The new city is scheduled to begin operating as the country's new political centre on Aug. 17, 2024 during Indonesia's 79th Independence Day.

Indonesian President Joko Widodo spent his first night in the eagle-shaped palace of the country's proposed new capital Nusantara ahead of official meetings on Monday, as the outgoing leader works to allay fears about the beleaguered infrastructure project.

Jokowi, as the president is known, has been rushing to complete as much of the new capital as possible before he steps down in October, despite Nusantara facing multiple construction delays, a lack of foreign investment, and managerial and land issues.

"This is a big job. It can take 10, 15, 20 years," Jokowi told reporters outside the new Garuda Palace on Monday, "This is not a job that takes one or two years."

The dramatic bird-shaped palace, comprised of 4,650 blades that make up the eagle's wings, is the centerpiece of the new capital.

On Monday, the president admitted he didn't sleep well on his first night, but said that water, electricity and the internet, which had delayed his initial planned move this month, were now available. He did not specify how long he planned to work there.

Carved out of jungle on the tropical island of Borneo, the $32 billion infrastructure project is located about 1,200 km (750 miles) from the current capital, Jakarta.
A JetBlue Airways jet comes in for a landing after flights earlier were grounded during an FAA system outage at Laguardia Airport in New York City, New York, U.S., January 11, 2023.

JetBlue Airways shares jumped 12% on Tuesday after the airline posted a surprise profit and said it would defer another $3 billion in aircraft spending through 2029 to improve cash flow.

The carrier posted a $25 million profit for the second quarter, down nearly 82% from last year. Wall Street analysts had expected a quarterly loss.

JetBlue hasn't posted an annual profit since before the pandemic. It has spent recent months cutting unprofitable routes and reducing costs to try to stop losing money as it faces higher expenses and an oversupplied domestic market.

JetBlue said Tuesday that it has halted 50 routes and is focusing more on service from New York, New England and Puerto Rico, where it has historically been strong. It also is trying to better deploy its planes outfitted with premium seats like its Mint aircraft to maximize revenue.

JetBlue says the changes will help it add $800 million to $900 million in pretax profit from 2025 through 2027.

It's deferring delivery of 44 Airbus A321neo aircraft until 2030 or later. The airline has also been impacted by a Pratt & Whitney engine recall.

"We have and are taking aggressive action on every front," CEO Joanna Geraghty said on an earnings call on Tuesday.
Meta's CEO Mark Zuckerberg attends the Senate Judiciary Committee hearing on online child sexual exploitation at the U.S. Capitol in Washington, U.S., January 31, 2024.

Meta agreed to pay a record $1.4 billion to settle a lawsuit by the state of Texas over the Facebook owner's unauthorized use of biometric data by users, Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton said Tuesday.

The suit, filed by Paxton in February 2022, accused Meta of capturing and using the biometric data of millions of Texas residents  which was contained in uploaded photos and videos on Facebook  without legally required permissions.

The attorney general's office said Facebook stored billions of biometric identifiers without customers' consent after introducing a new feature in 2011 called "Tag Suggestions."

"Unbeknownst to most Texans, for more than a decade Meta ran facial recognition software on virtually every face contained in the photographs uploaded to Facebook, capturing records of the facial geometry of the people depicted," Paxton's office said.

The office said that Meta did this despite knowing that Texas' Capture or Use of Biometric Identifier Act bars companies from capturing biometric identifiers of Texans without first informing them and obtaining their consent.

Meta in late 2021 said it was shutting down its Face Recognition system on Facebook, citing "growing concerns about the use of this technology as a whole."

The legal settlement with Meta, filed in Texas state district court in Harrison County, is the largest ever obtained as the result of an action by a single state, according to Paxton's office.

Meta will pay out the $1.4 billion to Texas over five years, the office said.

"This historic settlement demonstrates our commitment to standing up to the world's biggest technology companies and holding them accountable for breaking the law and violating Texans' privacy rights," Paxton said in a statement Tuesday on the Meta case.

"Any abuse of Texans' sensitive data will be met with the full force of the law," Paxton said.

A spokesperson for Meta told CNBC, "We are pleased to resolve this matter, and look forward to exploring future opportunities to deepen our business investments in Texas, including potentially developing data centers."
Perplexity AI on Tuesday debuted a revenue-sharing model for publishers after more than a month of plagiarism accusations. Media outlets and content platforms including Fortune, Time, Entrepreneur, The Texas Tribune, Der Spiegel and WordPress.com are the first to join the company's "Publishers Program."

The announcement follows an onslaught of controversy in June, when Forbes said it found a plagiarized version of its paywalled original reporting within Perplexity AI's Pages tool, with no reference to the media outlet besides a small "F" logo at the bottom of the page. Weeks later, Wired said it also found evidence of Perplexity plagiarizing Wired stories, and reported that an IP address "almost certainly linked to Perplexity and not listed in its public IP range" visited its parent company's websites more than 800 times in a three-month span.

The artificial intelligence startup, which specializes in AI-assisted search and aims to compete with Google , raised new funding in April at a valuation exceeding $1 billion  doubling its valuation from three months before.

Under the new partner program, any time a user asks a question and Perplexity generates advertising revenue from citing one of the publisher's articles in its answer, Perplexity will share a flat percentage of that revenue. That percentage counts on a per-article basis, Dmitry Shevelenko, Perplexity's chief business officer, told CNBC in an interview  meaning that if three articles from one publisher were used in one answer, the partner would receive "triple the revenue share."

Shevelenko confirmed that the flat rate is a double-digit percentage but declined to provide specifics.

Shevelenko told CNBC that more than a dozen publishers, including "major newspaper dailies and companies that own them," had reached out with interest less than two hours after the program debuted.

The company's goal, he said, is to have 30 publishers enrolled by the end of the year, and Perplexity is looking to partner with some of the publishers' ad sales teams so they can sell ads "against all Perplexity inventory."

"When Perplexity earns revenue from an interaction where a publisher's content is referenced, that publisher will also earn a share," Perplexity wrote in a blog post, adding that the company will offer publishers API credits and also work with ScalePost.ai to provide analytics to provide "deeper insights into how Perplexity cites their content."

Shevelenko told CNBC that Perplexity began engaging with publishers in January and solidified ideas for how its revenue-sharing program would work later in the first quarter of 2024. He said five Perplexity employees were dedicated to working on the program.

"Some of it grew out of conversations we were having with publishers about integrating Perplexity APIs and technology into their products," Shevelenko said.

Perplexity's new program comes amid an increasingly heated battle between AI startups and some media outlets and creators, as many publications aggressively try to protect their businesses in the age of AI-generated content.

In June, The Center for Investigative Reporting, the country's oldest nonprofit newsroom, sued OpenAI and lead backer Microsoft in federal court for alleged copyright infringement, following similar suits from publications including The New York Times, Chicago Tribune and the New York Daily News.

A group of prominent U.S. authors, including Jonathan Franzen, John Grisham, George R.R. Martin and Jodi Picoult, sued OpenAI last year, alleging copyright infringement in using their work to train ChatGPT.

But not all news organizations are gearing up for a fight, and some are instead joining forces with AI startups like OpenAI, Perplexity and others. OpenAI and Time magazine announced in June a "multiyear content deal" that will allow OpenAI to access current and archived articles from more than 100 years of Time's history. OpenAI announced a similar partnership in May with News Corp., allowing the company to access current and archived articles from The Wall Street Journal, MarketWatch, Barron's, the New York Post and other publications.
Washington Post Editor Karen Attiah leads a discussion on Saudi hacking techniques at the Oslo Freedom Forum 2019 on May 28, 2019 in Oslo, Norway.

The co-chair of the annual National Association of Black Journalists convention stepped down Tuesday in apparent reaction to that group's decision to have former President Donald Trump speak at its convention and career fair in Chicago on Wednesday, among other factors.

"To the journalists interviewing Trump, I wish them the best of luck," NABJ24 convention co-chair Karen Attiah wrote in a social media post announcing her decision to resign her position. "For everyone else, I'm looking forward to meeting and reconnecting with all of you in the Windy City."

"While my decision was influenced by a variety of factors, I was not involved or consulted with in any way with the decision to platform Trump in such a format," wrote Attiah, a columnist for The Washington Post who writes about international affairs, culture and human rights issues.

NABJ on Monday announced that the Republican presidential nominee Trump would "participate in a conversation with journalists" at the convention before attendees, sparking controversy among some members of the group.

The group said the event with Trump will be moderated by Rachel Scott, the senior congressional correspondent for ABC News, Fox News' Harris Faulkner, anchor of The Faulkner Focus and co-host of Outnumbered, and Semafor politics reporter Kadia Goba.

Attiah's announcement Tuesday came several hours before a source familiar with Vice President Kamala Harris's plans said that Harris, who is the de facto Democratic presidential nominee, would not attend the NABJ convention because of conflicts with her schedule.

The NABJ team rejected a request from Harris' team to to a "fireside chat" virtually at the convention, according to the person, who spoke with NBC News.

Harris's father is Black, and her mother was born in India. If elected president, she would be the first woman and the first South Asian person elected president.

Founded in 1975, NABJ is the largest association of journalists of color in the United States. Over the years it has hosted speakers who included then-presidents Barack Obama, George W. Bush and Bill Clinton, as well as former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton.

CNBC has requested comment from Attiah and from NABJ, as well as from a spokesman for Trump's presidential campaign about Attiah's resignation as co-chair of the convention.

NABJ President Ken Lemon, in a video tweeted out Tuesday, said the invitation to Trump by his group is "absolutely not an endorsement" of the Republican nominee.

"Every year, every presidential election, we invited the presidential candidates to come," Lemon said. "We invited both of them, we got a 'yes' from one of them, we'd love to get a 'yes' from Kamala."

"This is an opportunity for us to vet the candidates, on our ground," Lemon said.

Tia Mitchell, the Washington correspondent for The Atlanta Journal-Constitution, in her own post on X responded to the controversy over Trump's appearance, saying she helped arrange the event as a chair member of NABJ's political task force.

"I helped make this call. And it's in line with invitations NABJ has sent to every presidential candidate for decades," wrote Mitchell in that X post. "But continue to go off on your feed. I'll continue to work to create opportunities for journalists to interview the potential next President."

Mitchell's post was only visible to users who she had given access to.

April Ryan, the White House correspondent for The Grio who was NABJ's 2017 Journalist of the Year, blasted the invitation to Trump.

"The reports of attacks on Black women White House correspondents by the then president of the United States are not myth or conjecture, but fact," Ryan wrote in a post on X on Tuesday.

"To have a presumed orchestrated session with the former president is an affront to what this organization stands for and a slap in the face to the Black women journalists (NABJ journalists of the year) who had to protect themselves from the wrath of this Republican presidential nominee who is promoting an authoritarian agenda that plans to destroy this nation and her democracy with his Project 2025."

During his presidency, Trump was criticized for making racist remarks when he referred to Haiti and African nations as "s---hole countries" during a meeting with senators at the White House in 2018.

Trump's nephew Fred Trump III recounted hearing Donald Trump twice using the n-word, in his newly released memoir, after finding that his convertible had been slashed while parked. Trump's campaign said Fred Trump's claim was "total fake news of the highest order."
Here are Tuesday's biggest calls on Wall Street: Loop initiates BrightView as buy Loop said it is bullish on shares of the commercial landscaping company. "We are initiating coverage on BV with a Buy rating and $18 PT as we believe in the company's long-term margin expansion and unique self-help, return to profitable growth story." Evercore ISI reiterates Apple as outperform Evercore ISI said it is bullish ahead of Apple earnings later this week. " Apple looks well positioned to deliver a modest beat in the Jun-qtr and guide Sept-qtr inline to likely ahead of street expectations." Citi reiterates Nvidia as outperform Citi said it is sticking with its buy rating on the stock after attending a conference featuring Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang. The firm said it is bullish on Nvidia's Blackwell chip. "As such, we believe Blackwell roll out appears on track." Bank of America upgrades Affirm to buy from neutral Bank of America said shares of the fintech company could rally ahead of earnings in late August. "Given recent share price underperformance, we believe the F4Q print (late August) could be a positive catalyst." KBW upgrades Aon to outperform from underperform KBW upgraded the risk management and consulting company following earnings. "We upgrade AON's shares to Outperform from Underperform and raise our 12- month target price to $380 from $313 following its very strong 2Q24 earnings report and conference call." Barclays upgrades ASML to overweight from equal weight Barclays said investors should buy the dip in the semis company. "Whilst we think 2025 is looking increasingly closer to ASML's midpoint than upper end, we like ASML more for the 2026 opportunity." UBS reiterates Amazon as buy UBS said it is bullish heading into Amazon earnings on Thursday. "We increase our price target to $224 (from prior $217)." Oppenheimer reiterates Netflix as outperform Oppenheimer said investors should buy the dip in shares of the streaming giant. "We are bullish on NFLX shares following its 10% pullback since the 7/5 high as the company has the best long-term visibility within our coverage and deserves to trade at a premium valuation, in our view." Wells Fargo upgrades Sprouts to equal weight from underweight Wells Fargo upgraded the grocery store chain following earnings. "An impressive Q2 provides the best evidence yet of SFM's remarkable turnaround. Our skepticism has clearly proven to be wrong. The stock is not cheap and we see hurdles ahead, but SFM does seem to have reignited its growth story." Bank of America reiterates Roblox as buy Bank of America said it is standing by Roblox ahead of earnings on Aug. 1. "We expect 2Q to be a contentious print as investors look for evidence if the 1Q miss was just a blip due to search & discovery staleness." JPMorgan downgrades Frontier to underweight from neutral JPMorgan said it sees too many negative catalysts ahead for the airline. "We are growing increasingly uncomfortable with Frontier's dependence on sale leasebacks, the proceeds from which, in some instances, account for the entirety of Frontier's profit." JPMorgan downgrades Novavax to underweight from neutral JPMorgan said the biotech company is overvalued. "Coupled with the $6/sh YE25 cash forecast, but little in the way of a foreseeably value accretive proprietary pipeline, we are returning to an underweight rating of NVAX shares, establishing of Dec-25 PT of $8." RBC reiterates Tesla as outperform RBC said it is sticking with its outperform rating on shares of Tesla. "The bullish argument therefore is 2025 consensus might not be baking in any incremental gross profit despite forecasting 250k in incremental volumes." Deutsche Bank reiterates McDonald's as buy Deutsche Bank said it is standing by the fast-food giant following earnings. "We expect MCD to continue to be debated (though sentiment appears slightly more positive) with bulls viewing MCD as best positioned to win in a value environment, while bears are more skeptical given concerns on pricing, trade-off between traffic/check and a noisy competitive landscape." Bank of America upgrades LPL Financial to buy from neutral Bank of America said the financial services company has an "attractive valuation." "We upgrade LPL Financial (LPLA) to Buy following a significant decline in valuation and deterioration in sentiment, while we now have greater transparency into cash sweep risks post calls and channel checks." Bank of America reinstates Whirlpool as underperform Bank of America said it sees too many negative catalysts ahead for Whirlpool. "We continue to see risk to guidance that implies stronger trends in 2H24 and model 2024E EPS 13% below consensus and below guidance." Baird upgrades Varonis to outperform from neutral Baird said it is getting bullish on shares of the automated data security company. "We were warming to the name and as data security becomes a top-priority with GenAI adoption exposing risks, VRNS' execution and pipeline visibility position it well for growth-acceleration." Edward Jones downgrades Abbott Laboratories to hold from buy Edward Jones downgraded the stock due to litigation fears. "We are downgrading the shares of Abbott Labs to a Hold from a Buy and removing the shares from the Edward Jones Stock Focus List due to greater-than-expected litigation risk." Bank of America reiterates Goldman Sachs as buy Bank of America said top pick Goldman Sachs has "cyclical/secular tailwinds." "Stock offers among the best risk/reward in our coverage universe given the potential for positive EPS revisions, and for secular re-rating as the Street better appreciates the revenue/ROE resiliency." Morgan Stanley reiterates Bank of America, Citi, Goldman Sachs, JPMorgan and Wells Fargo as overweight The firm said it is sticking with its overweight rating on several big banks on Tuesday. "We have been pounding the table on the capital markets rebound theme, and 2Q continued to support this outlook with trading and investment banking revenues beat consensus across the majority of our coverage, including beats at BAC, C, GS, JPM , PNC and WF."
Seagrass on the beach frames an offshore gas rig at dusk on May 10, 2024, near Fort Morgan, AL.

U.S. crude oil futures on Tuesday fell to their lowest levels since early June as worries about China's economy overshadow a new round of escalation in the Middle East.

"Macroeconomic considerations keep shaping investors' sentiment and oil slid through technical supports like a hot knife through butter," Tamas Varga, analyst at oil broker PVM, wrote in a Tuesday note.

"Chinese economic turmoil, including sluggish growth and falling crude oil imports, is still a major driving force for our market," Varga said.

Here are Tuesday's closing energy prices:

In the Middle East, meanwhile, tensions have escalated between Israel and the Iran-backed militia Hezbollah, after a rocket fired from Lebanon killed 12 children in the Israeli-occupied Golan Heights.

Israel's military responded on Tuesday with an airstrike in a suburb of southern Beirut, targeting a commander they claim was responsible for the rocket attack.

Israeli officials told Reuters on Monday that Israel wants to hurt Hezbollah, but avoid all-out war.
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Feature: Chinese doctors provide medical care to South Sudan's ailing citizens

Xinhua) 10:53, July 30, 2024

JUBA, July 29 (Xinhua) -- The 11th batch of the Chinese medical team demonstrated immense courage last week by traversing the dirt road with many potholes to offer free medical services in Yapa center of Lobonok Town, located 38 km from Juba, the capital of South Sudan.

The two-day medical camp, which ended Saturday, benefited hundreds of patients who turned up with diverse ailments, such as malaria, diabetes, and joint pains.

Ladu Santos, a resident of neighboring Tombur center, said he had tested positive for malaria before the visit by the Chinese medics, but he could not find proper treatment because anti-malaria drugs had run out at the only primary health care center in Yapa center. "I am very happy that the Chinese medical team is visiting Lobonok. We lack many things, especially medical equipment," Santos told Xinhua during an interview.

In addition to providing free treatment to patients, the Chinese doctors also donated medical equipment, including medicines, food, and non-food items, to Lobonok Town Primary Health Care Center.

Christine Laurence Lado, who arrived in Lobonok Town to attend a funeral in Yapa center, said that upon learning of the presence of Chinese doctors, she rushed to the site of the medical camp to get treatment for allergic rhinitis. "We came here for the funeral, but we found doctors giving free treatment, and that is good for the people in this area. Old women are sick, and they cannot afford treatment. This place needs a hospital because the people are staying far away from Juba," Lado said.

Lado said she had sought medication from several doctors for her allergic rhinitis, but the condition persisted until she got treated by the Chinese medical team, stressing that she was amazed by the diverse specializations within the Chinese medical team.

James Ukung, who had been suffering from persistent joint and waist pain, was among elderly patients treated using traditional Chinese medicine (TCM). "I had a serious problem in my legs and part of my body, and that is why I was brought here. I was reeling in pain, but upon being treated by the traditional Chinese medicine doctors, the body pain has reduced," Ukung said.

Flora Keji Santo, a resident of Yapa center, said the visit by the Chinese medical team provided an opportunity for the sick to be treated, suggesting that the medical team should consider returning to Lobonok Town for another round of treatment.

Keji is among several patients who turned up with rheumatism disease, which affects joints, tendons, ligaments, bones, and muscles. "I have been suffering from rheumatism, and I also have back pain, but now I have got treatment, the pain has reduced," Keji said.

Isaac Loki, medical director of Lobonok Town Primary Health Care Center, said the health facility, which serves more than 15,000 people from neighboring villages, is understaffed and lacks adequate medical supplies and equipment.

Loki noted that the situation has worsened since June, when the government and donors announced the closing of the multi-million-dollar donor-funded health pooled fund.

"We are now six months without medical supplies at the moment; we lack tests, even basic malaria rapid diagnostic tests (RDTs) are no longer available, and (we have) no injectable medication like Artemether and metro infusion," Loki said. "The lifesaving medicine is over, so I am so grateful to the Chinese medical team for supporting us, and we hope that this should not be the end."

Metro infusion helps prevent infections after surgery and is also used to treat dental infections, leg ulcers, and pressure sores.

Chen Si, team leader of the 11th batch of the Chinese medical team, said they were fully prepared for this medical camp in Lobonok Town, adding that they offered treatment alongside donation of rice, maize flour, cooking oil, washing soap, and sugar to the local community.

"We traveled for three hours to Lobonok to conduct this medical camp, and we spent two days providing consultations and medical treatment to the people of Lobonok. I believe that with this medical camp, we have contributed toward the improvement of the health and well-being of the people of Lobonok," Chen said.

Over the years, Chinese medical teams have made significant contributions to South Sudan's healthcare landscape. Chen said his team, which arrived in South Sudan last September, is very proud of the numerous successful surgeries, disease treatments, and public health campaigns that have been undertaken, adding that these efforts have strengthened South Sudan's healthcare capacity and improved the quality of life for many families.

James Wani, director general of the Ministry of Health in Central Equatoria State, praised Chinese doctors for providing free health services to the local community. "The Chinese medical team came here not only to treat our patients but also to provide us with a better understanding of modern medicine through training sessions for our medical doctors and nurses," Wani said.

In addition to daily diagnosis and treatment services, the Chinese medical team has trained local medical students, provided technical support to South Sudanese medical personnel, traveled to different counties to carry out 21 voluntary medical consultations, and provided free diagnosis and treatment services to people in remote areas.

According to the Chinese Embassy in South Sudan, more than 60,000 local people have received medical treatment from the Chinese medical teams, and more than 1,000 surgeries of various kinds have been performed by them over the past 12 years.

(Web editor: Zhang Kaiwei, Wu Chaolan)
As far as end-of-life honors go, not much beats a monument. If your head ever ends up cast in bronze, its a pretty safe bet that you accomplished something important. People arent made to walk under the statue of some schmo before entering a building or a park, so if you want to be glinting in the sun long after your physical body has perished, you better start working on something big.

Of course, its not just humans that can have an effect on history. Shamefully, though, the monuments of the world are overly tilted toward the bipedal, which is unfortunate, because monuments of accomplished animals are absolutely delightful.

Don't Miss

To that end, here are five monuments to animals of the past that will brighten your day  outside of the whole theyre dead" thing, obviously.

5 Monument to the Laboratory Mouse zhaso This thoroughly adorable memorial stands in Novosibirsk, Russia, in front of the Institute of Cytology and Genetics. Its a tribute thats long overdue to the unimaginable number of little mice that have unknowingly given their lives in the pursuit of science. It seems like humans cant pull off even the most basic experiment without sending a couple of mice to the big cheese wheel in the sky, so the least we could do is give them a statue. Now, are mice able to appreciate or recognize the statue in any way? Thats an experiment Id like to see, even though wed probably still somehow manage to kill one.

4 Laika the Space Dog TripAdvisor Lets be clear, there are plenty of things that Russia shouldnt be applauded for. Making sure famous animals get cool statues, though, is one positive thing that theyre all over. This one commemorates Laika the Space Dog, who was sent into space in 1957. Unfortunately, the details of the story are less heartwarming than the monument. Laika was a stray dog that the Russians thought was cute enough to get a lot of media coverage, and they fired her into space where she almost immediately died. FWIW: Her corpse did orbit the earth over 2,000 times. Advertisement

3 Balto Jim.henderson Yes, that Balto, the one you probably watched a movie about as a kid. The heroic husky wasnt a dog invented whole or half-cloth to make money off adorable animated animals. Balto was a real sled dog that really traveled almost 700 miles in a blizzard with medicine to treat the residents of Nome, Alaska, who were laid up with a real humdinger of a diphtheria outbreak. Years later, he was rewarded for his efforts with a statue in New York City's Central Park. Also, by being voiced by Kevin Bacon, which aint half bad either. Advertisement

2 Secretariat Advertisement Jlvsclrk Sometimes, an animal can earn not one, but multiple statues across the country just for being among the best versions of that animal ever. Such is the case with famous racehorse Secretariat, who was asked for nothing more than to be really, really fast, and provided. Hes one of only 13 horses ever to win the Triple Crown, and earned himself monuments aplenty (including the one above at Belmont Park on Long Island), a movie and a Wikipedia page with a length that would make most humans jealous.
For a long time, the world of Star Trek simply wasnt that funny. Sure, there were the occasional moments of humor; the Enterprise becoming overrun with furry alien balls, Checkov asking about Nuclear Wessels, Dr. Crusher being brought to climax by the green Irish cloud monster that used to date her grandmother.

But then came Star Trek: Lower Decks, from Rick and Morty producer Mike McMahan, which, somewhat unusually, poked fun at Star Trek from within the Star Trek franchise itself.

Clearly the pivot to comedy was a successful one, because now the Star Trek franchise is apparently going to give us a straight-up sitcom.

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During the weekends Star Trek Universe panel at San Diego Comic-Con, it was announced that Justin Simien, of Dear White People fame, and comedian Tawny Newsome, who voices Lower Decks Ensign Mariner, are currently developing a new live-action Star Trek series for Paramount+. Tawny and I are pregnant with a Star Trek show, Simien told the crowd.

According to the studio, the show will be about Federation outsiders who are serving on a gleaming resort planet. Not only that, their day-to-day exploits are being broadcast to the entire quadrant. So its a workplace comedy, and its basically the sci-fi equivalent of a mockumentary. Sources told The Hollywood Reporter that its going to have similar tones to The Office and Parks and Recreation.

While the idea of doing The Office set in the fictional universe where Holodecks and Klingon mating rituals exist may sound potentially terrible, the fact that Simien and Newsome are behind the project makes it seem promising. And Lower Decks, which begins its final season later this year, certainly proved that the Star Trek universe has room for overtly comedic stories.

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But this wont be the first time that creatives have tried to crack the Star Trek sitcom nut. Its happened before, albeit in an unofficial capacity. Take Buck Henrys Quark, which had nothing to do with Deep Space Nines Ferengi bartender of the same name, but was a 70s sitcom about the commander of an Enterprise-like sanitation ship, tasked with cleaning up the galaxys garbage. It only lasted for eight episodes.

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More recently, Seth MacFarlanes The Orville, seemingly tried to be a dramatic, yet legally-dissimilar, remake of Star Trek: The Next Generation, while also throwing in wacky characters like the Norm Macdonald-voiced green goo alien Yaphit, presumably for viewers who were expecting something more in line with Family Guy or American Dad.

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The best evidence in favor of mashing up the world of Star Trek with the world of sitcoms just might be the time the cast of Frasier took over the bridge of the U.S.S. Voyager for five glorious minutes during Star Treks 30th anniversary special.

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As long as were making Star Trek comedies, maybe the cast of Frasier would reunite for a sci-fi spin-off that in no way involves having to deal with Kelsey Grammer?

You (yes, you) should follow JM on Twitter (if it still exists by the time youre reading this).
As long as its not for some heinous offense, Dane Cook is just fine if you want to cancel him. Canceling is good for business, as long as youre not being canceled for something that is truly like, bad, in a legal sense, the comedian told Distractify.

When people get canceled, its a lot of hullabaloo, its usually a lot of innuendo and its kind of blown out of proportion, he continued. I see more comics get canceled, and then they go on to have sold-out tours."

Hard to argue with Cook there. Dave Chappelle, Ricky Gervais and Louis C.K., to name a few of the most criticized comics of the past decade, continue to sell out large venues. Maybe comedians like Cook should stake out more controversial positions? I think that as rabble-rousers, were supposed to be a little persnickety, and were supposed to jab at things, and were supposed to kind of be brats and you know, all those things are actually good for the business of comedy.

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But Cook isnt necessarily consistent on how getting canceled might help his personal comedy business. Im glad nobody was filming my shows in 1995 because thats some footage that I dont think would have stood the test of time. But by his earlier logic, that footage might help him sell tickets today.

That inconsistency continues in Cooks assessment of the Tenacious D controversy from earlier this month. At a concert in Sydney, Australia, Kyle Gass was asked to make a wish, then joked, Dont miss Trump next time. The ad-libbed line, certainly in bad taste, caused Jack Black to cancel the Tenacious D tour and place all future creative plans on hold. Gass joke passes Cooks litmus test as not truly bad in the legal sense, but Cook says the comic-musician got the (temporary?) cancelation he deserved.

If comedy equals tragedy plus time, Cook figures Gass didnt respect the second part of that equation. I thought that the timing was wrong on that, Cook said. People are still entrenched in the terrible loss that was experienced. It doesnt mean that people dont want to go and find humor. We all want to escape that feeling of grief, fear and sorrow. So comedy is good for that in real time, but for some things, you have to take a beat.

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Maybe thats why Cook laid low for a while after all those joke-theft accusations in the 2000s? That was its own kind of cancelation, at least within the comedy community.

After working through those allegations on Louie, Cook has been slowly working his way back into the comedy mainstream, including his current Fresh New Flavor tour. I think its imperative that everybody gets a chance to say, I saw the error in my ways. I want to put an asterisk on myself. Id like to update what I said. I feel ignorant, Cook explained. Everybody deserves that moment.
Its been 20 years since the beloved stoner comedy Harold & Kumar Go to White Castle first hit theaters, which is why the titular burger chain offered a Harold & Kumar-themed meal earlier this year, consisting of a box full of 20 burgers, which had to be ordered between 7 p.m. and 3 a.m. Thankfully, White Castle stopped short of asking customers to provide urine samples proving that they were, in fact, high as shit.

To celebrate the anniversary, the creatives behind the film, including stars John Cho and Kal Penn, chatted with Rolling Stone, describing the ins and outs of the films production. Penn also revealed that, despite the fact that the movie initially flopped in theaters, its eventual cult following included several high-ranking politicians  who still never bothered to legalize weed.

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Famously, Penn went on to work in the White House under President Barack Obama in 2009 after sending in a job application online, eventually serving as a junior staffer and liaison to arts communities, young Americans, Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders.

According to Penn, his schedule became complicated when the third Harold & Kumar movie, A Very Harold & Kumar Christmas, got the greenlight forcing him to put in his notice. After a briefing, I said to the president, Sir, these are my last two weeks because they picked up the third option for Harold & Kumar, Penn recalled. He goes, Oh, man, I love those movies. Thats really funny stuff. Can you come back?

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Yes, Obamas Harold & Kumar fandom allowed for Penn to take a seven-week hiatus from politics, purely so that he could make a movie in which Santa Claus gets brutally shot in the head.

Even weirder, Penn claims that Harold and Kumar were beloved by both folks in the Obama administration and members of the George W. Bush administration, including Bushs Deputy Chief of Staff Karl Rove, which is more than a little surprising seeing as Harold & Kumar Escape From Guantanamo Bay wasnt exactly the most flattering portrayal of Bushs America.

Like, did Rove watch that movie thinking that Rob Corddrys character was the hero? Although, to be fair, Bush (played by a lookalike obviously) shows up in the films climax to smoke a joint with the duo and pardon them for their crimes.

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Penn also recounted the time that he met Bill Clinton while representing the White House at a youth conference, only to be told by the ex-president: Your movies are funny as shit.

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Penn remarked that the fact that (love for the franchise) spanned at least three presidencies is very exciting to me, adding, I havent met anyone from the Trump administration to ask, but I do wonder if it can span four.

Of course, Donald Trump has never publicly commented on Harold and Kumar, presumably because Harold and Kumar dont appear anywhere in his favorite 45 minutes of Bloodsport.

You (yes, you) should follow JM on Twitter (if it still exists by the time youre reading this).
Spread bets and CFDs are complex instruments and come with a high risk of losing money rapidly due to leverage. 69% of retail investor accounts lose money when trading spread bets and CFDs with this provider. You should consider whether you understand how spread bets and CFDs work, and whether you can afford to take the high risk of losing your money.

Spread bets and CFDs are complex instruments and come with a high risk of losing money rapidly due to leverage. 69% of retail investor accounts lose money when trading spread bets and CFDs with this provider. You should consider whether you understand how spread bets and CFDs work, and whether you can afford to take the high risk of losing your money.


Whopper alert. Rachel Reeves whacked old-age pensioners and claimed it wasn't her fault. No one had told her the state of the nation's finances.

Which might have been more believable had she not been following her script with a sharp and lacquered fingernail, had her eyes not been darting from side to side and had she not rushed through her remarks at roughly twice her normal speaking speed.

A West End actor would hesitate to employ all three of those classic stage techniques for portraying furtiveness. 'Over the top, darling,' the director might say. 'We don't want the audience to think you're a complete skunk until after the interval.'

What a chilly, awkward performance this, the Reeves voice strained as if being pushed through a sieve.

It was staccato, defensive, nervous, the tone much higher than her normal foghorn. Clenched, acidic, mean: those were some of the adjectives I scribbled in my notebook.

Rachel Reeves whacked old-age pensioners and claimed it wasn't her fault. No one had told her the state of the nation's finances

Reeves voice strained as if being pushed through a sieve. It was staccato, defensive, nervous, the tone much higher than her normal foghorn

Ms Reeves produced a slip of paper and read some breaking-news reaction from Paul Johnson of the Institute for Fiscal Studies. Turned out that Ms Reeves had been less than truthful

Sir Keir Starmer, sitting alongside his Chancellor, pulled an uncomprehending face, as if sucking a mulberry. Sir Keir is never terribly clued up about economic matters.

Also nearby was the Pensions Secretary, Liz Kendall, shrivelled and crabbed. Liz is normally a sunny soul but it will now be her duty to explain why the winter heating allowance has been snatched from unwealthy oldies mere hours after the Labour Government caved in to the unions and offered a 22 per cent rise to those pensioners' young doctors.

Alastair Campbell would never have allowed such clumsy timing of contradictory government announcements. When Ms Reeves announced the hit on pensioners, Labour MPs fell utterly silent.

Stella Creasy (Lab, Walthamstow) shifted on her hams, Clive Efford (Lab, Eltham) nibbled his beardlet, Luke Akehurst (Lab, North Durham) swayed a bit in his seat. If you have ever been to a Cup match where the home side concedes an early goal to underdogs, you will know the atmosphere.

Mugging grannies: hey, that hadn't been in the manifesto they all supported just three weeks ago.

'If we cannot afford it, we cannot do it,' Ms Reeves kept intoning. She possibly hoped it would be a modern version of Gordon Brown's 'prudence for a purpose', but Gordon was the more convincing miser. And look what he did to pensions.

Sir Keir and Ms Reeves had entered just before 3.30pm to a Commons that is still squeaky new and naive.

The place seems to have been over-run by earnest curates. Sir Keir's new parliamentary aide Liz Twist (Lab, Blaydon and Consett) pushed through this flotsam. Powerful set of front teeth on her. Could be the cow-catcher on a cowboy-film locomotive.

The competition for Top Lackey continues. Oliver Ryan (Lab, Burnley) had trouble keeping pace with Ms Reeves' silver-fish narrative of Labour fiscal virtue (lots of nodding and beaming smiles, please, Oliver) and Tory wickedness (cue doleful shaking of head).

Jeremy Hunt, itchily angry to hear himself accused of false accounting, made an uncharacteristically fierce speech with enough questions to keep a High Court jury in session

Conservatives asked the Chancellor to say clearly that she was not inventing her shock discoveries of Treasury shortcomings. She declined to make such an undertaking

Sir Keir Starmer pulled an uncomprehending face, as if sucking a mulberry. Sir Keir is never terribly clued up about economic matters

Other crawlers included Torsten Bell (Lab, Swansea West), v. pleased with himself, Jim Dickson (Lab, Dartford), who is possibly a bit of a gumby, and a wet-as-coley Josh Fenton-Glynn (Lab, Calder Valley). Jeremy Hunt, itchily angry to hear himself accused of false accounting, made an uncharacteristically fierce speech with enough questions to keep a High Court jury in session for days.

Stuart Anderson (Con, South Shropshire) asked the Chancellor to say clearly at the despatch box that she was not inventing her shock discoveries of Treasury shortcomings.

She declined to make such an undertaking. Lying at the despatch box is a cardinal sin. Perth's Pete Wishart (SNP) snorted that before the election, when the Scots Nats predicted Ms Reeves would do this, they were themselves criticised for talking 'mince'.

With a vicious glint, Ms Reeves produced a slip of paper and read some breaking-news reaction from Paul Johnson of the Institute for Fiscal Studies.

'Roar!' went Labour MPs, thinking this a crucial moment. But then Nick Timothy (Con, West Suffolk) read Mr Johnson's comment in full. Turned out that Ms Reeves had been less than truthful.

Jolly moreish, dishonesty. Once you start...
The Conservative Party was defeated at the last election. I fully accept my share of the blame, even though it wasnt my fault.

We owe the British people an apology. I am proud to say I have made that apology. I meant it then and I mean it now. And one thing is clear. I have offered  and will continue to offer  a bigger and bolder apology than any of my colleagues.

Yes, Ive said Im sorry.

Sorry for the way my advice was routinely ignored.

Sorry that, through no fault of my own, I had not been selected to lead our Party at its moment of need.

We can  and must  learn from defeat.

Former British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak gives a final speech outside 10 Downing Street on July 5

Pictured: Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer's Official Portrait

Defeat.

Dehands.

Denose.

Detoes.

You cant have one without the others.

But what is defeat? This is the question we must ask ourselves. We must take a long, hard look at this question. But not before we have prepared our answer.

And the answer is this.

The Conservative Party is the party of common sense.

We know that defeat is the best form of victory.

Make no mistake. The Labour Party under Keir Starmer did not win. Far from it. All the indicators tell us that the Labour Party lost  and lost badly.

The message sent to us by the British people at the last election was clear. They told us that we did not deliver what we set out to deliver.

And even if we had delivered it, it would still not have been what they ordered.

Unlike the other candidates, I know about real life.

I was brought up in a house with just one front door.

So I know that a guaranteed next-day delivery must be signed for. Otherwise, it can end up with a neighbour, or stuffed behind a bin 50 yards down the street.

History shows what our Party can achieve when we trust the British people.

Winston Churchill bringing our country together in its darkest hour. John Major initiating the Cone Hotline. David Cameron managing to speak for nearly half an hour without notes. Theresa May running through those wheat fields with all the boldness and determination at her command.

Liz Truss lost her seat to Labour, in one of the biggest shocks of election night on July 4

Boris Johnson speaks during a news conference to outline the government's new long-term Covid-19 plan in February 2022

Boris Johnson reminding us that rules are made to be broken. And Liz Truss showing us the sort of impact you can make when you want to make an impact. Yes, it all comes down to one thing.

Truss.

We must learn to truss the British people. We must never kid ourselves that there is a simple fix. And thats why I intend to spearhead this three-point plan:

1. Roll out the ESFI, or End of Simple Fixes Initiative.

2. Put an End to Simple Fixes.

3. Win the next General Election.

This is my pledge: I do not intend to start my campaign with yet more pledges. Instead, I plan to listen.

Because its only by listening that we can begin to hear.

So I will stand on every street corner of this great nation, my megaphone pressed hard against my ear.

And I will listen harder than Ive ever listened. And when Ive finished listening, I will announce, without fear of interruption, everything Ive planned to say.

You know, theres a deep well of talent on which to draw from our MPs, members and volunteers. Fighting the last election single-handed, I was overwhelmed by the number of people of exceptional talent.

Some could operate a remote control without looking through the instruction manual.

Others could pat their head with one hand and make an anti-clockwise movement on their chests with the other.

With all this talent, I believe that the Conservative Party is best placed to come in the top three at the next election.

And thankfully the solution is simple: there is no simple solution.

What qualifies me for this job? Well, I live by a simple rule. If I say Ill do something, I say Ill do something.

Every one of my colleagues in this race is a good Conservative.

I am proud to call them friends and collies. They know when to admit defeat and respond well to orders.

And that is why I am best placed to lead our party to victory in 2054.
Zara and Mike Tindall are the 'way forward' for the royal family, according to Princess Diana's royal butler Paul Burrell.

The couple, who married in 2011, are celebrating their 13th wedding anniversary today.

Princess Anne's daughter married the rugby star at Canongate Kirk on Edinburgh's Royal Mile on June 30 that year.

Burrell, who was once the confidante of Princess Diana and also served as Queen Elizabeth II's personal footman, noted that the 'down to earth' nature of the couple could symbolise the way forward for the royals.

Speaking on behalf of Slingo, he said: 'He [Mike] seems to be a very grounded, down to earth guy, somebody who lives in the real world.

Zara and Mike Tindall are the 'way forward' for the royal family, according to former royal butler Paul Burrell (pictured together at Wimbledon earlier this month)

Burrell (pictured last November) was once the confidante of Princess Diana and also served as Queen Elizabeth II's personal footman

'Mike brings his realness to that equation and he's a great asset to Zara and his family. They're very happy. They just call it as it is, and I think that's the way forward.'

He added: 'Mike Tindall has done incredibly well to step over that line into a royal world and yet keep one foot in the real world. He must have a very balanced mind to cope with both entities.'

Mike, 45, and Zara, 43, have long been known as some of the 'most relaxed' royals, including their love for public displays of affection.

They're also known for their friendly relationships with everyone in the Royal Family, marking themselves as key players binding members of The Firm together.

While some grandchildren of Queen Elizabeth have opted for the likes of Westminster Abbey or St George's Chapel for their weddings, Mike and Zara instead married on Edinburgh's Royal Mile, and it was not shown on TV.

It made for Scotland's first royal wedding in 20 years, with Queen Elizabeth herself as the guest of honour.

Zara wore a romantic full-length ivory silk gown with silk tulle detail, designed by the Queens favourite couturier Stewart Parvin.

It took place just three months after William and Kate's royal wedding, which captured the attention of millions around the world.

Zara Phillips and Mike Tindall after their wedding at Canongate Kirk on July 30, 2011 in Edinburgh

Mike and Zara are commonly known as the 'most relaxed' royals and enjoy showing public displays of affection - such as at Cheltenham in March (pictured)

The two couples are known to be close - and clearly have much in common.

Paul commented that William and Kate have the 'same realness' os Zara and Mike, and both couples don't 'hide' anything.

Their wedding has set the scene for the rest of their marriage, and the couple have gone from strength to strength over the years.

Since their 2011 wedding, Zara and Mike have welcomed three children: Mia in 2014, Lena in 2018 and Lucas in 2021.

Though they are not officially working royals, they still seem to be working their way towards Charles's inner circle.

They have been pictured close to senior royals at recent landmark events, such as the funeral of Queen Elizabeth II in September 2022, and the Tindalls were also part of Charles's coronation celebrations last year.

At more private events, they have also joined the family for the Christmas service in Sandringham in December, as well as joining them for a festive lunch.

In recent years, Mike has also reflected on how close the family has gotten since the late Queen's passing in 2022.

Mia Tindall, Mike Tindall, Zara Tindall and Lena Tindall are pictured at St George's Chapel in April 2023

Zara and Mike looked like they were having a whale of a time at Wimbledon earlier this month

PDA-loving Mike even put a cheeky hand on Zara's bottom at Royal Ascot last month

He has spoken of how the Royal Family 'came together overnight' following the death of Elizabeth II.

The ex-England rugby ace also revealed he is 'full of regret' for not asking the Queen more questions during his time with her in a special episode of his podcast The Good, The Bad and The Rugby.

He said: 'It's been sad, emotional but happy. In some ways amazing. To see the family come so close together overnight.

'You never predict it. A 96-year-old lady, you know it's going to happen but you're never ready for when it does.

'Watching what Zara had to go through, obviously she loved the Queen beyond everything else. Their connection with horses, they had a real bond around that.

'It's like the world has lost its grandmother in some way.'

He continued: 'I also have loads of regrets about not asking her so many more things Having nervousness when you sit there get that lucky seat of being sat next to her.

'Going back through history and everything she's possibly seen; 15 prime ministers, I don't know how many presidents.

Though Zara and her husband Mike are not officially working royals, they still seem to be working their way towards Charles's inner circle

'To go through everything when she's meeting dictators she has to stay neutral she has to perform her duty.'

The royal couple have long been known for their friendly relationships with everyone in the Royal Family, marking themselves as key players binding members of The Firm together.

It includes the pair's close relationship with the Waleses - and Zara's close bond with her cousins Beatrice and Eugenie.

At Ascot last month, they warmly greeted everyone from Prince William to Carole and Michael Middleton.

Speaking to The Times earlier this year, one royal source dubbed Mike, 45, and Zara, 43, the 'glue of their generation of royals, no matter how serious the occasion'.

'They can help take the family's mind off the gravity of what is going on,' they added.

'While some family members can be very "royal", Mike is just himself and is relaxed and playful with George, Charlotte and Louis.

Pictured: Zara, Eugenie and Kate Middleton pictured chatting together at the Royal Ascot in 2019

Zara is also known to have a sweet relationship with King Charles III. Pictured with her uncle and Queen Camilla last year

'It helps that they all have children around the same age that they can fool around together privately and bring a sense of normality to what is a stressful situation for everyone involved.'

Prince William and Zara were born just a year apart, meaning they have been close for years. The Prince of Wales is also close to Mike, who interviewed him last year for his podcast - The Good, The Bad and The Rugby - last year.

Zara in particular also holds a close bond with her cousins Eugenie and Beatrice, who she often hugs and pecks at high-profile royal events.

Social media shy Beatrice made a rare post on X in 2022, to show her support for Mike's I'm a Celebrity... Get Me Out of Here! stint, dubbing her cousin's husband 'the greatest'.

Zara is also known to have a sweet relationship with her uncle, King Charles III.
British cheese lovers have reason to rejoice this summer as a beloved American snack makes its highly anticipated debut in the UK.

Known for its perfectly thin and crispy texture, Cheez-It Snap'd is set to become a hit at parties, as an afternoon pick-me-up, or simply as a savoury treat.

Responding to popular demand, the renowned US cracker brand has finally crossed the pond, bringing its unique snack, baked with 100% real cheese, to British shelves.

Cheez-It Snap'ds are celebrated for their powerful flavour and satisfying crunch, thanks to their distinctive curved shape.

Starting in early August, UK consumers will have the opportunity to enjoy three bold flavours: Double Cheese, Cheese & Chilli, and Cheese, Sour Cream & Onion.

British cheese lovers have reason to rejoice this summer as a beloved American cracker snack makes its highly anticipated debut in the UK (stock image)

Starting in August, UK consumers will have the opportunity to enjoy three bold flavours of Cheez-It Snap'd: Double Cheese (pictured), Cheese & Chilli, and Cheese, Sour Cream & Onion

Each variant will offer snack lovers a unique taste experience, with Double Cheese packed with twice the cheesy punch - an option perfect for those seeking an ultra-cheesy delight.

Ideal for those who enjoy a bold blend of cheesy flavour with a spicy kick, Cheese & Chilli promises to turn up the heat.

Meanwhile, Cheese, Sour Cream & Onion offers a harmonious mix of tangy and savoury notes.

Available in two convenient sizes, a 150g bag of the cheesy treats will retail at 2.00, while a smaller 'to-go' 40g bag will be priced at just 1.00, making it easy for snack lovers to enjoy Cheez-Its on the move.

A spokesperson at Cheez-It shared their excitement, saying: 'We're absolutely thrilled to bring Cheez-It to this side of the Atlantic!'

'We know the UK's a nation of cheese lovers, and as this snack is baked with 100% real cheese, the only thing people wont love is that it didnt come to the UK sooner!'

It comes after it was announced that American fast-food sensation Dave's Hot Chicken is set to spice up the UK's culinary scene by opening 60 stores across the nation - with some dishes so fiery they require a signed waiver.

The chain, which gained fame in the U.S. for its unique flavour and quality, boasts 199 sites across America and has been endorsed by celebrities like Usher and Samuel L. Jackson.

Ideal for those who enjoy a bold blend of cheesy flavour with a spicy kick, Cheese & Chilli promises to turn up the heat

Cheese, Sour Cream & Onion offers a harmonious mix of tangy and savoury notes

Established in 2017 by childhood friends Dave Kopushyan, Arman Oganesyan, and Tommy Rubenyan in an East Hollywood car park, Dave's Hot Chicken has quickly become a household name, according to its website.

Now, the trio is set to venture into pastures new, as an agreement with the Azzurri Group, which operates popular UK brands like Zizzi, ASK Italian, and Coco di Mama, means Dave's Hot Chicken will open 60 sites across the UK.

The first store is planned to open in London early next year, offering British chicken enthusiasts a chance to experience their signature spiced-to-order chicken.

One of the most notable features of Dave's Hot Chicken is its seven levels of spice, ranging from No Spice to Reaper.

The Reaper level, which incorporates the Carolina Reaper pepper with an average of 1,641,183 Scoville heat units, is so intense that diners must sign a waiver before eating it. To date, only about 100,000 daring customers have taken the plunge.
As the summer sun shines bright, experts are emphasising the importance of wearing a high-quality SPF daily, regardless of the weather.

However, a concerning trend has emerged on social media, where influencers are promoting homemade sun protection solutions, leading to urgent warnings from skincare professionals.

The trend has gained traction thanks to popular influencer Nara Smith, a 22-year-old South African content creator known for her "trad wife" lifestyle and cooking mini-vlogs.

With a cult following of 8.9 million on her TikTok account, @naraazizasmith, Smith recently ventured into the wellness realm by posting a video on June 25 showcasing her homemade suncream recipe.

The video features Smith and her husband, U.S. model Lucky Blue Smith, concocting an SPF using coconut oil, beeswax, shea butter, cocoa butter, jojoba oil, and zinc oxide powder.

A concerning trend has emerged on social media, where influencers such as Nara Smith (pictured, R) are promoting homemade sun protection solutions

Smith and her husband, U.S. model Lucky Blue Smith, concocts an SPF in a TikTok video using coconut oil, beeswax, shea butter, cocoa butter, jojoba oil, and zinc oxide powder

In the clip, the content creator insists the product 'goes smoothly' on the skin and 'doesn't leave a white cast.'

This homemade SPF trend fits seamlessly into the one of the many TikTok fads, where controversial wellness influencers often claim that commercial SPF products are harmful and can cause cancer.

Smith's video has since inspired dozens of creators to share their own DIY sunscreen recipes - however, skincare experts are sounding the alarm about the potential dangers of this practice.

Dr. Ahmed el Muntasar, a GP, skin expert, and aesthetics doctor, has partnered with SPF brand Hello Sunday to discusses why SPF is needed and why you shouldn't be attempting to create a DIY version yourself.

He said: 'SPF is the most important step in your skincare routine because ultimately it helps you protect your skin from UV light, prevents signs of aging and maintains integrity of skin. Overall, it's a really good habit to maintain and to keep.'

He warned against the DIY SPF trend, emphasising the difficulty in achieving the right consistency and concentration needed for effective sun protection.

Dr Ahmed continued: 'DIY SPF is something that I'm very much against because ultimately it's actually quite difficult to make SPF at the right consistency and at the right concentration and it might give you the false security.

'You may think you are being protected when you've messed up the ingredients and actually you're not getting the protection that you want.'

Smith's video has since inspired dozens of creators to share their own DIY sunscreen recipes using similar ingredients

Dr. Ahmed el Muntasar, a GP and aesthetics doctor, warns against the trend, emphasising the difficulty in achieving the right consistency and concentration needed for effective sun protection

Thousands of TikTok users have also echoed these concerns, condemning Smith's alternative to commercial sun protection

He also highlighted the issue of uneven distribution with homemade sunscreens, which can result in some areas receiving inadequate protection. 'Overall, not Dr. Ahmed approved,' he concluded.

Thousands of TikTok users have also echoed these concerns, condemning Smith's alternative to commercial sun protection, as one user commented: 'Yeah, homemade sunscreen is also homemade melanoma.'

Another added, 'I love this girl, but this is not a good idea,' while a third quipped, 'Y'all are going to FRY this summer with this concoction.'

It comes as another expert reveals the 11 most common sun cream mistakes, including taking medicine that interferes with SPF and leaving cream bottles in the sun.

According to Cancer Research UK, 86 per cent of UK melanoma skin cancer cases are preventable.

Which? have gathered together 11 of the most common sunscreen mistakes to avoid so you can ensure that you are safe in the sun.
Sweet Valley High fans are mourning the death of beloved author Francine Pascal by sharing heartwarming memories of reading the books when they were younger.

Francine's daughter Laurie Wenk-Pascal revealed that she had passed away aged 92 on Tuesday morning following a battle with cancer.

Immediately, the tragic news sent ripples throughout social media, as her readers posted loving tributes to the woman who 'sparked their passion for reading.'

The book series, which followed identical twins Elizabeth and Jessica Wakefield, was a huge hit throughout the '80s and '90s - becoming a monumental part of many people's childhoods.

The franchise had 181 books in total, and sparked multiple spin-offs and a TV series of the same name that aired from 1994 until 1997.

Sweet Valley High fans are mourning the death of beloved author Francine Pascal by sharing heartwarming memories about reading the books when they were younger

Francine's daughter Laurie Wenk-Pascal revealed that she had passed away at age 92 on Tuesday morning, following a battle with cancer. The cover of her book is seen

Following her death, X, formerly Twitter, was flooded with emotional messages from users who spoke about how much the book series impacted them.

Some people recalled how 'escaping' to the world of Sweet Valley High got them through their own problems, while others praised the author for 'making teenagers all over the world happy.'

'Thank you to Francine Pascal for opening my tiny little head to a world where twin sisters can be as different as night and day but still be incredibly hot in the same way,' one person wrote.

'Every trip to [the book store] was so exciting, with the hope that a new book in the series would be out.'

'I need to stop and give a shoutout to Francine Pascal,' added another. 'Your Sweet Valley books were such a HUGE part of my childhood, sparking my passion for reading.

'[I followed] the journey of the twins all the way through college. Many fond memories. Thank you and RIP.'

'RIP Francine Pascal, creator of #SweetValleyHigh and its vast universe of characters. Those books made me love reading and the art of soap opera,' confessed someone else.

'I read Sweet Valley High as a kid and the pull these books had on me was wild,' read a fourth tweet.

Immediately, the heartbreaking news sent ripples throughout social media, as her readers posted loving tributes to the woman who 'sparked their passion for reading'

'They were hugely important to me growing up and low-key influential. I'm so sad about Francine Pascal.'

'The chokehold that Sweet Valley twins and The Baby-Sitters Club had on me in the 1980s,' said a fifth.

'RIP to the author/creator of the former, Francine Pascal. What a life, and I love her attention to detail.'

'I used to love escaping to Jessica and Elizabeth's world in Sweet Valley High. I hope Francine knew how much her words made teenagers all over the world happy,' gushed a different user.

Another user called the twins her 'heroes,' and said the Sweet Valley High books were the 'first' tomes that she fell in love with.

'I read every single one of the Sweet Valley books as a girl growing up in California in the 1980s. Thank you for helping to create this lifelong reader, Francine Pascal,' wrote a different person.

Someone else said, 'Reading SVH books at the beach was what summer looked like for me in the late 80s.

The book series, which followed identical twins Elizabeth and Jessica Wakefield, was a huge hit throughout the '80s and '90s - becoming a monumental part of many people's childhoods

The franchise had 181 books in total, and sparked multiple spin-offs and a TV series of the same name (seen) that aired from 1994 until 1997

'Nerdy me adored Elizabeth. Wannabe rebel me wished they were more like Jessica. Kid me is really sad today.'

Francine's daughter Laurie told the New York Times on Tuesday that her mom died of lymphoma in New York-Presbyterian Hospital over the weekend.

Francine previously described Sweet Valley High as 'the essence of high school.'

'It's that moment before reality hits, when you really do believe in the romantic values - sacrifice, love, loyalty, friendship - before you get jaded and slip off into adulthood,' she told People in 1988.

She said she started writing the Sweet Valley High books after TV networks rejected her idea for a soap opera centered on teenagers in high school.

She was inspired by Dallas, the hit CBS soap that followed an affluent family and their oil empire, and the twins in her life, including her then-agent and sister-in-law.

The late writer penned the first 12 books in the Sweet Valley series and then, after drafting a detailed outline, worked with a team of writers to keep up a rapid publication pace.
There's nothing like a lakefront cocktail, especially when the drink is served from your very own Irish pub directly built into your multimillion-dollar property.

And that's exactly what the new homeowner of this $9.5million West Okoboji Lake property will get to do.

The 25,0000-square-foot mansion, built by Tom and Molly Bedell, looks like any high-value lakefront property with its floor-to-ceiling windows that face the water, the multiple patio areas to enjoy a good beach read by... and lots of trees for ultimate privacy.

But the lower floor of the eight-bedroom home will transport you far away from Spirit Lake, Iowa, straight to the streets of Dublin.

Lined with a brick walkway and an authentic Irish storefront, the pub, Kevin O'Sullivan's, will make you feel like you're walking the streets of the Irish capital and draw you in for a quick pint.

'He brought his team to Dublin to ensure all details of the pub were an exact replica of what you see in Ireland,' listing agent Holly Lovell of @properties-elleven Christies International Real Estate, told the Wall Street Journal.

The lower floor of the eight-bedroom home will transport you far away from Spirit Lake, Iowa , straight to the streets of Dublin

The pub was named after Tom's fictional leprechaun, which he made up when he was young

The pub was named after Tom's fictional leprechaun, which he made up when he was young, according to the Wall Street Journal.

The outside features a green and gold exterior, with a harp symbol, and wooden doors that lead you into a deep rich interior with head-to-toe dark wood with wooden stools and a bar.

Kevin O'Sullivan's has a large counter that seats many and has enough shelving to stock a full bar full of your favorite liquors. It also has a small stage area where a band could play to entertain the patrons.

Guests can also choose to sit in booths or chairs at small tables to enjoy a more relax dining experience and it even has a private room for a small party of patrons.

The outside features a green and gold exterior, with a harp symbol, and wooden doors that lead you into a deep rich interior with head-to-toe dark wood with wooden stools and a bar

Lined with a brick walkway and an authentic Irish storefront, the pub, Kevin O'Sullivan's, will make you feel like you're walking the streets of the Irish capital and draw you in for a quick pint

The bar area also features a study with a similar vibe to the bar with dark colored leather armchairs and warm lighting.

Another fun part of the property is a staple in many millionaire's homes: A theatre. But this isn't just any theatre, it's designed to look like an old timey establishment with it's old-style marquee and movie posters hanging outside the door.

Once you enter, it becomes more modern with a bar top concessions stand, featuring a popcorn machine and retro furniture.

Inside the screening room, there are multiple couches to choose from and plenty of pillows for ultimate comfort.

The living room features floor-to-ceiling windows that offer beautiful views of the lake and plenty of comfy couches to lounge around on

The kitchen has light wood and red cabinets with a simple white tile backsplash and ocean blue countertops

The rest of the home, however, features a much more modern and simple design.

One of the bedrooms featured a back-paneled wall that compliments the natural light filtering in from the windows and glass door that lead to a patio area.

The kitchen has light wood and red cabinets with a simple white tile backsplash and ocean blue countertops.

Many parts of the home, including the living room, use pops of red to bright up the space.

The living room features floor-to-ceiling windows that offer beautiful views of the lake and plenty of comfy couches to lounge around on.

Another fun part of the property is a staple in many millionaire's homes: A theatre (pictured)

It was built in the early 2000s on 1.25 acres of land in Spirit Lake - near where Tom grew up.

The property has around 180 feet of frontage on the lake

The property has around 180 feet of frontage on the lake, according to the Wall Street Journal.

It was built in the early 2000s on 1.25 acres of land in Spirit Lake - near where Tom grew up.

It broke the property record in the state after selling for $9.5million. It had previously been listed at $14.9million and has been on and off the market for around a decade, WSJ reported.

The previous record in the state was also a West Okoboji Lake property that sold in 2022 for $5.6million.
Fans of the viral Tomato Vodka Pasta sauce can rejoice as Heinz and Absolut Vodka's take on the culinary delight returns to supermarket shelves across the UK.

The beloved pasta sauce, which hit supermarket shelves this week, has made a much-anticipated return after its original launch in March 2023 - which sold out in just four days.

The unexpected partnership between Heinz and Absolut Vodka was inspired by supermodel Gigi Hadid's viral social media recipe for spicy vodka pasta, which quickly became a culinary sensation online and in restaurants alike.

The recipe's unique twist uses vodka to unlock and intensify the flavours of a rich and creamy tomato, basil, and cheese sauce.

During the cooking process, the alcohol reduces, enhancing the flavour compounds in the tomatoes and creating a perfectly balanced, creamy texture that balances the creamy notes with the rich tomato and fragrant basil.

Fans of the viral Tomato Vodka Pasta sauce can rejoice as Heinz and Absolut Vodka's take on the culinary delight returns to supermarket shelves across the UK

Originally launched exclusively in the UK last spring, the sauce generated a global frenzy, with purchases limited to two jars per customer and some jars reselling for up to 250 on eBay.

Even today, jars of the highly coveted sauce are being flogged on the e-commerce site for up to 20 each.

Despite the initial limited edition, the sauce's popularity led to an overwhelming response from fans worldwide, who flooded Heinz consumer care teams with messages of desperation to get their hands on a jar.

One fan wrote on social media platform X: 'It was sold out when I went. Hopefully, I'll get my hands on a jar soon.' Another exclaimed: 'Pasta alla Vodka!!! I need this in my life!!!'

Responding to the public's plea, Heinz and Absolut Vodka have reintroduced the pasta sauce, available from July 29 exclusively at Waitrose, with more retailers set to follow in Autumn 2024.

Caio Fontenele, Head of Growth at Kraft Heinz said: 'As the top selling Heinz product and number one selling pasta sauce at the time of launch, we knew pasta lovers were as obsessed with it as we were.

'After receiving countless messages from fans all over the world asking how they could get their hands on a jar, we knew we couldnt ignore it. '

'Now, everybody can have the ultimate Pasta alla Vodka experience with the iconic combination of Heinzs high-quality tomatoes and Absoluts premium vodka.'

Originally launched exclusively in the UK last spring, the sauce generated a global frenzy, with purchases limited to two jars per customer and some jars reselling for up to 250 on eBay

The recipe's unique twist uses vodka to unlock and intensify the flavours of a rich and creamy tomato, basil, and cheese sauce

Despite the initial limited edition, the sauce's popularity led to an overwhelming response from fans worldwide

Debasree Dasgupta, VP Marketing Absolut, added: 'We're absolut-ly thrilled to rekindle our partnership with the Heinz team. As passionate collaborators, we're dedicated to delivering only the best to our consumers.

'At Absolut, our 'Born to Mix' philosophy enables us to perfectly blend our premium vodka with Heinz's finest pasta sauce to create something truly exceptional.'

The relaunch coincides with Heinz's recent expansion of its pasta sauce range, introducing a trio of new flavours inspired by TikTok, including Tomato & Spicy 'Nduja, Tomato, Sicilian Lemon & Ricotta and Tomato, Black Garlic & Roasted Garlic.

In another unforeseen collaboration, Heinz launched a limited edition ketchup to celebrate the The Godfather in February, more than five decades since the cult classic came out.

The sauce giant teamed up with Paramount to make a Heinz & The Godfather Pasta Sauce inspired by the Hollywood hit to go on sale in the UK.

The limited-edition sauce was inspired directly from a memorable scene from the Francis Ford Coppola film, in which Peter Clemenza (played by Richard S. Castellano) says 'leave the gun, take the cannoli' and teaches Michael Corleone (Al Pacino) how to cook the perfect pasta sauce.
An Australian brand has settled an ongoing debate as to whether tomato sauce should be kept in the fridge or pantry.

For decades thousands of households have argued over the 'correct' place to store the staple condiment.

But now MasterFoods - a long-loved food manufacturer - has put an end to the argument.

Ross Mail, head of Research and Development for MasterFoods, told FEMAIL the classic red sauce bottles should be placed in the fridge once opened for 'freshness and quality'.

'Chilling your sauce will slow down the aging process, keeping it that nice bright red colour and will hold its strong tomato flavour,' he said.

But it's not all bad news for those who prefer to keep the condiment in the cupboard.

Mr Mail said: 'Given its ingredients include salt and sugar (natural preservatives) tomato sauce can be kept in the cupboard, however once it's cracked open and exposed to air, it won't stay as bright in colour and turn more of a dark brown.

'It could spoil over time if it's not in the fridge and remember to always check the best before date if you prefer this method of storage!'

For decades thousands of households have argued over the 'correct' place to store the staple condiment. But now MasterFoods - a long-loved food manufacturer - has put an end to the argument

The bottle can also be stored in the cupboard until it's opened and the seal has been broken.

Mr Mail said this is because in the MasterFoods factory the bottles are 'filled in a very clean environment to make sure no mould or bacteria gets inside the bottle until its opened'.

The recommended storage is also written on the back of sauce bottles - often below the ingredients.

However, Mr Mail added that 'not all condiments are made equal' and the storage directions may vary.

'Masterfoods Tomato Sauce is formulated with a special combination of tomato paste & natural preservatives to give the rich tomatoey flavour its known for. This means once opened, we recommend storing it in the fridge,' he said.

'Other condiments, like mustard, are right at home in the pantry once opened - owing to the natural ability of mustard extracts to resist spoilage.'

Ross Mail, head of Research and Development for MasterFoods, told FEMAIL the classic red sauce bottles should be placed in the fridge once opened for 'freshness and quality'

The storage instructions may differ depending on the country.

Since Australia has a relatively high room temperature, the fridge is the ideal place to store open sauce bottles.

However, on the back of a Heinz Tomato Ketchup bottle in Dublin, the label read something different.

'Store cap down. Once opened, no refrigeration required when consumed within four weeks. Shake well before use,' the label read.

A conversation on the topic sparked on Facebook when Foodie Mumma Ren asked where others store the condiment.

Ross Mail, head of Research and Development for MasterFoods, said the classic red sauce bottles should be placed in the fridge once opened (stock image)

'I'm from New South Wales and always kept in cupboard but since moving to Queensland I have had to keep in fridge,' one wrote.

Another person said she believes it 'depends on the weather'. If it's hot she puts the bottle in the fridge, but if it's cold it goes in the cupboard.

'It generally only grows mould in warmer weather for me,' she wrote.

'Once opened, in fridge,' a third added.

Someone else said: 'Fridge - it clearly tells you to refrigerate after opening on bottle.'
Henry Ford (born on this day) said: 'Whether you believe you can do a thing or not, you're right.'

I've also heard this: 'Whether you think you can, or think you can't, you're right'. Although these quotes are similar there's a difference between 'thinking' and 'believing'.

When we believe, a successful outcome is possible (despite any challenges). As Venus moves to link with Jupiter, it's believe-time!

Need to know your more? These spookily accurate birth charts, based on your unique birth placements will tell you everything you need to know.

Simply enter your birth details and receive a completely Personal Birth Chart made just for you.

Read more horoscopes from MailOnline.

Oscar says when we believe, a successful outcome is possible (despite any challenges). As Venus moves to link with Jupiter, it's believe-time

ARIES

March 21 - April 20

We might say we want love and peace and happiness. But our actions don't always suggest we're prioritising these values. We get cross when people don't behave the way we want them to. And although the idea of a peaceful life is appealing, the reality is that we love a bit of drama and excitement. Still, at least if we're aware of these contradictions we can be happy within ourselves! You don't need to be consistent today. By expressing your truth you'll open a dialogue that leads to understanding. And that brings happiness.

To find out what the planets have in store for you over the coming, critical next few months, download your Guide to the Future, now.

TAURUS

April 21 - May 21

Would you mind if we focused on the issue in your world that's currently making you feel most irritated and stressed? You'll be pleased to hear we don't need to dwell on it for long. But if you consider it from a slightly different angle, it's likely you'll realise that it's not quite as problematic as you fear. There's a solution you can implement. And it's your reluctance to contemplate the problem that's stopping you from finding it. As your ruler moves to meet Jupiter and Uranus, a surprisingly positive discovery is possible.

Want to know what the coming year has in store? Let me calculate your full personal horoscope from your exact date, time and place of birth.

Click here!

GEMINI

May 22 - June 22

Yesterday, we were talking about the invigorating effects of having dynamic Mars in your sign. It's as if cosmic rays are beaming down onto you. The sky is sending thunderbolts of power in your direction; and your task is to absorb the energy. That's it! If you do, you'll find the motivation you need to take control of a lacklustre situation and enthuse it with more life. Be bold. Since any action you take is going to be effective, you just need to make sure that everything you do is based on a desire to do the best thing for everyone.

A powerful cosmic climate is working in your favour right now. You can make a positive transformation and achieve what you've been hoping for. A personal birth-chart report will tell you what's really possible... and when and how.

Download yours now!

CANCER

June 23 - July 23

Is it true that life sometimes has to get bad before it gets better? And if it is, am I subtly trying to warn you about a tricky time ahead? Quite the opposite. This theory helps explain why you've been dealing with so much stress. One situation, which seems to have taken a turn for the worse, can only go in one direction now. But if instead of resenting the change you look more carefully at where you're headed, you'll notice that an improvement has begun. While you're waiting for actual proof, you can override any lingering negativity.

Discover your inner light, the one that shines regardless of the weather in your 'Guide to the Future'.

LEO

July 24 - August 23

It might be uncomfortable to admit, but when we meet people, we form judgements based on superficial things; like what they're wearing, their age, their accent etc. They, meanwhile, are doing the same thing to us. Once we've got to know someone, we don't pay much attention to their outward appearance. We might notice what they're wearing; but we're more focused on the person than their persona. Someone in your world has created a protective facade. If you see beyond it, you'll gain insight into what's really troubling them.

Learn the hidden secrets of the planets and how they affect your life and shape your future.

Start your journey of self-discovery here!

VIRGO

August 24 - September 23

These days, it's almost impossible not to be aware of what's happening in the news. Being up to date with events taking place beyond our personal world helps us see our lives in the framework of a wider context. What's happening somewhere else enables us to get perspective on what's happening to us. Sadly, our news mostly focuses on problems. But if you stand back from the immediacy of your current situation, you'll see you've got the power to write your own story - with a happier ending than you're anticipating.

Now, do you want to know more about what's going to happen to you, when it's going to happen and why? Get yourself a full, 'spookily accurate' horoscope birth-chart report, and you'll find out.

Download your Birth Chart report here!

LIBRA

September 24 - October 23

Some people are on a mission to disprove the powers of clairvoyance and telepathy. But just because scientists or modern-day illusionists can show us how something can be faked doesn't mean these metaphysical phenomena don't exist. As your ruler moves towards meeting Jupiter and Uranus, there's magic in the air. You might be able to find logical explanations for everything that's about to happen in your world, but that doesn't make any of it less real. And if you're open to transformations... well... you'll see!

There are powerful changes in store for you soon. What are they? How can you best prepare for them? Find out in a full horoscope birth-chart. It's full of amazing predictions about you and your future.

Get yours now.

SCORPIO

October 24 - November 22

To call yourself an 'expert' you don't need to know absolutely everything about your subject. You don't need to have all the answers. You don't need to be aware of all the possible questions either. It's a case of knowing a bit more than other people do; that's enough to make you an expert in their eyes. And if you happen to know that someone else knows more than you do? Don't let it bother you. Trust today, that by drawing on your experience you know as much as you need to know to be able to offer excellent advice.

Wish you could fulfil more of your potential? A Personal Profile, based on your exact date of birth, reveals your secret gifts and blessings.

Click here!

These spookily accurate birth charts, based on your unique birth placements will tell you everything you need to know

SAGITTARIUS

November 23 - December 21

You're an honest person. You try your best to show integrity and tell the truth. But when you're not in possession of all the facts, you need to be careful with your truthfulness. There's more to a certain story than you're aware of. Right now, with the intel in your possession, it seems things are going in a very specific direction. Which means you could easily jump to the wrong conclusion. Bide your time. It won't be long before you've got a lot more info. Once you've checked the facts, you'll be ready to share your truth.

Give me your date of birth and I will tell you something wonderful about your future.

Download your personal horoscope here.

CAPRICORN

December 22 - January 20

Just because we're under pressure, it doesn't automatically follow that we're stressed. It's perfectly possible to enjoy being busy. You know the satisfaction that comes from having a lot to do, and working to achieve it. And you understand the reward that comes from taking on responsibility. And, like everyone, you can feel stressed, even when there's nothing going on. To feel good today, either do something you enjoy, or try to appreciate the value of doing something you don't particularly like. You'll make progress... and feel good.

Find out what the planets have in store for you. Instantly download your Year Ahead chart. Now!

Click here!

AQUARIUS

January 21 - February 19

That sense of success you feel when things go well? You need to access it. Think about what works, and how good you feel when you're doing what you enjoy. You're a skilful, competent Aquarian. There are many strings to your bow. So why aren't you using them? As Venus, the planet of creativity, moves to link with your ruler, Uranus, it encourages you to think even more innovatively than usual. You just need to shed the self-doubt. Then, you'll be able to see what's really possible. And how you can achieve it.

Now is the right time for you to take an in-depth, up close and personal look at your life. To get your full horoscope based on your date, time and place of birth, click here.

PISCES

February 20 - March 20

You're so enthused by a plan that you'll do anything within your power to realise it. If that involves moving heaven and earth, so be it. Your determination is impressive. Except... in your desire to move things forwards, you might be overlooking a simpler route.

Before you try every trick in the book, make sure you've proved that your current 'trick' isn't working; it's unlikely that you've reached that point yet. As Venus moves to link with your traditional ruler, Jupiter, if you pause today, you'll know what to do to make effective progress.

Reveal the astrological secrets of the coming year, today. For a complete set of totally personal predictions, download 'Your Guide to the Future'.
Kanye West's second wife, Bianca Censori is often seen out and about wearing astonishingly revealing clothes that seem designed to make the most of her figure.

The 29-year-old Australian architect and model was recently snapped in a see-through yellow bikini along with a beige thong bottom while on a weekend getaway in Santa Barbara County, California.

The ensemble added to a growing list that also include transparent sheer 'nude illusion' tops and 'micro bras' which do little to conceal her assets.

Unsurprisingly, her extremely large breasts  which dominate her slim, 5ft 3in figure  have drawn comment as well as speculation as to whether she has undergone a cosmetic breast procedure.

Some have applauded her as a positive role model for championing pendulous, natural boobs.

Kanye West 's wife Bianca Censori showcased her stunning figured as they enjoyed a romantic weekend getaway at a luxury hotel in Santa Barbara County, California, on Saturday

One photo from the trip showed Bianca sat next to Kanye, 46, wearing a sheer red bodysuit, which led to speculation that she may have had a boob job

But in a thread on Reddit other fans claimed her breasts looked 'so high up' with 'no sag', with another suggesting she has 'big fake boobs' in images from a trip to Tokyo in June 2023.

One photo showed Bianca sat next to Kanye, 46, wearing a sheer red bodysuit, which led to speculation that she may have had a boob job.

A Reddit user wrote: 'Did Censori get the twins done, cause they're BIGGER than usual.'

Another commented: 'And so high up! No sag and they're humongous? Hmmmmmm.'

But even plastic surgeons are undecided on how Bianca has such large breasts for her small frame, suggesting she may have had a fat transfer or a small implant to give her breasts a lift.

'She does have relatively large breasts compared to her small frame,' said Dr Omar Tello London-based breast and body plastic surgeon. 'She may be blessed naturally but she could have had an implant or fat transfer.'

A fat transfer takes fat tissue from other areas of the body, such as the thighs or stomach, and it is transferred to the breasts in lots of small injections to give them volume.

The star paired the X-rated ensemble with high-waisted 'granny panty-style' nude shorts and wrap-around stiletto heels; pictured in February in Milan, Italy

The Australian beauty donned a completely see-through top without a bra, exposing her nipples as she went out with West to see the new movie Fly Me To The Moon; pictured in June in Paris

Experts say the procedure may provide a softer, more natural-looking  and less obviously 'done  result, when compared to implants.

This may allow women to have a 'below-the radar' augmentation that is difficult to distinguish from the real thing.

Dr Tello suggests Bianca may have had small breast implants, but adds that her breasts do have a 'natural droop'.

He said: 'It is possible that she had breast implants years ago and over the time the weight of them has caused some drooping. So, that natural looking drop could be from an old implant.'

But he admits there is 'no strong evidence'.

Mr Patrick Mallucci, a world-renowned specialist in cosmetic breast surgery, also agrees Bianca's physique is 'unusual'.

He said: 'Slim, petite women tend to have smaller busts so Bianca's big, pendulous breasts are unusual.

'Typically, she'd be more a candidate for a breast reduction than anything else.

'Women often find such large breasts annoying, but she's obviously celebrating her slightly droopier look which is no bad thing.'

Bianca, who has carved out a reputation for her jaw-dropping looks, has been pictured in revealing outfits that make her appear is if she's topless, and often bottom-less too.

She was spotted in Paris in June wearing a revealing outfit that appeared to be made only from tape.

The outfit was one of her most revealing to date and saw her wear a bandage-like halter suspenders that only covered her nipples.

As a result of her 'totally inappropriate' fashion choices, earlier this month some restaurateurs in Los Angeles vowed to ban Bianca from entering their eateries.

Pictures of the model in younger years show she has always had very large breasts and Mr Mallucci says 'it would be quite a surprise to have a patient like her wanting to go larger.'

He suggests her flaunting of her physique is part of a 'wider trend' toward a slim yet voluptuous figure with large breasts and bottom but a slim waist and legs  Kim Kardashian, Kanye's first wife, is perhaps the most famous example.

Bianca was seen in Paris wearing a revealing outfit made only from tape. The outfit, one of Bianca's most revealing to date, saw her wear bandage-like halter suspenders that only covered her nipples while out with her stylist Gadir Rajab

Mr Mallucci said: 'Of course not everyone has to have upstanding, pert boobs and that's clearly what she's hoping to transmit.

'Most women with large bottoms and breasts are big all over, so it's very striking. Is it natural? It's impossible to know for sure,' he added.

Mr Mallucci carried out the first scientific study in 2011 that defined the formula for a perfectly proportioned breast, based on hundreds of volunteers being shown pictures of breasts and being asked to assess their attractiveness.

The research has since been repeated, backing up his initial findings.

'We now know from scientific studies the golden ratio for a breast,' Mr Mallucci said.

'Looking from the side, you want to follow the 45/55 rule: that 55 per cent of the breast volume is in the lower pole, below the nipple line, and 45 per cent in the upper pole, above the nipple.

'Ideally, the nipple will point slightly upward,' he added.

He said: 'The lower pole will have a tight convex curve attaching to the chest, and the upper pole will form a straight line or slightly concave curve to the chest.'

Bianca, who has carved out a reputation for her jaw-dropping looks, has been pictured in revealing outfits that virtually expose her breasts. She recently donned a completely see-through top which exposed her nipples while enjoying a cinema date in Los Angeles

Mr Mallucci also speculates Bianca may have had an implant, but also admits 'it's impossible to be sure'.

He explained plastic surgeons tend to avoid giving implants to women who already have large breasts because it risks what's called a 'waterfall deformity'.

Mr Mallucci added: 'When the implant stays high in the breast and the rest of the breast hangs below it, so the implant is visible.

'It's sometimes called a 'snoopy' deformity because from the side the breast looks a bit like the cartoon character Snoopy.'

He explains that if a woman with larger breasts came to him seeking an augmentation that looked natural he would offer a fat transfer, adding that this was 'possibly' a procedure Bianca had undergone.

plastic surgeons tend to avoid giving implants to women who already have large breasts because it risks what's called a 'waterfall deformity' also called a 'snoopy' deformity

'Fat tissue grafted into the breast behaves like all fat tissue  if a woman puts on weight, it will expand, and this means the breast size will fluctuate,' he said.

'It's possible this is why Bianca looks like she has bigger breasts and different times, but it's hard to tell as the appearance will change depending on what top a woman is wearing, and breasts do change shape for hormonal reasons during the month.'

Breasts can naturally change shape during a woman's monthly cycle due to fluctuations in hormones. They can swell slightly and have some texture changes.

Weight changes can also impact the size and shape of a woman's breasts.

But if you notice a change in the look or feel of the breast or nipple, such as lumps or discharge it could be a sign of breast cancer and you should consult your GP.
You won't be surprised to learn I'm a big fan of modern medicine. From the man in his 60s with a cardiac arrest who we bring back to life using a defibrillator, to the teenager with appendicitis who gets better with an emergency operation, every day I see Western medicine not only works well, but is lifesaving.

I used to think that modern medicine was the saviour for all ills, and I was dismissive of people who said they'd benefited from alternative remedies such as acupuncture.

I'd quietly snigger under my breath when a patient told me how yoga, rather than sertraline, was helpful for their stress. And sneer at those who took vitamins or supplements for this or that.

Not only was alternative medicine not my bag, I thought it was at best a waste of money  and almost certainly damaging. However, I can now announce a screeching U-turn.

Because for many patients, the approach that's so indoctrinated into our medical psyche is clearly failing. We have patients with chronic pain dosed up on addictive (and often ineffective) opioid painkillers, for instance, and those with insomnia whose sleeping tablets have led to long-term dependency and ill health.

There is evidence that acupuncture can be effective in treating gastro-intestinal pain, migraine and menopausal symptoms

Let's also not forget patients on multiple drugs for heart failure, blood pressure and high cholesterol, to combat the side-effects of unhealthy Western lifestyles filled with too much processed food and not enough exercise.

Although necessary, many of these medications have side-effects and can cause harm.

I treated a man a few months ago, following a fall, who was a perfect example of the downside of our current approach.

He was in his 80s and had dementia  and all the hallmarks of early Parkinson's disease. He'd been suffering from back pain and insomnia, too, and been given the opioid painkiller codeine, as well as zopiclone to help him sleep.

He had high blood pressure and so was also on amlodipine, which lowers blood pressure but can make you dizzy if you stand up quickly.

At 3am he got up to go to the bathroom. The combination of his medications made his reflexes slower, and when he slipped on a rug, he failed to grab the handrail in time. He fell, breaking a few ribs, fracturing an arm and suffering significant bruising all over his face.

For someone healthy, these injuries would be easily manageable, possibly even without the need for admission to hospital. But for him, it made living alone at home very difficult. After a three-week hospital stay, he was discharged to a residential home and lost his independence. The blame lies with the side-effects of the medications he was taking.

Now, the modern medicine argument is that there was no alternative to these drugs, so we must accept the side-effects.

But over the past few years of my career, I've started to question this orthodoxy. A healthier lifestyle could certainly have led to my patient not needing his amlodipine, however, without his other medications, he would still have been in pain and sleeping badly. Or so I thought.

Last month, a study was published in the highly respected journal JAMA Network Open, which showed how effective acupuncture can be for helping patients with Parkinson's to sleep. (Two in three patients suffer from insomnia.)

In the study, patients at the Guangzhou University Hospital in China were given either acupuncture or sham acupuncture (using needles that do not penetrate the skin).

After four weeks of treatment, those given real acupuncture had significantly better sleep.

The effect lasted for another four weeks after that. The quality of the trial was superb, and the statistical analysis showed that the risk of results being due to chance was less than one in 1,000 (with a drug, we consider it works if the results due to chance are less than one in 20).

Despite the remarkable results, it was published without fanfare  no drug company funding the publicity, you see.

The new findings echoed a trial of acupuncture on 72 patients with insomnia published in 2017 in the journal Sleep Medicine, which showed similar results.

I'll be honest, I don't know how it works. But does that matter?

Acupuncture has been performed in China for thousands of years, and results have now been replicated with the best form of scientific experiment  randomised controlled trials.

It doesn't fit the medical model I was taught  and teach  but the only conclusion we can take is that the model I believed in is not fully correct.

Reading about these studies got me researching where else acupuncture could work.

There is evidence that it can be effective in treating gastro- intestinal pain, migraine and menopausal symptoms.

Crucially, it could also treat chronic pain, such as back pain, which I  like millions of others  suffer from, and for which there is little available in terms of effective treatments.

The first review of studies on acupuncture for back pain was published in 2005 in the Annals of Internal Medicine journal, and pooled the results of seven trials. This showed acupuncture was as effective as other treatments such as opioid medications, but without the side-effects.

But when I read the medical journals and undertook the continuous professional development that doctors must, it was the profit-making drug trials that were rammed down my throat  the findings of 'no profit to be had' acupuncture trials ignored.

But I'm so impressed by the results of these acupuncture studies that I have booked myself in later this week to see if it can help with my bad back.

It's not just acupuncture. At a Royal College of Emergency Medicine conference this month a report on a type of traditional Chinese medication was presented as one of the top ten most influential papers published in the past year.

This raised eyebrows among the audience because the results were so unexpected.

Reported in JAMA, the study showed that the traditional Chinese drug tongxinluo  derived from plants and insects  taken after a heart attack, led to a 36 per cent reduction in outcomes such as stroke or death compared with a placebo.

Both the treatment and placebo group received the standard treatment as well, so we can only conclude that there was something in tongxinluo that had such a beneficial effect.

Again, just because we don't understand how it worked, we cannot dismiss these findings.

Of course, we have to remember a herb is a herb until it is proven to have a medical benefit  and then it's called a drug.

For example, digoxin and aspirin are lifesaving medications, but were originally derived from the foxglove plant and willow bark, respectively.

We need a UK-based randomised controlled trial to see whether the results of this Chinese treatment are replicated for the patients I treat.

Which brings me back to my U-turn: I believe in medicine  mainstream, and now alternative  that works, as proven by the best available evidence.

That is not necessarily a randomised controlled trial  the gold standard. For example, we know the dangers of smoking and advise against it. This is not based on randomised controlled studies, but observations of what happens to smokers and non-smokers.

But there are still some no-go areas for me: homeopathy, for instance, has never been shown to work in scientific studies. In fact, many trials have shown that it doesn't work at all.

That's why for my bad back, I'm taking paracetamol, doing the exercises that my physiotherapist recommended  and now also having my first session of acupuncture.

@drrobgalloway
A man who lost 50lbs without trying was told his weight loss had been caused by a deadly fungus found in bat feces.

The unnamed Florida resident, 61, finally went to the hospital after suffering night sweats, extreme fatigue and fever for about 10 months.

Tests showed he was infected with the fungus Histoplasma capsulatum. His levels were extraordinarily high - about 25 times the level able to be detected in a blood test.

The fungus had infected his heart, led to inflammation throughout this body, made his spleen swell and caused two masses to grow on his adrenal glands.

The above scan shows damage done to an area of the man's heart called the mitral valve as indicated by arrows

The above shows areas in the US that are likely suitable for the fungus histoplasma to live

Doctors wrote in a case report that the man was lucky to be alive - he had diabetes, high blood pressure and an irregular heartbeat.

Severe infection with the fungus is 100 percent fatal if left untreated in immunocompromised people - Covid is only deadly less in than 0.1 percent of cases.

The Florida patient worked as a building supervisor and owned a 16-acre farm where he raised calves.

Doctors were baffled as to how he got infected - the fungus is not commonly diagnosed in Florida and is most prevalent in the Ohio and Mississippi River Valleys.

The CDC suggests these areas are a more 'suitable' location for H. capsulatum growth because of their soil acidity, distance from water and land coverage.

H. capsulatum is a fungus found in bird and bat feces that causes flu-like illness when people inhale its spores. But the man told doctors he had not had contact with those animals and had not traveled outside of Florida recently.

However, H. capsulatum can also contaminate soil and live in the ground for years.

The case report said: 'The fungus requires an environment that will support its growth, which commonly includes areas with large amounts of bird or bat excrement, or typically under chicken coops.'

The above shows estimated areas in the US with histoplasmosis

The above is an image from a body scan of the Florida patient showing two masses on his adrenal glands as indicated by the arrows

The man had to undergo heart surgeries to repair the damaged areas of the organ and was prescribed intravenous medication for two weeks.

Following his operations, however, he suffered complications and was admitted to the intensive care unit for six days.

He experienced anemia due to blood loss and deteriorating kidney function because of cellular damage to the organs.

Once recovered, the man was sent home on 'long-term' antifungal treatment.

On follow up visits, he had stopped experiencing symptoms and had decreasing levels of histoplasma in his blood.

Cases of histoplasmosis are not reportable events in some states so the exact incidence of infection is not known.

However, in states that do report the fungus, the rate of infection is generally one to two cases per 100,000 people.

Following the report of his illness, the Department of Health requested to take samples of the soil from the man's farm 'as this remained the leading culprit of exposure.'

Results were still pending at the time of the case report's publication last month.
North Carolina State University played a huge role in Darren Masier's life  first as a student earning his degree and PhD, then as a lecturer.

But now he fears the college could be the death of him.

Professor Masier, 57, began suffering unusual symptoms in mid-2022  a weeks-long eye infection, gum infections that lasted for months and gout.

Then last summer, despite being a triathlete and avid runner, he was diagnosed with a rare and deadly blood cancer that normally strikes people in their 70s or 80s.

As the father-of-one began treatment, he started to hear from former colleagues who were also struck down by mysterious illnesses including unusual tumors.

Professor Masier is pictured above within Poe Hall giving a presentation on his dissertation. He had not previously had concerns over the building

Professor Masier is pictured above leaving hospital after 133 days in the units for treatment

'I started hearing from people that I knew about this Poe Hall thing, and a lot of them were being diagnosed with different cancers,' Professor Masier told DailyMail.com.

'There were about six or seven of us who were pretty close during our time at NC State. One of us had leukemia, another of us had cancer, and another had an immune disorder.

'And that's just us six. When they heard I had leukemia, they all tipped me off about this.'

The number of cases in his group led Professor Masier  who teaches human resource management  believe there was an issue with the building where they taught.

Professor Masier had attended classes and lectured at Poe Hall  on the college's North Campus in Raleigh  for five years, from 2009 to 2013.

Testing in November 2023 revealed the air and surfaces in the building contained chemicals known as polychlkorinated biphenyls (PCBs) which cause cancer and were outlawed in the US in 1979  after previously been widely used in construction materials, paints and electronic equipment.

Tests found levels of this substance at up to 38 times the safe limit in the building, as recommended by the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA).

More than 211 people have now come forward saying they have fallen sick after attending classes at Poe Hall, the 1971-built seven-storey brutalist building.

Poe Hall, a class building at North Carolina State University, was found to be contaminated with PCBs  which were outlawed in the US in 1979

The building was constructed in 1971, when PCBs were more commonly used in construction materials

Rebekah Dunston, a 35-year-old former communications student who was diagnosed with stage three colon cancer after attending classes at the hall.

Sarah Glad was also a former student and who died less than two years after she was diagnosed with an aggressive breast cancer.

Professor Masier was diagnosed with acute myeloid leukaemia (AML), a type of aggressive cancer that affects white blood cells.

The majority of cases are diagnosed in those aged 65 years or over, with most occurring in the late 70s and early 80s.

Professor Masier pictured above with his wife

He is now in remission after being treated with a bone marrow transplant, but eight months later is yet to regain his full strength and can only jog a little.

He also had to have the top part of his left lung removed after he developed a fungal infection while in hospital.

Professor Masier said: 'I have been a very avid runner and triathlete my whole life, but I can't really run anymore. I just walk and jog a little.

'I am recovering well, but still have about ten pounds to gain back. I am also still bald, but that hair should grow back soon.'

Doctors say his cancer has now disappeared, although he remains concerned that it could return. Statistics show that 70 percent of AML patients die within five years of their diagnosis.

He has since instructed attorneys to fight to gain access to Poe Hall to allow independent testing of the air to be carried out.

He does not plan to seek damages at this time, but rather wants to find the cause of the illnesses in order to help others who were in the building but have since been diagnosed with an illness.

This week, independent testing finally began in the building after a settlement was reached with the university  following a four-month battle.

Darren Masier, 57, pictured above with his wife, was diagnosed with a type of blood cancer a decade after he was teaching in Poe Hall at North Carolina State University

NC state received complaints over the building's ventilation system as early as 2007, but did not close it until November 2023

Other victims include Rebekah Dunston (left, in hospital) who discovered she had stage three colon cancer just weeks after Sarah Glad found out she had terminal breast cancer. The pair were in their early thirties and in the prime of their lives  Sarah was 14 weeks pregnant (with her baby boy) and Mrs Dunston had just got married

They plan to take more than 1,000 swabs in order to build a picture of the extent of PCB contamination in the building.

Records show concerns were first raised over the air quality in Poe Hall  the former home of the psychology and education classes  in 2007, when staff said they needed to put 'cheesecloth-like' fabrics over vents in order to use the building.

More recently, people also reported a black liquid dripping out of air ventilation units and onto their desks.

The university only closed the building in November 2023, after independent testing revealed it was laced with PCBs.

These are man-made chemicals previously used in caulking substances  putty used to seal gaps and joints in buildings  among others.

They may leach out and evaporate into the air, however, where they can be breathed in by humans and enter the blood stream  where they play havoc with the immune system and raise the risk of conditions like cancer.

The EPA has labeled them a 'potential carcinogen' and lab studies in animals have linked them to blood cancers like non-Hodgkin's lymphoma and cancers of the liver, breast and brain.

Dr Norman Sharpless, the former director of the National Cancer Institute and professor of cancer policy and innovation at the University of North Carolina, previously told DailyMail.com: 'The data is reasonably strong that PCBs can be linked to certain kinds of cancer.'

NC State alumna Christie Lewis (pictured left), who attended the university from 2007 to 2012, said that she started having night sweats while she was taking classes in Poe Hall. 'I could not figure out what was happening,' she told Fox News Digital

Dr Suneel Kamath, an oncologist at the Cleveland Clinic, added: 'While we can't say for certain that PCBs at Poe Hall were the cause of the cancers observed in patients, it is highly unusual that so many young and otherwise healthy people would get cancers at such a high rate.

'It definitely suggests that some environmental exposure is the culprit. It's unlikely this number of people would have hereditary/genetic reasons to develop cancer, especially without a strong family history.'

Professor Masier was in Poe Hall from about 8am to 3pm every day, and then often in the evenings for other classes.

In 2013, he left to become a professor at Meredith College also in Raleigh, North Carolina.

While being treated for his cancer, he had four rounds of chemotherapy and a bone marrow transplant  when he nearly lost his life after his body showed signs of rejecting the new tissue.

'It was a rough Christmas and New Year's,' he said, 'but I made it out of the intensive care unit and back'.

He is pictured again above with his wife following discharge from the hospital

Professor Masier added: 'If they find out what caused my leukemia, that could provide assistance to doctors and assist with the treatment of myself or anyone else who falls ill after spending time at Poe Hall.

'If they are hiding something, and everything is pointing towards that they are hiding something, this might infuriate me, who knows. I just want answers.'

'The way NC State has fought us really makes me wonder, there are so many people that have come forward that spent a significant amount of time in Poe Hall, it makes me wonder about that building.'

NC State has set up a webpage for those who are concerned about the air quality in Poe Hall, and says it is now looking into replacing the ventilation system.

A spokesman said: 'We are pleased that we have reached an agreement with all law firms  including those involved in the pending litigation  that have reached out to us on behalf of potential claimants to allow them access to Poe Hall to conduct testing and visual inspections of the building.

'While the building remains closed and access limited, this approach ensures that the interested law firms are able to gather the information they are seeking in an orderly process prior to any remediation of the building.'

Chancellor Randy Woodson adds online: 'The university remains committed to doing the right things to ensure this is a safe place to work, learn and live.'
A life-extending drug for incurable breast cancer will not be made available on the NHS because of its cost.

Campaigners reacted with outrage to the decision on trastuzumab deruxtecan, sold under the brand name Enhertu, saying it was denying patients 'precious hope'.

The National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (Nice) said it was 'deeply disappointed' it was unable to recommend the drug due to pricing.

However the companies behind the drug called for the NHS watchdog to 'evolve' the way treatments are assessed.

The charity Breast Cancer Now said it was 'devastated and angry' that patients have been 'caught in the middle of a stand-off about cost and the system which is denying them precious hope'.

A life-extending drug for incurable breast cancer will not be made available on the NHS because of its cost

Campaigners reacted with outrage to the decision on trastuzumab deruxtecan, sold under the brand name Enhertu, saying it was denying patients 'precious hope'

Enhertu is the first licensed targeted treatment for patients with HER2-low breast cancer that cannot be removed surgically or that has spread, also known as metastatic breast cancer.

Draft guidance published by Nice in September said it would not recommend the drug for NHS use in England due to uncertainties in the information provided.

It then paused its appraisal in December during talks with pharmaceutical companies Daiichi Sankyo and AstraZeneca. In March, it was announced talks concluded without a price agreement in place and treatment was blocked.

However, in May, Nice paused publication of its final guidance, which it said would aim 'to allow all parties to reach a rapid commercial solution'. Helen Knight, Nice director of medicines evaluation, insisted flexibility had been offered at a 'fair price' but the firms did not put forward a new one. 'We are deeply disappointed that we are unable to recommend Enhertu for use,' she said.

The charity Breast Cancer Now said it was 'devastated and angry' that patients have been 'caught in the middle of a stand-off about cost and the system which is denying them precious hope' (file image)

About 1,000 patients a year would have been eligible. Both firms said they were disappointed. 'Nice misclassifies HER2-low metastatic breast cancer as a medium severity disease,' they said in a statement, pointing to other European countries, including Scotland, already delivering routine access. 'We are calling on Nice to evolve the way treatments are assessed.'

Breast Cancer Now has previously stated that the drugs offer women six more months to live.

A spokesman said: 'We are both devastated and angry that women's lives will be shortened as a direct result.

'This was an avoidable tragedy. These women don't have time to wait.'
New blood tests for Alzheimers disease offer a potential way to get faster diagnosis, and as a result, put patients on the pathway to treatment.

While a range of blood tests are now available, experts have yet to actually assess their accuracy compared to more complex or invasive brain scans and spinal fluid tests which are currently considered the diagnostic standard.

But a new study, by experts from the Washington University School of Medicine in the US, aims to change that.

Scientists compared six blood tests for Alzheimers which measure different molecules in the blood, called biomarkers, which indicate someone has the disease to see if they were as accurate as current methods.

To do this they compared blood samples from 392 patients, with an average of 78, of which half exhibited cognitive impairment, a potential sign of the disease.

While a range of blood tests are now available, experts have yet to actually assess their accuracy compared to more complex or invasive brain scans and spinal fluid tests which are currently considered the diagnostic standard

Presenting their findings at the Alzheimers Association International Conference in Philadelphia today the experts said of the six tests four reached a 90 per cent accuracy threshold.

They noted all four of these tests were designed to home in on one specific biomarker, a form of tau known as phosphorylated tau 217 (p-tau217).

Tau is type of protein found in the brain that in Alzheimers patients acts abnormally, forming tangles that impede the function of the neurons causing a variety of problems, the most famous of which is dementia.

Lead researcher of the project and expert in neurology, Suzanne Schindler, said such head-to-head comparisons are important so doctors can help treat their patients more effectively.

'Some of the blood tests are accurate and some are not, and doctors dont know which tests to use,' she said.

'With this head-to-head comparison, doctors now have more reliable information about which tests will best help them provide an accurate diagnosis to their patients.'

The six tests analysed were those made by companies or ventures ALZpath, C2N Diagnostics, Fujirebio Diagnostics, Janssen, Quanterix and Roche Diagnostics.

Of these, ALZpath, C2N Diagnostics, Fujirebio Diagnostics and Janssen, which examined P-tau 217 performed the best according to the authors. Of this subgroup C2N Diagnostics, Fujirebio Diagnostics were the top performers.

Ms Schindler said they set the diagnostic accuracy the tests had to reach as the same as the cerebrospinal fluid tests, which are approved in the US for diagnosing Alzheimers.

'We concluded that, to be used without a second test, blood tests need to be as accurate as FDA-approved cerebrospinal fluid tests, which are approximately 90 per cent sensitive and specific at identifying Alzheimers disease in cognitive impaired individuals,' she said.

'In this current study, the p-tau217 tests met that standard, but the others did not.'

Fellow researcher Kellen Petersen, also an expert in neurology, said the identification of single biomarker as distinguishing factor of the head-to-head test comparison, compared to a combination of biomarkers, was contrary to some expectations.

Around 900,000 Brits are currently thought to have the memory-robbing disorder. But University College London scientists estimate this will rise to 1.7million within two decades as people live longer. It marks a 40 per cent uptick on the previous forecast in 2017

'Some people thought that we might need to measure multiple biomarkers to get at the different features of Alzheimers disease Thats not what we found,' he said.

'P-tau217 alone can do it all. It accurately predicted levels of amyloid and tau in the brain, brain volumes and cognitive symptoms. It was more accurate than any other biomarker, or even any combination of biomarkers, across the board.'

The authors highlighted how rapid and accurate testing of Alzheimers is increasingly critical given how the Food and Drug Administration in the US has recently approved two drugs the slow the progression of the disease.

While the drugs, as lecanemab and donanemab, have been described as gamechangers, they only work effectively when Alzheimers is in its very early stages meaning rapid diagnosis is critical to their success.

A current lack of Alzheimers testing capacity the UK has prompted experts to warn that as many as four out of five patients who could benefit from the new drugs could miss out.

Neither lecanemab nor donanemab are currently approved in the UK though a decision from British regulators is expected this year.

The study has a number of limitations, the first is that it is being presented at a conference and has not been published in a peer review journal.

The authors themselves another limitation is the small sample size used in the study.

Reacting to the study, Dr Jacqui Hanley, head of research funding at charity Alzheimers Research UK, said: 'Too many people in the UK are left anxiously waiting for a dementia diagnosis, up to two years on average, and more than four years if they are under 65.'

'Blood tests, used in combination with other tests, are showing huge promise to help diagnose the diseases that cause dementia, and have the potential to be quicker but just as accurate as PET scans and lumbar punctures.

'But none have been validated to use as part of the diagnosis pathway in the UK.'

She said the recent study was promising despite a number of limitations.

'This study, carried out in the US and which is yet to be peer reviewed, compares different commercial blood tests and current diagnosis pathways to understand which is the most accurate way of diagnosing Alzheimers disease,' she said.

There are multiple possible signs of dementia a memory-robbing condition plaguing nearly 1million Brits and seven million Americans

'It adds to the growing evidence that blood tests, particularly those that measure levels of p-tau217, can diagnose Alzheimers disease and other causes of dementia, and have the potential to revolutionise the way dementia is diagnosed.

'However, the companies providing the tests for this study also provided the data, which was limited. And only a small number of people were included, so they were not representative of the general population.'

Dr Hanley added that before being introduced in the UK such blood tests needed to be tested more widely and Alzheimers Research UK was already funding projects to do this.

'This groundbreaking project aims to transform the way dementia is diagnosed, by validating blood tests for diagnosing dementia that can be used within the NHS within the next 5 years,' she said,

In the UK Alzheimers is typically diagnosed after a mental test to see if a patient is suffering from any signs of cognitive impairment.

This is then followed up by assessment such as brain scan to see if Alzheimers is the most likely cause.

The NHS warns that it may take several appointments and tests over many months before an Alzheimer's diagnosis is confirmed.

Hundreds of participants were judged on how healthy their life was, logging a score of between zero and six based on all the different factors. Volunteers who didn't break a sweat for at least ten minutes a day for three or four days a week got nothing. The other lifestyle habits related to alcohol consumption, smoking status and quality of sleep. Social interaction and having hobbies were the other two factors

While Alzheimers is the leading cause of dementia other health problems like reduced blood flow to the brain, called vascular dementia, also need to be considered.

Charity The Alzheimer's Society reports there are around a million people living with dementia in the UK today. This is projected to rise to 1.4 million by 2040.

Meanwhile in the US there an estimated 7million people living with dementia.

It comes as promising research suggests a diabetes jab already prescribed to thousands of NHS patients could slash the risk of developing Alzheimer's.

Liraglutide  sold under the brand name Saxenda  is offered to people with type 2 diabetes as it cuts blood sugar and aids weight loss.

Now, research suggests the once-a-day injections could also slow cognitive decline in Alzheimer's patients by as much as 18 per cent.

Researchers today said the findings 'provide hope' and could pave the way for new dementia treatments, meaning further research was vital.
READ MORE: Abortions hit highest level since 2014 , according to new study

DIY abortions surged after Roe V Wade was overturned, a study suggests.

The researchers found that about 2.1 percent of all abortions in the US in 2021 were done without medical supervision.

Results showed the figure rose to 3.4 percent in 2023, a 40 percent jump, when abortion protections were removed from the federal level.

Plan B emergency contraception - which prevents pregnancy but cannot be used to terminate it - herbs such as mugwort, getting hit in the stomach, and drinking alcohol were cited as the most common methods.

The team cautioned, however, that while the rise is significant, self-managed abortions are still rare, and the overall number remains low.

Abortions from medications like mifepristone were a leading cause of the rise in self-managed abortions, researchers at the University of California - San Francisco found

The findings come as over a dozen states have restricted abortions or even banned them altogether following the Supreme Court's decision to overturn Roe v Wade in 2022.

The team wrote: 'These findings suggest an increased prevalence of self-managed abortion in the US; self-manage abortion should continue to be monitored carefully as barriers to facility-based care broaden.'

An important caveat the team noted is that when they filtered out the women who performed these abortions without a confirmed pregnancy test, the differences between 2021 and 2023 were not significant.

The study was published Tuesday in JAMA Network Open.

Researchers at the University of California, San Francisco surveyed over 14,000 women at different points between December 2021 and July 2023, asking if they had ever performed a 'self-managed abortion,' or one without medical help.

The women were asked two questions. The first was whether or not they 'ever taken or done something on [their] own, without medical assistance, to try to end a pregnancy.'

If they answered 'no' or skipped the question, they were presented with a list of self-abortion methods and asked to select any they had ever used 'to try to end a pregnancy on [their] own, without medical assistance.'

If the women said 'yes' to either question, they were asked how many times they performed their own abortions, how old they were, if they took a pregnancy test, why they suspected they were pregnant, where they lived, if they method worked, if there were complications, and if they sought medical help after.

The team also asked why the women performed their own abortions.

Additional research has shown increases. A report by reproductive health firm Guttmacher Institute showed that there were 1 million abortions in the US in 2023, the equivalent of 16 per every 1,000 women. That was up 10 percent from the 14.4 per 1,000 in 2020 and the highest since 2014, when the rate was 14.6 per 1,000

Nearly two-thirds of abortions in 2023 were from medications like mifepristone, according to the report from the Guttmacher Institute

Emergency contraception was the most popular method (30 percent), followed by herbs (26 percent), hitting oneself in the stomach (21.6 percent), and alcohol or other substances (18.6 percent).

Certain herbs like pennyroyal, mugwort, and high doses of vitamin C have been shown to induce an abortion, but they have also been linked to liver damage.

Additionally, Dr Ryan Marino, medical director of toxicology and addiction at the University Hospitals in Cleveland, told NBC News that pennyroyal is especially dangerous.

'Even in cases where people dont get symptomatic, or dont end up hospitalized, its associated with long-term cancer risk,' he said. 'Its a known human carcinogen, and every time those molecules are in your body, theyre doing something bad there.'

Meanwhile, the amount of women using abortion pill mifepristone increased by 40 percent between 2021 and 2023, which could have been due to it become widely available online and in pharmacies.

This method involves two drugs, taken over a day or two. The first, mifepristone, blocks the pregnancy-sustaining hormone progesterone. The second, misoprostol, induces uterine contractions.

In March, mifepristone hit the shelves of pharmacies like CVS and Walgreen's in five US states: New York, Pennsylvania, Massachusetts, California, and Illinois.

New Mexico has seen the largest increase in abortions, which could be due to it bordering Arizona and Texas, which have restrictions

The above map shows states where abortion is restricted in some form or banned altogether

The proportion of self-managed abortions was highest among black women - 5.1 percent in 2023 - and lowest in white women - 2.7 percent.

The average age of a woman's first DIY abortion was about 21 in 2021 and 2023. One in five women reported performing more than one self-managed abortion. '

The findings are consistent with other recent research, including a March report from reproductive health firm Guttmacher Institute, which showed that abortions have reached their highest level since 2014.

There were several limitations to the study. For example, several women could have underreported their abortions out of fear of repercussions, as the procedure is outlawed in several states.

Additionally, self-managed abortions are rare, so there was a small sample size.
Thousands of people who attended a popular California music festival are being warned they may have been exposed to a life-threatening fungus.

The California Department of Public Health (CDPH) said it is investigating a cluster of Valley Fever cases identified among attendees of the music festival Lightning in a Bottle in Buena Vista Lake, which was held from May 21 to 25.

More than 20,000 people attended the event and five have been diagnosed with Valley Fever. Three of the infected have been hospitalized.

Valley fever - which got its name because a majority of cases are found in Arizona and California - is a deadly infection that kills one in 100 people that contract it.

The above shows the number of reported Valley Fever cases in the US from 1998 to 2023

The above shows areas where the fungus that causes Valley Fever could be

It is caused by the fungus Coccidioides, which releases spores into the air when soil is disturbed that are then inhaled by people. There is no person-to-person transmission.

The CDPH said: 'Additional cases linked to attendance at the outdoor festival are possible.'

The department added: 'Overall, cases of Valley fever in California have increased substantially over the last two years, so CDPH is asking attendees of this festival to complete a voluntary survey, even if they don't have any symptoms.'

Officials did not make public any information about patients, but a Reddit user claims to be one.

About 18 days after returning from the festival, they were hospitalized with a severe lung infection and experienced fevers, aches and a cough.

The user called Valley Fever 'no joke' and said it was 'causing a cavity (a hole) to form inside my right lung.'

Another user commented on the post saying they too had gotten Valley Fever and have been 'insanely sick.'

One poster said her husband had been infected and developed fluid in his chest and around his lungs. His symptoms began June 5 and he was hospitalized on June 12. He was finally sent home July 1 but will be on antifungal treatments 'for months.'

Multiple users said the festival organizers should relocate going forward because of the prevalence of the fungus in the area and the dusty conditions of the event.

Representatives from the Lightning in a Bottle festival told DailyMail.com in an emailed statement: 'The California health department has recently made us aware that they are expecting 7,000-9,000 cases of Valley fever across the state this year, with 5,400 already confirmed, signaling a large increase in 2024 cases due to wet weather.

'This week they reported that 5 cases may have been linked to this years event as part of their Californias Valley fever Awareness Month campaign.

'We prioritize the health and safety of all our patrons and are in communication with the California Department of Public Health and Kern County Public Health Department to learn more about Valley fever and any preventative measures we can take to reduce Valley fever risk for future festival events, and to make information available to this years attendees.'

Most people with the mild form of Valley Fever will not realize they have the illness because its symptoms  fatigue, cough, fever, aching muscles and breathlessness  mimic those of a respiratory virus infection.

Other symptoms include night sweats, joint aches and a red rash, usually on the legs but occasionally on the chest, arms and back.

The disease, for which there is no preventative vaccine, can often be missed by doctors or misdiagnosed as pneumonia.

But up to 10 percent of infections become severe and take months to recover from.

In these cases, known as disseminated coccidioidomycosis, the disease can spread through the bloodstream to other parts of the body, including the brain, skin and liver.

If it infects the membranes and fluid around the brain it can cause life-threatening meningitis.

There is no proven treatment for Valley Fever and patients are usually prescribed rest and given therapies to manage symptoms.

Doctors may prescribe antifungal medications, but there is no evidence from clinical trials that show these treatments are effective - and antifungal drugs come with the potential for serious side effects.

The above is a photo of a previous Lightning in the Bottle festival in California

Valley Fever is caused by the fungus Coccidioides, which releases spores into the air when soil is disturbed that are then inhaled by people

California health officials are encouraging people who visited the area around the festival - near the city of Bakersfield and in Kern County - and are experiencing respiratory symptoms to visit a doctor and ask about being evaluated for Valley Fever.

The department said: 'Be sure to mention attendance at the music festival or travel to Kern County where Valley Fever is common.'

While only five cases have been detected, there are likely more.

Mild cases of the fungus in people who contracted it at the event two months ago could have already resolved and others still experiencing symptoms could still be undiagnosed.

The number of Valley Fever cases peaked for the first time in a decade in 2021. The 20,970 recorded instances were the most on record for a single year since the last peak in 2011.

Instances declined in 2022 but picked back up last year, and experts are concerned over an expected surge of the fungus in the coming decades.

The CDC estimates Valley Fever could infect more than half a million Americans each year in the future.

The agency said that due to rising temperatures across the globe, the endemic region of the disease will spread north to include dry western areas. Other experts fear that it could be endemic in 17 states by 2100.
A man in his 20s suffered a one-in-a-million cancer that may have been linked to his vaping habit.

The 23-year-old, from Indonesia, was found to have a tumor called synovial carcinoma which kills around 70 percent of its victims.

The tumor had developed in the tissue between his lungs, pushing his heart to the side and preventing it from pumping blood properly.

The patient was an e-cigarette user for about five years leading up to his health problems, which plagued him for three months before he was diagnosed.

Vaping has been shown to potentially increase the risk of cancer, though the doctors cannot confirm if it was linked to the new patient's tumor.

The patient's scan shows a mass on his right side near his lung, which pressed against his heart [shown on the right side of the image, but is the left side of his chest]

The young patient had been a regular user of e-cigarettes for about five years leading up to his diagnosis

The young man went to the hospital with shortness of breath for about two months, which worsened when he was lying down, and had chest pain and a cough for three months.

He also lost 11 pounds in that time.

A physical exam showed he had general weakness, an asymmetrical chest shape, decreased vibrations felt through the chest wall in the upper right chest, a dull sound when tapping the upper right chest, and reduced breath sounds in the same area.

His doctors began a series of imaging tests, including X-rays and CT scans.

One scan showed a tumor on the right side of his chest near his lung. Another showed that the solid mass was compressing veins to the lung, the left side of the heart, a crucial artery going to the right lung, and the right middle lobe of the lung.

The tumor was the length of a large tablet, the width of a dinner plate, and the height of a medium cantaloupe, the doctors said.

His heart was also surrounded by fluid, and his lymph nodes were enlarged. The compression of various structures in the mans chest reduced oxygen flow to the lungs, leading to breathing difficulties and impaired heart function.

Doctors said: Synovial sarcoma macroscopically appears as a well-defined mass with variable size, ranging from 5 to 23 cm [about two to nine inches], with a soft to firm texture and invasion into surrounding tissues.

The mass pressed against his heart as well as other organs. It was about the length of a tablet and width of a small cantaloupe

Definitive diagnosis of synovial sarcoma can be challenging, even after tissue sampling. Immunohistochemistry can be helpful but insufficient as the tumor can histologically resemble other soft tissue tumors.

Vaping has been tied to a higher risk of lung cancer. While it does not produce carcinogen-laced smoke in the same way that cigarettes do, the liquid in e-cigarettes contains thickeners and heavy metals that damage lung tissue.

A study out of South Korea last year analyzed health data from 4.3million ex-smokers and found those who switched to vapes were twice as likely to die from lung cancer, compared to those who went cold turkey.

Another study, this time from University College London and the University of Innsbruck, Austria, analyzed more than 3,500 cheek swabs of smokers and vape users.

They found epithelial cells  which typically line organs and are often where cancer starts  in the mouth showed substantial granular changes in smokers.

Similar changes were observed in the cells of e-cigarette users who had smoked fewer than 100 tobacco cigarettes in their lives.

The patient underwent surgery to remove the mass, known as a resection. He then had to go through three rounds of chemo.

Synovial sarcoma is considered rare and accounts for around eight percent of tissue tumors while accounting for 15 to 20 percent of the cases in adolescents and young adults.

For every one million people, one to two are diagnosed with synovial sarcoma per year in the US.

Doctors said: Due to the infrequency, diagnostic errors are common. Histologically, synovial sarcoma can exhibit various growth patterns adding to the diagnostic challenge, especially in uncommon locations.

The prognosis of this type of cancer is generally poor, with an estimated 37 percent of patients surviving after five years.

After three cycles of chemo, an evaluation of the patient showed that the tumor had shrunk and the fluid around the lung had disappeared.
I have questions about the Labour policy to charge VAT on private school fees.

Firstly, what is the legal position? My understanding was that VAT could not be applied to education or the provision of such.

I believe this divisive policy will widen the gap between those that have and those that don't.

If it is implemented, would the Government allow those who qualify (parents not on six-figure salaries) to pay for their school fees via tax-free childcare?

Private schools: Charging VAT of 20% on their fees is one of Labour's key policies

Finally, I understand that Labour will enact a policy whereby they can retrospectively charge VAT on any school fees paid from the date the policy is enacted, giving them time to put a framework around the VAT charging and claw back backdated VAT.

Is this the case? If so how likely is challenging it to be successful?

SCROLL DOWN TO FIND OUT HOW TO ASK HEATHER YOUR TAX QUESTION

Heather Rogers replies: Charging VAT of 20 per cent on private school fees was much discussed during the election as one of Labour's key policies.

After it was included in the King's Speech, we can be fairly confident that this policy will feature in Chancellor Rachel Reeves's first Budget which is on 30 October 2024.

Here, I'll give you an overview of Labour's plans before turning to your specific questions.

First, let's look at the definition of a private school, as this will be relevant.

A private school, also known as an independent school, is one which charges fees for pupils to attend. They do not have to teach the national curriculum at present, but they have to be inspected.

About half the independent schools have charitable status and about half do not.

Some of these schools specialise in teaching children with special educational needs and disabilities, known as SEND.

Sometimes local authorities will fund children who have education, health and care (EHC) plans to attend these special independent schools.

What are Labour's plans for private school fees?

Labour plans to remove the current VAT exemption and also business rates relief for private schools, raising an approximate 1.5billion per year.

This will be spent on 6,500 new teachers, teacher training, delivering work experience and career advice for young people, amongst many other educational projects.

As noted above, most of these plans are paid for by local authorities but the VAT changes will not affect those children whose needs can only be met by a private school.

The Chancellor is permitting local authorities to reclaim the VAT where they pay; if a parent doesn't receive local authority funding, then it is less clear what the position is.

How will removal of the VAT exemption work?

Independent schools, regardless of whether they have charitable status or not, are exempt right now from charging VAT, if they are deemed to be 'eligible bodies'.

Along with fees for education, those for related services such as boarding, trips and catering are also currently exempt.

VAT will in future apply to tuition fees and boarding fees.

It will not apply to nursery care, wraparound childcare (before and after school care), school meals and holiday clubs and part time classes  music, drama, and so on.

The legislation is currently laid down in the EC Directive 2006/112/EC and is implemented in the UK under the VAT Act 1994 (known as VATA 1994), which was retained after Brexit.

Changes will require careful drafting.

The VAT charge will apply to both UK and overseas students and will apply across the UK.

Will changes be made retrospectively? Can you pay school fees in advance to avoid the VAT?

You asked whether Labour will try to retrospectively charge VAT on any school fees.

The Chancellor Rachel Reeves has confirmed that the VAT exemption would not be applied retrospectively

However, there has been much discussion about whether parents should pay fees in advance for subsequent school years, prior to any VAT legislation change, and therefore avoid the charge - this is known as forestalling.

Unfortunately, it's not that simple and this is why.

Labour had said that the VAT charge will apply from 1 January 2025 but it will catch pre-payments made on or after 29 July 2024.

This would mean that on any fees paid from now for terms starting on or after 1 January 2025 school year onwards, VAT can be recovered.

The Chancellor has stated that prepayments of fees for terms starting on or after 1 January made on or after 29 July 2024 will have VAT applied.

Anti-forestalling legislation has been used before. It was introduced by George Osborne when the VAT rate was raised from 17.5 per cent to 20 per cent in 2011.

It was also used when changes were made to VAT rates and certain loopholes closed in 2012 - including the infamous Pasty Tax, which was eventually scrapped.

Money spinner: Labour plans to use the estimated 1.5billion annual income from VAT on school fees to hire and train more teachers in the state sector and provide work experience

Will there be legal challenges?

You asked about whether removing the VAT exemption will stand up legally. I am not a lawyer, but it is quite possible there will be various challenges depending on the legislation brought in.

Part of the reason why I believe no retrospective VAT charge has been made on fees is due to the legal complexities of doing so.

Tax-Free Childcare and private school fees

Regarding your question on Tax-Free Childcare, which provides up to 2,000 a year to help with childcare, this can be used by parents to cover some kinds of costs but not others.

There is a useful explanation on the Revenuebenefits website, which is a partnership between the Low Incomes Tax Reform Group and Rightsnet, created with support from HMRC.

It says: 'Tax-Free Childcare payments are for actual childcare but there are various situations where the childcare fees also include other items.

'Where the childcare is provided by a private school where the child attends, tax-free childcare can be used to pay for those costs if they:

- Relate to a child under compulsory school age, or

- Do not include any element of compulsory education, or

- Are for childcare provided out of school hours.

'If the costs are partly for qualifying childcare and partly for compulsory education, only the portion which relates to the qualifying childcare can be paid for using the tax-free childcare account.'

Will private schools have to pass on VAT in full to parents?

At the moment, schools are exempt, meaning that they are not VAT registered.

They don't pay VAT but they don't claim it back either.

The Institute for Fiscal Studies expects the average net VAT payable to be around 15 per cent, due to being able to offset input tax on purchases.

Additionally, some schools might be able to reduce the bill by reclaiming VAT under the capital goods scheme, or on capital expenditure that doesn't qualify under the capital goods scheme.

If they are charities they will still be liable to be registered for VAT if they exceed the VAT registration threshold, but they will continue to receive tax beneficial treatment as a charity - Labour is not removing their charitable status.

Many schools, like most businesses that deal with the public, will also no doubt absorb a proportion of the VAT themselves, to avoid a price increase of effectively 20 per cent.

What can parents worried about paying VAT on school fees do now

If you have already paid, you are probably OK, but on payments from (and including) 29 July, VAT applies.

Additionally, business rate relief is being removed from April 2025 and even those schools which are charities will not be able to claim charitable relief.
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When most petrolheads hear the words 'car show', they think of gatherings of ultra-rare classics worth hundreds of thousands of pounds and displays of exotic supercars.

But this weekend saw the return of a car show that goes against convention.

The Festival of the Unexceptional is a unique motoring event designed to celebrate long-forgotten everyday family cars many of us would have owned during the 1970s to 1990s.

Some 2,000 once-popular vehicles from the era descended on the grounds of Grimsthrope Castle in Lincolnshire. Of 50 cherished mundane motors picked out to compete in its 'concours' showpiece, this year's winner was an immaculate 1982 Toyota Hilux.

Can you spot any models you've previously owned?

The Festival of the Unexceptional is a unique motor show like no other. It is designed to celebrate long-forgotten everyday family cars many of us would have owned during the 1970s to 1990s, including cars like 1982 Vauxhall Cavaliers (pictured)

Some 2,000 once-popular vehicles from the 'unexceptional era' descended on the grounds of Grimsthrope Castle in Lincolnshire at the weekend

The quirky event has become one of the big dates on the summer motoring calendar, with this year's show another sell-out with 4,000 people in attendance.

Hosted by classic car insurer Hagerty, it offers the opportunity for owners of undesirable vehicles from 1969 to 1999 to showcase cars that commonly ended up in scrapyards and have since disappeared from our roads as a result.

The weekend's showcase was the tenth instalment and was its biggest yet with more showgoers and cars than ever before.

Fifty cars are picked to enter a concours show. The winners trophy for the 2024 event was awarded to Mitch Lewis and his pristine Toyota Hilux pick-up. A workhorse on a strawberry-picking farm from new, it has just 20,000 miles on the clock and is entirely original and in immaculate condition

From left to right: Amy Jaine's 1998 Renault Clio which was awarded runner-up in the best in show; Luca Alpert's German-registered Nissan Primera won the Retro Repmobile trophy; Mitch Lewis' crowned Toyota Hilus; Colin Corke's Applejack Austin Metro was winner of the Chairman's Award

The winners trophy for the 2024 event was awarded to Mitch Lewis and his pristine Toyota Hilux pick-up.

A workhorse on a strawberry-picking farm from new, it clocked 10,000 miles under its original lady owner.

Since Mitch purchased the Hilux he's put another 10,000 miles on it, though it remains completely original and in absolutely immaculate condition.

To prepare for the event, the car was simply 'cleaned well, and driven to the event,' according to its owner.

Owners of a 1997 Toyota Paseo and 2003 Toyota Yaris congregate behind their motors

A 1994 Proton 1.5 GL drives up to the entrance of the show, followed closely by a Mk1 Ford Fiesta

The mix of vehicles is particularly varied, including those selected for the Concours showpiece. From left to right is a 1994 Reliant Robin next to Colin Corke's 1981 Metro and a 1995 Alfa Romeo 145

This is the only show you'll likely see someone meticulously cleaning a 1989 Proton GL Black Knight. This is the motor than one the best in show award in 2021

Showing just how eclectic the mix of machinery on display at the festival is, the second place trophy was awarded to Amy Jaine's 1998 Renault Clio.

The French supermini was originally owned by her grandmother, bought to take her grandchildren on days out.

Many years later it was destined to be scrapped as it was no longer used. However, Amy rescued it and says she now uses it to return the favour to ferry her grandmother around, on days out.

Another gong was handed out for the 'Retro Repmobile Award', which was presented to German Luca Alpert and his Nissan Primera.

Luca is 21, drives the Primera daily and travelled all the way from Hanover to enter the 2024 Festival of the Unexceptional.

A fleet of first-generation Ford Focus arrive at the show. The model launched in 1998, meaning it just squeezes into the unexceptional era

One of the big highlights of this year's event was the attendance of this car - the last Austin Montego to be produced, which was supplied from the British Motor Museum's collection. It's signed by the assembly line that built it

A pair of Bond Bug three-wheelers. Reliant built these two-seater, wedge-shape micocars from 1970 to 1974. They famously feature a lift-up canopy and side screens instead of conventional doors

The range of models in attendance is a selection of the most boring vehicles from a forgotten era, including many Vauxhall Novas and Ford Fiesta

There aren't many shows where a Fiat Multipla might attract adoring looks, but one is the Festival of the Unexceptional

Taking the last available prize - the Chairman's Award - was Colin Corke for his Applejack Metro - the eighth time he's entered the concours at the festival and the first time he's taken home a crown.

There were a few significant motors on display given their historical value.

One of them among the 4,000-strong parade of vehicles was the very last Austin Montego to be produced, which was supplied from the British Motor Museum's collection.

Among the 50 cars in the concours show of the best-kept cars was a 1996 Fiat Punto (left) and 1994 Vauxhall Corsa, both in stunning condition

This stretch 1996 Rover 827 might just be one of the least cool limos in existence. Parked alongside it is a nineties 900 Series Volvo

This early Ford Mondeo is another example of once very popular family cars from the 1990s that has rapidly depleted in numbers in recent years

The event, hosted at Grimsthorpe Castle in Lincolnshire, was a sell out. Some 4,000 people attended with 2,000 vehicles

Hagerty, the classic car insurer that organises the event, says it is an important part of 'securing the future of classic cars' and offers the chance for younger enthusiasts to get involved with the cars they own - some of them older than they are

Thousands of other cars from the generation lined the castle grounds for as far as the eye could see, with many owners having travelled hundreds of miles to be there.

The public display had a wide offering of vehicles, ranging from a perfectly unexceptional Vauxhall Belmont to a base-spec W140 Mercedes-Benz S-Class, and everything in-between.

Mark Roper, managing director of Hagerty International, said: 'Festival of the Unexceptional is an important part of securing the future of classic cars, with many young enthusiasts attending to show their FOTU-era cars.'
Criminal gangs are using a devious tactic to steal financed cars from Britain and are then transporting them to different parts of Europe, we can reveal.

The National Vehicle Crime Intelligence Service (NaVCIS) told This is Money that it has prevented the theft of - or returned - 320 stolen financed motors since 2021 with the support of HPI Check data.

The team has found and returned vehicles worth 9.6million, with Romania and Bulgaria accounting for 60 per cent of the value seized.

A specialist vehicle crime intelligence company has been working with HPI Check to track down and locate hundreds of financed cars stolen from the UK and transported to Europe

The NaVCIS is funded by the Finance and Leasing Association and has one role: to track down and recover stolen finance vehicles.

The aim is to take down large-scale illegal operations using different strategies to pinch motors.

Members of criminal gangs will take out vehicles on hire purchase agreements in their own name. Before defaulting on payments, they fit the cars with false plates to avoid detection.

Others fraudulently take out finance using a false identity. The vehicles leave the UK through ferries, shipping containers and the channel tunnel.

The team has found and returned vehicles worth 9.6m, with Romania and Bulgaria accounting for 60% of the value seized. The NaVCIS is working with forces in these countries to identify pinched UK models

However, HPI Check has been supporting the intelligence service with its own vehicle data, which is made available to European Law Enforcement to aid in identifying stolen motors.

When vehicles are being re-registered in the destination country, the vital intelligence and data provided by the NaVCIS and HPI Check flags if these are stolen UK cars.

If identified, they can be seized by local police and returned to their rightful UK finance companies.

The tactic is just one that's been highlighted by the operation in recent years, which is developing a list of best practices to help overcome the increase in vehicle finance crime.

Over 5,000 vehicles in the UK and abroad, with a combined value of more than 75million, have been recovered since operations began in 2007.

Members of criminal gangs take out vehicles on hire purchase agreements in their own name or using a false identity

Sharon Naughton, head of NaVCIS, said: 'These are complex crimes operating across international borders, and it requires the tireless work of the NaVCIS team of experts, alongside partners across Europe, to identify and seize these vehicles.

'Our data partnership with HPI is essential to the process, which is time critical to prevent onward transit of stolen cars, reducing opportunities for seizure and allows vehicles to be checked for outstanding finance, theft and a wide range of other factors.'

Following the success of the operation, other foreign police services have expressed an interest in cooperating with NaVCIS.

Jon Clay, data director at HPI, added: 'Advanced technology ensures that our data is updated in real-time, and were pleased to support the vital work undertaken by NaVCIS.'
Care at home: Find out how to get it set up and what it costs

Amanda Greenaway is head of care and lifestyle at retirement development provider McCarthy Stone. The firm provides care for many homeowners who live independently in its communities.

When people think of care in later life, they often assume it will be provided in a residential care home.

However, nearly a million people a year receive care in their own home.

It is there to help people who are finding it difficult to cope with daily tasks, such as washing or dressing, want extra companionship or need help to get out and about.

For many older people, it provides extra support to maintain a degree of independence and their preferred routines for as long as possible.

What type of care is available to people in later life?

There are typically three main options. Most people receive help in their own home, with a carer visiting them regularly if needed.

Another option is making the move into a residential care home, although this is usually for those who cant maintain their independence at home.

The third is a retirement community, which helps people maintain their independence in their own property, but often has a range of flexible care and support options available from a dedicated team based on-site.

Having more help in your own home can make a huge difference to your wellbeing, especially to help maintain independence and mobility.

It can be provided for perhaps an hour a week, or even several hours a day and night depending on your needs. A carer could also live with you.

Support includes the following.

- Helping you with your daily routine, such as getting in and out of bed, washing, dressing and getting out and about

Amanda Greenaway: Care at home helps people maintain a degree of independence and their preferred routines for as long as possible

- Using the toilet

- Preparing meals and drinks

- Helping with medications

- Shopping, collecting prescriptions or your pension

- Cleaning and changing bed sheets

- Laundry

- Doing the washing up

- Companionship

How do you set up care at home?

If you need care and want to remain in your own home, in the first instance you will need to undertake a needs assessment to help you understand the nuances of what you require, how much it costs, and what it would involve.

This is usually done in two ways.

It can be done through your local council, which will arrange a visit from a social care officer to undertake a care needs assessment.

This will decide what you need, what if any free care you might be eligible for, and what the costs might be.

To find out which council area you are in, go here: Apply for a needs assessment by social services.

You can also contact a private care provider and ask it to undertake a care needs assessment.

Ahead of the assessment, think about what you would like help with and do some research about whats available.

Depending on what the agreed outcome of your needs assessment shows, the care is usually provided directly by your council or by your private provider.

Will you have to pay for care at home?

Some people with very complex care needs can receive non-means tested funding from the NHS, particularly if you suffer from cancer.

In England and Wales care at home will need to be paid for if your savings and assets are above the local authority means-test threshold for care funding. This doesn't include the value of your home.

England: 23,250, also inclusive of any income.

Annual income including savings which combined adds up 23,250 will mean that people will have to pay the costs of their care in full.

This includes all income, though some specific disability benefits may be excluded. If savings are held jointly with someone else these are usually treated as equally divided.

The means test works as follows:

Over 23,250  you need to pay the full costs of your own care

Between 14,250 and 23,250  contribution made from your income and sliding scale of support from local authority

Less than 14,250 - the council will pay the costs identified via their needs assessment.

Wales: Over 24,000, you pay a maximum weekly charge of 100.

Northern Ireland and Scotland: Personal care at home is free to those who have been assessed by their local authority as needing it. There is no means test for personal care but other kinds of support may be charged for.

If, following a needs assessment, your needs weren't found to be eligible for local authority support then you will most likely need to self-fund.

It is worth getting a needs assessment even if you are found not to qualify for funding as your local council will give you information about the range of local services available to meet your needs.

You can still ask them to help arrange care services for you, even when you are paying for these services yourself.

The assessment will also be important if your needs or means change in the future.

How much does care at home cost?

Care at home is usually much more cost-effective than moving into a residential home, where the average cost is now more than 1,000 a week. More complicated care needs mean costs will be even higher.

When it comes to care at home, costs vary substantially depending on where you live, the care provider and the support required.

Home care services are typically quoted for on an hourly basis by most home care agencies. Live-in care fees will usually be calculated on a weekly basis.

The UK Homecare Association advises 29-30 per hour for regulated care services. These are services which are externally regulated and monitored by the Care Quality Commission.

What should you look for in a care provider and what should you ask?

Making the right choice of provider will naturally be a significant concern for people accepting the need for care at home for the first time.

For many, the idea of having someone new coming into your home is at best uncomfortable, and at worst potentially intrusive or scary.

For family members, concern over the wellbeing of a loved one who needs care can be exhausting and filled with guilt.

However, where the right steps are taken, it can create a better and more balanced family relationship.

The following is a list of questions you should ask a potential care provider:

1. Who will write my care plan? How am I involved and how will you understand me and my needs?

Either the care recipient or a nominated representative or family member should be fully involved in putting together the care plan and agreeing the visit timings.

This document which you will see and agree lays out directions to the care company and the carers involved as to what you need and how you like things to be done. A good care company will support you to make this your document.

2. How many carers will be involved?

Ideally, we would expect the number of carers involved to be kept as low as possible. Consistency of carers and timings in the care plan should be a priority.

However, it is important to accept that carers will have holidays and other absences, so with larger care packages a group of up to six carers might be acceptable.

Look to agree what this number may be with the care company and ask them for confirmation that this is possible.

3. What training do care staff receive?

Staff should have references, have been checked by police, and have completed the right level of training.

You may also want to ask about any specific training which is relevant to your individual needs, for example memory care or hoist training.

4. Will you get to meet the carers before they start?

There is no guarantee you will be able to meet your carers before they start, but it is certainly worth asking and a good care provider will always try to make this happen for you.

At the very least, you can ask for specific information about the individuals who will be visiting.

If for any reason you do not feel comfortable with an individual, let the provider know straight away so they can resolve things or arrange a change.

5. Who will see the care plan or visit notes?

Outside of your care team, your care plan and visit notes should only be shared with you, those with an appropriate power of attorney, or people with whom you have chosen to share them.

The only exceptions to this may be the inspector from the Care Quality Commission or to health, social care or blue light professionals where it has been deemed you are at risk of harm at any time.

This should all be agreed with you at the time the care plan is finalised.

6. What if your needs change?

Things change and so do our needs. You can request a change to your care plan at any time to support an increase or decrease to your needs.

The care company should look to regularly review your care plan with you as part of the support they deliver.

How is the quality of home care regulated?

The Care Quality Commission is responsible for monitoring quality and performance. Check the latest CQC report online for any care provider before entering into a contract with them.

The CQC report will outline the experiences of other people using each specific service and what the people who work for that service think and say, and give you an overview of strengths and weaknesses of each provider.

This can be really useful when talking to the care manager who will be overseeing the service to ensure they fully understand what is important to you as a family or individual, and that you understand what is achievable and reasonable for them to deliver.

It is important to have a clear agreement on how things will proceed from the outset.

You should be explicit about your needs and preferences for how you like things done. Ultimately, the carer is a visitor in your home who is there to ensure your wellbeing.

What other support is available?

It is possible to adapt your home, for instance with a stair lift, and you can request help from your local authority social care team.

In some cases, they may be able to send out an occupational therapist to help to advise on changes to your home which may make life easier.

Age UK can also offer independent advice and support on managing in later life including information on funding and entitlements, telephone befriending and in some locations social activities and other services.

Age UK has a free helpline: 0800 678 1602.
Cruel online trolls have raised questions following the deaths of a toddler and her heroic father, who were killed when their pram rolled onto the tracks.

The pram, which was carrying two-year-old twins, rolled onto the railway tracks at Carlton train station in Sydney's south about 12.25pm on Sunday.

The twins' father, Anand Runwal, 40, leapt down from the platform in a brave attempt to save them, but a passing train struck and killed both the father and one of his daughters, Hilal.

Mr Runwal's wife, Poonam, watched on in horror and was screaming for her husband and children as another commuter held her back while police jumped onto the track to try and locate her family.

Miraculously, Hilal's twin sister Hiya was pulled from underneath the train and escaped the accident 'with hardly a scratch on her'.

NSW Police are investigating what caused the pram to roll over and believe a simple 'gust of wind' could have caused the accident.

They said the parents appeared to have taken their hands off the pram for a 'very short period of time' before it rolled towards the tracks.

Pictured, Anand Runwal and wife Poonam with their two-year-old twin daughters Hilal and Hiya

On social media, some cruel trolls claimed the tragedy could have been avoided, just days after the tragic deaths.

'I'm sorry, prams are fitted with brakes. This is tragic, no doubt about it, but why didn't he just click the brakes on the pram before leaving it unattended? That's what most would do,' one.

A second added: There are signs everywhere to keep hold of your pram on platforms. It's also common sense. Also prams have brakes for this exact reason.'

Others jumped to the parents' defence, explaining a runaway pram is very common and that the parents might have had a lapse in concentration.

'This is such a tragedy. A moment's lapse of concentration or turning away from a pram, and the worst happens. Sadly, I've seen this almost happen so many times,' one said.

'My daughter was eight months when my pram rolled from our front gate to the street - unfortunately, I forgot to put the brakes on, and yes, very lucky she survived without any consequences,' a second added.

Another wrote: 'Does anyone commenting this think for a second this mother isnt going to punish herself every day for the rest of her life?'.

The twins' father heroically jumped onto the tracks to try and save his daughters but was struck by a train passing through, killing him and his daughter Hilal

Miraculously, Hiya survived the accident with 'hardly a scratch on her' (pictured, Hilal and Hiya)

Cruel trolls are blaming the parents for the deaths, claiming they were responsible for the pram rolling onto the tracks and should have used the pram's brakes (pictured, the family minutes before the tragic accident)

Principal owner and consultant at Railway Safety 101 Michael Maartensz told Daily Mail Australia the horrible accident was caused by a 'tragic set of circumstances'.

Mr Maartensz explained it seemed the pram was briefly left unattended, and a gust of wind, coupled with the platform sloping, pushed it onto the tracks.

When speaking with Daily Mail Australia, Mr Maartensz said passenger screen doors were the 'ultimate solution' to preventing accidental deaths at railway stations.

Passenger or platform screen doors weigh 175 kilograms, are about 2.5 meters high, and stretch 170 metres, creating a barrier between the platform and the track.

NSW Sydney Metro installed the safety measure across its eight new city stations, including Crows Nest, Victoria Cross, Barangaroo, Martin Place, Pitt Street, Central, Waterloo and Sydenham.

However, he claimed the government would not have 'an appetite' to install passenger screen doors at existing stations because it is too expensive.

'It's really not on their radar. It would cost a lot of money, but boy, it would, definitely save lives and in this case, it would have saved two lives,' Mr Maartensz said.

'It's just really unfortunate that that sort of railway infrastructure is not in place or in all the networks at this point.'

The safety expert added further warning signs alerting parents to the dangers of prams on platforms were cost effective and could be implemented immediately.

Sydney Trains chief executive Matt Longland conceded that the installation of guard rails across the whole network would be a massive challenge.

He said the size of the Sydney rail network, which consists of 500 platforms and various types of trains, pose significant logistical and structural issues.

The [train] doors are spaced at different intervals. So for a platform screen door to operate effectively, it needs to line up exactly with the train doors as they stop at the platform,' Mr Longland told 7 News.

'And the signalling system needs to ensure that the train can stop at that exact point on the platform'.
The landline was once the centrepiece of the home. Before the internet and social media, people relied on their home phone to stay in touch with friends.

Typically located in a living room and shared between family members, the landline telephone often came with a tangled spinal cord and hard-to-press buttons.

But as modern technology has developed, landlines have become more and more a remnant of times gone by.

According to Ofcom's annual technology tracker, for the first time ever, the majority of Brits do not have a home phone.

Just 47 per cent of UK homes have a landline as of 2024, as more people are relying on their smart phones to communicate  and voice calls are going out of fashion.

But does the traditional landline still have its place in modern society?

MailOnline asked shoppers on Oxford Street, London, and Newcastle's Quayside, whether they still have one  and whether or not they use it.

LONDON: Student Dylan Hughes, 18 (pictured) was unsure at first what a landline telephone was and said mobiles are more convenient to use

LONDON: Calum Hollington, 25, (pictured) who works in media, said he still had a landline telephone but he 'wasn't sure whether it still works anymore'

LONDON: Aidan and Charlotte, both 29, from Australia, (pictured) who both work in health and fitness, said neither of them had used a landline since they were children living at home

Phil Douglas, 71, from South Australia, believes traditional landlines still have their uses.

'If you've got a landline, you've got a constant link,' he said.

'If you've got a mobile, things can shut down. Same as GPS, they can switch the satellites off any day and your GPS is no use. So you need that fall back, you need that in case one of them doesn't work.

'I've just had two weeks in Switzerland absolutely fighting my phone. Everything these days is online.

'Mobiles are great when they work but its like any technology, when it works its fantastic but you need a fallback for when it doesn't.'

LONDON: Phil Douglas, 71, from South Australia, (pictured) believes traditional landlines still have their uses

LONDON: Retiree Joan O'Sullivan, 62, said her mother-in-law still relies on her landline and that they still have their uses

A MailOnline graphic showing the data according to Ofcom 's annual technology tracker

When asked about the pros and cons of a landline, Phil added: 'With a landline you're restricted to your house, you can't use it everywhere whereas with a mobile you can, so you've got that flexibility.

'It's great to have both. Don't throw the baby out with the bathwater, which is what they're going to do if they get rid of the landlines. Keep the landlines, keep the mobiles and have the two working together.'

Student Dylan Hughes, was unsure at first what a landline telephone actually was.

He told MailOnline: 'Is that the one that's connected to the wall? My grandparents used to have one. I don't know if they still do, but that's the closest thing to what I used to have.'

The 18-year-old said he didn't see the point in a landline, not when it is more convenient to use a mobile.

He said: 'Everyone's got their phone on them, it's always on them and not just at home. I can contact that guy across the street right there, I don't have to wait until I get home.

'A mobile is more portable and that's the number one benefit in my opinion.'

Dalal Daoud shared Dylan's views and said mobiles are 'convenient' to use because they also contain all of your contact numbers.

The 45-year-old who works in advertising added: 'I think if you're used to a landline and that's something you rely on  I'm thinking for the much older generation  where it's their go-to and something they use[...]then there's nothing wrong with a duel (approach).

'I'm not saying landlines should be completely taken out, but I see it within the next decade or two that that's maybe where it's going.'

LONDON: Dalal Daoud, 45, (pictured) said mobile phones were more convenient to use because they are on your person at all times and contain all your contact numbers

NEWCASTLE: Jan, 55, told MailOnline that her mother uses a landline and it is her 'lifeline'

Aidan and Charlotte, 29, from Australia, who both work in health and fitness, said neither of them had used a landline since they were children living at home.

'I would never pick up a landline to call someone,' Charlotte said.

'Everyone is out and about and you're not just sitting at home waiting for someone to call so you have a mobile on you.'

Aidan added: 'I think it's just so easy for everyone to have a mobile phone and if you're trying to call someone individually, rather than calling a house where there's loads of people there, you just call the individual.

The pair acknowledged it would be 'tough' for elderly people who are still reliant on their landline, but said their grandparents have made the switch.

When asked about the pros of having a landline, Charlotte said 'aesthetically'.

'If you had one of those old school phones, it would look cool,' she said.

It comes as BT is looking to phase out traditional landlines and replace these with a digital network that relies on broadband.

But the controversial move has been put on hold following concerns the elderly and vulnerable might be at risk as many consider their analogue landline to be a lifeline.

And new data suggests that fourth fifths of people aged 65 and over continue to rely on their landline telephone.

Calum Hollington, 25, who works in media, said he still had a landline telephone but he 'wasn't sure whether it still works anymore'.

When asked about concerns for elderly relatives, Callum said this was the case 'maybe five or 10 years ago but now my grandparents are using mobiles now with no problems.'

He said: 'I can't think of anyone that relies on the landline in my sphere of family and friends.'

Jan, 55, told MailOnline in Newcastle: 'My mum still has a landline but that's her lifeline.'

Retiree Joan O'Sullivan, 62, said she did have a landline telephone but she didn't use it  and only ever receives nuisance calls via it.

She did, however, say she felt for the older generation who find it difficult to use modern mobiles.

'My mother-in-law, she's 95, so obviously it's a bit harder for her to use her mobile so she relies on her landline,' she said.

'I think, still have a landline, don't get rid of it it's still very useful.'

Charlotte, 29, from Adelaide in Australia, said one of the pros of having a landline was the 'aesthetic' of traditional rotary phones (pictured)

NEWCASTLE: Robert Rolls, 64, said he still had a landline but it wasn't a 'conscious' decision to keep it, 'it's just something we've had and we've not got round to getting rid of it'

LONDON: Sherice Friedland, 48, (pictured) said she hadn't used a landline for around five years and wasn't sure whether her children could remember what a landline looked like

NEWCASTLE: Andrea Russ, 32, said she hasn't had a landline in eight years because she's rarely at home and prefers to be reachable by her mobile phone

Robert Rolls, 64, said he still had a landline but it wasn't a 'conscious' decision to keep it, 'it's just something we've had and we've not got round to getting rid of it'.

He added: 'We kept it to provide the broadband over but that's about it. We virtually never use it, we use mobiles all the time now.'

Sherice Friedland, 48, said she hadn't used a landline for around five years and wasn't sure whether her children could remember what a landline looked like.

The physiotherapist said: 'At least with a landline your battery can't run flat but I think there are more cons than pros.'

Andrea Russ, 32, said she hasn't had a landline in eight years because she's rarely at home and prefers to be reachable by her mobile phone.

'On the landline you get lots of phone calls to buy things which you don't get on your phone because you can just block those numbers.' she said.

But, she said 'you know where to reach someone' on a landline 'and they don't have a battery problem, you can't lose them. There's that one place you can always find someone.'

Andrea has fond memories of speaking to her friends on the landline when she was younger and said there was still a place in society for them.

In December 2023, the Government was alerted to cases in which the changeover had stopped telecare devices working, particularly those in rural and isolated areas.

Around 1.8million elderly and disabled people rely on the alarms, which are worn around the neck or wrist and automatically call a response centre over the landline in a health emergency.

When the phone lines need internet signal, telecare systems will simply stop working if coverage drops. In contrast, traditional copper phone lines typically continue to work even in power cuts.

Just 47 per cent of homes have a landline as of 2024, as more people are relying on their smart phones to communicate and voice calls are going out of fashion(Stock Photo)

The rollout of digital phone lines was put on hold amid fears it was putting the elderly and vulnerable at risk (Stock Photo)

Following the reports, telecoms providers  including Sky and TalkTalk  were summoned to Westminster where they 'committed to concrete measures to protect vulnerable households'.

The Government said all providers had agreed 'to not forcibly move customers on to the new network unless they are fully confident they will be protected'.

The Telegraph reported that the number of households with landline telephones has dropped from 54 per cent in 2023, while a decade ago 84 per cent had a home phone.

Video calls became more popular during Covid lockdowns, which may have contributed to the drop in home phone ownership from 77 per cent to 66 per cent in 2020 to 2021.

There was also a rise in the number of complaints about nuisance calls during that period, causing many people to stop answering the phone altogether.

Younger people in particular prefer to use text messages and video calls as their preferred method of communication.

And just 16 per cent of under 25s have a landline.
Epstein used Gates's The Giving Pledge charity to 'tunnel his way into' his orbit

Bill Gates was at one point the 'brightest star' in Jeffrey Epstein's orbit but became a target for the late pedophile after their short-lived partnership collapsed, a new book claims.

Epstein had set his sights on Gates in 2010 when the Microsoft founder and fellow billionaire Warren Buffett launched The Giving Pledge, a charitable campaign under which they vowed to donate 99 percent of their wealth.

To Epstein, their charitable initiative was a potential new 'way to make money' and restore his public image, according to new biography, Billionaire, Nerd, Savior, King: Bill Gates and His Quest to Shape Our World.

It would allow Epstein to launder his reputation after his 2008 conviction for procuring underaged girls saw him serve a brief stint in jail and made him a registered sex offender.

In the book, set to be released August 13, New York Times journalist Anupreeta Das writes that Epstein then began to 'tunnel his way into Gates's orbit' with spectacular results.

Bill Gates is pictured at Epstein's Manhattan mansion in 2011, from left: Jes Staley, at the time a senior JPMorgan executive; former Treasury Secretary Lawrence Summers; Epstein; Gates and Boris Nikolic, who was the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation's science adviser

According to a new book, Epstein began to tunnel himself into Gates's orbit after the Microsoft founder and fellow billionaire Warren Buffett announced their charitable campaign The Giving Pledge in 2010

The two men became friends as they worked on a health fund for billionaires with Gates even calling Epstein 'my buddy'.

Epstein's outrageous lifestyle was an 'adventure' for nerdy Gates who chafed at his overscheduled life married to a wife committed to monogamy, Das writes.

Emails between the two men even referred to Gates visiting one of Epstein's homes for 'Big Macs', which some took to mean young girls.

Gates, 68, denies most of the accusations in the book, saying Das relied 'almost exclusively on second- and third-hand hearsay and anonymous sources'.

In a statement to DailyMail.com, he added: 'The book includes highly sensationalized allegations and outright falsehoods that ignore the actual documented facts our office provided to the author on numerous occasions.

'Mr. Gates has previously stated his deep regret for ever meeting with Epstein, who he met with for discussions regarding philanthropy only.'

But Das's book puts a fresh spotlight on his relationship with Epstein, which is seen as having cost him his marriage to Melinda French Gates.

Melinda only met Epstein once in 2013 and told her husband he was 'evil personified' but Gates inexplicably carried on seeing him anyway.

While the world saw the Giving Pledge in 2010 as an extraordinary gesture by the world's two richest men, Epstein just saw another lucrative opportunity.

Das, 46, writes that Epstein saw that much of Buffett's money would be distributed through the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation and 'began to tunnel a way into (Gates's) orbit'.

New biography, Billionaire, Nerd, Savior, King: Bill Gates and His Quest to Shape Our World, will be released on August 13

Epstein, who counted Britain's Prince Andrew, Donald Trump, and Bill Clinton among his associates, saw Gates as more valuable than anyone else.

The money element was the key and Epstein saw a way to do what he had always done: connect people and make a fortune for himself.

By August 2010, 40 billionaires had signed up to the Giving Pledge and many turned to Gates for advice about how to give away their money.

They did not have experience setting up their own foundations yet Gates did.

As a result, Das writes: 'Of all the stars that studded Epstein's dark universe, Gates was the brightest'.

Their first meeting was in the summer of 2011 after Epstein pitched Gates a health-based fund for billionaires.

The introduction came through Epstein friend, neurosurgeon Melanie Walker, and Boris Nikolic, the former chief advisor on science and technology to Gates.

Epstein would later name Nikolic as executor of his will days before committing suicide, in a move that is believed to have been intended to undermine Gates.

According to Das, Gates had been 'receptive' to Epstein's idea and didn't appear to have even done a Google search to vet the pedophile.

Had he done so, he would have seen that Epstein had served a 15 month prison term for soliciting minors for prostitution.

As the talks progressed, Epstein roped in JP Morgan to manage a 'very high profile' group of donors each worth at least $100million.

Reports at the time said that Gates flew on Epstein's plane and had at least six meetings with him including dinners at the pedophile's New York townhouse.

Gates told a colleague in 2011 that Epstein's 'lifestyle is very different and kind of intriguing although it would not work for me'.

Buffett and Gates vowed to give away their combined $155billion fortune through the charity, which also encouraged other billionaires to donate the majority of their wealth to good causes

Bill and Melinda Gates in 2018, three years before they announced their split. In a CBS interview after the divorce, Melinda said she warned her then husband that he should never again meet with Epstein after she went to his house in 2013

Gates and Epstein met numerous times beginning in 2011 - after he was convicted of sex crimes. In fact, Gates visited Epstein at least three times at Epstein's New York City townhouse

One Epstein victim, a Polish model, met Gates at his Microsoft office in Seattle and even posed for a photo with him.

The woman, who was in her 20s at the time, has said that she recalled people looking at her as if to ask: 'What is she doing there?'

According to Das, Epstein was an 'adventure' for Gates and referred to him at least one time as 'my buddy'.

In an ominous passage, Das writes that Gates 'chose not to listen' to warnings about Epstein as the pedophile 'could offer him something that was worth putting (his) image risk aside for'.

Epstein spent months trying to get the fund off the ground but in the end it came to nothing.

One source said that the 'incentives were misaligned': Epstein wanted the connections, JP Morgan wanted to run the fund, and Gates just wanted money for vaccines.

The last known contact between Gates and Epstein was in 2014 and their friendship would have likely not become public had Epstein not been arrested in 2019.

While the pedophile hanged himself a few months later, anyone who had ever dealt with him got caught in the blast radius.

The reports about Gates were deeply unflattering, including how he turned to Epstein for advice about his 'toxic' marriage.

Epstein counseled him to get a divorce, and Gates had enjoyed the 'boys club' atmosphere at Epstein's homes.

One of the most embarrassing episodes to come out of Gates's friendship with Epstein was his affair with Mila Antonova, a Russian who he met at a bridge tournament.

Epstein also met Antonova, paid for her to attend a software coding course, and let her stay at one of his apartments in New York.

Reports have claimed that in 2017, Epstein emailed Gates and asked to be reimbursed for the cost of the course.

According to the Wall St Journal, the 'tone of the message was that Epstein knew about the affair and could expose it' in apparent retribution for not taking part in his health fund.

In the book, Das faults the 'Gates media machine' for its handling of the crisis.

They tried to 'shut down' the story with denials but then had to backtrack and admit some of the events when proof came to light.

Bill Gates had an affair with Russian bridge player Mila Antonova around 2010 and Jeffrey Epstein is reported to have tried to extort him over the relationship

Gates was introduced to Epstein by Boris Nikolic, who serves as science adviser to Gates' foundation. Epstein would later name Nikolic as a executor of his will days before committing suicide in 2019, in a move that was believed to have been to undermine Gates

The prestigious university MIT even launched an investigation amid claims that Epstein directed a $2million donation to the college on behalf of Gates.

Das writes that the money was used to seek other donations with donors being told that the money was really from Gates.

Author Anupreeta Das

In one of the most shocking passages of the book, Das writes: 'Gates was often mentioned in the thousands of emails that lawyers reviewed between Epstein and MIT employees.

'There were references to Gates visiting Epstein's residences, and Epstein arranging for "Big Macs" which one of the people said referred to Epstein's interest in young girls  and also the food he was sometimes known to serve to his guests at his Manhattan townhouse, on silver platters.'

Epstein has used code words with another of his close associates: Jes Staley, who was head of JP Morgan at the time Epstein was trying to set up the fund with Gates.

Emails between the two revealed in court documents have shown that they both made suggestive references to Disney princesses.

In one message from 2010, Staley wrote to Epstein: 'Say hi to Snow White' and asked if 'Beauty and the Beast' was free.

Epstein replied: 'Well, one side is available', apparently referring to Beauty.

In another message Epstein sent Staley a picture of a young woman, to which Staley replied: 'Don't tell me, a French wine'.

Epstein replied: 'Always thoughts of alcohol'.

A spokeswoman for Staley has previously denied he used code words with Epstein and denied wrongdoing.

Speaking to CBS after the divorce, Melinda French Gates said that she made it 'very clear' to her former husband that he should never again meet with Epstein after she went to his house in 2013.

Melinda said: 'I wanted to see who this man was and I regretted it from the second I stepped in the door.

'He was abhorrent, he was evil personified, I had nightmares about it afterwards.

'My heart breaks for these young women because that's how I felt and I'm an older woman. My god I feel terrible for those women, it's awful. He was awful'.
New details have emerged about the bizarre trap created on a rural Queensland property where a family laid in wait for police, ready to launch what would become a fatal ambush.

Constables Rachel McCrow, 29, and Matthew Arnold, 26, were murdered after they attended the Wieambilla property of Gareth Train and his wife, Stacey, while performing a welfare check for Gareth's brother, Nathaniel Train, in December 2022.

Unknowingly, the officers had walked into an elaborately staged trap where they, along with two other officers - Constables Keely Brough and Randall Kirk - were met with gunfire, an inquest into the deaths has heard.

Footage from Constable Kirk's body worn camera was played in court as counsel assisting the coroner, Ruth O'Gorman KC, gave her opening address.

The vision shows the four officers jumping the fence at the Train property about 4.35pm to approach the house on foot. Ms O'Gorman said less than two minutes after the officers entered the property 'a shot rang out'.

Constable Arnold was only 120m from the front gate where the officers had come from when he shot in the chest and died.

The inquest was told the fatal bullet had been fired by Nathaniel, who was most likely in a 'hide out' lying in wait.

Images of the hide out were displayed in court on Monday, showing an elaborate set up hidden among tree debris which featured a large tent, dumbbells, a copy of the book 'The Godfather' and a chair with sawn-off legs that allowed the shooter to have a direct line of vision through the cutout to allow them to see anyone who approached the front gate.

Gareth Train and his wife, Stacey, ambushed cops as they tried to caryy out a welfare check for Gareth's brother, Nathaniel Train, in December 2022

Constable Rachel McCrow, 26, and Constable Matthew Arnold, 29, were gunned down at the property in the western Darling Downs, about three hours west of Brisbane

New details have emerged about the bizarre trap the trio created on their rural Queensland property near Wieambilla, 300km west of Brisbane

Ms O'Gorman said before the first shot, the officers were not aware they were walking into an ambush.

The inquest heard Constable McCrow was shot in the back while trying to use her radio to call for help.

She was then shot in the lower right leg and upper left leg at 4.38pm.

'Unable to call out on her radio, Constable McCrow recorded the harrowing events that she had then lived through in what is known as a sitrep, or a situational report,' Ms O'Gorman said.

'She also recorded a message of love for her family.'

The inquest was told while it was unclear who fired the three non-fatal shot at Constable McCrow, Gareth Train likely pulled the trigger causing the fatal shot.

Ms O'Gorman said Constable McCrow showed 'great courage and honour' during her final moments.

'It was about seven minutes from the time of the shot that killed Constable Arnold to the time of Constable McCrow's death,' she said.

'In that time she was injured by gunshot wounds, her shooters unknown to her.

'Despite being ambushed, in pain and no doubt terrified, Constable McCrow showed great courage and honour.'

Alan Dare, 58, lived at a nearby property and came to investigate after seeing smoke in the area.

He was murdered moments after he arrived to help.

It's understood he was fatally shot in the back by one of the Trains, but the inquest was told an investigation could not determine by who.

Detective Inspector Suzanne Newton, who led the investigation into the deaths of Constables McCrow and Arnold and Mr Dare, told the inquest on Monday she'd been able to identify the voices heard in audio captured by the officers body worn cameras through the assistance of Nathaniel and Stacey's son.

Neighbour Alan Dare also died in a shooting at Wieambilla when he tried to help

The former couple had two children before separating and Stacey went onto marry Nathaniel's brother, Gareth.

Detective Inspector Newton said an audio recording of a telephone call made in a hospital where Nathaniel had been recovering after suffering cardiac arrest in August 2021 between the two brothers and Stacey.

The inquest heard that through the body worn camera audio, both brothers could be heard speaking to each other moments after Constables Arnold and McCrow were killed.

'He f**king ran,' Gareth said.

'The other car's gone ... took a car.'

Nathaniel replied: 'do you want to move forward or stay here'.

Detective Inspector Newton said moments later Nathaniel was heard saying 'one went right and three went to the left'.

'In the scope, there were three to the left of him ... I was looking at them,' Nathaniel said.

'He could have broken that way, but I'm pretty sure he went to the right.'

It's understood Nathaniel was describing Constable Brough's movements in this verbal exchange with his brother before the pair started several fires to try to smoke her out.

On Monday, the inquest had heard Constable Brough spent nearly two hours waiting to be rescued as flames licked her feet.

The officer, who had only been on the job for less than nine weeks, had managed to seek shelter in bushland.

The inquest heard she was able to call 000 on her mobile phone at 4.34pm as she tried to remain hidden in the grass, which was about eight inches tall.

Ms O'Gorman said a male's voice could be heard on Constable Arnold's body worn camera saying 'there's one more somewhere'.

Constable Brough, who remained on the line with the 000 call operator, revealed her concern for her life.

'I think they know I'm here, I'm scared,' she said.

She was rescued about 6.34pm after running to the front gate where officers were waiting to collect her when it was safe to do so.

Stacey and Gareth Train had posted a video to a now deleted YouTube channel.

QLD Police Constable Keely Brough escaped the shooting at a Wieambilla property.

Special Emergency Response Team officers shot all three members of the Train family following a lengthy siege within seven minutes of each other.

Ms O'Gorman said Stacey was killed first - at 10.32pm - from a gunshot wound to the head.

Gareth was killed four minutes afterwards, also from a gunshot wound to the head.

Nathaniel was the last standing Train member before he was shot in the head and torso, at 10.39pm.

Months after the massacre, police confirmed the Trains had prescribed to an extremist Christian ideology known as 'premillennialism' and acted as an 'autonomous cell' to carry out their 'religiously motivated terrorist attack'.

The inquest heard on Monday Gareth and Stacey had been seen by Polair to be seen sitting at a table during the hours after they killed two police officers and a civilian to record a video which was later uploaded to YouTube.

The video, which was played to the court, saw the married couple confirming they'd killed two police officers.

'They came to kill us and we killed them,' Gareth says in the video.

'If you don't defend yourself against these devils and demons, you're a coward.'

Stacey then adds: 'We'll see you when we get home.' And then: 'We love you.'

Gareth says: 'We'll see you at home Don.'

Ms O'Gorman told the inquest 'Don' was a man in America who the couple had been speaking with about their beliefs.

She said 'home' referenced to seeing Don in the afterlife.

The inquest continues.
A woman has revealed how her relationship fell apart after she made her boyfriend attend a George Floyd protest at the height of the pandemic which saw him arrested and held overnight in a prison cell.

Writer Emily Witt detailed how the longterm relationship with her partner, whom she calls Andrew, slowly spiraled out of control, with her pinpointing the protest and his subsequent arrest as the beginning of the end of their time together.

The couple had lived in Bushwick for years but when the coronavirus pandemic struck it affected people in different ways.

For Witt and her boyfriend, things came crashing down as he fell into a deep depression, while she attempted to busy herself with everyday tasks running small errands such as biking to a fish shop or bakery in Brooklyn.

Writer Emily Witt has revealed how her relationship fell apart after she made her boyfriend attend a George Floyd protest at the height of the pandemic which saw him arrested and held overnight in a prison cell

As the couple made their way towards the protest they felt there was a heavy police presence for the relatively small number of protestors that had gathered. Pictured, the moments before the Bronx protest of June 4, 2020

In the background to the pandemic, protests had sprung up following the death of George Floyd at the hands of a Minneapolis police officer.

While Witt had covered protests in and around the New York area, she felt she needed to attend as a member of the public rather than using the perks of her press pass to remain more of an observer.

On one June evening, she convinced Andrew to meet her in the South Bronx where a protest was due to take place, promising him that the pair would leave before a citywide curfew.

'I relive this moment. I think I will forever. You can ruin your own life in an instant by not paying attention,' Witt writes in a lengthy article for The New Yorker.

As the couple made their way towards the protest they felt there was a heavy police presence for the relatively small number of protestors that had gathered.

For Witt, old habits die hard as she put on her press pass, perhaps in the hope it might afford her some protection.

Witt put on her press pass and was able to resist being arrested by police. Her boyfriend was not so lucky and spend the night in an NYPD holding cell in Queens

Witt posted a short clip of the footage she had gathered at the protest the following day

Demonstrators gather to protest the death of George Floyd in the South Bronx on June 4, 2020

Widespread protests continued around the country and other parts of the world for months following the death of George Floyd

This video is from 7:59 p.m. yesterday. pic.twitter.com/s6mIwapHb1  Emily Witt (@embot) June 5, 2020

The police seemed to be closing in on the group and honing in on white participants before NYPD cops lashed out and began pepper-spraying, arresting and beating the protestors. Those arrested later received $21,500 each in a class action lawsuit.

Witt documented a scene of chaos as people all around her were arrested, including medics and a pregnant woman.

Witt believes she would have been next had she not yelled out that she was press to police while flashing her pass.

Meanwhile, her boyfriend, Andrew, was nowhere to be seen. It wasn't until later in the evening she found out that he had been taken to Queens Central Booking, near Flushing Meadows.

The following morning Witt returned to pick up her boyfriend. She remarks how things between them felt noticeably different.

'I understood then that he was angry with me. He had a broken finger, a scratched eye, and a bloody nose, and had been forced to sit in police custody with pepper spray burning his face for sixteen hours. It was my fault: I had made him go, and I was unscathed,' Witt writes.

Andrew told of the hellish experience that he had endured having spent the night with dozens of other men in a holding cell having waited hours to be processed by the NYPD.

He became focused on how the police at the protest had used their bikes as shields.

His depression became replaced by a new energy as he worked to understand what had happened.

But it appears there was to be no return to normality for the couple as the pair began to argue more often over the most insignificant things, such as dirty dishes piling up or the unkempt state of their apartment.

The day following her boyfriend's arrest, Witt returned to pick him up from an NYPD holding cell and noticed that things felt different between them. It was the beginning of the end

Demonstrators march to protest the death of George Floyd in the Bronx. The same protest Witt's boyfriend was arrested at

Andrew's arrest had bent their relationship out of shape as the couple suddenly began verbally sparring with one another.

It was Andrew who made the decision for the couple to break up as he asked whether he should move out of the apartment, or her.

Witt moved out and initially booked an Airbnb in Manhattan for the night.

The pair went back-and-forth over text as Andrew blamed her for the state of their relationship.

While she also accepted her share of the blame for pushing him to attend the Bronx protest, it appears him getting arrested may simply have been the final straw.

Andrew threatened to call the locksmith and told Witt that she could come and get her possessions from the street the following day.

Cruelly, he then tormented her by telling her that he'd had sex with someone else while she had been away at a writing residency months earlier.

While Witt had covered protests in and around the New York area, she felt she needed to attend as a member of the public rather than using the perks of her press pass

In the middle of the coronavirus pandemic, demonstrators are seen protesting the death of George Floyd in the heart of the South Bronx on June 4, 2020

Consoled by her friends, Witt decided that she needed to get out of the relationship.

It really appeared to be over as Witt set about finding a new sublet in Manhattan.

What looked to simply be an annoyance or inconvenience for him was a life altering crisis for her.

Witt held back from texting Andrew but eventually found she had no choice after she needed to return to her old apartment to pick up some clothes.

Witt considered that Andrew had been having a mental episode following his arrest, but he had also explained himself that the relationship had ended because he had come to his senses.

But when Witt went back to collect her clothes, he had left her a letter suggesting the couple needed to try and fix what had been broken.

On Labour Day 2020, Witt tweeted a picture of the beach with the caption: 'Summer of heartbreak and violence, glad it's over.'

Andrew accused her of libel despite her not even mentioning him by name.

Over the next couple of months Witt describes her state of mind as being like a nightmare from which she was unable to wake up.

One night she returned back to the Brooklyn home and found the place to be completely wrecked with unwashed dishes stacked in the sink with trash piled up in another room.

On Labor Day 2020, Witt tweeted a picture of the beach with the caption: 'Summer of heartbreak and violence, glad it's over.' The tweet appeared to have more than once meaning

Bizarrely, even after time apart, Andrew was not clear as to whether he wanted to break up or not.

Despite this, he would continue to taunt her by telling her that he had slept with a former co-worker and that the sex had been better with the other woman.

On one return trip, Witt went back to see Andrew and the pair slept together once more.

On what was to be their final night together, having had sex for the final time, Witt described the longing she once felt as having gone.

She noticed that Andrew had become energized again in a way that made her anxious with his nervous energy turning to fury at a moment's notice.

Witt tells how she felt alone at the realization their relationship was finally over.

In the midst of the pandemic, she was unable to be with anybody else close to her.

By October 2020, Witt had packed up her Brooklyn apartment and began the journey west

Her parents were in New Hampshire and were reluctant to come into New York City - then the epicenter of the pandemic in the U.S. - while her brother lived thousands of miles away in California.

Many of her friends had also left town and she felt ashamed to even mention to them that she had gone back to Andrew.

Finally, it appears a fire was lit under Witt who over the course of three days packed up her possessions from her apartment, rented a storage unit and booked movers.

She threw herself into work assignments and began focusing on other stories rather than the chaos of her own.

Weeks after the breakup, she learned that Andrew had been hospitalized in a psychiatric ward, later finding out that he had been diagnosed as having bipolar disorder.

It explained much of his behavior in the earlier part of the year that had been symptomatic of a manic episode.

Months later while traveling across the country and visiting a national park in Utah, Witt looked at her now exes social media.

In the calmness of Zion National Park Witt texted Andrew telling him that she was struggling and would like to talk. 'I cannot be near you ever again. I feel a lot better' he wrote back

Many of his rants had been deleted. His friends had told her that he had a new life, a new social circle and a new girlfriend.

In the calmness of Zion National Park Witt texted Andrew telling him that she was struggling and would like to talk.

'I cannot be near you ever again. I feel a lot better' he wrote back.

Witt says that it felt as though he had erased her from his life and that she had been left wandering alone in the desert while he was still living happily in the Bushwick apartment they once shared, perfectly happy.

It was only when she finally reached the west coast and sunny California that she felt relief. She never looked him up again.

'If I didn't look for him, he would no longer exist, so I stopped looking, and my life took on its own character once again,' Witt concludes.
A no-nonsense real estate agent has slapped down a boomer who complained about a forthcoming ban on 'no-fault' evictions of renters in NSW.

State Premier Chris Minns announced a new law on Saturday abolishing 'no-grounds' evictions to allow renters 'to build a home and life on surer ground'.

It means that landlords will no longer be able to evict tenants without a 'reasonable' excuse.

One critic, writing beneath Mr Minns' announcement on Instagram, lashed the decision as 'typical Labor attacking anyone who wants to provide for their own retirement'.

'If I buy a house I should have more rights than the person renting it, period,' the critic seethed.

'It will just encourage and empower bad behaviour from tenants.'

But Sydney-based real estate agent Ashton Chan was having none of it.

'If you want rights, don't take your tenant's money,' he responded.

NSW Premier Chris Minns announced a new law on Saturday abolishing 'no-grounds' evictions to allow renters 'to build a home and life on surer ground' (pictured: a queue for an open inspection in Bondi in Sydney's eastern suburbs)

Mr Chan, who has helped sell hundreds of luxury properties across Sydney, told Daily Mail Australia he stood by his words - and actually wanted the government to go further.

'I agree with the ban because I myself was a renter for five years in Artarmon on Sydney's lower north shore,' Mr Chan said.

Poll Do you think a landlord should be able to kick out a tenant for no reason? Yes - it's their property No - renters have rights Do you think a landlord should be able to kick out a tenant for no reason? Yes - it's their property 390 votes

No - renters have rights 401 votes Now share your opinion





'I would not be happy if my landlord kicked me out for no reason, out of the blue, especially in this market right now where it's hard to find a place to rent.'

He added: 'If you want to rent out your property and take your tenant's money, you cannot also at the same time have the the rights to do whatever you wish.'

Mr Chan acknowledged that his views may surprise people given he often works for landlords.

'I know real estate agents get a bad rep but not all agents are the same,' he said.

He said he also wished the government would look at altering the rules around landlords who let out their property for a fixed term but then decide to sell it within that period.

'What I have to face every day now is if my vendor wants to sell the property, I have to arrange an inspection time with the tenant and I'm interrupting their privacy and their personal space,' he said.

Sydney-based real estate agent Ashton Chan (pictured) said he backed the ban on no-fault evictions in NSW - and called on the government to also address the issue of landlords who decide to sell their property during a fixed term lease

'They pay full rent every week but I have to come in there and do the open home inspections because the landlord decides to sell.

'I don't think it's fair for the tenant because they signed a contract with the landlord and all they want is to get what their money's worth and to enjoy their home in privacy.'

The move to ban no-fault eviction in NSW brings the state into line with other states and territories including the ACT, South Australia and Victoria where governments have already legislated their own models to end the practice.

The NSW government said about 33 per cent of the population were renting, a whopping 17.6 per cent increase since 2016.

Worse still, median rent prices grew by about 7 per cent in the past 12 months.

'Anyone who rents in NSW knows just how anxious and challenging renting can be at the moment,' Mr Minns said at the time of the announcement.

'We've all seen the lines on a Saturday morning with hundreds of people waiting to inspect new properties.

'We believe this reform gets the balance right, but importantly, this will give both homeowners and renters more certainty, more peace of mind, so they can build a home and a life on surer ground.'
Regional airline Rex is set to plunge into administration, with Bloomberg reporting that Ernst & Young (EY) will be appointed as administrators.

The popular carrier's shares went into a trading halt this week and the financial news service claimed that EY's appointment was expected to be announced on Wednesday.

Rex's shares went into a trading halt on the ASX on Monday following recent boardroom turbulence and multimillion-dollar losses.

The trading halt also came amid reports Rex had called in consultancy firm Deloitte to review the airline's books. Deloitte referred media inquiries to Rex, which declined to comment.

It would be the second major domestic airline to collapse in Australia this year following the demise of Bonza.

Rex is even more vital, flying to some 56 destinations across the country, and is a lifeline for some small regional communities.

Prime Minister Anthony Albanese said the federal government was 'concerned' about Rex and would evaluate its options.

But he also noted the airline already received 'substantial government support with no conditions attached'.

Transport Minister Catherine King said the government was in touch with the airline and keeping an 'hour-by-hour' watch on the situation.

There were increasing concerns on Tuesday over the fate of regional airline Rex (plane pictured), with an estimated 2,000 jobs being 'thrown into limbo'

Bloomberg reported that Rex was set to plunge into administration, with Ernst and Young (aka EY) to be appointed

'Regional Australians rely on Rex,' she told Channel Seven's Sunrise on Tuesday.

'It's an incredibly important airline. In many cases (it's) the only airline going into a range of smaller country towns and people are heavily reliant on it.

'We are treating this very seriously and being very vigilant about what is happening, and keeping an eye on the situation hour by hour.'

Rex has built a strong reputation since its inception in 2002 and became known for its reliability.

The Bureau of Infrastructure and Transport Research Economics found in April the airline cancelled just one per cent of its flights - beating all of its competitors.

The domestic airline was recognised internationally at the World Airlines Awards in early July when it received the title for Best Regional Airline in Australia/Pacific.

Passengers expressed fear for the future of the airline on social media.

'Rex is one of the best airlines,' wrote Julia Bradley on X. 'Barely any delays. Staff are always so nice and helpful.'

Another X user added: 'It's easily the best service airline in Australia. It deserves to be salvaged'.

Where Rex flies: The regional carrier is a vital lifeline to regional communities - flying 56 routes

Ms King noted that unlike Bonza, which recently collapsed, Rex owns rather than leases its planes.

'It is up to Rex to be informing its customers that it's operating services today,' she said.

'There has been some instability in the board recently... but I do want to reassure people that Rex is an important airline... and we are watching the situation carefully.'

The carrier mostly serves regional cities, but in a shift in strategy, it has more recently added services between capital cities such as Sydney and Melbourne; routes which are dominated by larger rivals Qantas and Virgin Australia.

A range of regional communities around the nation rely on the carrier, which emerged 22 years ago following the collapse of Ansett.

Since the Covid-19 pandemic, Rex has struggled with its profitability as the overall sector struggled in tough conditions.

Since the Covid-19 pandemic, Rex has struggled with its profitability as the overall sector struggled in tough conditions (pictured, Melbourne Airport)

Earlier in July, creditors voted to liquidate budget airline Bonza. Passengers are pictured at Sydney Airport

In February, Rex reported a bottom line net loss of $3.2million for the first half of the 2023/24 financial year on the back of rising costs, especially for fuel.

But that was an improvement on the $16.5million loss reported in the previous corresponding period.

In June, Rex announced that long-serving executive chairman Lim Kim Hai was stepping down, though he remains on the board as a non-executive director.

In July, Mr Lim, a significant shareholder, requested a general meeting of shareholders to remove a number of directors including non-executive chairman John Sharp.

Rex shares have fallen 35 per cent this year. The stock last traded at 56.5 cents on Friday. The airline's shares were priced at 79 cents a month ago.
Senator Pauline Hanson has promised to cover the surgery costs for a nine-year-old girl after she has spent seven years on the public hospital waiting list.

Kadee Byrnes, 9, from Yeppoon, about 740km north of Brisbane, Queensland, has been on the public hospital waiting list for seven years in desperate need of adenoid surgery.

The surgery is a procedure to remove the adenoids, small tissue lumps in the nasal cavity, to address her chronic tonsillitis.

The nine-year-old was told she had to repeat the forth grade after missing too many days of school due to the infection.

The One Nation party leader said she was 'disgusted' the young girl had to wait so long for surgery and promised to cover the cost of her private treatment.

'I'm grateful for the opportunity to help 9-year-old Kadee by covering the cost of her private treatment', Ms Hanson said on Tuesday.

'It is unacceptable that young Kadee was told she would have to repeat Grade 4 due to missing so many school days because of tonsillitis.

'Situations like this are sadly all too common and highlight the severe consequences of the Labor government's lack of investment in our public hospitals, especially outside South East Queensland.'

Senator Hanson broke the news to Kadee's mother, Kahlia, at a speaking event in Roslyn Bay on Monday.

'Straight away, I said we're going to get this operation done. Kahlia you don't know, I'm paying for it, all right, I'm going to pay for it,' Senator Hanson said.

Kahlia said she was grateful for Senator Hanson's generosity and to see her daughter finally have a normal life.

'I am very that it's going to end this way,' Kahlia said.

'She is finally going to have a surgery and she is finally going to be able to live a life as a normal nine year old,' Kahlia said.

Kahlia Brynes' (pictured) nine-year-old daughter has been on the public hospital wait list for seven years, in desperate need for adenoid surgery

Senator Pauline Hanson surprised the mum by promising to cover the cost of her daughter's private treatment

Central Queensland Hospital and Health Chief Executive Lisa Blackler acknowledged wait times in the public health system were challenging for families.

'I acknowledge that it is challenging for families who need to wait to access health care,' Ms Blacklers said.

'The longest category 2 patient waiting for ENT surgery at Rockhampton Hospital is currently 249 days.'

Rockhampton Base Hospital is the biggest hospital in the Central Queensland Hospital and Health Service.

The hospital provides specialist services in ear, nose and throat surgery, gynaecology, orthopaedics, urology, obstetrics, oncology, paediatrics and psychiatry.

It is the largest major hospital in Central Queensland and provides medical services to an estimated 230,000 people throughout the Rockhampton, Gladstone, the Capricorn Coast and Emerald communities.
California is one of four states that does not set a minimum age requirement for marital unions.

Instead, a minor only needs to get the permission of a parent or guardian and approval from a judge to obtain a marriage license - a concept that has spurred some controversy.

New Mexico and Oklahoma are the only other states to allow people of any age marry with the permission of a judge and a parent - but the Golden State is the first to balk at it.

AB 2924, which would strike existing legal language that allows provisions for marriage under 18, was introduced in the local legislature in February.

However, it has already been met with pushback - from Planned Parenthood Affiliates of Northern California, ACLU California Action and the National Center for Youth Law.

Scroll down for video:

Child marriage survivors like Sara Tasneem, 43, are fighting to get an old law tweaked in California

Others who have suffered similar ordeals have flocked to protest child marriage and champion AB 2924, which would strike existing legal language that allows provisions for unions under 18. Protesters are seen outside officials' offices in San Jose on July 18

The coalition argues such a guidance would drive abusive relationships underground, while limit the rights of minors who willingly want to marry - a stance that horrifies child marriage survivors like Sara Tasneem.

'At fifteen, my father forced me to marry a man who was a complete stranger and almost twice my age,' the El Sobrante resident, now 43, writes on her website.

'It took me seven years to leave this abusive marriage behind.

'I am fighting to change laws that allow child marriage in the United States along with other survivors who know all too well about the human rights abuse that is forced child marriage.'

In an interview with The Mercury News, she recalled how she was trapped in the archaic arranged union until she was 23.

During that span, she had two now-grown kids, and was finally able to initiate divorce proceedings toward the tail-end.

To do so, she was forced to leave her kids with their father for a period, she said - describing how she figured out the next steps.

Soon enough, she was able to get them back, and now uses her experience to get others who suffered and are suffering similar ordeals on her side.

Child marriage survivors are seen protesting with a 'chain-in', used to represent how minors are being basically imprisoned with these unions, according to them

'[A child marrying an adult] in and of itself is abusive because one person is holding power over another,' Tasneem told The Mercury News Monday, days after the display

'[A child marrying an adult] in and of itself is abusive because one person is holding power over another,' she told the Bay Area newspaper Monday.

She explained how she had already testified about her experience with child marriage in Sacramento in support of AB 2924 earlier this year, and what she views as the primary obstacle in her quest thus far.

'To me, its Planned Parenthood thats standing in the way,' she declared. 'I just dont understand - we really should be on the same side in this situation.'

Pointing out the irony of such an institution taking issue with a guidance designed to protect, more often than not, young mother.

Tasneem described how she is one of several advocates who has met with Planned Parenthood multiple times about the bill, which was introduced by Assembly Member Cottie Petrie-Norris of Orange County.

The group, along with the local ACLU chapter and the National Center for Youth Law, have refused to back down, she said.

'They have kind of seemed to dig their heels in a little bit and made this a little bit more of a political issue versus looking at this as an actual issue that affects children,' she explained.

Their refusal saw Petrie-Norris, a Democrat, cancel a judiciary committee designed to pass AB 2924.

Tasneem described how she is one of several advocates who has met with Planned Parenthood multiple times about the bill, which was introduced by Assembly Member Cottie Petrie-Norris of Orange County (seen here)

The bill at that point was withdrawn - a development many at the time blamed on Assembly Member Ash Kalra, the chair of the judiciary committee, due to his support of several amendments survivors like Tasneem take issue with.

They include banning marriage under the age of 16 but allowing the court make certain exceptions for some 16- and 17-year-olds and emancipated minors, Petrie-Norris said - prospects that horrify Tasneem, and stopped Petrie-Norris in her tracks.

'I have tremendous respect for the lived experience of the survivors and advocates who I was working with on this bill,' she said at the time, explaining who she decided to pause the bill because the survivors she was working with were adamant there should be no exceptions.

'After considering our options for this legislative session, I decided to pause the bill rather than move forward with a compromise proposal that they do not support.'

The bill seemingly died there, but Tasneem and other survivors continue to fight back with protests at the statehouse.

New legislation could also soon be on the way, Tasneem said - one that, like Petrie-Norris's. would remove the ability of minors to marry at all, setting the minimum age to 18 with no exceptions.

Only 13 states, including New York, Pennsylvania, and all of New England, have passed such stipulations. All other states have a minimum marriage age of either 16 or 17, with Hawaii and Kansas having an especially low limit of 15.

The bashed bill, meanwhile, was seemingly a popular one - with 20 co-authors across parties and houses, after work started on it way back in 2021, she said.

The bill was withdrawn in April - a development many at the time blamed on Assembly Member Ash Kalra, due to his support of several amendments survivors like Tasneem take issue with, like banning marriage under the age of 16 but allowing the court make certain exceptions

'I want to protect the people with the smallest voice in this process, and thats the minor,' Tasneem said as she continues to fight for new legislation that will stop these unions. She plans to continue such protests at the statehouse in Sacramento, in hopes someone will, one day, bring forth a similar bill

The federal government, meanwhile, signed onto a United Nations pledge to end child marriage by 2030, but states have been slow to produce bills like ones seen in the Northeast and Washington state that have made 18 the mandatory age.

A 2021 study by Unchained at Last, a non-profit that campaigns to end young marriages, suggested the issue is an important one, with some 300,000 minors were legally married in the U.S. between 2000 and 2018.

Many of them were from California, with more than 8,000 minors in California between 15 and 17 years old becoming married in 2021 than 2021, Unchained at Last found upon perusing the US Census's American Community Survey.

in 2022, that number rose to more than 9,000, Unchained at Last said - adding how about 86 percent of these marriages involved underage girls wedding grown men.

In defiance, survivors and Unchained at Last hosted a 'chain-in' protest outside Kalra's San Jose office on July 18, one where woman donned wedding gowns with chains around their wrists, to symbolize the prisons they say these marriages create.

'I want to protect the people with the smallest voice in this process, and thats the minor,' Tasneem said days later. 'Nobody looks out for them - not their parents, not the law, not lawyers, not politicians. Nobody.'

She plans to continue such protests at the statehouse in Sacramento, in hopes someone will, one day, bring forth a similar bill.
Brittany Higgins' husband David Sharaz has made a dramatic career change while living in the south of France, picking up a role in advertising - after an outspoken commentator told him to 'get a job'.

Sky presenter Prue MacSween sparked a war of the words last week after it was revealed Mr Sharaz and Ms Higgins have to sell their $600,000 home in France to pay for their defence of Liberal Senator Linda Reynolds' defamation action.

The couple bought the property last year after Ms Higgins was awarded a $2.4million compensation payment from the Commonwealth based on claims her political career was in ruins following her rape in Parliament House in 2019.

Less than two years after the payout, the couple are strapped for cash, expecting their first child, and facing the prospect of having to pay about $1million in legal fees.

Ms MacSween mocked the couple on X, saying: 'Mon Dieu Higgins has to sell her French Chateau to pay for her mounting legal bills. C'est la vie.'

Mr Sharaz slammed her as 'vile', but Ms MacSween fired back by encouraging him to 'use all his efforts to find himself a job rather than trolling'.

On Sunday, Ms MacSween doubled-down on her comments during a segment on Brisbane radio station 4BC, telling the former journalist to 'get a job, mate, and get legitimate'.

David Sharaz, pictured with Brittany Higgins, quietly freelanced for an advertising company in London

Conservative commentator Prue MacSween (pictured) lashed out at Mr Sharaz last week, and again on Sunday

However, sources close to Mr Sharaz have confirmed to Daily Mail Australia that the former journalist has freelanced for an advertising company in London.

He worked on a Starbucks campaign that ran in the UK and the Middle East.

The source revealed he does plan to get a fulltime job after a two-year hiatus, but has no desire to return to journalism.

Mr Sharaz worked for Sky News in Canberra until 2020 when he took up a brief role as senior media advisor for the Department of Prime Minister and Cabinet in Parliament House - where he met Ms Higgins.

He moved to Southern Cross Austereo in Brisbane in March 2021, but quit in February 2023 - shortly after Ms Reynolds launched legal action against him - and has not had regular employment since.

Speaking on Brisbane radio on Sunday, Ms MacSween said Australians were 'fed up' with the situation.

She then accused Mr Sharaz and Ms Higgins of 'orchestrating' the rape claims to damage the Liberal Party, and questioned the legitimacy of Ms Higgins' allegations.

Ms MacSween said: 'Just talking generally, if a person was raped or felt that had alleged rape, you'd go to a hospital, you'd go to the police.'

Brittany Higgins (right) and David Sharaz (left) were pictured leaving WA Supreme Court in March following mediation with Linda Reynolds

Pictured: Brittany Higgins and David Sharaz's French home, which they now have to sell

'I don't think many of us would think, "Oh, I'm going to go to the media first before I go to the police".

'I mean, why would you do that, unless you had some sort of other reasons, so it's just very curious.'

In April, Federal Court Justice Michael Lee found on a balance of probability that Ms Higgins was raped by her former colleague Bruce Lehrmann after a night out in March 2019.

The court heard Ms Higgins did go to the police following her rape. She decided not to pursue the complaint because she felt it would mean giving up her dream job as a Liberal staffer.

She went to the media two years later because she wanted to speak out against the treatment of women in Parliament House.

Ms MacSween was then asked to respond to Mr Sharaz calling her 'vile'.

'Well, mate, I mean he would know what vile was, because the poor bloke lives it every day, doesn't he?' she said.

'I think the man should get a job and focus on that rather than worrying about what people are saying him on Twitter.

Linda Reynolds is pictured with Brittany Higgins in Perth in 2019, when she was a Liberal staffer

'If he's got a kid coming along, he's got this wife, he may be facing losing his home, get a job mate and get legitimate.'

Mr Sharaz is expected to return to Australia with Ms Higgins ahead of the defamation case, which will begin in the WA Supreme Court in Perth on Friday.

Ms Reynolds is suing the couple in separate cases over a series of social media posts in 2022 and 2023 that she claims damaged her reputation.

The posts revolve around allegations by the couple that the senator did not support Ms Higgins after she disclosed that she was raped by Lehrmann in Ms Reynolds' office in March 2019.

Ms Higgins has repeatedly claimed she was ostracised by Ms Reynolds and her staff in the wake of her assault, and that she was ultimately forced to choose between her career and pursuing her rape allegations with police.

Ms Reynolds has consistently denied that she failed to support Ms Higgins.

Earlier this year, Mr Sharaz conceded defeat due to financial difficulties. His matter will likely settle in August.
A terminally-ill grandmother who fatally shot her son's ex in a grisly murder-suicide detailed allegations of abuse in a seven-page note.

Kathleen Leigh, 65, claimed that her former daughter-in-law Marissa Galloway, 45, tried to alienate her four-year-old daughter from her son - the girl's father - in the note found in her pocket, sources told the New York Post.

She also wrote that no one believed her and her son's claims that Galloway abused the young girl - an accusation New York City's child service investigators twice determined were unfounded.

The letter - scrawled with the words 'For Police' - was found on Leigh's body after she shot Galloway in the head and back as she was loading her one-year-old into a car seat in the back of a parked vehicle on the Upper East Side Friday morning.

Leigh then took her own life by shooting herself in the head, police said.

Kathleen Leigh, 65, pictured in surveillance footage from the shooting on Friday, claimed in a seven-page note that her former daughter-in-law was abusive to her four-year-old granddaughter

Leigh shot and killed Marissa Galloway (pictured), the mother-of-two, on a Manhattan street Friday morning before taking her own life

The four-year-old, who was not with her mother or grandmother at the time of the shooting, had been the subject of a years-long custody battle between Galloway, a special education teacher, and Leigh's son.

Over the course of the battle, both sides have accused the other of child abuse, according to the Post.

In some of the reports, the girl's father would claim that his daughter would arrive home with bruises on her arm, but investigators found the accusations unfounded.

Leigh had even brought the claims to her neighbors in a Manhattan apartment building, where she has been living for the past three years with her son.

Galloway had been loading her one-year-old daughter into a car seat in the back of a parked vehicle when she was shot

'She always talked about the fact that she had a former [partner] that was harassing the hell out of her because I had child services at my door one evening asking if I had ever heard any problems next door,' said neighbor Meryl Feidelman.

'I said, "No, no she's a lovely, lovely mother, a lovely woman."'

But Galloway also had a history of domestic violence disputes with her partner related to the custody battle, according to NYPD's chief of detectives Joseph Kenny.

Five reports and two complaints had been filed with the NYPD between July 2021 and November, but no arrests were made.

Galloway has been battling custody of her four-year-old child with Kathleen's son, the father of the child, since 2021. The one year old does not belong to Leigh's son

The child is now in the custody of Leigh's son, as the NYPD continues to investigate the murder - which occurred just steps away from Mayor Eric Adams' residence.

She had been with her father when her grandmother murdered her mom along the usually quiet tree-lined street just before 9am.

Two guns were recovered at the crime scene - a 9-millimeter gun from the sidewalk and another gun in the Target bag Leigh had on her.

Police are trying to confirm whether or not Leigh had owned the firearms during her time as a probation officer in Chicago - where she worked for 17 years before retiring in 2014.

But officers believe she acted alone in the killing, and have no evidence that her son knew of her plans, according to the Post.

Still, Galloway's family could have standing for at least some custody of the four-year-old under special circumstances that would be met 'when the mom is murdered in cold blood,' a custody lawyer told the Post.

Her other child - a one-year-old girl whose father was reportedly a sperm donor - is now with her maternal grandparents in New Jersey.
A Queensland man has admitted to trying to organise a time to have sex with a 12-year-old girl while on an overseas trip with his wife and three children.

Gary Richmond-Jones, 57, flew from Sydney to Manila, in the Philippines, in December 2022, and was stopped by border force officers when he returned.

Child abuse material was found on his phone, and a subsequent AFP investigation found messages about his sickening plans to abuse children, the Sydney Morning Herald reported.

Richmond-Jones pleaded guilty to preparing and planning to engage in sexual activity with a child under 16 outside Australia, and importing child abuse material.

He is due to be sentenced in August.

Eight days into the Philippines trip, Richmond-Jones, who is from Mackay, downloaded encrypted messaging app Telegram to contact a stranger who messaged him on social media platform X , offering child abuse material.

'Hey, saw your Twitter. Interested. Pinay girls loli,' Richmond-Jones wrote.

He told the NSW District Court that 'Pinay' meant Filipino females and 'loli' referred to underage girls.

A Queensland man has admitted to trying to organise a time to have sex with a 12-year-old girl while on an overseas trip with his wife and three children (pictured, the red light district of P Burgos Street in the Makati area of Manila, Philippines)

On December 26, 2022, Richmond-Jones was sent previews of videos appearing to show adults abusing children and a price list for them, ranging from $3.80 to $51.

'Looks good,' he replied. 'I will send (payment) as soon as I can.'

The court heard Richmond-Jones was told he could avoid paying 'by card' by instead using a local Philippines 7-Eleven's loyalty program.

'Is it possible to find real 13-15 in Manila?' he asked.

Richmond-Jones and told the court he was thinking about engaging in sexual activity with a child.

The person he was arranging things with asked where he was and Richmond-Jones replied that he was in the Philippines and he would be in the capital Manila soon.

Three days later, he sent a text saying, 'I arrive next Friday'.

In reply he received nine photos of girls aged between 12 and 16, some with cartoon symbols hiding their breasts.

'All gorgeous, but (redacted name) would be the pick,' he wrote, talking about a 12-year-old girl.

He then asked what the price was and said he needed to keep the transaction secret from his wife.

When the costs for 'services' was sent to him, Richmond-Jones wrote 'fantastic, I will book a hotel'.

But he backed out of the plan on the day it was supposed to happen and did not reply to the other person's texts, the court was told.

The court heard Richmond-Jones was told he could avoid paying 'by card' by instead using a local Philippines 7-Eleven's loyalty program (pictured, a mock-up of the Telegram messages Richmond-Jones sent)

Richmond-Jones told a sentence hearing he 'deeply regret(ted)' his 'completely unacceptable' actions and that 'child abuse is never OK'.

'It was a wake-up call to myself that I was even considering it,' he said.

'If it had been my children, I certainly would've been looking for the people involved to be prosecuted and brought to justice.

'I look at my children and there is an innocence that shouldn't be taken away.'

Though Richmond-Jones tried to 'justify' what he did by thinking it was 'just online' he later realised it put children at risk.

'The only way to stamp it out is to stop it from happening and in this case it had to start with me not proceeding with what I was planning to do,' he told the court.

Daily Mail Australia contacted the car seller that Richmond-Jones lists on LinkedIn as being where he works as a sales manager, but was told he does not work there.
Australia's paper incoming passenger arrival card has come under fire, with critics labelling it a 'total embarrassment' and urging the government to replace it with a digital version.

Australia is one of the few remaining countries that still requires visitors and returning residents to fill out a paper form upon arrival.

Many Aussies have slammed the process as outdated and inefficient, especially in an era where many countries have already transitioned to digital solutions.

'Been to half a dozen countries in the last year and Australia is the only one still doing this stupid landing card - it's bizarre,' one said.

A second added: 'Most ridiculous piece of paper ever. Could all be done online like Singapore. I get the issues surrounding bio security but surely this can be done online.'

A third agreed: 'As someone who travels internationally for work every two weeks Australia is an embarrassment when entering not just because of these ridiculous forms but also the poor state of the major international arrival terminals. Melbourne and Sydney are terrible.'

Another added: 'Nothing says 'welcome to Australia like that bloody card.'

The Australian Chamber of Commerce and Industry is leading calls for the federal government to introduce a digital alternative to the paper form.

'We nearly got rid of it during Covid when they had the digital passenger declaration, but they stuffed that up so badly they walked away from it,' John Hart, executive chairman of the chamber's tourism arm, told the Herald Sun.

People landing in Australia have to declare alcoholic drinks, tobacco products, animals, fresh food, plant material, seeds, soils, meat and animal products

He also called for a major update to Australia's smartgates to reduce wait times at the border.

Currently, smartgates require incoming passengers to visit a separate kiosk and complete a questionnaire before they can proceed to border and customs checks, which adds unnecessary waiting time.

Mr Hart argued that upgrading to a single-step facial recognition system would greatly reduce these delays.

'Facial recognition has been trialled. It is incredibly simple to implement and it would get rid of those smartgate machines,' he said.

'It won't get rid of the gate itself, but when you approach the gate it will just be a matter of facial recognition and away you go. It's incredibly fast.'

Smartgates require incoming passengers to visit a separate kiosk (picture) and complete a questionnaire before proceeding to passport checks and customs

Mr Hart proposed funding for the upgrades be pulled from revenue collected by the government from the sale of passports, visas and the passenger movement charge.

Mr Hart urged the federal government to seriously consider the chamber's recommendations because 'tourism is too valuable a commodity to risk losing'.

Australian Airports Association head of policy and advocacy Natalie Heazlewood said the group would 'welcome any additional funding' from the federal government to improve facilities and 'enhance the travel experience'.
Donald Trump described how Melania Trump heartbreakingly watched the attempt on his life on live television in a new interview.

Trump miraculously survived the assassination attempt by 20-year-old Thomas Matthew Crooks on July 13.

He was asked by Laura Ingraham how his wife Melania experienced the traumatic day from home.

'She was watching,' he said. 'She was watching live. It was all over the place. It was on television.'

Trump added that his wife is unable to even speak to him about that horrible day, though he's able to see it as a sign she truly cares for him.

Donald Trump described how Melania Trump heartbreakingly watched the attempt on his life on live television in a new interview

Trump added that his wife is unable to even speak to him about that horrible day, though he's able to see it as a sign she truly cares for him

'She can't even really talk about it. That's okay, that means she likes me -- she loves me. She could talk about it freely, I'm not so sure which is better. She either likes or loves me, that's nice.'

Melania believed 'the worst had happened' when she witnessed the shooting live because of how he'd been taken down by the Secret Service.

Trump continued to have sympathy for the Secret Service agents that ultimately failed him.

'I just want to say one thing about Secret Service... they were very brave. They were coming. Bullets were flying over me. I went down and they were -- they were on top of me, I had a lot of very big, strong people on top of me.'

Trump reiterated that multiple times but totally understood where things went wrong that fateful day.

'Should've been somebody on the roof, should've been communication with the local police and we're seeing this guy, who was a very disturbed person... how about the Trump fans who were screaming about him?'

Secret Service Director Kimberly Cheatle resigned after the assassination attempt.

Trump added that the Secret Service counter-sniper who took out Crooks did a good job 'but it should've happened nine seconds earlier'.

Melania believed 'the worst had happened' when she witnessed the shooting live because of how he'd been taken down by the Secret Service

Trump miraculously survived the assassination attempt by 20-year-old Thomas Matthew Crooks on July 13

He added that he's set to speak to the FBI to provide a 'victim statement' on Thursday.

A group chat of those meant to protect Trump were aware that gunman Thomas Matthew Crooks, 20, was in their midst over 90 minutes before Trump was shot at, rather than an hour as the FBI had previously claimed.

When one of the three countersnipers was about to call off at the end of their shift at around 4:26pm, they noticed a man who they later confirmed to be Crooks sitting on a picnic table.

It emerged the gunman's' father called police on the day of the shooting because Crooks didn't return from what he thought was a routine Saturday trip to the local gun range.

And it was revealed Crooks was at the former president's rally three hours before opening fire, even sparking the suspicions of the Secret Service during that time because he was carrying a rangefinder used by hunters to take long shots.

But he was never stopped or questioned.

He later climbed onto the roof of the building he was lurking near, shot Trump and killed retired volunteer fire chief Corey Comperatore.

Crooks had told his boss he needed the day off from work Saturday and gave colleagues a final chilling message: That he would be back on Sunday.

Trump continued to have sympathy for the Secret Service agents that ultimately failed him

Trump added that the Secret Service counter-sniper who took out Crooks did a good job 'but it should've happened nine seconds earlier'

The gunman searched online 'how far' Lee Harvey Oswald was from John F. Kennedy when he shot him, FBI Director Christopher Wray revealed in stunning testimony to Congress earlier this week.

FBI Director Christopher Wray also told lawmakers the 20-year-old gunman flew a drone 200 yards from the stage just two hours before he opened fire in Butler, Pennsylvania, and had three explosives in his car.

Trump managed to survive the attempt on his life during a rally in Butler, Pennsylvania and was quickly bundled off stage by the Secret Service.

The FBIs assessment continues to be that Crooks, who was killed by a Secret Service counter sniper, acted alone.

On Tuesday, Kimberly Cheatle resigned as the agencys director amid mounting questions over her the colossal security failures at the rally.

Cheatle took responsibility for the catastrophic lapses after she was lambasted by Republicans and Democrats alike when she appeared before Congress on Monday.

In a staggering moment, Cheatle admitted on Monday her agents on the ground were warned between two and five times that there was a 'suspicious person' reported before Trump took the stage.

The security chief had faced mounting questions over why an agent was not stationed on the roof from where Crooks opened fire on the former president, and why Trump was allowed to take the stage even when a threat was detected.
QUESTION: Did George Harrison ever write songs in collaboration with Lennon or McCartney?

In the late 1950s, John Lennon formed a skiffle group called the Quarrymen, named after his school. The line-up featured John on guitar with Paul McCartney and George Harrison, John 'Duff' Lowe on piano, and Colin Hanton on drums.

After rehearsing at McCartney's house, they booked a recording session at Percy Phillips' studio at 38 Kensington, Liverpool, in July 1958 and recorded In Spite Of All The Danger, a song credited to McCartney and Harrison. They could afford only one copy of the 10in disc, so they agreed to share it, with each member keeping it for a week. Lowe ended up keeping it for 23 years.

When he rediscovered it in 1981, he contacted McCartney, who bought it from him for an undisclosed fee. It was eventually released on The Beatles Anthology 1 in 1995.

After several changes in their line-up, the Quarrymen evolved into The Beatles. Over recent years, McCartney has played In Spite Of All The Danger on concert dates, much to the delight of his fans.

Trevor J. Halliday, Liverpool

In the late 1950s, John Lennon formed a skiffle group called the Quarrymen. The line-up featured John on guitar with Paul McCartney and George Harrison

There are three Beatles tracks where George Harrison (along with Ringo Starr) has joint credit for composition with Lennon and McCartney. None is among the the Beatles' finer efforts

Many of Harrison's songs never saw the light of day as Beatles numbers, which gave him a rich source for his monumental first solo album, All Things Must Pass

There are three Beatles tracks where George Harrison (along with Ringo Starr) has joint credit for composition with Lennon and McCartney. None is among the group's finer efforts.

Two are from Let It Be (1970): Dig It, taken from a throwaway Lennon composition, and Maggie Mae, where all four are credited as arrangers of the old Liverpool ballad. The other track, Flying, is a pleasant but unremarkable instrumental written for the Magical Mystery Tour film.

Harrison felt under-appreciated musically: it was McCartney who played the stunning guitar solo on Harrison's Taxman, effectively hijacking Harrison's role as lead guitarist. During the Let It Be sessions, a tense conversation culminated in Harrison saying to McCartney: 'I'll play... whatever you want me to play. Or I won't play at all, if you don't want me to play. Whatever it is that will please you, I'll do it.'

At another stage, Harrison wrote the song Wah-Wah to express his conflicted views about the fame Lennon and McCartney had brought him, which contrasted with his feeling that, after all this time, he was still the third wheel.

Many of Harrison's songs never saw the light of day as Beatles numbers, which gave him a rich source for his monumental first solo album, All Things Must Pass (generally considered as good as any of the solo albums by Lennon or McCartney).

Bob Bell, Croydon, Surrey

QUESTION: Is all 'new' architecture today stolen?

While contemporary architecture often draws inspiration from historical styles and cultures, and existing designs, it also incorporates innovative materials, concepts and technologies. This blend of old and new should be seen as an evolution rather than theft. To take some modern examples: The Shard, designed by Renzo Piano, was inspired by the gothic spires of London's historic churches and the masts of tall ships depicted by the painter Canaletto. Using modern glass and steel, he has created a distinctly contemporary building.

The Shard, designed by Renzo Piano, was inspired by the gothic spires of London's historic churches and the masts of tall ships depicted by the painter Canaletto

TOMORROW'S QUESTIONS... Q: In the 1960s, when we saw an ambulance we had to hold our collars until we saw a dog. My husband and I still do this today. Does anyone else do this? And why? Sue Jones, Birmingham Q: I'm a keen racegoer but I've never seen a jockey with a moustache or beard. Is there a reason for this? Cliff Bridge, Beaumaris, Anglesey Advertisement

The Burj Khalifa in Dubai, designed by Adrian Smith, draws inspiration from traditional Islamic architecture. Its design incorporates the spiral minaret style while using cutting-edge materials and technologies.

Architectural creativity lies in the adaptation and reinterpretation of influences to create unique and contextually relevant buildings. Intellectual property laws also guide architects in respecting originality and preventing outright copying.

Thus, modern architecture is a complex interplay of homage, innovation and originality.

S. K. Lewin, London N5

QUESTION: Who were the first ethnic minority MPs?

Ethnicity is subjective and subject to changing interpretations.

The first MP from what we would consider to be an 'ethnic minority' background may have been John Stewart, MP for Lymington, Hampshire, in 1832-47, whose father owned plantations in the West Indies. David Ochterlony Dyce Sombre, MP for Sudbury 1841-2, was of mixed European and Indian descent. His election was annulled due to corruption.

The first MP with full ethnic-minority origins was Dadabhai Naoroji, a professor at University College London, who was born in Mumbai. Naoroji was a critic of British rule in India and was elected Liberal MP for Central Finsbury, London, in 1892. Prominent pro-British Indians decided to put up their own candidate, Mancherjee Bhownaggree, who was elected MP for Bethnal Green North East, London, in 1895.

Olivia Simmons, Guildford, Surrey
Three US Army soldiers were killed when their car plunged 400 feet down a dangerous San Francisco cliff on Friday morning.

Brylyn Aroma, 36; Angelica Gacho, 28; and Mohammad Noory, 29, were driving down California's Highway 1 - known for its hairpin turns and steep seaside cliffs - just after 11am on Friday when the two-door gray sedan they were in plunged down a cliff dubbed Devil's Slide.

Their vehicle came to a rest down the embankment, and was photographed upside down but still visible in the water below.

Multiple California Highway Patrol officers along with other law enforcement agencies and fire crews rushed to the scene, while a CAL FIRE team rappelled down the side of the cliff to check on the occupants, ABC 7 reports.

Authorities initially found just two people in the car, whom they pronounced dead at the scene.

Angelica Gacho, 28, was killed in a horror crash when the car she was traveling in plummeted 400 feet down a cliff off California's Highway 1

Brylyn Aroma, 36, and Mohammad Noory, 29, were also killed in the crash Friday morning

Rescuers were then able to find and recover two of the bodies, and a third was found on Saturday.

It was recovered after high tides created 'incredibly dangerous' conditions, the highway patrol said, according to USA Today.

The car was then removed from the water by a tow truck on Saturday morning.

It was apparently being driven by Noory, of South San Francisco, who worked as an Uber driver at the time of the crash, according to NBC Bay Area.

The cause of the crash remains under investigation, as friends of Noory's try to raise money for his family back home in Afghanistan.

The online fundraiser says that prior to driving for Uber, Noory worked for the US Army as an interpreter in Afghanistan.

He achieved a Special Immigrant Visa for his service to the US, and immigrated in 2021 in hopes of supporting his family.

But friends of Noory's say they are not familiar with the other victims.

Photos from the scene show the two-door gray sedan overturned in the water below

Authorities needed to use a tow truck to pull the vehicle from the water on Saturday

Recovery efforts were hindered by high tides that created 'incredibly dangerous' conditions

Yet the three shared a bond, as Gacho was also a communications specialist for the US Army, according to her LinkedIn.

She shared reels of her life on a base on her Facebook page, and announced in April that she had got engaged.

'You are foremost the highlight of my military career,' she wrote of her fiancee.

Aroma, meanwhile, was a US Army medic and was stationed at Fort Riley in Kansas.

She was commended as the 'dragon of the week' by the First Battalion, 63rd Armor Regiment in March 2023.

'She took the initiative to serve as a bridge between our soldiers and Allied forces,' the battalion raved.

'Her language skills and selfless service enhanced the capabilities of the organization during vehicle training and land navigation.'

It added that she was 'vital in communication when it came to our Allies, which resulted in better safety and better training block for everyone involved.'

Gacho was a communications specialist for the US Army, according to her Linkedin

Aroma was stationed at Fort Riley in Kansas at the time of the crash, and had been working as a US Army medic

Following the news of her sudden death, friends and family flooded Aroma's Facebook to express their grief.

'I can't stop crying thinking that you will not be here in Fort Riley no more,' Joy Juliano wrote.

Aroma's boyfriend, Vinny Hall, whom she had recently attended the Military Ball with, said he was 'devastated and heartbroken.'

'You were my rock baby, my whole world. We had so much planned for our future,' Hall wrote, sharing photos of their time together.

'I will always love you so, so much. You will always be in my heart forever and always.'

On his own Facebook page, Hall said that he was 'just at a loss for words right now' and doesn't know what to do.

Aroma's boyfriend, Vinny Hall, whom she had recently attended the Military Ball with, said he was 'devastated and heartbroken'

Gacho announced in April that she had got engaged

Cheryll Lorca Gone also appeared to have known both Aroma and Gacho, writing it is 'so sad what happened [to] both of you!

'What a tragedy that happened!!!

'So sad you guys [are] gone [at such a] young age and we will miss you both!!!'
An Australian man has been left paralysed from the waist down following a horrific accident while on a European holiday with his girlfriend.

Jordan Theobald, 29, and his partner Laura Mahoney saved for years for what was supposed to be 'the trip of a lifetime' before it spiralled into a nightmare.

'A jump off the iconic Mostar Bridge in Bosnia left Jordan with a life-altering injury,' Ms Mahoney wrote on a GoFundMe page.

'Upon landing in the water he shattered his T12 vertebrae, leaving him with paralysis of his lower body. He is currently in the ICU after complex surgeries.'

Old Bridge Mostar is a tourist attraction where the brave-hearted have the chance to jump into the water below - a 20 to 27m plunge depending on river levels.

Anyone wishing to jump off the bridge must first receive permission and training from local jumpers who provide lessons on how to land safely and avoid injury.

Ms Mahoney said her partner is 'an incredibly active and loving person... he has an adventurous spirit and a passion for surfing and snowboarding'.

She said the Melbourne man's caring nature draws people to him and he 'is always ready to lend a helping hand' to others.

Australian man Jordan Theobald (pictured left with his partner Laura Mahoney) has been left paralysed from the waist down after a dream overseas trip turned into nightmare

Mostar Bridge in Bosnia, the bridge Australian man Jordan Theobald jumped off, is pictured

'Jordan's journey to recovery is just beginning,' she said.

'He has already undergone several blood transfusions and requires additional medication to help stabilise his condition.'

Ms Mahoney said what lies ahead will be 'long and challenging', but that there are already positive signs.

'Following the surgeries, he has been able to wiggle his toes and stand assisted for a few seconds. These small yet significant signs of progress give us hope,' she said.

Ms Mahoney said the emotional toll on Jordan and his loved ones is immense, 'but the financial burden is equally overwhelming'.

The cost of medical care and repatriation to Australia will come to more than $100,000, with further expenses expected later.

'This is a daunting sum, and we cannot face it alone. At this stage we are unsure what, if anything, our travel insurance will cover,' Ms Mahoney wrote.

She said any donation, no matter the size, 'brings Jordan one step closer to the care he needs and the comfort of being surrounded by his loved ones (and) will make a profound difference in his recovery journey'.

'Jordan and I are eternally grateful for the support we have already received and any future support,' Ms Mahoney wrote.
An Aussie dad who recovered from a double lung transplant more than a decade ago has now been told he may only have a few months to live after he was diagnosed with brain cancer.

Murray Brown, 31, who lives in Berwick, in Melbourne's south-east, was given the devastating news by surgeons last year when they had found a tumour after he had a seizure.

The father-of-four had the tumour successfully removed by specialists, but doctors said it could grow back.

Doctors conducted a biopsy to examine the cells and discovered that despite the removal of the tumour, Mr Brown has stage three cancer and the disease is incurable.

The cruel health blow comes after Mr Brown received a double lung transplant to treat cystic fibrosis 12 years ago after he was given just weeks to live.

He had lived with the genetic condition, which affects the lungs and digestive system, for his whole life.

There is no cure for the disease and Mr Brown feared he would die until the successful transplant.

Now he faces another gruelling health battle that has already taken a toll on his family as they struggle to come to terms with the diagnosis.

Murray Brown, 31, (pictured) had a tumour successfully removed but a biopsy to examine the cells discovered Mr Brown has stage three cancer and the disease is incurable

Mr Brown's partner Danielle said the family are staying positive and are trying to make the most of their time with him despite the heartbreaking news.

'The hardest part is that we don't know exactly how long he has,' she told Yahoo.

'They [doctors] can't tell us anything. So it could be 12 months, it could be 12 years  that's very optimistic'.

Danielle said there are several factors that have made it difficult for doctors to understand what treatment plan will be most effective.

This includes how his body will react to anti-rejection drugs, which are medicines given to patients to help them cope with an organ transplant.

Danielle said the hardest part of the process has been explaining the situation to the couple's young children, who are aged six, four and two-year-old twins.

Mr Brown's partner Danielle (pictured left) said the hardest part of the process has been explaining the situation to the couple's young children (pictured)

'We are quite positive. So it's okay until you have those moments that sort of knock you for six  looking into the future and picturing what our lives will be like,' she said.

Mr Brown is currently receiving radiation and chemotherapy and a family friend set up a GoFundMe page to help fund their medical costs.

The fundraiser has to date reached the goal of raising $40,000 with $40,366 raised from a total of 902 donations.
Dr. Anthony Fauci is being accused of lying to Congress last month when he said he never used private email to conduct official business.

Fauci, 83, told a journalist in 2021 that he would reach out to them through his private email as he faced backlash over research being done on beagle puppies by his National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Disease (NIAID).

The project saw innocent hound dogs tormented and killed in a lab in Tunisia to learn more about a parasitic disease, something the NIAID initially denied funding before Fauci confirmed this year that was a fib.

It also saw the hashtag #ArrestFauci trend on the site formerly known as Twitter, as he also faced backlash over his handling of the pandemic. The now-retired expert faced a grilling about this in June as well.

The White Coat Waste Project, who years ago revealed how NIAID spent $1.86million in taxpayer funds on the tests, has now uncovered correspondence where the doctor told a reporter he would message him personally as they spoke briefly about the then budding scandal.

Anthony Fauci, former director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, is seen testifying at a coronavirus pandemic hearing on June 3, 2024. There, the former head of the NIAID told lawmakers he never used a personal email to discuss work

'I will send you an e-mail via my gmail account,' Fauci wrote in a 2021 email sent to Washington Post reporter Yasmeen Abutaleb. She had been the national health policy reporter for the paper at the time, before becoming a White House reporter the same month Fauci retired

Back in June, the former head of the NIAID told lawmakers he never used a personal email to discuss work - a stance that, while now coming into question, he continues to maintain.

'I will send you an e-mail via my gmail account,' Fauci wrote in the email dated October 29, 2021, and sent to Washington Post reporter Yasmeen Abutaleb.

Shortly before, the journalist who had been the national health policy reporter for the paper at the time, sent a message that appeared to air pity toward the doc about the series of 'crazy articles' that had surfaced surrounding the beagle experiments.

Earlier emails showed how Fauci shared an article from the fact check website Snopes, in which journalists seemingly sought to cast doubt on his connection to the experiments.

The article further suggested Fauci, who retired in August 2022, did not sign off on the taxpayer-funded experiments, which, aside from spawning widespread outrage, warranted a scathing rebuke from members of Congress.

The Snopes article called them 'rumors' designed to 'disparage' the then-NIAID director, and Fauci in turn wrote to the journalist, 'As per our discussion, more of the same.'

The latter appeared to dismiss legitimate questions about the experiments where dogs were left for sand flies to be eaten alive for research purposes as outlandish.

Some three years later, he would concede to a House subcommittee that he 'signed off' on grants that funded the tests - an admission offered before several lawmakers on June 3.

The correspondence appeared to center around the project that saw innocent hound dogs tormented and killed in a lab in Tunisia to learn more about a parasitic disease, something the NIAID initially denied funding before Fauci confirmed this year that was a fib

The inconsistency isn't the first from the lifelong doctor, and apparently isn't the last either, if the FOIA records obtained by the White Coat Waste Project and The New York Post are to be taken seriously.

As mentioned, the exchange - occurring less than a year before Fauci's retirement and Abutaleb's seemingly simultaneously ascension to Post White House reporter - suggested the doctor sent an email to the woman from his personal account.

In a statement offered Monday in response, Fauci's attorney David Schertler, said his client stands by his June 3rd testimony'

He further claimed the email 'was a personal matter and not a matter related to government business'.

For that reason, Dr. Fauci used his personal email account to communicate about the matter, he told the New York Post, the first to report on The White Coat Waste Project's latest qualms.

The founder of the firm that first brought attention to the then-shrouded beagle experiments responded by telling the New York paper the email was proof that Fauci 'broke federal law', alleging he lied under oath about a variety of things.

'Weve followed the money and exposed how Fauci lied... about not funding gain-of-function at the Wuhan animal lab, that he lied about not bankrolling beagle torture in Tunisia,' Anthony Bellotti reportedly said

'And, now, that he broke federal law by using his personal email to evade FOIA requests about Beaglegate and secretly communicate with a Washington Post reporter who then published NIH disinformation to protect him and discredit us.'

Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene holds up a photo of the experiments unveiled by the The White Coat Waste Project in 2021 at the House Select Subcommittee on the Coronavirus pandemic last month

In a fact-check last month surrounding the now confirmed Beagle experiment, the Washington Post found the government-sanctioned was erased from a grant database weeks after members of the press began inquiring about it in 2021.

'Beaglegate' was thus born, a mostly online movement that questioned Fauci and the government's involvement that culminated with White Coat Waste Project in 2022 releasing internal NIAID documents that included the full grant proposal.

Months before, Fauci had asked NIAID staff for details of the grant - after which one of the agencys employees pressured the journal that published the study to remove its affiliation, according to internal NIAID documents obtained by White Coat Waste.

Representatives for the NIAID would then argue it funded a separate but similar study involving sand flies, before Fauci slammed reports on the experiments as 'lunacy' from the 'far-right' in his recent memoir.

However, days before the book published, he suddenly changed his tune - telling Congress he did, in fact, sign off on the Tunisia experiments - 'because they were approved by a peer review', he said in his June 3 testimony.

The committee had already obtained a trove of emails showing one of his top aides, Dr. David Morens, using a private email account to evade FOIA requests while bragging about deleting 'smoking guns.'

Faucis top adviser at NIAID from 1998 to 2022, Morens is now the subject of an internal NIH investigation for alleged FOIA evasions and the deletion of federal records.

Correspondence between EcoHealth Alliance President Dr. Peter Daszak and Fauci was also uncovered, after the nonprofit received more than half a million in funding from NIH to help conduct gain-of-function experiments at the Wuhan Institute of Virology beginning in 2014.

He continues to deny covering up the origins of Covid-19 as some claim the gain of function experiments were the cause, after 100 hours of testimony and a 15-month investigation failed to turn up any evidence linking him to potentially dangerous research relating to Covid-19

The committee had already obtained a trove of emails showing one of his top aides, Dr. David Morens, using a private email account to evade FOIA requests while bragging about deleting 'smoking guns.' Morens is now the subject of an internal NIH investigation

But perhaps the most disturbing incidents funded by Fauci's National Institutes of Allergies and Infectious Diseases involved the Tunisian research lab, where $375,000 was given to have beagle puppies heads held in cages, before being left for sand flies to be eaten alive.

Distressing snaps showed the pups with their heads kept inside the muslin-type cages filled with the hungry insects.

Another procedure - which the NIH funded to the tune of $1.8m - saw 44 beagles undergo a 'cordectomy' that saw their vocal cords cut to stop them barking.

That experiment, which took place in Menlo Park, California, saw the dogs then pumped full of drugs, before being killed and dissected.

Fauci would announce his impending retirement months after the White Coat Waste Project exposed both, the same month Abutaleb changed jobs to become the Post's White House reporter.

He continues to deny covering up the origins of Covid-19 as some claim the gain of function experiments were the cause, after more than 100 hours of testimony and a 15-month investigation failed to turn up any evidence linking him to potentially dangerous research in Wuhan.

He has also dismissed the - in his own words - 'absolutely false and simply preposterous' Republican claims he influenced the CIA's analysis of whether the pandemic started naturally or escaped from the lab.
North Carolina Governor Roy Cooper has dropped out of the Veepstakes to be Kamala Harris' running mate amid rumors he plans to run for Senate in 2026.

Cooper confirmed in a statement Monday night that he would not be a candidate to be Harris' vice president, saying he was 'honored' to be considered but 'this just wasn't the right time for North Carolina and for me to potentially be on a national ticket.'

The governor, 67, withdrew from contention well before Harris' vetting process began and never submitted the requisite material, according to two of the people.

Harris remains focused on mostly men with executive experience from swing states like Cooper to round out the ticket.

A Bloomberg report Monday revealed that Pennsylvania's Josh Shapiro as well as Arizona Gov. Mark Kelly and Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz are the top three contenders Harris is considering adding to her ticket.

North Carolina Governor Roy Cooper has dropped out of the Veepstakes to be Kamala Harris ' running mate amid rumors he plans to run for Senate in 2026

Cooper confirmed in a statement Monday night that he would not be a candidate to be Harris' vice president, saying he was 'honored' to be considered but 'this just wasn't the right time'

The current vice president's team was initially said to looking at about a dozen potential contenders, but the field has narrowed and now Shapiro and Kelly are seen as among the front-runners, according to insiders. Governor Gretchen Whitmer of Michigan told CBS News Monday that she could see a decision happening in the next week.

Cooper, the former chairman of the Democratic Governors Association, has been close to Harris since they were both state attorneys general.

His potential selection was seen as a possible asset in shifting North Carolina - the Democrats' only significant opportunity to expand on their 2020 map - into Harris' hands.

A source close to Cooper has said that the governor is specifically targeting the Senate seat in North Carolina up for election in 2026, NBC News reports.

Thom Tills, a Republican, has won two consecutive terms but both times by less than two points.

Under the state constitution, North Carolina Lt. Gov. Mark Robinson, who is the GOP's nominee to replace the term-limited Cooper, becomes acting governor and can assume the Democrat's powers when he travels out of state.

Cooper, according to two of the people, has expressed concern about what Robinson might do if he were to leave the state extensively for campaign travel.

The governor's legal team, as well as some outside experts, do not believe Robinson would actually assume the powers that accompany being governor, such as issuing executive orders.

The governor (pictured right), 67, withdrew from contention well before Harris' vetting process began and never submitted the requisite material, according to two of the people

Under the state constitution, North Carolina Lt. Gov. Mark Robinson becomes acting governor and can assume his powers when he travels out of state. Cooper has expressed concern about what Robinson might do if he were to leave the state extensively for campaign travel

But the governor was concerned enough, one of the people familiar with the matter said, that Robinson would try to take action that could prompt litigation and spur distractions in North Carolina, one of the most critical political states nationwide both for the presidency and in its gubernatorial race.

Robinson is an ardent social conservative, who once called abortion 'child sacrifice.' In various church pulpits, Robinson has asserted men as the rightful leaders in church and society.

He once mused that leaders of the original birth control movement in the U.S. were 'witches, all of em.'

Robinson has also discussed LGBTQ people with words like 'filth' and 'maggots.'

In the weeks before President Joe Biden withdrew from the race, Cooper appeared with Harris at campaign events in Greensboro and Fayetteville. He had deflected questions about the vetting process.

'I trust her to make the right decision,' he told reporters in North Carolina recently.

Harris' search is ongoing and her teams of lawyers and political aides are still reviewing information on a narrowing list of potential candidates.

An ABC News/Ipsos poll released Sunday found Senator Mark Kelly of Arizona has the highest favorables amongst the contenders.

A source close to Cooper has said that the governor is specifically targeting the Senate seat in North Carolina up for election in 2026

The same poll has the vice president's favorability sitting at 43 percent  an eight point surge since last weekend, according to ABC News/Ipsos polling which showed Donald Trump under water.

Kelly, a former astronaut and husband of ex-Congressman and gun control advocate Gabrielle Giffords, is viewed positively by 22 percent of respondents and negatively by just 12 percent.

While a majority either still don't know Kelly or have no opinion of the border state Democrat, he remains better liked than some of his potential VP rivals.

Kelly is seen as a potential worry for Republicans, according to Kevin Madden, a Republican strategist and former spokesperson to Mitt Romney's 2012 presidential campaign.

Republican strategist Matt Wolking believes Shapiro and Kelly are the most formidable candidates in the running for vice president, but he noted choosing Kelly would open up a Senate seat in the battleground state of Arizona should Democrats win the election.

Harris is likely to face-off with Trump in November as no other Democrats are being floated currently to challenge the vice president for the spot with just three weeks until the Democratic National Convention.

Fifty-two percent of those surveyed think Harris should be the nominee, according to the poll. And 86 percent of Democrats want to see her leading their ticket.

A separate poll also released on Sunday from YouGov/Times of London reveals that 30 percent of voters think Biden should step down now and turn over the rest of his term to Harris.

Harris is likely to face-off with Trump in November as no other Democrats are being floated currently to challenge the vice president for the spot with just three weeks until the Democratic National Convention

Trump selected Ohio Senator JD Vance (pictured left), 39, to be his running mate

It also found a staggering number of U.S. voters  92 percent  think Harris was at least partially involved in covering-up the extent of President Biden 's mental decline.

The survey of 1,170 voters taken July 22 and 23 asked whether they believed there was an effort to shield Biden's mental health from the public and who was responsible for the cover-up.

Fifty-four percent of respondents said there was a cover-up and 30 percent said they don't believe there was one. Sixteen percent aren't sure.

The switch-up in the 2024 election has left many with questions over whether there was a plot to keep Biden's cognitive health under wraps and who plotted to keep secret his declining health.
WARNING: Graphic content

A police officer has revealed the moments he watched his colleague get murdered in front of his eyes as a horrific ambush unfolded at a rural Queensland property, a coronial inquest has been told.

Constables Rachel McCrow, 29, and Matthew Arnold, 26, were murdered after they attended the Wieambilla property of Gareth Train and his wife, Stacey, while performing a welfare check for Gareth's brother, Nathaniel Train, in December 2022.

Unknowingly, the officers had walked into an elaborately staged trap where they, along with two other officers - Constables Keely Brough and Randall Kirk - were met with gunfire, an inquest into the deaths has been told.

Footage from Constable Kirk's body-worn camera was played in court as counsel assisting the coroner, Ruth O'Gorman KC, gave her opening address.

The vision shows the four officers jumping the fence at the Train property about 4.35pm to approach the house on foot.

Ms O'Gorman said less than two minutes after the officers entered the property 'a shot rang out'.

Constable Arnold was only 120m from the front gate where the officers had come from when he shot in the chest and died.

The inquest was told the fatal bullet had been fired by Nathaniel, who was most likely in a 'hide-out' lying in wait.

Constables Rachel McCrow, 29 (pictured), and Matthew Arnold, 26, were murdered after they attended the Wieambilla property of Gareth Train and his wife, Stacey, while performing a welfare check for Gareth's brother, Nathaniel Train, in December 2022

Constable Arnold (pictured) was only 120m from the front gate where the officers had come from when he shot in the chest and died

Gareth Train is seen on Rachel McCrow's bodycam during the ambush

About seven minutes later, Constable McCrow was murdered by Gareth, who shot her with his rifle at close range.

The Trains then lit fires to try to smoke out Constable Brough, who had managed to escape to bushland metres away from where her colleagues were murdered.

Constable Kirk had also managed to escape the ambush after he made a frightening dash back to his police vehicle at the front gate while being shot at by the Trains.

'Do you have eyes on the others' - horror moment for cop

Constable Kirk told the inquest on Tuesday he'd been assigned the Code 3 job to attend the Wains Rd property with his colleague Constable Brough when the pair started their shift at the Chinchilla Police Station at 4pm on December 12.

Constables Arnold and McCrow had also been tasked with the job and a plan was made for the four officers to meet at the road near the property as the Tara crew had never been to the house.

It was the second time Constable Kirk had been to the property, having attended with another officer in August 2022 looking for Nathaniel.

The inquest heard the two officers didn't go past the locked gate and left a note in the letterbox about the reason for their visit.

This time however, the four constables jumped the locked front gate because an arrest warrant had been made and a missing persons welfare check for Nathaniel.

Constable Kirk said two separate crews were called to the Code 3 job because property was in an area with poor reception.

'There's sorts of areas you have between Chinchilla and Tara you have what you call black spots ... having more crews at specific jobs tends to help,' he said.

As the four officers walk up the dirt driveway, they were captured on Constable Kirk's body worn footage chatting together.

Constable Kirk is heard saying 'there's an arrest warrant for this fella'.

Constable Randall Kirk is seen brandishing his gun as he flees the area

He told the inquest relaying that type of information 'tends to help everyone' as they approach a job

About 120m from the gate, a single shot rings out and Constable Arnold is killed.

The inquest heard that Constable Kirk says 'get back, get back' to his colleagues as they try to seek cover.

'I recall myself going behind a tree,' he said.

'I don't recall where Keely Brough went and I could see where Rachel was, still at the same position...where the initial shot went.

'I recall dropping, laying on my stomach. I don't recall specifically when I dropped.'

When asked why he dropped to the ground, Constable Kirk simply replied it was 'to try not to get shot'.

He told the inquest he 'assumed' the 'loud' gunshots had come from 'in front' of where the officers had been walking but he didn't see it happen and didn't notice anyone on the property.

As he tried to remain hidden from sight, Constable Kirk was able to move to another tree that provided him better coverage.

'It was my only protection,' he said.

'I remember getting to the tree. I remember scanning to get eyes on Keely, Matt and Rachel.

'I don't recall seeing anyone initially. I don't recall where the shots had come from.

'I do recall trying my radio, and then that not working and then having to use my phone to the sergeant.'

Constable Kirk was able to make a phone call to his supervising officer, Sergeant Justin Dryer, to relay what was unfolding at the rural property.

From his position, he was able to tell Sergeant Dryer what was happening to him and his colleagues.

'I was constantly scanning around the tree trying to find out where Keely was as well as to confirm the status of Rachel,' he said.

Constable McCrow was killed in the ambush at Wieambilla in 2022

'My observations was (Constable Arnold) just wasn't moving. (Constable McCrow) was rolling around, screaming out.'

Constable McCrow had been shot three times moments after Constable Arnold was killed and she lay about 30m from where Constable Kirk hid.

The inquest heard all four officers were wearing their assigned Glocks, which has an accuracy distance of 'within 15m'.

Ms O'Gorman asked Constable Kirk whether he was able to 'turn your mind' to if he could 'physically' get to Constable McCrow to assist her after she received the first three non-fatal shots.

'I did but I wasn't able to get there.. to the nature of where the shots were coming from, it was still unknown,' Constable Kirk explained.

The inquest heard Constable Kirk was able to see 'one shooter' - later identified as Gareth - emerge from the hide 'well over 50-60m' away but he was too far away to shoot at him.

'I first saw him come out to what we now know is the hide, I saw him on that treeline,' he said.

'From there it was kind of a constant (pearing) from my tree to see where he was going.

'There was interruptions (to his surveillance of Gareth), I kept going back behind my tree to lose sight but also to provide myself cover.' Constable Kirk said he couldn't remember when he saw Nathaniel emerge from the hide but saw him standing at the tree line.

He said he thought he told Sergeant Dryer that Nathaniel was carrying a 'cross bow'.

Gareth Train fatally shot Constable Rachel McCrow during the horrific attack

The inquest heard Gareth went over to Constable Arnold and removed his Glock from him.

'I saw him walk up to Constable McCrow, they exchanged words and then he fatally shot her,' Constable Kirk said.

The inquest was told Constable McCrow had fired 15 shots from her Glock at Gareth moments before he killed her.

Upon hearing the gunfire, Constable Kirk discharged his Glock once firing in the direction of Gareth.

Ms O'Gorman asked the constable why he'd only fired one shot.

'The main reason was Constable McCrow was in the line of fire as well as it being outside of my glock Glockement range,' he replied.

'The single shot was an attempt to hit the target.

'If that was the case I would have gone for more shots, given it was ineffective... I returned to my cover to not give up my location.'

Constable Kirk said he became aware Gareth knew he was nearby.

'He was sort of swaying side to side, moving his head as if he was trying to pear around the tree where I was at,' he said.

In the following moments, Constable Kirk managed to run for his life back to his car after his supervisor told him to 'look after' himself when he asked him if he should run.

'(I did) try and maneuver (between) a few trees and bush to try to provide myself enough cover while I ran,' he said.

Despite being shot in the hip, Constable Kirk was able to get to his car and drive away to call for help.

The Dares' call for help

Alan Dare, 58, lived at a nearby property and came to investigate after seeing smoke in the area.

He was murdered moments after he arrived to help.

It's understood he was fatally shot in the back by one of the Trains, but the inquest was told an investigation could not determine by who.

The inquest was told Mr Dare's wife, Kerry, called triple-0 at 5.13pm after the couple had spotted fires coming from the Trains' property.

Mrs Dare called again four minutes later at 5.17pm to report an update on the fire as her husband was getting in his car to drive off to investigate and lend assistance.

Detective Inspector Suzanne Newton said through her investigation, the operator speaking to Ms Dare told her that her husband should 'absolutely' not go to the property where the fires were.

When asked if she knew if Mr Dare was told the warning, Inspector Newton said she was unable to confirm through listening to the call's audio if he received the message.

'I'm not in a position to say if he heard it or not,' she said.

'Mrs Dare was on the phone at the time, he was getting into his Ford Territory.

'You cannot hear on any recording that Mrs Dare has relayed that information to Mr Dare.'

Inspector Newton said she was also unable to determine where Mrs Dare was when she made the second call to triple-0.

Ms O'Gorman said Mr Dare had arrived at the Trains' property about 5.30pm in response to the smoke he spotted coming and was 'killed without warning'.

Constable Randall Kirk recovered in hospital with partner Bree after the shooting

Ms O'Gorman said he died from a gunshot wound to the torso 'while looking out for his community'.

Her investigation also confirmed all four officers who attended the Wains Rd property had performed their duties according to QPS policies and procedures.

She said they'd been carrying out a 'low level routine job' for a code 3 call-out to perform a missing persons welfare check for Nathaniel.

The inquest was told there was also an arrest warrant out for Nathaniel after he'd allegedly crossed the Queensland border months prior during Covid lockdowns and dumped three weapons as he crossed.

Harrowing moments before murders

Ms O'Gorman said both officers 'died in the line of duty' and in their service to their community.

Images of the Trains' hide-out were displayed in court on Monday. They showed an elaborate set-up hidden among tree debris that featured a large tent, dumbbells, a copy of the book The Godfather and a chair with sawn-off legs that allowed the shooter to have a direct line of vision through the cutout to see anyone who approached the front gate.

Ms O'Gorman said before the first shot, the officers were not aware they were walking into an ambush.

The inquest was told Constable McCrow was shot in the back while trying to use her radio to call for help.

She was then shot in the lower right leg and upper left leg at 4.38pm.

'Unable to call out on her radio, Constable McCrow recorded the harrowing events that she had then lived through in what is known as a sit rep, or a situational report,' Ms O'Gorman said.

'She also recorded a message of love for her family.'

The inquest was told while it was unclear who fired the three non-fatal shot at Constable McCrow, Gareth likely pulled the trigger causing the fatal shot.

Ms O'Gorman said Constable McCrow showed 'great courage and honour' during her final moments.

'It was about seven minutes from the time of the shot that killed Constable Arnold to the time of Constable McCrow's death,' she said.

'In that time she was injured by gunshot wounds, her shooters unknown to her.

'Despite being ambushed, in pain and no doubt terrified, Constable McCrow showed great courage and honour.'

Inspector Newton told the inquest on Monday she'd been able to identify the voices heard in audio captured by the officers' body-worn cameras through the assistance of Nathaniel and Stacey's son.

Stacey and Gareth Train posted a video to a now deleted YouTube channel after the shootings

The former couple had two children before separating and Stacey went onto marry Nathaniel's brother, Gareth.

The inquest was told that through the body-worn camera audio, both brothers could be heard speaking to each other moments after Constables Arnold and McCrow were killed.

'He f**king ran,' Gareth said.

'The other car's gone ... took a car.'

Nathaniel replied: 'Do you want to move forward or stay here?'

Inspector Newton said moments later Nathaniel said 'one went right and three went to the left'.

'In the scope, there were three to the left of him ... I was looking at them,' Nathaniel said.

'He could have broken that way, but I'm pretty sure he went to the right.'

It's understood Nathaniel was describing Constable Brough's movements in this verbal exchange with his brother before the pair started several fires to try to smoke her out.

On Monday, the inquest was told Constable Brough spent nearly two hours waiting to be rescued as flames licked her feet.

The officer, who had only been on the job for less than nine weeks, had managed to seek shelter in bushland.

The inquest was told she was able to call triple-0 on her mobile phone at 4.34pm as she tried to remain hidden in the grass, which was about 20cm tall.

Ms O'Gorman said a male's voice could be heard on Constable Arnold's body-worn camera saying 'there's one more somewhere'.

Nathaniel Train had been a principal at Queensland and NSW schools.

Constable Brough, who remained on the line with the triple-0 call operator, revealed her concern for her life.

'I think they know I'm here, I'm scared,' she said.

She was rescued about 6.34pm after running to the front gate where officers were waiting to collect her when it was safe to do so.

Special Emergency Response Team officers shot all three members of the Train family following a lengthy siege within seven minutes of each other.

Ms O'Gorman said Stacey was killed first - at 10.32pm - from a gunshot wound to the head.

Gareth was killed four minutes afterwards, also from a gunshot wound to the head.

Nathaniel was the last standing Train member before he was shot in the head and torso, at 10.39pm.

Months after the massacre, police confirmed the Trains had prescribed to an extremist Christian ideology known as 'premillennialism' and acted as an 'autonomous cell' to carry out their 'religiously motivated terrorist attack'.

The inquest was told on Monday that Gareth and Stacey had been seen by Polair sitting at a table during the hours after they killed two police officers and a civilian and recording a video that was later uploaded to YouTube.

In the video, which was played to the court, the married couple confirmed they'd killed two police officers.

'They came to kill us and we killed them,' Gareth says in the video.

'If you don't defend yourself against these devils and demons, you're a coward.'

Stacey then adds: 'We'll see you when we get home.' And then: 'We love you.'

Gareth says: 'We'll see you at home Don.'

Ms O'Gorman told the inquest 'Don' was a man in America whom the couple had been speaking with about their beliefs.

She said 'home' referenced to seeing Don in the afterlife.

The inquest continues.
An expert has warned that airfares will likely rise as Rex gets set to enter administration and possibly become the latest airline to collapse after Bonza.

Ernst & Young will be announced as administrators for Rex by Wednesday, the Bloomberg financial news service claimed, and that spells bad news for travellers.

Monash University professor and 'Up in the Air' author Greg Bamber said it would 'reduce competition' and encourage Virgin and Qantas, 'who form an oligopoly' in the market, to increase their prices.

'That's what generally happens when there's less competition - the dominant players put up their prices,' he told Daily Mail Australia.

Prof Bamber said that when Bonza collapsed at the start of July, 'Virgin and Qantas both offered passengers free tickets on the routes that they were flying'.

'But the challenge for customers of Bonza and Rex is that they flew routes typically which were regional routes, which in most cases were not being flown by Qantas or Virgin,' he said.

'So it didn't always work. That sort of offer didn't help most of the passengers in practice.'

If Rex goes down, it could be a long time before another airline emerges in Australia to challenge the dominance of Qantas and Virgin.

With regional airline Rex set to plunge into administration and Bonza collapsing earlier this month, Qantas and Virgin Australia are likely to take advantage and send flight prices soaring. Bonza staff pictured

'Australia has seen several examples over the years of new entrant airlines collapsing, not only Bonza and Rex, but going back further we saw the collapse of Ansett (in 2002), which wasn't a new entrant,' Prof Bamber said.

'The problem is that we have got an oligopoly (in Australia) with one very strong player - a quasi-monopolist - Qantas, which has too much market power.

'The regulators have not reined in the dominant player that is Qantas. I think we deserve to see a higher degree of regulation in Australia which would rein in the great market dominance that Qantas has.'

Prof Bamber said a strong and competitive airline industry is vital to Australia's wellbeing.

'This is a huge country with vast distances between our major centres of population,' he said.

'We don't have an alternative way of travelling between centres in so far as there's no high speed rail system and the roads are not of world class standards between the major cities, which are widely separated.

'So aviation is an essential industry in Australia.'

Amid the potential collapse of a second airline within a month, Prime Minister Anthony Albanese said he was 'concerned about Rex.

'It's an important regional airline. What we will do, though, is examine any proposals (for keeping it flying).'

He added that 'Rex, as a regional airline, of course, provides important links with regional communities - and particularly between capital cities and regional communities - it is important for those local economies.

'So we want to see the aviation industry in Australia continue to be one that provides those services and that access.'

Opposition front bencher Simon Birmingham said on Tuesday that the Government 'needs to act with urgency, but they also need to be very clear-headed about how they act'.

Mr Birmingham told Sky News that Labor needs to get its priorities right.

'The government has responsibilities to taxpayers and to travellers, not to shareholders. That was certainly the approach (the Coalition) took in relation to the difficulties with Virgin (in 2020).

'There are ways in which government can support and maintain routes which are essential for the travelling public, particularly in regional areas.

'And there are ways that they can act to ensure that the travelling public is protected.

'But they also must act in a way that is responsible for taxpayers and not underwriting shareholders, or creating an environment where taxpayers face the potential of significant losses.'

If Rex goes down, it could be a long time before another airline emerges in Australia to challenge the dominance of Qantas and Virgin

Will my Rex flight go ahead?

As of Tuesday afternoon, Rex's website was not taking bookings for its services between capital cities such as Sydney, Melbourne and Brisbane.

Regional services, many of which are only served by Rex, could still be booked.

Unlike Bonza, Rex owns its own planes, so this makes it more likely, but not certain, that flight obligations will be met while the company goes through administration.

Further details are expected later today or on Wednesday morning.

If you have a flight booked in the coming days or weeks, check directly with the airline or your travel agent to make sure your flight is still happening.

How do I get a refund if Rex goes under?

On April 30, when it was obvious that Bonza was on the brink of collapse, customers got text messages saying they'd get their money back within three weeks so long as they filled out an online form within 24 hours.

But that promise proved to be a false dawn and the administrators from Hall Chadwick had other ideas.

Unlike Bonza, Rex (plane pictured) owns its own planes, so this makes it more likely, but not certain, that flight obligations will be met while the company goes through administration

On May 1, they announced that processing refunds for customers was not a priority.

Those with flights booked were to be considered unsecured creditors while the administrators figured out what to do with the business.

Unsecured creditors are usually the last people to get their money back, while secured creditors such as banks, are first in line for whatever money is left.

The situation with Rex, if it collapses completely, is likely to be very similar to what happened with Bonza - the customers will be at the back of the queue for refunds.
CPC leadership sets out economic priorities for 2nd half of 2024

Xinhua) 13:40, July 30, 2024

BEIJING, July 30 (Xinhua) -- The Communist Party of China (CPC) leadership held a meeting on Tuesday to analyze the current economic situation and set out priorities for the second half of this year.

Xi Jinping, general secretary of the CPC Central Committee, presided over the meeting of the committee's Political Bureau.

The country's economy has been generally stable and made progress since the start of this year, according to an official statement released after the meeting.

The country has sustained the momentum of economic recovery and moved faster to foster new growth drivers and competitive edges, the statement said.

China's GDP expanded 5 percent year on year in the first half of 2024.

Currently, the country faces more adverse impacts from changes in external environment, and effective domestic demand remains insufficient. There are still various risks and potential dangers in major sectors, as well as challenges resulting from the replacement of traditional growth drivers with new ones, it said. However, it noted that those are all issues in the course of development and transformation.

The meeting called for efforts to raise the awareness of risks, be prepared to deal with worst-case scenarios, and maintain strategic resolve and confidence in the country's development.

Noting that tasks of reform and development and maintaining stability in the second half of the year are arduous, the meeting underscored the importance of pursuing progress while ensuring stability. It called for efforts to foster new quality productive forces in light of local conditions, strengthen macro regulation and tap the potential of domestic demand, among other endeavors.

Steadfast efforts must be made to accomplish the goals for this year's economic and social development, the meeting said.

China has set its annual GDP growth target for 2024 at around 5 percent.

Reform should serve as the driving force in promoting steady growth, making structural adjustments and guarding against risks, the meeting noted. A number of reform measures that are ready, tangible and attainable should be adopted in a timely manner, it said.

Work should be done to refine the systems underpinning the market economy, such as those related to property rights protection, market access, and enterprise bankruptcy and market exit, according to the meeting.

Macroeconomic policies should be more effective, it said. Efforts should be made to strengthen counter-cyclical adjustments, accelerate the issuance and usage of special bonds, and promote large-scale equipment upgrades and trade-ins of bulk durable consumer goods.

The country should make full use of multiple monetary policy tools, strengthen financial support for the real economy, and enhance the consistency of macro policy orientation.

Domestic demand should be expanded with a focus on boosting consumption, and economic policies should center on improving people's livelihoods and promoting consumption, the meeting said, highlighting service consumption in the expansion and upgrading of consumption.

The meeting called for strong and effective support for gazelle companies and unicorn firms. It urged industries to strengthen self-discipline to prevent rat race and irrational competition.

The market mechanism of "survival of the fittest" should be strengthened and exit channels for backward or inefficient production capacities should remain unclogged.

The meeting also urged work to expand China's institutional opening up, with a new round of trial measures rolled out to further open up the country's service industry. Trade in intermediate goods and green trade should also be expanded.

To promote the stable and sound development of the country's property market, the meeting urged active support for the purchase of commodity housing inventory to be used as affordable housing. It also stressed accelerating the defusing of debt risks facing local financing platforms.

The country should strive to boost investor confidence and the stability of the capital market. Work should also be done to see that rural people do not return to poverty in large numbers, and secure bumper grain harvest for the whole year, according to the meeting.

The meeting emphasized greater efforts to ensure and improve people's well-being and implement the employment-first policy to help college graduates and other key groups find jobs.

It urged all-out efforts to fight floods and improve disaster relief, and called for ensuring energy and power supplies to meet surging demand during the summer.

Research and planning work for the 15th Five-Year Plan (2026-2030) should be intensified, according to the meeting.

Noting that pointless formalities and bureaucratism remain deep-seated problems, the meeting urged vigorous and resolute efforts to rectify such conduct.

The meeting underscored the importance of strictly complying with the central Party leadership's eight-point decision on improving work conduct and the detailed rules for its implementation.

Targeting "pointless formalities at the fingertips," the meeting also called for enhancing the regulation of mobile apps for government services.

(Web editor: Zhang Kaiwei, Wu Chaolan)
Air New Zealand has become the first major airline to dump a 2030 emissions reduction target.

The Kiwi carrier had originally pledged to reduce its carbon intensity 28.9 per cent by the end of the decade, compared with 2019 levels, in a methodology validated by the Science-based Targets initiative (SBTi), a UN-backed corporate climate action group.

But it blamed high green fuel prices and a lack of lower emissions aircraft for the decision to abandon the goal.

'Many of the levers needed to meet the target, including the availability of new aircraft, the affordability and availability of alternative jet fuels, and global and domestic regulatory and policy support, are outside the airline's direct control and remain challenging,' the carrier said in a statement to the ASX.

Air New Zealand CEO Greg Foran said it had become apparent in recent weeks that new aircraft delivery delays risked that goal and the airline would withdraw from the SBTi network immediately.

'It is possible the airline may need to retain its existing fleet for longer than planned due to global manufacturing and supply chain issues that could potentially slow the introduction of newer, more fuel efficient aircraft in to the fleet,' Mr Foran said.

'As such and given so many levers needed to meet the target are outside of our control, the decision has been made to retract the 2030 target and withdraw from the Science-based Targets initiative network immediately.'

Australian airlines remain committed to the 2030 target.

Air New Zealand has become the first major airline to dump a 2030 emissions reduction target

The Kiwi carrier had originally pledged to reduce its carbon intensity 28.9 per cent by the end of the decade, compared with 2019 levels

Air New Zealand said it was still committed to an industry-wide target of net zero emissions by 2050.

Aviation is deemed responsible for about 2 per cent of the world's emissions but is considered one of the hardest sectors to decarbonise as fuel for flights cannot be easily replaced with other kinds of power.

Airlines are banking on plant-based Sustainable Aviation Fuels (SAF) and more efficient aircraft to reduce emissions in the near-term.

However, SAF production is expensive and plane manufacturers are struggling to deliver new-generation aircraft on time.
A teenage mom who was apparently living in the country illegally has given a sickening excuse for placing her newborn baby in a trash bag and tossing it in a dumpster.

Everilda Cux-Ajtzalam, 18, a Guatemalan national, was taken into custody on Thursday for allegedly leaving the baby boy with his umbilical cord still attached in the dumpster outside of an apartment building in Houston, Texas on July 21.

She allegedly told police in the aftermath that she thought she had 'no choice' but to put the baby in the dumpster because she didn't want her boyfriend to break up with her, according to court documents obtained by Law & Crime.

The documents go on to reveal she gave birth 'on the ground behind the food truck where she works' and then taking the baby - referred to in court documents as John Doe or CW - and placing him in a dumpster.

'[Defendant] put the child, placenta and umbilical cord into a trash bag, took the trash bag to a dumpster and left the child in the dumpster tied inside the trash bag,' a magistrate judge wrote in a bond order, noting that the 'event' was caught on surveillance footage.

Everilda Cux-Ajtzalam, 18, a Guatemalan national, was taken into custody on Thursday for allegedly placing her newborn baby in a trash bag and tossing it in a dumpster

Eventually, a passerby heard the newborn crying from the dumpster and called 911.

Officers with the Houston Police Department and emergency personnel responded to the scene at around 1.15pm.

Heart-stopping footage obtained by ABC13 then shows officials responding to the scene, and finding the baby boy inside a bag.

EMS were then seen wrapping the baby in a blanket by the dumpster. The child appeared to be fresh out of the womb, with his hair wet, his skin pruned and his umbilical cord still attached.

Thankfully, he survived the horrific ordeal.

He was examined at a hospital and was determined to be in good health.

The baby is now under the care of Child Protective Services.

Heart-stopping footage shows officials responding to the scene outside a Houston apartment building, and finding the baby boy inside a bag

EMS were then seen wrapping the baby in a blanket by the dumpster

Cux-Ajtzalam is now charged with one count of felony abandoning a child without the intent to return.

She made her first court appearance on Friday, where she was reportedly scolded by Harris District Court Judge Veronica M. Nelson.

'It was pure luck that the child was found and received care,' the judge said, according to the Houston Chronicle.

'Given the fact that it's the middle of the summer in Houston, Texas and the temperature at the time... I'm going to set the bail in this case at $90,000.'

Prosecutors requested a bond of $150,000 and a public defender sought a bond of $7,500, Law & Crime reports.

Court documents suggest Cux-Ajtzalam gave birth 'on the ground behind the food truck where she works'

Cux-Ajtzalam's bond was later raised to $200,000 on Monday, ABC 13 reports.

She is said to be a flight risk, having no ties to the country, according to Click 2 Houston.

Immigration and Customs Enforcement have also placed a hold on her release, and court documents noted she was previously arrested in 2023 by Customs and Border Patrol.

The court documents also note she has a mental disability.
A demolition worker has pleaded guilty to attempted murder after severing his colleague's leg when he ran him down with a car before smashing his head with a hammer.

The savage attack at City Beach, in Perth's western suburbs, began when Matthew Lawson, 25, confronted colleague Trae Black, 29 at a Catesby Road worksite on Monday.

Mr Black took off on foot, but Lawson pursued him in a car, chasing him onto the West Coast Highway, where he ran him over and amputated his leg.

Lawson is then said to have jumped out of the vehicle and struck Mr Black in the face with a claw hammer, before fleeing the scene.

Pictured: Trae Black, 29, who is currently fighting for life after having his leg severed in the attack

Pictured: The crime scene on the West Coast Highway (pictured) in Perth's City Beach on Monday

Mr Black was rushed to Royal Perth Hospital, where he is currently fighting for life after suffering critical injuries.

Lawson was arrested near the scene a short time later and faced Perth Magistrates Court on Tuesday charged with one count of attempted murder.

Appearing without a lawyer, Lawson told Magistrate Janelle Scutt 'yep guilty' when asked how he wished to plead, The West Australian reports.

Magistrate Scutt asked Lawson if he would like to seek legal advice before entering a plea, noting the offence garnered a 'lengthy term of imprisonment', but he declined.

He also turned down the option to have pre-sentencing and psychological reports conducted or the matter adjourned before entering a plea.

He did not make an application for bail and has been remanded in custody.

The hearing comes as the construction workers' boss, 'Horse' Elliott, revealed new details about the shocking attack.

He said Lawson first turned up at the company's headquarters on Monday morning looking for Mr Black, before seeking him out at the construction site.

'He then came to this (City Beach) worksite looking for Trae ... theyve had an interaction, Traes taken off and Matts gotten in the car and chased after him,' Mr Elliott told The West Australian.

'I wasnt aware of what happened after he left my office until I saw the carnage on West Coast Highway like everyone else.

'But when I came down West Coast Highway...I knew exactly what had happened. He had some fatalistic intentions on his mind.'

A man has been arrested over the alleged incident. Pictured is the ute allegedly used to run down Mr Black

Mr Elliott said Mr Black's leg had been severed by the axle of the silver Mazda BT-250 ute being driven by Lawson.

Another employee, who watched the attack unfold, said Lawson - who is just over six feet tall - looked like a 'raging bull'.

A retired army veteran, who was one of the first responders at the scene, said Mr Black, 'wasn't doing too well'.

'He was asking for water and was quite alarmed,' he told 9News.

'Later on I found [the victim's] amputated leg up on the bank and put that in a bag and provided that to paramedics.'

Mr Black has undergone emergency surgery and remains in a critical but stable condition as of Tuesday.

Lawson is next due before the Supreme Court on August 21.
Human remains have been found in the search for a real estate agent who went missing over a year ago.

Yanfei Bao, 44, vanished on July 19 last year.

The Chinese national was last seen in the suburb of Hornby in western Christchurch, New Zealand, at 10am on the day of her disappearance.

Detectives launched a homicide investigation a week after she went missing and later charged 53-year-old Tingjun Cao with her murder. He will stand trial in October.

Now, 11 days after the anniversary of her disappearance, New Zealand police have revealed they have found human remains at a property in Greenpark, around 45 minutes south of Christchurch.

'While searching private farmland in the Greenpark area this morning, a shallow grave was discovered along the treeline,' Detective Inspector Nicola Reeves said.

'The remains cannot immediately be formally identified, and work is now under way to excavate and forensically examine them.

Yanfei Bao (pictured), 44, vanished on July 19 last year. Detectives launched a homicide investigation a week after she went missing and later charged 53-year-old Tingjun Cao with her murder

The Chinese national was last seen in the suburb of Hornby in western Christchurch at 10am on the day of her disappearance (pictured)

'This news has been shared with Yanfeis immediate family, and while long hoped for, still comes as a shock.'

Detective Reeves revealed the area had previously been searched but 'new information' led investigators back to the property.

'For operational reasons, we are unable to share the information that led us to search this location,' she added.

On the day she vanished, Ms Bao had been due to meet a prospective client to show him around a property.

Now, 11 days after the anniversary of her disappearance, New Zealand police have revealed they have found human remains at a property in Greenpark, around 45 minutes south of Christchurch (stock image)

The last contact she made was when she called a friend that morning on the Chinese social media app WeChat, asking how a Chinese buyer who lived in Christchurch could transfer $NZ600,000 ($538,899) from China to buy a house, reported Stuff.

Police later charged 53-year-old Tingjun Cao with her kidnapping and then days later, charged him with her murder.

The kidnapping charge has since been dropped but he will stand trial for her murder in October.

Bao's husband Paul Gooch said at the time her disappearance had changed their family's lives 'irreparably'.

Her daughter Momo had shown 'incredible resilience' over the past year, Mr Gooch added.

'It's truly inspiring to witness her ability to still find reasons to smile and be her authentic self in the midst of such adversity,' he said.

'Her mother would undoubtedly be deeply proud of her.'
The View's Ana Navarro has declared JD Vance a 'DEI hire' - due to him being a self-professed 'hillbilly'.

The Republican talk show panelist made the remark on CNN NewsNight With Abby Phillip Monday after several GOP lawmakers made the same claim about last-minute Joe Biden replacement Kamala Harris.

Navarro, in turn, honed in on Vance's hayseed heritage, which he himself leaned into in his 2016 tome 'Hillbilly Elegy' that harked back to Appalachian roots and his family in rural Kentucky.

In actuality, Vance, 39, spent most of his childhood in a suburb in the southwest of Ohio. The novel has since been parlayed into a Netflix film - one that Vance embraced as he used it to successfully secure his first ever term as a junior senator.

Navarro, 52, honed in on these facts during her merciless undressing of the potential vice president.

Scroll down for video:

The View's Ana Navarro declared JD Vance a 'DEI hire' on Monday - due to him being a self-professed 'hillbilly'

The Republican talk show panelist made the remark on CNN NewsNight With Abby Phillip Monday, after several GOP lawmakers made the same claim about last-minute Joe Biden replacement Kamala Harris

'It's very funny when I hear J.D. Vance talk about Kamala Harris as a DEI hire,' the self-professed centrist who's long voiced her disdain toward Donald Trump began.

'Because I think he got a book deal, I think he got a TV contract, I think he got a move deal because he's a DEI hire,' she said.

'You want to talk about DEI? You came on and you were supposed to be the hillbilly translator which was something that was sorely lacking on national TV and in the movies,' she continued

'We're going to talk about hiring somebody because what they represent and the color of their skin and where they come from? Let's start with JD Vance.'

The critique did not end there, with Navarro sure to reference some of the other headlines surrounding the divisive candidate since he was named as Trump's second less than two weeks ago.

'I'm kind of marveling at the lack of vetting that seems to have gone on in the Trump campaign which had a ton of time to pick their vice president,' Navarro said as Vance faces flak for decrying some Democratic leaders as 'single cat ladies' in 2021.

'I'm just amazed at all of the things that came out.'

One of the scandals she appeared to obliquely reference was the surrounding the senator and claims he had sex with a couch, another assertion aired in his book.

The self-professed Republican who has been vocal about her hatred of Donald Trump honed in on Vance's hayseed heritage, which he himself leaned into in his 2016 tome 'Hillbilly Elegy'

In actuality, Vance - seen here Usha Chilukuri Vance - spent most of his childhood in a suburb in the southwest of Ohio, a fact he seemed to ignore as he leaned into his identity as an Appalachian descendent

A week earlier, Tennessee Republican Rep. Tim Burchett suggested Harris was selected as Biden's running mate solely because she is black.

'One hundred percent she is a DEI hire,' the 59-year-old said, spurring lawmakers such as Rep. Harriet Hageman of Wyoming and Rep. Glenn Grothman of Wisconsin to air almost identical sentiments.

'Her record is abysmal at best.'

Also calling Harris a 'DEI hire', Hageman referred to her as 'intellectually, just really kind of the bottom of the barrel.

Grothman, in turn, told CBS News affiliate WDJT, in Milwaukee, that 'Democrats feel they have to stick with her because of her ethnic background.'

Navarro on Monday was not having it, after already airing distaste over Vance's resurfaced 'cat lady comments' the day before on The View.

'They've given him, J.D. Vance, all these opportunities to clean up his childless cat lady comment, and he hasn't been able to,' Navarro said.

'Like, he ended up apologizing to the cats instead of to the ladies!' she added, referencing the senator's haphazard apology.

A week ealirer, several Republicans suggested Democratic candidate and current VP Kamala Harris was selected as Biden's running mate solely because she is black

She went on to call the show of remorse phony, saying the Ohio senator truly 'means it.'

'Because thats his intention,' she told co-hosts Whoopi Goldberg, Joy Behart, and more.

'He has said more than once that he thinks people without children, that thats bad and must be punished He wants people with children to have more voting rights. He wants people with children to pay less taxes.'

'But heres what I want to tell him,' Navarro continued. 'There are women who have no children because they are free to choose so, and there are women like me who have no children because we couldnt.

'And how dare you try to tell me that I am lesser than? How dare you tell me that I have less rights and less voting rights than others?'

Vance voted against the Democrat-led Right to IVF Act last month, though was supportive of a GOP-sponsored bill, the IVF Protection Act, which would strip states of Medicaid funding if they barred IVF treatments.

During a Q&A with Kelly over the weekend, Vance explained that he was for IVF within reason, has many experts and conservative commentators like Ben Shapiro begin to air concerns about the GOP's VP pick.

'I think we have to protect the rights of Christian hospitals to operate the way that they want to operate,' he said. 'But of course, that's totally consistent with promoting fertility treatments for parents who need it.'

The dress-down came a day after Navarro, a political strategist who calls herself a centrist, made fun of Vance's running mate's recent ear injury following the attempt on his life earlier this month. The joke was met with laugher and applause

Meanwhile, one the latest episode of his self-titled show, Shapiro joined the many jumping on the bandwagon of slamming the senator amid the outrage the resurfaced interview has incited.

'I think he probably would have picked somebody like Glenn Youngkin from Virginia in an attempt to broaden out his base,' he said referencing GOP candidate Trump.

'Instead, he went with JD Vance, feeling, because he was right at the time, he had a very solid advantage in the race against Joe Biden.'

Harris, who has yet to officially be confirmed as the Democratic candidate, has yet to announce a running mate.

Navarro, meanwhile, faced some backlash last week for making fun of Vance's running mate's recent ear injury following an assassination attempt last weekend.

'What we saw yesterday was a replay of Trump's 90-minute constant rallies,' she said.

'It's too bad the bandage was just over his ear. It should have been over his mouth.'
A real estate agent has married a stranger in prison after he popped the question in just six weeks.

Real estate agent Laura Gehrke met her future husband Joshua Stewart on the social networking website WriteAPrisoner.com after feeling lonely in December last year.

The 27-year-old, who starred in the Netflix show Too Hot To Handle Germany, had been unable to travel home for Christmas due to an issue with her visa so was forced to spend the festive period alone in Dubai.

After scrolling through TikTok, Laura stumbled upon a video about writing to a prisoner online and decided to wish an inmate Merry Christmas.

Laura Gehrke, 27, fell in love with prisoner Joshua Stewart, 21, after meeting online

The real estate agent married a stranger in prison after he popped the question in just six weeks

One particular profile caught Laura's eye, and she began exchanging messages with 21-year-old Joshua Stewart.

The pair were soon speaking on the phone up to 11 hours a day and it wasn't long before Joshua popped the question after six weeks of knowing one another.

Laura flew to Washington to wed her criminal beau in June during a 90-minute prison ceremony.

Despite having a conviction of controlled substance homicide, Laura said she never judged her hubby over the reason for his incarceration.

Laura said: 'I was sitting here home alone feeling very sad because I couldn't be with my family [due to the visa issue] and then I scrolled through TikTok and saw a video about WriteAPrisoner.com.

'I thought I could just send one of them a message saying 'Merry Christmas'.

'I went on the website and saw my husband's account. He was the second person I clicked on and I saw on his profile he said he liked poetry and I was interested in that.'

Laura Gehrke, 27, and Joshua Stewart, 21, are pictured on their wedding day posing by the prison's Coke machine

One particular profile caught Laura's eye, and she began exchanging messages with 21-year-old Joshua Stewart

After exchanging messages about his poetry, Laura and Joshua began speaking on the phone for as long as 11 hours a day.

Laura said: 'We really clicked. He was just open about everything from the beginning. He was telling me so many stories about his life. I thought he was really emotionally intelligent.

'I wasn't immediately asking about the crime because I didn't want to judge him just based on that.

'I was hearing a lot of stories about him growing up before I knew all the details about what he was incarcerated for. It made me see it all a bit differently.

'Because I knew the backstory, it didn't change my opinion of him.'

In February, Joshua popped the question to Laura during one phone call and the couple wed four months later in a prison ceremony.

The couple both wore white on their wedding day. A change for Stewart from his usual orange

Despite being unable to spend their wedding night together, the pair are hoping to be approved for conjugal visits later this year.

Laura said: 'I flew over and we saw each other 12 times and the 13th time I saw him was our marriage. I wanted to see him first before we got married.

'It was a prison marriage - one of the other inmates was his best man. We were all in white and had our own color theme.

'It felt super right. Our families are super supportive. Obviously my mum had questions but she was very supportive.'

There are plenty of doubters online who do not believe the romance will last once Stewart is out

But the unconventional relationship has received some backlash online, with trolls insisting Joshua is 'just using' his wife.

One TikTok user said: 'Bro just secured his financial future after he's out.'

Another added: 'You most definitely got all your priorities messed up.'

A third said: 'He will disappear after release.'

In February, Joshua popped the question to Laura during one phone call and the couple wed four months later in a prison ceremony

Laura said: 'People just look into things with a made-up mind - they can't believe we married out of love. They just think I'm using him or he's using me.

'They can't believe it's real love. We have a lot of support but we also have a lot of haters.'

Laura is hoping to live with her hubby in the US when he is scheduled to be released under house arrest in December 2025.
The tragic final movements of a mother-of-six have been revealed before she was found unconscious on remote country path and sadly later died.

Cops have asked for any CCTV or doorbell footage near where Anita Rose was found with serious head injuries while on a dog walk as they continue to investigate.

Ms Rose died four days after she was found on a usually 'safe and peaceful' countryside path near to Rectory Lane in Brantham, Suffolk, early on Wednesday morning.

She had gone on a walk with her beloved springer spaniel Bruce, who 'heroically stayed with her and alerted passersby'.

Ms Rose's son called him an 'amazing dog' and reassured concerned locals that the loyal pooch is safe.

Yesterday, the family of the 57-year-old paid tribute to the 'well known and loved mum', as police held a man, 45, on suspicion of murder.

Police have released a map showing the route they believe the dog walker took before she was injured, and ask anyone who saw her to come forward.

Residents have been left reeling from the tragedy, left 'scared' after the incident in the sleepy area where 'you don't get anything like that happening'.

Anita Rose died four days after she was found unconscious on a usually 'safe and peaceful' countryside path near to Rectory Lane in Brantham, Suffolk, early on Wednesday morning

Anita Rose, pictured with her partner Richard Jones, was described as a 'loved mum'

She had gone on a walk with her beloved springer spaniel Bruce (pictured), who 'heroically stayed with her and alerted passers by'

CCTV images issued by Suffolk Police of Ms Rose before she was found in Brantham

Anita Rose, 57, was found near to Rectory Lane, Brantham, along a footpath (above)

Officers on the scene where the dog walker was reportedly attacked in Brantham, Suffolk

Family yesterday said the mother-of-six was 'brutally taken from us devastatingly too early, and we have been robbed of so much time with her'.

Police are today conducting house to house enquiries, searches of the scene and surrounding areas, as well as searching through CCTV footage in the quiet village.

CCTV footage released by Suffolk Police showed Ms Rose leaving her house at around 5am to take her dog out.

But what should have been a relaxing walk ended in tragedy, as at 6:25am, a member of public found Ms Rose lying on a track road near the sewage works and railway line, off Rectory Lane, unconscious.

They called an ambulance, and police officers were then called by the East of England Ambulance Service shortly after 8am.

Ms Rose was taken to Addenbrooke's Hospital having sustained a serious head injury and sadly passed on Sunday morning.

The day before - on Saturday - a 45-year-old man was arrested on suspicion of attempted murder and later re-arrested on suspicion of murder.

That same day, a 37-year-old woman was also arrested on suspicion of handling stolen goods in connection with the incident.

Both were taken to Martlesham Police Investigation Centre for questioning and have since been released on conditional police bail.

Detectives are continuing to search for Ms Rose's pink zip-up jacket which police believe she was wearing immediately prior to the incident.

The missing jacket is described as waterproof in material and believed to be from an outdoor clothing brand, possibly from Regatta.

Police have added extra patrols to the area and advised residents to remain 'vigilant' if going for a walk and to tell someone where they are going and when they should be back.

Anita Rose tragically died four days after she was found with serious head injuries

Police are pictured yesterday searching for Ms Rose's pink jacket

Ms Rose was found on a usually 'safe and peaceful' countryside path near to Rectory Lane

Police on the country track where Ms Rose was discovered on Wednesday at around 6.30am

Police resume their search for the missing pink zip up jacket near the footpath

Detectives are continuing to search for Ms Rose's pink zip-up jacket which police believe she was wearing immediately prior to the incident

Ms Rose's son Ash Rose has posted an appeal on Facebook for the public to help police with their investigation.

He wrote: 'The person responsible for doing this to my mum and my children's Granma is still out there!

'Our family appreciates the kind words but please please SHARE and SPEAK to friends or family who may know something no matter how small or insignificant they think it might be and please urge them to contact the police. Thank you.'

Anita Rose's son Ash Rose has posted an appeal on Facebook for the public to help police with their investigation

And her partner Richard Jones posted: 'This was my beautiful Anita absolute heartbroken love you always and forever in my heart.'

In addition, a touching tribute issued by her family read: 'Our mum was well known and loved in the community.

'She was brutally taken from us devastatingly too early, and we have been robbed of so much time with her.

'She wasn't just a mum of six, she was also a grandma to 13, a long-term partner, a mother-in-law and a special friend to so many.

'Someone somewhere must know something, and we urge them to come forward. We want to thank everyone for their love and support. All we ask is for everyone to cherish their time with their family and loved ones.'

Following the incident, anxious Brantham residents have spoken of their fears of returning to the usually 'safe and peaceful' countryside path.

Bradley James, 28, a tractor driver who lives in the area, said: 'Dog walkers always use these paths.

'It's quite tragic, really - you don't get anything like that happening in this village.

'A lot of people are a bit nervous to go walking their dogs. My mum is scared because you don't know what's going on.'

Ian Swan, 58, from nearby Mistley, added: 'It always seems very safe down there usually. There's plenty of people around - I've never been out here and not met someone.

'But I've never heard of any problems down here.'

Rosie Rawlinson said she walked her dogs three to four times a day along the route but 'absolutely' felt she could continue doing so.

She said: 'Nothing like this has ever happened like this in the four and a half years I've been here. I was scared this morning on my early walk, I must admit.'

Simon Harley, a councillor on Suffolk County Council, added: 'I am of course shocked and saddened by this incident and my thoughts and prayers are with the victim and her family.

'Brantham is normally such a safe and peaceful place with amazing people, and I am sure this incident is a one-off, but I would urge people to take sensible precautions at this time.'

Police on the scene on a country track in Brantham, Suffolk, after the attack

Police combing the scene where Ms Rose, 57, was discovered on Wednesday morning

Police search fields near to where Ms Rose was found as they continue to investigate

Detective Supt Mike Brown said: 'Residents will continue to see additional police officers patrolling and engaging in the area.

'We recognise that many people will feel concerned, but I can reassure you that we are working hard to identify what has taken place and that this investigation is a priority for the Constabulary.

'If people are concerned about going out for a walk, I would advise them to remain vigilant, tell someone where you are going, what time you expect to be back and let them know when you are home.

'Anita's family continue to be supported by specially trained police officers as part of the investigation. We appreciate it's a very difficult time for them and we therefore ask for people not to speculate on social media about this incident.

'Anita was wearing a pink zip-up jacket which we believe she had on immediately prior to the incident.

'To help with this, we are now releasing a map detailing the route we believe Anita walked on Wednesday morning.

'We are keen to speak to anyone who saw anything on Wednesday in these areas, or anyone travelling on trains towards Ipswich or Manningtree on that morning who saw anything that they think might be useful to the police investigation.

'We are also keen to speak to anyone living in the area that has CCTV or doorbell cameras.

'I am extremely grateful for the support the community and the media have given us so far. This assistance we receive is absolutely key.'

Suffolk Police will be working alongside their partners at the British Transport Police to establish any further potential lines of enquiries and are planning to conduct an anniversary check in the Rectory Lane area on Wednesday 31 July.

Anyone with information that may assist with the inquiry is urged to contact Suffolk Police quoting 37/41580/24,
Millions of Aussies have been warned to be vigilant for symptoms of a potentially deadly disease.

Victoria's Department of Health is investigating a widespread outbreak of Legionnaires' disease after a 'significant increase' of dozens of cases across Melbourne.

In the four days since last Friday, 33 confirmed cases of the disease have been recorded on top of another 10 suspected cases.

The cases have reported in the the city's northern and western suburbs.

Most cases are adults aged over 40 and have severe community-acquired pneumonia that has required hospitalisation.

Victorian Chief Health Officer Dr Clare Looker issued a warning to Melburnians.

'This is a nasty type of pneumonia ... so people can become quite sick, quite quickly,' she told ABC Radio Melbourne.

'We are concerned. This is a significant increase on normal.

Victorian Chief Health Officer Dr Clare Looker (pictured) issued a warning to Melburnians about the outbreak of Legionnaires' disease

Symptoms of Legionnaires' disease include fever, chills, cough, headache and muscle aches and pains. Pictured Legionella bacteria at Victorian Infectious Diseases Reference Laboratory

'Most of our cases at the moment are in hospital, a number in ICU... so they're critically unwell.'

Dr Looker added: 'As soon as we have a better sense of particular locations of concern, we will be sharing that.'

Investigations are underway to identify the source of the outbreak through testing of local cooling towers and other potential sources.

'People who live in, work in or have visited metropolitan Melbourne and surrounding areas, and develop symptoms of Legionnaires' disease, should seek urgent medical care,' a department statement read.

Dr Looker urged Melbourne residents to be vigilant for symptoms, including fever, chills, cough, headache and muscle aches and pains.

Other atypical symptoms may include nausea, vomiting, diarrhoea and confusion.

Symptoms can develop up to 10 days after exposure to the bacteria, which is found in potting mix and soils and often multiplies in bagged potting mix, mulch and other products.

Anyone who develops symptoms of Legionnaires' disease is urged to seek urgent medical care (stock image)

Legionnaires' disease is not contagious and can not be transmitted from person to person.

'Typically, people will almost always get it by breathing in fine droplets of water that contain the bacteria,' Dr Looker added.

She said inhalation of contaminated water particles via air conditioners can often cause the disease.

'Most often we will see most of the big outbreaks are associated with cooling towers so big industrial air conditioners,' she said.

The Department of Health warned the people most at risk of Legionnaires' disease include those aged over 40, smokers, people with a chronic lung disease, have a weakened immune system, and have other underlying medical conditions such as chronic heart, liver or kidney disease, and diabetes.

The department revealed test results indicate that the outbreak is caused by serogroup 1, which can be detected through a legionella urinary antigen test.
A grandmother allegedly stabbed her husband to death in a desperate act of self-defence after trying to stop him from taking his own life, a court has heard.

Caroll Hopkinson, 58, appeared in Adelaide Magistrates Court via video link from custody on Tuesday, charged with the murder of her husband Simon in their Taperoo home in Adelaide's west on July 7.

The court heard that Hopkinson, a mental health nurse, called emergency services after allegedly stabbing her husband during a tussle with a knife.

Her lawyer Jeff Powell told the court that she woke up on the morning to a strange noise coming from the bathroom.

Hopkinson allegedly found Simon, also a mental health nurse, trying to end his life, the Adelaide Advertiser reported.

Panicked, she ran to get a knife to stop him but an 'aggressive' Simon then turned on her, according to her lawyer.

'She understood his reaction to be "why are you stopping me from something that I need to do". That is how she interpreted his reaction,' Mr Powell told the court.

'He took the knife from her and assaulted her. She had cuts on her hands from trying to defend herself. There was a struggle, and then she took the knife back.'

Caroll Hopkinson, 58, is seen being escorted away by police officers after her husband was found dead in a western Adelaide home

Simon then lunged at his wife, who allegedly stabbed him in fear of her life.

'It happened in a matter of moments, in a panic, early in the morning and there was no premeditation or planning about it. She had no idea what was happening in her household when she got up,' Mr Powell told the court.

The court heard that she immediately called her daughter and then police, who arrived about 20 minutes later and found her in the 'unfortunate position' of having ended her husband's life in act of self-defence.

Police allege Hopkinson had blood stains on nightgown when they arrived.

Neighbours expressed their shock after learning of the death, telling The Advertiser the couple seemed like 'normal, happy people'.

Neighbours expressed shock at the horrifying news saying the couple had seemed 'normal, happy people'

The court heard that Caroll Hopkinson killed her husband Simon (pictured), in self-defence

Mr Powell asked the court to release Hopkinson on bail, noting the 'unusual' features of the case meant she was not a danger to the community.

However, prosecutors argued the seriousness of the charge should keep the accused woman in custody.

Chief Magistrate Mary-Louise Hribal ordered a home detention report, and will make a decision on bail next month.

For confidential 24-hour support call Lifeline on 13 11 14 or Beyond Blue on 1300 224 636.
Police in Spain have launched another onslaught against the latest beach scam affecting tourists, including unsuspecting Brits.

They say sunbathers on one of the country's most famous beaches are falling prey to 'unlicensed beach umbrellas' which are now being confiscated.

Crafty crooks, described by some of their victims as 'mafia', are homing in on La Malagueta beach in Malaga and there are fears the con could spread to other resorts.

Gangs are simply popping into souvenir shops or bazaars to snap up bargain sun umbrellas.

They then take them to the beach, find tourists who are sitting in the blazing sun and then selling the rogue umbrellas for around 10 for a few hours of use.

Sunbathers on one of the country's most famous beaches are falling prey to 'unlicensed beach umbrellas' which are now being confiscated

Bathers seen sunbathing at Malagueta beach during a hot summer day in Malaga

The holidaymakers have no idea that the sellers aren't part of the beach franchise service and willingly pay up.

Unfortunately for them, the police know better and then come along and confiscate them.

In just one day alone, more than 20 umbrellas were seized and 'taken into custody'.

So far, two illegal vendors have been arrested and face a fine of 300 euros.

However, it's estimated that the gangs are earning about 300 euros a day as sunbathers might only stay on the beach for a few hours. When they leave, the illegal vendors move in, remove the umbrellas and rent them to someone else.

'The street vendors take over public land to do business with tourists. Between 10.30am and 11am in the morning, bathers watch as they begin to simultaneously place umbrellas in an area that covers about 15 metres.

'After this, they start the first contacts with foreigners - with them, they can earn about 300 euros net per day,' says Spanish newspaper Malagahoy.es.

'Once the illegal umbrellas are intercepted, the police impose a fine on those responsible, which they do not pay, in many cases.

'And, with the same intention, they return to the beach to offer them again. '

Panoramic view of Malagueta beach in Malaga

A general view of people spending time at La Malagueta beach during a hot summer day in Malaga

The two parasol sellers identified by investigators in recent days are accused of violating the ordinance for the guarantee of citizen coexistence and the protection of urban space in Malaga, by carrying out activities or providing services in public spaces without being authorised to do so.

Last month, the city council warned about gangs making and selling mojitos on the beach which, they warned, is illegal and a potential health hazard because of unclear utensils and conditions.

Five people were arrested in just one day.

Unauthorised street vending of food products on the coast constitutes a serious infringement of the Beach Ordinance of Malaga city council, which carries a fine ranging from 300 to 3,000 euros.

The exact amount is determined based on the repeat offence and intention of the perpetrator; and the greater or lesser disturbance caused by the infringement to the environment and/or users.

Police have now substantially increased their patrols of the beach areas and more officers enlisted.
The prices of a McDonald's Big Mac, Happy Meal and double cheeseburger have all soared since the pandemic, as MailOnline reveals how much the staples cost now.

The popular fast food chain has suffered the first decline in sales since the end of 2020, when stores were closed during lockdown.

This may be due to the inflated prices which have hit many family favourites since Covid, with many customers shunning McDonald's as a result.

Many customers who have loyally visited the fast food restaurant for years for its famously cheap food are now looking elsewhere.

The price of a Big Mac surged from 2.99 to 4.69 since 2020, while a Happy Meal now costs 3.59 compared to 2.99 the same year.

A graphic shows the price rise of McDonald's Big Mac, Happy Meal and double cheeseburger

The price of a Big Mac surged from 2.99 to 4.69 since 2020

Chris Kempczinski, the chief executive of McDonald's,said consumers are 'more discriminating' with their spending due to the cost of living crisis

However, the price of a Happy Meal is currently just 1.99 as part of a limited-time deal.

And according to The Telegraph, the chain has now reported a 1pc fall in global sales in the three months to the end of June.

Chris Kempczinski, the chief executive of McDonald's, told The Telegraph consumers are 'more discriminating' with their spending due to the cost of living crisis.

McDonald's bosses have previously flagged that customers seemed to be seeking better value for lower prices.

They also pointed to the success of the loyalty programme. This offers points to regular customers that can be redeemed to get money off future orders.

Loyalty members accounted for nearly $7billion (about 1.4 billion) in digital sales across 50 markets up from $6billion in the previous three months.

The drop came despite offering money off deals to try to win back customers and those who have boycotted McDonalds over the Israel-Gaza war.

A Happy Meal now costs 3.59 compared to 2.99 in 2020

McDonald's bosses flagged that customers seemed to be seeking better value for lower prices

However, the price surges seem to have made up for the fall in customers, with the chain reporting overall revenues of just under $6.5billion.

McDonald's results dovetail with comments last week from Coca-Cola CEO James Quincey, who said sales were slow in restaurants - an indication of fewer people eating out.

The chain also reported lower store traffic in China, France and the Middle East, where people have been boycotting McDonald's because of a perception that it supports Israel in the war in Gaza - which has been slammed as 'misinformation' by bosses.

CEO Chris Kempczinski said there is a lot more deal-thinking from consumers who have become 'very discriminating'.

'Consumer sentiment in most of our major markets remains low,' he said.

In America, meaning sales were down by nearly one per cent.

'The biggest hit for McDonald's is the low-income consumer has really cut back on visits and that is more than offsetting the typical trade down [the chain] normally sees in tougher economic times,' said Edward Jones analyst Brian Yarbrough.

The burger giant introduced a $5 meal deal at US restaurants - either a McChicken or McDouble, four-piece chicken nuggets, fries and a drink - on June 25. That offer was only live for about a week of the financial reporting period - so its effects will be seen in the next quarter.

At first introduced for four weeks, the $5 deal has been extended through the rest of the summer at most of its restaurants.

McDonald's president Joe Erlinger says it has boosted sales.

Generally, chains are reeling from falling customer numbers as Americans fed up with two years of price rises stay away - so are rolling out all these offers.

Burger King's $5 Your Way Meal - offering four items like McDonald's - was the first to hit restaurants in June.

Wendy's has a $3 breakfast offer and also a four-item $5 meal similar to McDonald's and BK's.

Starbucks also made a surprise entry into the value war with a coffee and food breakfast combo from $5.

Quarterly revenue for McDonald's was flat at $6.5 billion and just off the $6.6 billion that Wall Street was expecting, according to analysts polled by FactSet. Opening of new restaurants offset the slight fall in same-store sales.
Ohio Senator JD Vance has been left red-faced after audio from a recent fundraiser in which he admitted that Kamala Harris' entering the race was a 'sucker punch' for the GOP ticket.

Vance, 39, ex-president Donald Trump's choice for vice president, was speaking with donors during an event in Minnesota on July 27 when he made the remarks, reports The Washington Post.

'All of us were hit with a little bit of a political sucker punch. The bad news is that Kamala Harris does not have the same baggage as Joe Biden, because whatever we might have to say, Kamala is a lot younger,' the former 'Never-Trumper' said.

'And Kamala Harris is obviously not struggling in the same ways that Joe Biden did.'

This embarrassing development for the Trump campaign comes as a new poll from the non-profit Angus Reid Institute shows that Harris holds a two point lead over the GOP nominee.

Meanwhile, an ABC News/Ipsos poll, Harris' favorability rating among Americans hit 43 percent in late July. It's a sharp increase from its 35 percent before Biden exited the race.

Publicly JD Vance has been bullish regarding the prospect of Vice President Kamala Harris replacing President Joe Biden at the top of the Democratic ticket

A new poll gives Harris and extremely narrow advantage over Donald Trump

Publicly, Vance has been bullish, arguing that Harris jumping in the race following President Joe Biden's shock announcement that he would not be running, did not impact 'the political calculus' for Republicans.

Vance's surrogates have been targeting Harris' record on the border, support for police funding and fracking.

'We have a very unique opportunity, but also a very unique challenge, because, let's be honest, 10 days ago, the two candidates who were running for president, everybody had an opinion about 'em,' Vance told supporters.

'Love 'em or hate 'em, everybody has an opinion about Donald Trump and Joe Biden after the past eight years... but Kamala Harris, people don't really know.'

The Angus Reid poll shows a much more diverse and youthful vote for Harris.

A whopping 56 percent of non-white voters say they favor the former senator from California compared against 25 percent for Trump.

In terms of the youth vote, 50 percent of potential Harris voters are under the age of 35 compared against Trump's 32 percent.

The pair are tied among voters between the age of 35 and 54.

Trump is unsurprisingly favored by white voters with 51 percent to 37 and with elderly voters, 49 to 40 percent.

In response to The Washington Post's report, a Vance spokesperson called Harris 'weak' and 'failed' while promoting a 'dangerously liberal agenda.'

'Her far-left ideas are even more radioactive than Joe Biden, particularly in the key swing states that will decide this election like Pennsylvania, Michigan, and Wisconsin,' Will Martin said.

It has emerged this week that the Harris campaign has raised $200 million since she emerged as the likely Democratic presidential nominee last week

It has also emerged this week that the Harris campaign has raised $200 million since she emerged as the likely Democratic presidential nominee last week, an eyepopping haul in her race against the Republican nominee.

The campaign, which announced its latest fundraising total on Sunday, said the bulk of the donations - 66 percent - comes from first-time contributors in the 2024 election cycle and were made after Biden's decision not to run.

Over 170,000 volunteers have also signed up to help the Harris campaign with phone banking, canvassing and other get-out-the-vote efforts. Election Day is 100 days away.

'The momentum and energy for Vice President Harris is real  and so are the fundamentals of this race: this election will be very close and decided by a small number of voters in just a few states,' Michael Tyler, the campaign's communications director, wrote in a memo.

Her campaign said it held some 2,300 organizing events in battleground states this weekend as several high-profile Democrats under consideration to serve as Harris' running mate stumped for her.

Harris campaigned in Pittsfield, Massachusetts, on Saturday, drawing hundreds to a fundraiser that had been organized when Biden was still at the top of the Democratic ticket.

The fundraiser had originally been expected to raise $400,000 but ended bringing in about $1.4 million, according to the campaign.

Mandy Robbins, 45, of Decatur, Georgia, drove to one of those organizing events Sunday in the northern suburbs of Atlanta to hear Kentucky Gov. Andy Beshear, a potential Harris running mate.

She thought Biden did a 'great job' in the White House, but acknowledged she 'would not have been nearly this excited' if he remained in the race.

'I finally feel hopeful now,' Robbins said. She added, 'We can win this with Harris.'
WARNING: This story contains content that may be considered graphic to some

Armed cops surrounded the building where a gunman opened fire at Donald Trump more than two minutes before the shooter attempted to assassinate the former president, shocking new footage has revealed.

Thomas Crooks, 20, fired eight shots in Trump's direction from an AR-style rifle after scaling the roof of a building of some 135 meters from where Trump was speaking at a campaign rally in Butler, Pennsylvania.

One rallygoer was killed and two others were injured. Crooks was shot dead by a Secret Service countersniper.

But newly released footage captured by a rallygoer shows that local cops surrounded the AGR International factory building with their guns drawn a full two minutes and 10 seconds before he unleased the volley of shots.

It is unclear how long police were surrounding the building before the witness started filming, but it was previously reported that the gunman opened fire roughly 30 seconds after a local officer climbed on the roof, confronted him and then retreated after Crooks pointed his rifle at him.

Armed cops surrounded the building where gunman Thomas Crooks opened fire at Donald Trump a full two minutes and 10 seconds before shots rang out

The footage, which appears to have been filmed from the field at the base of the AGR building, shows armed officers surrounding the building where Crooks had been perched with an assault-style rifle as Trump addresses his supporters from the stage

The new footage comes as Senate lawmakers are expected Tuesday to grill the acting director of the Secret Service about law enforcement lapses in the hours before the assassination attempt in the latest in a series of congressional hearings dedicated to the shooting.

Astonishing new video, shared on social media by X user @realDJStew724, shows how police were seemingly aware of a potential threat minutes before Trump was shot on July 13.

The footage, which appears to have been filmed from the field at the base of the AGR building, shows armed officers surrounding the building where Crooks had been perched with an assault-style rifle as Trump addresses his supporters from the stage.

'There's f*****g cops surrounding this whole entire f*****g building right now,' a woman can be heard saying as police continue to move around the building.

For more than two minutes bystanders encouraged each other to 'make yourself small' before someone yelled 'he's got a gun!' and eight shots rang out.

The terrified rallygoers sought cover as they tried to understand what happened.

The cameraman asks another bystander: 'Did they pick him off?'

'F**k yeah, I saw a big poof of hair go up in the air. They got him right in the head. Big poof of hair,' another witness replies as the crowd begins to cheer.

Trump, after being shot, defiantly raised his fist towards his supporters and encouraged them to 'fight' as he was escorted off the stage by Secret Service. He was was met with chants of 'USA' and 'Make America Great Again' from the crowd.

Thomas Crooks, 20, (pictured) fired eight shots in Trump's direction from an AR-style rifle after scaling the roof of a building of some 135 meters from where Trump was speaking at a campaign rally in Butler, Pennsylvania

Law enforcement standing over the dead body of Trump's attempted assassin moments after he was shot dead

Donald Trump, pictured after he was shot at his rally on July 13, raised his fist and appeared to mouth 'fight' to his supporters as Secret Service escorted him off the stage

The new video is the latest in a string of evidence showcasing apparent security failures at Trump's rally.

Kimberly Cheatle, who stepped down from her post as Secret Service Director in the aftermath of the shooting, admitted last week that the attempt on Trump's life was the agency's 'most significant operational failure' in decades.

At her hearing last week, Cheatle said the Secret Service had 'failed' in its mission to protect Trump and vowed to 'move heaven and earth' to get to the bottom of what went wrong and make sure there's no repeat of it.

She acknowledged that the Secret Service was told about a suspicious person two to five times before the shooting at the rally.

She also revealed that the roof from which Crooks opened fire had been identified as a potential vulnerability days before the rally.

Cheatle said she apologized to Trump in a phone call after the assassination attempt.

Ronald Rowe became acting director of the agency last week after Cheatle resigned in the aftermath of a House hearing in which she was berated by lawmakers from both parties and failed to answer specific questions about the communication failures preceding the July 13 shooting.

Rowe, joined by FBI Deputy Director Paul Abbate, will face questions about law enforcement lapses at the rally during at a joint hearing of the Senate committees on the Judiciary and Homeland Security today.

The hearing comes one day after the FBI released new details about its investigation into the shooting, revealing Crooks had looked online for information about mass shootings, power plants, improvised explosive devices and the May assassination attempt of the Slovakian prime minister.

Police personnel are pictured standing over Crooks' body on the rooftop of the AGR building where he opened fire at Trump's rally on July 13

The last photo of would-be Trump assassin, Thomas Crooks, 20, showing him clad in a t-shirt branded with the logo of YouTube channel Demolition Ranch

The backpack affixed to this bicycle was reportedly related to Crooks' assassination attempt. In the video, local police confirm that the bike is being treated as a 'suspicious device'

The FBI also said that Trump has agreed to be interviewed by agents as a crime victim; the bureau said last week that the former president had been struck in the ear by a bullet or fragment of one. Trump said Monday evening that he expected that interview to take place on Thursday.

But the bulk of the questions Tuesday are expected to be directed at Rowe as lawmakers demand answers about how Crooks was able to get so close to Trump.

In a Monday night interview on Fox News, Trump defended the Secret Service agents who protected him from the shooting but said someone should have been on the roof with Crooks and that there should have been better communication with local police.

'They didn't speak to each other,' he said.

He praised the sniper who killed Crooks with what he said was an amazing shot but noted: 'It would have been good if it was nine seconds sooner.'
Anjem Choudary, the notorious Islamist preacher, is facing life in prison with a minimum term of 28 years for directing a secret terrorist propaganda operation over the course of ten years.

Choudary, 57, from Ilford, East London, helped found al-Muhajiroun (ALM) in 1996 and spent nearly 30 years running their operations under dozens of different names.

Members have been linked to at least 16 different terrorist plots and senior members travelled to Syria, where Siddhartha Dhar and Reza Haque, joined an ISIS execution squad.

Choudary himself was an associate of Woolwich killer Michael Adebolajo, London Bridge terrorist Khuram Butt and Fishmongers' Hall attacker Usman Khan.

He celebrated the 9/11 attacks as a 'towering day in history' and Omar Bakri Muhammad, the group's leader, labelled the 7/7 attackers the 'fantastic four' before he fled the UK in August 2005, claiming he had shut down the organisation nine months earlier.

Anjem Choudary , 57, from Ilford, East London , helped found al-Muhajiroun (ALM) in 1996 and spent nearly 30 years running their operations under dozens of different names

Choudary was arrested at his home in London on July 17 last year, almost five years after his release from prison

Choudary and Hussein at Woolwich Crown Court, London, where they were sentenced earlier today

Choudary will spend more than 26 years in jail in total due to the time he has already spent in custody, meaning he will not be released before the age of 85, the judge said.

Sentencing at Woolwich Crown Court on Tuesday, Mr Justice Mark Wall told Choudary he was 'front and centre in running a terrorist organisation'.

The judge also said that he 'encouraged young men into radical activity'.

The judge said: 'These are offences which cause the risk of significant loss of life.'

Justice Wall told of 'chilling' trial evidence about Choudary's denial of the holocaust and jokes about the 9/11 terror attacks.

He added: 'I do not sentence you for holding those views, but the fact that you genuinely hold such extreme views coupled with your history of unlawful behaviour is an indication of the danger you pose into the future.

'I am sure that you will continue to preach your message of hate and division when or if you are given the opportunity to do so in the future.

'You are not someone who can be diverted from that course by any form of intervention.

'You pose a significant risk of causing serious harm to members of the public into the future by committing further specified offences such as this.'

He went on: 'Organisations such as yours normalise violence in the pursuit of an ideological cause. Their existence give individuals who are members of them the courage to commit acts that otherwise they might not do.

'They drive a wedge between people who would and could live together in peaceful co-existence.'

The judge labelled Choudary's views 'entrenched and abhorrent to many right-thinking people', adding Choudary is an 'intelligent man and a persuasive speaker' to those open to 'messages of hate', saying he possesses 'great determination' in pursing his aims.

He continued: 'It will be for the parole board to decide whether you are safe to release back into the community.

'I cannot envisage them reaching such a decision without the most cogent evidence of a change of mindset by you. If they never form the view that you can safely be released, you will remain in prison for the rest of your life.'

Choudary took over as the leader in 2014 but was arrested and jailed himself four months later, for encouraging support for ISIS.

Police in Britain, the US and Canada had been running separate investigations as they became concerned that Choudary was seeking to recruit a new generation of younger followers (Pictured: Choudary speaking in 2012)

Choudary told his followers that 'jihad is obliged upon us' and said being described as Britain's 'number one radicaliser' was a 'badge of honour' (Pictured: Choudary talking to supporters in 2011)

His licence conditions expired in July 2021 and he began trying to rebuild the organisation, delivering over 40 lectures in one year to audiences of up to 150 across the world and communicating directly with recruits as young at 14 on Whatsapp and Telegram.

Police in Britain, the US and Canada had been running separate investigations as they became concerned that Choudary was seeking to recruit a new generation of younger followers.

Deputy Commissioner Rebecca Weiner from the New York Police Department (NYPD), described how they sent their 'crown jewel' undercover officers to London to testify against Choudary, a 'shamelessly prolific radicaliser.'

NYPD had placed two undercover officers, referred to as OP488 and OP377, in the group's branch in New York, called the Islamic Thinkers' Society.

In his first speech, recorded by NYPD undercover officers on June 12 2022, Choudary boasted that 'so many people became shaheed alhamdulillah' [martyrs, praise god].

Police officers in London worked with those in the US before entering Choudary's home to arrest him last July

Khalid Hussein, 29, a member of the Islamic Thinkers Society living in Edmonton, Canada, who idolised Choudary, helped him run an online magazine called al-Aseer [the prisoners]

He said he had been labelled 'the number one radicaliser in Britain,' adding: 'That is a badge of honour for me. It's a medallion on my chest. What do you want to call me? An extremist? Fanatic? All of these.'

In another recording on June 26, Choudary told them: 'You know we always manage to escape prosecution. You know no one has ever been prosecuted in this country for being a member of al-Muhajiroun.'

In a discussion with members of the Islamic Thinkers' Society on March 26 last year, he advised them to set up a series of different 'platforms' adding: 'We ended up having loads of them - if you look in the Terrorist Act they listed about 15 of them - there's another 45, we used to use, so this is just a style and means brother.'

He also encouraged followers to 'fight the crusaders' and told them, on February 19 last year: 'There's no doubt, jihad is obliged upon us.'

A week later, on February 26, Choudary told his audience: 'Is terrorism part of the deen [faith]? Yes even more, horrifying is part of the deen, even to horrify the people.'

MI5 had bugged Choudary's home in Ilford, East London and, in a conversation with his wife, Rubina Akhtar on March 22 last year, he told her: 'That impact is there - al-Muhajiroun has gone down in history and that's why they say 40 per cent of all things associated with us. The impact was phenomenal, global.'

The figure appears to be a reference to an entry on Choudary's Wikipedia page.

Choudary was an associate of Woolwich killer Michael Adebolajo (pictured)

Adebolajo and co-conspirator Michael Adebowale murdered soldier Lee Rigby in Woolwich in 2013

When interviewed by police, Choudary claimed his organisation 'doesn't exist' in the UK

On April 30 last year, the covert listening devices picked up Choudary updating Bakri, who had recently been released from jail, on the members of the group and asking for advice on their next steps.

How Anjem Choudary was silenced: Timeline traces history of terror cell and arrest of hate preacher April 2003 - Omar Sharif from Derby, a former al-Muhajiroun member who had joined Hamas, killed himself after failing to set off a suicide bomb outside a waterfront bar called Mike's Place in Tel Aviv, Israel. March 2004 - A group of former al-Muhajiroun followers were arrested for planning a bomb attack on the Ministry of Sound nightclub in central London using half a ton of ammonium nitrate. Omar Khyam and his associates had attended lectures by Bakri at their local mosque in Langley Green, Crawley, where he was accompanied by Choudary. The Crawley cell had set up a training camp in Malakand, Pakistan, in July 2003, which was attended by Mohammed Sidique Khan, the leader of the 7/7 bombers. November 2005 - Kazi Nur ur-Rahman, an associate of the Crawley gang from East London, who had been a member of al-Muhajiroun, was caught in a sting operation at South Mimms service station, trying to buy Uzi sub-machineguns and shoulder-launched missiles. August 2006 - A key al-Qaeda commander called Rangzieb Ahmed from Rochdale was arrested in Pakistan. During an aborted trip to South Africa, he had met a former member of al-Muhajiroun in Dubai who had acted as a courier and returned to Britain with his code books. September 2008 - Three Muhajiroun followers firebombed the home of the publisher of a controversial novel about the Prophet Mohammed and his child bride in Islington, North London. One of them, Ali Beheshti, 41, from Ilford, East London, had taken his 20-month old daughter, dressed in an 'I love al-Qaida' hat, to protests against the Danish cartoons of the Prophet Mohammed in 2006. December 2010 - Taimur Abdulwahab Al-Abdaly from Luton blew himself up in the middle of a busy shopping street in Stockholm, Sweden, on a Saturday afternoon two weeks before Christmas. He had been attending a mosque popular with ALM supporters. Al-Muhajiroun members from London, Cardiff and Stoke, led by Mohammed Chowdhury, combined to plan a Christmas car bomb attack on the London Stock Exchange. November 2011 - A Muslim convert called Richard Dart, 30, the son of teachers from Weymouth, Dorset, was stopped as he tried to leave for Karachi in Pakistan on his way to seek terrorist training. He had been discussing attacking Royal Wootton Bassett in Wiltshire, where the bodies of fallen British soldiers were repatriated. Dart was frequently pictured alongside Choudary at protests. April 2012 - A group of al-Muhajiroun supporters from Luton, Bedfordshire, was arrested after they were bugged as they discussed an attack on a Territorial Army barracks using a bomb attached to a remote controlled car and driving it under the gates. The men also talked about trying to get hold of a firearm on the black market and met someone they believed might be able to supply a weapon. May 22 2013 - Michael Adebolajo and Michael Adebowale, two converts from South London, stabbed to death Fusilier Lee Rigby as he returned to Woolwich Barracks from duty at the Tower of London. Choudary described Adebolajo as a 'pleasant, quiet guy' and added, at his most recent trial: 'I was there when he became Muslim. I officiated at his marriage.' February 2014 - Abdul Waheed Majeed, 41, a truck driver from Crawley, drove a dumper truck packed full of explosives into Aleppo prison for an al-Qaeda affiliate called Jabhat al-Nusra. Afterwards Choudary said Majeed had acted as a driver for Omar Bakri Muhammad, the leader of al-Muhajiroun, and added: 'He was a good father, a family man who was dedicated to make sure all his actions were based on the [religious] texts.' August 2014 - Brusthom Ziamani, 19, was arrested as he wandered the streets with a rucksack containing a large hammer, a 12 inch carving knife and an Islamic flag, searching for a soldier to kill. Ziamani had fallen under the influence of Anthony Small, who ran a group linked to Choudary in Lewisham, South London. September 2014 - Choudary is arrested on suspicion of encouraging support for the banned terrorist group Isis. July 2016 - Choudary convicted for encouraging support for banned terror group Isis. October 2018 - Choudary released from prison. July 2021 - Choudary's licence conditions expire. August 18 2021 - Choudary hosts Telegram Channel 'Call to Islam' - 715 people subscribe to it. September 10 2021 - Hussein sends message to Canadian undercover officer stating 'The Islamic Thinkers Society are actually Al Muhajiroun North America'. October 2021 - NYPD makes first contact with the Metropolitan Police's Counter Terrorism Command in regard to ongoing investigation into ITS. February 2022 - Hussein meets Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP) undercover officer and sends voice note stating ITS are the 'remnants of Al-Muhajiroun'. Spring 2022 RCMP contacts the Met's Counter Terrorism Command in relation to ongoing investigation into Hussein. June 12 2022 - Choudary hosts first online lecture for ITS - attended by NYPD undercover officers. Choudary goes on to hold around 40 lectures or classes for ITS up until April 2023. October 2022 - NYPD visits London and meets with the Met's Counter Terrorism Command to discuss respective investigations and material. March 9 and 22 2022 - Covert recordings of Choudary speaking with his wife discussing his involvement in ITS and ALM. March 26 2023 - Further covert recording of Choudary speaking with other ITS leaders - Akbar Khattak and Abu Hamza. March 29 and 30 2023 - Choudary sends a message to ITS group chat that Bakri Muhammad has been released from prison. Choudary begins sending Bakri Muhammad direct messages the next day. April 2 2023 - Choudary hosts further online lecture with ITS which features Bakri Muhammad as a guest speaker. April 30 2023 - Covert recording of a phone conversation between Choudary and Bakri Muhammad - within this Choudary confirms to Bakri Muhammad that he took over as 'caretaker emir' for ALM. June/July 2023 - Met Counter Terrorism Command officers visit the US and Canada to gather further evidence including geo-location restricted video of Choudary detailing his activities with ALM. June 30 2023 - Hussein reveals to a Canadian undercover officer his plans to visit Choudary in London. July 17 2023 - Choudary arrested at his address and Hussein arrested at Heathrow Airport as he arrives into the UK on a flight from Canada. July 23 2024 - Choudary is convicted of directing Al-Muhajiroun and encouraging support for the group online. Advertisement

He spoke about his role as Bakri's 'naqib' [deputy] and how he had taken on the role of the 'caretaker emir' [leader].

He stood trial alongside Khalid Hussein, 29, a member of the Islamic Thinkers Society living in Edmonton, Canada.

Hussein idolised Choudary, helped him run an online magazine called al-Aseer [the prisoners].

Hussein, who worked at a Co-Op petrol station and convenience, messaged Choudary on July 16 last year to arrange to meet him on his journey through London to Turkey to meet a Russian bride.

Choudary replied with some advice on the best tourist spots in South London, including the Cutty Sark, Greenwich Park and 'quaint shopping nearby.'

He also added: 'You are also not too far from Woolwich - the famous Lee Rigby issue.'

In a voice note sent to Choudary, Hussein said: 'There is a lot of media stigma against al-Muhajiroun so I usually don't advertise it.

'But I've kind of gotten involved in this campaign and I just wanted to let you know, that this is who I am.'

He added: 'Most people don't know I'm part of al-Muhajiroun.'

Over the course of nearly 30 years, Anjem Choudary lived off benefits as he preached violent jihad, labelled fellow Muslims as apostates for voting and advocated for the establishment of an Islamic state in Britain.

He promised followers 'free food, clothing, and shelter' under an Islamic state adding: 'You don't have electricity? Here is free electricity. Here is free water. What else do you want? Do you want a salary? Here, take some money. There is no society like that.'

He was also linked to numerous terrorists, dating back to a group arrested in Crawley, West Sussex in March 2004 who were planning to blow up the Ministry of Sound nightclub using half a ton of ammonium nitrate and had links to the 7/7 bombers.

During the trial the jury was not aware that Khuram Butt, the leader of the attackers who killed eight people at London Bridge and Borough Market in June 2017, was said to be 'like a lion out of a cage' after meeting Choudary at his home.

Usman Khan, who killed two Cambridge students at a prisoners' conference at Fishmongers' Hall in November 2019 was another follower who had Choudary's number on his mobile phone when he was jailed in 2010.

After Choudary endorsed ISIS, large numbers of his associates travelled to Syria, including Siddhartha Dhar, a key lieutenant who appeared in an ISIS execution video in January 2016, shooting a prisoner in the back of the head.

ALM also opened up branches abroad including Shariah4Belgium, which was said to have played a role in radicalising the Paris attackers who killed 130 people in November 2015.

In the US, almost a dozen members or associates of the Islamic Thinkers' Society were convicted of support for terrorism and a former member called Samir Khan moved to Yemen from where he ran a notorious online magazine for al-Qaeda called Inspire, designed to encourage lone actor attacks in the West.

Choudary was finally arrested when Hussein arrived from Canada on July 17 last year.

Interviewed by police, he insisted that his lectures were nothing to do with al-Muhajiroun, adding: 'When I say 'us' or 'we', I am always talking about me, I am talking about my experience, I am talking about people in the UK. In no shape or form am I ever addressing them in the use of those pronouns.'

He was found guilty of directing a terrorist organisation and encouraging support for a proscribed organisation.

Hussein was found guilty of membership of a proscribed organisation.

During the sentencing hearing, defence barrister Paul Hynes KC said that by the time Choudary had started directing ALM, it was 'little more than a husk of an organisation' and he was not 'gathering the masses to join'.

ITS was infiltrated by undercover law enforcement officers in the US, who were present at online lectures in 2022 and 2023, held over the Element messenger platform.

ALM was proscribed as a terror organisation in the UK in 2010, though it was said in court the group has continued to exist under various names.

A senior security official said last week's conviction was a 'significant moment', adding the evidence presented in court showed 'Choudary's continued involvement in supporting terrorism and radicalising others'.

Commander Dominic Murphy, head of the Metropolitan Police's counter-terrorism command, said: 'There are individuals that have conducted terrorist attacks or travelled for terrorist purposes as a result of Anjem Choudary's radicalising impact upon them.'

During a press conference, he added: 'ALM's tentacles have spread across the world and have had a massive impact on public safety and security.'

NYPD deputy commissioner Rebecca Weiner said it was a 'historic case', describing Choudary as a 'shameless, prolific radicaliser'.

Ms Weiner said: 'It is usually the foot soldiers, the individuals, who are brought into the network who go on to commit the attacks who are brought to justice.

'And it's rarely the leader, which is what makes this a particularly important moment.'

Prosecutor Tom Little KC, opening the trial at Woolwich Crown Court on June 13, said Choudary had a 'warped and twisted mindset'.

Omar Bakri Muhammad, who founded ALM, was in prison in Lebanon between 2014 and March 2023, and Choudary stepped in and 'filled the void', Mr Little said.

In 2016, Choudary was convicted and jailed for five-and-a-half years for supporting the so-called Islamic State.

The court heard that Choudary, whose licence conditions expired in July 2021 following his 2018 release from prison, said he viewed being called an extremist or fanatic as a 'medallion' during lectures.

Mr Murphy said: 'What became clear after his licence conditions was that he saw the online space as a means of engaging globally with larger groups of people.

'And what was clear to us was that increasingly there were a larger number of people that were willing to engage with Anjem Choudary online and he was having an influence over those individuals.'

Khaled Hussein, 29, from Canada, who prosecutors said was a 'follower and dedicated supporter' of Choudary, was found guilty of membership of ALM.

He was jailed for five years with an extra year on licence

Evidence showed how Hussein was effectively acting as a personal assistant to Choudary, helping to host online lectures and editing extremist online blogs and publications for him.

Defence barrister Hossein Zahir KC argued Hussein was a 'wholly inactive' member.

Commander Dominic Murphy, the head of Scotland Yard's Counter-Terrorism Command, said: 'For over 30 years Anjem Choudary has been a pretty constant presence in counter-terrorism.

'His influence as a radicaliser is well known but the reality of that impact around the world is that there are individuals who have conducted terrorist attacks or travelled for terrorist purposes as a result of Anjem Choudary's radicalising effect on them.'

How Britain's 'number one radicaliser' and Islamic preacher Anjem Choudary claimed his organisation 'doesn't exist' in UK - after police linked him to SIXTEEN terrorism plots

Islamic hate preacher Anjem Choudary, dubbed Britain's 'number one radicaliser' claimed his terror cell 'doesn't exist' in the UK after being arrested at his east London home.

Choudary, 57, was today sentenced to life with a minimum term of 28 years in jail after being found guilty of directing a terrorist organisation and encouraging support for a proscribed organisation.

New footage released by police reveals how he tried to claim that bugged conversations did not prove that he had kept his organisation - which he helped found in 1996 - running in secret.

Interviewed by police on July 22 last year, Choudary insisted that his lectures to the Islamic Thinkers' Society in New York were nothing to do with the US branch of al-Muhajiroun.

He told officers: 'There is nothing called al-Muhajiroun in Britain at all'.

Anjem Choudary , 57, from Ilford, East London, helped found al-Muhajiroun (ALM) in 1996 and spent nearly 30 years running their operations under dozens of different names

Khalid Hussein, 29, a member of the Islamic Thinkers Society living in Edmonton, Canada, who idolised Choudary, helped him run an online magazine called al-Aseer [the prisoners]

But a jury convicted him of heading up the terrorist organisation after a series of damning evidence from bugged phone calls, messages and voice notes.

Members of al-Muhajiroun, which has operated under around 30 different names, have been linked to at least 16 different terrorist plots and senior members travelled to Syria, where Siddhartha Dhar and Reza Haque, joined an ISIS execution squad.

He celebrated the 9/11 attacks as a 'towering day in history' and Omar Bakri Muhammad, the group's leader, labelled the 7/7 attackers the 'fantastic four' before he fled the UK in August 2005, claiming he had shut down the organisation nine months earlier.

Choudary was also an associate of Woolwich killer Michael Adebolajo, London Bridge terrorist Khuram Butt and Fishmongers' Hall attacker Usman Khan.

But speaking to officers he claimed that the conversations only referred to his own notoriety and events in the past.

He insisted: 'When I say 'us' or 'we', I am always talking about me, I am talking about my experience, I am talking about people in the UK.

'In no shape or form am I ever addressing them in the use of those pronouns. When I say 'us' or 'we' I am talking about myself.'

He added: 'I want to make it absolutely clear that there is nothing called al-Muhajiroun in Britain at all and the Islamic Thinkers' Society does not exist in Britain at all, as far as I am aware.

'I am not sure of any platform with that name and therefore the Islamic Thinkers Society, from my understanding of reality is purely in America.'

Choudary was arrested at his home in London on July 17 last year, almost five years after his release from prison

When interviewed by police, Choudary claimed his organisation 'doesn't exist' in the UK

Choudary was arrested at his home in East London during a raid by police after Hussein, his associate, flew to the UK

Choudary was released from prison in 2018 after being convicted of encouraging support for Isis, but was banned from accessing the internet until 2021.

Days after his licence conditions expired, he was already giving speeches and discussing the group, as evidenced by recordings made by undercover police officers.

In his first speech, recorded by NYPD undercover officers on June 12 2022, Choudary boasted that 'so many people became shaheed alhamdulillah' [martyrs, praise god].

He said he had been labelled 'the number one radicaliser in Britain,' adding: 'That is a badge of honour for me. It's a medallion on my chest. What do you want to call me? An extremist? Fanatic? All of these.'

In another recording on June 26, Choudary told them: 'You know we always manage to escape prosecution. You know no one has ever been prosecuted in this country for being a member of al-Muhajiroun.'

After his arrest, Choudary was asked about a conversation in which he discussed al-Muhajiroun with his wife at their home in Ilford, East London.

Choudary told police: 'This should be clear as well. There is nothing there in the present tense whatsoever and that supports my contention that I'm not a member of any group.

Police officers in London worked with those in the US before entering Choudary's home to arrest him last July

Police in Britain, the US and Canada had been running separate investigations as they became concerned that Choudary was seeking to recruit a new generation of younger followers (Pictured: Choudary speaking in 2012)

'I'm not supporting any group, I'm not instigating support or directing any group or organisation.

'We're talking, whatever existed, existed in the past, there's absolutely nothing at the moment in any of this.'

The officer pointed out that in the recording Choudary speaks in the present tense, implying his role in the group 'is still ongoing'.

The preacher replied: 'No, no, no, this is talking about the profile, it's clear all of this is talking about the profile over the years.'

Choudary was co-accused alongside Khalid Hussein, 29, a member of the Islamic Thinkers Society living in Edmonton, Canada.

Hussein idolised Choudary, helped him run an online magazine called al-Aseer [the prisoners].

In a voice note sent to Choudary, Hussein said: 'There is a lot of media stigma against al-Muhajiroun so I usually don't advertise it.

'But I've kind of gotten involved in this campaign and I just wanted to let you know, that this is who I am.'

He added: 'Most people don't know I'm part of al-Muhajiroun.'
Islamic hate preacher Anjem Choudary, dubbed Britain's 'number one radicaliser' claimed his terror cell 'doesn't exist' in the UK after being arrested at his east London home.

Choudary, 57, was today sentenced to life with a minimum term of 28 years in jail after being found guilty of directing a terrorist organisation and encouraging support for a proscribed organisation.

New footage released by police reveals how he tried to claim that bugged conversations did not prove that he had kept his organisation - which he helped found in 1996 - running in secret.

Interviewed by police on July 22 last year, Choudary insisted that his lectures to the Islamic Thinkers' Society in New York were nothing to do with the US branch of al-Muhajiroun.

He told officers: 'There is nothing called al-Muhajiroun in Britain at all'.

Anjem Choudary , 57, from Ilford, East London, helped found al-Muhajiroun (ALM) in 1996 and spent nearly 30 years running their operations under dozens of different names

Khalid Hussein, 29, a member of the Islamic Thinkers Society living in Edmonton, Canada, who idolised Choudary, helped him run an online magazine called al-Aseer [the prisoners]

But a jury convicted him of heading up the terrorist organisation after a series of damning evidence from bugged phone calls, messages and voice notes.

Members of al-Muhajiroun, which has operated under around 30 different names, have been linked to at least 16 different terrorist plots and senior members travelled to Syria, where Siddhartha Dhar and Reza Haque, joined an ISIS execution squad.

He celebrated the 9/11 attacks as a 'towering day in history' and Omar Bakri Muhammad, the group's leader, labelled the 7/7 attackers the 'fantastic four' before he fled the UK in August 2005, claiming he had shut down the organisation nine months earlier.

Choudary was also an associate of Woolwich killer Michael Adebolajo, London Bridge terrorist Khuram Butt and Fishmongers' Hall attacker Usman Khan.

But speaking to officers he claimed that the conversations only referred to his own notoriety and events in the past.

He insisted: 'When I say 'us' or 'we', I am always talking about me, I am talking about my experience, I am talking about people in the UK.

'In no shape or form am I ever addressing them in the use of those pronouns. When I say 'us' or 'we' I am talking about myself.'

He added: 'I want to make it absolutely clear that there is nothing called al-Muhajiroun in Britain at all and the Islamic Thinkers' Society does not exist in Britain at all, as far as I am aware.

'I am not sure of any platform with that name and therefore the Islamic Thinkers Society, from my understanding of reality is purely in America.'

Choudary was arrested at his home in London on July 17 last year, almost five years after his release from prison

When interviewed by police, Choudary claimed his organisation 'doesn't exist' in the UK

Choudary was arrested at his home in East London during a raid by police after Hussein, his associate, flew to the UK

Choudary was released from prison in 2018 after being convicted of encouraging support for Isis, but was banned from accessing the internet until 2021.

Days after his licence conditions expired, he was already giving speeches and discussing the group, as evidenced by recordings made by undercover police officers.

In his first speech, recorded by NYPD undercover officers on June 12 2022, Choudary boasted that 'so many people became shaheed alhamdulillah' [martyrs, praise god].

He said he had been labelled 'the number one radicaliser in Britain,' adding: 'That is a badge of honour for me. It's a medallion on my chest. What do you want to call me? An extremist? Fanatic? All of these.'

In another recording on June 26, Choudary told them: 'You know we always manage to escape prosecution. You know no one has ever been prosecuted in this country for being a member of al-Muhajiroun.'

After his arrest, Choudary was asked about a conversation in which he discussed al-Muhajiroun with his wife at their home in Ilford, East London.

Choudary told police: 'This should be clear as well. There is nothing there in the present tense whatsoever and that supports my contention that I'm not a member of any group.

Police officers in London worked with those in the US before entering Choudary's home to arrest him last July

Police in Britain, the US and Canada had been running separate investigations as they became concerned that Choudary was seeking to recruit a new generation of younger followers (Pictured: Choudary speaking in 2012)

'I'm not supporting any group, I'm not instigating support or directing any group or organisation.

'We're talking, whatever existed, existed in the past, there's absolutely nothing at the moment in any of this.'

The officer pointed out that in the recording Choudary speaks in the present tense, implying his role in the group 'is still ongoing'.

The preacher replied: 'No, no, no, this is talking about the profile, it's clear all of this is talking about the profile over the years.'

Choudary was co-accused alongside Khalid Hussein, 29, a member of the Islamic Thinkers Society living in Edmonton, Canada.

Hussein idolised Choudary, helped him run an online magazine called al-Aseer [the prisoners].

In a voice note sent to Choudary, Hussein said: 'There is a lot of media stigma against al-Muhajiroun so I usually don't advertise it.

'But I've kind of gotten involved in this campaign and I just wanted to let you know, that this is who I am.'

He added: 'Most people don't know I'm part of al-Muhajiroun.'
Just Stop Oil eco warriors held a sit-down protest at London Heathrow Airport today, then played dead as they were dragged away by police.

The protesters sat in Terminal 5's departures area behind fire extinguishers after covering the floor, departure boards and corridor windows with orange paint - just one day after activists from the group blocked departure gates at Gatwick .

But their protest fell flat and failed to cause any disruption to holidaymakers passing through the airport at the start of the summer holidays.

The protest began at 8.35am before a team of police officers arrived to arrest the duo before hauling them away and into a police van by 8.50am. Heathrow officials later confirmed the airport 'continues to operate as normal'.

One of the activists today was Phoebe Plummer, who last week was found guilty of criminal damage after throwing soup over Vincent van Gogh's painting Sunflowers.

The 22-year-old will be sentenced on September 27 over the incident at the National Gallery in London in October 2022 and has been warned by a judge to expect jail.

The second activist, Jane Touil, 58, shouted while sat down today: 'Refuse to die for fossil fuels. We have seen the hottest two days in recorded history. Last year was the hottest year in recorded history.'

The Metropolitan Police said two people were arrested on suspicion of criminal damage, and officers remained at the scene to 'deal with any further offences'.

Yesterday, furious families stepped over seven Just Stop Oil activists who entered Gatwick's South Terminal at about 8am and 'used suitcases with lock-on devices to block the departure gates'.

1 of 3) Just Stop Oil protesters Phoebe Plummer (left), 22, and Jane Touil (right), 58, walked into London Heathrow Airport Terminal 5 today, spraying orange paint on the floor and walls

2 of 3) The activists then sprayed orange paint on departure boards at Heathrow Airport today

3 of 3) Just Stop Oil activists Phoebe Plummer (left) and Jane Touil (right) then sat on the floor

Phoebe Plummer (left) and Jane Touil (right) sit on the floor this morning at Heathrow Airport

Just Stop Oil activist Phoebe Plummer is arrested by police at London Heathrow Airport today

Police officers take away Just Stop Oil activist Phoebe Plummer today at Heathrow Airport

The protesters then sat on the floor inside the airport, blocking an entrance  but passengers with suitcases stepped over them to continue with their journeys.

Sussex Police said eight people were arrested on suspicion of interfering with public infrastructure, and a 'heightened police presence should be expected at this time'.

Today, a Just Stop Oil press release quoted Plummer as saying: 'People around the world are rising up to demand an end to oil by 2030.

'This is an international problem, so ordinary people are doing what our politicians will not, working together globally to put a stop to the harm and suffering that fossil fuels cause.'

'Repression and prison time will not stop people stepping up to defend our families and communities. We have to put a stop to oil and gas. We've had fires raging in Jasper (national park in Canada).

Just Stop Oil activist Phoebe Plummer is arrested by police at London Heathrow Airport today

Police officers take away Just Stop Oil activist Phoebe Plummer today at Heathrow Airport

Just Stop Oil activist Phoebe Plummer is arrested by police at London Heathrow Airport today

'British farmers are in despair after the wettest 18 months on record destroying crops. Mortuaries are overflowing in India after a heatwave. If we want to protect life and what we love, we need a treaty to Just Stop Oil by 2030.'

A statement from fellow activist Touil added: 'We are in the greatest crisis humanity has ever faced and governments are not doing what is needed to protect us.

'Ordinary people have to stand up and make their governments do the right thing, because without pressure from us, they won't. I feel so angry and betrayed that politicians have let this happen when they've known about climate breakdown for over 50 years.'

'Fossil fuel companies are maxing out profits, while hundreds of millions of people pay the price with their lives. Our government must commit to signing a legally binding fossil fuel treaty to end the extraction and burning of fossil fuels by 2030  and it must support poorer countries to get off fossil fuels too.'

Just Stop Oil activist Jane Touil, 58, is arrested by police at London Heathrow Airport today

Police officers take away Just Stop Oil activist Jane Touil at London Heathrow Airport today

The check-in information boards were left with orange spray paint on them at Heathrow today

Also today, Just Stop Oil supporter Dr Bing Jones told ITV's Good Morning Britain: 'We are not trying to stop flying per se, but flying is a central part of the fossil fuels story.

'We are trying to show up that the fossil fuel companies are at war with ordinary people and we have just to stop this.'

After presenter Ed Balls suggested the group had become 'Just Stop Flying', The Times head of travel Claire Irvin said: 'They have become Just Stop Flying. While yesterday's faintly ridiculous protest didn't actually stop flying, it was definitely very irritating.'

She added: 'It's the school holidays. People have saved all year for that all-important family break. Travel is really important, it's really important on a geopolitical level, it's also really important on a personal level for mental health, family bonding, for just relaxing and enjoying the planet.

'Now nobody is suggesting that we want to burn the planet. As a travel editor, I have a huge appreciation for the planet and indeed do encourage our readers to travel responsibly. But that does not mean ruining their holidays.

But Dr Jones hit back, saying: 'This is completely missing the point. We are not concentrating. The problem is that the world is actually heading for catastrophic hurt.'

A Heathrow spokeswoman responded to today's protest, telling MailOnline: 'Working with partners we have quickly resolved a protest incident in Terminal 5 and all involved have been removed from the airport.

'The airport continues to operate as normal and passengers are travelling as planned. We are in full agreement that the aviation industry needs to decarbonise, but unlawful and irresponsible protest activity is not the way forward and will not be tolerated.'

It comes after Just Stop Oil held a separate protest at London Gatwick Airport yesterday

Also in London yesterday, environmental protesters from another group caused criminal damage and blocked access to the office building of the think tank Policy Exchange on Old Queen Street in Westminster.

One person was arrested for criminal damage.

The members of Extinction Rebellion held banners bearing the words 'Policy Exchange - cut the ties to fossil fuels'.

Leaflets given out at the demonstration listed the group's demands, including 'full and open disclosure' of where funding for the think tank comes from, increased transparency of Policy Exchange meetings with MPs and government departments, and the removal of charitable status for 'any lobby group' that receives money from 'big oil and gas'.

The group poured pools of black liquid outside the Policy Exchange building alongside a yellow sign reading 'Caution: slippery with the truth'.

Phoebe Plummer (left) - who was involved in today's Heathrow protest- was last week found guilty of criminal damage after throwing soup over Vincent van Gogh's painting Sunflowers

Last week, ten Just Stop Oil activists suspected of planning to disrupt Heathrow were arrested.

None of the activists were able to get into the airport, according to the Metropolitan Police.

The latest action is part of the 'Oil Kills international uprising', the group said, taking place at airports around the world.

Just Stop Oil said 21 groups across 12 countries have taken action at 18 airports so far.

It listed these as including Letzte Generation Germany; Folk Mot Fossilmakta and Scientist Rebellion in Norway; XR Finland; Futuro Vegetal in Spain; Drop Fossil Subsidies and Act Now - Liberate in Switzerland; Letzte Generation Austria; Extinction Rebellion and Scientists Rebellion in Sweden; Doe Deurne Dicht in Belgium; Last Generation Canada; XR Boston; Last Generation America; and Scientist Rebellion Turtle Island.

Mel Carrington, 63, a mother and former environmental consultant from Dorset, and Greg Sculthorpe, a mathematician from Doncaster, were said to be among the activists involved at Gatwick yesterday.

Earlier this month, Gatwick became the latest major airport to secure a High Court injunction in an attempt to stop would-be environmental activists trespassing on its land after receiving police intelligence over protest plans.

Timothy Morshead KC, representing Gatwick at the hearing, said such action could cause 'severe disruption and financial loss' and 'significant delays for passengers'.

Yesterday, Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer's official spokesman said: 'We recognise the democratic right of people to peacefully express their views, but obviously they should do so within the bounds of the law.

'And clearly being seen to significantly disrupt people's summer holidays is no way of winning people around to your cause.'
About 80 illegal migrants have landed in the UK this morning - amid fears 'flat and calm' conditions will see a bumper number crossing the Channel today.

Dozens of asylum seekers sailed from France overnight and were picked up Border Force cutter 'Defender' before disembarking at the Port of Dover, in Kent.

It comes as Britain braces itself for its hottest day of the year, with temperatures expected to reach a sizzling high of 32C in London.

The arrivals have ignited fresh fears that human trafficking gangs will ramp up their criminal crossing trade, after Labour axed both the Tory's Rwanda deportation plan and Bibby Stockholm migrant barge scheme.

Migrant crossings have already hit a record high this year, with 255 people having risked the journey on Sunday, taking the total for the year so far to 16,457 the Home Office said.

Dozens of migrants were seen arriving in Dover this morning having taken advantage of 'flat and calm' conditions in the Channel

The latest arrivals come amid fears of a bumper day of migrant crossings. Pictured of asylum seekers as they arrived in Dover on Tuesday morning

The migrants were escorted into Dover on the Border Force vessel 'Defender' (pictured today)

Today's arrivals will almost certainly bring the figure up to more than 16,500, smashing the previous record for the end of July of 16,420 in 2022 as well as last year's total of 14,732.

The Home Office has not yet published the figures for the number of people who crossed the Channel on Monday. These will be released later today, potentially bumping the total figure even higher.

It comes as those embarking on the perilous journey were filmed mocking Britain, shouting: 'This is for Rishi Sunak.'

French police simply stood and watched a group setting off from the country's northern coast as numbers continue to rise.

The rising numbers make the challenge to Sir Keir Starmer's new Labour Government clear.

So far his most significant move on immigration has been to scrap the Conservative threat to fly asylum seekers to Rwanda.

On Sunday, a so-called 'taxi boat' was seen motoring out of the harbour at Gravelines, near Dunkirk. One of the occupants of the half-full dinghy shouted to onlookers: 'This is for Rishi Sunak'  perhaps in reference to the former prime minister's now junked policy.

When the dinghy reached the sea, it simply turned right and headed back towards the neighbouring beach.

Migrants sail down a riverway leading to the English Channel as one shouts 'this is for Rishi Sunak'

A group of people thought to be migrants wade through the sea to clamber aboard a small boat off the beach in Gravelines, France on Monday

A group of people thought to be migrants wade through the sea to clamber aboard a small boat off the beach in Gravelines, France on Monday

Conservative Party leader Rishi Sunak speaking during a debate in the House of Commons on July 22

A large group of migrants  including women, children, and even an infant in a chest-mounted baby carrier  emerged from the dunes and walked towards the sea. They then waded in and waited for the 'taxi boat' to reach them.

When it did, as many as possible clambered aboard. As witnessed before by the Daily Mail, police on the beach watched without lifting a finger.

French officers, funded with 100million a year of UK taxpayers' money to 'stop the boats', are instructed not to interfere with dinghies already afloat or to hold back migrants already in the water for fear of being culpable for drownings.

Over the weekend, police instead focused on stopping children and family groups from reaching the water.

Volunteers from refugee charity Utopia 56 were also at the scene over the weekend, checking boats at sea were not in trouble, offering fresh clothes to those who failed to board and monitoring police tactics.

Volunteer Pablo Eymard-Picollec said of the families who turned back: 'I think a few police officers talked to them and told them to stay on the beach.

A group of people thought to be migrants are brought in to Dover, Kent, onboard a Border Force vessel on July 19 (file picture)

Some 255 migrants made the journey across the Channel on Sunday  taking the total for the year so far to 16,457  according to the Home Office (file picture of Migrants arriving on July 29)

'The boat was really, really crowded, so I think they assumed it was too risky for them to go.'

Early on Sunday one migrant died and another 34 were rescued by French coastguards after a 'heavily loaded' boat got into difficulty.

In the Commons, Reform UK MP Lee Anderson asked: 'Does the Home Secretary agree with me it's time now to stop paying the French any more money until they stop being complicit in this evil trade?'

Home Secretary Yvette Cooper said the crossings were 'extremely dangerous' as she mentioned the latest death, adding: 'Criminal gangs are deliberately cramming boats to maximise their profits, and have been getting away with it for far too long.

'That is why we need a new Border Security Command in place, to work not simply with the French police but also with forces and organisations right across Europe, and beyond, to pursue the gangs and to prevent the boats reaching the French coast in the first place.'

In a statement, a Home Office spokesman said: 'We all want to see an end to dangerous small boat crossings, which are undermining border security and putting lives at risk.

'The new Government is taking steps to boost our border security, setting up a new Border Security Command which will bring together our intelligence and enforcement agencies, equipped with new counter-terror-style powers and hundreds of personnel stationed in the UK and overseas, to smash the criminal smuggling gangs making millions in profit.'
London's phone epidemic has claimed yet another victim after a crook swiftly swiped a man's mobile phone as he strolled the capital's most famous roads.

The unsuspecting man was strolling along Park Lane, Mayfair in West London - a stone's throw away from a 1,345-a-night hotel, when he was targeted by the thief.

CCTV footage captured the brazen crime on June 29, only 50 metres away from the lavish five-star Dorchester Hotel, opposite Hyde Park.

As the victim scrolled through his phone on the sunny morning this Monday, a man on an electric bike can be seen swooping in and quickly rushing away with the device.

Seemingly in shock and confused, the disgruntled victim does not even attempt to give chase as the thief speeds away down the pavement.

The unsuspecting man was strolling along Park Lane, Mayfair in West London - a stone's throw away from the 1,345-a-night, five star The Dorchester hotel

As the victim scrolled through his phone on the sunny morning this Monday, the sly thief swoops in quickly rushing away with the device on Monday morning

Reacting to the shocking footage, social media users urged Londoners to stay vigilant of phone thieves.

'I've done something similar before in Knightsbridge, made the thief eat some humble pie before returning the phone to the poor tourist,' quipped one.

Another added: 'Be aware, be 360 degrees aware.'

Police were called about the theft at 10.45 on the day of the incident. No arrests have been made but enquires continue.

A Met police spokesperson said: 'We understand the impact that mobile phone theft can have on victims  it's an invasive and sometimes violent crime - and we're committed to protecting Londoners and tackling this issue as we make the capital safer.

'Met officers are targeting resources to hotspot areas, such as Westminster, Lambeth and Newham, with increased patrols and plain clothes officers which deter criminals and make officers more visibly available to members of the community.

'We continue to use data and technology to build intelligence and track stolen phones to target offenders as we fight community crime.

They added: 'We are also working with phone firms to design out the ability for phones to be reused and sold on as we seek to dismantle the criminal market that fuels robbery.

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This brazen theft happened on 6 June on a busy road near Tavistock Square in Marylebone, central London, just a short distance from Euston Station and the British Museum

'We encourage people to report as soon as they can whenever they have been a victim of mobile phone theft, so officers can attend the scene and investigate swiftly.'

This the most recent incident in a shocking wave of phone theft which has swept through London.

One video captured in Marylebone in June, shows an unsuspecting woman having her phone snatched out of her hands by a man clad in black on an e-bike in June.

Her attempt to give chase was futile as the thief raced off on an e-bike capable of speeds up to 30 miles per hour.

The shocking theft happened on 6 June on a busy road near Tavistock Square in Marylebone, central London, just a short distance from Euston Station and the British Museum.

Recently a map revealed the hotspots London is by far the worst affected city by this phone theft epidemic in England and Wales, with criminals targeting wealthy shoppers and foreign tourists.

Nearly 52,000 devices were stolen in the capital last year alone as criminals on mopeds and e-bikes use violence and distraction techniques to target victims.

The worst-hit borough was the City of Westminster, where tourists flock for theatre shows and high-end shopping, with 18,863 reported incidents in the year to December - up 47 per cent from 12,836 in the previous 12 months.

In April, horrifying footage was shared on social media of a thief on a bike grabbing a woman's mobile phone from her hands in Albany Place, Marylebone

Camden was the second worst affected, with 4,806 incidents, followed by Southwark (4,376), Hackney (2,761), Newham (2,585), Lambeth (2,394) and Islington (2,117). In London as a whole more than 52,000 phones were stolen last year.

Figures show 165,933 mobile phone thefts were reported to the Metropolitan Police between January 1, 2019 and December 31 last year - making up 52 per cent of the total in England and Wales.

Phone thefts rose by 20 per cent last year across England and Wales as a whole, according to figures released after a freedom of information request by The Times.

Police forces recorded 316,683 incidents between January 1, 2019 and December 31 last year, although the total will be higher because six forces failed to respond to the request and three refused to.
Sacked Strictly star Graziano Di Prima has asked to see the training tapes where he is accused of abusing Zara McDermott  but the BBC has refused, MailOnline can reveal today.

The professional dancer was told by the corporation that he cant see the footage due to HR rules and regulations, a source has said.

The 30-year-old was sacked from the show after it was alleged footage emerged that showed him physically and verbally abusing Zara McDermott in training during last year's series.

Graziano is in Italy with his family where he is said to be under medical supervision, being monitored hourly.

A friend told MailOnline: He is very ill so his aim now is to try and recover.

But he blames the BBC for his current state of poor health, claiming they threw him under the bus.

The BBC made it clear he couldnt see the tape when he was told he wouldnt be included in the show this year, the friend said.

Graz has never seen the tape  and isnt allowed to - even though it is alleged that this footage shows him physically and verbally abusing Zara in training during last year's series.

Graziano Di Prima is reportedly under medical supervision after being axed from Strictly Come Dancing

Zara was making burgers and promoting New Look on Instagram

The professional dancer, 30, was sacked from the show earlier this month after it was alleged footage emerged that showed him physically and verbally abusing Zara McDermott

The BBC threw him under the bus, his friend said.

The same friend also pointed out images of Zara making burgers and promoting fashion brand New Look on her Instagram last night.

He is being monitored by health professionals. Meanwhile these influencers, with less talent but a keen sense of their own destiny, carry on, they said.

Graziano's family are said to be 'deeply concerned' about his wellbeing and are monitoring him hourly.

MailOnline has contacted Graziano Di Prima for comment. The BBC has also been asked to comment.

Since leaving Strictly, the dancer has gone home to Italy to be with his mother, his wife, and the rest of the family.

He is now staying in a remote family farmhouse surrounded by vineyards where he has been a virtual recluse since the bombshell news of his sacking broke.

His actions have shocked his close-knit family, who believe it's out of character for their golden boy who left the small town to become a star in the UK.

Meanwhile, Zara broke her silence after it was revealed close friend Pete Wicks will perform in Strictly Come Dancing this year.

Despite their close-knit friendship, Pete has landed a spot on the Strictly line-up amid shocking reports Zara performed on the show with a 'fractured' leg following an injury in training and needed painkillers to get through ten-hour rehearsals.

The dancer's family said: 'Graziano is currently under medical supervision, with the stress of the situation causing significant concern for his family'

Zara has broken her silence after it was revealed Pete Wicks will perform in Strictly Come Dancing this year

The documentary maker and the former TOWIE star are close pals and even joke they have a throuple relationship alongside Zara's long-term boyfriend Sam Thompson

Pete joined Sam in the Strictly studio audience last year and together they wore patterned shirts embellished with Zara's face to show their support.

They posed for photographs alongside Zara and Graziano.

Reality stars Sam and Pete became friends following their appearance on E4 show Celebs Go Dating in 2019 and have since hosted podcast Staying Relevant together.

It comes following new reports that Zara suffered a leg fracture during training for the BBC show.

The Love Island star picked up the nasty injury while preparing for a performance with Graziano and despite being in agonising pain, pushed through to compete in the dance-off.

According to sources, Zara was unaware she'd suffered the injury until she sought medical help after being eliminated from the show, and it was only recently revealed to show bosses when she was interviewed about Graziano's conduct.

Graziano was sacked by Strictly bosses earlier this month after it was alleged footage emerged that showed him physically and verbally abusing Zara in training.

After Zara was pictured in a recovery boot earlier this year, she shared on social media that she'd suffered a stress fracture on her tibia, but did not say at the time it stemmed from her time on Strictly.

Graziano's actions have shocked his close-knit family, who believe it's out of character for their golden boy who left the small town to become a star in the UK (pictured with Zara)

Zara is thought to have told BBC bosses of the 'rigorous' training sessions she endured while paired with Graziano on the show

Graziano was accused of 'chasing' after Zara while 'screaming abuse,' leaving her so frightened that she 'locked herself in a toilet.'

He has apologised for kicking his former partner, but added other allegations do not align with 'how he remembers it.'
Child refugees in Germany are being radicalised in mosques, joining gangs and roaming the streets with knives aged just 11, a leading youth charity has warned.

The Christian-run organisation 'Die Arche' (The Ark) has 33 centres across Germany, supporting over 7,000 children and young people from refugee and socially disadvantaged families.

In a bombshell interview with the Bild newspaper, spokesperson Wolfgang Buscher, who has worked for the NGO for 20 years, said the continuing influx of refugees means Germany is now at breaking point.

'Our system has collapsed. We are at the end. The main reason for this is the continuing influx of refugees,' he said. 'I'm calling for a freeze on refugee admissions, otherwise it would no longer be possible to provide help.'

Meanwhile a social worker at the organisation called Josi warned: 'The support systems are no longer working. Integration has failed. We can't do everything.'

The 32-year-old added: 'The politicians talk and talk and turn a blind eye to the problems. It will escalate and there will be a big bang.'

File image shows migrants getting into a German Federal Police vehicle, near Forst, eastern Germany after a patrol at the border with Poland

Germany is struggling to cope with a current large influx of migrants, mainly from Syria, Afghanistan and Turkey. File image shows people queueing at a reception facility last year

Buscher's comments come days after German authorities banned an Islamic organisation in Hamburg. Pictured: Police securing the compound of a mosque run by the Islamisches Zentrum Hamburg (IZH) group

Buscher added that amongst the young refugees his charity is helping, those of Arab origin in particular are becoming increasingly 'criminalised and radicalised'.

'All the problems that refugee policy automatically brings with it, but that nobody really wants to recognise, are concentrated here,' he said.

'Young Muslim adolescents in particular show what goes wrong with integration. Eleven-year-olds are already running around with knives here.'

He said many youngsters are 'lost' to gangs who recruit them, reeling them in by saying: 'Come to us if you don't like the Germans. It's better with us.'

'Many' of the young people who go to the Ark centres attend mosques where radical Islam is preached, Buscher claimed, adding that they refer to moderate places of worship as 'wimp mosques'.

He added that of the 1,500 young people who are taken care of at Berlin Ark, there are almost no Muslim girls over the age of 13, as 'they have to stay at home.'

'I was told that the parents are afraid that our Western values could spread to the young girls.

'They would then no longer be allowed to come to us. We no longer reach these families. They live in a bubble, in a different system,' he said.

He added that staff had informed him about young women being forced into marriage.

File image shows a group of refugees next to clothes drying at the grounds of the arrival centre of the initial reception facility of the eastern German state of Brandenburg

File image shows a refugee entering the arrival centre of the initial reception facility of the eastern German state of Brandenburg in Eisenhuettenstadt

He added that such children often come from 'hotspot schools' where there are even classes with a 95 per cent proportion of immigrants.

More than 350,000 people applied for asylum in Germany last year - the highest number since 2016.

Opposition figures said the stark figures showed the government was failing to deal with what they called a 'migration crisis'.

Around one in five - 18 per cent - of Germany's population are immigrants, with the country the main destination for migrants in Europe.

Buscher's comments come days after German authorities banned an Islamic organisation in Hamburg and its subsidiary organisations for pursuing radical Islamist goals

Premises belonging to the Islamic Centre Hamburg (IZH) were searched, leading to the group to be banned and four mosques around the country closed as a result of the investigation.

The interior ministry accused the IZH of promoting antisemitism and the Iran-backed Lebanese militant group Hezbollah, which is also banned in Germany and classified as a terrorist organisation by the European Union.

Interior Minister Nancy Faeser said the government banned the Islamisches Zentrum Hamburg as it 'promotes an Islamist-extremist, totalitarian ideology in Germany'

Scenes from Bavarian Police and security forces raiding the Islamische Vereinigung Bayern in the Pasing district of Munich, Germany as part of the federal ban that includes the IZH

Interior Minister Nancy Faeser said in a statement: 'Today, we banned the Islamisches Zentrum Hamburg, which promotes an Islamist-extremist, totalitarian ideology in Germany.

'This Islamist ideology is opposed to human dignity, women's rights, an independent judiciary and our democratic government.'

She said she wanted to make clear that 'the ban absolutely does not apply to the peaceful practice of the Shi'ite religion'.

A 2020 report on Islamic life in Germany said there were roughly 5.5 million Muslims in Germany's 83 million population.
William Calley, the army officer who was the only person to be convicted in relation to the mass murder of Vietnamese civilians, including children, in what came to be known as the My Lai massacre, has died at the age of 80.

The Washington Post on Monday first reported Calley's death, which happened in April, according to a death certificate the newspaper cited. The New York Times, citing Social Security Administration death records, also reported Calley's death.

Neither paper reported a cause of death. Calls to numbers listed for Calley's son, William L. Calley III, were not returned.

American soldiers killed 504 people on March 16, 1968, in Son My, a collection of hamlets between the central Vietnamese coast and a ridge of misty mountains, in an incident known in the West as the My Lai Massacre. The killings shocked the U.S. and galvanized the anti-war movement.

Initially charged in an Army court martial for 102 deaths, Calley was sentenced to life in prison in 1971 for the killing of 22 civilians. He was behind bars only three days before then President Richard Nixon ordered him released under house arrest. After being discharged from the service, he lived out his life quietly in Georgia.

William Calley, pictured here in 1970, was the only person to be convicted in relation to the mass murder of Vietnamese civilians in what came to be known as the My Lai massacre, has died at the age of 80

A home in My Lai burns after being set alight by US Marines during the massacre

William Laws Calley Jr. was born June 8, 1943, the only son and fourth child of a Miami businessman. In his youth, he went by the nickname Rusty.

He attended four high schools in four years, two of them military academies. Calley was forced to repeat the seventh grade after being caught cheating.

After he flunked out of junior college, he worked as a bellhop, dishwasher, insurance investigator and train conductor.

Broke in Albuquerque, New Mexico, in 1966, he joined the Army and excelled.

Despite a poor academic record, Calley graduated from Officers' Candidate School at Fort Benning thanks to the military's then desperate need for platoon leaders one year to the day before the My Lai incident.

After his discharge, Calley married Penny Vick in 1976 and went to work for her father in the jewelry business in the city of Columbus, Georgia, becoming a certified gemologist. They had one son and later divorced.

Maintaining that he had merely followed orders and considering himself a scapegoat, Calley became a lightning rod for a country bitterly divided over the unpopular Vietnam War.

Calley refused to talk about My Lai with reporters or historians. In the aftermath of the war, he attempted to go on the lecture circuit but subsequently retired from public life.

Friends, however, said he admitted committing the deeds he was charged with and had learned to live with it.

A barber in his hometown told an investigative reporter in 1993: 'He's a good man, a fine man. Let it alone. Don't drag all that stuff out again.'

While a man who ran a nearby clock store and a veteran of both Korea and Vietnam said Calley was a 'hell of a fine fellow.'

'He got a bum rap... You oughta bury it. The stuff is hard enough to live with... You ever kill a man. Then you don't know what I'm talking about... You ever see enough blood to bathe in? Then you don't know what it's like.'

A US Marine contributes to the inferno in My Lai

Seconds after this photograph was taken, all these Vietnamese civilians were dead, killed by American soldiers of the 11th Light Infantry Brigade

Calley is shown here around the time of his trial in 1971

Despite being told that My Lai was a hotbed of communist National Liberation Front guerrillas, U.S. forces met no serious armed resistance and found very few weapons, according to the Army Historical Foundation.

Still they killed almost everyone there, and raped women and girls.

Four soldiers were brought up on charges stemming from the massacre but only Calley was convicted.

Calley spent three years in home detention at his apartment in Fort Benning, Georgia, where he had visits from his girlfriend, and was then paroled and cashiered out of the Army.

In 2009, he made his first public apology.

'There is not a day that goes by that I do not feel remorse for what happened that day in My Lai,' Calley told a Kiwanis Club in Columbus, Ohio. 'I feel remorse for the Vietnamese who were killed, for their families, for the American soldiers involved and their families. I am very sorry.'

William Laws Calley Jr. was born June 8, 1943, the only son and fourth child of a Miami businessman. He attended four high schools in four years, two of them military academies. After he flunked out of junior college, he worked as a bellhop, dishwasher, insurance investigator and train conductor.

Broke in Albuquerque, New Mexico, in 1966, he joined the Army and excelled. Despite a poor academic record, Calley graduated from Officers' Candidate School at Fort Benning one year to the day before the My Lai incident.

After his discharge from the Army, Calley married Penny Vick in 1976 and went to work for her father in the jewelry business in Georgia, becoming a certified gemologist. They had one son and later divorced.
A serial sex offender who was involved in abducting, raping, and murdering bank teller Janine Balding has been jailed again after he viewed violent porn.

Wayne Wilmot, 51, was released from prison last month and subjected to an interim supervision order with conditions such as electronic monitoring, abstinence from drugs and alcohol, and restricted use of the internet.

Yet only two weeks after his release, he was arrested and charged with breaching the conditions by searching for and viewing explicit child abuse material.

On Tuesday, Wilmot was beamed into Waverley Local Court from a custody cell to be sentenced after pleading guilty to failing to comply with his supervision order.

He wore a prison-issued green tracksuit and nodded along as his lawyer Dev Bhutani urged the court to consider imposing the minimum six-month sentence.

Mr Bhutani argued a 'short sharp term of imprisonment' would deter his client from breaching the supervision order again.

The court was told Wilmot breached the court order restricting his internet use by searching for violent pornography, including 'extreme' material involving underage women.

Magistrate Jacqueline Milledge noted Wilmot sought to access 'significantly hardcore porn sites ... involving gang sexual activity' by searching terms like 'very very extreme hard f*** porn videos'.

Wayne Wilmot, 51, has been charged with breaching his supervision order by viewing pornographic material

Carol Anne Arrow (18) right and Wayne Wilmot (15) left, at Campbelltown Local Court in Sydney, September 1988, where they were both charged relating to Janine Balding's death

According to court documents, he searched for group sex material involving 16 men and one woman and repeatedly requested violent and extreme pornography involving minors.

'This is very very concerning,' Ms Milledge said.

'It's not like he's just gone onto a dating site or anything like that.'

Police prosecutor Nicole McMahon told the court Wilmot had attempted to minimise his actions by 'levelling blame at his phone'.

She said the 51-year-old complained that his phone had been plagued by pop up ads which had encouraged him to look at the explicit material.

Ms McMahon said the breach was 'extremely serious' given the violent nature of the material and Wilmot's history of 'extreme violence and sexual offending'.

She noted he had not shown any remorse for his actions and argued the 'real and extreme high risk' of Wilmot reoffending 'could not be mitigated at all by any alternative.'

The police prosecutor pushed for the serial rapist to be jailed for two years over the breach.

'The longer Mr Wilmot is detained the longer the community at large will be protected,' Ms McMahon said.

'It would be the ultimate deterrent.'

Ms Milledge agreed Wilmot's lengthy criminal record was 'quite concerning, if not frightening'.

She accepted the rapist may have been 'curious' about pop ups, but noted the terms of his supervision order 'couldn't be clearer that those sorts of sites were not to be accessed by you'.

After applying a discount for his early guilty plea, Ms Milledge sentenced the 51-year-old to 18 months behind bars.

Arrow (left) and Wilmot (right) are escorted by police at Campbelltown Court where they faced charges relating to the murder of Janine Balding

The court was told Wilmot had only been out of jail for two brief stints since he was first incarcerated as a teenager.

'Since the age of 15, he's been in custody almost continuously,' Mr Bhutani noted.

'(From) what I've read about his history, that's where he belongs,' the magistrate retorted.

Earlier this year, Supreme Court Justice Helen Wilson described Wilmot as having a 'disturbing history of sexual offending which he continues to deny or minimise'.

'He has no insight into the risk he poses to other, and refused to acknowledge a need for risk-management strategies,' she said.

Wilmot displayed 'psychopathic personality traits' and represented a risk of violent reoffending, the state's highest court was told.

He was 15 years old in September 1988 when he was involved in the shocking kidnapping, rape and murder of bank teller Janine Balding.

In a crime that shocked the state, Wilmot and a group of co-offenders travelled to Sutherland train station and abducted Ms Balding at knifepoint.

She was forced into a car driven by Wilmot and sexually assaulted in the back seat before being driven to an isolated area of western Sydney, where she was sexually assaulted again.

Sydney woman Janine Balding was abducted, raped and murdered having been taken from outside a railway station in 1988

Wilmot was 15 years old in September 1988 when he was involved in the shocking kidnapping, rape and murder of bank teller Ms Balding

Wilmot remained in the car as the other youths drowned Ms Balding in a dam.

When he was sentenced in the NSW Supreme Court in 1990, the judge accepted Wilmot 'knew nothing of their decision to kill her afterwards' and was not involved in the murder.

The judge determined the then-15-year-old had not raped Ms Balding but he was guilty due to his involvement in the joint criminal enterprise.

Wilmot was jailed for nine years and four months over a raft of offences, including sexual intercourse without consent, detain with intent to gain advantage, and robbery in company.

He was released on parole in October 1996 but subsequently committed violent and sexual assaults against women.
A busy morning in Heathrow's departure lounge was disrupted today by global warming's biggest nemesis Phoebe Plummer.

Armed with a can of spray paint and an ego that would cripple Ronaldo, Plummer and a fellow activist painted the building orange before being promptly arrested and detained.

As Plummer, 22, was on bail ahead of sentencing for her Van Gogh stunt, it is likely she will be now detained indefinitely.

Last week, the non-binary activist, who goes by the name of Ziggy Stardyke on her X account, was told explicitly by Judge Christopher Kehir that she should be prepared in 'practical and emotional terms to go to prison.'

This isn't an empty threat. Last week the same judge sent five members of JSO including 22-year-old student Cressida Gethin and founder Roger Hallam to prison for 4-5 years. He has form.

Phoebe Plummer been described as Just Stop Oil's poster girl for her outrageous stunts

Despite being on bail ahead of sentencing Plummer (left) alongside Jane Touil (right) targeted Heathrow Airport this morning

Shortly after the stunt she was arrested by police at the airport

In the intervening years, Plummer has taken part in numerous other demonstrations, committing flagrant offences and being constantly re-bailed so she can re-offend

Plummer, who once likened herself to Martin Luther King, has lived a life of serene luxury

Plummer attended the 50,000 a year St Mary's Ascott boarding school in Berkshire

She grew up in her parents 2.85million Chelsea townhouse but is now thought to reside at a property in Lambeth

His remarks came after he found Plummer guilty of criminal damage for throwing a can of soup over Vincent Van Goth's Sunflowers in 2022.

In the intervening years, Plummer has taken part in numerous other demonstrations, committing flagrant offences and being constantly re-bailed so she can re-offend.

So who is Phoebe Plummer and what if anything can be done to stop her?

Plummer, who once likened herself to Martin Luther King, has lived a life of serene luxury being privately educated at St Mary's Ascot boarding school in Berkshire before studying social anthropology at the School of Oriental and African Studies.

She grew up in her parents 2.85million Chelsea townhouse but according to court hearings now resides at a house in Lambeth.

It is not known if the professional protester has managed to find gainful employment to support herself in her new digs, but according to an interview in the Times it seems unlikely.

She boasted: 'I don't have to work three jobs to feed my kids or pay heating bills which means I can dedicate time towards fighting.'

So then, ahead of her expected impending prison sentence (which she's apparently looking forward to) MailOnline has collated a full list of Plummer's most eye-catching and irritating moments.

The list can be considered exhaustive as its extremely unlikely Plummer would ever involve herself in any action that didn't place her directly in front of the camera.

In October 2022, Plummer exploded onto the stage when she and fellow activist Anna Holland, 22, flung two tins of Heinz soup at Sunflowers

The painting is considered to be a masterpiece and is one of the most recognisable artworks in the world

The stunt prompted outrage across the world as it wasn't originally known that the painting itself was protected by a glass screen

October 2022 - Vincent Van Gogh and the soup

In October 2022, Plummer exploded onto the stage when she and fellow activist Anna Holland, 22, flung two tins of Heinz soup at the Dutch artist's 1888 masterpiece Sunflowers while it was on display at the National Gallery.

The stunt prompted outrage across the world as it wasn't originally known that the painting itself was protected by a glass screen.

This is something Plummer claimed she knew in advance, however she was less concerned about the 17th century Italian frame which she damaged.

After pouring the contents of the soup all over the painting, the two activists proceeded to glue their hands to the floor before bellowing something about no new oil and gas.

They denied but were convicted of damaging property by a jury after a four day trial at Southwark Crown Court last week and have been told to expect jail time.

Not that Plummer particularly cares, this act cemented her as the poster girl of Just Stop Oil and emboldened her to move to the forefront of the group's irritating activities.

Police watch as traffic is held back as an activist from Just Stop Oil occupies a gantry over the M25 near Godstone in Surrey in November 2022

Plummer, who was pictured being dragged away from the scene by police officers, had allegedly bragged of her part in the disruption

November 2022 - Attacking the M25

Whilst on bail for her Van Gogh stunt, Plummer once again made the headlines after joining a group of JSO activists seeking to paralyse the M25.

In November of that year, activists caused chaos on the motorway by climbing gantries and targeting petrol stations causing four days of travel hell for motorists.

Plummer, who was pictured being dragged away from the scene by police officers, had allegedly bragged of her part in the disruption to an undercover reporter at the Sun.

She reportedly said: 'There's no risk of custodial time. The harshest punishment is a small fine. We need to grab this opportunity while we have it and it's such a minor offence.

'Slow marching because it's more entry-level for people. My first action was smashing up petrol stations.

'It was f**g brilliant what we did on the M25, shutting it down for four days. I was part of that. I went to prison for that last year.'

Met Police officers - who politely told Pheobe Plummer she would have to leave her coffee - were filmed by activists as they arrested her

Friends cried that she had hash browns on their way - but she had to leave before they arrived

June 2023 - Slow marching back into prison (via a posh cafe)

In June last year, Plummer found herself at the mercy of the old Bill who swooped on her whilst she was enjoying breakfast in an upmarket cafe in Islington.

Far from her being persecuted, Plummer's arrest was actually because she had just broken her bail conditions by participating in a slow march that morning.

Officers were filmed politely telling the vegan activist she would have to leave her coffee and could not wait for her hash browns as they dragged her away.

Plummer described her arrest as a 'draconian breach of power.' Her friend paid for her bill.

Labour's Emily Thornberry was targeted by Plummer at her home address

Ever the wisecracker, Plummer states confidently: 'I've got bail not to go to any MP's house.'

The video cuts to footage of a police van arriving, and Plummer climbs in before turning and waving, saying: 'See you guys later!' and laughs

March 2024 - Plummer delivers a letter to Emily Thornberry

In March this year, Plummer essentially handed herself into police after taking part in an ill advised stunt to hand deliver a series of demands to Emily Thornberry at her personal address.

In a video shared on social media, Plummer is seen posting the letter with a friend. It then cuts to show several police officers asking if she has ID.

Ever the wisecracker, Plummer states confidently: 'I've got bail not to go to any MP's house.'

An officer then returns, and said: 'We've just spoken to our inspector... you will be under arrest for breaching police bail conditions.'

Speaking to the camera, she then said: 'So apparently this is the world we live in now. Getting arrested, literally for just posting a letter through to somebody's house...somebody's front door.

'That's so far from a crime, isn't it?'

To which the police officer replied: 'You've got these bail conditions for a reason, haven't you.'

She responded: 'To prevent that. This is what it was trying to prevent. Just delivering a letter.'

The video cuts to footage of a police van arriving, and Plummer climbs in before turning and waving, saying: 'See you guys later!' and laughs.

This morning, Plummer targeted Heathrow airport, spraying paint on a departure board

Police officers take away Just Stop Oil activist Phoebe Plummer today at Heathrow Airport

July 2024 - Plummer targets Heathrow whilst awaiting sentencing

Fresh from being convicted, Plummer was back in the headlines today after she and another activist targeted Heathrow Airport with orange paint, to apparently prove a point about climate change.

As usual, their protest fell flat and failed to cause any disruption to holidaymakers passing through the airport at the start of the summer holidays.

The 22-year-old will be sentenced on September 27 over the incident at the National Gallery in London in October 2022 and has been warned by a judge to expect jail.

The second activist, Jane Touil, 58, shouted while sat down today: 'Refuse to die for fossil fuels. We have seen the hottest two days in recorded history. Last year was the hottest year in recorded history.'

The Metropolitan Police said two people were arrested on suspicion of criminal damage, and officers remained at the scene to 'deal with any further offences'.
This is the moment the President of Turkey slaps a child across the face on stage for not kissing his hand after he held it out.

President Recep Tayyip Erdogan had been attending the opening ceremony of the Aider Plateau Protection and Renewal Project in the northern Rize province on July 27 when the incident took place.

During the event, where the leader was seen handing keys to the new homeowners of houses rebuilt as part of an urbanisation project, two young boys appeared on stage to greet the president after he delivered a short speech.

In viral footage, Erdogan was seen extending his hand to the two children so they could kiss it but one hesitated for just a moment while staring up at the president.

Viewers were then left in shock when Erdogan quickly flicked his wrist and slapped the small boy across the face, before resuming his position and waiting for his kiss.

The President of Turkey has sparked controversy online after he was seen slapping a young boy across the face at a ceremony in northern Rize

Recep Tayyip Erdogan smacked the young child when he didn't kiss his hand after extending it out towards him on stage

The child appeared to be giggling following the slap, but continued to look up at the president for a moment before finally planting a kiss on the top of his hand.

Erogan - seemingly forgiving the boy's behaviour - then handed both of the children some money as a gift and hugged them before they climbed off the stage.

Although the child did not seem fazed by the 'slap', the gesture sparked discussion on social media with some users criticising the Turkish leader's behaviour.

One wrote: 'I wonder how he treats people behind closed doors if he can do that in front of the camera'.

Another said: 'That's disgusting from Erdogan'.

'This world makes me sicker by the day,' commented a third.

However, some users defended the president's actions, explaining that kissing the hand of an elder is a sign of respect in Turkish culture.

One user said: 'Love it. Kissing the hand of your elders, parents, and grandparents is a sign of respect especially in Turkey.

'If you don't do it you get corrected. Especially at a young age'.

But this is not the first time Erdogan has come under fire for such an incident.

Previously, the leader 'slapped' a child who requested an autograph on a Turkish national team T-shirt.

In 2021, at the opening of the Salarkha Tunnel in Rize, Erdogan was spotted knocking a boy on the head after he shook the ribbon.

And last year, the president publicly slapped his grandson, but later claimed he was 'stroking' him, according to reports.

It comes after Erdogan grabbed headlines on Sunday for issuing an open threat to invade Israel in support of Palestine.

'We must be very strong so that Israel can't do these things to Palestine,' Erdogan sai, referring to the war against Hamas in Gaza.

'Just as we entered [Nagorno-]Karabakh, just as we entered Libya, we might do the same to them. There is nothing we can't do. We must only be strong.'

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu with Recep Tayyip Erdogan in September 2023

Yesterday, Israel's Foreign Minister Israel Katz demanded that NATO expel Turkey over Erdogan's threats to send troops into Israel.

'In light of Turkish President Erdogan's threats to invade Israel and his dangerous rhetoric, Foreign Minister Israel Katz instructed diplomats  to urgently engage with all NATO members, calling for the condemnation of Turkey and demanding its expulsion from the regional alliance,' the Israeli foreign ministry said.

Dutch far-right leader Geert Wilders, whose party is the largest in the Netherlands, called Erdogan an 'Islamofascist' and 'totally nuts' in a social media post on Sunday following the president's comment, adding that Turkey 'should be kicked out of NATO.'

Wilders has long proposed booting Turkey from NATO, despite the country joining the alliance in 1952 and having the second-largest army.

Erdogan's comments come after he previously called on the Islamic world to take action against Israel.

He said back in May: 'I have some words to say to the Islamic world: what are you waiting for to take a common decision?'

'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'.

Turkey has also suspended all trade with Israel over its ongoing offensive in Gaza.

NATO does not have a specific mechanism to suspend or expel a member, though members may voluntarily withdraw.
A gang of fake 'spiritual healers' who conned a pensioner out of a 'significant' amount of cash and jewellery to stage a ritual to 'keep her family safe' are being hunted by cops.

The three female charlatans duped the 73-year-old woman after meeting her in Newport city centre, in south Wales, police have said.

They reportedly offered to carry out the spiritual ritual, telling their worried victim it would protect her family.

All believed to be of Chinese descent, and speaking Cantonese, the alleged fraudsters then plundered the pensioner's bank account and made off with her prized possessions.

Officers have now launched a manhunt for the crooks and have released CCTV footage of one of the suspects.

Police in Wales are hunting a gang of fake 'spiritual healers' after a pensioner was duped out of her money and jewellery. Pictured is one of the suspects

The group of three crooks pledged to provide the woman, aged 73, a ritual that would protect her family. Pictured is one of the suspects entering a Sainsbury's shop

The video shows a woman walking into a Sainsbury's shop, carrying a pink bag and wearing a dark jacket.

The alleged fraudster is caught flashing a smile while at the till of the retailer. Gwent Police is now seeking to identify her as part of their investigation.

Describing the incident, a spokesman for the force said: 'Officers investigating report of fraud are trying to identify this woman (pictured) who may be able to help with enquires.

'We received a report of fraud after three unknown women have reportedly taken a significant amount of money and jewellery in exchange for organising a spiritual ritual.

'The three women are described as having short black hair, aged between 30 and 50 with the ability to speak Cantonese.

'The three women allegedly befriended a 73-year-old woman while in Newport city centre and offered to organise the ritual to help the victim and keep her family safe in exchange for money.

'Officers have carried out various enquiries and are now asking for help to identify this woman who was seen in the area and may be able to help.'

Anyone with information or who recognise the wanted woman are urged to call police on 101 quoting reference 2400168940.

MailOnline has approached Gwent Police for further comment.
Two sons of a toymaking tycoon are in a High Court battle over a share of his 14.5million business empire - as one claims the other was 'conceived by his mother on a one-night stand with a lawyer' so is not entitled to the fortunes.

Stuart Marcus - described by business colleagues as 'a modest man with a big dream and a big heart' - started out selling wooden dolls' house kits above a small east London toy shop and ended up with a string of companies valued at nearly 15m before he died.

His sons Edward, 46, and Jonathan, 42, worked alongside Stuart as the brand grew and diversified into other fields such as property, with Jonathan heading up successful commercial operations in Germany.

Before his death in 2019, aged 86, Stuart arranged for 43 per cent of the business that made up his fortune to be put into a family trust for the benefit of his 'children and remoter issue...and their spouses'.

Late Stuart Marcus, a toymaking tycoon who started out selling wooden dolls' house kits above a small east London toy shop. He is pictured holding one of his art sets

But Jonathan is now suing his older brother, claiming Edward is actually the product of a one-night stand his mum had with a former lover while his dad was away on business and, as only his half-brother, he is not entitled to a share of the trust.

Jonathan bases his claim on a confession by the brothers' 81-year-old mum Patricia Marcus that she had an affair with Sydney Glossop, a lawyer with whom she had a relationship with before she married Stuart.

Edward admits he was blown away by his mum's shock revelation that he wasn't Stuart's son during a confidential chat in 2010, but says she later retracted the confession.

The bombshell was kept secret for more than a decade, but Jonathan finally discovered the news last year, triggering his High Court bid to have Edward removed as a beneficiary of Stuart's trust, which he says is backed by DNA evidence.

But Edward is fighting the claim, denying the DNA proves he was not Stuart's natural child and arguing that he would be entitled to share in the trust in any case.

His barrister, Matthew Mills, told the court: 'Fundamentally, this case is about the most important question in a person's life - their identity.

'What this case seeks to do is to entirely turn my client's life on its head.'

Jonathan Marcus, 42, and mother Patricia Marcus, 81, pictured outside High Court after the hearing over the paternity dispute

Edward Marcus, 46, also pictured outside High Court. He denies the DNA proves he was not Stuart's natural child and is arguing that he would be entitled to share in the trust in any case

The court heard Stuart Marcus founded Kitfix Hobbies in 1962 and carved out a major niche in toys, board games and craft kits, later transferring the company HQ to a four-acre site at Swaffham, in Norfolk, where the company focuses on selling 'Sequin Art' craft packs.

The disputed trust he set up holds shares in 'valuable family companies', the court heard, including a 43% stake in the Kitfix Swallow Group of companies, whose value was estimated at 14.5 million in 2019.

Sketching out Jonathan's case, his barrister Thomas Braithwaite told the judge, Master Matthew Marsh, that the trust established by Stuart Marcus was in favour of 'the children and remoter issue of the settlor and their spouses'.

'The key question for the court is whether Edward and his family fall within that description,' he told the judge, Master Matthew Marsh.

'In 2010, Edward and Jonathan's mother, Patricia, revealed to Edward that he is not Stuart's son.

'DNA evidence has confirmed that he and Jonathan are not full brothers.

'Not only does this impact upon Edward's present status and future entitlements, but Jonathan says that, had he known this, in light of the family friction at the time, Stuart would not have appointed Edward a co-trustee of the settlement in 2016.

'Edward defends the claim on the facts. He says that Stuart was his father.'

Patricia Marcus gave evidence confirming her belief that Edward is her former lover Sydney Glossop's son, adding that he had also 'accepted Edward as his son'

Despite admitting that his mum told him Stuart was not his real dad, Edward is fighting the case, claiming she later retracted the confession.

From the witness box, he told the court how his mum suddenly spilled the revelation about her affair at his home in 2010.

Patricia Marcus, who had kept her dalliance a secret for 30 years, also revealed the name of her lover, Sydney Glossop, a lawyer whom she had a relationship with before she married Stuart, and who has now also died.

His mum told him not to tell his younger brother the news, because he was 'too hot-headed and judgmental', Edward claimed, adding: 'it was an absolute bombshell'.

'I was very troubled and she said she didn't trust Jonathan and was scared of his reaction,' he added, although his brother's barrister brushed aside this claim.

The late tycoon's company grew from one room in east London to its current four-acre sit at Swaffham, Norfolk

After his mum's confession, Edward searched online to see if he could find out anything about his mystery dad, finally tracking him down to a retirement home near Birmingham, which he and his mum visited in order to meet Sydney, he said.

Once there, he witnessed the pair of them 'cuddling,' said Edward, telling the court: 'I saw her sit on the bed and cuddle him and I was shocked to see her behaving that way because it wasn't the way I saw her behave with my father.'

But Edward said he began to harbour doubts about his mum's news, particularly as it seemed to conflict with his knowledge about strong family characteristics he shared with Stuart, such as asthma and poor eyesight.

And he claimed his mum ended up going back on her account later in 2010 when she told him she was wrong about Sydney being his dad.

'She told me that I really was the son of Stuart in a car park at Waitrose and that it was all a mistake,' he told the judge.

Edward also argues that, even if accepted, the DNA tests do not establish which one of the brothers is related to Stuart as no DNA sample was taken from him.

He claims Patricia's relationship with Sydney may well have continued longer than a single night in 1977 and may have gone on for years, opening up the possibility that it was younger brother Jonathan who was born to Sydney and not him.

He told the court of his mum telling him a story about being at Yew Tree Farm with Sydney and 'my father arriving home and him having to jump out of the kitchen window and run off through the fields.

'I can remember a man with white hair playing with our dog at Yew Tree Cottage,' insisted Edward, adding that his mum explained to him later that this man was Sydney.

One of the 'Sequin Art' craft packs sold by the tycoon's company Kitfix

Edward claims Patricia's relationship with Sydney may well have continued longer than a single night in 1977, and may have gone on for years, opening up the possibility that it was younger brother Jonathan who was born to Sydney and not him

Patricia Marcus, however, denied that the relationship with Sydney continued beyond one night in 1977 and gave evidence confirming her belief that Edward is Sydney's son, adding that her former lover had also 'accepted Edward as his son'.

She also dismissed Edward's claims that she ended up 'cuddling' with Sydney at his retirement home and rejected his barrister's claims that she had 'persuaded herself that Sydney is Edward's father'.

Exploring the paternity question, Jonathan's barrister, Mr Braithwaite, said Patricia and Sydney had a relationship which ended before she married Stuart, but that there was then a 'sexual encounter in 1977 while Stuart was away on business'.

'She did not tell Stuart and he was registered as Edward's father following the birth,' continued Mr Braithwaite, adding: 'Edward will say that he believes the affair continued after Jonathan's birth, but there is nothing to support that'.

He said results of DNA tests showed that Edward and Jonathan are half siblings, with it being '25 times more likely that they are half siblings than full siblings'.

'It follows that one or other of Jonathan or Edward is unlikely to be Stuart's son,' he continued.

'Patricia's evidence, and the undisputed fact that it was of course Edward to whom the revelation was initially divulged, can only lead to one conclusion.

'Edward agrees that he was told in March 2010 that he was Mr Glossop's son, and the email trail supports that account.

'It is implausible Patricia would have told him this unless it was true, and vanishingly unlikely that she would have done so if the opposite was true.'

But Edward's barrister, Mr Mills, challenged the DNA evidence as unreliable, noting that 'sibling analysis' is far less conclusive than 'testing both parents against their alleged children'.

'Even if Cellmark's conclusions are accepted, they do not prove Jonathan's case,' he went on.

'Cellmark cannot explain which of Edward or Jonathan is Stuart's son. Therefore, at most, Cellmark's analysis leads to a 50-50 conclusion, which fails to satisfy the burden of proof.'

Kitfix's company HQ transferred to a four-acre site at Swaffham, in Norfolk, where the company focuses on selling 'Sequin Art' craft packs

On top of insisting that Stuart was his dad, Edward says that, even if the DNA evidence is accepted by the judge, he should be entitled to benefit from the trust as a step-son of Stuart Marcus.

The bitter family dispute is being played out against the background of the toy and property empire built up by Stuart Marcus, who died without any suspicion that Edward might not be his son.

Stuart's brainchild, Kitfix, has in recent years transformed into Kitfix Swallow Group, which in 2017 was split into two arms, one focused on making and selling toys and the second focused on property letting.

Patricia and Jonathan are both named as directors of most of the family companies, the court heard, but Edward quit the family business after 2014, following what Jonathan's barrister labelled a 'gradual but complete breakdown in relations between Edward on the one hand and Patricia, Stuart and Jonathan on the other'.

The judge has now reserved his judgment, to be given at a later date.
A father claims he was hit with a 12,000 fine after two illegal immigrants allegedly hid in his campervan without his knowledge whilst he drove back to the UK.

Holidaymaker Edson Martins Francisco, 45, and his young family had been making their way from Portugal back to the UK, when they arrived at Calais on December 17.

Having arrived early after confusing the time slots for boarding the ferry, the father stopped at Lidl for 30 minutes before going through the border control check.

However during his pit-stop at the supermarket, he claims two men broke in and locked themselves inside the back of his converted van unnoticed.

The father-of-four, from Woking in Surrey, insists he was astonished when officials searched the van and found the two men hidden under the bed, curled up in the back of the van.

Edson Martins Francisco (pictured), 45 claims he was hit with a 12,000 fine after two illegal immigrants allegedly hid in his campervan without his knowledge at Calais

The father-of-four stopped at Lidl for 30 minutes for breakfast with his son before going through the border control check (pictured: his van)

After the discovery Edson claims his documents, phone and van were checked and he was let go after a six- hour interview, where he insists he was told 'everything [was] fine'.

He thought nothing of the incident again until he was greeted by a 12,000 penalty fine for 'clandestine entry offences' on his doorstep six months later.

He's been given 60 days to pay the Border Force penalty issued on behalf of the secretary of state - despite earning just 1,200 a month.

Reflecting on the six-hour interview with border control officials, he said: 'They just treated me like a criminal.

'There was no sense of my humanity or that of my boy. I kept telling them I didn't know anything about the people. I asked to see the manager.'

'They checked everything and could see I'd done nothing wrong.

'The policeman at the end said 'you have to be careful, you have to look for these things', but I do this journey all the time and they never tell you to look out for this.''

The letter, which arrived on June 15, says he did not fully comply with the Carriers Liability Regulations 2023 in three ways.

He alleges the two must have broken into his van during this 30 minute window - as he insists to have been astonished when they were discovered in his vehicle

After a six-hour interview, having his documents, van and phone checked, he claims to have been let go and he and his then-two-year-old son travelled back to Surrey

He thought nothing of the incident, until he was greeted by a 12,000 penalty fine for 'clandestine entry offences' on his doorstep six months later (pictured: Edson on his van)

It said the van was not 'locked or secured' when it was left unattended, and he didn't use locks 'appropriately and with reasonable care'.

The third alleged rule break involved not checking for 'clandestine entrants' before reaching immigration control.

If Edson had checked the vehicle before going to border control he would have found the people hidden in his van, it claims.

'It's ridiculous! It's a huge amount of money and there's no way I can pay it,' the father-of-four added.

'Border control searched all my stuff and said 'everything is fine you can go' - they didn't say anything else could or would happen.

'I couldn't believe it when the letter arrived. I was absolutely horrified when I opened the back of the van for border control and saw them curled up there.'

He added: 'I couldn't even speak. All this stuff was going through my head - they could have kidnapped me or taken my boy.

'They must have got in when I was in Lidl. I just never thought about it.

'They must have broken in. I've worked with vehicles for years; I know how easy it is to unlock them.

'I didn't check the back of the van because I didn't think anyone would do that.

'I'm black and I get checked every time. I know I have to stay above the law so I'd never try to smuggle anyone in. Plus I had my son with me so why would I do that.'

Edson has been travelling home to Surrey in the converted van with his then two-year-old son, as his partner had flown home earlier with their disabled daughter.

Edson is a Portuguese national but has lived in the UK for more than 20 years and has indefinite leave to remain, and makes the journey twice a year to see family.

He had accidentally arrived 12 hours early for the ferry - at 2am instead of 2pm - and didn't have the 100 needed to change his crossing time.

He insists that he parked up the Ford transit and slept in the vehicle with his son, now three, before the pair allegedly broke into his vehicle whilst he grabbed breakfast at Lidl.

Edson is a Portuguese national but has lived in the UK for more than 20 years and has indefinite leave to remain, and makes the journey twice a year to see family

Edson claimed that he was treated 'like a criminal' and that 'there was no sense of my humanity or that of my boy'

Edson added: 'This whole thing has been extremely stressful and still is. Border control should make people aware that this can happen.'

'I now realise there's such a huge thing going on with people trying to get in vehicles at Calais - it's the same people trying over and over, because when they're caught they're just let go so they try again.

'People shouldn't travel this route alone - it's not safe.

'If you check your vehicle and find them there and face up to them it could be very dangerous.'

The Home Office said they do not comment on individual cases.

A Home Office spokesperson said: 'We are fully committed to stopping people from illegally entering the country and cracking down on people smugglers.

'We do not issue Clandestine entrant civil penalty fines without sufficient cause.'
A Japanese tourist was detained at a Thai airport after being caught trying to smuggle some 500 frogs, insects and other creatures out of the country.

The man in his sixties was stopped at Suvarnabhumi International Airport after an X-ray machine flagged boxes upon boxes of creepy crawlies stashed in his luggage.

The man had reportedly obtained permission to take 250 insects with him from Thailand to Japan but was found to have around double with him.

Spine-tingling images showed large collection of small containers packed with large spiders, live frogs, ants and centipedes, prompting authorities to intervene.

The man was reportedly planning to buy scorpions and other insects in Thailand to sell on in Japan.

The five crates in total were said to be worth around 400,000 yen, or just over 2,000, to the right buyer.

The man was caught trying to smuggle the creatures while passing through security

Live frogs were among the grotesque collection of animals heading for Japan

The creatures were packaged in small boxes with little room for movement

The Japanese buyer was reported to have travelled to Thailand to buy scorpions to sell

Vials, more properly labelled, contained ants native only to Thailand

Authorities said that the creatures were protected under the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora - or CITES.

Pictures showed huge cardboard boxes being handled by staff and packages weighed at the airport.

Authorities cut open bags to reveal packages inside the lining before the tourist's detention on July 16.

Small vials labelled with the Latin name for a rare Thai ant were also shown, wrapped in bubblewrap.

A dish covered only with a plastic lid and marked with scrawled handwriting appeared to contain a kind of shrimp hidden in tissue paper.

Many of the creatures were locked up in the boxes with just a sheet of paper, without food or drink for the average six-hour flight time.

Earlier this month, a man was caught trying to smuggle 104 live snakes in his trouser pockets into China in breach of local law.

Officials said a male passenger entered the country through a port at Futian before he was stopped and searched.

He was found to be harbouring snakes inside canvas bags sealed with adhesive tape in his pockets.

'Once opened, each bag was found to contain living snakes in all kinds of shapes, sizes and colours,' a statement read.

The bags included a milk snake, the western pig-nosed snake and a corn snake.

None of them were venomous, Business Insider reported.

But the smuggling of non-native species into China is illegal and the country has introduced strict measures to crack down on animal trafficking, often linked to the snake farming trade.

It was not clear for what purpose the snakes were brought into the country, but officials said they might pursue legal action.

'Those who break the rules will be  held liable in accordance with the law,' the customs authority said.

Thai authorities have stepped up their efforts to crack down on illegal animal smuggling

The man reportedly had a permit to transport 250 creatures - but was found with some 500

Officials found five large cardboard boxes packed full of various insects, arachnids and frogs

Officials found a variety of protected species among the boxes of containers

What appeared to be a shrimp was found packaged in a small container marked in pen

Authorities were forced to cut into the lining of the man's bags after the shock discovery

Earlier this year, a man was arrested trying to smuggle Komodo dragons, pythons, tortoises and 24 live fish out of the country.

Astonishingly, Komodo dragons can grow up to 10ft and weigh 300lbs.

The man, heading for the Mongolian capital of Ulaanbaatar, was arrested on February 17 after checking in for a flight at Suvarnabhumi Airport.

He was chraged with smuggling protected animals, the customs department said.

Again, it was unclear for what purpose he was attempting to smuggle the animals.
Sweet Valley High author Francine Pascal has died at the age of 92 after a battle with cancer.

Pascal died of lymphoma at NewYork-Presbyterian Hospital in Manhattan on Sunday, her daughter Laurie Wenk-Pascal told the New York Times.

The beloved writer found global success with the hit book series about identical twins Elizabeth and Jessica Wakefield, which was formative reading for generations of young girls.

The series, set in the fictional Los Angeles suburb of Sweet Valley, debuted in 1983 and consisted of 181 books, also spawning multiple spin-offs, including Sweet Valley Twins and Sweet Valley University.

It ran for 20 years and was translated into 27 languages, selling hundreds of millions of copies worldwide.

Sweet Valley High author Francine Pascal (pictured) has died at the age of 92

A Sweet Valley High TV series, starring real-life twins Cynthia and Brittany Daniel, (pictured on the show) ran for four seasons from 1994 to 1997

Pascal wrote the first 12 books in the Sweet Valley series and then, after drafting a detailed outline, worked with a team of writers to keep up a rapid publication pace.

Sweet Valley, according to Pascal, 'is the essence of high school'.

'It's that moment before reality hits, when you really do believe in the romantic values - sacrifice, love, loyalty, friendship - before you get jaded and slip off into adulthood,' she told People Magazine in an interview in 1988.

The series, set in the fictional Los Angeles suburb of Sweet Valley, debuted in 1983 and consisted of 181 books, also spawning multiple spin-offs, including Sweet Valley Twins and Sweet Valley University

Pascal came up with the idea for Sweet Valley High after TV networks rejected her idea for a soap opera centered on teenagers in high school.

She was inspired by Dallas, the hit CBS soap that followed an affluent family and their oil empire, and the twins in her life, including her then-agent and sister-in-law.

'People are always fascinated by twins. You'll never be alone.' she told Entertainment Weekly in 2019.

'I sat down and I wrote a [character] bible and the first 12 [SVH] stories. It went quickly because it was such a fertile idea. Bantam Books loved it. They ordered all 12.'

Pascal had a 'heavy hand' in writing Double Love, the first Sweet Valley book, but reportedly had very little interest in writing the series herself because she 'didn't think there was going to be humor' in teen books.

After she stopped writing the series herself, she used her so-called 'character bible', which she says dove 'deeply into the lives of the twins and their backgrounds', to help guide a team of ghost writers as they penned more stories.

'The writers had to use those [guidelines] and follow them strictly,' she recalled.

A Sweet Valley High TV series, starring real-life twins Cynthia and Brittany Daniel, ran for four series from 1994 to 1997.

Sweet Valley, according to Pascal, 'is the essence of high school'. Pictured are Britney and Cynthia Daniel, alongside their castmates, in the Sweet Valley High TV show, circa 1994

Pascal was born in Manhattan on May 13, 1932, but grew up in Queens.

She studied journalism at New York University and then worked as a freelance writer for various publications including True Confessions, Modern Screen, Cosmopolitan and Ladies Home Journal.

Pascal's writing career started to take off after she married her second husband John Pascal - a year after divorcing Jerome Offenberg - and the couple worked together on the 1960s soap opera The Young Marrieds.

In the 1970s she ventured into the world of young-adult novels with Hangin' Out With Cici, My First Love And Other Disasters and The Hand-Me-Down Kid, and found that teenage girls were a receptive audience for her efforts.

Pascal, in an 1988 interview with People Magazine, praised the Sweet Valley series - which sold more than 200 million copies - because it 'created readers out of non-readers'.

'These books have uncovered a whole population of young girls who were never reading,' she said of the books.

Pascal also wrote several books for adults, including a non-fiction book about the Patty Hearst trial, The Strange Case Of Patty Hearst, in 1974. She also penned adult novels Save Johanna! in 1981 and If Wishes Were Horses in 1994.

Pascal is survived by her two daughters Laurie and Susan, six grandchildren and five great-grandchildren.
Sydney activist Danny Lim has been admitted to hospital after an incident allegedly involving the police.

The beloved octogenarian, well-known for wearing colourful placards with slogans promoting 'peace' and 'love' but also misspelt swear words, confirmed he was in St Vincent's Hospital waiting for a doctor's report on his injuries.

The alleged incident unfolded outside the Art Gallery of NSW on Tuesday afternoon.

'I'm not OK,' Mr Lim, 80, told Daily Mail Australia from hospital several hours later that night.

'At the moment I am quite confused. I'm scared something is going to happen.'

He claimed the incident involved a security guard and NSW Police and was 'quite similar to what happened to me in the Queen Victoria Building' in 2022.

Mr Lim wouldn't give any further detail about Tuesday's incident.

NSW Police confirmed that emergency services were called to the Art Gallery on Tuesday to check on the welfare of an 80-year-old man.

Well known activist Danny Lim has been admitted to hospital following an incident involving NSW police

'The man was spoken to by police and was later taken to hospital by ambulance for assessment,' a police spokesperson told Daily Mail Australia.

'No offence was committed and no further action will be taken by police.'

In the previous incident, Mr Lim also ended up in hospital with a subdural haematoma (blood clot) on the brain after two officers violently handcuffed him and threw him to the ground outside the QVB in Sydney's CBD in November 2022.

Footage captured the local campaigner being forced to the ground by two NSW Police officers, leaving Mr Lim with a bloodied face and black eye.

Mr Lim suffered bleeding to the brain from the fall and had to use a walking stick for weeks afte

A father-of-five was recently fined after he was found guilty of assaulting Mr Lim in a separate incident in 2023.

Ming Wiseman, 66, was found guilty in Burwood Local Court following an altercation at Strathfield train station on September 22 last year despite strenuously denying the allegation and even accusing Mr Lim of faking injuries.

Magistrate Vivien Swain found that Wiseman was not acting in self-defence during the incident after he was seen angrily approaching Mr Lim on the station concourse.

Mr Lim, who is well known around Sydney for sporting signs promoting peace, positivity and progressive political causes, was taken to Concord Hospital following the attack.

The court heard that Mr Lim suffered a red mark to his left eye after being punched by Wiseman while he was out campaigning for the Yes vote for the Voice referendum.

Danny Lim (pictured) was accused by his attacker of being a 'disgrace to the Chinese community' during fiery courtroom scenes on Monday

Wiseman was arrested at a Homebush West home the following week and charged with assault occasioning actual bodily harm.

He pleaded not guilty, telling the court that Mr Lim, who was then 79, was the aggressor.

Wiseman said he was angered by some of Mr Lim's signs which criticise the government and police - including one former sign which said 'Police CVN'T'

However Mr Lim denied they were offensive.

'Have you ever had a sign that says police are c***s,' Magistrate Swain asked Mr Lim during his evidence.

'It's CVN'T,' Mr Lim replied.

CCTV played to the court showed Wiseman entering through the gates of the station, placing his bag and shopping cart down, before becoming embroiled in a heated argument and pointing at Mr Lim, who was wearing a sandwich board.

Mr Lim told the court in his evidence that he heard someone approaching him from behind swearing at him before he backed up against a wall.

The police prosecution conceded that Mr Lim kicked Wiseman and attempted to throw a punch.

Ms Swain found that Wiseman struck Mr Lim in the face in the ensuing melee.

Ming Wiseman (pictured) was found guilty in May of assaulting activist Danny Lim during a train station altercation last September

Wiseman admitted that he was angry as he approached Mr Lim, but denied attacking him, calling the allegations an attempt to 'frame' him. The police prosecutor denied these claims.

At one point Wiseman had to be asked by Ms Swain not to yell while giving his evidence as his testimony at times became heated.

The court heard that Mr Lim and Wiseman had been involved in another verbal argument at Strathfield Station earlier the day of the incident.

Ms Swain found that Wiseman was the aggressor and that he had struck Mr Lim.

'I am satisfied there is not a reasonable possibility his conduct was necessary to defend himself,' she said.

Wiseman was convicted and fined $200.

Ms Swain also made an 18-month AVO against Wiseman for Mr Lim's protection.
Rachel Reeves spoke of her pride in 'standing up for' winter fuel payments before dramatically axing them for 10million pensioners.

A social media post has emerged showing the Chancellor pledging to 'defend' the benefit in 2017, when she was a lowly backbencher.

Treasury chief secretary Darren Jones also insisted older people should not bear the 'brunt' of efforts to balance the books as recently as last November.

The posts on X surfaced after Ms Reeves declared that pensioners on moderate incomes will not get the payments - worth up to 300.

In a dramatic statement in the Commons yesterday, Chancellor Rachel Reeves said that winter fuel will be means-tested

Rachel Reeves previously spoke at her 'pride' over 'standing up' for winter fuel payements

In a dramatic statement in the Commons yesterday, the Chancellor said that winter fuel will be means-tested.

Only those on pension credit will qualify, excluding people with incomes as low as 1,000 a month.

Ms Reeves claimed the raid was needed to help fill a 22billion 'black hole' in the public finances left behind by the last Conservative government.

She warned of more pain in her first Budget on October 30, saying there would be 'difficult decisions' on 'spending, welfare and tax'.

In a message from May 2017, during the election campaign, Ms Reeves commented on a 1945 poster claiming that 'Labour stands for decent pensions'.

'This time again it's Labour who will stand up for pensioners, defending the triple lock & winter fuel payments.'

Mr Jones also gave a strikingly response last year when speculation emerged that wealthier pensioners could lose winter fuel payments.

He wrote to then-chancellor Jeremy Hunt saying: 'Pensioners will be deeply concerned about such speculation, especially ahead of winter, and anxious that their incomes may be under threat from this Government.'

Pressed repeatedly on BBC's Newsnight about whether Labour secretly plotted to scrap winter fuel payments during the election campaign, the MP said Keir Starmer's team 'did not work on this policy in Opposition'.

Pressed last night on why she was picking on pensioners, Ms Reeves added: 'These are not the decisions I wanted to make but in the circumstances I find myself in, these are the fair and the right decisions to make.'

Darren Jones insisted older people should not bear the 'brunt' of efforts to balance the books just last November

Pressed repeatedly on BBC 's Newsnight, Treasury minister Darren Jones said Keir Starmer 's team 'did not work on this policy in Opposition'

The Tories accused the Government of misleading the public over winter fuel payments.

Shadow energy secretary Claire Coutinho said: 'During the election, Labour sources said the winter fuel payments would continue under a Starmer government and that there were no plans to change eligibility for these benefits.

'Today they have revealed they misled the public.

'Instead of giving winter fuel payments to pensioners, they have chosen to bend to the pressure from the unions by giving a 22 per cent pay rise to junior doctors and reversing the Conservative government's planned reduction to the civil service.'
Parents who want their children to go to one of the best state schools had better get their skates on if they don't already live within the catchment areas.

Tens of thousands of parents are looking to send their children to state school following Labour's plan to start charging VAT on private school fees. The additional charge will be introduced in January next year, the Chancellor confirmed yesterday.

Parents who can no longer afford the fees at one of the UK's 2,500 private schools may be looking to the top state secondary schools as an alternative. These each have their own entry criteria, which may include academic ability or proximity to the school.

Applications for secondary school places for the following school year must typically be made to the local authority by October 31 and parents generally need to supply proof of their child's permanent address when applying.

So hopefuls wanting to switch their child from a private school to a top secondary school before the 20 per cent tax is introduced in 2025 have just three months until the final deadline for applications. Parents would be hard pressed to find and buy a home in the catchment area in time as well as sell their existing home.

This table shows the top 50 state schools in England and how long it takes to buy a house in the catchment area

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But those wanting to make the move for the 2026 school year can do so over the next year.

Some schools require a pupil to have lived at their address for a certain length of time to be classed as a resident in the catchment area, while some schools use the child's address at the time of applying for or sitting an entrance exam.

Parents should check the deadline for moving to a catchment area with their desired school.

Time is running out for parents who want to find a home in the right catchment area

Here, with data from quick sale website Upstix, we break down how long parents need to leave to search for their dream home in one of the desirable areas surrounding England's top state schools.

These are based on data from homes that share the first half of the schools' postcodes. Note that this is just a broad estimate, as catchment areas vary from school to school and may be bigger or smaller than its postcode area.

Hopefuls for Reading School  fourth on the School Guide top 50 secondary schools in England ranking  need to start looking for a home around 190 days before any deadline, according to Upstix data, as that's how long it takes for homes to go from being listed to selling.

Parents who want a place for their child at the Tiffin Girls' School should also be looking to move at a similar time. Homes in the school's Kingston-upon-Thames postcode have 192 days between the day it is listed to the day it's sold.

Homes in the Tiffin Girls' School's Kingston-upon-Thames outcode have 192 days between the day it is listed to sold

The school  fifth on the School Guide list  says since it introduced a catchment area ten years ago, all of its places have been offered to pupils living inside it.

It takes 195 days for homes to go from being listed to sold in the Newstead Wood School outcode in Kent and 173 days for homes in The Latymer School outcode in North London.

Homes in the outcode for Altrincham Grammar School for Girls take 169 days and it's 175 days for houses near Newport Girls' High School Academy, Shropshire.

Homes in the outcode for Altrincham Grammar School for Girls take 169 days to sell

Parents who want their children to attend Dame Alice Owen's School should be looking around 215 days before they want to move to the catchment area as that's how long it takes for homes in the Hertfordshire postcode to go from listed to sold, Upstix data shows.

Not all state schools have catchment areas and admissions could instead be based on entrance test results. Look at the admissions criteria of your desired school before making any housing decisions.

Even if a school does have catchment area, living in one doesn't guarantee a child's place in a school. The school could be oversubscribed or prioritise applicants within the catchment area based on test scores or other criteria.

The school could have individual deadlines to apply for tests  with a requirement for addresses in a catchment area  which parents should research.

For example, Beaconsfield School in Buckinghamshire requires pupils to take an admission test  and it says September 1 is the cut-off date for the home address they'll use for applications in their first round of allocations for the 2025 intake.

Parents looking to get their children into The Latymer School in North London need to start home-hunting 173 days before any deadline

It takes homes in the school's postcode some 216 days to go from being listed to selling  the longest in the School Guide's top 50 list  so parents would need to take this into account to meet that September 1 deadline (assuming it's the same next year).

The school could also say that the pupil needs to have lived at a home in the catchment area for a certain length of time to be valid. For example, Dr Challoner's Grammar School says pupils for the September 2025 intake need to have lived in the home since April 2024.

Parents need to account 173 days to look at listings and buy a home in the postcode of the Amersham school, which is number 13 on the School Guide's list.

Fred Jones, of Upstix, says: 'It is no secret that the UK home buying and selling process can be incredibly stressful - but it is even more so when you have a school application deadline to meet.

'Our research shows that selling a house takes more than six months on average, and there can be over a month's difference in property selling times depending on which school catchment area you are trying to get into.

'Homes in some of the catchment areas of great schools can be snapped up quickly, and with Labour's changes to VAT on private school fees we're likely to see ever greater demand in the coming months.' Parents moving to these desirable catchment areas will also need to think about how long it will take to sell their home.

Fred Jones of Upstix advises pricing your home competitively in order to get a quick sale

'For families with an existing property to sell, there's a risk selling their home could hold up the process, which is lengthy, complex, and costly,' Mr Jones says.

Mr Jones advises sellers to target cash buyers or chain-free buyers as these are more likely to result in a quick sale.

He also says: 'Overvaluing your property will deter prospective buyers, meaning your property will sit on the market longer which can impact its value. Look at similar properties in your area and price yours competitively.

'You could consider pricing your property just below stamp duty thresholds to save buyers money on taxes.'

Are you planning to move to the catchment area of a top state school? Email l.evans@dailymail.co.uk
A judge has issued an arrest warrant for Katie Price after she failed to appear at her 760,000 bankruptcy court hearing - having seemingly flown abroad.

The former glamour model, 46, is thought to have travelled to Turkey for another round of cosmetic surgery, despite 'very clear warnings' she needed to attend court.

A jet-setting Price appeared to share a snap of herself on a plane munching a sandwich yesterday just hours before her looming court hearing this morning.

Posting on Instagram, the debt-riddled beauty model shared a picture of her snack, adding: 'Crisp sandwich is the best.'

It's believed Price - whose 2million 'mucky mansion' was recently repossessed - was joined on the jaunt by pal Lou Anderson.

Listen to the Mail's exclusive interview with Katie Price:

An arrest warrant has been issued for 'bankrupt' former glamour model Katie Price

Posting yesterday, Price appeared to be eating a sandwich on a plane just hours before she was due in court

As entrepreneur and influencer Lou shared the news she was heading to Turkey for a tummy tuck next week, Price seemed to confirm she would be joining her as she replied: 'Yes girl turkey here we go'

Lou then replied with a series of clapping emojis and wrote: 'Come on my girl'.

According to The Sun a court official disclosed earlier this week that the case against Price was still listed for 10.30am.

She could now be taken into custody having failed to appear at court.

MailOnline has approached Katie's representatives for comment.

Insolvency and Companies Court Judge Catherine Burton said Price had received 'very clear warnings' that she must attend the hearing on Tuesday.

The former model was due to face questions about her finances in the specialist bankruptcy court in London from barristers representing the trustee of her two bankruptcies.

A judge at a previous hearing said Price risked arrest if she did not attend further court dates, adding evidence must be provided if she could not appear.

Issuing the arrest warrant, Judge Burton said Price had 'failed to attend today's hearing' and had provided no explanation for her absence.

She said: 'It is in my judgment necessary that the court issue a warrant for Ms Price's arrest.

Price was declared bankrupt for a second time in March over an unpaid tax bill of 761,994.05 after first being declared bankrupt in 2019

As entrepreneur and influencer Lou shared her news she was flying to Turkey for a tummy tuck next week, Price seemed to confirm she would be joining her as she replied: 'Yes girl turkey here we go'

'She has no real excuse in failing to attend today's hearing.'

She continued: 'The reason for her absence today is irrelevant.'

Judge Burton said that an arrest warrant was not issued 'lightly' but that Price had offered only 'piecemeal co-operation' and failed to provide the 'most basic information' in relation to her bankruptcies.

Price was declared bankrupt for a second time in March over an unpaid tax bill of 761,994.05 after first being declared bankrupt in 2019.

She was then served an eviction notice that ordered her to leave her Mucky Mansion by the end of May and has since moved into a 5,000 per month new Tudor-style property.

However, last week she claimed 'everything is sorted' with her second bankruptcy after being evicted from her Sussex bolthole.

Insisting she now knows 'how to deal with issues,' the model promised to 'never hit rock bottom again' in an interview with Channel 5 News on Monday.

Speaking on the programme, she said: 'I'm doing really, really good. I've learned a lot about myself, a lot about mental health and obviously being diagnosed with the severe ADHD, learnt a lot about that, which I wish I knew years ago.

'It becomes noise in your head, and then you just can't cope with it, you think there's no light at the end of the tunnel and then that caused depression, then a breakdown, suicidal, ended up at the Priory.'

Her latest planned trip comes despite her reportedly being due in court for a 760,000 bankruptcy fight on Tuesday

At a hearing in February, Price was ordered to pay 40 per cent of her monthly income from the adult entertainment website OnlyFans to the trustee for the next three years, in relation to her first bankruptcy.

She was then declared bankrupt for a second time in March due to an unpaid tax bill worth more than 750,000 owed to HM Revenue & Customs.

In October last year, Price said she was 'fed up' with being threatened with legal action and would go to prison to be 'done with it all'.

She was due to face questions on Tuesday related to her finances at a hearing known as a public examination, with barrister Darragh Connell, for the trustee, telling the court in written submissions that there 'remains significant information missing as regards the bankrupt's income and asset position'.

Speaking in court, he said the trustee does not 'have any information as to her whereabouts', adding that Ms Price 'would not be kept in custody for a long period of time', but would be detained to secure her attendance at a future hearing.

He said: 'Her liberty is on the line, but unfortunately we are at the end of the road in relation to this matter.'

The court heard that Price had previously made a number of 'last-minute' requests for changes to her previous hearings.

Katie pre-surgery in 1995

Price has since undergone an array of procedures, including rhinoplasty, a silhouette facelift , 3D, veneers, lip fillers and Botox, as well as having breast enhancements

The former model was first declared bankrupt on November 26, 2019, with the first preliminary application issued on January 30, 2020.

'The hearing of that application came before me at the beginning of lockdown - at the very last moment Ms Price contacted the court to be allowed to attend remotely on the basis that her son was in hospital,' the judge said.

'The court acceded to that request.

'Since that time there have been many other adjournments of that private examinationusually on the basis that Ms Price decided at the last-minute to seek to co-operate with trustees to provide the basic information they'd been trying to obtain from her since she was first made bankrupt in 2019.

'Latterly adjournments have been purportedly on the basis of ill health; at a hearing before ICC Judge Mullen on 26 April 2024, he noted the inadequacy of the medical evidence.

'(He) set out a very clear penal notice that if you Katrina Price failed, without reasonable excuse, to attend a public examination at a time and place specified in this order, you are liable to be arrested without further notice.'

The judge said Katie could be held in contempt of court and 'imprisoned or fined or made subject to other punishment under the law.'

She continued: 'The judge adjourned a public examination at 10.30am on May 14, however once again very shortly before the adjourned hearing Ms Price decided to co-operate and provide yet more piecemeal information.

'It was provided so late in the day that the trustee did not have sufficient opportunity to establish whether all the information was present.'

Judge Burton said the court is satisfied Katie 'can have been in no doubt that today's public examination was taking place.

'She informed the trustee staff that she would be attending this hearing remotely.'

But no application for attending the hearing remotely was made, the court heard.

The judge said it was 'possible for an individual to be discharged from bankruptcy after a year, providing they fully co-operate.

'Contrary to finding her full co-operation since 2021, Ms Price has failed not only to co-operate and provide the most basic information required of her, but has also now been made a subject of a second bankruptcy order as a result of failure to pay more than 700,000 in taxes,' the judge told the court.

'Ms Price is frequently in the press and appears to court press interest in order to make her income.

'Ms Price in no way delays in seeking the assistance of police and emergency services when there is damage apparently to her property.'

The judge said 'unlike every other taxpayer' Price has 'failed' to pay her dues.

'It falls to her to provide detail of income and expenditure,' Judge Burton said.

'It was open to her to avoid any publicity in relation to private financial affairs by co-operating with trustees, but failed to do so.'

MailOnline has approached Sussex Police and the Metropolitan Police for comment.
A teenager accused of stabbing a 15-year-old schoolboy in a 'planned killing' in east London has appeared in court charged with murder.

Police found Pharrell Garcia collapsed on the ground in Hackney having suffered fatal stab wounds at around 4pm on July 23 where he died at the scene.

The teenager was killed close to Benthal Primary School, where it is believed he had picked up his little sister before going on to meet a friend.

He was then attacked in what prosecutors allege was a targeted assault, with the suspect wearing a balaclava seen running away from the scene.

A 15-year-old boy, who cannot be named for legal reasons, was arrested after the incident and later charged with murder.

Police found teenager Pharrell Garcia (pictured) collapsed on the ground in Hackney having suffered fatal stab wounds at around 4pm on July 23 and died at the scene

It is understood the schoolboy was stabbed to death after picking up his younger sister from primary school

He appeared via video-link from Vinney Green youth detention centre at the Old Bailey today for a preliminary hearing before Judge Alexia Durran .

It is alleged that the defendant had an issue with Pharrell and had planned the youngster's killing.

Prosecutors claim the youth disguised himself in dark clothing, wearing a balaclava with his hood up, armed with a multi-tool bladed weapon.

He had allegedly sought out the victim in the park and asked to speak where others couldn't see, the court heard.

Judge Alexia Durran remanded him in youth detention ahead of a plea and trial preparation hearing on 11 October.

She added: 'He is said to have entered a small park at Stellman Close and appears to have been disguised in the sense he had his hood up and was wearing a balaclava.

'The prosecution case is he pulled Pharrell towards him and moved out of sight of the CCTV footage.'

Detective Chief Superintendent James Conway said: 'Tragically, 15-year-old Pharrell lost his life after he was stabbed in Stoke Newington.

'We have informed his family, who are understandably heartbroken, and specially trained officers are supporting them at this unimaginably difficult time.

'I know the community will be searching for answers today and will be shocked and angry at this tragic loss of life.

'I want them to know that we will do everything in our power to provide those answers and bring those responsible to justice.

'Our investigation continues at pace today with officers conducting house-to-house inquiries, reviewing hours of CCTV, and speaking to witnesses.

'No one should have to lose a child and events this week in London are a sobering reminder of the devastating consequences of knife crime and serious violence.

'It tears families apart and robs our children of their futures.'

Tributes poured in for the teen on social media from shocked friends who said he always wore 'a smile on his face', following his tragic death.

A loved one wrote: 'Rest in peace bro. I heard this and broke down.

A teenager 15, who can't be named for legal reasons, appeared at the Old Bailey charged with murder today (pictured: Pharrell Garcia)

The defendant, who spoke only to confirm his identity by video-link from Vinney Green Secure Unit, was remanded into youth detention.

'You have left your loved ones not just in tears but filled with questions.

'You always would argue and fight me, make me laugh and walk around with a smile on your face. Can't really say much other than Rip. Big bro.'

Other friends posted videos of memories they had shared together, with the label 'LLP. Gonna miss my brother man.'

The defendant, who spoke only to confirm his identity by video-link from Vinney Green Secure Unit, was remanded into youth detention.
An American woman who was chained to a tree in the Indian jungle and left for dead has been rescued after a local shepherd heard her distressing cries for help.

Lalita Kayi Kumar, 50, was found in a forest near Sonurli village, roughly 280miles from Mumbai, on Saturday morning. She had been tied to a tree with an iron chain.

Kumar, whose right leg was swollen from the chain, was rushed to a nearby hospital in critical condition. She was severely dehydrated, unable to speak and likely had not eaten in several days, the Lokmat Times reported.

It is unclear how long Kumar was in the jungle, as the area experienced heavy rains recently, but according to India TV, she told investigators that her former husband had tied her to the tree. She also claimed to have gone 40 days without food.

Police have launched an attempted murder case against Kumar's ex-husband. He also faces act endangering life or personal safety of others and wrongful confinement charges.

The woman was found tied to a tree, emaciated, by a cattle herder. The woman said her husband left her there after a domestic dispute

She was quickly rushed to a local hospital where she was treated for various issues including dehydration

Initial reports indicate that the authorities are looking at the possibility that the woman's husband had something to do with the incident

'She is out of danger,' a police official told The Telegraph Online

A cattle herder found Kumar near Sawantwadi on Saturday morning after he heard loud noises coming from within the dense forest.

Police arrived at the scene and used a cutter to break the chain and freed her from the tree. She was rushed to a primary healthcare center in Sawantwadi, where she received initial treatment.

Kumar was later transferred to a more advanced facility for continued treatment.

Footage recorded from inside the hospital showed Kumar writing a note about her condition in which she claimed her former husband had left her in the forest after a domestic dispute. She also alleged to have not eaten in over a month.

'She is out of danger,' a police official told The Telegraph Online. 'Doctors treating her said she suffers from psychiatric problems. We have found medical prescriptions in her possession.'

Officials say Kumar is doing 'fine', but remains under observation and is 'suffering from psychiatric issues'. She is reportedly 'weak' and 'not in a position to give her statement' to police at this time.

Kumar was born in the US but had been living in Goa, a neighboring state to where she was found, for 'some time'. Officials are trying to determine who she has been in touch wife over the past few months.

It is believed that Kumar, who was married to a man from the south Indian state of Tamil Nadu, the same area where Vice President Kamala Harris' mother is from, had been living in India for he past 10 years.

Authorities recovered a photocopy of her US passport and her national identity card from the scene. Officials also said her 'visa has expired'.
A 77-year-old woman who killed a pedestrian with her car appeared to suggest she was the victim as she was sentenced to a year in custody and two years probation.

Donna Jacobs pleaded guilty to vehicular manslaughter after she fatally struck 42-year-old Stephen Debow and left the scene last November in San Diego.

Debow died six days after he was hit by Jacobs' Hyundai Ioniq EV as he crossed an unmarked crosswalk. Jacobs' car kept driving for about 65 feet while Debow was atop the hood.

But Jacobs struck a completely unrepentant tone during sentencing Monday.

She claimed in court that she never saw Debow and that she thought she was being attacked when her windshield was smashed, as reported by NBC San Diego.

'I saw no one, I heard no one anywhere around,' she told the court. 'I thought I was being attacked.'

Donna Jacobs pleaded guilty to vehicular manslaughter after she fatally struck 42-year-old Stephen Debow and left the scene last November in San Diego

Debow died six days after he was hit by Jacobs' Hyundai Ioniq as he crossed an unmarked crosswalk

Jacobs said she panicked and drove home and did not call police because she had no 'useful' information to provide as she did not see her 'attacker.'

'If I had known I'd hit a human being, I would have done something about it,' Jacobs added.

Prosecutors said in court that Jacobs drove home after striking Debow, called her insurance and provided a false statement about the crash.

Jacobs also took her car to a body shop to attempt to conceal her involvement in the hit-and-run, a judge heard.

Debow's friends were in court to speak before Jacobs' sentencing and excoriated her for leaving the scene of the crash

Jacobs claimed in court that she never saw Debow and that she thought she was being attacked when her windshield was smashed

It took police several weeks to identify Jacobs as the driver who struck Debow.

Jacobs will likely spend her time in custody in house arrest due to her age and lack of criminal history.

While the cause of the crash remains unknown, prosecutors said Jacobs received an Instacart message around the time of the collision.

Debow's friends were in court to speak before Jacobs' sentencing and excoriated her for leaving the scene of the crash.

'If you did the right thing, I would have forgiven you. But you chose to run from responsibility,' said Michael Berardi.
Dustin Martin's bikie uncle is fighting his detention and deportation out of Australia because he is Aboriginal.

Dean Martin, the Richmond Tigers star's uncle and former national president of the Rebels bikie gang, has mounted a court challenge to avoid being deported to New Zealand.

Martin, 56, had his visa personally cancelled by Home Affairs Minister Clare O'Neil on character grounds on July 18 and was detained at the Melbourne Immigration Detention Centre on July 22.

The Herald Sun reported that Martin has filed for a writ of habeas corpus demanding his case be heard by the Supreme Court.

This is a bid to determine whether the Australian government has acted lawfully or even has the power to deport him.

A week after he was taken into detention, an urgent administrative hearing was called on Tuesday.

Martin was not present at the hearing, where his lawyer Matthew Albert said a 2020 High Court ruling meant 'a person who is Aboriginal is not an alien and cannot be detained under the Immigration Act'.

Mr Albert told the court: 'The question is, is Mr Martin a constitutional alien or not?'

Ex national president of the Rebels bikie gang Dean Martin (pictured) has mounted a court challenge to avoid being deported to New Zealand

Martin is the uncle of Richmond Tigers fL superstar Dustin Martin (pictured)

He said it was up to the Commonwealth to prove his client was not Aboriginal.

Court documents revealed Martin states that as a recognised member of the Manegin Aboriginal community in Tasmania, he is 'not within the reach' of the powers of Parliament to deport him.

Martin claims he advised the Department of Home Affairs in October 2021 that he was an Aboriginal Australian.

He also claims he provided evidence including a statutory declaration made by a Manegin elder, a copy of a resolution made by the Aboriginal Corporation Tasmania declaring him a member, and genealogical records.

Mr Albert said his client was being deprived of his liberty and the matter should be dealt with promptly.

He said this urgency was the reason the application had been made in the Supreme Court and not the Federal Court, where immigration matters are usually heard.

'This court is as well placed as any to deal with constitutional debate,' Mr Albert said.

'The Federal Court processes at the moment are very, very slow.'

'This court is significantly quicker to deal with these applications.'

Richard Knowles KC, for the Commonwealth, refuted this and said the case should be transferred to the Federal Court.

A hearing has been set down for Friday to determine if the case will be heard before the Supreme Court or transferred.

Mr Knowles said his client had already lodged a revocation request of the visa cancellation.

Mr Knowles added that if the request is successful 'his visa will spring back into life' and the case will be closed.

'If it's unfavourable to him, he will have the opportunity to seek judicial review, but only in the Federal Court, or the High Court,' he said.

Independent senator Lidia Thorpe (pictured ) who briefly dated Martin (pictured) in 2021 said the government has made a mistake in his pending deportation

Independent senator Lidia Thorpe who briefly dated Martin in 2021 said the government has made a mistake in his pending deportation.

'Mr Martin has proof, support and recognition that he is Aboriginal from Elders and community in Lutruwita Tasmania,' she said.

'We've already seen the High Court rule in 2020 that the Commonwealth lacks constitutional power to deport First Peoples under the Migration Act.

Senator Thorpe said First Nations people could not be classified as 'alien' and deported because it is inconsistent with their connection to the country that is 'recognised by common law'.

'My question is, why does the government now think they can go against the law and deport First Peoples?'

An immigration lawyer told the Herald Sun if Martin can prove Aboriginal heritage, he believes he will be allowed to stay in Australia.

He added there is case law to show he could not be deported to New Zealand.
An American woman who was due to be the first person to die in a 'suicide capsule' has gone missing after being told she was not a suitable candidate for euthanasia, according to the company behind the device.

The 55-year-old woman, dubbed Person X, had traveled to Switzerland to use the 'Sarco' pod - designed to allow its occupant to push a button and trigger their own death.

But its inventor, controversial assisted dying advocate Dr Philip Nitschke, said her planned death on July 17 was 'aborted' after she was found to be suffering from 'deteriorating mental health'.

After being denied use of the machine, the woman disappeared in mid-July, and has not been contactable since, according to Dr Nitschke's firm Exit International.

Her disappearance was reported to Zurich Cantonal Police this morning, the force confirmed to MailOnline.

Picture shows a prototype of the 'Sarco' euthanasia capsule, which its creators claim allows the occupant to push a button and trigger their own death

Australian euthanasia advocate Philip Nitschke (pictured), also known as 'Dr Death', is a former physician and head of the voluntary euthanasia campaign Exit International

Dr Nitschke earlier said of the decision to deny her use of the Sarco: 'Given her situation, it is clear that this is a person who should now be receiving mental health care, rather than any suicide assistance.'

The Sarco, short for sarcophagus, is meant to allow the euthanasia patient inside it to press a button and die 'within seconds', according to Exit International.

The pod - which looks like something out of a sci-fi film and has been likened to a Tesla car - fills with nitrogen to starve the occupant of oxygen, rendering the patient unconscious before they die.

'It was clear from statements attributed to the woman over the past weeks that she had become seriously mentally disturbed,' Dr Nitschke said.

'We have tried all avenues to make contact, but we have so far failed to locate the woman,' he added.

It comes after reports yesterday that the first deployment of the 'Sarco' pod had been 'permanently postponed'.

Dr Nitschke, who has widely been dubbed 'Dr Death', is said to be involved in the pre-screening of the next person hoping to use the device.

Swiss prosecutors previously warned that anyone assisting someone in using the pod could face up to five years behind bars.

Schaffhausen Canton Public Prosecutor Peter Sticher warned of 'serious consequences' for Nitschke for 'inducement and aiding and abetting suicide for selfish reasons.'

In a letter obtained by Swiss media, Sticher said: 'There is no reliable information about the method of killing.

'[It is] completely unclear who has control over which mechanical process during the dying process.'

Prosecutors said that under section 115 of the canton's penal code, it would be impossible to establish just who was doing the killing

Would-be users would have to fill in an online survey before being given a pod's location and an access code, like a delivery mailbox.

Then inside the capsule, they confirm who they are, where they are, and if they know what happens when they press the button.

If they go ahead a flood of nitrogen lowers the oxygen level from 21 per cent to just one per cent, supposedly killing them in 30 seconds.

Nitschke explained: 'Death takes place through hypoxia and hypocapnia, oxygen and carbon dioxide deprivation, respectively. There is no panic, no choking.'

The doctor's plans to use Sarco for the first time have caused uproar from 'pro-life' organisations, including CARE.

James Mildred, director of engagement at CARE, said: 'Philip Nitschke's device has been condemned by a broad range of commentators.

'Many people feel that it trivialises, and even glamourises, suicide.

'We believe that suicide is a tragedy that good societies seek to prevent in every circumstance.

'There are ethical ways to help human beings that don't involve the destruction of life.'

Swiss prosecutors warned earlier this month that anyone assisting someone in using the pods could face up to five years behind bars

The project has come up against a number of obstacles in the past, with it unclear if Swiss authorities could prosecute over the use of the machine.

Sarco's creators said in 2021 that it had passed legal review in Switzerland, where assisted suicide is legal and hundreds of people use the services of organisations such as Dignitas and Exit (a separate group to Dr Nitschke's) every year.

But Kerstin Noelle Vokinger, a Professor of Law and Medicine at the University of Zurich, has said that Sarco may need to be certified under the country's Medical Devices Act, which it is not.

As its manufacturer, Dr Nitschke could therefore be taking a risk by using Sarco if he were to be reported and a court came to the same conclusions as Vokinger, NZZ reports. A legal report previously stated it is not and does not break any laws.
The data of 40 million voters has likely been exposed by Chinese-linked hackers after basic IT security failings allowed them to break into servers, a watchdog finds.

An inquiry by the Information Commissioner's Office (ICO) unearthed that the Electoral Commission had failed to keep its servers up to date, meaning hackers were able to take advantage of it's tech weaknesses.

The attackers were also able to access reference copies of the registers held for research purposes and for permissibility checks on political donations.

The registers included the name and address of anyone in the UK who was registered to vote between 2014 and 2022, as well as registered overseas voters.

The attack on the Electoral Commission also compromised its file sharing and email system, allowing access to the online addresses and data of anyone who messaged its staff.

The data of 40 million voters has likely been exposed by Chinese-linked hackers after basic IT security failings allowed them to break into servers according to a watchdog investigation (stock image)

An inquiry by the Information Commissioner's Office (ICO) unearthed that the Electoral Commission had failed to keep its servers up to date, meaning hackers could take advantage of tech vulnerabilities (pictured: an aerial view of the GCHQ)

The National Cyber Security Centre (NCSC), part of GCHQ, previously believed it was likely Beijing-affiliated hackers stole hoards of the data.

The hackers broke into the systems in August 2021 but the security breach was not discovered until October 2022.

The commission said the attack had 'used a sophisticated infiltration method, intended to evade our checks', which was why it had taken so long to detect.

Security patches for the tech vulnerabilities had been released in April and May 2021 - months before the attack - but weren't installed.

Officials decided to delay informing the public while they removed the hackers and put additional security in place.

The data watchdog issued a formal reprimand to the Electoral Commission, which has already put in place a series of steps to better its security.

Stephen Bonner, deputy commissioner at the ICO, said: 'If the Electoral Commission had taken basic steps to protect its systems, such as effective security patching and password management, it is highly likely that this data breach would not have happened.

'By not installing the latest security updates promptly, its systems were left exposed and vulnerable to hackers.

'I know the headline figures of 40 million people affected caused considerable public alarm when news of this breach emerged last year.

'I want to reassure the public that while an unacceptably high number of people were impacted, we have no reason to believe any personal data was misused and we have found no evidence that any direct harm has been caused by this breach.'

This comes after ex-Deputy Prime Minister Oliver Dowden formally blamed state-linked Chinese hacking groups for the cyber-attack on the commission in March.

Mr Dowden said there was a 'clear pattern of activity' from China, identifying the group known as APT31 as involved.

The National Cyber Security Centre (NCSC), part of GCHQ , previously believed it was likely Beijing-affiliated hackers stole hoards of the data (pictured: outside the Electoral Commission)

Ex-Deputy Prime Minister Oliver Dowden (pictured) formally blamed state-linked Chinese hacking groups for the cyber-attack on the commission in March

He said two individuals and an 'entity' linked to APT31 were being sanctioned, and the Chinese ambassador had been summoned at the time.

Intelligence agencies believed the data accessed from the electoral register 'would highly likely be used' by Chinese spies for purposes, including large-scale espionage and the repression of perceived dissidents and critics in the UK.

An Electoral Commission spokesman said: 'We regret that sufficient protections were not in place to prevent the cyber attack on the commission.

'As the ICO has noted and welcomed, since the attack we have made changes to our approach, systems, and processes to strengthen the security and resilience of our systems and will continue to invest in this area.'
Epsom College's headteacher and her seven-year-old daughter were unlawfully killed by her husband during a shotgun rampage before he turned the weapon on himself, a coroner has ruled.

Emma Pattison and daughter Lettie, seven, were found dead at their home within the grounds of the exclusive 42,000-a-year boarding school in Surrey in February last year, alongside the body of George Pattison.

An inquest was previously told Mrs Pattison, 45, died of shotgun wounds to the chest and abdomen on February 5 2023, while little Lettie was shot in the head.

Both are believed to have been murdered by 39-year-old chartered accountant Mr Pattison, before he killed himself with the double-barrelled firearm.

Richard Travers, Senior Coroner for Surrey, today concluded that Emma and Lettie were unlawfully killed, having been shot by Pattison. He also concluded that Pattison died by suicide and intended the act.

Lettie, seven, and her mother Emma Pattison, 45, were both found dead on February 5 2023 at their home in the grounds of exclusive Epsom College boarding school in Surrey, where Mrs Pattison was head teacher

Emma and Lettie are believed to have been murdered by George Pattison, pictured with them, before he took his own life on February 5

Pictured is where the family were found dead on the grounds of the exclusive 42,000-a-year Surrey boarding school

The news came as the court heard how a worried Mrs Pattinson had told her sister her killed husband had hit her hours before he slaughter the respected educator and her daughter.

Evidence from Deborah Kirk, the sister of Mrs Pattison, was read to the inquest at Surrey Coroner's Court in Woking on Tuesday.

She said she received a phone call from her sister just before 11pm on February 4, telling her that her husband had hit her and their dog, Bella.

She said her sister told her: 'I need someone to come over.'

Her sister's tone of voice was one of 'concern, but not of terror'.

'It was more like she had assessed the situation and did not feel safe,' she said.

She said she and her husband, Mark Miller, got an Uber to her sister's home just after 11pm.

'I kept trying to call Emma but there was still no answer,' she said.

She added: 'By the time we had arrived at Emma's house I was getting really worried that she was not answering her phone.'

When they arrived at the house, all of the lights were on and the cars were in the driveway.

Her husband entered the house ahead of her, and then stopped her from coming in any further once she entered.

'He said don't go in there, don't go in there, we are going outside,' she said.

Following their deaths, heartbroken family said they believed Emma and Lettie would remain as inseparable in death as they were in life

The family described Lettie, pictured, as 'Emma's pride and joy - an adorable, vibrant little girl with a compelling curiosity, a heart-melting smile and an intellect beyond her years'

Mr Pattison only moved into the grace-and-favour home at the school, pictured, three weeks before the murder-suicide, it was previously reported (pictured is Epsom College)

Her husband called an ambulance, and paramedics arrived on the scene shortly afterwards.

Ms Kirk also read out a tribute to her sister and niece at the inquest.

'Emma was lightness itself,' she said.

She said her sister was 'smart' and kind in a way that 'fills a room' and 'drives change'.

She described her niece, Lettie, as 'razor smart, curious, and disarmingly cute.'

She said she would comfort her niece whenever she was sad.

'I would hold her in my arms and say, yes it is hard to be seven, isn't it monkey?' she said.

Ms Kirk said she was still trying to forgive Mr Pattison.

'I can only speak for myself when I say that I am trying to forgive you,' she said.

She added: 'I can only imagine that you were in an extraordinary hell of your own.'

The inquest heard that Mrs Pattison watched rugby with her friends in the hours before she died.

Emma and her daughter were found dead at their home in the grounds of Epsom College in Surrey after a distressed Mrs Pattison, 45, called her sister

The last friend left at 7pm, and Mrs Pattison then received a Chinese takeaway at 9.36pm.

In evidence read out to the court by the coroner, the delivery driver said: 'She had a smiley face and seemed okay.'

The inquest heard that a post-mortem report found that Mr Pattison's cause of death was a shotgun wound.

It also found that Mrs Pattison and Lettie's causes of death were shotgun wounds.

A toxicology report found that George had 243 milligrams of alcohol per 100 millilitres of blood, a quantity that is associated with a 'high to extreme' level of intoxication.

A statement released by Mrs Pattison and Letties family after their deaths said: 'To see the esteem in which Emma is held by all who knew her is an enormous comfort.

'She was everything one could hope for in a daughter, sister, mother, wife, friend, teacher and so much more.

'We are an extremely close family and family was at the centre of Emma and Lettie's universe.

'The Epsom College community had become part of that universe for them both.

'Seven-year-old Lettie was Emma's pride and joy - an adorable, vibrant little girl with a compelling curiosity, a heart-melting smile and an intellect beyond her years.

'The two of them were inseparable and we take comfort in that they will remain so.'
Baby Reindeer creator Richard Gadd has detailed the alleged abuse and harassment he suffered at the hands of the so-called real-life Martha Scott in legal documents backing Netflix's bid to have her $170million defamation lawsuit thrown out.

Gadd in a 21-page declaration filed in California court on Monday claimed he was 'harassed and stalked' by Fiona Harvey, who says the character Martha on the widely viewed limited series is clearly based on her, for 'several years'.

He alleged Harvey sent him 'thousands' of messages that 'often included sexually explicit, violent, and derogatory content, hateful speech, and threats', the court filing states. He also claimed to have made a complaint to UK police about her alleged behavior.

Gadd's declaration was filed in support of Netflix's motion to dismiss Harvey's defamation suit, which it says is a 'baseless attack' on the company's freedom of speech. The company further argues that the series does not identify Harvey as an alleged abuser and is a 'substantially true' depiction of her alleged actions.

Harvey, a Scot living in England, filed a lawsuit in federal court in Los Angeles last month alleging she was defamed over her portrayal as a stalker in the hit mini-series. She also alleged that the streaming giant was negligent, intentionally subjected her to emotional distress and violated her right to publicity.

Baby Reindeer creator Richard Gadd (pictured last month) has backed Netflix's bid to get a $170million defamation lawsuit filed by the alleged real-life Martha Scott thrown out. In a declaration filed in California court on Monday, Gadd alleged that Fiona Harvey, who claims to be the inspiration behind the Martha character, 'harassed and stalked me over several years'

Fiona Harvey (pictured in May) filed a lawsuit in federal court in Los Angeles last month alleging she was defamed over her portrayal as a stalker in the hit mini-series Baby Reindeer. She also alleged that Netflix was negligent, intentionally subjected her to emotional distress and violated her right to publicity

Gadd in his declaration submitted in federal court on Monday claimed that Harvey 'harassed and stalked me over several years' and, according to the filing, which was obtained from the court by DailyMail.com

'Overall, it was an incredibly stressful and worrying time, with a sustained period of relentless behavior taking place over several years,' he wrote in the court documents.

'It is impossible to be exhaustive in setting out all of Harvey's conduct, as there were so many instances of unwelcome personal interaction and attempts to engage, as well as deeply troubling communication.'

Gadd alleged that Harvey 'sent me thousands of emails, hundreds of voicemails, and a number of handwritten letters' which he claims 'often included sexually explicit, violent, and derogatory content, hateful speech, and threats', the filing states.

He accused her of monitoring his social media accounts, specifically his profile on Twitter, now called X, and sending him emails to comment on the photos he posted, the declaration revealed.

Citing a message from January 2015, Gadd wrote in the document: 'Harvey sent me an email with the subject line "yummy mummy," which stated "I see your mum is on twitter . . . I looked up yours to see what was going on in your head and you retweeted her".'

The actor, citing another alleged instance of social media monitoring, added that 'on September 17, 2016, Harvey emailed me "I love the photo of you sleeping on twitter".'

He further claimed that she admitted to being a 'racist' in an email and would 'frequently' use 'hateful speech and derogatory racist and homophobic language' in her correspondences, the court documents revealed.

Gadd, in an attempt to offer 'a microcosm of the sheer scale of her targeted harassment', also accused Harvey of putting herself in the spotlight by self identifying as the woman who inspired Martha in the series.

'I never intended the Series to identify any real person as Martha Scott, including Harvey,' he wrote the documents. 'Martha Scott is not Fiona Harvey. Like all characters in the Series, Martha is a fictional character with fictional personality traits that are very different than Harvey's.'

He continued: 'I was surprised that Harvey appeared on Piers Morgan Uncensored. Though I have only watched certain segments, I understand she claimed that she was the inspiration for the Martha character, and that she never sent me thousands of emails nor left me any voicemails.

'She harassed and stalked me over several years, and since her interview, other individuals have contacted me through my agents and publicists and said they were also harassed by Harvey, but all were too scared of her to come forward.'

Gadd argued in the filing that if 'called as a witness, could and would testify' to the allegations detailed in his declaration.

He also claimed that in 2016 he 'obtained a First Instance Harassment Warning against Harvey' from police in the UK, the court documents revealed.

Harassment warnings are notices given to an alleged abuser that a complaint has been made against them and inform them that police action could be taken if there are similar reports in the future.

Netflix filed its motion to dismiss Harvey's case on Monday in California court, alleging her claims have failed on several grounds. Richard Gadd, left, and Jessica Gunning, right, are pictured in a scene from Baby Reindeer

Netflix filed its motion to dismiss the case in California court on Monday, slamming Harvey and alleging her claims, which it says 'plainly arise from protected activity', failed on several grounds.

The company, in the court filing which was obtained by DailyMail.com, argued the creation of Baby Reindeer falls under 'core free speech activities protected by the First Amendment'.

Netflix said the lawsuit was a 'baseless attack on Netflix's exercise of free speech' and barred by California's anti-Strategic Lawsuits Against Public Participation ('anti-SLAPP') statute, which is designed to stop frivolous lawsuits.

The company argued that the topics of 'sexual abuse, harassment and stalking' that are highlighted in the series are 'indisputably topics of widespread, public interest'.

'The subject matter of the Series also allegedly concerns Gadd, who is indisputably in the public eye,' the court filing reads. 'Gadd has been a recognized actor and writer for years. There is a "public interest which attaches to people [like Gadd] who, by their accomplishments, mode of living, professional standing or calling," attract the public's "attention to their activities".'

The streaming service further argued that Harvey's conduct in real life was 'far worse than Martha's cinematic actions' meaning that any resemblance in Baby Reindeer was 'substantially true'.

The company said: 'The thousands of actual emails, handwritten letters, social media posts, and voicemails sent by Harvey are awash with violent hate speech and sexually explicit, deeply disturbing vitriol that is nowhere depicted in the Series'.

Even taking this into account, the claims should be dismissed because it was not based on real life, Netflix argued.

The company wrote: 'Martha is not Harvey. Harvey is not a character name, and the Series never uses Harvey's name in any way. Netflix and Gadd never identified Harvey as someone who stalked him (and others) in real life.

'Rather, it was Harvey who thrust herself into the spotlight and identified herself as the supposed inspiration for Martha'.

Netflix said that 'any reasonable viewer' would conclude that the series is 'not a factual documentary representing literally true details and imagery'.

Netflix used Harvey's own words against her in an interview with Morgan when she noted: 'Martha cannot be me . . . [she] is a fictional character'.

Netflix says: 'Harvey is correct: no reasonable viewer could understand the Series to make any statements of fact, let alone a statement specifically about Harvey.'

Netflix argued Harvey's claims should be dismissed because the series was not based on real life. Gadd (pictured in a promo for Baby Reindeer) echoed Netflix's claim, stating in his court filing that the series is 'not a documentary representing literally true details and imagery'

Baby Reindeer sees Gadd portray Donny Dunn, who in his day job at a pub gives Martha, a quick-to-laugh customer, a free cup of tea. Martha eventually becomes a stalker who sends Donny tens of thousands of emails, tweets at him hundreds of times, smashes a bottle over his head and gouges his eyes, sexually assaults him and eventually is arrested and sent to prison. Pictured are Gadd (left) and actress Jessica Gunning (right) in a scene from the show

Gadd, in his declaration, echoed Netflix's claim, stating Baby Reindeer is 'not a documentary representing literally true details and imagery'.

'It is a fictionalized retelling of my emotional journey through several extremely traumatic real experiences,' Gadd wrote. 'It is an expression of my views on stalking, harassment, and sexual abuse told through the lens of my own experiences, emotions, and self-reflections.

'I did not write the Series as a representation of actual facts about any real person, including Fiona Harvey. Harvey is never mentioned in the Series.'

He added: 'The Series is a dramatic work. It is not a documentary or an attempt at realism. While the Series is based on my life and real-life events and is, at its core, emotionally true, it is not a beat-by-beat recounting of the events and emotions I experienced as they transpired.

'It is fictionalized, and is not intended to portray actual facts.'

Baby Reindeer, which is based on a one-man stage show by Gadd, sees the actor portray a doppelganger named Donny Dunn, who in his day job at a pub gives Martha, a quick-to-laugh customer, a free cup of tea.

Martha eventually becomes a stalker who sends Donny tens of thousands of emails, tweets at him hundreds of times, smashes a bottle over his head and gouges his eyes, sexually assaults him and eventually is arrested and sent to prison.

But in her lawsuit filed last month, Harvey alleges the depicted harassment never actually occurred.

'The lies that Defendants told about Harvey to over 50 million people worldwide include that Harvey is a twice-convicted stalker who was sentenced to five years in prison, and that Harvey sexually assaulted Gadd,' Harvey's complaint states.

'Defendants told these lies, and never stopped, because it was a better story than the truth, and better stories made money.'

Harvey, unlike the character on the show, also never previously stalked a police officer, the lawsuit says.

The lawsuit further alleges Netflix did nothing to determine whether the stalking, assault, and convictions were accurate, nor did it do anything to understand the actual relationship between Harvey and Gadd.

'Netflix and Gadd destroyed her reputation, her character and her life,' the suit says.

Harvey's lawsuit also alleges that she bears an 'uncanny resemblance' to Martha - played by actress Jessica Gunning (pictured in a scene from the series) - saying her 'accent, manner of speaking and cadence' are 'indistinguishable'

Baby Reindeer premiered on Netflix in April, and Harvey publicly came forward and gave an interview to Morgan about a month later.

But her lawsuit says viewers and British media outlets had identified her well before that, and they have tormented her constantly since.

This was possible, the lawsuit alleges, because on the show Martha creates social media posts identical to searchable posts by Harvey, including one in which she says, 'my curtains need hung badly,' which is used as a sexual euphemism on the show.

The lawsuit also alleges that Harvey bears an 'uncanny resemblance' to Martha - played by actress Jessica Gunning - saying her 'accent, manner of speaking and cadence' are 'indistinguishable'.

The lawsuit says that the series' claim at the beginning of its first episode that it's a true story is 'the biggest lie in television history' and that its defamation of Harvey is 'at a magnitude and scale without precedent'.

Harvey is seeking all profits from 'Baby Reindeer' and asks that punitive and other damages be awarded that would total at least $170million.
Travellers have caused local uproar after pitching 35 caravans on a beauty spot near Richmond, leaving 'rubbish on the green' and 'dumping inflatable toys in the pond'.

Wealthy residents of Ham, a leafy hamlet in west London, have been left up in arms after travellers set up camp on their picturesque village green and flooded it with campervans.

More than 35 caravans were spotted parked on Ham Common, a usually quiet and well-kept nature reserve located in an exclusive area known for its expensive homes and celebrity clientele.

Images today show the green has been overrun by travellers, leaving locals feeling 'unsafe' and businesses forced to close their doors.

More than 35 caravans have been parked on the grounds of Ham Common, in west London

Residents have been left furious by the influx of travellers who have taken over the area and have littered the grounds

An inflatable was spotted dumped in a pond at Ham Common this morning

An aerial view of white campervans parked on to the grounds. Richmond Council has said it is working to 'move them on' as soon as possible

The trouble of travellers taking over the common has been ongoing for several years, with furious residents regularly raising the issue with the local authority.

Richmond Council alerted locals to the current influx last Friday, writing: 'We are aware that a group of travellers have arrived on Ham Common.

'Unauthorised encampments breach our Public Space Protection Orders which prohibit unauthorised access to our open spaces.

'We are starting welfare checks and the legal process to move them on as soon as possible.'

However, residents were left reeling at the news, with one writing on X: 'This is beyond a joke now. Local businesses are closed.

Bins were seen overflown as spilling bin bags and rubbish were seen spread across the ground

Shopping bags full of trash were left dumped across the grounds as campervans were parked directly on the green

Residents said they feel 'afraid' to go out, with many local businesses including pubs shutting their doors

'Our business has been threatened twice.

'Even told they will move into our venue.

'It's been reported to Met Police. Local residents are unsafe and the beautiful Ham Common will be ruined. Unacceptable how long this is taking.'

Another furious local questioned: 'What is being done to stop these hundreds of travellers from squatting on Ham Common and ruining/threatening the community with their lawlessness?

'Pubs shut, locals afraid to go out. Court order taking a week not good enough. Answers needed.'

An inflatable pool was left dumped in a pond at the nature reserve

The council and police are understood to be working together to resolve the issue

Travellers are seen enjoying the sun outside their caravans in the usually quiet and exclusive area of west London

Along with caravans, multiple cars were also seen parked on the grounds

Meanwhile, one X user, Kathryn Barlow, said human faeces have been left in the area.

She said: 'Ham Common Woods are out of bounds for local families due to human faeces.

'What is the council doing to protect local residents and families and move on this group to authorised legal grounds?

'I was verbally abused by two of the males whilst crossing the common.'

She called on local MP Sarah Olney to action as she added: 'Neighbours have posted disturbing footage of animals suffering tied up in the heat. Local pub has had to take the economically difficult decision to stay closed.

'Vehicles are being driven at some speed round/over the common.'

A woman pictured standing atop a campervan

While the council said they were dealing with the issue, locals asked why the travellers had not yet been moved on

A spokesperson for Richmond Council said: 'Unauthorised encampments breach Richmond Council's Public Space Protection Orders, but the Council is required to go through a legal process to obtain and enforce a Possession Order to move travellers on.

'Proceedings have been commenced and a High Court hearing for a Possession Order has been fixed on Thursday.

'The Council, along with Park Guard and the Police, will continue to liaise with the group and monitor the site and once they move on will ensure all waste is removed and damage is repaired.'
A married father and a female boat passenger were killed in a accident on a Louisiana lake after their boats collided.

Chase Sharkey, 36, of Greensburg, was operating a 25-foot pontoon boat when it collided with Thuy Gustin's Sea Fox boat in the Tickfaw River near Kings Point, roughly 65 miles outside of New Orleans, on Sunday.

Gustin, 31, of Springfield, was found trapped underneath the Sea Fox around midnight after it capsized by a Good Samaritan, who jumped into the water to save her, according to Fox 8 Live. She ran her own marketing firm.

They performed CPR on the mother-of-two until an ambulance arrived and she was taken to the hospital, where she was pronounced dead.

Sharkey, a father of four, was found deceased by rescue crews 12 hours later.

Chase Sharkey, 36, of Greensburg, (left) was operating a 25-foot pontoon boat when it collided with Thuy Gustin's Sea Fox boat in the Tickfaw River near Kings Point on Sunday. Gustin, 31, of Springfield, (right) was found trapped underneath the Sea Fox after it capsized by a Good Samaritan, who jumped into the water to save her

It is unclear if his wife, Shelly Verberne Sharkey, was on the boat. One friend suggested she was, but further details have not been shared.

DailyMail.com has reached to Shelly for comment.

Six others - three from each boat - were injured in the crash and all were taken to the hospital with serious injuries, according to WDSU.

The cause the crash is currently unknown. DailyMail.com has contacted the Louisiana Wildlife and Fisheries, who are investigating the crash, for comment.

Six others - three from each boat - were injured in the crash and all were taken to the hospital with serious injuries

Plenty of tributes came in for the father-of-four, including from his business, Sharkey Mechanical Services, which wrote in a Facebook post: 'His legacy of love, laughter, and friendship will never fade. We will continue to keep his memory alive through our work.

'Chase's unwavering passion for his craft left an indelible mark on everyone he met, and his work ethic was unmatched. We will miss him dearly, but we will continue to thrive in his honor and the legacy he has built.'

Friend, Jonathan Taylor wrote on Facebook: 'Chase Sharkey was truly one of a kind. The first time I met him he made me feel like we had been friends since childhood. Chase was a true father and husband. I didnt get to spend much time around his family but I knew they were his number one priority just by the conversations we had. Chase was also a staple in his church and his community.

Sharkey, a father of four, (pictured with his family) was found deceased by rescue crews 12 hours later

It is unclear if his wife, Shelly Verberne Sharkey (pictured together), was on the boat. One friend suggested she was, but further details have not been shared

'Im thankful I got to know him over the past 4 years and I think we can all learn from Chase and how he lived his 36 years on this earth.'

Another friend, Erin Foster, wrote: 'To know him was to love him. Chase Sharkey was a great friend...One thing for certain is he loved his wife, his kids, his family, and everyone elses babies also.'

Former Livingston Parish President Layton Ricks said in a statement: 'He loved life. You knew where you stood with Chase and when you were a friend you were a friend. His word was his bond, and he was honest, sincere and trustworthy.

'His friendship was genuine and I will be forever grateful for it. One of the things outside of his family, work and weightlifting we always talked about was being saved and he truly was. So I know without a shadow of doubt he would tell me: "Boss dont worry about me big dog cause Im sitting here talking with Jesus so Im good."

'I will miss you my friend and forever be thankful for your friendship all these years. Love you buddy!'

Friends remembered Gustin as 'so full of life and always ready for the next adventure'

A GoFundMe has been set up for the Gustin's funeral services, which has raised more than $14,000 out of its $25,000 goal

An equal number of tributes poured in for the mother-of-two, with friend Lindsay Picou writing: 'Thuy...I'm still in disbelief.

'I knew I was going to love you from the moment I met you. You were so full of life and always ready for the next adventure. But even with all of that spirit, you led with nothing but heart. You loved everyone around you so deeply, and made sure they knew it.'

Another friend, Kendra M. Berthelot wrote on Facebook: 'Carrying a heavy heart today. My beautiful girl, you will be so missed. I dont even have the words to say. I love you. Rest easy, Angel.'

A GoFundMe has been set up for the Gustin's funeral services, which has raised more than $14,000 out of its $25,000 goal.

A Meal Train has been set up for the Sharkey Family, with nearly $3,000 in donations and plenty of meals going to the surviving family.
One of the three children killed in the horror Southport stabbing attack was today named as Alice Aguiar, as her devastated loved ones said their princess had been taken by a 'despicable human being.'

Friends and family paid tribute to the youngster today after it emerged the nine-year-old died in hospital of her injuries. A vigil for all the victims is to be held in Southport this evening.

The latest tragedy comes a day after a knife rampage that had already left two girls - aged just six and seven - dead.

Five further children aged between six and 11 remain in a critical condition, Merseyside Police confirmed, alongside two female adults who 'bravely tried to protect them'.

A 17-year-old boy remains in custody accused of murder and attempted murder and is being questioned following the incident in Southport, Merseyside, on Monday. Police say they are not looking for anyone else and do not believe the incident is terrorism related.

Meanwhile Taylor Swift fans who set up a fundraiser for the families of those affected by the attack have seen donations pour in, with more than 100,000 raised so far.

One of the children killed in the horror Southport stabbing attack was today named as Alice Aguiar, nine

Heartbreaking floral tributes and teddy bears were left at the scene of the attack on Tuesday afternoon

Brave Leanne Lucas, 35, (pictured) who organised the Taylor Swift-themed workshop, suffered stab injuries after the man entered the venue through the unlocked door, which was left open amid the scorching heat

Members of the public laid floral tributes at the scene of the attack in Hart Street, Southport today

Portuguese Foreign Ministry sources confirmed today a Portuguese girl had died. One said: 'Portugal's Consul General in Manchester is assisting the family, having spoken to her parents, and is continuing to offer them all the support they need.'

Alice's mum Alexandra Aguiar is understood to hail originally from Caracas in Venezuela but lived in Madeira along with Alice's father David, before the pair moved to the UK.

Relative Carina Aguiar, a hotel worker who lives in Camara de Lobos in Madeira, posted a link on her social media to news Merseyside Police had confirmed a third child had died following the attack and wrote tear emoticons beside it.

Earlier she posted a photo of a black ribbon on her Facebook alongside Alice's name after writing in an emotional tribute: 'Princess Alice. In this moment of great pain my soul hurts, my body hurts, my mind hurts. I have a lump in my throat.

'You were just an innocent child, a happy smiley girl with a bright life ahead of you which a despicable human being took away from you, without pity, for no reason.

'Look after your mum and dad who are suffering, who are desolate and broken. Fly high our little star. I love you.'

Friend Claudia Trindade responded by saying: 'Have strength. Let my dear God console the hearts of her parents.'

Magda Fernandes said: 'I have no words. My condolences to the whole family. Lots of strength at this difficult hour.'

Liliana Soares wrote: 'What a huge tragedy. My pretty and innocent angel. Such tremendous pain. My sincerest condolences Carina to the whole family.'

Another family friend, Henrique Drummond, wrote on social media in a direct message to Alice's parents: 'David Aguiar, Alexandra Aguiar. Life is so cruel that an animal takes the life of children, especially our Alice. Lots of strength in these extremely difficult moments.'

The local teacher saved 16 children as the 25-strong class aged between six and 11, while nine children were taken to hospital. One has since died, with five still in a critical condition

She organised the dance, yoga and bracelet making workshop in Southport with Heidi Barlow, also 35, a fellow dance teacher, (pictured) who advertised the event as being for 'Swifties'

Firefighters from Merseyside joined members of the public in paying tribute to those killed and injured in the stabbings

Forensic officers were seen at the scene in Southport on Tuesday as investigations begin

Two mourners pay tribute to those killed after a six-year-old, seven-year-old and nine-year-old died

The fully-booked club for children, which was advertised as a dance and yoga workshop as well as bracelet-making, quickly became something 'like a horror movie', witnesses to the deadly stabbings have said.

Locals said the alleged knifeman arrived at the dance studio wearing a black hooded top and facemask in a taxi and got out without paying.

They said the suspect then walked into the studio through a front door that was unlocked for fire safety reasons.

Emergency services said the scene was 'horrific' and 'chaotic' as they arrived at the children's club.

Police said the suspect, who was born in Cardiff, is from the village of Banks, just outside Southport, and a road in the area was cordoned off by detectives on Monday afternoon.

All the casualties are being treated in hospital, including children's hospitals in Liverpool and Manchester.

At the scene today, flowers and teddies were left by the police cordon. One message in a 'Thinking Of You' card said 'thoughts and prayers' are with those affected and was signed: 'Love - Southport.' Another said: 'Fly high with angels little ones.'

In a social media post, Taylor Swift shared her horror at the 'loss of life and innocence' at the workshop.

She wrote: 'The horror of yesterday's attack in Southport is washing over me continuously, and I'm just completely in shock.

'The loss of life and innocence, and the horrendous trauma inflicted on everyone who was there, the families, and first responders.

'These were just little kids at a dance class. I am at a complete loss for how to ever convey my sympathies to these families.'

Home Secretary Yvette Cooper and Southport MP Patrick Hurley embrace as they pay tribute to those injured and killed in the horror attack

Floral tributes pile up by the side of the road as locals flock to share their sympathy after the tragedy

A tribute to 'the lost angels' sits alongside a fluffy teddy bear in a heartbreaking message for the little children

Floral tributes near the scene in Hart Street, Southport, where two children died and nine were injured in a 'ferocious' knife attack

A vigil will be held in Southport on Tuesday evening. Sefton Council said it was supporting the event, which will be held outside the Atkinson arts venue on Lord Street at 6pm.

Councillor Marion Atkinson, leader of Sefton Council, said: 'It is entirely understandable and appropriate that local people want to gather and show their support and solidarity.

'Our thoughts and prayers are with everyone affected at this incredibly sad time.'

A book of remembrance is available for people to sign at the Atkinson, in Southport, and one is being set up at Bootle Town Hall, a council spokesman said.

Sir Keir Starmer today opened Cabinet by acknowledging the 'truly horrific' event in Southport.

'He said the thoughts of the whole Cabinet and the entire country would be with those who were attacked and their families who are going through an unimaginable ordeal,' the Prime Minister's official spokesman said.

'He added that it was hard to find words to express what the grieving families and community must be going through.'

Home Secretary Yvette Cooper visited the town to lay flowers at the police cordon on Hart Street in Southport this morning.

Ms Cooper, Southport MP Patrick Hurley, Merseyside Police Chief Constable Serena Kennedy, Merseyside Fire and Rescue Service's Chief Fire Officer Phil Garrigan and Merseyside police and crime commissioner Emily Spurrell walked to the cordon together, each holding a bouquet of flowers.

A crew from Merseyside Fire and Rescue Service also paid tribute. About a dozen firefighters walked together to the cordon on Hart Street and laid flowers, with a message to say they were 'thinking of everyone involved'.

Deputy Prime Minister Angela Rayner said she 'can't even begin to imagine the depth of pain and suffering' felt by the families affected by the stabbings.

Speaking in the Commons, she told MPs: 'I know the whole House will join me in sending our deepest condolences and strength in the hours ahead to those affected by yesterday's shocking incident in Southport.

'And as a mother and grandmother, I can't even begin to imagine the depth of pain and suffering of those involved.

'I'd like to echo the words of (Labour MP for Southport Patrick Hurley) in thanking the police and the emergency services for their swift response, and our thoughts and prayers are with those who have already sadly lost loved ones, and (those who) are now fighting for their lives as well.'

Home Secretary Yvette Cooper pays tribute to the child victims of the horror knife attack

The attack happened at a Taylor Swift-themed workshop on Hart Street in Southport. Police later swooped on a property in Banks, five miles away

The Home Secretary stood for a few moments looking at the tributes before laying her flowers and reading some of the messages left by others.

She and Mr Hurley hugged. She is understood to have met with first responders in the town earlier.

Speaking to the media today, Southport MP Patrick Hurley said: 'The town is in mourning, the town is in shock this morning. The incident that took place yesterday was uniquely horrific.

'Southport's a quiet seaside, coastal town. This has just sent shockwaves through the whole community.

'It's a very small town, Southport, and a lot of families across the area will be impacted directly.

'I think at this stage we need to just reach out, make sure that there's a level of community healing going on and make sure we give voice to the solidarity that people need right now.'

Taylor Swift said she is 'completely in shock' after the 'horror' of the Southport knife attack

The attack happened at a Taylor Swift themed yoga and dance workshop

Chief Constable Serena Kennedy, of Merseyside Police, said those injured had all suffered stab wounds in the 'ferocious attack'.

She added: 'We believe that the adults who were injured were bravely trying to protect the children who were being attacked.

'As a mum and a nana, I can't begin to imagine the pain and suffering that the families of the victims are going through at this moment in time.

'I wish to send my heartfelt condolences to them.'

Brave Leanne Lucas, 35, who organised the yoga and bracelet making class is among the adult victims fighting for her life in hospital.

The primary school supply teacher - who now teaches children's yoga workshops - suffered stab injuries after a man entered the venue through the unlocked door, which was left open amid the scorching heat, and started attacking children.

Ms Lucas and her co-organiser and dance teacher Heidi Barlow, also 35, saved 16 children as the 25-strong class aged between six and 11.

Ms Barlow was also injured in the attack, although not seriously, MailOnline understands.

Two female adults were rushed to hospital after police say they 'bravely tried to protect them' from the attack at the Hart Space Studios on Hart Street.

Ms Lucas, who's also a qualified primary school teacher, is the owner and founder of Enlighten, planned the two-hour session to coincide with the start of the school holidays.

Floral tributes near the scene in Hart Street, Southport, where two children died and nine were injured in a 'ferocious' knife attack

A person leaves flowers near the scene in Hart Street, Southport, where the event took place

Police officers near the scene in Hart Street, Southport, this morning following the stabbing yesterday

She was hailed today by relatives who paid tribute to her bravery and love for her students.

Pauline Bennett, 64, said: 'She's only tiny, she wouldn't have stood a chance against a man with a knife, but she just wanted to protect those children.

'I can't imagine what she would have been thinking when he came through the door. It all happened so quickly, she just did what she could.

'Her sister stayed at her bedside all night and her parents are with her now. We're just hoping and praying that she's going to be ok.

'Leanne loves teaching children, it's all she's ever wanted to do. She just loves children.

'It's just heartbreaking that someone could do something like this.'

A former school friend said: 'To my knowledge she organised it, she used to be a primary school teacher at a local school.

Ms Lucas - who taught in China and Dubai before the Covid pandemic hit - is a big fan of Taylor Swift, her aunt said.

A little girl is helped as she takes flowers to leave with the line of floral tributes

North West Ambulance Service (NWAS) sent 13 ambulances, specialised resources of its Hazardous Area Response Team, Air Ambulance and Merit Doctors to the scene

Emergency services rushed to the scene after reports of a stabbing spree

'Then she came home in Covid and now this happens. She went to the Taylor Swift concert and she got a big poster of her for the kids.'

Posting a photo of Ms Lucas on Facebook, Sunshine Yoga wrote: 'I'm absolutely devastated. Please please pray for Leanne.

'Leanne came on my training course in December. A beautiful young creative girl who was so passionate about helping children.

'I just can't believe it. Please pray.'

Others described the news as 'devastating' and 'heartbreaking'.

One Facebook user wrote: 'I'm in shock. Thinking of you Leanne and everyone involved, love and prayers go out to you all.'

Another added: 'Thank you for your bravery in defending your class. I pray you get to see how proud the whole town is of your actions today.'

According to Leanne's Facebook page, she had only recently returned to the UK after a holiday in Italy that included a trip to Venice and the Dolomite Mountains.

Ms Barlow was a dance teacher at Southport Dance Academy, where she had recently taken time off to have a baby girl.

Wishing her luck last year, the school said: 'We are sending you lots of love and hope you are enjoying all the quality time together.'

Reacting to the tragic news today, the academy posted on Instagram: 'Thoughts and prayers for everyone affected by today's shocking events. Southport together.'

Photos from her social media show her celebrating marriage two years ago and her paying tribute to her 'gorgeous' students as her classes were halted over lockdown.
Dramatic footage has captured the moment Ukrainian artillery wiped out dozens of Russian war machines and thwarted their furious assault.

The clip, obtained from the Command of the Air Assault Forces of the Armed Forces of Ukraine on Tuesday, shows Russian armour and other military vehicles being targeted by Ukrainian ordnance and destroyed.

A statement was shared alongside images of the assault that read: 'Occupiers launched a second assault with 57 armoured vehicles to break through the defence of the Tavrian paratroopers in the Kurakhove direction - the massive Russian assault failed again'.

It comes after Putin's forces were left humiliated just one week ago after a failed assault in the same region led to the reported deaths of 40 invaders, and left 37 more injured.

'During one day, the occupiers deployed 10 tanks, 47 armoured fighting vehicles with infantry, 10 motorcycles, and one buggy,' the statement continued.

Ukrainian paratroopers destroy 29 military vehicles and armored units in another failed Russian assault near Kurakhove in Donetsk

The Command of the Airborne Assault Forces of the Armed Forces of Ukraine released the footage on Tuesday

Ukraine said in a statement that occupiers launched a second assault with 57 armoured vehicles to break through the defence of the Tavrian paratroopers in the Kurakhove direction

The dramatic footage captured several Russian vehicles exploding in an orange blaze after being targeted and destroyed by Ukrainian forces

In one clip, a body is seen flying out of the Russian vehicle as it storms through a field before an explosive is dropped

'Despite the enormous number of enemy equipment, all enemy attempts were once again nullified: during the battle, our soldiers hit 12 armoured fighting vehicles, eight Russian tanks, nine motorbikes, and the buggy. Thirty-six occupiers were killed, and another 32 were wounded.

'This footage shows the brilliant combat work of our artillerymen, strike drone operators, anti-tank soldiers, sappers, and our heroic infantry.

The dramatic footage shows several Russian vehicles storming through a barren landscape before a target is set on the leading machine.

Within seconds, the vehicle erupts in a cloud of thick smoke after being obliterated by Ukrainian forces.

A separate clip captured another Russian army vehicle driving through what appears to be a field before a body is seen flying out of the moving machine before an explosive is dropped.

'Maimed Russian stormtroopers with torn limbs, who felt the wrath of the Tavrian paratroopers and in panic are crawling away from the battlefield - this is what needs to be shown to everyone who is still planning to participate in their 'special military operation', the statement added.

'Glory to Ukraine! Glory to the Air Assault Forces!'

Last week, during one of Russia's intense attacks across multiple sections of the eastern front, Ukraine scored a mighty victory as its troops managed to fend off 29 attacks in Kurakhove alone, the General Staff of Ukraine's Armed Forces, Dmytro Hutsuliak revealed in an update at the time.

Ukrainian paratroopers destroyed six Russian tanks and seven advancing armoured combat vehicles as they were hit by kamikaze drones, it said.

The brutal attack reportedly involved some 57 armoured vehicles, 11 tanks, 12 motorcycles, and 200 assault vehicles.

Ukraine's brigade had spotted the Russian equipment in advance and unleashed fury upon Moscow's forces through relentless artillery fire.

The Russians also reportedly fell in to mines placed by Ukrainian sappers.

'As a result of the battle, our paratroopers shot down six tanks and seven armoured personnel carriers with infantry,' said Ukraine's 79th Separate Air Assault Brigade - also known as the Taurian Brigade, in a statement.

'All 12 motorbikes were burned.

'The Russians suffered huge losses in manpower: 40 occupants were killed and another 37 wounded.'

But despite Ukraine being short of manpower, ammunition, and trenches, Russia has faced a series of embarrassing setbacks with their grand summer offensive plans appearing to be failing.

Russia last week suffered a crushing setback from an assault in the Kurakhove area of Donetsk region with the loss of six tanks, seven armoured personnel carriers with infantry, and 12 military motorbikes

Ukrainian paratroopers destroyed six Russian tanks and seven advancing armoured combat vehicles

Ukraine's 79th Separate Air Assault Brigade called Russia's push last week 'one of the largest assaults of the war'

And with just two months left until summer is over, Russia has come nowhere near achieving either of its two biggest ambitions - a huge Russian breakthrough, or a complete collapse of Ukraine's defences on the frontlines.

In worrying figures for tyrant Russian President Vladimir Putin, the British Ministry of Defence last week said that Russia had suffered catastrophic casualties of 1,262 and 1,162 per day in May and June - the highest since the Kremlin launched its full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022.

Not only are casualty numbers sky high, but Russia's reported daily losses of artillery systems on Ukraine's battlefields have also reached their highest levels in three months, according to Ukraine's armed forces.

The Ukrainian military said on Monday that Russia had lost 74 artillery systems in the previous 24 hours alone.

Kyiv's figures indicate that Moscow has lost more than 16,000 artillery systems since the conflict began.

But Russian forces have continued to advance and make gains, despite their continuous losses.

Russian forces said Tuesday they had captured another village in their offensive in Ukraine's eastern Donetsk region.

The defence ministry said Russia had 'liberated' the village of Pivdenne, on the outskirts of Toretsk, a larger town which Russian forces have advanced towards in recent months.

Before Russia launched its full-scale offensive, the village had a population of around 1,400, according to Ukrainian government estimates.

Moscow has claimed to have taken a string of villages in the Donetsk region in recent weeks - many consisting of just a few streets.

Its forces have been closing in on Toretsk, a town that was once home to around 30,000 people, in its latest assault.

The savage assaults comes after the Kremlin revealed they are open to negotiation with Ukraine on ending the war - something Moscow has dubbed a special military operation.

But Ukrainian Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba said on July 24 during a visit to China that Kyiv was also prepared for talks with Russia provided Ukraine's sovereignty and territorial integrity were fully respected, though he said that Ukraine has seen no sign of that.

When asked a day later whether Russia would be ready to hold talks with Ukraine while President Volodymyr Zelensky was in power, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov told reporters: 'Russia is generally open to a negotiation process.

'But first we have to understand how ready the Ukrainian side is for this and how much the Ukrainian side has permission for this from its handlers.'

Putin in June said Russia would end the war in Ukraine, but only if Kyiv agreed to drop its NATO ambitions.
Budget airline Rex has plunged into administration, with flights between capital cities grounded.

The airline suspended trading on the ASX on Monday and on Tuesday night it was confirmed that EY had been appointed as administrators.

Rex will cancel flights between major cities and instead focus on regional flights.

A source told the Australian Financial Review that the federal government had stepped in to ensure that regional flights were not axed, however the airline will stop competing with other airlines on established routes between larger cities.

Virgin Australia immediately stepped in to support Rex customers by offering them free transfers onto equivalent flights.

The airline also encouraged Rex staff to apply for jobs with the airline.

Virgin Australia has also swooped in on Rex's Boeing 737-800s, with the airline planning to secure leases for three of the aircraft that Rex will no longer use.

'Virgin Australia has made an offer for Rex customers with an existing ticket on a flight cancelled due to the administration process the opportunity to transfer their ticket free of charge to the 13 overlapping Virgin Australia services,' EY said.

Budget airline Rex has plunged into administration, with flights between capital cities grounded

The airline suspended trading on the ASX on Monday and on Tuesday night it was confirmed that EY had been appointed as administrators

'Rex and Virgin Australia are also exploring opportunities to support regional customers, which include Virgin Australia selling Rex's regional services through codeshare or interline arrangements, and making Velocity Frequent Flyer benefits available to Rex's regional customers.'

Rex is the second major domestic airline to collapse in Australia this year following the demise of Bonza.

Rex is even more vital, flying to some 56 destinations across the country, and is a lifeline for some small regional communities.

Prime Minister Anthony Albanese said earlier on Tuesday that the federal government was 'concerned' about Rex and would evaluate its options.

But he also noted the airline already received 'substantial government support with no conditions attached'.

Transport Minister Catherine King said the government was in touch with the airline and keeping an 'hour-by-hour' watch on the situation.

Where Rex flies: The regional carrier is a vital lifeline to regional communities - flying 56 routes

'Regional Australians rely on Rex,' she told Channel Seven's Sunrise on Tuesday.

'It's an incredibly important airline. In many cases (it's) the only airline going into a range of smaller country towns and people are heavily reliant on it.

'We are treating this very seriously and being very vigilant about what is happening, and keeping an eye on the situation hour by hour.'

Rex has built a strong reputation since its inception in 2002 and became known for its reliability.

The Bureau of Infrastructure and Transport Research Economics found in April the airline cancelled just one per cent of its flights - beating all of its competitors.

The domestic airline was recognised internationally at the World Airlines Awards in early July when it received the title for Best Regional Airline in Australia/Pacific.
The unexpected death of a father-of-two has left his pregnant widow raising their children alone.

Nithin Paul, 37, died suddenly in Cairns in far north Queensland on Sunday.

His wife, Dayana and their young children have been left without a husband and father.

Mr Paul was born in Kerala in India's south before moving to New Zealand and then Cairns with his family in 2021.

He was the hospitality co-ordinator at the Malayali Association Cairns (MAC) and a prominent member of the local Malayali community.

The MAC executive committee extended its sympathies towards his family and vowed to support them in any way it could.

The group has already set up a GoFundMe to help support Mr Paul's family going forward.

'In this difficult time, we want to support Nithin's family in any way we can,' the page states.

Nithin Paul, 37, suddenly died in Cairns on Sunday, leaving his pregnant wife Dayana and their young children without a husband and father

Mr Paul was the hospitality co-ordinator at the Malayali Association Cairns (MAC), whose executive committee promised to support his surviving family in any way it could

'The funds raised will help alleviate the burden of immediate and ongoing expenses on the family.

'During the last few years Nithin has tirelessly worked to support our community both at a personal level and as a member of MAC.

'He was a dedicated and selfless individual who tirelessly volunteered his time to the betterment of our community through his involvement with MAC.'

MAC President Bindhu Louis said Mr Paul loved to provide for his community.

'He was a happy man all the time, he was a catering person and made delicious food for us,' Ms Louis told the Cairns Post.

'He was an awesome guy who spent most of his Cairns life for the community.'

News of Mr Paul's death was also shared online by the North Shore Malayali Association, which has extended their 'heartfelt condolences' to the family.

Nithin Paul and his young family had moved to Cairns from New Zealand in 2021

News of Mr Paul's death was also shared online by the North Shore Malayali Association whose President extended their 'heartfelt condolences' to his family

'With deep sorrow, we regret to inform you of the passing of Nithin Paul who had been an active community member with us before he left for Aussie few years ago,' a statement read.

Mr Paul had previously been a chef on the Royal Caribbean chef before leaving to start his own catering business, Dum Dum Biryani.

His parents and brother are now trying to arrange travel to Australia to be with Mrs Paul and their grandchildren

A date for the funeral is yet to be set.

For confidential 24-hour support call Lifeline on 13 11 14 or Beyond Blue on 1300 224 636.
Over a dozen orphaned baby barn owls from Washington, who tragically lost their nests, have now found their new home.

About 15 owls were left without any shelter after the haystacks supporting their nests were removed last year in the state.

As a temporary relief, the hooters were sent to the Blue Mountain Wildlife facility in the Central Washington area but soon had to be displaced again earlier this year.

But now, the big-feathered birds have found their permanent home in a pair of nesting boxes as a result of a collaboration between Washington State University's College of Veterinary Medicine and the Horticulture Center.

About 15 orphaned baby barn owls have found their permanent home in a pair of nesting boxes as a result of a collaboration between Washington State University's College of Veterinary Medicine and the Horticulture Center

Dr Marcie Logsdon, a WSU wildlife veterinarian, told the Seattle Times: 'The really exciting thing about this is that this is the first year that we had our own hack site that we were able to raise and release these barn owls in.

'It's a technique that works especially well with barn owls, because as babies they stay in the cavity nest  until they are pretty much fully flighted.'

Caretakers at the university are also taking special measures to ensure the baby owls do not imprint on the humans and are able to develop into predators.

As a part of caregiving methods without nest boxes, attendants have been wearing ghillie suits to disguise themselves as an owl parent and present food to the younglings.

A study on barn owls in vineyards revealed that a single barn owl family can catch and consume about 3,466 rodents in a year

Caretakers are also taking special measures to ensure the baby owls do not imprint on the humans and are able to develop into predators

Grant Glover, wildlife biologist and farmer on the WSU orchard said: 'Right now, their parents would still be helping them.

'Even when they're on their own, they'll still beg for food from mom and dad, and they'll come feed them and whatnot. So I think that's probably what's going on here.

'Now that they're fledged, we leave some mice on top of the box every night just to kind of fill that role that their parents would have.'

Logsdon further noted that baby barn owls require extensive parental care especially for when they need to be fed.

The expert revealed that a single baby owl is able to consume up to 10 mice per day and in an effort to keep up with high food demands, parents tend delay the hatching of some eggs.

Dr Marcie Logsdon, a WSU wildlife veterinarian noted that baby barn owls require extensive parental care especially for when they need to be fed

Logsdon added: 'It's a way to help the parents raise absolutely as many babies as they can find food for, because the biggest baby owl eats first and it goes down the line. And so they can raise huge numbers of babies that way.

'Its a wonderful, wonderful method of rodent control for things like orchards, which is one of the reasons why were so excited to be able to set this up with the WSU orchard.'

A study on barn owls in vineyards revealed that a single barn owl family can catch and consume about 3,466 rodents in a year.

Combined with their ability to live in close confines with one another, ban owls tend to be perfect alternatives for harmful rodenticides or other forms of pest control for farmers.
One of the migrants accused of assaulting two New York City Police Department officers in Times Square accepted a plea deal in exchange for a light sentence.

Darwin Andres Gomez-Izquiel, 19, pleaded guilty to second-degree assault on Monday for his role in the horrific January 27 attack.

The shame-faced migrant wore a beige jail uniform entered his plea in a faint voice then was led out of Manhattan Supreme Court in handcuffs bowing his head, reported The New York Post.

Gomez-Izquiel's sentencing is scheduled for September 5 where he faces up to one year in prison.

'The sentence should absolutely be longer, but we're glad that this individual is pleading guilty to a felony and will continue serving time for this brazen attack on our brothers,' Police Benevolent Association President Patrick Hendry told The Post.

Darwin Andres Gomez-Izquiel (pictured), 19, pleaded guilty to second-degree assault on Monday for his role in the horrific January 27 attack

The incident erupted when two officers attempted to disperse a group in front of 220 West 42nd Street

'However, the important test will come once his sentence is up. He needs to be deported immediately upon release, without setting another foot on our city streets.'

Prosecutors said Gomez-Izquiel grabbed one officer and kicked the other in the brawl which was captured on film.

The incident erupted when two officers attempted to disperse a group in front of 220 West 42nd Street.

Lieutenant Ben Kurian and Officer Zunxu Tian are said to have suffered lacerations, bruising and substantial shoulder pain.

Gomez-Izquiel was initially released without bail, but was arrested again February in connection to a group that robbed a Macy's in Queens and assaulted an employee.

Gomez-Izquiel could face up to one year in prison for grabbing one officer and kicking the other in the brawl

He is now the second migrant to take a plea deal in the Times Square attack case. Kelvin Servita Arocha, 19, pleaded guilty to obstructing governmental administration on June 18.

Arocha is said to have kicked a police radio during the melee.

Ulises Bohorquez, Yohenry Brito, Edgarlis Vegas, Wilson Juarez and Yorman Reveron have also been charged in the attack.

The Manhattan District Attorney's office has offered plea deals to Bohorquez and Brito for them to serve a year in prison in return to pleading guilty to second-degree assault.

Brito has previously been described as the 'most culpable' of the defendants and videos show the two officers and Brito falling to the ground and during the struggle, other suspects interfered by pulling, grabbing and kicking the cops.

As Brito attempts to wriggle away, the officers are holding on to his shirt that he eventually takes off.

Juarez have been presented a deal where they serve six months in prison for pleading guilty to obstructing a government admin.

Reveron was also offered a deal of two years in prison in exchange for pleading guilty to second degree assault.
Children were seen consoling each other after their 15-year-old friend vanished during a night swim in Huntington Beach on Sunday night.

Two swimmers went into the water near Lifeguard Tower 11, south of Huntington Beach Pier, but only one returned, per authorities.

Witnesses said the came up fast and the waves got bigger, sweeping the boy away.

The US Coast Guard said on Monday night that it had suspended the search for the boy, who has not been named by authorities.

Children were seen consoling each other after their 15-year-old friend vanished during a night swim in Huntington Beach on Sunday night

The US Coast Guard said on Monday night that it had suspended the search for the boy, who has not been named by authorities

'The decision to suspend an active search is never easy and is only made after exhaustive efforts to find the missing person,' said Capt. Stacey Crecy, per ABC 7.

'Our hearts ache for his family and friends.'

Friends of the teen, a rising high school sophomore, participated in the search and spoke to local media.

Love Che-Howell, of the teen's friends, told ABC: 'It's pretty heartbreaking because he was one of my really good friends.

Witnesses said the came up fast and the waves got bigger, sweeping the boy away

'We just came out here and started looking for him on the beach, and we just saw there were cars everywhere. There were helicopters. The whole ocean was lit up. There were lights shining everywhere.'

A small boat crew and an helicopter were dispatched for the search.

The coast guard said waves were about three to five feet high with strong rip currents throughout Sunday.
Video footage has captured the moment a passenger in a stolen BMW cried out for help after the driver smashed the powerful sedan during a police chase, trapping him inside.

A dramatic police chase in Long Beach, California ended in chaos on Monday evening when the suspected car thief crashed the stolen BMW before going airborne and smashing into three parked vehicles.

The driver attempted to flee the scene on foot while the passenger of the stolen car can be heard wailing from inside the vehicle, telling officers, 'I can't, I'm hurt.'

The high-speed pursuit came to a violent conclusion just before 5:30pm when the driver of the allegedly stolen vehicle ran a red light at the intersection of 4th Street and Cherry Avenue - a typically bustling area with trendy shops and dining options.

'It was like a Michael Bay explosion,' witness Bash Lopez, who narrowly escaped the accident told KTLA, referencing the Transformers movie. 'It was huge, cars were flying, I didn't see a way that people could get away from that not being hurt.'

A dramatic police chase in Long Beach, California ended in chaos on Monday evening when the suspected car thief crashed the stolen BMW before going airborne and smashing into three parked vehicles

The high-speed pursuit came to a violent conclusion just before 5:30pm when the driver of the allegedly stolen vehicle ran a red light at the intersection of 4th Street and Cherry Avenue

Long Beach Fire Department officials were called to the scene to extricate the trapped suspect as crowds of onlookers gathered to watch the dramatic rescue unfold

The powerful sedan collided with a passenger car traveling southbound, causing a chain reaction that damaged three parked vehicles.

Footage obtained by KTLA shows the aftermath of the crash, with police approaching the mangled BMW with guns drawn.

Long Beach Fire Department officials were called to the scene to extricate the trapped suspect as crowds of onlookers gathered to watch the dramatic rescue unfold.

According to the Long Beach Police Department, the male driver initially attempted to flee on foot but was apprehended shortly after in the 2000 block of Florida Street.

The driver attempted to flee the scene on foot while the passenger of the stolen car can be heard wailing from inside the vehicle, telling officers, 'I can't, I'm hurt'

Both suspects were hospitalized with upper body injuries and are reported to be in stable condition. Two innocent bystanders in the passenger car that was struck also suffered upper body injuries and were rushed to hospital, where they too are listed as stable

Both suspects in the stolen vehicle were hospitalized with upper body injuries and are reported to be in stable condition.

Two innocent bystanders in the passenger car that was struck also suffered upper body injuries and were rushed to hospital, where they too are listed as stable.

The area surrounding the crash site was closed off as investigators combed the scene for evidence and crews worked to clear the debris.

Authorities have not released the identities of the suspects or victims involved in the incident as the investigation continues.

Fortunately, nobody was killed in the accident. Officials said it could have been 'a lot worse.'

'It was like a Michael Bay explosion,' witness Bash Lopez, who narrowly escaped the accident told KTLA , referencing the transformers movie. 'It was huge, cars were flying, I didn't see a way that people could get away from that not being hurt'

Lopez told KTLA that 'it all happened so quick.'

'I think he saw me because we were like inches away from each other... so he swerved out like way from me, went into the intersection and that's when he got hit.'

'I was kind of reeling for another 30 minutes after it happened,' he told the outlet.
X users have devised an outrageous new set of conspiracy theories - including claims that President Joe Biden has been secretly replaced by an imposter.

A viral video showed the President and his wife, Jill Biden, walking out of the White House after he addressed the nation about his decision to drop out of the Presidential race.

While many commenters praised the 81-year-old for his years of service to his country, conspiracy theorists have since made bizarre claims about his height, and that the man in the video was a 'stand in' for Joe.

Theorists have also suggested that his alleged growth was a side effect of COVID-19, which he battled earlier this month.

The President is currently 6'0, while his wife stands at 5'6.

Conspiracy theorists on X claimed President Joe Biden had mysteriously grown several inches

The President appeared to be taller than his wife after he addressed the nation from the oval office following his drop out from the Presidential race

One theorist did the math and factored in distance and Jill's shoes to conclude that Joe was allegedly four to five inches taller than his wife.

The X user claimed Jill wore two to three-inch heels when she walked out of the White House with her husband.

They believed Jill looked as tall as the President's chin and then claimed the average distance from a chin to the top of a man's head is 24.1 centimeters.

After converting centimeters to inches, using the low end of those numbers, and averaging out the digits, the X user believed he came up with what he believed was the correct height difference.

They concluded his findings by assuming COVID-19 was the reason behind the growth, despite the shoes Jill was wearing that night.

I took a snapshot of Joe & Jill Biden walking out as this is the best comparison side by side



 Joe Biden is said to be 6 0

 Jill Biden is said to be 5 6

 Jill Biden is wearing at least 2-3Heels

 Jill looks to be as tall as Joes Chin

 the average distance from the https://t.co/n09ZWl8jeJ pic.twitter.com/Q7a7vEyoOj  MJTruthUltra (@MJTruthUltra) July 25, 2024

The President is currently 6'0, while his wife stands at 5'6

This new theory is one of a few claims made by X users regarding President Biden's health.

X users created a series of memes last week after he was rumored to be in hospice care after he tested positive for COVID-19 and was out of the public eye for nearly a week.

Multiple X users who created the memes were seemingly inspired by things like 'Where's Waldo?,' missing person posters, and milk cartons that advertised an individual that disappeared.

Well-known radio host Alex Jones also went viral after he posted a July 22 X video asking viewers - 'Is Joe Biden Dead?.'

The video, which has received nearly 8 million views, led to a slew of conspiracy theory tweets, ranging from AI, to the President having been dead for two years.

Several conspiracy theorists have only discussed his height, but more than one person claimed the alleged growth spurt was because of health issues other than COVID-19, including Parkinson's Disease.

X users believed President Biden's alleged growth spurt was because of his battle with COVID-19, or other health issues he has faced in July

'Another side effect of COVID. Apparently it makes you much taller,' an X user tweeted.

Another person wrote: 'Clone number 8 is actually taller. I wonder where they found this one.'

When did Joe Biden grow that much? That's a nice treatment he got for his cold, COVID, etc... Or is it once again not him,' tweeted an X user.

There is no actual evidence to support the claim that Covid 19 makes people taller, or that Biden has been replaced by a body double.
Pete Buttigieg revealed that he found out President Joe Biden was ending his reelection campaign in the same social media post that announced it to the rest of the world.

The Transportation Secretary discussed with Daily Show host Jon Stewart how Biden is doing after he ended his campaign and turned over the reins to Vice President Kamala Harris and whether he felt 'bullied' into doing so.

Buttigieg is being floated as a potential running mate for Harris, although new reports suggest she has narrowed it to three other men  Arizona Gov. Mark Kelly, Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro and Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz.

Questions continue to swirl over the events that led to Biden dropping out of the 2024 race  including whether Harris and others were involved in a 'cover-up' of the extent of the President's cognitive decline.

'Obviously, you know, she represents a lot of continuity with the values of the Biden-Harris campaign and the Biden-Harris administration, but also a different messenger, a different style, a different approach, and people are clearly really fired up and excited about it,' Buttigieg said in the Monday interview.

'I know I am.'

Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg said he found out about President Joe Biden ending his reelection campaign the same way everyone else did  in his social media post

Stewart then asked if this enthusiasm has 'hurt Biden's feelings,' acknowledging it was a 'strange question' to ask but that there was clearly a divide between how voters felt about his candidacy versus his VP's.

'I don't know,' Buttigieg divulged.

'I think even now we might be underselling how world-historically rare it is to be literally the most powerful person in the world, to lay power aside,' the Transportation Secretary continued. 'Just because it's the right thing to do.'

Biden's announcement on July 21 was no shock to most Americans. It came after weeks of pressure from within the Democratic Party for the 81-year-old to 'pass the torch' after a disastrous debate performance against Donald Trump, 78, last month.

Harris, 59, quickly took over Biden's campaign infrastructure and seamlessly transitioned to the de facto 2024 Democratic candidate last week when she earned enough support from delegates to win the nomination.

Buttigieg told Stewart that he didn't know the announcement was coming.

Buttigieg is being floated as a potential vice presidential candidate for Harris as she narrows her search

'I found out the way everybody did,' he said, adding that his husband was the one who told him about it.

'I was actually on a plane, fittingly enough, taxiing in, and Chasten was sitting next to me and checking Twitter and saw the post, and so we found out the same way everybody else did, Buttigieg said.

He admitted: 'And yeah, ever since, I think a lot of us, you know, our heads are spinning. So much has changed. But part of what's changed is this incredible energy that we have now.'

Stewart asked if Biden was pressured into ending his reelection bid.

'No! I mean, that's the thing, right? It was his call and he made that call,' Buttigieg explained.

'And people may second guess the manner of it or the timing of it, but at the end of the day, it was his choice, he made that choice, and it must have been an extraordinarily difficult choice, but also the right choice.'

Buttigieg said on Sunday that he thinks voters are now more concerned about Trump's fitness for office  especially as he now faces a younger candidate in November.

'I'm pretty sure voters are worried about the age and acuity of President Trump compared to Kamala Harris who represents being a generation younger,' Buttigieg told Fox News Sunday host Shannon Bream. 'And how could anybody not watch the stuff he's saying, the rambling on the trail and not be just a little bit concerned?'

'Americans are worried about him in lots of ways and he's not running against President Biden anymore,' he continued.

Harris took over Biden's 2024 campaign infrastructure after he dropped out last weekend

Bream pressed Buttigieg on whether Harris knew the extent of Biden's mental and physical decline as a new poll revealed a huge number of Americans think the VP was involved in a 'cover-up.'

'We're all aware of how he's doing,' he said. 'Our country has watched our president lead, and yes, we've also seen the fact that he's 10 years older than he was years ago.'

'But unlike Republicans, right, who in Trump's personality cult will take a look at Donald Trump and say he's perfectly fine even though he seemed unable to tell the difference between Nikki Haley and Nancy Pelosi, even though he's rambling about electrocuting sharks and Hannibal Lecter, even though he is clearly older and stranger than he was when America first got to know him, they say he's strong as an ox, leaps tall buildings in a single bounds,' Buttigieg said.

He added: 'We don't have that kind of warped reality on our side.'
A notorious influencer who has been terrorizing Seattle residents with his late-night, noisy driving stunts has been taken into custody.

Miles Hudson, the so-called 'Belltown Hellcat', was detained on Monday following a court appearance.

The 20-year-old is accused of taunting his neighbors by revving his Dodge Charger Hellcat, then flooring at speeds up to and over 100mph.

He appeared in court on Monday in connection with stalking and harassment charges, as well as two counts of reckless driving.

Magistrate Judge Seth Niesen set his bail at $5,000 for the stalking charges and a $2,500 for the alleged driving offences after Hudson pleaded not guilty.

Miles Hudson, the so-called 'Belltown Hellcat', was apprehended on Monday following a court appearance

But he has been ordered to pay $83,000 in fines for noise violations stemming from his souped-up car.

Niesen also imposed additional conditions on the provocateur by banning him from posting on his Instagram or Twitch streams.

Hudson has nearly 800,000 followers on Instagram where he frequently brags about his dangerous hobby - and he has been accused of deliberately winding-up Seattle residents for content.

The harsh lesson was handed down after Hudson was spotted filming in the court room prior to his appearance before the judge in a bid to create more content.

'I want to inform the court that I've been made aware by the two officers who are here today that Mr. Hudson has been filming the courtroom on his cell phone and dangling his car keys in front of it and apparently uploading that footage,' Seattle city prosecutor Christopher Karr said, KOMO News reports.

Hudson was told to delete the posts and was also forbidden from driving his vehicle on Washington streets.

'The other obvious problem that the court seems to run into is the use of this Hellcat on the city streets,' Judge Niesen said.

'It's inexorably tied to these alleged crimes and the social media presence, which seems to be kind of the core of all these alleged criminal activity.'

Driver Miles Hudson has been the focus of numerous complaints from residents

He has been pulled over by the police a few times, and the city is now suing him over the noise he is creating

Occasionally, Seattle Police have managed to pull Hudson over. Pictured here in March 2024

The social media personality stands accused of sending intimate images of his ex-girlfriend to her former boyfriend, which he denies.

Hudson was also accused of making a 'mockery' of the court after he showed up to the hearing wearing a face mask which he refused to remove for 'religious' reasons.

Prior to that he had patched into a remote hearing wearing a ski mask and dark glasses, before deliberately positioning his camera to obscure his features when told to remove them.

On Monday he arrived sporting a scarf which covered most of his head and face.

Hudson believes he is being targeted because of his race.

'There are way bigger issues than a black man with a nice car who makes noise occasionally,' he told the Seattle Times.

But the city attorney alleges Hudson 'flaunts' his Charger's excessive noise on his Instagram as he sets out to deliberately keep people awake.

'Mr. Hudson has cultivated online infamy by flagrantly breaking Seattle's laws and waking his neighbors with excessive noise. It's time for him to face the consequences of his actions. That's why I have requested that the court find Mr. Hudson in default and award the City all applicable penalties,' City attorney Ann Davison wrote in a statement.

Known as the Belltown Hellcat, Hudson has drawn the ire of people living in the area including the Seattle Police who have rarely managed to pull him over

Hudson's online success is now fueling his need for speed as he continues to produce more extreme videos of himself, tearing through the downtown cityscape

In one video, the lights of Fourth Avenue in Seattle all turn to green encouraging Hudson to put his pedal to the metal reaching triple-digit speeds

Court filings show that Hudson was supposed to submit proof that he had fixed his car's exhaust system so that it did not make the same level of noise. He is subject to $1,300 in fines for every day his car is not fixed.

'In the two months since that notice of violation, Mr. Hudson has failed to remove the illegal modifications or address the excessive noise,' the city attorney's statement says.

Aside from speeding, Seattle police also issued Hudson with four infractions and note how there have been multiple noise and speed complaints from fed-up locals kept up each night by Hudson's antics.

A Seattle police officer, who also has expertise as a car mechanic, said the exhaust of the Charger had illegally been modified to deliberately backfire, creating an 'exceedingly loud' noise.

His case for two counts of reckless driving was continued until August 12.
Families bereaved in the Omagh bombing have expressed hope that they will finally receive answers as the long called for public inquiry into the atrocity finally opened.

The probe, led by chairman Lord Turnbull, is examining whether the 1998 bombing could reasonably have been prevented by UK authorities.

The bombing was the biggest atrocity of the Troubles, killing 29 people including a woman pregnant with twins, in the town of in Omagh, Northern Ireland.

The dissident republican bomb - planted in a maroon Vauxhall Astra on August 15, 1998 - also injured hundreds of others when it devastated the Co Tyrone town.

Some of the bereaved families, who have called for decades for a public inquiry into alleged security failings, welcomed the inquiry opening yesterday.

As the inquiry began on Tuesday, its chair, Scottish judge Lord Turnbull, vowed it will undertake its work rigorously and fearlessly.

Chair of the Omagh Bombing Inquiry Lord Turnbull at the Strule Arts Centre in Omagh

Omagh bomb campaigners Michael Gallagher (left) who lost his son Aiden and Stanley McCombe (right) who lost his wife Ann

Security experts examine the charred remains of the vehicle thought to have contained the bomb which exploded in Omagh's shopping area in Northern Ireland, August 16, 1998

And as families and survivors gathered at the Strule Arts Centre for the first public hearing, the names of all those killed were read out while those in the hearing room stood for a minutes silence.

In his opening statement, Lord Turnbull said the attack, which came just months after the signing of the Belfast/Good Friday Agreement, caused outrage and consternation across national boundaries and across continents.

He added that the pain of bereavement and trauma caused by the dissident republican bomb attack spread beyond Omagh and Northern Ireland to families from England and Spain.

The probe is expected to scrutinise the sharing of intelligence information, the use of mobile phone analysis, whether there was advance knowledge of the bomb and whether disruption operations could have been utilised to stop it.

But it is not its purpose to identify the individuals responsible.

Three days after the attack, the Real IRA claimed responsibility. The dissident republican group said its targets were 'commercial' and apologised to 'civilian' victims.

No one has ever been convicted for the bombing, however, Real IRA leader Michael McKevitt was found responsible in a 2009 civil case. Liam Campbell, Colm Murphy and Seamus Daly were also found liable for the attack.

It has been contended that the terrorists prepared the bomb in the Republic of Ireland and fled back across the border after planting it in Omagh on August 15 1998.

The Irish government has promised to assist the inquiry, but it has rebuffed a call for a separate or joint public inquiry.

The inquiry said, however, it is seeking clear written agreements with the Irish government over co-operation, including access to materials held in the Republic of Ireland and Irish witnesses.

A police officer looking at the damage caused by a bomb explosion in Market Street, Omagh

Claire Hayes, sister of Alan Radford who was killed in the Omagh bomb, with her husband Jony Hayes at the Strule Arts Centre in Omagh

Former Northern Ireland Secretary Chris Heaton-Harris established the probe to investigate whether the attack could have been avoided

Omagh bomb campaigner Michael Gallagher speaks to the media at the Silver Birch Hotel in Omagh, Co Tyrone, after then Northern Ireland Secretary Chris Heaton-Harris said he intended to establish an independent statutory inquiry into the 1998 bombing

The inquiry into the atrocity was ordered last year by former secretary of state Chris Heaton-Harris following a legal challenge by a bereaved family.

Michael Gallagher, whose son Aiden died in the Real IRA attack, brought the legal challenge that resulted in a judge directing the state to act.

High Court judge Mr Justice Horner, in a judgment, directly recommended that the UK Government carry out an investigation into alleged security failings in the lead-up to the atrocity.

While having no jurisdiction to order the Irish government to act on the matter, the judge urged authorities there to establish their own probe in light of his findings.

Earlier this month, the Irish government formally agreed to provide assistance to the inquiry.

Mr Gallagher welcomed the start of the inquiry yesterday and said the hearing will be the first time since 1998 that all of the bereaved families, including those caught up in the blast from Spain, will come together.

Speaking as he arrived at the Strule Arts Centre on Tuesday morning, Mr Gallagher said it had taken a long time to get here.

It has taken us 26 years to get here and were just delighted, he said.

One of the sad ironies is that when I got up this morning and saw the sunshine, it was exactly the same on August 15, 1998. It was one of the most beautiful days of that year.

Its good to be here. Its a long time but we are where we want to be and we just have to wait and see where this inquiry takes us.

Every morning I waken up and still pinch myself, I cant believe that were there.

Stanley McCombe, who lost his wife Ann in the bombing, said he had great faith in Lord Turnbull and his legal team. After years of hard labour were hopeful, were very very hopeful, he added.

Lord Turnbull vowed the inquiry will undertake its work rigorously and fearlessly

Strule Arts Centre in Omagh where chairman of the inquiry Lord Turnbull convened the first public hearing into the Omagh bomb attack

Chair of the Omagh Bombing Inquiry Lord Turnbull at the Strule Arts Centre in Omagh, ahead of the first public hearing

Paul Greaney KC, Counsel to the Omagh Bombing Inquiry, arriving at the Strule Arts Centre in Omagh

Ruairi de Burca (centre), a senior official with the Government of Ireland Department of Foreign Affairs, arriving at the Strule Arts Centre in Omagh

Survivors have also gathered in Omagh for the hearing which included opening remarks from the chair and counsel to the chair Paul Greaney KC.

Commemorative and personal statements are set to be made during inquiry hearings next January.

The Daily Mail has long campaigned on behalf of the families for both transparency and justice.

Two years after the attack, relatives announced in the Mail their intention to launch a landmark legal action for damages and readers helped raise 1.2million - with the Government subsequently providing the extra 800,000 needed to bring a civil case.

The nine-year crusade - spearheaded by the Mail - resulted in a historic court victory in 2009 as families were awarded more than 1.6million in damages against four Real IRA terrorists over the bombing.

As the inquiry opened, chair Lord Turnbull said it will undertake its task rigorously and fearlessly, and emphasised the defining character of the inquiry must be its independence.

He said: The value which the inquiry attaches to its independence means that it will not be amenable to influence from any government or from any state agency.

It will not allow itself to be deflected from its purpose by the difficulties which may lie in its way on account of the passage of time or the volume and complexity of materials.

Lord Turnbull also told the hearing that he will approach the task with an open mind, and will assess the evidence which is heard both fairly and reasonably.

He added: I will do so without any preformed view or impression as to whether the atrocity could or could not have been prevented.

In his opening statement, Paul Greaney KC, counsel to inquiry chairman Lord Turnbull, said it is highly likely, if not inevitable, that the state authorities within the Republic of Ireland hold evidence and bearing upon the inquiry's terms of reference.

He added that access to materials and citizens requires co-operation from the Irish government.

He said inquiry staff have held a number of meetings with Irish government officials and the Irish police, and commended positive discussions.

He said: The discussions that have taken place have been positive, and during them, the government of Ireland has expressed a strong desire to co-operate fully with the inquiry.

The challenge is to see the engagement that has occurred to date translated to meaningful engagement with the inquiry's processes, both leading up to and during the course of inquiries or evidence hearings.

We emphasise that the inquiry team does not doubt that the government of Ireland has a strong commitment to achieving that vital aim.

He added: The intention of the inquiry is to ensure that those discussions now move into a practical phase in which clear written agreements are put in place, to make certain that the inquiry has full access to any potentially relevant materials held by the state authorities in the Republic of Ireland, and that it has the ability to obtain statements and call witnesses to attend the inquiry, to give evidence in person.

Two senior officials from Ireland's Department of Foreign Affairs attended the inquiry hearing on Tuesday.

The Irish government told the inquiry that it will do everything in its power to help.

A statement was read out during proceedings by one of its Department of Foreign Affairs officials, Ruairi de Burca, who said assistance will be grounded in law to support concrete action.

Mr de Burca added: The government is committed to put in place additional new legislation, if that is what is required, to support our assistance to the Inquiry.

These important details are being worked through with the inquiry team, to ensure that our engagement proceeds on the strongest possible footing.

Our commitment is to ensure that there is nothing left unanswered in our jurisdiction at the end of the inquiry.

Dublin has previously faced criticism for rejecting calls from some victims families to establish its own public inquiry into the bombing.
A former marine who was ordered to remove an outlandish eight-foot sign from his porch is celebrating a win for free speech after local officials revised their ban.

Pennsylvania resident Dave Bliler on Tuesday said he had 'shut down' the restrictions imposed on him by the borough and once again raised a 'F**k the government' sign on his property.

The Bliler family took legal action against what they called an 'unconstitutional infringement' of their First Amendment rights by Olyphant Borough, which had threatened to fine them.

The borough did not answer DailyMail.com's request for comment.

Bliler said he was inspired to fight the ban by a Supreme Court ruling that 'government has no power to restrict expression.'

A first amendment battle unfolded as residents of Olyphant Borough, Pennsylvania, challenge the borough sign ordinance against the monstrosity situated on the front porch of their home that reads 'F*** THE GOVERNMENT' in bold red font

'That ideal inspired me to put up my sign,' he told DailyMail.com on Tuesday.

'I'm grateful that our lawsuit could shut down the borough's restrictions on our most basic right to free speech.'

Americans have long distrusted their government, and complaints against it are common  though not always expressed in such direct terms as on the Blilers' sign.

Lawyer Harmeet Dhillon

In recent years, anti-government feeling has motivated the right, meaning the borough's restrictions could be seen as partisan.

Plaintiffs Dave, Chelsea, and Paige Bliler brought the case against the Olyphant Borough, Pennsylvania and William Shigo, the Borough's Zoning Officer.

Their suit was in response to an enforcement letter, alleging a violation of the sign ordinance, threatening a $500 fine, and mandating a permitting process by the borough.

The rule imposed a one-sign limit, not exceeding six square feet, subject to a content-reviewing permitting process.

The Blilers took down the offending sign, but also took legal action late last year.

Under this week's settlement, the borough revised its rules and now lets residents display up to three signs, each with a maximum size of sixteen square feet

It also eliminates the need for a permit.

Their lawyer, Harmeet Dhillon, CEO and founder of the conservative Center for American Liberty, hailed a victory over a 'foundational principle of our republic.'

The Blilers have proudly raised their 'F*** THE GOVERNMENT' sign once again, a stark critique of government failures in recent years

The Bliler family took legal action against what they perceive as an 'unconstitutional infringement' on their First Amendment rights

In 2021, A New Jersey woman has won an appeal to keep her 'F**k Biden' banner just over a week after a local judge ordered her to remove them or face a $250-a-day fine

It 'sends a powerful message that Olyphant Borough's sign ordinance and enforcement actions flagrantly violated the Constitution by imposing unnecessary restrictions and outright banning protected political speech,' she added.

In a similar case from 2021, a New Jersey woman won an appeal to keep her 'F**k Biden' banner after a local judge ordered her to remove it or face a $250-a-day fine

Andrea Dick, 54, hung 10 pro-Trump signs on her Roselle Park home, where she lives with her mom, that included the former president extending two middle fingers over the words 'F**k Biden'.

Municipal Court Judge Gary Bundy ordered Dick to take down three of the 10 signs or face a daily fine of $250 because they violated local public obscenity laws.

But Judge Bundy's ruling was vacated by the state's Supreme Court after the ACLU got involved and warned that Bundy's edict violated Dick's First Amendment right to freedom of speech.

The civil liberties organization challenged the original ruling, with New Jersey's Supreme Court agreeing.
Three girls stabbed to death by a hooded knifeman who stormed a Taylor Swift-themed dance class in Southport have been named today after seven people, including five children, were rushed to hospital in a critical condition.

Bebe King, six, was pronounced dead shortly after the attack, with heartbreaking photographs show her cuddling her father, Ben King.

She attended Churchtown Primary School in Southport, MailOnline understands.

Elsie Dot Stancombe, seven, was also confirmed to have died on Monday as nine other children and two adult women were rushed to hospital.

Earlier today, 'happy smiley' Alice Aguiar, nine, was named after she died in hospital in the early hours of Tuesday.

Five further children, aged between six and 11, were in a critical condition alongside two female adults, among them hero teacher Leanne Lucas, who 'bravely tried to protect them'.

Alder Hey Children's hospital this afternoon released a statement confirming that seven children had been taken to the site for treatment. One of those was Alice, and of the others, two remain in a critical condition, a spokesperson said.

Six-year-old Bebe King was pronounced dead shortly after the attack in Southport on Monday

Elsie Dot Stancombe, seven, was also confirmed to have died on Monday as nine other children and two adult women were rushed to hospital

Another of the children killed in the horror Southport stabbing attack was today named as Alice Aguiar, nine

Heartbreaking floral tributes and teddy bears were left at the scene of the attack on Tuesday afternoon

A tribute to 'the lost angels' sits alongside a fluffy teddy bear in a heartbreaking message for the little children

A 17-year-old boy remains in custody accused of murder and attempted murder and is being questioned following the incident in Southport, Merseyside, on Monday.

In a statement, Bebe's family said: 'No words can describe the devastation that has hit our family as try to deal with the loss of our little girl Bebe.'

Churchtown Primary School released a statement this afternoon and said: 'Our whole Churchtown Primary School community is utterly heartbroken by the tragic events that have taken place. We stand united with all of our families and the wider Southport community during this incredibly difficult time.'

The family of Alice also paid tribute to their 'princess'.

They said: 'Keep smiling and dancing like you love to do our Princess, like we said before to you, you're always our princess and no one would change that. Love from Your Hero Daddy and Mummy.'

Devastated relatives of Alice said she had been taken by a 'despicable human being.'

Her mother Alexandra Aguiar is understood to be originally from Caracas in Venezuela and her dad David Aguiar is from the Portuguese island of Madeira.

Relative Carina Aguiar, a hotel worker who lives in Camara de Lobos in Madeira, posted a link on her social media to news Merseyside Police had confirmed a third child' had died following the attack and wrote tear emojis beside it.

Earlier she posted a photo of a black ribbon on her Facebook alongside Alice's name after writing in an emotional tribute: 'Princess Alice. In this moment of great pain my soul hurts, my body hurts, my mind hurts. I have a lump in my throat.

'You were just an innocent child, a happy smiley girl with a bright life ahead of you which a despicable human being took away from you, without pity, for no reason.'

Firefighters from Merseyside joined members of the public in paying tribute to those killed and injured in the stabbings

Forensic officers were seen at the scene in Southport on Tuesday as investigations begin

Floral tributes pile up by the side of the road as locals flock to share their sympathy after the tragedy

Floral tributes near the scene in Hart Street, Southport, where two children died and nine were injured in a 'ferocious' knife attack

Liliana Soares wrote: 'What a huge tragedy. My pretty and innocent angel. Such tremendous pain. My sincerest condolences Carina to the whole family.'

Another family friend, Henrique Drummond, wrote on social media in a direct message to Alice's parents: 'David Aguiar, Alexandra Aguiar. Life is so cruel that an animal takes the life of children, especially our Alice. Lots of strength in these extremely difficult moments.'

Father John Heneghan, who led Alice Aguir's first communion service, described her as a 'beautiful girl from a lovely family' - adding that they had only been to mass on Sunday morning, 24 hours before the tragedy.

Describing Alice at her First Communion, Fr Heneghan, parish priest at St Patrick's for eight years, said he remembered 'little Alice' having the most beautiful smile, a radiant smile, if you'd say the epitome of happiness that day, she was it.'

'We can't make sense of it,' he added.

Portuguese Foreign Ministry sources confirmed today a Portuguese girl had died.

One said: 'Portugal's Consul General in Manchester is assisting the family, having spoken to her parents, and is continuing to offer them all the support they need.'

Police say they are not looking for anyone else and do not believe the incident is terrorism related.

Brave Leanne Lucas, 35, (pictured) who organised the Taylor Swift-themed workshop, suffered stab injuries after the man entered the venue through the unlocked door, which was left open amid the scorching heat

The local teacher saved 16 children as the 25-strong class aged between six and 11, while nine children were taken to hospital. One has since died, with five still in a critical condition

She organised the dance, yoga and bracelet making workshop in Southport with Heidi Barlow, also 35, a fellow dance teacher, (pictured) who advertised the event as being for 'Swifties'

The attack happened at a Taylor Swift-themed workshop on Hart Street in Southport. Police later swooped on a property in Banks, five miles away

Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer visited Southport this afternoon and thanked emergency service workers who responded to the knife attack, telling them: 'I hope you feel proud of the part that you played in the most difficult circumstances, to do what you could for those young lives.'

He added: 'It is sometimes really important in life just to come and say a simple thank you to all of you, so let me do that, on behalf of myself, on behalf of the government, on behalf of the country - thank you.'

The fully-booked club for children, which was advertised as a dance and yoga workshop as well as bracelet-making, quickly became something 'like a horror movie', witnesses to the deadly stabbings have said.

Locals said the alleged knifeman arrived at the dance studio wearing a black hooded top and facemask in a taxi and got out without paying.

They said the suspect then walked into the studio through a front door that was unlocked for fire safety reasons.

Emergency services said the scene was 'horrific' and 'chaotic' as they arrived at the children's club.

Police said the suspect, who was born in Cardiff, is from the village of Banks, just outside Southport, and a road in the area was cordoned off by detectives on Monday afternoon.

All the casualties are being treated in hospital, including children's hospitals in Liverpool and Manchester.

The attack happened at a Taylor Swift themed yoga and dance workshop

Taylor Swift said she is 'completely in shock' after the 'horror' of the Southport knife attack

Home Secretary Yvette Cooper and Southport MP Patrick Hurley embrace as they pay tribute to those injured and killed in the horror attack

At the scene today, flowers and teddies were left by the police cordon. One message in a 'Thinking Of You' card said 'thoughts and prayers' are with those affected and was signed: 'Love - Southport.' Another said: 'Fly high with angels little ones.'

Prime Minister visits Southport and thanks emergency services Visiting Southport on Tuesday, Sir Keir Starmer told emergency service workers: 'I hope you feel proud of the part that you played in the most difficult circumstances, to do what you could for those young lives.' 'It is sometimes really important in life just to come and say a simple thank you to all of you, so let me do that, on behalf of myself, on behalf of the government, on behalf of the country - thank you.' He added: 'I came here to pay my respects to the victims and families who are going through raw pain and grief that most of us can't imagine - I can't imagine, as a dad myself. 'To get a briefing from the chief constable and the emergency services about the ongoing investigation but, also, importantly, to have the opportunity to say to those that were responding yesterday from emergency services, say a personal thank you to them and to shake their hand, and to say that as Prime Minister on behalf of the country, we are grateful for what they did. 'They, of course, say that they will respond, they're professionals, to anything, but there's no pretending that what they had to respond to yesterday was ordinary. 'It was very, very difficult. They were absolutely professional. And it was important for me to come and say simple words - thank you.' Advertisement

In a social media post, Taylor Swift shared her horror at the 'loss of life and innocence' at the workshop.

She wrote: 'The horror of yesterday's attack in Southport is washing over me continuously, and I'm just completely in shock.

'The loss of life and innocence, and the horrendous trauma inflicted on everyone who was there, the families, and first responders.

'These were just little kids at a dance class. I am at a complete loss for how to ever convey my sympathies to these families.'

A JustGiving page - set up by Taylor Swift fans - has already raised more than 100,000 to help families affected by the tragedy and pay for the two funerals, with more than 6,500 donations.

Sir Keir Starmer today opened Cabinet by acknowledging the 'truly horrific' event in Southport.

'He said the thoughts of the whole Cabinet and the entire country would be with those who were attacked and their families who are going through an unimaginable ordeal,' the Prime Minister's official spokesman said.

'He added that it was hard to find words to express what the grieving families and community must be going through.'

Home Secretary Yvette Cooper visited the town to lay flowers at the police cordon on Hart Street in Southport this morning.

Ms Cooper, Southport MP Patrick Hurley, Merseyside Police Chief Constable Serena Kennedy, Merseyside Fire and Rescue Service's Chief Fire Officer Phil Garrigan and Merseyside police and crime commissioner Emily Spurrell walked to the cordon together, each holding a bouquet of flowers.

A crew from Merseyside Fire and Rescue Service also paid tribute. About a dozen firefighters walked together to the cordon on Hart Street and laid flowers, with a message to say they were 'thinking of everyone involved'.

Home Secretary Yvette Cooper pays tribute to the child victims of the horror knife attack

An aerial view of Hart Street, where a horrifying knife attack took place just before midday

Emergency crews and forensic teams descended on the scene after 13 people were stabbed

The Home Secretary stood for a few moments looking at the tributes before laying her flowers and reading some of the messages left by others.

She and Mr Hurley hugged. She is understood to have met with first responders in the town earlier.

Speaking to the media today, Southport MP Patrick Hurley said: 'The town is in mourning, the town is in shock this morning. The incident that took place yesterday was uniquely horrific.

'Southport's a quiet seaside, coastal town. This has just sent shockwaves through the whole community.

'It's a very small town, Southport, and a lot of families across the area will be impacted directly.

'I think at this stage we need to just reach out, make sure that there's a level of community healing going on and make sure we give voice to the solidarity that people need right now.'

Police screens up at the scene of the tragic stabbing incident in Hart Street in Southport

Southport locals have also rushed to leave their kind words, with one saying their 'thoughts and prayers are with you'

Alongside the bouquets of flowers are stuffed toys for the children, including a panda and a rabbit

Chief Constable Serena Kennedy, of Merseyside Police, said those injured had all suffered stab wounds in the 'ferocious attack'.

She added: 'We believe that the adults who were injured were bravely trying to protect the children who were being attacked.

'As a mum and a nana, I can't begin to imagine the pain and suffering that the families of the victims are going through at this moment in time.

'I wish to send my heartfelt condolences to them.'

Brave Leanne Lucas, 35, who organised the yoga and bracelet making class is among the adult victims fighting for her life in hospital.

The primary school supply teacher - who now teaches children's yoga workshops - suffered stab injuries after a man entered the venue through the unlocked door, which was left open amid the scorching heat, and started attacking children.

Ms Lucas and her co-organiser and dance teacher Heidi Barlow, also 35, saved 16 children as the 25-strong class aged between six and 11.

Ms Barlow was also injured in the attack, although not seriously, MailOnline understands.

Two female adults were rushed to hospital after police say they 'bravely tried to protect them' from the attack at the Hart Space Studios on Hart Street.

Ms Lucas, who's also a qualified primary school teacher, is the owner and founder of Enlighten, planned the two-hour session to coincide with the start of the school holidays.

Floral tributes near the scene in Hart Street, Southport, where two children died and nine were injured in a 'ferocious' knife attack

A person leaves flowers near the scene in Hart Street, Southport, where the event took place

Police officers near the scene in Hart Street, Southport, this morning following the stabbing yesterday

She was hailed today by relatives who paid tribute to her bravery and love for her students.

Pauline Bennett, 64, said: 'She's only tiny, she wouldn't have stood a chance against a man with a knife, but she just wanted to protect those children.

'I can't imagine what she would have been thinking when he came through the door. It all happened so quickly, she just did what she could.

'Her sister stayed at her bedside all night and her parents are with her now. We're just hoping and praying that she's going to be ok.

'Leanne loves teaching children, it's all she's ever wanted to do. She just loves children.

'It's just heartbreaking that someone could do something like this.'

A former school friend said: 'To my knowledge she organised it, she used to be a primary school teacher at a local school.

Ms Lucas - who taught in China and Dubai before the Covid pandemic hit - is a big fan of Taylor Swift, her aunt said.

A little girl is helped as she takes flowers to leave with the line of floral tributes

North West Ambulance Service (NWAS) sent 13 ambulances, specialised resources of its Hazardous Area Response Team, Air Ambulance and Merit Doctors to the scene

Emergency services rushed to the scene after reports of a stabbing spree

'Then she came home in Covid and now this happens. She went to the Taylor Swift concert and she got a big poster of her for the kids.'

Posting a photo of Ms Lucas on Facebook, Sunshine Yoga wrote: 'I'm absolutely devastated. Please please pray for Leanne.

'Leanne came on my training course in December. A beautiful young creative girl who was so passionate about helping children.

'I just can't believe it. Please pray.'

Others described the news as 'devastating' and 'heartbreaking'.

One Facebook user wrote: 'I'm in shock. Thinking of you Leanne and everyone involved, love and prayers go out to you all.'

Another added: 'Thank you for your bravery in defending your class. I pray you get to see how proud the whole town is of your actions today.'

According to Leanne's Facebook page, she had only recently returned to the UK after a holiday in Italy that included a trip to Venice and the Dolomite Mountains.

Ms Barlow was a dance teacher at Southport Dance Academy, where she had recently taken time off to have a baby girl.

Wishing her luck last year, the school said: 'We are sending you lots of love and hope you are enjoying all the quality time together.'

Reacting to the tragic news today, the academy posted on Instagram: 'Thoughts and prayers for everyone affected by today's shocking events. Southport together.'

Photos from her social media show her celebrating marriage two years ago and her paying tribute to her 'gorgeous' students as her classes were halted over lockdown.
An irate Bec Judd has continued her one-woman war on youth crime in her affluent Melbourne suburb with another social media post attacking the Victorian government.

In an Instagram story, the influencer and former AFL WAG fired up over a 16-year old boy being released on bail after he allegedly stole a Mercedes from a woman with cerebral palsy and crashed into a Volvo being driven by a mum picking up her kids from school.

Judd attached a news report of the alleged incident, which happened in her suburb of Brighton in Melbourne's Bayside, to her Instagram story

The 16-year-old driver was allegedly speeding and driving the stolen Mercedes on the wrong side of the road before crashing into the Volvo.

The Mercedes had been stolen hours earlier and had been been specially modified for the owner who has cerebral palsy.

The alleged driver was charged with theft of a motor vehicle and was bailed to appear in court at a later date.

The alleged incident sparked anger from Judd, who took aim at Victorian Premier Jacinta Allan and state Attorney General Jaclyn Symes.

'Keep Victorians (not just Baysiders) safe. Already out on bail and probably breaking into some innocent persons home tonight,' Judd captioned the TV news segment shared

Bec Judd (pictured) has continued her one-woman war on crime with another social media post attack on the Victorian government

Victorian Premier Jacinta Allen (pictured) has once again been targeted by Bec Judd

'@jacintaallanmp @jaclynsymesmp Victoria is falling to pieces on your watch. You should both be ashamed.'

Earlier this month, Judd expressed her anger that one of the youths allegedly involved in the kidnapping of teenager Benjamin Phikhohpoom in Melbourne that left him with permanent brain damage had walked free despite pleading guilty.

'Victoria, this is not OK but sadly just another case of a violent offender let off because our laws are weak,' Judd wrote on social media.

Last month, Judd slammed Melbourne as 'woke, broke and violent' after residents were encouraged to put Apple AirTags in their cars amid a crimewave in the city.

The 16-year-old alleged driver of the stolen Mercedes was charged with theft of a motor vehicle and will appear in court at a later date

The footy WAG, who lives in a $7.3million mansion in Brighton, was drawn to comment on an interview between 3AW radio's Jacqui Felgate and Sandringham Liberal MP, Brad Rowswell.

During the talk, Mr Rowswell was asked about a rise in violent crime in Melbourne's suburbs.

The MP was asked about a suggestion at a community safety forum in Beaumaris last Thursday that residents consider placing AirTag trackers inside their cars in case they are stolen - something Judd took issue with.

'Melbourne this is sad. Woke, broke and violent. I can't believe we are living like this,' Judd wrote online.

In March, Judd called out Premier Allan after a home invasion in Bayside left an elderly man fighting for his life.
Chris Kenny has accused ABC Media Watch host Paul Barry of employing 'disgusting smears' by 'insinuating' the Sky News host has criticised US presidential candidate Kamala Harris because she is a woman of Indian heritage.

Kenny used his show to return fire at Barry, who took aim at Sky News presenters on Monday night over their negative coverage of Ms Harris after she took over as the Democrat candidate for the upcoming US election when President Joe Biden stood aside.

'He deliberately leaves that odious suggestion (that Kenny and other News Corp commentators target Ms Harris because of her gender and ethnicity) out there,' Kenny fumed on Tuesday night.

'As the daughter of an Indian immigrant, Kamala Harris shares not just the gender but a significant part of her ethnic heritage with my wife and therefore my two children, so Barry ought to be ashamed of his smears.'

'But he won't be, he takes a salary from taxpayers, taxpayers like you and I, and he uses it to run an ideological program, that attempts to demonize those who disagree with him.

'You thought it was your ABC, they think it's their ABC but for Paul Barry, well he runs amok like it's his ABC, because nobody is in charge over there.'

Kenny is married to Sydney lawyer Sunita Kenny and the couple have two sons.

On this week's episode of Media Watch, Barry accused Kenny of following the lead of Republican contender Donald Trump by painting Ms Harris as 'crazy, cackling Kamala', ignoring her record as a prosecutor and attorney-general in California.

Sky News host Chris Kenny has hit back at what he labelled 'disgusting smears' made against him by Media Watch host Paul Barry

On Media Watch, Paul Barry speculated that Sky News commentators were getting their cues from Donald Trump

Kenny returned serve to accuse Barry of being 'deliberately deceptive' by 'selectively' using clips to create create misleading impressions.

'Paul Barry is supposed to be an objective observer but he just uses the weekly program to promote his green left political causes and slam his perceived ideological enemies at News Corp and especially here at Sky News,' Kenny said.

'He does it every week and to start with in this latest piece of publicly funded fake news he pretended people like me were taking our cues to criticize Harris now from Donald Trump or from Fox News.

'When in fact Barry must know, because he and his team watch us closely, they must know that plenty of us have criticized Harris for four years since she was first chosen by Joe Biden.'

Kenny played old clips of him criticising Ms Harris and saying she was picked on 'identity grounds' and backed this contention up by showing clips of Mr Biden saying how inspiring Ms Harris would be to 'little black and brown girls'.

'Paul Barry seems to recognize Harris as an identity pick but he verbals others doing the same,' Kenny said.

He played a clip from Media Watch where Barry said 'before choosing Harris to be his running mate Joe Biden said he would pick a woman and would prefer a person of color cue Chris Kenny on Sky to imply that is her only qualification.

Kenny said while he maintained Ms Harris was a diversity pick, what Barry failed to mention were the numerous criticisms he had made of her behaviour and performance as vice president.

The Sky News host accused Barry and the ABC of 'censoring' the failures and awkward inappropriate giggling that Ms Harris used to disguise her lack of substance.

'The ABC have censored all these (embarrassing incidents) over the years, just like they also failed to show their viewers the inane set piece speeches from the vice president,' he said.

Kenny and Barry were in war of words over the way Sky News has portrayed Democrat presidential nominee Kamala Harris

Kenny claimed that the ABC was running protection for Ms Harris and 'riding shotgun for her'.

'We all know how dishonest this leftist media is because they all tried to hide the feebleness of Joe Biden,' Kenny said.

'They either didn't show you his brain fades and embarrassing episodes, they deliberately censored them or they made excuses for them.'

'Just as they ran protection for President Joe Biden they're now running protection for Kamala Harris.
Shocking surveillance footage captured the moment Florida rapper Julio Foolio was executed in an 'ambush' style attack - as police announce the arrest of four suspects.

Julio Foolio, whose real name is Charles Jones, was celebrating his 26th birthday at an Airbnb with friends before he checked into a Home 2 Suites hotel, where he was killed on June 23.

Security camera footage shows three armed shooters firing at Jones in the parking lot while he was sitting in the passenger seat of a car attempting to flee the scene.

Police said five suspects from rival gangs conspired to commit the first-degree premediated murder of the up and coming rapper.

Three of the suspects - Alicia Andrews, 21, Isaiah Chance, 21, and Sean Gathright, 18 - were arrested in the middle of a storm in Jacksonville on Saturday.

Security camera footage shows three armed shooters firing at Florida rapper Julio Foolio in the parking lot while he was sitting in the passenger seat of a car attempting to flee the scene

Julio Foolio, whose real name is Charles Jones, was celebrating his 26th birthday at an Airbnb with friends before he checked into a Home 2 Suites hotel and was murdered

A fourth suspect, Rashad Murphy, 30, was arrested just after midnight on Tuesday following a dramatic standoff with police.

Police are working to track down a fifth suspect, Davion Murphy, 27, who is still at large.

'All five suspects traveled from Jacksonville to Tampa on June 22, 2024, in two separate vehicles to locate and kill Jones in retaliation for an ongoing Jacksonville rival gang feud,' Tampa police said.

Jones is said to be a member of the '6 Block' gang in Jacksonville which has a long ongoing feud with two other allied street gangs known as 'ATK' and '1200.'

Police said Chance is a documented ATK gang member, and Rashad Murphy and Davion Murphy are documented 1200 gang members.

Police said five suspects from rival gangs conspired to commit the first-degree premediated murder of the up and coming rapper

Isaiah Chance (pictured), 21, who police said is a documented ATK gang member and one of the shooters, was arrested on Saturday

Alicia Andrews (pictured), 21, was arrested at the same location as Chance in the pouring rain

Chance and Andrews allegedly tracked down Jones and his entourage to two separate locations on the night of June 23.

At each location Chance got out of the car and used his cell phone, then a second suspect vehicle arrived at each location.

Both vehicles then followed the victim and his entourage to the Home 2 Suites located at 11606 McKinley Drive where the shooting occurred.

At the hotel one vehicle drove by Jones parked cars twice and left, then video shows three armed shooters getting in position to execute Jones.

The three shooters - identified by police as Rashad Murphy, Sean Gathright, and Davion Murphy - are seen firing at Jones car as he tried to flee the scene.

Sean Gathright (pictured), 18, was arrested a local Jacksonville shopping center on Saturday as a thunderstorm rolled in

A fourth suspect, Rashad Murphy (pictured), 30, was arrested just after midnight on Tuesday following a dramatic standoff with police

Rashad Murphy was tracked down to an apartment complex off Collins Road where police had to use tactics such as setting off smoke in his unit (pictured) to get him to come out

Gathright was arrested a local Jacksonville shopping center on Saturday as a thunderstorm rolled in.

Andrews and Chance were arrested outside of a residence in the pouring rain by the Jacksonville Sherriff's Office SWAT Team.

'Isaiah Chance, this is the Jacksonville Sherriff's Office. We are here in your driveway. We have a warrant for your arrest. Come to the front door with nothing in your hands, we are not going away,' police said.

Footage of the arrests show Chance coming out of the house first wearing a red hoodie, black pants and white slides.

Police are working to track down a fifth suspect, Davion Murphy (pictured), 27, who is still at large

The up-and-coming rapper, who had one million followers on Instagram, has been a target of numerous shootings in the past

Andrews came out after and was arrested without shoes on as the rain continued to come down.

Rashad Murphy was arrested by the Jacksonville Sheriff Office and U.S. Marshals Service who tracked him down tp an apartment complex off Collins Road.

Police evacuated nearby residents and spent hours trying to talk him out of the complex.

Eventually they had to use tactics such as setting off smoke in this unit to get him to come out.
The Secret Service's now-top leader Ronald Rowe admitted he had no defense as for why the rooftop where Thomas Matthew Crooks fired shots toward former President Trump was left open.

Crooks fired eight rounds toward Trump from a nearby unsecured rooftop, killing firefighter veteran Corey Comperatore, critically injuring two and grazing Trump with a bullet in his ear.

'I went to the roof of the AGR building where the assailant fired shots, and I laid in a prone position to evaluate his line of sight. What I saw made me ashamed as a career law enforcement officer and a 25 year veteran with the Secret Service. I cannot defend why that roof was not better secured,' he told Congress on Tuesday.

'When I laid in that position I could not, will not understand why there was not better coverage or at least somebody looking at that roof line when that's where they were posted,' Rowe said, noting that Crooks' head would have been clearly visible from the unmanned rooftop.

Former Secret Service Director Kimberly Cheatle had been criticized for not visiting the rally site prior to her hearing on Capitol Hill last week, which prompted her resignation.

Rowe said when he traveled to Butler he reenacted the shooting to see how well a sniper should have been able to spot Crooks based on the sloping of the roof.

Reenactment of shooter on roof by Secret Service

Acting Director Rowe and Deputy FBI Director Paul Abbate testified in a rare joint Senate hearing on Tuesday.

Thirty seconds before Crooks fired his shots, local law enforcement had radioed to Secret Service warning about a man with a rifle on the roof. Around three and a half minutes before that, he'd been 'observed on the roof.'

Law enforcement 'should've been on that roof and the fact that they were in the building is something that I'm still trying to understand,' Rowe said when Sen. Josh Hawley, R-Mo., pressed him on whistleblower reports that law enforcement was supposed to be stationed on the roof but was not up there because it was 'too hot.'

Acting Director Rowe and Deputy Secret Service Director Paul Abbate testified in a rare joint Senate hearing on Tuesday

Abbate revealed that the FBI had identified a social media account they believed belonged to the shooter.

'In about the 2019, 2020 time frame, there were over 700 comments posted from this account. Some of these comments, if ultimately attributable to the shooter, appear to reflect anti-Semitic and anti-immigrant themes to espouse political violence and are described as extreme in nature,' Abbate said.

Rowe said that since the shooting he'd implemented a number of changes at the Secret Service, including having security plans go through multiple supervisors before implementation, expanded use of drones, more resources for protective site communications and 'expeditious' approval of requests for personnel at protective sites with heightened security environments.

Rowe and Abbate spoke to the Judiciary and Homeland Security committees after their boss, Cheatle submitted her resignation last week after a six-hour-long hearing where Republicans and Democrats accused her of stonewalling.

Trump assassination attempt timeline, according to Secret Service acting director

July 7: Crooks travels to rally site to spend 20 minutes doing reconnaissance July 12: Shooter visits Clairton Sportsmen's Club to practice shooting July 13, 10 a.m.: Shooter visits rally site again 90 minutes before shooting: local law enforcement 'suspicious' of Crooks 20 minutes before Trump takes stage, 30 minutes before shooting: Secret Service made aware of an individual with a rangefinder 10 minutes before Trump takes stage, 20 minutes before shooting: Secret Service counter sniper team given photograph of the 'suspicious subject' 3.5 minutes before shooting: Crooks spotted on the roof 30 seconds before shooting: Crooks seen with a gun Advertisement

In his opening statement the Homeland Security Committee's top Republican Rand Paul revealed that local law enforcement had told his office they'd warned the Secret Service about the vulnerabilities of the rooftop where Thomas Matthew Crooks fired shots at the president.

'Local law enforcement told my staff that they specifically flagged the vulnerability of the building to the Secret Service, and were told that it would be taken care of. Clearly, these vulnerabilities were not addressed.'

Judiciary Chairman Dick Durbin, D-Ill., asked why more action wasn't taken when Crooks was seen to be holding a range finder 30 minutes before the shooting.

'I thought I had read that it was a golf range finder. Nonetheless, it still would have provided him the ability to provide the distance that he was away from his intended target.'

'Wasn't that enough?' Durbin asked.

'As far as raising suspicion, yes I think.'

In another heated moment, Sen. Josh Hawley, R-Mo., pressed Rowe on why no one had been fired for the security breach yet.

'Has the Person who decided, who made the decision to send Donald Trump on stage knowing that you had a security situation. Has that person been relieved of duty?' Hawley asked.

'No sir they haven't,' said Rowe.

'Has the person who decided not to pull the former president off of stage when you knew that in your work the locals were working a serious security situation? Has that person been relieved of duty?'

'No, sir. Again, I refer you back to my original answer that we are investigating this through a mission assurance' Rowe said.

'What more do you need to investigate? To know exactly what you need to investigate to know the failures that something ought to be held accountable? What more do you need to know?' Hawley interjected.

'What I need to know is exactly what happened ... I will not rush to judgment. People will be held accountable and I will do so with integrity, and not rush to judgment and put people like unfairly persecuted.'

On Monday new text messages revealed local law enforcement officers working former President Donald Trump's Butler, Pennsylvania, rally were severely understaffed ahead of the attempted assassination.

During the tragic rally, Trump was shot in the ear and a former volunteer firefighter lost his life after 20-year-old Thomas Matthew Crooks opened fire from the roof of a nearby building just outside the security perimeter.

Bombshell new text messages between the Beaver County emergency services team from the days leading up to the rally show that there was a staffing shortage.

On July 8, five days before the rally, an unnamed team leader officer wrote in a text chat that they had been 'requested by Butler to assist' with Trump's rally and needed six people to step up for the 12-hour detail. Two offered to do so for the whole time, and two more offered to split the Saturday shift.

The law enforcement leader wrote in the thread that he only had a few people available to work the event because 'everyone else is either working, on vacation or hurt.'

The never-seen-before messages also lay out a timeline of nearly 90 minutes from between the identification of Crooks and his deadly fire.

New messages, bodycam footage and law enforcement debrief were obtained by Sen. Chuck Grassley, R-Iowa, who is conducting oversight of the event.

The messages showed that law enforcement were aware of Crooks, whom they spotted more than an hour and a half before Trump took the stage.

At 4:26 p.m., a Beaver County sniper finished his shift and departed the AGR building, where Crooks was able to access and take his shots from.

As the sniper left the building, he texted a chain about a suspicious person he'd spotted - which turned out to be Crooks.

'Someone followed our lead and snuck in and parked by our cars just so you know,' read one message.

'I'm just letting you know because you see me go out with my rifle and put it in my car so he knows you guys are up there.'

The officer noted that he was sitting at a picnic table 'about 50 yards from the exit.'

'That bike was not there when I pulled out. Maybe have them check that car,' they went on.

Later on, officers exchanged photos of Crooks, who had then been marked a 'suspicious person,' at 5:38 p.m., over 30 minutes before Trump was shot.

'Kid learning (sic) around building we are in. I did see him with a range finder looking towards stage. FYI. If you wanna notify SS snipers to look out.

Another officer asked what direction Crooks was headed, to which an unnamed officer replied, 'if I had to guess toward the back. Away from the event.'

It comes after a whistleblower last week revealed Secret Service stood in the way of using drone technology to survey the scene of the Butler rally where an assassin tried to shoot former President Donald Trump.

Sen. Josh Hawley, R-Mo., revealed last week that one whistleblower had told his office the night before the rally Secret Service 'repeatedly denied offers from a local law enforcement partner to utilize drone technology to secure the rally.'

The whistleblower alleged that after the shooting Secret Service 'changed course and asked the local partner to deploy the drone technology to surveil the site in the aftermath.'
A New Jersey mom accused of drowning her two daughters appeared emotionless as she faced murder charges in court this week.

Naomi Elkins, 27, allegedly told police she stabbed her one-year-old child before drowning her and her three-year-old sister in the Orthodox Jewish community of Lakewood.

Elkins was seen in court on Monday and waived her right to a bail hearing, agreeing to stay in custody as she awaits trial on two counts of murder.

Police say Elkins said she felt she 'needed to kill the children for religious purposes' after she returned home from working at a day care last month.

Elkins's attorney Mitchell Ansell has said that Elkins 'has a well-documented history of severe mental illness, which has absolutely played a major role in these devastating events.'

Naomi Elkins, 27, told police she stabbed her one-year-old child before drowning her and her three-year-old sister in the Orthodox Jewish community of Lakewood

A pretrial hearing was scheduled for October 7.

Elkins admitted 'that she knew that it was illegal to kill her children and that what she did was wrong,' arrest documents said.

She allegedly brought one of the children into a bathroom at her home, and held her underwater for about two to three minutes.

At that point, the arrest documents say, the other child ran into a second bathroom, screaming.

Elkins is then accused of following that daughter into the bathroom, and running a bath before holding the child underwater.

The mother allegedly claimed she felt she 'needed to kill the children for religious purposes' after she returned home from working at a day care last month

Elkins is said to have told the officers she realized she had done something wrong, and called Hatzolah Medical Services

'She said that she counted to 50 multiple times to ensure she held them underwater for enough time,' an affidavit says.

Elkins allegedly told cops she stabbed and 'slightly punctured' one of the daughters with a knife before running the bath - with cops later finding a serrated knife with a red handle in the hallway bathroom sink.

She is then accused of following that daughter into the bathroom, and started running a bath - before holding the child underwater.

'She said that she counted to 50 multiple times to ensure she held them underwater for enough time,' an affidavit says.

Elkins is said to have told the officers she realized she had done something wrong, and called Hatzolah Medical Services - a Jewish volunteer ambulance program - telling dispatchers there she had hurt her children.

Elkins called Hatzolah Medical Services - a Jewish volunteer ambulance program - in the aftermath telling them she had hurt her children

A children's tricycle and a swing set was also seen outside of the home where the children had been murdered

First responders who rushed to the scene found the one year old with a 'deep laceration in the middle of her stomach and superficial wound on the left side of her back,' arrest records show.

EMTs desperately tried to give the children lifesaving aid, but they were both eventually pronounced dead on the scene.

Elkins' family has said she has a history of mental health issues.

'The Elkins family is deeply saddened by the tragic events that have occurred involving Naomi Elkins and her two young children,' they said in a statement provided by her defense team on Thursday.

'The sad truth is Naomi Elkins has a well-documented history of severe mental illness, which has absolutely played a major role in these devastating events.

'While we acknowledge the seriousness of the charges that she is facing and respect some [sic], we also believe it's important to recognize the incredible complexities presented by mental health challenges.

'We are committed to pursuing the most just and fair outcome through the legal system, taking into account all of the circumstances involved,' they concluded.
Taylor Swift fans have raised more than 100,000 for the children's hospital where the young victims of the Southport stabbing were rushed to yesterday afternoon.

Three little girls have now died while five others remain in a critical condition following the horrific attack that took place as they attended a dance class themed around the American superstar's songs.

Merseyside Police confirmed this morning that a 17-year-old boy remains in custody accused of murder and attempted murder and is being questioned following the incident.

Reacting to the news, Swift posted an emotional message this morning where she said she was in complete 'shock' over the 'loss of life and announce, and the horrendous trauma on everyone who was there'.

Now her fanbase, known as Swifties, have begun a fundraiser for Alder Hey Children's Hospital in Liverpool, where many of the youngsters were airlifted to after yesterday's tragedy.

Earlier today, 'happy smiley' Alice Aguiar, nine, was named after she died in hospital in the early hours of Tuesday following the attack

Mourners lay followers in Southport after three little girls died and others were injured

'Swifties for Soutport' has raised more than 131,000 by 3.30pm today on a Just Giving Site

More than 131, 000 had been raised at 3.30pm today on a Just Giving site called 'Swifties for Southport', which was created for those affected.

It comes as the three young girls who sadly died have been named. Bebe King, six, was pronounced dead shortly after the attack. Elsie Dot Stancombe, seven, was also confirmed to have died on Monday.

And earlier today, 'happy smiley' Alice Aguiar, nine, was named after she died in hospital in the early hours of Tuesday.

Cristina Jones, from Trowbridge in Wiltshire and Holly Goldring from Tunbridge Wells in Kent, started the JustGiving page to ease the 'financial burden' on the families involved.

'What compelled us was we were thinking about the fact that these families are going through just unimaginable hell right now,' Ms Jones said. 'It feels really nice we've done something really positive.

'I firmly believe there's nothing we can do to make the families feel better because of what they're going through right now, but if we've taken some sort of burden from them, financial or whatever, it's nice to know that we've done what we can do.'

Ms Jones added she is 'thinking of them and we're praying for them' and confirmed all proceeds will go directly to Alder Hey Children's Charity, in honour of the hospital where the victims are being treated.

'We just couldn't sit back and allow more stress onto two families that are going through the worst possible thing you could go through,' she explained.

'We have no intentions of reaching out to the families ourselves - it will be Alder Hey who will help in terms of the family getting money, we will keep a respectable distance.'

Swift posted an emotional message this morning where she said she was in complete 'shock' over the 'loss of life and announce, and the horrendous trauma on everyone who was there'

Elsie Dot Stancombe, seven, was also confirmed to have died on Monday as nine other children and two adult women were rushed to hospital

Six-year-old Bebe King was pronounced dead shortly after the attack in Southport on Monday

Ms Jones said it was 'really lovely' to see Swift share a statement: 'She's bringing it to attention and letting the families know she's well aware and is thinking of them.'

Meanwhile, Ms Goldring, 27, said it is 'within Swifties nature to care and love and support each other'.

The sales manager hopes the fundraiser can offer the family 'an ounce of comfort' through the 'utter turmoil' of losing their children to Monday's knife attack.

'The last thing a family should be worrying about is the how they're doing to pay for the funeral of their little girl,' Ms Goldring said.

'It's giving the families that relief in a time of complete and utter turmoil. It's their living nightmare and just knowing they have an entire community standing behind them.

'We are just sending all of our love, and we are so incredibly sorry for what has happened. Nothing can change what happened , but we just hope that this provides even an ounce of comfort.'

Responding to the stabbing, Swift took her social media accounts to share her condolences to the family's of the children who lost their lives and those injured.

'The horror of yesterday's attack in Southport is washing over me continuously and I'm just completely in shock,' she wrote on Instagram today.

Cristina Jones, from Trowbridge in Wiltshire and Holly Goldring (pictured) from Tunbridge Wells in Kent, started the JustGiving page to ease the 'financial burden' on the families involved

'What compelled us was we were thinking about the fact that these families are going through just unimaginable hell right now,' Ms Jones (pictured) said

Ms Goldring, 27, (pictured at a Swift concert) said it is 'within Swifties nature to care and love and support each other'

Taylor Swift said she is 'completely in shock' after the 'horror' of the Southport knife attack

The attack happened at a Taylor Swift themed yoga and dance workshop

'The loss of life and innocence, and the horrendous trauma inflicted on everyone who was there, the families, and first responders.

'These were just little kids at a dance class. I am at a complete loss for how to ever convey my sympathies to these families.'

Along with the children who were harmed while attending Swift themed yoga and dance workshop two women were also injured after bravely trying to protect them.

Brave Leanne Lucas, 35, who organised the yoga and bracelet making class is among the victims fighting for her life in hospital after the 'ferocious attack'. She helped save 16 children from the 25-strong class alongside her co-organiser Heidi Barlow.

The fully-booked club for children, which was advertised as a dance and yoga workshop as well as bracelet-making, quickly became something 'like a horror movie', witnesses to the deadly stabbings have said.

Today, flowers, cuddly toys and cards were left at the scene on Hart Street in tribute to the victims.

Amongst those were Swift themed friendship bracelet - often traded at her concert - with the names of her songs written on them.

Brave Leanne Lucas, 35, (pictured) who organised the Taylor Swift-themed workshop, suffered stab injuries after the man entered the venue through the unlocked door, which was left open amid the scorching heat

Floral tributes near the scene in Hart Street, Southport, where two children died and nine were injured in a 'ferocious' knife attack

Firefighters from Merseyside joined members of the public in paying tribute to those killed and injured in the stabbings

As well as the Swift fundraiser, children's entertainer Richard Townes, from Southport, has set up a GoFundMe for families affected by Monday's knife attack.

A father to a young child, he said parents in the area are now 'terrified' of sending their children to summer groups.

'This is the worst tragedy to happen in Southport's history, as far as I'm aware,' the 39-year-old born in Southport said. 'Everyone has been affected in some way, shape or form - everyone knows someone impacted.

'This is supposed to be the start of the summer holidays and parents in WhatsApp groups are now terrified of sending their children to summer clubs.

'I have a five-year-old daughter who could have just as easily been at the class - I feel helpless and like I can't do anything.

'This fundraiser is the only thing I can do to help, I want to raise some money to help reduce the financial implications for the families involved.'

Another GoFundMe has also been set up for the family of little Alice, raising 2,360 so far.
Donald Trump would 'absolutely' change Air Force One's colors to his preferred dark blue and red scheme, according to a new report on Tuesday, even if it would have a dangerous side effect on the presidential plane.

A former White House official told Politico that 'absolutely; 100 percent' that Trump would change the plane's light blue and white color design to the one that mimics his private plane Trump Force One.

Trump made much fanfare of his plan to change the colors of the iconic presidential plane to ones that he preferred.

The government, during his administration, contracted with Boeing for two new 747-8s to replace the existing presidential aircraft. Then-President Trump bragged about his negotiating skills with company, saying that he said saved taxpayers money.

And he was so proud of his plan he kept a model of the new Air Force One - painted dark blue, deep red, and pure white - on the coffee table in the Oval Office where it popped up in numerous photographs during his administration.

He later took it with him when he left the White House and displayed it at his Palm Beach home, Mar-a-Lago.

Then-President Trump with Canada's Prime Minister Justin Trudeau seen with Trump's design for Air Force One - in the Oval Office in June 2019

But when Joe Biden became president, he reversed Trump's plans for the plane and reverted it to its classic light blue and white scheme, colors originally picked by Jackie Kennedy.

Boeing, however, is still working on the two new aircraft, which are on track to be delivered in 2026 and 2027, years late and much over budget.

But the delay means there is time for Trump, if he wins the White House in November, to change the colors on the aircraft back to his preference.

Trump's original plan for the two planes called for the underside of the plane and its engine area to be painted dark blue.

But that would contribute to excessive temperatures on the plane, which would require the plane to incorporate some modifications to cool some of its components.

And Boeing would have to pay out-of-pocket to make the fix.

The Biden administration said it changed the colors back to the original in order to avoid the problem.

The former official said he expects Trump to change the colors back because of how proud the former president was of the design change.

'The model was on the coffee table in the Oval Office and he pointed it out many times to foreign and domestic visitors,' the person told Politico. 'He thought it represented America more and represented strength, the red, white and blue.'

The model of Donald Trump's proposed revision of the color scheme of Air Force One that was once in the Oval Office on display on a coffee table in the lobby of Mar-A-Lago

Trump revealed his redesign in 2019.

The new color scheme resembled the color scheme of Trump's personal Boeing 757, which was dubbed 'Trump Force One.'

The presidential plane is essentially a flying White House.

It contains classified communication gear to allow the president to be in constant communication with the outside world and features special items like a surgery suite.

Unlike a normal 747, the plane has its own retractable stairways, for the rear entrance and the front entrance. And its own baggage loader so it can be entirely self serviceable if it needs to be.

It also has an in-flight refueling system that gives it the ability to stay up in the air indefinitely.

President Joe Biden changed Trump's color scheme back to the classic blue and white

Jackie Kennnedy, the first lady at the time, worked with an industrial designer on the look and feel of the jets that the last 11 presidents have flown on

Trump's personal Boeing 757, dubbed 'Trump Force One' has a similar color scheme to what he wants for the new Air Force One

The aircraft hadn't been upgraded in years, which is what led to the contract with Boeing.

Trump's deal involved a fixed price of $3.9 billion, leaving Boeing to foot the bill for any design changes or ballooning costs.

Now the program is already more than $2 billion over budget.

Boeing blamed the COVID pandemic and supply-chain issues for the delays along with issues with contractors.

Boeing CEO Dave Calhoun said in 2022 the company should have refused Trump's terms for building the planes.
This is the bizarre moment a strange object flew into a home and sent a man flying out the entrance.

The surveillance video, believed to be shot in Columbia on July 21, showed the individual walking up the steps and entering the residence.

About 14 seconds elapsed when the object appeared out of nowhere in the camera and slammed into the door frame.

The force of the impact knocked the man backwards and sent him crashing to the ground.

A man approaches a home before a strange object slammed into the home and knocked him to the ground. The incident allegedly took place in Colombia, according to the reddit user who posted the surveillance video clip

It's unknown what type of object was spotted on camera flying into a residence and knocking a man out. The incident occurred in the evening of July 21 in Colombia, according to a reddit user

He lay motionless until two individuals walked over to check on his well-being.

The incident took place in Colombia, according to a Reddit user to shared the video clip on Sunday.

'So this happened a few days ago in my hometown in Colombia. A really fast and strange object knocked a man down to the floor thru the stairs,' they claimed. 'He had 24 stitches at the hospital. I wouldn't classify this as an orb as some my friends think neither an animal, what do you guys think?'

DailyMail.com reached out to the Colombia National Police, but has been unable to confirm it the incident in fact took place in the South American nation.

Many Reddit users were left searching of answers in identifying the object.

The man was lying motionless on the ground next to the steps of a home after he was strangely knocked out of the residence by an unknown flying object. A reddit user who shared the viral video clip claims the incident took place in Colombia. DailyMail.com reached out to the Colombia National Police for comment

Bystanders check on the man moments after he was knocked out of a home by a strange flying object. The Reddit user who shared the video clip claimed the victim received 24 stitches

'Scrubbing this video has only made me more confused. I don't think it's a bug. It comes out from behind that round thing not from out of screen,' one person wrote.

'There is an odd light that shines to the right of the round object the moment before it appears and the door does not budge until the flying object arrives so coincidence seems unlikely. I need to know what this (guy's) memory of this moment is.'

Another user questioned whether there the object was a bug and if the man was assaulted, while others wondered if the object was tied to a car accident.

'Does he have a mark from getting hit by anything? Honestly looks like a bug and like someone pushed him out the door,' the Reddit user said. 'My first thought was car accident or something nearby and something like flying off the car. Is there a busy road nearby? It's weird.'

However, the person who shared the video claimed that the closest road to the home was about 1,300 feet away.
A trio of fake spiritualists conned a pensioner out of 200,000 after convincing her to hand over all her cash and jewels for them to be 'cleansed' of evil spirts.

The gang of three female charlatans allegedly duped the 73-year-old into stuffing all her money and jewellery in a bag so they could perform a 'protection ritual' on them under the guise it would keep her family safe.

But unbeknown to the victim, the crooks swapped her possessions with a bag of flour and a bottle of water bought from a Sainsbury's shop.

They then told the unwitting pensioner to meet them seven days later in Newport city centre, south Wales - a meeting the gang never turned up for.

Now Welsh police have launched a manhunt to track down the trio of fraudsters - who are believed to be of Chinese descent and spoke Cantonese - and have released CCTV footage of one of the suspects.

Police in Wales are hunting a gang of fake 'spiritual healers' after a pensioner was duped out of her money and jewellery. Pictured is one of the suspects

The group of three crooks pledged to provide the woman, aged 73, a ritual that would protect her family. Pictured is one of the suspects entering a Sainsbury's shop

'Three unknown women are alleged to have tricked the victim into believing there were harmful spirits around her that would affect her family, and that an procedure had to be performed on all her cash and jewellery in her house to cleanse those spirits,' Police Staff Investigator Jay Clark told MailOnline.

'One of the suspects is alleged to have gone with the victim to her home to collect the money and jewellery where it was put into a bag; they both returned to Newport city centre.

'While the victim was distracted, one of the women is believed to have replaced the cash inside the bag with flour.

'The victim was then handed back the bag, told to take it home and wait for seven days before opening the bag to ensure that the harmful spirits were gone.

As arranged, the victim returned to Newport city centre to meet the three women seven days later. When the victim arrived, none of the three unknown women were present to meet her.

'The victim returned home. She opened the bag to discover that the cash had been replaced by bags of flour and a bottle of water.'

The CCTV video released by police shows one of the suspects walking into a Sainsbury's shop, carrying a pink bag and wearing a dark jacket.

The suspect is seen at the till paying for what is believed to be a bag of flour and bottle of water used to trick the pensioner out of her treasures

The alleged fraudster is caught flashing a smile while at the till of the retailer, where she is believed to have purchased the bag of flower and bottle of water.

The three women allegedly involved in the heist are described as having short black hair, aged between 30 and 50, with the 'ability to speak Cantonese'.

'The three women allegedly befriended a 73-year-old woman while in Newport city centre and offered to organise the ritual to help the victim and keep her family safe in exchange for money,' a police spokesman added.

'Officers have carried out various enquiries and are now asking for help to identify this woman who was seen in the area and may be able to help.'

Anyone with information or who recognise the wanted woman are urged to call police on 101 quoting reference 2400168940.
A homeowner was left stunned after she arrived home to find a family using her private swimming pool.

Maryse Chausse pulled up outside her home in Repentigny, Canada to discover the strangers taking a dip.

They told her they had rented out the pool for an hour for $35 using the app Swimply.

The pool had been listed by a former tenant who moved out of the property in 2022.

'Is this the first time she's done this? I can't say. We're not always at home,' she told Noovo Info.

Homeowner Maryse Chausse was left stunned after she arrived home to find a family using her private swimming pool

'We arrived and there was a car in the parking spot. There was a little family swimming in the pool, with three cute little girls.'

The listing stated that parties at the heated pool were not allowed, but permitted smoking, alcohol and loud music. Pets were allowed as long as their owners clean up after them.

Chausse reported the ad to the app and it was swiftly removed, however she has raised concerns over the possible dangers.

'The ladder was removed because I had just done a major cleaning in the pool and they put it back,' she said.

Chausse pulled up outside her home in Repentigny, Canada to discover the strangers taking a dip

The pool had been listed on the Swimply app by a former tenant who moved out of the property in 2022

She reported the situation to the police but was told they could not do anything as there was no criminal intent on the family's part.

Chausse is now eying up a locked fence to block of access to her yard.

'I don't want to spend my summer watching my yard,' she said.

She is not the only homeowner to have found herself in the bizarre situation.

Last year, Eric and Katalin Thune were left speechless after they were informed people were using their California home's pool while it was on the market.

She reported the situation to the police but was told they could not do anything as there was no criminal intent on the family's part.

Thune's pool cleaner informed him of the situation and put him on the phone with the family who said they had rented out the pool using Swimply.

'How could somebody post a listing without verifying that they actually owned the property?' Thune told NBC.

Swimply is 'an online marketplace for hourly rentals of pools, courts, backyards, and more', according to the app.

There are more than 25,000 pools listed for rental across the US and Canada. Hosts are given a $1 million insurance policy.
The FBI revealed they found a social media account possibly tied to Trump shooter Thomas Matthew Crooks that could shine light on the motive behind his assassination attempt.

So far very little has been uncovered about Crooks and what led to his shooting of Trump, which injured others and fatally wounded former firefighter Corey Comperatore on July 13.

The bombshell developments in the investigation into the assassination attempt at Trump's Butler, Pennsylvania, rally came during a Senate hearing Tuesday.

Congress dragged in the Secret Service's new acting head Ronald Rowe and the number two at the FBI, Deputy Director Paul Abbate, to testify on the shooting.

Abbate revealed that at least one social media account on an unnamed platform believed to be associated with Crooks was discovered by the FBI. That account posted over 700 comments between 2019 and 2020, he added.

'Some of these comments ... appear to reflect anti-Semitic and anti-immigration themes to espouse political violence,' Abbate said.

Acting Director of the U.S. Secret Service, Ronald L. Rowe, Jr. and Deputy Director of the FBI Paul Abbate are sworn-in before a Senate Judiciary Committee hearing on the attempted assassination of Republican presidential nominee and former U.S. President Donald Trump, on Capitol Hill in Washington, U.S., July 30, 2024

He wouldn't confirm the name of the social media platform until after his agents could prove with 100% certainty Crooks made the posts.

Abbate said the posts were 'extreme in nature,' but that the FBI is still determining whether the account actually belonged to Crooks.

He also disclosed that the agency is still working to identify and infiltrate Crooks's various 'encrypted' accounts that could shine light on his motive.

That angered Sen. Lindsey Graham who wanted more information on his. motive.

'So you're telling me, the guy that took eight shots at the president, former president, has apps that we can't get into, that may if you could get into [them] reveal some relevant information.'

'That is correct, senator,' the officials responded.

This concerned Graham who later pushed for better methods to infiltrate encrypted accounts.

'We need a solution that provides lawful access,' the officials noted, inferring current options only provide illegal entry into Crooks's suspected accounts.

Thomas Crooks shown in his high school yearbook from 2020. Little is known about the reclusive shooter

Images show law enforcement approaching the building from where Crooks shot just minutes before he opened fire at the rally

Former President Donald Trump raises his fist after being shot in the ear by Crooks on July 13

In addition to the online account discoveries, the number two man at the FBI disclosed more about the timeline behind the assassination attempt.

'Approximately 25 minutes prior to the shooting, the U.S. Secret Service command post was notified of a suspicious person,' Abbate testified.

The Secret Service acting director also admitted he had no defense as for why the rooftop where Crooks fired shots toward former President Trump was left open.

'I went to the roof of the AGR building where the assailant fired shots, and I laid in a prone position to evaluate his line of sight.'

'What I saw made me ashamed as a career law enforcement officer and a 25 year veteran with the Secret Service. I cannot defend why that roof was not better secured,' he told Congress on Tuesday.

Crooks fired eight rounds toward Trump, grazing him with a bullet in his ear.

'When I laid in that position I could not, will not understand why there was not better coverage or at least somebody looking at that roof line when that's where they were posted,' Rowe said, noting that Crooks' head would have been clearly visible from the unmanned rooftop.

Thirty seconds before Crooks fired his shots, local law enforcement had radioed to Secret Service warning about a man with a rifle on the roof. Around three and a half minutes before that, he'd been 'observed on the roof.'

Former Secret Service Director Kimberly Cheatle appears before the House Oversight and Accountability Committee hearing on oversight of the Secret Service on July 23, 2024. She resigned the day after the hearing

Trump assassination attempt timeline, according to Secret Service acting director

July 7: Crooks travels to rally site to spend 20 minutes doing reconnaissance July 12: Shooter visits Clairton Sportsmen's Club to practice shooting July 13, 10 a.m.: Shooter visits rally site again 90 minutes before shooting: local law enforcement 'suspicious' of Crooks 20 minutes before Trump takes stage, 30 minutes before shooting: Secret Service made aware of an individual with a rangefinder 10 minutes before Trump takes stage, 20 minutes before shooting: Secret Service counter sniper team given photograph of the 'suspicious subject' 3.5 minutes before shooting: Crooks spotted on the roof 30 seconds before shooting: Crooks seen with a gun Advertisement

Rowe said that since the shooting he'd implemented a number of changes at the Secret Service, including having security plans go through multiple supervisors before implementation, expanded use of drones, more resources for protective site communications and 'expeditious' approval of requests for personnel at protective sites with heightened security environments.

Rowe and Abbate spoke to the Judiciary and Homeland Security committees after their boss, former Secret Service Director Kimberly Cheatle submitted her resignation last week after a six-hour-long hearing where Republicans and Democrats accused her of stonewalling.

The FBI and Secret Service officials also disclosed a more accurate timeline of events leading up to the shooting.

Almost a week before the rally, Crooks scouted the site of the event, spending 20 minutes doing reconnaissance on the location, they shared.

Just a day before the shooting Crooks went to a shooting range to practice his shot.

The morning of the July 13 rally, Crooks again visited the grounds, the officials said.

Abbate and Rowe also disclosed Crooks's activity on the day of the shooting and what authorities did in response.

Local law enforcement marked Crooks as 'suspicious' 90 minutes before he opened fire, the officials shared.

Secret Service was informed that the would-be assassin had a range finder 30 minutes before the shooting occurred.

Minutes later, just 20 before the shooting, the Secret Service counter sniper team was given a photo of the 'suspicious suspect.'

Then, 3.5 minutes before Crooks opened fire, he was spotted on the roof.

The officials also disclosed that Crooks was seen with a gun on the roof 30 seconds before firing his first shot.

'Within 15.5 seconds of his first shot, hes neutralized,' Rowe testified about how quickly Crooks was killed after opening fire.

Deputy Director of the FBI Paul Abbate testified that the agency is still working to crack encrypted online accounts related to Crooks

But prior to his first shot Secret Service was unaware of his location, the Secret Service acting chief added.

He noted that the counter snipers did not see him because he was initially hiding on the other side of the roof.

'I believe he was obscured by that roof,' Rowe testified.
It's one of the wealthiest states in America, with residents of its fanciest zip code luxuriating in $3 million red-brick apartments.

But the writing is on the wall for Massachusetts, says an alarming new study.

The 50,000 non-legal migrants who've entered the state since Joe Biden became president are putting a costly strain on schools, healthcare, and other services.

Jessica Vaughan, author of the report for the Center for Immigration Studies, says the state is destined for bankruptcy.

That's because migrants will drain state coffers of a staggering $1.8 billion over the next two years.

Migrants from Haiti and elsewhere load into a van in Boston headed to a shelter in Quincy, Massachusetts

Even though some non-legal migrants will work and pay taxes, this revenue will not come close to the cost of social services for all 355,000 of them, says Vaughan.

'These migrants represent a looming fiscal disaster for taxpayers in Massachusetts,' Vaughan told the Mail.

'Even if they are working, they are not equipped with skills and education to avoid being a drain on public coffers.'

Her report comes amid a testy 2024 presidential race, with Republican nominee Donald Trump using immigration as a weapon against his rival, the Democratic Vice President Kamala Harris.

Migration expert Jessica Vaughan

Republicans dub Harris a failed 'border czar,' as she was tasked with tackling the root causes of migration from Central America, even as illegal border crossings smashed records.

Still, the number of illegal entries has dropped in recent months to levels not seen since the Trump administration, and it remains unclear how the issue will drive voting in November.

Trump, for his part, has vowed to launch mass deportations if he returns to the White House.

Though more than 2,000 miles from the southern border, Massachusetts has seen some 50,000 newcomer illegal migrants since January 2021, says the study.

Some joined relatives, others sought jobs in Boston, Worcester, Springfield, and other big cities.

Some used buses provided by officials at the frontier, and a few dozen were controversially flown to the Massachusetts island of Martha's Vineyard by Florida's Republican Gov Ron DeSantis.

They were at first greeted with open arms by a Blue state that affords 'sanctuary' protections to migrants.

Hundreds rallied for an end to border crossings, sanctuary cities, and housing for undocumented immigrants in Boston, Massachusetts, in May

Migrants are no longer allowed to sleep overnight at Boston's Logan Airport

A taxpayer funded class in computer skills for the influx of migrants in the Jamaica Plain neighborhood of Boston

More than half of Americans want to see mass roundups and deportations of undocumented immigrants

In recent months, however, the mood has changed to frustration.

Gov. Maura Healey recently announced that migrants would no longer be allowed to sleep overnight at Boston's Logan Airport, after dozens of families had been bedding down there for months.

Migrants slept at the emergency department of Boston Medical Center until last year, when they were told to stop.

Still, newcomers keep on showing up at the facility and have been seen resting outside on benches.

Poll Does the Biden administration have a grip on immigration? Yes No Not sure Does the Biden administration have a grip on immigration? Yes 390 votes

No 17480 votes

Not sure 148 votes Now share your opinion





Plans for a shelter for migrant families on Cape Cod have met stiff opposition from residents, who called the proposal a 'nightmare.'

The Republican-led city of Taunton was so vexed by state officials sending migrants to an emergency shelter in its 155-room Clarion Hotel that it sued the owners for safety violations.

Vaughan's report also documents the outrages committed by law-breaking migrants in Massachusetts.

They include a cocaine-smuggling Dominican, a Russian fraudster, and a Guatemalan man who was arrested for child rape.

But the most shocking case involves Haitian migrant Cory Alvarez, 26, who is behind bars fighting charges that he raped a disabled teen girl at his shelter in the Comfort Inn in Rockland.

Massachusetts Gov. Maura Healey, a Democrat, has called for action at the border and money to servuces running on in her cash-strapped state

A few dozen migrants were controversially flown to the Massachusetts island of Martha's Vineyard by Florida's Republican Gov Ron DeSantis.

Some 30 migrant families were bedding down in the Terminal E at Boston's Logan International Airport in January

The influx of migrants has further strained social services in a state that was already battling troubling levels of homelessness

Massachusetts already spends $1 billion each year on emergency shelters, but Vaughan says this masks the real cost on taxpayers.

The influx of newcomers under Biden, including some 10,000 children, 8,500 of whom travelled without an adult, is further straining education, healthcare, and other social services, it adds.

Over the next two years, the combined cost of food stamps, schooling, health care, and public safety could reach a jaw-dropping $1.8 billion, says Vaughan.

That 'fiscal time bomb' represents a sizable chunk of the state's $58 billion budget.

Gov. Healey, a Democrat, in January joined eight counterparts from other migrant-hit states, asked the White House and Congress for action at the border and billions of extra dollars to keep services running.

But, according to Vaughan, even an emergency grant won't solve Massachusetts' spending woes over the coming years.

Instead, state lawmakers need to cut welfare payouts to migrants and get tough with employers who hire those without papers, she said.

They should also end sanctuary policies that stop immigration officers from launching deportation raids, and even 'tap into' the remittance flowers migrants send back to their families overseas, she added.

The Governor's office did not answer our request for comment. The White House and other migration experts have argued that newcomers often work hard, pay taxes and help to grow an economy.
The man who threw himself to his death from the deck of the Royal Caribbean's Icon of the Seas in May has been identified as a highly decorated retired military veteran with PTSD.

Lieutenant Colonel James Bryan Wright, 53, was on the first day of a week-long cruise from Florida to the Caribbean with his wife Tracie when passengers raised the alarm about a man overboard at 7.50am on May 26.

A newly-released incident report from the Miami-Dade Police department reveals that the couple from Gaston, South Carolina, had a fight in their cabin shortly before he disappeared 300 miles off the Florida coast.

'Contact was made with Mrs Wright who advised that her and her husband were involved in a physical altercation which prompted Mrs Wright to exit the cabin leaving Mr Wright inside the cabin,' it records.

'Shortly after the altercation Mr Wright exited the cabin at which point he made his way to Deck Five where he entered a secured gated area and proceeded to jump off the ship.'

Lieutenant Colonel James Bryan Wright, 53, jumped from the fifth deck of the Icon of the Seas

The world's largest cruise ship was on the first day of a week-long cruise from Florida to the Caribbean when passengers raised the alarm about a man overboard at 7.50am on May 26.

The world's largest cruise ship was ordered to halt as a search began for the missing father-of-two.

Passengers shared images of the rescue on social media as the search continued, with some saying he had been found alive.

Two hours after he jumped he was found floating by one of the ship's rescue boats before being brought back on board where staff attempted unsuccessfully to resuscitate him before he was declared dead at 9.58am.

An obituary reveals that he spent 30 years in the military after enrolling with the South Carolina Air National Guard in 1988.

In 2012 he was stationed at the Bagram Airbase in Afghanistan as Director of Manpower and Personnel for the Combined Joint Special Operations Task Force, and he retired in 2018 as Deputy Director of Human Resources-Joint Force Headquarters for the South Carolina National Guard.

'Bryan was compassionate about the men and women who served under him,' his obituary notes. 'During his tour in Afghanistan, Bryan flew into many combat zones visiting soldiers and personnel assigned to his command.

'He had the honor of presenting numerous Purple Hearts and other distinguished decorations to many heroes who served so selflessly to protect the freedoms we all enjoy.'

Wright's son Nicholas, a law graduate of The Citadel Military College in South Carolina had only got married in January of last year

Wright's daughter, Victoria, is a Pediatric Nurse Practitioner in Batesburg-Leesville

In a tragic twist it emerged that the veteran's younger brother William, 49, died just two days after Wright's death

The cruise was thrown into chaos after the alarm was raised on board.

Zachary Normand said his fellow passengers were informed that a rescue mission was to take place and that the ship would be turning around.

He was in the dining room eating breakfast with some 300 others when the ship's captain made an announcement that the man had been found.

'Everyone in the dining room clapped and we're like 'yeah',' Normand told the New York Post. 'We assumed that the guy was fine.'

It was only later they found out the passenger had died.

To Normandin's surprise, he said the atmosphere onboard was entirely surreal as most people simply continued to enjoy their vacation as if nothing had happened.

'I don't think everyone knows about the guy dying. I think it's kind of purposely silenced,' Normandin added.

Wright won a host of decorations during his decades in the military including the Defense Meritorious Service Medal, Meritorious Service Medal with 2 Bronze Oak Leaf Clusters, Air Force Commendation Medal with 2 Bronze Oak Leaf Clusters, and Army Commendation Medal.

The family were members of the Gantt Street Baptist Church in Gaston where his daughter, Victoria, a Pediatric Nurse Practitioner plays bass guitar.

His son Nicholas is a law graduate of The Citadel Military College in South Carolina and married his long-term girlfriend Emily in January last year.

Wright was in critical condition when brought back to the ship where he was declared dead but passengers cheered and celebrated after he was found, not realizing he had died

The vessel was stopped for two hours while crews helped with the search and rescue mission

In a tragic twist it emerged that the veteran's younger brother William, 49, died just two days after Wright's death.

The 1,200-foot-long Icon of the Seas only took its first voyage in January.

The $2 billion ship holds 7,600 passengers and 2,350 crew members, along with a 55ft artificial waterfall, 40 dining venues and bars, seven swimming pools including a 40,000-gallon 'lake', 50 musicians and comedians, and a 16-piece orchestra.

In April, 20-year-old Levion Parker jumped overboard from a Royal Caribbean cruise ship in front of his horrified family.

The 18-story Liberty of the Seas was traveling between Cuba and the Bahamas' Grand Inagua Island when the tragedy took place.

Wright was buried with military honors at Fort Jackson National Cemetery in Columbia, South Carolina.
Baby Reindeer's 'real-life Martha' sent a vile email appearing to threaten to 'buy a gun' if Sadiq Khan was elected as Mayor of London.

Fiona Harvey, who believes she is the inspiration behind the woman portrayed in Richard Gadd's smash-hit Netflix show, allegedly wrote the message about Mr Khan back in May 2016.

The email has come to light as part of the 58-year-old's 135million lawsuit against Netflix in America. She is suing the streaming giant for defamation, negligence and privacy violations.

Now, as part of documents released in the case, an email allegedly from the Scottish lawyer has been revealed in which it's claimed she wrote 'if we get rid of that Khan everyone will sleep easy'.

The diatribe, which was seemingly incoherent at times, also referenced concerns over terrorism should Mr Khan be elected as London mayor, with Ms Harvey allegedly writing 'we don't want ISIL (Islamic State) shooting us'.

The woman claiming to have been the inspiration of Martha Scott (pictured) in the Netflix smash-hit show Baby Reindeer allegedly wrote an email saying she would 'buy a gun' if Sadiq Khan was elected as London mayor

Fiona Harvey, 49, (pictured) claims she is the 'real-life' Martha portrayed in the Netflix show

An email, which has come to light as part of Ms Harvey's 135million lawsuit against Netflix, Ms Harvey allegedly wrote 'If we get rid of that Khan everyone will sleep easy'. London Mayor Sadiq Khan is pictured

Pictured is the alleged email sent by Harvey, which was revealed in American court documents

In the email, Ms Harvey apparently wrote: 'Whacked out now just need to get directions to the gun shop in case mad khan wins.

'We are... buying guns to shoot each other with just in case.

'We don't want ISIL shooting us.

'If we get rid of that Khan everyone will sleep easy.

'He should never even have been allowed to stand.'

It was signed off: 'Sent from my iPhone.'

It is unclear who the email was sent to, as parts of the message have been redacted.

Mr Khan's office has declined to comment about the message.

MailOnline has approached the Metropolitan Police for comment.

Ms Harvey, 49, is demanding 135million from the streaming giant, claiming they spread 'brutal lies' because 'it was a better story than the truth'.

Ms Harvey is demanding 135million from the streaming giant, claiming they spread 'brutal lies' because 'it was a better story than the truth'

Ms Harvey's US legal representative Richard Roth said she has a 'very, very strong case' and he expects Ms Harvey, Gadd and Netflix executives to testify in court in California.

The show, which is said to be based on the real-life experiences of comedian and writer Gadd, sees character Martha Scott - played by Jessica Gunning - stalk him after he offers her a free cup of tea in a pub where he works.

However, Harvey - who denies stalking Mr Gadd - reportedly wrote hundreds of emails to Labour leader Sir Keir Starmer.

According to The Sun, Ms Harvey bombarded Sir Keir, describing him as a 'stupid little boy' and a 'useless barrister'.

It was claimed 276 emails - from two separate email addresses - were among those forwarded on by Ms Harvey to The Scottish Sun over a period of several years.

Ms Harvey allegedly bombarded Sir Keir Starmer (pictured) with hundred of emails years ago

In one email she is alleged to have said: 'Keir cut the crap with me you stupid little boy.

'See from now on if l complain about the slightest little thing your life won't be worth living.'

In another 1,420-word message during lockdown, she is alleged to have said Labour's shadow cabinet was 'full of imbeciles' and 'yes men'.

She suggested a deal had been done where unions backed Starmer for leader 'and in return you get that imbecile Angela Rayner as depute'.

The news comes amid her legal battle against Netflix.

In a candid interview with Piers Morgan, Ms Harvey's US lawyer Mr Roth said the fallout from the Baby Reindeer case 'could be a watershed moment for streaming TV'.

Speaking about why he had taken the case, Roth said: '[It] is really just reprehensible when someone says something's 'a true story' [...]. And if Netflix is going to say this is a true story, then it better well be true. And to do that is irresponsible of them.'

The miniseries starring Richard Gadd (pictured) is billed by Netflix as a 'true story'

He added: 'Fiona Harvey, you've had her on your show, she's been destroyed. She'd been shattered by this. She gets death threats, she doesn't want to leave her apartment.'

In the show, Martha is convicted of stalking Donny following months of harassing him - during which time she sexually assaults him, waits at the bus stop outside his house and attacks his girlfriend.

Following the release of Baby Reindeer, Ms Harvey was found by viewers of the show who traced her identity online.

She later identified herself as the woman who was allegedly the inspiration for the stalker in the show.

Mr Roth said: 'It's so irresponsible for him to testify under oath in front of Parliament saying she was convicted when it's clear she wasn't, that's the first thing.

'The second thing you raise is that, you know, you said the word 'internet sleuths'. I think that's sort of a loose term. I could get it [Fiona's identity] on the internet. You don't have to be a sleuth It was very easy for anyone and everyone.'

Speaking of Ms Harvey, Mr Roth said: 'This is a woman who was really thrust into the limelight. This is not a situation where you have a public figure, who essentially was defamed.

'This is a situation where a woman lives her own life, and she all of a sudden, found getting death threats, can't leave her apartment.

'Really, really just inappropriate. Why is Netflix not calling her up and say, 'Listen, we're about to do this story, we'd like you to look at it. We'd like to fact check''.

The lawyer added: 'Honestly, she's not well, she's clammed up in her apartment. She doesn't know what to do, doesn't know where to go. She's hurting. I mean, she really has been shattered by this.'
An autistic woman was devastated after a server dumped an ingredient into her cocktail without asking.

Nayeli, 28, revealed that a server ruined her experience in trying the Aussie Jawssie at Outback Steakhouse in a recent TikTok video.

Nayeli, who has AuDHD and an interest in sharks, was excited to pour grenadine over her cocktail like the other customers who ordered the same drink.

'It happened so fast and I didnt plan on it. I had been anticipating this experience for a long while just to have it gone in an instant,' the TikToker wrote.

Nayeli held back her emotions while drinking her Aussie Jawssie but began to cry after she couldn't hold back her tears.

An autistic woman named Nayeli revealed a server ruined her experience in trying the Aussie Jawssie at Outback Steakhouse

@lifebynayeli please no negative comments  im autistic and sharks are one of my special interests, this is a popular experience i saw people doing last year and i unfortunately wasnt able to go before. but this year my dad & step mom took me & i was so so excited!! while waiting for my drink i kept getting more excited as i watched people in tables around me order & receive their shark drinks and pour the blood into their drinks on their own. when my drink came, the server poured the blood for me without asking. it happened so fast and i didnt plan on it. it was literally devastating for me, i had been anticipating this experience for a long while just to have it gone in an instant. i tried holding back my tears as long as i could because i didnt want to make a scene or hurt the servers feelings but it didnt last long. i eventually cried & daniel & my parents were supportive. i love them and my daniel, & i feel very lucky to have them in my life  . #sharkdrink #aussiejawssie #latediagnosedautistic #autisticadult #audhd #sharks  original sound - nayeli

Nayeli revealed in the July 16 video that she was interested in trying the cocktail since it was featured on the restaurant chain's limited-edition menu last year.

She was disappointed not to try it then, but her father and stepmother took her to an Outback Steakhouse after the drink was put back on the menu.

'While waiting for my drink, I kept getting more excited as I watched people at tables around me order and receive their shark drinks and pour the "blood" into their drinks on their own,' she wrote.

Her partner Daniel surprised her later that night by purchasing ingredients to make a homemade Aussie Jawssie, complete with a toy shark and grenadine to pour into it.

Outback Steakhouse gave Nayeli a gift card after the incident and informed her that the server was required to pour the grenadine into her drink unless she was asked not to.

Nayeli has a particular interest in sharks, and was excited to try the limited time drink after it debuted at the restaurant chain last year

Daniel, Nayeli's boyfriend, made a homemade Aussie Jawssie cocktail, complete with all ingredients need for her to have a positive experience

Nayeli revealed in a July 25 TikTok video that she and Daniel returned to the restaurant and asked to pour the grenadine by herself in advance.

All was going well until their server revealed the restaurant 'ran out of sharks.'

'They only had crocodiles left... I did have fun pouring the crocodile, but it just wasnt the same,' Nayeli wrote.

'Thankfully before the drink came I started reminding myself that if anything wrong happened I would be okay and so when the drink came out, I managed to keep it together.'

Outback Steakhouse servers are required to pour grenadine into Aussie Jawssies unless told otherwise by the customer

TikTok users left positive comments for Nayeli and praised Daniel for being a supportive partner.

'Honestly, I totally get it, and the one your partner made was probably 10x better anyway. Im glad you did get to experience exactly what you wanted,' wrote a commenter.

At least three TikTokers claimed to be Outback Steakhouse employees, and one revealed that servers hardly pour the grenadine themselves.

The alleged employee wrote: 'Im a waitress at Outback, and they told us were supposed to pour the grenadine into the drink for the customers, but most of us never do it for them because thats the best part.'

Daily Mail has reached out to Outback Steakhouse for comment.
A Utah airport notorious for plane crashes has sparked debate about the safety of its location, with local officials calling for the facility to be relocated.

Roy Mayor Robert Dandoy is leading the charge to move the airport, after a series of plane crashes near Utah's Ogden-Hinckley Airport in recent years.

The latest incident occurred just last Wednesday when a small plane crashed into the yard of a home in Roy, a suburb of Ogden.

While both pilots survived with injuries, the close call has sparked concerns about the airport's safety record, due to its proximity to residential areas and challenging terrain.

A Utah airport notorious for plane crashes has sparked debate about the safety of its location, with some local officials calling for the facility to be relocated (Pictured: A crash near the airport on Wednesday July 24)

In 2017, another fatal crash occurred on one of the city's major roadways.

In 2019, a small plane crashed on a Utah highway after it made an emergency landing on the same highway last year.

Federal Aviation Administration spokesman Allen Kenitzer says the single-engine plane hit a billboard and crashed near Ogden-Hinckley Airport on Interstate 15.

Again in 2020, a plane crash damaged two homes in Roy, resulting in fatalities.

The most recent crash happened just northwest of Roy High School.

'It was a miracle that those two pilots survived,' Dandoy told KSL, referring to the recent crash.

'And it certainly was a miracle that (the) aircraft didn't land on the top of one of those houses,'

'I can't even imagine how it was able to weave through all of that and those people survived it, but that's not always going to be the case.'

The latest incident occurred just last Wednesday when a small plane crashed into the yard of a home in Roy, a suburb of Ogden

Roy Mayor Robert Dandoy is leading the charge to move the airport, after a series of plane crashes near Utah's Ogden-Hinckley Airport in recent years

The mayor is also concerned about the fact that three schools lie within the airport's flight path, putting hundreds of students potentially at risk.

Dandoy suggests relocating the airport to 'west Weber,' an area with more open space and away from residential areas.

'Where we have wide open spaces lots of places, (we would) certainly be able to control encroachment, if it was moved out to west Weber,' Dandoy said.

He mentioned the relocation of St. George Airport, which was moved to a more remote location after failing to meet Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) standards.

However, not everyone agrees with the proposed solution.

In 2019, a small plane crashed on a Utah highway after it made an emergency landing on the same highway last year

Federal Aviation Administration spokesman Allen Kenitzer says the single-engine plane hit a billboard and crashed near Ogden-Hinckley Airport on Interstate 15

Federal Aviation Administration spokesman Allen Kenitzer says the single-engine plane hit a billboard and crashed near Ogden-Hinckley Airport

Erik Johanson, a pilot who regularly flies out of Ogden-Hinckley, argues against relocation:

'That's not a solution,' Johanson told 2KUTV. 'You can't move this airport. There are too many resources here, there's been too much invested in it.'

'Ogden Airport sees around 290 flights a day,' he added.
A central California mayor has been accused of trying to meet with two teenagers for sex, but he claims he is the victim of a homophobic attack.

Viral footage supposedly shows Wasco mayor Alex Garcia being attacked by a group of vigilantes after he tried to meet with a minor, as reported by The San Joaquin Valley Sun.

The video was posted on by a Facebook page called 'Bakersfield Crime Watch' and shows at least two men pushing and slapping Garcia as they tell him they're going to call the police on him and to 'not touch little boys anymore.'

Garcia is heard replying: 'Im sorry. Please no. I never will.'

The posters claimed Garcia had been trying to meet with a boy and girl, both 15, and wanted to 'do horrific things.'

Viral footage supposedly shows Wasco mayor Alex Garcia being attacked by a group of vigilantes after he tried to meet with a minor

But Garcia's lawyer told the Wasco Tribune that the mayor may have been 'lured' into the meeting by people looking to attack him for his sexual orientation

The anonymous group accused Garcia of claiming he was brining 'poppers,' condoms, marijuana and other sex toys.

But Garcia's lawyer told the Wasco Tribune that the mayor may have been 'lured' into the meeting by people looking to attack him for his sexual orientation.

Attorney Jared Thompson said: 'I advised [Garcia] not to make any statements because there are a few investigations that appear to be ongoing.

'Based on the information we have available right now, it appears to be a situation where two individuals tricked Alex and lured him to a location in Bakersfield and then attacked him.

'The video that is circulating shows felony conduct on the part of the individuals, not Alex. Based on Alexs sexual orientation, it appears that this could have been some kind of hate crime or homophobic attack. Essentially, we hope that any criminal investigation would focus on that.'

The Bakersfield Police Department has reportedly put a request with the video's original posters but has not heard back

The footage appears to have been taken in the city of Bakersfield, a 30 minute drive from Waco

Garcia has deleted his social media account and is not responding to media requests.

Wasco officials said they are 'very concerned' about the video and are cooperating with the the Bakersfield Police Department.

The footage appears to have been taken in the city of Bakersfield, a 30 minute drive from Waco.

The Bakersfield Police Department has reportedly put a request with the video's original posters but has not heard back.

Garcia recently ran for Kern County supervisor but was voted a distant third place.

He was arrested for driving under the influence in 2021 but the charge was dropped after a report showed his blood-alcohol content did not exceed the legal limit.

Garcia was removed from office after the DUI charge but reinstated in December.
Rebel Wilson has been branded a 'malicious bully' by producers of her new film The Deb as the fallout from the movie's bungled premiere continues to deteriorate.

The actress, 44, was sued for defamation this month by the producers, Amanda Ghost, Gregor Cameron and Vince Holden, in a scathing lawsuit.

It came after Wilson shared an Instagram video berating the producers for allegedly blocking the movie from premiering at the Toronto International Film Festival.

In response, the producers accused her of 'shirking her responsibilities' as a director by disappearing from set for extended periods, bullying staff, falsely claiming writing credits, and repeating a 'fictitious' claim Ghost had sexually harassed a lead actor in the film.

In an amendment to the lawsuit obtained by DailyMail.com, the producers have now cited Wilson's allegations against Sacha Baron Cohen that she made in her autobiography earlier this year.

They claimed the 'false' allegations were 'used to promote the sale of her book', as she 'hypocritically played the victim in order to elicit public sympathy in the hope that it would advance her professional self-interest.'

Rebel Wilson, 44, has been accused of making 'false' allegations against actor Sacha Baron Cohen 'to promote the sale of her book' earlier this year, by the producers of her latest film who sued her for defamation

In her memoir Rebel Rising, the Australian actress, 44, made shock claims about her experience filming The Brothers Grimsby with 'a**hole' comedian Sacha Baron Cohen - which he strenuously denied

Wilson's sexual harassment allegations against Sacha Baron Cohen caused a media storm earlier this year as she claimed her experience with the actor triggered an eating disorder.

She alleged that on the set of 2016 comedy The Brothers Grimsby, Sacha would ask her to strip off for scenes despite her 'no nudity' rule, in a string of claims which Sacha has strenuously denied.

But in the updated lawsuit, the producers cited this episode as they countered her claims about The Deb, as they alleged Wilson has 'a history of fabricating false and malicious lies to hide her own lack of professionalism and advance her own self-interest.'

'This is par for the course for Rebel,' the lawsuit continued.

'In her autobiography, Rebel included false allegations about well-known actor Sacha Baron Cohens alleged inappropriate behavior.

'Due to these false allegations, portions of her autobiography were redacted when published in the United Kingdom and Australia.

'Nevertheless, Rebel successfully used the furor around such allegations to promote the sale of her book. As with this situation, Rebel hypocritically played the victim in order to elicit public sympathy.'

They said that following the actress' latest allegations against the producers of The Deb, 'Rebel has run this playbook one time too many.'

DailyMail.com has reached out to Wilson's representatives for comment on the updated lawsuit.

The defamation suit against Wilson stems from her accusations that the producers of her new film The Deb blocked the movie from premiering at the Toronto International Film Festival in September

Rebel in a scene from the musical comedy The Deb, which was filmed in Australia last year

The lawsuit was filed by producers Vincent Holden (left), Gregor Cameron and Amanda Ghost (pictured together right), who branded Wilson a 'malicious bully'

The trio of producers are being represented in their lawsuit against Wilson by Johnny Depp's former attorney Camille Vasquez, and are seeking more than $35,000 in damages.

The legal battle was kicked off when Wilson alleged in an Instagram video that The Deb was set to close out the Toronto Film Festival, but it was blocked by Ghost, Cameron and Holden.

She also accused the producers of 'bad behavior' on set, embezzling funds from the film and branding them 'vile and disgusting'.

After the producers of Wilson's film have claimed the allegations are 'false' and launched their defamation lawsuit, Wilson again took to Instagram to scathe her former colleagues.

She claimed that 'it's not defamation if it's the truth', adding: 'Let our cool movie play at Toronto and stop messing about with a rubbish defamation suit against me!'

In the lawsuit against her, Wilson is accused of being a 'bully' on set who would make 'unreasonable demands.'

When these demands weren't met, according to the lawsuit, the actress would 'spread vicious lies without regard for the irreparable damage her reckless words would cause on the hard-earned personal and professional reputations of Plaintiffs.'

The legal battle was kicked off when Wilson accused the producers of her movie of 'bad behavior' on set, embezzling funds from the film, as she branded them 'vile and disgusting'

'For years, Rebel has played the affable funny girl on the big screen and, off screen, portrayed herself as a champion of other female artists and whistleblower against abusive conduct within the film industry,' the lawsuit continued.

'This public persona, however, is a farce. Rebel is a bully who will disregard the interests of others to promote her own.'

Another shock claim levied by the producers is that Wilson hired a young writer - Hannah Reilly - to develop a screenplay for The Deb - before attempting to steal credit for herself.

The suit reads: 'She granted a young artist a scholarship to develop a screenplay for The Deb (the Film), and then tried to claim writing credit for herself.

'And, when Rebel did not get her way in business negotiations with the Plaintiffs concerning The Deb (including the writing credit), Rebel tried to intimidate Plaintiffs into giving her what she wanted by leveraging her persona and platform, with many millions of followers, to spread malicious lies about the Plaintiffs.'

The plaintiffs allege they 'took a chance on Rebel' who is a 'novice' to directing and producing but claim 'she flatly refused to collaborate with Plaintiffs' and exhibited 'reckless conduct.'

Wilson's allegations against Sacha Baron Cohen came shortly before he announced his split from actress wife Isla Fisher (pictured together in 2022)

The Deb, which stars Wilson and comedian Shane Jacobson, centers on a country school girl getting ready for her debutante ball.

The film will also feature actress Natalie Abbott from the ABC series Aftertaste, as well as newcomer Charlotte McInnes.

Locations include country towns such as Carcoar, Blayney, and Orange, as well as Sydney.

Last October, Rebel revealed that she turned down major offers in the States, so she could make her directorial debut Down Under.

'If I was directing a movie it was only going to be in Australia because that's authentic to me,' Rebel told The Daily Telegraph at the time.

'I didn't want to do the studio ones I was offered in America because I didn't feel like I had that heart connection,' she explained.

Wilson said that during filming, she 'discovered bad behavior' on the part of the producers, and after powering through to finish the film, she was told she couldn't release it at the Toronto film festival.

'This is work of hundreds of people and this behavior is absolutely vile and disgusting.

'I will speak the truth and warn people about people in the industry that are not behaving ethically. That is my dilemma if that movie doesn't play at Toronto, it's because of these absolute f**kwits,' she said at the time.
Adorable Rottweiler puppies happily roamed wild inside a rescue helicopter after they were saved from a blazing California wildfire.

Trevor Skaggs, a member of Butte County Sheriff's Office's Search and Rescue team, and pilot Conner Smith were sent into the depths of the raging blaze of the 383,000-acre Park Fire on Monday to save a momma Rottweiler and her four pups, the law enforcement agency said in a Facebook post.

The owner of the pack of dogs was evacuating Cohasset on July 24 when their truck became disabled and they had to leave behind two adult dogs and four little puppies.

The owner gave police the location of the truck, but rescue teams were unable to immediately access the canine family due to the massive fire, which is only 14 percent contained as of Tuesday, according to Cal Fire.

Skaggs was dropped off about 1.5 miles from the truck's location and 'ran' there, BCSO said.

He found the mother and the puppies alive, but 'tired and thirsty.' He gave them water and 'bites from his protein bar' to fuel them for the journey back.

Trevor Skaggs, a member of Butte County Sheriff's Office's Search and Rescue team, and pilot Conner Smith were sent into the depths of the raging blaze of the 383,000-acre Park Fire on Monday to save a momma Rottweiler and her four pups

The owner of the pack of dogs was evacuating Cohasset on July 24 when their truck became disabled and they had to leave behind two adult dogs and four little puppies

The papa dog was found deceased.

'Trevor was able to get the five of them to follow him 1.5 miles back to the helicopter,' BCSO said. 'The puppies and their mother were then flown to the Chico Airport and are now being cared for by members of the North Valley Animal Disaster Group.'

It is unclear if they will be reunited with their owner.

Photos shared by the Sheriff's Office show the little pups roaming about the helicopter's cockpit, sleeping under seats, and embracing the safety of the aircraft after a long few days.

One of the pups even acted as a copilot as he sat on Skaggs' lap throughout the ride.

Many took to the comments to thank Skaggs for his bravery and hard work.

'Omg. This is making me tear up. My kids always ask about the animals. I tell them there are amazing people who go save them. You all are heroes,' Lauren Gibba Gillespie wrote.

He found the mother and the puppies alive, but 'tired and thirsty.' He gave them water and 'bites from his protein bar' to fuel them for the journey back. The papa dog was found deceased

The pups and their mother look happy to have arrived safely at the Chico Airport

'I can't stop crying... This is so bittersweet. Poor poppa, but glad momma and babies were rescued. Livestock, domesticated animals, and wildlife must be so hot, thirsty, lost, scared, hurt, omg I cannot even think about it. This man is a hero!' Andrea Santos wrote.

'What a hero! You made a horrific experience better,' Jill Paul wrote.

The Park Fire has grown to the size of Los Angeles since starting on July 24 in Chico.

It has grown into a raging 383,619 acres as Tuesday morning, making it the fifth largest the state has ever seen. The biggest fire was the August Complex in August 2020 that grew to over 1million acres.

The fire is burning grass, brush, mixed timber and dead vegetation, Cal Fire said.

More than 5,500 firefighters and personnel have been assigned to tackle the gigantic blaze, which 'continues to burn very actively,' Cal Fire said.

One of the pups even acted as a copilot as he sat on Skaggs' lap throughout the ride

'With the steep terrain, wind activity and many inaccessible areas, the fire is making uphill runs and spot fires continue to occur,' it said. 'Critically low fuel moistures and high winds have caused difficulty in suppressing the fire spread.

'The perimeter of the Park Fire is 260 miles which means it has burned more than three times the surface area of Lake Tahoe.'

The fire has burned through 53,000 acres in Butte County and more than 330,000 in Tehama County. Both areas have evacuation orders.

California Governor, Gavin Newsom - who endorsed Kamala Harris for the Democratic nomination - declared a state of emergency on Friday in Butte and Tehama counties and Pluma County for the Gold Complex Fire.

'We are using every available tool to protect lives and property as our fire and emergency response teams work around the clock to combat these challenging fires,' Newsom said in a statement.

'Stay safe and remain alert for instructions from local authorities as dangerous fire weather conditions continue.'

The Park Fire (pictured on Monday) has grown to the size of Los Angeles since starting on July 24 in Chico. It is only 14 percent contained, as of Tuesday morning

The fire (pictured on Monday) has grown into a raging 383,619 acres as Tuesday morning, making it the fifth largest the state has ever seen. The biggest fire was the August Complex in August 2020 that grew to over 1million acres

A California sex offender was arrested for allegedly starting the Park Fire, the biggest this year

The proclamation will ease access to unemployment benefits, and waive fees to replace driver's licenses and records, such as birth and marriage certificates.

A California sex offender was arrested for allegedly starting the Park Fire, the biggest this year.

Ronnie Stout II, 42, was caught pushing his burning car into a gulley in upper Bidwell Park near the city of Chico on Wednesday, the Butte County District Attorney's Office said.

The vehicle then tumbled 60 feet down an embankment, sparking the fire.

Stout was reportedly seen leaving the scene by blending in with parkgoers as the fire quickly spread.

Authorities ultimately identified the suspect early Thursday morning, and took him into custody.
Both were on board the helicopter when it crashed into a farm building

Two men in their 40s have been killed when the helicopter they were flying in crashed into a farm building in Co Westmeath in Ireland.

The incident happened near the village of Killucan at about 3.30pm on Tuesday.

One of the men who died was from Ireland and the other is understood to be from eastern Europe, the Garda said.

Both were on board the helicopter when it crashed into the farm building. They were pronounced dead at the scene and their bodies have now been taken to Regional Hospital Mullingar where post-mortem examinations will be arranged.

On Tuesday evening, Gardai were liaising with the family of the Irish man who died.

Emergency services in Ireland are responding to a helicopter crash in Killucan, County Westmeath which has reportedly left several people injured

The scene of a helicopter crash into a building in Joristown Upper townland in Killucan, Co Westmeath

A hearse leaves the scene in Joristown Upper townland in Killucan, Co Westmeath, after a helicopter crashed into a building

However, officers at that point were still working to establish contact with the next of kin of the second man and may request the assistance of Interpol.

Gardai, Westmeath Fire and Rescue Service and Ireland's National Ambulance Service were involved in the emergency operation.

The Air Accident Investigation Unit (AAIU), which is the lead agency in investigating the fatal incident, deployed a team to the site.

The scene was due to remain cordoned off overnight to facilitate the crash investigation.

Two hearses were seen leaving the farm site on Tuesday evening.

Politician Taoiseach Simon Harris expressed his concern.

'Thinking of all those involved in the Westmeath helicopter crash,' he posted on X, formerly Twitter.

He added: 'My thoughts & gratitude are also with all the emergency services working to help at this time.'

The scene near Killucan, Co Westmeath, after a helicopter crashed into a farm building killing two men aged in their

Two hearses were seen leaving the farm site on Tuesday evening

Emergency services in Ireland are responding to a helicopter crash in Killucan, County Westmeath which has reportedly left several people injured

The building that the helicopter crashed into is close to pitches used by Raharney GAA club.

Killucan is approximately 15 kilometres from Mullingar.

Ken Glynn, Mayor of the Mullingar-Kinnegad municipal district, expressed his shock.

'My thoughts and prayers are with those involved and their families,' he said.

'I also want to commend the emergency services for their rapid response.'

A Garda car and officer at the scene near Killucan, Co Westmeath, after a helicopter crashed into a farm building killing two men aged in their 40s

A hearse in a convoy leaves after attending the scene near Killucan, Co Westmeath, following a helicopter crash which killed two men aged in their 40s

Councillor Denis Leonard represents the area where the crash occurred.

'Locally, people are shocked and stunned, but also their hearts just go out to the families of all those involved at this very difficult time. Our thoughts and prayers are with them,' he told the PA news agency.

'I want to thank the emergency services in Westmeath because they were very quickly on the scene and a huge operation took place straight away.

'They responded extremely quickly and I want to thank them for their service today.'

Mr Leonard noted the incident had come after a 'horrific' weekend of tragedy on the roads in Ireland, particularly in the Midlands, with three men killed in two separate collisions in Co Meath.

'You don't expect to hear of a helicopter crash,' he added.

This is a breaking news story. More to follow.
Newly released body camera footage revealed the shocking words an Arizona mother told police when they discovered the murdered bodies are her three young children.

Rachel Henry, then 22 years old, was arrested in January 2020 for smothering her kids while singing them lullabies.

Investigators said the mother confessed to killing her one-year-old daughter, three-year-old son and seven-month-old baby girl.

Police body camera footage from the fateful night obtained by AZ Family shows Henry telling officers she was planning for her family's future and tried to blame the kid's father for their deaths.

'He could never handle the babies, but no one would... I just thought they were sleeping,' Henry said.

Police body camera footage showed Arizona mom Rachel Henry tried to blame her kids father for their deaths

Henry, then 22 years old (pictured), was arrested in January 2020 for smothering her kids

'I put them down to take a nap and I didn't check on them and I thought they were sleeping.'

Officers were called to the Phoenix home near 24th Street and Baseline Road on January 21, 2020 when a relative found the kids unconscious.

'They're saying the mother put the kids down for a nap with some sort of medication, all under three years old,' the operator said.

At the scene, Henry told police she thought the kids were sleeping and that she had been planning for their future.

'I was going to get my driver's license, I was going to get a job so I could get my own place so the babies would be fine,' she said.

Police said the mother confessed to killing her one-year-old daughter (right), three-year-old son (left) and seven-month-old baby girl (center)

Henry - now 26 years old - has pleaded not guilty to murder charges with a trial scheduled for March 2025. If convicted, prosecutors are seeking the death penalty.

According to police, Henry admitted smothering the children starting with her one-year-old daughter by placing her hands over the girl's mouth and nose until she stopped moving.

Henry said the girl kicked while she was being smothered in front of her three-year-old brother, who screamed 'no' and punched her but to no avail.

She told officers that she left the girl's body at the back of the house and chased her son around until two relatives arrived at the property.

As they sat in the living room, Henry caught the boy and took him upstairs on the pretense of putting him to bed before also smothering him.

Henry - now 26 years old - has pleaded not guilty to murder charges with a trial scheduled for March 2025 where she faces the death penalty

Investigators say the boy pinched and scratched her as he died, but was unable to save himself.

She then went to find the seven-month-old girl, gave her a bottle to feed on until she fell asleep, then smothered her as well.

Henry claimed she sung lullabies to all three children while they were dying.

She then placed all three bodies on the couch 'as if they were sleeping'. Police were called to the property some time later to reports of unspecified 'trouble'.
The full extent of Labour's building blitz has been laid bare as new figures revealed how one Tory-controlled council in England will be told to build nearly seven times as many houses.

Angela Rayner, the Deputy Prime Minister, today confirmed the Government will revive top-down housing targets for local councils.

She revealed the collective total for these local targets would be just over 370,000 homes a year.

Prior to the general election, Labour pledged to deliver 1.5million new homes over the next five years.

Ms Rayner told MPs her proposed new method for calculating local housing targets will include 'an uplift where house prices are most out of step with local incomes'.

The Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government, headed by Ms Rayner, later released figures showing the expected new targets for each local council.

These were compared to existing targets under the current method, first introduced in 2018, as well as the average number of new homes that have actually been built in recent years.

In Fareham, Labour's new method would require the local Tory-controlled council to build 794 new houses - up from a target of 498 when calculated by the current method.

This is also nearly seven times the average number of new homes built in the Hampshire town - where Tory ex-home secretary Suella Braverman is the local MP - in 2020/21 and 2022/23 of just 115.

Your browser does not support iframes.

Angela Rayner , the Deputy Prime Minister, today confirmed the Government would revive top-down housing targets for local councils

Labour's proposed new method for calculating local housing targets will include 'an uplift where house prices are most out of step with local incomes'

Similarly, nearby Portsmouth City Council will be told to build 1,098 new homes under Labour's new target, up from 897 using the current method.

This is also a huge increase from the 132 new homes that have actually been built, on average, in recent years.

North Yorkshire, where Tory leader Rishi Sunak is a local MP, will be ordered to build 4,232 new homes.

This is up from the 1,361 homes under the current target, although an average of 3,150 new homes were built annually across 2020/21 and 2022/23.

Cornwall will be told to build 4,454 homes under Labour's target, up from 2,707 using the current method and more than the 2,681 homes built, on average, in recent years.

The Isle of Wight will be told to build more than double the average number of new homes it achieved in those two years (499) under a proposed new target of 1,104.

Overall, the South East will be required to build almost 70,000 new homes a year under the proposed new method for determining housing targets.

This was up from 51,251 under the current method and second only to London (80,693) under the proposed new method.

It was higher than the East of England (45,858), South West (40,343), North West (37,817), West Midlands (31,754), East Midlands (27,382), Yorkshire and The Humber (27,433), and North East (12,202).

Kemi Badenoch, the shadow housing secretary and a Tory leadership candidate, questioned why Labour was reducing the overall housing target for London from nearly 100,000 to around 80,000.

She asked Ms Rayner: 'Can she explain why she is reducing the need for cities like London to build more housing when they have the infrastructure to support it?

'Why is she forcing suburban and rural areas to take more housing when there are schoools in Hackney... that are shutting down because they don't have enough pupils?'

Ms Rayner earlier denied Labour was lowering its ambition for London, saying: 'The target we're now setting for London  roughly 80,000  is still a huge ask but I know it's one that the mayor is determined to rise to and I met with him last week about this.'

In a statement to the House of Commons this afternoon, the Deputy PM also set out Labour's plan to release parts of the protected green belt for development.

These 'low quality' areas will be rebranded 'grey belt' and include land on the edge of existing housing or roads, as well as disused petrol stations and car parks.

The Government is prepared to 'step in' and take over an authority's local plan in order to 'drive progress', the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government warned.

This would ensure local communities 'get a say on how, but not if, homes are built', it added.

Angela Rayner today unveiled a 'radical' shake-up of planning laws as she announced the most unaffordable areas will be required to build a higher number of new homes

The Deputy PM revealed the collective total for local targets would be just over 370,000 homes a year - as she bids to deliver 1.5million new homes over the next five years

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Ms Rayner told MPs there were 'simply not enough homes' across the country as she blasted the previous Tory government's record on housebuilding.

'They failed to get anywhere near their target 300,000 homes a year and, in a bid to appease their anti-housing backbenchers, they made housing targets only advisable,' she said.

'They knew that this would tank housing supply, but they still did it. And as I stand here today, I can now reveal the result.

'That the number of new homes is now likely to drop below 200,000 this year  unforgivable.'

She added: 'Decisions about what to build should reflect local views well, that should be about how to deliver new homes, not whether to.

'Whilst the previous government watered down housing targets, caving into their anti-growth backbenchers, this Labour Government is taking the tough choices putting people and country first.

'For the first time we will make local housing targets mandatory, requiring local authorities to use the same method to work out how many homes to build.

'But that alone is insufficient to meet our ambition, so we're also changing the standard method used to calculate housing need so it better reflects the urgency of supply for local areas.

'Rather than relying on outdated data, this new method will require local authorities to plan for homes proportionate to the size of existing communities, and it will incorporate an uplift where house prices are most out of step with local incomes.'

Ms Rayner, pictured arriving in Downing Street this morning, told MPs new local housebuilding targets would include 'an uplift where house prices are most out of step with local incomes'

In her Commons statement, Ms Rayner also set out Labour's plan to release parts of the protected green belt for development

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Ms Rayner's reforms make explicit that the default answer to brownfield development should be 'yes' and promote homebuilding at greater densities in urban centres, like towns and cities.

But because there is not enough brownfield land in the country to meet housing needs, the Government will allow the targeted release of 'grey belt' land.

Any green belt land released will be subject to 'golden rules' to ensure the development delivers 50 per cent affordable homes and has access to green spaces and infrastructure such as schools and GP surgeries.

The method for local authorities to calculate how much land they must allocate for new housing, which relied on data from 2014, will be updated to ensure stock is boosted in every part of the country.

Labour are also laying the groundwork for universal local plan coverage across England.

With only a third of councils currently having a plan that is under five years old, ministers will be ready to intervene to ensure they all have one in place by a specified point next year, taking over a local plan if insufficient progress is made.

Ms Rayner also unveiled immediate measures to counter the decline in the number of social and affordable housing through new flexibilities for councils, including allowing them to use their right-to-buy receipts to build and buy more social homes.

'Today I'm calling on local authorities, housing associations and industry to work with me to deliver a council house revolution,' Ms Rayner told the Commons, promising the 'biggest boost to social and affordable housing in a generation'.

Details of Government investment in the form of direct grant funding for social and affordable housing, as well as on rent stability, will be brought forward at the autumn spending review.

Labour also intends to drop the requirement for new homes to be 'beautiful', introduced by the Conservatives, arguing it is subjective, difficult to define and leads to inconsistent decision-making on applications.

The ruling party's manifesto used different language, outlining instead its aim for 'exemplary' development to be 'the norm not the exception'.

A new draft National Planning Policy Framework, which sets out planning policies for England, will go out to consultation for eight weeks from Tuesday.

Cllr Richard Clewer, housing and planning spokesman for the County Councils Network, said: 'The CCN will be consulting with its members on the new methodology for housing numbers, but we have always been clear that local authorities know their areas best and that housing should be fairly distributed across the entirety of the country.

'County areas have delivered 600,000 homes in the past five years  higher than the rest of the country combined.

'However, on face value, this new methodology assigns more to rural areas that currently do not have sufficient infrastructure and less to urban locations that have more readily available infrastructure.'
The owner of a 100,000 Range Rover was stunned to discover that airport parking staff took his car out for a spin while he was on holiday.

Guy Adams only discovered what the joyriding staff were up to thanks to a sophisticated tracking and communication system which let him track the car's movement.

Mr Adams dropped his car off at the Parking 4 You 'meet and greet' service at Bristol Airport last month ahead of a holiday to Spain.

In what he has described as 'everyone's worst nightmare' Mr Adam was awoken on holiday by notifications on his phone at 4am that his Range Rover Sport was on the move.

Thanks to the car's state-of-the-art tracking and communications system Mr Adams was able to not only tell where it was, but also how fast it was going.

A Range Rover Sport similar to Guy Adams's vehicle. In what he has described as 'everyone's worst nightmare' Mr Adams was awoken on holiday by notifications on his phone at 4am that his Range Rover Sport was on the move (stock image)

Thanks to the car's state-of-the-art tracking and communications system Mr Adams was able to spy on his car. The car was driven around the car park as well as to a field near Winscombe, Somerset, around eight miles from the airport

For the next 40 minutes, the car was driven around the car park next to the A38 near Bristol Airport until it finally stopped moving. But it was left unlocked with the windows open.

His car was also driven to a field near Winscombe, Somerset, around eight miles from the airport.

Shocked at what he was witnessing, Mr Adams tried calling the firm in the middle of the night, but no one answered.

In the morning, when it was still left unsecure and he still couldn't make contact with the firm, he used his phone in Spain to trigger the car's alarm - and kept doing it while trying to get someone at the parking lot to answer the phone.

Eventually, he got through told the staff that he would keep setting off the alarm until they could provide photographic proof that it was locked, with the windows up.

Mr Adams said: 'These people didn't realise there's a tracking system on the car, which lets me know if it's moved, someone's tried to get in, anything.

Mr Adams demanded picture proof from the car parking company that his 100,000 vehicle was in fact secure

'I'd been away for a week when suddenly my phone starts going mad in the middle of the night. The car was being driven around.

'You hear about cases where that happens, but I thought that was with those airport parking places away from the airport - I thought this one was reputable, it's a meet and greet service from the airport itself.

'It never left the car park at all, but it's more the fact that they left my car open and the windows open.

He added: 'I couldn't get through to anyone and this felt like everyone's worst nightmare. The last resort was to set the alarm off - I thought "at least that will get their attention back in Bristol".'
A 12-year-old boy was shot and killed after gunmen riding jet skis opened fire on a rival drug dealers on a beach in Cancun, Mexico.

The child, who was identified as Santiago, was with his family sitting on a chair at Caracol Beach next to the Riu Cancun when he was struck by multiple stray bullets on Sunday.

Santiago was treated on the scene by paramedics and rushed to an area hospital, where he later died.

The Quintana Roo State Attorney General's Office said the assailants were targeting rival over a dispute of drug sales.

Paramedics provide aid to a 12-year-old boy who was shot multiples at a beach in Cancun and later died at a hospital on Sunday afternoon. The child was sitting on a chair when gunmen riding jet skis began firing at rival drug dealers

Authorities are searching for the suspects linked to a shooting a Caracol Beach near the Riu Cancun hotel in Cancun on Sunday. The assailants approached the beach on jet skis and began firing on rival drug dealers. A 12-year-old boy who was at the beach with his family was shot and killed

'We will not rest until we clarify this tragic incident and ensure that those responsible pay for their actions,' the Quintana Roo Department of Public Security said.

Local outlets reported that the boy and his family were originally from Mexico City and resided in the municipality of Benito Juarez.

'They went to spend a Sunday at the beach, because that child loved the beach. It is sad that these things happen,' a friend of the family told El Universal newspaper.

Territorial disputes between drug dealers have cost the lives of several tourists in the resorts along Mexico's Caribbean coast in recent years.

Cops guard a perimeter next to the Riu Cancun hotel, near the spot on the beach where a 12-year-old was shot and killed in a dispute between rival drug dealers

In 2022, two Canadians were killed in Playa del Carmen, south of Cancun, apparently because of debts between international drug and weapons trafficking gangs.

In November 2021, several assassins marched across the Hyatt Ziva Riviera in Puerto Morelos, south of Cancun, and executed two drug dealers before they fled in speedboats.

An October 2021 shooting claimed the lives of 25-year-old Anjali Ryot, a resident of San Jose, California, and 35-year-old Jennifer Henzold, of Germany, after gunmen opened fired as they chased a rival drug dealer near a Tulum bar.

In June 2021, a 30-year-old Kentucky residents was shot and wounded and two workers were shot dead at a Cancun beach gift shop. Two suspects fled in two jet skis.
Gilgo Beach serial killer Rex Heuermann's estranged wife wore her engagement ring for the alleged six-time murderer's latest court appearance.

Dressed casually in a white blouse, light blue trousers and pink-colored sneakers, Asa Ellerup, 59, appeared calm as she entered the Suffolk County Criminal Courthouse in Riverhead.

She was accompanied by her attorney Robert Macedonio, another member of her legal team, and her emotional support dog, Stewie 'Stuart' by her side. Her daughter Victoria was not present.

The court hearing was a procedural one and outlined new data and information set to be submitted as evidence against Heuermann, who was also present for Tuesday's hearing.

Heuermann, 60, did not speak during the hearing as his defense attorney Michael Brown stood at his side. He appeared older and grayer than at the time of his arrest.

At one point, the former architect was seen nodding his head as he appeared to look in the direction of where his ex-wife was seated in the back of the courtroom.

The mother-of-two had her trademark dark sunglasses over her eyes, and after Judge Timothy Mazzei ended the day's proceeding, Ellerup rushed out of the courtroom with Stewie as a swarm of photographers and reporters tried to speak with her.

She smiled at one point, but did not respond to anyone's questions.

Heuermann's ex-wife Asa Ellerup was seen wearing her wedding band as she walked Stewie, the family's service dog. Her attorney Robert Macedonio, and another person from her legal team walked nearby on their way to the entrance of the Suffolk County courthouse on Tuesday

Ellerup sported her gold diamond engagement ring for the court hearing

Rex Heuermann, 60, inside the Suffolk County Court in Riverhead on Tuesday did not speak during the court proceeding as he stood next to his defense lawyer Michael Brown

Ellerup had been married to Heuermann for 27 years. The couple had a daughter together Victoria, 27.

Heuermann was also the stepfather to Christopher Sheridan, 33, who was Ellerup's son from a previous marriage.

Ellerup filed for divorce days after his July 2023 arrest.

In March, she sent a statement through her attorney that stated that she 'still maintains that Rex is not capable of the crime he is accused of,' as per ABC 7 New York.

'I will listen to all of the evidence and withhold judgment until the end of the trial,' the statement continued. 'I have given him the benefit of the doubt, as we all deserve.'

The headless and handless body of Jessica Taylor, 20, was discovered in the woods of Manorville, New York in 2003

Sandra Costilla, 28, was tied to the Gilgo Beach investigation after an April search the property were her remains were found. Unlike the other victims in the case, Costilla has never been described as a sex worker by law enforcement

Suffolk County District Attorney Ray Tierney held a press conference after the hearing reviewing what was provided to the defense followed by a Q&A.

He explained some of the discovery in detail. 'We have six murders which are alleged to have been made by this defendant so we look forward to doing that so all of the underlying case work for each of those murders,' he said.

He explained how comprehensive the task is going back to the first murder in 1993, 2003, 2007, 2009 and two in 2010. Then providing missing persons files, phone work, lab work, underlying data, forensic and electronic evidence.

'All the work of investigation teams - all of those notes all of those notebooks, the detectives worked on it. Maine, Connecticut where missing persons first originated. The NYPD. Under our NYS Discovery Law we have to provide every single piece of paper. We have to do that and we have to prove we have every single piece of paper.

The first victim, 24-year-old Melissa Barthelemy, was discovered by Suffolk County Police on December 11, 2010. The body of Megan Waterman, 22, from Maine, was found two days later

Heuermann is also charged with killing Amber Costello (left) and Maureen Brainard-Barnes (right)

A trial date has not yet been set.

Heuermann's attorney Michael Brown also spoke outside the courthouse.

He said his client 'wants his day in court.'

'I stood in front of you folks a year ago and I said he wants his day in court. He still wants his day in court and he wants his trial,' Brown said.

'He is dealing with it as best as he can. He understands he can't change the circumstances of his environment for now but wants his day in court.

When Brown was asked what Heuermann does all day, he responded that he fills his days by reviewing the discovery that he has been allowed to view on a computer.

He also spends time in the law library and has an hour a day outside in the yard.

He said his client and his ex-wife communicate often and that his daughter Victoria has visited him in prison.

Heuermann's next court date is scheduled for October 16

Though Ellerup shook her head and did not want to talk about her ex-husband or the case she did tell DailyMail.com that Stewie had been a rescue from a shelter out in the Hamptons.

Her attorney chimed in that Stewie is her son Christopher's dog.

Over the last year, Christopher has been pictured several times walking the Labrador Chihuahua mix by DailyMail.com outside his Massapequa Park home.

During the chaos of today's court proceeding, Stewie did not seem to mind the fuss that everyone was making over him - in and outside the court building - and was well-behaved, well-adjusted and smiley.

Ellerup's team even joked that he is going to be Instagram famous.

'We are training him to be a service dog,' Ellerup said, who shared that they got a 'trainer for the house.'

Macedonio intervened 'they have to have a specific task.'

He added: 'Now he can go to hotels and we don't have to board him anymore. The Marriott wouldn't take him in the last time they went to Florida and it cost them 800 to 1,200 to board him for the weekend.'

Though Ellerup remarked that Stewie 'does have a lot of fun at the boarding place,' and seemed amused when a member of her legal team asked if he had a 'girlfriend.'

Asa Ellerup told DailyMail.com that Stewie was a rescue from a shelter in the Hamptons

Ellerup pictured walking into the courtroom to see her ex-husband accompanied by her lawyer and a member of her legal team

Heuermann was arrested in July and initially charged with killing Melissa Barthelemy, 24, Megan Waterman, 22, and Amber Lynn Costello 27. In February, he was also charged with the murder of Maureen Brainard-Barnes, 25.

The women were found wrapped in burlap and buried along the remote stretch of Ocean Parkway on Long Island's South Shore over a decade ago.

Heuermann, an architect, has pleaded not guilty to all counts and currently remains in jail awaiting trial.

In April, officials searched a Manorville area where the partial remains of Gilgo Beach victims Jessica Taylor and Valerie Mack were found more than 20 years ago.

State and county police officials descended on Heuermann's family home in Massapequa Park, Long Island and executed a second search warrant in May.

A month later, he was indicted by a grand jury for the murders of 20-year-old Jessica Taylor in 2003 and 28-year-old Sandra Costilla in 1993.

Investigators linked him to the two victims by DNA evidence after the second search warrant.
Thousands of heartbroken mourners tonight gathered for a vigil to remember the three young girls who were killed in the Southport rampage on Monday.

Tearful locals laid flowers outside the Merseyside town's grand Atkinson building after falling silent to remember six-year-old Bebe King, seven-year-old Elsie Dot Stancombe and nine-year-old Alice Dasilva Aguiar.

They were among 11 children stabbed during a 'ferocious' knife attack at a Taylor Swift-themed yoga and dance workshop in Southport on Monday lunchtime.

Five further children, aged between six and 11, are in a critical condition alongside two female adults, among them hero yoga teacher Leanne Lucas, who 'bravely tried to protect them'.

In the first week of the summer holidays, the seaside town should be bustling with happy families and tourists. But at 6pm on Tuesday, more than 5,000 people stood in silence outside the Atkinson building amid an outpouring of grief and shock.

In front of the Grade II-listed building, which comprises a theatre, museum and library, is the Town Hall Gardens, where a sea of floral tributes built up.

One heartbreaking poster surrounded by candles and flowers said 'never stop dancing'. The children had been enjoying a summer holiday dance workshop when a knifeman entered the studio and launched a frenzied attack.

Among the bouquets, there were also a number of Taylor Swift-style friendship bracelets. 'Thinking of you all,' a row of four of them spelt out.

Many of those in attendance wept and embraced each other as civic leaders spoke of the 'life-changing tragedy'.

Heartbroken mourners have gathered for a vigil to remember the victims of the Southport knife rampage

Six-year-old Bebe King was pronounced dead shortly after the attack in Southport on Monday

Elsie Dot Stancombe, seven, was also confirmed to have died on Monday as nine other children and two adult women were rushed to hospital

Another of the children killed in the horror Southport stabbing attack was today named as Alice Aguiar, nine

Devastated Southport families attend a vigil outside the Atkinson venue in central Southport which is being held for the child victims of a knife attack

Parents hugged their children tightly as they paid their respects to those lost in the tragedy

Floral tributes, cuddly toys and balloons were left at the heartbreaking vigil in Southport

Members of the public take part in a vigil near to the scene in Hart Street, where the tragedy unfolded

Crowds of mourners left flowers as they tried to take in the horror that unfolded

Members of the public take part in a vigil near to the scene in Hart Street, Southport, to remember the three girls who lost their lives

There was an outpouring of grief and emotion at the vigil held 24 hours after the tragedy

Heartbreaking floral tributes and teddy bears were left at the scene of the attack on Tuesday afternoon

A tribute to 'the lost angels' sits alongside a fluffy teddy bear in a heartbreaking message for the little children

Leading the vigil, the Reverend Martin Abrams, the chaplain of Southport hospital, said: 'Southport is not used to global attention. To be known around the globe for a defining incident that has shook us all to the core.

'Taylor Swift, who herself has commented on events and her bracelets of friendship which people are encouraged to make and swap and share, remind us we should never feel alone.

'Clearly the crowds tonight show we want to stand together.'

He added: 'Tonight is not about levels or creed but it is about standing in solidarity together in the face of life changing events. We share our common humanity and we weep together.'

Mayor of Sefton, Jane Burns, said: 'Its hard to find to the correct words to say at such a horrible, dreadful time. When I went over to lay some flowers it hits you, you cant help but cry. The outpouring of grief, the sadness.

'Actually having to go and lay flowers because some little children wanted to dance at the beginning of their school holidays. Its just unbelievable.

'I hope all of you here find some comfort from somebody, even if it's somebody you meet here today, a stranger that you see needs help.

'Reach out and help. Be kind. Let's allow them families to grieve in the way they wish to grieve. I ask for calm and respect at this time.'

Dignitaries, including the Mayor of Liverpool, Richard Kemp, and Southport MP Patrick Hurley, then laid flowers alongside dozens of other bouquets by the Princess Diana fountain.

Emotional members of the public react at the vigil for the three young girls who died in Southport

There was a visible outpouring of grief as families paid tribute to those caught up in the violence

A local dignitary places a floral tribute near to the scene in Hart Street, Southport

A heartbreaking poster surrounded by candles and flowers said 'Never stop dancing'

Flowers lie on the ground as people attend a vigil for the victims of the knife attack

Pink balloons and flowers are left for the three girls who tragically lost their lives

Many were in tears as they left candles and flowers at the fountain

The horrific knife attack has sent shockwaves through the whole country

Martin Abrams, the Spiritual Care and Chaplaincy Lead at Southport and Ormskirk Hospitals, speaks during a vigil

Friends console one another at the vigil in Southport, Merseyside, on Tuesday

Members of the public take part in a vigil near to the scene in Hart Street, Southport,

People hug as they attend a vigil for the victims of the knife attack in Southport

Parents and children gather to pay their respects during a vigil for the victims of a stabbing attack

Friends hug as they attend a vigil for the victims of the knife attack in Southport

Thousands of Southport locals turned up for the vigil for the victims on Tuesday evening

Heartbroken friends and families hold hands as they listen to speakers at the vigil

Many were overcome with emotion as they paid tribute to the young girls who lost their lives

Rev Abrams concluded: 'The best advice I can give to anyone is dont feel alone. There is a lot of support out there feel free to use it.'

Among the many locals who attended the event was grandmother of nine Brenda Jones, 77, who said: 'It was important to be here to show solidarity with the families of those children who died and were injured.

'I was in hospital today for a blood test and some of the staff I spoke to had actually been on duty yesterday and you could see it was still traumatic for them. One nurse had treated one of the little girls who was injured.

'I'm glad that so many people came out tonight to prove that Southport is really united as one now.

'It's a quiet, gentle town. It's close to Liverpool - where I'm from originally- but in many ways the locals are more reserved, so it's been really heartening to see so many show their emotions openly and prove to the country and the world that we are all standing together in the face of such an awful tragedy.'

Kath Perry, 73, who has two daughters and three grandchildren, said: 'The last 24-hours has really hit me, I woke up this morning and thought "Oh my God" because what has happened is so horrific and it's the first thing that came to mind.

'It's very close to home, my daughter lives very close to the venue but fortunately she is on holiday. I would have been beside myself with worry had she been there.

'But tonight is showing the families who have gone through such a tragedy that we are with them fully.

'What happened yesterday is perhaps the most traumatic event this town has ever suffered but tonight was to show what our community is all about.

'Everyone has come together, there's been little gestures like a local cab firm offering to drive parents to Alder Hey Hospital in Liverpool free of charge if they have a child being treated there.

'This will never be forgotten in Southport, I think it will change the town.'

Also attending the vigil were a couple whose eight-year-old daughter attended the same dance workshop during the Easter Holidays.

Clutching a bouquet of red flowers, the mother, who asked not to be named, fought back tears as she said: 'It could have been my daughter. She'd gone to the venue, she'd been at a similar workshop during the Easter holidays. That thought keeps swirling around my head.

'The last 24-hours have left me shaken to the core and feeling sick. At least this evening we were able to show the families we are one hundred per cent behind them.'

Another mum, who gave her name only as Mary, added: 'We can't fix what happened. We can't make things better. But we can show we care.

'This is something that just doesn't happen in Southport so for so many of us to show solidarity to the victims and their families was precious.'

Ahead of the vigil, the families and schools of the innocent girls who were fatally attacked by a crazed knifeman also released tributes.

In a statement, Bebe's family said: 'No words can describe the devastation that has hit our family as try to deal with the loss of our little girl Bebe.'

The family of Alice Dasilva Aguiar added: 'Keep smiling and dancing like you love to do our Princess, like we said before to you, you're always our princess and no one would change that. Love from Your Hero Daddy and Mummy.'

And the headteacher of Farnborough Road Infant School said they were 'heartbroken and devastated' by the death of pupil Elsie.

Jennifer Sephton said: 'Elsie has been a loving and bright member of our wonderful community since first being brought here on her father's shoulders, and even at her early age she was such a caring and charismatic young lady who loved to please.

'Elsie was a kind and caring friend to all who met her and was adored by everyone in our community. Our hearts and most deeply-felt sympathies go out to Elsie's family, friends and our Farnborough community who have been left numb by what has happened.

'It is immensely difficult to put into words how amazing Elsie was and the impact she had on those around her. We will miss you dearly Elsie. You were one of a kind.'

A 17-year-old boy remains in custody accused of murder and attempted murder and is being questioned following the incident in Southport, Merseyside.

Alder Hey Children's hospital this afternoon released a statement confirming that seven children had been taken to the site for treatment. One of those was Alice, and of the others, two remain in a critical condition, a spokesperson said.

The head of the school trust attended by Alice and Bebe said the girls 'will be in our hearts forever'.

Endeavour Learning Trust chief executive David Clayton said 'no words can do justice to what has happened here in Southport.

The trust contains Churchtown Primary School in Southport, which Alice and Bebe had both attended.

Churchtown Primary headteacher Jinnie Payne said the school had heard the 'tragic news' with 'great sadness', describing the stabbings as an 'atrocity'.

In a statement, Mr Clayton said: 'No words can do justice to what has happened here in Southport - and our hearts are broken for the families who have lost their children.

'No one should ever have to experience horror like this.

'Our immediate focus now is on providing support to the community as we start to understand what has happened. The death of a child is always a desperate tragedy for a school, and particularly so under such circumstances.

'We will come together as a community, offering each other support and care as we work through this difficult time.

'Alice and Bebe will be in our hearts forever.'

Ms Payne said Alice, a Year 4 pupil at Churchtown, was the 'happiest of souls, a true ray of sunshine'.

The Churchtown Primary headteacher added: 'She was known and loved by everyone in our school community of 700 children, a testament to her unique ability to connect with others.

'Alice's radiant smile brightened our days, and she embraced every aspect of school life with enthusiasm and joy.

'Her kindness, playful nature, and zest for trying new things will forever be remembered. Alice, you will always hold a special place in our hearts at Churchtown.'

Ms Payne said Bebe, a former pupil at the school, was a 'joyful girl' whose 'kindness radiated through the entire Churchtown community'.

The headteacher added: 'During her time at the school, Bebe's considerate nature and her love of learning shone through in everything that she did.

'Each day, she would come into school ready to grasp every opportunity available to her and fun and laughter were never far away whenever Bebe was involved.

'Her considerate nature meant that she had many friends and she always ensured all children felt included, whether that was through play or working together in the classroom.

'Bebe's memory will live on in the hearts of all who knew her.'

The headteacher added: 'We know that a number of other children from Churchtown were also involved in the attack, along with much-loved colleagues.

'We extend our heartfelt wishes to all those families affected by this horrific incident, including those currently in hospital or continuing to receive treatment.'

Devastated relatives of Alice said she had been taken by a 'despicable human being.'

Her mother Alexandra Aguiar is understood to be originally from Caracas in Venezuela and her dad David Aguiar is from the Portuguese island of Madeira.

Relative Carina Aguiar, a hotel worker who lives in Camara de Lobos in Madeira, posted a link on her social media to news Merseyside Police had confirmed a third child' had died following the attack and wrote tear emojis beside it.

Earlier she posted a photo of a black ribbon on her Facebook alongside Alice's name after writing in an emotional tribute: 'Princess Alice. In this moment of great pain my soul hurts, my body hurts, my mind hurts. I have a lump in my throat.

'You were just an innocent child, a happy smiley girl with a bright life ahead of you which a despicable human being took away from you, without pity, for no reason.'

Firefighters from Merseyside joined members of the public in paying tribute to those killed and injured in the stabbings

Forensic officers were seen at the scene in Southport on Tuesday as investigations begin

Floral tributes pile up by the side of the road as locals flock to share their sympathy after the tragedy

Floral tributes near the scene in Hart Street, Southport, where two children died and nine were injured in a 'ferocious' knife attack

Liliana Soares wrote: 'What a huge tragedy. My pretty and innocent angel. Such tremendous pain. My sincerest condolences Carina to the whole family.'

Another family friend, Henrique Drummond, wrote on social media in a direct message to Alice's parents: 'David Aguiar, Alexandra Aguiar. Life is so cruel that an animal takes the life of children, especially our Alice. Lots of strength in these extremely difficult moments.'

Father John Heneghan, who led Alice Aguir's first communion service, described her as a 'beautiful girl from a lovely family' - adding that they had only been to mass on Sunday morning, 24 hours before the tragedy.

Describing Alice at her First Communion, Fr Heneghan, parish priest at St Patrick's for eight years, said he remembered 'little Alice' having the most beautiful smile, a radiant smile, if you'd say the epitome of happiness that day, she was it.'

'We can't make sense of it,' he added.

Portuguese Foreign Ministry sources confirmed today a Portuguese girl had died.

One said: 'Portugal's Consul General in Manchester is assisting the family, having spoken to her parents, and is continuing to offer them all the support they need.'

Police say they are not looking for anyone else and do not believe the incident is terrorism related.

Brave Leanne Lucas, 35, (pictured) who organised the Taylor Swift-themed workshop, suffered stab injuries after the man entered the venue through the unlocked door, which was left open amid the scorching heat

The local teacher saved 16 children as the 25-strong class aged between six and 11, while nine children were taken to hospital. One has since died, with five still in a critical condition

She organised the dance, yoga and bracelet making workshop in Southport with Heidi Barlow, also 35, a fellow dance teacher, (pictured) who advertised the event as being for 'Swifties'

The attack happened at a Taylor Swift-themed workshop on Hart Street in Southport. Police later swooped on a property in Banks, five miles away

Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer visited Southport this afternoon and thanked emergency service workers who responded to the knife attack, telling them: 'I hope you feel proud of the part that you played in the most difficult circumstances, to do what you could for those young lives.'

He added: 'It is sometimes really important in life just to come and say a simple thank you to all of you, so let me do that, on behalf of myself, on behalf of the government, on behalf of the country - thank you.'

The fully-booked club for children, which was advertised as a dance and yoga workshop as well as bracelet-making, quickly became something 'like a horror movie', witnesses to the deadly stabbings have said.

Locals said the alleged knifeman arrived at the dance studio wearing a black hooded top and facemask in a taxi and got out without paying.

They said the suspect then walked into the studio through a front door that was unlocked for fire safety reasons.

Emergency services said the scene was 'horrific' and 'chaotic' as they arrived at the children's club.

Police said the suspect, who was born in Cardiff, is from the village of Banks, just outside Southport, and a road in the area was cordoned off by detectives on Monday afternoon.

All the casualties are being treated in hospital, including children's hospitals in Liverpool and Manchester.

The attack happened at a Taylor Swift themed yoga and dance workshop

Taylor Swift said she is 'completely in shock' after the 'horror' of the Southport knife attack

Home Secretary Yvette Cooper and Southport MP Patrick Hurley embrace as they pay tribute to those injured and killed in the horror attack

At the scene today, flowers and teddies were left by the police cordon. One message in a 'Thinking Of You' card said 'thoughts and prayers' are with those affected and was signed: 'Love - Southport.' Another said: 'Fly high with angels little ones.'

Prime Minister visits Southport and thanks emergency services Visiting Southport on Tuesday, Sir Keir Starmer told emergency service workers: 'I hope you feel proud of the part that you played in the most difficult circumstances, to do what you could for those young lives.' 'It is sometimes really important in life just to come and say a simple thank you to all of you, so let me do that, on behalf of myself, on behalf of the government, on behalf of the country - thank you.' He added: 'I came here to pay my respects to the victims and families who are going through raw pain and grief that most of us can't imagine - I can't imagine, as a dad myself. 'To get a briefing from the chief constable and the emergency services about the ongoing investigation but, also, importantly, to have the opportunity to say to those that were responding yesterday from emergency services, say a personal thank you to them and to shake their hand, and to say that as Prime Minister on behalf of the country, we are grateful for what they did. 'They, of course, say that they will respond, they're professionals, to anything, but there's no pretending that what they had to respond to yesterday was ordinary. 'It was very, very difficult. They were absolutely professional. And it was important for me to come and say simple words - thank you.' Advertisement

In a social media post, Taylor Swift shared her horror at the 'loss of life and innocence' at the workshop.

She wrote: 'The horror of yesterday's attack in Southport is washing over me continuously, and I'm just completely in shock.

'The loss of life and innocence, and the horrendous trauma inflicted on everyone who was there, the families, and first responders.

'These were just little kids at a dance class. I am at a complete loss for how to ever convey my sympathies to these families.'

A JustGiving page - set up by Taylor Swift fans - has already raised more than 100,000 to help families affected by the tragedy and pay for the two funerals, with more than 6,500 donations.

Sir Keir Starmer today opened Cabinet by acknowledging the 'truly horrific' event in Southport.

'He said the thoughts of the whole Cabinet and the entire country would be with those who were attacked and their families who are going through an unimaginable ordeal,' the Prime Minister's official spokesman said.

'He added that it was hard to find words to express what the grieving families and community must be going through.'

Home Secretary Yvette Cooper visited the town to lay flowers at the police cordon on Hart Street in Southport this morning.

Ms Cooper, Southport MP Patrick Hurley, Merseyside Police Chief Constable Serena Kennedy, Merseyside Fire and Rescue Service's Chief Fire Officer Phil Garrigan and Merseyside police and crime commissioner Emily Spurrell walked to the cordon together, each holding a bouquet of flowers.

Ms Cooper described the stabbing in Southport as an 'unspeakable tragedy'.

In a House of Commons statement, she told MPs: 'It's difficult to comprehend or to put into words the horror of what happened.

'These were young children, dancing to Taylor Swift and celebrating the start of the school holidays.

'What should have been a joyful start to the summer turned into an unspeakable tragedy.

'Three young children have lost their lives - Bebe King, age six, Elsie Dot Stancombe, age seven, and Alice Dasilva Aguiar, aged nine.'

Ms Cooper also read a tribute by Alice's family: 'Keep smiling and dancing like you love to do, our princess.'

A crew from Merseyside Fire and Rescue Service also paid tribute. About a dozen firefighters walked together to the cordon on Hart Street and laid flowers, with a message to say they were 'thinking of everyone involved'.

Home Secretary Yvette Cooper pays tribute to the child victims of the horror knife attack

An aerial view of Hart Street, where a horrifying knife attack took place just before midday

Emergency crews and forensic teams descended on the scene after 13 people were stabbed

The Home Secretary stood for a few moments looking at the tributes before laying her flowers and reading some of the messages left by others.

She and Mr Hurley hugged. She is understood to have met with first responders in the town earlier.

Speaking to the media today, Southport MP Patrick Hurley said: 'The town is in mourning, the town is in shock this morning. The incident that took place yesterday was uniquely horrific.

'Southport's a quiet seaside, coastal town. This has just sent shockwaves through the whole community.

'It's a very small town, Southport, and a lot of families across the area will be impacted directly.

'I think at this stage we need to just reach out, make sure that there's a level of community healing going on and make sure we give voice to the solidarity that people need right now.'

Police screens up at the scene of the tragic stabbing incident in Hart Street in Southport

Southport locals have also rushed to leave their kind words, with one saying their 'thoughts and prayers are with you'

Alongside the bouquets of flowers are stuffed toys for the children, including a panda and a rabbit

Chief Constable Serena Kennedy, of Merseyside Police, said those injured had all suffered stab wounds in the 'ferocious attack'.

She added: 'We believe that the adults who were injured were bravely trying to protect the children who were being attacked.

'As a mum and a nana, I can't begin to imagine the pain and suffering that the families of the victims are going through at this moment in time.

'I wish to send my heartfelt condolences to them.'

Brave Leanne Lucas, 35, who organised the yoga and bracelet making class is among the adult victims fighting for her life in hospital.

The primary school supply teacher - who now teaches children's yoga workshops - suffered stab injuries after a man entered the venue through the unlocked door, which was left open amid the scorching heat, and started attacking children.

Ms Lucas and her co-organiser and dance teacher Heidi Barlow, also 35, saved 16 children as the 25-strong class aged between six and 11.

Ms Barlow was also injured in the attack, although not seriously, MailOnline understands.

Two female adults were rushed to hospital after police say they 'bravely tried to protect them' from the attack at the Hart Space Studios on Hart Street.

Ms Lucas, who's also a qualified primary school teacher, is the owner and founder of Enlighten, planned the two-hour session to coincide with the start of the school holidays.

Floral tributes near the scene in Hart Street, Southport, where two children died and nine were injured in a 'ferocious' knife attack

A person leaves flowers near the scene in Hart Street, Southport, where the event took place

Police officers near the scene in Hart Street, Southport, this morning following the stabbing yesterday

She was hailed today by relatives who paid tribute to her bravery and love for her students.

Pauline Bennett, 64, said: 'She's only tiny, she wouldn't have stood a chance against a man with a knife, but she just wanted to protect those children.

'I can't imagine what she would have been thinking when he came through the door. It all happened so quickly, she just did what she could.

'Her sister stayed at her bedside all night and her parents are with her now. We're just hoping and praying that she's going to be ok.

'Leanne loves teaching children, it's all she's ever wanted to do. She just loves children.

'It's just heartbreaking that someone could do something like this.'

A former school friend said: 'To my knowledge she organised it, she used to be a primary school teacher at a local school.

Ms Lucas - who taught in China and Dubai before the Covid pandemic hit - is a big fan of Taylor Swift, her aunt said.

A little girl is helped as she takes flowers to leave with the line of floral tributes

North West Ambulance Service (NWAS) sent 13 ambulances, specialised resources of its Hazardous Area Response Team, Air Ambulance and Merit Doctors to the scene

Emergency services rushed to the scene after reports of a stabbing spree

'Then she came home in Covid and now this happens. She went to the Taylor Swift concert and she got a big poster of her for the kids.'

Posting a photo of Ms Lucas on Facebook, Sunshine Yoga wrote: 'I'm absolutely devastated. Please please pray for Leanne.

'Leanne came on my training course in December. A beautiful young creative girl who was so passionate about helping children.

'I just can't believe it. Please pray.'

Others described the news as 'devastating' and 'heartbreaking'.

One Facebook user wrote: 'I'm in shock. Thinking of you Leanne and everyone involved, love and prayers go out to you all.'

Another added: 'Thank you for your bravery in defending your class. I pray you get to see how proud the whole town is of your actions today.'

According to Leanne's Facebook page, she had only recently returned to the UK after a holiday in Italy that included a trip to Venice and the Dolomite Mountains.

Ms Barlow was a dance teacher at Southport Dance Academy, where she had recently taken time off to have a baby girl.

Wishing her luck last year, the school said: 'We are sending you lots of love and hope you are enjoying all the quality time together.'

Reacting to the tragic news today, the academy posted on Instagram: 'Thoughts and prayers for everyone affected by today's shocking events. Southport together.'

Photos from her social media show her celebrating marriage two years ago and her paying tribute to her 'gorgeous' students as her classes were halted over lockdown.
A road rage incident in California ended in gunfire as two men died while young children watched the horrific incident from a car.

Johnathan McConnell of Corona, 38, and Aaron Harris of Highland, 37, got into a violent confrontation that initially started as a hit-and-run on the 210 Freeway before tragically ending in a bar parking lot, according to the San Bernardino County Sheriff's Office.

Around 8pm Saturday McConnell was weaving in and out of lanes on a motorcycle when he collided with a sedan driven by Harris.

Harris then followed the motorcyclist into the parking lot while his two children, two and five, rode in the backseat. The two men then fatally shot each other.

'It could have been so incredibly simple. Unfortunately, we have two people who lost their lives instead,' Mara Rodriguez, a spokesperson with the San Bernardino County sheriff's department told Abc 7.

Johnathan McConnell of Corona, 38, and Aaron Harris of Highland, 37, shot and killed each other in a parking lot in front of Joy's Lounge bar (pictured) on Saturday after colliding with each other the freeway

Harris (pictured) followed the motorcyclist into the parking lot while his two children, two and five, rode in the backseat

Harris' children were not physically harmed but a man at the scene was injured after being shot in the hand.

At the time of the accident, instead of pulling over after clipping the sedan, McConnell continued to drive.

Once he reached Joys Bar and Lounge on Baseline Street, McConnell 'met with several people known to him' in the parking lot.

Harris soon pulled into the same lot after following McConnell from the Freeway.

The father then started to yell at McConnell as the pair became 'confrontational,' Rodriguez said.

'They were both armed, and a shooting occurred, and the two of them both ended up deceased at the end of the night,' she added.

When officers arrived at the scene they attempted to save the men before they were rushed to the hospital where they were later pronounced dead

When officers arrived at the scene they attempted to save the men before they were rushed to the hospital where they were later pronounced dead.

Footage of the grim scene showed crime scene investigators sectioning off the parking lot with yellow tape.

A GoFundMe page was created by Harris' sister Crystal to raise money for his funeral.

'My brother was silly but also a great father, family man and always willing to be of help if needed,' Crystal said.

'This incident has left our family hurt and saddened by his loss.'

Other friends and family members of Harris shared their heartbreak as his cousin Quinten Carr told KTLA: 'He was a father, cousin, brother, a loving friend.'

'He was a playful person and the life of the party. He kept everyone laughing for sure.'

Other loved ones took to Facebook and honored the late father.

'I wish I could go bacc [sic] to this day... I was on the phone with u when u posted this...I'm lost out here bro,' one said under a post Harris made on the morning he died.

Another said: 'Not Aaron Harris I will miss you soooo much.'

McConnell has not yet been pictured. DailyMail.com contacted the San Bernardino Country Sheriff's Office.

A GoFundMe page was created by Harris' sister Crystal to raise money for his funeral. He was described by his sister as a 'family man'. (pictured: Harris and his family)

Harris' cousin Quinten Carr said he was a 'playful person and the life of the party'

On May 31, a road rage brawl between two men outside the Los Angeles International Airport left an elderly woman unconscious on the ground and in critical condition.

Appalling surveillance footage showed the victim checking on her luggage curbside as the two men fighting run towards where she's standing.

As the men ran off the sidewalk and into the street during the brawl, one of them is seen hitting the woman on the head, knocking her unconscious.

Officials told KTLA the woman was rushed to the hospital with major injuries.

She has since recovered and has been released from the hospital.

California recently came in as one of the worst states for road rage in the country, according to Forbes.

It ranked third (47.5%) in terms of being cut off by other people, fourth (32%) in insults and seventh (60.5%) in tailgating.

California also has the eighth-highest (11%) percentage of drivers who say another person sharing the road has exited their vehicle to fight or yell with them.
A Democratic Alabama lawmaker targeted GOP Representative Katie Britt with a sex slur as she attempted to defend Vice-President Kamala Harris.

Juandalynn Givan lashed out at those suggesting that Harris had slept her way to success.

'You have fools out there that think this woman got to where she is by laying on her back,' Rep. Juandalynn Givan said of Harris.

'Did Katie Britt lay on hers to get to the (U.S.) Senate?' No way has (Harris) had to lay on her back to get to where she is.'

Britt is a US Republican senator from Alabama. There's no suggestion she owes her career to anything other than hard work, with Givan likely just using her name to prove a point.

Her comments came amid reports the Vice-President was romantically involved with a married politician who was separated from his wife while she was single.

Democratic Alabama lawmaker Juandalynn Givan targeted GOP Representative Katie Britt as she attempted to defend Vice-President Kamala Harris

Her comments came in response to published reports that Harris romanced a married male politician decades ago when she was single and he was separated from his wife.

Harris dated San Francisco's first black mayor Willie Brown in the 1990s. He is 31 years Harris' senior and she was his 'constant companion' on the campaign trail. They met while he was 60 and Harris was 29.

Harris has struggled to shirk her association with Brown, whom she has described as 'an albatross hanging around my neck'.

She has been married to Second Gentleman Doug Emhoff since 2014.

Givan also defended the Vice President against critiques about her past relationships.

'At the end of the day, words matter,' Givan said during her News4 interview this week. 'Don't let (words) be anything you don't want your mother, sister, or auntie to be.'

Katie Britt, pictured, is a US senator from Alabama who's a member of the Republican party

Her comments came amid reports Vice-President Kamala Harris was romantically involved with a married politician who was separated from his wife while she was single

Married mom-of-two Britt, 42, became the youngest woman elected to the Senate in 2022.

Givan did not suggest Britt had done anything untoward to earn her success.

The Alabama junior senator has long been viewed as a rising star in the Republican party.

She rose to new prominence after delivering the response to the president's State of the Union speech.

However her performance was savaged on SNL, where actress Scarlett Johansson ridiculed her as the 'craziest b**** in the Target parking lot.'
Baltimore Mayor Brandon Lewis is facing calls to explain himself after announcing that the city's top health official is leaving her $230,000 job with immediate effect.

Health Commissioner Ihuoma Emenuga boasts a host of qualifications from universities on three continents, and a storied history of senior management positions in public health.

But the Democrat mayor announced she had stepped down just seven months into the job, with a brutally terse notice on the council website.

'Ihuoma Emenuga will no longer serve as the Baltimore City Health Commissioner and is no longer employed by the City of Baltimore, effective immediately,' it told voters.

A source told the city's capitalgazette.com that she was sacked ahead of a 'pending investigation', but a spokesman for the mayor said he could not comment further.

Baltimore Health Commissioner Ihuoma Emenuga is waving goodbye to her job just seven months after being sworn in by Mayor Brandon Scott

Baltimore mayor Brandon Scott promised she would bring 'extensive experience, dedication to public health and innovative thinking' when he hired her on $230,000 a year

The city claims to have 'America's oldest, continuously-operating health department', but one of its shortest-serving bosses has left residents demanding answers.

'Seven months into a contract and they're terminated means two things, they weren't properly vetted or they weren't properly vetted,' wrote Ellan Johnson.

'Pending investigation? Public official so citizens have a right to know,' wrote Copper2029.

'No paid admin leave? No golden parachute? It must be bad?' added CharmCityMadMan.

The Mayor was effusive about his new hire when he announced her appointment in December.

'She will bring her extensive experience, dedication to public health and innovative thinking to her work on behalf of Baltimoreans in every neighborhood,' he predicted.

'As we safeguard all types of health in our communities, Dr Emenuga will be critical in helping us build a healthier, more equitable Baltimore.'

A healthier Baltimore was certainly wanted when her predecessor resigned after a NYT investigation found the city had a drug death rate nearly twice that of any other US city for most of Letitia Dzirasa's four-year term.

Dzirasa denied her resignation was connected with the report before taking up a post as deputy mayor for Equity, Health, and Human Service.

But it was just another two months before she announced her resignation from that post.

Emenuga qualified from the University of Nigeria with a medical degree and holds graduate degrees from the University of London and the University of Maryland, College Park.

She is licensed as a doctor by the Maryland Board of Physicians and previously served as managing partner for the health care consultancy, Vie Health.

She has held roles with Chase Brexton Health Care, and as chief medical officer for Park West Health System and Family Health Centers of Baltimore.

And the tri-lingual physician was already serving as a medical director for the Health Department's Youth Wellness and Community Health Division by the time she was appointed to the top job.

The mayor said the city would begin a 'nation-wide search for its next Health Commissioner', and that Deputy City Administrator Simone Johnson would step into the role for the time being.

A source told the city's capitalgazette.com that she was sacked ahead of a 'pending investigation', but a spokesman for the Mayor said he could not comment further

Mayor Scott's latest recruitment headache comes after the departure of his police commissioner, public works director, the city's top attorney, the city administrator and two chiefs of staff.

His office pointed out that the new health stand-in has 'more than two decades of local and state government experience', including stints in the Housing and Transit authorities.

But that did not reassure some on social media

'He's replaced her on an interim basis with someone with no health care expertise but a lot of agency crisis management expertise,' wrote Ronald Stubblefield.

'Must be an investigation.'
A Texas man is being kicked out of his lake house after his neighbor purchased the underwater land that his residence encroached on.

Art Burnevik, 75, purchased a piece of land off Lake Buchanan and spent the last six years hand-building his dream home.

Part of the retiree's home extends onto submerged land - that is land below the lake's contour line which is the elevation level of the lake when it is full.

However, the submerged land is owned by Burnevik's neighbor who took him to court and had him evicted for building on the underwater property, reported KXAN.

'This is my little dream. This is all I could afford. After all the years that I worked, this is all I could manage. But this was all I ever needed,' Burnevik said.

Art Burnevik (pictured), 75, is set to be evicted from his dream home over an underwater property dispute

Burnevik purchased a piece of land off Lake Buchanan (pictured) and spent the last six years hand-building his dream home

Property records show Underwater Land LLC obtained the deed to a 46-acre tract of submerged land on the lake in 2021, including where Burnevik build his house

His neighbor Brad Beneski is listed as the only member Underwater Land LLC, according to the local news station.

Beneski sued Burnevik Burnet County court claiming his construction crossed into his land.

A justice of the peace ruled in Beneski's favor in March 2024. Then on appeal, a judge sided with Beneski again and signed a writ of possession, giving Beneski the right to evict Burnevik in June.

Burnevik's neighbor purchased the underwater land that that 75-year-old built a portion of his home on and a court ruled he could be evicted

'My client has given him ample opportunity to move off the property, but he has refused and forced our hand,' Beneski's lawyer Austin Shell told KXAN. 'We've been as courteous as we can.'

Burnevik said he offered to buy the land underneath his home, but Shell said 'under no circumstances' would his client sell.

The 75-year-old feels he was not given a fair shot but had started moving out of his house.

Pointing to his car, Burnevik said: 'That was going to be my new home right there.'

His neighbors have stepped up and offered him a place to stay. 'It wasnt until they said, "Youre not going to live under a bench." Thats when I broke down,' Burnevik said.
A man plunged 50 feet inside a well in Georgia while looking for his cell phone.

The individual, who has not been named, was trapped for eight hours as rescuers battled to save him.

The father disappeared after venturing out into the woodland in Cobb County to try and retrieve his lost phone.

He managed to track the device to the remote location using his wife's phone but was last heard from at 10pm on Thursday.

His frantic family raised the alarm at 4am on Friday and he was rescued around two and a half hours later USA Today reports.

A man who plunged 50 feet inside a well in Georgia while looking for his cell phone was rescued after a harrowing eight hour ordeal

The man was using his wife's phone to track the location of his own cell when he disappeared on Thursday night

A major rescue mission was launched with multiple teams scrambled to the scene.

Rescuers followed the sound of the trapped man's cries and located him inside the structure.

'Cobb Police responded, saw his car in the road and started searching and calling his name,' Stephen Bennett, a spokesman for Cobb County Fire and Emergency Services said.

'One officer found the spouse's phone and then heard the subject and located him in the bottom' of the well.

Dramatic video shows the moment the man was winched out of the well using ropes and a bipod

'At night in the darkness, if you don't have a good flashlight it is very easy to accidentally find a hole, fall down a slope.

'You know, the woods are not kind if you don't have a flashlight.'

Dramatic video shows the moment the man was winched out of the well using ropes and a bipod. Miraculously, he was alive and conscious amid the rescue.

He was then transferred to a stretcher and raced to the hospital. He is expected to make a recovery.
The Prime Minister was repeatedly asked 'how many more children will die?' as he placed flowers at the scene of the Southport knife rampage today.

Sir Keir Starmer placed his own floral tribute among hundreds of others as he visited the seaside town in Merseyside to offer his condolences to the families who have lost loved ones.

The three girls stabbed to death were today named by police as six-year-old Bebe King, seven-year-old Elsie Dot Stancombe and nine-year-old Alice Dasilva Aguiar. A vigil was attended by thousands of mourners in Southport on Tuesday night.

The Labour leader's brief visit, which lasted around two minutes, was interrupted by some members of the public heckling him.

As the Prime Minister walked past, one man declared: 'Here's your photo opportunity.'

Another shouted: 'How many more children? Our kids are dead and you're leaving already?'

Other furious onlookers shouted 'scumbag', 'time for change' and 'go away, you're not wanted'.

Another woman said: 'I've just found out my friend's nine-year-old daughter was killed, the person I've held as a child, and you can't do s***.'

And a different man shouted: 'Get the truth out!'

It comes after Merseyside Police issued a warning after an 'incorrect' name for the alleged Southport attacker was widely circulated online.

A 17-year-old boy, originally from Cardiff but from the Banks area of Merseyside, remains in custody accused of murder and attempted murder.

Inaccurate posts by social media sleuths about the identity of the perpetrator have received millions of views and engagements.

Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer arrives with a floral tribute to the child victims of a knife attack

A note from Sir Keir Starmer left at the scene of the 'ferocious' knife attack: 'There are no words for such profound loss. The nation's thoughts are with you'

Earlier today, 'happy smiley' Alice Aguiar, nine, was named after she died in hospital in the early hours of Tuesday following the attack

Elsie Dot Stancombe, seven, was also confirmed to have died on Monday as nine other children and two adult women were rushed to hospital

Six-year-old Bebe King was pronounced dead shortly after the attack in Southport on Monday

Downing Street also warned against 'unhelpful' speculation amid concerns that misreporting online could inflame community tensions.

Officers should be given the space to probe the case without people guessing at the possible motive or circumstances, No 10 said.

The 17-year-old suspect is from Wales, Merseyside Police has said, but false claims that he was an asylum seeker who had arrived in the UK by boat have spread online.

The force is now understood to be monitoring a potential far-right rally in the area.

Sir Keir laid a wreath of pink and white flowers in front of dozens of locals, journalists and photographers.

He said the horrific attack 'touches a nerve' with the whole country as he lay his floral tribute at the scene alongside a note telling the victim's families 'the nation's thoughts are with you'.

After visiting Hart Street, Merseyside he went on to meet the emergency service workers who responded to the horrific tragedy praising the 'incredible' paramedics, firefighters and police officers for 'saving lives'.

'I hope you feel proud of the part that you played in the most difficult circumstances, to do what you could for those young lives,' Sir Keir told them.

The PM's visit comes as the young girls who died in the attack were named and pictured.

Bebe, six, was pronounced dead shortly after the attack while Elsie, seven, was also died on Monday. And earlier today, 'happy smiley' Alice Aguiar, nine, was named after she died in hospital in the early hours of Tuesday.

Five other children, aged between six and 11, remain in a critical condition alongside two female adults, including hero teacher Leanne Lucas, who 'bravely tried to protect them'.

A teenager, born in Cardiff, remains in custody accused of murder and attempted murder. Detectives are probing him on the incident.

The Labour leader went on to visit Southport Police station where he shook hands with the dozens of firefighters and police officers involved, telling them children are 'alive today' because of their brave work.

He told them: 'I know you would go and face any situation that was put in front of you, you do it every day.

'But there's no pretending that what you dealt with yesterday was ordinary or just a usual response. It was really, really difficult. I just wanted to say a personal thank you to each of you, that's why I wanted to shake each of your hands, for what you did yesterday.

'I'm incredibly proud of what you did. I'm amazed, but not surprised, that you're in today, carrying on with your duties. I really want you to focus on the fact that there are children today alive because of what you did yesterday.

'That is incredible. It's what you do every day but it's the most difficult of circumstances. I don't want you to think for a minute the rest of the country has not seen that.'

Sir Keir Starmer shakes hands with emergency workers who responded to yesterday's knife attack in Southport

Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer leaves a floral tribute to the child victims of a knife attack on Hart Street

Sir Keir said he made the visit to the shocked community to pay his respects to the victims and families who are going 'through raw pain and grief that most of us can't imagine - I can't imagine, as a dad myself'.

The PM had a briefing with Merseyside Police's chief constable and emergency services about their ongoing investigation.

He added that he wanted to make the trip to thank emergency workers in person for their bravery.

'It was very, very difficult,' Sir Keir said. 'They were absolutely professional. And it was important for me to come and say simple words - thank you.'

The Prime Minister's visit to the scene is reported to have been marred by hostile shouts from some members of the public, who called for action on knife crime.

The Home Secretary Yvette Cooper also visited the town to lay flowers at the police cordon in Southport this morning.

She was accompanied by Southport MP Patrick Hurley, Police Chief Constable Serena Kennedy, Fire and Rescue Service's Chief Fire Officer Phil Garrigan and police and crime commissioner Emily Spurrell who walked to the cordon together.

A crew from Merseyside Fire and Rescue Service also paid tribute. About a dozen firefighters walked together to the cordon on Hart Street and laid flowers, with a message to say they were 'thinking of everyone involved'.

Home Secretary Yvette Cooper pays tribute to the child victims of the horror knife attack

Brave Leanne Lucas, 35, (pictured) who organised the Taylor Swift-themed workshop, suffered stab injuries after the man entered the venue through the unlocked door, which was left open amid the scorching heat

Floral tributes near the scene in Southport today after three children died and nine were injured

The Home Secretary stood for a few moments looking at the tributes before laying her flowers and reading some of the messages left by others.

She and Mr Hurley hugged. She is understood to have met with first responders in the town earlier.

Speaking to the media today, Southport MP Patrick Hurley said: 'The town is in mourning, the town is in shock this morning. The incident that took place yesterday was uniquely horrific.

'Southport's a quiet seaside, coastal town. This has just sent shockwaves through the whole community. It's a very small town, Southport, and a lot of families across the area will be impacted directly.

'I think at this stage we need to just reach out, make sure that there's a level of community healing going on and make sure we give voice to the solidarity that people need right now.'

Alder Hey children's hospital confirmed today that seven children were taken to their A&E following the stabbing.

Following the announcement of little Bebe's death, her family said in a statement: 'No words can describe the devastation that has hit our family as try to deal with the loss of our little girl Bebe.'

Churchtown Primary School released a statement this afternoon and said: 'Our whole Churchtown Primary School community is utterly heartbroken by the tragic events that have taken place.

'We stand united with all of our families and the wider Southport community during this incredibly difficult time.'

The family of Alice also paid tribute to their 'princess'.

They said: 'Keep smiling and dancing like you love to do our Princess, like we said before to you, you're always our princess and no one would change that. Love from Your Hero Daddy and Mummy.'

Heartbroken relatives of Alice said she had been taken by a 'despicable human being.'

Her mother Alexandra Aguiar is understood to be originally from Caracas in Venezuela and her dad David Aguiar is from the Portuguese island of Madeira.

Portuguese PM Luis Montenegro issued a statement following the death of three children.

He said on X: 'It is with deep sadness that I received the news on the attack that took place yesterday in Southport in the United Kingdom, for which I have no words to describe.

'On my behalf and that of the Portuguese government I express heartfelt condolences to the families of the victims and to the British government and people.'
Huw Edwards has split from his TV producer wife and moved out of the family home ahead of his court hearing over child pornography images, it was reported tonight.

Edwards, 62, is understood to have left the couple's home in Dulwich, south London, which he shared with Vicky Flind.

The ex-News at Ten presenter has been dividing his time between a home in Wandsworth, south-west London, and his native Wales.

Edwards is due in court in central London tomorrow, having been accused of child pornography offences after 37 indecent images were allegedly shared on a WhatsApp chat.

He got engaged to Vicky in 1993, and the couple share three sons and two daughters.

Speaking of their split, a source told The Sun: 'They separated quite a long time ago but have not announced it publicly.' The source added: 'Huw has been living elsewhere for a while.'

Huw Edwards and his wife Vicky Flind, pictured in South London in 2018. They have five children

Edwards is seen walking through London's Marylebone on June 17 last year with his ID tag

Edwards faces three counts of making indecent images of children relating to offences said to have taken place between December 2020 and April 2022, Scotland Yard revealed yesterday.

One former colleague and friend told MailOnline: 'Huw kept his arrest completely secret.'

They said that like everyone else they had seen the statement from the Met Police in July 2023 that said detectives had not found any evidence of criminal activity when the scandal broke and he was suspended from his job.

'It turns out he was arrested four months later and nobody knew. I had no idea until he was charged', the friend from the BBC said.

Another former colleague of the star said: 'It's a mess - and tragic for all concerned'.

The BBC was also blindsided by the criminal charges against its former star presenter Huw Edwards, with bosses only told of the allegations a few hours before they were made public, an insider has claimed.

In April, Edwards resigned from the BBC on medical grounds and left without a payout. He then moved in with his mother in Wales.

Edwards got engaged to Vicky in 1993, and the couple share three sons and two daughters

Edwards is due in court in central London tomorrow, having been accused of child pornography offences after 37 indecent images were allegedly shared on a WhatsApp chat

But it has emerged that Edwards was arrested on November 8 last year and charged just over a month ago on June 26 following authorisation from the Crown Prosecution Service.

A BBC insider reportedly said the corporation only found out Edwards was facing criminal charges hours before it was made public, according to The Times.

Members of staff were rocked by the news, which they said senior management must have been unaware of.

A senior source told The Times: 'The BBC was informed by the Met Police when a call came through [on Monday].'
Scotland faces a growing population crisis as the number of births and the fertility rate both plunged to new record lows.

Official figures show the number of live births fell to its lowest ever figure of 45,935 in 2023, which was down by two per cent on the previous year.

At the same time, the fertility rate - the average number of children a woman is expected to have - fell to a new low of 1.3, compared to 1.33 the previous year.

It is far short of the fertility rate of 2.1 needed for a population to be able to replace itself.

There were 63,445 deaths registered in Scotland last year, which was 1 per cent more than 2022, and the number of deaths have now been higher than births for nine consecutive years.

Scotland's birth rate tumbled to its lowest level on record last year

Economists warned that the declining natural population will put pressure on public finances and is likely to lead to tax rises or spending cuts.

Joao Sousa, deputy director of the Fraser of Allander Institute, said: In a context where low birth rates are here to stay, providing a decent standard of social protection and of living to those in retirement is likely to be linked with somewhat higher taxes and somewhat less spending in some areas.

Figures in a new report by the National Records of Scotland show that the 45,935 live births registered in 2023 was the lowest annual total since records began in 1855.

The report said that births have been falling over the long term and hit a previous low in 2002 before increasing to a high of 60,041. Since then, the number has decreased most years.

Just over half of live births - 53 per cent - were to unmarried parents, while the most common age group for mothers giving birth has increased to 30-34.

The fertility rate was even lower than the national average of 1.30 in Scotlands cities. Edinburgh had the lowest rate, at 0.98, followed by Glasgow, at 1.12.

The highest fertility rates were in the most deprived areas, at 1.42, while the lowest rate of 1.12 was in the least deprived areas.

Scottish Conservative finance spokesman Liz Smith MSP said: These alarming figures point to a demographic timebomb in Scotland.

The plummeting birth rates have sparked fears of a 'demographic time bomb' in Scotland

We already have an ageing population, and declining birth and fertility rates raise questions over whether we will have a big enough working population to support their pension and healthcare needs in the years to come.

To offset this worrying trend, the SNP Government need to do more to attract working-age people to Scotland from elsewhere in the UK, but thats not going to happen while taxes are higher here than south of the border.

Equalities Minister Kaukab Stewart said: Making sure every place in Scotland has the population it needs to thrive is key to ensuring the sustainability of our communities.

Lower birth rates are a trend across a number of higher income countries, and while deciding to have a child or not is obviously a matter for individuals, we are identifying and addressing barriers to people starting or expanding families through the delivery of Scotlands Population Strategy.

Inward migration is also key and while immigration is a reserved policy matter, we hope to work collaboratively with the new UK Government to support people to move to Scotland.

Phillipa Haxton, head of vital events statistics at the NRS, said: The publication of these annual figures for 2023 gives us an opportunity to step back and look at the bigger picture.

Were seeing the number of excess deaths falling after three years when they were higher due to the impact of the pandemic.

The number of births has fallen, and the total fertility rate is the lowest ever recorded reflecting the move towards smaller families.
A Washington state couple are desperately searching for their 13-year-old cat, Feefee, after security footage appeared to show an Amazon delivery driver taking the beloved pet from their driveway.

Ray and Karin Ishak last saw Feefee on July 21, when their motion-activated security camera captured the driver petting the cat.

Moments later, both the driver and Feefee had vanished.

'We saw when the driver was leaving. She was petting the cat and playing with the cat, which is not abnormal,' Ray Ishak told KKTV.

'The driver driving away, and there's not a cat in sight. It's pretty obvious the cat disappeared in those seconds,' he added.

A Washington state couple is desperately searching for their 13-year-old cat, Feefee, after security footage appeared to show an Amazon delivery driver taking the beloved pet from their driveway

Ray and Karin Ishak last saw their beloved pet Feefee on July 21, when their motion-activated security camera captured the driver petting the cat

The Ishaks have been in communication with Amazon, who confirmed in emails that the driver had in fact taken Feefee.

The company claimed the driver had contacted local police to return the cat, but Ray Ishak has claimed that this isn't true.

'I talked to the sheriff's department again, gave them the case number, asked if anybody brought the cat in. They haven't heard from anybody. I called the Everett PD and nothing,' he said.

Feefee's disappearance occurred the same weekend as their son's wedding.

Ray Ishak described the heartbreaking moment when his grandchildren learned of the missing cat.

'The emotional distress for me having to lie to my grandkids that the cat is safe and fine. Then, watching my granddaughters cry after they found out because they heard us talk about it. It was a double whammy from every single front,' he said.

The Ishaks have been in communication with Amazon, who confirmed in emails that the driver had in fact taken Feefee

The company claimed the driver had contacted local police to return the cat, but Ray Ishak has claimed that this isn't true

The Ishaks have filed a report with the Snohomish County Sheriff's Office and are pressing Amazon for more information about the driver's location.

However, the company has so far refused to provide these details, and have instead recommended the family file a theft report with law enforcement.

While the Ishaks want to believe the driver had good intentions, possibly mistaking Feefee for a stray, they are pleading for the return of their beloved pet.

Ray Ishak directed an appeal to the driver.

'Maybe you did this out of the kindness of your heart. I appreciate it, but bring me my cat back,' he said.

Ealier this month, a FedEx driver in North Carolina was arrested after stealing a $5,500 French Bulldog during his delivery route and leaving it to perish in his sweltering truck.

Kimani Joehon Marshall, 44, from Fayetteville, allegedly stole the dog named Tori on July 3 while delivering a package in the area of US 421 South.

Ealier this month, a FedEx driver in North Carolina was arrested after stealing a $5,500 French Bulldog during his delivery route and leaving it to perish in his sweltering truck

The beloved pet was left in Marshall's FedEx truck as he continued his deliveries.

Tori tragically died due to reported heat-related issues as temperatures that day soared into the 90s.

A week after her disappearance, Tori's remains were discovered on the side of the road on July 10.
SNP ministers have dropped their promise to give all Scots pensioners a new devolved winter fuel payment after Rachel Reeves slashed the UK version.

The Scottish Government is due to replace the Winter Fuel Payment with its own universal Pension Age Winter Heating Payment (PAWHP) within months.

Ministers said the like-for-like swap this winter would give 1million Scots between 100 and 300 depending on age and insisted the benefit would not be means tested.

But the pledge is now under review after the Chancellor axed the Winter Fuel Payment for 10million pensioners UK-wide, cutting up to 160million from Holyroods budget.

SNP Public Finance Minister Ivan McKee said he wanted the PAWHP to be universal but we need to look at the numbers very, very closely.

Chancellor Rachel Reeves is cutting the Winter Fuel Payment for 10 million pensioners

Ms Reeves is limiting winter fuel payment to the poorest 1.5 million pensioners on pension credit to save 1.5billion and help plug a 22 billion black hole in public finances.

Age Scotland called on the Chancellor to rethink her decision and urged the SNP Government to make PAWHP a universal benefit if she did not.

Mr McKee told BBC Radio Scotland that Holyrood would lose most of the 180million grant it had expected to get from Westminster to pay for the devolved scheme.

We only got told about this 90 minutes before it was announced, which is really concerning given Labours grand talk about resetting the relationship with the Scottish Government. Asked if his Government might mitigate the UK cuts to maintain a universal benefit, Mr McKee said: Who knows? We need to look at the data very, very closely.

We think there will be at least 100 million... that well need to find from somewhere else if we want to continue to pay that winter fuel payment, which we absolutely want to do. The Scottish Government later said it would lose up to 160 million.

Age Scotland chief executive Katherine Crawford said the charity was already getting calls from distressed older people.

She said: The winter fuel payment is due to be devolved to the Scottish Government and our hope is that it will be restored as a universal benefit.

Scotland does generally experience worse weather than other parts of the UK and more than half of those who receive it use it as an important part of winter budgeting.

Keeping or reinstating the winter fuel payment will also ensure that money is going to those who need it most, when they need it most.

Former Tory pensions minister Baroness Ros Altmann told the BBC she was shocked the chancellor had chosen to take money away from some of the poorest people in this country.

Ms Reeves said she had to fix the mess left by the previous government, accusing the Tories of covering up their deeply irresponsible overspending.

SNP Public Finance minister Ivan McKee said he was unsure where the Scottish Government would find the cash to continue the scheme north of the border

They were not decisions I wanted to make, they were not decisions I expected to make, but when confronted with a 22billion black hole, I had to act, she said.

The Scottish Governments own advisers on poverty opposed a universal PAWHP.

The Poverty and Inequality Commission warned it was extraordinarily poorly targeted and would represent inefficient spend on reducing poverty across society.

It said help should be targeted, not universal to have the most impact.

Scottish Secretary Ian Murray said SNP claims that Labour knew before the election that immediate spending cuts would be needed were completely and utterly wrong.

He said: This is a 22billion in-year overspend by the previous government that they hid from the Office for Budget Responsibility.

He said the SNP Government only got 90 minutes notice because of market sensitivities in the Chancellors statement, adding: Theres no wholesale cuts here. Scottish Conservative MSP Miles Briggs denied the Tory administration had left financial problems behind and predicted Labour would hike taxes in the October 30 budget.

That was something they werent willing to say before the election, he said.
Rioters chanting 'English till I die' last night clashed with police outside a mosque in Southport, near to where three girls were killed in a horrific knife rampage on Monday.

Police condemned the 'sickening' violence which broke out amid speculation over the identity of the suspect arrested in connection with the savage attack on a group of children at a Taylor Swift-themed dance class.

The angry mob - who police 'believe to be supporters of the English Defence League' - began to launch items towards a mosque barely an hour after thousands gathered for a vigil at 6pm to remember the victims of the holiday club outrage.

The three girls have been named by police as six-year-old Bebe King, seven-year-old Elsie Dot Stancombe and nine-year-old Alice Dasilva Aguiar.

Just yards away from the emotional vigil, a 32-year-old man was separately arrested after being caught carrying a flick knife on Eastbank Street at 6.55pm.

On nearby St Luke's Street, a crowd of men surrounded the Southport Mosque amen Islamic Cultural Centre and began hurling rubble at police officers who had formed a protective line around the building.

The thugs, many wearing masks and hoodies, were seen targeting the Muslim place of worship at around 7.45pm - including shattering windows - after police issued a warning over an 'incorrect' name for the alleged attacker being widely circulated online.

A 17-year-old boy, originally from Cardiff but from the nearby Lancashire village of Banks, remains in custody accused of murder and attempted murder.

The violence appears to have been fuelled by false claims online that the suspect was an asylum seeker who had arrived in the UK by boat.

Merseyside Police said: 'We would urge people not to speculate on details of the incident while the investigation is ongoing.'

Local mosque groups condemned the violence aimed towards Muslims, adding: 'We must not let those who seek to divide us and spread hatred use this as an opportunity.'

Police said that a number of officers were injured, while cars were set alight and shops were broken into and looted during the disorder.

In a desperate bid to protect themselves, officers put on helmets and riot gear after stones and bottles were launched at them. One officer has suffered a suspected broken nose and police vehicles have been damaged and set on fire as around 400 people gathered to watch.

Riot police hold back protesters near a burning police vehicle after disorder broke out in Southport

A police van was set on fire near a mosque in Southport on Tuesday evening as riots broke out

Smoke is seen billowing from a police van which was set ablaze. The mosque is seen on the right

Tensions have flared in Southport last night, with police saying members of the EDL were targeting the mosque

Chaotic scenes erupted near to where the knife rampage took place in Southport yesterday

A traffic cone is hurled by a masked man at a police officer near to a mosque in Southport

Around 200 protesters were seen taking to the streets. Police believe many are EDL supporters

A burnt out police van near a mosque in Southport as shocking riots broke out on Tuesday

Riot police vans were damaged amid the chaos near the Southport Mosque

The violence was condemned by the Liverpool Region Mosque Network on Tuesday night

Three girls were killed in a bloody rampage on Hart Street on Monday. On Tuesday, a vigil was held for the victims on Lord Street. While it was going on, a man with a flick knife was arrested on Eastbank Street. On St Luke's Road, riots erupted outside a mosque - also on Tuesday

Footage showed a man, dressed in all black, being arrested near the vigil for the three girls who died

The three girls who died were among 11 children stabbed during a 'ferocious' knife attack which left mothers picking up their children screaming in horror.

Five further children, aged between six and 11, are in a critical condition alongside two female adults, among them hero yoga teacher Leanne Lucas, who 'bravely tried to protect them'.

As thousands of mourners attended an emotional vigil in Southport on Tuesday evening, protests broke out on the streets surrounding Hart Street, where the attack took place.

Furious demonstrators tore down garden walls to use as missiles to pelt at police, with wheelie bins also thrown during the mayhem.

A police van was set on fire by protesters. Angry mobs chanted 'Stop the boats' and kicked out at police vans sent to restore order.

Some threw smoke bombs, with men wearing caps and shorts charging at outnumbered police.

Scores of riot vans and patrol cars raced to the scene as a police helicopter hovered overhead as the violence spread out of control.

Huge crowds of men, many masked and wearing hoodies, were seen clashing with police - as stones, bottles, bricks and fireworks were launched.

Demonstrators could be heard shouting 'No surrender' and 'English till I die'.

One police officer was seen being helped into a van by his colleagues with blood streaming down his face and a heavily bandaged head. A female officer was also seen with a cut cheek.

By 8pm, around 500 rioters had massed in two streets outside the mosque - Sussex Road and St Luke's Road - trapping around 40 police officers in the middle.

Missiles were hurled at riot officers and dog handlers from both sides. Bottles, bricks, fireworks and lumps of concrete were thrown to cheers from the rioters, who goaded police and eyes each other on.

At about 8.15pm a crowd surrounded three riot vans and began rocking one to try and flip it over.

Moments later a small explosion was heard and a mini-fireball erupted in the air as the van went up in flames.

One man shouted: 'We're doing this for our girls!' as officers drove the other vans away from the fire to stop them also being set alight.

In a desperate attempt to quell the disorder, a charge from riot police brandishing batons sent around 300 of the rioters fleeing down the street as reinforcements flooded the area.

But violence continued into the night, with rioters forming a burning barricade of wheelie bins as they hurled bricks and lumps of concrete at riot police.

Mobs chanting 'save our girls' clashed with police until 10.30pm outside the Southport Mosque and Islamic Cultural Centre.

A nearby corner shop looked to have been broken into and looted. Rioters set alight at least five wheelie bins in the middle of Sussex Road sending flames and toxic black plumes of smoke shooting up into the night's sky.

With officers unable to charge due to the burning barricade, a volley of missiles was hurled from behind the makeshift bonfire.

At one point the ferocity of the violence sent the line of police retreating slightly. Officers in a Merseyside Police helicopter continued to monitor events from the air.

The crowd began to thin out around 11pm with reports of disturbances - including cars being torched - breaking out across Southport.

Merseyside Police tweeted: 'A number of officers have been injured, cars set alight & a shop broken into & looted in Southport this evening. This is completely unacceptable. We're gathering evidence & those responsible will be brought to justice.'

During the demonstration, several people carried placards with slogans about stopping the boats. One read: 'Stop the boats! Send them back! Fight for our kids! Let's stand together!

Riot police try to control the angry mob who have taken to the streets of Southport

Police try to regain control of the situation. Merseyside Police have condemned the 'sickening' violence

The aftermath of the riots, where police vans were burnt and rocks were launched

Rioters wearing masks launch missiles towards police officers in Southport

Riot police with shields and helmets hold back protesters after disorder broke out

Protesters cheer as they launch bins at riot police vans amid ugly scenes in Southport

Rioters were seen jumping on police vans as things got out of control

Smoke billows behind riot police officers amid riots in the seaside town

A wounded police officer with blood pouring down his head after being caught up in the riots

Riot police hold back protesters near a burning police vehicle

A police officer holding a baton with a cut on her face after rioters stormed the area near the mosque

Riot police intervene as activists cause chaos in Southend as rumours circulate over the suspect's identity

Hundreds of protesters, many masked, battled with riot police officers

Thugs, many hooded and wearing masks, launch wheelie bins at a riot van

England flags were on display at the far-right protest in Southport

A protester walks away holding his head as activists clashed with police on Tuesday

Clashes between protesters and police can be seen breaking out in the far distance

Some held placards saying 'stop the boats'. This is despite police issuing a warning after an 'incorrect' name for the alleged attacker was widely circulated online

Wheelie bins and bricks were thrown at police, while a police van went up in flames - as police warned people not to speculate about the identity of the suspect

Huge crowds have clashed with police in Southport as tensions boil over following the knife rampage

Activists were seen launching missiles at police and attempting to damage riot vans

One woman carrying a placard said the disorder was because the knife man who attacked the children 'was a Muslim.'

She said: 'We are saying enough is enough. Why are they not stopping the migrants coming in?

'How many more children will be killed because they are letting them all in? They should be at the borders stopping them.'

Her comments came after inaccurate posts by social media sleuths about the identity of the perpetrator have received millions of views and engagements.

Sunder Katwala, director of the think-tank British Future, said a bogus news channel seemed to have invented a fake name for the suspect and run a false story that was shared online.

Merseyside Police Assistant Chief Constable Alex Goss: 'There has been much speculation and hypothesis around the status of a 17-year-old male who is currently in police custody, and some individuals are using this to bring violence and disorder to our streets.

'We have already said that the person arrested was born in the UK and speculation helps nobody at this time.

'It is sickening to see this happening within a community that has been devastated by the tragic loss of three young lives.'

The riots went on late into the evening, with police officers desperately trying to regain control

Riot police wearing helmets and shields try to defend themselves near the mosque

Riot police officers storm into the area to try and disperse the growing crowd

Also on Tuesday evening, officers were called to reports of a man carrying a weapon at around 6.50pm, during which time the vigil was taking place at the Atkinson venue.

Police swooped on the scene and detained the man minutes later before seizing the flick knife.

A 32-year-old man dressed in all black, from Standish, was arrested on suspicion of possession of a bladed article, and taken into custody. There were no reports of any injuries during the incident.

Detective Inspector Gavin Mulcahy said: 'We know too well the devastating impact knife crime can have for victims, their families and friends, and those who carry them.

'This week has seen an unspeakable tragedy unfold in Southport, and this incident occurred a short distance from where a vigil had been happening where the community was paying their respects to all those affected.

'Officers made a swift arrest and have seized a knife that could have been used to cause harm in our communities.

'Those offenders who carry them have no place whatsoever in our communities.

'Every day we are carrying out stop checks, warrants and land searches to take knives off our streets, but as this incident shows, the assistance of members of the public in telling us where they are stored and who is carrying them is vital to ensure the safety of families and residents.'

Reacting to the riots, Merseyside Police Chief Constable Serena Kennedy posted on X: 'I am incredibly proud of my officers and staff who have worked so hard to save the lives of children, investigate the horrific incident from yesterday, working with partners to provide reassurance to our communities and now they are facing this level of violence from these thugs

'Over 1000 residents from Southport came together this evening to remember the little girls who have died, those who are still critical in hospital and all those who witnessed & are traumatised by the events from yesterday. This is where all of our focus should be.'

Southport MP Patrick Hurley said: 'It's distressing to see people from outside our Southport community attacking our police and local people.

'I want to make it clear that I fully condemn any attack on our emergency services, these are the same services that responded to the tragic attack yesterday.

'I appeal to local people to avoid the area and stay safe, to allow the police to do their job.'

Mr Hurley continued: 'I want to thank our community for pulling together and supporting every person who has been affected by Monday's tragic attack.

'Nowhere was this more evident than the solidarity, remembrance and sympathy heard at today's vigil.

'To those who laid flowers, candles, toys, thank you. I was deeply saddened to hear the news today of the death or a third child. Bebe, Elsie and Alice are in all of our thoughts and hearts today.'

Home Secretary Yvette Cooper said scenes of thuggery' on the streets of Southport 'bear no relation' to the community which had been coming together.

The three girls stabbed to death at a Taylor Swift-themed dance class were yesterday named by police as nine-year-old Alice Dasilva Aguiar, seven-year-old Elsie Dot Stancombe and six-year-old Bebe King (L-R)

Away from the protest, a vigil was being held for the three girls who died in the tragic incident

In stark contrast to the riots, there was a sense of tranquillity around the site of the vigil

The vigil was held at the Atkinson in Southport at around 6pm on Tuesday evening

The Home Secretary told broadcasters: 'I think everyone should be showing some respect for the community that is grieving and also for the police who are pursuing an urgent criminal investigation now, and who showed such heroism and bravery yesterday in the face of these horrific attacks.

'I think everyone needs to support the police in that work, and frankly the scenes of thuggery that we have seen on the streets of Southport this evening bear no relation to the way in which the Southport community has been coming together to support each other and to support grieving families.

'We need to see some respect for the grieving community and for the police in their urgent work.'

And the Southport Mosque said it was 'truly shocked and saddened to hear about the events that unfolded today'. They added: 'We extend our deepest sympathy to the families of all affected. Our thoughts and prayers are with you all.'

The Liverpool Region Mosque Network said it was 'shocked and horrified' by the knife rampage on Monday.

But it added: 'A minority of people are attempting to portray that this inhumane act is somehow related to the Muslim community. Frankly it is not, and we must not let those who seek to divide us and spread hatred use this as an opportunity.

'This evening, we have seen distressing scenes outside Southport Mosque with angry protesters, gathering outside. This is causing further fear and anxiety within our communities. We must all unite and stand together against all forms of hate, violence and division.'

Downing Street also warned against 'unhelpful' speculation amid concerns that misreporting online could inflame community tensions.

An aerial view of Hart Street on Monday, where a horrifying knife attack took place just before midday

Officers should be given the space to probe the case without people guessing at the possible motive or circumstances, No 10 said.

Earlier on Tuesday, the Prime Minister was repeatedly asked 'how many more children will die?' as he placed flowers at the scene of the attack.

Sir Keir Starmer's brief visit, which lasted around two minutes, was interrupted by some members of the public heckling him.

As the Prime Minister walked past, one man declared: 'Here's your photo opportunity.'

Another shouted: 'How many more children? Our kids are dead and you're leaving already?'

Other furious onlookers shouted 'scumbag', 'time for change' and 'go away, you're not wanted'.

Another woman said: 'I've just found out my friend's nine-year-old daughter was killed, the person I've held as a child, and you can't do s***.'

And a different man shouted: 'Get the truth out!'

Ms Cooper has said social media companies 'need to take some responsibility' for some activity in the aftermath of the attack.

Responding to shadow home secretary James Cleverly, she said: 'I agree with him too about the responsibility on every one of us. The police do need to be able to pursue this investigation.

'There will be wider questions for other days, but the most important thing is that every one of us supports the police in their investigation now.

'I agree with him too about the responsibility on social media companies, because we do need to recognise there are things that are taking place on social media that go against their terms and conditions, and their commitments as well. They need to take some responsibility for that.

'Above all, this is about young children. This is about children and their families who will be grieving, and the many other children who were involved yesterday who will be facing great trauma as well.'

Her counterpart Mr Cleverly called for people not to 'get involved in the grief of others' by sharing misinformation relating to the Southport attack on social media.

'Enough people are already distressed without their distress being amplified by speculation and gossip online,' he added.

Ahead of fears mounting over a far-right rally, Sir Keir's official spokesman said: 'Of course, people should listen the police, they should not do anything that is going to make the police's job harder to manage the situation, to conduct their investigations.

'It is unhelpful to speculate on things like the motive and the circumstance around this.'

Police have said that, although the motive for the attack is unclear, it is not believed to be terror-related.
Israel launched a targeted airstrike on the Lebanese capital tonight in a dramatic bid to eliminate a senior Hezbollah commander.

The missile attack at 7.40pm local time followed a terrorist attack on the Golan Heights on Saturday which killed 12 children.

An Israeli attack on Beirut had been anticipated following the Hezbollah strike on a playground.

Tonight, video footage showed an apartment block ablaze and a sense of panic in the southern suburb of Haret Hreik.

Tensions were extremely high as paramedics were seen removing casualties from several damaged buildings, including a hospital.

Sky TV journalist Alex Crawford was confronted by angry locals while she attempted to broadcast live from the scene of the blast.

The aftermath of an Israeli airstrike launched on the Lebanese capital tonight in a dramatic bid to eliminate a senior Hezbollah commander

People walk near the building that was hit by an Israeli airstrike in the southern suburbs of Beirut

An ambulance makes it way through the crowd. Tonight, video footage showed an apartment block ablaze and a sense of panic in the southern suburb of Haret Hreik

According to Lebanons state-run National News Agency, there is a Hezbollah headquarters, a Shura Council, in Haret Hreik.

Unconfirmed reports suggested the specific target of the Israeli strike was Hezbollah commander Fuad Shukr.

An Israeli attack on Beirut had been anticipated following Hezbollahs rocket attack at the weekend.

The rocket was thought to have been fired by mistake. Even so, as children had lost their lives, Israel said the group had crossed a red line.

Israeli defence minister Yoav Gallant repeated the phrase in a message posted on X just minutes after yesterdays airstrike.

Earlier this week, the UK issued a plea for Britons to leave Lebanon urgently - over fears of a wider conflict between Israel and Hezbollah.

In the event UK citizens remain stranded there, the Royal Navy and Royal Marines are expected to lead a maritime evacuation mission.

As the Mail has previously revealed, UK commandos have conducted reconnaissance operations along the Lebanese coastline to aid such an operation.

Medical staff in Beirut attend to an injured man after Israeli strike. Tensions were extremely high as paramedics were seen removing casualties from several damaged buildings, including a hospital

An Israeli attack on Beirut had been anticipated following the Hezbollah strike on a playground in the Golan Heights over the weekend which killed 12 children

Israel and Hezbollah have been engaged in a low-scale conflict since the Hamas attacks of October 7th last year. Tit-for-tat attacks have continued since then. Prime Minister Netanyahu has said repeatedly that Israels strategic priority remains the eradication of Hamas

Tonight, it remained unclear how many casualties had resulted from the Israeli airstrike, likewise the fate of Shukr.

As US diplomats have pleaded with Israel not to escalate the conflict, last nights strike could prove a one-off by Israel.

However, should Hezbollah respond by striking the northern Israeli city of Haifa, which is within range of its rockets, then a wider war could start.

Israel is considered reluctant to take on Hezbollah while it remains entangled with Hamas in Gaza.

Israel and Hezbollah have been engaged in a low-scale conflict since the Hamas attacks of October 7th last year. Tit-for-tat attacks have continued since then.

The last time Israel targeted Beirut was in January, when an airstrike killed a top Hamas official based in the city, Saleh Arouri.

That strike was the first time Israel had struck the Lebanese capital since the 34-day war between Israel and Hezbollah in 2006.

Prime Minister Netanyahu has said repeatedly that Israels strategic priority remains the eradication of Hamas.
A young English bulldog has tragically died days after the pup was found sealed in a plastic container next to a dumpster in Las Vegas's 100-degree temperatures.

Reba was discovered whimpering and crying for help on July 25 by a passerby who quickly rescued the animal and began trying to cool her down as help arrived.

She was taken to the Veterinary Emergency Group as staff members worked to revive her from the brink of death.

At the time, a veterinarian who treated Reba noted that she was suffering from heat stroke and severe dehydration - indicating that she may have suffered abuse.

At the time, a veterinarian who treated Reba noted that she was suffering from heat stroke and severe dehydration - indicating that she may have suffered abuse

She was discovered dumped in a sealed plastic container next to a dumpster

Dr Jessica Dowling, medical director of the group, told Fox 5: 'She wasn't able to breathe because her lungs had filled with fluid from trying to breathe so hard.

'Dogs just don't have a good way of losing that heat like we do. So they're trying desperately to breathe. And it's just a vicious cycle that just keeps getting worse.'

Two days later, Reba died due to a cardiac arrest caused by a blood-clotting condition she developed as a result of the severe heat stroke and shock, Vegas Pet Rescue announced.

Carlos Herrera, a member of Paws Patrol, a non-profit group that helps animals in need, also revealed that Reba suffered a seizure while she was being taken to the hospital.

Reba was discovered whimpering and crying for help on July 25 by a passerby who quickly rescued the animal and began trying to cool her down as help arrived

She was admitted at the Veterinary Emergency Group as staff members worked to revive her from the brink of death

Two days later, Reba died due to a cardiac arrest caused by a blood-clotting condition she developed as a result of the severe heat stroke and shock, the Vegas Pet Rescue announced

'To know that somebody had the audacity to put the dog in there, tape that shut, and leave the dog there and just walk away, you know when it's 110 degrees outside, it just doesn't make sense,' Herrera said.

The Las Vegas Police Department has launched an investigation and is currently on the lookout for the person who threw Reba in the bin.

The Vegas Pet Rescue Project has also announced a $25,000 reward fund for anyone who can provide information about the incident.

Megan Tomlinson, a volunteer rescue coordinator for the Vegas Pet Rescue Project, requested: 'Please call in if you saw even anything. Even the smallest detail might help us find who did this.'
A long-awaited reunion route for families separated during the 2021 evacuation of Afghanistan has been opened.

Many parents and children were broken up following the Taliban coup and the chaotic international airlift from Kabul airport.

People who were able to escape to the UK under legal routes previously set up by the government can now apply for their partners and children to join them.

The new pathway for separated families to reunite is part of the Afghan Citizens Resettlement Scheme (ACRS).

The scheme was introduced following the Mails multi-award winning Betrayal of the Brave campaign, which has forced several changes in government policy.

Home Secretary Yvette Cooper has announced a long-awaited reunion route for families separated during the 2012 evacuation of Afghanistan

Taliban members are seen near Hamid Karzai International Airport as thousands of Afghans rush to flee the Afghan capital of Kabul, Afghanistan, on August 16, 2021

The Mail demanded ministers offer sanctuary to Afghans, such as interpreters, who risked their lives to assist British forces and to other vulnerable persons.

Last night, the Refugee Council said the move was hugely welcome and would be life-changing for Afghan families separated for so long.

Children who arrived in the UK from Afghanistan without their parents can apply for their mothers and fathers to join them.

While Afghans over the aged of 18 who travelled alone, can apply for siblings and partners to come here.

The pledge had been made by the previous Conservative government. Labour said it was implementing that commitment.

The Home Office said additional family members may be considered in exceptional circumstances.

Home Secretary Yvette Cooper said: Due to the speed and the circumstances surrounding the evacuation, a number of families became separated, and some individuals were evacuated to the UK without all of their immediate family.

The Government pledged at the time that there would be a route for separated families to reunite under the Afghan Citizens Resettlement Scheme.

This Government is implementing that commitment and providing a means for families who were separated by the military evacuation from Kabul in August 2021 to be reunited in the UK.

Afghan families are pictured boarding a military evacuation flight at Hamid Karzai Airport as the US prepared to withdraw from the country

British armed forces work with the U.S. military to evacuate eligible civilians and their families out of the country on August 21, 2021 in Kabul, Afghanistan

The ACRS separated families route officially opened yesterday (Tues). Applications must be submitted in the next three months.

Figures published in May indicated that in the previous 12 months almost as many Afghan nationals arrived in the UK having crossed the Channel as through the Governments legal routes.

A total of 5,662 Afghan nationals came by boat, including 758 lone Afghan children. Some 6,012 came through legal routes.

Enver Solomon, chief executive of the Refugee Council, said: Over the last three years weve worked with many families who were torn apart in the chaos of evacuating Kabul.

They will now have a way to be safely together again.

For the children who have been apart from their parents for far too long, we know this will be life-changing.

We look forward to working with the Government to ensure they are now reunited with their loved ones as quickly as possible.

The Afghan Relocations and Assistance Policy (Arap) scheme, separate from ACRS, was put in place for Afghans who had worked with the UK government, and their families, prior to the Taliban takeover.
Royal Mail has launched a new stamp scanner on its mobile app that allows customers to check for themselves if a stamp is genuine or not.

The postal service has stepped up its fight against rising stamp fraud and has promised to extend its pause on 5 fines for those who use a fake stamp.

From today, customers can use the Royal Mail smartphone app to scan a barcoded stamp before they post it to confirm that it is not a known counterfeit.

If the stamps were not bought from Royal Mail, the Post Office or another reputable High Street shop, then customers should scan them before use, according to the postal service.

Royal Mail has previously charged recipients 5 to collect post sent with stamps that it deemed counterfeit but this was paused in April following pressure from this newspaper.

From today, customers can use the Royal Mail smartphone app to scan a barcoded stamp before they post it to confirm that it is not a known counterfeit

The postal service has stepped up its fight against rising stamp fraud and has promised to extend its pause on 5 fines for those who use a fake stamp

Royal Mail has faced heavy criticism after its move to use barcoded stamps only led to a surge in the number of customers receiving a 5 penalty, with claims the stamps were fakes

The postal service today confirmed that it would extend this suspension and vowed to charge the sender instead of the recipient for using a fake stamp where possible.

Letters and cards which are sent with a counterfeit stamp will still be marked with a yellow sticker.

Royal Mail has faced heavy criticism after its move to use barcoded stamps only led to a surge in the number of customers receiving a 5 penalty, with claims the stamps were fakes.

Earlier this year the Mail warned that fake stamps were entering Britain from China on an industrial scale.

The investigation led to a crackdown by UK Border Force, which said it would seize goods and work with police to stop criminals smuggling stamps into the UK.

Royal Mail said that since it introduced barcoded stamps in February 2022 the number of counterfeits in its network has fallen by around 90 per cent.

Nick Landon, chief commercial officer at Royal Mail, said: We continue to do all we can to protect our customers from the scourge of counterfeit stamps.

The new counterfeit stamp scanner on the Royal Mail app will help prevent customers inadvertently falling victim to stamp fraud.
More than half of young people watch no traditional broadcast TV at all in a typical week, the media regulator has revealed.

Figures from Ofcom signal the slow demise of live television viewing, with only 48 per cent of 16-to-24-year-olds tuning in to broadcast channels - or even their 'catch-up' services - in an average week last year.

This is down dramatically from the 76 per cent of this age group that were watching in this way in 2018.

Ofcom's Media Nations report found these Gen Z viewers watched just 20 minutes of live TV each day on average.

Instead, the study said this same age group spent more than an hour-and-a-half watching video-sharing platforms such as TikTok and YouTube each day.

Figures from Ofcom signal the slow demise of live television viewing, with only 48 per cent of 16-to-24-year-olds tuning in to broadcast channels (stock image)

Instead, the study said the age group spent more than an hour-and-a-half watching video-sharing platforms such as TikTok and YouTube each day

Children aged between four and 15 were 'tuning out at a similar rate' with only 55 per cent of them watching traditional TV each week last year, as compared with 81 per cent in 2018.

Ofcom said younger people were 'used to swiping and streaming' rather than 'flipping through broadcast TV channels' and liked the 'flexibility and immediacy' that on-demand viewing gives.

The report said: 'For the first time, a quarter of individuals and half of 16-24-year-olds do not watch broadcast TV on a weekly basis.'

Ofcom classifies broadcast TV as the viewing of scheduled 'linear' channels on a TV set, but also includes catch-up viewing within 28 days of it being broadcast.

The report also showed that New Year's Eve Fireworks on BBC One was the most watched show last year, attracting 12.1 million viewers, followed by the final episode of Happy Valley, also with 12.1 million and then BBC One's coverage of The Coronation of The King and Queen Camilla with 12 million.

Six of the top ten most watched streaming video-on-demand shows in 2023 were films. The most watched show was Chicken Run: Dawn of the Nugget, with an average audience of 7.5 million on Netflix.

It was followed by the animated film Elemental on Disney+ with 6.5 million and the first episode of Netflix's David Beckham documentary series, which pulled in 5.8 million.

The study makes sober reading for traditional broadcasters as they try to compete with video-sharing platforms and US streaming services like Netflix and Disney+.

The media regulator said the overall proportion of people that were accessing broadcast TV in a week had fallen from 79 per cent in 2022 to 75 per cent last year.

Around 7.5 million viewers watched the climax to Happy Valley, which saw James Norton's escaped convict Royce set himself ablaze in the kitchen of the embattled officer played by Sarah Lancashire (pictured)  making it one of the most-watched single shows of 2023

King Charles and Queen Camilla sit together and chat in the Gold State Coach as they prepare to set off for Buckingham Palace following their coronation ceremony in May 2023

Viewership among Gen Z was down dramatically from the 76 per cent of this age group that were watching in this way in 2018. Ofcom's Media Nations report found these Gen Z viewers watched just 20 minutes of live TV each day on average

Research also showed middle-aged viewers (45 to 54) were also starting to desert traditional TV, with those using broadcast TV dropping from 89 per cent to 84 per cent in a single year.

But Ofcom pointed out the 'enduring importance of linear TV to older audiences', with 76 per cent of viewing by over-74s done through live TV.

It added that broadcast TV was 'developing an ever-ageing profile' with 22 per cent of all broadcast viewing last year by over 75s.

The media regulator did report that daily viewing to the broadcaster's video-on-demand services, like BBC iPlayer and ITVX, grew by 29 per cent in 2023. But Ofcom said it was not enough to compensate for the decline in viewing on their linear channels.

Despite this decline in traditional viewing, Ofcom said overall people watched more TV and video content at home in 2023, averaging four hours and 31 minutes a day.

It said this was driven by increased viewing to video-sharing platforms such as YouTube and to broadcaster's on-demand services.

The research also showed that radio is having a major resurgence with its highest amount of weekly listeners in 20 years, with just below 50 million tuning in.

Streaming services saw a small rise in viewing with a six per cent increase last year from the year to 38 minutes per day. The fastest growth is among 55- to 74-year-olds and children, both up by 10 per cent.

Netflix is still the most popular streaming service in the UK, as viewers spend an average of 21 minutes per person per day with the service. It accounts for more than half of subscription video-on-demand viewing.

Netflix is still the most popular streaming service in the UK, as viewers spend an average of 21 minutes per person per day with the service. It accounts for more than half of subscription video-on-demand viewing

Despite this decline in traditional viewing, Ofcom said overall people watched more TV and video content at home in 2023, averaging four hours and 31 minutes a day

But Ofcom revealed that nearly half of adults and teens felt there were too many video-on-demand services and 42 per cent found the amount of available content 'overwhelming'.

Speaking about the figures, Ian Macrae, Ofcom's director of market intelligence said: 'Gen Z and Alpha are used to swiping and streaming, not flipping through broadcast TV channels.

'They crave the flexibility, immediacy and choice that on-demand services offer, spending over three hours a day watching video, but only 20 minutes of live TV.

'It's no surprise that the traditional TV is fast becoming a device of choice to watch YouTube.

'But while live TV may not have the universal pull it once did, its role in capturing those big moments that bring the nation together remains vital.'

The report said the money being spend on new shows by public service broadcasters, which includes BBC, ITV and Channel 4, was down by more than five per cent.

The media regulator also reported that the spend on 'physical music formats' had grown by 10 per cent with growth in spend on vinyl and CD. Buy any hopes of a revival in cassettes seem dashed with sales down by 30 per cent.

It added that 41 per cent of households now own a smartspeaker.
An animal-loving dad was nearly killed when he tried to rescue what turned out to be a very dangerous animal from the middle of a busy road.

Joey Ricciardella, of Connecticut, was on his way back to his home in Torrington after dropping his four-year-old daughter off with her mother in New York on Sunday when he came across a snake lying in the middle of the road.

Ricciardella, who has a soft spot for animals, stopped his vehicle and grabbed a shirt from the backseat, placed it over the snake's head and picked it up to move it, WFSB reports.

But the animal in peril was a venomous Timber rattlesnake and when Ricciardella went to grab it, the lethal reptile bit his hand.

Joey Ricciardella, of Torrington, was on his way home from dropping his four-year-old daughter off with her mother in New York on Sunday when he came across a Timber rattlesnake lying in the middle of the road

'It sounded like he was almost trying to make a funny voice, like at first I thought he was messing with me,' Brittany Hilmeyer, the mother of his four-year-old, said of her conversation with him afterwards.

She explained that she is used to Ricciardella being a jokester, but soon realized something was seriously wrong.

'He was getting to the point where he really couldn't talk. You couldn't understand him,' she said.

'It was like trying to talk to someone with a mouth full of marbles.'

Hilmeyer did not know at the time, but the venom from the snake bite was affecting his ability to breathe.

She added that she was not surprised when she later found out Ricciardella went out of his way to help the snake.

'He's had a bat in his house with a broken wing at one point that he was trying to fix,' she recounted.

'Last week, it was a baby bunny.'

The venomous snake bit his hand, causing him to have trouble breathing

Ricciardella tried wrapping the snake's head in a shirt from his car and tried to move it out of the way of the busy street

Ricciardella somehow was able to make it back to his car and drove himself to the nearest hospital - where doctors determined that his respiratory system was failing and he went into cardiac arrest.

But due to a short supply of anti-venom at the Charlotte Hungerford Hospital in Torrington, he had to be moved to Hartford Hospital in the state capital.

'A lot of hospitals, I guess it's not common to carry large amounts of anti-venom,' Hilmeyer said.

'So that was part of the problem when he went to the first hospital. The second hospital was having more flown in.'

Ricciardella is an animal lover who once tried to help a bat with a broken wing

There are only two venomous snakes that live in Connecticut: the Northern Copperhead and the Timber rattlesnake, whose bites could be fatal.

The Connecticut Department of Energy and Environmental Protection recommends that anyone who encounters either species, observe it from a distance and back away slowly.

But Ricciardella was lucky, and is said to be doing well in the hospital after suffering from not only the venom, but also a life-threatening allergic reaction that caused him to be placed in a medically induced coma, according to an online fundraiser set up to pay for his medical bills.

'There have been improvements, but the medical bills are piling up and he has no insurance as he's self-employed as a landscaper,' the fundraiser says, noting that he has four children - three of whom are under the age of 16.

Ricciardella is now expected to recover in the Intensive Care Unit for at least another week.

'They're waiting for the swelling to go down,' Hilmeyer said. 'Then he won't be sedated so heavily anymore.

'That's when he'll be able to talk.'
Xi meets Italian prime minister, calls for upholding Silk Road spirit

Xinhua) 08:12, July 30, 2024

Chinese President Xi Jinping meets with Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni, who is on an official visit to China, at the Diaoyutai State Guesthouse in Beijing, capital of China, July 29, 2024. (Xinhua/Ding Haitao)

BEIJING, July 29 (Xinhua) -- Chinese President Xi Jinping met with Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni here on Monday.

Noting that China and Italy are at the two ends of the ancient Silk Road, Xi said the time-honored friendly exchanges between the two countries have made significant contributions to the overall exchanges and mutual learning between Eastern and Western civilizations, and to the progress of humanity.

The Silk Road spirit of peace and cooperation, openness and inclusiveness, mutual learning and mutual benefit is a shared treasure of China and Italy, Xi said.

He said that amid accelerating global changes unseen in a century, countries will either progress together through connectivity and unity, or retreat separately through closure and division. China and Italy should uphold and promote the Silk Road spirit, view and develop bilateral relations from a historical dimension, strategic height and long-term perspective, and push their relations to go steady and far.

Xi said the healthy and stable development of China-Italy relations is in line with the common interests of both countries and their peoples. Despite the ongoing profound changes in the international landscape, China's commitment to valuing and developing relations with Italy has not changed, the nature of win-win cooperation of China-Italy relations has not changed, and the friendship between the two peoples has not changed, he added.

Xi called on both sides to carry on the tradition of friendly exchanges, and continue to understand and respect each other's development paths. Noting that China and Italy have complementary industrial advantages and represent opportunities for each other, Xi said both sides should adhere to mutual openness and cooperation.

The third plenary session of the 20th Communist Party of China Central Committee has just concluded, and China will continue to promote high-level opening up, inject strong impetus into Chinese modernization, and bring new opportunities for expanding cooperation with Italy and other countries, he added.

Xi said China is willing to work with Italy to optimize and upgrade traditional cooperation in trade and investment, manufacturing, technological innovation and other fields, and to explore cooperation in emerging areas such as electric vehicles and artificial intelligence.

He noted that China welcomes Italian companies to invest in China and is willing to import more quality products from Italy. It is hoped that Italy will also provide a fair, transparent, secure and non-discriminatory business environment for Chinese companies to develop in Italy, he added.

Both sides should cherish the achievements of cultural exchange and mutual learning, promote cultural inheritance and innovation, and enhance amity between the two peoples, he said.

Xi said China supports Italy in hosting the 2026 Winter Olympics and hopes that Italy will provide convenient visa measures for Chinese citizens traveling to Italy.

Xi stressed that in a world of economic globalization, only by upholding openness and cooperation in global industrial and supply chains can win-win development be achieved. China adheres to the path of peaceful development and never seeks hegemony, and is willing to share development opportunities with other countries, he added.

It is hoped that Italy understands and supports China's development concept and plays a constructive role in promoting dialogue and cooperation between China and Europe, and in actively promoting the positive and stable development of China-EU relations, said Xi.

Meloni said that as countries with an ancient civilization, Italy and China have always appreciated and learned from each other. The current international situation is undergoing profound changes, and China -- as an important major country -- plays an irreplaceable role in addressing global challenges.

Italy attaches great importance to China's international standing and role, and is willing to carry forward the time-honored Silk Road spirit, foster a closer and higher-level partnership with China, open up a new chapter for the comprehensive strategic partnership between the two countries, and make new contributions to world peace and progress, she said.

Meloni said Italy adheres to the one-China policy and hopes to strengthen dialogue and cooperation with China, tap the potential for cooperation, deepen bilateral cooperation in such fields as trade, investment, electric vehicles and artificial intelligence, strengthen people-to-people exchanges, and encourage more Italian products to enter the Chinese market.

Italy opposes decoupling and protectionism, and is willing to play a positive role in further deepening and consolidating EU-China relations, Meloni said.

The two sides issued a 2024-2027 action plan on strengthening their comprehensive strategic partnership.

Chinese President Xi Jinping meets with Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni, who is on an official visit to China, at the Diaoyutai State Guesthouse in Beijing, capital of China, July 29, 2024. (Xinhua/Ding Haitao)

(Web editor: Zhang Kaiwei, Wu Chaolan)
China Opportunities | China crucial to rebounding global economy: M Moser founder

(People's Daily App) 16:24, July 30, 2024

M Moser Associates, a global architecture and interior design firm that creates and delivers workplace environments in 30 locations across four continents, has observed significant changes in China's business environment since establishing its first office in Hong Kong in 1981. The company's clients are primarily foreign enterprises. Founder and chairwoman Moira Moser shared her insights on China's investment opportunities, the perspective of multinational companies on the Chinese market, and her company's commitment to continuous growth and expansion in China. She believes that global companies recognize China's increasingly innovative talent pool and its transformation into a knowledge economy, which is significant not just for China but for the world. Moser stated her optimism about China's economic outlook and her company's continued growth in the Chinese market. "If China doesn't grow, the world won't grow. I see the world rebounding, and I see that China is a significant player in that," she noted.

(Produced by Han Xiaomeng, Song Ziyu and Wang Ziyi)

(Web editor: Tian Yi, Zhong Wenxing)
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A man who stalked a woman back to her New York City apartment before brutally murdering her has been sentenced to 30 years in prison.

Assamad Nash, 27, followed Christina Yuna Lee back to her Chinatown apartment in February 2022 where he 'butchered' her by stabbing her over forty times.

Nash had earlier pleaded guilty on June 18 to one count each of murder and burglary as a sexually motivated felony in the murder of the 35-year-old.

He appeared in court on Tuesday in an orange prison jumpsuit and wore a surgical mask while his hands were restrained.

The judge acknowledged that Nash was mentally ill and imposed the maximum sentence saying 'there are no medications available that can protect society'.

Assamad Nash, seen here in court on Tuesday, followed Christina Yuna Lee back to her apartment in February 2022 where he 'butchered' her by stabbing her over forty times

Lee had been returning from a club when Nash followed her inside her Chinatown home and murdered her

Lee, who worked at the music streaming platform Splice, had been returning from a club when Nash followed her.

Security tapes show Nash creeping into her building behind Lee, who didn't notice her stalker had slipped in before the front door had closed behind her.

Nash kept his distance as the digital producer climbed the six flights to her apartment, climbing up one floor below as she went.

He rushed her as Lee unlocked her front door and entered her apartment, police at the time said.

Neighbors were awakened at 4:20 a.m. to Lee's blood-curdling screams of 'Please, help me. Call 911,' and one of them immediately summoned police.

Assistant District Attorney Dafna Yorna said: 'As the defendant tried to rip off Ms. Lees clothes, Ms. Lee managed to grab a knife from her kitchen block and slash the defendant in the shoulder and torso.

'She ran into her bathroom to get away from him. He followed her and butchered her, stabbing and cutting her over 40 times.'

Officers responded within minutes, but Nash had barricaded himself inside the apartment and tried to get them to leave.

Nash was heard telling officers: 'I am alone in the apartment. We are ok. No one is bleeding. We don't need help. Go away. We don't need the police, I am fine.'

Security tapes show Nash creeping into her building behind Lee, who didn't notice her stalker had slipped in before the front door had closed behind her

Nash, seen here in 2022, rushed her as Lee unlocked her front door and entered her apartment, police at the time said

He then attempted to flee through a fire escape but went back inside after seeing a police officer on the roof above him.

When officers broke down the door to Lee's apartment, they found her partially naked body with 40 wounds to her torso, head and neck inside the bathtub.

Nash was discovered hiding under a mattress inside Lee's apartment. A bloodstained yellow-handed knife from Lee's kitchen set was found stashed behind a dresser.

According to the New York Daily News, Lee's father Sungkon Lee told the court: 'Christina had a good nature and was considerate.

'She was a truly good daughter who always treated her family, friends, and people around her with a smile and kindness.

'She worked hard at her company with a sincere attitude. After Christina died, the remaining family members have been having a hard time living each day, feeling overwhelmed with longing and regret.

Outside of court on Tuesday, Lee's father said he would be suing the city for negligence, believing the police response was inadequate

'Why did God allow such a terrible thing to happen to our family? I just feel resentful that God is giving my family this ordeal.'

While District Attorney Alvin Bragg said in a statement: 'Christina Yuna Lee was killed in an unthinkably horrific manner in her own apartment at the hands of Assamad Nash.

Bragg said Lee's death 'not only devastated her family but left a lasting impact on an entire community.'

Outside of court on Tuesday, Lee's father said he would be suing the city for negligence, believing the police response was inadequate.

He told reporters: 'While the police first arrived in front of the building in two to three minutes after the call, the police did not gain entrance to the scene of the crime until about an hour and twenty minutes had passed since arriving at the scene. In the meantime, Christina suffered a cruel death.

'Now that the criminal case against Nash has been concluded, the police must disclose all information regarding the incident, and if there was an incorrect or inadequate response, the relevant person must take appropriate responsibility.'
'Tiger King' Joe Exotic admitted that he wanted his rival Carol Baskin gone during an exclusive jailhouse interview in the midst of his 21-year murder-for-hire sentence.

The 55-year-old told NBC's News Channel 8 he is still hoping for a new trial, on a phone from a Florida Panhandle prison.

'I just wanted her out of my hair and to leave me alone,' he said about anti big cat owner activist Carole Baskin.

The zookeeper said he has prostate cancer and possibly cancer of the lung as well, and is also pining for a presidential pardon. His alleged mark, Baskin, was not interviewed, but her third and current husband, Howard Baskin, was.

Exotic has accused Baskin of killing her second husband, Don Lewis, and feeding him to her own tigers - accusations he maintained Tuesday in his filmed phone call.

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'Tiger King' Joe Exotic gave an exclusive jailhouse interview to a Tampa news station Tuesday in the midst of his 21-year murder-for-hire sentence.

The 55-year-old told NBC's News Channel 8 he is still hoping for a new trial, on a phone from a Florida Panhandle prison

'I still think that she is bats**t crazy and that she killed her husband,' Exotic said of his tiger-loving rival.

'But me and Carol, me and Carol made money off of each other for years,' he quickly added.

He of course was referencing the Netflix film that became the guilty pleasure for more than 30 million Americans, where onlookers got a glimpse of the tiger owner's unconventional life.

It also imparted how multi-millionaire Lewis, who co-owned a Florida wildlife sanctuary with Baskin, vanished without a trace in August 1997 at age 59.

He has never been found, nor has any evidence to suggest he was murdered, but authorities have stated they don't believe he disappeared on his own.

Shortly after his disappearance, Baskin - his wife at the time and the last known person to see him alive  produced his will and his power of attorney that gave her complete control of his $5 million estate.

Baskin was never charged in relation to Lewis' August 18, 1997 disappearance, but the case remains open and gained global notoriety following the release of Tiger King: Murder, Mayhem and Madness in March 2020.

The series focuses on the long-running feud between the self-proclaimed animal activist Baskin and Exotic, a flamboyant polygamist and then-owner of a private petting zoo in Oklahoma.

The zookeeper said he has prostate cancer and possibly cancer of the lung as well, and is also pining for a presidential pardon

His alleged mark, anti big cat owner activist Carole Baskin , was not interviewed, but her third and current husband, Howard Baskin, was

Amid the heated fallout that later saw Exotic arrested for an alleged hit he took out on Baskin, he repeatedly accused the sanctuary owner of killing Lewis and feeding his body to one of her tigers.

After Lewis was reported missing, deputies found his van abandoned at a nearby airport, where he had allegedly planned to take a trip to Costa Rica.

Police found no signs of a struggle or blood inside - nor did they find proof that Lewis ever left the country.

He was pronounced legally dead in 2002, and the case was put to rest. Baskin, the owner of Big Cat Rescue, was never declared a suspect.

She later married Howard Baskin, both of whom were featured in the popular Netflix series.

She maintains she was misled by producers about what the show would be about, as it framed her and Exotic's feud with intrigue and flare.

Her husband Howard has thus never done an interview, until News Channel 8 tracked him down Tuesday .

He declined to talk about Exotic but did speak out about his wife's activism that got her wrapped up with the con in the first place.

Exotic has accused Baskin of killing her second husband, Don Lewis, and feeding him to her own tigers - accusations he maintained Tuesday in his filmed phone call

After Lewis was reported missing, deputies found his van abandoned at a nearby airport, where he had allegedly planned to take a trip to Costa Rica. Police found no signs of a struggle or blood inside  nor did they find proof that Lewis ever left the country

In 2004, Baskin refused to take a polygraph test related to the investigation. She later married Howard Baskin (left)

'It was just a horrible industry,' he said or roadside petting zoos like the one Exotic had in Oklahoma.

'The cubs would be taken away from their mothers at birth, which that's a torment for any mama.'

He added that he and his wife have now sold the property where they built 'Big Cat Rescue' in Florida's Citrus Park, and have since transferred the animals to another facility.

He also touted the 'Big Cat Rescue Public Safety Act' he and his wife are working to pass in Congress, which seeks to shut down all unsanctioned petting zoos.

Exotic - who was sentenced to 22 years in federal prison in 2019 - previously worked with attorney John Michael Phillips to file a motion for a new trial.

On July 15, 2021, a U.S. appeals court ruled the convictions for the two murder attempts were wrongly treated as separate and reduced his sentence by a year.

On Tuesday, Exotic revealed he is not satisfied with that outcome, and seeking an appeal in the entire case.

'Im actually appealing my whole case, to overturn my conviction,' he told News Channel 8 from prison.

Her husband Howard has thus never done an interview, until News Channel 8 tracked him down Tuesday

He declined to talk about Exotic but did speak out about his wife's activism that got her wrapped up with the con in the first place

On July 15, 2021, a U.S. appeals court ruled the convictions for the two murder attempts were wrongly treated as separate and reduced his sentence by a year. On Tuesday, Exotic revealed he is not satisfied with that outcome, and seeking an appeal in the entire case

Of the past five years, he said, 'Its jail, you know,' while letting out a laugh.

'Its been rough, it really has.'

Adding how he has prostate cancer and what he believes is lung cancer, he said he never offered $3,000 friend Allen Glover to have Baskin killed.

Prosecutors proved this during his trial, and that he offered money to an undercover FBI special agent to have Baskin killed.

Exotic continued to deny it all happened , saying Glover made it all up to get back at him.

'In my trial they showed the undercover video and Joe never offered him anything,' Exotic said, referring to himself in the third person.

'Joe just finally asked a question out of the blue, to get him out of my office.

'Well how much do you charge? And he said $10,000 and if you watch the video that played at my trial, then Joe says, well Joe doesnt have $10,000.'

Exotic announced his candidacy for president as a Democrat from prison last year.
Anita Dunn, who has served as a top advisor to President Biden during his presidency and his campaigns, is leaving her White House perch to advise a super PAC backing VP Kamala Harris.

Dunn was part of a core group of longtime aides advising Biden as he decided to end his presidential campaign, and was reportedly one of the few who got a heads up a minute before the president blasted out his decision.

Now shell be guiding the Future Forward PAC, which says it plans to spend $300 million bolstering Harris, although campaign rules will limit coordination with the campaign itself.

Biden gushed about Dunn in a statement confirming her exit. I deeply value her counsel and friendship and I will continue to rely on her partnership and insights as we finish the job over the next six months,' he said in a statement released by the White House.

Dunn, whose title is senior advisor and who is married to the presidents personal lawyer Bob Bauer, popped in and out of the White House, eventually pulling back from her SKDK firm (she was one of the Ks along with Bill Knapp) in 2022 to counsel Biden full time.

Dunn's influence inside the West Wing isn't disputed, although she was accused following Biden's debate disaster of failing to properly prepare the president for his contest with Donald Trump or anticipate the attendant risks.

White House senior adviser Anita Dunn is leaving her post to advise a pro-Kamala Harris super PAC. Dunn, who also did stints in the Senate and advising Bill Bradley's presidential campaign, has been a fixture in the Biden White House and his campaigns

And Dunn, like other top aides and Vice President Kamala Harris, faces questions about whether she knew about the deficiencies that ultimately led Biden himself to decide to 'pass the torch' to the younger Harris, who is now improving on his poor poll performance.

The Washington Post reported her departure.

John Morgan, a top Democratic donor and ally of Biden's younger brother, Frank, accused Dunn of cashing in on Biden and failing to avert the disaster.

He identified as 'grifters' Dunn and former White House Chief of Staff Ron Klain, along with Bob Bauer, amid criticism that Biden was getting advice only from a narrow circle.

'Biden's advisers failed him,' Morgan posted, asking about how Biden's team had negotiated a debate format that ill-served him.

Tens of millions of Americans saw Biden look weak and raspy on stage at the event with Donald Trump

John Morgan (pictured), a top donor to Joe Biden has slammed three of the president's most trusted aides after the president's horror show at the first debate in Atlanta Thursday night

The PAC plans to spend millions boosting Harris

'Format was a disaster for him and a plus for Trump. He over practiced and was drained who wouldn't be,' he added.

'Biden has for too long been fooled by the value of Anita Dunn and her husband. They need to go TODAY. The grifting is gross. It was political malpractice,' he wrote last month.

Morgan kept up his attacks in comments to the New York Times.

'It would be like if you took a prizefighter who was going to have a title fight and put him in a sauna for 15 hours then said, 'Go fight,' he said.

'I believe that the debate is solely on Ron Klain, Bob Bauer and Anita Dunn.'

Biden family members also privately blamed Dunn and Bauer for the debate disaster.

Dunn advised Biden during his 2020 run, and also advised Barack Obama during his 2008 and his 2012 campaigns.

In a sign of her continued sway within the White House, a series of aides were quoted on the record in the Post singing her praises.

Biden said in a statement released by the White House, 'Four years ago, when I launched my campaign for the battle for the soul of our nation, I was grateful Anita Dunn was right there with me.

'Ive known Anita throughout my career. Shes served our nation through three Administrations and countless campaigns for candidates at every level.

Shes not only a key senior member of our team that helped us win a historic election in 2020  shes also been an invaluable part of our White House. Shes tough and tested, and her experience and intellect have helped us deliver historic results for the American people.

I deeply value her counsel and friendship and I will continue to rely on her partnership and insights as we finish the job over the next six months.
Terrifying dashcam footage caught the moment a four-year-old in just a diaper and tank top ran into a busy intersection.

The recently-released footage shows cars whizzing down a residential street in Staten Island, New York on June 19 - with a small figure clutching an iPad running behind them, directly in the middle of the road.

There were no parents running after the boy as he made his way into the intersection of Harold Street and Sunset Avenue.

Fortunately, a quick-thinking Metropolitan Transportation Authority bus driver came to the young boy's rescue.

Peter Warner stopped the bus and was seen in the dashcam footage stepping out of his vehicle and scooping up the child in his arms.

Dashcam footage caught the moment a four year old ran down the middle of a busy street in Staten Island, New York

Cars whizzed down the street as the boy ran, without any parents following him

'I actually blocked the intersection with the bus,' Warner recounted to ABC 7. 'I got out, secured my bus, took the baby in my custody.

'If the kid was running down the sidewalk, I would figure that the parents would be chasing him, but he was in the middle of the street - dead smack in the middle of the street,' he added.

Warner was then seen trying to make phone calls on his cellphone in an apparent attempt to summon emergency assistance, while holding the child in one arm.

As he waited for help to arrive on the scene, Warner carried the toddler inside the bus and sat him down in front of the vehicle.

Meanwhile, a good Samaritan could be seen outside the bus directing traffic around the stopped vehicle.

The video ends with the arrival of a marked NYPD car at the scene.

Peter Warner, an MTA bus driver, sprang into action, stopping his bus and grabbing the child

Warner, a father-of-two himself, said he tried to use the boy's iPad to contact his parents - but found that it was restricted, according to the Staten Island Advance.

He then attempted to hold the child's hand to see if the boy would lead them to his house, but to no avail.

Police, meanwhile, circled the area to see if they could find any distressed parents searching for their son - but they too came up empty.

In total, Warner maintained custody of the boy for 45 minutes before NYPD officers took the boy to a local precinct.

But before he left, the boy wanted another hug from Warner - a tender moment that was captured by one of the passengers on the bus.

He was seen trying to call for assistance with the young boy still in his arms

Warner said he tried to locate the boys' parents - but to no avail

It was about an hour later that police said the parents picked up the boy from the precinct, with Warner saying he believes a post on a community Facebook page played a major role in notifying the boy's mother that her son was on the loose.

It turned out that the boy was four blocks from his home, and had managed to wander off while his father was asleep and his mother was at work, ABC 7 reports.

'She gave me a big hug and thanked me up and down, and she messages me all the time,' Warner said of the mother's response.

'Every time I post pictures of my kids now, we're friendly on Facebook, and she comments on my kids' pitches and stuff like that,' he said. 'So we made a friendship out of it.'

Warner, a father of two himself, said he and the boy's mother have since become friends

Daniel Casella, president of the Amalgamated Transit Union Local 726, applauded Warner's efforts in the aftermath.

'A lot of things go on during the day that doesn't get noticed,' he told the Staten Island Advance.

'The drivers, they do a lot everyday to help people, and every once in a while, then you get one like this, where it's really a miracle nothing happened to this kid.

'Thank God he [Warner] came upon him and thank God he stopped and did what he had to do because, you know, I don't know that everyone would do that,' Casella added.
Ministers were accused of trying to cover up details of Sir Keir Starmers Brexit negotiations last night, after they moved to scrap the Commons committee which monitors relations with the EU.

In a surprise move, the Government announced it was abolishing parliaments European Scrutiny Committee, despite Sir Keir Starmers pledge to oversee a reset in relations with Brussels.

Former chairman Sir Bill Cash said the dangerous and undemocratic move would push scrutiny of Sir Keirs new deal into a black hole.

He warned that other committees had neither the time nor the expertise to monitor progress on the negotiations.

This is a real red flag, which underlines the determination of the Remainers and re-joiners in government to avoid scrutiny of their plans at all costs, he said.

Labour ministers have moved to scrap the Commons committee which monitors relations with the EU (pictured: Sir Keir Starmer)

Labour ministers are accused of trying to 'cover up' details of Keir Starmer's Brexit negotiations amid the move. (Pictured: An EU flag flies outside the UK parliament in London)

It raises real concerns that they are planning to do an unsatisfactory deal in Brussels knowing there will be no scrutiny at home.

'It will push the whole issue into a black hole in a way that is both dangerous and undemocratic.

Downing Street defended the move, saying that other bodies, such as the foreign affairs committee, could still look at European issues.

The PMs official spokesman said: Its a matter for Parliament as to how it scrutinises the work of government committees, and this will continue via a range of committees and, as you know, the Minister for the Constitution and European Union Relations faces regular scrutiny of the UKs EU relations in Cabinet Office oral questions.

Sir Bill Cash said the dangerous and undemocratic move would push scrutiny of Sir Keirs new deal into a black hole'

A Government source said the European Scrutiny Committee had outlived its original purpose, which was to monitor EU laws being adopted in the UK.

As weve left the EU the committee hasnt got that clear function, the source said.
Rollercoaster victim Shylah Rodden's mother has given a rare update on her daughter's recovery after the young woman's gruesome accident shocked the world.

In a recent photo released to Daily Mail Australia on Tuesday, Ms Rodden can be seen with a beaming smile while seated inside a cafe.

Ms Rodden, then aged 26, suffered critical injuries after being struck by the Rebel Coaster after she walked onto the tracks to retrieve her phone at the Melbourne Royal Show.

Shocking footage of the incident was later posted to social media and became worldwide news.

In another image released by Ms Rodden's family, Ms Rodden is seen fighting for life in hospital in the days after the September 2022 incident.

The disturbing photo shows Ms Rodden in a neck brace with a tube placed in her throat.

Various injuries to her face are also visible, including a black eye and large gash to her forehead.

A third photo shows Ms Rodden with short hair shortly after the accident.

The photos were released a day after Daily Mail Australia revealed WorkSafe Victoria had decided not to push forward with charges against the ride operator or the Melbourne Royal Show.

Shylah Rodden's mother has given an update on her daughter's recovery after her horror accident at the Melbourne Royal Show. This is a recent image of Ms Rodden

Shylah Rodden pictured shortly after the rollercoaster crash that ought to have claimed her life

Ms Roddens mum, Kylie Rodden, said her daughter, now aged 28, could walk and talk, but remained blind in her right eye and deaf in her left ear.

'She has progressed but she still has a long way to go,' she told the Herald Sun.

'Sometimes she needs the support of a walking frame and a wheelchair, she can only go a limited time before she has to rest.'

The decision by WorkSafe came as a shock to Ms Rodden's long-suffering family, who were notified of the decision by a letter.

'I dont know what happened, I havent seen any reports, so Im not at peace with it,' Ms Rodden said.

Arnold Thomas & Becker lawyer Sharlene Mehta, who is representing Ms Roddens family, told Daily Mail Australia that they were 'understandably disappointed' to hear that the WorkSafe investigation had been closed.

'At this stage we have only received a letter from WorkSafe advising that their investigations are complete and that they have decided not to bring a prosecution against the ride operator,' Ms Mehta said via a statement on Tuesday.

Ms Rodden's family remain in the dark about the decisions that led to the near two-year investigation amounting to nothing.

'We have not received a copy of WorkSafes report so we have no knowledge of what their investigations covered, or who was interviewed as part of their investigations,' Ms Mehta stated.

Shylah Rodden was critically injured in the tragic accident in September 2022

The scars of Shylah Rodden's accident remain visible today

Shylah Rodden hangs onto life in hospital in 2022. She is now back on her feet

It was further revealed WorkSafe did not interview Ms Rodden or any of her family members in relation to the incident.

'We have requested a copy of the findings of the investigations, but this will take six to eight months to get to us. Until then, we have little information about their findings,' Ms Mehta stated.

'The letter our client received outlined the option to request that WorkSafe reconsider its decision and undertake further investigation.

'There was no further information provided. Once we have received a copy of the WorkSafe findings, we will decide whether we wish to make such a request to WorkSafe.'

Ms Mehta said while the incident had far-reaching impacts on Ms Rodden, her hopes for the future remained positive.

'Whilst her recovery has been miraculous, Shylahs injuries will carry lifelong impacts,' she stated.

It is understood the WorkSafe decision rested in the hands of lawyers tasked with assessing whether any charges could be successfully prosecuted at court.

Decisions on whether to commence a prosecution are made and authorised by WorkSafes Executive Director of Health and Safety, under delegated powers, and informed by legal advice.

The Royal Melbourne Show refused to comment when contacted by Daily Mail Australia on Tuesday.

Shylah Rodden (pictured) suffered 'life-changing' injuries after being hit by the rollercoaster

Horrifying footage shows Shylah Rodden (pictured in black) moments before being hit by the Rebel Coaster at the Melbourne Royal show

Sources told Daily Mail Australia that Worksafe officers carried out an exhaustive investigation into the incident.

Much of that investigation centered around establishing whether any duties under the Occupational Health and Safety Act had been breached.

'Enforcement decisions must take into account WorkSafe's General Prosecution Guidelines, which require consideration of the available evidence, the particular elements that must be proved in order for a prosecution to succeed, and the evidentiary burden that applies in criminal proceedings,' a source close to the investigation said.

It is understood WorkSafes investigation found insufficient evidence to prove beyond reasonable doubt any breaches under the OHS Act.

Ms Rodden faces years of rehabilitation after suffering a massive brain injury when she was flung nine metres into the air by the fast-moving ride.

She was hit while trying to retrieve a mobile phone she dropped on the tracks.

Under Victorian law, WorkSafe has two years to press charges against companies and individuals it believes have broken the state's rigid workplace laws.

While the results of that toxicology report from the time of the accident have never been made public, police sources suggested Ms Rodden may have been under the influence of some form of medication.

Shylah Rodden faces a long battle to recovery after being hit by a rollercoaster in September 2022

A Melbourne Royal Show spokeswoman claimed 'the safety and well-being of our visitors to the show continues to be our number one priority' (pictured, the Royal Melbourne Show)

Another well-placed source said that whatever prompted Ms Rodden to jump onto the tracks was not a concern of the safety watchdog, which was focused only on whether precautions were in place and being followed.

It is understood WorkSafe's investigation focused on what the ride's operators were doing when she made her way onto the tracks.

'Her toxicity levels are not relevant to the investigation into whether the duty holder was doing everything reasonably practicable to provide a safe and healthy workplace,' the source said.

A WorkSafe inspection concluded that the Rebel Coaster was 'safe' to re-open just days after the accident.

A Show spokeswoman, who asked not to be named, defended its safety procedures at the time of the incident.

'The safety and well-being of our visitors to the show continues to be our number one priority,' she said in a statement at the time.

'Strict safety protocols are upheld in line with Victorian WorkSafe regulations. All rides on site have undergone stringent compliance inspections and have passed all the required safety documentation.'

Ms Rodden's release from hospital in January last year to the family home at Craigieburn was heralded as a major step in her long road to recovery.

However, a spokesperson from her legal team said in January that year Ms Rodden would never fully recover.

'Whilst this indicates that her condition has stabilised, the injuries she has sustained remain life-changing,' it was stated at the time.

Her father Alan Rodden told Daily Mail Australia soon after the incident that his daughter had suffered life-changing injuries.

'I can't talk to my daughter. She's going to be in a coma for quite a while,' he said.

'The injuries are horrific. Horrific. She's brain damaged. It's pelvic, her arms, legs, back, neck - there's hardly a thing that's not broken. I just can't work out how the hell so much damage has been done.

'Even the doctors have said they haven't seen anything as bad as this for a long time.'

On the day she was struck by the rollercoaster, Ms Rodden had been working at a friend's stall at the Melbourne Royal Show.

The pair had been on a break when they decided to go on a few rides to kill time.

It is understood she dropped her phone while on the rollercoaster and police believe she walked onto the tracks of the high-speed ride to retrieve the device.

Shocking footage of the incident was shared on TikTok just days after it happened.
A Venezuelan migrant who shot a female police officer in Texas had been set to be deported back to his home country, it has been revealed.

Jorge Chacon-Gutierrez, 25, illegally crossed into Eagle Pass, Texas in November 2023 with nearly 600 other migrants.

At the time, border agents were processing him for 'expedited removal,' but he argued he feared persecution if he were to return to Venezuela - so he took his case to an asylum officer, an unidentified Homeland Security source told the New York Post.

The asylum officer rejected his claim and continued to process him for removal.

But Chacon-Gutierrez then asked to make his claim before an immigration judge, who quickly vacated his order of removal and let his case continue.

Jorge Chacon-Gutierrez, 25, has been identified by San Antonio TV station WOAI as the illegal immigrant who opened fire on three police officers Sunday morning

Chacon-Gutierrez had crossed into the US illegally at the Eagle Pass crossing in Texas (pictured) in November 2023

The Homeland Security source said the case highlights how the US immigration system has 'so many loopholes,' as police say Chacon-Gutierrez opened fire on three police officers who responded to a domestic violence call at an apartment in San Antonio.

Police said they responded to the apartment around 3 a.m. Sunday after shooter's girlfriend had been assaulted by him, the police department said.

'When officers went in to the apartment, (the shooter) was lying in bed with a rifle by his side, and he started shooting at the officer,' Police Chief William McManus told reporters.

'The officers returned fire. They exited the apartment.'

SWAT officers later made entry into the apartment and 'saw the suspect was deceased,' however McManus couldn't say whether it was a self-inflicted wound or whether the shooter had been hit by police rounds.

Officers responded to a domestic violence call in San Antonio at around 3am Sunday

The wounded officer has not be identified by the department, but is expected to survive

Following Chacon-Gutierrez's death, Texas Congressman Tony Gonzales said: 'These are the consequences of failed catch & release policies'

The wounded officer has not be identified by the department, however, the chief added that she has been on the force for less than three years.

She underwent surgery on Sunday morning, and is expected to survive.

Police have not officially named the shooter, either.

Meanwhile US Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) told DailyMail.com it is awaiting official confirmation of the shooter's identity before it can release any details about how Chacon entered the country.

ICE is the federal agency responsible for tracking migrants in the US.

Police Chief William McManus confirmed the female officer shot had been hit several times and underwent surgery Sunday

An armed police officer stands guard after three cops were shot while responding to a domestic violence call in San Antonio Sunday morning

Chacon was released into the US after he was given a notice to appear before a federal judge in April 2026, according to Fox News.

Following Chacon-Gutierrez's death, Texas Congressman Tony Gonzales said: 'These are the consequences of failed catch & release policies.

'I am thankful the injured SAPD officer is stable & I pray she makes a full recovery soon,' he added.
From the Jetsons to Blade Runner, flying cars have long been a classic trope of science fiction blockbusters.

But science fiction has officially become reality, as a real-life flying taxi has completed a record 561-mile (902km) test flight over California.

To put that into perspective, that's about two times as long as The Grand Canyon.

The flying car is the brainchild of Joby Aviation and is fueled by hydrogen, meaning it produces no emissions other than water vapour.

JoeBen Bevirt, founder and CEO of Joby, said: 'Imagine being able to fly from San Francisco to San Diego, Boston to Baltimore, or Nashville to New Orleans without the need to go to an airport and with no emissions except water. That world is closer than ever.'

A flying taxi designed by Joby Aviation (pictured) has beaten its own record flight distance by travelling 561 miles (902km) on a single tank of hydrogen

From the Jetsons (pictured) to Blade Runner, flying cars have long been a classic trope of science fiction blockbusters

The air taxi, which has been partly funded by the US military, is powered by six propellers, which give it the ability to take off and land vertically like a helicopter.

Once airborne these propellers rotated from a vertical to a horizontal position, allowing the taxi to fly forward like a traditional fixed-wing aircraft.

That adaptable capacity allows the craft to carry four passengers at top speeds of 200 miles per hour (322kmph) or fly within urban areas.

This is not the first time an aircraft with this design has been flown, but what makes Joby's aircraft unique is what powers these propellers.

The craft is a modified version of an original all-electric aircraft designed by Joby which has already completed 25,000 miles (40,000 km) of test flights.

Rather than using fossil fuels or a purely electric system, Joby has now created a hydrogen-electric power system to provide clean energy over longer flights.

Joby Aviation announced it had set a new record just weeks after tripling its previous distance by travelling 523 miles (842 kilometres) on a single charge

The craft's batteries have been replaced with a fuel cell capable of holding 40kg (88 lbs) of liquid hydrogen which can be converted into electricity, heat, and water vapour in flight.

However, the taxi still retains a few onboard batteries to give additional power during takeoff and landing.

The advantage of using hydrogen is that it allows the aircraft to travel much further without refuelling.

A version of the flying taxi fitted with batteries was able to fly for 100 to 150 miles (160 to 240 km) before needing to recharge.

This hydrogen-powered design, however, would enable the taxi to make runs between cities and even countries without the need to refuel.

The new model of the flying taxi uses hydrogen rather than electricity to increase its range while producing no emissions other than water vapour

After completing a 523-mile flight, the company revealed that it still had 10 per cent of its fuel left over.

Pushing the limits of the design further, the company announced in a post on X, formerly Twitter, that it had subsequently travelled 561 miles on a single fuel tank.

Mr Bevirt said: 'Traveling by air is central to human progress, but we need to find ways to make it cleaner.'

With a range of 561 miles, a passenger starting in London would be able to comfortably travel as far as Paris, Zurich, and Edinburgh without needing to pause.

And, travelling at its top speed as the crow flies, you could make the 332-mile (534km) journey to Edinburgh in well under two hours.

With an extended range, Joby says it could create an air taxi network capable of flying between various cities without the need to refuel

Joby says that its battery-powered aircraft (pictured) will be available for sale by 2025

While Joby cannot confirm when it expects the hydrogen-powered model to be available, the purely electric version may be closer than you expect.

Joby says that it is the first Electric Vertical Takeoff and Landing (EVTOL) aircraft to complete three of the five rounds of Federal Aviation Authority certification.

The original test craft has now made 25,000 miles (40,000 km) of test flights in Marina, California and New York.

Joby says it will now focus on securing the fourth stage of certification and expects the battery design to be on sale by 2025.

Joby Aviation has previously claimed its flying taxi trips will be available in Dubai from early next year.

The original air taxi design has completed 25,000 miles (40,000 km) of test flights and has passed three of the five FAA certification rounds

Joby Aviation is bringing flying taxis to Dubai as soon as 2025 and will ferry passengers from the Dubai Airport to the tourist hotspot of Palm Jumeirah in just 10 minutes

The firm has signed a deal with Dubai's Road and Transport Authority (RTA) to launch air taxi services there by early 2026, with Joby targeting initial operations as early as next year.

The proposed route would ferry passengers from Dubai Airport to Palm Jumeirah, the city's archipelago of artificial islands and tourist hotspot, in just 10 minutes.

The company also points out that the progress made in launching the battery-powered flying taxi should pave the way for the hydrogen-cell version to follow.

However, Joby Aviation has not commented on how much either the battery or hydrogen-powered model would cost.

Mr Bevirt says: 'The vast majority of the design, testing and certification work we've completed on our battery-electric aircraft carries over to commercializing hydrogen-electric flight.

'In service, we also expect to be able to use the same landing pads, the same operations team, and Joby's ElevateOS software that will support the commercial operation of our battery-electric aircraft.'
Many scientists believe that the one thing that separates humans from our primate relatives is our unique ability to speak.

But new research suggests that the Planet of the Apes could be just around the corner, as scientists claim that chimpanzees can speak after all.

An international team of scientists reviewed footage of chimps who had been raised by humans in conditions which would now be considered unethical.

Their analysis of this footage, filmed in 1962, suggests that chimpanzees are capable of saying simple human words such as 'mama'.

This discovery could overturn old assumptions about ape psychology and show that the neural 'circuitry' of language evolved earlier than previously thought.

Researchers now believe that chimpanzees (stock image pictured) and potentially other apes are capable of human-like speech

The question of whether apes are capable of speech is a topic that has divided generations of scientists.

Perhaps due to the importance of language in our sense of what makes humans unique, either side of the debate has attracted strong advocates.

Beginning in the 1900s, this debate culminated in a series of extremely unethical experiments in which people tried to raise chimpanzees like humans.

For example, the researchers reference the case of Keith and Catherine Hayes who adopted a chimp to raise in 1947.

The couple later claimed that the chimp, which they named Viki, had learned simple words like 'mama', 'cup' and 'up'.

However, very little direct evidence from these early trials survived and due to the trauma of separating chimps from their families, the results have largely been dismissed.

Some scientists believed that chimpanzees lacked the brain circuitry to combine jaw and voicebox control in a way that can produce speech sounds (stock image)

In their paper, published in Scientific Reports, the researchers argue that a lack of analysis of these older cases has led to a belief that apes are incapable of speech.

Lead author Dr Axel Ekstrom, of KTH Royal Institute of Technology, Sweden, told MailOnline: 'There has been an idea floating around neuroscience for a couple of years, that the chimp cortex might have been holding them back.'

The basic idea, Dr Ekstrom explains, is that humans have an overlap between the area of the brain responsible for moving the jaw and the region which controls the voice box.

'So, the idea was that this overlap unlocks syllabic speech of the kind we see in infants ("ba-ba-ba"), and which transitions in development to adult speech patterns,' says Dr Ekstrom.

The so-called 'Kuypers-Jurgens hypothesis' then suggests that since chimpanzees don't have this overlap they simply cannot produce speech like a human can.

Starting from the 1900s some chimpanzees were raised alongside humans in attempt to teach them language. However, evidence from these older cases has widely been dismissed by scientists. Pictured: a grab from a film titled 'Now Hear This! Italians Unveil Talking Chimp', which was released in 1962 as part of Universal Studios series of newsreels

By looking back at old footage of chimpanzees that have been raised around humans, Dr Ekstrom thinks he and his colleagues have found good evidence against this idea.

Specifically, the researchers uncovered two videos of chimps which appear to be capable of saying 'mama'.

The first shows a chimpanzee named Johnny who lived at the Suncoast Primate Sanctuary in Palm Harbor, Florida.

In the comments of the video, the original poster wrote: 'Johnny called everyone Mama. He was a marvelous animal and lived to 63 years of age.'

The second video shows a clip from a film titled 'Now Hear This! Italians Unveil Talking Chimp', which was released in 1962 as part of Universal Studios series of newsreels.

In the clip, a chimpanzee named Renata is tapped on the chin by a handler, who appears to prompt her to say something which sounds like 'mama'.

By analysing the sounds in older videos of captive chimpanzees like Johnny (pictured) the researchers found that the animals are capable of producing sounds which were very similar to the word 'mama'

To test whether these utterances came close to human words, the researchers designed an online listening experiment.

The chimpanzee utterances were mixed in with clips of humans who had been diagnosed with Parkinson's disease.

Participants were told that all the clips were from speakers diagnosed with speech pathologies and asked to phonetically write down the sounds that they heard.

The researchers discovered that most of the participants agreed that Johnny and Renata were saying mama.

While Renata's vocalisations were generally clearer, a large number of participants still recorded Johnny making a sound featuring an 'a' sound.

The recordings of two chimpanzees (top) were played alongside recordings of humans with Parkinson's disease. Most participants in a blind listening experiment recorded that the apes were saying 'mama'

However, the researchers say apes won't be able to speak like in Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes (pictured) since they are learning to make sounds rather than learning a language with meaning

The researchers argue this is clear evidence that chimpanzees do in fact have the jaw-voicebox 'coupling' required to make syllabic speech with consonants and vowels.

Dr Ekstrom says: 'The downstream conclusion from that is that either the cortical overlap is not crucial, or that chimpanzees possess it too.'

However, the researchers also point out that we are not likely to end up with the kind of talking chimpanzees you might recognise from 'Planet of the Apes'.

Even if chimpanzees do have the right kind of brain to learn new sounds, their tongues are long and flat which makes it difficult to move between speech sounds.

Researchers have argued that various great apes might be able to produce language, recent studies have shown the orangutans have a level of 'complexity' in their calls (illustrated left) that had not previously been expected

There is also a significant difference between learning to hear and repeat sounds and learning to speak a language.

Dr Ekstrom says that his paper shows that chimpanzees have this ability, known as 'vocal learning'.

But he adds: 'In our case, there is no evidence the chimpanzees understood the "point" of the word mama.

'That is, as far as we know, they weren't asking for their "mama", or addressing someone as "mama". These were sounds that to us carries a deep symbolic meaning, but it doesn't appear the chimpanzees were aware of that.'
Whether it's a traditional name or a wackier option, many expectant parents spend months deciding what to name their child.

Now, a study could make that decision even harder.

Researchers from Reichman University claim that your child's face will evolve to match their name.

'Social structuring is so strong that it can affect a person's appearance,' said Dr Yonat Zwebner, who led the study.

'These findings may imply the extent to which other personal factors that are even more significant than names, such as gender or ethnicity, may shape who people grow up to be.'

Whether it's a traditional name or a wackier option, many expectant parents spend months deciding what to name their child. Now, a study could make that decision even harder

Previous research has found that most of us can guess the name of a stranger with up to 40 per cent accuracy.

However, until now, why this is the case has been unclear.

Some experts suggest that parents choose a baby's name based on what seems fitting for the baby's appearance.

Others believe that the process is the other way round, and that a person's face changes to match their name.

In their new study, the researchers set out to determine which process it really is.

'Our given name is a social tag associated with us early in life,' they wrote in their study, published in Psychological and Cognitive Sciences.

'This study investigates the possibility of a self-fulfilling prophecy effect wherein individuals' facial appearance develops over time to resemble the social stereotypes associated with given names.'

The team enlisted 9-to-10-year-old children and adults, who were asked to match faces to names. The findings revealed that the participants - both the children and adults - correctly matched the adult faces to their names. However, the participants were not as successful when it came to matching children's faces to their names

The team enlisted 9-to-10-year-old children and adults, who were asked to match faces to names.

The findings revealed that the participants - both the children and adults - correctly matched the adult faces to their names.

However, they were not as successful when it came to matching children's faces to their names.

In a second part of the study, the researchers fed a machine learning system images of human faces and their names.

An analysis of the faces revealed that those of adults with the same name were significantly more similar to each other.

In contrast, the computer found no similarity among children with the same name.

Overall, the researchers say the findings suggest that people's faces evolve to match their names.

'Children do not look like their names yet, but adults who have lived with their name longer do tend to look like their names,' the team concluded.

'These results suggest that people develop according to the stereotype bestowed on them at birth.

'We are social creatures who are affected by nurture: One of our most unique and individual physical components, our facial appearance, can be shaped by a social factor, our name.'


SC grants bail to ex-Maha Minister Nawab Malik in money laundering case The Supreme Court on Tuesday granted bail on medical grounds to former Maharashtra Minister Nawab Malik, an accused in a money laundering case, valid till the Bombay High Court decides his plea for regular bail. A bench presided over by Justice Bela M. Trivedi passed the order after NCP leader Malik's lawyer submitted that his lung had collapsed and required medical treatment.



Additional Solicitor General (ASG) S.V. Raju, representing the Enforcement Directorate (ED), said that the anti-money laundering agency has no objection if Malik's interim medical bail is made absolute.



Senior advocate Arunabh Chowdhury, assisted by advocate Jayant Mohan, appeared on Malik's behalf in the matter.



Malik was ordered to be temporarily released on bail by the Supreme Court in August last year solely on medical grounds for a term of two months on such terms and conditions as may be determined by the trial court.



Later, it extended the interim relief for three months noting that Malik was suffering from chronic kidney ailments and his medical condition had not improved.



In January this year, the top court had ordered that the temporary bail granted to Malik on medical grounds be extended for six months.



The ED had arrested the senior political leader of the state in February 2022 under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA) in a money-laundering case arising out of an alleged under-valued property deal with underworld links.




Starbucks is down for Americans nationwide, leaving them unable to grab a coffee before heading to work.

DownDetector, a site that monitors digital issues, shows the app went down around 8:30amET.

Other fans have reported issues with the coffee giant's website, suggesting mobile orders cannot be taken.

People have shared their frustrations on social media as they head into work without their caffeine fix, with some saying it is 'absolute mayhem.'

Starbucks has been hit by an outage plaguing the US and other parts of the globe

DownDetector's outage map shows issues in Boston, New York, Washington DC, Dallas, Chicago, Los Angeles, Tampa and other major cities.

Approximately 91 percent of the issue stems from the app, with seven percent of people citing they cannot log in to their accounts and two percent cannot checkout.

At least 33 million Americans use the app, but the number of users impacted is unknown.

The app offers mobile ordering, payment and rewards that can be redeemed for free food and drinks.

And 25 percent of Starbucks's transactions are completed through mobile orders.

Social media is flooded with posts about issues with the app, as people are panicking.

'Starbucks app is down, corporate America found SHAKING,' an X user shared.

Other users are left even more disappointed due to it being their birthday and were looking forward to their free drink.

'Its my birthday and the Starbucks app is down. This feels like a terrible conspiracy,' X user 'Maureen Van Nest' shared.

DownDetector's outage map shows issues in Boston, New York, Washington DC, Dallas, Chicago, Los Angeles, Tampa and other major cities

Social media is flooded with posts about issues with the app, as people are panicking

Users have also shared screen shots from the app, showing they have been kicked out of their accounts and the app is in a reloading loop

Users have also shared screen shots from the app, showing they have been kicked out of their accounts and the app is in a reloading loop.

Another X user joked saying they had to order their coffee in person and pay with a physical credit card.

'The app being down is major drama,' they continued.

What caused the app outage is unknown.
It's a piece of scientific myth so well-known that it has become a common insult.

But scientists now say that the 'three second' goldfish memory is a myth.

Professor Culum Brown, an expert in fish cognition from Macquarie University in Sydney, argues that goldfish, and almost all other fish, have impeccable memories for places and even the identities of their friends.

In a series of trials, Professor Brown found that rainbow fish were able to remember a path through a simulated trawl net for up to a year.

Professor Brown told BBC Radio 4's Naturebang programme: 'I dare say that any animal that doesn't have that sort of capacity, fish or otherwise, would not last long in the real world.'

Professor Culum Brown, an expert in fish cognition from Macquarie University in Sydney says that goldfish actually have excellent memories

Goldfish are often maligned for their poor memory and cognitive skills, but Professor Brown says the reality could not be more different.

He says: 'No matter where you go in the world, people have a very, very low expectation about a goldfish's memory.

'And I don't think it's goldfish in particular - I think goldfish are symbolic of fishes in general. There's this general tale that fishes have this awful capacity for memory.'

As Professor Brown points out, if this were true, fish would be unable to learn any new behaviours or learn how to adapt to changes in their environment.

But despite how common this belief may be, scientists have known for years that fish have impressive learning abilities.

To highlight this point, Professor Brown designed an experiment to demonstrate how fish learn to escape the clutches of fishing vessels.

Unlike Dory in Finding Nemo (pictured), real fish are able to remember routes they have taken for up to a year

He placed rainbow fish in a tank with a miniature model of a trawler net in which he had cut a single hole to act as an escape route.

As he ran the experiment again and again, he noticed that the fish became faster at finding the escape hole.

Professor Brown says: 'By the end of four or five trials, they would basically be swimming calmly in front of the net.

'And about halfway down the aquarium, they would literally do a U-turn and swim directly through the hole. And I was just like, wow, this is incredible.'

Most surprisingly, when he returned the fish to the apparatus 11 months later, they were still able to find the hole on their first try.

In an experiment designed to simulate how fish escape trawl nets, Professor Brown found that fish could remember how to find a single hole in the net up to 11 months after they last saw it

This is not the only study to demonstrate that fish have a far better memory than their reputation would suggest.

In 2022, researchers from Oxford University trained nine Goldfish to swim exactly 70cm through their tank before stopping to receive a treat.

The researchers found that the fish were able to use stripes on the walls of the tank to map out their environment in the same way that fish would use rocks and seaweed in the wild.

Likewise, Professor Brown points out that many fish are able to return to their breeding grounds despite having spent years away at sea.

In a 2022 study, researchers from Oxford University trained goldfish to swim exactly 70 cm in a tank, showing they were able to remember and map out their environment

He says: 'We all know about trout and salmon coming back to exactly the same place to breed every year. And that's actually commonplace amongst many territory fishers.

'There's some fantastic evidence of the migratory patterns and spawning behaviour and foraging grounds of fishers being culturally passed from individual to individual across generations.'

For instance, the UK is home to the Atlantic salmon which lays its eggs in the gravel of freshwater streams along the west coast of Scotland.

After hatching, the young salmon spend between months and years in freshwater before making their way to the sea.

Atlantic Salmon like these in the river Etterick, Scotland, are able to remember the way back to their spawning grounds after spending up to six years at sea

The salmon might remain at sea for up to six years as they mature into adults before swimming back up the stream in 'salmon runs' during the autumn.

Professor Brown says: 'In actual fact, if you break it down, most of the behaviours that most animals do are adapted and fine tuned by learning a memory.'

Fish, Professor Brown argues, even have the ability to recognise each other and preferentially choose to hang out with fish they have met before.

He adds that, in hindsight, looking back, the belief that a fish's memory is short is 'just a nuts idea'.

'It kind of gives us an excuse to treat them poorly, because if we have a low opinion of their intelligence, then perhaps we can abuse them and get away with it,' Professor Brown concludes.
Thousands of of people in New Mexico have been told to monitor the forecast as the state prepares to be hit with another flash flood.

The National Weather Service (NWS) said there is a 50 percent chance the 'watch' could turn into a warning for at least four counties in the central part of the state, including Albuquerque, until 8:00pm MT

'A warning is when you must act quickly as flash floods are an imminent threat to you and your family,' according to the NWS.

A storm is predicted to bring up to two inches of rain per hour, combined with already saturated grounds from rainfall the last two days, and it could lead to excessive runoff and flash flooding.

It marks the 29th Flash Flood Watch for the year, but the state has issued 189 warnings that were followed by the destruction of at least 200 homes and hundreds of people rescued.

The National Weather Service (NWS) issued the warning for residents in a portion of central New Mexico , including Albuquerque with more than 560,000 people, until 8:00pm MT

Andrew Mangham, senior service hydrologist, told DailyMail.com: 'This is going to be an ongoing problem through the monsoon season.

'[Ruidoso] is facing hurricane level impacts every week, every day.'

He continued to explain that New Mexico is well on its way to beating the 2021 record of Flood Warnings, which was 250.

New Mexico's monsoon season started on June 15 and will continue until September 30.

But the rainiest months are July and August that see up to 40 percent of the year's total precipitation.

The National Guard was deployed to New Mexico at the end of June to help rescue residents of Ruidoso, which was under a Flash Flood Emergency Monday.

Soldiers were seen crossing rising waters to evacuate elderly residents in the small town.

Minutes after they were brought to safety, waters rose by six feet and flooded their homes, KOAT reported.

As of now, residents are urged to 'monitor later forecasts and be prepared to take action should Flash Flood Warnings be issued.

'A Flood Watch for flash flooding is in effect this afternoon and evening over and downstream of the burn scars in Lincoln County,' the NWS Albuquerque shared in an X post.

'Heavy rainfall and slow storm motions expected. Elsewhere, hot temperatures are in store. Triple-digit heat expected for the plains.'

Evacuations were ordered last month in the New Mexico village of Ruidoso amid wildfire

Since 1959, 65 New Mexicans have lost their lives in flash floods.

The flash flooding is due to heavy rain falling over a burn scar near Brady Canyon and Ruidoso Downs.

A burn scar is left behind by a wildfire, which appears as a charred and barren strip of land, does not absorb precipitation as typical soil and leads to major flooding.

And just a quarter to half an inch of rainfall can lead to major flash flooding on these burn scars.

The last fire broke out in June, leading to an evacuation of Ruidoso.

'Wildfires are very common in New Mexico, but the latest was particularly fast developing, said Mangham.

The location of the wildfire was problematic. It happened on urban area and situated in a way that ran through Ruidoso.'

He continued to explain that the NWS will be watching radar to estimate rainfall rates, plus ground rate precipitation collectors.

The town experienced another flash flood over the weekend when the National Guarded reported it had rescued or evacuated at least 12 people and two dogs,

'Once we see rain passes a threshold we will issue a warning,' Mangham said.

'When we say there is a flash flood warning, we mean do not go out looking for trouble.

'When there is an Emergency, it means do not go outside because trouble will find you.'

The flood that hit Ruidoso on Monday collapsed part of the town's racetrack and created a impromptu dam of debris that blocked a river.

'I dont know the extend of clean up, but they are working on that and we can expect to get hit again today,' said Mangham.

The town experienced another flash flood over the weekend when the National Guarded reported it had rescued or evacuated at least 12 people and two dogs, FOX Weather reported.

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Microsoft was thrown into chaos today after suffering a second global outage in less than two weeks.

The issue is impacting 'multiple Microsoft 365 services and features,' the company said in a post on social network X Tuesday morning.

Microsoft 365 includes common productivity applications like Outlook, Word and Excel, leaving many Americans unable to perform daily work tasks.

On top of office outages, the issues have also taken down Starbucks' mobile application and Xbox Live.

Microsoft has been thrown into chaos again due to its second global outage in less than two weeks. The issue is impacting 'multiple Microsoft 365 services and features,' the company said in a post on social network X Tuesday morning

Reports about the outage surfaced around 9:15am ET, impacting Microsoft's 'network infrastructure,' which is critical for connectivity and communication between users, apps, devices and the internet.

The previous outage, on July 19, was triggered by a cybersecurity update glitch but the source of the current issue has not yet been revealed.

Starbucks

The coffee giant's mobile app was also hit by the outage plaguing Microsoft.

Users reported problems logging into their accounts and checking out at around 8:30am ET, according to DownDetector.

DownDetector's outage map shows issues in Boston, New York, Washington DC, Dallas, Chicago, Los Angeles, Tampa and other major cities.

Approximately 91 percent of the issue stems from the app, with seven percent of people citing they cannot log in to their accounts and two percent cannot checkout.

At least 33 million Americans use the app, but the number of users impacted is unknown.

The app offers mobile ordering, payment and rewards that can be redeemed for free food and drinks.

Microsoft 365

Microsoft 365 is a cloud-powered productivity platform, which includes Microsoft Teams, Word, Excel, PowerPoint, Outlook and OneDrive.

The services are offered through subscriptions, starting a $69.99 a year or $6.99 a month.

Users can sign in to their accounts on up to five different devices, including PCs, Macs, phones and tablets.

Microsoft 365 also includes Skype for Business, antivirus software and a corporate video-sharing service.

Microsoft also reported that its Intune platform - which manages companies' organizational resources - and Entra have been impacted.

Entra is a cloud-based identity resource that provides authentication and authorization services for Microsoft Azure, 365 and other third-party services.

The company added that its Power Platform has also been implicated, which helps businesses build applications, analyze data and automate workflows.

This service also includes GitHub, a developer platform, and Microsoft Teams, which is widely used by companies across the globe.

Starbucks app users Users reported problems logging into their accounts and checking out at around 8:30am ET, according to DownDetector

Xbox Live

Xbox Live allows you to access online content and play with friends for a monthly fee.

Then there is Xbox Live Gold, which is a premium subscription that offers online matchmaking with other strangers and playing with friends.

DownDector received hundreds of issue reports for the popular video game Minecraft, signaling Xbox, which is owned by Microsoft was impacted by the outage.

Azure

Azure, also known as Microsoft Azure, is a cloud computing platform and a suite of cloud services offered by Microsoft through an Office 365 subscription.

It provides a wide range of cloud-based services and solutions that enable organizations to build, deploy, and manage applications and services through Microsoft's global network of data centers.

Microsoft said on the administration center that its Azure services are down and 'a subset of customers may experience issues connecting to ... services globally.'

'We have implemented networking configuration changes and have performed failovers to alternate networking paths to provide relief,' reads the Azure status page.
They're the pubs that put the boo into London's boozers - five of the UK capital's spookiest inns.

And I've bravely visited each one to find out which is the most chilling.

London has dozens of supposedly haunted pubs - but this quintet of eerie inns have built up renown as being particularly hair-raising hotbeds of paranormal activity.

I enter a world of ghost cams, hanging nooses, stalking grounds for Jack the Ripper's victims and hear about a ghost said to have awoken barmaids by ripping off their bedsheets.

Read on for my spook-factor scores. Would YOU be brave enough to follow in my footsteps?

The Prospect of Whitby - Wapping

The Prospect of Whitby (above) sits on the banks of the Thames in a Grade II listed building and has a history so disturbing it was once called The Devil's Tavern

Pictured is a noose that swings at the back of The Prospect of Whitby as a homage to 'the hanging judge'

The Prospect of Whitby claims to be London's oldest riverside pub, dating back to 1520. Inside, there's an original flagstone floor, a pewter top bar and old barrels and ship masts built into the ceiling. It sits on the banks of the Thames in a Grade II listed building and has a history so disturbing it was once called The Devil's Tavern.

Cut-throats, pirates, smugglers and thieves all chose to drink here, as did Judge George Jeffreys - a 17th-century judge who is said to have sentenced hundreds of people to death by hanging.

His ghost is rumoured to haunt the pub, along with several others, including Mary Frith, a notorious pickpocket, also known as Moll Cutpurse.

Now, I discover it's frequented by American tourists who flock there for its 16 steak and ale pie, and its atmosphere is more soothing than sinister. Reminders of its history, however, are plastered throughout, from models of ships to informative plaques. But perhaps its most hair-raising memento is the noose, which swings out back as a homage to 'the hanging judge'.

Spook-factor: 2/5

The Viaduct Tavern - Holborn

The Viaduct Tavern sits opposite the Old Bailey and is built on the site of Newgate Prison. The pub retains many Victorian features, including an ornate beaten copper ceiling, cast iron pillars and an old ticket booth station

Pictured above are the 'cells' located in the Viaduct Tavern's basement. Inside the dark space is a hanging noose and rusty metal cages

The Viaduct Tavern, opposite the Old Bailey, has spooky pub credentials by the coffin load.

In the main bar area, the Victorian drinking hole features cast iron pillars, an ornate beaten copper ceiling and an old ticket booth.

So far, so mildly eerie.

Venture below, though, and matters get seriously spine-chilling very quickly.

The pub is built on the site of Newgate Prison and downstairs are old 'cells' where prisoners are said to have been kept.

These cells are free for customers to explore, and minutes after finishing my drink, I reluctantly follow the barmaid down a set of creaky, steep stairs to a small brick room. Inside the dark, damp space is a hanging noose and rusty metal cages - terrifying enough to make me want to go upstairs in seconds.

Staff are reportedly apprehensive about going down alone. Understandably so, as in 1996, the landlord allegedly found himself locked in the cellar after the door slammed shut for no apparent reason.

Spook-factor - 4/5

The Rising Sun - Smithfield

Inside The Rising Sun in Smithfield there's a 'dated wooden interior' and an 'absence of TVs and music', Jess writes - as well as a 'pervy' ghost

This pub, next to St Bartholomew's Hospital, was thought to be the playground of body-snatching gangs back in the early 19th century. These criminals supposedly drugged and murdered punters before selling their bodies to the hospital for medical research.

Unsurprisingly, paranormal activity has since been reported.

One notable case is the so-called 'pervy' ghost. A former landlady reported being interrupted by a presence while in the shower - it pulled back the shower curtain and placed an icy hand on her back.

Barmaids who lived upstairs would wake to find a spirit sitting on the end of their bed, slowly tugging their bedcovers off.

Whether it's the mixture of these horrifying tales, the dated wooden interior or the eerie silence due to the absence of TVs and music, I find the atmosphere of this pub somewhat unsettling.

As I walk to the upstairs loo, I notice the cold temperature and creaky floorboards. On my way back down, a fire alarm suddenly blares, and the doors slowly close. A ghostly presence or just pure coincidence? Either way, I leave the pub in a flash, feeling shaken.

Visit risingsunfarringdon.co.uk.

Spook-factor - 5/5

Morpeth Arms - Millbank

Underneath Morpeth Arms are cells leftover from the former Millbank Prison. The pub is supposedly haunted by a former prisoner who died underground

A live stream of Morpeth Arms' cells is displayed on a TV next to the bar (pictured)

At first glance, this 19th-century tap house seems bright, airy and not at all spooky.

However, lurking beneath the surface are tunnels and cells left over from the former Millbank Prison, which opened in 1816 and closed in 1890.

The tunnels served as the 'final walk' for prisoners before being deported to Australia. One convict is said to have died in a tunnel beneath the pub while trying to escape - and now haunts the pub, according to local legend.

Reminders of the pub's history are scattered everywhere, from framed photographs of criminals to a sign above the bar, that reads 'some of our spirits you can't see'. There's even a live stream of the cells, displayed on a TV next to the bar.

While the cells were unavailable to view on my visit, the pub welcomes customers downstairs 'from time to time'.

Although rich in history, the upstairs area appears incredibly modern, and if it weren't for the historical knick-knacks and creepy ghost cam footage, there's a fairly light and un-spooky atmosphere.

Visit www.morpetharms.com.

Spook-factor: 1.5/5

The Ten Bells - Spitalfields

The Ten Bells (pictured) is renowned for its connection to London's most notorious serial killer, Jack The Ripper and is said to be haunted by one of his victims

Follow the hoards of tour groups to East End pub The Ten Bells, renowned for its connection to London's most notorious serial killer: Jack The Ripper.

The pub is associated with two of Jack the Ripper's victims. Unconfirmed reports claim Annie Chapman was drinking at the pub before being killed. Her mutilated body was found on nearby Hanbury Street.

Mary Kelly - the Ripper's final victim - is linked to the pub as the street outside is allegedly where she picked up her clients. Rumour has it that Chapman's ghost still haunts the pub, alongside several other ghoulish figures.

Staff are said to have encountered the ghost of a past landlord named George Roberts, who was reportedly murdered with an axe. There are also gruesome tales of the murder of a baby in one of the rooms upstairs, with psychic mediums apparently too terrified to enter it.

Despite its entanglement with such a grizzly past, the pub's atmosphere is surprisingly lively. Small, but vibrant, the pub draws in a young crowd. However, if it was less crowded, I would be apprehensive to visit alone.

Spook-factor: 3/5
Advertisement

Escape the hustle and bustle and let these stunning photos of Mother Nature transport you to a calmer realm.

Award-winning photographer Prashant Naik, from Georgia, has shared a selection of his images exclusively with DailyMail.com, with his favorite subjects being sweeping rural landscapes and dazzling night skies.

The cameraman, who works in the IT sector when he's not snapping away, has traveled across the U.S. to explore national parks and rural areas to achieve a portfolio of breathtaking shots.

One striking image captures a collection of hoodoos in the Ah-shi-sle-pah Wilderness in New Mexico, with a small slip of moon shining above, while another photo shows the Milky Way shimmering through Double Arch in Arches National Park in Utah, which Prashant said was one of the 'most thrilling' trips of his life.

Another of Prashant's favorite spots to shoot has been the Pacific Coast in Oregon where eroded rock formations line the beach. He says of the scene: 'The shapes and contours of these geological structures that grace the Oregon shores are simply phenomenal. They appear as sentinels of Earth guarding the shoreline.'

Scroll down to soak up these images and more.

Prashant said he was 'astonished' by the sight of these otherworldly sandstone formations at the Ah-Shi-Sle-Pah Wilderness in northwestern New Mexico. Detailing the scene, he said: 'In this remote wilderness there's a field of hoodoos that have been sculpted by relentless forces of wind and rain for thousands of years. The vast expanse of this desolate landscape takes one's breath away, evoking Mother Nature's artistic prowess. This is the valley of dreams with what I think looks like an alien throne at its heart. I long to return someday, to once again immerse myself in the otherworldly splendor of this wilderness'

One of the photographer's favorite spots in the U.S. to snap away is the Pacific Coast in Oregon for the 'breathtaking' and 'phenomenal' rock formations dotting the shoreline. The above image was taken at Face Rock Beach in Bandon, South Oregon

This otherworldly image was captured at Double Arch within Arches National Park in Utah. Prashant said of the shot: 'It was one of the most thrilling moments of my life. It opened my mind to look at things with a different perspective. Arches after arches, they are spectacular structures of natures own creation. Watching the world, through its window was more captivating than camera's viewfinder. I spent lot of time contemplating rather than photographing at this place'

Prashant said he was 'astonished' to see the Delicate Arch in Utah with his own eyes and 'it was a different world all together.' Describing what the route to the popular photo spot was like, he said: 'The trail that leads you to the arch, obscures any distant views of its grandeur. Like as if it was hidden in Nature's pristine shore. Upon reaching, a monolith arch reveals itself against the setting sun. Something I've never experienced before. I felt I belonged to something bigger than the world'

LEFT: The cameraman took this pink-hued shot at Zabriskie Point in Death Valley National Park, which straddles eastern California and Nevada RIGHT: This golden shot was snapped by Prashant 'on the way down hill form Brasstown Bald Observation Tower in Northern Georgia. He explains that it is 'a road known to many but few people stop there to look where else it leads to... apparently, to paradise a place lit by shimmering stars of our Milky Way galaxy'

Prashant named this motion photo, taken at the Grotto Falls in the Great Smoky Mountain National Park between North Carolina and Tennessee, 'Time The Beginning'

A peaceful sunset captured by Prashant on the shores of Halibut Point State Park in Rockport, Massachusetts

LEFT: This waterfall, located close to Prashant in Georgia, is named 'Trahlyta' after a local Cherokee woman RIGHT: A starry night sky captured by the cameraman in Zion National Park, Utah. He says of the shot: 'The view from the canyon junction bridge overlooking the Virgin River is probably the most photographed place at Zion but there is irrefutable pleasure in being there at the right moment before sunset or at dark when the stars and shooting stars shimmer across the night sky'

In the heart of Arizona's Coconino National Forest, Prashant says 'there's a place fully surrounded by pine trees on one side and on the other side it opens wide to the spectacular views of the world.' To capture this shot, he said he 'stood there for long hours right at the edge of the Mogollon Rim, watching in awe the mysteries of the cosmic world'

'Canyonlands National Park in Southern Utah really is something entirely different,' says Prashant. He continues: 'It is absolutely stunning when it is all covered with snow. Towering pinnacles and cliffs, plus the winding Colorado River. When I got there early, it was too dark and icy to wander around. One wrong step, and I would be rolling 2,000ft below. As the sun rose, I was transfixed in wonderment of the dramatic scene that started to unfold in front of me'

LEFT: At Mesquite Flat Sand Dunes in Death Valley, Prashant said he was hoping to find dunes free of any footprints but they are 'all over the place' RIGHT: At Driftwood Beach on Jekyll Island in Georgia, Prashant says you can find 'some of the most interesting natural structures in the world, formed due to constant strong ocean currents and wave action'

To capture this breathtaking shot of the night sky, Prashant had to brave the cold for several hours. He recalled: 'I remember the night I spent photographing the night sky at Monument Valley, it was freezing. Winters can be overly fierce at the Navajo Tribal Park. In the chill of the night, all one could see was darkness in every direction with sky lit by thousands of blazing stars'

The Thor's Well sinkhole on the Oregon coast is 'one of the most enigmatic geological marvels,' Prashant says. He explains: 'When the waves roll in, water spurts out from the well, floods the rock and then flows back into the well. This is most spectacular to watch at high tide. I was fascinated by the rhythmic dance of the ocean waves and spent hours capturing the natural wonder'

This stunning motion shot shows the McKenzie River in Oregon in full flow. The U.S. Forest Service notes that the waterway is popular for fishing, rafting, drift-boating, and kayaking

The photographer said he was grateful to have captured 'arguably one of the best meteor showers of the year' in Flagstaff, Arizona. He said of the event: 'Snow covered sunset crater shimmered with silver light of the moon just when it was 10 degrees above the horizon. And when it got completely dark, the sky was lit up with meteor shower in all directions. It was non-stop. It was incredible. The finest meteor shower I've ever seen'

The photographer ventured to Brasstown Bald, which is the highest point in Georgia, to capture this colorful shot of a starlit sky twinkling above the observation tower
Tammy Hembrow has been praised for a kind act during a night out with girlfriends on the Gold Coast.

An anonymous tipster told influencer.updates.au the fitness influencer's friends once put on a less-than-classy display at the Burleigh Pavilion.

Posting a photo of Tammy and her gal pals at the venue, the tipster revealed that the blonde beauty went above and beyond after her girlfriends rudely pushed in front of her while waiting in the bathroom line.

'Tammy Hembrow's friends pushed in front of me at the bathroom at the pav,' they said.

'Her friends were very snobby but she said "omg so sorry" and made them come back.'

'She was very nice,' they concluded.

Tammy lives on the Gold Coast with her fiance, Love Island star Matt Zukowski, and her three children.

Tammy Hembrow has been praised for a kind act during a night out with girlfriends on the Gold Coast. An anonymous tipster told influencer.updates.au the fitness influencer's friends once put on a less-than-classy display at the Burleigh Pavilion on the Gold Coast

The Tammy Fit founder shares son Wolf, eight and daughter, Saskia, six, with her first ex-fiance Reece Hawkins.

She also welcomed her third child, a daughter named Posey, with her latest ex-fiance Matt Poole in June 2022.

The 30-year-old recently wowed fans after revealing the gruelling exercise routine she is currently undergoing ahead of her impending nuptials.

She took to Instagram to share a jaw-dropping clip showing her heard at work in the gym.

She looked focused as she worked up a sweat by lifting weights and performing a variety of lunges and lower body exercises on a Seated Leg Press.

The tipster revealed that Tammy went above and beyond after her girlfriends rudely pushed in front of her while waiting in the bathroom line

Tammy and Matt were engaged in December after three months of dating and are set to tie the knot in Byron Bay later this year.

Tammy recently addressed the online backlash she received after her wedding invitation was leaked by a handful of influencers.

'You guys might know that recently my wedding details were leaked online accidentally,' she said in a TikTok video.

'This has caused a few issues for me, I have had to change a lot of the details because we want it to be very private and it's been a bit frustrating.'

Hunter Talent, a management firm which represents some of Australia's biggest social media personalities, recently shed a light on the impressive earnings of some of Australia's top social media influencers.

Tammy boasts more than 17million followers on Instagram and her shock salary certainly reflects her huge rise to fame on the platform.

Her huge earnings for just one post are the same as the average Australian's annual salary, which is estimated to be around $89,000 per year .

'Tammy Hembrow's friends pushed in front of me at the bathroom at the pav,' they said. 'Her friends were very snobby but she said "omg so sorry" and made them come back'

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EXCLUSIVE

Veteran weatherman Paul Burt was sacked because focus group research found he was unpopular with audiences, according to an insider at the Seven Network.

Burt, who worked at Seven for more than a decade, referred to his sudden exit in his last broadcast on Saturday at the end of Queensland's 6pm news bulletin.

'If I'd had the opportunity I wouldn't have wanted to go this way - it's what happens when you get sacked,' the 51-year-old said in his final appearance.

But a senior source inside the network told Daily Mail Australia the reason for Burt's dismissal was simple: he turned off too many viewers.

'Paul Burt was sacked after extensive audience research across the Queensland market that identified he was one of the least-liked presenters on-air, with the dreaded 'switch-off' factor,' the source said.

That research had been conducted in the first quarter of 2024.

The source said perceived audience appeal was an important consideration when deciding which 'talent' would be let go from a program and 'it's not like names were picked out of a hat'.

'Networks spend a fortune on polling and focus groups to identify emerging talent and test long-serving presenters,' they said.

'The audience decides who reads the news.'

Veteran weatherman Paul Burt was sacked because focus group research found he was unpopular with audiences, according to a senior Seven Network insider. Fans are pictured holding signs supporting Burt

Burt, who has been inundated with online messages of support since his departure, did not accept the research.

'I mean, these people are going to try and cover their backs,' Burt told Daily Mail Australia.

'I think if they're looking at numbers like that, they might want to change the people who are giving them those numbers.

'Because I'm on the ground, I hear what people say and I understand what they want. I've been doing it now for 28 years.'

Daily Mail Australia has obtained a farewell email Burt sent to Seven colleagues on Monday afternoon.

'Hey everyone, never thought I'd be writing this email anytime soon, but here we go,' he wrote.

'First and foremost, I want to say thank you to everyone who I have worked directly with, you have all been incredibly awesome and do sensational jobs and deserve far more recognition than you get.

'Secondly, those who reached out to me after the news over the weekend and today to 'check in' on me and pass on your kind words, wow, it's been very humbling so thank you.'

Seven's Brisbane news director Michael Coombes told Burt (far right) last month his contract would not be renewed. Word of his sacking was leaked before Burt could tell his wife and kids

Seven's Brisbane news director Michael Coombes told Burt last month his contract would not be renewed. Word of his sacking was leaked before Burt could tell his wife and children.

'It feels horrible,' Burt said. 'It makes you feel sick in the stomach.

'Sometimes you just want to sit down and talk to the big, big bosses because they probably don't know what we do up here.'

The night before Burt delivered his last report, he did a live cross from Surfers Paradise for the Gold Coast 5.30pm bulletin.

As he gave the weekend weather outlook, fans held placards declaring 'Burty's a legend', 'Qld's favourite weatherman' and 'Bring back Burty'.

'We basically turned up and there were a couple of hundred people with banners and everything,' Burt said. 'I think that says it all.

'All those people who turned up with banners, they're our customers. They're the customers who watched - past tense - and were loyal to me and the network.

'They're our ratings. They're the ones who are going to bring money in for the advertisers. They're our viewers and the people that we have to listen to.'

Burt had invited locals to the Surfers Paradise beachfront in a video thanking them for their loyalty, which was posted on the I Love Robina Facebook page and has received 60,000 views.

He also used that television opportunity to endorse Liberal National Party candidate Hermann Vorster for the seat of Burleigh at the Queensland state election.

'Elect this guy,' the presenter said. 'Or it just won't happen at Burleigh in future.'

Burt began his television career at Seven in 1996, before being poached by Ten then Nine, and returned in 2013 to the network where he got his start in the industry.

'Seven brought me back for a reason,' he said.

'So if the numbers aren't there, well I don't see how that adds up, in my view.'

Seven West Media, which also owns the West Australian newspaper, is slashing 150 editorial staff in a round of redundancies which has claimed other big names including Brisbane newsreader Sharyn Ghidella.

'You look at people like Sharyn Ghidella - staunch Channel Seven,' Burt said.

'When you see people like that being moved on, it kind of says something.

'I understand business is business. We are going through cutbacks across the board.

'Unfortunately it's not a nice feeling for us and her and everyone else who got the flick as well.'

Seven West Media is slashing 150 editorial staff in a round of redundancies which has claimed other big names including Brisbane newsreader Sharyn Ghidella (above)

Ghidella, who got her 'tap on the shoulder' while at the hairdressers getting ready for work after 17 years with Seven, has made clear her feelings about Burt.

'All the best, Burty for what lies ahead,' the 58-year-old wrote on X.

'You are so good at what you do I'm sure there are many exciting adventures ahead for you. Good luck, not that you'll need it, at all. Bet the offers are already rolling in. Xx.'

Seven's recently appointed news and current affairs boss Anthony De Ceglie has been replacing sections leaders across the country with younger managers.

He has also introduced a Friday night comedy spot and astrology to the news.

Sydney, Melbourne and Adelaide all have fresh news directors, and new executive producers have been put in charge of Sunrise, Weekend Sunrise and Spotlight.

Burt's final segment on Saturday was followed by a montage of on-screen moments from his 11 years with Seven played to a soundtrack of the Crowded House classic Weather with You.

Among those scenes was footage of Burt cutting short a weather report to help save a 10-year-old boy being sucked into a rip at Surfers Paradise in May 2022.

Newsreader Samantha Heathwood thanked him for his 'passionate weather reporting over the past decade and a bit' but the senior Seven source said Burt did not go gracefully.

'He didn't show up to his own farewell that had been organised with a cake and missed some of his last shifts without notifying managers, leaving them scrambling,' the source said.

Burt agreed that he did not attend his farewell last Friday and had told management he would not be going the week before it was to be held.

'I'm not that kind of guy,' he said. 'I don't want there to be any hoo-ha. I don't need a cake. I'm not interested.'

Burt, who wrote his own weather reports, said he also had not wanted to cut into his work schedule on a busy Friday evening when he did about 10 live crosses to the newsroom.

'I don't want to give up my time to get back to the office when I'm on location,' he said.

Burt posted a video thanking viewers for their loyalty which was posted on the I Love Robina Facebook page and has received 60,000 views. He is pictured in his last weather report

'I didn't want to stand there and get, 'Here's a cake, congratulations, goodbye and thank you for your time'. I never asked for it.'

As for skipping shifts, Burt said he had missed his first cross on Friday and another the previous week when he was filming vision of a capsized boat at Tweed Heads.

Both times he had notified management.

'Don't get me wrong, I really admire the network,' Burt said. 'I love the network. I truly do.

'Unfortunately, I just think at this point in time, things could have been handled a bit differently in certain sectors of the newsroom.

'If you have three of your best-selling items in a shop, do you get rid of those three and just deal with what's left over? As a business person, I don't think you do.'
It's fair to say that Simon Cowell propelled Gareth Gates to stardom after he came in second place in Pop Idol back in 2002, losing out on the top spot to Will Young.

And while Gareth, 40, has nothing but nice things to say about Simon, 64, it's fair to say he might leave him a little red-faced after letting one of his beauty secrets slip.

Speaking on the My Dirty Laundry podcast, Gareth said he was shocked to discover the one item Simon has in his office in order to boost his confidence.

He said: 'The first time I went into his office, I walked in and there was a mirror on the wall and it said: "Yes Simon, you are the most beautiful in the land".

'I swear this is true. And I was like, "Wait a minute, is that real?" And he replied: "Yes darling, it's real."

Gareth Gates revealed his shocked after discovering the top secret beauty item Simon Cowell keeps in his office to boost his confidence (pictured; talking on the My Dirty Laundry podcast)

Gareth said: 'The first time I went into his office, I walked in and there was a mirror on the wall and it said: "Yes Simon, you are the most beautiful in the land". 'I swear. And I was like, "Wait a minute, is that real?" He was like, "Yes darling, it's real"'

'I have no idea if it was a joke gift or not but I can imagine him looking at himself in it every day.'

Talking about his past mentor, Gareth said: 'I owe a lot to Simon Cowell. You know, I was his sort of boy from the start in Pop Idol.

'And I was obviously with his label. We got on really, really well. We bump into each other, every now and again, but he's a great guy. You know, and the annoying thing is about Simon is that he's always right.'

During the interview, Gareth also revealed he still keeps in touch with his pop-rival Will and that they might be going head-to-head in the charts again.

Will has just released his anthemic pop single Light It Up, from his forthcoming studio album of the same name.

And Gareth said: 'Actually, I've recently signed a new record deal. It's extremely early days, but at the end of the year I'll be working on new material and hopefully releasing next year.

'Will is a great guy. We went through a hell of a lot together. Pop Idol was the first of its kind, well before X Factor.

'It was a sort of unknown territory. We were both kind of thrown into this thing and we actually only had each other to turn to, really.

And yeah, it was, you know, as a result of that, we became really, really good friends.

'He's great, he has a great voice. The best man won, I guess.'

Gareth is about to start his Gareth Gates sings... Frankie Valli & the Four Seasons tour which he produced himself.

He said: 'These songs I'm doing, you know, they're so great to sing. I always put Frankie Valli songs in all my sets wherever I'm touring.

'And you know, the reaction that I get from these songs are great. You know, and so this tour that I'm doing starts on the 29th of September, runs for three weeks in October. We go to all the sort of major cities around the UK.

'I'm really looking forward to it. To anybody who wants to come and see the show, if you go to www.garethgatessings.com - all the dates and all the tickets are on there.'

Listen to the interview in full on the My Dirty Laundry podcast. Out now. Follow @mydirtylaundrypodcast on Instagram for more updates.

Talking about his past mentor, Gareth said: 'I owe a lot to Simon Cowell. You know, I was his sort of boy from the start in Pop Idol' pictured celebrating his 40th this week

Simon as he looked as Gareth's mentor back in 2002 on Pop Idol
The 27-year-old has also slammed his mother Dru for defending her son

Effie Angelova says Hammer's interviews are 're-traumatizing' her and others

The woman who was the first to speak out over disgraced Armie Hammer's disturbing sexual proclivities has slammed his attempts to relaunch his Hollywood career, telling DailyMail.com: 'Rapists don't deserve a platform'.

Effie Angelova, 27, publicly accused the actor in 2021 of violently abusing and raping her in 2017, in a scandal that saw multiple other women come forward with similar claims and ultimately ended his acting career.

Hammer, 37, was revealed to have had a four-year affair with the Bulgarian-born brunette beginning in 2016, during which he sent her hundreds of sickening texts about his violent fantasies, including one that infamously read: 'I am 100% a cannibal'.

Three years later, the Call Me By Your Name star has returned to the spotlight with a recent round of media interviews addressing the allegations - which Angelova now says has left her re-traumatized, struggling with insomnia, and feeling nauseated.

She also hit out at Hammer's socialite mother Dru for coming to her son's defense  which Angelova branded 'disgusting' and claims prove 'she's an enabler'.

Speaking exclusively to DailyMail.com she said: 'Armie is a rapist and society needs to stop forgiving rape and stop welcoming rapists back. He is depraved and sick in the head.

Effie Angelova, 27, was the first woman to come forward with allegations of rape and cannibalism fantasies leveled against Armie Hammer in early 2021 after they had a four-year affair

Three years on, the disgraced actor, 37, has recently given a string of interviews, including one with Piers Morgan that saw him quizzed about being a cannibal, in an attempt to rehab his image

'He has not apologized to me. He has not taken accountability for everything he's done to me. He should stop lying and victim-blaming, and apologize and go away.'

Hammer had been one of Hollywood's golden boys until Angelova went public about suffering rape 'and other acts of violence' at his hands in January 2021.

The former film star, who has not had an acting job since 2022, has recently made a series of public appearances in interviews, including one on Friday with Piers Morgan in which he was quizzed about being a cannibal.

'You know what you have to do to be a cannibal? You have to have actually eaten somebody,' Hammer responded on air, as he confirmed he has never consumed human flesh.

He also denied abusing the women who came forward with claims about his sordid sexual behavior, insisting: 'None of those people were hurt or upset because I pushed any sexual boundaries.'

Addressing his relationship with Angelova and her claims, Hammer described it as a 'very intense affair, very sexuality charged, between two people with very similar proclivities and kinks,' at one point conceding that his conversations would seem troubling when taken out of context.

He also claimed that Angelova was more experienced in the world of kink than he was.

But speaking to DailyMail.com, Angelova poured scorn on Hammer downplaying his alleged assault on her as mere sexual 'fantasies', and claimed his disturbing messages were actually admissions of rape.

Angelova has shared a previously unseen photo  which she says is 'extremely difficult' for her to look at  of the bruising and red marks she sustained on her neck after an April 2017 incident in which she claims Hammer assaulted her with a belt

The Bulgarian-born brunette also slammed Armie Hammer's mother Dru Hammer for coming to her son's defense amid his return to the spotlight

Angelova first came forward with the allegations in 2021, when she filed a complaint alleging that he raped her in 2017, however, prosecutors would ultimately decide against pursuing charges years later

'They were events he was recounting, not just ''fantasies". He was recounting events that occurred,' she claimed.

'He keeps causing me more trauma and harm with his disgusting video interviews where he smears me and blames me.'

Messages sent by the actor during their four-year affair that began when Angelova was just 20 included ones that read 'I need to drink your blood' and 'I am a 100% cannibal'.

A newly revealed cache of messages and photos sent to Angelova by Hammer also reveal how the actor's sick desires were at the forefront of his mind, even while he was caring for his daughter, Harper, nine, and son, Ford, seven.

One exchange sees Hammer tell Angelova about Ford falling asleep on his chest before segueing into a sordid string of revolting fantasies, with the actor saying: 'I can't stop thinking about your mouth.

'Your lips How soft the inside of your cheeks feel. Your tongue. I want to lick your f***ing tongue. And your lip god dammit [sic]. I want to bite it so hard,' he goes on in a series of consecutive messages.

The one-sided conversation then takes a twisted turn with Hammer adding: 'How are you even real? Your brainwaves? Show me.

'I want to see. I want to see everything. I want to see your brain, your blood, your organs, every part of you.

'I would definitely bite it. 100%. Or try to f*** it. Not sure which. Probably both. If I f***ed you into a vegetative state, I'd feed you, wash you and keep f***ing you,' he wrote.

A newly revealed cache of messages and photos sent to Angelova by Hammer also reveal how the actor's sick desires were at the forefront of his mind, even while he was caring for his kids Harper and Ford

The one-sided conversation then takes a gruesome turn with Hammer adding: 'How are you even real? Your brainwaves? Show me'

At one point, Hammer warns he has to go, but adds 'all I will be thinking about is raping'

The messages get increasingly more graphic and violent with Hammer fantasizing about 'breaking' her ribs

The messages get increasingly graphic and violent, with Hammer adding: 'My c**k is in my hand. And I'm thinking of breaking your ribs. Cutting you in to pieces and f***ing the pieces.'

'Those are my bones. And if I want to break one to prove it I will.

'Fingers, toes. And if you still need more proof...your f***ing neck. In my bare hands.'

At one point, Hammer mentions he has to go and 'will check in when I can,' before firing off even more disturbing messages.

'All I will be thinking about is raping. Ha,' he adds.

'I want to feel that again. That sensation, that power, that lust. Lust and desire so strong it needs raping to satisfy.'

Angelova also shared a photo  which she says is 'extremely difficult' for her to look at  of the bruising and red marks she sustained on her neck after an April 2017 incident in which she claims Hammer assaulted her with a belt.

'The marks around my neck are from his belt he strangulated me with during the attack while I was already incapacitated and sobbing uncontrollably he'd been raping me,' she claimed.

'This is how much he tightened his belt around my neck that it left all these on my neck.'

Angelova said she has since been diagnosed with C-PTSD (Complex Post Traumatic Stress Disorder) a severe form of PTSD, as a result of her experience with Hammer.

'I'm diagnosed with C-PTSD because of him. All the trauma has damaged my physical health too,' she said.

Hammer and ex-wife Elizabeth Chambers were married for ten years before announcing their divorce, which was finalized in June 2023

Hammer's former girlfriends Paige Lorenze (left) and Courtney Vucekovich came forward after Effie Angelova first made her allegations. Both said the actor was fixated with eating parts of their body

'Do you know what it's like to live with complex post-traumatic stress disorder? It's hell, every day.'

She added: 'The hardest thing is just the fact that you have to see your rapist's face and your rapist being platformed when the victims are still struggling and suffering from the trauma.

'I'm going to be suffering from this trauma from him for the rest of my life.'

For Angelova, who was also on the receiving end of some disturbing voice notes  too graphic to publish  that involve him masturbating while fantasizing about breaking her bones, the texts are yet more evidence that her story and those of fellow accusers Courtney Vucekovich and Paige Lorenze are accurate.

Lorenze, who briefly dated Hammer in 2020, accused the actor of branding his initial 'A' into her pubic area with a knife, and of bruising and sexually coercing her.

Vucekovich, a Texan businesswoman who dated the 37-year-old following his divorce from Elizabeth Chambers in 2022, also advanced a number of disturbing claims, including telling how 'he said to me he wants to break my rib and barbecue and eat it.'

Compounding Angelova's distress over Hammer's current media blitz is that of his mother Dru who has given a string of interviews defending her son and saying her world fell apart when the allegations emerged.

In an interview with DailyMail.com's You magazine published over the weekend, she said: 'Obviously, I am his mother. I would never say that Armie did everything right, because he didn't. Morally, he was wrong.

'But I do know my son was not out eating people. That I know. And Armie did not rape anybody. I knew that he was not morally right, but that was insanity.'

For Angelova, her comments have proved yet another trauma.

Effie shared screenshots of messages from the actor, some too disturbing to publish, in which he expressed his dark, sadistic fantasies

He told her he wanted to 'devour' her and 'eat her alive' and underlined just how literally he intended those statements to land, by claiming to have once eaten the 'still warm' heart of a deer

'It makes me feel angry and also disgusted,' she told DailyMail.com.

'It makes me feel exploited because I don't know this woman. Why is she going out there talking about - she's denying my lived experiences that I lived.

'It makes me feel very disgusted and she's just gross. She's so gross. And instead of holding him accountable, she's enabling him and she's supporting him, a rapist.

'Her saying that he didn't do anything, giving her opinion on whether he abused us or not  well she wasn't there.

'So she doesn't get to have an opinion.'

Angelova likened Hammer's attempts to rehabilitate himself with the ongoing furor over the inclusion of Dutch volleyball player Steven van de Velde in the Olympics.

Van de Velde, now 29, is a convicted pedophile who was handed a four-year jail sentence in 2016 after being found guilty of traveling to the UK to have sex with a 12-year-old girl when he was 19.

Angelova said: 'It is so disgusting  these abusers should not be given a platform. They're doing the same thing at the Olympics.

'We have a guy who was convicted of child rape and now he's playing at the Olympics. There are plenty of men out there who are not rapists, who are actually talented.

'So, give them the chance to be in a movie or be at the Olympics or whatever. It's so disgusting and it's extremely distressing for me.'

Furious at Hammer's behavior, Angelova's heartbroken parents, both 58, have also spoken to DailyMail.com  describing the 'torment' she suffered at his hands and likening it to a 'crucifixion'.

Armie Hammer took his image rehabilitation tour to the basement of Bill Maher's $20M Beverly Hills mansion on Sunday where they discussed cancel culture on his podcast Club Random

Referring to her son's recent interviews with Bill Maher and Piers Morgan, Dru Hammer said: 'He was not criminally wrong, he was morally wrong but it's changed his life forever and he's sober and he's happier than he's ever been ' - pictured 2017 with Armie's now ex-wife Elizabeth Chambers

Her schoolteacher mother said: 'I, as Effie's mom, can share with you the tremendous pain and suffering my daughter has been through and is going through because of Armie.

'That tormentor's cruel treatment towards my daughter, which he continues to put her through, is like a crucifixion of my daughter and his other victims.

'The inner wounds which Armie has inflicted on her are so deep, they're still bleeding. How much longer is he going to keep tearing at her wounds?!'

Meanwhile, Angelova's businessman father has described the 'negative impact' of the scandal on his family and told DailyMail.com they were forced to scour their native Bulgaria for specialist treatment after she returned from the US with 'broken dreams'.

The devastated dad, who DailyMail.com has agreed not to name, said: 'I am the father of a traumatized Bulgarian girl, who became a victim of a man who thought that everything is allowed because he is rich and famous. 'Unfortunately, our radiant daughter who was following her dreams came back from the USA completely different Suffering, fearful and with broken dreams.

'That spirit of hope was gone. Hope for the future. Her deteriorated health as a result of the trauma from the abuse from Armie Hammer, has been forcing us for years to look for specialists and suitable doctors And given the nature of the traumas from him, it's not easy.'

He added: 'Armie Hammer's abuse of our daughter Effie has left a heavy negative imprint on our family's life.

'Every day we pray to God to help us minimize the damage to her, and to bring the smiles back to her face. We pray that our daughter's health will improve and that joy will return to our home.'
The San Mateo County Coroners Office has released the identifications of three people who died July 26 when their car plunged off Highway 1 at Devils Slide. Santiago Mejia/The Chronicle

The San Mateo Coroners Office has identified three people killed after their car plummeted hundreds of feet off Devils Slide on Friday.

The victims were Mohammad Noory, 29, of South San Francisco; Angelica Gacho, 28, also from South San Francisco; and Brylyn Aroma, 36, from Fort Riley, Kansas.

A family friend of Noory started a GoFundMe on Saturday to raise money for the funeral. By Monday, more than $11,000 had been raised.

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Noory was an interpreter for the U.S. Military in Afghanistan before he immigrated to the United States in 2021. He was an Uber driver at the time of the accident, according to the GoFundMe, which said he was the only supporter of his family.

With the loss of him, his parents and siblings back in home country Afghanistan are not in a good emotional and physical state. Any contribution to support this family in the toughest moments of their life is greatly appreciated, the GoFundMe read.

The incident was still under investigation Monday.

California Highway Patrol officers responded to a report of a vehicle on the side of Highway 1 at Devils Slide at 11:20 a.m. Friday, the agency said. The vehicle, a two-door sedan, fell 300 to 400 feet down an embankment. Investigators confirmed two people were dead at the scene.

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Travis Barker is selling off his boarding pass from his recent trip in Australia for $8,000.

The document, along with other memorabilia from Barker's 2023 World Tour and recording of his latest Blink-182 album, is now available for purchase on the Trophy website, with a portion of proceeds benefitting the non-profit Lost But Not Forgotten.

For Barker fans, the boarding pass represents a meaningful obstacle the rocker has famously had to overcome.

In 2008, Barker survived a deadly plane crash that claimed the lives of four people. He was unable to fly again for 13 years.

But now Barker is flying again - and the boarding pass he used during his recent flight in Australia appears to give a nod at the challenges he conquered following the crash.

Travis Barker is selling off the boarding pass from his recent trip in Australia for $8,000

The document, along with other memorabilia from Barker's 2023 World Tour and recording of his latest Blink-182 album, is now available for purchase; seen 2023

Barker drew a cross at the bottom center of the document and wrote in all caps, 'I know I got angels watching over me.'

The number 7 is seen by many as an 'angel number' and the musician's ticket showed both the date February 7 and the seat number 7.

The pass was for his February 2024 trip on Qantas Airlines from Sydney, Australia to Perth.

A description of the product reads: 'A true one of a kind item for the ultimate Travis Barker collector. Having not flown for over 13 years following his near fatal plane crash, he was finally able to tour again overseas recently. This extremely rare commercial boarding pass is not just a piece of music memorabilia, it's a true piece of Travis himself, complete with original hand-written note and cross drawing.'

The blink-182 drummer had jetted Down Under with his wife Kourtney Kardashian and their family for his band's first tour in the country in a decade.

The pop-punk band last toured Australia in 2013, but Travis did not join them due to his fear of flying, which stemmed from being a passenger in a 2008 plane crash.

Travis has previously credited 'the power of love' from his wife Kourtney Kardashian, 44, - who he shares a son Rocky, eight months, with - for helping him overcome his fear of flying.

Speaking to the LA Times, he said: 'I think the power of love really helped me. Kourt made it so I fly, my kids fly now. She healed us.

Barker wrote 'I know I got angels watching over me' as well as a cross on the boarding pass

Barker was on a plane in South Carolina with his assistant, bodyguard and friend Adam 'DJ AM' Goldstein when a tire blew during takeoff (the aftermath of the crash in 2008)

He has previously credited 'the power of love' from his wife Kourtney Kardashian, 44, for helping him overcome his fear of flying; pictured January 2024

'It takes a little piece of my life every time I fly. The amount of stress and anxiety it causes is just unbearable. It brings up all this old trauma, and sometimes I'm like, 'Is this worth it?'

'But I don't like anything having a hold on me, either  I don't like being afraid, and I don't like having things from my past control my future.'

Travis shares Alabama, 18, and Landon, 20, with his ex-wife Shanna Moakler, while he is also stepfather to Shanna's daughter Atiana de la Hoya, 25.

In August 2021, Travis successfully took his first ride on an airplane for the first time in 13 years when he jetted to Cabo San Lucas with Kourtney.

In September 2008, Travis boarded a private jet in South Carolina to head to Los Angeles following a show, while accompanied by his friend Adam 'DJ AM' Goldstein, his security guard Charles 'Che' Still, and his assistant Chris Baker.

'I think the power of love really helped me. Kourt made it so I fly, my kids fly now. She healed us,' he previously said of his wife

As the small plane was attempting to take off, one of the tires suffered a blow out, causing the craft to overshoot the runway, burst through the airport's fence and over the nearby highway, and finally crash into the embankment on the side of the road.

The pilot, Sarah Lemmon, and the co-pilot, James Bland, were killed within minutes from smoke inhalation and burns as the plane erupted into flames on impact, according to the Chicago Tribune. Still and Baker were also killed on impact.

Travis had third-degree burns over 65 per cent of his body and had to spend three months in the hospital while having skin grafts and 26 surgeries to repair the damage.

After the crash, Travis was overcome with a debilitating fear even at the sight of an airplane.
Cardi B addressed allegations that she was attempting to sell one of her homes to cope with a 'secret' financial crisis.

The 31-year-old WAP rapper  who recently slammed Popeyes over a chicken wing flavor  took to her X on Monday to hit back after Icy Scoop News claimed she was 'facing foreclosure' and 'fighting to make payments' on her Atlanta mansion in a since-deleted post.

'LMAOOO You bum btches wish me and offset bought that house in 2019 for 5 million now its worth 7, check the Atlanta market,' Cardi B wrote, referencing her rapper husband.

She added: 'And no, we not selling it and if I ever sold it I would just sell my part to Offset since he loves Atlanta. Throwing salt on my home? Hating bad.'

Icy Scoop News original tweet read: 'Cardi B's secret struggle: She's allegedly trying to sell one of her homes but is deeply upside down on it. Facing foreclosure, the pressure is mounting as she fights to make the payments. The stakes have never been higher.'

Cardi B addressed allegations that she was attempting to sell one of her homes to cope with a 'secret' financial crisi; (pictured June)

The 31-year-old WAP rapper took to her X on Monday to hit back after Icy Scoop News claimed she was 'facing foreclosure' and 'fighting to make payments' in a since-deleted post

The Grammy winner and Offset purchased a $5.8million mansion in Sandy Springs, a suburb of Atlanta, in December of 2019.

The home boasts 22,000 square feet with five bedrooms, seven bathrooms, and four half-baths at the couple's disposal. The entire property sits on 5.84 wooded acres, according to Realtor.com

The clap back comes after Cardi B opened up about her finances to Complex in March, addressing her rumored $80M net worth.

'I feel like I actually passed almost doing $80 million,' she admitted. 'I make a lot of money. I make a lot, a lot, a lot, a lot, a lot, a lot of money.'

In August, Cardi and Offset were targeted in a swatting hoax at the Atlanta home.

In a dramatic incident recorded on police bodycam footage, officers responded to their home in the early hours of August 10, 2023, following reports of a shooting.

According to the police report, a caller claimed that shots had been fired at the residence of the famous rapper, sparking immediate concern.

The caller even suggested that Cardi B herself might have been struck by a bullet, prompting officers to approach the scene with sirens blaring and weapons at the ready.

Upon their arrival, however, police quickly determined that the alarming report was nothing more than a hoax.

'LMAOOO You bum btches wish me and offset bought that house in 2019 for 5 million now its worth 7, check the Atlanta market,' Cardi B wrote, referencing her rapper husband

She added: 'And no, we not selling it and if I ever sold it I would just sell my part to Offset since he loves Atlanta. Throwing salt on my home? Hating bad'

Major: The WAP rapper and her husband Offset purchased a $5.8million mansion in Sandy Springs, a suburb of Atlanta, in December of 2019; Offset and Cardi B giving tour of their house in December 2019

The home boasts 22,000 square feet with five bedrooms, seven bathrooms, and four half-baths at the couple's disposal

The musical stars were the latest victims of a swatting hoax, where a malicious individual falsely reports a violent incident at a celebrity's home to trigger an emergency response from authorities.

Notable names who have past been targeted in similar hoaxes include Pharrell, Nicki Minaj, Paris Hilton and Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene, as well as the Playboy Mansion.

Cardi and Offset's Atlanta purchase came after two-years of house hunting, which the female MC blamed on her and her husband's differing tastes.

'Houses that [Offset] liked there was always a room I didnt like that we couldnt agreed on. And a couple houses that I liked [Offset] said NO because the areas they [were] in are not [too] good,' she explained via Instagram Story in 2019.
Home and Away star Nicholas Cartwright recently blasted a former producer of the show with a foul-mouthed rant on social media.

But not all experiences with the show's stars have been negative, with viewers recently flocking to a Home and Away Facebook fan page to discuss their best - and worst - encounters with cast members over the years.

Summer Bay stalwart Ray Meagher, 80, who plays Alf Stewart on the long-running soap, was one cast member who fans appeared particularly fond of.

One poster described a chance breakfast meeting in Canberra with the Home and Away icon, revealing that the actor was a delight.

'Meeting Alf was awesome,' the fan said.

'He was sitting directly behind me at breakfast at the Park Hyatt Canberra. I still remember my wife saying to me: "Now I want you to stay very calm but please turn around."

'We had a great chat.'

Lynne McGranger, 71, Emily Symons, 54 and the late Johnny Ruffo were other stars that fans were more than willing to sing the praises of.

Fans have flocked to a Home and Away Facebook fan page to discuss their best and worst encounters with cast members and the responses were overwhelmingly positive. Pictured: Ray Meagher in 2023

'Johnny Ruffo and Lynne McGranger at a DMD fundraiser many years ago, loved them both,' one fan reminisced.

Ruffo, who played Chris Harrington on the show from 2013 to 2016 was diagnosed with brain cancer in 2017 and went into remission after treatment.

He announced in 2020 that the cancer had returned before revealing in 2022 that it was terminal. He passed away on November 10 2023 at the age of 35.

While they weren't keen to drop any names, one fan revealed they spent a night out on the town with cast members.

'I have met 20 of the cast from Home and Away and I have to say theyre pretty funny when you have a night out with them," they said.

It wasn't all positivity, though with one fan admitting that an encounter with Darryl and Casey Braxton left them feeling a little cold.

Lynne McGranger, 71, (pictured) Emily Symons, 54 and the late Johnny Ruffo were other stars that fans were more than willing to sing the praises of

'Johnny Ruffo (pictured with Tahnee Sims) and Lynne McGranger at a DMD fundraiser many years ago, loved them both,' one fan reminisced

'I enjoyed meeting Lynne and Emily and Dan Ewing,' the fan said. 'I wasn't keen on Stephen Peacocke (Darryl Braxton on the show) or Lincoln Younes (Casey).'

The praise comes after Home and Away heartthrob Nicholas Cartwright lashed out at the show's former boss after he sent 'rude' messages about a gritty, new storyline involving his character.

Dan Bennett, who ran the Seven soap staple as Network Script Executive between 2016 and 2017, says he unexpectedly provoked the ire of the Summer Bay star on Friday after responding to one of his posts of social media.

It wasn't all positivity, though with one fan admitting that an encounter with Darryl and Casey Braxton left them feeling a little cold

'I'd seen him promoting an upcoming (Home and Away) storyline about the River Boys coming back,' Bennett told Daily Mail Australia.

'The show's trying to re-energise that whole crime tone - the drugs and the devilishness - and all I've done is send him a message saying, 'zzz' - as in, 'that's a bit boring, we've seen all that before'.

'Of course, that's just my view; I'm just a fan these days. But next thing you know, I've got Nicholas Cartwright - one of the supposed stars of the show - sending me DMs and calling me 'a c**t'.

'I don't know Nicholas, I've never met him... so to think that's how he talks to fans is deeply concerning.'

The praise comes after Home and Away heart-throb Nicholas Cartwright lashed out at the show's former boss after he sent 'rude' messages about a gritty, new storyline involving his character

In excerpts of the fiery exchange seen by Daily Mail Australia, Bennett sparks the row with a number of 'zzz' messages.

Cartwright, who plays Summer Bay's resident cop, Cash Newman, then replies by saying: 'Rude response from someone in the industry'.

Bennett then hits back, saying: 'Or perhaps an informed response from someone who knows that show better than anyone else on the planet and is bereft to see it reverting to River Boy nonsense.

'The notion that we should support productions simply because we're in the 'industry' as opposed to supporting them because the quality is A+ is nonsense.

'How does anyone fair (sic) by applauding mediocrity as opposed to excellence?'

Cartwright responds: 'Okay mate try not to be a c**t about it next time.'

Bennett said he had since raised the exchange with Cartwright's bosses at Home and Away and considered the matter closed.

'I don't want to p*** on anyone's career, or get anyone in trouble, but I've messaged his seniors and been told that it's been dealt with and I'm happy with that,' he said.

'He was probably just having a bad day, and p***ed off about something else. But it wasn't a nice experience and I would hate to think he'd message anyone else something like that.'

Daily Mail Australia has contacted Seven for comment.
Phaedra Parks confirmed she is making her long-awaited return to the Real Housewives of Atlanta.

The Bravo vet, 50, announced the peachy news that she would be rejoining the show for the upcoming sixteenth season as a full-time cast member on Monday.

In the triptych of photos she shared on Instagram, Parks was seen descending the steps of a private jet with a lavish fur coat in one hand and a Georgia peach in the other.

'You called. I answered,' she wrote alongside a peach emoji as well as the hashtags '#RHOA' and '#S16.'

Fans can also anticipate seeing an exciting reunion as Parks' longtime friend Porsha Williams will also be rejoining the show.

Parks' announcement comes amid drama involving her ex-husband Apollo Nida  who was arrested for allegedly assaulting his current wife Sherien Almufti.

Phaedra Parks confirmed she is making her long-awaited return to the Real Housewives of Atlanta; seen in March

The Frick and Frack duo's return comes just after Kandi Burruss left the show along with Marlo Hampton, Sanya Richards-Ross, Sheree Whitfield and the firing of Kenya Moore.

The practicing attorney previously starred on the hit Bravo series from 2010 until her departure in 2017.

Earlier this month, it was reported that Parks was 'negotiating' her return to the show.

Parks joined the Real Housewives of Atlanta in season three and exited the series after season nine amid drama with Burruss.

At the time, she admitted to spreading rumors about her castmate, which led to her six-season hiatus from the show.

In 2022, she returned to Bravo and appeared on The Real Housewives Ultimate GIrls Trip: Ex-Wives Club.

She joined the Atlanta-based reality show Married to Medicine in 2023 and is set to appear on the upcoming season as well.

Earlier this year, she appeared on The Traitors and nearly won at the end of the show.

Production for the upcoming 16th season RHOA is ongoing, and a release date has not yet been announced.

; season five RHOA castmates Kandi Burruss, NeNe Leakes, Phaedra Parks, Cynthia Bailey, Kenya Moore and Porsha Williams are seen from L-R

Fans can also anticipate seeing an exciting reunion as Parks' longtime friend Porsha Williams will also be rejoining the show; Frick and Frack were seen reuniting on WWHL's 15th anniversary, June 30th episode

The Frick and Frack duo's return comes just after Kandi Burruss (seen on far left) left the show along with Marlo Hampton, Sanya Richards-Ross, Sheree Whitfield and the firing of Kenya Moore. Parks (seen on far right) joined the Real Housewives of Atlanta in season three and exited the series after season nine amid drama with Burruss

In 2022, she returned to Bravo and appeared on The Real Housewives Ultimate GIrls Trip: Ex-Wives Club. She joined the Atlanta-based reality show Married to Medicine in 2023 and is set to appear on the upcoming season as well; seen in October 2022

Earlier this year, she appeared on The Traitors and nearly won the show. Production for the upcoming 16th season RHOA is ongoing, and a release date has not yet been announced; seen in December 2022

Parks' exciting news comes shortly after an alleged domestic dispute between her ex-husband Apollo Nida, 45, and his current wife made headlines.

The reality TV personality and her ex-husband finalized their divorce in 2017 after nearly a decade together and tying the knot in 2009.

Nida was reportedly arrested for assault after his wife Sherien Almufti allegedly accused him of putting his hands on her during a domestic dispute in March.

According to In Touch, a site that has claimed to have seen the court papers, Nida was charged with domestic violence and simple assault.

Following Apollo's alleged arrest, he was reportedly taken to a local jail, where he posted a $3,000 bond and was released within hours.

In March, Almufti reportedly called the police on her husband, telling law enforcement that she had come home from a bar when an argument about infidelity broke out between them, the site claimed.

Parks' exciting news comes shortly after an alleged domestic dispute between her ex-husband Apollo Nida , 45, and his current wife made headlines; seen in June

The 50-year-old Real Housewives of Atlanta star and Nida, 45, finalized their divorce in 2017 after tying the knot in 2009; pictured in 2013

Almufti reportedly said Nida presented a video of her kissing another man, then 'pulled her by the hair' and 'pushed' her 'against a refrigerator.'

She ran outside to seek help and when she returned to retrieve her phone, Apollo had left the scene, the site added.

Police viewed surveillance video of the confrontation, but it did not show a physical altercation, the site claimed.

The mother-of-one, who has a daughter from a prior relationship, declined medical attention.

The report also noted that she did not have any visible marks or bruises from the alleged interaction.

Nida later spoke with police and admitted that he tried to take his wife's phone from her during the argument, according to InTouch.

He explained that when he tried to get the mobile device, she 'turned into a ball' on the ground in an effort to keep the phone, but he retrieved it from her, it was also alleged.

Nida reportedly confirmed that Almufti went outside for help, but said he followed her to give back the phone.

According to In Touch, which claims to have seen the court documents, Nida was charged with domestic violence and simple assault; pictured with wife Sherien in August 2023

It comes one month after Nida reportedly was charged with a single misdemeanor count of simple battery.

A hearing followed, with court records not revealing whether or not he entered a plea or hired an attorney.

According to In Touch, the court document stated, 'I, Keith E. Gammage, Solicitor General for the County of Fulton, State of Georgia, in the name and on behalf of the citizens of Georgia do hereby charge and accuse APOLLO EDWARD NIDA with the offense of SIMPLE BATTERY  FAMILY VIOLENCE, a misdemeanor, for that said accused in the County of Fulton, State of Georgia, on or about March 11, 2024 did intentionally make physical contact of an insulting and provoking nature with the person of Sherien Copes, who is the present spouse of accused, by pulling her by the hair and pushing her.'

Almufti later told the publication the incident 'was a huge blow out between a married couple that has brought us much closer since then. We have worked through our issues and have been going to couples therapy.'

Parks and Nida share two sons, Ayden, who was born in 2010, and Dylan, born in 2013

Apollo's new wife Sherien has one daughter from a previous relationship

Parks is reportedly 'negotiating her return' to The Real Housewives of Atlanta, which is in production on its 16th season

Parks is reportedly 'negotiating her return' to The Real Housewives of Atlanta, which is in production on its 16th season.

LoveBScott.com reported earlier this month that Phaedra was not able to iron out the details of her contract before Bravo cameras began rolling at Cynthia Bailey's event at Lake Bailey.

The day of the soiree, Phaedra posted a BTS snap of herself via Instagram getting her makeup done.

It was captioned: 'I stay ready, so I never have to get ready.'
Vick Hope flashed her abs in a revealing gold dress in London on Monday.

The radio host, 34, looked sensational in the knitted Prada look.

To style out the look, she carried a YSL canvas bag and secured her dark locks up into a bun with a dramatic floral scrunchie.

In terms of makeup, the Radio 1 star opted for a natural look and accessorised with a series of beaded necklaces.

The presenter kept cool in a pair of sandals and looked in good spirits as she strutted to her car after her day at work.

Vick Hope flashed her abs in a revealing gold dress in London on Monday

The radio host, 34, looked sensational in the knitted Prada ensemble

Vick then turned around to give a flash of her pert behind as she concentrated on her phone.

Just days ago, Vick looked more loved-up than ever with husband Calvin Harris, as she shared a glimpse into her summer so far with a number of leggy snaps.

One snap saw her putting on a racy display in a plunging gold mesh dress, with a fringe skirt and halterneck design, showing off some major sideboob.

Vick cosied up to Calvin, who flashed a glimpse of his toned chest in a patterned shirt, left partially unbuttoned.

And the couple could be see mixing with some fellow famous faces, including rapper Flavor Flav, fellow Radio 1 DJ Arielle Free and Love Island star Olivia Attwood.

Vick also shared photos of her giggling while presenting a birthday cake to her youngest brother Gabe, 26.

Showing off her jetsetting lifestyle, she included snaps of her in Paris, as well as watching Calvin perform in Ibiza.

Vick Hope looked more loved-up than ever with husband Calvin Harris, as she shared a glimpse into her summer so far with a number of leggy snaps

The BBC Radio 1 presenter, 34, took to her Instagram on Monday to post fun-filled photos hanging out with her DJ husband, 40, and her friends

One snap saw her putting on a racy display in a plunging gold mesh dress, with a fringe skirt and halterneck design, showing off some major sideboob, alongside Calvin and Flavor Flav

Vick and Calvin are approaching their first wedding anniversary, after tying the knot in a lavish Glastonbury-themed wedding in September 2023.

After their wedding, the newlyweds jetted off to Brindisi in Italy on a 25million private jet for their romantic honeymoon.

In February, Vick opened up about her decision to professionally drop the Nigerian Igbo 'Nwosu' from her double-barreled surname Nwosu-Hope.

She told Mixed Messages: 'My name has always been double-barreled. When it came to deciding to drop Nwosu for work, it was a really hard decision that I agonised over for a long time. '


Paul Mescal's mother Dearbhla is in remission two years after being diagnosed with bone marrow cancer.

The Hollywood actor's family was plunged into crisis in 2022 when Dearbhla, 55, was told she was battling multiple myeloma and needed to undergo treatment, but she's now in remission and doesn't have to undergo any more gruelling chemotherapy sessions.

Paul's sister Nell told Sunday Times: 'She's currently in remission but the cancer that she has is never going to be gone, which is something that you have to learn to be OK with.

'But, for now, she doesn't have to do any more chemo. You have to feel grateful and I do.'

Dearbhla also gave an update on her condition in a candid post on Instagram, revealing she feels 'lucky' and 'excited' about the future.

Paul Mescal 's mother Dearbhla is in remission two years after being diagnosed with bone marrow cancer

The Hollywood actor's family was plunged into crisis in 2022 when Dearbhla, 55, was told she was battling multiple myeloma and needed to undergo treatment

She wrote: 'I AM IN REMISSION!!! I am blessed. Yes I will continue to take tablets, have blood tests but I am Dearbhla, just Dearbhla not Dearbhla with Cancer and I am lucky, joyous and feeling very, very excited about where my life will take me and oh the places I will go ... '

She added: 'Gratitude does not encompass all I feel for [the doctors and medical staff].

'The love of my children, my husband, my family and dearest friends, the audience of you, the prayers of so many, the vibes sent out to the universe carried me through the hard times and lifted me when I truly felt done in.

'My cup runneth over and my heart will forever hold yours. Thank you  now guys what's next ???'

Normal People star Paul previously admitted he had a panic attack on set when he found out his mother had been diagnosed with cancer.

The actor, 28, was in the middle of shooting 'All of Us Strangers' with Andrew Scott, Claire Foy, and Jamie Bell and he struggled to cope with the news.

Normal People star Paul previously admitted he had a panic attack on set when he found out his mother had been diagnosed with cancer

Speaking to Esquire UK, he explained: 'I think I kind of pushed it under the carpet for a bit when we found out.

Then there was a bad old day when we were setting up to do a shot and I had a panic attack, and I haven't had one of those in f****** years.

'That was probably the biggest one I've had, to be honest. It's embarrassing - not that I think they are embarrassing - but there was just something very public about it.

'I think I was like, 'I just don't have the space to feel anything now, and I'm probably feeling it in the work itself', but then there's only so much of that that's healthy. I think my body was like, 'No. You've got to feel something here that's your own'.'
Radio star Ali Clarke has given fans an update after undergoing surgery following her shock cancer diagnosis.

The Adelaide radio presenter, who co-hosts Max & Ali in the Morning with Max Burford, broke down last week when she revealed she had breast cancer.

Ali called into the radio show on Tuesday morning and revealed she underwent a mastectomy a few days ago and was doing well.

'The doctor says it all went so well and so amazingly, so much so, that I'm actually home now,' she said.

Ali said the surgery took several hours and she will need to wait for results to see whether any more treatment is needed.

Hayley Pearson, who is currently taking her position while she is on leave, then asked: 'Have you been able to have a look at it yet? Or was it all wrapped up?'

'We're all wrapped up but  it wasn't as confronting as I think I had it in my mind,' Ali responded.

'My biggest relief was when the kids came in and I asked them if they wanted to have a look and they all said yes, and they didn't recoil.'

Radio star Ali Clarke (pictured) has given fans an update after undergoing surgery following her shock cancer diagnosis

Ali also thanked friends and fans for reaching out and offering their support over the past week.

'To everyone that has reached out I cannot thank you enough, and to everyone that is going through this journey I am thinking of you,' she said.

Ali shocked listeners last Tuesday when she announced she will take a break from radio as she undergoes treatment for breast cancer.

'I thought it was very small and manageable. But found quite a lot of small little cancers. And so that means that I'll be going in for some pretty big surgery later this week, and I'll have to take some time off to recover as you can imagine,' she said.

'You know, you know me it's I've never dressed skimpily like I've never put my boobs on display. They've absolutely been functional. In fact, when I was growing up, you know, they almost got in the way of playing sport.'

Ali called into her radio show on Tuesday morning and revealed she'd surgery and it had taken a couple of hours but she was doing well

The radio host then broke down in tears as she emotionally opened up about 'losing a part' of herself.

'I've really battled with myself, between being angry at myself for almost feeling vain about losing a part of me,' she said.

'But when I sit back and try to reason with it, I'm about to lose a part of me that society has forever told me actually makes me a woman and it's absolutely necessary, and the other biggest part of my brain knows that this is really what needs to happen for me to be good.'

Despite the heartbreaking diagnosis, Ali admitted she is 'so freakin' lucky' regarding the quality of healthcare she's received so far.
15 years after an iconic crossover of three hit Disney Channel shows, details about some drama between Selena Gomez and Miley Cyrus has surfaced.

Back in 2009, Disney Channel put together a crossover of three of its hit shows - Wizards of Waverly Place starring Selena Gomez, Hannah Montana starring Miley Cyrus and The Suite Life on Deck starring Dylan and Cole Sprouse.

The three-part special found Hannah Montana booking a teen cruise to get to a Hawaii concert, the same cruise that Alex Russo (Gomez) and her siblings won a trip on from an essay contest, the same cruise ship - the SS Tipton - that Zack (Dylan Sprouse) and Cody Martin (Cole Sprouse) live on.

There was one episode in the three-part special where both Gomez, 32, who recently opened up about the one cosmetic surgery procedure she's had, and Cyrus, 31, appeared on, but they shared no scenes together, which, turns out, was by design.

Wizards of Waverly Place stars Jennifer Stone (Harper Finkle) and David DeLuise (Jerry Russo) took a listener question on their Wizards of Waverly Pod rewatch podcast about the special.

15 years after an iconic crossover of three hit Disney Channel shows, details about some drama between Selena Gomez and Miley Cyrus has surfaced.

The three-part special found Hannah Montana booking a teen cruise to get to a Hawaii concert, the same cruise that Alex Russo (Gomez) and her siblings won a trip on from a contest

When DeLuise was trying to explain, he caught a look from Stone and told her to 'spill,' asking if they didn't get along during the shoot.

'They intermittently got along. I mean, come on. It was, like, high school. Like, they both dated Nick (Jonas),' she said.

She added 'I think Miley dated him first and then Selena dated him, and then it was it was just messy high school nonsense.'

'They're fine now. They're all good now. But, yeah, it was high school just BS,' Stone insisted on the podcast.

Cyrus did in fact date Nick Jonas first, from 2006 to 2007, while Gomez and Jonas dated on and off from 2008 to 2010.

Gomez insisted in a 2016 interview with W that she 'never 'feuded' with Cyrus, adding, 'We both liked the same guy when we were 16.'

Two years later in 2018, Cyrus came to Gomez's defense when Dolce & Gabbana's Stefano Gabbana called Gomez, 'so ugly.'

'Well what that dick head said (if its true) is f***ing false and total bulls**t. Shes fine as f**k!' Cyrus said in an Instagram comment.

When DeLuise was trying to explain, he caught a look from Stone and told her to 'spill,' asking if they didn't get along during the shoot

'They intermittently got along. I mean, come on. It was, like, high school. Like, they both dated Nick (Jonas),' she said

She added 'I think Miley dated him first and then Selena dated him, and then it was it was just messy high school nonsense'

Cyrus did in fact date Nick Jonas first, from 2006 to 2007, while Gomez and Jonas dated on and off from 2008 to 2010

They also reunited in 2020 on Cyrus' Bright Minded podcast, where Cyrus said they reconnected after a simple gesture: Gomez sending a butterfly emoji through DM.

'Im just really happy that we did this new DM. It was very sweet because you just sent a butterfly emoji, Cyrus said.

'And thats enough. Connecting with people and letting them know that youre there. A butterfly emoji is totally enough,' she added.

The reunion over Instagram Live also found them both donating to non-profit organizations during the COVID-19 lockdown.
Woody Cook has claimed his music filled childhood and parent's wild parties left him suffering from tinnitus from the age of 12.

The 23-year-old son of Radio 2's Zoe Ball, 53, and Fatboy Slim DJ Norman Cook, 61, said he would also attend festivals and gigs at a young age to support his dad on stage.

Tinnitus is the name for hearing noises, such as ringing, buzzing or hissing, that are not caused by an outside source, according to the NHS.

He told The Mirror: 'I went to Glastonbury, Latitutde, Camp Bestival and a bunch of other festivals and gigs, so definitely I heard lots of loud music'.

'Because of the nature of my parents' lives all the parties were in our house and they would also be loud. It does mean I can now fall asleep anywhere, even with a fire alarm going off though'.

Woody Cook, 23, has claimed his music filled childhood and parent's wild parties left him suffering from tinnitus from the age of 12

The son of Radio 2's Zoe Ball , 53, and Fatboy Slim DJ Norman Cook, 61, said he would also attend festivals and gigs at a young age to support his dad on stage (pictured)

He said: 'Because of the nature of my parents' lives all the parties were in our house and they would also be loud' (Zoe pictured in 1998)

Woody, who now DJs himself, also revealed how mum Zoe would warn him he'd damage his hearing after year's of playing music at full volume through earphones while he he slept.

While not being officially diagnosed with the condition he said: 'There says, I've a continual electric buzz of high-pitched noise in my head which can be annoying or disruptive depending how bad it is' .

According to the charity RNID, around one in seven UK adults has tinnitus.

Currently, there is no cure, but there are ways to reduce symptoms such as therapy to to help people find ways of coping with their condition.

Zoe, who also shares 14-year-old daughter Nelly with Norman, married the DJ in 1999 before splitting in 2016 and have confirmed they are still great friends

It comes following reports that Woody could be set to host a show alongside his mum after appearing together on Celebrity Gogglebox.

A source told The Sun: 'Zoe and Woody are in big demand and they would like to work on new projects together.

A mother and son presenting team is fairly rare on British television so they can bring something different.

Woody, who now DJs himself, also revealed how mum Zoe would warn him he'd damage his hearing after year's playing music at full volume through earphones as he slept

While not being officially diagnosed with the condition he said: 'There says, I've a continual electric buzz of high-pitched noise in my head which can be annoying or disruptive depending how bad it is'

Zoe, who also shares 14-year-old daughter Nelly with Norman, married the DJ in 1999 before splitting in 2016 and have confirmed they are still great friends

'They're bang up for it!'.

The news comes just days after Woody was performing The i360 Brighton Seafront as he threw himself into his performance following his debut at Glastonbury.

Stood at the back at the crowd Zoe beamed as she filmed the set while Norman was seen punching the air as he danced along.

Woody also shared a sweet photo with his parents after his performance as he wrapped his arms around them looking slightly sweaty.

The young DJ looked the part as he went topless underneath an open red shirt patterned with white flowers.

Meanwhile Zoe kept it simple in a blue top, jeans and shades and Norman looked stylish in a black shirt patterned with different animal skeletons.

The couple tied the knot in 1999 but sadly their marriage came to an end in 2016, when they announced they had 'come to the end of their rainbow'.

Their appearance comes after Woody exclusively revealed to MailOnline that ADHD [Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder] has helped him become a better DJ, following his Glastonbury debut last month.

It comes following reports that Woody could be set to host a show alongside his mum after appearing together on Celebrity Gogglebox

He said the condition has now become his 'unique selling point' as he moves around so much behind the decks, he stands out from other DJs.

Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) is a behavioural condition defined by inattentiveness, hyperactivity and impulsiveness.

Woody told MailOnline: 'Having ADHD has contributed to my style. I've always jumped around a lot as a person'.

'I was contemplating calling myself Monkey Man as a DJ, by me letting go, it allows the audience to feel it too'.
A controversy over an old Walt Disney animated introduction has sparked debate for years.

And now Kyle Sandilands' ex Imogen Anthony, 32, has weighed in on the debate, even claiming the famed company has 'gaslit' her childhood.

At the centre of the speculation is the iconic Disney character Tinkerbell.

The iconic fairy was seen in the short piece of film at the start of Disney productions flying over the Cinderella castle.

As the name Disney is spelled out, many fans remember Tinkerbell using her magic wand to 'dot' the 'i' on the famous brand.

However, TikTok users started to post videos in 2022 that claimed the intro, as people recall it, never really existed.

Taking to the platform, a TikTokker announced: 'Is Tinkerbell in the beginning of Disney movies?'

They continued: 'Fake. Based on everything that we know, this never actually happened. Disney did not release a video intro where Tinkerbell dots the I on the word Disney.

Kyle Sandilands ex Imogen Anthony , 32, (pictured) has weighed in on an old internet debate over whether or not the Tinkerbell character ever appeared in Disney film and TV introductions. She now claims the famed brand 'gaslit' her childhood

'Instead, people are likely combining several memories into one.'

Imogen shared the comment, first posted in September, 2022, to her Instagram stories on Tuesday after several users claimed they had 'evidence' that Tinkerbell did in fact 'dot' the 'i'.

'This is not fake, she does dot the i,' posted one user, while another fan shot back: I have a VHS that says otherwise.'

At the centre of the speculation is the Disney character Tinkerbell. The iconic fairy was seen in the short piece of film at the start of Disney productions flying over the Cinderella castle, with memories of the footage sparking debate. Pictured: Tinkerbell

Imogen then added: 'Gaslight'. The expression is used to refer to an experience in which a victim has been manipulated into believing in an event or experience that turns out to be fake.

Meanwhile, many users differ with Imogen and are convinced the naysayers are wrong.

'I remember this intro from around 25yrs ago. It was on all the Disney videos not CD or Blu-ray...videos,' a Disney fan shared.

Another contemporary of Imogen posted: 'It did happen, I saw this as a child, I'm 35 and I saw this when I was 5... before Google was born.'

TikTok users started to post videos in 2022 that claimed the intro, as people recall it, never really existed. Imogen shared the two-year-old comment to her Instagram stories on Tuesday after several users claimed they had 'evidence' that Tinkerbell did in fact 'dot' the 'i'

Imogen and her ex-boyfriend Kyle Sandilands, 53, were together for eight years but he never popped the question to the former model.

The media titan announced his shock split from the Big Brother VIP star on The Kyle and Jackie O Show in November 2019.

She later married her boyfriend Harley Jones in November 2022 in Las Vegas.
Corazon Dandan had finished her shift as a telephone operator and was taking BART home to Daly City on the night of July 1 when she was pushed to her death on the train platform. The man accused of pushing her made his first court appearance on July 30. Courtesy of Alvin Dandan

The man accused of fatally pushing a 74-year-old woman into an oncoming train at BARTs Powell Street Station in San Francisco made his first appearance in court Tuesday after spending weeks hospitalized while receiving psychiatric care.

Trevor Belmont, 49, is accused of murder and elder abuse in connection with the death of Corazon Dandan, who was waiting for a train after working a night shift at a Union Square hotel on July 1. Belmont also goes by the name Hoak Taing, records show.

In court Tuesday morning, Belmonts attorney, Deputy Public Defender Bao Doan, said Belmont had been in the psychiatric area of the hospital for several weeks, which rendered him incapable of appearing in court. His arraignment was rescheduled for Aug. 16, six weeks after he was arrested.

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Mr. Belmont is a very vulnerable member of our San Francisco community, Doan said.

Belmont, who police said was transient, was arrested on the station platform around 11 p.m. on the night Dandan was pushed into the oncoming train. While in police custody, he failed to appear in court several times while under medical evaluation at Zuckerberg San Francisco General Hospital.

Sitting next to his attorney in an orange jumpsuit, Belmont appeared stoic, surveying the courtroom before turning back to face San Francisco Superior Court Judge Kenneth Wine.

Wine agreed to move the arraignment to give Doan more time to prepare.

Dandan was waiting for a train to take her home to Daly City after working her night shift as a telephone operator in Union Square, family members said. Nephew Dr. Alvin Dandan described his aunt as a brave, independent woman who grew up in the Philippines and moved to the U.S. alone in the 1980s.

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Jessica Alba gave her 20.6 million Instagram followers a glimpse at her family vacation in Provence, France on Monday.

The 43-year-old actress posed alongside two of her three kids in one beautiful snapshot.

She was joined by daughter Haven, 13 in August, and son Hayes, six  whom she shares with husband Cash Warren, 45. They also have daughter Honor, 16.

Another photo showed her with Hayes as she modeled a white sundress and red shawl. Alba's post was accompanied by a lengthy caption filled with tidbits from the French holiday.

It comes nearly four months after the businesswoman announced she was stepping down as Chief Creative Officer of the Honest Company to 'shift her creative energy to new endeavors.'

Jessica Alba gave her 20.6 million Instagram followers a glimpse at her family vacation on Monday

One photo showed her with Hayes as she modeled a white sundress and red shawl

The Honest Company founder soaked up the sun in a white and red cherry-patterned bikini in one image.

She looked ultra-relaxed as she added designer sunglasses and a cream-colored sun hat as she indulged in a poolside read.

The Honey star tagged her location as Le Couvent des Minimes Hotel & Spa L'Occitane.

'Kicking off our fam summer  vacay at the most magical place in Provence. Thank you @lecouventdesminimes for such an incredible stay - we couldnt have dreamt up a better week,' she began the caption.

The mom-of-three gushed, 'The @loccitane spa was absolutely stunning. If youre looking for a 10/10 deep tissue massage, ask for Morgane.

'But make sure to explore the facility regardless - there are so many different sensory experiences.'

The post has so far collected 90,000 likes from her attentive fans.

Throughout the carousel, the fashionista displayed multiple stylish looks for each portion of the trip.

The Honest Company founder soaked up the sun in a white and red cherry-patterned bikini

Alba's post was accompanied by a lengthy caption filled with tidbits from the French holiday

Throughout the carousel, the fashionista displayed multiple stylish looks for each portion of the trip

'Kicking off our fam summer  vacay at the most magical place in Provence,' Jessica began her caption

Earlier this year Jessica and Cash celebrated 16 years of marriage.

She took to her social media platform to share throwback photos with her husband in a sweet tribute to their union.

'16 years of marriage, 20 years together and forever to go Happy Anniversary @cash_warren,' she wrote in the caption.

'I'm proud of us for making it this far,' added Alba. 'There is no real set of rules or guidance that can ever prepare you for what it means to commit to another person and choose to be family.'

The multihyphenate gave a shoutout to Le Feuillee's Chef Louis

Alba shared some of her scrumptious-looking meals. Her rotation included sandwiches, salads, and chicken

The star recommended getting a deep tissue massage at the resort

Jessica and husband Cash Warren celebrated 16 years of marriage in May

She continued, 'Through thick and thin we have continually found our way back to each other and have chosen one another. Cheers to us, I love you.'

The two stars met on the set of the 2005 movie Fantastic Four, for which Warren served as director's assistant.

In 2023 Alba opened up about the secret to their lasting marriage, sharing with ET: 'I think sometimes it's over-communication, sometimes it's under-communication.'

'Sometimes it's, "I need my space I'll talk to you [later],"' she explained. 'When I need [you, I'll say], "I miss you, will you come back?" [It's about] always communicating how you feel.'
Actors Casey Affleck and Matt Damon showed off their dance moves in an appearance on the Univision talk show Despierta America on Monday in promotion of their upcoming Apple TV+ film The Instigators.

In the appearance, which was filmed at Univision Studios in Doral, Florida, Damon, 53, was clad in a white button-up shirt with gray pants and white Nike sneakers.

Casey, 48, donned a black polo shirt with green pants and white sneakers in the appearance, sporting a beard.

The appearance was a bilingual one, as the pair were asked questions in Spanish and used a translation device to answer the inquiries.

In one segment of the appearance, the actors were pictured dancing with the hosts of the chat program.

Actors Casey Affleck, 48, and Matt Damon, 53, showed off their dance moves in an appearance on the Univision talk show Despierta America on Monday in promotion of their upcoming film The Instigators. Pictured with host Alan Tacher

The actors showed off their steps alongside Tacher, Karla Martinez and Jessica Rodriguez

The forthcoming crime comedy, according to a logline for the film, 'follows two robbers who must go on the run with the help of one of their therapists after a theft doesn't go as planned.'

Damon and Affleck are joined in the cast of the film by Hong Chau, Paul Walter Hauser, Michael Stuhlbarg, Ron Perlman, Ving Rhames, Alfred Molina and Jack Harlow.

The film is based in Damon and Affleck's native Boston, which both actors said made things more organic as cameras rolled.

'It's kind of the best part, being able to just openly be speaking your native tongue and not have anyone give you a hard time about it,' Casey told Access Hollywood as the pair continued to promote the motion picture Monday.

Damon said speaking in his native Boston accent 'just feels pretty comfortable,' adding, 'It is fun to fall into it, because that's what it feels like - it doesn't feel like you're putting it on as much as you're falling into it.'

The Instigators is slated to premiere in select theaters on August 12, prior to its worldwide debut August 9 on Apple TV+.

Casey is the younger brother of actor Ben Affleck, 51, while Damon is a best friend of the Argo director/star, who has been in the headlines amid what looks to be an imminent split with wife Jennifer Lopez.

A report from Radar Online Sunday indicated that Ben's recent purchase of a $20.5 million 'bachelor pad' in Pacific Palisades, California marks the final chapter in the high-profile relationship.

The group was in rhythm for the chat show appearance, which was to promote the Apple TV+ movie

The appearance was filmed at Univision Studios in Doral, Florida

Casey, an Oscar winner for Manchester by the Sea, rotated his arms in rhythm as he danced

The group looked to be in good spirits as they danced, with everyone smiling in the segment

The appearance was a bilingual one, as the pair were asked questions in Spanish and used a translation device to answer the inquiries

The actors have past worked together on films such as Good Will Hunting and the Ocean's 11 series

A source told the outlet that Ben's acquisition of the home in the luxe Southern California enclave - and 'decision to move into his own home is the final insult' in the romance.

Lopez and Affleck rekindled their romance years back after dating in the early 2000s, tying the knot in multiple ceremonies in the summer of 2022.

Ben's new abode includes five bedrooms and six bathrooms with amenities such as a guest home and media room.

Ben and Lopez had put a home they shared in Beverly Hills, California on the market earlier this summer after buying it last year.

Amid his marital woes with Lopez, Ben has been residing in a rental home near where his ex-wife Jennifer Garner, 52, lives in Brentwood, California with their three kids: Violet, 18, Fin, 15, and Samuel, 12.
Jackie 'O' Henderson has revealed the one sure-fire move guaranteed to get into her romantic good graces.

The 49 year old was discussing the finer points of kissing with her radio co-star Kyle Sandilands on Monday when the subject of 'face cupping' was brought up.

'That's when a man puts his hand on her cheek as if he's so into kissing,' Kyle said.

'No, both hands around the face,' Jackie responded.

Kyle untactfully responded with: 'No, one hand on the face, one hand on the [groin].'

Clearly shocked at Kyle's romance skills, Jackie told Kyle his approach was a 'major red flag'.

'Kyle, you don't do that when you're doing your first kiss,' to which the 53-year-old replied: 'I do.'

'Well you'd be a major red flag then," Jackie said.

Jackie 'O' Henderson has revealed the one sure-fire kissing move guaranteed to get into her romantic good graces

Jackie added that having a man gently cup and caress a love interest's face is almost guaranteed to make women swoon.

'When girls get that, they run back to their friends and they go: "And then he cupped my face", and everyone goes: "Ooooooh he cupped the face",' she said.

Not willing to keep it above the belt, Kyle continued: 'What do you think my girls who I've cupped their face and cupped their [groin say]?,' the radio star asked.

'What do you think they've gone back and told their friends?'

The 49 year old was discussing the finer points of kissing with her radio co-star Kyle Sandilands on Monday when the subject of 'face cupping' was brought up

'It's not like a date,' Jackie responded.

'It'll be just like that hook-up style thing. That's different.'

Jackie was recently dealt a romantic blow after her 'toy boy tradie' Jack Tyreman debuted his new girlfriend on social media.

Tyerman and the radio queen were spotted on a date as recently as May, going to dinner at popular French dining destination Restaurant Hubert.

Jackie addressed the pair's relationship on KIIS FM's The Kyle and Jackie O Show when her co-host Kyle Sandilands questioned her about another recent date.

'We went together to the restaurant and I didn't want to drive and told him to drive [my car],' she explained, adding that Jack lives close by.

'He is cute but no there is nothing going on... We went out with his sister and her husband. We were just catching up.'
More than 30 years after his iconic TV series Home Improvement debuted on ABC, Tim Allen is finally returning to the network.

ABC has just issued a series order for the 71-year-old comedian's new comedy series entitled Shifting Gears, according to The Hollywood Reporter.

While series orders are typically made at each network's upfront presentations in May, it was reported just before the upfronts that the pilot wouldn't film until June.

Original creators and showrunners Mike Scully and Julie Thacker Scully (The Simpsons) have amicably departed the series, which will now seek a new showrunner.

It's unclear when production on the series will begin, and when the network may be eyeing a debut, though it seems most likely to arrive at some point in midseason.

More than 30 years after his iconic TV series Home Improvement debuted on ABC, Tim Allen is finally returning to the network

ABC has just issued a series order for the 71-year-old comedian's new comedy series entitled Shifting Gears, according to The Hollywood Reporter

The series will follow Allen's character named Matt, a widower who runs a classic car restoration business.

His life is turned upside down when his adult daughter Riley (Dennings) moves back in with him, along with her teenage children.

Also starring is Daryl "Chill" Mitchell as Ed, a former Marine and mechanic at Matt's shop, Froy Gutierrez as Nick, Matt's son and Riley's younger brother.

Nick was said to have worked as a 'game coder,' although he, 'put his life on hold to come home and help his father at the shop.'

The cast also includes Maxwell Simpkins and Barrett Margolis making her acting debut, who both play Riley's children.

The Scully's will still serve as executive producers on the pilot episode, which was directed by John Pasquin.

Allen will serves as an executive producer with Marty Adelstein, Becky Clements, Richard Baker, Rick Messina and Pasquin.

Shifting Gears was one of only two comedy pilots that ABC was developing for the 2024-2025 TV season, along with Forgive and Forget.

The series will follow Allen's character named Matt, a widower who runs a classic car restoration business

His life is turned upside down when his adult daughter Riley (Dennings) moves back in with him, along with her teenage children

Allen will serves as an executive producer with Marty Adelstein, Becky Clements, Richard Baker, Rick Messina and Pasquin

Forgive and Forget, which starred Modern Family's Ty Burrell, also shot its pilot in June, though ABC will not be moving forward with that series.

The show would have followed Burrell as a man who received an unexpected medical diagnosis and tries to reconnect with his adult son (Sean Rodriguez Marquette).

When Shifting Gears ultimately joins the ABC lineup, it will be only the third comedy series at the network, alongside Abbott Elementary and The Conners, which will air its final season in 2025.

Allen most recently starred in The Santa Clauses and the comedy series Last Man Standing, which debuted on ABC in 2011 and ran for six seasons before it was canceled, and ultimately saved by Fox, where it ran for another three seasons.
Jono Castano confirmed his split from Simone Holtznagel on Tuesday just months after the couple welcomed their baby daughter Gia.

The celebrity personal trainer revealed that he and Simone decided to go their separate ways nine weeks ago, around the end of May.

But eagle-eyed fans may have noticed all was not well with the pair for quite some time.

Simone hasn't posted any recent photos with Jono to her social media account, with the last image taken in April.

At the time, the model shared a behind-the-scenes video of the pair during their first photo shoot with their daughter.

She also celebrated her birthday on July 15th with a party, but Jono didn't appear in any photos taken at the event.

Meanwhile, the last picture Jono shared of Simone was on May 12 to wish the model a Happy Mother's Day.

Simone responded to the post with several heart emojis.

The most telling sign that there was trouble in paradise was on Monday, when Simone posted a cryptic quote about 'moving forward' and being 'patient' for a 'long time'.

The thinly-veiled message was also about prioritising her own happiness in what appeared to be a reference to their separation.

All the telltale signs pointing to Simone Holtznagel and Jono Castano's split have been revealed

The quote read: 'You shouldn't feel guilty for moving forward if you've given someone multiple opportunities to improve or change, but they didn't.

'Everyone has limits, and it's important to look out for your own well-being. If you tried to help or waited for them to change their behaviour, but things stayed the same, it's okay to choose what's best for you and move on.

'Prioritising your own happiness and peace is essential, especially when you've been patient and understanding for a long time.'

Jono exclusively told Daily Mail Australia of the couple's break-up: 'We just decided it was best for her to spend time with her family in Wollongong.

'Who knows what the future holds our idea is just to be the best parents for Gia at this stage.'

Simone hasn't posted any recent photos with Jono to her social media account, with the last image taken in April. At the time, the model shared a behind-the-scenes video of the pair during their first photo shoot with their daughter

Simone is currently staying with her family in Wollongong, while Jono remains in Sydney running his gym Acero which he co-founded with his ex-wife Amy.

The couple's separation came around nine weeks after they welcomed their first child into the world on Easter Sunday.

Simone and Jono are believed to still be on amicable terms and are focusing on co-parenting their beloved daughter.

Despite separating nine weeks ago, they proved they are still on good terms as they recently jetted off on an intimate family getaway to Tasmania with Jono's ex-wife Amy and her new partner Aaron Evans.

During the trip, Jono shared a photo to Instagram of Simone reading a story to their beloved daughter.

Before this, he hadn't posted any images of the model to his social media, with the last post being a Mother's Day tribute in May.

Most recently, Simone posted a cryptic quote to her Instagram story on Monday about 'moving forward' and being 'patient' for a 'long time'

The couple's separation came around nine weeks after they welcomed their first child into the world on Easter Sunday

The couple first started dating back in 2022, months after Jono confirmed his split from his longtime partner Amy.

Celebrity personal trainers Jono and Amy were high school sweethearts, but divorced in 2021 after 15 years together.

Simone confirmed she and Jono were expecting their first child together in October last year, and welcomed Gia into the world on Easter Sunday, March 31.
Just four months after the Oscars aired on ABC, the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences is already trying to lock down the 2025 host... to no avail of yet.

The Academy reportedly presented a hosting offer to Jimmy Kimmel, who has hosted four times including the last two years, though he turned it down, via Puck.

Comedian John Mulaney, whose memorable recollection of Field of Dreams was one of this year's Oscar highlights, also turned down a hosting offer.

This year's Oscars did enjoy a slight ratings bump this year with 19.5 million viewers, up just 4% from 2023's 18.7 million viewers, though it's still nowhere the all-time record of 57.2 million viewers in 1998, the year Titanic won 11 Oscars including Best Picture.

While the ratings have been ticking up each year after a record low of 10.4 million viewers in 2021, they have yet to rise even close to pre-pandemic levels.

Just four months after the Oscars aired on ABC, the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences is already trying to lock down the 2025 host... to no avail of yet

Comedian John Mulaney , whose memorable recollection of Field of Dreams was one of this year's Oscar highlights, also turned down a hosting offer

Kimmel has hosted the Oscars in 2017 and 2018, before the Academy experimented with running the show with no host in 2019, 2020 and 2021.

A trio of comediennes - Regina Hall, Amy Schumer and Wanda Sykes - hosted in 2022, before they went back to Kimmel for 2023 and 2024.

Aside from his memorable Field of Dreams presentation, Mulaney hosted the 14th Annual Governors Awards back in January.

After Kimmel's third time hosting, he revealed in a Los Angeles Times interview that he didn't think he'd ever host again.

'I did not think I would ever do it again. I did two of them, and they went well  something crazy happened at one of them with a story Ill have for the rest of my life,' he said, referring to the Best Picture gaffe where La La Land was announced as Best Picture instead of the real winner, Moonlight.

'I know how much work goes into [the Oscars], so I thought, "Yeah, I dont necessarily want to do this ever again,"' he added.

However, when hit blockbusters like Barbie and Oppenheimer started getting awards buzz, he started having second thoughts.

'I knew there was a movie that people had seen, and it just makes the job easier. I am sitting in a movie theater watching Barbie and thinking, "Well, maybe Ill do this again, because at least I have a point of reference with everyone,"' he said.

Kimmel has hosted the Oscars in 2017 and 2018, before the Academy experimented with running the show with no host in 2019, 2020 and 2021.

Aside from his memorable Field of Dreams presentation, Mulaney hosted the 14th Annual Governors Awards back in January

'I did not think I would ever do it again. I did two of them, and they went well  something crazy happened at one of them with a story Ill have for the rest of my life,' he said, referring to the Best Picture gaffe where La La Land was announced as Best Picture instead of the real winner, Moonlight

'We are lucky to have Jimmy [Kimmel], who helped create one of the best Oscars last year. John Mulaney also did an incredible job,' Kramer said

'I made a joke about Moonlight that made it clear to me that the vast majority of the room had not seen the movie, even though it won Best Picture,' Kimmel said of his first year hosting in 2017.

Academy CEO Bill Kramer was asked about Kimmel's hosting duties and the possibility of Mulaney hosting in a June interview with Variety.

'We are lucky to have Jimmy [Kimmel], who helped create one of the best Oscars last year. John Mulaney also did an incredible job,' Kramer said.

'All I will say is, with whomever hosts the show moving forward, we want to continue with this tone of celebration, respect, humor, and a great love of movies. We have some great options,' he said.
Samantha Armytage feasted on some delicious pastries ahead of her Logies dress fitting in Potts Point on Tuesday.

The Farmer Wants A Wife host, 47, stopped at Cafe de la Fontaine where she shared a mouthwatering image of the treats to Instagram.

Questioning whether it was the wisest decision to snack on food ahead of her gown-fitting, the television presenter settled on a simple chocolate croissant.

The first of the pictures she shared saw a display case packed full of extravagant eclairs and savory toasted sandwiches.

'Would it be okay? Pre-Logies dress fitting?' she captioned the snap alongside a laughing-crying emoji.

The former Sunrise host shared another photo moments later which showed her drinking a cup of tea as she took a bite out of a sweet croissant.

'It would be rude not to... In honour of the Paris Olympics,' she wrote.

It comes just days after Samantha gave fans an update on her recovery after undergoing a hip replacement operation.

Samantha Armytage, 47, (pictured) risked feasting on some delicious pastries ahead of her pre-Logies dress fitting in Potts Point on Tuesday

The veteran journalist confirmed earlier this month she had the major surgery after suffering from a 'severe' case of osteoarthritis.

Samantha was back on her feet a few weeks ago with the help of a crutch as she was spotted walking around a park amid her rehabilitation.

She recently took to her Instagram Stories to confirm that she is nearly off her crutches as she proved her recovery is going well.

The Farmer Wants A Wife host stopped at Cafe de la Fontaine where she shared a mouthwatering image of the treats to Instagram

Questioning whether it was the wisest decision to gorge on food ahead of her gown-fitting, the television presenter settled on a simple chocolate croissant

She shared a selfie of herself heading out for a morning walk near her parents' home in Wagga Wagga, explaining she was back home after her father Mac had a fall.

'Glorious day for a walk in Wagga. Dad's had another fall, so here I am,' she penned.

She went on to assure fans that her father was doing well and gave an update on her her own rehabilitation as she shared a picture of herself walking on her crutches.

'I still take my stick even though I don't really need it these days (icy morning. And dad is healing well,' she added.
Taylor Russell was seen for the first time on Monday since her split from Harry Styles three months ago.

The Canadian actress, 30, stepped out for a casual stroll in Hampstead, north London, before relaxing in the heatwave with a woman thought to be her mum.

The pair split in May after a year together following a 'make or break' holiday and haven't been seen together since.

The pop star, 30, and Taylor had been last seen in public riding bikes together during a trip to Tokyo, Japan, in April.

For her day out Taylor wore a stylish beige trench coat and white vest teamed with dark trousers and a red cap.

Taylor Russell was seen for the first time on Monday since her split from Harry Styles three months ago

For her day out Taylor wore a stylish beige trench coat and whit vest worn with dark trousers and a red cap

The pair split in May after a year together following a 'make or break' holiday and haven't been seen together since (seen together last year)

She added dark sunglasses to her look as she headed to the heath where she was joined by her pet pooch Root.

As It Was hitmaker Harry and Bones and All star Taylor split in May after weeks of them not being seen together.

Later in May Taylor appeared at the star-studded Met Gala in New York without Harry, who remained on the other side of the Atlantic in London.

Friends since claimed the couple opted to end the relationship after spending time together in the far east.

A source told The Sun: 'Harry and Taylor have ended their relationship. They went through a rough patch after their trip to Japan and are taking some time apart.

'He's been in America and she's been in London. They made a lovely couple and it was obvious Taylor made Harry happy.

'Things have become strained recently though and they've taken some time out.'

The reported split came after a 'besotted' Harry was said to be ready to start a family with the actress.

The Canadian actress, 30, stepped out for a casual stroll in Hampstead, north London before relaxing in the heatwave with a woman thought to be her mum

She added dark sunglasses to her look as she headed to the heath where she was joined by her pet pooch Root

She looked in good spirits as she stepped out in north London on Monday but covered up despite the heatwave

She wore her beige trench coat buttoned up and completed the look with comfortable black and white trainers

The woman with her believed to be her mum wore a stylish black summer dress which she wore with white trainers

Speaking in March, a source told MailOnline: 'Harry feels as if he has lived ten lifetimes already, but one thing is certain  his 30s will be nothing like his 20s.

'He has experienced all the fame anyone could ever want. He is now ready for the next chapter.

'He is in love with Taylor. He wants a family with her and this is the next phase of his life.'

Harry and Taylor were spotted together for the first time last June as they exited a museum in London and at one point, also reportedly, held hands, per TMZ.

When the two stars first crossed paths is still unclear, but both Harry and Taylor attended the 79th Venice International Film Festival last year in September 2022.

Harry was notably promoting film Don't Worry Darling, while Taylor celebrated the premiere of Bones And All.

The Grammy winner previously dated Olivia Wilde from January 2021 until their split the following year in November 2022.

At the time of the break up, a source told People, 'He's still touring and is now going abroad. She is focusing on her kids and her work in L.A. It's a very amicable decision,' adding that 'they're still very close friends'.

Harry has historically been linked with a string of A-list women from Taylor Swift to Kendall Jenner, Emily Ratajkowski, French model Camille Rowe, Olivia Wilde and, most recently, Taylor.
It was a case of when in Britain, do as the Brits for Kate Beckinsale as she ventured out in an affluent south-west London suburb with her mother on Monday.

The actress was joined by mum Judy Loe while out for lunch in leafy Chiswick, but instead of visiting the areas finer the restaurants the pair opted for a local branch of Nandos.

Kate, 51, caught the eye in a floral summer dress and knee-high leather boots as she documented their day out in a series of Instagram posts.

The pair also paid a visit to Marks & Spencer, where they scoured the aisles in search of Skips and Quavers before returning to their car - where a parking ticket was waiting for them.

Captioning the posts, Kate - who spends much of her time in Los Angeles - wrote: 'Going round Chiswick with my mama makes my solar plexus relax- also we got Quavers and Skips- look out America.'

It was a case of when in Britain, do as the Brits for Kate Beckinsale as she ventured out in an affluent south-west London suburb with her mother on Monday

The actress was joined by mum Judy Loe while out for lunch in leafy Chiswick, but instead of visiting the areas finer the restaurants the pair opted for a meal at a local branch of Nandos

Kate has caused concern on social media over several unexplained health scares over the last year, including spending weeks in the hospital and dropping so many pounds that fans called her 'too thin.'

Earlier this month, she revealed her weight loss is down to the 'stress and grief' of the death of her stepfather and her mother's cancer diagnosis as she hit back at trolls.

The actress slammed some of her 'a**hole' followers, who told her she needed to put on weight in the comments section of an Instagram post.

After sharing a video clip in a crop top and bikini bottoms, one follower queried where her 'a**' had gone and encouraged Kate to 'do some squats'.

Another claimed her body had 'shrank' while another insisted that she 'seemed upset' in the video posted on Monday evening.

However, Kate fired back at the cruel comments ands explained that there were several reasons for her changed figure, including a six-week hospital stint.

She replied: 'No, actually, I watched my stepfather die quite shockingly, my mother has stage 4 cancer and I lost a lot of eight from stress and grief...

'Quite quickly and then I was in hospital for six weeks because the grief had burned a hole in my oesophagus, which made me vomit copious amounts of blood, and I found eating very hard...

Kate caught the eye in a floral summer dress and knee-high leather boots as she documented their day out in a series of Instagram posts

The pair also paid a visit to Marks & Spencer , where they scoured the aisles in search of Skips and Quavers

'And I just worked very very hard on a movie that was actually quite triggering because it also involved the theme of the death of my father so I'm not really concerned about what you think about my a**.

'Maybe you should worry about your own f***ing a**. I suggest shoving something up it, like a large pineapple or a brick.'

Kate's stepdad died in January after suffering 'a massive stroke' while battling two forms of cancer.

Shortly after his death, Kate also revealed that her mother had been diagnosed with stage four cancer.

In recent months, the actress had been caring for her mother and late stepfather after flying them out from the UK to stay with her in Los Angeles.

'Kate has been caring for her parents, who both have serious illnesses, for most of the year,' a source exclusively revealed to DailyMail.com late last year.
Gordon Ramsay has been showing off his impressive fishing skills on social media after enjoying a week away in Iceland.

The celebrity chef, 57, took to Instagram on Monday to give fans a glimpse into his Scandinavian getaway.

The Kitchen Nightmares host posted a series of photos to his social media showing him in full waterproof gear and holding a large salmon as he grinned at the camera.

Gordon also posted two beautiful landscape shots of a waterfall and a long open road next to a lake.

He was clearly very pleased with his fishing abilities as he posted a second picture donning a cap and sunglasses and holding another large fish.

Gordon Ramsay, 57, has been showing off his impressive fishing skills on social media after enjoying a week away in Iceland where the TV chef enjoyed some salmon fishing

in a series of Instagram snaps, The Kitchen Nightmares host posed in full waterproof gear and held up a large salmon as he grinned to the camera, knee deep in the water

Gordon enjoyed a meal at Oto Restaurant and posed with the team in a picture shared to his Instagram Story on Monday after praising the Italian-Japanese fusion cuisine

He captioned his post: 'An amazing week in Iceland ! And yes I caught the biggest Salmon this year !!'.

Fans flooded to the comments to praise his fishing abilities including adventurer Bear Grylls who simply posted a shocked emoji below the snaps.

The television chef has been enjoying a week away in Iceland and taking advantage of the culinary scene in Reykjavik.

Gordon enjoyed a meal at Oto Restaurant and posed with the team in the kitchen in a picture shared to his Instagram Story on Monday after praising the Italian-Japanese fusion cuisine.

He wrote: An amazing meal with the team @otorestaurant!! Some of the best food in Reykjavik!!' as he posed dressed in a black t-shirt and black leather jacket with his arms around two of the chefs.

In another snap posted to his Story, the chef shared a picture of his meal to his 17.9million followers.

He wrote: 'This Lobster Cappelletti was stunning @otorestaurant' alongside the picture of the pasta dish in a creamy foam with sprigs of green herbs sprinkled over it.

While Gordan has been enjoying his getaway to Iceland, his daughter Holly has been pool-side supporting his boyfriend, Olympic swimmer Adam Peaty who won silver in the 100m Breaststroke final on Sunday.

The influencer gushed over the swimmer on Monday after he finished in second place.

Bear Grylls showed off his surprise at the famous chef's fishing abilities, simply posting a shocked face emoji under the snaps showcasing Gordon on his Scandinavian holiday

As well as proud snaps of himself holding his catch, Gordon also posted two beautiful landscape shots of a waterfall and a long open road next to a lake for his 17.9million followers

Gordan has been enjoying a week away in Iceland and took advantage of the stunning scenery and food and has been keeping his fans up to date on his activities via his Instagram

The television chef has been enjoying a week away in Iceland and taking advantage of the culinary scene in Reykjavik by enjoying a meal at Michelin-starred Oto restaurant

The daughter of the famous TV chef , 24, took to Instagram to tell fans just how much he means to her and their family.

Holly shared a series of loved-up snaps with Adam following the race, and said she is 'in awe of him' and 'could not be prouder'.

Holly wrote: 'These pictures say it all. You are our world and I could not have been prouder of you last night. What you have accomplished is truly incredible. I am totally in awe of you and your faith.

'Its impossible to describe the sacrifices that you have made to get here, and for it to be your third games, that takes so much.

'Getting here has been a journey and I am so thankful to be part of your team. @adam_peaty & @melmarshallmassive you are a force to be reckoned with Congratulations to you both.'

'To think that when we first met 15 months ago, you werent in the pool. Watching you get back into the water and fall in love with your gift again has been the most inspiring journey.

It comes after Adam's ex girlfriend Eirianedd Munro shared a sweet supportive message after the swimmer won a silver medal at the Paris Olympics on Sunday night.

She was watching the event at home as Italian underdog Nicolo Martinenghi beat Adam, 29, in the 100m Breaststroke final by just 0.02 seconds.

While Gordan has been enjoying his getaway to Iceland, his daughter Holly has been pool-side supporting her boyfriend, Olympic swimmer Adam Peaty (the pair pictured on Sunday)

Holly was watching and cheering Adam on in the breaststroke final alongside his three-year-old son George with former partner Eirianedd Munro and his mother Caroline

The pair's three-year-old son George was in the stands with Adam's new girlfriend Holly Ramsay, 24, - the daughter of TV chef Gordon.

And while Eiri - who split from the swimmer in 2022 - wasn't in Paris she took to Instagram with a kind message saying George was 'so proud of him'.

She wrote: 'Congratulations, Adam. George is so proud of you! He doesn't see the worth of a medal, but the absolute strength and determination that got you it.'

'These are the qualities I pray he inherits. This moment will inspire him and drive him for the rest of his life. Thank you for giving him that.'

While Holly and Gordon have been jet-setting, the rest of the Ramsay clan have been settling back into normal life after moving back in to the family home in Wandsworth.

The 7million mansion had undergone two years of extensive renovations but at the end of May, the celebrity chef and his wife Tana, 49, were spotted returning to the south London pad.

During renovations it was said that Gordan and his wife were staying at a luxury flat in the new Battersea Power Station development costing about 12,000 a month with their youngest children, Oscar, 5, and Jesse James, eight months.
Longfin smelt from San Francisco Bay are studied by researchers from UC Davis in 2023. The tiny fish received federal endangered species status on Monday. Clara Mokri/Special to the Chronicle

After decades of advocacy by environmental groups, a tiny silver fish is finally getting federal protection in San Francisco Bay.

On Monday, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service announced that the bays population of longfin smelt is now on the federal endangered species list, 12 years after the agency first deemed the fish threatened or endangered. Once so abundant that it was fished commercially, the fish has plunged in numbers by over 99% since the 1980s.

The roughly 4-inch fish joins five other San Francisco Bay species on the federal endangered species list  a dubious distinction that should offer it better protections. Longfin smelt, which also spend time in the ocean, do not spawn as much in years when there is not enough freshwater flowing into the bay during winter and early spring, scientific studies have found.

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Paul Souza, a regional director at U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, said that the hotter and drier climate has contributed to the longfins decline.

The species needs our help, Souza said in a statement. We are dedicated to working with others to conserve longfin smelt while recognizing the importance of wetlands in our refuges and conservation areas, the benefits of agricultural lands, and the critical water resources that sustain Californias communities.

Reestablishing the population of longfin smelt will require fewer diversions of Sierra Nevada water from Central Valley rivers to farms and other human uses, said Jon Rosenfield, senior scientist at the nonprofit organization San Francisco Baykeeper.

Im glad that the federal government has finally done what its responsible for doing, which is acknowledging that longfin smelt are endangered and working to protect them based on the best available science, said Rosenfield.

Rosenfield first petitioned to have the bays longfin smelt protected in 1992; he is one of several environmentalists who have lobbied on behalf of the tiny fish over the years. In 2007, the Center for Biological Diversity and other environmental groups petitioned the wildlife service to list longfin smelt as endangered, which it denied at first.

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In 2012, however, the service declared the fish warranted but precluded  meaning it agreed that the fish deserved to be listed as threatened or endangered but that it wasnt as crucial as other species for federal protection. In 2021, S.F. Baykeeper sued the service after it never provided such protection.

The states large water districts have fought state and federal protections for longfin smelt. In 2021, Westlands Water District, the states largest agricultural water district, attempted to intervene in S.F. Baykeepers lawsuit, claiming that the case presented significant risk to Westlands contractual rights to water. Federal Judge Emmet G. Sullivan denied the motion, saying it would cause undue delay.

Allison Febbo, general manager of Westlands, said that the district has longstanding concerns about how data was interpreted in the decision to list the fish as federally endangered.

Perhaps more concerning is the piecemeal species-by-species approach to managing ecosystem-wide issues, which has failed to provide meaningful results, she said in a statement. With the increasing pressures of a changing climate, we need a more holistic approach for both the survival of sensitive species and a sufficient water supply for Californians.

To help longfin smelt recover, U.S. Fish and Wildlife said it will encourage innovative approaches to managing water resources for both human and wildlife needs in its statement, without naming specific examples.

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The decline of the longfin smelt is one of many signs pointing to imbalances in the San Francisco Bay estuary, the statement said.

The tiny fishs situation echoes that of other endangered fish like green sturgeon and chinook salmon that depend on the health of the bay, Rosenfield said.

Its heartbreaking and its terrifying that this massive, abundant ecosystem is disappearing before our eyes, he said. Because these things take a certain amount of time, most people arent aware of whats being lost.
Pip Edwards flaunted her toned figure on Tuesday as she rugged up in warm activewear with very form-fitting tights.

Decked out in her own P.E Nation clothes, the fashion designer showed off her long slender legs in a set of black leggings paired with a white jacket.

Throwing another black jacket on over the top, she accessorised with a practical pair of sneakers before slipping on a set of $699 Sonos headphones.

'Morning movement ready,' Pip captioned the mirror selfie as she pulled her blonde locks back into a half-up hairdo.

Pip, 44, isn't shy about showing off her incredible figure as she flaunted her frame yet again last week while modelling her own P.E Nation activewear.

She took to her Instagram Stories to give fans an update on her retreat to the luxury Osborn House in the Southern Highlands on Thursday.

She shared a gallery of snaps of herself posing up a storm in ab-flashing items from her own athleisurewear brand P.E Nation while relaxing in the sauna.

Pip showed off her toned physique in a black halter neck bralette and matching bike shorts as she lounged next to the heaters amid the chilly climes.

Pip Edwards, 44, (pictured) flaunted her toned figure on Tuesday as she rugged up in warm activewear with very form-fitting tights

She swept her golden tresses back into a ponytail and showed off her fresh-faced beauty while indulging in some self-care.

Pip then posed up a storm while enjoying a dip in the outdoor hot tub, which boasted gorgeous views of a vineyard.

She was joined by the likes of Michael Lo Sordo, Mikey Nolan, Millie Gattegno and Tom McKeown, Kristina Mendonca, Luke Sales and Jess Engels on the trip.

Decked out in her own P.E Nation clothes, the fashion designer showed off her long slender legs in a set of black leggings paired with a white jacket

Pip is now P.E Nation's sole creative director after co-founder Claire Greaves' shock exit, and has proved to be her own best advert for the brand amid the big changes.

She has notably shed P.E Nation's famous bright colours and clashing prints in favour of outfits with much more muted tones in a huge creative overhaul.

Claire's exit from the company marked the end of one of Australian fashion's most enduring relationships.

The co-founder will 'pursue other creative endeavours', while Pip wiped all traces of Claire - who she worked with for 10 years - from P.E Nation's social media.
Bianca Wallace has hit back at Alice Evans' claims that Ioan Gruffudd is spending all of his money on 'Rolexes for her,' sharing a cryptic Instagram post on Monday.

In her latest legal filing, Alice claimed that the Fantastic Four star had stopped paying him child and spousal support, and was instead splashing out on expensive accessories for his bride-to-be Bianca.

Now, Bianca has hit back in a post where she proudly shows off her 169 art deco watch from the high street brand Olivia Burton.

In what appeared to be a dig at Alice, Bianca was also sported a gold bracelet with the slogan: 'Remember who the f**k you are.'

She captioned her post: 'How cute are Mums with the critical life reminders: Remember who the f*ck you are'

Bianca Wallace has hit back at Alice Evans ' claims that Ioan Gruffudd is spending all of his money on 'Rolexes for her' by sharing a snap flaunting her high street watch on Monday

Alice claimed that the Fantastic Four star had stopped paying him child and spousal support, and was instead splashing out on expensive accessories for his bride-to-be Bianca

Several of Bianca's followers also appeared to spot her dig at Alice, with comments including: 'I'd say we both love bracelets and cool non-Rolex watches. I love Swatch. Hit a bunch of them bc watches are the new accessory.

'I also think everyone needs reminders on their wrists. Mine say ''take a deep breath and let that s**t go'';'

'Nice Rolex; Keep being you Bianca. Beautiful watch and so much nicer than a Rolex;'

It comes after bombshell court papers revealed that Alice claims that Ioan stopped paying her either child or spousal support in April.

According to a court filing on July 1 seen by MailOnline, Alice claimed was in a dire financial crisis, behind on rent and utility payments and struggling to put food on the table for their daughters Ella, 14, and Elsie, 10.

She alleged Ioan and Bianca have been travelling the world and recently bought new Rolex watches.

A page from the court filing appeared to show the $77,000 that Ioan is said to have paid out to Wallace in December last year. The biggest single payment is $53,760 - for a 'loan repayment'.

Alice also said that Bianca made a 'completely false' and highly defamatory attack on her on Instagram in April this year.

But in a new social media post, Bianca shared a snap that showed her watch was instead a high street purchase from Olivia Burton

She shared a cryptic caption alongside the post, declaring: 'Remember who the f**k you are'

Several of Bianca's followers also appeared to spot her dig at Alice

In the post, aspiring actress Bianca said she had been contacted by thousands of people who claimed Evans had abused or threatened them - declaring that she was going to 'stand up' to 'bullies'.

Alice's lawyers argue this means that Wallace was in breach of a custody stipulation, which forbids either of them from being negative about the others in front of the children.

Because their eldest daughter, Ella, has Instagram, her lawyers said this was a breach.

In the papers, Evans added that Ella was very upset when a school friend told her about the post and 'cried out she never wants to see Ioan again.'

The documents say that Evans' lawyers emailed Gruffudd's lawyers to ask for Bianca's Instagram post to be removed, but received no response. They note that Bianca used the pronoun 'we' in the post, which implied that her fiancee agreed with her.

It is also the case that Evans, after hundreds of outbursts on social media and elsewhere in the immediate aftermath of their separation in 2021, is subject to a restraining order which means that she was not able to respond at the time.

The filing is an urgent request for funds. In it, Evans, who met Gruffudd on the set of the film 102 Dalmatians, said: 'As it stands, I have very little money coming in each month. I earn approximately $300 per month in royalties.

'I have drained all of my personal savings paying my prior attorneys in this case and paying for my expenses.

'I have some personal property, such as vintage designer items, held in storage, that I could possibly sell, but they are in danger of being sold at auction because I cannot pay the monthly storage fee (Ioan stopped paying post-separation even though our daughters' childhood mementos are stored there.)'

She added: 'As it stands, I am behind on rent and utility payments, and friends have started dropping off groceries and food so the children and I can eat. I will be applying for food stamps and welfare.

'While I am struggling to put food on the table for our children, Ioan is jet setting around the world. Ioan could not appear at his noticed deposition for custody issues because he travelled to the UK.

'Since April 2024, according to his Instagram page and press releases, he has been in the UK, Cardiff, Sardinia, Rome, Spain, and Seattle.

'Based upon stories in the media, Ioan purchased an expensive engagement ring for his fiancee and they recently purchased new Rolex watches. '

It comes after bombshell court papers revealed that Alice claims that Ioan stopped paying her either child or spousal support in April

Ioan announced his engagement to Bianca in January

She acknowledged she signed a prenuptial agreement in 2007 before marrying Ioan. It gives her 20 per cent of his earnings as spousal support in the event of a split, or 10 per cent if they have children.

She noted: 'This provision punishes me for having children, which I contend offends the public policy of the State of California that both parents are to contribute to the financial support of the children, especially in this case where I now have 100% custody of the children.'

At the time of the prenup, which is attached to the filing, Gruffudd said he had a net worth of 2million, and she had $40,000 in various accounts.

The couple split up in January 2021, and in September of that year he went public with Wallace, who was an extra on the show Harrow which was filmed in Australia.

It was only at the end of 2023 that some interim spousal and child support was settled.

The agreed payment was $3,000 a month in interim child support and $7,000 a month in spousal support. Evans said that Gruffudd only paid the spousal support from December 2023 to April 2024 and has paid nothing since.

Her lawyers say that he earned on average $21,000 a month in 2023, but during the marriage had earned between $500,000 and $1million a year.

They claimed that Gruffudd earns tens of thousands of dollars a month, per his tax filings, and that he also received 'approximately $390,000 from the sales proceeds of the home just in December 2023'.

'In this case, a disparity in access to funds to pay fees exists because Alice earns only a few hundred dollars per month, while Ioan's self-reported average monthly income on his Income and Expense Declaration filed January 24, 2024, is $21,023 for the 36 months ending December 31, 2023 and $18,264 for the 12 months ending December 31, 2023,' the legal filing states.

'Moreover, Ioan continues to get roles in movies, such as Bad Boys 4, which was just released this year. Ioan also received approximately $390,000 from the sales proceeds of the home just in December 2023.'

Alice asked the court to pay her attorneys and alleged that he has been paying two different law firms and a forensic accountant.

It was initially understood that the financial issues would go to trial by April 2024 but that has now been put off to August.

'Alice is applying for public assistance because she is unable to support herself and the children,' her lawyer states in the latest legal filing.

'It appears that the financial trial will be several months away and Alice will not be able to survive without the receipt of guideline spousal support.

'Ioan has the ability to pay spousal support based upon his greater ability to earn income and his ongoing lavish lifestyle. For these reasons, Alice requests guideline child and spousal support.'

The issue of custody has been settled, with both parties signing a stipulation two months ago.

Following an evaluation by a child custody expert, which took several months, Evans was granted 100 per cent custody. Gruffudd had wanted a 50-50 arrangement.

Her lawyer Janina Verano also says that since May 2023, Gruffudd has not seen the children outside of reunification therapy nor has he 'exercised his court ordered right' to have a telephone call with them three times a week. Reunification therapy ended in February this year.

'Ioan has not telephoned the children or returned their text messages since May of 2023,' Evans said.

She added: 'The children have been left in limbo and are completely confused about when or if they will see Ioan.'

Through an order filed by her lawyer, Evans says that she does not agree to the sealing or keeping private of their stipulation, or custody agreement in its entirety, which is what Gruffudd has requested - accusing him of being 'disingenuous' in his request to seal the legal proceedings in order to 'protect the children'.

Alice's attorney noted that Ioan 'did not seek to seal any of DVRO [domestic violence] pleadings nor any of the custody pleadings wherein he falsely accuses Alice of abusing the children' - calling out the fact that he only wishes to seal those proceedings in which the allegations were resolved.

Alice was made subject to a restraining order by her estranged husband in February 2022 after she posted a number of messages about him and his new girlfriend on social media and allegedly sent him over 100 texts.

One suggested: 'You've got your nuts stuck in her veneers.' She denied abusing or harassing him.

The order was extended for three years in August 2022, and Alice was forbidden from posting about either Gruffudd or Wallace.

In June last year, elder daughter Ella, then 13, applied for a restraining order against Gruffudd after a custody visit ended in chaos.

She said: 'I was so mad at my dad because this was an overnight visit, and I had told him in the past that I didn't want to meet his girlfriend who was now his live-in girlfriend.'

Alice and Ioan (pictured in 2018) settled interim and child support last year, but she has now accused her ex of not paying spousal or child support since April

She claimed that Bianca had slammed a door against her head as she was running from their apartment after pouring milk and mustard around in protest.

In publicly available documents she said that she was 'afraid' of her father and said that he had threatened to 'call the police on her anytime she misbehaves' during visits.

The request for a restraining order was dropped in court by Ella, who faced her father's legal team.

The couple married in Mexico in 2007 after meeting on the set of the Disney film 102 Dalmatians.

Gruffudd's representatives were contacted for comment.
Good Morning Britain fans slammed host Ed Balls for his interviewing style during a discussion with former Chancellor Jeremy Hunt on Tuesday morning.

Fans branded the GMB presenter, 57, a 'Pound Shop Piers Morgan' following his 'car crash' interview, claiming he constantly interrupted the politician.

The conversation stemmed after Chancellor Rachel Reeves accused Jeremy of 'lying' about public finances under a Tory 'cover up'.

She claimed there was a '22billion black hole' that Labour government now have to fix.

During the chat, viewers criticised the host for not allowing Jeremy to speak and answer the questions put to him by Ed and his co-star Ranvir Singh.

Good Morning Britain fans slammed host Ed Balls, 57, (pictured) for his interviewing style during a discussion with former Chancellor Jeremy Hunt on Tuesday morning

Fans branded the GMB presenter a 'Pound Shop Piers Morgan' following his 'car crash' interview, claiming he constantly interrupted the politician (Piers, 59, pictured in 2020)

Some fans even begged ITV bosses to 'sack him' after he attempted to mimic the former GMB presenter, 59.

Taking to X, viewers wrote: 'You have to ask yourselves how long can Ed Balls remain on the program? Is he impartial?',

'Jeremy Hunt couldn't get a word in but RR was allowed to woffle on',

'Ed Balls - you are a rude, insolent piece of work, interrupting Jeremy Hunt, who doesn't like to hear the truth. I'd ask you to knock sense into your wife, but you don't have any yourself',

'interview with Jeremy Hunt let him speak',

'Ed Balls going full "Pound shop Piers Morgan " on Jeremy Hunt #GMB'.

It comes after Ed and Gareth Gates sat down for a candid and heartfelt interview today where they discussed their personal battles with speech impediments.

The former Labour shadow chancellor said he still sometimes struggles to get words out while he is hosting live television, but his GMB co-presenter Susanna Reid knows to give him the time he needs.

The conversation stemmed after Chancellor Rachel Reeves accused Jeremy of 'lying' about public finances under a Tory 'cover up'. She claimed there was a '22billion black hole' that Labour government now have to fix

Some fans even begged ITV bosses to 'sack him' after he attempted to mimic the former GMB presenter (Jeremy Hunt pictured right)

During the chat, viewers criticised the host for not allowing Jeremy to speak and answer the questions put to him by Ed and his co-star Ranvir Singh

Gates also described coping with a speech impediment and how he was inspired to try acting after learning that Mr Bean star Rowan Atkinson also has a stammer.

The Pop Idol winner was interviewed by Balls about his speech impediment during a previous appearance on GMB last year, which saw the former Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families welling up as he recalled his childhood battle.

'You inspired me. I thought, 'If Gareth Gates can do this, I can too. And if he can be public, I can be public too. It was really hard, but I did it because you showed me how to do it,'' Balls told him during the chat in November 2023.

Gates has often spoken about his struggles with his speech impediment and said today that he was surprised when he found out that Atkinson faced the same challenge.

He told GMB: 'I met the incredible Rowan Atkinson and he introduced himself and I could instantly see he had a really bad stammer.

'I was really amazed by this, he's a very well-known actor. We sat down and I chatted with him for hours, obviously, because we can't speak.

'He actually inspired me to act and, off the back of meeting him, I've done lots of West End shows, I've learned scripts and dialogue. I can now speak on stage, purely down to him, so we all inspire each other.'

Their 2023 discussion about stammers struck a chord with Balls, who began crying.

Susannah Reid told her co-host: 'Nothing to be ashamed of. It's to be proud of  it's part of your identity, isn't it! [Gareth] broke the ground for you, didn't he, Ed? There we go, Gareth, that's what you did.

Gates added: 'You're a role model for me now! For you to be doing this is really incredible.

'I've proved to people you can have an affliction and don't let it dictate who you are. You're able to achieve whatever you want in life. You just have to be strong.

'My speech is massively affected if I'm tired, stressed. Under pressure. That's the nature of the show [Celebrity SAS] - to push you to your limits. It was hard. I'm much more confident now. I got quite a lot out of the show'.
Lorraine viewers have demanded that ITV rebrands the popular show after another 'genuine' and 'natural' presenter left them impressed.

Christine Lampard has stepped in to front the breakfast programme over the summer, alongside other guest hosts such as Ranvir Singh and Louise Minchin, while Lorraine Kelly takes an extended holiday.

And fans are delighted with the hosting shake-up, so much so that they want the show to be renamed 'Christine' while the Irish presenter is on our screens.

According to the viral 'Where Is Lorraine?' X (formerly Twitter) account, Lorraine, 64, has hosted 99 episodes out of 150 (66%) this year, meanwhile Christine, 45, has hosted 29 episodes.

Ranvir Singh has reportedly fronted 18, and Louise Minchin and Joel Dommett have both hosted two.

Lorraine viewers have demanded that ITV rebrand the popular show after another 'genuine' and 'natural' presenter is leaving fans impressed

Christine Lampard has stepped in to front the breakfast programme over the summer, alongside other guest hosts, while Lorraine Kelly takes an extended holiday

Keen viewers of the ITV programme have flocked to social media to gush over Christine's 'honest' presenting skills, with others claiming the programme needs a rebrand:

'#Lorraine Lovely woman Christine should be renamed this show and get rid of that Kelly.'

'TBH they might as well rename it Christine for as long as she's presenting! Imagine the opening credits...'

'I enjoy #Lorraine more when Christine hosts the show. She's more natural and comes across more genuine.'

'At this point you might as well call the show 'Christine' #lorraine.'

'#Lorraine l do think Christine should host this show permanently. I always think she is honest, herself, interviews well and is sincere.'

'#Lorraine This show needs a rename #Ranvir #christine #anyonebutlorraine.'

'It should be renamed Ranvir or Christine for Fridays, with both having their own titles #Lorraine.'

Fans are delighted with the hosting shake-up, so much so that they want the show to be renamed 'Christine' while the Irish presenter is on our screens

Keen viewers of the ITV programme have flocked to social media to gush over Christine's 'honest' presenting skills, with others claiming the programme needs a rebrand

Ranvir Singh (pictured above) has also stepped in to front the morning programme

Meanwhile, Louise Minchin has hosted two episodes so far this year

The presenter shake-up comes after reports that Susanna Reid and Lorraine Kelly have allegedly been left fuming that ITV bosses are steering A-list guests to This Morning amid the show's plummeting ratings

'#Lorraine Really think Christine should front the show permanently. She is natural, honest and a far better interviewer.'

'#Lorraine should be renamed Christine/Ranvir.'

The presenter shake-up comes after reports that Susanna Reid and Lorraine Kelly have allegedly been left fuming that ITV bosses are steering A-list guests to This Morning amid the show's plummeting ratings.

According to The Sun Susanna, 53, and Lorraine, 64, have both 'been vocal' claiming they are missing out on interviewing top names.

This Morning, which unveiled new presenters Cat Deeley, 47, and Ben Shephard, 49, in March, has interviewed the likes of Ryan Gosling, Meghan Trainor and Steve Carrell in recent months.

A source claimed there was infighting between the production crews, telling the publication: 'Susanna has been vocal about wanting bigger names and is frustrated they're going elsewhere'.

'Lorraine has voiced the same view'.

Before adding: 'It feels like big stars are being shipped to This Morning to try and pull them out of a hole.'

MailOnline have contacted Lorraine and Susanna's reps, as well as ITV, for comment.

In May This Morning was reportedly in crisis after 'viewing figures plummeted by half'.

Since the new hosts took over Holly Willoughby, 43, and Phillip Schofields, 62, slot, half a million viewers have stopped tuning into the ITV Daytime show.

With over a million viewers watching Ben and Cat's first day back in March, two months later figures currently stand at less than 500,000 - a dramatic drop.
Twenty years ago I burst into a meeting of senior newspaper executives and announced to the group of mostly middle-aged males that I had just seen a programme that would change Saturday night TV viewing for ever.

It was a ballroom dancing competition, I explained, in which novices were partnered with professional dancers and they all competed for a glitterball trophy.

As I gushed about the shows other magical elements  the sequins, the make-up, the live music, the gorgeous gowns  I was greeted not with enthusiasm but a sea of bemused expressions

Even when I mentioned that it would be hosted by the legendary Bruce Forsyth, complete with his new catchphrase Keeeep dancing!, I failed to make an impression.

I was so entranced by Strictly's first episode, featuring Bruce Forsyth, pictured, I predicted that it would eclipse Simon Cowell s domination of Saturday nights, writes Amanda Platell

Comparing it to The X Factor, I said there was a wonderful absence of malice on this show

I had, of course, watched the first ever episode of Strictly Come Dancing and was so entranced that I predicted that it would eclipse Simon Cowells domination of Saturday nights.

My rave review appeared in the Mail under the headline: Why Come Dancing has the X-Factor.

At last it has come to pass, reality TV that is not rotten, I wrote. Step forward Strictly Come Dancing or quick-step or cha cha, it all works for me.

The choice on a Saturday night between Simon Cowells The X Factor attempting the lifelong destruction of a human beings self-esteem  and thats just his fellow judges  and the gentle world of the waltz and Ill take Strictly any day.

I even risked the ire of the sisterhood, writing that at a time when we are uncertain of our roles, it is refreshing to have them defined for us: boy grabs girl and they dance their hearts out.

Part of Strictlys magic was that it harked back to a more innocent and straightforward age, when women could enjoy having a strong mans arm around them.

Comparing it to The X Factor, I said there was a wonderful absence of malice on this show, its like a breath of fresh air.

All of which is hard to reconcile with what Strictly has become, its very existence threatened by a series of rehearsal room bullying scandals as it gears up for its 20th anniversary series.

It all kicked off in January, when Amanda Abbington asked to see footage of her rehearsals with pro dancer partner Giovanni Pernice before going on to accuse him of being unnecessarily cruel, abusive and mean in training, leaving her with Post Traumatic Stress disorder and  rather pettily  a bruised toe.

In the intervening months, she has given so many interviews to such a wide range of media outlets that many fans now see her as being on a one-woman mission to destroy Strictly.

Last week on Channel 4 News she tearfully told presenter Krishnan Guru-Murthy how she suffered humiliating behaviour of a sexual nature at the hands of Giovanni. She has even hired top law firm Carter-Ruck and seems to be seeking damages for loss of earnings and compensation for the trauma she claims she suffered.

Amanda Abbington, pictured with her former dance partner Giovanni Pernice, has accused him of being unnecessarily cruel, abusive and mean in training. He denies the claims

Amanda tearfully speaks to Channel 4 News about her Strictly experience last week

Giovanni, for his part, denies all the claims. He has retained lawyers of his own from Schillings, claiming the BBC failed in their duty of care by partnering him with a celebrity, who was clearly vulnerable. Amanda had given an interview saying that she had considered suicide following her split from Sherlock actor and partner of 16 years Martin Freeman.

Part of the problem is that it is not just the dancers who have become more and more demanding over the years, the judges have, too.

The original panel  Len Goodman, Arlene Phillips, Craig Revel Horwood and Bruno Tonioli  were a benevolent bunch. Yes, they made great jokes about terrible dancers but it was never malicious and they were full of warm praise for the high achievers.

Over time, the judges changed and the new ones were more critical than their predecessors. As they explained the intricacies of certain dance techinques and where the celebs were going wrong, it sometimes felt that the show had became a punishing exercise in ballroom technique, not a joyful celebration of learning to dance.

And the pro dancers were becoming as famous  if not more famous  than the celebrities they partnered. Did this contribute to their burgeoning egos and supercharge their will to win? I fear it did.

Footage of them putting their partners through the wringer as they honed their skills in rehearsals had the air of a bootcamp rather than a dance studio.

In the early days of Strictly, scores of 10 from the judges were as rare as hens teeth, now theyre showered like confetti on even the most average dancers.

Remember when Top Gears Quentin Wilson got two 1s on the first ever series in 2004 before he was eliminated.

Or the time Susannah Constantines Foxtrot with Anton Du Beke was given 1 by judge Craig.

And how can we forget John Sergeants tally of 1, 3, 4, 4 for his 2009 cha cha cha, during which he dragged  literally  pro partner Kristina Rihanoff across the ballroom floor.

She tells presenter Krishnan Guru-Murthy how she suffered humiliating behaviour of a sexual nature at the hands of Giovanni. He denies the claims

These sorts of scores were entirely appropriate given that the original premise of the show was that the celebrity contestants all be amateurs. Last year, however, it was revealed that no fewer than eight of the celebrities had previous dance experience.

I get it that 20 years is a long time in showbiz and programmes must move with the times. Thats why, as time went on, Strictly slowly became more woke, more inclusive, more box-ticking. But it became far more demanding of participants, too.

Oh for the days back in 2004 when a real novice Natasha Kaplinsky took to the dance floor with Brendan Cole and won the first series, transformed from a rather uptight newsreader  Id even nicknamed her Spangles  into an elegant swan.

Im afraid I truly lost my faith in Strictly when they recruited the celebrity Layton Williams last year. I understand the appeal to Beeb bosses of his moving back story: the gay son of an impoverished white mother and an absentee Jamaican dad. He seemed a lovely guy and was an exquisite dancer.

And was paired with pro Nikita Kuzmin to be Strictlys first ever male same-sex couple. All great for diversity but a disaster for the show, as they are both professional dancers.

What amateur celeb stood a chance against someone like Layton who had been a professional dancer since childhood, appearing as the West End star of Billy Elliot aged 12, before going on to star in the musicals Everyones Talking About Jamie and Hairspray!

So whatever the verdict of the BBCs internal inquiry into the bullying claims, for me, Strictly has been tarnished for ever.

The BBC has serious questions to answer about its handling of contestants and professionals alike. These will go all the way up to the door of its director general Tim Davie, who last week could only parrot corporate-speak, insisting the corporation will never tolerate unacceptable behaviour and that the line should never be crossed.

Well, with this debasement of the jewel in the Beebs crown, that line has already been crossed and we fans are very cross.

Amandas legal battle alone threatens to grind on for months, if not years, with all the lurid headlines that go with it.

It all seems a million miles away from the original Strictly when Bruce Forsyth would greet us all with: Nice to see you, to see you and we would joyfully shout back at him Nice!
She recently marked her 33rd birthday with a fun family lakeside getaway.

And Scout Willis proudly showed off her toned abs in a blue striped bikini as she took to Instagram Stories to share another snap from her sunny break on Monday.

The actress slipped into the colourful high-waisted two-piece as she made the most of the warm weather.

Scout flaunted her svelte physique in the plunging blue bikini as she relaxed in the sunshine on her weekend break.

She celebrated her 33rd birthday with her famous family last week, with her sister Rumer and mother Demi Moore sharing a slew of Instagram snaps from their fun family getaway.

Scout Willis proudly showed off her toned abs in a blue striped bikini as she took to Instagram Stories to share another snap from her sunny break on Monday

Demi  who was in the front row of the Dior show in Paris recently  looked decades younger than her 61 years as she wore a tiny white bikini in a new Instagram post shared by her eldest daughter Rumer, 35.

She stood holding her 15-month-old granddaughter Louetta's hands as they walked on a dock together.

Demi accessorised her vacation look with a navy blue ball cap and Birkenstocks.

'River Monsters for @scoutlaruewillis birthday,' Rumer wrote in the caption of the post.

'No place I would rather be than by your side,' she continued. 'My leg bruise is courtesy of my first time trick riding on a horse woohoo.'

The toddler looked adorable in a long-sleeved pink swimsuit with darker pink zig zags and a polka dot bucket hat.

Demi's first and so far only grandchild looked delighted to have grandma helping her walk.

Rumer welcomed Louetta in April 2023 with partner Derek Thomas.

The actress celebrated her 33rd birthday with her family last week, with her sister Rumer and mother Demi Moore sharing a slew of Instagram snaps from their fun family getaway

Scout the birthday girl soaked up the sun on the family trip, in an Instagram post shared by her sister Rumer

Rumer shared several more photos of the fun trip.

Another image showed Scout and youngest sister Tallulah, 30, enjoying a splash on floating water mat while rocking bikinis.

Rumer also shared a snap of her pert derriere in a lime one-piece swimsuit.

Scout's pal, Fred Houston, also posted an image and a video of her and a female friend enjoying the river on a foam mat and donning a colorful floral bikini.

Demi wrote a sweet message to the birthday girl on her Instagram, sharing four photos of her and writing, 'My sweet angel @scoutlaruewillis. Happy Happy Birthday! I am so privileged to be your mother and so grateful to be sharing this journey of life with you!

'The best is yet to come and I am so excited to see the magic that unfolds for you! I love you!'

One image showed Scout in a flowing white cotton dress standing in the center of stone ruins.

Another was a fresh-faced close-up of her, rocking a Halloween t-shirt.

There was also a snap of Scout doing a cartwheel in a lime top and tiny shorts, as well as a matching bucket hat.

The last photo showed Scout in a teal sweater and pink boots as she posed in front of a white background.

Scout also shared her own birthday post on Saturday, featuring a photo of herself with a lion head.

'I AM 33! IT'S MY BIRTHDAY! MY JESUS YEAR BEGINS! I AM SO HAPPY! I AM SO LUCKY! I FEEL SO GRATEFUL! I REALLY LIKE MYSELF AND I LOVE WHO I BECOME EVERY DAY! I LOVE MY LIFE! I FEEL SO INSPIRED AND THIS IS GOING TO BE THE BEST YEAR OF MY LIFE SO FAR!' she wrote in the caption.

Demi shares Rumer, Scout and Tallulah with ex-husband Bruce Willis, 69, who has been suffering from frontotemporal dementia since around spring 2022.

Rumer also shared a snap of her pert derriere in a lime one-piece swimsuit

Demi shares Rumer, Scout and Tallulah with ex-husband Bruce Willi, 69, who has been suffering from frontotemporal dementia since around spring 2022; They are seen in 2015

In May, Rumer shared a rare health update about her father's battle with the rare and aggressive form of dementia.

Rumer suggested her father is in good spirits, telling the Today show simply, 'He's so good.'

She added that he remains a wonderful grandfather to her infant daughter Louetta, enjoys music, and spends quality time with his family.

However, while the family has not said it publicly, doctors tell DailyMail.com that the tragic reality is patients with Willis' condition are usually mute within just two to three years of a diagnosis.

FTD is different from the more well-known type of dementia, Alzheimer's disease. But unlike Alzheimer's, memory is not the first to go.

Aphasia - difficulty speaking and putting thoughts into words - is the first symptom for most. Willis has been struggling with this for two years.
Brynne Edelsten shared a very sweet picture of her daughter Starr on Tuesday as she gave a behind the scenes peek at the two-year-old's first photoshoot.

The American socialite, 41, took to Instagram with the adorable snap which saw the tot drinking a bottle of juice with a lollipop in hand.

She was garbed in a grey jumper and pink sweatpants, which were printed with a cartoon bird, as she posed on-set of a Haus of Dizzy photoshoot.

Brynne accessorised her daughter's look with a pair of white sneakers and a pink beanie which had a First Nations flag on the front.

Starr finished her look with a simple chain necklace.

The Oklahoma-born television personality became famous in 2009 when she married Geoffrey Edelsten, who was 40 years her senior.

However, the pair divorced in 2014 after Brynne alleged her husband had been unfaithful to her.

Geoffrey died in Melbourne aged 78 in June 2021.

Brynne Edelsten, 41, (pictured) shared a very sweet picture of her daughter Starr on Tuesday as she gave a behind the scenes peek at the two-year-old's first photoshoot

The socialite welcomed her 'miracle baby', Starr Amari Gordon, on April 21 2022.

She told The Herald Sun in 2022 providing for Starr has given her a new perspective on life.

The SAS Australia contestant explained she originally thought motherhood 'was not on the cards' for her and she feels so blessed to have a perfect daughter to care for.

The American socialite took to Instagram with the adorable snap which saw the tot drinking a bottle of juice with a lollipop in hand

The socialite welcomed her 'miracle baby', Starr Amari Gordon, on April 21 2022

'I don't know myself anymore, everything is about her. She is the best thing that has ever happened to me,' she said.

The identity of Starr's father has not been made public.

However, Brynne confirmed to the publication the man had met his daughter twice.

The pregnancy was delightful news for Brynne, who discovered during her high-profile marriage to Geoffrey it was unlikely she could ever conceive naturally.
Anna Paul left her fans confused and amused as she showed off her new dress in an Instagram post on Tuesday.

The TikTok and OnlyFans creator worked her angles in a slinky black frock as she crouched down in the street.

The dress barely covered her ample assets, and the 25-year-old writhed and posed as someone filmed and took photos off screen.

'Me and my digital camera,' the busty brunette wrote in her caption on the video, which appears to have been taken during her recent European vacation.

Fans in the comments were bemused, with many pointing out that Anna looked like she was crouching down to relieve herself in the street.

'Anna, you look amazing, that dress is simply stunning. But it looks like you're squatting to have a wee LOL,' wrote one person.

'I thought the same and then in one clip there's some liquid lol,' agreed another.

Another said: 'I thought you did a wee wee to start with', while one more added, 'Did you just wee?!'

Anna Paul (pictured) left her fans confused as she showed off her new dress in an Instagram post on Tuesday

Many in the comments were bemused, pointing out that Anna looked like she was crouching down to relieve herself in the street

'Is she peeing or taking a s**t, shaking my head,' someone wrote with one joking, "'Hey can you take a photo of me pretending to take a dump on the sidewalk'".

It comes after Anna hard launched her new boyfriend back in June during her summer holiday in Europe.

Anna showed off her eye-popping assets in a skimpy G-string bikini as she stood on a high cliff above a cove in Mallorca, Spain.

Her new beau Aymeric Urbain stood to her right, and together they jumped into the crystal clear water.

Anna captioned her post with a celebratory note about her European summer getaway, writing 'It feels like summer'.

The Paul clan have been travelling in Europe for the last few weeks and arrived in Spain after visiting Turkey.

'Anna, you look amazing, that dress is simply stunning. But it looks like you're squatting to have a wee,' wrote one person

'I thought the same and then in one clip there's some liquid lol,' agreed another

Anna is riding off the incredible success of her Paulie skincare line, which sold out in minutes when it launched last year.

Fans were initially shocked Anna created a beauty brand, as she already makes hundreds of thousands through her OnlyFans account where she posts explicit content.

According to online sleuth account Dutch Minty, Anna makes a whopping $220,000 per month on OnlyFans before tax as she charges subscribers $9.99 per month for a subscription.

Anna first found fame on TikTok by sharing lip-sync videos and vlogs documenting her life.

She then moved into a lucrative career posting content on subscription-based site OnlyFans, where she charges fans a fee in exchange for raunchy, nude pictures and saucy strip videos.
Disney+ has axed a fan-favourite blockbuster TV series after just one season, despite it garnering a slew of rave reviews.

Fans of Renegade Nell have said they will be 'mourning' the loss of the show for the 'next six months,' after the streaming service controversially announced it was pulling the plug on Tuesday.

A Disney+ spokesperson told Deadline: 'Disney+ original series, Renegade Nell, will not be returning for a second season on the service. We're incredibly proud of the world created by Sally Wainwright and lead director Ben Taylor...

'We'd like to thank them, our production partners at Lookout Point, the entire cast  led by Louisa Harland  and crew for their incredible work on this series, all of whom we hope to work with again in the future.'

The popular show is a series set in the 18th Century about a young woman who finds herself framed for murder and subsequently goes on the run to become a highwayman and the most notorious outlaw in England.

Disney+ has axed a fan-favourite blockbuster TV series after just one season, despite it garnering stellar five-star reviews

Fans of Renegade Nell have said they will be 'mourning' the loss of the show for the 'next six months' after the streaming service controversially announced they were pulling the plug on Tuesday

The popular show is a series set in the 18th Century about a young woman who finds herself framed for murder and subsequently goes on the run to become a highwayman and the most notorious outlaw in England

Its stellar cast of Derry Girls' Louisa Harland, Alice Kremelberg, and Frank Dillane was led by Ben Taylor, who directed Netflix's smash hit Sex Education, and was written by Happy Valley creator Sally Wainwright.

Daily Mail TV critic Christopher Stevens gave the eight-part series an incredible five-star rating, writing that Wainwright 'created an extraordinary English heroine, woven from tales of highwaymen, fairy stories, Gothic novels and a dash of Shakespeare'.

On Rotten Tomatoes, it has an 87% score on the 'Tomatometer' and an 88% Audience Score, earning a 7.80 out of 10 rating on average.

Harland plays Nellie, an innkeeper's daughter who returns home after her husband is killed fighting the French at the Battle of Blenheim.

On the way, she is relieved of her horse, wedding ring and boots by a band of highwaymen.

But when the gang's leader (Frank Dillane) whacks her across the face with his pistol, the series really kicks off and something supernatural happens.

Despite only hitting the streaming platform on March 29, Renegade Nell has already earned a loyal fanbase.

As the news broke that there will be no second season, distraught fans rushed to X (formerly Twitter) to beg other streaming platforms to pick up the story.

Its stellar cast of Louisa Harland, Alice Kremelberg, and Frank Dillane was led by Ben Taylor, who directed Netflix's smash hit Sex Education, and was written by Happy Valley creator Sally Wainwright

Harland plays Nellie, an innkeeper's daughter who returns home after her husband is killed fighting the French at the Battle of Blenheim

As the news broke that there will be no second season, distraught fans rushed to X (formerly Twitter) to beg other streaming platforms to pick up the story

'I'll be mourning Renegade Nell for the next six months.'

'Renegade Nell is one of the best new fantasy series out there, Disney+ doesn't deserve the quality of that show.'

'Why am I not surprised? Disney should really stay away from series like Renegade Nell and Willow if they don't plan to give them a second season.'

'RIP Renegade Nell taken from us too soon.'

'They canceled Renegade Nell?!? Where were all the regency girlies? They would have loved it. How much do I have to pay to uncancel it? I can't be left alone with that ending. I need the gang back.'

'We really lost Renegade Nell...'

'#RenegadeNell axed nooooo! Had great characters and each episode so much fun! Deserved another series! Wasted opportunity as so much potential! Tut tut @DisneyPlus hope another service gets the rights and makes more series.'

'Someone else pick it up! @PrimeVideo @Netflix ANYBODY! Please #renegadenell.'

'That's a shame, it was a good fun little fantasy series #RenegadeNell.'

'BOO! #RenegadeNell was great! Every week, the streaming era somehow sucks worse than the week before.'

Renegade Nell series one is available to stream on Disney+
Sofia Vergara is continuing to post envy inducing photos from her trip to Europe.

On Monday the Modern Family actress was seen in a strapless purple-and-white lilac print dress with beige and gold wedge heels and a cute gold handbag from Chanel.

The 52-year-old pinup from Colombia posed next to her doctor boyfriend Justin Saliman, 49, and her son Manolo, 32.

They were seen with friends by an outdoor fountain and a restaurant in a square in the heart of Monaco.

'Adios Monaco, France,' Vergara captioned a photo of herself with friends.

Sofia Vergara is continuing to post envy inducing photos from her trip to Europe. On Monday the Modern Family actress was seen in a strapless purple-and-white lilac print dress with beige and gold wedge heels and a cute gold handbag from Chanel

The 52-year-old pinup from Colombia posed next to her doctor boyfriend Justin Saliman and her son Manolo. They were seen with friends by an outdoor fountain and a restaurant in a square in the heart of Monaco. 'Adios Monaco, France,' Vergara captioned a photo

Before France, Sofia and her entourage were in Italy.

She posted several images from the country known as The Boot.

She often wore strapless gowns as she displayed her incredible figure.

In one post she was at lunch in a cute number.

'Gracias to the @brunellocucinelli_brand family for the perfect lunch!' she captioned the post.

They were also seen by a swimming pool, on the beach, and walking on cobblestone streets.

The Griselda star told People in May that she and Dr. Saliman are 'maybe' dating, adding: 'I think now that I'm older, it's great because you know exactly what you like.'

Earlier she was seen at the La Colombe d'Or Hotel and Restaurant in the south of France

The diva with two male pals on a side alley

She reapplied her makeup with a brand she reps

Her son Manolo was seen center in a pink shirt and blue jeans

She was first romantically linked to the plastic surgeon last October, three months after she ex-husband Joe Manganiello announced their divorce.

Following seven years of marriage, Vergara and Manganiello, 47, amicably settled their divorce in February.

In January, Vergara admitted to El Pais that they divorced because he 'wanted to have kids' and she 'didn't want to be an old mom.'

Manganiello has since refuted this claim, telling Men's Journal that they split up because 'two people grew apart, and sometimes that happens.'

The Magic Mike's Last Dance star has since become involved with actress Caitlin O'Connor, 34.

Vergara appeared on Watch What Happens Live that month, telling host Andy Cohen that she's sworn off younger men.

'They can't be younger than 50, I'm 51,' she said. 'Okay, 49.'

In this image she had on a plunging red dress and rosary as she dined al fresco

The former fashion model posed with a white purse as well

And she also posted an image of her doctor beau in a white shirt and the same rosary necklace she had on earlier

A source told DailyMail.com in November that things were 'moving fast' with Vergara and Saliman, and she is 'falling in love' with him.

By January, another insider said that he was more of a 'rebound,' and despite the 'amazing connection,' Vergara 'likes being considered single and ready to mingle' and 'doesn't want to settle with anyone.'

Vergara told DailyMail.com in February that she's 'open to having fun,' but she's steering clear of the dating apps.

'I'm bad with technology, so I'm sure I would click on the wrong ones,' said Vergara. 'I'm open to having fun and meeting people. It's only been six months.'
Oakland firefighters battled a blaze they said started inside East Bay Booksellers on College Avenue in the citys Rockridge neighborhood. Oakland Fire Department

A fast-moving fire ravaged a beloved bookstore in Oaklands Rockridge neighborhood on Tuesday morning, fire officials said.

Oakland Fire Department crews responded to a report of a fire at East Bay Booksellers on the 400 block of College Avenue just before 5:30 a.m. Images posted to social media by the department showed firefighters putting out bursting flames inside the bookstore.

Five tenants in a nearby building were evacuated and displaced. One person was treated for minor injuries at the scene and released, fire officials said.

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Oakland fire officials did not immediately disclose the cause of the fire.

Brad Johnson, owner of the bookstore, told the Chronicle on Tuesday morning that he was devastated. He said his phone was buzzing all morning with calls from community members.

Im still in a state of shock, Johnson said through tears. Its pretty bad, but Im happy no one was hurt.

The fire appeared to result in a total loss, he said. The blaze also destroying the few offices that were located above the bookstore. Johnson said he would be surprised if anyone was inside the building when then the fire broke out early Tuesday.

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The bookstore has been a neighborhood staple since 1989. Johnson was a bookseller there before purchasing it in 2017 and renaming it East Bay Booksellers. In addition to providing a wide selection of books, the store is known for hosting events with authors and local businesses.

Its a landmark and icon of the neighborhood certainly, and I think of Oakland in general, Johnson said.

Johnson said he and his staff were still processing what happened to think about the future of the bookstore.

I dont know that any of us are even thinking about what happens next. Its just kind of like, What happened? What is happening?   he said. Right now its sort of the very sad reality of it at the moment and then well figure out the rest.

Fire crews temporarily prohibited traffic on College Avenue between Manila and Lawton avenues around 8 a.m. during the firefight and the subsequent mop-up.

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Fans of the bookstore were saddened to learn of the news of the blaze.
Amanda Abbington appeared in high spirits as she arrived for theatre rehearsals in London on Tuesday amid Strictly's investigation into her allegations of 'abusive behaviour'.

Amanda quit the show in October last year citing 'personal reasons' before reports quickly surfaced that she had demanded footage of her rehearsals, claiming the show and Giovanni Pernice had left her with PTSD.

Giovanni, who has strongly denied any threatening or abusive behaviour, was later suspended, with the BBC later launching a probe over claims of off-camera misconduct made by Amanda as well as other celebrities.

But despite the ongoing investigation, Amanda remains upbeat as she flashed a smile and gave a thumbs while out in the sun.

The sherlock star, 50, proudly showed off a ballet shoe keyring and a cryptic phone sticker which read: 'we all have to make sacrifices'.

Amanda Abbington appeared in high spirits as she arrived for theatre rehearsals in London on Tuesday amid Strictly's investigation into her allegations of 'abusive behaviour'

The sherlock star, 50, proudly showed off a ballet shoe keyring and a cryptic phone sticker which read: 'we all have to make sacrifices'

Amanda cited 'personal reasons' for leaving the BBC show last October but it was later revealed she had demanded footage of her rehearsals after the experience with the show and her dance partner Giovanni Pernice left her with PTSD

Amanda looked chic in a summery white and blue linen dress, teamed with matching trainers and a tote bag.

Giovanni faces multiple accusations of unsavoury behaviour while working as a professional dancer on the show, with former celebrity partner Laura Whitmore recently admitting she too has spoken to the BBC.

Although she hasn't made a formal complaint, Whitmore, 39, hopes to get 'just an acceptance' of what happened to her in the rehearsals room.

The former Love Island presenter admitted she talked to six former Strictly stars about their time on the show and took their information to the BBC.

In an Instagram post, she wrote: 'I was trying not to comment on recent press speculation until the BBC review is complete but feel there is a lot of misinformation in the press and I want to help and show support by setting the record straight.

'I was asked to speak to the BBC along with six people that I know of (who deserve anonymity as they don't want to be dragged through the press), about inappropriate behaviour they experienced similar to mine with the same individual.

'I initially raised concerns back in 2016. I thought my experience was specific to me but I've since learned I was wrong.

Despite the ongoing investigation, Amanda remains upbeat as she flashed a smile and gave a thumbs while out in the sun

Amanda looked chic in a summery white and blue linen dress, teamed with matching trainers and a tote bag

Amanda quit Strictly last year due to 'personal reasons' before reports she had demanded footage of their rehearsals after the experience in the competition left her with PTSD

Sources then claimed the actress, Ranvir Singh and Whitmore had an 'emotional summit' where they 'compared notes' about their time working with Pernice on the show

'The aim of this is to show a pattern of behaviour that I believe needs to stop. My evidence is to support other people's experience. It's a shame it takes this for someone to be heard.

'I am not looking for anything just an acceptance that what happened to me in the rehearsal rooms during my time on BBC Strictly was wrong and that it won't happen to anyone else again.

'Because I have not made an official complaint, and am providing evidence of my experience to support the investigation, not all the communication will be passed on to all parties involved.

'Misinformation is being put into the press so I want to set the record straight. Victim blaming must stop or we will never get better.

'I've tried to speak up in the correct way. I know the BBC and all outlets continue to do their best to be better, but for that to happen we must speak up.'

Abbington - his last celebrity partner - quit Strictly last year due to 'personal reasons' before reports she had demanded footage of their rehearsals after the experience in the competition left her with PTSD.

Sources then claimed the actress, Ranvir Singh and Whitmore had an 'emotional summit' where they 'compared notes' about their time working with Pernice on the show - prompting the BBC to launch a probe into his conduct.

The Italian ballroom specialist lost his place on the beleaguered show after former celebrity contestant Amanda Abbington accused him of 'bullying and abusive' behaviour

In an emotionally charged interview, Abbington doubled down on her previous allegations of backstage abuse on Strictly Come Dancing

In 2018, Whitmore claimed she didn't enjoy her time on Strictly, leaving the competition in week seven feeling 'broken' and admitting she 'cried every day'.

The Irish presenter wasn't happy about being paired with her close friend Georgia May Foote's ex not long after the pair had split - and felt 'extremely uncomfortable' dancing with him.

Writing for The Huffington Post at the time, she said: 'I love dancing  I topped the leaderboard twice  but I was thrown into the middle of a break-up that had nothing to do with me. Once again, I was a "rumoured love interest".

'I was placed with a dance partner I was extremely uncomfortable with  and in the end I felt broken, I cried every day. And I really was broken, both mentally and physically, by the end.'

Strictly was plunged into further crisis on Wednesday after Abbington claimed that Pernice was trying to block the release of up to 50 hours of 'toxic' footage '.

In an emotionally charged interview, the actress compared the dance show to 'the trenches' telling Channel 4 News that BBC producers had been left 'horrified' by clips that also allegedly exhibited 'humiliating behaviour of a sexual nature '.

Former celebrity partner Laura Whitmore recently admitted that she too has spoken to the BBC

The former Love Island presenter admitted she talked to six former Strictly stars about their time on the show and took their information to the BBC

'There's 50 hours of footage that's being blocked. You know, 50 hours is a lot of footage, and a lot of time spent in a room that was toxic,' she told presenter Krishnan Guru-Murthy.

'It's out there. There is evidence out there of what happened in that room and I'm not the one who's blocking it.

'I've said anyone can watch it, but he (Giovanni) doesn't want anyone to see it, which is quite telling if he's got nothing to hide.'

A spokesperson for Giovanni told MailOnline: 'We would urge people to wait for the review's conclusion and not to pay heed to these very serious and defamatory allegations that have no evidence in support of them.'
Kristin Cavallari was seen getting intimate with her boyfriend Mark Estes for a steamy new campaign that she oversaw.

The 37-year-old blonde bombshell and her 13-years-younger beau are shown getting close for her Hard Feelings fragrance campaign.

'I'm thrilled for it to be our first fragrance. It's sexy, moody, complex and embodies the duality of soft femininity and strong masculinity,' founder and CEO Cavallari told DailyMail.com.

'It's unlike anything you've ever smelled before, and I cannot wait for everyone to wear this,' she also said noting the scent went on sale Tuesday.

'I wanted to know what ingredients were in the fragrances I was using, but struggled to find a brand that offered that level of transparency,' The Hills veteran added.

Kristin Cavallari was seen getting intimate with her boyfriend Mark Estes for a steamy new campaign that she oversaw. The 37-year-old blonde bombshell and her 13-years-younger beau are shown getting close for her Hard Feelings fragrance campaign

'When creating Hard Feelings I knew I wanted to tell our customers everything in it so they can feel confident about wearing it,' she also told DailyMail.com.

The scent is from her lifestyle brand Uncommon James.

This project is the couple's first time working together professionally. The commercial was shot in Cabo San Lucas in Mexico in February.

That is the same resort destination where the couple first announced their relationship publicly.

'Their chemistry is definitely transparent in the sexy campaign video!' a press release shared to DailyMail.com on Tuesday said.

A lot of fuss has been made about their age difference - she is 37 and he is 24 - but both have said they are fine with it.

'This alluring aroma opens with top notes of pink pepper and bergamot before flowing into a heart blend of rose, hibiscus, incense, and tobacco.

'I'm thrilled for it to be our first fragrance. It's sexy, moody, complex and embodies the duality of soft femininity and strong masculinity,' founder and CEO Cavallari told DailyMail.com

'It's unlike anything you've ever smelled before, and I cannot wait for everyone to wear this,' she also said noting the scent went on sale Tuesday

'Hard Feelings is clean, EWG Verified, vegan, Leaping Bunny Certified, gluten free, paraben free, petrolatum free, phthalate free, and is made without colorants and titanium dioxide,' it was added

She called her new scent 'complex' and says it has both the feminine and masculine

'At the base, atlas cedarwood, sandalwood, and upcycled orcanox leave a lasting impression that is complex and sensual.

'Hard Feelings is clean, EWG Verified, vegan, Leaping Bunny Certified, gluten free, paraben free, petrolatum free, phthalate free, and is made without colorants and titanium dioxide.

'The fragrance is now available in 50mL, $72 at uncommonjames.com.'

The reality star is loving life with her boyfriend Estes, while her three children - Camden, 11, Jaxon, ten, and Saylor, eight - are also doing great.

Earlier this year, an insider revealed that Kristin is 'the happiest she's ever been'.

The source told PEOPLE: 'Everything is so good with Mark and he's great with her kids. They have a lot of fun together. It's honestly the happiest her friends have seen her in the past ten years.'

Montana Boyz member Estes, and the TV star previously rubbished criticism of their 13-year age gap.

Speaking on her Let's Be Honest with Kristin Cavallari podcast, she said: 'I want you guys to know that me dating a 24-year-old is not something that I was, like, searching out.

On Instagram she was seen in a black minidress in Mexico

'I wanted to know what ingredients were in the fragrances I was using, but struggled to find a brand that offered that level of transparency,' The Hills veteran added

'If you guys listen to the podcast, you know, I thought 30-year-olds were too young for me. I understand what it looks like to the outside world, I really do. I get that.'

Despite this, Kristin insisted that Mark isn't a 'typical 24-year-old' man.

She added: 'When I met him, I was like, obviously I thought he was the hottest guy I've ever seen. There was ... that attraction was always there.

'But when I met him I was like, he's actually a really nice, good guy. He's very sweet - from the jump, he was so sweet to me.'
Prime Video has unveiled a first look at Jack Whitehall in the new upcoming psychological drama Malice.

The new series will star the comedian, 36, as Adam Healey a charming 'manny' who sets out to infiltrate the world of a wealthy family to reveal their secrets and destroy them.

In the exciting new thriller series, Jack will also be joined by X-Files star David Duchovny, 63, and Game Of Thrones icon Carice van Houten, 47.

David will play Tanner family patriarch Jamie while Carice will play his wife Nat.

Harry Gilby, 22, Teddie-Rose Malleson-Allen, 18, and Phoenix Laroche will also play the roles of their three young children.

Prime Video has unveiled a first look at Jack Whitehall in the new upcoming psychological drama Malice (pictured with David Duchovny)

The new series will star the comedian (second from left), 36, as Adam Healey a charming 'manny' who sets out to infiltrate the world of a wealthy family to reveal their secrets and destroy them

Other cast members in the series include Christine Adams, 49, Raza Jaffrey, 49, Rianna Kellman, and Jade Khan.

To mark the end of filming Prime Video released a first look at Malice by releasing a set of still images from the set.

Jack, also known in the series as Adam, can be seen enjoying a sunny holiday in Greece with the Tanner family.

While in another snap, he is spotted having a meaningful chat with David as the pair enjoy cocktails by the sea.

Jack recently shared that the past 18 weeks of filming the show had been 'incredible'.

He said: 'What an incredible 18 weeks its been  from shooting in London in February to ending in 37-degree heat in Paros, the whole shoot has been an amazing experience and I couldnt be prouder of what weve achieved.'

'I feel so lucky to have been able to go to work every day with so many insanely talented people on this job.'

'I cant wait for you to see the end result when it launches worldwide next year on Prime Video!'

In the exciting new thriller series, Jack will also be joined by X-Files star David Duchovny, 63, and Game Of Thrones icon Carice van Houten, 47.

Jack has been enjoying his new role as a father after he and his girlfriend Roxy Horner welcomed their daughter Elsie last September.

Jack and Roxy met during his trip to Australia and quickly fell into a relationship when the pandemic and lockdown hit.

Long before Jack, Roxy had made a name for herself. Signed to Premier Management, she appeared in British Vogue at just 17.

Jack has been enjoying his new role as a father after he and his girlfriend Roxy Horner (pictured) welcomed their daughter Elsie last September

Elsie was born in the Lindo Wing of St Mary's Hospital, famous for a host of Royal births, most recently The Princess of Wales' three children.

Speaking of becoming a father on This Morning, Jack said: 'I still feel like I am very much in the trenches, my baby daughter is amazing and it's all so full on.'

'People do say there is a honeymoon period and the first week was so amazing and blissful, Then by the second week I was googling boarding schools, it happened that quickly.'

Jack, Roxy, and Elsie live in a 12 million converted pub mansion - complete with a swimming pool, gym, and sauna.

Malice will air on Prime Video in 2025.
Reese Witherspoon appears to have a new man in her life as she was spotted with private equity financier Oliver Haarmann in New York City this week - one year after her divorce from second husband Jim Toth.

DailyMail.com can exclusively reveal Reese, 48, has been seen out on a string of dates with Haarman, 56, - whose ex-wife - businesswoman Mala Gaonkar, 54, is now in a relationship with musician David Byrne, 72.

Reese looked chic in a black dress and heels as she hopped into an SUV before a dinner date with Haarmann - who wore a white shirt and blue trousers.

The pair looked in great spirits as they chatted during the day - marking the second time they have been seen together this week.

They were also seen on Sunday arriving at a heliport together before heading to an apartment building.

Reese Witherspoon appears to have a new man in her life as she was spotted with private equity financier Oliver Haarmann in New York City this week - one year after her divorce from second husband Jim Toth

Reese and ex-Jim tied the knot in 2011, before announcing their split in 2023; pictured together in January 2020

DailyMail.com can exclusively reveal Reese, 48, has been seen out on a string of dates with Haarmann

It is unclear how serious their relationship is. DailyMail.com has contacted Reese's representative for comment.

Haarmann - who is German - is a founding partner of Searchlight Capital Partners, a private equity investment firm.

He was previously a senior partner of the global investment firm KKR & Co. He shares two sons with Gaonkar.

He earned a bachelor's degree in history and international relations from NYC's Brown University in 1990, and an MBA from Harvard Business School in 1996.

The Morning Show actress and her ex-husband, 54, shocked fans in March 2023 when they announced they had separated and were getting a divorce after nearly 12 years of marriage.

The actress officially filed for divorce from Toth in April 2023, a week after announcing the end of their marriage. She cited irreconcilable differences as the reason behind their split in court documents.

Reese and her ex Jim were first romantically linked in 2010, before they became engaged later that same year in December.

The former couple tied the knot during a romantic and intimate backyard wedding in 2011.

Their split announcement was made just days ahead of their 12th wedding anniversary.

Back in August, the pair reached a divorce settlement and agreed to continue to co-parent their 11-year-old son, Tennessee.

Reese looked chic in a black dress and heels as she hopped into an SUV before a dinner date with Haarmann - who wore a white shirt and blue trousers

Haarmann was seen smiling as he joined Reese for dinner

It is unclear how serious their relationship is

Reese was seen chatting with Oliver and friends at dinner

The star looked typically glamorous as she stepped out

The pair headed into an SUV together on the night

Reese showed off her svelte frame as she stepped out

The star looked giddy as she left the restaurant

Haarmann was previously married to businesswoman Mala Gaonkar, 54 and the pair have two sons (pictured 2016)

She is now dating musician David Byrne - pictured 2023

Reese smiled at Haarmann as the pair enjoyed the evening

Reese was seen greeting a pal as she headed off on the night

Reese also shares son Deacon, 20, and look-alike daughter Ava, 24, with her ex-husband Ryan Phillippe, 49.

An insider told People about the split that it was 'very difficult' for the movie star to accept that she and her former partner were 'two very different people.'

Someone close to the two noted that the ambitious producer 'has her hand in a lot of pots' and Toth 'prefers less frenzy.'

It was added that, 'They've been spending less and less time together while she was working.'

More than ten years after tying the knot, the longtime duo 'found themselves with fewer interests in common.'

Reese is described by a source as 'headstrong and focused' and Jim is said to be 'more laid-back.'

The Pleasantville actress spent more time in Nashville In 2022 as she worked on producing the Apple TV music competition show My Kind of Country.

She also flipped a local house for close to twice the cost of what she paid for the home.

They were also seen on Sunday arriving at a heliport together before heading to an apartment building

The pair were seen heading out in the Big Apple

They looked happy as they headed to look at an apartment

Reese looked stunning a white outfit with blue cardigan as she headed off with Haarmann

The mother-of-three's company Hello Sunshine also produced the Amazon series Daisy Jones & the Six.

Per Reese's solemn divorce announcement, the twosome decided to go their separate ways with 'a great deal of care and consideration.'

A source said the partners 'worked on' their issues and arriving at divorce 'took a long time.'

A source previously told PageSix that the imminent divorce was a 'badly kept secret' in Hollywood for months.

It was also shared that Reese is 'upset' over the marriage ending.

One day after her date with Haarmann, she was seen filming scenes for her hit series, The Morning Show

The performer looked effortlessly chic in a navy blazer and jeans

As she prepared to step in front of the cameras, a makeup artist and hairdresser could be seen doing some last minute touch ups to the mother-of-three's look

Witherspoon was shooting with costar, Mark Duplass, who portrays Charlie Black on The Morning Show

The Big Little Lies actress and the talent agent's split announcement read: 'We have some personal news to share ... It is with a great deal of care and consideration that we have made the difficult decision to divorce.

'We have enjoyed so many wonderful years together and are moving forward with deep love, kindness and mutual respect for everything we have created together.

'Our biggest priority is our son and our entire family as we navigate this next chapter.

'These matters are never easy and are extremely personal. We truly appreciate everyone's respect for our family's privacy at this time.'

But there is no mess: 'There is no drama,' insisted People's insider. 'They love [their son] Tennessee and this is their focus. They will continue to co-parent amicably.'

Reese recently discussed her first divorce from Cruel Intentions co-star Ryan Phillippe.

Speaking to Harper's Bazaar in July, Reese said she felt very 'out of control' when her first divorce went public.

'When I was divorced before, the tabloid media got to tell people how I was feeling or how I was processing, and it felt very out of control,' Reese told the publication.

The star is mom to Ava, 24, and Deacon, 20 with ex husband Ryan Phillippe and Tennessee,11, with ex Jim Toth (pictured together)

The Legally Blonde star officially filed for divorce from Toth back in April 2023, a week after announcing the end of their marriage

Reese and Ryan, who famously starred in the 1999 romantic drama Cruel Intentions, split in 2008 after a seven-year marriage; Pictured in 1998

The exes have maintained a famously amicable relation ship - pictured with son Deacon on his 18th birthday

But this go around, the Hollywood star feels that she's able to be more 'authentic' as she navigates this 'vulnerable time' in her life.

'To be able to talk to people directly about what's going on in my life and just share it in the way that I share great professional experiences or personal experiences, it feels much more authentic to be able to say things in my own voice and not let somebody else control what's happening,' Reese explained.

Despite going through a divorce a source close to The Last Thing He Told Me producer told People in April that she has 'no regrets' about ending the union and is 'doing much better now.'
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Yellowstone has been filming in Montana this summer.

And on Tuesday Ryan Bingham, who plays rebellious ranch-hand Walker, shared on Instagram his new wife Hassie Harrison will also be back on the series. They wed in May after dating for one year.

On the Dutton ranch, she plays his on-screen love interest as well; her name is Laramie and she works as a barrel racer.

Even if Kevin Costner has not returned to close out the end of season five, many others have saddled up again. Luke Grimes has his cowboy boots back on to star again as John Dutton's son Kayce Dutton.

Keilly Reilly, who plays hellcat Beth Dutton, confirmed on July 20 she was on set with a video as she wrote, 'The group of people that continue to make this wild show make it with all their hearts and guts, Im so deeply proud to be running alongside them. The rawness and beauty of this year's season is really something. Cant wait to share it in November.'

Others who are back on the ranch: Cole Hauser as Rip Wheeler, Jen Landon as Teeter, Jake Ream as Jake, Ian Bohen as Ryan, Denim Richards as Colby, Forrie J Smith as Lloyd Pierce, Dawn Olivieri as Sarah Atwood, and Finn Little as Rip's son Carter.

The last few episodes of season five of Yellowstone kick off on November 10, 2024.

Yellowstone has been filming in Montana this summer. And on Tuesday Ryan Bingham, who plays rebellious ranch hand Walker, shared on Instagram his new wife Hassie Harrison will also be back on the series. On the Dutton ranch, she plays his on-screen love interest as well; her name is Laramie and she works as a barrel racer

Bingham was seen on set last month as well with Jen Landon (with her hair pink again) and Jake Ream

Brecken Merrill, who plays the son of Luke Grimes' Kayce Dutton and Kelsey Asbille's Monica Dutton, is also on set shooting scenes, though Luke and Kelsey have not been spied yet.

Brecken, 16, shared a photo of a director's chair that said Yellowstone on the back with a cowboy hat hanging off of it.

'Its a dirty job but somebodys gotta do it,' wrote Merrill in his caption. And last week he added, 'November premiere date - put it in your calendar and start planning the viewing party.'

Gil Birmingham, who stars as Tribal Chairman Thomas Rainwater, will also be filming along with Mo Brings Plenty.

Wendy Moniz, who played the Governor of Montana, is also shootings scenes.

Scenes were shot at a home on East Beckwith and Gerald Avenue in Missoula, DailyMail.com has learned.

There has also been filming at the Chief Joseph Ranch. The 2,500-acre working cattle ranch in Darby, Montana serves as the Yellowstone Dutton Ranch in the show.

Kevin Costner seen center with, from left, Luke Grimes, Wes Bentley and Kelly Reilly

Ian Bohen, who plays Ryan (the love interest of Lainey Wilson 's Abby), was seen on set while riding a horse

Finn Little, who plays Rip's son Carter, was seen celebrating his 18th birthday on set

Landon wears her hair pink again as she rides a horse with an instructor on the right

The star was practicing lassoing a black calf in a pen

Brecken Merrill, who plays Kayce Dutton's son, shared this image as he wrote, 'Its a dirty job but somebodys gotta do it'

Many of the actors have been seen practicing lassoing and riding at Chief Joseph Ranch.

Hauser has already shared photos from Montana where he has been filming the modern Western series since late May: 'Good morning Montana, Ive missed ya old friend! If you are going to rise, you might as well shine.'

Smith, who plays a cattle hand on the show, is also back filming more scenes alongside Hauser and Bingham. He confirmed his return months ago.

Wes Bentley and Kelly Reilly are also expected to be in the last few episodes of season five, but not Kevin Costner, who has said recently he will not film any more scenes.

It is not yet known if Ryan's new wife Hassie Harrison, who plays barrel racer Laramie on the show, will have any scenes.

Hauser has already shared photos from Montana where he has been filming the modern Western series since late May: 'Good morning Montana, Ive missed ya old friend! If you are going to rise, you might as well shine.'

Lainey Wilson has said that she is not sure if she is going back to Yellowstone, where she played musician Abby. Her music was also used on the series.

Wilson has said many times she would love to shoot more scenes for the series.

Piper Perabo shared images from Montana earlier in June suggesting she will return as Costner's love interest Summer Higgins.

But because Costner will not be shooting any more scenes for the show, it is likely Perabo won't either.

Or she may just be accompanying her husband Stephen Kay, who is a writer on the show.

The popular series will return on November 10, 2024.

There has also been filming at the Chief Joseph Ranch. The 2,500-acre working cattle ranch in Darby, Montana serves as the Yellowstone Dutton Ranch in the show

Piper Perabo shared images from Montana earlier in June suggesting she will return as Costner's love interest Summer Higgins. But because Costner will not be shooting any more scenes for the show, it is likely Perabo won't either. Or she may just be accompanying her husband Stephen Kay, who is a writer on the show

Lainey Wilson has said that she is not sure if she is going back to Yellowstone, where she played musician Abby. Her music was also used on the series. Wilson has said many times she would love to shoot more scenes for the series. Seen on June 25 in NYC

Paramount Network announced on June 20 that Yellowstone will make its much-anticipated return on Sunday, November 10 at 8pm ET/PT.

Internationally, Yellowstone will premiere on Paramount+ in Canada on November 10th, the U.K. on November 11th and in Latin America, Brazil and France later in November.

Yellowstone chronicles the Dutton family who controls the largest contiguous cattle ranch in the United States.

Amid shifting alliances, unsolved murders, open wounds, and hard-earned respect  the ranch is in constant conflict with those it borders  an expanding town, an Indian reservation, and Americas first national park.

Yellowstone is co-created by Sheridan and John Linson.

In May Costner shared some insights into his role on the show to GQ.

The Oscar-winning star maintained that he told creator Sheridan he would help end the series, but no scripts have ever come his way.

And Costner also said that he and Taylor have a 'private' reason for not going forward, hinting they have disagreements over how the show should end.

But the star, who is promoting his new movie Horizon, said that he wants to help end the Dutton saga for the sake of the 'audience.'

Just hours after Kevin's GQ interview surfaced, Paramount Network announced that Yellowstone had already started production on the end of season five and was currently filming in Montana.

Paramount announced on June 20 Yellowstone will make its much-anticipated return on Sunday, November 10; later Kevin said he was not coming back

Seen from left, Pete Sands, Mo Brings Plenty as Rainwater's Driver, Gil Birmingham as Chief Thomas Rainwater, Cole Hauser as Rip Wheeler, Costner as John Dutton, Wes Bentley as Jamie Dutton

Yellowstone premiered in 2018 and has since attracted as many as 10 million viewers.

On the show, Costner plays John Dutton III, who fights to save his ranch; he has been compared to a Godfather character because he uses murder to keep his businesses and family together.

The show needs an ending, but there has been talk that Kevin was too busy or wanted too much money or wanted too much say to get it done.

He has told GQ that he has tried. 'That's kind of my Western ethic,' he said. 'I've been quiet about the whole thing and I've taken a beating out there. My castmates are confused. The crew was confused.'

He shared that he only did Horizon because he wanted to work more, and he felt he could do Horizon and Yellowstone at the same time. 'I've always wanted to do this movie,' Costner said, 'and I was doing Yellowstone. I love Yellowstone.'

Costner said he was so committed to Yellowstone that he renegotiated from his original three-season deal for as many as seven total seasons.

But there were delays from COVID, the writers' strike, and 'further disagreements about scheduling,' said GQ.

And Costner also said that he and Taylor have a 'private' reason for not going forward, hinting they have disagreements over how the show should end. But the star, who is promoting his movie Horizon, said that he wants to help end the Dutton sag a for the sake of the 'audience'

'We very rarely started when we said we would and we didn't finish when we said we would,' said Costner. 'And I was okay with that. I really was. I was okay with it, but it wasn't a trend that could continue for me.'

So he worked on Horizon.

Then Yellowstone proposed splitting the fifth season of the show into two parts. 'And their big plan was to suddenly do eight now and then in the fall do eight more,' Costner said.

'I said, "I have a contract to do Horizon, and I have people and money." I think there was a belief that I couldn't get it mounted, but I didn't really care what anybody believed.'
Bella Hadid was spotted for the first time since breaking her silence on her controversial Adidas campaign as she stepped out in Fort Worth, Texas on Monday.

The supermodel, 27 - who revealed that she was 'shocked' in a lengthy statement over the ad - put on a stylish display as she was seen exiting a pizza restaurant in the city.

The pro-Palestinian star recently starred in a retro sneakers campaign for Adidas, but soon faced backlash due to the ad referencing the 1972 Munich Olympics that saw terrorists kill 11 Israelis.

Hadid - who has since been dropped from the advertisement - could be seen sporting a blue and white-checkered shirt as well as a pair of classic, denim jeans on her latest excursion.

Bella added a belt around her waist with a large, silver buckle and slipped into a pair of brown boots that were partially concealed by the hem of her pants.

Bella Hadid, 27, was spotted for the first time since breaking her silence on her controversial Adidas campaign as she stepped out in Fort Worth, Texas on Monday

She layered the outfit with a dark gray, leather jacket that was left unzipped at the front to show off the ensemble underneath.

The media personality added a cream-colored, cowgirl hat on top of her brunette locks that were styled into a low up do, allowing loose strands to border the sides of her face.

Hadid opted for minimal accessories during the outing, and added a few rings on each of her hands for a flashy flare.

While strolling out of the eatery, the beauty easily carried her smartphone in her right hand as she prepared to head to her next destination.

Bella notably moved to Fort Worth and purchased a home in a rural neighborhood, TMZ reported earlier this March, but is 'close enough to urban amenities.'

The model is also currently dating cowboy Adan Banuelos - and the couple went Instagram official in February of this year.

Banuelos is a successful horse rider and notably became one of the youngest individuals to be inducted into the NCHA Hall of Fame back in 2017.

Bella is also an avid equestrian and has competed in events, taking home two rodeo buckles in April - which her mother Yolanda proudly documented at the time.

Hadid - who has since been dropped from the advertisement - could be seen sporting a blue and white-checkered shirt as well as a pair of classic, denim jeans on her latest excursion

Bella notably moved to Fort Worth and purchased a home in a rural neighborhood in the city, TMZ reported earlier this March, but is 'close enough to urban amenities'

The model is also currently dating cowboy Adan Banuelos - and the couple went Instagram official in February of this year

She opened up about her life in Texas and her friendships in the state during an interview with Allure back in April. 'We have the best time, and I never feel like I need to do too much.'

'For the first time now, I'm not putting on a fake face. If I don't feel good, I won't go. If I don't feel good, I take time for myself. And I've never had the opportunity to do that or say that before.'

'Now when anybody sees me in pictures and they say, I look happy, I genuinely am. I am feeling better; my bad days now were my old good days,' Bella continued.

Last year, the star notably took a hiatus from modeling due to her battle with Lyme disease.

Bella's latest outing comes shortly after she broke her silence on the controversial Adidas campaign she recently starred in earlier this month.

The pro-Palestinian star penned a lengthy message to her followers and began with, 'For those of you who do not know my heart, I want to make sure you're hearing directly from me about my recent campaign with adidas.'

Hadid expressed she 'would never knowingly engage with any art or work that is linked to a horrific tragedy of any kind.'

'In advance of the campaign's release, I had no knowledge of the historical connection to the atrocious events in 1972. I am shocked, I am upset, and I am disappointed in the lack of sensitivity that went into this campaign.'

Bella is also an avid equestrian and has competed in events, taking home two rodeo buckles in April - which her mother Yolanda proudly documented at the time

Bella's latest outing comes shortly after she broke her silence on the controversial Adidas campaign she recently starred in earlier this month

Bella further explained, 'Had I been made aware, from the bottom of my heart, I would never have participated.'

'My team should have known, adidas should have known and I should have done more research so that I too would have known and understood, and spoken up.'

The model added that she 'will always speak up for what I believe to be wrong. While everyone's intentions were to make something positive, and bring people together through art, the collective lack of understanding from all parties undermined the process.'

'I do not believe in hate in any form, including antisemitism,' Hadid continued, adding, 'That will never waiver, and I stand by that statement to the fullest extent.'

The media personality also shared that, 'Connecting the liberation of the Palestinian people to an attack so tragic, is something that hurts my heart.'

'Palestine is not synonymous with terrorism and this campaign unintentionally highlighted an event that does not present who we are.'

Bella stated that she is a 'proud Palestinian woman' and expressed 'there is much more to our culture than the things that have been equated over the past week.'

'I will forever stand by my people of Palestine while continuing to advocate for a world free of antisemitism. Antisemitism has no place in the liberation of the Palestinian people.'

Hadid expressed she 'would never knowingly engage with any art or work that is linked to a horrific tragedy of any kind'

The supermodel starred in the campaign to promote the relaunch of the Adidas SL72 sneakers released in 1972 - with athletes sporting the shoes during the Olympic games in Munich of that same year

In conclusion, Hadid wrote, 'I will always stand for peace over violence, any day. Hate has no place here, and I will forever advocate for not only my people, but every person world wide.'

The supermodel starred in the campaign to promote the relaunch of the Adidas SL72 sneakers released in 1972 - with athletes sporting the shoes during the Olympic games in Munich of that same year.

However, the shoe company received backlash after the campaign released - which prompted Adidas to issue an apology for the 'completely unintentional' connection to the 'tragic historical events.'

A source recently told DailyMail.com that Bella has hired lawyers after being dropped from the ad following backlash.

A source recently told DailyMail.com that Bella has hired lawyers after being dropped from the ad following backlash; seen in May in Cannes

And over the past weekend on Sunday, Adidas released a statement apologizing for the 'unintentional mistake' and 'negative impact'

And over the past weekend on Sunday, Adidas released a statement apologizing for the 'unintentional mistake' and 'negative impact.'

'Connections continue to be made to the terrible tragedy that occurred at the Munich Olympics due to our recent SL72 campaign,' the sportswear brand began.

'These connections are not meant and we apologize for any upset or distress caused to communities around the world. We made an unintentional mistake.'

Adidas apologized 'to our partners, Bella Hadid A$AP Nast, Jules Kounde, and others, for any negative impact on them and we are revising the campaign.'
Jimmy Nail made a rare public appearance at the press night performance of Death Of England: The Plays at @sohoplace in London on Tuesday.

The Auf Wiedersehen, Pet star, 70, cut a dapper figure for the event as he sported a navy blazer along with a pair of black jeans.

The actor also wore a light pink shirt and brown shoes and completed his look with a pair of sunglasses.

Jimmy was born in Longbenton, north Tyneside, in 1954.

He famously took on the role of brickie, Leonard 'Oz' Osbourne, in Auf Wiedersehen, Pet, despite originally auditioning to be an extra.

Jimmy Nail made a rare public appearance at the press night performance of Death Of England: The Plays at @sohoplace in London on Tuesday

The Auf Wiedersehen, Pet star, 70, cut a dapper figure for the event as he sported a navy blazer along with a pair of black jeans

In 1985, his cover of Rose Royce's Love Don't Live Here Anymore was a huge UK hit and in 1992, he returned to the charts with Ain't No Doubt which earned him a number 1.

He released Crocodile Shoes in 1994 for for the television drama Crocodile Shoes, which hit number four in the charts.

In 1996, while starring on Crocodile Shoes, Jimmy was the highest paid TV actor in the UK that year, earning almost 1million.

Despite this financial success, Jimmy gave up his acting career the following year to focus on music.

'I like singing,' he previously told PennyBlackMusic. 'I was an accidental actor.

'Music was always my first love, my real passion. I just needed to prove myself and acting parts were a step along the way to this. It was a fluke I hit the jackpot as an actor.'

In 2014, Jimmy was part of Sting's Last Ship stage musical project.
Sam Smith revealed Alicia Keys will feature on a re-recorded version of their hit track, I'm Not The Only One, to celebrate the 10th anniversary of their debut album In The Lonely Hour (2014).

The Stay With Me hitmaker, 32 - who recently revealed they were 'unable to walk' following a traumatic ski accident - jumped to their Instagram page to announce the duet on Tuesday.

The new version of I'm Not The Only One will appear on Smith's upcoming 10th anniversary edition album of In The Lonely Hour - which drops next month on August 2.

Sam - who uses they/them pronouns - uploaded what appeared to be a throwback snap of the pair as they toasted refreshing drinks while spending time together in a bar.

The stars held big smiles on their faces as they held a lighthearted conversation with each other.

Sam Smith, 32, revealed Alicia Keys, 43, will feature on a re-recorded version of their hit track, I'm Not The Only One, to celebrate the 10th anniversary of their debut album In The Lonely Hour (2014)

The new version of I'm Not The Only One will appear on Smith's upcoming 10th anniversary edition album of In The Lonely Hour - which drops next month on August 2

Another image showed the pair posing together with city skyscrapers towering above them in the background.

Keys flashed a glimpse of her toned midriff in a cropped, blue knit sweater as well as a pair of high-waisted, blue bottoms.

Alicia's locks were pulled back into a sleek bun, preventing any loose strands from falling onto her face.

The No One songstress accessorized the look with a pair of gold, heart-shaped earrings as well as gold-chained necklaces. For a finishing touch to the outfit, the beauty also sported a pair of fashionable shades.

Sam stood behind the beauty in a long-sleeved, white shirt which was layered with a black and white-colored vest on top.

Smith captioned the post with, 'I'm Not The Only One feat. the truly incomparable @aliciakeys. Coming Friday August 2nd.'

'I am so honoured to have such an incredible talent and a beautiful soul join me on this track to celebrate a decade of In The Lonely Hour.'

They continued, 'Released with the digital versions of In The Lonely Hour (10th Anniversary Edition) this Friday.'

Smith captioned the post with, 'I'm Not The Only One feat. the truly incomparable @aliciakeys. Coming Friday August 2nd'

They continued, 'Released with the digital versions of In The Lonely Hour (10th Anniversary Edition) this Friday'

Last month in June, Smith was joined by Alicia for a surprise duet of the song, I'm Not The Only One, at Julius' bar in NYC.

During the performance - which saw Keys also playing the tune on a piano - Sam gushed, 'Thank you to Alicia Keys. This is a dream come true,' per Billboard.

The songstress responded with, 'This is amazing. Can you believe we never did this before? Except for right now? That's crazy!'

Smith later jumped to their Instagram page to share a photo of the two that was taken at the bar in Manhattan.

They wore a sleeveless, black shirt that had the name of the bar Julius' written in green lettering on the front. Sam also wore a plaid skirt that was secured with a thick, black leather belt wrapped around the waist.

Keys held a big smile on her face as she sported a black, cropped top as well as a pair of high-waisted, blue pants.

Smith wrote, 'Celebrating 10 years of 'In The Lonely Hour' in one of my favourite places in New York, @juliusbarnyc.'

'Thank you @aliciakeys for making the evening even more special,' the British-born music artist also added.

In The Lonely Hour was Sam's debut album which was released in 2014 and launched them into stardom with hits such as Stay With Me and Lay Me Down; seen in May in NYC

Upon announcing the 10th anniversary edition of In The Lonely Hour last month in June, Sam jumped to Instagram to share a photo of the album cover which was similar to the original a decade earlier; seen in February in NYC

In The Lonely Hour was Sam's debut album which was released in 2014 and launched them into stardom with hits such as Stay With Me and Lay Me Down.

The LP landed spots on various worldwide charts, include number two on the U.S. Billboard 200 and number one on the U.K. Albums chart. I'm Not The Only One was one of the tracks on the album.

In 2015 - following the release of their first studio album - Smith garnered six Grammy nominations, and won four: Best New Artist, Best Pop Vocal Album, as well as Record of the Year and Song of the Year for Stay With Me.

Upon announcing the 10th anniversary edition of In The Lonely Hour last month in June, Sam jumped to Instagram to share a photo of the album cover which was similar to the original a decade earlier.

'In The Lonely Hour (10th Anniversary Edition) This year marks a decade since the release of my debut album.'

They are set to perform more shows throughout August and September in Europe, with the next show slated for August 8 during the Denmark Smukfest; seen in March in Chile

They also wrote, 'I feel so incredibly lucky to be celebrating this milestone with you. My team and I have created this beautiful anniversary edition for us all, and for the last 10 years.'

'Today is only the beginning Sailors, we have so much to celebrate with you between now and August. I can't wait to look back on 'In The Lonely Hour' together. Coming August 2nd. Pre-order on the link in my bio.'

Smith has been keeping busy while performing on stage during their Gloria Blackout dates.

They are set to perform more shows throughout August and September in Europe, with the next show slated for August 8 during the Denmark Smukfest.
If soaps are your thing, you'll love this guide to next week's episodes  add in our great pictures of all the action and it is simply unmissable.

In EastEnders Linda is the victim of poison pen letters, Emmerdale sees a new member of a classic clan arrive and Coronation Street's Lauren is in agony as she waits to see if her baby boy will pull through

Coronation Street

1. Agony for Lauren

Lauren keeps a vigil over her baby son, who is in an incubator, hoping and praying that he'll pull through. DS Swain arrives at the hospital to ask Lauren some questions, but will Lauren continue to cover for Joel now that her baby is here and her priorities have changed?

2. Hope hopes for love

Hope tells Fiz and Tyrone that she has dumped Sam. However, the pair are left concerned when she reveals that she is more interested in Kevin's son, Jack. Later, Hope heads to Dr Gaddas and asks to go on the pill. Should Fiz and Tyrone be worried about how far their daughter could go to nab her man?

3. Beth's fashion disaster

Beth is relieved to have intercepted the delivery of counterfeit t-shirts that went astray. She secretly delivers them to her contact, Sid, but as he hands over the cash in the ginnel, Kit and Craig appear and catch her red-handed. They demand to know what's going on, can Beth talk her way out of this one?

4. Betsy turns the screws

Betsy reminds Joel that he owes her after he threw her out of his car in the middle of a rough estate. Later, Joel feels the pressure when Dee-Dee suggests they book their honeymoon, despite him having suggested they keep a close eye on their wedding costs. When Betsy demands 100 from Joel or she'll report him for picking up young girls, Joel loses his temper and drags her into the ginnel. Is he set to silence her for good?

5. Fiz's blast from the past

An ordinary visit to Freshco leaves Fiz reeling when she runs into Alina in the car park. Tyrone's ex explains that she is only back from Romania as she's been called as a witness in the trial of the people traffickers she was a victim of. With Alina explaining she'll leave as soon as the trial is over, will Fiz tell Tyrone that she is back in town?

6. Mason in the firing line

With Stu concerned about Mason's welfare, he offers him a job as a pot washer at Speed Daal to give him a leg up. However, the decision proves to be unpopular with the locals, especially when Gary arrives and realises Liam's bully is working at the restaurant. Later, Sean storms in and confronts Yasmeen and Stu over their support of Mason.

7. Cassie kidnaps Alina

Cassie spots Alina's name on a cab booking and taking Steve's car she arrives at Alina's hotel. After helping her into the cab, rather than taking her to the airport, Cassie drives Alina straight to Coronation Street to see Tyrone. Alina is furious at her interference, but how will Ty feel to come face-to-face with his ex?

8. Max offers Lauren support

Max visits an emotional Lauren at the hospital. Seeing she needs a break, Max insists on taking her to lunch and the pair head to Speed Daal. Will Lauren open up to her friend about what is really going on?

9. Love for Steve and Cassie?

Steve and Cassie head off together to watch the Weatherfield County game and it's clear that they are enjoying each other's company. When Tim enquires over Demi, the woman Steve was dating recently, he's dismissive about her. Is there a new love blossoming on the Street?

Emmerdale

1. Ruby faces the music

Kim takes great delight in filling in Caleb about Ruby's plotting. Meanwhile, Ruby is worried about how her hubby is going to react. She grows increasingly concerned when a wordless Caleb takes her for a drive. As they arrive at a mysterious depot and get out of the car, Ruby is mystified about what Caleb has in store for her.

2. Samson arrested

Samson finally finds the bravery to stand up to Josh. Later, Lydia and Sam are shocked when Samson is arrested for assaulting the bad lad. When Moira can't hide her glee at what's happened, Cain becomes convinced that it was Moira who reported Samson. Later, Lydia arrives in the Woolpack with news from Samson's plea hearing.

3. Vic learns the truth

Having learned about Pollard's plot to have Vic sacked from The Hide, Brenda forces him to make amends and he offers Victoria a job at the shop. However, when he later comes clean about his part in her sacking, Vic explodes at him, berating him for the scheming which left her penniless. Pollard tries to explain himself, but Vic is too hurt and angry to listen. Later, however, Aaron suggest that she turn the situation to her advantage.

4. Mandy tries to rip off a pal

With her honeymoon to pay for, Mandy's financial worries are reaching crisis point. She secretly tries to add a surcharge to the cost of Tracy's nail appointment, but Tracy catches her out. Mandy admits to her friend that she is in serious debt, but she can't come clean to Paddy about it.

5. Kim does a runner

With Kim and Will both seemingly suspicious of each other over Rose's disappearance, relations are strained between the pair. They work together to send a text from Rose's phone after Dawn suggests they hire a private investigator to find her mum. The text does the trick, even if it does break Dawn to think her mum has abandoned her all over again. Just as it looks like Will is about to open up about something, Kim heads off on a business trip to Dubai, desperate to escape her crumbling marriage.

6. Rodney drives Jimmy to the edge

Rodney is pleased to land a job driving for the haulage firm, but Jimmy hopes he doesn't regret his decision to employ his father-in-law. Later, Jimmy discovers that Rodney's arrived with the delivery, but there were several items missing. Jimmy is quick to blame Rodney for the trouble - but could there be more to it?

7. Vic's family reunion

With Pollard's car is out of action, Victoria offers to give him a lift to a funeral he's attending. When they arrive, Vic ends up putting her foot in it with the bereaved son. However, her embarrassment turns to shock when the man reveals that his name is John Sugden.

8. Pollard's history lesson

With Victoria curious about the man she has just met being a Sugden, Pollard fills her in on her dad Jack's history with the woman whose funeral they are attending. Vic is left reeling when Pollard awkwardly admits that it's quite likely this man is her half-brother.

9. Mandy takes charge!

Determined to sort out her money troubles, Mandy has the idea to become a financial dominatrix, which would see her bossing men online into giving her cash. Tracy tries to discourage her, but Mandy pays no heed to her words. Soon, Mandy's new alter-ego Madame Diamante Dales is open for business.

10. John causes a stir

When Pollard and Victoria return to the village, they are shocked to see John there. His campervan has broken down and Mack's rescued him, taking the van into the garage for repairs. Vic's pleased to see John again, who now is forced to stay in the village while his van is out of action. However, Vic's new-found brother is soon ruffling a few feathers with the locals.

EastEnders

1. Reiss feels the heat

The pressure is on killer Reiss as he frets about Debbie's post-mortem results. Sonia's reassurances don't alleviate his worries. Later, Reiss is cornered by Phil, who demands a return on the fake investment scheme within 24 hours. As Reiss looks at Debbie's wedding ring, he's soon telling another lie to Sonia

2. Linda is made an offer

Linda is shocked when she's accosted in The Vic by Fraser, a contact of Dean's who is there to offer her a deal on Dean's behalf. Elaine sees him off, but it's clear Linda is tempted by the offer. While Elaine tries to talk her out of it, conflicted Linda soon turns to the bottle.

3. Suki's blast from the past

Suki is left reeling when Nish brings a guest to the Square, Ayesha, the widow of the neighbour Nish killed 20 years ago. Suki and Ayesha head to The Vic for a drink, where Nish drops poison into Eve's ear about how close Suki and Ayesha once were, leaving Eve worried.

4. Bobby in at the deep end

Cindy and Junior arrange an afternoon liaison, but their plans are scuppered when Peter isn't available to manage Beale's Ells. Cindy ropes in Bobby to help, promoting him to manager in her desperation. While it's soon clear he's not up to the job, the restaurant is the last thing on Cindy's mind as she and Junior spend the afternoon together.

5. Linda's mood decays

Linda is hungover and forgets about Annie's dentist appointment, then gets defensive when Elaine offers to help and rushes to the appointment. There, Linda shocked to learn that Annie dental care leaves a lot to be desired, and she is left wracked with guilt.

6. Eve's big proposal

Eve spots Reiss with Debbie's ring. Later, after confiding in Stacey about her worries over Ayesha, Eve realises how much Nish is manipulating things. A run in with Nish sees Eve make a big decision and she heads to The Vic, proposing to Suki in front of the assembled locals.

7. Hate mail for Linda

Linda asks Jack for advice on the trial as she struggles to figure out what to do . Later, when bottling up, she makes a shocking discovery. Revealing to Johnny that she has received a blackmail letter, the pair try and work out who could have sent it.

8. Freddie goes for Mo

Mo is down following Stevie's departure, so Freddie decides to take matters into his own hands to try and cheer her up. Grabbing an opportunity with Teddy, Freddie quizzes him for information on his dad's whereabouts, but will Teddy be able to help?

9. Love birds on the Square

Continuing his mission to cheer up Mo, Freddie takes her birdwatching in the Square. He also ropes Anna in after she is stood up by Bobby, and Mo can't help but notice the spark between the pair. Later, Mo chats to Anna and gives her some food for thought.

10. Showdown in The Vic

Johnny summons Denise and Sharon to discuss the blackmail letter. When a second letter arrives, Linda loses control and makes a scene as she starts accusing various people in the Vic, before Johnny manages to get her upstairs. Later, we see the person who has been sending the letters visiting Dean
Nadiya Bychkova and Karen Hauer stunned in similar gym sets as they led the Strictly Come Dancing pros arriving for their latest rehearsals in Camden, north London on Tuesday - amid the ongoing behind-the-scenes chaos.

Ukrainian native Nadiya, 34, flashed her washboard abs in the khaki two-piece, while wearing the matching cap and elevating her look with a large Chanel handbag.

Venezuelan-American star Karen, 42, who was previously in a relationship with ex-Strictly pro Kevin Clifton, looked incredible in a dark green set and carried a shiny mauve handbag.

The cast were in high spirits as it was the 33rd birthday of their colleague Nancy Xu, who won Strictly's Christmas Special in 2023 with Jamie Borthwick - who will reportedly return in September.

She was thoroughly dressed for the occasion and was gifted a handmade birthday cake by Dianne Buswell, 35.

Nadiya Bychkova, 34, and Karen Hauer, 42, stunned in similar gym sets on Tuesday as they led the Strictly Come Dancing professionals heading to rehearsals in Camden

Venezuelan-American star Karen who was previously in a relationship with ex-Strictly pro Kevin Clifton, beamed in dark green and carried a shiny mauve handbag

Tuesday was the 33rd birthday of their colleague Nancy Xu (pictured) who won Strictly's Christmas Special in 2023 with Jamie Borthwick who will reportedly return in September

Nadiya's recent ex Kai Widdrington, 28, risked an awkward run-in with Nadiya, whom he split from in July after two years together, as he arrived by bike.

Luba Mushtuk, 34, rocked a black crop top and leggings, and wrapped a black and white tartan shirt around her waist.

Cypriot-Sri Lankan Michelle Tsiakkas, 28, wore an orange Adidas jacket and a white pair of Dr. Martens and carried two Selfridges bags, perhaps containing Nancy's gifts.

Strictly 2023 and Celebrity Big Brother 2024 runner-up Nikita Kuzmin, 26, wore a white vest and light blue pinstripe shorts.

Slovenian star Aljaz Skorjanec, 34, beamed and gave a thumbs up as he donned grey jogging bottoms and a black T-shirt.

Father-of-one Neil Jones, 42, wore a pale yellow T-shirt with heavily pocketed light blue jeans and white trainers.

Strictly 2023 winner Vito Coppola, 31, looked handsome in an open white shirt and cropped brown trousers.

Lauren Oakley, 33, who joined Strictly in 2022 along with Vito, Michelle, and Carlos Gu, went braless in a grey crop top and a floral skirt.

Gorka Marquez, 33, who judges Spanish dance show Bailando con las Estrellas, showed off his heavily tattooed arms in a black vest which he wore with black shorts.

It comes after the scandal-plagued show was plunged into further crisis this week when the programme was branded 'toxic and cruel' by staff claiming they were grilled on their 'sex lives'.

She was thoroughly dressed for the occasion and was brought a handmade birthday cake by Dianne Buswell, 35

Nadiya's recent ex Kai Widdrington, 28, risked an awkward run-in with Nadiya, whom he split from in July after two years together, as he arrived by bike

Luba Mushtuk, 34, rocked a black crop top and leggings and wrapped a black and white tartan shirt around her waist

Her leggings were covered in stars and she layered silver necklaces. Luba finished her look with bright white trainers

Cypriot-Sri Lankan Michelle Tsiakkas, 28, wore an orange Adidas jacket and a white pair of Dr. Martens and carried two Selfridges bags, perhaps containing Nancy's gifts

Strictly 2023 and Celebrity Big Brother 2024 runner-up Nikita Kuzmin, 26, wore a white vest and light blue pinstripe shorts

Slovenian star Aljaz Skorjanec, 34, beamed and gave a thumbs up as he donned grey jogging bottoms and a black T-shirt

Father-of-one Neil Jones, 42, wore a pale yellow T-shirt with heavily pocketed light blue jeans and white trainers

Strictly 2023 winner Vito Coppola, 31, looked handsome in an open white shirt and cropped brown trousers

Lauren Oakley, 33, who joined Strictly in 2022 along with Vito, Michelle, and Carlos Gu, went braless in a grey crop top and a floral skirt

Gorka Marquez, 33, who judges Spanish dance show Bailando con las Estrellas, showed off his heavily tattooed arms in a black vest which he wore with black shorts

Dianne gave a wave as she later left

She carried a cardboard box with her

Karen wore a khaki sports co-ord

She waved to the cameras

The sports shorts were teamed with a sports bra

Nadiya showed off her toned figure while stepping out

The pros stepping out comes just after Strictly was thrown into more crisis on Monday as backstage staff branded the scandal-plagued show 'toxic and cruel'.

The BBC show has been engulfed by drama since Giovanni Pernice was suspended after his celebrity partner Amanda Abbington accused him of abusive behaviour, saying he was 'cruel and mean.' He denies the claims.

It was followed by Graziano Di Prima's sacking last month over reports he verbally and physically abused Zara McDermott during rehearsals. Graziano has apologised for kicking his former partner and added other allegations do not align with 'how he remembers it.'

And now, according to The Observer, production workers at the hit dance series have alleged they were grilled on their 'sex lives.'

One complained that 'talented co-workers were treated with cruelty,' while another added that the workplace environment on the show eight years ago was 'tense, toxic, uncomfortable.'

One then told the publication how they had been subjected to 'sexualised comments' including queries about their sex life.

A spokesperson for the BBC told the publication: 'The welfare of our crews working on each series of Strictly is always of paramount importance to us.

'We act speedily when any concerns are raised, and we have thorough, effective and longstanding processes to manage them. We do not recognise the claims relating to a negative workplace culture.'
Silver Crest Donut Shop, the 24-hour diner on Bayshore Boulevard in San Francisco, was boarded up on Tuesday, July 30, 2024. Esther Mobley/The Chronicle

The neon sign outside Silver Crest Donut Shop in San Francisco says the 24-hour restaurant never closes. Now, its doors appear to be shut for good.

The Chronicle confirmed on Tuesday the longtime diner at 340 Bayshore Blvd. has closed and its windows are boarded up. The owner of neighboring business JR Seafood said that Silver Crests windows had been shuttered on Monday.

The JR Seafood owner, Raul, who declined to give his last name, complained about vandalism in the neighborhood in the Bayshore area, known as Apparel City, which borders Bernal Heights. He pointed to a bullet hole in his stores awning that he said had been there for the last two years. Less than 24 hours after Silver Crests windows were boarded up, the boards were filled with graffiti.

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It is not clear when the restaurant opened; Silver Crests owners, George and Nina Giavris, purchased the restaurant in 1970. Inside the structure, the owners served plate after plate of eggs with bacon, sandwiches and doughnuts.

The Chronicle attempted to reach a relative of the owners, but did not immediately hear back.

Silver Crest Donut Shop, the 24-hour diner on Bayshore Boulevard in San Francisco, was boarded up on Tuesday, July 30, 2024. Esther Mobley/The Chronicle

District 9 Supervisor Hillary Ronen had not heard about a closing and said that, if true, it would be a sad end of an era.

The weathered building, once a gas station and later a mini market, was home to a pool table and several pinball machines. Its interior appeared nearly intact since its mid-century heyday, with a wood-paneled counter above ruby red stools. A menu board with painted prices hung above the kitchen window.

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A Los Angeles Times piece published in December narrated the challenges the Giavrises faced in keeping the restaurant open over the decades, through the textile industrys departure from the Apparel City neighborhood in the 1970s and the changing landscape of the 2000s. Doughnuts and dinner service have been unavailable since last August, when George Giavris suffered a back injury that put him in a wheelchair, the Times reported.
Rite Aid has now closed 772 stores since October 2023, representing over a third of the roughly 2,000 locations it operated before it fell into bankruptcy.

Michigan and Ohio are the worst hit - with an astonishing three in four Rite Aids in the two states now shut.

In the past month alone, the troubled drugstore has closed 189 shops across the neighboring Midwest swing states. Locals fear the chain is readying itself to totally leave the area.

After filing for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection in October, Rite Aid announced it would initially shutter 154 underperforming stores across a dozen states. In the nine months since then, it has shut an additional 618.

One analyst told ABC27 in September the worst case scenario was that 700 stores would close, which Rite Aid has far surpassed.

The chain has been facing a series of challenges.

Drugstores, generally, are struggling to compete with big-box chains and with Amazon, which launched its own online-only pharmacy in 2020.

The most recent closures came last week, with Rite Aid disclosing it will phase out 10 stores in Ohio and 20 stores in Michigan, according to court documents.

In fact, stores in Ohio and Michigan make up 43 percent of the total closures so far, despite those states not even being the biggest markets for Rite Aid.

This had led some to be concerned that these two states will have some of the largest pharmacy deserts in the country.

A Rite Aid pharmacist told an Ohio business journal last month that the recent spate of closures will 'without a doubt' cause massive problems for vulnerable populations who need a pharmacy near them.

'Some of the Rite Aid locations are in areas where there are not a lot of competitors or other options,' he told Crain's Cleveland Business.

A major factor in Rite Aid's ongoing bankruptcy is the fact that it had been unable to settle hundreds of costly lawsuits accusing the company of overprescribing opioids.

But when Judge Michael Kaplan approved the company's reorganization plan late last month, 16 out of the 17 states' lawsuits over its alleged negligence in prescribing opioids were settled.

The 22,000 individuals who filed opioid claims against Rite Aid will be entitled to $250 to $500 payouts, Reuters reported.

The restructuring will also cut debt by $2 billion, mainly financed by a group of Rite Aid's lenders.

It's unclear when Rite Aid will emerge from bankruptcy, but it plans to return with about 1,300 stores total, a far cry from when it operated 5,059 locations in 2008.

Neil Saunders, managing director of GlobalData, told DailyMail.com that no one should expect Rite Aid to charge back to where it once was in 2008 - the third largest drugstore chain in the country.

'Rite Aid is hoping to get itself back onto a firm financial footing, although it will emerge from bankruptcy as a much smaller business with far fewer stores,' Saunders said.

DailyMail.com approached Rite Aid for comment but didn't receive an immediate response.

Walgreens, the second largest pharmacy in the US behind CVS, is grappling with its own financial troubles, announcing last month it would close a 'significant' number of its 8,700 US stores.

Upon seeking bankruptcy protection last October, Rite Aid announced it would initially shutter 154 underperforming retail locations across over a dozen states. Over the past nine months, it shut an additional 618

Three people browse the sparse shelves of a Brooklyn Rite Aid in August 2023, months before it would declare bankruptcy

A woman browses the shelves of a Rite Aid in Alhambra, California on October 18, 2023. This store was due to close in days following the bankruptcy announcement on October 15

Rite Aid was once the the third largest drugstore chain in the country, operating over 5,000 locations across the US. After the bankruptcy, that could dwindle to just 1,300

The widespread 'retail apocalypse' that has seen brick-and-mortar stores struggle to combat rampant theft and increasingly tight margins is certainly not contained to drugstores.

By the end of April, US retailers had announced the closure of almost 2,600 stores in 2024.

Walmart, the largest retailer in the US, has shut 11 so far this year.

Earlier in April, dollar store 99 Cents Only said it will shutter ALL its 371 shops, while Best Buy closed ten in March.

Dollar Tree is closing 1,000, Macy's 150 - a third of its total - and drug store Rite Aid 77.

In recent months, there has been a spate of bankruptcies adding to store closures, including home and furniture retailer Conn's.

National coffee and upmarket grocery chain Foxtrot also said at the start of April it will shut all its stores with immediate effect - leaving staff and customers stunned.

Express - a mall staple - filed for bankruptcy in April and said it would shut 95 Express outlets alongside all of its UpWest stores.

At the start of May, Rue21 - the teen fashion chain that is a fixture in malls across America - also said it will shut all its 543 US stores.
Krispy Krunchy Chicken has entered the fast food value war, undercutting bigger rivals right off the bat with a limited time $4 meal.

That's a dollar cheaper than the value offerings from McDonald's, Burger King and Wendy's.

For that price, the Louisiana-style fried chicken restaurant is giving customers either two pieces of dark meat bone-in fried chicken, or two hand-breaded white meat Cajun Tenders, Verdict Food Service reported.

Potato wedges are served on the side, and if you choose bone-in chicken, you can get drumsticks, thighs or full wings that are seasoned with a mild Cajun spice.

The $4 meal is being made available at participating locations from Monday to Friday between 10am to 2pm.

Pictured: A chicken drumstick from Krispy Krunchy Chicken

The offer is not available through third-party food delivery apps such as DoorDash Uber Eats or GrubHub.

Krispy Krunchy, which has 2,800 locations across 47 US states, is known for using a Cajun marinade and custom breading.

It also cooks its chicken in small batches so it doesn't sit for long and stays fresh.

'Value is more important than ever in todays economy, and thats especially true for our operators guests,' Krispy Krunchy CEO Jim Norberg said. 'So as these guests demand more value, were finding a way to make it happen without compromising on quality.'

It appears the main difference between Krispy Krunchy's value offering and those of some of the bigger chains is that the former doesn't offer a drink alongside the chicken.

Chains have been reeling from falling customer numbers as Americans fed up with two years of price hikes stay away. That's why so many fast food budget meals are hitting the market this summer.

Burger King's $5 Your Way Meal - a choice of one of three sandwiches plus four chicken nuggets, fries and a soft drink - was the first to hit restaurants in June.

It rushed it out ahead of key rival McDonald's, which had actually announced its deal first.

The McDonald's deal went on sale on June 25 for a month but has since been expanded to last the rest of the summer at most locations

Burger King's $5 meal was first to hit the market this summer, even before McDonald's. It includes a choice of one of three sandwiches plus four chicken nuggets, fries and a soft drink

The $5 meal from McDonald's is similar - and includes either a McChicken or McDouble, four-piece chicken nuggets, fries and a drink.

At first, it was introduced for four weeks, but it has now been extended through the rest of the summer at most restaurants.

Wendy's has a $3 breakfast offer and also a four-item $5 meal similar to McDonald's and BK's.

Starbucks also made a surprise entry into the value war with a coffee and food breakfast combo from $5.
Walmart customers are losing a major way to save money - all because of a feud between the world's largest retailer and Capital One.

In 2019, the Virginia-based bank became the sole-issuer of Walmart's two store credit cards. The cards offered a lucrative 5 percent cashback on the retailer's website and 2 percent on items bought in person.

In May 2024, Walmart terminated the partnership after accusing Capital One of failing to promptly replace lost credit cards and update cardholders' accounts.

Initially, customers were told they could use the cards - and land the cashback - until Capital One informed them otherwise.

But now Capital One has said it will be soon replacing these cards with a new one known as a Quicksilver Mastercard, that does not carry the Walmart perks.

Walmart accused Capital One of negligence in its credit card partnership. A federal judge took Walmart's side in March 2024

Capital One is ranked just 1 star out 5 based on more than 1,600 reviews submitted to the Better Business Bureau. It has closed 12,969 complaints in the last three years

The dispute between the two giants led to a court battle that started in April 2023 and ended in March 2024. Walmart came out on top.

District Judge Katherine Polk Failla handed down the ruling, finding that Capital One was indeed responsible for 'repeated customer service failures,' which entitled Walmart to end the partnership under their mutually agreed-upon contract.

As a result, the Capital One Walmart Rewards Mastercard - which can be used anywhere Mastercard is accepted - and the store-exclusive Walmart Rewards Card are no longer accepting applications.

But since Capital One is still owns the actual credit accounts associated with these now defunct Walmart cards, the bank has opted to slyly transition them to its own Quicksilver Mastercard.

Capital One values the balances on these accounts at roughly $8.5 billion, according to court documents, and its plan to hand out new cards will allow it to continue making money off those who choose to use them.

Eligible customers will be issued a replacement no-annual fee Quicksilver card 'on a rolling basis, so not all customers will receive their card at the same time,' Capital One's website noted.

The Quicksilver card is a no-frills offering that gives 1.5 percent cashback on nearly every purchase. It has no annual fee and has no foreign transaction fees

A spokesperson for the bank told NerdWallet Walmart cardholders should expect their new card in the mail by September or early 2025 at the latest.

Both Walmart cards remain active and can be still used, but once customers receive the replacement, Capital One recommends they activate the new one and destroy their old card.

Any points that were earned on the Walmart cards will transfer over to the Quicksilver at a value of one cent per point.

Of course, the Quicksilver card won't be able to earn 5 percent back at Walmart stores, but it does offer 1.5 percent unlimited cashback.

That's better than 1 percent unlimited cashback that the Capital One-branded Walmart card offered in its heyday, but most people don't use store credit cards for outside purchases.

Now, Walmart finds itself in the unique position of not currently having a native credit card for its customers.

It has two debit rewards cards eligible for 3 percent cashback and a reloadable Visa debit card through Green Dot Bank.

The big-box store hasn't yet shared what its plans are for future credit card offerings.
A commercially successful breakfast spot on the suburban outskirts of Chicago closed its doors Sunday after 65 years in business, reportedly because the landlord wanted to cash in.

Peter Gerousis, 43, who co-owned the Cozy Corner Restaurant in Oak Park, said that even though business was booming, the decision to shut down was mandatory.

'The restaurant right now is the most successful it's ever been in 65 years  hands down,' Gerousis told the Chicago Sun-Times. 'But our landlord felt it would be fair to double our rent.'

As he and co-owner Georgia Dravilas were nearing the end of their 30-year lease, the landlord wanted to raise the monthly rent from $8,500 to $17,000 for their retail space on the corner of Marion and Lake Streets.

After talking with other business owners in the area, Gerousis came to the conclusion that he was getting taken advantage of. So he and co-owner Georgia Dravilas started looking for a new space to rent.

Pictured: The Cozy Corner Restaurant in Oak Park, Illinois. After being in business for 65 years, the breakfast joint abruptly shuttered after its owners would have to pay double their current to stay

The two owners, who have known each other for over 25 years, thought they found perfect building to relocate to, and it was less than a block away.

But after spending six months negotiating, the deal fell through.

That's when Gerousis and Dravilas made the difficult choice to call it quits.

'I've been going through the stages of grief, but I've been stuck at the anger stage for a bit,' Gerousis said.

Dravilas' father bought the business in 1994, but after more than 20 years running it, he looked to retire.

In 2015, he privately sold the restaurant to a new owner, who spent roughly four years racking up $500,000 in unpaid taxes.

Because it was a private sale, this person owned 51 percent of the business until the purchase loan was paid off.

Dravilas' father was able to retake the business in 2019, and shortly after, he transferred ownership to his daughter and Gerousis.

'It was an insane amount of debt that we came into,' Gerousis said. 'We didn't even realize what we were walking into but the twine started unraveling.'

Not only that, they took control of the restaurant on right on the cusp of the COVID-19 pandemic, which broke out in March 2020. They relied on carryout orders keep revenue steady.

'There's no way we would've been able to keep our doors open during COVID if it wasn't for the support of everyone in the community,' said Gerousis.

Dravilas, 44, said she'll miss socializing with longtime customers.

'The saddest part about this is the customers,' Dravilas said. 'We have a lot of customers that have been coming here for many years and now they're bringing their grandchildren. I'll miss the interactions with them. No matter in how bad of a mood I can be, seeing them always makes me feel better.'

One customer spoke with ABC7 Chicago about his good times at the restaurant.

'This place was a staple for me when I first moved to Oak Park, ' Colin Knapp said as he ate at the restaurant during its last day of business. 'My son loves it and they know my son around here as well. It's just nice to have a place where you feel like a community.'

Homero Duarte worked at Cozy Corner as a server for 25 years, and while he's sad that a huge chapter of his life is over, he's excited to see what's next.

'I'm grateful for the time I spent here,' said Duarte. 'They've treated me like family here. I'm not sure where I'm going next but I know I'll be OK. At the end of the day, all that matters are the memories I've made here.'

Gerousis and Dravilas have not ruled out reopening the restaurant at a later date, mostly because the community has showered them with encouragement and support.

Nothing is certain, but the two friends' determination is not at all in question.

'We're too young to retire,' Dravilas said.

Customers dine at the Cozy Corner for the last time this past Sunday

While seated at a table inside the restaurant, Colin Knapp called the Cozy Corner 'a staple'

Across America, restaurants have been struggling. One of them is Applebee's, which is set to close up to 35 further locations this year, after closing 46 in 2023

Red Lobster was one of the most high-profile restaurant failures this year, filing for bankruptcy and shuttering over 100 restaurants after pushing an ill-conceived $20 unlimited shrimp deal

Across America, restaurants have increasingly been struggling this year. Faced with higher costs, they have put up menu prices - but that has led to a fall in customers.

Bigger chains like Applebee's, TGI Fridays and Boston Market have have all recently shuttered restaurants, as have smaller chains like BurgerFi.

Red Lobster filed for bankruptcy in May and also shuttered almost 100 restaurants. New owners were announced this week - as it emerged the debt-ridden chain owes $21 million for shrimp alone.

Chains have been worst hit in California where the minimum wage for fast food restaurants jumped to $20-an-hour from April 1.

In early June, Mexican chain Rubio's shut 48 locations in the state and also filed for bankruptcy.

Earlier this month, for example, Fargo's Pit BBQ in Texas closed after more than two decades of serving brisket, ribs and other barbecue classics.

Last month, two classic Bay Area Italian restaurants closed on the same day.
PM Modi's self-reliant India vision is central to the 2024-25 Union Budget. It boosts domestic production, supports SMEs, and fosters innovation to reduce import dependency

Prime Minister Modi's vision of a "self-reliant India" (Atmanirbhar Bharat) is a recurring theme in the budget. This vision emphasizes self-sufficiency in critical sectors such as agriculture, manufacturing, and technology. The budget outlines measures to boost domestic production, support small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs), and encourage innovation. These initiatives are designed to reduce import dependency and create a robust, self-sustaining economy.At the same time, the budget reflects Modi's understanding of India's interconnectedness with the global economy. The focus on enhancing India's export competitiveness, attracting foreign direct investment (FDI), and participating in global value chains underscores the dual approach of strengthening domestic capabilities while engaging with the global market.

This balanced approach is crucial for India to navigate the challenges and opportunities of an increasingly complex global economic landscape.The Union Budget, a cornerstone of the country's economic planning, may serve as a reflection of the government's strategic priorities and vision for the future. It is being billed as a path-breaking foundation of Reforms for the next 5 years. According to some experts, under the leadership of Prime Minister, Narendra Modi, the budget has been targeted to foster economic growth, address social inequalities, and position India as a key player on the global stage. The latest budget unveiled amidst a backdrop of global economic uncertainty, showcases a balanced approach, combining domestic development with an international outlook.

CHALLENGES BEFORE FM

In light of the 2024-25 Union Budget, the BJP-led central government faces scrutiny over its dealings with opposition-ruled states, which allege discrimination in fund allocation and policy implementation. Experts say that Central Schemes and Fund Allocation; The Budget reveals a 15% increase in allocations for flagship schemes such as the Pradhan Mantri Awas Yojana (PMAY) and Ayushman Bharat. However, opposition states argue that their share of these funds does not reflect their proportionate needs. For instance, Tamil Nadu has claimed that despite a significant allocation under PMAY, delays in fund release and implementation hinder effective utilization.

The central governments response involves reiterating the equitable distribution based on various factors, but opposition states view these explanations sceptically. Implementation Issues; Critics point to inefficiencies in scheme implementation as evidence of discrimination. The opposition-ruled states have raised concerns about delays and insufficient execution of these schemes.

The central government needs to ensure that these funds are utilized efficiently and that implementation is monitored closely to address these grievances. Political Dynamics; Allegations of political bias also come into play. Opposition leaders argue that central agencies are used to target political rivals, exacerbating feelings of discrimination. With the BJP's political rivals accusing it of manipulating central resources, the government must navigate these complex political dynamics carefully.

STEPS TO ADDRESS THE CONCERNS

To mitigate allegations of discrimination, the central government should adopt multiple strategies which include Enhanced Transparency: Provide detailed reports on fund allocations and expenditures to ensure transparency and address concerns of inequitable distribution.

The focus should be on the efficient and timely execution of central schemes, particularly in opposition-ruled states, to demonstrate commitment to equitable development. The Centre must engage in regular discussions with opposition state governments to address grievances and ensure that their concerns are heard and addressed.A Balanced Approach for Sustainable Growth; The Indian Union Budget, under the leadership of Modi, presents a balanced blueprint for growth, combining a focus on domestic development with a strategic international outlook. The emphasis on infrastructure, healthcare, education, and financial inclusion reflects the government's commitment to inclusive growth.

At the same time, the focus on global partnerships, defence manufacturing, and renewable energy highlights India's aspirations to be a key player on the world stage.Domestic Positives: A Focus on Inclusive Development; The budget's primary focus is on inclusive growth, ensuring that the benefits of economic development reach all sections of society. A significant allocation has been made towards infrastructure development, including roads, railways, and digital infrastructure. This not only promises to create jobs but also lays the groundwork for long-term economic resilience. The emphasis on renewable energy and green technology is another forward-looking aspect, aligning with global trends towards sustainability.Healthcare and education have not received substantial attention. The substantial increase in funding for public health infrastructure is a must, especially after the lessons learned from the COVID-19 pandemic. Additionally, investments in education, particularly in digital and vocational training, will equip the younger generation with skills for the future job market.

This focus on human capital development is critical for sustaining economic growth in the long term.The government's commitment to financial inclusion continues with initiatives to expand the reach of banking and financial services to rural areas. This effort is crucial for integrating rural populations into the formal economy, enhancing their economic opportunities, and reducing regional disparities. Moreover, targeted welfare schemes for farmers, women, and marginalized communities underscore the government's intent to address social inequalities and ensure a more equitable distribution of resources.Extreme evidence of a discriminatory approach exhibited in the union budget estimates for 2024-24 pertains to the allocation of Rs 11,500 crore for flood mitigation to Bihar whereas Himachal as well as Uttrakhand faced unprecedented catastrophe in July/August 2023 which suffered extensive damages to the tune of over Rs 12,000 crore and Rs 4,000 crore respectively but figures have not been mentioned in the budget.

Himachal government is in a quandary as 550 lives were lost and rehabilitation of lakhs of hapless people had been undertaken by the state government by making provision of Rs 650 crore hence expected a liberal Special Package from the union finance minister who preferred to just give an assurance about financial assistance to the state but no allocation of the budget. Inordinate delay in the announcement of a Special Package had affected relief and rehabilitation works though the state demanded immediate help of Rs 9,042 crore from the centre in Aug 2023 Chief Minister, Sukhvinder Sigh Sukhu regretted the apathy of the centre which gave nothing for one year. The finance minister skipped Punjab also which witnessed devastation owing to heavy rains and floods in 21 out of 23 districts and damages were more than RS 1,680 crore.

About 70 lives were lost and the state government has been demanding financial assistance which has been ignored in this budget. Contrary to it, Bihar has been chosen for special treatment and the finance minister allocated Rs 11,500 crore for flood mitigation which is being interpreted as a Reward for helping BHP to form a government after its reduced strength in Lok Sabha. Experts say that Bihar has been Indias most flood-prone state with 76% of the population of north Bihar living under recurring threat of divesting floods for decades hence it deserves a special package but not by ignoring other states that suffer an identical natural disaster every year. As India navigates the challenges of a post-pandemic world, the budget's provisions for economic resilience, social equity, and environmental sustainability provide a solid foundation for future growth. Modi's vision of a self-reliant India resonates throughout the budget, offering a roadmap for the country's economic and strategic aspirations. This holistic approach, balancing domestic priorities with international engagement, positions India well for a sustainable and prosperous future.

(The writer is a political analyst and senior journalist based in Shimla; views are personal)
As the nation commemorates Tilak's 168th birth anniversary, we reflect on his profound influence on the independence movement and his contributions as a reformer

In 1921, Mahatma Gandhis visit to the Nellore district marked a significant moment in Indias freedom movement. He inaugurated the Satyagraha Ashram in Pallepadu and delivered significant speeches at the Town Hall and V.R. College. At the Rebala Lakshmi Narasa Reddy Town Hall, he unveiled a portrait of his political mentor, Bal Gangadhar Tilak, emphasizing Tilaks profound patriotism and leadership, which galvanized the freedom movement. Gandhi extolled Tilaks legacy, invoking the ideals of Swaraj (self-rule) and characterizing the Non-Cooperation Movement as an act of self-purification. He urged contributions to the Tilak Swaraj Fund, established in 1920, to support educational institutions, Khadi promotion, and Swadeshi efforts. It was a successful mobilized mission.July 23, 2024, marked the 168th birth anniversary of Bal Gangadhar Tilak, also revered as Lokmanya and The Lion of Maharashtra.

This is for his dual role, as a freedom fighter and social reformer. His impact has also been underscored by notable figures, such as British journalist Valentine Chirol who termed him the father of Indian unrest, while, Jawaharlal Nehru hailed him as the father of the Indian revolution and Mahatma Gandhi recognized him as the Maker of Modern India. A distinguished Sanskrit scholar and thinker, Tilak was also a visionary leader. Sri Aurobindo, in his collection of Tilaks writings and speeches, emphasized Tilaks transformative influence on the Indian National Congress, reshaping it from its occidental characteristics to embrace mass participation in the freedom struggle.

In The Intellectual Biography of Bal Gangadhar Tilak published in the Journal of Research in Humanities and Social Science, Raj Hans Ojha, contends that The story of Tilak is the story of Indias Swaraj, of the Indian National Congress, coming to its adulthood, and of the rise of Indian masses for the first time in quest of Home Rule and Independence. Lokmanya Tilak believed that Swaraj is the foundation and not the height of our future prosperity. We have to build a new nation, develop a new character, live the principles, which we advocate, faith in spiritual values, love of country and tolerance for views from which we differ.Tilaks intellectual contributions were many. His works such as, The Orion or Research into The Antiquity of The Vedas (1893) and The Arctic Home of Vedas (1901), complemented his political activism. Despite his devotion to independence, he expressed a preference for academia, a path cut short by his untimely death on August 1, 1920, at age 64. His educational contributions are equally noteworthy.

He co-founded institutions like the New English School, the Deccan Society for Education, and Fergusson College, and presented a comprehensive educational blueprint to the Hunter Commission (1882 & 1919). Bal Gangadhar Tilak was a strategist, transcending the roles of an idealist and philosopher, and his multifaceted contributions continue to resonate in Indias historical and educational landscape.As a formidable journalist, Tilak was renowned for his fearless and impartial stance in his weekly publication, Kesari. He championed a rigorous approach to journalism, asserting that Kesari would boldly address all issues, resisting the prevailing trend of appeasing the British and embodying its namesakes courage. Bal Gangadhar Tilak also leveraged his paper Mahrathato Advocate for the People, drawing upon Hindu scriptures and the Bhagavad Gita to support his arguments.

His profound contributions as a patriot, scholar, and politician had a significant impact on Mahatma Gandhi, who, in a March 4, 1905, article, lauded Lokmanyas scholarship, particularly his astronomical findings that traced Indian scriptures to over 10,000 years old, recognizing him as a luminary whose intellectual influence extended beyond national borders.Bal Gangadhar Tilak was imprisoned in 1908. He strongly believed that There are higher powers that rule the destiny of things and it may be the will of providence that the cause I represent may prosper more by my suffering than by my remaining free. Gandhi and Tilak had great mutual respect for one another.

In his reflections in The Indian Opinion, Gandhi praised Tilak for his readiness to endure suffering for the cause of Indias freedom. While they were ideologically different in their thoughts and actions, both Lokmanya Tilak and Mohandas Karamchand Gandhi fought for one cause, which was freedom. Mahatma Gandhi maintained a profound respect for Tilaks contributions and acknowledged his unparalleled influence and the reverence he commanded among the masses. In his tributes and public statements, Gandhi consistently lauded Tilaks selfless service, burning patriotism, and magnetic leadership. Tilaks mantra, Swaraj is our birthright, and I shall have it, resonated deeply with Mahatma Gandhi, who adapted it to his philosophy of truth and non-violence, and thus, Tilaks assertive nationalism blended with Gandhis principles of peaceful resistance. Mahadev Desai, recalls Mahatma Gandhis views on Lokmanya Tilak, which he expressed on 24 July 1934 at Cawnpore (Kanpur today), in one of the meetings. Mahatma Gandhi said: If Tilak Maharaj taught us that swaraj is our birthright, he also taught us that selfless service is the key to win it. Selfless service may have been in existence before Tilak came, but he was who systematized it. Tilaks life was a demonstration of this great ideal of Karma Yoga.

(The writer is Programme Executive, Gandhi Smriti and Darshan Samiti; views are personal)
Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee on Monday made it clear that she would never allow the implementation of Teesta Water Agreement with Bangladesh as that would hurt the northern part of her State.

Iterating that she loved Bangladesh but would not allow that love to deprive Bengal. We love Bangladesh. (But) that is a different issue, Banerjee said adding there is not enough water in the River Teesta to be shared with Bangladesh. People of North Bengal will not have access to drinking water. I will not allow anything like that, the Chief Minister said during his speech in the State assembly.

Reminding how the Centre had put across a number of barrages on the Teesta upstream in Sikkim without consulting Bengal she said, already there is no water in the River  there is problem of drinking water  I cannot allow more harm.

The Chief Minister earlier said the Centres lack of attention on Bengals river issues was causing floods and draught simultaneously. She had raised the issue of Atreyee River in Balurghat district which had dried up because of a barrage built by Bangladesh with the help of China.

Dwelling on the issue she also blamed the Damodar Valley Corporation for not carrying out enough dredging activities in various rivers which was causing floods in southern Bengal.
Two humongous landslides that struck Mundakkai settlement in Wayanad district in Keralas northern region in the wee hours of Tuesday claimed 123 lives and destroyed hundreds of houses. Rescue workers said the death toll could be more than what had been found by 6 pm on Tuesday. Torrential rain has been battering the State since Sunday morning, disrupting the normal life.

This was officially confirmed by Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan on Tuesday evening during the media briefing. He said the death toll could increase as many bodies are buried under the earth and efforts are on to retrieve the bodies despite incessant rain and poor visibility.

Two landslides struck Mundakkai at 2 am and 4 am respectively. The entire population was asleep and there was no possibility of them knowing the impending disaster. This is one of the biggest natural disasters seen by the State, said the Chief Minister.

Vijayan said Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Home Minister Amit Shah had called him and offered all possible help. But that would not be sufficient as the State alone cannot undertake the rescue and rehabilitation works on its own, lamented Vijayan.

Wayanad district has been categorised as one of the most ecologically sensitive zones in the country by the Madhav Gadgil Committee appointed by the Union Government to study the ground reality of the ecology of the district. The committee found that deforestation, uncontrolled quarrying and mining in the district have played havoc with the environment, contributing to the frequent landslides.

Within hours of the landslides, the Central Government deployed National Disaster Response Force of the Indian Army, Indian Navy and Coast Guard to save the people who were trapped by the flood waters, soil and rocks.

In addition to the residents of Mundakkai atop the high ranges, many holiday makers staying in the hundreds of high-end resorts in the region too have been trapped in the landslides.

Indian Air Force have deployed two choppers from its Sulur base for the rescue mission.

According to the Defence PRO, a team of 43 personnel, led by the Second-in-Command from the 122 Infantry Battalion (TA) MADRAS, has been mobilised to aid in the ongoing rescue efforts.

The team, comprising a Medical Officer, two Junior Commissioned Officers (JCOs), and 40 soldiers, is equipped to provide critical assistance in the affected area. Besides that, the Armys engineering group has reached Wayanad for rescue operations in the landslide-hit areas, the district administration said.

Most of the persons who were drowned or got killed in the landslides were labourers and workers staying in the Laayams of tea and coffee plantations in the district.

According to environmentalists, Tuesdays disaster is yet another proof that the State administration has not learnt anything from past mistakes.

Wayanad has no representative in Parliament as Rahul Gandhi, the Leader of Opposition who was elected from the constituency, gave it up immediately after the 2024 Lok Sabha poll to retain Rae Bareli.

Besides the dead bodies, the rescue teams came across mutilated parts of human bodies which were crushed by huge rocks and stones spewed with force by the landslides.

At the time of going to the Press, only less than half of the dead bodies have been identified.

Hospitals in the district and Kozhikode wore pictures of heart-rending scenes as the survivors scanned the dead bodies in search of their dear and near ones who disappeared in the mishap. Chief Minister Vijayan has sought the assistance of the global comity of nations for financial aid.












Renowned agricultural scientist and Deputy Director General (Crop Science) of ICAR Dr TR Sharma has stressed on using frontier technologies like biotechnology tools, genome editing, marker assisted breeding, artificial intelligence, internet of things (IoT) and dron technology for bridging the yield gap of crop potential.



Addressing the two-day Kharif Research Council of BAU on Monday, he said there is 30-40% production gap as compared to potential of the varieties and 25-30 percent produce is lost due to insect pests, diseases and improper handling in post harvest stages due to absence of proper package of practices (PoP). Making farmers more prosperous is the ultimate objective of all research efforts; therefore, all the technologies should be aligned with framers in the form of PoP.



Dr Sharma said All India Coordinated Research Projects are among the best projects in the country where scientists get an opportunity to interact with research workers from across the country working on the same crop and species. He urged the Vice Chancellor to expedite the process of recruitment against the vacant positions under AICRPs as projects where there is vacancy sine long are likely to be withdrawn. BAU should formulate joint project proposals in collaboration with half a dozen ICAR institutes located in Jharkhand for funding by different agencies as high quality research is not possible without proper fund and project manpower like RA, SRF and others.



BAU Vice Chancellor Dr SC Dubey welcomed and introduced the chief guest Dr TR Sharma, DDG. He suggested that the funds available for research work must be utilized properly following proper procedures of procurement. All scientists are required to deliver for career progression.



Director, Indian Institute of Agricultural Biotechnology, Ranchi Dr Sujay Rakshit underlined the need of proper management of water, acidic soils and alternate crop strategies to meet the challenges of drought like situation in the state.



Director, Central Tasar Research and Training Institute, Ranchi, Dr NB Chowdary stressed on intensifying research efforts for reducing cost of cultivation, product diversification, value addition and making farmers entrepreneurs for their socio-economic development.



Book entitled Socio-economic development of the farmers of Jharkhand through Tribal Sub Plan on Maize; penned by Dr Manigopa Chakraborty and other scientists of Department of Genetics and Plant Breeding was released on the occasion by DDG. The DDG also felicitated Anil Kumar Mahto of Ghatshila, East Singh for special contribution in innovative farming.



BAU Director Research Dr PK Singh presented a overview of research achievements of kharif 2023 and action taken report on the proceedings of last kharif council.



OSD of Indian Agricultural Research Institute (IARI) Dr Vishal Nath, former Vice Chancellor of BAU Dr GS Dubey and Dr AK Singh, Head of Farming System Research Centre for Hills and Plateau Region, Ranchi besides BAU scientists participated in the deliberations.
Two kanwariyas were killed and five others were seriously injured after they were hit by an unidentified vehicle near Azamgarh- Biharipur Dagera road in Ghazipur during the intervening night of Sunday and Monday, police said.

One of the deceased kanwariya was 15 years old while the other was 13. Both were residents of Azamgarh and were on their way to Kaithi in Varanasi. One of them died on the spot while the other succumbed to injuries during treatment.

The injured persons are currently under treatment and one of them has been referred to Trauma Centre in Varanasi for treatment, police disclosed.

Reports said that late Sunday night, a dozen kanwariyas were going on foot to Markandeya Dham in Kaithi to collect Ganga water. They reached near Bhabhaura turn at around 9 pm. Meanwhile, a high-speed SUV coming from Azamgarh crushed six kanwariyas.

In the accident, 15-year-old Matru alias Aditya, son of Rajendra Rajbhar of Ameda village and 13-year-old Kaushal Ram, son of Lal Bahadur Ram, were killed while four suffered serious injuries.

On getting information from the nearby people, the police reached the spot and took the injured to the community health centre in Saidpur, from where one of the injured was referred to Varanasi Trauma Centre.

After the accident, the driver fled with the SUV.

Varanasis Deputy Inspector General of Police OP Singh inspected the spot and met the injured and directed the officials concerned for their treatment.

He said that two people had died in the accident.

The DIG said the CCTV footage around the spot had been scanned and efforts were being made to trace the accused driver and vehicle.
Diners eat hot and cold soba at Sobakatsu in San Francisco on Sunday, July 28, 2024. Scott Strazzante/The Chronicle Zaru soba served at Sobakatsu, San Francisco's first and only fresh soba shop. Scott Strazzante/The Chronicle Owners Shuichi Nihira and Yoshi Shinoda work in Sobakatsu's tiny kitchen on July 28, 2024. Scott Strazzante/The Chronicle

A new 600-square-foot restaurant in San Francisco has no website, social media presence or even a phone number. But curious diners have discovered it anyway, lining up for the owners specialty: fresh soba noodles.

Sobakatsu, which recently opened at 1700 Laguna St. in Japantown, is the first and only restaurant in San Francisco dedicated to fresh soba.

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We want to introduce real soba to the United States, especially the Bay Area, said Sobakatsu co-owner Shuichi Nihira.

Co-owner Shuichi Nihira makes fresh soba at Sobakatsu in San Francisco. Scott Strazzante/The Chronicle

Nihira, whos from Yokohama, Japan, and co-owner Yoshihiro Shinoda, who is from Osaka, are making their toothsome noodles from 100% stone-milled buckwheat flour. The noodles are not handmade  they mix the dough and then feed it through a machine  but they spent nearly a year perfecting their version.

They wanted to source flour from Japan, but it was cost prohibitive. Nihira also worried that the quality of the sensitive flour would suffer in the time it takes to ship to the U.S. So Shinoda cold-called and emailed businesses and restaurants across the country to find the best possible buckwheat flour in America, and landed on Aurora Mills & Farm in Maine. The farm partnered with a Japanese soba maker to develop its own version of a Hokkaido-style buckwheat, according to Sobakatsu.

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At this tiny, eight-seat restaurant, there are just two ways to experience soba: cold (zaru) or in a hot soup (kake). The tangle of chilled, nutty noodles is served on a bamboo mat, set on a traditional wooden tray with a dipping sauce, plus green onions and wasabi for doctoring. Vegetables like eggplant and squash, shrimp or scallops are transformed into hyper-delicate tempura. Hot soba, meanwhile, arrives in a steaming broth, paired with either tempura or soy-braised pork.

Sobakatsu's hot soba is completely gluten-free, made with buckwheat noodles and a broth with gluten-free soy sauce. Scott Strazzante/The Chronicle

Like the buckwheat noodles, both the dipping sauce and broth are also gluten-free, thanks to the owners choice of gluten-free soy sauce. (Nihira thinks cold is the best way to experience the noodles, but given San Franciscos weather, they decided to offer the soup, too.)

For dessert, there are cubes of wobbly warabi mochi, dusted in nutty roasted soybean flour and drizzled with kuromitsu syrup.

Nihira and Shinoda met in the nearby Japan Center Mall, where Nihira has run Belly Good Cafe & Crepes for two decades. They found in each other like-minded souls who loved soba and inspired each other, Nihira wrote in an email to the Chronicle. Above all, we are the same age, and we both wanted to try for a new venture for the rest of our lives. They had planned to cook both soba and tonkatsu (hence the business name), but have decided to hold off on the fried pork cutlets for now to prioritize their noodles.

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Sobakatsu is tucked away on the ground floor of an apartment building, kitty-corner from a Buddhist temple. Its just a few blocks from the buzz of San Franciscos historic Japantown, but youd almost miss it if it wasnt for the noren curtains stamped with the restaurants name waving in the wind out front. Like so many tiny neighborhood restaurants in Japan, it feels hidden. Its also similarly small scale. Inside the tiny open kitchen, Nihira assembles the soba sets and Shinoda is responsible for frying the tempura. With so few seats, expect a wait at peak times.

Sobakatsu. Open noon-7 p.m. daily. 1700 Laguna St., San Francisco.

Correction: A previous version of this story misstated who cold-called and emailed businesses and restaurants across the country to find the best possible buckwheat flour. It was Sobakatsu co-owner Yoshihiro Shinoda.
State President of Bharatiya Janata Party and Khajuraho MP Vishnudutt Sharma participated in the discussion on the budget proposal in Lok Sabha on Monday.

He said that the new budget of the Modi government is a budget that fulfills the resolution of making the country a developed India by 2047. The opposition only does negative politics of lies, deceit and fraud. In fact, the budget of the Modi government is all-encompassing, inclusive and development-oriented. I congratulate and thank Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman for this historic budget.

Sharma said that from the speeches of the opposition leaders who were speaking before me, it has become clear that the opposition, which does politics of lies, deceit and fraud in the country, is also playing a negative role in the House.

An opposition leader was saying that there is no opportunity for 17 crore Muslims of the country in the budget. I want to tell him that for the last ten years, the government of Prime Minister has been working on the mantra of Sabka Saath, Sabka Vikas and Sabka Vishwas. The Modi government has worked for every society, every section and the current budget is also a budget that fulfills the aspirations of 140 crore countrymen and proves the concepts of Amritkaal.

The budget presented under the leadership of the Prime Minister is an economic document for the creation of a self-reliant India.BJP State President and MP Shri Vishnudutt Sharma said that when we were contesting elections in Madhya Pradesh, we had said that Modi is in the mind of MP and Modi ji has MP in his mind. With this slogan, we ran the election campaign and made a record of victory in the Assembly. In the Lok Sabha elections, we won all 29 seats.

During the Lok Sabha elections, some people said that Chhindwara is this stronghold, that stronghold. We said that this is the stronghold of the beneficiaries of the schemes of the Modi government and we won in Chhindwara as well. Shri Sharma said that the budget presented by Finance Minister Smt. Nirmala Sitharaman ji for the year 2024-25 also reflects that 'Modi is in the mind of MP'. In this budget, Madhya Pradesh has been given Rs 97907 crore, which is Rs 11205 crore more than the previous budget.

For this, on behalf of the people of Madhya Pradesh, I thank Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi and Finance Minister Smt. Nirmala Sitharaman. I also thank the Railway Minister that Rs 14738 crore has been given for rail facilities in Madhya Pradesh, which was only Rs 632 crore during the Congress rule.

Under the leadership of the Prime Minister, historic work has been done for the development of rail facilities in Madhya Pradesh. In the last 10 years, Madhya Pradesh has received many gifts ranging from 1062 flyovers.BJP State President Shri Vishnudutt Sharma said that when Prime Minister Narendra Modi took oath in 2014, he had said that my government is a government dedicated to the poor.

Today I want to mention in this House that Congress ruled this country for 55 years, but did nothing for poverty eradication. A former Congress Prime Minister used to say that if we send one rupee for the poor, then 85 paise are eaten up by brokers and middlemen. Only 15 paise reaches the poor.

But today I can say with pride that the efforts made by the Modi government for good governance and the end of corruption result in the entire one rupee reaching the account of the poor. Due to the schemes launched for the welfare of the poor, today 25 crore people in India have come out of the poverty line. This has been possible under the leadership of Modi ji.

Sharma said that Prime Minister Narendra Modi ji had started the Garib Kalyan Anna Yojana in 2020, under which even today 80 crore families are being given free ration. Under the Ayushman Bharat Yojana, 30 crore people have been given the right to free treatment up to Rs 5 lakh.
Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) on Tuesday staged a significant protest in Mohali, denouncing the arrest of its national convener Arvind Kejriwal. The party accused the BJP-led Central Government of imprisoning the Delhi Chief Minister without any fault, branding the arrest as politically motivated.

Kejriwal was detained by the Enforcement Directorate (ED) on March 21 in connection with a money laundering case related to the alleged excise policy scam. Although the Supreme Court granted him interim bail, he remains in jail due to a subsequent arrest by the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) on related charges.

In a vocal state-level protest, senior AAP leaders and ministers rallied in Mohali, raising slogans against the Central Government and demanding Kejriwals immediate release. The protest highlighted the partys claim that the central agencies were being used as tools for political retribution.

Addressing the gathering, Cabinet Minister Laljit Singh Bhullar expressed outrage, stating, It is unprecedented that a national party chief and serving chief minister has been jailed without any fault. He asserted that the charges against Kejriwal were fabricated at the behest of the BJP-led Centre.

Cabinet Minister Gurmeet Singh Khuddian criticized the use of central agencies like the ED and CBI, describing them as weapons employed to target opposition leaders. He emphasized that despite extensive investigations, no substantial evidence had been found against Kejriwal, who he credited with giving a new direction to Indian politics.

Punjab AAP spokesperson Neel Garg reinforced this sentiment, stating, Everyone knows Kejriwal is an honest politician, but he has been put behind bars under a political conspiracy. Another Minister Harbhajan Singh ETO decried the BJP-led Centre's dictatorial attitude, insisting that Kejriwal was jailed without any fault.

Cabinet Minister Balkar Singh joined the chorus, calling the BJP-led NDA government a dictatorial regime responsible for filing false cases against the AAP leader. He lauded Kejriwal for his dedication to public service, stating, Kejriwal sacrificed everything to serve the people.

Despite the ongoing legal battles, AAP leaders remain hopeful. That day is not far when Kejriwal will come out and lead us again, declared Harbhajan Singh, echoing the sentiments of many AAP supporters who believe in Kejriwals eventual exoneration and return to leadership.
Senior Congress leader and former minister Arif Aqeel passed away during treatment in a private hospital in Bhopal on Monday.

His MLA son Atif Aqeel said that he was admitted to Apollo Sage Hospital on Sunday evening after complaining chest pain. Doctors had kept his father on ventilator support.

At 3.30 pm, the funeral procession of former minister Arif Aqeel started from his residence at Laxmi Talkies Sarai. Namaz-e-Janaza was offered on Bal Vihar Road.

He was laid to rest in the cemetery located at Bada Bagh. The markets in the old city of Bhopal remained closed on the death of the former minister.

Arif Aqeel became MLA for the first time in 1990. After this, he was elected MLA from Bhopal North seat in 1998, 2003, 2008, 2013 and 2018.

For the first time in 1998, he was made Minister of State (Independent Charge) for Backward Classes and Minority Welfare, Bhopal Gas Tragedy Relief and Rehabilitation, Food Civil Supplies and Consumer Protection Department.

For the second time in 2018, he was made the Minister of Bhopal Gas Tragedy Relief and Rehabilitation Department and Backward Classes and Minority Welfare, Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises (MSME) departments.

Arif Aqeel always wore slippers. When he was going to welcome Rahul Gandhi on the stage of a program, Rahul was looking at his slippers. During that time Jyotiraditya Scindia used to be in Congress.

Arif's health deteriorated in the beginning of 2023. Blockages were found in his heart during the examination. He underwent surgery at Medanta Hospital in Gurugram. After the surgery, he refused to contest the elections and the party made his son Atif a candidate from Bhopal North, he went out to seek votes in a jeep and wheelchair.

Arif Aqeel is called 'Sher-e-Bhopal'. The reason for this is - despite making every effort for two decades, BJP could not defeat in his impenetrable fort Bhopal North constituency.

It is said that, 'Arif bhai did not discriminate in work. He believed that whatever came to him was his.'

Senior Congress leaders including PCC Chief Jitu patwari expressed profound grief over the demise of Aqeel.

Speaker Tomar expressed condolence on the X account of Madhya Pradesh Assembly.
Vande Bharat Train is a testament to India's rapid development



Talking to the journalists before leaving for Delhi from Chandigarh Railway Station by 'Amritsar-Ajmer Vande Bharat' train on Monday, Saini said that under the leadership of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, India has experienced rapid development over the past decade, and the Vande Bharat train is a prime example of this progress.



The Chief Minister said that the Congress has always weakened the country through falsehoods, while under Prime Minister Modi's leadership, the nation has grown stronger. Responding to the Haryana Mange Hisab question, the Chief Minister said that Congress leader Bhupinder Singh Hooda should give account for his 10-year tenure first.



He stated that during previous government reign, FIRs were not even registered for the poor, job opportunities were lacking, proper compensation for crop damage was not provided, and MSP for crops was not ensured. Now, MSP is provided for 14 crops in Haryana, and even the last person in the society is benefiting from government welfare schemes during the present government tenure.



Regarding frequent questions about meetings in Delhi, the Chief Minister stated that, Chief Ministers from all states regularly visit Delhi for discussions with central ministers on various schemes. He expressed confidence that the BJP would secure a massive majority in the upcoming elections.

Gives approval for an amendment in policy of State Award for teachers



The Chief Minister has approved an amendment in the policy of State Award for teachers working in State Universities, Government Colleges, and Government-aided Private Colleges. According to the amendment, the service evaluation period for teachers has been reduced from 15 years to 10 years. This change will allow new teachers to also be eligible for awards. An official spokesperson said that the state government runs a State Teacher Award Scheme for Excellence and Commendable Services for the contribution of teachers working in various State Universities, Government Colleges and Government-aided Private colleges for their academic, curricular and extracurricular assignments. The aim of these awards is to honour faculty members for their outstanding performance in the field of teaching. The spokesperson said that faculty members in higher education who demonstrate outstanding exceptional academic efficiency, quality of teaching, professional competence, good conduct, team spirit, community engagement, and use innovative teaching methods will be recommended for the awards. The spokesperson further said that under the policy, a total of 14 state awards will be given each year, for their outstanding services. Eligibility criteria include that teachers must be working in State Universities/Government Colleges/Government-aided colleges situated in the jurisdiction of the Haryana State. All regular working faculty members who have taught for at least 10 years and have an outstanding record in teaching, research, and contributions to students/society are eligible for the award. However, once a teacher has received the award, they are not eligible for it again.

Himachal CM lauds forest corporation for over 25 pc profit rise in 2023-24



Shimla: Himachal Pradesh Chief Minister Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu on Monday commended the forest corporation for earning profits of over Rs 10 crore in the financial year 2023-24, over 25 per cent rise from last year's gains. He also directed the officials to expedite the disposal of timber wood stock accumulated in depots to prevent them from rotting. Sukhu's direction to officials came while he was presiding over the 214th meeting of the Board of Directors of Himachal Pradesh State Forest Development Corporation (HPFSDC). Sukhu said that for the first time, the HPFSDC would engage in mining activities from the Beas River, for which it would obtain clearance under the Forest Conservation Act (FCA). He asked the corporation to blacklist defaulting contractors and initiate recovery proceedings against them besides barring them from participating in future tenders. He also commended the corporation for earning profits of Rs 10.04 crore in the financial year 2023-24, Rs 8 crore in 2022-23, and Rs 2.17 crore during the fiscal year 2021-22. He said that 100 "van veers" (forest volunteers) would be engaged to address the staff shortage in the forest corporation. The Board of Directors gave its approval to grant employee bonus for the year 2022-23, benefiting about 227 employees.



Bains directs to ensure potable and clean water in schools



Chandigarh: Punjab School Education Minister Harjot Singh Bains on Monday directed that clean drinking water be provided to students in all government schools across the State. With the rainy season underway, there is a risk of waterborne diseases spreading. To ensure students health and safety, it is crucial to provide clean drinking water and prevent rainwater accumulation in school premises. To this end, the Punjab School Education Department has issued instructions to school heads and school management committees to conduct routine water sampling, keep drinking water tanks covered, regularly clean and chlorinate tanks.



Punjab Govt committed to provide urban facilities in rural areas: Minister



Chandigarh: Punjab Government is dedicated to delivering urban-level facilities to rural areas. The State Government's initiatives have not only made life easier for the common people but have also saved valuable time for the populace, said the states Social Justice, Empowerment, and Minorities Minister Dr Baljit Kaur, while speaking at the 15th CSC Day event on Monday. Highlighting the significance of Common Service Centers (CSCs), she said that these centers play a crucial role in aiding citizens in rural and remote regions, offering a wide range of services that promote digital inclusion, access to government and private sector services, financial accountability, e-governance, entrepreneurship, skill development, healthcare and education.



TEDx event inspires students with diverse speakers



Chandigarh: Nine diverse and accomplished speakers inspired students at an independently organized TEDx event at Punjab Kala Bhawan, Chandigarh, on Monday. Dikshant Schools chairman Mitul Dikshit expressed enthusiasm, stating, Hosting this prestigious TEDx event is an honour. We are committed to providing youngsters with knowledge and perspectives to inspire societal contributions. Such interactions boost students' morale. Speakers included actor, storyteller, and writer Lovleen Misra; filmmaker Mridul Toolsidass; IIT-Delhi engineer and entrepreneur Sachin Jha; photographer Amit Ashar, Quidich Innovation Labs co-founder Rahat Kulshreshtha; Associate Professor at Christ University Dr Saji Varghese; Founder of TakeMe2Space Ronak Samantray; and Senior Director at TERI Dr Dipankar Saharia delivering engaging speeches.





Rs 1.33 lakh crore invested in last decade for robust drinking water and sewerage infrastructure: Hry Minister



Chandigarh: Haryana Public Health Engineering and Public Works (Building and Roads) Minister Banwari Lal on Monday said that during the last about 10 years of the present government, an amount of Rs 1,33,343.36 crore has been spent on creating effective and enduring infrastructure for various drinking water and sewerage schemes in both urban and rural areas of the state. The Minister further detailed that Rs 575.50 crore has been spent for supply of clean drinking water to citizens through 294 canal water-based projects and 265 tube well-based projects across Haryana. Additionally, 4,861 new tube wells and 1,343 boosting stations have been constructed and become operational, with an investment of Rs 1,508.45 crore. He said that in 14 large villages across the state, the drinking water supply has been increased from 70 liters to 135 liters per person per day.



Hry Govt working with the interest of all sections of society in mind: Kanwar Pal Gujjar



Chandigarh: Haryana Agriculture and Farmers' Welfare Minister Kanwar Pal Gujjar on Monday said that the State Government is working in mind the interests of every section. By setting new dimensions in developmental work, the government has positioned the state among the leading states in the country. The government's Antyodaya Yojana has brought prosperity to poor families. Gujjar was hearing public grievances in Jagadhri town of Yamunanagar district.



Haryana Right to Service Commission orders fine of Rs 5,000 on Meter reader



Chandigarh: The Haryana Right to Service Commission has taken serious note of the Dakshin Haryana Bijli Vitran Nigam (DHBVN) office in Jakhal (Fatehabad) and ordered a fine of Rs. 5,000 to be recovered from the meter reader. This penalty has been imposed due to the failure to provide the notified service within the stipulated time frame and the delay in completing the work.



A dozen leaders join Congress after leaving INLD and JJP



Rohtak: About a dozen leaders, who had left INLD and JJP on Monday joined Congress party in a programme in Rohtak in the presence of former Chief Minister Bhupinder Singh Hooda. The congress leader said that former president of Kiloi constituency INLD and Kisan Cell, Balwan Majra alias Ballu Nandal, former youth secretary of JJP and former district president of INSO Amit Majra, BJP's Shri Ram Yatra Cell Rohtak president Advocate Randeep Majra, Puneet Nandal, Rajesh Nandal and Joginder Narwal joined Congress along with their colleagues. In his address, Hooda said that the Padak Lao, Pad Pao scheme will be implemented again for sportspersons when the Congress government is formed in the state. He further said that the sportspersons will also be given a three percent quota in jobs again, and stadiums will be built in villages like before and all facilities will be provided in them to strengthen the sports infrastructure in the state. He said diet, allowances, coaching and all facilities will be given to children at school level to promote sports talent from the beginning.
Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath introduced four new ministers of his cabinet  Om Prakash Rajbhar, Anil Kumar, Dara Singh Chauhan and Sunil Sharma  in the state assembly on Monday.

These four cabinet ministers were part of this assembly. I introduce them as part of the cabinet in this House, Yogi Adityanath said while speaking at the assembly.

In the first expansion of the Yogi cabinet since March 2022, four new ministers, including Suheldev Bhartiya Samaj Party chief Om Prakash Rajbhar, Bharatiya Janata Party MLC Dara Singh Chauhan, Rashtriya Lok Dal MLA from Purkazi (Muzaffarnagar) Anil Kumar and BJPs Sahibabad MLA Sunil Sharma were inducted into the Yogi cabinet on March 6 ahead of the Lok Sabha elections.

There are 57 ministers in the Yogi council of ministers.

Meanwhile, Uttar Pradesh Assembly Speaker Satish Mahana welcomed Samajwadi Party leader Mata Prasad Pandey who has been appointed as the leader of opposition of the House.

I thank you for your gesture. The state is facing very serious issues currently; there is flood, law and order issues and corruption as well, Pandey said.

In response, Speaker Satish Mahana said, We will discuss all of these. You are the leader of the opposition and you have the right to give notices, you will do it and we will discuss all of them. The government is ready to answer.

Leader of opposition and Samajwadi Party MLA Mata Prasad Pandey greeted Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath as the assembly session kicked off.

I will try my best to raise the issues of the deprived people, who have been neglected by this government, in the Vidhan Sabha. We will raise all issues whether it is in the matter of electricity, law and order, or governance, he said.

It is a 5-day session. We have requested that the session be extended for another five days. Now the government has to decide how many days it will be. We will try to continue it further so that all the problems can be discussed, Pandey said.






About 1500 candidates of the Opposition Congress in Haryana have submitted applications seeking ticket to contest the 2024 Haryana Legislative Assembly elections scheduled to be held in October this year. Aspirants from all the 90 Constituencies have submitted applications seeking tickets. The last date of submission of applications is July 31.



Talking to The Pioneer, Haryana Pradesh Congress Committee Media head Kewal Dhingra said that about 1500 forms have been received from ticket aspirants so far. About 500 more applications are likely to receive from the ticket aspirants within the next two days, he added.



Dhingra said that the Congress party had won five of the 10 Lok Sabha seats in Haryana recently. From 28 per cent in 2019 to beyond 44 per cent, we have had a significant increase in vote share. There is a wind of change in the Congress partys favour. The people of Haryana want a Congress government in the State. Overwhelming response also indicates that the party is on a good wicket and this is also because the workers sense the party has a good chance of retaining power. It is indeed a positive and encouraging sign.



Party insiders said that this is much higher compared to the response the party generated in 2019. Large number of women party workers has also applied for poll tickets. There was also good response for the SC reserved seats. The number of applications from constituencies where thee party has sitting MLAs were about four or five on an average. Out of the current 29 Congress MLAs, 17 have already submitted their applications to get tickets again. Former Chief Minister Bhupendra Singh Hooda has not yet submitted his application. Maximum applications are received from those assembly seats where Congress does not have sitting MLAs. There are many contenders who had applied for tickets in the Lok Sabha elections, but could not get the ticket, they have also staked claim for the ticket in the Assembly elections.



Out of 90 Assembly seats in the State, 17 are reserved for Scheduled Caste candidates. The number of ticket applicants for Assembly seats reserved for Scheduled Caste candidates in the State is very high. 30 to 40 ticket applicants have submitted their application for each reserved seat. For Nilokheri SC reserved seat, about 40 applications have been received so far. The party has also roped in a private agency to verify credentials of new applicants, sources added.



In early preparation for Assembly polls, the Haryana Pradesh Congress Committee has called for applications as it planned to finalise the list of candidates few weeks ahead of the announcement of Vidhan Sabha election date by the Election Commission of India. Of all the political parties, the Congress is the only one that charges a fee for filing an application for the Assembly ticket in Haryana. The application fee is Rs 20,000 for general category seats. Women aspirants and those from the Scheduled Caste and backward communities need to shell out Rs 5,000 each. However, there is no fee for the ticket seekers in the BJP, AAP, INLD and the JJP.



On this, a senior Congress leader said that the party has decided to introduce a fee to ensure that only serious candidates submit the applications for the ticket. It will make it easier to scrutinise the applications, he said, adding that obviously it would also be helpful in generating funds for the party.



While the BJP has a two-way system of nomination, which involves recommendation from the district unit and also from the party state unit, the INLD invites applications from aspirants for the ticket. A BJP leader said that the party has a vibrant and inclusive system to select the nominees for the ticket. We have a system of forming a panel on the basis of the recommendations of the district units which went up to the state and national leadership for a final decision, he added.



The regional outfits- the INLD and JJP are yet to start their process of the identification of the candidates in the Assembly elections. The INLD leader said they didnt have any fee for the ticket though the party has a membership fee of Rs 25 whereas the JJP leader said the party had disbanded its district units and was now restructuring the units across the state. The party though has a membership fee of Rs 10.



Talking to journalists, former Chief Minister Bhupendra Singh Hooda recently said that the Congress party will give tickets to loyal, dedicated and winning candidates. Only one person will get a ticket on one Assembly seat and remaining aspirants will work to make the Party's candidate win. There is huge enthusiasm among the party workers and people at large and this time, Congress is going to form a Government with full majority in the state, he added.










A two-members team of ED (Enforcement Directorate) officials from Ranchi reached Garhwa and pasted a notice under Section 82 CrPC of PMLA Court at the house of Hriday Narayan Tiwari located at Piprakala, Garhwa. The related notice has also been pasted on the District Advocates Association building as a public place. On reaching Garhwa, the officers reached the Garhwa police station, where the officer went to the house of Hriday Narayan Tiwari along with the security personnel and pasted the notice.



The notice issued by Court of Prabhat Kumar Sharma AJC XVIII cum Special Judge of PMLA Act, Ranchi under Section of 82 of the Code of Criminal Procedure in connection of case no. ECIR02/2023 has been pasted by the ED team at the house of Hriday Narayan Tiwari located at Uma Bhawan Kachhari Road in Garhwa town. This notice has been pasted for the appearance of the accused in the court.



According to the facts mentioned in the notice, the court had issued a notice under 82 CrPC for the presence of Hriday Narayan Tiwari.



According to information received from sources, Hriday Narayan Tiwari, against whom notice has been pasted in Uma Bhawan near Mangal Bhawan, used to look after the accounts of Engineer Virendra Ram. His name came up during the court proceedings, in light of which a notice has been pasted today for his presence.


The Yogi Adityanath government observed Community Participation Day on the seventh of the Shiksha Saptah celebrations held across Uttar Pradesh. The event aimed to encourage the spirit of community participation among students of council schools.

During the event, experts from diverse fields shared their knowledge, skills and experiences with the children. They also emphasised the importance of education through the organisation of Shiksha Chaupal.

The names of active volunteers who contributed to the education of council children were honoured on the Wall of Respect or the school notice board.

Additionally, rallies were held to raise awareness, and street plays were organised to instill the spirit of community participation among the children.

On the directive of the Ministry of Education, Government of India, the Uttar Pradesh Basic Education department celebrated Shiksha Saptah from July 22 to 28/29 in council primary, upper primary, and Kasturba Gandhi Residential Girls Schools.

The success of this event was made possible by the active participation of the community, with Community Participation Day highlighted on July 28/29.

Under it, experts from various institutions shared their knowledge and skills with students according to their interests.

Shiksha Chaupal sessions were also held at community, school or local institutions and the active volunteers were honoured on the school's Wall of Respect or notice board. Besides, principals, teachers and students wrote letters of thanks to volunteers.

Rallies or street plays were also organised and the Volunteers Bano Abhiyan was launched in schools and communities with the support of the SMC.
Haryana Chief Minister Nayab Singh Saini on Tuesday urged teachers to contribute to the country's development while addressing teachers at the state-level orientation programme for newly-appointed Trained Graduate Teachers (TGTs) held in Panchkula. He also distributed appointment letters among newly recruited TGT teachers and said within the next two days, the waiting list of TGTs, along with the detailed results, will be released with transparency.



He congratulated the newly appointed TGTs and highlighted that in this result the daughters have achieved remarkable positions through their outstanding performance. Saini said these teachers will play a crucial role in shaping future generations to build a developed India. "A teacher must embody the spirit of promoting education. By spreading knowledge, you not only contribute to the growth of others but also elevate your own name and progress," he said.

Taking a dig at previous administrations, the Chief Minister pointed out that before 2014, recruitment lists were often published in newspapers before the results were announced. In contrast, todays news highlights stories of individuals like the son of a rickshaw driver achieving the rank of HCS in Haryana. This shift, he emphasized, has been brought about by the current government over the past decade. He also highlighted that the present government has ensured transparency in government jobs, emphasizing merit without any corruption or undue influence. Over the last 10 years, the government has provided 141,000 jobs based on merit, without any cost or favoritism. He challenged the opposition to account for their actions during their tenure.



Saini said that the results for 745 posts were announced in January 2024. Since then, thousands of recruitments have been completed for government positions from February to June. In July alone, 7,765 TGTs have been appointed.



Congrats Manu Bhaker for her dual success at the Paris Olympics



As Haryana shooter Manu Bhaker became the first Indian to win two medals in a single Olympics post-Independence the Chief Minister extended his heartfelt congratulations and best wishes to the renowned shooter Bhaker for her dual success. He said the entire nation is proud of Haryana's athletes.
Sleuths of the Uttar Pradesh Anti-Terrorist Squad (UP ATS) claimed to have apprehended an accused absconding in connection with a case involving the operation of illegal SIM boxes registered in Azamgarh last year.

According to an official communique released by the UP ATS on Tuesday evening, they exposed a gang operating illegal SIM boxes in 2023 and arrested Sarfaraz Alam, a resident of Bakhra village in Saraimeer police station area of Azamgarh. A large quantity of SIM boxes and related equipment were recovered during the raid. An FIR was registered under sections 420/120B IPC, 4/20/21/25 of the Indian Telegraph Act-1885, 3/6 of the Indian Wireless Network Act 1933, and 66/66D of the Information Technology (Amendment) Act 2008 at the ATS police station in Lucknow.

During the investigation and preliminary interrogation of the arrested accused, another suspect, Samiullah alias Samiullah Khan, son of Afaque Ahmed alias Afaque Alam, also from Bakhra village, Saraimeer police station area, Azamgarh, was identified. The ATS issued a Look-Out Circular (LOC) and a Non-Bailable Warrant (NBW) against Samiullah.

The ATS officials claimed that on Tuesday morning, they received information that Samiullah, who had been absconding, would arrive in Lucknow from Dubai. An ATS team immediately acted on this intelligence, stopping the accused at Chaudhary Charan Singh International Airport in Lucknow. After verifying his identity, the ATS team took Samiullah into custody.

The accused will now be presented before the designated court as per the legal process, and the ATS will seek his police custody remand to further interrogate him in the case.
People applaud after the playing of the national anthem and before former President Donald Trump speaks at a campaign rally last Wednesday in Charlotte, N.C. Alex Brandon/Associated Press Supporters of Vice President Kamala Harris rally in front of San Francisco City Hall on July 22. Minh Connors/Associated Press

WASHINGTON  Republicans appear to have solidified one of their main attack lines against Vice President Kamala Harris, calling her a San Francisco liberal, a refrain they have been using against Democrats for decades.

Sen. Steve Daines, R-Mont., said Harris promotion to the top of the Democratic ticket wont really affect his efforts to win a Republican Senate majority.

If you like San Francisco politics, you'll love Kamala Harris, Daines, chair of the National Republican Senatorial Committee, told a small group of reporters Tuesday morning. This is not Joe Biden, the Irish Catholic from Scranton, Pa. This is a San Francisco liberal that has now ascended to a nomination for the most important position  political position  in the world.

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Calling Harris, who is typically seen as more of a centrist Democrat, a San Francisco liberal isnt new, but it could be an effective point of attack in a race where she appears to be courting the more moderate members of her party and independents.

Republicans had already made a habit of singling out San Francisco even before Harris became the likely Democratic nominee, especially because of Gov. Gavin Newsoms role as a top surrogate for President Joe Biden. Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis posted a video in June 2023 calling San Francisco a once great city that has collapsed because of leftist policies. Venture capitalist David Sacks, a San Francisco resident, told the Republican National Convention earlier this month that Democrat rule has turned the streets of our beautiful city into a cesspool of crime, homeless encampments and open drug use.

Soon after President Joe Biden endorsed Harris after his decision to forgo his reelection bid, many Republicans quickly seized on her prior relationship with former San Francisco Mayor Willie Brown. Fox News-turned-SiriusXM radio host Megyn Kelly posted on X, formerly known as Twitter, last week that Harris actually did sleep her way into and upwards in California politics.

But many Republicans arent delving too deeply into Harris relationships or specific positions from her time as a San Francisco election official and are instead suggesting her affiliation with the city alone makes her too far left.

Daines is not the only Republican to attempt to paint Harris as too liberal. Sens. Tom Cotton of Arkansas and Lindsey Graham of South Carolina have made similar comments, and former President Donald Trump also called her "the most incompetent, unpopular and far-left vice president in American history."

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Harris radical positions from her 2019 campaign  during which she opposed fracking, indicated she would consider abolishing the Immigration and Customs Enforcement agency, supported a mandatory buyback program for some guns and wanted an expansion of Medicare to all Americans  will come back to bite her, Daines said.

I believe that America is not ready to elect somebody that liberal, Daines said, citing George McGoverns loss in the 1972 election and Michael Dukakis in 1988. The American people rejected those kinds of nominees who were just so far left, he said.

Mike Madrid, a California-based Republican strategist who has been an outspoken Trump critic, said Harris record as a San Francisco prosecutor opens her to criticism that she is too liberal and that she is responsible for crime in California.

Republicans have been capitalizing on San Francisco since Reagan in the mid-80s, Madrid previously told the Chronicle, referring to the perception that the city is a far-left bastion. Its certainly surmountable, but it is an effective message.

Daines claimed, without evidence, that Harris campaign scrubbed a portion of federal legislation transparency website GovTrack. GovTrack previously ranked Harris as the most liberal senator in 2019 and recently retracted that report, writing that ranking lawmakers on the data from a single year was not sufficient to create a reliable portrait of the activity of legislators.

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He also said Harris campaign has got her in the bunker as theyre trying to reform her image and hide some very radical decisions shes taken over the years. Harris has traveled to six states since beginning her campaign July 21 and has been seen by the press nearly every day.

The Trump campaign echoed many of the same talking points in an email attacking Harris on Tuesday, which included statements she made and positions she took while serving as San Franciscos district attorney and Californias attorney general. It includes points like She cackles about her socialist perspective. 
BJP veteran and Assams former Governor Gulab Chand Katarias arrival in the city, to assume the role of Punjabs 30th Governor and Chandigarhs 17th Administrator, has set the stage for a historic transition. Kataria, whose entry into the city was marked by ceremonial grandeur, is poised to take over from Banwari Lal Purohit, whose tenure has been a mix of triumphs and challenges.

Katarias appointment marks the third time that a leader from Rajasthan has taken up the role of Administrator and Governor in Punjab and Chandigarh.

Kataria made a notable entrance into Chandigarh, arriving with his wife Anita Kataria, at the Shaheed Bhagat Singh International Airport. They were greeted by Punjab Cabinet Ministers Harpal Singh Cheema and Aman Arora, who extended a warm welcome. The atmosphere was charged with excitement as the Governor-designate was escorted to the Punjab Raj Bhawan in a grand procession.

Upon reaching the Raj Bhawan, Kataria was accorded a guard of honour by a contingent of the Punjab Police. This ceremonial tribute not only marked the significance of his new role but also symbolized the respect and anticipation surrounding his appointment. The meticulous arrangements reflected the gravity of the occasion and the high expectations that accompany the position.

Swearing-In Ceremony

The swearing-in ceremony, scheduled for Wednesday morning, is set to be a significant event in the city's political calendar. Chief Justice of the Punjab and Haryana High Court will administer the oath of office to Kataria, officially marking the beginning of his tenure. Preparations for the ceremony are underway, with the administration ensuring that every detail is attended to, from the setup at the Raj Bhawan to the accommodation of distinguished guests.

The ceremony will be a moment of transition, bringing together a host of dignitaries, including former Governor VP Singh Badnore. Having a long-standing association with Kataria, Badnore will be a special guest at the event. Their shared history, rooted in Rajasthans political landscape, will add a personal touch to the proceedings. Both leaders have been colleagues and friends for nearly five decades, and their collaboration in various political capacities add a layer of historical significance to Katarias appointment.

Katarias swearing-in ceremony is not just a political event but a social occasion that will see around 200 guests arriving from Rajasthan to witness the proceedings. The UT Administration is working diligently to ensure that all arrangements for the guests are in place, from their accommodation to transportation. Six CTU buses have been earmarked to facilitate the movement of guests, reflecting the scale of the event and the importance of making every visitor feel welcome.

Fond Farewell to Purohit

As Kataria prepares to step into his new role, the city bade a heartfelt farewell to the outgoing Governor Banwari Lal Purohit, whose tenure has been marked by a mix of accomplishments and challenges, and his departure is accompanied by a sense of both reflection and resolution.

In his valedictory address at the Punjab Raj Bhavan, Purohit called upon the people of Punjab to channel their efforts towards making the state prosperous. He emphasized that such progress is vital for Indias aspiration to become a global leader, or Vishwa Guru.

Purohits address also highlighted the pressing issue of drug abuse, urging a collective effort to eradicate this societal menace. He expressed confidence in the resilience and determination of the people of Punjab, asserting that their large-heartedness would be instrumental in overcoming the drug crisis.

Reflecting on his tenure, Purohit expressed his deep appreciation for the support and hospitality extended to him by both the Punjab Government and the Chandigarh Administration. His tenure saw various development initiatives, including efforts to secure a new medical college and an outer ring road for the region. These projects, he noted, are steps towards advancing the regions infrastructure and healthcare system.
Leader of Opposition in Jharkhand Assembly Amar Kumar Bauri on Monday sought answers from the government on the issue of Bangladeshi intrusion in many districts of the state.

Talking to journalists in the assembly, the LoP said that the government of JMM, Congress and RJD is maintaining a mysterious silence especially on the question of soil, bread and daughter of the tribals. The government is ignoring the questions of the opposition. He said how the government is allowing the land of the tribals here to be looted and allowing atrocities on daughters.

He said that there has been an unexpected decline in the population of tribals in Santhal Pargana and this is happening in the whole of Jharkhand. Jamran Hembram and Hopni Marandi's land was looted in Gayabthan of Maheshpur police station area of Pakur and when they tried to reclaim their land, Bangladeshis beat them up and chased them away. Even after the incident, no case was registered against the accused for several days. After political and social pressure, finally a case was registered on the 18th.

He said that when the students of K M College tried to take out a public outrage rally against this loot on July 27, which was also informed to the Deputy Commissioner and Superintendent of Police of the district, the police and goons attacked the students late at night and beat them up a night before. Not only this, the police also tried to change the whole matter by calling it a case of kidnapping.

The LoP said that this government is only wearing a mask of being a well-wisher of the tribals, while the truth is something else which is not hidden from anyone.

He said that recently in Gopinathpur village of Pakur, people of the Muslim community of West Bengal, who are Bangladeshi infiltrators, attacked the villagers and carried out incidents of looting, assault, bombing, arson, clashes broke out between two communities during the Muharram procession in Taranagar, clashes broke out between two communities during the Muharram procession in Ilahinagar and Mahudi, the Palestinian flag was hoisted in the Muharram procession in many districts of the state and the government is demanding proof of this from the opposition.

The LoP said that the district administration did not issue the caste certificate of a Mahadalit student who was to be enrolled in Navodaya Vidyalaya, saying that he did not have any Khatian. On the other hand, the government has issued Scheduled Caste certificates to Anahar Bibi, Sebi Bibi, Kalsoom Khatun, Taraful Bibi, Laful Bibi, Sulekha Bibi, who run food supply shops. This government is busy in settling such intruders by usurping the rights of not only the tribals but also the people of the scheduled caste community. The government officials are settling Bangladeshis by making fake Aadhaar cards, voter cards, caste certificates.

The Leader of Opposition said that the SPT Act is applicable in the entire Santhal Pargana, despite this the government is settling intruders on the uncultivated land which is government land in a fraudulent manner. He said that in Sahibganj region's account number 187, Khasra 241, 243244, 258, 269, 272, 273, 293, 300, 302.329, 333, 338, 352, 355, 357, 36148, 65, 83, 84, 86, 88, 113114, 121, 127, 133, 138 and other account numbers, 17 acres of land on which a pond was already built, mosque and graveyard have been built and intruders have been settled there. Thousands of acres of such uncultivated land have been occupied and its mutation is also being done.

Bauri demanded that the government should answer on these issues and form an SIT to investigate the entire matter. If the government does not have such an intention, then the government should give it in writing in the House and the Bharatiya Janata Party, with the help of the Central Government, will get the entire matter investigated by the Central Agency and identify all the intruders and send them back to their country from here.
Bahujan Samaj Party national president Mayawati has accused Samajwadi Party of misleading the Pichhda, Dalit and Alpsankhyak (PDA) communities to get their votes.

She expressed her opinion after the new leader of the opposition was elected.

BSP chief Mayawati wrote on social media platform X on Monday that SP chief did take votes of PDA by misleading them in the Lok Sabha general elections, especially under the guise of saving the Constitution, but the neglect they faced in making the leader of opposition in UP assembly was also a matter of concern.

She further said that there was no place for PDA except one particular caste in SP.

There is definitely no place for the Brahmin community (in SP) because the oppression and neglect they have faced in the Samajwadi Party and Bharatiya Janata Party governments is not hidden from anyone. In fact, their development and uplift happened only in the BSP government. Therefore, these people must be careful, she pointed out.

In fact, Mayawati gave her reaction to Mata Prasad Pandey being made the leader of the opposition in the UP assembly. On Sunday, SP announced the appointment of Mata Prasad Pandey as the leader of opposition in UP assembly. The post of leader of opposition in the assembly was vacant after Akhilesh Yadav was elected to Lok Sabha.

Political analysts had expected that a leader from the PDA (Backward, Dalit and Minority) community would be chosen for this post. But the SP played a different card and tried to send a message to UP that despite talking about PDA, it was not ignoring the Brahmin community.
In an unprecedented judgment, a Mohali Court on Tuesday handed down the largest conviction order in terms of the number of accused in a single case in Enforcement Directorate (ED) history. The court sentenced 17 individuals, including the kingpin Jagdish Singh Bhola  a dismissed Deputy Superintendent of Police (DSP)  to 10 years of rigorous imprisonment (RI) for their involvement in a Rs 6000 crore drugs trafficking-linked money-laundering case.

Bhola, a former Arjuna awardee wrestler turned high-ranking police officer, was at the center of a vast narcotics smuggling and money-laundering network. Bholas fall from grace began when investigations under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA) were launched in 2013. The investigation was triggered by eight First Information Reports (FIRs) filed at various police stations across Punjab during the tenure of the SAD-BJP government.

In this landmark case, judgments have been delivered for four charge sheets, with three still pending.

The special PMLA court not only sentenced Bhola but also fined him Rs 50,000, with an additional year of imprisonment if he fails to pay. With him, Manpreet, Sukhraj, Sukhjeet Sukha, Maninder, Davinder Singh Happy, and Avtar Singh were awarded 10-year RI.

Besides, Bholas wife Gurpreet Kaur, Avtars wife Sandeep Kaur, Jagminder Kaur Aulakh, Gurmeet Kaur, Aramjit Singh, and Bholas father-in-law Dilip Mann were sentenced to three years each; while Gurpreet Singh, Subhash Bajaj, and Ankur Bajaj received five-year sentences.

Of the total 23 accused, four are deceased, including Bholas father Balshinder, and two remain proclaimed offenders (POs).

The judgment came days after Bholas father, Balshinder Singh, passed away on July 24. During Bholas visit to his village on July 26 for the funeral, he alleged that governments were conspiring against him. Bhola demanded a CBI investigation into the case, stating that if found guilty, he should be sentenced to death, and insisted he would never back down.

The Legal Odyssey

The ED's case against Bhola and his associates is one of the most significant in recent memory, both in scope and in the sheer volume of assets involved. Property worth Rs 95 crore has been provisionally attached, reflecting the immense scale of the drug smuggling operation. A former ED deputy director and lead investigator on the case Niranjan Singh expressed satisfaction with the courts decision, highlighting the meticulous and extensive investigation that led to these convictions.

The investigation also uncovered that the accused had amassed property worth crores of rupees without paying any income tax. Their reported income was disproportionately high, indicating involvement in illicit activities. Consequently, the ED attached their assets, including luxurious bungalows, industrial plots, and other properties spanning from Mohali to various locations. The probe uncovered property worth over Rs 400 crore, amassed through drug trafficking, which has now been attached. The assets, located across various sites, were seized following a thorough investigation. Niranjan Singh noted that no action was taken during the 18-month COVID-19 period.

Case Came to Light 11 Years Ago

The case first came to light in 2013 when Punjab Police arrested Arjuna Award-winning wrestler Rustam-e-Hind and dismissed DSP Jagdish Singh Bhola. It was revealed that the racket extended from Punjab to international locations, causing a political and sporting uproar in the State. Questions were raised about several local leaders. Investigations uncovered an Rs 6,000 crore drug racket. In 2019, a CBI court sentenced 25 individuals under the NDPS Act in this matter. The Bhola Drugs case is a stark reminder of the pervasive and insidious nature of the drug trade in India. The operation reportedly involved smuggling synthetic drugs worth thousands of crores, with the proceeds being laundered through various channels. The case has exposed the deep-rooted connections between organized crime and corrupt officials, shedding light on the challenges faced by law enforcement agencies in combating such networks.
Chief Minister Mohan Yadav, while congratulating tiger lovers on International Tiger Day, has said that we are fortunate to have the maximum number of tigers in the country in Madhya Pradesh. Bhopal is the only capital in the country whose tigers roam freely around its municipal limits.

It is a matter of pride that the Cheetah project is also active in the state, whereas Cheetah is not found anywhere in the whole of Asia. Keeping in view the balance of the ecosystem, the state government will continue to encourage the co-existence of different wild animals in different areas of the state. New tiger reserves will be developed in the areas of the state where there are no tigers. The tiger is our national animal, hence for the survival of the tiger in all the states, Madhya Pradesh will provide tigers to other states also.

Yadav was addressing a state-level program at Kushabhau Thackeray Auditorium on International Tiger Day. He inaugurated the program by lighting the lamp.

Yadav inaugurated an exhibition on the International Tiger Day and also inspected it. Chief Minister Dr. Yadav released three books of the Forest Department on Voluntary Village Relocation: The Satpura Model, Pench Tiger Behavior Activities Kit-3 and Kanha Ki Kahaniyan respectively. Short films focusing on Tiger Warriors, Pench Land of Tiger, and Bison restoration were also screened on the occasion. Yadav also honoured forest workers and officers for their excellent work for the conservation of forests and wild animals. On this occasion, Forest Minister Ramniwas Rawat, Minister of State for Forests Dilip Ahirwar, Minister of State for Backward Classes and Minority Welfare (Independent Charge) Krishna Gaur was especially present.

Yadav said that while the Cheetah Project is in progress in the state, activities are also going on to settle the cheetahs in the Gandhi Sagar area. He said that due to the conservation of wild animals and better management of the Tiger Reserve, the number of tourists is also increasing continuously. There are 7 tiger reserves present in the state. Forests generate revenue of about Rs 60 crore and more than 25 lakh tourists visit the state. The ongoing efforts for forest and wildlife conservation under the leadership and guidance of Prime Minister Narendra Modi will help in strengthening the ecosystem and local economy. He said that it is necessary to start efforts for the restoration of wild animals that have become extinct with time and also for the conservation of various species of snakes.

Yadav honoured officers and forest employees for their excellent work for the conservation of forests and wild animals. Among those who were honoured are Deputy Forest Conservator of Indore Smt. Anubha Trivedi in forest crime Investigation category, Forest ranger of Panna Tiger Reserve Hridayesh Hari Bhargava, Forest Guard of Satpura Tiger Reserve Nandkishore Ahirwar, Assistant Mahavat of Bandhavgarh Tiger Reserve in active wildlife management sector Neelam Singh, Health Officer of Panna Tiger Reserve Sanjeev Kumar Gupta, Forest Conservator of Veerangana Durgavati Tiger Reserve Tarachand Gaur, Forest Guard of Pench Tiger Reserve Mohpat Singh Choudhary Assistant Forest Conservator Rajesh Mandawalia in wild life conservation catogry Deputy Forest Range Officer of Kanha Tiger Reserve Kunwar Singh Tekam and Forest Guard Rajesh Mehra of Tiger Strike Force Jabalpur.

Under the wildlife rescue category, Chief Minister Dr. Yadav honoured Deputy Forest Officer of Forest Division Raisen, Sudhir Patle, and his team members Pravesh Patidar, Prabhat Yadav, Pritam Singh Jatav, Bhajan Sharma, Lal Singh Purvi, Sarjan Singh Meena, Parasram Malviya, Nitesh. Yadav and Shoaib Khan were honoured. Forest Guard of Van Vihar National Park, Jasman Singh Raghuvanshi was also honoured in this category.

In the wildlife habitat category, workers of Satpura Tiger Reserve including Shri Shivji, son of Shri Surju, forest guard of Madhav National Park, Shri Pran Singh Sohare, in the tourism category, security workers of Dewas range, Shri Jogendra Singh, the acting forester Shri Gopal Singh Chauhan and the forest guards of Van Vihar National Park Shri Roop Kumar Mehar was honoured. Assistant District Prosecution Officer Chhindwara Shri Abhaydeep Singh Thakur, Wildlife Expert Dr. Prashant Deshmukh of Wildlife Conservation Trust, Bhopal, and Shri Manoj Singh Dhurve, security worker of Pench Tiger Reserve, were also honoured by Chief Minister Dr. Yadav.

It is necessary to encourage public participation in the conservation of forests and wild animals

Forest Minister Shri Ramniwas Rawat said that the conservation of wild animals helps maintain the balance of the ecosystem. It is a matter of pride that Madhya Pradesh is known as Tiger State in the entire country. Conservation and promotion of forests and wildlife is taking place only with the cooperation of the Forest Department and the forest staff working in remote forest areas.

He expressed the need to provide information about the lifestyle of wild animals at the school level to make Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modis call of Mission Life successful and to conserve biodiversity. Minister of State for Forests, Shri Dilip Ahirwar said that the Forest Department is also conducting various activities to encourage public participation in the activities being carried out for the conservation of the ecosystem, forests, and wild animals.

Additional Chief Secretary Forest Shri Ashok Barnawal, Principal Chief Conservator of Forests and Chief of Forest Force Shri Aseem Srivastava, Principal Chief Conservator of Forests (Wildlife) Shri Shubharanjan Singh, officers and employees of the Forest Department and tiger lovers were present in the program.
Congress general secretary and former in-charge of party affairs in Uttar Pradesh, Priyanka Gandhi Vadra, on Monday attacked the Yogi Adityanath government over the poor state of affairs of the government-run hospitals.

Priyanka Vadra took to the social media handle X to target the health services in Uttar Pradesh. She wrote, If writer Dharamvir Bharti ji was alive today, instead of writing Himalayas on a handcart, he would have written Health services of UP on a handcart. This creation would not have described the beauty of the Himalayas, but would have been a grotesque description of the immense suffering of the people and the chaos in the state.

She added. There is no hospital for treatment; if there is a hospital, there is no ambulance, if you reach the hospital on a handcart with unbearable pain of a broken bone, there is no doctor. The patient is told, there is no orthopedic doctor, come after three days. The promise was of good days, but here the people are struggling to save their lives.

It may be mentioned that in a distressing incident in Bulandshahr district, the video of which went viral on Monday, a patient with broken bones was turned away from a local hospital due to the absence of an orthopedic doctor. The hospital staff informed the family that no orthopedic specialist was available and advised them to return in three days.

The patient, in immense pain, was left with no immediate medical care. His son, visibly anxious, was seen wandering around on a cart with his ailing father, seeking help.

This heart-wrenching scene underscores the challenges faced by patients in accessing timely and adequate medical treatment, particularly in areas with limited healthcare resources. The video, capturing their struggle, highlights the urgent need for improved healthcare facilities and personnel in remote regions to prevent such distressing situations in the future.
The Supreme Court heard the Enforcement Directorate (ED)s petition seeking cancellation of the bail granted to Chief Minister Hemant Soren by the High Court. Chief Minister Hemant got a big relief in the hearing. The apex court has rejected the ED's petition.

The Supreme Court refused to interfere with the order of the Jharkhand High Court in the money laundering case related to the land scam. It is worth noting that the matter was heard in a division bench of Justice BR Gavai and Justice KV Vishwanathan.

The Supreme Court dismissed the SLP saying that the lower court should continue its hearing without being influenced by the comments made by the High Court while granting bail to Hemant Soren. Earlier, the Jharkhand High Court, while granting bail to Soren, had said, looking at the case, there is no possibility of the petitioner committing a crime of similar nature.

Opposing Soren's bail plea, the ED had alleged that he had misused his position of Chief Minister to illegally acquire 8.86 acres of land in the Badgam zone in the state capital. The ED had claimed that during the investigation, Soren's media advisor Abhishek Prasad had admitted that the former chief minister had instructed him to manipulate official data to change the ownership of the said plot. The ED had said, when the plot was being encroached, its real owner Rajkumar Pahan tried to lodge a complaint, but no action was ever taken on it.

"We find a very well-reasoned judgement has been rendered by the single judge (of the high court). We don't want to observe anything more... if we observe, you (ED) might be in difficulty," remarked the bench, indicating satisfaction with the high courts rationale and a reluctance to delve further into the matter.

Soren's lawyer had claimed that Soren was falsely implicated in the case by the central agency. The ED had maintained that it had detailed statements indicating Soren's involvement, with Raju asserting the presence of such evidence during the hearing.

Earlier, five months after his arrest by the Enforcement Directorate in an alleged money laundering case linked to a probe into a land scam, JMM leader and former Jharkhand Chief Minister Hemant Soren stepped out of the Birsa Munda Jail in Ranchi on June 28 last following grant of bail by the Jharkhand High Court.

The single-judge bench of Justice Rongon Mukhopadhyay, while granting bail, said the courts findings satisfy the condition that there exist reasons to believe that Soren is not guilty of the PMLA offence he has been accused of.
Finance Minister Rameshwar Oraon tabled a supplementary Budget of Rs 4,833.39 crore for the financial year 2024-25 amidst the disruptions. The budget will be discussed on Tuesday. Out of total budgetary allocations Women Child Development and Social Security Department has got Rs 1114 crores, Panchayati Raj Department has got Rs 756 crores, School Education and Literacy Department has got Rs 584 crores, Home Prison and Disaster Management Department has got Rs 494 crores, ST SC and Backward Class Welfare Department has got Rs 429 crores.

Meanwhile, the second day of monsoon session witnessed uproar. As soon as the proceedings of the House started, the uproar of BJP MLAs started regarding the Pakur incident. Despite the Speaker's request, the uproar of BJP MLAs continued in the well. During this, BJP MLAs were also raising the question of Bangladeshi infiltration. Sloganeering was continuously being done against the Hemant government.

As the session began at 11 am, BJP members stormed the well of the House, demanding government's response to the high court's directive to identify Bangladeshi infiltrators in the Santhal Parganas region and police's alleged atrocities on tribal students by Police at Pakur.

The initial uproar forced the first adjournment at 11:26 am until 12:30 pm. When the session resumed at 12:35 pm, chaos persisted, eventually leading to another adjournment at 12:40 pm, with the House scheduled to reconvene at 11 am the next day.

Speaker Rabindra Nath Mahto repeatedly appealed to BJP leaders to return to their seats and allow the House to function smoothly, but they continued their protests unabated. Leader of the opposition, Amar Kumar Bauri, accused the government of not listening to the voice of people, claiming that lands of two tribals were allegedly grabbed by infiltrators in Pakur. "When they raised their voices against land grabbing, they were beaten. The tribals are undergoing treatment at a hospital in Dumka," he alleged.

Bauri said when Adivasi Chatra Sangh decided to protest against Bangladeshi infiltrators, police entered KKM College in Pakur and beat them.

Leader of Opposition in the state assembly, Amar Kumar Bauri, said, "The countdown of the JMM-led ruling alliance government has started. So, we want the government's reply to several issues such as Bangladeshi infiltration, demographic change and corruption."

The six-day monsoon session of the assembly began on Friday.

Bauri alleged that the tribal population has been dwindling in Jharkhand's Santhal Pargana region, while the population of Bangladeshi infiltrators are rising but the government is silent over the issue.

The tribal population in Santhal Pargana was at 44 per cent in 1951, which declined to 28 per cent in the 2011 census. On the other hand, the Muslim population, which was at nine per cent, rose to 22 per cent in the same period. We will seek a reply from the government about what it did to protect the tribal population in the Santhal Pargana region," he said.

The session will be upto August 2 and there will be six seatings. This will be the last session of the fifth Jharkhand Assembly before elections.
The Vidyanjali program was organised in Shiksha Shikhar to commemorate the initiative taken by Honourable Prime Minister Narendra Modi on September 07, 2021 with an aim of strengthening school education through the community.

On this occasion, Retired Army Officer Colonel Virendra Mishra, Rakesh Choudhary, Principal of Eklavya School, Dhar, Vikas Tyagi reporter of 'The Pioneer' Newspaper, Vikram Baghel Retired Senior Intelligence officer in DRI, New Delhi and Mrs. Kanta Sodani an active Social Worker have attended the program and gave motivational speeches to students.

All the distinguished guest inspired the students with their inspirational and motivational stories and real life experiences.

The guests also planted saplings in the School. Director of Siksha Sikhar Captain Ashok Maheshwari proposed vote of Thanks. Principal of the school Mrs Jyoti Maheshwari and all the teachers were also present.
In a veiled dig at Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath, Samajwadi Party chief Akhilesh Yadav on Tuesday said those who used to call themselves "very powerful" are not able to remove the person who caused their defeat in the Lok Sabha polls in Uttar Pradesh.

Speaking during the discussion on the Union Budget in the Lok Sabha, Yadav got into a verbal duel with the treasury benches several times.

"Since they (BJP) have lost in Uttar Pradesh, no one is doing namaskar, that is what your issue is. We have seen that video in which one person is not doing namaste to the other," Yadav said referring to the purported video that did the rounds on social media claiming that Adityanath did not greet Prime Minister Modi at a meeting in Delhi.

However, that video has been fact-checked by many pointing out that Adityanath did greet Prime Minister Modi.

"Those who used to call themselves very powerful are not able to remove the person who caused their defeat," Yadav said, hinting at certain reports claiming that the BJP was looking to change the chief minister following the poor showing in the Lok Sabha polls.

Questioning the stability of the BJP-led NDA regime, Yadav also said this is not a government that will run smoothly but the one which is bound to fall.

"Ye chalne wali sarkar nahi hai girne wali sarkar hai... (This government is not one that will endure, it is one that will fall)," he added.

Highlighting his party's stance on various issues, including the Agnipath scheme, the Samajwadi Party (SP) chief said that when they come to power they will scrap it.

"We Samajwadis can never accept Agniveer. Whenever we come to power, within a year or two, we will scrap it," he said.

In the recent Lok Sabha polls, the INDIA bloc comprising the Samajwadi Party (SP) and the Congress won 43 of the state's 80 Lok Sabha seats, while the BJP-led NDA won 36. The NDA had won 64 seats in 2019.
People walk through the halls of the District Attorney Office at the Hall of Justice in San Francisco. Michael Short/Special to the Chronicle

The state Supreme Court reinstated a lawsuit Monday by a Black woman who was working at the San Francisco District Attorney Office in 2015 when a co-worker called her a n and a supervisor allegedly derided her for complaining about it.

Twanda Baileys suit against the city had been dismissed by lower courts, who said one racial slur was not enough to support a claim of workplace harassment or discrimination. The states high court unanimously disagreed, saying a single incident can be grounds for a lawsuit if it is sufficiently severe in light of the totality of the circumstances.

The N-word carries with it, not just the stab of present insult, but the stinging barbs of history, which catch and tear at the psyche the way thorns tear at the skin, Justice Kelli Evans, one of the courts three Black members, said in the 7-0 ruling.

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Bailey, hired by the district attorneys office in 2001, was working as an investigative assistant under then-District Attorney George Gascon in January 2015 when Sanas Larkin, who sat next to her, told her she had seen a mouse run under Baileys desk. According to her lawsuit, after Bailey jumped out of her chair, Larkin walked up to her and said, You ns is so scary.

Bailey said she did not report the incident immediately because other Black workers had been harassed after making similar complaints. When she eventually filed a report, she said, she was referred to her departments personnel manager, Evette Taylor-Monachino, a close friend of Larkins.

Taylor-Monachino refused to file a complaint with the office or separate Larkin from Bailey at work, saying it would create an appearance of wrongdoing, the suit said. After Bailey filed her own complaint, the offices Department of Human Resources said it would not take action because a single comment was not enough to create an abusive working environment.

Bailey said Taylor-Monachino also told her she should not have told her co-workers about the incident, and began insulting and glaring at her. In August 2015, Bailey said, the personnel manager drove alongside her in a parking lot and told her, You are going to get it. After taking a six-week leave recommended by her psychiatrist, Bailey sued the office and the city for harassment and discrimination.

Superior Court Judge Harold Kahn dismissed the suit and was upheld by the 1st District Court of Appeal, which said a single racial epithet from a co-worker is not as offensive or harassing as similar conduct by a supervisor.

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But in Mondays ruling, the state Supreme Court said that coworkers who share a physical space might find that harassment more quickly alters the conditions of their employment than harassment by a supervisor.

Where a supervisor allows a harassing subordinate to act with impunity or appears to ratify their conduct, this may imbue the subordinate with a certain degree of authority to alter the working conditions of their coworkers, Evans wrote.

Noting that Bailey and Larkin shared an office and work duties, Evans said, Although it was not physically threatening, a jury could find that use of the slur was degrading and humiliating in the extreme.

The episode caused a nervous breakdown and ended Baileys career, her lawyer, Daniel Bacon, said Monday. With the ruling, he said, the California Supreme Court has protected employees from being harassed by coworkers with a single utterance of an epithet by ruling that such cases demand that the courts conduct a thorough analysis of the totality of the circumstances.

Taylor-Monachino is also no longer a city employee, said Jen Kwart, spokesperson for City Attorney David Chiu. In response to the ruling, Kwart said San Francisco does not condone or tolerate the use of the language at issue in this case and took immediate, corrective action. We are disappointed that those corrective actions were not enough for the Court. We are reviewing the decision and will take any appropriate next steps.

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Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal's wife Sunita on Tuesday hit out at the BJP saying their politics is about "hatred" and "stopping" the work of residents of the national capital even as she stressed that her husband's life is in danger in Tihar.

Addressing the INDIA bloc rally here at Jantar Mantar, Sunita Kejriwal alleged that her husband was framed in the excise policy case on the basis of one statement.

"Why did the ED (Enforcement Directorate) arrest Kejriwal? It was because of a conspiracy and pressure.

"The trial court grated bail to him. But the Centre initiated twin actions -- the ED took a stay on the bail and the CBI (central Bureau of Investigation)arrested him. He has been suffering from diabetes for last 22 years but we had to approach the court to get him insulin," she said.

Talking about the health condition of her husband, Sunita said there is a sensor tied to his arm that records his sugar levels.

"If sugar levels go down below 50, the patient starts shivering. While he was at home, such things happened once in five months and we would give him something sweet to stabilise him. But a few days back, we learnt that in jail his sugar levels have gone down multiple times," she said.

The AAP has been accusing the BJP of "conspiring to kill" Kejriwal in jail and cited his medical report to show that his sugar levels have fallen 34 times between June 3 and July 7.

"I am thankful to God that nothing untoward happened with him. His life is in danger. Recently LG sir wrote a letter saying that chief minister is "wilfully" reducing his food intake.

"What joke this is! He also said he is taking less insulin. When sugar levels are high, then insulin is administered," she said.

Hitting out at the BJP, she said, "Is this not dictatorship and conspiracy of the BJP? They have framed him in a fake case to stop the work of people of Delhi. He would always fight to ensure that the work of people does not suffer."
Heavy rains triggered a series of massive landslides in the hilly areas of Kerala's Wayanad district early on Tuesday, leaving at least 45 persons dead and sparking apprehensions of possible increase in fatalities due to hundreds of people feared trapped under the debris.

Calamity struck in the early hours of Tuesday, catching the sleeping victims off-guard. Frantic calls for help were made and the rescue personnel were racing against time to pull out survivors.

According to the district collector Meghasree D R, the latest toll stood at 45. In connection with the landslide in Chooralmala she confirmed that 36 deaths have been reported. Additionally, nine bodies swept away by the Chaliyar River were recovered in Malappuram.

The bodies of the deceased are being taken to various hospital morgues for identification and autopsy.

Mundakkai, Chooralmala, Attamala, and Noolpuzha villages were among the areas affected and cut off by the landslides, authorities said.

Rescue teams were working tirelessly to evacuate those stranded, with the Indian Army joining the efforts. Besides the National Disaster Response Force (NDRF), the state government has also deployed disaster response teams from the police and the fire force to affected areas.

Hundreds are feared to be trapped in the landslides, but authorities have not confirmed this.

Frantic phone calls made by people desperately pleading for help after being trapped under destroyed houses and piles of debris highlighted the intensity of the deadly landslide.

Television channels aired heartwrenching phone conversations of several people crying and pleading to be rescued, as they were either trapped in their houses or had no way to travel due to washed-away bridges and flooded roads.

In one such conversation, a woman, apparently a native of Chooralmala town, was heard crying aloud, saying someone in her house was trapped under marsh and debris and they could not pull her out.

"Someone, please come and help us. We have lost our house. We don't know whether Nausheen (apparently a family member) is alive. She is trapped in the marsh. Her mouth is full of marsh and sand. Our house is in the town itself," the woman said.

State Revenue Minister K Rajan said that over 70 people who were injured in the landslides have been admitted to various hospitals.

The Kerala government has sought the assistance of the Indian Army for rescue operations.

A Defence PRO said on Tuesday that a team of 43 personnel, led by the Second-in-Command from the 122 Infantry Battalion (TA) MADRAS, has been mobilised to aid in the ongoing rescue efforts.

The team, comprising a Medical Officer, two Junior Commissioned Officers (JCOs), and 40 soldiers, is equipped to provide critical assistance in the affected area.

Their deployment aims to augment existing rescue operations and provide relief to those affected by the landslides.

Of those killed, four people, including a child, died in Chooralmala town of the district. A one-year-old child of a family from Nepal died in Thondernad village, according to the Wayanad district authorities.

Besides that, three bodies, including that of a five-year-old, were recovered from the banks of a river near Pothukal village, authorities said.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi expressed concern over the incident and said he spoke to Cihef Minister Pinarayi Vijayan and assured all possible help from the Centre to the state.

"Distressed by the landslides in parts of Wayanad. My thoughts are with all those who have lost their loved ones and prayers with those injured.

"Rescue ops are currently underway to assist all those affected. Spoke to Kerala CM Shri @pinarayivijayan and also assured all possible help from the Centre in the wake of the prevailing situation there," Modi said in a post on social media platform 'X'.

The landslides left a trail of destruction, with several houses destroyed, water bodies swollen, and trees uprooted, hampering rescue operations.

Picturesque hamlets known for their beauty until Monday--Mundakkai, Chooralmala, Attamala, and Noolpuzha- are now a picture of gloom after landslides hit the areas, cutting them off from other places.

Vehicles washed away in floodwaters could be seen stuck in tree trunks and submerged here and there in many places.

Swollen water bodies changed their course and flowed through inhabited areas, resulting in more destruction.

Huge boulders rolled down the hills and hindered the path of rescue workers.

Collector Meghasree said disaster relief work is progressing in affected areas and rescue operations are being carried out by the NDRF, fire force, police, and the Forest, Revenue and Local Self-government departments.

Along with government agencies, volunteers and local residents are cooperating in the rescue operation, she said in a statement.

The Collector also informed that the shutter of Banasura Sagar dam, on the Karamanthodu river, was opened and warned those living downstream and in low-lying areas to be cautious.

Earlier, in a video message, UDF MLA T Siddique said that district authorities were drawing up plans to airlift people from Mundakkai area.

"Currently, we have no complete information about those missing and dead in the landslides. Many areas have been cut off. NDRF personnel are trying to reach those places," he said.

Vijayan said in a Facebook post that two Air Force helicopters will depart for Wayanad from Sulur (Coimbatore in TN) shortly to take part in the search and rescue operations.
The mobile internet connection was restored in Bangladesh on Sunday, 10 days after it was restricted by the authorities across the country to stop the spread of fake news on social media amidst the deadly nationwide violence over reforms in the quota system in government jobs.

Addressing a press conference here, Minister of State for Information and Communication Technology (ICT) Zunaid Ahmed Palak announced that 5GB internet will be given for free to all users for three days after the connection is restored, the Dhaka Tribune newspaper reported.

The mobile internet connectivity was restored at around 3:00 pm local time.

Users of Robi, Grameenphone, Banglalink and other operators in Dhaka said they could access the internet through their phones around 3 pm, the report said.

On July 18, the government shut down mobile internet following the escalation of violence across the country.

At the time, Palak said the decision was made in light of the current crisis in the country and to stop the spread of fake news on social media, The Daily Star newspaper reported.

The next day, amid escalating violence, the Department of Disaster Management building was set on fire, adjacent to which was a data centre. While Internet Service Providers Association of Bangladesh (ISPAB) officials said that the fire might cut 30-40 per cent of the bandwidth supply, broadband internet connection for the entire country was disrupted within an hour.

Bangladesh stayed disconnected from both broadband and mobile internet between July 18 and July 23, when broadband internet was restored in stages.

However, mobile internet remained unavailable until Sunday.

Regarding access to social media platforms, Palak said the Bangladesh Telecommunication Regulatory Commission (BTRC) has sent letters to authorities of social media platforms, including Facebook, Tiktok and YouTube.

Their representatives have to come to Dhaka by July 31 to give explanations. Then, after discussing it with them, we will make a decision, he said.

The BTRC is responsible for regulating all matters related to telecommunications in Bangladesh.

Bangladesh witnessed violent clashes between the police and mostly student protesters demanding an end to a controversial quota system that reserved 30 per cent of government jobs for relatives of veterans who fought in Bangladeshs War of Independence in 1971.

The internet and mobile services were snapped following the countrywide violence.

On Monday last, the apex court slashed the veterans quota to just 5 per cent. Thus, 93 per cent of civil service jobs will be merit-based while the remaining 2 per cent reserved for members of ethnic minorities, transgender and physically challenged people.

The violence has reportedly killed more than 100 people, according to local newspapers. However, there are no official figures available for deaths.

Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina on Tuesday defended her decision to enforce a curfew with a shoot-on-sight order following the clashes, asserting that tough measures were taken to ensure the security of the lives and properties of the people.

Bangladesh crawled back to normalcy on Wednesday with rush hour traffic returning to streets in the capital, and limited reopening of banks, garment factories and internet services.
Raging U.S. wildfires cause evacuations, health alerts

Xinhua) 16:35, July 30, 2024

SACRAMENTO, the United States, July 29 (Xinhua) -- As firefighters in Northern California continued battling the country's largest active fire, a new blaze raged Northern Colorado on Monday, prompting evacuations and causing unhealthy air quality alerts.

The Park Fire in Northern California has become the largest wildfire in the state so far this year and the sixth-largest in the state's history. It has consumed 373,357 acres (1,511 square km) across four counties.

The California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection (Cal Fire) reported that the blaze was 12 percent contained on Monday afternoon. The fire's rapid spread has been fueled by abundant vegetation and one of the area's hottest, driest summers on record.

The Park Fire's destructive path also left 109 structures destroyed and five others damaged, with over 4,200 more under threat.

Authorities believed the fire was deliberately set in a park near Chico last Wednesday afternoon. A 42-year-old Chico resident has been arrested and charged with felony arson in connection with the incident.

California Governor Gavin Newsom declared a state of emergency for the Park Fire and Gold Complex fires last week. The latter, which started a week ago, has burned 3,007 acres and was 98 percent contained by Monday, according to Cal Fire.

The Park Fire is currently the largest fire burning in the nation, surpassing the Durkee Fire in eastern Oregon, which has burned through 293,390 acres. The massive firefighting effort involved more than 4,876 personnel, 33 helicopters and 434 fire engines.

Meanwhile, in Northern Colorado, the Alexander Mountain Fire erupted Monday morning near Roosevelt National Park and has quickly grown to 864 acres by the afternoon. The rapid expansion of this blaze forced the evacuation of more than 2,600 people, with at least 1,500 receiving voluntary evacuation notices, according to the Larimer County Sheriff's Office.

California is grappling with yet another significant wildfire -- the Borel Fire in Kern County. This blaze, which began on July 24 after a car caught on fire in an accident, has already scorched 53,010 acres and had zero containment as of Monday.

The fire's swift advance through dry vegetation, exacerbated by hot, humid and windy conditions, has impacted several communities.

The widespread wildfires threatened lives and property and severely impacted air quality across the Western United States. Smoke from the fires in Northern California and Oregon spread across several states, including Nevada, Idaho, Utah, Wyoming and Montana.

On Monday, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency's AirNow air quality data indicated the air was unhealthy for people with health issues in most wildfire-affected areas.

The National Weather Service's Sacramento branch warned that the pollution would likely persist and potentially worsen as smoke settles into valleys where fires are burning.

(Web editor: Zhang Kaiwei, Zhong Wenxing)
A poster seen near the White House in Washington, D.C., on Monday thanks President Joe Biden for proposing Supreme Court reforms. Jemal Countess/Getty Images for Court Accountability

Eighteen-year term limits for Supreme Court justices, the centerpiece of President Joe Bidens proposed overhaul of the court, have virtually no chance of approval in the current Congress. But even if a newly elected Congress passed such a law, it would be subject to constitutional challenge  and the justices would probably have the last word.

Since 1788, when the U.S. Constitution became law, Article III has declared that all federal judges shall hold their Offices during good Behaviour  for life, unless they retire or are impeached and removed by Congress. At the time, Americans life expectancy was about 38 years, or half of what it is now. And as advocates of term limits have noted, Article III does not specify that judges must serve on the same court for life.

Bidens plan, announced Monday, would allow future presidents to nominate a new Supreme Court justice every two years, and require the justices to leave the court after 18 years. They would continue to serve as senior judges on lower courts, and could return to the Supreme Court to temporarily fill a vacancy caused by a justices departure.

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And although Biden has not expressly called for expanding the court, his proposal would have that effect once a president named a new justice to a court that already had nine members. The Supreme Court has had nine justices since 1869, but its size is determined by Congress and is not limited by the Constitution.

Without such dramatic changes, the high court is likely to continue for a decade or more with the 6-3 conservative majority it gained when Senate Republican leader Mitch McConnell refused in 2016 to consider President Barack Obamas choice of a successor to the late Justice Antonin Scalia, then speedily won confirmation in 2020 of President Donald Trumps nominee, Amy Coney Barrett, to succeed the late Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg.

The United States is the only major constitutional democracy that gives lifetime seats to its high court, Biden said in a Washington Post column describing his plan. Term limits, he said, would reduce the chance that any single presidency radically alters the makeup of the court for generations to come.

He could cite support from an unlikely source  Chief Justice John Roberts, who wrote a memo favorable to term limits in 1983 when he was an assistant to the White House counsel under President Ronald Reagan.

Setting a term of, say, 15 years would ensure that federal judges would not lose all touch with reality through decades of ivory tower existence, Roberts declared, 22 years before his appointment to the Supreme Court.

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Similar legislation has been proposed in Congress, including a bill co-sponsored in October by Sen. Alex Padilla, D-Calif., which has not advanced beyond its first Senate committee. With term limits and an enforced Supreme Court ethics standard, another part of Bidens proposal, Padilla said Monday, we can help restore fairness to a judicial system that determines the fate of our most fundamental freedoms, from a womans right to choose to gun safety to civil rights.

Life tenure may have made sense in pre-colonial times, but not anymore, said Gabe Roth, executive director of the liberal group Fix the Court. No one in a democracy (or in a republic) should hold as much power as the justices have arrogated to themselves for 30, 35 or 40 or more years.

But unless it is proposed as a constitutional amendment, which would require two-thirds majorities in the House and Senate and approval from three-fourths of the states, any such legislation would be immediately challenged in court. And its prospects would be uncertain at best.

Erwin Chemerinsky, the law school dean at UC Berkeley, said he supports term limits but thinks a congressional measure would be ruled unconstitutional.

The Supreme Court has long relied on history and tradition in interpreting the Constitution, Chemerinsky said, and history and tradition always has been that a Supreme Court justice has the position for life, unless the justice resigns or is impeached and removed. If a justice is required to transfer to a lower court after 18 years, he said, they are not functioning as a justice in the way it always has been understood.

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A similar assessment came from the more conservative Michael McConnell, a Stanford law professor and former federal appeals court judge.

Justices are not just guaranteed tenure in some office, but in the office to which they were appointed, McConnell said.

A different view came from 30 current and former law professors, who signed a letter in 2020 endorsing a term-limits measure sponsored by Rep. Ro Khanna, D-Santa Clara, which likewise failed to advance. Though the bill is not perfect, we believe it to be a critical piece in prescribing how our countrys leaders can work to de-politicize the Supreme Court and its confirmation process, they wrote.

But as the conservative legal-advocacy group Liberty Counsel observed on Monday, the constitutionality of such a law would almost certainly be determined by the justices whose terms would be subject to the proposed limits.

Forcing a Supreme Court justice to transfer to a lower court after 18 years would be a serious demotion and punishment  precisely the kind that our (Constitutions) Framers intended to avoid, Liberty Counsel attorney Harry Mihet contended in an online post.

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And, he added, would anyone venture a bet against a unanimous decision (by liberal and conservative justices alike) that term limits cannot be legislatively enacted?

Yes, said David Sloss, a Santa Clara University law professor  as soon as an expanded court can consider whether its new members can be required to leave after 18 years.
Kamala Harris greets supporters at a election night rally on Nov. 9, 2016, in Los Angeles. Harris ditched her prepared victory speech to reflect the election of Donald Trump. Chris Carlson/Associated Press

Vice President Kamala Harris first week as the presumptive Democratic Party presidential nominee has been surprisingly strong, raising more than $200 million and drawing millions of volunteers.

One reason for Harris early success is because she has remained squarely in her political sweet spot: fight mode.

Read also: Road map of Kamala Harris early life in the Bay Area

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Harris early pugilism is reminiscent of two scenes from her California past, one from the first race she ran and one from the last. It is reminding longtime associates of how Harris is appearing comfortable in her skin, a longtime former prosecutor taking the fight to Donald Trump.

When we fight, we win! Harris said to close her first speech in Milwaukee after President Joe Biden vacated the nomination and endorsed her.

It is a stock line that Harris has heard  and repeated  at rallies from the time she grew up in the Bay Area as the child of activist academics and scientists until she repeated it as a candidate years later. Shes fighting in a way that Biden couldnt, and in the same way that Trumps own supporters are drawn to how they perceive he fights for them.

Fight mode is a natural fit with Harris fledgling second presidential campaign as she tries to frame the race as the prosecutor versus the felon. And being laser-focused in that stance makes it easier for Harris to avoid the pitfalls of her failed 2019 presidential campaign. Like the hazy, often contradictory positions she took on key issues (her support, sort of, for Medicare for All), which often led to confusing word salads in which she tried to explain mutating or poorly thought-out policy stances.

Part of why Harris is best in fight mode is that it is largely devoid of the nuances of finessing a political position.

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Its very early in this sprint presidential campaign, but so far that word-salad version of Harris hasnt emerged. As a result, Democrats, energized by being relieved of the burden of dragging an enfeebled Biden across the finish line, have rallied around her as the campaign says it has raised $200 million and attracted 360,000 new volunteers since the switch.

This is the authentic Kamala, Jim Stearns, the campaign consultant on her first district attorney race in San Francisco, told me Monday.

When she ran for president in 2019, being a prosecutor was seen by many as a negative. She couldnt lean into her own authentic background as much as she would have liked to. When she was running for district attorney (in 2003), she was. She feels that way to me now. Its not just fight mode. She can authentically embrace her whole experience as a prosecutor and as a progressive, he said.

In the first race for district attorney in 2003, Harris male opponents dogged her with insinuations that she would be soft on former San Francisco Mayor Willie Brown, who openly dated Harris for about a year in the mid-1990s when Brown had been separated from his wife for a decade. (Harris and Brown broke up before he took office as mayor.) Brown appointed Harris to two statewide commissions and introduced her to the citys moneyed elite while she held a job as a prosecutor in the East Bay. But that was several years before she began her first run for office.

That time lag didnt matter to Terence Hallinan, the progressive district attorney on her left and Bill Fazio, a prosecutor who was running to Harris right. Before a debate at the Noe Valley Ministry, Stearns, Harris and her campaign team planned for how to respond to a likely Brown attack.

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Stearns has always believed that if an opponent is going to hammer you with a negative, you have to make them pay a price. So they planned a counterpunch, and Harris had zero concerns about having a tough response, Stearns said.

She just was, and is today, very careful and wants things to be well-planned, Stearns said. She didnt want any unanticipated blowback. So the question wasnt, Should we punch? but How do we land it?  

Stearns and Harris did some last-minute prepping as they drove to the debate together. Just before they got out of the car, Stearns recalled asking her about the planned counterpunch. Are you ready? Stearns asked. Were going to do this, right?

And she said, We are going to do this, Jim. Were going to it. 

The moment unfolded just as planned when an audience member asked Harris if she was going to be tough on Brown if elected.

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Harris rose from her seat and told the audience that she wanted to focus on the issues that mattered to them, not answer to distractions that her opponents were firing at her. And then she stood behind Hallinan, Stearns recalled, and said, Remember how you explained how Bill Fazio was caught in a police raid in a massage parlor? And then she stood behind Fazio and said, Remember how you accused the people working in Hallinans office of having sex on the desks in the office?

After covering her opponents with their own dirty laundry, Stearns recalled, Harris turned to the audience and said, I pledge to you that I will remain focused on the issues.

The audience stood and cheered the political jujitsu. The Brown attack had been largely defanged, at least in that race. It has been revived in this campaign, however, fueled by racist and sexist online memes calling Harris a Jezebel. Fox News-turned-SiriusXM radio host Megyn Kelly posted on X last week that Harris actually did sleep her way into and upwards in California politics.

But Stearns doesnt expect those attacks to land 20 years after Harris first faced them in the San Francisco political world she would describe as a knife fight in a phone booth. It toughened her.

She impressed me as a very tough person the very first time I met her, Stearns said. She got a little glint in her eye when talking about challenges before her. There was never any kind of wilting flower to her.

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Harris went into fight mode again when she ran for Senate in 2016. Harris largely cleared the field of Democratic challengers in January 2015, and cruised to victory over Democratic Rep. Loretta Sanchez.

One of the calling cards of her electoral career is that when she makes a decision, she goes hard and she goes fast, said Brian Brokaw, the Sacramento consultant who piloted her Senate run. Shes been accused of being too deliberative or too slow or too cautious. But once she came out of the gate (in that Senate race), there was no turning back.

But Harris did make an adjustment on Election Night.

Many, based on errant polling, believed that Harris would be the first Black and Indian American woman to represent California in the Senate at the same time that Hillary Clinton would be the nations first female president.

But the early results showed that wasnt going to happen.

So Harris ditched the speech she had prepared to deliver to supporters at the Exchange LA club in Los Angeles.

Through the course of the night it became apparent what was happening nationally, and I just went out there and kind of just riffed on what I felt in that moment, Harris told the Chronicle later.

Harris told the audience that when our fundamental values are being attacked  we fight  for immigration reform, civil rights, abortion rights and truth and transparency.

She would foreshadow her role as a leader of the anti-Trump resistance by asking that night: Do we retreat or do we fight? I say we fight. And I intend to fight.

Harris would go on to lead the resistance from her new backbench seat in the Senate. She created viral moments grilling Supreme Court nominee Brett Kavanaugh, Attorneys General Jeff Sessions and Bill Barr and others during Senate committee hearings.

Now, Brokaw said, she is doing the same thing.
A Waymo driverless vehicle passes Coit Tower in San Francisco in May. That month the company increased the number of its robotaxis in the city. Santiago Mejia/The Chronicle

The month before Waymo opened its driverless robotaxis to anyone in San Francisco, the company significantly expanded its presence in the city in May with more than 133,000 paid trips, or roughly 4,300 per day.

Waymo rapidly expanded its driverless ride-hailing service in San Francisco and Los Angeles that month, with more than 200,000 people riding its autonomous vehicles, most of them in San Francisco.

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May represented the Alphabet-backed companys biggest month-to-month increase in its robotaxi service since it began commercial operations in the state last fall. The jolt in activity cemented San Francisco as the most popular U.S. market for Waymos robotaxis, which also operate in Phoenix.

The autonomous vehicle company has noticeably increased its ride-hailing activity almost every month since last August, when the California Public Utilities Commission allowed Waymo to commercially operate in the city. But the latest driverless ride-hailing data the company reported to the commission suggest Waymo has surged its rate of expansion in recent months.

The companys robotaxis, for example, logged more than 903,000 vehicle miles traveled during commercial driverless ride-hailing in May. That figure reflects a 57% increase from April, when it logged 573,000 vehicular miles. Its worth noting that those numbers are for activity in California, which now includes mileage that Waymo robotaxis have logged in Los Angeles, where the company charges driverless rides to a limited pool of users.

The latest ride-hailing data, which is as recent as May, does not include activity in the Peninsula, where Waymos robotaxis are currently testing with company employees ahead of its expected launch there. Nor does the data show how the company has expanded its commercial operations since opening its ride-hailing app to anyone in San Francisco in June.

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Waymo attributed its activity spike in May to several factors. For one, the company says it increased the size of its robotaxi fleet in San Francisco that month. Waymo operates about 300 driverless cars in the city, up from the roughly 250 robotaxis it used to start commercial service last August. Statewide, the company has 778 vehicles listed under its deployment permit, according to the California Department of Motor Vehicles. Its unclear exactly how many of those vehicles Waymo is currently using for commercial service in San Francisco and Los Angeles.

The company also finished approving the remainder of the 300,000 or so users in San Francisco who signed up for the companys wait list, which it did away with in mid-June.

Waymos commercial launch in Los Angeles in the spring also played a factor behind its noticeable expansion, though to a lesser degree. According to census-tract level data the company must report to the CPUC, Waymo registered about 10,500 trips in its nascent Los Angeles market, up from the 1,800 or so paid driverless trips it logged there in April.

San Francisco, though, has emerged as Waymos most popular market. The company completed more 133,000 driverless trips in the city in May, averaging about 4,300 daily trips.

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San Francisco AI startup Perplexity has revealed a plan to share revenue with the owners of publications such as Time, Fortune, and Der Spiegel when their content is served up by its search bot in query results. Lea Suzuki/The Chronicle

San Francisco artificial intelligence search company Perplexity plans to compensate the owners of publications such as Time, Der Spiegel and Fortune in certain instances when their content pops up as part of its search results.

The announcement is the latest handshake between AI companies and publishers and comes as a California state bill moves closer to the governors desk that would require some tech companies to pay outlets to use their content.

AI search programs such as Perplexity work by querying the web for relevant sites, then summarizing the results for users instead of offering a list of links, as is the case in a traditional Google search. For instance, ask Perplexity who is running for mayor of San Francisco in 2024, and it will return a summary citing sources including Wikipedia, the Chronicle and other sites.

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In the coming months, when Perplexity earns revenue from a search where a partner publishers content pops up, that publisher will also earn a share in some cases. The revenue sharing will occur when the search results include a suggested follow-up question sponsored by a third party or some other kind of paid advertising on the page.

Publishers without an agreement with Perplexity will not see revenue from the company.

Perplexity declined to say what percent of the revenue publishers will get. Company spokesperson Sara Platnick said in an email that it will be a significant double-digit percentage revenue share.

We appreciate the publishers who have joined us for this program and provided us with valuable feedback about how it should operate, Perplexity CEO Aravind Srinivas said in a statement. We have always believed that we can build a system where the whole Internet wins, and this is just the first step.

AI-powered search gives readers the gist of what a few highly ranked web pages say. But Srinivas company has taken flak from Wired and Forbes for allegedly scraping their sites for content without permission and presenting it to users in an AI-condensed form with little or no attribution.

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That issue came to the fore last month when users noted that a Forbes story about a secretive drone project began popping up largely unchanged in Perplexitys results. Forbes Chief Content Officer Randall Lane called it a cynical theft.

Forbes has since threatened to sue Perplexity for copyright violations, Axios reported.

That hasnt stopped other publishers from throwing in with Perplexity to try making money from queries.

We are proud to join Perplexitys Publishers Program as a launch partner to continue to expand access to reliable information and engage audiences in new ways, said Time Chief Operating Officer Mark Howard in a statement.

The deal will also allow the publishers to include a Perplexity-powered question and answer bar on their sites, letting readers ask questions and get responses that cite only content from the same publisher.

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The promise of the technology has helped startups like Perplexity raise the cash they need to gun for Googles search crown.

Google has been testing its own AI-powered search engine that summarizes relevant web pages instead of just providing links to other sites, albeit with some hiccups. Last week, San Franciscos OpenAI announced it was testing a ChatGPT-powered search engine that could compete with Googles.

OpenAI has already inked a deal with German publisher Axel Springer, the owner of Politico, Business Insider and European properties Bild and Die Welt, to cite Springer as the source when OpenAIs chatbot answers a question using the publishers content. The San Francisco company also previously paid the Associated Press for the right to train its chatbots on APs trove of stories and other content.

Not every publisher is comfortable making deals with AI companies.

The New York Times sued OpenAI late last year, alleging the company unfairly benefited by training its AI chatbots using the newspapers copyrighted stories.

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Whether a search is AI powered or not, the California Newspaper Publishers Association (to which the Chronicle belongs) wants its members to make money when their content appears in an online search.

That is why the state bill, called the California Journalism Preservation Act, covers platforms accessing, crawling, indexing, and displaying news content, said CNPA General Counsel Brittney Barsotti.

She said programs like Googles AI summary tool crawls news content to create its summaries, and if the bill passes, publishers would be entitled to revenue because of that.

That could amount to a significant payout. The nonprofit Poynter Institute earlier this year estimated Google and Facebook parent Meta owe U.S. publishers in the range of $12 billion and $14 billion a year.

Google has pushed back against the bill, threatening earlier this year to remove links to California news websites for some users if the bill passed.

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Derry is set to play host to the Maiden City Festival, which starts on Saturday, August 3.

Festivities are taking place across the city between August 3 and August 9.

Jonathan Burgess, the organiser of the festival, has worked tirelessly to ensure the city has the best experience of events, remembering the history of the Siege of Derry.

He said: It is a fun-packed and flat-out week.

We have living history characters out by the walls.

We will have 10 living history characters from the 3rd until the 9th of August, representing different aspects of the siege. The historical characters are fictional characters, so they can tell the story of the time without being constrained by historical facts.

We do a promenade show in St. Columb's Cathedral called the Siege Story and it takes you through the whole siege, from the closing of the gates to the eventual relief, and that lasts about 35 minutes, and we do it three times a day at 12, 2, and 4pm.

We do highland dancing and piping displays on the hour; that is done with Solace Hill dancers. That is Monday to Friday, and it starts at 11 in the morning and ends at 4 in the afternoon.

There will also be tea dances in the Memorial Hall as well. Those tea dances bring a big cross-community crowd as they remember back to a pre-troubles time.

There is a play from about four or five years ago that was written by myself called A funny thing happened on the way from the 12th. It is all different perspectives about parading, the apprentice boys, and the history and culture of five different people at a bus stop.

It is a bit of craic and allows people to ask questions with a facilitated discussion at the end of it.

While there are loads of events taking place across the city during the festival, many of them free of charge, there are hopes Maiden City Festival can expand in the future.

But Mr. Burgess is concerned about the fine line the festival is surviving on as funding within the arts in Northern Ireland remains perilous.

He said: People want to celebrate their culture and their community, and they are finding better ways to do that.

We have great plans to do other projects and do things across the year as opposed to just focusing on August.

There has been a major financial drain on the arts sector in Northern Ireland. At the moment, we are operating on fumes.

With most of our events being free, you can charge people for community outreach. We are never going to be self-sufficient, and if we dont have the funding or if it is cut further in the future, we will be treading water.

However, with the growing tourism industry in Derry, with a particular focus on the walls, Mr. Burgess is hopeful there can be growth within the city's population to utilise the walls more.

He said: I also think we need to utilise the walls more; they are such an underused facility in our city, and I know this may be a legacy from the Troubles when people werent allowed on them.

It is getting people back on the walls and giving them a reason to use them, the same way visitors are using the walls.

We would love to see more of our own communities coming up onto the walls and participating in the events and celebrating the festival.

We did our own survey of the festival last year on the walls at the end of days with the actors and the highland dancing. We found 60% of the people we were performing for were not from Northern Ireland, not even just Derry.

There were people from Venezuela, Japan, Australia, and all across Europe and America. We found that on the walls during the festival, of the people we surveyed, only seven percent of them were from Derry or the Waterside.
A Kilrea woman has set up a baby loss foundation after suffering her own tragic loss.



Selina Casey's idea for a baby loss foundation originated after she tragically lost her own baby at 18 weeks in 2021.

She felt that families who suffered the loss of a baby vitally need services to turn to so she set up The White Butterfly Foundation.



Selina, a qualified counsellor, was just finishing her counselling training when she found out she was pregnant.

Sadly, during a check-up at around 18 weeks, Selina and her husband were told their baby had no heartbeat and she had to deliver the baby.



Selina described this as a traumatic and horrific experience.

As a mother of two I had two healthy pregnancies before. I just assumed something like this couldnt happen to me, she said.



The labour was 12 hours and very difficult. We left the hospital with not much support, guidance or plan on what to do after experiencing this. We were left thinking what happens next.



Selina said that she was personally very lucky to have the support of her family and friends. Her training in counselling also helped to get her through this sad time. However she couldnt help thinking of the people who werent as fortunate.

I kept thinking I need to do something positive out of this negative experience. I didn't want to go through this experience alone. Losing a baby can be an isolating experience as it is.



The idea started after we said goodbye to our little one in 2021. However we were only officially set up around a month ago.

Selina says she has shared the same grief and connected with many others since starting the foundation.



I would've never met these people had the tragedy not happened. It is only after my loss that I realised the amount of women going through this and how they are in the same position. I reach a real realisation depth with these women when I work alongside them.



Often these women can be overlooked. There arent many organisations in Northern Ireland that specialise in baby loss. A lot of the UK organisations often dont work with people from Northern Ireland. We do have some amazing support groups who do great work but I am hoping to integrate the one-to-one work alongside that. I am determined to bring this vision to life, I hope to achieve funding for women who desperately need this service.



Some women can be overlooked and taken for granted. They often are told things like you can try again, at least you know you can get pregnant. Often these comments are said to make a woman feel better but they can cause hurt and have a negative effect on the woman.

Selina came up with the idea of The Timeless Tile Collection as a creative expression activity for women who come to her Just Be group sessions. Previous sessions have taken place in Lurgan and Omagh. The sessions were in collaboration with Baby Loss charity, Little Forget Me Nots Trust.

Above: Timeless Tiles



Selina explained that the charitys vision is to use our own hands to get out of our own heads.

It has seen an amazing response. An idea that started in my house one Saturday evening. I have been collaborating with Laura from Rosegift Studios in Portglenone and Louise from Little Forget Me Nots Trust for about seven months to make this dream a reality, she said.

Above: The Team at Just Be Cafe



Mummies will come along and make a tile for their own baby or for somebody else who has suffered a baby loss. The conversations that happen around the making of those tiles are mind blowing. It really brings them together. It is important for them to connect with others who have been through a similar situation. It is lovely for them to not have to explain and just be. We didnt have to say what stage of grief we were at unless we wanted to but everyone knew that these people have been through the same as me.



Selina recalls an emotional moment from one of the meet ups.

When we put all the finished tiles together it was very emotive. At that moment one of the mums said imagine if they were all here the noise they would be making. That was a touching moment for sure.

The official launch of The White Butterfly Foundation will take place on Baby Loss Awareness Week which takes place from October 9 to 15.



Selina added: I am currently in the process of planning events for that week when we will head to Stormont and the Guildhall. Hopefully after the official launch we will be able to start seeing parents who have unfortunately suffered baby loss in their lives. To have the political backing to make this happen has been incredible.



The Stormont event will take place on October 10 and The Guildhall event will take place on October 11. For the Guildhall launch event Selina will be approaching local businesses to get involved.



With her background in Counselling Selina said how her plan is to offer focused psychological support for parents.

We will be offering support to parents who have lost a baby in pregnacy or after birth. I am hopeful for the future of The White Butterfly Foundation. I believe that those who attend will get a lot of it in turn the foundation will develop through fundraising down the line.



Just Be Cafe Timeless Tiles Project will be coming to Derry city on August 6 and in Portglenone on August 13.

To find out more information on these events visit:

https://littleforgetmenotstrust.com/products/timeless-tile



You can find The White Butterfly Foundation on Facebook and Instagram.
On Friday, July 26 the Thomas Ashe 1916 Society Dungiven hosted former blanket man Seamus Kearney to give a talk on his book, No Greater Love.

Seamus explained that the book's title comes from a quote from Kevin Lynch's grave, A man can have no greater love than to lay down his life for his friend.

The book launch was part of a series of events organised over the weekend to commemorate Dungiven Hunger Striker Kevin Lynch.

Seamus began by recalling his experiences at the outbreak of troubles while living in East Belfast. Initially local men defended the area from Loyalist attack. Up until the Battle of St Matthew's, when Billy McKee and the IRA came in to defend the area, a pivotal moment in the formation of the Provisional Republican Movement. Seamus went on to talk about how his family moved to West Belfast to escape the violence in East Belfast, though this was to no avail as the violence soon engulfed the city. He goes on to talk about how these series of events lead to him joining the Republican Movement.

Seamus spoke about joining the IRA, his time in active service and getting wounded, his repeated arrests, his interrogations in Castlereagh and finally getting caught on Active service.

ABOVE: Seamus Kearney pictured with Paddy Mulgrew.

Following Seamuss arrest he was sent to the Crumlin Road jail then moved to the H-Blocks while still on remand. The H-Blocks were a newly built prison system built at the site of Long Kesh, as part of the criminalisation policy of the British Government which they renamed the Maze.

There he met with Kieran Doherty, Tom McElwee, Bobby Sands and Kevin Lynch, all of whom would later go on to give their lives on hunger strike. During this time Seamus got 14 years and was moved to a non conforming block, H5. Seamus joined the Blanket Protest. The experience which Seamus describes was 'brutal, with habitual beatings, starvation and overall degradation'. Throughout this harrowing experience the Blanket Protesters only grew more determined. Despite everything they became a brotherhood.

This became more important when Seamus got the worst news anyone could get, Seamus' brother was executed by supposed comrades as being accused as an informer. Seamus' dedication to his fellow Blanketmen never wavered and he went on to prove his brother's innocence.

Seamus' brother Michael was used as a scapegoat in an operation that he had nothing to do with him to cover for other informers by the British operative Steak Knife, Freddie Scappaticci. Despite such betrayal Seamus and his comrades gave the struggle real meaning, they overcame despite all odds.

Seamus summed up the experience of the Hunger Strikers with a fitting quote, One brother laying down his life for another. Fidel Castro, the revolutionary Cuban leader spoke of the profound impact the hunger strikers had: They have earned the respect and admiration of the world, and likewise they deserve its support. Ten of them have already died in the most moving gesture of sacrifice, selflessness and courage one could ever imagine.






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A doctor will go on trial in Coleraine in September charged with the manslaughter of a child.

Ivan Pepelyashkov (46) with an address at Riverside faces one charge in Antrim faced one charge of manslaughter of a female on May 13, 2018.

At today's sitting of Derry Crown Court Judge Neil Rafferty KC said that due to pressures on court room space in Bishop Street courthouse it had been decided to move the case to Coleraine.

He said that the case would be heard by Madam Justice McBride and a jury would be sworn in at Derry on September 23 and the case would begin in Coleraine the following day.

The judge said that this would allow the case to be heard in 'relative peace and quiet'.

The case is expected to last up to two weeks and the defendant is currently on bail.
US-Kenya partnership signals Africa's rising role in global semiconductor industry

Africa is emerging as a significant player in the global semiconductor landscape, as evidenced by the recent partnership between the United States and Kenya. This collaboration highlights the US strategy to reduce its dependence on Asian supply chains by fostering semiconductor development across the African continent.

In May, the US Trade and Development Agency signed a grant agreement with Kenyan technology company Semiconductor Technologies Limited (STL) to conduct a feasibility study for establishing a new semiconductor fabrication facility. This facility aims to diversify and strengthen global supply chains for legacy chips used in various commercial applications. The grant was formalized at the US Chamber of Commerce during Kenyan President William S. Ruto's State Visit to the United States.

According to the World Economic Forum and The New York Times, the US is actively seeking to diversify its supply chains. Kenya, with its abundant mineral resources and growing tech-savvy population, has been identified as a key partner in this endeavor. The US government's support for Kenya's semiconductor industry is part of a broader strategy to reduce reliance on Asia, particularly China, for critical components.

Africa's advantages in semiconductor manufacturing

Africa offers several advantages for semiconductor manufacturing. The continent is rich in critical minerals essential for semiconductor production, including cobalt, tantalum, and copper. Many African nations are investing in education and training to cultivate a skilled workforce for the industry. Furthermore, several countries are creating a favorable investment climate by implementing policies to attract foreign investment and foster a business-friendly environment.

Countries like Kenya, Nigeria, Rwanda, and Ghana provide fertile ground for investment, innovation, and growth in the semiconductor industry. As demonstrated by significant investments from the US, South Korea, China, and the EU in their respective semiconductor markets, these African nations could become crucial nodes in the global network, emphasizing the need for flexibility and adaptability.

While Africa may not be able to produce high-end chips in the foreseeable future, it can contribute to the supply chain through activities such as testing, quality control, and programming. Additionally, African expatriates are investing in related businesses. For example, Ola Fadiran and Mohamed Kassem, with backgrounds in chip design, have founded eFabless, a company that simplifies chip design processes.

As Africa continues to develop its semiconductor capabilities, it is poised to play an increasingly important role in the global semiconductor industry, potentially reshaping supply chains and fostering technological innovation across the continent.
China accelerates HBM production for AI, CXMT expands for self-sufficiency amid sanctions

China is ramping up its efforts to produce High-Bandwidth Memory (HBM), crucial for advancing AI technology, as part of its supply chain indigenization strategy.

China's largest DRAM manufacturer, Changxin Memory Technologies (CXMT), is reportedly building HBM production lines. South Korean media ET News, citing industry sources, reported that CXMT has already acquired some equipment and may place additional orders in the second half of 2024.

Expansion for the next generation HBM

The new HBM production lines are under construction in Beijing and Hefei, intending to produce second-generation HBM (HBM2) featuring eight-layer stacking. Established in 2016 and believed to have substantial support from the Chinese government, CXMT has become China's leading DRAM supplier.

Analysts note China's push for self-sufficiency in AI and semiconductor advancements has long included plans to produce HBM domestically. Despite US sanctions, China remains confident in securing HBM production capabilities. The global industry is also working to develop supply chains for HBM materials, components, and equipment.

Earlier reports from the South China Morning Post indicated that Huawei is collaborating with XMC to develop HBM. Additionally, IC packaging companies such as JCET and TongFu Microelectronics are planning advanced packaging solutions like CoWoS.

HBM deep pockets

South Korean industry observers are wary, anticipating that China's HBM manufacturing will receive significant government backing. In May, China announced a CNY344 billion fund for semiconductor development, leading to speculation that a substantial portion of this investment will be directed toward HBM technology and capacity.
Tiseme Zegeye is a partner at Lieff Cabraser Heimann & Bernstein, a San Francisco law firm that represents more than 200 clients who have linked their cancer to use of chemical hair relaxers. The plaintiffs are part of a multidistrict lawsuit representing more that 8,500 clients nationwide. Minh Connors/The Chronicle

Before she was a partner at her San Francisco law firm, where she typically litigates reproductive health and environmental justice cases, Tiseme Zegeye was attending college on the East Coast and using hair relaxers to straighten her hair.

In her early 20s, Zegeye, who is of Ethiopian descent, opted for a method that studies show most Black women in the U.S. use at some point in their lives  a liquid cosmetic applied to the scalp that chemically alters the texture of hair. The process, which can result in scalp irritation, chemical burns and sores, varies depending on hair type and typically lasts several weeks, or until new hair grows.

Straight hair has been pushed on Black women for centuries, said Zegeye, who is now in her late 30s and raising two young children to appreciate their natural curls in predominantly white Marin County. The work that it takes to undo that is a lot  especially (for people) in my generation and older.

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If Zegeye stopped using relaxers years ago out of a feeling that they were potentially damaging to her hair, a recent federal study and an avalanche of lawsuits from Zegeyes firm and others are making the case that the treatments chemical ingredients can be perilous to womens reproductive health.

In 2022, the National Institutes of Health published a study linking the repeated use of chemical hair straighteners to an increased risk of developing cancer.

The study was a bombshell, prompting more than 8,500 women across the country to sue hair-relaxer manufacturers, alleging the companies knew or should have known about the risks associated with their products, and failed to warn consumers.

More than 200 women filed their lawsuits through Lieff Cabraser Heimann & Bernstein, where Zegeye works. The San Francisco law firm is working with the Oakland-based racial justice nonprofit, the Equal Justice Society.

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The lawsuits have been consolidated in a Chicago federal court into a multidistrict litigation, designed to streamline complex cases. The defendants include beauty industry titans such as LOreal, Revlon and Strength of Nature. In a November 2023 statement, LOreal said they believe the allegations made in these lawsuits have neither legal nor scientific merit.

The plaintiffs are seeking unspecified damages. The legal proceedings, currently in the pretrial discovery phase, are unfolding in a patchwork regulatory system.

A U.S. Food and Drug Administration proposal to ban formaldehyde, a known carcinogen, from hair relaxers has yet to be implemented for unclear reasons.

California and several other states have passed laws to ban certain toxic chemicals from cosmetics, though Californias laws have yet to take effect.

The prospect of sweeping federal action has become uncertain in the aftermath of last months Supreme Court decision, overturning the Chevron deference, and limiting the authority of expert agencies such as the FDA to interpret ambiguous laws.

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A regulatory patchwork

The 2022 NIH study followed more than 33,000 women for a decade, during which 378 cases of uterine cancer were diagnosed. Participants who reported using hair straighteners more than four times in a year were twice as likely to develop uterine cancer than those who didnt use them.

Previous studies linked the use of hair straighteners  containing chemicals known as endocrine disruptors that interfere with hormones and cause health problems  to an increased likelihood of developing ovarian cancer and breast cancer.

Citing the NIH study, Democratic Reps. Ayanna Pressley of Massachusetts and Shontel Brown of Ohio wrote to the FDA in March 2023, urging it to investigate the potential health threat posed by chemical hair straightening products.

That October, the FDA recommended banning formaldehyde from hair-straightening products. The proposed ban was originally expected to be implemented this April but has been delayed until at least September.

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In May, an FDA spokesperson said they could not comment on the timing or the content of the proposed rule, but that it continues to be a high priority and is still in the rulemaking process.

The FDAs jurisdiction is limited in that it does not approve cosmetics before they end up in stores. In December 2022, President Joe Biden expanded the agencys regulatory authority by signing the Modernization of Cosmetics Regulation Act, which granted it greater control over product labeling and recall, among other things.

Personal care products are one of the less regulated categories of consumer products, said Melanie Benesh, vice president of government affairs at the nonprofit Environmental Working Group, which previously petitioned the FDA to ban formaldehyde in hair-straightening products.

The FDA does have pretty clear authority to take action if a product is adulterated or misbranded, she said. However, without the Chevron doctrine, what the FDA interprets adulterated to mean could be more vulnerable to legal challenge now because of this change in the law.

The U.S. already lags behind dozens of other countries, including Canada and most of Europe, that have moved to limit or ban hundreds of hazardous chemicals from personal care products and cosmetics.

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California, however, is ahead of the national curve. In 2020, Gov. Gavin Newsom signed the Toxic-Free Cosmetics Act, making it the first state to prohibit 24 toxic chemicals, including formaldehyde, from cosmetics. The legislation is set to take effect in 2025. In 2023, the state banned an additional 26 chemicals, to take effect in 2027.

Twenty states have taken some action to regulate certain chemicals in cosmetics. In recent years, multiple states have also taken action to address racialized beauty standards in the cultural environment.

In 2019, California became the first state to ban race-based hair discrimination with the Creating a Respectful and Open Workplace for Natural Hair Act. Since then, 24 states have passed similar legislation. A national version passed the House in 2022 but stalled in the Senate.

As lawmakers confront discriminatory beauty norms, generations of Black women who used hair straighteners to conform are seeking accountability through the courts.

The battle ahead

Fidelma Fitzpatrick, a New York attorney appointed by the U.S. District Court of Illinois to co-lead the multidistrict litigation, said the plaintiffs include mothers and grandmothers, single women without children, and those with and without professional careers. What the plaintiffs do have in common, she said, is that they all used chemical hair-straightening products, either at home or in a salon, before developing ovarian, uterine or endometrial cancers.

Some of them used it because their jobs or society back in the 80s and 90s really required Black and brown women to straighten their hair, said Fitzpatrick, of the firm Motley Rice LLC. Some used it because their moms and their sisters and their friends did it, others because they saw the glossy ads of the long, flowing Eurocentric silky hair, and they wanted to look like that.

Deanna Denham Hughes was 32 when she was diagnosed with ovarian cancer and underwent an emergency hysterectomy. The Georgia mother of two believes theres a connection to her use of chemical hair straighteners when she was younger, which the National Institute of Health and other research bodies have linked to increased rates of reproductive cancers. Courtesy of Deanna Denham Hughes

Growing up in Atlanta in the 1990s, Deanna Denham Hughes said, Natural hair wasnt really in. The first time she had her natural hair chemically straightened, Denham Hughes was about the same age as her youngest daughter, who is 5.

Denham Hughes, now 35, still recalls the Black girls with smooth hair and wide smiles on the colorful packaging of the product she used as a kid. At first, her mother did it for her at home, but as she got older, she started going to salons.

Years later, long after she had stopped relaxing her hair, she would begin to question how the kits that promised her straight hair as a child might have affected her health as an adult.

In early 2022, she saw a doctor for stomach pains and irregular bleeding, and during a pelvic exam, the gynecologist was having difficulty locating her uterus, so they performed an ultrasound. A large mass was discovered. That same weekend, her health rapidly declined.

She had to have an emergency hysterectomy and was diagnosed with ovarian cancer. In the following months, she underwent six cycles of chemotherapy that brought fatigue, appetite loss and other side effects.

After going down a rabbit hole of articles and studies about the link between hair-straightening chemicals and certain reproductive cancers, Denham Hughes took legal action in 2023. Zegeye is her attorney, and her case is one of thousands consolidated in the national litigation.

During a July 2023, visit to Denham Hughes home on the outskirts of Atlanta, Zegeye said she was struck by her clients decor: All around the house and in Denham Hughes daughters rooms were images of Black women and girls  scientists and superheroes  rocking their natural hair.

After spending the day with Denham Hughes and her family, Zegeye recalled, As I was leaving, one of her girls said to me that she loved my curly hair and that it looked like hers, and that made me so happy.

Deanna Denham Hughes says she grew up in an era when curly hair wasnt popular but is raising her two daughters to be proud of their natural hair. In their rooms and around their house are images of Black women and girls  scientists and superheroes  wearing their natural hair. Courtesy of Deanna Denham Hughes

Still, on trips to the beauty store, Denham Hughes said she sees the hair-straightening product she used as a kid.

It just feels like theres no accountability, no responsibility, she said.

Two years in remission, Denham Hughes said she wasnt sure she was done having children when she had an emergency hysterectomy at the age of 32.
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SK Hynix invests US$6.77 billion in Yongin Semiconductor Cluster, to prioritize DRAM production

SK Hynix has announced board approval for a KRW9.4 trillion (approximately US$6.77 billion) investment to construct its first plant and related operational facilities at the Yongin Semiconductor Cluster in South Korea. Construction is set to begin in March 2025, with completion targeted for May 2027. The project aims to meet the growing demand for AI-related memory.

Expanding production capacity for next-gen DRAM

The Yongin Semiconductor Cluster, located in Wonsam-myeon, covers an area of 4.15 million square meters. SK Hynix plans to primarily produce next-generation DRAM products, including high-bandwidth memory (HBM), at the first plant. Three additional plants will be constructed subsequently, forming a semiconductor cooperation park with over 50 global materials, components, and equipment companies.

In the second quarter of 2024, SK Hynix's revenue from HBM surged over 80% quarter-on-quarter and more than 250% year-on-year, significantly boosting the company's performance. SK Hynix expects HBM revenue to grow by 300% year-on-year in 2024, with shipment volumes in 2025 projected to double those of 2024. The company is optimistic about the trend of shorter product cycles among GPU customers, necessitating an urgent expansion of production capacity.

SK Hynix plans to establish a mini factory within the first plant to provide an environment similar to actual production sites. This facility will serve as a space for South Korean materials, components, and equipment companies to research, develop, verify, and evaluate new technologies, supporting partners in improving their technology's completeness.

However, the industry has highlighted that stable power supply remains the biggest challenge for the Yongin Semiconductor Cluster. With Samsung Electronics also making large-scale investments in Yongin, it is estimated that Samsung will require about 10GW of power, and SK Hynix about 6GW, accounting for 40% of the total power demand (40GW) in the Seoul Metropolitan Area.

The Yongin Semiconductor Park project, initially announced in 2019 with an original completion date set for 2026, faced delays due to land acquisition and compensation processes, as well as conflicts over water resources with Yeoju City. Whether SK Hynix can fully resolve resource issues like water and electricity and complete the project by 2027 as scheduled remains to be seen.

Kim Young-sik, head of manufacturing technology at SK Hynix, stated that the Yongin Cluster will be the foundation for SK Hynix's mid-to-long-term development and a collaborative innovation space with partners. The company aims to enhance the competitiveness of South Korea's semiconductor technology and ecosystem through the construction of this large-scale industrial park.
Protesters and counter-protesters faced off for the second consecutive Sunday at the former St. Joseph's Female Orphanage and Industrial School on Seatown Place in Dundalk, over plans to house 260 Ukrainian refugees at the site.

Crowds began gathering shortly after 11am, with counter-protesters positioning themselves on the footpath directly in front of the building, while anti-immigrant protesters assembled on the opposite side of the street.

A strong garda presence was evident, with officers stationed between the opposing groups and members of the Public Order Unit on standby in the surrounding streets.

Counter- protesters at Sunday's demonstration

Anti-immigrant protesters carried Irish flags and displayed a banner reading Dundalk Says No. In contrast, counter-protesters waved Louth, Palestinian, and Antifa flags, holding placards with messages such as Dundalk Says No to Racism and Love Dundalk, Hate Racism.

Shortly after midday, the anti-immigrant group, flanked by members of the Public Order Unit, began marching up Crowe Street towards the Courthouse, chanting Get them out. They paused briefly outside the Dundalk Sinn Fein office.

Read Next: Dundalk IT sign significant MOU with Marshall University

At the Courthouse, several speakers from the anti-immigrant side including recent local election candidate for the Irish Freedom Party Tracy OHanlon and Dr Finbar Markey addressed the crowd, criticising the government, the Gardai, and local media.

Meanwhile, counter-protesters, escorted by gardai, lined up in the middle of Earl Street. They were contained by a line of officers before eventually moving down to the Demesne end of Market Square. Counter protesters led chants such as, Refugees welcome here, and The workers united will never be defeated.

An anti- immigrant protester talking to a guard

Gardai again formed two lines at either end of the Square to separate the two sides.

The gathering at the Courthouse dispersed around 1pm, with the counter-protesters disbanding shortly thereafter.

It is understood that a third protest is being organised again for this coming Sunday.
A former IRA terrorist who murdered a man in Northern Ireland and fired a shot-gun into the face of another man in the Republic has had his surrender to UK authorities formally ordered by the High Court.

Robert Duffy (52) was convicted in 1996 of the murder of John Gibson in Belfast in October 1993 and sentenced to life imprisonment. He was released after just four years under the terms of the Good Friday Agreement (GFA) in July 2000. On March 10, 2007, he attempted to murder Colin O'Neill at the Emerald Bar in Dundalk, Co Louth, by firing a shotgun into Mr O'Neill's face at point-blank range. He was sentenced to life imprisonment in 2008, having pleaded guilty to that offence.

Last year, it emerged that Duffy was being considered for parole, prompting the Northern Irish authorities to seek to have Duffy extradited so he can be returned to prison for breaching the terms of his release by attempting to murder Mr O'Neill. Among the terms of his release under the GFA was that he must not be a danger to the public.

At a previous extradition hearing, Ms Justice Caroline Biggs heard that Duffy had engaged with the parole board while in prison and was being considered for temporary release. She said a report from 2021 stated that Duffy had engaged well with probation services, was a trusted prisoner, is considered at a "moderate to low risk of reoffending" and no longer affiliated with any paramilitary organisation. He was being held at the low-security Shelton Abbey prison at the time but was then sent to Cloverhill and Wheatfield prisons as a result of the extradition proceedings. However, last month, Duffy was refused parole by the board.

In June of last year, Ms Justice Biggs dismissed objections to Duffy's extradition to Northern Ireland but said she would not order his extradition at that time. She added that if the parole board had decided to release Duffy , he would have been entitled to bail with regard to the High Court extradition proceedings. Ms Justice Biggs said she did not want the extradition proceedings before her to be a bar to Duffy being released by the parole board.

Ms Justice Biggs noted that the Northern Irish authorities had given assurances that Duffy would be free to apply for release to the Sentence Review Commission once he has been returned to prison in Northern Ireland. Duffy had objected to his extradition to Northern Ireland but Ms Justice Biggs dismissed all grounds of objection.

Ronan Kennedy SC and Brian Storan BL, for Duffy, had argued that the extradition application had amounted to an abuse of process, considering the amount of time that had passed between the Dundalk shooting in 2007 and the April 2022 warrant issued by UK authorities.

In formally making the order, Ms Justice Biggs said there would be no violation of Duffy's rights in making the order for his surrender to the North. However, Duffy cannot be surrendered to the North until he is released or paroled from prison in the South.
The 13th Thomas D'Arcy McGee Summer School this year will focus on the critical challenges facing human rights today. The event will gather well known scholars and activists to address the importance of safeguarding human rights achievements against a global backdrop of rising authoritarianism and xenophobia.

The summer school aims to highlight the significance of human rights, as enshrined in the Universal Declaration of Human Rights and the European Convention on Human Rights. It will explore how these frameworks can hold states and institutions accountable for abuses at local, national and international levels. This years theme comes at a crucial time, organisers say, when confidence in the commitment of governments and institutions to uphold fundamental freedoms is waning.

Reflecting the spirit of Eleanor Roosevelts profound words on the origins of human rights, the Thomas D'Arcy McGee Summer School emphasises that the fight for human rights begins in small places like Carlingford and in communities across the country, across Europe and the world.

Where, after all, do universal human rights begin? In small places, close to home  so close and so small that they cannot be seen on any maps of the world. Yet they are the world of the individual person; the neighbourhood he lives in; the school or college he attends; the factory, farm, or office where he works. Such are the places where every man, woman, and child seeks equal justice, equal opportunity, equal dignity without discrimination. Unless these rights have meaning there, they have little meaning anywhere. Without concerted citizen action to uphold them close to home, we shall look in vain for progress in the larger world.

The summer school organisers say that the notions that we take for granted in our modern world  of rights, equality, rule of law, inclusion, freedom of movement, freedom from discrimination, democracy  are under increasing assault from authoritarian leaders and the populist far-right across the world today.

You may ask, they add, what small community based organisations from both sides of Carlingford Lough  Carlingford, Rostrevor and Newry  can do to defend and safeguard such ideas. They say they would answer that it is in these small places close to home ... that human rights begin. And we would go on to argue, they further add, still in the words of Eleanor Roosevelt, that without concerted citizen action to uphold them close to home, we shall look in vain for progress in the wider world. Lets talk!

TDMSS '24 Running Order

Day One 13th August 9.00 to 9.30 Registration Tea / Coffee and Biscuits 9.30 to 9.40 Welcome: Seamus Murphy 9.40 to 10.00 Keynote Speaker - TBC 10.00 - 10.10 Canadian Ambassador - Nancy Smyth



First session - Human Rights  definition and history

Chairperson TBC

Colin Harvey  origins of HR as currently defined (UDHR and ECHR)

Monica McWilliams  Rights-based governance  importance of a Bill of Rights in Northern Ireland, on Shared Island.

Coffee Break - Tea and Scones

Second Session No Title Yet

Chairperson TBC

Alyson Kilpatrick  Holding states to account  Putting the ECHR into effect - HR and the GFA. Making sure that legislators can be held to account.

Niall Muldoon  Ombudsman for Children

Another Speaker TBC.

Evening Programme - Reception/Award  Carlingford Heritage Centre

Carlingford Pipe Band

The Play and Newpoint The Trial of John Mitchell  @19.30 - Tuesday 13th August - the Heritage Centre

Day Two 14th August

Session Three

Coffee on Arrival

Gideon Levy  A voice for HR  in the face of war (on-line)

Coffee Break

Bulelani Mfaco  Human Rights, Immigration and Asylum Seekers

Turlough ODonnell  Human Rights, Justice and Keeping Hope

The Trial of John Mitchel (and his statue) before the Court of History by Anthony Russell, performed by the Newpoint Players, resurrects John Mitchel to face charges of crimes against humanity, with historical figures like Padraic Pearse and Sir Charles Gavin Duffy as his defence and prosecution. The audience serves as the jury in this thought-provoking drama that reexamines Mitchel's legacy and his statue's place in Newry.

Additionally, Canadian Ambassador Nancy Smyth, appointed in March 2021, will be honoured with an award from the school for her outstanding work in representing Canadian interests, advancing bilateral relations, and managing programs and services for Canadian citizens and businesses in Ireland.

Speakers include:

Colin Harvey: Professor of Human Rights Law at Queens University Belfast, member of the Irish Human Rights and Equality Commission, and Scientific Committee of the EU Fundamental Rights Agency.

Monica McWilliams: Founding member of the Northern Ireland Womens Coalition, delegate to the Good Friday Agreement, and Emeritus Professor at Ulster University.

Alyson Kilpatrick: Chief Commissioner of the Northern Ireland Human Rights Commission, with extensive experience in human rights advocacy and legal advising.

Niall Muldoon: Irelands Ombudsman for Children, dedicated to ensuring the rights of vulnerable children and young people are respected.

Colin Harvey: Professor of Human Rights Law at Queens University Belfast, member of the Irish Human Rights and Equality Commission, and Scientific Committee of the EU Fundamental Rights Agency.

Gideon Levy: Award-winning Israeli journalist known for his work on the Israeli occupation of Palestinian territories.

Bulelani Mfaco: South African activist advocating for asylum seekers' rights in Ireland and campaigning for systemic changes in the treatment of asylum seekers.

Turlough ODonnell: Senior Counsel specialising in mediation, conflict resolution, and restorative justice.

David Wilson: Historian and biographer of Thomas D'Arcy McGee, providing valuable historical context to the discussions.

These eminent speakers and more will engage participants in critical discussions, offering insights and strategies to reinforce human rights at every level of society. The event promises to be an inspiring and thought-provoking gathering, fostering a deeper understanding of how local actions can drive global change.
A Co Louth community has rallied around a mother with a terminal cancer diagnosis who is vowing to fight the illness.

Beauty therapist Tracey Taaffe, 44, from Monasterboice, outside Drogheda, had got her life back on track following a breast cancer diagnosis in 2021.

But after experiencing back and shoulder pain earlier this year, scans confirmed her worst fears  the disease had spread to her liver, lungs and sternum.

Doctors have given her a life expectancy of three to five years.

Her daughter Lea said the nightmare has awoken a steely determination in her mother to fight on  a resolve matched by family, friends and anonymous donors who gave 30,000 euro to a GoFundMe page in the first 24 hours.

The total now stands at more than 52,000 euro after just one week, which will be used for her medical bills, further treatment options and to ease the financial burden on the family  Traceys husband Alan, Lea, 25, and 18-year-old son Rhys.

Lea said: She says we need to get over five years, well try to make the most of what is there.

Given the circumstances, I dont know how she puts a smile on her face every day.

After her initial cancer diagnosis three years ago, Tracey underwent 12 gruelling rounds of chemotherapy and 20 rounds of radiation treatment.

Lea said that when her mother began to feel unwell again in April, she booked a GP appointment, expecting to be back at work later that day.

Instead, she was told the disease had returned  stage four incurable metastatic breast cancer.

It completely stopped her in her tracks, it was so hard for the first month, said Lea.

Since then there has been a plan in place, we cant wake up every day and think weve got this many days left with her.

When shes having a bad day I remind her we cant wait to cheer her up and make her laugh.

Now under the treatment of oncologist Professor John Crown, Tracey faces an operation next month to remove her ovaries, a monthly bone infusion, a hormone-blocking injection and a new targeted therapy treatment.

Read Next: Man taken to hospital following Louth house fire

She has also been forced to close Beauty by Tracey, the business she worked to build up over the last 18 years.

Dublin-based accountant Lea says the response to the fundraising appeal has been incredible.

I know how great she is, but for everyone else to see it too, its so lovely.

A benefit night, including a sponsored head shave, will be held in Dalys pub in Donore, Co Meath, on August 24.
Ventura County Fire Department crew members take part in a firing operation while fighting the Park Fire along Highway 32 near Forest Ranch. Jungho Kim/Special to the Chronicle A PG&E truck delivers a new electric pole to a burned homesite off of Cohasset Road. Scott Strazzante/The Chronicle Firefighters with the Cal Fire Santa Clara Unit Pacheco Crew 2 clear vegetation around a structure while battling the Park Fire. More than 190 structures have been destroyed. Stephen Lam/The Chronicle As of Tuesday morning, the blaze was 14% contained with areas of increased fire activity that challenged firefighters. Stephen Lam/The Chronicle The Park Fire is burning to the west of the 2021 Dixie Fire burn scar, the second-largest wildfire in California history. Jessica Christian/The Chronicle

The 386,764-acre Park Fire, burning across two Northern California counties, has become Californias fifth-largest wildfire in recorded history.

A 42-year-old Chico resident, Ronnie Stout, was arrested on suspicion of starting the fire in Upper Bidwell Park last Wednesday. Authorities said a witness saw Stout push a burning car into a ravine, igniting nearby vegetation. The fire spread rapidly north in the ensuing hours, ravaging areas that hadnt burned in decades, according to Cal Fire officials.

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Stout appeared in court for the first time Monday afternoon and was charged with felony arson and arson with aggravating factors.

As of Tuesday night, the blaze was 18% contained with areas of increased fire activity that challenged firefighters. More than 300 structures have been destroyed.

The fire became extreme Thursday and Friday, producing large pyrocumulus clouds and a possible fire tornado. By Saturday morning, less than 72 hours after it was ignited, the blaze exceeded 300,000 acres.

NOAA GOES-18 satellite imagery shows the Park Fire continuing to burn and grow in Northern California on July 29. CSU/CIRA & NOAA

A record July heat wave dried vegetation to critical levels, which fueled the Park Fires explosive growth. Redding Regional Airport, less than 20 miles northwest of the fire, hit 119 degrees this month, the hottest temperature ever recorded in the city. July is predicted to be Reddings hottest month on record.

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The Park Fire is burning to the west of the 2021 Dixie Fire burn scar, the second-largest wildfire in California history. The Dixie Fire torched more than 960,000 acres, including the eastern side of Lassen National Park. Now, the Park Fire is threatening the parks western half.

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Of Californias five biggest wildfires on record, the August and SCU complexes were sparked by lightning, the Dixie Fire was caused by power lines, and the Mendocino Complex was human-related. The Park Fire is now the biggest arson blaze in the states modern history.

All nine of Californias largest fires have occurred in the past decade. Records include fires that occurred in local, state and federal jurisdictions starting in 1932. California wildfires are becoming more explosive as the climate changes, research previously found.

Growth continues on the Park Fires northern and eastern sides, where the vegetation is primarily forest. Activity has slowed in the shrub and grassland on the western side of the fire.

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Becoming a parent for the first time is a big transition. New mothers are recovering from birth, dealing with hormones, figuring out feeding and getting used to spending their days taking care of a new born baby. For first time dads, its a huge adjustment too. They are learning to be a new parent, trying to be a supportive partner, and often returning to work on very little sleep.

Shane OConnor, from Spancill Hill, Co Clare, moved to Cork three years ago with his partner Hazel. In 2022, they welcomed their son Bodhi.

For Shane, the transition to fatherhood was challenging, and he noticed the lack of support for new dads.

It was a steep learning curve and adjustment period, says Shane. Its the same for mothers, but for fathers theres no manual or real support.

During the early days, Shane struggled with adjusting to parenthood, supporting his partner and managing work on top of sleep deprivation.

I was constantly second guessing myself, he says.

A turning point came when he joined an online mens group and felt the benefit of talking to other men with similar stories and experiences.

It was one of the best things Ive ever done in my life, he says.

Its so important for men to come together, says Shane.

It creates a sense of belonging and community.

Shane realised that he hadnt really spoken to other men in preparation for becoming a dad.

Shane O'Connor set up Lads2Dads peer-led support group where fathers can share in each other's success and challenges, at Cork Lotus Yoga Studio. @lads2dadscork Tel 086 4589084 Picture: Larry Cummins

Before Bodhi was born, I could count on one hand the number of dads I sat down with and talked about what fatherhood was like, he says.

Noticing the lack of support for dads in Cork City, Shane decided to take the initiative and set up Lads2Dads, a peer-led support group for dads. They meet on a Saturday afternoon around once a month in Cork Lotus Yoga Studio on Careys Lane, which is owned by Shanes partner Hazel.

A catalyst for Shane starting the group was his decision to give up alcohol last October.

That allowed me to focus my energy and turn to getting something set up.

Shane says the group is a safe space for dads and soon-to-be dads of all ages, from all walks of life to share the joys and challenges of fatherhood, without the feeling of being judged.

Its not a place to get fixed, he says.

At a typical meeting, Shane welcomes attendees into the studio, where theres tea made and bolster cushions to sit on. He goes through the principles of the group, including self-care, non-judgement, confidentiality and no advice-giving. After introductions, Shane invites attendees to share something they are enjoying about fatherhood, and something thats been challenging. After that, they open it up to whatever people want to share. At the first meeting in April, nine dads showed up.

One topic that came up in the first group is that men had struggled with supporting their partner during breastfeeding, he says.

Shane hopes to bring external experts into the group to address different topics, and has already had lactation consultants reach out and offer to do a session for new dads. The group is free of charge, and Shane is committed to keeping it that way.

It will always be free, he says.

Shane believes there needs to be more support services for men before and after the birth of their child. However, he says its down to men to ask for the help they need. The onus needs to be on us to ask for it.

It took a long time to put my hand up and say Im struggling, he says.

He acknowledges that men are often afraid to ask for help.

Its been ingrained in men for a long time to keep the head down, he says.

He notices a change in attitudes, with more groups and activities for dads popping up around the country.

I do think theres a shift happening, a slow shift, he says.

For Shane, the biggest thing he has gained from the group so far is seeing other men benefit from it.

I sense they are getting a lot off their chest and shoulders, he says.

He also appreciates the chance to make new connections in his adopted county.

I moved to Cork in the middle of the pandemic, and I work remotely so have no colleagues, says Shane. Its nice to meet men who are like-minded.

At the moment, the meetings in Cork Lotus Yoga are child-free events, but Shane is aware that this isnt feasible for some dads. He plans to organise weekend meet-ups in Fitzgerald Park too, where kids are welcome. Details of forthcoming meetings can be found on @Lads2dadscork on Instagram, and anyone interested can send a message and ask to be added to the WhatsApp group.
The managing director and founder of the Prince August Toy Soldiers factory in the Muscrai Gaeltacht village of Cill na Martra is considering whether to move or close his plant, which has suffered what he termed a dramatic downfall of business since the opening of the N22 Macroom/Baile Mhuirne bypass.

Lars Edman, whose company has been located in the Gaeltacht village for 48 years and employs nine people, told The Echo that their request for signage directing motorists from the bypass to the village had also been rejected, an approach which sharply contrasted, he said, with the erection of a large number of signs directing motorists to a War of Independence ambush site on the old N22 between Baile Mhuirne and Macroom.

Mr Edman said that the company had regularly had between 50-100 cars a day visiting but this had been reduced by two thirds at least since the opening of the bypass: Before the bypass opened, we were 2km from the main road, now were 11km away.

We had asked for signage but we were told we didnt have the correct figures. Yet around 20 signs have been put up for a War of Independence ambush site nobody has heard of.

Mr Edman is referring to the Cul na Cathrach ambush site for which an information point has been installed adjacent to a monument which was erected by a local committee. The Cul na Cathrach ambush which took place on February 25, 1921, was one of the most significant incidents in the War of Independence and was discussed at the British governments cabinet meeting the following week. It was one of three major incidents, Kilmichael, Crossbarry and Cul na Cathrach, which led to the IRA truce which led to the Treaty talks.

The Prince August Toy Soldiers factory in Cill na Martra/Kilnamartyra relies on parents bringing their children to participate in workshops painting the figurines for a good part of its business. This has reduced considerably since the opening of the bypass.

In terms of the options open to the business now, Mr Edman said that closing the premises in Cill na Martra or moving to a new site closer to Cork were being considered.

The manager of the local Gaeltacht co-operative, Comharchumann Forbartha Mhuscrai, described the lack of signage for Cill na Martra as scandalous.

We raised the lack of signage with the road builders and Cork County Council and were assured that the signage would be in place before the Comortas Peile na Gaeltachta/Gaeltacht GAA competition which was held in Cill na Martra in early June, said Caroline Nolan of the Comharchumann. They still arent in place, its very disappointing.

A request for comment has been sent to Cork County Council.
Members of Corks academic community expressed their shock and sadness at the passing of author and head of creative writing at University College Corks School of English and Digital Humanities, Dr Eibhear Walshe.

Born in Waterford, Dr Walshe studied in Dublin, and in addition to his lectures in the School of English at UCC, he wrote works of fiction, memoir, literary criticism and biography.

UCC president Professor John OHalloran said it had been with profound sadness that the UCC community had learned of Dr Walshes passing.

A brilliantly creative colleague, his popularity among both staff and students at UCC is testament to his generosity of spirit and kindness, Prof OHalloran said.

On behalf of all at UCC I wish to extend our deepest sympathies to his mother Celine, brothers Eoin and Sheamus, sisters Ria and Oonagh, and his extended family.

Ar dheis De go raibh a anam.

Dr Orla Murphy, head of the UCC School of English and Digital Humanities described Dr Walshe as the universitys guiding light in creative writing in the school.

Eibhears smile, his good humour, his collegiality, his vision and ambition to cultivate and celebrate creative writing here at UCC has impacted generations of writers, she said.

Eibhears remarkable care for his students was at the core of his work, encouraging and supportive, he always had time to listen. Prof Cathal OConnell, interim head of college at UCCs College of Arts Celtic Studies and Social Sciences, said Dr Walshes colleagues would warmly remember him as a committed and dedicated academic, who attracted students of creative writing to UCC from all over the world.

As a gifted author of fiction, memoir, and biography, he was held in the highest esteem by his peers in Ireland and internationally, he said.

Members of UCCs LGBT Staff Network paid tribute to Dr Walshe on social media, saying he had made a pioneering contribution to the universitys LGBT+ community and played a vital role in the establishment of the network.

His teaching, research and writing commemorated and celebrated the place of LGBT+ people in Irelands history and culture and gave a voice to LGBT+ people and their allies who were marginalised and silenced in the past, wrote Ciara Murphy and Diarmuid Scully, co-chairs of the LGBT Staff Network UCC.

Eibhears memoir, Cissies Abbatoir (2009), is a beautifully written account of his early life and realisation of his gay identity in 1970s Waterford.

Dr Walshes books include Kate OBrien: A Writing Life, (2006), Oscars Shadow: Wilde and Ireland, (2012), and A Different Story: the Writings of Colm Toibin, (2013).

His childhood memoir, Cissies Abattoir, (2009) was broadcast on RTEs Book on One . His novel, The Diary of Mary Travers, (2014), was shortlisted for the Kerry Group Novel of the Year Award in 2015 and longlisted for the 2016 International Dublin Literary Award.

He was associate editor, with Catherine Marshall, of Modern Ireland in 100 Artworks, (2016), edited by Fintan OToole, and shortlisted for the Bord Gais Energy Irish Book Award. The Trumpet Shall Sound, his second novel, was longlisted for the 2021 International Dublin Literary Award. His latest novel was The Last Day at Bowens Court (2020).

A book of condolence will be opened in UCC today, and a gathering of staff to remember Dr Walshe will be held on Wednesday.
The Labour Party has selected a first-time councillor to run for Dail Eireann in Cork South Central in the next general election.

The partys selection convention took place in the Togher community yesterday evening, and was chaired by former TD Ciaran Lynch, who held a seat in the constituency between 2007 and 2016.

The party selected Laura Harmon, who was elected to Cork City Council in the Cork City South West ward in the local elections last month.

Ms Harmon, a native of Ballyvourney who lives in Wilton, has a long track-record of campaigning on housing, education, and equality, and is the executive director of the Irish Council for International Students.

Ms Harmon was proposed by her fellow first-time Labour councillor, Peter Horgan.

Speaking after the selection convention, Ms Harmon said she would be running for Dail Eireann because she wanted to work for a better future for Cork and for the country. Ive had leadership roles in life-changing equality campaigns over the last decade  I want to use my strong leadership skills as a TD to ensure a better future for the people in Cork, from Bishopstown to Blackrock, from Togher to Crosshaven, and all the communities within the constituency, she said.

I was honoured to be elected as a councillor in June and I really want to do Cork proud. It would be the greatest honour of my life to serve the people of Cork South Central as a TD.
A teenager who panicked when he was arrested for harassment and death threats to another teenager tried to flee from gardai at Cork District Court, but was caught by gardai despite his strenuous resistance.

Defence solicitor Shane Collins-Daly said the 19-year-old was sentenced to a total of 15 months in prison for the harassment and for having knives in his possession. He said Rory Lally was pleading guilty to the charge of resisting arrest at the courthouse on Anglesea St on February 28.

Mr Collins-Daly asked Judge Mary Dorgan not to increase the defendants prison sentence in the context of being jailed already for the more substantive issue.

Judge Dorgan acceded to that application, and imposed a 10-month sentence for the February offence to run concurrently with the 15 months imposed on July 22.

The net effect is that it will not increase his prison time.

On that date at Cork Circuit Criminal Court, Lally, of Wainsfort, Rochestown, Cork, was sentenced by Judge Sinead Behan to a total of 15 months in prison, backdated to March, after he pleaded guilty to harassment of the teenager when she was 17 and he was approximately a year older. He also admitted possession of knives.

Detective Garda Pat Connery gave evidence during the sentencing hearing that, at the height of the harassment, the teenager actually sent texts to the victim even as gardai were physically present in his home warning him to desist.

Det Garda Connery said the injured party started communicating with Lally on social media in April 2023 and, in June 2023, they met at a concert in Cork.

However, she felt uncomfortable with him at the concert and afterwards told him to stop calling her. She went on to block him on social media. However, he ignored this and continued to contact her, causing her such concern that she contacted gardai on a number of occasions.
The 12th annual Ballincollig Vintage Show was held in glorious sunshine on Sunday afternoon outside the Castlewest Shopping Centre.

Organised by the Ballincollig Vintage Club, the show was a resounding success, with over a thousand people in attendance across the day.

There were 107 vintage cars there on the day, and they proved extremely popular with the people attending the show.

Jimmy Kelly from Beaufort with his 1973 MG B Roadster at theBallincollig Vintage Motor Show.

Brian and Eleanor Cudmore were there from Douglas with their 1980 Morgan 454, which theyve owned for four years.

Wed been sailors all our lives, but we sold the boat just before covid, and we bought her to fill the vacuum, Mr Cudmore explained, but he said they dont travel very often in the car.

We would go to functions like this, but we wouldnt use her for daily use, I mean shes forty-odd years old, but she has only 44,000 miles on the clock.

Ballincollig community gardai Anthony McSweeney and Paddy Casey were manning a stand on Sunday afternoon, and they were a big hit with some of the younger people visiting the vintage show, but they said there was a serious purpose to their presence too.

Eleanor, Isabella, 3, and Jackson, 6, Flynn from Whitechurch with their grandfather John Paul OSullivan in his 1991 Land Rover Defender.

Weve been meeting people, and giving out leaflets, and talking to people about crime prevention and road safety, Garda McSweeney said.

Road safety is a very big concern at the moment and the show has been a very good opportunity to talk with people about that.

John Paul OSullivan with his 1991 Land Rover Defender at theBallincollig Vintage Motor Show.

He added that they had also met a lot of young people, allowing them to try on a garda public order helmet and sit into their squad car.

He confessed that they had also sat into a squad car themselves, Bill Ryans 1969 Vauxhall Victor 3.3 litre garda car.

Read More Cork toy soldier factory may have to close or move due to affect of N22 bypass on visitor numbers

Mr Ryan explained that his car is the only surviving vehicle of that make and model left in existence.

They were only used by the police in England and the guards in Ireland, they didnt actually sell that model with the big engine to the public, he said.

Laurence Dusoswa founder of the sim racing community, Potato Nation who sponsor F1000 racer Kayleigh Cole, pictured with his children Ronan, 7, and Sophie, 5, beside Kayleighs race car at the Ballincollig Vintage Motor Show. Picture Chani Anderson

In its day it would do 120 miles per hour, which in 1969 was a very fast car, and its no slouch even still.

He has owned the car for over 15 years, and he estimated that he has put about 1,200 hours worth of work into the car, and about 15,000 in cash too.

Its the genuine deal, genuine log book and everything, so I knew it was worth the effort, he said.

Sean ODonoghue beside his 1979 Citroen at the Ballincollig Vintage Motor Show.

The car has appeared in one film, but Mr Ryan said it had cost more to repair the damage caused in the filming than he had made from the appearance fee, so now he only brings it to vintage shows. He said he wouldnt allow it to be driven by anyone else after that experience.

Its so rare, it would be a shame to see it written off.

Mr Ryan had another car at the show too, this one with a special relevance to the area.

Its a 1958 Auto Union DKW, they were cars that were manufactured in Ballincollig from 1952 to 1963, thats a 58 model. They were down where the Aldi shop is now, down at the east gate.

Ballincollig Vintage Club stalwart Kevin McSweeney told The Echo that the show had been a real success.

Tadhg ORiordan with his family, Anthony, baby Conall and Nicole Jackson beside his 1956 Wolsley at the Ballincollig Vintage Motor Show. Pictures: Chani Anderson

We had a great day, with a lot of cars we didnt see before. We had a great crowd, we had a non-pedigree dog show, which had a great draw, and our own Vintage Band gave a good performance too, he said.

Mr McSweeney added that the good weather had made all the difference, and the members of the vintage club were hopeful that next years show would be even better.

Have Ballincollig news to share? Contact donal.okeefe@theecho.ie
The Fine Gael posters for the forthcoming General Election in Cork North West will be the same but different following the selection of Michael Creed, the councillor cousin of retiring TD, Michael Creed, to run alongside John Paul OShea, the Kanturk based councillor, on the ticket for the party.

Michael Creed, who was recently re-elected at the head of the Fine Gael ticket in the Macroom Municipal District, topped the poll again at the Fine Gael convention for Cork North West which was held in Springfort Hall near Mallow, narrowly beating his colleague on Cork County Council, Eileen Lynch.

The convention, chaired by Further Education Minister Patrick ODonovan, heard a directive from headquarters at the outset of the meeting directing that one candidate would have to be from the northern end of the constituency.

This meant that John Paul OShea, as the only candidate from that end of Cork North West, would automatically be selected.

Councillor John Paul O'Shea. Photo: Colm Lougheed

The directive prompted an argument along similar lines to that which occurred at the recent convention for Cork South Central. When the matter was put to the vote, Michael Creed emerged as the winner with a handful of votes to spare over Eileen Lynch. Due to the directive, the names of Michael Creed and John Paul OShea will be on the Fine Gael ticket for the constituency.

Roll on the General Election, Fine Gael is rejuvenated with a new leader and the polls are good, said Mr. Creed, who wished his party colleagues, both Eileen Lynch and John Paul OShea, well.

He acknowledged that a significant number of Fine Gael TDs were not going forward but, as he put it, there would always be someone who would carry the partys banner in Cork North West.

His fellow candidate and councillor, John Paul OShea, said there had been no disquiet at the Cork North West convention along the lines of the Cork South Central convention. Since the constituency of Cork North West was formed in 1981, its always been one candidate from the North and one from the South, he said.

Mr. OShea said he expected the General Election to be held later this year.
One of Corks top hotels has installed a dozen new electric vehicle (EV) charging points, allowing their guests and members of the public to re-charge their cars while they enjoy the resorts amenities.

Corks five-star Fota Island Resort has teamed up with ePower, and installed six dual AC chargers on site, as well as a180KW Dual socket DC charger, the fastest of its kind in the area.

The charge points are now available for hotel guests and members of the public at a resort which is a gateway to many attractions in east Cork, including Fota Wildlife Park, which is a short walk away.

Finola Twomey, director of revenue, sales and marketing at Fota Island Resort, said they had chosen ePower because it was already working with over 50 other hotels across the country.

It made perfect sense to partner with a company with such a wealth of experience in our sector, the charging solutions we have in place through ePower serve our guests perfectly with a mix of fast and overnight charging, Ms Twomey said.

Ideal for those who drop in for lunch or a meeting as well as the guests that are staying with us.

John OKeeffe, CEO of ePower, said: Fota is a beautiful location that places great emphasis on sustainability, its a great addition to our other partner hotels all around Ireland,

With the demand for greener transport solutions growing all the time, we are really well placed to support the travel and tourism industry as they cater to a growing number of EV drivers.

ePowers partnerships with Irish hotels is among a number of key developments for the company, and among its other recent initiatives was the installation of its EV chargers at five rail stations across the country.
The inquests into the deaths of two men at an Ironman triathlon event in Co Cork last year have been opened and adjourned by the Cork South Coroner Frank OConnell. The hearing took place at Midleton Courthouse.

The two deceased men, Brendan Wall, 45 originally from Cardrath, Co Meath and Ivan Chittenden, 64, from Brantford near Toronto, Canada both died while taking part in the Ironman triathlon event in Youghal, Co Cork on August 20, 2023.

Mr OConnell said that the main purpose of the hearing was to gather sufficient evidence so that the families of the deceased would be able to register their deaths.

Representatives of the Wall family at the inquests into the deaths of Ivan Chittenden and Brendan Wall at the Courthouse, Midleton, Cork. Picture Dan Linehan

Mr Walls parents, brothers and fiancee were present at the hearing as were family members of Mr Chittenden. Mr OConnell said that with the deaths occurring almost a year ago he thought it was appropriate to hold the short hearing now. He told the families that it was not his intention to go into any detail about the what happened on August 20 last year but simply to identify the deceased formally and give an official cause of death.

Legal representatives for Ironman and Triathlon Ireland were also present at the hearing. Mr OConnell said that the two organisations had been informed out of courtesy but noted that the inquests would not be concerned with any controversies about the organisation of the event or who said what to whom.

Representatives of the Chittenden family at the inquests into the deaths of Ivan Chittenden and Brendan Wall at the Courthouse, Midleton, Cork. Picture Dan Linehan

He said that some oblique reference to those matters that had caused some controversy would be inevitable but the inquests would focus on when, where and how the deaths occurred.

Garda evidence

Giving evidence Garda Sean Killigrew said that he was on duty at Youghal Garda Station on the morning of August 20, last year. He said that he received a call to attend the Ironman event where there had been two fatalities. He arrived at the event medical centre at Market Square at 9.25am where both of the deceased had been placed in private cubicles.

He said that Mr Wall had been pronounced dead at 9.18 am following almost an hour of resuscitation efforts, he was unresponsive when he was taken from the water in the Green Hole area of Youghal. Mr Wall was identified by his fiancee. He said that Mr Chittenden was removed from the water in the Lighthouse area of Youghal and was pronounced dead at 9.09am. He was identified by Dr Meabh Hyland a family friend who knew Mr Chittenden.

Garda Killigrew said that he formally identified both of the deceased to Sean Lynch at the mortuary at Cork University Hospital (CUH) at 5.15pm. He said that the following day he took statements from RNLI volunteers who were present at the Ironman event as well as another witness, Sean White.

Post-mortems

State Pathologist Margaret Bolster gave evidence of post-mortems she carried out on the deceased men at CUH on August 21. She said that both of the deceased had died from acute cardiorespiratory failure due to drowning. In the case of Mr Chittenden she said that he had also sustained a mild blunt force trauma to the left temporal area of his head which had caused significant bruising.

Michael Corrigan, solicitor for Triathlon Ireland at the inquests into the deaths of Ivan Chittenden and Brendan Wall at the Courthouse, Midleton, Cork. Picture Dan Linehan

She said there was no evidence of brain trauma and no skull fractures but the bruising indicated that his blood was still circulating when he sustained the injury. She said it was possible that the blow could have temporarily diminished his awareness.

Sympathies

Senior Counsel Jane Hyland representing Ironman extended sympathies to the families on behalf of the organisation and solicitor Michael Corrigan representing Triathlon Ireland also offered sympathies to the bereaved.

Jane Hyland SC representing Ironman at the inquests into the deaths of Ivan Chittenden and Brendan Wall at the Courthouse, Midleton, Cork. Picture Dan Linehan

Mr OConnell offered his sympathy also and said that he was not yet in a position to give a date for when the full inquests would take place but hoped to be able to do so soon. He adjourned the inquests until September 24 for mention when he said he hoped he would be able to give a date for when the full hearings would take place.
Life sentences for murder were imposed today on five men of the Dooley name for murdering 43-year-old father of seven Tom Dooley  to whom they were all variously related - at the graveyard in Tralee in October 2022.

Ms Justice Mary Ellen Ring said their murder of Thomas Dooley in front of his family while attending a funeral was unforgivable.

Siobhan Dooley described today how the murder of her husband before her eyes has affected her and her family in the days since October 5 2022. She said they had no idea of the horror show waiting when they arrived in the cemetery.

She said her late husband was a pure softy and that the way he was murdered was something that should happen to nobody and that certainly her beloved husband Thomas did not deserve it.

I am lucky I have an amazing family and friends who have stood with me and the family, Siobhan Dooley said today.

The 34-day trial ended last Thursday with the conviction of 42-year-old Daniel Dooley of An Carraigin, Connolly Park, Tralee, County Kerry, for the murder.

Earlier in the trial, the jury of ten men and two women delivered guilty verdicts on 29-year-old Michael Dooley, of the halting site, Carrigrohane, Cork, Patrick Dooley, 36, from Arbutus Grove, Killarney  brother of the deceased, and on Thomas Dooley Sr, 43, and his son Thomas Dooley Jr, 21, both from the halting site, Carrigrohane, Cork.

The mandatory life sentences were imposed on them by Ms Justice Mary Ellen Ring at the Central Criminal Court sitting in Cork for the murder 43-year-old Tom Dooley from Hazelwood Drive, Killarney, at New Rath Cemetery, Rathass, Tralee, on October 5 2022. Thomas Jr. was additionally given a four-and-a-half-year concurrent sentence for assault causing harm to the dead mans widow, Siobhan.

The teenager who was found guilty of murder was remanded in custody until October 29 for discussion of a legal issue regarding his sentencing.

Detective Sergeant Ernie Henderson and prosecution senior counsel Dean Kelly today outlined the background to the murder, taking place less than a minute after the deceased entered the cemetery with his wife Siobhan and some of their children.

Her evidence was recalled of seeing her husbands brother Patrick and his cousin Thomas senior grinning as they approached the deceased to carry out the attack. She told her husband to run and he said to her that he did nothing wrong and why should he run.

She described all of the accused men gathering around her husband hitting him with everything they had, blood spurting everywhere.

Their weapons included a knife, an axe and other implements both shiny and rusty. The 43-year-old father-of-seven died very soon afterwards.
Gardai in Cork city are appealing for assistance in tracing the whereabouts of 14-year-old Maia Loftus Amigo, who has been missing since Saturday July 25.

Maia is described as 5 foot 4 inches in height with a slight build. She has green eyes and her hair is currently dyed black.

Maia was last seen in the Blackpool area. She is also known to frequent the Cobh area.

Anyone with information on Maias whereabouts is asked to contact Gurranbraher Garda Station on 021 494 6200 the Garda Confidential Line on 1800 666 111, or any garda station.
Members of the Kinsale RNLI were tasked on two water rescues in the last three days along the Cork coastline.

The first rescue, undertaken on Saturday, involved the rescue of a kayaker who had become stranded on rocks between Kinsale and Oysterhaven.

The casualty became stuck on the rocks off the eastern side of the outer harbour, known as Hangmans Point, between the two popular tourist spots after capsizing their kayak.

The volunteer RNLI crew were requested to launch their inshore lifeboat at 3.11pm by the Irish Coast Guard, following reports of the stranded woman from a fellow paddler.

The lifeboat helmed by Lenny Fourie, with crew members Felix Miller and Finn Bowen aboard, made its way to the scene where on arrival, they observed the casualty had managed to swim ashore.

A member of the crew entered the water and swam to the casualty, who was described as "cold and grazed" from the terrain but was otherwise safe and well.

The kayaker was safely transferred onto to the lifeboat, alongside the other paddler who had raised the alarm.

The two water users were then brought back to Kinsale RNLI lifeboat station at approximately 5pm.

Following the rescue, the crew returned to the scene to retrieve the kayak to prevent it from being a potential hazard.

The lifeboat was then asked to launch again last night at 8.44pm following reports of an injured walker along the rocks at Sandycove.

The lifeboat crew responded to this call out and assisted the Coast Guard and National Ambulance Service who brought the casualty to safety.

Speaking after the first rescue, Mr Fourie said: 'We would like to commend the paddlers for not going out alone and for carrying a mobile phone in a waterproof pouch so that they could raise the alarm when they got into difficulty.

As the summer continues, we would remind people to go prepared like these paddlers, always wear a personal flotation device appropriate to the activity you are doing.

It is also helpful to label all your equipment with your details so if it is lost or found drifting, the Coast Guard can check you are safe, he added.

Should you get into difficulty or see someone else in trouble, call 999 or 112 and ask for the Coast Guard.
The man arrested last week and charged in relation to his alleged part in the robbery of a young French visitor in Cork City Centre had the case against him adjourned today (July 30) until September 26.

Adam Corcoran, 29, who lives at an apartment at John Barry House, Midleton, County Cork, appeared before Cork District Court where Judge Mary Dorgan adjourned the case to the date to which his partner and co-accused, Daena Walsh, 27, of the same address, had her case adjourned last week.

Detective Garda Conor Cronin charged both of them with robbery at St. Patricks Street, Cork, on Tuesday evening (July 23). Judge Mary Dorgan granted bail to both of them.

Det. Garda Cronin outlined the background to the allegations at the last court hearing.

A group of French students in their early teens and their teachers were walking on St. Patricks Street at 10.20 pm on July 23. They were on a school tour to Ireland.

It is alleged that a male and female approached the group of children. The female believed one of the children was laughing at her. The female began shouting at her (one of the students) and grabbed her Samsung phone out of her hand putting her in fear.

The female then tried to leave with the phone and she was stopped by one of the French teachers who tried to get the phone back. The teacher and the female fell to the ground during the altercation.

It is alleged that the male intervened and approached the teacher and struck him up to ten times in the back and upper body with a screwdriver.

The female then threw a coffee cup at the teacher striking him in the face.

The male and female then left the area, Det. Garda Cronin said.
A seven-judge Supreme Court will rule tomorrow (Wednesday) on Graham Dwyers last-ditch appeal of his conviction for the murder of childcare worker Elaine OHara.

The former architect has been serving a life sentence after being convicted at the Central Criminal Court in 2015. He has always denied the murder.

Ms OHara, a 36-year-old childcare worker, was last seen in August 2012 in a park in Shanganagh, south Dublin. Some of her remains were found on Killakee mountain just over a year later and she was identified from dental records.

Dwyers trial was told a Nokia phone found in Vartry Reservoir, Co Wicklow in 2013 was used to send Ms OHara messages, including one about stabbing, culminating in a text dated August 22nd, 2012  the last day she was seen  to go down to the shore and wait.

Last year the Court of Appeal rejected all grounds of Dwyers conviction appeal.

The Supreme Court decided a further appeal was warranted as Dwyer raised important points about the admissibility of mobile phone data evidence that was gathered and retained under 2011 legislation that was later found to breach EU law.

The legislations infirmity was raised in an earlier leg of Dwyers bid to overturn his conviction.

A seven-judge Supreme Court heard Dwyers conviction appeal last January. In the meantime, the court dismissed a case raising similar objections to the admissibility of phone data evidence at a criminal trial.

Lawyers for Dwyer argued before the court that the gathering of phone metadata, under the now-defunct 2011 law, was a breach of his rights under the EU Charter of Fundamental Rights.

The prosecution cannot be permitted to deploy in evidence material that should never have been admitted in the first place, he said.

The Director of Public Prosecutions (DPP) contested his appeal, arguing a beach of Charter rights could not be relied on by Dwyer as the Charter does not have direct effect.

Sean Guerin SC, for the DPP, said the court must strike a balance between the competing interests of protecting the constitutional rights of citizens and ensuring the administration of justice is not brought into disrepute by refusing to admit highly probative evidence.

Members of Ms OHaras family, including her father Frank, brother John and sister Anne Charles, were in court for the hearing
Two people have died after a helicopter crashed into a farm building in Westmeath.

The incident happened near the village of Killucan at approximately 3.30pm on Tuesday.

Gardai said that two people on board the aircraft were pronounced dead at the scene.

An Garda Siochana are liaising with the family of one male, Irish national (40s).

An Garda Siochana continue to establish contact with the next of kin of the second male (40s) who is understood to be from Eastern Europe, and may request the assistance of Interpol.

Both bodies have been removed from the scene to Regional Hospital Mullingar where post mortems will take place in due course.

The local coroner has been notified.

Westmeath Fire and Rescue Service and the National Ambulance Service have now left the scene.

The Irish Air Accident Investigation Unit has deployed a team of inspectors to the site of the single-engine helicopter crash.

An Garda Siochana said they will assist the AAIU by providing any technical and/or forensic services which may be required in the course of their investigation.

Taoiseach Simon Harris said he was thinking of those involved.

Thinking of all those involved in the Westmeath helicopter crash, he posted on X, formerly Twitter.

He added: My thoughts & gratitude are also with all the emergency services working to help at this time.

The piggery building that the helicopter crashed into is close to pitches used by Raharney GAA club.

Killucan is approximately 15 kilometres from Mullingar.

Ken Glynn, Mayor of the Mullingar-Kinnegad municipal district, expressed his shock.

My thoughts and prayers are with those involved and their families, he said.

I also want to commend the emergency services for their rapid response.

Councillor Denis Leonard represents the area where the crash occurred.

Locally, people are shocked and stunned, but also their hearts just go out to the families of all those involved at this very difficult time. Our thoughts and prayers are with them.

I want to thank the emergency services in Westmeath because they were very quickly on the scene and a huge operation took place straight away.

They responded extremely quickly and I want to thank them for their service today.
SWIFTS are in decline. It is estimated by Birdwatch Ireland that their numbers are down by more than 50%.

The evidence suggests that because of the impacts of climate change, the decimation of insect populations and a shortage of places to nest, this extraordinary bird is in serious trouble.

Extraordinary is an underestimation of this beautiful birds abilities. Every year they fly from Sub-Saharan Africa to Cork, arriving in May and leaving in late August. They spend most of their lives airborne, eating, sleeping, drinking and mating on the wing while weighing the same as a Cadburys Creme Egg.

In terms of self-powered horizontal flight, they are the fastest bird, reaching speeds of 110 km/h. They mate for life and are completely faithful to their nest site, the location becoming imprinted on them once selected.

Their feet are unusual for a bird in that all the toes point forward and so they are unable to perch or even walk or hop on the ground. They can cling to vertical surfaces and are just about able to shuffle around their nest sites. These creatures really are built for flying - they would not land at all if it wasnt for the requirement to have chicks.

Swifts nest in nooks and crannies in the eaves and walls of buildings. They seem to exult in the sky, screaming excitedly to one another, and are such a joy to watch if you are lucky enough to spot them.

We can do so much to help them. One way is to insert swift bricks at the building stage. These can be inserted at the point of construction and are hardly noticeable. The swift is a bird that does not leave a trace on the walls of buildings and they reside in boxes for only four months of the year.

Swift nesting boxes installed at Blarney Street CBS

Cork City Hall supported an Avian Tower exhibition last May featuring the work of 3rd year students of the Cork Centre for Architectural Education. Cork Healthy Cities invited the architecture department down to the foyer along with those working in the climate, parks and biodiversity offices to view the towers.

Maria Young, Co-ordinator of Green Spaces for Health, Cork Healthy Cities, showed them the swift bricks and spoke of the importance of protecting this beautiful bird in our city.

With all the new building going up in Cork over the coming years it is vital that nature be included into designs, not just for the swift but for other bird species also, she said.

We ought not wait until it is too late and surely we can make it mandatory, Maria added.

Other cities across Europe, notably in the Netherlands, have been incorporating nature support features into their cities at the design stage, can we not do the same in Cork?

Im thinking of the docklands development, what a great opportunity to cater for people and nature.

Noel Linehan, a member of Swift Conservation Ireland, agrees. He has been working with Green Spaces for Health for a number of years to improve the conditions for swifts and other birds to find a foothold in the city.

The projects that have emerged from this collaboration include the Avian Tower Concept introduced to third year students at the Cork School of Architecture, resulting in 24 exquisite models designed largely but not exclusively for swifts.

These were exhibited first at the college in 2023 followed by an exhibition at Cork City Council earlier this year.

Another project involved the construction and installation of a Sand Martin wall at the island on the Lough in 2023.

The most ambitious project involved the purchase by Green Spaces for Health of 81 swift boxes that were installed across the city to entice the swifts to use the city as a life-long location to hatch and nest their chicks.

Gas Networks and Cork City Council have been generous with sponsorship of the Swift Boxes. Twelve have been installed in St Finbarrs Hospital where I work, and in the summer evenings, if you are lucky, you will see the swifts airborne acrobatics, gliding low over you head at speed as they return to the box portals.

Swifts have also been spotted going in and out of one of the boxes that were installed at the MTU campus in Bishopstown. These are only up a month so it is so heartening that the birds have already found them, as it can sometimes take a year or two. It is hoped that they will also find the boxes at Murphys Farm, as it is so near MTU.

Maria outlined how all the boxes are made of composite material that is long-lasting and weather-proof. They are put up by certified builders and a call system is installed with them. The call system is essential - it is a recording of swifts that attract fellow swifts into the boxes - the projects will not work otherwise.

The call is a very effective method of attracting swifts, Maria explained. It only needs to be played at a low volume and can be set on a timer to suit the particular location.

Because swifts like to nest in colonies, a minimum of six boxes are usually put up per location.

Recently, Nagle Community College in Mahon installed 12 boxes. Transition Year Students visited the Avian Tower exhibition at the School of Architecture and immediately wondered if they could get swift boxes for their school.

Noel Linehan arranged to meet the students at Nagle Community College to look at the suitability of the site for the boxes.

Orientation is important. It is good if the boxes face north, north-east or north-west but not south as they are in danger of getting too hot inside. This can cause the chicks to leave prematurely and they will not survive.

Height from the nearest horizontal surface below is very important, best guidance being at least five metres off the ground or a flat roof. Boxes should not be put near air vents as when young swifts are investigating an area with the call playing, they will fly into other openings until they figure out what the nest boxes are.

Other counties have been tackling this decline in swift populations with some success. Linda Huxley, of Swift Conservation Ireland, is successfully reversing the decline in the swift population in Mayo.

This year, the swift population in that county was 30% higher than in 2012 - the only county in Ireland where it is known the population is increasing.

While swift boxes and bricks provide a vital nesting ground, we also need burgeoning insect populations to feed these amazing creatures that can fly up to a million kilometres in a lifetime.

We need to install swift boxes and swift bricks in buildings and we need to let the grass grow, the wildflowers bloom, and the magic of nature to take hold.

For more information on swift boxes, contact greenspacescork@gmail.com

Dr Catherine Conlon is a public health doctor with the HSE in Cork

SWIFTS are in decline. It is estimated by Birdwatch Ireland that their numbers are down by more than 50%.

The evidence suggests that because of the impacts of climate change, the decimation of insect populations and a shortage of places to nest, this extraordinary bird is in serious trouble.

Extraordinary is an underestimation of this beautiful birds abilities. Every year they fly from Sub-Saharan Africa to Cork, arriving in May and leaving in late August. They spend most of their lives airborne, eating, sleeping, drinking and mating on the wing while weighing the same as a Cadburys Creme Egg.

In terms of self-powered horizontal flight, they are the fastest bird, reaching speeds of 110 km/h. They mate for life and are completely faithful to their nest site, the location becoming imprinted on them once selected.

Their feet are unusual for a bird in that all the toes point forward and so they are unable to perch or even walk or hop on the ground. They can cling to vertical surfaces and are just about able to shuffle around their nest sites. These creatures really are built for flying - they would not land at all if it wasnt for the requirement to have chicks.

Swifts nest in nooks and crannies in the eaves and walls of buildings. They seem to exult in the sky, screaming excitedly to one another, and are such a joy to watch if you are lucky enough to spot them.

We can do so much to help them. One way is to insert swift bricks at the building stage. These can be inserted at the point of construction and are hardly noticeable. The swift is a bird that does not leave a trace on the walls of buildings and they reside in boxes for only four months of the year.

Cork City Hall supported an Avian Tower exhibition last May featuring the work of 3rd year students of the Cork Centre for Architectural Education. Cork Healthy Cities invited the architecture department down to the foyer along with those working in the climate, parks and biodiversity offices to view the towers.

Maria Young, Co-ordinator of Green Spaces for Health, Cork Healthy Cities, showed them the swift bricks and spoke of the importance of protecting this beautiful bird in our city.

With all the new building going up in Cork over the coming years it is vital that nature be included into designs, not just for the swift but for other bird species also, she said.

We ought not wait until it is too late and surely we can make it mandatory, Maria added.

Other cities across Europe, notably in the Netherlands, have been incorporating nature support features into their cities at the design stage, can we not do the same in Cork?

Im thinking of the docklands development, what a great opportunity to cater for people and nature.

Noel Linehan, a member of Swift Conservation Ireland, agrees. He has been working with Green Spaces for Health for a number of years to improve the conditions for swifts and other birds to find a foothold in the city.

The projects that have emerged from this collaboration include the Avian Tower Concept introduced to third year students at the Cork School of Architecture, resulting in 24 exquisite models designed largely but not exclusively for swifts.

These were exhibited first at the college in 2023 followed by an exhibition at Cork City Council earlier this year.

Another project involved the construction and installation of a Sand Martin wall at the island on the Lough in 2023.

The most ambitious project involved the purchase by Green Spaces for Health of 81 swift boxes that were installed across the city to entice the swifts to use the city as a life-long location to hatch and nest their chicks.

Gas Networks and Cork City Council have been generous with sponsorship of the Swift Boxes. Twelve have been installed in St Finbarrs Hospital where I work, and in the summer evenings, if you are lucky, you will see the swifts airborne acrobatics, gliding low over you head at speed as they return to the box portals.

Swifts have also been spotted going in and out of one of the boxes that were installed at the MTU campus in Bishopstown. These are only up a month so it is so heartening that the birds have already found them, as it can sometimes take a year or two. It is hoped that they will also find the boxes at Murphys Farm, as it is so near MTU.

Maria outlined how all the boxes are made of composite material that is long-lasting and weather-proof. They are put up by certified builders and a call system is installed with them. The call system is essential - it is a recording of swifts that attract fellow swifts into the boxes - the projects will not work otherwise.

The call is a very effective method of attracting swifts, Maria explained. It only needs to be played at a low volume and can be set on a timer to suit the particular location.

Because swifts like to nest in colonies, a minimum of six boxes are usually put up per location.

Recently, Nagle Community College in Mahon installed 12 boxes. Transition Year Students visited the Avian Tower exhibition at the School of Architecture and immediately wondered if they could get swift boxes for their school.

Noel Linehan arranged to meet the students at Nagle Community College to look at the suitability of the site for the boxes.

Orientation is important. It is good if the boxes face north, north-east or north-west but not south as they are in danger of getting too hot inside. This can cause the chicks to leave prematurely and they will not survive.

Height from the nearest horizontal surface below is very important, best guidance being at least five metres off the ground or a flat roof. Boxes should not be put near air vents as when young swifts are investigating an area with the call playing, they will fly into other openings until they figure out what the nest boxes are.

Other counties have been tackling this decline in swift populations with some success. Linda Huxley, of Swift Conservation Ireland, is successfully reversing the decline in the swift population in Mayo.

This year, the swift population in that county was 30% higher than in 2012 - the only county in Ireland where it is known the population is increasing.

While swift boxes and bricks provide a vital nesting ground, we also need burgeoning insect populations to feed these amazing creatures that can fly up to a million kilometres in a lifetime.

We need to install swift boxes and swift bricks in buildings and we need to let the grass grow, the wildflowers bloom, and the magic of nature to take hold.

For more information on swift boxes, contact greenspacescork@gmail.com

Dr Catherine Conlon is a public health doctor with the HSE in Cork
By Rebecca Black, PA

The Omagh Bombing Inquiry is seeking clear written agreements with the Irish Government over co-operation.

This would be to include access to materials held in the Republic and witnesses who live there.

The first public hearing of the inquiry took place on Tuesday at the Strule Arts Centre in Omagh.

Paul Greaney KC, counsel to the Omagh Bombing Inquiry, arriving at the Strule Arts Centre in Omagh (Liam McBurney/PA)

It is probing whether the dissident republican bombing which devastated the Co Tyrone town, killing 29 people, including a woman pregnant with twins, could have been prevented.

It has been contended that the terrorists prepared the bomb in the Republic and also fled back across the Border after planting it in Omagh on August 15th, 1998.

The inquiry into the atrocity was ordered last year by former northern secretary Chris Heaton-Harris following a legal challenge by a bereaved family.

Belfast High Court judge Mr Justice Horner, in a judgment, directly recommended that the British government carry out an investigation into alleged security failings in the lead-up to the atrocity.

While having no jurisdiction to order the Irish Government to act on the matter, the judge urged authorities there to establish their own probe in light of his findings.

Earlier this month, the Cabinet formally agreed to provide assistance to the inquiry.

Two senior officials from the Department of Foreign Affairs attended the inquiry hearing on Tuesday.

Ruairi de Burca (centre), senior official with the Department of Foreign Affairs, at the Strule Arts Centre in Omagh (Liam McBurney/PA)

In his opening statement, Paul Greaney KC, counsel to inquiry chairman Alan Turnbull, said it is highly likely, if not inevitable, that the state authorities within the Republic of Ireland hold evidence and bearing upon the inquirys terms of reference, adding that access to materials and citizens requires Irish co-operation.

He said inquiry staff have held a number of meetings with Irish government officials and the Irish police, and commended positive discussions.

The discussions that have taken place have been positive, and during them, the government of Ireland has expressed a strong desire to co-operate fully with the inquiry, Mr Greaney said.

The challenge is to see the engagement that has occurred to date translated to meaningful engagement with the inquirys processes, both leading up to and during the course of inquiries or evidence hearings.

We emphasise that the inquiry team does not doubt that the Government of Ireland has a strong commitment to achieving that vital aim.

He added: The intention of the inquiry is to ensure that those discussions now move into a practical phase in which clear written agreements are put in place, to make certain that the inquiry has full access to any potentially relevant materials held by the state authorities in the Republic of Ireland, and that it has the ability to obtain statements and call witnesses to attend the inquiry, to give evidence in person.
Jessica Magee

A man has been jailed for his role in smuggling a woman into Ireland in what a court heard was a sophisticated operation.

Mohamed Mahamed (48), a Danish citizen of Somalian origin of Aarhus, Denmark, pleaded guilty to unlawfully assisting the entry of a woman into Dublin Airport on January 28th last.

He was sentenced to 18 months in prison, backdated to January 28th, at Dublin Circuit Criminal Court on Tuesday.

The court heard that the woman arrived on a Ryanair flight from Luxembourg into Terminal One and presented without any travel or identity documents

A prosecuting Garda told Fiona McGowan BL, for the State, that the woman had previously sought asylum in Greece but had been refused.

The woman told immigration officials in Dublin that she met Mahamed in Paris and paid him $500 in order to get to Ireland.

She said she travelled with Mahamed by train to Luxembourg, stayed the night there and flew to Dublin on the same flight.

The woman said Mahamed gave her a passport for someone else and told her to leave it in the toilet on the plane, so that she would arrive with no documents and claim international protection.

Mahamed was arrested off the same flight and said he had been contacted by a third party, who said he would give him money if he assisted with getting the woman into Ireland.

Mahamed told gardai he needed the money to travel back to Somalia to visit his family as he was on disability benefit in Denmark.

He has no previous convictions and pleaded early.

Niall Storan BL, defending, handed a psychological report to the court detailing Mahameds diagnosis with PTSD from the impact of the civil war in Somalia.

The court heard that Mahamed was exposed to considerable violence and death as a child, where he witnessed the execution and murder of multiple family members, friends and neighbours at a young age.

He has suffered low mood, sleep disturbances and anxiety from childhood as a result of these experiences, counsel said.

Mahamed, a married father-of-five, got Danish citizenship in 2001 and worked as a cleaner and driver.

He regularly sent his disability payments to his mother in Somalia, the court heard.

The psychological report said that Mahamed has been hospitalised multiple times because of his depression and anxiety related to his PTSD, and that he suffers physical symptoms such as shaking, pain and inability to sleep.

His experience in Wheatfield prison is particularly difficult as he relies on charity for clothes and basic needs and finds loud noises and banging contribute to his PTSD.

Mahamed was described by psychologists as easily manipulated and the court heard he was told that this woman was suffering from ill health and required medical treatment in Ireland.

The third party was the puppet master here, counsel said.

Judge Orla Crowe said Mahameds psychological report makes for grim reading and that he clearly has PTSD due to his childhood experiences.

She said although Mahamed has had a difficult life, he did this for financial gain and played an active role in a very sophisticated operation.

Judge Crowe set a headline sentence of three years but reduced this on account of Mahameds personal circumstances.
July 29, 2024: Chinese leader Xi Jinping is troubled by the growing number of problems in the military and is openly complaining about corruption, poor work habits and lack of discipline. Xi ordered a purge of military personnel responsible for these problems and demanded that officials in charge of military combat and support operations make the changes, or else. Efforts to identify and eliminate corrupt practices and officials responsible for them have not been successful.

For over a year now there have been multiple purges of corrupt officials, including nine generals and four senior aerospace industry officials. This included officers and officials in charge of the rocket forces that maintain short and long range missiles. Many of these missiles were found to be, on closer inspection, inoperable. In late 2023 a former defense minister was removed from the national legislature because of corruption charges.

Xi has found that there are few officials he can trust to be free of corruption and accusations of incompetence. The dismissed senior officers obtained their positions by pretending to get things done but failing to do so in the belief that there would not be a war or threat of war to expose their misdeeds.

This is a serious matter because the government has spent hundreds of billion dollars to build the largest fleet in the world. This process began in 2012 and Xi expects the Chinese fleet to be the worlds largest modern force by 2050. Such a force built by corrupt shipyard officials and commanded by corrupt admirals will be an expensive and useless force. On paper the Chinese seem headed for success. Currently the Chinese navy has two aircraft carriers, 75 submarines and 300 other warships. The total number of ships is 743, including a large number of support ships so the navy can operate far into the Pacific or Indian Oceans. China has never had a high seas fleet like this before. This large naval fleet was made possible by China becoming the world's largest builder of commercial ships. Currently about half the world's supply of new cargo, tanker and specialized ships are built in Chinese shipyards. As long as the large fleet exists to protect the largest merchant fleet in the world there is no problem. China has become a major importer of raw materials and exporter of manufactured goods. All of this is moved by ships.

Another, but less immediately serious, problem with Chinas naval expansion is obtaining the well-trained manpower to operate it. This is much truer of Chinas navy than its other military services because China lacks a naval or even maritime seagoing tradition of the sort that the United States, Japan, Britain and a few other European nations have. Effective navies must drill at sea constantly, but that requires their ship crews to spend months at a time at sea away from their families. China has discovered a major problem recruiting the necessary well-educated young men willing to do this. The on-going collapse of Chinas population size makes this recruitment problem even worse.

If China seeks to disrupt the shipping of other nations there could be other problems. The rest of the world regards this new Chinese shipping fleet as a threat if the equally large navy is used to threaten the merchant fleets of other nations. China decides what is offensive to them and other nations often disagree with the Chinese assessment. This could escalate to violence, as it already has in the South China Sea against the Philippines. Chinese and Filipino warships recently clashed over who could do what in the South China Sea and other nations in the region and worldwide fear this Chinese misbehavior will spread.
Elizabeth City, N.C.  Elizabeth City State University's (ECSU) Move Smart-Cook Smart initiative was awarded a $34,146 grant from the University of North Carolina's Collaboratory Research Program, Historically Minority-Serving Institutions (HMSI) Track, to push their efforts to enhance college students' quality of life.

Spearheaded by Kacey Hopson, professor of kinesiology and principal investigator, and Scott Bradshaw, professor of psychology and co-principal investigator, the Move Smart-Cook Smart initiative aims to reduce stress, teach culinary skills, and promote physical activity.

In collaboration with the Food Bank of the Albemarle, ECSU plans to provide valuable resources to educate students on the profound impact nutrition and physical activity have on stress reduction and overall well-being.

"Many healthcare professionals tell people they have to eat healthy, but few people have training in how to prepare healthy food, especially when money is tight," said Hopson. "Our initiative will increase the students' culinary efficacy."

Leveraging the University of Maryland's Healthy Cents program, students will learn how to shop for, plan and prepare healthy meals economically. The program partners with the North Carolina Cooperative Extension office and the Food Bank of the Albemarle, which will provide an instructor, a teaching kitchen, groceries for sessions and weekly grocery shopping opportunities for students.

Facilitators will conduct workshops in ECSU's kinesthetic classroom; an innovative space outfitted with cycle desks, glider desks and sit-to-stand desks with stability ball seating. This dynamic environment encourages movement, enhancing brain function and information retention. The 11-week program will serve 30 students each in the fall and spring semesters.

Hopson and Jennifer Brown, associate professor and program coordinator for kinesiology, health, physical education and public health, birthed the collaboration with the Food Bank of the Albemarle from one conversation.

"Dr. Brown was telling me about the partnership she has with Sentara Hospital and mentioned they funded a teaching kitchen at the food bank," Hopson recalled. "I reached out to the Food Bank of the Albemarle and requested a meeting. I met with Justine Koksal, the program director, and she showed me the facility, including the kitchen and where individuals can go to access food. She was wonderfully cooperative and suggested the students could participate in weekly shopping trips."

With further support from Ellen Owens, county extension director at the North Carolina Cooperative Extension for Pasquotank County, the program adopted the Healthy Cents curriculum, ensuring a comprehensive educational experience.

Initially open to health and human studies students, the program will expand to other majors. It offers a unique opportunity for students to explore the creativity involved in health and wellness programming. Additionally, two paid undergraduate research assistant positions per semester will be available, providing practical research experience for kinesiology and psychology students.

"I am so excited to offer this program," Hopson shared. "When I was in college, I really didn't know how to cook a lot of food. I wish I could engage in a program that taught me how to cook healthy, delicious meals."

The Food Bank of the Albemarle provides fresh salads, fruit, and sandwiches, in addition to the canned or boxed nonperishable items.

Recruitment for program participants will take place from Aug. 19 to Sept. 6, and students are encouraged to check their emails for further details.

For more information on the Move Smart  Cook Smart program, contact Kacey Hopson at kldigiacinto@ecsu.edu or 252-335-3956.
July 29, 2024: Off the Yemen Red Sea Coast, the Yemen Houthi rebel group continues to attack passing ships headed north to the Suez Canal. Using various weapons supplied by Iran, the Houthis have launched attacks on more than 70 ships since late 2023. Most ships were undamaged, but two were sunk and one was seized. Four sailors on these ships have been killed and several more wounded. The U.S. Navy responded with missile attacks from destroyers and airstrikes from an American carrier in the vicinity.

Recently an Israeli air strike on the Red Sea port of Hudaydah destroyed oil storage facilities as well as large and expensive port equipment used for unloading cargo and grain ships. The Israeli attack was in retaliation for a July 19th Houthi UAV attack on Tel Aviv that killed one person and wounded eight others. The subsequent Israeli retaliatory attack on Hudaydah was unexpected because of the long distance the Israeli fighter-bomber had to travel to reach Hudaydah and the Houthis were not expecting it. The Israelis were embarrassed that the Houthi UAV somehow got past their air defense system and even were scrambling to fix that as their damaging raid on the port of Hudaydah took place.

The Israeli attack caused some Houthi casualties but destroyed critical port equipment, like the large cranes that are used to unload ships. This meant that that for a year or more, much less foreign aid for hungry people in northern Yemen enters could enter the country via Hudaydah

What triggered this catastrophe was the increasing aggressive attacks carried out by Yemens Houthi tribe. They used their large stockpile of Iranian missiles to attack ships moving up the Red Sea, with targeting assistance from their Iranian Quds Force sponsors. This capability developed over the last decade as the rebels launched attacks on more distant targets. The rebels obtained more powerful weapons as well, including Iranian ballistic missiles, which were disassembled so they could be smuggled from Iran to Yemen, where Iranian technicians supervised the missiles being assembled and launched into Saudi Arabia. In the last few years, the rebels have received longer range ballistic missiles fired from northern Yemen across Saudi territory to hit Saudi and UAE oil production facilities on the Persian Gulf coast. The rebels also acquired the reconnaissance capability to accurately fire missiles at ships moving up the Red Sea towards the Suez Canal. This has forced many ships to take the longer and more expensive and time consuming route around the southern tip of Africa. This has always been a potential threat to ships using the Red Sea to reach the Suez Canal. Egypt and Iran are enemies and reducing Suez Canal income is a win for Iran, which supported the Yemen rebels for more than a decade to make such an interdiction possible.

Western nations reacted slowly to this interdiction effort and only recently began attacking Yemen Shia rebel targets with missiles and gunfire from warships as well as air strikes from air bases in the region and an American aircraft carrier. American destroyers belonging to the carrier task force also moved close to the Yemen shore and launched missiles against Houthi targets near the Yemen coast. With the war in Yemen dragging on into 2024, it is unclear when or if Iran will halt support for the Houthi. Currently, the Houthi avoid firing on Iranian, American, or Chinese cargo ships in the Red Sea. China is a trading partner of Iran, despite the sanctions imposed on Iran and the Americans have the most fire power in the region to inflict serious damage on the Houthis.

Before the recent Israeli attacks on Hamas in Gaza and Iran-backed militias in Lebanon, Iran was under widespread internal pressure from Iranians protesting the expensive foreign wars in Syria and Yemen. Despite that, Iran smuggled in more and more weapons. These were not intended for the ongoing Yemen civil war but for use against targets designated by Iran. But then Iran suddenly had its own domestic uprising to deal with. The Iranian religious dictatorship held onto power and supported more violence against real or perceived enemies of Iran, even if they were Iranian citizens protesting the economic losses Iranians have suffered because the religious dictatorship continues supporting foreign wars.

One of those wars was in Yemen. In 2015 Iran admitted it had been quietly supporting the Houthi Shia rebels for a long time but now was doing so openly, and that support was increasing. Many Yemenis trace the current crisis back to the civil war that ended, sort of, in 1994. That war was caused by the fact that, when the British left Yemen in 1967, their former colony in Aden became one of two countries called Yemen. The two Yemens finally united in 1990 but another civil war in 1994 was needed to seal the deal. That fix didn't really take and the north and south have been pulling apart ever since. This comes back to the fact that Yemen has always been a region, not a country. Like most of the rest of the Persian Gulf and Horn of Africa region, the normal form of government until the 20th century was wealthier coastal city states nervously coexisting with interior tribes that got by on herding or farming or a little of both plus smuggling and other illicit sidelines. This concept of nationhood is still looked on with some suspicion by many in the region. This is why the most common forms of government are the more familiar ones of antiquity like kingdom, emirate, or modern variation in the form of a hereditary secular dictatorship.

For a long time, the most active Yemeni rebels were the Shia Houthis in the north. The Houthis have always wanted to restore local Shia rule in the traditional Shia tribal territories, led by the local imam, a religious leader who was a Houthi. This arrangement, after surviving more than a thousand years, was ended by the central government in 1962. Yemen also became the new headquarters of AQAP (Al Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula) when Saudi Arabia was no longer safe for these Islamic terrorists after 2007. Then came the even more radical ISIL (Islamic State in Iraq and the Levant) and an invading army composed of troops from oil-rich neighbors like Saudi Arabia, which was very upset by Iranian/Houthi missile attacks.

By late 2017 the rebels were slowly losing ground to government forces who, despite Arab coalition air support and about five thousand ground troops, were still dependent on Yemeni Sunni tribal militias to fight the Shia tribesmen on the ground. While the Shia are only a third of the population, they are united while the Sunni tribes are divided over the issue of again splitting the country in two and with no agreement on who would get the few oil fields in central Yemen. Many of the Sunni tribes tolerate or even support AQAP and ISIL. The Iranian smuggling pipeline continued to operate, and the Yemen rebels were able to buy additional weapons from other sources because they received cash from nations or groups hostile to the Arab Gulf state, especially Saudi Arabia and the UAE. The Shia Houthi rebels were from northern Yemen and controlled the Yemen border with Saudi Arabia.

Over the last decade the rebels launched more and more attacks on Saudi targets. After Hamas attacked Israel in October 2023, Iran ordered its Houthi proxy to attack commercial shipping moving past Yemen to reach the Suez Canal. The world has long ignored the Yemen civil war but, now that the Yemen Houthi rebels are interdicting the Suez Canal, there are incentives for some Western nations, in Europe and North America who are most dependent on this trade route, to do something as long as it does not involve acting against Iran who is the real cause of the problem. Arab Gulf States do not have large warships. Saudi Arabia does have combat aircraft that have been attacking targets in Yemen for over a decade. None of these attacks were able to eliminate the Houthi threat. In 2014 Persian Gulf Arab states sent in ground troops. This was not sufficient to defeat the Houthis and

There are problems with that. They tried that before and gave up the effort. On the other hand, a traditional Arab solution for such problems is to hire mercenaries, and the Saudis have in the past hired thousands of Pakistani mercenaries. They could again.

The UAE (United Arab Emirates), a small Persian Gulf oil state, has only 20,000 troops in its military. But in 2015 the UAE sent 3,500 troops to Yemen but by 2020 nearly all these soldiers had been withdrawn. While in Yemen the UAE forces helped organize and improve local Sunni forces in southern Yemen to better deal with the Shia rebel forces in the north. While the Shia rebels have held the traditional Yemen capital of Sanaa in central Yemen, the more numerous Sunni forces in the south use the port of Aden as their capital. Aden and the local Sunni tribes continued to suffer attacks by AQAP and ISIL.
The French energy group TotalEnergies has announced its withdrawal from the offshore gas Block 11B/12B in South Africa. The gas fields stakes are currently distributed among TotalEnergies EP South Africa (45%), Qatar Petroleum (25%), CNR International (20%) and the South African consortium Main Street 1549 (10%). The blocks cover a 19,000 km2 area and there have been two major gas discoveries in the area since TotalEnergies entered the field in 2013 (Brulpadda and Luiperd in the Outeniqua basin). However, the sites have encountered issues for their commercial development due to environmental considerations. The announcement comes after CNR International (20%) and Qatar Petroleum (25%) decided to withdraw from the 11B/12B field. According to the partnership agreement, the withdrawing parties will be transferring their stakes free of charge to those that remain in the partnership.

TotalEnergies has also decided to exit from offshore exploration Block 5/6/7, in which it currently holds a 40% stake. Besides these Blocks 11B/12B and 5/6/7, TotalEnergies holds Exploration Rights over four offshore Blocks in South Africa: Block Deep Water Orange Basin (DWOB, west coast), Orange Basin Deep (west coast), Outeniqua South (south coast) for exploration and well drilling of hydrocarbon, and Block 3B/4B east of DWOB.
Google has responded to allegations that it censored searches about Donald Trump after Elon Musk baselessly claimed the company had imposed a search ban on the former president. The issues, Google explained, were due to bugs in its autocomplete feature. But Musks tweet, which was viewed more than 118 million times, nonetheless forced the search giant to publicly explain one of its most basic features.

Over the past few days, some people on X have posted claims that Search is censoring or banning particular terms, Google wrote in a series of posts on X. Thats not happening.

Though Google didnt name Musk specifically, over the weekend the X owner said that  Google has a search ban on President Donald Trump. The claim appeared to be based on a single screenshot of a search that showed Google suggested president donald duck and president donald regan when president donald was typed into the search box.

The same day, Donald Trump Jr. shared a similar image that showed no autocomplete results relating to Donald Trump for the search assassination attempt on. Both Trump Jr. and Musk accused the company of election interference.

Over the past few days, some people on X have posted claims that Search is censoring or banning particular terms. Thats not happening, and we want to set the record straight.



The posts relate to our Autocomplete feature, which predicts queries to save you time. Autocomplete  Google Communications (@Google_Comms) July 30, 2024

In its posts Tuesday, Google explained that people are free to search for whatever they want regardless of what appears in its autocomplete suggestions. It added that built-in protections related to political violence had prevented autocomplete from suggesting Trump-related searches and that those systems were out of date.

Likewise, the company said that the strange suggestions for president donald were due to a bug that spanned the political spectrum. It also affected searches related to former President Barack Obama and other figures.

Finally, the company explained that articles about Kamala Harris appearing in search results for Donald Trump is not due to a shadowy conspiracy, but because the two both of whom are actively campaigning for president  are often mentioned in the same news stories. That may sound like something that should be painfully obvious to anyone who has ever used the internet, but Musks post on X has fueled days of conspiracy theories about Googles intentions.

Musks post, which questioned whether the search giant was interfering in the election, was particularly ironic considering that the X owner came under fire the same weekend for sharing a manipulated video of Kamala Harris without a label, a violation of his companys own policies.
When people type a question into Perplexity, the two-year-old search engine scours the internet and uses information from multiple sources, including online publishers, to synthesize an answer using AI. Soon, Perplexity will start sharing revenue with some publishers as part of an advertising platform it plans to launch around the end of September, the company announced on Tuesday.

The initiative, known as the Perplexity Publishers Program, comes less than two months after the San Francisco-based startup backed by investors like Jeff Bezos and NVIDIA, and valued at $3 billion, came under fire from Forbes, Wired, and Conde Nast for allegedly scraping content without permission and ignoring robots.txt, a type of file that websites use to block page-crawling bots.

Perplexitys initial partners include TIME, Fortune, The Texas Tribune, Der Spiegel and Automattic, the company behind WordPress.com. Its not clear exactly how much revenue Perplexity will share with publishers. Dmitry Shevelenko, the companys chief business officer, declined to reveal numbers but told Engadget that it would be a meaningful double-digit percentage shared back with the publishers that contributed source input to the answer." He also said that the partnership would extend across multiple years without specifying how many. What this wasnt, Shevelenko insisted repeatedly, was a response to the critical press coverage in the last few months. Weve been talking to publishers since January, he claimed. No aspect of this program is reactive to these recent accusations.

For months, publishers around the world have been concerned about the potential of AI-powered search engines and chatbots to decimate traffic by simply sucking up their content and using it to provide people with answers directly instead of having to actually visit their websites. Google has followed suit too  the company now sources answers from search results and displays AI-generated versions at the top of the page. But so far, it doesnt compensate publishers.

[Our revenue share] is certainly a lot more than Googles revenue share with publishers, which is zero, Shevelenko said. The idea here is that were making a long-term commitment. If were successful, publishers will also be able to generate this ancillary revenue stream. Perplexity, he pointed out, was the first AI-powered search engine to include citations to sources when it launched in August 2022, although the company reportedly redesigned its user interface to show them more prominently after being called out by Forbes in June.

AI companies like OpenAI have struck deals with major publishers including TIME, News Corp, Vox, Axel Springer, the Financial Times and others to use their content to train AI models, writing checks ranging from $5 million to $250 million. Perplexitys revenue-sharing program, however, is different: instead of writing publishers large checks, Perplexity plans to share revenue each time the search engine uses their content in one of its AI-generated answers. The search engine has a Related section at the bottom of each answer that currently shows follow-up questions that users can ask the engine. When the program rolls out, Perplexity plans to let brands pay to show specific follow-up questions in this section. Shevelenko told Engadget that the company is also exploring more ad formats such as showing a video unit at the top of the page. The core idea is that we run ads for brands that are targeted to certain categories of query, he said.

Perplexity

This makes sense for Perplexity because it does not train its own AI models. Instead, it lets users choose from leading AI models like OpenAIs GPT-4o, Anthropics Claude 3.5 Sonnet and Metas Llama 3.1 to summarize answers from the web. Its very simple, Shelevenko said, if were making money and a publishers content was used on that ad impression, the publisher will get a cut of that revenue.

But without knowing how much percentage of ad revenue Perplexity plans to split with publishers, its unclear whether the move will help publishers make up for any revenue lost due to declining traffic as AI-generated search engines and chatbots become more popular. And breaking into an online advertising business dominated by Google and Meta isnt easy. Setting up an ads business takes time, Toshit Panigrahi, founder of Tollbit, a startup that lets publishers monetize content by offering it to AI companies for a fee they can set themselves, told Engadget. Publishers are expected to hand over content today in the hopes that Perplexity sets up a successful ads business and cuts them in.

Shevelenko refused to comment on the recent controversies that Perplexity has been involved in with publishers but acknowledged that onboarding them had become harder in the last few months. Some [of our conversations] were in a great place, he said, and then the bad press hit and then they kind of, you know raised more questions.
New industries, business formats, models contribute more to Chinese economy in 2023

Xinhua) 16:36, July 30, 2024

BEIJING, July 30 (Xinhua) -- The added value of new industries, new business formats and new business models, dubbed the "three new" economy, contributed more to China's economic growth last year, official data shows Tuesday.

These new growth drivers accounted for 17.73 percent of the country's gross domestic product (GDP) last year, up 0.37 percentage points from the previous year, the National Bureau of Statistics (NBS) said.

Calculated at current prices, the added value of the new growth drivers was around 22.35 trillion yuan (about 3.13 trillion U.S. dollars) last year, growing by 6.4 percent from the previous year, according to the NBS.

A new industry involves the application of new scientific and technological achievements and new technologies to form a certain scale of new economic activities. A new business format involves new links, new chains and new activity forms derived from existing industries and fields, with technological innovation and application as key drivers.

A new business model involves the integration and reorganization of various elements of enterprise operation to achieve the goal of customer value and sustainable profit, forming an efficient and competitive business operation mode.

The added value of the "three new" economy measures the added value created by all permanent resident units of a country (or region) engaged in "three new" economic production activities within a certain period of time, according to the NBS.

(Web editor: Zhang Kaiwei, Zhong Wenxing)
July 30, 2024: The use of drones in Ukraine has introduced a new and unexpected feature of modern warfare by causing most of the infantrys casualties, as opposed to artillery during the past 110 years. Drones, also known as UAVs (Unmanned Aerial Vehicles) come in various forms (quadcopter, small fixed wing aircraft) and while most are equipped with explosives, some are simply used for reconnaissance and surveillance. Ukrainian troops also suffer similar, but apparently fewer losses due to Russian drone activity. There are fewer Russian drones being used and the Ukrainians have begun using an anti-aircraft version of their drones to go after Russian drones. This Ukrainian innovation was recently implemented after only a few weeks of research and development. The Ukrainians have regularly been quicker to develop and implement new weapons and military technologies, especially against weapons Russia uses to attack Ukrainian targets. For example, the Iranian Shahed-136 drones are now being produced in Russia under license. Russian-made Iranian drones are called Geran and have recently entered service for attacks on civilian targets.

Ukraine developed an air-defense system against Shahed-136 and Geran. This involves thousands of modified cell phones distributed over likely avenues of drone approach. The cellphones sent audio signals of drone engine and propeller noise to powerful signal processors that served as a land version of submarine towed sonar arrays detecting stealthy submarines. This cell phone network allows detection of the general location, vector, altitude and speed of incoming drones, which the Ukrainian equivalent of the RAFs Battle of Britain sector stations then send to the firing positions of Ukrainian infantry who have been carefully located along those avenues of likely drone approach. These soldiers use their assault rifles and machine-guns to fire on the sound of the approaching Russian drones, which are painted black and nearly impossible to spot at night. Such tactics enable the Ukrainian to destroy nearly 90 percent of the rather noisy Russian Geran and Shaded-136 drones.

NATO nations are supplying Ukraine with more Patriot and NASAMS air and missile defense systems, both of which are heavily used by the Ukrainians, especially NASAMS. This system was the most anticipated because of its reputation. NASAMS is far superior to the similar Russian Buk M1 system Ukraine and Russia use, or anything else in its class. NASAM systems began arriving in Ukraine during November 2022 and, by late 2023, there were eight NASAMS batteries in Ukraine. In 2024 more NASAMS systems arrived in Ukraine as well as longer range AMRAAM ER missiles for it. NASAMS has been very effective against Russian missile attacks, often intercepting all the Russian missiles headed for an area defended by a NASAMS battery. The impact of NASAMS on Russian missile attacks led the Russians to try and detect and destroy NASAMS batteries or components of batteries. As of early 2024, only one NASAMS battery has come under heavy Russian attack and lost some components. So far NASAMS has intercepted several hundred Russian missiles and UAVs.

The latest version of NASAMS has a missile range of 50 kilometers and a target detection radar with a range of 120 kilometers. The older and larger Patriot system has a missile with a range of 120 kilometers. NASAMS systems are more compact and mobile than Patriot and the Ukrainians have found that NASAMS and Patriot systems complement each other. In Ukraine Russia is having a difficult time finding worthy targets that are not defended by NASAMS or Patriot.

NASAMS was a system developed by Norway in the early 1990s and entered service in 1998. Norway pioneered the use of American AMRAAM air-to-air missiles as surface-to-air weapons and developed the fire control and launcher equipment needed to make it all work. It was a simple but very effective use of air-to-air missiles for air defense. Other air-to-air missiles have been used for ground-based air defense systems, but the Norwegian version is seen as the best of the lot. Norway has six NASAMS batteries for its own defense. Eleven other nations, like Hungary, Spain, Holland, Chile, the United States, Finland, Lithuania and Ukraine also use NASAMS, and production of the system has increased because of heavy and wildly successful use by the Ukrainians.

The NASAMS was initially developed for the Norwegian Air Force by Norwegian firm Kongsberg, in cooperation with American partner Raytheon, which produces AMRAAM. A major upgrade, NASAMS 2, officially entered service in 2007 and since then it has gained interest in more nations.

NASAMS popularity is due to a truly open architecture that, unlike competing systems, allows NASAMS to be used with a wide variety of radars. Initially NASAMS used the American made MPQ-64 Sentinel radar but some customers requested a system that can work with different radars and air-to-air missiles. NASAMS has been tested and configured to work with more than 25 different radar systems and can fire just about any air-to-air missile that can be fired from NATO aircraft. All that is required is modifications to the size and electrical connections in the NASAMS launcher cells and software modification of the fire control system. Since NATO has long-established standards for NATO weapons, NASAMS takes full advantage of this.

So far NASAMS has been configured with AIM-120 AMRAAM and its longer-range ER variant in addition to the heat seeking AIM-9X Sidewinder and the European IRIS-T. The last one is an interesting story. Norway has a big stock of IRIS-T for their F-16 fighters, but the new Norwegian F-35 is not compatible with IRIS-T, so they decided to use this very modern European missile as an anti-aircraft missile in NASAMS systems. This example clearly shows how flexible this system is while the competitor systems are tied to a limited number of missiles and radar.

A typical NASAMS battery consists of 12 launcher vehicles, each carrying six missiles, eight radar vehicles, one fire control center, and one tactical control vehicle. NASAMS does not provide protection for a large area because the max range of its missiles is 30-50 kilometers while range of battery radar target detection is up t0 160 kilometers. NASAMS batteries will be used to protect major cities. NASAMS is being used alongside existing Ukrainian S300 systems and American Patriot batteries Ukraine received as well. Patriot was especially effective at intercepting ballistic missiles. The success of Patriot and NASAMS as air defense weapons has provided Ukrainian civilians and soldiers with a morale boost.
The Senate has passed two major online safety bills amid years of debate over social medias impact on teen mental health. The Kids Online Safety Act (KOSA) and the Children and Teens' Online Privacy Protection Act, also known as COPPA 2.0, passed the Senate in a vote of 91 - T3.

The bills will next head to the House, though its unclear if the measures will have enough support to pass. If passed into law, the bills would be the most significant pieces of legislation regulating tech companies in years.

KOSA requires social media companies like Meta to offer controls to disable algorithmic feeds and other addictive features for children under the age of 16. It also requires companies to provide parental supervision features and safeguard minors from content that promotes eating disorders, self harm, sexual exploitation and other harmful content.

One of the most controversial provisions in the bill creates whats known as a duty of care. This means platforms are required to prevent or mitigate certain harmful effects of their products, like addictive features or algorithms that promote dangerous content. The Federal Trade Commission would be in charge of enforcing the standard.

The bill was originally introduced in 2022 but stalled amid pushback from digital rights and other advocacy groups who said the legislation would force platforms to spy on teens. A revised version, meant to address some of those concerns, was introduced last year, though the ACLU, EFF and other free speech groups still oppose the bill. In a statement last week, the ACLU said that KOSA would encourage social media companies to censor protected speech and incentivize the removal of anonymous browsing on wide swaths of the internet.

COPPA 2.0, on the other hand, has been less controversial among privacy advocates. An expansion of the 1998 Children and Teens' Online Privacy Protection Act, it aims to revise the nearly 30-year-old law to better reflect the modern internet and social media landscape. If passed, the law would prohibit companies from targeting advertising to children and collecting personal data on teens between 13 and 16 without consent. It also requires companies to offer an eraser button for personal data to delete children and teens personal information from a platform when technologically feasible.
The opening ceremony of the Paris 2024 Olympics caused massive controversy from viewers who say the performance mocked Christianity's 'The Last Supper.'

Now, participants who performed in the ceremony last week are speaking out.

According to 'CNN,' Philippe Katerine, a French entertainer, was dubbed "the blue man," who portrayed the Greek god of wine Dionysus. While lying on a table seemingly without clothes, Katerine sang a song covered in glittery blue paint from head to toe.

Katerine told the outlet how his song "Nue"  or "Naked" in English  was a message for peace.

"Would there have been wars if we'd stayed naked? The answer is perhaps not because you can't hide a gun or a dagger when you're naked," he said. "So you've got this idea of harmlessness when it comes to the naked man. And the idea of the origins of the Olympic Games in Greece  which are represented today because when you see paintings, they're of naked athletes too  also with the idea that they can't carry weapons when they're naked."

The interpretation of the Greek God Dionysus makes us aware of the absurdity of violence between human beings. #Paris2024 #OpeningCeremony pic.twitter.com/FBlQNNUmvV  The Olympic Games (@Olympics) July 26, 2024

He continued: "So there I came, simply, to sing this song."

Katerine, a songwriter, said he was "deeply sorry" if his appearance offended any of the millions of viewers and that his intention was a "misunderstanding."

"I was brought up as a Christian and the best thing about Christianity is forgiveness," he told 'CNN.' "For me, it's the most beautiful thing there is: forgiveness."

"I saw something very colorful, reconciliatory and peaceful," Katerine stated, adding he was "surprised" by the backlash, despite his frustration the International Olympic Committee (IOC) refused to use subtitles.

"So I ask for forgiveness if I have offended anyone, and the Christians of the world will grant me that, I'm sure, and will understand that it was mostly a misunderstanding," the performer said. "Because when it comes down to it, it wasn't about representing 'The Last Supper' at all."

Aside from enraged viewers, one of the largest sponsors of the Paris Olympics quickly pulled their advertising due to what they deem an "unacceptable mockery."

C-Spire  the largest privately-held wireless provider in the USA  declared that they are pulling out altogether.

"We were shocked by the mockery of the Last Supper during the opening ceremonies of the Paris Olympics. C Spire will be pulling our advertising from the Olympics," the company penned on Twitter, now X, early Saturday. The post hit over 9 million views and received a flood of positive responses.
One third of Irish people are alarmed about climate change. EPA publishes Climate Changes Four Irelands Audience Segmentation Analysis

The report Climate Changes Four Irelands identifies four different audiences of people in Ireland who share a similar set of beliefs, attitudes, and behaviours relating to climate change. These are:

The Alarmed : 34 per cent of the Irish population strongly think that climate change caused by human activity is a real and immediate threat.

: 34 per cent of the Irish population strongly think that climate change caused by human activity is a real and immediate threat. The Concerned : 48 per cent of the Irish population are convinced that climate change is a serious issue, but are less worried than the Alarmed and view it as a less immediate threat.

: 48 per cent of the Irish population are convinced that climate change is a serious issue, but are less worried than the Alarmed and view it as a less immediate threat. The Cautious : 14 per cent of the Irish population think climate change is happening, but are less sure of the causes and are less likely than the Alarmed or Concerned to think it will affect them personally.

: 14 per cent of the Irish population think climate change is happening, but are less sure of the causes and are less likely than the Alarmed or Concerned to think it will affect them personally. The Doubtful: 4 per cent of the Irish population are not worried about climate change, and do not perceive it as a threat.

30th July 2024: The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has today published Climate Changes Four Irelands an audience segmentation analysis of the Irish population. The report identifies four audiences within the Irish public who share similar sets of beliefs, attitudes, and behaviours relating to climate change. The Alarmed (34 per cent), Concerned (48 per cent), Cautious (14 per cent), and Doubtful (4 per cent) strongly differ on their knowledge, levels of worry and willingness to take personal action on climate change. The findings are consistent with the previous assessment published by the EPA in 2022.

This work was undertaken by the EPA and the Yale University Program on Climate Change Communication, in support of the National Dialogue on Climate Action, and provides an update on the Climate Change in the Irish Mind project.

Welcoming the report Dr Eimear Cotter, Director of EPAs Office of Evidence and Assessment said:

Climate Changes Four Irelands shows that more than four out of five people in Ireland, across all regions and backgrounds, are either in the Alarmed or Concerned category. The small percentage in the Doubtful category shows that climate scepticism is rare in Ireland."

She added;

People from cities, towns, villages and rural areas hold diverse views on climate change, but the study does not show a strong urban-rural divide. In relation to our attitudes to climate change, more unites us than divides us.

The report shows that a majority within each climate change audience agrees that climate change is happening. While awareness of climate change is very high, there are strong differences in what the audiences believe is causing it. Climate change is mostly caused by human activities, however, a significant minority of the Alarmed and Concerned audiences incorrectly believe that climate change is caused equally by human and natural action. The Alarmed audience feels most knowledgeable about climate change, followed by the Doubtful.

Speaking about the report Mary Frances Rochford, Programme Manager said:

Successfully addressing the challenge of climate change requires a diversity of messages, messengers and methods that reach each of these four audiences and must be tailored to meet their particular needs. This analysis provides a useful framework to help climate communicators identify and understand their target audiences to engage the public more effectively about climate change and solutions.

Insights from the segmentation report support climate policy and decision makers, climate educators and communicators across Irish society, including government, agencies, local authorities, academic institutions, environmental organisations, businesses, scientists and the media.

Contact: Niamh Hatchell, EPA Media Relations Office, 053-9170770 (24 hours) or media@epa.ie.

Note to Editors:

Wave one of this study from 2021 identified four distinct audiences among the Irish public based on views about climate change. This report updates how these different audiences are represented in the Irish population using the findings of Wave 2 of Climate Change in the Irish Mind.

Audience segmentation is an approach that identifies different groups of people with shared characteristics for engagement and communication. A statistical technique called latent class analysis (LCA) is used to identify patterns in respondents answers to climate change questions. These patterns identify groups of people who share a similar set of beliefs, attitudes, and behaviours. This can support prediction, explanation and understanding of unique groups and can provide insight into how to craft more effective public communication strategies and activities.

The Climate Change in the Irish Mind project is an ongoing study of the Irish populations beliefs, attitudes, policy preferences and behaviours regarding climate change. The project aims to develop a better understanding of the Irish population by conducting an ongoing study of climate change beliefs, risk perceptions, policy preferences and behaviours of the Irish public towards climate change. Wave 1 of the project revealed near nationwide agreement on many climate change attitudes and strong majority support for climate action.

This work was undertaken by EPA and our academic partner Yale Program on Climate Change Communications (YPCCC), in support of the National Dialogue on Climate Action.

This is the first nationally representative survey of its kind in Ireland which is now in its second wave. The approach to the project is based on the established methodology of the Climate Change in the American Mind survey conducted by the Yale Program on Climate Change Communication and the George Mason University Centre for Climate Change Communication, which was tailored to meet Irelands particular socio/economic context.

The data in this report are based on a representative survey of 1,330 residents of the Republic of Ireland, aged 18 and older. The survey was fielded by Behaviour & Attitudes between the 30th of August to the 6th of October 2023. All questionnaires were administered by call agents using computer-assisted telephone interviewing (CATI) software. The survey took, on average, 25 minutes to complete.

Survey respondents were recruited using a random digit dial sample of live Irish telephone numbers. About 80 per cent of survey respondents were reached through mobile phone numbers and 20 per cent through landline phone numbers. A total of 22,862 numbers were dialled and 1,355 interviews were completed (including 25 pilot interviews to test survey wording and timing), for a response rate of 6 per cent. Gender, age, work status, and region quotas were used to ensure sample representativeness. Key demographic variables were also weighted, post survey, to match Central Statistics Office norms.

The next report in this series will be an updated mapping tool that allows accessible exploration of the climate attitudes, beliefs and climate policy support intentions of the Irish population down to a county level. The release of this tool is expected later this year. Full details of all Climate Change in the Irish Mind reports maps and analysis are available on the EPA website.
(Informacion remitida por la empresa firmante)

Leading Australian Technology, Communication and Productivity Solutions provider Enablo announces strategic partnership with the Super App for frontline workers Flip for Meta Workplace transition

 Enablo, a leading Australian technology, communication and productivity solutions provider and one of the largest partners of Meta's enterprise communications software Workplace, announces a partnership that will allow Meta Workplace customers to integrate and transition to Flip's Super App.

 The partnership between Enablo and Flip brings together two leading companies in the frontline technology space with the joint mission to shape the future of work.

NEWS AKTUELL // Stuttgart, Germany and Brisbane, Australia 30.07.2024 - Flip, the Super App for frontline employees, is proud to announce a partnership with Enablo, a leading consulting and solutions provider for digital employee experiences and one of the largest Meta Workplace partners globally. Our mission with this collaboration is to support the thousands of Meta Workplace customers across Asia Pacific and North America as they seek new solutions to drive employee engagement and productivity. The partnership will allow Meta Workplace customers to integrate their workforce, data, and tech stack seamlessly with the Flip employee platform. With over seven years committed to helping companies increase employee engagement and automate employee workflows, Enablo has never been more excited to accelerate its mission to empower every employee with engaging and effortless digital experiences.

A Seamless Transition

Following Meta's announcement to close down operations of Meta Workplace by Q3 2025, many enterprises face challenges in finding a solution that enables a seamless transition of their workforce and data while offering a smooth technical implementation.

Dave Nixon, Co-founder and CEO of Enablo, stated, "Flip's mobile and web user experience is one of the most native and consumer-like business apps I've ever used. Its intuitive design and familiar features make it the ideal replacement for our customers utilizing the Meta Workplace platform. By combining our strengths in providing exceptional frontline technology solutions with leading customer service, we can reassure our customers that as they transition to Flip's platform, we expect to deliver a communications and productivity solution that will drive real business results whilst improving employee experiences and engagement levels."

In recent weeks, the teams at Flip and Enablo have worked diligently to ensure a seamless transition from Workplace to the Flip employee app. Benedikt Ilg, Founder and CEO of Flip, explained, "We are very excited to partner with Enablo, providing easy and fast access to our solution to new customers throughout Asia Pacific and North America. With Enablo's technical Workplace expertise and Flip's proven track record with large enterprises, we can now empower companies across the globe to turn off Workplace on a Friday and go live with Flip on Monday, with all relevant content seamlessly migrated. Jointly, we'll advance our mission to empower superior employee experience." "Flip is even better than Workplace by Meta and specifically tailored to meet our needs." says Ruby Richmond-Khan, Product Manager, The Mansion at Coldeast.

The Ideal Solution for Frontline Companies

Flip is the Super App for frontline employees, combining communication, HR services, and operations into one application. It enables large organizations across the globe to enhance employee retention and maximize operational efficiency. Flip provides a social-media-like user experience that ensures high adoption and employee engagement. With over 84% active users across all customers, Flip has rapidly become one of the preferred partners in the market. Flip supports more than 60 languages, allowing companies to seamlessly connect their workforce across different markets, and integrates natively with Workforce Management and Human Capital Systems, providing a comprehensive operational platform for companies. More than 400 global customers, including BOSCH, MAGNA, Porsche, REWE, EDEKA, and McDonald's Germany, trust Flip as their platform of choice to empower their employees.

About Flip

Flip is the employee platform empowering deskless work. The app reaches all employees in the frontline with just two clicks and thus connects deskless workers digitally with their own organization for the first time. Flip combines top-down and bottom-up communication tools such as a personalized newsfeed, individual and group chats with additional functionalities such as task management, digital shift and vacation planning and many more. The app can be fully integrated into the existing IT infrastructure and adapted to the corporate design. Flip integrates all important company processes for the deskless workforce in one app bringing the entire company into the deskless worker's pocket. Thus, Flip is building the first mobile operating system for the frontline - GDPR-compliant and secure. Flip is already used by numerous well-known customers from various industries such as Porsche AG, Bosch, REWE as well as fast-food giant Mc Donald's. The company employs around 100+ people and is headquartered in Stuttgart. For more information, visit https://www.getflip.com/.

About Enablo

Enablo is a leading Australian technology, communication and productivity solutions provider specializing in optimizing digital workflows for frontline employees. They integrate these workflows seamlessly into daily communication, boosting efficiency and engagement. As one of Meta Workplace's largest partners in Asia Pacific and North America, Enablo has leveraged its expertise to help businesses find the best software solutions for their needs. Today, it's realigning its business model with Flip, continuing to deliver best in class communications and HR solutions to frontline employees, now utilizing Flip's Super-app, mobile frontline operating system. Learn more about Enablo and their services at https://www.enablo.com/.

For media inquiries, please contact:

Marisa Wagner, flip@kekstcnc.com

Stuart Haslam, stuart@stuarthaslam.com
(Informacion remitida por la empresa firmante)

The acquisition is a key milestone in ThetaRay's mission to use AI in the fight against financial crime.

As the leading comprehensive, cloud-based financial crime detection platform, ThetaRay enables financial institutions to identify trusted transactions and trusted customers across all banking activities. This recently won ThetaRay an award for Best Use of Data for Human Trafficking and Modern Slavery Detection together with Santander UK

NEW YORK, July 30, 2024 /PRNewswire/ -- ThetaRay, the leading provider of AI-powered financial crime detection technology, today announced the acquisition of next-generation European screening company, Screena. The acquisition demonstrates ThetaRay's continuous investment in proprietary technology and reaffirms its mission of enabling banks, fintechs, and regulators to detect financial crime with state-of-the-art AI solutions.

Screena helps financial institutions stop wrongdoers without afflicting legitimate parties. It screens individuals, companies, or other entities against numerous lists of sanctioned parties. This ensures compliance with international law and regulations while empowering global trade, protecting reputations, and delivering financial security.

ThetaRay, deployed in over 40 countries across six continents, is on a journey from being a leader in AI-powered Transaction Monitoring solutions to a cloud-based, end-to-end financial crime detection platform used by over 100 financial institutions including Santander, Payoneer, and Travelex. This strategic acquisition formalizes Screena's cutting-edge, cloud-based AI-driven screening solution as part of ThetaRay's product suite, providing financial institutions with an unparalleled, holistic view of transactional and customer screening risks.

With ThetaRay, clients detect multiple types of financial crimes such as money laundering, terrorist financing, and drug trafficking. Most recently, in a global effort to combat modern slavery, Santander UK teamed up with ThetaRay to deploy advanced technology aimed at detecting human trafficking within financial transactions. This collaborative effort received accolades for "Best Use of Data for Human Trafficking and Modern Slavery Detection" at the Digital Transformation Awards in June 2024.

ThetaRay's product suite ensures financial institutions can swiftly and effectively comply with complex regulatory requirements. Furthermore, ThetaRay enables seamless customer onboarding and transaction flows and allows companies to scale rapidly and capitalize on business opportunities while fostering growth across varied business lines.

"The acquisition of Screena is a significant milestone for ThetaRay as we continue our mission to power the global fight against financial crime by enhancing our offerings with the most advanced AI capabilities. It furthers our commitment to delivering an end-to-end platform that enables banks, fintechs, and regulators to effectively identify financial crime  vital capabilities to grow and operate a financial institution today," remarked Peter Reynolds, CEO of ThetaRay. "The recent launch of our Customer Risk Assessment (CRA) product this year and the mass adoption of our leading Transaction Monitoring offering demonstrates both a clear need in the market and our proven ability to build pioneering solutions. We are delighted to have closed our first acquisition, bringing key capabilities and further establishing our already rapidly growing presence in Europe."

"The need for international, cross-border payments, and business corridors between Europe and Africa, South America and the US, and many locations around the world requires the use of AI and advanced technology to make sure that the transactions are trusted, and that the people behind them are trusted," said Erel Margalit, Chairman of ThetaRay, and Founder and Chairman of JVP. "ThetaRay's AI also establishes a highway for the good actors that require an international payment network to do their business. The acquisition of Screena advances the ability to identify bad actors, whether it's money laundering, drug trafficking, or terrorist financing in a much more pointed way. This move is a testament to ThetaRay's mission of thwarting financial crime and continuously enhancing capabilities to win this critical fight on our journey to becoming a category leader."

Cedric Iggiotti, CEO of Screena, stated, "Integrating with ThetaRay has been a game-changer for us at Screena, revealing the true potential of combining Transaction Monitoring, Screening, and Customer Risk Assessment. For too long, screening was siloed from other critical financial crime detection tools. Our partnership with ThetaRay not only meets stringent regulatory demands but also significantly enhances our crime detection capabilities, as evidenced by our recent successes with major financial institutions. Looking ahead, we are excited to push the boundaries of what's possible in building a more trustworthy financial ecosystem."

About ThetaRayThetaRay is a pioneer in the field of Anti-Money Laundering with an AI-powered solution that delivers trusted transactions and trusted customers for banks, fintechs, and regulators around the world. ThetaRay's Transaction Monitoring, Screening, and Customer Risk Assessment product suite enables compliant business growth and helps institutions fight financial crime. With ThetaRay, customers experience significant operational efficiency gains, reduced false positives, and comprehensive risk coverage. The main investors in ThetaRay are JVP, who helped found the company, the Canadian and international Fintech investor, Portage, and other large investors from Israel and Europe. For more information, visit www.thetaray.com.

About ScreenaScreena empowers banks, fintechs, and digital businesses to quickly and easily integrate name screening and entity resolution with any customer onboarding or payment platform. Screena's innovative technology stops wrongdoers without afflicting legitimate parties, allowing smooth customer registration and fast payment operations. Screena's AI-driven algorithms surface true positives with unrivalled precision and de-risk financial organizations from regulatory fines, personal liability, and reputational damage.

Media Contact:Raoul WootliffN10Spr@thetaray.com+972546921720

View original content:https://www.prnewswire.co.uk/news-releases/thetaray-revolutionizes-ai-financial-crime-detection-with-screena-acquisition-302209663.html
Protests Against Electoral Fraud in Venezuela: Paramilitaries Shoot at Civilians

A group of paramilitaries is shooting at protesters near the Presidential Palace of Miraflores. People is protesting Against Electoral Fraud in #Venezuela.
You know that selecting the right keynote speaker for your conference is crucial for creating an impactful experience for your attendees, but the process of finding the ideal keynote speaker can be overwhelming. If you're already working with a speaker's bureau, great! They'll find you someone good. But if you're doing this on your own, then there are places you can look.

Drawing from over 20 years of experience as a keynote speaker and comedian, Jan McInnis shares some insights into how you can find her (and other) keynote speakers.

1. Explore Beyond the First Page of Google

Many top-tier speaker bureaus and high-fee speakers invest heavily for the first page of Google search results. However, excellent speakers can often be found on the second and third pages. Don't stop your search too soon; keep looking for hidden gems that could be a perfect fit for your event. Lacking SEO skills does NOT = Bad speaker.

2. Review Event Agendas from Similar Organizations

Check out the speaker lineups of past events hosted by organizations similar to yours. Identifying speakers who have previously engaged audiences with similar interests can provide you with reliable options for your conference. Take advantage of the research already conducted by your peers!

3. Get Recommendations from Past Speakers

We know each other and we're usually happy to point you in the right direction for your next speaker. Especially if you want one pretty similar to us!

4. Pay attention to Your Inbox and Mailbox

"I don't want to be in front of an audience that isn't a match for me, so if I'm emailing to a meeting planner, I'm doing it because I've done my research and I feel confident I'll be a great fit," quips McInnis. As long as the email has your correct name, and includes some information about your group that shows the person behind it knows what your group dies, then you might want to pay attention to it. Many speakers do their own marketing BUT they do not just blast out emails in the hopes of getting attention (at least I hope not as that is an awful method). Someone sending an email has probably researched good matches for their keynote

With some fast research, you can find a dynamic, funny and spot-on keynote speaker for your conference without a lot of hassle.

Check out Jan's links and webpage to see if she's a fit for your next event. TheWorkLady.com
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A motorcyclist has sustained 'life-threatening' injuries following a traffic collision involving a tractor near Chipping Norton, Oxfordshire.

Police are appealing for witnesses to the incident, which occurred on the A3400 Oxford Road near the junction with Priory Road.

A BMW R1200 motorcycle, a Triumph Tiger motorcycle and a blue New Holland tractor were involved in the collision, at around 2:15pm on Saturday 27 July.

One motorcyclist sustained life-threatening injuries, while the other sustained a serious injury and requires surgery. Both riders remain in hospital.

Investigating officer PC Amy Calvert, of Thames Valley Police said the force was appealing for witnesses who may have seen these vehicles prior to, or at the time of, the collision.

All vehicles were travelling from the direction of the A44. If you saw anything, please call 101 or make a report online, quoting, 43240358268," she said.

If you do not wish to speak to police you can contact the independent charity Crimestoppers on 0800 555 111.

NFU Mutual recently urged the public to take extra care over the coming months as agricultural traffic increases due to the start of this year's harvest.

It comes after a teenage motorcyclist recently died following a collision with a tractor on a rural road in Kent.

Police said the incident happened just before 12:15pm on Wednesday 24 July and is appealing for witnesses and footage.

Elsewhere, in Scotland, a motorcyclist recently died following a crash with a tractor in Moray.

The collision happened on the B9136 Glenlivet to Tomintoul Road on 9 July.
Bella Hadid has declared she would never knowingly engage with any art or work that is linked to a horrific tragedy of any kind.

Bella Hadid has declared she would never knowingly engage with any art or work that is linked to a horrific tragedy of any kind

The 27-year-old spoke out after the fury that erupted over Adidas honouring the 52nd anniversary of the Munich Olympics with a campaign that featured Bella marking the relaunch of the firms SL72 trainer  which originally debuted in 1972, the same year as the terror-hit Games.

She has now spoken out about the controversy in a long Instagram Stories post, saying: For those of you that do not know my heart, I want to make sure youre hearing directly from me about my recent campaign with adidas.

I would never knowingly engage with any art or work that is linked to a horrific tragedy of any kind.

In advance of the campaign release, I had no knowledge of the historical connection to the atrocious events in 1972.

I am shocked, I am upset, and I am disappointed in the lack of sensitivity that went into this campaign. Had I been made aware, from the bottom of my heart, I would never have participated.

My team should have known, adidas should have known and I should have done more research so that I too would have known and understood, and spoken up.

As I always have, and always will, speak up for what I believe to be wrong. While everyones intentions were to make something positive, and bring people together through art, the collective lack of understanding from all parties undermined the process.

I do not believe in hate in any form, including antisemitism. That will never waiver, and I stand by that statement to the fullest extent.

Bella added it hurt her heart that so many people had drawn a connection between the campaign and the current liberation of the Palestinian people as the situations are so different.

She added: Palestine is not synonymous with terrorism. This campaign unintentionally highlighted an event that does not represent who we are.

I will forever stand by my people of Palestine while continuing to advocate for a world free of antisemitism.

Antisemitism has no place in the liberation of the Palestinian people. I will always stand for peace over violence, any day.

Hate has no place here, and I will forever advocate for not only my people, but every person worldwide.

The model has been an outspoken supporter of Palestine, and has Palestinian heritage, sparking controversy over her inclusion in a campaign that celebrated an Olympics that will forever be linked to violence.

At the Munich Olympics in 1972, Palestinian terrorists from the militant Black September outfit broke into the Olympic Village where they killed two members of the Israeli team and took nine more members of the Israeli team hostage.

All the hostages were killed, as well as one German police officer.

Adidas Originals shared photos featuring Bella on X with the caption: Giving Bella Hadid her flowers in the SL 72.

All campaign photos featuring the model have been removed from the companys social media accounts in the wake of it and her role being slammed on social media and by the likes of the American Jewish Committee.

Adidas has apologised for any upset or distress caused by the connections being made between its campaign and tragic historical events.
Cardi B has laughed off speculation that she has financial troubles.

Cardi B insists she doesn't have any financial worries

The 31-year-old rap star has taken to social media to rubbish suggestions that she's under pressure to sell her home in Atlanta, because she's battling financial problems.

Cardi - who has Kulture, six, and Wave, two, with rapper Offset - wrote on X: "You bum b****** wish me and offset bought that house in 2019 for 5 million now its worth 7. Check the Atlanta market. And no, we not selling it and if I ever sold it I would just sell my part to Offset since he loves Atlanta. Throwing salt on my home? Hating bad (sic)"

Cardi has enjoyed a meteoric rise over recent years.

However, the rap star has repeatedly suggested that she was actually happier before she found fame and success.

Cardi - who is one of the best-selling artists in the world - told CR Fashion Book magazine: "One positive thing is that, my family, whatever they want, they get. Everything that I want to buy, I can get. I dont have to worry so much about my future.

"One negative thing is that, even though Im happy, I feel like I was a little bit happier two or three years ago when I had less money."

What's more, Cardi feels as though she's lost some control over her own life.

The rapper - who worked as a stripper before finding success in the music business - said: "I had less people who had opinions about my life. I felt like my life was mine.

"Now I feel like I dont even own my life. I feel like the world owns me."
Ryan Reynolds has learned to embrace the "chaos" as a father-of-four.

Ryan Reynolds has learned to cope with chaos

The 47-year-old actor - who has James, nine, Inez, seven, Betty, four, and Olin, 15 months, with his wife Blake Lively - has revealed that he loves the challenges of parenthood.

During an appearance on the 'Not Skinny But Not Fat' podcast, Ryan said that he'd decided to "embrace the chaos".

The Hollywood star - who has been married to Blake since 2012 - also accepts that "nothing's going to be tidy ever again" after having four children.

According to Ryan, his wife "always says, They're all under our roof right now. The whole family's under our roof right now. We have them all. And that is a fleeting thing. Not an infinite resource, you know?"

Meanwhile, Ryan recently revealed that he's received some good parenting advice from Shawn Levy, the director of 'Deadpool and Wolverine'.

The actor - who plays Deadpool in the money-spinning film franchise - told PEOPLE: "Shawn Levy actually told me something that stuck with me forever, that people tend to only talk about their wins. But I think it's really important for your kids in particular to know that you lose."

Ryan wants his kids to understand that "you lose so much more than you win" in life.

The actor - who was previously married to movie star Scarlett Johansson - explained: "You don't get what you want all the time. Something you worked on really hard didn't work. You feel like you said something embarrassing today, you did something that didn't sit right with you.

"It's just so important that [your kids] see that and they don't just hear, 'Oh dad nailed it.' Because you lose so much more than you win."
Shiloh Jolie-Pitts name change hearing has been put on hold.

Shiloh Jolie-Pitts name change hearing has been put on hold

Angelina Jolie and Brad Pitts daughter filed for the alteration on her 18th birthday on 27 May, with her bid publicly announced with a legal notice in the Los Angeles Times as part of a legal obligation.

Her lawyer Peter Levine has now confirmed she will have to wait longer for the change after a court delayed her hearing due to an incomplete background check.

The attorney told People: Unfortunately, the court was unable to complete the background check ahead of todays hearing, so the hearing was rescheduled for 19 August.

Everyone undergoing a name-change request needs to have a background check conducted by the court clerk, and because of clerical error, Shilohs hearing has been continued to a new date.

Mr Levine recently revealed Shiloh made the move following painful events.

He called it a significant decision for the teen and said people should be careful about how they report the decision.

The lawyer said in a statement following reports she had publicly announced her move with the LA Times notice: The media should be more careful in their reporting, especially when covering a young adult who has made an independent and significant decision following painful events, and is merely following legal process.

Shiloh Jolie did not take out an ad announcing any name change, and any press reporting that is inaccurate.

As Shilohs attorney, I am required to publish a legal notice because the law in California requires that of anyone who wants to change their name.

That legal notice was published in the Los Angeles Times, as is required.

Angelina, 49, and Brad, 60, split in 2016 and along with Shiloh have children Maddox, 22, Pax, 20, Zahara, 19, and 16-year-old twins Knox and Vivienne.

A source has told People Brad, who is dating businesswoman Ines de Ramon, 31, now has virtually no contact with his adult kids.

Another insider told the outlet: He still loves all of his kids tremendously.
King Charles and Queen Camilla are profoundly shocked after a knife attack at a Taylor Swift-themed dance event left two children dead.

King Charles and Queen Camilla are profoundly shocked after a knife attack at a Taylor Swift-themed dance event left two children dead

The monarch, 75, and his 77-year-old wife spoke out after kids were targeted in an attack in Southport, Merseyside, on Monday (29.07.24)  which onlookers described as straight out of a horror film  and that also left six young victims and two adults who tried to shield them from harm in a critical condition.

He and Camilla posted on the Royal Familys X account: My wife and I have been profoundly shocked to hear of the utterly horrific incident in Southport today.

We send our most heartfelt condolences, prayers and deepest sympathies to the families and loved ones of those who have so tragically lost their lives, and to all those affected by this truly appalling attack.

Armed police and paramedics were called to the Hart Space Studios in the wake of reports of multiple stabbings at 11.50am, after dozens of children gathered for a Taylor Swift yoga and dance summer holiday club.

Officers say 17-year-old boy from Banks has been arrested on suspicion of murder, and two adults who tried to defend the children are also in critical condition after being injured.

Eyewitnesses said the scene was like something in a horror movie.

Merseyside Police Chief Constable Serena Kennedy told a press conference the children were attending a Taylor Swift event at a dance school when a 17-year-old with a knife walked in and started his horrendous and ferocious attack.

The force added the teenager remains in police custody and will be questioned, with officers confirming the man is from the Banks area but originally from Cardiff.

Police say they are not looking for anyone else in connection with the stabbing and multiple witnesses described seeing a man in a black hood at the scene of the carnage.
Catherine, Princess of Wales and Prince William cannot begin to imagine the pain being endured by the parents of the children killed and injured in a knife attack at a kids summer holiday dance event.

Catherine, Princess of Wales and Prince William cannot begin to imagine the pain being endured by the parents of the children killed and injured in a knife attack at a kids summer holiday dance event

The couple spoke out as King Charles and Queen Camilla also shared their shock over the stabbing horror in Merseyside on Monday (29.07.24)  which also left six other youngsters and two adults who tried to protect them critically wounded.

Parents-of-three Catherine and William, both 42, posted on Instagram: As parents we cannot begin to imagine what the families, friends and loved ones of those killed and injured in Southport today are going through.

We send our love, thoughts and prayers to all those involved in this horrid and heinous attack.

Thank you also to the emergency responders who despite being met with the most horrific scenes, demonstrated compassion and professionalism when your community needed you most.

Officers raced to answer reports of a knife attack at an address in Southport at 11.47am on Monday, where they found multiple victims had been subjected to a nightmarish attack that eyewitnesses described as straight out of a horror film.

A 17-year-old boy from Banks, Lancashire, who is from Cardiff in Wales, has been arrested on suspicion of murder and attempted murder.

Merseyside Police Chief Constable Serena Kennedy said: It is understood that the children were attending a Taylor Swift event at a dance school when the offender, armed with a knife, walked into the premises and started to attack the children inside.

We believe that the adults who were injured were bravely trying to protect the children who were being attacked.

A motive for the attack was not clear hours after the carnage, but it is understood it is not being treated as a terrorist incident.

Police say they are not looking for anyone else in connection with the stabbing and multiple witnesses described seeing a man in a black hood at the scene of the carnage.
The Bengali film industry has come to a standstill as technicians and film directors are currently locking horns. The clash between the two sections started when technicians refused to work under director Rahool Mukherjee who was temporarily banned for three months for not seeking the Directors Guilds permission to film an OTT project in Bangladesh. The issue escalated after he was told to give technicians from West Bengal double the pay for working on a foreign series for a Bangladeshi platform.



However, now the technicians refused to show up for his latest directorial venture despite the Directors Guilds approval for Mukherjee to work. The first day of shooting was disrupted, which has now urged the directors to go on a strike to support their colleague, Rahool.



The Directors Association of Eastern India has noted that they would cease work from Monday onwards to demand a proper resolution for this unfortunate tiff.



Filmmakers including Aparna Sen, Kaushik Ganguly, and Srijit Mukherjee have publicly supported the strike while using hashtag #directorsinsolidarity on social media. Many directors also gathered at Prosenjits Ballygunge home to discuss the need for laws that can keep changing with changing times.





"This is not a clash between directors and technicians. We are like family. But we need to review if what we follow can be called laws," actor-filmmaker Kaushik Ganguly commented on the issue.



The Directors' Guild has also sent out a message to its members in Bengali. It reads, Giving importance and respect to the sentiments and opinions of the majority of the directors, the executive committee of the organization requests that the members will remain absent from all shooting floors in Bengali from tomorrow (29/12/2024) until the problems of the directors are resolved amicably.


Sharvari Wagh recently took to social media to notify that she has begun shooting for Alpha, in which she is starring alongside Alia Bhatt. The actors play super agents in the movie.





Sharvari shared a picture with director Shiv Rawail where the two of them are posing before her first shot. The actor is seen in a casual gray tank top with denim shorts. "It doesnt get bigger than this! Super stoked to start my #Alpha journey today! Trust me I have manifested this moment. Super prepped but can feel the butterflies in my tummy... Thank you Adi sir for your faith & @shivrawail for your belief in me! Letssss gooooo!! #YRFSpyUniverse," she added in the post.





View this post on Instagram A post shared by Sharvari AAAA (@sharvari)





Previously, Alia and Sharvari had shared the name of the project while sharing a teaser video. In the video, Alia is heard speaking about the importance of the world Alpha, which happens to be the name of the first letter in the Greek alphabet system. She says, Greek aphabet ka sabse pehla akshar, aur humaari programme ka motto. Sabse pehle, sabse tez. Alia captioned the reel as, "Its the time of the ALPHA Girls.



Check it out below:

The movie's final release date hasn't been revealed yet.
Anyone who watched Deadpool & Wolverine has witnessed the epic cameo featuring Chris Evans. The actor makes an appearance, not as Captain America but as the memorable Fantastic Four character Johnny Storm aka Human Torch.











Chris Evans agreed to the role almost instantly. He shared that Ryan is the only reason he signed up to play the role. He went on to heap praise on the Deadpool actors sense of humour.





In Deadpool & Wolverine Chris Evans not only features during the films run but also in the delightful post-credits scene. Read all about it here:



In a recent interaction, Chris Evans revealed that Ryan Reynolds personally got in touch with him to bring him on board for Deadpool & Wolverine. He reportedly texted him asking if he would want to reprise a role from 20 years ago.Chris Evans agreed to the role almost instantly. He shared that Ryan is the only reason he signed up to play the role. He went on to heap praise on the Deadpool actors sense of humour.In Deadpool & Wolverine Chris Evans not only features during the films run but also in the delightful post-credits scene. Read all about it here:

Disclaimer: This article contains spoilers from Deadpool & Wolverine.
Clean Air Metals Inc. ("Clean Air Metals" or the "Company") (TSXV:AIR)(FRA:CKU)(OTCQB:CLRMF) announces that the shareholders of the Company approved the following matters at its Annual General Meeting held on July 29, 2024 (the "Meeting"), as follows:

(i) setting the number of directors at six (6);

(ii) the election of James Gallagher, Dean Chambers, David Peck, and Mike Garbutt as directors of the Company for the ensuing year; and

(iii) the appointment of Manning Elliott LLP as Auditor for the Company for the ensuing year.

Shannin Metatawabin and MaryAnn Crichton were not elected as directors of the Company as they received less than majority support at the Meeting. Jim Gallagher, Non-Executive Chair of the Board, commented, "The Board very much thanks Shannin Metatawabin and MaryAnn Crichton for their contributions as directors over the last couple of years, and we wish them well in future endeavours. Given the skill sets of the remaining board members and the Company's current size, the Board does not feel it necessary to fill the remaining director vacancies at this time."

About Clean Air Metals

Clean Air Metals is a development and exploration company advancing its flagship, 100% owned Thunder Bay North Critical Minerals ("TBN") project, 40 km northeast of Thunder Bay, Ontario. The TBN project, accessible by road and next to established infrastructure, hosts two (2) deposits - the Current and Escape deposits, only 2.5 km apart. Together, the deposits host a 13.8 Mt indicated mineral resource containing 2.4M Pt eq. oz (Technical Report on the Thunder Bay North Project, Ontario Canada, NI43-101, SLR Consulting Canada Ltd, June 19, 2023) with significant potential for expansion down-plunge.

One of the rare primary platinum resources outside of South Africa, the TBN project is in a stable and mining-friendly jurisdiction and benefits from longstanding relationships with local First Nations. With its proven technical team, Clean Air Metals is committed to growing the resources at the TBN project and creating long-term value for shareholders.

Social Engagement

Clean Air Metals Inc. acknowledges that the Thunder Bay North Critical Minerals Project is located within the area encompassed by the Robinson-Superior Treaty of 1850 and includes the territories of the Fort William First Nation,?Red Rock Indian Band, Biinjitiwabik Zaaging Anishinabek and Kiashke Zaaging Anishinaabek. Clean Air Metals also acknowledges the contributions of the Metis Nation of Ontario, Region 2 and the Red Sky Metis Independent Nation to the rich history of our area.?

The Company appreciates the opportunity to work in these territories and remains committed to the recognition and respect of those who have lived, travelled, and gathered on the lands since time immemorial. Clean Air Metals is committed to stewarding Indigenous heritage and remains committed to building, fostering and encouraging a respectful relationship with First Nations, Metis and Inuit peoples based upon principles of mutual trust, respect, reciprocity and collaboration in the spirit of reconciliation.

ON BEHALF OF THE BOARD OF DIRECTORS

"Mike Garbutt"

Mike Garbutt, CEO of Clean Air Metals Inc.

Connect with us on X/ Facebook/ Instagram.

Visit www.cleanairmetals.ca for more information or contact:

Mia Boiridy

Director of Communications and Investor Relations

250-575-3305

mboiridy@cleanairmetals.ca

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.

SOURCE: Clean Air Metals, Inc.

View the original press release on accesswire.com
KANAZAWA, Japan, July 29, 2024 /PRNewswire/ -- Researchers at Nano Life Science Institute (WPI-NanoLSI), Kanazawa University, IMDEA Nanoscience (Madrid, Spain) and CNB-CSIC (Madrid, Spain) report in ACSNano experiments that reveal a cycle of conformational stages that recombinant Influenza A genomes pass through during RNA synthesis.

Influenza A is a global health risk responsible for local epidemics and deadly pandemics. As such, the mechanism by which the virus replicates itself has attracted significant interest. Researchers led by Shingo Fukuda at Nano Life Science Institute (WPI-NanoLSI) at Kanazawa University in Japan, Jaime Martin-Benito at CNB-CSIC and Borja Ibarra at IMDEA Nanociencia in Spain, used high-speed atomic force microscopy and electron microscopy to pin down the conformational dynamics of recombinant viral genomes (or rRNPs) during RNA synthesis.

Previous attempts to understand what possible conformational changes occur during Influenza A viral multiplication cycle had been hindered by what the researchers describe as the "bulky double-helical structure" of the viral RNPs (vRNP, Fig.1 A), which made it hard to see what was going on. As a result the researchers produced a circular recombinant ribonucleoprotein complex (rRNP) (Fig.1 B), which allowed them to overcome the 'bulky issue'. The authors used HS-AFM to follow conformational changes of individual rRNP complexes in real-time during active RNA synthesis (Fig.1 C).

Their work provides first direct experimental evidence showing that individual rRNPs can be recycled for multiple transcription and replication cycles. This is a key feature for viral multiplication. In addition, their study highlights how factors that affect the stability of the secondary structures of the nascent RNA affect the rate of RNA synthesis.

The authors concluded that the approach is useful for investigating viral transcription and replication mechanisms. "Transcriptional pausing is an intrinsic property of most RNA polymerases, and its regulation constitutes one of the central mechanisms of control of gene expression," they add. "Future single-molecule experiments of real-time RNA synthesis kinetics by the IAV RdRp [influenza A virus RNA dependent RNA polymerase] within the context of the RNP will help to elucidate the nature of putative pause states and their roles in viral transcription and replication."

Figure

https://nanolsi.kanazawa-u.ac.jp/wp/wp-content/uploads/Figure-1-2.jpg

Caption: Fig.1 (A, B) HS-AFM images of vRNP (A) and rRNP (B). (C) Successive HS-AFM images of rRNP during RNA synthesis.  2024 Carlero, et al. Published by American Chemical Society

Glossary

RNA synthesis

Ribonucleic acid (RNA) is a polymer and a nucleic acid. Its replication is catalyzed by an enzyme known as RNA polymerase. The synthesis only proceeds in the presence of the nucleotide and proteins required to build up the RNA molecule.

Although RNA synthesis can use DNA as the synthesis template, a number of viruses replicate with RNA as the template. The enzyme that catalyzes this type of synthesis is known as RNA dependent RNA polymerase.

Recombinant ribonucleic proteins

Recombinant ribonucleoproteins are useful for ways of studying RNA processes. In this instance the authors used a recombinant ribonucleoprotein made up of the same protein components but just 352 nucleotides long, where the RNA segment used had been shown to avoid supercoiling.

High-speed atomic force microscopy

This imaging technique uses a nanosized tip at the end of a cantilever that is scanned over a sample. It can be used to determine the topography of a sample surface from the change in the strength of forces between the tip and the sample with distance, and the resulting deflection of the cantilever. It was first developed in the 1980s but a number of modifications have augmented the functionality of the technique since. It is better suited to imaging biological samples than the scanning tunneling microscope that had been developed because it does not require a conducting sample.

In the 2000s Toshio Ando at Kanazawa University was able to improve the scanning speed to such an extent that moving images could be captured. This allowed people to use the technique to visualize molecular processes for the first time.

Reference

Diego Carlero, Shingo Fukuda, Rebeca Bocanegra, Toshio Ando, Jaime Martin-Benito, and Borja Ibarra Conformational Dynamics of Influenza A Virus Ribonucleoprotein Complexes during RNA Synthesis ACS Nano 2024.

DOI:10.1021/acsnano.4c01362

URL: https://pubs.acs.org/doi/10.1021/acsnano.4c01362

Funding acknowledgements

This work was supported by the NanoLSI Visiting Fellows Program 2019 (to B.I.), the World Premier International Research Center Initiative (WPI), MEXT (Japan), and grants PGC2018-099341-B-I00 (to B.I.), PID2021-126755NB-I00 (to B.I.), and PID2020-117752RB-I00 (to J.M.B.) financed by MCIU/AEI/10.13039/501100011033 and FEDER, UE, Grant TED2021-132748B-I00 financed by the European Union "NextGeneration EU"/PRTR (to J.M.B.), and Grant No. 20K15140 financed by JSPS KAKENHI (to S.F.). IMDEA Nanociencia acknowledges support from the Severo Ochoa Program for Centers of Excellence in R&D (CEX2020-001039-S).

Contact

Hiroe Yoneda (Ms)

Senior Specialist in Project Planning and Outreach

NanoLSI Administration Office, Nano Life Science Institute (WPI-NanoLSI)

Kanazawa University

Kakuma-machi, Kanazawa 920-1192, Japan

Email: nanolsi-office@adm.kanazawa-u.ac.jp

Tel: +81 (76) 234-4555

About Nano Life Science Institute (WPI-NanoLSI), Kanazawa University

Understanding nanoscale mechanisms of life phenomena by exploring "uncharted nano-realms"

Cells are the basic units of almost all life forms. We are developing nanoprobe technologies that allow direct imaging, analysis, and manipulation of the behavior and dynamics of important macromolecules in living organisms, such as proteins and nucleic acids, at the surface and interior of cells. We aim at acquiring a fundamental understanding of the various life phenomena at the nanoscale.

https://nanolsi.kanazawa-u.ac.jp/en/

About the World Premier International Research Center Initiative (WPI)

The WPI program was launched in 2007 by Japan's Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology (MEXT) to foster globally visible research centers boasting the highest standards and outstanding research environments. Numbering more than a dozen and operating at institutions throughout the country, these centers are given a high degree of autonomy, allowing them to engage in innovative modes of management and research. The program is administered by the Japan Society for the Promotion of Science (JSPS).

See the latest research news from the centers at the WPI News Portal: https://www.eurekalert.org/newsportal/WPI

Main WPI program site:

www.jsps.go.jp/english/e-toplevel

About Kanazawa University

As the leading comprehensive university on the Sea of Japan coast, Kanazawa University has contributed greatly to higher education and academic research in Japan since it was founded in 1949. The University has three colleges and 17 schools offering courses in subjects that include medicine, computer engineering, and humanities.

The University is located on the coast of the Sea of Japan in Kanazawa - a city rich in history and culture. The city of Kanazawa has a highly respected intellectual profile since the time of the fiefdom (1598-1867). Kanazawa University is divided into two main campuses: Kakuma and Takaramachi for its approximately 10,200 students including 600 from overseas.

http://www.kanazawa-u.ac.jp/en/

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Eco (Atlantic) Oil & Gas Ltd. (AIM:ECO)(TSX-V:EOG), the oil and gas exploration company focused on the offshore Atlantic Margins, is pleased to announce its audited results for the year ended 31 March 2024.

Highlights:

Financials (as at 31 March 2024)

The Company had cash and cash equivalents of US$2.97 million and no debt as at 31 March 2024. Following a significant reduction in costs (including G&A, professional fees and operating expenses) as of the time of publication, Eco has a cash position of ca.US$1.5 million.

The Company had total assets of US$31.3 million, total liabilities of US$1.25 million and total equity of US$30.0 million as at 31 March 2024.

Post-period end

Following the successful farm-out deal of Block 3B/4B, Eco expects to receive a first tranche of US$8.3 million during August 2024, subject to customary closing conditions being met. The resultant proceeds are expected to give Eco a cash and cash equivalents position of c.US$10 million, with no near-term capital commitments for operational expenses.

Operations:

South Africa

Block 1 (post-period end)

In June 2024, Eco announced a Farm-In into Block 1 Offshore South Africa Orange Basin. The Company will acquire a 75% Working Interest ("WI") from Tosaco Energy (Proprietary) Limited ("Tosaco") and will become Operator of a new Exploration Right.

Block 1 has significant 2D and 3D seismic data already completed and no additional seismic acquisition or drilling of wells is committed in the three-year carried period. Eco intends to complete the interpretation and analysis required for its planned Work Program with its in-house exploration team. The Farm-in is subject, inter alia, to normal Governmental approvals and no field activity is currently planned that requires environmental permitting.

Block 3B/4B

In March 2024, Eco and its JV partners signed a farm-out transaction with TotalEnergies EP South Africa B.V., who will become Operator ("TotalEnergies") and QatarEnergy International E&P LLC ("QatarEnergy"). Under the agreement, Eco would retain a 13.75% Participating Interest in Block 3B/4B, offshore the Republic of South Africa.

Post-period end

On July 29, 2024, the Company announced the signing of an agreement to sell a 1% interest in Block 3B/4B in exchange for cancellation of all of Africa Oil's shares and warrants in Eco (worth C$ 11.5m). Upon Completion of the transaction, Eco will hold a fully carried 5.25% interest in Block 3B/4B Offshore South Africa, reducing from the current 6.25%.

Upon closing, which is expected to occur in August 2024, Total will assume operatorship and will lead the drilling planning and preparations.

Block 2B (post-period end)

In June 2024, the Company relinquished its 50% WI Operated offshore Block 2B where it drilled its 2022 Gazania-1 well offsetting the AJ-1 oil discovery. The Company has completed all necessary documentation, and environmental audits, and has informed the Petroleum Agency of South Africa ("PASA"), the regulator for the Government of South Africa.

Namibia

A multi-block farmout process remains underway for all or part of Eco's four offshore Petroleum Exploration Licences ("PEL"): 97, 98, 99, and 100. Eco holds Operatorship and an 85% Working Interest in each PEL representing a combined area of 28,593 km2 in the Walvis Basin.

Post-period end

Eco added ~1,383km 2D data licensed on PEL100 (Tamar block) to its database, which is being technically evaluated and interpreted by the team to define additional seismic acquisition areas within the Block, along with new leads and prospects.

Guyana

An active farmout process continues for the offshore Orinduik Block. Eco was encouraged to note the recent news from neighbouring Stabroek block, where the Operator ExxonMobil is planning for a seventh development at Hammerhead.

Investor Meet Company

Gil Holzman, President and Chief Executive Officer will provide an Annual Results Investor Update via Investor Meet Company today at 14:00 BST. The presentation is open to all existing and potential shareholders and questions can be asked at any time during the live presentation. More information about the presentation can be found in the Company's announcement of 24 July 2024.

Gil Holzman, President and Chief Executive Officer of Eco Atlantic, commented:

"We made considerable progress across our asset portfolio during the financial year to 31 March 2024. This has been achieved at a time when we have had a strict focus on costs, which has seen the Company operate with non dilutive financings for the last two years, and agree a farm-out on Block 3B/4B which will significantly increase our cash resources, and leaves tremendous upside potential on the table in the event a discovery is drilled on the block.

"In Namibia and Guyana, we have active farm-out processes underway, and we are very upbeat about the number and calibre of the companies we have had in our data rooms. Both jurisdictions remain at the forefront of global hydrocarbon exploration and we are confident of delivering a positive update on both in due course.

"We were also pleased to announce the deal with Africa Oil yesterday, which saw us agree the sale of a 1% interest in the Block in exchange for the cancellation of all of AOI's shares and warrants in Eco, worth C$11.5 million. We are grateful to Africa Oil for their support since 2017, and this agreement will enable us to eliminate a c.16% overhang in Eco's shares, which are locked up until the transaction closes and the shares and warrants are cancelled. I would also add that the deal was agreed using an US$840 million valuation for Block 3B/4B, which values Eco's 5.25% holding at ca.US$44 million.

"As ever, we continue to work hard to deliver value for all of our stakeholders and we look forward to providing further market updates in due course."

The Company's audited financial statement for the year ended 31 March 2024 is available for download on the Company's website at www.ecooilandgas.com and on Sedar at www.sedar.com.

The following are the Company's Balance Sheet, Income Statements, Cash Flow Statement and selected notes from the annual Financial Statements. All amounts are in US Dollars, unless otherwise stated.

Balance Sheet

March 31, March 31, 2024 2023 Assets Current Assets Cash and cash equivalents 2,967,005 4,110,734 Short-term investments 13,107 13,107 Government receivable 26,970 22,494 Amounts owing by license partners 49,578 477,578 Accounts receivable and prepaid expenses 38,539 1,529,451 Total Current Assets 3,095,199 6,153,364 Non- Current Assets Investment in associate - 8,612,267 Petroleum and natural gas licenses 28,168,439 40,852,020 Total Non-Current Assets 28,168,439 49,464,287 Total Assets 31,263,638 55,617,651 Liabilities Current Liabilities Accounts payable and accrued liabilities 1,163,546 4,416,789 Advances from and amounts owing to license partners 81,952 286,553 Warrant liability - 261,720 Total Current Liabilities 1,245,498 4,965,062 Total Liabilities 1,245,498 4,965,062 Equity Share capital 122,088,498 121,570,983 Restricted Share Units reserve 920,653 920,653 Warrants 14,778,272 14,778,272 Stock options 2,900,501 2,804,806 Foreign currency translation reserve (1,568,469) (1,458,709) Accumulated deficit (109,101,315) (87,963,416) Total Equity 30,018,140 50,652,589 Total Liabilities and Equity 31,263,638 55,617,651

Income Statement

Year ended March 31, 2024 2023 Revenue Interest income 1,708 66,571 1,708 66,571 Operating expenses: Compensation costs 851,068 905,974 Professional fees 589,810 694,304 Operating costs, net 2,662,347 33,039,264 General and administrative costs 658,443 848,893 Share-based compensation 95,695 2,968,294 Foreign exchange loss (gain) (14,354) 559,947 Total operating expenses 4,843,009 39,016,676 Operating loss (4,841,301) (38,950,105) Other Non-Operating Charges and Write-downs Gain on settlement of liability 299,360 - Fair value change in warrant liability 261,720 2,980,042 Share of losses of associate - (664,895) Write down of investment in associate (8,612,267) - Write down of license (8,782,105) - Net loss for the year from continuing operations, before taxes (21,674,593) (36,634,958) Tax recovery 536,694 - Net loss for the year from continuing operations, after taxes (21,137,899) (36,634,958) Gain from discontinued operations, after-tax - 80,204 Net loss for the year (21,137,899) (36,554,754) Foreign currency translation adjustment (109,760) (148,982) Comprehensive loss for the year (21,247,659) (36,703,736) Basic and diluted net loss per share: From continuing operations (0.06) (0.10) From discontinued operations - - Weighted average number of ordinary shares used in computing basic and diluted net loss per share 369,287,447 349,622,239

Cash Flow Statement

Year ended March 31, 2024 2023 Cash flow from operating activities - continued operations Net loss from continuing operations (21,137,899) (36,634,958) Items not affecting cash: Share-based compensation 95,695 2,968,295 Fair value change in warrant liability (261,720) (2,980,042) Share of losses of companies accounted for at equity - 664,895 Write down of equity investment 8,612,267 - Write down of license 8,782,105 - Changes in non-cash working capital: Government receivable (4,476) 4,993 Accounts payable and accrued liabilities (3,134,252) 2,484,966 Accounts receivable and prepaid expenses 1,490,912 (1,271,540) Advance from and amounts owing to license partners 223,399 (191,025) Cash flow from operating activities - continued operations (5,333,969) ( 34,954,416) Cash flow from operating activities - discontinued operations - (839,029) Cash flow from investing activities Short-term investments - 39,511 Acquisition of interest in property (1,598,986) Acquisition of Orinduik BV (700,000) - Proceeds from Block 3B/4B farm-out 5,000,000 - Cash flow from investing activities - continued operations 4,300,000 (1,559,475) Cash flow from investing activities - discontinued operations - 2,507,713 Cash flow from financing activities Proceeds from private placements, net - 35,666,089 Cash flow from financing activities - 35,666,089 Increase (decrease) in cash and cash equivalents (1,033,969) 820,882 Foreign exchange differences (109,760) (148,982) Cash and cash equivalents, beginning of year 4,110,734 3,438,834 Cash and cash equivalents, end of year 2,967,005 4,110,734

**ENDS**

For more information, please visit www.ecooilandgas.com or contact the following:

Eco Atlantic Oil and Gas c/o Celicourt +44 (0) 20 8434 2754 Gil Holzman, CEO Colin Kinley, COO Alice Carroll, Executive Director Strand Hanson (Financial & Nominated Adviser) +44 (0) 20 7409 3494 James Harris James Bellman Berenberg (Broker) +44 (0) 20 3207 7800 Matthew Armitt Detlir Elezi Celicourt (PR) +44 (0) 20 7770 6424 Mark Antelme Jimmy Lea

About Eco Atlantic:

Eco Atlantic is a TSX-V and AIM-quoted Atlantic Margin-focused oil and gas exploration company with offshore license interests in Guyana, Namibia, and South Africa. Eco aims to deliver material value for its stakeholders through its role in the energy transition to explore for low carbon intensity oil and gas in stable emerging markets close to infrastructure.

Offshore Guyana, in the proven Guyana-Suriname Basin, the Company operates a 100% Working Interest in the 1,354 km2 Orinduik Block. In Namibia, the Company holds Operatorship and an 85% Working Interest in four offshore Petroleum Licences: PELs: 97, 98, 99, and 100, representing a combined area of 28,593 km2 in the Walvis Basin. Offshore South Africa, Eco holds a 20% Working Interest in Block 3B/4B and pending government approval a 75% Operated Interest in Block 1, in the Orange Basin, totalling some 37,510km2.

This information is provided by RNS, the news service of the London Stock Exchange. RNS is approved by the Financial Conduct Authority to act as a Primary Information Provider in the United Kingdom. Terms and conditions relating to the use and distribution of this information may apply. For further information, please contact rns@lseg.com or visit www.rns.com.

SOURCE: Eco (Atlantic) Oil and Gas Ltd.

View the original press release on accesswire.com
Reply, an international group specializing in creating new business models enabled by AI and digital media, today announces its participation at SIGGRAPH 2024, the premier conference on computer graphics and interactive techniques.

In the NVIDIA Inception Startups Innovation Zone, Reply will showcase the Futura digital human, its innovative project built by combining the expertise of Infinity Reply and Technology Reply, which specialize in 3D content and spatial computing and data and AI, respectively. Futura is an AI-driven digital tour expert on Costa Smeralda, the flagship of Costa Crociere's fleet, operating in the Mediterranean Sea. Powered by a 3D Digital Human and Generative AI, Futura revolutionizes travel experiences by seamlessly integrating with on-board services, offering personalized touristic information and excursion recommendations tailored to each traveler.

Futura uses Reply's affective computing module to understand user emotions and NVIDIA ACE NIM and Riva ASR NIM microservices for realistic facial animation, lip-sync and vocal conversation. It identifies and proposes personalized itineraries and proactively suggests the best tours organized by Costa Crociere, enriching the vacation experience by enhancing communication and empathy, significantly improving user satisfaction.

On July 31st, from 2:00 PM to 2:20 PM, during the "Generative AI Day" presented by NVIDIA, Reply will host the session, "Meet Futura: Costa Crociere's Digital Tour Expert Revolutionizing Customer Experiences with AI." The presentation will discuss how Futura enhances business decision-making and customer experiences.

"We are pleased to present our work on the Futura digital human at SIGGRAPH 2024," said Filippo Rizzante, CTO at Reply. "This opportunity allows us to demonstrate our advancements in AI and digital human technology and our integration of NVIDIA technologies. Digital humans enable fluid interaction and using hyperrealism technologies, allow for extreme personalization."

For more information about Futura Digital Human, visit the webpage.

For more information about NVIDIA ACE, visit the webpage.

Reply

Reply [EXM, STAR: REY] specialises in the design and implementation of solutions based on new communication channels and digital media. As a network of highly specialised companies, Reply defines and develops business models enabled by the new models of AI, big data, cloud computing, digital media and the internet of things. Reply delivers consulting, system integration and digital services to organisations across the telecom and media; industry and services; banking and insurance; and public sectors. www.reply.com

Costa Crociere

Costa Crociere is an Italian company, headquartered in Genoa, which is part of Carnival Corporation plc, the world's largest cruise group. For more than 75 years, Costa ships have been plying the seas of the world, taking guests to more than 200 different destinations to be discovered through unique experiences, both on board and ashore. Currently the Costa fleet consists of 9 ships, all flying the Italian flag, sailing in the Mediterranean, Northern Europe, the Caribbean, Central America, South America, and the United Arab Emirates, Far-East, South-East Asia, as well as offering "Around the World" and "Grand Cruises," to visit different continents in a single vacation. https://www.costacruises.co.uk/

Carnival Corporation plc

Carnival Corporation plc is the largest global cruise company and among the largest leisure travel companies, with a portfolio of world-class cruise lines AIDA Cruises, Carnival Cruise Line, Costa Cruises, Cunard, Holland America Line, P&O Cruises (Australia), P&O Cruises (UK), Princess Cruises, and Seabourn. https://www.carnivalcorp.com/

View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20240730892667/en/

Contacts:

Media contact

Reply

Fabio Zappelli

f.zappelli@reply.com

Tel. +390117711594

Aaron Miani

a.miani@reply.com

Tel. +3902535760
Kelowna, British Columbia--(Newsfile Corp. - July 30, 2024) - F3 Uranium Corp (TSXV: FUU) (OTCQB: FUUFF) ("F3" or "the Company") is pleased to announce final assay results from the winter 2024 drill program, including PLN24-137 which was cored in the JR Zone (see NR April 16, 2024) and which returned 15.0m of 3.2% U3O8, including a high grade 2.5m interval averaging 18.6% U3O8, further including the ultra-high grade core with 1.5m of 30.3% U3O8.

Exploration geochemistry for the continuing summer drill program has also been received up to hole PLN24-152 which focused on drill testing both the A1 main shear, as well as a related fault splay termed the "North Horse" grid south of the cross-cutting Harrison Fault, a significant structure corresponding to a vertical offset of approximately 130m. Two radioactive intervals (see NR June 12, 2024) corresponding to the main A1 and North Horse structures respectively yielded the strongest exploration geochemistry results outside of JR Zone to date, with the main A1 intersect assaying 0.045% U3O8, and the North Horse intersect assaying 0.014% U3O8 over 7 meters including 0.051% U3O8 over 0.5m (see Photo 1).

A series of shorter exploration drill holes have been completed on the main A1 shear infilling gaps, and although there are multiple areas warranting follow up, exploration drilling in the near term will focus on the areas near Harrison Fault, and to the southeast.

Sam Hartmann, Vice President Exploration, commented:

"We are very pleased with these ongoing results. Drillhole PLN24-152 stands out with the strongest geochemistry signatures to date outside of the JR Zone and represents one of the highest priority exploration targets for follow up. This hole targeted the intersect of the Harrison Fault and the A1 Main shear zone just south of the Harrison Fault. Targeting in this area now includes the Harrison Fault itself, and the areas of shear intersections with it. We are persistent in our efforts to hone in on potential high-grade mineralization indicated by encouraging results from our systematic drilling in this area."

Figure 1

To view an enhanced version of this graphic, please visit:

https://images.newsfilecorp.com/files/8110/218187_f3jul302024figure1full.jpg

Winter 2024 JR Zone Assay Highlight:

PLN24-137 (line 040S):

15.0m @ 3.2% U 3 O 8 (202.5m to 217.5m), including: 2.5m @ 18.6% U 3 O 8 (214.0 to 216.5m), further including: 1.5m @ 30.3% U 3 O 8 (214.5 to 216.0m)

(202.5m to 217.5m), including:

Summer 2024 Exploration Geochemistry Highlights:

PLN24-152 (line 2850S) A1 Exploration, south of Harrison Fault:

2.0m @216 ppm U, 0.024% U 3 O 8 (351.0m to 353.0m), including 0.5m@ 409 ppm U, 0.045% U 3 O 8 (352.0m to 352.5m), and

(351.0m to 353.0m), including 7.0m @ 107 ppm U, 0.014% U 3 O 8 (434.5m to 441.5m), including 0.5m @ 412 ppm U, 0.051% U 3 O 8 (440.5m to 441.0m)

(434.5m to 441.5m), including





Photo 1. PLN24-152 Mineralized Intervals

To view an enhanced version of this graphic, please visit:

https://images.newsfilecorp.com/files/8110/218187_4006cb11144c2a82_003full.jpg

Table 1. Drill Hole Summary and Uranium Assay Results

Collar Information Assay Results Hole ID Grid Line Easting Northing Elevation Az Dip From

(m) To

(m) Interval

(m) U3O8 weight % PLN24-132 090S 587708.0 6410637.5 545.6 55.0 -58.1 no mineralization >0.05 PLN24-133 2850S 589506.9 6408515.5 529.3 55.0 -71.7 B1 Exploration; no mineralization >0.05 PLN24-134 435S 587868.1 6410326.1 530.7 53.6 -64.6 B1 Exploration; no mineralization >0.05 PLN24-135 3240S 589630.4 6408142.8 535.4 52.1 -70.3 B1 Exploration; no mineralization >0.05 PLN24-136 630S 588165.6 6410302.3 536.3 54.4 -58.7 A1 Exploration; no mineralization >0.05 PLN24-137 040S 587780.2 6410753.3 545.6 55.4 -75.0 202.50 214.00 11.50 0.13 214.00 216.50 2.50 18.61 incl 214.50 216.00 1.50 30.27 216.50 217.50 1.50 0.26 PLN24-138 2850S 589493.8 6408505.0 530.1 51.8 -76 B1 Exploration; no mineralization >0.05 PLN24-139 795S 588289.3 6410186.5 532.6 54 -59 A1 Exploration; no mineralization >0.05 PLN24-140 2325S 589060.2 6408857.6 543.9 55.7 -60 A1 Exploration; no mineralization >0.05 PLN24-141 3240S 589622.4 6408136.8 535.5 57.7 -73 B1 Exploration; no mineralization >0.05 PLN24-142 2850S 589560.6 6408554.7 530.5 53.5 -76 B1 Exploration; no mineralization >0.05 PLN24-143 2325S 589059.0 6408856.8 543.9 54.7 -67 B1 Exploration; no mineralization >0.05 PLN24-144 2820S 589485.3 6408554.4 529.6 54.1 -75 B1 Exploration; no mineralization >0.05 PLN24-145 2325S 589095.3 6408883.2 543.9 52.9 -66 A1 Exploration; no mineralization >0.05 PLN24-146 2850S 589424.5 6408454.7 533.3 50.7 -78 B1 Exploration; no mineralization >0.05 PLN24-147 2370S 589105.9 6408835.4 543.7 56.9 -70 A1 Exploration; no mineralization >0.05 PLN24-148 2280S 589072.1 6408921.7 543.9 55.5 -74 A1 Exploration; no mineralization >0.05 PLN24-149 795S 588316.1 6410208.7 530.8 53.9 -59 A1 Exploration; no mineralization >0.05 PLN24-150 1125S 588460.1 6409904.8 533.3 58.1 -70 A1 Exploration; no mineralization >0.05 PLN24-151 1530S 588676.0 6409561.0 544.5 54.1 -70 A1 Exploration; no mineralization >0.05 PLN24-152 2850S 589259.2 6408356.8 537.2 53.1 -68 440.5 441 0.5 0.051

Assay composite parameters:

1: Minimum Thickness of 0.5 m

2: Assay Grade Cut-Off: 0.05% U3O8 (weight %)

3. Maximum Internal Dilution: 2.0 m

Natural gamma radiation in the drill core that is reported in this news release was measured in counts per second (cps) using a handheld Radiation Solutions RS-125 scintillometer. The Company considers greater than 300 cps on the handheld spectrometer as anomalous, >10,000 cps as high grade and greater than 65,535 cps as off-scale. The reader is cautioned that scintillometer readings are not directly or uniformly related to uranium grades of the rock sample measured and should be used only as a preliminary indication of the presence of radioactive materials.

Composited weight % U3O8 mineralized intervals are summarized in Table 1. Samples from the drill core are split into half sections on site. Where possible, samples are standardized at 0.5m down-hole intervals. One-half of the split sample is sent to SRC Geoanalytical Laboratories (an SCC ISO/IEC 17025: 2005 Accredited Facility) in Saskatoon, SK while the other half remains on site for reference. Analysis includes a 63 element suite including boron by ICP-OES, uranium by ICP-MS and gold analysis by ICP-OES and/or AAS.

The Company considers uranium mineralization with assay results of greater than 1.0 weight % U3O8 as "high grade" and results greater than 20.0 weight % U3O8 as "ultra-high grade".

All depth measurements reported are down-hole and true thickness are yet to be determined.

About Patterson Lake North:

The Company's 4,078-hectare 100% owned Patterson Lake North property (PLN) is located just within the south-western edge of the Athabasca Basin in proximity to Fission Uranium's Triple R and NexGen Energy's Arrow high-grade world class uranium deposits which is poised to become the next major area of development for new uranium operations in northern Saskatchewan. PLN is accessed by Provincial Highway 955, which transects the property, and the new JR Zone uranium discovery is located 23km northwest of Fission Uranium's Triple R deposit.

Qualified Person:

The technical information in this news release has been prepare in accordance with the Canadian regulatory requirements set out in National Instrument 43-101 and approved on behalf of the company by Raymond Ashley, P.Geo., President & COO of F3 Uranium Corp, a Qualified Person. Mr. Ashley has verified the data disclosed.

About F3 Uranium Corp.:

F3 Uranium is a uranium project generator and exploration company, focusing on projects in the Athabasca Basin, home to some of the world's largest high grade uranium discoveries. F3 Uranium currently has 20 projects in the Athabasca Basin. Several of F3's projects are near large uranium discoveries including Triple R, Arrow and Hurricane. F3 has announced a transaction pursuant to which it will transfer 17 of its prospective uranium exploration properties to F4 in exchange for common shares of F4 which will be distributed to F3 shareholders on the basis of one F4 Share for every common share of F3 held; the F4 shares will then be rolled back at a rate of 10 to 1. F3 will retain the PLN Project consisting of the PLN, Misto and Broach properties. The Broach property incorporates the PW property which it obtained from CanAlaska as the result of a property swap.





Figure 2

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Forward-Looking Statements

This news release contains certain forward-looking statements 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 regarding the suitability of the Properties for mining exploration, future payments, issuance of shares and work commitment funds, entry into of a definitive option agreement respecting the Properties, are "forward-looking statements." 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 TSX Venture Exchange and the Canadian Securities Exchange have not reviewed, approved or disapproved the contents of this press release, and do not accept responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this release.

F3 Uranium Corp.

750-1620 Dickson Avenue

Kelowna, BC V1Y9Y2

ON BEHALF OF THE BOARD

"Dev Randhawa"

Dev Randhawa, CEO

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SOURCE: F3 Uranium Corp.
Function to enable instant international payments between World Account users globally

WorldFirst furthers increases transaction speed, with World Account now settling 90% of payments within one business day

World Account supports same-day settlement of payment from UK and Europe to APAC region, compared to usual 2-5 days by most banks

World Account supports global collection in 30+ currencies and global payments in nearly 100 currencies

WorldFirst, a one-stop digital payment and financial services platform for global businesses, especially serving SMEs in international trade, has launched a function to enable real-time payment between holders of its flagship multicurrency business account World Account as WorldFirst continues to increase speed and efficiency of secure international business payment.

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Fresh4u Produce, a wholesale importer of fruits and vegetables, has experienced significant growth and success by leveraging WorldFirst's international payment solutions. With WorldFirst's support, Fresh4u Produce could pay suppliers more easily while managing currency fluctuations and low profit margins, enabling them to expand across Europe and bring diverse produce to market. (Photo: Business Wire)

This function will benefit British and European SMEs that import from international markets. This capability allows these businesses to promptly pay their overseas suppliers free of charge, ensuring timely receipt of goods and cost savings to support their business growth. With World Account, SME import businesses can pay suppliers in over 200 markets worldwide using more than 90 currencies.

In particular, SMEs in the UK and the European Union that source from China can now pay a wide range of suppliers who are also World Account users within seconds, thanks to WorldFirst's extensive client base in the country. In 2023, China was the largest import destination for both the UK and the European Union.

WorldFirst has also expanded one-business-day settlement capability to cover 90% of all World Account transactions, providing SMEs worldwide with speedy payments to increase turnover and save on costs. In the U.K. and Europe, WorldFirst supports same-day settlement for payments to markets in the APAC region, including the Chinese mainland, Singapore, Hong Kong SAR of China, Australia, Vietnam, Malaysia, Thailand, Japan and New Zealand, compared to the typical 2-5 days banks in the region usually require.

Payment speed is a big pain point for SMEs when it comes to global transactions. The Financial Stability Board (FSB), an international body that monitors and makes recommendations about the global financial system, lists speed, along with cost, transparency and access, as the four challenges in cross-border payment. A recent analysis shows that it takes between five to ten days for payments to reach their destined account. Consequently, many SMEs struggle to access international markets.

"We are providing speedy payment that is secure with client funds deposited at the world's leading banks, whom are our long-time partners," said Sumit Arora, Managing Director UK Europe at WorldFirst. "WorldFirst also leverages AI and other technologies to comprehensively conduct fraud prevention and risk evaluation, ensuring a streamlined and secure payment process for our clients."

WorldFirst tailored industry solutions for e-commerce sellers looking to expand overseas. Within one minute and fully online, e-commerce sellers can open a World Account to access over 30 local currency accounts and solutions while managing all their accounts across different online stores. This integrated platform also enables them to pay their suppliers and handle VAT payments effortlessly. WorldFirst helps SMEs quickly establish and scale their presence on over 130 global e-commerce marketplace platforms, including Amazon, SHEIN, Wayfair, etc.

WorldFirst is a leading Payment Service Provider in the U.K; offering local currency accounts. By offering more local currency accounts, WorldFirst widens the opportunities for its e-commerce clients to sell in more countries, as most local e-marketplaces will only pay out sales proceeds to accounts based within the country the e-marketplace operates in. For businesses that receive money directly from their customers, they can receive funds more quickly and cost-effectively by having their customers settle into a locally currency account.

About WorldFirst

WorldFirst is a one-stop digital payment and financial services platform for global businesses, especially SMEs in international trade. WorldFirst empowers SMEs to successfully execute their strategic growth plans with technology. The World Account, by WorldFirst, caters to SMEs engaged in international business, supporting online businesses selling on marketplaces and websites, as well as importers and exporters. Services include receiving payments, making payments, currency conversion, risk management and supply chain financing to help customers reduce costs, improve turnover efficiency to generate more revenue and sales, and quickly capture global business opportunities. Founded in London in 2004, WorldFirst joined Ant Group in 2019.

View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20240730289426/en/

Contacts:

Media

Media@worldfirst.com
Basseterre, St Kitts and Nevis--(Newsfile Corp. - July 30, 2024) - Following the enactment of the Citizenship by Investment Unit Act of 2024, the Government of St. Kitts and Nevis officially appoints a Board of Governors on 26 July 2024. After careful consideration, the Government announces the appointment of the Chairperson and five members of the Board of Governors who will be responsible for overseeing the operations and governance of the newly formed Citizenship by Investment Unit (CIU). The engagement of this esteemed group of individuals aligns with the Government's vision to ensure that the new statutory corporation will be world-class.

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Citizenship by Investment Unit Act, 2024

Passed on 14 June, 2024, the Citizenship by Investment Unit Act established the Citizenship by Investment Unit as a corporate body governed by a Board of Governors. The Unit will be a statutory body, reporting to the Prime Minister and National Assembly. The Act is the next step in the evolution of the 40-year old Programme in ensuring the highest standards of professionalism in the management of the Unit and further enhancing of the Unit's international cooperation and strict due diligence.

Appointment of Chairperson

The Board will be led by His Excellency Calvin St. Juste, who has been appointed Chairperson of the Board of Governors due to his outstanding international career. As a seasoned Wall Street executive, he brings a wealth of finance, cybersecurity, and client management expertise to this critical role.

His Excellency Calvin St. Juste, has been appointed Chairperson of the Board of Governors

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Serving as the honorary Special Envoy for Investment, Development, and International Business Relations for St. Kitts and Nevis, His Excellency also brings 25 years of experience, including as former Global Chief Operating Officer (COO) and Head of Global Strategy at Morgan Stanley Wealth Management's Financial Wellness division. H.E Calvin St. Juste has also served as COO for Global Fraud and Cybersecurity. A seasoned manager of teams serving high-net-worth international clients, he has won the Stevie Awards for exceptional customer service and efficiency. Notably, H.E. St Juste's distinguished career includes working at the Eastern Caribbean Central Bank (ECCB), providing him with a deep understanding of the region's financial sector.

H.E. St. Juste is ready to seize the reins, expressing his dedication to role. The Chairman expressed his vision, "For more than 40 years, St. Kitts and Nevis has been at the vanguard of the Citizenship by Investment industry, cementing its reputation as one of the leading service providers worldwide. We're building a world-class corporation, underpinned by transparency, good governance, sustainable growth and global leadership, primed to attract the very best investment as a catalyst for the ongoing growth and development of the nation."

Board of Governors

H.E. St. Juste will be joined by five members who will support these endeavours. The members of the Board of Governors are distinguished by their accomplishments in finance, business, and governance, and will utilise their respective strengths to streamline the Unit. The Board will meet once a month to provide the requisite oversight of operations and management.

Members of the Board of Governors include Dr. Louisa Lawrence, Mr. Damille James, Ms. Kishma Maclean, Mr. Carlton Pogson and Ms. Marsha Harris.

Dr. Lawrence is a veteran economist, having contributed to the nation's economic and financial development over the years. Mr. James, experienced in risk management, regulation and AML, has served for over two decades in the banking sector, including at the Eastern Caribbean Central Bank (ECCB). Ms. Maclean contributes her experience in both marketing and finance, with a particular focus on AML, CFT and proliferation financing. Mr. Pogson adds his expertise in project management, organisation development and strategy to the raft of skills. Ms. Harris brings her financial ability to the Board with her 20 years' experience in the Finance Division at the St. Kitts Nevis Anguilla National Bank.

The Chairman added, "It is an honour to lead such a talented, diverse and experienced team of individuals, all of whom are committed to serving with excellence and to demonstrating why St. Kitts and Nevis remains at the forefront of delivering premium Citizenship by Investment services to clients worldwide."

The Board's mandate extends beyond modernising the CIU. It is tasked with upholding the highest level of integrity and due diligence within the CIU. This includes commissioning an independent external audit of the Unit's operations annually, a practice legislated to enhance good governance. The Board will also be responsible for developing the policies and procedures for the Unit for the executive team to execute, as well as monitoring the international CBI industry and providing general oversight of the operations and finances of the Unit.

Beyond working closely with the Unit's executive team, the Board will be responsible for reviewing investment proposals that are submitted to ascertain that any proposed Citizenship by Investment (CBI) project is financially sound and beneficial to the nation.

The Board of Governors is also responsible for investigating any complaints about the Unit's activities.

The Board of Governors' appointment to oversee the Unit reflects a dedication to upholding the highest international standards of compliance, auditing, and due diligence. This restructuring of the Programme's governance cements its leading position in the industry.

Instilling confidence in investors by enshrining transparency in law, the Citizenship by Investment Unit Act of 2024 has fortified the Board's role within the Unit.

The statutory body signifies a new chapter in St. Kitts and Nevis' 40-year CBI journey. The Board of Governors constitutes an exciting change to the evolving Unit, welcomed by international partners and discerning investors alike.

To view the source version of this press release, please visit https://www.newsfilecorp.com/release/218205

SOURCE: St. Kitts and Nevis Citizenship by Investment Unit
CHICAGO, July 30, 2024 /PRNewswire/ -- The report "Hydraulic Fluids Marketby Base Oil (Mineral Oil, Synthetic Oil), Point of Sale (OEM and Aftermarket), Application (Mobile Equipment), End-use Industry (Construction, Agriculture, Transportation, Metal & Mining), and Region - Global Forecast to 2029", Hydraulic Fluids Market size was USD 8.7 billion in 2024 and is projected to reach USD 10.2 billion by 2029, at a CAGR of 3.2%, between 2024 and 2029.

The market is projected to grow because of growing demand for processed foods, mounting demand from construction, agriculture, mining and marine industries and growing automation in end-use industries. These hydraulic fluids play a crucial role in various applications in various end-use industries such as construction, metal & mining, agriculture, power generation and others. In addition, due to the increasing population, increasing demand for renewable energy, technological advancements and changing consumer preferences the demand for hydraulic fluids can increase due to various applications.

Browse in-depth TOC on "Hydraulic Fluids Market".

331 - Tables

58 - Figures

298 - Pages

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"OEM point of sale are projected to register the highest CAGR, in the global hydraulic fluids market during the forecast period."

The OEM point of sale in hydraulic fluids market is projected to register the highest growth rate during the forecast period. This growth is driven mainly due to direct incorporation with machinery sales. As industrial sectors grow and update themselves, OEMs play a crucial role in offering both equipment and fluids that are compatible. Their expertise in the delivery and the hydraulic fluid installation in the machinery system promotes the efficiency and reliability of the machine, which leads to the increase in demand. In order to achieve efficiency and good customer support, OEMs develop strong, long-term partnerships by sales of hydraulic fluids manufacturers.

"Synthetic oil is estimated to be the largest base oil type of hydraulic fluids market, in terms of value, during the forecast period."

The second-largest base oil type for the hydraulic fluids is synthetic oil-based lubricants due to better performance over the mineral oil in extreme applications. Moreover, their life span is longer than that of air-cooled types, they perform well within both high as well as low temperatures, and they perform a better duty to keep machinery safeguarded. Although they are slightly more expensive initially, their capacity to elongate service times and protect expensive parts within automobiles and aircrafts make them an economical decision for business within the automotive, aerospace, as well as industrial categories. Due to these reasons, they are popular and commonly used in various end-use industries due to their high performance and lower initial and maintenance costs in the long run. As such, the synthetic oil-based lubricants established for steady growth based on the certain complex issues of market on one hand and total solution approach on the other hand with special focus on natural and sustainable lubricants.

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"Europe is estimated to be the second-largest market for the hydraulic fluids market, in terms of value, in 2023."

Europe is the second-largest consumer region for hydraulic fluids. Being home to highly developed industrial segments, Europe holds the second position in terms of the hydraulic fluids consumption. The area has a fairly large manufacturing sector, thus automotive, aerospace and machinery industries, and among others has always need good lubricants for the smooth running and durability of machinery. Also, it is necessary to mention that Europe gives high importance to environmental concerns and energy savings; therefore, today this region demands high-quality environment-friendly advanced lubricants.

The key players profiled in the report include are Shell plc (UK), Exxon Mobil Corporation (US), BP p.l.c. (UK), Chevron Corporation (US), TotalEnergies SE (France), PetroChina Company Limited (China), ENEOS Holdings, Inc. (Japan), China Petroleum & Chemical Corporation (China), Idemitsu Kosan Co., Ltd. (Japan), and others.

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Related Reports:

Synthetic Lubricants Market - GLOBAL FORECAST TO 2028

Metalworking Fluids Market - GLOBAL FORECAST TO 2029

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Increased air travel is driving up the market value of hydroprocessed esters and fatty acids (HEFA). Due to the introduction of biofuel requirements and the rise in consumer demand for higher-quality sustainable aviation fuels, HEFA is equipped to fulfill the growing demand for renewable biofuels

WILMINGTON, Del., July 30, 2024 /PRNewswire/ --The hydroprocessed esters and fatty acids (HEFA) market was projected to attain US$ 13.3 billion in 2023. It is likely to garner a 16% CAGR from 2024 to 2034, and by 2034, the market is expected to attain US$ 70.4 billion.

Numerous vegetable oils and fats may be converted into hydroprocessed esters and fatty acids, which are renewable diesel fuels.

They are widely used in generators, automobile gasoline, aircraft fuel, and many industrial uses. Fatty acids and hydroprocessed esters are the top substitutes for traditional jet fuels.

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The market for hydroprocessed esters and fatty acids (HEFA) is expanding due to the increased switch from fossil fuels to bio-based fuels. Jet biofuels are substitute aviation fuels that function similarly to fossil jet fuels in terms of their chemical makeup. These biofuels contribute to the aviation industry's decrease in CO2 emissions.

Key Findings of Market Report

The International Air Transport Association (IATA) reports that the amount of air travel worldwide increased by 36.9% (measured in revenue passenger kilometers, or RPKs) in 2023 compared to 2022. This growth has been consistent in prior years.

Synthetic Paraffinic Kerosene with Hydroprocessed Esters and Fatty Acids (HEFA-SPK) is a significant Sustainable Aviation Fuel (SAF) made from fats. Jet biofuels are created using the HEFA process, which transforms fatty acids and acylglycerols (esters) into hydrocarbons.

There are both financial and environmental advantages to using SAF in the aviation industry. As a result, the market for hydroprocessed esters and fatty acids (HEFA) is growing due to an increase in air travel.

Market Trends For Hydroprocessed Esters and Fatty Acids (HEFA)

To cut greenhouse gas emissions, governments in major nations are placing a strong emphasis on sustainable development across a range of industries. The International Energy Agency (IEA) estimates that in 2022, aviation will be responsible for 2% of the world's energy-related CO2 emissions.

Compared to sea, rail, or road transportation, the industry's CO2 emissions have been rising at a very quick pace. Greenhouse gas emissions will probably rise quickly in the near future due to an increase in air travel.

This is thus anticipated to increase the industry's need for SAF and support the expansion of the hydroprocessed esters and fatty acids (HEFA) market.

Since biofuels are compatible with the natural carbon cycle, they can contribute significantly to the reduction of emissions. Many nations' governments are pushing biofuels as a low-carbon substitute for fossil fuels.

Investments in the R&D of substitute Fischer-Tropsch (FT) fuels are shown by recent developments in the hydroprocessed esters and fatty acids (HEFA) industry.

Derived from natural plant oils, generic FT Synthetic Paraffinic Kerosene (SPK) has the potential to lower life cycle CO2 emissions while being compatible with existing aircraft, systems, and infrastructure.

Hydroprocessed Esters and Fatty Acids (HEFA) Market Report Scope:

Report Coverage Details Forecast Period? 2024-2034 Base Year? 2020-2022 Size in 2023 US$ 13.3 Bn Forecast (Value) in 2034 US$ 70.4 Bn Growth Rate (CAGR) 16.0 % No. of Pages 231 Pages Segments covered By Source Type, By Application, By End-use

Global Market for Hydroprocessed Esters and Fatty Acids (HEFA): Regional Outlook

Various reasons propel the hydroprocessed esters and fatty acids (HEFA) market growth throughout the regions. These are:

Asia Pacific retained the greatest share in 2023 for hydroprocessed esters and fatty acids (HEFA), according to recent market trends. The region's market dynamics are being enhanced by an increase in biofuel investment.

In line with the 2018 National Policy on Biofuels, India aims to increase the use of biodiesel (5% by 2030) and ethanol (20% blending by 2030).

The use of biofuels is being encouraged by other emerging nations in Asia Pacific, which is driving up the market share of hydroprocessed esters and fatty acids (HEFA) in the area. According to a March 2024 projection by The Malaysian Biodiesel Association (MBA), the nation's biodiesel output is expected to reach 1.8 million metric tons.

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Hydroprocessed Esters and Fatty Acids (HEFA) Market: Key Players

Prominent entities in the global market for hydroprocessed esters and fatty acids (HEFA) are assessing possible feedstocks for HEFA production. Important players have also effectively proven the commercial production of hydro-processed renewable aviation fuels.

The following companies are well-known participants in the hydroprocessed esters and fatty acids (HEFA) market:

The Himalaya Drug Company

Dabur

Patanjali Ayurved Limited

Baidyanath Group

Hamdard Laboratories (India)

Vicco Laboratories

Charak Pharma Pvt. Ltd.

Sri Sri Tattva

Zandu Pharma Works Ltd.

Arya Vaidya Pharmacy (Coimbatore) Ltd.

Key Developments

Neste and Singapore Airlines (SIA) Group reached a deal in May 2024 to acquire 1,000 tons of clean Neste MY Sustainable Aviation Fuel. The American Society for Testing and Materials (ASTM), a global authority on conventional jet fuel quality, has established safety standards, and the blended SAF fuel satisfies them.

The petroleum business Idemitsu Kosan, situated in Japan, and the trading firm LOPS Corp., which provides oil and fats, said in 2023 that they would collaborate to carry out a research centered on the acquisition of feedstocks for SAF manufacturing.

Global Hydroprocessed Esters and Fatty Acids (HEFA) Market Segmentation

By Source Type Vegetable-sourced Oils Animal-sourced Fats

By Application Vehicle Fuels Aviation Fuels Generators Industrial Others

By End-use Automotive Banking & Finance Construction Military Others

By Region North America Latin America Europe Asia Pacific Middle East & Africa



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Will remain a strategic limited partner in certain Hayfin funds post-closing

Initially invested in the leading alternative credit asset manager in 2017 and supported growth of the platform

VICTORIA (BC), LONDON & NEW YORK, July 30, 2024 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- British Columbia Investment Management Corporation ("BCI"), one of Canada's largest institutional investors, today announced it has entered into a definitive agreement with Arctos Partners ("Arctos"), a private investment firm, to sell its majority stake in Hayfin Capital Management ("Hayfin" or the "Company"), a leading European-focused alternative asset management firm. Following completion of the transaction, BCI will remain a significant and strategic limited partner in certain key Hayfin fund strategies.

BCI acquired a majority stake of Hayfin in 2017, after identifying a compelling opportunity in the European market for private credit, driven by regulatory and structural demand trends. During its ownership, BCI made significant strategic investments to support the continued growth of Hayfin's strategies and worked with management to grow the investment teams and platform capabilities to ensure stable asset management and superior risk adjusted performance. Hayfin experienced strong sustained growth and momentum as a result, increasing assets under management from 8 billion at the time of investment to over 31 billion today. Hayfin's product offering now spans direct lending, special situations, tactical solutions, high-yield/syndicated loans, healthcare opportunities, maritime yield and private equity solutions. Through the course of its ownership, BCI provided strategic input, industry expertise, capital support, and talent resources to help guide Hayfin towards achieving significant growth and scale over a seven-year period. Overall, BCI's investment is expected to generate a significant return on invested capital and a successful outcome for its pension plan and insurance fund clients.

Jim Pittman, Executive Vice President & Global Head of Private Equity at BCI, said "BCI's successful private equity partnership with Hayfin's management reflects our flexible, creative, and collaborative approach to investing. Given our long-term investment horizon, we were able to spot an emerging trend early on in the cycle - in this case the growth of the European private credit market - and help scale Hayfin into the market leader it is today."

Pittman added, "We are delighted to have reached this agreement with Hayfin and Arctos, delivering an excellent outcome for BCI's pension plan and insurance clients. We're extremely proud of the partnership we forged with the Hayfin team over the past seven years, which has delivered significant growth in a critical period for the private credit market. We remain confident in Hayfin, its management team, strategic vision and investment strategies and are pleased to remain as a significant limited partner in certain key funds."

BCI's private equity program has a long-established presence in Europe through notable direct investments in multiple industry-leading companies such as Hayfin, BMS Group, ZEDRA, Refresco, Compre Group and Waterlogic, where it can bring its capital and operational expertise to bear. With a growing portfolio of companies and fund partners in Europe, BCI intends to continue accelerating the footprint of its private equity program in this critical region.

The transaction is subject to customary regulatory approvals and is anticipated to close in Q4 2024.

Goldman Sachs International and Moelis & Company LLC served as financial advisors to Hayfin and BCI. Weil Gotshal & Manges LLP acted as legal counsel to BCI, Macfarlanes LLP and Cleary Gottlieb Steen & Hamilton LLP acted as legal counsel to Hayfin, Kirkland & Ellis LLP acted as legal counsel to Hayfin management and Skadden, Arps, Slate, Meagher & Flom LLP acted as legal counsel to Hayfin's independent directors.

About BCI

British Columbia Investment Management Corporation (BCI) is amongst the largest institutional investors in Canada, with C$250.4 billion in gross AUM as of March 31, 2024. Based in Victoria, British Columbia, with offices in Vancouver, New York, and London, U.K., BCI manages a portfolio of diversified public and private market investments on behalf of its 29 British Columbia public sector clients.

BCI's private equity program actively manages a C$31 billion global portfolio of privately held companies and funds with the potential for long-term growth and value creation. Leveraging our sector-focused teams in business services, consumer, financial services, healthcare, industrials, and technology, media and telecommunications, we work with strategic private equity partners to source and manage direct and co-sponsor/co-investment opportunities.

Contact:

Olga Petrycki

BCI - British Columbia Investment Management Corp

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Vancouver, British Columbia--(Newsfile Corp. - July 30, 2024) - SALAZAR RESOURCES LIMITED (TSXV: SRL) (OTCQB: SRLZF) (FSE: CCG) ("Salazar" or the "Company") is pleased to welcome back Ms. Jennifer Wu as a director of the Company. Ms. Wu has rejoined the Company to replace Ms. Mary Gilzean who has resigned from the Board. Ms. Wu has 25 years of experience in the financial industry. Most recently she was an executive at Citigroup, where she focused on Enterprise Risk Management and achieved major milestones for its global climate risk management. Previously she specialized in metals & mining strategic investments by Chinese entities at Scarsdale Equities. Ms. Wu holds an MBA from Wake Forest University and the CFA and SCR (Sustainability and Climate Risk) designations.

The Board thanks Ms. Gilzean for her contributions during her tenure with the Company and we wish her the best in her future endeavours.

About Salazar

Salazar Resources Limited is focused on creating value and positive change through discovery, exploration, and development in Ecuador. The team has an unrivalled understanding of the geology in-country and has played an integral role in the discovery of many of the major projects in Ecuador, including the two newest operating gold and copper mines. Salazar Resources has a wholly owned pipeline of copper-gold exploration projects across Ecuador with a strategy to make another commercial discovery and farm-out non-core assets. The Company actively engages with Ecuadorian communities and together with the Salazar family it co-founded The Salazar Foundation, an independent non-profit organization dedicated to sustainable progress through economic development. The Company already has carried interests in three projects. At its maiden discovery, Curipamba, Salazar Resources has a 25% stake fully carried through to production. At two copper-gold porphyry projects, Pijili and Santiago, the Company has a 20% stake fully carried through to a construction decision.

Neither the TSX Venture Exchange nor its Regulation Services Provider (as that term is defined in the policies of the TSX Venture Exchange) accepts responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this news release.

To view the source version of this press release, please visit https://www.newsfilecorp.com/release/218186

SOURCE: Salazar Resources Limited
HALIFAX, NS / ACCESSWIRE / July 30, 2024 / Silver Tiger Metals Inc. (TSXV:SLVR) and (OTCQX:SLVTF) ("Silver Tiger" or the "Company") is pleased to provide an update on the first 138 drill holes of the Company's Pre-Feasibility Study ("PFS") drilling program on its El Tigre Project in Sonora, Mexico. These new results are highlighting the expansion of stockwork mineralization in the Keel Zone, now projecting mineralization 100 metres below the PEA designed pit.

Drill hole ET-24-609 has intersected significant mineralization in the HW Stockwork Zone, and the Keel Zone in both El Tigre and Seitz Kelly veins. The hole intersected 50.7 metres grading 155.0 g/t silver equivalent or 2.07 g/t gold equivalent, consisting of 0.17 g/t gold and 142.1 g/t silver, from 178.4 to 229.1 metres in the Keel Zone of the Seitz Kelly vein. The interval also includes 14.3 metres grading 334.3 g/t silver equivalent or 4.46 g/t gold equivalent from 198.4 to 212.7 metres, consisting of 0.20 g/t gold and 319.5 g/t silver. This hole highlights the high-grade Keel Zone in the Seitz Kelly Vein, some 100 metres below the PEA pit (Figure 1).

The hole also intersected 40.0 metres grading 80.7 g/t silver equivalent or 1.08 g/t gold equivalent, consisting of 0.09 g/t gold and 74.1 g/t silver, from 124.4 to 164.4 metres in the Keel Zone of the El Tigre vein some 50 metres below the PEA pit. The interval also includes 17.3 metres grading 143.8 g/t silver equivalent or 1.92 g/t gold equivalent from 145.1 to 162.4 metres, consisting of 0.12 g/t gold and 134.7 g/t silver (Figure 1).

In the Hanging Wall gold stockwork zone, the hole cut two significant zones of gold and silver mineralization including 24.2 metres from 3.7 to 27.9 metres grading 58.1 silver equivalent or 0.77 g/t gold equivalent, consisting of 0.76 g/t gold and 0.8 g/t silver, and 53.8 metres from 51.4 to 105.2 metres grading 44.7 silver equivalent or 0.60 g/t gold equivalent, consisting of 0.56 g/t gold and 2.8 g/t silver (Figure 1).

Silver Tiger's CEO, Glenn Jessome, stated, "As we progress to a PFS release in September 2024 we continue to receive promising assay results, especially in the newly defined Keel Zone and high-grade El Tigre and Seitz Kelly veins" Mr. Jessome further stated, "These results further de-risk the project, as we increase the confidence and size of the new MRE as we are now discovering stockwork mineralization 100 meters below the PEA designed pit."

On May 20th, Silver Tiger has completed PFS Drilling, totalling 24,550 metres focused on expanding the Mineral Resource, upgrading the classification, completing metallurgical test work and geotechnical studies as it progresses from an exploration to a development project. The value-added PFS progress is on schedule for publication in H2-2024.

Silver Tiger Attends the 2024 Precious Metals Summit in Beaver Creek, Colorado

Silver Tiger is attending the 2024 Precious Metals Summit in Beaver Creek, Colorado on September 10 to 13, 2024. Glenn Jessome, Silver Tiger's CEO, will be delivering a presentation,

Figure 1: Stockwork Zone Cross Section 4200 N

Highlighted Intersections

New intersections through the Stockwork gold deposit, comprised of the Footwall, Hanging Wall and high-grade Keel Zones, are highlighted below, shown on Figure 2 and listed in Table 1.

Drill hole ET-24-600: 46.5 metres grading 0.83 g/t gold equivalent or 62.1 g/t silver equivalent from 19.5 to 66.0 metres, consisting of 0.37 g/t gold and 34.3 g/t silver INCLUDING 13.3 metres grading 1.90 g/t gold equivalent or 142.5 g/t silver equivalent from 19.5 to 32.8 metres consisting of 0.49 g/t gold and 105.6 g/t silver. The hole has expanded Hanging Wall Zone mineralization to the west 25 metres and confirms high-grade mineralization 500 metres to the north of the 'Starter Pit.'

Drill hole ET-24-602: 92.5 metres grading 0.66 g/t gold equivalent or 49.2 g/t silver equivalent from 49.5 to 142.0 metres, consisting of 0.45 g/t gold and 15.5 g/t silver INCLUDING 10.6 metres grading 1.72 g/t gold equivalent or 129.4 g/t silver equivalent from 130.4 to 141.0 metres consisting of 0.57 g/t gold and 86.6 g/t silver. The hole has expanded Hanging Wall Zone mineralization to the west 15 metres and confirms high-grade mineralization 200 metres to the south of the 'Starter Pit.'

Drill hole ET-24-607: 120.5 metres grading 0.69 g/t gold equivalent or 51.9 g/t silver equivalent from 7.9 to 128.4 metres, consisting of 0.58 g/t gold and 8.1 g/t silver INCLUDING 7.6 metres grading 1.67 g/t gold equivalent or 125.1 g/t silver equivalent from 87.8 to 95.4 metres consisting of 1.46 g/t gold and 15.4 g/t silver. This hole confirms near-surface, high-grade mineralization 100m south of the PEA 'Starter Pit.'

Drill hole ET-24-609: 24.2 metres grading 0.77 g/t gold equivalent or 58.1 g/t silver equivalent from 3.7 to 27.9 metres, consisting of 0.76 g/t gold and 0.8 g/t silver. A second interval of 53.8 metres grading 0.60 g/t gold equivalent or 44.7 g/t silver equivalent from 51.4 to 105.2 metres, consisting of 0.56 g/t gold and 2.8 g/t silver. Both these intersections are in the HW Stockwork Zone of the Starter Pit.

Figure 2: Stockwork Zone - Plan View

Highlights from the on-going Pre-Feasibility Study Drilling Program include the following:

Expanding known mineralization by 10 to 15%, to the footwall and hanging wall zones, as well as the higher-grade 'Keel' at PEA pit bottom associated with the El Tigre and SK Veins;

Converting first two to three years of mineralized material in the potential 'Starter Stockwork Zone' from Indicated Mineral Resource to Measured;

Converting a significant portion of the 2 km strike length 'ultimate' PEA pit-constrained Inferred Mineral Resource to Indicated;

Completion of enhanced PFS Metallurgical Drilling, with samples underway comminution and leach testing; and

Completion of enhanced PFS Geotechnical Drilling, with samples undergoing testing.

Mineral Resource Drilling

P&E Mining Consultants Inc. ("P&E") of Brampton, Ontario completed the initial MRE in 2017. On Oct 27, 2023, P&E released an updated El Tigre Project NI 43-101 and NI 43-01 F1 compliant MRE technical report titled "Technical Report and Updated Mineral Resource Estimate of the El Tigre Silver-Gold Project, Sonora, Mexico" authored by William Stone, Ph.D., P.Geo.,Yungang Wu, P.Geo., Fred H. Brown, P.Geo., Jarita Barry, P.Geo., David Burga, P.Geo., D. Grant Feasby, P.Eng., Eugene Puritch, P.Eng., FEC, CET and David Salari, P.Eng. The MRE has a pit-constrained Indicated Mineral Resource totaling 43.0 million tonnes containing 818 thousand ounces AuEq grading 0.59 g/t AuEq; and a pit-constrained Inferred Mineral Resource of 11.5 million tonnes containing 267 thousand ounces AuEq grading 0.72 g/t AuEq (see update MRE press release dated September 12th 2023).

PEA-level bench optimization of the pit-constrained Mineral Resource highlighted the higher-grade (~0.80 gpt AuEq), low strip ratio (~0.3) potential Starter Stockwork Zone (see PEA press release dated November 1st, 2023). Recommendations of the PEA-level study included increasing Mineral Resource confidence in potential 'Starter Stockwork Zone' and additional exploratory drilling to target the 1) Footwall, 2) Hanging Wall and 3) 'Keel' areas of the Stockwork Zone. P&E were again retained to lead the current El Tigre PFS-level study. Complete and final assay results are listed in Table 1.

Below, highlighted intersections are enumerated with reference to the three (3) zones targeted (Figure 2):

Drill hole ET-24-600: This hole has expanded Hanging Wall Zone mineralization to the west 25 metres and confirms high-grade mineralization 500 metres to the north of the 'Starter Pit.';

Drill hole ET-24-602: This hole has expanded Hanging Wall Zone mineralization to the west 15 metres and confirms high-grade mineralization 100 metres to the south of the 'Starter Pit.';

Drill hole ET-24-607: This hole confirms near-surface, high-grade mineralization 100m south of the PEA 'Starter Pit.'; and

Drill hole ET-24-609: This hole highlights the high-grade Keel Zone on the Seitz Kelly Vein some 100m beneath the floor of the PEA Starter Pit.

Table 1-Mineral Resource Drill Hole Results

AuEq Total (2) AgEq Total (2) Hole ID Comment From To Length(1) Gold Silver m m m g/t g/t g/t g/t ET-24-600 STOCKWORK ZONE 19.5 66.0 46.5 0.37 34.3 0.83 62.1 including 19.5 32.8 13.3 0.49 105.6 1.90 142.5 and 107.0 111.0 4.0 0.21 207.0 2.97 222.6 and 118.0 123.0 5.0 0.05 71.8 1.01 75.7 ET-24-601 STOCKWORK ZONE3 44.5 64.5 20.0 0.79 105.6 2.20 164.9 including3 48.2 59.5 11.3 1.30 193.6 3.88 290.9 STOCKWORK ZONE 87.9 103.0 15.1 0.42 2.8 0.45 34.0 ET-24-602 STOCKWORK ZONE 49.5 142.0 92.5 0.45 15.5 0.66 49.2 including 78.0 103.0 25.0 0.88 15.9 1.09 82.1 including 130.4 141.0 10.6 0.57 86.6 1.72 129.4 ET-24-603 STOCKWORK ZONE 41.2 67.2 26.0 0.33 1.0 0.34 25.6 and 133.1 134.8 1.7 1.76 3.1 1.80 135.1 and 161.7 162.7 1.0 2.93 5.0 2.99 224.4 and 175.2 184.9 9.7 0.85 5.8 0.93 69.6 ET-24-604 STOCKWORK ZONE 10.8 17.1 6.3 0.03 19.8 0.30 22.3 STOCKWORK ZONE 31.0 65.5 34.5 0.14 18.5 0.38 28.9 including 31.0 37.0 6.0 0.09 68.4 1.00 74.9 STOCKWORK ZONE 116.0 136.3 20.3 0.23 6.3 0.31 23.2 ET-24-605 STOCKWORK ZONE 24.7 32.2 7.5 0.93 0.5 0.94 70.4 STOCKWORK ZONE 84.2 103.0 18.8 0.16 23.9 0.48 35.8 STOCKWORK ZONE 120.7 126.7 6.0 0.94 1.0 0.96 71.8 STOCKWORK ZONE4 203.2 223.2 20.0 0.31 4.0 0.36 27.1 including 204.0 214.6 10.6 0.42 5.8 0.50 37.3 ET-24-606 STOCKWORK ZONE 57.1 59.6 2.5 0.98 0.5 0.99 73.9 STOCKWORK ZONE 110.2 114.0 3.8 0.34 0.8 0.35 26.2 STOCKWORK ZONE 159.9 180.8 20.9 0.35 25.6 0.69 51.4 Mining VOID 180.8 185.2 4.4 * * * * ET-24-607 STOCKWORK ZONE5 7.9 128.4 120.5 0.58 8.1 0.69 51.9 and 87.8 95.4 7.6 1.46 15.4 1.67 125.1 ET-24-609 STOCKWORK ZONE 3.7 27.9 24.2 0.76 0.8 0.77 58.1 STOCKWORK ZONE 51.4 105.2 53.8 0.56 2.8 0.60 44.7 El Tigre Vein Keel 124.4 164.4 40.0 0.09 74.1 1.08 80.7 including 145.1 162.4 17.3 0.12 134.7 1.92 143.8 Seitz Kelly Vein Keel 178.4 229.1 50.7 0.17 142.1 2.07 155.0 including 198.4 212.7 14.3 0.20 319.5 4.46 334.3

Notes:

Not true width. Silver Equivalent ("AgEq") ratios are based on a silver to gold price ratio of 75:1 (Au:Ag). Excludes 1.10m of Mining void Excludes 1.40m of Mining void Excludes 2.50m of Mining void

Drill holes ET-24-608, 610, 611 and 612 have no significant assays to report as the holes were exploration-oriented and located on periphery of mineralization.

Table 2-Drill Hole Locations

Hole ID Easting Northing Elevation Azimuth Dip Length ET-24-600 671,010.6 3,384,850.0 1892.0 90 -65 137.0 ET-24-601 671,230.6 3,383,690.2 2000.2 90 -45 103.0 ET-24-602 671,165.9 3,383,689.4 1988.5 90 -45 181.5 ET-24-603 671,236.8 3,383,262.3 1931.7 90 -45 206.2 ET-24-604 670,960.7 3,385,047.8 1856.6 90 -45 183.0 ET-24-605 671,024.8 3,384,643.8 2076.8 90 -50 245.2 ET-24-606 671,023.6 3,384,643.8 2076.8 90 -75 222.0 ET-24-607 671,191.8 3,383,747.1 1956.2 90 -45 188.4 ET-24-608 671,225.2 3,384,150.5 2018.4 90 -45 111.0 ET-24-609 671,084.8 3,384,202.2 1932.1 90 -70 248.4 ET-24-610 671,209.3 3,385,147.0 1976.3 90 -45 50.4 ET-24-611 671,194.2 3,385,084.2 1953.5 90 -45 101.4 ET-24-612 671,128.6 3,385,043.7 1921.8 90 -45 50.4

Figure 3: El Tigre - Conceptual Cross-Section Showing Mineralization Styles

Figure 4: El Tigre-Longitudinal Projection Showing Exploration Potential

About Silver Tiger and the El Tigre Historic Mine District

Silver Tiger Metals Inc. is a Canadian company whose management has more than 25 years' experience discovering, financing and building large hydrothermal silver projects in Mexico. Silver Tiger's 100% owned 28,414 hectare historic El Tigre Mining District is located in Sonora, Mexico. Principled environmental, social and governance practices are core priorities at Silver Tiger.

The El Tigre historic mine district is located in Sonora, Mexico and lies at the northern end of the Sierra Madre silver and gold belt which hosts many epithermal silver and gold deposits, including Dolores, Santa Elena and Las Chispas at the northern end. In 1896, gold was first discovered on the Property in the Gold Hill area and mining started with the Brown Shaft in 1903. The focus soon changed to mining silver veins in the area with production coming from 3 parallel veins the El Tigre Vein, the Seitz Kelley Vein and the Sooy Vein. Underground mining on the middle El Tigre Vein extended 1,450 metres along strike and was mined on 14 levels to a depth of approximately 450 metres. The Seitz Kelley Vein was mined along strike for 1 kilometre to a depth of approximately 200 metres. The Sooy Vein was only mined along strike for 250 metres to a depth of approximately 150 metres. Mining abruptly stopped on all three of these veins when the price of silver collapsed to less than US20 per ounce with the onset of the Great Depression. By the time the mine closed in 1930, it is reported to have produced a total of 353,000 ounces of gold and 67.4 million ounces of silver from 1.87 million tons (Craig, 2012). The average grade mined during this period was over 2 kilograms silver equivalent per ton.

The El Tigre silver and gold deposit is related to a series of epithermal veins controlled by a north-south trending structure cutting across the andesitic and rhyolitic tuffs of the Sierra Madre Volcanic Complex within a broad silver and gold mineralized prophylitic alteration zone developed in the El Tigre Formation that can be up to 150 metres wide. The veins dip steeply to the west and are typically 0.5 metre wide; however, locally can be up to 5 metres in width. The veins, structures and mineralized zones outcrop on surface and have been traced for 5.3 kilometres along strike in our brownfield exploration area. Historical mining and exploration activities focused on a 1.6-kilometre portion of the southern end of the deposits, principally on the El Tigre, Seitz Kelly and Sooy veins. The under explored Caleigh, Benjamin, Protectora and the Fundadora exposed veins continue north for more than 3 kilometres. Silver Tiger has delivered its updated NI 43-101 compliant Mineral Resource Estimate and PEA and is currently drilling to update its Mineral Resource Estimate and publish a PFS.

VRIFY Slide Deck and 3D Presentation - Silver Tiger's El Tigre Project

VRIFY is a platform being used by companies to communicate with investors using 360 virtual tours of remote mining assets, 3D models and interactive presentations. VRIFY can be accessed by website and with the VRIFY iOS and Android apps.

Access the Silver Tiger Metals Inc. Company Profile on VRIFY at: https://vrify.com

The VRIFY Slide Deck and 3D Presentation for Silver Tiger Metals Inc. can be viewed at: https://vrify.com/explore/decks/492 and on the Corporation's website at: www.silvertigermetals.com.

Procedure, Quality Assurance / Quality Control and Data Verification

The diamond drill core (HQ size) is geologically logged, photographed and marked for sampling. When the sample lengths are determined, the full drill core is sawn with a diamond blade drill core saw with one half of the drill core being bagged and tagged for assay. The remaining half portion is returned to the drill core trays for storage and/or for metallurgical test work.

The sealed and tagged drill core sample bags are transported to the Bureau Veritas facility in Hermosillo, Mexico. Bureau Veritas crushes the samples (Code PRP70-250) and prepares 200-300 gram pulp samples with ninety percent passing Tyler 200 mesh (Code PUL85). The pulps are assayed for gold using a 30-gram charge by fire assay (Code FA630) and over limits greater than 10 grams per tonne are re-assayed using a gravimetric finish (Code FA530). Silver and multi-element analysis is completed using total digestion (Code MA200 Total Digestion ICP). Over limits greater than 100 grams per tonne silver are re-assayed using a gravimetric finish (Code FA530).

Quality assurance and quality control ("QA/QC") procedures monitor the chain-of-custody of the samples and includes the systematic insertion and monitoring of appropriate reference materials (certified reference materials, blanks and duplicates) into the sample strings. The results of the assaying of the QA/QC material included in each batch are tracked to ensure the integrity of the assay data. All results stated in this announcement have passed Silver Tiger's QA/QC protocols.

Qualified Person

David R. Duncan, P. Geo., V.P. Exploration of the Corporation, is the Qualified Person for Silver Tiger as defined under National Instrument 43-101. Mr. Duncan has reviewed and approved the scientific and technical information in this press release.

For further information, please contact:

Glenn Jessome

President and CEO}

902 492 0298

jessome@silvertigermetals.com

CAUTIONARY STATEMENT:

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 includes certain "forward-looking statements". All statements other than statements of historical fact included in this release, including, without limitation, statements regarding potential mineralization, Mineral Resources and Mineral Reserves, the ability to convert Inferred Resources to Indicated Resources, the ability to complete future drilling programs and infill sampling, the ability to extend Mineral Resource blocks, the similarity of mineralization at El Tigre to Delores, Santa Elena and Chispas, exploration results, and future plans and objectives of Silver Tiger, are forward-looking statements that involve various risks and uncertainties. Forward-looking statements are frequently characterized by words such as "may", "is expected to", "anticipates", "estimates", "intends", "plans", "projection", "could", "vision", "goals", "objective" and "outlook" and other similar words. Although Silver Tiger believes the expectations expressed in such forward-looking statements are based on reasonable assumptions, there can be no assurance that such statements will prove to be accurate and actual results and future events could differ materially from those anticipated in such statements. Important factors that could cause actual results to differ materially from Silver Tiger's expectations include risks and uncertainties related to exploration, development, operations, commodity prices and global financial volatility, risk and uncertainties of operating in a foreign jurisdiction as well as additional risks described from time to time in the filings made by Silver Tiger with securities regulators.

SOURCE: Silver Tiger Metals Inc.

View the original press release on accesswire.com
Not for distribution to U.S. news wire services or dissemination in the United States.

VANCOUVER, BC / ACCESSWIRE / July 30, 2024 / Zeus North America Mining Corp. (formerly Umdoni Exploration Inc.) (CSE:ZEUS)(OTCQB:ZUUZF)(FRANKFURT:O92) (the "Company" or "Zeus") is pleased to announce a fully subscribed non-brokered private placement (the "Placement") to raise $1,000,000 through the sale of up to 4,000,000 units (each a "Unit") at a price of $0.25 per Unit.

Each Unit will comprise one common share and one full share purchase warrant (each a "Warrant"). Each Warrant will entitle the holder to acquire an additional common share at a price of $0.35 per share for a period of two years following closing of the Placement.

Finder's fees may be payable on all or any portion of the Placement, which is subject to regulatory and exchange approval.

The proceeds of the Placement will be utilized for exploration programs on the Company's Idaho copper projects, including its flagship Cuddy Mountain project, and for general working capital purposes.

Completion of the Placement is subject to certain conditions including the receipt of all necessary approvals and the acceptance by the Canadian Securities Exchange.

This news release shall not constitute an offer to sell or the solicitation of an offer to buy securities in the United States, nor shall there be any sale of the securities in any jurisdiction in which such offer, solicitation or sale would be unlawful. The securities being offered have not been, nor will they be, registered under the United States Securities Act of 1933, as amended (the "1933 Act") or under any U.S. state securities laws, and may not be offered or sold in the United States absent registration or an applicable exemption from the registration requirements of the 1933 Act, as amended, and applicable state securities laws.

On behalf of the board of directors.

"Dean Besserer"

President and CEO

For more information, please contact the Company at info@zeusminingcorp.com

FOR INVESTOR RELATIONS CONTACT:

Kin Communications Inc.

Ph: 604-684-6730

ZEUS@kincommunications.com

About Zeus North America Mining Corp.

The Company is in the business of mineral exploration. The Company is focused on its exploration properties in the state of Idaho known as the: Cuddy Mountain; Selway; and Great Western properties, respectively. The Idaho properties consist of 82 (Cuddy Mountain), 57 (Selway) and 38 (Great Western) lode mining claims respectively and cover a cumulative area of approximately 3822.1 acres. The Company's flagship Cuddy Mountain Property is adjacent to Hercules Metal Corp's Leviathan Copper Porphyry discovery.

Forward Looking Statements

When used in this news release, the words "estimate", "project", "belief", "anticipate", "intend", "expect", "plan", "predict", "may" or "should" and the negative of these words or such variations thereon or comparable terminology are intended to identify forward-looking statements and information. Although the Company believes, in light of the experience of their respective officers and directors, current conditions and expected future developments and other factors that have been considered appropriate, that the expectations reflected in the forward-looking statements and information in this news release are reasonable, undue reliance should not be placed on them because the parties can give no assurance that such statements will prove to be correct. The forward-looking statements and information in this news release include, amongst others, the Company's exploration plans. Such statements and information reflect the current view of the Company. There are 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 or implied by such forward-looking statements. There are a number of important factors that could cause the Company's actual results to differ materially from those indicated or implied by forward-looking statements and information. Such factors include, among others: currency fluctuations; limited business history of the parties; disruptions or changes in the credit or security markets; results of operation activities and development of projects; project cost overruns or unanticipated costs and expenses; and general development, market and industry conditions.

The Company undertakes no obligation to comment on analyses, expectations or statements made by third parties in respect of its securities or its financial or operating results (as applicable). The Company cautions that the foregoing list of material factors is not exhaustive. When relying on the Company's forward-looking statements and information to make decisions, investors and others should carefully consider the foregoing factors and other uncertainties and potential events. The Company has assumed that the material factors referred to in the previous paragraph will not cause such forward-looking statements and information to differ materially from actual results or events. However, the list of these factors is not exhaustive and is subject to change and there can be no assurance that such assumptions will reflect the actual outcome of such items or factors.

The forward-looking information contained in this news release represents the expectations of the Company as of the date of this news release and, accordingly, are subject to change after such date. The Company does not undertake to update this information at any particular time except as required in accordance with applicable laws.

The Canadian Securities Exchange does not accept responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this news release.

SOURCE: Zeus North America Mining Corp.

View the original press release on accesswire.com
LAUSANNE, Switzerland, July 30, 2024 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- ADC Therapeutics SA (NYSE: ADCT), a commercial-stage global leader and pioneer in the field of antibody drug conjugates (ADCs), today announced that it will host a conference call and live webcast on Tuesday, August 6, 2024, at 8:30 a.m. EDT to report financial results for the second quarter 2024 and provide operational updates.

To access the conference call, please register here. Registrants will receive the dial-in number and unique PIN. It is recommended that you join 10 minutes before the event, though you may pre-register at any time. A live webcast of the call will be available under "Events and Presentations" in the Investors section of the ADC Therapeutics website at ir.adctherapeutics.com. The archived webcast will be available for 30 days following the call.

About ADC Therapeutics

ADC Therapeutics (NYSE: ADCT) is a commercial-stage global leader and pioneer in the field of antibody drug conjugates (ADCs). The Company is advancing its proprietary ADC technology to transform the treatment paradigm for patients with hematologic malignancies and solid tumors.

ADC Therapeutics' CD19-directed ADC ZYNLONTA (loncastuximab tesirine-lpyl) received accelerated approval by the FDA and conditional approval from the European Commission for the treatment of relapsed or refractory diffuse large B-cell lymphoma after two or more lines of systemic therapy. ZYNLONTA is also in development in combination with other agents and in earlier lines of therapy. In addition to ZYNLONTA, ADC Therapeutics has multiple ADCs in ongoing clinical and preclinical development.

ADC Therapeutics is based in Lausanneand follow the Company on LinkedIn.

ZYNLONTA is a registered trademark of ADC Therapeutics SA.

Forward-Looking Statements

This press release contains forward-looking statements within the meaning of the safe harbor provisions of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. In some cases you can identify forward-looking statements by terminology such as "may", "will", "should", "would", "expect", "intend", "plan", "anticipate", "believe", "estimate", "predict", "potential", "seem", "seek", "future", "continue", or "appear" or the negative of these terms or similar expressions, although not all forward-looking statements contain these identifying words. Forward-looking statements are subject to certain risks and uncertainties that can cause actual results to differ materially from those described. Factors that may cause such differences include, but are not limited to: the success of the Company's updated corporate strategy including operating efficiencies, capital deployment and portfolio prioritization; the Company's ability to achieve the decrease in total operating expenses for 2024, the expected cash runway into mid-2026, the effectiveness of the new commercial go-to-market strategy, competition from new technologies, and the Company's ability to grow ZYNLONTA revenue in the United States; Swedish Orphan Biovitrum AB (Sobi) ability to successfully commercialize ZYNLONTA in the European Economic Area and market acceptance, adequate reimbursement coverage, and future revenue from the same; approval by the NMPA of the BLA for ZYNLONTA in China submitted by Overland ADCT BioPharma and future revenue from the same, our strategic partners', including Mitsubishi Tanabe Pharma Corporation, ability to obtain regulatory approval for ZYNLONTA in foreign jurisdictions, and the timing and amount of future revenue and payments to us from such partnerships; the timing and future success from the University of Miami's IITs in FL and MZL; the timing and results of the Company's or its partners' clinical trials including LOTIS 5 and 7, ADCT 601 and 602 as well as the Company's early-stage pipeline research projects, actions by the FDA or foreign regulatory authorities with respect to the Company's products or product candidates; projected revenue and expenses; the Company's indebtedness, including Healthcare Royalty Management and Oaktree and Blue Owl facilities, and the restrictions imposed on the Company's activities by such indebtedness, the ability to repay such indebtedness and the significant cash required to service such indebtedness; and the Company's ability to obtain financial and other resources for its research, development, clinical, and commercial activities. Additional information concerning these and other factors that may cause actual results to differ materially from those anticipated in the forward-looking statements is contained in the "Risk Factors" section of the Company's Annual Report on Form 20-F and in the Company's other periodic reports and filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission. These statements involve known and unknown risks, uncertainties and other factors that may cause actual results, performance, achievements or prospects to be materially different from any future results, performance, achievements or prospects expressed in or implied by such forward-looking statements. The Company cautions investors not to place undue reliance on the forward-looking statements contained in this document. The Company undertakes no obligation to revise or update these forward-looking statements to reflect events or circumstances after the date of this press release, except as required by law.

CONTACTS:

Investors

Marcy Graham

ADC Therapeutics

Marcy.Graham@adctherapeutics.com

+1 650-667-6450

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Nicole Riley

ADC Therapeutics

Nicole.Riley@adctherapeutics.com

+1 862-926-9040
:               ...
The expansion aims at delivering quality customer experiences across the globe

MUMBAI, India, July 30, 2024 /PRNewswire/ -- Hexaware Technologies, an IT services and solutions provider, announced the opening of a new delivery center in Manila, Philippines. The new delivery center is an expansion of Hexaware's presence in the Philippines and will aim to tap into the talent pool in the region and leverage it to offer digital transformation and operations solutions across geographies and sectors.

Stating that the new Manila delivery center will provide customer service, IT troubleshooting, and help desk support, Gopinath Manian, Senior Vice President - BPS at Hexaware, stated, "We are thrilled to open our new office. The Philippines' talent pool across a broad range of skills and service-oriented culture align with our goal of delivering quality customer experience."

Bennet Kumar, Global Head BPS at Hexaware, emphasized the significance of the new Manila delivery center, stating, "This expansion of our footprint in the Philippines will enable us to further leverage the region's talent and give us the ability to scale to meet the customer demand. The Manila center will aim to deliver quality customer experience, digital transformation and IT support services to our customers in multiple industry segments all over the world.".

Amrinder Singh, Corporate Vice President & Head-EMEA & APAC Operations at Hexaware, said, "Expansion in Manila is part of our move to access the talent and resources available here. The new delivery center is aligned with our growth strategy, enabling us to support our clients and maintain our commitment to quality."

This second office in Manila is part of Hexaware's plan to increase its employee count and strengthen its presence in the Asia-Pacific region.

About Hexaware Technologies

Hexaware is a global technology and business process services company. Our 30,000+ Hexawarians wake up every day with a singular purpose; to create smiles through great people and technology. With this purpose gaining momentum, we are well on our way to realizing our vision of being the most loved digital transformation partner in the world. We also seek to protect the planet and build a better tomorrow for our customers, employees, partners, investors, and the communities in which we operate.

With 50 offices in 19 countries, we empower enterprises worldwide to realize digital transformation at scale and speed by partnering with them to build, transform, run, and optimize their technology and business processes. Learn more about Hexaware at https://www.hexaware.com

Logo: https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/2237417/Hexaware_NEW_Logo.jpg

View original content:https://www.prnewswire.co.uk/news-releases/hexaware-opens-new-delivery-center-in-manila-302209774.html
STOCKHOLM, July 30, 2024 /PRNewswire/ --

April-June 2024

Total sales MSEK 40 638 (39 909)

Organic sales growth 5 percent (11)

Real sales growth within technology and solutions 7 percent (73)

Operating income before amortization MSEK 2 801 (2 620)

Operating margin 6.9 percent (6.6)

Earnings per share SEK 2.28 (2.05)

Earnings per share before IAC, SEK 2.60 (2.46)

Cash flow from operating activities 60 percent (46)

January-June 2024

Total sales MSEK 79 898 (77 660)

Organic sales growth 6 percent (11)

Real sales growth within technology and solutions 7 percent (75)

Operating income before amortization MSEK 5 158 (4 800)

Operating margin 6.5 percent (6.2)

Earnings per share SEK 4.12 (3.71)

Earnings per share before IAC, SEK 4.72 (4.49)

Net debt/EBITDA ratio 2.9 (3.3*)

Cash flow from operating activities 26 percent (29)

* The comparative is adjusted and includes STANLEY Security's 12 months adjusted estimated EBITDA.

Comments from the President and CEO



Solid performance in all business segments

We delivered good performance throughout the business with an operating margin of 6.9 percent (6.6) in the second quarter, with an improved margin development in our European operations. In accordance with our strategy, the Group's operating margin was supported by strong improvement both in security services and in technology and solutions.

Organic sales growth was 5 percent. Real sales growth in our technology and solutions business was good at 8 percent excluding the impact from the divestment of Securitas Argentina, supporting the mix change into higher margin business lines.

Operating cash flow in the second quarter improved compared to last year in line with our expectations after the weaker first quarter. We are in a solid position to deliver a strong full-year 2024 outcome.

SHAPING SECURITAS FOR LONG-TERM SUSTAINABLE SHAREHOLDER VALUE

We are shaping Securitas for long-term sustainable shareholder value, and the core of that execution is operational value creation through growth in technology and solutions, portfolio profitability in security services, cost efficiency and digital innovation.

Our portfolio management activities are generating good traction, as evidenced by the profitability development of our security services portfolio. New business continue to come in at higher margins. The recovery in the airport security business in Europe also supported.

Two years after the acquisition of STANLEY Security our global Technology business is stronger than ever before. Based on our leading global market position and our unique client offering, we delivered healthy organic sales growth of 8 percent in Technology in the second quarter. Today, we have more than BSEK 1.25 of recurring monthly revenue in the strategically important and high-margin monitoring and maintenance business which, together with effectively driving best practices and executing cost synergies, have supported a significantly increased operating margin since the closing of the acquisition.

With the majority of the integration activities completed in North America and with good progress in Europe we can accelerate our focus on commercial activities to continue growing the business going forward.

UNIQUE VALUE PROPOSITION PARTNERING WITH OUR CLIENTS

We are driving a client-centric transformation of Securitas to provide the most compelling value proposition in the security industry. With elevated global uncertainty and an increased threat environment, clients are looking for a future-oriented partner with deep security expertise who can support in shaping their security programs for the years to come. Our long-term partnership approach combined with our presence, technology and digital capabilities are important differentiators that make us the partner of choice for our clients.

Last month, we signed the first global vested contract in the industry with a technology company where we together will develop their security program leveraging our full offering.



To sharpen our performance and competitive position further we also continue to assess our business mix and presence.

Our performance in the second quarter and the confidence from our clients confirm that we are on the right path, and we remain committed to achieve the target of 8 percent operating margin by the end of 2025.

Magnus Ahlqvist

President and CEO

PRESENTATION OF THE INTERIM REPORT

Analysts and media are invited to participate in a telephone conference on July 30, 2024, at 2.30 p.m. (CEST) where President and CEO Magnus Ahlqvist and CFO Andreas Lindback will present the report and answer questions. The telephone conference will also be audio cast live via Securitas' website www.securitas.com

To follow the audio cast of the telephone conference via the web, please follow the link

www.securitas.com/en/investors/financial-reports-and-presentations/

A recorded version of the audio cast will be available at

www.securitas.com/en/investors/financial-reports-and-presentations/ after the telephone conference.

For further information, please contact:

Micaela Sjokvist, Vice President, Investor Relations +46 76 116 7443

ABOUT SECURITAS

Securitas is a world-leading safety and security solutions partner that helps make your world a safer place. Nine decades of deep experience means we see what others miss. By leveraging technology in partnership with our clients, combined with an innovative, holistic approach, we're transforming the security industry. With approximately 341 000 employees in 44 markets, we see a different world and create sustainable value for our clients by protecting what matters most - their people and assets.

Group financial targets

Securitas has four financial targets:

8-10 percent technology and solutions annual average real sales growth

8 percent Group operating margin by year-end 2025, with a >10 percent long-term operating margin ambition

A net debt to EBITDA ratio below 3.0x

An operating cash flow of 70-80 percent of operating income before amortization

Securitas AB (publ.)

P.O. Box 12307, SE-102 28 Stockholm, Sweden

Visiting address:

Lindhagensplan 70

Telephone: +46 10 470 30 00

Corporate registration number: 556302-7241

www.securitas.com

This is information that Securitas AB is obliged to make public pursuant to the EU Market Abuse Regulation.

The information was submitted for publication, through the agency of the contact person set out above,

at 1.00 p.m. (CEST) on Tuesday, July 30, 2024.

This information was brought to you by Cision http://news.cision.com

https://news.cision.com/securitas/r/securitas-ab-interim-report-q2-2024---january-june,c4019624

The following files are available for download:

https://mb.cision.com/Main/1062/4019624/2929185.pdf Q22024_eng_final

View original content:https://www.prnewswire.co.uk/news-releases/securitas-ab-interim-report-q2-2024--januaryjune-302209783.html
Toronto, Ontario--(Newsfile Corp. - July 30, 2024) - Appia Rare Earths & Uranium Corp. (CSE: API) (OTCQX: APAAF) (FSE: A0I0) (MUN: A0I0) (BER: A0I0) (the "Company" or "Appia") is pleased to provide an update on its Loranger drilling program. The drilling phase of this program has been successfully completed, and a total of 42 samples have been delivered to the Saskatchewan Research Council (SRC) for comprehensive whole-rock and rare earth element (REE) analysis.

In the recently concluded drilling campaign, which covered 714 meters, Appia achieved several significant findings. The drilling intersected radioactive (Uranium (U)-Thorium (Th))-REE pegmatites containing visible monazite and potential uraninite located within major reactivated graphitic structural zones. Notably, the program identified:

Graphitic Electromagnetic (EM) Conductors : Significant intersections of graphitic EM conductors (Figure 2a) within favorable metasedimentary host rocks, with scintillometer readings reaching up to 1,500 counts per second (cps), indicating potential for uranium mineralization.

: Significant intersections of graphitic EM conductors (Figure 2a) within favorable metasedimentary host rocks, with scintillometer readings reaching up to 1,500 counts per second (cps), indicating potential for uranium mineralization. Monazite Mineralization: Visible monazite (Figure 2b) was observed in drill hole #3 (24-LOR-003), a key discovery as monazite commonly hosts significant rare earth element mineralization in northern Saskatchewan.

Stephen Burega, President of Appia, commented, "The successful intersection of graphitic EM conductors and the presence of monazite-bearing pegmatites was an encouraging discovery for our exploration program. These findings validate our exploration models and highlight the promising potential of the Loranger property. Our team is eager to analyze the laboratory-tested assay results over the coming weeks."

Burega continued, "The drilling program targeted subsurface geophysical anomalies associated with graphitic conductors and potential alteration halos, which may lead to uranium mineralization and indicate the property's potential for both uranium and REEs. The intersections confirm our geophysical and geological models and suggest the possibility of significant mineralization similar to other zones found in the region, such as Fraser Lakes and Kulyk Lake, as well as deposits like Eagle Point, Maverick, and Gryphon in the eastern Athabasca Basin."

The 42 samples are currently undergoing detailed analysis at SRC and the Company expects to receive assay results within 6-8 weeks. Appia is enthusiastic about the progress and potential of the Loranger property and will continue to update stakeholders on future developments and exploration plans.

The technical content of this release was reviewed and approved by Dr. Irvine R. Annesley, P.Geo., Senior Technical Advisor, and Qualified Person as defined by National Instrument 43-101.





Figure 1- Drill Collar Locations - Loranger Drill Program 2024, SK

To view an enhanced version of this graphic, please visit:

https://images.newsfilecorp.com/files/5416/218196_f23ee583e48c0b05_001full.jpg







To view an enhanced version of this graphic, please visit:

https://images.newsfilecorp.com/files/5416/218196_fig2.jpg

About Appia Rare Earths & Uranium Corp. (Appia)

Appia is a publicly traded Canadian company in the rare earth element and uranium sectors. The Company holds the right to acquire up to a 70% interest in the PCH Ionic Adsorption Clay Project (See June 9th, 2023 Press Release - Click HERE) which is 40,963.18 ha. in size and located within the Goias State of Brazil. (See January 11th, 2024 Press Release - Click HERE) The Company is also focusing on delineating high-grade critical rare earth elements and gallium on the Alces Lake property, and exploring for high-grade uranium in the prolific Athabasca Basin on its Otherside, Loranger, North Wollaston, and Eastside properties. The Company holds the surface rights to exploration for 94,982.39 hectares (234,706.59 acres) in Saskatchewan. The Company also has a 100% interest in 13,008 hectares (32,143 acres), with rare earth elements and uranium deposits over five mineralized zones in the Elliot Lake Camp, Ontario.

Appia has 136.8 million common shares outstanding, 145.5 million shares fully diluted.

Cautionary note regarding forward-looking statements: This News Release contains forward-looking statements which are typically preceded by, followed by or including the words "believes", "expects", "anticipates", "estimates", "intends", "plans" or similar expressions. Forward-looking statements are not a guarantee of future performance as they involve risks, uncertainties and assumptions. We do not intend and do not assume any obligation to update these forward-looking statements and shareholders are cautioned not to put undue reliance on such statements.

Neither the Canadian Securities Exchange nor its Market Regulator (as that term is defined in the policies of the CSE) accepts responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this release.

For more information, visit www.appiareu.com

As part of our ongoing effort to keep investors, interested parties and stakeholders updated, we have several communication portals. If you have any questions online (X, Facebook, LinkedIn) please feel free to send direct messages.

To book a one-on-one 30-minute Zoom video call, please click here.

To view the source version of this press release, please visit https://www.newsfilecorp.com/release/218196

SOURCE: Appia Rare Earths & Uranium Corp.
Avant Technologies, Inc. (OTCQB:AVAI) ("Avant"), an emerging technology company developing solutions in artificial intelligence (AI) data center infrastructure, today announced that it has entered an Equity Financing Agreement ("Investment Agreement") with GHS Investments (GHS). Pursuant to the Investment Agreement, GHS has agreed to purchase up to $20 million in registered common stock. The timing and amounts of the purchases will be determined at the sole discretion of Avant.

Avant's Chief Executive Officer, Kenneth L. Waggoner, said of the Investment Agreement, "This relationship with GHS serves as an insurance policy, of sorts, as we continue our efforts to deliver infrastructure solutions to AI and big data companies, organizations, and institutions. It also covers us as we begin to explore broadening our footprint in the technology sector beyond AI.

"Our expectation is to attract institutional investors as we present our plan to expand into other technologies, including the biotechnology sector to high-level investors. The equity line from GHS offers Avant the necessary capital should it become necessary. We appreciate the confidence that GHS has placed in Avant and our future in the technology industry."

GHS is a leading private investment and management group providing financial solutions for high-potential small-cap companies. GHS has made investments into multiple successful portfolio companies in the small cap space that are seeking capital to measurably grow and scale their existing businesses to take advantage of emerging market sectors.

About Avant Technologies, Inc.

Avant Technologies, Inc. is at the forefront of AI innovation, specializing in the development and deployment of advanced data processing solutions. With a focus on pushing the boundaries of what is possible in AI and machine learning, Avant serves a diverse range of industries, driving progress and efficiency through state-of-the-art technology.

More information about Avant can be found at https://avanttechnologies.com

You can also follow us on social media at:

https://twitter.com/AvantTechAI

https://www.linkedin.com/company/avant-technologies-ai

https://www.facebook.com/AvantTechAI

https://www.youtube.com/@AvantTechAI

Forward-Looking Statements

Certain statements contained in this press release may constitute "forward-looking statements." Forward-looking statements provide current expectations of future events based on certain assumptions and include any statement that does not directly relate to any historical or current fact. Actual results may differ materially from those indicated by such forward-looking statements because of various important factors as disclosed in our filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission located at their website (http://www.sec.gov). In addition to these factors, actual future performance, outcomes, and results may differ materially because of more general factors including (without limitation) general industry and market conditions and growth rates, economic conditions, governmental and public policy changes, the Company's ability to raise capital on acceptable terms, if at all, the Company's successful development of its products and the integration into its existing products and the commercial acceptance of the Company's products. The forward-looking statements included in this press release represent the Company's views as of the date of this press release and these views could change. However, while the Company may elect to update these forward-looking statements at some point in the future, the Company specifically disclaims any obligation to do so. These forward-looking statements should not be relied upon as representing the Company's views as of any date after the date of the press release.

Contact:

Avant Technologies, Inc.

info@avanttechnologies.com

SOURCE: Avant Technologies, 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.



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IRVINE, CA / ACCESSWIRE / July 30, 2024 / Netlist, Inc. (OTCQB:NLST) today reported financial results for the second quarter ended June 29, 2024.

Second Quarter 2024 Highlights:

Net sales for the second quarter of 2024 increased by 267% to $36.8 million compared to $10.0 million from the same quarter one year ago.

Received a jury verdict in the Federal District Court for the Central District of California that found Samsung materially breached the Joint Development and License Agreement signed by the parties in November 2015. This verdict confirmed Samsung no longer has a license to Netlist's patent portfolio.

Won a $445 million damages award against Micron for willful infringement of Netlist's patents in the United States District Court for the Eastern District of Texas.

"During the second quarter we secured significant legal victories against Samsung and Micron," said Chief Executive Officer, C.K. Hong. "Over the last year, two juries have awarded Netlist $748 million in damages for the willful infringement of its patents. These awards underscore the tremendous value of the technology Netlist has created and its foundational role in generative artificial intelligence."

Net sales for the second quarter ended June 29, 2024 were $36.8 million, compared to net sales of $10.0 million for the second quarter ended July 1, 2023. Gross profit for the second quarter ended June 29, 2024 was $0.8 million, compared to a gross profit of $0.2 million for the second quarter ended July 1, 2023.

Net sales for the six months ended June 29, 2024 were $72.6 million, compared to net sales of $19.0 million for the six months ended July 1, 2023. Gross profit for the six months ended June 29, 2024 was $1.5 million, compared to a gross profit of $0.8 million for the six months ended July 1, 2023.

Net loss for the second quarter ended June 29, 2024 was ($14.8) million, or ($0.06) per share, compared to a net loss of ($14.0) million in the same period of prior year, or ($0.06) per share. These results include stock-based compensation expense of $1.1 million and $1.2 million for the quarters ended June 29, 2024 and July 1, 2023, respectively.

Net loss for the six months ended June 29, 2024 was ($31.7) million, or ($0.12) per share, compared to a net loss in the prior year period of ($29.8) million, or ($0.13) per share. These results include stock-based compensation expense of $2.5 million and $2.3 million for the six months ended June 29, 2024 and July 1, 2023, respectively.

As of June 29, 2024, cash, cash equivalents and restricted cash was $36.4 million, total assets were $55.6 million, working capital deficit was ($1.3) million, and stockholders' deficit was ($0.2) million.

Conference Call Information

C.K. Hong, Chief Executive Officer, and Gail Sasaki, Chief Financial Officer, will host an investor conference call today, July 30, 2024 at 12:00 p.m. Eastern Time to review Netlist's results for the second quarter ended June 29, 2024. The live webcast and archived replay of the call can be accessed for 90 days in the Investors section of Netlist's website at www.netlist.com.

About Netlist

Netlist is a leading innovator in memory and storage solutions, pushing the boundaries of technology to deliver unparalleled performance and reliability. With a rich portfolio of patented technologies, Netlist has consistently driven innovation in the field of cutting-edge enterprise memory and storage, empowering businesses and industries to thrive in the digital age. To learn more about Netlist, please visit www.netlist.com.

Safe Harbor Statement

This news release contains forward-looking statements within the meaning of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. Forward-looking statements are statements other than historical facts and often address future events or Netlist's future performance. Forward-looking statements contained in this news release include statements about Netlist's ability to execute on its strategic initiatives. All forward-looking statements reflect management's present expectations regarding future events and are subject to known and unknown risks, uncertainties and other factors that could cause actual results to differ materially from those expressed in or implied by any forward-looking statements. These risks, uncertainties and other factors include, among others: risks that Samsung will appeal the final order by the trial court, risks that Micron will appeal the final judgment by the trial court, which could cause a lengthy delay in Netlist's ability to collect the damage award or overturn the verdict or reduce the damages award; risks that Netlist will suffer adverse outcomes in its pending litigation with Samsung, Micron or Google or in its various other active proceedings to defend the validity of its patents; risks related to Netlist's plans for its intellectual property, including its strategies for monetizing, licensing, expanding, and defending its patent portfolio; risks associated with patent infringement litigation initiated by Netlist, or by others against Netlist, as well as the costs and unpredictability of any such litigation; risks associated with Netlist's product sales, including the market and demand for products sold by Netlist and its ability to successfully develop and launch new products that are attractive to the market; the success of product, joint development and licensing partnerships; the competitive landscape of Netlist's industry; and general economic, political and market conditions, including quarantines, factory slowdowns and/or shutdowns. The military conflict between Russia and Ukraine may increase the likelihood of supply interruptions. All forward-looking %statements reflect management's present assumptions, expectations and beliefs regarding future events and are subject to known and unknown risks, uncertainties and other factors that could cause actual results to differ materially from those expressed in or implied by any forward-looking statements. These and other risks and uncertainties are described in Netlist's annual report on Form 10-K for its most recently completed fiscal year filed on February 23, 2024, and the other filings it makes with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission from time to time, including any subsequently filed quarterly and current reports. In light of these risks, uncertainties and other factors, these forward-looking statements should not be relied on as predictions of future events. These forward-looking statements represent Netlist's assumptions, expectations and beliefs only as of the date they are made, and except as required by law, Netlist undertakes no obligation to revise or update any forward-looking statements for any reason.

(Tables Follow)

For more information, please contact: The Plunkett Group Netlist, Inc. Mike Smargiassi Gail M. Sasaki NLST@theplunkettgroup.com Chief Financial Officer (212) 739-6729 (949) 435-0025

Netlist, Inc. and Subsidiaries

CONDENSED CONSOLIDATED BALANCE SHEETS

(In thousands)

(Unaudited) June 29, December 30, 2024 2023 ASSETS Current assets: Cash and cash equivalents $ 23,806 $ 40,445 Restricted cash 12,600 12,400 Accounts receivable, net 5,358 4,562 Inventories 8,206 12,031 Prepaid expenses and other current assets 3,178 441 Total current assets 53,148 69,879 Property and equipment, net 668 770 Operating lease right-of-use assets 1,271 1,590 Other assets 469 560 Total assets $ 55,556 $ 72,799 LIABILITIES AND STOCKHOLDERS' EQUITY (DEFICIT) Current liabilities: Accounts payable $ 26,561 $ 39,831 Revolving line of credit 4,591 3,844 Accrued payroll and related liabilities 1,321 1,346 Deferred revenue 17,624 - Other current liabilities 4,353 2,569 Total current liabilities 54,450 47,590 Operating lease liabilities 930 1,213 Other liabilities 359 237 Total liabilities 55,739 49,040 Commitments and contingencies Stockholders' equity: Preferred stock - - Common stock 258 254 Additional paid-in capital 315,128 307,328 Accumulated deficit (315,569 ) (283,823 ) Total stockholders' equity (deficit) (183 ) 23,759 Total liabilities and stockholders' equity (deficit) $ 55,556 $ 72,799

Netlist, Inc. and Subsidiaries

CONDENSED CONSOLIDATED STATEMENTS OF OPERATIONS

(In thousands, except per share amounts) (Unaudited)

Three Months Ended Six Months Ended June 29, July 1, June 29, July 1, 2024 2023 2024 2023 Net sales $ 36,835 $ 10,026 $ 72,642 $ 19,047 Cost of sales(1) 36,062 9,787 71,154 18,248 Gross profit 773 239 1,488 799 Operating expenses: Research and development(1) 2,369 2,255 4,810 4,556 Intellectual property legal fees 10,514 8,947 23,054 20,017 Selling, general and administrative(1) 2,966 3,325 6,082 6,355 Total operating expenses 15,849 14,527 33,946 30,928 Operating loss (15,076 ) (14,288 ) (32,458 ) (30,129 ) Other income, net: Interest income, net 257 277 634 333 Other income (expense), net 41 (16 ) 79 (19 ) Total other income, net 298 261 713 314 Loss before provision for income taxes (14,778 ) (14,027 ) (31,745 ) (29,815 ) Provision for income taxes - 1 1 1 Net loss $ (14,778 ) $ (14,028 ) $ (31,746 ) $ (29,816 ) Loss per common share: Basic and diluted $ (0.06 ) $ (0.06 ) $ (0.12 ) $ (0.13 ) Weighted-average common shares outstanding: Basic and diluted 256,571 240,382 255,751 237,752 (1) Amounts include stock-based compensation expense as follows: Cost of sales $ 45 $ 53 $ 66 $ 71 Research and development 198 186 560 460 Selling, general and administrative 885 957 1,876 1,742 Total stock-based compensation $ 1,128 $ 1,196 $ 2,502 $ 2,273

SOURCE: Netlist, Inc.

View the original press release on accesswire.com
Nascent CEO-Sean Carrick-Discusses Phase I Results and Forward Clinical Strategy while laying out Investment Opportunity of the Company





Nascent Biotech, Inc. (OTCQB:NBIO) ("Nascent Biotech", "Nascent", or the "Company"), a clinical-stage biotechnology Company developing monoclonal antibodies targeting various cancer types, is pleased to provide an overview of the Company's presentation at The Emerging Growth Conference on July 18, 2024.

Click here to view the Company's entire presentation.

NBIO CEO, Sean Carrick, and other Biotechnology Innovators, were interviewed during the Emerging Biotechnology in a discussion lasting over 20 minutes.

Topics covered by Mr. Carrick included:

The history of NBIO and its lead asset, Pritumumab (PTB),

How PTB is being leveraged to target brain cancer first, with other cancer types to follow, including the $6.85 Bln Pancreatic Cancer market and the $26 Bln Colorectal Cancer market,

Clinical research results for PTB's concluded Phase I study,

The timeline and outlook for coming clinical research,

The opportunity NBIO presents for prospective investors given its de-risked investment profile.

The Emerging Growth Conference describes itself as an effective way for public companies to engage with the investment community regarding their Company, new products, services and other major announcements from anywhere, in an effective and time efficient manner.

Mr. Carrick's presentation included a number of important ideas covering the Company and the opportunity it presents for investors, including:

Company History and Development

Nascent Biotech's its lead antibody was originally developed in the early 1980's in San Diego, California

The antibody, derived from a cancer patient, showed binding to various cancer types, including brain cancer.

Development continued in Japan, where Phase I and phase II trials were conducted, showing biological activity in brain cancer.

U.S. Development and Phase I Trials

The antibody was brought back to the U.S., re-engineered, and underwent pre-clinical work.

Phase I trials in the U.S. were completed a year ago and cleared to begin Phase II.

Focus on Brain Cancer

Brain cancer was chosen due to previous successful studies in Japan.

The target that PTB has an affinity for is shown to be present in virtually every hard tumor cancer, suggesting potential for broader applications.

Nascent plans include opening a second expanded access study to test PTB in other cancer types during Phase II.

Phase I Results

Nascent's U.S. Phase I trial was shown to be very safe at five ascending dose cohorts.

Highlighted case studies showed significant tumor shrinkage and improved quality of life in patients.

Phase II Study Design

Phase II studies have been cleared by the FDA to begin.

The study will include monotherapy, combination with chemotherapy, and combination with checkpoint inhibitors for recurrent glioblastomas with an additional arm focusing on newly diagnosed glioblastomas prior to chemo-radiation treatment.

Expanded access trials will focus on digestive cancers including pancreatic-which Nascent has Orphan Drug Designation for-and colon cancers due to their growing incidence.

Plans and Timelines

Manufacturing is expected to be completed by the end of the year, with Phase II trials beginning in Q1 of next year.

An expanded access trial to treat other cancers is planned for Q2.

The company emphasizes the need for funding to achieve these goals.

Management Team and Investment Opportunity

The management team is experienced and accomplished, with backgrounds in life sciences, cancer research, and corporate financing.

The lead asset (PTB) has shown safety in Phase I trials and is cleared for Phase II.

The company is fully reporting and has a history of timely filings for over 10 years.

In his closing comments, Mr. Carrick remarked, "This is a very important drug. Two independent studies have shown PTB to be safe and demonstrated its potential to shrink difficult to treat brain tumors. We have seen PTB shrink Tumors in early trials and are excited to begin Phase II, but we do need investment dollars in order to make that happen."

ABOUT NASCENT

Nascent Biotech, Inc. (OTCQB:NBIO) is a phase 2 clinical-stage biotech company pioneering the development of human monoclonal antibodies to be used in the treatment of various cancers, helping people worldwide. The Company's lead candidate, Pritumumab (PTB), is a human monoclonal Antibody (Mab) that has progressed to Phase 2 clinical trials for the treatment of Brain Cancer. For further information please visit our website www.nascentbiotech.com.

Forward Looking Safe Harbor Statement

Statements in this press release about our future expectations constitute 'forward-looking statements' within the meaning of Section 27A of the Securities Act of 1933, Section 21E of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 and as that term is defined in the Private Litigation Reform Act of 1995. Such forward-looking statements involve risks and uncertainties and are subject to change at any time and our actual results could differ materially from expected results. These risks and uncertainties include, without limitation, Nascent Biotech Inc's ability to target the medical professionals; Nascent Biotech Inc's ability to raise capital; as well as other risks. Additional information about these and other factors may be described in the Nascent Biotech Inc's Form 10, filed on May 2, 2015, and future subsequent filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The Company undertakes no obligation to update or release any revisions to these forward-looking statements to reflect events or circumstances after the date of this statement or to reflect the occurrence of unanticipated events, except as required by law.

Corporate Contact

Sean Carrick | President | CEO | Nascent Biotech, Inc.

sean.carrick@nascentbiotech.com

Public Relations

EDM Media, LLC https://edm.media

SOURCE: Nascent Biotech Inc.

View the original press release on accesswire.com
The ViaLase Laser combines state-of-the-art femtosecond laser technology with micron-level image guidance to deliver the first femtosecond laser, image-guided, high-precision trabeculotomy (FLigHT), marking a pioneering advancement in glaucoma care

ViaLase is pleased to announce strategic distribution partnerships with Teleon and

Global Surgical Service in preparation for commercialization in select European markets

ALISO VIEJO, Calif., July 30, 2024 /PRNewswire/ -- ViaLase, Inc ., a clinical-stage medical technology company focused on addressing unmet needs in the conventional glaucoma treatment paradigm, today announced that it has received CE (Conformite Europeenne) Mark approval in the European Union (EU) for its ViaLase Laser* for the treatment of adult patients with primary open-angle glaucoma (POAG).

The ViaLase Laser combines the precision of a femtosecond laser and the accuracy of micron-level image guidance to deliver a noninvasive glaucoma treatment called femtosecond laser, image-guided, high-precision trabeculotomy, or FLigHT. This technology addresses a major unmet need for patients who may benefit from a non-pharmacologic, incision-free procedure without compromising their therapeutic goals.

"The ViaLase Laser represents a monumental transformation in interventional glaucoma care in its potential to deliver surgery-like results without the need for opening the eye and thus, reducing complications associated with more invasive, surgical procedures," said Tibor Juhasz, PhD, Founder and Chief Executive Officer, ViaLase, Inc. "Early clinical data indicate that FLigHT is safe and effective at lowering intraocular pressure (IOP). We look forward to working with our distribution partners to bring this groundbreaking technology to physicians and patients in Europe."

"We have good evidence that early, non-medical intervention offers better long-term disease control and preservation of vision - which is what matters most to patients. I'm delighted that physicians and patients can soon benefit from the ViaLase Laser, which brings a new level of imaging and precision to glaucoma care. Furthermore, the patient's lens status has no bearing on their ability to undergo FLigHT, expanding access to patients who previously had limited treatment options," said Richard Lewis, MD, Chief Medical Officer, ViaLase, Inc.

ViaLase anticipates a selective commercial rollout of the ViaLase Laser in key markets later this year. The company has established formal distributor partnerships with Global Surgical Service (Spain and Portugal) and Teleon Surgical (Germany and Austria). Each organization has deep ophthalmology experience and an established commercial presence in their markets. These strategic partnerships will allow for a timely and efficient rollout of the ViaLase Laser to physicians and patients.

*The ViaLase Laser is not approved for use in the United States.

About Glaucoma

Glaucoma affects 76 million people worldwide, a number that is expected to increase to 112 million by 2040, and is the second leading cause of irreversible blindness in the world.1,2 Most forms of glaucoma are chronic and, when left undetected or untreated, lead to irreversible vision loss. Early detection and treatment are essential to protecting against vision loss, which results when the optic nerve deteriorates, leading to progressive loss of the field of vision. Lowering IOP and thus reducing visual field progression is the only proven glaucoma treatment today. The current treatment paradigm typically begins with topical eye drops, then may advance to laser therapy or minimally invasive glaucoma surgery (MIGS), before resorting to invasive, traditional filtration surgery.

About ViaLase, Inc.

ViaLase, Inc. is a globally-minded, venture capital-backed, clinical stage medical technology company located in Aliso Viejo, CA. ViaLase is focused on disrupting the conventional glaucoma treatment paradigm with the introduction of a truly noninvasive, image-guided, femtosecond laser treatment that enhances glaucoma patient care. With a leadership team that has vast experience developing, designing, manufacturing, and commercializing the first femtosecond lasers for ophthalmic surgery for refractive and cataract patients, ViaLase is now bringing that expertise and innovation to glaucoma patients. ViaLase believes in collaborating closely with health care providers, payers, societies, and patients to inform our product development and commercial activities with the goal of bringing this revolutionary treatment to glaucoma patients across the globe. For more information, visit www.ViaLase.com .

References

World Health Organization. World report on vision: Executive Summary 2019. https://iris.who.int/bitstream/handle/10665/328721/WHO-NMH-NVI-19.12-eng.pdf Tham YC, Xiang L, et al. Global Prevalence of Glaucoma and Projections of Glaucoma Burden through 2040: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis. Ophthalmology 2014; 121(11): 2081-2090. https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S0161642014004333

Any product/brand names and/or logos are trademarks of ViaLase, Inc.

MEDIA CONTACT:

Michele Gray

Gray Communications, LLC.

+1 (917) 449-9250

michele@mgraycommunications.com

Logo - https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/1909107/ViaLase.jpg

View original content:https://www.prnewswire.co.uk/news-releases/vialase-receives-ce-mark-for-first-femtosecond-laser-for-the-treatment-of-glaucoma-the-vialase-laser-302209235.html
Fusion energy company goes global, attracting broad base of financial stakeholders

Type One Energy announced today the final closing of its $82.4 million seed financing round, attracting a broad base of global investors to the Company and its FusionDirect program, which is pursuing a direct path to commercializing fusion energy. FusionDirect is intended to culminate in the launch of Type One Energy's fusion pilot power-plant project with an owner/operating partner by 2030.

Prominent new shareholders in Type One Energy include Centaurus Capital, GD1 from New Zealand, together with Foxglove and other funds from Australia. This global support highlights the growing international conviction that stellarator fusion technology can play a critical role in completing the transition to a net zero carbon emissions energy system. Fusion energy, unlike traditional nuclear fission, is the power of the stars fueled from sea water, deployable anywhere, intrinsically safe, and leaving no long-term waste. These unique attributes of fusion energy are what makes the technology increasingly compelling to stakeholders in the future of energy.

The Asia-Pacific (APAC) region features prominently in Type One Energy's seed financing, with funds from both New Zealand and Australia making first-time investments in fusion energy. The Co-Managing Partner of New Zealand's GD1 fund, Vignesh Kumar, stated: "The progress Type One Energy has achieved in its FusionDirect program, its access to critical infrastructure such as Oak Ridge National Lab's supercomputing resources, support from the US DOE Milestone Fusion Development Program, and its focus on advancing the FusionDirect program in the ASEAN region including across New Zealand, made an investment into the team and company a very compelling thesis for us." Complementing GD1's decision to become a Type One Energy shareholder, important elements of Australia's venture capital market joined this financing round. Foxglove's CEO Gareth Hicks, based in Perth, offered the following comment about Australia's engagement in Type One Energy: "We are committed to the energy transition, and we want to participate in the value chain of new solutions to key global challenges. Type One Energy's partner-based approach to fusion commercialization is important to us."

In addition to bringing new investors into the fusion sector, Type One Energy attracted significant commitments from long-time investors in the industry, including Breakthrough Energy Ventures (BEV) co-founder and founder of Centaurus Capital, John Arnold.

"The successful commercialization of fusion energy will play a critical role in achieving clean, abundant energy," said Carmichael Roberts, from Breakthrough Energy Ventures. "Stellarator fusion technology now offers the opportunity to directly develop and deploy a fusion pilot power plant without the need to resolve any more fundamental science or engineering challenges and Type One Energy has assembled a great team and strategy to accelerate the deployment of fusion technology globally."

Type One Energy continues to attract some of the fusion sector's best technical and business leadership talent. With four locations across North America and ongoing initiatives to further engage global talent, resources and energy transition stakeholders, the company is delivering on its strategy to execute a partner-rich, capital-efficient, decadal path to fusion commercialization.

"By aligning our financing round with rapid, thoughtful expansion of our organizational capabilities, we have been able to demonstrate unique credibility and shareholder value in the private fusion industry," said Type One Energy Group CEO Christofer Mowry. He added that "we appreciate the confidence of new stakeholders in the success of this essential element of a low carbon future of energy. We have taken the time needed to bring them up the learning curve on this new technology and its path to commercialization."

About Type One Energy

Type One Energy Group is mission-driven to provide sustainable, affordable fusion power to the world. Established in 2019 and venture-backed in 2023, the company is led by a team of globally recognized fusion scientists with a strong track record of building state-of-the-art stellarator fusion machines, together with veteran business leaders experienced in scaling companies and commercializing energy technologies. Type One Energy applies proven advanced manufacturing methods, modern computational physics and high-field superconducting magnets to develop its optimized stellarator fusion energy system. Our FusionDirect development program pursues the lowest-risk, shortest-schedule path to a fusion power plant over the coming decade, using a partner-intensive and capital-efficient strategy. We are committed to diversity, inclusion, and equitable access to clean energy. For more information, visit www.typeoneenergy.com or follow us on LinkedIn

View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20240730842030/en/

Contacts:

Media Contact:

Andrea Schneibel

Communications Manager

Type One Energy

+1 608-721-7452

andrea.schneibel@typeoneenergy.com
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NORTHAMPTON, MA / ACCESSWIRE / July 30, 2024 / Whirlpool Corporation:

In celebration of the 25th anniversary of Whirlpool Corporation's support of Habitat for Humanity, a team of 25 employees supported a life-changing project to impact 25 families in a new Latin American market for Habitat for Humanity International. The Whirlpool employees in Colombia worked to help update dirt floors to concrete floors in the family's homes. The work is part of a Habitat initiative, called "100,000 Floors to Play On", which is helping to replace 100,000 dirt floors with concrete floors by 2028. Concrete floors support hygienic housing that contributes to cognitive development, helping children to play, study, and grow up healthy.

In Latin America and the Caribbean, nearly 40% of the population does not have access to decent housing which means they reside in housing built with precarious materials or without basic amenities such as toilets, water, and electricity. Inadequate housing leads to more vulnerability to illness, poverty, eviction, and disasters. And approximately 6% of households have dirt floors, which increases the risk for parasites, bacteria, and insects that cause illnesses such as diarrhea, respiratory diseases, anemia, immunodeficiencies, malnutrition and Chagas disease. Replacing dirt floors with concrete floors generates direct health benefits as confirmed by a World Band study.1 The research revealed at least a 36% improvement in cognitive development among children whose dirt floors were transformed into concrete. In addition, children in these households showed reductions in parasitic infections, diarrhea and anemia, while parents showed an improvement in housing satisfaction and decreases in depression and stress levels.

The work supported by Whirlpool Corporation employees in Colombia directly benefited 125 people with healthier and safer homes providing better living conditions and giving children an adequate floor to play on. The program also supports the local economy by hiring labor and purchasing construction materials at local establishments.

About Whirlpool Corporation

Whirlpool Corporation (NYSE: WHR) is a leading kitchen and laundry appliance company, in constant pursuit of improving life at home and inspiring generations with our brands. The company is driving meaningful innovation to meet the evolving needs of consumers through its iconic brand portfolio, including Whirlpool, KitchenAid, JennAir, Maytag, Amana, Brastemp, Consul, and InSinkErator. In 2023, the company reported approximately $19 billion in annual sales, 59,000 employees, and 55 manufacturing and technology research centers. Additional information about the company can be found at WhirlpoolCorp.com.

1 Housing, Health and Happiness by the World Bank and the University of CaliforniaView original content here.

View additional multimedia and more ESG storytelling from Whirlpool Corporation on 3blmedia.com.

Contact Info:

Spokesperson: Whirlpool Corporation

Website: https://www.3blmedia.com/profiles/whirlpool-corporation

Email: info@3blmedia.com

SOURCE: Whirlpool Corporation

View the original press release on accesswire.com
Calgary, Alberta--(Newsfile Corp. - July 30, 2024) - The Association of Alberta Childcare Entrepreneurs (AACE) is proud to announce the official formation of the National Committee on Childcare Reform. This initiative brings together childcare representatives from six provinces, including Alberta, British Columbia, Saskatchewan, Manitoba, Ontario, and Nova Scotia, with plans for continued expansion to other provinces. The Committee aims to provide a united voice for the common issues faced by childcare operators across Canada.

The National Committee's primary focus is to advocate for changes to the Canada-Wide Early Learning and Childcare (CWELCC) program, ensuring childcare remains within provincial jurisdiction. The Committee proposes changes to the funding model, recommending that the Government of Canada provides envelope funding to support affordable, inclusive, accessible, and high-quality childcare. This funding model would allow each province to administer the program in a way that best meets the needs of parents, families, and their respective provincial childcare systems.

Krystal Churcher, Chair of AACE, stated, "We've heard countless times from childcare operators in every province across Canada that there are many issues with how the $10/day childcare system has been rolled out. Operators are very concerned with their ability to continue providing high-quality childcare over the long term if something doesn't change. Canada's childcare operators believe in the concept of affordable childcare and appreciate the Government of Canada's funding support. However, as long as the federal government continues to impose restrictions on how provinces should implement this funding, the program will ultimately fail. Provinces need the flexibility to roll out affordable childcare programs that align with the needs of parents and respect provincial jurisdiction. Envelope funding from the Government of Canada is the only way to achieve this."

Since the $10/day childcare program was rolled out, childcare operators have been meeting with government officials across Canada. They consistently hear from provincial representatives that their hands are tied due to policies imposed by the Government of Canada, which are tied to federal funding. Childcare constitutionally falls within provincial jurisdiction, and provinces are best positioned to support the industry they have long been responsible for.

"We consistently hear that it's the federal government's rules around childcare funding that are at the core of all challenges faced by the industry across Canada," added Churcher. "If the Government of Canada is serious about wanting to see affordable, accessible childcare across the country, they should provide the provinces with the funding and get out of the way."

The newly established National Committee will hold formal, regularly scheduled monthly meetings. The group will work towards gaining support for a national petition signed by various childcare stakeholders across Canada in favor of envelope funding for provinces. The Committee has agreed on several actions over the coming months to raise awareness of the challenges faced by thousands of childcare providers and the millions of parents and families on childcare waitlists due to the federal government's rollout of the $10/day childcare program.

Updates will be provided to all stakeholders as the campaign gains momentum. More information will be available throughout August as the Committee begins its work. For more information, please contact Krystal Churcher or visit the At What Cost Website.

About AACE:

The Association of Alberta Childcare Entrepreneurs (AACE) is a non-profit organization dedicated to representing for-profit and non-profit childcare centres and day home operators across Alberta. AACE advocates for policies and practices that enhance the quality and accessibility of childcare services within a thriving mixed-market childcare system, ensuring the well-being and development of children, as well as childcare choice for Alberta parents and families.

To view the source version of this press release, please visit https://www.newsfilecorp.com/release/218210

SOURCE: Association of Alberta Childcare Entrepreneurs
Prospecting and mapping for intrusion related gold in Yukon's Tombstone Gold Belt.

Previous rock samples near the contact between sedimentary and intrusive rocks yielded 8.37 g/t gold.

Located near infrastructure 15 km south of the North Canol Highway and Fireweed Metals' Macpass Project.

VANCOUVER, BC / ACCESSWIRE / July 30, 2024 / Trifecta Gold Ltd. (TSXV:TG)(OTCQB:TRRFF) ("Trifecta" or the "Company") is pleased to announce that field work is now underway at the Rye Project (the "Project"), where the Company was awarded a Yukon Mineral Exploration Program ("YMEP") grant for Target Evaluation. Under the YMEP, the Yukon Government provides successful applicants funding to support mineral exploration activities for 50% of eligible expenditures to a maximum of $50,000.

The Rye Project is situated between two Mid-Cretaceuous granitic intrusions in the eastern portion of Yukon's Tombstone Gold Belt. It is well located, only 14 km from the North Canol Highway, 15 km from Fireweed Metals Corp.'s Macpass Project, and 95 km from Snowline Gold Corp.'s Valley Gold Deposit. Previous work on the Project has identified gold-rich veins near the contact between sedimentary and intrusive rocks, with rock samples yielding between 3.86 and 8.37 g/t gold. Silver-lead-zinc-tintungsten rich veins occur outboard of the contact and within metasedimentary rocks.

Trifecta's crew will conduct detailed mapping and prospecting within and adjacent to two known intrusions on the property to evaluate the potential for a Reduced Intrusion Related Gold System ("RIRGS"). Mapping is essential to delineate the prospective intrusive-metasedimentary contacts in the south and north of the property, and to develop a structural framework for mineralization. Historically, very little attention has been given to the intrusions, and it is not known if sheeted veins or mineralization is present within the intrusions themselves. Gridded soil sampling will provide multi-element pathfinder data that is critical for vectoring into mineralization related to RIRGS. Finally, a LiDAR ("Light Detection and Ranging") survey will be completed over the property to gain a baseline elevation model, which is necessary for establishing an effective 3-D model for future drilling.

Tombstone Gold Belt

Extending for more than 1000 km from the Fairbanks district in Alaska eastward across the entire width of Yukon, the Tombstone Gold Belt hosts many large RIRGS mines such as Fort Knox in Alaska (>10 million oz), Eagle and Olive in Yukon (>4 million oz) and the past-producing Brewery Creek Mine, also in Yukon. Since May 2020 over 17 million additional ounces of gold have been discovered in the Yukon portion of the belt, including Snowline Gold's Tier 1 Valley discovery, Sitka Gold's RC deposit, Banyan Gold's AurMac deposits and Victoria Gold's Raven deposit.

Tombstone Gold Belt systems are characterized by sheeted, auriferous quartz veins forming in the carapace zones of Cretaceous-age plutons. They have a characteristic geochemical signature with a gold-bismuth-telluriumtungsten core within a broader gold-arsenic halo. The deposits are found within and surrounding the reduced intrusions, and typically exhibit a geophysical signature comprising a magnetic low (ie. reduced) coinciding with at conductivity low. Veining in RIRGS systems is typically zoned with a core of sheeted veins surrounded by more discrete gold-arsenic veins and more distal silver-lead-zinc veins.

Stock Options

Trifecta also announces that it has granted incentive stock options to its directors, officers and consultants, entitling them to purchase up to 1,485,000 common shares at a price of $0.15 per share for a period of five years. These options will vest on a quarterly basis commencing three months from the date of the grant.

Technical information in this news release has been approved by Trifecta's Vice President, Jackson Morton, P.Geo., a qualified person as defined under the terms of National Instrument 43-101.

About Trifecta Gold Ltd.

Trifecta is a Canadian-based precious metals exploration company dedicated to increasing shareholder value through the discovery and development of 100% held gold projects in Yukon and Nevada. Trifecta has secured an option to acquire a 100% interest in Mt. Hinton and 10 other highly prospective, intrusion-related gold projects located in Yukon's Tombstone Gold Belt where over 17 million ounces of gold have been discovered since May 2020. Initial drilling at the Company's Yuge Gold Project, located in northern Nevada, has identified multiple broad zones of gold mineralization near historical high-grade mines. The Company's Eureka Project hosts an 8 x 2.5 kilometre belt of surface showings and anomalous gold-in-soil that straddle the headwaters of two of the most productive placer creeks in Yukon's southern Klondike Goldfields. Trifecta's Treble Project covers a large hydrothermal system, located midway between Western Copper and Gold Corporation's Casino Deposit, the largest copper and gold deposit in the Yukon, and Rockhaven Resources Ltd.'s Klaza Deposit, a high-grade gold-silver deposit.

ON BEHALF OF THE BOARD

"Richard Drechsler"

President and CEO

For further information concerning Trifecta or its various exploration projects please visit www.trifectagold.com or contact:

Corporate Information

Trifecta Gold Ltd.

Richard Drechsler

President, CEO & Director

Tel: (604) 687-2522

This news release may contain forward looking statements based on assumptions and judgments of management regarding future events or results that may prove to be inaccurate as a result of exploration and other risk factors beyond its control, and actual results may differ materially from the expected results.

Neither the TSX Venture Exchange nor its Regulation Services Provider (as that term is defined in the policies of the TSX Venture Exchange) accepts responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this news release.

SOURCE: Trifecta Gold Ltd.

View the original press release on accesswire.com
Vancouver, British Columbia--(Newsfile Corp. - July 30, 2024) - Zodiac Gold Inc. (TSX: ZAU) ("Zodiac Gold" or the "Company"), is pleased to announce the appointment of Tom Dowrick as Director of Exploration. In this role, Mr. Dowrick will oversee Zodiac Gold's exploration initiatives, including the identification of high-value targets, creation and supervision of drill campaigns, and the overall development and execution of exploration programs.

Mr. Dowrick is a seasoned Chartered Geologist with 17 years of experience in the mining and exploration industry. Since 2011, he has been a driving force at ACA Howe International Limited, where he serves as Managing Director. In this role, he manages a range of geological and mining consultancy projects around the globe, including serving as a consultant on Zodiac Gold's Todi Project in the Republic of Liberia, West Africa. Mr. Dowrick has substantial experience in West Africa, having completed field and desk-based reviews of the exploration activities of both public and private companies in Liberia, Mali, Guinea, Mauritania, Sierra Leone, South Sudan, and Mozambique, in addition to projects in Argentina, Brazil, Costa Rica, Ecuador, Kazakhstan, and Australia.

Tom graduated with a BSc in Geology and Geography from the University of Leicester in 2007 and immediately commenced his career in the industry with Laramide Resources, where he worked on uranium exploration in Queensland and the Northern Territory of Australia. He later transitioned to coal bed methane exploration with Earth Data in Australia, followed by near-mine and regional copper exploration with CST Mining at the Lady Annie Copper Mine, near Mount Isa, Australia, before returning to the UK with ACA Howe.

Mr. Dowrick's involvement with Zodiac Gold since 2019 provides a unique advantage, as he is already familiar with the Todi Project and the geology of the Todi Shear Zone, having authored the most recent NI 43-101 report. This familiarity will allow him to hit the ground running as he focuses on Zodiac's drilling at the Alasala target. With his leadership, Zodiac Gold aims to optimize its exploration efforts and achieve significant milestones as it advances the Todi Project.

The Company wishes to thank outgoing VP, Exploration, Efdal Olcer, for his service to the Company. During his tenure as VP, Exploration, Mr. Olcer played a pivotal role in advancing the Company's exploration programs, go public process and establishing a solid foundation for future growth. Mr. Olcer will remain involved with the Company as a shareholder and consultant as he spends more time in his native Turkey.

"Tom Dowrick's extensive experience and proven track record in exploration planning and resource development make him an invaluable addition to our team," said David Kol, CEO of Zodiac Gold. "His expertise in mineral exploration, combined with his in-depth knowledge of West African geology and existing familiarity with the Todi Project, will be instrumental in driving our projects forward and achieving our exploration goals."

"Working more closely with Zodiac Gold at this pivotal moment in its journey is an exciting opportunity," said Tom Dowrick. "I look forward to working with the team to unlock the potential of our projects and to deliver on the Company's ambitious goals. There's potential for a multimillion-ounce discovery, and I'm eager to get started."

About Zodiac Gold

Zodiac Gold Inc. (TSX: ZAU) is a West-African gold exploration company focused on its flagship Todi Project situated in Liberia-an underexplored, politically stable, mining-friendly jurisdiction hosting several large-scale gold deposits. Strategically positioned along the fertile Todi Shear Zone, Zodiac Gold is developing a district-scale gold opportunity covering a vast 2,316 km2 land package. The Todi project has undergone de-risking, showcasing proven gold occurrences at both surface and depth, with five drill-ready targets and high-grade gold intercepts.

Forward Looking Information

This news release includes certain "forward-looking statements" within the meaning of Canadian securities legislation.

Forward-looking statements include predictions, projections, and forecasts and are often, but not always, identified by the use of words such as "seek", "anticipate", "believe", "plan", "estimate", "forecast", "expect", "potential", "project", "target", "schedule", "budget" and "intend" and statements that an event or result "may", "will", "should", "could" or "might" occur or be achieved and other similar expressions and includes the negatives thereof. All statements other than statements of historical fact included in this release, including, without limitation, statements regarding the Company's planned exploration programs and drill programs and potential significance of results are forward-looking statements that involve various risks and uncertainties. There can be no assurance that such statements will prove to be accurate and actual results and future events could differ materially from those anticipated in such statements. Forward-looking statements are based on a number of material factors and assumptions. Important factors that could cause actual results to differ materially from Company's expectations include actual exploration results, changes in project parameters as plans continue to be refined, results of future resource estimates, future metal prices, availability of capital, and financing on acceptable terms, general economic, market or business conditions, uninsured risks, regulatory changes, defects in title, availability of personnel, materials, and equipment on a timely basis, accidents or equipment breakdowns, delays in receiving government approvals, unanticipated environmental impacts on operations and costs to remedy same, and other exploration or other risks detailed herein and from time to time in the filings made by the Company with securities regulators. Although the Company has attempted to identify important factors that could cause actual actions, events, or results to differ from those described in forward-looking statements, there may be other factors that cause such actions, events, or results to differ materially from those anticipated. There can be no assurance that forward-looking statements will prove to be accurate, and accordingly readers are cautioned not to place undue reliance on forward-looking statements.

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/218171

SOURCE: Zodiac Gold Inc.
VANCOUVER, BC / ACCESSWIRE / July 30, 2024 / PlantX Life Inc. (CSE:VEGA)(Frankfurt: WNT1)(OTC PINK:PLTXF) ("PlantX" or the "Company"), the digital face of the plant-based community, operating a one-stop shop for plant-based products, today reported its audited consolidated financial results for the fiscal year ended March 31, 2024. All amounts are reported in Canadian dollars unless otherwise stated.

Fiscal 2024 Highlights

Significant Reduction in Net Loss : Net loss decreased dramatically to $5,014,710 in 2024 from $21,384,656 in 2023, reflecting our successful cost-reduction and efficiency strategies.

Improved Gross Margin : Gross margin increased by 8%, reaching 46% ($3,405,421) in 2024 compared to 38% ($5,088,767) in 2023, indicating stronger profitability and more efficient operations.

Revenue: While revenue decreased to $7,302,666 in 2024 from $13,299,891 in 2023, the company is in a stronger financial position due to improved gross margins and a substantial reduction in net losses. This strategic shift allows us to focus on sustainable growth and long-term profitability.

Lorne Rapkin, PlantX CEO, commented, "Fiscal 2024 saw significant updates in partnerships and operational shifts aimed at reducing costs and divesting assets that were consuming too much cash. Opening the largest vegan food hall in the USA was a remarkable achievement, and engaging in a share purchase agreement with VEG House to offload some high cash-burning assets has helped position PlantX for a brighter future."

Business Review

During the fiscal year ended March 31, 2024, PlantX strategically focused on enhancing profitability and optimizing operations. Key actions included:

Closure of Underperforming Locations : Closed two Canadian locations inside Hudson's Bay (Yorkdale, Toronto, and Rideau, Ottawa) due to insufficient foot traffic. Inventory was transferred to the Chicago warehouse for online sales on PlantX.com and VeganEssentials.com. Equipment was repurposed for the XMarket uptown store.

Expansion of Vegan Food Hall : XMarket Uptown opened Chicago's pioneering Vegan Food Hall on October 5, 2023. The hall features six local vegan restaurants, a coffee shop run by PlantX's Portfolio Coffee brand, and a fully licensed bar with an extensive selection of vegan-friendly beverages.

Consolidation for Efficiency : Consolidated XMarket Squamish and the Cloudburst Coffee shop at the Locavore Bar and Grill, expanding the lounge area to enhance customer experience and increase sales through hosting private events.

Transformation of BloomBox Club: Streamlined operations, reducing team size from 30 to 1 employee, positioning BloomBox Club on the verge of profitability.

On October 6, 2023, the Company transferred a collection of assets in exchange for 6,000,000 shares of Veg House Holdings Inc. This included wholly owned subsidiaries such as Vegaste Technologies US Corp., Little West LLC, Plant Based Deli LLC, and PlantX Living Inc., along with the Company's 53% ownership stake in Portfolio Coffee Inc. and 51% ownership in Eh Coffee Corp. In January 2024, the Company partially settled a secured loan by transferring 2,250,000 shares valued at USD 1.00 per share of Veg House Holding Inc. Additionally, the Company sold 2,690,100 shares of Veg House Holding Inc. at USD 1.00 per share generating over $2.69M for the company in cash. The remaining 1,059,900 shares have been recorded as equity instruments designated at fair value through Other Comprehensive Inocome (OCI), as the company considers this investment strategic in nature.

Following the appointment of GreenGrowth CPAs at the AGM, it was determined that a new auditing firm was required to meet the company's filing requirements. Subsequently, the board of directors received GreenGrowth's resignation letter and appointed Abu-Farah Professional Corporation as the new auditor.

Additional Information

The Company's complete financial statements and management's discussion & analysis ("MD&A") for 2024 are available on PlantX's website ( www.plantx.com ) and SEDAR ( www.sedar.com ).

Neither the CSE nor its Regulation Services Provider (as that term is defined in the policies of the CSE) accepts responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this release or has in any way approved or disapproved of the contents of this press release.

About PlantX Life

The company focuses on fostering niche online wellness communities as well as creating physical immersive environments. Bloombox Club, an online plant delivery marketplace operating across the UK and EU, and The Locavore Bar and Grill, a unique dining experience that started as a humble food truck and coffee shop in the heart of Squamish, BC, are key verticals of PlantX. The company recently completed a share exchange agreement and is now a 60% owner in VEG House, a company whose portfolio of assets is leading the way in the plant-based space. PlantX works to build a community of like-minded consumers and provide education on plant-based living. Its enterprise is built on partnerships and collaboration. The company's digital presence aims to eliminate barriers to entry for anyone interested in living a plant-based lifestyle and thriving in a longer, healthier, and happier life.

Connect with PlantX: Email | Website | Facebook | LinkedIn | Twitter | Instagram ?| YouTube | TikTok

Contact:

Lorne Rapkin

Chief Executive Officer

(416) 419-1415

Forward-looking Information

This press release contains "forward-looking information" within the meaning of applicable securities laws. All statements contained herein that are not clearly historical in nature may constitute forward-looking information. In some cases, forward-looking information can be identified by words or phrases such as "may," "will," "expect," "likely", "should," "would," "plan," "anticipate," "intend," "potential," "proposed," "estimate," "believe" or the negative of these terms, or other similar words, expressions and grammatical variations thereof, or statements that certain events or conditions "may" or "will" happen, or by discussions of strategy. The forward-looking information contained herein includes, without limitation, statements regarding the availability of Future Farm products, PlantX promotional events and the business and strategic plans of the Company.

By its nature, forward-looking information is subject to inherent risks and uncertainties that may be general or specific and which give rise to the possibility that expectations, forecasts, predictions, projections or conclusions will not prove to be accurate, that assumptions may not be correct, and that objectives, strategic goals and priorities will not be achieved. A variety of factors, including known and unknown risks, many of which are beyond our control, could cause actual results to differ materially from the forward-looking information in this press release including, without limitation: receiving sufficient demand for the Offering; the Company's ability to comply with all applicable governmental regulations including all applicable food safety laws and regulations; impacts to the business and operations of the Company due to the COVID-19 epidemic; the conflict in eastern Europe; having a limited operating history; the ability of the Company to access capital to meet future financing needs; the Company's reliance on management and key personnel; competition; changes in consumer trends; foreign currency fluctuations; and general economic, market or business conditions.

Additional risk factors can also be found in the Company's continuous disclosure documents, which have been filed on SEDAR and can be accessed at www.sedar.com . Readers are cautioned to consider these and other factors, uncertainties and potential events carefully and not to put undue reliance on forward-looking information. The forward-looking information contained herein is made as of the date of this press release and is based on the beliefs, estimates, expectations and opinions of management on the date such forward-looking information is made. The Company undertakes no obligation to update or revise any forward-looking information, whether as a result of new information, estimates or opinions, future events or results or otherwise or to explain any material difference between subsequent actual events and such forward-looking information, except as required by applicable law.

SOURCE: PlantX Life Inc.

View the original press release on accesswire.com
Despite significant concerns with the accuracy and security of AI, 70% of financial services leaders plan to increase their AI spend in 2024

Financial services organizations only deployed 1 in 4 of the AI initiatives they had planned for the year

Despite one of the highest rates of planned increased spending across industries, 34% of financial services leaders feel like they are falling behind their peers in AI adoption

One of the biggest concerns FinServ has regarding AI is data security (45%), followed by accuracy (43%) and cost (40%)



SAN FRANCISCO, July 30, 2024, a leader in search and total AI solutions, today released new financial services findings from its second annual Generative AI Global Benchmark Study. The study gathered input from over 2,500 leaders involved in AI technology decision-making worldwide. The report explores key areas of generative AI investment and organizations' progress in adopting generative AI.

Close to 50% of financial services leaders had a positive view of AI in 2023. Despite this initial excitement, the implementation of planned initiatives in 2024 has been sluggish. Only one in four AI projects have been deployed, similar to many of the other industries surveyed. In 2023, the most common expected impact of Gen AI for financial services was business ops improvement. The majority of deployed initiatives followed suit in 2024 and were primarily focused on G&A cost reduction. However, the industry reported below average cost and revenue benefits.

Financial services mirror global industries with high concerns around data security (45%) and accuracy (43%). Across the board, concerns around security, response accuracy, and costs have forced most businesses to slow down their planned initiatives and be more strategic about the balance between cost and benefit. Security worries have tripled, accuracy concerns have grown fivefold, and transparency issues have quadrupled since 2023.

The 2024 Generative AI Global Benchmark Study also includes the following findings:

Investment Slowdown: Global AI spending plans are down sharply, with only 63% planning increases (vs. 93% last year). USA-based organizations remain above average with 69% planning to increase AI spend across all industries.

Global AI spending plans are down sharply, with only 63% planning increases (vs. 93% last year). USA-based organizations remain above average with 69% planning to increase AI spend across all industries. Slow Progress: Delayed deployment and low success rates are commonplace with only 25% of planned projects fully implemented across all industries. This lag is stalling anticipated ROI, with 42% of companies yet to see significant benefits from generative AI initiatives.

Delayed deployment and low success rates are commonplace with only 25% of planned projects fully implemented across all industries. This lag is stalling anticipated ROI, with 42% of companies yet to see significant benefits from generative AI initiatives. Spending Flattens: Across all organizations, 36% of leaders plan to keep spending flat, compared to only 6% in last year's survey.

Across all organizations, 36% of leaders plan to keep spending flat, compared to only 6% in last year's survey. China's Sharp Decline: ?? Only 49% of Chinese leaders plan to increase AI spending in 2024, a massive drop from 100% in 2023.

Only 49% of Chinese leaders plan to increase AI spending in 2024, a massive drop from 100% in 2023. Commercial LLMs Dominate: Nearly eight in 10 companies use commercial LLMs and 21% have opted for open source only.

Nearly eight in 10 companies use commercial LLMs and 21% have opted for open source only. Competitive Concerns: A third of business leaders feel like they're falling behind competitors despite almost everyone struggling to implement this new technology.

"Financial services leaders have recognized the immense potential of generative AI year over year. However, concerns around data security and accuracy are holding back deployment," said Mike Sinoway, CEO, Lucidworks. "A responsible AI-powered search solution must balance personalization with stringent data protection, adhering to regulations and prioritizing client trust. As models specialize to the industry and organizations partner with search experts to build AI strategies, we anticipate financial services organizations will see more cost and revenue benefits in the near future."

Download the complete 2024 Generative AI Global Benchmark Study and accompanying financial services-focused findings today. Learn more about Lucidworks at Lucidworks.com .

About Lucidworks

Lucidworks clients are more than 2.5x more likely to successfully deploy generative AI initiatives than their peers. The world's largest brands including Crate & Barrel, Lenovo, and Red Hat rely on Lucidworks' suite of products to power commerce, customer service, and workplace applications that delight customers and empower employees. Contact us today to build your AI success strategy.
Wind River, a global leader in delivering software for the intelligent edge, today announced that leading global IT company Codelab has selected Wind River Studio Developer to strengthen its DevSecOps and VxWorks real-time operating system-based embedded solutions and services.

Building software for embedded systems has become increasingly complex, necessitating a DevSecOps approach throughout the software lifecycle. Modern cloud-native tools and techniques enable rapid innovation for software teams, but they must be tailored to meet the specific challenges of intelligent systems and embedded software. Additionally, cloud-native DevSecOps tools often need to integrate with a team's existing development infrastructure, allowing for incremental improvements in workflows and processes over time.

Studio Developer is an edge-to-cloud DevSecOps platform that accelerates development, deployment, and operation of mission-critical systems. It delivers improvements in software workflow productivity and efficiency by? leveraging scalable cloud resources (on demand), standardizing automation pipelines, allowing cloud-based collaboration on a shared platform, easy onboarding?, and enhanced traceability throughout the software development process.

"Wind River Studio Developer will allow us to deliver significant productivity and efficiency gains in our software development workflow. The platform's flexibility and collaborative nature will simplify and accelerate our software development lifecycle without compromising the safety and security sought after in the industries in which we operate," said Radoslaw Borek, managing director, Codelab. "I am confident our strategic partnership with Wind River will strengthen Codelab capabilities for offering specialized DevSecOps and VxWorks-based embedded solutions and services, bringing unprecedented value to our customers all over the world."

"Accelerating innovation while also leveraging and supporting legacy assets, systems, and applications can be staggeringly difficult with the demand for more intelligence at the edge and the journey toward software-defined systems," said Sandeep Modhvadia, chief product officer, Wind River. "Studio Developer is designed to solve the challenges of managing complexity in modern software development environments that impede automation and DevSecOps approaches. Industry-leading organizations like Codelab are leveraging the platform to accelerate their innovation and gain a competitive edge."

For more information about Wind River Studio Developer, visit www.windriver.com/studio/developer.

About Wind River

Wind River is a global leader in delivering software for the intelligent edge. For more than four decades, the company has been an innovator and pioneer, powering billions of devices and systems that require the highest levels of security, safety, and reliability. Wind River software and expertise are accelerating digital transformation across industries including automotive, aerospace, defense, industrial, medical, and telecommunications. The company offers a comprehensive portfolio supported by world-class global professional services and support and a broad partner ecosystem. To learn more, visit Wind River at www.windriver.com.

About Codelab

Codelab is a premier technology solutions provider that delivers specialized CI/CD and DevOps services and solutions to global automotive and industrial customers.

Renowned for our long-standing reputation as a trusted supplier, Codelab excels in continuous integration and continuous deployment (CI/CD) practices, optimizing development pipelines and enhancing delivery processes. Our deep expertise spans electronic control units, human-machine interfaces, communication devices, active safety and autonomous platforms, cybersecurity, battery management systems, in-vehicle infotainment (IVI) platforms, and cloud-based solutions. We empower our clients to achieve rapid, reliable, and scalable software deployment, ensuring robust and secure systems across diverse applications.

Codelab is part of Beta Systems Group, headquartered in Berlin, listed on the German Frankfurt Stock Exchange. To learn more, visit Codelab at www.codelab.eu.

Wind River is a trademark or registered trademark of Wind River Systems, Inc., and its affiliates. Other names may be the trademarks of their respective owners.

View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20240730588410/en/

Contacts:

Jenny Suh

Wind River

510-749-2972

jenny.suh@windriver.com
WidePoint Corporation (NYSE American:WYY), the innovative enterprise cyber security and mobile technology provider, announced it has successfully deployed a new product offering into a Federal Agency, a proprietary derived digital credential for mobile devices called MobileAnchor.

Jin Kang, WidePoint's Chief Executive Officer, stated: "I am excited to announce that WidePoint has successfully developed, tested, and authenticated MobileAnchor which is stored directly on the mobile device, providing the highest level of security available. This successful deployment with a Federal Agency is a significant accomplishment among Identity & Access Management solution providers. WidePoint's new MobileAnchor can be relied on for support and stability and provides the highest level of security for mobile digital credentials."

Unique benefits of WidePoint's MobileAnchor Derived Digital Credential:

1. Enhanced Security:

Direct Integration: WidePoint's MobileAnchor generates a digital credential directly on the device, can leverage device-specific security features, such as hardware-based secure elements (e.g., TPM or SE) and biometric authentication, ensuring high levels of security.

Reduced Attack Surface: WidePoint's MobileAnchor direct integration can minimize potential vulnerabilities associated with additional layers or intermediaries.

2. User Convenience:

Seamless Access: Users can directly access applications and services without needing to navigate through an additional Mobile Device Management (MDM) interface or container, streamlining the user experience.

Integrated MFA: WidePoint's MobileAnchor can be combined with device biometrics (fingerprint, face recognition) for seamless multi-factor authentication (MFA).

3. Simplified Deployment:

Less Overhead: Deploying and managing WidePoint's MobileAnchor credentials directly on the device can be more straightforward compared to managing credentials within an MDM container, reducing administrative overhead.

4. Flexibility and Compatibility:

Native Support: WidePoint's MobileAnchor can be supported natively by many modern operating systems and applications, ensuring better integration and compatibility.

Caroline Godfrey, WidePoint's Chief Security Officer, stated: "I am extremely proud of the WidePoint team and our partners for bringing this solution to market. The 'good enough' solutions provided by other vendors often fall short of consistent security. That's why we are so excited about WidePoint's MobileAnchor. WidePoint's MobileAnchor significantly enhances mobile device security to the highest level and allows digital signing of emails and authenticating to federally controlled facilities, information systems, and applications from a mobile smart device."

Jason Holloway, WidePoint's Chief Revenue Officer, stated: "Marketing efforts are already in-progress to other Federal Agencies that currently utilize PIV Smart-Card Credential and similarly to Commercial entities that utilize PIV-I Smart-Card Credentials. We are optimistic that organizations seeking the highest form of security, as well as cost savings recognized by not requiring a MDM software, will welcome WidePoint's MobileAnchor as a next generation IAM solution."

About WidePoint

WidePoint Corporation (NYSE American: WYY) is a leading technology Managed Solution Provider (MSP) dedicated to securing and protecting the mobile workforce and enterprise landscape. WidePoint is recognized for pioneering technology solutions that include Identity and Access Management (IAM), Mobility Managed Services (MMS), Telecom Management, Information Technology as a Service (ITaaS), Cloud Security, and Analytics & Billing as a Service (ABaaS). For more information, visit widepoint.com.

WidePoint Investor Relations:

Gateway Group, Inc., Matt Glover or John Yi

949-574-3860, WYY@gateway-grp.com

SOURCE: WidePoint Corporation

View the original press release on accesswire.com
HOUSTON, TX / ACCESSWIRE / July 30, 2024 / Sinceri Senior Living applauded its staff, residents, and families for their outstanding preparedness and effective response in the face of a natural disaster. Just over two weeks ago, Hurricane Beryl, a Category 5 hurricane, barreled its way through the Gulf Coast and towards Texas. As the hurricane made landfall, it slammed into southeast Texas, leaving over three million people without power.







Prior to making landfall on Sunday, Sinceri's staff was already in motion. The community and regional teams began initial preparations by communicating with on-site staff, conducting generator tests, printing necessary information, confirming emergency supplies of food were on site, facilitating staffing in case roads weren't drivable, and ensuring the residents and their families were cared for and well-informed.

Once the hurricane hit, the following Sinceri communities in the Houston area were impacted: Creekside, Cinco Ranch, Willow Fork, Braeswood Estates, Lewis Park Estates, and Windermere Estates.

During the hurricane, many of these communities lost power and had to run on backup generators, but all the residents were reported safe and secure. Immediately following the hurricane, Sinceri's communities continued to maintain a proactive response.

April Young, Chief Operations Officer of Sinceri Senior Living, stated, "We are incredibly proud of our team's dedication and resilience through Hurricane Beryl. Our priority has always been the safety and well-being of our residents. The preparation and response of our staff were instrumental in making sure everyone remained safe and comfortable during the storm."

All six of the Sinceri communities had restored power and resources by 3 p.m. Tuesday afternoon, only 24 hours after Beryl hit Houston. Sinceri Senior Living remains committed to upholding the highest standard of care and support for its residents, and providing a place they can safely call home.

Sinceri Senior Living is a leading senior living management company that oversees services in 81 communities across 20 states, catering to approximately 4,800 seniors nationwide. Offering a continuum of care, including independent living, assisted living, memory care, and skilled nursing communities, Sinceri Senior Living has earned a stellar reputation for expertly managing senior living properties with personalized care and exceptional programming for residents and their families.

Contact Information

Madison Allen

Marketing and Communications Manager

madison.allen@sincerisl.com

5404710742

SOURCE: Sinceri Senior Living

View the original press release on newswire.com.
COLORADO SPRINGS, CO / ACCESSWIRE / July 30, 2024 / Fortitude Gold Corp. (OTCQB:FTCO) (the "Company") announced multiple oxide gold drill intercepts at and near surface from the Scarlet North target along the Company's Isabella Pearl trend. The Scarlet North target is located just 700 meters northwest of the Isabella Pearl heap leach and process facility. Intercepts include 9.14 meters grading 2.33 grams per tonne (g/t) gold within 16.76 meters grading 1.58 g/t gold. The Company also released multiple rock chip surface samples from a new, undrilled target in the Scarlet North area, the highest assaying 2.24 g/t gold. Fortitude Gold is a gold producer, developer, and explorer with operations in Nevada, U.S.A. offering investors exposure to both gold production and dividend yield.

Scarlet North Drill highlights include (m=meters, g/t=grams per tonne) (full drill table below):

Hole# IPRC-655:

12.19 m of 0.69 g/t gold

incl.

1.52 m of 1.29 g/t gold, and

1.52 m of 1.34 g/t gold

Hole# IPRC-667:

16.76 m of 0.64 g/t gold

incl.

3.05 m of 1.19 g/t gold

Hole# IPRC-674:

16.76 m of 1.58 g/t gold

incl.

9.14 m of 2.33 g/t gold

This reverse circulation drill program builds on the Company's previously released 2023 and 2024 drill results at the Isabella Pearl Scarlet North target, which included 50.29 meters grading 0.86 g/t gold from surface (click here to review the October 2023 press release). This most recent Scarlet North drill program intercepted multiple intervals of oxide gold mineralization where a similar metallurgy to the nearby Isabella Pearl deposit is expected, whereby oxide gold ores can be processed using a standard heap leach process. The proximity of this mineralization would allow for a short haul distance to the Company's existing, nearby processing facilities. Drilling at Scarlet has identified several surface and near surface pods of mineralization that the Company continues to model for potential open pit mine scenarios.

"Scarlet North continues to return high-grade near surface oxide gold intercepts, moving us closer to an initial resource," stated Mr. Allan Turner, Vice President of Exploration for Fortitude Gold. "Our exploration team also collected multiple rock chip surface samples from a new northeast target area at Scarlet North, with the highest assaying 2.24 g/t gold. These rock chip samples may be an indicator of gold mineralization expanding to the northeast at Scarlet North, which the Company plans to test with future drill programs. We look to define a potentially significant disseminated gold system over an extensive area at Scarlet North, with a goal to vector in on feeder structures while we move closer to an initial resource from which to expand upon."

"Located next to our Isabella Pearl deposit and process facility, Scarlet North continues to deliver near surface, high-grade oxide gold for potential future ore feed," stated Mr. Jason Reid, CEO and President of Fortitude Gold. "16.76 meters, or 55 feet, of over 1.5 grams per tonne gold builds on previous successful drill programs at Scarlet North. While we continue to build on and evaluate Scarlet's open-pit potential, we are positioned to submit a permit modification to the Bureau of Land Management to expand the current Isabella Pearl mine plan boundary to encompass the Scarlet North area. The modification would seek approval to both mine Scarlet North and expand exploration efforts in the area. Continued gold intercepts like these move us closer to our goal to add Scarlet to the queue of future mine builds."

SCARLET NORTH DRILL SUMMARY HIGHLIGHTS JULY 2024 Hole # Angle From Interval Au deg Meters Meters g/t IPRC-635 -45 32.00 10.67 0.57 IPRC-646 -60 1.52 3.05 0.36 12.19 7.62 0.50 IPRC-648 -45 4.57 19.81 0.56 IPRC-650 -45 3.05 1.52 0.38 7.62 18.29 0.54 IPRC-651 -45 0.00 9.14 0.25 19.81 10.67 0.62 IPRC -652 -45 0.00 4.57 0.68 44.20 7.62 0.45 IPRC-655 -60 7.62 12.19 0.69 incl. 13.72 1.52 1.29 incl. 18.29 1.52 1.34 IPRC-662 -45 21.34 3.05 0.30 28.96 1.52 1.45 IPRC-664 -45 4.57 1.52 0.52 18.29 6.10 0.44 IPRC-665 -90 32.00 10.67 0.53 IPRC-666 -65 39.62 4.57 0.87 incl. 39.62 1.52 1.19 IPRC-667 -60 35.05 16.76 0.64 incl. 36.58 3.05 1.19 IPRC-674 -45 47.24 16.76 1.58 incl. 48.77 9.14 2.33 Assays by American Assay Laboratories, Sparks, Nevada, USA. Meters downhole, not true width.



About Fortitude Gold Corp.:

Fortitude Gold is a U.S. based gold producer targeting projects with low operating costs, high margins, and strong returns on capital. The Company's strategy is to grow organically, remain debt-free and distribute substantial dividends. The Company's Nevada Mining Unit consists of seven high-grade gold properties located in the Walker Lane Mineral Belt and an eighth high-grade gold property in west central Nevada. The Isabella Pearl gold mine, located on the Isabella Pearl mineralized trend, is currently in production. Nevada, U.S.A. is among the world's premier mining friendly jurisdictions.

Cautionary Statements: This press release contains forward-looking statements that involve risks and uncertainties. If you are risk-averse you should NOT buy shares in Fortitude Gold Corp. The statements contained in this press release that are not purely historical are forward-looking statements within the meaning of Section 27A of the Securities Act of 1933 and Section 21E of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934. When used in this press release, the words "plan", "target", "anticipate," "believe," "estimate," "intend" and "expect" and similar expressions are intended to identify such forward-looking statements. Such forward-looking statements include, without limitation, the statements regarding the Company's strategy, future plans for production, future expenses and costs, future liquidity and capital resources, and estimates of mineralized material are forward-looking statements. All forward-looking statements in this press release are based upon information available to the Company on the date of this press release, and the Company assumes no obligation to update any such forward-looking statements. Forward looking statements involve a number of risks and uncertainties, and there can be no assurance that such statements will prove to be accurate. The Company's actual results could differ materially from those discussed in this press release.

CONTACT:

Greg Patterson

719-717-9825

greg.patterson@fortitudegold.com

www.Fortitudegold.com

SOURCE: Fortitude Gold Corporation

View the original press release on accesswire.com
New Delhi, July 30 (UNI) Leader of Opposition (LoP) in Lok Sabha Rahul Gandhi on Tuesday raised the issue of tragic landslides in the Wayanad district of Kerala and said that rising incidents of natural calamity was a serious concern and called for urgent mapping of landslide prone areas.



Raising the issue during Zero Hour, Gandhi said, Early this morning, Wayanad was hit by several devastating landslides. More than 70 people have been killed. Mundakai village has been cut off and the devastating loss of lives and extensive damage is yet to be assessed, due to the scale of the tragedy, he said.



The Congress MP from Raebareli said that he had spoken to the Defence Minister Rajnath Singh and the Chief Minister of Kerala with regard to the tragic incident.



I request the Union government to extend all possible support for rescue and medical care. Immediate release of the compensation to deceased people and the compensation can be increased as well, restore vital transport communication lines, set up relief centers at the earliest and prepare a roadmap for the rehabilitation of the affected families, the LoP said.



He said, Landslides loose over many areas in Wayanad and the Western Ghats, our country has witnessed an alarming rise in the landslides in the last few years. There is an urgent need for mapping of landslide prone areas and to take up mitigating measures and an action plan to address the growing frequency of natural calamities in the ecologically fragile region.



After Gandhi spoke, the house witnessed a turmoil resulting in Speaker Om Birla asking the Opposition Benches to refrain from doing politics over tragic incidents.



This is a tragic and sad incident and we are discussing so that such things do not happen but here also you want to do politics, Birla said.



Meanwhile, Union Minister for Parliamentary Affairs Kiren Rijiju said, Honble Prime Minister has sent the MoS, who comes from Kerala and he is already there coordinating with the agencies.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi has already spoken to the Chief Minister of Kerala and the rescue and relief operation is already on.

UNI RBE CS1410
Vancouver, British Columbia--(Newsfile Corp. - July 30, 2024) - Moovly Media Inc. (TSXV: MVY) (OTC Pink: MVVYF) (FSE: 0PV2) ("Moovly" or the "Company") is pleased to announce a non-brokered private placement (the "Private Placement") to raise aggregate gross proceeds of up to $400,000 through the issuance of up to 20,000,000 units (each, a "Unit") at a price of $0.02 per Unit. Each Unit will be comprised of one common share in the capital of the Company (a "Common Share") and one common share purchase warrant (a "Warrant"). Each Warrant will entitle the holder to purchase one Common Share at a price of $0.05 per share for a period of 24 months from the date of issuance.

The net proceeds from the Private Placement are expected to be used for general corporate purposes.

All of the securities issued under the Private Placement will be subject to a four-month resale restriction from the date of issuance. The completion of the Private Placement remains subject to approval of the TSX Venture Exchange.

About Moovly:

Moovly is the leading provider of creative cloud-based tools to create compelling marketing, communications and training videos and video presentations. Moovly's advanced Studio Editor with millions of assets seamlessly integrated (via partnerships with Getty Images & Storyblocks) is all you need to create engaging video content to promote, communicate or explain your product, service or message. Moovly's API and Automator technologies allow third parties to automate parts or all of the content creation process, including mass video customization, personalized videos (video version of mail merge), automatic content creation or updating by connecting data sources. With clients including users from over 300 of the Fortune 500, small businesses, freelancers and Ivy league universities, Moovly is an intuitive, cost effective choice for DIY creation of engaging video-based content.

"Your story begins with Moovly"

Files are available for download in our press room at www.moovly.com/pressroom.

Reader Advisory

This press release contains forward-looking statements and forward-looking information within the meaning of applicable securities laws. The use of any of the words "expect", "anticipate", "continue", "estimate", "objective", "ongoing", "may", "will", "project", "should", "believe", "plans", "intends" and similar expressions are intended to identify forward-looking information or statements. More particularly and without limitation, this news release contains forward-looking statements and information with respect to Moovly's future business plans and the expected benefits of its products. The forward-looking statements and information are based on certain key expectations and assumptions made by the Company. Although the Company believes that the expectations and assumptions on which such forward-looking statements and information are based are reasonable, undue reliance should not be placed on the forward-looking statements and information because the Company can give no assurance that they will prove to be correct.

By its nature, such forward-looking information is subject to various risks and uncertainties, which could cause the actual results and expectations to differ materially from the anticipated results or expectations expressed. These risks and uncertainties, include, but are not limited to, Moovly's inability to continue to commercialize its products or demand for its products decreases or disappears. Other risk factors are set forth in detail in the Company's Management Discussion and Analysis dated June 30, 2023 which is available for review under the Company's corporate profile at www.sedarplus.ca. Some other risks and factors that could cause the results to differ materially from those expressed in the forward-looking information also include, but are not limited to: general economic conditions in Canada, the United States and globally; industry conditions, unanticipated operating events; failure to obtain any necessary third party consents and approvals, if and when required; the availability of capital on acceptable terms; the need to obtain required approvals from regulatory authorities; stock market volatility; competition for, among other things, capital and skilled personnel; changes in tax laws; and the other factors. Readers are cautioned that this list of risk factors should not be construed as exhaustive.

The forward-looking information contained in this news release is expressly qualified by this cautionary statement. Readers are cautioned not to place undue reliance on this forward-looking information, which is given as of the date hereof, and to not use such forward-looking information for anything other than its intended purpose. The Company undertakes no obligation to update publicly or revise any forward-looking information, whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise, except as 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.

/ NOT FOR DISTRIBUTION TO U.S. NEWS WIRE SERVICES

OR FOR DISSEMINATION IN THE UNITED STATES /

To view the source version of this press release, please visit https://www.newsfilecorp.com/release/218213

SOURCE: Moovly Media Inc.
Enhancing the Capabilities and Accuracy of Geographic Information Data Collection

IRVINE, CALIF. / ACCESSWIRE / July 30, 2024 / PelicanCorp Inc., the global leader in damage prevention solutions, today announces a partnership with Bad Elf, LLC, a leading manufacturer of Bluetooth-connected GNSS receivers. The partnership enables the integration of PelicanCorp's Geolantis.360 field data collection platform with Bad Elf's GNSS receivers to deliver an affordable, comprehensive solution to accurately locate subsurface assets.

"The integration of PelicanCorp and Bad Elf technologies transforms manual workflows to faster, more affordable and efficient digital ones," said Duane Rodgers, CEO, PelicanCorp. "PelicanCorp is dedicated to working with hardware manufacturers, like Bad Elf, to bring Geolantis.360 to the market."

Bad Elf offers affordable, accurate, and flexible GPS solutions. Phone, tablet, notebook, and operating system agnostic, Bad Elf GNSS receivers encourage companies to work on the mobile platform of their choosing. Bad Elf products provide geospatial professionals with a unique blend of location accuracy, reliability, design, and value.

Geolantis.360 digitally maps subsurface assets in real time, as they are located, gathering critical metadata to assist stakeholders with visualizing the location and attributes of subsurface assets. The solution improves communication between the field and office as data can be shared even while field crews are still at the job site. Automating workflows to significantly reduce post-processing tasks while delivering robust, detailed reporting, Geolantis.360 perfectly complements Bad Elf's hardware.

"The need for high-accuracy GPS receivers and GIS data collection is self-evident, particularly in the area of underground infrastructure damage prevention," said Larry Fox, VP Marketing and Business Development, Bad Elf. "The integration of PelicanCorp's Geolantis.360 field data collection platform with Bad Elf's comprehensive selection of GNSS receivers provides a complete solution."

This partnership enhances the communication of subsurface asset data with improved accuracy and speed in the pursuit of protecting lives and property by reducing damages to underground assets. The integrated solutions deliver the ability to capture, record, and display the precise location of critical infrastructure such as telecommunications assets and buried utilities, including gas and water lines.

Learn more about Bad Elf and Geolantis.360.

To learn more about PelicanCorp, visit PelicanCorp.com.

About Bad Elf

Bad Elf's line of GNSS receivers empowers GIS and survey professionals to collect high-accuracy field data using any phone, tablet or laptop. Bad Elf's products and services evolve within an iterative framework of learning from our customers. Bad Elf applies diverse and deep technical skills to deliver exceptional offerings that solve real-world challenges. Within this mindset, the whole team challenges themselves to create sufficiently advanced technology to benefit the consumer as Engineering Magic. While our solutions manifest as technology built for today, they allow us to respond nimbly to continuous change and explore opportunities in partnership with our customers. Learn more at www.bad-elf.com.

Bad Elf, Bad Elf Flex, and Engineering Magic are registered trademarks of Bad Elf, LLC.

Bluetooth is a registered trademark of Bluetooth SIG.

About PelicanCorp

PelicanCorp is the Global Leader in Damage Prevention Solutions built specifically for the protection of essential infrastructure. PelicanCorp connects people, applications, and devices through a unified platform to help industry professionals manage risk and build quality projects - safely, on time, and within budget. PelicanCorp has a diversified business model built on 40 years of experience protecting billions of dollars of global assets. PelicanCorp is headquartered in Melbourne, Australia, with offices and operations around the globe. Learn more at www.PelicanCorp.com or follow PelicanCorp on LinkedIn.

Contact Information

Susan Leid

Marketing & Communications

marketing@pelicancorp.com

SOURCE: PelicanCorp Inc.

View the original press release on newswire.com.
New standard ensures that third-party certification of steel products and science-based emission targets are implemented consistently and comprehensively

EMERYVILLE, CA / ACCESSWIRE / July 30, 2024 / SCS Global Services (SCS), a pioneer and world leader in the field of third-party certification, auditing, and standards development, has become one of the first approved verifiers under the Global Steel Climate Council's (GSCC) new Steel Climate Standard.

The GSCC Steel Climate Standard is a low-emission steel standard for all steel producers. The framework put forth in the Standard consists of a comprehensive system boundary that includes Scope 1, 2, and 3 emissions from mining and/or resource extraction to the hot rolling process. It aligns with a science-based approach to achieve the Paris Climate Agreement 2050 goals, irrespective of the production process used to make steel.

Under this Standard, steel producers calculate their company average steel emissions intensity (CASEI), set science-based emissions targets (SBETs), and calculate their product carbon footprints.

SCS, with its unmatched steel expertise and extensive resume in working with numerous steel manufacturers and steel product associations, will provide third-party verification and validation services of the CASEI, SBETs, and product carbon footprint to ensure conformance to requirements of the Steel Climate Standard.

"SCS Global Services has always been committed to fostering sustainable practices based on rigorous science across various industries. We are proud to have the opportunity to further contribute our expertise to those in the steel sector under this new Standard," said Keith Killpack, Technical Director of SCS' Environmental Certification Services division.

GSCC considers independent verification to be a key pillar of conformance to the Standard.

"SCS Global Services has a proven track record of credible, non-partial evaluation and certification of emissions measurement in the steel industry," said Adina Renee Adler, Executive Director of the Global Steel Climate Council. "We are excited to partner with them as they support GSCC member companies pursuing accountability in meeting ambitious emissions reduction targets based on sound science."

SCS offers a variety of services for manufactured products, such as certification of indoor air quality performance and recycled content, assessments of corporate climate footprints, and life cycle assessment (LCA). Its LCA team has conducted assessments for clients in many major industries since the early 1990s, and its practitioner staff has experience in all major LCA reporting frameworks and sectors of the economy.

Read More

About Global Steel Climate Council (GSCC):

The Global Steel Climate Council (GSCC) is a non-profit association organized to advance climate strategy by establishing standards and advocating for carbon emissions reductions by members of the steel industry. The GSCC includes more than 35 international producing members and supporters across the steel value chain, including steel producers, upstream material and services suppliers, downstream manufacturers and end-users, and trade associations.

About SCS Global Services:

SCS Global Services is a global leader in third-party environmental and sustainability verification, certification, auditing, testing, and standards development. Its programs span a cross-section of industries, recognizing achievements in climate mitigation, green building, product manufacturing, food and agriculture, forestry, consumer products, and more. Headquartered in Emeryville, California and celebrating 40 years in business, SCS has representatives and affiliate offices throughout the Americas, Asia/Pacific, Europe, and Africa. Its broad network of auditors are experts in their fields, and the company is a trusted partner to companies, agencies, and advocacy organizations due to its dedication to quality and professionalism. SCS is a chartered Benefit Corporation, reflecting its commitment to socially and environmentally responsible business practices. For more information, visit www.SCSGlobalServices.com.

Media Contact

Stephanie Flynn, sflynn@scsglobalservices.com





View additional multimedia and more ESG storytelling from SCS Global Services on 3blmedia.com.

Contact Info:

Spokesperson: SCS Global Services

Website: https://www.3blmedia.com/profiles/scs-global-services

Email: info@3blmedia.com

SOURCE: SCS Global Services

View the original press release on accesswire.com
Toronto, Ontario--(Newsfile Corp. - July 30, 2024) - Cascada Silver Corp. (CSE:CSS) (the "Cascada") is pleased to announce that, further to its news release dated July 16, 2024 announcing shareholder approval of an ordinary resolution, on July 18, 2024, it issued an aggregate of 57,125,676 Cascada common shares (the "Shares") on the exchange of 57,125,676 subscription receipts that were issued by Cascada in a private placement offering that closed on June 5, 2024 (the "Closing Date"). Cascada confirms that it has received approximately $742,634 in gross proceeds raised under the private placement offering which have been released from escrow by its subscription receipt agent in connection with the issuance of Shares.

The Shares issued on exchange of the subscription receipts are subject to a statutory hold period of four months and one day from the Closing Date.

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 United States Securities Act of 1933, as amended, 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 Cascada Silver Corp.

Cascada Silver is a mineral exploration company focused on exploration opportunities in Chile. Cascada Silver's team of successful exploration professionals are dedicated to the discovery of mineral deposits that can be progressed into economically viable development projects creating value for all stakeholders.

On behalf of Cascada Silver Corp.,

CAUTIONARY NOTE REGARDING FORWARD-LOOKING STATEMENTS

This press release contains certain "forward-looking statements" within the meaning of Canadian securities legislation, including, but not limited to, statements regarding Cascada's plans with respect to the its projects and the timing related thereto, the merits of Cascada's projects, Cascada's objectives, plans and strategies, the Offering and the expected use of proceeds thereof, and other project opportunities. Although Cascada 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,", "strategy", "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.

Cascada cautions that Forward-looking statements are based on the beliefs, estimates and opinions of Cascada's management on the date the statements are made and they involve a number of risks and uncertainties. Consequently, there can be no assurances that such statements will prove to be accurate and actual results and future events could differ materially from those anticipated in such statements. Except to the extent required by applicable securities laws and the policies of the Canadian Securities Exchange, Cascada undertakes no obligation to update these forward-looking statements if management's beliefs, estimates or opinions, or other factors, should change. Factors that could cause future results to differ materially from those anticipated in these forward-looking statements include the risk of accidents and other risks associated with mineral exploration operations, the risk that Cascada will encounter unanticipated geological factors, or the possibility that Cascada may not be able to secure permitting and other agency or governmental clearances, necessary to carry out Cascada's exploration plans, risks and uncertainties related to Cascada's ability to complete the Offering and the size of the Offering, and the risk of political uncertainties and regulatory or legal changes in the jurisdictions where Cascada carries on its business that might interfere with Cascada's business and prospects. The reader is urged to refer to Cascada's reports, publicly available through the Canadian Securities Administrators' System for Electronic Document Analysis and Retrieval (SEDAR+) at www.sedarplus.com for a more complete discussion of such risk factors and their potential effects.

Neither the Canadian Securities nor its Regulation Services Provider (as that term is defined in the policies of the Canadian Securities accepts responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this release.

NOT FOR DISTRIBUTION TO U.S. NEWSWIRE SERVICES OR DISSEMINATION

IN THE UNITED STATES

To view the source version of this press release, please visit https://www.newsfilecorp.com/release/218198

SOURCE: Cascada Silver Corp.
Program will support PDK development at AIM Photonics

SEATTLE, WA / ACCESSWIRE / July 30, 2024 / NLM Photonics was awarded a $1.8 million AFWERX STTR Phase II Contract from the U.S. Air Force. This award funds a 21-month project with AIM Photonics to potentially offer modulator components in AIM Photonics' process design kits (PDKs) for silicon-organic hybrid devices on the institute's 300 mm silicon photonics platform. These devices focus on low-power, high-bandwidth electro-optic (EO) modulation for datacom, RF photonics, sensing, and more applications, utilizing silicon-organic hybrid (SOH) EO modulators.

"This project will allow NLM Photonics to perform critical process optimization and scale up, enabling us to demonstrate that our SOH technology can be deployed at scale in a foundry-friendly, advanced packaging process module. Having SOH modulator PDK components available on AIM Photonics' platform will dramatically expand access to this enabling technology for U.S. Government and commercial customers alike," says Dr. Scott R. Hammond, Director of Process Development at NLM.

This project involves multiple design and optimization iterations, including one or more multi-project wafer (MPW) tapeouts (submission of a validated photonic integrated circuit design for fabrication) with AIM Photonics, followed by a full custom wafer run to evaluate process yield and scalability. NLM will perform process development and optimization and work with the AIM Photonics' Test, Assembly, and Packaging facility for wafer-scale passive and die-level high-speed device testing.

"We're excited to work with NLM Photonics to continue to advance this emerging technology, which ultimately contributes to the growth of the larger U.S. integrated photonics ecosystem," said Amit Dikshit, AIM Photonics Design Enablement Manager. "This collaboration also directly supports AIM Photonics' goal to provide integrated photonics designers and developers access to the most advanced, comprehensive set of tools and services to develop, build, and test their manufacturing-ready prototype devices."

NLM and AIM Photonics are excited to continue their collaboration on SOH devices, building off an ongoing NASA STTR Phase I project. NLM was awarded an AFWERX SBIR Phase I in the spring of 2023 for customer discovery that led to this project. They are looking forward to furthering their developmental efforts for defense applications for the US Air Force and Space Force and for NASA and commercial customers.

The views expressed are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the official policy or position of the Department of the Air Force, the Department of Defense, or the U.S. Government.

About NLM Photonics

NLM Photonics is based in Seattle and develops cutting-edge photonics solutions for transforming networking, computing, and sensing alongside our global partners. Follow us at nlmphotonics.com and on LinkedIn @nlm-photonics.

About AIM Photonics

The American Institute for Manufacturing Integrated Photonics (AIM Photonics) is one of nine Manufacturing Innovation Institutes established and managed by the U.S. Department of Defense to advance new technology and capabilities into products and systems that help secure national defense and economic priorities. Find out more at aimphotonics.com and on LinkedIn @AIM Photonics.

About AFRL

The Air Force Research Laboratory is the primary scientific research and development center for the Department of the Air Force. AFRL plays an integral role in leading the discovery, development, and integration of affordable warfighting technologies for our air, space, and cyberspace force. With a workforce of more than 12,500 across nine technology areas and 40 other operations across the globe, AFRL provides a diverse portfolio of science and technology ranging from fundamental to advanced research and technology development. For more information, visit afresearchlab.com.

About AFWERX

As the innovation arm of the DAF and a directorate within the Air Force Research Laboratory, AFWERX brings cutting-edge American ingenuity from small businesses and start-ups to address the most pressing challenges of the DAF. AFWERX employs approximately 370 military, civilian, and contractor personnel at five hubs and sites executing an annual $1.4 billion budget. Since 2019, AFWERX has executed over 6,100 new contracts worth more than $4 billion to strengthen the U.S. defense industrial base and drive faster technology transition to operational capability. For more information, visit afwerx.com.

Media Contacts

Erica McGillivray

Communication Director

ericamc@nlmphotonics.com

Leah Scott

Director of Communications and Information Management

lscott@aimphotonics.com

Contact Information

Erica McGillivray

Communications Director

ericamc@nlmphotonics.com

SOURCE: NLM Photonics

View the original press release on newswire.com.
JERSEY CITY, N.J., July 30, 2024 /PRNewswire/ -- InsightAce Analytic Pvt. Ltd. announces the release of a market assessment report on the "Sustainable Beauty and Skincare Market'- By Type (Organic Beauty Products, Natural Skincare Products, Vegan Beauty Products, Cruelty-Free Cosmetics, Clean Beauty Products), By Application (Facial Care, Hair Care, Body Care, Makeup and Cosmetics, Fragrances) By Distribution Channel (Online Retail, Brick-and-Mortar Stores, Specialty, Beauty Stores, Health and Wellness Retailers, Direct Sales), Region, Market Outlook And Industry Analysis 2031."

The Sustainable Beauty and Skincare Market is valued at US$ 176.6 Bn in 2023, and estimated to reach over USD 326.8 Bn by 2031, exhibiting a CAGR of 8.26% during the forecast period.

The clean beauty movement places the highest premium on sustainability, safety, and transparency in the skincare industry. People can take better care of their physical appearance and have a smaller environmental impact when they appreciate clean beauty. Everyone may contribute to the sustainable beauty revolution in the future, which promises to be a fascinating time of inventions and improvements.

Download Free Demo Report, Excel Pivot and ToC: https://www.insightaceanalytic.com/request-sample/2618

The need for sustainable beauty products is being driven by the concerns of younger generations, including in relation to environmental and ethical issues. For instance, In July 2024, the investigation of nanotechnology for developing cosmetics using plant and animal byproducts emerged as a high-tech approach to sustainable beauty. Nanocarriers enhance bioavailability and efficacy by allowing greater penetration and controlled release of bioactive substances.

Utilizing byproducts reduces waste and promotes a circular economy, thereby lessening the environmental impact of the cosmetics industry. Additionally, these materials, sourced naturally, can be more affordable than synthetic equivalents. Natural-source nanocarriers have a lower potential for negative side effects, making them safer and more biocompatible for skin applications. To fully optimize strategies for sustainable, naturally derived cosmetic raw materials, collaboration is both advantageous and necessary.

List of Prominent Players in the Sustainable Beauty and Skincare Market:

100% Pure

Acure Organics

Amway Corporation

Arbonne International

Avalon Natural Products, Inc. (US)

Aveda

Avon

Beauty with Cruelty

Billy Jealousy, LLC

Burt's Bees

Caudalie

Clean Cosmetics

Coty Inc.

Dr. Hauschka

e.l.f. Cosmetics, Inc. (US)

Elf Cosmetic Company

Eminence Organic Skin Care

Ere Perez

Estee Lauder Companies Inc.

Groupe Rocher

Hera Beauty Ltd.

Herbivore Botanicals

Herrco Cosmetics

Honest Co.

Ilia Beauty

INIKA Organic (Australia)

Josie Maran Cosmetics

Juice Beauty

Kendo Holdings, Inc. (US),

Kjaer Weis

Kose Corporation (Japan)

Live Clean

L'Occitane Group

L'Oreal S.A.

Lush Cosmetics

LVMH Group

MuLondon

Natura & Co.

Odacite Skincare

Pacifica Beauty

Pai Skincare

PHB Ethical Beauty Ltd (UK)

Plum Goodness (India)

Purity Cosmetics

RMS Beauty

Seraphine Botanicals

Shiseido Company Limited

Sukin Skincare

Tata Harper Skincare

The Body Shop

The Clorox Company

The Estee Lauder Companies

The Honest Company, Inc.

True Botanicals

Unilever plc.

Urban Decay

W3LL PEOPLE

Weleda AG

Yes To, Inc.

Yves Rocher

Zuii Organic

Other Prominent Players

Sustainable Beauty and Skincare Market Report Scope:

Report Attribute Specifications Market Size Value In 2023 USD 176.6 Bn Revenue Forecast In 2031 USD 326.8 Bn Growth Rate CAGR CAGR of 8.26% from 2024 to 2031 Quantitative Units Representation of revenue in US$ Bn and CAGR from 2024 to 2031 Historic Year 2019 to 2023 Forecast Year 2024-2031 Report Coverage The forecast of revenue, the position of the company, the competitive market structure, growth prospects, and trends Segments Covered By Type, By Application, By Distribution Channel. Regional Scope North America; Europe; Asia Pacific; Latin America; Middle East & Africa

Market Dynamics:

Drivers:

There is a growing preference for products that are cruelty-free, vegan, and ethically sourced, reflecting a broader trend towards ethical consumerism. The demand for sustainable packaging solutions, such as recyclable, biodegradable, and reusable materials, is driving innovation in the beauty industry. Advances in green chemistry enable the development of eco-friendly formulations and manufacturing processes that minimize environmental impact. The expanding market for premium and niche beauty products, including organic and natural options, is driving overall growth in the sustainable beauty sector.

Challenges:

Natural and organic ingredients can be less stable than synthetic ones, posing challenges in ensuring a product's shelf life and effectiveness. Educating consumers about the benefits and importance of sustainable beauty products is crucial but challenging. Misunderstandings and lack of awareness can affect consumer adoption.

Regional Trends:

North America holds the largest share of the sustainable beauty and skincare market. The region is a hub for innovation in sustainable beauty, with significant advancements in nanotechnology, green chemistry, and eco-friendly packaging. Consumers in North America are increasingly seeking transparency in product ingredients and ethical practices. Brands that offer cruelty-free, vegan, and sustainably sourced products are particularly popular. However, Asia Pacific is experiencing rapid growth in the sustainable beauty sector. Rising disposable incomes and increasing awareness of environmental issues are contributing factors.

Curious about this latest version of the report? @ https://www.insightaceanalytic.com/enquiry-before-buying/2618

Recent Developments:

In Jan 2024, Ilia's Beauty, launched two highly popular products, The Cleanse Soft Foaming Cleanser and the highly sought-after Bright Start Activated Eye Cream, which has sold out three times since its inception. According to Sasha Plavsic, the brand's founder, the company continues to push the boundaries in the skincare area with practical and effective products.

Ilia's Beauty, launched two highly popular products, The Cleanse Soft Foaming Cleanser and the highly sought-after Bright Start Activated Eye Cream, which has sold out three times since its inception. According to Sasha Plavsic, the brand's founder, the company continues to push the boundaries in the skincare area with practical and effective products. In Dec 2023, Burt's Bees presented three important research abstracts at the Integrative Dermatology Symposium 2023 that highlight the efficacy of natural component product formulations in the skin care industry. The abstracts looked at various topical solutions that incorporate botanical elements like organic plant oils and the brand's distinguishing beeswax. They also included data on the products' ability to reduce age spots, keep the lip microbiome healthy, and balance the skin barrier for people with sensitive skin.

Segmentation of Sustainable Beauty and Skincare Market,

Global Sustainable Beauty and Skincare Market -By Type

Organic Beauty Products

Natural Skincare Products

Vegan Beauty Products

Cruelty-Free Cosmetics

Clean Beauty Products

Global Sustainable Beauty and Skincare Market - By Application

Facial Care

Hair Care

Body Care

Makeup and Cosmetics

Fragrances

Global Sustainable Beauty and Skincare Market - By Distribution Channel

Online Retail

Brick-and-Mortar Stores

Specialty Beauty Stores

Health and Wellness Retailers

Direct Sales

Global Sustainable Beauty and Skincare Market - By Region

North America-

The US

Canada

Mexico

Europe-

Germany

The UK

France

Italy

Spain

Rest of Europe

Asia-Pacific-

China

Japan

India

South Korea

Southeast Asia

Rest of Asia Pacific

Latin America-

Brazil

Argentina

Rest of Latin America

Middle East & Africa-

GCC Countries

South Africa

Rest of the Middle East and Africa

For More Customization @ https://www.insightaceanalytic.com/customisation/2618

Why should buy this report:

To receive a comprehensive analysis of the prospects for global Sustainable Beauty and Skincare market

To receive industry overview and future trends of global Sustainable Beauty and Skincare market

To analyze the Sustainable Beauty and Skincare market drivers and challenges

To get information on the Sustainable Beauty and Skincare market size value (US$ Mn) forecast till 2031

Major Investments, Mergers & Acquisition in global Sustainable Beauty and Skincare industry

Other Related Reports Published by InsightAce Analytic:

Next-Generation Personalized Beauty Market

Bio-Based Cosmetics and Personal Care Ingredients Market

Microbiome Cosmetics Market

Goat Milk Cosmetics Market

Probiotic Cosmetic Products Market

About Us:

InsightAce Analytic is a market research and consulting firm that enables clients to make strategic decisions. Our qualitative and quantitative market intelligence solutions inform the need for market and competitive intelligence to expand businesses. We help clients gain competitive advantage by identifying untapped markets, exploring new and competing technologies, segmenting potential markets and repositioning products. Our expertise is in providing syndicated and custom market intelligence reports with an in-depth analysis with key market insights in a timely and cost-effective manner.

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Growing Use of Sodium Propionate as Food Additive Driven by Excellent Solubility and Microbiological Resistance.

ROCKVILLE, Md., July 30, 2024 /PRNewswire/ -- The global Sodium Propionate Market is estimated to reach a size of US$ 168.5 million in 2024, as revealed in the recently updated industry analysis published by Fact.MR, a market research and competitive intelligence provider. The market has been projected to expand at a CAGR of 3.9% from 2024 to 2034.

Sodium propionate is used significantly as unsaturated fat in pharmaceutical and preservative industries. High solvency and microbial movement make it ideal for use as a food additive. Increasing demand for processed food products is pushing the use of sodium propionate in packaged and processed meals, which are exhibiting high demand due to the busy lifestyle of more people in today's world. The flourishing processed food sector, including dairy products, poultry, pork, and baked goods, accounts for the high demand for sodium propionate as a popular preservative and for extending product shelf life.

For More Insights into the Market, Request a Sample of this Report:

https://www.factmr.com/connectus/sample?flag=S&rep_id=9044

Key Takeaway from Sodium Propionate Market Study:

The market for sodium propionate is projected to climb to a value of US$ 247.1 million by 2034.

B2C sales channels are forecasted to occupy a 53.3% share of the global market by the end of 2034.

North America is analyzed to capture a share of 24.3% of the global market by 2034-end.

The market in South Korea is forecasted to expand at 4.6% CAGR through 2034.

Worldwide sales of liquid sodium propionate are projected to rise at a CAGR of 4.4% and reach US$ 112.7 million by 2034.

Demand for sodium propionate in Japan is evaluated to increase at a CAGR of 4.4% from 2024 to 2034.

"Constant advancements in product formulations and food processing techniques are creating opportunities for manufacturers of sodium propionate and helping them offer more effective products," says a Fact.MR analyst.

Leading Players Driving Innovation in the Sodium Propionate Market

Key players in the sodium propionate industry are Prathista Industries Ltd.; Jainex Specialty Chemicals; Fine Organic Industries Private Limited; Dr. Paul Lohmann GmbH KG; Krishna Chemicals; Macco Organiques Inc.; Titan Biotech Ltd.; Foodchem International Corporation; Sigma-Aldrich, Inc.; Tengzhou Tenglong Chemical Co. Ltd.; Paul Lohmann GmbH KG; Rishi Chemicals Work Pvt. Ltd.; Toronto Research Chemicals Inc.; Niacet Corporation; Titan Biotech Limited.

High Consumption of Convenience and Packaged Food Products in the United States

Demand for sodium propionate in the United States is projected to increase at a CAGR of 4.3% and reach a value of US$ 27.4 million by the end of 2034. More consumers in the country are opting for convenience and packaged food products due to their hectic lifestyles. Therefore, with growing demand for convenience food products, a positive impact on the sales of sodium propionate is also witnessed for their features of preserving food products without any compromise with the texture or taste.

Sodium Propionate Industry News:

Macco Organiques is one of the leading producers of sodium propionate in Canada. In February 2022, the company signed an agreement with Kraft Heinz, a prominent food manufacturer in the United States, to expand its footprint in the country.

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Global Market Analysis 2019 to 2023 and Forecast 2024 to 2034, by Grade:

Food-grade

Pharmaceutical-grade

Global Market Analysis 2019 to 2023 and Forecast 2024 to 2034, by Form

Powder

Liquid

Granules

Global Market Analysis 2019 to 2023 and Forecast 2024 to 2034, by Function

Preservatives

pH Regulators

Flavor Enhancers

Mold Inhibitors

Antimicrobial Agents

Global Market Analysis 2019 to 2023 and Forecast 2024 to 2034, by End-use Industry

Pharmaceuticals

Food & Beverages

Agriculture

Cosmetics & Personal Care

Global Market Analysis 2019 to 2023 and Forecast 2024 to 2034, by Distribution Channel

B2B Channels

B2C Channels

More Valuable Insights:

Fact.MR, in its new offering, presents an unbiased analysis of the sodium propionate market, presenting historical demand data (2019 to 2023) and forecast statistics for the period (2024 to 2034).

The study divulges essential insights into the market based on grade (food-grade, pharmaceutical-grade), form (powder, liquid, granules), end-use industry (pharmaceuticals, food & beverages, agriculture, cosmetics & personal care), function (preservatives, pH regulators, flavor enhancers, mold inhibitors, antimicrobial agents), and distribution channel (B2B channels, B2C channels), across seven major regions of the world (North America, Latin America, Western Europe, Eastern Europe, East Asia, South Asia & Pacific, and MEA).

Checkout More Related Studies Published by Fact.MR Research:

Liquid Sodium Silicate Market has been projected at a value of US$ 3.65 billion for 2024 and is forecasted to reach a size of US$ 5.78 billion by the end of 2034. The market is projected to expand at a CAGR of 4.3% from 2024 to 2034.

Low Sodium Salt Market is set to reach a valuation of US$ 186.3 million in 2023 and further expand at a CAGR of 5.3% to reach US$ 312.3 million by the end of 2033.

Sodium Alginate sales are projected to reach US$ 215 million in 2024. The market has been studied to climb to a value of US$ 312.1 million by the end of 2034, expanding at a CAGR of 3.8% over the forecast period (2024 to 2034).

Sodium Amide Market stands at US$ 723 million in 2023. Worldwide demand for sodium amide is forecasted to increase at a CAGR of 6.8% and reach a market value of US$ 1.4 billion by 2033.

Sodium Chlorite Market Size, Share & Forecast Analysis, By Application (Disinfectants, Antimicrobial Agents, Bleaching Agents, and Other Applications), By End-Use, (Water Treatment, Paper, Textile, Medical and Other End-Uses), and By Region - Global Market Insights 2022 to 2032.

About Us:

Fact.MR is a distinguished market research company renowned for its comprehensive market reports and invaluable business insights. As a prominent player in business intelligence, we deliver deep analysis, uncovering market trends, growth paths, and competitive landscapes. Renowned for its commitment to accuracy and reliability, we empower businesses with crucial data and strategic recommendations, facilitating informed decision-making and enhancing market positioning.

With its unwavering dedication to providing reliable market intelligence, FACT.MR continues to assist companies in navigating dynamic market challenges with confidence and achieving long-term success. With a global presence and a team of experienced analysts, FACT.MR ensures its clients receive actionable insights to capitalize on emerging opportunities and stay ahead in the competitive landscape.

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ST. LOUIS, MO / ACCESSWIRE / July 30, 2024 / MTM, the largest privately held non-emergency medical transportation (NEMT) broker in the nation and one of the St. Louis area's largest privately held companies, is excited to announce the opening of its new office in the vibrant Grove neighborhood of downtown St. Louis. This strategic move signifies MTM's commitment to fostering innovation, collaboration, and growth within the St. Louis community.





MTM's Office in the Grove





The new office space houses several departments including a customer service center, where 16 Customer Care Representatives began working on July 1. The first round of hiring saw an impressive 231 applicants, reflecting the strong interest and talent available in the area. Further hiring of Customer Care Representatives is planned in the coming months to support the continued expansion of MTM's St. Louis-based customer service operations. Additionally, several corporate support teams have dedicated workspace in the facility, including Marketing, Product Development, and Finance, as well as the VeyoRide driver onboarding team. The multifunctional downtown space will also serve as a central hub for MTM's innovative aging-in-place Wanda product as it continues to expand into new markets.

"This new office is a testament to our commitment to St. Louis and our dedication to expanding our reach and impact in the area," said Alaina Macia, President and CEO of MTM. "The St. Louis metro area has always been our home, but our employees have never had the privilege of working in the heart of the city. By establishing a presence in downtown St. Louis, we are able to attract a larger and more diverse pool of talent, especially those who rely on public transportation. This move not only supports our growth, but also enhances our ability to serve our Missouri-based clients and members more effectively."

The new downtown location is MTM's third workspace in the St. Louis area, complementing existing offices in Lake St. Louis and Chesterfield. This expansion allows the company to continue growing a diverse team and further integrate into the local community.

About MTM

MTM is the nation's most trusted and qualified partner for healthcare, transportation, and logistics solutions. Since 1995, MTM has managed NEMT for state and county governments, managed care organizations, health systems, and other programs involving transportation for the disabled, underserved, and elderly. Leveraging technology to streamline processes and improve the user experience for all stakeholders, MTM's wide spectrum of services help clients improve health outcomes, promote independence, reduce costs, and increase satisfaction. In 2009, MTM's leadership established MTM Transit, an affiliate that provides direct paratransit and fixed route transit services. Every year, MTM and MTM Transit collectively remove community barriers for 15 million people by providing more than 25 million trips in 36 states and the District of Columbia. MTM and MTM Transit are privately held, woman-owned business enterprises.

Contact Information

Ashley Wright

Senior Manager, Marketing

awright@mtminc.com

SOURCE: MTM, Inc.

View the original press release on newswire.com.
WESTFORD, Mass., July 30, 2024 /PRNewswire/ -- According to SkyQuest, the global Hydrogen Market size was valued at USD 225.15 billion in 2022 and is poised to grow from USD 242.71 billion in 2023 to USD 442.63 billion by 2031, growing at a CAGR of 7.8% during the forecast period (2024-2031).

The move towards decarbonization has led to a high demand for clean energy thereby creating a lucrative scenario for hydrogen suppliers. Development of new engines working on hydrogen and rising popularity of hydrogen-powered transportation will also help hydrogen market growth in the future. Increasing investments in the establishment of new hydrogen generation plants around the world is also expected to boost revenue generation for market players going forward. The global hydrogen market is segmented into sectors, application, and region.

Download a detailed overview:

https://www.skyquestt.com/sample-request/hydrogen-market

Hydrogen Market Overview:

Report Coverage Details Market Revenue in 2023 $ 242.71 Billion Estimated Value by 2031 $ 442.63 Billion Growth Rate Poised to grow at a CAGR of 7.8% Forecast Period 2024-2031 Forecast Units Value (USD Billion) Report Coverage Revenue Forecast, Competitive Landscape, Growth Factors, and Trends Segments Covered Sector, Application, and Region Geographies Covered North America, Europe, Asia Pacific, Latin America, and Middle East and Africa. Report Highlights Emphasis on green hydrogen generation Key Market Opportunities Development of hydrogen-powered vehicles Key Market Drivers High demand for clean energy and rising focus on sustainability

Segments covered in Hydrogen Market are as follows:

Sector

Generation Type (Gray Hydrogen, Blue Hydrogen, Green Hydrogen), Storage (Physical, Material-based), and Transportation (Long Distance, Short Distance)

Application

Energy (Power Generation, Combined Heat & power (CHP)), Mobility, and Chemical & Refinery (Petroleum Refinery, Ammonia Production, Methanol Production)

Request Free Customization of this report:

https://www.skyquestt.com/speak-with-analyst/hydrogen-market

Streamlining Hydrogen Generation Remains Top Priority for Most Hydrogen Companies

Generation of hydrogen in the most sustainable way possible is the prime focus of most hydrogen companies. This is why the generation segment is projected to bring in the most revenue for hydrogen providers across the forecast period and beyond. Rising investments in the research and development of novel hydrogen generation technologies and processes are also expected to help this segment maintain a dominant market share. Green hydrogen generation is forecasted to spearhead hydrogen market development in the long run.

On the other hand, the hydrogen storage segment is projected to expand at a notable CAGR over the coming years. As hydrogen use increases around the world, so is the need for better storage solutions. Safe storage solutions for hydrogen are witnessing a robust hike in demand and this is why investing in this segment could pay off big time for new as well as leading hydrogen companies. Liquefaction and compression are projected to be popular means of storage for hydrogen in the future.

View report summary and Table of Contents (TOC):

https://www.skyquestt.com/report/hydrogen-market

Energy Applications are Slated to Spearhead Revenue Generation for Hydrogen Providers

The surge in demand for clean energy is pushing energy companies away from the use of fossil fuels to generate energy. Hydrogen is emerging as a clean source of energy for multiple applications including electricity generation. Integration of other clean energy sources such as solar, wind, and hydroelectric with hydrogen is projected to revolutionize the future of energy industry. Rising investments in development of clean and renewable energy generation plants will also help this segment bolster market growth in the long run.

Mobility is another key application where the demand for hydrogen is projected to surge at an impressive pace over the coming years. Development and adoption of hydrogen-powered vehicles around the world is forecasted to help this segment generate new opportunities for hydrogen providers in the future. High use of hydrogen fuel cells and better driving range of hydrogen vehicles as compared to electric vehicles will also play a key role in bolstering market growth going forward.

The global hydrogen market is rife with opportunities and investing in almost any segment will offer good return on investments for companies.

Related Report:

Surface Disinfectant Market

Blue Hydrogen Market

Hydrogen Fuel Cell Vehicle Market

Hydrogen Energy Storage Market

Hydrogen Peroxide Market

About Us:

SkyQuest is an IP focused Research and Investment Bank and Accelerator of Technology and assets. We provide access to technologies, markets and finance across sectors viz. Life Sciences, CleanTech, AgriTech, NanoTech and Information & Communication Technology.

We work closely with innovators, inventors, innovation seekers, entrepreneurs, companies and investors alike in leveraging external sources of R&D. Moreover, we help them in optimizing the economic potential of their intellectual assets. Our experiences with innovation management and commercialization has expanded our reach across North America, Europe, ASEAN and Asia Pacific.

Contact:

Mr. Jagraj Singh

SkyQuest Technology

1 Apache Way,

Westford,

Massachusetts 01886

USA (+1) 351-333-4748

Email: sales@skyquestt.com

Visit Our Website: https://www.skyquestt.com/

Logo: https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/2446095/SkyQuest_Logo.jpg

View original content:https://www.prnewswire.co.uk/news-releases/hydrogen-market-to-attain-a-usd-442-63-billion-by-2031-as-hydrogen-emerges-as-a-popular-clean-fuel-alternative--skyquest-technology-302209719.html
Worldwide Healthcare Trust PLC - Appointment of New Director

PR Newswire

LONDON, United Kingdom, July 30

30 July 2024

WORLDWIDE HEALTHCARE TRUST PLC

(the "Company")

Appointment of New Director

As part of the ongoing process of refreshment described in the Company's Annual Report & Accounts, the Board of Worldwide Healthcare Trust PLC is pleased to announce the appointment of Sian Hansen as an independent, non-executive Director of the Company, with effect from Tuesday, 1 October 2024.

Ms Hansen is a non-executive Director of Pacific Assets Trust plc, and is a member of the Advisory Board of Cerno Capital Partners LLP. She was formerly Chief Operating Officer at global strategic consultancy group CT Group and an Executive Director of the Legatum Institute. She was also a non-executive Director of JP Morgan Multi-Asset Global Growth & Income plc.

On appointment, Sian will be a member of the Company's Audit & Risk Committee, the Nominations Committee and the Management Engagement & Remuneration Committee.

The Chair of Worldwide Healthcare Trust PLC, Doug McCutcheon, commented:

"My fellow Directors and I are delighted to welcome Sian to the Board. We are very pleased to have someone with such a breadth of knowledge of the investment trust sector together with extensive experience in strategic geopolitical, financial and governance matters joining us as a Director."

Ms Hansen's appointment will be proposed to shareholders for election at the Annual General Meeting of the Company to be held in July 2025.

Ms Hansen currently holds no ordinary shares in the Company.

There is no further information to be disclosed under Listing Rule 9.6.13R(2) to (6).

- ENDS-

For further information please contact:
Missing Cambodian military chopper found, with all 2 persons aboard dead: Defense spokesperson

Phnom Penh, July 30( UNI) A Cambodian military helicopter, that went missing on July 12, was found in the Cardamom Mountains on Monday, with both two people aboard confirmed dead, a defense spokesperson said on Tuesday.



"At 10:30 a.m. local on July 30, 2024, the search team of the Royal Cambodian Armed Forces (RCAF) found the body of pilot Sun Phalla at the foot of the Yav Yai Mountain, about 210 meters from the crash site," Gen. Chhum Socheat, a secretary of state and spokesperson for the Ministry of National Defense, announced in a post on social media.
Calgary, Alberta--(Newsfile Corp. - July 30, 2024) - Volt Carbon Technologies Inc. (TSXV: VCT) (OTCQB: TORVF) ("Volt Carbon" or the "Company") is pleased to announce the initiation of its 2024 exploration program on the Mount Copeland Molybdenum (Moly) and Rare Earth Element (REE) property located in Revelstoke, British Columbia.







Exploration Program Overview

Volt Carbon's exploration program at Mount Copeland will primarily focus on sampling the tailings pond, which is believed to contain REE mineralization. In addition, the program will include re-sampling the West extension, the main target, which previously showed good width and elevated REE with magnetic minerals like Pyrrhotite and magnetite near the syenite contact, providing promising drill targets. Further, re-sampling efforts will extend to the high-grade area to the east where the glacier has receded, potentially revealing more accessible mineral deposits. Tailings ponds are often overlooked yet can be rich sources of REEs and critical minerals. Our targeted sampling aims to efficiently recover these resources, leveraging both internal and external laboratory analyses for thorough evaluation. The Mount Copeland property is situated in a geologically favorable region, enhancing its potential to yield significant REE resources. The previously mined molybdenum ore is notable for its clean geochemistry due to its alkaline nature, distinguishing it from other calc-alkaline or non-syenite hosted ores.

Historical Data and Potential

Historical geochemical analysis reports of REEs from previous drilling and rock samples initiated by the Company on Mount Copeland highlight significant REE and Nb potential across various zones. The 1973 Mo mine area features an Mo-Nb vein with extensive underground development. The West extension shows REE-Nb in syenite-carbonate breccia zones, while the East extension reveals REE-Nb in disseminated breccia and vein formations within a glacial ice basin, an area prone to avalanches and rockfalls. A notable geochemical analysis from 2010, conducted 400 meters east of the King Resources 1972-73 molybdenum mine site, reported high-grade REE concentrations in Sample #10AR-20: 13.1% Ce, 10.2% La, 1.77% Nd, 0.77% Pr, and 0.62% Zr. This sample was analyzed using lithium borate fusion with ICPMS finish at ALS Chemex Labs, North Vancouver, BC.

The property has a 1,828-meter-long tunnel, known as an adit, used for mining the Glacier (molybdenum) Zone in the 1970s. This adit is located 200 to 600 meters west of the Marble Breccia Zone and 400 meters east of the vein zone, providing access for the potential future underground development of these areas. The geochemical and petrology report, along with details of the adit, can be found at the following location: https://voltcarbontech.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/01/mtcopeland__report_2010.pdf. It should be noted that the mineral tenures referenced in the 2010 report have been reduced and modified (with intent to maintain the area of the known mineral zones).

Qualified Persons Statement

The technical content of this news release has been reviewed and approved by Andris Kikauka, P.Geo., a Qualified Person as defined by National Instrument 43-101 - Standards of Disclosure for Mineral Projects. Mr. Kikauka has over 30 years of experience in mineral exploration and is a member in good standing of the Association of Professional Engineers and Geoscientists of British Columbia (APEGBC).

Update to July 22nd Flow-Through Financing News Release

The July 22, 2024, news release stated that Finder Warrants are exercisable by each Finder at a price of $0.045. Each Finder Warrant has now been adjusted to an exercise price of $0.05. All other information in the July 22, 2024, press release remains the same.

About Volt Carbon Technologies

Volt Carbon is a publicly traded carbon science company, with specific interests in energy storage and green energy creation, with holdings in mining claims in the provinces of Ontario, Quebec and British Columbia in Canada. For the latest information on Volt Carbon's properties and news please refer to the website www.voltcarbontech.com.

On behalf of the Board of Directors,

Neither TSX Venture Exchange nor its Regulation Services Provider (as that term is defined in the policies of the TSX Venture Exchange) accepts responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this release.

FORWARD LOOKING STATEMENTS: This press release contains forward-looking statements, within the meaning of applicable securities legislation, concerning Volt Carbon's business and affairs. In certain cases, forward-looking statements can be identified by the use of words such as "plans", "expects" or "does not expect", "intends" "budget", "scheduled", "estimates", "forecasts", "intends", "anticipates" 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". Such forward-looking statements include those with respect to: (i) initiation of its exploration program on the Mount Copeland Rare Earth Element (REE) property located in Revelstoke, British Columbia.; (ii) the sampling of the tailings pond which is believed to contain valuable REE (iii) re-sampling the West extension, the main target, which previously showed good width and elevated REE with magnetic minerals like Pyrrhotite and magnetite near the syenite contact, providing promising drill targets. and re-sampling efforts will extend to the high-grade area to the east where the glacier has receded, potentially revealing more accessible mineral deposits (iv) Historical geochemical analysis reports of REEs from previous drilling and rock samples initiated by the Company on Mount Copeland highlight significant REE and Nb potential across various zones. (v)

Statements of past performance should not be construed as an indication of future performance. Forward-looking statements involve significant risks and uncertainties, should not be read as guarantees of future performance or results, and will not necessarily be accurate indications of whether or not such results will be achieved. A number of factors, including those discussed above, could cause actual results to differ materially from the results discussed in the forward-looking statements. Any such forward-looking statements are expressly qualified in their entirety by this cautionary statement.

All of the forward-looking statements made in this press release are qualified by these cautionary statements. Readers are cautioned not to place undue reliance on such forward-looking statements. Forward-looking information is provided as of the date of this press release, and Volt Carbon assumes no obligation to update or revise them to reflect new events or circumstances, except as may be required under applicable securities legislation.

To view the source version of this press release, please visit https://www.newsfilecorp.com/release/218237

SOURCE: Volt Carbon Technologies
ATLANTA, GA / ACCESSWIRE / July 30, 2024 / Procure Analytics (PA), the leading data and technology-enabled Group Purchasing Organization (GPO) specializing in indirect spend categories like MRO and Packaging, today announced the acquisition of Direct Sourcing Solutions, Inc. (DSSI), a managed procurement services provider. This strategic acquisition strengthens Procure Analytics' position as a full-scope solution for indirect goods and related services.





Procure Analytics Acquires DSSI

This image shows the logo for Procure Analytics (PA) and Direct Sourcing Solutions, Inc. (DSSI).





Procure Analytics' existing offerings address its members' core MRO and indirect spend through highly leveraged GPO contracts, and unplanned tail spend ('spot buys') through its Amicus Spend Management business. The acquisition of DSSI expands the capabilities of Amicus by providing managed procurement services to address members' recurring, unmanaged spend.

"DSSI's expertise in managed procurement services perfectly complements our existing offerings," said Suja Katarya, CEO of Procure Analytics. "By combining our data-driven GPO model and Amicus Spend Management with DSSI's deep procurement knowledge and global resources, we can now provide our members with a truly comprehensive solution to optimize their indirect spend across the board from strategic category management to tail spend sourcing."

DSSI brings over 100 procurement professionals located in Michigan, Kentucky, Mexico, and Europe to the Procure Analytics team. This expanded team strengthens Procure Analytics' ability to deliver world-class procurement services to its members on a global scale by giving them:

A hosted punchout catalog offering containing more than 2.5 million items, built-in workflow approval processes, and direct integrations with PA member ERP systems in standard formats;

Curated catalogs and custom solutions for individual members based on category strategy and individual company or site requirements;

Expanded category offerings and sourcing capabilities that cover chemicals, gases, welding supplies, repair services, OEM parts, capex, and much more;

Access to Mexico and 14 European markets with punchout and ERP integration capabilities in multiple languages, as well as dedicated teams stationed in Mexico and Slovakia.

"PA's world-class experience in MRO makes them the perfect partner for DSSI," said Bhagwan Thacker, CEO of DSSI. "I am thrilled to see our companies come together and excited for our customers to have the best support available for procurement of their MRO and indirect spend."

About Procure Analytics

Procure Analytics (PA) is a data and technology-enabled group purchasing organization (GPO). As the largest leveraged purchasing program addressing the complex categories of MRO and Packaging, PA offers members pricing and commercial benefits built on $2 billion of purchasing power. Further differentiating PA from other GPOs are an expert spend management team and a powerful data engine, designed to help members optimize their spend management and deliver continuous total cost improvement. PA's Amicus Spend Management offering combines rapid sourcing of unplanned product and service needs and consolidation of recurring tail transactions into a streamlined, single-supplier solution. All PA members benefit from managed implementation, dedicated member advisory, and spend analytics and savings tracking to drive immediate and continuous cost improvement. For more information about Procure Analytics, visit procureanalytics.com.

About DSSI

DSSI, LLC is a leading managed purchasing services company focused on driving lowest total cost of indirect materials and services for companies in the EU and North American markets. DSSI combines the power of leveraged sourcing and deep product and market expertise to provide clients with a best-price solution for millions of indirect goods and services, enabled by a powerful and easy-to-access procurement platform (EPIC) that is compatible with all major eProcurement and ERP solutions. DSSI clients enjoy the benefits of a single-supplier solution that is easily tailored to address individual client product needs, purchasing policies, and technology requirements. Learn more about DSSI at directsourcing.com.

Contact Information

Josh Stancil

Vice President of Marketing

josh.stancil@procureanalytics.com

770-363-4084

SOURCE: Procure Analytics

View the original press release on newswire.com.
Finsbury Growth & Income Trust PLC - Transaction in Own Shares

PR Newswire

LONDON, United Kingdom, July 30

For immediate release

30 July 2024

FINSBURY GROWTH & INCOME TRUST PLC

(the "Company")

MARKET PURCHASE OF COMPANY'S OWN SHARES

The Company announce that it has today purchased 195,611 of its own shares ("Ordinary Shares") at a price of 848.68 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 50,891,959; 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 174,099,344.

The figure of 174,099,344 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
Bloomreach, Google Cloud, and NVIDIA Host One Day Event for Leaders Across Ecommerce and Marketing

Featuring Emmy-nominated Host, Producer, and Writer Baratunde Thurston as Keynote Speaker

Bloomreach, the platform fueling limitless ecommerce personalization, today announced the 2024 Edge Summit: a one-day event exploring the intersection of commerce and AI, co-hosted by Google Cloud and NVIDIA. Held in London and New York City, and live streamed digitally around the world, the Edge Summit offers an opportunity for leaders across ecommerce, marketing, and search to learn how to turn the vast potential of AI into actionable strategies.

The Edge Summit will feature a keynote speech by the esteemed futurist, comedian, and commentator, Baratunde Thurston. Thurston has offered unique perspectives across a broad range of poignant topics, weaving together threads of race, technology, democracy, and climate through his work as an Emmy-nominated host, producer, writer, and public speaker. At the Edge Summit, Thurston will bring the future of AI into today's reality, discussing its impact on society and humanity at large.

"We are thrilled to once again host the Edge Summit, a pivotal event that stands at the forefront of AI and commerce," said Raj De Datta, co-founder and CEO, Bloomreach. "As we continue to navigate a new era of commerce with AI at the center, our goal for the Edge Summit is to foster an environment where ideas can converge, innovations can be showcased, and meaningful connections can be made."

Appearing on stage in thought-provoking panels include leaders from noteworthy brands and businesses. Panelists represent companies such as Ikea, Gordon Ramsay Restaurants, the Vitamin Shoppe, Pandora, Pernod Ricard, and more. Event hosts Bloomreach, Google Cloud, and NVIDIA will also hit the stage to share product announcements and thoughts on how AI is impacting consumer expectations.

The Edge Summit will take place on September 3, 2024 in London and October 3, 2024 in New York City, in person and via livestream. Secure your spot today.

About Bloomreach

Bloomreach personalizes the ecommerce experience. Its data engine unifies real-time customer and product data so businesses understand what customers really want. By connecting that understanding to every channel, the ecommerce experience becomes limitless reflecting a changing customer as they shop. Amplified by the speed and scale of Loomi, Bloomreach's AI for ecommerce, this creates endless new paths to purchase, greater profitability, and fast business growth. Bloomreach products include: Engagement, a marketing automation platform; Discovery, an ecommerce search solution; Content, a headless CMS; and Clarity, AI-powered conversational shopping. The company has multiple AI patents and serves 1,400+ global brands including: Williams-Sonoma, Bosch, Puma, and Marks Spencer.

View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20240730614941/en/

Contacts:

Michelle DeMaio

Bloomreach

Corporate Communications

michelle.demaio@bloomreach.com
Park City, Utah--(Newsfile Corp. - July 30, 2024) - Breakthrough Mastermind, a mentorship and peer advisory platform for successful entrepreneurs and CEOs, has announced its three-day event, "Peak Performance in Park City with Master & Momentum," for October 1-3, 2024. The Park City, Utah event will feature masterclasses, personal development sessions, interactive panels with breakout sessions, and many more opportunities for networking and personal growth. This is one of Breakthrough Mastermind's three annual events geared toward leaders of ventures earning 7, 8, or 9-figure revenues.

Breakthrough Mastermind

To view an enhanced version of this graphic, please visit:

https://images.newsfilecorp.com/files/8798/218175_db54553a84d44853_001full.jpg

"Members can experience the power of three immersive events per year," reads a statement by Breakthrough Mastermind, "meticulously crafted to elevate their entrepreneurial journey. These events reveal methods for boosting sales, maximizing profits, and raising business value, directed by our faculty and Mastermind Partners with the collective wisdom of our members."

The October event will be exclusive to Breakthrough Mastermind members, providing an environment where "high achievers, industry experts, and forward-thinking professionals come together to unlock new levels of success." The theme of "Mastery & Momentum" will be geared toward sustaining the drive for continuous growth and improvement, both on the scale of your enterprise and in your excellence.

The benefits of attendance include:

Actionable Insights: Practical strategies and tools to enhance professional and personal life.

Practical strategies and tools to enhance professional and personal life. Inspiration and Motivation: Stories of perseverance and success to fuel drive.

Stories of perseverance and success to fuel drive. Valuable Connections: Lasting relationships with fellow attendees, speakers, and industry leaders.

Lasting relationships with fellow attendees, speakers, and industry leaders. Continuous Growth: A continuous improvement mindset to maintain momentum after the event.

Those interested in attending can join the Breakthrough Mastermind community and register for the event. Membership in the community requires proven success in business as a founder, entrepreneur, or executive with at least three years of experience, high ethical standards, and sufficient annual business revenue or income.

The community also asks members to share its values, such as being "open-minded, collaborative, and dedicated to connecting with peers." In the words of Breakthrough Mastermind, "Our community values counsel over random advice, ensuring the quality of founders and participants." The community and events like the upcoming "Peak Performance in Park City" create a carefully curated resource of authentic wisdom, insight, and support.

Key figures of the Breakthrough Mastermind team and its ambassadors include personal development expert Tony Child; strategic consultant and TEDx speaker Maresa Friedman; Aaron Hagemen, the founder of Hageman Enterprises and many other ventures; leadership and learning development expert Brooke Janzen; Baron Baptiste, the founder of Baptiste Yoga; and many other influential leaders.

The skills, knowledge, and wisdom of these leaders and the Breakthrough Mastermind community will fuel the insights available at the "Peak Performance and Park City" event. Members can RSVP online today, and non-members can apply to preview the event. Sponsorship opportunities are also available.

About Breakthrough Mastermind

Breakthrough Mastermind is a community and peer advisory platform for highly motivated 7, 8, and 9-figure entrepreneurs and CEOs. They provide resources that help leaders optimize business operations and nurture personal development. Members receive assistance streamlining business operations, achieving financial milestones, and unlocking their personal and professional potential.

Media Details:

SOURCE: Breakthrough Mastermind

To view the source version of this press release, please visit https://www.newsfilecorp.com/release/218175

SOURCE: Ascend Agency
Nearly 13% of American tourists in Paris live in Oregon, Start.io analysis reveals

NEW YORK, NY / ACCESSWIRE / July 30, 2024 / Oregonians are traveling to Paris for the Summer Olympics in higher numbers than expected, according to a new data analysis from Start.io.

This tiny state in the Northwest is home to an estimated 4.23 million Americans, or roughly 1.3% of the nation's population. But Oregonians make up nearly 13% of the Americans currently in Paris for the opening week of the Summer Games, according to Start.io data.

In its analysis, Start.io studied a representative sample of more than 50,000 American tourists in Paris between July 18 and July 28, 2024, ranked by their home state. Start.io delivers hundreds of millions of ads each day to more than 500,000 active mobile apps, and gathers anonymized consumer data, including location. Advertisers can use location data from Start.io to send targeted ads to people who are traveling.

Other states that have a higher-than-expected number of American tourists per capita include Washington state, New Jersey, California, and New York.

Americans most likely to travel to Paris for the Summer Games:

State % of National Population % of Americans in Paris Relative difference Oregon 1.26% 12.97% +11.71% Washington 2.33% 10.46% +8.12% New Jersey 2.77% 8.69% +5.92% California 11.63% 17.17% +5.54% New York 5.84% 10.66% +4.82%

Source: 2023 population estimate (U.S. Census Bureau), and Start.io analysis of number of Americans in Paris (10-day average, 7/18/24 to 7/28/24)

On the other side of the equation, people from Texas, Pennsylvania, North Carolina, Michigan, and Ohio have traveled to Paris in smaller-than-expected numbers.

Americans least likely to travel to Paris for the Summer Games:

State % of National Population % of Americans in Paris Relative difference Texas 9.11% 4.35% -4.76% Pennsylvania 3.87% 0.29% -3.58% North Carolina 3.24% 0.28% -2.95% Michigan 3% 0.19% -2.81% Ohio 3.52% 1.23% -2.29%

Source: 2023 population estimate (U.S. Census Bureau), and Start.io analysis of number of Americans in Paris (10-day average, 7/18/24 to 7/28/24)

Hundreds of thousands of tourists from around the world have traveled to Paris for the Summer Games. On a typical summer day, roughly 25% of people in Paris are travelers, while 75% are permanent residents, according to Start.io's analysis.

At the start of the Summer Games, the number of tourists in Paris grew to roughly 33% of the city's population.

About Start.io

Start.io is a sell-side omnichannel advertising platform powered by real-time mobile audiences. We deliver hundreds of millions of ads per day across more than 500,000 active apps. Our platform uses artificial intelligence to deliver more efficient, effective, and precise digital advertising campaigns. Our direct integration with thousands of mobile publishers gives us access to more than 50 billion first-party data signals per day across the globe. Marketers use these anonymized signals to understand and predict consumer behavior, identify new opportunities, and fuel business growth.

Contact Information

Maya Carmely

Director of Marketing

maya.carmely@start.io

SOURCE: Start.io

View the original press release on newswire.com.
NOT FOR DISTRIBUTION, DIRECTLY OR INDIRECTLY, IN THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA, CANADA, AUSTRALIA AND JAPAN

Launch of a Reserved Offering of new shares for c. 5 million aimed at categories of institutional investors

Closing of the Reserved Offering expected on July 31, 2024, before market opening

Cash runway extended to Q4 2026 post Reserved Offering

The funds raised will be used to fund the Company's R&D activities covering pre-clinical proof of concept activities and for working capital and other general corporate purposes

Regulatory News:

Aelis Farma (ISIN: FR0014007ZB4 Ticker: AELIS the "Company"), a clinical-stage biopharmaceutical company specialized in the development of treatments for brain diseases, today announces the launch of a capital increase without shareholders' preferential subscription rights reserved to specific categories of investors, in accordance with Article L. 225-138 of the French Commercial Code, of approximately 5 million, through an accelerated book-building process (the "Reserved Offering

Aelis Farma will use the net proceeds of the Reserved Offering to

fund the continued development of its CB1-SSi therapeutic candidates by performing pre-clinical proof of concept studies to select: A new CB1-SSi for obesity related metabolic diseases and pathological fibrotic conditions A new CB1-SSi for Dopamine dependent Brain Disorders as for example Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorders (ADHD) and/or dopamine hyperactivity related orphan diseases



working capital and other general corporate purposes.

On the basis of planned expenditure, total cash and cash equivalents as of December 31, 2023, of 20.2 million, and the funds raised, the Company estimates that it will be able to finance its operations to Q4 2026.

Pier Vincenzo Piazza, CEO of Aelis Farma, commented: "We are happy to announce the launch of a capital increase. This offering is strategically aimed at continuing to expand our shareholder base, accommodating the interest expressed by certain new high-quality investors, including a leading European healthcare specialist fund. This transaction will enable us to accelerate the development of the new families of CB1-SSi produced by our platform.

Terms and Conditions of the Reserved Offering

The Reserved Offering will be carried out through a share capital increase without shareholders' preferential subscription rights pursuant to Article L. 225-138 of the French Commercial Code, reserved to categories of investors defined under the 15th resolution of the annual general meeting of June 4, 2024 (the "AGM") (i.e. (i) natural or legal persons, including companies, trusts, investment funds or other investment vehicles, regardless of their form, governed by French or foreign law, who habitually invest in the pharmaceutical, biotech, or medical technology sector, as appropriate, when concluding an industrial, commercial, licensing, research or partnership agreement with the Company (or a subsidiary); and/or (ii) companies, institutions or entities, regardless of their form, French or foreign, exercising a significant part of their activity in the aforementioned sectors or in the cosmetic or chemical field or with regard to medical devices or research in these areas or which have concluded an industrial, commercial, licensing, research or partnership agreement with the Company (or a subsidiary); and/or (iii) any lending institution, any French or foreign investment service provider or member of an investment banking syndicate or any company or investment fund undertaking to subscribe to any issue likely to result in a capital increase in the future, which could be executed by virtue of this delegation in the context of implementing a financing line through equity or bonds; and/or any French or foreign investment service provider, or any foreign institution with equivalent status, who is likely to guarantee the completion of an issue intended to be placed with the persons referred to in: (i) and/or; (ii) above; and, in this context, to subscribe to the issued securities) and within the limits set forth in the 15th and 23rd resolutions of the AGM.

The Reserved Offering will consist of (i) an offering in Europe (including in France) of ordinary shares exclusively to qualified investor within the meaning of Article 2(e) of Regulation (EU) 2017/1129, as amended, and (ii) a private placement (x) outside the United States in reliance on Regulation S under the U.S. Securities Act of 1933, as amended (the "Securities Act") and (y) in the United States to a limited number of qualified institutional buyers as defined in Rule 144A under the Securities Act, pursuant to an exemption from registration under the Securities Act.

The total amount of the Reserved Offering would be approximately 5 million, with a possibility to increase this total amount, subject to investor demand.

The offering price of the new shares will represent a maximum discount of 20% to the Company's shares on the Euronext Paris regulated market at the time of the last trading session preceding pricing (i.e. July 30, 2024), in compliance with the 15th resolution of the Company.

The Reserved Offering will be carried out by "accelerated book-building", at the end of which the number of new shares to be issued and the price per share will be determined by the Chief Executive Officer of the Company, pursuant to and within the limits of the sub-delegations of authority granted by the Board of Directors of the Company on July 30, 2024 and in accordance with the 15th and 23rd resolutions of the AGM.

The accelerated book-building process for the Reserved Offering will be initiated immediately following the publication of this press release and is expected to close before markets open tomorrow (July 31, 2024), subject to early closing. The Company will announce the results of the Reserved Offering by press release after the order book closes, tomorrow before the market opens.

Settlement-delivery of the new ordinary shares and their admission to trading on the Euronext Paris regulated market are expected to occur on August 2, 2024 The new shares will be of the same class and fungible with the existing shares, will carry all rights attached to the shares, and will be admitted to trading on the Euronext Paris regulated market under the same ISIN code FR0014007ZB4.

Financial Intermediaries

Stifel Europe Bank AG ("Stifel") is acting as Sole Global Coordinator and Sole Bookrunner in connection with the Reserved Offering. Stifel is also acting as Centralizing Agent. The Reserved Offering is subject to a placement agreement entered into between the Company and Stifel dated July 30, 2024, and will be completed by a terms of issue upon pricing. Such agreement does not constitute a firm undertaking (garantie de bonne fin) within the meaning of article L. 225-145 of the French Commercial Code.

Lock-up undertakings

In connection with the Reserved Offering, the Company has undertaken with Stifel to refrain from issuing shares for a period of 90 calendar days from the settlement-delivery date of the Reserved Offering, subject to customary exceptions.

In connection with the Reserved Offering, management has entered into a lock-up agreement with Stifel for a period ending 90 calendar days after the settlement and delivery date of the Reserved Offering, subject to customary exceptions.

Prospectus

The Reserved Offering is not subject to a prospectus requiring an approval from the French Financial Markets Authority (Autorite des Marches Financiers) (the "AMF

Risk factors

The investors' attention is drawn to the risk factors relating to the Company and its business, presented in chapter 3 of the Universal Registration Document 2023 approved by the AMF on April 24, 2024, under number R.24-004, which is available free of charge on the Company's website (www.aelisfarma.com/investors) and on the AMF's website (www.amf-france.org). The occurrence of any or all these risks could have an adverse effect on the Company's business, financial situation, results, development or prospects.

In addition, investors are invited to consider the following risks specific to the issue: (i) the market price of the Company's shares could fluctuate and fall below the subscription price of the shares issued under the Reserved Offering, (ii) the volatility and liquidity of the Company's shares could fluctuate significantly, (iii) sales of the Company's shares could occur on the market and have an unfavorable impact on the Company's share price, and (iv) the Company's shareholders could suffer potentially significant dilution as a result of any future capital increases made necessary by the Company's search for financing.

About AELIS FARMA

Founded in Bordeaux in 2013, Aelis Farma is a biopharmaceutical company that is developing a new class of drugs, the Signaling-Specific inhibitors of the CB1 receptor of the endocannabinoid system (CB1-SSi). CB1-SSi have been developed by Aelis Farma based on the discovery of a natural regulatory mechanism of CB1 hyperactivity made by the team led by Dr. Pier Vincenzo Piazza, the Company's CEO, when he was director of Neurocentre Magendie of the INSERM in Bordeaux. By mimicking this natural mechanism, CB1-SSi appear to selectively inhibit the disease-related activity of the CB1 receptor without disrupting its normal physiological activity. CB1-SSi have consequently the potential to provide new safe treatments for several brain diseases.

Aelis Farma is currently developing two first-in-class clinical-stage drug candidates. AEF0117 for the treatment of cannabis use disorder (CUD), that has just completed a phase 2b study in the United States with results expected to be released in September 2024. AEF0217 for cognitive disorders, including those of Down Syndrome (Trisomy 21), that has completed the recruitement of a phase 1/2 study in Spain in people with Down syndrome, and which results are expected to be released in Q4 2024. The Company also has a portfolio of new innovative CB1-SSi for the treatment of other disorders associated with a dysregulation of the activity of the CB1 receptor.

Aelis Farma draws on the talents of more than 25 highly qualified employees.

For more information, visit www.aelisfarma.com and follow us on LinkedIn and Twitter.

ISIN: FR0014007ZB4

Ticker: AELIS

B Compartment of Euronext Paris

Disclaimer

In France, the offer of Aelis Farma shares described below will be made in the context of a reserved offering to the benefit of categories of persons in accordance with Article L.225-138 of the French Commercial Code (Code de commerce). Pursuant to article 211-3 of the General regulations of the French financial markets authority (Autorite des marches financiers) (the "AMF"), articles 1(4) and 3 of the Regulation (EU) 2017/1129 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 14 June 2017, as amended (the "Prospectus Regulation") and any applicable regulation, the offer of Aelis Farma shares will not require the publication of a prospectus approved by the AMF.

With respect to Member States of the European Economic Area, no action has been taken or will be taken to permit a public offering of the securities referred to in this press release requiring the publication of a prospectus in any Member State. Therefore, such securities may not be and shall not be offered in any Member State other than in accordance with the exemptions of Article 1(4) of the Prospectus Regulation or, otherwise, in cases not requiring the publication of a prospectus under Article 3 of the Prospectus Regulation and/or the applicable regulations in such Member State.

This press release and the information it contains are being distributed to and are only intended for persons who are (x) outside the United Kingdom or (y) in the United Kingdom and are (i) investment professionals falling within Article 19(5) of the Financial Services and Markets Act 2000 (Financial Promotion) Order 2005, as amended (the "Order"), (ii) high net worth entities and other such persons falling within Article 49(2)(a) to (d) of the Order ("high net worth companies", "unincorporated associations", etc.) or (iii) other persons to whom an invitation or inducement to participate in investment activity (within the meaning of Section 21 of the Financial Services and Market Act 2000) may otherwise lawfully be communicated or caused to be communicated (all such persons in (y)(i), (y)(ii) and (y)(iii) together being referred to as "Relevant Persons"). Any invitation, offer or agreement to subscribe, purchase or otherwise acquire securities to which this press release relates will only be engaged with Relevant Persons. Any person who is not a Relevant Person should not act or rely on this press release or any of its contents.

This press release may not be distributed, directly or indirectly, in or into the United States. This press release and the information contained herein does not, and will not, constitute an offer of Aelis Farma's shares for sale or subscription, nor the solicitation of an offer to subscribe for or to purchase, such shares in the United States or any other jurisdiction where restrictions may apply. Securities may not be offered or sold in the United States absent registration or an exemption from registration under the U.S. Securities Act of 1933, as amended (the "Securities Act"). The shares of Aelis Farma have not been and will not be registered under the Securities Act, and Aelis Farma does not intend to conduct a public offering in the United States.

The distribution of this press release may be subject to legal or regulatory restrictions in certain jurisdictions. Any person who comes into possession of this press release must inform him or herself of and comply with any such restrictions.

Any decision to subscribe for or purchase the shares or other securities of Aelis Farma must be made solely based on information publicly available about Aelis Farma. Such information is not the responsibility of Stifel and has not been independently verified by Stifel.

Forward-looking statements

This press release contains certain forward-looking statements about Aelis Farma. These statements include financial projections and estimates and their underlying assumptions, statements regarding plans, objectives, intentions and anticipated results as well as events, operations, future services or product development and potential or future performance. Forward-looking statements are generally identified by the words "expects", "anticipates", "believes", "intends", "estimates", "anticipates", "projects", "seeks", "endeavors", "strives", "aims", "hopes", "plans", "may", "goal", "objective", "projection", "outlook" and similar expressions. Although the management of Aelis Farma believes that these forward-looking statements are reasonably made, investors and holders of the Company's securities are cautioned that these forward-looking statements are subject to a number of known and unknown risks, uncertainties and other factors, a large number of which are difficult to predict and generally outside the control of Aelis Farma, that may cause actual results, performance or achievements to be materially different from any future results, performance or achievement expressed or implied by these forward-looking statements. These risks and uncertainties include those developed or identified in any public documents approved by the French financial markets authority (the Autorite des marches financiers the "AMF") made or to be made by the group, in particular those described in Chapter 3 "Risk factors" of the 2023 universal registration document approved by the AMF on April 24, 2024 under number R.24-004.

These forward-looking statements are given only as of the date of this press release and Aelis Farma expressly declines any obligation or commitment to publish updates or corrections of the forward-looking statements included in this press release in order to reflect any change affecting the forecasts or events, conditions or circumstances on which these forward-looking statements are based. Any information relating to past performance contained herein is not a guarantee of future performance. Nothing herein should be construed as an investment recommendation or as legal, tax, investment or accounting advice.

View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20240730807030/en/

Contacts:

AELIS FARMA

Arsene Guekam

Chief Corporate Development Officer

contact@aelisfarma.com

NewCap

Dusan Oresansky Aurelie Manavarere

Investor Relations

aelis@newcap.eu

+33 1 44 71 94 92

NewCap

Arthur Rouille

Media Relations

aelis@newcap.eu

+33 1 44 71 00 15
StakeKit

StakeKit Launches TRON Stake 2.0 on Ledger Live



30-Jul-2024 / 19:50 CET/CEST

The issuer is solely responsible for the content of this announcement.





StakeKit Launches TRON Stake 2.0 on Ledger Live

NEWS RELEASE BY STAKEKIT

New York City, New York | July 30, 2024 01:08 PM Eastern Daylight Time

New York City, New York - July 30, 2024 - StakeKit , having just emerged from stealth after 18 months of development, has partnered with Ledger Live to power its TRON staking integration. This integration provides users with the simplest of access points to manage their TRON staking allocations natively within Ledger Live. Ledger Live users can stake on-chain via TRON in three simple taps and unstake their assets through the same simplified flow.

The StakeKit integration fully supports TRON Stake 2.0, TRON's latest validation staking model, launched on the mainnet in April 2023. This model enables users to receive additional benefits from validation staking, as well as the ability to unstake partial amounts, and unstake their tokens at any time, providing unprecedented flexibility and control. Given that users can no longer stake via the TRON Stake 1.0 model, it is recommended that they unstake their TRON Stake 1.0 tokens and re-delegate their stakes to the TRON 2.0 model. This transition can be easily completed directly within Ledger Live.

Serafin Lion Engel, CEO of StakeKit, commented, "We're very excited to finally bring TRON Stake 2.0 into Ledger Live and enable users to delegate their TRON in the easiest and most secure way possible. We know that this was a hotly anticipated feature for members of the TRON ecosystem, and we are very proud to have worked with the Ledger team on delivering this integration to TRON users and community members".

"We recognize that a significant portion of the TRON community still utilizes TRON Stake 1.0. As such we have also built support for Tron users to un-delegate from TRON 1.0, and quickly leverage the benefits of TRON Stake 2.0 " added Engel.

TRON Stake 2.0 is available in Ledger Live as of the release of this article. For more information about Ledger Live and to download the Ledger Live application, visit their website .

About TRON DAO

TRON DAO is a community-governed DAO dedicated to accelerating the decentralization of the internet via blockchain technology and dApps.

Founded in September 2017 by H.E. Justin Sun, the TRON network has continued to deliver impressive achievements since MainNet launch in May 2018. July 2018 also marked the ecosystem integration of BitTorrent, a pioneer in decentralized Web3 services boasting over 100 million monthly active users. The TRON network has gained incredible traction in recent years. As of July 2024, it has over 244 million total user accounts on the blockchain, more than 8 billion total transactions, and over $20 billion in total value locked (TVL), as reported on TRONSCAN.

In addition, TRON hosts the largest circulating supply of USD Tether (USDT) stablecoin across the globe, overtaking USDT on Ethereum since April 2021. The TRON network completed full decentralization in December 2021 and is now a community-governed DAO. Most recently in October 2022, TRON was designated as the national blockchain for the Commonwealth of Dominica, which marks the first time a major public blockchain partnered with a sovereign nation to develop its national blockchain infrastructure. On top of the government's endorsement to issue Dominica Coin ("DMC"), a blockchain-based fan token to help promote Dominica's global fanfare, seven existing TRON-based tokens - TRX, BTT, NFT, JST, USDD, USDT, TUSD, have been granted statutory status as authorized digital currency and medium of exchange in the country.

TRONNetwork | TRONDAO | Twitter | YouTube | Telegram | Discord | Reddit | GitHub | Medium | Forum

Media Contact

Yeweon Park

press@tron.network

About StakeKit

StakeKit is the leading provider of self-custodial staking solutions in the Web3 space. By combining the most powerful self-custodial yield API with a user-focused interface, StakeKit enables seamless, secure, and efficient yield generation across over 50 blockchain networks. Learn more at stakek.it .

Media Contact

Alexa Anastasia

alexa@stakek.it

Dissemination of a CORPORATE NEWS, transmitted by EQS Group.

The issuer is solely responsible for the content of this announcement.




MIAMI, FL / ACCESSWIRE / July 30, 2024 / Superbox, Inc. (OTC PINK:SBOX) ("Superbox" or the "Company"), a Nevada corporation headquartered at West Palm Beach, Florida, and a leading company in Green Energy and Transition Technologies, announced today that it has entered into a binding Asset Purchase Agreement with OK Innovation Ltd, a corporation located in London, UK.

This agreement, involves acquiring the patents for Water in Diesel Fuel Emulsion industry-related and assets and entails a change of control of the Company's Executives and Directors.

By means of this transaction, Superbox aims to significantly strengthen its corporate structure, positioning itself in the Fuel Emulsion market globally while continuing its commitment to spreading and developing Clean Energy solutions.

Asset Purchase Agreement: Asset Purchase Agreement: Superbox has agreed to exclusively acquire the entire intellectual property patents for the "Apparatus for Stable NanoEmulsions of Water in Diesel Fuel", a patented technology.

This strategic acquisition represents a significant move into the Transition and Green Energy sectors for Superbox. In addition to obtaining patents, Superbox has also acquired a white diesel production unit, granting them full rights to sales, manufacturing, and services in this area.

This acquisition strengthens Superbox's commitment to improving its Energy products and services, with the goal of expanding its market presence in the green sector. By enhancing and cultivating the company's relationships and partnerships, Superbox aims to broaden its reach and impact. The transaction is expected to be finalized pending the fulfillment of standard closing conditions.

Change in Executive Leadership: Alongside the asset purchase, there will be significant changes in the executive leadership team and the Board of Directors at Superbox, Inc.

Resigning Officers and Directors:

Suneel Anant Sawant, Chairman, President and Director

Vinnay Kumar Reddy Sarikonda, Director

Michele Collini, Director

Appointed Officers and Directors:

Suneel Sawant, Chairman of the Board and Director

Claudio Mirella, CEO and Director

Andrea Piazzoli, Executive President and Director

Bruno Polistina, CFO and Director

Daniele De Molli, COO and Director

Samuele Lucchini, Independent Director

Enrico Fumagalli, CTO

Statement from the Chairman: "I am thrilled to announce our recent asset purchase, which marks a significant milestone in our growth strategy. This acquisition not only expands our market presence but also brings in on board a talented team from OK Innovation Ltd., who will add invaluable expertise and innovation to our company culture.

Additionally, I am pleased to introduce Claudio Mirella as the new CEO of Superbox Inc. Claudio, along with our new Board and Governance team members, brings a wealth of experience and vision that align perfectly with our strategic objectives moving forward. This new chapter promises tremendous opportunities for collaboration, innovation, and growth. I encourage our shareholders to warmly welcome our new colleagues and embrace the fresh perspectives they bring. Together, we are poised to achieve great goals and strengthen our position in the market of the transition Energy. Let's join together in celebrating this milestone and looking forward to a successful future together."

About Superbox, Inc.: Superbox is a company focused on cutting-edge transition technologies related to the Fuel sector. Highly specialized in the field of alternative fuels, aimed at deep emissions reduction and decarburization of various fuels, the Company continuously strives to innovate with the ultimate goal to a zero-carbon footprint. At present, the Company holds patented and internationally applied technologies. The Company's technologies are related mainly to Nano Emulsions Fuels, but the Company is actually finalizing innovative research on desulfurization of Fuels and waste to energy solutions using both urban and several industrial wastes.

Forward-Looking Statements: This news release contains forward-looking statements within the meaning of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995 (the "ACT"). In particular, when used in the preceding discussion, the words "plan", "confident that", "Believe", "expect", "intend to" and similar conditional expressions are intended to identify forward-looking statements within the meaning of the ACT and are subject to risks and uncertainties, and actual results could differ materially from those expressed in any forward-looking statements. Such risks and uncertainties include, but are not limited to, market conditions, competitive factors, the ability to successfully complete additional financing and other risks.

CONTACT:

Cygna Finance Ltd, Listing agent

ejc@cygna.finance

SOURCE: Superbox, Inc.

View the original press release on accesswire.com
New Zealand, Indonesia to enhance cooperation

Wellington, July 30 (UNI) New Zealand and Indonesia launched a plan of action on Tuesday which sets a course for intensified cooperation to guide bilateral ties over the next five years.

New Zealand and Indonesia share an important partnership, said New Zealand Foreign Minister Winston Peters following official talks in Auckland with his Indonesian counterpart Retno Marsudi.

The two sides agreed on a dedicated Plan of Action for 2025-2029, which sets a new goal of 6 billion NZ dollars (3.54 billion U.S. dollars) in annual two-way trade by 2029, replacing the one released in 2020.
Sales of $347.8 Million, Increase 6.8%

Operating Income of $26.4 Million; Operating Margin 7.6%

Board Declares $0.25 Dividend

PORT WASHINGTON, NY / ACCESSWIRE / July 30, 2024 / Global Industrial Company (NYSE:GIC) today announced financial results for the second quarter ended June 30, 2024.

Performance Summary* (U.S. dollars in millions, except per share data) Highlights Quarter Ended June 30, Six Months Ended June 30, 2024 2023 2024 2023 Net sales $ 347.8 $ 325.8 $ 671.2 $ 599.6 Gross profit $ 122.5 $ 112.9 $ 233.4 $ 211.3 Gross margin 35.2 % 34.7 % 34.8 % 35.2 % Operating income from continuing operations $ 26.4 $ 29.1 $ 43.8 $ 46.9 Operating margin 7.6 % 8.9 % 6.5 % 7.8 % Net income from continuing operations $ 20.2 $ 21.5 $ 33.3 $ 34.8 Net income per diluted share from continuing operations $ 0.52 $ 0.56 $ 0.86 $ 0.91

Net income (loss) from discontinued operations $ 0.1 $ 0.0 $ 0.2 $ (0.1 ) Net income (loss) per diluted share from discontinued operations $ 0.00 $ 0.00 $ 0.01 $ 0.00

*Global Industrial Company manages its business and reports using a 52-53 week fiscal year that ends at midnight on the Saturday closest to December 31. For clarity of presentation, fiscal years and quarters are described as if they ended on the last day of the respective calendar month. The actual fiscal quarters ended June 29, 2024 and July 1, 2023, respectively. The second quarters of both 2024 and 2023 included 13 weeks and the first six months of both 2024 and 2023 included 26 weeks.

Average daily sales is calculated based upon the number of selling days in each period, with Canadian sales converted to US dollars using the current year's average exchange rate. There were 64 selling days in the U.S. in the second quarters of 2024 and 2023, respectively, and there were 128 selling days in the U.S. for the six months ended 2024 and 2023, respectively. There were 64 selling days in Canada in the second quarter of 2024 and 63 selling days in the second quarter of 2023. There were 126 selling days in Canada for the six months ended 2024 and 2023, respectively.

Second Quarter 2024 Financial Summary: Consolidated sales increased 6.8% to $347.8 million compared to $325.8 million last year. Excluding Indoff, acquired on May 19, 2023, sales increased 1.8% in the quarter and 1.7% on an average daily sales basis.

Consolidated gross margin increased to 35.2% compared to 34.7% last year. Excluding Indoff, gross margin was 36.8%, a 110 basis point improvement over prior year.

Consolidated operating income from continuing operations decreased 9.3% to $26.4 million compared to $29.1 million last year. Excluding Indoff, operating income was $24.9 million, a decrease of 11.1%.

Net income per diluted share from continuing operations decreased 7.1% to $0.52 compared to $0.56 last year. Year to Date Q2 2024 Financial Summary: Consolidated sales increased 11.9% to $671.2 million compared to $599.6 million last year. Excluding Indoff, acquired on May 19, 2023, sales increased 3.0%.

Consolidated gross margin declined to 34.8% compared to 35.2% last year. Excluding Indoff, gross margin was 36.3%, a 50 basis point improvement over prior year.

Consolidated operating income from continuing operations decreased 6.6% to $43.8 million compared to $46.9 million last year. Excluding Indoff, operating income was $41.0 million, a decrease of 10.5%.

Net income per diluted share from continuing operations decreased 5.5% to $0.86 compared to $0.91 last year.

Richard Leeds, Executive Chairman of the Board, said, "Second quarter revenue improved 6.8% and on an organic basis revenue was up 1.8%. We were pleased with top line results given the current market cycle and the soft demand environment. During the quarter we saw a continuation of cautious customer purchasing behavior and mixed revenue performance on a monthly basis. Gross margin improved on both a prior year and sequential quarter basis, while our bottom-line reflected planned investments in key growth initiatives across customer experience, marketing and sales."

"We continue to make investments that are intended to strengthen our competitive position, help us capture market share and enhance revenue growth. With a strong leadership team, and solid execution against our strategy, we believe we are well positioned to drive long-term financial performance and build value for our stockholders."

At June 30, 2024, the Company had total working capital of $171.1 million, cash and cash equivalents of $38.8 million, and excess availability under its credit facility of approximately $120.6 million. Operating cash flow provided by continuing operations in the quarter was $18.7 million. The Company's Board of Directors has declared a cash dividend of $0.25 per share to common stock shareholders of record at the close of business on August 12, 2024, payable on August 19, 2024.

Earnings Conference Call Details

Global Industrial Company will host a conference call and question and answer session on its second quarter 2024 results today, July 30, 2024 at 5:00 p.m. Eastern Time. A live webcast of the remarks will be available on the Company's website at https://investors.globalindustrial.com in the events section. The webcast will also be archived on the website for approximately 90 days.

About Global Industrial Company

Global Industrial Company (NYSE:GIC), through its operating subsidiaries, is a value-added distributor. For 75 years, Global Industrial has gone the extra mile for its customers, currently offering hundreds of thousands of industrial and MRO products needed to run businesses and facilities. Global Industrial is committed to its customer-centric strategy, and utilizes a team of subject matter experts, products from its Global Industrial Exclusive Brands and national vendor relationships to help customers succeed. Global Industrial, "We Can Supply That".

Forward-Looking Statements

This press release contains forward-looking statements within the meaning of that term in the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995 (Section 27A of the Securities Act of 1933 and Section 21E of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934). Additional written or oral forward-looking statements may be made by the Company from time to time in filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission or otherwise. Any such statements that are not historical facts are forward-looking statements made pursuant to the safe harbor provisions of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995 and are based on management's estimates, assumptions and projections and are not guarantees of future performance. When used in this release, the words "anticipates," "believes," "estimates," "expects," "intends," and "plans" and variations thereof and similar expressions are intended to identify forward-looking statements. Forward-looking statements in this report are based on the Company's beliefs and expectations as of the date of this report and are subject to risks and uncertainties which may have a significant impact on the Company's business, operating results or financial condition. Investors are cautioned that these forward-looking statements are inherently uncertain and undue reliance should not be placed on them. Important risk factors that may affect our future results of operations and financial condition are detailed from time to time in our Securities and Exchange Commission filings. We undertake no obligation to publicly release the result of any revisions to these forward-looking statements that may be made to reflect events or circumstances after the date hereof or to reflect the occurrence of unexpected events, except as may be required by applicable law.

Investor/Media Contacts:

Mike Smargiassi

The Plunkett Group

212-739-6729

mike@theplunkettgroup.com

GLOBAL INDUSTRIAL COMPANY

Condensed Consolidated Statements of Operations - Unaudited

(In millions, except per share amounts)



Quarter Ended June 30, Six Months Ended June 30, 2024 2023 2024 2023 Net sales $ 347.8 $ 325.8 $ 671.2 $ 599.6 Cost of sales 225.3 212.9 437.8 388.3 Gross profit 122.5 112.9 233.4 211.3 Gross margin 35.2 % 34.7 % 34.8 % 35.2 % Selling, distribution and administrative expenses 96.1 83.8 189.6 164.4 Operating income from continuing operations 26.4 29.1 43.8 46.9 Operating margin 7.6 % 8.9 % 6.5 % 7.8 % Interest and other expense, net 0.1 0.3 0.3 0.5 Income from continuing operations before income taxes 26.3 28.8 43.5 46.4 Provision for income taxes 6.1 7.3 10.2 11.6 Net income from continuing operations 20.2 21.5 33.3 34.8 Net income (loss) from discontinued operations 0.1 0.0 0.2 (0.1 ) Net income $ 20.3 $ 21.5 $ 33.5 $ 34.7 Net income per common share from continuing operations: Basic $ 0.52 $ 0.56 $ 0.87 $ 0.91 Diluted $ 0.52 $ 0.56 $ 0.86 $ 0.91 Net income (loss) per common share from discontinued operations: Basic $ 0.00 $ 0.00 $ 0.01 $ 0.00 Diluted $ 0.00 $ 0.00 $ 0.01 $ 0.00 Net income per common share: Basic $ 0.52 $ 0.56 $ 0.88 $ 0.91 Diluted $ 0.52 $ 0.56 $ 0.87 $ 0.91 Weighted average common and common equivalent shares: Basic 38.2 38.1 38.2 38.1 Diluted 38.4 38.2 38.4 38.2

GLOBAL INDUSTRIAL COMPANY

Condensed Consolidated Balance Sheets - Unaudited

(In millions)

June 30, December 31, 2024 2023 Current assets: Cash and cash equivalents $ 38.8 $ 34.4 Accounts receivable, net 142.8 130.7 Inventories 172.9 150.8 Prepaid expenses and other current assets 12.4 13.9 Total current assets 366.9 329.8 Property, plant and equipment, net 19.9 20.0 Operating lease right-of-use assets 77.4 84.4 Goodwill and intangibles 67.3 69.3 Other assets 11.0 9.9 Total assets $ 542.5 $ 513.4 Current liabilities: Accounts payable and accrued expenses $ 181.6 $ 160.1 Operating lease liabilities 14.2 14.1 Total current liabilities 195.8 174.2 Operating lease liabilities 73.9 81.4 Other liabilities 2.4 2.6 Shareholders' equity 270.4 255.2 Total liabilities and shareholders' equity $ 542.5 $ 513.4

GLOBAL INDUSTRIAL COMPANY

Condensed Consolidated Statements of Cash Flows - Unaudited

(In millions)

Six Months Ended June 30, 2024 2023 CASH FLOWS FROM OPERATING ACTIVITIES: Net income from continuing operations $ 33.3 $ 34.8 Adjustments to reconcile net income from continuing operations to net cash provided by (used in) operating activities: Depreciation and amortization 3.8 2.6 Stock-based compensation 0.6 1.2 (Benefit) provision for deferred taxes (0.1 ) 0.1 Change in working capital (14.5 ) 25.4 Other, net 1.9 1.4 Net cash provided by operating activities from continuing operations 25.0 65.5 Net cash provided by (used in) operating activities from discontinued operations 0.2 (0.2 ) Net cash provided by operating activities 25.2 65.3 CASH FLOWS FROM INVESTING ACTIVITIES: Purchases of property, plant and equipment (2.2 ) (1.4 ) Purchase of Indoff LLC, net of cash acquired 0.0 (72.3 ) Net cash used in investing activities (2.2 ) (73.7 ) CASH FLOWS FROM FINANCING ACTIVITIES: Net repayments of short-term borrowings 0.0 39.7 Dividends paid (19.2 ) (15.3 ) Stock-based compensation share issuances, net 0.7 0.5 Net cash (used in) provided by financing activities (18.5 ) 24.9 EFFECT OF EXCHANGE RATE CHANGES ON CASH (0.1 ) (0.1 ) NET INCREASE IN CASH 4.4 16.4 CASH AND CASH EQUIVALENTS - BEGINNING OF PERIOD 34.4 28.5 CASH AND CASH EQUIVALENTS - END OF PERIOD $ 38.8 $ 44.9 SOURCE: Global Industrial Company

View the original press release on accesswire.com
Climate labels on dining menu options will drive unprecedented awareness of the event's carbon footprint and empower attendees to make climate-oriented decisions.

The 27th Annual NBJ Summit, hosted by the Nutrition Business Journal (NBJ) and New Hope Network, is set to feature climate labels on all dining menu options. The transparent carbon footprint labels will be calculated by HowGood, a leading sustainability intelligence platform, and will provide attendees with unparalleled insight into the environmental impact of their food choices. The initiative underscores the summit's commitment to reducing carbon impact and comes amidst a growing call for event organizers to embrace sustainability.

With more than a third of all human-caused greenhouse gas emissions (GHGs) linked to food production, using climate labeling to drive more sustainable food consumption can have an outsized effect on total climate impact. HowGood's climate labels will bring granular insight to each food item's carbon footprint, displaying the greenhouse gas emissions from cradle-to-shelf.







"At Informa Markets, sustainability is a key driver surrounding the event experience that we pride ourselves in offering to our audiences. It is our goal to ensure choices are always simplified and transparent so that guests are informed and have access to the most innovative data available as they navigate decisions from what to eat on-site to which brands to house on their shelves, to which travel options offset the most carbon impact," says Shelley Sapsin, Vice President, Market Integrity at New Hope Network. "We aim to always be at the forefront of this type of thinking in how we guide the integration of eco practices in the balance of everyday working life. In partnership with businesses like HowGood, we are empowering environmental stewards as leaders of the natural products industry."

In an environment of increased scrutiny and oversight of sustainability communications, event organizers are under pressure to ensure public-facing claims adhere to the highest quality standards. HowGood's product carbon footprinting model is certified by the Carbon Trust and aligns to globally recognized standards including the GHG Protocol and ISO 14067. The carbon footprints displayed at NBJ will draw from HowGood's database of over 90,000 emission factors, including granular detail down to the underlying crop and source location level for every ingredient.?

"HowGood's goal for nearly two decades has been to empower decision-makers with holistic, transparent sustainability data," says Rachel Calomeni, SVP of Growth and Innovation at HowGood. "That has meant enabling food manufacturers with insights into carbon reduction opportunities, supporting retailers in curating low-impact product assortments, and countless other world-changing efforts. Today, we are so pleased to be partnering with the NBJ Summit to bring next-level carbon transparency to a unique group of industry leaders."

HowGood's partnership with the NBJ Summit follows the Company's recent work with NBJ's parent company, New Hope Network, and its product discovery platform, Beacon Discovery . HowGood provides all food CPGs within the Beacon Discovery platform with a sustainability estimate assessing every product on eight key metrics: Greenhouse Gas Emissions, Biodiversity, Processing, Blue Water Usage, Labor Risk, Land Use, Soil Health, and Animal Welfare.?

This year's NBJ Summit will start on July 29 and conclude on August 1. For more information and to register for the event, please visit here .?

About Nutrition Business Journal

Nutrition Business Journal guides decision makers in the nutrition, health, and wellness space in developing their strategy, understanding trends, realizing opportunity, and analyzing potential risks. NBJ's market research reports provide business intelligence and thought leadership to all levels of the nutrition industry. Each report is exhaustively researched by our staff of industry experts and presents an analysis of markets, trends, competition, and strategy in the U.S. and global nutrition industry. Learn more at nutritionbusinessjournal.com.

About New Hope Network

New Hope Network is a leading authority in the healthy lifestyle products industry, offering solutions for the complete supply chain from manufacturers, retailers/distributors, service providers and ingredient suppliers. Through its comprehensive portfolio of content, events, data, research and consultative services, New Hope Network is dedicated to fostering a prosperous, high-integrity CPG and retail ecosystem that promotes health, joy and justice for all people while regenerating the planet. For more information, visit www.newhope.com.

About Informa Markets

Informa Markets, a subsidiary of Informa plc (LON:INF), creates platforms for industries and specialist markets to trade, innovate and grow. With a global reach and diverse portfolio of verticals, including Pharmaceuticals, Food, Medical Technology and Infrastructure, Informa Markets connects buyers and sellers worldwide through face-to-face exhibitions, targeted digital services and actionable data solutions. For more information, visit www.informamarkets.com.

About HowGood

HowGood is an independent research company and SaaS Sustainability Intelligence platform with the world's largest database on food product sustainability. With more than 90,000 agricultural emissions factors, HowGood helps leading brands, suppliers, retailers and restaurants to measure, reduce, and communicate their environmental and social impact. Through in-depth, ingredient-level insights into factors like greenhouse gas emissions, biodiversity, labor risk, animal welfare, and other key impacts, HowGood's data power strategic decision-making for the sourcing, manufacturing, merchandising, and marketing of sustainable products.

Media Contact

New Hope Network

pr@newhope.com

Media Contact

FischTank PR

howgood@fischtankpr.com

SOURCE: New Hope Network

View the original press release on accesswire.com
Rio Tinto (LSE:RIO) (ASX:RIO):

Underlying EBITDA of $12.1 billion. Net cash generated from operating activities of $7.1 billion.

Profit after tax attributable to owners of Rio Tinto (referred to as "net earnings" throughout this release) of $5.8 billion.

Underlying earnings of $5.8 billion, leading to an interim ordinary dividend of $2.9 billion, a 50% payout.

Six months ended 30 June 2024 2023 Change Net cash generated from operating activities (US$ millions) 7,056 6,975 1% Purchases of property, plant and equipment and intangible assets (US$ millions) 4,018 3,001 34% Free cash flow1 (US$ millions) 2,843 3,769 (25)% Consolidated sales revenue (US$ millions) 26,802 26,667 1% Underlying EBITDA1 (US$ millions) 12,093 11,728 3% Profit after tax attributable to owners of Rio Tinto (net earnings) (US$ millions) 5,808 5,117 14% Underlying earnings per share (EPS)1 (US cents) 354.3 352.9 Ordinary dividend per share (US cents) 177.0 177.0 Underlying return on capital employed (ROCE)1 19% 20% At 30 June

2024 At 31 Dec

2023 Net debt1 (US$ millions) 5,077 4,231 20%

Rio Tinto Chief Executive Jakob Stausholm said: "Rio Tinto is both consistently very profitable and growing. This is being driven by the disciplined investments we are making to strengthen our operations and progress major projects for profitable organic growth.

"Our overall copper equivalent production is on track to grow by around 2% this year, and our ambition is to deliver around 3% of compound annual growth from 2024 to 2028 from existing operations and projects.

"We are at an inflection point in our growth, with a step change from our aluminium business and consistent production at our Pilbara iron ore operations. We have considerable growth in cash flow from the ramp-up of the underground copper mine at Oyu Tolgoi, and more value to come as our Simandou investment and Rincon lithium project proceed at pace. We are also solving some of our most complex challenges through technology and partnerships, such as the renewable power solutions announced for Boyne and NZAS.

"Our strengthened operations along with stable pricing for our commodities have allowed us to again deliver robust financial results, with underlying EBITDA of $12.1 billion. We recorded free cash flow of $2.8 billion, as we invested in growth, and underlying earnings of $5.8 billion, after taxes and government royalties of $4.4 billion. Return on capital employed was a healthy 19%.

"Our strong balance sheet enables us to continue to maintain our practice of a 50% interim payout with a $2.9 billion ordinary dividend, as we continue to invest with discipline to shape Rio Tinto into an even stronger company."

The 2024 Half Year Results release is available here

1 This financial performance indicator is a non-IFRS (as defined below) measure which is reconciled to directly comparable IFRS financial measures (non-IFRS measures). It is used internally by management to assess the performance of the business and is therefore considered relevant to readers of this document. It is presented here to give more clarity around the underlying business performance of the Group's operations. For more information on our use of non-IFRS financial measures in this report, see the section entitled "Alternative performance measures" (APMs) and the detailed reconciliations on pages 62 to 69. Our financial results are prepared in accordance with IFRS see page 34 for further information.

This announcement is authorised for release to the market by Rio Tinto's Group Company Secretary.

LEI: 213800YOEO5OQ72G2R82

Classification: 3.1 Additional regulated information required to be disclosed under the laws of a Member State

View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20240730240735/en/

Contacts:

Please direct all enquiries to media.enquiries@riotinto.com

Media Relations,

United Kingdom

Matthew Klar

M +44 7796 630 637

David Outhwaite

M +44 7787 597 493

Media Relations,

Australia

Matt Chambers

M +61 433 525 739

Alyesha Anderson

M +61 434 868 118

Michelle Lee

M +61 458 609 322

Media Relations,

Americas

Simon Letendre

M +1 514 796 4973

Malika Cherry

M +1 418 592 7293

Vanessa Damha

M +1 514 715 2152

Investor Relations,

United Kingdom

David Ovington

M +44 7920 010 978

Laura Brooks

M +44 7826 942 797

Investor Relations,

Australia

Tom Gallop

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Amar Jambaa

M +61 472 865 948

Rio Tinto plc

6 St James's Square

London SW1Y 4AD

United Kingdom

T +44 20 7781 2000

Registered in England

No. 719885

Rio Tinto Limited

Level 43, 120 Collins Street

Melbourne 3000

Australia

T +61 3 9283 3333

Registered in Australia

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riotinto.com

Category: General
Vancouver, British Columbia--(Newsfile Corp. - July 30, 2024) - KAPA GOLD INC. (TSXV: KAPA) ("Kapa" or the "Company") is pleased to announce the results of its annual and special meeting of shareholders held on July 25, 2024 in Vancouver, BC (the "Meeting"). The Company's shareholders voted in favour of all items put forward by the Board of Directors and Management.

At the Meeting, all resolutions were approved. Based on proxies received, 15,747,883 common shares of the Company representing 28.22% of the issued and outstanding common shares as at the record date were voted and David Paxton, Alexander Tsakumis and George Nicholson were all re-elected as Directors of the Company.

The shareholders re-appointed Davidson & Company LLP as auditors of the Company, approved the board size resolution and the Company's stock option plan.

For additional information on these matters please refer to Kapa Gold's information circular available on the Company's website at kapagold.com or visit the Company's issuer page on SEDAR (SEDAR+).

About Kapa

Kapa Gold, led by experienced capital markets and geologic team, is focused on exploring its 100% owned historic Blackhawk Gold Mine and surrounding underexplored properties for economic mineralization.

To learn more, visit kapagold.com

On behalf of the Board of Directors

KAPA GOLD INC.

"David K. Paxton"

CEO and Director

Neither the TSX Venture Exchange nor its Regulation Services Provider (as that term is defined in policies of the TSX Venture Exchange) accepts responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this release.

Forward Looking Information

Certain statements made, and information contained herein may constitute "forward looking information" and "forward looking statements" within the meaning of applicable Canadian and United States securities legislation. These statements and information are based on facts currently available to the Company and there is no assurance that actual results will meet management's expectations. Forward-looking statements and information may be identified by such terms as "anticipates", "believes", "targets", "estimates", "plans", "expects", "may", "will", "could" or "would". Forward-looking statements and information contained herein are based on certain factors and assumptions. While the Company considers its assumptions to be reasonable as of the date hereof, forward-looking statements and information are not guaranteeing of future performance and readers should not place undue importance on such statements as actual events and results may differ materially from those described herein. The Company does not undertake to update any forward-looking statements or information except as may be required by applicable securities laws.

To view the source version of this press release, please visit https://www.newsfilecorp.com/release/218311

SOURCE: Kapa Gold Inc.
The Markets in Crypto-Assets (MiCA) Regulation is in effect, signaling a significant change in tackling crypto.

Crypto technology has always boasted about being decentralized and functioning above any governing body. And while these fundamentals will not change, MiCA will still bring various impacts to the industry. At the forefront of changes lies the EUs desire to promote a safe and regulated industry within its borders by tackling cryptos decentralized, and from their perspective, chaotic nature. Up till now, anyone could make, distribute, and organize cryptocurrencies.

But now, after MiCA takes effect, some rules and regulations will be placed to protect the end customer and define certain crypto business laws. The good side of the MiCA laws will benefit legitimate crypto businesses, like a casino accepting crypto, gaming companies, crypto charities, and others, who register and do business by the MiCA standards. These sites offer many benefits for users, for example, crypto casinos let players access their winnings instantly, while charities accepting crypto allow people to donate anonymously.

The concerning part is always government regulations whenever a governing body interferes with any industry or living aspect. The red tape, laws, procedures, and costs have already deterred some stablecoins, who are exiting the EU marketplace.

For whatever reason, moral or financial, this may be, it will have a global effect. The US crypto market is not far from its EU counterpart, it was estimated at $1.19 billion in 2022 and has only risen by now. What is bad news for the EU could yield a net positive for the US, as all fleeing cryptocurrencies can now focus on the strong US market. It could be possible that well soon see an influx of new stablecoins on the US market and a higher degree of trading and competition. Industries like crypto gambling can benefit by including these new coins, as well as any other crypto sector.

That is until the US decides to follow in the EU steps. One way we can see the changes from MiCA happening is by viewing the listing of stablecoins on the crypto exchange markets, as certain exchanges are already delisting non-compliant cryptocurrencies. The EU and the EEA (European Economic Area) users are now under the protection of the MiCA, but its still too early to tell if this will be for their benefit or if they will be worse off than before the MiCA times. The final deadline to clean up the list is June 30th.

But even if the US does copy MiCA word-for-word (which is highly unlikely), each US state has certain liberties when enacting the law. For example, each US state has its interpretation and laws regarding gambling, casinos, and betting, and we could see the same regarding cryptocurrencies. Some states could then become havens for crypto, others could expel it, and there could even be a mixed model. Businesses are already taking notice, and the climate is shifting towards security.

Whether it is the EU or the US, both governing bodies have supreme authority over the matter, which instills trust and protects the end user from potential fraud. Time will tell if the added laws that boast consumer protection will be enough for the US to follow in the EU steps, or only watch and adopt the successful parts of the EU crypto experiment.
The Western United States is facing a wildfire crisis, with California hit hardest. The massive Park Fire has scorched over 368,000 acres, destroying more than 100 structures and threatening towns still recovering from past disasters. As firefighters battle these blazes, worsened by climate change and dry conditions, communities are under evacuation orders. Whats causing these fires to spread so rapidly, and how can they be contained? read more

A vehicle passes firefighters standing by the road as the Park Fire burns, near Jonesville, California, US, July 28, 2024. Reuters

The Western United States is once again grappling with devastating wildfires, with California experiencing some of the largest and most destructive blazes in recent history. These fires, which have razed thousands of acres, are being exacerbated by a combination of human activity and natural factors.

In Northern California, the Park Fire has rapidly become one of the states largest wildfires this year. The fire, which started when a man allegedly pushed a burning car into a gully near Chico, has scorched over 368,000 acres (148,924 hectares) as of Monday, according to Cal Fire.

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This blaze has destroyed more than 100 structures and threatens numerous communities, including Paradise, a town still recovering from the devastating 2018 Camp Fire that killed 85 people and destroyed 11,000 homes.

Firefighters, numbering nearly 4,800, have managed to contain 12 per cent of the Park Fire. Despite milder temperatures and higher humidity on Monday, conditions remain challenging.

Flames consume structures as the Park Fire burns in Tehama County, California, US, July 26, 2024. AP

Were still in for quite a firefight today, said Dan Collins, a Cal Fire captain, noting that the expected temperatures were in the high 80s with around 25 per cent humidity, reported Reuters. The fires rapid growth has been alarming, with it doubling in size from Friday to Sunday, darkening skies and causing poor air quality across Northern California.

Why is the fire spreading rapidly?

Further south, the Borel Fire has been wreaking havoc in the Sequoia National Forest, burning more than 53,000 acres as of Monday. This fire has led to the evacuation of around 2,000 people and has heavily impacted the historic mining town of Havilah.

The fires spread has been fuelled by wind and a large amount of dried, dead vegetation. Kern County Fire Departments Andrew Freeborn stated, This fire is moving at a pace and with such intensity that individuals should not be thinking they can wait until the last minute. They need to get out of the way.

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A Klamath Hotshot finishes his shift as the Borel Fire grows near Lake Isabella, California, US, July 29, 2024. Reuters

The National Weather Service issued red flag warnings for several regions, including parts of Idaho, Montana, Utah, and Wyoming, due to dry conditions and strong winds. These warnings highlight the heightened risk of new fires igniting, even as crews work to contain the existing blazes.

What has caused the wildfires?

The fires in California are part of a broader pattern affecting the western United States. Over 100 large fires are currently active across the country, including the Gwen Fire in eastern Oregon and Idaho, which has burned 43 square miles (111 square kilometers). The US National Interagency Fire Center reported that 25 of these fires had forced evacuations as of Monday morning.

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The primary cause of these fires varies, with some sparked by human activity and others by natural events. Climate change has played a significant role in increasing the frequency and severity of these wildfires.

The region has experienced blistering heat and extremely dry conditions, which, coupled with an increase in lightning strikes, has made the environment more conducive to fires.

A helicopter drops water as the Borel Fire grows near Lake Isabella, California, US, July 29, 2024. Reuters

This fire is surprising a lot of people with its explosive growth, remarked Jay Tracy, a spokesperson at the Park Fire headquarters. The Park Fires explosive nature and unprecedented scale have drawn comparisons to the catastrophic fires of previous years, such as the Camp Fire.

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How has the wildfires impacted residents?

The human impact of these fires is immense. Thousands of residents have been evacuated, and many have lost their homes. Some individuals, like Jerry White, a resident of Magalia, heeded evacuation warnings due to past experiences with fire.

I dont want to catch fire again. Its one of the worst pains you can endure, White told AP, recalling the third-degree burns he suffered years earlier. He expressed a preference for the dangers of fire over other risks, stating, Ill take a fire over a shark any day!

Despite the cooler temperatures expected through the middle of the week, meteorologist Marc Chenard from the US National Weather Services Weather Prediction Center cautioned that existing fires will not disappear. The current conditions remain ripe for new blazes, with red flag conditions expected to persist.

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Firefighters stand by the road as the Park Fire burns, near Jonesville, California, US, July 28, 2024. Reuters

Authorities continue to highlight the importance of heeding evacuation orders and warnings. Butte County Sheriff Kory Honea highlighted the complexities of managing these orders, noting the need for swift changes based on fire behavior.

Also Read: What causes wildfires? How do they spread so quickly?

The communitys resilience and the tireless efforts of thousands of firefighters are crucial in combating these blazes and preventing further devastation.

With inputs from agencies
Satellite imagery reveals that a Chinese-built 400-metre bridge connecting the north and south banks of Pangong Lake is now operational. The new construction will reduce the time needed by Chinas PLA to mobilise its troops and equipment along the LAC read more

The Pangong lake high up in Ladakh region of India. Satellite visuals show that China's bridge across Pangong Tso (lake) is now operational. File image/AP

China is at it again. And Beijings latest action could have serious repercussions for Indias security.

Visuals show that China has completed the construction of a 400-metre bridge connecting the north and south banks of Pangong Lake, which is situated near the Line of Actual Control between India and China in Ladakh.

What do we know about this new construction and should India be concerned?

Whats the Chinas bridge on Pangong Lake?

Satellite imagery as reported by NDTV, Hindustan Times and other media outlets, reveals that Chinas Peoples Liberation Army (PLA) has finished construction of the nearly 400-metre bridge, located about 25 km from the Line of Actual Control. NDTV further reported that the visuals showed vehicles crossing the newly-constructed bridge.

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It was in 2022 that reports emerged of China building this bridge over the Pangong Tso on its territory in Khurnak, the narrowest part of the lake. Satellite imagery expert Damien Symon, who goes by the X handle of _defestra, had then said that the bridge connecting the north and south banks of Pangong Lake would be ready for use shortly.

Satellite image of the bridge at the site in Eastern Ladakh. Image Courtesy: @detresfa_/X

A retired Indian Army general had then confirmed the same to CNBC, adding that the new bridge was capable of supporting tanks and armoured personnel carriers.

When reporters had posed questions about the bridge to the government, then External Affairs Ministry spokesman Arindam Bagchi had said: We have seen reports of a bridge being constructed by China on Pangong Lake alongside its earlier bridge. Both these bridges are in areas that have continued to be under the illegal occupation of China since the 1960s.

We have never accepted such illegal occupation of our territory, nor have we accepted the unjustified Chinese claim or such construction activities, he said.

The bridge, as of today, shortens the 130-kilometre distance between the southern and northern banks of the lake. According to a report by The Print, the bridge will cut down a 180-km loop from Khurnak to the south banks through Rutog county in Tibet.

NDTV further quoting Damien Symon said, The new bridge over Pangong Lake grants Chinese forces a direct, shorter route for rapid troop deployment. Previously, the PLA had to navigate the lakes entire eastern section to reach conflict zones, a lengthy detour that hampered their response time in an active conflict zone.

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Is it a concern for India?

The location of the bridge, near Pangong Tso, is a worry for India as it highlights Chinas expansionist plans for Ladakh.

As General Rohit Gupta (retired), who served with the Fire and Fury Corps of the Northern Command of the Indian Army, told CNBC, What the bridge adds to Chinese capabilities is the ability to speedily move forces between the north and the south banks of Pangong Tso lake, which they were earlier lacking.

Defence experts note that the constructed bridge will help reduce the time China needs to launch a quick operation in the mountains. Moreover, it will help Chinese troops along with their tanks access areas in the southern banks like the Rezang La where they were outsmarted by the Indians in 2020.

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Speaking on the importance of the bridge, Air Vice Marshal (retired) Manmohan Bahadur, an aviator who served extensively in Ladakh region, told Hindustan Times: The Chinese have built a vital asset that will be of tremendous help to maintain their deterrence posture.

The completion of the bridge is also another example of how China continues to ramp up its infrastructure in the region and lay claim to different parts around the LAC. Since the 2020 Galwan clash in which 20 Indian soldiers died, China has significantly increased its activity in all the three sectors of the 3,488-km LAC, stretching from Ladakh to Arunachal Pradesh.

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In April, a report by journalist Rajat Pandit revealed that China has been using dual-use  Xiaokang villages and other border infrastructure to strengthen its presence along the LAC. Earlier this year, Beijing completed the construction of a road from the north of Samzungling to the Galwan Valley, providing the PLA with a 15-km shorter alternate axis to rapidly build-up troops in the area.

The PLA has also been building tunnels, helipads, bridges and bunkers in other stretches of the LAC. Furthermore, China has deployed additional fighters, bombers, and reconnaissance aircraft in the region.

What does India say?

Officially, India hasnt reacted to the new visuals as of yet. However, Hindustan Times citing sources said that India has undertaken a wide range of steps to bolster infrastructure and match steps taken by Chinas PLA.

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Meanwhile, reacting to the visuals, Congress MP Manish Tewari said on X: China has built a bridge that connects the north and south bank of Pangong Lake. It has serious strategic consequences for India as it allows China to quickly move troops from one bank of the Lake to the other. It provides strategic dominance to China of the Pangong Lake sector. By its silence, GOI is enabling China to create new facts on the ground on a daily basis.

Even Congress chief Mallikarjun Kharge questioned the construction of the bridge, slamming the governments apathy on the issue. He wrote on X: Is it not true that China has built and operationalised a bridge connecting the north and south banks of Pangong Lake, which allows it to have a strategic dominance in the sector, close to our LAC?

With inputs from agencies
Indonesian president Joko Widodo began working from Nusantara on Monday, years after he had declared relocating the capital from Jakarta. The $33 billion infrastructure project has been beset by construction delays and investment issues. The capital city is likely to hold its first Independence Day celebration on August 17 read more

Indonesian president Joko Widodo, center, talks to the media in the new capital city Nusantara in Penajam Paser Utara, East Kalimantan, Indonesia, July 29, 2024. AP

Indonesian president Joko Widodo started working from the countrys future capital Nusantara on Monday (July 29). The outgoing leader spent his first night at the eagle-shaped palace of the new capital, where he is likely to stay for the last few months of his presidency.

Indonesia is shifting its capital from Jakarta to the planned city of Nusantara in East Kalimantan province on Borneo. The decision was announced by Widodo in 2019 citing Jakartas increasing environmental problems.

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Whats wrong with Jakarta? What is Nusantara and when will the work on the new capital be completed? Lets take a closer look.

Jakartas woes

Jakarta suffers from pollution and traffic congestion. In fact, it is one of the most polluted cities in the world.

The over-populated Jakarta, which lies on the northwest coast of Java island, is prone to earthquakes. It is also rapidly sinking. If nothing is done, many parts of the city will submerge underwater by 2050.

Jakarta has subsided more than 16 feet in the past 25 years. Excessive groundwater extraction has led to subsidence. Jakartas overcrowding and major urban development have further put pressure on soil, resulting in compaction and land subsidence, as per The Hindu.

Many Indonesian presidents have attempted to find a solution to Jakartas woes, along with shifting the capital to another city.

In 2019, Widodo reportedly said in a speech, The location is very strategic  its in the centre of Indonesia and close to urban areasthe burden Jakarta is holding right now is too heavy as the centre of governance, business, finance, trade and services.

The New State Capital Law Bill was passed by the country in 2022, moving the capital city from Jakarta to a new one called Nusantara.

Nusantara: Indonesias new capital

Nusantara, also known as IKN, is located within the jungle of East Kalimantan on the island of Borneo which is shared by Indonesia, Malaysia and Brunei.

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The new capital is in the North Penajam Paser and Kutai Kartanegara regions.

East Kalimantan, which spreads across 127,346.92 square kilometres, is bigger than Jakarta and less populated. It is rich in flora and fauna, which has prompted environmentalists and activists to warn that the relocation of the capital would trigger massive deforestation, putting the habitat of animals and trees in danger, reported Indian Express.

Nusantara is planned as a green, walkable metropolis, which will be completely powered by renewable energy by 2045, as per a News18 report.

Nusantara, which is about 1,200 km away from Jakarta, is expected to be home to 1.9 million (19 lakh) people by 2045, reported The Guardian.

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According to Widodo, the new capital represents a new work ethic, a new mindset, a new green economy.

Nusantara will shape the new mindset of Indonesians by being a projection of the city of the future, Bambang Susantono, the then chairman of the Nusantara National Capital Authority, said, as per Reuters Plus. With Nusantara, we will set up a new standard to live by.

As the Indonesian capital moves away from Jakarta, the presidential palace, government institutions, and offices and homes of civil servants and ministers will also relocate to East Kalimantan.

ALSO READ: Quicksplained: What is Indonesias Golden Visa that allows professionals to stay up to 10 years?

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When will the capital move?

The ambitious $33 billion project kickstarted in July 2022. However, progress has been slow amid construction delays and missed deadlines, as per The Guardian report.

Most of the capital citys buildings are incomplete. While the new presidential palace is 88 per cent finished, many ministry buildings have only lower floors usable, reported Associated Press (AP).

The project is also beset by a lack of foreign investment and managerial and land issues. The plan to shift 12,000 civil servants to Nusantara in early July had to be deferred.

Workers are seen at a construction site in the new capital city in Penajam Paser Utara, East Kalimantan, Indonesia, July 29, 2024. AP

Nusantara is set to host its first Independence Day celebration on August 17. It is then that the official transfer of the capital city is likely to occur. However, the capital will be ready by just 15 per cent next month.

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An official decree has to be issued to recognise Nusantara as the new capital. The outgoing president has hinted that President-elect Prabowo Subianto, who will be sworn into office in October, could issue the decree, reported AP.

Authorities are scrambling to complete major infrastructure projects before next months celebration.

We came here to check the latest progress of the IKN, especially the construction of the palace, I see everything is still in process, Widodo told reporters on Monday, as per AP.

Outside the new Garuda Palace, he said, This is a big job. It can take 10, 15, 20 years. This is not a job that takes one or two years.

As Reuters noted, the outgoing president has become more pragmatic in his comments about the new capital. Lots of people think we are rushingNo, were not rushing the job. Its in accordance with procedures, he said.

The relocation plan is facing scrutiny amid delayed construction, which led to the resignations of the head of the Nusantara Capital Authority and his deputy last month.

The Indonesian government has relied on private investment to build the new capital, with the state only bearing 20 per cent of the cost.

To attract investments, Widodo signed a presidential regulation in early July, giving certain rights to investors, including land rights of up to 190 years in Nusantara.

Prabowo has vowed to continue Widodos landmark projects, including the IKN. However, Sulfikar Amir, an associate professor of science, technology, and society at Nanyang Technological University in Singapore, has alleged the rush to implement the project has affected its financing and planning.

Who wants to work in the middle of the forest with [a] lack of infrastructure? he was quoted as saying by The Guardian.

With inputs from agencies
Over 80 people have died and hundreds are trapped after three landslides struck hilly areas near Meppadi in Keralas Wayanad district within four hours. Experts note that most landslips, such as the one in Kerala, occur during heavy rainfall because of geologically weak soil, deforestation and careless construction read more

National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) personnel conduct rescue operations after huge landslides in the hilly areas near Meppadi, in Wayanad district, Kerala. PTI

Tragedy struck Kerala on Tuesday morning (July 30) after three landslides struck the hilly areas of Meppadi in Keralas Wayanad, killing over 80 people with hundred others feared to be trapped. Officials said that three different landslides struck the region in four hours amid heavy rain.

Shortly after news broke of the natural disaster, the Kerala State Disaster Management Authority mobilised National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) teams to the affected areas. The Indian Army has also been called in for rescue operations. Furthermore, two Air Force helicopters, a Mi-17 and an ALH (Advanced Light Helicopter), have also been put into service.

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Catch all live updates from the Wayanad landslides

Mundakkai, Chooralmala, Attamala, and Noolpuzha villages are among the worst affected areas. Meanwhile, Prime Minister Narendra Modi expressed concern over the incident and said that he spoke to Kerala Chief Minister P Vijayan and assured all possible help from the Centre to the state.

Distressed by the landslides in parts of Wayanad. My thoughts are with all those who have lost their loved ones and prayers with those injured.

Rescue ops are currently underway to assist all those affected. Spoke to Kerala CM Shri @pinarayivijayan and also assured all possible help from the Centre in the wake of the prevailing situation there, Modi said in a post on social media platform X.

As Kerala deals with the aftermath of the disaster, lets understand what are landslides, what causes them and why they take place often during the rains.

What is a landslide?

A landslide is the movement of rock, earth, or debris down a sloped section of land. They can happen suddenly or more slowly over long periods of time. As per the United States Geological Survey (USGS), landslides are a type of mass wasting, which denotes any down-slope movement of soil and rock under the direct influence of gravity.

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Additionally, the term landslide encompasses five modes of slope movement: falls, topples, slides, spreads, and flows. These are further subdivided by the type of geologic material (bedrock, debris, or earth). Debris flows (commonly referred to as mudflows or mudslides) and rock falls are examples of common landslide types.

The National Disaster Management Authority (NDMA) explains the occurrence of a landslide with the help of an illustration on X.

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What causes landslides?

Landslides can be caused by multiple reasons. However, experts divide it into three main causes  geology, morphology, and human activity.

Geology refers to the characteristics of the material itself. The earth or rock might be weak or fractured, or different layers may have different strength and stiffness.

Morphology refers to the structure of the land. For example, slopes that lose their vegetation to fire or drought are more vulnerable to landslides. Vegetation holds soil in place, and without the root systems of trees, bushes, and other plants, the land is more likely to slide away.

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Several are reported to be missing missing after massive landslides struck the hilly areas near Meppadi in Keralas Wayanad district on Tuesday morning. PTI

Human activity, such as agriculture and construction, can increase the risk of a landslide. Irrigation, deforestation, excavation, and water leakage are some of the common activities that can help destabilise, or weaken, a slope.

Heavy rainfall can also lead to a landslide as is the case in the current one in Kerala.

Why are there more landslides during monsoon?

One of the foremost reasons for landslides is concentrated rainfall due to climate change, experts say. In the UK, an analysis carried out by the Met Office in 2012-2013 showed that a rise in heavy rainfall also saw a corresponding rise in the number of landslides.

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Echoing similar observations, Partha Jyoti Das, who heads the Water, Climate and Hazard Division of the Guwahati-based environment non-profit Aaranyak told the Indian Express that when heavy rains meet undesirable, unpragmatic, unplanned structural intervention on the fragile landscape of hills, it can cause landslides.

Deforestation for public and private infrastructure projects leaves the soil weak and vulnerable to spate of water coming from a higher level. Whether it is an extension of a railway line, or construction of a bridge or roads, the fragile ecosystem of mountainous areas is disturbed.

Rescuers help residents to move to a safer place, at a landslide site after multiple landslides in the hills, in Wayanad, in the southern state of Kerala. Reuters

An IIT Delhi study of 2020 also noted that heavy rain is destroying steep slopes with loose soil, causing landslides.

In Kerala, its a similar picture. Deadly landslides have become a recurring feature during the monsoon, with the Centre in 2022 saying that the southern state had recorded the highest number of major landslides in the country in the past seven years  2,239 in Kerala.

TV Ramachandra, a noted scientist, further elaborated on the link between rainfall and landslides. Speaking to Down To Earth, he said that usually 50 to 60 per cent of rainwater is absorbed into the ground. However, due to degradation of the landscape, the water stops percolating and with change in vegetation patterns, the soil is losing its holding capacity. This causes water to collect over the ground, loosening the soil, leading to landslides and mudslides, he said.

With inputs from agencies
Several communities in South Goa are opposing Sunburn. The locals are concerned about drug usage, environmental degradation, and disruption for residents. Goa CM Pramod Sawant had earlier said these events attract tourists and put the state on the global cultural map read more

Locals in South Goa have been protesting the Sunburn music festival that will be held in South Goa from December 28 to December 30 this year. Image Courtesy: Sunburn Festival

The Sunburn Festival in Goa is on the bucket list of every EDM and party lover. However, this year, it has struck a sour note with locals, political leaders, and social workers, who staged protests earlier this month to voice their strong opposition.

In a recently held NITI Aayog meeting, Chief Minister Pramod Sawant emphasised the music festival and other eventss role in not only attracting tourists but also putting Goa on the global cultural map. He said the events also help promote local artists and entrepreneurs.

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Last year, the music festival also drew an impressive 88.46 lakh tourists to Goa, including 4.14 lakh international visitors, significantly boosting the states hospitality sector.

But what has put this celebrated music extravaganza under threat this year? Lets take a closer look at the unfolding drama

Disruption for locals

One of the main reasons why people are protesting in the state is the relocation of the festival from North to South Goa.

Critics, such as Congress leader Yuri Alemao, claim that the government prioritises tourism revenue over preserving South Goas quiet and peaceful surroundings.

Several communities from areas such as Agonda, Chicalim, Vasco, and Varca Grama Sabha have voted against hosting the Sunburn event expressing several concerns including noise pollution.

A Times of India report quoted a local Goa resident as saying, They have already destroyed North, now they want to destroy South, better not to allow them to have such functions."

Several communities from areas such as Agonda, Chicalim, Vasco, and Varca Grama Sabha have voted against hosting the Sunburn event expressing several concerns. Image courtesy: X/ @AAPGoa

Last year, the High Court of Bombay at Goa directed the state pollution control and district authorities to ensure that the organisers of events like the Sunburn EDM Music Festival scrupulously comply with the provisions of the Noise Pollution Rules after several petitions were filed in the court over loud music and sound pollution at the three-day event.

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Congress leader Yuri Alemao told Business Standard, After converting North Goa into a drug and crime hub, the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) government under Chief Minister Pramod Sawant and Tourism Minister Rohan Khaunte are now setting their evil eye on South Goa."

The festival organisers, however, have already started selling the tickets and awaiting the Goa governments authorisation.

The locals have also expressed concerns about the massive waste generation and law and order situations which disrupt the day-to-day life of the locals. Residents have also pointed out the increased strain on the infrastructure, including roads and public health.

The drug festival

Gram Sabhas in several South Goa villages have passed resolutions to oppose the Sunburn Festival, citing the prevalent drug use at the event.

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Cristian Karwalo, a South Goa resident, expressed his concerns to News18, stating, We have already seen what this festival did to North Goa and now they want to do the same thing in South Goa. We dont want our young generation to get addicted to drugs because of this festival. I am protesting against this festival because hardly any local talent or artist gets a chance to perform, so why do we need it?

The protests have gained support from state Congress vice-president Sunil Kawthankar and local MLAs, who have labeled Sunburn a drug festival, calling for a boycott.

Gram Sabhas in several South Goa villages have passed resolutions to oppose the Sunburn Festival, citing the prevalent drug use at the event. News18

In 2019, two tourists at the festival allegedly died because of a suspected drug overdose, leading to stricter monitoring by the police in the following years.

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Kawthankar further emphasised that Goa is globally known for its music, cuisine, and the warmth of its peoplenot for electronic dance music, drugs, and loud noise.

He further asserted that Sunburn is not part of Goan culture and that the festival benefits outsiders more than locals. He highlighted that the festival takes place during a time when Goa is already attracting tourists, thereby not significantly boosting the local economy.

Tourism officials said that Sunburn promoters have yet to submit a formal proposal for review. This delay has increased frustration among local communities and opposition leaders, who are calling for greater transparency and strict adherence to regulatory standards before approving the events relocation.

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The Sunburn Festival debate reveals a tension between economic benefits and community welfare in South Goa. With stakeholders awaiting further updates, the resolution of this conflict remains unclear.

With input from agencies
Iran, The Gambia resume ties after nearly 14 years

Xinhua) 16:57, July 30, 2024

TEHRAN, July 30 (Xinhua) -- Iran and The Gambia resumed their diplomatic ties on Monday almost 14 years after the latter cut them.

According to a joint statement released by the Iranian Foreign Ministry, the decision was made in a meeting between Iran's Acting Foreign Minister Ali Bagheri Kani and Gambian Foreign Minister Mamadou Tangara in the Iranian capital Tehran, in line with the interests of both countries.

The Gambian Foreign Minister has traveled to Tehran to attend the swearing-in ceremony of Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian, which is scheduled for Tuesday.

According to the statement, the two governments agreed to expand bilateral cooperation covering the political, economic, investment, trade and cultural spheres.

The statement added that the two countries' embassies in Senegal's capital Dakar agreed to serve as diplomatic contact points to help resume official diplomacy.

The Gambia cut diplomatic and economic relations with Iran in November 2010 and ordered all Iranian representatives to leave within 48 hours.

The Gambia cited no reason for cutting ties with Iran. Tehran, however, attributed the action to pressure from the United States.

(Web editor: Zhang Kaiwei, Zhong Wenxing)
The operation took place in the Gara and Haftanin regions of Iraq, said the statement, without specifying the timing.

Turkish authorities often use the term "neutralise" in their statements to imply the alleged terrorists have either surrendered, been killed, or captured.

"We continue and will continue our struggle with great determination to save our noble nation from the scourge of terrorism," the ministry said.

The PKK, listed as a terrorist organisation by Turkiye, the United States, and the European Union, has rebelled against the Turkish government for more than three decades." />
The recent omission of an attempted assassination search result for former US President Donald Trump has sparked accusations of bias against Google. Supporters, including Donald Trump Jr. and Republican lawmakers, allege that Googles autocomplete function is deliberately suppressing information to favour Kamala Harris in the upcoming US presidential election read more

Republican presidential nominee and former US President Donald Trump gestures during a rally with his vice presidential running mate US Senator JD Vance in St. Cloud, Minnesota, US, July 27, 2024. File Image/Reuters

The controversy surrounding Google, led by Sundar Pichai, has escalated as Trump supporters accuse the tech giant of election interference. The issue arose when Googles autocomplete function failed to suggest information about an attempted assassination of former United States President Donald Trump, sparking outrage among his supporters.

The autocomplete feature provided suggestions for historical assassination attempts on figures like Ronald Reagan and John F Kennedy but did not include Trump, despite the incident occurring on July 13 in Butler, Pennsylvania.

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This omission has led to accusations of bias against Google, with claims that the company is manipulating information to influence the upcoming 2024 US presidential election.

How have Republicans reacted?

The incident prompted a strong reaction from Trump supporters and prominent Republican figures. Donald Trump Jr. expressed his frustration on social media platform X, formerly known as Twitter, stating, Big Tech is trying to interfere in the election AGAIN to help Kamala Harris.

Big Tech is trying to interfere in the election AGAIN to help Kamala Harris. We all know this is intentional election interference from Google. Truly despicable. https://t.co/gWDbFGaHI7  Donald Trump Jr. (@DonaldJTrumpJr) July 28, 2024

He accused Google of intentionally suppressing information about the assassination attempt, viewing it as an effort to aid US Vice President Kamala Harris in the election. Trumps supporters have long suspected Google of bias, especially given the companys alleged suppression of information related to US President Joe Bidens son, Hunter Biden.

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Republican US Senator Roger Marshall also voiced his concerns, sharing a screenshot that highlighted Googles omission. He questioned, Why is @Google suppressing the search about the Trump assassination attempt? Has there been a dramatic increase in (Harry) Truman biographers in the last two weeks?

Why is @Google suppressing the search about the Trump assassination attempt? These are all screenshots from this morning. Has there been a dramatic increase in Truman biographers in the last two weeks?



Ill be making an official inquiry into @google this week - I look forward pic.twitter.com/GD5SOvvcdX  Dr. Roger Marshall (@RogerMarshallMD) July 28, 2024

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The accusations extended to Pichai himself, with some suggesting that his Indian heritage influenced his supposed support for Harris, also of Indian descent. One post on X read, Sundar Pichai top boss at google isdoing everything in his power to ensure the next president is of India descent, while another labelled him a socialist favouring Marxists who run the DNC.

How did Google respond?

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In response to the controversy, a Google spokesperson clarified that the companys systems have built-in protections against autocomplete predictions related to political violence, which were functioning as intended.

Sundar Pichai, CEO of Google and Alphabet, attends the inauguration of a new hub in France dedicated to the artificial intelligence (AI) sector, at the Google France headquarters in Paris, France, February 15, 2024. File Image/Reuters

The spokesperson stated, Were working on improvements to ensure our systems are more up to date. Of course, Autocomplete is just a tool to help people save time, and they can still search for anything they want to. Despite this explanation, the issue continued to draw criticism, with many arguing that the omission was a deliberate act of bias.

How did Musk & Meta get involved?

Elon Musk, owner of X, also became involved in the controversy. Musk, who has openly supported Trump, posted a screenshot showing a Google search for President Donald that suggested President Donald Duck instead of President Donald Trump.

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Wow, Google has a search ban on President Donald Trump!



Election interference? pic.twitter.com/dJzgVAAFZA  Elon Musk (@elonmusk) July 29, 2024

Musk sarcastically questioned whether this was an instance of Election interference? He further commented on the significant donations from Alphabet (Googles parent company) employees to Bidens campaign, implying a bias within the company.

Probably just a coincidence that Alphabet (Google) employees were the top donors to Biden https://t.co/H02dxmKPkL pic.twitter.com/tIj0THeTVc  Elon Musk (@elonmusk) July 29, 2024

Meta, another tech giant, faced criticism for a similar issue. The companys AI chatbot, Meta AI, was accused of providing misleading information about the Trump assassination attempt. In one instance, the bot incorrectly labelled the event as fictional.

Meta later apologised, acknowledging that the incident was an error and stating, We know people have been seeing incomplete, inconsistent, or out of date information on this topic. Were in the process of implementing a fix to provide more up-to-date responses for inquiries, and it is possible people may continue to see inaccurate responses in the meantime.

What political implications are we looking at?

The allegations of bias against Google and other tech giants have significant political implications, especially as the US approaches the 2024 presidential election. Trumps supporters view the perceived manipulation of information as a form of election interference designed to disadvantage their candidate.

The controversy has fueled calls for investigations, with some Republican lawmakers pledging to look into the matter.

Republican presidential candidate former US President Donald Trump is surrounded by US Secret Service agents after an assassination attempt at a campaign rally in Butler, Pennsylvania, July 13, 2024. File Image/AP

The situation has also highlighted the broader issue of Big Techs role in shaping public discourse and information. With past incidents of social media platforms banning Trump following the January 6, 2021, US Capitol riot, the debate over tech companies influence in politics remains a hot topic.
Tuesdays catastrophic landslides left Keralas Wayanad littered with uprooted trees, overflowing water bodies, and destroyed houses. Over 80 people are dead and hundreds are feared to be trapped. The Indian Army has been called in and the states Fire Force and NDRF have deployed along with drones and a dog squad read more

National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) personnel conduct rescue operation after huge landslides in the hilly areas near Meppadi, in Wayanad district, Kerala, Tuesday, July 30, 2024. PTI

Tuesdays catastrophic landslides in Keralas Wayanad region left high-range communities littered with broken branches of uprooted trees, overflowing water bodies, and destroyed houses.

The hillsides gave way after midnight following torrential rainfall on Monday in the Wayanad district of Kerala, a state renowned as one of Indias most popular tourist destinations.

Over 80 people are dead and hundreds of more are feared to be trapped. Most of the victims were estate workers and their families who were asleep at the time in makeshift tents.

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Despite the massive rescue effort, several times it has been difficult for the rescuers to get to some of the hardest-hit communities that have been shut off by the landslides.

Heres a detailed look into the rescue operation.

NDRF, drones, and dog squad onsite

Wayanad district Collector Meghasree DR said disaster relief work is progressing in affected areas and rescue operations are being carried out by the NDRF, Fire force, police, and the Forest, Revenue and Local Self-government departments.

State Revenue Minister K Rajan said one team of NDRF is working to clear the debris and create access as they progress towards Mundakkai. Three more NDRF teams from Kollam, Arakkonam, and Bengaluru are also on their way, he said.

Rescue teams have saved 250 people from the landslide-affected areas in Wayanad and are now nearing the most difficult-to-reach locations. According to district authorities, several families have been moved to the various camps or homes of their relatives in the wake of the landslides.

Mundakkai is in the foothills of a nearby mountain. The issue is that the area was totally cut off due to the destruction of a bridge. Now efforts are on to make a temporary bridge to facilitate the crossing of the rescue team, Rajan said, according to PTI.

Rescuers help residents to move to a safer place, at a landslide site after multiple landslides in the hills, in Wayanad, in the southern state of Kerala. Reuters

Television visuals showed relief personnel working amid uprooted trees and flattened tin structures as boulders lay strewn at the site with muddy water gushing through. One man was stuck in chest-high mud for hours, as television showed, struggling to free himself until rescue workers finally reached him.

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The office also stated that earth excavators are needed to advance the rescue operations.

As the emergency services race against time to reach trapped and injured survivors of the massive tragedy, their rescue efforts are hindered due to blocked roads, a collapsed bridge, unstable terrain and bad weather.

Kerala Chief Minister Pinarai Vijayan held a high-level evaluation meeting and visited the State Disaster Management Authority office in the state capital to assess the situation.

According to News18, he has ordered the deployment of police drones and the dog squad to ramp up the search and rescue.

Also read: Why do landslips occur more frequently during the rains?

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Armys Engineering Group, Navy, Air Force join the rescue efforts

The Armys Madras Engineering Group (MEG) was roped in to help build an alternate bridge after the one that linked the affected area to the nearest town of Chooralmala was destroyed, the chief ministers office said in a statement.

The engineering department will deploy alternative systems to manage the situation. This decision follows discussions between the Revenue Secretary and Major General VT Mathew, who oversees the Kerala-Karnataka Army operations.

National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) personnel conduct rescue operation after huge landslides in the hilly areas near Meppadi, in Wayanad district, Kerala, Tuesday, July 30, 2024. PTI

Meanwhile, Defence Minister Rajnath Singh spoke to Army Chief and took stock of the situation.

The Indian Army has mobilised four columns, including two columns from the 122 Infantry Battalion (Territorial Army) and two ex the DSC Centre, Kannur.

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The Army has deployed 225 personnel, including medical personnel for the search and rescue operation.

Indian Air Force has deployed two choppers  a Mi-17 and one ALH Dhruv  for the rescue operation. The choppers have been sent from the Sulur air base in Coimbatore from Tamil Nadu.

Notably, a team of Navy personnel from the Ezhimala Naval Base in Kannur are also assisting in the rescue and relief operation. A team of 30 specialist swimmers from the Indian Navy have also been deployed, according to the Defence PRO.

Also read: What makes Kerala so vulnerable to such disasters?

Medical teams, call centres, and a special control room set up

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Medical teams and ambulances are currently present on the site and food and clothing are also arranged.

A shelter camp has been set up at Bathery St Marys SKMJ School in Kalpetta, according to the report.

Police and the Health department have started multiple call centres and 24-hour control rooms to assist both health workers and the public.

George, who visited the Health Department Directorate to assess the ongoing arrangements, instructed for precise tracking of available hospital beds in the affected areas. News18 reported that she has also recommended setting up temporary hospitals if necessary.

According to The Indian Express, Kerala Health Minister Veena George assured, The Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan is himself monitoring the entire situation in the state and he is giving instructions. We have sent more medicines to Wayanad.

National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) personnel conduct rescue operation after huge landslides in the hilly areas near Meppadi, in Wayanad district, Kerala, Tuesday, July 30, 2024. PTI

Five ministers coordinate immediate response measures

CM Vijayan also announced, A delegation of five ministers has been assigned in Wayanad to address the aftermath of the recent landslide and oversee ongoing relief efforts. Forest Minister AK Saseendran has already reached the affected area to assess the damage and coordinate immediate response measures.

He also assured Minister Ramachandran Kadannappalli expected to arrive shortly to join the efforts on the ground.

Additionally, the Ministers of Revenue, Public Works, and Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes Departments are travelling by air from Thiruvananthapuram and will be arriving soon, he added.

Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan evaluates the ongoing relief and rescue operations at SDM office in Chooralmala, following landslides in the hilly areas, in Wayanad district, Kerala, Tuesday, July 30, 2024. PTI

Tamil Nadu sends rescue team

Tamil Nadu CM MK Stalin offered his condolences to the deceased in landslides on a phone call with Kerala CM Vijayan.

He is sending a rescue team headed by two IAS cadres to assist the Kerala administration and has released Rs 5 crore from the TN CMs General Fund for relief efforts in Kerala, as per News18.

Stalin is also sending 20 firefighters from the Fire Rescue Department, led by its Joint Director, 20 personnel from the State Disaster Management Authority and a medical team of 10 doctors and nurses to Kerala today.

Catch all live updates from the Wayanad landslides

Death toll rises

The latest death toll from the Wayanad landslide tragedy at the time of writing this report stands at 80.

Earlier, District Collector Meghasree confirmed 36 deaths in Chooralmala. Additionally, nine bodies swept away by the Chaliyar River were recovered in Malappuram.

The bodies of the deceased are being taken to various hospitals for identification and autopsy.

Nearly 70 people have been admitted to various hospitals in Kozhikode; at least 12 bodies are there in the hospitals, Rajan added.

National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) personnel cooduct rescue operation after huge landslides in the hilly areas near Meppadi, in Wayanad district, Kerala, Tuesday, July 30, 2024. PTI

The tragedy

Heavy rains triggered a series of massive landslides in the hilly areas of Keralas Wayanad district early on Tuesday. The landslides, which occurred between 2 am and 4 am on Tuesday, primarily affected the regions of Mundakkai, Chooralmala, Attamala, and Noolpuzha villages.

Picturesque hamlets known for their beauty until Monday are now a picture of gloom after landslides hit the areas, cutting them off from other places. Vehicles washed away in floodwaters could be seen stuck in tree trunks and submerged here and there in many places. Swollen water bodies changed their course and flowed through inhabited areas, resulting in more destruction.

Nearly 350 families lived in the affected region, mostly tea and cardamom estates, and 250 people had been rescued so far, state officials said, as per Reuters. Many others are missing.

Mundakkai has been totally cut off by the devastating landslides that hit Wayanad district. The extent of the damage has not yet been determined, said Rajan, as per PTI.

Rescue operation underway after landslides in the hilly areas near Meppadi, in Wayanad district, Kerala, Tuesday, July 30, 2024. PTI

There were reports of roughly 150 individuals who were stuck at the Tree Valley Resort in Meppadi. For safety amid the torrential rains of previous night, the resort had admitted a few locals. They are experiencing a food shortage as per Indian Express.

At least 40 houses have had debris fall on top of them due to landslides that have occurred in the vicinity, according to the resort.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi expressed anguish over the loss of lives in landslides in Keralas Wayanad district and assured Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan of all possible help from the Centre to deal with the crisis.

The prime minister has announced an ex gratia of Rs 2 lakh from the PMNRF for the next of kin of each deceased and Rs 50,000 for the injured.

Tuesdays landslides are the worst disaster there since 2018, when heavy floods killed almost 400 people.

Opposition leader Rahul Gandhi, who won the recently-contested general election from Wayanad, but resigned as he was also elected from his family bastion in the north, said he had spoken to the state chief minister to ensure coordination with all agencies.

The devastation unfolding in Wayanad is heartbreaking, he said in a message on X. I have urged the union government to extend all possible support.

With inputs from agencies
As per reports, Leader of Opposition (LoP) in the Lok Sabha Rahul Gandhi and Congress general secretary Priyanka Gandhi Vadra will visit landslide-hit Wayanad on Wednesday morning read more

With 116 people killed and several others still trapped following massive landslides in Wayanad district of Kerala on Tuesday, Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan has warned people to avoid unnecessary travel to the district.

Please avoid unnecessary travel to Wayanad, Kerala CM said, adding that at this point importance is for rescue workers.

CM Vijayans request comes hours ahead of a likely visit of Congress leaders Rahul Gandhi and Priyanka Gandhi Vadra to Wayanad on Wednesday morning.

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Congress general secretary (organisation) KC Venugopal, on Tuesday morning, said: This is the hour of togetherness, we have to work together so that maximum peoples lives are safe. We are planning to go (to Wayanad). Yes, both (Rahul Gandhi and Priyanka Gandhi Vadra) are planning to go.

Several people are still trapped under mud and debris, and rescue work is underway to bring them out safely. So far, bodies of at least 116 people have been recovered.

On Tuesday morning, multiple landslides triggered by heavy monsoon rains hit the hill district of Wayanad.

Many who were sleeping have been swept away

The landslide in Wayanad is a heart-wrenching disaster. There was extremely heavy rainfall, Vijayan said.

An entire area has been wiped out There are 128 people receiving treatment for injuries. Many who went to sleep last night have been swept away, the Kerala CM said.

Many people are still trapped under the debris, Vijayan said.

We have arranged the best possible treatment for the injured. We have opened 45 relief camps in Wayanad and a total of 118 camps across the state, accommodating 5,531 people. The fire force, NDRF, and police are working together. Various divisions of the Army and Navy are coordinating the rescue operations, the Kerala CM said.

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CM Vijayan briefs about rescue operations in Wayanad

The Kerala Chief Minister said that 321 members of the Fire Force have been deployed in Wayanad. The services of the Army have also been made available.

An NDRF team of 60 members has reached Wayanad, and an 89-member team from Bengaluru is on the way.

Upon learning of the disaster, Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Congress leader Rahul Gandhi, along with various party leaders, have offered their assistance. They have assured us that we will work together to address this crisis, he said.

Vijayan said that additional Kaniv 108 ambulances have been brought in.

He further said that 3,069 people are in relief camps in Wayanad alone. Five ministers are coordinating the efforts. Due to adverse weather conditions, people were relocated, and an orange alert was declared, Vijayan said.

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Be prepared

CM Vijayan further said that a dog squad will be arriving for the rescue operations.

Authorities instructions must be followed precisely. The local administration has been directed to ensure that drinking water, food, and other essentials are provided to those in the camps. The IG of the Northern Range, DIG, and the Additional DG of Law and Order will coordinate the operations. Everyone must avoid situations where people are merely spectators at disaster sites. Control rooms have been established under various government departments. I have instructed that officials in essential services be prepared and on standby due to the heavy rain conditions, he added.

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Health workers on leave instructed to report to duty immediately

Vijayan further informed that steps have been initiated to deliver food and essential supplies. Two vehicles carrying 20,000 litres of drinking water will arrive at the disaster area, he said.

Health workers currently on leave are instructed to return to duty immediately. Nothing can replace the loss of loved ones or possessions, but we must extend our support and lift those affected. In the wake of the landslides in Wayanad, we must come together to aid those suffering, the chief minister said.

Kerala needs more assistance to rebuild the region

More assistance is needed to rebuild the region. I urge everyone to contribute to the Chief Ministers Disaster Relief Fund (CMDRF) and provide support. Those who can should make donations, Vijayan said.

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He further informed that Kerala Bank has contributed Rs 50 lakh to CMDRF. The Chief Minister of Sikkim has pledged Rs 2 crore, and Tamil Nadu CM MK Stalin has promised Rs 5 crore in aid, Vijayan said.

Two-day state mourning

The chief minister said that in response to the disaster in Wayanad, Kerala has declared two days of official mourning. Public events and celebrations have been postponed. We request that the national flag be flown at half-mast as part of the mourning period, he said.

Also Read: 98 killed in Wayanad landslides, Kerala declares 2-day mourning as IMD sounds red alert for more rains

Also Read: Wayanad landslides: What makes Kerala so vulnerable to such disasters?

With inputs from agencies
Sitharaman said that no state was being denied money. She recalled that in the past Budgets by the UPA government also did not mention names of all states in their Budget speech. read more

The Parliament Budget Session 2024 is currently underway. It commenced on July 22, 2024, and is scheduled to conclude on August 12, 2024. Image- ANI

Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman on Tuesday termed misleading claims by opposition leaders that if any state is not named in the Budget speech, then it does not get any budgetary allocation.

Replying to a Budget discussion in the Lok Sabha, Sitharaman asserted that no state was being denied money. She recalled that in the past Budgets by the UPA government also did not mention names of all states in their Budget speech.

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I have been picking up on Budget speeches since 2004-2005, 2005-2006, 2006-2007, 2007-2008 and so on. The Budget of 2004-2005 did not take the name of 17 states. I would like to ask the members of the UPA government at that time - did money not go to those 17 states? Did they stop it? Sitharaman said.

She was responding to comments by several opposition members that the Budget has provided funds only to Bihar and Andhra Pradesh and nothing to other states.

Sitharaman said India is the fastest-growing economy globally and has overcome the after-effects of the pandemic due to heavy capex push.

She also said the government is complying with the fiscal deficit trajectory. It will bring down the deficit to below 4.5 per cent by 2025-26 from the targeted 4.9 per cent for the current fiscal. The deficit was 5.6 per cent in 2023-24.

The Budget has provided substantial financial support of Rs 17,000 crore to the Union Territory of Jammu & Kashmir this year. It includes Rs 12,000 crore towards financing the cost of J&K police.

Thats the burden we want to take on our shoulders, Sitharaman said.

The central government is complying with the fiscal deficit trajectory and will bring it down to below 4.5% by 2025-26, she said while speaking during the discussions on the Union Budget 2024-25 in Lok Sabha.

Sitharaman said that Budget 2024 allocated increased funds for social sectors including agriculture, education and employment. We have provided substantial financial support of Rs 17,000 crore in the Union Budget of UT Jammu and Kashmir this year. It includes Rs 12,000 crore towards financing the cost of Jammu and Kashmir Police. Thats the burden we want to take on our shoulders so that Jammu and Kashmir has more flexibility to spend money on development activities,

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VIDEO | "We have provided substantial financial support of Rs 17,000 crore in the Union Budget of UT Jammu and Kashmir this year. It includes Rs 12,000 crore towards financing the cost of Jammu and Kashmir Police. That's the burden we want to take on our shoulders, so that Jammu pic.twitter.com/lMFvw2BE6j  Press Trust of India (@PTI_News) July 30, 2024

Treasury benches on the other hand lauded the Rs 48.2 lakh crore Union Budget presented in Parliament on July 23 saying the country has made all-round development.

Participating in the general discussion on the budget, senior BJP leader Sudhanshu Trivedi reeled out data on GDP growth, rising foreign exchange reserves, declining fiscal deficit and a sharp increase in foreign remittances to highlight the achievements of the government on the economic front.

Seeking to counter the charges levelled by opposition parties during the discussion regarding the government favoring corporates, Trivedi said the corporate taxes have been reduced to make the industry competitive.

He pointed out that global MNCs are shifting away their base from China where corporate tax is 25 per cent.
Sitharaman, on July 23, announced financial and developmental assistance to Bihar and Andhra Pradesh, the two states ruled by BJPs key alliance partners JD(U) and TDS respectively read more

Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman on Wednesday replied to the Oppositions claim that most states were ignored from the Union Budget as she made a special mention of Bihar and Andhra Pradesh.

Citing budgets under the Congress-led UPA government, Sitharaman, who was addressing the Lok Sabha post-budget, said, I have been picking up on Budget speeches since 2004-2005, 2005-2006, 2006-2007, 2007-2008 and so on. The Budget of 2004-2005 did not take the name of 17 states. I would like to ask the members of the UPA government at that time - did money not go to those 17 states? Did they stop it? If they have stopped it, then they have every business to raise questions.

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VIDEO | "I have been picking up on Budget speeches since 2004-2005, 2005-2006, 2006-2007, 2007-2008 and so on. The Budget of 2004-2005 did not take the name of 17 states. I would like to ask the members of the UPA government at that time - did money not go to those 17 states? Did pic.twitter.com/vOF931CFBy  Press Trust of India (@PTI_News) July 30, 2024

She further claimed that during the FY 2009-10, the then-finance minister did not name 26 states  Bihar and Uttar Pradesh.

Sitharaman, on July 23, announced financial and developmental assistance to Bihar and Andhra Pradesh, the two states ruled by BJPs key alliance partners JD(U) and TDS respectively.

The Opposition was quick enough to describe it as a Kursi Bachao budget and an appeasement budget meant for the well-being of only those states that have major stakes in the National Democratic Alliance.

Many opposition leaders, because of this, boycotted the subsequent NITI Aayog meeting chaired by Prime Minister Narendra Modi as they felt neglected by the central government.

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Last week, the finance minister had replied to the Oppositions concerns in Rajya Sabha, saying that their allegation that Bihar and Andhra were preferred over other states was outrageous.

In every Budget, you dont get an opportunity to name every state of this country. Maharashtras name was not taken in the Budget yesterday. Does this mean that Maharashtra feels ignored? If a particular state is named in the speech, does it mean that programs of GOI dont go to these states? she said.
The protest was attended by several leaders including NCP-SP supremo Sharad Pawar, Samajwadi Partys Akhilesh Yadav and Punjab Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann read more

There has been a controversy surrounding the Delhi chief minister's health with supporters claiming that he has significantly lost weight during his time in jail while Tihar authorities refuting them. PTI

The Opposition INDIA bloc on Tuesday held a protest in Delhi over Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwals deteriorating health in jail.

The protest was attended by several leaders including NCP-SP supremo Sharad Pawar, Samajwadi Partys Akhilesh Yadav and Punjab Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann.

There has been a controversy surrounding the Delhi chief ministers health with supporters claiming that he has significantly lost weight during his time in jail while Tihar authorities refuting them.

Kejriwals wife, Sunita Kejriwal, who was present at the INDIA bloc protest, said, Thankful to God that nothing untoward happened to my husband. His life is in danger.

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They have not put Kejriwal ji behind bars but the democracy has been put behind bars. The entire INDIA bloc is with Kejriwal, Shiv Sena (UBT) leader Sanjay Raut said.

VIDEO | "You would've understood that Delhi CM Arvind Kejriwal has been put in jail under a deep political conspiracy. ED had put him in jail over his one statement. Magunta Reddy had met Arvind Kejriwal only once over land for his charitable trust. ED had put his son in jail. pic.twitter.com/YrCTXb2aTX  Press Trust of India (@PTI_News) July 30, 2024

Sharing the stage with other opposition leaders, former UP CM Akhilesh Yadav said, I had said one thing before the elections that there are many such organisations with Delhi (Central Govt), which harass politicians from time to time, those organisations do not let them get justice. If and when we come to power, we will end such organisations forever. In our democracy, no one can be falsely accused.

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#WATCH | Delhi: At the INDIA bloc protest at Jantar Mantar, Samajwadi Party chief Akhilesh Yadav says "I had said one thing before the elections that there are many such organisations with Delhi (Central Govt), which harass politicians from time to time, those organisations do pic.twitter.com/ssylzMrdJ9  ANI (@ANI) July 30, 2024

CPI(M) leader Sitaram Yechury, meanwhile, echoed his bloc partners in saying the central government is misusing agencies by making wrongful arrests.

Kejriwal was arrested on March 21 over the alleged Delhi liquor policy scam. The leader came out of jail briefly during the Lok Sabha election period but went back as soon as they were over in June.

How is Kejriwals health?

Jail authorities and AAP have time and again engaged in debates about the physical wellness of the chief minister.

Earlier this month, AAP leaders claimed that Kejriwal lost 8.8 kgs as he was infected with a serious disease.

Tihar jail authorities, on the other hand, have said that the leader has lost only 2 kgs and is being monitored regularly.
Massive landslides struck the hilly areas near Meppadi in Wayanad district of Kerala on Tuesday morning. Several people are feared trapped and the NDRF and the Indian Army along with local officials are working on war footing to rescue them read more

Rescuers carry the body of a victim at the landslide site after multiple landslides in the hills, in Kerala's Wayanad district on July 30, 2024. Source: REUTERS.

The Kerala government has declared that the state will observe two days of mourning on July 30 and 31 after 116 people died in multiple landslides triggered by heavy monsoon rains in the hill district of Wayanad on Tuesday. Several other people are feared trapped under mud and debris as rescue efforts continue.

The state government has declared a two-day mourning period starting today, and all public functions and celebrations have been postponed, the Kerala Chief Ministers Office (CMO) said in a post on X.

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The state government has declared a two-day mourning period starting today, and all public functions and celebrations have been postponed.  CMO Kerala (@CMOKerala) July 30, 2024

All the programmes of the state government have been deferred and the flag will be raised at half mast on these days.

Red alert for Wayanad

On Tuesday morning, massive landslides struck the hilly areas near Meppadi in Wayanad district. However, there is no respite anytime soon for Kerala which will witness more heavy showers this week.

The India Meteorological Department (IMD) has issued a red alert for Wayanad, predicting extreme rainfall on Tuesday.

The red alert has also been issued for neighbouring districts of Malappuram, Kozhikode and Kannur which are also expected to receive heavy rains.

The weather office has also issued an orange alert in Pathanamthitta, Alappuzha, Kottayam, Ernakulam, Idukki, Thrissur, and Palakkad districts for Tuesday, and in Malappuram, Kozhikode, Wayanad and Kannur districts for Wednesday.

Wayanad floods: Rescue operations at war footing

Inclement weather has been hindering rescue efforts which are being carried out in full pace by the Indian Army and the NDRF with the help of local officials.

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The Indian Army has been roped in as a temporary bridge that linked the affected area to a nearest town was also destroyed. As many as 200 soldiers of the Army from the Defence Security Corps and a medical team have been deployed to assist with the rescue operations.

The Army has mobilised four columns, including two columns ex 122 Infantry Battalion (Territorial Army) and two ex the DSC Centre, Kannur.

Also, two helicopters from the Indian Air Force (IAF) station in Sulur have been dispatched to aid in the efforts, Kerala CMO said in a statement.

PM Modi assures Kerala CM of all possible help

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Prime Minister Narendra Modi expressed anguish over the loss of lives in Wayanad landslides and assured Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan of all possible help from the Centre to deal with the crisis.

The Prime Minister has also announced an ex-gratia of Rs 2 lakh for the next of kin of the deceased. The injured would be given Rs 50,000.
Commerce Minister Piyush Goyal on Tuesday said there has been no rethink on the governments stand on allowing Chinese investment and the views expressed in the Economic Survey do not represent the governments views. read more

Commerce Minister Piyush Goyal clarified on Tuesday that the governments stance on Chinese investment remains unchanged, contradicting views expressed in the Economic Survey.

Responding to questions in the Lok Sabha, Goyal emphasised that the government carefully examines Chinese investments. Congress MP Gaurav Gogoi accused India of becoming reliant on China, citing the Economic Surveys support for Chinese foreign direct investment.

Goyal retorted that Indias dependence on neighboring countries increased during the United Progressive Alliances rule, not under the current government. He asserted that the governments scrutiny of Chinese investments continues, and its position has not shifted.

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Goyal hit back at the Congress, saying India had become dependent on neighbouring countries under the United Progressive Alliance (UPA) rule.

Under the Congress, imports increased from USD 4 billion to USD 40-45 billion, which is more than 10 times. In our term, the increase is only 2-2.5 times. We took steps to make India self-reliant, the minister said.

I am making a direct allegation against the UPA. Their name has changed, it is now the INDI Alliance, he said.

We do not know what was that MoU (memorandum of understanding)with China. The trade deficit went up by 30 times under the UPA, the commerce minister said.

The BJP-led NDA has controlled China and also their investment, he asserted.

Referring to the Economic Survey, Goyal said, As far as the chief economic advisor is concerned, they bring an independent, autonomous report. It is their thought, the Government of India at present has not changed its stand. The investment that comes from China is checked, wherever we do not feel it is appropriate, it is stopped. Our policy remains the same, the chief economic advisor gave an advice, he said.

The pre-budget Economic Survey made a strong case for seeking FDI from Beijing to boost local manufacturing and tap the export market.

As the United States and Europe are shifting their immediate sourcing away from China, it is more effective to have Chinese companies invest in India and then export the products to these markets rather than importing from the neighbouring country, the survey said.

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India faces two choices to benefit from the China-plus-one strategy  it can either integrate into Chinas supply chain or promote FDI from China.

With inputs from agencies.
Odisha government has suspended senior IPS officer Pandit Rajesh Uttamrao for abusing his power and grave misconduct read more

Senior Indian Police Service (IPS) officer Pandit Rajesh Uttamrao has been suspended on Tuesday by the Odisha government on disciplinary grounds.

As per an official statement, Pandit Rajesh, from the 2007 batch who was serving as the DIG of Fire Services and Home Guards in Odisha, has been suspended for abusing his power and grave misconduct.

Why Odisha IPS officer has been suspended

Pandit Rajesh has been suspended after it was reported that he forcibly entered the home of a married woman inspector of Odisha Police serving in the Bhubaneswar Economic Offences Wing of the Odisha Crime Branch and misbehaved with her. The alleged incident took place on July 27.

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The state home department issued an order stating that the DGP of Odisha had submitted a confidential report about Pandit regarding the incident.

A report by The Indian Express quoted sources in police as saying that the woman inspectors husband was also allegedly attacked, following which the IPS officer was taken away by police officials.

No formal police complaint has been lodged in connection with the alleged incident.

A disciplinary proceeding against Shri Pandit Rajesh Uttamrao, IPS is contemplated on the grounds of grave misconduct as a Member of the Indian Police Service. Now, therefore, the Government of Odisha, in exercise of powers conferred by sub-rule (1) of Rule 3 of the All India Services (Discipline and Appeal) Rules, 1969, hereby places Shri Pandit Rajesh Uttamrao, IPS under suspension with immediate effect, the Home Department notification stated.

CM orders swift action

Odisha Chief Ministers office issued a statement saying: A complaint has been received, alleging that Pandit has disgraced the dignity of his position by misusing his power last Saturday (July 27) night.

Odisha Chief Minister Mohan Charan Majhi, who returned from four-day New Delhi visit on Monday evening, was apprised about the incident after which he acted swiftly.

CM Majhi instructed the relevant department to suspend the errant senior police officer immediately and take appropriate action against him, the statement by CMO stated.

During the period of suspension, Pandit Rajesh will be posted at the state police headquarters in Cuttack, Odisha.

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Also, he cannot leave the headquarters without getting permission from the DGP.

As per rules, during his suspension, Pandit Rajesh will receive a subsistence allowance for which he will be required to furnish a certificate mentioning that he is not involved in any other work or business.

With inputs from agencies
The Ratna Bhandar was reopened on July 14 after committee members broke the three locks of the door as the duplicate keys kept by the temple administration malfunctioned read more

The Ratna Bhandar of Odishas iconic Jagannath Temple of Puri was opened a couple of days ago after some 46 years and reports of theft have already started surfacing.

A member of the government-formed committee tasked with maintaining the inventory of the treasury has reasons to believe that duplicate keys of the Ratna Bhandar might have been used in the past to steal its contents.

What set off the suspicion?

The Ratna Bhandar was reopened on July 14 after committee members broke the three locks of the door as the duplicate keys kept by the temple administration malfunctioned.

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But, why did authorities need duplicate keys in the first place? The original keys to the treasury went missing in 2018, prompting the former BJD government to order a probe.

According to a report by Times of India, Jagdish Mohanty, the committee member who suspects duplicate keys might have been produced with malevolent intent, said, After the locks were broken following malfunctioning of the duplicate keys, it has been established that there was a criminal motive and intention to siphon off the valuables. The duplicate key issue was a hoax as theft attempt cannot be ruled out.

There are three wooden almirahs, one steel almirah, two wooden chests and one iron chest in the treasury.

Temple administration sources have revealed that while one of the wooden almirahs was locked, the other twos locks were not properly positioned, raising eyebrows.

Meanwhile, one of the two locks of the iron chest was broken and the two wooden chests did not have locks at all.

The committee suspects theft as the use of duplicate keys might have helped steal the valuables of the Ratna Bhandar.

Whats inside the treasury?

The Ratna Bhandar has two enclosures  the inner treasury or Bhitar Bhandar and the outer treasury or Bahar Bhandar.

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The treasury holds precious gold and diamond jewelry offered to Lord Jagannath over the years.

According to the Odisha Magazine, the outer bhandar has suna mukuta of Lord Jagannath and three gold necklaces.

The inner treasury houses 74 gold ornaments, each weighing more than 100 tolas.
LG orders forcible removal Atishis belongings from Delhi CM residence: CMO 09 Oct 2024 | 11:39 PM New Delhi, Oct 9 (UNI) Delhi Chief Minister's Office on Wednesday claimed that Delhi's Lieutenant Governor V.K. Saxena has ordered the forcible removal of Chief Minister Atishis belongings from her official residence. see more..

Cong delegation meet ECI with complaints of irregularities in Haryana polls 09 Oct 2024 | 9:48 PM New Delhi, Oct 9 (UNI) A Congress delegation on Wednesday met the Election Commission of India at the Nirvachan Sadan here with complaints regarding irregularities in the Haryana assembly election. see more..

BJP trying to illegally occupy CM residence, alleges Sanjay Singh 09 Oct 2024 | 7:43 PM New Delhi, Oct 9 (UNI) Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) Senior leader and Rajya Sabha MP Sanjay Singh accused the BJP of spreading lies and using various tactics to undermine AAP, claiming that their ultimate goal is to capture the Chief Minister's residence, as the BJP has not won elections in Delhi for the past 27 years. see more..

Haryana polls: ECI writes to Kharge, refutes EVM tampering charge 09 Oct 2024 | 7:37 PM New Delhi, Oct 9 (UNI) The Election Commission of India (EC) on Wednesday wrote a strongly-worded letter to Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge refuting the partys allegations on suspected EVM tampering in Haryana Assembly elections in which the party lost to the BJP. see more..
In August 2022, controversial IAS probationary officer, Puja Khedkar, obtained a 7 per cent locomotor disability certificate from Yashwantrao Chavan Memorial (YCM) Hospital near Pune read more

In order to avail of the Other Backward Classes (OBC) non-creamy layer quota in the UPSC, Puja Khedkar had reportedly claimed that her parents were separated and she was living with her mother. Image courtesy: dr_pujamdk_ias/Instagram

The list of controversies of trainee IAS officer Puja Khedkar continues to increase. In the latest revelation, she has been issued 7 per cent locomotor disability certificate by a civic hospital near Pune, despite the physiotherapy department at the hospital reporting no disability.

Puja Khedkar, who has been facing scrutiny over allegations of manipulating disability and OBC certificates to get an entry into the civil services, was issued a 7 per cent locomotor disability certificate by Yashwantrao Chavan Memorial (YCM) Hospital in August 2022, a report by India Today said.

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The report said that the certificate was issued to her noting a 7 per cent locomotor disability in her left knee.

Why Pune hospital issued disability certificate to Puja Khedkar

As per the report, Puja Khedkar applied for her disability certificate at the YCM hospital claiming that she had a minor accident in 2018 that led to an injury to her left knee.

The documents, however, showed no medical records from that year were checked and also no MRI scan was performed during her medical examination, the report said.

Puja Khedkar used fake ID to secure disability certificate

The India Today report further said that Puja Khedkar visited YCM Hospital on August 23, 2022, to secure a disability certificate and she used what was later found to be false address proof from a fake ration card.

She was issued a locomotor disability certificate the following day which stated that she had 7 per cent instability in her left knee due to an anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) tear from a minor accident in 2018.

When Puja Khedkar visited the physiotherapy department, the findings did not match the initial diagnosis. The physiotherapists found no systemic disability in her knee and did not confirm the 7 per cent instability noted by the resident doctor, the report said.

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Probe launched

The Pune Collectors Office has begun a probe into the matter following directives from the DIVYANG Welfare Commissionerate.

Trouble mounts for Puja Khedkar

Meanwhile, a report by The Times of India quoted sources as saying that the Department of Personnel and Training (DoPT) has issued a show-cause notice to Puja Khedkar asking her to explain by August 2 her position on the various allegations against her.

The show-cause was sent on July 26 by email as well as to her postal address, following inquiries by various agencies. Khedkar has been given seven days to respond to the notice, the ToI report quoted DoPT officials privy to the developments as saying.

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Puja Khedkar anticipatory bail plea hearing

A court in Delhi will hear the anticipatory bail plea of Puja Khedkar on Wednesday, 31 July.

Additional Sessions Judge Devender Kumar Jangala, who was scheduled to hear the matter on Tuesday (July 30) adjourned the hearing after the public prosecutor (PP) sought time.

The PP told the court that a new public prosecutor has been appointed in the matter who will put forward arguments.

Puja Khedkar has moved the court, claiming that she is innocent and has committed no offence at all.

In her bail plea, Puja Khedkar claims that she had not forged any documents, all of which were duly authenticated and certified by the relevant authorities, ensuring that there was no possibility of fraud.

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With inputs from agencies
Mental health conditions are complex, and rarely travel alone. Among the diversity of mental health conditions, one of the most diagnosed across age and gender is Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder read more

Public perception of mental health has experienced a shift in recent years, thanks in part to public figures, like Olympian gymnast Simone Biles, who stepped away from the 2021 Tokyo Olympics for her mental health. Biles public display of self-care certainly prompted acknowledgment and conversations of the importance of mental health.

Mental health conditions are complex, and rarely travel alone. Among the diversity of mental health conditions, one of the most diagnosed across age and gender is Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD). About half to a staggering 90 per cent of all children diagnosed with ADHD have a secondary condition, and 85 per cent of adults, have a pre-existing mental health condition at diagnosis. Sometimes, ADHD can present alongside more serious issues that can disrupt daily life and affect long-term wellbeing.

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The list of mental health conditions and disorders that co-exist with ADHD is very long, and includes anxiety, depressive and oppositional defiance, eating and bipolar disorders, the autism spectrum, obsessive-compulsiveness, and conduct disorders, borderline personality disorders, and a variety of nervous system conditions. Having combined mental health conditions might lead to substance abuse and/or self-neglect, leading to underemployment and poor lifestyle choices.

Co-existing conditions are common with ADHD, and research is ongoing to learn why such a strong link between comorbid conditions exist. Researchers believe conditions might exacerbate each other, or, that a co-existing condition may overshadow an underlying issue. For example, the challenges of living with ADHD might lead to a depressive state if there is difficulty in maintaining relationships or employment. Feeling demoralised, someone may seek treatment for depression, but fail to get treatment for ADHD. Research shows that 23 per cent of individuals with persistent depressive disorder (a low-grade depression that cant be adequately treated) have undiagnosed ADHD. The symptoms for anxiety and ADHD are also similar, relating to concentration, restlessness, and time management. Anxiety usually receives treatment, although it may be a side effect of undiagnosed ADHD.

Our genes impact how mental health difficulties play out in someones life, and this is especially significant for individuals with ADHD and Autism Spectrum Disorders (ASD). Large-scale research studies have shown evidence for a genetic overlap between ADHD and ASD, with prominent similarities relating to socialisation issues. Both ASD and ADHD are expressed as deficits in social-emotional reciprocity, with problems initiating an appropriate response to social interactions. With both, there may be inadequate eye contact and body language, and deficits in developing and maintaining relationships. What separates ASD from ADHD is the expression of behavior and interest in activities. Individuals with ADHD often lose focus and shift away from eye contact, but those with ASD tend to avoid eye contact completely. Additionally, individuals with ADHD prefer action over discussion (such as playing video games), while those with ASD often prefer to talk about things. Because of these subtle differences, comorbid ADHD is often untreated in people with ASD.

An individual, parent, or caretaker needs to ask for careful consideration from their physician to avoid diagnostic overshadowing. A person can have multiple diagnosable conditions, and receive a diverse set of treatment options, from medication, cognitive behavioural therapy, and even physical activity. Further, mental, and physical health changes over time, and re-evaluation might be periodically required. There is no shame in requiring help for multiple conditions. Having a clearer idea of the internal makeup of yourself, your child, a friend, or a family member, can help life become more fulfilling and less stressful. This is particularly important not only when the diagnosis is for multiple mental health conditions, but for mental and physical conditions that can have an immediate impact on day-to-day wellbeing.

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The physical conditions that pair alongside ADHD vary in severity, but they can include epilepsy, thyroid disorders, and sensory sensitivities. Sleep disorders are also common and consist of multifaceted conditions that approximately 78 per cent of people ADHD experience.

Sleep is essential for human health, but ADHD-related sleep conditions can exacerbate symptoms. Some of these sleep disorders include insomnia, delayed circadian rhythm, daytime exhaustion and sleepiness, irregular sleep patterns, restless leg syndrome, narcolepsy, and sleep-related breathing disorders. ADHD medications sometimes induce insomnia, posing additional challenges to individuals. Not getting enough sleep can pose serious disruptions in daily life that can impact work and relationships, further impacting mental health.

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Having an adjoining diagnosis alongside ADHD is the reality for many individuals. Acknowledging and embracing the complexity of ADHD can be empowering and can lead to a whole-person treatment plan that can lead to better sleep, managed anxiety, treated depression, depression that isnt unchecked, and ADHD that is understood rather than making each day a hurdle that cant be tackled.

Living with and understanding the complexities of ADHD might feel exactly like living through a daily Olympic gymnast routine. If we pause to consider how ADHD doesnt travel alone, just as Simone Biles took a hiatus to prioritise her mental health during the Tokyo Olympics, we might consider how championing our wellbeing is the ultimate prize.

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The authors thank Dr Doron Almagor for providing comments about this article Dr. Doron Almagor is Founder and Director of Possibilities Clinic, Toronto, Canada. Mel Lefebvre is Communications Director and Sarojini Sengupta, PhD, is CEO of AIMH. The views expressed in the above piece are personal and solely those of the author. They do not necessarily reflect Firstposts views.
Russia may not be averse to PM Modi carrying a peace message to Zelenskyy to bring him down to earth. The US would welcome the visit for different reasons, as some kind of a diplomatic win in seeing India making a nod to Zelenskyy read more

Prime Minister Narendra Modis visit to Ukraine on August 23, though not officially announced, seems to be in the offing. It is not clear why information about this planned visit has been prematurely leaked to the media. One can also speculate about why this visit is taking place and what it seeks to achieve.

It is known that the Ukrainians have been very keen on a visit from India which could be projected by them as signifying more understanding for the Ukrainian cause and a more even-handed Indian approach. Many world leaders, especially from the West, have visited Ukraine as a show of support to President Volodymyr Zelenskyy. The Ukrainian President has travelled extensively, primarily to Western countries, and has been invited to attend multilateral forums such as the G7 meetings. There was pressure on India to invite him to the G20 summit presided by India, but India did not oblige.

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For Ukraine, a visit from India, as a major non-Western country and a leader of the global south, would imply broadened international sympathy and understanding of its position as a victim of Russian aggression. It would also help to dilute the view that the Ukrainian conflict was essentially a mismanaged European conflict, which the Europeans had to resolve, and the rest of the world had to be spared from its unwanted consequences.

PM Modi has, of course, spoken on the telephone to Zelenskyy; they have also met at the G7 summit in Italy when Modi also embraced him. India has also sent humanitarian aid to Ukraine. All this, of course, does not have the same impact as a physical visit by Modi to war-torn Ukraine.

There has been much commentary in foreign policy circles in the West and even at home that India, given its close ties with Russia and advocacy of dialogue and diplomacy to end the ongoing conflict, could play a mediatory role of some sorts. Indias credentials for playing such a role got bolstered by its success in forging a consensus at the G20 meeting on the Ukraine issue. Much has also been made of Modis message to Putin at the SCO summit in Samarkand in 2022 that today is not an era of war, which was interpreted in the West as a rebuke.

Ukraine was very keen on Indias participation at Modis level at the peace summit on Ukraine organised by Switzerland, and failing that at Foreign Ministers level, but India chose to be represented by a senior official. India also did not subscribe to the final communique issued by the summit.

What could then be the considerations that would underlie the projected visit of Modi to Ukraine? These could be multifold.

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Modis visit to Moscow for the resumed India-Russia summits coinciding with the NATO summit in Washington D.C. has irked the Americans and they have made no bones about it. It appears that they advised India to consider a change of dates for the visit. The US National Security Adviser has publicly stated that the US has been in touch with India on its concerns about Modis visit, with the State Department telling the US Congress that they had had a tough conversation with India on the subject. That the visit also coincided with the bombing of a childrens hospital in Kiev and Modi greeted Putin with an embrace provoked a fiery response from Zelenskyy himself. He accused India of administering a devastating blow to peace in Ukraine and he deplored Modis embrace of a war criminal. This outburst prompted the Ministry of External Affairs to summon the Ukrainian ambassador in Delhi to register Indias protest.

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It could well be that to manage the negative fall-out of Modis Russia visit and prevent it from festering and being exploited by anti-Indian elements in the US establishment in months to come, it may have been decided to scotch this by making a gesture to Ukraine. It could have been reasoned that India had amply demonstrated that its Russia policy would be dictated by its national interest and not US preferences. A strong signal to this effect had again been sent to the US and the West by Modi making his first bilateral visit abroad after re-election to Russia. In view of this, India had to prove nothing to the US about the core of its position and therefore could afford to make a gesture to Ukraine.

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The justification would be that Modis advocacy of diplomacy and dialogue to end the conflict would appear more convincing if a message of peace and dialogue was also conveyed directly to Zelenskyy on Ukrainian soil. Such a message would have resonance as it would be entirely different from the message of increasing armed support and continued proxy war that the West is still conveying to Ukraine.

Even if the facts are unclear and there has been no impartial international investigation to ascertain the truth, the fact is that the bombing of the childrens hospital in Kiev while Modi was in Moscow prompted him to reinforce his peace message earlier relayed at Samarkand by expressing his strong anguish publicly during his meeting with Putin about the killing of civilians, and especially children, in war. Modi laboured the point, with an eye on its international resonance.

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Modi had hours long one-on-one conversations with Putin in Moscow. He undoubtedly got a clear idea of how Putin assesses the Ukraine conflict. Putin has repeatedly made clear that he is ready for a negotiated solution, but on the basis of accepting the changed territorial realities on the ground. His vision of how the conflict can end and that of Zelenskyy and his government are wide apart. Whether Ukraine can cling to its present position in the face of lack of military success on the ground, heavy losses in men and material, resistance to mobilisation, population exodus, dependence on external support, etc., is considered doubtful, whatever the rhetoric of the government and its Western supporters. The greatest uncertainty for Ukraine is the likely change of government in the US in November with the ascendance of Donald Trump and JD Vance to power, as both want to end the conflict. Europe cannot supplant American support.

In this background, Russia may not be averse to Modi carrying a peace message to Zelenskyy to bring him down to earth. The US would welcome Modis visit for different reasons, as some kind of a diplomatic win in seeing India making a nod to Zelenskyy.

India may also have reasoned that China has been promoting peace moves in Ukraine without causing any misapprehensions in Moscow. China had, in fact, appointed a special envoy for peace in Ukraine and made some specific proposals for peace which have been broadly approved by Putin. China and Brazil have announced plans to make a joint peace proposal. India, it can be reasoned, should not allow the peace platform to be monopolised by a country like China that is actually disrupting peace on the India border and the western Pacific. India too could activate its diplomacy without cost, knowing well that the answer to peace in Ukraine essentially lies in Washington DC.

Interestingly, para 74 of the Joint Statement issued on the occasion of the Modi-Putin summit says that both sides highlighted the imperative of peaceful resolution of the conflict around Ukraine through dialogue and diplomacy including engagement between both parties. They noted with appreciation relevant proposals of mediation and good offices aimed at peaceful resolution of the conflict in accordance with international law and on the basis of the UN Charter.

India is endorsing mediatory and good offices initiatives by others, including that of China implicitly, aimed at a peaceful resolution of the Ukraine conflict. Maybe this curious formulation also explains the room created for PM Modis peace-oriented visit to Ukraine.

Kanwal Sibal is a former Indian Foreign Secretary. He was Indias Ambassador to Turkey, Egypt, France and Russia. Views expressed in the above piece are personal and solely that of the author. They do not necessarily reflect Firstposts views.
As India persists in its engagement with Myanmar, it must brace for the inevitable discomforts and remain vigilant to the regions evolving dynamics read more

Indias relationship with Myanmar is akin to donning a crown of thornsan endeavour that yields scant solace yet necessitates unwavering resilience. Indias sustained endorsement of Myanmars military junta is a strategic imperative, laden with intricacies and ethical conundrums. Despite the juntas waning hold on power and escalating military setbacks, it remains a pivotal ally in the volatile proximate vicinity. The treacherous jungle and mountainous topography along the 1,600-kilometre border demands a nearly $1 billion wall to establish a barrier, which even upon completion, will likely remain perilously permeable.

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Since the 2021 coup, the juntas tenure has been beleaguered by relentless insurgencies and a progressive erosion of authority. Of particular concern for India is the ascendancy of Chinese-backed militias employing Maoist guerrilla tactics. This instability has exacerbated the humanitarian crisis, propelling waves of refugees into neighbouring territories, including India. Nevertheless, Indias support for the junta is not devoid of rationale.

Indias backing of Myanmars military regime is predominantly driven by strategic imperatives. The recent BIMSTEC (Bay of Bengal Initiative for Multi-Sectoral Technical and Economic Cooperation) assembly underscored that stability in Myanmar is indispensable for the fruition of BIMSTECs initiatives, particularly in the spheres of connectivity, commerce, and counter-terrorism. Additionally, Indias strategic calculus involves counterbalancing Chinas burgeoning influence in Myanmar, which has intensified as Beijing continues to paradoxically arm and finance both the junta and the militias.

The burgeoning narcotics menace along the India-Myanmar frontier presents another thorn in Indias side. The region has witnessed a surge in the production and trafficking of narcotics, notably methamphetamine, with dire socio-economic repercussions for Indias Northeast. Collaborating with the junta on counter-narcotics operations, despite inherent challenges, remains a pragmatic course for New Delhi. Intelligence sharing and joint operations have yielded some success, yet the entrenched nature of the drug trade necessitates sustained efforts. India may need to bolster the juntas military capabilities much more robustly.

Indias policy options are starkly circumscribed. Engaging with the junta, despite its repressive actions, ensures a semblance of stability and preserves communication channels. However, there lies a diplomatic avenue for India to explore. By significantly augmenting its support, India could advocate for a transitional democratic framework in the long term.

The crown of thorns, that is Myanmars junta, necessitates a delicate equilibrium of pragmatism and principle. As India persists in its engagement with Myanmar, it must brace for the inevitable discomforts and remain vigilant to the regions evolving dynamics. This is a crown that cannot be discarded, only worn with cautious resolve and strategic foresight. India must await the reassertion of the Myanmar state, mindful of Clausewitzs dictum: everything in war is simple, but the simplest thing is difficult.

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The writer is a senior journalist with expertise in defence. Views expressed in the above piece are personal and solely those of the author. They do not necessarily reflect Firstposts views.
During her visit to China, Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni emphasised the need to strengthen trade ties and improve market access for Italian products aiming for a more balanced economic partnership read more

Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni recently visited China to strengthen economic ties and enhance cooperation between Italy and the worlds second-largest economy. This significant trip, marked by Italys departure from the Belt and Road Initiative (BRI), reflects Italys desire to create a more balanced trade relationship with China. Here are 10 key points from her visit:

1. Aiming for balanced trade relations

Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni emphasised the need to rebalance trade relations between Italy and China. Currently, Italian investment in China is significantly higher than Chinese investment in Italy with a ratio of about 3:1. Melonis visit is aimed at reducing trade barriers and ensuring a fairer exchange.

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2. Italys departure from Belt and Road Initiative

Italy was the only G7 country to join Chinas Belt and Road Initiative in 2019 aiming to enhance infrastructure and trade links reminiscent of the ancient Silk Road. However, Italy exited the initiative last year under pressure from the United States but still aims to maintain strong trade relations with China.

3. Strategic importance of Italy to China

Despite leaving the BRI, Italy remains a key partner for China within Europe. Meloni highlighted Italys unique position as a potential moderating voice in the European Union, particularly concerning EU tariffs on Chinese goods, such as electric vehicles.

4. Focus on enhancing Italian exports

During her visit, Meloni expressed Italys intent to improve the access of Italian products to the Chinese market. By addressing existing trade barriers Italy hopes to increase the volume of its exports to China enhancing economic cooperation.

5. Italys role in EU-China relations

Meloni highlighted Italys important role in shaping EU-China relations. She expressed hopes for a more balanced trade relationship between the EU and China and acknowledged Italys strategic position in facilitating dialogue.

6. European Unions tariff decision on Chinese EVs

The European Union is set to vote in October on imposing tariffs on Chinese electric vehicles. Italy has indicated support for these tariffs reflecting its concerns over the influx of competitively priced Chinese EVs affecting the European market.

7. Italys position on trade with China

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Meloni clarified that while Italy was part of the BRI it did not experience the highest volume of trade or investment from China compared to other European nations. This highlights the need for Italy to redefine and enhance its economic strategy with China.

8. Diplomatic engagements with Xi Jinping

During her meeting with Chinese President Xi Jinping at the Diaoyutai State Guest House, Meloni reiterated Italys willingness to cooperate closely with China. She stressed the importance of Italys role in the broader EU-China dialogue and trade relations.

9. Italys economic strategy post-BRI

Following its exit from the BRI, Italy seeks to develop a more independent and balanced trade strategy with China, focussing on mutual benefits and increased investment opportunities for both nations.

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10. Melonis broader vision for Italy-China relations

Prime Minister Meloni envisions a future where Italy can leverage its unique position in Europe to foster stronger economic ties with China contributing to a more equitable and prosperous global trade environment.

Italys initiative to realign its trade relationship with China underscores the complexities of international diplomacy and economic partnerships. As Italy navigates these challenges, its approach to balancing national interests with global economic dynamics will be crucial in shaping its future role on the world stage.
It is not clear how the skulls ended up at the site, located on a steep hill that has prevented the use of heavy machinery, slowing the search. Our worry (is) if police have recovered the skulls, where could the rest of the body parts be, like the legs, the hands? father-of-four Mubumbi told AFP read more

Four human skulls wrapped in plastic and aluminum foil are seen during an inspection by the National Guard inside a package bound for the United States at a courier company located at the Queretaro Intercontinental airport, in Queretaro, Mexico in this photo distributed on December 30, 2022. File Photo

Seventeen human skulls buried in metal boxes have been unearthed in an underground chamber at a suspected shrine in the centre of Uganda, police told AFP on Tuesday.

Children foraging for firewood outside Kabanga village near Mpigi town, about 40 kilometres (24 miles) west of the capital Kampala, made the grisly discovery on Sunday, according to local residents.

Shocked and worried villagers told police there were metallic boxes containing what appeared to be skulls in an underground chamber beneath one of three ruined shrines on a sleepy hillside.

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We swiftly moved in and dug up the place, and so far we have recovered 17 human skulls, regional police spokesman Majid Karim told AFP.

We are conducting more excavations to ensure there are no more skulls other than what we have so far recovered, he said.

He added that the remains, discovered in four boxes, were being examined to determine their age and sex, as well as when they may have been buried.

He urged the public to remain calm, with officers working to investigate the incident.

It is not clear how the skulls ended up at the site, located on a steep hill that has prevented the use of heavy machinery, slowing the search.

Our worry (is) if police have recovered the skulls, where could the rest of the body parts be, like the legs, the hands? father-of-four Mubumbi told AFP.

We are shocked. We never expected this to happen in our neighbourhood, he said.

Local media reported residents as saying that people had previously gathered at the location to worship.

Police said the suspected owner of the site is on the run, having been linked to a separate case involving the murder of a prominent traditional Baganda leader, entrepreneur Daniel Bbosa.

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The killing in Kampala was reportedly carried out by hired gunmen as Bbosa returned home from work in February this year.

Mpigi district, although densely populated, remains semi-rural, with agriculture dominating local trade.

Coffee and bananas are the major cash crops and staple foods, and there is a major road linking the villages to the neighbouring countries of Burundi, Democratic Republic of Congo, Rwanda and Tanzania.
In an exclusive conversation with Firstpost, Shalini Singh narrates the story of how her grandfather and one of Indias top science writers Dr Jagjit Singh became the biographer for Pakistans first Nobel Prize winner Abdus Salam. This is the third part of the Salam Series read more

Dr Jagjit Singh with his granddaughter Shalini Singh (left), the book cover of the biography he wrote on Pakistan's first Nobel Prize winner Abdus Salam (right). Image Courtesy: Shalini Singh

In parts one and two of the Salam Series, we took a deep dive into the life of Pakistans first Nobel laureate Prof. Abdus Salam. While Salams son, Mr Ahmad Salam narrated the brilliance of his father and how Pakistan relegated him to the side because he was an Ahmadiyya, Pakistani scientist and author Prof. Hoodbhoy unravelled the deeper issue in the country, i.e. how Islamabad prioritised religion over building a strong educational and scientific foundation.

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Part three of the series was not on the cards until Ms Shalini Singh gave insights into the fascinating life of her grandfather. Shalini, a journalist and co-founder of the Peoples Archive of Rural India, reached out to Firstpost after reading our series and revealed that her paternal grandfather, Dr Jagjit Singh, had not only been Indias top science writer but was also trusted by Salam to write his biography.

The biography in question came out in the year 1992 and was published by Penguin Books. But there is more to Singhs story. As Shalini describes him perfectly, Dr Singh was a mathematician by education, public administrator / railway-man by profession and a science populariser by passion. His love for science, logic and reasoning made him the first Asian to win UNESCOs Kalinga Award for science popularisation in 1963. Its the oldest prize instituted in 1951 and won by people such as Bertrand Russell, Julian Huxley etc.

For the purpose of the story, Shalini took some help from Singhs autobiography Reminiscences of a Mathematician Manque, to substantiate her assertions.

Reminiscences of a Mathematician Manque, Dr. Jagjit Singhs autobiography

Lets take a look at the life of Dr Jagjit Singh and see why Pakistans first Nobel laureate chose a science writer or rather a science populariser to write his story.

Who was Dr Jagjit Singh?: Mathematician, railwayman and a science populariser

Dr Singh was born in 1912 in Amritsar. He completed his MA in Mathematics from Government College in Lahore back in 1933 and eventually came to contribute significantly to putting a young, post-independence India on the global scientific map.

While professionally he was a man of Indian railways, he wrote multiple books on mathematics, cosmology (a branch of astronomy that deals with the evolution of the universe), and operations research (using mathematical analysis for problem-solving), most of which were translated into several foreign languages.

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During the interview, Shalini mentioned that many of his books were bestsellers and his work was celebrated all around the world. Till date, we receive a royalty for his book, Genetics Today, available in Hindi and English, from the National Book Trust of India, she remarked. As a science populariser, success for Singh first came when his first book titled Mathematical Ideas garnered laurels worldwide.

Dr Jagjit Singh (extreme right) with former President of India Sarvepalli Radhakrishnan

The first draft of the book which was released in the 1950s was called Mathematics and You. The book was rejected by Penguin due to a perceived ideological difference and was published by Hutchinson Group, London and Dover Publications, New York, with the changed name. Right off the bat, the book received rave reviews.

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There ought to be a law that every teacher of mathematics in our secondary schools, technical colleges and universities should read this book and not be allowed to teach his subject until he passes an examination in its contents, wrote Belgian physicist L. Rosenhead. Not only this, the book which also aimed at providing people with high school knowledge of mathematics, an understanding of mathematical ideas used in sciences of modern civilisation, became a bedside read for Indias first Prime Minister Jawaharlal Nehru.

Shalini noted that throughout his career, Singh applied a scientific approach to his public sector work in India, setting a pragmatic example of a philosophical ideal. But before we dive into Singhs life, lets look at his association with the legendary theoretical physicist Abdus Salam.

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Singh and Salam: An association that went beyond borders

In the prologue of Salams biography titled Abdus Salam, A Biography, Singh elucidated the chain of events that led Salam to choose him to be his biographer. My sole qualification is that I had written, over a decade ago, a short piece popularizing his new theory unifying two of the four fundamental forces of nature, a feat as seminal now as James Maxwells unification of electric and magnetic forces over a century ago. Since then I have had the honour and happiness of receiving from him, material for writing his biography, Singh wrote while introducing the book.

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As I have had a long-simmering admiration for the meteoric rise of a fellow countryman of the Indian sub-continent to the zenith of the firmament of world science, I have undertaken a task he has chosen to forswear, he added.

The biography of Abdus Salam written by Dr Singh

Both Salam and Singh belonged to the orbit of scientists who believed that scientific collaboration between India and Pakistan was only possible if both countries improved their turbulent relations. In 1978, the late economist Tarlok Singh, who was a member of the Planning Commission of India since its inception invited my grandad to join him to carry out a series of studies for cooperation in development in South Asia - India, Pakistan, Bangladesh, Maldives, Nepal and Sri Lanka, Shalini explained.

Before the 1978 meeting, Singh recalled that such efforts were spearheaded by Abdus Salam and the Father of the Indian Nuclear Program, Homi Jehangir Bhabha, in the 1960s.

Prominent scientists and scholars in both countries, as, Dr HJ Bhabha, chairman of the Indian Atomic Energy Commission, and Abdus Salam, chief scientific advisor to Pakistan, had realised that neither country could afford the massive investments required to implement its plans of economic development and rejuvenation of science without halting their ongoing conflict, Singh wrote in his autobiography. Bhabha and Salam tried in the early 1960s to implement the Pugwash appeal for world disarmament in so far as their own countries were concerned. But they failed to arrange a meeting between Nehru and General Ayub Khan to find ways of resolving the long-simmering conflict between the two countries by peaceful means, he furthered.

Mathematician: How Singh didnt get to be a professor at his college in Lahore

As mentioned before, Singh wore many hats over the years. He was a mathematician, public administrator and a science populariser. However, there were several turns of events that contributed to the making of the renowned science writer. Shalini recalled that her grandfather wanted to be a mathematician. He won all the academic distinctions, scholarships, and medals that are the normal rewards of doing well in university examinations, Shalini told Firstpost, quoting from his autobiography

This led him to believe that as soon as he got off the college hook by passing the last examination, the principal of his college, the famous historian, HLO Garrett, would employ him as a member of his mathematics faculty in the prestigious Government College, Lahore. When after a long enough wait no such offer came, Singh took the Public Service Commission, she added.

Interestingly, Salam graduated from the Government College of Lahore and joined the mathematical department as a professor after he returned from Cambridge.

Singh: The science populariser

While the prestigious Kalinga Prize solidified his legacy as one of the worlds renowned science writers, Singhs passion brought him in contact with great minds who provided a structural foundation for the development of science in India. Between 1960-1965, Singh did a series (later compiled into a book) called Eminent Indian Scientists for The Illustrated Weekly.

Dr. Singh eventually compiled the profiles he wrote for IW into a book

These works led him to be touted as a science populariser in India and his reputation reached the world. While writing about Indian scientists, some of his interactions were not as awe-inspiring as one might imagine. Shalini mentioned that Singhs series, Eminent Indian Scientists, kicked off with a profile of CV Raman, Indias only science Nobel laureate.

However, in his book, Singh recalled his irreverent exchange of words with Raman, who did not like the fact that he was being put in the same league as other Indian scientists. What motivated you to write that piece? If it was to make me and my work better known, there was no point in writing it as I am already so famous, Singh quoted Raman in his book, saying this to him when they met in Bangalore four years later. Singh offered to write another piece reviewing his new work, however, the opportunity didnt fructify.

Singh narrated the interaction between him and Nobel Prize Winner CV Raman in his autobiography Reminiscences of a Mathematician Manque

In his autobiography, Singh said that Raman wrote to then-I&B Minister Indira Gandhi to get his profile removed from the compiled book with the same title as his IW column. Despite all odds, Ramans profile is still featured in the book. However, not all interactions between Singh and Indian luminaries went downhill.

The list of profiles covered by Singh in his book

In the Firstpost interview, Shalini also recalled her grandfathers brief but poignant interaction with Homi Bhabha. In his autobiography, Singh mentioned that when Bhabhas profile was published in this series, through a cable exchange, the Indian physicist requested Singh to tone down his praise whilst comparing him with his friend, Robert Oppenheimer, the American theoretical physicist who was the subject of a Christopher Nolan film last year.

Singh looked forward to meeting Bhabha after this exchange but the legendary mind died in a plane crash a few months later. For some mysterious reason, not finding anyone else, All India Radio managed to track down Singh to record a funeral panegyric on Bhabha, Shalini shared from the chapter in his autobiography titled, Bombay, Bhabha and Nehru.

The Railwayman

Singhs journey with the Indian railways can be mapped out by looking at his work in the pre-partition and post-partition era:

Pre-partition era

Referring to what Singh wrote in his autobiography, Shalini mentioned that Singh felt pre-partition India was too big to be evacuated by the British in one stroke. He pointed out that one of the consequences of the partition was the sudden disruption of rail communications with our North-East region which includes border areas such as Assam, Tripura, Nagaland and North Bengal. After the partition, most of the railway networks that connected the North-East region to the whole of India fell within the boundaries of Pakistan.

To restore the disrupted rail communications with the northeast region, bridge engineer Karnail Singh built the famous Assam rail link in the early 1950s. However, the capacity of this rail link remained an issue. A problem, which was eventually solved by Singh using algebra amid the 1965 Indo-Pak war.

Post-Partition era: Singh found solution amid war

Singh was with the Indian Railways from 1936 to 1969. To elucidate his contribution to the railways during the Indo-Pak war, Shalini quoted the then-Vice Chancellor of Roorkee University who awarded him an honorary degree of Doctor of Science.

The vice chancellors citation at the award ceremony was: In the wake of the Indo-Pak hostilities in September 1965 and closure of the supply to West Bengal, Assam, NEFA, Tripura and Nagaland via the river route through Pakistan, he increased the capacity of the N.E.F Railway all the way from Katihar / Siliguri to Dibrugarh / Badarpur by about 40% almost overnight  a unique performance indeed. From 1960-1965 Singh served as the Director of the Indian Railway Board and came to be known as the founding father of operations research in India.

Dr Jagjit Singhs work on rail transport has been utilised in several South East Asian nations

A visionary mind

As a public administrator

While recalling his takeaway from a 1968 meeting convened by former Prime Minister Indira Gandhi, Singh gave some thought-provoking insights. The meeting was about amendments to the science policy resolution. Singh realised that he neither fit in as a scientist nor a generalist in that group. However, he noted that proficiency in science did not guarantee success in public administration.

The second was the fact that no skills can be codified in textbooks. Singh believed that a good public administrator has to become a machine that transforms decisions using two-way messaging between science and society. Because of his contributions, Singh was asked to review the Union Public Service Commission syllabus in 1984.

Dr Jagjit Singh speaking on Chicago Radio. Image Courtesy: Shalini Singh

As a science enthusiast, Singh had an extraordinary vision. In 1977, he was called by the University of Texas, Austin, to advise on how to popularise science among graduate students of the Humanities. During his visit, Singh met several celebrated international scientists including a young Indian, Swadesh M Mahajan, who wanted to teach and research at home (India) but had to migrate abroad in the absence of an exciting scientific environment where high-quality teaching and research can flourish.

Recalling the meeting, Singh emphasised that any country will grow scientifically if it comes out of the shackles of yes-men. These people must compete as well as cooperate, create, and criticise, learn from one another, and establish a community of equals where the authority is a novel idea, not an Aristotle or Caesar. For science to flourish in India, nothing short of a fundamental restructuring of our institutions is needed, Singh said in his autobiography.

It would have been interesting to know how Singh would have perceived Indias recent growth as a scientific powerhouse in the Space and IT sectors.

As a grandfather

Recalling Singhs journey, Shalini gave an insight into his life as a family man. A man born in small-town India, when the countrys literacy rate was less than 10 per cent, came to evolve gender dynamics in his family. I look up to him as someone who was a feminist and a chivalrous man  a rare combination in men not just back then but even today, Shalini exclaimed.

Shalini Singh celebrating her fourth birthday with her grandfather Dr Jagjit Singh. Image Courtesy: Shalini Singh

At a serendipitous meeting with celebrated economist and Nobel Prize winner Amartya Sen at Harvard University during my Nieman fellowship year in 2017, he recalled Singh as an agreeable man, of considerable intellect, and way ahead of his time and that hed read and kept several of his books, she said.

Salam-Singh Grandkids: How a story rekindles old ties

Shalini mentioned that she was in touch with Salams grandson, Saif, and said they had a WhatsApp group named Salam-Singh Grandkids. When asked how she got connected, Shalini narrated a fascinating story. The way the Google algorithm led me to your first story on Abdus Salam two weeks ago, it was a social media hashtag that led me to Abdus Salams grandson five years ago! In October 2019, Netflix released a documentary on him. I was excited because my grandad had written his biography and this rekindled personal memories of him travelling to Italy in the late 80s  early 90s, she said.

So, I put out a post on my Instagram about this using one of the hashtags as #abdussalam  Incidentally, his grandson, Saif, who lives in California came upon it and wrote to me! We were so excited to learn of each others existence, given our grandfathers history that we quickly formed a WhatsApp group including his mother Aziza (Salams daughter), she added.

Shalini mentioned that both of their lives got busy and over time they lost touch. However, it was this series that compelled Shalini to reach out to Saif once again. She shared the link to the series and told him about it.

When Shalini shared the news that she spoke to Salams grandson after ages and that the series has a big role to play in it, I must admit that it was the most heartwarming thing that could have ever happened to me as a journalist.

This is the third story in the three-part series. Click the following links to read the first two parts.
The Malian army and Wagner forces were ambushed after they withdrew from Tinzaouaten, which they had tried to seize from Tuareg-led separatists read more

An al Qaeda affiliate said it killed 50 Russian Wagner mercenaries and 10 Malian soldiers in an ambush in Malis northern Kidal region near the border with Algeria on Saturday, according to the SITE Intelligence Group.

The ambush occurred on the same day a Tuareg rebel movement known as the Permanent Strategic Framework for Peace, Security and Development (CSP-PSD) said it had killed and injured dozens of Malian soldiers and Wagner mercenaries during days of fighting at the border town of Tinzaouaten.

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The death toll is a significant blow, amounting to what appears to be Wagners heaviest defeat since it stepped in two years ago to help Malis junta fight Islamist groups that have been waging insurgencies across the Sahel region since 2012.

Mali, where the army seized power in coups in 2020 and 2021, has said Russian forces there are not Wagner mercenaries but trainers helping local troops with equipment bought from Russia.

However, Wagner said in a rare statement on Monday that its fighters battled alongside Malian soldiers from July 22-27 near Tinzaouaten and suffered heavy losses, including the death of their commander Sergei Shevchenko.

Several Russian military bloggers reported at least 20 Wagner deaths.

SITE on Sunday quoted a statement by al Qaeda branch Jamaa Nusrat ul-Islam wa al-Muslimin (JNIM) saying its militants had managed to ensnare a convoy of the Malian army and Wagner mercenaries in a complex ambush south of Tinzaouaten.

The Malian army and Wagner forces were ambushed after they withdrew from Tinzaouaten, which they had tried to seize from Tuareg-led separatists.

Two security sources said the convoy came under attack from both the separatists and JNIM in remote terrain, but that the extent of coordination between the two groups was unclear.

Malian authorities have accused Tuareg and jihadist groups of collaborating.

Malis army said in a statement on Monday that it had started a stabilisation operation in the rebel-plagued area on July 19 and launched an attack on July 25.

Sandstorms then played in their opponents favour, allowing them to regroup around the convoy. Violent clashes broke out and there were heavy human and material losses, the statement said, without providing further detail.

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The Tuareg are an ethnic group who inhabit the Sahara region, including parts of northern Mali. Many of them feel marginalised by the Malian government.

Tuareg-led separatists launched a rebellion in 2012 that was pushed back into Malis arid north and later hijacked by Islamist militant groups.
Venezuelas recent presidential election has led to widespread protests after President Nicolas Maduro was declared the winner. Opposition candidate Edmundo Gonzalez claims to have found proof of his sides victory despite Maduros tight control over voting mechanisms read more

Opposition presidential candidate Edmundo Gonzalez, right, and opposition leader Maria Corina Machado join hands during a press conference the day after the election in Caracas, Venezuela, Monday, July 29, 2024. AP

Venezuelan presidential elections, which took place on Sunday (July 28), were one of the most peaceful in recent memory. However, the aftermath is quite different.

Thousands of people have taken to the streets after electoral authorities declared President Nicolas Maduro the winner, handing him a third six-year term. While most demonstrations were peaceful, tensions escalated when riot police used tear gas to disperse protesters who clashed with officers.

The opposition has claimed that their candidate, Edmundo Gonzalez, has won the election. They have also said they have the proof to back this claim.

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Oppositions proof of victory

Maduros ruling United Socialist Party of Venezuela wields tight control over the voting system through a loyal five-member electoral council and a network of longtime local party coordinators.

These coordinators have near unrestricted access to voting centers. They have reportedly blocked representatives of opposition parties from entering voting centers to witness the voting process, vote counting, and obtaining copies of the machines final tally sheets.

Despite these challenges, opposition candidate Edmundo Gonzalez and opposition leader Maria Corina Machado announced on Monday that they have obtained proof of their victory. They claim to have secured more than 70 per cent of the tally sheets from Sundays election, showing Gonzalez with more than double the votes of Maduro.

I speak to you with the calmness of the truth, Gonzalez said as supporters cheered outside campaign headquarters in Caracas. We have in our hands the tally sheets that demonstrate our categorical and mathematically irreversible victory.

Gonzalez and Machado have called for calm, inviting supporters to gather peacefully to celebrate their claimed victory. Dear friends, I understand your indignation, but our response from the democratic sectors is of calmness and firmness, Gonzalez said.

What next?

Countries such as the United States and Chile have expressed serious concerns over the electoral process. Gabriel Boric, the leftist leader of Chile, called the results difficult to believe.

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The US Secretary of State Antony Blinken stated that Washington had serious concerns that the announced tally did not reflect the actual votes or the will of the people.

The National Electoral Council has not yet released the official tally sheets from the 30,000 voting machines, leaving the final outcome in a state of uncertainty.

Independent electoral observers and the European Union have urged the electoral body to release the results promptly.

With inputs from AP
The Sheikh Hasina government is set to ban its rival Bangladesh Jamaat-e-Islami, already deregistered as a political party, for its alleged involvement in violence during anti-quota protests that left over 200 dead read more

In a development linked to the political rivalry between the ruling and Opposition parties of Bangladesh, a right-wing hardliner Islamist party Bangladesh Jamaat-e-Islami is facing a complete ban on its activities. This came as the Bangladesh government decided to restore mobile internet connectivity after an 11-day blackout due to anti-quota protests.

Prime Minister Sheikh Hasinas Awami League-led 14-party coalition (Ganabandhan) has decided to ban the right-wing political party that lost its registration from the Election Commission in October 2018 following a high court ruling. This decision was reached during a meeting held at Ganabhaban on Monday night, presided over by Awami League President and Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina.

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Decision-making at Ganabhaban

The Hasina-chaired meeting saw the attendance of several key figures from the ruling alliance. Awami League general secretary Obaidul Quader, Jatiya Samajtantrik Dal president Hasanul Huq Inu, Workers Party of Bangladesh president Rashed Khan Menon, Toriqat Federation chairman Syed Najibul Bashar Maizbhandari, and Bangladesh Sammabadi Dal general secretary Dilip Barua were among those who gave their stamp of approval for banning the Jamaat.

Following the deliberations, these leaders publicly announced the decision in front of the Ganabhaban gates, Bangladesh media report. The leaders held the Jamaat and its alliance partner the Bangladesh National Party (BNP) of former Prime Minister Khaleda Zia, convicted in multiple corruption cases and currently out of prison following repeated suspensions of her jail term by the Hasina government on medical grounds.

Obaidul Quader was quoted as saying, The BNP and Jamaat are plotting to disrupt the countrys stability. The 14-party alliance has unanimously agreed to ban Jamaat-Shibir to eradicate these anti-national elements for the benefit of the nation.

How Jamaat has reacted

In response, Jamaat chief Shafiqur Rahman issued a strong condemnation to protest the illegal decision to ban Bangladesh Jamaat-e-Islami in the meeting of the 14-party alliance.

Rahman, officially the amir of the party, called the decision to ban the party illegal, extrajudicial and unconstitutional.

He said, Awami League-led 14-party alliance is a political platform. A political party or alliance cannot make any decisions about another political party. The law and constitution of Bangladesh has not given this jurisdiction to anyone. If a party or coalition bans another party, one party will continue to ban the other party. Then there will be no such thing as state discipline.

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What the ban means

Hasinas ally Maizbhandari said the ban would prevent Jamaat-Shibir, the students wing of the Bangladesh Jamaat-e-Islami, from holding press conferences or engaging in any political activities within Bangladesh.

Awami League leader Biplab Barua hailed this step as a historic victory, asserting that it would help eliminate acts of arson and terrorism in the country. During the meeting, some of the ruling alliance leaders said the home ministry and the law ministry would take the necessary steps to enforce the ban on Jamaat.

Why ban a political party

Prime Minister Hasina has repeatedly blamed the Jamaat for violent activities and collusion with other militant groups during the recent anti-quota agitation that left several dead and the government paralysed for days. More than 200 protesters died during the protests.

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The Hasina government and the ruling alliance leaders have accused the Jamaat of hijacking the anti-quota agitation across Bangladesh. The government suspects that the Jamaat works for furthering the agenda of Pakistan Armys spy agency Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI).

The ruling alliance leaders argued that the government should have banned Jamaat much earlier. Despite losing its registration, Jamaat continued to operate politically as an ally of the BNP-led 20-party alliance and other opposition factions over the past few years.

Previously, the Awami League and its allies had called for Jamaats ban several times, but the government had not taken such a step. However, following recent acts of vandalism across the country, the Sheikh Hasina-led government has now decided to act, according to sources within the ruling party alliance.

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Jamaat has a chequered history

The Jamaat was originally founded in undivided India in 1941 by controversial Islamist thinker Sayyid Abul Ala Maududi. It has a controversial history in Bangladesh, particularly in relation to the 1971 Liberation War.

Its role was questioned by international crimes tribunals, which, in their judgments, documented Jamaats involvement in forming auxiliary forces for the Pakistan Army. The Jamaat was found to have propped militant groups such as Al-Badr, Razakar, Al Shams, and the Peace Committee that were implicated in various atrocities against Bengalis during the Liberation War of Bangladesh.

Following Bangladeshs Independence, the government banned Jamaat and other communal outfits for their opposition to the nations Liberation War and their collaboration with Pakistani forces. However, these parties were permitted to resume political activities during the rule of late President Ziaur Rahman, the founder of the BNP and the father of Khaleda Zia, after the assassination of Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman in 1975.

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Following a long run of militant hardliner approach to politics, the Jamaat was deregistered in August 2013 as a political party, following a high court verdict. Its registration with the Election Commission was cancelled for being illegal. The Jamaat appealed this decision, but ultimately lost its registration in 2018.

PM Hasina-led alliances decision to ban Jamaat-e-Islami, however, marks a curious development in Bangladesh as it is a rare move when a political formation has taken a call on proscribing its political rival. It remains to be seen how this impacts the political dynamics and stability in Bangladesh.
Government strongly condemns latest incursion at Eastern Beach

The Government strongly condemns the incursion into Eastern Beach of a Spanish civil guard patrol boat this afternoon.

The presence of a foreign law enforcement vessel so close to the shoreline of Gibraltar represented a danger to swimmers and to other beach users.

'The incursion is also an affront and a challenge to the sovereignty of British Gibraltar Territorial Waters. It can only serve to undermine confidence in Spain and in its law enforcement bodies further still, following a series of such incidents at sea over a number of months.'

The Government has said it takes a very serious view of this latest incident and has already raised the matter directly with the United Kingdom. The action of the Spanish patrol boat is totally unacceptable and the officers on board should know better than to indulge in such provocative and dangerous behaviour.

The Chief Minister, the Hon Fabian Picardo KC said "The actions of the GC are illegal under international law and are a waste of fuel if they are designed to challenge unquestionable British sovereignty over British Gibraltar Territorial Waters. The sooner all parts of the spanish political spectrum, from left to right, realise that, the better."
He was convicted under six articles of Belaruss criminal code in a secretive trial held at the end of June, the Viasna Human Rights Centre reported. Lukashenko held a meeting earlier Tuesday with the investigator in the case and Kriegers defence lawyer to discuss whether to apply the death penalty, his press service said read more

Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko has decided to pardon a German man facing the death penalty, his office said Tuesday.

Lukashenko took the decision to pardon the German citizen Rico Krieger taking into account all the circumstances, the presidents press service said.

Krieger, 30, had been shown on Belarusian public television last week, saying I really hope that President (Alexander) Lukashenko will forgive me and pardon me, according to a statement quoted by the Russian news agency TASS.

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He was convicted under six articles of Belaruss criminal code in a secretive trial held at the end of June, the Viasna Human Rights Centre reported.

Lukashenko held a meeting Tuesday with the investigator in the case and Kriegers defence lawyer to discuss whether to apply the death penalty, his press service said.

Ive already said before that the hardest thing in the life of a president is such cases related to the death penalty, Lukashenko was quoted as saying at the meeting.

Belarusian opposition leader Svetlana Tikhanovskaya, who lives in exile, said she was relieved that Krieger had been pardoned.

Every life is invaluable and we must use every tool to fight for it. But we must also fight for every hostage of the regime. More than 1,300 political prisoners are still held in Belarus, she said in a post on X.

- Stop this practice -

Krieger said on Belarusian television that he had been asked by Ukraine to photograph military sites in Belarus in October 2023 and that he had placed an explosive device on a railway line near Minsk under their orders.

I deeply regret what I did and I am relieved that there were no victims, he said, adding that he had been abandoned by the German government.

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According to a LinkedIn profile that Viasna said belonged to Krieger, he worked as a medic for the German Red Cross and had previously been employed as an armed security officer for the US embassy in Berlin.

German foreign ministry spokeswoman Kathrin Deschauer said Friday that it is unfortunately common practice in Belarus to present people in videos or on television like this and we are of course very concerned that being paraded in this way massively violates that persons dignity.

We can only appeal to the Belarusian leadership to stop this practice, Deschauer said.

We have been providing the detainee in question with consular services and are very concerned about his case, Deschauer said, adding that we as a government fundamentally reject the death penalty under all circumstances.

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Belarus is reported to have executed as many as 400 people since it gained independence from the Soviet Union in 1991, according to Amnesty International, but executions of foreign citizens are rare.

The country is run as an authoritarian regime by longtime leader Lukashenko, who has detained thousands of dissidents and civic activists who oppose him.
The Conservative Party in the UK has announced six candidates for the leadership contest to succeed Rishi Sunak. Following a crushing election defeat, the party is split between moderates and hard-liners. Candidates include former Foreign Secretary James Cleverly, former Home Secretary Priti Patel, and others, each representing different factions. The three-month-long contest will determine the partys future direction and leadership read more

The Conservative Party in the UK has announced that six candidates are in the fray for the position of the leader of the Tories . These members of Parliament will be running in the three-month-long contest to succeed Rishi Sunak.

The leadership contest follows the Conservative Partys devastating election defeat on July 4, which saw it lose power after 14 years, reduced to 121 seats in the 650-seat House of Commons. The party is now split between moderates, who want to win back centrist voters, and hard-liners, who advocate for tougher migration and law and order policies to regain ground lost to the right-wing Reform UK party, led by Nigel Farage.

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Heres a look at the six candidates and the factions they belong to.

Priti Patel

Position: Former Home Secretary

Faction: Right-wing

Background: Patel has a reputation for her hardline stance on immigration and law and order, gaining strong support from the partys right-wing faction. As Home Secretary, she was known for her tough policies on national security and public safety. Patel promotes strict measures to control immigration and enhance law enforcement.

Kemi Badenoch

Position: Former Business Secretary

Faction: Right-wing

Background: Badenoch, who came third in the partys last leadership election in 2022, is an early favourite with bookmakers. Raised in Nigeria, Badenoch uses language reminiscent of Conservative icon Margaret Thatcher, advocating for a smaller state and the renewal of capitalism. She emphasises the importance of free market principles and seeks to persuade voters of the value of conservatism.

Robert Jenrick

Position: Former Immigration Minister

Faction: Centrist/Right-wing

Background: Jenrick has experience in handling immigration issues and has worked in various governmental roles, including as a former immigration minister. He has secured the required support of 10 Conservative lawmakers and is seen as a candidate who can bridge the gap between centrists and right-wing factions within the party.

James Cleverly

Position: Former Foreign Secretary

Faction: Centrist

Background: Cleverly is a prominent figure in the partys centrist grouping. He has significant experience in diplomacy and has held various ministerial roles, including in the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office. Known for his pragmatic approach, Cleverly aims to steer the party towards moderate policies and away from the extremes.

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Tom Tugendhat

Position: Lawmaker

Faction: Centrist

Background: Tugendhat is a well-respected member of the Conservative Partys centrist faction. With a strong background in foreign affairs and defence, he is known for his measured and thoughtful approach to policy. Tugendhat advocates for a balanced party direction, focusing on pragmatic and centrist solutions to the countrys challenges.

Mel Stride

Position: Veteran Lawmaker

Faction: Centrist

Background: Stride is a seasoned politician with a long history of service within the Conservative Party. He is known for his experience and steady hand, often focusing on fiscal responsibility and moderate reforms. Stride aims to appeal to the centrist voters within the party, promoting pragmatic and balanced policies.

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Former Home Secretary Suella Braverman, a key figure on the partys right, has opted not to run but has called for the party to reach out to Reform and integrate Farage into the Conservative ranks.

With inputs from AP
Chinas ongoing participation in global archaeology is challenging traditional views and may transform the field of archaeology. Experts believe this could lead to a reevaluation of Chinas role in history and a new understanding of its cultural significance on the world stage. read more

In recent years, Chinese researchers have been expanding their archaeological efforts globally, traveling to places like Kenya and Saudi Arabia in search of evidence of Chinese seafarers from the 15th century. Image credit- Pixabay

President Xi Jinping is working to ensure Chinas civilisation has a lasting global impact by exploring Chinas ancient connections to global events. For years, Chinese archaeologists focused on domestic excavations, but now they are exploring international sites to uncover links between Chinese civilisation and significant historical moments.

In southern Uzbekistan, Chinese researchers are excavating burial sites found in 2019, which may hold clues about a mysterious nomadic tribe originating from China, The WSJ reported, adding that these findings could reshape our understanding of the Silk Road, a vast network of trade routes that linked East and West for thousands of years.

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According to Chinas state news agency Xinhua, Chinese and Uzbek archaeologists completed the first phase of a joint project to excavate the remains of an ancient empire on the Silk Road.

The dig in Surxondaryo, a region in southern Uzbekistan, uncovered a significant number of artefacts and dozens of burials from the Kushan Empire, a vital hub on the Silk Road, it said. The Kushan Empire, which emerged in the 1st century AD, encompassed regions of present-day Uzbekistan, Tajikistan, Afghanistan, and Pakistan, along with parts of India and Iran. This made it a vital hub along the Silk Road.

In recent years, Chinese researchers have been expanding their archaeological efforts globally, traveling to places like Kenya and Saudi Arabia in search of evidence of Chinese seafarers from the 15th century. The researchers are also investigating centuries-old Chinese shipwrecks in the South China Sea to support Beijings disputed maritime claims.

Chinas continuous involvement in international archaeology is reshaping long-held perceptions. Scholars suggest this could revolutionise the field of archaeology and alter the global understanding of Chinas historical significance.

Xi Jinping has urged Chinese scholars, artists, and journalists to enhance the global narrative about Chinas history. In a 2022 speech, he emphasised the lack of Western comprehension of Chinas ancient civilisation, which he believes hampers a full understanding of the countrys past, present, and future.

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According to Chinas National Cultural Heritage Administration, China is now involved in over three dozen overseas archaeological digs, a significant increase from virtually none before 2010. This period has also seen a substantial rise in the number of articles by China-based archaeologists published in international journals on non-Chinese topics. A key area of focus is the history of the Belt and Road Initiative (BRI), a major infrastructure project initiated by Xi in 2013 to revive the historical influence of Chinese empires via the Silk Road.

The BRI is part of Chinas strategy to enhance its geocultural power and extend the reach of Chinese civilisation beyond its modern borders, the WSJ quoted Tim Winter, a senior research fellow at the National University of Singapore who has studied Chinas heritage promotion through the BRI as saying.

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Given the fragmentary nature of archaeological evidence, there is significant scope for interpretation. This ambiguity allows Chinese researchers to push the boundaries of the field in new directions, potentially reshaping global archaeological narratives.
In totalitarian China where the ruling Communist Party bars free speech and criticism, protests are almost non-existent and are almost always brutally crushed read more

In a rare defiance of the Communist Party of China (CPC), a protest banner has come in Chinas Hunan province, according to a report.

A user on X (formerly Twitter), who appears to be a critic of Chinese President Xi Jinping, posted videos of a protest banner in Xinhua County in Chinas Hunan province.

The banner on the overbridge calls Xi, the most powerful ruler since Communist Chinas founder Mao Zedong, as a dictator or authoritarian  depending on the interpretation.

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British-Chinese journalist Cindi Yu shared the post and translated the banner as: Freedom, democracy, elections! Protest school, protest work, protest authoritarian traitor Xi Jinping!

Wow, another bridge protest in China.



Freedom, democracy, elections! Protest school, protest work, protest authoritarian traitor Xi Jinping https://t.co/oLtIU3NCys  Cindy Yu (@CindyXiaodanYu) July 30, 2024

In totalitarian China where the ruling Communist Party bars free speech and criticism, protests are almost non-existent and are almost always brutally crushed. But since the Covid-19 pandemic, people have indeed protested against Xi and CPCs rule. Sometimes, these translated into clashes with regime forces in opposition to Xis Zero Covid policies and sometimes these were in the form of similar banners.

Protests against traitor Xi during Zero Covid regime

In October 2022, when the Zero Covid policy was being firmly implemented, banners appeared in capital Beijing that called Xi a dictator and traitor.

rare protest against xis zero covid policies captured in beijing before swift removal

one banner read: dont be a slave, be a citizen

another: remove dictator and national traitor xi jinping pic.twitter.com/ogLwzNkoNe  ian bremmer (@ianbremmer) October 13, 2022

In a separate post on X, journalist Selina Wang translated the banners as saying: Go on strike. Remove dictator and national traitor Xi Jinping and Say no to covid test, yes to food. No to lockdown, yes to freedomDont be a slave, be a citizen

Rare demonstration in Beijing. 2 banners hung over a busy overpass.



One reads: "Go on strike. Remove dictator and national traitor Xi Jinping."



The other says "say no to covid test, yes to food. No to lockdown, yes to freedom...Dont be a slave, be a citizen." pic.twitter.com/t1Y1GeGP5m  Selina Wang (@selinawangtv) October 13, 2022

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In November 2022, multiple riots were reported in Zhengzhou and Guangzhou. In Zhengzhou, hundreds of workers at Foxconns iPhone plant protested against the company and Xis regime. In Guangzhou, locals who were angry with the Zero Covid policy clashed with the police and uprooted barriers in an extremely rare case of publicly-recorded clashes with regimes forces.

Protests almost non-existent in China

Unlike democracies like India and the United States, the Communist Partys totalitarian China does not allow any protests or dissent.

China has almost always crushed overt protests with brute force. In the recent decades, the only two instances of mass-protests have been the Tibetan uprising in 2008 against Chinese occupation of Tibet and repression and erasure of the native heritage and culture and the 1989 Tiananmen Square protests.

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While China brutally crushed the Tibetan uprising to the extent that protests there are unimaginable even today, the crackdown was even harsher in 1989 when the regime forces massacred thousands of protesters in Beijing.

In April-May 1989, millions of people participated in protests in Beijings Tiananmen Square to demand greater freedoms and less censorship. In May, the CPC regime imposed martial law and deployed military on June 3-4 to crush the democratic movement. Some estimates say up to 2,00,000 soldiers along with armoured vehicles and tanks were deployed.

While the Chinese regime said around 200 civilians died, protest leaders said regime forces killed around 3,400 people. Sir Alan Donald, the British Ambassador to China at the time, said in a diplomatic cable that up to 10,000 people were killed.

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Donalds cable, declassified in 2017, said the source for the 10,000-estimate was a person who was passing on information given him by a close friend who is currently a member of the [Chinese] State Council. The State Council is the equivalent of a cabinet in the Indian or British system. He said in the cable that protesters were literally crushed by armoured vehicles. He said they crushed even the dead.

Students linked arms but were mown down including soldiers. APCs [armoured personnel carriers] then ran over bodies time and time again to make pie and remains collected by bulldozer. Remains incinerated and then hosed down drains. Four wounded girl students begged for their lives but were bayoneted, said Donald in the cable.
Taiwanese President Lai Ching-te emphasised the importance of democratic unity at the Inter-Parliamentary Alliance on China conference, countering Beijings longstanding strategy to isolate Taiwan through diplomatic, military, and economic pressures read more

In Taiwan, a conference on China has attracted a record number of delegates despite pressure from Chian. Reuters

Taiwanese President Lai Ching-te welcomed what he described as the largest-ever delegation of foreign lawmakers to Taiwan. The attendance was even more significant in light of the fact that China had tried to pressurise lawmakers to skip the gathering.

Chinese pressure tactics

Legislators from at least six countries reported intense pressure from Chinese diplomats urging them to skip a China-focused conference in Taipei. Politicians from Bolivia, Colombia, Slovakia, North Macedonia, Bosnia, and one unnamed Asian country received numerous texts, calls, and urgent meeting requests intended to conflict with their travel plans.

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China views Taiwan as a renegade province and has threatened to annex the self-governed island by force if necessary. President Lai, a member of the Democratic Progressive Party (DPP), maintains that Taiwan is already a sovereign nation and does not seek formal independence.

High attendance at the conference

Despite Chinas efforts, the robust turnout of foreign lawmakers in Taipei signals a significant pushback against Beijings attempts to isolate Taiwan.

Referring to the high attendance, Lai said, This demonstrates the support and the value various other countries place on Taiwan." He added that this also sends an important message to democratic countries around the world. Maintaining democracy requires unity, and we must protect democracy together.

Lais comments came during a conference organized by the Inter-Parliamentary Alliance on China (IPAC), an international group of several hundred lawmakers critical of Beijings policies.

Threat to one is threat to all

Since Lai took office in May, Beijing has ramped up its pressure on Taiwan, including conducting extensive military drills involving ships and planes to signal its displeasure at his inauguration. This marks a continuation of Chinas long-term strategy of diplomatic, military, and economic pressure on Taiwan, which has been under DPP rule for three terms.

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Id like to stress that Chinas threat to any individual country is a threat to the world, Lai stated. He underscored Taiwans commitment to working with other democracies to counter the threat of authoritarian expansionism.

With inputs from agencies
The National Hospital Survey, a network that monitors crises in the countrys hospitals, reported two dead in the state of Aragua and one in the capital Caracas. It said 44 people had been injured read more

A demonstrator reacts when Molotov cocktails hit the ground in front of security forces during protests against election results after Venezuela's President Nicolas Maduro and his opposition rival Edmundo Gonzalez claimed victory in Sunday's presidential election, in Puerto La Cruz, Venezuela. REUTERS

Amid widespread protests in Venezuela over President Nicolas Maduros contested reelection, Defense Minister Vladimir Padrino assured on Tuesday that Maduro retains the absolute loyalty and unconditional support of the armed forces.

The unrest, which erupted following Maduros victory in the disputed election, has resulted arrests of over 749 people and at least four deaths and numerous injuries. The violence during the protests has also led to the arrest of Freddy Superlano, a prominent opposition leader, as tensions escalate across the country.

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Security forces fired tear gas and rubber bullets Monday at angry protesters challenging the official results, which were questioned by the opposition and neighboring countries.

Thousands of people flooded the streets of several neighborhoods in the capital Caracas, chanting Freedom, freedom! and This government is going to fall!

Some ripped down and burned Maduro campaign posters while at least two statues of Hugo Chavez  the late authoritarian socialist who led Venezuela for more than a decade and handpicked Maduro as his successor  were knocked down by protesters.

In addition to the deaths, 44 were reported injured, according to the National Hospital Survey, a network that monitors crises in the countrys hospitals

Two of the dead were in the state of Aragua and one in Caracas, the network said. The NGO Foro Penal meanwhile reported one more dead in the northwestern state of Yaracuy.

Amid growing fears of violence, a leading figure in the opposition coalition, Freddy Superlano, was kidnapped by black-clad officials, his Voluntad Popular said on X.

- Fears of fraud -

The elections were held amid widespread fears of fraud by the government and a campaign tainted by accusations of political intimidation.

The National Electoral Council (CNE) certified the reelection of Maduro, 61, to another six-year term until 2031, with the president winning 51.2 percent of votes cast compared to 44.2 percent for Edmundo Gonzalez Urrutia.

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But opposition leader Maria Corina Machado told reporters that a review of available voting records clearly showed that the next president will be Edmundo Gonzalez Urrutia, who replaced her on the ballot after she was barred from running by Maduro-aligned courts.

The records showed a mathematically irreversible lead for Gonzalez Urrutia, she said, with 6.27 million votes to Maduros 2.75 million.

The Organization of American States, a regional body, charged Tuesday there was exceptional manipulation of the election results that handed Maduro his win.

Machado called for families to turn out Tuesday for popular assemblies nationwide to show support for a peaceful transition of power.

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Maduros campaign manager Jorge Rodriguez, also called on X for large marches starting this Tuesday to celebrate the victory.

In Caracas on Monday, AFP observed members of the national guard firing tear gas and rubber bullets at protesters, some wearing motorbike helmets and bandanas tied over their faces. Some responded by throwing rocks.

Protests were reported even in poor areas of Caracas that had been bastions of support for Maduro. Shots were heard in some areas.

The United Nations, United States, European Union and several Latin American countries called for a transparent process, while allies including China, Russia and Cuba congratulated Maduro.

Nine Latin American countries called in a joint statement for a complete review of the results with the presence of independent electoral observers. Chiles president said the outcome was hard to believe.

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Amid the tensions, Peru recalled its ambassador and Panama said it was suspending relations with Venezuela. Caracas meanwhile said it was withdrawing diplomatic staff from Argentina, Chile, Costa Rica, Panama, Peru, the Dominican Republic and Uruguay.

- Bloodbath warning -

Independent polls had predicted Maduro would lose Sundays vote.

He has been at the helm of the once-wealthy oil-rich country since 2013. Amid US sanctions and economic mismanagement, the past decade has seen GDP drop by 80 percent, pushing more than seven million of Venezuelas 30 million citizens to emigrate.

Maduro is accused of locking up critics and harassing the opposition in a climate of rising authoritarianism.

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In the run-up to the election, he warned of a bloodbath if he lost.

Sundays election was the product of a deal reached last year between the government and opposition.

That agreement led the United States to temporarily ease sanctions imposed after Maduros 2018 reelection, rejected as a sham by dozens of Latin American and other countries.

Sanctions were snapped back after Maduro reneged on agreed conditions.

Venezuela boasts the worlds largest oil reserves but production capacity has been severely diminished in recent years.
The Israeli army said it has also struck a Hezbollah weapons storage facility, terror infrastructure sites, military structures and a launcher in southern Lebanon read more

Smoke billows from a site targeted by Israeli shelling in the southern Lebanese border village of Khiam on July 30, 2024, amid ongoing cross-border clashes between Israeli troops and Hezbollah fighters. Source: AFP.

The Israeli army said Tuesday it had struck around 10 Hezbollah targets overnight in seven different areas of south Lebanon, killing one fighter from the Iran-backed militant group.

The army also struck a Hezbollah weapons storage facility, terror infrastructure sites, military structures and a launcher in southern Lebanon, the army said.

The strikes came after a rocket fired from Lebanon hit a Druze Arab town in the Israeli-annexed Golan Heights on Saturday and killed 12 children aged between 10 and 16.

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The Druze, who follow an offshoot of Shiite Islam, are an Arabic-speaking community present in Israel, Lebanon and Syria, including the Golan.

On a visit to Majdal Shams on Monday, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu vowed Israel would deliver a severe response to the strike.

Israel says the rocket that killed the children was an Iranian-made Falaq and was fired by its ally Hezbollah.

Hezbollah has denied responsibility for firing the rocket though it clamed multiple launches towards Israel on Saturday.

Israeli forces and Hezbollah have been engaged in near-daily clashes along the border since the start of the Israel-Hamas war on October 7.

The violence has so far killed 22 soldiers and 24 civilians on the Israeli side, including in the Golan, according to army figures.

At least 527 people have been killed on the Lebanese side, according to an AFP tally. Most have been fighters, but the toll includes at least 104 civilians.

The Gaza war broke out when Hamas militants attacked Israel on October 7, resulting in the deaths of 1,197 people, mostly civilians, according to an AFP tally based on Israeli official figures.

Militants also seized 251 hostages, 111 of whom are still captive in Gaza, including 39 the Israeli military says are dead.

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Israels retaliatory military campaign has killed 39,400 people, according to the Hamas-run territorys health ministry, which does not provide details of civilian and militant deaths.
In recent years, the US Supreme Court has given highly unpopular rulings such as revoking the federal protection to abortion and granting immunity to president for all official actions read more

Amid historic low confidence in the Supreme Court, US President Joe Biden has proposed a bold reform of the institution.

In a speech to mark the 60th anniversary of the Civil Rights Act, Biden on Monday highlighted that the Supreme Court has been weaponised by an extreme and unchecked conservative agenda of a court. He went on to outline the three steps that would be part of the reform: the imposition of term limit on Supreme Court judges, the repeal of presidential immunity, and the institution of a mandatory and enforceable code of ethics.

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Biden further said, On top of its extreme decisions, the court is mired in a crisis of ethics. These scandals involving the justices have caused public opinion to question the courts fairness and independence that are essential to carrying out its mission of equal justice under the law.

Currently, the Supreme Court has a 6:9 conservative majority  with three of the judges appointed by former US President Donald Trump. The judges have issued several controversial rulings in recent years that have boosted Trumps far-right Make America Great Again (MAGA) movement and have loosened the long-held social liberties in the United States.

In recent years, the Supreme Court has revoked the federal constitutional protection to abortion, loosened gun safety measures, and granted immunity to presidents. All of these rulings have been seen as partisan and have been severely contested.

Bidens 3-point reform agenda for Supreme Court

Each of the item on Bidens agenda for the Supreme Court seeks to undo specific rulings that the conservative bench has issued in recent years. Some of these rulings, such as the recent grant of immunity to presidents for actions in their official capacity, have generated widespread angst across the nation and has fuelled the fears that the court is no longer an impartial institution.

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Firstly, Biden proposed term limits on Supreme Court judges. Under the current system, judges have a lifetime term. This gives them and the president who appoints them decades of influence over the nations judiciary.

Biden has proposed an 18-year term limit on a Supreme Courts judges tenure. A fact sheet released by the White House said this would allow a president to appoint a new judge every two years.

Just like a president has term limits, Supreme Court judges should also have a limit, said Biden.

Secondly, Biden proposed a constitutional amendment that would undo the grant of immunity to presidents for official actions. He said that the ruling went against the founding principles of the United States and removed all checks and balances.

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This comes in the wake of this months ruling in a case that Trump had filed. In the ruling, the court ruled that Trump and all presidents had immunity for all official actions. Trump had filed the case as he faces a slew of cases and remains the only president to be convicted.

Thirdly, Biden proposed the institution of a mandatory and enforceable code of ethics. The current code is voluntary.

The proposal is rooted in the series of scandals involving conservative judges Clarence Thomas and Samuel A Alito. While Thomas hid gifts and luxurious trips sponsored by a billionaire benefactor for years, Alito flew flags of January 6 insurrectionists at his residence.

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We are not a nation of kings & dictators

Forcefully rejecting the immunity granted by the Supreme Court to presidents, Biden said the decision went against the founding principles of the nation that every person is answerable to law irrespective of whoever they are. He United States and the Supreme Courts presidential immunity does away with the principle.

Biden said, I share the founders belief that the president must answer to the law. The president is accountable in the exercise of the great powers of the presidency. We are a nation of laws, not kings and dictators.

Referring to the civil rights laws enacted decades ago, Biden said that what a president could do to such laws with the immunity.

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For all practical purposes, the courts decision almost certainly means that the president can violate the oath, flout our laws and face no consequences. Folks, just imagine what a president could do trampling civil rights and liberties, given such immunity, said Biden.

Even though Biden has proposed an ambitious reform, it is very hard to be implemented. It would need two-third of votes in the Congress and as the House of Representatives remains occupied by the Republicans, that is unlikely to happen. The alternative mechanism is equally unlikely. As an alternative, The New York Times noted that such constitutional amendments would need to pass at a convention called for by two-thirds of the states, followed by ratification by three-fourths of the state legislatures.
Masoud Pezeshkian has taken oath as the President of Iran.

Reformist leader Pezeshkian had defeated hardliner leader Saeed Jalili in the Iranian presidential election earlier this month.

Pezeshkian was sworn in Tuesday as the President of Iran in the parliament at a ceremony attended by foreign dignitaries.

I as the president, in front of the Holy Koran and the people of Iran, swear to almighty God to be the guardian of the official religion and the Islamic Republic system and the constitution of the country, said Pezeshkian in the ceremony, as per AFP.

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Of the six candidates approved by the Guardian Council to contest the elections, Pezeshkian was the only reformist and the rest were all hardliners. Three of the hardliners were from the Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps (IRGC), the highly influential armed force of Iran thats separate from the regular military and reports directly to the Supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei. The IRGC is the Supreme Leaders sword-arm.

In Iran, all key decisions are taken by the Supreme Leader and policies are set by him, but implementation of these decisions and policies is the domain of the government headed by the president. This means that while there will not be a major change with reformist Pezeshkians swearing-in, the style of governance and international engagement of Iran may see a evolve to some extent.

In an earlier interview, Iran scholar Deepika Saraswat further said that Pezeshkians campaign focused on rights of women, Irans ethnic minorities, border areas, and fostering greater unity in the country. This means while there may not be a substantial shift on mandatory hijab rule, there may be renewal of a reformist agenda of incremental reforms in social and cultural issues.

The Iranian president can channel the aspirations and demands of the people. Pezeshkian, like any president, can be a vehicle for advancing those aspirations. In the past, reformist and moderate presidents have acted as pressure groups to negotiate with the more conservative establishment, says Saraswat, a scholar of Iran at the Manohar Parrikar Institute for Defence Studies and Analyses (MP-IDSA).

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Since the Guardian Council which approves presidential candidates is appointed by the Supreme Leader, the fact that a reformist like Pezeshkian was allowed to run is telltale of the direction that Khamenei wants for Iran.

Pezeshkians approval as a candidate and subsequent election comes at a time when the Iranian regime remains insecure about internal stability which was shaken by nationwide monthslong protests in 2022-23 in the wake of the custodial killing of Mahsa Amini, a 22-year-old woman accused of violating the hijab rules. Therefore, allowing Pezeshkian a reformist to be the president means the regime may be looking to placate the domestic audience. Diversifying the pool of candidates with a bunch of hardliners, IRGC veterans, and a reformist also gives the elections a dash of legitimacy.

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A relatively diverse pool of candidates brings some democratic competition, possibly generating participation from the reformist constituency and undecided voters. A higher turnout boosts the legitimacy of the system, said Saraswat to Firstpsot in the earlier interview.
Masoud Pezeshkian, a reformist politician and heart surgeon, is set to take office as Irans president today. He begins his tenure when Iran hopes for greater freedom of choices for women domestically and while Israel-Hamas war threatens regional peace read more

Iran is poised for a significant shift as Masoud Pezeshkian takes the oath of office as the countrys new president today. Endorsed by Irans supreme leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, on Sunday, Pezeshkian faces the monumental task of steering a nation grappling with economic sanctions, domestic unrest, and complex foreign relations.

Known for his reformist stance and a distinguished career in both politics and medicine, Pezeshkians presidency marks a critical juncture for Irans future.

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10 things to know about Masoud Pezeshkian

A heart surgeon: Masoud Pezeshkian is a renowned heart surgeon, having trained and practised extensively before entering politics. His medical career has endowed him with a reputation for precision and dedication, qualities that he brings to his political life. A successful health minister: Pezeshkians political journey began with his tenure as the Minister of Health from 2001 to 2005, where he was known for his efforts to improve Irans healthcare system. He later served as the Deputy Speaker of Parliament, showcasing his leadership skills and political acumen. A reformist, pro-women rights leader: A notable reformist, Pezeshkian advocates for greater freedoms and rights within Iran, including womens rights and internet freedom. His stance often puts him at odds with the more conservative factions within the Iranian government. A robust election victory: Pezeshkians victory in the snap presidential election on July 5 was decisive, securing almost three million more votes than his hardliner rival, Saeed Jalili. This win reflects a public desire for change amid widespread discontent and political apathy. But challenges galore: As president, Pezeshkian inherits a nation in economic turmoil, exacerbated by international sanctions over its nuclear programme. His administration will need to address these sanctions and work towards economic stabilisation and growth. A less confrontationist Iran?: Pezeshkian advocates for a less confrontational foreign policy, emphasising engagement and economic cooperation over conflict. He supports reviving the 2015 nuclear deal and improving ties with the West, which he sees as essential for Irans economic recovery. Good news for Irans minorities: Domestically, Pezeshkian has called for greater inclusion of ethnic and religious minorities in the government. He has also been vocal about the need for cultural reforms, particularly concerning mandatory hijab laws and internet censorship. Hijab wont be mandatory for women?: Known for his criticism of the governments human rights record, Pezeshkian has been a prominent voice against the enforcement of mandatory hijab and the actions of the morality police. His presidency could herald significant changes in Irans human rights landscape. Low voter turnout and legitimacy: Despite his election victory, Pezeshkian faces a legitimacy challenge, as the election saw a historically low turnout. He will need to work hard to garner broad public support and address the widespread discontent within the country. Timing of presidency: West Asia war: Pezeshkians presidency comes at a time of heightened regional tensions, particularly in light of the ongoing conflict in Gaza. His approach to foreign policy will be crucial in navigating these complexities and seeking to stabilise Irans position in the region.

Masoud Pezeshkians presidency marks a potential turning point for Iran, as the nation awaits to see how his reformist agenda and pragmatic approach will shape its future.
Minister Santos presents certificates at The Mindspace Project Camp Awards Ceremony

Minister for Equality, Employment, Culture, Tourism and Youth, The Hon. Minister Christian Santos GMD MP was delighted to present certificates at The Mindspace Project Summer Camp awards ceremony.

The ceremony was held at the John Mackintosh Hall with approximately forty youngsters from the age of four in attendance, along with The Mindspace Project representatives Galadriel McGrail, Kationa Matto, Abigail Manasco and volunteer Leaders and Buddies.

With the theme Knowing Our Gibraltar, the two week long summer camp has been run in collaboration with Gibraltar Cultural Services. The children have learnt about the Rocks unique offerings, both touristic and cultural, including exploring the Northern Defences and going to see the dolphins.

Minister Santos said: I am delighted to present these certificates. The Mindspace Project does great work with young people aged four to sixteen all year round, focusing on wellbeing and Fitness with a Difference. Thanks to the organisers and volunteers for preparing such a fun and educational programme for the summer camp for our youth to enjoy.
Prison transfers are notoriously murky in Russia, with family and lawyers provided no details and prisoners often losing contact with the outside world for weeks. But they usually occur after a conviction or lost appeal, and the disappearance of several high-profile political prisoners at once is extremely rare. Apparently, we are on the cusp of a very large-scale exchange, Russian political analyst Tatiana Stanovaya said Tuesday on Telegram read more

At least five Russian political prisoners have been moved from jails and prison colonies in recent days, in an apparently coordinated move that has raised speculation of a possible prisoner exchange.

Russia has sentenced dozens to lengthy terms of incarceration for opposing the Kremlin and Moscows military offensive against Ukraine.

Prison transfers are notoriously murky in Russia, with family and lawyers provided no details and prisoners often losing contact with the outside world for weeks.

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But they usually occur after a conviction or lost appeal, and the disappearance of several high-profile political prisoners at once is extremely rare.

Apparently, we are on the cusp of a very large-scale exchange, Russian political analyst Tatiana Stanovaya said Tuesday on Telegram.

Lawyers for jailed opposition politician Ilya Yashin said on Tuesday he had been moved from his penal colony in the western region of Smolensk, where he was serving eight and a half years for breaching Russias military censorship laws.

Ilya Yashin was sent from the colony to an unknown destination, said his Telegram channel, which is run by his lawyers and supporters.

Two aides of late opposition leader Alexei Navalny  Lilia Chanysheva and Ksenia Fadeyeva  also disappeared from their prison colonies in recent days.

They ran regional headquarters for Navalny and were sentenced on extremism charges.

Chanyshevas husband said on X that she had been moved from her prison in Siberia on July 26.

In the case of Fadeyeva, prison officials in Novosibirsk refused to answer her lawyers questions about where she was taken to, when, and what it was in connection with, her allies wrote on Monday on Telegram.

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Supporters for artist Alexandra Skochilenko, jailed for seven years for replacing supermarket price tags with messages opposing the Ukraine offensive, also said she had been moved from a jail in Saint Petersburg.

And rights campaigner Oleg Orlov, a key figure in the Nobel-winning Memorial group, was similarly moved from his detention centre, his lawyers said on Monday.

He was still contesting his conviction of two and a half years for discrediting the Russian army, Memorial said in a social media post.

The United States and Moscow have both said they are actively discussing an exchange for US journalist Evan Gershkovich  convicted in a fast-track trial earlier this month to 16 years for spying in a case rejected as a sham by his employer and the White House.

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After Navalnys death in an Arctic prison colony in February, President Vladimir Putin said he had given approval for talks on releasing him as part of a deal with the West.
The United States is leading a high-speed diplomatic effort to prevent Israel from launching strikes on Beirut following a deadly Hezbollah-linked rocket attack on the Golan Heights. Amid escalating tensions, Washington is urging restraint to avoid a full-blown conflict. France and other allies are also mediating, stressing the importance of sparing civilian areas and key infrastructure in the Lebanese capital read more

Mourners carry coffins, during the funeral of children who were killed at a soccer pitch by a rocket fired from Lebanon, in Majdal Shams, a Druze village in the Israeli-occupied Golan Heights, on Sunday. Reuters

The United States is leading a diplomatic effort to deter Israel from striking Beirut or major civilian infrastructure in response to a deadly rocket attack on the Golan Heights.

Washington is racing to prevent a full-scale war between Israel and the Iranian-backed Lebanese group Hezbollah after the attack on the Israeli-occupied Golan killed 12 youths over the weekend, five individuals familiar with the initiative, which include Lebanese and Iranian officials, along with Middle Eastern and European diplomats, told Reuters.

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Israel and the US have blamed Hezbollah for the rocket strike, although the group has denied responsibility. Hezbollah, the most powerful faction within Irans Axis of Resistance network of regional proxy groups, is allied with the Palestinian group Hamas. It has been exchanging fire with the Israeli military across Lebanons southern border since the Gaza war erupted last October.

Avoiding a broader war

The primary focus of the intense diplomatic efforts has been to urge Israel against targeting densely populated Beirut, the southern suburbs that form Hezbollahs heartland, or critical infrastructure such as airports and bridges, sources were cited as saying.

White House spokesperson John Kirby told reporters that Israel had every right to respond to the Golan strike, but stressed that nobody wanted a broader war. As for conversations over the weekend, you bet weve had them and we had them at multiple levels, he said. But Im not going to detail the specifics of those conversations.

A French diplomat told Reuters that since the Golan attack, Paris had also been involved in passing messages between Israel and Hezbollah to de-escalate the situation. France, which has historical ties with Lebanon dating back to its mandate from 1920 until independence in 1943, has about 20,000 citizens in the country, many of whom are dual nationals.

Lebanons Deputy Parliament Speaker Elias Bou Saab, who said he had been in contact with US mediator Amos Hochstein since Saturdays Golan attack, told Reuters that Israel could avoid major escalation by sparing the capital and its environs. If they avoid civilians and they avoid Beirut and its suburbs, then their attack could be well calculated, he said.

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Israels intentions

Israeli officials have indicated a desire to weaken Hezbollah without dragging the region into a full-blown war. However, the two Middle Eastern and European diplomats noted that Israel had made no commitment to avoiding strikes on Beirut, its suburbs, or civilian infrastructure.

On Sunday, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahus security cabinet, which comprises 10 ministers and has dictated policy on the Gaza war and Hezbollah, authorised the premier and the defence minister to decide on the manner and timing of the response against Hezbollah.

This decision, coupled with the abstention of Netanyahus far-right coalition partners  Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich and National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir  suggests that Israel has opted for a response short of the all-out war that some politicians have advocated for.

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With inputs from Reuters
In June, North Korean leader Kim Jong Un and Russian President Vladimir Putin signed a pact stipulating mutual military assistance if either country is attacked, deepening worries about the expanding ties between the countries read more

Australian Foreign Minister Penny Wong shakes hands with South Korean Foreign Minister Cho Tae-yul prior to their meeting at the foreign ministry in Seoul, South Korea, Tuesday, July 30, 2024. AP

Australias foreign minister said Tuesday the recent defense deal between North Korea and Russia was destabilizing and risky for the world, after she visited the tense border village shared by North and South Korea on Tuesday.

In June, North Korean leader Kim Jong Un and Russian President Vladimir Putin signed a pact stipulating mutual military assistance if either country is attacked, deepening worries about the expanding ties between the countries. The U.S. and its partners have steadfastly accused North Korea of supplying much-needed conventional arms to Russia for its war in Ukraine in return for military and economic assistance.

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I also want to say something about the security pact between North Korea and Russia. And say again, this is destabilizing. This is risky for the world and again we say Russia is behaving in ways which are not conducive to peace but are escalatory, Australian Foreign Minister Penny Wong told reporters following a visit to the southern side of the Korean border village of Panmunjom.

Wang condemned North Koreas extended run of missile tests that she said threaten regional security. We share great concerns about DPRKs escalatory reactions, destabilizing actions, she said, referring to North Korea by the acronym of its official name, the Democratic Peoples Republic of Korea.

Also Tuesday, Wang met South Korean Foreign Minister Cho Tae-yul in Seoul and agreed to work together with the international community to cope with the North Korean-Russian military partnerships. The two also agreed to strengthen bilateral cooperation on economic security, climate change and other areas, according to South Koreas Foreign Ministry.

Tensions on the Korean Peninsula have been running high in recent months, with North Korea flying trash-carrying balloons toward South Korea and continuing weapons tests. South Korea has responded by resuming anti-Pyongyang propaganda broadcasts and live-fire drills at border areas.
Under Spanish law, one can refuse to ansewer questions in a case affecting close family members including spouses. A Spanish judge arrived at Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchezs official residence on Tuesday to question him in a graft probe into his wifes business dealings, a case that has piled pressure on his fragile minority government read more

panish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez and his wife Maria Begona Gomez Fernandez leave after meeting with Pope Francis, at the Vatican, October 24, 2020. REUTERS

Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez refused on Tuesday to answer question from a judge investigating alleged influence-peddling by his wife, a case that has put pressure on his fragile minority government.

Judge Juan Carlos Peinado, who is heading the preliminary inquiry, went to Sanchezs official residence to question the Socialist prime minister as a witness but he invoked his right not to testify, lawyers who were present at the hearing told reporters.

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Under Spanish law, one can refuse to answer questions in a case affecting close family members, including spouses.

The hearing lasted exactly two minutes, Antonio Camacho, the lawyer for Sanchezs wife Begona Gomez, told reporters outside the residence, adding that Sanchez was absolutely calm.

Gomez also invoked her right to remain silent under questioning by the judge earlier this month.

She has not spoken publicly about the case but Sanchez has denied any wrongdoing by his wife and dismissed the allegations as part of a right-wing smear campaign against his left-wing government.

The case has stoked acrimony and the main opposition conservative opposition Popular Party (PP) has urged Sanchez to resign.

Sanchez has not wanted to testify before the courts but he will answer to the Spanish people, PP leader Alberto Nunez Feijoo wrote on social network X shortly after the hearing ended.

- Look bad -

Gomez is being investigated for alleged influence-peddling and corruption following a complaint filed by an anti-graft NGO Manos Limpias  Spanish for Clean Hands  which has links to the far right.

The only time a sitting Spanish prime minister has testified in a judicial case was in 2017, when Mariano Rajoy was summoned in a graft case that led to the conviction of several members of his party, the PP.

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Sanchez asked to testify in writing, as allowed under Spanish law for top government officials, but Peinado rejected the request, arguing he would quiz him in his role as Gomezs spouse.

The premier has the right to remain silent but politically this could look bad, University of Alicante criminal law professor Bernardo del Rosal told AFP.

It could create the image that he is arrogant, he added.

Sanchez presided over a regular cabinet meeting on Tuesday morning and is set to travel to the Mediterranean island of Mallorca for a summer holiday audience with King Felipe VI.

Gomez, who has worked in fundraising for years, is alleged to have used her husbands position as leverage within her professional circles, notably with businessman Juan Carlos Barrabes, who was seeking public funding.

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In his testimony, Barrabes  who teaches part of a masters course at Madrids Complutense University that is run by Gomez  acknowledged meeting her several times at the premiers official residence.

Sanchez was present at two of those meetings, he said.

Barrabes  who obtained two letters of recommendation from Gomez before pitching for a public tender worth several million euros (dollars)  said they only talked about matters of innovation, judicial sources said.

- Controversial decisions -

Spanish prosecutors have failed to have the case dismissed.

Sanchezs supporters have accused Peinado, whose daughter is a PP city councillor, of political bias.

The judge has taken controversial decisions seen as favouring the right.

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In 2015 he accepted another Manos Limpias complaint over tweets made by two left-wing Madrid city councillors deemed offensive.

Peinado allowed a lawyer from the far-right party Vox to accompany him to question Sanchez as part of the probe.

Vox is taking part in the investigation as a so-called popular prosecutor  a set-up under Spanish law that allows citizens or organisations to be an accuser in court.

When the probe was opened in April, Sanchez took five days off to consider his future but ultimately stayed on.

Sanchez, who has been in office since 2018, has struggled to pass legislation since he returned to power last year after an inconclusive general election.
British Islamist preacher Anjem Choudary and his terrorist group, Al-Muhajiroun, were linked to 21 acts of terrorism in the United Kingdom and abroad read more

A British court has sentenced radical Islamist preacher Anjem Choudary for life.

Last week, the court had convicted Choudary, 57, for directing a terrorist group. He had long been on the security services watch for fuelling terrorism and recruiting a new generation of terrorists in the West.

The Woolwich Crown Court on Tuesday sentenced Choudary for life. He will have to serve at least 28 years behind bars and may never leave jail alive as he would be eligible for parole only after he turns 85.

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Previously, Choudary was jailed in 2016 on a five-and-a-half-year term for terrorism but was released in 2018 after serving around half of the term.

Choudarys co-accused Khaled Hussein, 29, was also held guilty for being a member of banned organisation. The court sentenced him to five years in jail.

Who is Anjem Choudary, UKs notorious preacher?

Choudary is the most notorious radical Islamist preacher in the United States.

Even though he has been active in Islamist activities since 1990s, Choudary first made the waves in the aftermath of the 9/11 attacks when he praised the terrorists. He had also announced the intention to convert the Buckingham Palace, the seat of the British monarch, into a mosque.

Choudary was the leader of Al-Muhajiroun, a proscribed terrorist organisation he founded Al-Muhajiroun in 1996. He was central to its operations for nearly 30 years. He ran it under names like Islam4UK and Muslims Against Crusades, according to Sky News.

Choudary became Al-Muhajirouns leader in 2014 after the previous leader and fellow radical Islamist preacher Omar Bakri Mohammed was jailed in Lebanon in 2014. Bakri Muhammad had hailed the 7/7 bombers as fantastic four.

The 7/7 bombings refer to four suicide bombings in London on July 7, 2005, that killed at least 52 people and injured more than 770, according to the British police. The bombers had struck the London underground trains and bus.

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Mark Wall, the judge who convicted and sentenced Choudary, said that Chaudarys group Al-Muhajiroun intended to spread Sharia law, the Islamic law, by violent means to as much of the world as possible, according to BBC News.

Anjem Choudary linked to 21 acts of terror

Choudary and his associates at Al-Muhajiroun have been linked to at least 21 different terrorist plots, according to Sky News.

Choudary and the Al-Muhajiroun have also been held guilty for inspiring people to join other terrorist groups like the ISIS in the Middle East.

In 2023, one of the two brothers from Englands Birmingham, who were jailed for planning to join ISIS in Afghanistan, said Choudary was his inspiration. One of his lieutenants was Abu Rumaysah al-Britani, a converted Muslim who was previously named Siddhartha Dhar. Abu Rumaysah was a member of ISIS and was infamous for his cruelty and was called Jihadi Sid.

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Choudary himself was an associate of Woolwich killer Michael Adebolajo, London Bridge terrorist Khuram Butt, and Fishmongers Hall attacker Usman Khan, according to Sky News.

In 2022, Choudary said in an online lecture that jihad was the obligation of Muslims.

Choudary also encouraged followers to fight the crusaders and told them last year that theres no doubt, jihad is obliged upon us, according to Sky News.

Is terrorism part of the deen [faith]? Yes, even more - horrifying is part of the deen, even to horrify the people, said Choudary in another lecture.

How was Choudary convicted & sentenced

After being released in 2018, Choudary began giving online lectures to spread terrorist ideologies and recruit terrorists. His online operations were infiltrated by an undercover operation of the British, American, and Canadian security services.

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Choudary gave approximately 30 lectures and encouraged members of the Islamic Thinkers Society, a codename for his terrorist group Al-Muhajiroun, into confrontational street preaching and acts of violence, according to the judgement cited by BBC.

In his ruling, Judge Wall said that organisations like Al-Muhajiroun normalise violence in support of an ideological cause.

Their existence gives individuals who are members of them the courage to commit acts which otherwise they might not do. They drive wedges between people who otherwise could and would live together in peaceful coexistence, said Wall.

Sentencing him to life, Wall said that Choudary is a kind of person who could not be reformed.

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I am sure you will continue to preach your message of hate and division in the future, you are not someone who can be diverted from that course. The dangers you pose are in your organisational skills and skills as an orator, I cannot at present foresee a time when you will cease to be dangerous, said Wall.
Ukrainian intelligence (and potentially weapons) played a critical role in aiding Malian rebels to ambush and decimate Russias Wagner group in Mali. The rebels received necessary information, and not just information, said Andrii Yusov, hinting at a coordinated effort involving more than mere intelligence read more

Fighters from the Tuareg separatist rebel group MNLA drive in the desert near Tabankort, February 15, 2015. Last week, Tuareg separatist groups fought the Wagner group and Malian armed forces. Reuters

Ukrainian intelligence, and perhaps weapons, played a role in aiding Malian rebels in their ambush against Russias Wagner group.

Last week, a Telegram channel linked to Wagner leadership admitted that the group had suffered severe casualties during fierce battles in Mali.

Over a five-day period, Wagner fighters, alongside the Malian armed forces, engaged in intense combat against a coalition of Tuareg separatist forces and jihadi groups. These adversaries, armed with heavy weapons, drones, and suicide bombers, inflicted substantial losses, including the death of Wagner commander Sergei Shevchenko, The Guardian reported.

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How Ukraine helped

According to Andrii Yusov, spokesman for Ukraines GUR military intelligence agency, The rebels received necessary information, and not just information, which enabled a successful military operation against Russian war criminals.

Yusov stressing that rebels received not just information, hinted at a coordinated effort that could have involved training or weapons assistance or both.

Yusov did not confirm whether Ukrainian military personnel were present in Mali but emphasised the significance of the intelligence provided.

The Kyiv Post recently published a photograph purportedly showing Malian rebels holding a Ukrainian flag, which it said was authenticated by a defense source in Kyiv.

Why Ukraine helped

The involvement of Ukrainian drones and intelligence in Mali is part of a broader strategy by Kyiv to weaken Russian forces wherever they operate. By targeting Wagner in Africa, Ukraine aims to diminish the groups capabilities and exact revenge for the atrocities committed by Wagner fighters in Ukraine.

This approach also serves to disrupt Russian economic interests in Africa, where Wagner is known to be involved in exploiting resources such as gold, diamonds, gas, and oil, The Guardian reported.

For Moscow, the African countries where Wagner is present are just zones of interest that allow it to get hold of resources  gold, diamonds, gas, and oil  and the money goes to finance Russian aggression, explained Serhii Kuzan, director of the Ukrainian Security and Cooperation Center in Kyiv. By targeting Wagner in Africa, Ukraine not only disrupts these economic interests but also seeks to liquidate some of the most experienced Wagner fighters and lower the groups overall military potential.

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The Mali government, which has been battling various insurgencies in the north of the country for over a decade, sought Wagners assistance after a military junta took power in 2020.

In May last year, the US imposed sanctions on the head of Wagner in Mali, accusing the group of using its operations there as a conduit for military equipment for the war in Ukraine.

A significant part of the destroyed fighters got military experience in Ukraine, where they carried out hundreds or thousands of war crimes, Kuzan added. These crimes should be punished, and Russian war criminals should know that they will never be safe.
The latest high-level US visit follows a series of escalating confrontations between Philippine and Chinese vessels in the disputed waterway that have raised concern that Washington could be dragged into a conflict due to its mutual defence treaty with Manila read more

US Secretary of State Antony Blinken, gestures as he meets Philippine President Ferdinand Marcos Jr., at the Malacanang presidential palace in Manila, Philippines on Tuesday. July 30, 2024. Reuters

The United States will provide $500 million in military funding to the Philippines, US Secretary of State Antony Blinken said Tuesday, as Washington boosts ties with Manila in the face of Chinas growing assertiveness.

Blinken was in Manila with US Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin as part of an Asia-Pacific tour to strengthen Washingtons latticework of alliances aimed at countering Beijing.

Were now allocating an additional $500 million in foreign military financing to the Philippines to boost security collaboration with our oldest treaty ally in this region, Blinken told a joint news conference.

Blinken described it as a once in a generation investment to help modernise the Philippine armed forces and coast guard.

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They met with President Ferdinand Marcos, who has taken a strong stand against Chinese actions in the South China Sea, before holding 2+2 talks with their Philippine counterparts Enrique Manalo and Gilberto Teodoro.

The latest high-level US visit follows a series of escalating confrontations between Philippine and Chinese vessels in the disputed waterway that have raised concern that Washington could be dragged into a conflict due to its mutual defence treaty with Manila.

The funding is part of the $2 billion in foreign military financing approved by the United States in April. It comes as the Philippines modernises its armed forces, one of the weakest in Asia, and bolsters its coast guard.

The Philippines proximity to the hotly contested South China Sea, as well as self-ruled Taiwan, would make it a key partner for the United States if a conflict were to break out in the region.
It decided to withdraw its diplomatic staff from seven Latin American countries that questioned the election victory of President Maduro. These countries are Argentina, Chile, Costa Rica, Peru, Panama, Dominican Republic and Uruguay read more

Venezuela has snapped ties with seven Latin American countries that doubted the fairness of the presidential election that President Nicolas Maduro claimed to have won. The rival candidate Edmundo Gonzalez made a counter-claim of having won the polls, with the Opposition faction saying that they have the proof to show that Maduro lost the election and rigged to declare himself the winner.

The election results followed sharp reactions from several countries, with many doubting the outcome declared by Venezuelas election office. Latin American countries, however, faced an angry response from the Maduro government.

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It decided to withdraw its diplomatic staff from seven Latin American countries that questioned the election victory of President Maduro. These countries are Argentina, Chile, Costa Rica, Peru, Panama, Dominican Republic and Uruguay.

The Maduro governments foreign ministry issued a statement, saying it rejected the interventionist actions and statements of these Latin American governments, which signed a joint statement asking for a complete review of the election results.

The Nicolas Maduro regime also expelled the diplomatic missions of seven Latin American nations that expressed concerns over the results announced on Sunday of the countrys presidential election.

Yvan Gil, Venezuelas foreign minister, emphasised that Venezuela reserved all legal and political rights to enforce and defend its inalienable right to self-determination. The government also stated it would confront any actions that threaten the nations peace and coexistence.

The trigger

The entire controversy was prompted by an announcement from the National Electoral Council, which is controlled by the Maduro regime. On Sunday, the council declared that President Maduro had won the election against Opposition candidate Edmundo Gonzalez, despite independent exit polls indicating a significant loss for Maduro.

According to the council, Maduro secured 51.1 per cent of the vote compared to Gonzalezs 44 per cent. However, Opposition leaders and credible independent firms reported that Gonzalez had won more than 65 per cent of the vote.

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Maduros re-election campaign for a third six-year term was marked by allegations of Opposition intimidation and fears of fraud. Opposition parties accused the regime of committing large-scale electoral fraud.

Similar sentiments were echoed by officials from the expelled countries, some of whom have called for a meeting at the Organisation of American States to analyse the situation in Venezuela.
The recent Venezuelan presidential election, which saw President Nicolas Maduro declared the winner amidst claims of electoral manipulation, has sparked a wave of international reactions. Panama has put its diplomatic relations with Venezuela on hold, while the US and the EU have expressed severe doubts about the elections legitimacy. In contrast, Russia, Cuba, and Honduras have congratulated Maduro read more

President Nicolas Maduro was declared the winner in the disputed verdict og the Venezuelan elections. Reuters

The recent Venezuelan presidential election has sparked a wave of international reactions, highlighting the contentious nature of the results.

On Sunday, President Nicolas Maduro was declared the winner by Venezuelas national electoral authority, securing a third term with 51 per cent of the vote.

However, the opposition candidate, Edmundo Gonzalez, claimed victory, supported by independent exit polls indicating a landslide in his favour. The disputed outcome has been met with concern by some world leaders, and felicitations by others.

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Criticism from Latin American countries

In response to the election, Panama announced it was putting its diplomatic relations with Venezuela on hold and would withdraw its diplomatic personnel until a full review of the election results is conducted.

President Jose Raul Mulino emphasised the need for a thorough examination of the voting records and the voting computer system. Panama joined eight other Latin American countries in calling for an emergency meeting of the Organization of American States (OAS) to address their concerns about the electoral process.

The US reaction

The United States also expressed severe doubts about the elections legitimacy. The Biden administration criticised the electoral manipulation, stating that it stripped Maduros re-election victory of any credibility. Senior US officials demanded that Maduro publish a detailed vote tabulation, warning that failure to do so would lead to a lack of international acceptance of the announced outcome.

The possibility of fresh sanctions against Venezuela was left open, contingent on Maduros actions moving forward. US Secretary of State Antony Blinken underscored serious concerns that the election results did not reflect the will of the Venezuelan people.

European Unions stance

The European Union echoed similar sentiments, with EU foreign policy chief Josep Borrell stating that the EU could not recognise the election results until all polling station records were published and verified. Borrell highlighted numerous flaws and irregularities reported during the election and called for a full and timely investigation of post-electoral complaints. The EUs demand for transparency underscores the broader international scepticism regarding the elections fairness.

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Support from Maduros allies

Not everyone reacted negatively to the contested results.

Some world leaders, including Russian President Vladimir Putin, offered their congratulations to Maduro. Russian-Venezuelan relations have the character of a strategic partnership. I am confident that your activities at the head of state will continue to contribute to their progressive development in all directions. I would like to confirm our readiness to continue our constructive joint work on topical issues on the bilateral and international agenda. Remember that you are always a welcome guest on Russian soil, he said.

Cuban President Miguel Diaz-Canel praised Maduros victory as a defeat of the pro-Imperialist opposition and a win for the Bolivarian Revolution.

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Honduran President Xiomara Castro also extended her congratulations, celebrating the re-election as a reaffirmation of Venezuelas sovereignty and the legacy of Hugo Chavez.

With inputs from Reuters
Activists have expressed concern over the decision to kill the bear, saying that it leaves her three cubs in serious difficulty to survive. The International Organization for Animal Protection noted that the order for the bears killing was issued overnight, making it impossible to seek a legal stay. read more

The bear (KJ1) was a dangerous specimen, the local authority said, adding that the bear had come into contact with people seven times. Image- Pixabay

In the northern Italian Alps, a mother bear considered a threat to human safety was fatally shot by local authorities on Tuesday. The bear, known as KJ1, had previously attacked a French tourist in July, prompting outrage from animal rights activists and disapproval from a government minister.

The forestry corps located and killed the bear using its radio collar for tracking purposes following the orders of Maurizio Fugatti, the provincial authority head in Trento.

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Italys environment minister Gilberto Picchetto Fratin said the killing of individual bears is not the solution to the problem. It would be better to tackle the issue by sterilising female bears which were considered a potential threat to humans, he said.

Earlier this month, a 43-year-old French tourist was attacked by a female bear with her three cubs while on an early morning run near the village of Dro in the Trentino region. The bear injured him on his arms and legs, but he managed to raise the alarm and was taken to the hospital for treatment.

Activists have expressed concern over the decision to kill the bear, saying that it leaves her three cubs in serious difficulty to survive. The International Organization for Animal Protection noted that the order for the bears killing was issued overnight, making it impossible to seek a legal stay.

The area around the city of Trento, which was re-populated with bears from 1999 under an EU-funded programme, has seen several bear attacks in recent years, raising questions about how to achieve successful cohabitation with the animals.

The minister said Italy was paying the price for having used the image of the bear to market the region to tourists, and that sterilisation was one way to deal with the issue.

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The International Organization for Animal Protection (OIPA) said the bear was around 22 years old and had three cubs who would struggle to survive on their own.

Animals are sentient beings to be respected and looked after and not objects to be removed, OIPA said in a statement, accusing Fugatti of pursuing an anti-bear strategy.

Earlier this year, Trento authorities said another mother bear, who killed a jogger in 2023, was going to be relocated to a sanctuary in Germany after culling orders for her were blocked by legal challenges from environmentalists.

With inputs from agencies.
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Someday the Stones will be done; but that day is not today
South Carolina Army National Guard Apaches make first appearance at Camp Ripley for Iowa XCTC rotation

By Spc. Armani Wilson July 27, 2024

CAMP RIPLEY, Minn. -- Six AH-64 Apache helicopter crews from the 1st Attack Battalion, 151st Aviation Regiment, 59th Troop Command, South Carolina Army National Guard, traveled cross-country to Camp Ripley, Minnesota, to participate in the Iowa Army National Guard's eXportable Combat Training Capabilities (XCTC) rotation from the beginning of July to August 2024.

The journey from South Carolina to Minnesota took two days, marking the first time Apaches have trained at Camp Ripley. The pilots and aircrew operated around the clock, supporting the 2nd Brigade Combat Team, 34th Infantry Division ground forces.

"Working with the Apaches is a new experience for a lot of the [junior] enlisted Soldiers," said Lt. Col. Kyle Obrecht, battalion commander of the 1st Battalion, 168th Infantry Regiment, 2/34th IBCT. "It's just an amazing experience for them to understand how complicated it is, but also how rewarding it is to have all those assets working together."

This joint training effort enabled aircrews to communicate and coordinate with real-world ground troops, offering Iowa Army National Guard Soldiers dynamic, practical aerial support training.

"We've been doing a lot of attack, reconnaissance and armed security. We can go into those areas and use the advanced optics that we have to confirm or deny the presence of the enemy," said Chief Warrant Officer 2 Dale Addy, an AH-64E Apache pilot assigned to Company B, 1st Attack Battalion. "We don't differentiate between training and real life. We train to do exactly what we would do in a real-life situation. Much preparation goes into having these aircraft ready to launch as soon as possible."

Training missions at Camp Ripley included three to five flights a day, both during the day and at night. The exercises prepared aircrews for the unpredictability of actual combat and underscored the rewarding nature of their vital support roles.

"Showing these ground guys what they have available to them and seeing their excitement during live-fire exercises is very rewarding," said Addy. "As an infantry guy on the ground, if you call for Apaches, you can expect a team to get there quickly with a lot of ordnance and highly motivated individuals."

The South Carolina Army National Guard's participation in the Iowa Army National Guard's XCTC rotation at Camp Ripley showcases the importance of training partnerships and dedication to readiness vital to the National Guard's mission.

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US Army National Guard Soldiers train alongside NATO Allies in Germany

By Sgt. Kelly Boyer July 29, 2024

SENNELAGER, Germany -- As day turned to dusk, raindrops hammered cobblestone roads while several members of Charlie Company, 3rd Battalion, 172nd Infantry Regiment (Mountain), New Hampshire Army National Guard, marched toward their notional target. With camouflage painted across their faces, they moved for miles alongside their counterparts, the 4th Battalion, Royal Yorkshire Regiment, also known as "4 R YORKS," of the British Army. Together, they were headed toward their final mission of Exercise RHINO HEART.

From June 8-23, 2024, the 10 NHARNG Soldiers integrated with U.S. Army National Guard Soldiers from Maryland, Nebraska, Minnesota, and Montana, along with more than 500 personnel from U.K. and Germany Reserve units at the Normandy Barracks in Sennelager.

"The first day was a steep learning curve, but we quickly figured out how to operate as one force," said Staff Sgt. Nathan Dullea, training NCO and squad leader for Charlie Company. "We learned a lot of small things from each other that we can integrate into our own standard operating procedures."

Dullea described the infantry exercise as a test of adaptability.

"Working closely with the British soldiers was incredibly beneficial," he said.

This collaborative event, led by the leadership of the 19th Light Brigade, British Army, represented the largest deployment of British Army Reserves since the Cold War. The event emphasized NATO's commitment to collective defense and interoperability, aiming to strengthen alliances and reinforce NATO's deterrence with its reserve units.

For Spc. Noah Phillips, a rifleman with Charlie Company, the first day was a steep learning curve.

"We had to learn each other's tactics, command structure, and even lingo," said Phillips, discussing the challenges of integrating with another unit. By the end, it felt like we had gotten all the growing pains out of the way."

Phillips' sentiments were echoed by Sgt. Jacob Desrosiers, a fire team leader with the unit.

"We were thrown together and had to achieve our objectives," said Desrosiers, who emphasized the importance of training with international allies. "It was worthwhile training."

"Getting to know the British soldiers and understanding their approach to military operations was eye-opening," Desrosiers added. "It was incredibly beneficial. We learned new tactics and built lasting relationships that proves that combining our strengths makes us all better."

The exercise was meticulously designed to enhance readiness among the NATO Allies by emphasizing war-fighting capabilities. Participants engaged in comprehensive training scenarios encompassing defense strategies, attack maneuvers, urban operations, detailed planning, and execution at the various unit levels. This multi-level approach tested tactical proficiency while strengthening cooperation and mutual understanding among the multi-national forces.

"It was an amazing opportunity," said 2nd Lt. Martin Brown, a British liaison with the 4 R YORKS, attached to Charlie Company. "I've enjoyed working with the Americans because, as much as I could teach them from our doctrine, I also learned a lot from how they did it.

"From a leadership perspective, it gave me great insight into how the Americans do their skills and drills," he added.

Brown added while there were moments of stress due to differing doctrines, the overall experience was positive and valuable for both sides. He observed the integration and teamwork between the U.S. and British forces as both successful and beneficial.

"Overall, it's been amazing," Brown added. "The lads I was with seemed to have enjoyed themselves as much as we did."

The integration was at the tactical and personal level, building camaraderie through shared challenges and successes. Lance Cpl. Stephen Parker, acting as the section second-in-command, 4th Battalion, 4 R YORKS, British Army, reflected on the historical ties between the U.S. and the U.K.

"It's been a great insight to see how the Americans work," said Parker. "Historically, America and Britain have worked closely together, and this exercise embodies that relationship.

"It also proves our readiness and the need for the U.K. Reserves and the National Guard to continue training together," Parker added.

The U.S. Army makes a difference in global security by initiating and maintaining strong alliances and partnerships.

This exercise became a pivotal moment for the members of Charlie Company. When returning to their units, they brought back enhanced capabilities and a new found confidence in their abilities.

"Training with them was a huge help," said Phillips. "If we have to fight together in a real-life situation, we've already gotten the growing pains out of the way. It's very beneficial."

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Venezuela: Statement by High Representative Josep Borrell on the presidential election

European External Action Service (EEAS)

29.07.2024

EEAS Press Team

The European Union has been following closely the electoral process in Venezuela.

The EU commends the determination of the people of Venezuela to exercise their voting rights peacefully and in large numbers. The EU acknowledges the opposition's commitment to the electoral process despite an uneven playing field. The will of the people of Venezuela must be respected.

The results of the elections have not been verified and cannot be considered as representative of the will of the people of Venezuela until all the official records from polling stations are published and verified.

The EU calls on the Venezuelan Electoral Council (CNE) to exercise maximum transparency in the process of results tabulation, including the granting of immediate access to the voting records of each polling station and the publication of disaggregated election results. The EU also calls on the authorities to ensure the full and timely investigation of any post-electoral complaints and grievances.

Credible reports from domestic and international observers indicate that the elections were marred by numerous flaws and irregularities.

The European Union regrets that none of the key recommendations from the 2021 EU Electoral Observation Mission have been implemented. Obstacles to the participation of opposition candidates, deficiencies in the voter registry, and imbalanced media access contributed to unequal electoral conditions.

The EU is concerned about arbitrary detentions and intimidation of members of the opposition and civil society throughout the electoral process and calls for the immediate release of all political prisoners.

The EU appeals for calm and urges the security forces to ensure full respect for human rights, including the right to peaceful assembly.

The EU will continue to pursue all political and diplomatic efforts in support of dialogue and a peaceful and negotiated way out of the political crisis.

The EU reiterates its support to regional and international efforts to facilitate dialogue and restore the democratic legitimacy of Venezuelan institutions.



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Colombia: NATO's valued non-member partner in the Western Hemisphere and beyond

This feature story was written in collaboration with U.S. European Command, U.S. Southern Command, U.S. Space Command, NATO Supreme Headquarters Allied Powers Europe and NATO Allied Special Operations Forces Command.

By 1st Lt. Gabriele Gocso , U.S. European Command Stuttgart, Germany Jul 29, 2024

While not a NATO member, Colombia is increasingly viewed as a key global partner for the 32-nation Alliance and U.S. combatant commands like U.S. European Command (USEUCOM), U.S. Southern Command (USSOUTHCOM) and U.S. Space Command (USSPACECOM).

Exercises and Partnerships

As a major non-NATO U.S. Ally, Colombia has actively participated in various NATO exercises and operations, strengthening interoperability and cooperation with Allied forces. Recently, Colombia demonstrated its commitment to collaborating with like-minded nations worldwide by participating in the U.S. Department of Defense-led and U.S. European Command-coordinated Large Scale Global Exercise (LSGE), demonstrating its commitment to the shared values of freedom and security.

"Through our active involvement with NATO Allies and partners around the world, Colombia demonstrates its strong desire to foster relationships beyond the Western Hemisphere and its commitment to stability and security efforts," said Colombian Army Brig. Gen. Carlos Enrique Carrasquilla Gomez, Senior Coalition Activities Advisor, Exercises and Coalition Affairs, U.S. Southern Command. "Colombia and its military forces are committed to supporting global peace efforts under the principles of Western democracy, with our government prioritizing the protection of life as its highest objective."

LSGE 24 incorporated nearly 30 wide-ranging exercises and military activities to highlight America's robust presence and capabilities alongside Allies, partners and fellow U.S. combatant commands.

Within the framework of LSGE, exercises like USSOUTHCOM's Tradewinds and Resolute Sentinel play a crucial role. These exercises focus on countering transnational threats and enhancing regional security cooperation with partners in Latin America and the Caribbean, an effort of critical importance in today's interconnected world as events in one region can quickly impact nations across the globe.

Notably, key NATO Allies such as Canada, France, the Netherlands and the United Kingdom also participate in these exercises alongside Colombia. This collaboration allows for the sharing of best practices, fine-tuning militaries' ability to operate as one, and the strengthening of operational capabilities to effectively address common security challenges.

This year, NATO's Allied Special Operations Forces Command certified Colombian Special Forces during USSOUTHCOM's Fused Response in which they used the NATO special operations planning process and tactics, techniques and procedures. This certification highlights the interoperability and readiness of Colombian Special Forces to operate alongside NATO Allies, ensuring they meet the rigorous standards set by the Alliance for conducting complex and dynamic security missions.

Colombia's efforts to enhance security within its borders contribute to regional stability, which in turn benefits European security by disrupting transnational criminal networks and curbing the flow of illegal drugs and other illicit goods to Europe.

Support to Ukraine

Much like Japan in the Far East, Colombia in the Western Hemisphere has demonstrated its commitment to global security by providing non-lethal military aid to Ukraine in its defense against Russian aggression. This assistance includes items such as helmets, bulletproof vests and night vision goggles, underscoring Colombia's solidarity with Ukraine and its support for the principles of sovereignty and territorial integrity. Colombia's contributions to Ukraine, combined with international efforts to blunt an autocratic leader's attempts to erase a sovereign country, demonstrates the strength of partnership and cohesive resolve toward global peace, stability and freedom

Space Military Integration

Colombia is an emerging space partner to the U.S. and recognizes the importance of space capabilities to its military operations. In 2021, USPACECOM and the Colombian Air Force signed a space situational awareness information-sharing agreement to promote greater safety and stability in the space domain, a prime example of the nation's effort to expand space cooperation. In 2024, Colombia participated in USSPACECOM's Global Sentinel capstone event alongside participants from 25 nations to strengthen and grow international partnerships, deepen integration, and strengthen interoperability through exercises focused on space situational awareness and command and control.

Expanding space cooperation and deepening integration among nations with a shared commitment to the responsible uses of space increases collective security in all domains. Colombia has been a steadfast military partner with the U.S. for many decades and recently completed a bilateral Space Capabilities Alignment Conference with the U.S., where both nations engaged in high-level discussions on space domain awareness and explored avenues for future collaboration in space-related initiatives.

Additionally, USEUCOM, USSOUTHCOM and USSPACECOM are working closely with Colombia and other Allied and partner nations in building an operational space coalition of countries in the Western Hemisphere that are closely aligned with NATO through space domain operations.

Colombia's contributions to global security, its participation in multinational exercises, and its commitment to space collaboration underscore its importance as a key partner for USEUCOM, USSOUTHCOM, USSPACECOM and NATO. The strong partnership among Colombia and these organizations plays a vital role in maintaining regional and global stability, countering transnational threats and promoting international cooperation.

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About USEUCOM

U.S. European Command (USEUCOM) is responsible for U.S. military operations across Europe, portions of Asia and the Middle East, the Arctic and Atlantic Ocean. USEUCOM is comprised of more than 65,000 permanent military personnel supported by rotational forces and DoD civilians working closely with NATO Allies and partners. For more information about USEUCOM, visit www.eucom.mil.

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Quad FM meeting 'creates tensions' by hyping up 'China threat' in South China Sea

Global Times

Inciting confrontation serves needs of US, not most of the nations: expert

By Wang Qi Published: Jul 29, 2024 09:29 PM

Top diplomats from Quad countries held talks on Monday in Tokyo, expressing so-called concerns about the situation in the East and South China Seas and vowing to uphold so-called maritime order in the "Indo-Pacific region," which analysts viewed as another attempt targeting China's growth, with a bloc-confrontation mentality.

The analysts noted that hyping up the "China-threat" rhetoric is a typical US way of inciting security anxiety, so as to make some regional countries rely more on the US-led bloc. However, most countries know that making China a target of confrontation may largely suit the needs of Washington's elites, but not their own.

According to the Japanese foreign ministry, the Quad (the US, Japan, Australia and India) foreign ministers have reaffirmed commitment toward the realization of a "free and open Indo-Pacific." In a joint statement released after the meeting, ministers emphasized the importance of adherence to international law for the rules-based maritime order, including in the East and South China Seas. They also reaffirmed "strong opposition to any unilateral actions that seek to change the status quo by force or coercion."

"We continue to express our serious concern about the militarization of disputed features, and coercive and intimidating maneuvers in the South China Sea," read the joint statement, "We also express our serious concern about the dangerous use of coast guard and maritime militia vessels, the increasing use of various kinds of dangerous maneuvers, and efforts to disrupt other countries' offshore resource exploitation activities."

Although China has not been directly singled out in the statement, analysts believe their implication for China is quite obvious.

In terms of the South China Sea disputes, the statement said that foreign ministers emphasized the importance of "maintaining and upholding freedom of navigation and overflight, and reiterate that the award rendered by the Arbitral Tribunal on July 12, 2016 "is the basis for peacefully resolving disputes between the parties." China has previously declared that the award is "null and void and has no binding force," due to its fallacies and unfairness.

Besides, foreign ministers also discussed the promotion of cooperation on maritime security, critical and emerging technologies, cybersecurity, and counter-terrorism. They also discussed the Korean Peninsula situation, the Ukraine crisis and the Middle East situation, according to the joint statement.

In response to the Quad meeting, Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Lin Jian said at a Monday press briefing that the Quad keeps chanting the slogan of a free and open Indo-Pacific, and all the while, it has been scaremongering, inciting antagonism and confrontation, and holding back other countries' development.

He said the Quad "runs counter to the overwhelming trend of pursuing peace, development, cooperation, and prosperity in the Asia-Pacific and will by no means gain any support." He described some external forces as "the biggest threat and challenge to regional peace and stability."

Quad is a US-led mechanism, and its joint statement shows that the US is attempting to bolster the bloc's build-up by hyping "China threat" rhetoric and inciting security anxiety in the region, so as to make some regional countries rely more on the US-led bloc in terms of security, Li Haidong, a professor at the China Foreign Affairs University, told the Global Times.

Quad is a currently more about a partnership, but not yet an alliance. The latest statement suggests that the US is likely to further manipulate other parties with more coordinated actions, to enable Quad to evolve in the direction of a true alliance, Li said.

This means that the quad is likely to become a major source of creating antagonism and confrontation in the Asia-Pacific region, Li said.

Quad foreign ministers' meeting came after a US-Japan 2+2 security talks on Sunday, when they portrayed China as "the greatest strategic challenge" facing in the region. They agreed on upgrading the command and control of US forces and strengthening American-licensed missile production there, according to AP.

Earlier on Sunday, defense chiefs from the US, Japan and South Korea held a trilateral meeting in Tokyo, they vowed to strengthen cooperation to deter "nuclear and missile threats" from North Korea and formalized a trilateral agreement that would "institutionalize" security cooperation among their defense authorities, including senior-level policy consultations, information sharing, trilateral exercises, and defense exchange cooperation, according to CNN.

Strange bedfellows

Before the Quad meeting, Indian External Affairs Minister Subrahmanyam Jaishankar also met with US Secretary of State Antony Blinken on Sunday on bilateral ties and regional and global issues. In terms of the Quad meeting, Western media commented that any criticism of Moscow by the bloc could be "awkward for India," whose Prime Minister Narendra Modi has just met with Vladimir Putin this month and displayed close ties.

Chinese Premier Li Qiang visited Australia in June and attended the ninth China-Australia Annual Leaders' Meeting with Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese, who said that Australia is pleased to see that current Australia-China relations are stabilizing and improving.

About a week ahead of the Quad meeting, from July 21 to 25, Chinese Vice Foreign Minister Ma Zhaoxu held the 16th round of China-Japan strategic dialogue with Japanese Vice Foreign Minister Masataka Okano in Tokyo, and held the 10th round of the high-level strategic dialogue between the foreign ministries of China and South Korea with South Korean Vice Minister of Foreign Affairs Kim Hong-kyun in Seoul, according to Xinhua News Agency.

"Those interactions are examples that can explain why the Quad joint statement did not name China directly, but dealt with the related issues in an obscure way," a Beijing-based expert told the Global Times on Monday, requesting anonymity.

"The Quad is divided over its handling of relations with China and many other issues ... It is a relatively loose mechanism for strange bedfellows," he added.

The US can't get India to break off ties with Russia and fully embrace the US, while Japan and Australia have close ties in trade and people-to-people exchanges with China, and they can't afford to become vassals of the US at the expense of their own strategic interests, the expert noted.

Making China a target of confrontation may largely suit the needs of Washington's elites, but it isn't in line with the interest of the vast majority, he said.

Following the Quad foreign ministers meeting in Tokyo, Blinken and Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin are expected to travel to Manila, where they will meet with their Philippine counterparts for a US-Philippines 2+2 Ministerial Dialogue.

The Japan and Philippine trip are part of Blinken's 18th trip to "Indo-Pacific" region since becoming Secretary, according to the US Department of State. And the trip, covering Laos, Vietnam, Japan, the Philippines, Singapore, and Mongolia, lasts from July 25 to August 3.

Blinken's Asia trip is shadowed by the domestic political chaos in the US, including US President Joe Biden's withdrawal from the Presidential election.

Different candidates in the US have conflicting ideas on how to treat allies, which brings great uncertainty to the future foreign policy of the US, and that inevitably make many countries, including Asia-Pacific nations, doubt and even be wary of the credibility and consistency of the US policy, Li said.

"Blinken's trip served a strong purpose of reassurance, mainly to convince allies that US policy in the Asia-Pacific region and its security policy toward allied partners would not change because of domestic chaos," Li said. "At the same time, the US is conveying to allies that they need to continue to follow its lead in strategic competition with China and Russia."

"In fact, the US move is an attempt to consolidate its own hegemony at the expense of regional security, stability and prosperity, and even the interests of its allies themselves," said Li. "This means that in the long run, the US may not achieve its goals."

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Al-Baghdadi base of Zionist regime comes under Hezbollah fire

IRNA - Islamic Republic News Agency

Jul 29, 2024

Tehran, IRNA -- Lebanon's Hezbollah movement targeted the Zionist military sites in Al-Baghdadi with dozens of Katyusha missiles.

Hezbollah announced in a statement that in line with supporting the steadfast Palestinian nation in Gaza and helping its brave and honorable resistance and in response to the attack and terror carried out by the Israeli enemy in the town of Shaqra, Islamic Resistance fired dozens of Katyusha missiles at Al-Baghdadi occupation site, according to the Beirut-based Al Mayadeen news network.

Zionist media reported that four rockets from southern Lebanon hit the Upper Galilee region.

Firefighting teams are trying to contain the fire in 4 areas near the Goma intersection in Upper Galilee.

Some sources reported a drone attack on the town of Kiryat Shmona in the north of occupied Palestine.

Hezbollah and Israeli forces have exchanged fire almost every day since October 8, a day after the Israeli regime launched an ongoing genocidal war against Gaza.

Regional resistance groups, including Hezbollah, the Islamic Resistance in Iraq, and Yemen's Ansarullah, have declared that they will continue their attacks on the Israeli military bases in solidarity with Palestinians in Gaza since the start of the Israeli regime's genocidal war in the enclave last October.

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Maduro declared winner of Venezuela presidential vote

IRNA - Islamic Republic News Agency

Jul 29, 2024

Tehran, IRNA -- Nicolas Maduro has won Venezuela's presidential election and become the country's president for the third term.

After winning 51.2% of the votes, Maduro defeated his rival Edmundo Gonzalez, media reported on Monday.

According to correspondents, a number of people were on their way to the presidential palace to show their happiness for Maduro's winning.

Some observers from South Africa who were in Venezuela during the election procedure have described it as a transparent and just election.

The presidential election was held in Venezuela on Sunday (July 28) on the 70th birthday anniversary of the late president of the Latin American country Hugo Chavez.

Maduro competed with eight other hopefuls in Venezuela's presidential election while analysts had introduced Gonzalez as his main rival.

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Turkish pres. threatens Israel with military action

IRNA - Islamic Republic News Agency

Jul 29, 2024

Tehran, IRNA -- Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has issued a rare explicit military threat to the Zionist regime while addressing the ongoing Israeli genocidal war in the Gaza Strip.

According to IRNA's Sunday night report citing the Palestinian Samaa news agency, Erdogan while speaking at his party rally said: We must be strong so that the Israeli (regime) cannot do to us what it did to the Palestinians.

The Turkish president added: "Just like we entered Karabakh and the way we entered Libya, maybe we'll do the same thing. There's nothing we can't do. We have to be strong."

Erdogan referred to the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict between Azerbaijan and Armenia, which resulted recently in Azerbaijan taking control of the breakaway region and in Libya, where, Turkey played a major role in the civil war.

The Foreign Minister of the Zionist regime on Sunday night in response to Erdogan's threat said that he follows in the footsteps of Saddam Hussein.

Let him (Erdogan) remember what happened there (Iraq) and how it ended, Israel Katz reacted.

Yair Lapid, Zionist regime's opposition leader also said in a statement that Erdogan is making noise again and this is considered a danger for the Middle East.

Lapid called on the the world, especially NATO, to condemn Erdogan's threats against Israel and force him to end his support for Hamas.

On Friday, Erdogan once again compared Zionist Prime Minister to Hitler and denounced the US Congress for "shamelessly" celebrating Benjamin Netanyahu, whose hands are stained with the blood of Palestinians.

The President of Turkey added: "The American Congress praises those who killed 40,000 children, women and the elderly."

In a speech at the Ataturk Cultural Centre in Istanbul, Erdogan criticized: "The whole world watched and saw how a genocidal murderer was applauded in the American Congress. Think about those who killed nearly 40,000 children, women and the elderly; the House of Representatives applauds them."

"So, to say, those who teach the entire world about democracy and human rights have no qualms about holding the Hitler of our time in high esteem," stated Erdogan, referring to Netanyahu.

Erdogan also warned that Netanyahu is behaving like a madman and not a responsible person, adding that the increase in Israel's attacks and the language of threats against Lebanon make us very worried about the future of the region.

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Pres. reassures resistance leaders of Iran's consistent support

Iran Press TV

Monday, 29 July 2024 8:51 PM

Iran's president has reassured senior resistance leaders of the country's policy of providing the regional resistance axis with consistent support.

Masoud Pezeshkian made the remarks in Tehran on Monday, meeting separately with Ziad Nakhala, secretary-general of the Gaza Strip-based resistance movement of the Islamic Jihad, and Sheikh Naim Qassem, deputy secretary-general of the Lebanese resistance movement Hezbollah.

"The Islamic Republic's position of supporting the cause of liberation of [the holy occupied city of] al-Quds, would not change with the transition of governments [in the country]," Pezeshkian told Nakhala.

Pezeshkian, who won Iran's run-off presidential vote earlier this month, was endorsed as the country's new chief executive by Leader of the Islamic Revolution Ayatollah Seyyed Ali Khamenei on Sunday. His swearing-in ceremony is due to be held on Tuesday, with numerous foreign dignitaries in attendance.

After being sworn in, he is expected to provide the make-up of his proposed government to Majlis, the Iranian parliament, which would decide on its approval in due course.

Still addressing Nakhala, Pezeshkian asserted, "We would not abandon our Palestinian brothers and sisters in the face of Zionists' inhumane crimes."

The remarks came amid the Israeli regime's October 7-present war of genocide against Gaza that has so far claimed the lives of at least 39,324 Palestinians, mostly women and children.

The Palestinian official, for his part, expressed gratitude towards the Islamic Republic, noting that "Iran's resonating supportive voice has an important impact towards preserving resistance fighters' morale and steadfastness."

The Palestinian people would never forget Iran's supportive attitude, he concluded.

Meeting with Qassem, Pezeshkian likewise asserted that backing the resistance front constituted one of the Islamic Republic's "religious duties and principled policies."

He also considered enhancement of relations with Muslim countries to be among the foreign policy priorities of his pending government.

The Lebanese official, in turn, said that the defeats that the Israeli regime had been dealt at the hands of the regional resistance movements were owed to the Islamic Republic's acts of support in favor of those groups.

Qassem, meanwhile, expressed certainty that the ardent people of Gaza's resistance in the face of the invading Israeli military would impose another defeat on the occupying regime.

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Hamas: Netanyahu keeps stalling Gaza truce deal with new terms

Iran Press TV

Monday, 29 July 2024 5:45 PM

The Palestinian Hamas resistance movement has slammed Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu for preventing a ceasefire in Gaza by adding new conditions and demands to a US truce proposal, following the latest round of talks in Rome conducted through mediators.

"We in the Hamas movement have listened to the mediators regarding what transpired recently in the Rome meeting, concerning the ceasefire negotiations and prisoner exchange," the group said in a statement on Monday.

"It is clear from what the mediators conveyed that Netanyahu has returned to his strategy of procrastination, stalling, and evading reaching an agreement by setting new conditions and demands," it added.

The new terms, Hamas said, represent "a retreat" from an earlier draft communicated by mediators.

The statement came after Egyptian, Qatari and US mediators met with Israeli negotiators in Rome on Sunday in the latest push for a truce.

Israel and Hamas have been engaged in indirect talks since January to reach a deal that ends the war on Gaza and swaps Israeli captives with Palestinian prisoners.

The two sides have been back and forth over a three-phased proposed outline for the agreement presented by mediators.

The process involves a six-week pause in fighting, in which Hamas will release some Israeli captives it has held since October 7.

In exchange, Israel is expected to release several Palestinian prisoners, withdraw its troops from certain regions of the Gaza Strip and allow Palestinians to travel from the south of the territory to the north.

During the second phase, there would be a direct announcement of a permanent cessation of Israeli military operations before the remaining Israeli captives are exchanged for more Palestinian prisoners.

Hamas has accepted a UN Security Council resolution passed last month which said: "If the negotiations take longer than six weeks for phase one, the ceasefire will continue as long as negotiations continue."

Israel's war on Gaza, now nearing its tenth month, has destroyed large swaths of the besieged territory.

Israel has killed more than 39,300 people, the great majority of them women and children, in Gaza since October 2023.

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Erdogan says Turkey could intervene militarily to stop Israel's war on Gaza

Iran Press TV

Monday, 29 July 2024 3:41 PM

President Recep Tayyip Erdogan of Turkey says his country could intervene militarily in Israel's war on the besiged Gaza Strip.

Erdogan in a speech on Sunday suggested Turkey could intervene on behalf of Palestinians in ways similar to what it has done in other conflicts.

Erdogan was addressing the ruling Justice and Development (AK) Party on Sunday.

"We need to be very strong so that Israel cannot do these ridiculous things to Palestine. Just as we entered Karabakh, just as we entered Libya, we can do something similar to them."

Turkey intervened in the Libyan civil war to support the United Nations-recognized government and supported Azerbaijan against Armenia by supplying arms and conducting joint military drills during the Nagorno-Karabakh war.

Turkish officials and Israeli authorities unleashed barbs at one another on Sunday and Monday over Erdogan's warning.

In retaliation, the Turkish Foreign Ministry compared Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to Adolf Hitler.

"Just as genocidal Hitler ended, so will genocidal Netanyahu," said the ministry.

"Just as the genocidal Nazis were held accountable, so will those who try to destroy the Palestinians," the post continued. "Humanity will stand by the Palestinians. You will not be able to destroy the Palestinians."

Erdogan has consistently issued strong statement during Israel's savage military campaign in Gaza.

The Turkish has already recalled Turkey's ambassador and suspended trade with Israel, and also accused Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu of committing genocide.

Erdogan recently said Israel must face punishment for its actions to deter anyone "from considering such cruelty again."

"Israel must face the consequences of its actions, ensuring that the punishment serves as a stark deterrent against anyone considering such cruelty again," Erdogan was quoted as saying on Sunday.

The Turkish president urged the United States to exert pressure on Israel to end the "oppression" in Gaza.

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'Heavy' consequences await Israel if it attacks Lebanon, Iranian president warns

Iran Press TV

Monday, 29 July 2024 3:25 PM

Iran's President Masoud Pezeshkian warns the Israeli regime will suffer "heavy" consequences if it makes the big mistake of attacking Lebanon.

The new Iranian president issued the warning in a Monday phone conversation with his French counterpart Emmanuel Macron.

Pezeshkian expressed his grave concern over the escalation of tensions in Lebanon's southern border with the occupied Israeli territories.

Tensions have been running high between Israel and the Lebanese resistance movement Hezbollah following an alleged rocket attack that killed 12 people and injured 40 others in the town of the Majdal Shams in the Israeli-occupied Golan Heights on Saturday.

While Israel blamed Hezbollah for the attack, the Islamic Resistance categorically denied all false allegations in this regard.

Since the incident, there have been continued exchanges of fire across the border, but they have seemed to fall within the bounds of the routine tit-for-tat of the past ten months.

Earlier on Monday, the Israeli regime carried out a fresh bout of strikes against Lebanon under the pretext of hitting back against Hezbollah.

Fears linger in the region that Israel might use the Saturday strike as a pretext to launch a full-scale offensive on Lebanon.

Meanwhile, Israel's so-called security cabinet granted prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu and his minister of military affairs, Yoav Gallant, the authority to determine the nature and timing of a military response following the rocket attack on Golan Heights.

The authorization was confirmed in a statement from the prime minister's office after a meeting held on Sunday night, where cabinet members discussed the escalating tensions along the border.

Elsewhere in his remarks, Pezeshkian expressed Iran's readiness to improve relations with France based on the principles of honesty and confidence-building.

Macron, for his part, expressed hope that Iran will promote its relations with France and other European countries during Pezeshkian's tenure.



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Israeli war on Gaza: 10,000 students, 400 teachers killed since October

Iran Press TV

Monday, 29 July 2024 10:59 AM

Latest figures show about 10,000 Palestinian students along with 400 teachers have been killed in the Gaza Strip since the beginning of Israel's genocidal war on October 7.

The Palestinian Ministry of Education said on Monday that it presented a report last month about the way that Israel's targeting of schools in Gaza has "eroded the foundation for sustained societal growth."

The United Nations also reported that more than 76 percent of schools in the war-stricken Strip require "full reconstruction or major rehabilitation" to be functional.

Back in April, UN experts expressed deep concern over the pattern of Israel's attacks on schools, universities, teachers, and students in the Gaza Strip, raising serious alarm over the "systemic" destruction of the Palestinian education system.

"With more than 80% of schools in Gaza damaged or destroyed, it may be reasonable to ask if there is an intentional effort to comprehensively destroy the Palestinian education system, an action known as 'scholasticide'," the experts said.

Meanwhile, Amjad Barham, Palestinian Minister of Education and Higher Education, said on Monday that 39,000 high school students from the Gaza Strip did not take the exam this year.

Barham added that, "There is no overall pass rate because the number of students is incomplete," due to the killing of 10,000 students in Gaza and the inability of the remaining students to take the exams amid the months-long war.

The Israeli regime has completely destroyed 117 schools and universities, while partially destroyed 332 schools and universities in Gaza.

More than 107 scientists, university professors, and researchers were also killed.

Since the start of Israel's war, the Tel Aviv regime has killed at least 39,363 Palestinians and injured over 90,923.

The Government Media Office in Gaza said on Tuesday that Israel has killed at least 16,000 children in the besieged territory since October. Thousands more are also missing and presumed dead under the rubble.





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Another Israeli trooper dies, several injured in Gaza; death toll at 329

Iran Press TV

Monday, 29 July 2024 10:46 AM

Another Israeli trooper has died of the injuries he had sustained more than a week ago in the war-torn Gaza Strip, where the regime has been waging a genocidal war for the past 10 months.

The Israeli military announced the development on Sunday, identifying the fatality as Sgt. Yonatan Aharon Greenblatt of the Givati Brigade's Shaked Battalion.

The 21-year-old had been wounded in Gaza on July 20, it noted.

His death took the overall number of the Israeli forces killed since the onset of the war on October 7, 2023 to 329, Israeli military data showed.

The military said six others among its forces had also been wounded throughout the coastal sliver over the past 24 hours.

The regime began the brutal military onslaught in response to al-Aqsa Storm, a retaliatory operation staged against the occupying entity by Gaza's resistance movements.

The Israeli onslaught has so far claimed the lives of at least 39,324 Palestinians, mostly women and children.

The figures exclude the tens of thousands of dead, who are believed to be buried in the bombed-out ruins of buildings.

Another 90,830 others have also been injured as a result of the war.

In January, the International Court of Justice (ICJ), the United Nation's top court, ordered the regime to take measures to prevent genocide in Gaza.

And in June, the UN Security Council passed a resolution ordering implementation of an immediate ceasefire in Gaza.

The regime, however, has not only been acting in complete disregard for the international calls, but also stands accused of sabotaging talks aimed at negotiating a truce.

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Havoc, panic: UNRWA says only 14% of areas in Gaza not under evacuation orders

Iran Press TV

Monday, 29 July 2024 6:47 AM

The head of the UN agency for Palestinian refugees (UNRWA) says only 14 percent of areas in the Gaza Strip are not currently under the Israeli "evacuation orders".

In a post on his X account, Philippe Lazzarini said the Israeli regime issues evacuation orders forcing people to flee every other day.

These orders have created "havoc" and "panic" among the people of Palestine in Gaza, he added.

Quite often, Gazans are given a few hours to pack whatever they can and start all over again, "mostly on foot or on a crowded donkey cart for those who can afford it."

"Almost everyone in Gaza has been impacted by these orders. Many were forced to flee on average once a month since the war began nine months ago," Lazzarini wrote.

A man recently told the UNRWA teams that Israel had forced him to flee twice within 10 hours, he said.

The UN official emphasized that the Palestinian people continue to search for safety as the most precious and the most nonexistent thing.

He added: "This evacuation tactic only brings more misery, fear and suffering for people who have nothing to do with this war."

"The people of Gaza are not pinballs or chess pieces, they are people," Lazzarini stated.

Last Tuesday, the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs in the occupied Palestinian territories announced that the Israeli military had ordered the evacuation of, or designated as "no-go zones" more than 80% of the besieged Gaza Strip.

The latest order, according to the report, was issued last Monday when the Israeli military ordered Palestinians residing in eastern and central Khan Yunis to immediately evacuate westwards.

The order covers about 8.7 square kilometers in the so-called "humanitarian zone" in the al-Mawasi area of Khan Yunis.

Israel launched the war on Gaza on October 7 after the Palestinian resistance movement Hamas waged the surprise Operation Al-Aqsa Storm against the occupying entity in response to the Israeli regime's decades-long campaign of bloodletting and devastation against Palestinians.

Tel Aviv has also blocked water, food, and electricity to Gaza, plunging the coastal strip into a humanitarian crisis.

Since the start of the offensive, the Tel Aviv regime has killed at least 39,324 Palestinians and injured over 90,830. Thousands more are also missing and presumed dead under rubble.

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Israel strikes several towns in southern Lebanon as tensions escalate

Iran Press TV

Monday, 29 July 2024 6:13 AM

The Israeli regime stages a fresh bout of strikes against Lebanon under the pretext of hitting back against the Lebanese resistance movement Hezbollah, which it stubbornly blames for a recent attack on the Israeli-occupied Syrian territory of Golan Heights.

The strikes took place against the southern Lebanese towns of Houla, Markaba, Aita al-Shaab, Khiam, Shaheen, Yaroun, Mays al-Jabal, Kfarkela, and Bourj al-Shamali on Monday, Lebanese media outlets reported.

This is the second time the regime carries out sweeping raids against the country since Saturday, when a rocket attack killed at least 12 people in Syria's Golan Heights.

Israeli officials, including prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu, foreign minister Israel Katz, hard-right finance minister Bezalel Smotrich, and military spokesman Daniel Hagari, have insisted that Hezbollah was behind the attack, and pledged to take it out on the movement.

The resistance group has, however, strongly denied any role in the incident.

In a statement that followed the attack, Hezbollah stressed that "the Islamic Resistance has absolutely nothing to do with the incident, and categorically denies all false allegations in this regard."

Some reports have suggested that the explosion that had hit the Syrian village was likely caused by a stray projectile fired by the Israeli regime's so-called Iron Dome missile system.

The Israeli regime, which waged two wars against Lebanon in 2000 and 2006, has been threatening over the past 10 months to bring Lebanon under another wholesale military onslaught.

It has been carrying out numerous attacks against the country throughout the period. Israeli officials have also repeatedly threatened to "to burn Lebanon, destroy it, and return it to the Stone Age."

Hezbollah has been retaliating with rocket strikes against military targets lying across the northern part of the occupied Palestinian territories.

The movement has also pledged to defend the country with all its resources in the event of another Israeli war.

On Sunday, AFP cited a "source close to the group" as saying that it had evacuated positions in southern and eastern Lebanon in case the regime chose to heighten the escalation.

"Hezbollah has evacuated some positions in the south and in the Bekaa Valley that it thinks could be a target for Israel," the source said.

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Soldiers engage in multi-subject training

China Military Online) 17:02, July 30, 2024

A sniper in ghillie suit assigned to a troop under the PLA Rocket Force aims through scope during a multi-subject training exercise on June 23, 2024. (eng.chinamil.com.cn/Photo by Zhang Feng)

A soldier in ghillie suit assigned to a troop under the PLA Rocket Force climbs up a cat ladder during a multi-subject training exercise on June 23, 2024. (eng.chinamil.com.cn/Photo by Zhang Feng)

(Web editor: Tian Yi, Zhong Wenxing)
Quad foreign ministers meet in Tokyo to discuss regional security

It comes after US announced plans for a major revamp of its military command to improve coordination with allies.

By Taejun Kang for RFA 2024.07.29 -- Foreign ministers from the Quadrilateral Security Dialogue, commonly known as the Quad, met in Tokyo on Monday to discuss deepening collaboration in various areas, including on security and humanitarian issues in the Indo-Pacific.

Japan's Yoko Kamikawa hosted Australia's Penny Wong, India's Subrahmanyam Jaishankar, and Antony Blinken from the United States, for the meeting, their first gathering since September 2023.

"We all know our region and our world are being reshaped. We all understand we face the most confronting circumstances in our region in decades," Wong said in opening remarks.

"We all cherish the region's peace, stability and prosperity and we all know it is not a given, we all know we can't take it for granted."

The meeting came after the U.S. announced on Sunday plans for a major revamp of its military command in Japan to deepen cooperation following security talks between Blinken and Secretary of Defence Lloyd Austin and their respective Japanese counterparts, Kamikawa and Minoru Kihara.

"The United States will upgrade the U.S. Forces Japan to a joint force headquarters with expanded missions and operational responsibilities," Austin told reporters.

"This will be the most significant change to U.S Forces Japan since its creation and one of the strongest improvements in our military ties with Japan in 70 years."

The United States has about 50,000 troops in Japan.

The new command structure would be implemented in parallel with Japan's plans to establish a joint command for its forces by March 2025, the allies added in a joint statement.

The ministers also criticized what they called China's "provocative" behavior in the South and East China Seas, its joint military exercises with Russia and the rapid expansion of its arsenal of nuclear weapons.

"Such behavior is a serious concern to the Alliance and the entire international community and represents the greatest strategic challenge in the Indo-Pacific region and beyond," the ministers said, adding that China "seeks to reshape the international order for its own benefit at the expense of others."

US cooperation with Japan, South Korea

Separately, the defense chiefs of South Korea, the U.S. and Japan agreed to increase their cooperation on North Korea under their Trilateral Security Cooperation Framework, or TSCF, South Korea's defence minister said.

Under the pact, the three countries are expected to deepen cooperation for the effective operation of their real-time sharing of North Korean missile data and regularly carry out joint drills, including the multidomain Freedom Edge exercise, based on a multi-year plan.

The three defense chiefs also voiced concerns over growing military and economic cooperation between North Korea and Russia, denouncing the North's diversification of nuclear delivery systems and test launches of multiple ballistic missiles, as well as other actions that increase tension on the Korean Peninsula.

Blinken met his Chinese counterpart, Wang Yi, at a regional conference in Laos on Saturday and said that the United States and its partners wanted to maintain a "free and open Indo-Pacific," urging Southeast Asian countries to help address challenges including China's "escalating and unlawful actions" in the South China Sea.

Both Blinken and Wang were attending the security-focused ASEAN Regional Forum, which included discussions on the conflicts in Gaza and Ukraine, North Korea's nuclear ambitions and tension in the South China Sea.

Edited by RFA Staff.

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 July not be used in a manner which would give the appearance of any endorsement of any product or support of any issue or political position. Please read the full text of our Terms of Use.

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Philippines conducts resupply mission to disputed shoal

Philippine vessel brought supplies to troops at Second Thomas Shoal amid confusion over deal with China.

By RFA and BenarNews Staff 2024.07.29 -- The Philippines said it had successfully resupplied troops stationed at a disputed atoll in the South China Sea, a week after reaching a deal with China over the shoal at the center of sharply rising tensions between the neighbors.

Yet the Philippines and China have provided contradictory accounts of what happened on the weekend at the Second Thomas Shoal, known as Ayungin Shoal in the Philippines, as well as on what they agreed on in their deal.

The Philippine foreign ministry said in a statement that on Saturday it conducted a rotation and reprovisioning mission to the BRP Sierra Madre - an old Philippine warship deliberately grounded on the Second Thomas Shoal to serve as an outpost - without any "untoward incidents."

It was the first mission conducted under an understanding the two countries reached a week earlier, it said.

The Philippine ministry announced on July 21 that the two sides had come to a provisional arrangement on the resupply of daily necessities and rotation missions to troops on the BRP Sierra Madre, but the details of the agreement have not been made public.

U.S. ally the Philippines has accused China, which claims the shoal it calls Ren'ai Jiao, of blocking missions to supply the Filipino troops there, leading to unruly confrontations between Chinese coast guard ships and Philippine vessels.

On June 17, a Filipino sailor was wounded in a violent encounter with Chinese coast guard personnel during a resupply mission.

'Uneasy truce'

Responding to the statement from the Philippine Department of Foreign Affairs, or DFA, a Chinese foreign ministry's spokesperson said that China only allowed the Philippine mission on the weekend after having been "informed of the resupply before it was carried out."

"After confirming on-the-scene that the Philippine vessel carried only humanitarian living necessities, the Chinese side let the vessel through," the spokesperson said, adding that the entire process was monitored by the Chinese coast guard.

But the Philippines disputed China's account. The Philippine National Security Council, or NSC, said in a statement on Sunday that "the Philippines did not and will never seek permission" from China to conduct resupply missions to the shoal.

"There was also no boarding and inspection by the Chinese coast guard as claimed by the Chinese foreign ministry in its statement," it added.

During the resupply mission "various Chinese maritime forces were observed in the vicinity" but the Chinese vessels maintained their distance and did not undertake any action to disrupt it, the NSC said.

The Philippine DFA, in a second statement, criticized the Chinese ministry for misrepresenting what has been agreed between the Philippines and China and it reiterated that the agreement they reached should not prejudice national positions on the situation.

The Second Thomas Shoal is entirely within the Philippines' exclusive economic zone but also inside the so-called nine-dash line that China draws on its maps to claim historic rights over most of the South China Sea.

China previously said it maintained a "three-point principled position" on managing the situation at the Second Thomas Shoal.

The three principles are: China has sovereignty over the shoal and continues to demand that the Philippines tow away the BRP Sierra Madre; China is willing to allow resupply missions in a humanitarian spirit if the Philippines informs China in advance and after on-site verification is conducted; and the Philippines is not allowed to send large amount of construction material to strengthen the outpost or make it permanent.

Ray Powell, a maritime expert at Stanford University, said that as details of their recent agreement had not been made public, both sides were able to interpret it as they wanted to.

"Each side is able to claim the other accepted its preferred language and maintain the current uneasy truce, for now," said Powell.

During a meeting between the U.S. State Secretary Antony Blinken and the Chinese foreign minister Wang Yi in Laos on Saturday, Blinken raised concern about China's "destabilizing actions in the South China Sea, including at Second Thomas Shoal," the U.S. State Department said.

Blinken also affirmed U.S. support for freedom of navigation and overflight and the peaceful resolution of disputes, consistent with international law.

For his part, Wang "urged the United States not to stir up trouble and undermine maritime stability" at the shoal, reported the Xinhua news agency.

Edited by RFA Staff.

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 July not be used in a manner which would give the appearance of any endorsement of any product or support of any issue or political position. Please read the full text of our Terms of Use.

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Turkey, Armenia To Hold Normalization Talks At Border

By RFE/RL's Armenian Service July 29, 2024

Turkish and Armenian diplomats will meet on July 30 on the Armenia-Turkey border, the Foreign Ministries of the two countries said on July 29 amid efforts to normalize relations.

It will be the fifth meeting of special representatives of Yerevan and Baku since they were appointed in December 2021 to advance the normalization process.

The meeting will see the envoys discuss "confidence-building measures that could be developed between the two countries," Turkish Foreign Ministry spokesman Oncu Keceli said, according to AFP.

At their last meeting in Vienna, the parties agreed to open the land border for citizens of third countries, but there has been no progress on implementation.

Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinian on July 26 visited the Margara (Alican in Turkish) border crossing, which Yerevan recently renovated in hopes of a breakthrough.

Armenia has said Yerevan seeks full normalization of relations with Ankara, including the opening of their border and the establishment of diplomatic ties.

The border has been shut since diplomatic relations between the two neighbors were severed in 1993 over Nagorno-Karabakh, an enclave in Azerbaijan that until September 2023 was populated predominantly by ethnic Armenians. Azerbaijan and Armenia fought wars in the 1990s and in 2023 over control of Nagorno-Karabakh.

Baku recaptured Nagorno-Karabakh in a lightning offensive in September 2023 that led to the exodus of all Armenians from the territory.

Beyond Nagorno-Karabakh, Armenia and Turkey disagree on whether the deaths of an estimated 1.5 million Armenian subjects of the Ottoman Empire more than 100 years ago was a genocide.

Turkey has vehemently rejected that the killings and deaths that began on April 24, 1915, with mass arrests of Armenian intellectuals and activists in Constantinople, now Istanbul, constituted a genocide.

In recent years about three dozen countries, including Russia, France, Germany, and the United States, have recognized it as genocide.

Pashinian has urged Armenians to "overcome the trauma" of the massacre and stop yearning for their "lost homeland."

Speaking on April 24 at an event to mark the anniversary of the start of the 1915 events, Pashinian said the enduring trauma prevents many Armenians from objectively assessing international affairs and the challenges facing Armenia.

With reporting by AFP

Source: https://www.rferl.org/a/turkey-armenia-normalization- talks/33055240.html

Copyright (c) 2024. RFE/RL, Inc. Reprinted with the permission of Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty, 1201 Connecticut Ave., N.W. Washington DC 20036.

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Press release on presidential elections in Venezuela

29 July 2024 14:14

1445-29-07-2024

On July 28, presidential elections were held in the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela. According to data published by the National Electoral Council, after processing 80 percent of the votes, incumbent President Nicolas Maduro, a candidate from the United Socialist Party, received 51.2 percent. His main rival, Edmundo Gonzalez representing the Unitary Democratic Platform of Venezuela, received 44.2 percent. Voter turnout was 59 percent.

President of the Russian Federation Vladimir Putin sent a message to President of Venezuela Nicolas Maduro, congratulating him on his victory.

The well-organised elections took place in a peaceful and calm setting, without any serious violations, despite ongoing public security challenges. Statements by international observers confirm this. According to the Russian delegation, which included members of the Federation Council, the State Duma, the Central Election Commission and NGOs, the voting process was transparent and unbiased.

Russia is pleased to note the success of the election in Venezuela and reaffirms its commitment to strengthening bilateral relations in the spirit of strategic partnership, as well as continuing close coordination at international and regional platforms.

At the same time, Moscow has taken note of statements by a number of countries passing judgement on the recognition or non-recognition of the voting results. Russia believes that genuine democracy means the sovereignty of the people. Only the people have a right to decide, without external interference, who will govern the state.

In this connection, Russia urges all political forces inside and outside Venezuela to refrain from provocative actions that could destabilise the situation in the country and undermine regional stability. We hope that the well-known political wisdom of the great Latin American leader Benito Juarez will prevail: "Respect for the rights of others means peace."

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US Risks Losing in Event of Multiple Conflicts With Adversaries, Defense Commission Finds

Sputnik News

20240729

WASHINGTON (Sputnik) - The United States risks losing in the event of multiple conflicts with adversaries due to a lack of capabilities and capacity, the congressionally established Commission on the National Defense Strategy said in a report released Monday.

The commission, which received administrative and analytic support from the RAND Corporation think tank, was tasked with examining and making recommendations based on the US National Defense Strategy.

"The United States confronts the most serious and the most challenging threats since the end of World War II," the think tank said in a statement on the commission's report.

"The United States could in short order be drawn into a war across multiple theaters with peer and near-peer adversaries, and it could lose."

The US military lacks both the capabilities and capacity required to be confident in its ability to deter and prevail in combat, the report said.

China and Russia are fusing military, diplomatic and industrial strength to expand global power, the report said, touching on past assertions that both nations are doing so as to further and 'coerce' neighbors in the region. The findings pointed out the US needs to undertake a similar integrated approach to meet China and Russia.

The report further outlined that Russia intends to outlast the willingness of Western countries to support Ukraine and seek a favorable outcome to the conflict, noting that if Russia were to gain control over Ukraine, its borders with NATO would expand from the Arctic to the Black Sea. As such, it would only present significantly more demands for deployed NATO forces.

However, China remains the "preeminent challenge" to US interests and its most formidable military threat, the report claimed.

The commission recommends more effectively and efficiently building its future force instead of perpetuating its existing one. The US Congress should pass a supplemental appropriation bill to begin a multiyear investment in the industrial base and national security innovation, the report said.

Included among the recommended options to improve US military readiness are an increase in space satellites, underwater vessels and a significant "boost" in "its forward presence in Eastern Europe."

"The goal is for Europe to take on a larger role in providing for its defense, with assured and critical support of the United States," the report states.

"In light of the potential for simultaneous conflicts, capability targets apportioned to European allies through the NATO Defense Planning Process should be intentionally selected to reduce overreliance on the United States for key capabilities enablers."

Also highlighted in the report was' concern that the US deficit poses national security risks, a figure that hit $35 trillion on Monday. Known for its military-centered budget, the report emphasized that the United States should increase security spending, accompanied by additional taxes and reforms to entitlement spending.

 Sputnik

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Pentagon Official: US Military Recently Initiated Hypersonic Test, Unclear If Successful

Sputnik News

20240729

WASHINGTON (Sputnik) - A US defense official told Sputnik on Monday that the Army and Navy recently initiated a test of a conventional hypersonic system but avoided commenting on whether the test was successful.

"The US Army and Navy recently initiated a test of a conventional hypersonic system at the Cape Canaveral Space Force Station, Florida," the official said. "This test was an essential benchmark in the development of operational hypersonic technology."

Vital data on the performance of the hardware and software was collected that will inform the continued progress toward fielding hypersonic weapons, the official added.

The US military was scheduled to test the US Army's Long-Range Hypersonic Weapon (LRHW), developed by Lockheed Martin, over the Caribbean last week, media reported.

Earlier this month, the White House announced the United States would begin episodic deployments of non-nuclear "long-range fires capabilities" to Germany in 2026, which will include developmental hypersonic weapons that will have a significantly longer range than current land-based US missile systems deployed in Europe.

On Sunday, Russian President Vladimir Putin said that Russia will no longer be bound by a moratorium on deploying medium- and short-range strike weapons if the United States deploys these types of missile systems to Germany.

The LRHW, also known as Dark Eagle, is one of a few US hypersonic weapons systems under development that has the best chance to be fielded soon. It missed its target date to be fielded by 2023 but the new goal is to have it ready for deployment by next year.

According to the US Government Accountability Office (GAO), the Army cannot field an operational system until it conducts a successful end-to-end missile flight test, as the two most recent tests in 2023 were incomplete due to launcher and launch sequence issues.

 Sputnik

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Putin Congratulates Maduro on Reelection as President of Venezuela - Kremlin

Sputnik News

20240729

MOSCOW (Sputnik) - Russian President Vladimir Putin congratulated on Monday Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro on his reelection, the Kremlin said.

Earlier in the day, Venezuela's National Electoral Council declared Maduro the winner after the 61-year-old secured 51.2% of the vote, with 80% of the ballots counted. His man rival, Edmundo Gonzalez, reportedlu gained 44.2%. Maduro will begin his third term in office on January 10, 2025.

"Vladimir Putin congratulated Nicolas Maduro on his reelection as president of the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela," the statement read.

Relations between Russia and Venezuela are of a strategic partnership nature, the president said.

"I would like to confirm our readiness to continue our constructive joint work on topical issues on the bilateral and international agenda. Remember that you are always a welcome guest in Russia," the statement said.

Later in the day, Venezuelan Foreign Minister Yvan Gil, on behalf of Maduro, thanked Putin for his congratulations on the reelection.

"On behalf of President Nicolas Maduro and the Venezuelan people, we express our sincere gratitude to President Vladimir Putin for his good wishes for the development and well-being of our nation. We value greatly your firm commitment to continuing to strengthen the strategic alliance between Russia and Venezuela," Gil said on X.

On Monday, Colombia and Spain called for an independent recount and verification of votes after the election. Argentine President Javier Milei said even before the official results came out that he would not recognize them. Chile also said that it would not recognize Maduro's victory. Peruvian and Costa Rican authorities too refrained from recognizing the results.

 Sputnik

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Maduro Wins Venezuelan Presidential Election - Electoral Council

Sputnik News

20240729

CARACAS (Sputnik) - With 80% of protocols processed, Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro has received 51.2% of the votes and won the presidential election, Elvis Amoroso, the chairman of the National Electoral Council of Venezuela, said on Monday.

For Maduro, the upcoming presidential term will be the third in a row; he has headed the Bolivarian Republic since 2013. The inauguration of the head of the executive power of Venezuela will take place on January 10, 2025, and his term of office will be six years.

"With 80% of the data received, we issued the first ballot, which shows a strong and irreversible trend. With a participation rate of 59%, the results are as follows. First, Nicolas Maduro Moros from the Great Patriotic Pole received 5,150,092 votes with 51.20%. Candidate Edmundo Gonzalez from the Unity Council received 4,445,978 votes with 44.2%," Amoroso told journalists and observers.

 Sputnik

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Maduro's Team Declares Victory in Venezuelan Presidential Election, Awaiting Official Data

Sputnik News

20240729

CARACAS (Sputnik) - The campaign headquarters of presidential candidate Nicolas Maduro announced his victory, calling for the official figures of the National Electoral Council (CNE) to be released, and thanked citizens for voting.

"We thank you. We cannot announce the result, but we can show you our faces. It was a victory for everyone. It was a victory that will help us build the future. Of course, we will have to wait for the results of the National Electoral Council, since we respect the laws of our country and the constitution of the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela," the head of the incumbent president's campaign headquarters, the speaker of parliament Jorge Rodriguez, said at a press conference.

The headquarters thanked the National Electoral Council for the "perfect work" of the electoral system, which allowed the elections to be held "in absolute calm and absolute peace."

Since 6 a.m. (10:00 GMT) on Sunday, Venezuelans have been participating in the presidential election, where nine opposition candidates and the incumbent President Nicolas Maduro were vying for the post of the country's leader. Polling stations began to close at 18 p.m. local time (22:00 GMT). The CNE told Sputnik that polling stations with queues of voters at the time of the official closing would continue to operate until the last visitor.

The first ballot with preliminary voting results will be published by the CNE on Monday night after the counted results "become irreversible." According to pre-election polls, of the ten candidates for the post of head of state, the ones with a real chance of being elected are Maduro, who is seeking a second re-election, and the representative of the United Democratic Platform (PUD) coalition, former diplomat Edmundo Gonzalez Urrutia.

Urrutia called for calm at the polling stations and urged citizens to remain inside them until the votes are officially confirmed.

"We reiterate to all citizens that they have the right to participate in citizen verification," he wrote on X.

The winner of the presidential elections in Venezuela will take office on January 10, 2025, and his term of office will be six years.

 Sputnik

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Senior Administration Officials On the Venezuela Election

US Department of State

Special Briefing

Office of the Spokesperson

Via Teleconference

July 29, 2024

MODERATOR: Good afternoon. Thank you so much for joining this background call on the elections in Venezuela. Just to go over the ground rules, this briefing will be embargoed until the conclusion of the call. It is on background with senior administration officials, so any reference must be to senior administration officials. After we have opening remarks, we will turn to questions. If you have a question, please use the "raise your hand" function and we will be able to call on as many reporters as possible.

I'd like to introduce [Senior Administration Official One] and [Senior Administration Official Two]. However, again, this briefing is on background and you will refer to them as senior administration officials.

[Senior Administration Official One], I'll turn it over to you for opening remarks.

SENIOR ADMINISTRATION OFFICIAL ONE: Thank you and good morning. Yesterday, Venezuelans went to the polls to vote in an historic presidential election. The election presented an opportunity for Venezuelan voters to express their aspirations for a more democratic, prosperous, and stable country. We commend their courage and commitment to democratic principles in the face of intense repression and adversity.

Last night, the Maduro-controlled National Electoral Council declared Nicolas Maduro the winner, and just this morning it convoked the diplomatic community in Caracas to formally anoint him. We have serious concerns that this result does not reflect the will and the votes of the Venezuelan people. By engaging in repression and electoral manipulation, and by declaring a winner without the detailed precinct-by-precinct polling results, or actas in Spanish, to support a claim, Maduro representatives have stripped the supposed election results they announced of any credibility. We urge Maduro and his representatives to respect the democratic aspirations of the Venezuelan people and to take immediate steps to restore democratic processes in Venezuela.

We call for the immediate publication of detailed precinct-level polling to ensure accountability. With the support of the international community, the Venezuelan people can move toward a better future, a more democratic path, one with economic recovery, political stability, and prosperity for all Venezuelans.

As Secretary Blinken said, the international community is watching and will respond accordingly. Thank you.

MODERATOR: [Senior Administration Official Two], I will now turn it over to you for your remarks.

SENIOR ADMINISTRATION OFFICIAL TWO: Great, thank you. Good afternoon, everybody. I appreciate your joining this call. I'll be very brief because I'm sure that we'll have questions. I just want to underscore that Venezuelan voters did show up in historic numbers yesterday to express their will at the ballot box. We stand firmly with the Venezuelan people and support those seeking to restore democracy in Venezuela, and we are very engaged using diplomacy and coordination with regional allies and partners to ensure that the wishes of the Venezuelan people are respected as those wishes have been expressed at the ballot box.

In particular, it's critically important that every vote is counted transparently and that election representatives in Venezuela immediately share information with independent observers as well as with the other political actors and the broader international community. That includes publishing the detailed precinct-by-precinct tabulation of votes, which is known as the actas.

The United States joins with other democracies in the region and across the world in supporting having democratic norms respected in Venezuela. We are concerned at this juncture with regard to yesterday's election that respect for democratic norms has not been followed.

Finally, we must all work together to support aspirations of Venezuelans who showed up in such large numbers to participate in the democratic process and to choose their elected leaders.

And with that, I will turn it back to the moderator.

MODERATOR: Thank you very much. Our first question is going to be from Frances Robles with The New York Times.

QUESTION: Hi, good morning or good afternoon. Thanks for this call. I guess I wanted to know, what now? I mean, is there any offer being made? Is there any threat being made? Kind of what happens next?

SENIOR ADMINISTRATION OFFICIAL ONE: Well, let me just start and then I'll throw it over to [Senior Administration Official Two]. The international community has expressed serious concerns about the lack of substantive data to back up the assertion that Nicolas Maduro won this election. The statements from the European Union, the high representative, from foreign ministers and leaders around the world, make it clear that the international community is unwilling to accept this outcome without much greater transparency from Venezuelan electoral authorities, which they have not provided. And we expect that the international community will begin to discuss this issue in regional venues like the Organization of American States, as well as other groupings around the world.

We hope that there can be a more - a better outcome for the Venezuelan people, but that depends on Venezuelan authorities respecting international norms and providing access to the polling-place-by-polling-place-level data that their law requires them to share not only with opposition political parties, but also with civil society and even ordinary citizens. [Senior Administration Official Two]?

SENIOR ADMINISTRATION OFFICIAL TWO: I think what we would like to see happen next is have the National Electoral Council publish the detailed precinct-level results to see if they do in fact have the receipts that can both verify and justify the electoral results that they announced last night, and we believe that they'll be making an additional declaration today. Where we are concerned is that the analysis that we have received from several sources indicates that the final, official announced results are at odds with how people actually voted, potentially substantially at odds with that. And so this is really something that needs to be further examined and explored. And really, at this juncture, the pressure is on the National Electoral Council to share those more detailed results.

If in fact the election result was as the electoral authorities announced that it is, then this should be a very simple ask and one that they would be able to show quite easily. If there is resistance to providing that additional information, then I think that becomes highly problematic when it comes to the ability of the United States or other members of the international community to judge whether these elections were in fact inclusive and credible.

MODERATOR: Thank you. Our next question is from Michael Stott with Financial Times.

QUESTION: Good afternoon and thank you for doing this. If the CNE doesn't publish detailed precinct-level results, as seems overwhelmingly likely, will the U.S. cancel the individual sanctions licenses that it has given to Chevron and other oil and gas companies in the past year?

SENIOR ADMINISTRATION OFFICIAL ONE: Thank you very much for the question. So we are obviously in the process of evaluating these election results, and we have to see where this comes out. I can't get into hypotheticals with respect to what our overall licensing policy will be. However, that being said, it is not currently under consideration that we would retroactively alter licenses that have been - previously been given.

QUESTION: Yeah, so this is Matt Spetalnick with Reuters. Can you hear me okay?

MODERATOR: We can.

SENIOR ADMINISTRATION OFFICIAL ONE: Go ahead.

QUESTION: Okay, thank you. So let's - staying on the sanctions issue, is the administration teeing up any new sanctions on Maduro's government, or individuals, that could be issued if it is ultimately determined that the Venezuelan election result was truly a sham? And secondly, what other kind of concern does the administration have about the potential threat to the safety or security of Machado, Gonzalez, or both after the election?

SENIOR ADMINISTRATION OFFICIAL ONE: Sure. I'll take the first part of the question and then I'll let my colleague take the second part. With regard to sanctions policy, we will continue to assess our sanctions policy towards Venezuela in light of overall U.S. national foreign policy interests, the actions, the non-actions that are taken by Maduro and his representatives, and the overall direction of travel as it relates to our broader U.S. bilateral engagement with Venezuela.

I would like to underscore that the - despite all the problems which we're discussing now, the fact that Venezuela did in fact hold an election yesterday, which allowed an opposition candidate to be on the ballot and for a voting process to unfold, only came about as a result of the calibrations that we have done with our sanctions policy over the last year. Now that we are faced with potentially a new scenario, we are going to take that into account as we map forward where we may head with respect to sanctions towards Venezuela.

SENIOR ADMINISTRATION OFFICIAL TWO: Well, the international community remains concerned about the harassment, arrests, and detentions that numerous members of civil society in Venezuela as well as members of the opposition have suffered over the course of the last six months. The United States and the international community have on numerous occasions expressed our concerns that the fundamental rights enshrined in the constitution of Venezuela and other international documents should be respected by Maduro and those around him. It would be a further insult to the rights of the Venezuelan people and the international community were Maduro and those around him to take steps to repress further leaders of the democratic opposition in Venezuela or prominent members of civil society.

MODERATOR: Thank you. Our next question comes from Jennifer Hansler with CNN. Jennifer, please go ahead.

QUESTION: Hi, can you hear me?

MODERATOR: Yes.

QUESTION: Okay, great. Thanks for doing the call. I'm wondering on the call for the individual precinct results, was there any ultimatum about when those results need to be conveyed to the U.S. and the international community, and how is that demand being conveyed to officials in Venezuela? Thank you.

SENIOR ADMINISTRATION OFFICIAL ONE: Well, I'll note that the information that the public in Venezuela, civil society, opposition political parties, and numerous actors in the international community is calling for is required under Venezuelan law and should be immediately available. This is not something that requires deep work or research. The certificates, or actas, are generated at the precinct level immediately upon the closing of the vote, and there are multiple ways to transmit that and to make that information public.

There is already an ample amount of information available through political party poll watchers as well as civil society observers that demonstrates the tendency of the vote in Venezuela and provides opportunities for the Venezuelan people to determine what the true outcome of the election was. In that regard, as Secretary Blinken said last night, the CNE should release this information immediately.

MODERATOR: Our next question comes from Michael Wilner with McClatchy. Michael.

QUESTION: Thanks, [Moderator]. Can you hear me?

MODERATOR: Yes.

QUESTION: Great. Thanks, all. And [Senior Administration Official One], you said earlier you're unwilling to accept - the international community is unwilling to accept this outcome without much greater transparency. I think the question your critics are asking is: What did you think was going to happen, right? NSC, State, Intelligence folks have all been quite clear for months in their assessment that Maduro was not going to give up power, but you seem to be saying that the mere fact that they held an election, even if it was rigged, is a sign of progress. So was it worth it to you to incentivize an election with sanctions relief, et cetera, that almost everyone in your own administration knew was going to be a sham?

SENIOR ADMINISTRATION OFFICIAL ONE: So let's think about where we were at the beginning of the Biden administration - the international consensus, that the Venezuelan Maduro regime was a blight on the region and their lack of respect for democratic norms, was receding rapidly. Countries were sending accredited ambassadors to Caracas. We were receiving regular requests for a change in our sanctions policy. The flow of Venezuelan migrants out of the country was at historic highs.

We were able to incentivize the Maduro side to allow an opposition primary in which Maria Corina Machado won over 2.3 million votes, demonstrating strong support for an opposition unity candidate; were able to see the opposition coalesce around a successor candidate in Edmundo Gonzalez. The Maduro side agreed to the presence of international observers, including the Carter Center. It allowed the presence and the actions of civil society electoral observers, the taking of exit polls, and the quick count following the closing of the polls. All of that gives us a tremendous amount of data about the will of Venezuelan voters.

In the face of a lack of transparency by the Venezuelan CNE, you've seen leaders and foreign ministers from around the world make statements of concern that this process needs to be more transparent and an unwillingness to accept that Maduro would simply be ratified in his position without, at a minimum, much greater transparency. That means that there is an international consensus moving forward that would have collapsed if it were not for the actions that we have taken. And it is clear, at a minimum, to the Maduro side, I would argue, that a large portion of the population there is seeking change, and the numbers that they have released, at a minimum, don't reflect the intensity of that desire for change. So I would argue that we are in a much better position now than we were three years ago.

MODERATOR: Our next question comes from Raquel Krahenbuhl with Globo.

QUESTION: All right. Can you guys hear me?

MODERATOR: Yes, we can.

QUESTION: Thank you very much, [Moderator]. Thank you, [Senior Administration Official One]. And a couple of questions just to start with, and then I have a few others.

MODERATOR: Yeah, we're going to - just because of the number of questions, we are going to limit everyone to just one, so please go ahead.

QUESTION: Okay. Sounds good. So to make clear from what you are saying and seeing - receiving from your sources as [Senior Administration Official Two] put, do you believe that Edmundo Gonzalez has won this election? And are you in contact working together with the Brazilians, with Brazil's Celso Amorim who is in Venezuela right now? And what do you believe Amorim, others should be doing on the ground right now? And when you talk about the U.S. and the international community watching, and will you respond accordingly? Would it be a coordinated response with other countries? Thank you very much.

SENIOR ADMINISTRATION OFFICIAL TWO: Thank you for the question. So we have been in contact with a wide range of international partners, including those both in the Western Hemisphere and beyond, throughout the election process. Of course, that includes representatives from Brazil who have played a very important role throughout and will continue to do so. We very much value the discussions and the opinions of our Brazilian interlocuters.

With respect to the results of the election, our concern here is that last night the National Electoral Council of Venezuela announced a result but that does not track with data that we have received through quick count mechanisms and other sources, which suggests that the result that was announced may be at odds with how people voted. And so that is the principal source of our concern. That is why we are asking the Venezuelan electoral authorities to release the underlying data that supports the numbers that they have publicly announced. Because without the capacity to see and assess the underlying data, it's very hard for us to judge the announced result as being credible given that we are not seeing any data or analysis outside of that announced result that points in the same direction.

MODERATOR: Great. Our next question is from Eric Martin with Bloomberg.

QUESTION: Yes, thank you very much for doing this call. I wanted to ask about - if I can follow up on the questions of my colleagues, about consequences. And I know that you don't want to get too far ahead of things, but you guys have been clear-eyed, I think, about this process and what the possible outcomes could be in recent months. And so what can you tell us about what you have gamed out or planned out in terms of various scenarios with Treasury with sanctions, with State with diplomatic pressure? What kind of map is there for the U.S. to follow based on what many analysts believe will be the case, which is that these receipts and these actas will not be produced, there will be a lack of transparency? And can you talk about the planning for a concrete strategy to implement given that expectation?

SENIOR ADMINISTRATION OFFICIAL ONE: We're - I don't think we're going to get into the details of how we would respond, but I will note that numerous nations and institutions in the international community have already expressed concerns about the current situation. And we will work with partners around the world - whether it's the OAS or the G7 or many other partners - to discuss a collective way forward that continues to both encourage the kinds of changes and reforms that the Venezuelan people have called for but also exacts consequences on Maduro and those around him if they fail to move in that direction.

MODERATOR: Our next question is with - from Juan Merlano from Caracol.

QUESTION: Thank you very much. I would like to follow up on the question of the failure of the strategy, because in light of the results that were known last night, everyone is saying that one of the biggest losers of the election in Venezuela is also the United States. Do you regret your previous strategy? For instance, having released Alex Saab so far from the date from the election, do you think that you lost an important piece of leverage over the Maduro regime?

And the other one is regarding the engagement with Colombia, because we've already seen a statement from Minister Murillo, but the one who called the shots is President Gustavo Petro, and he has kept silent. Are you hoping to convince President Gustavo Petro that if the actas are not released, he join the bloc of international community that rejects the results in Venezuela? Thank you.

SENIOR ADMINISTRATION OFFICIAL TWO: Great - well, thank you very much for the question. First of all, the strategy we have for Venezuela is based on long-term strategic objectives, including moving the country towards greater democracy and prosperity. And we understand that as we move through this strategy, we're going to be going through a set of important milestones. Having this election was one of them. As has been previously alluded to on this call, we always knew there were a variety of scenarios for this election as it unfolded, and the events as they took place and are unfolding this week was certainly among those scenarios considered and for which we have been planning.

I would note that the election only took place yesterday, that the - several of the important international observation missions won't even make their declarations and assessments until tomorrow. And I think that you're seeing a greater alignment between a number of key actors in the international community that is pushing the Venezuela National Electoral Council towards greater transparency. I also think - and I believe the data will support this - that you have a - essentially a tremendous call for change that took place yesterday in Venezuela through the ballot box, and that will better position a number of political actors to engage in future negotiations with the Maduro authorities if those negotiations are required.

SENIOR ADMINISTRATION OFFICIAL ONE: I would just add that our engagement with the Maduro side produced the freedom of all wrongfully detained American citizens in Venezuela, as well as other persons incarcerated in Venezuela, and the repatriation of a notorious fugitive, Fat Leonard, who defrauded the United States military out of millions of dollars. So those were substantial achievements in our negotiations with the other side.

MODERATOR: Our next question comes from Nora Torres with the Miami Herald.

QUESTION: Thank you so much for doing this. And just to follow up on what my colleagues were asking, it seems to me like the position where we were at the beginning of the Biden administration and the position we're in now seems to be the same place, with Maduro in power. And I don't know if you have seen the recent - just - reports a few minutes ago that Venezuelan general attorney just accused Maria Corina Machado of sabotaging the electoral system last night. So beyond hoping or building international consensus with international partners, is there anything else the administration is doing to ensure Maduro respects the votes? Or are there any negotiations going on right now with Maduro?

SENIOR ADMINISTRATION OFFICIAL ONE: [Senior Administration Official Two], do you want to take the beginning of that?

SENIOR ADMINISTRATION OFFICIAL TWO: Sure, that's great, thank you. And thank you very much for the question.

Look, following this election, there were a number of different scenarios that could pan out. And we're still very much in the middle of this process. I think that the Maduro authorities understand that if it is proven that they committed fraud in the holding of this election, then that is not good for their longer-term objectives of normalizing Venezuela's broader diplomatic and political relations in the region. And frankly, it's not good for their own political position within Venezuela. And so that all is part of, I think, the broader decision calculus here.

Moving forward, we do have a number of options and considerations that we can bring to bear on this situation as we see what the decisions are that are made by the National Electoral Council in the coming days with regard to the release of the data that has been mentioned already. So that is really going to be, I think, a critical juncture. I would also note that a large and growing number of countries both in this region and more broadly share the same concerns as the United States in terms of ensuring that there is sufficient evidence that this was a credible election. And that is something that we will be very much working towards as well.

SENIOR ADMINISTRATION OFFICIAL ONE: Let me just add that what we've seen already in just the last few hours are statements of concern from the European Union, from Argentina, Chile, Costa Rica, Paraguay, Uruguay, Dominican Republic, Colombia, the United Kingdom, and many others - that's not an exhaustive list. That means that the Maduro side has a stark decision to make: whether or not they want to continue isolation or to move toward a path to reintegrate the country into the international system and the community of nations.

This is a crucial moment. The first step that they could take is to immediately release the information and the data that they have on the polling-place-level certificates, the actas. They have that information right now. They can release it right now and demonstrate whether or not the assertions that they've made that Nicolas Maduro was elected president have any substantive backing or whether as - the other information contained in exit polls, quick counts, pre-election polling that point to a different outcome is correct. This is a crucial moment, and we urge the Maduro side to immediately release all the information available, as required under the law in Venezuela. And to try to shunt the blame to other actors, alleging a hack without any evidence and naming a prominent member of the opposition as responsible for that, strains credibility.

MODERATOR: Thank you. Our next question comes from Tracy Wilkinson with the LA Times.

QUESTION: Hi. Thank you. Hi, [Senior Administration Official One]; hi, [Senior Administration Official Two]. I'm just - I understand the need to let the process play out, but I wonder if it's not already too late in the sense that Maduro, as you said - I think you said, [Senior Administration Official One] - convened the diplomatic corps today. So he has already been anointed in a certain respect. So how does he come back from that? I mean, even - whatever data the CNE comes up with, how does he say, "Oh, never mind, I didn't win" to the world that he's already kind of asserted his victory? So I would just wonder if maybe you guys think you need to be moving more quickly, or if you think there's sort of a point of no return. Thanks.

SENIOR ADMINISTRATION OFFICIAL TWO: Sure, I'll jump in to give an initial reply. I think that the - you're correct in that the Maduro authorities are trying to make the case that the election is over, now everyone can move along, there's nothing to see here. However, the fact remains that there are serious, serious questions in the broader international community as it relates to the credibility of these elections. And we are going to continue to press to see these concerns be addressed. We also note that the call for change that everyone witnessed in Venezuela yesterday was significant, and that suggests that there will have to be, I think, a broader reconsideration of the - of how Maduro can behave moving forward.

Lastly, I think that our deepest concern at this juncture is that the analysis and data that we have about this election, which is independent from the National Electoral Council results, is at odds with the - with the results as they were announced by the Venezuelan authorities. And so that discrepancy, in our view, needs to be investigated and addressed before we can close the books on this election.

MODERATOR: Thank you very much for joining us today. That is all the time we have for questions. As a reminder, this is a background briefing with senior administration officials, and the embargo breaks at the conclusion of the call. Thank you very much for your time. Have a nice day.

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Deputy Secretary of State for Management and Resources Verma's Meeting with Mauritian Foreign Minister Gobin

US Department of State

Readout

Office of the Spokesperson

July 29, 2024

The below is attributable to Spokesperson Matthew Miller:

Deputy Secretary of State for Management and Resources Richard Verma met Foreign Minister Maneesh Gobin in Washington, D.C. to discuss the expanding cooperation between Mauritius and the United States on shared priorities. The Deputy Secretary commended Mauritius for its efforts to combat trafficking in persons and increase protections for migrant workers. They also reviewed ongoing maritime security cooperation in the Indian Ocean and opportunities to increase bilateral trade and investment, including in counternarcotics and people-to-people ties.



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Secretary Antony J. Blinken And Australian Foreign Minister Penny Wong, Indian External Affairs Minister Subrahmanyam Jaishankar, and Japanese Foreign Minister Kamikawa Yoko Remarks to the Press

US Department of State

Remarks

Antony J. Blinken, Secretary of State

Iikura Guest House

Tokyo, Japan

July 29, 2024

MODERATOR: (Via interpreter) We are now going to start the joint press announcement of Quad Foreign Ministers' Meeting. First, Minister Kamikawa will speak, followed by Minister Wong from Australia, Minister Jaishankar from India, and Secretary Blinken from the United States.

Now, Minister Kamikawa, over to you.

FOREIGN MINISTER KAMIKAWA: (Via interpreter) It was a great pleasure to have invited Foreign Minister Wong of Australia, Foreign Minister Jaishankar of India, and Secretary of State Blinken of the United States to Tokyo, and to hold the Japan-Australia-India-U.S. Foreign Ministers' Meeting. So the four ministers engaged in in-depth discussions of regional strategic issues and the cooperation among the Quad countries. This was the second foreign ministers' meeting hosted in Japan, and after nearly four years, but throughout this period the solidarity and the commitment of the Quad to realize a free and open Indo-Pacific based on the rule of law have been strengthening day by day.

At the same time, Russia's aggression against Ukraine continues as we speak, and unilateral attempts to change the status quo by force in the East and South China Seas or the launch of ballistic missiles by North Korea are continuing. The international order is becoming increasingly uncertain and global affairs even more unforeseeable. Under this backdrop, the foreign ministers of like-minded countries got together and engaged in strategic dialogue and managed to confirm that we, the Quad, will listen to the needs of the region, that we will commit to resolve the issues, and that we will continue to steadfastly deliver on our commitments.

Please allow me to introduce the cooperation that we agreed upon. Firstly, first of all, what could be said as the starting point, the origin of the Quad - a group of maritime states that is a cooperation on the reinforcement of maritime order, from maritime domain awareness to the law enforcement on the ground - we will execute a comprehensive cooperation. In order to do so, the Indo-Pacific Partnership for Maritime Domain Awareness shall be expanded into the Indian Ocean. Furthermore, we will collaborate on capacity building assistance on maritime law enforcement and engage in maritime legal dialogue.

Number two, we will continue to respond to new needs in the region, such as the those arising from scientific and technological advances. Specifically, we will steadily implement the Open RAN in Palau and support capacity building in the field of cyber security in the Philippines.

Number three, we stand ready to respond quickly to emergencies in the region. The four countries have begun coordinating assistance for humanitarian assistance and disaster relief, and in May, Japan, Australia, India, and the U.S. worked together to provide assistance for the landslide damages in PNG. This is an important initiative from a perspective of human dignity, which Japan attaches great importance to.

Lastly, the importance of the Women, Peace, and Security - WPS - agenda is also clearly stated for the first time in the Quad joint statement. Also, this time we have confirmed our response against information manipulation and interference by foreign countries, including the proliferation of disinformation. This cooperation are also central pieces to maintain the strengthen the regional order.

Thus, once again, the Quad were able to commit to a variety of cooperation. This is a testament to the determination of the Quad to continue to cooperate for the coexistence and co-prosperity of the international community. We will continue to promote cooperation that will truly benefit the region, in cooperation with businesses and international organizations among these four countries that share common values and have a real capacity to resolve regional issues.

MODERATOR: (Via interpreter) Thank you very much. Minister Wong of Australia, please.

FOREIGN MINISTER WONG: Can I first thank Foreign Minister Kamikawa and the Government of Japan for the wonderful hosting of this Quad Foreign Ministers' Meeting? We really appreciate it. And it's always wonderful to meet not only with the foreign minister but with Secretary Blinken and External Affairs Minister Jaishankar. We've all arrived here from Vientiane after attending ASEAN and - ASEAN and East Asia Summit meetings, and it's a reminder that all four of us are Comprehensive Strategic Partners of ASEAN, and respect its leadership and its role and centrality in the regional architecture. I'm here in Tokyo for the second time in two weeks, having attended the Pacific Islands Leaders Meeting hosted by Prime Minister Kishida. And we also thank the Government of Japan for that work.

We live in a time where our world and our region is being reshaped. Conflict is risking lives and is costing lives. Extreme weather threatens food and water security. And longstanding rules are being bent and twisted or broken. Countries face coercive trade measures, unsustainable lending, political interference, and disinformation. All of these encroach on the ability of every country to exercise its own agency, to contribute to regional balance, and most importantly, to determine its own destiny.

For Australia, this Quad partnership is central to how we respond to the circumstances we face, and it is critical to how we influence the shaping of the region and the world in which we live. We want a peaceful, stable, and prosperous region - a region where sovereignty is respected and in which competition is managed responsibly.

We've often spoken about the Quad enabling choices. We mean that in two ways. First, we are enabling choices in terms of the character of the region we want - a region in which sovereignty and the capacity to both agree and disagree is safeguarded. But second, we seek to enable choices in a practical sense by bringing together the advantages - the comparative advantages that these nations before you offer and offering that practical assistance to meet the region's needs.

I've had the opportunity in recent weeks to discuss with Pacific and ASEAN colleagues the priority they place on enhancing connectivity in the region and in the world. And today, Australia has launched our new Cable Connectivity and Resilience Centre, our contribution to the Quad leaders' Partnership for Cable Connectivity and Resilience. This is about supporting the resilience of undersea cable networks in the Indo-Pacific, providing technical assistance and training, and bringing together governments and industry. We have also announced our 70 - first 70 Quad infrastructure scholarships for participants in both the Pacific, Southeast Asia, and South Asia.

So from building cyber security capacity to combating illegal fishing, Quad partners are expanding cooperation and using our comparative advantages for good. We all know we cannot achieve the region we seek alone. And just as we benefit from the complementarity of our partners, so does our region, because of our geography and our shared approach to building prosperity and reinforcing stability. All of us want a world in which disputes are managed by rules, by talking, by cooperation, not by force or raw power. But most importantly, we understand that this does not happen on its own; we have to make this happen.

We do this by being active; we do this by exercising our agency. We do this by contributing to a strategic balance in our region so that no one country dominates and no country is dominated. And we do this by a combination of reassurance and deterrence, and by working transparently and openly with partners. And we do this by responding when we or our neighbors are in need.

So my very sincere thanks to Foreign Minister Kamikawa and the Government of Japan, and to my ministerial colleagues and friends, Tony and Jai, for this meeting. It has been constructive and positive. It has been very open, and I welcome this conversation very sincerely. We look forward to what comes next. Thank you.

MODERATOR: (Via interpreter) Thank you very much. Next, I would like to invite Minister Jaishankar from India.

MINISTER JAISHANKAR: Let me join my Quad colleagues to thank Minister Kamikawa Yoko for hosting us today, and also in sharing our readout on the meeting and the progress of the Quad. Allow me to make five points.

First, as the person - not just the foreign minister - longest associated with the Quad, the real satisfaction I have is to see how deeply and systemically it has now got embedded in our foreign policies. Certainly, meetings such as the one we have just concluded are hugely helpful in giving direction. But the fact is that different agencies of our government and stakeholders beyond them - and this keeps expanding - now regularly interact with each other to take it forward. And our leaders have personally led the Quad's growth.

Second, do appreciate what an expansive agenda we have built up in the last few years. Think about it: We are working from trusted telecom technology and undersea cable connectivity - we just heard Minister Wong talk about it - to humanitarian and disaster relief - Minister Kamikawa spoke about that - critical emerging technologies, cyber and health security, climate action, infrastructure, capacity building and training, STEM education, maritime domain awareness, and counterterrorism. And this, by the way, is the abbreviated list. There are 16 working groups, and we have just today agreed on more things to do. All of us are looking at how to advance Quad, how to resource it better, how to coordinate more closely, and I think we made some important steps today in that direction.

Third, this is not a talk shop, but a platform that generates practical outcomes. For example, our HADR conversations are reflected in understandings and SOPs between our navies. The Indo-Pacific maritime domain awareness initiative that came out of Quad today links our information fusion centers. The Open RAN network that we have spoken about so much is being deployed in Palau. A space-based climate warning system will be launched soon in Mauritius. Off-grid solar projects are actually happening in Indo-Pacific islands. During COVID, we cooperated to deliver vaccines to countries in this region. And the first cohort of Quad STEM fellowships is passing out, and the second one will also cover the ASEAN.

Fourth, while I have given specific examples, it is important that we all connect the dots. The overall messaging is that our four countries - all democratic polities, pluralistic societies, and market economies - are working together for a free and open Indo-Pacific, for a rules-based order, and for global good. That by itself is a powerful stabilizing factor in an uncertain and volatile world.

And fifth, there is a strong interactive dynamic between the Quad and our respective bilateral and even trilateral relationships. Progress on one front strengthens the other and thereby enhances the value of the Quad. We have been able to engage together with some other countries in this region in furtherance of a shared agenda.

So ladies and gentlemen, friends from the media, these are challenging times. Whether it is stability and security, or progress and prosperity, good things don't happen by themselves. They need trusted partners; they need international cooperation. The Quad is a great contemporary example of both. As in the past, I'm very pleased with what we have discussed and what we have achieved. Thank you.

MODERATOR: (Via interpreter) Thank you. And next, Secretary Blinken. Over to you.

SECRETARY BLINKEN: It is a particular pleasure for me to be with these colleagues and these friends. Yoko, to you, to the Government of Japan, thank you not only for the hospitality and for organizing us but for your leadership. And to my good friends the foreign minister from Australia, Foreign Minister Wong, and the external affairs minister from India, Jaishankar, thank you for the quality of the conversation and the work that we're doing together not only today but virtually every day.

If my colleagues will indulge me for just one minute, I want to speak quickly to the elections that just took place in Venezuela. We applaud the Venezuelan people for their participation in the July 28th presidential election. We commend their courage and commitment to democracy in the face of repression and in the face of adversity. We've seen the announcement just a short while ago by the Venezuelan electoral commission. We have serious concerns that the result announced does not reflect the will or the votes of the Venezuelan people. It's critical that every vote be counted fairly and transparently, that election officials immediately share information with the opposition and independent observers without delay, and that the electoral authorities publish the detailed tabulation of votes. The international community is watching this very closely and will respond accordingly.

Now, to the business of today. This is in the category of everything's been said but not everyone has said it, so I suspect this will sound familiar because of the very eloquent presentations that my colleagues have made. But let me just reinforce some of the things that they've said. This is a moment of unprecedented strategic alignment among our four countries. We have four countries that are united by a shared vision for a free and open, connected, a secure, a prosperous, resilient Indo-Pacific region. That means, simply put, that problems are dealt with openly; rules are reached transparently, applied fairly; that goods, that ideas, that people will flow freely and lawfully across land, across cyberspace, the open seas. And we're also united by a shared belief that, together, we can help shape this future in ways that bring tangible benefit to the people we represent and many other people throughout the region.

Now, our four countries are home to nearly 2 billion people. We have a combined GDP of nearly $35 trillion. We're responsible for about 30 percent of the global foreign direct investment stock. We are committed to putting our collective resources, our collective strengths to work to benefit people across the region that we share.

Just over the past several years, the Quad has launched and delivered on ambitious but also very practical things in our agenda, one that respects the centrality of ASEAN, the leadership of ASEAN, the Pacific Islands Forum, the Indian Ocean Rim Association, and other regional bodies. And it complements the growing network of interconnected alliances and partners within the Indo-Pacific that are increasingly as well linked to other regions. Today we discussed concrete steps to advance this corporate agenda.

First, we are charting a course for a more secure and open Indo-Pacific and Indian Ocean region by bolstering maritime security and domain awareness. In practical terms, what does this mean? It means strengthening capacity of partners across the region to know what's happening in their own waters. Two years ago, we launched the Indo-Pacific Partnership for Maritime Domain Awareness, bringing cutting-edge technology - like signal location data and satellite technology - to countries all across the region.

These capabilities, for example, help countries crack down on illegal, unregulated, unreported fishing. They help them predict natural disasters. They help them mitigate the effects of climate change. They help them enforce borders. And we agreed to extend this partnership to the Indian Ocean via India's Information Fusion Centre. We continue to work with partners to ensure that freedom of navigation, overflight, the unimpeded flow of lawful maritime commerce, that these continue to go forward. They are critical to the region's security; they're critical to its ongoing prosperity.

Second, we are helping to accelerate the Indo-Pacific's path to even greater prosperity by harnessing the power of digital and emerging technologies, and again, doing it together. Today we took the first step to launching the AI-ENGAGE program, funding opportunities for collaborative research to leverage these technologies - like artificial intelligence, like robotics - to help improve things like agricultural productivity, food security, things that matter profoundly to so many of our people. We're growing the region's tech ecosystem through the Quad Investors Network. It's bringing together investors, corporations, public institutions for joint ventures in things like clean energy, chips, critical minerals, quantum technology.

We're also bolstering security and resilience, as you've heard, of the undersea cables that connect all of us. Upward of 95 percents of digital traffic is carried by these cables every single millisecond of the day. So far, we've trained over 1,000 telecom professionals across Southeast Asia, South Asia, the Pacific Islands on manufacturing, on delivery, on the maintenance of cable infrastructure. This week we announced a new cohort of Quad fellows. We're sponsoring top STEM students, those who have masters or PhDs, to come study in the United States. We just expanded from Quad countries to include students from all across Southeast Asia.

Third, we're deepening our collaboration on humanitarian assistance and disaster relief. This cooperation laid the groundwork to send some $5 billion to the - to Papua New Guinea after the landslides this spring. We're working to finalize a response mechanism to make coordination even more effective and immediate to deal with future disasters.

Of course, in the context of our discussions today, we also talked about regional and global security priorities where Quad engagement and leadership makes a big difference: our collective resources, our strategic thinking, our relationships, our consultations. All of these are important to address the challenges: the DPRK's destabilizing and unlawful missile launches, Russia's ongoing war of aggression against Ukraine, and of course, the conflict in the Middle East, the war in Gaza. We're grateful - I must say on the part of the United States - grateful to our partners for the strong support for the ceasefire proposal that President Biden put forward, and we're working every single day to bring that across the finish line.

When our leaders were gathered at the G7 in Hiroshima in May of 2023, President Biden predicted that a generation from now, people will look at the Quad as a force that, as he put it, "changed the dynamic not only of the region, but [of] the world." Today's meeting - all of the energy, all of the commitment, all the collaboration that we're able to bring together - gives me great confidence in the Quad's future and the shared future that we work to represent. Thank you.

MODERATOR: (Via interpreter) Thank you very much. This concludes the joint press conference. Minister Kamikawa, Minister Wong, Minister Jaishankar, Secretary Blinken, all of you that are present here, thank you very much. I'd like to ask the press to remain here until the foreign ministers leave. Thank you.





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Secretary Antony J. Blinken And Australian Foreign Minister Penny Wong, Indian External Affairs Minister Subrahmanyam Jaishankar, and Japanese Foreign Minister Kamikawa Yoko Before a Quad Ministerial Meeting

US Department of State

Remarks

Antony J. Blinken, Secretary of State

Iikura Guest House

Tokyo, Japan

July 29, 2024

FOREIGN MINISTER KAMIKAWA: (Via interpreter) Good morning. It is scorching hot in Tokyo following yesterday, but thank you for coming all the way to Japan. May I express my heartfelt welcome to Minister Wong, Minister Jaishankar, and Secretary Blinken to Japan. It is so gratifying to host the Japan, Australia, and U.S. foreign ministers meeting here in Tokyo after almost four years. As the existing international order is facing challenges, the cooperation of the four countries of Japan, Australia, India, and the U.S. - who share their values such as freedom and democracy, to realize a free and open Indo-Pacific based on the rule of law - is becoming increasingly important.

The prosperity of the region can only be ensured if the foundation of such regional prosperity, so to say, is stable, including the stability of maritime, cyber, and space. However, in these days, the deterioration of the situation in one region could lead to the destabilization of global maritime traffic, or a disruption of a critical infrastructure in one country due to a cyber attack may cause adverse impacts on other countries. And it is an era in which risks in certain regions could easily spill over into other regions. Under this backdrop, by the provision of systems and trainings for maritime security or by the assistance for capacity building to ensure cyber security, the aim is to defend the foundation of the regional prosperity and advance the region, and to realize an international community of coexistence and coprosperity.

That is what we, the Quad, is about. Together with the foreign ministers and Secretary of like-minded countries today, my friend, the three countries, I wish to engage in strategic discussions and consider cooperation that will genuinely benefit the region.

May I invite Minister Wong, Minister Jaishankar, and Secretary Blinken in that order, please?

FOREIGN MINISTER WONG: Minister Kamikawa, thank you for hosting us today, and greetings to our friends from India and the United States. It's a great pleasure to be back here in Japan, Minister, for the second time in a fortnight. It's just over two years since I accompanied Prime Minister Albanese to Tokyo for the 2022 Quad Leaders' Summit. It was on the same day I was sworn in as Australia's foreign minister I came to Tokyo for the Quad, which demonstrates the importance we place on this forum. And since then, Australia's belief in the strategic necessity of the Quad has only strengthened.

Colleagues, we all know our region and our world are being reshaped. We all understand we face the most confronting circumstances in our region in decades. And the work through this group, through the Quad, reflects our collective determination to work more closely than ever with each other and with key partners to shape this period of change together, to shape the sort of region we want to live in. And we have listened and we've heard what our region wants: a region that is peaceful, that is predictable, that is governed by accepted rules and norms where all of us can go cooperate, can trade, and thrive; a region where sovereignty is respected and competition is managed responsibly, where size and power do not determine a country's fate, and where no country dominates and no country is dominated, where we can all pursue our own aspirations and have choices available to realize those.

Over the last two years, we have seen the Quad's commitment to this vision of the Indo-Pacific, and I've seen us deliver for our region. I was in Papua New Guinea last month, where our coordinated efforts are helping the people of Enga in the - as they recover from a catastrophic landslide. We work together in the maritime domain, sharing crucial maritime data with regional partners to help combat illegal fishing and respond to climate-related and humanitarian events. We welcome those efforts being extended to the Indian Ocean region soon.

Colleagues, when these four countries work together - Australia, India, Japan, and the United States - we are a more effective partner for the region. And as I said at the East Asia Summit just a few days ago, we all cherish the region's peace, stability, and prosperity. And we all know it is not a given. We all know cannot take it for granted and that we have a responsibility to work together to preserve it and strengthen it. And I very much look forward to our discussions today.

MINISTER JAISHANKAR: Dear colleagues, it's very good to meet again here in Tokyo. Our last Quad Foreign Ministers Meeting was 10 months ago in New York. In that period, we have met each other bilaterally or on the sidelines of other events. Our systems, however, led by our sherpas, have been continuously interacting. So there is much today to talk about, to agree on, and to plan ahead.

These are not easy times. A major challenge is to ensure global economic growth while also de-risking it. Supply chains are a particular focus for resilience, just as we push for trusted and transparent digital partnerships. The march of technology has also acquired extraordinary proportions, holding possibilities of the very manner in which we live, think, and act. In essence, we are in the midst of a re-globalization. At the same time, it is only our collective endeavors that can proof the international system against disruptions manmade or natural. But we have significant additional responsibilities as well. As political democracies, pluralistic societies, and market economies, there is the key question of upholding a rules-based order. It is only our collaboration that can ensure that the Indo-Pacific remains free, remains open, stable, secure, and prosperous.

The commitment to doing global good that we have all undertaken has a resonance far beyond this region. It is therefore essential that our political understanding strengthens, our economic partnerships grow, our technology collaborations expand, and our people-to-people comfort intensifies. Our meeting should send a clear message that the Quad is here to stay, here to do, and here to grow. Thank you.

SECRETARY BLINKEN: Colleagues, friends, it's wonderful as always to be with you and particularly to be with you in this grouping, in this format. For the United States, it's simple. The Indo-Pacific remains the most dynamic and also rapidly evolving region in the world, but one of tremendous immediate but also future opportunity. And we know that we can maximize that opportunity, we can maximize the good that we're able to deliver - for our people in our countries but also throughout the region - by working together, by pooling our resources, our ideas, and actually demonstrating results, and that's really what the Quad is all about.

Now, we have conflicts in Gaza, Ukraine, South Sudan - they get a lot of attention understandably. They get attention from us, they get attention in the media, but even as we're doing what we need to do, what we must, to try to bring these conflicts to an end and to try to protect people, we have not lost sight - indeed, we're resolutely focused - on this region that we share. This is my 18th trip to the Indo-Pacific in three and a half years as Secretary of State, 6th to Japan. That's simply one marker of the importance that my government and my country attaches to the work that we're doing. And it's vital that we keep that focus, and we will.

But even more than keeping the focus, we have to demonstrate that, together, we can deliver practical real results, and that's really what the Quad stands for. It's an affirmative vision of this free, open, prosperous Indo-Pacific, a vision that is informed by listening first and foremost - listening to regional priorities, listening to what all of our partners are looking for and need in their lives to make those lives better and to really seize opportunities. Many of us were participating in the EAS, the ARF, and this helps inform where we should focus our efforts to deliver on objectives that actually complement and advance the priorities that the region has. I'm really grateful to ASEAN for its leadership in the region, and we will continue to support its efforts.

Across these regional forums, the aspirations of Indo-Pacific communities are pretty clear, and I think all of my colleagues described them beautifully and eloquently. But we want a region that is free, open, prosperous, connected, resilient, in which people can go about their lives freely, in which countries can choose with whom to associate, and in which security is preserved not, in a sense, as an end in itself but in order to enable everyone to go about their lives and to try to better their lives in peace. So we will have discussions this morning pursuing the work that our leaders have done, and this has been a hallmark of the last three and a half years. These conversations that are happening at our level - and more important, at the leaders level - they're hugely important.

But what's even more important is the work that's getting done every single day in between these conversations. As I like to say, one day's important - the 364 days that follow are where we really determine whether we're making good on these commitments. So I look forward to hearing about, again, the work that our teams have been doing, but also going forward, the focus that we're going to bring over the coming months to the work of the Quad to demonstrate that it is value added for people in our countries and throughout this region. Thank you.

FOREIGN MINISTER KAMIKAWA: (Via interpreter) Thank you very much.





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UN official describes Gaza situation as 'absolutely catastrophic' amid severe shortages

29 July 2024 - The top UN humanitarian official for Gaza said on Monday that the situation in the war-ravaged enclave remains "absolutely catastrophic", with Palestinian civilians enduring a "horrendous maelstrom of human misery."

Recently returned from the Gaza Strip, Sigrid Kaag, the UN Senior Humanitarian and Reconstruction Coordinator for Gaza was speaking to journalists at UN Headquarters in New York via video link from Jordan.

She said that UN teams and partners are working to address the severe shortages of waste management and sanitation facilities, amid the risk of outbreaks of communicable diseases.

While in Gaza, she also visited a mobile maternity ward, run by the UN Population Fund (UNFPA) and the non-profit International Medical Corps.

"There are truly brave women doctors, nurses, working to ensure safe deliveries as well as a high number of C-sections, but under horrendous circumstances," she said.

"And normally babies, of course, bring only joy and a momentary sense of relief to the families. But we also know that many of the mothers are deeply worried about the future and the world they are bringing their children into," she added.

Ms. Kaag also noted that doctors have reported a rise in the rate of miscarriages in the first and second trimesters, though the reasons are not clear, and that this will be studied further by the experts.

Urgent needs

The senior UN humanitarian also stated that the hospitals she visited also had children suffering severe, often chronic, medical conditions that required medical evacuation (medevac) for treatment.

"A number of these children have been displaced four or five times within Gaza, each time in pursuit of safety and medical shelter. I think it is quite difficult for us to even imagine," she said.

Ms. Kaag also outlined key necessities for non-governmental organizations (NGOs) on the ground, especially safety and security for humanitarians as well as for the civilians they are seeking to assist.

She also urged greater support for Palestinian NGOs, who despite heavy losses, continue their efforts to help those in need.

Humanitarian mechanism

Ms. Kaag also referred to the mechanism for accelerating humanitarian consignments to Gaza, which she is tasked with under Security Council resolution 2720.

"It is working, it is capturing aid supplies from Jordan, Cyprus, West Bank into Gaza," she said, noting that negotiations are being finalized with Egypt and that the monitors are ready to be deployed inside Gaza.

"But what we need is an immediate and full ceasefire, the immediate and unconditional release of all hostages, and, of course, continued access to start to meet the needs," she stressed.

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Commander, Task Force 68 trains with Allies in Romania, Bulgaria

US Navy

29 July 2024

From U.S. 6th Fleet Public Affairs

NAPLE, Italy -- U.S. Navy Sailors assigned to Commander, Task Force (CTF) 68 and Explosive Ordnance Disposal Mobile Unit (EODMU) Eight, Platoon 801 participated in two exercises alongside multiple Allies in Romania and Bulgaria, June 10-14 and June 17-21, 2024, respectively.

Romania hosted exercise Eurasian Partnership Mine Countermeasure (EPMCM) in and around Constanta, while the latter exercise was the Bulgarian-hosted TRITON, which took place at Varna Naval Station. The exercises, designed to increase interoperability with NATO Allies in the Black Sea region, focused on mine countermeasures (MCM), demolition operations, and helicopter cast and recovery.

"Maritime exercises like EPMCM and TRITON strengthen our collective security alongside our Black Sea Allies on NATO's Eastern Flank and strengthen our collective capabilities to be ready to demine the Black Sea when conditions permit," said Capt. Geoffrey Townsend, Commodore, CTF 68. "We are grateful for these opportunities to train alongside our Allies in Romania and Bulgaria, and grateful for their wealth of knowledge and experience in this area."

EPMCM is an annual exercise hosted by the Romanian Navy near the important Romanian port city of Constanta. This year's iteration involved personnel from Bulgaria, France, Romania, Turkiye, the United States, and observers from Japan. Participants conducted multi-national floating mine response training to increase capability and interoperability for future mine countermeasures operations in the Black Sea.

TRITON 2024 was the fourth annual diving exercise hosted by the Bulgarian Navy in Varna. Five Allied nations, including Bulgaria, France, Romania, Turkiye, and the United States, participated in the latest iteration of the exercise. These nations came together to train in executing NATO procedures and standards for underwater diving and demolition operations, bolstering interoperability among participants in neutralizing the mine threat at sea.

"The camaraderie built at these important exercises builds a foundation for future multi-national engagements like this," said EODMU 8's officer-in-charge for the exercises. "Our team performed admirably in these exercises and came away with a greater understanding of MCM operations in this region by working alongside our close Allies."

Both exercises came shortly before another MCM-focused exercise involving Black Sea nations, Sea Breeze 2024-1, kicked off in Glasgow, Scotland, and concurrently with other MCM training in the Baltic Sea. Taken together, CTF 68's routine participation in these exercises demonstrates the U.S. Navy's commitment to ensuring freedom of navigation in international waters. The exercises, designed to identify and neutralize the threat of mine warfare in European waters, particularly in the Black Sea, ensure maritime safety and security throughout the continent.

CTF 68, headquartered in Rota, Spain, commands all Navy Expeditionary Forces in the U.S. European Command (USEUCOM) and U.S. Africa Command (USAFRICOM) areas of responsibility and is responsible for providing EOD operations, naval construction, expeditionary security, and theater security efforts in direct support of U.S. Naval Forces Europe-Africa (NAVEUR-NAVAF) and U.S. Sixth Fleet.

For over 80 years, NAVEUR-NAVAF has forged strategic relationships with allies and partners, leveraging a foundation of shared values to preserve security and stability.

Headquartered in Naples, Italy, NAVEUR-NAVAF operates U.S. naval forces in the USEUCOM and USAFRICOM areas of responsibility. U.S. Sixth Fleet is permanently assigned to NAVEUR-NAVAF, and employs maritime forces through the full spectrum of joint and naval operations.



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USNS Burlington arrives in Puerto Cortes, Honduras for Continuing Promise 2024

US Navy

29 July 2024

From Petty Officer 2nd Class Adriones Johnson

PUERTO CORTES, Honduras -- Spearhead-class expeditionary fast transport ship USNS Burlington (T-EPF 10) arrived in Puerto Cortes, Honduras, July 27, 2024 as part of U.S. Naval Forces Southern Command/U.S. 4th Fleet's Continuing Promise 2024.

Medical professionals from Burlington will be visiting four different sites during this visit including a joint medical brigade with the Honduran military at Franklin Delano Roosevelt School and subject matter expert exchanges at Puerto Cortes Hospital. Along with those events, U.S. Navy biomedical technicians will work with Honduran practitioners to assess and repair medical equipment.

"We're excited to work with the military of Honduras, their medical professionals, their veterinary professionals, and see in what ways we can help the Honduran people," said Lt. Cmdr. Zachary Smith, mission commander for Continuing Promise 2024.

Continuing Promise 2024 comes equipped to provide treatment not only to human patients, but to their animal companions as well. A U.S. Army veterinary team will be working with Honduran veterinary professionals to share knowledge and experience on providing treatment and vaccinations.

"The things that we've been learning thus far on the Continuing Promise mission are two-fold," said Maj. Crystal Lindaberry, a U.S. Army veterinary clinical specialist and Continuing Promise 2024 veterinary officer-in-charge from the 248th Medical Detachment Veterinary Service Support. "It's given us a chance to hone the skills that we need on our military medical side. It's also been learning about the tropical diseases they have here and how the doctors here approach and cure them, because we don't see a lot of these diseases at home."

Being able to provide medical care in emergency situations is an important part of the humanitarian assistance and disaster relief (HA/DR) initiative of Continuing Promise 2024, as U.S. Department of Defense personnel will train and exchange knowledge alongside personnel from the Permanent Contingency Commission of Honduras (COPECO) and non-government organization partners such as Pacific Disaster Group and Pacific Response Group.

Women, Peace, and Security is a major UN initiative aimed at promoting and understanding the disproportionate amount of violence women face globally. Continuing Promise is committed to supporting the initiative with two multi-day seminars at Ciudad Mujer, bringing together decision-makers and representatives of organizations to provide the community with the information and tools to combat gender-based violence and inequality.

U.S. Navy construction personnel, known as "Seabees," will provide construction and engineering support at Ciudad Mujer, where they will be extending a concrete pad for ambulance offload and repairing an awning to provide shade for children at the site's playground.

"My expectation is that my team should be able to get everything done in the time allotted," said Builder 1st Class Gabriel Murga Altan, assigned to Naval Mobile Construction Battalion One, "I'm expecting that it's going to be an improvement to the center and allow it to keep providing the services that it provides the patients."

The U.S. Fleet Forces Band, called "Uncharted Waters," will have multiple performances at schools around the Cortes Department.

Continuing Promise 2024 will be in Puerto Cortes and San Pedro Sula from July 27 until August 4.

USNAVSOUTH/FOURTHFLT is the trusted maritime partner for Caribbean, Central and South America maritime forces leading to improved unity, security and stability.





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US, Japan, Australia and India announce efforts to boost maritime security

By VOA News July 29, 2024

The United States, Australia, India and Japan announced a series of measures Monday to boost maritime security and voiced concern about intimidation and dangerous actions in the South China Sea.

Japanese Foreign Minister Yoko Kamikawa told reporters that the international order is becoming increasingly uncertain amid Russia's continued aggression against Ukraine, North Korea ballistic missile launches and attempts to use force to change the status quo in the East and South China Seas.

Kamikawa spoke alongside U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken, Australian Foreign Minister Penny Wong and Indian Foreign Minister Subrahmanyam Jaishankar after hosting the group for talks in Tokyo.

Blinken said that in addition to bolstering maritime security and freedom of navigation, the group would also work to bolster security for key undersea cables and collaborate on disaster relief efforts.

"We all know we cannot achieve the region we seek alone," Wong said. "And just as we benefit from the complementarity of our partners, so does our region, because of our geography and our shared approach to building prosperity and reinforcing stability. All of us want a world in which disputes are managed by rules, by talking, by cooperation, not by force or raw power."

The group did not mention China by name in its comments about maritime security, but China's actions in the region have repeatedly drawn rebukes.

The United States and Japan issued their own statement Sunday accusing China of "destabilizing actions" in the South China Sea.

Chinese foreign ministry spokesman Lin Jian responded Monday, warning the U.S. and Japan to "stop creating imaginary enemies."

Some information for this story was provided by The Associated Press, Agence France-Presse and Reuters.

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Notice on the Continuation of the National Emergency With Respect to Lebanon

July 29, 2024

On August 1, 2007, by Executive Order 13441, the President declared a national emergency with respect to Lebanon pursuant to the International Emergency Economic Powers Act (50 U.S.C. 1701 et seq.) to deal with the unusual and extraordinary threat to the national security and foreign policy of the United States constituted by the actions of certain persons to undermine Lebanon's legitimate and democratically elected government or democratic institutions; to contribute to the deliberate breakdown in the rule of law in Lebanon, including through politically motivated violence and intimidation; to reassert Syrian control or contribute to Syrian interference in Lebanon; or to infringe upon or undermine Lebanese sovereignty. Such actions contribute to political and economic instability in that country and the region.

Certain ongoing activities, such as Iran's continuing arms transfers to Hizballah  which include increasingly sophisticated weapons systems  serve to undermine Lebanese sovereignty, contribute to political and economic instability in the region, and continue to constitute an unusual and extraordinary threat to the national security and foreign policy of the United States. For this reason, the national emergency declared on August 1, 2007, must continue in effect beyond August 1, 2024. Therefore, in accordance with section 202(d) of the National Emergencies Act (50 U.S.C. 1622(d)), I am continuing for 1 year the national emergency with respect to Lebanon declared in Executive Order 13441.

This notice shall be published in the Federal Register and transmitted to the Congress.

JOSEPH R. BIDEN JR.

THE WHITE HOUSE,

July 29, 2024.

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Russo-Ukraine War - 29 July 2024 - Day 887

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 General Staff of the Armed Forces of Ukraine reported that at this time, 117 combat clashes took place. The hottest today remained the situation in the Pokrovsky direction, also the enemy was active in the Kurakhiv and Toretsky directions.

During the day, Russian forces launched a missile strike on the territory of Ukraine with the use of one missile, 82 aviation strikes (actions, including 91 KAB), used 459 kamikadze drones to impress. Made 3467 shelling positions of Ukrainian troops

.

In the Kharkiv direction, Russian forces four times unsuccessfully attacked the vicinity of hlybokogo and vovcans ka.

In the kupans komu direction, Russian forces during the day also four times tried to advance near the stelmahivka and pi any. Never been successful.

In the Lyman direction, Russian forces attacked twelve times in the areas of Makiivka, Nevsky, Terniv and in the Serebryans komu Forest. Through out Ukrainian warriors the Russian enemy stopped by giving a complex fiery impression.

In the Sivers komu direction, Russian forces six times throughout the day unsuccessfully tried to break through Ukrainian defense in the areas of Pereiznogo, Spirnogo and Ivanodarivka. I have suffered a loss.

There were five combat clashes in the Kramators komu direction. The fights lasted in the areas of Grigorivka, Chasovogo Yaru and Kli iivka.

In the Torec komu direction, Ukrainian troops repelled 16 Russian attacks. Continuing three confrontations near Toretsk and Zaliznogo. Others, mostly their in the area of the north, Ukrainian soldiers stopped.

The greatest activity of the Russian enemy showed today in the pokrovsky direction. A total of 39 times, Russian forces tried to invade Ukrainian defense in the areas of the settlements of Vozdvizhenko, Novoselivka the First, Novooleksandrivka, Progres, Timofiyivka, Zhelanne and Yasnobrodivka. As of now, 30 Russian attacks have been repelled, nine battles continue. Russia suffers significant losses, especially in live force - according to preliminary information, Ukrainian soldiers have damaged 165 Russian invaders in this direction. The tank, the cars have been destroyed. Five more cannons, three tanks, two tractors and the occupiers' car are significantly damaged.

In the kurakhivs komu direction, Russian forces 18 times attacked Ukrainian positions. The largest activity was shown in the area of konstantinivki and paraskoviivki. For attacks a significant number of armor technology and suffered corresponding losses. Ukrainian soldiers destroyed and damaged eight tanks, 21 armored cars, five motorcycles, one buggy and 2A65 Msta-B cannon. In addition, hundreds of Russian servicemen have been defamed, most of them are irreversible.

Seven times the Russian invaders stormed Ukrainian positions in the Vremivs komu direction. All attacks in the direction of Konstantinivka and Velika Novosilka have been stopped.

In the orihivs komu direction, near small tokmacka, three failed for the Russian battle took place.

In the Pridniprovsk direction, the Russian opponent, too three times, unsuccessfully attacked the positions of Ukrainian soldiers.

Today, the defenders of the 79th Separate Airborne Assault Brigade of the Tavrian Army should be noted for their effective and professional combat work, who keep defense in one of the hottest front lines.

The Ministry of Defense of the Russian Federation reported that the Sever Group of Forces hit manpower and hardware of AFU 115th mechanised, 92nd assault, 71st infantry brigades close to Volchansk, Tikhoe, and Velikiye Prokhody (Kharkov region).

Two counter-attacks were repelled close to Volchansk and Glubokoye (Kharkov region).

The AFU losses amounted to up to 205 troops. One ammunition depot was wiped out.

The Zapad Group of Forces improved the situation along the front line, defeated units of AFU 116th mechanised, 117th territorial defence, and 1st national guard brigades near Tabayevka, Kupyansk-Uzlovoyi (Kharkov region) and Krasny Liman (Donetsk People's Republic).

One attack launched by an enemy assault group was repelled close to Torskoye (Donetsk People's Republic).

The AFU losses amounted to up to 540 Ukrainian troops, one U.S.-made Stryker armoured personnel carriers, and 16 motor vehicles.

In the course of counterbattery warfare, two U.S.-made 155-mm M777 howitzers, one Polish-made 155-mm Krab self-propelled artillery system, one 155-mm Bogdana self-propelled artillery system, and two Anklav-N electronic warfare stations were eliminated.

Eight AFU ammunition depots were destroyed.

The Yug Group of Forces took more advantageous lines and positions, inflicted losses on manpower and hardware of AFU 24th, 54th mechanised, 79th air assault, 46th airmobile brigades, as well as the 12th Azov Special Forces Brigades near Kurakhovo, Katerinovka, Konstantinovka, Serebryanka, and Verkhnekamenskoye (Donetsk People's Republic).

The AFU losses amounted to up to 560 Ukrainian troops, one U.S.-made M113 armoured personnel carrier, and two motor vehicles.

In the course of counter-battery warfare, one U.S.-made 155-mm M109 Paladin self-propelled artillery system, one U.S.-made 155-mm M777 howitzer, one U.S.-made 155-mm M198 howitzer, one UK-made 155-mm FH-70 howitzer, two 152-mm D-20 howitzers, one 152-mm Msta-B howitzer, one U.S.-made 105-mm M119 gun, and one Anklav-N electronic warfare station were eliminated.

Two AFU ammunition depots were destroyed.

The Tsentr Group of Forces liberated Progress and Yevgenovka (Donetsk People's Republic) during active operations.

Units of AFU 28th, 31st, 32nd mechanised, and 142nd infantry brigades were hit near Dimitrov, Novogrodovka, Dzerzhinsk, Belaya Gora, and Zhelannoye (Donetsk People's Republic).

Three counter-attacks launched by enemy assault groups were repelled.

The AFU lost up to 385 Ukrainian troops and five motor vehicles.

In addition, two U.S.-made 227-mm M270 multiple launch rocket systems, two 122-mm D-30 howitzers, two 100-mm Rapira guns, and one U.S.-made AN/TPQ-50 counter-battery warfare radar were hit.

The Vostok Group of Forces improved the situation along the front line, defeated manpower and hardware of AFU 72nd mechanised, 102nd and 104th territorial defence brigades near Ugledar (Donetsk People's Republic), Gulyaipole, and Novodarovka (Zaporozhye region).

The AFU losses amounted to up to 140 Ukrainian troops, one U.S.-made M113 armoured personnel carrier, five motor vehicles, one UK-made FH-70 howitzer, and one 152-mm D-20 gun.

Three AFU ammunition depots were destroyed.

The Dnepr Group of Forces inflicted losses on units of AFU 128th mountain assault, 141st infantry, and 35th marine brigades near Rabotino (Zaporozhye region), Tyaginka, and Ponyatovka (Kherson region).

The AFU losses amounted to up to 100 Ukrainian troops, two U.S.-made 155-mm M777 howitzers, two 152-mm D-20 howitzers, and one D-30 howitzer.

One ammunition depot was wiped out.

Operational-Tactical Aviation, unmanned aerial vehicles, and Missile Troops and Artillery of the Russian Groups of Forces have engaged one U.S.-made Patriot anti-aircraft missile station as well as clusters of manpower and military hardware in 138 areas.

Air defence systems shot down five U.S.-made HIMARS MLRS projectiles, two French-made Hammer aerial guided bombs, and 34 unmanned aerial vehicles, to include 12 outside the special military operation zone.

In total, since the beginning of the special military operation, 630 aircraft and 278 helicopters, 28,579 unmanned aerial vehicles, 556 anti-aircraft missile systems, 16,702 tanks and other armoured fighting vehicles, 1,392 MLRS combat vehicles, 12,469 field artillery guns and mortars, and 24,143 units of special military vehicles have been neutralised.

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Exercise Austral Shield 2024 concludes

Issued by Defence Media

29 July 2024

The Australian Defence Force (ADF) has concluded Exercise Austral Shield 2024, practising its ability to rapidly deploy to Australia's north and respond to domestic security threats.

Supported by local communities, state emergency services and law enforcement, the exercise was conducted from 12-26 July around Derby in Western Australia, Darwin in the Northern Territory, Cairns in Queensland, and Christmas Island.

This security and response force drew participants from around Australia, but was focused around reserve contributions from the Army's 2nd Division, including Western Australia's 13th Brigade and Queensland's 11th Brigade.

The Regional Force Surveillance Group, maritime and air task units also deployed as part of the integrated joint task force.

Exercise Director Brigadier Damian Hill said Austral Shield 2024 was a valuable opportunity to rehearse the rapid response of full-time and ADF reserve personnel to form Joint Task Force 629.

"The personnel deployed on Austral Shield enjoyed working closely with local, state and territory agencies and communities to make a meaningful contribution to our collective security," Brigadier Hill said.

"The ability for the ADF to rapidly deploy and employ forces is critical to our role supporting civil authorities in domestic security activities and maintaining an agile and ready force."

As Exercise Austral Shield concludes, military convoys will be returning from Derby to Perth and from Cairns to Brisbane.

Defence requests the public remains aware and exercises caution around these convoys, but encourages the public to engage with military personnel they may encounter at rest stops.

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Last tank out of brigade

By Captain Cody Tsaousis

29 July 2024

The last M1A1 Abrams main battle tank rolled out of Gallipoli Barracks, Brisbane, as Army continues its implementation of the Defence Strategic Review (DSR) and National Defence Strategy (NDS).

It marks the end of an era for 7th Brigade unit 2nd/14th Light Horse Regiment (QMI) (2/14 (QMI)), which has operated with the vehicles since 2017, when C Squadron became a tank unit under Plan Beersheba.

Under the DSR and NDS, tank capability will be consolidated in Townsville. The new Abrams M1A2 SEPv3 main battle tanks will be introduced into the School of Armour and 2nd Cavalry Regiment later this year.

2/14 LHR (QMI) Commanding Officer Lieutenant Colonel Tim Hurley said the move would ultimately be a positive for the unit and Army as a whole.

"While as a unit commander I would love to have a tank squadron at my fingertips, it makes absolute sense to consolidate Army's tank capability," he said.

"It allows Army to become a focused force, and it significantly reduces the sustainment overheads for the main battle tank capability.

"Becoming Army's only pure cavalry regiment will give our unit great role clarity, in addition to some depth in both people and equipment."

Lieutenant Colonel Hurley acknowledged the impact of the DSR and NDS implementation on soldiers who would have to transition skillsets or move.

He said having an honest conversation with them was key to them being prepared for the next challenge.

"I believe clear and rational communication removes at least some of the friction inherent in organisational change," he said.

"I think the vast majority of our tank crews are keen to get their hands on the best tank on the planet - the M1A2 SEPv3 - and as such will happily move to Townsville or Puckapunyal to keep doing what they love.

"Centralising in Townsville will also give the tank fraternity some critical mass, which will afford them more depth in terms of experience, instructors, maintainers and commanders."

Tank commander Corporal Isaiah Emnace, who has been working with M1A1s since C Squadron was raised, said it was a sentimental moment watching the last one leave the unit, but viewed it positively.

"It was a bit of a bittersweet moment because obviously in order to get new equipment, the older stuff has to go first," he said.

"I've been operating these vehicles for a while now and you experience a lot with them out field; but watching them go, it's all of the good times that I've had with them that come to mind.

"Being in the back of them, shooting with them, commanding in them and being part of a really close team - those are all great memories."

Corporal Emnace said he was ready for the next challenge though, and was looking forward to training with the new main battle tanks.

"First and foremost we're soldiers, so we're working on those skills at the moment because it's important to be capable as a soldier on the ground," he said.

"Then we'll start looking at the theory side of understanding the new tank and adapting to the differences, so when we get them we can hit the ground running."

Commander of 7th Brigade Brigadier Giles Cornelia said it was a significant moment for the brigade and 2/14 LHR (QMI).

"I am very proud of the sterling service of C Squadron as a tank squadron, and am looking forward to the new chapter for this historic and exceptional unit," he said.

"We are working quickly and effectively to change our force structure and play our part in the focused force as the ready brigade, and 2/14 LHR (QMI) are central to this."

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PLA's electromagnetic catapult aircraft carrier completes third sea trial: media

Global Times

By Liu Xuanzun Published: Jul 29, 2024 08:45 PM

The Fujian, the Chinese People's Liberation Army (PLA) Navy's third aircraft carrier, has returned to its shipyard after completing its third sea trial, media reported, with experts on Monday highlighting the increasing length of test voyages and the short intervals between them, which indicate positive results.

After 25 days at sea, the Fujian returned to the Jiangnan Shipyard in Shanghai on Sunday, US media Atlas News reported on Sunday.

According to a traffic restriction notice released by Shanghai's maritime safety administration on Saturday, a large ship was scheduled to enter the Yangtze River on Sunday.

While the notice did not specify the large ship as being the Fujian, this phrasing was used each time the carrier set out for and returned from previous sea trials. A previous traffic restriction notice released by Shanghai's maritime safety administration indicates that the Fujian set out for the third sea trial on July 3.

Commercial satellite images and photos circulating on social media also appear to confirm the return of the carrier.



At a regular press conference on Thursday, Senior Colonel Zhang Xiaogang, a spokesperson at China's Ministry of Defense, confirmed that the Fujian conducted its third sea trial this month.

Zhang said that the Fujian's test voyage is a normal part of its construction process, and more tests will follow based on the construction progress.

The Fujian conducted its eight-day first sea trial from May 1 to May 8, followed by a 20-day second sea trial from May 23 to June 11, according to previous reports.

Fu Qianshao, a Chinese military expert, told the Global Times on Monday that the aircraft carrier Fujian has conducted three sea trials with short intervals between them, and each trial was longer than the previous one, indicating that the entire sea trial phase is going very smoothly.

With each sea trial, new and more tests were conducted. When basic systems such as the propulsion system and the electric system are validated, more complicated shipborne equipment as well as aircraft are expected to conduct tests, Fu said.

Fu said he looks forward to the tests on the carrier's electromagnetic catapults and arresting gears, as well as takeoff and landing tests of aircraft in future sea trials.

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China, Italy should view bilateral ties from a strategic height: Xi

Global Times

Meloni's visit signals shift to more pragmatic China policy: expert

By Zhao Yusha Published: Jul 29, 2024 11:40 PM

Amid accelerating global changes unseen in a century, countries will either progress together through connectivity and unity, or retreat separately through closure and division. China and Italy should uphold and promote the Silk Road spirit, view and develop bilateral relations from a historical dimension, strategic height and long-term perspective, and push their relations to go steady and far, Chinese President Xi Jinping said when meeting with Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni in Beijing on Monday.

Xi said the healthy and stable development of China-Italy relations is in line with the common interests of both countries and their peoples.

Meloni's first visit to China since assuming office is poised to restart the relationship between the two nations, with experts anticipating a return to regular dialogues at various levels. This visit signifies a shift in Italy's approach to China, moving away from ideology-driven policies toward a more pragmatic and economically focused strategy after Italy's withdrawal from the Belt and Road Initiative (BRI), said experts.

The strengthened ties between China and Italy, the third-largest economy in the European Union, are expected to serve as a model for other European and Western countries, highlighting the advantages of mutually beneficial cooperation with China in a time of global uncertainty and waning US leadership.

Noting that China and Italy are at the two ends of the ancient Silk Road, Xi said the time-honored friendly exchanges between the two countries have made significant contributions to the overall exchanges and mutual learning between Eastern and Western civilizations, and to the progress of humanity.

The Silk Road spirit of peace and cooperation, openness and inclusiveness, mutual learning and mutual benefit is a shared treasure of China and Italy, Xi said.

The Chinese President said China is willing to work with Italy to promote the optimization and upgrading of traditional cooperation in economic and trade investment, industrial manufacturing, technological innovation, and third-party markets, and explore cooperation in emerging areas such as electric vehicles and artificial intelligence.

China welcomes Italian companies to invest in China, and is willing to import more high-quality Italian products. China hopes that Italy will also provide a fair, transparent, safe, and non-discriminatory business environment for Chinese companies investing in the country, said Xi.

Xi emphasized that in an era of economic globalization, only by adhering to open cooperation in the global industrial chain and supply chain can win-win development be achieved. China adheres to the path of peaceful development and never pursues hegemony, and is willing to share development opportunities with all countries.

Meloni said that the current international situation is undergoing profound changes, and China, as an important major country, plays an irreplaceable role in addressing global challenges.

Italy adheres to the one-China policy, and hopes to strengthen dialogue and cooperation with China, tap more potential, deepen cooperation in areas such as trade and investment, electric vehicles, artificial intelligence, and enhance people-to-people exchanges to promote more Italian products entering the Chinese market.

Italy opposes "decoupling" and protectionism, and is willing to play an active role in deepening EU-China relations, said the Italian leader.

Restart ties

Italy and China signed a three-year action plan on Sunday to implement past agreements and experiment with new forms of cooperation, Meloni said on an official visit to China, according to Associated Press.

Meloni told business leaders that the two sides had signed an industrial collaboration memorandum that includes electric vehicles and renewable energy, which she described as "sectors where China has already been operating on the technological frontier for some time ... and is sharing the new frontiers of knowledge with partners."

Chinese experts said that the action plan is more like a "compensatory" deal for Italy following Rome's withdrawal from BRI last year.

"The action plan serves to minimize the negative impact on Italy after it pulled out of BRI; signing the plan also signals Italy has vast demand for cooperation with China, as it used a alternative plan to focus on areas where there is demand from both countries," Cui Hongjian, a professor with the Academy of Regional and Global Governance with Beijing Foreign Studies University, told the Global Times.

The action plan, however, doubled down on both countries' collaboration on electric vehicles (EV) despite Italy supporting the European Commission (EC)'s decision to impose provisional tariffs on electric vehicles imported from China.

Stellantis, a major automaker that includes Italy's Fiat, announced in May that it had formed a joint venture with Leapmotor, a Chinese electric car startup, to begin selling EVs in Europe, media reported.

Zhao Yongsheng, a research fellow at the Institute of Regional and International Studies at the University of International Business and Economics in Beijing, pointed out that the action plan provides an opportunity for both countries to enhance cooperation in the EV industry, as Italy requires China's technology and China has a need for its capital and technology to be exported. Southern Europe has proven to be a good location for such investments.

Chinese experts believe that both Italy's withdrawal from BRI and supporting EC's tariffs on Chinese EVs are partly due to pressure from the US and other Western countries.

After experiencing the detrimental impact of strained China-Italy relations following Rome's withdrawal from BRI, and the failure of the US to deliver significant benefits, Italy has pivoted from an ideology-driven policy approach to a more pragmatic stance. This shift is expected to provide a much-needed boost to Italy's economic development, according to Zhao.

The Italian leader said her five-day trip was a "demonstration of the will to begin a new phase, to relaunch our bilateral cooperation". The action plan aims to experiment with new forms of cooperation, per Reuters.

After Meloni's visit, dialogue and cooperation between different levels from China and Italy will return to normalcy, and this will also be part of the "relaunch" of ties, said Cui, noting that the frequent exchanges will help enhance understanding and disperse disputes, leading bilateral relations, and China-EU relations to a healthier direction.

Demonstration effect

When meeting with Meloni, Xi said China hopes that Italy will understand and support China's development philosophy, and play a constructive role in promoting dialogue and cooperation between China and Europe and promoting the positive and stable development of China-Europe relations.

"Italy can have an important role in EU relations and creating balanced relations," Meloni said Monday. "We need a rules-based order" as a way "to guarantee stability, peace, trade that remains free," she said, Bloomberg reported.

Meloni's visit will have a demonstration effect among European countries, as the trend of "decoupling with China" becomes more prevalent on the continent. Substantial cooperation between China and Italy will demonstrate the benefits of collaborating with Beijing, leading Europe to realize the advantages of such partnerships. This collaboration will help to bring stability amid rising uncertainty surrounding the upcoming US presidential election, according to Zhao.

As Europe is grappling with a myriad of external and internal challenges, certain countries are turning to practical cooperation with China in order to safeguard their own interests. This shift has prompted nations like Italy to consider more pragmatic adjustments in response to the mounting pressure they face, Sun Keqin, a research fellow at the China Institutes of Contemporary International Relations, told the Global Times.

China attaches great importance to its relationship with Europe. Italy is a major country in the EU, and Meloni's party achieved a major victory in the European elections, thus strengthening the relationship between China and Italy is of great significance for enhancing economic cooperation between two countries and promoting China-Europe relations, said Sun.

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China, Timor-Leste to boost ties, expand cooperation

Global Times

By Zhang Wanshi Published: Jul 29, 2024 09:17 PM Updated: Jul 29, 2024 10:42 PM

Chinese President Xi Jinping held talks with President of the Democratic Republic of Timor-Leste Jose Ramos-Horta on Monday, saying that China's comprehensive deepening of reforms will provide new impetus and opportunities for global economic development and bilateral cooperation.

Noting that the third plenary session of the 20th Communist Party of China Central Committee was held successfully two weeks ago, Xi said China will further comprehensively deepen reform and promote high-quality development and high-level opening up, which will provide new impetus and new opportunities for global economic development and cooperation between China and Timor-Leste.

China is ready to work with Timor-Leste to take the two countries' comprehensive strategic partnership to a new level and bring more benefits to the two peoples, he said.

Ramos-Horta arrived in Beijing on Sunday for a state visit to China that will last till Wednesday, which is his first visit since he took office in 2022 and the first state visit to China by a Timor-Leste president since the two countries established diplomatic relations in 2002.

Xi emphasized that China is ready to work with Timor-Leste toward long-term and stable development of bilateral relations by firmly supporting each other to build a higher level of bilateral relations, adhering to mutual benefit and win-win situations to carry out higher-quality practical cooperation, and promoting a higher level of multilateral collaboration.

Chen Hong, executive director of the Asia Pacific Studies Center at East China Normal University, said on the basis of such cooperation, the two parties can make use of their respective strengths.

Ramos-Horta thanked China for its long-term and valuable support for Timor-Leste's economic and social development and its response to the COVID-19 pandemic. Timor-Leste hopes to further consolidate and develop its comprehensive strategic partnership with China, strengthen cooperation in areas such as food security and infrastructure development, so that to help Timor-Leste achieve development.

Timor-Leste also firmly adheres to the one-China principle, believes that Taiwan is an inalienable part of China's territory, opposes "Taiwan independence" and interference by external forces, and supports China's efforts to safeguard its national sovereignty and territorial integrity.

Ramos-Horta also said that the South China Sea issue should be resolved by the countries concerned through negotiations, and Timor-Leste is willing to work with China and other countries in the region to maintain peace and stability in the South China Sea.

The two countries signed a number of bilateral cooperation documents in the fields of agriculture, green development, digital economy and air transportation.

Chen told the Global Times on Monday that China, in particular, has extensive experience in these areas, which fully demonstrates what is meant by higher-quality practical cooperation, as Ramos-Horta also acknowledged during the talks that he had visited China several times since 1976 and had witnessed the radical changes that had taken place in the country.

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Third plenary session boosts confidence of HK's financial industry: official

Global Times

By Zhang Weilan Published: Jul 29, 2024 09:58 PM

The financial regulatory authorities of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region are set to embrace new development opportunities, supported by the strategic vision and policies laid out by the central government, and ensuring the city's position as a leading international financial center, Deputy Chief Executive of the Hong Kong Monetary Authority (HKMA) Darryl Chan told the Global Times in an interview via email on Friday.

Chan said that the just-concluded third plenary session of the 20th Central Committee of the Communist Party of China emphasized the importance of strengthening Hong Kong's position as a global hub for finance, transportation and trade. This fully demonstrates that the central government attaches great importance to the development of the financial industry in Hong Kong, which has boosted the city's confidence.

Referring to a resolution adopted at the reform-themed meeting on July 18, Chan said that Hong Kong's monetary authorities are fully determined and confident that the city will continue to be a major international financial center, which will benefit the long-term development of its financial sector and promote China's high-level opening-up.

To solidify Hong Kong's status as a global financial hub and drive innovation, the HKMA will prioritize maintaining financial system stability, developing a robust financial ecosystem and capitalizing on long-term growth opportunities, according to Chan.

He said that the HKMA is poised to capitalize on the opportunities outlined in the resolution. These include expanding the financial market interconnectivity of Hong Kong and the Chinese mainland, promoting the internationalization of the yuan, developing offshore markets for the yuan, advancing the digital yuan's application cautiously and deepening cooperation within the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area.

The latest response from the financial regulatory body of Hong Kong also sent strong signals to some Western media and politicians who paint a grim picture of Hong Kong's future as a global financial hub.

Hong Kong's unique advantage under the One Country, Two Systems policy has been identified as a key driver for the continued growth and resilience of its financial sector, Chan said. As one of the leading international financial centers, Hong Kong is a prime location for financial services and home to many financial institutions, including banks, securities firms, investment banks and insurance companies.

With its strengths in banking, capital markets and asset management, Hong Kong provides an all-encompassing and high-quality financial platform for investors, financiers, asset managers, funds and financial institutions alike from all over the world, Chan said.

The city thrives on close financial integration with the Chinese mainland and extensive networks with the rest of the world, Chan said, adding that with more than 40 years of reform and opening-up of the mainland, Hong Kong has successfully navigated a path to effectively leverage its unique advantages as an international and market-oriented city to proactively connect domestic and overseas markets.

"There are clear signs and breakthroughs, driven by a slew of policies and measures in recent years, demonstrating our commitment to aligning with international high standards and promoting connectivity in the financial sector," he added.

The financial regulatory authorities of Hong Kong and the Chinese mainland recently announced policy measures to promote and deepen cross-boundary financial connectivity and cooperation. One of the key focuses is the "Three Connections, Three Facilitations" initiative, jointly announced by the HKMA and the People's Bank of China earlier this year, comprising six policy measures to support the yuan's internationalization and facilitate business activity.

Chan reiterated Hong Kong's commitment to promoting the high-quality development of the financial sector and building China's financial strength.

Meanwhile, the "going out" of Chinese firms and Chinese investors' demand for overseas investment in turn can create lots of opportunities for Hong Kong as well, Chan said.

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US urged to return to rational China policy

People's Daily Online

By Cao Desheng (China Daily) 10:40, July 29, 2024

Amid accumulating risks and challenges in relations between China and the United States, Beijing has again urged Washington to return to a rational and pragmatic policy toward China and to properly manage their differences, in order to promote a stable, healthy, and sustainable bilateral relationship.

During a meeting in Laos on Saturday with US Secretary of State Antony Blinken, Foreign Minister Wang Yi warned that the bilateral relationship is at a critical juncture and needs to be stabilized, requiring managing risks, properly handling differences, eliminating disturbances, and promoting cooperation.

Wang, who is also a member of the Political Bureau of the Communist Party of China Central Committee, also reiterated China's position on the Taiwan question, which is at the very center of China's core interests. Beijing has said on many occasions that the Taiwan question is the first red line that must not be crossed in China-US relations.

Wang emphasized that "Taiwan independence" is incompatible with peace across the Taiwan Strait. "We will counter every provocation by the 'Taiwan independence' forces, keep narrowing the space for 'Taiwan independence', and work toward the goal of a complete national reunification," he said.

The meeting took place at the request of the US side on the sidelines of a series of meetings of the foreign ministers of Southeast and East Asian countries in Vientiane, the capital of Laos.

It also came as China-US relations continue to be mired in a situation in which the US does not refrain from moving to contain and suppress China, although the diplomatic, financial, law enforcement, and climate teams of the two sides, as well as the two militaries, have maintained communication in the past three months.

Blinken's stop in Laos was part of his visit to multiple Asian nations, including Vietnam, the Philippines, Singapore, and Mongolia.

In June, the US State Department approved arms sales to Taiwan, including drones and missiles, for an estimated $360 million, a move that Beijing criticized, saying that Washington was sending a serious, erroneous signal to separatist forces seeking "Taiwan independence".

Furthermore, on July 12, US President Joe Biden signed into law the so-called Promoting a Resolution to the Tibet-China Dispute Act, which China considers to be another manifestation of the US practicing hegemonism, manipulating the rhetoric of democracy and freedom, and interfering in China's internal affairs.

During a news conference at the G20 Finance Ministers and Central Bank Governors Meeting held in Brazil on Thursday, US Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen said she would press China to address the country's macroeconomic model that has led to what she called "overcapacity".

Beijing criticized Yellen for engaging in a political show to shift the blame for the US' domestic problems to China, saying that the real purpose behind the US' hyping of China's so-called new energy "overcapacity "is to contain China's advantage in the new energy industry.

Wang told Blinken that China's policy toward the US has always been consistent and follows the principles of mutual respect, peaceful coexistence, and win-win cooperation.

He criticized Washington for adhering to the wrong perception of China, and said China is not the US and does not want to be. He also said that China does not seek hegemony or power politics and, as a major country, has the best record on peace and security.

During the meeting, Wang also urged the US not to stir up trouble and undermine maritime stability regarding China's Ren'ai Reef in the South China Sea.

He said that China has reached a temporary arrangement with the Philippines to manage the situation, and the Philippines should honor its commitments to refraining from sending construction materials to its illegally grounded vessel at China's Ren'ai Reef.

Both sides also exchanged views on the Ukraine crisis, the situation in Gaza, and the Korean Peninsula, among other matters.

On the Ukraine crisis, Wang said that China's position is fair and transparent, and it will continue to promote peace talks. He urged the US to stop abusing unilateral sanctions and long-arm jurisdiction.

China rejects false accusations and will not succumb to pressure or blackmail, and it will take resolute measures to protect its major interests and legitimate rights, Wang said.

Blinken said Washington is committed to stabilizing US-China relations and adheres to the one-China policy.

The US looks forward to maintaining regular communication with China for cooperation on anti-drug efforts and artificial intelligence and in other fields, he said, adding that the US is willing to manage differences with China to avoid misunderstandings and miscalculations.

Both sides agreed to maintain communication at all levels and further implement the important consensus reached at the San Francisco meeting in November between the two heads of state.

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Foreign Ministry Spokesperson Lin Jian's Regular Press Conference on July 29, 2024

Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the People's Republic of China

2024-07-29 21:54

China News Service: It's reported that Silvia GarcAa, President of the Central American Parliament, just concluded her visit to China. Could you share more details about the visit with us?

Lin Jian: At the invitation of Chairman Zhao Leji of the Standing Committee of the National People's Congress, President of the Central American Parliament Silvia GarcAa led the leadership of the Parliament on a visit to Chinaathe first of its kindafrom July 21 to 27. Chairman Zhao Leji and Chairman Wang Huning of the National Committee of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference met with the delegation respectively. The two sides had a cordial and in-depth exchange of views on issues of mutual interest and reached common understandings on further deepening friendly cooperation. Both sides were of the view that the decision made by the Central American Parliament last August to revoke the "permanent observer" status of Taiwan's "Legislative Yuan" and accept the National People's Congress of China as a permanent observer is of historic importance. They agreed that the decision shows again that the one-China principle is a basic norm in international relations and a prevailing consensus in the international community. The one-China principle is where the global opinion trends and the arc of history bends, and what serves the interest of the Central American Parliament and the people of Central American countries.

In addition to Beijing, the delegation visited Shanghai and Shenzhen, and learned more about China's development. President GarcAa and members of the delegation reaffirmed the commitment of the Central American Parliament to the one-China principle and support for China's reunification. Strengthening solidarity and cooperation with China helps Central American countries seize opportunities for development and prosperity. The Central American Parliament stands ready to deepen exchanges with the National People's Congress at various levels to learn from China's development experience, contribute to greater mutual understanding, trust and cooperation between Central American countries and China, and jointly promote South-South cooperation, multipolarity in the world and democracy in international relations. The Chinese side expressed readiness to work with the Central American Parliament and relevant countries to advance China's relations with countries in Central America to deliver more benefits for Chinese and Central American peoples.a

China-Arab TV: China's Foreign Minister Wang Yi met with foreign ministers of the US, Ukraine, and Russia respectively. Will China mediate in the Ukraine crisis?

Lin Jian: On the Ukraine crisis, China always believes that to end the hostilities as soon as possible and seek a political settlement is in the interest of all parties. China is of the view that dialogue and negotiation is the only viable way out of the Ukraine crisis. We uphold an objective and just position and we are committed to promoting peace talks. China will continue to stand on the side of peace and dialogue, support the international community in building up more consensus, and jointly look for viable means towards a political way out of the crisis.

Shenzhen TV: Foreign Minister Wang Yi attended the ASEAN Plus Foreign Ministers' Meetings and paid an official visit to Laos over the past couple of days. Can you share more information with us?

Lin Jian: From July 25 to 27, Member of the Political Bureau of the CPC Central Committee and Foreign Minister Wang Yi attended the ASEAN-China Foreign Ministers' Meeting, the ASEAN Plus Three Foreign Ministers' Meeting, the East Asia Summit Foreign Ministers' Meeting and the ASEAN Regional Forum Foreign Ministers' Meeting in Vientiane, Laos and paid an official visit to Laos. On the margins of the meetings, Foreign Minister Wang Yi attended the first informal trilateral meeting between the foreign ministers of China, Russia and Laos, and met with his counterparts from over ten countries and international organizations, including India, Russia, Japan, the UK, the ROK, the EU, the Philippines and the US. China has released readouts which you may refer to.

At the ASEAN-China Foreign Ministers' Meeting, Foreign Minister Wang Yi noted that China and ASEAN are friendly neighbors and close partners who have always supported each other, and more importantly, one community with a shared future sticking together through thick and thin. Recent years have seen fruitful results in building the China-ASEAN community with a shared future. Economic and trade ties have continued to thrive, people-to-people and cultural exchanges have quickly bounced back, more solid progress has been made in enhancing connectivity, and the two sides keep finding new areas where we can work together. The dialogue and cooperation between China and ASEAN is the best example of the fruitful and vigorous cooperation in the Asia-Pacific. Four things have made it possible: good neighborliness, sincerity, common development, and openness and inclusiveness. The third plenary session of the 20th Central Committee of the CPC made an overall plan for further deepening reform comprehensively with a view to advancing Chinese modernization. China will continue to firmly support the strategic independence of ASEAN, support strengthening the regional cooperation mechanisms with ASEAN at the center, and build a peaceful, safe and secure, prosperous, beautiful and amicable home for China and ASEAN. We stand ready to share China's opportunities with ASEAN countries, and join hands with them to advance the modernization process of Asia.

At the ASEAN Plus Three Foreign Ministers' Meeting, Foreign Minister Wang Yi noted that over the past two decades and more, as one of the most well-established mechanisms for regional cooperation in East Asia, the ASEAN Plus Three mechanism has brought regional countries together to deepen practical cooperation in various areas and meet challenges such as the financial crisis and COVID-19. China stands ready to fully leverage the mechanism to deepen economic integration and enhance connectivity, to enhance crisis response and maintain stability, to expand cooperation in emerging areas and galvanize development, and to promote people-to-people exchanges and build up consensus among ASEAN Plus Three countries, so as to provide new impetus for the development of the wider region.

At the 14th East Asia Summit Foreign Ministers' Meeting, Foreign Minister Wang Yi noted that the East Asia Summit needs to keep to the right direction, enhance solidarity and coordination, contribute to long-term peace and prosperity in the region, and safeguard international fairness and justice. First, jointly upholding the open and inclusive regional framework, and guarding against forming exclusive groupings by certain countries from outside the region. Second, jointly adhering to rules in the region recognized by all, rather than letting certain countries put their own "rules" above international laws and regional rules recognized by all. Third, jointly providing new quality driving force for connectivity, since decoupling, severing supply chains and "small yard with high fences" will only fragment the regional economy. Fourth, jointly invigorating the East Asia Summit to promote balanced progress of both of its wheelsapolitical security and economic development.

At the 31st ASEAN Regional Forum Foreign Ministers' Meeting, Foreign Minister Wang Yi made a four-point proposal on responding to the challenges we face today. First, upholding the vision for peace and keep to the path of common, comprehensive, cooperative and sustainable security. Second, remaining committed to the ASEAN way, enhancing mutual trust through dialogue and safeguarding security through cooperation. Third, consolidating the foundation for cooperation to provide greater impetus for confidence building measures and preventive diplomacy. Fourth, stepping up dialogue and consultation. No matter how complex the issue is, we need to stay committed to dialogue and consultation. No matter how intense the conflict is, we should never give up effort to seek political settlement.

During his visit to Laos, Foreign Minister Wang Yi met with General Secretary of the Lao People's Revolutionary Party and President of Laos Thongloun Sisoulith and Prime Minister Sonexay Siphandone respectively, and held talks with Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Saleumxay Kommasith. Foreign Minister Wang Yi stressed that China and Laos have formed an unbreakable community with a shared future. China will continue to be the most reliable friend and most trustworthy partner of Laos. We are ready to share reform and development experience with Laos in a timely way, jointly enhance governance capacity and advance the socialist cause. We would like to deepen cooperation with Laos on all fronts and provide driving forces for Laos' economic growth. We also support Laos for assuming the rotating presidency of ASEAN and for playing a bigger role in international and regional affairs.

Foreign Minister Wang Yi also elaborated on China's position on the Taiwan question and the South China Sea issue on separate occasions in Laos. He stressed that the Taiwan question is one hundred percent China's internal affair, which no foreign forces have the right to interfere in. To truly uphold cross-Strait peace, one must firmly reject all "Taiwan independence" moves. Recently China reached provisional arrangement with the Philippines on humanitarian resupply of living necessities to Ren'ai Jiao. The Philippines needs to honor its commitment, stop flip-flopping and going back on its word, and not backpedal or create problems again. Otherwise, China will make a resolute response. Foreign Minister Wang Yi also reiterated China's principled position on the Palestinian question and the Ukraine crisis, and stressed that China will continue to play a constructive role for ceasefire and political settlement.

AFP: Today, Venezuela's President NicolAs Maduro won the presidential election. What's China's comments?

Lin Jian: China congratulates Venezuela on the smooth presidential election and congratulates President NicolAs Maduro on his successful reelection. China and Venezuela are good friends and partners that support each other. This year marks the 50th anniversary of China-Venezuela diplomatic ties. China attaches great importance to its relations with Venezuela and stands ready to work with the Venezuelan side to enrich the all-weather strategic partnership between the two countries and deliver more benefits for the two peoples.

Beijing Daily: Over the weekend, the 46th session of the World Heritage Committee adopted resolutions to include three nominations submitted by China in the World Heritage List, including the Beijing Central Axis: A Building Ensemble Exhibiting the Ideal Order of the Chinese Capital. What's your comment?

Lin Jian: Warm congratulations on the success of the Beijing Central Axis, the Badain Jaran DesertaTowers of Sand and Lakes and the Migratory Bird Sanctuaries along the Coast of Yellow Sea-Bohai Gulf of China (Phase II) for making UNESCO's World Heritage List. China now has a total of 59 world heritage sites, ranking second in the world, including 15 world natural heritage sites and four cultural and natural sites. China continues to top the world in the number of world natural heritage sites.

Behind the success of the bid is the enormous conservation effort made by the Chinese government and people in preserving cultural heritage, protecting the ecological environment and building a beautiful China. The Chinese government carried out over 100 projects of cultural relic preservation to revive the Beijing Central Axis, the longest urban central axis in the world, and blend modern living with the rich history of the city center. With a firm belief in "green is gold," China has redoubled efforts to protect biodiversity and the environment. As a result, the geological landscape of the Badain Jaran Desert has been well preserved, and the Migratory Bird Sanctuaries along the Coast of Yellow Sea-Bohai Gulf have now become indispensable breeding, stopover and winter sites for tens of millions of migratory waterbirds.

Worldaheritage is the common wealth of all humanityaand needs to beaprotected and preservedaby all. China will continue to uphold the vision of building a community with a shared future for mankind and work with the international community to actively implement the Convention Concerning the Protection of the World Cultural and Natural Heritage, share with the world China's successful experience, strengthen cooperation on protecting world heritage and contribute more Chinese wisdom and effort to global ecological conservation and exchanges and mutual learning among civilizations.

Reuters: The EU recently moved to impose tariffs on electric vehicles made in China. Yet individual European Union states like Italy are seeking stronger economic ties with China. Is this a case of EU states trying to have the best of both worlds?

Lin Jian: On EU's anti-subsidy probe into Chinese EVs, we have stated our opposition multiple times. Let me stress that China-EU trade and economic cooperation is mutually beneficial in nature. Imposing tariffs is a typical protectionist move and is not conducive to EU's green transition or global response to climate change. It is in the interest of both China and the EU to properly handle differences through dialogue and consultation on the basis of mutual respect.

You mentioned the economic ties between China and Italy. Let me stress that between China and Italy, practical cooperation has delivered fruitful outcomes, trade and investment has kept expanding and delivered tangible benefits to the peoples of both countries. Amid sluggish world economic recovery, there is all the more reason for China and Italy to build stronger economic ties to provide more driving force for the development of both countries.

AFP: The foreign ministers of the United States, Japan, Australia, and India said on Monday that they were seriously concerned about the situation in the East and South China Seas. How does China comment on this?

Lin Jian: China believes that cooperation between countries as well as regional initiatives should be conducive to peace, stability, and prosperity in the region, rather than focused on forming exclusive clubs that undermine trust and cooperation among regional countries. Quad keeps chanting the slogan of a free and open Indo-Pacific, and all the while, it has been scaremongering, inciting antagonism and confrontation, and holding back other countries' development. This runs counter to the overwhelming trend of pursuing peace, development, cooperation, and prosperity in the Asia-Pacific and will by no means gain any support.

China firmly upholds its territorial sovereignty and maritime rights and interests, and is committed to properly settling bilateral maritime issues with countries directly concerned through dialogue and consultation. Some countries outside the region have frequently sent advanced military aircraft and vessels to the South China Sea to flex their muscles and create tension, and have formed various groupings and incited division and confrontation in the region, all of which make them the biggest threat and challenge to regional peace and stability. China firmly opposes the bloc confrontation they incite in the name of "anti-coercion", and the imposition of their house rules in the name of maintaining order. We call on countries outside the region to earnestly respect the effort of regional countries for peace and stability, and stop fanning flames and fueling tensions in the region.

Reuters: Malaysia on Sunday applied to join BRICS. If successful, Malaysia would be the first BRICS member from Southeast Asia. Would that increase BRICS's political clout and influence in Southeast Asia?

Lin Jian: The development and expansion of the BRICS mechanism reflects the trend of the times, serves the interests of relevant countries, and provides a strong driving force for multipolarity in the world and greater democracy in international relations. That is exactly why more and more emerging markets and developing countries, such as Malaysia, show a keen interest in BRICS and have expressed recognition for and hope to join the group. BRICS members have responded to the hope of various parties with all sincerity and advanced relevant process with pragmatic action. We welcome more like-minded partners to join BRICS cooperation and work together to make the international order more just and equitable.

AFP: After the US-Japan 2+2 meeting in Tokyo, the US and Japan issued the joint statement and said that China's foreign policy seeks to reshape the international order for its own benefit at the expense of others. What's China's comment?

Lin Jian: The joint statement issued by Japan and the US lacks factual basis. The statement frames and attacks China's domestic and foreign policies and grossly interferes in China's internal affairs. The statement falsely accuses China on maritime issues and points fingers at China's normal military development and defense policy. The statement propagates "China threat," and creates scare through the talk of regional tensions. China deplores and opposes it.

China is a force for world peace, a contributor to global development and a defender of international order. China is committed to the path of peaceful development and a defense policy that is defensive in nature. China's defense development and military activities are justified and reasonable. China always keeps its nuclear strength at the minimum level as required by national security. China does not pose a threat to any country.

It is Japan and the US that are pursuing their agenda at the expense of other countries' security interests and the welfare of people in the Asia-Pacific. The US and Japan keep emphasizing regional peace and security and a rule-based order, all the while ganging up to form exclusive clubs, engage in group politics, incite bloc confrontation, and disrupt regional peace, security and stability. On top of that, Japan and the US have been seeking to strengthen the Cold War relic of "extended deterrence," and developing the so-called "nuclear deterrence." This will drive up regional tensions and trigger nuclear proliferation and conflict risks.a

Issues related to Taiwan, Hong Kong, Xinjiang, and Xizang are purely China's internal affairs and brook no external interference. The biggest threat to cross-Strait peace at present is the separatist activities of "Taiwan independence" forces and the external connivance and support they receive. If Japan and the US truly care about cross-Strait peace and stability, what they should do is uphold the one-China principle, oppose "Taiwan independence" separatism, and support China's reunification.

China will always defend its territorial sovereignty and maritime rights and interests. We are committed to properly settling bilateral maritime issues with countries directly concerned through dialogue and consultation. The real provocative actions are the constant meddling by the US and other countries outside the region, including their muscle flexing in waters off China's coast, including the East and South China Seas.

We call on the US and Japan to immediately stop interfering in China's internal affairs, stop creating confrontation, stop triggering a new Cold War, do what is conducive to regional strategic stability, and not become a source of danger and disruption for peace and tranquility in the Asia-Pacific.

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IRGC seizes oil tanker with smuggled fuel in Persian Gulf

IRNA - Islamic Republic News Agency

Jul 29, 2024

Tehran, IRNA -- The Islamic Revolution Guards Corps (IRGC) has seized a Togo-flagged oil tanker carrying smuggled fuel in the Persian Gulf.

The oil tanker named Pearl G, flying the flag of the African country of Togo, was seized by IRGC naval forces on Friday morning near the Arash oilfield in the north of the Persian Gulf, the IRGC said in a statement.

The vessel is owned by an Iraqi national residing in Dubai and it was carrying some 700,000 liters of smuggled oil.

The tanker, along with its nine crew members, all of whom Indian nationals, has been transferred to Imam Khomeini Port for further investigation.

Last Monday, the IRGC Navy reported seizing another Togo-flagged oil tanker carrying over 1.5 million liters of smuggled fuel off the coast of Bushehr.

4353**2050

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Enhanced ties among independent nations key to fight unilateralism: Pezeshkian

Iran Press TV

Monday, 29 July 2024 5:52 PM

Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian says the expansion of relations among independent and freedom-seeking countries such as Iran and Cuba can play an effective role in the fight against unilateralism.

In a meeting with Cuba's Prime Minister Manuel Marrero Cruz in Tehran on Monday, Pezeshkian hailed the Cuban nation's battle against imperialism.

Pezeshkian reiterated Tehran's resolve to consolidate relations with Havana.

"The Islamic Republic of Iran has always supported and will certainly continue to support the independence and libertarian ideals of Cuba."

The new Iranian president said no obstacle can disrupt the will of the two countries to further develop ties.

Elsewhere in his remarks, Pezeshkian denounced Israel's crimes against the defenseless people of Palestine in Gaza and inaction of the self-proclaimed human rights defenders on the regime's criminal acts.

Despite their constant claims about defending human rights and democracy, the United States and some Western countries refrain from taking an action vis-A -vis Israel's crimes, he said.

The US and its Western allies are even providing the Tel Aviv regime with financial and arms support and are complicit in Israel's genocidal war against the oppressed Palestinian people, Pezeshkian emphasized.

He urged world bodies to take a practical measure to put an end to Israel's crimes in the Gaza Strip.

The Cuban prime minister, for his part, pointed to fraternal and strategic relations between Tehran and Havana and said both sides have common positions on international issues.

Marrero Cruz said strengthening bilateral cooperation will play a very effective role in countering the US cruel sanctions.

The US has maintained a harsh economic, financial, and commercial embargo against Cuba for more than 60 years. Numerous resolutions by the United Nations General Assembly have indicated that the blockade is against international law. However, Washington has consistently voted against UN resolutions demanding an end to the sanctions against Cuba.

Iran has also been targeted by unilateral sanctions from the US in contravention of international law.

New Iranian administration will speed up implementation of agreements with Syria: Pezeshkian

In a meeting with Syrian Prime Minister Hussein Arnous in Tehran, Pezeshkian said his administration will take necessary strategy to speed up the implementation of the agreements with the Arab country.

The Iranian president underscored the importance of enhancing mutual ties in the economic, trade and social sectors as well as cultural exchanges in line with the political relations.

For his turn, Arnous commended Iran's support for the improvement of security in Syria and said the two countries should use their diverse capacities to deepen relations.

Iran, South Africa should strengthen bilateral, international cooperation: Pezeshkian

Iran's new president called for strengthening cooperation with South Africa in bilateral and international circles, including the BRICS group of emerging economies.

In a meeting with South Africa's Minister of International Relations and Cooperation Ronald Ozzy Lamola in Tehran on Monday, Pezeshkian expressed hope that the two countries will witness further promotion of economic and commercial cooperation given various existing capacities.

He hailed South Africa's constructive stance on support for the oppressed Palestinian people and said the apartheid Israeli regime has committed the most heinous crimes against the Palestinian people in Gaza.

The Iranian president said silence of the self-proclaimed human rights defenders and their arms support for Israel have intensified the regime's crimes against the Palestinians.

South Africa filed a genocide case against Israel in December 2023 over its war on the Gaza Strip. According to South Africa's application, Israel's actions in Gaza were "genocidal in character because they are intended to bring about the destruction of a substantial part of the Palestinian national, racial and ethnical group."

The South African minister, for his part, expressed his country's keenness to develop relations with Iran given a 30-year record of diplomatic ties.

He said South Africa will insist on its principled stance in supporting the Palestinian people despite pressures and threats.

Lamola said his country will continue to cooperate with Iran with the purpose of restoring the Palestinian people's rights, establishing lasting ceasefire and delivering humanitarian aid to the war-stricken civilians.

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Secretary Blinken's Call with Israeli President Herzog

US Department of State

Readout

Office of the Spokesperson

July 29, 2024

The below is attributable to Spokesperson Matthew Miller:

Secretary of State Antony J. Blinken spoke with Israeli President Isaac Herzog today. Secretary Blinken expressed condolences for those killed in the village of Majdal Shams in the attack by Lebanese Hezbollah and wished a speedy recovery for those injured. The Secretary reaffirmed the United States' ironclad commitment to Israel's security against threats from Iranian-backed terrorist organizations, including Hezbollah. He emphasized the importance of preventing escalation of the conflict and discussed efforts to reach a diplomatic solution to allow citizens on both sides of the border between Israel and Lebanon to return home. Secretary Blinken and President Herzog also discussed ongoing efforts to achieve a ceasefire in Gaza and secure the release of hostages. The Secretary underscored the U.S. commitment to securing lasting peace and stability in the region.

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July 29, 2024

Release

Readout of Secretary of Defense Lloyd J. Austin III's Meeting With Secretary of State Antony Blinken and Japanese Prime Minister Kishida Fumio

Deputy Pentagon Press Secretary Ms. Sabrina Singh provided the following readout:

Secretary of Defense Lloyd J. Austin III and Secretary of State Antony Blinken met today with Japanese Prime Minister Kishida Fumio in Tokyo.

Secretary Austin reaffirmed the unwavering and ironclad U.S. commitment to the defense of Japan, which is the cornerstone of peace and stability in the Indo-Pacific. The three officials welcomed the outcomes of the July 28 meeting of the U.S.-Japan Security Consultative Committee and highlighted the two countries' unprecedented momentum following Prime Minister Kishida's State Visit to the United States in April.

The officials also discussed opportunities to continue expanding trilateral cooperation with the Republic of Korea.

Secretary Austin, Secretary Blinken, and Prime Minister Kishida reaffirmed the historic progress that the leaders from both countries have made in strengthening the Alliance and enhancing peace, prosperity, and stability in a free and open Indo-Pacific region.

https://www.defense.gov/News/Releases/Release/Article/3852274/

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July 29, 2024

Release

Readout of Secretary of Defense Lloyd J. Austin III's Meeting With Japanese Minister of Defense Kihara Minoru

Deputy Pentagon Press Secretary Ms. Sabrina Singh provided the following readout:

Secretary of Defense Lloyd J. Austin III met today with Japanese Minister of Defense Kihara Minoru in Tokyo.

Secretary Austin reaffirmed the unwavering and ironclad U.S. commitment to the defense of Japan, which is the cornerstone of peace and stability in the Indo-Pacific. The two officials underscored the importance of continuing to strengthen the U.S.-Japan Alliance toward a free and open Indo-Pacific.

Secretary Austin and Minister Kihara welcomed the historic announcements from the 2024 U.S.-Japan Security Consultative Committee on defense industrial base cooperation and continued collaboration on alliance command and control.

The officials also welcomed the historic Trilateral Ministerial Meeting with Minister Kihara and Republic of Korea Minister of National Defense Shin Won-sik on July 28 - the first to ever take place in either Japan or the ROK.

Both officials reaffirmed the strategic alignment between the United States and Japan, as well as shared Alliance goals to optimize force posture, bolster integrated deterrence, modernize roles and missions, and cooperate with like-minded partners to ensure a free and open Indo-Pacific.

https://www.defense.gov/News/Releases/Release/Article/3852269/

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Secretary Blinken's Meeting with Japanese Prime Minister Kishida

US Department of State

Readout

Office of the Spokesperson

July 29, 2024

The below is attributable to Spokesperson Matthew Miller:

Secretary of State Antony J. Blinken and Secretary of Defense Lloyd J. Austin, III met with Japanese Prime Minister Kishida Fumio today in Tokyo. They celebrated the success of the Security 2+2 and affirmed their commitment to strengthening the U.S.-Japan Alliance.

The Secretaries and Prime Minister discussed significant progress on defense commitments made during the Prime Minister's official visit to Washington, D.C. in April and committed to continue advancing the U.S.-Japan Alliance as the cornerstone of security and prosperity in the Indo-Pacific region. Secretary Blinken expressed deep concern about the DPRK's growing military cooperation with Russia and its unlawful nuclear weapons and ballistic missile programs. He also emphasized the importance of maintaining peace and stability across the Taiwan Strait and in the South China Sea.

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Secretary Antony J. Blinken And Secretary of Defense Lloyd J. Austin III and Japanese Prime Minister Kishida Fumio Before Their Meeting

US Department of State

Remarks

Antony J. Blinken, Secretary of State

Kantei

Tokyo, Japan

July 29, 2024

PRIME MINISTER KISHIDA: (Via interpreter) Let me first extend my wholehearted welcome to Secretary Blinken and Secretary Austin's visit to Japan. I have been informed that there was a fruitful discussion at the 2+2 meeting. We hope to further strengthen the deterrence and response capabilities of our alliance through various frameworks at various levels, and also through concrete cooperation, including the leaders and the ministers level. I would like to see your continued cooperation.

SECRETARY BLINKEN: Well, Prime Minister Kishida, thank you so much for receiving us today, and thank you and your entire team for the exceptional 2+2 that we held yesterday. I think it is very safe to report that our alliance is stronger than it's ever been. And the initiatives, including on command and control, on joint production, as well as on extended deterrence, these are very much a result of your vision, of your leadership, and I believe, your legacy. I'm grateful for it. Thank you.

SECRETARY AUSTIN: Mr. Prime Minister, again, thank you for meeting with us. I really appreciate you carving out some time for us today, especially it's - I'm told that it's your birthday today. (Laughter.) Happy Birthday, Mr. Prime Minister. (Applause.) We did have a very productive 2+2 meeting yesterday, and I think in some ways you could describe it as historic. Our alliance is strong as it's ever been, and we've been able to achieve some very, very impressive things here over the last several years. Many thanks to you for allowing us to hold the very first trilateral minister of defense meeting here in Tokyo with Korea - Republic of Korea. And I think this sets an example - tremendous example - for the entire region.

We remain absolutely committed to the defense of Japan. So I look forward to continuing to work with my counterpart in strengthening our ties.

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Secretary Antony J. Blinken Remarks to the Press

US Department of State

Remarks

Antony J. Blinken, Secretary of State

NEC Future Creation Hub

Tokyo, Japan

July 29, 2024

SECRETARY BLINKEN: Well, good morning, everyone. It's been a great pleasure to be here at NEC to see the extraordinary work that NEC does, but also the extraordinary collaboration that we've had between the United States and NEC and between the United States and Japan. NEC is - I think some of you heard - is a major investor in the United States, supporting thousands of jobs in the United States. Japan of course is our leading foreign direct investment investor, supporting some million jobs in the United States with hundreds of billions of dollars in investment. And by the way, the United States is the leading destination for foreign direct investment now, which is, I think, a gauge of tremendous credibility, success of our economies and the way the world sees them.

But our leading partner is Japan, we're grateful for that, but it's not just the investment. It's what we're doing together with that investment, as well as the work that the United States is doing here in Japan. NEC's an incredible example of that. You've seen the leading-edge work that they're doing on undersea cables, the leading-edge work that they're doing on the communications systems, Open RAN networks, that we believe are the future for digital communications. And we know every single day that what's connecting us around the world, physically and visually, are these cables and the systems that run on them. And we want to make sure that these systems are trusted, that they're secure, and that people can be connected all around the world. And that's the essence of the partnership that we have.

Our diplomacy works every day to try to make sure that our companies - companies from countries, partners like Japan - have a level playing field to compete effectively whenever there's something to compete for, and that we have a world that's connected, that's resilient, and that's working with trusted vendors like NEC. So this is a critical part of American diplomacy, it's a critical part of the work that we do with Japan, and of course you see it playing out in other places - Japan and the United States working together with the Philippines, for example, on testing out and actually commercializing the Open RAN system.

So I'm grateful for this. For us, this partnership is absolutely essential. Thank you.

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Myanmar insurgents free political prisoners in northern Shan state city

Fighting in Lashio between the military junta and the Myanmar National Democratic Alliance Army began in June.

By RFA Burmese 2024.07.29 -- A Myanmar insurgent army and its allies have freed political prisoners and taken control of a hospital and several police stations in the strategic northern Shan state city of Lashio, where fighting with junta forces has been ongoing for more than a month.

Last week, the Myanmar National Democratic Alliance Army, or MNDAA, announced it had captured the junta's northeastern regional military headquarters in Lashio, although the junta has denied the claim.

Fighting in neighborhoods near the regional headquarters continued over the weekend, several residents who requested anonymity for safety reasons told Radio Free Asia.

The MNDAA announced on Sunday that it had also seized a market, a sub-broadcast station and three junta battalion camps in Lashio, which is located about halfway along the main road linking the city of Mandalay and the Chinese border.

One of the junta camps was located near Lashio prison, where insurgent fighters have opened the gates, several sources said.

Some 200 political prisoners walked free over the weekend, including Tun Tun Hein, a member of the Central Executive Committee for the National League for Democracy party, which was overthrown by the military in a 2021 coup d'etat.

"Local resistance forces are working together to help with the prisoners," said Maung Maung Swe, the deputy secretary for the shadow National Unity Government's Ministry of Defense.

"Some have been injured by shrapnel from landmines during the prison break, and we are also providing health care for them," he said.

A family member of Tun Tun Hein told RFA that there were few details about the prisoners due to telecommunications blackouts.

RFA's attempts to contact the MNDAA's spokesperson to ask about the prison were unsuccessful on Monday. Junta spokesperson Major General Zaw Min Tun was also unavailable.

Wa troops in Lashio

On Saturday, the United Wa State Army, or UWSA, entered Lashio and took positions near its liaison office and some of its property.

The UWSA - Myanmar's largest ethnic army - waited until MNDAA forces controlled most of the city before going into Lashio, according to UWSA liaison officer Nyi Rang.

"We officially informed both sides in advance about our entry," he said. "Our Wa army will not intervene or side with any armed groups. We also hope for nationwide peace, including in Lashio, as soon as possible."

The UWSA vowed in November to remain neutral as the Three Brotherhood Alliance began a large-scale operation against junta forces.

The alliance - made up of the MNDAA, the Ta'ang National Liberation Army and the Arakan Army - has made significant gains against junta forces in Shan state and elsewhere in Myanmar since last October, when it launched Operation 1027. It resumed offensive operations in June following a ceasefire.

Zaw Min Tun told local news media that the junta was aware of the UWSA's presence in Lashio.

Fighting since late June has forced more than 200,000 Lashio residents to flee their homes, according to aid workers. More than 10,000 people remain in the city.

A junta airstrike on Sunday morning killed five people who had taken refuge near a monastery in Lashio, an aid worker told RFA.

Elsewhere in the city, a 25-year-old woman was killed by shrapnel from a landmine that struck the back of her head, the aid worker said

Translated by Aung Naing. Edited by Matt Reed.

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 July not be used in a manner which would give the appearance of any endorsement of any product or support of any issue or political position. Please read the full text of our Terms of Use.

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Natural gas supplies plummet in Myanmar amid import limits

The price of gas used by many for cooking has more than tripled.

By RFA Burmese 2024.07.29 -- The price of gas commonly used in Myanmar for cooking has more than tripled amid massive supply shortages since the February 2021 coup d'etat, with some families being forced to switch to charcoal.

A lack of regular electricity in Myanmar means many homes and restaurants relied on liquid petroleum gas, or LPG, which is imported under a strict licensing regime controlled by the government.

Myanmar's military junta only issues import permits to select individuals who are close to the military, resulting in a near monopoly in the sector and shortages, gas sellers told Radio Free Asia.

"Gas prices are rising every year due to two main issues: monopolization at the ports, and the increase in dollar prices, along with the restricted allocation of import licenses," the manager of a gas wholesaler in Yangon told RFA on condition of anonymity.

"If there were no monopolies and import licenses were not limited, prices could drop by up to 40 percent from their current levels."

RFA inquiries to sellers across Myanmar indicate that while there is no uniform price in the country, the cost of one "viss" container of gas, which is equal to about 1.68 kilograms or 3.5 pounds of natural gas, ranges from 12,000 to 20,000 kyat, or about US$2.6 to $4.4.

That is up significantly in a matter of only months.

"Last year, the price was only 3,700 to 4,000 kyat per viss," said Ko Daung, a resident of Yangon who told RFA that the price of gas had steadily increased and made his everyday living costs skyrocket.

"In a short period, it jumped to about 8,000 kyat per viss. Now, it is over 10,000 kyat," he said, adding that shortages had complicated things. "Even if you spend more than 10,000 kyat, you can't fill up at gas shops anymore. Since I can't get gas, I'll just have to use charcoal."

All legal LPG in Myanmar is imported by sea and distributed from the port in Yangon. Some gas is also smuggled across the border from Thailand, but recent floods in Myanmar's border states of Mon and Kayin had cut off many of the roads used by smugglers.

RFA sought comment about the price rises from Min Min Oo, the deputy permanent secretary of the Ministry of Energy, but did not receive a response. Major General Zaw Min Tun, a spokesman for the military junta, also could not be reached for comment.

Ko Daung, the Yangon resident, said he hoped authorities would prioritize the issue before prices went up any further.

"It's becoming unaffordable for us. If we could get gas at a lower price, we could save money for other essential needs in our lives," he said.

Translated by Kalyar Lwin. Edited by Alex Willemyns.

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 July not be used in a manner which would give the appearance of any endorsement of any product or support of any issue or political position. Please read the full text of our Terms of Use.

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Floods force 20,000 people from homes in Myanmar's Bago

At least four people killed in central and eastern Myanmar.

By RFA Burmese 2024.07.29 -- Flooding triggered by torrential downpours has forced about 20,000 people from their homes in the Myanmar city of Bago and they now face a dire shortage of water and food with more rain expected, aid workers and residents said on Monday.

A child was swept away and drowned near Bago, which is famous for its Buddhist temples, about 80 km (50 miles) north of the former capital of Yangon, after days of relentless rain, residents said.

The flooding has compounded misery for many people struggling to get by in an economic crisis in the wake of a 2021 military coup that plunged the country into bloody turmoil.

"The flood hasn't subsided. I don't know how to express the hardships, the flooding amidst the political crisis. We're facing shortages of food and medicine," a Bago resident, who declined to be identified for fear of reprisals for talking to the media, told Radio Free Asia.

Aid groups said 20,000 people have been forced from their homes since Friday, with residents of the Ah Htet Zaing Ga Naing Gyi, Kyun Tharyar, Kyauk Gyi Su and Pon Nar Su neighborhoods particularly hard hit.

"Those neighborhoods are flooded up to the height of bamboo," said an official with a Bago-based social aid group, who also declined to be identified.

"There's an urgent need for clean drinking water and food for the evacuees," said the official, adding that some people who had sought shelter in a relief camp were forced to move again when the waters kept rising.

The junta that seized power in 2021 said in a notice in the state-owned Myanmar Alin newspaper that 27 flood relief camps had been opened and military authorities in Bago had helped 18,210 people evacuate and were providing assistance to them.

A child from a family already displaced by fighting was killed in the town of Mone, to the north of Bago, when fast-flowing flood waters washed away a river bank, residents said.

"They were fleeing the war and were sheltering in the forest when the child was washed away. The body was found near Kyaung Su village," said the first Bago resident.

Meteorological officials said early on Monday that the flood waters in Bago could rise by another six inches over the next day and would remain above the danger level for some time.

To the east of Bago, the Sittaung River, one of the main rivers flowing south through central Myanmar to the ocean, had overflowed and flooded communities along its banks, residents of the area said.

Even further to the east, flooding in Myawaddy township on the border with Thailand killed three people - a child and two men - on Saturday when a border river burst its banks, residents said.

Flooding in northern Myanmar's Kachin state displaced thousands of people early this month.

The military council's Meteorological Department and the Hydrological Directorate announced on Sunday that 12 cities across Myanmar faced flooding.

Editing by RFA staff.

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 July not be used in a manner which would give the appearance of any endorsement of any product or support of any issue or political position. Please read the full text of our Terms of Use.

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Protests In Western Pakistan Turn Violent, Leaving 1 Soldier Dead, Many Injured

By RFE/RL's Radio Mashaal July 29, 2024

Thousands of Pakistanis have been protesting for nearly a week in the port city of Gwadar against a growing Chinese presence in Balochistan and what members of the Baluch community say is a pattern of "forced disappearances" that they blame on Pakistani authorities.

Pakistan's army said on July 29 that the protests recently turned violent, leaving one soldier dead and at least 16 injured.

According to Baloch United Committee head Mahrang Baloch, the protest, which began on July 24, revolves around the exploitation of resources and the oppression of the Baluch ethnic minority.

"Gwadar is a very sensitive city," Balochistan Interior Minister Mir Ziaullah Lango told RFE/RL, pointing out that there are a number of Chinese nationals living in there.

Gwadar is a port city in western Pakistan on the Iranian border. It is a key nexus for China's Belt and Road Initiative, an economic-development program criticized by the West for exploitive tendencies throughout the Global South. Beijing has invested about $65 billion in Belt and Road Initiative projects in Pakistan.

Gwadar has been the scene of protests and security concerns in the past. In 2021, Islamabad and Beijing announced plans to install barbed wire around Gwadar, but the move was postponed after mass protests.

Baloch said the gas, coal, and resources of Balochistan belong to the people living in the region, rather than international powers.

"Balochistan and Gwadar are ours," Baloch said. "We cannot live under oppression. We will not allow anyone to exploit us."

Lango said 25 protesters had been arrested for "interfering with the work of the government," but Nadia Baloch, a leader of the Baloch United Committee and Mahrang Baloch's sister, told RFE/RL more than 300 protesters had been arrested following raids throughout Balochistan.

Videos showing protesters being dragged into police cars have circulated online, and the Human Rights Commission of Pakistan condemned the arrest of the protesters and called for the release of all those arrested.

Lango told RFE/RL's Radio Mashaal that the published videos and images were edited.

The Pakistani Army said the casualties among the soldiers who guarded the protest resulted from "unprovoked assaults by the violent protesters."

Baluch leaders claim that several protesters were injured by the army but gave no details about the number injured or their condition.

Nadia Baloch also cited "forced disappearances" as a motivation for the protests. The Pakistani Army claims that the number of missing people is fewer than 1,000.

Army spokesman Major General Ahmed Sharif said at a May 7 press conference that Baluch people had joined armed groups and were not actually missing.

A Pakistani government commission that investigates forced disappearances said it had registered 197 cases in the first six months of 2024.

With reporting by Reuters

Source: https://www.rferl.org/a/pakistan-balochistan- china-protest-gwadar/33055338.html

Copyright (c) 2024. RFE/RL, Inc. Reprinted with the permission of Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty, 1201 Connecticut Ave., N.W. Washington DC 20036.

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Pakistan arrests radical Islamist leader for placing bounty on chief justice

By Ayaz Gul July 29, 2024

Police in central Pakistan on Monday arrested a leader of a far-right Islamist party on charges of ordering the assassination of the country's top judge over his alleged support for minority Ahmadis.

Zaheerul Hassan Shah, deputy chief of Tehreek-e-Labaik Pakistan, or TLP, was taken into custody under the anti-terrorism law in Punjab, the country's most populous province, according to an official police complaint.

The arrest came a day after Shah was seen in a viral video on social media announcing to a crowd of TLP supporters that he would personally give 10 million rupees ($36,000) to anyone who beheads Supreme Court Chief Justice Qazi Faez Esa.

The radical leader delivered the speech in the provincial capital of Lahore, accusing the 65-year-old top judge of "desecrating the law of the country."

The rally was one of a series of public gatherings organized by TLP in recent days in parts of Pakistan to condemn Esa for granting bail to a member of the minority Ahmadi community, who was accused of posting material against Islam on social media.

Hours before Shah's arrest, the federal defense minister told reporters in the national capital, Islamabad, that the government would sternly deal with those making false allegations against the chief justice and issuing death threats in the name of the Islamic religion.

"No group can incite violence in the name of faith or politics. We will use the full force of the law to bring them to justice," Khawaja Asif said. "The state will not allow you to issue a fatwa [decree] to kill someone," he added.

TLP leaders routinely use offensive anti-Ahmadi language in public rallies and gatherings, inciting followers to attack members of the minority community and their places of worship in the country.

Ahmadis are followers of the Ahmadiyya community, a contemporary messianic movement founded in 1889 who profess to be Muslims.

Pakistan's constitution declared Ahmadis non-Muslim in 1974 and subsequently prohibited them from acting or representing themselves as Muslims. They are also barred under the law from publicly propagating their faith and building places of worship.

The constitutional restrictions are primarily blamed for the spike in deadly attacks and hatred against Ahmadis in the years that followed.

Last week, a United Nations panel of independent experts said in a joint statement they "are alarmed by ongoing reports of violence and discrimination against Ahmadis" and urged Pakistani authorities to take immediate action to address the situation.

"Urgent measures are necessary to respond to these violent attacks and the broader atmosphere of hatred and discrimination which feeds it," the panel, reporting to the Geneva-based U.N. Human Rights Council, stated Thursday.

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Russian Military to Analyze Creation of New US Military Command in Japan

Sputnik News

20240729

The Russian military will conduct the necessary analysis of the decision of Washington and Tokyo to create a new structure of the joint military command of the US and Japan, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said on Monday

According to a joint statement of Washington-Tokyo Security Consultative Committee released by the US Department of Defense on Sunday, the US and Japan will establish a Joint Operations Command (JJOC) to enhance military cooperation. This initiative was agreed upon by US Secretary of State Antony Blinken and Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin, along with Japanese Foreign Minister Yoko Kamikawa and Defense Minister Minoru Kihara.

"This is not exactly a Kremlin topic, it is more a topic for analysis by our military. I have no doubt that the necessary analysis will be carried out," Peskov told reporters.

No Meeting Planned

Moscow is not planning to hold a meeting with Japanese upper house member Muneo Suzuki, who is visiting Russia, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said on Monday.

Earlier in the day, the Hokkaido newspaper reported Suzuki arrived in Moscow on Saturday and will stay in Russia until July 31. According to the newspaper, the lawmaker is scheduled to meet with representatives of the Russian Foreign Ministry and the Federal Agency for Fishery during the visit.

"No, the Kremlin has no contacts planned," Peskov said in response to a question from journalists.

Japan's leadership is in solidarity with West's unfriendly actions towards Russia, the spokesman said.

"Unfortunately, the country's leadership is not limited to this by its attitude towards our country, but is also trying to put pressure on those who share a different point of view and are inclined to find ways to establish contacts," Peskov said.

On Russia's - Belarus Partnership

Russia and Belarus have multidisciplinary relations, therefore various work moments are inevitable, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said on Monday.

Earlier in the day, Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko said he had agreed with Russian President Vladimir Putin to settle all outstanding issues by the autumn, including on the security and government agenda.

"We have such multifaceted bilateral relations. After all, we are in a union state, and we really have very multidisciplinary relations, and they are very intensive, broad in scope, in terms of the range of topics. Therefore, of course, some working moments are inevitable, which are constantly being resolved by our governments," Peskov told reporters.

During talks, the presidents have discussed the entire spectrum of cooperation, including security issues, trade and economic cooperation, the official added.

On Russia-Venezuela Partnership

Russia intends to comprehensively develop relations with Venezuela, including in sensitive areas, this is in the interests of the two countries, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said on Monday.

"We are developing our relations with Venezuela in all areas, including sensitive ones. And, of course, we pay great attention ... we know about mutual plans from the Venezuelan leadership. Such cooperation is in the interests of both the Venezuelan people and the Russians. Therefore, we will comprehensively develop our relations with Venezuela," Peskov told reporters.

A Sputnik

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IPAC condemns Chinese pressure over upcoming Taipei summit

ROC Central News Agency

07/28/2024 06:59 PM

Taipei, July 28 (CNA) An international alliance of parliamentarians on Sunday condemned the People's Republic of China (PRC) for allegedly pressuring its members not to fly to Taiwan to attend the alliance's annual summit set to kick off in Taipei on Tuesday.

The Inter-Parliamentary Alliance on China (IPAC), a group of hundreds of lawmakers from 35 countries concerned about Beijing's threat to global democracy, said some IPAC members were contacted by PRC embassies in their respective countries as part of a "clear attempt to intimidate and dissuade" them from traveling to Taiwan for the annual meet.

According to IPAC, eight lawmakers in at least five countries reportedly received emails and/or phone calls from PRC diplomatic officials before they departed for Taipei.

"Some discovered their party leadership had been contacted to exert additional pressure. One lawmaker was specifically invited to travel to the PRC rather than to Taipei," it added.

IPAC "deplores and condemns" the PRC's attempt to interfere in its summit.

"The PRC's actions around the IPAC Summit are yet another example of brazen efforts to curtail other nations' democratic privileges and negate Taiwan's rights to engage in legitimate diplomatic exchanges."

IPAC members reserve the right to lodge formal representations and complaints with their respective foreign ministries, it added.

The IPAC statement confirmed an Associated Press (AP) report earlier in the day, which said lawmakers from Bolivia, Colombia, Slovakia, North Macedonia, Bosnia and Herzegovina, and "one other Asian country that declined to be named," had received emails and/or phone calls from PRC diplomatic officials before their departure to Taipei for the IPAC summit.

According to emails received by lawmakers made public by AP, in some cases, lawmakers received inquiries about their plans to travel to Taiwan. One lawmaker told AP that Chinese diplomats messaged the head of her party demanding they stop her from going.

IPAC will hold its fourth annual summit in Taipei on July 30 and 31, with 48 cross-party lawmakers from 24 countries across five continents set to participate.

According to IPAC, cross-strait stability will be at the top of the summit's agenda.

The event will also be attended by Taiwan's government and world-leading experts, it said, without elaborating.

"It will be the largest parliamentary delegation ever to visit Taiwan in an institutional capacity," IPAC said.

Formed in 2020, IPAC has over 250 members from 35 legislatures and the European Parliament. It is an international, cross-party alliance of parliamentarians from democratic countries focused on relations with the PRC.

Its purpose is to create a coordinated response to China on global trade, security and human rights issues.

Also Sunday, IPAC welcomed six more countries -- Colombia, Iraq, Malawi, Solomon Islands, The Gambia, and Uruguay -- to the alliance.

Meanwhile, in a separate press statement, Taiwan's Ministry of Foreign Affairs said it welcomed the upcoming summit and confirmed that President Lai Ching-te () will deliver an address during the event.

Vice President Hsiao Bi-khim () will also attend the summit's press event, the ministry said.

(By Joseph Yeh)

Enditem/kb

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War in Ukraine - The arms and military equipment Germany is sending to Ukraine

Germany - Federal Government

Germany provides support for Ukraine by supplying equipment and weapons, these come from supplies of the Federal Arms Forces and from deliveries from industry financed from the Federal Government's funds for security capacity building. An overview.

Monday, 29 July 2024

This list provides an overview of military assistance provided by the Federal Republic of Germany to Ukraine. This military assistance is delivered in two different ways: on the one hand there are the Federal Government funds for security capacity building, which are used to finance deliveries of military equipment and other material from industry. On the other hand, there are deliveries from Federal Armed Forces stocks. In total, the Federal Republic of Germany has so far provided or committed for future years military assistance with a value of approximately 28 billion euro.

Funds for the security capacity building initiative in 2024 alone for military assistance to Ukraine amount to approximately 7.1 billion euro. From these also Germany's contributions to the European Peace Facility of the European Union (EPF) are financed. From the EPF expenditures for military assistance to Ukraine can be re-imbursed to EU member states1. In addition to that there are authorisations to enter commitments in the following years currently amounting to approximately 6 billion euro.

So far already approximately 5 billion euro (2023) and approximately 1.6 billion euro (2022) were spent on military assistance to Ukraine. Additional approximately 2.9 billion euro have been committed in the first two years of the war for deliveries, which will arrive only in the years 2025 to 2028.

Since the beginning of the Russian armed attack on Ukraine on February 24, 2022 Germany has delivered material from Federal Armed Forces stocks amounting to approximately 5.2 billion euro reflecting estimated replacement values. Also, more than 10,000 Ukrainian soldiers have received military training in Germany. Expenses for this training so far amount to approximately 282 million euro. Additional expenses, not calculated here, result from medial treatment of injured soldiers.

Delivered military support to Ukraine:

(Changes compared to the previous update in bold)

Armoured fighting vehicles

58 main battle tanks LEOPARD 1 A5* with spare parts (joint project with Denmark) (before: 50)

ammunition for main battle tank LEOPARD 1*

120 infantry fighting vehicles MARDER with spare parts (from Bundeswehr and industry stocks*)

ammunition for infantry fighting vehicles MARDER*

158 MG3 for LEOPARD 2, MARDER and DACHS

ammunition for LEOPARD 2 (from Bundeswehr and industry stocks*)

10 All Terrain Tracked Carrier Warthog (command vehicle)* (before: 9)

5 All Terrain Tracked Carrier Warthog (repair and recovery vehicle)*

66 Armoured Personnel Carriers (APC)*

73 tracked all-terrain vehicles Bandvagn 206 (BV206)*

18 LEOPARD 2 A 6 main battle tanks with ammunition and spare parts (German share in joint project with further LEOPARD 2 operators)

50 MRAP vehicles DINGO

54 M113 armoured personnel carriers each with 2 MG and spare parts* (systems of Denmark, upgrades financed by Germany)

Air defence

176,000 rounds ammunitions for self-propelled anti-aircraft guns GEPARD (from Bundeswehr and industry stock s*) (before: 155,000)

3 air defence systems PATRIOT with spare parts

PATRIOT missiles

11 air surveillance radar TRML-4D*

4 air defence systems IRIS-T SLM*

2 air defence systems IRIS-T SLS*

2 air defence systems SKYNEX with ammunition*

IRIS-T SLM missiles*

IRIS-T SLS missiles

52 self-propelled anti-aircraft guns GEPARD with spare parts

2 PATRIOT launchers

4,000 rounds practice ammunitions for self-propelled anti-aircraft guns

500 Man Portable Air Defense Systems STINGER

2,700 Man Portable Air Defense Systems STRELA

Artillery

166,000 rounds 155mm ammunition (from Bundeswehr and industry stocks*)

21,000 rounds 155mm smoke/illuminating ammunition

ammunition for multiple rocket launchers MARS II

3 multiple rocket launchers HIMARS

2 wheeled self-propelled howitzer Zuzana 2* (project jointly financed with Denmark and Norway)

155mm precision guided ammunition* (SMArt, VULCANO)

5 multiple rocket launchers MARS II with ammunition (German share in joint project with USA and Great Britain)

14 self-propelled howitzers Panzerhaubitze 2000 with spare parts (German share in joint project with the Netherlands)

20 rocket launchers 70mm on pick-up trucks with rockets*

counter battery radar system COBRA*

10 laser target designators and portable fire control modules for VULCANO artillery ammunition*

Drones and anti-drone systems

40 unmanned surface vessels* (before: 30)

262 reconnaissance drones VECTOR with spare parts*

200 mobile drone jammers*

88 anti-drone sensors and jammers*

249 reconnaissance drones RQ-35 HEIDRUN*

70 frequency range extensions for anti-drone devices*

180 RF 360 fieldkits - drone detection systems*

19 drone detection systems*

93 drone sensors*

18 reconnaissance drones Primoco ONE*

7 reconnaissance drones SONGBIRD*

1 LUNA NG reconnaissance system*

10 anti-drone guns*

12 electronic anti-drone devices*

Military Engineering Capabilities

21 armoured recovery vehicles Bergepanzer 2 with spare parts * (before: 19)

46 mine clearing tanks WISENT 1 with spare parts*

21 bridge-laying tanks BEAVER with spare parts*

11 armoured engineer vehicles DACHS with spare parts*

material for explosive ordnance disposal (from Bundeswehr and industry stocks*)

57 mine ploughs*

20 mobile, remote controlled and protected mine clearing systems*

500 tool kits with blasting material*

19 heavy and medium bridge systems and 12 trailers

5 bridges for bridge-laying tank BEAVER

2 armoured recovery vehicles Bergepanzer 3

12 mobile and protected mine clearing systems Ahlmann*

Protective and Special Equipment

66 ground surveillance radars * (before: 56)

* 58,000 combat helmets (before: 33,190)

331SatCom terminals*

750 night vision goggles*

8 AMPS self-protection systems for helicopters*

IT equipment*

2,000 LED lamps*

84 outboard motors

400 IR cameras*

3 Satcom surveillance systems*

263 border protection vehicles*

1 naval mine clearance system*

50 mobile antenna mast systems*

63 laser range finders*

2,667 Crypto Phones*

90,600 safety glasses (from Bundeswehr and industry stocks*)

1 PCB printer*

1 antenna hub station

1,288 binoculars

5 mobile reconnaissance systems SurveilSPIRE*

10 radio jammers*

40 laser target designators*

1 radio frequency system

3,000 field telephones with 5.000 cable reels and carrying straps

165 field glasses*

1 communications electronic scanner/jammer systems*

6 mobile decontamination vehicles HEP 70 including decontamination material

10 HMMWV (8x ground radar capability, 2x jamming/anti drone capability)*

1 high frequency unit with equipment*

Logistics

181 Pick-ups*

40 protected vehicles*

62 tankers Zetros*

18 tank transporter tractor M1070 Oshkosh*

361 vehicles (trucks, minibuses, all-terrain vehicles) (from Bundeswehr and industry stocks*)

250 trucks Zetros*

90 truck tractor trains 8x8 HX81 and 90 semi-trailers*

25 trucks MAN TGS*

40 load-handling trucks 8x8

34 load-handling trucks 15t*

6 load-handling trucks 8x6 with 21 roll of containers*

14 tracked and remote controlled infantry vehicles THeMIS*

Combat Readiness and Survivability

2 field hospitals* (before: 1)

340,000 rounds ammunition 40mm*

93,000 smoke grenades*

100,000 m detonating cord and 115.000 detonators

2,425 assault rifles MK 556*

240 precision rifles HLR 338 with 240,000 rounds ammunition*

481 rifles CR 308*

350 machine guns MG5*

54.6 million rounds of ammunition for fire arms (from Bundeswehr and industry stocks*)

rescue boats*

13,000 man-portable anti-tank weapons RGW 90*

120mm mortar ammunition*

6.132 camouflage nets (from Bundeswehr and industry stocks*)

6,000 ponchos*

600,000 first aid kits*

100 grenade launchers GMG*

2 emergency power generators

450 snow chains

205,000 single module group rations

medical material

10 All Terrain Tracked Carrier Warthog (ambulance)

49 ambulances*

30,000 winter clothing sets

27,477 backpacks

1,202 Infusion kits

Spare parts WISENT

8 dental sterilizers

103,000 tourniquets

500 pistols SFP9*

2 hangar tents*

8 lift trucks*

295 generators

168 mobile heating systems*

36,400 wool blankets

14,000 sleeping bags

Mi-24 spare parts*

spare parts for heavy machine gun M2

200 tents

116,000 winter jackets

80,000 winter trousers

240,000 winter hats

320,000 pre-packaged military Meals Ready

67 fridges for medical material*

3,000 anti-tank weapons Panzerfaust 3 with 900 firing devices

14,900 anti-tank mines (9,300* from industry stocks)

50 Bunkerfaust with 15 firing devices

100 machine gun MG3 with 500 spare barrels and breechblocks

100,000 hand grenades

5,300 explosive charges

350,000 detonators

100 auto-injector devices

15 palettes military clothing

1,200 hospital beds

18 palettes medical material, 60 surgical lights

protective clothing, surgical masks

1 field hospital (project jointly financed with Estonia)*

Diesel and gasoline*

10 tons AdBlue*

500 medical gauzes*

MiG-29 spare parts*

PzH 2000 self-propelled howitzers during a training and instruction exercise.

Photo: Bundeswehr/Mario BAhr

Military support to Ukraine in planning/in execution

(due to security concerns, the Federal Government abstains from providing details on transportation modalities and dates until after handover)

Armoured fighting vehicles

20 infantry fighting vehicles MARDER*

77 LEOPARD 1 A5 main battle tanks* (joint project with Denmark and the Netherlands)

ammunition for main battle tanks for LEOPARD 2 and LEOPARD 1*

ammunition for infantry fighting vehicles MARDER*

Air defence

2 air defence systems SKYNEX with ammunition*

IRIS-T SLM/SLS missiles*

15 self-propelled anti-aircraft guns GEPARD*

8 air defence systems IRIS-T SLM*

10 air defence systems IRIS-T SLS*

3 air surveillance radar TRML-4D*

GEPARD ammunition*

Artillery

36 wheeled self-propelled howitzers RCH 155*

18 self-propelled howitzers Panzerhaubitze 2000

more than 120,000 projectiles 122mm*

more than 200,000 projectiles 155mm*

14 wheeled self-propelled howitzer Zuzana 2* (project jointly financed with Denmark and Norway)

Drones and counter-UAV systems

213 reconnaissance drones VECTOR*

11 anti-drone sensors and jammers*

30 unmanned surface vessels*

Helicopter

6 Sea King Mk41 multi-role helicopters with spare parts

Military Engineering Capabilities

4 mine clearing tanks WISENT*

10 armoured recovery vehicles Bergepanzer 2*

4 armoured engineer vehicles DACHS*

material for explosive ordnance disposal*

1 mobile, remote controlled and protected mine clearing systems*

5 bridge-laying tanks BEAVER*

2 mobile and protected mine clearing systems Ahlmann*

Protective and Special Equipment

1,660 combat helmets*

725 laser range finders*

8 AMPS self-protection systems for helicopters*

10,000 safety glasses*

10 mobile reconnaissance systems SurveilSPIRE*

237 border protection vehicles*

11 communications electronic scanner/jammer systems*

Logistics

8 tankers Zetros*

20 Zetros refrigerator trucks*

5 tank transporter tractor M1070 Oshkosh*

1 load-handling trucks 8x6 with 7 roll of containers*

2 tractors and 4 trailers*

Combat Readiness and Survivability

2,575 assault rifles MK 556*

369 CR 308

5.5 million rounds of ammunition for fire arms*

8.000 anti-tank mines PARM*

260 precision rifles HLR 338 with 9.8 million rounds ammunition*

15,000 man-portable anti-tank weapons*

2 dental sterilizers

88,000 rounds ammunition 40mm for grenade launchers*

continuing deliveries of medical material*

* Deliveries from industry stocks financed by German funds for security capacity building. Some of the deliveries require upgrades or productions is ongoing; also training measures take place.

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July 29, 2024

Release

Biden Administration Announces Additional Security Assistance for Ukraine

Today, the Department of Defense (DoD) announced additional security assistance to meet Ukraine's critical security and defense needs. This includes the authorization of a Presidential Drawdown Authority (PDA) package valued at up to $200 million to provide Ukraine with key capabilities, including: air defense interceptors; munitions for rocket systems and artillery; and anti-tank weapons.

In addition, DoD is announcing a significant package of support using approximately $1.5 billion in Ukraine Security Assistance Initiative (USAI) funds. This package includes capabilities to augment Ukraine's air defenses, fires, and anti-tank weapons, as well as funding to sustain equipment previously committed by the United States.

The capabilities in this announcement include:

Munitions for National Advanced Surface-to-Air Missile Systems (NASAMS);

Short- and medium-range air defense munitions;

RIM-7 missiles for air defense;

Electronic Warfare equipment;

Ammunition for High Mobility Artillery Rocket Systems (HIMARS);

155mm and 105mm artillery rounds;

120mm mortar rounds;

Precision aerial munitions;

Tube-Launched, Optically-Tracked, Wire-Guided (TOW) missiles;

Javelin and AT-4 anti-armor systems;

Small arms;

Explosives material and demolitions equipment and munitions;

Secure communications systems;

Commercial satellite imagery services; and

Spare parts, maintenance and sustainment support, and other ancillary equipment.

This is the Biden Administration's twentieth USAI package and sixty-second tranche of equipment to be provided from DoD inventories for Ukraine and since August 2021.

The United States will continue to work together with some 50 Allies and partners to ensure Ukraine's brave defenders receive the critical capabilities needed to fight Russian aggression.

https://www.defense.gov/News/Releases/Release/Article/3852671/

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July 29, 2024

By Joseph Clark, DOD News

DOD Announces Additional Security Assistance for Ukraine

The Defense Department today announced a security assistance package for Ukraine as it continues its fight to counter Russia's invasion.

The package includes up to $200 million of equipment drawn from DOD inventories under the presidential drawdown authority and approximately $1.5 billion in assistance authorized under the Ukraine Security Assistance Initiative.

The package marks the 62nd drawdown of military equipment for Ukraine from DOD inventories and 20th tranche authorized under USAI.

It includes air defense interceptors, munitions for rocket and artillery systems and antitank weapons. The USAI package also includes funding to sustain equipment previously provided by the U.S.

The U.S. has provided more than $55.4 billion in security assistance to Ukraine since Russia launched its unprovoked invasion in February 2022.

Secretary of Defense Lloyd J. Austin III has continued to reaffirm the United States' unwavering support for Ukraine and has led an international coalition of dozens of allies committed to Ukraine's immediate and long-term security.

"Make no mistake, Ukraine is not alone," Austin said during a meeting with Ukrainian Defense Minister Rustem Umerov at the Pentagon earlier this month.

"The United States will never waver, and our support alongside some 50 allies and partners will continue to provide the critical capabilities that Ukraine needs to push back Russian aggression today and to deter Russian aggression tomorrow," he said.

That same commitment to Ukraine's success was echoed among NATO allies as the alliance marked its 75th anniversary at the NATO Summit in Washington earlier this month.

During the summit, member states advanced a range of initiatives to further strengthen the alliance and take steps to advance the support of Ukraine's defense against Russian aggression, as well as Ukraine's long-term bridge to membership in the alliance.

Those initiatives include the standup of the NATO Security Assistance and Training for Ukraine initiative which will coordinate equipment, training and force development for Ukraine as it advances on its path to full interoperability with NATO. The effort will be based in Germany and carried out in countries throughout the alliance.

President Joe Biden also announced during the summit that more than 20 countries, together with the European Council and European Union further affirmed their commitment to Ukraine's long-term defense and security by endorsing the Ukraine Compact.

"What happens to Ukraine matters," Biden said in announcing the compact. "It matters to all of Europe. It matters to NATO. Quite frankly, [it] matters to the whole world. We're united against Putin's senseless brutal war. We are united behind Ukraine as it fights to defend its freedom and its future."

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U.S. Announces Up To $1.7 Billion In Security Assistance For Ukraine

By RFE/RL July 29, 2024

The United States on July 29 announced two assistance packages for Ukraine valued at $1.7 billion.

White House National Security Council spokesman John Kirby said the presidential package, valued at up to $200 million, will include air-defense interceptors, munitions for HIMARS, artillery and mortar rounds, and Javelin and other anti-tank missiles.

The U.S. Defense Department also announced $1.5 billion through the security-assistance-initiative funds.

The resources will "augment Ukraine's air defense" through long-range firing capability and anti-tank weapons, as well as equipment to sustain previous donations by the United States, Kirby said.

According to a July 29 report by the Pew Research Center, over half of Americans are worried about the growing length of Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine, and the costs associated with providing aid.

Despite bipartisan support for Ukraine aid in Congress, the U.S. public is divided on the degree of support that Washington should provide, a survey by Pew Research Center found.

Pew Research Center said that while 48 percent of Americans believe the United States has a responsibility to help Ukraine, 49 percent disagree.

Despite recent campaigns to increase support for Ukraine among Republicans in Congress, Pew Research Center reported that nearly half of Republicans say Washington is providing too much aid to Ukraine, compared to 29 percent of Americans overall. Only 19 percent of Americans say the United States is not providing enough support.

While Republican presidential nominee and former President Donald Trump has claimed that he would end Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine in 24 hours if he was elected, only 34 percent of Americans say the war poses a "major threat" to U.S. interests, the report said.

Likewise, Pew Research Center found that Democrats are more likely than Republicans to say that they are worried that Russia will take over Ukraine and invade other countries in Europe.

Despite opposition to aid, there is "broad public support for keeping strict economic sanctions" on Russia, according to the Pew Research Center survey of nearly 9,500 people at the beginning of July.

Source: https://www.rferl.org/a/ukraine-us- defense-package/33055264.html

Copyright (c) 2024. RFE/RL, Inc. Reprinted with the permission of Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty, 1201 Connecticut Ave., N.W. Washington DC 20036.

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Ukraine Strikes Russian Energy Facilities For Second Day In A Row

By RFE/RL's Ukrainian Service and RFE/RL's Russian Service July 29, 2024

Ukraine launched a wave of drone strikes deep inside Russian territory early on July 29, damaging energy facilities in two regions, Russia's Defense Ministry and regional officials said a day after a reported Ukrainian attack set a Russian oil refinery on fire.

In the western Russian region of Oryol, a power plant was damaged by falling debris from two downed Ukrainian drones over the Glazunovsky district, regional Governor Andrei Klychkov said on Telegram.

"Emergency services are dealing with the consequences of the air attack, and law enforcement agencies are working at the scene," Klychkov wrote, without specifying the type of damage the power plant sustained.

In Voronezh, a utility infrastructure was damaged in the village of Gazoprovod, in the region's southern Ostrogozhsky district, also by falling drone debris. regional Governor Aleksandr Gusev said on Telegram.

Russia's Defense Ministry, meanwhile, said its air defenses destroyed 39 Ukrainian drones: 19 drones were intercepted over the Kursk region, nine were downed over Belgorod, three over Voronezh, five over Bryansk, and three over the Leningrad region.

The Russian claims could not be independently verified.

It was the second day in a row that reported Ukrainian attacks caused damage to Russian energy facilities.

On July 28, suspected Ukrainian military drones struck an oil storage depot in the Kursk region, with video posted online showing a huge blaze lighting up the sky. Regional Governor Aleksei Smirnov said three storage tanks caught fire as a result of the drone strike.

Since the early days of Russia's unprovoked full-scale invasion of Ukraine, Moscow's forces have systematically targeted Ukrainian energy and civilian infrastructure facilities, causing casualties and huge damage.

In turn Ukraine has started targeting oil-refining facilities and other energy infrastructure inside Russia that mainly work for the military.

On July 27, Ukrayinska Pravda reported on July 27 that Ukrainian drones had hit an oil refinery in Russia's Ryazan region.

Meanwhile, Russian shelling of Ukraine's southern cities of Kherson and Nikopol early on July 29 wounded 20 people, including five children, regional and local officials reported.

In Nikopol, 13 apartment buildings as well as gas pipelines, power lines, and an administrative building were also damaged, according to Dnipropetrovsk regional Governor Oleksandr Sayuka.

Ukrainian air-defense systems shot down a Russian guided missile and all nine drones launched by Russia at its regions on July 29, the commander of Ukraine's air force, General Mykola Oleshchuk said.

On the battlefield, Russian forces over the past 24 hours have been pressing with an offensive in the eastern Donetsk region in the direction of the mining city of Pokrovsk and the town of Toretsk, Ukraine's military reported.

Constant shelling has prompted the evacuation of hundreds of civilians from the area, local officials told RFE/RL.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy said on July 28 that the front line in Pokrovsk was subject to the "most severe enemy attacks."

RFE/RL reported that Russia captured two villages near Pokrovsk -- Prohres and Vovche -- which was confirmed by the Ukrainian military.

Source: https://www.rferl.org/a/oryol- voronezh-drones/33054529.html

Copyright (c) 2024. RFE/RL, Inc. Reprinted with the permission of Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty, 1201 Connecticut Ave., N.W. Washington DC 20036.

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Ukraine Loses Up to 570 Soldiers in Clashes With Russia's South Forces

Sputnik News

20240729

MOSCOW (Sputnik) -Russia's Ministry of Defense reported on the progress of the special military operation and the key achievements of the Russian Armed Forces.

Ukraine has lost up to 570 personnel in the area of operations of Russia's Yug (South) group of forces in the past 24 hours, the Russian Defense Ministry said on Monday.

"The enemy's losses amounted to up to 570 Ukrainian troops, three motor vehicles, one U.S.-made 155-mm Paladin self-propelled artillery system, one U.S.-made 155-mm M777 howitzer, one 152-mm Msta-B howitzer, three 152-mm D-20 howitzers, three 122-mm D-30 howitzers, and one UK-made 105-mm L-119 howitzer," the ministry said in a statement, adding that the group has repelled two counterattacks by Ukrainian troops.

Russian troops of the Zapad (West) group also repelled three counterattacks, resulting in losses of up to 480 Ukrainian soldiers, according to the bulletin.

Russia's Tsentr (Central) group repelled eight counterattacks, during which Kiev has lost up to 400 servicepeople, according to the ministry.

Russia's Sever (North) group of forces repelled five counterattacks in the past 24 hours, with Kiev losing up to 220, while as a result of operations by Russia's Vostok (East) group of forces, Kiev lost up to 130 soldiers in the past 24 hours.

The Russian armed forces have also liberated the Volchye settlement in Donetsk People's Republic.

A Sputnik

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President Visited Enterprises in the Poltava Region

President of Ukraine

29 July 2024 - 22:32

During a working visit to the Poltava region, President Volodymyr Zelenskyy visited a relocated company specializing in the production of motor vehicles and defense industry enterprises. In the presence of the Head of State, the Ministry of Defense signed two defense contracts with manufacturers worth almost UAH 5 billion.

"Thank you for working. It is very important for Ukraine to have a functioning economy. This helps our warriors and so on," the President said, addressing the employees of the relocated company.

The CEO of the enterprise told the Head of State that before the full-scale Russian invasion, the company was located in the Kharkiv region. Due to constant shelling and direct hits, the company was relocated to the Poltava region in July 2022.

Volodymyr Zelenskyy was shown samples of the products manufactured by the company, including trailer equipment and special vehicles.

The President also spoke with people working at the production site, including both local residents and IDPs. Special attention was given to strengthening air defense and ensuring electricity supply.

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In the Framework of the Made in Ukraine Platform, Poltava Region Will Receive at Least UAH 1.8 Billion This Year

President of Ukraine

29 July 2024 - 20:26

During a working visit to the Poltava region, President Volodymyr Zelenskyy met with business representatives as part of the Made in Ukraine economic platform.

The Head of State thanked entrepreneurs and workers for staying in Ukraine and contributing to the national economy.

"It is important for us to preserve everything that is being made and was made in Ukraine. Thank you for your work, for your ideas, and most importantly, for preserving enterprises, which means preserving jobs and wages for people. This is a contribution to the preservation of Ukraine," said Volodymyr Zelenskyy.

The President emphasized that the state will do everything to strengthen the region's air defense.

During the meeting, the parties also discussed the restoration of the energy sector and opportunities for businesses. In particular, the "Affordable Loans 5-7-9%" program for purchasing energy equipment, the abolition of customs duties and import VAT for such equipment, and the simplification of procedures for installing self-generation.

First Deputy Prime Minister - Minister of Economy Yuliia Svyrydenko noted that this year, under the Made in Ukraine program, the Poltava region will receive at least UAH 1.8 billion.

"Agricultural producers are already receiving compensation for purchasing domestic agricultural machinery, industrial parks can now submit documents to banks for state reimbursement for the construction of engineering and transport infrastructure and connection to power grids, and investors ready to invest over EUR 12 million can now apply for compensation as well," noted Yuliia Svyrydenko.

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We Understand How the Electricity Deficit Will Be Gradually Eliminated, Government Officials Were Given Clear Tasks - Address by the President

President of Ukraine

29 July 2024 - 19:41

Dear Ukrainians!

Today, we are working in two regions, in communities. Our Kharkiv region at first, and now we are in the Poltava region.

I started this day with our warriors of the Special Operations Forces, today is their professional holiday. And this is one of the strongest elements of our Defense Forces, very effective. It is too early to say much about it now - only after the war will it be possible to tell about everything that the Ukrainian Special Operations Forces have managed to do. They operate both at the front and in the occupied territory. They have been actively engaged since 2014 and after February 24th in many areas. From the battle for Donetsk airport to the battles for Hostomel, as well as Kherson, Kharkiv and Donetsk regions. We are proud of the Special Operations Forces! Today we were with the team in the town of Derhachi in the Kharkiv region - and what is important is that this is one of the good examples of how we have started to restore normal life. I am grateful to all those involved in rebuilding homes, supporting people, saving jobs and our Ukrainian enterprises in the Kharkiv region and in all our regions. I held a meeting in Kharkiv to discuss security and energy issues first of all. Energy is always one of the top priorities. We understand how the electricity deficit will be gradually eliminated step by step. Government officials were given clear tasks, and their responsibility is personal. The preparation for the winter is what we are working on now, in the summer. We are also working on the configuration of our air defense so that Kharkiv and our other regions have more protection from Russian strikes. Commander-in-Chief Syrskyi, who also participated in the meetings today, and the relevant commanders are to present an updated structure of our air defense systems and new requests for partners - what exactly we have to provide by the end of this year. There was a report by General Hnatov on the defense of the east of our country, our actions, our combat capabilities. And then there was the Poltava region. Meetings with entrepreneurs and workers in the framework of the Made in Ukraine platform. Including defense industries. There are many business initiatives, companies' willingness to work for the state and offer new products. We will support all this and increase government orders. We have signed contracts today. All our Ukrainian products, both military and civilian, every job - all this helps Ukraine to withstand.

I am grateful to everyone who strengthens Ukraine! I am grateful to everyone who defends Ukrainian interests - the interests of the state and people!

Glory to Ukraine!

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Preparations for the Heating Season: the President Held a Security Meeting in Kharkiv

President of Ukraine

29 July 2024 - 15:22

In Kharkiv, President Volodymyr Zelenskyy held a meeting on the security and energy situation in the city and the region.

During the event, the participants discussed preparations for the heating season in the region.

The President emphasized that he expects a clear plan for protecting the Kharkiv region's skies and restoring energy infrastructure.

Oleksandr Syrskyi, Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces of Ukraine, and Andrii Hnatov, Commander of the OSGT Khortytsia, briefed the Head of State on the operational situation in the Kharkiv region and within the area of responsibility of the Group.

Volodymyr Kudrytskyi, Chairman of the Management Board of the PrJSC Ukrenergo, spoke about the course of work on engineering protection of energy sector facilities and announced the timeframe for overcoming the energy deficit in the region.

Oleh Syniehubov, Head of the Kharkiv Regional Military Administration, and Ihor Terekhov, Mayor of Kharkiv, informed the audience about the preparations for the autumn and winter period in the region. According to Ihor Terekhov, 22 cogeneration units and 31 modular boiler stations have already been installed. In total, the city needs more than 140 energy generation facilities, which will provide 340 MW of power.

In addition, Oleksiy Chernyshov, Chairman of the Board of Naftogaz of Ukraine, reported on energy decentralization and the connection of cogeneration units.

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Ukraine and Greece Finalize the Text of the Bilateral Security Agreement

President of Ukraine

29 July 2024 - 14:30

On the instructions of the President of Ukraine and the Head of the Presidential Office, Deputy Head of the Office of the President Ihor Zhovkva held another round of negotiations with Greece on the signing of a bilateral security agreement.

The parties continued their work on the draft document and scheduled further negotiations to finalize the agreement so that the leaders could sign it in the near future.

Our country has already concluded 25 bilateral security agreements in pursuance of the G7 Joint Declaration adopted last year in Vilnius. Ukraine is currently negotiating the signing of security documents with four other states.

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The President Inspected the Reconstruction of Damaged Housing in the Kharkiv Region

President of Ukraine

29 July 2024 - 14:02

During his working visit to the Kharkiv region, President Volodymyr Zelenskyy visited the town of Derhachi, inspected the reconstructed apartment buildings and talked with the residents.

Oleh Syniehubov, Head of the Kharkiv Regional Military Administration, reported to the Head of State that 18 houses with 250 apartments were rebuilt last year, and people were provided with shelters that had not been available before. In particular, communications were installed, a facade was restored, and public areas were arranged.

Also, the restoration of the local outpatient clinic is underway and is expected to be completed this October.

In addition, Oleh Syniehubov presented a project on the construction of underground blocks in the regional hospital, where it is planned to set up operating rooms. According to him, a total of 70 projects on housing and hospital reconstruction are currently being implemented in the Kharkiv region. They are part of the Regional Program for Restoration, Development and Maintenance of Life Support Systems in the Kharkiv Region for the Period of Martial Law in Ukraine. These projects are financed by the Fund for Elimination of the Consequences of Armed Aggression.

During the conversation with the President, people thanked him for the assistance in the restoration of their homes and expressed hope for the implementation of projects that would help Ukrainians return home.

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Russia reports downing 19 Ukrainian drones over Kursk as part of latest aerial attacks

By VOA News July 29, 2024

Russia's military said Monday it shot down 19 Ukrainian drones over the Kursk region, along the border between the two countries, marking the second consecutive day that Ukraine focused a large attack on the area.

The governor of Kursk reported on Telegram that drones were shot down in the region, but did not mention any damage or casualties.

In Russia's Voronezh region, Governor Aleksandr Gusev said debris from a downed Ukrainian drone damaged a utility infrastructure facility, but caused no casualties.

The Russian defense ministry said it shot down a total of three drones over Voronezh, as well as nine over the Belgorod region, five over Bryansk and three over Leningrad.

Ukraine has used aerial drones to attack areas in Russia, particularly along the Ukraine-Russia border, as it tries to fight off an invasion Russia launched in early 2022.

Ukraine's military said Monday that Russia attacked overnight with a guided missile and 10 aerial drones.

Ukrainian air defense shot down the missile and nine of the drones, the military said, with intercepts taking place over the Dnipropetrovsk, Kherson and Kirovohrad regions.

Some information for this story was provided by Agence France-Presse and Reuters

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Dublin, July 30, 2024 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- The "Global Robotic Floor Scrubber Market - Outlook & Forecast 2024-2029" report has been added to ResearchAndMarkets.com's offering.



The global robotic floor scrubber market is expected to grow at a CAGR of 13.4% from 2023 to 2029.

The competition within the global robotic floor scrubber market is high, with numerous vendors. Rapid technological advancements pose challenges for these vendors as consumers increasingly demand continuous innovations and upgrades in products. In response to this dynamic landscape, vendors are compelled to reassess and refine their unique value propositions to establish a stronger foothold in the market.

Key players in the global robotic floor scrubber market holding prominent positions include Nilfisk, Tennant, Alfred Karcher, and Hako Group. While Nilfisk and Tennant specialize in manufacturing premium professional cleaning equipment, Alfred Karcher offers a range of high-end and mid-market products. The market is characterized by the presence of global giants and regional players, each striving to differentiate themselves.

Vendors are investing in enhancing various features of their products, such as reducing machine weight, lowering noise levels, improving tank capacities, and extending battery life. These strategic initiatives aim to gain a competitive advantage in the market and evolve customer expectations.





MARKET TRENDS & OPPORTUNITIES

Growing Popularity of EC-H2O Technology



Few companies like Tennant offer EC-H2O technology, which assists in conventional floor cleaning. Regarding cleanliness and hygiene, water is as crucial as disinfectants. Though abundant, water is limited in quantity due to the limited availability of potable water. This technology requires less water and thus helps reduce usage. It is an ideal choice, leading to the demand for machines involving EC-H2O technology. The robotic floor scrubbers equipped with EC-H2O technology use less water, leading to three times longer scrubbing.



Growing Adoption of Robotics in the Commercial Sector



The growing adoption of robotics in the commercial sector is a prominent driver within the global robotic floor scrubber market. In recent years, there has been a significant shift in the use of robotics beyond traditional industrial settings, driven by technological advancements and evolving needs in response to factors such as labor shortages. Autonomous technology to optimize floor cleaning in commercial facilities is essential, particularly where visible and consistent cleaning is crucial for customer satisfaction. With significant advancements in robotics, artificial intelligence, cloud computing, and mobile data transmission, driverless robotic floor cleaners offer a reliable and logical upgrade from traditional human-operated cleaning equipment.



INDUSTRY RESTRAINTS

Limited Source of Procuring Raw Materials



The global robotic floor scrubber market faces significant challenges due to limitations in the procurement of raw materials. These challenges can impact manufacturers, supply chains, and the entire industry. The major challenges arise from disruptions in the global supply chain, which can occur due to various factors such as natural disasters, geopolitical tensions, or economic fluctuations. When the supply chain is disrupted, manufacturers may experience delays in obtaining critical raw materials and components needed for production, leading to shortages of finished products and increased costs.



SEGMENTATION INSIGHTS

INSIGHT BY VARIANT



The global robotic floor scrubber market by variant is segmented into only scrubber and scrubber & dryer. In 2023, the only scrubber variant dominated the global market share. The only scrubber segment encompasses a range of robotic floor scrubbers designed specifically for scrubbing and cleaning floor surfaces autonomously. These systems leverage advanced robotics, AI, and sensor technology to deliver efficient and consistent cleaning performance across various industries and applications. The robotic scrubber & dryer segment represents a further advancement in robotic floor cleaning technology, integrating scrubbing and drying capabilities into a single automated system. These systems combine the cleaning power of floor scrubbing with the drying efficiency, offering a comprehensive and time-saving solution for maintaining clean and dry floors.

INSIGHT BY RUNTIME



The robotic floor scrubbers with a runtime of less than 4 hours held the higher share in the global market in 2023. For the less than 4 hours runtime segment, the primary market dynamics revolve around the need for efficiency in smaller-scale applications. End-users in small retail, offices, and residential complexes prioritize compact designs, fast charging capabilities, and ease of use. In contrast, the more than 4-hour runtime segment is driven by the demand for robust, high-performance solutions capable of sustaining prolonged cleaning operations in larger facilities.



INSIGHT BY SCRUBBER HEAD TYPE



The global robotic floor scrubber market by scrubber head type is segmented into disc and cylindrical. Among these, the disc scrubber head dominated the market. The rising demand for sustainability and minimizing water usage to protect the environment will likely support the growth of disc head floor scrubbers. The rapid expansion of the hospitality, healthcare, and retail sectors is expected to support market growth during the forecast period. Moreover, the growing investments in warehouses across countries owing to the rising e-commerce are expected to push the demand for cylindrical head robotic floor scrubbers in the market.

INSIGHT BY END-USER



The global robotic floor scrubber market by end-user is segmented into retail & shopping centers, manufacturing, airports, healthcare, warehouse & logistics, education industry, and others. The retail & shopping end-user sector is expected to showcase the highest growth in the market. The continuous expansion of giant retailers across several countries will likely boost the demand for robotic floor scrubbers in this segment. The retail & shopping centers segment represents a significant market for robotic floor scrubbers, driven by the need to maintain clean and hygienic environments in high-traffic areas.

Furthermore, the education sector segment is anticipated to grow at a CAGR of around 13% in the global robotic floor scrubber market during the forecast period. The growth is due to rising adoption in educational institutions, hotels, and public facilities. Also, using robotic floor scrubbers enables educational institutions to allocate cleaning staff to other important high-touch areas requiring regular manual cleanings, such as countertops, door handles, bathrooms, classroom desks, etc.

INSIGHT BY SALES CHANNEL



The direct sales channel dominated the global robotic floor scrubber market in 2023. The direct sales channel segment is expected to witness incremental growth of more than USD 700 million. It helps sell products at a relatively lower price than the indirect sales channel by eliminating intermediaries and helping manufacturers gain a competitive edge. Moreover, the indirect channel enables manufacturers to leverage the distributors' relationship with their customers.

GEOGRAPHICAL ANALYSIS



North America dominated the global robotic floor scrubber market, accounting for a share of over 34% in 2023. The high awareness about cleanliness, technology, high labor cost, better infrastructure, and continuously growing footfall across various end users such as airports, retailers, and others are leading to the growth of robotic floor scrubber demand in the market. Also, labor costs across North America are rising continuously, leading to several end users moving towards technology, which could help minimize the expenditure on labor and increase productivity. It will also help the organizations utilize the labor for other value-added tasks and focus on activities likely to enhance their revenue. Hence, the high labor cost is expected to boost the demand for robotic floor scrubbers across the region.



The high arrival of tourists and the rapidly growing hospitality sector across Europe drive the robotic floor scrubber market's growth. Countries such as the UK, Germany, and France are the leading markets in the region where the demand for robotic floor scrubbers is driven by manufacturing, big retailers, healthcare, and various hotels. Furthermore, there is a growing trend towards using environmentally sustainable cleaning solutions in Europe, driving the demand for robotic floor scrubbers that use eco-friendly cleaning agents and materials.

COMPETITIVE LANDSCAPE



Key Company Profiles

Amano

Hako

Karcher

Nilfisk

Tennant

Other Prominent Vendors

Adlatus

Avidbots

Aziobot

Bharati Robotic Systems

Cleanfix Robotics

DDROBO

Diversey

Gaussian Robotics

Murata Machinery

Peppermint Robotics

LionsBot International

ICE Cobotics

i-team Global

Fimap

KEMARO

Key Attributes:





Report Attribute Details No. of Pages 339 Forecast Period 2023 - 2029 Estimated Market Value (USD) in 2023 $972.75 Million Forecasted Market Value (USD) by 2029 $2069.03 Million Compound Annual Growth Rate 13.4% Regions Covered Global



Key Topics Covered:



Market Opportunities & Trends

Growing Inclination Toward Automation

Adoption of Technologies (AI, Sensors, GPS)

Rise in Mass Airport Projects

Market Growth Enablers

High Labor Costs in Developed Countries

High Demand for Effectiveness & Efficiency

Stringent Regulations to Maintain Cleanliness & Employee Safety

Growing Adoption of Robotics in Commercial Sector

Market Restraints

Low-Cost Labor in Developing Countries

Lower Penetration in Underdeveloped and Emerging Nations

Rising Demand for Carpet Flooring

Limited Source of Procuring Raw Materials

Skilled Labor Shortage

Market Segmentation

Segmentation by Variant

Only Scrubber

Scrubber & Dryer

Segmentation by Runtime

Less than 4 Hours

More than 4 hours

Segmentation by Scrubber Head Type

Disc

Cylindrical

Segmentation by End-User

Retail & Shopping Center

Manufacturing

Airports

Healthcare

Warehouse & Logistics

Education Industry

Segmentation by Sales Channel

Direct

Indirect

For more information about this report visit https://www.researchandmarkets.com/r/gbv89e

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, July 30, 2024 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- The "United States Online Food Delivery Market Forecast Report By Business Model (Platform to customer delivery, Restaurant to customer delivery), Platform Type (Websites, Applications), Payment Method (Cash on delivery, Online), Cities and Company analysis 2024-2032" report has been added to ResearchAndMarkets.com's offering.



United States Online Food Delivery Market will reach US$ 66.54 Billion by 2032, up from US$ 28.37 Billion in 2023, with a CAGR of 9.93% between 2024 and 2032.

The market is experiencing a robust rise owing to the increased penetration of the internet and smartphone usage, along with the growing preference for quick and fast services among customers.





By employing effective ordering software, restaurants can choose to sell directly to customers, without the need for third-party gateways. This method allows customers to place orders straight through the restaurant's website. In order to satisfy a range of customer preferences, these apps and websites also include a number of filtering and payment choices, including cash on delivery, net banking, prepaid cards, and more. The outlook for the US online food delivery market is impacted by the collaboration of many delivery services, such as Grubhub, Uber Eats, and others, with restaurants to serve meals to clients.



The National Restaurant Association claims that the Far West, which includes California (with 83,501 restaurants) and Washington (16,379 restaurants), has a large concentration of restaurants, which is what drives online meal delivery. In 2022, Uber Eats worked with 825,000 eateries, according to corporate documents, enhancing online delivery services in the US.



Driving Forces for Online Food Delivery in the United States



Technological Advancements

Technology is driving the CAGR of the US online food delivery business. The atmosphere surrounding food delivery has undergone significant change due to the widespread use of cellphones and high-speed internet connection. Aside from that, the ease of using a smartphone app to order food has significantly increased the market's popularity.

Additionally, the overall customer experience has been enhanced by user-friendly interfaces, tailored recommendations, and efficient tracking systems, suggesting a bright future for industry growth. Aside from that, the industry is growing because of the employment of global positioning system (GPS) technology, which enables real-time delivery progress tracking and fosters a sense of openness and dependability in the process. The ability of today's tech-savvy consumers to effortlessly incorporate online food delivery services into their daily schedules has fueled market expansion.



Acquisitions and Strategic Partnerships

The rise of the online meal delivery sector in the United States is majorly driven by the growing emphasis on strategic alliances and acquisitions. Leading businesses are partnering with grocery shops, restaurant chains, and other food service providers in an effort to expand their market share and enhance their service offerings. Through these partnerships, meal delivery services can provide a wider selection of foods to a more diverse user base. Grubhub and Homewood Suites by Hilton joined together in June 2023 to provide food options to visitors at about 500 locations across the US. Tourists could quickly order from nearby restaurants using the Grubhub app's geolocation and rapid response (QR) codes, enriching their eating experience with a range of options.

Furthermore, market leaders can fortify their position, boost productivity, and seamlessly integrate new technologies by acquiring smaller delivery services and technology firms. In addition, partnerships with large supermarket chains bring in grocery delivery services, which benefit consumers and create new revenue streams. These tactical choices support innovation and productivity, which expand the market as a whole and strengthen the competitive advantage of significant players.



Marketing and Promotional Campaigns

Aggressive marketing and promotional strategies are critical drivers of the online food delivery industry. As outlined in the United States online food delivery market forecast, companies are investing significantly in advertising on various platforms, including social media, television, and online channels, to enhance brand recognition and attract new customers. Promotional deals, such as discounts, free deliveries, and loyalty programs, are vital in retaining current customers and promoting frequent service use.

For instance, in June 2023, Grubhub and Amazon extended their complimentary Grubhub+ promotion for another year for American Prime members, offering no delivery charges and exclusive discounts on restaurant orders. This collaboration added value to Prime by granting members significant discounts and unique dining experiences through Grubhub's platform.



Additionally, working with well-known events or influencers at particular times of the year boosts brand awareness and human interaction. These marketing strategies work particularly well when converting traditional diners to online delivery customers. By using creative marketing techniques, delivery platforms can continually establish a connection with their audience, which gives them a competitive edge, boosts user acquisition, and continuously grows the market.



Florida Online Food Delivery Market



As a result of broader trends in convenience and digital commerce, Florida's eating landscape now prominently features the online food delivery industry. Large cities like Miami, Orlando, and Tampa are home to various eateries involved with delivery services like Grubhub, DoorDash, and Uber Eats. Both locals and guests can use these services to peruse menus, place orders, and quickly deliver meals to their residences, workplaces, or hotels. Factors like Florida's bustling metropolitan lifestyles, varied culinary scene, and high tourism all contribute to the market's growth.



Local eateries gain more exposure and access to larger customers, and diners have access to various dining alternatives, from gourmet cuisine to comfort food, frequently with special offers and discounts. Florida's online meal delivery business is constantly innovating to meet changing customer preferences and boost the state's hospitality sector, thanks to developments like contactless delivery and real-time tracking that are becoming standard.



United States Online Food Delivery Company News

May 2024 - Uber Eats and Instacart have partnered to provide food delivery services in the US. Through the Instacart app, customers can place orders from hundreds of thousands of restaurants.

November 2023 - DoorDash took advantage of the rising demand for easy alcohol delivery and extended its alcohol delivery service to New Jersey. This move reflects the changing e-commerce landscape in the alcoholic beverage market. It aligns with the trend of top aggregators to provide customers with a more significant assortment of beer, wine, and spirits.

October 2023 - Pizza Hut, LLC extended its hours of operation in thousands of locations, remaining open until midnight or later to satisfy consumers' late-night desires. Pizza Hut ensured that even during late-night delivery, accessibility, and quality were maintained by utilizing partnerships and technology.

Key Attributes:

Report Attribute Details No. of Pages 180 Forecast Period 2023 - 2032 Estimated Market Value (USD) in 2023 $28.37 Billion Forecasted Market Value (USD) by 2032 $66.54 Billion Compound Annual Growth Rate 9.9% Regions Covered United States



Key Players Analysis: Business Overview, Recent Developments, Sales Analysis

Grubhub

Doordash

Uber Eats

Postmates

Dominos Pizza Inc.

Kroger Co.

Blue Apron Holdings

HelloFresh

Business Model - Market breakup in 2 viewpoints:

Platform to customer delivery

Restaurant to customer delivery

Platform Type - Market breakup in 2 viewpoints:

Websites

Applications

Payment Method - Market breakup in 2 viewpoints:

Cash on delivery

Online

Pain Type - Market breakup in 2 viewpoints:

Chronic Pain

Acute Pain

Cities - Market breakup in 26 viewpoints:

Seattle

Pittsburgh

San Francisco

Austin

San Jose

San Antonio

Virginia Beach

Miami

San Diego

Los Angeles

Portland

Atlanta

Orlando

Washington, DC

Jacksonville

Riverside

Houston

Sacramento

Denver

New York

Tampa

Tucson

Dallas

Salt Lake City

Phoenix

Others

For more information about this report visit https://www.researchandmarkets.com/r/l3wdxz

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
RALEIGH, N.C., July 30, 2024 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Tri Pointe Homes  (NYSE:TPH), one of the largest homebuilders in the U.S., together with its Raleigh division, today announced the development of Altis, its first 55+ lifestyle brand community on the East Coast. Located within Greenfield Communities 550-acre Serenity development in rapidly growing Northwest Harnett County just outside Fuquay-Varina, Altis at Serenity is expected to add an additional 425 homes to the anticipated total buildout of 1,210 residences for the tranquil, planned community. Altis is projected to open in the spring of 2025 and marks the fourth community by Tri Pointes Altis brand.

Serenity offers the perfect location for Tri Pointe Homes to expand its Altis brand to the East Coast, said Tri Pointe Homes Vice President of Community Experience James Flanagan. Greenfield Communities has done a stellar job creating an idyllic backdrop for this new premium lifestyle community, all within a short drive to the shopping, dining, and culture of nearby Fuquay Varina, Holly Springs, Angier, and the rest of the greater Triangle. We believe in building community in every sense of the word, from the connected locations we select to our commitment to social responsibility through our LivingSmart packages, and we are excited to bring this ethos to life in a new way with Altis at Serenity.

Altis at Serenity is anticipated to offer three distinct series of homes tailored to the diverse lifestyles of 55+ active adult residents, all with the signature personalization of Tri Pointes innovative Design Studio:

The first series features homes ranging from 1,200 to 1,676 square feet, with two bedrooms, two baths, and a two-bay garage.

The second series includes homes from 1,767 to 2,075 square feet, offering two to three bedrooms, two to three baths, a two-bay garage, and an optional second-floor bonus room, bedroom, and bath.

The third series offers homes from 2,113 to 2,527 square feet, with two to three bedrooms, 2.5 to 3.5 baths, a two-bay garage, and an optional second-floor bonus room, bedroom, and bath.



At the core of Tri Pointe Homes Altis brand is providing a place where 55+ active adults can thrive in a vibrant, engaging community. Altis communities offer residents unparalleled access to premium lifestyle amenities, including state-of-the-art fitness centers, resort-style pools, and beautifully designed clubhouses. These communities are intentionally crafted to foster social connections and active lifestyles, featuring a variety of events, classes, and activities that cater to diverse interests. Altis is dedicated to delivering an exceptional living experience where residents can enjoy their new next in a welcoming, well-appointed environment.

We are excited for Tri Pointe Homes Altis at Serenity to join the community, said Greenfield Communities President Matt Brubaker. It has always been the plan to offer active adults a dedicated space in Serenity to start their next chapter while keeping them connected to a larger, diverse community. Tri Pointe is the ideal builder to realize this vision, and we are thrilled to partner with them at Serenity to introduce their Altis brand to the East Coast. Active adults can take advantage of the nearly 220 acres of open spaces, creeks, wetlands, trails, and other natural areas that we have preserved at Serenity. We have even included a dedicated resort-style swimming pool exclusively for Altis homeowners and their guests. Additionally, quick and easy access to top healthcare institutions like Duke Health, UNC Medical Center, UNC Rex Healthcare, and WakeMed offers peace of mind for our 55+ residents.

To learn more and stay informed about Altis at Serenity, visit https://www.tripointehomes.com/nc/raleigh/Altis-at-Serenity.

About Tri Pointe Homes

One of the largest homebuilders in the U.S., Tri Pointe Homes, Inc. (NYSE: TPH) is a publicly traded company operating in 12 states and the District of Columbia, and is a recognized leader in customer experience, innovative design, and environmentally responsible business practices. The company builds premium homes and communities with deep ties to the communities it servessome for as long as a century. Tri Pointe Homes combines the financial resources, technology platforms and proven leadership of a national organization with the regional insights, longstanding community connections and agility of empowered local teams. Tri Pointe has won multiple Builder of the Year awards, was named to the 2024 Fortune Worlds Most Admired Companies list, is one of the 2023 Fortune 100 Best Companies to Work For and was designated as one of the 2023 PEOPLE Companies That Care. The company was also named as a Great Place To Work-Certified company for four years in a row (2021 through 2024), and was named on several Great Place To Work Best Workplaces lists in 2022 and 2023. Tri Pointe Homes is a recognized leader in the Raleigh real estate sector. For more information, please visit TriPointeHomes.com.

About Greenfield Communities

Greenfield Communities is a privately held real estate development company based in Raleigh, N.C., with a focus on single-family residential, townhomes, and mixed-use communities in select North Carolina markets. As a trusted partner for local, regional, and national homebuilders, Greenfield seeks to acquire and develop land through creative and sound development practices  from small neighborhoods to large, mixed-use master-planned communities with full amenity packages. For more information, please visit www.greenfieldcommunities.com.

A photo accompanying this announcement is available at https://www.globenewswire.com/NewsRoom/AttachmentNg/89d87388-7a9b-4fbd-8b94-78f64b59faf1
Dublin, July 30, 2024 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- The "China Construction Market Size, Trends, and Forecasts by Sector - Commercial, Industrial, Infrastructure, Energy and Utilities, Institutional and Residential Market Analysis, 2024-2028" report has been added to ResearchAndMarkets.com's offering.



The Chinese construction industry is expected to expand by 4% in real terms in 2024, supported by investment in infrastructure and energy projects.

The government announced its 2024 Budget in March 2024. The budget includes an expenditure of CNY28.6 trillion ($4 trillion) in 2024 - which is an increase of 3.8% compared with the 2023 Budget. In March 2024, the government announced it plans to invest CNY1.2 trillion ($173 billion) in transport infrastructure projects by the end of this year.

Furthermore, in March 2024, the Yangtze River Delta region government announced an investment of CNY140 billion ($19.6 billion) to develop 32 railway infrastructure projects in the region in 2024. In February 2024, the Shanghai government announced it plans to start work on 24 projects with a combined investment of CNY42.1 billion ($5.8 billion) in 2024.

The construction industry is expected to record an average annual growth rate of 3.9% between 2025 and 2028, supported by investment in the infrastructure and energy sectors, coupled with the government's plan to achieve net-zero emissions of greenhouse gases by 2060. Among the recent developments, in March 2024, the Chinese state-owned utility company the State Grid Corporation of China commenced the construction of a CNY27.9 billion ($3.9 billion) power transmission and storage project.

The project includes the construction of 1069km of ultra-high voltage power line from Shanxi to Hefei. Growth over the forecast period will also be supported by infrastructure projects as part of the 14th Five-Year Plan (FYP) (2021-2025). The plan has 20 quantitative targets under five categories: economic development; innovation; people's well-being; green development; and food and energy security.

In September 2023, the government announced it plans to develop 2,500km of high-speed railway lines and expand its total rail network by 50,000km by 2025. Furthermore, the National Development and Reform Commission (NDRC) and the Ministry of Transport's plan to construct 461,000km of highways by 2035 will also support the growth of the industry.

Scope

This report provides a comprehensive analysis of the construction industry in China.

Historical (2019-2023) and forecast (2024-2028) valuations of the construction industry in China, featuring details of key growth drivers.

Segmentation by sector (commercial, industrial, infrastructure, energy and utilities, institutional and residential) and by sub-sector

Analysis of the mega-project pipeline, including breakdowns by development stage across all sectors, and projected spending on projects in the existing pipeline.

Listings of major projects, in addition to details of leading contractors and consultants

Reasons to Buy

Identify and evaluate market opportunities using standardized valuation and forecasting methodologies.

Assess market growth potential at a micro-level with over 600 time-series data forecasts.

Understand the latest industry and market trends.

Formulate and validate strategy using the critical and actionable insight.

Assess business risks, including cost, regulatory and competitive pressures.

Evaluate competitive risk and success factors.

Key Topics Covered:



1 Executive Summary



2 Construction Industry: At-a-Glance



3 Context

3.1 Economic Performance

3.2 Political Environment and Policy

3.3 Demographics

3.4 Risk Profile



4 Construction Outlook

4.1 All Construction

Outlook

Latest news and developments

Construction Projects Momentum Index

4.2 Commercial Construction

Outlook

Project analytics

Latest news and developments

4.3 Industrial Construction

Outlook

Project analytics

Latest news and developments

4.4 Infrastructure Construction

Outlook

Project analytics

Latest news and developments

4.5 Energy and Utilities Construction

Outlook

Project analytics

Latest news and developments

4.6 Institutional Construction

Outlook

Project analytics

Latest news and developments

4.7 Residential Construction

Outlook

Project analytics

Latest news and developments

5 Key Industry Participants

5.1 Contractors

5.2 Consultants



6 Construction Market Data



7 Appendix



For more information about this report visit https://www.researchandmarkets.com/r/3ob132

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.
Data shows L1-79 offers a statistically significant improvement compared to placebo in socialization, as well as the investigator- and parent-rated global impression scales



The change over placebo may be one of the largest statistically significant effects observed with the Vineland-3 Socialization standard score for a medication in autism

NEW YORK, July 30, 2024 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Yamo Pharmaceuticals, a clinical stage pharmaceutical company, announced today positive topline results of its Phase 2 clinical trial evaluating the effects of L1-79 in adolescents and young adults with autism spectrum disorder (ASD). The data demonstrated a statistically significant improvement with L1-79 compared to placebo on the Vineland Adaptive Behavior Scale (Vineland-3) Socialization standard score (difference compared to placebo: 7.09, p-value = 0.02) during the first 12-weeks of the study. The Vineland-3 Socialization Domain is a well-established standardized assessment tool that looks at a persons coping skills, ability to engage in play, and leisure and interact with others.

In addition, other endpoints, such as the Clinical Global Impression of Severity of Illness (CGI-S) and the Caregiver Global Impression of Change of 3 Most Bothersome Symptoms of ASD (CGI-3P), demonstrated statistically significant improvements with L1-79 compared to placebo, corroborating the Vineland-3 findings. L1-79 was generally safe and well tolerated. There were no serious adverse events or adverse events leading to withdrawal from the trial with L1-79.

It is very encouraging to see a more than seven-point improvement in the Socialization Domain of the Vineland-3, said J. Thomas Megerian, MD, PhD, Yamos Chief Medical Officer. We believe that this is one of the largest statistically significant effects observed to-date with a medication in ASD on the Vineland-3 Socialization standard score, representing a clinically meaningful improvement in one of the core domains of function affected by ASD. The Company is eager to meet with the FDA to discuss Phase 3 plans, as well as to file for Breakthrough Therapy designation.

We are excited to receive these results in the hope to offer patients and their families a treatment option that can impact the core symptoms of ASD, said Chuck Bramlage, Yamos Chief Executive Officer.

About L1-79

Evidence suggests that dysfunction in the catecholaminergic system may play a role in the core symptoms of ASD. L1-79 is a tyrosine hydroxylase inhibitor expected to modulate the catecholaminergic pathways, and thereby improve the core ASD symptoms. L1-79 was granted Fast Track designation by the FDA in May of 2018.

About the Study

This Phase 2, multi-center, randomized, chronic-dosing (12-week) clinical trial was a two-period placebo-controlled crossover trial that enrolled 58 adolescent and young adults with ASD. Patients were randomized 1:1 to one of two active treatment groups: L1-79 200 mg or 300 mg. On day one of Period 1, participants in each dosing group were randomized to receive either L1-79 or placebo BID for 12-weeks. Following the conclusion of Period 1, participants underwent a six-week washout period and then crossed over into Period 2, in which each participant that received placebo in Period 1 received L1-79 and vice versa BID for another 12-weeks.

Please refer to study identifier NCT05067582 at www.clinicaltrials.gov for additional clinical trial details.

About Autism Spectrum Disorder

Autism spectrum disorder or autism refers to a group of complex neurodevelopment disorders that is defined in the Diagnostic and Statistics Manual of Mental Disorders V (DSM-5) by difficulties in social communication and social interaction, and restricted and repetitive behavior, interests or activities. In the U.S., it is estimated that 1 in 36 children have ASD, with boys being 3.8 times more likely to be diagnosed than girlsi. Symptoms of repetitive and characteristic patterns of behavior and difficulties with social-communication and interaction start early in childhood and continue throughout a persons life.

While the causes of ASD are not known, research suggests that both genes and environment play important roles. Since the severity, specific types of symptoms, and causes of ASD vary between individuals, it is referred to as a spectrum disorder. Currently there are no approved pharmacological therapies which address the core symptoms of ASD.

About Yamo Pharmaceuticals

Yamo Pharmaceuticals is a clinical stage pharmaceutical company founded in 2015 to develop L1-79, a novel therapy with the potential to improve the core symptoms of ASD. Yamo Pharmaceuticals is a privately held company. More information may be found at www.yamopharma.com.

Safe Harbor Statement

This press release contains forward-looking statements concerning the development and commercialization of Yamo Pharmaceuticals products, the potential benefits and attributes of such products, and Yamo Pharmaceuticals expectations regarding its prospects. Forward-looking statements are subject to risks, assumptions and uncertainties that could cause actual future events or results to differ materially from such statements. These statements are made as of the date of this press release. Actual results may vary. Yamo Pharmaceuticals undertakes no obligation to update any forward-looking statements for any reason.

Contact Data

Investor and Media Contacts

Chuck Bramlage, CEO

cbramlage@yamopharma.com

Eugene Prahin, CFO

eprahin@yamopharma.com

(212) 610-1570

i Maenner MJ, Warren Z, Williams AR, et al. Prevalence and Characteristics of Autism Spectrum Disorder Among Children Aged 8 Years  Autism and Developmental Disabilities Monitoring Network, 11 Sites, United States, 2020. MMWR Surveill Summ 2023;72(No. SS-2):114.
Rockville, MD, July 30, 2024 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- According to a new industry report released by Fact.MR, the global shingles vaccine market size is estimated at a value of US$ 2.71 billion in 2024 and is evaluated to reach US$ 5.97 billion, with a growing CAGR of 8.2% by the end of 2034.

In January 2018, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) recommended Shingrix over Zostavax as a vaccine against Shingles because of its high efficacy.

The National Center for Biotechnology Information predicts that if there is no shingles vaccine, there will be 278 million cases of herpes zoster worldwide over the next ten years.

For More Insights into the Market, Request a Sample of this Report:

https://www.factmr.com/connectus/sample?flag=S&rep_id=10175

Although acyclovir and valacyclovir are two antiviral treatments for shingles, immunization against the herpes zoster virus becomes essential for patients with weakened immune systems. The primary factors driving the growth of the shingles vaccine market are improvements in healthcare policies in developed nations and the increased risk of developing shingles, particularly in individuals 60 years of age and older.

Limited awareness about shingles and vaccination benefits, particularly in low- and middle-income countries, is giving rise to the need for educational campaigns to drive vaccination uptake. The effectiveness of antiviral treatments for postherpetic neuralgia has emphasized the importance of vaccine development.

Key Takeaways from the Market Study

The global singles vaccine market is projected to expand at a CAGR of 8.2% from 2024 to 2034.

The market in the United States is set to reach a value of US$ 1.78 billion in 2024.

China is estimated to account for a 53.7% share of the East Asia market in 2024.

Revenue in the market in Japan is set to reach US$ 74 million in 2024.

The East Asia market is forecasted to expand at a CAGR of 10.1% from 2024 to 2034.

Innovative recombinant vaccines are the current trend in the shingles vaccine market, and their high cost is anticipated to drive market expansion. Enhanced healthcare facilities in developed countries are contributing to higher vaccination rates, says a Fact.MR analyst.

Get Customization on this Report for Specific Research Solutions:

https://www.factmr.com/connectus/sample?flag=S&rep_id=10175

Increased Susceptibility of Older Adults to Shingles

The Centers for Disease Control (CDC) estimates that one in three Americans will experience shingles at some point in their lives, which is anticipated to increase the market in the country.

People who are older and have weakened immune systems are more prone to infections. Age-related immune system deterioration is one factor contributing to the reactivation of the varicella-zoster virus, the cause of shingles. In the United States, symptoms associated with a history of varicella infection are present in over 99% of adults 40 years of age and older, placing them at risk for developing shingles.

Key Market Players

List of the prominent players in the global market are Cipla Inc.; Pfizer Inc.; Merck & Co., Inc.; SK Chemicals; Vaccitech; CanSinoBIO; Green Cross Corp.; GlaxoSmithKline Plc.; GeneOne Life Science.

Shingles Vaccines Industry News

In January 2022, Pfizer and BioNTech launched their third partnership, investing $225 million to develop an mRNA-based shingles vaccine. They aim to create an effective and tolerable vaccine, sharing the development costs. Clinical trials are set to begin in the second quarter of 2022.

In June 2021, GlaxoSmithKline announced the relaunch of its shingles vaccine, which had seen a sales drop due to COVID-19 vaccine rollout disruptions. The company aims to become the world's leading vaccine producer.

More Valuable Insights on Offer

Fact.MR, in its new offering, presents an unbiased analysis of the shingles vaccine market for 2019 to 2023 and forecast statistics for 2024 to 2034.

The study divulges the shingles vaccine market based on type (Shingrix, Zostavax, Sky Zoster), vaccine type (recombinant vaccines, live attenuated vaccines), and end-user (government healthcare settings, private healthcare settings), across seven major regions of the world (North America, Latin America, Western Europe, Eastern Europe, East Asia, South Asia & Pacific, and MEA).

Checkout More Related Studies Published by Fact.MR Research:

Vaccine Adjuvants Market is expected to reach a valuation of US$ 6.8 Billion and projected to witness a CAGR of 12.3% from 2023 to 2033

Flu Vaccine Market size is estimated at $5,831.7 Mn in 2024 and is anticipated to grow at a CAGR of 6.7%, reaching a value of $11,181.3 Mn by 2034

Meningococcal Vaccine Market to reach US$ 10,788.0 million, with a CAGR of 10.3% from 2024 to 2034

Respiratory Virus Vaccines Market size is predicted to reach US$ 18.6 billion, expanding at a CAGR of 7.9% by 2033-end

RNA-Based Therapeutics And Vaccine Market is evaluated to increase from $180.5 Mn in 2024 to $1.24 Bn, with a CAGR of 21.3% by 2034



About Us:

Fact.MR is a distinguished market research company renowned for its comprehensive market reports and invaluable business insights. As a prominent player in business intelligence, we deliver deep analysis, uncovering market trends, growth paths, and competitive landscapes. Renowned for its commitment to accuracy and reliability, we empower businesses with crucial data and strategic recommendations, facilitating informed decision-making and enhancing market positioning. With its unwavering dedication to providing reliable market intelligence, FACT.MR continues to assist companies in navigating dynamic market challenges with confidence and achieving long-term success. With a global presence and a team of experienced analysts, FACT.MR ensures its clients receive actionable insights to capitalize on emerging opportunities and stay ahead in the competitive landscape.
CINCINNATI, July 30, 2024 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Ultimus Fund Solutions (Ultimus), a leading independent provider of full-service, technology-enhanced fund administration, accounting, and investor solutions, is pleased to announce the expansion of its longstanding partnership with Westwood Holdings Group (Westwood) through the successful launch of two new actively managed exchange-traded funds (ETFs). This launch marks a significant milestone in the continuing evolution of Westwood's investment offerings, reflecting a deepened collaboration that leverages Ultimus' extensive infrastructure and fund administration service offering.



Headquartered in Dallas, Texas, Westwood manages multiple investment strategies tailored to institutional investors, private wealth clients, and financial intermediaries. Recently, Westwood expanded its offerings to include two new Active ETFs, reflecting Westwoods ongoing leadership in energy and infrastructure investing with a commitment to providing innovative investment tools, regardless of vehicle or wrapper to investors.

As we continue to innovate and advance our solutions, our partnership with Ultimus has been truly invaluable, said Bill Hardcastle, Managing Director, Strategic Planning and Program Management. With their robust support and experience with multiple wrappers, we've successfully ventured into new markets and now launched our first active ETFs. Were excited about whats ahead and confident our ongoing collaboration with Ultimus will open even more growth opportunities.

In partnership with Ultimus, Westwood has successfully expanded its investment offerings which include 14 mutual funds, two ETFs, two private funds, and one private equity fund, showcasing a solid commitment to providing diversified and innovative investment solutions while utilizing Ultimus comprehensive back office administration services and statutory distributor services.

"Our relationship with Westwood continues to grow stronger as we provide integrated support across their product lineup," said Bill Tomko, EVP, Head of Fund Servicing at Ultimus. "From mutual funds to cutting-edge ETFs and private funds, our team has been committed to empowering Westwood with tailored solutions that cater to their particular strategic objectives. We look forward to deepening this partnership and exploring new avenues for innovation together."

The new ETFs are part of Westwoods broader strategy to diversify investment wrappers and innovate within their investment expertise, showcasing their ability to seek to adapt and thrive in a competitive investment product landscape. Providing the necessary infrastructure and expertise, Ultimus helped Westwood bring these novel products to market and remains dedicated to fostering this partnership and supporting Westwoods forward-thinking approach to asset management.

About Ultimus

Ultimus Fund Solutions (Ultimus) is a leading provider of full-service tech-enhanced fund administration, accounting, middle office, and investor solutions to support the servicing of registered funds, alternative investment funds, such as interval and tender offer funds, private funds, and public plans. The company also offers customized structures designed for the unique needs of pensions, endowments, foundations, and other large institutions. Ultimus service offering comes with a deep commitment to excellence, achieved through continuous investments in both talent and technology, with focus on a consultative approach and boutique service culture.

Headquartered in Cincinnati, Ohio with offices in other major cities such as Denver, New York, and Philadelphia, Ultimus employs more than 1000 seasoned accountants, attorneys, paralegals, application developers, fund administrators, compliance specialists, and many others with years of experience in the financial services industry. Servicing over 1,800 total traditional and alternative funds, Ultimus helps investment managers and fund families flourish in todays increasingly sophisticated and dynamic investment landscape. For more information, visit www.ultimusfundsolutions.com.

To determine if the Funds are an appropriate investment for you, carefully consider the Funds investment objectives, risk factors, and charges and expenses before investing. This and other information can be found in the Funds prospectus, which may be obtained by calling 877.944.0755. Please read the prospectus carefully before investing.

Westwood ETFs are distributed by Northern Lights Distributors, LLC (member FINRA), Northern Lights Distributors and Westwood ETFs (or Westwood Holdings Group, Inc.) are separate and unaffiliated.

CONTACT: Marketing@UltimusFundSolutions.com





COD00000404 7/26/24
MAYFIELD VILLAGE, OHIO, July 30, 2024 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- As previously announced, The Progressive Corporation (NYSE: PGR) will host an Investor Relations event on Tuesday, August 6, 2024, beginning at 9:30 a.m. eastern time. This event, which will consist of both a conference call and webcast, is scheduled to last 90 minutes and will begin with an approximate 45-minute presentation on acquiring policies in our Direct channel, followed by a question-and-answer session with Tricia Griffith, our CEO, and John Sauerland, our CFO. Call-in participants will be able to ask questions via phone, however, webcast participants will not be able to submit questions online.



On August 5, 2024, Progressive expects to file its Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q with the Securities and Exchange Commission and post its Shareholders Report, including the Letter to Shareholders from Tricia Griffith, to its website at www.progressive.com/annualreport.

To receive the details on how to access the call or to join the webcast, visit Progressives website at https://investors.progressive.com/events/default.aspx.

Replays of the webcast will be available approximately two hours after the call concludes. The archived webcast will be able to be accessed from Progressives website at https://investors.progressive.com/events/default.aspx and will remain available until August 7, 2025.

About Progressive

Progressive Insurance makes it easy to understand, buy and use car insurance, home insurance, and other protection needs. Progressive offers choices so consumers can reach us however its most convenient for them  online at progressive.com, by phone at 1-800-PROGRESSIVE, via the Progressive mobile app, or in-person with a local agent.

Progressive provides insurance for personal and commercial autos and trucks, motorcycles, boats, recreational vehicles, and homes; it is the second largest personal auto insurer in the country, a leading seller of commercial auto, motorcycle, and boat insurance, and one of the top 15 homeowners insurance carriers.

Founded in 1937, Progressive continues its long history of offering shopping tools and services that save customers time and money, like Name Your Price, Snapshot, and HomeQuote Explorer.

The Common Shares of The Progressive Corporation, the Mayfield Village, Ohio-based holding company, trade publicly at NYSE: PGR.



Company Contact:

Douglas S. Constantine

(440) 395-3707

investor_relations@progressive.com



The Progressive Corporation

6300 Wilson Mills Road

Mayfield Village, Ohio 44143

http://www.progressive.com


High River, Alberta, July 30, 2024 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Western Communities Foundation released its 2023 Annual Report, highlighting the ways it supports causes that matter most to Western Financials customers, people and the diverse communities it serves. From educational bursaries and disaster relief to community infrastructure grants and food bank donations, Western is committed to building strong and vibrant communities in Canada.

Despite the numerous challenges we faced with the onslaught of catastrophic events and natural disasters across the country, our community came together in remarkable displays of resilience and strength, giving back the most we have given to date, over $620,000 to the communities where we live and work, said Kenny Nicholls, Western Financial Group President and CEO, and Western Communities Foundation Chair.

Through all levels and departments at Western, staff know that care is really at the core of all they do  for customers, local communities and their people. Behind every policy is a human being. Our front-line teams help our customers through thick and thin  wildfires, floods, thefts, auto accidents, you name it. We know how important it is to support our communities in ways that make sense to them, said Michelle Mak, Communities Foundation Director. Were there to help our customers when things go wrong, and were there to celebrate their successes. Giving back is not just the right thing to do; its our responsibility.

Key highlights and achievements from Western Communities Foundation in 2023:

$620,499 given in grants and donations across Canada.

$200,000 given in infrastructure grants to support community enhancement projects that build strong, vibrant and inclusive communities.

135 high school students honored with the Inspirational Bursary Awards for their remarkable resilience, determination, and personal growth in the face of adversity.

$25,000 donated for disasters and emergency relief to help communities most impacted by the Nova Scotia floods and British Columbia wildfires.

$147,000 donated from funds raised by employees to 116 local causes.

A special thank you to our sponsors whose contributions have been immeasurable to our Foundation: Wawanesa Insurance, Optiom Inc., SGI Canada, Intact Insurance, Peace Hills Insurance, and many more.

See here for further details or visit westernfinancialgroup.ca/Foundation-Who-We-Are to learn more.

Western Financial Group Communities Foundation

Founded in 2001, the Western Financial Group Communities Foundation serves to give back to the communities where Western employees live and work and play, and foster employee pride and engagement. The Foundation's core donation programs include community Infrastructure Grants, the Western Inspirational Awards for graduating high school students, and the Matching Grants Program. Since its inception, the Western Communities Foundation has given back more than $9 million to support local communities.

Attachments
Wilmington, Delaware, United States, Transparency Market Research, Inc., July 30, 2024 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- With the sluggish advancement occurring at a CAGR of 2.8% through 2034, the worldwide slurry pump market () is likely to reach USD 1.4 billion at the end of the forecast period. The last recorded size of the industry was USD 1.0 billion in 2023. Owing to this progress, fewer growth prospects are created for leading players in the sector.

With several efforts taken by governments of different countries, the oil and gas sector is expected to proliferate. Due to the growth of the ecosystem, the scope of slurry pumps increases, diversifying applications of pumps in such sectors.

The production of oil, natural gas, and other related excavations has increased. Pertaining to the rising demand, oil and gas exploration activities are propelling. With the growing demand for such activities, the importance of slurry pumps is expected to increase.

Pertaining to the rising demand for pumps for exploration activities, the scope of slurry pumps in the petrochemical industry is expected to increase, creating several growth prospects for leading players in the ecosystem.

Request for Sample PDF Copy of Report: https://www.transparencymarketresearch.com/sample/sample.php?flag=S&rep_id=86324

The growing importance of effective transportation of slurries and sludge from one place to another is a driving force for the ecosystem. The demand for better transference of fluid from one place to another is also increasing, which adds to the driving force for the competitive landscape.

Owing to the growing demand for better water treatment plants, the demand for efficient slurry pumps is expected to elevate. Wastewater treatment is a key factor of concern. To cater to the growing concern, several measures are being taken to treat water and elevate the usability of this water. Such growing demand is pushing the growth of the competitive landscape. This rising demand also enables key players in the ecosystem to innovate products.

Key Findings from the Market Report

With various differentiating factors, the global slurry pump market can be segmented into different categories. The product type segment of the sector is governed by the horizontal slurry pump category due to the high productivity of such pumps.

Vertical slurry pumps generate demand in small-scale operations, owing to the lowered maintenance and operational costs.

Reduced noise, better efficiency, and cost-effectiveness are key benefits of electrically power-sourced pumps, helping the category of the segment gain attention.

With the growing mining activities across the world, the demand for such pumps is expected to increase in the said category of the end-use industry segment.

Regional Profile

With the rising emphasis on research and development in Europe, prospects for the competitive landscape are likely to increase. Key players in the sector can grow through innovative products in the region, contributing to market growth.

The emergence of the oil and gas sector in Asia-Pacific is set to drive the growth of the competitive space in the region, thereby creating opportunities for key players.

Technological infrastructure in North America is likely to augment the market size. Owing to better infrastructural availability, cutting-edge solutions can be designed and offered to consumers.

Competitive Landscape

With key expansion strategies like collaborations, acquisitions, partnerships, or mergers, leading players expand in the slurry pump market. New entrants might face a hindrance to entry due to large-scale organizations.

EBARA Corporation is a key player in the competitive space. The firm offers a wide range of products, including surface pumps, submersible pumps, custom pumps, and many more.

EDDY Pump Corporation is another key organization in the ecosystem, which is known for diversified products like excavator pump attachments, dredge sleds, autonomous dredges, self-prime pumps, buckets, and many more.

Flowserve Corporation is another prominent player in the ecosystem, which is observed to operate in different verticals, including pumps, valves, seals, energy recovery devices, actuators, and instrumentation.

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Key Players

EBARA Pumps Americas Corporation

EDDY Pump Corporation

Flowserve Corporation

HEBEI TOBEE PUMP CO. LIMITED

KSB SE & Co. KGaA

Metso

Sulzer Ltd

The Weir Group PLC

TSURUMI MANUFACTURING CO. LTD.

Xylem

Key Developments in the Slurry Pump Market

In September 2022, EBARA Corporation acquired Hayward Gordon L.P. (HG). The strategic move helped the firm enhance the global presence of the organization. Strategic resource expansion was also possible with the help of such a move.

acquired Hayward Gordon L.P. (HG). The strategic move helped the firm enhance the global presence of the organization. Strategic resource expansion was also possible with the help of such a move. In July 2023, EDDY Pump Corporation partnered with Hawk Excavator. The strategic partnership aimed to redefine the competitive landscape with the increased scope of innovation and reach of firms across the globe.

Market Segmentation

Type

Horizontal Slurry Pump

Vertical Slurry Pump

Head

Below 75 mtr

75 mtr - 100 mtr

100 mtr - 150 mtr

150 mtr - 200 mtr

Above 200 mtr

Power Source

Electric

Hydraulic

Pneumatic

Solar

Diesel

End Use

Mining

Chemical

Wastewater Treatment

Power Generation

Construction

Oil and Gas

Metallurgy

Agriculture

Others (Pharmaceuticals, etc.)

Distribution Channel

Direct Sales

Indirect Sales

Region

North America

Europe

Asia Pacific

Middle East & Africa

South America

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NEW YORK, July 30, 2024 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Mage Data has been named a Champion in the Test Data Management (TDM) Market Update report by the independent research and analyst firm, Bloor Reserach. This recognition places Mage Data among the top solutions in the TDM market, standing shoulder to shoulder with other industry giants: IBM, Informatica, and Broadcom.



Mage Data specializes in providing innovative and robust Test Data Management solutions designed to meet Enterprise Customers unique needs in today's fast-paced digital environment. This endorsement from Bloor reflects Mage Datas 20 years of commitment to innovation and excellence, and specifically the diverse Data Privacy and Security solutions delivered, affirm that Mage Data is a pioneer in the TDM landscape.

Bloor's research report recognizes that Data Discovery and Masking capabilities are vital to the Test Data Management space, noting that Although neither data discovery nor data masking are TDM methods in and of themselves, they are still vitally important to the TDM space. Without them, both data subsetting and database virtualization leave your sensitive data unprotected and exposed during the testing process. This is dangerous, unnecessary, and falls foul of many, if not all, compliance mandates. Mage Datas Test Data Management solution with Database Subsetting, Sensitive Data Discovery, Static Data Masking and Blended Data Masking comprehensively safeguards your Test Data while optimizing your operations and minimizing risk.

Bloor believes Data Discovery and Masking capabilities should be offered by a vendor competently, where masking needs to retain referential integrity, subsets need to be representative of your production data, and sensitive data discovery needs to offer at least a few reasonably sophisticated discovery methods (column name matching alone is not sufficient). Mage Datas masking capabilities are designed to preserve referential integrity, meaning that relationships between data elements remain intact even after sensitive information has been masked. This is crucial for maintaining the usability of the data while protecting sensitive information. Database subsetting can be done as per specific conditions that meet business requirements. Mage Data offers advanced discovery techniques to identify sensitive data residing across the data landscape. This allows enterprises to identify sensitive data more effectively, enabling them to mask and protect this information throughout.

"Mage Data has been positioned as a 'Champion' in the Test Data Management (TDM) space, signifying our robust performance compared to competitors. This recognition underscores the effectiveness of our TDM solution and our ability to meet the evolving needs of enterprises," said Anil Bhat Chief Technology Officer Mage Data. "We are honored to be acknowledged alongside distinguished companies. Such accolades validate our advancements in Test Data Management innovation. With our latest release, Mage Data integrates AI into its processes, which aids in the intelligent selection and generation of test data complemented by an easy-to-use conversational User Interface.

It is gratifying that Bloor Research identified Mage Datas combination of data discovery, masking, and subsetting as earnings their highest ranking of Champion, adds Dan Neault, a senior industry voice and Board Advisor to Mage Data. Mage Datas strategy has been decades in the making with its greatest fruition in releases over recent years. And so, ranking with the best in the industry like this, which we also hear from customers, is a wonderful accolade as Mage Data prepares for its next major release wave based on customer input and feedback.

Keeping market trends in mind, Bloor reports that the TDM space has continued to grow, and its demands have crystalized  especially around regulatory compliance. Mage Data has always championed the need to analyze the market movement and identify Enterprise needs proactively since its inception and foray into the Data Privacy and Security domain. Mage Data has responded to this need by continuously enhancing its capabilities. Evidenced by having expansive Data store support for Modern Cloud Platforms like Snowflake, Salesforce, Kafka etc. to riding the Generative AI wave and integrating value added capabilities into the Mage Data platform.

About Bloor

Bloor Research is one of Europes leading IT research, analysis and consultancy organizations. Founded in 1989, Bloor is an independent research and analyst house focused on the idea that Evolution is Essential to business success and ultimately survival. For nearly 30 years we have enabled businesses to understand the potential offered by technology and choose the optimal solutions for their needs.

Bloor analysts and navigators combine their deep knowledge of technology with current trends and drivers in business to assess appropriate technologies and their suitability for businesses now and in the future. They also combine this knowledge and the information gained from interviews with customers and vendors to provide cross-the-industry views for our framework. Whether pushing for better standards in accessibility, removing the hype from Service Oriented Architectures or understanding the impact of the internet on commerce, Bloor has contributed opinions which have moved our clients understanding forward.

About Mage Data

Mage Data is a leading solutions provider of data security and data privacy software for global enterprises. Built upon a patented and award-winning solution, the Mage platform enables organizations to stay on top of privacy regulations while ensuring security and privacy of data. Top Swiss banks, Fortune 10 organizations, Ivy League universities, and industry leaders in the financial and healthcare businesses protect their sensitive data with the Mage Data platform for Data Privacy and Security. Deploying industry-leading privacy enhancing technologies for securing data, Mage Data delivers robust data security while ensuring privacy of individuals.

Visit www.magedata.ai for more about Mage and the company's solutions.

Media Contact:

Deeksha Surya

3 Columbus Circle, 15th Floor New York, NY 10019

Telephone: +1 212 203 4365

Email: info@magedata.ai
Davenport, July 30, 2024 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Davenport, Iowa -

Northwest Plumbing, Heating & AC, a local business that's been serving the Quad Cities since 1923, is highlighting its furnace repair and installation services as winter approaches. Besides their heating services, they also provide plumbing solutions year-round, handling issues like leaky pipes, clogged drains, and broken fixtures. By offering a variety of services, Northwest Plumbing Heating & AC ensures that residents can depend on them for essential repairs and installations throughout the year.

"In preparation for the upcoming winter season, we want to remind our customers of the importance of regular furnace maintenance," said Bill Durand, CEO of Northwest Plumbing Heating & AC. "A well-maintained furnace not only ensures a warm home during the cold months but also helps avoid costly repairs in the future. Our team is dedicated to providing prompt and reliable furnace repair and installation services to our community."

Having a working heating system during winter is essential. Northwest Plumbing Heating & AC offers comprehensive furnace services that include repairs, installation, and annual system checks. Regular maintenance can make furnaces last longer and run more efficiently, which can help lower energy bills for homeowners.

Alongside heating services, Northwest Plumbing, Heating & AC also tackles plumbing problems year-round. Their team can repair and install water heaters, clean drains, inspect and repair sewer lines, fix or replace toilets and sinks, and address sump pump issues. With their 24-hour service, they make sure that urgent plumbing problems are resolved quickly, preventing further damage and inconvenience.

To make these services more affordable, Northwest Plumbing Heating & AC has partnered with GreenSky to offer financing options. This makes it easier for homeowners to handle the costs of necessary repairs or installations without financial stress. The financing application process is designed to be quick and easy.

"We understand that unexpected repairs can be costly, and our goal is to provide solutions that are both effective and affordable," Durand added. "Through our partnership with GreenSky, we can offer financing plans that help our customers manage the expenses of keeping their homes safe and comfortable."

Celebrating their 100th year in business, Northwest Plumbing Heating & AC is offering a special promotion. Customers who mention "Happy Birthday" can get $100 off a new heating or cooling system. This offer is available until November 30, 2023, and is valid for system replacements only. This promotion is part of the company's efforts to give back to the community that has supported them for nearly a century.

The company also offers Service Partner Agreements, which are maintenance plans that help keep heating and plumbing systems in good shape all year. For a yearly fee of $99 or $8.25 per month, members get an annual furnace check, priority service, no after-hours charges, yearly tune-ups, and discounts on other services. This proactive approach can help prevent bigger issues and offers peace of mind to homeowners.

Customers interested in Northwest Plumbing Heating & AC's services or monthly specials can find more details on their website. The current special for November includes a discount on replacing old air conditioning units and free estimates for heating and cooling installations. This special is part of their efforts to provide cost-effective solutions to their customers.

The company stays active on social media platforms like Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, LinkedIn, and Pinterest. These channels keep customers updated on services, specials, and industry tips.

For those interested in reading more about the company's latest announcements, a detailed news article is available that highlights the importance of scheduling furnace check-ups ahead of winter to prevent expensive repairs later on.

By focusing on providing comprehensive and reliable services, Northwest Plumbing, Heating & AC continues to be a trusted provider in the Quad Cities area. Their commitment to customer satisfaction and quality service has earned them a solid reputation in the community, which they aim to uphold with every service call.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hbYHWXxklzw

Visit their website for more information on heating services, plumbing services, and to explore their current special offers.

###

For more information about Northwest Plumbing, Heating & AC, contact the company here:



Northwest Plumbing, Heating & AC

Bill Durand

(563) 391-1344

bdurand@northwestmech.com

5885 Tremont Ave

Davenport, IA 52807
Haslet, July 30, 2024 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Haslet, Texas -

Amy Fowler Therapy has announced the opening of their new counseling practice in Haslet, Texas, along with the launch of their website. The service focuses on offering support for children, teenagers, and women, addressing a variety of emotional and mental health issues. Amy Fowler, a Licensed Professional Counselor Associate (LPCA), brings over 17 years of experience working with children and adolescents, and more than a decade of experience counseling women.

The practice aims to create a safe environment for clients dealing with different challenges. For children, the focus includes helping with behavioral issues, emotional regulation, and relationship problems. Teenagers can receive help with anxiety, family dynamics, and self-esteem issues. Women can get support for relationship issues, parenting challenges, and life transitions along with other concerns.

Reflecting on the launch, Amy Fowler said, "I am thrilled to bring this counseling service to the Haslet community. My goal has always been to provide compassionate and effective therapy to those facing emotional and psychological challenges. The new practice and website make it easier for people to access the support they need."

The new website provides detailed information about the therapy services, pricing, and practice location. It also allows users to schedule appointments online, making the process simpler for new and existing clients. The initial 90-minute parent intake session for children under 18 is priced at $125, with follow-up 50-minute sessions costing $115. Adult clients can avail themselves of the 50-minute session at the same rate.

In addition to its practical uses, the website offers free resources for the community. This includes a newsletter with mental health and emotional wellness tips for women, children, and teens. Moreover, the website lists a privacy policy, terms of service, and a professional disclosure statement. It also provides links to Amy Fowler Therapy's social media pages on Facebook, LinkedIn, and Instagram.

Amy Fowler Therapy understands the importance of making mental health services accessible. Although they do not accept insurance, the practice accepts payments through HSA or FSA cards. This helps clients manage their mental health care expenses conveniently.

The services offered cover a wide range of needs, including support for anxiety, depression, grief, and bereavement for both children and women. Teenagers can receive therapy tailored to their age-specific challenges, such as identity issues, peer relationships, and stress management. This focused approach ensures that every client gets care suited to their individual needs.

Amy Fowler added, "Launching this practice means a lot to me. I've seen first-hand how effective therapy can positively impact lives. It's about helping clients find their path to emotional well-being and providing the tools they need to navigate life's challenges."

With a commitment to providing high-quality, compassionate care, Amy Fowler Therapy is set to become a trusted resource in the Haslet community and the surrounding Fort Worth area. The launch of both the physical practice and the website is a significant step toward increasing access to mental health services in the area.

For more information about the services offered or to schedule an appointment, visit the Amy Fowler Therapy website. The site is designed to be user-friendly, providing visitors with the information they need to make informed decisions about their mental health care.

Amy Fowler Therapy is dedicated to supporting the emotional and mental health needs of children, teenagers, and women in Haslet, Texas. The practice's wide range of services and experienced counseling aim to address various challenges, from behavioral issues in children to life transitions in women. With the new practice and website, Amy Fowler Therapy is making strides in providing accessible and comprehensive mental health services to the community.

###

For more information about Amy Fowler Therapy, contact the company here:



Amy Fowler Therapy

Amy Fowler

817-239-9996

info@amyfowlertherapy.com

1090 School House Rd #700

Haslet, TX 76052
TORONTO and TAMPA, Fla., July 30, 2024 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Voxtur Analytics Corp. (TSXV: VXTR; OTCQB: VXTRF), a technology company creating a more transparent and accessible real estate lending ecosystem, today announced the signing of a definitive agreement on Friday July 26, 2024, to establish a groundbreaking strategic joint venture with University Bancorp, Inc. (OTCQB: UNIB). Under the terms of the agreement, University Bancorp, Inc. (University) will lead a group of strategic mortgage industry investors, acquiring a 50.5% stake in Blue Water Financial Technologies Holding Company, LLC, an indirect subsidiary of Voxtur (Blue Water), for an upfront cash payment of $30M USD, plus a $9.5M USD earnout subject to the platform hitting certain financial milestones (the Transaction). This joint venture is set to pave the way for Voxtur, Blue Water and University to realize transformative growth and business development.



Voxtur expects that the majority of the cash proceeds will be used to pay off its outstanding debt owed to Bank of Montreal. The cash infusion will be instrumental in positioning the Company for a stronger financial future and enhanced operational flexibility. This financial boost not only alleviates debt, but also fuels Voxturs strategic initiatives, ensuring a solid foundation for its continued success and innovation.

CEO of Voxtur, Gary Yeoman, added, We are delighted to welcome University as a major strategic and collaborative partner. This joint venture not only strengthens our financial position but also opens new avenues for strategic investments and technological enhancements. We look forward to the exciting journey ahead and the mutual benefits this partnership will deliver.

Our collaboration with Blue Water represents a pivotal moment for University, said Stephen Lange Ranzini, CEO of University. The joint venture with Blue Water brings substantial synergies to our existing businesses and to Blue Water. In addition, we plan to leverage our ability to add technology to Blue Waters Mortgage Asset Marketplace Platform to enable enhanced value-added services for its mortgage industry clients.

The collaboration between Voxtur and University represents a forward-thinking approach, combining financial strength with strategic vision, and will contribute to a brighter future for all stakeholders.

Led by University, this joint venture also will bring onboard strategic investors in the mortgage industry who are poised to leverage the Blue Water platforms robust capabilities. This partnership will create new opportunities for collaboration, drive technological advancements, and foster a dynamic environment for future growth. The Transaction is subject to various closing conditions, including but not limited to, financing by University and regulatory approval, and is expected to close before the end of the Companys third quarter.

This transaction is subject to approval by the TSXV. No finders fees will be paid with respect to this Transaction.

About Voxtur

Voxtur is a transformational real estate technology company that is redefining industry standards in a dynamic lending environment. The Company offers targeted data analytics to simplify tax solutions, property valuation and settlement services throughout the lending lifecycle for investors, lenders, government agencies and servicers. Voxtur's proprietary data hub and workflow platforms more accurately and efficiently value assets, originate and service loans, securitize portfolios and evaluate tax assessments. The Company serves the property lending and property tax sectors, both public and private, in the United States and Canada. For more information, visit www.voxtur.com.

About Blue Water

Blue Water provides its mortgage industry customers with mortgage asset marketplace services across eight lines of business:

Transfer Services The Platform assists buyers and sellers of MSRs by preparing the Mortgage Loan file documentation paperwork required to settle an MSR transaction, for a fee per loan. MSR-X transactions The Platform assists buyers and sellers of MSRs to determine real-time prices and transact when the prices meet their criteria, and earns a fee when the deal closes. Bulk Brokerage The Platform assists buyers and sellers of Mortgage Loans and MSRs to negotiate transactions, and earns a fee when the deal closes. Hedge Advisory Services The Blue Water-owned Registered Investment Advisor (RIA) provides hedging services for Mortgage Loans and MSR portfolios to its clients for a monthly fee. Valuation Services The Platform values portfolios of Mortgage Loans and MSRs for its clients on an ongoing basis for a recurring fee. Ad Hoc Bid Advisory The Platform analyzes portfolios of Mortgages Loans and MSRs that clients are considering buying and concludes what their current value is, for a one-time fee. Mortgage Correspondent As A Service Mortgage Correspondent As A Service Platform allows Third Party Origination, Pricing and Purchase of Mortgage Loans by the Correspondent Services Provider, and then Transfer of the Mortgage to the initial mortgage subservicer for recurring fees. Pre-Close and Post-Close QC Pre-Close and Post-Close QC automates the review of electronic loan files to identify issues related to underwriting and/or investor delivery including but not limited to missing documents, missing data, and problems requiring manual review.

About University Bancorp

Ann Arbor-based University Bancorp owns 100% of Crescent Assurance, PCC, a captive insurance company licensed in Washington DC, and 100% of University Bank. University Bank together with its Michigan-based subsidiaries, holds and manages a total of over $40 billion in financial assets for over 195,000 customers, and our 492 employees make us the 5th largest bank based in Michigan. University Bank is an FDIC-insured, locally owned and managed community bank, and meets the financial needs of its community through its creative and innovative services. Founded in 1890, University Bank is the 15th oldest bank headquartered in Michigan. We are proud to have been selected as the "Community Bankers of the Year" by American Banker magazine and as the recipient of the American Bankers Associations Community Bank Award. University Bank is a Member FDIC. The members of University Banks corporate family, ranked by their size of revenues are:

UIF, a faith-based banking firm based in Southfield, MI;

University Lending Group, a retail residential mortgage originator based in Clinton Township, MI;

Midwest Loan Services, a residential mortgage subservicer based in Houghton, MI;

Community Banking, based in Ann Arbor, MI, which provides traditional community banking services in the Ann Arbor area;

Ann Arbor Insurance Centre, an independent insurance agency based in Ann Arbor;

Reverse Mortgage Lending, a reverse residential mortgage lender based in Southfield, MI;

Mortgage Warehouse Lending, a mortgage warehouse lender based in Southfield, MI; and,

Hyrex Servicing, a mortgage asset management firm based in Southfield, MI;

University Bancorps common shares are traded in the US on the OTCQB under the symbol UNIB.

Forward-Looking Information

This news release contains certain forward-looking statements and forward-looking information (collectively, forward-looking information) which reflect the expectations of management regarding the Companys strategic initiatives, plans, business prospects, and opportunities. Forward-looking statements should not be read as guarantees of future events, performance or results, and give rise to the possibility that managements predictions, forecasts, projections, expectations, or conclusions will not prove to be accurate, that the assumptions may not be correct and that the Companys future growth, financial performance and objectives and the Companys strategic initiatives, plans, business prospects and opportunities, , will not occur or be achieved. Any information contained herein that is not based on historical facts may be deemed to constitute forward-looking information within the meaning of Canadian and United States securities laws. Forward-looking information may be based on expectations, estimates and projections as at the date of this news release, and may be identified by the words may, would, could, should, will, intend, plan, anticipate, believe, estimate, expect or similar expressions. Forward-looking information may include but is not limited to: the effects of unexpected costs, liabilities or delays; success of software activities; the competition for skilled personnel; expectations for other economic, business, environmental, regulatory and/or competitive factors related to the Company, or the real estate industry generally; anticipated future production costs; and other events or conditions that may occur in the future. Investors are cautioned that forward-looking information is not based on historical facts but instead reflects estimates or projections concerning future results or events based on the opinions, assumptions and estimates of management considered reasonable at the date the information is provided. Although the Company believes that the expectations reflected in such forward-looking information are reasonable, such information involves risks and uncertainties, and undue reliance should not be placed on such information, as unknown or unpredictable factors could have material adverse effects on future results, performance, or achievements of the Company. Among the key factors that could cause actual results to differ materially from those projected in the forward-looking information include but are not limited to: implementation of new products; changing global financial conditions; reliance on specific key employees and customers to maintain business operations; competition within the Companys industry; a risk in technological failure, failure to implement technological upgrades, or failure to implement new technological products in accordance with expected timelines; changing market conditions; failure of governing agencies and regulatory bodies to approve the use of products and services developed by the Company; the Companys dependence on maintaining intellectual property and protecting newly developed intellectual property; operating losses and negative cash flows; and currency fluctuations. Accordingly, readers should not place undue reliance on forward-looking information contained herein.

This forward-looking information is provided as of the date of this news release and, accordingly, is subject to change after such date. The Company does not assume any obligation to update or revise this information to reflect new events or circumstances except as required in accordance with applicable laws.

NEITHER THE TSXV NOR ITS REGULATION SERVICES PROVIDER (AS THAT TERM IS DEFINED IN THE POLICIES OF THE TSXV) ACCEPTS RESPONSIBILITY FOR THE ADEQUACY OR ACCURACY OF THIS RELEASE.

Voxturs common shares are traded on the TSXV under the symbol VXTR and in the US on the OTCQB under the symbol VXTRF.

Voxtur Contact:

Jordan Ross

Chief Operating Officer

Tel: (416) 708-9764

Email: jordan@voxtur.com

For media inquiries:

Jacob Gaffney

Tel: (817) 471-7627

Email: jacob@gaffneyaustin.com

University Bancorp Contact:

Stephen Lange Ranzini

President and CEO

Tel: (734) 741-5858, Ext. 9226

Email: ranzini@university-bank.com
In the latest episode of UNSCRIPTED, Dino Rizzo, President of the ARC, chats with Brett Jones in a compelling discussion on servant leadership, mentoring, and the dynamics of co-pastoring.



BIRMINGHAM, Ala., July 30, 2024 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Dino Rizzo, President of the Association of Related Churches (ARC), recently sat down with Brett Jones for an insightful episode of the UNSCRIPTED podcast. The pair touched on essential themes of servant leadership, the dynamics of church leadership, and the importance of mentoring future generations.

Reflecting on his journey, Brett Jones shared with Dino Rizzo how he and his brother Scott began co-pastoring Grace Church in Houston, Texas, despite initial skepticism. Jones recounted his invitation to his brother: Im not overworked, Im under-planned.  Together, lets see if we can do something that we dont see a model for. The partnership between these brothers has flourished for 38 years, defying the notion that dual leadership doesnt work. They have demonstrated a sustainable model for maintaining relationships, setting aside egos, and prioritizing servant leadership.

Brett Jones also delved into the significance of not competing in relationships and being secure in ones gifts without seeking praise. He emphasized the importance of leaders serving others, an ethos encapsulated in his and Scotts leadership approach at Grace Church. Jones remarked on the value of surrendering personal ambitions to serve a greater vision, noting that life moves at the speed of relationships and that ego stands for edging God out.

Later, Dino Rizzo highlighted the importance of humility in leadership, saying, It always boils down to servant leadership. No matter what we come up with, its all about serving others. Dino Rizzo also emphasized the importance of genuine service, noting, We need to be about our Fathers businessserving others selflessly, without making a big deal out of our roles.

Jones touched on his passion for mentoring the next generationa passion Dino Rizzo shares. Drawing from the mentoring relationship that Elijah and Elisha shared, Jones discussed the intricacies of successful leadership transitions in his book, The Changeover Principle: Mentoring and the Art of Servant Leadership. Jones candidly acknowledged the challenge many leaders face: They find it easier to perform grand acts than to patiently mentor a successor. He warned of the high risk involved in leaders failing to invest in their successors.

Jones and Dino Rizzo also mentioned some practical insights from Joness experience. Jones shared anecdotes, such as dealing with everyday challenges at the church, that have underscored the humility required in servant leadership. He also recounted a time when he, as the church planter and pastor, had to deal with plumbing issues, illustrating that leadership often involves unglamorous tasks. This anecdote exemplified the core message that true leadership is about serving othersregardless of the size or nature of the task.

In this recent episode of UNSCRIPTED, Joness authentic and practical wisdom resonated with Dino Rizzo and the audience. Their conversation underscored the timeless value of servant leadership and the critical role of mentoring in building a sustainable future for church leadership.

For more information about planting a church or partnering with the ARC, visit arcchurches.com.

About Dino Rizzo:

Dino Rizzo , a 35-year ministry veteran, co-founded Healing Place Church with his wife, DeLynn, where he served as senior pastor for two decades. Through his passion for inspiring believers to serve their communities, Dino Rizzo also founded Servolution.

In addition, Dino Rizzo is the President of the Association of Related Churches (ARC), where he oversees the planting of over 1,000 churches worldwide. He is also on the Senior Leadership Team at Church of the Highlands and is the author of Serve Your City: How to Do It and Why It Matters.

About the Association of Related Churches (ARC):

The Association of Related Churches (ARC) represents a collaborative network comprising independent congregations from various denominations, networks, and backgrounds. Its primary mission is to provide essential support and resources to church planters and pastors, enabling them to effectively share the teachings of Jesus Christ. The ARC's operational approach revolves around empowering and equipping church leaders, thus helping them foster the widespread dissemination of Christs life-changing message. Established in 2000, the Association of Related Churches has evolved into a worldwide entity and has played a pivotal role in facilitating the establishment of over 1,000 new churches globally.
Dublin, July 30, 2024 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- The "Thailand Coffee Pods - Forecasts from 2024 to 2029" report has been added to ResearchAndMarkets.com's offering.

The Thailand coffee pods market is anticipated to grow at a CAGR of 7.76% over the forecast period to reach US$3.84 billion by 2029, increasing from estimated value of US$2.64 billion in 2024.



One of the major drivers augmenting the market of coffee pods in Thailand is the increase in sales of coffee machines and the increasing number of coffee cafes in the nation. The lowering cost of the home coffee machine pushed its demand forward, especially among the coffee enthusiast. Apart from the machines, the nation also witnessed an increase in coffee cafes in the past few years. These cafes use and sell coffee pods at their outlets, attracting customers. According to the World Coffee Portal, in March 2023, the PTTOR of Thailand planned to invest about US$412 million to expand its Cafe Amazon business, a coffee cafe based in Thailand. This investment has positive effects on the coffee pods market in Thailand.



Apart from this, another major driver for the increase in the market share of coffee pods in Thailand is the increase in coffee production in the nation. The nation generally produces the 'Robusta' variant of coffee, which is generally lower in cost than the 'Arabica' variant. According to the Foreign Agricultural Services, USA, Thailand produced about 46.2 tons of coffee in 2022, an increase from 2021, when the nation produced about 43 tons of coffee.



The Thailand coffee pods industry is expanding at a moderate rate. One of the main reasons for the market's expansion in this nation is the high convenience and low cost of using coffee pods. The desire to have a cafe-like experience at home has led Thai consumers to be willing to spend money on single-serve coffee makers, which has increased the market for coffee pods in this nation.

MARKET DRIVERS:



The Rising coffee consumption is anticipated to propel market growth.

In recent years, Thailand witnessed a significant increase in its coffee consumption. This increase can be explained by the increasing nation's coffee production, along with the increase in cafe coffee supplier outlets in the country.



The nation has had cafes operating for more than 25 years, with various international outlets like Nescafe, Starbucks, and Dunkin Donuts. Apart from this, domestic brands like Cafe Amazon also operate and are planning to expand globally. These outlets not only serve coffee but also offer consumers various coffee and related products like coffee pods and soluble coffee.



Additionally, the nation also witnessed an increase in its hobbyist coffee consumers. This consumer category consumes fine-quality coffee and uses various coffee machines to make the perfect cup of coffee. This category of consumers encouraged various coffee machine companies to manufacture home-based coffee machines, which generally use coffee pods.

The Online segment is anticipated to propel market growth.

In Thailand, people buying coffee online have increased due to increased online shopping. The number of individuals purchasing coffee via the Internet is escalating as the number of the nation's people accessing the Internet continuously increases. For instance, according to data from the World Bank in 2022, Internet users across the Thailand region accounted for around 88% in 2022



Furthermore, due to increased stress on health and wellness over the last few years, the people of Thailand have taken on coffee more regularly as a healthier alternative to other sugary, fizzy drinks. Most people now prefer taking coffee because they are health conscious, and producers want to meet these growing desires by expanding on what exists while introducing new products. Coffee consumption has increased as a result of their offering fresh and unique scents, such as floral undertones and other unprocessed sensations, in addition to the traditional coffee characteristics. This has attracted younger customers who are looking for unique tastes.



The World Bank released statistics showing that in 2021, there were 169 mobile phone subscribers per 100 users in Thailand. With a high number of mobile subscriptions, there were 176 subscriptions per 100 people in 2022.



Moreover, Nescafe provides coffee pods through an online channel, the NESCAFE Dolce Gusto machines and capsules are engineered to produce high-quality coffee in just 60 seconds. Our capsule freshness protection technology ensures that every cup has an excellent coffee aroma. At the push of a button, savor a silky Americano or a creamy Cappuccino.



Additionally, the Easy Best Group's Coffeewhim enterprise is situated in a key area. This sets up the perfect scenario for all Pattaya and surrounding area customers to receive their orders within a day of placing them. Not long after roasting, they can deliver the best coffee available in Thailand. The 200-meter distance from Motorway 7 makes it possible for the delivery to go smoothly to Bangkok. Two days of the week are set aside for online delivery of coffee and ice cream to Bangkok.

The Chiang Mai segment is anticipated to propel market growth.

Chiang Mai is the biggest city in northern Thailand. According to United Nations estimates, it's population has increased from 1,91,000 in 1989 to 1.4 million in 2024. The tourist industry, a foundation of Chiang Mai's economy, is one of the primary drivers of this expansion.



Along with this, the population of Chiang Mai is also increasing due to growing urbanization and an increase in disposable income, which ultimately leads to coffee pods market growth. While cafes and other establishments in the hospitality sector offer their services to a wider population, more consumers require convenient solutions like the pod, shaping the market towards sustainability.



The Chiang Mai coffee pods business benefits from the increasing popularity of easy solutions for coffee drinkers, especially in cities. Stimulated by the booming cafe industry as well as the constantly expanding tourism industry in Chiang Mai, more people consume coffee both at home and in commercial places. Furthermore, digitalization and e-commerce platforms increase market accessibility and product diversity while appealing to a wide range of customer tastes. Phuket and Chiang Mai have been identified as Digital Economy Clusters. In 2015, the government implemented a cluster development policy to boost competitiveness in high-potential industrial activities utilizing knowledge-based and digital advanced technology. Companies operating in qualified activities under the Digital Economy Cluster in Chiang Mai are encouraged to seek investment incentives from the Board of Investment ("BOI").



Besides that, there are strong opportunities for developing start-ups and scale-ups in agriculture, biotechnology, and food-for-the-future in the Chiang Mai and Chiang Rai regions in Northern Thailand, building on existing small firm networks and supply chains in these regions, connecting them within the regions both vertically and horizontally, and connecting them with the underpinning national cluster, further impacting the coffee pods market in the region.



Product launches and innovations are significant in the Chiang Mai coffee pods market since these factors encourage market growth and consumer interaction. Every new product release has the element of novelty involved, whether this be through the actual taste, the use of eco-friendly containers, or other advancements in brewing methods, among others, that awakens the curiosity of coffee lovers. By coming up with new products, they not only tap into the changing trends and demands of consumers but also reduce rivalry in the market as firms are always discovering new ways and methods how to enhance their products. Comprehensively, new product advancement and launch enable Chiang Mai coffee pod market growth and diversification, enhancing coffee consumption while expanding businesses' sustainability.

Key Market Developments:

Product launches increase demand for coffee in the food and beverages sector, leading to market growth. For instance, Coffee Culture sells coffee capsules online, enabling customers to purchase freshly ground Thai coffee pods for Nespresso machines or other capsule coffee makers that work with Nespresso coffee capsules. Here, every coffee pod is made from freshly roasted Thai coffee beans.

Key Players:

Boncafe (Thailand)is a business provider with One Stop Coffee and Beverage Solutions; They are a coffee manufacturer, distributor, and importer of a variety of products, including high-quality coffee machine brands. Currently, Boncafe (Thailand) is a part of the Italian coffee company Massimo Zanetti Beverage Group, which is among the biggest coffee companies in the world.

Starbucksbegan operations in Thailand in July 1998, when it opened its first coffeehouse. With its expansion, Starbucks now has 409 physical locations nationwide. Through its sponsorship of sustainable coffee production with Thai hill tribes under the brand name Muan Jai (Thai blended coffee), the company is committed to making the Starbucks Experience an enjoyable part of the day for all of its customers in Thailand.

Nestleis the Good Life Company, Good Food. They think that food can improve lives. Delicious food pleases and satisfies the senses. It promotes healthy child development, pet happiness, parents' graceful ageing, and everyone's pursuit of life. People come together over good food. Eating healthy food also honours the environment and preserves resources for coming generations.



Key Attributes:





Report Attribute Details No. of Pages 82 Forecast Period 2024 - 2029 Estimated Market Value (USD) in 2024 $2.64 Billion Forecasted Market Value (USD) by 2029 $3.84 Billion Compound Annual Growth Rate 7.7% Regions Covered Thailand

Report Segmentation:



By Type

Hard Pods

Soft Pods

By Caffeine Content

Regular

Decaffeinated

By Flavour

Regular

Flavoured

By Distribution Channel

Online

Offline

By Region

Bankok

Chiang Mai

Pattaya City

Phuket

Others

Companies Profiled

Oishi Group Public Company Limited

Boncafe (Thailand) Ltd.

Starbucks Thailand

The Coffee Club (Thailand)

Dunkin' Donuts (Thailand)

Pacific Coffee Company (Thailand)

Doi Chang Coffee Company Limited

Nestle Thailand Ltd.

For more information about this report visit https://www.researchandmarkets.com/r/8u4u3o

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
Creativity Unbound, Anywhere: Any space becomes a personal studio with the versatile AI-powered 13" convertible ProArt PX13 and 16 powerhouse ProArt P16



KEY POINTS

Create smarter: StoryCube and MuseTree AI apps for more streamlined creativity; dedicated Copilot key; ProArt Creator Hub and ASUS DialPad

StoryCube and MuseTree AI apps for more streamlined creativity; dedicated Copilot key; ProArt Creator Hub and ASUS DialPad Create faster: 50 TOPS AMD Ryzen  AI 9 HX 370 processor and up to 321 TOPS GeForce RTX  4070 Laptop GPU

50 TOPS AMD Ryzen AI 9 HX 370 processor and up to 321 TOPS GeForce RTX 4070 Laptop GPU Create anywhere, ProArt PX13: 1.38 kg-light design for effortless on-the-go creativity, with versatile laptop, tent, stand and tablet modes plus stylus support

1.38 kg-light design for effortless on-the-go creativity, with versatile laptop, tent, stand and tablet modes plus stylus support Creation Powerhouse, ProArt P16: 14.9 mm-thin, 1.85 kg-light chassis is tough and durable, unleashing boundless creativity in the studio or on the move





TORONTO, July 30, 2024 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- ASUS today announces that the mightily powerful ASUS ProArt PX13 and ASUS ProArt P16 laptops are now available in Canada starting July 30, 2024. Both laptops are available in different configurations. The ASUS ProArt P16 is available through the ASUS Store, Best Buy, Canada Computers, Memory Express and NewEgg starting from CA$2,599, and the ASUS ProArt PX13 is available on the ASUS Store, Best Buy, Canada Computers, Memory Express and NewEgg starting from CA$2,349.

AI for creators: ASUS ProArt P16 & ProArt PX13

The new ASUS ProArt AI laptop lineup is designed to empower every creator  whether they are everyday users, outdoor content creators, or professionals  to transform their precious life moments into enduring stories. The lightweight, durable and powerful laptops allow users to create anywhere, create faster, and create smarter.

Another ProArt laptop, the ultracompact and ultraportable ProArt PZ13 detachable laptop will also be available for purchase later in Q3 in Canada.

The 16-inch ProArt P16 laptop delivers unparalleled creative on-the-go experiences anywhere, boasting cutting-edge components within its premium-feel black chassis that's just 14.9 mm thin and 1.85 kg light. It comes equipped with a stunning 4K OLED touchscreen display offering impressive visuals. Powered by a 50 TOPS NPU integrated into the AMD Ryzen AI 9 HX 370 processor, and NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4070 Laptop GPU that can deliver up to 321 TOPS, making it the first AI PC of its kind built for advanced AI workflows across creativity, gaming, productivity and more. Its GeForce RTX 4070 Laptop GPU provides creatives with RTX AI acceleration in top 2D, 3D, video editing and streaming apps. RTX GPUs breeze through video editing tasks 2.5x faster with DaVinci Resolve. Adobe Premiere Pros AI Speech Enhance runs 4.5x faster. 3D is accelerated by as much as 6x in Autodesk Arnold. And ProArt P16 has access to exclusive NVIDIA AI software like NVIDIA Broadcast, RTX Video, and the ChatRTX tech demo.

For increased portability, the 1.38 kg 13-inch ProArt PX13 convertible laptop is designed to excel in any user scenario, with a 360 hinge that allows seamless flipping between laptop, tent, stand or tablet modes. Whether creating on-the-go or working from home, its high-resolution 3K touchscreen ASUS Lumina OLED display ensures lifelike visuals that captivate and inspire. Powered by AMD Ryzen AI 9 HX 370 processor, ProArt PX13 is an NVIDIA Studio-validated laptop, with up to a GeForce RTX 4070 Laptop GPU that delivers over 300 TOPS for an advanced AI PC experience, enabling creators to unlock unique AI capabilities and dive into AI-accelerated workflows, from textures to lighting effects to AI-generated imagery. Along with ultrafast WiFi 7 connectivity, there are extensive I/O ports including twin 40 Gbps USB4 for fast charging and external displays, HDMI 2.1 FRL, and a UHS-II MicroSD card reader for quick action-cam transfers.

Both laptops are crafted to conquer and exceeds the stringent MIL-STD 810H US military standard tested to withstand up to 95% relative humidity, altitudes up to 15,000 feet, and temperatures as low as -50C  promising unparalleled durability and reliability. Engineered for the extremes, it guarantees longevity and sustainability, empowering creators to work, travel, and unwind with absolute confidence.

ASUS and CapCut have also partnered to give users an exclusive free six-month CapCut membership program that provides access to premium features and thousands of assets, giving them the benefits of a flexible editing workflow, magical AI tools, and a stock library.

Create smarter

These two new laptops come around with a suite of exclusive AI-powered apps and features designed to make the creative journey easier, smoother, and more powerful  from the first draft to the final version.

StoryCube is the smartest, most convenient, and most powerful way to manage all digital assets. Creators can use AI assistance to sort, edit, manage and export captured raw files. MuseTree transforms inspiration into imagery swiftly and conveniently using a simple and innovative interface, effortlessly fleshing out text-based drafts and ideas. Creations are intelligently stored and managed at all times for easy access and organization.

ProArt Creator Hub serves as a personal portal for monitoring the device's status, customizing settings, and enhancing workflow for limitless creativity. Users can fine-tune Fan Profiles for optimal cooling performance, easily access color calibration tools through Color Control, and enhance their workflow efficiency and performance management with WorkSmart and Performance Optimization.

The exclusive ASUS DialPad is an intuitive physical controller that gives users instant and precise fingertip control over parameters in their creative apps. Users can easily change brush size, or rapidly undo actions to make the creative workflow smoother. Its fully customizable  and works with a wide range of apps. The keyboard features a dedicated Copilot key for instant, one-click access to the powerful Windows AI assistant.

AVAILABILITY & PRICING

Both the ASUS ProArt P16 and ProArt PX13 are now available for purchase in Canada.

The ASUS ProArt P16 boasting the latest 12-core AMD Ryzen AI 9 HX 370 processor, an NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4060, 32 Gb of RAM, 1 TB of storage and stunning 4K OLED touchscreen display is available on the ASUS Store, Best Buy, Canada Computers, Memory Express and NewEgg for CA$2,599.

Another version boasting an NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4070, 64 Gb of RAM, and 2 TB of storage is available exclusively on the ASUS Store and Best Buy for CA$3,499.

The ASUS ProArt PX13 with the latest 10-core AMD Ryzen AI 9 365 processor, an NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4050, 24 Gb of RAM and 1 TB of storage and stunning 3K OLED touchscreen display and bundled with an ASUS Pen 2.0 is available on the ASUS Store, Best Buy, Canada Computers, Memory Express and NewEgg for CA$2,349.

Another version boasting the latest 12-core AMD Ryzen AI 9 HX 370 processor, an RTX 4060, 1 TB of storage and 32 GB of RAM is now available in exclusivity on Best Buy and the ASUS Store for CA$2,899, and also comes bundled with an ASUS Pen 2.0.

The ASUS ProArt PZ13 will be available later in Q3 2024.

Please contact your local ASUS representative for further information.

PRESS CONTACTS

Media Relations



ASUS Canada



media.ca@asus.com Redoine Taoussi



Public Relations Manager

NOTES TO EDITORS

ProArt P16 Product Page: https://www.asus.com/ca-en/laptops/for-creators/proart/proart-p16-h7606/

ProArt PX13 Product Page: https://www.asus.com/ca-en/laptops/for-creators/proart/proart-px13-hn7306/

ProArt PZ13 Product Page: https://www.asus.com/laptops/for-creators/proart/proart-pz13-ht5306/

Where to buy links ProArt P16:

ProArt P16 ASUS Store: https://shop.asus.com/ca-en/proart-p16-h7606.html

ProArt P16 Best Buy: https://www.bestbuy.ca/en-ca/product/asus-proart-p16-ai-touchscreen-laptop-16-4k-oled-display-amd-ryzen-ai-9-hx-370-nvidia-rtx-4060-laptop-gpu-32gb-memory-1tb-ssd-wi-fi-7-h7606wv-db93t-cb/18194064

ProArt P16 Best Buy: https://www.bestbuy.ca/en-ca/product/asus-proart-p16-16-4k-oled-touchscreen-laptop-nano-black-amd-ryzen-ai-9-hx-370-2tb-ssd-64gb-ram-nvidia-geforce-rtx-4070-window-11/18171801

ProArt P16 Canada Computers: https://www.canadacomputers.com/product_info.php?cPath=710_4419&item_id=260289

ProArt P16 Memory Express: https://www.memoryexpress.com/Products/MX00130649

ProArt P16 NewEgg: https://www.newegg.ca/p/N82E16834236548

Where to buy links ProArt PX13:

ProArt PX13 ASUS Store: https://shop.asus.com/ca-en/proart-px13-hn7306.html

ProArt PX13 Best Buy: https://www.bestbuy.ca/en-ca/product/asus-proart-px13-ai-touchscreen-laptop-13-3-3k-oled-display-amd-ryzen-ai-9-365-nvidia-rtx-4050-laptop-gpu-24gb-memory-1tb-ssd-wi-fi-7-nano-black-hn7306wu-db72t-cb/18194063

ProArt PX13 Best Buy: https://www.bestbuy.ca/en-ca/product/asus-proart-px13-13-3-oled-touchscreen-2-in-1-laptop-nano-black-amd-ryzen-ai-9-hx-370-1tb-ssd-32gb-ram-nvidia-geforce-rtx-4060-window-11/18171803

ProArt PX13 Canada Computers: https://www.canadacomputers.com/product_info.php?cPath=710_4419&item_id=260292

ProArt PX13 Memory Express: https://www.memoryexpress.com/Products/MX00130650

ProArt PX13 NewEgg: https://www.newegg.ca/p/N82E16834236549

ASUS Pressroom: http://press.asus.com

ASUS Canada Facebook : https://www.facebook.com/asuscanada/

ASUS Canada Instagram : https://www.instagram.com/asus_ca

ASUS Canada YouTube : https://ca.asus.click/youtube

ASUS Global X (Twitter) : https://www.x.com/asus



SPECIFICATIONS 1

ASUS ProArt P16 CPU 12-core AMD Ryzen AI 9 HX 370 processor Display 16.0", 4K (3840 x 2400) OLED 16:10 aspect ratio, 0.2 ms response time, 60 Hz refresh rate, 500 nits HDR peak brightness, 100% DCI-P3 color gamut, 1,000,000:1, VESA-certified DisplayHDR True Black 500, 1.07 billion colors, Pantone Validated, glossy display, 70% less harmful blue light, TUV Rheinland-certified, SGS Eye Care Display, touchscreen, screen-to-body ratio 88%, with stylus support Operating system Windows 11 Home Graphics Up to NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4070 Laptop GPU





8 GB GDDR6 Main memory ASUS ProArt P16 (H7606WI-BB94T-CB)





64 GB LPDDR5X on board





ASUS ProArt P16 (H7606WV-DB93T-CB)



32 GB LPDDR5X on board Storage ASUS ProArt P16 (H7606WI-BB94T-CB)





2 TB M.2 NVMe PCIe 4.0 SSD





ASUS ProArt P16 (H7606WV-DB93T-CB)



1 TB M.2 NVMe PCIe 4.0 SSD Connectivity WiFi 7 (802.11be) (Triple band) 2*2



Bluetooth 5.4 Wireless Card Camera FHD IR / 3DNR / ACS camera I/O ports 1 x USB4  supports display / power delivery





1 x USB 3.2 Gen 2 Type-C supports display / power delivery



2 x USB 3.2 Gen 2 Type-A



1 x HDMI 2.1 FRL



1 x 3.5 mm Combo Audio Jack



1 x DC-in



SD Express 7.0 card reader Keyboard & Touchpad Backlit chiclet keyboard, 1.7 mm key-travel, seamless touchpad, support ASUS DialPad, with Copilot key Audio Smart Amp Technology





Built-in speakers



Built-in array microphone



Harman Kardon (Premium) certified Battery 90 Wh AC adapter 200 W AC Adapter, Output: 20 V DC, 10 A, 200 W, Input: 100~240 V AC, 50 / 60 Hz universal Dimensions 35.49 x 24.69 x 1.49 ~ 1.73 cm Weight 1.85 kg





ASUS ProArt PX13 CPU ASUS ProArt PX13 (HN7306WV-BB92T-CB)



12-core AMD Ryzen AI 9 HX 370 processor





ASUS ProArt PX13 (HN7306WU-DB72T-CB)



10-core AMD Ryzen AI 9 365 processor Display 13.3-inch, 3K (2880 x 1800) OLED 16:10 aspect ratio, 0.2 ms response time, 60 Hz refresh rate, 500 nits HDR peak brightness, 100% DCI-P3 color gamut, 1,000,000:1 contrast ratio, VESA Certified DisplayHDR True Black 500, 1.07 billion colors, Pantone Validated, glossy display, 70% less harmful blue light, TUV Rheinland-certified, SGS Eye Care Display, touchscreen, 85% screen-to-body ratio, with stylus support Operating system Windows 11 Home Graphics ASUS ProArt PX13 (HN7306WV-BB92T-CB)



NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4060 Laptop GPU







ASUS ProArt PX13 (HN7306WU-DB72T-CB)



NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4050 Laptop GPU Main memory ASUS ProArt PX13 (HN7306WV-BB92T-CB)



32 GB LPDDR5X on board







ASUS ProArt PX13 (HN7306WU-DB72T-CB)





24 GB LPDDR5X on board Storage 1 TB PCIe Gen 4 SSD Connectivity WiFi 7 (802.11be) (triple band) 2x2 + Bluetooth 5.4 wireless card Camera FHD camera with IR function to support Windows Hello I/O ports 1x USB 3.2 Gen 2 Type-A





2x USB 4.0 Gen 3 Type-C support display / power delivery



1x HDMI 2.1 FRL



1x 3.5 mm combo audio jack



1x DC-in



microSD 4.0 card reader Keyboard & Touchpad Backlit chiclet keyboard, 1.7 mm key travel, precision touchpad, DialPad support, includes the Copilot key Audio Smart Amp Technology



Built-in speaker



Built-in array microphone



Harman/Kardon (Premium) Battery 73 Wh, 4S1P, 4-cell Li-ion AC adapter Rectangle conn, 200 W AC adapter, Output: 20 V DC, 10 A, 200 W, Input: 100240 V AC, 50/60 Hz universal Dimensions 29.82 x 20.99 x 1.58 ~ 1.77 cm (11.74 x 8.26 x 0.62 ~ 0.70") Weight 1.38 kg (3.04 lbs)

About ASUS

ASUS is a global technology leader that provides the worlds most innovative and intuitive devices, components and solutions to deliver incredible experiences that enhance the lives of people everywhere. With its team of 5,000 in-house R&D experts, ASUS is world-renowned for continuously reimagining todays technologies for tomorrow, garners more than 11 awards every day for quality, innovation and design, and is ranked among Fortunes Worlds Most Admired Companies.

FORTUNE and FORTUNE Worlds Most Admired Companies are registered trademarks of FORTUNE Media IP Limited and are used under license

1 Specifications, content and product availability are all subject to change without notice and may differ from country to country. Actual performance may vary depending on applications, usage, environment and other factors. Full specifications are available at http://www.asus.com



A photo accompanying this announcement is available at https://www.globenewswire.com/NewsRoom/AttachmentNg/77b3e7a5-b00d-4f3f-860d-5f95df0561b9
NEW YORK, July 30, 2024 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Monteverde & Associates PC (the M&A Class Action Firm), has recovered money for shareholders and is recognized as a Top 50 Firm in the 2018-2022 ISS Securities Class Action Services Report. We are headquartered at the Empire State Building in New York City and are investigating Galaxy Gaming, Inc. (OTC: GLXZ), relating to its proposed merger with Evolution Malta Holding Limited. Under the terms of the agreement, Galaxy Gaming stock will be automatically converted into the right to receive $3.20 per share.



Click here for more information https://monteverdelaw.com/case/galaxy-gaming-inc/. It is free and there is no cost or obligation to you.

NOT ALL LAW FIRMS ARE THE SAME. Before you hire a law firm, you should talk to a lawyer and ask:

Do you file class actions and go to Court? When was the last time you recovered money for shareholders? What cases did you recover money in and how much?



About Monteverde & Associates PC

Our firm litigates and has recovered money for shareholdersand we do it from our offices in the Empire State Building. We are a national class action securities firm with a successful track record in trial and appellate courts, including the U.S. Supreme Court.

No company, director or officer is above the law. If you own common stock in the above listed company and have concerns or wish to obtain additional information free of charge, please visit our website or contact Juan Monteverde, Esq. either via e-mail at jmonteverde@monteverdelaw.com or by telephone at (212) 971-1341.

Contact:

Juan Monteverde, Esq.

MONTEVERDE & ASSOCIATES PC

The Empire State Building

350 Fifth Ave. Suite 4740

New York, NY 10118

United States of America

jmonteverde@monteverdelaw.com

Tel: (212) 971-1341
Dubai, UAE, July 30, 2024 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- DP World hosted a high-level delegation from Chile, led by His Excellency Gabriel Boric Font, President of the Republic of Chile, at Jebel Ali Port in Dubai.

The visit follows the signing of the Comprehensive Economic Partnership Agreement (CEPA) between the UAE and Chile. The landmark agreement aims to deepen economic collaboration by eliminating or reducing customs duties and facilitating investment and joint ventures, thereby significantly boosting bilateral trade.

During the visit, DP World showcased its state-of-the-art facilities, innovative logistics solutions, and commitment to sustainability. The delegation received a detailed overview of DP World's global network and its ambitions to lead the future of world trade.

Sultan Ahmed Bin Sulayem, Chairman and CEO of DP World, stated, "We are delighted to welcome His Excellency Gabriel Boric Font and the Chilean delegation to Jebel Ali Port. This visit marks a significant step in strengthening our bilateral trade relations and exploring new avenues for collaboration. Chile is a key partner in our global network, and we look forward to enhancing our cooperation to drive economic growth and innovation.

"Enabling trade and growing GDP in the countries we operate is a strategic priority for us. Our success in Dubai, where Jebel Ali contributes a significant share of the emirates GDP, is a model we aim to replicate. We envision bringing the powerful synergy between our ports, terminals, free trade zones, and logistics services, proven in Dubai, to benefit Chile as well. We are committed to investing in Chile for the long-term and supporting Chile's economic expansion for mutual benefit."

His Excellency Gabriel Boric Font, President of the Republic of Chile, expressed his admiration for DP World's advanced infrastructure and operational excellence, highlighting the potential for increased bilateral trade and investment between Chile and the UAE. He stated, "We are impressed by the scale and efficiency of DP World's operations in Dubai. The insights gained during this visit are invaluable as we look to enhance our own trade and logistics infrastructure in Chile. DP World's commitment to innovation and sustainable practices aligns perfectly with our vision for Chile's economic future. We welcome DP World's continued investment and support in driving our mutual economic growth and development."

DP World began its operations in Chile in 2019 with the acquisition of two port facilities at Lirquen and San Antonio. Since then, the company has continued to build on its existing presence, with ambitions to increase trade volumes for Chile.

The visit concluded with discussions on future collaborations, particularly in logistics, technology, and sustainable development, aligning with DP World's vision of creating a smarter, more efficient global trade network.

- END -

For DP World media enquiries, please contact:

Adal Mirza



Group Vice President, Media Relations



Adal.mirza@dpworld.com



+971 50 628 7856 Hakam Kherallah



Group Senior Manager, International Media Relations & CEO Communications



Hakam.Kherallah@dpworld.com



+971 50 552 2610

About DP World

Trade is the lifeblood of the global economy, creating opportunities and improving the quality of life for people around the world. DP World exists to make the worlds trade flow better, changing whats possible for the customers and communities we serve globally.

With a dedicated, diverse and professional team of more than 111,000 employees from 159 nationalities, spanning 77 countries on six continents, DP World is pushing trade further and faster towards a seamless supply chain thats fit for the future.

Were rapidly transforming and integrating our businesses -- Ports and Terminals, Marine Services, Logistics and Technology  and uniting our global infrastructure with local expertise to create stronger, more efficient end-to-end supply chain solutions that can change the way the world trades.

What's more, we're reshaping the future by investing in innovation. From intelligent delivery systems to automated warehouse stacking, were at the cutting edge of disruptive technology, pushing the sector towards better ways to trade, minimising disruptions from the factory floor to the customers door.

WE MAKE TRADE FLOW

TO CHANGE WHAT'S POSSIBLE FOR EVERYONE.
EDITORIAL IMAGES AND INFORMATION AVAILABLE HERE



VANCOUVER, British Columbia, July 30, 2024 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Chocxo, the premium chocolate brand celebrated for its commitment to better-for-you indulgences, proudly launches its latest creation: Dark Milk Chocolate Cookies & Creme Cups, now available at Costco and Loblaws locations across Canada.

With only 4 grams of sugar per cup, Chocxos Dark Milk Chocolate Cookies & Creme Cups deliver on the brands better-for-you promise. Chocxo maintains its high standard of quality by using only organic ingredients without any sugar substitutes to deliver a refined twist on a nostalgic flavor favorite with lower amounts of sugar. The product features a rich dark milk chocolate shell, made from a combination of 85% cacao dark chocolate and creamy milk chocolate, filled with a creamy vanilla-infused center with crunchy, gluten-free chocolate cookie bits, and topped with even more crunchy chocolate cookie bits.

Reminiscent of a favorite ice cream flavor, Chocxos Dark Milk Chocolate Cookies & Creme Cups pair perfectly with summer! Chocolate lovers can find these sweet bites now at Costco and Loblaws locations throughout Canada, and rolling out in the U.S. this fall to various retailers and grocers. Direct shipping is paused for summer and will resume in October.

A decade ago, Chocxo set out to make the most mouth-watering, delicious chocolate  and to make it better for people and the planet. The brand has since become known for truly indulgent chocolates that are naturally lower in sugar (without artificial sweeteners), with simple, high-quality organic ingredients.

For more information about Chocxo and its range of better-for-you-and-the-planet chocolate offerings, visit www.chocxo.com.

About Chocxo (pronounced Choc-so)

We are longtime chocolatiers and flavor fanatics on a mission to share the joy of truly indulgent, better-for-you chocolate thats also better for the planet! With more than a century of chocolate-making experience among us, Chocxos chocolatiers are celebrating a decade of crafting a line of decadent, premium chocolates from simple, organic ingredients that are naturally lower in sugar (without artificial sweeteners or sugar alcohols). Chocxo chocolates are made from sustainably-sourced organic cocoa beans that are naturally more flavorful, and require less sugar to taste incredible. Continuing to rack up industry and consumer awards recognizing its unparalleled taste, Chocxo is also a proud partner of RePurpose Global and all Chocxo products are Certified Plastic Neutral. All Chocxo chocolates are made in Vancouver, BC and ship to chocolate lovers worldwide.

Media Contact: Joshua Levitt, josh@fikacollective.com

Photos accompanying this announcement are available at

https://www.globenewswire.com/NewsRoom/AttachmentNg/4af5898b-f5c6-452f-9be5-ea120db918c4

https://www.globenewswire.com/NewsRoom/AttachmentNg/58a5d717-41d6-4a06-8a5c-20ec6c5174a3
Launching today, Antoni Tudisco, Megan Kaspar, and Nick Knight are among the visionaries brought together by David Cash to announce the launch of the newly formed Digital Fashion Designers Council (DFDC). The nonprofit association, which includes leading fashion brands, digital ateliers, designers, and industry leaders, is excited to present a new addition to the style calendar: Fashion Week Connect (FWC). This dynamic, cross-platform event will connect brands digital ecosystems with physical products and experiences, via programming including activations from Diesel to SHOWstudio







Artwork by Antoni Tudisco | Courtesy of Etheeverse and the DFDC

The DFDC features industry giants Nick Knight, Megan Kaspar, Antoni Tudisco, Marjorie Hernandez, Daria Shapovalova, Natalia Modenova, gmoney, Leanne Elliott Young, and 20+ major fashion luminaries assembled by David Cash and team.

Vision: To integrate digital fashion into the traditional fashion ecosystem by aligning incentives of brands, platforms, and users through strategic partnerships and global IRL+URL activations.

Mission: To drive digital transformation in the world of fashion, helping brands connect their physical products and consumers with their digital ecosystems.

The DFDC aims to establish global standards for digital fashion, connecting physical fashion brands with digital platforms and experiences, and leveraging technologies like AR mirrors, hologram runways, and interactive cross-platform fashion games.

NEW YORK, July 30, 2024 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- The newly formed Digital Fashion Designers Council (DFDC) today announced the launch of its flagship event series, Fashion Week Connect. This fall fashion season, industry giants Nick Knight, Megan Kaspar, Antoni Tudisco, Marjorie Hernandez, and dozens more will join forces with the DFDC to present an innovative cross-platform program of experiences, seamlessly integrating the physical and digital worlds of fashion via newly developed infrastructure under the umbrella of their Fashion Week Connect event series, AKA FWC.

The DFDC positions itself as the foundational layer between digital and physical fashion, with the purpose to connect physical fashion brands with the platforms their digitally-native consumers spend time in. With representatives from globally renowned brands, the DFDC aims to establish global standards for digital fashion, helping align incentives and fostering the connection of physical and digital fashion ecosystems. David Cash, founder of the DFDC , was previously responsible for conceptualizing the world's first Metaverse Fashion Week for Decentraland in 2022, an IP which has now garnered over 9 billion impressions. He now shifts his focus to steering the DFDC , according to Cash:

We are connecting brands with the digital ecosystems in which consumers spend most of their time, from social media to gaming platforms. Over 50% of the worlds population spent time on a social media app or in a video game platform today. We are creating the DFDC to bridge physical products with the digital world, connecting brands with consumers, expanding on loyalty programs, creating game integrations, XR filters, immersive experiences, and more.

This fall, users can expect cutting-edge digital activations that include hologram runways, AR mirrors, and interactive cross-platform fashion games. Encouraging early adoption, users who connect their social media and game accounts to the DFDC platform will now earn points redeemable for exclusive products from their favourite brands. According to Mike Charalambous, Founder and CEO of Threedium and Executive Board member of the DFDC :

The DFDC is connecting some of the worlds leading brands with their digitally-native consumers to present a new format of programming. We are supporting brands in creating activations that incentivise users to move between platforms, from social media to game worlds to e-commerce platforms, helping create a more 360 user experiencein direct collaboration with many of the other incredible technical partners the DFDC has brought together.

Fashion Week Connect will feature activations across major cities, including Paris, New York, London, and Singapore, at events ranging from Digital Fashion Week at the Epic Games HQ in London to Next in Vogue by Vogue Singapore to storefronts and digital activations across the Reality Spectrum. Programming will include Diesels Metamorph project, a VIP reception in Los Angeles hosted by Red DAO and the DFDC featuring physical touchpoints from Dolce & Gabbanas Collezione Genesi collection, a digital fashion activation by FabriX as part of Paris Fashion Week at the Palais de Tokyo, and the launch of the Digital Fashion Film Festival by SHOWstudio featuring the likes of Charli XCX and Naomi Campbell. With fashion by Loewe, Bottega Veneta, Mugler, Balenciaga and more, the festival showcases the future of fashion film through the eyes of legendary image-maker Nick Knight. According to Knight:



We are living in the most exciting time in fashion imagery that I have ever known. For fashion, magazine pages are being replaced by the virtual and the digital space. The audience is now fully interactive and also truly global.

The DFDC is dedicated to driving the digital transformation of the fashion industry. It includes representatives from leading fashion brands and digital innovators, supported by entities such as RED DAO, Threedium, DRESSX, Beyond Studio and major social and gaming platforms worldwide. The Council includes notable figures in digital fashion, such as Marjorie Hernandez of DEMAT, Dani Loftus of DRAUP and @thisoutfitdoesnotexist, gmoney of 9dcc, and Natalia Modenova and Daria Shapovalova of DRESSX, According to Megan Kaspar, prolific fashion-tech investor, Founding Member of RED DAO, and Chief Advisor and Executive Board member of the DFDC :

As digital asset counterparts become standard for physical products  including metadata on-chain and 3D technology, the DFDC (Digital Fashion Design Council) is at the forefront, assisting brands in linking their physical items with their broader digital ecosystems. The DFDC's mission is to drive a streamlined digital transformation solution to the traditional fashion industry, tethering their physical products to the digital revolution omniverse.

Fashion industry professionals, digital pioneers, and fashion enthusiasts are invited to be part of this initiative. Connect with the DFDC , participate in Fashion Week Connect, launching this September, and help shape the future of fashion. You can visit the DFDC Website to sign up to be one of the first to be able to use the RSM tool and earn points for being an early user.

About the Digital Fashion Designers Council (DFDC): The DFDC is dedicated to driving the digital transformation of the fashion industry by integrating digital fashion into the traditional fashion ecosystem and aligning the incentives of brands, platforms, and users through partnerships and cohesive event activations.

About Fashion Week Connect (FWC): Fashion Week Connect is the DFDC's flagship event series, designed to connect consumers with brands digital ecosystems through innovative cross-platform programming and immersive digital experiences from IRL to URL.

About the Reality Spectrum Matrix (RSM): Developed in collaboration with Plurality , the RSM is a pioneering framework that allows for the user experience of interoperability across various digital platforms, facilitating seamless connections between physical products and digital experiences from social to gaming and beyond. Users are incentivised to connect their social media and gaming accounts to earn points redeemable for brand products, experiences and more, rewarding brand loyalty and offering unique digital and physical fashion experiences. The RSM has been developed in collaboration between Plurality , a cutting-edge technology company facilitating smart profiles for the open web, and the DFDC and our associated tech partners in order to allow for a complex back end that can port, store, and reward users for cross-platform engagement all while permitting a seamless user experience.

For inquiries, please contact Danielle Dawson at Chapter 2 Agency Danielle@chapter2agency.com

A photo accompanying this announcement is available at https://www.globenewswire.com/NewsRoom/AttachmentNg/7f591dff-f83c-4fc5-849b-baae8ff9efcd
Washington, D.C., July 30, 2024 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Todays Senate passage of two key bills brings the U.S. one step closer to adding some seatbelts, air bags, and other needed safety measures to keeping children and teenagers safe on the information superhighway. The Kids Online Safety Act, or KOSA, and the Children and Teens Online Privacy Protection Act, or COPPA, will make selling illicit fentanyl, trafficking children, and exposure to a range of mental health risks more difficult. This is a victory for American families.

The House of Representatives now can make these two bills the law of the land. The House should make passage of these two bills the highest priority before our children return to school from summer vacation. The sooner action is taken, more lives will be saved.
DALLAS, TX, July 30, 2024 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- In honor of World Day Against Trafficking, A21, a leading global anti-human trafficking NGO, proudly releases its 2023 Global and Regional Impact Reports , showcasing significant progress in the fight against human trafficking and exploitation. This year's achievements highlight the vital role partnerships play in advancing the fight against human trafficking through implementing proven strategies for prevention, intervention, aftercare services, and access to justice.

A21's success in combating human trafficking is powered by strong partnerships with governments, the private sector, and NGOs across 20 countries. In 2023, A21 collaborated with law enforcement, social welfare, education, labor, health ministries, healthcare organizations, transportation companies, schools, universities, businesses, and NGOs.

The 2023 Global Impact Report highlights A21's achievements, including providing key support in the dismantling of international sex trafficking syndicates in Greece, raising awareness leading to the identification and extraction of child victims of forced labor in India, and the self-disclosure of online child sexual exploitation in the United States and Cambodia. Additionally, A21 facilitated restorative foster care for exploited children in Cambodia in partnership with other NGOs, and assisted in securing numerous prosecutions of traffickers around the world.

In recent years, A21 observed a new trend of false job recruitment into online scamming centers, impacting over 60 survivors from seven countries in 2023 who were forced into cybercrimes, including fraudulent investments and cryptocurrency fraud. A21, alongside governments and NGOs, provided these survivors with basic essentials, emergency accommodation, mental health support, and access to A21 Life Programs, such as Job Readiness, to aid their reintegration.

"We firmly believe that ending modern-day slavery hinges on our capacity to collaborate across government entities, industries and borders," said Mi Yung Park, Director of Government Relations for A21. "The breadth and depth of our partnerships are directly linked to the incredible progress we continue to make as we fight this heinous crime together."

Regional Highlights

In addition to global achievements, A21 is pleased to highlight significant milestones from specific regions that saw a particularly impactful year in 2023:

Greece:

A21s 1109 Hotline supported four successful large-scale law enforcement operations

Over 70 trafficking victims recovered

41.7% increase in contacts to the hotline and a 104% rise in new survivors entering A21s Aftercare Program

For the first time, a hotline tip from a concerned citizenalong with assistance from A21 Spainled to the dismantling of an international trafficking syndicate and the recovery of 52 Latin American women

Offered services to all 30 potential victims of a rare trafficking and exploitation ring involving illegal egg trade and surrogacy

United States:

Supported 105 survivors through A21s Aftercare Program

Facilitated 14 domestic relocations

Launched K-12 Human Trafficking Education Curriculum in Florida, Michigan, and Texas, leading to the arrest of a perpetrator after a teenager immediately self-reported online sexual exploitation

after a teenager immediately self-reported online sexual exploitation Introduced a Counter-Trafficking Toolkit for frontline professionals most likely to encounter a potential victim in their daily work, including law enforcement, transportation, healthcare and hospitality services

Thailand:

Assisted 39 survivors through A21s Legal Assistance Program

Conducted a groundbreaking five-day forensic interview training in collaboration with Homeland Security Investigations and OAG Human Trafficking Litigation Department to continue education for 26 local and national Thai professionals already engaged in child protection

Expanded the Child Advocacy Center with advanced forensic interviewing technology, workspaces, and a counseling room, resulting in increased case referrals and support for child exploitation investigations

Received the prestigious Outstanding Agency in the Prevention and Suppression of Human Trafficking Award from the Prime Ministers Office

Learn more about our programs and hotlines across the USA, Bulgaria, Greece, Cambodia, Mexico, South Africa, Spain, Thailand, and the United Kingdom at A21.org/ImpactReport .

On World Day Against Trafficking, A21 calls upon individuals, organizations, and governments worldwide to join the fight against human trafficking. Prevention starts with educationvisit A21.org to learn more and make a difference.

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About A21:

A21 is a global nonprofit organization determined to eradicate human trafficking through prevention, intervention, and aftercare. With programs currently operating across over 20 countries worldwide, A21 is a global anti-human trafficking organization dedicated to abolishing slavery everywhere, forever. Through partnerships and the efforts of supporters all over the globe, A21 believes slavery can be prevented, victims can be identified and assisted, perpetrators can be brought to justice, and millions of survivors can step into a life of independence. A21.org

Interviews:

Should you be interested in speaking with an A21 representative about the global or regional impact reports or the impact of current events on human trafficking, please dont hesitate to contact: lauren.w@a21.org

Press artwork:

Photos

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ATLANTA, July 30, 2024 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Acuity Brands, Inc. (NYSE: AYI) (Acuity), a market-leading industrial technology company, announced that Sach Sankpal, SVP and Chief Growth and Transformation Officer, has been appointed as President of Acuity Brands Lighting and Lighting Controls (ABL).



Since joining Acuity two years ago, Sach has been a positive influence on our performance and our culture, stated Neil Ashe, Chairman, President and CEO of Acuity Brands, Inc. He brings over 30 years of experience accelerating transformation, driving innovation and positioning global industrial technology organizations for future growth.

Trevor Palmer, the current President of the ABL business, has made many positive contributions to the business, leading ABL through several years of transformation that positions us for future success. He will be leaving the Company after a successful tenure.

We are taking Acuity to places that it has never been by doing things differently than they've been done in the past, Neil Ashe continued. Creating a single lighting organization under the leadership of Sach will enable us to connect our processes more effectively end-to-end to accelerate growth and drive productivity. We thank Trevor for his many contributions and look forward to the future with confidence.

About Acuity Brands

Acuity Brands, Inc. (NYSE: AYI) is a market-leading industrial technology company. We use technology to solve problems in spaces, light, and more things to come. Through our two business segments, Acuity Brands Lighting and Lighting Controls (ABL) and the Intelligent Spaces Group (ISG), we design, manufacture, and bring to market products and services that make a valuable difference in people's lives.

We achieve growth through the development of innovative new products and services, including lighting, lighting controls, building management solutions, and location-aware applications. We achieve customer-focused efficiencies that allow us to increase market share and deliver superior returns. We look to aggressively deploy capital to grow the business and to enter attractive new verticals.

Brands, Inc. is based in Atlanta, Georgia, with operations across North America, Europe, and Asia. The Company is powered by approximately 12,000 dedicated and talented associates. Visit us at www.acuitybrands.com

Forward-Looking Information

This press release includes 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, pursuant to the safe harbor provisions of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995 (the Act). Forward-looking statements use words such as expect, believe, intend, anticipate, indicative, projection, predict, plan, may, could, should, would, potential, and words of similar meaning, as well as other words or expressions referencing future events, conditions, or circumstances. We intend these forward-looking statements to be covered by the safe harbor provisions for forward-looking statements contained in the Act. Statements that describe or relate to the Companys plans, goals, intentions, strategies, or financial outlook, and statements that do not relate to historical or current fact, are examples of forward-looking statements. Forward-looking statements are not guarantees of future performance. Our forward-looking statements are based on our current beliefs, expectations, and assumptions, which may not prove to be accurate, and are subject to known and unknown risks and uncertainties, many of which are outside of our control. These risks and uncertainties could cause actual results to differ materially from our historical experience and managements present expectations or projections. These risks and uncertainties are discussed in our filings with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission, including our most recent annual report on Form 10-K (including, but not limited to, Part I, Item 1A Risk Factors), quarterly reports on Form 10-Q, and current reports on Form 8-K. Any forward-looking statement speaks only as of the date on which it is made. You are cautioned not to place undue reliance on any forward-looking statements. Except as required by law, we undertake no obligation to publicly update or release any revisions to these forward-looking statements to reflect any events or circumstances after the date of this press release or to reflect the occurrence of unanticipated events, whether as a result of new information, future events, or otherwise.

Media Contact:

April Appling

Vice President, Corporate Communications

corporatecommunications@acuitybrands.com

Investor Contact:

Charlotte McLaughlin

Vice President, Investor Relations

(404) 853-1456

investorrelations@acuitybrands.com



A photo accompanying this announcement is available at https://www.globenewswire.com/NewsRoom/AttachmentNg/2990b258-a607-4f42-8906-3a42a822b05b
Vista Gold Corp. (NYSE American and TSX: VGZ) ("Vista" or the "Company") today announced its unaudited financial results for the quarter ended June 30, 2024, with net income of $15.6 million and cash totaling $20.2 million. All dollar amounts in this press release are in U.S. dollars.

Frederick H. Earnest, President and CEO of Vista, said, "During the second quarter, we received the final $10 million instalment payment under the recent royalty agreement. All payments under the royalty agreement totaling $20 million have now been received, which significantly strengthens our balance sheet. We completed Phase 1 of the Mt Todd drilling program and commenced Phase 2. We expect to announce results from Phase 1 in August."

Mr. Earnest concluded, "We have commenced trade-off studies and preliminary evaluations related to an initially smaller scale project at Mt Todd. We will continue to prioritize the efficient use of our cash while we seek opportunities to create long-term value for our shareholders in the current climate of a strong and rising gold price, and execute our health, safety, and environmental initiatives."

In June, the Company also announced that the Northern Territory, Australia (the "NT") passed legislation to enact the Mineral Royalties Act 2024 effective July 1, 2024. The 3.5% royalty to be applied to production from Mt Todd represents a nearly 50% reduction in payable royalties. This results in improved project economics and earlier shareholder returns compared to our 2024 updated feasibility study, which included NT royalties equivalent to nearly a 7% ad valorum rate. Under the previous net profits royalty regime, our base case economic analysis at an $1,800 gold price estimated the payment of $765 million in NT royalties over the life of the mine.

Summary of Financial Results

Vista reported consolidated net income of $15.6 million, or $0.13 per basic common share, for the quarter ended June 30, 2024, compared to a consolidated net loss of $1.5 million, or $0.01 per basic common share for the quarter ended June 30, 2023. Net income for the current quarter includes a recognized gain of $16.9 million upon receipt of the final instalment under the royalty agreement.

Cash and cash equivalents totaled $20.2 million at June 30, 2024, compared to $6.1 million at December 31, 2023. The Company continued to have no debt.

Management Conference Call

Management's conference call to review financial results for the quarter ended June 30, 2024, and to discuss corporate and project activities is scheduled for July 30, 2024, at 2:00 p.m. MDT (4:00 p.m. EDT).

Participant Toll Free: +1 (800) 717-1738

Participant International: +1 (289) 514-5100

Conference ID: 85480

This call will be archived and available at www.vistagold.com after July 30, 2024. An audio replay will also be available through August 15, 2024, by calling toll-free in North America +1 (888) 660-6264 or +1 (289) 819-1325 using passcode 85480#.

If you are unable to access the audio or phone-in on the day of the conference call, please email your questions to ir@vistagold.com.

About Vista Gold Corp.

Vista is a gold project developer. The Company's flagship asset is Mt Todd, located in the mining friendly jurisdiction of Northern Territory, Australia. Situated approximately 250 km southeast of Darwin, Mt Todd is one of the largest development stage opportunities in Australia and demonstrates compelling economics. All major environmental and operating permits necessary to initiate development of Mt Todd are in place.

Mt Todd benefits from its location in a leading mining jurisdiction and offers opportunities to add value through growth of mineral reserves, alternative development strategies, and other de-risking activities.

For further information about Vista or Mt Todd, please contact Pamela Solly, Vice President of Investor Relations, at (720) 981-1185 or visit the Company's website at www.vistagold.com.

Forward Looking Statements

This news release contains forward-looking statements within the meaning of the U.S. Securities Act of 1933, as amended, and U.S. Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended, and forward-looking information within the meaning of Canadian securities laws. All statements, other than statements of historical facts, included in this news release that address activities, events or developments that we expect or anticipate will or may occur in the future, including such things as our belief that the final $10 million instalment payment under the recent royalty agreement significantly strengthens our balance sheet; our belief that results from Phase 1 of the drilling program are expected to be announced in August; our belief that we will continue to prioritize the efficient use of our cash while we seek opportunities to create long-term value for shareholders in the current climate of a strong and rising gold price, and execute our health, safety, and environmental initiatives; our belief that the new 3.5% royalty to be applied to production from Mt Todd represents a nearly 50% reduction in payable royalties and results in improved project economics and earlier shareholder returns compared to our 2024 updated feasibility study, which included NT royalties equivalent to nearly a 7% ad valorum rate; our belief that under the previous net profits royalty regime, our base case economic analysis at an $1,800 gold price estimated the payment of $765 million in NT royalties over the life of the mine; statements regarding Mt Todd being one of the largest development stage opportunities in Australia and demonstrating compelling economics; our belief that Mt Todd benefits from its location in a leading mining jurisdiction; and our belief that Mt Todd offers opportunities to add value through growth of mineral reserves, alternative development strategies, and other de-risking activities are forward-looking statements and forward-looking information. The material factors and assumptions used to develop the forward-looking statements and forward-looking information contained in this news release include the following: our forecasts and expected cash flows; our projected capital and operating costs; our expectations regarding mining and metallurgical recoveries; mine life and production rates; that laws or regulations impacting mine development or mining activities will remain consistent; our approved business plans, our mineral resource and reserve estimates and results of preliminary economic assessments; preliminary feasibility studies and feasibility studies on our projects, if any; our experience with regulators; political and social support of the mining industry in Australia; our experience and knowledge of the Australian mining industry and our expectations of economic conditions and the price of gold. When used in this news release, the words "optimistic," "potential," "indicate," "expect," "intend," "hopes," "believe," "may," "will," "if," "anticipate" and similar expressions are intended to identify forward-looking statements and forward-looking information. These statements involve known and unknown risks, uncertainties and other factors which may cause the actual results, performance or achievements of the Company to be materially different from any future results, performance or achievements expressed or implied by such statements. Such factors include, among others, uncertainty of resource and reserve estimates, uncertainty as to the Company's future operating costs and ability to raise capital; risks relating to cost increases for capital and operating costs; risks of shortages and fluctuating costs of equipment or supplies; risks relating to fluctuations in the price of gold; the inherently hazardous nature of mining-related activities; potential effects on our operations of environmental regulations in the countries in which it operates; risks due to legal proceedings; risks relating to political and economic instability in certain countries in which it operates; uncertainty as to the results of bulk metallurgical test work; and uncertainty as to completion of critical milestones for Mt Todd; as well as those factors discussed under the headings "Note Regarding Forward-Looking Statements" and "Risk Factors" in the Company's latest Annual Report on Form 10-K as filed in March 2024, and other documents filed with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission and Canadian securities regulatory authorities. Although we have attempted to identify important factors that could cause actual results to differ materially from those described in forward-looking statements and forward-looking information, there may be other factors that cause results not to be as anticipated, estimated or intended. Except as required by law, we assume no obligation to publicly update any forward-looking statements or forward-looking information whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise.

View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20240729761534/en/

Contact

Pamela Solly

Vice President of Investor Relations

(720) 981-1185

www.vistagold.com
VANCOUVER, July 29, 2024 - Taseko Mines Ltd. (TSX: TKO) (NYSE American: TGB) (LSE: TKO) (the "Company") will release its second quarter 2024 financial results after market close on Wednesday, July 31, 2024.

The Company will host a telephone conference call and live webcast on Thursday, August 1, 2024, at 11:00 a.m. Eastern Time (8:00 a.m. Pacific) to discuss these results. After opening remarks by management, there will be a question-and-answer session open to analysts and investors.

To join the conference call without operator assistance, you may pre-register at https://emportal.ink/4fnpKl1 to receive an instant automated call back just prior to the start of the conference call. Otherwise, the conference call may be accessed by dialing 888-390-0546 toll-free, 416-764-8688 in Canada, or online at tasekomines.com/investors/events/.

The conference call will be archived for later playback until August 15, 2024, and can be accessed by dialing 888-390-0541 toll-free, 416-764-8677 in Canada, or online at tasekomines.com/investors/events/ and using the entry code 099395 #.

Stuart McDonald

President and CEO

No regulatory authority has approved or disapproved of the information contained in this news release.

View original content:https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/taseko-to-release-second-quarter-2024-results-302209069.html

SOURCE Taseko Mines Limited
Project on schedule and fully funded; stronger Mexican peso now incorporated into final capital expenditure budget

(All amounts expressed in U.S. dollars unless otherwise stated)

Toronto, July 29, 2024 - Torex Gold Resources Inc. (the "Company" or "Torex") (TSX: TXG) provides a Q2 2024 update on the development of its Media Luna Project ("Media Luna"). Unless otherwise stated, progress and milestones referenced in this press release are as of June 30, 2024.

Jody Kuzenko, President & CEO of Torex, stated:

"Development of Media Luna continues to track to schedule, with first production of copper concentrate anticipated by year end and commercial production expected in Q1 2025. As at the end of June, Media Luna was 78% complete across engineering, procurement, underground development/construction, and surface construction, compared to 69% at the end of March.

"With engineering and procurement largely complete and project execution continuing to track to schedule, the team has undertaken a final, detailed review of the remaining expenditures and finalized the budgeted project expenditures for Media Luna at $950 million. The $75 million increase over the original budget of $875 million is predominantly driven by the stronger Mexican peso, which has consistently been flagged as a cost headwind. The stronger peso to date and anticipated strength over the remainder of the build represents $48 million of the increase in capital expenditures. The remaining $27 million reflects additional scope items and carryover costs expected to be incurred in early 2025 prior to declaration of commercial production. Given the project capital increase, our Media Luna capital expenditures guidance for 2024 will be adjusted and the range narrowed to $430 - $450 million, from $350 - $400 million.

"Notably, our balance sheet is well-positioned for the remaining project expenditures. Even more notable, Media Luna has been fully funded by our own cash flow and a small amount of debt, without diluting our shareholders or ceding future upside on our highly prospective Morelos Property through the sale of a royalty and/or stream. At quarter end, we had over $345 million of available liquidity, which is expected to more than cover both the remaining $224 million of expenditures on Media Luna and our strategic goal of maintaining at least $100 million of cash on the balance sheet.

"With completion of Media Luna tracking to plan, Torex offers shareholders a catalyst rich near-term future that includes the successful completion and ramp-up of Media Luna, entering the copper concentrate market, incorporating EPO into the integrated mine plan, continued drilling and exploration prospectivity, and a return to positive free cash flow in mid-2025."

CAPITAL EXPENDITURES

As a result of near completion of engineering and procurement activities and incorporating the strength of the Mexican peso ("MXN"), budgeted capital expenditures have been finalized at $950.0 million. This represents a $75.5 million increase (+8.6%) over the original budget of $874.5 million. The key driver is the stronger MXN which represents $48.0 million (+5.5%) of the increase, with the remaining $27.5 million (+3.1%) related to out-of-scope items and additional carryover costs as commercial production is now expected to be declared towards the middle of Q1 2025 compared to the start of the year as assumed in the original budget.

The continued strength of the MXN over the project period has been an ongoing cost headwind, with the MXN averaging 17.9 relative to the U.S. dollar weighted by quarterly expenditures from April 1, 2022 to June 30, 2024. This compares to the rate of 20:1 assumed within the original budget for which approximately 45% of the total capital expenditures were expected to be incurred in MXN. The estimated increase reflects the impact of the stronger MXN incurred to date and estimated impact over the remainder of the project, for which the Company has assumed a MXN of 18:1.

Another driver of the increase is $18.5 million of out-of-scope upgrades to the regional power infrastructure requested by the power authority as part of the permitting approval received in 2023. The requested upgrades relate to the Company's overall power strategy, which will see on-site electricity supply increase to 45 megawatts ("MW") from 25 MW through the existing 115 kilovoltage ("kV") power line in October, and a subsequent increase to 60 MW from 45 MW by tying into the nearby 230 kV line, expected later in Q4 2024. Approvals for the increased draws have been received from the power regulators and construction is well underway. The investment in this power infrastructure positions the Company to add further mining areas, including EPO, without the need for additional upgrades to power infrastructure.

Table 1: Media Luna Project - Project Expenditures (April 1, 2022, through June 30, 2024)

Millions of U.S. dollars Project To Date

Q2 2024 Project expenditures per 2022 Technical Report $848.4 Adjustment for Q1 2022 underspend $26.1 Total budgeted spend post March 31, 2022 $874.5 Final adjustments for stronger Mexican peso / out-of-scope items (June 30, 2024) $75.5 Revised budgeted spend $950.0 Expenditures incurred post March 31, 2022 ($725.6) Remaining spend $224.4 Committed expenditures (inclusive of total project expenditures incurred to date) $924.0 Uncommitted expenditures $26.0

Notes to Table

1) Project period commenced on April 1, 2022; excludes capital expenditures incurred prior to Board approval on March 31, 2022.

2) Project period is defined as April 1, 2022, through declaration of commercial production expected in Q1 2025.

3) Excludes borrowing costs capitalized.

During Q2 2024, $108.2 million was spent on Media Luna, bringing the year-to-date total to $234.6 million. For the full year, the Company now expects to spend $430 - $450 million on Media Luna versus original guidance of $350 - $400 million. Expenditures in Q3 2024 are expected to be consistent with the quarterly expenditures during the first half of the year, before subsequently declining in Q4 2024 and again in Q1 2025 when commercial production is expected to be declared.

PROJECT COMPLETION

As at quarter end, development of Media Luna was tracking to plan with the project 78% complete, up from 69% at the start of the quarter. Detailed engineering is at the 96% completion mark, while procurement is 89% complete. Underground development/construction and surface construction are advancing, with completion levels at 69% and 56%, respectively. Based on the current schedule, the tie-in of upgrades to the processing plant are still on track to occur over a four-week period during Q4 2024, which will allow for commissioning and first concentrate production in late 2024 and commercial production in Q1 2025.

Table 2: Media Luna Project - Project Completion (April 1, 2022, through June 30, 2024)



Project To Date

Q2 2024 Procurement 89% Engineering 96% Underground development/construction 69% Surface construction 56% Total Project

78%

Notes to Table

1) Physical progress measured starting as of April 1, 2022; excludes progress made prior to Board approval on March 31, 2022.

2) Project period is defined as April 1, 2022, through declaration of commercial production expected in Q1 2025.

3) Total Project is weighted average based on activity levels.

Engineering

As engineering works are now substantially complete (96%), the focus has been on finalization of electrical and network control system drawings for surface facilities, programmable logic controller ("PLC") programming, and final incorporation of remaining technical specifications. The remaining engineering focus turns towards field support through the balance of the construction period.

Procurement

Procurement for Media Luna is nearing completion, surpassing 89% as of the end of Q2, up from 78% complete at the end of Q1. The level of procurement remaining represents delivery of equipment and materials to site, with all major purchase orders and contracts now awarded. During the quarter, purchase orders were completed for supply pumps and tanks for the underground conveyor fire suppression system. Orders were also placed for servers and computers for control rooms, automatic valves, piping for surface works, and the underground paste pipe distribution system. The paste plant filter press is still on track for delivery in August.

Deliveries continued through the quarter. At the paste plant, approximately 100 tonnes of steel per week were delivered in June and deliveries are expected to remain at this pace through the end of September. Mechanical steel for the flotation circuit requirements, including boxes, chutes, and hoppers, were also delivered in June. Of the eight electrical houses ("e-houses") required for the project, the units for the Guajes conveyor, ball mill variable frequency drives, and first of two for the flotation circuit have been delivered to site. The second unit for the flotation circuit and unit for the water treatment plant are anticipated in August, with units for the copper filtration/storage area and Guajes Tunnel thickener expected in September and Guajes Tunnel tailings system in early October. All e-houses are expected to be delivered prior to process plant commissioning in Q4 2024.

Critical materials were received for the water treatment plant, including shop fabricated tanks, pumps, clarifier, and multimedia filters. The 230 kV substation transformer and switchgear were also delivered during the quarter. Other notable deliveries included additional 15 kV electrical cable, fire and vent doors, and network cabinets.

Underground Development and Construction

Significant progress has been made with the installation of the Guajes conveyor. The majority of the conveyor belt tables are now installed and aligned, and the belt has begun to be fed onto the conveyor. Commissioning of the conveyor is expected to begin in late Q3 (Figure 1).

Figure 1: Installation of the Guajes conveyor belt has commenced following installation of conveyor tables





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Installation of the mine-wide pumping system and service water is underway. Concrete has been placed for the roof of the underground control room and interior finishing activities have commenced. In-mine development to support schedule-critical construction and production areas in both Media Luna Upper and Media Luna Lower continued to advance steadily to plan. It should be noted that, as of Q2 2024, all development is now being executed solely by the Company's workforce. Definition drilling has commenced in advance of first stope mining in August.

Surface Construction

Surface construction continues to progress steadily, with the pace of construction expected to materially increase over the remainder of the year. On the north side of the Balsas River, steel deliveries for the flotation circuit are ongoing and preassembly of copper cleaner flotation cells has commenced. Assembly of the copper rougher flotation cells is nearing completion and the installation of the thickeners and regrind mills is in progress (Figure 2).

Figure 2: Construction activities at the flotation area, including the flotation tanks, thickeners, and regrind mills





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Steel erection at the paste plant began at the end of May and the plant is expected to be completed in Q1 2025 given paste plant commissioning is sequenced to occur after the process plant infrastructure is commissioned. Progress was made on the binder silo and tailings thickener adjacent to the filter building (Figure 3).

Figure 3: Construction activities at the paste plant, located outside of South Portal Upper





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Civil work for the 230 kV switchyard pad was completed. Concrete work advanced in June and is expected to be completed towards the end of Q3. Erection of the transmission towers began for the transmission line between the 230 kV switchyard and substation. Stainless-steel tanks and the clarifier at the water treatment plant were installed and structural platforms for the leach tanks were assembled. Excavation has commenced for the pipe rack from the tailings pump near the Guajes thickener to the Guajes Tunnel Portal area. Concrete work also progressed in both the reagents area and copper concentrate storage and blending building (6 of 8 bays completed).

Operational Readiness

In parallel with development and construction activities, the surface and underground operational readiness strategy continues to advance as planned. Operational readiness teams are accountable for ensuring that processes and systems for all new work areas are established and ready in advance of the handover from the project team to operations. This includes workforce transition planning and training, developing the operating strategy (including all standard operating procedures) and maintenance plans for all fixed and mobile equipment, blend and feed strategies, commissioning plans, first fills, concentrate shipment logistics, and all other requirements for a smooth ramp up.

Recruitment of personnel for both the underground and new process areas is tracking to plan. Systems have been put in place for technical training progression across various levels of theory, simulator training, and field training. In addition to the above, the Operational Readiness team continues to develop Standard Operating and Maintenance procedures for the new assets as well as the cataloging of requisite capital and operational spares in advance of handover. Training for underground miners continued for new employees and employees transitioning from the open pits, focusing on basic underground mining courses and new underground equipment operation. Additionally, training commenced at site with the supplier on flotation cell operation.

Negotiations continued with the various haulage companies for copper concentrate transport to port distribution facilities. The Company is in the final stages of settling the commercial terms for the offtake agreements with a mix of traders and smelters. Metal payables are tracking in line with that which was incorporated into the most recent Technical Report dated effective March 16, 2022, and filed on March 31, 2022 ("Technical Report").

PROJECT EXECUTION PLAN

Based on progress made to date and a detailed review of both the surface and underground schedules completed late in the quarter, modest updates have been made to the overall project schedule including expectation of commercial production towards the middle of Q1 2025 versus start of Q1 2025 as outlined in the Technical Report (Figure 4).

Figure 4: Project execution plan for the Media Luna Project





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In terms of the overall project schedule, the Company continues to actively monitor the delivery dates for long-lead critical items to ensure vendors meet their delivery obligations. Electrical equipment remains a key focus to manage schedule risk given the long lead times for delivery of this equipment (e-houses and switchgear).

With ELG Open Pit production available through mid-2025 and ELG Underground production continuing through the transition period and beyond, risk to the business associated with any schedule shift is very low. The overriding consideration associated with finalizing the timing of the process plant tie-in period is the state of readiness to ensure that it takes no longer than four weeks to complete. If, as the project is nearing completion, the timing of delivery of long-lead items is assessed to potentially impact the duration of the shutdown, the schedule will shift accordingly, with a view to avoiding any lost production days beyond the four weeks.

More detail on the Media Luna Project, including the Feasibility Study results, can be found in the Technical Report.

ABOUT TOREX GOLD RESOURCES INC.

Torex is an intermediate gold producer based in Canada, engaged in the exploration, development, and operation of its 100% owned Morelos Property, an area of 29,000 hectares in the highly prospective Guerrero Gold Belt located 180 kilometres southwest of Mexico City. The Company's principal asset is the Morelos Complex, which includes the El Limon Guajes ("ELG") Mine Complex, the Media Luna Project, a processing plant, and related infrastructure. Commercial production from the Morelos Complex commenced on April 1, 2016 and an updated Technical Report for the Morelos Complex was released in March 2022. Torex's key strategic objectives are: integrate and optimize the Morelos Property; deliver Media Luna to full production; grow reserves and resources; disciplined growth and capital allocation; retain and attract best industry talent; and build on ESG excellence.

QUALIFIED PERSON

The technical and scientific information in this press release has been reviewed and approved by Dave Stefanuto, P. Eng, Executive Vice President, Technical Services and Capital Projects of the Company, and a qualified person under National Instrument 43-101.

CAUTIONARY NOTES ON FORWARD-LOOKING STATEMENTS

This press release contains "forward-looking statements" and "forward-looking information" within the meaning of applicable Canadian securities legislation. Forward-looking information includes, but is not limited to, statements that: the budgeted project expenditures for Media Luna at $950 million; development of Media Luna continues to track to schedule, with first production of copper concentrate anticipated by year end and commercial production expected in Q1 2025; the stronger peso to date and anticipated strength over the remainder of the build represents $48 million of the increase in capital expenditures; the remaining $27 million reflects additional scope items and carryover costs expected to be incurred in early 2025 prior to declaration of commercial production; given the project capital increase, the Company's Media Luna capital expenditures guidance for 2024 will be adjusted and the range narrowed to $430 - $450 million, from $350 - $400 million; notably, our balance sheet is well-positioned for the remaining project expenditures; at quarter end, the Company had over $345 million of available liquidity, which is expected to more than cover both the remaining $224 million of expenditures on Media Luna and the Company's strategic goal of maintaining at least $100 million of cash on the balance sheet; with completion of Media Luna tracking to plan, Torex offers shareholders a catalyst rich near-term future that includes the successful completion and ramp-up of Media Luna, entering the copper concentrate market, incorporating EPO into the integrated mine plan, continued drilling and exploration prospectivity, and a return to positive free cash flow in mid-2025; for the full year, the Company now expects to spend $430 - $450 million on Media Luna versus original guidance of $350 - $400 million; expenditures in Q3 2024 are expected to be consistent with the quarterly expenditures during the first half of the year, before subsequently declining in Q4 2024 and again in Q1 2025 when commercial production is expected to be declared; based on the current schedule, the tie-in of upgrades to the processing plant are still on track to occur over a four-week period during Q4 2024, which will allow for commissioning and first concentrate production in late 2024 and commercial production in Q1 2025; the paste plant filter press is still on track for delivery in August; steel erection at the paste plant began at the end of May and the plant is expected to be completed in Q1 2025; concrete work advanced in June and is expected to be completed towards the end of Q3; payables are tracking in line with that which was incorporated into the most recent Technical Report dated effective March 16, 2022, and filed on March 31, 2022; project execution plan for the Media Luna Project; and key strategic objectives are: integrate and optimize the Morelos Property; deliver Media Luna to full production; grow reserves and resources; disciplined growth and capital allocation; retain and attract best industry talent; and build on ESG excellence. Generally, forward-looking information can be identified by the use of forward-looking terminology such as "expect", "plan", "strategy", "schedule", "guide", "continue", "future" or variations of such words and phrases or statements that certain actions, events or results "will" occur or are "on track" to occur. Forward-looking information is subject to known and unknown risks, uncertainties and other factors that may cause the actual results, level of activity, performance or achievements of the Company to be materially different from those expressed or implied by such forward-looking information, including, without limitation, risks and uncertainties identified in the technical report ("Technical Report") titled ELG Mine Complex Life of Mine Plan and Media Luna Feasibility Study, with an effective date of March 16, 2022, and a filing date of March 31, 2022 and in the Company's annual information form ("AIF") and management's discussion and analysis ("MD&A") or other unknown but potentially significant impacts. Forward-looking information is based on the reasonable assumptions, estimates, analyses and opinions of management made in light of its experience and perception of trends, current conditions and expected developments as set out in the Technical Report, AIF and MD&A, and other factors that management believes are relevant and reasonable in the circumstances at the date such statements are made. Although the Company has attempted to identify important factors that could cause actual results to differ materially from those contained in the forward-looking information, there may be other factors that cause results not to be as anticipated. There can be no assurance that such information will prove to be accurate, as actual results and future events could differ materially from those anticipated in such information. Accordingly, readers should not place undue reliance on forward-looking information. The Company does not undertake to update any forward-looking information, whether as a result of new information or future events or otherwise, except as may be required by applicable securities laws. The Technical Report, AIF and MD&A are filed on SEDAR+ at www.sedarplus.ca and available on the Company's website at www.torexgold.com.

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VANCOUVER, July 29, 2024 - Panther Minerals Inc. ("Panther Minerals" or the "Company") (CSE: PURR) (OTC: GLIOF) (FWB: 2BC) is pleased to announce that further to its press release on July 18, 2024, it has closed the previously announced definitive agreement with 1484506 B.C. Ltd. ("148 BC") and its shareholders dated July 17, 2024, providing for the acquisition by the Company of 148 BC, which holds the beneficial interest in the Huber Heights Uranium property (the "Property"), located in northern Elko County, Nevada from the shareholders of 148 BC (the "Transaction").

Pursuant to the Transaction, the Company issued an aggregate of 5,000,000 common shares of the Company (the "Consideration Shares") to the shareholders of 148 BC pro rata to their respective shareholdings in 148 BC. The Company also made a cash payment of CAD$20,000 to one of the shareholders of 148 BC as the shareholder's nominee, to be distributed in pro rata to the shareholders of 148 BC. The Transaction is at arm's length, there is no insider interest and there are no finder's fees payable in connection therewith. The Consideration Shares are being issued in accordance with the Take-over bid and issuer bid exemption as provided in Section 2.16 of National Instrument 45-106-Prospectus Exemptions but are subject to a 6-month voluntary lock-up period, during which period the recipients of the Consideration Shares will be restricted from trading the Consideration Shares (the "Initial Lockup Period"). Following the Initial Lockup Period, the Consideration Shares will be released at a rate of 20% per month.

About Panther Minerals Inc.

Panther Minerals is a mineral exploration company actively involved in the exploration of its North American project portfolio. The acquisition of the Boulder Creek option reflects the Company's continuing intention of pursuing advanced, high-quality prospective uranium projects that can be readily worked on and efficiently explored, in a timely manner.

ON BEHALF OF THE BOARD OF DIRECTORS

Mr. Robert Birmingham, Chief Executive Officer

For more information please visit: www.pantherminerals.ca or email info@pantherminerals.ca.

The CSE and Information Service Provider have not reviewed and does not accept responsibility for the accuracy or adequacy of this release.

Forward-Looking Statements

This news release contains "forward-looking information" within the meaning of applicable Canadian securities legislation. Often, but not always, forward-looking information and information can be identified by the use of words such as "plans", "expects" or "does not expect", "is expected", "estimates", "intends", "anticipates" or "does not anticipate", or "believes", or variations of such words and phrases or state that certain actions, events or results "may", "could", "would", "might" or "will" be taken, occur or be achieved. Actual future results may differ materially. In particular, this news release contains forward-looking information relating to the benefits of the Transaction to the Company. The forward-looking information reflects management's current expectations based on information currently available and are subject to a number of risks and uncertainties that may cause outcomes to differ materially from those discussed in the forward-looking information. Such risk factors may include, among others, but are not limited to: general economic conditions in Canada and globally; industry conditions, including governmental regulation and environmental regulation; the availability of capital on acceptable terms; the need to obtain required approvals from regulatory authorities; stock market volatility; competition for, among other things, skilled personnel and supplies; incorrect assessments of the value of acquisitions; geological, technical, processing and transportation problems; changes in tax laws and incentive programs; failure to realize the anticipated benefits of acquisitions and dispositions; and the other factors. Although the Company believes that the assumptions and factors used in preparing the forward-looking information are reasonable, undue reliance should not be placed on such information and no assurance can be given that such events will occur in the disclosed time frames or at all. Factors that could cause actual results or events to differ materially from current expectations include: (i) adverse market conditions; and (ii) other factors beyond the control of the Company. New risk factors emerge from time to time, and it is impossible for the Company's management to predict all risk factors, nor can the Company assess the impact of all factors on Company's business or the extent to which any factor, or combination of factors, may cause actual results to differ from those contained in any forward-looking information. The forward-looking information included in this news release are made as of the date of this news release and the Company expressly disclaims any intention or obligation to update or revise any forward-looking information whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise, except as required by applicable law. Additional information identifying risks and uncertainties that could affect financial results is contained in the Company's filings with Canadian securities regulators, which are available on the Company's profile at www.sedarplus.ca.

SOURCE Panther Minerals Inc.


Vancouver, July 29, 2024 - Crestview Exploration Inc. (CSE: CRS) (FSE: CE7) ("Crestview" or "the Company") announces, effective September 2023, that the Company acknowledges termination of the Exploration License with Option to Purchase Agreement entered into April 8, 2020, specifically in respect of 12 claims over the Divide Mine and 8 claims at Castle Mountain near Tuscarora, Nevada (collectively, the "Claims").

Crestview's decision to terminate the Divide and Castle option Claims was communicated to the respective claim holder in September 2023 and was based on the uneconomic nature of continuing to hold the option on these Claims. Although the relinquished Claims encompass the historic Divide Mine claims, Crestview continues to hold 43 claims immediately surrounding the Divide Mine, 72 claims at nearby Rock Creek and 124 claims at nearby Falcon.

Accordingly, the Company has recorded the appropriate impairments in its financial statements for relinquishment of the Claims, and the Company views the decision to terminate these Claims as a material improvement due to significant elimination of what would be a financial burden going forward.

Crestview's Chief Executive Officer and Director, Chris Wensley stated, "This is of substantial benefit to Crestview. Funds that would be otherwise required to maintain these Claims with no prospect of timely corresponding return, can now be deployed directly in the field, into exploration activities where our highly prospective Tuscarora projects can be advanced. This reduces overhead significantly, improving our cost effectiveness, financial efficiency, while maximizing productivity, and value to our shareholders."

On Behalf of the Board of Directors,

"Chris Wensley"

Chris Wensley, CEO

About Crestview Exploration Inc:

Crestview Exploration is an experienced exploration company focused on the exploration and development of its portfolio of gold and silver properties located in prolific mining districts of Nevada.

The Tuscarora Complex includes the Rock Creek, Dry Creek, and Falcon claim blocks for a total of 239 claims. The Rock Creek gold project is Crestview's flagship asset, with 72 unpatented lode mining claims wholly owned and controlled by Crestview. The Rock Creek property was acquired in 2017, and the company went public in 2019. Emboldened by the results coming out of Rock Creek, Crestview strategically expanded on the land position with claim staking at Dry Creek (43 claims), and later (September 2022) with the acquisition of the Falcon silver-gold prospect (124 claims). These three claim blocks are all within close proximity and are targeting similar mineralization and likely the same underlying hydrothermal system. The Tuscarora Complex is situated in a region with proven "world class" gold deposits (including Midas, Jerritt Canyon, Betze-Post, Meikle, and Gold Quarry), where the potential of finding large, high-grade gold-silver deposits is favorable.

The Cimarron project is located in the San Antonio Mountains of Nye County, Nevada, and is comprised of 31 unpatented lode mining claims, including control of 6 historically producing claims associated with the historic San Antonio mine. The property is located in the prolific Walker-Lane trend, approximately 44 kms south of the "world class" Round Mountain deposit.

Forward-Looking Information

This news release includes certain information that may be deemed "forward-looking information" under applicable securities laws. All statements in this release, other than statements of historical facts, that address acquisition of the Property and future work thereon, mineral resource and reserve potential, exploration activities and events or developments that the Company expects is forward-looking information. Although the Company believes the expectations expressed in such 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 statements. There are certain factors that could cause actual results to differ materially from those in the forward-looking information. These include the results of the Company's due diligence investigations, market prices, exploration successes, continued availability of capital financing, and general economic, market or business conditions, and those additionally described in the Company's filings with the Canadian securities authorities.

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 information. For more information on the Company, investors are encouraged to review the Company's public filings at www.sedar.com. The Company disclaims any intention or obligation to update or revise any forward- looking information, whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise, other than as required by law.

NEITHER THE CANADIAN SECURITIES EXCHANGE NOR ITS REGULATION SERVICES PROVIDER HAS REVIEWED OR ACCEPT RESPONSIBILITY FOR THE ADEQUACY OR ACCURACY OF THIS RELEASE

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Vancouver, July 30, 2024 - Starcore International Mines Ltd. (TSX: SAM) ("Starcore" or the "Company") has filed the results for the year end dated April 30, 2024 for the Company and its mining operations in Queretaro, Mexico. The full version of the Company's Financial Statements and Management's Discussion and Analysis can be viewed on the Company's website at www.starcore.com, or SEDAR at www.sedarplus.ca. All financial information is prepared in accordance with IFRS and all dollar amounts are expressed in thousands of Canadian dollars unless otherwise indicated.

"Our operations made significant advancements in the last two quarters of the fiscal year which resulted in net income of $0.03 per share for the year," reported Robert Eadie, Chief Executive Officer. "Our mining operations at San Martin reported healthy profits from mining operations in this period due to improved grades and, of course, metal prices. We continue to invest in San Martin and other projects in Mexico to complement our operations and build shareholder value."

Financial Highlights for the year ending April 30, 2024 (audited) and quarter ended April 30, 2024 (unaudited):

Cash on hand is $5.3 million and working capital of $5.7 million at April 30, 2024;

Gold and silver sales of $28.3 million;

Income from mining operations of $2.4 million for the year and 2.2 million in the 4 th quarter ended April 30, 2024;

quarter ended April 30, 2024; Income for the year of $1.6 million, or $0.03 per share and $4.5 million, or $0.06 per share, for the quarter ended April 30, 2024;

EBITDA(1) of $1.1 million;

The following table contains selected highlights from the Company's audited consolidated statement of operations for the three months ended and years ended April 30, 2024 and April 30, 2023:











Three Months Ended

Twelve Months Ended April 30, 2024

April 30, 2023

April 30, 2024

April 30, 2023

Revenues $ 9,335

$ 5,183

$ 28,327

$ 22,907

Cost of Sales

(7,173 )

(4,792 )

(25,922 )

(22,154 ) Income from mining operations 2,162

391

2,405

753

Administrative Expenses (1,295 ) (859 ) (4,100 ) (5,148 ) Gain (loss) on investment 19

351

(310 ) 187

Gain on sale of asset -

25

37

25

Income tax (expense)/ recovery

3,637

(871 )

3,601

(1,073 ) Total income / (loss)







(i) Total income/ (loss) $ 4,523

$ (963 ) $ 1,633

$ (5,256 ) (ii) Income/(loss) per share - basic & diluted $ 0.06

$ (0.02 ) $ 0.03

$ (0.10 ) Total assets $ 51,973 $ 50,906 $ 51,973 $ 50,906 Total long-term liabilities $ 7,186 $ 8,789 $ 7,186 $ 8,789

Reconciliation of Net Income to EBITDA (1)

For the year ended April 30, 2024 2023 Net income (loss) $ 1,633

$ (5,256 ) Unrealized (gain) loss on investment

310



(197 ) Loss on sale of investments

-



10

Gain on sale of assets

(37 )

(25 ) Income tax expense (recovery)

(3,601 )

1,073

Interest

2



-

Depreciation and depletion 2,781

3,120

EBITDA $ 1,088

$ (1,275

)

EBITDA MARGIN(2) 3.8%

(5.6%)



(1) EBITDA ("Earnings before Interest, Taxes, Depreciation and Amortization") is a non-GAAP financial performance measure with no standard definition under IFRS. It is therefore possible that this measure could not be comparable with a similar measure of another Corporation. The Corporation uses this non-GAAP measure which can also be helpful to investors as it provides a result which can be compared with the Corporation's market share price.

(2) EBITDA MARGIN is a measurement of a company's operating profitability calculated as EBITDA divided by total revenue. EBITDA MARGIN is a non-GAAP financial performance measure with no standard definition under IFRS. It is therefore possible that this measure could not be comparable with a similar measure of another Corporation. The Corporation uses this non-GAAP measure which can also be helpful to investors as it provides a result which can be compared with the Corporation's market share price.

Production Highlights for the year and quarter ended April 30, 2024:

Equivalent gold production of 10,094 ounces for the year and 3.242 ounces for the 4 th quarter;

quarter; Mine operating cash cost of US$1,686/EqOz for the year and $1,411/EqOz for the 4 th quarter;

quarter; All-in sustaining costs of US$2,129/EqOz for the year.

The following table is a summary of mine production statistics for the San Martin mine for the three and twelve months ended April 30, 2024 and April 30, 2023:

(Unaudited) Unit of measure Actual results Actual results Actual results Actual results 3 months ended 3 months ended 12 months ended 12 months ended 30-Apr-24 30-Apr-23 30-Apr-24 30-Apr-23 Mine production of Gold in Dore thousand ounces 3.0 2.3 9.4 9.4 Mine production of Silver in Dore thousand ounces 19.7 10.0 58.0 48.1 Total mine production - equivalent ounces thousand ounces 3.2 2.4 10.1 10.0











Silver to Gold equivalency ratio

87.1 82.9 84.9 84.8 Mine Gold grade grams/tonne 1.91 1.45 1.50 1.47 Mine Silver grade grams/tonne 19.59 11.2 15.82 13.5 Mine Gold recovery percent 88.6% 86.1% 87.0% 87.1% Mine Silver recovery percent 56.9% 48.3% 50.9% 48.6% Milled thousands of tonnes 55.9 56.8 224.3 227.8 Mine operating cash cost per tonne milled US dollars/tonne 82 68 76 67 Mine operating cash cost per equivalent ounce US dollars/ounces 1,411 1,611 1,686 1,535

Salvador Garcia, B. Eng., a director of the Company and Chief Operating Officer, is the Company's qualified person on the project as required under NI 43-101 and has prepared the technical information contained in this press release.

About Starcore

Starcore International Mines is engaged in precious metals production with focus and experience in Mexico. While this base of producing assets has been complemented by exploration and development projects throughout North America, Starcore has expanded its reach internationally with the project in Cote d'Ivoire. The Company is a leader in Corporate Social Responsibility and advocates value driven decisions that will increase long term shareholder value. You can find more information on the investor friendly website here: www.starcore.com.

The Toronto Stock Exchange has not reviewed nor does it accept responsibility

for the adequacy or accuracy of this press release.

This news release contains "forward-looking" statements and information ("forward-looking statements"). All statements, other than statements of historical facts, included herein, including, without limitation, management's expectations and the potential of the Company's projects, are forward looking statements. Forward-looking statements are based on the beliefs of Company management, as well as assumptions made by and information currently available to Company's management and reflect the beliefs, opinions, and projections on the date the statements are made. Forward-looking statements involve various risks and uncertainties and accordingly, readers are advised not to place undue reliance on forward-looking statements. There can be no assurance that such statements will prove to be accurate, and actual results and future events could differ materially from those anticipated in such statements. The Company assumes no obligation to update forwardlooking statements or beliefs, opinions, projections or other factors, except as required by law.

NOT FOR DISTRIBUTION IN THE UNITED STATES

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Vancouver, July 30, 2024 - Golden Cariboo Resources Ltd. (the "Company") (CSE: GCC) (OTC: GCCFF) (WKN: A402CQ) (FSE: 3TZ) announced today the Company's sampling and shipping progress of drill holes QGQ24-13 through QGQ24-15, all of which contain multiple examples of visible gold. Drill hole QGQ24-13 has been sampled in its entirety and sent to ALS Geochemistry in North Vancouver for assay. Drill hole QGQ24-14 has been partially sampled and partially sent to the laboratory for assay. Drill hole QGQ24-15 is currently being sampled. Please refer to the Company's July 18, 2024, news release for detailed information about these drill holes.



Click Image To View Full Size

Figure 1: Example of visible gold from QGQ24-13



Click Image To View Full Size

Figure 2: Example of visible gold from QGQ24-13



Click Image To View Full Size

Figure 3: Example of visible gold intersected in QGQ24-14.

About Golden Cariboo Resources Ltd.

Golden Cariboo Resources Ltd. is rediscovering the Cariboo Gold Rush by proceeding with highly targeted drilling and trenching programs on its Quesnelle Gold Quartz Mine property which is almost fully encircled on 3 of 4 sides by Osisko Development (NSE-ODV/TSXV-ODV). Historically, over 101 placer gold creeks on the 90 km trend from the Cariboo Hudson mine north to the Quesnelle Gold Quartz Mine property have recorded production and successful placer mining continues to this day.

Golden Cariboo's Quesnelle Gold Quartz Mine property is 4 km northeast of, and road accessible from, Hixon in central British Columbia. The Project includes the Quesnelle Quartz gold-silver deposit, which was discovered in 1865 in conjunction with placer mining activities. Hixon Creek, which dissects the old workings, is a placer creek which has seen small-scale placer production since the mid 1860s.

For further information please contact:

GOLDEN CARIBOO RESOURCES LTD

"J. Frank Callaghan"

J. Frank Callaghan, President & CEO

Tel: 604-682-2928

VISIT OUR WEBSITE FOR MORE DETAILS

www.goldencariboo.com

LIKE AND FOLLOW

Instagram, Facebook, X (Twitter), LinkedIn

Neither the "CSE" Canadian Securities Exchange nor its Regulation Service Provider (as that term is defined in the policies of the Canadian Securities Exchange) accepts responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this release.

Cautionary Statements:

This news release contains statements which constitute "forward-looking information" within the meaning of applicable securities laws, including statements regarding the plans, intentions, beliefs and current expectations of the Company with respect to future business activities and plans of the Company. Forward-looking information is often identified by the words "may", "would", "could", "should", "will", "intend", "plan", "anticipate", "believe", "estimate", "expect" or similar expressions and includes information regarding; the expectation that the Company will receive all necessary exemptions and approvals to complete the Offering; the expectation that the Company will complete the Offering on the terms disclosed, or at all; the expectation that the proceeds will be used for property exploration and for general working capital; the Company's exploration plans with respect to its Quesnelle Gold Quartz Mine property; and the anticipated participation of the insider in the Offering.

Such forward-looking statements are based on a number of assumptions of management, including, without limitation, that the Company will receive all necessary exemptions and approvals to complete the Offering; that the Company will complete the Offering on the terms disclosed, or at all; that the proceeds will be used for property exploration and for general working capital; that the Company will have the resources required to proceed with its exploration plans; that the Company will not run into regulatory or other barriers in carrying out its business plans; that the insider will participate in the Offering, on the terms and conditions and in the amount currently expected by management; and that the Company will be able to rely on the exemption from the formal valuation and minority shareholder approval requirements on the basis anticipated.

Additionally, forward-looking information involve a variety of known and unknown risks, uncertainties and other factors which may cause the actual plans, intentions, activities, results, performance or achievements of the Company to be materially different from any future plans, intentions, activities, results, performance or achievements expressed or implied by such forward-looking statements. Such risks include, without limitation: that the Company will not receive the necessary exemptions and approvals to complete the Offering; that the Company will not complete the Offering on the terms disclosed, or at all; that the Company will be unable to use the proceeds for property exploration and for general working capital; that the Company may incur unanticipated costs; that the Company may not have the resources required to pursue its exploration plans; that the Company's operations could be adversely affected by possible future government legislation policies and controls or by changes in applicable laws and regulations; that the insider may not participate in the Offering on the terms and conditions and in the amount currently expected by management, or at all; and that the Company may not be able to rely on the exemption from the formal valuation and minority shareholder approval requirements on the basis currently expected. Such forward-looking information represents management's best judgment based on information currently available. No forward-looking statement can be guaranteed and actual future results may vary materially. Accordingly, readers are advised not to place undue reliance on forward-looking statements or information. Neither the Company nor any of its representatives make any representation or warranty, express or implied, as to the accuracy, sufficiency or completeness of the information in this news release. Neither the Company nor any of its representatives shall have any liability whatsoever, under contract, tort, trust or otherwise, to you or any person resulting from the use of the information in this news release by you or any of your representatives or for omissions from the information in this news release.

The forward-looking statements herein speak only as of the date they were originally made. The Company has no intention and undertakes no obligation to update or revise any forward-looking statements, whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise, except as required by law.

Copyright (c) 2024 TheNewswire - All rights reserved.
SLAM Exploration Ltd. ("SLAM" or the "Company") (TSXV-SXL) announces that further to the news release dated July 16, 2024 it has closed the option agreement dated July 15, 2024 (the "Agreement") to acquire a 100% interest in seven (7) additional mineral claims adjacent to its wholly owned Goodwin claims. The expanded Goodwin Project comprises 194 units covering 4,239 hectares located 5 kilometers southwest of the Half Mile copper zinc silver deposit in the Bathurst Mining Camp of New Brunswick.

The Agreement: SLAM has obtained final approval from the TSX Venture Exchange and has made the first share issuance due pursuant to the Option Agreement and it has issued 100,000 common shares to Fernand Robichaud (the "Optionor") at a deemed price of $0.05 per share. The securities have a four month and one day hold period which will be expire on November 24, 2024, pursuant to Canadian securities laws.

SLAM can earn a 100% interest in and to the Goodwin Project by making the following cash payments and common share issuances over a period of three (3) years:

Due Date Common Share Payments Cash Payment (CAD) Within 5 business days of approval by the TSXV Exchange 100,000 $5,000 On or before the 1st anniversary of signing the Agreement 100,000 $10,000 On or before the 2nd anniversary of signing the Agreement 100,000 $15,000 On or before the 3rd anniversary of signing the Agreement 200,000 $20,000 Total 500,000 $50,000

Upon SLAM earning 100% interest, the Optionor will retain a 2% net smelter return ("NSR") royalty on the Property (the "Royalty"). The Company shall have the right to buy back one-half of the Royalty equal to 1.0% NSR for $1,000,000 at any time and the right of first refusal on the remaining NSR before the commencement of production.

The Goodwin Project: Assays are pending on 214 samples delivered to ALS Chemex Inc. for multi-element analyses using ALS methods ME-ICP41 and PGM-ICP23. These include 38 samples from hole GW24-01; 98 samples from hole GW24-02 and 78 samples sawn from hole GW24-03. The samples represent a 34.55 meter zone of pyrrhotite-chalcopyrite (copper) mineralization in hole GW24-01; a 31.80 meter zone of pyrrhotite-chalcopyrite mineralization in hole GW24-02 and a 58 meter zone of 15% pyrrhotite mineralization intersected by hole GW24-03. According to previous workers, pyrrhotite mineralization at Goodwin generally contains nickel.

Hole GW24-01: The highlight of the hole is an 8.50 meter core interval containing 50% pyrrhotite with copper mineralization (chalcopyrite). This copper-bearing interval occurs within a 34.55 meter zone of variable pyrrhotite mineralization from 24.85 meters to 59.40 meters. Previous workers have shown that pyrrhotite commonly contains nickel at Goodwin. (SXL News Release June 21st, 2024).

Hole GW24-02: Highlights include a 5.1 meter interval containing 70% pyrrhotite and 5% chalcopyrite (copper mineralization). This copper-bearing interval occurs within a 31.80 meter zone of variable pyrrhotite mineralization from 22.60 meters to 54.50 meters. (SXL News Release June 26th, 2024).

Hole GW24-03: This hole intersected three zones of pyrrhotite mineralization including a 23.55 meter core interval with 15% pyrrhotite starting at 72.90 meters, a 13.65 meter interval with 15% pyrrhotite starting at 94.8 meters and a 20.85 meter zone with 15% pyrrhotite from 113.15 meters to 134.00 meters. These intervals combine for 58 meters of pyrrhotite mineralization, which, according to previous workers, generally contains nickel at Goodwin. GW24-03 was drilled from a site located 900 meters southeast of hole GW24-02. (SXL News Release July 3rd, 2024).

QA-QC Procedures: The Goodwin drilling highlights are from summary logs reported in previous SXL news releases. The results from previous workers are from news releases and reports that predate NI43-101 regulations. The numbers can only be validated by additional drilling.

About SLAM Exploration Ltd: SLAM Exploration Ltd. a public resource company with a large portfolio of mineral claim holdings built around its wholly owned Menneval gold project in the mineral-rich province of New Brunswick. SLAM has discovered multiple gold veins at Menneval and previously reported gold bearing core intervals including 162.5 g/t gold over 0.2 m and 56.90 g/t gold over 0.5 m (news releases December 13, 2021 and November 22, 2022). The Company reported quartz float grading up to 39.2 g/t gold on its Jake Lee project in the vicinity of the Clarence Stream gold deposit where Galway Metals Inc. is working on a 2.3 M ounce gold deposit in southern New Brunswick.

The Company holds the Goodwin copper nickel project and the Mine Road VMS copper zinc silver project in the mineral rich Bathurst Mining Camp of New Brunswick. Previous workers discovered 3 copper nickel occurrences at Goodwin. Mineralized core intercepts were drilled including 1.79% copper plus 1.51% nickel over 5.7 meters in diamond drill hole GR89-55 on the Goodwin project. Successful diamond drill holes by previous workers include IL2014-003 with a 9-meter core interval grading 14.51% zinc, 5.86% lead, 0.67% copper and 139.9 g/t silver on the Railroad zone at Mine Road. (Doe Run Canadian Exploration ULC; 2015, New Brunswick Assessment Files, Report of Work 477877), The Railroad zone is 7,000 m east of the 20 M tonne former producing Heath Steele B Zone.

The Company is a project generator and has received significant cash and share payments over the last 6 months as follows; $150,000 cash and 50,000 shares from S2 Minerals Inc. (STWO) on December 19, 2023 pursuant to the Reserve Creek gold agreement; 534,000 shares and 333,000 warrants (exercisable at $0.01) issued by Nine Mile Metals Inc. (NINE) on March 01, 2024 pursuant to the Wedge project agreement and $25,000 cash plus 2,500,000 shares of Lode Gold Resources Inc. (LOD) pursuant to the Ramsay gold agreement. The Company holds NSR royalties and expects additional cash and share payments on the Wedge copper zinc project and on the Ramsay, Reserve Creek and Opikeigen gold projects.

To view SLAM's corporate presentation, click SXL-Presentation. Additional information is available on SLAM's website and on SEDAR+ at www.sedarplus.ca. Follow us on X @SLAMGold.

Qualifying Statements: Mike Taylor P.Geo, President and CEO of SLAM Exploration Ltd., is a qualified person as defined by National Instrument 43-101, and has approved the contents of this news release.

Certain information in this press release may constitute forward-looking information, including statements regarding mineral resources and the Company's plans with respect to the exploration and development of its properties. This information is based on current expectations that are subject to significant risks and uncertainties that are difficult to predict. Actual results might differ materially from results suggested in any forward-looking statements. The Company assumes no obligation to update the forward-looking statements, or to update the reasons why actual results could differ from those reflected in the forward looking-statements unless and until required by securities laws applicable to the Company. There are a number of risk factors that could cause future results to differ materially from those described herein. Information identifying risks and uncertainties is contained in the Company's filings with the Canadian securities regulators, which filings are available at www.sedarplus.ca. Neither the TSXV nor its Regulation Services Provider (as that term is defined in the policies of the TSXV) accepts responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this release.

CONTACT INFORMATION:

Mike Taylor, President & CEO

Contact: 506-623-8960 mike@slamexploration.com

Eugene Beukman, CFO

Contact: 604-687-2038 ebeukman@pendergroup.ca SEDAR+: 00012459


Ricciardo to leave phone on over break

A much-needed summer break may now be looming for Formula 1, but Daniel Ricciardo says he will be leaving his "phone on".

Daniel Ricciardo, Belgian GP 2024

 Red Bull

Red Bull's patience with the struggling Sergio Perez now seems to be running out, with the Mexican sliding from P2 on the grid at Spa to P8 when he saw the chequered flag.

That was not satisfactory from Checo, the energy drink brand's F1 consultant Dr Helmut Marko declared immediately after the Belgian GP.

Max Verstappen continues to lead the drivers' standings, but Perez's failure to come anywhere near the lead car's points-scoring ability recently has left Red Bull dangerously exposed in the constructors' table.

We are now focusing entirely on the team standings, Marko insists. McLaren has already made up ground. We need two drivers who can score points regularly, said team boss Christian Horner.

Perez's future is now dangling by a thread, with Red Bull's junior squad RB to put Liam Lawson and Ricciardo head-to-head during a filming day at Imola this week.

Sergio had the chance to get a good result from second on the grid, Marko continued. "Unfortunately, he didn't succeed. Especially in the last stint, he completely collapsed.

For us, the situation is that we also have to look at the overall situation for 2025, the Austrian added. "We have a certain number of drivers, and we have a concept.

Of course, every result is important for Sergio, and finishing eighth after starting second is absolutely not what we expected, Marko told Sky Deutschland.

Marko said earlier at Spa this his first task after the weekend was to travel back to Milton-Keynes for key talks with Horner. We will analyse everything and then make a decision, he confirmed late on Sunday.

It is believed Horner favours a promotion into Perez's seat for the experienced Ricciardo, while Marko is understood to prefer the promising rookie Lawson.

I'll definitely leave the phone on, smiled Ricciardo when asked about the looming summer break. "You never know what will happen. I'm just trying to secure my future in the sport at the moment - so we're talking about next year.

If there is any news, I'll make sure the phone isn't too far away. We'll see what happens, the 34-year-old Australian added.

As for Verstappen, he has not taken a firm position on what Red Bull should do about Perez. I don't think that's our main problem now, the triple world champion said.

Our problem is that we have to find laptime. We will carefully analyse everything that we have done.

Verstappen finished P5 on Sunday - boosted to P4 with George Russell's disqualification. I think this was the maximum achievable, said the 26-year-old.

The speed was reasonable, but not very good. From P11 without a speed difference, it doesn't really work.

Marko admits Red Bull has plenty of thinking and analysis to do as F1 heads into the summer break. "We need to look at the new parts we put on the car and analyse whether a smaller update package would have been better.

We have to see if we're going in the right direction, he added. Mercedes were nowhere on Friday, then they changed a few things and 'poof!', the car worked.

(GMM)
Sainz denies Williams deal now set in stone

Carlos Sainz has denied reports that he has now signed with Williams for 2025 - although the Oxfordshire-based team's boss sounds very confident.

Carlos Sainz, Belgian GP 2024

 Ferrari

The Ferrari refugee has been the centrepiece of the F1 driver 'silly season' this season, as he weighs up offers from Williams, Sauber-Audi and Alpine - whilst hoping for a top team opportunity at Mercedes or Red Bull.

The latter outcome now seems ruled out, while Alpine is in tatters and even self-scrapping its works Formula 1 program. There are too many problems, lamented the continuing Alpine driver Pierre Gasly on Sunday.

"The steering wheel wasn't even straight on the car. We lost 7 tenths every lap with engine temperature problems and there were too many mistakes over the last three weekends.

It's going to be very important to pull ourselves together during this summer break, Gasly told Canal Plus. We're going to have to talk together and resolve these problems very quickly.

Sainz is also believed to be turned off by the management turmoil at Audi, with the German marque's team Sauber still yet to score a single point in 2024.

Williams, however, is only 4 points ahead of Sauber. We haven't had anything new all year, said the team's continuing driver Alex Albon. "We're so far behind the pack.

Hopefully we'll be more competitive after the break.

Nonetheless, Williams boss James Vowles' vision for the future - and willingness to give Sainz the top-team exit clauses he desires - seem to have won the 29-year-old over.

His father Carlos Sainz snr and cousin Carlos Onoro Sainz - Sainz's management team - were spotted leaving a meeting with Vowles at Spa last Friday.

But is it a done deal for 2025?: No, I'm not with any team yet and I haven't announced anything, Sainz told Sky Deutschland after the Belgian GP.

I'm looking forward to the summer break, having some time for myself and hearing this question again - like every weekend for the last six months, the Ferrari driver smiled.

Vowles, however, is very confident. More than 50 percent, the Williams boss told reporters on Sunday when asked about the likelihood of securing Sainz's signature.

I would say the odds are on our side, but I've said that once this year, so we'll see.

Vowles confirmed that Williams' major competitor to securing Sainz is Renault-owned Alpine. "Carlos has one of the biggest brands in the world wanting him and that's hard to turn down, especially as - let's be honest - they've beaten us recently.

It's a tough thing to turn down. They won a race not too long ago and I can see the perspective, he added. "He said to me that when he commits, he has to do it with all his heart and soul, and cannot have any doubts.

That's why he's taking his time and that resonated a lot with me, said Vowles.

When asked if it's possible a deal could be announced with a week, he concluded: In principle, yes.

But when asked the same question late on Sunday, Sainz answered: "I don't know, I can't say.

It's time to rest during these holidays - that's what matters, he told DAZN.

(GMM)
Del. James Moylan said he is questioning the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administrations proposal to place six species of giant clams under the Endangered Species Act based on their extinction rate which, if finalized, would make it illegal to harvest them, including three that are native to Guam.

Moylan is referring to the Hippopus hippopus, Tridacna derasa, and Tridacna gigas as giant clams native to Guam.

These clams, his office said, have been known for local harvesting, sustenance, and are popular for the creation of local jewelry, including traditional sinahi.

The other three that NOAA proposes to include in the ESA are the H. porcellanus, T. mbalavuana, T. squamosina.

Moylans office said by adding these six species of clams to the ESA, it would be illegal for anyone to participate in:

(1) harvest, collection, killing, or injury of the endangered species;

(2) possession or sale of species or products that were collected illegally;

(3) import and export of specimens or derivative products, such as meat that has been cut from the shell, shell carvings, or pearls; and

(4) release of captive specimens into the wild.

Exceptions would only be provided for scientific research or the assistance in the recovery of the species.

Despite the request from Moylan, NOAA has expressed that no exceptions shall be provided for the cultural use of these six species, according to his office.

This decision by NOAA needs to be reconsidered from a cultural perspective as well, Moylan said in a statement.

He said his office is requesting for some consideration from NOAAs leadership, and this would include seeking outside-the-box ideas, such as funding aquaculture preserves for these clams.

While we recognize the scientific analysis in their decision, particularly since NOAA claims that very few of the clams native to Guam are found in the wild, there needs to be a delicate balance to allow certain cultural usage, while also preserving the species, Moylan said.

NOAA has extended a public comment period, which started on July 29, and will extend until Oct. 23.

Moylan encourages Guam residents to participate and share their thoughts, and they can do so as follows:

 Electronic submissions: Submit all electronic public comments via the Federal e-Rulemaking Portal. Visit https://www.regulations.gov and enter NOAA-NMFS-2017- 0029 in the search box. Click on the Comment icon, complete the required fields, and enter or attach comments.

 Mail: Submit written comments to Endangered Species Division, Office of Protected Resources (F/PR3), National Marine Fisheries Service, 1315 East West Highway, Silver Spring, MD 20910, USA, Attn: Giant Clams Species Listing Proposed Rule.

NOAA also plans on holding both in-person and virtual public hearings, and those dates will be announced in the coming weeks.

When Congress resumes in September, we will be submitting an amendment in one of the appropriation measures to ensure that no federal funding shall be utilized to enforce this new mandate. We are also encouraging island residents and leaders to share their thoughts on this issue, Moylan said.

His office is also in discussions with relevant committees to determine means to promote and preserve indigenous CHamoru practices in a responsible manner, without the need of blanket federal policies arbitrarily ending them.

Federal entities need to open up the conversation if they see a concern, so collectively we can find reasonable solutions, added Moylan, who is seeking his first reelection.
Government accountability and education were top concerns this year for husband and wife Ray and Chelsey San Nicolas, of Yona, when they cast their vote on Monday.

The wife said she wants to see what potential new senators will do about issues facing the Guam Memorial Hospital and the long-delayed construction of Simon Sanchez High School.

Our senators do a really great job in regards to finding all the issues but not coming up with the solutions, Chelsey San Nicolas, 30, said.

Though the couple didnt have kids of their own, they said they did have a lot of godchildren, whose schooling they had a stake in.

Its really the kids that were trying to help out and, make sure that were giving them, you know, all the right teachings, Ray San Nicolas, 31, said.

Better schooling was also on the mind of 32-year-old voter Justin Castro, an accountant who said hes got concerns about how federal funding at the Guam Department of Education is being spent  or not spent at times.

I kind of want to see a change, me being a product of the public school education, Castro, of Yigo, said.

Castro added that hes hopeful Guams next delegate will be able to pull in more funding for the school system, and said hed vote for Democrat candidate Ginger Cruz.

Theyre among the thousands who took advantage of early voting from July 15 to 29.

3,000 early votes

Early voting for the 2024 primary election wrapped up Monday night, with a little over 3,000 early ballots expected to be tallied up once the counting is done, according to acting Guam Election Commission Executive Director Tom San Agustin.

As expected, Monday saw good turnout of last-minute early voters, with around 400 ballots cast as of 5:30 p.m. and over 600 expected by the end of the day, according to San Agustin.

But early voting numbers for this years primary are still well below the turnout for the 2022 elections, when over 12,000 ballots were cast early, according to GEC data.

The 2024 primary election is also low-stakes in a number of races, with both parties failing to field a full roster of candidates for the Legislature and eight out of 19 village mayors running unopposed.

There are over 60,000 registered Guam voters, and recent years have seen only about a 30% turnout for primaries, the Pacific Daily News reported last week.

San Agustin Monday said that the early voting turnout is expected to pick up once the general election rolls around in November.

As for all the early ballots for the primaries, he said theyll be packaged up and made ready for distribution on Election Day, which is Saturday, Aug. 3, from 7 a.m. to 8 p.m.

A break from tradition

Voters who turned up around lunchtime on Monday had a lot to say about who they were voting for and what issues were on their mind when they stepped into the polling booth.

Besides the San Nicolas couple and Castro, there were others like mother and daughter Celia and Mikaela Atoigue who voiced their concerns.

The mother and daughter had different picks for the delegate race. Mikaela Atoigue, 27, threw her vote behind Democrat hopeful Ginger Cruz.

I was really just impressed by her...I enjoyed her vibe and I read a lot on her campaign, she said.

Meanwhile, mom Celia Atoigue, 62, said she threw in for Republican incumbent Del. James Moylan.

I really was impressed with what hes accomplished so far, and so well see, mom said.

The two Mangilao residents said they hadnt discussed their difference of opinion prior to casting their votes, something mom joked was a break from tradition.

Im not going to be like my mom and say, sit down...vote here, vote here, vote here, Celia Atoigue said.

Prepping for Election Day

Over 360 precinct officials have been trained and are ready to take and count ballots on Saturday, GECs San Agustin said.

Interested residents can still apply to be a precinct official for the general election, which pays a $500 stipend for a days work, by going to www.gec.guam.gov.

GEC will also conduct a test election at 6 p.m. on Thursday, Aug. 1, at the University of Guam Field House tabulation center.

Dededo and Yigo residents are reminded that their polling sites may have changed this year.

Dededo polling sites:

Names beginning with A through C: Wettengel Elementary School

D through O: Okkodo High School

P through Z: Liguan Elementary School

Yigo polling sites:
Robert Underwood is the former president of the University of Guam and Guams former delegate in the U.S. House of Representatives.
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Haiti - Culture : European Union, 500,000 Euros grant, call for proposals for cultural projects





In a world facing many challenges and conflicts, culture can greatly contribute to overcoming divisions, strengthening social cohesion and improving international relations. The European Union (EU) is committed to promoting peace, freedom of expression and respect for fundamental rights. Promoting cultural diversity through international cultural relations is a priority for the EU.



Haitian culture, rich in African, Taino and European influences, is recognized for its creativity and dynamism. However, the cultural sector in Haiti faces many challenges, exacerbated by the situation in the country.



Programme Objectives :



The general objective of this call for proposals is to "contribute to building a more inclusive society through the strengthening of the cultural sector and cultural cooperation between Haiti and the European Union."



Specific objectives include :



 Support culture as a driver of social and economic development;

 Promote intercultural dialogue for peaceful relations;

 Increase the visibility of Haitian cultural events at national, regional and international level;

 Disseminate EU fundamental values through cultural activities aimed at inclusion, poverty reduction and conflict reduction.k



Financial Details :

The overall indicative amount made available is EUR 500,000. The requested grants must be between EUR 400,000 and EUR 500,000 and can cover up to 100% of the eligible costs of the action.



Important Dates :

Deadline for full submission: 30 September 2024 at 18:00 (Brussels time)



Deadline for supporting documents : 9 October 2024 at 18:00 (Brussels time)



For more information and to submit your proposal: https://ec.europa.eu/info/funding-tenders/opportunities/portal/screen/opportunities/prospect-details/181880PROSPECTSEN



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Haiti - News : Zapping...





Heavy losses for the "Chen Mechan" gang

On Sunday, July 28, 2024, during a police operation, the special units of the Haitian National Police (PNH) inflicted heavy losses on the Croix-des-Missions gang led by Claudy Celestin alias "Chen Mechan". Several bandits were fatally injured and assault rifles were seized.



Humanitarian : India sends 9 tons of medical supplies

On Monday, July 29, 2024, in solidarity with Haiti, India sent humanitarian aid including 9 tons of medical supplies and essential products for blood transfusion, reagents for immunohematology, rapid and ELISA tests, among others...



2024 Olympics : Swimming 100m breaststroke eliminated

After the elimination in artistic gymnastics and Judo https://www.haitilibre.com/en/news-42872-haiti-news-zapping.html the Haitian swimmer Alexandre Grand'Pierre, in the 100m breaststroke was eliminated. In this event the 16 best swimmers of the preliminaries are qualified for the semi-finals. The others are eliminated. Alexandre Grand'Pierre finished 4th in his series with a time of 1:02.85 (time difference of 2.23), however in the general classification he finished 28th with a time difference of 3.81, he is therefore eliminated.



Jamaica : 35 Haitian migrants intercepted and repatriated

35 Haitian migrants in an irregular migratory situation (29 men, five women and one child) who had landed on Sunday morning, July 28, on a beach in Kensington, Portland, after medical checks, were repatriated to Haiti by the Jamaican Coast Guard 24 hours after their arrival.



326th anniversary of Jacmel

On the occasion of the 326th anniversary of Jacmel, the Ministry of Tourism of Haiti, through its Departmental Directorate of the South-East, is implementing the project entitled "Jacmel, between fragments and memories", the title of a work by Michelet Divers. This project aims to invite our young generation to discover and appreciate the works of Jacmel authors, in order to better understand and promote the rich history of their city. As part of this initiative, the Directorate is organizing two days of fairs, dedicated to showcasing the work of artists and artisans, who are the pride of the city.



The PM met with representatives of online media

Prime Minister Garry Conille met with representatives of the National Network of Online Media (RENAMEL) and the Haitian Association of Online Media (AHML). "The success of the state of security emergency during the transition also depends, in part, on the Press and online media," explained Conille. "It is a civic and socio-professional commitment to self-regulate and take responsibility in the face of the global crisis currently raging in Haiti," argued the representatives of online media.



HL/ HaitiLibre


















Kunsthalle Kohta is proud to announce the opening of its latest exhibition, Martti Aiha: A Culture, curated by Kohtas director Anders Kreuger in collaboration with artist Nina Roos . This exhibition serves as a tribute to Martti Aiha , a celebrated sculptor who passed away in May last year. The exhibition will debut on Wednesday, August 7, from 68 p.m., coinciding with Kohtas summer party. Refreshments will be served at B-Side Bar, and everyone is welcome.

Celebrating Martti Aihas Legacy

Martti Aiha, born in 1952, was a pioneering sculptor known for his innovative and versatile approach to art. Six years ago, Aihas first solo exhibition at Kohta, titled "Omakuva" (Self-Image), showcased new sculptural works, a retrospective of his drawing practice from the mid-1970s, and his film "Sculpture Dance" (2018).

The current exhibition features a mix of new sculptures and drawings, along with a selection of works from Aihas extensive career spanning over 40 years. This collection aims to refresh the audiences memory of Aihas work and underscore its enduring significance. The exhibition includes minimal overlap with his previous show, except for one or two drawings from the 1980s and "Sculpture Dance."

Aihas Artistic Philosophy

Aiha was a self-identified sculptor who viewed drawing as a vital tool for conceptualizing his work. Known for his versatility and uncompromising nature, Aiha continuously evolved his artistic practices, avoiding repetitive patterns or stylistic expectations. He often preferred solitude in his studio in Aminnefors, west of Helsinki, to develop new artistic habits and refine his creations meticulously.

The exhibition title, "A Culture," reflects Aihas deep connection to his cultural roots and his ability to integrate self-contradiction into his creative process. Swedish critic Gertrud Sandqvists essay inspired the title, highlighting Aihas dialogue with broader cultural and artistic influences.

New and Unfinished Works

The exhibition showcases new works from 202123, many of which remained untitled at the time of Aihas passing. During the pandemic, Aiha embarked on a project for a room-filling indoor sculpture, tentatively titled "Vuori" (Mountain). This concept is represented by a poster displaying a 3D mock-up of the sculpture. Additionally, an unfinished spire made of twisted aluminum thread reflects Aihas exploration of the "mountain" and "tower" concepts.

Larger-format charcoal drawings from 202122 exhibit visual and structural elements reminiscent of Russian artist Pavel Filonovs analytical realism. These densely packed images portray a mountain, a tower, and an abstracted mobile phone screen, blending Aihas holistic and intuitive style with detailed analytical compositions.

The exhibition also includes smaller sculptures from Aihas final months, demonstrating his unrelenting creativity. These hybrid works on paper and cardboard showcase detailed drawings and are displayed on a wall-mounted shelf.

Retrospective Works

The exhibition features significant works from Aihas earlier career, borrowed from public and private collections. Highlights include:

Babels Tower (198182) : Sculptures made from thin bamboo rods, reflecting Aihas interest in East Asian traditions.

: Sculptures made from thin bamboo rods, reflecting Aihas interest in East Asian traditions. The Journey of Venus (1984) : A spiraling wooden sculpture supporting plaster casts of the Venus of Willendorf, a pioneering work of feminist art in Finland.

: A spiraling wooden sculpture supporting plaster casts of the Venus of Willendorf, a pioneering work of feminist art in Finland. Oblomov III (1986) : Wooden sculptures inspired by the hero of Ivan Goncharovs novel, based on a vast body of brush and ink drawings.

: Wooden sculptures inspired by the hero of Ivan Goncharovs novel, based on a vast body of brush and ink drawings. Found Life (1987) : An analytical parody using a box of unused paper labels, showcasing Aihas drawn and sculpted calligraphy.

: An analytical parody using a box of unused paper labels, showcasing Aihas drawn and sculpted calligraphy. One Sun (198788): An iconic installation of 20 mahogany blocks arranged in a circle, symbolizing unity in diversity and pulsating energy.

Commemorative Book

Accompanying the exhibition is a book titled "Martti Aiha: A Culture," featuring essays by Anders Kreuger and Dr. Marja Sakari, photographs by Sakari Viika, Jussi Tiainen, and others, and designed by Samuli Saarinen. The book is published in collaboration with Parus Verus, Helsinki, and supported by the Niilo Helander Foundation.

Most of the exhibited works not already in public or private collections are available for sale, offering a unique opportunity for collectors to acquire pieces of Aihas legacy.

Exhibition Details

Opening and Summer Party : Wednesday, August 7, from 68 p.m.

: Wednesday, August 7, from 68 p.m. Location : Kunsthalle Kohta, Helsinki

: Kunsthalle Kohta, Helsinki Refreshments : Served outdoors at B-Side Bar

: Served outdoors at B-Side Bar Book Release: "Martti Aiha: A Culture"

Join us in celebrating the life and work of Martti Aiha, an artist whose contributions continue to shape and inspire the cultural landscape of Finland.

HT
Were monitoring the situation tirelessly, and if the conditions become such that Finnish peacekeepers cant operate theyll be summoned home, she commented on YLE A-studio on Monday.

FINLAND is prepared to evacuate its peacekeepers from Lebanon, according to Minister for Foreign Affairs Elina Valtonen (NCP).

Valtonen refrained from speculating on what kind of development could trigger the evacuation, but admitted that fears about several possible scenarios have lingered for months.

The situation is inflammable. If theres a strike against the civilian population, even an unintended strike, and it leads to a worse cycle of escalation, then everything is possible. Now were hoping that this wont happen, she said to the public broadcasting company. Lets hope that the peacekeepers can continue doing their job because the job theyre doing is absolutely vital for maintaining stability in the region.

About 200 Finnish peacekeepers are posted in southern Lebanon as part of the UN Interim Force in Lebanon (Unifil), making the possible evacuation a massive operation.

Israel has threatened to retaliate against a missile strike that left 12 children and teenagers dead in the Israeli-occupied Golan Heights on Saturday, fuelling concerns about a broader conflict in the Middle East. Both Israel and the US have blamed the Lebanon-based Hezbollah for the rocket strike, an accusation denied by the group.

According to the New York Times, Israels security cabinet yesterday authorised its leaders to decide on the nature and timing of the response.

These children are our children, the children of all of us. Israel will not and cannot let this pass and carry on as usual. Our response is coming, and it will be severe, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu pledged while visiting the scene of the strike on Monday.

Hezbollah and Israel have traded fire across the border since October, when Hezbollah launched strikes against Israel in solidarity with Palestinians in Gaza. Both sides, though, have seemed to calibrate their attacks in a way that suggests a desire to avoid a wider regional conflict.

Aleksi Teivainen  HT
Better-than-expected growth figures released in the spring fuelled optimism about an imminent turnaround, but in recent weeks the optimism has been stifled by news that bankruptcies remain high , employment is on the decline , consumers remain cautious and the stock market is underperforming.

RECENT MONTHS have painted a somewhat confusing picture of the national economy in Finland, reports YLE.

The Helsinki Stock Exchange has performed poorly in recent years when compared markets in Europe and the US, YLE wrote on 23 July.

Sami Pakarinen, a director at the Confederation of Finnish Enterprises (EK), believes the economy is nonetheless on an upward trajectory.

You get a bit of good news, at times a bit of worse news. And the bad news especially deal with employment, which reacts with a bit of delay to [changes] in output, he analysed to YLE on Monday.

His optimism is rooted in a recent business sentiment survey carried out by EK. While the survey continues to point to a fairly difficult situation  especially in the construction industry  it found that confidence is on the rise in each of the three main sectors of construction, manufacturing and services.

The overall indicator for economic outlook has crept up close to zero, indicating that the turnaround is underway, said Pakarinen.

Juuso Vanhala, the acting head of forecasting at the Bank of Finland, interpreted the results similarly: even though the overall indicator remains below zero, it has improved markedly in recent months.

Last October, the outlook indicator stood at -59.9 for construction, -34.7 for manufacturing and -29.9 for services. In July, the indicator came in at -7.8 for construction, +3.4 for manufacturing and -3.0 for services.

The Bank of Finlands June forecast points in the same direction: the economic recovery is underway, however slowly.

The mood among consumers is less excited, however. Statistics Finland on Monday revealed that its consumer confidence index stood at -7.2 in July, an improvement of 0.4 from the previous month and 1.6 from the previous year. The long-term average for the index is -2.5.

Its still difficult to tell when the turnaround will happen, Paivi Puonti, the head of forecasting at Etla Economic Research, stated to YLE on Monday. When it comes to consumers, we can see that at least the situation is no longer worsening. And when it comes to business confidence, weve seen the turnaround.

The business sentiment survey found that muted demand has overtaken labour supply as the biggest inhibitor of business growth.

Vanhala said to the public broadcasting company that the improved labour supply bodes well for the upcoming recovery. The muted demand, in turn, is largely a domestic issue  an indication that the recovery of purchasing power that began last year has yet to embolden consumers.

Households are still cautious. The tax hikes and cuts targeted at social benefits will cause a dent in the earnings of many households, he noted.

Aleksi Teivainen  HT
The Finnish Criminal Sanctions Agency has published its Statistical Yearbook for 2023, revealing a continued increase in the number of inmates and individuals serving community sanctions. The comprehensive report includes data on sentence lengths, types of crimes, and trends affecting the numbers of those serving sentences.

In 2023, the average daily inmate count was 3,143, about 90 more than the previous year. The total number of new inmates in 2023 was just under 6,500, nearly 500 more than in 2022. The most significant increase was seen among fine default prisoners, with their numbers rising by 23 percent to 2,347.

Prison sentences remained relatively short, with nearly 40 percent of released inmates serving three months or less. The average sentence length was 11 months, slightly lower than the previous year.

The proportion of first-time inmates has risen from 37 percent to 43 percent over the past decade. Additionally, the number of young and foreign inmates is increasing, with foreigners making up an average of 18 percent and those under 21 years old accounting for 3.5 percent of all inmates.

The largest group of inmates, 34 percent, were sentenced for violent crimes, with 21 percent convicted of homicide and 13 percent of assault. The proportion of inmates sentenced for violent crimes has decreased by seven percentage points over the past ten years. Drug offenses accounted for about one-fifth of the inmates, while 12 percent were convicted of robbery and 8 percent of sexual offenses. Among foreign inmates, approximately 40 percent were convicted primarily of drug offenses.

The average daily number of individuals serving community sanctions was 3,502, with 1,682 of them performing community service. The average number of those serving community sanctions increased by eight percent between 2022 and 2023. Notably, the number of individuals in the preparatory phase of enforcement has risen, likely due to process backlogs.

The average number of those under supervision for conditional sentences increased by eight percent from 2022. For young offenders, this is the most common sanction, with 79 percent of those under 21 serving conditional sentences with supervision. The number of youth sentences has remained stable at around seven percent. However, the overall proportion of those under 21 receiving community sanctions has decreased by four percentage points since 2022. The largest age group among those serving community sanctions is 30-39 years old, comprising 23 percent.

The most common primary offense for those performing community service was driving under the influence, accounting for 41 percent of cases. For those under supervision after conditional release, the most common primary offense was crimes against life and health (38 percent), while for those under supervision as a condition of a conditional sentence, property crimes were the most common (32 percent).

These statistics highlight ongoing trends and challenges in Finlands criminal justice system, pointing to areas for potential policy adjustments and resource allocation.

HT
Despite the general safety, Finns must continuously be more aware of their personal safety.

Finland is generally a safe country for everyone: on a global scale, it is safe to walk the streets, and individuals do not face immediate danger. According to studies, Helsinki is one of the safest capital cities in the world.

Crimes occurring online are becoming more frequent, and there have been several significant data breaches in recent years.

Smart homes and alarm systems

Burglaries in Finland are still rare, especially in urban areas. Nevertheless, smart solutions and alarm systems are increasingly popular in detached houses. These systems allow Finns to monitor their homes remotely.

With alarm systems, information about potential intruders can be received immediately. Some alarm systems automatically call for assistance without the owner's intervention.

In apartment living, the situation is so safe in Finland that the popularity of alarm systems has not seen significant growth. Thanks to locked stairwells and the security systems of housing companies, apartment living is very secure.

Protecting personal information

A greater threat than actual robberies are crimes that occur online, such as phishing and the theft of personal or payment information. Increasing numbers of Finns have fallen victim to cybercriminals after providing personal information to the wrong places.

In Finland, efforts are made at the state level and particularly by banks to educate citizens about the dangers of the internet. The current guideline is to never provide personal information online to unknown entities.

Additionally, Finns are being educated on how to recognize potential scam sites among legitimate ones. For example, the most reliable online casinos and safe online shops can be easily identified based on certain principles.

Safety apps

In recent years, many security-enhancing apps have been developed for smartphones, which Finns have eagerly adopted. Nowadays, almost every Finn owns a smartphone, and their applications are familiar to everyone.

In Finland, the most well-known security app is the state-developed 112 Suomi App. When an emergency call is made through the app, location information is automatically transmitted to the emergency center. This can significantly speed up the arrival of help.

Another popular domestic security app is the mobile app developed by F-Secure. With this app, users can access antivirus protection, browsing protection, banking protection, and a password wallet.

Traffic safety

Technological advancements have also improved traffic safety for Finns. Finland has a relatively new fleet of vehicles, which means that new innovations are quickly adopted.

In traffic, safety is enhanced by the possibilities offered by intelligent traffic management, such as automatic vehicle recognition and driving behavior monitoring. New cars can react if the driver is operating the vehicle in an unusual manner.

Additionally, the current structures of vehicles, airbags, and seat belts are so advanced that there are fewer fatalities in collision situations. Of course, the behavior of drivers still plays a major role.

General safety level in Finland

Although Finns face various everyday security threats, the overall safety level in Finland is excellent. In Finland, one can walk safely in city centers even in the middle of the night, let alone during the day.

The biggest security threats are related to online safety. Especially for the elderly, navigating the internet while avoiding scams can be challenging due to the sheer number of fraudulent attempts nowadays.

Fortunately for Finns, help is readily available in case of problems. The national emergency number is always at service, and Finland has many specialized units for dealing with specific types of crimes, such as solving online crimes.

HT
Selee to invest $7 million in plant expansion

Henderson Countys robust manufacturing community continues to strengthen with the recent announcement from SELEE Corporation, a division of Porvair PLC.

A pioneer in metal filtration technology, SELEE has chosen to expand their production and facilities in Henderson County. The company has locations in the United States and globally and will invest $7 million at its Hendersonville plant, including $4.5 million in personal property improvements. The expansion will retain over 110 jobs with an average wage of $70,350, more than 30 percent above the countywide average wage.



The Porvair Board of Directors recognizes SELEEs Hendersonville location for its continued success and potential growth. Investing in an expansion of this facility will allow us to improve production and retain the over 110 employees here and we are excited to continue giving back to the community that gives so much to us, SELEE President Watt Jackson said. SELEE has been operating in Henderson County for more than 40 years, serving as one of the staples of the manufacturing community.



SELEE pioneered the use of ceramic foam technology in metal filtration. As a result of this commitment to innovation, SELEE remains consistently at the forefront of the latest developments in filtration, melt treatment and transfer processes for molten metals of all types. The company provides critical products supporting the food & beverage, aerospace and automotive industries.



Henderson Countys strong economy and thriving manufacturing community can stay prosperous when existing industry like SELEE invest in their growth here," Henderson County Board of Commissioners Chair Rebecca McCall said in a news release. "Henderson County supports industry, their employees, and their impact on our economy. We are excited to watch the growth of this impactful company."



While economic development traditionally gets the most attention when new companies choose to locate in our community, the growth of existing industry has proven to be the backbone of our strong manufacturing community," said Will Buie, chair of the Board of Directors for the Henderson County Partnership for Economic Development. "SELEE is one of over ten existing industries in our community recently choosing to grow here. We are excited about how this expansion bolsters our economy and reflects the resiliency of our community."

The project is being supported with an economic development assistance grant from Henderson County. These incentives provide financial assistance to companies expanding or relocating to Henderson County and are based on job creation and capital investment. Companies receive no money upfront, must meet established targets, and pay taxes before receiving any grant payment.

For more information on SELEE please visit Selee.com. For more information on the Henderson County Partnership for Economic Development, please visit hcped.org.




Today, the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), through the Office of the Assistant Secretary for Health (OASH) Office on Womens Health (OWH) announced the Phase 1 winners of the HHS Innovation Challenge to Prevent Human Trafficking Among Women and Girls at the Activating Connections: Mobilizing Communities to Prevent Human Trafficking event in Washington, DC. The challenge was developed to identify and award existing programs that demonstrate effectiveness in preventing human trafficking and or improving health outcomes related to human trafficking among women and girls.

Data from the National Human Trafficking Hotline shows women and girls comprised approximately 84% of individuals in trafficking situations, and 50% of individuals in labor trafficking situations reported to the Hotline in 2021.

The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services remains steadfast in our dedication to protecting all people from human trafficking, said HHS Secretary Xavier Becerra. The HHS National Human Trafficking Prevention Framework is rooted in evidence-based strategies and exemplifies the Biden-Harris Administrations unwavering commitment to combatting human trafficking at the community level. By recognizing and awarding innovative solutions within communities across the country, we directly reflect this commitment.

According to the White Houses National Action Plan to Combat Human Trafficking, women and girls are disproportionately impacted by human trafficking, which in turn undermines their safety, health, and well-being. Women and girls who are sexually abused are more likely to suffer physical abuse, sexual re-victimization, and/or intimate partner violence later in life. Because 1 in 3 women experience intimate partner and/or domestic violence at some point in their lives, they are at a high risk of human trafficking and other forms of abuse.

We are proud to recognize these programs today in honor of World Day Against Trafficking Persons. Recognizing innovative programs that effectively address human trafficking in women and girls is vital to harnessing creativity and collaboration to develop actionable solutions, said Assistant Secretary for Health Admiral Rachel Levine. By focusing on prevention and early intervention, we can protect vulnerable women and girls and create a safer future for all.

The challenge has two phases with a total prize pool of up to $1.8 million. During Phase 1, HHS awarded $900,000 to existing innovative programs that have demonstrated outcomes in successfully preventing human trafficking and/or improving health outcomes related to human trafficking among women and girls. Phase 2 will award up to $800,000 to programs that successfully expand and/or replicate.

The National Human Trafficking Hotline identified over 10,000 cases of human trafficking in 2021, of which more than 8,000 cases involved female victims and survivors, said Dorothy Fink, M.D., Deputy Assistant Secretary for Womens Health and Director of the Office on Womens Health. OWHs Phase 1 Challenge winners take a multifaceted approach to address human trafficking among women and girls through prevention, protection, education, and support. These interventions demonstrate innovation and collaboration in improving outcomes among individuals who are at risk for or have experienced trafficking.

The 18 winners of Phase 1 of the HHS Innovation Challenge to Prevent Human Trafficking Among Women and Girls are listed below:

Allies Against Slavery  Austin, TX

Program/Focus: Lighthouse: Data-Driven Strategy for Sex Trafficking Prevention

Lighthouse is a human trafficking screening platform that collects data from over 160 government and non-governmental agencies serving vulnerable youth in Texas and Louisiana. Once this data is collected, they leverage it to create advanced analytics and visualizations that enable them to examine spatial and demographic patterns of concern related to trafficking. This allows them to develop interventions that specifically address these areas of concern. The Lighthouse platform has contributed to 557 screenings of individuals who have experienced human trafficking.

Atrium Health  Charlotte, NC

Program/Focus: CODE HOPE

CODE HOPE is an anti-trafficking campaign that provides direct services to people who have experienced human trafficking through their Human Trafficking Navigator tool, which is an electronic medical record embedded tool that displays county-specific resources available to patients and automatically alerts Atriums Human Trafficking Response Team once a patient has been identified as experiencing human trafficking. They have successfully scaled the use of the Human Trafficking Navigator Tool across 21 emergency departments in their health system. Since 2020, CODE HOPE has contributed to 679 interventions for those in trafficking situations, 618 of which were women and girls.

Businesses Ending Slavery and Trafficking  Seattle, WA

Program/Focus: Businesses Ending Slavery and Trafficking (BEST)

BEST emphasizes engaging and empowering employers and employees in industries that have significant overlap with individuals in trafficking situations (such as hospitality, maritime, aviation, and transit) to recognize the signs of trafficking and how to intervene in trafficking situations once they have noticed those signs. In addition to this education focus, they connect survivors of trafficking seeking job opportunities with the businesses they partner with to help them find supportive and secure workplaces. BEST reached over 100,000 hospitality workers with their training, which resulted in 44% of trainees identifying human trafficking in the workplace in the following year compared to only 8% in the year before they received this training.

Collective Liberty  Washington, DC

Program/Focus: The Fusion Center

Collective Libertys Human Trafficking Fusion Center collaborates with and links government agencies, private organizations, and nonprofits to strengthen human trafficking cases through access to proactive data and machine-learning-driven analytical and reporting processes. This data-centric approach prevents the re-traumatization of survivors, decreases the occurrence in which people experiencing trafficking are arrested or prosecuted, and allows investigators to identify trafficked individuals and intervene earlier. Since 2018, the Fusion Center has identified and supported more than 450 survivors, referred 170 perpetrators of human trafficking for prosecution, and contributed to the arrest of more than 2,000 buyers of commercial sex.

Covenant House Alaska  Anchorage, AK

Program/Focus: Covenant House Alaska

Covenant House Alaska provides shelter and services to youth experiencing homelessness or trafficking using a one-stop-shop model of services that co-locates most services needed in the same location as their secure shelter, which is especially vital due to geographic isolation in their state. Within 24 hours of arriving at their shelter, survivors receive a safety assessment and plan, as well as food, clothing, housing, medical care, advocacy services, legal assistance, and translation services. In just the last year, this program served 967 youth, of which 472 received housing services and placement, 292 received workforce training or education services, 42 gained professional certifications, 88 received internships, and 133 obtained a stable job.

DREAM Youth Clinic  Oakland, CA

Program/Focus: DREAM Youth Clinic

DREAM Youth Clinic is an innovative, one-stop hub for girls, most often from minority populations, who have been exposed to trafficking situations. This approach improves long-term health outcomes for participants by providing wraparound prevention programming such as skills-building, sexual and reproductive health services, education, employment and leadership opportunities, and digital health education and support. Between 2021 and 2022, they served 267 individuals who experienced sex trafficking, among which there was a 90% retention rate for the services offered in their programs.

Empower Her Network  New London, CT

Program/Focus: Empower Her Network

The Empower Her Network program is focused on providing survivor-centered, trauma-informed services to survivors of human trafficking in transition periods to reduce their risk of being re-trafficked or reentering homelessness once they complete immediate aftercare programs. This approach involves the development of individualized Empowerment Plans that help survivors identify the strengths and challenges they face in achieving fiscal independence, housing solutions, financing education, and establishing a career path. Since 2017, 225 survivors have completed the program, with an additional 135 survivors actively working on Empowerment plans, which resulted in 98% of participants securing stable housing and achieving an average annual wage increase of $10,668. This increase has led to 450 children, once at high risk of being trafficked, living above the poverty line and in safe housing.

Global Emergency Response Inc.  Augusta, GA

Program/Focus: Domestic Violence Beds Electronic Database System (DVBEDS)

DVBEDS is a web-based platform that efficiently connects survivors of human trafficking and domestic violence with real-time information about the availability of emergency shelter beds. This online registry substantially reduces the search time needed for survivors to locate where they can find shelter, mitigating further trauma and expediting their access to safe havens. Just in 2022, DVBEDS had 446,000 interactions with people experiencing trafficking and domestic violence and saw a 30% reduction in placement time during emergencies for their users.

Greater Baltimore Medical Center  Baltimore, MD

Program/Focus: The Sexual Assault Forensic Examination & Domestic Violence (SAFE/DV) Program

The SAFE/DV Program is a hospital-based initiative that provides free care within the SAFE Suite, which is a hospital unit designed for survivors of human trafficking and domestic violence where they are offered holistic services in a calming space that reduces re-traumatization that can occur within a hospital setting. Due to partnerships with local law enforcement, patients can file a police report from the comfort of the Safe Suite and are not required to go to a police station to recount their experiences. In addition to this approach, the SAFE/DV program developed evidence-based training that is included in the annual competencies of all nursing staff in their health system, which resulted in more than 9,200 individuals trained on human trafficking recognition and treatment in 2023, with 95% of which showing increased knowledge in post-training evaluations.

Hoola Na Pua  Honolulu, HI

Program/Focus: Hoola Na Pua

Hoola Na Pua is a program that uses a residential treatment center to meet the complex needs of vulnerable youth by addressing physical and attachment needs using a Trust-Based Relational Intervention among sexually exploited and trafficked girls and gender non-conforming youth aged 11-17 in Hawaii. Since its inception, Hoola Na Pua has reached over 100,000 youth participants. Participants have seen a 57% reduction in trauma-related symptoms, a 32% decrease in depressive symptoms, a 20% decrease in anxiety symptoms, a 50% increase in participation in positive social activities, and 80% of all youth participants receive honor roll in core subjects.

kNOw MORE  San Diego, CA

Program/Focus: The kNOw MORE Human Trafficking Prevention Curriculum

The kNOw MORE Human Trafficking Prevention Curriculum is a one-of-a-kind, theatre-based curriculum that educates middle and high school students on the warning signs of human trafficking and equips them with the tools to keep themselves and their peers safe from grooming and exploitation. Following each session of the curriculum, students fill out exit slips where they can indicate that they would like to speak to someone about an active case of trafficking they know of. This program reached more than 2,000 participants in 2023, with 70 of them indicating that they knew of an active case of grooming, trafficking, or exploitation.

Kiricka Yarbough Smith  Raleigh, NC

Program/Focus: Leading, Empowering, Advising, and Developing (LEAD)

LEAD is a program that provides a six-week summer work experience for youths aged 13-17. It partners with Child Advocacy Centers, Social Services, schools, and juvenile justice programs to identify youth who are at risk or experiencing trafficking. This experience provides participants with educational and vocational training and trauma-informed and culturally responsive health services. It helps create community networks to address disparities contributing to the risk of being trafficked. They have served 175 youth since the program launched, and 99% of participants reported an increase in their knowledge of human trafficking, 95% reported an increase in their ability to identify the signs of human trafficking, and 75% reported an increase in their confidence to report human trafficking.

My Life My Choice  Boston, MA

Program/Focus: My Life My Choice

My Life My Choice is a survivor-led program that pairs young people who have experienced trafficking situations referred to their program with an adult survivor who aids them on their path to recovery. More than 1,100 youth have been mentored through this program, which resulted in participants having a 23% decrease in crime perpetration, 40% decrease in drug use, 61% decrease in depression, and being three times less likely to report having been in a trafficking situation in the last six months. My Life My Choice also addresses primary prevention through a training program that educates youth on best practices for protecting themselves from trafficking and abuse.

Project Harmony  Omaha, NE

Program/Focus: Project Harmony

Project Harmony utilizes a child advocacy model where they minimize trauma by co-locating multi-disciplinary community partners such as police, fire, governmental agencies, and health services at one site, so each child is only required to discuss their experiences once in a supportive environment and receive the appropriate follow up to their needs immediately at the same location. This approach enables them to combine Missing Youth Services with Anti-Trafficking Services, which prevents youth who are being trafficked from being re-trafficked by providing long-term resources and services to those identified by both. Project Harmony served more than 8,000 children and families across Nebraska last year, 170 of which were missing youth and 109 were youth in trafficking situations.

PurpLE Health Foundation  New York City, NY

Program/Focus: The PurpLE Model of Care

The PurpLE Model of Care is an approach that aims to address the critical gap in long-term healthcare for survivors of human trafficking by providing survivors and their children with free, confidential, trauma-informed primary care and peer-based support. This model tackles prevention at all levels to survivors through providing confidential care for those currently in trafficking situations, addressing physical, mental, and social determinants of health for those who have exited the exploited situation, and providing services for children of survivors to reduce the occurrence of adverse childhood experiences. The PurpLe Model of Care has provided services to 250 survivors since launching, among whom the rate of primary care visit follow-up has increased from a baseline of 35.7% to 65.9% among participants.

ReloShare  Chicago, IL

Program/Focus: Safe Stays

ReloShares Safe Stays program utilizes a unique, trauma-informed approach to improve emergency shelter access for survivors of human trafficking through its hotel booking platform that enables anti-trafficking agencies to book rooms at any of their 2,500 national hotel partners anonymously. In addition to this, Safe Stays also educates participating hotel staff in trauma-informed engagement and guest services to ensure survivors are given the resources they need once they are provided with emergency shelter. Since launching in 2021, this program has supported 798 adults and 252 children in trafficking situations in safe emergency shelters across 23 states.

University of Central Florida  Orlando, FL

Program/Focus: Shielding Women and Girls: A Targeted Curriculum in Human Trafficking Prevention and Victim Detection

This program focuses on educating hospitality majors at the University of Central Florida on the complexities of human trafficking and the intersections between trafficking, the hospitality industry, and the factors that contribute to trafficking. This is done through a self-paced, multi-level curriculum integrated into the required credits for all undergraduate hospitality management majors to ensure all students receive the training. Since its implementation, 2,700 students have received the training, with 87.3% reporting that they were prepared to identify and report trafficking.

University of Maryland, Baltimore  Baltimore, MD

Program/Focus: The Regional Navigator Network (RNN)

The RNN is an initiative that employs regional professionals who act as first responders to cases of human trafficking in their jurisdiction by effectively screening, identifying, and providing specialized services to victims of trafficking and at risk of being trafficked up through age 24. These regional professionals are housed within existing community-based organizations, where they can provide free training, technical assistance, and capacity building to ensure a complete safety net of human trafficking response across their state. This approach led to a 173% increase in identification and referral to services for human trafficking victims between 2020 and 2022.
Today, U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) Secretary Xavier Becerra released the following statement to mark the 59th anniversary of Medicare and Medicaid on July 30, 2024:

When President Lyndon B. Johnson signed Medicare and Medicaid into law, the United States moved a step closer to being a country where health care was recognized as a right, not treated as a privilege only available to a select few. Today, on the 59th anniversary of Medicare and Medicaid, we honor these two great programs and the role they have played over the past six decades in helping Americans live longer, healthier lives and achieve economic security.

At the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, we have made it a priority to increase access for everyone eligible for coverage. We continue to break barriers when it comes to enrollment, reaching record numbers of health coverage enrollment and the lowest uninsured rate  ever.

Thanks to the Presidents new lower cost prescription drug law, the lives of Medicare recipients are changing for the better. We have capped the price of insulin at $35 per month; made recommended, preventive vaccines free; and for the first time, Medicare is negotiating directly with pharmaceutical companies to bring down the price of prescription drugs.

Fewer people with Medicare are being put in the impossible position of having to choose between taking their medication and vaccines and paying for their rent, energy bill, or some other critical expenditure. President Biden and Vice President Harris have not just lowered costs for people with Medicare, they are saving taxpayer dollars so the program will be around for our children and grandchildren.

Medicaid provides health insurance for more than 80 million Americans. It is the single largest source of health insurance coverage for our nations children, individuals with disabilities, and those that need long term care. It covers nearly half of all births nationally. The health and economic benefits of Medicaid are lifelong: When children have Medicaid, better health outcomes persist through adulthood. Children with Medicaid have improved educational outcomes, contributing to higher rates of employment and earnings as adults. The Affordable Care Acts expansion of Medicaid has reduced mortality and improved financial well-being for the individuals newly gaining coverage and has provided billions in economic benefits to health care providers and state governments.

The data are clear: strengthening Medicaid benefits not only the individual, but the community. Thanks to President Biden and Vice President Harris, weve implemented mandatory, national, continuous coverage for children, expanded services through Medicaid in schools, expanded postpartum coverage for women to nearly all states, and finalized new requirements that will ensure better access to care for all those with Medicaid health insurance, in every great state in our nation. We have made care more accessible for the millions of seniors and people with disabilities by increasing funding for home and community-based services.

Everyone deserves to go to the doctor when they need to without worries about financial ruin. It is unconscionable that extremists, including Republicans in Congress, continue to propose cuts that would undermine Medicare and Medicaid.

Together, Medicare and Medicaid have given millions of Americans access to affordable, quality health care coverage and the peace of mind that comes with it. The Biden-Harris Administration is committed to protecting and strengthening these programs and we will continue to expand Medicare and Medicaid to ensure all Americans  no matter who they are or where they live  have access to high-quality, affordable health care.
Gemini  (21st May to 20th June) Daily Horoscope Prediction says, You are a team player Gemini Daily Horoscope Today, July 31, 2024. Today, you must stay calm and patient in the relationship.

Be romantic today and this will have an impact on your personal life. Your commitment at work will have productive results. Financial prosperity also exists.

Today, you must stay calm and patient in the relationship. Take care to approach things with a mature attitude. Handle office affairs with care. You are also lucky in terms of both wealth. Pay more attention to health.

Gemini Love Horoscope Today

Your lover may be demanding but this should not impact the love affair. Communication is crucial today in the love affair and do not hesitate to express the emotion. Sit together today to overcome the misunderstandings. However, do not delve into the past that may hurt the feelings of your lover. Today some male natives will meet up with the ex-flame to rekindle the old affair. However, married Gemini natives need to be careful not to hurt the marital life.

Gemini Career Horoscope Today

Continue your commitment at the office. Your attitude will help you take up new roles that demand more determination. Business developers will have a busy schedule and they need to have innovative concepts to present at the meeting. Some engineers and architects will change the company. Those who are searching for a new job will also be happy to clear an interview and accept an offer letter. Traders may develop minor issues with authorities.

Gemini Money Horoscope Today

Minor monetary issues will come up today and this may stop you from making large-scale investments. Keep the expenditure under control. However, monetary status will improve as the day progresses. Businessmen will be happy to find funds from promoters in the second half of the day. You can repair the home but think twice before buying a vehicle. Students may need money to pay the tuition fees at foreign universities.

Gemini Health Horoscope Today

Minor health-related issues can disrupt the day. Females may develop stomach-related issues while children may complain about oral health issues. People with diabetes and hypertension need to be cautious. Some seniors may develop heart-related issues which may need medical attention. Give away unhealthy habits such as smoking as this can be dangerous in the long run.

Gemini Sign Attributes

Strength: Insightful, Wise, Smart, Pleasant, Quick-witted, Charming

Weakness: Inconsistent, Gossipy, Lazy

Symbol: Twins

Element: Air

Body Part: Arms & Lungs

Sign Ruler: Mercury

Lucky Day: Wednesday

Lucky Color: Silver

Lucky Number: 7

Lucky Stone: Emerald

Gemini Sign Compatibility Chart

Natural affinity: Aries, Leo, Libra, Aquarius

Good compatibility: Gemini, Sagittarius

Fair compatibility: Taurus, Cancer, Scorpio, Capricorn

Less compatibility: Virgo, Pisces

By: Dr. J. N. Pandey

Vedic Astrology & Vastu Expert

E-mail: djnpandey@gmail.com

Phone: 9811107060 (WhatsApp Only)
Ola Electric's highest paid executive was not founder and CEO Bhavish Aggarwal, or its CFO, or CTO. It was Hyun Shik Park, the Chief Operations Officer of Ola Cell Technologies, a wholly-owned subsidiary of Ola Electric, according to a Moneycontrol report which added that he had previously spent more than 36 years at South Korean conglomerate LG. Ola Electric S1 Pro electric scooters lined up

How much does Hyun Shik Park get paid at Ola Electric?

Park joined Ola Electric only last year and took home a pay of 8.7 crore in the financial year 2023-24. He was also given 17.3 lakh Ola Electric shares which could potentially be worth over 13 crore after the IPO, the report read.

Also Read: Ola Electric lowered IPO price because of this reason, CEO Bhavish Aggarwal says

In comparison, Ola founder and CEO Bhavish Aggarwal got a compensation package of 2.88 crore in 2023-24. However, the company's board approved a new salary structure in December 2023, allowing him to take home up to 9 crore for the next five years.

Shaun William Calvert, former deputy CEO of Vietnamese EV giant Vinfast, and now, the chief operations officer of Ola Electric Technologies, a wholly-owned subsidiary of Ola Electric got paid 4.79 crore. Harish Abichandani, Ola Electric CFO, got paid 1.67 crore with stock options potentially worth over 18 crore.

What is Hyun Shik Park's role at Ola Electric?

Park heads the battery cell production operations in Ola's $100 million, 110 acre, 5 GWh (Gigawatt hours) capacity gigafactory in Tamil Nadus Krishnagiri district, with plans to scale it up to 100 GWh in phases.

Where did Ola Chief Operations Officer Hyun Shik Park work previously?

Park started his career in 1987 as a production engineer at LG in Cheongju, South Korea, after getting a bachelor's degree of science in chemistry from Pusan National University of South Korea. He eventually became the head of automotive battery for LG Energy Solution by 2006.

Afterwards, he spent six years in Nanjing, China, where he managed the battery manufacturing facility of LG which supplied Apple, Dell, HP, Lenovo, Motorola, and Nokia.

Also Read: Apple used Google's chips to train two AI models, not Nvidia's: Report

He then went back to South Korea in 2013, serving as senior vice president and head of LG's mobile battery division, serving customers like Huawei and Xiaomi.

Further, he was in China for two more years from 2017, becoming a representative for LG Chemical in China, Taiwan and Hong Kong, where he managed 14 subsidiaries.

How much is Ola Electric itself valued?

Ola Electric, currently India's largest EV sooter maker with a market share of 35%, is valued around $4 billion, taking the upper end of the price band of 72-76 per share.

Also Read: This 1 question saved Ferrari from a big deepfake scam: I need to identify you'

The company, whose 5,500 crore IPO is scheduled on August 2 and closes on August 6, with a total issue size of 6145.96 crore.

Its 2,782 crore consolidated revenue is a near 510% rise compared to the previous financial year, but its net loss increased to 1,472 crore.
Information and Broadcasting minister Ashwini Vaishnaw said that WhatsApp and its parent company Meta have not informed the Indian government of any plans to shut down their services in the country. This was in form of a written reply to the Rajya Sabha in response to a question by Congress member Vivek Tankha on whether WhatsApp was planning to cease operations in India due to government directives to share user details. Instant messaging platform WhatsApp's logo is seen. (AFP)

The question came after previous statements from WhatsApp expressing concerns about new IT rules that the company said may break end-to-end encryption. Earlier this year, WhatsApp informed the Delhi High Court that it would stop functioning in India if it is being forced to break encryption on messages.

WhatsApp's lawyer, Tejas Karia, said that breaking encryption would undermine user privacy, compromise trust and necessitate storing millions of messages for extended periods. WhatsApp and Meta have challenged the amended IT Rules and said that they violate the right to privacy.

Ashwini Vaishnaw explained in his response to Parliament that the government issues directions under Section 69A of the Information Technology Act, 2000 in order to protect India's sovereignty, integrity, defense, security and public order.

[The] Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology (MeitY) has shared that WhatsApp or Meta has not informed the government about any such plans, Ashwini Vaishnaw said.

WhatsApp leaving India could significantly impact both the company and its user base of over 400 million people.
The imam of Kashmirs most revered shrine  Dargah Hazratbal who was removed over a conversion row in April this year, has sought the Lieutenant Governor Manoj Sinhas intervention for his reinstatement. Kamal-ud-din Farooqui was removed as imam by the J&K waqf board after a conversion row in April this year. (HT Photo)

Kamal-ud-din Farooqui, 72, was disengaged by the waqf board from leading the prayers after his video presiding over a public conversion of a Hindu man from Haryana to Islam went viral prompting an FIR for allegedly causing disorder in society and hurting religious sentiments of people. The waqf board alleged that due process was not followed and formed a three-member committee on April 8 to inquire into the matter and submit a report in seven days. Three months on, the board, led by BJP leader Darakshan Andrabi, has neither made its inquiry report public nor reinstated Farooqui.

Farooqui said his family has been performing the duties of Dargahs imam for the past three centuries and now feels that the religious legacy of his forefathers will be lost if he is not reinstated. He took over as the imam in 2018 after his brothers death.

My family has been leading the prayers for the past 350 years. For the past 18 generations, this has been our duty. I did nothing wrong, Farooqui said.

Despite repeated attempts, Darakshan Andrabi wasnt available for comments; however, the head of the waqfs three-member inquiry committee Syed Mohammad Hussain said that they have submitted the inquiry report. I cant reveal what was in the report as it is confidential but we talked to all the persons including Farooqui saab and even sought the police report, he said.

Farooqui has been a prominent academician at Sheri Kashmir University of Agricultural Sciences and Technology and retired as a professor. With a doctorate in plant breeding and genetics from the French University of Bordeaux, Farooqui used to deliver sermons at Dargah on important religious occasions.

The alleged conversion took place on the last Friday of Ramzan on April 5 in the presence of thousands of people. The video showed Farooqui questioning the man if he was coerced or bribed to convert to which the man responded in negative. HT couldnt independently verify the veracity of the video.

The police registered a case and named a local Inayat Muntazir, in whose house the man was working as a domestic help. The case was filed under sections 153-A (promoting enmity between different groups on grounds of religion, race etc), 153 (giving provocation with intent to cause riot), 298 (uttering words with deliberate intent to wound religious feelings) and 188 (disobedience to order promulgated by a public servant) of the Indian Penal Code. Farooqui said he was not named in the FIR.

Hazratbal superintendent of police Hilal Khaliq Bhat said the investigation into the case was going on. At this stage, police cannot share findings of the probe. We have talked to every person, including the imam. No arrests have been made so far, he said.

Farooqui said that had he not recited the Kalima (Islamic proclamation) the people present there would have turned against me and alleged that the current leadership of waqf was unjustly targeting him.

They expect me to be a puppet of the present waqf. She encourages sycophancy, he alleged, adding, I want LG to intervene and seek a report from the police on the case.
A bomb threat was reported on the Jammu Tawi-Bhagat Ki Kothi Express (train number 19226) near Ferozepur on Tuesday morning, prompting immediate action by security forces, including the Punjab Police and the Railway Protection Force (RPF) amid high alert in the region. Six hours later, the threat was found to be a hoax and the caller was traced and detained in West Bengal in the afternoon. The Jammu Tawi-Bhagat Ki Kothi Express (train number 19926) was halted at Kasu Beghu station, 10km from Ferozepur, for six hours after a hoax bomb threat on Tuesday. The caller was traced to West Bengal. (HT Photo)

After security clearance, the train resumed its onward journey at 1.50pm.

The threat was communicated around 7.30am via the Rail Madad app, using a mobile number registered in West Bengal. The app allows passengers to lodge complaints and check the status of their complaints in real time.

As a precautionary measure, the train was stopped at Kasu Beghu station, 10km from Ferozepur. The trains destination is Bhagat Ki Kothi station that is located near Jodhpur in Rajasthan.

Passengers were evacuated and a search for the explosive began. The services of a bomb disposal squad, fire brigade and medical teams were requisitioned at the site.

Ferozepur senior superintendent of police Saumya Mishra, SP (investigation) Randhir Kumar, RPF and Government Railway Police (GRP) personnel were at the spot. We searched the train thoroughly but found nothing amiss. West Bengal Police zeroed in on the caller. The probe is on, she said.

Passengers were provided meals at the Kasu Beghu station, railway authorities said.

Four trains were affected due to the unscheduled halt of the Jammu Tawi-Bhagat Ki Kothi Express.

The Gandhinagar-Jammu Tawi and Seoni-Ferozepur Cantt train that runs via Kotkapura, Muktsar, Fazilka, Jalalabad and Ferozepur Cantt were short-terminated. The Ferozepur Cantt-Bathinda was short-originated from Golehwala, while the Bathinda-Ferozepur Cantt train was short-terminated at Golehwala.

The bomb threat comes amid a rise in terrorist activity in Jammu and Kashmir.
The Central Bureau of Investigation on Monday filed a charge sheet against Delhi chief minister Arvind Kejriwal in its corruption probe in the capitals 2021-22 liquor policy since its inquiry into the irregularities was concluded. The CBI took custody of Delhi chief minister Arvind Kejriwal on June 26. (AFP)

The fifth and final charge sheet by the central investigating agency also named Aam Aadmi Party MLA from Rajinder Nagar, Durgesh Pathak (who was the in-charge for the Goa assembly elections in 2022 when kickbacks were allegedly received by the party), businessman P Sarath Reddy, who is an approver in the Enforcement Directorates parallel probe and has been granted pardon, and three others that include Vinod Chauhan (alleged hawala operator said to be close to Kejriwal) and businessmen Amit Arora and Ashish Mathur.

In the latest charge sheet, the CBI has charged 23 individuals, including former deputy chief minister Manish Sisodia and K Kavitha (Bharat Rashtra Samithi leader and daughter of former Telangana chief minister K Chandrasekhar Rao) with offences under the Prevention of Corruption Act, criminal conspiracy and cheating.

The ED concluded its Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA) probe in the case last month after filing eight charge sheets against 40 accused.

Kejriwal has been termed as one of the conspirators in the CBI charge sheet, people familiar with the development said. We have filed our final charge sheet in the excise policy case. The probe is now over. We will now push for an early trial, an officer said, asking not to be named.

Arvind Kejriwal is one of the main conspirators of the criminal conspiracy in the commission of offences herein (referring to the liquor policy). It has been revealed that Vijay Nair (former media in-charge of the AAP), a close associate of Kejriwal, was contacting various liquor manufacturers and traders and demanding undue gratification since March 2021, for incorporation of provisions favourable to them in the upcoming Delhi excise policy 2021-22, the CBI said last month while seeking Kejriwals remand.

Read more: INDIA bloc to hold rally tomorrow over Arvind Kejriwal's deteriorating health

Magunta Srinivasulu Reddy, member of Parliament from Ongole, met Kejriwal on March 16, 2021, in his office in Delhi secretariat and requested him to provide support in liquor business in Delhi, the charge sheet said. Kejriwal assured him support and asked him to contact Bharat Rashtra Samithi leader K Kavitha in this regard as she was working with Kejriwals team.

Kejriwal also told Reddy to provide monetary funding to the AAP. The said fact duly finds corroboration from the contemporaneous documentary material on record, the agency said.

The CBI took custody of Kejriwal on June 26.

Read more: Arvind Kejriwal arrested: What was Delhi CM's first order from jail?

In its fourth charge sheet against Kavitha, the CBI said the 2021-22 excise policy of Delhi was prepared with preconceived idea and same was tweaked in order to cause undue benefit to the accused persons of South Group, including Abhishek Boinpally, Arun Pillai, Butchibabu Gorantla and Mootha Gautam, in lieu of upfront payment of 90-100 crore to Vijay Nair, a close associate of Manish Sisodia.

It alleged that out of 100 crore in kickbacks, 44.45 crore was transferred to Goa between June 2021 to January 2022 through hawala channels for the election campaign of the AAP. Hawala is an informal fund transfer system.

The CBI has further claimed the new policy was formulated on May 20 and 21, 2021, and the council of ministers in the Delhi government processed and approved it through circulation on May 21, 2021, in a hurried manner despite it being the peak of the Covid-19 pandemic.

It was ED that arrested Kejriwal first in the case on March 21.

The financial crimes probe agency named the Delhi chief minister and the AAP as accused under the PMLA in a charge sheet on May 17. ED said that Kejriwal was not only the brain behind the AAP who controlled its major activities, but he was also one of the founding members and was also involved in the decision making of the policy as was evident from the statements of the witnesses.

Allegations against Durgesh Pathak include cash payments from the alleged kickbacks that were made to people engaged in AAPs Goa groundwork managed by him and Vijay Nair.

The Delhi governments 2021-22 excise policy aimed to revitalize the citys flagging liquor business. It aimed to replace a sales-volume based regime with license fees for traders, and promised swankier stores, free of the infamous metal grilles, ultimately giving customers a better buying experience. The policy also introduced discounts and offers on the purchase of liquor, a first for Delhi.

The plan, however, came to an abrupt end, with Delhis lieutenant governor Vinai Kumar Saxena recommending a probe into alleged irregularities in the regime. This ultimately resulted in the policy being scrapped prematurely and being replaced by the 2020-21 regime, with the AAP alleging that Saxenas predecessor sabotaged the move with a few last-minute changes that resulted in lower-than-expected revenues.
Despite recording over 200mm of rainfall in July, Delhi recorded hot and humid weather, characterised by low wind speeds, high moisture, and the absence of active weather systems. The monsoon trough largely remained south of Delhi-NCR, closer to Central India, resulting in only patchy light to moderate rains, experts said. Visitors at Kartavya Path, New Delhi face light rain on Tuesday as high humidity makes Delhi swelter. (Sanjeev Verma/HT Photo)

According to the India Meteorological Department (IMD), Delhis average maximum temperature in July was 35.8C, slightly above the long-period average (LPA). However, high humidity levels  over 50% on most days in July  led to a Heat Index (HI) or real feel of 45.8C, making it feel significantly warmer than the recorded maximum temperature.

The thermal discomfort was further highlighted by a high average wet-bulb temperature of 28.9C, with several days exceeding 30C. A wet-bulb temperature above 28C makes physical labour difficult, and over 32C is dangerous for even healthy individuals. At 35C, the maximum threshold, humans can no longer regulate body temperatures, leading to heatstrokes and potential collapse.

Experts attributed the unusual weather to the monsoon troughs position. Mahesh Palawat, vice president at Skymet, explained that the trough was near Central India for 80% of July, which resulted in some cloudiness and moisture but insufficient rainfall. Slymet also had no weather systems prevailing over the region, which could have again led to rain and high wind speeds, he said.

Palawat further explained areas north of the monsoon trough see easterly moisture-laden winds, which maintain high humidity throughout the day. Delhi-NCR, Haryana, UP and Punjab have all recorded similar weather, owing to this situation, he said, adding the only active western disturbance Delhi saw this month was between July 22 and 25.

Safdarjung, representing Delhis weather, received 203.7mm of rainfall this month till 5.30pm, close to the normal long-period average (LPA) of 209.7mm. Rain was recorded on 17 days out of 30, but no heavy rainfall spells were observed at the base observatory. In June, Delhi recorded 243.3mm of rainfall, mainly due to a single-day spell of 228.1mm on June 28. Separately, in July 2023, Delhi recorded 384.6mm of rainfall.

The IMD classifies rainfall as very light when it is below 2.4mm in 24 hours; as light when it is between 2.5 and 15.5mm; as moderate when it is between 15.6mm and 64.4mm; as heavy when it is between 64.5mm and 115.5mm and over 115.6mm is very heavy rainfall.

Three moderate spells of rain were recorded at Safdarjung, with the highest 24-hour spell being 39.4mm, on July 25. Across the city, a handful of stations have recorded heavy rainfall. On July 24, 80mm of rainfall was recorded at Pusa, followed by 73mm at Pitampura. On July 26, 99mm was recorded at the Ridge in north Delhi, followed by 93.5mm at Delhi University. An almost heavy rainfall spell of 58mm was recorded in a six-hour period at Pusa on Saturday evening, which led to waterlogging and flooding of the basement in Rajendra Nagar, killing three.

Normally, we see one to two spells of heavy rainfall in July as the trough is closer to Delhi and northern India. We expect it to return closer to the capital from Wednesday and remain in this area till Friday, Palawat added.

IMD data showed the average monthly maximum temperature of 35.8C was the highest for July since 2021 (36.5C). Nights were even warmer, with the average monthly minimum temperature recorded at 27.6C, the highest since 2014 (27.8C). The average minimum temperature based on the long-period average is 27.5C.

HT calculated the HI and wet bulb for July at 2.30pm daily, using a globally recognised formula developed by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. This factors in air temperature and relative humidity to indicate the feel of temperature on the human skin. No historical data was available as the IMD does not calculate these two parameters.

On Tuesday, Delhis maximum temperature was 39.3C, which was five degrees above normal. Meanwhile, a relative humidity of 54% made the HI 54C on Tuesday. The wet bulb was 30.4C at the same time. Meanwhile, the minimum was 30.1C, three notches above normal.Delhis relative humidity oscillated between 53% and 85% throughout the day.

An IMD official said with limited activity seen from weather systems around Delhi NCR, wind speeds have also been low this month.

When moisture is high and wind speed low, the impact of high humidity is worsened. This is what is making it uncomfortable to be outdoors at present. At the same time, we are seeing spells of sunshine, which only adds to our discomfort, the official explained, adding that even if May had dry heat, with the body able to sweat easily, humid heat is arguably worse, as it makes sweating difficult.

Forecasts predict marginal relief starting Wednesday, with lower maximum temperatures and increased wind speeds. The IMD issued an orange alert for Wednesday, forecasting light to moderate showers and isolated heavy rainfall. A yellow alert for Thursday and Friday predicts light to moderate rains.

Till Friday, we can expect decent rain as the monsoon trough will come close to Delhi-NCR. This should provide marginal relief as the temperature will dip and winds will also increase, Palawat said.
Uttar Pradesh chief minister Yogi Adityanath on Monday said comprehensive arrangements have been made in coordination with the Centre for Kanwar Yatra and emphasised the need for self-discipline among kanwaryias for its smooth accomplishment. Uttar Pradesh chief minister Yogi Adityanath. (HT file)

He urged the devotees to not only enjoy the yatra but also contribute in making it a success by practising self-discipline and maintaining faith.

No festival, celebration, or sadhana is complete without self-discipline. To ensure a smooth and safe journey, we must be devoted not only internally but also externally. Shivo Bhutva Shivam Yajet (to worship Lord Shiva, first become Shiva), he said speaking to media persons at his residence. Later, he was also quoted as saying so in a statement issued by his office.

Although the CM did not elaborate on it, there have been a few stray incidents of violence involving kanwariyas since the yatra began on July 22. It will conclude on August 6.

The Kanwar Yatra during the Shravan month is renowned worldwide. During this period, Shiva devotees from across the country, including North India, engage deeply in the rituals of Mahadev, showing their devotion by performing Jalabhishek at Shiva temples, the CM said in a statement issued here.

Yogi said the central and state governments have coordinated to provide comprehensive arrangements for a safe and orderly Kanwar Yatra. Measures, including enhanced patrolling, cleanliness measures and health camps have been put in place to prevent any problems, chaos, or playing with faith, he added.

Provisions have also been made for surveillance and flower showers from drones and helicopters as needed, the CM said. A large number of devotees travel from various places with kanwars carrying holy water from the Ganga to perform Jalabhishek of Shivlings during Hindu holy month of Shravan.
Mumbai: A fire broke out early Friday morning in the Meghwadi building in Lalbaug, injuring four people, including two 10-year-old children. A fire broke out early Friday morning in the Meghwadi building in Lalbaug(Bhushan Koyande)

Aniket Vilas Divalkar, 27, suffered 60-70% burns and was rushed to Masina Hospital, where his condition is described as critical. The other three victims were taken to Kasturba Hospital. Kunda Milind Rane sustained 60-70% burns across her body, while the children, Atharva Milind Rane and Vaishnavi Milind Rane, suffered 15-20% burn injuries on their hands, legs, face and stomach.

The blaze, which started around 5 am in the kitchen of Room 26 on the third floor of the four-storey building, quickly spread to an LPG gas cylinder, domestic utensils, kitchen goods, and clothing. Fire services extinguished the flames by 5:30 am.

This incident follows a fatal gas cylinder explosion earlier this week in Vikhroli. Radheshyam Pande, 45, who suffered 92% burns in the blast on Saturday, succumbed to his injuries on Sunday at Rajawadi hospital. Another victim, Dhananjay Mishra, who sustained 70-80% second-degree burns, was initially admitted to Rajawadi hospital's trauma ward before being transferred to Sion Hospital. His condition is reported to be stable.

In the Lalbaug incident, residents managed to extinguish the fire before the fire brigade arrived, using buckets of water after cutting off the electricity supply.
Mumbai: The Bombay High Court on Monday extended for two weeks an ad-interim order staying a special courts decision that allowed former media executive Indrani Mukerjea, the prime accused in the Sheena Bora murder case, to travel abroad. Indrani Mukerjea. (HT Photo)

Read more: Big update on Sheena Bora's remains that were untraceable, court gets an email

Last week, the high court upheld the lower courts order following an appeal by the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI). The appeal challenged the special courts July 19 decision permitting Mukerjea, who is out on bail, to travel to Spain and the United Kingdom for ten days. The special court had instructed Mukerjea to report to the Indian Embassy or its allied diplomatic mission offices in Spain and the UK to obtain an attendance certificate during her stay.

Mukerjea is being tried for the alleged murder of her 24-year-old daughter Sheena Bora in 2012, which led to her arrest in August 2015. She was released on bail in May 2022. Bora, Mukerjeas daughter from a previous relationship, was allegedly strangled to death in a moving car by Mukerjea, her driver Shyamvar Rai, and her former husband Sanjeev Khanna in Mumbai. The prosecution claims that the body was subsequently burnt in a forest in the neighbouring Raigad district.

Read more: 'Sheena Bora's bones, other remains recovered by cops not traceable': CBI tells court
TN SSLC Supplementary Result 2024 Live: The Tamil Nadu SSLC (Class 10th) Supply results is declared. The TN SSLC supply results can be checked on the official website of DGETN at dge.tn.gov.in. Students will need their Supplementary examination roll number and date of birth to access the results. Students should make sure to have their credentials ready to quickly access their marks....Read More

TN SSLC Supply Result 2024: Key details

TN SSLC Supplementary result 2024 date: July 30

TN SSLC Supplementary result time: 2 pm

Official websites to check TN SSLC Supply results 2024: tnresults.nic.in, dge.tn.gov.in.

TN SSLC supply result 2024: Direct link to result page

Steps to check TN SSLC Supplementary Result 2024

Open the board's website, dge.tn.gov.in.

Go to the results section and then open the Supplementary result 2024 page.

Open the SSLC Supply result link.

Enter your roll number and date of birth in the spaces provided for it.

Submit the details and check your result.

The Tamil Nadu SSLC Supplementary examination was held from July 2 to 8, in single shifts. Practical examinations for Science subjects were held on June 25 and 26.

This year, a total of 8,94,264 students appeared for the SSLC annual examination, the result of which was declared on May 10. As many as 8,18,743 students passed the examination. The pass percentage of 91.55 per cent in the 2024 SSLC exam was the highest in the last three years (2022: 90.07 per cent, 2023: 91.39 per cent).

A total of 4,47,203 boys and 4,47,061 girls passed the examination. The pass percentage of girls  94.53 per cent  was higher than that of boys (88.58 per cent).

TN SSLC Supplementary result direct link and other updates below.
The rise of Artificial Intelligence (AI) has brought a new challenge to educators: the potential for students to use AI tools to generate assignment submissions. These tools can churn out seemingly coherent essays and reports, threatening the integrity of academic work. The rise of AI necessitates adaptation in the educational and assessment systems. The focus must remain on fostering real learning, not just preventing cheating. (REUTERS file)

While AI is here to stay and will undoubtedly become even more sophisticated, educators can take proactive steps to mitigate its misuse.

Understanding the Landscape

The first step is for teachers and administrators to understand AI's capabilities and limitations. This knowledge will help them identify red flags in student work and empower them to decide whether to completely reject or embrace AI as a learning tool. Ultimately, a long-term solution requires a fundamental shift in how educational institutions evaluate student knowledge and skills in this AI-enabled world.

The focus should be on the learning processanalysis, thinking, and critical evaluationnot just the student's final output.

The ever-evolving nature of AI means eliminating AI-generated student responses might be a future challenge. However, there are practical strategies teachers can adopt right now. Considering current AI capabilities, these strategies aim to make relying on AI as a shortcut more difficult and time-consuming for students. Additionally, they encourage the ethical use of AI to enhance the learning process.

Assessment Design:

Transition away from high-stakes, singular examinations: In lieu of high-pressure, single-attempt exams, consider implementing assessments that facilitate revision following an initial attempt. This initial exploration encourages students to demonstrate their thought processes and expose any initial misconceptions. Subsequently, following a dedicated review period, students can revise their work based on instructor feedback. This approach fosters a deeper comprehension of the subject than rote memorisation for a singular assessment.

Baseline Responses: Early in the semester, gather concise writing assignments on a primary topic. This serves to establish a baseline for each student's writing style. This baseline allows for a more facilitated comparison later in the course, increasing the likelihood of identifying any significant deviations that might suggest AI-generated content.

Craft assignments with well-defined requirements: When designing assignments, incorporate specific requirements that are difficult or time-consuming to replicate. These requirements could include:

 Unique formatting: Require responses to adhere to a very specific format.

 Detailed source citations with precise location identification: Move beyond simple URLs and request citations that identify the exact relevant sections within the source material. This can be achieved by requiring screenshots of those sections.

Incorporate recent or local events: Integrate recent or local events into the assignments. Challenge students to analyze a local news story or apply a course concept to a real-world scenario.

Solicit references to insights from class discussions: When crafting assignments, ask students to reference specific insights gained from class discussions. This injects a layer of specificity that AI-generated responses, lacking the context of the unique classroom environment, would struggle to replicate.

Conduct in-class oral examinations: Incorporate in-class oral exams where students explain their thought processes. This directly assesses critical thinking skills. By requiring students to articulate their understanding verbally, you gain valuable insight.

Active Learning Techniques: Incorporate activities like debates, group projects, and case studies. These methods encourage collaboration and communication, skills that AI simply can't provide.

Incorporating AI Responsibly:

AI-Assisted Learning: Design assignments that require students to utilise AI as a tool, not a crutch. For example, students could write an assignment, then use AI for feedback and revise accordingly, documenting each step along the way.

Fact-Checking AI: Students can be tasked with researching a topic using AI tools, then critically evaluating and fact-checking the results. AI-generated information can often be factually inaccurate or even entirely fabricated (a phenomenon known as hallucination). This exercise fosters a healthy skepticism of AI and teaches valuable research skills. Students become better information consumers by learning to evaluate the credibility of sources, including those generated by AI.

Flipped Learning with AI: Provide students with a topic and ask them to use AI to learn about it. Follow up with a class discussion to explore the strengths and weaknesses of AI as a learning tool. This approach encourages students to be critical of information they find online.

Open Communication: Technology is just one piece of the puzzle. Open communication with the students is crucial:

Discuss the Impact of Cheating: Have a frank conversation with the students about academic integrity. Explain the value of genuine learning and the pitfalls of AI-powered shortcuts. Emphasize the long-term benefits of developing critical thinking skills.

Guide Students on Using AI Ethically: Discuss how AI can be used ethically as a starting point for research or brainstorming, not a replacement for critical thinking. Encourage students to use AI as a springboard for their ideas, not a substitute for deep understanding.

Technology Solutions (Use Strategically)

While technology can't be the sole solution to AI-powered cheating, it can be a valuable tool in the educator's toolkit when used strategically. Here's a closer look at some commonly used solutions:

Lockdown Browsers: These tools prevent students from accessing other programs or websites during online exams. This can be particularly helpful for standardized tests or high-stakes assessments where students might be tempted to use external resources. Lockdown browsers can help to create a more secure testing environment and level the playing field for all students.

Proctoring Solutions: These services provide remote monitoring of online exams. Proctors can use webcams and screen recording software to observe students during exams and deter cheating attempts. Proctoring solutions can act as a deterrent and provide peace of mind for educators administering online assessments.

AI Detection Tools (A double-edged sword): These tools analyze writing style, vocabulary usage, and sentence structure to identify potential AI-generated content. While they can be a helpful first line of defense, it's important to use them with caution. AI detection tools can sometimes produce false positives, incorrectly flagging genuine student work. Additionally, as AI writing tools continue to evolve, these detection tools may struggle to keep pace. Therefore, it's crucial to combine AI detection with other strategies such as those mentioned earlier for a more comprehensive approach.

Remember: Technology solutions should be viewed as supplemental tools to support the overall assessment strategy, not a replacement for well-designed assignments and open communication with students.

The Road Ahead: The rise of AI necessitates adaptation in the educational and assessment systems. The focus must remain on fostering real learning, not just preventing cheating. By embracing new technologies while upholding core educational values, one can ensure academic integrity thrives in the age of AI. Remember, education is about the journey of learning, not just the destination of a grade.

(Author Rahul Gautam is Director of Engineering at Excelsoft Technologies. views expressed are personal.)
I used to play hymns

Lalita Dsilva said, "Kareena Kapoor follows Christianity, unki (Taimur and Jehangir) mother Christianity follow karti hain. Toh mujhe kahti thi ki 'Aapko acha lagta hai hymns lagana toh aap hyms lagayiye'. I used to play hyms for them. Phir she (Kareena) used to say that the Punjabi hymn, Ik Onkar, she used to follow that toh woh laga dete the (The kids' mother follows Christianity. So she would tell me 'If you like hymns, you play hymns'. I used to also play Ik Onkar too as she liked that)."

Lalita added, Because she (Kareena) also knows that yeh positivity honi zaroori hoti hai bacho ke aas paas. Theek hai ye aapki choice hoti hai... but bacho ka right from the beginning agar aap positive vibes se start karo upbringing toh woh unme already inbred ho jati hai (Kareena knows the importance of having a positive environment around kids. Of course you have a choice, but if you maintain positivity from the start, it becomes a part of the children).

Reddit reacts

A recent Reddit post, 'Bebo follows Christianity', about Lalita's statement attracted lots of comments. A Redditor wrote, "I thought this was a well known thing, I have seen Kareena, Karisma Kapoor, Malaika Arora and Amrita Arora along with their mothers at Mount Mary Church many times." Another said, "Arent the Arora sisters also Christians ? Personally I dont believe in any religion or the concept of religion in general but if it makes her happy good for her."

A comment also read, "I think its well known that Kareena has followed Christianity for a while now. She attends Sunday masses when shes free and also the Christmas Eve mass at Bandra church since many many years. In this interview she also mentioned that she asked her to make the kids listen to Ik Onkar. They also post pics of celebrating rakhi, Diwali and Eid. So really its a very diverse family with many beliefs and honestly such a nice freeing way of living."

Lalita, who now works as the nanny for Ram Charan and wife Upasana's daughter Klin Kaara, recently spoke with Hindustan Times about the Pataudi family. She said, Kareena is an amazing mother, she is so disciplined, her kids are also similar. Saif is very much hands-on with his kids.

Kareena and Saif married on October 16, 2012 in Mumbai, after years of dating. He was earlier married to actor Amrita Singh; they parted ways in 2004. Saif and Amrita have two children Sara Ali Khan and Ibrahim Ali Khan. Saif and Kareena have two sons  Taimur and Jehangir aka Jeh.
Angelina Jolie and Brad Pitts second oldest son Pax Jolie-Pitt had to be rushed to the hospital with a head injury following a crash in Los Angeles on Monday, July 29. Pax, 20, crashed into the back of a car while driving down Los Feliz Boulevard around 5 down Los Feliz Boulevard around 5 pm. Angelina Jolie and Brad Pitts son Pax rushed to hospital with head injury (AP)

Pax was reportedly not wearing a helmet at the time of the crash. He was rushed to a nearby hospital after sustaining a head injury and complaining about hip pain, TMZ reported.

Pax is said to be in a stable condition now. He is expected to be discharged from the hospital on Tuesday, July 30.

The full extent of Paxs injuries is unclear at the moment. However, doctors were initially afraid that he may have suffered a minor brain bleed.

The incident

Sources told the outlet that Pax crashed his bike into another car while he was approaching an intersection. The vehicle he crashed into was stationary at a red light at the time.

The driver of the car Pax crashed into stepped out of the vehicle to check on Pax. Eventually, emergency services came to the scene.

It is unclear where exactly Pax collided with the car. However, bystanders claimed he hurt his head.

Pax is one of three children exes Pitt and Jolie share. Their other kids include Maddox, 22, Zahara, 19, Shiloh, 17, and twins Knox and Vivienne, 15.

Pitt and Jolie adopted all of their kids, except for Shiloh and the twins. While Shiloh was born in a Namibian hospital in May 2006, the twins were welcomed in July 2008.

It is believed that Jolie and the children have mostly had an estranged relationship with Pitt. Jolie claimed in October 2022 that Pitt choked one of the children and struck another in the face before grabb[ing] Jolie by the head and [shaking] her while they were travelling on a flight in 2016.
Mahesh Babu calls Raayan a must watch

Mahesh Babu wrote, #Raayan. Stellar act by@dhanushkraja brilliantly directed and performed. Outstanding performances by@iam_SJSuryah,@prakashraaj,@sundeepkishan, and the entire cast. An electrifying score by the maestro @arrahman. (fire emoticons) A must-watchCongratulations to the entire team!

Dhanush thanked Mahesh Babu for his words of appreciation and shared it on his timeline. "Thank you @urstrulyMahesh gaaru. It takes a heart. My team is thrilled," read the post.

Reacting to his praise, Sundeep Krishan commented, Thank You sir..sweet of you & glad you enjoyed the film.

More details

Raayan has collected 42.65 crore over its first weekend in India, according to sacnilk.com. Raayan is Dhanushs 50th film, which also stars Kalidas Jayaram, Sundeep Kishan, and SJ Suryah in the lead roles. The film follows Kathavaraayan aka Raayan, a hotel owner in Chennai who hunts down the gangs who earlier ruined his family.

Earlier Dhanush shared a note on his X account thanking his fans for a blockbuster birthday gift. Captioning with folded hands and heart emojis, he wrote, My sincere thanks to the audience, film fraternity, friends, press and media, and my pillars of support - my fans for showering me with all your blessings. This is the best blockbuster birthday gift ever. Om Namashivhaaya! With love, D.

An excerpt from the Hindustan Times review of the film read, Dhanushs Raayan totally packs a punch and is a must-watch for its captivating performances and unexpected story twists. Its a stellar 50th career film for Dhanush.
What did Asim Riaz actually do on KKK14?

Recently, Asim was unceremonious eliminated from Khatron Ke Khiladi Season 14. After a challenge he called impossible  asking the Khatron Ke Khiladi team to perform it in front of him  Asim got into a fight with someone from the show's team and said that he 'wont take a rupee' from them. He also called his co-contestants 'losers' and was in turn called rude by Rohit. Asim, who was seen on Bigg Boss 13 in 2019, later apologised after seeing the rehearsal video of the task he failed to perform.

'We are with you Asim'

His fans on X are now trending 'We are with you Asim' and defending the Kashmiri model after backlash over him 'disrespecting' Khatron Ke Khiladi co-contestants, the makers and the host.

A fan tweeted on Tuesday, "Self respect always comes first. @imrealasim keep shining bright! Your strength and dignity are truly inspiring! WE ARE WITH YOU ASIM." Another said, "Asim Riaz has clearly said it: apology should be loud as disrespect. Proud to be supporting someone that know is worth PS: People disrespect in public but apologises in private."

A fan also tweeted a clip from the show, and said, "Rohit Shitty: 'Sun meri baat warna idhar hi uthaake patak dunga (Listen to me or else I will beat you)'. Sigma male Asim Riaz coming in front him.@Colors show us unedited version of episode. WE ARE WITH YOU ASIM." Another tweet read, "Asim Riaz is dominating the trends, with his fans showing strong support. The hype around him on the show is real!"

Khatron Ke Khiladi Season 14's fresh episodes stream on JioCinema and air on ColorsTV every Saturday and Sunday.
Actor and politician Jaya Bachchan lost her cool in a Parliament session this Monday when she was addressed as Jaya Amitabh Bachchan by Rajya Sabha Deputy Chairman Harivansh Narayan Singh. A video of the Rajya Sabha MP fuming has now surfaced on the internet. In this clip, Jaya points out that instead of taking her actor-husbands name, she could have been called just Jaya Bachchan. Here's a video of the same, shared by a netizen: Jaya Bachchan and the times she got miffed

The Deputy Chairman clarified that her name in nomination documents, which form Rajya Sabha official records, is Smt. Jaya Amitabh Bachchan. But the damage was done. Jaya strongly reacted by accusing the address of being a belief that women dont have any existence without their husbands. Well, this was not the first time the actor-turned-politician got miffed, making headlines. Lets take a trip down memory lane:

At The Archies Premiere

Last year, Jaya attended the premiere of The Archies (2023) along with husband Amitabh Bachchan, son Abhishek Bachchan, daughter-in-law Aishwarya Rai Bachchan and the rest of their family. The film marked Big B and Jayas grandson Agastya Nandas acting debut. It was an exciting day for the Bachchans and everyone was beaming with delight. So was proud naani Jaya, until she got angry at the paparazzi and told them dont shout while posing with Tina Ambani in a viral video

When she hoped a shutterbug would fall

A few years ago, a shocking video of Jaya and her granddaughter Navya Naveli Nanda went viral from the Lakme Fashion Week in Mumbai. First, she asked the paparazzi which publication they worked for. Later when a shutterbug stumbled while filming her, Jaya told him serves you well before adding I hope you double and fall. This did not sit well with several internet users, who accused her of being arrogant in the comment section below

When reporters called Aishwarya by her name

Many years ago, Jaya and her star bahu attended an event together. When they arrived, many reporters called out Aishwarya by her first name, hoping to get a shot of the actor for their channel. Miffed at the same, Jaya asked the reporter if Aishwarya was her school friend. Well, this will serve as a happy memory for fans who have been heartbroken by rumours of Aishwarya and Abhisheks alleged split all month

Aishwarya Rai Bachchan with her actor-turned-politician mother-in-law Jaya Bachchan

At Rocky Aur Rani Kii Prem Kahaani screening

In 2023, Jaya made her comeback on the silver screen with Karan Johars Rocky Aur Rani Kii Prem Kahaani. When she arrived for the screening of her film with her children Abhishek and Shweta Bachchan Nanda, the paparazzi began calling her name to get pictures on the red carpet. In a viral clip, Jaya turned around and told the shutterbugs, Im not deaf. She then proceeded to enter the venue, without giving them a shot

At the airport with Big B

In another viral video shot last year, Jaya schooled fans for taking her pictures without her consent at the Indore airport. Accompanied by her husband Amitabh, she sternly told fans not to click her pictures. She went on to ask if they did not understand English. But what left internet users upset was the end of this clip, where Jaya stated: Aise logo ko naukri se nikal dena chahiye.

As they say, to each their own. But what was your first thought when you saw Jayas viral video from the parliament session today?
Know that feeling when a screen icon like Shabana Azmi posts your picture on their Instagram profile and vouches for you as a young actor? Shweta Prajapati, who comes from the village Mijwan (Azamgarh, Uttar Pradesh), does. Actor Shabana Azmi

Talking to us, the veteran says, I saw her photograph and found it extremely evocative. Casting directors have told me in the past that all girls like to dress up and look glam and pout- this is not what they are looking for at all. They are looking for faces, they would rather see girls without their makeup or pre conceived notions basis what their Instagram posts look like."

Azmi shares that she had seen the girl ever since she was in class six. After school, I sent her to Mahatma Gandhi University of theatre in Vardha, she was there for three years and got good results. Now she has come to Mumbai and been struggling for the kind of look she should project herself in. This picture was correct. Its amazing the number of people who have called me up for this post. Its a question about the right time, says the 73-year-old.

Given the avenues at the disposal of aspiring actors to showcase their talent today, we ask if it is easier to become an actor today compared to the time when she started off. Azmi quips, This is a fallacy, that only if you have connections you can reach anywhere now. It will definitely help in the first break, but after that you could be the son or daughter of the biggest director or actor... if the audience rejects you, it rejects you. Its just a question of chance. My advice to young people would be what a casting director also told me. They are looking for faces and not glamour or models. Dont get into the trap of trying to look like a factory product. It is your individuality. When you are going for glam looks, thousands of boys and girls are like that!
The Western Ghats ecologically sensitive areas are yet to be notified by the Union environment ministry, 14 years after the first such demarcation was recommended by ecologist Madhav Gadgils committee in 2011. Massive landslides triggered by torrential rains hit the Meppadi area in Keralas Wayanad on Tuesday. (ANI)

The Gadgil panel had recommended that 75% of the 129,037 sq km area of the Western Ghats be declared environmentally sensitive because of its dense forests and the presence of a large number of endemic species. This was found to be controversial, with many states deeming it too restrictive. Three years later, a second panel, headed by rocket scientist K Kasturirangan, scaled down the area to 50%. The Kasturirangan reports recommendations were further diluted, and four draft notifications have since been issued.

On July 22, the Union environment ministry informed the Lok Sabha, In order to protect the rich biodiversity of Western Ghats, this Ministry has issued draft Notification on Western Ghats Eco-Sensitive Area vide S.O. 3072 (E) on 06.07.2022 with an area of 56,825 square kilometre spreading over six States, namely, Goa, Gujarat, Karnataka, Kerala, Maharashtra and Tamil Nadu, based on the report submitted by the High Level Working Group (HLWG) Chaired by Dr Kasturirangan. The States have persistently asked for modification in the Eco-Sensitive Area (ESA) included in the aforesaid draft notification.

Kerala and Karnataka were particularly opposed to declaring certain areas as ecologically sensitive zones, thereby delaying protection and continuing of activities like rock quarrying, mining and establishment of new industries.

In order to address the issues raised by the State Governments, the Ministry constituted a committee to re-examine the suggestions of the six state governments in a holistic manner, keeping in view the conservation aspects of the disaster-prone pristine ecosystem, and the rights, privileges, needs and developmental aspirations of the region. The concerns of the state governments, including Kerala and Karnataka, are deliberated by the committee and based on the recommendations of the said committee; the draft notification is finalised, said Kirti Vardhan Singh, minister of state for environment.

He was responding to questions raised by members of Parliament (MPs) Kodikunnil Suresh, Dean Kuriakose and Anto Antony. They sought to know 1. whether the government is intending to release the final notification identifying and demarcating Ecologically Sensitive Areas (ESAs) as per the recommendations contained in Dr Kasturirangan Panel Report, if so, the details thereof along with the present status of the same; 2. whether the final status of ESAs with respect to the States of Kerala and Karnataka has been finalised; 3. if not, whether the government has fixed a timeline for finalising the ESAs and releasing a final notification regarding the same, if so, the details thereof, if not, the reasons thereof; 4. whether the Government has been formally communicated by the said State Governments regarding the concerns pertaining to the livelihood of people in the region; and 5. if so, whether the Government proposes to revise the recommendations in order to allay the concerns raised by various States including Kerala where a significant population resides in and around the proposed buffer zones and if so, the details thereof?

In the latest iteration of the notification (before a new draft was finalised), the area to be notified as an ESA has been shrunk to approximately 37% of the Western Ghats. This draft was issued on October 3, 2018, but the ministry, in view of the Covid pandemic, on June 16 last year, extended its validity till December 31, 2021.

The 2018 document recommended a complete ban on mining, quarrying and sand mining; a phase out of all existing mines within five years from the date of the final notification being issued or the expiry of the existing mining lease, whichever is earlier; a ban on new thermal power projects or expansion of existing plants; and a ban on new or expansion of polluting industries as specified by the Central Pollution Control Board or State Pollution Control Board.
A 24-year-old software engineer was allegedly raped by two men, including her childhood friend and his cousin, in Hyderabad, news agency PTI reported on Tuesday, citing police. According to the complaint, the two men left the location, and the woman called her brother to inform him of what had happened. (HT File)

In her complaint, the woman said the incident happened when she and her childhood friend, also her former classmate, went to a restaurant-cum-bar in Vanasthalipuram to celebrate her new software job.

After both had consumed alcohol, her friend took her to a room on the restaurant's premises and raped her while she was intoxicated. Following this, the man's cousin entered the room and also raped her.

According to the complaint, the two men left the location, and the woman called her brother to inform him of what had happened.

The PTI report stated that the police registered a case based on the woman's complaint and took her to a hospital for a medical examination. Authorities are working to apprehend the suspects, and the police said the investigation is ongoing.

In another incident, 26-year-old woman raped by bus driver

In a separate incident, a 26-year-old woman passenger was allegedly raped by the driver of a private sleeper bus travelling from Telangana to Andhra Pradesh, police said on Tuesday. According to a report by news agency PTI, the woman alerted the police through the 'Dial 100' service just after midnight on Monday while the bus was on the outskirts of Hyderabad.

Police intercepted the bus, but when it slowed down near the Mettuguda area, the accused driver managed to escape, a police official reported.

According to the woman, one of the bus drivers allegedly raped her on the moving bus, despite the presence of other passengers, by placing a blanket in her mouth to silence her.

The official added that the driver of the bus at the time was taken into custody for questioning. The woman was later taken to a hospital for examination.

Based on her complaint, a case was registered at the Osmania University police station, and further investigation is ongoing.
Landslides in India triggered by pounding monsoon rains have killed at least 45 people with at least 250 others rescued from a landscape transformed by mud and debris, officials said Tuesday. 45 dead, 250 rescued in India landslides

The southern coastal state of Kerala has been battered by torrential downpours, with blocked roads into the disaster area at Wayanad district complicating relief efforts.

District official D.R. Meghasree told reporters that 45 people were dead and another 116 were in hospital for treatment.

"My thoughts are with all those who have lost their loved ones and prayers with those injured," Prime Minister Narendra Modi said in a post on social media platform X.

Images published by the National Disaster Response Force show rescue crews trudging through mud to search for survivors and carry bodies on stretchers out of the area.

Homes were caked with brown sludge as the force of the landslide's impact scattered cars, corrugated iron and other debris around the disaster site.

India's army said it had deployed more than 200 soldiers to the area to assist state security forces and fire crews in search and rescue efforts.

Kerala state excise minister M.B. Rajesh said more than 250 people in total had been rescued so far, The Hindu newspaper reported.

Modi's office said families of victims would be given a compensation payment of $2,400 .

More rainfall and strong winds were forecast in Kerala on Tuesday, the state's disaster management agency said.

Indian opposition leader Rahul Gandhi, who until recently represented Wayanad in parliament told lawmakers that the scope of the devastation was "heartbreaking".

"Our country has witnessed an alarming rise in landslides in recent years," he added. "The need of the hour is a comprehensive action plan to address the growing frequency of natural calamities."

Monsoon rains across the region from June to September offer respite from the summer heat and are crucial to replenishing water supplies.

They are vital for agriculture and therefore the livelihoods of millions of farmers and food security for South Asia's nearly two billion people.

But they also bring destruction in the form of landslides and floods.

The number of fatal floods and landslides has increased in recent years, and experts say climate change is exacerbating the problem.

Damming, deforestation and development projects in India have also exacerbated the human toll.

Intense monsoon storms battered India earlier this month, flooding parts of the financial capital Mumbai, while lightning in the eastern state of Bihar killed at least 10 people.

Nearly 500 people were killed around Kerala in 2018 during the worst flooding to hit the state in almost a century.

India's worst landslide in recent decades was in 1998, when rockfall triggered by heavy monsoon rains killed at least 220 people and completely buried the tiny village of Malpa in the Himalayas.

ash/gle/mtp

This article was generated from an automated news agency feed without modifications to text.
Six people have been arrested for the murder of a Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) district secretary, Selvakumar, in Sivaganga district, a police officer said adding that the reason for the crime was persona enmity. Sivaganagas superintendent of police Dongare Pravin Umesh told HT that one of the accused Vasanth Kumar was shot on his leg when he attacked a police personnel and tried to escape. (File photo)

The officer identified the arrested accused as Maruthu Pandi (20), M Arunkumar (20), P Vasanthakumar (25), U Satheeswaran (21), K Vishal (20) and Akash (19). The 52-year-old BJP leader was riding his two-wheeler to go back home when he was cornered by a gang and attacked. Those who saw him lying in a pool of blood on an arterial road informed the police and called for an ambulance.

Six special teams were formed to nab the accused following the murder around 8.45 pm on July 27. Following investigation, Sivaganagas superintendent of police Dongare Pravin Umesh reiterated that there is no political angle to the murder.

He said: The accused believed that Selvakumar was the reason for the murder of a man named Bhuvaneshwaran from the same locality in 2019. The main accused is the cousin of Bhuvaneshwaran. But our inquiry shows that Selvakumar didnt murder Bhuvaneshwaran but he has supported the assailants of the 2019 murder.

The accused have been arrested under sections 301/24, 126(2) and 103 (1) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS).

Sivaganagas superintendent of police Dongare Pravin Umesh told HT that one of the accused Vasanth Kumar was shot on his leg when he attacked a police personnel and tried to escape.

We had taken him to the spot to recover weapons which were used to assault the deceased when he caught hold of a machete and attacked a sub inspector Prathap. The sub inspector has a cut on his left arm and the inspector Manikandan fired the accused on his leg. The accused is admitted to a government hospital in Madurai, he said.

He further said that inspector Manikandan took his service pistol and shot in the air as a warning, but the accused didnt respond. With no other go, he shot him on the left limb region. He sustained a bullet injury and fell down. The SI and accused were taken to the Government Medical College Hospital, in Sivagangai. After administering first aid, Vasanthakumar was admitted at the govenrment hospital in Madurai district for further treatment, he added.

The BJP workers murder was not just the second in a spate of 24 hours in Tamil Nadu but also the fifth in this July. Earlier on Sunday morning, an AIADMK worker, Padmanabhan hailing from Cuddalore, was killed near the Puducherry border.

At around 6.30am on Sunday, an AIADMK worker, Padmanabhan from Cuddalore district was found murdered near the border of neighbouring Puducherry. Padmanabhan was driving his two two-wheelers when a car hit him from behind and unidentified assailants got down from the car and attacked him. Police are questioning two suspects.

The opposition BJP and AIADMK who have already been attacking the ruling Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (DMK) over the law and order situation further sharpened their attack.

While BJPs state president K Annamalai said the anti-social elements have no fear of the police, AIADMK general secretary and Leader of Opposition Edappadi Palaniswami (EPS) described Tamil Nadu as a state of murders. Not a single day passes without an incident of murder. Law and order has deteriorated and Tamil Nadu is becoming a state of murders, EPS said on Monday.

In response, Tamil Nadus law minister S Regupathy on Monday said that the government is engaged in focussing on taking action against anti-social elements. Law and order has not deteriorated in the state; it is well maintained, Regupathy told reporters. The motive in all the murders were either due to vengeance or previous enmity and not for political gains, he added.

The crimes have occurred days after a Naam Tamizhar Katchi (NTK) office bearer was murdered in Madurai on July 16 and Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) Tamil Nadu unit chief K Armstrong on July 5 in Chennai. On July 3, an AIADMK functionary was murdered in Salem.
Congress leader Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury on Tuesday questioned the party's leadership for removing him as chief of its West Bengal unit without prior intimation. He claimed he had resigned after the Lok Sabha elections but he wasn't informed whether or not the resignation was accepted. Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury(PTI file photo)

He said during the Lok Sabha polls, Congress chief Mallikarjun Kharge's statement that the former would kept out if necessary had upset him.

"The day Mallikarjun Kharge became the party president, all other posts of the party in the country became temporary, according to the Constitution of the party. Even my post became temporary...While the election was underway, Mallikarjun Kharge said on television that if necessary I would be kept out, which made me upset," he told the media.

Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury said that he was being replaced was announced in a party meeting.

"The election results were also not good for the party in West Bengal. Even though I was the temporary party president, it was my responsibility. After which I told Kharge ji that if possible, you can replace me with someone else...In between I was informed by AICC to call a meeting of Congress leaders of West Bengal as the party wanted to pass two resolutions...I was aware that the meeting had been called under my presidency and I was still the West Bengal Congress president but during the meeting, Ghulam Ali Mir while addressing said that the former president is also here. At that time, I got to know I had become former president (of West Bengal Congress)," he said.

"I had sent my resignation to Kharge ji, but no one informed me if it was accepted or not. Kharge ji didnt reply to my letter. If accepted, I should be informed as per courtesy," he added, per India Today.

During the Lok Sabha elections, Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury kept sniping at Mamata Banerjee even though the Congress and TMC were in the midst of talks for an alliance. Later, the TMC called off the talks and blamed Chowdhury for its decision.

Mamata Banerjee's party contested the elections alone and scored a landslide victory in the state.

With inputs from PTI
Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman on Tuesday responded to the discussion and questions by Opposition members on the Union Budget. Sitharaman spoke on several budget issues raised by members of the Lok Sabha since July 23. Union Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman speaks in the Lok Sabha during the Monsoon session of Parliament. (PTI)

Along with answering questions about the budget, Nirmala Sitharaman also introduced The Jammu and Kashmir Appropriation (No. 3) Bill, 2024 in the Parliament. She is set to respond to questions about the Finance Bill 2024 on August 7.

Here are the top points:
The Hyderabad Central Crime police registered a case against former Telangana chief secretary Somesh Kumar and two senior officials of the state commercial taxes department in connection with an alleged 1,000 crore Goods and Services Tax (GST) scam. Along with Somesh Kumar, additional commissioner (sales tax) S V Kasi Visweshara Rao and deputy commissioner (sales tax) A Siva Rama Prasad was named in the FIR, a copy of which was reviewed by HT. (X-Office of Chief Secretary, Telangana Govt.)

The first information report (FIR) was registered on July 26, based on a complaint lodged by joint commissioner of commercial taxes, K Ravi Kanuri. Along with Somesh Kumar, additional commissioner (sales tax) S V Kasi Visweshara Rao and deputy commissioner (sales tax) A Siva Rama Prasad was named in the FIR, a copy of which was reviewed by HT

The FIR also named assistant professor at Indian Institute of Technology, Hyderabad (IIT-H) Sobhan Babu and software firm Plianto Technologies as accused in the case. The case was registered under Section 406 (criminal breach of trust), 409 (criminal breach of trust by public servants) and 120-B (criminal conspiracy) of Indian Penal Code, besides Section 65 of IT Act, Hyderabad CCS sub-inspector of police J Jeetya Naik said.

According to the FIR, the accused indulged in various means of fraud such as masking of data pertaining to taxpayers, issuing instructions not to cancel fraudulent cases, estimating the Integrated GST (IGST) loss and still not incorporating the IGST head in the notices issued and making the proprietary data pertaining to the Commercial Taxes department available to a third party.

The alleged scam was detected during an audit by the commercial taxes department, indicating discrepancies in the tax returns filed by Big Leap Technologies and Solutions Private Limited, which was engaged in manpower supplies. The company has been accused of passing on Input Tax Credit (ITC) without making the corresponding tax payments, resulting in a significant loss to the State exchequer.

The FIR further said IIT-H was engaged as a service provider to develop a software for analytics and discrepancy reports-based on tax returns filed by goods and service taxpayers in Telangana. Investigations revealed that several changes were made in the software on instructions from senior officials, including Somesh Kumar, through a WhatsApp group by name Special Initiatives, which included the other accused in the case.

During the investigation, the accused admitted that the WhatsApp group operated under the supervision of Somesh Kumar and it had been inactive since December 2022. But the investigation revealed that it was active up to February 2024. The accused also furnished the WhatsApp chat history, which revealed that certain reports were generated estimating IGST loss and instructions were issued not to cancel registrations even in fraud cases, the FIR said.

A forensic study was conducted on the entire operations and it was revealed that the proprietary data of the commercial department was transferred to a third party without any authorization, besides changing the jurisdiction of taxpayers without authority, thereby favouring the taxpayers against whom advance rulings were issued with a favourable disposition, it added.

The forensic report revealed that on preliminary verification of 11 cases which were masked by IIT-Hyderabad, including that of Telangana state beverages corporation, evasion of more than 400 crores was identified. Furthermore, evasion of more than 1,000 crore was unearthed through fraudulent cases detected in the state, the FIR said.

Somesh Kumar could not be reached for his comment.
The absence of forest cover and large trees replaced by plantation crops may have exacerbated the impact of continuous rainfall that triggered landslides in Keralas Wayanad on Tuesday and left at least 36 people dead and scores injured, experts said. Roughly half of Kerala is hilly and mountainous, making it prone to landslides. (PTI)

There has been heavy rain over two or three days in central and northern parts of Kerala. This was not sudden but continuous heavy rainfall that caused soil to become soft and runny. When the soil moisture is very high, it is saturated and can give way, said former earth sciences ministry secretary and climate scientist M Rajeevan. It is also true that human intervention may have played a role in accentuating the impact. These [Western] Ghat regions that had thick forest cover mostly have plantations now which are commercially more viable.

Rajeevan said rubber tree roots, for example, cannot hold the soil together. Other local trees however can slow down soil slip or hold the soil together. This needs to be investigated further, Rajeevan said.

Indian Institute of Tropical Meteorology scientist Roxy Mathew Koll said it was too early to understand the specifics of the Wayanad landslides. ...monsoon patterns are increasingly erratic, and the quantum of rainfall we receive in a short period has increased. As a result, we see frequent instances of landslides and floods along the Western Ghats, from Kerala to Maharashtra. In addition, La Nina [defined by unusually cooler waters] conditions are currently underway in the Pacific, which generally results in a stronger monsoon flow.

Koll said roughly half of Kerala is hilly and mountainous, where the slope is more than 20 degrees, making them prone to landslides amid heavy rains. Landslide-prone areas are mapped and available for Kerala. Panchayats with hazardous areas should be identified and sensitised. We need to monitor rainfall data in these hotspots and prepare early warning systems for hazard-prone areas. This is possible with the current technology and know-how and could save lives and livelihoods.

Koll said other than climate change, there was a need to evaluate land use changes and development activities in landslide-prone areas. Often landslides and flashfloods occur in regions where the impact of both climate change and direct human intervention in terms of land use changes are evident. At the same time, there have been many severe landslides in regions with minimal land use changes.

In an interview with HT in 2021, Western Ghats expert and ecologist Madhav Gadgil flagged extremely destructive activities in the name of so-called development. Road projects cutting through hillsides are common.... In 2019, I traveled to Puthumala in Kerala after the landslides and saw several small landslide sites leading up to the big one. There was...a road construction project. Rock quarries are proliferating along these construction sites to provide construction materials. This is leading to a gradual crumbling and weakening of the hills.

The Western Ghats Ecology Expert Panel, which the central government constituted under Gadgils chairmanship, in 2011 recommended that 75% of the 129,037 sq km of the Western Ghats spanning Gujarat, Maharashtra, Karnataka, Goa, and Kerala be declared an environmentally sensitive area because of its dense, rich forests and a large number of endemic flora and fauna. The panels recommendations were not implemented.

In 2019, a village was wiped out as a hillside almost melted away, bringing down everything in its path at Puthumala in Wayanad. A hillock collapsed in Mallapuram and buried a village of 44 families around the same time.

The disasters occurred in what Gadgil-led panel in 2011 and a high-level working group on the Western Ghats, which former Indian Space Research Organisation chief K Kasturirangan headed, in 2023 described as the ecologically sensitive zones.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Tuesday said while India gained independence as a poor nation, it will celebrate its 100th year of Independence in 2047 as a developed country.



We achieved independence as a poor nation and those who wished to exploit us did so until the very end. In 100 years after overcoming numerous challenges and meeting our goals, India will mark its 100th year of independence as a developed country in 2047, said Narendra Modi at the CII post-Budget conference in Delhi. Prime Minister Narendra Modi speaks during CII post budget conference in New Delhi on Tuesday. (PTI Photo)(PTI)

He said the BJP-led NDA government at the Centre is working with the vision that future generations will proudly live in a Viksit Bharat (developed India).

The world is closely watching India as its policies, commitment, determination, decisions, and investments are becoming the foundation for global progress, PM Modi added.

Investors from around the world are eager to come here and world leaders are also optimistic about India. This presents a significant opportunity for our industries that we must not miss. In the NITI Aayog meeting with chief ministers I told every state to prepare an investor-friendly charter PM Modi said.

He said that the country is growing at a rate of eight percent and there is widespread discussion about the journey towards Viksit Bharat.

This change is not just about sentiment, it is driven by confidence. Today, India is the world's fifth largest economy and it wont be long before India becomes the third largest economy, said PM Modi.

PM Modi said that politicians often forget their promises after winning elections. However, he assured that he remembers the promise for India to become the third largest economy during his third term.



India is focusing on every sector of the economy. Compared to the UPA's ten-year government, we have increased the railway budget by eight percent. The highways budget has also risen, agriculture spending has grown by over four percent and the defence budget has increased by over two percent, PM Modi added.
The Odisha government suspended senior IPS officer Pandit Rajesh Uttamrao on Tuesday for allegedly abusing his power and grave misconduct after it was reported that he forcibly entered a married woman inspector's home and misbehaved, an official statement said. While suspended, Uttamrao's headquarters will be the state police headquarters in Cuttack, Odisha. (X)

Uttamrao, who is from the 2007 batch, was working as the DIG of Fire Services & Home Guards in Odisha.

He was accused of misbehaving with a woman police inspector and her husband on July 27. Bhubaneswar DCP Prateek Singh mentioned that the police would take action if a complaint was filed about the incident.

The state home department issued an order stating that the DGP of Odisha had submitted a confidential report about Pandit regarding the incident.

An order issued by the state home department said that the DGP, Odisha had submitted a confidential report against Pandit on the incident.Whereas a disciplinary proceeding against Shri Pandit Rajesh Uttamrao, IPS is contemplated on the grounds of grave misconduct as a Member of the Indian Police Service. Now, therefore, the Government of Odisha, in the exercise of powers conferred by sub-rule (1) of Rule 3 of the All India Services (Discipline and Appeal) Rules, 1969, hereby places the said Shri Pandit Rajesh Uttamrao, IPS under suspension with immediate effect, it read.

A statement issued by the CM office said, A complaint has been received, alleging that Pandit has disgraced the dignity of his position by misusing his power last Saturday (July 27) night.

Upon returning from his four-day visit to New Delhi on Monday evening, chief minister Mohan Charan Majhi acted swiftly, according to a statement from the CMO. Majhi instructed the relevant department to suspend the "errant senior police officer immediately and take appropriate action against him."

A disciplinary action has been taken against Uttamrao for serious misconduct as an Indian Police Service (IPS) officer.

While suspended, Uttamrao's headquarters will be the state police headquarters in Cuttack, Odisha. He cannot leave there without the DGP's permission. He will receive a subsistence allowance according to the rules during his suspension. However, he will only receive this allowance if he provides a certificate stating he is not involved in any other work or business.
China has completed and operationalised a bridge connecting the north and south banks of Pangong Lake that allows it to significantly cut the time needed to mobilise troops and equipment, according to new satellite images. China has completed and operationalised a bridge connecting the north and south banks of Pangong Lake. (HT Photo)

Reports about the ongoing construction of the nearly 400-metre bridge first emerged in early 2022, almost two years after the start of the military standoff between India and China in Ladakh sector of the Line of Actual Control (LAC) that has taken bilateral ties to a six-decade low. A clash between troops of the two sides on the banks of Pangong Lake had marked the start of the face-off.

A series of rapid revisit satellite images captured by BlackSky, a US-based firm capable of capturing images 15 times a day with its satellites, in the early morning, midday and late afternoon of July 9 revealed the completion of the paved bridge and its use by vehicles. The bridge is located about 25 km from the LAC.

Automated vehicle detection identified a number of vehicles positioned at different locations on roadways accessing the bridge from the north and south banks of Pangong Lake, including a vehicle transiting the bridge.

The detections also capture the changing number, location and distribution of vehicles throughout the day. Vehicles were also identified at a suspected fuel station on the northern access road for the bridge.

The bridge is located near the LAC in the disputed Aksai Chin area that is claimed by India. To be sure, China has been occupying this area since at least 1960. When reports of the construction of the bridge first emerged, the external affairs ministry had said India has never accepted such illegal occupation its territory.

On July 7, HT reported, again citing satellite images from BlackSky, that Chinas military is digging in for the long haul in the area around Pangong Lake, having constructed underground bunkers to store weapons and fuel and hardened shelters for armoured vehicles at a key base at Sirjap.

Completion of the bridge significantly reduces travel time for movement of equipment and personnel and provides another route linking Chinas surrounding PLA facilities, an analyst for BlackSky said.

There was no immediate response from Indian officials to the development, though people familiar with the matter said the Indian side has undertaken

a wide range of steps to bolster infrastructure and match steps taken by Chinas PLA.

Experts said such a bridge would be a target for Indian air strikes or artillery in the event of hostilities but acknowledged that it gave the Chinese Peoples Liberation Army several immediate advantages in mobilising both troops and equipment.

Air Vice Marshal (retired) Manmohan Bahadur, an aviator who served extensively in Ladakh region, said that while an air strike could take out such a bridge, the Chinese side will put in air defence weapons to protect the structure from such strikes.

It doesnt reduce the importance of the bridge for things such as stocking up supplies and moving troops both in peace and war. The Chinese have built a vital asset that will be of tremendous help to maintain their deterrence posture, he said.

Pointing to the manner in which the Indian Army had captured several strategic heights on the southern bank of Pangong Lake in 2020, Bahadur said the bridge came up as a response and would enable the Chinese to ramp up troops and equipment in a short time.

The bridge bolsters the PLAs Moldo Garrison on the southern bank of Pangong Lake by reducing the travel time from the northern bank and another key military base at Rutog. It will also allow the PLA to rapidly reinforce the Moldo Garrison by moving motorised brigades from the Rutog base and mobilise troop formations on both banks of the lake.

The bridge could also cut the travel time between Chinese military bases in the two sectors from 12 hours to about four hours, experts said.
Major parties of the Opposition's INDIA bloc, including the Congress, Samajwadi Party and Trinamool Congress will stage a protest at Jantar Mantar on Tuesday over Delhi chief minister Arvind Kejriwal's deteriorating health in the Tihar jail. INDIA bloc meeting at Congress leader Mallikarjun Kharge's residence (ANI) (File photo)

The Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) had accused the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) of conspiring to kill the Delhi chief minister in jail by pointing out to his medical reports that indicate his blood sugar levels have dropped 34 times between June 3 and July 7.

On July 15, Delhi minister Atishi has alleged rapid and unexplained weight loss in Arvind Kejriwal and held the BJP responsible for anything that could happen to him. If he gets a stroke, or brain damage, who will be responsible? From March 21, his weight has gone down by 8.5kg. The day ED arrested him, his weight was 70kg and after his medical checkup in Tihar jail, his weight was 61.5kg, she alleged.

Arvind Kejriwal is being investigated by the Enforcement Directorate (ED) and the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) over allegations of corruption and money laundering in the now-scrapped Delhi liquor excise policy. He was arrested in March 21 by the ED over money laundering. The chief minister is under judicial custody in Tihar jail after the CBI opened an investigation into allegations of corruption in the same case.

A Delhi court on July 23 had extended the judicial custody of Kejriwal till August 8. The court also extended the judicial custody till July 31 in a money laundering case being probed by the ED. Terming Arvind Kejriwal as the "sutradhaar" (facilitator) of corruption in the alleged liquor scam, the CBI on Monday filed its fifth and final charge sheet and promised to push for an early trial.

AAP MP Sanjay Singh announced on Monday that top leaders of the INDIA bloc would participate in the protest at Jantar Mantar. "Congress, Samajwadi Party, Trinamool Congress, DMK, CPI, Jharkhand Mukti Morcha, Nationalist Congress Party  Sharadchandra Pawar (NCP-SP), Shiv Sena (UBT) and Communist Party of India (MarxistLeninist) Liberation. We are in talks with two to three more parties," he said.
As Wayanad woke up to heavy downpour on Tuesday, three back-to-back massive landslides swept away much of Chooralmala village, destroying roads and bridges and sending bodies floating in the rivers. Rescuers help residents to move to a safer place, at a landslide site after multiple landslides in the hills, in Wayanad, Kerala, on July 30, 2024. (REUTERS)

The rescue personnel from the National Disaster Response Force (NDRF), State Disaster Response Force (SDRF), fire brigade and police said they were unaware of the full extent of the damage caused by the landslides.

Three landslides struck the area between 2am and 6am, after which a section of Chooralmala town including shops and vehicles was destroyed.

Authorities have confirmed that 84 people have died and hundreds are feared trapped. Local residents say that more than 200 houses in Chooralmala village were washed away in the landslides, Onmanorama reports.

Follow Wayanad landslide Live Updates

Meanwhile, the collapse of the bridge over the Iruvazhinji River has hindered the rescue operation in Mundakkai as it was the only bridge connecting Chooralmala and Mundakkai villages.

Officials have also confirmed that minor landslides continue in the upper hills of the Wayanad district. The Chaliyar River'ss water level is said to have crossed the danger mark due to runoff from the Meppadi landslides.

A team of Indian Army from Wellington, Coonoor has been roped in Wayanad to assist with the rescue operation and construct a bridge to reach Mundakkai.

According to data from the Hume Centre for Ecology and Wildlife Biology, which monitors weather patterns in the region, more than 300 mm of rain was recorded at many locations along the Western Ghats in the past 24 hours.



Prime Minister Narendra Modi has assured the Kerala government of all possible assistance from the Centre Leader of the Opposition and former Lok Sabha MP from Wayanad, Rahul Gandhi, said he will speak to Union ministers to request all possible assistance for Wayanad.



Television visuals showed relief personnel making their way through rocks and uprooted trees as muddy water gushed through, with many houses destroyed.



Relief efforts were ongoing on Tuesday, and two helicopters of the Indian Air Force have been mobilised, the Kerala chief minister's office said in a statement.

Kerala is prone to heavy rain and flooding, with nearly 400 people killed in one of the worst floods in 2018.
The eco-sensitive areas along the Western Ghats are yet to be notified by the Centre, 13 years since the first such demarcation was recommended by a panel led by eminent ecologist Madhav Gadgil in 2011. Meanwhile, the protected area has shrunk from the original 75% (of the range) recommendation to 37% in the last draft notification on July 6, 2022. Wayanad: A drone view of a landslide site in Chooralmala, in Wayanad district, Tuesday, July 30, 2024. (PTI Photo) (PTI)

Would doing so have prevented Tuesdays tragedy? It emerges that the Gadgil panel recommended placing a site, which includes the area where the landslide occurred, in the top tier of ecological sensitive zones or areas.

The committee, which was set up by the Centre to assess the environmental sensitivity of the Western Ghats and the possible impacts of the climate crisis in the region, recommended that 75% of the 129,037 sq km area of the mountain range be declared ecologically sensitive because of the presence of dense forests, a large number of endemic species and unique geology. It also recommended placing Sulthan Bathery, Vayittiri, Manantavadi in Keralas Wayanad district in the ESZ (eco-sensitive zone; also called ESA or eco-sensitive area) 1 category, which refers to the highest ecological sensitivity.

It must be noted that ministrys draft notification has considered the total area of Western Ghats to be 160,000 sq km.

The Gadgil panels suggestion was, however, met with resistance as several states deemed it too restrictive, prompting the assessment of the region by a second panel.

The second committee, headed by rocket scientist K Kasturirangan, in 2013 scaled down the overall ecologically sensitive area to 50%, but its recommendations too were never really followed. Four draft notifications have since been issued but no formal announcement has been made.

And the states involved have vehemently opposed any such protection.

In order to protect the rich biodiversity of Western Ghats, this ministry has issued draft notification on Western Ghats Eco-Sensitive Area vide S.O. 3072 (E) on 06.07.2022 with an area of 56,825 square kilometre spreading over six States, namely, Goa, Gujarat, Karnataka, Kerala, Maharashtra and Tamil Nadu, based on the report submitted by the High Level Working Group (HLWG) Chaired by Dr Kasturirangan. The states have persistently asked for modification in the Eco-Sensitive Area (ESA), included in the aforesaid draft notification, the Union environment ministry informed the Lok Sabha on July 22.

Kerala and Karnataka were particularly opposed to declaring certain areas along the Western Ghats as ESZ, thereby, delaying protection to the region and allowing activities such as rock quarrying, mining and establishment of new industries to continue.

In order to address the issues raised by the state governments, the ministry constituted a committee to re-examine the suggestions of the six states in a holistic manner, keeping in view the conservation aspects of the disaster prone pristine ecosystem, and the rights, privileges, needs and developmental aspirations of the region. The concerns of the states, including Kerala and Karnataka, are deliberated by the committee and based on the recommendations of the said committee, the draft notification is finalized, minister of state for environment Kirti Vardhan Singh said July 22, explaining the process.

In the latest iteration of the notification the area to be notified reduced to 37% of the Western Ghats. This draft was issued on October 3, 2018, but the ministry, in view of the Covid-10 pandemic, on June 16 last year extended its validity till December 31, 2021.

Read more: Kerala: IMD issues red alert for landslide-hit Wayanad, train services disrupted amid heavy rains

The 2018 document recommended a complete ban on mining, quarrying and sand mining; a phase out of all existing mines within five years from the date of the final notification being issued or the expiry of the existing mining lease, whichever is earlier; a ban on new thermal power projects or expansion of existing plants; and a ban on new or expansion of polluting industries as specified by the Central Pollution Control Board or State Pollution Control Board.

None of these was followed.
Ranjumol Mohan distinctly remembers the day she came out to her sister as a transwoman at the age of 28. It was the day after Christmas in 2015 and both her parents had passed away by then; her father first in 2008 following a heart attack and her mother succumbing to liver cirrhosis in 2015. Born as Ranjith in a conservative middle-class Hindu family in Mannar in Kottayam district, she said she knew very early on in her childhood that she identified as a woman. Ranjumol Mohan broke the glass ceiling with greater impact by bagging the first rank in Kathakali Vesham in the Mahatma Gandhi (MG) University examinations in May. (HT Photos)

Its just something that I always knew as a child. I studied in a boys school and I was always taunted by other kids for the way I spoke and behaved. But I didnt pay much attention to it, she said.

Sitting in a single-storey rented home in Kochi, that she shared with a friend, Ranjumol threw her head down and mumbled as few words as possible every time she remembered the dark times in her life. They (family) were not supportive (when I came out) and I had to leave home. Initially, I spent around six months in towns like Mysuru and Mandya where I begged in front of shops. The first time I begged for money, I cried because thats not how my parents raised me, she said.

With a B Sc (geography) degree, Ranjumol returned to Kerala when she got a job with Kochi Metro in its ticketing counter. But with the pay abysmally low, she said she turned to sex work at nights and begging on trains on the side to make ends meet. She did odd jobs and courses until 2021 when a window of opportunity opened up in the form of the Kerala government offering scholarships for transgender students.

I took it up readily. I grew up in a family filled with musicians and percussionists on both my dads and moms side. Art ran in our veins. So it was only natural that I chose to study Kathakali Vesham as a BA course at the RLV College of Music and Fine Arts in Thripunithura. I have always been enamoured by the stories in Kathakali, said Ranjumol, who in 2021 became the first trans person to enrol for a Kathakali course.

Three years later, she broke the glass ceiling with greater impact by bagging the first rank in Kathakali Vesham in the Mahatma Gandhi (MG) University examinations in May.

It was a friend who rang her up to tell her that she was the topper in the university examination. Ranjumol wasnt surprised. I dont want to lose in life. I want to win and I studied hard. And I desperately wanted to show people that I can perform Kathakali too, irrespective of what they think, the transwoman said.

In my victory, I know that trans persons will find the encouragement to go into performing arts. There are around three-four of them who have joined for courses in Bharatanatyam and Mohiniyattam. They are very talented and they deserve to be in this field.

Kathakali was never alien to the 36-year-old. Growing up, she had seen her uncles and cousins, trained in temple percussion instruments like thimila and chenda, perform at local temple festivals. Her first brush with art happened in class 5 when she was picked by a school teacher, who saw glimpses of rhythm and music in her, for a sub-district competition in Ottanthullal, a local dance-cum-recitation art form steeped in humour and satire. She won the first prize there too.

Thanks to government intervention and awareness, there is certainly more visibility for trans persons in society today than a decade ago when she came out, she stressed. But the discrimination still follows her wherever she goes. And it was evident during her time in Kathakali classes and afterward too.

Very few people interacted with me in college. To see them noticing me and still not talking to me did hurt. And so I would sit alone sometimes, keep my head down and let it pass. I didnt allow the discrimination to get to me, she said.

When the results came out, except the principal, none of the teachers called to congratulate her on her rank, she sighed. There were no calls from the government either. The principal was kind enough to urge me to pursue masters at the college, but the other teachers didnt say a word. It saddened me a lot because I realised that they dont think of me the way I thought they would. They could have called, said Ranjumol.

Since completing her studies, Ranjumol has performed Kathakali only a couple of times, once at the famed Poornathrayeesa temple in Tripunithura. But, invites have since dried up.

Instead of going for a masters course, Ranjumol is now training under Arya Devi, a private teacher who has got a government teaching fellowship.

Devi told HT, Since I have a teaching fellowship, students like Ranjumol dont have to pay for classes. That takes the financial burden off her. Shes a good student and quick to learn. As she improves, I am sure she will get a lot of gigs to perform.

Ranjumol also plans to enrol for a distance masters course in Geography this year in the hope of landing a teaching job in the future. Kathakali meanwhile will remain her passion.

It was one of my dreams in life to study Kathakali vesham and practice it. I have done that. But its not a career option for me because you cannot make a living off it. But I will not abandon Kathakali. It will be a part of my life, she said.
The Madras high court on Monday ordered the Directorate of Vigilance and Anti-Corruption (DVAC) to investigate the assets of police and revenue personnel involved in the 2018 Thoothukudi firing. A file photo of Madras high court. (PTI)

The court observed that police officers who fired at anti-sterlite protestors in Tamil Nadus Thoothukudi in 2018 should be made to feel the pinch. The court granted DVAC three months to submit their report on the investigation.

On the 100th day of the demonstrations against the Vedanta-owned Sterlite Copper on May 22, 2018, police opened fire after the protests turned violent. The resulting firing led to the deaths of 13 people.

A bench of justices SS Sundar and N Senthil Kumar were hearing the petition filed by Henry Tiphange in 2021, seeking to reopen the probe into the case by the National Human Rights Commission (NHRC). The central body which was probing the case suo-moto had abruptly closed it on October 25, 2018.

Monetary aid will not compensate (for) the loss of human lives, the court said in its orders. One individual was able to do all these things. It should not recur. That is why we have taken up this mission.

The court said that while everyone usually seeks a CBI probe because it is an independent agency, in this case, the CBI did not function independently, said Tiphange.

In the previous hearing on July 15, the court directed the DVAC to investigate the assets of 21 officers including IPS and IAS officers who were also included as respondent parties before the court in the present case. All these things happened because one particular industrialist wanted it to happen, the court said on July 15. You (police and district authorities) all acted on his behest. He wanted to teach the people a lesson and you facilitated it. Any place where 100, 200, or, 500 people gather routinely, should they now start doing so with fear that they might lose their lives any day? Can the court shut its eyes to this? the Court said.

The court had said that they suspect that some of the police officials let the firing happen out of an agenda and so DVAC must investigate if they received monetary gains not just in their name but also in the names of their wives, close relatives to be collected and produced before the Court.

A day after the incident, the then AIADMK government formed the justice (retired) Aruna Jagadeesan committee to probe the case. Her report was tabled in the Assembly in October 2022 under the DMK government contending that there has been an instance of lethargy and indifference from former chief minister Edappadi Palaniswami (EPS) since he didnt act on an information conveyed to him by the then Intelligence Officer K N Santhiyamurthy to diffuse the situation.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Tuesday vowed to hold himself accountable for making India the worlds third-largest economy in his third term and said he was pleased to say that great and consistent progress was being towards achieving the ambitious goal. Prime Minister Narendra Modi. (PTI)

As a member of a community [politicians] which is often criticised for abandoning campaign promises, I am committed to being an exception. I am holding myself accountable for my vow to make India the worlds third-largest economy in my third term, Modi said in his address to the inaugural session of Journey Towards Viksit Bharat (developed India): A Post Union Budget 2024-25 Conference in New Delhi.

The Confederation of Indian Industry (CII) has organised the conference to outline the governments vision for growth and the industrys role in it. Over 1,000 participants from industry, government, diplomatic community, and think tanks are attending the conference.

Modi referred to the Covid-19 pandemic and said he recalls discussing getting growth back. ...at that time, I promised you that India would soon be back on the development path, he said. He added today India grows at the rate of 8% annually. We are witnessing the journey towards Viksit Bharat. This change is not merely of sentiments, but of confidence, he said. I urge you all to reflect, discuss, and appreciate the progress we have made from the depths of crisis to the heights of success.

Modi said the government has navigated India out of major crisis and transformed it into a shining example of growth and development. He added reviving the economy was their biggest challenge when they came to power in 2014.

Modi said the Fragile Five crisis, or inclusion among nations perceived to be most at risk due to reliance on foreign investment for growth, and scams running into lakhs of crores derailed the economy. Today we are proud to say that we have put India back on track, said Modi.

He said the Capital Expenditure (Capex) was 2 lakh crore in 2014. In contrast, our government has significantly accelerated investments with Capex surpassing 11 lakh crore today. ...while Capex merely doubled between 2004 and 2014, it has grown five-fold under our leadership in just nine years. This demonstrates our comprehensive approach to economic development, with targeted investments across every sector.

Modi said over the last decade, Indias manufacturing landscape has undergone a profound transformation. We have spearheaded initiatives like Make in India, liberalised FDI [foreign direct investment] policies across sectors, and set up multi-modal logistics parks. Additionally, we have introduced Production-Linked Incentive (PLI) schemes for 14 key sectors. Modi said these strategic moves have increased the manufacturing sectors confidence to unprecedented levels, ushering in a new era of growth and self-reliance.
The National Campaign for Peoples Right to Information (NCPRI) has written to Prime Minister Narendra Modi and leader of opposition (LoP) Rahul Gandhi expressing concern over the appointment of information commissioners to the Central Information Commission (CIC). The office of the Central Information Commission. (File Photo)

Both the PM and LoP are members of the selection committee established under the RTI Act.

NCPRI has also written to chief ministers and leaders of opposition of 12 states on filling vacancies in their respective State Information Commissions (SICs). Five SICs are currently non-operational: Jharkhand since May 2020, Telangana since February 24, 2023, Tripura since July 13, 2021, Madhya Pradesh since March 28, 2024, and Goa since March 1, 2024.

Several other commissions are facing significant challenges due to vacant posts and large backlogs. The CIC operates with three commissioners and has a backlog of nearly 23,000 cases.

The Karnataka SIC has three commissioners without a chief and a backlog exceeding 40,000 cases. The Bihar SIC, with two commissioners, has about 28,000 pending cases. The Chhattisgarh SIC, also with two commissioners, has a backlog of nearly 17,500 cases. The Rajasthan SIC is functioning with one commissioner and has a backlog of around 9,000 cases. The Maharashtra SIC, with six commissioners, has a backlog of more than 107,000 cases. The Punjab SIC is operating with one commissioner and has nearly 9,000 cases pending, while the West Bengal SIC, with two commissioners, has a backlog of over 10,000 cases.

The letter also refers to an October 2023 Supreme Court order that criticised the failure of state governments to fill vacancies, noting that this ensures that the right to information which is recognised under an Act of Parliament becomes a dead letter.

The court instructed both state and Union governments to immediately take steps for filling up the vacancies in the posts of Information Commissioners in the SICs and CIC respectively.

The letters signatories include former CIC Shailesh Gandhi and RTI activists Anjali Bharadwaj, Nikhil Dey, and Venkatesh Nayak, among others.
Union minister Nitin Gadkari represented India at the swearing-in ceremony of Irans new President, Masoud Pezeshkian, in Tehran on Tuesday and met senior members of the Iranian leadership. Union minister Nitin Gadkari also met senior members of the Iranian leadership in Tehran. (MEA)

Pezeshkian, widely seen as a reformist, won the recent presidential election that was held following the death of his predecessor, Ebrahim Raisi, in May.

Gadkari, the minister of road transport and highways, conveyed good wishes from Prime Minister Narendra Modi to Pezeshkian on assuming office.

During Gadkaris interactions in Tehran, both sides positively assessed the state of bilateral relations, including cooperation on the development of Chabahar port, the external affairs ministry said in a statement.

Both sides underscored that Chabahar port would contribute to strengthening bilateral and regional trade. It would provide access to landlocked Afghanistan and Central Asian countries to regional and global markets, the ministry said.

Raisi, foreign minister Hossein Amir-Abdollahian and other senior Iranian officials were killed in a helicopter crash on May 19. Vice president Jagdeep Dhankhar visited Iran on May 22 to represent India at an official ceremony commemorating the two leaders. India also observed a day of national mourning for Raisi on May 21.
Mumbai, Shiv Sena chief Uddhav Thackeray on Tuesday said the state lacks the power to remove the 50% cap on reservations, asserting that only the Centre has the authority to raise the ceiling limit through Parliament. Only Centre can raise reservation limit by removing the 50% cap: Uddhav

Thackeray slammed the Eknath Shinde-led government over the vexed Maratha reservation issue and demanded deliberations with various sections to find a solution through mutual understanding instead of holding discussions only with politicians.

"The state does not have the right to increase the limit of reservations. It can be resolved in Lok Sabha. My MPs will back it ," the former chief minister told reporters.

"Everyone must go to Prime Minister Narendra Modi, and he should decide . Whatever it is , we will accept it," he said.

Thackeray said the ruling party must clarify whether it wants to hurt the Other Backward Classes, citing the High Court's stay on the Bihar government's decision to raise quotas to 65 per cent.

The former chief minister said Marathas won't get justice till incumbent rulers continue to be at the helm of affairs.

Thackeray said the former ally has changed and become "brutal".

"This brutal tendency must be destroyed in Maharashtra and the country," he said while responding to a query on allegations raised by former state home minister and NCP leader Anil Deshmukh against Deputy Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis.

Deshmukh had claimed an "intermediary" had visited him when he was the home minister in the previous MVA government on behalf of Fadnavis, who was the opposition leader, with affidavits implicating then CM Uddhav Thackeray and ministers Aaditya Thackeray, Ajit Pawar and Anil Parab.

Fadnavis has denied these charges.

Thackeray called for rehabilitating residents of Dharavi slum sprawl, undergoing redevelopment, in the same locality and not elsewhere in the city.

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The Karnataka governments recent introduction of the Bengaluru Governance Bill, 2024, focusing on proposed changes to the citys administrative structure has stirred considerable debate as there are concerns about revenue imbalances across different city areas. The opposition has also accused the Congress of concentrating executive powers within the offices of the chief minister and deputy CM. Chief minister Siddaramaiah with his deputy DK Shivakumar in the assembly. (ANI)

People familiar with the matter said that the government is well aware that the bill may face significant legal challenges due to the 74th amendment of the Constitution of India, which emphasises the need for autonomy within elected civic bodies.

Citizen Action Forum president Vijayan Menon said: The amendment was designed to lessen the grip of state-level bureaucracy over municipal governance, but daily operations under the new bill will largely controlled by bureaucrats and state ministers. Mayors are notably excluded from key decision-making processes, which defeats the amendments purpose.

Despite these issues, the bills introduction could further delay the Bengaluru Bruhat Mahanagara Palike (BBMP) elections.

Its apparent to anyone following this issue that the CM, deputy CM, and their bureaucratic allies are aware that the governance structure theyve proposed is unlikely to withstand legal scrutiny. So why press forward with this proposal? It seems to be driven by a political agenda aimed at influencing upcoming council elections. The government might present this legislation to the Supreme Court as a reason for needing more time, hoping for a sympathetic ear unless the court chooses to intervene directly, Menon said.

The Greater Bengaluru Governance Bill, 2024, proposes the restructuring of the BBMP into several smaller corporations and will be reviewed by a Joint Select Committee composed of members from both houses of the state legislature. While an expert committees draft view the Greater Bengaluru Authority (GBA) as a body tasked with planning, integrating, and coordinating without executive powers, the Bill tabled in the assembly would be granting the GBA significant executive and financial authority.

The Bill has suggested forming new departments within the GBA, including town planning, solid waste management, engineering, finance, and law, while retaining planning powers with the Bengaluru Development Authority (BDA).

An expert committees draft, which was given to the government before the bill was tabled, gave full financial and operational independence for the corporations and envisioned the GBA as a body ensuring equitable distribution of state grants. However, the proposed Bill stipulated that a portion of the corporations revenue would be allocated to the GBA, which is against the provisions of the 74th amendment.

Menon further said that dividing Bengaluru into multiple corporations could lead to chaos.

He said: We lack the necessary resources and skilled personnel for such a division. Fragmenting an already overburdened workforce into five separate entities would only worsen existing challenges. This isnt a straightforward task; the logistical complexities involving physical assets and resources are significant.

We currently lack the seamless coordination required for effective corporation operations, he said.

Shivakumar, who holds the Bengaluru City Development portfolio said the bill is merely at the proposal stage and has not yet been enacted. He reassured that the government intends to include all stakeholders in the decision-making process when establishing the Greater Bengaluru Authority.

The controversial will be referred to a Joint Select Committee comprising members of both the Houses of the State Legislature, he added.

Meanwhile, political observer A Narayana said: The idea of splitting the city corporation has been under consideration for a while. The Congress sees this move as a tactic to dismantle the BJPs strong influence in Bengaluru, which has been solidified in both state and national elections. Over the last two decades, the BJP has established a formidable presence in the city, making it tough for the Congress to gain a foothold.

He said: By dividing the city corporation into smaller units, the Congress believes it can gain control of one or two of these new entities. This strategy would not only help them implement their policies more efficiently but also provide an opportunity to regain some political clout in a city where they have struggled against the BJPs entrenched dominance.
Puja Khedkar, trainee IAS officer accused of manipulating disability and OBC certificates, received a "7 per cent locomotor disability certificate" from Pune's civic hospital in August 2022, despite the physiotherapy department at the hospital reporting no disability. IAS probationer Puja Khedkar

According to an India Today report, the Yashwantrao Chavan Memorial (YCM) Hospital issued the certificate, noting a 7 per cent locomotor disability in her left knee.

The Pune Collector's Office has investigated the issue following directives from the 'DIVYANG' Welfare Commissionerate. When applying for her disability certificate, Puja Khedkar informed the doctors at YCM Hospital about a minor accident in 2018 that injured her left knee. However, according to exclusive documents obtained by India Today, no medical records from that year were reviewed, and no MRI scan was conducted during her examination.

On August 23, 2022, Khedkar visited YCM Hospital to obtain a disability certificate, using address proof that was later discovered to be fraudulent and from a fake ration card. Earlier, on July 25, Yashwantrao Chavan Memorial (YCM) Hospital in Pune conducted an internal investigation and found no misconduct in the issuance of the seven per cent locomotor disability certificate to Puja Khedkar.

Rajendra Wable, dean of YCM Hospital, said, The internal report confirmed that the certificate was issued after a comprehensive evaluation by our physiotherapy and orthopaedic departments, and all medical tests were conducted according to regulations. No misconduct was found.

Wable also pointed out that the investigations results refuted the notion that Puja Khedkar's claims of locomotor disability were valid for any advantages in her bid to become an IAS officer.

Puja Khedkar's anticipatory bail hearing

The Patiala House Court in Delhi is set to hear Puja Khedkar's anticipatory bail application on Tuesday. This hearing relates to an FIR lodged against her for allegedly falsifying her identity to unlawfully exceed the allowed number of attempts in the civil services examination.

Previously, Delhi Police had filed the FIR following a complaint from the Union Public Service Commission (UPSC) concerning Puja Manorama Dilip Khedkar.

"In this matter, the Commission stated that it has also issued her a show cause notice for cancelling her selection and debarment from future examinations. From the investigation, it has been revealed that she fraudulently availed attempts beyond the permissible limit under the Examination Rules by faking her identity by way of changing her name, her father's and mother's names, her photograph/ signature, her email ID, mobile number and address," the UPSC said in a press release.

Khedkar was a provisionally recommended candidate for the Civil Services Examination 2022. The UPSC stated that it has taken several actions against her, including initiating criminal proceedings by filing an FIR with the police. Additionally, a show cause notice (SCN) has been issued, seeking the cancellation of Khedkars candidature for the 2022 exam and barring her from future examinations and selections, as per the rules governing the Civil Services Examination 2022.
Former Wayanad MP and Congress leader Rahul Gandhi on Tuesday expressed condolences over the loss of lives in the landslides in the Kerala district, in which several people are still trapped and missing. Congress leader Rahul Gandhi

Rahul Gandhi also said he would request Union ministers to provide all assistance possible to Wayanad.

I am deeply anguished by the massive landslides near Meppadi in Wayanad. My heartfelt condolences go out to the bereaved families who have lost their loved ones. I hope those still trapped are brought to safety soon, Rahul Gandhi wrote in a post on X.

Gandhi also spoke to Kerala chief minister Pinarayi Vijayan and the Wayanad district collector, assuring them of any assistance needed for the relief work.

I have spoken to the Kerala Chief Minister and the Wayanad District Collector, who assured me that rescue operations are underway. I have requested them to ensure coordination with all agencies, set up a control room, and inform us of any assistance needed for the relief effortsI will speak to Union Ministers and request them to provide all assistance possible to Wayanad, the former Wayanad MP added.

Gandhi also urged all the UDF workers to assist the administration in the rescue and relief operations.

At least 19 people died, and hundreds of others are still feared to be trapped and missing after massive landslides struck various hilly areas near Meppadi in Wayanad district on Tuesday morning. The incident reportedly took place around 3:49 am.

The Kerala State Disaster Management Authority (KSDMA) said that 250 members of the fire and rescue, civil defence, NDRF, and local emergency response teams are involved in the rescue operations. An additional team of NDRF and two teams of Kannur Defence Security Corps have also been instructed to move to Wayanad to assist in the rescue efforts.

Along with this, two Air Force helicopters, a Mi-17, and an ALH, will also be coordinating the rescue operations.

CM Vijayan, in a statement issued by his office, said the operations will be coordinated, and state ministers will reach the hilly district to lead the rescue activities. The state health department has also opened a control room and issued two numbers that those in need of emergency assistance can contact - 9656938689 and 8086010833.
Leader of the Opposition in the Lok Sabha Rahul Gandhi said on Monday that the BJP government has created a Chakravyuh (a trap) which has three elements, the concentration of financial power, the use of institutions such as CBI, ED and the Income Tax department, and the political executive, and that together, they have devastated this country . Leader of the Opposition in the Lok Sabha Rahul Gandhi speaks in the house during discussion on Union Budget on Monday. (sansad tv)

Arguing that the Union Budget for FY24-25 has strengthened this framework instead of providing relief to the people, he named six people controlling the Chakrayvuh, (Prime Minister) Narendra Modi, (home minister) Amit Shah, and four others who are non-members, including two industrialists.

After Lok Sabha speaker Om Birla cautioned him to not to mention the name of any person who is not a member of the House, Gandhi asked the presiding officer how he could refer to the two industrialists, forcing an interjection by parliamentary affairs minister Kiren Rijiju who accused Gandhi of disrespecting the speaker and being unaware of the rules of the House.

Gandhis reference to the names of non members was later expunged.

Referring to the Mahabharata, where Arjunas son Abhimanyu is killed by the Kauravas after luring him into a Chakravyuh, Gandhi said the youth, farmers, women, small and medium businesses now find themselves in a similar trap.

An aggressive Gandhi said that the middle class has abandoned the BJP after the Budget stabbed them by doing away with the indexation benefit for capital gains tax on real estate transactions and hiking the capital gains tax on equities. He also highlighted paper leaks (of tests for various admission exams) as one of the biggest problems in the country and pitched for caste census in a speech during which he had frequent run-ins with Birla and members of the treasury benches.

Upping the ante on his pet issue of low representation of people from SCs, STs, and OBCs in the higher bureaucracy, Gandhi tried to show a photo of the Halwa ceremonya traditional ceremony marking the preparations of the budget documents in the finance ministry and claimed, In the country, there are 73% Dalit, Adivasi and OBCs. And they are the main strength of India. and the truth is they do not get enough space in business and in the government. I saw a picture of the Budget halwa. I could not see a single SC, ST or OBC officer. What is happening? Desh ka halwa baat raha hai but there is no SC, ST, OBC. I know 20 officers were behind the preparation of the Budget including one each from the minority (community) and OBC. But when they distributed the halwa of India, the two officers were not shown in the photo.

The Speaker advised Gandhi to follow the rules of the House (which prohibit the use of props such as photographs).

Gandhi also commented on the Agniveer scheme for recruitment of people into the armed forces.

For the first time, jawans of Indian army have been put in a Chakravyuha and it is called the Agniveer! You call yourself patriots but you dont give pension for Agniveer, Gandhi said. Defence minister Rajnath Singh said at the end of Gandhis speech that he wants to table all information related to the Agniveer scheme, accusing Gandhi of spreading misinformation.

Read more: Read parliamentary rules: Om Birla tells Rahul Gandhi in Lok Sabha

Opposition parties have targeted the government over the scheme which recruits personnel for four-year stints in the services, with 25% of them being retained after that. It is believed that the Bharatiya Janata Partys sub-par performance in this summers Lok Sabha elections in some states was partly caused by angst over the scheme. There have been reports that the government is considering tweaking the scheme.

In his second major speech in the 18th Lok Sabha, the Leader of the Opposition claimed that the internship programmewhich Congress leaders have said was borrowed from the proposed Apprenticeship law in the partys manifesto--is a joke and said, because you have destroyed the MSME sector, the people of India cant get jobs. In Budget you spoke about internship. It might be a joke as 99% of the youth wont benefit from it.

Gandhi also spoke about the allocation to education in the budget, 2.5%, and claimed this was the lowest in 20 years. He said a big problem in education was paper leaks and said that over the past 10 years, there have been 70 major leaks. The finance minister has not said a word on paper leak in the budget, he said.

The Congress lawmaker from Rae Bareli said that the INDIA bloc of opposition parties expected the budget to make an announcement on the legal guarantee of support prices for crops, or MSPs. We felt, if the government made a provision of MSP, the farmers could have come out of Chakravyuh. I want to assure that INDIA group will give legal guarantee for MSPs, Gandhi said.

He also claimed that middle class had traditionally supported the PM but in this budget, you stabbed the middle class both in the back and on the chest by removing the indexation (benefit for real estate) and hiking the capital gains tax. Middle class is going to leave you. Wherever you get chance, you create Chakravyuh. And we break it. Our government had given MGNREGA and loan waiver to allow famers come out of Chakravyuh.

Gandhi also targeted two large business houses and said, these two people control Indias infrastructure. They have airport, telecom, ports and now they are going to the railways. They have the monopoly.

The LoP claimed that the INDIA alliance has demolished the PMs confidence .

Union minister for IT, railways and I&B Ashwini Vaishnaw said: In the provisions of our constitution, there is a leader of opposition, and in the parliamentary system, we have the honourable speaker. The two posts are such they help in strengthening the democracy. It is unfortunate that Rahul Gandhi, despite holding a constitutional post of the leader of opposition, uses such language and points fingers at the speaker, which is also constitutional post. Such action only weakens the constitution and the democracy. There is a context to it that lies in the past. Once Rahul Gandhi had torn an ordinance, which was brought by his own party, in public. Gandhi does not believe in uploading the dignity of the constitution, he said.
The Udupi police have launched a search for six-eight unidentified people who allegedly posed as Income Tax officials and attempted to rob the residence of a local businessman in Manur, an officer said. A grab of the CCTV footage shows the robbers trying to enter the businessmans house in Udupi (HT)

The officer said that a group of six-eight people had allegedly tried to rob the house of businessman Sudhir Pujari (38) and S Kavitha (35) at around 8.30am on July 25 but fled when they could not break into their house. The incident was reported to the owners by Krishna, an employee of Kundapur Sign In Security Company monitoring the houses through CCTV.

Udupi district superintendent of police K Arun told HT: We have formed two police teams to crack the case. Prima facie, it seems the motive behind the act was to rob the house, but as family did not open the door, the family escaped unharmed.

Arun quoted Krishna as stating that group of six to eight people who had arrived in a Swift and an Innova car, attempted to open the gate. After being unsuccessful, they entered the compound by scaling the wall and then rang the bell. However, the group fled the scene when the family did not open the door.

The complaint regarding the matter was filed by Kavitha at the Kota police station and the police registered the case under BNS Section 329(4) for house trespass, Section 324(2) for mischief, and Section 190 for cognizance of offences on July 26.

Upon checking the CCTV footage, it was found that one of the accused was dressed in a police uniform and four others in safari attire, Arun said. While only six intruders were captured on camera, it is suspected that the total number was eight.

He further said that further investigations have revealed that the intruders avoided the Sastana toll road, opting instead for the Barkur road to elude detection.
The Supreme Court on Tuesday pulled up the Centre, states and Union territories for not using the legal machinery against manufacturers of drugs, cosmetics and health products indulging in misleading advertisements and issued directions to the Ministry of Ayush to create a centralised dashboard where citizens across the country can access information about the action taken on their complaints. The Supreme Court of India. (File)

A bench headed by justice Hima Kohli noted huge gaps in the implementation of three laws governing health sector  Drugs and Magic Remedies (Objectionable Advertisements) Act (DMR), Drugs and Cosmetics Act (DCA) and Consumer Protection Act (CPA), with little or no action reported by states and Union territories in initiating prosecution and penalties against the defaulting manufacturers under these laws.

Finding this situation to be non-conducive for consumers, the bench, also comprising justice Sandeep Mehta said, In prosecutions under these Acts (DMR, DCA and CPA), absence of action taken is a big deterrent in implementing the laws...this leaves common citizens helpless and in the dark about action taken on their complaints.

Passing an order, the bench said, We are of the opinion that the Ministry of Ayush must set up a dashboard on complaints received from states and action taken so that data is made available in the public domain and is accessible to all.

The bench was hearing a petition filed by the Indian Medical Association (IMA) which came to court against misleading advertisements by Patanjali Ayurved and its proponent Baba Ramdev pointing out how some of the advertisements of drugs produced by the company violated provisions of the DMR and DCA.

IMA counsel Prabhas Bajaj pointed out that on April 15, the Uttarakhand licensing department banned 14 Ayurvedic products of Patanjali and Divya Pharmacy for promising cures that went contrary to the DMR and DCA but were still available for sale across the counter. He referred to certain media reports which gave evidence of the banned products being available for sale despite Patanjali assuring the court that physical and online sale of the 14 products had been stopped.

Senior advocate Balbir Singh appearing for Patanjali pointed out that on July 1, the Uttarakhand government passed an order lifting the ban after an expert committee found procedural lapses in the April 15 decision by the licensing authority. He further said that on July 8, the company received fresh show cause notice on the 14 products to which it replied on July 19.

The bench asked the Uttarakhand government why it was taking time to decide on this issue as already two weeks had lapsed. This should not take time unless you want to give them a long rope. We also want to know why it took you a month to know about procedural lapses in your order. You should have taken a time-bound decision without waiting for our order.

The court granted the state another two weeks to take a final decision on the ban on Patanjali products while posting the matter on August 20. Advocate Vanshaja Shukla representing Uttarakhand informed the court that the final decision of the state is awaiting legal opinion from the advocate general.

On the larger issue to plug gaps in the implementation of the law relating to misleading advertisements, the court received a voluminous note prepared by advocate Shadan Farasat, assisting the court as amicus curiae. On previous occasions, the court had indicated that it does not intend to restrict the scope of consideration to Patanjali and directed responses to be filed by all states and UTs on handling of complaints under the three laws, focusing on consumer health and well-being.

Noting a major lapse in the legal mechanism related to Ayush drugs, Farasat said that advertising of Ayush drugs is connected to the scientific basis for the claim made in respect of these drugs. He pointed out that unlike clinical trials for approving an allopathic drug, there is no requirement of clinical trials for either the efficacy or safety of Ayush drugs. This has been done pursuant to a notification issued by the ministry in July 2018.

The court observed, Safety study is necessary. This notification dilutes the Drug Rules 1945 without giving any reasons, as it sought Centres response on the same.

Farasat highlighted that penalty mechanism under the Acts remained underutilised even against repeat defaulters with almost nil prosecutions. He also highlighted lack of inter-state coordination as complaints get forwarded from one state to the state where the manufacturer is situated. Such complaints galore as the note submitted by Farasat indicates that Delhi forwarded 1622 complaints, Gujarat 714 complaints, the status of which are unknown.

Going through some of the affidavits filed by states, the bench said, The affidavits show that in most cases, penalty imposed is nil. Similarly action taken is very poor. Despite statutes in place, states and UTs are taking it very lightly. As 15 states and UTs were yet to file responses, the court granted them two weeks as a final opportunity failing which the concerned health secretary was directed to appear virtually on the next date of hearing.

Highlighting the position under each law, Farasat said that the Ministry of Consumer Affairs had entered into a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with the Advertising Standards Council of India (ASCI) in 2018 to monitor misleading advertisements through the Grievances Against Misleading Advertisements (GAMA) portal. From 2018 to April 2022, 2,573 complaints related to the health sector were registered, of which 2,505 were resolved. The MoU was not renewed after August 2020.

The court asked the Centre to respond why the MoU was not renewed as it saw that the complaints saw a sharp decline after 2022. The petitioner IMA pointed out that in 2022, the GAMA portal was integrated into the National Consumer Helpline portal which has received only 132 complaints in past two years. The number of complaints received is abysmally low. This itself speaks much on the manner in which the ministry is bringing information of the portal to the public at large, the bench said.

Farasat said that the ASCI, comprising largely of independent experts, would take initiative on its own to help consumers against misleading advertisements, which may not be the case with the ministry. ASCI was represented in court by senior advocate Amit Sibal who said that the council has dealt with 60,000 complaints of misleading ads in TV and print media and has secured 98% compliance, with the bulk complaints being addressed relating to health and health products.

The amicus further informed the bench that the GAMA portal received 728 complaints of misleading advertisements and violation of programme code against private broadcasters. Even the Ministry of Ayush, which signed an MoU with ASCI in 2017 for action on misleading ads, received 732 cases in one year. In addition, the National Pharmacovigilance Centre generated 36,040 reports of misleading advertisements and forwarded 31,238 reports to various states, Farasat said.

The top court, in its attempt to address the problem of misleading ads, had in May directed all advertisers and advertising agencies to submit a self-declaration certificate before publishing or broadcasting any advertisement. The self-declaration certificate is to affirm that the advertisement does not contain misleading claims and complies with all relevant regulatory guidelines. Following the court order, the ministry of information and broadcasting has introduced a new feature on the Broadcast Seva Portal for TV and radio advertisements and on Press Council of Indias portal for print and digital/Internet advertisements.

The genesis of these proceedings began in 2022 when IMA approached the court against disparaging remarks by Baba Ramdev and Patanjali against modern medicine. The petition showed that Patanjali advertisements promising cures for lifestyle disorders and other illness violated the law under the DMR and DCA.

Section 3 of the DMR Act prohibits any advertisement claiming diagnosis, cure, mitigation, treatment or prevention of any lifestyle diseases such as blood pressure, diabetes, arthritis, asthma, cervical spondylitis, obesity, heart diseases, etc. Further, Patanjalis claim to eradicate asthma and cure diabetes was in direct contravention to the DCA Rules, the IMA petition said.
New Delhi, The Supreme Court has stayed a Delhi High Court order granting divorce to celebrity chef Kunal Kapur on the ground of cruelty meted out to him by his estranged wife. SC stays Delhi HC order granting divorce to chef Kunal Kapur on ground of cruelty

Issuing a notice to Kapur on a plea filed by his wife, a bench of Justices Hrishikesh Roy and S V N Bhatti referred the case to the Supreme Court Mediation Centre for exploring the possibility of settlement.

The high court had granted divorce to Kapur, saying the woman's conduct towards him was devoid of dignity and empathy.

It had allowed Kapur's appeal challenging a family court's order denying him divorce and said it is a settled position of law that making reckless, defamatory, humiliating and unsubstantiated allegations against a spouse in public amounts to cruelty.

"In the light of the aforenoted facts of the present case, we find that the conduct of the respondent towards the appellant has been such that it is devoid of dignity and empathy towards him.

"When such is the nature of one spouse towards the other, it brings disgrace to the very essence of marriage and there exists no possible reason as to why he should be compelled to live while enduring the agony of living together," the high court had said.

The estranged couple got married in April 2008 and a son was born to them in 2012.

In his plea, Kapur, who was a judge in television show "MasterChef India", had accused his wife of never respecting his parents and humiliating him.

On the other hand, the woman had accused him of making false allegations to mislead the court and said she always tried to communicate with her husband like a loving spouse and was loyal towards him.

However, he kept her in the dark and concocted fabricated stories to obtain divorce, she had alleged.

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New Delhi, State bar councils cannot charge exorbitant fees for enrolling law graduates as lawyers as it perpetuates "systemic discrimination" against marginalised and economically weaker sections, the Supreme Court ruled on Tuesday. State bar councils cannot charge exorbitant fees for enrolling lawyers: SC

Stating that "dignity is crucial to substantive equality", the bench observed that state bar councils and the Bar Council of India cannot "alter or modify" the fiscal policy laid down by Parliament.

They are users of delegated powers under the Advocates Act, 1961, a bench headed by Chief Justice D Y Chandrachud said, specifying that they cannot charge more than 650 and 125 for enrolling law graduates from the general and SC-ST categories, respectively.

The verdict, which was reserved on April 22, came on 10 pleas filed by some lawyers who claimed SBCs were levying exorbitant enrolment fees, and the counter pleas of some SBCs.

It was alleged that the enrolment fee is 42,100 in Odisha, 25,000 in Gujarat, 23,650 in Uttarakhand, 21,460 in Jharkhand and 20,050 in Kerala in comparison to the fees of 650 and 125 provided under Section 24 of the Advocates Act.

"The SBCs and the BCI cannot demand payment of fees other than the stipulated enrolment fee and the stamp duty, if any as a precondition to enrolment, the bench, also comprising Justices J B Pardiwala and Manoj Misra, held.

Pronouncing the verdict, the CJI said, "The dignity of an individual encompasses the right of the individual to develop their potential to the fullest and the right to pursue a profession of one's choice and earn a livelihood. These are integral to the dignity of an individual."

Charging exorbitant enrolment fees and miscellaneous fees as a precondition for enrolment creates a barrier to entry into the legal profession, the court said.

"The levy of exorbitant fees of the precondition to enrolment serves to denigrate the dignity of those who face social and economic barriers in the advancement of their legal careers and this effectively perpetuates systemic discrimination against persons from marginalised and economically weaker sections by undermining the equal participation in the legal profession," the verdict said.

Holding the current enrolment fee structure as contrary to "the principle of substantive equality", the bench asked SBCs and the BCI to ensure that the fees does not defeat the law either directly or indirectly under the garb of different nomenclatures.

The bench, however, said the verdict will apply prospectively and SBCs are not required to refund the extra fees levied so far.

It also said that after enrolling law graduates as lawyers, the bar bodies may charge for other services being provided.

The verdict held, "The SBCs cannot charge enrolment fees beyond the express legal stipulation under Section 24 of the Advocates Act as it currently stands."

The provision lays down the fiscal precondition and the SBCs cannot demand payment of fees other than the stipulated enrolment fee and stamp duty, if any as a precondition to enrolment, it said.

"The decision of the SBCs to charge fees and charges at the time of enrolment in excess of the legal stipulation under Section 24 violates Articles 14 and 19, 1 of the Constitution," it said.

The bench also lauded the "good work" of SBCs and the BCI.

"We have said they are independently entitled to charge for the work which they are doing for the legal profession and education," it said.

On April 10, the top court had issued notices to the Centre, the BCI and other SBCs on the pleas, saying had raised a significant issue.

The pleas alleged that charging "exorbitant" enrolment fees violated the legal provision and the BCI must step in to ensure it was not done. It was said that such high fees effectively deny enrolment to young aspiring lawyers who do not have the necessary resources.

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The Telangana government has drawn up a plan to establish Indias first and largest Artificial Intelligence (AI) city on the outskirts of Hyderabad to house and promote AI ecosystem and to invite top companies to set up their AI centres. The Telangana government is planning to kickstart the activity on the AI city by laying the foundation stone in September (Tharun Vinny)

Hyderabad has been known as a top information technology (IT) hub in the country. Now, we want to promote it as the AI capital of India, state information technology minister Duddilla Sridhar Babu said on Monday.

He said the Telangana Industrial Infrastructure Corporation (TGIIC) identified 200 acres of land along Outer Ring Road in Maheshwaram, Serilingampally, Chevella and Ibrahimpatnam mandals for setting up the city.

Though there are similar proposals in other states, they are yet to take off. For example, the Uttar Pradesh government also announced in December 2023 that it would set up the AI city at Lucknow, but it has not yet been grounded. It has allocated only 40 acres of land and it was projected to be completed in 2030. But the proposed AI city in Hyderabad is five times bigger than the one at Lucknow and will be completed by 2028, making it the first AI city of India, Sridhar Babu said.

The Telangana government is planning to kickstart the activity on the AI city by laying the foundation stone in September. As a precursor to the event, we are hosting a Global AI Summit at Hyderabad International Convention Centre on September 5 and 6, he added.

According to the minister, the summit, with its theme Making AI Work for Everyone, aims at exploring how Artificial Intelligence can benefit and empower society. The event will feature keynote addresses and thought-provoking sessions by global AI experts, technology leaders, policymakers, and academicians. Over 50 speakers, attracting 2,000 delegates representing various segments will take part in the deliberations, he said.

The minister said the discussions will delve into crucial aspects of AI, including its potential for social good, the importance of safe AI practices, AIs role in driving paradigm shifts across industries, and how it is pushing the boundaries of innovation.

Sridhar Babu will also accompany chief minister A Revanth Reddy and other senior officials to the United States of America from August 3-11. We are going to meet top global IT players and invite them to the Global AI Summit, besides seeking their investments in the AI city, he said.

He said the proposed AI City at Hyderabad will have players from all fields where the technology is needed, including agriculture, healthcare, education, law enforcement and mobility.

Our government has co-designed the AI framework document with the help of pioneers of industry, academia, start-ups, and policy advisors to provide a conducive environment  supporting the ideation, development, and responsible deployment of Artificial Intelligence for social impact, Sridhar Babu added.
Wayanad Landslides Highlights: Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan confirmed in a press conference on Tuesday evening that 93 bodies have been recovered so far after multiple landslides triggered by heavy monsoon rain in the Wayanad district. Kerala government announced that two days, July 30 and 31, will be observed as state mourning. All state government programmes have been deferred....Read More

Multiple landslides triggered by pounding monsoon rains have killed many with hundreds more feared trapped under mud and debris in Kerala's hill district of Wayanad on Tuesday. The Indian Meteorological Department (IMD) had forecast heavy rain for the district.

The Indian Army was roped in as a temporary bridge that linked the affected area to a nearest town was also destroyed. The Army has mobilised four columns, including two columns ex 122 Infantry Battalion (Territorial Army) and two ex the DSC Centre, Kannur.

Two helicopters of the Indian Air Force have also been mobilised, said a statement from Kerala chief minister Pinarayi Vijayan's office.

A rescue official said rescue efforts remain challenging as there was no internet connectivity in the area.

Also read | Wayanad landslide: 84 dead, rescue teams face rain, terrain challenges | 10 points

State forest minister AK Saseendran said that the situation is serious, and the government has pressed all agencies to assist rescue operations.

A special control room has been set up by the district administration at the police headquarters in Thiruvananthapuram.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi spoke to Kerala chief minister Pinarayi Vijayan and assured all possible help from the Centre.

"The Prime Minister has announced ex-gratia of 2 lakh from Prime Minister's National Relief Fund (PMNRF) for the next of kin of each deceased in the landslides in parts of Wayanad," PM's office said in a post on X. The injured would be given 50,000.

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Two National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) teams, as many columns of the Army, and Indian Air Force (IAF) helicopters were involved in rescue operations in Keralas Wayanad after heavy rains triggered landslides and left at least 36 people dead there. Two more Army contingents were on their way to the site. (AP)

Additionally, columns from the Madras Engineering Group were due to arrive there...Local police and emergency response teams are on the ground. Three more NDRF teams are en route, Union minister of state for home Nityanand Rai told Lok Sabha. He said the Union home ministry and the Kerala government were coordinating with agencies to assist those affected.

Rai said Union home minister Amit Shah spoke to Kerala chief minister Pinarayi Vijayan and assured him of every possible help from the central government. He added the Union government was committed to providing support to Kerala during this crisis.

Rai said two more Army contingents from Kannur were on their way to the site. Two more helicopters from the Army have been deployed. The Indian Navys INS Zamorin was also assisting. The government is monitoring the situation around the clock, Rai said. Two officers of the Union home ministry are overseeing the coordination of these efforts to ensure timely and effective relief operations.

Rai said all necessary measures were being taken to mitigate the impact of the landslide and support the affected communities.

The collapse of the main bridge linking the affected area to the nearest Chooralmala town was destroyed, hampering rescue operations amid the India Meteorological Departments forecast of extremely heavy rain in the southern state throughout the day.
Friendship Day is a special occasion dedicated to celebrating the bonds of friendship and showing appreciation for friends. It originated in the United States in 1935, proposed by the U.S. Congress to honour friends and the role they play in our lives. Over the years, it has gained international recognition and is celebrated in various countries, each with its unique traditions. (Also read: Best Friendship Day Gifts: Top picks to help you pick the perfect gift for your loved ones) On Friendship Day, send these messages to your best pals.

When is Friendship Day?

Typically observed on the first Sunday of August in India, Friendship Day encourages people to express gratitude and affection for their friends through gestures like exchanging friendship bands, gifts, cards, and heartfelt messages. Social gatherings, parties, and outings are common ways to celebrate, fostering a sense of togetherness and joy.

July 30, however, also marks International Friendship Day. Even United Nations shared a greeting with social media.

Significance

The day serves as a reminder of the importance of friendships in providing emotional support, companionship, and happiness. In the age of social media, it has also become a popular occasion for sharing photos, memories, and messages online, connecting friends across distances.

Friendship Day not only strengthens personal bonds but also promotes the values of kindness, understanding, and mutual respect, highlighting the positive impact friends have on our well-being and overall quality of life.

Here are a few Friendship Day wishes you can send to your friends:

Happy Friendship Day!  I'm so grateful to have you in my life. Cheers to all the fun times and unforgettable memories we've shared. 

2. To my amazing friend , thank you for always being there through thick and thin. Happy Friendship Day! 

3. Happy Friendship Day!  Friends like you make life a beautiful journey. Here's to more adventures and laughter together. 

Happy Friendship Day.

4. Wishing you a fantastic Friendship Day!  Your friendship is a treasure I cherish every day. Thank you for being you. 

5. On this special day, I want to thank you for being my rock, my confidant, and my joy. Happy Friendship Day! 

6. Happy Friendship Day to my best friend!  Your presence in my life brings so much happiness and warmth. Cheers to our unbreakable bond. 

7. To my dearest friend, may our friendship continue to grow and bring us endless happiness. Happy Friendship Day! 

Happy Friendship Day.

8. Celebrating you today!  Thank you for your unwavering support and love. Happy Friendship Day! 

9. Happy Friendship Day!  Let's make today special with laughter, love, and a promise to stay friends forever. 

10. Cheers to us on Friendship Day!  Here's to the memories we've made and the many more to come. Thank you for being my friend. 
A study done by Massachusetts Institute of Technology's CSAIL and Jameel Clinic in January 2021, on robust mammography-based models for breast cancer risk, is now going viral after business tycoon Anand Mahindra shared a post on X recently and tweeted, If this is accurate, then AI is going to be of significantly more value to us than we imagined and much earlier than we had imagined(sic). AI predicts breast cancer risk 5 years in advance: 3-year-old AI model goes viral after Anand Mahindra's tweet (File Photo)

We all typically carry around 9,000 genetic mutations in our genomes, making us all genetic mutants to some degree though most of these mutations are benign and have little to no effect on our health yet some can severely disrupt protein function and can cause diseases such as cancer but what if artificial intelligence (AI) can accurately predict the formation of breast cancer years before it develops?

Studies have previously revealed that we inherited most of these mutations from our ancestors, but accumulate around 64 mutations during our own development, passing them on to our offspring for good measure and as we dream of having the best possible science at our fingertips, scientists from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology's Computer Science and Artificial Intelligence Laboratory (CSAIL) and Jameel Clinic for Machine Learning created a deep learning (DL) system in early 2021 to predict cancer risk in women who have no signs or symptoms of breast cancer - just from X-ray of breast or mammograms.

Viral AI Breast Cancer Model

Designed to maintain consistent predictions despite minor clinical variances (such as different mammography machines), this AI system named Mirai could perform better than existing risk-assessment algorithms as it predicts a patient's risk across various future time points and can incorporate clinical risk factors like age and family history if available. According to a study published in Science Translational Medicine, Mirai was trained on over 2,00,000 exams from Massachusetts General Hospital (MGH) where it is now installed and tested on held-out patients from MGH as well as Karolinska Institute in Sweden and Chang Gung Memorial Hospital in Taiwan.

MITs AI System 'Mirai'

Not only did Mirai maintain accuracy across different races, age groups, breast density categories and cancer subtypes but also outperformed the Tyrer-Cuzick model, identifying nearly twice as many future cancer diagnoses. The four modules in Mirai include:

An image aggregator module first gathers and processes all conventional mammography images to construct an illustration of the mammogram. It then aggregates the image data from all of the views. If needed, a risk-factor prediction module then uses the mammography to anticipate the patients risk factors. The last stage includes an additive-hazard layer using the patient risk variables and the mammography analysis to forecast the patients risk annually for the following five years.

The study lead author Adam Yala from MIT in the US had then said, Theres much more information in a mammogram than just the four categories of breast density. By using the deep learning model, we learn subtle cues that are indicative of future cancer.

Regina Barzilay, Professor at MIT had claimed, Unlike traditional models, our deep learning model performs equally well across diverse races, ages and family histories.
Raveena Tandon recently reveled in the magic of the scenic city of Budapest. On her holiday, she visited the legendary House of Houdini, the birthplace of the renowned illusionist and escape artist Harry Houdini. Raveena Tandon's latest Budapest trip is a travel inspiration for all those who wish to explore great night life and architectural marvels by the day.

Take inspiration from the actor and add Budapest to your travel list. Budapest is an eclectic city with classical architectural marvels and world-famous thermal baths. The central city area of Budapest along with the banks of the Danube River is a UNESCO heritage site, where the urban landscape reflects the Hungarian history.

For a trip rich in history, you need to visit Budapest, where the pulsating nightlife offers the best of the present and the well-protected gothic architectures reveal the grandeur of the past. Budapest's architecture will put you in awe when you find the historical architectural touch even in residential buildings. Here are some must-visits for you in Budapest.

Buda Castle

On good sunny days, Buda Castle gives the best views of the city. (Pixabay)

History comes alive at Buda Castle, leaving you with more questions than yawns, unlike your middle school history lessons. Perched atop Castle Hill, Buda Castles architecture reflects a blend of cultures. It shows the journey of Hungary, with Renaissance ruins at the base, majestic neoclassical exteriors and interiors reminiscent of the communist period. The courtyards and the cobblestone pathways are mesmerising, while the panoramic views from the castle towers of Danube flowing through the city will take up all your gallery storage.

St Stephens Basilica

This church has a preserved, mummified hand.(Pixabay)

Prepared to be in awe in the largest church in Budapest. With hypnotising frescoes in the ceiling that hold you captivated, the church also houses the mummified right hand of Hungarys first king. St. Stephen. Weighing 9 tonnes, the largest bell in the country is also located in the right tower of this basilica. Attend the organ concerts for an enchanting musical experience in the backdrop of exquisite architecture. A fantastic view of Budapest and Danube river can be seen from the dome-shaped terrace.

ALSO READ: Love bungee jumping but a bit faint-hearted? Try Chinas cowardly version for a gentle thrill

Szechenyi Baths

Spend a day in the blue thermal waters and relax.(Unsplash)

If youre looking for a place to unwind and rejuvenate, look no further. Budapest presents you with a wide variety of 120 thermal baths. Szechenyi bath is the largest out of the lot and has medicinal qualities. These hot springs are the venue for a lot of exhilarating parties. Make sure to look out for baths for a good old body-mind refreshment or to loosen up to a hot and steamy party.

Hungarian State Opera House

All architectures of Budapest show the influence of the passing rulers and the signature architectural style during their reigns.(Pixabay)

Hungarian State Opera House hosts various performances, like operas and ballet performances, You get a glimpse of the culture and immerse yourself in it. It demonstrates the countrys artistic heritage that signifies the passion for music. With beautiful frescoes and acoustics, the musical experience feels surreal.

Danube River Cruise

The river cruise offers the best glimpses of the monuments by the bank.(Unsplash)

As the Danube flows through the heart of the city, the cruise presents fantastic views of the city. By the shores, the Hungarian Parliaments gothic architecture looks stunning. The Szecheyni Chain Bridget at night lights up and offers a breathtaking view. You can also visit Margaret Island, located in the centre of Danube, perfect for lounging and relaxing with mesmerising views around.

ALSO READ: Inspired by Sonakshi Sinha, Zaheer Iqbal's latest holiday? Top must-visit places in Philippines
Bookworms travel in black and white, teleporting to new worlds in their rooms as they read. Their literature-loving souls may not be fervent wanderlusts, but, like a moth to the light, the world of books and literature never fails to bewitch them, even pulling them from the comforts of home. However vivid their imaginations may be, theres always a craving for a tangible experience. Here are the top must-visit places that perfectly capture the essence of their beloved literary worlds. Experience the literature world at these places, a must for every reader.

ALSO READ: Parenting tips: Here's how reading and audiobooks can powerfully influence a child's growth

The Wizarding World of Harry Potter

'You're a wizard Harry!' (Unsplash)

Everyone once in their lifetimes looked at their mailbox with the hopes of a letter from Hogwarts. Harry Potter is a rite of passage for every reader. So its a no-brainer to visit and immerse yourself in the wizarding world. You owe that to your inner child whos still waiting for that Hogwarts letter. There are several theme parks of the Wizarding World of Harry Potter in Orlando, Osaka, Beijing, and California. Relive the Harry Potter experience in carefully replicated Diagon Ally and Hogsmeade, to buy wands and Butterbeer. Several rides are inspired by the Harry Potter world, like the Weasleys flying car. But if you are not a theme-park person and instead prefer the true essence of Harry Potter, you can explore the original sets of the movie at the Warner Bros. Studio Tour in London.

Book and Bed

Reading has never been more cosy.(Pinterest)

If you are guilty as charged for skipping sleep to read one more chapter, Tokyos Book and Bed Hostel is perfect for you. With the interesting concept of a 'bookstore where you can sleep, the beds are nestled amongst shelves brimming with books. You sleep among the books. Its also a great place to meet other fellow book lovers like you and drown in deep literary conversations with them. The entire space is decorated with book accessories like bookmarks and posters with ambient lights for a wholesome experience. A cafe is located near the accommodation, serving delicious food.

El Ateneo

Culture meets reading at El Ateneo.(Pexels)

Buenos Airess culture is deeply rooted in reading, explaining the high number of bookstores. Buenos Aires has more bookshops per person than any other city in the world. Out of the many bookstores, El Ateneo is unique for its picturesque beauty. It was once an old theatre, later converted into a bookstore. The ceilings have beautiful frescoes, with several floors of bookshelves up to the ceiling. Itll feel surreal like you have stepped into the past.

ALSO READ: Suffering a reader's block? Here's a step-by-step guide on how to develop a reading habit

Trinity College Library

Summon your dark academia fantasies here. (Pixabay)

Trinity College Library in Dublin is a dream place for many readers. The library is a two-hundred-foot-long cavernous, long room with colossal wooden shelves filled with books. Marble busts of great scholars symmetrically line against the shelves across the hall. The library houses the Book of Kells, an ancient manuscript that is preserved today.

Bath

Jane Austen is celebrated every year for her writings that still resonate with her readers today. (Unsplash)

Home to the great writer Jane Austen, Bath in England celebrates the Jane Austen Festival every year with pomp and vigour for ten days- of all things Austen. A parade with over 500 people takes to the street. They wear the classic regency-era costumes, cosplaying the legendary Jane Austen characters. It has achieved the Guinness World Record for the Largest gathering of people dressed in Regency costumes. The festival in 2024 begins on 13th September and ends on 22nd September. With ballrooms, theatrical performances, puzzles, and guided walks, the spirit of Jane Austen comes alive in Bath every year.

ALSO READ: Top 5 cultural festivals around the world you need to visit for a wholesome travel experience
New Delhi, Jul 30 (PTI) Sebi on July 30 barred real estate firm Omaxe, its chairman Rohtas Goel, managing director Mohit Goel and three others from the securities market for two years for irregularities in the company's financial statements. Sebi on July 30 barred real estate firm Omaxe, its chairman Rohtas Goel, managing director Mohit Goel and three others from the securities market for two years (Getty Images)

The others restrained from the securities markets are -- Sudhangshu S. Biswal, Arun Kumar Pandey and Vimal Gupta.

Additionally, these five persons have been "prohibited from holding any position as Director or Key Managerial Person of any other listed company for a period of two years".

Apart from these, the regulator has levied a fine totalling 47 lakh on 16 entities, including these six entities. The penalties range from 1 lakh to 7 lakh need to be paid within 45 days.

Also Read: Omaxe's subsidiary to develop multi-sports stadium, retail and hospitality hub in Delhi for around 1500 crore

In its 126-page final order, Sebi said these entities have "acted in concert in order to execute a fraudulent scheme which they tried to portray as normal transactions for the benefit of the company although it was experiencing loss, while also trying to portray these as merely lending activities, thereby trying to maintain the price of the scrip of Omaxe for a period of three years''.

The company misrepresented the financial statements during 2018-19, 2019-20 and 2020-21 through its various items -- revenue, debtors, advances, and expenses.

"By the act of large-scale misrepresentation/misstatement/manipulation in financial statements by Omaxe, the scrip price was directly or indirectly manipulated to maintain the value of the collateral kept by the promoter against the loan," Sebi noted.

Also Read: Omaxe to develop two bus terminal projects in Lucknow and Ayodhya Dham worth 385 crore

Furthermore, the fraud was never disclosed to the shareholders of Omaxe, which misled them to remain invested in its shares or deal in its securities. Also misrepresentation of the books and accounts of Omaxe misled the investors in the securities market, it added.

Accordingly, Sebi has barred six entities including Omaxe, Rohtas Goel, Mohit Goel and three others from "accessing the securities market and further prohibited from buying, selling or otherwise dealing in securities, directly or indirectly, or being associated with the securities market in any manner, whatsoever, for a period of two years".

The order came after the Securities and Exchange Board of India (Sebi) received a complaint against Omaxe alleging that the company conducted fraudulent transactions, diverted/siphoned of funds, misrepresented the financial statements, inflated turnover among others.

Also Read: Denied basic facilities, Mullanpur housing society residents go up in arms

As these allegations were serious in nature, the matter was taken up for further examination by Sebi, including a forensic audit into the affairs of Omaxe. The investigation period in the matter was taken from April 1, 2018 to March 31, 2021 that includes FY 2018-19, 2019-20 and 2020-21.
Gurgaon, July 30, 2024: The legal profession, steeped in tradition and precedent, is undergoing a significant transformation driven by the relentless rise of technology. From automating mundane tasks to redefining how lawyers interact with clients, tech is having a profound impact on every facet of the legal landscape. Major Nirvikar Singh Advocate: The Rising Impact of Technology on the Legal Profession.

In this article, Advocate Major Nirvikar Singh will highlight some ways technology is reshaping the legal profession, exploring both the exciting possibilities and the challenges that lie ahead.

Revolutionizing Research and Efficiency

One of the most dramatic changes is the way technology has streamlined legal research. Gone are the days of poring over dusty law libraries. Today, online legal databases and powerful search engines allow lawyers to find relevant case law and legal information with unprecedented speed and accuracy. This not only saves lawyers valuable time but also ensures they have access to the most up-to-date legal resources.

Boosting Productivity and Streamlining Workflows

Technology is also automating many of the administrative tasks that used to consume a lawyer's time. Legal practice management software helps lawyers manage their caseloads, schedule appointments, and track billable hours. E-discovery tools can sift through vast amounts of electronic data, saving lawyers the tedious task of manually reviewing documents. These advancements free lawyers to focus on the more strategic aspects of their work, such as developing legal arguments and representing clients in court.

Enhancing Communication and Collaboration

The way lawyers communicate with clients and colleagues has also been significantly transformed. Secure messaging platforms, video conferencing tools, and online collaboration platforms allow for real-time communication regardless of location. This fosters better client relationships and improves teamwork within law firms. Additionally, technology facilitates communication with clients across borders, opening doors to a global legal market.

Democratizing Access to Justice: Rise of Legal Tech

A particularly exciting development is the emergence of legal technology (legal tech) companies. These companies are developing innovative tools and services that are making legal services more affordable and accessible to the public. This includes online legal document drafting platforms, AI-powered legal research assistants, and alternative dispute resolution (ADR) platforms that provide cost-effective ways to resolve legal issues.

The Evolving Role of Lawyers: Human Expertise Still Reigns Supreme

While technology is automating many tasks traditionally performed by lawyers, it's important to remember that it is not replacing lawyers altogether. The human element remains irreplaceable. Clients still value a lawyer's experience, judgment, and ability to navigate complex legal situations. Technology is augmenting the legal profession, not diminishing it. Lawyers who embrace technology and develop new skillsets, such as data analysis and project management, will be well-positioned to thrive in the evolving legal landscape.

Challenges and Considerations: Ethical Concerns and Cybersecurity

The rise of technology also presents new challenges that the legal profession needs to address. Ethical considerations surrounding the use of AI in legal research and the potential for bias in algorithms need careful examination. Additionally, cybersecurity threats are a growing concern as law firms increasingly rely on digital tools and store sensitive client data. Robust cybersecurity measures are essential to protect client confidentiality and ensure the integrity of the legal system.

The Future of Law

Looking ahead, the legal profession will likely see a continued rise in the use of technology. Law firms that invest in legal tech and cultivate a culture of innovation will be best positioned to succeed. Collaboration between lawyers and legal tech developers will be crucial in creating tools that enhance the legal profession and improve access to justice for all.

The impact of technology on the legal profession is undeniable. While there are challenges to navigate, the potential benefits are significant. By embracing technology and adapting to the changing landscape, lawyers can continue to provide exceptional legal services in a more efficient, accessible, and cost-effective way. As the legal profession evolves, one thing remains constant: the need for skilled, ethical, and tech-savvy lawyers who can navigate the complexities of the legal system and advocate for their clients in an ever-changing world.

About Major Nirvikar Singh

Major Nirvikar Singh is an Advocate at the Supreme Court of India and various High Courts. He specializes in representing clients in high-profile and complex cases involving criminal law, constitutional law, commercial litigation, public policy, human rights, international law, and arbitration. With over five years of experience, he has successfully argued and defended multiple petitions, appeals, and writs before the apex court and various high courts across the country, as well as in arbitrations such as LCIA. He also has a distinguished background as a former Indian Army Officer (Armored Corps).

Disclaimer:This article is sponsored content curated by HT Syndication. The inputs and details accounted for in the article do not necessarily reflect those of HT, and HT does not endorse or assume any responsibility for the information provided.
Dubai Aquarium by Emaar, which is one of the largest suspended aquariums in the world and underwater zoo, took to Instagram to share that a shark in their aquarium has given birth to a baby shark. The aquarium even shared a video capturing the magical moment when the shark was born. Dubai: Shark is giving birth to a baby at a mall. (Instagram/@dubaiaquarium)

Witnessing a baby shark come to life this morning at our aquarium was such a magical moment, reads the caption to the video shared on Instagram.

The stunning video shows the rare moment when a shark is being born at the Dubai aquarium. It captures the miraculous moment a tiny shark emerged from its mother. The newborn shark was first seen gliding across the waters surface before swiftly darting towards the other end of the aquarium.

The video also featured a young boy excitedly pointing at the mother shark and the baby shark.

Watch the video here:

Since being shared, the video has accumulated over 18,000 views, numerous likes and comments.

Also Read| Shark hatches pup without any contact with a male shark in Brookfield Zoo in US

Check out a few comments here:

So wholesome to watch this, expressed an Instagram user.

Another added, How beautiful.

Awesome! We were there yesterday and diving, we saw that baby still with the mother and its miraculous to have it born today, shared a third.

A fourth commented, They have to move him alone to a pond until he learns to eat. I am a specialist in reproducing sharks in controlled facilities.

Incredible! said another user.

Dubai Aquarium and Underwater Zoo in the UAE houses thousands of aquatic animals, comprising over 140 species, according to its website. The gigantic 100 million litre tank has 400 sharks and rays. A hugely popular tourist attraction inside Dubai Mall, visitors can also go
The anti-sex cardboard beds have always been in the eye of controversy since their debut in Tokyo in 2021. Reportedly, the beds were constructed to stop athletes from getting intimate with one another during the post-Covid period. However, several athletes have slammed the beds as uncomfortable and hard. A recent video on Instagram highlights the very same issues. In the video, an athlete is seen saying that the beds are s***. The image shows an athlete's reaction to sleeping on an anti-sex cardboard bed at the 2024 Paris Olympics. (Screengrab)

More news on BedGate 2024, reads the caption to the video shared on an Instagram page. In the video, an athlete is seen half-asleep on her bed with a text insert appearing on the screen that reads, Update on the Olympic cardboard beds. The first word that came out of her mouth this morning.

As the video progresses, the athlete is seen complaining about the beds. The video also shows a snippet from a clip posted by Australian water polo player Tilly Kearns. There, she reveals that the Olympians from her country at the 2024 Paris Olympics have received mattress toppers to make sleeping on hard beds easier.

Take a look at the viral video:

With over 3.6 million views, the video has gone viral on social media. It has also sparked outrage among people, with many asking how athletes are supposed to perform well if they are unable to have a peaceful sleep.

What did Instagram users say about this video of Paris Olympic beds?

Can you imagine the kind of performance we would get from athletes if they actually got a proper night's sleep now? questioned an Instagram user. Another added, How are these athletes supposed to perform when they sleep on shoe boxes?

A third individual expressed, Just buy normal beds and then donate them to the poor! There are millions of people that urgently need a new mattress/bed and cant afford it. A fourth wrote, Whoever thought this was a good idea needs to get fired. A few pointed out that similar beds were provided in the Tokyo Olympics.

About the cardboard beds:

The organising committee was thinking about recyclable items, and the bed was one of the ideas, Takashi Kitajima, the general manager of the Tokyo Athletes Village, told the Associated Press in 2020. The GM added that the beds can hold 200 kg of weight. This year, the organisers of the Paris Olympics also adopted the bed frame design.
Anant Ambani and Radhika Merchant were spotted in Paris with the rest of the Ambani family, including billionaire Mukesh Ambani, his daughter Isha Ambani and her husband, Anand Piramal. They reached Europe after getting married in Mumbai earlier this month. Reliance Foundation chairperson Nita Ambani, who is an International Olympic Committee (IOC) member, is in the French capital for the ongoing Paris 2024 Olympics. Anant Ambani and Radhika Merchant were seen in Paris.

Newlyweds Anant Ambani and Radhika Merchant opted for chic and comfortable casual wear, a refreshing change from the elaborate wedding finery they donned during their star-studded wedding celebrations. While Anant wore a printed shirt and trousers for his Paris outing, Radhika picked a flowy dress.

The Ambanis headed towards their car after they stepped out of what appeared like a restaurant.

Watch the visuals of Anant Ambani and Radhika Merchant in Paris:

Last week, Mukesh Ambani was spotted at Disneyland Paris with granddaughter Aadiya. Nita and Mukesh Ambani attended the opening ceremony of the Paris Olympics. They were seen wearing ponchos on a rainy Parisian Friday.

Nita Ambani congratulates Manu Bhaker and Sarabjot Singh

Earlier on Tuesday, Nita Ambani congratulated ace shooters Manu Bhaker and Sarabjot Singh on their historic bronze medal win at the Paris Olympics and said that the whole nation now hopes for Bhaker to complete her hat-trick of medals.

First stop in Jamnagar after wedding

Anant Ambani and Radhika Merchant had first headed to Jamnagar, Gujarat after their wedding. The couple got a big welcome from locals as they arrived in the town. Videos showed women performing aarti and showering Radhika Merchant, who wore a simple pink kurta, with rose petals.

The couple got married on July 12 in the biggest wedding celebrations in recent times. Top global and Indian celebrities, including Kim Kardashian and Khloe Kardashian, and several Indian politicians attended the celebrations. Prime Minister Narendra Modi blessed the newly-weds on the Shubh Aashirwad ceremony held a day after they got married.
Roberto "Loli" Linguanotto, who was believed to be the inventor of the classic Italian dessert- tiramisu- died at the age of 81. As per reports, Linguanotto's name will always be associated with the sumptuous coffee-flavoured dessert tiramisu that is said to have emerged in the 1980s. The person who is believed to have invented tiramisu died at age 81.

He came up with the dessert while working as a pastry chef at the famed restaurant Le Beccherie in Treviso, Italy. The coffee-flavored pudding has a variety of genesis stories. According to one tale, Linguanotto unintentionally spilt mascarpone into a bowl of sugar and eggs. Later, he and co-inventor Alba di Pillo-Campeol (wife of Le Beccherie owner Ado Campeol) added espresso-soaked ladyfingers to the famed sweet dish, reported The Sun.

Gigi Padovani, a journalist who became Roberto's close friend, co-wrote the book 'Tiramisu' with his wife, Clara. He told The Sun, "In no time, that dessert became a staple at Le Beccherie. It was served on a round tray with ladyfingers soaked in coffee and two layers of cream and mascarpone. A few years later, in 1983, the tiramisu recipe was published in a Treviso gastronomic magazine for the first time. Le Beccherie then took it to Venice and later spread it around the world. From the 1990s onwards, the dessert became famous everywhere." (Also Read: Ex-Google, Amazon employee quits 6-figure job to make pastries: Im happier)

Despite his shy and reserved personality, Linguanotto was said to be quite popular among his colleagues. He worked overseas for several years before returning to his native Veneto region.

"I join in mourning the passing of Roberto Linguanotto, who made a significant impact in the world of pastry. Today, tiramisu is a globally recognised culinary excellence. Much of its success is due to his skill as a pastry chef and his dedication to making our Venetian delicacy unique and inimitable. He elevated tiramisu to the forefront of both national and international desserts," said Luca Zaia, the region's president.
A Mumbai-based entrepreneur shared her experience of her encounter with a job aspirant who verbally abused her during a WhatsApp exchange. Founder Senain Sawant, who has been struggling to find the right candidates for her start-up Grump, recounted the incident on LinkedIn, highlighting the challenges faced by entrepreneurs and employers in finding suitable candidates. Senain Sawant is the founder of Grump India.(LinkedIn/Senain Sawant)

Sawant had scheduled a video interview with the candidate, who had applied for the role of a social media executive, via Google Meet for Monday. She said since the candidate's resume did not have sufficient information for an immediate hire, she wanted to meet them to see if they had the potential to be a social media executive, or if they could be trained first as an intern.

"They joined the call with the camera off, said they don't own a computer and something about iOS update not allowing video calls," Senain Sawant said in her LinkedIn post.

When she asked the candidate how they usually worked, the candidate said they got a laptop from the previous employer.

"I asked them to join at a time when their video can be turned on, since this is an interview and I need to see who I'm speaking with. They said 'Fine' and cut the call," she said.

Job aspirant's verbal abuse of founder

"Their tone was off from the start, they weren't audible to begin with and it seemed like they were out in public from the amount of noise in the background."

Sawant shared screenshots of the WhatsApp exchange that took place after the candidate allegedly cut the video call.

She pointed out it was clearly mentioned in the calendar invite that it would be a video interview and that she has not heard of an iOS update that does not allow video calls as the candidate claimed.

The candidate got defensive, as per the screenshots of the conversation and said they applied for the role of a social media executive and not for an internship.

"Your resume speaks otherwise. All the best," Sawant replied.

The candidate said they are "okay skipping this one (the role)", adding that they had an year of work experience.

"With all due respect, don't be a bi**h. The arrogance you speak with," the candidate said in their next set of WhatsApp messages.

Shocked, Sawant responded: "Excuse me?"

The candidate doubled down, telling the potential employer: "No one would want to speak to you."

The Mumbai entrepreneur ended the conversation by saying, "Thank you for clarifying your level of experience and professionalism."

Support poured in on LinkedIn for Sawant after she shared what happened during the hiring process, with several users commented on her post.

(Also Read: Woman who moved to Mumbai for internship, terminated by law firm after taking sick leave)

Reflecting on the incident, the start-up founder spoke with hindustantimes.com, highlighting how a section of Gen Z views their work as well as concerns about the generational differences in the modern workplace.

More than being upset I am disappointed with the sense of entitlement that I see amongst candidates applying for work. Here at Grump were trying to cultivate a positive and respectful work environment, Sawant, who is in her mid-20s, said.

With this new age of candidates, it almost feels like they don't really need the work. A job seems more like a gig before they disappear. So I live and I learn.
A heart-stopping video from north Kerala's Kozhikode district shows a bus bravely crossing a bridge as furious waters rage on both sides. The dramatic footage captures the tense moment showcasing the sheer intensity of the devastation caused by the heavy rain in northern Kerala that has left at least over 90 people dead in Wayanad district. A bus crosses a bridge even as water rages around it in Kerala's Kozhikode. (X/@ANI)

Several houses were damaged and bridge and roads washed away following a landslide in the high ranges of the northern parts of Kozhikode that borders Wayanad district that has been ravaged by a series of massive landslides.

Take a look at the bone-chilling video of the bus crossing the bridge in Kerala:

There are 24 relief camps set up in the Kozhikode taluk sheltering 298 people. Two camps have been set up in the Vadakara Taluk camps (21 people), seven camps in Koilandy Taluk (161 people) and eight camps have been set up at the Thamarassery Taluk (374 people).

The Kerala government has declared official mourning in the state on Tuesday and Wednesday.

The army and the National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) are among those involved in the rescue operations at the landslide site at Chooralmala in Wayanad. Using ropes, soldiers were ferried across the river, which is in spate.

(Also Read: 'Wayanad a paradise on earth, devasted by landslides: Anand Mahindra offers support)

What trigged Wayanad landslides?

Extremely heavy rain triggered a series of landslides in the hilly areas of Kerala's Wayanad district early on Tuesday. Many were feared trapped under the debris.

Red alert in Kerala

The weather office has issued a red alert for eight districts in Kerala for heavy rain. A red alert has been issued for the Idukki, Thrissur, Palakkad, Malappuram, Kozhikode, Wayanad, Kannur and Kasargod districts. An orange alert has been issued for Pathanamthitta, Alappuzha, Kottayam and Ernakulam districts for today.

(Also Read: 'Karnataka will provide all help: CM Siddaramaiah on Wayanad landslide accident)
Washington, As many as 3,60,000 people have signed up to volunteer in support of Vice President Kamala Harris, her campaign has said, reflecting the groundswell of support in her favour in her race against former President Donald Trump. 360K people sign up to volunteer Harris campaign

Harris is the presumptive presidential nominee of the Democratic Party. She officially declared her candidacy for president last week after incumbent President Joe Biden withdrew from the race for a second term. She is expected to be officially declared as the presidential candidate by the Democrats at the party's national convention in Chicago next month.

If elected on November 5 to succeed President Biden, Harris  the daughter of a Jamaican father and an Indian mother  would not only be the first woman, but the first Indian-American, the first Asian and the first Black woman to ascend to the office.

The Harris campaign said on Sunday it has intensified its effort after raising a whopping USD 200 million in a week and with 17,000 volunteers having signed up.

We continue to see enormous enthusiasm around the Vice President's campaign. Over USD 200 million in less than a week, two-thirds of which came from new donors.

Today, we've got 360,000 new volunteers and counting," Harris for President Battleground States director Dan Kanninen told reporters on Monday.

"We had 170,000 new volunteers heading into this weekend of action. As the vice president herself said on Saturday, we are the underdogs in this race, but the groundswell of support around the vice president is real and it is meaningful. Our task now is to translate that enthusiasm into action, Kanninen said.

Energised by this, in the coming weeks, 'Harris for President' is going to continue to scale up in both the Blue Wall and the Sunbelt to continue to bolster the multiple paths to 270.

We are making these investments across the entire map because the data is clear: we have multiple pathways to 270 electoral votes. The Vice President is strong in both the Blue Wall and the Sunbelt, and well be running hard in both, Kanninen said.

Her record as a fighter for reproductive rights resonates in the suburbs as well as traditionally red and rural communities. Her historic candidacy is mobilising for the Democratic Party's diverse base. And weve seen enormous enthusiasm from young voters as well, he said about the 59-year-old Harris.

"We jumped in with just 100 days to go against an opponent who has shown he is willing to do anything to win and this weekend, even suggesting this might be America's last election if he regains power. This is going to be an incredibly close race, just like it was in 2020. But just like four years ago, we are going to win this thing, he said. Harris will be up against former president Trump, the Republican Party's presidential candidate for the high-stakes November 5 general elections.

This election is going to be incredibly close, so this campaign is getting to work and taking nothing for granted," said Harris for President communications director Michael Tyler.

Over the weekend, Haris said: We are the underdogs in this race, but this is a people-powered campaign and we have momentum.

To build on that momentum, Vice President Harris will take her winning message to Atlanta on Tuesday and will lay out her vision for a future where this country moves forward, not backwards, while continuing to prosecute Trump and his extreme Project 2025 agenda.

Before speaking to a crowd of thousands, Vice President Harris will also meet with local reproductive rights leaders and activists as part of the campaign's reproductive rights weekend of action. In Georgia specifically, we had 2,500 volunteers this weekend come out to join over 174 events - with more than 300 voters turning out in even deep red Forsyth County, she said.

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Johannesburg, The African Growth and Opportunity Act and the Africa Continental Free Trade Area should be viewed as complementary forces crucial for Africas economic integration rather than as separate entities, South African Minister for Trade, Industry and Competition Parks Tau said on Tuesday. AGOA and AfCFTA should be viewed as complementary forces crucial for economic integration, says South Africas trade minister

Tau said this at a media briefing on Tuesday after returning from the US, where he led a delegation to the 21st African Growth and Opportunity Act Forum in Washington.

The delegation engaged with the US stakeholders intending to strengthen trade and investment relations amid growing concern that relations between the US and South Africa are becoming strained after South Africa instituted action at the International Court of Justice against Israel for its war on Gaza.

Analysts said that as a leader on the African continent, this could also have an impact on AGOA, which allows US importers to clear around 6,800 products dutyfree from sub-Saharan countries in Africa.

First enacted as an Act in the US in 2000 when Bill Clinton was president, the AGOA legislation has been renewed several times with the latest one ending in September next year.

Our key message was to reset and create partnerships with an emphasis on industrialisation, building a capable state and job creation. We regard the AGOA Forum as a crucial engagement reinforcing the strong economic ties between South Africa and the United States and our African continent, Tau said.

We received strong bipartisan backing from the US Congress and our colleagues in the US Administration for the reauthorisation of AGOA. The mutually beneficial economic and trade partnership is highlighted by the more than 600 US businesses operating in South Africa and with over 1.3 million jobs created in sub-Saharan Africa, Tau added.

The minister said that proposals presented by the delegation included the extension of AGOA for stability, improved rules of origin, and adjustments to the eligibility review process to preserve regional value chains and enhance Africas manufacturing capabilities.

He said they also called for AGOA enhancements to support integration with the African Continental Free Trade Area .

Initiated in 2020, the ambitious AfCFTA aimed to create the largest free trade area in the world, through the pact between the 55 countries on the continent.

The World Bank said at the time that it would connect 1.3 billion people across these countries with a combined gross domestic product valued at USD 3.4 trillion.

It has the potential to lift 30 million people out of extreme poverty, but achieving its full potential will depend on putting in place significant policy reforms and trade facilitation measures, the World Bank said.

AGOA and AfCFTA should be viewed as complementary forces crucial for Africas economic integration rather than as separate entities. AGOA has significantly expanded Africas access to US markets, while AfCFTA aims to create a unified continental market by eliminating tariffs and fostering economic cooperation among African nations, Tau said.

To fully leverage both frameworks, AGOAs provisions should be enhanced to support AfCFTAs goals. This includes extending AGOA to provide trade stability, improving rules of origin to streamline the integration of regional value chains, and adjusting the eligibility review process to reflect AfCFTAs progress.

By aligning AGOA with AfCFTA, Africa can create a more cohesive economic structure that boosts intra-African trade, enhances manufacturing capabilities, and integrates regional economies into the global market, driving sustainable growth across the continent, Tau said.

Tau also commented on the BRICS Trade Ministers Meeting held in Moscow last week. Deputy Minister Zuko Godlimpi represented South Africa at the meeting, where there was a call for a predictable, fair and equitable trade environment consistent with WTOs rules as being crucial for advancing economic prosperity.

Both the AGOA Forum and the BRICS Trade Ministers Meeting were fundamental in advancing international trade relations and economic cooperation. These engagements underscore the importance of cooperative trade relations in shaping a more equitable and sustainable global economy, Tau said as he reaffirmed South Africas commitment to pursue transparent and strategic partnerships with both its Global North and Global South partners.

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MELBOURNE, Australia  A police officer testified Tuesday he did not know where bullets were coming from as two colleagues were shot in an ambush by three Christian extremists on a rural Australian property two years ago. Australian police officer recalls 2022 ambush by extremists in rural area that left 2 officers dead

Constable Randall Kirk told a coroners inquest he was also shot as he fled the property in the Wieambilla region of Queensland state on Dec. 12, 2022, after his colleagues Constable Matthew Arnold and Constable Rachel McCrow had been killed.

They were ambushed by brothers Gareth and Nathaniel Train and Gareths wife Stacey Train, conspiracy theorists who hated police, State Coroner Terry Ryan was told.

Ryan is investigating the circumstances of the violence that claimed six lives to determine among other things whether the Trains' weapons were legally obtained and whether the slain police had been adequately trained and equipped.

The Train couple lived on the property and Nathaniel Train, who had previously been Stacey Trains husband and had two children with her, was visiting from another state.

The property had several concealed shooting positions and Gareth Train had been warned that police would be visiting in response to a missing person report made by his younger brothers wife, who cannot be named for legal reasons.

All three Trains were shot dead by police later that day following a six-hour siege. All three were photographed firing rifles at police armored vehicles and ignoring calls to surrender.

A neighbor, Alan Dare, was also shot dead by one of the Trains when he came to investigate the sounds of gunfire and smoke from a burning police car an hour after the initial ambush.

Kirk said he, Arnold, McCrow and Constable Keely Brough all jumped the Trains front gate in search of Nathaniel Train less than two minutes before the rifle fire started.

Kirk said he saw no one on the property other than his colleagues when the shooting began.

Arnold was fatally shot in the chest and McCrow was wounded moments later. Brough hid in long grass while Kirk hid behind a tree as rifle shots continued. Kirk said he lay on his stomach trying not to get shot.

I don't recall seeing anyone, Kirk said. I don't recall where the shots came from.

Kirk eventually saw at a distance both brothers, who were armed.

A wounded McCrow had fired all 15 bullets in her semi-automatic pistol before Kirk said he saw Gareth Train approach her, exchange words, then fatally shoot her.

Kirk said he then fired his pistol at Gareth Train but missed. Kirk said his pistol was only accurate over 15 meters . Kirks gunshot gave away his hiding spot.

That was a mistake, boys, one of the Train brothers said, his words recorded by the dead officers body-worn cameras.

Come out and get on the ... ground or you die, a male voice added.

Kirk said he had no option but to run. He heard shots as he ran to a police car parked off the property and later discovered he had a bullet wound to his hip.

Brough remained hidden and was rescued by police backup about two hours after the ambush began.

The lawyer presenting the coroners evidence, Ruth OGorman, said the inquest would hear a psychiatrists evidence that all three Trains were experiencing symptoms of a shared psychiatric disorder.

They had identical persecutory and religious beliefs that met the psychiatric definition of delusions, OGorman said.

The inquest in the state capital, Brisbane, will continue for five weeks.

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DHAKA, Bangladesh  Bangladesh observed a day of mourning Tuesday in memory of more than 200 people killed in recent weeks during violence that evolved from student protests over the South Asian country's quota system for government jobs. Bangladesh mourns some 200 deaths as student protests wind down and thousands are arrested

After weeks of peaceful protests by students looking to change the system  which reserved 30% of government jobs for relatives of veterans and those who were raped during the war of independence against Pakistan in 1971  violence erupted July 15 when activists of a student wing of the ruling party attacked demonstrators. Security officials opened fire, using tear gas and rubber bullets to try to quell the violence.

The quota protests posed the most serious challenge to Bangladeshs government since Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina won a fourth consecutive term in January elections that the main opposition groups boycotted. The ruling Awami League party and opposition Bangladesh Nationalist Party have often accused each other of fueling political chaos and violence, most recently ahead of the countrys national election, which was marred by a crackdown on several opposition figures.

Government officials  including those at the Bangladesh Secretariat, the top office containing most of the countrys ministers and bureaucrats  wore black badges Tuesday to mourn those killed as the country crawls back to normalcy with the strict curfew being relaxed in recent days. Authorities also asked all mosques, temples and other religious installations to organize special prayers Tuesday for the dead.

Home Minister Asaduzzaman Khan put the overall death toll at 150, while the countrys leading Bengali-language daily, Prothom Alo, said 211 people were killed since July 16. Thousands of others have been injured.

Media reports said about 10,000 people have been arrested over the past two weeks in relation to clashes at protests and other attacks on state properties. Rights groups have called for an end to arbitrary arrests, and critics accused the government of using excessive force to tamp down the fighting.

The mass arrest and arbitrary detention of student protesters is a witch hunt by the authorities to silence anyone who dares to challenge the government and is a tool to further perpetuate a climate of fear," Smriti Singh, regional director for South Asia at Amnesty International, said in a statement Monday. Reports suggest that these arrests are entirely politically motivated, in retaliation for the exercise of human rights.

The government has defended its position, saying that the arrests were being made on specific charges.

Six of the protest coordinators being held in custody by the Detective Branch of the Dhaka Metropolitan Police released a statement calling off the protests, but other demonstrators rejected the video statement, claiming it was coerced. They say they will protest until all nine of their demands are met, including a public apology from Hasina.

Police said the six coordinators were taken into custody for their safety, and their families met them on Monday. A video was posted showing the six coordinators having meals with the head of the Detective Branch in Dhaka.

Also on Monday, some student protesters briefly attempted to regroup, but police foiled their attempts.

Protesters said the 30% quota was discriminatory and benefited supporters of Hasina, whose Awami League party led the independence movement, and wanted it replaced by a merit-based system.

On July 21, the Supreme Court ordered that the 1971 war veterans quota be cut to 5%. Of the remainder, 93% of civil service jobs would be merit-based, while the remaining 2% would be reserved for members of ethnic minorities, transgender people and those with disabilities. Two days later, the government accepted the ruling and pledged to execute the decision.

Both broadband and mobile data services were restored Tuesday after a dayslong internet blackout, but social media platforms including Facebook remained blocked. Banks and offices opened under a relaxed curfew. Schools and other educational institutions were closed with no opening date yet set as police continued to grapple with protesters.

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Drone attacks left at least six civilians dead Tuesday in a northern Mali town where Malian troops and Russian allies recently suffered heavy losses fighting separatist rebels, local officials and separatists told AFP. Drone attacks kill six on Mali-Algeria border

"The drones killed at least six civilians Tuesday among them Sudanese, Nigeriens and Chadians," one local official said after the attack at Tinzaouatene near the Algerian border.

Another official accused armed forces and the Russian fighters of killing ten people in the attack.

Separatist spokesman Mohamed Elmaouloud, told AFP that "drone fire from the Malian army accompanied by Wagner targeted civilian gold miners working in a mine near the Algerian border".

He added there had been "dozens of deaths, mainly Nigerien Hausa and Chadians".

A Malian source told AFP that "the drones targeted and hit a pick-up transporting terrorists and their weapons", without giving further details.

The Malian army and Wagner acknowledged a serious setback in the region on Saturday, taking heavy losses in fighting against separatist rebels and jihadists.

The Malian army on Monday said it suffered a "large number" of deaths in a rare admission after rebels claimed to have inflicted major losses.

The CSP-DPA alliance, a mainly Tuareg separatist coalition, claimed a major victory over the army and its Russian allies at the weekend following three days of intense combat around Tinzaouatene.

The Al-Qaeda-linked group Jama'at Nusrat al-Islam wal Muslimeen also claimed it had attacked an army convoy and Wagner mercenaries just south of Tinzaouatene.

JNIM said it killed 50 Russians and 10 Malians, though AFP could not verify the claims.

The Wagner group on Monday likewise admitted severe losses, including a commander.

The West African nation's military leaders who seized power in a 2020 coup have made it a priority to retake all of the country from separatists and jihadist forces.

At the same time the junta has broken off military alliances with former colonial power France and turned to Russia for support.

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The son of the former Sinaloa drug cartel leader El Chapo pleaded not guilty Tuesday to a raft of charges linked to one of the world's biggest illicit narcotics operations, prosecutors said. El Chapo's son pleads not guilty to drugs charges: prosecutor

Joaquin Guzman Lopez was arrested in a scheme allegedly orchestrated by Washington without the involvement of Mexico, in which he was detained in Texas on Thursday.

The judge in the case denied bail and remanded him in custody, ordering a case management hearing for September 30, the assistant US Attorney's office said in a statement to AFP.

Many of the details of the arrest operation, in which co-founder of the cartel Ismael Zambada Garcia, known as "El Mayo", was also taken into US custody, remain murky.

He has also pleaded not guilty and has been remanded in custody.

US media have quoted law enforcement sources as saying that Zambada was unwittingly lured across the Mexico border by Guzman Lopez, one of El Chapo's four sons.

According to a US Drug Enforcement Administration report released in May, the sons were engaged in an "internal battle" against Zambada, their father's former partner.

Guzman Lopez was indicted by a federal grand jury on charges of drugs trafficking, money laundering and weapons charges according to court documents previously released by prosecutors.

Broadcaster CNN reported that Guzman Lopez's lawyer, Jeffrey Lichtman, told reporters his client faces the death penalty in the case. Lichtman did not return an AFP request for comment.

Guzman Lopez, aged in his 30s, is among El Chapo's sons known collectively as Los Chapitos, or "The Little Chapos."

El Chapo was convicted of drug charges in New York in 2019 and is serving a life sentence in a maximum security prison.

DEA chief Anne Milgram said Zambada's arrest "strikes at the heart of the cartel that is responsible for the majority of drugs, including fentanyl and methamphetamine, killing Americans from coast to coast."

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By Nidal al-Mughrabi and Mohammad Salem Israeli forces quit east Khan Younis, Palestinians recover doz

CAIRO/KHAN YOUNIS, Gaza Strip, - T housands of Palestinians returned to their homes in the ruins of Gaza's main southern city Khan Younis on Tuesday, after Israeli forces ended a week-long incursion there which they said aimed to prevent Islamist armed group Hamas from regrouping.

Palestinian health officials said rescue workers had so far recovered 42 bodies of Palestinians killed in the Israeli incursion into eastern Khan Younis. Gaza's Civil Emergency Service said more searches were underway with 200 people still reported missing.

The Israeli military said its forces killed more than 150 Palestinian gunmen during the week-long raid, destroyed militant tunnels and seized weapons.

After the Israeli forces left, people streamed back to their homes on foot and with donkey carts carrying their belongings. Many found their houses damaged or destroyed.

Witnesses said army forces had bulldozed the main cemetery in Bani Suhaila, the town on the eastern outskirts of Khan Younis that was the main focus of the raid, as well as houses and roads nearby.

"I am coming back and I have faith in God. I don't know whether we will live or die, but it is all for the sake of the homeland," said Etimad Al-Masri, who had walked for at least five kilometers back to her home.

"Despite the suffering, we are patient and God's willing we will have victory."

Many residents said they had been displaced from their homes several times.

"We hope there will be a ceasefire and calm. We hope that they act on a ceasefire so that we can live in security and safety," said Walid Abu Nsaira, holding some of his belongings on his shoulder as he walked back home.

Ten months into the war, Israeli forces have largely completed their storming of nearly the entire Gaza Strip and have spent the past several weeks launching new assaults on areas where they had already claimed to have rooted out Hamas. Thousands of people have been ordered to evacuate their homes, most of them previously displaced several times already.

Efforts to negotiate a ceasefire through mediators, ongoing for months, are once again faltering. On Monday, Israel and Hamas traded blame over the lack of progress.

Hamas wants a ceasefire agreement to end the war in Gaza, while Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu says the conflict will stop only once Hamas is defeated. There are also disagreements over how a deal would be implemented.

The war began with an assault on southern Israel by Hamas-led fighters who killed 1,200 people, most of them civilians, and captured around 250 hostages, according to Israeli tallies.

Since then Israeli forces have killed more than 39,000 Palestinians in the Gaza Strip, according to health authorities there who do not distinguish between combatants and civilians but say more than half of the dead are women or children. Israel, which has lost around 330 soldiers in Gaza, says a third of the Palestinian fatalities are fighters.

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A Spanish judge arrived at Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez's official residence on Tuesday to question him in a graft probe into his wife's business dealings, a case that has piled pressure on his fragile minority government. Judge to question Spain PM in wife's graft probe

Sanchez has denied any wrongdoing by his wife, Begona Gomez, and dismissed the allegations as part of a right-wing smear campaign against his leftist government.

But the case has stoked acrimony, with the conservative opposition calling on Sanchez to resign.

Gomez is being investigated for alleged influence peddling and corruption following a complaint filed by an anti-graft NGO "Manos Limpias" Spanish for "Clean Hands" which has links to the far right.

Judge Juan Carlos Peinado, who is heading the preliminary inquiry, went to Sanchez's residence to question him as a witness in the probe.

The only other time a sitting Spanish prime minister has testified in a judicial case was in 2017, when Mariano Rajoy was summoned in a graft case that led to the conviction of several members of his conservative Popular Party .

Sanchez asked to testify in writing as allowed under Spanish law for top government officials, but Peinado rejected the request, arguing he would quiz him as Gomez's spouse.

The premier can now choose to remain silent but "politically this could look bad", said University of Alicante criminal law professor Bernardo del Rosal.

"Not answering the judge, or answering in writing, could create the image that he is arrogant," del Rosal told AFP.

Sanchez presided over a regular cabinet meeting on Tuesday morning and is set to travel to the Mediterranean island of Mallorca for a summer holiday audience with King Felipe VI.

Gomez, who has worked in fundraising for years, invoked her right to remain silent under questioning by the judge earlier this month.

She is alleged to have used her husband's position as leverage within her professional circles, notably with businessman Juan Carlos Barrabes, who was seeking public funding.

In his testimony, Barrabes who teaches part of a master's course at Madrid's Complutense University that is run by Gomez acknowledged meeting her several times at the premier's official residence.

Sanchez was present at two of those meetings, he said.

Barrabes who got two letters of recommendation from Gomez before pitching for a public tender worth several million euros said they only talked about matters of innovation, judicial sources said.

Manos Limpias has said its allegations against Gomez were entirely based on media reports, which could turn out to be false.

Spanish prosecutors have failed to get the case dismissed.

Even if a court eventually decides to shelve the case without a trial, "all this noise" will damage the PM's image, del Rosal said.

Sanchez's supporters have accused Peinado, whose daughter is a PP city councillor, of political bias.

The judge has taken controversial decisions seen as favouring the right. In 2015 he accepted another Manos Limpias complaint over tweets made by two leftist Madrid city councillors deemed offensive.

Peinado will allow a lawyer from the far-right party Vox to question Sanchez as part of the probe.

Vox is taking part in the investigation as a so-called "popular prosecutor" a set-up under Spanish law that allows citizens or organisations to be an accuser in court.

Speaking to reporters outside the PM's residence, Vox spokesman Jorge Buxade said Sanchez was "nervous" because before a judge "he can't do what he does in parliament, which is mock those who ask questions, remain silent or lie".

When the probe was opened in April, Sanchez took five days off to consider his future but ultimately stayed on.

Sanchez, who has been in office since 2018, has struggled to pass legislation since he returned to power last year after an inconclusive election.

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A royal expert has claimed that King Charles may face an incredibly sad situation after Prince Harrys latest statement on bringing Meghan Markle and their children back to the UK. Harry sat down with ITV in a new documentary titled Tabloids on Trial, and said that it would be dangerous to bring his wife and kids back to the UK. King Charles may face incredibly sad situation after Prince Harrys latest statement (REUTERS/Hannah McKay/File Photo, Ludovic Marin, Pool via AP, File)

It's still dangerous. All it takes is one lone actor, one person who reads this stuff to act on what they have read. Whether it's a knife or acid, these are things that are of genuine concern for me, Harry said.

It's one of the reasons why I wont bring my wife back to this country, he said during the sit-down interview which aired on July 25, the Duke of Sussex added.

It's an incredibly sad situation

A royal expert told the Mail that this decision of Harry could lead to Charles becoming more and more remote from his grandchildren. It is believed that Charles saw Harry and Meghans children, five-year-old Prince Archie and three-year-old Lilibet, when the couple and the kids came to the UK to attend the late Queens Platinum Jubilee celebrations in June 2022.

It would be great to think that at some point soon the King would get to visit the grandchildren that he has seen very little of, but he is 75 and still not in the best of health, said Joe Little, managing editor of Majesty magazine. A visit to America is unlikely to be a high priority now, given the other demands on his time.

It's an incredibly sad situation that few would have predicted even five years ago, Little added.

Meghans father, Thomas Markle, recently blasted her and Harry for denying Archie and Lilibet the right to know George, Charlotte and Louis. It struck me as very sad that Meghan and Harry's kids are being denied the right to know their cousins, who look like fantastic children, or take part in things like Trooping the Colour, which is their birthright, Thomas told New Zealand Woman's Weekly.
By Danial Azhar Malaysia says tankers in July 19 collision anchored in its waters

KUALA LUMPUR, - Two large oil tankers that collided and caught fire near Singapore earlier this month are afloat and anchored in Malaysian waters, with an investigation into the incident ongoing, Malaysia's marine department said on Tuesday.

The Singapore-flagged Hafnia Nile and the Sao Tome- and Principe-flagged Ceres I collided and caught fire about 55 km northeast of the Singaporean island of Pedra Branca early on July 19.

The Hafnia Nile, a Panamax tanker, was carrying about 300,000 barrels of naphtha destined for Japan, according to ship-tracking data from Kpler and LSEG. Naphtha is a raw material for making petrochemicals.

"The Hafnia Nile is hazardous as it is still carrying its naphtha cargo," Mohamad Halim Ahmed, Director General of Malaysia's Marine Department, told a press conference, adding the tanker was severely burnt and its superstructure was compromised but its cargo intact.

"Our priority is to ensure it remains afloat and can be moved safely."

Mohamad Halim said preliminary investigations found that the Ceres I was anchored before the collision due to technical issues. The Hafnia Nile's attempts to avoid the Ceres I failed, resulting in the collision, he said.

Malaysia's coast guard initially said the Ceres I, a very large crude carrier supertanker, had fled the location of the incident and was believed to have turned off its tracking system.

However, Mohamad Halim said the Ceres I drifted away from the location of the collision as its anchor was damaged, before it was located and detained by Malaysia's coast guard.

He said there was no oil spill detected at the location of the collision, only an oil sheen believed to be from damage to the Hafnia Nile's bunker tank.

Mohamad Halim said his department was in contact with Singaporean authorities and the owner of the Ceres I to move both vessels to a safe location.

Once both vessels were moved out of open waters to a port, the Malaysian government would then decide on the next steps of the investigation, he said.

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A man was held accountable in court for sparking huge wildfires in California on Monday, July 29, 2024. The mentioned wildfire has devoured more than 370,000 stretches of land and burned through multiple-storeyed buildings and homes. It has also displaced thousands of people from their homes as they dont have one to return to. The accused man is identified as Ronnie Stout. A man in court was accused of starting huge wildfires in the state of California.

Also Read: Trump rally shooting: Horrifying new clip shows cops with guns surrounding building, then gunfire erupting: Watch

Man held responsible for wildfires in California

On Monday afternoon, Ronnie Stout was charged with arson as he allegedly ignited the wildfire, uncontrollable so far, when he pushed a burning car into the ravine. The Butte County Judge Kristen Lucena has ordered to take him into custody without bail. The wildfire which is now recorded as the sixth-highest-witnessed by the state is currently roaring and destroying in four counties 100 miles to the north of Sacramento. The Park Fire has already destroyed 373,537 acres of land which is only slightly larger than the land size of the Los Angeles city, as reported by BBC.

The fire has turned 109 structures into ashes and the firefighters teams are only able to contain 12% of it. More than 8,000 people have been instructed to leave their settlements behind to escape the wrath of the fire. So far no casualties of any kind have been reported.

Also Read: Prince Harry really broke the trust of his family as the Royals fear

Officials rescue animals amid wildfire

On Saturday, Trevor Skaggs from the Butte County Sheriffs Office, who is part of a search and rescue team, found the surviving dogs after a strenuous 1.5-mile run through the fire-ravaged area. The dogs and their puppies were left behind by a man who was escaping the wildfire when his truck broke down. While the adult male dog didnt make it, the remaining dogs were found alive but exhausted and thirsty. Skaggs had to be flown by helicopter to a nearby spot before running to the dogs location, as the fire had made the area difficult to access.

The officers fed the dogs some biscuits and water and were then flown to the Chico Airport and are now in the care of the North Valley Animal Disaster Group which is a local animal rescue organisation. The sheriff said, Its been a horrific few days for our community and we are grateful to be able to share this amazing story.

The NVADG has rescued more than 60 large animals such as cows and horses and 80 small animals which mostly consist of pets.
Prince Harry literally fears if he visits the UK with his family, Meghan Markle will surely get attacked with a knife or acid. He has voiced serious concerns regarding their security in the King's landing. Criticism of royal family hindering Prince Harry and Meghan Markle's reconciliation, expert suggests. REUTERS/Caitlin Ochs/File Photo(REUTERS)

Prince Harry and Markle's last public appearance in the UK was during the Platinum Jubilee Service of Thanksgiving.

While sitting with the ITV documentary Tabloids on Trial, the Duke expressed his fear that Markle might be targeted in an attack involving a knife or acid. It only takes one lone actor [who reads negative stories about Harry and Meghan in the press] with a knife or acid, he stated.

King Charles III's younger son relocated to the USA with his family after stepping down from royal duties, explained, There is more than enough attention on me and my wife anyway. They pushed me too far. It got to a point where youre damned if you do, youre damned if you dont. He feels that the constant negative coverage has tarnished Markles public image in his homeland.

ALSO READ| Prince Harry really broke the trust of his family as the Royals fear

Its still dangerous. And all it takes is one lone actor, one person who reads this stuff, to act on what they have read... And whether its a knife or acid, whatever it is, he told ITV.

These are things that are a genuine concern for me. Its one of the reasons why I wont bring my wife back to this country.

Prince Harry accuses tabloids of destroying his relationship with Royal Family

The Duke has taken legal action against several tabloids, accusing them of publishing false and invasive stories, and it was the central piece that destroying his relationship with his family.

The situation escalated after Markle publicly addressed the racist remarks she faced from within the British monarchy following her marriage to Harry. Harry said it was a hard question to answer because anything I say about my family results in a torrent of abuse from the press.

ALSO READ| King Charles may face incredibly sad situation after Prince Harrys latest statement on UK return

Speaking about his legal battle against Rupert Murdoch's news organization, Harry explained, Im trying to get justice for everybody. This is a David versus Goliath situation  the Davids are the claimants, and the Goliath is this vast media enterprise.

Phone hacking has been going on for a long time Theres a huge amount that has come to light now that people and the British public, specifically, had no idea about.
Prince Harry's tell-all projects have likely damaged for real to his relationship with the royal family and there's absolutely no room for any reconciliation now, according to Princess Diana's former butler, Paul Burrell. Prince Harry said that his crusade against the British tabloids has contributed to his royal family rift, according to a documentary airing Thursday July 25, 2024. (AP Photo/Kirsty Wigglesworth, File)(AP)

Burrell told Slingo, There is no room for any reconciliation now, they just don't trust him. He's worn away all the trust that they had in him.

They can't invite him back into the fold because they know that when he gets back to America, he'll tell Meghan everything and then the rest of the world will know exactly what's happening.

Burrell lamented the situation, expressing, I think its very sad, as he's done it to himself. William doesn't trust him and we will not see him let back into his environment. Whilst they don't trust him, they can't invite him back.

ALSO READ| Meghan Markle has become 'Britain-phobic,' royal expert claims; She is scared of

Wales' have never done anything wrong to Sussexes'

He noted that there's always one in every family who disrupts unity and trust, and in this case, the Duke of Sussex is that person. Its very sad. If his mother was alive, it just would not be happening.

Since stepping back from their royal duties, Prince Harry and Meghan Markle have concentrated on building their brand in Hollywood, through Netflix documentary, bombshell interviews, memoir, podcast and more. Meghan even labeled the Wales as formal in their docuseries, Harry & Meghan. How could you possibly be against William and Kate? They have never done anything wrong to anyone, and they never exploit their private world, but that's exactly what Meghan and Harry are doing, Princess Diana's former butler said.

Sussexes' brand tainted by their actions against Prince William and Kate

However, Burrell doubts their success without their HRH titles. Meghan and Harry have divorced themselves from the brand, which is the royal family," he observed. They've downgraded themselves.

They are disassociating themselves with them because it ruins their brand, he continued to explain. To be associated with Meghan and Harry isn't the best thing, and would rather be associated with William and Kate, who stand for truth, who stand for duty, who stand for loyalty to the country.

In recent months, many reported the Sussexes' strained relationship with Victoria and David Beckham, whereas, the Beckhams and other British celebrities remain close to Charles and William. Those things matter more than commercialism and more than money, Burrell explained.

ALSO READ| Why royal family doesn't support Prince Harry's battle with British press

The true A-listers, who move in those circles, realize that Harry and Meghan's brand isn't as popular or as valuable, to be associated with as the real royal brand, and I can see people dropping like flies around them, because do you want to be tainted by people who are against William and Kate?
JERUSALEM  An Israeli military court opened an initial hearing Tuesday for nine soldiers detained over what a defense lawyer said were allegations of sexual abuse of a Palestinian at a shadowy facility where Israel has held prisoners from Gaza during the war. Probe of soldiers over alleged sexual abuse fuels tension between Israeli military and hard-liners

The investigation has stoked tensions between the military command and hard-line nationalists in Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahus government who advocate an even harsher hand in Israels conduct of the 10-month-old war in Gaza.

The soldiers detention Monday triggered angry protests by supporters demanding their release, including members of parliament and at least two government ministers. On Monday, several hundred protesters broke into the facility in southern Israel, known as Sde Teiman, and then later into the military base where the soldiers were being held. Video showed them scuffling with troops before being forced out.

Defense lawyer Nati Rom, who is representing three of the soldiers, said they were innocent and described the alleged abuse they are accused of committing as acts of sodomy." The military has given no details on the investigation, saying only it was looking into allegations of substantial abuse.

An investigation by The Associated Press and reports by rights groups have exposed abysmal conditions and abuses at Sde Teiman, the military base where most of the thousands detained in Gaza during the war have been held.

In a report issued in April, the main U.N. agency for Palestinian refugees, UNRWA, said Palestinians released from detention and sent back to Gaza reported instances of prisoners being forced to strip naked, of photos taken of them naked and of beatings on the genitals. The report did not specify the facility where the detainees were held.

One detainee said he was forced to sit on an electrical probe that burned his anus. They also reported beatings with iron bars, gun butts and boots, UNRWA said, adding that many of the returned prisoners had to be hospitalized due to injuries or illness.

Beyond the alleged abuse now being investigated, Israeli authorities have generally denied abuses in detention facilities for Palestinians.

The military court hearing Tuesday afternoon at the Beit Lid base in central Israel was expected to rule on whether to extend the soldiers detention. By late Tuesday, the court did not appear to have reached a decision.

Defense Minister Yoav Gallant, who denounced the protester break-ins at the sites, demanded an investigation into whether hard-line National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir prevented or delayed the police response to the riots.

He said the lack of police presence forced the military to divert forces to the bases to expel the protesters. In a letter to Netanyahu, he called on him to act harshly against the coalition members who participated in the riots.

Ben-Gvir, whose ministry is in charge of police, responded with his own letter to Netanyahu saying the allegations he delayed police response to the riots were baseless.

On Monday, Ben-Gvir denounced the soldiers detention as shameful and called them our best heroes. Referring to conditions at detention facilities, he said the summer camps and patience for the terrorists are over.

The defense lawyer, Rom, said the incident under investigation took place at Sde Teiman a month ago. He said the detainee attacked officers during a search, and the soldiers used force but didnt do anything sexual. He said the detainee was a high-ranking Hamas militant.

His account of the incident or the detainees identity could not be independently confirmed. Rom works for Honenu, a nationalist legal group that specializes in defending Israeli soldiers and civilians facing prosecution over incidents of violence with Palestinians.

Israel has detained thousands of Palestinians since the Oct. 7 Hamas attack that sparked the war in Gaza, according to official figures, though hundreds were released after the military determined they were not affiliated with Hamas. Israeli human rights groups say the majority of detainees from Gaza have at some point passed through Sde Teiman.

Israel has long been accused of failing to hold its soldiers accountable for crimes committed against Palestinians. The allegations have intensified during the war in Gaza. Israel says its forces act within military and international law and says it independently investigates any alleged abuses.

In an unrelated case, the military said Tuesday that prosecutors issued an indictment against a reserve soldier accused of inflicting severe violence against Palestinian detainees he was tasked with guarding, by allegedly beating them with a club or his personal weapon on several occasions. He allegedly filmed the beatings, the military said.

Military chief Lt. Gen. Herzi Halevi condemned the protesters break-ins and said he fully supports the military prosecutors investigation. It is precisely these investigations that protect our soldiers in Israel and the world and preserve the values of the military, he said.

The Public Committee Against Torture in Israel said it welcomed the militarys investigation but said its claims are of systemic abuse at the facility and not just one case.

In Gaza, emergency workers recovered the bodies of 22 Palestinians found dead in eastern parts of the city of Khan Younis after Israeli troops withdrew from the area following a weeks-long offensive, according to hospital officials.

It was not clear when they were killed, but workers have repeatedly found bodies in rubble or on the streets after Israeli offensives around Gaza.

Another seven people were killed by Israeli airstrikes in Khan Younis late Monday and early Tuesday, according to officials at Nasser Hospital, where all the bodies were brought.

The Israeli military launched its assault in the southern city earlier in July, three months after a previous long offensive there. The military said Tuesday its troops had completed operations in Khan Younis, where it said it said it killed dozens of Hamas militants and destroyed tunnels and other Hamas infrastructure.

Israel has vowed to destroy Hamas after its Oct. 7 attacks, in which militants killed around 1,200 people and abducted 250 others. Around 110 hostages remain in captivity in Gaza, about a third of them believed to be dead.

In its campaign since, Israel has killed more than 39,363 Palestinians and wounded more than 90,900, according to the Gaza Health Ministry, whose count does not differentiate between civilians and combatants.

correspondent Samy Magdy in Cairo contributed to this report.

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PORT-AU-PRINCE, Haiti  Security officers had to fire shots Monday to cover Haitian Prime Minister Gary Conille's exit from a hospital in Port-au-Prince on Monday, the prime minister's office said. Security officers cover Haiti's prime minister with gunfire as he leaves hospital, government says

Conille was visiting Haitis largest hospital with the head of the national police, Normil Rameu, and some journalists when gunshots were heard outside the building, it said.

The statement said the prime minister had just finished recording an interview when the shots were heard. It said the security agents fired a few shots as the group exited.

The PM and his team left the hospital in complete safety and were escorted back to his office, the statement said.

No deaths or injuries were reported from the incident.

Earlier this month, Conille and Haitis police chief visited the same hospital after authorities announced that they had regained control of the facility from armed gangs. At that time, Conille described what was left of the ravaged hospital as a war zone.

The statement from Conille's office Friday said the hospital remains under the control of the Haitian National Police and the U.N.-supported multinational security mission led by Kenyan police that is to help confront the criminal gangs that are causing widespread violence in Haiti.

Gangs have been looting, setting fires and destroying medical institutions and pharmacies in the capital, where they control up to 80% of the area.

Gunmen have also seized police stations, attacked the main international airport, forcing its closure for nearly three months, and stormed Haitis two largest prisons.

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Thirty years ago, while he was hiding from the machetes that killed his father, two of his brothers and an estimated 800,000 other people during the genocide against Rwanda's Tutsi minority, Pascal Kanyemera made a deal with God. Surviving Rwanda: God, remembrance and reconciliation on the genocides 30th anniversary

Please, if I survive one more week, I will give you 100 Rwandan francs.

God listened, so the 15-year-old prayed again. Then again. And again, until the killings stopped in July 1994.

By the end of the genocide, I owed God 400 Rwandan francs, said Kanyemera, now 45, from his home in Ottawa, the capital of Canada. That shows you how I always put my life and my survival in his hands.

His grandmother, uncles and cousins were also among the thousands of Tutsi killed by extremist Hutus in massacres that lasted over 100 days.

The genocide was ignited on April 6, 1994, when a plane carrying President Juvenal Habyarimana, a member of the Hutu majority, was shot down as it prepared to land in Rwanda's capital, Kigali. The Tutsi were blamed for downing the plane and killing the president. Enraged, gangs of Hutu extremists began killing Tutsi, backed by the army and police.

Kanyemera was hiding at a local school when his family was slaughtered on April 9. He learned about their deaths by late May, when he reunited with his mother and sisters at a refugee camp that was controlled by the French.

Other Tutsi witnessed the killings firsthand and barely survived to tell the tale.

In her book Chosen to Die: Destined to Live, Frida Umuhoza recounts how her mother was beheaded before her eyes. She gazed at her grandfather begging his assassins  Bible in hand  to let her family pray together one last time. She shuddered when the Hutu extremists coaxed her into choosing the weapon she would be killed with.

Please, dont kill me with anything else, said Umuhoza, who was terrified of machetes and opted for a club.

Soon after, the 14-year-old felt a smack in the back of her head and all went dark. When she woke up, her heels were sliced open and her body covered in dirt inside the ditch where her relatives lay dead. She remained numb for hours, until one of her Hutu neighbors took pity on her and dug her out to a life of sorrow, orphanhood and anger.

Sometimes, when people hear about what happened to us, they dont believe it, Kanyemera said. Some men killed their kids, their own kids. Out of hate.

Healing, he said, is a long process. But many survivors hold on to faith to bring back peace into their lives.

Umuhoza details in her book how becoming a Christian allowed her to forgive. Another survivor, Immaculee Ilibagiza, has written about hiding for 91 days in the tiny bathroom of a pastors house. Now a U.S.-based author, motivational speaker and devout Catholic, Ilibagiza often recounts how reciting the rosary drew out the pain and rage inside her.

Kanyemera  the current president of the Humura Association, which supports genocide survivors  has always attributed his survival to God.

Hutu militias patrolled the school where he was hiding, looking for the Tutsi who lived in the surrounding area, but he was never caught. And though the Hutu planned to kill the surviving Tutsi in the refugee camp where he was, French troops took over, so he survived.

As painful as it is, many survivors remain committed to remembrance. They visit schools to share their stories with younger generations. They write books. They speak to journalists, willing to reopen their wounds year after year, hoping that no genocide is ever committed again.

Someone said that whoever forgets the past is condemned to relive it, said Tarcisse Ruhamyandekwe, who lost a brother, uncles and aunts in 1994. Our people, our families, were killed in unusual circumstances, so it is a way of giving them back the dignity they did not have.

During the genocide, Hutu extremists engaged in extreme brutality. Killings were often preceded by beatings, torture and mutilation. Militias sang Kill them all! before reaching the homes of the families they would exterminate. An estimated 100,000 to 250,000 women were brutally raped, many of whom later needed reconstructive surgery or HIV/AIDS treatment.

Rwanda was full of bodies, said Ruhamyandekwe, who also lives in Ottawa. Imagine you go back as a survivor and in your house you only find the bodies of your brothers and sisters.

He, like Kanyemera, moved far from Rwanda to be safe. His first stop was Congo, where his parents sent him in 1985, fearing that the violence against Tutsi would escalate.

Survivors like them have emphasized that the genocide arose from longstanding Hutu-Tutsi animosity.

I remember that, when I was 7 or 8, I used to see my dad taken by the military to jail, Ruhamyandekwe said. I remember thinking he was lucky because he came back. Other people did not; they were killed in jail.

Discrimination, he said, was inflicted on the Tutsi from a very young age. Schools required teachers to keep a detailed registration of students. It was common for them to enter the classrooms and say: All the Tutsi, stand up.

We carried our IDs to show our race and we could not escape, Ruhamyandekwe said. That's why during the genocide it was very simple to ask: Where is your ID? And get the Tutsi killed.

His father was not a victim of the Hutu, but when he died later in the 1990s  probably of a heart attack  Ruhamyandekwe was unable to bury him. Taking that risk, going back to Rwanda, was probably going to get me killed," he said.

He has no pictures or material possessions from his life in Rwanda, but his memories of the country of a thousand hills remain intact.

A few years ago, he took his children there.

Nothing is left of the house where his parents  both teachers  raised him comfortably and lovingly, except for marks in the ground. And there, with his hands moving through the air, he drew his childhood home for his kids.

I showed them where my room was. My brothers, my sisters, Ruhamyandekwe said. I told them: Thats the house where I grew up, but everything was destroyed.'

Sharing his feelings has not been easy. Rwandans, he said, are not open with emotion, even within their own families. Crying or confiding in someone is discouraged from an early age. For him, though, writing has been like therapy. And there has been his faith.

In my book I write about what I call Gods invisible hand, Ruhamyandekwe said. Some people say its luck, but I say it was God guiding me through all the stuff I went through.

By writing, he has not only expressed himself, but tried to spread awareness about his peoples history.

We cannot forget our loved ones, Ruhamyandekwe said. If reconciliation has to happen, as it is happening, we have to remember that and teach what happened to the next generation.

Someone said that theres something stronger than death: Its the presence of the dead in the memory of the living.

This story has been corrected to fix Kanyemera's age and to show that French troops took over a refugee camp when he was already there.

Associated Press religion coverage receives support through the s collaboration with The Conversation US, with funding from Lilly Endowment Inc. The is solely responsible for this content.

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TAIPEI, Taiwan  Taiwanese President Lai Ching-te welcomed what he called the largest-ever delegation of foreign lawmakers to Taiwan and said Tuesday it showed the importance of democracies uniting, even as Beijing pressured members of the delegation not to visit. Taiwan president urges democracies to unite at largest-ever gathering of foreign lawmakers in Taipei

This demonstrates the support and the value various other countries place on Taiwan, Lai said. It also sends an important message to democratic countries around the world. Maintaining democracy requires unity, and we must protect democracy together."

Lai made his remarks at a conference in Taipei held by the Inter-Parliamentary Alliance on China, or IPAC, a group of hundreds of lawmakers from 35 countries concerned about how democracies approach Beijing.

Beijing views the island democracy as a renegade province and has been upping its threats to annex it by force if necessary. Lais party, the Democratic Progressive Party, doesnt seek independence from China but maintains that Taiwan is already a sovereign nation.

Beijing sees Lai as a separatist and refuses to speak with him. China has ramped up pressure against the island since Lai took office in May, sending ships and planes on a large military drill to show displeasure at his inauguration.

Lais comments come as IPAC comes under renewed scrutiny from Beijing. Lawmakers from at least six countries told The earlier this week that Chinese diplomats were pressuring them not to attend the conference, in what they described as efforts to isolate the self-governed island.

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Tunisia has kicked off candidacy submissions for its upcoming presidential election on October 6, amid what experts say are significant constraints on hopefuls challenging incumbent President Kais Saied. Tunisia's upcoming presidential race marred by candidacy constraints

A number of conditions and requirements to run for office have changed under Saied, 66, who was democratically elected in 2019 but orchestrated a sweeping power grab in 2021.

To qualify to appear on the ballot, candidates are required to gather "an enormous number" of signatures, said Amine Kharrat, a political analyst at independent observatory Al Bawsala.

"The conditions have been hardened," Isabelle Werenfels, North Africa expert at the German Institute for International and Security Affairs, told AFP.

Not to mention, a number of would-be candidates will not be able to even obtain the initial candidacy form because they are in prison.

Among them are Issam Chebbi, leader of centrist party Al Joumhouri, and Ghazi Chaouchi, head of the social-democrat party Democratic Current.

Detained for "plotting against the state", the two politicians are among over 20 of Saied's opponents held since a flurry of arrests in February 2023.

Abir Moussi, a vocal critic of Saied and head of the Free Destourian Party, has also been detained on similar charges since October last year.

Amnesty International labelled the arrests a "politically motivated witch hunt".

An expert speaking on condition of anonymity told AFP "everything has been set up to push aside credible candidates who can represent a real danger" for Saied.

In 2022, Saied led a revision of the constitution, concentrating executive power firmly in the presidency's hands and reversing hard-won rights in the birthplace of the Arab Spring uprisings.

Kharrat said many factors are "reducing the credibility" of the upcoming election, referring to the candidacy criteria, the delayed announcement of the election day, and a 2022 law punishing "spreading false news".

The law, Decree 54, has been used to prosecute more than 60 journalists, lawyers and opposition figures, according to the National Syndicate of Tunisian Journalists .

Amnesty International Secretary General Agnes Callamard said last week that since Saied's power grab, "violations that we thought part of Tunisia's past are becoming more and more discernible and systematic".

"Instead of the vibrant debates of a pluralist political scene, I observed government repression, fuelling fear and dread about what's to come."

Yet many still aspire to submit their candidacies.

Key would-be candidates include Kamel Akrout, a retired military admiral, and Mondher Zenaidi, 74, a former minister who has presented his experience as an asset for debt-stricken Tunisia.

Last week, K2 Rhym, a famous 43-year-old Tunisian rapper, also announced his intention to run.

The country is meanwhile still grappling with an economic crisis that has seen many Tunisians join mostly sub-Saharan African migrants seeking to cross the Mediterranean to Europe.

If Akrout or Zenaidi are pushed out of the race, it would be a referendum on Saied's rule, said the anonymous expert.

The expert added that the vote "will define the nature of the regime".

"If Saied wins by a wide margin in the first round, he will become even more authoritarian. Otherwise, he will be more inclined to compromise."

"Much will depend on the opposition and its ability to unite behind an alternative candidate to Saied," said Werenfels.

"If one or more candidates get 15 or 20 percent of the vote, there will be a second round."

Left-wing movements and Ennahdha, the Islamist-inspired party that had dominated Tunisian politics following the 2011 uprising, still hesitate to boycott the election, seeing it as "an opportunity to challenge Kais Saied", said Kharrat.

It remains difficult to measure support for Saied or any other hopeful prior to the vote, amid a ban on political polls.

While Saied's popularity among working-class Tunisians endures, experts believe he is far below the 72 percent he secured in the 2019 vote.

Recent rallies in support of Saied have seen low turnout.

I Watch, a Tunisian watchdog, said last week in a report that Saied had "failed to keep 87.5 percent of his electoral promises" over the past five years.

But Saied has stepped up his campaign, declaring that he was driven by "a sacred duty towards the homeland" when announcing his intention to seek a second term.

In the past few weeks, he has multiplied his famed surprise visits, addressing issues such as pollution and water cuts, all while blaming "conspirators" and "traitors" working under "foreign influence".

fka/bou/srk/jsa

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UK police on Tuesday questioned a 17-year-old suspect arrested after a "ferocious" knife attack which killed two children and critically injured eight others. UK police question teen held after deadly mass stabbings

Flowers, teddy bears and tributes were left near the scene of Monday's stabbing spree at a Taylor Swift-themed dance class in Southport, near Liverpool, that also saw two adults and six children critically injured and three more children hurt.

Police chief Serena Kennedy said the two adults were trying to protect the children, aged between six and 11.

Swift on Tuesday said she was "completely in shock".

"The loss of life and innocence, and the horrendous trauma inflicted on everyone who was there, the families, and first responders. These were just little kids at a dance class. I am at a complete loss for how to ever convey my sympathies to these families," she said.

Residents of Southport, a small seaside town popular with visitors in the summer, were still coming to terms with the attack.

"I'm just still in total shock I just cannot believe that it happened so close to home," Leanne Hassan told reporters on Tuesday.

She had rushed to collect her daughter from a nearby nursery which was locked down after the attack.

Her daughter was safe, "but unfortunately that's not the reality for a lot of parents waking up today," she added.

Police chief Kennedy confirmed the attack was not being treated as terror-related and that the attacker's motivation was unclear.

Prime Minister Keir Starmer said the events were "just truly awful, the whole country is deeply shocked".

"It is almost impossible to imagine the grief," he added.

Interior minister Yvette Cooper visited Southport Tuesday to meet Kennedy and other officials, with an evening vigil to be held for the victims.

Starmer is likely to visit the community as well, Chancellor Rachel Reeves told Sky News.

The 17-year-old male arrested on suspicion of murder and attempted murder is from a neighbouring village called Banks and was born in the Welsh capital Cardiff, Merseyside Police said.

Witnesses told UK media the attacker was seen arriving at the scene in a taxi, and that he entered the venue wearing a mask.

Police said officers were called to the incident shortly before 1100 GMT on Monday, just minutes before the dance event was scheduled to end.

Armed officers detained the suspect nearby and seized a knife.

The suspect was in custody at a police station Tuesday and police said enquiries were ongoing "to establish the motive for this tragic incident".

Targeted attacks on children are extremely rare in the UK.

Monday's incident evoked memories of a school massacre in the Scottish town of Dunblane in 1996, which claimed the lives of 16 young pupils and their teacher in Britain's worst mass shooting.

The North West Ambulance Service said it treated 11 casualties with stab injuries, who were then taken by ambulance and helicopter to Alder Hey Children's Hospital and other hospitals in the area.

Local business owner Colin Parry, one of the people who called police, told the Press Association news agency that he believed several "young girls" had been stabbed.

A member of his staff also saw "about 10 kids go running past him, all bleeding, and one of them collapsed on the floor outside the neighbour next door," he recounted.

Bare Varathan, who owns a local shop, told PA he saw "seven to 10 kids" who were "injured, bleeding".

Other witnesses told UK media they heard screams, comparing the attack to a scene from a horror film.

King Charles III offered his "most heartfelt condolences, prayers and deepest sympathies" and called the incident "utterly horrific".

Prince William and his wife Katherine posted on X that "as parents, we cannot begin to imagine what the families, friends and loved ones of those killed and injured in Southport today are going through", calling it a "heinous attack".

aks/jj/ach

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KYIV, - Ukraine guarantees oil transit for companies that are not subject to sanctions and is ready to resolve transit issues with Slovakia in line with a European Union association agreement, a deputy energy minister said on Tuesday. Ukraine is ready to resolve oil transit issues with Slovakia, deputy minister says

Slovak Prime Minister Robert Fico said on Monday his country would halt diesel supplies to Ukraine unless Kyiv restores oil flows from Russia's Lukoil through its territory.

Ukraine in late June imposed sanctions against Lukoil, one of the largest Russian oil companies, banning it from any activity on Ukrainian territory and stopping its oil from passing to Slovak and Hungarian refineries.

Deputy Ukrainian Energy Minister Roman Andarak said on Tuesday Ukraine was "ready to resolve possible problematic issues" once Slovakia activates a relevant mechanism in the EU Association Agreement.

"To date, it has not done so," Andarak said in a written comment to Reuters, adding that Kyiv "guarantees uninterrupted oil transit" for all companies that are not subject to Western and Ukrainian sanctions.

Slovakia, along with Hungary, have opposed Western allies' military aid to Ukraine as it fights Russia's invasion, and have been stepping up their pressure since Kyiv's sanctions on Lukoil.

Oil deliveries through Ukraine from other Russian suppliers have not been interrupted, and Ukraine continues to be a reliable partner for the EU in oil transit services, Andarak said.

"The Ukrainian side has not stopped transit, it continues, all nominations are fulfilled," he said.

The joint share of Slovakia and Hungary in diesel supplies to Ukraine is about 10% and Ukrainian analysts say it could be covered from other sources.

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It has been reported that another security lapse made Secret Service agents briefly delay Donald Trump from taking the stage at a conference in Nashville on Saturday, July 27. The delay was caused when two people made their way around metal detectors inside the Music City Center. This was the venue where the 2024 Bitcoin conference was held after 3:30 pm, law enforcement sources said. Donald Trump was delayed from taking Nashville stage due to another security lapse(AFP)

The Secret Service told New York Post in a statement that the two individuals were credentialed and screened. They were eventually removed from the premises for not following entry protocol.

What did the authorities determine?

It was determined that there was no protective interest with these individuals and there was never a threat to the former president, a Secret Service spokesperson said.

Trump was preparing to give a keynote address at the time. However, his security detail asked him to wait until the two people were located. Authorities eventually tracked them down and ejected them from the event, and questioned them too. No one was criminally charged.

Sources said that the two people were stopped at an initial checkpoint before bypassing the second screening, according to sources. It is unclear how they managed to get past the screening, and if the Secret Service is to be blamed for anything.

The Secret Service faced massive criticism for failing to protect Trump at the Pennsylvania rally when gunman Thomas Matthew Crooks opened fire. Trump was wounded, as were two other people, while one attendee died. Secret Service Director Kimberly Cheatle eventually tendered her resignation.

Cheatle previouslycame under fire for blaming a sloped roof for not putting a sniper team on the building from the roof of which Crooks opened fire. That building in particular has a sloped roof at its highest point. And so, you know, theres a safety factor that would be considered there that we wouldnt want to put somebody up on a sloped roof, Cheatle told ABC News, following which she faced massive backlash.
Authorities in Tampa, Florida, have arrested three people in connection with the killing of rapper Julio Foolio, who was fatally shot in a parking lot in June. Florida rapper Julio Foolio was "kicked" out of an Airbnb where he was partying,(Instagram)

In addition to several arrests, authorities have identified two other suspects who have yet to be caught. Foolio, whose real name was Charles Jones II, was murdered two days after his birthday. He turned 26 on June 21 and started producing music in 2015, according to NBC News. His final album., Ressurection, was released in April.

So far, the police have taken Alicia L Andrews (21), Isaiah J Chance (21) and Sean A Gathright (18) into custody on several charges, including premeditated first-degree murder. According to the department's announcement on Monday, July 29, authorities are still looking for Rashad Murphy (30) and Davion Murphy (30), who are also linked to the killing, which the police suspect to be a targeted, gang-related incident. All five suspects allegedly travelled from Jacksonville to Tampa the day before the homicide.

UPDATE: Rashad Murphy was arrested early Tuesday on a local warrant for not having a valid driver's license. He ultimately surrendered to SWAT teams and officers at an apartment complex hours after surrounding houses were evacuated. As of Tuesday afternoon, his cousin, Davion, is still at large.

According to the First Coast News report, Foolio's lawyer, Lewis Fusco, said in a June statement that the rapper was ambushed at a Holiday Inn parking lot. He was a kid who grew up in challenging circumstances, determined to defy the odds by any means possible and succeed in all that he did, Fusco said on social media after Jones' death.

Per the latest developments, police added that the suspects were possibly conspiring to kill Foolio.

Also read | Green Day's anti-MAGA agenda makes a comeback at Washington DC concert with a Register to Vote booth

More about the suspects in Julio Foolio's killing

Authorities claimed three armed shooters exited a vehicle and began shooting at the rapper in the parking lot. Before the shooting, Foolio was celebrating his birthday at a nearby Airbnb, where things got out of control, and police forced him to leave the property. The event was all over his social media.

The attack allegedly not only killed Jones but also injured three others. These three shooters were identified as Rashad, Davion and Gathright.

Additionally, the police alleged that Chance and Andrews tracked and followed the victim and his entourage to two separate locations on the day of the June 23 homicide. They further claimed that Jones was a member of the 6 Block gang in Jacksonville that was potentially entangled in a decade-long rivalry with two other rival gangs - ATK and 1200. While Chance is a documented ATK member, Rashad is a 1200 member while Davion is a documented 1200 gang associate.

However, nothing of the sort was said about Andrews and Gathright in the police statement, which also charged Andrews and Chance with conspiracy to commit murder. Additionally, Gathright is charged with attempted first-degree murder and tampering with physical evidence.

The Jacksonville Sherrif's Office SWAT team arrested Andrews and Chance at a residence on July 27, whereas Gathright was arrested at a local Jacksonville shopping centre. They now remain in custody at Duval County Jail.

Also read | Air Canada plane cancelled after flight attendant loses cool when passenger asks for blanket | Watch

Tampa Police Department Chief Lee Bercaw said, The City of Tampa is not where you want to come to settle a dispute. You will be arrested, you will be charged, and you will be prosecuted. Our detectives remain committed to holding all those responsible accountable for their actions.

This case is a prime example of the cooperation and collaboration of all those in law enforcement to bring dangerous criminals to justice. We hope these arrests provide some closure for the victims families and loved ones, he added.

Authorities urge anyone with information regarding Rashad Murphy and Davion Murphy's location to assist them in the ongoing investigation by calling the Tampa Police Department at 813.231.6130 or Crimestoppers of Tampa Bay at 800.873.TIPS.
Google has recently faced allegations from Elon Musk and Donald Trump Jr. regarding a supposed "search ban" on former President Donald Trump. The tech giant has been accused of attempting to interfere with the upcoming 2024 presidential election by manipulating its autocomplete results when typed in assassination attempt on. Elon Musk's search for 'President Donald' sparks debate over Google auto-complete; Google denies election interference claims. (AP Photo/Susan Walsh, AP, REUTERS/Gonzalo Fuentes/File Photo)

The controversy began when several users on X (formerly Twitter) posted screenshots showing that typing assassination attempt on into Google did not produce auto-complete results for the recent attempt on former President Donald Trumps life at a Pennsylvania rally. Instead, the suggestions show names like Ronald Reagan and Bob Marley.

Fortune, and Yahoo News reported earlier that when typing assassination attempt on Trump in Chromes incognito mode, no auto-complete suggestions appeared, although hitting enter did bring up news many articles about the incident. But that could be because to the keywords.

However, when Hindustan.com typed assassination attempt on, the auto-fills show assassination attempt on Donald Trump followed by auto searches like assassination attempt on Truman and assassination attempt on President. Seems like Google swiftly addresses the issue.

Picture shows Google swiftly addressed the "assassination attempt on" auto fills issue(Google/HT Search)

ALSO READ| Donald Trump was delayed from taking Nashville stage due to another security lapse: report

Musk exposes Google's search ban on Trump

The Tesla boss also posted a screenshot of his search for President Donald, which yielded the suggestion President Donald Duck instead of President Donald Trump.

Musk commented, Wow, Google has a search ban on President Donald Trump, and added, Probably just a coincidence that Alphabet (Google) employees were the top donors to Biden.

This couples with several GOP figures posting screenshots accusing Google of gaslighting and attempting to sway the 2024 presidential election.

Former President's elder son, Donald Trump Jr. voiced his concerns on X, stating, Big Tech is trying to interfere in the election AGAIN to help Kamala Harris. We all know this is intentional election interference from Google. Truly despicable.

Google denied taking manual action on the auto-complete predictions and mentioned that they are working on improvements to their auto-complete feature, in a statement to Fortune.

Addressing the queries about the assassination attempt on Trump, a Google spokesperson explained that their systems have protections against autocomplete predictions associated with political violence, which were functioning as intended.

They are now working to update their systems to be more current.

ALSO READ| Kamala or Trump? Prediction Professor gives name of next US president

The tech giant spokesperson also addressed Musks Donald Duck search and admitted that auto-complete is currently not working as intended for searches involving past presidents and the current vice president.

Were looking into these anomalies and working on improvements, which we hope to roll out soon, the spokesperson said.

Our auto-complete systems are dynamic, so predictions will change based on common and trending queries.

Hindustantimes.com also did a check on President Donald Duck claims. When typed President Donald auto-fill shows Donald Trump first, followed by the President Donald Duck.
Trump shooter Thomas Matthew Crooks reportedly made over two-dozen firearms-related purchases starting a year before the assassination attempt. He used a fake name to try and hide his identity online, law enforcement sources said, according to New York Post. Thomas Matthew Crooks made over two-dozen firearms-related purchases using fake name (Bethel Park School District via AP)

The 20-year-old made over 25 separate purchases from online gun supply stores to gear up last spring. He made the purchases using an alias. Sources said that the fact that Crooks went to great lengths to conceal his identity shows that he was meticulously planning the shooting.

It is unclear if any of the purchases Crooks made were actual firearms. In most cases, federal law requires ID and background checks before making gun purchases.

It has also been revealed that Crooks bought six chemical precursors during the first half of this year, and used them to make the rudimentary explosive devices that were later discovered in his car and home. He used an alias to make these purchases too. Crooks thus secretly made a collection of weapons and gear.

Thomas Matthew Crooks research

Authorities found that Crooks researched a UK royal family member and US politicians before carrying out the assassination attempt on Donald Trump. He searched the internet to learn about the Kennedy assassination, and even tried to find out how far away Lee Harvey Oswald was when he opened fire on the then-president and killed him. Crooks also researched mass shootings and power plants, and the attempted assassination of Slovakian Prime Minister Robert Fico.

Armed with his fathers DPMS DR-15 rifle, Crooks visited a local shooting range for practice a day before he opened fire at the Pennsylvania rally. This was the weapon he used to carry out the shooting at the rally. He was able to secretly slip the DR-15 into his backpack as the gun had a collapsible stock. Crooks was eventually shot dead by Secret Service snipers.
Donald Trump revealed on Monday, July 29, that his wife Melania was watching live when he was shot. He also said that he will continue to hold outdoor rallies despite surviving an assassination attempt. Donald Trump says Melania was watching live when he was shot (REUTERS/Mike Segar)(REUTERS)

Trump revealed that when Thomas Matthew Crooks opened fire at the rally, Melania was watching the rally on television and thought the worst had happened. She was watching live, Trump told Fox News host Laura Ingraham.

She cant really even talk about it, which is OK, Trump added. That means she likes me.

When I went down, she thought the worst had happened, Trump said of his wifes immediate reaction, because I went down and grabbed my hand and my hand was loaded up with blood.

Yeah, Im going to do rallies [outside]

On being asked if he plans to hold outdoor events in the future despite the shooting at the Pennsylvania rally, Trump said, Yeah, Im going to do rallies [outside].

It has been reported that the Secret Service has been urging Trumps campaign not to hold any more outdoor events as there could be security concerns. Following the shooting, all of the former presidents campaign events have been held indoors.

Speaking of his upcoming return to the town where he survived the assassination attempt, Trump said, I think its important symbolically. I dont think we should be stopped by somebody that has severe mental problems or whatever his problem was.

The Secret Service was blasted after they failed to guard the roof of the building which Crooks climbed and opened fire from. After days of massive criticism, Secret Service Director Kimberly Cheatle tendered her resignation.

There should have been communication with the local police, which there wasnt, Trump said of the Secret Service. So thats a bad thing, and they were seeing this guy  it was a very disturbed person, and they were seeing him around.

Trump is reportedly set to sit with the FBI for a victim interview. This is an important part of the FBIs investigatory procedures.
White Dudes for Harris account (@dudes4harris) on X, formerly Twitter, was temporarily suspended on Monday after raising $4 million for Kamala Harris. When fans asked why the account was shut down, event organiser Ross Morales Rocketto said via his personal account that Elon Musk got scared. The SpaceX founder publically endorsed Donald Trump earlier this month. FILE PHOTO: U.S. Vice President Kamala Harris attends a bilateral meeting with Guatemala's President Alejandro Giammattei (not pictured) at the Palacio Nacional de la Cultura, during Harris' first international trip as Vice President to Guatemala and Mexico, in Guatemala City, Guatemala, June 7, 2021. REUTERS/Carlos Barria/File Photo(REUTERS)

X temporarily suspends White Dudes for Harris account

The campaign group held a digital fundraiser on Monday evening to support Harris' presidential bid. Nearly 200,000 Democrats attended the online rally, including White male celebrities Mark Hamill, Jeff Bridges, Joseph Gordon-Levitt, Bradley Whitford, Sean Astin, and Josh Groban.

ALSO READ: Brazilian swimmer kicked out of Paris Olympics after breaking major rule with Olympian boyfriend

During the event, Bridges told the attendees, I accepted the invitation and I was brought to the party not so much as being white, and I certainly am, but because Im a dude, you know, I qualify, man. Im white, Im a dude, and Im for Harris, per the Wrap.

Following the temporary suspension, organisers created a backup account @dudesforharris, which quickly garnered over 20,000 followers before the original account was up and running again. The ban raised eyebrows among Democrats over Musk, who has previously described himself as a free speech absolutist.

After the suspension was lifted, the group tweeted, Uh oh... we pissed off @elonmusk (don't worry... can't keep a good dude offline for long). As the post garnered thousands of views, Democratic supporters accused the Tesla founder of election interference.

One wrote, Haha election interference at its finest LOL. Elon Musk is about to find out that its liberal white guys that buy his cars and stock. ImMa fREe SpeEcH aBsOluTisT! wrote a second user. Meanwhile, a third said, Elon thinks hes the king of the white dudes.
The Biden administration said on Monday that electoral manipulation had stripped Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro's claim of re-election victory of "any credibility," and Washington left the door open to fresh sanctions on the OPEC nation. Venezuelan President and presidential candidate Nicolas Maduro reacts following the presidential election results in Caracas on July 29, 2024.(AFP)

Senior U.S. officials, briefing reporters on Sunday's election, sharpened Washington's response to the disputed vote, in which Venezuela's electoral authority declared Maduro had won a third term, extending 25 years of socialist party rule.

Independent exit polls pointed to a landslide opposition win.

The U.S. and a number of other governments cast doubt on the official vote count. Maduro's opposition rival, Edmundo Gonzalez, asserted that he was the true winner.

The U.S. officials, speaking on condition of anonymity, amplified public demands by President Joe Biden's senior aides that Maduro publish a detailed tabulation of votes and said a failure to do would leave the international community unwilling to accept the announced outcome.

The officials did not unveil any new punitive measures but said Washington would assess its sanctions policy toward Venezuela based on whatever actions Maduro took going forward.

"We are faced with potentially a new scenario," one official said. "We are going to take that into account as we map forward where we may head with respect to sanctions toward Venezuela."

Washington, which rejected Maduro's 2018 reelection as a sham, broadly eased sanctions on Venezuela's oil industry last October in response to a deal between Maduro and opposition parties. But in April the U.S. reimposed the sanctions, accusing Maduro of reneging on electoral commitments.

"By engaging in repression and electoral manipulation, and by declaring a winner without the detailed precinct by precinct polling results ... Maduro representatives have stripped the supposed election results they announced of any credibility," a U.S. official said.

Speaking earlier in Tokyo, U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken said: "We have serious concerns that the result announced does not reflect the will or the votes of the Venezuelan people."

Maduro early on Monday reiterated his campaign assertion that Venezuela's electoral system is transparent.

White House spokesperson John Kirby said the U.S. would withhold judgment until it gets further information but would then "respond accordingly."

U.S. COORDINATES INTERNATIONAL RESPONSE

The U.S. officials did not offer many specifics of electoral misconduct it believes Maduro's side committed.

But one official said the electoral commission's announcement "does not track with data that we've received through quick-count mechanisms and other sources" and appeared at odds with how Venezuelans voted.

The officials said the U.S. was coordinating with regional allies on a response and would also work with international partners on potential consequences for Maduro's government.

Also read | Whats next now that Maduro was declared winner but vote tallies have yet to be released

A senior U.S. official said the administration was in contact with Brazil and other Latin American governments concerned about the political situation in Venezuela.

Biden will speak with Brazilian President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva on Tuesday afternoon, the White House said.

They defended the Biden's administration's decision last year to re-engage with Maduro following the Trump-era "maximum pressure" campaign, despite the Venezuelan leader's history of failing to make good on his political promises.

Sunday's election, one official said, was a sweeping call for change from Venezuelan voters and would put the opposition in a better position to negotiate with Maduro.

But Republican U.S. Senator Marco Rubio, a harsh Maduro critic, chided the Democratic administration in a post on X, calling it "the latest example of how our enemies have suckered Biden and (Vice President Kamala) Harris repeatedly."

Analysts have suggested that a Maduro re-election or post-election upheaval could spur more Venezuelans to leave the country and head for the U.S.-Mexico border.

With immigration already a hot-button issue in the U.S. presidential campaign, that could create new problems for Harris, seen as the likely Democratic nominee after Biden ended his re-election bid on July 21.
President Joe Biden called out Project 2025's "onslaught attacking civil rights" during his speech marking the 60th anniversary of the landmark legislation.

Speaking from the LBJ Presidential Library in Austin, Texas Monday, Biden, 81, condemned the 900-page extreme right-wing playbook proposed to orchestrate Trump's return to The White House if he wins the November election.

"They're planning another onslaught attacking civil rights in America," said Biden. "Project 2025 calls for aggressively attacking diversity, equity and inclusion across all aspects of American life."

"This extreme MAGA movement even proposes to end birthright citizenship. That's how far they've come. And birthright says: if you're born in America, you're an American citizen. That's how extreme these guys are."

"This issue and so many other civil rights that Americans take for granted are likely to come before the court in the years to come," said Biden, while criticizing the Supreme Court's recent decision to render Trump immune to "potential crimes he may have committed while in office."

"Folks, just imagine what a president could do, trampling civil rights and liberties given such immunity  the courts being used to weaponize an extreme and unchecked agenda," he said.

Project 2025 is the work of the conservative Heritage Foundation and would create a historically powerful presidency, eliminate Medicaid and many federal agencies, do away with regulations, totally support fossil fuel use and industries, ban abortions and porn (and imprison those who create and distribute porn). It also seeks to quickly put to death all prisoners currently on death row.

Under the plan, only "intact" heterosexual families would be officially sanctioned because all other relationships are unstable and create "bad behavior," it states.

Since the Project 2025 plot became more widely known in the public, Trump has tried to back away from it, and called some issues in the plan, which he hasn't detailed, too extreme.

But he has already pushed some of Project 2025's goals, including eliminating the Department of Education. More than 70 Trump White House staffers have helped develop Project 2025, including some of his top aides.
Grace Bay Resorts, the boutique owner, developer and operator of the finest luxury resorts and branded residences in Turks and Caicos, is pleased to announce the appointment of Sara Archibald as Northeast Regional Director of Sales. In her new role, Archibald will manage and oversee the sales operations in the Northeast region of the United States including designing plans to meet sales targets and developing and cultivating relationships with clients. With a decade of experience in sales and marketing, including seven years with Virtuoso in the luxury travel sector, Archibald brings a wealth of expertise and a proven track record of success to her new role.

Archibald joins Grace Bay Resorts from Virtuoso, where she demonstrated exceptional skills in managing over 500 hotel and resort accounts globally. In her role as Account Manager, she was responsible for presenting, negotiating, and selling marketing opportunities, as well as creating strategic marketing proposals aligned with clients' sales goals. Her proactive account analysis and market assessments led to achieving and exceeding revenue targets year-over-year. Archibald also played a key role in onboarding new hotel accounts, conducting strategic meetings, presenting quarterly town halls and participated in Virtuoso's Sustainability Guild made up of staff members. Prior to her tenure at Virtuoso, Sara served as Director of Marketing & Media at Bloom Metabolic Insights and as a Marketing Specialist at Alcalde & Fay. Born in Manhattan and raised in Rye in Westchester County, Archibald is currently a resident of Manhattan. She holds a Bachelor of Arts in Interdisciplinary Communications and Writing from Loyola University Maryland. In her spare time, Archibald enjoys traveling to new destinations exploring local cultures and cuisines. She also loves exploring her own backyard of New York City, taking ballroom dance classes and unwinding outdoorspreferably taking a walk, swimming or collecting shells at the beach. As a true extrovert, she is energized by meeting new people and enjoys spending time with family and friends.
Jessica Tapfar joins The Chancery Rosewood with an extensive background in hospitality management. Previously serving as the Hotel Director at The Ned City of London, Jessica was instrumental in overseeing the hotel's daily operations and ensuring its profitability. Her career also includes notable roles as Director of Operations at both The Waldorf Astoria in New York and the Waldorf Astoria in the Netherlands, showcasing her ability to lead and excel in luxury hotel environments.
With African tourism experiencing significant growth, there is now an urgent need to train a wide range of skilled professionals, all equipped with the skills modern tourism businesses need. Reflecting this demand, UN Tourism has signed a Memorandum of Understanding with the Ministry of Tourism of Zambia to establish the ZITHS Mukuni International Academy for Tourism and Hospitality in collaboration with UN Tourism. The Academy will offer a range of courses, all focused on equipping students both new to the sector and establish tourism workers the skills they need to find work or advance in their careers.

Laying the foundation stone in Livingstone, Secretary-General Pololikashvili said: Africas tourism sector is growing and diversifying at a tremendous rate. These new Academies in Collaboration with UN Tourism will help train the tourism workers of tomorrow in a range of specialisms, giving African tourism the talent it needs to thrive.

Joining the Secretary-General in signing the agreement, the Minister of Tourism of Zambia, Rodney M. Sikumba, said: through the adoption of the UN Tourism Education Guidelines, Zambia has been able to reposition the role of education in tourism development. The establishment of the Academy is a game changer of how we will bridge the evident skills gap for the existing and future workforce of our tourism sector.

Culinary Arts Academy planned for Zimbabwe

UN Tourism has also agreed to establish the Africa International Tourism Academy for Culinary Arts in collaboration with UN Tourism. The specialist centre will be hosted in Victoria Falls, Zimbabwe and focus on training skilled professionals in culinary arts both within the country and right across Africa. The announcement coincides with the celebration of the first UN Tourism Gastronomy Tourism Forum for Africa, an event showcasing the regions diverse gastronomy and set to bring together leading players from the public and private sectors.

We are excited to be working closely with UN Tourism to grow gastronomy tourism in our country and across the wider region. The new Academy in Collaboration with UN Tourism signals our shared commitment to empowering tourism workers within the field of culinary arts, putting Zimbabwe firmly on the global gastronomy map. Zimbabwes Tourism and Hospitality Industry Minister Barbara Rwodzi

Related Links:

About UN Tourism

The World Tourism Organization (UN Tourism) is the United Nations agency responsible for the promotion of responsible, sustainable and universally accessible tourism.

As the leading international organization in the field of tourism, UN Tourism promotes tourism as a driver of economic growth, inclusive development and environmental sustainability and offers leadership and support to the sector in advancing knowledge and tourism policies worldwide.

Our Priorities

Mainstreaming tourism in the global agenda: Advocating the value of tourism as a driver of socio-economic growth and development, its inclusion as a priority in national and international policies and the need to create a level playing field for the sector to develop and prosper.

Promoting sustainable tourism development: Supporting sustainable tourism policies and practices: policies which make optimal use of environmental resources, respect the socio-cultural authenticity of host communities and provide socio-economic benefits for all.

Fostering knowledge, education and capacity building: Supporting countries to assess and address their needs in education and training, as well as providing networks for knowledge creation and exchange.

Improving tourism competitiveness: Improving UN Tourism Members' competitiveness through knowledge creation and exchange, human resources development and the promotion of excellence in areas such as policy planning, statistics and market trends, sustainable tourism development, marketing and promotion, product development and risk and crisis management.

Advancing tourism's contribution to poverty reduction and development: Maximizing the contribution of tourism to poverty reduction and achieving the SDGs by making tourism work as a tool for development and promoting the inclusion of tourism in the development agenda.

Building partnerships: Engaging with the private sector, regional and local tourism organizations, academia and research institutions, civil society and the UN system to build a more sustainable, responsible and competitive tourism sector.

Our Structure

Members: An intergovernmental organization, UN Tourism has 160 Member States, 6 Associate Members, 2 Observers and over 500 Affiliate Members.

Organs: The General Assembly is the supreme organ of the Organization. The Executive Council take all measures, in consultation with the Secretary-General, for the implementation of the decisions and recommendations of the General Assembly and reports to the Assembly.

Secretariat: UN Tourism headquarters are based in Madrid, Spain. The Secretariat is led by the Secretary-General and organized into departments covering issues such as sustainability, education, tourism trends and marketing, sustainable development, statistics and the Tourism Satellite Account (TSA), destination management, ethics and risk and crisis management. The Technical Cooperation and Silk Road Department carries out development projects in over 100 countries worldwide, while the Regional Departments for Africa, the Americas, Asia and the Pacific, Europe and the Middle East serve as the link between UN Tourism and its 160 Member States. The Affiliate Members Department represents UN Tourism's 500 plus Affiliate members.

UN Tourism Communications Department

+34 91 567 8100

UN Tourism
Pan Pacific Hotels Group debuts in Kyoto with the signing of a strategic partnership with Tokyu Hotels following the launch of BELLUSTAR TOKYO, A Pan Pacific Hotel and HOTEL GROOVE SHINJUKU, A PARKROYAL Hotel, both located in Shinjuku, Tokyo last year.

This unique partnership will leverage the strong global brands of Pan Pacific Hotels Group, its international sales and marketing network across Asia Pacific, Europe and North America, and its extensive distribution platforms supported by robust tech infrastructure to drive business performance in key source markets around the world. THE HOTEL HIGASHIYAMA KYOTO TOKYU, A Pan Pacific Hotel will also be introduced into the Pan Pacific DISCOVERY loyalty programme, enabling powerful reach to potentially 27 million members worldwide.

The successful openings of BELLUSTAR TOKYO, A Pan Pacific Hotel and HOTEL GROOVE SHINJUKU, A PARKROYAL Hotel resulted in a substantial increase in international travellers into both hotels with approximately 60% of total guests originating from our loyalty programme. JNTO recently announced that visitor arrivals into Japan from Jan to Jun 2024 increased by 65.9% to 17.8 million over the same period last year with the monthly figure for June 2024 hitting an all-time high of 3.14 million[1]. Consistently ranked within the top 5 most visited cities in Japan, Kyoto prefecture which has a population of 2.5 million, drew 32 million international and domestic overnight guests in 2023[2]. Choe Peng Sum, Chief Executive Officer of Pan Pacific Hotels Group

We are very pleased to be partnering with Pan Pacific Hotels Group for the third property, following the two hotels that opened in TOKYU KABUKICHO TOWER last year. We feel that the core values and vision of Pan Pacific Hotels Group align closely with our company's purpose and philosophy, and by combining the strengths of both companies, we will be able to develop an even better brand for our guests and the local community.

The hotel will open its doors to the world more widely as a place that provide their guests what weaves together the unique local experience, traditional beauty, and culture that the hotel has cherished since its opening.

Through this partnership, we hope to bring the deep charms of this elegant city to tourists from all over the world and provide them with a time of contentment and satisfaction. Mr Jun Murai, Representative Director and President, TOKYU HOTELS & RESORTS CO., LTD

Featuring a harmonious blend of East and West, the design of THE HOTEL HIGASHIYAMA KYOTO TOKYU, A Pan Pacific Hotel draws inspiration from the calming flow of the Shirakawa River that runs alongside the hotel, providing a relaxing respite from one of the most popular cities in Japan.

The 143-room hotel, which recently celebrated its second anniversary, allows convenient access to many attractions and offers "Kyoto Iroha," a cultural experience programme that deepens guests' appreciation of Kyoto's distinct aesthetics.

Embodying Pan Pacific's ethos of Graceful Luxury and sincere hospitality, the hotel features an elegant tea bar showcasing Japanese tea ceremonies, a 78-seater restaurant and bar, and an onsen-style experience with three private baths.

Just four minutes away from Higashiyama station on the Kyoto City Subway Tozai Line, and 20 minutes by taxi from JR Kyoto station, THE HOTEL HIGASHIYAMA KYOTO TOKYU, A Pan Pacific Hotel is located close to the famous Gion district and within walking distance of Heian Shrine and the National Museum of Modern Art, Kyoto.
In todays digital-first era, theres a myriad of influential resources that inspire travelers to seek out certain destinations. From viral content on social media and posts from friends and family to destination sites and travel blogs, where people decide to travel can be a click away. Given that travelers are inundated with these outside influences and factors, how do people decide where to travel?

Our ebook about advertising solutions for the traveler customer journey explores that complex online path and provides actionable insights to help destination marketers  large and small and around the globe  reach the right travelers at the right time during their shopping journeys. Lets look at how you can use these key findings to build and execute impactful destination marketing campaigns.

Download the ebook

How travelers choose where to go

Early in the path to purchase, most travelers are undecided on where to travel, according to Expedia Group and Luth Researchs study, The Path to Purchase: Uncovering How Travelers Plan and Book. Before selecting where to go on their trip, more than half (59%) of travelers did not have a specific destination in mind or considered multiple destinations, which shows that people are open to destination inspiration in the beginning stages of the travel research process.

When it comes to picking travel destinations for trips, travelers from Mexico and the U.K. seem to be more open to destination inspiration: More than 80% and 62% of travelers, respectively, said they were undecided on where to go. The research also showed that 63% of vacation rental bookers did not have a specific destination in mind when they first decided to take a trip.1 This highlights the opportunity for destinations and vacation rentals to connect with travelers early in their shopping journey.

What do travelers want?

When it comes to travelers who consider multiple destinations, 13% said they considered three different destinations, on average. And of those considering multiple destinations, when asked about destination consideration similarities, the top influencers were weather or seasonality (53%), trip type such as beach, activity, city, cruise (48%), travel costs (47%), how to get to the destination (46%), and length of time to arrive at a destination (45%). Interestingly, only 20% of travelers said the destinations they were considering were in similar regions, further indicating that travelers are open to destination inspiration and may not be tied to specific regions or countries when they start planning their trip.2

 Source: Expedia Group Media Solutions

Destination indecisiveness among most travelers at the beginning of the travel research process illustrates the opportunities for destinations and travel brands to inspire and influence travelers early in the booking path. When choosing a travel destination, nearly one in five (19%) travelers say advertising influenced their decision to book a trip.3 Destinations should consider solutions that allow you to showcase your location, experiences, and other special offerings with beautiful imagery and customized copy, which can help appeal to travelers as they decide on their next destination.

While decision indecisiveness may be high, so is the desire to travel. Global travel searches increased 25% quarter over quarter in the first quarter of 2024 according to our traveler insights data.4 This means that destinations can connect with travelers in other regions that they want to bring to their destination.

Social medias role in the path to purchase

Social media has a strong influence throughout the travel customer journey, and travelers primarily use it for inspiration and recommendations. When it comes to researching and discovering destinations, social media plays a prominent role. Among travelers using social media, 65% use it to find destination inspiration. Japanese travelers in particular turn to social media as a primary resource to discover destinations, with 76% using it to figure out where to take their next trip.5

Of those who use social media during the purchase path, 40% use it to view travel pictures, videos, and content from friends and family or influencers and celebrities. More than one-third (35%) use social media to gather feedback from friends or family on destinations they are considering.6 This shows that travelers are drawn to original content and travel advice from others and can be influenced to travel to destinations based on social media content.

Effective marketing campaigns for your destination

 Source: Expedia Group Media Solutions

When planning a trip, Instagram (65%), Facebook (48%), YouTube (40%), and TikTok (37%) are the most popular social media platforms for travelers, illustrating the range of social resources they are tapped into.7

To connect with travelers seeking inspiration on their social feeds, consider combining inspirational social content that promotes your destination, along with special deals or offerings to further entice travelers. Leveraging user-generated content in social campaigns may also resonate with travelers looking for authentic information and tips from other travelers. Additionally, social media solutions such as custom social promotions and co-branded videos can help take your social media campaigns to the next level and enhance social storytelling across platforms to ensure your destination stands out.

How travelers find destinations and narrow their options

During the research phase, travelers use a variety of resources to gather information and figure out their options, including online travel agencies (OTAs). Three-fourths of travelers use search engines, meta travel websites and social media, followed by destination sites and OTAs for travel research. Most travelers also use OTAs for research regardless of where they book, with 80% of travelers visiting an OTA before any travel purchase. When looking at those who booked on a hotel website or app, nearly two-thirds (61%) visited an OTA during their journey. Similarly, more than half (52%) of customers who booked on an air website and 58% of customers who booked on a car rental website visited an OTA.

Among those using destination sites during the path to purchase, 68% of travelers use them for research, as many as 80% in Japan. More than 40% of travelers using destination sites said the websites were influential in their decision-making process, meaning that its imperative your destination site is current, contains compelling imagery, showcases what makes your destination unique, and includes other key information like amenities or destination activities to help travelers narrow their options.

How early travelers plan their trip changes, and our Q2 2024 traveler insights show that long-term planning is on the rise. With the180+ day search window increasing by 20% globally and domestically, destinations can target travelers earlier in their trip planning journey.10

Finalizing destination options

In the planning phase, travelers are considering their vacation destination options, and like the research phase, they turn to numerous different resources. OTAs are a top online resource in the planning phase, followed by meta travel websites, car, hotel, and rail websites or apps, vacation rental websites or apps, and social media. Among those using destination sites during the path to purchase, 27% of travelers use them for planning (32% in the U.S. and Japan), indicating that destination sites are still a vital resource for travelers as they consider their final options.

32% of U.S. travelers use destination websites to plan a trip. THE PATH TO PURCHASE: UNCOVERING HOW TRAVELERS PLAN AND BOOK

In addition to finalizing their destination options during this phase, travelers are considering where and how to book their trip. When deciding where to shop and book their trip, nearly half (49%) said getting the best price is an important factor, nearly one-third (31%) consider their positive previous experience with a travel brand (37% in the U.S.), and 28% look for travel brands that offer flexible cancellation policies or refundable rates.

For destinations, this highlights the importance of working with travel partners, including OTAs, to maximize your destinations reach with content beyond your owned channels to ensure your destination remains top of mind as travelers decide where to go. Creating unique and impactful content that showcases your destination, both on internal and external channels, will extend your reach and help you connect with travelers who are poised to purchase.

Help travelers make travel decisions

For more findings on what drives traveler decisions, and travel insights for more effective destination marketing campaigns, download the Path to Purchase study.

Download the study

1. The Path to Purchase: Uncovering How Travelers Plan and Book Online, Luth Research and Expedia Group, 2023. 2., 3. The Path to Purchase.

4. Expedia Group Q1 traveler insight data, 2024.

5., 6., 7., 8., 9. The Path to Purchase.

10. Expedia Group Q1 traveler insight data, 2024.

11., 12. The Path to Purchase.

About Expedia Group Media Solutions

Expedia Group Media Solutions is the world's leading travel media network. We connect advertisers with hundreds of millions of travelers across the globe. Our exclusive first-party data on traveler trends, search behavior, and booking data provides travel marketers with unique insights to inform their strategies. We offer a full-funnel suite of solutions to help you convert travelers, and our digital experts can help you create advertising campaigns that deliver.

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PARSIPPANY, N.J.  Dial-up internet, landlines, and VHS tapessome things are best left in the past. But with age, some things only get better. At 50 years young, Super 8Americas trusted roadside hotel brandhas never looked or felt better and to celebrate, the brand is giving guests a chance to book a room this summer at the same rate it charged in 1974: $8.88 a night plus tax. Act fast though  only 888 nights are available at the reduced rate.

Remember when eight bucks could get you something special? Super 8 sure does! This milestone isnt about looking back but celebrating how far weve come: from a single hotel in Aberdeen, South Dakota to one of the worlds largest hotel brands with over 2,600 locations worldwide. And while our yearly odometer may read 50continued investment by our franchisees means our hotels dont look or feel it. Mike Mueller, President, Super 8 by Wyndham

Turning Back the Clock

Back in 1974, a gallon of gas cost just fifty-three cents, a bag of beef jerky was a buck, and a night at the original Super 8 in Aberdeen, South Dakota a cool $8.88. The inaugural room rate  a nod to the number eight in its name  symbolized the start of the brands groundbreaking mission to make comfortable, budget-friendly accommodations accessible to all.

Say goodbye to grandpas boxy dresser and grandmas floral bedspreads because, at 50 years young, Super 8 is more vibrant than ever. Following a massive, $140+ million brand overhaul by franchisees just a few years ago, rooms today feature sleek furniture, stylish bedding and a host of modern amenities, all built around the brands signature offeringone-of-a-kind headboards featuring larger-than-life, bed-to-ceiling, hyper-local black and white art reflective of each hotel and its unique destination.

$8.88? Thats Super!

While costs have changed since the 70s, a great stay is forever timeless, especially at Super 8. For a limited time, the brand will bring back its historic $8.88 room rate. Heres how to get yours:

Starting August 8, 2024, at 8:00 AM ET, 888 room nights will be available for sale at a rate of $8.88 each, plus tax, exclusively at super8.com/throwback.

Sales will be fulfilled in the form of 15,000 Wyndham Rewards points  good for at least one free night at hundreds of Super 8 hotels and points are redeemable for a minimum of 18 months after purchase. Limit of one purchase of 15,000 points per person and available on a first-come, first-served basis while supplies last.

You must be a Wyndham Rewards member and provide your membership number at the time of purchase. Travelers are strongly encouraged to join prior to attempting to purchase so they can have their member number on hand. Join for free at wyndhamrewards.com/join.

Upon successfully purchasing, points will be credited to your Wyndham Rewards account within three business days.

To score a Super 8 throwback rate, travelers must be 18 years of age and a resident of the U.S. and Canada. For more information, including official rules as well as full terms and conditions, visit www.super8.com/throwback.

About Wyndham Hotels & Resorts

Wyndham Hotels & Resorts (NYSE: WH) is the world's largest hotel franchising company by the number of properties, with approximately 9,200 hotels across over 95 countries on six continents. Through its network of nearly 885,000 rooms appealing to the everyday traveler, Wyndham commands a leading presence in the economy and midscale segments of the lodging industry. The Company operates a portfolio of 25 hotel brands, including Super 8, Days Inn, Ramada, Microtel, La Quinta, Baymont, Wingate, AmericInn, Hawthorn Suites, Trademark Collection and Wyndham. The Company's award-winning Wyndham Rewards loyalty program offers approximately 110 million enrolled members the opportunity to redeem points at thousands of hotels, vacation club resorts and vacation rentals globally. For more information, visit wyndhamhotels.com.

The Company may use its website as a means of disclosing material non-public information and for complying with its disclosure obligations under Regulation FD. Disclosures of this nature will be included on the Company's website in the Investors section, which can currently be accessed at www.investor.wyndhamhotels.com. Accordingly, investors should monitor this section of the Company's website in addition to following the Company's press releases, filings submitted with the Securities and Exchange Commission and any public conference calls or webcasts.

About Wyndham Rewards

Named the number one hotel rewards program by readers of USA TODAY, Wyndham Rewards is the world's most generous rewards program with more than 50,000 hotels, vacation club resorts and vacation rentals worldwide.

Designed for the everyday traveller, members earn a guaranteed 1,000 points with every qualified stay and may redeem points for a wide range of rewards, including free nights at any of the approximately 9,100 hotels or tens of thousands of vacation club resorts and vacation rentals globally through affiliation with Wyndham Destinations and others. Wyndham Rewards has over 103 million enrolled members globally. Join for free today at www.wyndhamrewards.com. You've earned this. 
W Kuala Lumpur Hotel to be Acquired by IOI for MYR 270 Million

Malaysia-based IOI Properties Group Berhad (IOI) has entered into a sale and purchase agreement (SPA) to acquire the 150-key W Kuala Lumpur Hotel from Malaysia-based Tropicana Residences Sdn. Bhd. for MYR 270 million through its 99.9% owned indirect subsidiaries. The deal amounts to a transaction of MYR 1.8 million per key for the W Kuala Lumpur, a hotel that features four on-site food and beverage options, a swimming pool, a spa, a fitness center, and various meeting and event spaces. IOI has also entered into a SPA with Malaysia-based Pantai Kok Resort Development Sdn Bhd to acquire the 3.99 hectares of freehold land in Pantai Kok, Teluk Burau in Langkawi for MYR 90.1 million.

Tsim Sha Tsui Popway Hotel Acquired for HKD 180 Million

An entity linked to Shih Wing-ching, the founder of Hong Kong-based Centaline Property Agency, has acquired the 63-key Popway Hotel in Tsim Sha Tsui for HKD 180 million from Hong Kong-based hotelier David Lau Ka-wai, representing approximately HKD 2.9 million per key. The propertys proximity to Hong Kong Polytechnic University and other educational institutes makes it a prime candidate for conversion to student housing, a trend among investors in Hong Kongs hospitality assets. A conversion of the Popway Hotel to student housing could result in the project offering between 130 to 150 beds.

First Sponsor Led Consortium Acquired Sydney Building to Redevelop into Mixed-use Project

Singapore-based First Sponsor Group Limited led a consortium to acquire the 3,200-square-metre City Tattersalls Club building in Sydney for AUD 24.7 million. Plans are in place to redevelop the property into a 50-story residential and hotel project, consisting of 241 apartments, an upscale hotel, and event spaces. First Sponsor partnered with Australia-based ICD Property to transform the site at 194-204 Pitt Street after reaching an agreement with City Tattersalls Club to move to a new venue on nearby Castlereagh Street.

AB Capital Acquires Apartment Hotels in Osaka and Kyoto

Hong Kong-based AB Capital Investment Limited (AB Capital) has announced its acquisition of the Randor Hotel Osaka Namba Suites in Osaka (Randor Osaka), and the Randor Residential Hotel Kyoto Suites in Kyoto (Randor Kyoto), for an undisclosed sum. The properties mark the first and second hotel acquisitions of AB Capital Japan Hospitality Fund II, respectively. The Randor Osaka is a 1,912-square-metre, 21-key property in the center of Osaka City, located within a two-minute walk from the Osaka Metro Ebisucho station, with an average room size of 73 square metres. The Randor Kyoto is a 3,730-square-metre, 60-key property located in the Kyoto Station area, in close proximity to major tourist attractions like Gion and Higashiyama, with rooms averaging 49 square metres in size.

Kimlun Corporation and Astaka Holdings Form Joint Venture to Build Serviced Apartments in Johor Bahru

Malaysia-based Kimlun Corp., Bhd (Kimlun) is forming a joint venture company with Singapore-based Astaka Holdings Ltds indirectly-owned unit Astaka Capital Sdn Bhd (ACSB) to develop a serviced residence project in Johor Bahru, Malaysia. Kimluns subsidiary Kii Amber Sdn Bhd (Kii Amber) and ACSB form the joint venture company on a ratio of 51:49 respectively. The project, which is related to phase three of Arden @ One Bukit Senyum, is expected to launch in Q4 2024, with an estimated construction time of less than 48 months. The land plot acquired by the joint venture measures 1.662 acres. ACSB will oversee the day-to-day operations and handle legal obligations for the project, while Kii Amber will oversee construction and assist with project development.

About HVS

HVS is the world's leading consulting and valuation services organization focused on the hotel, restaurant, shared ownership, gaming, and leisure industries. Established in 1980, the company performs more than 4,500 assignments per year for virtually every major industry participant. HVS principals are regarded as the leading professionals in their respective regions of the globe. Through a worldwide network of over 50 offices staffed by 300 experienced industry professionals, HVS provides an unparalleled range of complementary services for the hospitality industry. For further information regarding our expertise and specifics about our services, please visit www.hvs.com.
I recently heard an interesting metaphor about a specific hotel accounting system feature: Having a dashboard moves you from driving with your eyes in the rearview mirror to facing forward.

You wouldn't drive a car solely using the rearview mirror, you would want to look forward and have a full, clear picture of what is in front of you. It's the same with your hotel's accounting software; just like the driver of a car, a hotel's finance team needs a dashboard right in front of them to make quick, educated decisions.

The hotel and resort industry market size worldwide reached 1.5 trillion USD last year, up from $1.43 trillion USD in 2022. For a market that grew five percent during that time, hotel companies can't afford to underperform when compared to their competitors.

Accounting solution dashboards allow users to easily review financial and operational data, identify trends, detect potential challenges before they become larger issues, and monitor their organization's overall financial health  all on one screen, without having to execute multiple reports.

Why Hotel Finance Teams Perform Better with Access to a Hotel-specific Accounting Solution Dashboard

Finance teams have instant access to accurate data from multiple sources to clearly see where their hotel property or properties stand from a cash perspective, what they owe, and how they are performing today compared to a year ago  ultimately, they have a better understanding of whether the organization is on track financially or whether adjustments need to be made.

With real-time access to financial and operational data, users can monitor performance and trends as they happen  facilitating and encouraging quicker reactions to changing conditions, such as market shifts or operational issues.

According to a recent HotelTechReport survey, 39% of hoteliers believe that technologys most important value proposition is improving operational efficiency. A dashboard is just one example of a tool that improves decision-making, boosts operational efficiency and improves the financial health of the organization.

A dashboard seamlessly consolidates and displays information from multiple systems or data sources and brings those bits of information to the forefront. If you want to drill down and do more detailed research and analysis  down to each system  a dashboard is a quick gauge of where your property stands (or properties stand). Dashboards are not flashy; they are intended to bring accurate accounting information to the finance director without having to run reports. Many confuse the fact that a dashboard actually is not an analysis tool, but a quick report card.

The Most Important Benefit of Hotel Accounting Dashboards

One of the most important benefits of an accounting solution dashboard is that finance teams can actually look at the data and not get mired down in creating it. Traditionally, the hotel industry takes more time to create the numbers and far less time looking at them. When they have to report their performance, they don't always have the time to review the numbers. Dashboards provide quick access to accurate financial data from multiple systems and provide the luxury of time  time to review the numbers and properly understand the financial health of the organization.

The Answer is Clear

Why would you create more work for your finance team by manually going through multiple screens of data when reviewing your hotel property's (or properties') financials? Dashboards  especially when part of a robust accounting system, budgeting and forecasting tool and an intuitive business intelligence solution  can provide direct access to multiple data points and multiple properties, all on one screen. The automation built into these systems removes the requirement of manually pulling multiple reports, and limits errors because of this. Additionally, the finance team can identify trends in the accounting data and prevent potential problems.

Now is a perfect time to review your back office and accounting systems and ensure your finance team is using hotel-specific solutions that offer dashboards. Your team will see immediate benefits and more effectively monitor the health of your business.

If the numbers you gather aren't accurate and based on real-time data, then your reports won't be either and you will not have a clear view of your hotel's performance. Dashboards empower hotel operators to make more informed decisions, improve efficiency, and achieve strategic goals. It's time you ride in the front seat and properly drive your organization's financial health forward.

About Aptech Computer Systems Inc.

Aptech Computer Systems, Inc., based in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, is the only provider of a fully integrated enterprise accounting, business intelligence and planning ecosystem to the hospitality industry. All clients are companies like yours, which own or manage hotels. Its solutions help customers at both the corporate and property levels understand their financial and operational data for faster goal achievement. The company is renowned for introducing business intelligence into the hotel industry and offers a solid resource of hospitality professionals. Aptech is an IBM Software Value Plus partner and Premier Solution Provider, as well as a Prophix Premier Business Partner. Incorporated in 1970, Aptech's state-of-the-art back office, true business intelligence and enterprise planning solutions are 100% hotel specific. Solutions include PVNG, Execuvue and Targetvue. Clients comprise over 3,500 properties  including large chains, multiple-property management companies and single-site hotels. Execuvue is registered to Aptech Computer Systems Inc. All other trademarks are owned by their respective holders. For more information, please visit www.aptech-inc.com.
GBTA Convention 2024 DeliversERecord Forecast Outlook and Positive Future Vision for Business Travel While BringingEEducation, C... - Image Credit GBTA



The worlds largest gathering of the global business travel industry transcends travel disruption challenges, hosts 5,400 global delegates in Atlanta during its annual event July 22-24

The global business travel industry converged in Atlanta, Georgia, for the GBTA Convention 2024 held July 22-24 at the Georgia World Congress Center. Attracting 5,400 registered attendees from 50 countries - including more than 1,100 travel buyers from 600+ companies and 310 travel supplier exhibitors - the not-to-be-missed industry event featured over 200 dynamic presenters, 86 peer-reviewed and curated education sessions, unmatched networking opportunities and the unveiling of the latest forecast ahead for global business travel.

Focus areas for the convention aligned with whats affecting the sector and its professionals most, including the state of the industry, understanding human behavior, innovating for transformation, solving sustainability challenges and looking to the future of business travel.

The GBTA Convention offers a unique, annual opportunity for industry professionals to learn, network and experience the very best the global business travel community has to offer - and this year was no exception. This week was also a testament to the ongoing importance, in general, of managed travel programs and their support systems, as we felt the industrys resilience for ourselves in navigating the global IT system disruption in order to come together in Atlanta, said Suzanne Neufang, CEO of GBTA.

At its core, business travel is about making human connections. By understanding what drives our behaviors and decision making, coupled with the increasing role technology plays in aiding us, we can better understand not only where the industry is going, but why its trending in that direction. We are very optimistic for what lies ahead for business travel - and for those who work in and with this industry, said Neufang.

Main Stage Sessions Tap into Human Connections, Technology and Sustainability

This years Main Stage keynote speakers featured a dynamic trio of experts in their respective fields. In keeping with the conventions theme, each one presented an alternate point of view to commonalities and challenged the audience to embrace forward thinking approaches. They were:

Dan Ariely , behavioral economist, best-selling author, speaker and professor, delved into captivating stories and research-based learnings about human behavior and why people make the everyday choices they do.

, behavioral economist, best-selling author, speaker and professor, delved into captivating stories and research-based learnings about human behavior and why people make the everyday choices they do. Carla Harris , international public speaker and Senior Client Advisor at Morgan Stanley, offered inspiring insights and examples on how to build trust and refine leadership approaches for maximum impact.

, international public speaker and Senior Client Advisor at Morgan Stanley, offered inspiring insights and examples on how to build trust and refine leadership approaches for maximum impact. Dr. Bertrand Piccard, Initiator and Chairman at the Solar Impulse Foundation, shared the adventures of his record-breaking, around-the-world balloon journey in 1999 as well as his first-ever global circumnavigation in a solar-powered electric airplane in 2016. He also outlined why its impossible are the very words to spur human ingenuity in order to solve such impossible problems as aviation decarbonization.

Other Main Stage sessions featured impactful fireside chats and panel discussions with leaders from companies including Delta Air Lines, Enterprise Mobility, Goodr, IHG Hotels & Resorts, Marriott, Shell, United for Business and Visa Inc.

Business Travel Industry Outlook Points to Post-Pandemic Stabilization and Record Spending Levels

During Mondays Main Stage session, GBTA launched the 2024 GBTA Business Travel Index Outlook - Annual Global Report and Forecast report made possible by Visa. Now in its 16th year and comprised of data and analysis including from 4,100 business travelers across five global regions, the GBTA BTI found that global spending for business travel is expected to reach a record $1.48 trillion USD by the end of 2024. Looking further out, and boosted by economic stability, pent-up demand and recovery momentum, business travel spending is projected to surpass $2 trillion by 2028.

Among the deeper dive GBTA BTI report findings Neufang revealed during the opening session were:

64% of business travelers surveyed report increased spending compared to 2023.

Business travelers estimate their spending averaged $834 per person based on their last business trip.

81% report that business travel is worthwhile in achieving their objectives.

58% of business travelers blend business and leisure travel more than ever before.

The Executive Summary from the 2024 GBTA BTI report is available to download here, and GBTA members can exclusively access the full report on the GBTA Hub.

Recognizing a Dedicated Volunteer Network

GBTA also honored a group of outstanding volunteers who lead the way in furthering the mission of both the association and the industry as a whole. They are:

GBTA Direct Member of the Year Award: Leslie Andrews, GTP, GLP, Director of Global Travel Category, JLL

GTP, GLP, Director of Global Travel Category, JLL GBTA Allied Member of the Year Award: Anja TurnerSchulz , Vice President, Global Marketing & Communications, BCD

, Vice President, Global Marketing & Communications, BCD 2024 GBTA Presidents Award: Mark Ziegler, CCTE, GLP, GTP, Senior Travel Manager, NetApp, Inc.

In addition, GBTA leadership and regional directors, along with association volunteers and GBTA Global Leadership Professional (GLP) program recipients around the globe were celebrated at the Global Leaders Reception on July 21 at the Georgia Aquarium. Kate King, Director of Global Travel Partnerships, International SOS, was honored with the GBTA Committee Member of the Year Award, and 20 other members from across North America, LATAM, EMEA and APAC received Business Travel Service Awards.

Making Headlines, Sharing Breaking News and Leader Insights

During GBTA Media Day on July 22, 15 industry companies announced their breaking news and industry firsts. A full replay of Media Day is available here.

Throughout the Convention, the GBTA Broadcast Studio also hosted 45 executive interviews with some of the leading and most innovative companies in the business travel industry.

Future GBTA Conventions and other Events Around the World

As the event concluded, GBTA confirmed Convention 2025 will be held in Denver, Colorado, from July 23-25. GBTA also made a special announcement that Chicago is the destination for Convention 2026, scheduled for August 3-5.

Other upcoming GBTA regional events include the GBTA +VDR Conference 2024 in Partnership with the Nordic Business Travel Associations in Copenhagen November 4-6, 2024, GBTA Canada Conference April 28-30, 2025, in Toronto, GBTA APAC Conference May 27-28, 2025, in Singapore and the GBTA LATAM Conference September 24-25, 2025, in Mexico City.

View photos from GBTA Convention 2024 here. Beginning next week, attendees can access on-demand replay of the education sessions via the convention mobile app.
The Euros clearly spiked performance in German markets, with Ruhr seeing the highest RevPAR growth (+104%), followed by Dusseldorf (+53%), and Cologne (+42%). - Image Credit Unsplash+

STR's global "bubble chart" update for the four weeks ending 20 July 2024 shows 64% of markets with year-over-year growth in revenue per available room (RevPAR). That percentage was similar to our previous global market update.

Among countries with 50,000 rooms and adequate hotel reporting levels, Greece, Singapore, Switzerland, France, and Italy the same countries as the last updateposted the highest RevPAR on an actual basis. Notably, Greece recorded high growth rate RevPAR (+13%) thanks to substantial ADR growth (+23%).

In contrast, France continued to show lower performance compared to the same period last year, as demand remained displaced ahead of the Paris Olympics. That trend is set to reverse, however, as Paris occupancy on the books (as of 22 July) was trending between 80%-90% for all but two dates during the Olympics. Previous Olympic host markets have seen the greatest impact in pricing power; thus we project substantial ADR gains in Paris between late-July and mid-August. The markets RevPAR was 27% lower year over year for the most recent 28-day period.

Excluding countries with turbulent socioeconomic conditions, the leaders in year-over-year RevPAR growth were Japan, the Czech Republic, Indonesia, Malaysia, and Germany. Japan held the top spot for the third consecutive period, thanks to its strong rate growth. Germany joined the leaders thanks to Euro 2024.

Overall, 37 of 48 countries with hotel supply greater than 50,000 rooms recorded growth in RevPAR from 2023.

Excluding provincial areas and country markets, the top RevPAR performers were Ruhr, Dusseldorf, Santiago,Tokyo and Cologne. The Euros clearly spiked performance in German markets, with Ruhr seeing the highest RevPAR growth (+104%), followed by Dusseldorf (+53%), and Cologne (+42%).

This article originally appeared on STR.
SteepleCats Blanked in Final Home Game

NORTH ADAMS, Mass. -- Mike Jensen and Jack Niedringhaus Monday combined on a one-hitter to lead the Valley Blue Sox to a 10-0 win over the North Adams SteepleCats in the Cats' home finale.

Aedan Forde had the lone hit for North Adams.

Nick Balcom took the loss on the mound despite allowing no earned runs in five innings of work.

He left with a 2-0 deficit after five innings after giving up two of the five unearned runs generated by the Blue Sox.

North Adams (13-30) finishes the season at Danbury, Conn., on Tuesday.
Page Content



In a landmark gathering that underscored the pivotal role of aviation in Africa's development, the ninth edition of the African-Indian Ocean Region (AFI) Aviation Week concluded with a heightened commitment towards regional cooperation and key International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) priorities.





Held in Libreville, Gabon, from 15-19 July 2024, the event brought together key stakeholders from across the continent and beyond.





Addressing the Vice-President of the Gabonese Republic, H.E. M. Joseph Owondault Berre, Ministers of government, and other attending high-level dignitaries, ICAO Council President Salvatore Sciacchitano set the stage for a productive week of proceedings in his opening remarks.





"The presence of so many key representatives from States and international and regional organizations is a clear demonstration of the recognition of the importance of aviation in Africa as an enabler for sustainable economic development, and the region's strong commitment to speak in a single voice in shaping the future of international aviation," he said.





The Tenth Meeting of the Directors General of Civil Aviation of the Africa-Indian Ocean Region (AFI-DGCA/10) took centre stage during AFI Week, fostering in-depth discussions on the latest developments in aviation and the evolution of performance across all ICAO Strategic Objectives in the AFI region.





The gathering emphasized the critical importance of maintaining momentum through mutual support and regional collaboration, with a shared vision of building a robust future for African aviation. These discussions were framed within the broader context of the African Union's Single African Air Transport Market (SAATM) and the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA), underlining the integral role of aviation in Africa's sustainable development and economic integration.





The ICAO "No Country Left Behind" initiative remained at the forefront throughout AFI Week, with participants recognizing the progress made in capacity building and implementation activities across the region. An Ad hoc Committee was established to update the framework of the Comprehensive Regional Implementation Plan for Aviation Safety in Africa (AFI Plan), the Comprehensive Regional Implementation Plan for Aviation Security and Facilitation in Africa (AFI SECFAL Plan), and the Human Resources Development Fund (HRDF), ensuring continued support for developing nations through 2030.





Similarly, AFI Week provided States with an important opportunity to significantly advance safety and security, with the establishment of a new consolidated group merging the AFI Planning and Implementation Regional Group (APIRG) and the Africa-Indian Ocean Regional Aviation Safety Group (RASG-AFI). This move promises to streamline efforts and enhance aviation safety across the continent.





States also recognized the imperative of ensuring the environmental sustainability of their ambitions. This was reflected in renewed commitments to ICAO's Global Framework for Sustainable Aviation Fuels, Lower Carbon Aviation Fuels and Cleaner Energy Sources, and increased participation in the Assistance, Capacity-building and Training for Sustainable Aviation Fuels (ACT-SAF) programme.

The innovative Finvest Hub initiative garnered particular attention, offering a promising avenue for investment in sustainable aviation fuel production and other areas.





The 2026-2050 ICAO Strategic Plan currently being prepared by the organization was also a strong focus.

ICAO Secretary General Juan Carlos Salazar closed the week with a call to action, emphasizing the need for gender equality and urging stakeholders to "translate the progress made in this AFI Week into effective policies and actions that deliver real results." He reaffirmed ICAO's commitment to supporting civil aviation development in Africa, recognizing the contributions of all participating States and organizations.





The success of the event was further cemented through a series of bilateral discussions, including ICAO Council Presidents meeting with the President of the Gabonese Republic , Brigade General Brice Clotaire Oligui Nguema. These encounters, along with discussions between the ICAO leadership and various Directors-General of Civil Aviation Authorities, laid the groundwork for continued collaboration and progress in the years to come.





The sidelines of the event also featured new ICAO capacity-building and implementation developments with Chad, Gabon, Uganda and South Africa.





The Council President and the Secretary General were accompanied during their activities in Gabon by the Director of Air Transport Bureau, Mr. Mohamed Rahma, ICAOs Western and Central Africa Regional Director, Mr. Prosper Zoo Mintoo; the Eastern and Southern Africa Regional Director, Ms. Lucy Mbugua; and the Deputy Director of the Capacity Development and Implementation Bureau, Mr. Miguel Marin.










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By the time I read Edna OBriens debut novel The Country Girls for the first time, I was in my early twenties and it was no longer so shocking. When it was published in 1960, it was banned in Ireland, but not before a priest in Limerick had burned copies after the rosary. The English novelist LP Hartley deemed its protagonists, the teenage Cait and Baba, a pair of nymphomaniacs.

Forty years on, Sex and the City was on TV, so a novel depicting the chaste lives of a couple of schoolgirls wasnt particularly scandalous. Still, though, The Country Girls  a story of two girls striving to move beyond their small town and avoid the fate of their mothers  affected me deeply. OBrien captured the particular vicious hypocrisies we Irish women endured  when I read the book, abortion was still illegal in Ireland, and divorce had only been legalised a few years previously  but it was more than that. Here was a novel that told the truth about female friendship and teenage girls: about our gruesome envy; our wild and weird lust. OBrien understood longing better than most writers: the longing for experience; for escape; for sex and love that was forbidden  in a 1964 interview, she said that lesbian desire seems to be part of every womans experience. All of this, written in the face of opposition, took profound courage.

The novelist, who has died aged 93, was a huge figure, stylistically brilliant and forever ambitious, whether she was writing about motherhood (1964s Girls in Their Married Bliss, a sequel to The Country Girls), war criminals (2015s The Little Red Chairs), or the fate of schoolgirls kidnapped by Boko Haram (2019s Girl). She was prolific, producing movie scripts and plays as well as novels, short stories and poetry, in a career that spanned six decades. A siren voice for Ireland who broke barriers, OBrien sustained her status as a thrilling, boundary-pushing writer throughout her long career. In a sign of her enduring significance, the National Library of Ireland bought all of her papers in 2021 so that her archive could be preserved; it holds 50 boxes of letters, notes and drafts.

I quickly became a devoted reader, gobbling up the two (equally good) sequels to The Country Girls. I read old interviews with OBrien on the internet, and later, when I was working at a magazine, I finally got to meet her when I interviewed her about a theatre production of The Country Girls in 2012, staged at the Gaiety Theatre in Dublin. Encountering her in a dilapidated rehearsal room on a side street in Dublin was a trip: here was a genius amid the half-finished cups of tea and rolled-up scripts.

That same year, fans of OBrien devoured a memoir that featured sublime prose as well as gossipy tidbits about life during the Swinging Sixties. In Country Girl, OBrien laid it all out. She was born in rural Co Clare in 1930. Her father was an alcoholic and terrible with money: financial ruin, and the disgrace that would accompany it, loomed throughout her childhood. She saw writing as a vocation and wrote stories from the age of eight or nine: I would go out to the fields to write. The words ran away with me, she recalled.

When the time came for her to leave home, she escaped to Dublin, and became an apprentice chemist at a pharmacy while simultaneously looking for opportunities to write. She got a gig writing a weekly column, or nonsensical jottings as she later called them, for the railway company magazine under a pen name (Sabiola after an Egyptian concubine). Slowly she began to infiltrate the overwhelmingly male literary scene in Dublin. She met her future husband, the Czech-Irish writer Ernest Gebler, during this time. He was, she said, handsome beyond words. He was also older and divorced: divorce would not be legal in Ireland for another 35 years or so, and their relationship was violently opposed by her family.

They married, and emigrated to the bleak suburbia of southwest London with their two young sons. There, living in a sort of dreary exile with a husband who turned out to be cruel and controlling, OBrien wrote The Country Girls in a three-week-long haze of inspiration. It changed her life. At 30, she was a literary star, with the financial means to leave her husband and gain custody of her children (even if it would be a long and painful process).

open image in gallery OBrien in 2013 ( Getty )

OBrien became a gregarious host, with Paul McCartney, Marianne Faithfull, Jane Fonda and many more calling by or attending her parties. She remained a devoted mother to her sons, and continued to work, creating novels, screenplays and stage plays.

Sinead OShea, director of the forthcoming documentary Blue Road: The Edna OBrien Story, spent the last year working with her, as they met for hours of interviews.

Edna was very funny, OShea says. Gossipy, bitchy and so sharp, but most of all, she was a workaholic. That was the main thing I learnt about her. She worked and worked and worked. There had been a time, she said, when she could write all day and throw a party that same evening, but this was long in the past.

In 2022, at the age of 91, she was still working, as the Abbey Theatre in Dublin staged her final play, Joyces Women, a show about the various women in the great Irish novelist James Joyces life. Ali White, who played Joyces patron Harriet Shaw Weaver, tells me that despite her physical frailty, her energy could blaze for a whole three-hour session and she was always bewildered when the stage manager called for a tea break halfway through.

She fixed her gaze on me. I clearly wasnt quite there. These are TS Eliots rosary beads, she replied

She was casual about the impressive literary circles that she had always been at home in. One afternoon, I noticed her rummaging in her handbag, White recalls. A moment later, she held up a string of rosary beads. What are these? she asked. Theyre rosary beads, Edna, I replied. She fixed her gaze on me. I clearly wasnt quite there. These are TS Eliots rosary beads, she replied.

Anyone who met OBrien knows what that gaze felt like. She was beautiful, imperious, utterly precise; terrifying, to be honest. Ill never forget the dread I experienced when a mix-up about whether a photographer would be present at our interview meant that I incurred her wrath.

I had so wanted to impress her, but the interview got off to a dreadful start: although I had quickly dispatched the photographer, she was still furious with me for even seeming to suggest that she have a photograph taken when she wasnt made up and her hair wasnt done. But then, 10 minutes in, as we discussed Cait and Baba in detail, that pair of characters she had invented decades ago, she softened. Lynn, I like you, she said, and I melted.

open image in gallery OBrien, pictured in 1968, was one of Irelands most celebrated writers ( Getty )

The Irish artist Domino Whisker recalls meeting OBrien at a 2022 lunch thrown by her uncle, the property investor and hotelier Paddy McKillen. McKillen  who owns Chateau La Coste, a hotel and vineyard that is home to sculptures by some of the worlds most celebrated artists, including Damien Hirst and Louise Bourgeois  was celebrating the fact that he had been awarded LOrdre des Arts et des Lettres by the French government for his contribution to the countrys culture.

OBrien had received the award the year before, when Covid lockdowns were still in place and she had been obliged, she told people, to drink to herself, alone. And so at this lunch at Chateau La Coste, sitting beside Bono and the artist Sean Scully, she had an opportunity to savour her success by celebrating a fellow Irish person who had received the honour. It was, says Whisker, truly beautiful.

OBrien congratulated McKillen, and his sister Mara, on the project of Chateau La Coste, and for bringing a bit of Ireland to Provence, but she wished to God, they would bring some Provence to Ireland.

Its a throwaway mark that spoke of her complicated relationship with Ireland. Her relationship with home [was] so fraught, says Whisker, and yet she managed to still have a terrible love and ache for home.

Its a feeling many of us have about home, wherever home might be, and it was there in the very first book she wrote.

All her books deserve to be read: Philip Roth considered The Little Red Chairs her masterpiece, and I love her heartbreaking 1962 short story Come Into the Drawing Room, Doris. But if you are new to Edna OBrien, start with The Country Girls. Try to pretend you know nothing about it.
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The French heavy metal band Gojira has denied that their performance during the opening ceremony of the Olympic Games Paris 2024 was satanic.

The band, who formed in 1996, performed the 19th-century French anthem Ah! Ca Ira along with an actor playing the beheaded Marie Antoinette.

Some online commentators characterized the performance as satanic, but frontman Joe Duplantier dismissed that accusation during a Rolling Stone interview.

Its none of that, said Duplantier. Its French history. Its French charm, you know, beheaded people, red wine, and blood all over the place  its romantic, its normal.

Theres nothing satanic, he added with a laugh.

The musician continued: France is a country that made a separation between the state and religion during the revolution. And its something very important, very dear to the foundation of republican France.

open image in gallery French heavy metal band Gojira performing during the opening ceremony of the Olympic Games Paris 2024. ( Buda Mendes/Getty Images )

We call it laicite. Its when the state is not religious anymore, so therefore its free in terms of expression and symbolism. Its all about history and facts. We dont look too close closely at symbolism in terms of religion.

Gojira, who The Independent has previously called one of the leading lights in original, progressive 21st-century metal, contributed to just one section of the sprawling opening ceremony.

open image in gallery French progressive metallers Gojira in 2016 ( Press )

In a two-star review of the event, The Independents Nick Hilton wrote: As the armada of requisitioned sightseeing vessels paraded down the river, the banks played host to great French musical icons like, er, Lady Gaga and  checks notes  Celine Dion.

Gaga introduced a splash of colour to the ceremony on the murky waters. An extensive clean-up operation had been undertaken to make the Seine  a notoriously unsanitary body of water  fit for purpose.

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Pariss mayor, Anne Hidalgo, even went for a dip, to prove the success of these purifying procedures. A little cool but not so bad, was Hidalgos verdict after a stunt that evoked images, for me at least, of John Gummer making his daughter eat a hamburger at the height of BSE mania.

So, what symbolised France, in the tableaus performed along the route? Can-cans, the reconstruction of Notre-Dame, Louis Vuitton, Les Miserables, ballet, a heavy metal interpolation of the Habanera from Carmen, New Wave cinema, menages a trois, Aya Nakamura, the Louvre, Debussy, Ravel, Jacques Cousteau, Minions in berets, La Marseillaise, drag, and an Assassins Creed adjacent torchbearer (Ubisoft are a French company, I guess). All of this was shot through an increasingly bleary lens, spattered with the rain that no amount of preparation could control.

Follow The Independents Paris 2024 Olympics live blog here for real-time updates.
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Former BBC presenter Huw Edwards has reportedly split from his wife, TV producer Vicky Flind.

The couple, who got engaged in 1993, have not yet divorced but are living apart.

Edwards, 62, has moved out of the family home in Dulwich and found a new address in Wandsworth, south-west London, that was revealed on Tuesday afternoon when it appeared on court documents.

He has been charged with making indecent images of children, the Metropolitan Police have said.

A source told The Sun: They separated quite a long time ago but have not announced it publicly.

Huw has been living elsewhere for a while.

open image in gallery Huw Edwards attending the BAFTA TV Awards in 2019 ( PA )

Edwards and Flind are thought to have met when he was 30 and was working as a BBC correspondent in Westminster. Flind, 60, has worked on shows including ITVs Peston and BBC Ones This Week.

Edwards quit his high-profile job at the BBC after 40 years in April, and now faces three charges over alleged activity between December 2020 and April 2022.

The offences are claimed to be linked to images shared on WhatsApp, police said.

Edwards is set to appear at Westminster Magistrates Court on Wednesday morning.

According to the charge sheet, Edwards is accused of having six category A images, 12 category B pictures and 19 category C photographs on WhatsApp.

If found guilty, he could receive a maximum penalty of six months in prison and an unlimited fine.

Police said Edwards was arrested on 8 November last year and charged just over a month ago on 26 June following authorisation from the Crown Prosecution Service.

A Metropolitan Police spokesman said: Huw Edwards, 62, of Southwark, London has been charged with three counts of making indecent images of children following a Met Police investigation.

The offences, which are alleged to have taken place between December 2020 and April 2022, relate to images shared on a WhatsApp chat.

Edwards was arrested on 8 November 2023. He was charged on Wednesday, 26 June following authorisation from the Crown Prosecution Service.

He has been bailed to appear at Westminster Magistrates Court on Wednesday, 31 July.

Media and the public are strongly reminded that this is an active case. Nothing should be published, including on social media, which could prejudice future court proceedings.

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It comes less than a week after it was revealed that Edwards received a 40,000 pay rise from the BBC in the last year, despite being suspended for most of that time.

In the corporations annual report, it was revealed that Edwards earned between 475,000-479,999, up from 435,000-439,999 in the previous report.

The BBCs director general Tim Davie said the pay rise was due to the BBC trying to act proportionally.

I think thats what we did and it ended up in the conclusion, we all know, but I think we wouldnt have wasted money if we werent doing the right thing, he said.

In terms of the increase in pay prior to any breaking of the story ... You know, people do get, as youll have seen, overall, our pay progress is pretty good ... But people on the list would be getting pay rises for extended responsibility, and actually, if theyre doing more ... So that is fairly normal business, and thats what would result in the change.

During his career, Edwards fronted BBCs News At Ten for 20 years and anchored coverage of major national events including announcing Queen Elizabeth IIs death on the BBC and presenting coverage of her funeral.

He also helmed the BBCs broadcast of the Kings coronation last year.
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Wizards of Waverly Place star Jennifer Stone has said it was Selena Gomezs and Miley Cyruss shared dating history that prevented them from appearing in scenes together during the special 2009 Disney crossover episode.

Titled Wizards on Deck with Hannah Montana, the three-part event brought the casts of the channels top three sitcoms  Wizards of Waverly Place, The Suite Life on Deck and Hannah Montana  together.

While Gomez (Wizards of Waverly Place) and Cyrus (Hannah Montana) both appeared in the episode, they only did so in separate scenes.

On Mondays (July 29) episode of her Wizards of Waverly Pod podcast, Stone, who starred as Harper Finkle, Alex Russos (Gomez) best friend, explained the behind-the-scenes drama that kept the leads apart.

When asked by her podcast co-host David DeLuise, who played Alexs father, Jerry Russo, if Cyrus and Gomez didnt get along during the shoot, Stone responded: They intermittently got along.

I mean, come on. It was, like, high school. Like, they both dated Nick [Jonas] she recalled. I think Miley dated him first and then Selena dated him, and then it was just messy high school nonsense.

Stone assured De Luise that the two former Disney stars are all good now, adding: But, yeah, it was high school just BS.

open image in gallery Selena Gomez and Miley Cyrus both dated Nick Jonas in the 2000s ( Getty Images )

The Independent has contacted Gomezs and Cyruss representatives for comment.

Cyrus was only 13 when she was cast to lead Hannah Montana from 2006 to 2011. She dated Jonas between 2006 and 2007.

Gomez, too, was 13 when she rose to fame as the lead of Wizards of Waverly Place from 2007 to 2012. She later began her on-and-off relationship with Jonas in 2008 before they officially ended it in 2010.

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Gomez, now 32, previously addressed her and Cyruss long-rumored feud in a 2016 interview with W magazine, saying: We never feuded. We both liked the same guy when we were 16.

Two years later, in 2018, Cyrus fiercely defended Gomez after Dolce & Gabbana designer Stefano Gabbana appeared to call the Wizards of Waverly alum ugly on Instagram.

The pair have since moved on, and Gomez is currently in a relationship with record producer and songwriter Benny Blanco.

Meanwhile, Cyrus, now 31, has been romantically linked to drummer Maxx Morando since 2021. They appeared to confirm their relationship in 2022 when they were seen kissing while out in West Hollywood. In March 2023, they made another rare public appearance together at the Versace show in Los Angeles, California.

Earlier this year, a Wizards of Waverly Place reboot was greenlit, with Gomez set to reprise her role in the pilot.

The original series centered on teenage wizards living on the titular street in New Yorks Greenwich Village.

The new show will reportedly pick up its story after a mysterious incident at WizTech, where an adult Justin Russo (David Henrie) has neglected his wizard powers in favor of pursuing a normal, human life with his wife and two sons.

However, he is drawn back into the world of magic when a powerful young wizard turns up at his door in search of training, and Justin realizes he must embrace his past to secure the future of the Wizard World.
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Taiwans president Lai Ching-te has warned that a Chinese invasion of the self-governed island would have worse global impacts than either Vladimir Putins war on Ukraine or the Covid pandemic.

Mr Lai was speaking on Tuesday during the largest-ever gathering of foreign lawmakers and dignitaries in Taipei, at a summit chaired by the Inter-Parliamentary Alliance on China. The coalition, with hundreds of members from parliaments in more than 35 countries, is focused on monitoring Beijings threats to democracy and human rights.

Lawmakers met on Monday and held panel discussions on Tuesday at the event, attended by The Independent, which is taking place despite intense pressure against participants from the Chinese government.

Mr Lai said he hoped the summit would allow the world to understand that any conflict in the Taiwan Strait will have a more profound economic impact on the world than the Russia-Ukraine war and Covid-19.

MPs from countries including the UK, Australia, Japan and South Korea have travelled to Taipei for the talks, and at least eight of those invited have spoken out about being contacted by Chinese officials urging them not to attend. Some were even offered invitations to visit the Chinese mainland instead  or asked to explain why they were planning to travel to Taiwan.

The Taiwanese president praised those attending the talks for showing up despite Chinas blocking tactics, which he described as part of a broader campaign of intimidation designed with one ultimate goal: Xi Jinpings authoritarian external expansion to seize control of Taiwan.

Taiwanese president Lai Ching-te, centre, at a gathering of the largest delegation of foreign lawmakers ever to visit Taiwan ( AP )

Mr Lai said the island has a detailed action plan in the event of an invasion from China, and praised the conduct of unscripted, actual-combat drills earlier this month to bolster his defence forces, but said this would not be Taiwans preferred outcome. Peace and stability across the Taiwan Strait are closely related to global democracy, peace and prosperity, he said.

Taiwan will make every effort to work with its democratic partners to build a democratic umbrella to protect democratic partner countries from the threat of authoritarian expansion, he told the gathering of lawmakers, journalists and analysts.

On Monday, before the start of the discussions proper, Taiwan's Ministry of Foreign Affairs hosted the visiting lawmakers on a diplomatic tour of the island  an excursion that was punctuated by China sending at least a dozen warplanes across the median line of the Taiwan Strait.

Amid the looming threat of Chinese military action, Taiwanese vice-president Hsiao Bi-khim met the lawmakers for candid discussions and spoke very persuasively about the importance of maintaining stability in the region, according to IPACs director Luke de Pulford.

There were a lot of different opinions about different scenarios that can happen around the Taiwan Strait. What they do seem to agree on is that [an invasion] must not be allowed to happen, it must be deterred from happening and [we must] use everything that we can in our diplomatic toolbox and otherwise to prevent it from happening, he told The Independent.

The IPAC director also addressed Chinas attempted interference with the summit, telling Beijing: You dont get to decide the travel plans of foreign politicians.

They tried to bully the global South countries. They wouldnt dare to do it in Western, richer democracies. They think they can bully and coerce, which is even more deplorable. Chinas intimidation tactics did not work.
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North Koreas much-speculated seventh nuclear test could happen around the US presidential elections in November, South Koreas defence minister has warned.

Shin Wonsik arrived in Tokyo on Sunday to lock a deal with Japan and the US for the tracking of North Korean missiles and share real-time data among the three countries.

Concerns about Pyongyangs nuclear programme have grown in recent years as the North performed a slew of provocative missile tests and openly threatened to use nuclear weapons preemptively in potential conflicts with its adversaries.

South Korean intelligence agencies have been claiming that North Korea has finished all preparations to conduct a nuclear missile test which would be its seventh since its last tested one in September 2017.

But Mr Wonsik said Kim Jong-uns regime could pull the trigger around the US presidential elections in November to raise its profile.

North Korea has completed preparations to conduct a nuclear test when a decision is made, Mr Shin said. We cannot rule out the possibility of that decisive moment being right before or after the US presidential election to raise its leverage against the US.

North Korea conducted six nuclear tests at the key site of Punggye-ri so far, in October 2006, May 2009, February 2013, January 2016, September 2016 and September 2017.

The last test at the site involved a powerful atomic bomb with an estimated yield of between 120-250 kilotons, according to experts.

The site has been shut down since North Koreas self-imposed moratorium on nuclear weapons tests in 2018. However, satellite images and intelligence gathered by South Korea have suggested construction in the area.

Earlier this month, North Koreas defence ministry threatened to boost its nuclear fighting capability and warned that the US and South will pay an unimaginably harsh price after Seoul and Washington authorized the signing of new joint nuclear deterrence guidelines.

US president Joe Biden and his South Korean counterpart Yoon Suk Yeol adopted the guidelines as part of efforts to enhance their capabilities to cope with North Koreas growing nuclear arsenal.

Mr Shin met his American and Japanese counterparts Lloyd Austin and Kihara Minoru respectively to sign the agreement for "trilateral cooperation" which included joint exercises between the countries as well as information sharing.

"The three defence leaders will further develop trilateral cooperation to effectively address regional challenges, provocations, and threats," read a joint press statement.

North Korea is known for timing its provocative tests around crucial political events.

It comes after North Korea delivered a stinging rebuke to Donald Trump for flaunting his supposedly friendly relations with Kim Jong-un, saying we do not care about the Republican.

It rejected the idea that Mr Trumps first presidency had a substantial impact on US-North Korea relations, and said personal connections and diplomacy should be looked at separately.
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One person has died and nearly 150 others left ill after eating grilled eel prepared by a restaurant chain and sold at a department store near Tokyo, officials said. Among those sickened, two were taken to hospital.

Keikyu Department Store said 147 customers as of Monday had reported symptoms such as vomiting and diarrhea after eating grilled eel dishes sold in the grocery section of the department store based in Yokohama, near Tokyo, between July 24 and July 25.

Japan has a tradition of eating roasted eel as a tonic for the heat during the hottest days of summer.

A woman in her 90s died after developing symptoms, but her exact cause of death is being further investigated, the Yokohama city health center said. Two other people were hospitalized, but the symptoms of others affected were milder, it added.

The only common denominator among the sickened was the grilled eel, sold separately or as part of box lunches served with rice, prepared by the Tokyo-based restaurant chain Nihonbashi Isesada, and sold at the department store, the health center said. More than 1,700 servings of grilled eel were sold at the shop, Keikyu officials said.

Shinji Kaneko, second left, President of Keikyu Department Store Co. bows during a press conference in Yokohama

The health center detected staphylococcus aureus  or staph  which causes vomiting and diarrhea, in excrement samples from the affected.

Keikyu Department Store and Isesada apologised over the food poisoning and vowed to cooperate with health officials. Isesada executive Soichiro Tomita, at a televised news conference, acknowledged that some cooks were not wearing plastic gloves.

The health center said it has temporarily suspended operations at the Isesada shop on the grocery floor and its restaurant on another floor of the department store while they examined the cause.

Japan has recently warned of the risk of heatstroke in Tokyo and other parts of the country as hot and humid conditions behind several recent deaths drove some people to use new cooling shelters set up around the capital.

Authorities urged people to avoid physical activity as the environment ministry issued top danger-level alerts, while media said people were left in hospital, with some dying from heatstroke symptoms.
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A viral video of a woman celebrating the end of her marriage with a party has sparked a debate on divorce among people from South Asian communities where the topic still carries stigma.

In the video she shared on her Instagram page, Shehrose Noor Mohammad, 32, is seen dancing happily to a Bollywood song at a divorce party presumably in the US, with balloons in the background spelling out Divorce Mubarak (congratulations on your divorce).

The clip was reposted on a Facebook page called My Home Islamabad, with a majority of comments criticising Ms Mohammad for celebrating her divorce.

Divorce should not be celebrated at all. Yes, it frees you from a toxic relationship. Yes, it liberates you from a narcissist. Yes, it is good for your mental health, the admins of the page wrote.

If we start celebrating divorce, people will be afraid to get married. Number of proud single mothers is already on the rise. Absent father for children is trauma, they wrote.

Many congratulations to the man who left her, commented one user. What a lucky guy who got rid of her, wrote another.

Ms Mohammad, who won the Miss South Asia World 2024 pageant according to her Instagram bio, reportedly owns a store in the US and has never been to Pakistan.

She posted a series of stories on her Instagram in response to the criticism, calling out the culture of impunity that allows men to commit violence against women with little consequence.

It is funny that this comment section is coming from men in a country that applauds killing their wives, sisters, and daughters in the name of Islam, she wrote in response to comments by Pakistani users.

You guys would literally rather see a woman miserable, get beat up, used, abused, tortured, all the things.

The video was also posted on an Indian social media account on X, where many comments speculated on the alimony she received while some had concerns about the institution of marriage.

Giving freedom to women was an absolute mistake, said one user.

Another said, The institution of marriage has lost all sanctity.

Cultural attitudes toward divorce in South Asian countries such as India and Pakistan still come attached with stigma. While divorce is legally recognised in both countries, there is a strong emphasis on the concept of honour that often places the burden on women to uphold the appearance of an undivided family in front of society.

While younger generations are increasingly challenging patriarchal norms, dissolution of a marriage often leads to social ostracism for women.

The The United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA) in Pakistan says, A staggering 32 per cent of women have experienced physical violence in Pakistan and 40 per cent of ever-married women have suffered from spousal abuse at some point in their life, adding that these numbers are under reported since one in two Pakistani women who face violence never seek help.

Honour killings in Pakistan are still frequently reported, according to local news reports. Human rights groups in Pakistan have said the majority of honour killings take place when a woman refuses to enter an arranged marriage or has been sexually assaulted, reported Pakistani news daily The Nation.

Data from the Human Rights Commission in Pakistan shows that there were 520 honour killings in 2022, of which 323 were women. In 2023, till June, there had been 215 deaths, of which 145 were women.

Sakina Muhammad Jan, an Afghan Hazara refugee who migrated to Victoria with her five children in 2013, became the first person jailed under Australias forced marriage law for coercing her divorced daughter into a marriage that led to the 21-year-olds murder.

Her 21-year-old daughter, Ruqia Haidari, had expressed a desire not to remarry until she was 27 or 28, wanting to pursue her education and career. But in her communitys eyes, she had lost her value due to the divorce, a court heard.

Despite the negative comments, Ms Mohammad also received support and solidarity from women.

To see my girl Shehrose get bashed for finally getting a divorce after some bum a** dude took so much advantage of her and stole her money, then left to fend for herself and disappeared to another country, posted one user on Instagram.

This hits home for me, because people assume women are just divorcing left and right. Not seeing how these filthy, disgusting, abusive men who dont protect nor provide nor do anything good for anyone but boost their ego and have hatred for women are the reason behind why women are choosing to divorce nowadays.

Ms Mohammad said that she has moved past the backlash and hopes that her video encourages more women to come out of abusive marriages.

I think thoughts of this kind can be changed if more people started celebrating getting out of negative situations, whether that is a relationship, a job or a marriage. This is a first of its kind and I did receive backlash, but I hope other people come out and participate in this kind of a movement, she told The Print.

More people need to come out and support things that are out of the norm and know that its okay to move out of anything thats not serving your higher self.
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A man in Indonesia allegedly stabbed his friend to death over the classic disagreement: which came first, the chicken or the egg?

The suspect, identified as DR, stabbed Kadir Markus, 47, from Muna Regency in Southeast Sulawesi province, 15 times after they got into an argument over the riddle on 24 July, investigating officer La Ode Arsangka said.

DR invited Markus, who had come to repay a debt, for a drink and began posing a series of riddles, local media reported.

Markus left when the argument started, but DK grabbed a dagger and chased him on his bike and then on foot before stabbing him multiple times, police said.

The suspect has been arrested, Tongkuno police chief Iptu Abdul Hasan was quoted as saying by the Strait Times.

The suspect has been charged with murder and faces up to 18 years in prison if convicted, Mr Hasan said.

DK reportedly used a badik, traditional dagger of southern Sulawesis coastal tribes like the Bugis and the Makassarese, to commit the murder.
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Multiple landslides prompted by heavy rainfall in Indias southern state of Kerala on Tuesday left more than a hundred people dead, dozens injured, and many others trapped under debris.

The landslides devastated the hillside villages of Wayanad district, including Mundakkai, Chooralmala, Attamala, and Noolpuzha.

Rescue efforts have been ongoing but bad weather has severely hampered progress, leaving hundreds still feared trapped, officials said.

Health minister Veena George said significant infrastructure damage, including collapsed roads and a bridge that was swept away, was making several areas inaccessible.

We have to re-establish connectivity. Helicopters will also be brought in, but the weather is bad, she told news agency ANI.

The scale of the disaster is yet to be fully ascertained, with authorities confirming at least 93 deaths by Tuesday afternoon 4.30pm local time (noon GMT). The local Asianet TV channel put the unofficial toll at 107. Around 116 people were hospitalised with injuries.

Videos from the scene showed relief workers navigating through debris and uprooted trees, while muddy water flowed through the remains of destroyed homes.

Authorities mobilised helicopters to help with rescue efforts and the Indian army was called in to build a temporary bridge after landslides destroyed one that linked the affected area.

open image in gallery Rescuers help residents in Wayanad, Kerala  a state very prone to landslides ( Reuters )

More showers were expected in Kerala throughout Tuesday with authorities shutting schools in parts of the state.

The Indian Meteorological Department (IMD) said Kerala, a state prone to landslides, has had heavy rainfall over its northern and central regions, with Wayanad recording up to 28cm (11 inches) of rain in the last 24 hours.

Prime minister Narendra Modi offered condolences and announced financial aid of 1,900 for the families of the deceased and 475 for those injured.

Rescue operations are currently underway to assist all those affected. Spoke to Kerala CM Shri @pinarayivijayan and assured all possible help from the centre, he posted on Twitter/X.

Rahul Gandhi, the leader of the opposition and former MP from Wayanad, urged the Modi government in parliament to increase compensation for the victims and spoke about the rise in landslides.

Our country has witnessed an alarming rise in landslides in the last few years, Mr Gandhi told parliament.

open image in gallery Human activities  like construction in eco-sensitive regions  are making many hilly areas more susceptible to landslides ( AP )

There is an urgent need for mapping of landslide-prone areas and to take up mitigation measures and an action plan to address the growing frequency of natural calamities in the ecologically fragile region, he said.

The hill state of Himachal Pradesh has also recorded landslides in recent weeks while many regions in the north have been flooded.

Scientific assessments show that the climate crisis, fuelled by burning coal, oil and gas, is making rainfall more erratic, with higher amounts of rain falling in a short period. The last 13 months have been the hottest on record for the planet with Sunday recorded as the hottest day ever.

Meanwhile, human activities  like construction in eco-sensitive regions  are making many hilly areas prone to landslides.

Monsoon patterns are increasingly erratic and the quantum of rainfall that we receive in a short spell of time has increased. As a result, we see frequent instances of landslides and floods along the Western Ghats, Roxy Mathew Koll, a climate scientist at the Pune-based Indian Institute of Tropical Meteorology, told Associated Press.

Mr Koll also said authorities must check on rapid construction activities happening over landslide areas.

Often landslides and flash floods occur over regions where the impact of both climate change and direct human intervention in terms of land use changes are evident, he said.
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A mother has gone viral after she picked up trash for her children right as she was finishing a 5K race.

In a video posted to her Instagram earlier this month, Tennessee-based mother Kacy McKenzie could be seen running across the finish line. Her husband, who filmed the video, was also cheering her on in the background, as he told his children: Theres mommy!

While on the sidelines, McKenzies son noticed a piece of trash on the racetrack and said that he was going to tell [his mother] to pick it up. The runner then proceeded to cross the finish line, before she approached the sidelines and was greeted by her family.

Mommy, Mommy. Can you pick that up? her son could be heard saying, referring to the piece of plastic on the floor.

McKenzie then bent down to pick up the trash and hilariously responded to her childrens request. Yeah, let me stop what I was doing and help everybody, she quipped. Thats what moms do.

She then handed her child the piece of plastic and smiled, before she raised her arms up. The video ended with the parent briefly jogging on the track.

In the caption of her post, McKenzie quipped about how her children asked for her help right after she finished the 5K.

Can a mom not get a high five first? she wrote, along with a laughing face emoji.

The video has quickly gone viral on Instagram, with more than 91,800 likes. In the comments, multiple people praised the mothers reaction to her childrens request to pick up the trash. Social media users also claimed the childrens father should have stepped in by directing the attention towards his wifes big achievement.

Love her for calling out the bullsh** on the way by, one wrote, while another added: Ah, another married single mom. Good for her for calling that out.

A third wrote: Daddy shouldve really redirected the kids here. Or at least cheered himself. Good job mommy all around!

Others expressed how upset they were for the mother, since her children didnt applaud her or congratulate her right after she crossed the finish line.

Im actually really sad for her, one wrote. She was probably looking forward to seeing them cheering for her and thats what she got.

Edit** Dont bother mommy with that Ill get it for you in a minute GOOD JOB HONEY PROUD OF YOU!! another person wrote, claiming thats how they thought the childrens father should have handled the situation.

The way I would have ran past my family and pretended I didnt know them, a third reacted in the comments.

During an interview withToday, she defended her husband from the criticism, while detailing why she posted the video in the first place.

As (moms), this is our life day in and day out, she said. Bless his heart  he was trying his best to get this video, like I had asked. I have a supportive husband.

The mother of two acknowledged that while she initially wanted to have a word with her children about the situation, she instead decided to make what she called a spicy comment at them when they asked her to pick up the trash.

She also expressed that she wasnt going to say no to helping her family after the race. As a mother who loves her family, I never thought to not pick it up, she said. It didnt cross my mind.

McKenzie then addressed how people on social media referred to her as the default parent, which is phrase used to describe a mother that children turn to for help, even when their father is around. However, according to McKenzie, she didnt necessarily take issue with how her children asked her to pick up trash after the race.

You can look at it in two ways: Kids want you to do something for them, but dont they understand that the moment is bigger than them? she explained. Its also a privilege that they know moms are there to help. Thats our role, too ... my son knew Supermom was coming.

After noting that she wanted to share her video with fellow mothers who have a good sense of humor, she praised fellow parents who are constantly the ones that their children turn to for help.

This happens to moms 100 times a day  maybe not at the finish line of a 5K, but its an all day, everyday thing for us, she said. Im happy that my kids see me that way but ... its not always easy being the hero.

The Independent has contacted McKenzie for comment.
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Ever since JD Vance was selected as Donald Trumps running mate for the 2024 presidential election, the internet has had much to say about the Ohio senator.

Within a few short months, the 39-year-old potential vice president has gone from best-selling author of Hillbilly Elegy to one of the worst-polling, non-incumbent vice presidential picks since 1980. Like many things these days, much of Vances net-negative rating has to do with social media.

For those who are unaware, Vance recently sparked a social media firestorm over past comments he made about Vice President Kamala Harris, in which he described her as a childless cat lady. His resurfaced comments  which he made during a 2021 interview with former Fox News host Tucker Carlson  received backlash from Hollywood star Jennifer Aniston and childfree people everywhere.

But that wasnt the only Vance-related topic of conversation to go viral online. While the most bizarre rumor to be spread about Vance seemingly involves a couch, some internet sleuths are more perplexed by Vances appearance, particularly when it comes to his distinct blue eyes.

Across platforms like X, formerly Twitter, many social media users are wondering whether Vance wears eyeliner to enhance his bright blue eyes. The speculation appeared to begin just two weeks ago, when journalist James Surowiecki quote-tweeted a clip of Vance from a September 2021 video interview.

Why does JD Vance always look like hes wearing eyeliner? Surowiecki wrote over the video, adding: He doesnt really seem like the goth-boy type.

Unsurprisingly, this prompted thousands of social media users to share photos of Vance from past on-air television appearances, zooming in on what appeared to be a black smudge accentuating his waterline.

There is only one urgent political question on my mind tonight. Why does JD Vance wear so much eyeliner? one person asked on X, while another user joked: I do think its funny that JD Vance thought all his problems could be solved with contour and a little eyeliner.

Ive been saying JD Vance wears eyeliner since he got elected, Im so damn happy someone else sees it!!! someone else posted.

Meanwhile, photojournalist Zach D Roberts shared his own photo of Vance taken during a recent speaking engagement, in which a black line was clearly visible under his bottom eyelashes. I really thought people were joking about this, but then I photographed him last week. Vance 100 percent does wear eyeliner, Roberts captioned the post.

Over on TikTok, one woman even claimed she found Vances exact shade of eyeliner. This is unserious political commentary but I cant stop thinking about it, said user Casey (@mamasissiesays) in a recent video with more than 300,000 views. Is JD Vance wearing eyeliner?

As she compared side-by-side images of Vances public appearances alongside his official Senate portrait, Casey was admittedly conflicted. No eyeliner to see here. That is very much a man not wearing eyeliner, she said about his Senate portrait. However, sharing a photo of Vances TV interview, Casey said: Obviously somethings going on here along with some contour. Id love to know his shade.

She then jokingly claimed to have found Vances eyeliner pencil of choice from the brand Urban Decay, in the shade desperation.

The speculation grew so much that it also prompted comedian Jimmy Fallon to poke fun at Vances rumored affinity for eyeliner in an episode of The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon. During the July 22 broadcast, Fallon showed an image of a graph increasing along its x-axis, along with the mocking tagline: Google searches for, Does JD Vance wear eyeliner?

The late-night talk show host then cut to a photo of Vance, once again showing a distinct black line under his eyes.

It may be possible that Vance uses eyeliner for live events and TV spots, just like many public figures wear makeup to enhance their appearance on camera. However, the reason why so many people online cant stop talking about Vances rumored makeup is because its hypocritical due to the Republicans staunch anti-LGBTQ+ beliefs.

Were fine with men who wear makeup. What were not fine with is hypocrites who make policies, harmful policies, against men who wear makeup, Casey noted in her viral TikTok video.

The Ohio senator has introduced bills proposing to limit access to transgender healthcare, and limit the ability to mark additional gender identities on US passports. Vance also grilled several State Department nominees with a questionnaire about LGBTQ+ rights, Pride flags, diversity and inclusion, and other so-called woke issues, which ultimately delayed the confirmation of more than 30 diplomats to senior positions until last April.

For someone who may very well be wearing eyeliner, Vance has been known to espouse traditional views on gender too. His pro-natalist stance has seen him describe declining birth rates as a civilizational crisis driven by a childless left. Vance has also argued that people with children should have more power at the voting booth, and claimed that Kamala Harris doesnt really have a direct stake in the future of the country because she did not give birth to her two step-children.

While theres nothing wrong with men wearing makeup, perhaps the internet is so obsessed with Vances supposed eyeliner because it goes against the views he has professed throughout his political career. Though, its unclear exactly how long his position as Trumps running mate will last, since Republicans themselves are now undecided on their support for Vance.
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Olympian Noah Lyles has brushed off the criticism hes faced for having his nails painted.

The Team USA track and field star addressed the online critcism he faced after the Olympics Opening Ceremony during an interview with US Weekly, published on July 30. When he first arrived in Paris last week, Lyles had his nails painted white, with the word ICON written in blue polish across his nails.

On social media, the look divided viewers, with one alleging that painted nails were meant for women. However, Lyles said that hes not letting the criticism get to him, since he doesnt take the comments too seriously.

Im a person who knows that a lot of people have different opinions and they have them for different reasons, he told US Weekly. To be honest, Im so confident in myself that it doesnt really matter. I think its funny at times.

He acknowledged that while he has an understanding for a difference in opinions, he finds amusement in how people on social media get so upset over some decisions he makes.

Sometimes, its like: Hey, I know you were brought up this way, but I was brought up that way, and the fact that you cant see the differences of why I might do it, I find that entertaining, he continued. You know, people like me because I do this. Im just being myself.

The US sprinter also spoke candidly about his personality, and how sometimes hes perceived in a negative light because of his confidence.

open image in gallery Noah Lyles painted nails at the Olympics opening ceremony ( Getty Images )

The most misunderstood thing is the balance between cocky and confident, he added. There is a strong line that people assume my confidence is cockiness. I will say this. Anybody who thought I was cocky and met me, theyre instantly like: Oh, thats the nicest, coolest guy Ive ever met in my life.

He further described how peoples opinions of him change once they get to know him. I never blame anybody who thinks that Im cocky. Its just a you havent met me situation. Thats all, he concluded.

The 2024 Paris Olympics isnt Lyles first time showcasing his painted nails. At the New Balance Indoor Grand Prix in February, he had his nails painted red and black, and also shared a photo of his hands over his face after competing in the event on social media.

I have waited and worked for eight years to see the numbers I have produced this year in the 60m. Im so glad its finally here, he wrote in the caption of his post on X at the time.

Lyles also had his nails painted white in June, after he won two gold medals at the US Olympic track and field trials.
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Olympians are sharing their honest thoughts about the food being served at the Olympic Village in Paris.

On social media, multiple athletes are giving their reviews of the food hall, which is being catered by Sodexo Live. Throughout the Olympics, the food company is not only responsible for meals in the Olympic Village, but its also offering its catering services for spectators, organizational staff, and athletes across 14 competition venues, according to the brands official website.

However, according to multiple Olympians, the food at the Olympic Village isnt anything special. In one TikTok video, Team USA volleyball player Erik Shoji showcased one of his late-night dinners in the food hall after his first match. He started off by tasting his pasta with pesto sauce, acknowledging that the noodles werent really over done, so that was good.

He then went on to eat a few pieces of broccoli, which he wasnt impressed by either. Tasted like steamed broccoli, he simply said.

Shoji also had similar thoughts about the grilled chicken, adding: That also tastes how you might expect it. Not terrible, not great.

The athlete concluded his video by eating the last thing on his plate, grilled tofu, which he could barely cut.

Not great but its OK, he said about the tofu. Its OK guys. Its super late at night. Only one section of the dining hall was open. So far, the foods been good. Its 12:30 at night, Im going to finish this meal and go to bed.

In another TikTok video, Olympic gymnast Aleah Finnegan, whos competing for the Philippines, documented her experience at the Olympic Village. After filming her walk through the food hall, she then sat down with her tray and gave her mixed thoughts about the food.

Honestly, the food is good. Its not really seasoned, she said. There is a seasoning station over there. Its not bad, its just pretty basic Its pretty good, its good food. It just probably needs some seasoning a little bit. Personal preference, thats me.

However, Raven Saunders  a Team USA track and field star  isnt a fan of the food at all. As the text over her TikTok video read: Eating in the Olympics like she held up what appeared to be a burnt piece of meat on a stick. The video was set to the sound: You disappointed me.

Saunders still found humor in the situation, as her caption read: Its been a struggle, along with a laughing crying face emoji.

However, theres been one treat that is a fan-favorite among the Olympians: a chocolate muffin. In one TikTok video shared by Team USA fencer Lee Kiefer, she had the chocolate muffin for dessert and gave it a five-star rating.

Meanwhile, Norwegian swimmer Henrik Christiansen has also raved about the chocolate muffin, giving it an 11 out of 10 star review on TikTok. Days later, he hilariously posted another video of him in his bed, as he was caught eating another one of the desserts. The video then revealed that he stored at least four of those chocolate muffins in one of his drawers, before Christiansen jokingly held his hand up at the camera.

Aside from the Olympians, the British Olympic Associations chief executive, Andy Anson, has also shared his honest thoughts about the food at the Olympic Village. He told The Times that the food is not adequate, before claiming that it needs to be improved dramatically.

There are not enough of certain foods: eggs, chicken, certain carbohydrates, and then there is the quality of the food, with raw meat being served to athletes, he said. Our athletes have decided they would rather go and eat in our performance lodge in Clichy, so we are having to get another chef to come over as the demand is far exceeding what we thought it would be.
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Islamist preacher Anjem Choudary has been jailed for life for directing the terrorist organisation al-Muhajiroun.

Choudary, who counterterror police say has had a radicalising impact on terrorists, was convicted last week of taking a caretaker role in directing al-Muhajiroun (ALM) while its founder was in jail.

He was also found guilty of encouraging support for it through online lectures to the Islamic Thinkers Society (ITS), which prosecutors said was another name for ALM.

It came after an investigation by the Metropolitan Police, the New York Police Department (NYPD) and the Royal Canadian Mounted Police.

Choudary, who was sentenced to a minimum term of 28 years, will spend more than 26 years in jail in total due to the time he has already spent in custody, meaning he will not be released before the age of 85, the judge said.

Sentencing at Woolwich Crown Court on Tuesday, Mr Justice Mark Wall told Choudary he was front and centre in running a terrorist organisation.

The judge also said that he encouraged young men into radical activity and his offences cause the risk of significant loss of life.

Choudary was arrested at his home in Ilford, east London, after an international police investigation ( Metropolitan Police/PA Wire )

He went on: Organisations such as yours normalise violence in the pursuit of an ideological cause. Their existence gives individuals who are members of them the courage to commit acts that otherwise they might not do.

They drive a wedge between people who would and could live together in peaceful coexistence.

The judge labelled Choudarys views entrenched and abhorrent to many right-thinking people.

During the hearing, defence barrister Paul Hynes KC said that by the time Choudary had started directing ALM, it was little more than a husk of an organisation and he was not gathering the masses to join.

ITS was infiltrated by undercover law enforcement officers in the US, who were present at online lectures in 2022 and 2023, held over the Element messenger platform.

ALM was proscribed as a terror organisation in the UK in 2010, though it was said in court the group has continued to exist under various names.

A senior security official said last weeks conviction was a significant moment, adding the evidence presented in court showed Choudarys continued involvement in supporting terrorism and radicalising others.

Commander Dominic Murphy, head of the Metropolitan Polices Counter Terrorism Command, said: There are individuals that have conducted terrorist attacks or travelled for terrorist purposes as a result of Anjem Choudarys radicalising impact upon them.

During a press conference, he added: ALMs tentacles have spread across the world and have had a massive impact on public safety and security.

NYPD deputy commissioner Rebecca Weiner said it was a historic case, describing Choudary as a shameless, prolific radicaliser.

Ms Weiner said: It is usually the foot soldiers, the individuals, who are brought into the network who go on to commit the attacks who are brought to justice.

And its rarely the leader, which is what makes this a particularly important moment.
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The headteacher of Epsom College was hit by her husband shortly before he shot her and their seven-year-old daughter, before turning the weapon on himself, an inquest heard.

Emma Pattison and her daughter Lettie were found dead at their home within the grounds of the private boarding school in Surrey in February last year, alongside George Pattison, their husband and father respectively.

An inquest was previously told Mrs Pattison, 45, died of shotgun wounds to the chest and abdomen on February 5 2023, while Lettie was shot in the head.

Both are believed to have been murdered by 39-year-old chartered accountant Mr Pattison, before he killed himself.

Epsom College head Emma Pattison was killed aged 45 (John Wildgoose/Epsom College/PA) ( PA Media )

Evidence from Deborah Kirk, the sister of Ms Pattison, was read to the inquest at Surrey Coroners Court in Woking on Tuesday.

She said she received a phone call from her sister just before 11pm on February 4, telling her that her husband had hit her and their dog, Bella.

She said her sister told her: I need someone to come over.

Her sisters tone of voice was one of concern, but not of terror. It was more like she had assessed the situation and did not feel safe, she said.

She said she and her husband, Mark Miller, got an Uber to her sisters home just after 11pm.

I kept trying to call Emma but there was still no answer, she said.

She added: By the time we had arrived at Emmas house I was getting really worried that she was not answering her phone.

When they arrived at the house, all of the lights were on and the cars were in the driveway. Her husband entered the house ahead of her, and then stopped her from coming in any further once she entered.

He said dont go in there, dont go in there, we are going outside, she said.

Her husband called an ambulance, and paramedics arrived on the scene shortly afterwards.

Paying tribute to her sister, Ms Kirk described the headteacher as lightness itself, adding that she was smart and kind in a way that fills a room and drives change.

She described her niece, Lettie, as razor smart, curious, and disarmingly cute.

Recalling how she would comfort her when she was sad, she said: I would hold her in my arms and say, yes it is hard to be seven, isnt it monkey?

Ms Kirk said she was still trying to forgive Mr Pattison.

I can only speak for myself when I say that I am trying to forgive you, she said. I can only imagine that you were in an extraordinary hell of your own.

Emma Pattison, her husband George, and seven-year-old daughter were found dead at their home on Epsom College school grounds ( Getty Images )

The inquest heard that Ms Pattison watched rugby with her friends in the hours before she died, ordering a Chinese takeaway at 9.36pm after the friends had left.

In evidence read out to the court by the coroner, the delivery driver said: She had a smiley face and seemed okay.

The inquest heard that a post-mortem report found that Mr Pattisons cause of death was a shotgun wound.

It also found that Ms Pattison and Letties causes of death were shotgun wounds.

A toxicology report found that Mr Pattinson had 243 milligrams of alcohol per 100 millilitres of blood, a quantity that is associated with a high to extreme level of intoxication.

The inquest continues.
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The BBC was only told about former presenter Huw Edwardss criminal charges just hours before they were made public, according to reports.

Senior management and staff were left reeling after the corporation received a call from the Met Police telling it about charges brought against the 62-year-old veteran broadcaster for making indecent images of children.

Edwards was charged with three counts between December 2020 and April 2022 and will appear at Westminster Magistrates Court on Wednesday.

The BBC was informed by the Met Police when a call came through on Monday. It will be quite a moment when he appears in Westminster magistrates court on Wednesday morning, a source told The Times.

He is accused of having six category A images, 12 category B pictures and 19 category C photographs on WhatsApp, according to the chargesheet.

Senior management and staff were left reeling after the BBC was told of the charges brought against Huw Edwards just hours before they were made public ( PA Wire )

Police said Edwards was arrested on 8 November last year and charged on 26 June this year following authorisation from the Crown Prosecution Service.

The offences are claimed to be linked to images shared on WhatsApp, police said. If found guilty, he could receive a maximum penalty of six months in prison and an unlimited fine. The BBC declined to comment.

It comes less than a week after it was revealed Edwards was the third highest paid journalist at the corporation and received a 40,000 pay rise last year, despite being suspended for most of that time.

Edwards earned between 475,000-479,999, up from 435,000-439,999 in the previous year, the corporations annual report said.

The BBCs director general Tim Davie said the pay rise was due to the BBC trying to act proportionally.

It comes less than a week after it was revealed that Edwards received a 40,000 pay rise from the BBC in the last year ( PA Archive )

I think thats what we did and it ended up in the conclusion, we all know, but I think we wouldnt have wasted money if we werent doing the right thing, he said.

During his career, Edwards fronted BBCs News At Ten for 20 years and anchored coverage of major national events including announcing Queen Elizabeth IIs death on the BBC and presenting coverage of her funeral.

He presented the Queens Diamond Jubilee in 2012 and Platinum Jubilee in 2022, as well as the wedding of the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge (now the Prince and Princess of Wales) in 2011.

He also presented the wedding of the Duke and Duchess of Sussex in 2018, and the funeral of Philip, Duke of Edinburgh, in 2021.
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A man accused of pushing a Tube passenger on to the tracks has told a court what he did was scary but it was not intended to kill.

Kurdish migrant Brwa Shorsh, 24, allegedly shoved stranger Tadeusz Potoczek, 61, at Oxford Circus station on February 3.

Mr Potoczek, a postman who was on his way home from work, narrowly missed touching the live rail on the southbound Victoria Line.

He was helped back up to the platform by another passenger and the driver of an oncoming train has said that if he had been on the track a few seconds later, he would have been killed, Inner London Crown Court has heard.

Shorsh has pleaded not guilty to a charge of attempted murder and also denied an alternative count of attempted grievous bodily harm.

Giving evidence at his trial on Tuesday, Shorsh said he was angry after three women allegedly laughed at him for being homeless and he felt Mr Potoczek had given him a dirty look.

Shorsh told the court Mr Potoczek had been very disrespectful to me and he did not know a train was coming.

Prosecutor Sam Barker told him: You pushed a man in front of a train for looking at you. Do you think that was an appropriate reaction?

Shorsh replied: I was double angry reaction, (starting from) the women and when he came and passed I became angry  so the two are related.

He added: I agree. It was scary what I did.

On whether Mr Potoczek deserved this treatment, Shorsh said: No, I cant say it was right.

Mr Potoczek has said he did not say anything to Shorsh at any time.

Shorsh had been sleeping rough in England, including inside Tube stations to keep warm, since 2020.

Stating Mr Potoczek had walked past and was looking straight ahead, Mr Barker described the incident as a random piece of violence against a man who had done absolutely nothing wrong.

On why he pushed Mr Potoczek so hard and on to the track, Shorsh said: He made me angry and I hated him.

Shorsh said he did not want to kill him.

Shorsh later told the court: I am sorry for what happened. I did not intend to kill him and I am not a murderer.

He told the court that in that split second, I wanted revenge.

Details from Shorshs police interview which were read out in court appear to suggest he thought his behaviour was justifiable, the prosecution say.

Mr Barker told the court: He said he did not intend for the man to be hit by the approaching train or be electrocuted on the tracts, but that he was aware that both things could happen.

He said he was particularly upset because three women had already look at him disrespectfully and he had told them to f*** off.

He said that he was really angry as a result, and when Mr Potoczek gave him a dirty look he was not able to stand it any longer.

He said that it was not important for him at all if the man died or did not die, because he was a fool and disrespected him.

The defendant said he was not drunk nor had he taken any drugs at the time of the incident.

Earlier, Shorsh had told the jury he did not think about what would happen to Mr Potoczek and he did not want him to be hurt or die, saying: I only showed my anger  thats all.

He said: I did not want to hurt him. I did not want to do anything but I was angry and I thought he might hit me.
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Within an hour of the tragic stabbing in Southport on Monday, distressing reports had begun to emerge on social media that the victims may be young children.

The horrifying truth of the attack at a Taylor Swift-themed dance class has now emerged, with three young girls dead while five other children remain in critical condition in hospital after suffering devastating knife wound injuries.

Two of the girls, Bebe King, aged six, and Elsie Dot Stancombe, aged seven, were pronounced dead shortly after the incident, while Alice Dasilva Aguiar, aged nine, died during the early hours of Tuesday morning.

Click here for the latest updates.

Three young girls named Alice, Elsie and Bebe have been killed while dance teacher Leanne Lucas is in a critical condition ( PA )

Two adults also remain in a critical condition, with one of the hero dance teachers seriously wounded trying to protect the children has been named locally as Leanne Lucas.

Well-wishers have said they are praying for beautiful and creative Ms Lucas, 35, said to be one of the organisers of the holiday workshop was ambushed by a knifeman.

Below we look at the victims who have been identified so far.

Bebe King, 6

Bebe King was killed in the stabbing while she attended a Taylor Swift themed dance workshop ( Merseyside Police )

The youngest victim to be named and pictured in the aftermath of Mondays attack is Bebe King, who died after attending what had been advertised as a fun morning of making bracelets, dancing to Taylor Swift and yoga.

In a tribute, her devastated parents said: No words can describe the devastation that has hit our family as try to deal with the loss of our little girl Bebe.

A picture released by the family through Merseyside Police showed the youngster posing by pointing towards her t-shirt, while smiling at the camera.

Elsie Dot Stancombe, 7

Elsie Dot Stancombe was among those killed in the attack ( Merseyside Police )

Elsie Dot Stancombe has been named as one of the other victims killed by the knifeman, who died on Monday despite the best efforts of paramedics.

Floral tributes dedicated towards her have been spotted near the crime scene on Hart Street, with a picture released by her family showing her smiling in her school uniform.

Following violent scenes on Tuesday evening by far-right protesters, Elsies mother, Jenni Stancombe, wrote on Facebook: This is the only thing that I will write, but please please stop the violence in Southport tonight.

The police have been nothing but heroic these last 24 hours and they and we dont need this.

Alice Aguiar, 9

Alice Aguiar died from her injuries the morning after the attack ( Facebook )

The third victim of Mondays tragic knife attack in Southport has been named as nine-year-old Alice Aguiar.

Friends and family paid tribute to the young girl, who died in hospital in the early hours of Tuesday morning after sustaining injuries.

Portuguese officials confirmed she is a Portuguese national living in Southport and that her parents were originally from Madeira.

A woman believed to be her auntie, Carina Aguiar, paid tribute to Alice on Facebook. Sharing a local news article about her death, she said: Princess Alice..... rest in peace..... fly so high... and look at daddy and mommy who mourn your tender absence so much.

Portugals Secretary of State for Communities, Jose Cesario, told broadcasters in the country: Unfortunately, she was a child, the daughter of Portuguese parents from Madeira. She was born on 15 October 2014, aged nine. She is, in fact, one of the victims of this sad crime. The family lived in Southport.

The parents are in a state of shock, we will continue to provide the necessary support, we are in direct contact with the girls aunt. The priority is to provide the necessary moral support, then it will depend on the circumstances of this family and where they want to hold the funeral.

Leanne Lucas, 35

Leanne Lucas, 35, has been named locally as one of the heroic dance class teachers wounded while trying to protect children ( Supplied )

Dance and yoga teacher Leanne Lucas was named locally as one of two adults said to be fighting for their lives after bravely trying to defend children from the knife attack. She and a colleague are said to have helped shield up to 16 innocent children from the onslaught.

Sharing a picture of Leanne on Facebook, Sunshine Yoga wrote: Im absolutely devastated. Please please pray for Leanne.

Leanne came on my training course in December. A beautiful young creative girl who was so passionate about helping children. I just cant believe it. Please pray.

Devastated locals told The Independent Ms Lucas is former primary school teacher. One woman who lay a floral tribute at the scene on Tuesday morning said she used to teach her granddaughter, before she left to pursue drama.

Speaking through tears, the resident, who did not wish to be named, told The Independent: Its just shocked the whole of Southport. Its so sad.

Other tributes

Emergency services workers laid flowers near the scene in Hart Street, Southport, ( James Speakman/PA Wire )

Tributes have flooded in, with singer Taylor Swift herself saying she was completely in shock at news of the incident.

In a social media post, Swift wrote: The horror of yesterdays attack in Southport is washing over me continuously, and Im just completely in shock. The loss of life and innocence, and the horrendous trauma inflicted on everyone who was there, the families, and first responders.

These were just little kids at a dance class. I am at a complete loss for how to ever convey my sympathies to these families.

Home Secretary Yvette Cooper also laid flowers at the police cordon on Tuesday, alongside local MP Patrick Hurley and other officials.

Home Secretary Yvette Cooper left flowers at the scene ( James Speakman/PA Wire )

Eyewitnesses said they heard children and parents screaming before 13 ambulances and dozens of police rushed to the scene.

Armed police detained a 17-year-old boy and seized a knife, with one eyewitness saying the incident was like a scene from a horror movie.

Merseyside Police confirmed that the incident is not currently being treated as terror-related, while the motive behind the stabbings remains unclear.
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A rioter who went viral after looting a number of shops including a Lush cosmetics store in Hull has received one of the longest sentences after weeks of violent disorder.

John Honey, 25, was pictured wearing a distinctive St Georges Cross T-shirt and carrying boxes of bathbombs when the store was ransacked on 3 August, before also stealing goods from O2 and Shoezone.

As well as participating in the ransacking of the high street, he was part of a baying mob that forced three Romanian men from their BMW, leaving them terrified.

Honey has been jailed for over four years for taking part in the violent disorder (Humberside Police/PA) ( PA Media )

A court heard the driver of a BMW was left in fear for his life when more than 100 angry men descended on him and his two cousins and attempted to drag them from their vehicle during 12 hours of racist, hate-fuelled mob violence in the city on August 3.

The man said he was punched in the head, and one person tried to hit him with a metal bar.

In footage of the incident, the three terrified occupants of the car could be seen getting out with their hands raised in a gesture of surrender before fleeing to a nearby hotel, the court heard.

Honey had pulled open the passenger door while David Wilkinson, 48, was seen damaging the windscreen of the vehicle.

He has now been jailed for 56 months after previously pleading guilty to violent disorder and three charges of burglary at Lush, the O2 and Shoezone.

A manager at Lush said the incident had massively impacted staff ( X/Twitter )

Video footage played to the court showed him carrying on of the Lush branded bags and filling it with products, with the manager saying the incident had massively impacted the staff.

A previous sentencing hearing that had been due to take place earlier this week was adjourned after it emerged Honey had asked a prison probation officer if he wanted his autograph because he was famous.

During Fridays hearing, the judge was informed that Honey had developmental issues due to a difficult start to life.

Judge John Thackray KC told Honey: Im not going to hear any evidence about comments which you may or may not have made in the prison setting. Im not going to give them any relevance. If your defence say that there is now genuine remorse, Ill accept that submission.

He also admitted racially aggravated criminal damage over the BMW incident, and to damaging nine other cars during an attack on a garage.

David Wilkinson, 48, has been jailed for six years for his role in the Sunderland riots (Humberside Police) ( PA Media )

Also jailed on Friday was Wilkinson, who received a six year sentence after playing a prominent role in the riots, which saw him spitting, throwing missiles and pushing wheelie bins towards police officers.

In the same garage attack, he was seen trying to set fire to a bin on top of a pile of tyres which were already alight, sending plumes of black smoke into a workshop where a group of people were sheltering.

Four men who took part in a barrage of verbal and physical abuse towards police during the riots were also locked up at the same court.

Also jailed today for two years and two months was Paul Williams, a 45-year-old man who was at the forefront of an orgy of mindless destruction, violence and disorder in Sunderland.

During the rioting, he was seen throwing metal fencing and a can of beer at police before taking his shirt off and shouting put your shields down and lets go, lets f****** go.

Lisa Bishop was jailed for 26 months after admitting violent disorder ( Avon and Somerset Police )

A mother-of-five who was part of a terrifying mob outside a hotel housing asylum seekers in Bristol has also been jailed for 26 months after throwing a can and shouting verbal abuse.

Lisa Bishop, 38, was in a prominent position outside the Mercure hotel, which left police officers overwhelmed as they struggled to maintain order.

A second riot charge has been brought by police as violent disorder suspects across the country await news on whether they will be accused of the more serious offence.

Northumbria Police said on Friday that Kieran Usher had become their second suspect to be charged with riot, which carries a maximum penalty of 10 years in prison.

The 32-year-old appeared at South Tyneside Magistrates Court on Friday, where prosecutors said he had acted in an aggressive manner towards police officers and threw missiles at them during the unrest.

It followed the forces announcement that a 15-year-old boy had been charged with the more serious offence after having previously pleaded guilty to violent disorder and burglary on Saturday.
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Three children have been killed in a knife attack at a Taylor Swift-themed dance class in Southport.

A nine-year-old girl has become the third victim, with Merseyside Police saying the child died in the early hours of Tuesday morning following the deaths of two other.

They have now been named as six-year-old Bebe King, seven-year-old Elsie Dot Stancombe, and Alice Dasilva Aguiar, aged nine.

Five other children remain in critical condition in hospital with stab injuries, while two adults who are believed to have tried to protect the young victims remain critically ill. Three other children also suffered stab wounds in the attack.

Follow our live blog for the latest as it happens in Southport

Armed officers detained a 17-year-old boy from Banks and seized a knife after attending Hart Street in Southport at 11.50am on Monday.

Merseyside Police said they do not believe the incident to be terror-related adding there is no wider threat to the public.

Meanwhile, a violent protest broke out on Tuesday evening among suspected supporters of the far-right, with a police van set on fire and bricks and bottles thrown at officers as a mosque was attacked and anti-Islam slogans chanted.

It occurred just one hour after a peaceful vigil which saw thousands of local residents, spiritual leaders and the Sefton mayor gather to pay tribute to the victims.

Here is everything we know so far.

Who are the victims?

Eight children in total were stabbed as the dance class was drawing to a close on Monday.

The first victim to be named by family is Alice Aguiar, the nine-year-old who died early on Tuesday.

Alice Aguiar was named by relatives online as the third victim of the attack ( Facebook )

Her aunt Carina Aguiar, a hotel worker who lives in Camara de Lobos in Madeira, Portugal, posted in an emotional tribute: Princess Alice. In this moment of great pain my soul hurts, my body hurts, my mind hurts.

I have a lump in my throat. You were just an innocent child, a happy smiley girl with a bright life ahead of you which a despicable human being took away from you, without pity, for no reason.

Look after your mum and dad who are suffering, who are desolate and broken. Fly high our little star. I love you.

Officials in Lisbon have confirmed she is Portuguese national, and that her parents were originally from Madeira.

Bebe King was killed in the stabbing while she attended a Taylor Swift themed dance workshop ( Merseyside Police )

The family of Bebe King, 6, said: No words can describe the devastation that has hit our family as try to deal with the loss of our little girl Bebe.

Elsie Dot Stancombe ( Merseyside Police/PA Wire )

Elsie Dot Stancombe, 7, was identified as one of the first victims in the attack.

A Merseyside Police statement added: Their families, who are being supported by specialist officers, have issued photographs and have asked that their privacy is respected at this time.

A dance class teacher left fighting for her life after desperately trying to defend the children has been named as beautiful and creative Leanne Lucas, 35.

She was named locally as one of the organisers of the dance workshop.

Leanne Lucas, 35, has been named locally as one of the heroic dance class teachers wounded while trying to protect children ( Supplied )

She and a colleague are said to have helped shield up to 16 innocent children from the onslaught.

Sharing a picture of Leanne on Facebook, Sunshine Yoga wrote: Im absolutely devastated. Please please pray for Leanne.

Leanne came on my training course in December. A beautiful young creative girl who was so passionate about helping children. I just cant believe it. Please pray.

Police on Hart Street in Southport ( James Speakman/PA Wire )

What have the emergency services said?

A Merseyside police spokesperson said: Sadly we can confirm that a third child has passed away as a result of injuries sustained in a knife attack in Southport yesterday morning, Monday 29 July. The nine-year-old girl died in hospital in the early hours of this morning, Tuesday, 30 July.

We can confirm that the children who died yesterday were girls aged six and seven years.

Eight other children suffered stab wounds sustained during the attack, and five of them are in a critical condition.

Two adults are also in a critical condition after being injured during the incident.

Our specialist Family Liaison Officers are providing support to the families at this terrible time.

Merseyside Police Chief Constable Serena Kennedy said that with great sadness, the children died as a result of their injuries.

People leave tributes in Hart Street ( AP )

She added that officers were called at 11.47am and were shocked to discover multiple people had been subjected to a ferocious attack and had suffered serious injuries.

It is understood that the children were attending a Taylor Swift event at a dance school when the offender, who was armed with a knife, walked into the premises and started to attack those inside. We believe that the adults who were injured were trying to protect the children at the time they were attacked, she said.

Why did a far-right protest break out?

Hundreds of people took part in a peaceful vigil on Tuesday evening outside Southports Atkinson arts venue, with many in tears as they laid flowers and cards of remembrance.

The vigil was followed by a protest outside a mosque in Southport as demonstrators chanting far-right slogans clashed with police in St Lukes Road.

Flames engulf a police van during a violent protest ( ITV News )

Merseyside Police said a large group of people  believed to be supporters of the English Defence League  began to throw items towards the mosque at around 7.45pm.

Officers put on helmets and riot gear after stones and bottles were launched at them and police vehicles were damaged and set on fire.

Merseyside Police said an officer suffered a suspected broken nose in chaotic scenes outside the mosque as missiles were thrown at the police.

What do we know about the suspect?

The 17-year-old boy, who cannot be named for legal reasons, remains in custody accused of murder and attempted murder following the incident in Hart Street, Southport, on Monday, Merseyside Police said.

Police said the suspect, who was born in Cardiff, is from the village of Banks, just outside Southport, and a road in the area was cordoned off by detectives on Monday afternoon.

Merseyside Police added: A name has been shared on social media in connection with the suspect in the incident in Southport.

This name is incorrect and we would urge people not to speculate on details of the incident while the investigation is ongoing.

Where did it take place?

A large emergency service presence remains on Hart Street in Southport ( PA Wire )

What did locals see?

A local business owner, who was one of the people who called the police, said the incident in Southport was like a scene in a horror movie.

Colin Parry, owner of Masters Vehicle Body Repairs on Hart Street, said he believed six or seven young girls had been stabbed.

He said: Its like something from America, not like sunny Southport.

A local parent, who did not wish to be named, said his daughter was traumatised by the attack.

He said: My daughter was in it and she was traumatised. She ran away and shes safe.

Eyewitness Bare Varathan, 35, who owns a corner shop on Hart Street, said he was called by a staff member who told him, Boss, get to the shop!

He said: I saw seven to ten kids outside the nursery. They were injured, bleeding. They were in the road, running from the nursery.

They had been stabbed, here, here, here, everywhere. (Mr Varathan indicated the neck, back and chest area).

Somebody told me he had arrived in a taxi and had a knife.

Who stopped the attack?

According to reports, personal trainer Joel Verite, 25, rushed to the aid of a woman who screamed forget about me, theres a fella in there stabbing kids.

He is reported to have helped two other officers, one using a taser, to take down the suspect.

The 6ft personal trainer told Sky News: I just opened the door to see if anyone was there I go on to the bottom of the stairs and I look up and theres this guy there in a full tracksuit with his hood up and a knife. He didnt realise I would be there, we looked at each other and hes scurried off to the side.

Joel Verite hailed as a hero for confronting an attacker ( Sky News )

All I saw was a knife and I thought there was more people in there hurting people. Im there by myself and I just wanted to hurt him so bad but at the same time I was scared for myself. I just wanted to help. Im screaming then because I know where he is and Im trying to get everyone to come to the door. We were there for ten minutes but it felt like a lifetime.

He added: Police finally turned up it was one officer he said to wait for backup because he only had one baton on him. His colleague came with a taser. These two officers go up the stairs and Im right behind them. They tackle this guy down to the floor straight away. There was no kind of fight at all. I grabbed this girl and I start sprinting towards an ambulance... Once he was down it was kind of done but the damage had been done.

I wish I had been able to do more to help. I feel disgusted at the entire situation.

A helicopter lands at the scene ( EPA )

What was the motive?

Merseyside Police said that the incident is not believed to be terror-related and that the motive currently remains unclear.

What was happening in the studio at the time of the attack?

One of the events listed at the Hart Space, based on Hart Street, at the time of the stabbings was a Taylor Swift-themed dance class for children in school years two to six - aged between six and 11.

A staff member at the Hart Space said there could have been as many as 25 children attending.

What have the authorities said?

Home Secretary Yvette Cooper looks at tributes near the scene in Hart Street ( James Speakman/PA Wire )

Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer said: The events are just truly awful and I know the whole country is deeply shocked at what they have seen and what they have heard.

I know I speak for everybody in the whole country in saying our thoughts and condolences are with the victims, their families, their friends and with the wider community.

It is impossible to imagine what they are going through right now.

Sir Keir also thanked the emergency services for their response, saying: They have responded to an awful incident today. I want to thank them for the professionalism they have shown in doing so.

Yvette Cooper has warned against speculating or commenting on the criminal investigation into the Southport attack before updates have been provided by police.

When asked whether she could provide more information, including whether the suspect was known to authorities, the Home Secretary said: Merseyside Police are leading this extremely important and serious criminal investigation.

This was a horrific attack and they need to be able to get on with that work, and they will provide us with updates.
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Afghans who became separated during the chaos of the Western evacuation of Afghanistan will be able to apply to reunite with their families in the UK under a new government scheme.

Refugees who have been relocated to the UK under the Home Offices Afghan Citizens Resettlement Scheme (ACRS) for vulnerable and at-risk people will be eligible to apply.

Some 6,469 people have come to the UK under this pathway, including womens rights activists, journalists and prosecutors.

Close family members eligible for relocation include the spouses and partners of Afghans already in the UK under ACRS. It also includes children who were under the age of 18 at the time of the evacuation. Afghan children who were evacuated without their parents will also be able to apply to relocate their parents or siblings to the UK.

Immigration minister Seema Malhotra announced the expansion of the scheme, saying: It is our moral duty to ensure that families who were tragically separated are reunited and are not left at the mercy of the Taliban, which is why I have expanded ACRS so that those who were left behind can be resettled in the UK.

Passengers evacuated from Afghanistan disembark from a British Royal Air Force (RAF) Airbus KC2 Voyager aircraft, after landing at RAF Brize Norton station in southern England on August 24, 2021 ( AFP via Getty Images )

Afghans did right by us, and we will do right by them, ensuring our system is fair and supports those most at-risk and vulnerable.

MPs from all major political parties had been calling on the government to widen the ACRS scheme before the election.

Following the Taliban takeover of Afghanistan, the UK initially pledged to accept 20,000 people over five years under the Home Offices scheme for vulnerable Afghans.

Since the initial evacuation, the relocation of people to the UK has been slow, MPs have said.

Ms Malhotra said: Its been almost three years since the evacuation of Kabul, and yet there remains an urgent need to ensure that those who assisted our efforts in Afghanistan by upholding democracy, freedom and human rights, often at huge personal risk to themselves and their families can be reunited.

Charities welcomed the announcement, with Refuge Council CEO Enver Solomon saying it is hugely welcome.

He added: Over the last three years weve worked with many families who were torn apart in the chaos of evacuating Kabul. They will now have a way to be safely together again thanks to the swift action that has been taken by the government.

For the children who have been apart from their parents for far too long, we know this will be life changing.

Gunes Kalkan, head of campaigns at Safe Passage International, said: Families have been waiting nearly three years for a long-promised way to reunite. This will be life changing for the parents and children who have been separated all this time.
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At 1.50pm last Tuesday asylum seekers on the Bibby Stockholm began to hear the news that the barge would soon be closed. Minutes later, a message went out from the barge manager, calling for residents to gather in the kitchen.

Adam, a 26-year-old Yemeni asylum seeker, told The Independent of the joy among residents.

I cant tell you how happy they were, he said.

They were very happy. Everyone was saying we are not happy just for us but for those who might be moved to the Bibby Stockholm in the future.

If you have been through something bad you dont want it even for your worst enemy.

Following Labours election win, the Home Office announced last week that the controversial barge at Portland port in Dorset will be closed in January 2025. Home office minister Dame Angela Eagle has made the decision not to renew the contract.

The barge, which was expected to house up to 430 people, cost 15.8m to run over the past year and will cost another 19m this financial year.

Around 100 people present on the barge on Tuesday gathered in the canteen to hear the news from the barge manager directly, Adam said.

They were told people who had been living on the Bibby Stockholm for less than six months would have their asylum interviews on the barge, Adam said.

Those who had been there longer would be transferred into temporary accommodation, such as hotels, and have their asylum interviews there.

Labour is ending use of the Bibby Stockholm accommodation barge ( PA Wire )

The interviews are done by Home Office case workers to assess whether someone has a valid claim for refuge in the UK.

Adam, who arrived in the UK in July 2023, said: We got a message from the barge manager saying he wanted to meet us all in the kitchen at 3pm.

He told us that the contract would not be renewed. Then he explained that we will try to finish your interviews as soon as possible.

We have three rooms inside the barge [for the interviews] and you get a call to go there, and they try and do 16 persons each day.

Residents have said that the uncertainty of when their asylum claims will be processed has a big impact on their mental health.

The thing that made us the most happy was when the Home Office manager said that they will take care of the people and finish their asylum interviews, Adam, whose name has been changed, said.

Residents are routinely moved off the Bibby Stockholm if they have been on the barge too long or if they have received an asylum decision. To ease pressure on the local council in Dorset, asylum seekers from the Bibby are sent elsewhere in the UK.

Occasionally, residents have been moved off the barge because the Home Office admitted it was unsuitable accommodation for them, such as one asylum seeker who was moved after safeguarding concerns were raised due to their sexuality.

Twelve people were in this situation from January to March 2024, according to data obtained by The Independent.

Home secretary Yvette Cooper has made the processing of asylum claims a key priority since taking up the post, scrapping the flagship Rwanda scheme and accusing the Tories of creating a Hotel California asylum system where people enter the backlog of cases and never leave.

Ms Cooper told MPs that civil servants had effectively stopped making the majority of asylum decisions due to the impact of the Illegal Migration Act, a piece of legislation brought in under the Tory government.

She will now use legislation to end certain provisions in the Illegal Migration Act so that the Home Office can immediately start clearing cases from after March 2023.

Just Stop Oil block coach returning asylum seekers to Bibby Stockholm barge

Adam, who trained as an IT engineer in Malaysia, said that people on the barge are feeling more positive about their asylum process since the announcement that the Bibby Stockholm will close.

Only days before the news, residents on the barge took part in a three-day peaceful protest. From 15-17 July, a number of men went on hunger strike and hundreds gathered in the bus waiting area in a makeshift demonstration.

It was totally peaceful. They had some signs that they had made themselves. They took a seat, all of them, maybe around 100 people, on the first day. The second day we decided to make calls to Migrant Help [a charity supporting asylum seekers]. On the third day, we were sitting and one person made a speech thanking everyone for reaching 300 people, Adam said.

Campaigners estimate close to 400 people are currently living on board, with overcrowding leading to long queues for food and a lack of space on buses into town.

Steve Smith, chief executive of Care4Calais, said the despair and suffering the barge has caused will live long in the people who were residents of it.

Imran Hussain, at the Refugee Council, said Labours plan to clear the backlog of asylum decisions would reduce the number of people in the system who need to be accommodated.

He added: Ending the use of the Bibby Stockholm, and barges and hotels more generally, will make hugely important savings that help government to fix the asylum system.

Chancellor Rachel Reeves revealed on Monday that the government had a previously undisclosed in-year overspend of 6.4bn on asylum and immigration.
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A young Prince William partied with friends and shouted Im free! after calling off his relationship with Kate Middleton in a frank 30-minute phone call, a royal insider has revealed.

The Prince of Wales, then aged 25, is said to have ended things with the Princess of Wales after deciding he was too young to settle down, Rob Jobson reveals in his new biography of Kate which details the couples brief 2007 split.

It came about after William, who formed a romantic relationship with Kate as an undergraduate student at St Andrews University, in Scotland, cooled on future plans for the pair amid speculation he was preparing to propose.

Im free! he shouted as he slipped into a drunken version of the robot dance, Jobson claimed of the celebration, which took place in Mayfairs Mahiki nightclub. He then told his friends that they should all drink the menu, which they more or less ended up doing.

According to reports at the time, the Prince also had his eye on someone else, the socialite Isabella Anstruther-Gough-Calthorpe, but she is said to have rejected his advances because she did not want to be constrained by the inevitable demands of royal life.

This did not cool Williams ardour, Jobson explained. He reportedly tried to woo Isabella, visiting her several times at her family home. Despite his evident crush, she apparently rebuffed his advances.

Few could have predicted that hed return to Catherine  or that shed ever agree to take him back...

At the time of the couples brutal split, they had been an item for five years, having seen their initial friendship blossom into romance when Kate wore a daring black sheer ensemble that showed off her figure at a student charity fashion show in 2002.

Kate and William after announcing their engagement. ( AP2010 )

By the time the pair graduated, rumours of an engagement were swirling, with some members of the press dubbing the future princess Waity Kate because of the length of their relationship without an engagement.

After William cancelled plans around the time of Kates 25th birthday in January 2007, she sensed something was wrong.

Jobson wrote: [William] told her they both needed a bit of space to find our own way, and he was unable to promise her marriage.

In an emotionally charged 30-minute conversation, they both acknowledged they were on different pages. It was a devastating blow to Catherine, who felt doubly let down at being dumped over the phone.

William, of course, simply got drunk at Mahiki and started yelling about being free.

But Kates actions after their breakup reportedly made it impossible for the young prince to get his university girlfriend off his mind.

She was helped by her mother, Carole, who took her on a trip to the Irish capital of Dublin to distract her from her heartache.

Carole Middleton acted swiftly, taking her heartbroken daughter for a break in Dublin  a welcome respite from media scrutiny, Jobson added.

On Catherines return, she decided she wasnt going to sit around moping; what was good for the goose was good for the gander.

The couple had their fairy tale happy ending when they finally tied the knot in 2011  a decade after beginning their studies at St Andrews. ( AP )

Now in the public eye, she was repeatedly photographed by paparazzi wearing more risque outfits than ever before when she went out with friends, and there was one, in particular, that sealed their eventual reunion.

Jobson continued: She turned to old friends for support, going on holiday with a girlfriend to Ibiza. They partied long into the night.

Back in London, there were soon so many paparazzi shots of Catherine leaving nightclubs  often with her sister Pippa  that the media dubbed them the Sizzler Sisters.

This outfit caught Williams eye at a fancy dress party when [Kate] arrived dressed as a nurse and William had made a beeline for her.

They then spent the first part of the evening deep in conversation before hitting the dance floor, where they ended up kissing.

However, because of their earlier split, their reunion was initially kept a secret, but William did promise to marry Kate and give her some assurance about their future.

He finally proposed formally during a holiday in Kenya in 2010, by the side of the turquoise waters of Lake Alice, Jobson wrote. The question wasnt entirely unexpected, of course, but Catherines face lit up with a radiant smile as she said yes.

William later said that the reason he waited so long before proposing was to give Kate a true insight into royal life before entering into a marriage that will one day see her become queen.

The pair were pictured looking lovingly into each others eyes at this years Trooping the Colour, the princesss first public engagement of the year. ( PA )

Kate and William have had three children since tying the knot in 2011  Prince George, 11, Princess Charlotte, nine, and Prince Louis, six.

This year has been one of the most tumultuous of their married life so far after the Princess of Wales was diagnosed with cancer.

She won international praise for her brave announcement of her diagnosis via a poignant video in March and the publics affection for the future queen was evident when she and Princess Charlotte stepped out to a standing ovation at Wimbledon this month.
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In many years of working with Kim Sengupta, I never came across anyone so fearless. He regarded it as his job, duty, calling, to report on the worlds conflicts, to go where others could not, or would not, and tell us how it was.

I worked with him as a reporter and he was a master story-getter, dogged in his pursuit, sometimes parking a morsel but not forgetting about it, returning to it later when the time was right.

Then, as editor, I soon got to appreciate which journalists were high maintenance, constantly and painfully seeking approval and reassurance. Even some of the papers stars would fall into this bracket. Kim, despite the places he went and what he put himself through, was most definitely not one of those. If he said he was going somewhere, he went, he saw, he reported and he left.

His quiet, understated and polite manner would quickly win peoples trust. He had an extraordinary knack for talking to anyone, be they high up or lowly, from ambassadors or generals to troopers to civilians  to those of an unspecified background (security services most probably) and extracting information from them. He had an unerring ability to put himself in their shoes, to understand their problems and fears.

Kim had an unerring ability to put himself in their shoes, to understand their problems and fears ( Jason Rowe )

I never knew him not to work  evenings, weekends, holidays, they did not apply where Kim was concerned.

No matter where he was, he was calm, matter of fact and analytical. I never saw him fazed; I didnt hear him complain. He laid himself repeatedly on the line, yet not once to my knowledge did he ever ask for a pay rise  I dont think it ever occurred to him.

He witnessed terrible events and while they must have affected him, outwardly he would move on to the next.

Kim reporting from Kabul in August 2021 ( Independent )

Often, his reporting was pointed and accusatory, none more so than during the chaotic evacuation of Kabul in 2021:

On that same day a young Hazara girl, around eight years old, a hand missing as a result of an IED (improvised explosive device) explosion, had asked me to try and find her mother. I feel very scared, I have no one, she said. We looked but failed to find her mother in the swelling crowd. A little later the girl wandered over to where the shrouded bodies had been laid out and fainted. One of them was of her mother.

Every single foreign journalist on the ground has received desperate pleas from those trying to get away; everyone has tried the best they could, getting out individuals and families with the help of sympathetic troops and officials who have shown patience and compassion.

The pleas for help have continued even after the airlifts are ending. They are from people we know well and those we do not know at all. As I write this there are phone calls from someone I met in Herat two weeks ago. Please, please, please help, please get your government to help, they want to kill us, said the man. He has reasons to be frightened.

There is a deep concern for our Afghan colleagues in the media. They have been the real heroes in covering this conflict. We, the foreign media, have come here over the years, done our stint, and then gone back.

His journalism was pointed and accusatory, none more so than during the chaotic evacuation of Kabul in 2021 ( MoD Crown Copyright via Getty )

That was typical Kim. Seeing courage in others and paying tribute to them, while disregarding praise for himself. It really was what he did, without fuss or fanfare.

I will never forget Alistair Dawber, then foreign editor, in 2012 coming into my office to tell me that Kim had gone missing in Aleppo. The Syrian civil war was raging and Kim had gone into the besieged city via its sewers. He was supposed to phone in every two hours and had not done so.

We waited another two. No sign. We called the Foreign Office to see if there were any reports from the ground, from special forces, of a Brit being injured or killed or kidnapped. Nothing.

I was bracing myself to break the news to his family when Alistair entered, his face wreathed in a smile. Kim was safe. His mobile phone battery had died. It was that banal.

When we caught up, he thought it funny how scared wed been.

Kim really was one of a kind. We were blessed to have him as a colleague and friend, to receive his dispatches, and to be able to share in his deep, hard-won knowledge.
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I can scarcely believe that Kim Sengupta is dead because I have such vivid memories of him surviving great dangers against the odds. He was brave and determined, but also smart and resilient, which was why he had lived to report so many wars.

I recall talking to him  still shaken and with cuts on his face  in the Hamra hotel in Baghdad in 2005, soon after a suicide bomber had blown up a truck packed with explosives close to the side of the hotel where Kim had his room. He told me that he had been lying on his bed reading so that the bigger shards of glass from the shattered windows had missed him.

Security people always tell us that the safest place during a bombing is the bathroom, because it usually has no windows, but luckily I didnt have time to follow their advice, he told me with a half-laugh, showing me a photograph of his bathroom in which the ceiling had fallen in.

He explained that there had been two truck bombs, the first to blast through the hotels security wall and a second, packed with a thousand pounds of explosives, which was meant to pass through the gap and strike the main body of the hotel.

Kim said that he had been lucky because the second truck could not get across the crater made by the first, but I felt then and on many other occasions that he made his own luck. In one sense, it is easy to be a war correspondent because the story is always gripping and dramatic, but it is very difficult to do it superbly well as Kim was to do for years.

He was tough but he was intelligent, taking risks but carefully calculated ones. I did not often report alongside him because we usually took over from each other. However, I knew a lot about his reporting because we would brief each other during a handover about problems to be faced or avoided.

The worst of these dangers were usually in Baghdad. Once, Kim told me not to come because of something that had just happened to him. He had been going to a hospital on the other side of the Tigris River held by a ferocious militia called the Mehdi Army. Kim told me that just as he was getting into a car to go there, a news photographer said to him: You cant go there. Dont you know that the Mehdi Army has orders to shoot anybody from The Independent? It turned out that the paper had run some interviews to which the militia commanders objected. Kim and I spent a lot of time negotiating our way back into Iraq.

Kim reporting from Libya in October 2011 ( The Independent )

Much of what Kim and I talked about over the years had to do with the mechanics of war reporting, about which drivers and guides really knew their business. I always trusted his judgement on people and places. Many of these conversations were on the phone but on occasion, we coincided. In 2011, we were both in Libya, first in Benghazi and later in the capital Tripoli.

Just after the latter had fallen to the rebels and Muammar Gaddafi had been killed, I made my way with great difficulty from Tunis to Tripoli and was feeling rather pleased with myself for getting through. But just as I got out of a car outside the hotel where I was planning to stay, I saw, somewhat to my chagrin, Kims familiar figure strolling by, having somehow got there before me.

This might give the impression of a man with a grimmer outlook on life than was the case. Kim was always determined to get as much fun as possible out of the direst situation. We were not often in London at the same time but, when we were, we would meet to gossip about our friends and colleagues, and talk of our recent experiences.

The Tigris River running through Baghdad ( AP )

We met once, just after he had returned from Khartoum where he had been covering the fighting in western Sudan. I could see that was bubbling over to tell me a funny story: Do you remember that enormous Sudanese who was major-domo with a turban at the al-Rashid Hotel in Baghdad before the American invasion? he asked me. I just saw him again. I had gone to see a militia I had never met before. When I got to its headquarters, a big guy in a generals uniform jumped up and shouted: Hello, Kim, Dont you remember me?

It was the major-domo, who had returned to Sudan after the fall of Baghdad in 2003, untruthfully telling friends in Khartoum that he had been in Iraq to fight the Western invaders. We have a job for somebody with a military background, said a politically powerful friend and the major-domo was promptly appointed head of a government-supported militia.

I remember Kims enjoyment as he told me this story, perhaps because it confirmed his underlying cynicism about the competence of military commanders the world over. Kim knew a great many generals but, by the time he died, he knew more about the chaos and miseries of warfare than almost any of them.
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Kim Sengupta, the award-winning war correspondent who covered every major conflict of the last 30 years, has died at the age of 68.

In a career spanning more than four decades  including spells as a reporter at the Daily Mail and Today  it was at The Independent that he would define his legacy as one of Britains best on-the-ground correspondents. The list of countries and conflicts he would file from included Afghanistan, Iraq, Syria, Libya, the Balkans, Ukraine, Georgia, Kosovo, Mali, Sudan, Somalia, Kashmir, Israel, Gaza and Northern Ireland.

Kims ability to get those he came into contact with to open up ensured he had a contact book that was the envy of man. It also allowed him to work his way into places others could not reach, or out of any difficult situation he found himself in.

An example was in the Syrian civil war in 2012, when Kim was the only international reporter in the city of Aleppo when Bashar al-Assads forces began an offensive to clear the main opposition stronghold. His work from Syria would make him a finalist for the Orwell Prize for journalism the next year.

Syria was one of the countries that Kim would return to multiple times; others would be Iraq, Afghanistan, Ukraine, and Israel and the occupied Palestinian territories. Afghanistan, Ukraine and Gaza would occupy much of the last few years of his reporting, drawing on the experience he gathered over many years.

He was in eastern Ukraine watching as Russian special forces aided Moscow-backed separatists to seize territory, with Vladimir Putin eventually annexing Crimea. After years of low-level conflict, Putin would eventually invade Ukraine in February 2022, with Kim again there to report on the human suffering as Kyivs forces pushed back the Russian assault. Across the last two years, Kim crisscrossed the country reporting on families and lives ripped apart by the invasion, travelling battle-scarred roads pock-marked by artillery, drone and missile strikes to give a voice to those Ukrainians fighting against Putins war.

Sitting in his bombed-out hotel room in Baghdad, in 2005 ( Getty )

Kim witnessed the rebirth of Afghanistan in 2001 as the Taliban was toppled and a people came out of its shadow. Twenty years later, he was there to document the violent chaos of the fall of Kabul as the Taliban returned, with people being crushed to death in the rush to get aboard planes leaving the country, or falling from the wheels as the transports took off.

Kim also reported from Israel and the occupied West Bank during Israels war inside Gaza that was triggered by the act of terror by Hamas on 7 October last year. Having covered every Israel-Gaza conflict of the 21st century  from inside Gaza the vast majority of the time  Kim reflected the anger and anguish of both Israelis and Palestinians as the death toll climbed to unprecedented levels.

It didnt matter where in the world the story was, Kim would follow it. From the war in Iraq, through the Arab spring, the fall of Gaddafi in Libya, Islamist insurgency in Mali and the rise and fall of Isis in Iraq and Syria. The death of Nelson Mandela, the fall of Robert Mugabe in Zimbabwe, elections in Iran and the threat of China invading Taiwan.

Kims report from Ukraine in March 2014 ( The Independent )

His work brought multiple nominations for foreign correspondent of the year and journalist of the year at the British Journalism Awards and the Press Awards and three nominations for the Orwell Prize for journalism. Other accolades include being named journalist of the year at the Asian Media Awards.

It was not just the front line where Kim excelled; his contacts in the military and security world were second to none, having served as defence correspondent and then defence and diplomatic editor for many years. This informed his reporting across the board and led to stories such as exclusive revelations about the dossier compiled by former MI6 agent Christopher Steele about Donald Trump.

Admiral Lord West of Spithead, former first sea lord, paid tribute to Kim: I first met Kim about the time of 9/11 and he often would ask me about Afghanistan as the operation moved forward.

He was a most impressive reporter who took risks to ensure he got the stories he felt important. He had an enquiring mind and was quick to reach the heart of the matter. Very personable, he was totally reliable when I spoke to him off the record and never let me down, even though sometimes he was privy to some amazing things.

Kim accepting journalist of the year at the Asian Media Awards in 2016 ( Clive Lawrence )

He was amusing and delightful company and we sometimes bumped into each other at his local, The Feathers in Highgate. A pint with him was always enjoyable and he will be sorely missed.

General Sir Richard Barrons, former head of Joint Forces Command and deputy chief of defence staff, said: Kim and I spoke often about the defence issues of the day. He was deeply interested in the whole subject, especially and I felt personally in the lot of those who serve in harms way for their country. He had a razor-sharp sense for a scoop and never shied away from painful truths, but also took immense care to make sure he had the context right and the what next was clear.

Joining The Independent in 1996, wherever Kim found himself, he carried out his work with good humour. An example was a 2005 picture from his hotel in Baghdad, which had been hit by the blast wave of a suicide bomb. In Kims own words: I was lying in bed, reading, and a horizontal shower of jagged glass flew over me across the room.

Joining The Independent in 1996, wherever Kim found himself, he carried out his work with good humour ( Steve Bent/ANL/Shutterstock )

My lethargy had saved me: I would have been seriously injured or worse if up and about. Instead, I got only cuts and bruises. A colleague, Catherine Philp from The Times, later found a ten-inch shard of glass sticking out of the mattress next to my pillow which I had not noticed.

The picture, taken by a Getty photographer, shows Kim  sat on a sofa with laptop in hand  almost nonchalantly pointing to some of the damage in the devastated room.

Paying tribute to Kim, The Independents editor-in-chief, Geordie Greig, said: The sudden death of Kim Sengupta is a devastating loss for The Independent as well as for the wider world of journalism. Kim was a reporters reporter. He lived for the story and courageously covered countless conflicts from Iraq to Ukraine.

Kim Sengupta in Baghdad in 2005 ( Supplied )

I first knew him more 40 years ago when he was a general reporter in Fleet Street and from those early days hugely admired his tenacious and tireless ambition to quest and pursue. He lived and worked ferociously hard, more often than not on the front line, with a Hemingway swagger as he travelled the globe for The Independent.

Modestly, he downplayed the dangers of war even as he told of the trials and tribulations of reporting with zest, humour and humanity.

Chris Blackhurst, former editor at The Independent, said: In many years of working with Kim Sengupta I never came across anyone so fearless.

As editor, you get to appreciate which journalists are high maintenance, constantly and painfully seeking approval and reassurance. Kim, despite the places he went, was most definitely not one of those. If he said he was going somewhere, he went there.

He had an extraordinary knack for talking to anyone, be they ambassadors or generals or privates or those of an unspecified background  security services most probably  and extracting information from them. Kim really was one of a kind.
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King Charles banned Meghan Markle from travelling to Balmoral with Prince Harry to be with the dying Queen, royal author Rob Jobson has claimed in his new biography on the Princess of Wales.

The move saw Prince Harry, now 39, take a private jet to Scotland alone to avoid travelling with his family on the day his grandmother passed away at the age of 96.

However, it was only Princess Anne who was able to be at the monarchs bedside as she took her final breaths on 8 September 2022 before she died at 3:10 pm.

Jobson explained that while the then-Prince Charles had seen his mother earlier in the day, he went out to clear his head and he, alongside other senior royals, did not make it [back] to Balmoral in time.

Prince Harry had decided to travel separately from his brother and the other senior Royal Family members, Jobson wrote.

He took a private jet to Scotland, not getting there until just before 8 pm.

Prince Harry travelled to Balmoral alone to avoid his family when King Charles allegedly said Meghan Markle was not welcome. ( AP )

Close sources said he had elected not to fly with his brother and uncles after a disagreement over Meghan not being allowed to join him.

It emerged that when he insisted that his wife accompany him to Balmoral during a phone call with his father, Charles told him she could not come.

While the Princess of Wales did not travel to Balmoral at the time of the Queens death, opting to stay and look after her children, the royal author speculated that this decision may have been influenced by Harrys petulance.

Jobson elaborated on the couples relationship with the late monarch prior to her death.

He explained that their departure from the Firm in 2020 prompted her to take decisive action to protect the throne she had reigned on for seven decades.

This came when Harry and Meghan suggested that they could carve out a progressive new role as working royals who split their time between the UK and the US.

She knew instinctively that for the sake of the monarchys future, there could not be any ambiguity over its role and function or financial structure, Jobson wrote.

As far as she was concerned, you were either working for the Firm fully, or not. There was no halfway house.

Queen Elizabeth said that having a halfway house as a working royal was not possible. ( Getty Images )

Jobson claimed that while the Queen ultimately felt let down by Prince Harrys decision to leave and did not want him to financially benefit in his new life from the status he previously held.

She knew that he and Meghan had much to offer and certainly appealed to the younger generation in a way none of the other royals could.

But the idea of the couple earning millions by cashing in on their royal titles and status was abhorrent to her.

Jobson added: She did not object to their decision to leave, but she was adamant that it meant they must be stripped of their patronages and banned from using their HRH titles personally and commercially.

Queen Elizabeth banned Harry and Meghan from profiting from their royal titles. ( Getty Images )

The Queens decision to strip Harry of his titles reportedly left him shocked and hurt and while he left of his own accord, he ultimately felt like he had been banished from the royal family.

The Independent has reached out to a representative for the Sussexes and King Charles for comment.
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Watch as the Omagh car bombing inquiry began with its first public hearing in Northern Ireland on Tuesday, 30 July.

A long called for probe is examining whether the the 1998 Real IRA attack could reasonably have been prevented by UK authorities.

The Irish government has formally agreed to provide assistance to the inquiry.

A woman pregnant with twins was among at least 29 people killed in the dissident republican bomb attack which devastated the Co Tyrone town on 15 August 1998.

Bereaved families have called for a public inquiry into the atrocity and alleged security failings for decades.

Michael Gallagher, whose son Aiden was killed, said that Tuesday would be the first time since 1998 that all of the bereaved families, including those caught up in the blast from Spain, will come together.

Survivors were expected to gather at the Strule Arts Centre in Omagh for the hearing.

Commemorative and personal statements will be made in hearings next January.
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Its almost been a month since Labours historic election victory, which sparked renewed conversation about electoral reform.

Even a fleeting glance at Julys election results confirms Britains first-past-the-post system can produce disproportionate outcomes.

Labour scored about 35 per cent of the popular vote  modest by historic standards  but managed to secure 63 per cent of seats in the House of Commons, and thus also a landslide 174-seat majority.

Given the low turnout of 60 per cent, it means only about one in five adult Britons actively voted for Keir Starmers programme of change. Starmer is governing the country with just about the lowest share of the vote of any administration since 1923.

Many political parties have called for electoral reform over the years. Reform UK loudly claims the system is broken and the Liberal Democrats have long argued first-past-the-post robs millions of voters of their voice.

During the recent campaign, even Conservative commentators had raised questions about how governments can wield great power on a comparatively weak mandate.

Its hard to imagine a government that has won a huge majority under first-past-the-post system changing it. Politicians dont give up power voluntarily. But might a peoples revolt eventually force their hand?

And what are the other options on the table should Britain choose to revamp its voting system?

If you have a question on electoral reform or proportional representation submit it now, or when I join you live at 12pm on Friday 2 August for the Ask Me Anything event.

Register to submit your question in the comments box under this article.

Scroll down or click here to leave your comment.

If youre not already a member, click sign up in the comments section to leave your question. For a full guide on how to comment click here.

Dont worry if you cant see your question  they may be hidden until I join the conversation to answer them. Then join us live on this page at 12pm as I tackle as many questions as I can.
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A peer has been accused of Islamophobia after giving a disgusting and outrageous speech in the House of Lords.

Lord Pearson of Rannoch claimed radicals plan to take us over through the power of the womb and the ballot box after discussing government plans to improve counterterrorism measures at public venues following the Kings Speech.

The sharia allows Muslim men to have four wives at a time, most of whom are having at least two children, so the Muslim population is going up 10 times faster than our national average, he told the House of Lords last Thursday.

Lord Pearson of Rannoch made the comments in the House of Lords following the Kings Speech ( Rex Features )

On past trends, Birmingham and nine other English local authorities will be majority Muslim by 2031. The radicals plan is to wait until they can take us over through the power of the womb and the ballot box.

The 82-year-old, now a non-affiliated peer having formerly sat as a Conservative and briefly been the leader of Ukip, has been condemned for his comments.

Liberal Democrat peer Baroness Meral Hussein-Ece wrote on X: Lord Pearson of Rannoch gave a disgusting anti-Muslim racist speech in the House of Lords today. He wouldve been loudly condemned if he spoke about other faiths in this way.

The Muslim Association of Britain (MAB) and the Muslim Council of Britain (MCB) say they are lodging formal complaints with the House of Lords commissioners for standards over Lord Pearsons remarks.

Islamophobia and antisemitism have seen a sharp rise in the UK ( EPA )

Zara Mohammed, MCB secretary general, told The Independent: Lord Pearsons recent comments are outrageous and perpetuate classic Islamophobic tropes that demonise British Muslim communities. He appears indifferent to the impact of his words, despite the rise in Islamophobia-related hate crimes.

As a member of the House of Lords, Lord Pearson should be held accountable for his conduct. We will be writing to the House of Lords commissioners for standards and hope they investigate and take appropriate action.

Raghad Altikriti, chair of MAB, told The Independent: It is crucial for public figures to promote unity and respect, rather than resort to racist dog whistles and Islamophobic tropes.

His comments and behaviour fall far short of the expected standards of a member of the House of Lords, and we hope that the House of Lords Commissioners for Standards will look into this matter and take decisive action.

Lord Pearson defended his speech, telling The Independent his points about the Muslim population are simply factual, being a projection of Office for National Statistics (ONS) figures.

Islamists (...) are quite open about using the power of the womb and the ballot box to help them take over Western civilisation; like communists before the wall came down, they are a world domination movement, he added.

Lord Pearson defended his comments, saying the figures were facts ( PA )

ONS figures show that 6.5 per cent (3.9m) of the population of England and Wales identified as Muslim in 2021, up by 1.6 per cent a decade earlier.

In March, London charity Islamophobia Response Unit (IRU) reported seeing a 365 per cent rise in Islamophobia-related hate crimes across England and Wales since the outbreak of the Gaza conflict in October.

Lord Pearson previously met with condemnation when he claimed that UK Muslim communities were home to thousands of potential home-grown terrorists. He claimed calls for violence were not just coming from a few extremists, saying: These people hate us with frightening religious fervour and we are right to fear them.

The peer previously organised a House of Lords screening of an anti-Muslim film and invited far-right campaigner Tommy Robinson to parliament.

Lord Pearson joined the Lords in 1990 as a Conservative peer before joining Ukip in 2007 and resigning to sit as a non-affiliated peer in 2019. He became leader of Ukip in 2009 but resigned a year later, saying he was not good enough at party politics to do the job.

A House of Lords spokesperson said: The House of Lords commissioners for standards are responsible for the independent and impartial investigation of alleged breaches of the House of Lords Code of Conduct.

The commissioners for standards would need to receive a complaint before undertaking a preliminary assessment to establish whether the complaint falls within their remit to investigate.

However, it is worth noting paragraph 30(a) of the Code of Conduct, which states that in assessing, investigating and adjudicating allegations of non-compliance, the commissioners must recognise as a primary consideration the constitutional principle of freedom of speech in parliamentary proceedings, including but not limited to the need for members to be able to express their views full and frankly in parliamentary proceedings.
Its fair to say that the recent knife attack at a dance school in Southport, which resulted in so much death and injury to children, has shocked the nation. It also follows a number of other serious, high-profile incidents. All are necessarily sui generis, and under active investigation as to the motives and the events that led up to the killings.

Varied as they are, these cases have served to intensify a widespread public concern about the use of knives in violent crime, especially among younger people, and more often in our bigger cities (though, as Southport shows, this is hardly confined to urban centres).

It is not a new problem  indeed, it is as old as the bladed weapon itself  but it is now becoming a political issue, though the home secretary, Yvette Cooper, has been cautious in her public remarks...

Is knife crime on the increase?

Broadly speaking, yes. The official crime statistics show that the trend is uneven, but broadly upward over time. The pandemic obviously saw a marked decrease in such incidents, and in some other criminal activities, but the number of knife crimes in 2023 was still lower than in the last full year before the pandemic, by about 7 per cent.

On a 10-year view, though, we can see that there were about 28,000 in 2014, a recent nadir, compared with over 50,000 last year. Experts add that, because some knife assaults arent reported and thus do not appear in the crime figures, hospital admissions might serve as an additional indicator. There were 3,775 hospital episodes involving blades and the like in 2023, around 10 per cent up on 2022, though only a little higher than in 2014.

Is it a factor in the murder rate?

Yes, and a significant one. In 2022 in England and Wales, there were 261 homicides involving sharp instruments  about 40 per cent of the total. In Scotland, the proportion is higher  with 30 homicide victims (some 58 per cent) having been killed in this way. Such extreme cases are thus rare, but there is the potential for the rate to rise yet higher.

Where is knife crime most prevalent?

The West Midlands region has the highest rate of knife crime in proportion to its population, at 178 incidents per 100,000 residents, with Cleveland in second place at 159, and then, despite its reputation, Greater London on 145 (with a large variation between the boroughs  from Westminster, with 356 incidents per 100,000 people, to Richmond, with just 47).

In fact, overall knife crime in London is roughly where it was a decade ago, notwithstanding its having been described as an epidemic during the recent mayoral contest  though that could merely be a reflection of the fact that it has always been relatively higher in the capital. North Yorkshire is the area least troubled by knives.

Is it a political issue?

In some areas it is, but it doesnt lend itself well to ideological solutions. All the political parties advocate strong controls on the sale of knives, and successive governments have targeted specific types of bladed weapon, from flick knives in the 1950s to zombie knives now. Carrying an offensive weapon, a catch-all that covers most circumstances, has been an offence since 1953.

The really contentious issue has always been the use of stop and search powers by the police. These have gone in and out of fashion for some time, largely because they became associated with racial profiling, damaging relations between the police and the communities they serve. Custodial sentences for possession have increased markedly in both number and length of term in recent years. The rise of gang culture has been a strong influence.

What is the government going to do about knife crime?

Quite a lot, if the Labour manifesto is to be believed. Interestingly, Labours blueprint for government hints, albeit obliquely, at more active stop and search activities  We will equip officers with the powers they need  together with the restoration of community policing. The knife crime action plan also aims to ban ninja swords, lethal zombie-style blades and machetes; strengthen rules to prevent online sales; and ensure that executives of online companies that flout these rules are personally held to account through tough sanctions.

The government also promises to intervene earlier to stop young people being drawn into crime, and, perhaps significantly, the new Young Futures programme will ensure that there are youth workers, mental health support workers, and careers advisers on hand to support young peoples mental health and avoid them being drawn into crime. Wider improvements in the criminal justice system and more prison accommodation might also help to deter criminality and get the crime figures down.

Will the knife crime action plan work?

It will if it fulfils Labours ambitious manifesto promise: We aim to halve knife crime in a decade. Note, of course, that this takes us well beyond the end of this parliament, but the public will have a right to expect that the figures are heading sharply downwards by then. What no government can do is prevent a determined terrorist from buying a kitchen knife and going on to commit murder. The only comfort in this context is that the UK doesnt suffer from the same ease of access to guns as is the case in, say, America.
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Wagner mercenaries were killed by jihadis and rebels over the weekend in northern Mali in what one analyst described on Monday as the largest battleground blow to the shadowy Russian group in years. Others were taken captive.

Approximately 50 Wagner fighters in a convoy were killed in an al-Qaida ambush, which was joined by rebels who were in pursuit, along the border with Algeria, said Wassim Nasr, a Sahel specialist and senior research fellow at the Soufan Center, a security think tank, who said he counted bodies in a video of the aftermath.

The mercenaries had been fighting mostly Tuareg rebels alongside Mali's army when their convoy was forced to retreat into jihadi territory and ambushed south of the commune of Tinzaouaten, Nasr said.

Wagner confirmed in a Telegram statement that some of its fighters as well as Malian troops were killed in a battle with hundreds of militants.

The mercenary group did not say how many of its fighters were killed. Mali's army said it lost two soldiers and 20 rebels were killed.

Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov, left, and Mali's foreign minister Abdoulaye Diop and address a press conference in Bamako, Mali, Tuesday Feb. 7, 2023 ( Copyright 2020 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. )

In a statement over the weekend, al-Qaida asserted that 50 Wagner fighters were killed in its attack meant to avenge the massacres committed in the center and north of Mali in the yearslong battle against the extremists. The Tuareg rebels said an unspecified number of the mercenaries and Malian soldiers surrendered to them.

The Associated Press was not immediately able to verify the video Nasr cited.

This is really important. Its never happened before on African soil and it will change the dynamics," Nasr said. They (Wagner) wont be sending any more wild expeditions like this near the border with Algeria. They had been bragging about how well they were doing and how strong they are, but they dont have the manpower to do this for long or to hold on territory to secure deployments.

Russia has capitalized on the deteriorating relations between the West and coup-affected Sahel nations in West Africa to send fighters and assert its influence. Wagner has been active in the Sahel  the vast expanse south of the Sahara Desert  as the mercenaries profit from seized mineral riches in exchange for their security services.

Wagner has been present in Mali since late 2021 following a military coup, replacing French troops and international peacekeepers in helping to fight militants who have threatened communities in the central and northern regions for more than a decade. At the same time, Wagner has been accused of helping to carry out raids and drone strikes that have killed civilians.

The group has had an estimated 1,000 fighters in Mali.

Since helping Mali's forces to regain control of the key northern town of Kidal, Wagner mercenaries have been overconfident and overstretched, said independent analyst John Lechner.

He said failures like the weekend ambush are the reason why the Wagner brand was retained in Mali. Large losses or setbacks are attributed to private military companies," he said. "Victories to the (Russian) ministry of defense.
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A professional squatter has taken over a New York City familys home and now refuses to leave the property, in every hosts worst nightmare.

The renter moved into the Airbnb this spring and has forced the homeowner  a veteran correctional officer  into an untenable situation she says the company has not been willing to help fix.

Theyve got two dogs, theres feces and stuff on the floor, its a mess, superhost Tekecia Darden told The Independent. Airbnb is saying theres nothing further they can do, besides telling me to call the cops.

However, a quirk in New York law means authorities hands are also tied, turning Dardens day-to-day life into a waking nightmare.

In fact, Dardens unwanted guests are trespassing, according to her attorney, E. Dubois Raynor.

Per the Airbnb agreement, they were lawfully admitted to the property, Raynor said in an email. However, as a legal matter, the civil action sounds that in overstaying their license they are more analogous to trespassers than squatters. Airbnbs lack of mitigation to situations such as these, since it could happen to anyone, is absolutely astounding.

An Airbnb spokesman on Monday declined to comment, citing active litigation.

Airbnb host Tekecia Darden was shocked to find her floors covered in feces, which she said she photographed through an open window. ( Courtesy of Tekecia Darden )

The surreal state of affairs can be traced back to April 18, when Maryam Shaikh booked a room at Dardens house in Jamaica, Queens, according to a lawsuit Darden filed in New York State Supreme Court on June 7, some three weeks after Shaikhs agreed-upon check-out date.

Shaikh paid Darden $2,546.25 for a 30-day stay, via the Airbnb website, and duly made herself at home, the complaint states.

However, when May 18, 2024, came, Defendant Shaikh and her family of, effectively, squatters, which included her husband or boyfriend, refused to leave the Premises, it says. Upon investigation, Plaintiff came across evidence, which suggested that the Defendant Shaikh is a professional squatter, aided and abetted by the Defendant Airbnb.

Darden said on Monday she didnt have any sort of preexisting relationship with Shaikh, who also moved her three children into the home, and that she was just somebody that booked through Airbnb.

Once Darden realized she had been saddled with a guest who wouldnt vacate the premises, she hired an investigator to look into Shaikhs past. Darden said she was informed that Shaikh and her associates had a long history of similar behavior, and that theyve been in 10 different places within the last three years.

A picture of Maryam Sheikh, as seen on her New Jersey drivers license, which she sent to Airbnb host Darden at the time of her booking. ( Courtesy of Teklecia Darden )

Shaikh did not give a reason for why she was staying, just that she wasnt moving and Id have to go to court to get her out, Darden said, adding Shaikh freely uses the kitchen to cook for herself.

Both Shaikh and Airbnb are at fault, according to Darden, whose complaint accuses Shaikh of duping her from the get-go, claiming the renter knew that she intended to squat and remain beyond her [check-out date]. Airbnb, for its part, purposefully failed to undertake a thorough and meaningful examination of the Defendant Shaikh for purposes of her professional squatting activities, the complaint alleges.

So far, there has been no progress, Darden told The Independent. They just basically came in and theyre refusing to leave. I asked Airbnb if they had anything in place for squatters, and they said yes, they had a whole team that works on that. But when the time came, and they finally escalated the case to the higher-ups, all they told me to do was call the police and have the police remove them.

Yet, when Darden tried to get the police involved, she said they informed her that they cant get involved once its been 30 days, so [Shaikh and her family] have been here ever since.

One of the squatters living in Dardens home steps outside, that the homeowner captured in a photo she snapped from the curb. ( Courtesy of Tekecia Darden )

Airbnb has an entire page on its website dedicated to issues that can arise from 30-day stays, suggesting that the practice has created problems before.

In most states and localities in the United States, guests who stay in a home or apartment for one month or longer  the exact number of days depends on jurisdiction  may establish rights as a tenant, it says. Generally, this means that local tenancy laws could protect them, and you may not be able to remove them from your property without proceeding through required eviction processes in court.

In New York, as well as California and Illinois, a residential tenancy may be created after 30 consecutive days of occupancy, the page informs hosts. ... These situations are incredibly rare, but if they happen, well work with you to try and help resolve the problem with your guest.

Based on other Airbnb hosts experiences with squatters, Darden may be facing an uphill battle in getting Shaikh evicted anytime soon.

In Southern California, a  serial squatter  who booked a 60-day stay through Airbnb wound up living in their hosts guesthouse, rent-free, for more than two years before finally packing up and leaving. In June, an Airbnb host in North Carolina was unable to roust long-term guests at the end of a planned seven-month stay, finding that even a warning from police was insufficient to get them out.

Darden documented her attempts to evict her Airbnb guests, who even the NYPD couldnt get to leave. ( Courtesy of Tekecia Darden )

We will vacate the property when you filed the proper paperwork with the civil magistrate for an eviction, for we are legal residents of this home, the renters wrote on a handmade no trespassing sign they affixed to the front door following the visit from cops.

Airbnb has thus far not been helpful, the homeowner told WTVD-TV, the Raleigh-Durham ABC affiliate. When the SoCal guest extended her stay, she and the homeowner reportedly made that agreement between themselves, outside of the Airbnb system, removing the company from the equation before things went sour.

Darden, for her part, told The Independent that once Airbnb said theres nothing they can do, they didnt follow up, nothing. She said she was informed by an Airbnb representative that the only course of action, for now, would be to remove her listing from the site until she is able to remove Shaikh from the property.

These are the first people I let stay for 30 days, Darden said, adding that she is no longer willing to do business with Airbnb.

Darden, who is now living at another location, is asking a judge to evict Shaikh from the home, and order her to cough up $200,000 in compensatory and punitive damages, plus legal expenses.

Shaikh, who does not have an attorney listed in court records, did not respond on Monday to a voicemail seeking comment. She and Airbnb have not yet filed responses to Dardens claims.
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The flag known as Old Glory will have to be born in the land of the free and not merely just fly over it.

Congress has passed a proposal to require the federal government to purchase only American flags that have been completely manufactured in the country. The U.S. imports millions of American flags from overseas, mostly from China, and the sponsors of the proposal said it's time for American flags to originate in the country they represent.

Supporters of the proposal, led by Republican Sen. Susan Collins of Maine and Democratic Sen. Sherrod Brown of Ohio, said the change is more than just symbolic  they believe it will support American jobs and manufacturers while preserving the nation's most recognized banner.

The American flag serves as a symbol of our identity, resolve, and values as one people. To honor its significance, the federal government should only use flags entirely manufactured in the United States, Collins said.

Supporters of the proposal said on Monday that they expect the measure to be signed into law soon. It was sent to President Joe Biden on Thursday afternoon.

Congress has passed a proposal to require the federal government to only purchase American flags completely manufactured in the U.S. Supporters of the proposal, led by Republican Sen. Susan Collins of Maine and Democratic Sen. Sherrod Brown of Ohio, said the change is more than just symbolic ( Copyright 2024 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. )

Federal rules currently require the government to buy flags that contain half U.S.-made materials, supporters of the proposal said. The rule change, called the All American Flag Act, requires government-purchased flags to be produced entirely with American-made materials as well as manufactured in the U.S.

The value of U.S. flag imports in 2015 was said to be well over $4 million, according to federal data. The vast majority of those imports came from China, supporters of the rule change said.

In 2017, the U.S. imported some 10 million American flags, and 99.5% of them came from China, supporters of the proposal said. Those figures include all American flags imported into the country and not just those purchased by the federal government.

Collins and Brown have been pushing for American flags to be manufactured in the U.S. for several years. Previous efforts to change the rules to require U.S.-made flags found success in the U.S. Senate but stalled when they reached the House of Representatives.
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A man has died after a boat crashed into him on his rowing vessel Sunday morning at a New Hampshire lake, according to state police .

The collision occurred at 6:42 am in Tilton, New Hampshire. Thomas Mead, 76, was operating a rowing scull at Lake Winnisquam when a pontoon boat driven by a 17-year-old boy hit and killed him.

The boats operator brought Mead aboard and attempted to perform CPR until firefighters arrived on the scene. Mead was rushed to the hospital but was later pronounced dead. Police say it was unclear whether Mead was wearing a life vest.

Michael Sitar, Chief of Tilton-Northfield Fire & EMS, told the Boston Globe he believes the collision was an accident. The teen has not been charged in the incident.

A 76-year-old man was killed when a boat crashed into his scull on Lake Winnisquam on Sunday ( New Hampshire Department of Environmental Services )

The boat that was struck was very low to the water. When they sit in those boats, theyre kind of reclined as well. It was a bit foggy and the way the sun was coming up, I believe the operator [of the pontoon boat] just did not see him and drove right over him, Sitar said. He added that the boat was traveling at about 10 mph.

Tilton-Northfield Fire Captain Matt Gilman told WMUR News 9 : Pontoon boats sit a little higher in the water, and it kind of sounds like this was a much lower-than-normal boat. So, it certainly could make the sight angles difficult. It makes all the more reason to make sure youve got someone to watch out in front of where youre headed. It was also kind of foggy on the lake in the morning, so I have a feeling there were a lot of factors that lead to this happening.

The crash remains under investigation. The New Hampshire State Police is encouraging anyone with information related to the case to reach out.

Lake Winnisquam is New Hampshires fourth-largest lake, with an area of over 4,200 acres.
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An 18-year-old has been arrested after she gave birth at a food truck before leaving the newborn in a nearby dumpster tied inside a trash bag.

Everilda Cux-Ajtzalam, from Houston, told police she had no choice but to put her baby boy in the dumpster because she was concerned that her boyfriend would break up with her, according to The Houston Chronicle. She was arrested on Thursday after giving birth on July 21, police reported.

The young woman gave birth behind the taco truck where she works in southwest Houston, according to court documents cited by Law and Crime.

[Cux-Ajtzalam] put the child, placenta, & umbilical cord into a trash bag, took the trash bag to a dumpster, & left the child in the dumpster tied inside the trash bag, a magistrate judge wrote in a court filing.

Hours later, a passerby heard the baby crying and called police. Video footage of the rescue from ABC13 shows paramedics holding the awake and alert baby while standing next to a dumpster brimming with trash. The video then shows officers wrapping the newborn in a blanket, his hair still wet.

Everilda Cux-Ajtzalam pictured in a booking photo. Police say she left her newborn son in a dumpster after giving birth outside the taco truck where she works in Houston, Texas ( Harris County Sheriffs Office )

The newborn was taken to Texas Childrens Hospital, Law and Crime reports. He is in good health and in the custody of Child Protective Services.

Cux-Ajtzalam, who was captured on camera during the event, faces a felony child abandonment charge. Harris County District Judge Veronica Nelson said in court on Friday it was pure luck the newborn was found and survived, emphasizing the severe heat in the Texas city.

Given the fact that its the middle of summer in Houston, Texas, and the temperature at the time noting the danger to the child, under those circumstances, Im going to set the bail in this case at $90,000, Nelson said.

Cux-Ajtzalam, who is from Guatemala, is being held at the Harris County Jail.

Her bond was raised to $200,000 when she made a second court appearance on Monday, ABC7 Chicago reported. Immigration and Customs Enforcement has also placed a hold on her release, according to Law and Crime.

The Independent has contacted the Harris County Public Defenders office for comment.
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Closing arguments began Tuesday morning in the so-called Black Swan murder trial, involving a Florida ballerina accused of killing her husband, who appeared to all to be the ideal matebut was violent and abusive in private, according to defense attorneys.

In a Florida court on Friday, Ashley Benefield, 33, testified that she had been living a nightmare, and said she was scared to death of hubby Doug, who had carved out a successful post-military career as a technology consultant. Charged with second-degree murder, Ashley insisted on the stand that she had acted in self-defense, saying, I thought he was going to kill me.

To the contrary, Assistant State Attorney Suzanne ODonnell told jurors that Ashley simply couldnt bear the idea of sharing their 2-year-old daughter with the man she married just 13 days after meeting him in August 2016 while campaigning for then-presidential nominee Donald Trump.

This was a custody battle that this mother was going to win at all costs, ODonnell said. The cost was the life of Doug Benefield, and that is murder.

The case has been dubbed the Black Swan murder because of Benefields career. Black Swan was a 2010 film about a psychologically disturbed ballet dancer, starring Natalie Portman, the title of which the media adopted as shorthand for the Benefield case.

To Ashley, the salacious nature of the media coverage has been slanted against her from the get-go.

Black Swan has a catchy ring and it sensationalizes my life and my situation, she told ABC News before the start of the trial. Its sad to me that people who dont even know me have this idea of a monster when they think of me.

Benefield said being known as the Black Swan murderer only sensationalizes my life and my situation. ( Moviestore/Shutterstock )

On Monday, the defense rested its case after calling its final witnesses: a real estate broker helping Doug search for a new home, a sheriffs investigator and psychologist Jason Quintal, a marriage counselor the couple had been seeing to try and work out their issues.

Doug, according to Quintal, was someone who was domineering, and the terminology that I would use at times would be super-controlling, he said on the stand. At the same time, he was very dedicated to wanting the relationship to work despite conversations with some of the disparaging things that Ashley had said to him.

When Doug was shot dead, the two had been planning a move from Manatee County, Florida, to Maryland, where Ashley had inherited a property, but they were going to live separately.

However, Ashley had already decided she wanted to be a single mother, and she would stop at nothing to attain that goal, according to ODonnell, who argued, When there was no other option, she shoots him and kills him and claims self-defense.

On Sept. 27, 2020, Doug was helping Ashley load a U-Haul in anticipation of the move north when, the defense claims, Doug hit her on the side of her head and blocked the door when she tried to get away.

He stopped me, he grabbed me by the hand and yanked me back, Ashley testified. He said, Where the f**k are you going?

Doug Benefield flew Navy jets from aircraft carriers, then became a technology consultant after leaving the service. ( Copyright 2024 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. )

When Ashley broke free, she ran to another room and grabbed her gun. She claimed on the stand that Doug started toward her again, and thats when she began firing.

I started pulling the trigger, Ashley said in court. He kept coming at me.

ODonnell, for her part, told the jury that Ashleys injuries were nothing more than surface scratches, and that Doug Benefield was not coming at her at the time the fatal shot was fired.

Doug, a devout Christian and former US Navy pilot who died five days short of his 59th birthday, was generous to a fault and never gave up on people, his September 2020 obituary read . He touched countless lives, bringing the rich joy of this life to those he cherished as his friends. He brought out the best in people and made you feel special just being around him. He was handsome, strong, and gentle. He had great taste and somehow touched every area of your life making it richer and better.

Dougs family has strongly disputed Ashleys version of events. In an interview aired Monday night on NewsNation, his brother Tommie called Ashley a performance artist, claiming she had turned in an Oscar-worthy turn on the stand. And Dougs daughter from a previous marriage told 20/20 that Ashley wasnt trying to defend herself, but rather, clearly wanted to take my dads life away and ruin her own childs life and ruin my life.
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A suspect in one of Hawaiis most notorious murder cases has killed himself just days after police questioned him and took his DNA sample as part of the investigation.

Dana Ireland, a 23-year-old tourist from Virginia, was kidnapped, raped and left for dead in the Kapoho area of Hawaii on Christmas Eve 1991. She died the following day in hospital.

For over 20 years, investigators believed the case was closed and that her killers had been brought to justice.

Albert Ian Schweitzer had been convicted of her murder in 2000 and sentenced to 130 years in prison. Two other men  Frank Pauline Jr and Schweitzers brother Shawn  were also convicted. Pauline was killed by a fellow inmate in prison in 2015 while Shawn took a plea deal and was released from prison after one year.

Then, in 2023  with Schweizer the lone suspect still behind bars  new DNA evidence proved his innocence and he was exonerated.

Now, one year on, the Hawaii Police Department announced investigators had identified a new potential suspect thanks to DNA from a bed sheet.

Back in 1991, DNA was taken from a swab of Irelands body, from a sheet used to transport Ireland to hospital, and a t-shirt found at the crime scene.

When these items were analyzed in 1991, there was no match in any DNA database, and the DNA was stored and labeled as Unknown Male #1.

As decades passed and technology advanced, investigators were able to narrow down the DNA to some potential suspects.

Dana Ireland was kidnapped, raped and murdered in 1991 ( Hawaii Police Department )

One of the names on the list was 57-year-old Albert Lauro Jr, who lived in the Kapoho area at the time of Irelands murder.

In early July, police collected a utensil Lauro threw away, analyzed it and found it matched Unknown Male #1.

While the statute of limitations had expired for rape, it had not for murder.

Yet, police did not arrest Lauro, saying in a press conference on Monday that there was not enough probable cause.

And so police contacted Lauro on July 19 and took a buccal swab from him, before letting him go.

Days later, Lauro was found dead by suicide.

Police Chief Ben Moszkowicz said at a press conference on Monday that the buccal swab ultimately confirmed that the DNA collected at the scene of Irelands murder matched Lauro.

Alberto Lauro Jr, 57, died by suicide this month ( Hawaii Police Department )

We felt then and continue to feel that the presence of Lauros DNA at the crime scene was in and of itself not sufficient evidence to prove that Lauro intentionally or knowingly caused her death, Moszkowicz said on Monday.

Moszkowicz defended polices decision not to arrest Lauro on July 19, saying that his arrest could be challenged as inadmissible if they did not have probable cause.

However, attorneys of the Hawaii Innocence Project  which helped exonerate Schweitzer  have called for a federal investigation into why police didnt arrest Lauro, The Associated Press reported.

Chief Moszkowicz said that while this is a considerable development, the cold case is not yet closed with investigators now looking to access Lauros cellphone and speak to his family and friends from 1991.

We remain focused on Dana Ireland, a young woman who was brutally murdered. There is still a lot about this case that we do not know, and our investigation into this case continues to push forward. Our search for the truth is not over, Moszkowicz said.

If you are experiencing feelings of distress, or are struggling to cope, you can speak to the Samaritans, in confidence, on 116 123 (UK and ROI), email jo@samaritans.org, or visit the Samaritans website to find details of your nearest branch. If you are based in the USA, and you or someone you know needs mental health assistance right now, call or text 988, or visit 988lifeline.org to access online chat from the 988 Suicide and Crisis Lifeline. This is a free, confidential crisis hotline that is available to everyone 24 hours a day, seven days a week. If you are in another country, you can go to www.befrienders.org to find a helpline near you.
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Pride flags flown from two Massachusetts churches were stolen and replaced with anti-LGBTQIA+ rhetoric and a Christian flag over the weekend.

First Congregational Church and Christ Lutheran Church in Natick were targeted, according to authorities.

Members of the congregations arrived at church on Sunday to find trans Pride, gay Pride and mental health awareness flags discarded under bushes, according to WCVB.

Reverend Cindy Worthington-Berry of First Congregational Church described the incident as a kick in the gut. She told the outlet the church has been a welcoming congregation for the last 20 years.

Something similar happened at Christ Lutheran Church, except the bandits there left behind anti-LGBTQIA+ letters.

Its startling, Reverend Christephor Gilbert said. They hung the flag here and then on the corner of the church they hung another banner that said, Jesus is king.

The Pride, transgender Pride and mental health awareness flags outside the First Congregational Church in Natick, Massachusetts. The churchs reverend said someone took down the flags on July 28 ( WCVB )

Authorities are working to track down surveillance footage showing the thieves in action. An investigation is ongoing and no arrests have been made.

The reverends say they want the individuals responsible to be held responsible.

Our hope is that should folks who did this come to light, that we as the Natick community would find their way to bring about some sort of restorative justice, Gilbert said.

Worthington-Berry agreed. God sees all people as beloved, and God is affirming of people no matter who they love or who they are and that stands within the Christian traditions.
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Scott Peterson, a man convicted of killing his wife and unborn child in California has given his first media interview in more than two decades.

Peterson, 51, was sentenced to life in prison without parole in 2004 for the infamous murder of his pregnant wife Laci Peterson, just before Christmas in 2002.

But earlier this year, his case was taken on by the Los Angeles Innocence Project, whose lawyers claim that new evidence undermines his conviction.

Now Peterson will appear in a new true crime documentary airing on Peacock next month, Face to Face with Scott Peterson, billed as "an exclusive series of intimate conversations".

"While many still believe the jury got it right, Scotts family and experts close to the case have spent over 20 years committed to uncovering inconsistencies in the evidence, as well as finding new information around alternative theories surrounding Lacis murder," said the producers of the series on Monday.

Scott Peterson, left, during a pretrial hearing in Modesto, California, July 2003 ( Al Golub-Pool/Getty Images )

Laci Peterson was 27 years old when she was reported missing on December 24, 2002. She was also eight months pregnant with her and Scott Petersons son, who was going to be called Conner.

Scott Peterson told police that he had gone fishing in Berkely, California, about 90 miles away from the couple's Modesto home, only to find her absent when he returned that afternoon.

The case became a media sensation, but a massive search in the Modesto area turned up nothing. Then, in April 2003, Laci Peterson's body and that of her baby were found washed up separately on the shore of the San Francisco Bay.

Californians absorb the news of Scott Petersons conviction in Redwood City, November 2004 ( David Paul Morris/Getty Images )

By that time, police detectives had long since grown suspicious of Peterson's story, and a few days later he was arrested in San Diego with his hair dyed and his car loaded up with survival and camping supplies, as well as four cell phones and two driver's licenses.

Peterson, however, maintains that he was wrongly convicted. The Innocence Project says it has evidence that his wife may instead have been killed by burglars whose crimes she had witnessed, and is pushing for a retest of certain DNA evidence.

Face to Face with Scott Peterson will air on Peacock on August 20.
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A little more than three weeks after a white deputy sheriff in Illinois fatally shot Sonya Massey , a mentally ill, unarmed, 36-year-old Black woman, the countys top cop put into words what many in the community have been thinking.

We failed, Sangamon County Sheriff Jack Campbell said at a Monday night listening session organized by the Department of Justice . We did not do our jobs. We failed Sonya. We failed Sonyas family and friends.

The gathering, which drew more than 500 people to the Union Baptist Church in Springfield, Illinois, where Massey lived, was run by the DOJs Community Relations Service , a unit that describes itself as Americas Peacemaker for communities facing conflict based on actual or perceived race, color, national origin, gender, gender identity, sexual orientation, religion, or disability.

Campbell apologized on behalf of his agency, telling the attendees, I am sorry. She called for help, and we failed her. Thats all she did. Thats all. She was calling for help.

Former Dep. Sean Grayson, who was fired and charged with first-degree murder , aggravated battery with a firearm, and official misconduct in the aftermath of the senseless shooting.

We will never know why he did what he did, Campbell said.

Massey called police because she thought she heard an intruder. Minutes later, she lay dying on her kitchen floor. ( Illinois State Police )

Massey called 911 shortly before 1 a.m. on July 6, and requested police check out banging sounds she thought might be a prowler outside. A half-hour later, following a chaotic interaction with Grayson over a pot of water he told her to take off the stove, the deputy opened fire on Massey . Grayson at first tried to dissuade his partner from rendering aid to the mortally wounded mother of two; she was pronounced dead a short time later at a nearby hospital.

The deadly encounter was captured on Graysons partners body camera; Graysons bodycam was not activated until after the shooting, authorities said.

During his two minutes of allotted speaking time on Monday, Campbell asked for forgiveness from those gathered, and specifically from Masseys mother, saying, I offer up no excuses.

He rejected calls for him to step down as Sangamon sheriff, a refrain that has recently gained traction among local residents, according to The State Journal-Register .

I will not abandon the sheriffs office at this most critical moment, Campbell insisted. That would solve nothing.

Massey was shot just below the left eye, with the round exiting through the back of her neck in a downward trajectory, according to the Sangamon County Coroners Office ( Sangamon County Coroner )

In addition to Campbell, the two-hour community healing and listening session included members of the U.S. Attorneys Office for the Central District of Illinois, the Sangamon County States Attorneys Office, the Springfield Mayors Office, various Springfield City Council members and local civil rights leaders.

Grayson, 30, was hired by the Sangamon County Sheriffs Office in May 2023, lasting just over a year before being arrested and bounced off the force. He was given a gun and a badge despite having worked for six different law enforcement agencies in the past four years, two DUI convictions and getting booted from the U.S. Army for what his discharge papers termed serious misconduct.

Audio recordings obtained by ABC News from Graysons 11-month stint at the Logan County, Illinois, sheriffs office appear to reveal sloppy police work along with a discipline problem.

We had this conversation, one of Graysons supervisors can be heard saying to him. I told you in that meeting  review all your reports, make sure theyre right.

Former Deputy Sean Grayson is now facing murder charges in connection to the shooting. ( Sangamon County Sheriff's Office )

Another tells Grayson, The sheriff and I will not tolerate lying or deception. I have zero tolerance for stretching the law. Because when you have officers that stretch the law, they will get caught, they will get prosecuted, and they will handcuff the rest of law enforcement.

Grayson also received a complaint from a female arrestee, who said he tried to watch her being strip-searched, according to the ABC News report. Still, it says, Grayson left the department in good standing, and was hired by the Sangamon Sheriffs Office a few days later.

As Grayson remains detained without bail , the Illinois Fraternal Order of Police has petitioned for him to be reinstated for being terminated without just cause.

Grayson has pleaded not guilty.
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Gunmen on jet skis killed a 12-year-old boy after opening fire at a rival drug dealer on a beach in the resort town of Cancun, Mexican authorities have said.

It comes as Mexicos president took the unusual step on Monday of issuing a public appeal to drug cartels not to fight each other following last weeks detention of top Mexican drug lord Ismael El Mayo Zambada and Joaquin Guzman Lopez.

Prosecutors said in a statement late on Sunday that the boy suffered gunshot wounds and was taken to a hospital where he later died. The boy was a local resident who apparently was lying on a lounge chair on the beach with his family when he was shot.

Authorities said the intended targets of the gunmen were rivals engaged in a dispute over drug sales. The boy was apparently hit by stray bullets.

Territorial disputes between drug dealers have cost the lives of several tourists in the resorts along Mexicos Caribbean coast in recent years.

In 2022, two Canadians were killed in Playa del Carmen, south of Cancun, apparently because of debts between international drug and weapons trafficking gangs.

In 2021, further south in Tulum, two tourists  one a California travel blogger born in India and a German national  were killed when they apparently were caught in the crossfire of a gunfight between rival drug dealers.

Tourists are pictured on the beach in Cancun ( AFP via Getty Images )

President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador said at his daily press briefing on Monday that he trusted that drug traffickers knew they would only suffer if they stepped up the internal wars that already plague the Sinaloa cartel.

Those who are engaged in these illegal activities know they resolve nothing with confrontations, Lopez Obrador said, adding they would go out and risk the lives of other human beings, and why make families suffer?

I trust that there will be no confrontations, he said, despite the fact the army announced over the weekend that it had sent an additional 200 elite soldiers from a paratrooper unit to the state of Sinaloa just in case.

There were no immediate reports of increased violence over the weekend. But the Sinaloa cartel has been driven for years by fighting between followers of Zambada, and rivals who follow the sons of imprisoned drug lord Joaquin El Chapo Guzman, the father of Guzman Lopez. There are other sons still at large.

Both Zambada and Guzmans son played leading roles in the Sinaloa cartel, and both were detained last Thursday when they arrived in Texas aboard a private airplane.

Lopez Obrador has a record of publicly appealing to drug gangs for peace, sometimes even praising them.

In 2021, Lopez Obrador praised the largely peaceful voting in elections that year and sent a message of recognition to the drug cartels that fuel much of the countrys violence.

People who belong to organized crime behaved very well, in general, there were few acts of violence by these groups, the president said at the time. I think the white-collar criminals acted worse.

This combo of images provided by the U.S. Department of State show Ismael El Mayo Zambada, a historic leader of Mexicos Sinaloa cartel, left, and Joaquin Guzman Lopez, a son of another infamous cartel leader, after they were arrested by U.S. authorities in Texas, the U.S. Justice Department said Thursday, July 25, 2024

The detention of Zambada and Guzman Lopez has proved a major embarrassment for the president, Mexican officials were forced to admit they knew nothing about the operation until it was all over.

Zambada had eluded authorities for decades and had never set foot in prison until a plane carrying him and Guzman Lopez landed at an airport in Santa Teresa, New Mexico, near El Paso, Texas, on Thursday.

Both men, who face various U.S. drug charges, were arrested and remain jailed.

Zambadas lawyer pushed back Sunday against claims that his client was tricked into flying into the country, saying he was forcibly kidnapped by Guzman Lopez. If that were true, it could stoke accusations of betrayal, and additional fighting, between the factions.

Lopez Obrador said there were indications that U.S. authorities had been negotiating with Guzman Lopez to turn himself for some time, possibly for months or years before the drug lord apparently decided to do so.

But the Mexican president said nothing was known about how Zambada ended up on the flight, and that Mexican prosecutors were investigating to see if he was kidnapped.

President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador speaks during a flag ceremony at the National Palace in Mexico City ( Copyright 2024 The Associated Press. All rights reserved )

Frank Perez, Zambadas attorney, said his client did not end up at the New Mexico airport of his own free will.My client neither surrendered nor negotiated any terms with the U.S. government, Perez said in a statement.

Joaquin Guzman Lopez forcibly kidnapped my client. He was ambushed, thrown to the ground, and handcuffed by six men in military uniforms and Joaquin. His legs were tied, and a black bag was placed over his head.

Perez went on to say that Zambada, 76, was thrown in the back of a pickup truck, forced onto a plane and tied to the seat by Guzman Lopez.

Known as an astute operator skilled at corrupting officials, Zambada has a reputation for being able to negotiate with everyone, including rivals. He is charged in a number of U.S. cases, including in New York and California.

Prosecutors brought a new indictment against him in New York in February, describing him as the principal leader of the criminal enterprise responsible for importing enormous quantities of narcotics into the United States.
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President Nicolas Maduro and his opposition rival Edmundo Gonzalez have both claimed victory in Venezuelas presidential election as the United States and others cast doubt on the official results.

The national electoral authority said Mr Maduro had won a third term with 51 per cent of the vote  a result that would extend a quarter-century of socialist rule.

But independent exit polls pointed to a big opposition win following enthusiastic shows of support for Mr Gonzalez and opposition leader Maria Corina Machado on the campaign trail.

Mr Gonzalez won 70 per cent, said Ms Machado, who has been barred from holding public office.

Mr Gonzalez told supporters that the rules had been violated on polling day.

Our message of reconciliation and peaceful change still stands ... our struggle continues and we wont rest until the will of the people of Venezuela is respected, he said.

It was not immediately clear exactly what the oppositions next move might be. Mr Gonzalez said he was not calling for supporters to take to the streets or commit any acts of violence.

US secretary of state Antony Blinken said Washington had serious concerns that the results announced by the electoral authority did not reflect the votes of the people. The authority is meant to be an independent body, but the opposition says it acts as an arm of Mr Maduros government.

Authorities delayed releasing the results from each of the 30,000 polling booths nationwide, promising only to do so in the coming hours and thereby hampering attempts to verify the results.

The delay in announcing a winner ignited debate within the government about how to proceed, after Mr Maduros opponents came out early in the evening all but claiming victory.

After finally claiming to have won, Mr Maduro accused unidentified foreign enemies of trying to hack the voting system.

This is not the first time that they have tried to violate the peace of the republic, he said to a few hundred supporters at the presidential palace.

He provided no evidence to back his claim, but promised justice for those who try to stir up violence in Venezuela.

Mr Maduro, a 61-year-old former bus driver and foreign minister, took office following the death of Hugo Chavez in 2013, and his 2018 re-election is not recognised by the United States and others, who call him a dictator.

Mr Maduro has presided over an economic collapse, the migration of about a third of the population, and a sharp deterioration in diplomatic relations, crowned by sanctions imposed by the United States, the European Union and others that have crippled an already struggling oil industry.

Argentine president Javier Milei called the official election result a fraud, while Costa Rica and Peru rejected it and Chile said it would not accept any result that was not verifiable.

Spanish foreign minister Jose Manuel Albares said details from all polling stations should be presented in order to guarantee fully verifiable results. We ask that the calm and civility with which the election day took place be maintained, he said.

Russia, Cuba, Honduras and Bolivia cheered Mr Maduros victory.

Remember that you are always a welcome guest on Russian soil, Russian president Vladimir Putin said.

Edison Research, which conducts high-profile election polling in the United States and other countries, published an exit poll showing that Mr Gonzalez, a 74-year-old former diplomat, had won 65 per cent of the vote while Mr Maduro had won 31 per cent.

The official results are silly, said Edisons executive vice-president Rob Farbman.

Local firm Meganalisis predicted a 65 per cent vote for Mr Gonzalez and just under 14 per cent for Mr Maduro.

Reuters and Associated Press contributed to this report
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A tropical wave is forming a few hundred miles from the Caribbean, and forecasts say it has the United States in its sights.

The disturbance will interact with another, approaching tropical wave this week, and determine whether the wave strikes Florida and the Carolinas, swerves south toward the Gulf of Mexico, or recurves into the Atlantic Ocean, according to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration .

The wave, which is moving west at about 18 mph, is currently predicted to cross into much of the Caribbean including Puerto Rico, Hispaniola, and Cuba.

Weather analysts give a 60 percent chance that the disturbance strengthens into a tropical hurricane over the next week. Its direction may change over the next few days as it gets held down by high winds and dry air.

The National Hurricane Center is predicting a 60 percent chance of a tropical storm heading towards the Southeastern US in 7 days. ( The National Hurricane Center )

If it strengthens to a hurricane, it will be named Debby, becoming the fourth named storm in the Atlantic this year.

Toward the end of this week, the wave will move into an area with fairly low shear and ample moisture, and that could allow some organization and strengthening, AccuWeathers lead hurricane expert Alex DaSilva said.

Earlier this month, Hurricane Beryl pummeled Eastern Texas, killing 36 people and leaving 2.7 million without power, with the city of Houston severely impacted. Beryl was the earliest Category 5 hurricane in the Atlantic Ocean on record.

Fishermen push a boat damaged by Hurricane Beryl at the Bridgetown fisheries in Barbados on July 2, 2024 ( Copyright 2024 The Associated Press. All rights reserved )

Weather experts are predicting greater numbers of hurricanes this year as the effects of the climate crisis intensify around the world. Water temperatures have continued to break records this year, which scientists believe can cause hurricanes to more rapidly intensify into major storms.

The fear is that as we enter the heart of the tropical seasonfrom late August to early Octoberthe sea-surface temperature may continue to eclipse last years record-breaking season. The warmer the oceans are, the more favorable the environment will be for tropical development and rapid intensification, DaSilva said.
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A 9/11 terrorist has asked a judge to send him back home to France to avoid the prospect of having Donald Trump order his execution if he is re-elected as president.

Zacarias Moussaoui, who is being held at the Supermax prison ADX Florence in Colorado, wrote to Judge Leonie Brinkema in Virginia that your honor might concur that there is a possibility of, not a probability, that if the ex-U.S. President Donald Trump was to be reelected, he will sentence me to death by presidential executive order.

A copy of Moussaouis letter, dated May 13 and filed in court two weeks later, was first published on the site Legal Insurrection.

Moussaoui is the only person to be convicted in a US court for his role in the 9/11 conspiracy. In his handwritten letter, Moussaoui argued that he previously agreed to collaborate with US authorities against Al Qaeda operatives such as Khalid Sheikh Mohammed.

During his trial in 2006, he spouted insults, including saying: Youll never get my blood: God curse you all, after he avoided the death penalty, the New York Post reported. He claimed in court that he was supposed to hijack a fifth plane and crash it into the White House before backtracking on that statement.

Zacarias Moussaoui, who was sentenced to life in prison for his role in the 9/11 attacks, has requested a transfer to France ( Sherburne County, Minn., Sheriff's Office via AP )

Following news of Moussaouis letter to the judge, a dozen senators have written to President Joe Biden and Attorney General Merrick Garland, arguing that the terrorists request should be ignored.

Florida senators Marco Rubio and Rick Scott were joined by fellow Republicans, North Carolinas Thom Tillis, Idahos Mike Crapo and Jim Risch, Marsha Blackburn of Tennessee, Shelley Moore Capito of West Virginia, Mike Braun of Indiana, Bill Cassidy of Louisiana, Ted Cruz of Texas, John Hoeven of North Dakota, and Pete Ricketts of Nebraska.

No consideration whatsoever should be given to this convicted terrorists preferences for where to serve his sentence for his heinous crimes, and we demand that you swiftly deny his transfer request and force him to spend the remainder of his pathetic life imprisoned in the country he and his fellow terrorists attacked 23 years ago, the joint letter, dated July 26, stated.

Nothing can bring back the innocent lives lost on that terrible day, but the tens of thousands of surviving family members of the victims should be able to expect that our government will keep Moussaoui confined in an American prison for the entirety of his life sentence without the possibility of release or transfer. This should not be a difficult decision to make.

Moussaoui was arrested in August 2001 before the 9/11 attacks when his attempts to take flight training classes drew suspicion. In December 2001, he was charged with being a member of Al-Qaeda and part of the conspiracy leading to the attacks that killed 2,977 Americans.

He pled guilty to the charges against him. His 2006 trial was conducted to determine if he would receive the death penalty or life in prison.

During the jury trial, prosecutors had to determine if his role in the conspiracy led to the deaths of victims of the attacks, which would have made him eligible for the death penalty.

Moussaoui was deemed eligible but one juror voted for life in prison, keeping him off death row.

The terrorist wrote in his letter that he was warned by an attorney and a professor that US law permit the US President to sentence to death any federal prisonneer [sic] deem to be a threat to National security.

Moussaoui explained that he was referred to as a national security threat during court proceedings, meaning that Trump could use that to order his execution.

There is the real prospect that the Ex President is reelected and thereforeI want to apply to this Court and the US government to be transfer to France to finish my sentence, he wrote.

I could be transfer to France to serve the rest of my life sentence and before the potential inauguration of Ex President TrumpMay your Honor and your Court enter an order as soon as your Court find it appropriate and grant me myrequest.

A Department of Justice spokesperson told The Independent that it doesnt comment on prisoner transfer requests, but added that Moussaoui is serving a life sentence following conviction for terrorism offenses and that the department plans to enforce this life sentence in US custody.
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Chicago courts and police are preparing for potential mass arrests outside the Democratic National Convention in a city where violent images of officers beating demonstrators at the turbulent 1968 event have loomed ahead of this years conference.

Court officials have announced that a defunct courtroom at a Chicago police station will temporarily reopen to process and release dozens of people, if necessary.

Chicago police  which paid out millions of taxpayer dollars to defend and settle lawsuits related to misconduct during 2020 protests  also vowed to respect demonstrators civil rights and have prepared for unrest with live drills featuring actors playing screaming protesters.

But civil rights groups and the citys police watchdog have raised serious concerns about mass arrest policies and law enforcements capacity to responsibly handle potentially thousands of people marching in the streets and near the United Center, where the convention will be held.

Dozens of groups are planning to protest Democratic support for Israels war in Gaza during the convention.

Chicago Police Superintendent Larry Snelling speaks during a Democratic National Convention security briefing on July 25 in Chicago. The city has created a new court to handle the expected mass arrests during the Democratic National Convention ( Getty Images )

Police should be looking to de-escalate engagements with protestors, and must not use interactions as a pretext for mass arrests, violence, or retaliation, Edwin C. Yohnka, director of communications and public policy at the ACLU of Illinois, said last week in response to plans for a security perimeter at the event.

Simply engaging in First Amendment activity, including peaceful activity that may cause inconvenience to others, is never a reason for arrest. Arrests should not be a tool for suppressing free expression, he added.

The convention will return to the Windy City the week of August 19, when Vice President Kamala Harris is expected to be formally designated the partys nominee to face Donald Trump in the 2024 election.

Threats of political violence and ongoing demonstrations targeting US support for Israels war in Gaza have hovered over this years elections. Secret Service personnel are also expected to face heavy scrutiny after the attempted assassination of Trump during a rally in Pennsylvania on July 13. Law enforcement failures prompted officials to call for the resignation of the agencys director Kimberly Cheatle, who stepped down last week.

Cook County judges have worked to clear their civil and criminal court calendars, and Chicago jurors wont be summoned that week for one of the busiest courthouses in Illinois.

A courtroom at the Area 3 police station at Belmont and Western avenues on the citys Northwest Side will be reopened to handle coordinated multiple arrests  situations in which an officer hands off a person who is being detained to another officer so the initial officer can stay on the scene. It will open from 8am to midnight to help quickly process defendants.

From there, they will be released from the station with a citation or held for a hearing before a judge. The station can hold about 90 people at once, according to officials.

The states Pretrial Fairness Act mandates a presumption of release, and the charges that are most likely to be handed to protesters are not eligible for pretrial detention. Most people who are arrested during a mass event, if any, are likely to be released that same day.

The media attends a Democratic National Convention walk through at the United Center in Chicago on January 18. The event returns to the Windy City on August 19. ( AP )

At least 57 judges have been trained on the Pretrial Fairness Act and will hear cases at the facility, if necessary, according to a court spokesperson.

We want to make sure the police are able to focus on providing security and that the rights of arrested individuals are scrupulously respected, Cook County Chief Judge Evans said last week.

Police Superintendent Larry Snelling insisted that the citys police has learned from past mistakes and is preparing for the best while bracing for the worst.

We will respond to protect peoples rights. We will respond to protect the city, he said earlier this month. And we just want to make sure that we keep it as peaceful as we possibly can.

A coalition of civil rights and community groups have warned that an early draft of a mass arrest policy eviscerates protections for protesters. After it was redrafted, the group continued to voice serious concerns, according to federal court filings.

The group argued that the policy does not distinguish between First Amendment-protected activities and illegal actions like looting, or between unlawful but nonviolent civil disobedience and unlawful actions that could result in physical harm to people or property.
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Acting Secret Service Director Ronald Rowe said that he cannot defend why that roof was not better secured at a campaign rally where a gunman opened fire at Donald Trump from 500 feet away.

Rowe testified before the Senate Judiciary Committee and Senate Homeland Security & Governmental Affairs Committee on Tuesday that he had visited the rally site in Butler, Pennsylvania, something his predecessor had not done.

I laid in a prone position to evaluate his line of sight. What I saw made me ashamed. As a career law enforcement officer, and a 25-year veteran with the Secret Service, I cannot defend why that roof was not better secured, Rowe said in his opening statement.

The shooting was a failure on multiple levels, he added.

Rowe is testifying days after he was tapped to serve in the top Secret Service role. His predecessor, Kimberly Cheatle, tendered her resignation one day after she testified on July 22 before the House Oversight Committee, prompting lawmakers on both sides of the aisle to call for her to step down.

Acting Director of the Secret Service, Ronald Rowe (left) and Deputy Director of the FBI Paul Abbate appear for a Senate Judiciary Committee hearing on the attempted assassination of Donald Trump ( REUTERS )

Rowe acknowledged the ongoing investigations into the shooting. I pledge my full support to those inquiriesso that the American people have a full understanding of what happened, leading up to and during the events of the July 13, he said.

This is a failure of the Secret Service.

That roof shouldve had better coverage and we will get to the bottom of whether there were any policy violations, Rowe later said. I could not, I will not, and I cannot understand why there was not better coverage or at least somebody looking at that roof line.

Rowe also laid some blame on local law enforcement, saying officers had the better perspective on the roof. Im not saying they should have neutralized him, but if they had held their post and looked left, then maybe the gunman could have been stopped, he said.

At one point, a heated exchange erupted between Texas Republican Senator Ted Cruz and Rowe.

Cruz brought up a Washington Post report which claimed that repeatedly requests made by Trump for additional security resources were rebuffed by the agency. Rowe said that claim was not true.

Rowe stood firm against aggressive questioning from lawmakers on both sides of the aisle ( REUTERS )

I believe that the Secret Service leadership made a political decision to deny these requests, Cruz suggested. I think the Biden administration has been suffused with partisan politics. Cruz then asked whether the same person denied both Trumps requests and Robert F Kennedy Jrs requests.

Secret Service agents are not political, Rowe replied. Cruz started cutting in when Rowe interjected: I will get to your answer Senator if you allow me to.

Cruz then pressed about the size of President Joe Bidens detail compared to that of a former president.

Senator, there is a difference between the sitting president of the United States, Rowe began saying.

Whats the difference? 2x, 3x, 5x, 10x? Cruz interrupted.

The difference? National command authority to launch a nuclear strike, sir, there are other assets that travel with the president that the former president will not get but the number of Secret Service agents  Rowe said, speaking loudly over Cruz who was shouting at him, claiming he was refusing to answer the question.

Rowe said all of the Trump campaign requests for assets for the Butler rally were approved.

Minnesota Democratic Senator Amy Klobuchar asked Rowe to explain what went wrong to dispel conspiracy theories around the shooting.

This was a failure of imagination. The failure to imagine that we actually do live in a dangerous world where people actually do want to do harm to our protecteesWe didnt challenge our own assumptions. We assumed that someone was going to cover that, Rowe testified.

Secret Service agents swarm Donald Trump after he was struck by a bullet at the rally in Butler, Pennsylvania rally on July 13 ( AP )

Rowe became the acting director after Cheatle stepped down last week. Lawmakers called for her resignation after she called the tragedy the most significant operational failure in decades in her testimony to the House.

On July 13, Thomas Matthew Crooks, 20, opened fire from a nearby rooftop into the rally venue, killing one, striking Trump, and injuring two others. A Secret Service agent killed Crooks at the scene.

Cheatle had previously acknowledged that the Secret Service was informed of a suspicious person two to five times before the shooting  and that the roof where Crooks fired his AR-15-style rifle was considered a security vulnerability.

We did not have anything beyond suspicious person that was communicated to us, Rowe testified. There were other calls that day of individuals who came to the attention of law enforcementHad we known that there was an individual out there, we would never let a protectee go out on stage.

Suspicion had not risen to the level of threat or imminent harm, Rowe later said. Without additional information at that point, were not rising to the level yet where perhaps we are pulling [Trump] off [the stage] or delaying him.

On Tuesday, Utah Republican Senator Mike Lee asked Rowe why Trump was allowed to take the stage 17 minutes after multiple reports of a suspicious person.

There was never a communication that there was an individual with a gun, a threat, or any other bad intentions, Rowe said.

FBI Deputy Director Paul Abbate also testified. He said no motive has been identified for the assassination attempt.

California Democratic Senator Laphonza Butler asked how Crooks was able to get a rifle on the rooftop.

We dont have definitive evidence, Abbate said, adding that he likely had it in the backpack. He said part of the rifle would have stuck out of the bag, since it would not have fully fit inside the backpack, yet no video footage or eye witness noted seeing anything popping out of it.

Its possible that he broke the rifle down and put it in the backpack, Abbate suggested. But, he said, no evidence has concluded that is what happened.

If this happened in the military, a lot of people would be fired, said South Carolina Republican Senator Lindsay Graham, ranking member of the Senate Judiciary Committee. Somebodys gotta be fired. Nothings going to change until somebody loses their job.

Florida Republican Senator Rick Scott labeled the Secret Service as a black hole that is losing the trust of the American people and suggested the agency give regular updates to the press about the matter.

Connecticut Democratic Senator Richard Blumenthal also asked for more transparency, asking Rowe to commit to producing documents in a more timely manner.

Rowe committed to making Secret Service agents available to speak to the panel within the next few days.

Trump has confirmed that he would be participating in an interview with the FBI about the assassination attempt.
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Republican vice presidential candidate JD Vance plans to visit the US-Mexico border this week as part of Donald Trumps 2024 campaign.

The visit will likely provide a backdrop for Vance to attack presumptive Democratic presidential candidate Kamala Harris on border security and immigration.

Vance's multi-day tour of the southern border will begin on Thursday in Cochise County, Arizona, according to the Trump campaign.

President Donald J. Trump and Vice Presidential Nominee, Senator JD Vance are devastated to see the path of death and destruction American families are facing because of the radical-Left policies of the current administration, the campaign said in a press release. A Trump-Vance Administration will secure our border, begin the largest deportation operation in American history, and restore law and order to our country.

Since Vice President Harris announced her run for the presidency following Joe Biden's decision to step away from the race, Trump's campaign has focused their attacks against her on immigration and border issues.

Republican vice presidential nominee JD Vance speaks during a campaign rally on July 22, 2024 in Middletown, Ohio. Vance will tour the US-Mexico border beginning on Thursday ( Getty Images )

On Tuesday, the campaign released its first attack ad against Harris, which focused on her border security role in the Biden administration. The ad comes a week after House Republicans approved a resolution meant to condemn Harris's actions in that role, according to The Hill.

Harris's campaign responded by pointing out that it was Trump who lobbied against a bipartisan, congressional border security bill earlier this year.

Republicans  including and especially Trump  have described Harris as Biden's "border czar," but she never held any such title. She was tasked with duties concerning the border  like leading diplomatic efforts to cut down on poverty, violence, and corruption in Central American countries including Guatemala, Honduras, and El Salvador, as well as in Mexico, according to former special representative for border affairs Alan Bersin, who spoke to Reuters.

Regardless, Trump doubled down on the framing during a rally in North Carolina last week.

"If border czar Harris stays in charge, every week will bring a never-ending stream of illegal alien rapists, bloodthirsty killers and child predators to go after our sons and our daughters," he claimed.

US Vice President Kamala Harris tours the El Paso Border Patrol Station, on 25 June, 2021 in El Paso, Texas. Senator JD Vance, Donald Trumps vice presidential pick, is touring the border beginning on August 1 and is expected to attack Harriss immigration record ( AFP via Getty Images )

Despite Trump and the Republican's insistence otherwise, Harris was never tasked with the explicit job of securing the southern border. Still, her campaign has insisted she is the only candidate who will look for "real solutions" to border security issues.

"There's only one candidate in this race who will fight for real solutions to help secure our nation's border, and that's Vice President Harris," Kevin Munoz, Harris's campaign spokesperson, told Reuters.

Vance recently admitted that Republicans are struggling to drum up attacks against Harris because she has less baggage than Biden.

He made the remarks during a donor fundraiser in Golden Valley, Minnesota on Saturday, and a recording, obtained by The Washington Post, revealed his unfiltered thoughts about Harriss entry into the campaign.

All of us were hit with a little bit of a political sucker punch, Vance said. The bad news is that Kamala Harris does not have the same baggage as Joe Biden, because whatever we might say, Kamala Harris is a lot younger. And Kamala Harris is obviously not struggling in the same ways that Joe Biden did.
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JD Vance once admitted that there were definitely some people who voted for Donald Trump who were racist and had voted for the former president for racist reasons in 2016.

Vance said in a newly resurfaced interview that race was a constant fact of American life but it had not been a driving factor behind Trumps victory.

The clip is the latest in a spate of controversies surrounding Vance, which have led some within the GOP to question Trumps choice of running mate.

In the interview, Vance was asked about the role of race in Trumps ascendency to the White House. Race definitely played a role in the 2016 election, I think that race will always play a role in our country, its sort of a constant fact of American life, he said.

And definitely some people who voted for Trump were racists and they voted for him for racist reasons [but] I always resist the idea that the real thing driving most Trump voters was racial anxiety or racial animus, partially because I didnt see it.

The Republican vice presidential nominee said in a newly resurfaced interview that race was a constant fact of American life ( Getty Images )

Vance went on to say that Trumps victory over Hillary Clinton was due to his campaigning on jobs and the economy.

Its very easy for somebody like me to watch the sources of news that I watch and only see the really offensive stuff that Trump did replayed over and over again, he said, adding that a Trump rally it was five percent him being really outrageous and offensive and 95 percent remarks about bringing down unemployment.

Vance also said that in the run-up to the 2016 election, campaigning was hyper-racialized but said the discourse was not driven by people in the Rust Belt.

This was a racialized discourse unlike any weve had in a really long time but I dont blame Trumps voters for that, he said.

Its telling that the alt-right is driven primarily by very well-educated, relatively smart, relatively stable people  its not driven by people in the Rust Belt that go on 4Chan and talk about Michelle Obama in these really nasty ways.

The Independent has reached out to representatives for Vance for comment on the remarks.

A spate of recent controversies surrounding Vance have led some within the GOP to question Trumps choice of running mate ( AP )

Prior to being selected by Trump to join him on the Republican ticket, Vance was called out for his attacks on the former president himself  reportedly once referring to Trump as Americas Hitler.

More recently, before being sworn into the U Senate in 2021, Vance branded Kamala Harris and other Democrats as a bunch of childless cat ladies who are miserable at their own lives in an interview with Tucker Carlson on Fox News.

The comments have resurfaced in recent weeks and prompted fierce backlash, with a string of political and public figures, including Hollywood star Jennifer Aniston, blasting his misogyny.

Vance tried to explain away the remarks on SiriusXMsThe Megyn Kelly Show on Friday, where he insisted his comments were not about criticizing people who for various reasons didnt have kids, before accusing Democrats of being anti-family.

This is about criticizing the Democratic Party for becoming anti-family and anti-children, he claimed.
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President Joe Biden is calling for sweeping changes to the Supreme Court to restore trust and accountability amid a series of ethics scandals and unpopular rulings  but its unlikely those reforms will see the light of day.

On Monday, the president officially endorsed three major changes to the Supreme Court: enacting a new system in which a president appoints a justice every two years to serve for 18 years, implementing a binding code of ethics and adding a constitutional amendment to strip presidents of criminal immunity.

It arrives as the court is experiencing record-low approval ratings.

What is happening now is not normal, and it undermines the publics confidence in the courts decisions, including those impacting personal freedoms, Biden wrote in an op-ed for The Washington Post.

But the presidents bold proposal is likely to face an uphill battle  one that hasnt been summited since 1869.

President Joe Biden unveiled his hopes for Supreme Court refrom in an op-ed for the Washington Post that includes term limits for justices. Its could be the biggest court change in 150 years. ( Getty Images )

There is nothing in the Constitution that indicates the Supreme Court must have a certain number of justices or hold office for life. Instead, the Constitution says justices, shall hold their offices during good behavior,

Only Congress has the power to change the structure of the court, including how many justices serve and for how long, by passing legislation. To do so requires congressional approval in both chambers, which is unlikely given Republicans control the House.

The last major change to the Supreme Court was more than 150 years ago, when Congress passed an act formally adopting nine seats. Since then, multiple lawmakers, including former president Franklin Delano Roosevelt, have tried but failed to reform the court. In recent years, Democrats have pushed to add seats after conservative justices became the majority.

But those efforts havent gone anywhere. Now, it appears Biden is calling for even stronger reforms.

Members of the Supreme Court sit for a group portrait at the Supreme Court building in Washington, Oct. 7, 2022. Currently, nine justices sit on the court and the last time it was expanded was more than 150 years ago. ( AP )

Biden is proposing a new structure in which a president appoints a justice every two years to serve an 18-year-long term. He said this would make nominations more predictable and less arbitrary while also preventing a single president from influencing the court.

Under the current structure, justices are appointed when a vacancy opens up. Often, that means, a justice must die or resign for a new justice to be appointed, making it a game of chance.

Donald Trump got lucky during his term and appointed three judges who joined the conservative majority of the court. That swung the courts majority to the conservatives when it had been more balanced in previous years.

More than half of Americans support term limits for the court, according to polling from UMass Amherst.

The other proposed law would create a binding code of ethics that would require justices to disclose gifts, refrain from public political activity and recuse themselves from cases in which they have a conflict of interest.

The court currently has a code of ethics, but there is no legal mechanism to enforce it.

The Supreme Court is seen during a protest. More than half of Americans support term limits for the Supreme Court ( AP )

Bidens suggestion arrives after a myriad of ethical scandals that began after ProPublica revealed Justice Clarence Thomas has accepted thousands of dollars worth of luxury vacations, private travel and tuition for his great-nephew from Republican megadonor Harlan Crow for more than two decades and never disclosed it.

A closer inspection of the nine justices finances uncovered the ways justices benefited from their positions but did not disclose it. Justice Sotomayor earned millions from book sales, in part thanks to her staff encouraging schools that she spoke at over the years to purchase them. Justice Samuel Alito took a luxury vacation with a Republican donor who had a business interest in a case before the court but did not disclose it.

The revelations have led to deep public mistrust in the court.

A lone protester holds a sign calling on Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas to resign. Reports have detailed how Thomas got millions in gifts during his time on the bench. ( EPA )

Dick Durbin, chairman of the Senate Judiciary Committee, has already tried to fast-track a bill to improve transparency but Republicans have kept it tied up at the committee stage.

Democrat Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez introduced articles of impeachment in the House against Thomas and Alito for refusing to recuse themselves from cases with potential conflicts of interest. In a Republican-controlled House, it is unlikely the move will receive the majority vote.

Where Biden may face the most difficulty is passing a constitutional amendment  or a formal change to the Constitution.

The president pitched an amendment titled No One Is Above the Law, that would state the Constitution does not grant the president immunity from federal criminal indictment, trial, conviction or sentencing. It was inspired by the Supreme Courts recent ruling in Trump v. United States where the court determined presidents have immunity from criminal prosecution when the alleged crime falls within the scope of official acts.

It is an ambitious pitch that will likely never come to fruition.

Amendments to the Constitution require a two-thirds vote of both the Senate and the House. It then needs to be ratified  or approved  by three-quarters of the states.

That means any of Bidens proposed reforms that require constitutional changes are likely pipe dreams that will never become a reality.
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Kamala Harris spent only two years in the Senate before she launched her ill-fated run for president in 2019. That meant little time for forging strong relationships on Capitol Hill that many vice presidents enjoy.

But she did come to Washington at the same time as an old friend, Catherine Cortez Masto. And Cortez Masto, who inherited arguably one of the most efficient Democratic machines in the country, might just be Harriss ace up her sleeve if she is to win the crucial swing state of Nevada and shore up support among Latino voters.

Harris and Cortez Masto actually knew each other long before they came to Washington, going back to the 2008 financial crisis that disproportionately slammed their states because of the subprime mortgage crisis and foreclosures. Harris and Cortez Masto  along with Delawares attorney general, Beau Biden  ultimately sued the big banks and wound up winning a $20 billion settlement.

In general, I think shes strong, smart and capable, Cortez Masto told The Independent, when asked about Harris.

Cortez Masto replaced one of the most consequential Senate majority leaders, the late Harry Reid.

We had her going for lieutenant governor, run for Congress, to run for governor, but she didn't want that, Reid told me in an interview in 2021 before his death that year. She wanted to be a Senator.

When Reid retired, he essentially anointed her. His sprawling political operation  called the Reid Machine by both admirers and detractors alike  then delivered Nevada for Hillary Clinton, elected Cortez Masto and flipped the state legislature.

Harris and Cortez Masto also proved to be trailblazers: Harris became only the second Black woman and first Indian-American female Senator, while Cortez Masto remains the only Latina Senator elected in history.

The two proved to be one of the few bright spots for Democrats when Donald Trump won the White House. The two joined Senators Tammy Duckworth of Illinois and Maggie Hassan of New Hampshire as part of a freshman class of female Senators.

We campaigned together, everything  it was the four of us, Duckworth told The Independent.

In 2020, Cortez Masto had the unenviable task of being Democratic Senatorial Committee Chairman with Biden at the top of the ticket. Though races like Iowa, Maine and North Carolina failed to go the Democrats way, they ultimately flipped the Senate thanks to victories in Colorado and Arizona as well as the runoff elections in Georgia.

But the Covid-19 pandemic slammed Nevada and its important gaming industry. Trumps significant inroads and Bidens lagging with Latino voters made Democrats sweat a state theyve held since Obama won it by double digits.

In 2022, the states incumbent Democratic governor, Steve Sisolak, lost his race to Joe Lombardo, a Trump-backed candidate. But Cortez Mastos heavy focus on defending abortion rights helped her pull off a miracle re-election campaign many thought she would lose.

In recent months, Bidens poor performance made Democrats begin to fret Nevada. But polling has shown that Harris has stemmed the bleeding among Latino voters that was happening under Biden.

Cortez Masto said that Harris, a Californian, would not take Hispanic voters for granted. Harris understands that youve got to be there, talk with them constantly and be involved in the issues that matter to them and she knows what those issues are, she told The Independent.

Trump is making a major play for Nevada. On Tuesday, his running mate JD Vance paid a campaigning visit to Henderson, a sign that the former president sees the state as flippable.

Cortez Masto, for her part, says she has campaigned with Harris in the past and would do so in the future. Despite the efforts of Trump and Vance, the combined strengths of these two powerful women might be what the party needs to hold the state.
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After losing Arizonas gubernatorial race in 2022, Kari Lake  the former news anchor turned MAGA loyalist  set her sights on the Senate. On Monday, just a day before the state's primaries, her campaign and supporters received a call from Donald Trump.

Trump called to encourage listeners to back Lake, but also to recite his litany of grievances. He told listeners that Joe Bidens decision to drop out of the 2024 race was a "coup" by Democrats, the Arizona Republic reports. He mdae his call as Arizonans head to the poll today for their primary election.

The former president also complained about the media, pressed his "drill, baby drill" energy message, and voiced his intent to end taxes on tipped earnings.

Trump told listeners on the call that Lake was "as good as you can get."

Senate candidate Kari Lake walks in front of signs supporting Republican presidential nominee and former U.S. President Donald Trump and Republican vice presidential nominee JD Vance on Day 2 of the Republican National Convention. Trump called Lakes campaign and supporters to endorse her the day before the states primary elections ( REUTERS )

Shes fantastic. She will not let us down, Trump said. Kari Lake, I just think shes going to be as good as you can get. Theres nobody going to be better.

Lake will face off against Pinal County Sheriff Mark Lamb and neuroscientist Elizabeth Jean Reye in Tuesday's Republican primary. The winner will face congressman Ruben Gallego, who is running unopposed in his primary. The race will fill the seat left open by retiring Senator Krysten Sinema.

Lake is considered to be the favorite for the GOP primary, according to the Arizona Republic. She has already secured Trump's endorsement and has the support of the National Republican Senatorial Committee, as well as most of the Republican senators who would serve as her colleagues if she wins.

Groups backing Lake have already spent approximately $140,000 to boost her primary chances ( EPA )

Groups backing Lake have already spent approximately $140,000 to boost her primary chances. Democrats have spent $800,000 fighting against her.

During the call  which lasted approximately 15 minutes  Trump insisted that Lake was the best candidate for securing the US' southern border with Mexico.

Shes fearless when it comes to being a champion for the common-sense, America-first policies. Kari will vote to seal the border, he said. Were going to seal that border. It will stop them immediately, and that will stop, in turn, the invasion, the largest invasion in the history of probably any country. Theres never been anything like it.

He painted Gallego as an "open-border zealot" and an "ultra-left winger, radical Democrat."

Trump insisted that Gallego is a "guy that's not respected" in Arizona, despite the fact that Gallego is a former Marine and has consistently won elections in the state since 2009. He has been re-elected to Congress three times.

Current polling shows Gallego leading Lake by mid-single digits.
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North Carolina Governor Roy Cooper has taken himself out of contention as Kamala Harris running mate.

Cooper had been considered a potential running mate given his long friendship with Harris going back to their days as attorneys general of North Carolina and California, respectively.

I strongly support Vice President Harriss campaign for president, he said in a statement on X. I know she is going to win and it was an honor to be considered for this role. This just wasnt the right time for North Carolina and for me to be running on the national ticket.

A widely popular governor in North Carolina, some saw him as having the potential to flip a swing state Democrats have not won in 16 years. Cooper served as attorney general for 16 years before he beat an incumbent Republican governor in 2016 despite Donald Trump carrying the Tar Heel state.

As governor, Cooper expanded Medicaid under Obamacare but also vetoed a 12-week abortion ban that the state legislature ultimately overrode.

Democrats have made a play for North Carolina in 2024, and President Joe Bidens first event after his disastrous debate performance in Atlanta took place in Raleigh.

But North Carolina remains a longshot given the power of the state Republican Party. Former president Donald Trump selected the states GOP chairman Michael Whatley to lead the Republican National Committee alongisde his daughter-in-law Lara Trump.

N.C. Governor Roy Cooper claps as he speaks at a news conference, Thursday, July 25, 2024, in Raleigh, N.C. Cooper had been considered a potential running mate for Harris ( AP )

Coopers decision to exit Harris vice president selection process comes ahead of him headlining a fundraiser entitled White Dudes for Harris on Monday night. He will attend the event with Harriss other potential running mates, Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg and Minnesota Governor Tim Walz.

Harris largely cleared the field after President Joe Biden announced earlier this month that he would not seek re-election.

Over the weekend, Harris also campaigned with Pennsylvania Governor Josh Shapiro. She is also reportedly considering Arizona Senator Mark Kelly as a way to shore up her support in the western state.
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Russia and Iran are likely looking to influence the presidential election, a US intelligence official said in a media call on Monday.

The intelligence community believes that Russia will support former president Donald Trump against Vice-President Kamala Harris and that Iran will continue its efforts to target Trump, according to NBC News.

While China doesnt appear to have a preference, they may attempt to affect races on the congressional level, the official said.

The call was organized by the Foreign Malign Influence Center, which takes on foreign propaganda efforts.

In an alert sent out on Monday, the Office of the Director of National Intelligence (ODNI) said: Of note for this cycle, we have observed foreign influence actors refining their tactics to better hide their hand.

Foreign actors are hiring public relations firms, including marketing companies, to use their expertise in communications and technology to carry out their objectives, the notice said. These firms also face fewer bureaucratic limitations compared to governments.

Russia is using influence-for-hire firms to attempt to change US public opinion, including operations connected to the election. The firms have directly and discreetly engaged Americans using their influence platforms, the notice added. It has also used improved tools to create specific content for American audiences while shielding the Russian efforts from public view.

Foreign actors continue to rely on witting and unwitting Americans to seed, promote, and add credibility to narratives that serve the foreign actors interests, the notice stated. The foreign entities are looking to use these Americans to spread their messages via their own channels. For instance, Russian influence actors have made efforts this election cycle to build and use networks of US and Western personalities to create and share narratives friendly to the Kremlin.

Vice-President Kamala Harris (left) and Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump (right) ( AP )

Russia, Iran, and China are all seeking to conduct these influence campaigns to undermine US democracy and Washingtons standing in the world, the notice said.

Russia is still the top threat to US elections, the agency said. The Kremlin is using a wide range of actors and tactics to better hide its hand, increase its reach, and create content that better engages American audiences as it seeks to affect presidential and congressional electoral outcomes, damage confidence in US elections, and worsen divisions.

The ODNI said that China is probably not planning on trying to affect the outcome of the presidential election but that it may target congressional candidates who threaten their interests. They did so in the 2022 midterms, targeting members of both parties.

The agency notes that the intelligence community is aware that Chinese influence actors are using social media to sow divisions in the United States and portray democracies as chaotic.

Meanwhile, Iran is looking to fuel distrust in American institutions and worsen social discord. The country is working to affect the outcome of the presidential election, ODNI said, probably because Iranian leaders want to avoid an outcome they perceive would increase tensions with the United States.

Tehran relies on vast webs of online personas and propaganda mills to spread disinformation and have notably been active in exacerbating tensions over the Israel-Gaza conflict, the ODNI said in the Monday alert.

At a briefing in Beijing on Tuesday, a spokesperson for the Chinese foreign ministry said, China has never interfered, nor will it interfere, in US elections, according to NBC News.

A spokesperson for the Iranian mission to the United Nations in New York told The Wall Street Journal in a statement that Iran does not engage in any objectives or activities intended to influence the US election.

The spokesperson added that the allegations are psychological operations designed to artificially pep up election campaigns.

The ODNI previously found that Russian president Vladimir Putin greenlit a propaganda effort aimed at backing Trump and denigrating Biden and the Democrats in 2020. The report from that year also found that Iran made efforts to target Trumps candidacy, a campaign authorized by its supreme leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, but it didnt back Biden or other competitors.

The Trump administration authorized a drone strike in 2020 that killed Iranian military leader Qasem Soleimani.

The agency hasnt named any specific candidates running in the current election in its statements, but in a call earlier this month, when Biden was the presumptive nominee, officials said Russia was still the top threat and that its candidate preferences remained the same as in the last election cycle. Officials also said on Monday that both Irans and Russias preferences had not changed.

The official on the call said Russias top issue is ending US aid to Ukraine.

Russias core interest in this election is opposing candidates who want to offer further aid to Kyiv, and we expect Russias focus will remain on that, the official said, according to NBC News.

Harris has met with Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelensky on a number of occasions as vice-president and, according to the State Department, the Biden administration has given Ukraine roughly $53.7bn in military aid. Meanwhile, Trump hasnt committed to continuing sending aid to Ukraine, and his running mate JD Vance has repeatedly criticized the practice of sending military aid to allies.
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Former President Donald Trump is absolutely interested in scrapping Air Force Ones historic blue and white color palette if he is re-elected.

A former senior Trump White House official told Politico. that Trump was 100 percent planning to make the change if he beats Kamala Harris in November.

Trump reportedly wants to change the famed planes colors to red, white and dark blue, resembling his current private Boeing 757.

The Air Force is working with Boeing on two planes to replace existing aircraft, which are due to be delivered in 2026 and 2027. The new planes will have a light blue and white design, which has been a constant since President John F Kennedys administration.

If elected, however, Trump will still have time to switch the colors of the planes, which he ordered during his time in office. Boeing signed a $3.9bn contract in 2018 to replace the 747-8s planes with 747-200B, a model that has been flying since the 1990s.

Former President Donald Trumps private plane with red, white and blue colors. Trump is apparently hoping to change the colors of Air Force One to model his aircraft ( AP )

Dave Calhoun, Boeings CEO, told investors that company executives should never have agreed to the governments terms for the Air Force One deal. According to Politico, the company had agreed to a fixed-price contract, meaning that all changes made to the airplane would come out of Boeings pocket.

The project is currently $2bn over budget, part of which is due to problems stemming from when a subcontractor who was hired to furnish the cabin interior went bankrupt and caused the company to switch supplies.

Plus, Boeing has dealt with challenges including labor shortages and a lack of employees with clearances to work on the planes.

Air Force One carrying President Donald Trump arrives at a campaign rally 28 October 2020. Trump is apparently considering changing the colors of Air Force One to resemble his private planes red, white and blue ( Copyright 2020 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. )

The Independent has contacted Trumps campaign for comment.

In office, Trump bragged about getting the cost of the project down from $4.2bn. He bragged about the planes design to foreign dignitaries and showed off a model of his inspired aircraft in the Oval Office.

The model was on the coffee table in the Oval Office and he pointed it out many times to foreign and domestic visitors, the aide said. He thought it represented America more and represented strength, the red, white and blue.

The colors, particularly the dark blue, would lead to expensive design fixes and logistic issues, the outlet reported.

Boeing has found that the dark blue paint on the bottom of the plane would create excessive temperatures, causing the company to modify the plane to cool some of its components, which Boeing would need to pay out of pocket to fix.

If Trump is reelected, changing the color scheme at this point would cost millions in cost overruns and added delays.

In a statement to Politico on Trumps intentions for Air Force One, Trumps campaign spokesperson Steven Cheung said it Sounds like Joe Biden hates the Red, White and Blue.

The spokesperson did not directly answer a question about whether Trump would change the colors.
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Donald Trumps campaign spent more than $1.7m on TV ads after Kamala Harris dominated headlines as the presumptive Democratic nominee.

Trumps campaign purchased the ads, which will air over the next two weeks, on Monday, The Washington Post reports. The ads are expected to run in the swing states of Arizona, Pennsylvania, Wisconsin, Nevada, Georgia and Michigan. The move comes after Harris dominated headlines and polls in the weeks after President Joe Biden dropped out of the 2024 race and endorsed her as the next Democratic candidate.

Harris campaign is also planning to purchase a swath of ads later this week, a source told the Post.

The first polls released after Biden left the race showed Harris has won over Democrats, and is neck and neck with Trump, The Independent reported last week. The average of four polls show Harris at 43.5 percent and Trump at 44.8 percent.

Meanwhile, a poll from the Wall Street Journal released Monday shows Harris trailing Trump within the margin of error. In comparison, Biden was trailing Trump by nearly double digits a month ago.

Donald Trump pictured speaking at a Minnesota rally on Saturday. His campaign bought more than $1.7m in television ads after Harris has dominated polls and headlines in recent weeks ( Getty Images )

Harris is also ahead of Trump by 19 percentage points among Hispanic voters, a New York Times/Siena College poll revealed last week. The same poll revealed similar results to the Journal: Harris and Trump are tied, each at 42 percent among registered voters. Among likely voters, however, Harris is leading Trump by one percentage point.

Harris campaign to label vice presidential candidate JD Vance as weird and creepy also appears to be working, an ABC News poll revealed on Monday. The Ohio senators negative poll numbers are rising, the survey showed, jumping eight percentage points in the last week.

Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer, a Democrat, called JD Vance an incredibly bad choice as Trumps running mate and alluded to a deadline for the former president to pick a new candidate.

Donald Trump, I know him, and hes probably sitting and watching the TV, and every day it comes out Vance has done something more extreme, more weird, more erratic, Schumer said Sunday on weekend news show, Face the Nation.

Schumer went on to argue that the ballot access deadline in Vances home state of Ohio, August 7, is fast approaching  though the Ohio secretary of state says it has been extended to September 1.

Pennsylvania Governor Josh Shapiro (left) pictured with Vice President Kamala Harris (right). Shapiro is one of the top contenders for Harris running mate ( REUTERS )

Meanwhile, Harris is tasked with finding her own running mate.

Several lawmakers are in the running, including Arizona Senator Mark Kelly and Minnesota Governor Tim Walz.

Pennsylvania Governor Josh Shapiro, who hosted a recent campaign event for the vice president alongside Michigan Governor Gretchen Whitmer, is also a top contender.
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Donald Trump has come to JD Vances defense over his sexist comments, claiming that women understand his running mates controversial views.

Before he was sworn into the Senate in 2021, Vance branded then-new vice president Kamala Harris and other Democrats as a bunch of childless cat ladies who are miserable at their own lives in an interview with Tucker Carlson on Fox News.

The former Marines comments have since resurfaced after he was chosen as Trumps vice presidential pick earlier this month  days before Harris launched her own presidential campaign when President Joe Biden stepped down from the race.

Vances remarks have prompted fierce backlash, with a swathe of political and public figures including Hollywood star Jennifer Aniston blasting his misogyny. Republican insiders have also said that some party members regret him being picked to join Trump on the ticket.

But, in an interview with Fox News on Monday, Trump stood by his running mate and insisted he has tremendous support, particularly among people that like families.

He grew up in a very interesting family situation, and he feels family is good, he told host Laura Ingraham.

And I dont think theres anything wrong in saying that.

Donald Trump has stepped in to defend JD Vance over his sexist comments ( AP )

Trump continued: I know so many people that never met the right person, male or female, they just never met the right person. Theyre unbelievable, every bit as good as anybody else who has the most beautiful family.

Ingraham asked the former president what he thinks women who havent had children might think of the matter.

I think they understand it, Trump responded.

Trump went on to try to blame Democrats for spinning the narrative around his running mates offensive comments.

The Democrats are good at spinning things differently from what they are, he claimed.

"I think they understand it" -- Trump to Laura Ingraham on what he says to women who have concerns about JD Vance pic.twitter.com/pu29aTfrn3  Aaron Rupar (@atrupar) July 29, 2024

All he said is he likes family. I think a lot of people like family. And sometimes it doesnt work out  you dont meet the right person or you dont meet any person, but youre just as good, in many cases a lot better than a person in a family situation. But they took it and they spun it differently.

Over the last week, Vance has tried to explain away his remarks.

Speaking on SiriusXMsThe Megyn Kelly Show on Friday, he insisted his comments were not about criticizing people who for various reasons didnt have kids, before accusing Democrats of being anti-family.

This is about criticizing the Democratic Party for becoming anti-family and anti-children, he claimed.

Harris, who was at the center of Vances attack, has two stepchildren with her husband Doug Emhoff  from his previous marriage to Kerstin Emhoff.

Kerstin has been among those slamming Vance and defending Harris.

For over 10 years since Cole and Ella were teenagers, Kamala has been a co-parent with Doug and I, Kerstin Emhoff told CNN. I love our blended family and am grateful to have her in it.
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Donald Trump touted himself as an open-minded individual before ripping into the Paris Olympics opening ceremony for being a disgrace, following the conservative criticism of an artistic sketch performance at the event.

Sitting down with Fox Newsfollowing the 2024 Olympics opening ceremony in Paris on Friday, Trump delivered his own thoughts and opinions on a scene that many had interpreted as being a play on Leonardo Da Vincis famous The Last Supper painting.

"Im very open-minded, but I thought what they did was a disgrace," Trump told Fox News.

"We wont be having a Last Supper as portrayed the way they portrayed it the other night," he added, referring to the anticipated 2028 Olympics to be held in Los Angeles.

"I mean, they can do certain things. I thought it was terrible," Trump said. "Look, Im for everybody. Im very open-minded... but I thought what they did was a disgrace."

While Christian groups and conservative pundits raised their dismay with the sketch, Paris 2024 artistic director Thomas Jolly said the scene had not been inspired by The Last Supper, and was instead depicting a pagan feast linked to the gods of Olympus in order to celebrate diversity and pay tribute to feasting and French gastronomy.

Conservative figures have criticized a performance at the Paris Olympics after it was interpreted as a parody of The Last Supper ( BBC )

The former president is the latest conservative figures to lash out at the performance, with his son Donald Trump Jr reposting a picture of the performance and stating, Theyre not even pretending anymore.

Speaker of the House Mike Johnson also posted on X that the sketch was a mockery and was shocking and insulting to Christian people around the world who watched the opening ceremony of the Olympic Games.

Italys deputy prime minister Matteo Salvini branded the scene insulting and sleazy, adding: Opening the Olympics by insulting billions of Christians across the world was a really bad start.

Others, such as Elon Musk, called it extremely disrespectful to Christians, while Piers Morgan also posted that it was a drag queen mockery and was an appalling decision.

The sketch included drag performers from Drag Race France, including the shows host, Nicky Doll, who defended the production on her Instagram Stories.

It was my absolute honor to perform in front of billions of people around the world, and celebrate our Olympians, Doll wrote on Sunday, them reported. And remember, to the ones that had their feathers ruffled seeing queerness on their screen: WE AINT GOING NOWHERE.

Paris Olympics officials have apologized to those who took offense at the performance.

We imagined a ceremony to show our values and our principles so we gave a very committed message, Paris 2024 president Tony Estanguet said. The idea was to really trigger a reflection. We wanted to have a message as strong as possible.

Naturally, we had to take into account the international community. Having said that  it is a French ceremony for the French Games  so we trusted our artistic director. We have freedom of expression in France and we wanted to protect it.

Paris 2024 spokesperson Anne Descamps told a press conference: Clearly there was never an intention to show disrespect to any religious group. (The opening ceremony) tried to celebrate community tolerance.

We believe this ambition was achieved. If people have taken any offense, we are really sorry.

Jolly also added that the idea of the performance was to spotlight inclusion and diversity.

In France, we have artistic freedom. We are lucky in France to live in a free country.
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Watch as senior Secret Service and FBI personnel testify before a Senate panel on Tuesday, 30 July, on the attempted assassination of Donald Trump.

Acting director of the Secret Service, Ronald L Rowe Jr, and Deputy Director of the FBI, Paul Abbate, will answer questions from the Senate Judiciary Committee.

Thomas Crooks, 20, was named by the FBI as the shooter who got close enough to a July 13 campaign rally in Butler, Pennsylvania, to wound the former president and 2024 Republican candidate.

The resident of Bethel Park, Pennsylvania, opened fire with a semi-automatic AR-15 rifle while Mr Trump was speaking on stage in the rural town.

A Secret Service sniper shot dead the gunman at the scene.

One rally attendee was killed and another wounded, and Mr Trump was shot in the ear.

It comes after FBI director Christopher Wray faced questions from Congress over the shooting.

Former Secret Service director Kimberly Cheatle previously testified at a hearing into security lapses at the rally.

She resigned last week after bipartisan demands to quit for the agency's failure to prevent the attempted assassination.
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A Florida man has been accused of urging that Donald Trumps would-be assassin deserves a congressional Medal of Honor despite lamenting that he wasnt a better shot in a series of disturbing Facebook threats.

Michael Wiseman, 68, from Jupiter, Florida, was arrested by officers from local police on July 19 following a string of social media threats just days after the attempt on Trumps life.

Trump took the stand at a rally in Butler, Pennsylvania, on July 13 when Thomas Crooks fired eight rounds towards the former president striking him in the ear and ausing blood to gush down his face.

Michael Wiseman was arrested after allegedly posting a string of sickening Facebook posts about Donald Trump, JD Vance and their daughters ( Palm Beach County Jail )

His life was spared by an unintended action: turning his head the exact right time and in just the right amount, the Republican presidential nominee said two days after the shooting.

He credited either luck or divine intervention for sparing him.

Wiseman, however, did not appear to share the same gratitude over Trumps near-miss.

Donald Trump is seen with blood on his face surrounded by secret service agents as he is taken off the stage at a campaign event in Butler ( AFP via Getty )

Some people need to be better shots if they know they are going to kill a monster, one of his messages read, an affidavit first obtained by Law&Crime suggests.

A joint investigation was launched into Wiseman between the Secret Service, Palm Beach County State Attorneys Office and Jupiter Police Department after authorities received multiple online crime tips, according to court documents.

Wiseman was interviewed and arrested on July 19 and placed into county jail at just past 6.40pm that evening. The state has until August 29 to file additional charges, with the defendant facing up to 40 years in prison.

He was arraigned the following morning and pleaded not guilty to one count of written or electronic threats to kill or inflict bodily harm.

Two days prior to his arrest, Wiseman also attacked Ohio senator JD Vance, who became Trumps running mate on July 17. In one particularly sickening post, he suggested sexual violence against both of their daughters.

I am advocating Trump and Vances daughters get raped and THEN tell me they wont fly their kids out of the USA for an abortion, he wrote.

Wiseman also allegedly wrote abuse on other social media sites to share his disdain towards Trump.

The shooter missed, he allegedly wrote on X. He cant be the only patriot. C***sucker, mother and daughter f***er Trump.

He also took to X rival, Threads, according to the affidavit, and wrote: Why is Trump allowed to be alive? We need to train patriots.

Thomas Matthew Crooks deserves a posthumous Congressional Medal of Honor, a stamp, and a national holiday.
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The X account for White Dudes for Harris was briefly suspended on Monday as the group held an online fundraising rally for Kamala Harris  sparking outrage and prompting the organizer to accuse Elon Musk of getting scared.

A group of almost 200,000 Democrats, including Hollywood stars and potential running mates, met on a Zoom call on Monday evening to voice their support for Harris White House run.

The star-studded online rally raked in more than $3.5m in donations, adding to the $200m haul that Harris campaign raised in the first week of her run for the Oval Office.

But, the organizers soon learned that the X account, titled @dudes4harris, had been suspended.

Ross Morales Rocketto, an entrepreneur who runs a progressive political recruitment company and one of the organizers of the rally, posted from his personal account that Elon Musk must have got scared.

Got @elonmusk scared, Rocketto wrote on his personal X account along with a screenshot showing the accounts suspension.

A backup account called @dudesforharris was quickly formed as a replacement while social media users voiced outrage at the group being silenced.

Musk, who has previously described himself as a free speech absolutist, publicly endorsed Donald Trump this month and has since posted a doctored video of Harris on X  an apparent violation of his own platforms rules.

The replacement White Dudes for Harris account quickly racked up 20,000 followers before the original account appeared to be unsuspended.

The reason for the account being blocked is currently unclear and Musk is yet to publicly comment.

The Independent has reached out to both X and White Dudes for Harris for comment.

In the 2020 election, Musk supported President Joe Bidens campaign before switching allegiance to Trump this year, announcing he did fully endorse him after the shooting earlier this month.

The increasingly conservative tech mogul continues to be a staunch critic of both Harris and the Democrats more broadly.

White Dudes for Harris was created in the wake of the vice president kicking off her run for the White House earlier this month, noting that caucasian men play a prominent role in shaping the political landscape.

In 2020, Trump garnered a 17-point margin among white male voters over Biden, securing 57 per cent of the vote to the Democrats 40 per cent, according to data from Pew Research Center.

Almost 200,000 people tuned in to the Zoom call on Monday evening in support for Kamala Harris presidential bid ( AP )

The White Dudes for Harris website reads that it vows to cut through the MAGA crap of Trumps conservative support base.

White men have a role to play to elect VP Harris, and we cant sit on the sidelines anymore, Rocketto said on LinkedIn over the weekend.

The Zoom call featured elected officials including North Carolina Governor Roy Cooper  who has bowed out of the running as Harris potential running mate  former House majority leader Steny Hoyer and potential vice president pick Pete Buttigieg was also on the call.

Cooper, along with others on the call, pushed back against conservatives accusations that Harris was a DEI [diversity ethnicity and inclusion] hire, saying: We know better than that, guys.

Hollywood stars Mark Ruffalo, Josh Gad, Sean Astin, Mark Hamill, and Jeff Bridges  who played The Dude in Coen brothers 1998 hit, The Big Lebowski  also joined the call.

Im white, Im a dude and Im for Harris, Bridges said on the call.

Star Trek Director JJ Abrams reportedly personally chipped in $50,000 to the campaign.
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Hundreds of firefighters backed up by helicopters and water-carrying planes battled a huge wildfire on Greeces second-biggest island for a second day on Tuesday as authorities ordered the evacuation of two villages.

The fire broke out near the village of Petries in the centre of the island of Evia at about 3 pm on Monday and strong winds fuelled its spread.

Evia was struck by massive wildfires in 2021 and also suffered extensive damage last summer. Mondays fire followed successive heat waves across southern Europe in recent weeks.

While the situation had slightly improved on Tuesday, flare ups remain a risk due to the windy conditions, a fire service spokesperson said.

Thirteen aircraft and six helicopters were at the scene on Tuesday about 60 km (37 miles) northeast of the capital, Athens. A coastguard vessel was on standby overnight for possible evacuations by sea.

It was - and is - a difficult fire as it started in a difficult spot, Climate Crisis and Civil Protection Minister Vassilis Kikilias, who travelled to Evia late on Monday, was quoted as saying by state broadcaster ERT.

A firefighter and locals rush to a burning house in an attempt to extinguish forest fires that are approaching the village of Pefki on Evia (Euboea) island, Greece's second largest island, on August 8, 2021 ( AFP/Getty )

Wildfires in Greece have become more frequent in recent years during increasingly hot, dry summers that scientists link to climate change. Last year, more than 8,000 blazes broke out, fire brigade data shows.

Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis said Greece had been dealing with a very difficult summer in terms of climate conditions.

We still have a very difficult month, August, ahead of us and obviously we all need to be on high alert, he told ministers during a cabinet meeting.

Since May, hundreds of wildfires have burned across the country, which just recorded its hottest June on record and its longest heatwave. Blazes have been turbocharged by strong winds and drought in several parts of the country.

In 2021, a devastating wildfire raged for nearly a week in northern Evia, turning more than 115,000 acres (46,500 hectares) of land into ashes, destroying homes and killing animals.

The risk of fire in some areas of Greece was rated as very high (category 4) on Tuesday, according to a forecast map.

The areas at risk include are Attica (including the island of Kythera), Central Greece (Viotia, Evia, Fthiotida), the Peloponnese (Corinthia, Argolis and Lakonia), Thessaly (Larissa, Magnesia and the Sporades Islands), Central Macedonia (Thessaloniki and Kilkis), Crete, the Ionian Islands (Corfu) and the islands of the north Aegean (Lesvos, Chios, Samos and Ikaria).

Last week UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres called for countries to address the urgency of the extreme heat epidemic, fueled by climate change - days after the world registered its hottest day on record.

Extreme heat is the new abnormal, Guterres said. The world must rise to the challenge of rising temperatures, he said.

Climate change is making heatwaves more frequent, more intense and longer lasting across the world.

Already this year, scorching conditions have killed 1,300 hajj pilgrims, closed schools for some 80 million children in Africa and Asia, and led to a spike in hospitalizations and deaths in the Sahel.

Every month since June 2023 has now ranked as the planets warmest since records began in 1940, compared with the corresponding month in previous years, according the European Unions Copernicus Climate Change Service.
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Authorities in Greece ordered nationwide restrictions for goat and sheep on Monday to combat a deadly viral outbreak that is a fresh blow to the domestic livestock industry.

Costas Tsiaras, the minister of agriculture and rural development, announced the ban on the commercial slaughter of goats and sheep as well as movement for reproduction  expanding measures already in effect in parts of central Greece where the outbreak was first reported.

Also known as the goat plague, the PPR virus is a highly contagious disease affecting goats and sheep, causing severe illness and death. It has no adverse effect on human health, according to Greek officials.

So far, some 7,000 animals in herds where the disease has been identified have been culled in the hardest-hit central Thessaly region, with another 1,200 to be added early this week, regional governor Dimitris Kouretas said Monday.

Thessaly was also hit by a deadly storm last September that caused severe flooding and widespread damage to livestock farming.

Greece Fires ( Copyright 2021 The Associated Press. All rights reserved )

The World Organization for Animal Health (WOAH), an intergovernmental body based in Paris, describes PPR as characterized by severe morbidity and mortality rates with a high economic impact in parts of Africa, the Middle East, and Asia, where goats and sheep are an important source of food.

It adds: Peste des petits ruminants (PPR) is a viral disease, caused by a morbillivirus closely related to rinderpest virus, which affects goats, sheep, and some wild relatives of domesticated small ruminants, as well as camels. It was first reported in Ivory Coast in 1942.

It is characterised by severe morbidity and mortality rates, and has a high economic impact in areas of Africa, the Middle East, and Asia, where small ruminants contribute to guaranteeing livelihoods.

Affected animals present high fever and depression, along with eye and nose discharges. Animals cannot eat, as the mouth becomes covered in painful erosive lesions and the animals suffer from severe pneumonia and diarrhoea. Death is frequently the outcome.
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Russia has commenced major naval exercises involving most of its fleet, which is widely considered to be the third most powerful in the world after the United States and China.

The exercises  which involve Russian forces spread across thousands of miles  come a day after annual navy day celebrations were held in Russia, with president Vladimir Putin addressing a parade in the former imperial capital of St Petersburg.

In his speech to sailors on the 328th anniversary of the Russian navys founding, also attended by crews from China, Algeria and India, Mr Putin had threatened to deploy new missiles within striking distance of the West if Washington presses ahead with plans to deploy long-range missiles in Germany.

Vladimir Putin and defence minister Andrei Belousov attended the main naval parade in St Petersburg ( AP )

But the developments come as Russias navy has suffered a series of embarrasing setbacks in Crimea at the hands of Ukraines military, with Mr Putins prized Black Sea fleet notably absent from this weeks naval drills amid claims it has been forced to retreat from the illegally annexed peninsula.

Here The Independent takes a look at what Russias naval drills entail:

Where are the drills taking place?

The pre-planned exercises involve most of Russias fleet in the Arctic and Pacific oceans, as well as in the Baltic and Caspian seas, according to Moscows defence ministry.

Units and formations of the Russian Navy have begun conducting planned exercises in the operational zones of the Northern, Pacific and Baltic Fleets, as well as in the area of responsibility of the Caspian Flotilla, the ministry said.

The only Russian fleet not taking part is the Black Sea fleet, which has struggled to adapt to dynamic modern drone wafare and has suffered heavy losses since Mr Putins full-scale invasion of Ukraine.

Kyiv claimed earlier this month that the fleet had been forced to retreat from Crimea, after its commander was reportedly sacked in February, having himself replaced his predecessor only in August 2022 after Ukraine sank the flagship Moskva warship.

The Russian Caspian Sea flotilla was taking part in the naval drills, Russias defence ministry said ( Russian Defence Ministry/AFP via Getty Images )

Why are the exercises taking place?

Moscow frequently carries out military drills and parades, as an intended show of strength to both its own population and its adversaries  as it engages in full-scale war against Ukraine and shadowy attempts to undermine the Nato military alliance, which Moscow views as having long encroached on its own borders.

In the past two months alone, Russia has conducted joint military drills with China, in addition to a series of mobile nuclear missile launcher drills and tactical nuclear weapons deployment exercises. It has also increased military training with Belarus, conducting a series of comprehensive drills.

The drills are set to last for several days ( Russian Defence Ministry/AFP via Getty Image )

Russias defence ministry said the main purpose of the scheduled exercises this week  which are set to last for several days  is to check the actions of the military authorities of the navy at all levels.

The drills will also check the readiness of the crews of ships, units of naval aviation and coastal troops of the Russian navy to perform tasks, the ministry said.

How large are the drills and what will they involve?

The military exercises will include some 20,000 personnel, Russias defence ministry claimed.

Around 300 surface ships and boats, submarines and support vessels, some 50 aircraft and more than 200 units of military and special equipment will be involved in the combat training, the ministry said. Russia has a significant ballistic-missile nuclear submarine fleet.

The drills will include over 300 combat exercises with live fires, including practicing the use of anti-aircraft missiles, artillery, anti-submarine weapons and passive interference, it added.
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On Day 1 of the war, President Vladimir Putin said whoever tries to impede us, let alone create threats for our country and its people, must know that the Russian response will be immediate and lead to consequences you have never seen in history.

Since Russia invaded Ukraine in 2022, Putin and other Kremlin voices have frequently threatened the West with its nuclear arsenal.

Over nearly 2 1/2 years of fighting, the West has given Ukraine billions of dollars of advanced weapons, some of which have struck Russian soil. And while there have been more Kremlin threats  and even the deployment of battlefield nuclear weapons in Belarus, just over the border from Ukraine  so far it has remained only a blunt message.

What could trigger a Russian nuclear response?

Asked that in June by international news agencies, Putin pointed to Russia's so-called nuclear doctrine.

Look what is written there, he said at the St. Petersburg session. If somebodys actions threaten our sovereignty and territorial integrity, we consider it possible to use all means at our disposal.

Now Russian hawks are urging him to change the doctrine to lower the threshold for using nuclear weapons, and Putin says the document could be modified to take into account the evolving global situation.

In this image from video provided by the Russian Defense Ministry Press Service, a Tu-95 strategic bomber from the Russian air force prepares to take off from an air base in Engels near the Volga River in Russia, on January 24, 2022 ( Russian Defense Ministry Press Service )

What is Russias nuclear doctrine?

Formally known as the Basic Principles of State Policy on Nuclear Deterrence, it was signed by Putin in 2020 and outlines when Russia could dip into its atomic arsenal, the world's largest.

It describes nuclear weapons as a means of deterrence, noting that their use is an extreme and compelled measure. It declares that Russia takes all necessary efforts to reduce the nuclear threat and prevent aggravation of interstate relations that could trigger military conflicts, including nuclear ones.

The document states that nuclear deterrence is aimed to provide comprehension by a potential adversary of the inevitability of retaliation in the event of aggression against the Russian Federation and/or its allies.

What does it say will trigger using nuclear weapons?

Russia could use them, the doctrine says, in response to the use of nuclear and other types of weapons of mass destruction against it and/or its allies, as well as in the event of aggression against the Russian Federation with the use of conventional weapons when the very existence of the state is in jeopardy.

It says nuclear weapons could be used under the following specific situations:

 If reliable information is received about the launch of ballistic missiles targeting the territory of Russia or its allies.

 If nuclear weapons or other weapons of mass destruction are used against Russia or its allies.

 If an enemy attack with conventional weapons threatens Russias existence.

 If there are attacks on critically important Russian government or military facilities that could undermine the countrys retaliatory nuclear strike capability.

Has any attack so far come close to crossing this threshold?

As Russia attacked parts of northeastern Ukraine near the city of Kharkiv, Washington has allowed Kyiv to use longer-range U.S.-supplied weapons for strikes in Russian territory in the border region. But these attacks have been limited in scope and would not seem to pose an existential threat that would fall under the nuclear doctrine.

In this photo released by the Russian Defense Ministry Press Service, the Russian nuclear submarines Prince Vladimir, above, and Yekaterinburg are harbored at a naval base in Gazhiyevo, on the Kola Peninsula in Russia, on April 13, 2021 ( Russian Defense Ministry Press Service )

However, the hawks in Moscow have pointed to a series of Ukrainian attacks on Russian air bases that host long-range nuclear capable bombers earlier in the conflict, as well as recent raids on early warning radars.

They say these circumstances would seem to warrant the use of nuclear weapons as laid out in the doctrine.

Russian officials havent commented on the attacks on the more sensitive targets. The early warning radars are designed to spot the launch of U.S. missiles to allow Russia to launch its own nuclear-tipped missiles before they are destroyed.

James Acton, co-director of the nuclear policy program at the Carnegie Endowment, said in a recent commentary that Ukrainian attacks on the early warning radars could prompt the Kremlin to think Washington had encouraged such strikes to try to weaken Russias nuclear deterrent.

If Moscow believes that Washington could conduct a successful preemptive attack on its nuclear forces, its trigger finger could get very itchy, raising the risk that Russia might launch a large-scale nuclear attack based on a false or misinterpreted warning, Acton said.

What changes in the doctrine are under discussion?

The Kremlin's nuclear threats have been dialed down recently amid Moscows battlefield successes in Ukraine. However, there also have been calls in Russia for changing the nuclear doctrine, and Putin said it could be modified, depending on global events.

Hawks have called repeatedly for sharpening it, arguing the current document is too weak and vague. They say the doctrine hasn't deterred the West from increasing aid to Ukraine and gives the impression that Moscow wont ever resort to nuclear weapons.

Russian President Vladimir Putin conducts training with the forces and means of the ground, sea and air components of the nuclear deterrent forces in Moscow, Russia, October 25, 2023 ( Sputnik )

Foreign affairs expert Dmitri Trenin, of the Institute of World Economy and International Relations, a state-funded Moscow think tank, suggests revising it to declare that Russia could strike first with nuclear weapons when the core national interests are at stake, like in Ukraine.

The acute task in the third year of military confrontation is to prevent NATO's deeper engagement in it, Trenin wrote recently. If we don't do it, the inertia of persistent escalation by the West will lead to a direct clash between Russian and NATO militaries, which is fraught with a global nuclear war.

At the international forum in St. Petersburg, Sergei Karaganov, a foreign policy expert who advises the Kremlin, also urged Putin to amend the doctrine to lower the threshold for the use of nuclear weapons.

I hope it will be changed soon to give you the formal right to respond to any strikes on our territory with a nuclear strike, he told the Russian leader. I hope that such a provision will be added to our doctrine to help cool our adversaries.

Karaganov likened the West to Sodom and Gomorrah, the biblical cities destroyed by God with a rain of fire for their wickedness. Lets remember that rain and try to make humankind come to its senses, he said.

Putin responded cautiously, saying that he currently sees no threats that would warrant nuclear weapons use, but he also held the door open to revising the policy.

Soldiers stand next to a Russian RS-24 Yars ballistic missile parked along Tverskaya street ( Copyright 2024 The Associated Press. All rights reserved )

"This doctrine is a living instrument, we are carefully watching whats going on in the world around us, and we dont exclude making changes in the doctrine, he said.

The need to modify the document, he said, was driven by concerns about the West pondering the possible deployment of low-yield nuclear weapons. Putin didn't give specifics, but his comments could refer to U.S. discussions on deploying low-power submarine-launched nuclear missiles.

Proponents say such weapons are needed to counter Russian threats, while critics argue they could lower the threshold for the U.S. using nuclear weapons and increase the risk of war.

Nuclear devices of extremely low power are being developed, and we are aware of the ideas circulating in expert circles in the West that such strike assets could be used, and there is nothing particularly horrible about it, Putin said. We are obliged to take notice of that, and we are taking notice.
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Russia has launched massive naval drills after it was forced to pull back resources from the Black Sea thanks to repeated Ukrainian drone strikes.

The countrys navy began planned exercises involving most of its fleet in the Arctic and Pacific oceans as well as the Baltic and Caspian seas, the defence ministry said.

The Russian drills, which include 20,000 personnel and 300 ships, will test the readiness and capabilities of the navy at all levels.

It comes after repeated Ukrainian strikes forced Russia to withdraw its Black Sea Fleet warships from bases in occupied Crimea and all of its vessels out of the Sea of Azov, a body of water connected to the Black Sea.

The defence ministry said in a statement: Units and formations of the Russian navy have begun conducting planned exercises in the operational zones of the Northern, Pacific and Baltic fleets, as well as in the area of responsibility of the Caspian Flotilla.

The main purpose of the exercises is to check the actions of the military authorities of the navy at all levels, as well as the readiness of the crews of ships, units of naval aviation and coastal troops of the Russian navy to perform tasks.

Russian minesweeper Pyotr Ilyichev of the Pacific Fleet ( Russian Defence Ministry via Reuters )

The drills will include over 300 combat exercises including practising the use of anti-aircraft missiles, artillery, anti-submarine weapons and passive interference, it added.

The drills are set to last for several days ( Russian Defence Ministry/AFP via Getty )

About 300 surface ships and boats, submarines and support vessels, some 50 aircraft and more than 200 units of military and special equipment will be involved in the combat training, according to the ministry.

Since Vladimir Putin sent thousands of troops into Ukraine in February 2022, Russias Black Sea Fleet  the only Russian fleet formation not taking part in the drills  has struggled to adapt to dynamic modern drone warfare. The chief of the navy was replaced earlier this year.

The Russian Caspian Flotilla was taking part in the naval drills, Russias defence ministry said ( Russian Defence Ministry/AFP via Getty )

Russias defence ministry also said on Tuesday that its forces had taken control of the settlement of Pivdenne in the Donetsk region in eastern Ukraine.

Pivdenne, which Russia calls by its Soviet-era name of Leninske, adjoins Toretsk, a Ukrainian stronghold and coal mining town towards which Russia began pushing in June.

In 2022, Ukrainian authorities gave Pivdennes pre-war population as 1,404, and Toretsks as around 30,000. Kyiv did not immediately comment on Pivdennes status.

The towns are located close to the longtime frontline in place since 2014, when Russian-backed forces seized parts of the Donetsk region, including the city of Horlivka, 12km (7 miles) from Pivdenne.

Moscow said on Sunday that its forces had taken two villages, Prohres and Yevhenivka, on the approaches to Pokrovsk.
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Israel has conducted an airstrike on Beirut targeting a senior Hezbollah commander responsible for the murder of children in Saturdays rocket attack on the occupied Golan Heights.

The target of the strike was Fuad Shukr, also known as al-Hajj Mohsin, a senior advisor on military affairs to the Lebanese militant groups leader Hassan Nasrallah.

The Israeli military said Shukr was eliminated and described him as the most senior military commander in Hezbollah and the militia leaders right-hand man. Hezbollah sources initially claimed Shukr survived the attack, before issuing a statement saying he was in the house that was hit. It did not confirm whether or not he was killed.

Lebanons public health ministry said Tuesdays strike killed one woman and two children. More than 70 people sustained injuries in the blast and were rushed to the private Bahman Hospital and Hezbollahs Rasoul Aazam hospital.

Footage from the Lebanese capital showed the shells of several destroyed cars, as well as high-rise buildings gutted by the blast in the crowded southern suburb of Haret Hreik.

The Israeli military said the strike was part of a widely-anticipated reaction to the rocket attack on the occupied Golan Heights last Saturday that killed a dozen children and young people. Israel had blamed the attack on the Iran-backed armed group, though Hezbollah strongly denied involvement.

Later on Tuesday night, Hamas said its political leader Ismail Haniyeh was killed in an attack on his home in Tehran, alongside one bodyguard. Hamas blamed Israel for the killing, while Israel has yet to comment.

Hezbollah militants and Israel have routinely exchanged fire since Hamas attacked Israel on 7 October, killing around 1,130 people and taking 251 hostages.

Israels air and ground assault on Gaza in response to that attack has killed more than 39,000 Palestinians, according to the Hamas-run local health ministry. More than 80 per cent of the Strips population have been displaced by the war, while large swathes of northern Gaza in particular have been reduced to rubble.

Damaged building after airstrike targeting Hezbollah commander ( Reuters )

The strike in Beirut was carried out with a drone that launched three rockets, according to Lebanon's state-run National News Agency.

A resident of the suburb, who lived about 200m away, said that dust from the explosion covered everything and that the glass in his sons apartment was broken. Then people went down on the streets, the resident told the Associated Press. Everyone has family. They went to check on them. It was a lot of destruction.

Hezbollah official Ali Ammar told Al-Manar TV that the Israeli enemy has committed a great stupid act in size, timing and circumstances by targeting an entirely civilian area.

The Israeli enemy will pay a price for this sooner or later.

Lebanons prime minister Najib Mikati called the strike an act of "blatant Israeli aggression", which he said took place a short distance from one of the largest hospitals in the capital.

He described the strike as a criminal act that is part of a series of aggressive operations targeting civilians, in clear and blatant violation of international law".

We fully reserve our right to take all measures that contribute to deterring Israeli aggression.

Hezbollah claimed they were not responsible for Saturdays Golan Heights attack on the Druze community. But Israel prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu said they were under no illusion about Hezbollahs role in the strike.

During a visit to the site of the attack in the remote town of Majdal Shams, a majority Druze village in a region annexed by Israel from Syria in 1981, he vowed to issue a harsh response.

US officials also said they believed Hezbollah was responsible, though the Joe Biden administration urged Israel not to escalate tensions too drastically in their response to the strike.

Diplomats had called on Israel to avoid targeting the Lebanese capital Beirut, its southern suburbs that form Hezbollah's heartland, or key infrastructure. They hoped that by keeping Israel's response limited, forceful retaliation by Hezbollah could be avoided.

A handout image published by Netanyahus office shows the Israeli PM alongside senior military personnel earlier today ( Prime Minister's Media Adviser )

But a statement from the Israeli military confirmed they had defied that advice and targeted southern Beirut.

A statement posted to X read: The [Israeli military] carried out a targeted strike in Beirut, on the commander responsible for the murder of the children in Majdal Shams and the killing of numerous additional Israeli civilians.

A minute after the statement was published, Israeli defence minister Yoav Gallant, a close aide of Mr Netanyahu, wrote on X: Hezbollah crossed the red line.

The military added that there were no changes to their defensive guidelines, a reference to their recent deployments on Israels northern border  readying to go on the offensive if needed.

In April, the military said that it had completed another step in preparing for a possible war along its northern front. In a statement titled readiness for the transition from defence to offence, they said the phase completed centred on logistics for a broad mobilisation of [Israeli] troops.

Mr Netanyahu held a security assessment later on Tuesday evening with Mr Gallant and Israels intelligence chiefs.

Hezbollah rejected calls from international envoys to avoid responding to the anticipated Israeli attack.

People inspect damaged cars in the southern suburbs of Beirut, Lebanon ( AP )

Hezbollah informed mediators it would still respond to any Israeli attack, an official said in written comments sent to reporters. The official did not say which countries the mediators represented.

"International envoys are indirectly raising with us the idea that we should not respond to the expected aggression under the pretext of the need to avoid escalation and sliding towards a comprehensive war," the Hezbollah official said.

Hezbollah had informed them of our explicit rejection of this request and would respond, the official said.

The group took Israels threats seriously and was prepared, but did not expect a ground invasion, the official said.

Hezbollah also said mediators had informed them of diplomatic efforts to urge Israel to spare civilians and civilian facilities in any operation. This is a good thing, but we do not trust our enemy, the official added.

In January Israel assassinated Saleh al-Arouri, a top Hamas official, with an airstrike on Beirut. That strike was the first time Israel had hit Beirut since the 34-day war between Israel and Hezbollah in the summer of 2006.
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Israel killed at least two Hezbollah fighters in a drone strike on Monday amid warnings that an escalation in fighting with the Lebanese militant group could become more serious than the war in Gaza.

It was the first cross-border attack since a rocket strike blamed on Hezbollah that killed 12 children in the occupied Golan Heights.

Two Israeli drone strikes killed two people and wounded three more. The widely anticipated retaliation comes after Israeli prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu vowed a harsh response, though Hezbollah denies responsibility for Saturdays attack.

The state of Israel will not and cannot let this pass. Our response will come, and it will be harsh, he said during a visit to the remote town of Majdal Shams, a majority Druze village in a region annexed by Israel from Syria in 1981.

Netanyahus defence minister, Yoav Gallant, who was with the prime minister for the visit, added that Hezbollah will pay a price.

He told grieving families: The actions will speak for themselves.

The pair attended a funeral for the 12th child killed as a result of the strike.

Israeli officials have sought to play down their reaction to the strike, saying that Israel wants to hurt Hezbollah but not drag the Middle East into all-out war.

The estimation is that the response will not lead to an all-out war, one diplomatic source told Reuters. That would not be in our interest at this point.

Asked about the possibility for escalation in the conflict, cabinet office minister Pat McFadden said: I think this is very serious. Since 7 October last year, we have all been focused on the situation in Gaza between Israel and Hamas.

We have known that there is this other situation in northern Israel between Hezbollah and Israel, and that has the potential to be a much more serious situation than even the one that we have been watching unfold in Gaza over the last 10 months.

He added: We will always argue for Israel's right to defend itself, but we hope in this situation that cooler and calmer heads will prevail and we do not see a full-scale conflict between Israel and Hezbollah.

Irans newly elected president Masoud Pezeshkian said any Israeli attack on Lebanon would have serious consequences, Iranian state media quoted him on Monday as telling French president Emmanuel Macron in a phone call. Pezeshkian did not elaborate.

US secretary of state Antony Blinken, in a phone call with Israeli president Isaac Herzog on Monday, emphasised the importance of preventing escalation of the conflict.

The possibility of a wider war between Hezbollah, distinct from the Lebanese government, and Israel has intensified in recent months as the Iran-backed militia continues to fire across the border.

In April, the Israeli military said that it had completed another step in preparing for a possible war along its northern front. In a statement titled readiness for the transition from defence to offence, the military said the phase completed centred on logistics for a broad mobilisation of [Israeli] troops.

Two months later, in June, Netanyahu and Gallant toured northern Israels border with Lebanon and met with military commanders, with the Israeli PM saying that their forces were determined and committed to the mission of achieving victory, and no less.

Hezbollah has been continually firing on northern Israel since allies Hamas, also backed by Iran, attacked Israel on 7 October, killing around 1,200 people and taking 251 hostage in the Gaza Strip, the enclave they control. Around half of those hostages remain in the Strip.

The hostilities between Israel and Hezbollah have subsequently reached their worst since they went to war in 2006. Hezbollah says it will only cease fire when Israels offensive on Gaza stops.

Israeli strikes have killed around 350 Hezbollah fighters in Lebanon and more than 100 civilians, including medics, children and journalists.

Israel says 23 civilians have been killed in Hezbollah attacks since October, along with at least 17 soldiers. Meanwhile, thousands of Palestinians fled a community in the central Gaza Strip on Monday in the face of new Israeli evacuation orders, worsening the humanitarian plight in an area already inundated with displaced people fleeing an assault in the south.

Hamas has accused Israel of blocking a ceasefire, saying Netanyahus government has inserted new conditions into a longstanding truce proposal at the latest talks, conducted through international mediators.

Elsewhere in Israel, members of the far-right attempted to storm the Sde Teiman detention facility where Palestinian prisoners have been held after the military said it had taken nine soldiers for questioning following allegations of substantial abuse of detainees.

The nine soldiers have been accused of leaving one detainee in a very serious condition three weeks ago. A tenth soldier who was not on the premises also has an arrest warrant issued for them.

Israeli media reported that military police officers who arrived at Sde Teiman in southern Israel to detain the soldiers were met with protests and scuffles.

Later, dozens of protesters who had come to show support for the soldiers burst through the facility's gate, waving Israeli flags and chanting "shame".

After the military cleared the protesters, several hundred of them broke into the military base where the nine soldiers were taken for questioning. Video showed a swarm of people scuffling, pushing and shoving with soldiers in the base.

Some of the protesters were masked and carried guns. Others called through megaphones for the soldiers' immediate release.
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Protesters backed by prominent far-right lawmakers from Israels ruling coalition on Monday stormed a military base where at least nine soldiers were being held for questioning over suspected abuse of a Palestinian prisoner.

A small crowd of protesters also forced their way into a military facility that has been turned into a detention camp for Palestinians during the war in Gaza.

A scuffle broke out when military police officers arrived at Sde Teiman base in southern Israel on Monday to question the soldiers, only to be met by dozens of protesters, including MPs, who had arrived to show support for the troops.

The protesters burst through the facilitys gate, waving Israeli flags and chanting shame". Some spoke over loudspeakers demanding the soldiers release.

The Israeli military said it was holding nine soldiers for questioning following allegations of substantial abuse of a detainee at the facility. The soldiers have been accused of leaving one detainee in a very serious condition three weeks ago. A tenth soldier who was not on the premises also has an arrest warrant issued for them.

Israel's military chief described the storming of the base as "unlawful behaviour bordering on anarchy".

"We are in the midst of a war and actions of this type endanger the security of the state," Lt Gen Herzi Halevi said.

"It is precisely these investigations that protect our soldiers in Israel and the world and preserve the values.

Later at night, a crowd gathered at the Beit Lid military compound in northern Israel and broke into a military court before being kicked out by law enforcement, the police said.

Bezalel Smotrich, Israels finance minister and a key partner in Benjamin Netanyahu's government, declared that the soldiers being questioned should be treated like heroes, not criminals.

Mr Netanyahu denounced the protesters and called for calm, while defence minister Yoav Gallant said that even in "difficult times, the law applies to everyone".

"Nobody may trespass into IDF bases," he added, referring to the military.

Opposition party Yesh Atid called for the dismissal of the parliaments deputy speaker who it said took part in the protest and cheered on the demonstrators.

"We are not on the brink of the abyss, we are in the abyss," opposition leader and former prime minister Yair Lapid said on social media. All the red lines were crossed today.

Israel has detained thousands of Palestinians since the 7 October Hamas attack that triggered its ground and air assault on Gaza.

Israeli human rights groups, including the Association for Civil Rights in Israel, said the majority of detainees have at some point passed through Sde Teiman.

The Public Committee Against Torture in Israel welcomed the militarys investigation but said it had pointed out systemic abuse at the facility and not just one case.

Israel has long been accused of failing to hold soldiers accountable for crimes committed against Palestinians. The allegations have intensified during the war in Gaza.

In February this year, UN human rights experts called for an independent investigation into reports that Palestinian women and girls have been sexually abused by Israeli soldiers.

They were distressed by reports that the soldiers had raped, assaulted, and strip-searched female prisoners in Gaza. Israel claims that its forces act within military and international law and that it independently investigates any alleged abuses.
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The northern lights could be visible in the US and Europe after a huge solar storm erupted from the Sun.

Strong solar activity has led the US Space Weather Prediction Center to release a storm warning because of increased activity on the Sun.

Solar activity has increased and there are a host of complex sunspots on the surface that could lead to geomagnetic storms down on Earth, officials said.

The geomagnetic storm watch begins on Tuesday, 30 July and runs until 1 August. Those could bring what experts call G3 conditions, which in turn can lead to auroras visible at relatively low altitudes in the US and Europe.

G3 is classified as a strong geomagnetic storm, and is the third of a possible five. It can have effects on radio systems and satellites, though is not strong enough to have an impact on the power grid, for instance.

The UKs Met Office also sent an alert for a geomagnetic storm watch from Tuesday evening into Wednesday evening. It said that auroras could increase over the next three nights, and that they could be visible in Scotland, but noted that its confidence was low.

The Met Office also warned that the relatively lack of dark hours at the moment  because of the long days of summer  could get in the way of actually catching any aurora sightings.

The auroras are caused by two M-class flares that threw coronal mass ejections, or CMEs, out of the Sun and towards the Earth. The first two of those ejections appeared to have joined up into what experts call a Cannibal CME.

Two or more CMEs are then on their way behind that cannibal ejection, according to Spaceweather.com. They are flying into the void created by the original cannibal one  and the lack of interplanetary material that would normally slow them down will help intensify any existing geomagnetic storm.
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An Aer Lingus flight from Ireland to Spain made an emergency landing in France after a couples heated mid-air brawl became violent.

Flight EI738 from Dublin to Mallorca was forced to divert to Nantes Airport an hour into the 2h 45m journey on Friday evening (26 July).

The cabin crew declared an emergency squawk 7700 code to indicate a serious issue onboard the aircraft when they could not de-escalate the physical dispute.

Local police officers met the Aer Lingus flight on the runway to remove and arrest the aggressive male passenger for domestic assault.

A woman, believed to be his wife, reportedly suffered facial injuries during the in-flight attack and was escorted from the cabin for medical treatment.

The flight was delayed in France for around two hours before continuing the journey to Palma De Mallorca Airport.

Video footage shared on Twitter/X shows a man being escorted from the plane by police to cheers from fellow passengers.

According to the social media post, the Majorcan Pontent de Palma rugby club were onboard the disrupted flight from Dublin following a training camp.

The Independent has contacted Aer Lingus for comment.

Its not the first time a passenger dispute has forced an emergency landing this year.

Earlier this month, a Ryanair flight from Agadir to London was forced to divert for an emergency landing in Marrakech after a violent mass brawl broke out between passengers.

Flight RUK3034 was bound for Stansted Airport when a violent altercation over seating arrangements erupted 36 minutes into the four-hour flight.

A man in his late 20s reportedly requested to switch seats with a mother, sat beside her own daughter, to sit by his wife and young children.

After the woman refused and the flight had taken off, continued threats from the man prompted the passengers husband to defend his wife.

Video footage showed passengers screaming, pushing and throwing punches in the aisle as cabin crew attempted to intervene.

Moroccan police met the flight on the tarmac and removed nine passengers involved in the mid-flight brawl.

For more travel news and advice, listen to Simon Calders podcast.
Jeremy Hunt has responded to Rachel Reeves' accusation that he is a "liar" over almost 22bn of unfunded commitments that she said were covered up from the country.

The chancellor has announced that 10 million pensioners will lose out on winter fuel payments in an attempt to fill the black hole, while public sector staff will receive a pay rise.

Ms Reeves' Tory predecessor told Sky News on Tuesday (30 July) that her comments were "disappointing."

"It discredits politics when people call each other liars. I thought more highly of Rachel Reeves," Mr Hunt added as he described feeling insulted.
This is the moment Senator John Kennedy called vice president Kamala Harris a ding dong during a live interview on Fox News.

Discussing the presumptive nominee in an interview on Monday (29 July), Kennedy said: Margaret Thatcher didn't giggle and according to the polls, many Americans think the vice president is a little bit of a ding dong.

Kennedy continued: And Im telling you what the polling shows. Im telling you what the polling shows and it does, and Ill be glad to sit down with you and walk you through the polls.

Fox News host Neal Cavuto replied: Yeah please do. Because I never know when its constructive to call people names.
A bereaved father of an Omagh car bombing victim has urged the inquiry, which begins with its first public hearing on Tuesday (30 July), to answer his questions.

A long called for probe is examining whether the could reasonably have been prevented by UK authorities.

Michael Gallagher's son Aiden was among the 29 people killed in the the 1998 Real IRA attack in the Co Tyrone town on 15 August 1998.

He described the bombing as the "worst single failure of intelligence and security in the history of Northern Ireland."

"We need to know, was there anything that could have been done to prevent this bomb from happening?," he added.
Sir Keir Starmer laid flowers at the scene in Southport where three children died and eight were injured in a ferocious knife attack during a Taylor Swift event at a dance school on Monday 29 July.

The prime minister also shook the hands of firefighters and ambulance staff during a visit to Southport police station and told them he wanted to give a personal thank you.

Im incredibly proud of what you did, Sir Keir told them.

Im amazed, but not surprised, that youre in today, carrying on with your duties.

The three girls killed in Southport have been named by police as Bebe King, six; Elsie Dot Stancombe, seven; and Alice Dasilva Aguiar, nine.
The Central Bank is to spend an estimated 20m on an architect-led Integrated Design Team (IDT) for the design, construction and delivery of a new high-security cash centre.

The banks existing cash centre has been based on a site in Sandyford, Dublin 18 since the 1970s. It has a Tier 1 security designation, which means there is a permanent presence by both the Irish army and An Garda Siochana.

Arising from a strategic review of the mint at Sandyford, the Central Bank decided in 2023 to construct a new cash centre in an alternative - and as yet unknown - site, which is expected to be in the greater Dublin area.

Once the new cash centre is fully operational, the Sandyford site will be decommissioned. Earlier this year, the Cabinet approved the transfer of the state-owned 37 acres to the Land Development Agency (LDA) for housing. The agency has indicated that it could be used for up to 800 homes.

The Central Bank has previously indicated that it could take up to seven years for it to move off the site.

According to documentation filed with a tender, the new cash centre "will represent a significant investment by the Central Bank to deliver critical infrastructure in the national interest.

Applicants have until September 11 to submit pre-qualification submissions and the Central Bank is hoping to appoint the successful applicant next February, with work to commence in the first quarter of 2025.

The document states that whoever is awarded the tender will be responsible for the specification, design, delivery and cost management of the new cash centre, with the contract running over a seven-year period.

Taking the next step in the project, the Central Bank has issued a Project Information and Requirements Memorandum to provide information to applicants seeking to be shortlisted in the tender competition.

The documentation reveals that, last January, the Central Bank commenced the site-selection process. It says by the time the IDM appointments are made, the site of the new cash centre will have been identified.

The security of Central Bank employees and of the contents of the facility are an overarching consideration in the design of the new cash centre, the documentation says.

A preliminary design report proposes that the selected site be approximately 30 acres, and that layers of security will be required directly within the site boundary.

The 27-page brief says applicants should consider the unique security requirements of the new cash centre and that the Central Bank may restrict applicants from sharing information provided to them throughout the tender process which could compromise the location or design.
Company went into liquidation with a deficit of 2.3m

The High Court has approved a five-year disqualification on holding-company directorships against the former owner of a Carlow-based wholesale fruit and vegetable firm, which went into liquidation with a 2.3m deficit.

John Swan (60), of Meadow Bank, Palatine, Co Carlow, the main shareholder and MD of Swan Fruit Ltd (in voluntary liquidation), consented to the disqualification following settlement of proceedings under the Companies Act brought by liquidator PJ Lynch.

He also consented to an order directing Irish Life to transfer 239,000 from a pension fund to the liquidator in his role as pension trustee of the company.

Justice Brian Cregan also approved orders against Mr Swans sons, Alex Swan (33), of Pollerton Big, and Niall Swan (30), of The Downs, Pollerton, both Co Carlow, who had acted as managers and directors of the company.

They both consented to orders restricting them from acting as directors for five years of companies with certain capital requirements.

Swan Fruit, which had an annual turnover of 40m, went into voluntary liquidation in 2014, with the loss of 23 jobs, because it was insolvent and unable to pay its debts.

Set up by John Swan in 1996, it operated a retail store in Mullingar along with the wholesale cash-and-carry fruit-and-vegetable business in Carlow.

Proceedings against the Swans were brought by the liquidator with the approval of the director of corporate enforcement in 2016 as part of an investigation into the company.

Today's News in 90 Seconds - July 30th

In an affidavit, Mr Lynch said he believed John Swan was knowingly a party to the carrying on of the business in a reckless manner and with intent to defraud creditors. While there was no evidence available as to the extent of the involvement of the sons in the firms financial affairs, as directors they had a duty to comply with their obligations under company law, he said.

John Swan, in affidavits, denied there was a failure to keep records or that any had been erased.

He claimed the failure of Revenue to make a 480,000 Vat refund was a material contributory factor to the ultimate demise of the company.

The liquidator disputed this and said, among the reasons why the company failed was the lack of a financial controller despite having a 40m turnover, a failure to properly account for non-cash assets, the unlawful disposal of assets on an ongoing basis, unlawful withdrawals of monies from company bank accounts and failure to properly account for transactions.

There was further a failure to keep proper books and records and the erasement of supporting software relevant to those records.

There was also a failure to discharge monies to Revenue in a timely manner and the use of those monies as cash flow to keep the company going.

Mr Lynch said the company continued to trade at a time when it was obviously insolvent. Monies due to creditors were not paid, and there was significant falsification of the books.

He said he believed the attitude Mr Swan to the liquidation was totally unacceptable having regard to the level of wrongdoing that has gone on under his stewardship as the managing director.
Republican candidate and former US president Donald Trump speaks at the Bitcoin 2024 Conference last Saturday in Nashville, Tennessee. Photo: Mark Humphrey/AP Photo

US tech companies based in Ireland have reduced their recruitment in advance of the American presidential election on November 5, a new employment analysis by Morgan McKinley has indicated.

The outcome of the contest between Donald Trump and the Democratic Party challenger, most likely Kamala Harris, could have huge implications for the tech sector.

Trump has suggested he is in favour of light-touch regulation on AI and other emerging technologies, and is likely to approve tech mergers and acquisitions.

Vice-president Harris is expected to continue the Biden administrations tough anti-trust enforcement.

Faced with this uncertainty, there has been a recruitment slowdown in the tech sector, according to the analysis by recruitment firm Morgan McKinley.

This is particularly reflected in hiring for software development roles.

This caution is linked to the upcoming US elections and potential changes in economic policies and regulatory frameworks, said Trayc Keevans, global FDI director of Morgan McKinley Ireland.

The tech sectors recruitment slowdown, especially in research and development roles, reflects broader economic uncertainties. Companies are being prudent, awaiting clarity on the political and economic landscape.

Overall, the number of job openings jumped in the second quarter of the year, according to the analysis.

Vacancies rose 14.4pc from the previous quarter, with the majority of the growth recorded in April and May.

Jobseeker numbers also increased in the period. The number of those looking for a job rose by 6.9pc from the first three months of the year.

Morgan McKinley reported that these increases point to a more balanced market, with both job opportunities and availability of candidates on the rise.

The monthly unemployment rate in Ireland stood at 4.2pc in June, according to the latest release from the Central Statistics Office. This was up 0.2pc from May.

The Irish professional employment market continues to show resilience and growth, even amidst global uncertainties, Ms Keevans said.

The increase in job vacancies and job seekers suggests a dynamic market, but sector-specific trends indicate varying levels of activity and caution.

While tech slowed down, companies in the accounting and finance sectors recorded a rise in hiring across the period.

This was driven by compliance needs related to the introduction of the Digital Operational Resilience Act, Morgan McKinley reported.

This EU regulation is intended to strengthen the IT security of companies in these industries.

The sector also observed stable salaries, with higher compensation for niche roles such as sales traders, reflecting the scarcity of these professionals in Ireland compared to other financial hubs, Ms Keevans said.

She also pointed to demand for qualified accountants and tax professionals due to an ongoing shortage in Ireland. This was attributed to current migration trends, as well as the large salaries offered by major firms operating in this space.

Demand for construction professionals jumped in the quarter. Morgan McKinley noted a rise in the number of permanent roles available in State infrastructure projects.

While hiring levels in the residential construction sector grew, the report pointed to a slowdown in vacancies in commercial construction.

Employers face challenges in recruiting international talent due to visa issues and the accommodation crisis, which has led some companies to acquire properties to house their employees, Ms Keevans said.
Massive non-compliance with rules that require landlords to register their tenancies has been exposed.

It is a criminal offence for landlords to fail to register their tenancies with the States Residential Tenancies Board (RTB).

A person who does not comply with their responsibility to register their tenancy faces a criminal conviction and a fine of up to 4,000 and/or six months imprisonment if convicted.

But new figures show that thousands of people are renting homes that are not registered with the authorities.

Just over 73,000 homes are being rented that are not captured by the Residential Tenancies Board (RTB) figures.

However, just 17 sanctions were imposed on landlords last year for failing to register a tenancy agreement with the RBT.

The total of those with formal and informal rental deals in place, but are not registered, is down from a previous estimate of 84,170.

It been arrived at by the Central Statistics Office (CSO) after a detailed examination of Census data and registrations with the Residential Tenancies Board.

Today's News in 90 Seconds - July 29th

Statisticians with the CSO were asked to work out why its Census figure for the number of households that rent is much higher than the number of tenancy agreements registered with the States Residential Tenancies Board.

Controversy arose over the difference between the two sets of figures for the total number of renters at an Oireachtas Housing Committee meeting last year.

The headline findings from Census 2022 were that 330,632 households indicated they rented their homes from a private landlord on Census night, April 3, 2022.

This is higher than the RTB published figure for the number of private rented tenancies registered with it in December 2022 of 246,453.

In a research paper entitled Rented from Private Landlords 2022, the CSO said it had whittled down the difference between the Census figures and the RTB ones to 73,000.

It said the difference was largely made up of properties with an informal letting arrangements

Close to 48,000 properties are rented on a informal rental arrangement.

Another 25,240 properties are rented on a formal basis but not registered with the Residential Tenancies Board.

People renting on an informal basis where likely to be paying 30pc less rent than those with a formal agreement in place.

And these houses rental without a formal rental agreement being in place were more likely to be located in a rural area.

Other reasons an informal arrangement may be in place is because the property is made available to the occupant by their employer as part of the employment arrangement.

Also, there could be a sub-letting arrangement between a prime tenant and an additional tenant.

Another example of an informal arrangement is where a guardianship agreement is in place where someone is allowed to live in an empty property by the property owner for no or below market rent in order to ensure the property is maintained, the CSO said.

Where there is a formal rental deal in place, but not registered, it is likely that the renters and the owners are related.

The CSO said: It should be noted that certain informal rental arrangements in the Irish housing market may be currently outside the scope of the RTB regulations  such as owners relatives living in a property - but may still lead to a positive response on the Census form.

In the annual report of the RTB for 2023 it is noted that just 17 sanctions were imposed by it on landlords for failing to register a tenancy agreement.

Sinn Fein housing spokesman Eoin O Broin said: This research by the RTB and CSO is very welcome. It has identified 73,000 tenancies many of which should be registered with the RTB to be compliant with the law and to ensure tenants have access to their full rights.

This data suggests a very significant level of non-compliance with the registration requirement.

He said the findings beg the question, what will the RTB now do with this information?

How will they establish whether these informal and formal rental arrangements should be registered and what do they intend to do to ensure full compliance with the law.

He said he would be writing chief executive of the RTB asking the board to set out what its next steps are with respect to this information and how they intend to ensure all rental tenancies that should be registered with the RTB are in fact registered.
National Cyber Security Centre may struggle to fulfil its mandate

Lack of resources within Irelands National Cyber Security Centre (NCSC) may stop the organisation from fulfilling its mandate, according to a confidential internal review.

Documents seen by the Irish Independent suggest there is dysfunction and depleted morale within the organisation, with an alleged lack of support from Government, too few resources and no effective communication with other state agencies.
Danish filmmaker Christoffer Guldbrandsens excellent documentary on Donald Trumps longtime adviser

Theres no shortage of loathsome individuals in the cult of MAGA, which at this point comprises virtually the entire Republican party and the army of fanatics and fools in its orbit.

Take your pick. Theres the frothing lunatic Marjorie Taylor-Greene, the sleazebag Matt Gaetz, the gutless hypocrite Lindsey Graham, the beetroot-faced conspiracy theorist, liar, grifter and coward Alex Jones, the shapeshifter JD Vance. We could go on: Giuliani, Carlson, Hannity...

Top of the dung heap, however, above even the stable genius himself, is the most loathsome of the lot, Trumps longtime adviser Roger Stone.

Stone is the subject of Danish filmmaker Christoffer Guldbrandsens jaw-dropping documentary A Storm Foretold (BBC4, Tuesday, July 30, 10pm).

Stone prides himself on being smarter than anyone else in American politics. So you have to ask yourself why such a supposedly clever guy thought giving Guldbrandsen an access-all-areas pass to his world was a good idea.

From the moment hes introduced, relaxing on his patio and sucking on a phallic cigar as big as a cruise missile, Stone is odious, dripping smugness and arrogance from every pore.

His ego is gigantic. Trump, he says, hates to think hes being manipulated, so Stone the puppet master manipulates him without him realising hes being manipulated. He gets Trump to think what he wants him to think, and Trump ends up believing hes the one who thought of it first.

Theres an edge of nastiness to his attempt to engage with the soft-spoken Guldbrandsen using humour. He mocks his surname.

Thats got Third Reich written all over it, he smirks, before switching to a comedy German accent: Did you bring ze list off Jews?

Roger Stone waves to crowd outside The Willard Hotel DC. Photo: BBC / Wingman Media / Abramorama

Guldbrandsen began filming Stone in 2018. He was, he says in the intermittent narration, supposed to be his gateway into Trumps 2020 presidential bid. He ended up being the entire focus of the documentary, which takes us right up to the attack on the Capitol on January 6, 2021.

His timing was propitious. Shortly into the film, Stone is arrested during the investigation into Russian interference in the 2016 election.

Released on bail, he immediately starts raising funds. His personal assistant Kristin Davis, a former brothel madam who did a prison stretch for peddling drugs, is shown stuffing wads of dollar bills from Stones rich pals into her purse.

Those neo-Nazi thugs the Proud Boys are a constant presence around Stone. They provide his personal security, but also perform whatever menial task is necessary

Those neo-Nazi thugs the Proud Boys are a constant presence around Stone. They provide his personal security, but also perform whatever menial task is necessary.

At his 2019 trial, Stone is found guilty of election interference and given 40 months in prison. Trump promptly commutes the sentence.

At this point, Kristin Davis informs Guldbrandsen that Stone has dropped him and agreed to do a documentary with another film crew.

I dont understand him, says Guldbrandsen. Money, says Davis. A better offer.

Guldbrandsen goes home to Copenhagen for a few months, then returns to Florida, where he has a heart attack in a gym. The moment is captured on CCTV. Suddenly, the documentary is back on. Stone never mentions the other film crew.

As election day nears and Biden is looking a banker to win, Stone reactivates his Stop the Steal plan, which hed had ready to go in 2016, until Trump unexpectedly beat Hillary Clinton.

In the hours before the Capitol attack, Stone discovers hes been snubbed as a speaker at Trumps rally and goes to watch it on his hotel room TV.

When someone is shot, Stone says: Right, Im getting out of town. The chief architect of the violence cant pack his suitcases fast enough. Terrified hes going to be arrested, Stone begs Trump for a pre-emptive pardon before he leaves office. His calls go unanswered.

The documentary ends with an extraordinary scene of Stone unleashing a frothing, foul-mouthed rant against Trump. Snarling, eyes bulging and teeth gnashing, he looks quite mad.

When he finally calms down, Stone tells Guldbrandsen why he ditched the other film crew: Their agenda was to do a hit job on Roger Stone.

Which begs a question: what exactly did he think this film was going to be?
Many farmers can use more fertiliser than they realise  Minister McConalogue

Minister urges farmers to maximise their allowance  and to make third cut of silage

'Many farmers have a lot more scope in terms of fertiliser usage capacity than they think they have'. Photo: Roger Jones

Margaret Donnelly Tue 30 Jul 2024 at 03:00

Many farmers have a lot more scope when it comes to fertiliser usage capacity and should use it to ensure maximum grass growth and fodder supplies, the Minister of Agriculture, Charlie McConalogue has said.
The second man has been identified as Antonin Kabelka (40s), from the Czech Republic, who worked as a helicopter flight trainer in Prague.

Irish man killed in helicopter crash in Co Westmeath is named as family pays tribute

The initial findings from an investigation into the cause of a helicopter crash in Co Westmeath that claimed the lives of two men in their 40s on Tuesday will be released in a matter of weeks, it has emerged.

Inspectors from the Department of Transports Air Accident Investigation Unit (AAIU) are this morning continuing to run the rule over the single-engine aircraft after it crash-landed into an agricultural building at a piggery just outside Killucan village.

Forty-six-year-old Niall Crosby, from Glenageary in South Dublin and Antonin Kabelka (40s), from the Czech Republic, both died in the crash that has sent shockwaves rippling through a rural community thats still struggling to come to terms with the tragic events of barely 48 hours earlier.

The remains of the ill-fated helicopter has since been transferred from the crash scene to an examination facility in Gormanstown in county Meath.

A spokesperson from the AAIU said while no further details on the precise nature of Tuesdays crash would be released over the short-term, a preliminary report was likely to be released over the coming weeks.

Following a complex and challenging recovery operation, the helicopter involved in the fatal accident at Killucan Co Westmeath (on Tuesday) has now been removed from the farm warehouse and is now being transported to the wreckage examination facility at Gormanston Co Meath, said the spokesperson.

It should be noted that the AAIU is precluded from making any comment about the details of an ongoing investigation.

The AAIU expects that a preliminary report will be published approximately one month from the date of the accident.

Mr Crosby, a married father of two, was a founder of AG Grid, a software company based in London. In a statement his family said he is deeply missed by his loving wife Jillian, his adored children Thomas and Robin, and his wide circle of family and friends.

He and Jillian had only returned to Dublin in recent years to raise their family.

Mr Crosby previously posted on social media that he was learning to fly helicopters and was aiming to get his pilots licence.

The second man killed has also been identified as Antonin Kabelka (40s), from the Czech Republic, who worked as a helicopter flight trainer in Prague.

In a statement issued this evening, his family said: Niall is sadly missed by his loving wife Jillian (nee Kee) and his adored children Thomas and Robin.

"He is mourned by his parents Frank and Therese, his brothers Brian, Eamon and Kevin, Jillians parents Jack and Jean and his extended family including Layla, Emma, Jim, Erik, Nigel, Jayne, David and his nephews and nieces Max, Martha, Oscar, Callum, Harry, Hugo, William, Naomi and Louisa.

Crashed helicopter removed from Westmeath site

"He will be deeply missed by his wide circle of friends, relations, work colleagues, clients and professional peers.

Originally from Straffan, Co. Kildare, Niall was a highly successful IT consultant, entrepreneur and founder who had spent much of his working life in London. He and Jillian had returned to Dublin to raise their family in recent years.

Nialls family would like to thank everyone who has been in touch with their condolences over the past extraordinarily difficult 24 hours. They would like to particularly thank the first responders and the various authorities who have been so understanding and professional. And they would like to especially thank the local communities of Killucan and Raharney for their thoughts and prayers.

We also have a special thought for Nialls co-pilot and his family at this tragic time.

Funeral arrangements are to follow and the familys privacy would be greatly appreciated. Many thanks for your understanding.

The two men were the only occupants of the small aircraft when it crashed on the roof of a piggery outside the village of Killucan on Tuesday afternoon.

Late on Wednesday, construction crews managed to remove the wreckage from the roof of the building.

The painstaking operation, which began shortly before 4pm, saw personnel from a Dublin-based crane company enter the site and commence the delicate task of extracting the single-engine aircraft from an agricultural building it had crash landed into just over 24 hours earlier.

Officials from the Department of Transports Air Accident Investigation Unit continued their work.

The remnants of the helicopter remained in the buildings roof for much of the day.

It is anticipated the more technical element of the inquiries will begin in earnest on Thursday at the AAIUs examination facility in Gormanstown, Co Meath.

A large part of those efforts are expected to focus on whether the helicopter may have encountered engine difficulty shortly after taking off from Weston Airport, which is home to Irelands leading Pilot Training Academy.

Earlier, local shopkeeper Declan Weir told how a farm worker had a lucky escape and had just left the piggery when the aircraft struck the building.

One local guy, I was talking to his wife this morning, and he was just after coming out of the shed. He had been in the shed and checking it and narrowly missed it. He was walking around the other side of the building, he told the Irish Independent.

The incident happened around 3.30pm on Tuesday.

The tight-knit communities of Killucan and its neighbouring village of Raharney were still reeling from the shock of the incident.

A number of locals told how they believed the single-engine aircraft had encountered difficulty seconds before tragedy struck.

Crane arrives at helicopter crash scene

They tried to land in Jorristown pitch when they discovered there was something wrong with the engine and it must have pushed them on to the piggery, local community scheme employee Pat Keegan said.

Its terrible, just terrible and its a very dark day for the village.

Shopkeeper Declan Weir said the tragic helicopter crash was not the first time the locality had been gripped by such a tragedy.

He said two people were killed just 100 yards away when a plane came down just outside the village 18 years ago.

The Air Accident Investigation Unit (AAIU) is now leading an investigation into the cause of a helicopter crash and returned to the site today.

Gardai said they were liaising with the family of the Irish man and were trying to establish contact with the next of kin of the second man and may request the assistance of Interpol.

The debris of the helicopter at the piggery between Raharney and Killucan

The AAIU is expected to transfer the remains of the helicopter to a site in Gormanston, Co Meath, where further examinations will be carried out.

Much of those enquiries are expected to focus on fears the helicopter may have encountered engine difficulty shortly after taking off from Weston Airport, Co Dublin, which is home to Irelands leading Pilot Training Academy.

Local parish priest Fr Stan Deegan offered prayers for the victims and their families at masses on Wednesday.

Its a tragic accident and sadly two lives have been lost and as far as I know there are no local connections, he said.

They took off from Weston and we prayed for their families this morning. Luckily there was no one on the ground, but I understand there may have been one of two people on site but thankfully they werent hurt.

Its just a matter of thinking of the families and how they have to seal with this awful tragedy and loss of life.

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Local Fianna Fail TD Robert Troy said: The local community is in a state of shock and sadness.

Its not something any community expects to happen on a nice summers evening or any evening for that matter.

The thoughts of the community are very much with the families of the passengers and those who had been fatally wounded.

We also think of the frontline emergency services who have had to respond to that horrific accident and to deal with the fallout of the accident.

Sean Power was working on a roof just over 500 metres from the crash scene.

I was working away and the next thing I just heard the engine cut out, he said. I heard the airplane, I didnt see it and the next thing I heard was a big bang. The engine just cut out and the bang was very quick after it so I dont know if it was that high.

Shopkeeper Tom Keyes said the local community had been stunned by the incident.

It is a terrible thing, he said.

It is a dark day for the village and all of a sudden it is on every paper and every news bulletin. What more do you say? Its unprecedented for the area.

Taoiseach Simon Harris expressed his concern.

Thinking of all those involved in the Westmeath helicopter crash, he posted on X. My thoughts & gratitude are also with all the emergency services working to help at this time.

The AAIU deployed a team of inspectors to the site of the single-engine helicopter crash.

Emergency services including gardai, ambulance services and Mullingar Fire Brigade attended the scene.

Emergency services and a hearse at the crash site in Westmeath. Photo: Collins.

Flight data shows that the helicopter, which is registered to a US company, had been flying for around 25 minutes prior to the crash.

The same aircraft had also undertaken a short journey this morning lasting 27 minutes, departing from, and returning to, Weston Airport near Lucan.

David Jones, a Sinn Fein councillor in nearby Kinnegad, said the community was shocked by the incident.

The Lucan, Jorristown, Raharney area  it'd be small communities, very close community so something like this would have a devastating impact on these communities. I'm sure all communities around Jorristown are in shock at the moment and are just praying," he told Midlands 103 FM.

A hearse arrives at the crash site in Killucan, Westmeath. Photo: Collins.

Killucan is approximately 15km from Mullingar.

Ken Glynn, mayor of the Mullingar-Kinnegad municipal district, expressed his shock.

My thoughts and prayers are with those involved and their families, he said. I also want to commend the emergency services for their rapid response.

Councillor Denis Leonard represents the area where the crash occurred.

Locally, people are shocked and stunned, but also their hearts just go out to the families of all those involved at this very difficult time. Our thoughts and prayers are with them, he said.

I want to thank the emergency services in Westmeath because they were very quickly on the scene and a huge operation took place straight away.

They responded extremely quickly and I want to thank them for their service.

Mr Leonard noted the incident had come after a horrific weekend of tragedy on the roads, particularly in the midlands, with three men killed in two separate collisions in Co Meath.

You don't expect to hear of a helicopter crash, he said.
Democratic Unionist Party politicians Keith Buchanan, Trevor Clarke, Carla Lockhart and Cheryl Brownlee challenged police chiefs over an incident in which police appeared to join in celebrations after Armagh won the all-Ireland final. The PSNI has launched an internal investigation after video footage emerged that appeared to show police vehicles driving through the village of Camlough sounding their sirens as people cheer from the footpaths.
Fionnan Sheahan: The Michael Ring road ends as Fine Gael TD retires from fighting the good fight

People expect us to make that representation for them. And I make no apology for that.Mayo TDs departure creates another headache for Taoiseach Simon Harris in general electionFormer minister takes aim at public service delivery and Yes, Minister culture

The Michael Ring Road ends as Fine Gael TD retires from fighting the good fight

Fionnan Sheahan in Westport Tue 30 Jul 2024 at 03:30

For the first time in 45 years, Michael Ring is saying nothing. The word in Westport is the legendary Fine Gael TD will announce his retirement today. But The Ringer isnt talking until he tells the locals in Mayo.
Steven van de Velde of the Netherlands on the second day of the 2024 Paris Olympic Games in France. Photo: PA

Last week, BBC pundit and former marathon world champion Paula Radcliffe was being interviewed on LBC when she was asked whether Steven van de Velde should be allowed to compete in the Olympics despite being a convicted rapist.

The Dutch volleyball athlete (29) was sentenced to four years in prison in 2016 for three counts of rape against a 12-year-old British girl. Van de Velde met the victim on Facebook and travelled to England to meet her at an address in Milton Keynes.
In June, 46-year-old Dubliner Leon Bradley ran in the local elections, with a campaign that carried a tough anti-immigration stance. His message: Youre putting me in to get them out.

Bradley received 819 first-preference votes in his Ballymun-Finglas constituency, though this wasnt enough to get him over the line.

Though he is not involved in criminality, Leon is the brother of two of well-known Dublin gangland figures  Wayne and Alan Fatpuss Bradley, both of whom campaigned on Leons behalf during his recent election run.

Last week, Bradley was hit with a banning order from gardai, ordering him and three other men to stay away from the former Crown Paints factory in Coolock, which has seen much public disorder in recent weeks.

Bradley has reacted with confusion, insisting that he wasnt present at the scene of any violent unrest, and that he has been targeted for something he was not involved in.

The situation in Coolock appears to have calmed down, with the most recent demonstration at the former Crown Paints factory site attracting a considerably smaller and quieter crowd than on previous occasions.

Gardai, meanwhile, have been conducting a full review of past incidents as they draw up new policing plans to tackle what they see as an escalating problem across the country.

Today on the Indo Daily, host Tabitha Monahan is joined by Ken Foy, crime correspondent with the Irish Independent, to look at the disputed banning order handed down to Leon Bradley, and to ask if scenes like those in Coolock are the new normal in Ireland.
Irelands Eurovision representative Bambie Thug will headline the post-parade party at Kennedy Quay

This years Cork Pride celebrations will culminate in the parade that will set off from Grand Parade and travel to a Party at The Port at Kennedy Quay on Sunday afternoon.

This years Pride kicked off last Saturday and since then, a whole variety of events have been held in celebration of Corks queer community. Dozens more are to come throughout the week until the festivities hit their peak at the parade and the events that follow on Sunday.

The parade, which promises to be the largest yet, will assemble at Grand Parade at 1pm and take off at 2pm to bring the Pride to the streets of Cork. Participants will head towards Kennedy Quay, where the Party at The Port event will kick off at 3pm.

The free party will feature several popular performers, including J90 and DJ Ruth as well as a Lady Gaga tribute act, a Cher tribute act, drag performers and the winner of Prides Got Talent.

Headline act Bambie Thug will be the main attraction, and the Macroom-born Eurovision contestant is set to play on the main stage at the party.

Several events will be held in the city on Sunday night, including a Pride Wrap Party at The Old Town Whiskey Bar at the Bodega, Making a Scene: Welcome to the Pride Parade at Fred Zeppelins and three-piece band The Hollyz at Crane Lane Theatre.

A Pride Party with Bambie Thug and Charity Kase will go ahead at The Pavillion, in what is the final event scheduled in this years Pride celebrations.
Amber Thursday has been marked to help promote road, water and fire safety

Cork County Council is appealing to people to stay safe over the August Bank Holiday weekend as it marks Amber Thursday for 2024.

Cork County Council is appealing to people to stay safe over the August Bank Holiday weekend as it marks Amber Thursday for 2024. Pics: Brian Lougheed

A new campaign has been launched with the aim of urging Corkonians to remain conscious of safety over the coming August Bank Holiday weekend.

Amber Thursday is a collaboration between safety bodies and local authorities to help promote road, water and fire safety over the busy August bank holiday weekend.

Mayor of the County of Cork, councillor Joe Carroll, said vulnerable road users are a high-risk group in terms of road safety.

It has been a busy year for the emergency services in Ireland. Sadly, there have been 14 fatalities on our roads in County Cork this year. Two pedestrians, four motorcyclists, a cyclist and seven drivers and passengers have tragically lost their lives, the Mayor said.

I am urging motorists to slow down, ensure everyone is wearing their seatbelt and to put away the mobile phone. I am encouraging all road users to please take care when out on the roads. Let us all work together to ensure safer roads for everyone.

Bank holiday weekends can also be a particularly busy time for firefighters who are called to various incidents including barbeque or domestic fires and road traffic collisions.

Cork County Fire Service is encouraging members of the public to test their smoke alarms, check the expiry date, replace smoke alarms every 10 years and have at least two working smoke alarms in their house.

During the months of June and July, Cork County Councils Beach Lifeguards were called upon to rescue four people and assisted seven people in the water who needed help. The teams gave advice to members of the public on 4,927 occasions and administered first aid on 89 occasions.

The Lifeguards advice is that holding hands with children saves lives. This season the lifeguards have reunited 15 children with their parents on County Cork beaches so this advice is key for all those supervising children near water. Swimmers are reminded to swim within their depth, not to use inflatable toys on open water and always swim at a lifeguarded beach.

Rip currents are a hazard at some beaches so always look out for signage and safety information notice boards. Swimming inland in lakes and rivers is also proven to be particularly high risk in terms of water safety so please know your ability before you go in.

Amber Thursday is supported by Local Authorities, the Chief Fire Officers Association, Road Safety Authority, Water Safety Ireland and Local Authority Road Safety Officers. Further information can be found at www.amberthursday.ie
A campaign has been launched by an Irish writer and poet to honour Maud Gonne, a renowned figure in Irish history, with a statue of her in Dublin.

Maud Gonne is a significant figure in Irish history due to her influential role in the nationalist movement and her contributions to social justice.

She was a prominent activist, actress, and revolutionary who dedicated her life to the struggle for Irish independence and the rights of women.

Best known for her passionate advocacy for Irish culture and her commitment to political causes, including her leadership in the Irish Womens Franchise League, her importance stems from her embodiment of the fight for national sovereignty and her pioneering efforts in advancing gender equality.

Others know Gonne for more superficial reasons, such as her famous beauty and her role as the muse of Nobel laureate poet W.B. Yeats, who wrote about her in his poetry.

The initiative, led by writer and poet Orna Ross, has received backing from many creative and academic individuals.

Speaking to the Irish Independent, Ross said she felt Gonne had been largely overlooked during the decade of the centenaries.

The main reason for this campaign is my frustration with how Maud Gonne has been overlooked and misunderstood, she said.

Her life and impact are often reduced to just what W.B. Yeats said about her, which is a very narrow view of her significant contributions.

"Some of the misconceptions about Maud Gonne, such as claims that she gave away her child or that she was overly pro-Republican, are based on inaccuracies.

These outdated and incorrect beliefs have unfairly coloured her legacy.

Beginning at the start of the year, a group of readers, writers, artists, and historians began investigating why she had not already been honoured with a statue.

The Kickstarter campaign was agreed upon in March, donations have been approaching since May, and a press release went out at the beginning of the month.

Ms Ross has described the campaign as a significant project requiring support.

"Getting a statue erected is a complex process, she said.

We are taking a methodical approach, starting with a fundraising campaign to cover initial costs and then moving through a detailed application process.

We envision the statue being placed on O'Connell Street, ideally on the pedestrian island near the GPO.

This location symbolises solidarity with today's activists and connects Maud Gonne's legacy with contemporary movements.

"Seeing a statue of a woman like Maud Gonne can inspire young people, especially girls, to realise that women's rights and activism have deep historical roots."

She died in 1953. To read more about the campaign, see here.
The great-grandson of James Connolly has said that a meeting yesterday with the Taoiseachs Task Force on the future of Moore Street was constructive.

Yesterday, the Moore Street Preservation Trust met with the inner-city task force and presented to the chairperson, David McRedmond, a master plan for transforming Moore Street into a cultural quarter.

This was a constructive meeting, James Connolly Heron said.

Our architect Sean O Muiri outlined the Moore Street Preservation Trusts Master Plan.

We believe the plan has the potential to transform this area, preserving our history and creating a vibrant focus for the north inner city.

We emphasised the need to cherish both the 1916 Rising heritage and the street trading tradition of Moore Street.

Mr McRedmond engaged constructively, and we look forward to these issues being positively reflected to the Taoiseach in the Task Forces report and recommendations.

The Moore Street Preservation Trust (MSPT) was formally established to preserve the historical significance of Moore Street in Dublin, particularly its association with the 1916 Easter Rising, and to advocate for the development of the area as a cultural quarter while opposing inappropriate redevelopment plans that might threaten its historical integrity.

Ownership of Moore Street in Dublin is divided among various entities, including Hammerson plc, which owns a significant portion and has substantial redevelopment plans.

Dublin City Council manages some properties and public spaces, while the Office of Public Works (OPW) is responsible for key historical sites like the National Monument at 14-17 Moore Street, associated with the 1916 Easter Rising.

Additionally, individual private owners and businesses hold properties in the area, contributing to the diverse ownership landscape.

The campaign by Moore Street Preservation Trust opposes developer-led plans that threaten the historical integrity of the area.

Plans for preservation of the area include various cultural and community facilities such as cultural buildings and meeting spaces, a museum for the Rising, potential space for a playschool and childrens facility, restored historical buildings like the Henry Place bottling building and the White House on Moore Lane, and more.

The architect who presented plans for the development of the area yesterday said that the importance of the site could hold for everyone across Ireland and the diaspora.

Local traders have also expressed their opinions, such as Caroline Alwright, a fourth-generation Moore Street market stall trader.

She said she loves Moore Street and its history, which she felt should be preserved and looked after.

Adding to that, as it stands, she is concerned about anti-social behaviour in the area and sees the need for more Gardai.

Stephen Troy, a fifth-generation member of Troy Butchers on Moore Street, recalled the previous vibrancy of the area.

He suggested the Government is standing by the proliferation of the same shop usage to facilitate Hammersons plan by deliberately bringing the street to its knees.

Hammerson's Dublin Central scheme for Moore Street aims to transform the area into a mixed-use development with retail stores, office buildings, and residential units.

The plan includes preserving key historical sites related to the 1916 Easter Rising and enhancing public spaces.

While supporters see it as an economic boost, opponents fear it could compromise the areas historical and cultural significance.

Those plans have received permission from Dublin City Council but have been appealed to An Bord Pleanala.
Artist's impression of how the Oscar Traynor Road site might look with the development of 850 homes. Pic: @housingDCC

An affordable housing purchase scheme which came under fire for being up to 169,000 higher than first indicated will begin accepting applications today.

Originally acquired by Dublin City Council in the 1980s, Oscar Traynor Road is a 17-hectare site east of the port tunnel entrance.

After years of remaining vacant land, an agreement was finalized with developer Glenveagh to start construction on the Oscar Traynor Road site in 2021

Councillor John Lyons told the Irish Independent that during a meeting at that time they were told that the maximum housing purchase would be no more than 308,750.

It was revealed in June 2024 that house prices in the new scheme in Coolock were going for 475,000 for a three-bed house.

He added that he thought it was hugely important for public representatives in Dublin City Council to investigate these new figures and determine how there has been such a shift in the asking price.

Due to pressure from the public Dublin City Council reduced home prices with them citing the discrepancy being due to rising market values.

To address this, the council will now offer three-bed homes starting at 360,931, though it will take a larger equity stake of nearly 28pc in these homes.

Prices for other homes have also been adjusted: one-bed units will cost between 254,358 and 308,750, and two-beds between 355,760 and 427,500. Equity stakes will vary based on buyers' incomes.

The scheme, which will initially offer 16 homes out of a planned 172 affordable units, is set to open on July 30, with the first homes available early next year and full completion expected by 2027.

Dublin City Council will begin accepting applications for homes at the Oscar Traynor Woods affordable housing estate today, with prices starting at 254,358.

This marks a delay from the initial plan due to concerns over high costs that could exclude lower-income buyers.

Applications will close on August 20 and a lottery will be used to select buyers if there are more applicants than homes with the first 16 homes expected to be completed early next year, with the full 835-home estate, including social housing and cost-rental units, slated for completion by 2027.
A railway order application for the 1bn Dart+ West project has finally been approved by An Bord Pleanala, two years after it was submitted.

The first phase of the Dart+ programme will see the electrification of the line between Dublin city centre, M3 Parkway, and Maynooth.

As part of the plan, a new train station is proposed for Spencer Dock, along with improvements to Connolly Station.

The Spencer Dock station is planned to connect with the Luas Red Line.

When complete, passenger capacity will increase from 5,000 to 13,200, with 12 trains per hour in each directiondouble the current level.

Meet the voice of the DART

The work will also involve improvements to bridges, better connections for the communities of Maynooth, Leixlip, and Castleknock, and the replacement of level crossings.

This is the first element of the wider Dart+ programme, which aims to double passenger capacity to 52,000 per hour and triple the length of the network to 150km.

It will include the electrification of the Kildare and Drogheda lines, in addition to significant investment in the new train fleet.

In the original application, Irish Rail proposed building a new Dart depot in Maynooth to house the new Dart+ fleet. However, An Bord Pleanala stated that the proposed depot should not be constructed due to concerns about flood risk.

The decision to forgo the depot has been criticised by the Dublin Commuter Coalition, with their chairperson stating that it brings the entire viability of the Dart+ West project into question.

A spokesperson for Irish Rail confirmed that alternative/updated proposals would need to be submitted to ensure that the new fleet is stored.

This is a crucial milestone in a programme which will ultimately double the capacity of the Greater Dublin Area rail network and triple the electrification of the network, they added.

Irish Rail also confirmed that, in collaboration with the NTA, they will now progress the delivery of Dart+ West into its construction stage.

This will involve procurement processes to engage contractors to undertake the construction activities on the scheme, a spokesperson for Irish Rail said.

Construction timelines will be subject to the procurement process and necessary funding approvals, and Dart+ West is targeted for completion towards the end of this decade.
Two well-known Dublin parishes in the city centre will merge into one due to a shift in resources.

Gardiner Street Parish will merge with the neighbouring Pro-Cathedral Parish, with the Church of St Francis Xavier reverting to its previous status as a public church under the Jesuit community, beginning August 1.

Despite no longer being a parish church, St Francis Xavier's will continue to host public Masses, confessions, and community services, while key sacraments will be celebrated at St Marys Pro-Cathedral.

The decision has been made under a decree by Archbishop Dermot Farrell who said that the decision was driven by the changing pattern of the population in this area and the availability of priests to serve the needs of the Archdiocese in the forseeable future.

This change is also said to be a result of a decline in Jesuit numbers, according to Parish Priest of Gardiner Street Fr Niall Leahy SJ.

Back in 1974 there were many more Jesuits to take part in the day-to-day running of a parish with a growing Catholic population, he said.

Nowadays, Jesuit numbers have fallen considerably, as have the number of Catholics living within the parish boundary.

The Irish Province of the Jesuits decided it would make more sense to have the Pro-Cathedral as the parish church with the Jesuits and lay people at St Francis Xaviers working alongside it, sharing the Mass schedule and supporting other ministries and outreach.

Fr Niall says that most of the local people attending Gardiner St will notice very little difference as a result of the change.

Fr Kieran McDermott, the current Administrator of St Marys Pro-Cathedral, said that over the past two years the leadership of both faith communities have been working well together as part of the larger Matt Talbot partnership.

The integration will mean greater pastoral planning and better use of our respective resources, he added.

Another factor to consider for the merger is the shortage of priests.

There is a difficult situation faced by the Catholic Church in Ireland at present, according to a survey conducted by the Association of Catholic Priests (ACP).

It found in 2022 that 2,116 priests serve in Irelands 26 dioceses, in 1,355 parishes, and at more than 2,650 churches or Mass centres.

Of the 2,116, almost 15pc are over 75 and still working, and over 25pc are between 60 and 75.

Just 2.5pc of serving Catholic priests in Ireland, meanwhile, are under 40.

Fr Brendan Hoban, co-founder of the Association of Catholic Priests, has argued that the Catholic Church is undergoing a significant shift towards synodality, where decision-making and leadership are shared between clergy and laity, moving away from the more traditional hierarchical structures.

"The new way of being church is a synodal way, he said.

With synodality, the baptised and the ordained work together.

He believes that priests are not called to be the ruling class but the servants of all and that courage is required to change much in the Church.

New measures introduced by the Dublin Archdiocese could also see priestless funerals and ceremonies led by lay people.

A new initiative called Building Hope is now encouraging parishes to group together due to the shortage of priests, with the changes having already begun in Donnybrook, Booterstown, and Foxrock.
Cory Nash (26) pleaded guilty to laundering over 15,000 despite not receiving a single euro for his involvement in the fraud.

A man in his 20s who allowed his Revolut account to be used to launder over 15,000 in stolen money never received a single cent for agreeing to the reckless enterprise, a court has heard.

Twenty-six-year-old Cory Nash, of Lake Road, Collinstown, Westmeath pleaded guilty at a sitting of Mullingar District Court to possessing 15,042, monies which were deemed the proceeds of crime between June 9 and July 4, 2023.

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Detective Garda Kevin Lennon, in giving evidence before Judge Bernadette Owens, said the stolen funds had been taken from a victims south African bank account by way of card not present fraud.

Cory Nash (26) pleaded guilty to laundering over 15,000 despite not receiving a single euro for his involvement in the fraud.

Effectively, the injured partys bank details were compromised and as a result money was stolen from that customers account, he said.

The court was told on June 23, approximately 2,600 of the stolen funds were deposited into Nashs account and immediately withdrawn by way of ATM withdrawals.

A follow up garda investigation later uncovered over 15,000 had been transferred into the Westmeath mans Revolut account over the course of a 25 day period.

Det Garda Lennon said like the 2,600 which had gone into Nashs account and been withdrawn almost straight away, the same scenario pertained to the remaining balance of stolen monies.

Today's News in 90 Seconds - July 30th

During interview following his arrest in early March, Nash, the court was told, made full admissions as to his culpability.

He told detectives of meeting a stranger in a local nightclub where he agreed to hand over his Revolut bank details in exchange for a 200 fee.

He stated he was befriended by an unknown person in a local nightclub and was reckless in handing over his Revolut ATM card and password details, added Det Garda Lennon.

Judge Owens was told Nash was almost immediately locked out of his account with gardai also being satisfied the accused never received any money for his involvement in the scam.

It was also revealed that Nash did not facilitate any of the ATM withdrawals linked to the stolen money and had no role in the setting up of the scheme.

Cory Nash was remanded on bail by Judge Bernadette Owens.

Det Garda Lennon said confirmation as to whether the victim was compensated in full had yet to be fully determined, adding that further enquiries would be made to shed further light on those questions.

Defence solicitor Louis Kiernan said the questions posed by the court were very relevant, stating it was his belief investigating gardai harboured a certain amount of sympathy for his clients plight.

Its a serious matter, we accept that and we have met it with a plea, he said, in referencing Nashs otherwise previous good character.

Judge Owens, in adjourning matters to allow for further time for garda enquiries to be carried out, indicated that while jurisdiction had still to be decided on, it was most likely going to be accepted, meaning the case could be disposed of in the District Court.

She consequently remanded Nash on bail to reappear at a sitting of Mullingar District Court on October 24.
Kim Cattrall is to star in a Radio 4 drama about one of the most powerful women in the CIA (Ian West/PA)

Kim Cattrall is to star in an engrossing new BBC Radio 4 drama about one of the most powerful women in the CIA.

Central Intelligence will also star Ed Harris and Johnny Flynn and follow the true story of CIA officer Eloise Page, played by Cattrall, who joined the agency on its first day in 1947.

She became one of the male-dominated agencys most powerful leaders, and the 10-part series will examine her relationships with early CIA leaders Allen Dulles, played by Harris, and Richard Helms, played by Flynn.

Kim Cattrall will play CIA officer Eloise Page (Yui Mok/PA)

Speaking about her role in the drama, Cattrall said: I was pleased to be asked to join BBC Radio 4s Central Intelligence.

A very well-written, factual and entertaining history of the Central Intelligence Agency from its uncertain inception.

A human story full of false starts, gaffes, blunders, and thankfully triumphs on the world stage.

A thrilling story of Russian roulette.

I was engrossed learning the true story of how this vital agency grew and prospered before and during the Cold War.

Cattrall made her name in the US TV series Sex And The City, in which she played Samantha Jones, and has also starred in films including Police Academy, Star Trek VI: The Undiscovered Country and Big Trouble In Little China.

The series promises to offer listeners a chance to be a fly-on-the-wall for the heated debates and decisions at the CIA that shaped world history, and continue to have ramifications in the present day.

Producers say Pages story will be told with the polite but sharp, brutally honest, questioning mind she was famous for, in an organisation that was long run by a male, pale and Yale hierarchy of men.

They said Page is a compelling witness to the ambitions, values, strengths and weaknesses of a string of early CIA leaders whose decisions  good and bad  have shaped the world we live in.

The first episode will air on Saturday, September 13, as part of the BBCs Limelight podcast feed.

Other commissions announced by the BBC include a new adaptation of King Lear starring Richard Wilson, a new dramatisation of Charles Dickens Hard Times, and an original drama called Breaking The Rules: A House Called Insanity, starring Anne-Marie Duff.
Authorities in Greece have ordered nationwide restrictions for goat and sheep to combat a deadly viral outbreak that is a fresh blow to the domestic livestock industry.

Costas Tsiaras, the minister of agriculture and rural development, on Monday announced the ban on the commercial slaughter of goats and sheep as well as movement for reproduction  expanding measures already in effect in parts of central Greece where the outbreak was first reported.
Fighting on the Pokrovsk front was the fiercest anywhere in the war-scarred east, the General Staff said in a regular battlefield update, adding that Ukraine had fought off 52 Russian assaults there in the last 24 hours. Pokrovsk, a transport hub with a pre-war population of 61,000, lies on a main road that serves as an important supply route to other embattled Ukrainian-held outposts, such as the towns of Chasiv Yar and Kostiantynivka in the Donetsk region. Some residents have fled during the war, but others have settled there after fleeing elsewhere.
Photo Courtesy: PIB

New Delhi: Commerce Minister Piyush Goyal stated Tuesday that the Indian government is not reconsidering its position on foreign direct investment (FDI) from China, indicating that the country may continue to impose stricter scrutiny on investments from Beijing, media reports said.

"It (Economic Survey) is the Chief Economic Adviser's report, it is a report that always gives out new ideas. It is not binding on the government. And there is no rethinking on supporting FDI from China," Goyal was quoted as saying by Moneycontrol.

This stance responds to Chief Economic Advisor Anantha Nageswaran's suggestion in the Economic Survey 2023-24, which advocated for increased FDI from China.

The survey highlights India's growing trade deficit with China, which rose to $85 billion in the last fiscal year from $83.2 billion in 2022-23, and suggests that attracting more Chinese capital could reduce this import dependency.

Choosing FDI as a strategy to benefit from China plus one approach appears more advantageous than relying on trade. This is because China is India's top import partner, and the trade deficit with China has been growing, Nageswaran added.

Nageswaran noted that East Asian economies have benefited from increased FDI and that such investments could enhance Indian exports to the US.

This debate occurs amid a decline in India's net FDI inflows, which fell by 3.5% year-on-year to $44.42 billion in FY24, the lowest in five years, according to the latest data from the Department for Promotion of Industry and Internal Trade (DPIIT).
Mumbai: Jindal Stainless Ltd (JSL) on Tuesday posted a 12 percent fall in consolidated net profit to Rs 646.07 crore during June quarter, mainly on account of lower income. It had clocked Rs 737.58 crore net profit in the year-ago period, media reported, citing an exchange filing.

Total income for the April-June 2023-24 period fell to Rs 9,480.50 crore from Rs 10,227.20 crore in the same quarter the previous year, PTI reported.

Expenses decreased to Rs 8,593.13 crore from Rs 9,279.15 crore. The net profit for April-June FY25 was 29 percent higher compared to Rs 500.65 crore in January-March FY24.

In a post-earnings call, JSL MD Abhyuday Jindal noted that due to stagnant growth in the US and EU markets, the company's export volumes remained flat quarter-on-quarter, the report said.

He also mentioned that the ongoing Red Sea issue has led to longer transit times and higher freight costs from India to Western markets, compounded by a shortage of containers, which has further impacted exports.

Jindal highlighted that the company sources most of its raw materials from nearby shores and domestic suppliers, helping to mitigate cost and time risks from the crisis.

However, he acknowledged that cheap imports from China and Vietnam continue to threaten the domestic industry.

The company's board has given in-principle approval to raise up to Rs 5,000 crore through various instruments in domestic and foreign markets, in one or more tranches, pending shareholders' and regulatory approvals.

The board also approved a notice to seek members' approval for fund-raising via a special resolution at an Extra-ordinary General Meeting.

In a separate statement, Jindal Stainless announced it had supplied special stainless steel for the production of 100 'Made in India' freight wagons for Mozambique.

During the quarter, the company invested approximately Rs 715 crore to enter a joint venture for developing and operating a stainless steel melt shop in Indonesia with an annual production capacity of 1.2 million tonnes per annum.

Additionally, the company allocated around Rs 1,900 crore for the expansion of its downstream lines and Rs 1,450 crore for upgrading infrastructural facilities in Jajpur, Odisha.

During this period, Jindal Stainless also completed the total acquisition of Chromeni Steels Private Limited (CSPL), which owns a 0.6 MTPA cold rolling mill in Mundra, Gujarat, for over Rs 1,600 crore.

This amount includes payments for equity transfer and shareholder debt.
The U.S.-based organization Sikhs for Justice has sparked significant controversy by dedicating todays Khalistan referendum at Calgary City Hall to Talwinder Singh Parmar, the co-conspirator of Canadas deadliest terror attack.

Parmar was instrumental in the 1985 Air India bombings, which resulted in the tragic loss of 329 lives.

Calgary Mayor Jyoti Gondek has come under fire for her handling of the situation. Critics argue that she could have passed a bylaw to prohibit the glorification of terrorists, a measure they claim she reserves for her political opponents rather than her main voting base.

Preparations for the referendum included setting up large tents and barricades at Calgary City Hall, leading to public outcry. A former Sikh community member expressed his dismay, stating, I think this is terrible and shameful that these extremists have been given public space and public resources to put on their terrorist convention.

The events dedication to Parmar and other martyrs of the Khalistan movement has further fueled the controversy. Many view the referendum as an endorsement of violence and extremism, questioning the citys and the Canadian governments stance on such activities.

The Canadian governments insensitivity has reached alarming levels by allowing an extremist organization to glorify and celebrate a terrorist. Talwinder Singh Parmar, who orchestrated the 1985 Air India bombings, killing over 300 Canadians, is being venerated in a public space with apparent governmental acquiescence. This decision blatantly disregards the trauma and grief of the victims families, failing to honor the memory of those who perished in one of Canadas deadliest terror attacks. How could the authorities overlook the pain of the innocent lives lost and their grieving loved ones, allowing such a reprehensible display to proceed?

The issue raises broader concerns about the inconsistency in how terrorist activities are labeled and handled in Canada. Critics point out that while the Canadian administration swiftly condemns groups like Hamas as terrorist organizations, it appears more lenient towards Khalistan extremists. This perceived double standard has led to accusations of vote-bank politics influencing Calgarys policies and making the city a haven for foreign organizations with extremist agendas.

As the debate continues, the Calgary community remains deeply divided, grappling with the implications of allowing such events to take place on public grounds. The controversy highlights the ongoing struggle between maintaining public safety and upholding freedoms, a balance that cities across the world continually strive to achieve.

(Image and Text courtesy: Khalsavox.com)
Photo Courtesy: US Consulate Kolkata PR Team

Consul General Melinda Pavek recently inaugurated the relocated Visa Application Centre in Kolkata when she said the US relationship with India is very important.

Our relationship with India is important. And facilitating people-to-people connections is at its core, Consul General Pavek said.

She said, Our nations recognize the immense potential in collaborating across critical and emerging sectors such as technology, healthcare, renewable energy, and space exploration."

"Streamlined visa processes and facilities that prioritize efficiency and transparency facilitate these collaborations, empowering Indians and Americans to explore new ventures and partnerships," she said.

The officials further said: "This year, we anticipate more than 1.8 million travellers from India with travel to the United States, further growing the ties between our nations.

The relocated VAC will be located at Pataka House (4th Floor), 57B, Mirza Ghalib Street, Taltala, Kolkata  700016 and is operational starting July 28, 2024.

The facility replaces the center in Jasmine Tower, which was closed effective July 27, 2024.

Consul General Pavek was joined by Jeffrey Miles, Visas Coordinator for the U.S. Mission in India, who highlighted the increase in interest in travel to the United States, praising the work of consular officials across the country as they worked to reduce wait times.

As we celebrate the opening of this newly relocated facility, I am reminded of the remarkable achievements in the past year by our consular staff throughout India, he said. In 2023 alone, the U.S. Embassy and Consulates in India processed a record-breaking 1.4 million U.S. visas. This includes over 700,000 visitor visas, demonstrating the immense interest in travel and cultural exchange between India and the United States.
Photo courtesy: Videograb from Facebook/Yogi Aditynath

Lucknow/IBNS: The Uttar Pradesh government Tuesday passed a stringent bill to amend an anti-conversion law, making punishments harsher for those found guilty.

The Yogi Adityanath-led government passed an amendment to the Uttar Pradesh Prohibition of Unlawful Conversion of Religion Act in the assembly.

The anti-conversion law, which earlier had a maximum punishment of maximum 10 years alongside a fine of Rs. 50,000 for fraudulent or forced conversion, will now have stricter punishments like life imprisonment.

The new changes to the law be implemented on anyone who threatens, attacks, marries, promises to marry, conspires, or traffics a woman, minor or any person with the intention of conversion.

These offenses have been categorised as severe crimes. Such offences will lead to a punishment of 20 years of life imprisonment.
Speaking from Drass, the site of one of the most pivotal battles of the Kargil War, Modi directed his remarks towards the sponsors of terrorism in Pakistan, stating, Pakistan has learned nothing from its history. It is seeking to remain relevant by relying on terror. Today I am speaking from a place from where the masters of the terrorists are able to directly hear my voice. I want to convey to the patrons of terrorists that their unholy plans will never be successful. Our brave hearts will crush terrorism with all their might; the enemy will be given a crushing response.

Modis address came at a time when Pakistans role in terrorism has been under intense scrutiny, particularly following recent violence in the Union Territory of Jammu and Kashmir and the broader region. Although the 1999 Kargil conflict involved Pakistani military forces, the current focus is on Pakistans ongoing support for terrorist activities.

Recent incidents have spotlighted the escalating internal security challenges faced by Pakistan. On July 15, terrorists breached the Bannu cantonment in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, resulting in the death of eight Pakistani security personnel and injuring 141 others. The attack was claimed by Jaish Fursan e Muhammad, a group with suspected ties to the Tehreek-e-Taliban-e-Pakistan (TTP). This was followed by a deadly assault on a rural health center in Dera Ismail Khan and further violence in South Waziristan and Mardan.

Pakistans response has been characterized by an extensive security operation, Azm-e-Istehkam (Resolve for Stability), launched by the army. Lt Gen Ahmed Sharif Chaudhry, Director-General of the Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR), defended the operation in a press conference, detailing that over 22,000 security operations have been conducted this year alone, leading to significant terrorist casualties. Chaudhry also emphasized that the operation involves a comprehensive approach, including political, diplomatic, and socio-economic strategies.

Despite these efforts, Pakistan faces a profound challenge from within. The countrys security forces are grappling with increasing attacks from groups like the TTP, while simultaneously contending with a struggling economy. Pakistans financial instability has led to repeated requests for aid from the International Monetary Fund, highlighting a severe economic crisis that persists alongside its security issues.

Moreover, Pakistans continued reliance on terrorism as a tool against India remains a contentious issue. Modis address in Drass not only reaffirmed Indias stance against terrorism but also highlighted a broader strategic shift in Indias focus towards its other neighbor, China. The PMs comments reflect a growing frustration with Pakistans unchanging policies, which, according to critics, hinder Pakistans prospects for economic and social development.

As Pakistan deals with its own internal strife and the repercussions of its foreign policy decisions, the call for a normalized relationship with India becomes increasingly apparent. The ongoing enmity and the persistent use of terrorism as a strategic tool not only strain bilateral relations but also undermine Pakistans own stability and progress.

(Photo nd text courtesy: Khalsavox.com)
Photo courtesy: Dev X handle

Kolkata/IBNS: The Bengali entertainment industry's shutdown after the directors and producers called a strike over tussle with the film federation is likely to see an end with West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee's intervention.

Tollywood superstars Prosenjit Chatterjee, Dev, senior filmmaker Goutam Ghose met Banerjee at her office Nabanna on Tuesday afternoon.

West Bengal minister Aroop Biswas was also present in the meeting.

After the meeting, Dev posted on X, "Thanku didi @MamataOfficial. Hopefully everything will be resolved by evening N will resume shooting from tomorrow Thanks to all the Technicians , producers, directors n all the stakeholders. [sic.]"

Thanku didi @MamataOfficial

Hopefully everything will be resolved by evening

N will resume shooting from tomorrow



Thanks to all the Technicians ,producers, directors n all the stakeholders pic.twitter.com/Su6HqPBbzG  Dev (@idevadhikari) July 30, 2024

Quoting the post, Prosenjit wrote on X, "Thank you didi @MamataOfficial. We all wished to resume shooting from tomorrow with your help. Thanks to all the Technicians, Producers, Directors and all the stakeholders."

Thank you didi @MamataOfficial

We all wished to resume shooting from tomorrow with your help.



Thanks to all the Technicians, Producers, Directors and all the stakeholders. https://t.co/Be5cRMjKrT  Prosenjit Chatterjee (@prosenjitbumba) July 30, 2024

The meeting with the Chief Minister occurred after the directors on Monday late evening said they will continue with their indefinite strike in all mediums, further uniting against the federation over its denial to allow Rahool Mukherjee as the director of an upcoming Prosenjit Chatterjee starrer film under the banner of SVF.

The directors have also demanded a third party as a mediator to resolve the issue.

The directors have also raised issues related to the stringent rules imposed on the directors by the federation.

Image by Avishek Mitra/IBNS

"Time has come to discuss the existing rules and how far they are legally sound. This entire discussion is now triggered by the incident of Rahool Mukherjee," said Kaushik Ganguly.

The halting of work is set to threaten the timely release of various Bengali films and web series, which are scheduled to be released in the next few months.

The airing of daily soaps is also set to be affected.

Genesis of the shutdown

Rahool Mukherjee was announced as the director of an untitled project starring Prosenjit Chatterjee, Anirban Bhattacharya, Priyanka Sarkar by SVF recently.

Federation of Cine Technicians and Workers of Eastern India (FCTWEI) president Swarup Biswas has reportedly claimed Rahool violated the rule by not informing the federation or the Directors' Association of Eastern India about his foreign visit for shooting.

After the ban, SVF replaced Rahool with filmmaker Soumik Haldar, who directed Abar Bibaho Obhijaan last year. Rahool was incorporated into the film as a creative producer by SVF.

Photo courtesy: IBNS

Even after the Directors Association of Eastern India (DAEI) on Friday lifted a three-month break of service which was imposed on Rahool, technicians, as the makers of the upcoming film claimed, refused to take the floor for the shooting of the film.

The situation escalated after several directors, producers and actors from the industry reached the Technicians Studios in Tollygunge, Kolkata, on Saturday morning in a show of support for Rahool, who shot to fame directing Dev starrer Kishmish.

In a press briefing in the evening following its internal meeting, the federation said it has no objection to shooting the film with Soumik Haldar as the director but not Rahool Mukherjee.

Swarup Biswas, who also happens to be the brother of TMC heavyweight Aroop Biswas, cleared that technicians have no problem with working on the project, which is yet untitled, with Soumik Haldar as the director.

Image by Avishek Mitra/IBNS

When asked about how the break of service on Rahool which was lifted was overturned, Biswas said last Saturday, "The decision to overturn can't be done in a moment as it's an organisation which has its rules.

"The decision to impose a break of service was taken through AGM. So the decision to overturn it will also have to be made through a meeting."
Photo Courtesy: Merseyside Police X page

At least two children died and nine others were injured in a knife attack at a Taylor Swift-themed event in northwest England on Monday, police said.

Police have arrested a 17-year-old boy in connection with the stabbing incident in Southport.

Police said he is currently in custody and will be questioned over the attack.

Earlier we held a press conference following the incident that took place in Southport this morning.



Please watch to hear from Chief Constable Serena Kennedy, MFRS Chief Fire Officer Phil Garrigan and NWAS Cheshire and Merseyside Head of Service Dave Kitchin.



To read more, pic.twitter.com/edfwk50BEs  Merseyside Police (@MerseyPolice) July 29, 2024

" At this early stage, enquiries are ongoing to establish the motive for this tragic incident and we would urge people not to speculate while the investigation is ongoing," Merseyside Police said in a statement.

Police said the incident was not currently being treated as terror-related.

Chief Constable Serena Kennedy said in a statement: "Nine other children have been injured, and six of them are in a critical condition, all those injured have suffered stab wounds sustained during the attack. Two adults are also in a critical condition after being injured during the incident."

"It is understood that the children were attending a Taylor Swift event at a dance school when the offender, who was armed with a knife, walked into the premises and started to attack those inside. We believe that the adults who were injured were trying to protect the children at the time they were attacked," the cop said.

UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer described the incident as 'horrendous and shocking'.

Horrendous and deeply shocking news emerging from Southport. My thoughts are with all those affected.



I would like to thank the police and emergency services for their swift response.



I am being kept updated as the situation develops.  Keir Starmer (@Keir_Starmer) July 29, 2024

"Horrendous and deeply shocking news emerging from Southport. My thoughts are with all those affected.I would like to thank the police and emergency services for their swift response.I am being kept updated as the situation develops," he said.
Photo Courtesy: UNOCHA/Siegfried Modola

Senior UN officials on Monday voiced alarm over the continued escalation in conflict in Myanmar, amid reports of direct targeting of civilians in aerial attacks, and the abduction and forced recruitment of children by armed forces.

Fierce fighting broke out in early July in eastern Myanmar, collapsing a ceasefire between the military and a coalition of three ethnic armed groups that had banded together in October last year against the junta.

Reports indicate that the ethnic armed groups have captured key regional towns, while the tatmadaw  as the Myanmar armed forces are known  has employed heavy weapons, including artillery and airstrikes. Hundreds of civilians have been killed and tens of thousands more displaced.

The situation in Myanmar has deteriorated since the military overthrew the elected government in February 2021 and imprisoned its leaders, including President Win Myint, State Counsellor Aung San Suu Kyi and many others. More than 20,000 political prisoners remain incarcerated across the country.

Brutal toll on civilians

In a joint statement, Alice Wairimu Nderitu, UN Special Adviser on the Prevention of Genocide, and Mo Bleeker, UN Special Adviser on the Responsibility to Protect, highlighted the impact of the renewed fighting on civilians.

Since October 2023, civilians across the country are paying the brunt of renewed violence between the ethnic armed groups and the Myanmar military, they said.

They emphasized the obligation of the military to ensure everyone is protected regardless of religion, ethnicity, origin, gender or political affiliation.

The Myanmar military is primarily responsible to address and counter hate speech and prevent incitement to discrimination, hostility, or violence against minorities, as well as to prevent and protect the entire civil population from and against the crimes of genocide, war crimes, and crimes against humanity, they stressed.

Attacks against the Rohingya

Ms. Nderitu and Ms. Bleeker also voiced deep concern over the situation of the members of the minority Muslim Rohingya community in the countrys western Rakhine province, where both the ethnic armed group Arakan Army as well as the military are alleged to have committed gross human rights violations.

These include beheadings, burning of villages, drone attacks and killings of unarmed people fleeing. There are reports that Rohingya as well as civilians from other minorities, are being used as human shields and conscripted into the armed forces and armed groups.

Hate speech is also being used again, since 2017, to stoke ethnic tensions between Rohingya and Arakhan community, with the view to exacerbate interethnic polarization, the statement added.

Rakhine was the site of a brutal crackdown on the Rohingya by the military in 2017, leading to the killing of some 10,000 men, women and newborns and the exodus of nearly 750,000 community members, many of whom continue to languish in refugee camps in neighbouring Bangladesh.

Humanitarian situation

The humanitarian crisis in Myanmar continues to worsen, with an estimated 18.6 million people in need assistance and protection, including about three million internally displaced.

Extreme weather, marked by heavy rains and destructive storms are adding to the plight, destroying homes, crops and livelihoods. Women, children and the elderly are among the worst affected.

Efforts to provide aid are hindered by ongoing fighting and attacks targeting aid workers and assets.

Last month, a UN World Food Programme (WFP) warehouse in Maungdaw in northern Rakhine province was looted and set on fire, destroying enough food to sustain 64,000 people for a month.

Resources for aid programmes also remain a major challenge, with the 2024 Humanitarian Needs and Response Plan critically underfunded, having received only 12 per cent of its $994 million appeal.
Photo Caption: UNRWA

The top UN humanitarian official for Gaza said on Monday that the situation in the war-ravaged enclave remains absolutely catastrophic, with Palestinian civilians enduring a horrendous maelstrom of human misery.

Recently returned from the Gaza Strip, Sigrid Kaag, the UN Senior Humanitarian and Reconstruction Coordinator for Gaza was speaking to journalists at UN Headquarters in New York via video link from Jordan ( play video).

She said that UN teams and partners are working to address the severe shortages of waste management and sanitation facilities, amid the risk of outbreaks of communicable diseases.

While in Gaza, she also visited a mobile maternity ward, run by the UN Population Fund (UNFPA) and the non-profit International Medical Corps.

There are truly brave women doctors, nurses, working to ensure safe deliveries as well as a high number of C-sections, but under horrendous circumstances, she said.

And normally babies, of course, bring only joy and a momentary sense of relief to the families. But we also know that many of the mothers are deeply worried about the future and the world they are bringing their children into, she added.

Ms. Kaag also noted that doctors have reported a rise in the rate of miscarriages in the first and second trimesters, though the reasons are not clear, and that this will be studied further by the experts.

Urgent needs

The senior UN humanitarian also stated that the hospitals she visited also had children suffering severe, often chronic, medical conditions that required medical evacuation (medevac) for treatment.

A number of these children have been displaced four or five times within Gaza, each time in pursuit of safety and medical shelter. I think it is quite difficult for us to even imagine, she said.

Ms. Kaag also outlined key necessities for non-governmental organizations (NGOs) on the ground, especially safety and security for humanitarians as well as for the civilians they are seeking to assist.

She also urged greater support for Palestinian NGOs, who despite heavy losses, continue their efforts to help those in need.

Humanitarian mechanism

Ms. Kaag also referred to the mechanism for accelerating humanitarian consignments to Gaza, which she is tasked with under Security Council resolution 2720.

It is working, it is capturing aid supplies from Jordan, Cyprus, West Bank into Gaza, she said, noting that negotiations are being finalized with Egypt and that the monitors are ready to be deployed inside Gaza.

But what we need is an immediate and full ceasefire, the immediate and unconditional release of all hostages, and, of course, continued access to start to meet the needs, she stressed.
Image posted on X by Israel Defence Forces

Beirut (Lebanon)/IBNS: An Israeli air strike targeted a senior Hezbollah commander in Beirut's southern suburbs late on Tuesday in what the Israeli military said was carried out in retaliation for a cross-border rocket attack three days ago that killed 12 children and teenagers, media reports said.

"Initial report- the IDF carried out a targeted strike in Beirut, on the commander responsible for the murder of the children in Majdal Shams and the killing of numerous additional Israeli civilians. At the moment, there are no changes in the Home Front Command defensive guidelines. If any changes will be made, an update will be released," the Israel Defence Forces posted on X.

Initial report- the IDF carried out a targeted strike in Beirut, on the commander responsible for the murder of the children in Majdal Shams and the killing of numerous additional Israeli civilians. At the moment, there are no changes in the Home Front Command defensive pic.twitter.com/ja9PRE0cZM  Israel Defense Forces (@IDF) July 30, 2024

According to reports, a loud blast was heard and a plume of smoke could be seen rising above the southern suburbs, which is a stronghold of the Iran-backed Lebanese armed group Hezbollah at around 7:40 p.m. (1640 GMT), Reuters quoted a witness as saying.

A senior Lebanese security told Reuters that a senior Hezbollah commander had been the target of the air strike and his fate remained unclear.

Lebanon's state-run national news agency said an Israeli air strike had targeted the area around Hezbollah's Shura Council in the Haret Hreik neighbourhood of the capital.
The Uyghur community, led by the East Turkistan Government in Exile (ETGE) and the East Turkistan National Movement (ETNM), gathered in the US capital Washington DC to mark the 10th anniversary of the 2014 Yarkand massacre.

The members demanded immediate action against China for persecuting Uyghurs.

The East Turkistan Government in Exile (ETGE) posted on X: " #Uyghurs in DC, led b ETGE and @ETNational , commemorated the 10th anniversary of the 2014 #YarkandMassacre, in which 3,000 to 5,000 #Uyghurs were killed by Chinese forces, and called on the U.S. Government to take action to end #China's ongoing #UyghurGenocide. They urged the U.S. to treat #EastTurkistan on par with #Tibet, pass the Senate's #UyghurPolicyAct, appoint a Special Coordinator for East Turkistani issues at the @StateDept, and support the restoration of East Turkistan's independence."

Nine years ago, Chinese security forces violently suppressed a largely peaceful protest in Yarkand, leading to the deaths of many innocent Uyghurs.

In the year preceding Yarkand, Uyghurs had been killed consistently in several violent incidents as a result of security forces and police brutality.

Who are Uyghur Muslims?

Uyghur Muslims are a Turkic minority ethnic group originating from and culturally affiliated with the general region of Central and East Asia. It is now widely publicized that their human rights are crushed by China and they were sent to "re-education camps" by the communist regime in Beijing.

The Uyghurs are recognized as native to the Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region of the People's Republic of China.
Photo Courtesy: Wikimedia Commons/ Rayhan9d/ShareAlike 4.0 International

Fears of fresh unrest stare at Bangladesh after weeks of a deadly showdown between students and political opponents and the Sheikh Hasina government forces over the job quota system even as the United Nations asked for an impartial probe into the country's worst turmoil since the formation of the country in 1971 over countless human sacrifices.

UN chief Antonio Guterres has asked authorities in Bangladesh to promptly, transparently, and impartially investigate all acts of violence in the country in recent times that paralysed normal life in the South Asian nation.

Stephane Dujarric, spokesman for the UN Secretary-General, said: "The Secretary-General remains deeply concerned about the situation in Bangladesh. He notes reports of the resumption of student protests today and reiterates his call for calm and restraint."

"The Secretary-General is concerned about reported mass arrests of thousands of young people and political opposition in connection with the current student movement,"Stephane Dujarric said.

Guterres underscored the importance of due process and the right to freedom of expression and the right to peaceful assembly.

UNSG is alarmed by emerging reports abt excessive use of force by security forces & credible evidence of human rights violations in .

He repeats his call for all acts of violence be investigated promptly transparently & impartially; for those responsible to be held accountable https://t.co/7HOuGbmy6r  UN in Bangladesh (@UNinBangladesh) July 30, 2024

"He is also alarmed by emerging reports about the excessive use of force by security forces and credible evidence of human rights violations. He reiterates his call for all acts of violence to be investigated promptly, transparently, and impartially, and for those responsible to be held to account," he said.

Bangladesh witnessed one of the deadliest protests over job quota issues claiming at least 150 lives. According to media reports, there are possibilities of fresh protests as a section of students gave a call for fresh agitation. Fresh protest call was issued despite six of the student coordinators announcing before the media the withdrawal of the movement. The students alleged that the withdrawal was obtained under duress in police custody.



The protest initially began across colleges and universities but soon spiralled into a national agitation and left several people injured.

#Bangladesh is observing #nationalmourning today in memory of the murdered victims in clashes during #QuotaReformMovement. As much as 150 people were killed in the conflict and #violence surrounding the movement.

To mark the day, black badges are being worn, and special prayers pic.twitter.com/58KrPikT8J  Awami League (@albd1971) July 30, 2024

Security forces cracked down which led to curfew and army patrols on the streets of the national capital. The Internet was suspended for days in Bangladesh amid widespread violence and clashes between protesters and security forces.

The mobile and internet connectivity was unblocked on Sunday, ending the near blackout phase which left Bangladesh nearly shut for 11 days.

Authorities have also increased the day time period of the curfew inorder to help businessmen.

This was the first violent protest that occurred in the country since Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina formed the government for another term after winning the recent general polls in January.

According to reports, the protest could cost the developing nation's economy $10 billion, a hurdle to the country's future progress.

The curfews and internet shutdown to quell a student protest over a government jobs quota is estimated to have a $10 billion impact on the economy and costs are expected to climb further, Zaved Akhtar, president of the Foreign Investors Chamber of Commerce and Industry, told Bloomberg.

While the country is slowly recovering with limited online and physical connectivity, full operations are yet to come back, and we are at best 50% of the economic potential, Akhtar said.

Several experts said the situation in Bangladesh still remained tense.

The terrorists of @bdbnp78 @BJI_Official and @info_shibir used the #QuotaReformMovement to carry out violence against the general people and public properties. They brought hired goons from outside of #Dhaka and ran rampant in several areas incl. Mohakhali and Banani. pic.twitter.com/vtN6eu7QW7  Awami League (@albd1971) July 29, 2024

Questioning the government's action against protesters, Professor Nazmul Ahsan Kalimullah, a political commentator in Bangladesh, told The New Indian Express: "It is an impasse situation, the party in power and the government are trying to quell the movements  using police, rapid action battalion and armed forces. My student, Abu Syed, 25, fell to their bullets. The situation is tense even now as on the pretext of 'block raids' young people are being rounded up and put under detention in cells."

Another activist blamed the current Bangladeshi government for the current situation and said it was not 'legitimate'.

Pinaki Bhattacharya, exiled Bangladesh blogger and human rights activist, told the Indian newspaper: "Our statistics (we have the entire list) confirms that 266 people have died during these protests. We dont consider the present government as legitimate. They are maintaining power through brutal force which has led to gross human rights violations. The opposition too has been silenced. From being a mere student protest this is soon turning into a revolution against the government."

Sheikh Hasina, the longest-serving PM of the country, blamed the opposition for capitalising on the situation and carrying out deadly attacks in the country.

Stipulating that 93 percent of recruitments will be on merit now, Bangladesh Supreme Court this month scrapped most of the quotas in government jobs which had led to massive protests.
Photo Courtesy: Unsplash

Tribal clashes erupted in Pakistan's Kurram district for the past several days which left at least 49 people dead and 200 others injured, with many believing it was a result of Shia-Sunni conflict in the region.

According to the police and district administration, armed clashes between Boshehra and Maleekhel tribesmen had begun on the evening of July 24, reported Dawn News.

Local jigra leaders tried to intervene and solve the situation but fighting continued with both sides using heavy weapons to target each other.

However, the ceasefire has been reached and situation has improved since Monday night.

Both tribes have agreed to a ceasefire and the clashes have been halted since last night, Kurram DC Javedullah Mehsud told Dawn.com.

The parties were made to clear the bunkers [and] security forces have been deployed there, while no gunfire was reported at five locations of Kurram District, he asserted.

Meanwhile, a section of the media claimed the clash actually occurred between Shia and Sunni community members.

The root cause of the conflict, as reported by mainstream media, is a land dispute between different tribes. These tribes are divided along sectarian lines, with some being Shia and others Sunni, reported Organiser.

Many on social media have labelled the violence as a sectarian conflict, even calling it genocide against the Shia community, the media report said.
Upcoming Bengali movies and web series on OTT: The demand for OTT content is on the rise, so the platforms too are working towards providing new and unique content on a daily basis to their consumers. With the demand for OTT content increasing, there is also an increase in the number of filters based on what exactly consumers want. Just like there are hardcore Tamil, Telugu, and Malayalam content consumers online, there is a big following for Bengali content as well. Here is the list of upcoming Bengali movies and web series on OTT and their release dates. Bengali content is mostly streamed on OTT platforms like Hoichol, Amazon Prime Video, Hotstar, and Netflix, among others.

Upcoming Bengali movies, web series releasing on OTT - Hoichoi, Netflix, SonyLIV and others

For now, the most talked-about upcoming Bengali releases include Pradhan, Parineeta, Nikhoj 2, Indu Season 3 and many others.

Toofan - Hoichoi and Chorki, September 19

After its record-breaking performance at the theatres, the Bengali film titled Toofan is all set to be released on OTT platforms like Hoichoi and Chorki. The OTT release date of this film has been set for September 19. Wondering what the film is all about? The storyline revolves around a man whose life circumstances turn him into a ganster and eventually the nationwide famous name for his deeds.

Also Read: Toofan OTT release date Hoichoi: When to watch this Bengali action thriller

Pradhan - Hoichoi, streaming now

The blockbuster movie Pradhan, after winning all hearts during its theatrical run, is all set to be released on OTT platform Hoichoi now. The action thriller will be available from August 09 for streaming. Pradhan was a hit movie in 2023. The story of the movie revolves around a young policeman, Deepak Pradhan.

Also Read: Pradhan OTT release date Hoichoi: When to watch Paran B's Bengali film

Here's the trailer for Prdhan:



Parineeta - Hoichoi, streaming now

Directed by Aditi Roy, the upcoming Bengali series Parineeta will star actors like Debchandrima Singha Roy and Gaurav Chakrabarty. Parineeta will be part of the shows running on Hoichoi under the campaign 'Best of Bengal', which will showcase the stories of Bengal.

Kaantaye Kaantaye - Zee5, streaming now

This Bengali series is a murder mystery streaming on OTT platform Zee5. The suspense thriller show is directed by Joydeep Mukherjee and the show is produced by Shyamsundar De. The show is said to be inspired by the novel Sonar Kaanta.

Also Read: Kaantaye Kaantaye OTT release date Zee5: When to watch the Bengali murder-mystery

The star cast of the series includes actors like Saswata Chatterjee, Ananya Chatterjee, Payel Sarkar, Subrat Dutta, Prantik Banerjee, Kinjal Kumar Nanda, and Aishani De, among others.

Nikhoj 2 - Hoichoi

Directed by Ayan Chakraborti, the successful series Nikhoj is going to be back soon on Hoichoi. The series, which has actress Swastika Mukherjee in the lead roles, is about the disappearance of DCP Brinda Basu's daughter. The story revolves around an investigation to find the girl. The release date of the series has not been announced yet, but the trailer is out.

Talmar Romeo Juliet - Hoichoi, November 1

This series is about to debut on Hoichoi in November. Though not much is known about the storyline of the series, it is said that the miniseries will be based on the Shakespearean tragedy of Romeo and Juliet.

Indu Season 3 - Hoichoi

The Hoichoi original series, Indu, is about a woman and her married life. The story revolves around Indu, who is confused after witnessing mysterious signs of the devil's presence in her life. Now season 4 of the series is also coming, where Indu is still trying to solve the mysteries around her.

Also Read: The Umbrella Academy Season 4 OTT release date Netflix: When to watch this Tom Hopper's show

The release date and the trailer for season 3 have not been announced yet, but the makers released a teaser earlier this that informed the fans that the series has been renewed.

Dakghor 2 - Hoichoi



Part 2 of the Hoichoi webseries Dakghor is soon to return on the OTT platform. The story of Dakghor revolves around a character named Damodar Das, who lives in Hagda village as a postmaster.

The story is about the simple aspirations that Das has in life. The trailer for the show is out, but the release date is still being announced.

The list of Bengali movies and series will be updated with the newest releases, so stay tuned for more and the latest updates.

For more news and updates from the world of OTT, and celebrities from Bollywood and Hollywood, keep reading Indiatimes Entertainment.


Ever since yoga became an accepted mainstream form of exercise as well as meditation, the craze around it has led to a huge surge in popularity. With so much information available about it on the internet, just a few clicks away from your fingers we often get overwhelmed with what to follow. If you are also not sure what to do, allow us to introduce you to the Chandra Namaskar yoga routine.



Also Read: Practise these 10-minute yoga stretches every day to boost immunity

What is Chandra Namaskar?

Chandra Namaskar is made up of two Hindi words, 'chandra' which means the moon and 'namaskar' which is the traditional Indian gesture of greeting. Combining the two words, 'Chandra Namaskar' is simplistically a sequence of yoga asanas or poses for salutation to the moon. Chandra Namaskar is ideally performed in the evening to honour the moon's soothing properties and welcome its sense of calm in our own lives, Just like Surya Namaskar, it involves a yoga routine which is all about stretching your body and controlling your breathing while doing so.

Health benefits of Chandra Namaskar

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1) Increases flexibility

The flow of yoga poses that make the Chandra Namaskar helps in increasing the flexibility of the pelvic region and strengthens the muscle of your lower back, according to a research study.

2) Cardiovascular benefits

According to research published in the European Journal of Preventive Cardiology, regular practice of yoga poses helps reduce several risk factors for heart disease such as BMI, blood pressure and cholesterol.

3) Reduces stress

Following a set pattern while gently exercising your muscles and practising deep breathing helps your body as well as your mind relax. According to a research study, people who regularly practice such Hatha yoga poses found it to be very beneficial in dealing with stress-related anxiety and depression.

Also Read: Practise these 6 easy yoga stretches and kick period cramps to the curb

How to do Chandra Namaskar

According to Raj Yoga Rishikesh, here's a simple sequence that you can follow to practice Chandra Namaskar

Step one: Prayer Pose (Pranam Asana)

Step two: Raised-arms Pose (Hasta Uttanasana)

Step three: Standing Forward Bend Pose (Padahastasana)

Step four: Equestrian Pose (Ashwasanchalan Asana)

Step five: Half-moon Pose (Ardha Chandrasana)

Step six: Plank Pose (Santolanasana)

Step seven: Eight-limbed Bow Pose (Ashtanga Pranamasana)

Step eight: Cobra Pose (Bhujangasana)

Step nine: Downward-facing Dog Pose (Adhomukhi Swanasana)

Step ten: Equestrian Pose (Ashwasanchalan Asana)

Step eleven: Half-moon Pose (Ardha Chandrasana)

Step twelve: Standing Forward Bend Pose (Padahastasana )

Step thirteen: Raised-Arms Pose (Hastha Utthan Asana)

Step fourteen: Prayer Pose (Pranam Asana)

Also Read: Mom-to-be Deepika Padukone shares simple 5-minute workout with Viparita Karani yoga pose

For more on health, relationships and fashion from around the world please visit Indiatimes Lifestyle.
Life's challenges, whether it's the loss of a loved one, heartbreak, or financial struggles, can feel overwhelming. During such difficult times, it's crucial to be compassionate toward yourself. Buddha's Two Arrows Theory offers a valuable perspective on how to navigate these rough patches with greater ease and self-kindness.

Read More: 7 Easy Tips To Declutter Your Room And Your Mind For A Fresh Start



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What is Buddha's Two Arrows Theory?

Buddha's Two Arrows Theory is a metaphor used in Buddhist teachings to describe how we experience and respond to suffering. According to this theory:

The First Arrow: This represents the initial, unavoidable pain or difficulty. It's the natural suffering that comes from life events. This arrow is the actual event or circumstance that causes you pain.

The Second Arrow: This symbolises the additional suffering we inflict upon ourselves through our reactions to the initial pain. It encompasses feelings of anger, self-blame, and despair that we might add to our experience. For example, if you lose a job, the first arrow is the job loss itself, while the second arrow might be the self-criticism and anxiety you experience as a result.

Read More: 5 things that we need to normalise for men and their mental health

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How Does the Theory Work?

The theory highlights that while we cannot always avoid the first arrow (the unavoidable pain), we have control over how we respond to it. By understanding this, we can acknowledge the pain and minimise the blow of the second arrow by not adding unnecessary layers of suffering through negative self-talk or excessive rumination.

What Can You Do When Facing Tough Times?

Acknowledge Your Feelings: Allow yourself to feel the pain and understand that its a natural response to challenging situations. Whether its grief, heartbreak, or financial stress, its important to recognise your emotions without judgment.

Practice Self-Compassion: Be kind to yourself. Instead of criticising or blaming yourself, treat yourself with the same compassion and understanding you would offer to a friend in a similar situation. Engage in self-care activities that nurture your well-being.

Mindfulness and Acceptance: Use mindfulness techniques to stay present and observe your thoughts and feelings without getting overwhelmed. Acceptance involves acknowledging the situation without resisting or trying to change it immediately.

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Seek Support: Reach out to friends, family, or a mental health professional. Sharing your feelings and seeking support can help you process your emotions and gain perspective.

Engage in Healthy Coping Strategies: Find constructive ways to cope with your feelings, such as journaling, exercising, or engaging in hobbies that bring you joy and distraction.

Set Small Goals: Focus on small, manageable steps to improve your situation or well-being. This can help you regain a sense of control and accomplishment.

Read More: Can yogurt help prevent depression and anxiety? Study suggests yes

Buddha's Two Arrows Theory teaches us that while we cannot always prevent the initial pain or difficulty in life, we have the power to choose how we respond to it. By being mindful of the second arrowour additional sufferingwe can practice self-compassion and navigate tough times with greater ease.

For more on lifestyle, astrology and health from around the world please visit Indiatimes Lifestyle.
Bank Holidays in August 2024: In India, banks observe holidays throughout the year. These include national holidays, state festivals, and other significant days. August 2024 brings a series of bank holidays across India, with banks closing for a total of 13 days throughout the month. These closures include weekends, public holidays, and state-specific celebrations. Whether you're planning to visit your bank or handle important transactions, its crucial to be aware of these dates to avoid any last-minute surprises. The Reserve Bank of India (RBI) sets these holidays, which are categorized into Negotiable Instruments Act holidays, Real-Time Gross Settlement (RTGS) holidays, and Banks' Closing of Accounts days. On these days, banks are closed and traditional banking services are unavailable.



Importance of Digital Banking Solutions

Even when banks are closed, digital banking services keep financial transactions going. Online banking platforms, mobile apps, and digital payment methods like UPI, IMPS, and net banking are still available. These tools let you handle various financial tasks smoothly, even on bank holidays.

State-Specific Bank Holidays

Each state in India also has its own regional festivals and holidays. These state-specific holidays add to the variety of bank holidays and can differ from one region to another.

Regular Weekly Bank Holidays

Besides the holidays set by the RBI, banks in India are closed on the second and fourth Saturdays of each month, as well as on Sundays. These regular weekly holidays should be kept in mind when planning your banking activities.

According to RBI guidelines, banks will be closed on August 3, 8, 13, 15, 19, and 20. Additionally, banks will be closed on Sundays, which fall on August 4, 11, 18, and 25, and on the second and fourth Saturdays, August 10 and 24.

Overview of Bank Holidays in August 2024

In August 2024, banks will observe holidays due to weekends, public holidays, and state-specific festivals. Typically, banks are closed on the second and fourth Saturdays of each month, as well as on Sundays. Additionally, public holidays and state-specific celebrations contribute to the number of closed days.

National and Regional Bank Holidays in August 2024

Here is a detailed list of bank holidays in August 2024:

August 3 (Saturday): Banks will be closed in Agartala for Ker Puja .

Banks will be closed in Agartala for . August 4 (Sunday): Banks will be closed nationwide for the weekend.

Banks will be closed nationwide for the weekend. August 8 (Thursday): Banks in Gangtok will be closed for Tendong Lho Rum Faat .

Banks in Gangtok will be closed for . August 10 (Saturday): Banks will be closed across the country due to the second Saturday.

Banks will be closed across the country due to the second Saturday. August 11 (Sunday): Banks will be closed nationwide for the weekend.

Banks will be closed nationwide for the weekend. August 13 (Tuesday): Banks in Imphal will be closed for Patriot's Day .

Banks in Imphal will be closed for . August 15 (Thursday): All banks across India will be closed for Independence Day .

All banks across India will be closed for . August 18 (Sunday): Banks will be closed nationwide for the weekend.

Banks will be closed nationwide for the weekend. August 19 (Monday): Banks will be closed in Tripura, Gujarat, Odisha, Uttarakhand, Rajasthan, Uttar Pradesh, and Himachal Pradesh for Raksha Bandhan .

Banks will be closed in Tripura, Gujarat, Odisha, Uttarakhand, Rajasthan, Uttar Pradesh, and Himachal Pradesh for . August 20 (Tuesday): Banks in Kochi will be closed for Sree Narayana Guru Jayanthi .

Banks in Kochi will be closed for . August 24 (Saturday): Banks will be closed across the country due to the fourth Saturday.

Banks will be closed across the country due to the fourth Saturday. August 25 (Sunday): Banks will be closed nationwide for the weekend.

Banks will be closed nationwide for the weekend. August 26 (Monday): Banks will be closed in Gujarat, Odisha, Chandigarh, Tamil Nadu, Uttarakhand, Sikkim, Andhra Pradesh, Telangana, Rajasthan, Jammu, Uttar Pradesh, West Bengal, Bihar, Chhattisgarh, Jharkhand, Meghalaya, Himachal Pradesh, and Srinagar for Janmashtami or Krishna Jayanthi.

Categories of Bank Holidays

The RBI categorizes bank holidays into three main types:

Negotiable Instruments Act Holidays  These are days when banks are closed due to specific statutory holidays.

Real-Time Gross Settlement Holidays  These holidays impact transactions that are settled in real-time.

Banks' Closing of Accounts  These are designated days when banks close their accounts for the year-end or financial year-end.

Plan Your Bank Visits

Given the number of bank holidays in August 2024, it's important to plan your banking activities in advance. Ensure you complete any necessary transactions before these dates to avoid any disruptions. Keep an eye on your bank's specific holiday schedule as it may vary by location.

For a smooth banking experience, make a note of these bank holidays and adjust your plans accordingly.

For the latest and more interesting financial news, keep reading Indiatimes Worth. Click here
Having children can profoundly impact one's life. While most people plan their families carefully, considering financial and other factors, billionaire business owners often have different priorities. Take tech magnate Elon Musk, for example. The CEO of Tesla and SpaceX has fathered 12 children, though one has sadly passed away. His 11 surviving children will carry on his legacy.

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Recently, Pavel Durov, CEO and co-founder of Telegram, made a big revelation that has stunned many on the internet. Durov disclosed that he has fathered over 100 children across 12 countries through sperm donation. He shared this news in a detailed note on his messaging platform, outlining how he achieved this remarkable number of biological offspring. Additionally, the tech entrepreneur announced that he plans to open-source his DNA, allowing his biological children to find each other more easily. Talk about real life Vicky Donor, eh?



Also Read: Elon Musk's growing brood: 11 children & counting, tech tycoon welcomes 3rd child with Neuralink partner

Why did he choose to become a sperm donor?

In his Telegram share he wrote, I was just told that I have over 100 biological kids. How is this possible for a guy who has never been married and prefers to live alone?

He then explained how it all began. Fifteen years ago, a friend of mine approached me with a weird request. He said that he and his wife couldnt have kids due to a fertility issue and asked me to donate sperm at a clinic for them to have a baby. I laughed my ass off before realising he was dead serious.

south-china-morning-post

During his visit to the sperm clinic, he was told that he was high-quality donor material and that his donation could help childless couples across the world.



This sounded crazy enough to get me to sign up for sperm donation, said Durov.

Mr Durov continued, "This sounded crazy enough to get me to sign up for sperm donation. Fast forward to 2024, my past donating activity has helped over a hundred couples in 12 countries to have kids. Moreover, many years after I stopped being a donor, at least one IVF clinic still has my frozen sperm available for anonymous use by families who want to have kids."

The Telegram CEO has no regrets of being a sperm donor

cryptorank news

Durov expressed his desire to open-source his DNA. Of course, there are risks, but I dont regret having been a donor. The shortage of healthy sperm has become an increasingly serious issue worldwide, and Im proud that I did my part to help alleviate it, he added.



Why did he reveal about being a sperm donor?

He claimed that his reason is to help destigmatise the whole notion of sperm donation and incentivise more healthy men to do it. He concluded his share by saying, Defy convention  redefine the norm!

Since being shared, his post has been viewed by over 1.8 million people.

Read his entire post here:

Du Rove's channel/Telegram

According to Forbes, the 39-year-old resides in Dubai, United Arab Emirates. At the age of 22, he founded Vkontakte, Russia's largest social network.


The Arcadian was en route from Thessaloniki to Alexandria, Egypt , carrying 1,155 military personnel. During the voyage , the threat of an enemy submarine off Ikaria forced it to navigate through the Cyclades to avoid detection.
Primate Elijah Ayodele, leader of INRI Evangelical Spiritual Church, says the President Bola Ahmed Tinubus administration wont listen to the cries of Nigerians except the planned August 1 nationwide protest goes on.

He further described the planned protest as a wake-up call for Tinubu, Senators, and State Governors.

In a statement by his spokesman, Oluwatosin Osho, Ayodele said Tinubus administration had not done enough to curb hardship and hunger in the country.

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According to him, the only way the government could feel the pains of the people was through protest.

The popular cleric, however, made it known that he isnt encouraging protest because it is not the solution to the current hardship.

READ ALSO: EndBadGovt: There Was No Protest During Buharis Era  Fayose Slams Protesters, Says Nigeria Is Difficult To Govern

The protest is a wake-up call for the government, it is not a solution but it will make the President, governors, senators wake up. It will be a form of check and balance.

This government has not done well to reduce the hardship in the country. Nigerians are tired but I wont encourage protest; but there is no way this government will listen if such doesnt happen.

He called on protesters to be peaceful in their approaches and avoid violence in order not to put the country in a state of anarchy.

I also want to urge protesters not to put the country into a state of anarchy; they should be civil and peaceful in their approaches to the government, he added.
The Osun State Government, on Monday, directed all schools, to embark on immediate third term holiday break over the End Bad Governance protests scheduled for August 1 to 10, 2024.

The government wmalso charged parents and guardians to take full custody of their wards before the commencement of the protest.

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A statement issued by the Permanent Secretary of Education, Kehinde Jimoh, read: This is to inform the general public, particularly parents, guardians and heads of both public and private schools in the state that due to the planned nationwide protests, all schools are directed to proceed on the third term vacation From Wednesday 31st July, 2023.

READ ALSO: Hardship: Nigeria Is Not Lagos, Tinubu Needs PDPs Experience To Succeed  Segun Sowunmi (Video)

Parents and Guardians are advised to ensure the safety of their wards during the vacation.

Special Assistant to President Bola Ahmed Tinubu on Youth Initiatives, Monitoring and Delivery, Titilope Gbadamosi, had earlier pleaded with youths in Oyo State to shun the planned protests against economic hardship.

Gbadamosi made the plea while addressing various youth organisations gathered at a stakeholders meeting on the planned nationwide protest.
As angry Nigerians continue to prepare ahead of nationwide protest, the Yobe State government has announced its intention to close all schools in the state.

INFORMATION NIGERIA reports that the decision of the state government is coming, following the proposed rally by some citizens against hardship facing the nation.

It was gathered that the protest, tagged EndBadGovernment will kick off in major cities across the country, on the 1st of August, 2024.

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Following the decision by the agitators, security agencies and some stakeholders have been warning the demonstrators to avoid the planned nationwide movement, adding that it might be hijacked by hoodlums and lead to security threats.

Reacting to the development in a memo made available to newsmen on Tuesday, the State Ministry of Basic and Secondary Education, signed by the Director of Schools Management, Bukar M Modu, said that schools in the state would be closed on Wednesday, July 31.

Bukar added that the decision became necessary in light of the planned nationwide protest, adding that the schools would resume academic activities on September 15, 2024.

Also confirming the sudden closure, the State Commissioner, Ministry of Basic and Secondary Education Professor Abba Idriss Adam, said that no one could predict what would be the end of protest.

READ MORE: Hunger Protest: IGP Orders Police Chiefs To Protect Nationwide Protesters

He said: You know we might know the beginning of this protest but could not predict the consequences. We dont want to risk the lives of these innocent pupils, in a situation whereby something could happen to them.

Since we have come to the end of this academic session which would be Friday, 2nd August 2024, so we have decided to shut down the schools effective from Wednesday, 31 July 2024 for their safety.

Although we are optimistic, we would have peace of mind and feel comfortable if these protests happened when these pupils were with their parents at home.

If we send these boys to their parents, at least the ministry has discharged its responsibility by keeping these pupils safe and we feel that even some of these boys preferred to stay with their parents and guardians.
Yoruba Nation agitator, Sunday Adeyemo, popularly known as Sunday Igboho, on Monday, opposed the nationwide protests planned for August 1, addressing the natuins6 hardship.

Igboho who criticized the protests via a statement, said, These unknown and faceless individuals aim to disintegrate the country.

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He further praised President Bola Ahmed Tinubu for implementing revolutionary policies and warned that the protests could be hijacked by those with ulterior motives.

While acknowledging the constitutional right to peaceful protest, Igboho stressed, Calls for unconstitutional regime change are unacceptable. He noted that during President Buharis tenure, protests were focused on community protection, not destabilization.

READ ALSO: Well Use Eagles Square With Or Without Wikes Permission  Protest Organisers Insist

Igboho highlighted the global nature of economic hardships and praised the governments efforts to alleviate them, such as increasing the minimum wage from 30,000 to 70,000. He described the protest as politically motivated and urged Yoruba people to reject it.

He emphasized the need for democratic processes to achieve change, urging patience until the 2027 elections.

Warning against violence, he said, We will firmly resist any attempts to instigate violence. Stay off the streets during protest days.

Igboho further called for dialogue, urging cooperation between the government, protest organizers, and supporters to address the nations challenges.


Those seeking to protest hardship do not have the right to destabilise the country, Senate President Godswill Akpabio, has said.

This is as he accused politicians who lost out during the last general elections of being behind the protest to take over the government through the backdoor.

Akpabio spoke during the signing of the new Minimum Wage by President Bola Ahmed Tinubu at the Presidential Villa on Monday.

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While stating that he was excited about the Nigerian worker and the National Minimum Wage amendment said, It is a great day for the workers in the country. We are not only doubling the minimum wage, we have added something on top. Initially, it was N30,000, now it is N70,000.

Like I said, this is minimum, this is not maximum. Any employer that has a capacity can pay as much as you want. But no Nigerian worker will offer services and be paid anything less than 70,000 from today. That is the implication of this act. It applies all over the nation.

We are excited that this is happening at a time like this through President Bola Ahmed Tinubu; a man who cares for the Nigerian workers. And youve seen what we are doing in the National Assembly. When it came, the National Assembly moved and passed the bill in one day out of excitement. We felt that this was not something we could delay. So I think the workers are happy.

READ ALSO: We Want Peace In FCT  Wike Bows To Pressure, Begs Protesters To Suspend Nationwide Protest

I want to use this opportunity to call on those who are attempting to foment trouble; that you have a right to protest. It is your fundamental right. It is there in the constitution.

But you dont have a right to destabilize the country. The right to protest should not be turned into the right to unleash violence. Its very clear that people who are behind this are very amorphous, very faceless. So what it means is people are preparing to loot and go round and do all sorts of things. Where we are today was not caused by one years administration.

It is the outcome of years of insecurity. Many people could not go to farms for almost 10 years and know that and the President has risen to the occasion. Every food item that is coming in now will come in without anything like a restaurant solution. Theres no restrictions, because Nigerians need to eat. And then at the same time, most things are coming in with a lot of waivers.

So my appeal to the Nigerian youth is do not allow any group to mislead you politically. People who probably do not have their fortunes in 2023 election are thinking they can come through the back door and that will amount to anarchy. Any destruction of any property will cause Nigeria money. We dont have the money. Instead, lets put the money in developing you and developing your environ instead of going to rebuild.

According to him, the bill for the amendment of the budget to finance the new minimum wage will be signed on Wednesday.

Fielding questions on the bill to finance the New Minimum wage, he said, We have gone very far with it. And I expect that by Wednesday it will be signed (the bill to finance the New Minimum Wage).
Childcare business owners wait for information at the Caring People Alliance, which was hired by the state to handle payments to childcare centers. CPA will no longer handle payments  another provider was chosen by the state  but some childcare owners say CPA still owes them for services rendered in June. Read more

Some Philadelphia childcare centers operations are in jeopardy, owners say, after a nonprofit that was supposed to pay them for services already rendered failed to do so.

Many of the providers showed up at the Center City headquarters of Caring People Alliance on Monday, demanding checks  and answers.

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Michelle Drummond, owner of Thomas Learning Academy in the citys Nicetown section, came to CPAs office because, for the first time in her 12 years in business, she had to shut her center down because she didnt have the money to operate. So far, shes been closed for two days because of the lack of payment for the care she provided to children for the entire month of June.

 READ MORE: Childcare staff often make less money than retail workers. Thats causing staff shortages and long waitlists at daycares

Its really not fair, but under the circumstances, I cant afford to have my doors open, run electric, feed the children, and maintain without proper checks coming in, said Drummond, who is considering using credit cards or downsizing her already bare-bones staff  she only has three workers, including herself  to make ends meet.

Ive got to bite the bullet somewhere, said Drummond, who said the families she serves are upset and scrambling to find alternative childcare for their children.

Childcare centers typically operate on the narrowest of financial margins.

Most in Philadelphia rely heavily on state subsidies given to low-income families with children, and for years, CPA was the state-designated early learning resource center Pennsylvania contracted with to pay all Philadelphia childcare providers on its behalf. The providers submitted invoices to CPA for services provided the previous month.

A representative from CPA said the organization, which also operates Boys and Girls Clubs and older adult programs in Philadelphia, laid off 123 workers from its early learning resource center. After five years of managing the state subsidy program for Philadelphia centers, CPA was notified in October that it had lost the work as of June 30 and that the Public Health Management Corp. would take over going forward.

This week isnt easy, said Caitlin Butrica, a spokesperson for CPA. Employees have left and gone to the other provider, she said.

Jerry Macdonald, CPAs CEO, said in a statement that all Philadelphia childcare providers were told on June 24 that they had to submit June invoices by July 5 in order to be paid on time and were also warned that any invoices sent after July 15 may not be paid.

Macdonald said CPA mailed checks to every provider who had submitted an invoice by July 5. As of Monday, 1,323 checks had cleared the bank, and almost 90% of state funds had been disbursed, he said.

Rumors that checks have not been honored or returned for insufficient funds are false, Macdonald said. The remaining staff is completing the close-out activities required for this grant. We are working diligently to process invoices received after July 5 and before July 15 in the order that they were received. All final payments will be processed as soon as possible on or before the contractually required date of Aug. 20, 2024.

Ali Fogarty, a spokesperson for the Pennsylvania Department of Human Services, said the office is aware of the issues some providers are experiencing with payment for care provided in June. We are closely monitoring the situation and working with affected parties to ensure that providers receive the payments to which they are entitled.

This could close my doors

A number of providers said they still had not been paid as of Monday and were in precarious positions.

Joseph Martin said he might have to shut down his business, Acclaim Academy in Germantown, because of the missed June payment.

Martin recently got a loan to help cover rent and payroll, but cant make payments because CPA hasnt paid him. He recently got notice that hes in violation of his loan agreement, and also owes a contractor $3,000, he said.

Its disastrous, said Martin. I have accounts that are turning red. The checks are bouncing because I had my payments come out on the day that Im supposed to get paid.

Over 14 years in the childcare business, Ive never, ever had a missed payment until now, Martin said, but this could take me out. This could close my doors.

Damaris Alvarado-Rodriguez, owner of three Childrens Playhouse early childhood education centers in South Philadelphia and Fairhill, said she and other providers typically got their checks for the previous months services on the 19th of every month.

After providers realized they werent paid on time, a number of them raised a stink, and a few got paid, but most did not, she said.

She submitted her invoices on time but hasnt seen a check, so she and about 30 other childcare providers showed up at CPAs offices Monday.

Alvarado-Rodriguez, whos in the process of opening up a new childcare center, has been able to make her payroll but had to freeze all purchases.

If someone says, Hey, we need water, I have to say, Well, youre going to have to wait because I have no money, said Alvarado-Rodriguez. She also canceled students summer trip to the Franklin Institute because she doesnt have the funds.

The whole situation rankles Alvarado-Rodriguez. Most of the providers are women and people of color, and the industry as a whole is fragile. But at the end of the day, the people who suffer most are vulnerable children, she said.

Its not fair to these kids, said Alvarado-Rodriguez. These are underprivileged children that rarely get chances to go out and do things, and were penalizing them.
A federal trial featuring claims that the Central Bucks School District discriminated against more than 300 female teachers by paying them less than male colleagues ended in a hung jury Tuesday.

The women  current and former teachers who worked for the district as early as 2000  said the district treated male teachers more favorably than them. While the women said they were paid less than their years of teaching experience warranted under the districts salary schedule, they cited examples of male teachers who were credited with their full years of experience, or given credit for experience they didnt have. The district said the plaintiffs comparisons were unfair.

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The district asserted and continues to assert that no employees are compensated or treated differently based on sex or any other factor related to their identity, district officials said in a message to the community Tuesday.

They noted that with no verdict issued at the end of the trial  which began last week in U.S. District Court in Philadelphia  the case may be litigated again in the future.

Becky Cartee-Haring, an English teacher who has been suing the district over unequal pay since 2020, said Tuesday she will continue to pursue the case.

Its disappointing. Im not necessarily disappointed in the jury  there were a lot of very complicated details, said Cartee-Haring. She said the judge excluded a number of pieces of the plaintiffs evidence including a statistical analysis that Cartee-Haring said found the districts practices were biased against women  because they werent presented to the court early enough.

A juror told Cartee-Haring after the trial that the jury was split 6-2 in the womens favor, Cartee-Haring said.

They have a decades-long problem here, and its not going away, she said of the district.

Karen Smith, the president of the Central Bucks school board, said Tuesday that the district would continue to look at our employment practices and review them going forward.

Were relieved to hear we proved our case to some of the jury, she said. But it remains unsettling some of our staff have these concerns about our employment.

The women had sought $102 million in back pay and damages, along with attorneys fees and an order that the district pay the female teachers at higher rates going forward.

Cartee-Haring said that recently, the women had offered to settle the case for $30 million. They then offered $45 million after discovering additional evidence of two men who were initially placed on the lowest step on the districts salary scale, but who received pay increases of $13,000 and $19,000 in 2021.

Smith declined to comment on the specifics of settlement negotiations  saying the judge had ordered that those conversations remain confidential. But of the $30 million and $45 million, she said, one of those numbers is not accurate.

Smith said her comments were only on behalf of eight board members; the ninth, Rick Haring, is married to Cartee-Haring and has not been a part of board discussions about the case.

On Friday, Cartee-Haring said, she proposed settling by placing 106 current female teachers at higher steps  an increase the district said would cost $2.4 million annually.

That was rejected, said Cartee-Haring, who submitted her resignation that day.

Smith said that was not an accurate representation.
In this May 5, 2017, file photo, former Centre County District Attorney Stacy Parks Miller, left, announced findings in an investigation into the death of Penn State University fraternity pledge Tim Piazza, seen in photo at right, as his parents, Jim and Evelyn Piazza, second and third from left, stand nearby during a news conference in Bellefonte. Read more

Two former Pennsylvania State University fraternity members involved in a 2017 fraternity hazing case in which student Tim Piazza died have entered guilty pleas, bringing closure to a case that has dragged on for more than seven years, Pennsylvanias attorney general announced Tuesday.

Brendan Young, who had been president of the Beta Theta Pi fraternity, and Daniel Casey, who had been vice president and pledge master, have pleaded guilty to 14 counts of hazing and one count of reckless endangerment  all misdemeanors, according to the office of Attorney General Michelle Henry.

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Young, 28, who had been from Malvern at the time, and Casey, 27, who had been from Ronkonkoma, N.Y., participated in and facilitated the hazing event, the attorney generals office said.

 READ MORE: Penn State frat death raises questions for grieving parents

The case drew national attention as video surveillance from the fraternity house on the night Piazza was fatally injured was played in court, showing Piazza, who was from Hunterdon County, N.J., and others moving through a drinking obstacle course and chugging alcohol. The video also showed Piazza in the early morning staggering and falling in the fraternity house, dropping to his knees, and clutching his injured head, and no one helping him.

Casey and Young are due to be sentenced Oct. 1. Jim and Evelyn Piazza, Tim Piazzas parents, will appear in court to provide their victim impact statements, said their attorney Thomas R. Kline.

Im relieved that this matter has been settled and that they have admitted to both hazing and recklessly endangering our son, Jim Piazza said. And while that doesnt do anything to bring him back, its certainly great to have this behind us.

Penn State in a statement said: We are relieved that justice has been served, and the university continues to mourn Timothy Piazzas tragic death.

The university also noted that it had permanently banned Beta Theta Pi from ever returning to campus and called the hazing activities addressed in the criminal cases heart-wrenching and incomprehensible.

The university strongly condemns any form of hazing, which endangers the well-being and safety of others, the school said.

Attempts to reach attorneys representing Casey and Young were unsuccessful.

About two dozen former Beta Theta Pi members previously entered pleas to charges including hazing, conspiracy to commit hazing, and furnishing alcohol to minors.

 READ MORE: Students charged with manslaughter in Penn State frat death

Youngs and Caseys were the final two cases to be resolved, according to the attorney generals office. The case took so long in large part because of appeals to pre-trial court rulings, the attorney generals office said.

There should be no discussion of this case without recognizing the tragic loss of life and resulting devastation for Mr. Piazzas family and friends, Henry said in a statement. Mr. Piazza was simply seeking to join a social organization for the benefits of community and shared experiences, as so many university students do. Most of those students go on to successful lives and careers ... which Mr. Piazza never had the opportunity to experience.

In February 2017, Piazza, then a sophomore engineering major from New Jersey, drank copious amounts of alcohol at a pledge party as part of a hazing ritual and later fell down a flight of stairs. No one called for help for nearly 12 hours, and Piazza later died.

Dozens of fraternity members were charged in his death, though some of the most serious charges, including involuntary manslaughter and aggravated assault, were thrown out in Centre County Court.

Penn State cracked down after Piazzas death, suspending several groups and instituting new restrictions on Greek life. The Pennsylvania legislature subsequently passed the Timothy Piazza AntiHazing Law, which toughens penalties for hazing that results in serious injury or death.

The Piazzas in 2019 filed a wrongful death suit against 28 former members of the fraternity. That case continues. They had reached a settlement with Penn State without filing a lawsuit.

The conclusion of the criminal proceedings now removes the most significant impediment in moving the civil claim against Young, Casey and other defendants to trial in federal court..., Kline said.

Kline noted the significance of the reckless endangerment plea. That plea applies to Piazza, the attorney generals office said. The hazing counts are for each pledge member who was subject to the drinking obstacle course.

Penn State did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
Ala Stanford writes about her experience bridging racial health disparities in her new book, "Take Care of Them Like My Own." Read more

Weeks into the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020, Ala Stanford rented a van, filled it with medical supplies, and headed to Philadelphia.

Stanford, a Montgomery County pediatric surgeon who grew up in Philadelphia, couldnt stand the stream of news stories detailing how Black people were at greater risk for COVID-19, yet far less likely to get tested or vaccinated.

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Stanford parked her van outside churches and SEPTA stations, and in vacant parking lots in some of the low-income Philadelphia neighborhoods that were among the hardest hit. Within weeks, lines of people waiting to be tested and vaccinated stretched around the block of wherever the Black Doctors COVID-19 Consortium, as Stanford and her peers began to call themselves, set up for the day.

Stanford chronicles her pandemic experience and subsequent efforts to address health disparities in her new book, Take Care of Them Like My Own, available Aug. 6.

In it, she talks about the secret to her success: Trust.

The biggest element is trust. Period, she said in a recent interview with The Inquirer. It takes a while to build trust  its not one touch, its multiple touches.

The Black Doctors COVID-19 Consortium reached Philadelphia residents who werent connecting with the city or its leading health systems. The groups work won national accolades, and in 2022 President Joe Biden tapped Stanford to lead regional operations for the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services.

She stepped down from the position last year to return her focus to the health clinic she founded, Dr. Ala Stanford Center for Health Equity, in a part of North Philadelphia where life expectancy is 18 years shorter than in the citys wealthier, majority-white neighborhoods.

Reams of research have found that a positive relationship between providers and patients is key to improving health outcomes, particularly in communities of color, where deep-seated distrust of medical providers may discourage people from getting needed care.

Stanford urged Philadelphias leading health players to consider taking the following steps to build trust within the communities they serve.

Put down roots

Pop-up clinics, free health events, and vans that can provide on-the-go cancer screening are beneficial because they can help people get needed services without traveling to a medical facility. But they are temporary.

Health systems that want to send a message that they are truly invested in a community should set up permanent health clinics and services, so people can easily get care they need any day of the week  not just on special occasions, she said.

Have accessible hours

Weekend and evening hours can significantly improve access for people who are not able to take time off from work to go to a doctors appointment.

Extending hours can help build trust by demonstrating that the health system understands its patients needs.

Act like youre happy to see them

A kind welcome from the receptionist or intake nurse can go a long way toward putting patients at ease, especially if they havent been to an appointment in a while or are nervous about their visit.

Sit down

Doctors often stand while talking to patients because it is efficient  theyre short on time and can type into an electronic medical record during the conversation. But standing to talk to a patient who is sitting establishes a power dynamic that may not be conducive to relationship-building.

When you sit down, even if its for two minutes, it says to the patient that you are here and theres nowhere else you need to be, she said.

This can be particularly meaningful to people of color, who are more likely than white patients to say they dont think their doctor listens to them and may have been talked down to by doctors in the past, she said.

Hire from within the community.

Patient navigators are valuable liaisons between health systems and patients, and dont need advanced degrees  just good people skills.

Follow up

Patients who come to an appointment after years without medical attention may have a backlog of needed tests and services that can feel overwhelming to them.

Following up to make sure they schedule and complete appointments may feel like a level of hand-holding thats outside a health-care providers responsibility, but it can help establish a lasting relationship that keeps patients coming back.

Especially the patients who havent been to see you in a while  those are the ones you really have to hold on to, she said.
Community Health Systems Inc. has agreed to sell its last three hospitals in Pennsylvania to a new nonprofit company led by Bucks County health-care industry veteran Joshua Nemzoff, Community Health Systems said Tuesday after the stock market closed.

Nemzoffs WoodBridge Healthcare Inc. has agreed to pay $120 million for Wilkes-Barre General Hospital in Wilkes-Barre and two Scranton facilities, Regional Hospital of Scranton and Moses Taylor Hospital. The sale, which is subject to regulatory approvals, is expected to close by the end of the year.

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Community Healths Pennsylvania holdings peaked at 19 hospitals in 2016, according to SEC filings. Among the early sales were five in the Philadelphia area that Tower Health bought for $423 million in 2017. Numerous hospitals that Community Health sold have since closed, including Brandywine and Jennersville Hospitals in Chester County.

Community Health is based in Franklin, Tenn., near Nashville. CHS is among the nations largest for-profit hospital systems. It peaked nationally at more than 200 facilities in 2014. After the sale of the hospitals in northeastern Pennsylvania, CHS will have 68 hospitals in 14 states.

For Nemzoff, who has worked for decades in health care, specializing in helping financially troubled nonprofit health system restructure or sell, WoodBridge represents a significant change in strategy. For five years Nemzoff tried unsuccessfully to buy hospitals through a for-profit company called StoneBridge Healthcare.

Nemzoff and his partners made multiple offers for Tower Health, a nonprofit that got into financial trouble after it bought five of CHSs hospitals. StoneBridge also took runs at nonprofits Care New England Health System in Rhode Island and Central Maine Health in Lewiston, Maine.

I decided theres just no need for us to buy hospitals as a for-profit. The only reason you would do that is to make money, and we dont need to make more money, so I think were just doing the right thing, Nemzoff said.

Most of StoneBridge will be dismantled and the company will have no role in the management of the three CHS hospitals, Nemzoff said. This is a WoodBridge deal. Theres nobody above WoodBridge. Theres no management contract, he said.

Ziegler, an investment bank, is providing WoodBridges financing to complete the deal, but the organization plans to refinance the debt through the issuance of tax-exempt bonds, Nemzoff said. The IRS approved WoodBridges federal income tax exemption as a 501(c)(3) in a letter dated June 21.

The three hospitals had a combined $587 million in revenue in the year ended June 30, 2023, according to American Hospital Directory, a website that compiles Medicare cost report data. All three lost money that year, the directory said.

Nemzoff said WoodBridge intends to recognize existing union contracts with SEIU Healthcare Pennsylvania and the Pennsylvania Association of Staff Nurses & Allied Professionals.

WoodBridge has hired Don Steigman as president, overseeing hospital operations. Until recently Steigman was president and chief operating officer at a large health system in Miami-Dade County, Fla. As CEO of WoodBridge, Nemzoffs job will be to find more deals, Nemzoff said.
Temple Health had the highest minimum wage, $18 an hour, among the Philadelphia-area systems that responded to The Inquirer's request for information. Read more

ChristianaCare, Delawares largest health system and private employer, increased its minimum wage to $16.50 an hour last week. The wage bump will affect about 850 workers, the system said.

The minimum wage in Delaware is currently $13.25 an hour and will increase to $15 on Jan. 1 of next year.

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The Inquirer reached out to health systems in the Philadelphia area to see how ChristianaCares new minimum wage compares.

Crozer Health, Doylestown Health, Prime Healthcare, and Tower Health did not respond to The Inquirers request for information. Childrens Hospital of Philadelphia, Cooper University Health Care, Grand View Health, Trinity Health Mid-Atlantic, and Penn Medicine declined to share their current minimum wage.

Temple Health had the highest minimum wage of the systems that responded to The Inquirers request  $18 an hour. Thats nearly 2.5 times Pennsylvanias minimum wage of $7.25.

Main Line Health reported a $15 an hour minimum wage, the lowest of the hospitals surveyed by The Inquirer but still more than double Pennsylvanias minimum wage.

On the other side of the Delaware River, where the minimum wage is currently $15.13 an hour, New Jerseys Inspira Health and Virtua Health reported that their hourly minimum wages are $15.72 and $16.47, respectively.

Jefferson Health, which has hospitals in New Jersey and Pennsylvania, raised its minimum wage to $17 an hour in January 2023.
The University of Pennsylvania Health System plans to build its fourth proton beam center for cancer treatment at Presbyterian Medical Center in University City. Penns board of trustees approved $39 million for the project in June.

Penns Roberts Proton Therapy Center opened in 2010 in the Perelman Center for Advanced Medicine next to the Hospital of the University of Pennsylvania. It is so busy that a second facility is needed in University City, Penn officials said.

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The $48 million proton center at Lancaster General Healths cancer center opened in 2022. It has drawn patients from all over central Pennsylvania, Penn officials have said. Penn has owned Lancaster General since 2015. A joint venture between Penn and Virtua Health opened a $45 million proton therapy center in Voorhees in 2023.

The target for opening the proton center at Presbyterian, which will be constructed in a new building near the medical center at 38th and Market Streets, is 2027. The facility will also offer radiation therapy and other related services.

Separately, Penn is building a $295 million cancer center at its Princeton Medical Center in Plainsboro, N.J., which Penn has owned since 2018. Current plans do not call for a proton center in Plainsboro.

Proton beam therapy is in high demand for certain kinds of cancer because protons stop within a target, allowing them to kill a tumor while sparing surrounding tissue. Researchers recently presented evidence from a randomized trial that proton therapy had fewer side effects than intensity-modulated photon therapy for certain head and neck cancers.
Kimberlee Sue Moran, a professor and director of forensics at Rutgers University-Camden, in February with boxes containing the carefully stored remains of nearly 500 people who were buried in the old First Baptist Church cemetery on Arch Street in Philadelphia. Read more

The nearly 500 sets of human remains exhumed from the colonial-era First Baptist Church cemetery during the construction of an Old City luxury apartment building were reburied last week at Mount Moriah Cemetery, which stretches from Southwest Philadelphia into Yeadon.

The reburial marked the end of one chapter in the story of the remains that were uncovered seven years ago when construction equipment digging into the ground brought up skeletal remains at the site of the 218 Arch apartments at Second and Arch Streets. The discovery led to legal battles over who had the authority to remove them, study them, and rebury them. Philadelphia Orphans Court Judge Matthew D. Carrafiello presided over the case and determined the procedures the developer should follow for the reburial. He also decided that the remains could be studied by Rutgers University researchers.

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 READ MORE: Nearly 500 souls were removed from Phillys old First Baptist Church burial ground seven years ago. When will they be reburied?

The remains were reburied three days after The Inquirer reported that Rutgers scientists were waiting to hear when they could return the remains.

PMC Property Group, one of the largest apartment building developers in the city, was responsible for reburying the remains. It owns the property at 218 Arch St. and began building the 10-story apartment building at the site in 2016.

The bulk of the remains were removed over the course of several months in 2017 when PMC hired AECOM, a professional archaeological firm to exhume any other human remains in the footprint of the construction site.

Last weeks reburial was exceptionally smooth thanks to the Rutgers students, alumni, and a few of my professional colleagues who volunteered to assist as well as the AECOM archaeologists in charge, Kimberlee Sue Moran, an associate professor in anthropology at Rutgers University-Camden, told the The Inquirer in an email.

It is our understanding that Mount Moriah Cemetery and the First Baptist Church of Philadelphia intend to have a ceremony at the time of or after the erection of the stone memorial marker to commemorate the over 400 historical FBCP individuals interred at Mount Moriah Cemetery.  That ceremony will be open to any interested members of the public, Courtney L. Schultz, an attorney for PMC, said in an email on Monday.

 READ MORE: Nearly 500 souls were removed from Phillys old First Baptist Church burial ground seven years ago. When will they be reburied

How the reburials took place

Moran said the remains were placed in biodegradable bags and marked with identification. A van carrying the remains left a Camden storage space about 7:30 a.m. Wednesday and arrived at Mount Moriah about 8:45 a.m., she said. The reburial took place from about 9 a.m. to noon, with help from Friends of Mount Moriah volunteers, Rutgers students, and some professionals who worked on the research project.

The bags were buried in eight vaults placed in two separate holes recently dug at Section 112, the First Baptist Church section, at Mount Moriah. She said four vaults were placed in each of the holes.

Because the remains were no longer in boxes, but in either paper or burlap bags, as many as 40 or more were placed in each vault.

Moran said some of the bags were very small and contained only a small number of bones because they has been destroyed during the apartment construction.

Experts several years ago had already used ground-penetrating radar to make sure the areas at Mount Moriah to be excavated for the new First Baptist reburials had enough empty space available.

 READ MORE: For years, family members have searched for the grave of Samuel Miles, one of Phillys former mayors. Then they learned about remains uncovered in Old City.

Moran has reached out to about 15 people who are known to be descendants of the people once buried at the First Baptist cemetery, but they could not attend the Wednesday reburial. Some live in California.

However, she has invited those descendants to take part in planning an official commemoration ceremony for the First Baptist burials, either by November, or next spring.

I was so impressed with how the reburial went, Moran said in an interview Thursday. Everyone worked well together. Everyone was focused and were very respectful.

Was prior notice enough?

Last November, when Judge Carrafiello issued a decree granting PMC permission to rebury the remains, he wrote that PMC must publish legal notice of the reinterment once a week for two consecutive weeks, at least 30 days prior to the date of the reburial.

PMC published a legal notice on Dec. 15, 2023, that it was to rebury the remains on Jan. 19, 2024. The reburial was postponed because the proper vaults had not been ordered. There also had been a major storm around that date.

Mark Zecca, who had filed briefs on behalf of the nonprofit Philadelphia Archaeological Forum about the remains, said the reburial Wednesday may have violated Carrafiellos order requiring PMC to file legal notice of the burial date.

The order specified that there would be advance notice of the date of the reburial included in the notice, Zecca wrote in an email last week.

Therefore prior notices of the prior dates are not notice. So if there was no notice, then the decree was violated.

Schultz, the attorney for PMC Property, said in an email Monday she disagrees with Zecca that the lack of a new publication violated the November court order.

The November court order required that notice be published at least 30 days prior to reinterment; it did not require republication in the event of a delay, Schultz said. Following the publication of the notice, no member of the public reached out requesting information on the reinterment. The reinterment date was delayed beyond the date originally targeted earlier this year.

All appropriate permits were obtained earlier this week and the remains were interred at Mount Moriah Cemetery, in Section 112 as intended, on July 24, 2024. The reinterment was completed in accordance with the November court order, followed all appropriate processes and procedures, and was overseen by Mount Moriah officials and Ms. Kimberly Morrell, RPA, of AECOM.

 READ MORE: First Baptist Church has a very long history in Philadelphia. The rediscovery of its 300-year-old cemetery raises plenty of questions

History of First Baptist cemetery in Philadelphia

The remains from the old First Baptist cemetery were supposed to have been relocated to Mount Moriah Cemetery more than 100 years ago in 1860, archaeologists said. Thats when officials of First Baptist, once located near 2nd and Arch streets, arranged to move the remains from its cemetery to Section 112 at Mount Moriah.

However, hundreds of remains were left behind at the cemetery, located across Arch Street from the Betsy Ross House.

Before PMC began construction, the site was a parking lot. The property had previously been a hat factory. Since the 1860s, the remains of those buried between 1707 and 1859 were underneath.
A news conference held to identify Isaias Hernandez-Geronimo, as the the man whose remains were found in a Towamencin Township retention pond earlier this year. Jeremea, front left red shirt, the brother of Isaias Hernandez-Geronimo, Dr. Janine Darby MD, Montgomery County Coroner, and Casey McAlpine, First Deputy Coroner holding the photograph, at the Montgomery County Coroner's Office in Eagleville, PA, July 30, 2024. Read more

When Montgomery County work crews discovered skeletal remains alongside a backpack in a shallow retention basin during the spring, there were few clues leading to the persons identity.

But DNA analysis revealed that the remains found in Towamencin Township in March belong to Isaias Hernandez-Geronimo, 34, who went missing about two years ago, just months after he had arrived in the country.

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Montgomery County Coroner Janine Darby, speaking during an news conference Tuesday, said that identifying Hernandez-Geronimo has brought closure to his family  even as his cause of death remains unknown and his case is closed.

Its very emotional for us, its sad, Darby said. Were happy to provide closure to the family.

Hernandez-Geronimo was a husband and a father, according to the coroner, and lived near the wooded area by Welsh Road and Grist Mill Drive where workers discovered his remains March 18.

Forensic analysis found there was no evidence of foul play, Darby said, and his cause of death was listed as undetermined.

But other details  such as Hernandez-Geronimos country of origin and whether he had any medical conditions  were not offered by either officials or his family.

When asked why the mans family did not report him missing two years ago, Darby said that she did not want to elaborate, and that she was considering the privacy of Hernandez-Geronimos family.

Hernandez-Geronimos brother attended the news conference and answered several questions in Spanish. He mostly declined to elaborate on those details.

DNA and dental analysis along with forensic anthropology allowed experts to identify the remains.

Based on some of the evidence, we were able to find his family, then swab his brother, and then match, Darby said of the process.

Darby added that the discovery of skeletal remains is a rarity in Montgomery County, with these types of cases often appearing years apart.

We still have a few that we have not identified, Darby said, mentioning other unidentified remains in her offices care. So thats why were feeling a sense of gratification that we did something.
Rep. Chrissy Houlahan, left, and Rep. Madeleine Dean. Both Pennsylvania lawmakers were appointed to a task force that will investigate the assassination attempt against former President Donald Trump. Read more

Three House members from Pennsylvania have been selected to join a bipartisan task force to investigate the errors that led up to a failed assassination attempt against former President Donald Trump.

Republican Rep. Mike Kelly and Democratic Reps. Madeleine Dean and Chrissy Houlahan will be part of a group of 13 lawmakers chosen by House Speaker Mike Johnson (R., La.) and House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries (D., N.Y.). The task force is scheduled to produce a final report by Dec. 13.

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Kellys Western Pennsylvania district includes Butler County, where the assassination attempt took place. Dean represents most of Montgomery County, while Houlahans district covers Chester County.

In a joint statement, Johnson and Jeffries said they were confident in the chosen members to find the facts, ensure accountability and help make certain such failures never happen again.

Houlahan said she is hoping the task force will make time to visit the site of the shooting in Butler County.

I think theres nothing that passes for being there other than being there, you know, and understanding literally the landscape and the layout and trying to be able to visualize things, Houlahan said in an interview Monday.

An Air Force veteran and engineer, Houlahan said shed look to take a data-driven approach to investigating the circumstances surrounding the shooting at Trumps Butler County rally. Trump sustained a minor injury after being shot in the ear, while firefighter Corey Comperatore was killed. Two others were injured.

An important element, she said, will be gaining an understanding of the Secret Services budget and the resources that were available to the agency when it was preparing security for the day.

Despite an intensely polarized climate, Houlahan remained optimistic that politics could be left out of the investigation as the bipartisan group sought answers.

I am heartened to see that the people who the speaker and the leader have chosen are people whom I have worked with in the past and believe to be kind of straight shooters and people who will roll up their sleeves and, you know, be professionals about this process, she said.
Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro and Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer campaign for Vice President Kamala Harris in Shapiro's home county, at Wissahickon High School Monday. Read more

The veepstakes came to Montgomery County.

The conversation capturing the American political world  whom Vice President Kamala Harris will pick to be her running mate  converged in the Wissahickon High School gymnasium in Ambler on Monday as two popular Democratic governors considered to be in contention for the role rallied alongside one another.

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Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro and Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer spoke to about 1,000 supporters and implored them to work to deliver the critical battleground of Pennsylvania to Harris. They framed the race between Harris and former President Donald Trump as a battle for fundamental freedoms.

For Shapiro, whos reportedly a front-runner for the vice presidential nomination, it was an opportunity to audition for the job in his own backyard. The governor is a Montgomery County native and former county commissioner, and he lives in Abington.

It is not freedom to tell women what theyre allowed to do with their bodies. Thats not freedom, Shapiro said. Its not freedom to tell people they can go vote, but hes going to pick the winner. Thats not freedom. And that is what we have to stop.

And Whitmer, who has been named on short lists of potential Harris running mates but said she wants to stay in Michigan, repeatedly described another Trump term as going back, touching on what has become a Harris campaign rallying cry. Attendees responded by chanting: Were not going back.

Trump and [his running mate JD] Vance want to take us backwards, but we are not going back, Whitmer said. Our response to them is: hell no.

The rally was the first major campaign event Shapiro headlined since Harris became the presumptive Democratic nominee following President Joe Bidens exit from the race.

The undercurrent that went unmentioned by both Shapiro and Whitmer is that theyre both attracting national attention as potential running mates for Harris, and that both had at a time been considered potential presidential nominees themselves.

Shapiro, a first-term governor and the former state attorney general, has largely avoided engaging in speculation about his potential spot on the ticket, even as some reports suggest hes among the top contenders. Despite dozens of Pennsylvania Democratic leaders, donors, and labor unions lining up behind him, Shapiro has repeatedly declined to confirm whether hes being vetted for the role or if hes interested in it.

While Whitmer is also considered a potential running mate for Harris, she quieted some speculation about it Monday, telling reporters she has not been vetted and that she intends to remain in Michigan. She is cochairing Harris campaign.

The governors gushed about one another, with Whitmer referring to Shapiro as one of her very best friends and ticking through his accomplishments as governor, saying hes another example of Democratic governors who believe in our three-part strategy: get s done.

Shapiro in turn praised Whitmer, referring to her by her nickname of Big Gretch, saying thats how shes referred to in her home state because she gets big things done.

She has fixed the damn roads in Michigan, he continued, she has flipped her legislature from red to blue, and she has made it her mission to protect reproductive rights for women all across Michigan. And she has succeeded.

Whitmer dedicated a substantial portion of her remarks to slamming Sen. JD Vance, Trumps recently named running mate who has come under fire in recent days for comments he made three years ago about the country being run by childless cat ladies.

Vance specifically named Harris as an example of the type, but has said in recent days that Democrats have taken his comments out of context.

Whitmer said Vance really made his values clear.

He does not see women as equals, she said. He does not want everyone to have a seat at the table. Hes scared of us.

Shapiro focused on drawing a contrast between Harris and Trump, describing Harris as damn ready to be president and another Trump term as a return to chaos. He brought up Project 2025  a blueprint for a second Trump term developed by conservative groups  and called it scary s.

And Shapiro said the Supreme Court, which recently granted Trump substantial immunity from criminal charges related to his quest to overturn the results of the 2020 presidential election, gives Trump more leeway to advance his agenda.

He is dangerous. He is destructive, Shapiro said. And the guardrails are off.
With Gov. Josh Shapiro emerging as a potential front-runner to become Vice President Kamala Harris running mate, one of the only scandals to mark his two decades in Pennsylvania politics has resurfaced.

Erin McClelland, the Democratic nominee for state treasurer in Novembers election, drew eyeballs last week with a thinly veiled and unusual intraparty jab, saying in a tweet that she wanted a vice presidential pick who, among other things, doesnt sweep sexual harassment under the rug.

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Though she did not identify Shapiro by name, McClellands pointed remarks were widely interpreted as a reference to the resignation last year of one of Shapiros top aides and closest allies, Mike Vereb, amid a sexual harassment investigation.

Vereb, 57, abruptly stepped down in September, three weeks after Shapiros administration quietly agreed to pay $295,000 to settle claims from a governors office employee who said hed made repeated sexual advances toward her and often spoken openly  and lewdly  about her, other staff members, and a female state senator.

Shapiros administration has largely avoided discussing Vereb in the year since, describing his departure as a private personnel matter while maintaining it takes allegations of discrimination and harassment seriously. His silence has drawn criticism from female state lawmakers in both parties, who have called for a more transparent accounting of what Shapiro knew about his aides conduct and when.

Who is Mike Vereb?

Vereb most recently served as Shapiros legislative secretary, as a core member of his cabinet. He was one of the few people who has consistently been a part of the governors close personal circle of advisers over the years.

Their relationship dates back nearly two decades to when Vereb, a Republican, and Shapiro, a Democrat, served alongside each other in the state House, where they both represented Montgomery County, between 2007 and 2012. There, Vereb, who represented a West Norriton-based district, and Shapiro, who represented Abington, forged a bipartisan friendship and often teamed up together to advance legislation in the countys interests.

When Shapiro was elected attorney general in 2016, he named Vereb  in one of his first appointments in the job  as his offices primary liaison to the rest of state government. And after Shapiros election as governor, he quickly named Vereb to his cabinet post.

As Shapiros top liaison to the General Assembly, Vereb played a key role in guiding the administrations interactions with the legislature, especially during negotiations over the states annual budget.

But he abruptly resigned in September 2023, less than nine months into the job.

Why did Vereb resign?

Though the administration offered no explanation for Verebs sudden decision to leave his job, The Inquirer reported last year that his departure had followed an accusation that hed sexually harassed a female aide.

His accuser, who worked alongside Vereb for less than two months before resigning her position in early 2023, said hed repeatedly made suggestive comments and innuendos toward her that left her feeling uneasy, such as suggesting she wear lower-cut tops and higher-slit skirts.

I was uncomfortable with how Mike was acting in the office  his constant sexually charged comments, and how he was addressing work-related issues, said the woman  whose name The Inquirer has withheld because of her sexual harassment allegations  in a statement to the state Office of Equal Employment Opportunity obtained by The Inquirer.

At one point, she said, Vereb compared her to another female staffer in his office whom he said he wasnt sexually interested in because she was a type A personality who would probably make [him] iron her sheets and pillow cases before sex.

When the accuser warned Vereb that his behavior toward her had become the subject of office gossip, he turned on her and demanded to know who was talking about them  and made another sexual pass, she said. He insisted that if they decided to have a sexual relationship it would be our business, she stated in her complaint.

If you decided you wanted to do that, Vereb allegedly told the woman, go close the door to this office, tell me to bend you over this conference table, hike up your skirt and [have sex with you]  that would be our decision to make.

Later, she said, he called her drunk after a reception at the governors mansion to again suggest a sexual encounter, saying he knew how to hide from security cameras in the tunnels under the Capitol, and again interrogated her as to who in their office was talking about them.

Days later, she was summoned to a meeting with the human resources department for the governors office. When she questioned Vereb about it, she said, he made vague references to performance concerns with her job.

After reporting her encounters with Vereb at that meeting in early March 2023 and a subsequent meeting with other Shapiro administration staffers days later, the woman ultimately decided to leave her job.

Neither she nor Vereb has publicly discussed her allegations in the months since.

What sort of investigation occurred?

Verebs accuser gave a statement to the state Office of Equal Opportunity, part of the executive branch, the same month she resigned. She also filed a separate complaint with the state Human Relations Commission in June 2023.

Both entities handle complaints of workplace discrimination from government employees and typically conduct their probes in secret. It remains unclear just how far the complaints against Vereb progressed through the investigative process before Shapiros administration agreed to the $295,000 settlement deal in September of that year.

The agreement did not include any admission of wrongdoing from Vereb or the governors office and required all parties to sign a nondisclosure agreement barring them from publicly discussing the accusers allegations.

The governors office has since said it cannot discuss the matter. A spokesperson for Shapiro maintained at the time that the administration has robust procedures  in place for thoroughly investigating reports of discrimination and harassment [that] provide detailed guidance to help ensure that allegations are promptly and fully investigated and that employees feel comfortable to report misconduct.

What did Shapiro know?

The timeline of when Shapiro first learned of the allegations against his aide remains hazy.

Though his accuser lodged her accusations in March 2023  less than two months after Shapiro took over the governors office  Vereb continued to play a prominent role in Shapiros administration for months until his September resignation. By that time, copies of the womans supposedly confidential complaint and statement to investigators had been circulating among lawmakers and lobbyists for weeks.

What has Shapiro said about the situation?

Shapiro and his office have not directly commented on the allegations against Vereb or the circumstances of his resignation.

In the administrations news release announcing Verebs departure, Shapiros chief of staff, Dana Fritz, lauded him as a key member of our team who had spent decades serving our Commonwealth. That release did not include a direct statement from Shapiro.

However, the governor defended his administrations handling of harassment and discrimination complaints during a news conference a week after Verebs departure, once news of the allegations against him had emerged.

You owe it to a victim to make sure that you have a confidential process, you have a rigorous process thats grounded in integrity, to ensure that their voice can be heard and to ensure that appropriate outcomes are brought about, Shapiro said. And we are committed to doing that  in our administration.

What does this mean for Shapiros chances of being picked as Kamala Harris running mate?

Its not yet clear whether the scandal involving Vereb could prevent Shapiro from getting onto the Democratic ticket this year, but he has faced backlash over it in the last week.

Last weeks tweet by McClelland, the Democratic nominee for state treasurer, injected the Vereb episode into the ongoing debate over who Harris should pick as her running mate and could fuel a new round of demands for Shapiro to more fully explain his handling of the allegations against his adviser.

And Shapiros detractors in the veepstakes race have begun circulating opposition research seeking to tie him to his aides past conduct, hoping it will serve as a strike against him in a year in which a woman is leading the Democratic ticket  and is seeking to portray former President Donald Trump as the womanizer candidate.

And that criticism isnt new. Since Vereb stepped down, female state lawmakers of both parties have criticized the Shapiro administrations lack of transparency.

It really makes me so angry that I have to stop talking because Ill say things I shouldnt, State Senate President Pro Tempore Kim Ward (R., Westmoreland) told The Inquirer last year. Its so infuriating that [Vereb] stayed in that position for months, one of the highest positions in the administration.
Vice President Kamala Harris will appear in Houston Wednesday, while former president Donald Trump will return to Pennsylvania for his first rally in the state since he survived an assassination attempt in Butler earlier this month.

Harris on Wednesday is slated to speak at Sigma Gamma Rhos 60th International Biennial Boule in Houston, the White House announced. Founded in 1922, Sigma Gamma Rho is among the nine historical Black sororities and fraternities commonly referred to as the Divine Nine. Harris herself is a member of Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, Inc., another Divine Nine organization.

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The vice presidents appearance at Sigma Gamma Rhos event will be her third appearance in Texas in the past month, and her second time speaking at a Divine Nine convention since beginning her campaign for the presidency. Last week, Harris appeared in Indiana to speak at Zeta Phi Betas Grand Boule in Indianapolis. And prior to President Joe Bidens decision to not seek reelection, she gave a keynote speech at Alpha Kappa Alphas Boule in Dallas.

In addition to the Sigma Gamma Rho appearance, Harris is slated to speak at a separate political event in Houston at 6:15 p.m. in Houston, the White House said.

As Harris is in Houston, her husband, second gentleman Doug Emhoff, is scheduled to appear at campaign events Wednesday in Manchester, N.H. and Yarmouth, Maine, according to the White House. Harris will remain in Houston Thursday to give a eulogy at a service for former U.S. Rep. Sheila Jackson Lee (D., Texas), who died from cancer earlier this month.

The Harris campaign had no events in Pennsylvania on the calendar as of Tuesday afternoon. Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro, however, is reportedly scheduled to meet with Harris top allies in two events in the Hamptons over the weekend, amid reports that he is being considered a top contender to serve as her running mate, according to the New York Times and CNBC.

Trump, meanwhile, will appear in Pennsylvania Wednesday for a rally at Harrisburgs Pennsylvania Farm Show Complex. The event, which is to be held indoors, comes less than three weeks after Thomas Matthew Crooks, 20, of Bethel Park, Pa., opened fire on a Trump campaign rally in Butler, killing former Buffalo Township fire chief Corey Comperatore, and wounding Trump and two others.

 READ MORE: Donald Trump will visit Harrisburg for first Pa. rally since assassination attempt. Heres what to expect.

The Harrisburg rally is also slated to see an appearance from Pennslyvania Republican Senate candidate Dave McCormick, who is expected to speak at the event around the 4 p.m. hour. McCormicks appearance comes amid his high-profile race against Democratic U.S. Sen. Bob Casey, who leads McCormick by about 13 percentage points, according to a recent Fox News poll.

Trump last week said that he plans to return to Butler for another rally that will honor Comperatore and the two others wounded on July 13. Further details about when that rally might occur have not yet been announced by his campaign.

Ahead of his scheduled appearance in Pennsylvania, Trump is also slated to attend the National Association of Black Journalists annual convention in Chicago. As part of that event, Trump will participate in what the organization called a conversation with political journalists focusing on issues impacting the Black community. While not open to the public, the event will be livestreamed on the NABJs YouTube and Facebook pages at around 1 p.m. Eastern time.

Trumps running mate, U.S. Sen. JD Vance of Ohio, will appear at a rally in Glendale, Ariz., as the former president is in Pennsylvania.

The pair will appear together at a planned rally in Atlanta Saturday, according to the Trump campaigns website. That event will come days after Harris scheduled rally in the city Tuesday.
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Former President Donald Trump speaks at the National Rifle Association's Presidential Forum in Harrisburg in February. Trump will return to the state capital Wednesday for his first rally in Pennsylvania since surviving an assassination attempt this month. Read more

Former President Donald Trump will be in Harrisburg on Wednesday for his first rally in the commonwealth since the attempted assassination against him at his Butler County rally earlier this month.

The rally will be located indoors at Harrisburgs Pennsylvania Farm Show Complex. The former president was heeding safety recommendations from the Secret Service to stop holding outdoor rallies, until he decided over the weekend that he would resume outdoor events.

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Trump is scheduled to start speaking at 6 p.m., with doors opening at the complex four hours prior, according to the event page.

The Harrisburg rally comes less than three weeks after Thomas Matthew Crooks, 20, of Bethel Park, Pa., used an AR-15 style rifle and opened fire on the outdoor campaign rally in Butler. Trumps ear was grazed by a bullet, while Corey Comperatore, a former Buffalo Township fire chief, was killed and two other men were wounded.

Nearly two weeks after the shooting, Trump promised to return to Butler for a rally in the near future. He wrote on Truth Social he wants to return to Butler for a rally to honor Comperatore and the two individuals who were injured.

No further details about Trumps potential return to Butler were provided by his campaign.

Trump wouldnt be able to stay away from Pennsylvania for long as Vice President Kamala Harris  the presumptive Democratic nominee and Trumps new opponent since President Joe Biden dropped out of the race  is closing in on the former presidents polling leads in the commonwealth and nationwide.

This will be Trumps first visit to the crucial battleground state since Biden withdrew his reelection bid.

Heres what to know ahead of Trumps rally in Harrisburg.

Why is the event indoors and what safety precautions are being taken?

Early last week, Trump team sources told NBC News that he planned to cease holding outdoor rallies after the Butler shooting, and favor more indoor rallies, like the upcoming one in Harrisburg. The sources said the former president could still be involved in smaller outdoor events or larger rallies where entrances are more controlled, and there is not high ground nearby.

Then on Saturday, Trump came out in full support of resuming his outdoor events, writing in an all-caps message on Truth Social that Secret Service has agreed to substantially step up their operation. They are very capable of doing so. No one can ever be allowed to stop or impede free speech or gathering!!!

John Sancenito, a security expert and president of Information Network Associates, told ABC27 that he expects security to exceptionally increase during Trumps visit to Harrisburg on Wednesday and added that the event being indoors makes for a safer environment for both the former president and attendees.

The Butler County rally was the Secret Services most significant operational failure in decades, according to Secret Service Director Kimberly Cheatle, who resigned from her position last week after testifying during a heated Congressional hearing about the agencys security failures during the July 13 rally.

Crooks was able to scale a nearby building, despite being spotted by law enforcement more than 30 minutes beforehand and was able to fire several rounds from the buildings roof less than 150 feet away from the stage where Trump was speaking.

Attendees at the Butler rally told The Inquirer that security measures at the Butler rally were similar to what they had experienced at other Trump rallies. Rallygoers went through bag-checks and metal detectors and noted a large police presence. Items such as firearms, weapons, explosives, umbrellas, and laser pointers were also prohibited.

How many times has Trump visited Pa. this year?

Trumps trip to Harrisburg on Wednesday will be his sixth visit to the commonwealth this year, and second time visiting Harrisburg and the Pennsylvania Farm Show Complex.

In February, Trump spoke to thousands of supporters at a gathering for the National Rifle Association at the Great American Outdoor Show, an expo hosted annually by the NRA at the complex.

His appearance at the NRA expo was his first visit to Pennsylvania, a crucial battleground state, in 2024. He spent much of his speech jolting between promises to support gun rights and making other unfounded criticisms of Biden and Democrats.

So far, Butler County has remained the only Pa. county visited by Trump that the former president won in 2020.

What will Trump speak about in Harrisburg?

This will be Trumps first time making his case against Harris in Pennsylvania since she became his new opponent when Biden dropped out of the race on July 21 and endorsed her. It will also be Trumps first rally in the commonwealth since Gov. Josh Shapiro became one of the top contenders in Harris search for a running-mate.

Trump has already started to sharpen his verbal attacks of Harris at rallies or events since she became the presumptive nominee. Speaking at a conference in West Palm Beach, Fla., on Friday, Trump accused Harris of wanting to implement left-wing policies in the country and even said she was a bum to his audience at the religious-focused event hosted by conservative advocacy group Turning Point Action.

At a rally in North Carolina on July 24  his first campaign event since Biden dropped out of the race  Trump also continued the much-exhausted strategy of purposely mispronouncing Harris first name dozens of times.

But Trump could also mention Shapiro, who could be an anxiety-inducing addition to a Harris ticket for Pa. Republicans.

Shapiro is widely popular in the key swing state and has garnered the votes of moderates and Republicans in all three of his past statewide elections. The governor touts his ability to reach across the aisle, serving as the chief executive for the only state with a divided legislature.

Shapiro has avoided speculation about whether hell be Harris running mate, but he has been a top surrogate for Harris in the commonwealth. In Carlisle, Pa., on Saturday, Shapiro reiterated what he sees as the differences between Harris and Trump. The event was originally supposed to be a canvas kick-off, but quickly turned into a small rally in a county that Trump won by 10 points in 2020.

Why is Harrisburg important in November?

Harrisburg represents yet another opportunity for Trump to chip away votes from counties that Democrats won in 2020 and 2016, especially as Harris starts to narrow in on Trumps lead in Pennsylvania and nationwide.

A Fox News poll on Friday showed Harris and Trump tied among Pennsylvania voters at 49% each. An April poll from Fox between Biden and Trump had the two candidates at 48% each.

Though Dauphin County, where Harrisburg is located, has become more blue over the years, Trump has been focusing a lot of his efforts on Pa. counties and demographics that Biden won in 2020 in an effort to carve out as many people as possible from the Democrats voter base.

Biden beat Trump by 8.5 percentage points in Dauphin County in 2020, on his way to narrowly winning the state by roughly 1 percentage point. Former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton had won Dauphin County by nearly 3 points in 2016 when Trump won statewide. Trump will likely need to improve on his 2020 numbers in the county to beat Harris.

Harrisburg is also represented by U.S. Rep. Scott Perry (R., Pa), one of Trumps allies who is facing a competitive reelection bid of his own.

Perry, who has served the 10th Congressional District, which includes Dauphin County, in the U.S. Congress since 2019, is now facing a challenge from Democrat Janelle Stelson, a Lancaster County resident and former news anchor at WGAL.

With Stelsons candidacy, Democrats now see Perrys seat as vulnerable. A poll from Franklin & Marshall College showed Perry with a 45% to 44% lead over Stelson with 11% undecided. Stelson also outraised Perry, doubling what he brought in over the past three months, the Pennsylvania-Capital Star reported.
Despite turnover at the top of the ticket, Democratic U.S. Sen. Bob Casey Jr. has maintained a substantial lead over Republican challenger Dave McCormick in recent polls in Pennsylvanias nationally watched Senate race.

Casey, a three-term incumbent, led McCormick, a former hedge fund executive, by an eye-popping 13 percentage points in a Fox News poll released last week. Other recent surveys have shown the Democrat with leads ranging from 3 to 8 percentage points.

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Caseys campaign declined to comment on the poll.

Throughout the race, which could determine control of the Senate next year, Casey has consistently outperformed President Joe Biden among Pennsylvania voters, and the Fox News poll indicates he may continue to poll higher than the top of the ticket now that Vice President Kamala Harris has become the Democratic standard-bearer.

The survey of 1,034 registered Pennsylvania voters, who were reached by phone or text message from July 22 to July 24, showed Casey with 55% and McCormick with 42%. Harris, meanwhile, was virtually tied with former President Donald Trump, 49%-49%, nearly mirroring Bidens narrow victory in the Keystone State in 2020.

Casey, a former state treasurer whose father was governor, undoubtedly has a major name recognition over McCormick, who is making his second run for public office.

The Republicans first campaign ended in a narrow defeat to Mehmet Oz in the GOP primary of Pennsylvanias 2022 Senate race, which was ultimately won by Democrat John Fetterman.

The McCormick team, however, believes the elevation of Harris could be a game changer and has pivoted to focusing much of its messaging on Caseys support for her presidential bid.

Last week, the McCormick campaign released a video attempting to tie Casey to Harris past statements on issues such as fracking, which Harris during the 2020 presidential primary said she would ban. (Following attacks by Trump, Harris campaign this week vowed that she would not ban fracking if elected president.)

The McCormick campaign will aggressively point out these truths to the people of Pennsylvania for the remainder of the campaign, McCormick strategist Mark Harris wrote in a memo the campaign published last week. In fact, our internal data finds that Harriss image is in a worse position among most key groups in the election than Bidens was.

McCormick spokesperson Elizabeth Gregory said Pennsylvanians will ultimately turn against Casey because he supported Biden and Harris failing liberal agenda.

Casey and Harris have been a disaster for Pennsylvania, forcing their shared agenda of open borders, raising the cost of living for middle class families, enabling violent crime, and banning fracking on the American people, Gregory said in a statement.
Blood appears on the ear of former president Donald Trump as he is assisted offstage during a campaign rally in Butler on July 13. Read more

Hours after former President Donald Trump suffered a wound to his upper right ear in an attempted assassination on July 13, social media users on X outlandishly declared that the (unsevered) ear grew back.

Last week, after President Joe Biden announced he wont seek re-election, boxer Ryan Garcia joined others buzzing incorrectly online that Biden had died.

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After Vice President Kamala Harris quickly launched her presidential campaign upon Bidens exit, Trump began discharging a barrage of falsehoods about her, making at least 10 erroneous claims in a single speech in North Carolina on Thursday  including the lie that she supports executing babies.

As the noisy worlds of X, Instagram, Facebook, TikTok, and Truth Social have continued to pump out torrents of deceptions, distortions, and inaccuracies, experts tell us its more important than ever to learn how to recognize and reject misinformation.

With the number of days until Nov. 5 dwindling, the magnitude of fabricated online political content is expected to expand and intensify.

When news breaks, theres so much more activity on social media and from accounts of people you shouldnt trust, said Dan Evon, a senior manager at the News Literacy Project, a nonpartisan news-education nonprofit based in Washington, D.C. Their goal is to create doubt and chaos, but its up to you to be extra careful about what youre consuming.

Evon runs RumorGuard, which debunks false information spreading online.

How does social media spread misinformation?

False claims can be created more cheaply and disseminated more quickly than corrective information, according to the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace, a group of scholars helping world leaders manage global problems.

Also, its important to remember that when news breaks, all the facts dont neatly arrange themselves in a timely order. That leaves gaps in stories that bad actors online can fill with fallacies and errors.

Misinformation proliferates when theres not enough definitive information in the wake of a big event, said Katie Sanders, editor-in-chief of PolitiFact, a fact-checking website thats part of the Poynter Institute for Media Studies. Thats when you start noticing really wild theories flying around right away.

And I cant think of a more high-profile example than the aftermath of the assassination attempt on Trump.

Almost immediately, social media users spouted conspiracy theories that the shooting was staged by Trump, Sanders said, or that the deep state manufactured the moment to take out a candidate who posed a threat.

In some cases, she said, people incorrectly named various individuals as the shooter. We fact-checked four or five innocent people, all of them who were dragged online with their photos, Sanders said.

If theres no instant answer to every question stemming from a major news event, one must train the brain to wait before sharing a dubious item, Sanders said  an admittedly difficult task.

Remember, though, journalists covering big moments want the news faster more than anyone, she added. But theyre trained to check before they disseminate what theyve learned.

For others, Sanders said, there is no penalty for getting it wrong, no social shame. In fact, fooling people has launched careers in this age. The loudest voice often attracts the most followers and the most attention.

And, apparently, the most advertising money.

Writing in The Conversation, a scholarly online journal, Carlos Diaz Ruiz, a professor at the Hanken School of Economics in Finland, said that deceptive online content that generates more clicks, views, or engagements means more money from advertisers in a now-$750 billion market.

What steps should I take to avoid spreading misinformation?

The Brennan Center for Justice, a nonprofit law and public policy institute, advises that anyone interested in vetting content should go straight to a credible independent fact-checking site. These include PolitiFact and AP Factcheck, or sites verified by the International Fact-Checking Network, or the Artificial Intelligence Incident Database operated by the Responsible AI Collaborative.

Also, Sanders says, there are good strategies online readers can utilize, the primary rule of which is to be skeptical of much of what you see.

Then, like any fact-checker, your first step with dubious content is to look up key words on Google to get a better understanding of context and meaning.

Second, who else is corroborating the item? Is it simply a single poster on X?

Third, search deeper about whoever is posting to learn whether they have a particular political point of view.

Other fact-checking sources offer various tips for sussing out the truth.

Consider your own biases, says The U.S. Army Training and Doctrine Command in Virginia, in charge of educating and establishing standards for the armed forces. Could your beliefs be affecting your judgment of what youre reading, tempting you to disseminate it?

Also, headlines can be outrageous in an effort to get clicks, the Army advises. Ask yourself, Is this a joke? It might be satire. Research the site and author to be sure.

Pro Publica, a nonprofit newsroom that investigates abuses of power, recommends that you understand that any social media post playing to your emotions can be suspect and therefore deserves caution.

The News Literacy Project asks us to be skeptical about items online that:

Have excessive punctuation or all caps for emphasis Offer secret information that the media doesnt want you to know Dont have bylines (authors names) on pieces Dont have a current date Dont hyperlink to quality sources

The Project reminds us that bots are extremely active on social media and are designed to dominate conversations and spread propaganda.

The American Psychological Association reports that misinformation can be sticky  hanging around in our brains for years after the erroneous facts have been corrected. This is especially true of items that evoke contempt or fear, or are frequently liked, commented on, or shared online.

Also helping misinformation linger is confirmation bias, which makes us less likely to doubt or check out information that conforms with our views.
The submission pointed out systemic issues, such as the absence of mandatory preventive measures by financial service providers and the inconsistency in rules across sectors, which complicates the process for victims seeking help.
This is especially relevant for young and emerging talent who will be able to start in the digital advice team and receive the support, mentoring and education to transition all the way through to becoming what is considered a senior broker, he said.
I am excited to accept the role of general manager  people and culture as my diverse background and career experiences have instilled in me a deep passion for promoting representation at all organisation levels and fostering an environment where everyone can thrive, she said.
These new appointments will play an important part in our ongoing customer service and retention focus, delivering valued customer offerings and ensuring we are well placed for future growth, Tez said. Dean and Lisa have already made significant contributions to our business, so I am very pleased to welcome them to the executive leadership team in these important new roles.
TAL has a deep commitment to ensuring that all TAL employees are treated equally and have the same access to opportunities for personal growth and career advancement, he said. Gender equality, and equality overall, is central to what it means to work at TAL, and the WGEA citation is a reflection of our commitment to fostering a diverse and inclusive culture.
We are seeing growth across all types of captives as insureds face a hard market for certain lines of coverage, encounter capacity shortages, and deal with coverage restrictions. The life and annuity reinsurance sector is also growing, driven by annuity providers seeking enhanced capital efficiency. This growth was especially evident in Q2, given the variety of licensees and license classes. Its very encouraging to see single-parent and group captives thriving alongside new commercial reinsurers, Mehigan said.
The changes we have made are a reflection of the fact that Aspen is now at a different point of its journey, with different priorities, and Im confident this is the right structure and team to lead the business to continued success well into the future.
To determine if Chaney can be sued in his official capacity, the court must consider whether he has a specific duty to enforce the challenged law, has shown willingness to do so, and whether he compels compliance with the law. The attorney general's office argues that MAHP's lawsuit fails to meet these criteria.
MRIs are very costly for hospitals to replace, so many institutions continue using this capital-intensive equipment for extended periods before upgrading, she said. Given the age of these devices, they may lack essential software patches or updates once they reach the end of their lifecycle, which creates significant vulnerabilities.
In its petition, Consumer Watchdog declared: The additional $1.3 billion a year for at least four years, or at least $5.2 billion in total, [State Farm General] wants to collect from its California policyholders would be used to re-capitalize the company  in other words, to purportedly rescue the company from what State Farm describes as a deteriorating financial condition.
The key difference is that when reinsurers offer catastrophe policies, these are for events that are very remote  occurring maybe once in 100, 250 or even 500 years. As a result, the big modeling players are able to create modeling viewed as sufficient for reinsurers to underwrite catastrophe reinsurance. The problem arises when you try to use modeling focused on events that might occur once in five or 10 years. It just doesnt work, he said. And so, unsurprisingly, the reinsurance companies have said that if they cant model it correctly, theyre not going to underwrite it, because theyve been losing too much money. So, theyve pulled out, which has created this enormous gap in the industry.
I've known Andy for a long time and I'm thrilled to welcome him to the business. He has hit the ground running and brought with him the entrepreneurial approach, technical expertise and client service commitment that sets Howden apart, said Bradley Maltese, CEO of UK & global specialties at Howden Re. I look forward to working with him and the team to build on the momentum we have created in global specialty reinsurance broking.
This post is part of a series sponsored by AgentSync.

As catastrophic natural disasters continue to wreak havoc on the property and casualty (P&C) insurance sector, loss prevention remains a high priority for insurers and property owners alike. Luckily, researchers and innovators are constantly thinking up new technologies, gadgets, and tools to aid in loss mitigation and consumer protection when disaster strikes.

With the P&C sector in a precarious position, balancing escalating losses and an ever-changing risk environment, technology will play an important role in the industrys success, and even its survival. Lets explore some of the most unique, helpful, and tech-forward loss prevention tools on the market for three common types of natural disasters.

Wildfires

Each year, uncontrolled wildfires destroy millions of acres of land along with the homes and businesses that stand in the way of their path. The long-term economic and environmental impacts of wildfires are devestating and can take decades to recover from.

Because wildfires often come on quickly and without much warning, early detection of these types of disasters is of the utmost importance when it comes to reducing property damage and saving lives. However, current wildfire prevention solutions, including manual watch towers, satellite systems, and cameras arent nearly as precise or up-to-date as needed to detect unauthorized burns before theyve done a significant amount of damage.

1. Early-detection wildfire sensors

The latest in wildfire loss prevention technology aims to fix these shortcomings by providing ultra-early wildfire detection. Dryad Networks, an environmental IoT startup headquartered in Berlin, Germany, developed Silvanet, a network of wireless environmental sensors that leverage solar power and mesh gateways to aid in low-cost early detection of wildfires. The sensors pick up early-stage wildfire signs like increased carbon monoxide and hydrogen gas particles in the air, giving firefighters a head start on extinguishing burns before they spread.

What makes it cool?

One of the biggest challenges of traditional wildfire detection sensors is their power consumption. Using solar panels alone to power sensors isnt a great option in a forest where large groups of trees block a significant amount of the datys sun. By leveraging an STM32WL (Were not too proud to admit that this technology goes beyond our level of comprehension. If youre interested, heres an explanation), Dryads developers found a way to get past the power consumption challenge and create a system thatll run for up to 15 years in the forest.

2. Firefighting robots

Yeah, you read that right. Fighting wildfires is a dangerous job, but with the help of robotics, humans can fight burns without putting their own lives at risk. Many of the firefighting robots currently in use are machines that firefighters remotely control. This enables the robots to navigate steep terrain or enter burning buildings without putting human lives in danger.

However, buildings are designed for humans, so while many firefighting robots look more like cars than people, researchers have also developed more human-looking models to aid firefighters in emergency indoor situations. These humanoid robots can perform tasks like opening doors, walking up and down stairs, and operating fire hoses.

What makes it cool?

You mean besides the fact that were talking about firefighting robots? At AgentSync, were big proponents of using technology to automate the manual tasks that suck up your peoples time and take them away from more high-value work. By offloading work, like carrying heavy equipment or evacuating people from an affected area, onto robots, firefighters can focus their time and energy on their top priority: stopping the spread of a fire.

Its similar to how our products take manual producer licensing and compliance tasks off insurance agencies, carriers, and MGAs plates, allowing their people to get back to their main priority: selling and servicing insurance products.

Floods

We cant talk about natural disasters without mentioning flooding. Floods are the most common and most costly natural disaster in the U.S. The National Weather Service estimates approximately 122 million people are at risk of flooding in the spring of 2024 alone. In the five-year period between 2018-2022, floods racked up roughly $45 billion in insured losses around the globe.

More frequent and heavy rainfall means flash floods are becoming a larger issue in major cities and towns, but overall risk awareness for flooding of all types remains low. This lack of awareness means many home and business owners underestimate the amount of insurance coverage they need.

1. Publicly available, accurate water data

To help the public make more informed decisions when it comes to water safety and flood management, the National Weather Service launched the National Water Prediction Service website in March of 2024. The platform, which leverages modern software including cloud infrastructure and geospatial technology, offers more accurate, and user-friendly water data to help better analyze and predict flood risk.

What makes it cool?

While a website may not sound as cool as firefighting robots, public access to real-time flood data can be just as life-saving. The National Water Prediction Service website gives users insights into the current water conditions anywhere in the U.S. Plus, with the help of API technology, users can access real-time water flow information directly from their own devices.

Whether were talking about insurance producer licensing or flood preparation, access to up-to-date data is crucial to your decision-making. Accurate flood prediction data gives home and business owners ample time to secure their property and valuables and evacuate if necessary.

2. Water-Gate

When you hear the word Water-Gate, you probably think about illicit political activities, but in this case were talking about something a little more on the nose. MegaSecus Water-Gate water barrier is a literal gate used to block water from flooding a structure or area. Made from heavy-duty PVC, the Water-Gate barrier unfolds as the water level rises to prevent flooding.

What makes it cool?

Traditionally, home and business owners use sandbags to dam up the area surrounding their property and prevent flooding. However, sandbag barriers can take multiple people hours of manual work to fill and deploy and they often leak, rendering them useless after one or two uses. The Water-Gate barrier has a 20-year lifespan and can be deployed in only five minutes using two people and no other resources.

Helping people get more done with less is a goal the Water-Gate system and AgentSync share. Just look at how one forward-thinking MGA reduced their producer licensing workload from that of 1.5 full-time employees to just 30 minutes a day with AgentSyncs help.

Earthquakes

Not even one day into 2024, a 7.6 magnitude earthquake rocked Japan, shifting the coastline by over 800 feet and costing about $6.5 billion in total insured losses. Earthquakes and their aftershocks can damage homes and businesses, destroy infrastructure, and bring transportation to a screeching halt. They cause nearly $15 billion in damage each year in the U.S. alone, ranging from a few broken windows to total building collapse. Yet, as Taiwans most recent major earthquake shows, resilient infrastructure and loss prevention matters.

1. The Seismic-Cloaking Protection of Critical Infrastructure

The Seismic-Cloacking Protection of Critical Infrastructure, or the SCPCI, involves boring a series of tilted holes into the ground surrounding whatever structure needs to be protected to make it essentially invisible to shock waves, sort of like how a muffler dampens sound waves.

The boreholes range from a foot to a meter in diameter and are around 150 meters deep. Once drilled, they turn the ground around them into a medium to reflect and divert dangerous seismic waves away from the structure they surround. The technology is still in the early stages of development but has the potential to protect billions of dollars of infrastructure and save thousands of lives.

What makes it cool?

In practice, the SCPCI reduced the seismic energy of a magnitude 7 earthquake to that of a magnitude 5 earthquake. This has the potential to reduce the damage of an earthquake from major structural, environmental, and economic losses to just a couple of broken dishes. Even cooler, this kind of infrastructure could protect a wide range of areas, from a single building to an entire city.

2. Backpack rats

Besides property damage and loss, earthquakes can also cause significant loss of human lives. When disaster strikes, time is of the essence as rescuers search through the rubble of collapsed buildings for trapped survivors. Humans are at a significant disadvantage when it comes to finding and rescuing people in the aftermath of an earthquake. Mainly, were just too big to safely navigate the fallen debris. Researchers at the nonprofit APOPO have a better solution: rats. More specifically, rats wearing tiny backpacks equipped with a camera, two-way microphone, and GPS signal.

What makes it cool?

Two words: Backpack rats. That aside, its pretty incredible that developers were able to create technology small enough to fit inside a backpack sized for a rat and strong enough to send and receive frequencies under the heavy debris of an earthquake. Coupled with a rats own skills, like their superb sense of smell and their ability to learn and adapt quickly, the entire concept is a true testament to the power of combining human (or rat) skills with modern technology for increased efficiency and overall success.

Technology plays several key roles in the insurance industry

While the main goal of this article is simply to highlight a few of the most interesting high-tech natural disaster loss prevention tools out there, the bigger lesson comes down to the role technology plays in the insurance sector. Whether its on a macro level (reducing insured losses from natural disasters enough to have a positive impact on the overall affordability and availability of P&C insurance) or a micro level (enabling a single producer to onboard with an agency faster and more efficiently), its clear technology is crucial to the future success of our industry.

If all this talk about firefighting robots and tiny rodent heroes has you feeling amped up and ready to swap out your legacy insurance technology for more modern, efficient solutions, AgentSync can help. Watch a demo to learn more.

Topics Natural Disasters InsurTech Tech
This post is part of a series sponsored by Dyad.

In the dynamic world of insurance, staying ahead of the curve is paramount. With the advent of Artificial Intelligence (AI), players in insurance are experiencing a transformational shift in how they operate, manage risks, and serve their clients. AI is a powerful tool that can streamline processes, enhance decision-making, and ultimately drive efficiency and profitability. In this article, we delve into how retailers, wholesalers, and MGAs can use AI to harness its capabilities effectively.

Enhancing Customer Experience

One of the primary benefits of AI in insurance agencies is its ability to enhance the customer experience. Chatbots powered by AI can provide immediate assistance to customers, answering queries, processing claims, and even recommending suitable insurance products based on individual needs and preferences. These virtual assistants are available 24/7, ensuring prompt and personalized service, thus improving customer satisfaction and loyalty.

Predictive Analytics for Risk Assessment

AI enables MGAs to leverage predictive analytics for more accurate risk assessment. By analyzing vast amounts of data, including demographic information, historical claims data, and real-time market trends, AI algorithms can identify patterns and predict potential risks more precisely. This proactive approach not only helps MGAs better understand and mitigate risks but also enables them to offer more competitive pricing to customers based on their risk profiles.

Streamlining Underwriting Processes

Traditionally, underwriting processes have been time-consuming and labor-intensive. However, AI-powered underwriting solutions are revolutionizing this aspect of the industry. Machine learning algorithms can analyze vast datasets and assess risk factors in real time, significantly reducing the time and resources required for underwriting. This speeds up the policy issuance process, improves accuracy, and ensures fair pricing for customers.

Fraud Detection and Prevention

Fraudulent claims pose a significant challenge for insurance carriers, leading to substantial financial losses. AI-driven fraud detection systems can analyze data patterns and identify suspicious behavior, enabling carriers to detect and prevent fraudulent activities more effectively. By leveraging advanced algorithms and predictive modeling, AI can flag potentially fraudulent claims in real time, allowing agencies to take swift action and mitigate losses.

Personalized Product Recommendations

AI-powered recommendation engines are transforming the way insurance products are marketed and sold. By analyzing customer data, including past purchase history, browsing behavior, and life events, AI algorithms can generate personalized product recommendations tailored to each individuals needs and preferences. This targeted approach enhances customer engagement and increases the likelihood of conversions, ultimately driving revenue for insurance agencies.

Conclusion

The integration of AI technologies is revolutionizing the insurance industry, enabling agencies to enhance customer experiences, improve risk assessment, streamline underwriting processes, detect and prevent fraud, and drive revenue growth. However, to fully harness the power of AI, insurance agencies must invest in the right technology infrastructure, data analytics capabilities, and talent development. By embracing AI-driven innovation, insurance intermediaries can position themselves for success in an increasingly competitive market landscape while delivering greater value to their customers.

Topics InsurTech Data Driven Artificial Intelligence
A tornado that hit this small, upstate city tore off rooftops, leveled brick buildings and toppled the steeples of two historic churches. No one was killed, but the twister left a debris-strewn scar through downtown and nearby areas. More than 370 homes were damaged.

Residents are vowing to rebuild. But some of the damage on July 16 was so severe that the path forward is uncertain for many in this old manufacturing city, where people are more accustomed to digging out from snowstorms than from piles of rubble.

Standing by the wreckage of his hot dog, catering and event business a week after the storm, Scott Smith gazed at the ruins of his storage space, which collapsed onto much of his equipment including tables, amusement rides and smokers. The 65-year-old owner of Scottys Hot Dogs plans to forge ahead with his enterprises. But he needs to find new warehouse space.

I do plan on rebuilding, Smith said. Is it going to be Rome? I would like to believe that.

The 1977 Oldsmobile Cutlass Supreme that was his first car was crushed. So was his first hot dog cart, which sat among a pile of bricks.

I was hoping to save it for my first grandchild one day, you know, start him or her out, Smith said. Its kind of sad to see it sitting in that debris right now.

The July 16 tornado in Rome, which is home to about 32,000 people, was unusually destructive for this region, with peak winds of 135 mph (217 kph). It traveled for more than 5 miles (8 kilometers) and had an EF2 rating, considered significant, on the Enhanced Fujita scale, which rates tornadoes based on estimated wind speed and damage.

Only about one in six tornadoes in New York are EF2 or greater, said Nick Bassill, director of the State Weather Risk Communications Center at the University at Albany.

1 of 10

The Rome tornado was among 10 confirmed in the state that day. One of them killed an 82-year-old man about 20 miles (30 kilometers) west of Rome who was struck by storm debris.

The tornado roared through Rome like a locomotive, Smith said. He and his girlfriend, Wendy Goldenbaum, sheltered in his catering kitchen, holding each other as the building shuddered.

In one particularly hard-hit area, four of the five homes that landlord Richard Secor owns likely will have to be demolished, he said, noting that includes one whose roof was ripped off but its occupants were OK.

Everything just lifted up like The Wizard of Oz and disappeared, Secor said.

Dozens of businesses already have sought relief funds, Mayor Jeffrey Lanigan said.

Allison Graves has been working to haul stuff out of her New York Dance Academy studio, which adjoins a building that collapsed and took down a local landmark mural of a Revolutionary War hero on horseback. That left her building unusable and her plans are up in the air.

Where can we go? What can we do? I have been offered by some local studios some space if I want to go in and use their studios for the time being, Graves said.

Homeowner Willard Harvey is waiting for insurance information to decide how to proceed with his severely damaged house. He has a rural place up north where he and his wife can live. But he has memories of growing up in the home, which his parents owned previously. He thinks he would like to rebuild.

Just my roots, Harvey said. Ive been here all my life.

$25 Million

Oneida County Executive Anthony Picente estimates demolishing uninhabitable and unsound structures could cost up to $25 million, and a couple of buildings need to come down soon. The county and the city have asked the state for help meeting the costs.

Some older buildings would be especially painful to lose, like the two 19th-century churches with extensively damaged steeples and roofs.

One of them, St. Marys, was sold by the local Catholic diocese several years ago and was not being used. The current owner said insurance would not cover the costs of rebuilding or demolition.

At the other church, First Presbyterian, crews used a giant crane to remove debris this week. The Rev. Edwina Landry remains hopeful that the parish can rebuild but said its too soon to say what is possible.

Theres so much history here, she said. People have grown up in this church, they were baptized here, married here, just experienced so many big life changes in this church building. And so thats something that we want to hold on to.

In the wake of the tornado, First Presbyterian held Sunday services in a nearby church that opened its doors to the congregation.

Lanigan, the mayor, said if some buildings cant be saved, officials at least want to pay homage to them in a way that honors Romes long history. He is confident the city will bounce back.

Rome wasnt built in a day, he said. This is definitely going to take a little bit of time and a whole lot of effort from us, the community and our outside partners.

Associated Press writer Cedar Attanasio in New York City contributed.

Copyright 2024 Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

Topics Catastrophe Natural Disasters New York Windstorm
State utility regulators have filed a complaint against a natural gas provider alleging safety violations in connection with an explosion in a central Pennsylvania borough that killed one person and injured several others three years ago.

The 22-count complaint filed by the Pennsylvania Public Utility Commission against Peoples Natural Gas Co. alleges that in responding to the report of a gas leak, the company didnt shut off the gas supply, call emergency personnel or evacuate nearby homes before the July 2021 blast in Tyrone, The (Altoona) Mirror reported.

The blast killed 83-year-old Anna Hunsicker and destroyed her home, also damaging two other residences. Several other people were taken to hospitals, including a utility worker who had been in the basement of the home.

The leak turned out to have been caused by a contractors drill piercing a main, and the blast happened 40 minutes after a worker arrived and 18 minutes after he told a supervisor there had been a serious incident involving suspected bore or missile damage, according to the complaint.

The commission is recommending an $800,000 fine and changes in procedures to improve response to future reports of leaking gas.

Peoples, which has 20 days to respond, said Friday it was reviewing the complaint but stressed safety as its top priority and a commitment toward working with the commission toward our shared goal of enhancing the safety of our communities and the distribution systems that serve them.

This explosion was caused by a third-party contractor striking a Peoples pipeline with a horizontal drill while installing a water service line perpendicular to our line for the borough of Tyrone, the company said in an emailed statement, the newspaper reported.

Copyright 2024 Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

Topics Energy Pennsylvania
SCOR SE Chief Executive Officer Thierry Leger said hes taking over control of the companys life and health unit after it led the firm to report its first quarterly loss since 2022.

The Paris-based reinsurer posted a loss of 308 million ($333 million) in the three months through June, missing analysts estimates. The result was driven by a 329 million operational loss in the life and health unit following a claims review.

Earlier this month, SCOR warned investors that its life and health business could face operational losses in the quarter, and that further negative adjustments could occur by the end of the year. The stock dropped as much as 30% that day.

Leger said in a statement Tuesday that hes disappointed by the units performance, and announced hes taking over its management from Frieder Knupling, who is leaving the group to pursue new professional opportunities.

The CEO said he has a plan to restore profitability at the unit and aims to present details at an investor day in December.

SCOR shares rose as much as 3.7% in early Paris trading, paring losses this year to about 18%.

We believe management action is ongoing, and the group could have further positives down the line, Keefe Bruyette & Woods analyst Darius Satkauskas wrote in a note to clients Tuesday. However, restoring confidence could take time.

Related:

Copyright 2024 Bloomberg.

Topics Profit Loss Reinsurance
South Africa dispatched crews to contain an oil spill from a cargo vessel that ran aground earlier this month because of extreme weather conditions.

Strong waves eroded the hull of the 125-meter (410-foot) MV Ultra Galaxy, which beached at Brand se Baai northwest of Cape Town on July 9.

Salvage workers removed several lube oil drums and about eight tons of marine gas oil from the fuel tanks in the wreck, before weather conditions deteriorated and delayed operations, according to a statement by the South African Maritime Safety Authority.

Powerful waves over the weekend broke the vessel into four parts, leading to an oil spill, SAMSA said in the statement. Thats triggered a contingency plan to bring in 125 people from the local community to assist.

All attempts are being made to contain the spill within the immediate area, and cleaning operations will continue, SAMSA said.

Copyright 2024 Bloomberg.

Topics Energy Oil Gas Trucking
HDI Global SE has received a regulatory license from Dubai Financial Services Authority (DFSA) to open an office in Dubai.

The new local presence in Dubai International Financial Centre (DIFC) will allow HDI Global to bring its global financial strength and technical expertise closer to clients in the Middle East, the company said.

The new Dubai office managing director, Willem van Wyk, brings over three decades of global insurance industry experience including senior leadership roles in the Middle East market and beyond.

Currently regional market manager ASEAN and Australasia, van Wyk has contributed to the significant profitable growth in the Asia Pacific portfolio working closely with teams in Australia, New Zealand, Singapore and Hong Kong branch offices since joining HDI Global in 2020.

Prior to joining the HDI global team, he held senior positions at AGCS, Marsh and Commercial Union, including as CEO AGCS in Dubai from 2016-2017. This followed his previous experience in the Middle East in the insurance industry, living there from 2001-2005.

HDI Global plans to commence its operations from DIFC in the third quarter of 2024 and will initially offer engineering, construction and property insurance products. Other functions and underwriting lines of business, including liability and marine, will be provided via HDI Singapore office, with the vision to transition to a fully integrated business in the medium term.

HDI Global also has made two additional appointments for the Dubai team. Riziq Ishaq has been appointed to lead the property underwriting line in Dubai, while John Morrell will lead construction and engineering.

Riziq Ishaq brings over 20 years of experience in the insurance industry, having worked with companies like Allianz, Zurich, and IGI. He has a proven track record in running profitable portfolios and possesses strong business development skills. With extensive expertise in portfolio steering and risk management, Ishaqs rich professional history with direct, regional, and international insurance and reinsurance companies has equipped him with a vast network of relationships and significant underwriting expertise across the region.

John Morrell, currently underwriting manager engineering, Northern Region, in the Australian branch of HDI Global, relocated to Dubai end of June. He joined HDI Global in 2017 following his earlier engineering career and brings a strong background in managing large-scale infrastructure projects and a deep understanding of technical and industry requirements.

In line with the appointed underwriters, the focus will initially be the provision of property and engineering insurance solutions. As the business grows, additional lines of cover will be offered as part of the portfolio in Dubai, the company said.

The Middle East continues to become a more important player in the global economy. The DIFC is a dynamic marketplace that provides growth opportunities for HDI now and in the future, commented van Wyk of the HDI Global move to Dubai. HDI is excited to bring A-rated capacity and a strong underwriting team to support brokers and clients in the DIFC.

Our clear goal will be to offer our clients and business partners innovative solutions, capital strength, stability, technical expertise, and reliable service  whether they operate internationally or solely in the Middle East. Thanks to our global network, we enable clients and brokers to operate worldwide with compliance and confidence, said van Wyk.

As part of the overall global vision and APAC growth strategy, Dubai is an exciting opportunity for us to move closer to this expanding market, strengthen our relationships with brokers and clients by providing solutions through a local team of underwriters, led by Willem van Wyk who has many years experience in the market, according to David Hullin, member of the HDI Global board of management with responsibility for the international business.

For brokers in the region, they will have local access to a long-term reliable partner with responsive claims, international programmes, and risk consulting capabilities for their clients, Hullin added.

HDI Global SE is the Industrial Lines Division of the Talanx Group. The Dubai International Financial Centre (DIFC) is a leading financial hub for the Middle East, Africa, and South Asia (MEASA), which comprises 72 countries with an approximate population of 3 billion and an estimated gross domestic product of US$8 trillion.

Source: HDI Global SE
Crude oil pipelines connecting the busiest Texas oil fields to a critical export hub across the state are nearly out of space, threatening to cap US oil exports at a time when the world needs more.

Key pipelines that transport barrels produced in the Permian Basin to the Port of Corpus Christi are more than 90% full, and companies that operate some of these lines say the congestion is likely to get worse. By the second half of 2025, the pipes could be 94% or 95% full, estimates researcher East Daley Analytics.

Demand for the limited pipeline space comes at a time when the US is producing more crude oil than any other nation, with output set to hit a new record next year. The Permian region, one of the top producing shale basins in the world, accounts for nearly half of all US oil production. While output is set to keep growing, it will be difficult for that incremental output to reach international buyers without ample pipeline space.

If growth in the USs crude exports stalls, it threatens to create pockets of oversupply domestically and exacerbate supply tightness in other regions of the world, which have come to rely on US barrels more than ever after Russias invasion of Ukraine and OPEC+ supply curbs. Demand from China and the price of Brent crude will all play a role as well in the medium-term supply-demand balance, said Kristy Oleszek, East Daleys director of energy analytics.

To be sure, some of the oil may be rerouted to the Houston area instead, alleviating some congestion. OneOKs Longhorn and BridgeTex pipelines in particular could offer alternative options to get barrels down to the Gulf Coast.

Meanwhile, a plan to expand Enbridge Inc.s Gray Oak pipeline system will likely reduce some bottlenecks to Corpus Christi. Still, East Daley estimates even the companys goal of increasing capacity on the line by 120,000 barrels per day wont bring overall regional utilization below 90%. Enbridge did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

Photo: Oil pipeline construction materials next to a residential neighborhood in Midland, Texas, US, on Thursday, April 27, 2023. Midlands inability  or refusal  to fund basic infrastructure upgrades is dinging worker retention rates, imperiling Texas ability to deliver the energy needed to fuel the global economy. Photographer: Jordan Vonderhaar/Bloomberg

Copyright 2024 Bloomberg.

Topics Texas Energy Oil Gas
Decades of snuffing out fires at the first sign of smoke combined with climate change have laid the groundwork for a massive wildfire in northern California and scores of smaller ones across the western U.S. and Canada, experts say.

These fires are moving faster and are harder to fight than those in the past. The only way to stop future wildfires from becoming so ferocious is to use smaller controlled fires, as indigenous people did for centuries, experts say. But they acknowledge that change wont be easy.

Here are some things to know about the latest fires and why they are so savage:

Blazes Scorch Hundreds of Square Miles

The Park Fire, the largest blaze so far this year in California, stood at 544 square miles (1,409 square kilometers) as of Saturday. It ignited Wednesday when authorities said a man pushed a burning car into a gully in Chico and then calmly blended in with others fleeing the scene.

Its intensity and dramatic spread led fire officials to make unwelcome comparisons to the monstrous Camp Fire that fire burned out of control in nearby Paradise in 2018, killing 85 people and torching 11,000 homes.

Related: California Wildfire Grows to 575 Square Miles, Destroying at Least 100 Structures

Communities elsewhere in the U.S. West and Canada also were under siege Saturday from fast-moving flames. More than 110 active fires covering 2,800 square miles (7,250 square kilometers) were burning in the U.S. on Friday, according to the National Interagency Fire Center.

Fires Are Becoming Bigger and More Threatening

Amped up is how Jennifer Marlon, a research scientist at Yales School of the Environment, described the recent fires.

Marlon said there arent necessarily more wildfires now, but they are larger and more severe because of the warming atmosphere. The big message is that seeing extreme wildfires is just part of a series of unnatural disasters that we are going to continue seeing because of climate change, she said.

Ten of Californias 20 largest fires occurred in the last five years, said Benjamin Hatchett, a fire meteorologist with the Cooperative Institute for Research in the Atmosphere with Colorado State University, in Fort Collins.

Related: State Farm Seeking Large Rate Increases in Wildfire-Prone California

And he noted that the Park Fire was in eighth place as of Saturday morning, even as it continued to spread. He blamed climate change for creating more variability in weather conditions.

We have a lot of very, very wet years and very, very dry years, Hatchett said. And so we get a lot of this variability that helps to accumulate and then dry out fuels.

Such is the case this year in California, where record-setting temperatures dried up the plant growth that sprung up during recent wetter-than-average years, Hatchett said.

So now we really have a really good setup for having these widespread large wildfires, Hatchett said. And were starting to push the limits of firefighting resource availability.

These fires dont even give firefighters a chance to rest at night, said Daniel Swain, a climate scientist with the University of California, Los Angeles and the National Center for Atmospheric Research.

Theyre burning with extreme intensity straight through the overnight and just continuing on into the next day, he said. Were also seeing fires burning over a longer fire season than we used to.

Forests May Have Trouble Recovering

The fires that are burning today are sometimes so severe and hot that they transform forests into a different type of ecosystem, Swain said.

The forest is not coming back in the same in the same way as it was in a lot of regions, Swain said.

Part of the issue is that climate change means that there are hotter conditions as plant life returns. In some cases, trees are replaced with invasive grasses that are themselves flammable.

So the climate change has altered the context in which these fires are occurring, he said. And thats affecting not only the intensity and the severity of the fires themselves, which it clearly is at this point, but its also affecting the ability of ecosystems to recover afterwards.

Snuffing out Fires in the Past Created Problems Now

In parts of the country, like the Midwest, farmers use fire to control trees, woody shrubs and invasive species. But not so in the western U.S., where fires have been extinguished in their infancy for decades.

The problem now is weve allowed so much fuel to build up in some of these places that the fires burn very hot and intense. And that tends to do more damage than what nature typically will do with a fire, said Tim Brown, a research professor at the Desert Research Institute and director of the Western Regional Climate Center in Reno, Nevada.

Fires were once commonplace in the West because of lightning strikes and indigenous burning, Hatchett said. The practice stopped during colonial settlement, but it now needs to return, Hatchett said.

Thats the only way were really going to get out of this, is to really accept and embrace the use of fire on our terms, Hatchett said. Otherwise were going to get fire on the fires terms, which is like what were seeing right now.

Doing so isnt easy because there are no longer big-open landscapes where millions of acres can burn unchecked, Swain acknowledged.

And thats sort of the conundrum: This is something we need to be doing more of. But the practical reality of doing so is not at all simple, Swain said.

But he said there is no option to address the wildfire risk that doesnt involve fire.

Were going to see more and more fire on the ground, he said. The question is whether we want to see it in the form of more manageable, primarily beneficial prescribed burns, or in these primarily harmful, huge, intense conflagrations that were increasingly seeing.

Copyright 2024 Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.
Fort Pierce, Florida - July 30, 2024 (Investorideas.com Newswire) A Florida congressional candidate has made an unprecedented pledge to voters four weeks prior to Florida's primary election on August 20.

Rick Wiles, who is seeking the Republican nomination for the U.S. House in Florida's District 21, released his 12-point pledge to citizens in the district.

The 12-point pledge includes Wiles' promise to:

Opt out of the $174,000 annual salary for members of Congress.

Opt out of the Congressional Federal Employees Retirement System.

Reject all PAC donations.

Refuse to trade stocks and securities.

Serve no more than three terms (six years).

Use digital technology to obtain feedback from citizens about their views on issues.

"Too many people are in Washington for the money," Wiles said. "My 12-point pledge shows voters that I am running to serve them and America, not myself."

Mr. Wiles challenged Brian Mast to join him in making the pledge.

District 21 includes Saint Lucie County, Martin County, and northern Palm Beach County along Florida's Treasure Coast.

Rick Wiles' entire 12-point pledge can be read here:

https://rickwiles2024.com/pledge

Contact Information:

Rick Wiles 2024 Committee

+1 772-356-4477

campaign@rickwiles2024.com

Paid by the Rick Wiles 2024 Committee

More Info:

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July 30, 2024 (Investorideas.com Newswire) The removal of travel bans and other travel restrictions has resulted in increased demand for flights and catapulted the value of airline stocks. This recent turn of events comes after a harsh period for the airline industry, no thanks to lockdown enforcement due to health concerns. However, that all seems like a distant memory, and the airline industry is currently booming amid summer vacations and the summer Olympics.

After a couple of rough years, airline stocks are once again looking profitable, thanks to the lifting of travel bans and a few upcoming summer events.

Sun Country Airlines is an American airline company known for its ultra-low-cost and affordable flights to 140 destinations around the globe.

Delta Airlines is one of the oldest operating airline companies in the world and a legacy carrier in the US. It is among the country's "big four" air carriers.

In a year that has been mostly profitable, the airline industry provides investors with another opportunity to generate massive returns. The demand for flights is bound to hit all-time levels this summer, which will also affect the value of airline stocks.

Joel Lim, a financial analyst at Tradequotex.com has identified two of the best airline stocks to invest in right now.

Sun Country Airlines

Sun Country Airlines is an American air carrier company based in Minneapolis, Minnesota. It is known for its affordable and ultra-low-cost flights and vacation packages across 140 destinations worldwide, such as Canada, Mexico, the Caribbean, and the United States.

In addition to providing low-cost and affordable flights, Sun Country Airlines has an Air Transport Services Agreement with e-commerce giant Amazon to transport its cargo worldwide. Many analysts believe this partnership could bode well for the value of the airline's stock.

Furthermore, the airline is performing exceedingly well on the financial front this year. Its latest quarterly report shows increases across key metrics, such as revenue and net income.

Joel Lim notes, "Sun Country Airlines is one of the best stocks in the airline industry. Its regular share buybacks make it an ideal option, as they guarantee that investors are consistently rewarded."

Delta Airlines

Delta Airlines is a major American airline company and one of the country's legacy air carriers. It is based in Atlanta, Georgia, and is among the oldest operating airline companies in the world.

A member of the luxurious American "big four" air carriers, Delta Airlines is a leader in the leisure and business travel space. Its operation caters to around 200 million travellers across 275 destinations. It handles around 4,000 departures daily.

Furthermore, the airline's financial performance this year has been outstanding. According to its latest quarterly report, it saw massive increases across key metrics like operating revenue and income. More impressively, it announced a 50% increase in dividend payments starting in the last quarter of the year.

Joel Lim notes, "Delta Airlines is a no-brainer for investors interested in airline stocks due to its immense profitability and growth potential. It is also among the airline companies with the highest dividend payouts, a factor that ensures investors gain the most of their investments."

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Disclaimer/Disclosure: Investorideas.com is a digital publisher of third party sourced news, articles and equity research as well as creates original content, including video, interviews and articles. Original content created by investorideas is protected by copyright laws other than syndication rights. Our site does not make recommendations for purchases or sale of stocks, services or products. Nothing on our sites should be construed as an offer or solicitation to buy or sell products or securities. All investing involves risk and possible losses. This site is currently compensated for news publication and distribution, social media and marketing, content creation and more. Disclosure is posted for each compensated news release, content published /created if required but otherwise the news was not compensated for and was published for the sole interest of our readers and followers. Contact management and IR of each company directly regarding specific questions.

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Toyotas global sales and output fell in the first half with sizable declines in Japan and China cancelling out a resurgence of hybrids in North America.

Toyotas global output  including that of subsidiaries Daihatsu and Hino  dropped 9.8% versus the first six months of 2023 to about five million units, according to a statement Tuesday. Worldwide sales declined 4.7% to 5.2 million.

Even though hybrid sales grew 57.2% to a record 473,000 units during the period in North America, the overall number was dragged down by a lacklustre showing in Japan and China, where sales tumbled 22.3% and 10.8% respectively.

That was due in large part to broad recalls of the Prius and other models, as well as intense competition from electric car-makers such as Chinas BYD.

Toyota is also still dealing with the aftermath of multiple vehicle scandals that first emerged at a pair of subsidiaries in December, and then more recently in June at the carmaker itself. The upset followed revelations that a number of vehicle models werent properly tested for collision safety.

The worlds biggest automaker was forced to temporarily suspend shipments on several models.

In June, Toyotas global sales fell 5.8% to 912,971 units, decreasing for a fifth straight month.

Chairman Akio Toyoda saw his support tumble to a record low for a second year last month during Toyotas annual meeting, where a handful of activist shareholders voiced their concerns about his leadership and the companys hesitation to embrace electric cars, which they say caused it to fall behind BYD and Tesla.

In a podcast interview published on the companys media site on Monday, Toyoda said he wont get reelected to the board next year if his support continues to decline. No board member in Toyotas history has seen their support fall so low, he said.

Meanwhile the carmaker, its financial partners and major investors have been unwinding cross-held stocks amid a government push to declutter business ties and revamp competition following a price-fixing scandal years ago.

Toyota recently announced plans to buy back as much as 806.8bn (4.8Bbn) in shares from a few major banks and insurers as part of a 1 trillion repurchase plan announced in May.

Nissan and Honda are currently in talks to form an electric car alliance that, according to local reports, Mitsubishi also hopes to join.

Such a move would pit the new three-way tie-up against the Toyota business group.

Hondas first-half domestic sales rose 21.2% to 341,782 units, while exports to North American climbed 46.7%, the automaker said Tuesday, Nissans global sales rose 2.4% to 1.71 million units during the half. Production fell 4.4% to 1.61 million.

Bloomberg
A group of Irish farmers and agricultural businesses have donated farm machinery valued at around 45,000 to a community of nuns in Uganda.

This will help them in developing their 450-acre farm to the benefit of their local community.

The machinery, which includes a new four-wheel drive tractor, marks the first mechanisation on the farm in Busungu in Central Uganda owned by the Little Sisters of St Francis. It will transform the way they manage and cultivate their land.

With the new equipment, the nuns say they will be able to increase productivity and sustain their community more effectively.

It will also help advance a plan to develop an agricultural training centre and will support them in clearing land to make way for the construction of a health centre for local people, and the completion of a convent building.

Michael Maguire from Virginia, Co Cavan, has been a regular visitor to Uganda through his work with agri-business Devenish.

Mr Maguire said that the initiative was spearheaded by a group of Irish farmers and agricultural businesses who recognised the need for modern farming tools in the Busungu community.

"We are thrilled to assist the Little Sisters of St Francis who have made such a huge contribution to Uganda since its founder, Mother Kevin, first arrived in the country from Ireland in 1902," he explained.

"This order of nuns has had a profound impact on health and education in Uganda for decades, and we are delighted to be able to support the community in their efforts to develop the land in Busungu where they are dedicated to serving and improving the lives of the local population.

Empower and enhance

Mr Maguire said that agriculture is a "vital part" of any community, and it is hoped that this machinery donation will "empower the nuns and enhance the quality of life for everyone they support".

"We are proud to contribute to the sustainable development of agriculture in Busungu, and look forward to seeing the positive changes that this mechanisation will bring.

This was a fantastic effort. A group of us had recognised the need for the community of nuns here, and when we put out the call for support, no one was found wanting.

The donation includes a tractor, which will provide the nuns with the power needed for heavy-duty tasks; a plough, which will help in the preparation of the land for planting; and a trailer, which will facilitate the transport of goods and materials across the farm.

Rita Christine Nakitende, the superior general of the Little Sisters of St Francis, expressed her deep gratitude to the Irish donors.

We are greatly touched by the donation of this tractor and other accessories," she said.

"This will help us achieve our dream to build a health centre so communities in our surrounding areas can access medical care.

This machinery will not only ease our workload, but will also enable us to grow more food and support our community better. It is a blessing beyond words.

July 2024 marks 30 years since the Irish embassy officially opened in Uganda.
When critically acclaimed musician Ezra Williams moved to Cork to attend art school, they didnt know what to expect. Having grown up in Greystones, Co Wicklow, and spent their adolescence knocking around South Dublin suburban haunts such as Dundrum Shopping Centre, going off the range to study at Crawford College of Art and Design was a step into the unknown. So it came as a more than pleasant surprise to discover Cork had a nurturing experiential music scene, which has provided the inspiring backdrop to their atmospheric new EP, Socks.

In Dublin, you have to be more in the know. In Cork, the community feels a lot more approachable, says Williams, who is non-binary and uses they/them pronouns. Every single gig Ive been to, I recognise people from other gigs. Theres a big group of people who goes to everything, which I like.

Alongside their studies, Williams has blossomed as a songwriter, their ethereal confessional sound landing somewhere between a Billie Eilish ballad, the introspective art-rock of their musical hero Lana Del Rey and Gen X indie groups such as Cocteau Twins or Mazzy Star. A 2023 debut album, Supernumeraries, and Aprils Socks EP have been widely praised  while Williams' fanbase exploded after their ballad 'My Own Person' featured on Netflixs queer teen drama, Heartstopper.

It was probably one of the biggest things thats happened for me, says Williams of Heartstopper. I was approached for it  I was asked for my song to be in it. It felt very full circle for me. Thats the kind of show that, had it been around when I was younger, had I been having the feelings I was writing about  it would have been really comforting. So it was nice.

Theres a lot of joy in Williams songs, but some pain, too (Been talking about the same problems for years now/But nothing I do seems to make things happen, goes 'My Own Person'). When I was in school, I felt that I was the only one who was out as non-binary, Williams explains. I had a horrible time in school.

Though Williams is just 22, they believe queer and non-binary people have more support in Irish education today than when they were a teenager. I hated school a lot and dropped out, they say. It is definitely a lot different now than when I was 12 to 14, in a good way. I like the fact that you see baby gays in their school uniforms. Its quite nice.

Williamss first songs were written at home, in quiet moments, away from prying eyes (and were initially released under the alias, Smoothboi Ezra).

In that respect, they are part of a wider movement dubbed bedroom pop which includes artists such as Clairo and Girl In Red  musicians for whom a laptop and a shut door provided sanctuary from the world.

I spent my teenage-hood in my room, all the time, says Williams. I was making YouTube videos and music. The reason that I had time to do that was because I wasnt really doing school-work. I definitely only put effort into my music. I did not care about school in anyway. Thats how I ended up having such a backlog of music by the time of 18. Its what I was doing when I should have been doing school.

Williams is shy  but, as with many introverts, they have the paradoxical experience of being comfortable on stage. I am coming out of my shell recently. Up until this year, I would stay inside more. Im trying to be more extroverted. Im trying to make friends in the music scene. Thats something I struggle with. Im bad at interacting people and knowing what to say. If someone doesnt come up to me and say hi, Ill stand in a corner.

They shrug: Being on stage makes it easier  the audience dont have to interact back. Youre there to do a job and you leave and theres no expectation on you after that.

Their music is woozy and sometimes bleak but for Williams the future is bright and in Cork they have found a place where, as an artist and a person, they can be themselves.

Its so good. I love it. Ive made so many amazing friends, they say. I didnt realise how much Cork would suit me.

The Socks EP is out now. Ezra Williams plays the We've Only Just Begun event at Whelan's in Dublin on Thursday, August 8
Batman: Caped Crusader, Amazon Prime Video, Thursday August 1: A major new animated series that promises to emphasize the noir-ish side of the classic comic character. Familiar voices in the cast include Christina Ricci as Catwoman, while JJ Abrams is involved in the backroom team.

Miriam Margolyes: A New Australian Adventure, Friday, BBC Two, August 2: The English actress charmed all round on a recent trip to West Cork Literary Festival, and in this three-part series shes venturing to other far-flung locations. As well as visiting Perth, Broken Hill and Byron Bay, the 83-year-old is doing some self-reflection along the way, wanting to embrace change as she enters the final stages of her life.

The Walking Dead: Daryl Dixon, starring Norman Reedus.

The Walking Dead: Daryl Dixon, Sky Max/Now, August 2: Has there ever been a TV show to stagger so far beyond its sell-by date as The Walking Dead? Despite widespread slating of the zombie show in its latter years, the economics presumably stacked up, and even in the depths of its shonky scripts and uninteresting additions, the character of Daryl Dixon (Norman Reedus) just about kept many viewers engaged. The decent-skin hillbilly is the subject of the third spinoff series, and he finds himself washed up in France, a country decimated by the undead plague.

Eoin Morgan - England's Irish Captain

Eoin Morgan  Englands Irish Captain, RTE One, August 7: In a country where even playing cricket might still be frowned upon in some parishes, Dubliner Eoin Morgan thrived at his chosen sport and even ended up captaining England, the homeland of his mother. This documentary traces his remarkable tale from early days in Rush through his defection from the Irish team and achievements that have seen him recognised as one of Englands greatest ever captains.

Love is Blind: UK.

Love Is Blind UK, Netflix, August 7: If youre missing your Love Island fix, perhaps this new dating show can fill the gap. Based on the equivalent US show, participants  including two Irish people - choose somebody to marry without ever meeting them. We then watch them move in together and plan their weddings, deciding on the final day whether to actually go through with the ceremony.

Lily Collins as Emily in Emily in Paris.

Emily in Paris, Netflix, August 15: The ridicule from some quarters about this show seems to have faded as the fourth season readies to launch with a loyal audience who just get this particular brand of romantic comedy. In the restaurant, Emily and Gabriel have challenges in their pursuit of a Michelin star, while both also face major complications in their respective love-lives.

Klitschko: More Than a Fight

Klitschko: More than a Fight, Sky Documentaries/Now, August 15: The Klitschko brothers get a documentary here, and youd imagine its just one of a number of factual treatments and feature films the Ukrainian siblings will be the subjects of. Kevin Macdonald (Touching the Void, Marley) digs into Wladimir and Vitalis childhood in the Soviet Union, their incredible boxing successes, and talks to the brothers as they face what is perhaps their greatest challenge as they help their homeland in its fight against Russia.

Premier League, Sky Sports, TNT, Premier Sports: The incredible summer of sport continues on Friday, August 16, when the English soccer season returns with Man Utd v Fulham. Theres an interesting campaign ahead, with Liverpool adjusting to a post-Klopp era, Man City possibly reaching the end of the Guardiola years, and both Man Utd and Arsenal among the sides desperate to step up.

Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power stars Sam Hazeldine as Adar

Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power, Amazon Prime Video, August 29: This big-budget adaptation of JRR Tolkiens tales met with a mixed reaction in its opening series, not least from viewers in this country who raised eyebrows at the who raised an eyebrow at the awful Oirish accents of the OHobbits. Apparently, theres a lot of Saurun in this season (he disguises himself as an elf), and well also see Tom Bombadil, the character who was omitted from the film adaptations. Three episodes in the first week, followed by individual episodes dropping weekly.

Kaos: Aurora Perrineau as Riddy, Killian Scott as Orpheus.

KAOS, August 29, Netflix: Possibly one of the biggest shows of the summer, Jeff Goldblum plays Zeus in a six-part tale of conflict between the gods and humans. Theres also a decent Irish presence with Killian Scott (Tommy in Love/Hate) playing Orpheus, and Stanley Townsend also popping up.
Edna OBriens was one of the best-known faces in the London of the Swinging Sixties.

Beautiful and glamorous, OBrien commanded attention, and featured regularly in the social columns in the newspapers. But she had come by fame the hard way, by dint of her achievements. By 1968, when the Irish photographer John Minihan first met her, at a Foyles Literary Lunch, she had already published five novels, including the Country Girls trilogy.

Foyles was the biggest bookshop in London at that time, says Minihan, and their literary lunches were always a big event. Edna had a new book out, and everyone wanted to meet her. I remember she was really charming.

By then, shed already divorced her husband, Ernest Gebler, and won custody of their two sons, Carlo and Sasha. For a time, she was successful enough that they could live in a degree of luxury. By the early 1970s, Edna had a beautiful house in Carlyle Square, off Kings Road in Chelsea. She loved living there. She lost the place later, which was a shame, but thats another story.

The house in Carlyle Square was where Minihan took what is arguably the most famous photograph of OBrien, in 1971. Dressed to the nines, with strings of pearls around her neck, she sits in the window, with one foot on the windowsill, staring fearlessly into the camera. She looks so like a movie star that one might presume shed spent hours with make-up and wardrobe assistants preparing for the shoot.

But that was not the case at all; Minihan remembers that she had answered the door in the same attire, and the shoot was entirely spontaneous. Edna had asked me round for tea and scones, he says. And after half an hour or so, I asked if I could take a picture.

Edna O'Brien in John Minihan's iconic picture from Chelsea, London, in 1971. (Photograph by John Minihan. Copyright of University College Cork)

Minihan photographed OBrien on dozens of occasions after that, sometimes alone, and sometimes in the company of friends such as the playwright Harold Pinter and his wife, the historian Antonia Fraser.

She was a loyal friend. Minihan remembers that when the Royal Court Theatre staged her play, A Pagan Place, in 1972, the director, Oscar Lowenstein, invited him to show his photographs front of house. I was delighted when Edna and Luke Kelly both came to the opening, he says.

Minihan chose to exhibit a series of photographs hed taken of friends and neighbours in his native Athy, Co Kildare, a remarkable project that soon caught the eye of the prestigious Sunday Times critic, Harold Hobson. The PR woman at the Royal Court told me I should buy that weeks Sunday Times. And sure enough, Harold had reviewed my exhibition, saying my photographs were poignant, sad and sublime.

Minihans Athy photographs, which included images of the funeral of a woman named Katy Tyrrell, won him an audience with the reclusive Samuel Beckett when he visited London to direct his play Endgame in Hammersmith in 1980. Beckett greatly admired the photographs, and allowed Minihan to photograph him in his room at the Hyde Park Hotel.

Minihan and OBrien were both huge admirers of Becketts work. Edna had her wars with the Church and State in Ireland, says Minihan. Her books were banned for a long time. But she was very excited to be on the same list of banned books as Beckett was, for his short story collection, More Pricks Than Kicks.

Becketts UK publisher was John Calder, who threw extravagant parties at his apartment in Soho in the 1970s and 80s. Edna was at one of those parties, and Beckett was tinkling the keys on the Bechstein piano, says Minihan. I wasnt there, but I heard that she leaned over the piano, gazed into Becketts eyes, and said: Play it again, Sam!

OBrien and Beckett became friends, and a few years later, when she heard that Beckett had invited Minihan to Paris to photograph him once more, she rang to ask a favour. I nearly always work in black and white, but she asked me to photograph Beckett in colour, as he had what she described as the most amazing blue eyes. And it was true; they were extraordinary, a turquoise blue, like a Native American Indians. I took that colour photograph of Beckett in Montmartre for Edna.

Minihan moved back to Ireland in 1996. But Edna came and went, and we always stayed in touch. In 2014, Van Morrison asked Minihan to photograph a series of concerts in London, Belfast and Dublin. In the first half of the show, hed invited writers to read his lyrics. People like Michael Longley, and Gerald Dawe, who we lost lately. And Edna, of course. She read the lyrics to Madame George.

I took a wonderful photo of Edna and Van in the dressing room after the show, just the two of them holding a copy of the album Astral Weeks. The spotlight was shining on the album, and you could see the wine stains on the cover.

A few years later, OBrien was honoured at a function at the Gaiety Theatre in Dublin. Edna was staying at the Merrion Hotel, says Minihan, and again, she asked me round for tea. On that occasion, I photographed her holding the photo Id taken in Carlyle Square in 1971.

The last time Minihan photographed OBrien was at Listowel Writers Week in 2018, when she was awarded the John B Keane Lifetime Achievement Award, in association with Mercier Press. I was in Listowel for two or three days, he says. Edna was staying at the Listowel Arms, and she asked me to take a photo. Her son Carlo was there as well. I photographed Edna on her own, and again with Carlo.

Minihan is now based in Skibbereen, Co Cork, and is preparing an exhibition of his work for the Riverside Cafe in September. His photographs of OBrien will no doubt be a highlight. Five decades after they first met, he remembers the author with great affection.

She was a good egg, he says. Always very gracious and lovely.
Serious questions have been raised around Ireland's trade links with Israel, with Irish exports spiking in the first five months of this year.

The figures come as Tanaiste Micheal Martin urged Irish citizens in Lebanon to get commercial flights out amid fears that Israeli retaliation to a rocket attack could spark a wider military conflict.

Mr Martin said Irish citizens need to be aware that if the security situation deteriorates that we may be limited in the assistance we can provide.

However, the latest figures reveal that trade between Israel and Ireland does not appear to have been impacted by continued attack on Gaza and mounting tensions in the wider Middle East.

The value of goods exported under the machinery and transport equipment category, which includes electronic items such as microchips, has dramatically increased so far this year, with 315m worth of items sent to Israel up to May of this year.

This far outstrips the overall value of machinery and transport equipment exported to Israel last year, with the total amounting to 181m for the whole of 2023.

Mourners carry the coffin of a Hezbollah fighter who was killed along with three other fighters last Saturday by an Israeli airstrike in south Lebanon, during their funeral procession in the southern suburb of Beirut, Lebanon, last Sunday. Picture: Hussein Malla/AP

The Irish and Spanish governments have already called on European Commission president Ursula von der Leyen to carry out an urgent review of whether Israel is complying with its human rights obligations under the EU/Israel Association Agreement.

Ireland exported almost 550m worth of products to Israel up to May of this year, with imports totalling more than 1.5bn in the same period, according to data provided by the CSO.

The latest trade figures reveal that the value of goods exports to Israel in 2023 was 511m, but by May of this year the value of goods exported had already reached 495m.

Most categories of exports to Israel are on track to perform either the same or slightly lower than last year.

However, along with machinery and transport, the value of exports of "miscellaneous manufactured articles" is also considerably up from 24m for the whole of last year, to 33m across the first five months of 2024.

'Serious questions to answer'

"There are serious questions to answer by Irish-based companies supplying Israel's genocide, and if they are being underpinned by State assistance, through the form of IDA or Enterprise Ireland supports," said Cork city councillor Peter Horgan.

Residents rush to help injured children, moments after a rocket attack hit a soccer field in the Druze town of Majdal Shams in the Israeli-controlled Golan Heights, last Saturday. Picture: Hassan Shams/AP

The most recent data available from the CSO also shows that the value of goods imports from Israel across 2023 was 3.6bn. Up to May of this year, 1.5bn worth of goods had been imported.

Services trade data for individual countries is not yet available for 2023 or 2024.

Mr Horgan again called on the Government to pass the Occupied Territories Bill in the Dail and for the suspension of the EU-Israel Association Agreement on human rights grounds at European level.

The people of Cork have marched against the slaughter of innocents for over 43 weeks, he said.

The people demand an end to this sustained genocide driven by Netanyahus despotic regime."

Military tensions continue to escalate in the Middle East after a missile struck a football pitch in Israeli-seized territory in the Golan Heights, killing at least 12 civilians, including children, at the weekend.

Irish troops serving in a UN peacekeeping force in Lebanon continue to perform their duties amid fears of retaliation.

In a statement, the Defence Forces (DF) declined to give an insight into security assessments being conducted by officers in Lebanon, but stated: Despite current operational challenges, the DF personnel serving with 124 Inf Bn continue to perform their duties as peacekeepers on behalf of the UN and the international community.
The first public hearing in a long called for public inquiry into the Omagh bomb will start later.

The probe, led by chairman Andrew Turnbull, is examining whether the atrocity could reasonably have been prevented by UK authorities.
Irish troops serving in a UN peacekeeping force in Lebanon continue to perform their duties despite fears that an expected Israeli retaliation to a rocket attack could spark a wider, and devastating, military conflict.

The statement from the Defence Forces comes as Tanaiste and Foreign Affairs Minister Micheal Martin urged Irish citizens in Lebanon to get commercial flights out.

Mr Martin, who is also Defence Minister, said Irish citizens need to be aware that if the security situation deteriorates, that we may be limited in the assistance we can provide.

Military tensions have escalated after a missile struck a football pitch in Israeli-seized territory in the Golan Heights, killing at least 12 civilians, including children.

Israel, and the US, has blamed Hezbollah, but the Lebanon-based militia has denied it launched the missile, which is believed to have misfired.

The head of the UN peacekeeping force UNIFIL has warned that retaliation could ignite a wider war that would engulf the region in a catastrophe beyond belief.

Last April 332 Irish soldiers from the 124th Infantry Battalion left for a six-month UNIFIL deployment.

In a statement, the Defence Forces (DF) declined to give an insight into security assessments being conducted by officers in Lebanon.

But it said: The DF personnel deployed in theatre are professional soldiers and prior to deployment, completed an intensive pre-deployment training program which prepared them for eventualities that are likely to arise in the current tense and volatile security environment currently experienced in UNIFIL.

Despite current operational challenges the DF personnel serving with 124 Inf Bn continue to perform their duties as peacekeepers on behalf of the UN and the International Community.

On Sunday, the Head of UNIFIL, Force Commander Aroldo Lazaro said, in a joint statement with the UN Special Coordinator for Lebanon Jeanine Hennis: We urge the parties to exercise maximum restraint and to put a stop to the ongoing intensified exchanges of fire. It could ignite a wider conflagration that would engulf the entire region in a catastrophe beyond belief.

Mr Martin posted on social media that, since last October, his department has been advising people against travelling to Lebanon.

He added: I urge Irish citizens in Lebanon to leave by commercial means. Citizens should be aware that, if the security situation deteriorates, we may be limited in the assistance we can provide.

Ireland has ordered a transport aircraft  an Airbus C295W  which can be used not only to transport troops but also to evacuate Irish citizens stranded in conflict zones. But that is not expected to arrive until the middle of next year.

Diplomats in the Middle East are working in the background to try and prevent, or limit, Israeli retaliation.
A former White House military adviser has recommended that Ireland treble its defence budget to keep the Russians at bay from mucking around in Irish-controlled waters.

Alexander Vindman, a retired US army lieutenant colonel, said Irelands defence budget  at 0.2% of GDP  was woefully inadequate, and called for urgent investment in air and naval capabilities.

The former director for European affairs on the White Houses national security council said this investment was in Irelands own self-interests.

Speaking at a event organised by the Institute of International and European Affairs in Dublin, Mr Vindman said Ireland could take steps to provide more support to Ukraine without breaching the policy of military neutrality  such as providing equipment to Ukrainian border guards and investing in drone manufacture in the country.

Garda Commissioner Drew Harris and the former chief of staff of the Defence Forces, Mark Mellett, were in attendance.

Mr Vindman, a former political-military affairs officer for Russia for the chairman of the joint chiefs of staff and an attache at the US embassies in Moscow and Kyiv, said a Trump presidency would be a recipe for disaster for US democracy and global stability".

He said there would be no guardrails for his behaviour, adding that he would have a better relationship with US adversaries  such as Russia and China  than Nato allies and the EU.

He said Russian president Vladimir Putin would no longer have a US backbone to Nato, and that deterrence to his aggressive imperialism would be eroded, creating the danger of a spillover and a bigger war beyond Ukraine.

Alexander Vindman said the 0.2% of GDP spent on defence was 'woefully inadequate'. File picture: Susan Walsh/AP

Mr Vindman said China would also be emboldened and, in a situation where the US no longer supported Ukraine, could provide weaponry to Russia  which would be a game changer.

He said a Kamala Harris administration could look different, in that a lot of her security officials were more knowledgeable about Russia and better able to assess the risks of US action and inaction.

Asked about Irelands contribution towards Ukraine, Mr Vindman said the first issue was Irelands own security needs and said the 0.2% of GDP spent on defence was woefully inadequate.

He said: Increasing that three-fold, or more, and investing in a combination of air surveillance, air defence, some limited amount of air power, and something in relation to maritime security would be in Irelands own self-interest with regard to keeping the Russians at bay, from them mucking around in national waters, the Exclusive Economic Zone.

Speaking of self-interest that would be a good way to go

EU figures show that the average defence budget across member states was 1.3% of GDP, according to 2022 data, with Ireland spending the lowest amount.

The Government has committed to increase defence spending to 1.5bn by 2028, up from 1.21bn in 2023.

In line with a policy of military neutrality, Mr Vindman said Ireland could provide support to Ukraine border guards  including in relation to drones with surveillance capabilities or investment in the manufacture of drones in the country.
Almost 40,000 people have now been killed in Gaza, while almost 91,000 have been injured, according the data compiled by NGOs operating in the besieged region.

Many of those who remain are starving as Israel continues to block aid deliveries, they said.

Almost 500,000 people in Gaza are facing catastrophic levels of food insecurity, and water availability has plummeted by 94%.

On July 26, Israeli soldiers bombed the main source of drinking water in Rafah, the Tal Sultan Water Reservoir, in southern Gaza Strip.

The details are contained in a new Humanitarian Snapshot Report from NGOs operating in Gaza, including ActionAid.

The report, covering the period from July 13-29, details the escalating humanitarian crisis faced by the 2.1m Palestinians living in Gaza.

It also reveals that approximately 86% of Gaza is now under evacuation orders", forcing Palestinians to seek shelter in the remaining 14% of the Gaza Strip.

The latest figures for those reported killed is 39,363, with thousands remaining buried under rubble, according to data from the ministry of health in Gaza.

A Palestinian boy walks past the rubble of a school destroyed in an Israeli airstrike on Deir al-Balah, central Gaza Strip, on Saturday, July 27. Picture: Abdel Kareem Hana/AP

And on July 27, an Israeli airstrike on a girls school in Deir al-Balah, central Gaza  where some 4,000 displaced Palestinian were sheltering  killed at least 30 people, including children.

Aid workers are also being killed, with major agencies like Unicef and Unrwa coming under fire.

On July 21, Israeli forces shot at a clearly marked UN convoy attempting to access Gaza City. The convoy had been coordinated and approved by the Israeli authorities.

On July 23, two clearly marked Unicef convoys were hit by live fire as they waited at a designated holding point in Wadi Gaza.

Between July 22-27, new " evacuation orders" issued by Israeli forces saw a mass exodus of some 200,000 people from central and eastern Khan Younis, and displaced a further 12,600 from camps in Deir al-Balah.

ActionAid Ireland CEO Karol Balfe described the latest statistics as devastating.

It is beyond time for the international community to intervene and provide substantial support to address the humanitarian crisis in Gaza

"We demand the immediate lifting of the blockade on Gaza, protection of humanitarian workers, and immediate access to essential supplies and services for the people of Gaza so we can properly support our partners who are  against all odds  still providing life-saving care amongst one of the worst humanitarian crises in the world," she said.

The lack of aid getting into Gaza  with the UN saying only 710 trucks have been allowed to enter so far this month, when Gaza needed at least 500 trucks of aid per day to meet peoples basic needs even before October 7  is alarming, she added.

20 trucks carrying ActionAid supplies, including period products and hygiene kits, have been stuck in Egypt for at least two months due to the backlog created by restrictions on entry points into Gaza, with efforts to coordinate entry still ongoing.

"These are among 1,500 UN or NGO Gaza-bound trucks currently waiting in Egypt," Ms Balfe said.
Gardai are investigating a petrol bomb attack on the home of a prison officer in the early hours of this morning.

The Prison Officers' Association (POA) said the petrol bomb smashed through a front window. It said the attack was "extremely sinister in nature and could have led to loss of life".

The house, in Co Meath, was occupied by the prison officer and his wife at the time of the attack, at around 5am. No serious physical injuries were sustained.

The officer is understood to work in the intelligence group in a Dublin prison. Gardai will investigate if the attack was linked to his work in tackling drugs supply, or other contraband, into the prison.

The POA has previously highlighted concerns at the scale of organised drug smuggling into prisons.

This includes the use of drones to smuggle drugs in. In some cases a large basketball-type container is fastened to a long wire attached to the drone.

Flammable liquid is put on the ball, which is lighted. It is then flown over prison yards and burns through security nets. The contents  often drugs valued up to 70,000  drop down to the yard and are picked up by inmates.

Efforts by the Operational Support Group  the intelligence unit in prisons charged with combating contraband supply  as well as general prison officers to thwart or intercept drugs creates significant tensions with drug dealers in prisons.

Gardai will also investigate if there are any other reasons why the officer was targeted and will talk to his colleagues and other prison staff.

It is understood new security measures were being put in place at the officer's house today following the incident.

The POA sought an urgent meeting with the Irish Prison Service (IPS) director General Caron McCaffrey, which is due to be held this afternoon.

The association is also seeking a meeting with Justice Minister Helen McEntee and Garda Commissioner Drew Harris.

We believe it is linked to his work, POA deputy general secretary Gabriel Keaveny said. In the early hours of the morning, a petrol bomb was thrown into a front window of his house. It was occupied at the time.

Anything could have happened, it could have burned down the house and genuinely this could have lead to loss of life, if the house had gone up in flames.

Mr Keaveny added: "There have been similar instances of attacks on prison officers' homes in the past, which understandably are a shocking ordeal for prison officers and their families."

"It is now important that the perpetrators of this cowardly and frightening attack are brought to justice.

"We will be offering continued support to the prison officer involved and his family as they deal with this shocking ordeal."

'Any act of violence against a prison officer is unacceptable'

In a statement, the IPS said: Any act of violence against a prison officer is unacceptable. Any criminal act carried out within our prisons, including assaults or threats on a staff member, are reported to An Gardai Siochana for investigation and prosecution.

It said staff subject to an assault or threat are given the necessary supports through the employee assistance programme.

It said that Section 19 of the Criminal Justice (Public Order) Act 1994 specifically provides for assaults or threats to peace officers, including prison officers acting in the execution of their duty.

Any person who assaults or threatens to assault a peace officer in the execution of their duty is guilty of an offence and is liable on summary conviction to a fine or a term of imprisonment not exceeding 12 months or both or on convictions on indictment to a fine or to imprisonment for a term not exceeding 12 years or both, the statement said.

Irish Prison Service engages with An Garda Siochana with regard to the reporting of any possible criminal act and this happens at both local and national level. The Irish Prison Service continues to work with An Garda Siochana on a number of joint actions to target criminal gangs.

It said there was a free confidential telephone line (1800 855 717) and text line (086 180 2449) that prisoners, visitors, staff or members of the public can call in the strictest confidence to pass on information on criminal gangs.
A seven judge Supreme Court will rule on Wednesday on Graham Dwyers last ditch appeal of his conviction for the murder of childcare worker Elaine OHara.

The former architect has been serving a life sentence after being convicted at the Central Criminal Court in 2015. He has always denied the murder.

Ms OHara, a 36-year-old childcare worker, was last seen in August 2012 in a park in Shanganagh, south Dublin. Some of her remains were found on Killakee mountain just over a year later and she was identified from dental records.

Dwyers trial was told a Nokia phone found in Vartry Reservoir, Co Wicklow, in 2013 was used to send Ms OHara messages, including one about stabbing, culminating in a text dated August 22, 2012  the last day she was seen  to go down to the shore and wait.

Elaine O'Hara's remains were found on Killakee mountain and she was identified from dental records. File picture: Garda/PA Wire

Last year the Court of Appeal rejected all grounds of Dwyers conviction appeal.

The Supreme Court decided a further appeal was warranted as Dwyer raised important points about the admissibility of mobile phone data evidence that was gathered and retained under 2011 legislation that was later found to breach EU law.

The legislations infirmity was raised in an earlier leg of Dwyers bid to overturn his conviction.

Conviction appeal

A seven-judge Supreme Court heard Dwyers conviction appeal last January. In the meantime, the court dismissed a case raising similar objections to the admissibility of phone data evidence at a criminal trial.

Lawyers for Dwyer argued before the court the gathering of phone metadata, under the now-defunct 2011 law, was a breach of his rights under the EU Charter of Fundamental Rights.

The prosecution cannot be permitted to deploy in evidence material that should never have been admitted in the first place, he said.

The Director of Public Prosecutions (DPP) contested his appeal, arguing a beach of charter rights could not be relied on by Dwyer as the charter does not have direct effect.

Sean Guerin SC, for the DPP, said the court must strike a balance between the competing interests of protecting the constitutional rights of citizens and ensuring the administration of justice is not brought into disrepute by refusing to admit highly probative evidence.

Members of Ms OHaras family, including her father Frank, brother John and sister Anne Charles, were in court for the hearing.
The man arrested last week and charged in relation to his alleged part in the robbery of a young French visitor in Cork City centre had the case against him adjourned on Tuesday until September 26.

Adam Corcoran, aged 29, who lives at an apartment at John Barry House, Midleton, County Cork, appeared before Cork District Court where Judge Mary Dorgan adjourned the case to the date to which his partner and co-accused, Daena Walsh, 27, of the same address, had her case adjourned last week.

Detective Garda Conor Cronin charged both of them with robbery on St Patricks Street, Cork, on July 23. Judge Mary Dorgan granted bail to both of them.

Det Garda Cronin outlined the background to the allegations at the last court hearing.

A group of French students in their early teens and their teachers were walking on St Patricks Street at 10.20pm on July 23. They were on a school tour to Ireland.

It is alleged that a male and female approached the group of children. The female believed one of the children was laughing at her. The female began shouting at her (one of the students) and grabbed her Samsung phone out of her hand putting her in fear.

The female then tried to leave with the phone and she was stopped by one of the French teachers who tried to get the phone back. The teacher and the female fell to the ground during the altercation.

It is alleged that the male intervened and approached the teacher and struck him up to ten times in the back and upper body with a screwdriver.

The female then threw a coffee cup at the teacher striking him in the face.

The male and female then left the area, Det Garda Cronin said.
IF I HAD written down everything I said last week, Id have to admit to you today that I got one detail wrong. Early in July, while still absorbed in the British general election and having stayed up half the night to watch that cataclysmic US debate, I wrote here that in his heart of hearts Joe Biden knew what the right thing to do was, and I had total faith hed do it.

On July 16, after more dramatic moments I also wrote about here  I compared them to scenes from The Manchurian Candidate  Trump emerged from his convention as virtually unbeatable. He certainly couldnt be beaten by an ageing president. I wrote then that Joe Biden had a week left to do the right thing.

Well he did it. But he did it on a Sunday, and I was certain hed wait until the Monday, when the dust had settled on the Republican convention. So Im sorry. I got the day wrong.

But what an earthquake he set off. In the years I worked in Irish politics, I can remember events that had a profound effect on our political dynamic. They were virtually all associated with terrible acts of violence  the Shankhill massacre and the week of sectarian murders it spawned, the Dublin and Warrington bombs, many more that are imprinted on my soul.

US President Joe Biden concludes his address to the nation setting out his reasons for abruptly ending his run for a second term.

But Ive never seen a simple political decision have such a profound effect. In the wink of an eye, it turned a hopeless cause into something worth fighting for.

A losing campaign in an instant was filled with the potential to be transformative. Joe Bidens decision, and the way he executed it, could well mean that he goes down in history as a master of political timing and strategy

That is, of course, if Kamala Harris wins. But can she?

I dont live in America, and I havent been there for a few years. Instead I have been devouring as much American media, from all sides of the political divide, as I can get my hands on.

Theres only two kinds of commentary, Trump and anti-Trump. (Trump or not-Trump, thats the division. Its a bit like the old division that sustained half of us here at home in my active political years  FF or not FF. And Im not comparing FF to Trump!) And if you think about that divide, the only things we really know right now are that there is a new fizz, a real buzz, on the anti-Trump side. And the Trump side is, for the first time in a long time, afraid. Very afraid.

I could give you endless examples of the hope  the money that is flowing in, the thousands of new campaign volunteers. And I could give you dozens of instances of the fear. The Fox News website has a current opinion piece (by an adviser to the Trump campaign) that describes Joe Biden as someone who made Nixon look like an amateur. And it finishes with: ... now the Democrats want to run  Harris, who was on board with every Biden policy and oversaw the worst border catastrophe in modern history. Just when you thought things couldnt get any worse.

Fear-mongering

One of the ways the Trump side deals with fear is by doubling down on fear-mongering. Heres a paragraph Id love you to read. Ill shorten the paragraph without distorting it, and Id like you to look out for the heavily-loaded language here. The piece is entitled Kamala Harris lacks charisma and time, and this is the second paragraph:

While working as a local prosecutor in Oakland, Ms Harris dated Willie Brown, a Democratic kingmaker 30 years her senior; he helped to launch her political career. Later, under her own steam, she won stepping-stone elections as a prosecutor by leaning to the right on criminal-justice issues, while also appealing to Democrats, and was elected as the states attorney-general in 2010. She changed positions on issues to suit the fluctuations of her party. She opposed the death penalty as district attorney in San Francisco, only to defend it as Californias attorney-general.

At the end of the piece theres a correction  it was incorrect to imply that Kamala Harris had changed her mind on the death penalty. But by then the image of a shape-shifting opportunist had been established in the second paragraph. And much more fundamental of course is the sneering reference to dating a powerful older man.

Thats what I call subtle Trump commentary. Oddly enough, its from the respectable The Economist newspaper (only its American edition). Most of it is a lot less subtle, and some of it is vicious.

Republican commentary

There are now dozens of Trump commentators, and thousands more on social media, gorging themselves on the assertion that Kamala Harris had corrupt beginnings. I dont care if you call me slut-shaming, says Megyn Kelly on Fox News, she slept her way to the top. (Megyn Kelly is a journalist who got into trouble once for calling Donald Trump out for the way he denigrated women. That was then, this is now.)

The attacks on her go way beyond the sleeping to the top lie. She was only hired because she was black. Shes not really black in the first place, but pretended to be in order to get a job. She never passed her law exams. Shes not even an American citizen. (All lies, of course.) Then theres The Economists title for the article  Kamalas lack of charisma. Id love to know where that comes from or what their definition of charisma is. By comparison to Trump, or even to her own boss, Kamala Harris oozes charisma. In fact, if you add Trumps charisma to that of his hapless VP candidate Vance, she beats their combined score into a cocked hat.

Speaking of which, we already know that this presidential election will be like no other, not least because of the dramatic twists and turns weve already seen. Traditionally, presidential elections in the US start to get down and dirty after what they call Labor Day, which is on the first weekend in September.

Republican presidential candidate former President Donald Trump, left, greets Republican vice presidential candidate JD Vance.

Well know the Democratic Vice-Presidential pick by then. And around then therell be one more twist, Im predicting, because Trump and his people have already agreed that JD Vance was a serious mistake. You can expect him to announce that he needs to spend more time with his family and he is volunteering to leave the ticket.

Until then, until there is any serious engagement around core policy, Trumpism is going to rely on spewing as much hate and bile as they can find about the new Democratic candidate. The stuff theyre pumping out already is, Im guessing, pretty hateful to read if youre Kamala Harris or her family. But it demonstrates only one thing. They dont know if she can win. But she has huge momentum now, and theyre terrified of her.
Permission has been granted for the construction of 29 new homes in Ardmore, Co Waterford.

Waterford City & County Council had approved an initial proposal by CFS Structures Ltd, but this was referred to An Bord Pleanala after an appeal.

The development was initially to include 35 new homes on land located immediately to the east of the Cloisters residential development. The land is located 140m west of St Declan's Cathedral and Ardmore Round Tower.

During the planning process, the number of houses was reduced from 35 to 31, including four sizes of house.

A planning appeal was lodged against the local authority's decision, referencing several grounds.

Among the matters raised was the historical value of the site, including the potential for unrecorded archaeological material on the site.

Trenches in the area have been in place for hundreds of years, including potentially as far back as the Battle of Ardmore in 1642, and the area may contain material from that battle.

Additional concerns about the flooding risk and design of the development were also raised.

However, An Bord Pleanala opted to grant permission for the scheme, overlooking its own inspector's recommendation for refusal.

Among the conditions attached, though, is a reduction in the number of houses from 31 to 29, and a requirement for the developer to engage an archaeologist to excavate all archaeological features associated with the site.

Separately, Mallow Town FC has applied for permission for new facilities in Co Cork.

The club is hoping to build three new academy playing pitches on land at Annabella in Mallow.

It also wants to provide two new 40ft containers, which will be used as changing areas.

Planners at Cork County Council are assessing the proposals.

Permission granted for new homes in Mallow

Elsewhere in Mallow, permission has been granted for the construction of 22 new homes on lands at Emmet Street.

Kidana Limited can now proceed with its plans following the conclusion of an appeals process.

Cork County Council had initially approved the scheme, but first- and third-party appeals saw the matter referred to An Bord Pleanala.

The site in question is located 590m from Mallow train station and Emmet Street is a cul-de-sac in a residential area. It is an L-shaped, brownfield site and the housing scheme proposed is an infill one.

Existing structures, including a former commercial building, were to be demolished to make room for the new scheme.

Cork County Council restricted the number of units to 18, prompting an appeal by the developer which said such a move was unwarranted.

Third-party appeals raised concerns about parking, density and the prospect of damaging an existing historic wall.

An Bord Pleanala, though, said the scheme would not seriously injure the visual or residential amenities of the area and would be appropriate in terms of traffic safety. It, therefore, approved the scheme.
Six children and two adults remain in critical condition as police continue to question a 17-year-old boy over a deadly knife attack in Southport.

Two children were killed after a suspected teenage knifeman attacked a Taylor Swift-themed holiday dance class on Monday morning.

The boy, born in Cardiff, is being held on suspicion of murder and attempted murder following the attack in Hart Street, Southport, Merseyside Police said.

Further details of the victims, including age and gender, have not been given by police, who said they are not treating the incident as terror-related but added the motive remains unclear.

Three other children were injured in the stabbing while the two adults were hurt trying to protect the youngsters, the force said.

All the casualties are now being treated in hospitals, including childrens hospitals in Liverpool and Manchester.

Britain's King Charles said on Monday evening that he and the Queen had been profoundly shocked to hear of the utterly horrific incident in Southport today.

(left to right) Merseyside Head of Service Dave Kitchin, Merseyside Police Chief Constable Serena Kennedy, MFRS Chief Fire Officer Phil Garrigan and NWAS Cheshire, speaking to the media (James Speakman/PA)

He added: We send our most heartfelt condolences, prayers and deepest sympathies to the families and loved ones of those who have so tragically lost their lives, and to all those affected by this truly appalling attack.

Following a police press conference on Monday evening, the Prime Minister offered his condolences to the victims of the attack in Southport, and their families and friends, saying the whole country is deeply shocked.

The suspect is from Banks, a village outside Southport, and a road in the area was cordoned off by police on Monday afternoon.

Merseyside Police had declared a major incident at the scene in Southport, after receiving emergency calls at 11.50am on Monday, with armed response vehicles, 13 ambulances and the fire service descending on the scene, a school holiday club for children aged six to 11.

The children were attending a Taylor Swift event at the dance school when the offender walked into the premises with a knife and attacked them.

Emergency services near the scene in Hart Street, Southport (James Speakman/PA)

One local said one of the two adults injured in the attack locked herself in a room with children to protect them as eyewitnesses reported hearing screaming and seeing children covered in blood, suffering stab wounds.

In a statement on Monday night, Home Secretary Yvette Cooper said: It is devastating that two children have been killed and others remain in hospital in critical condition after the horrific attack in Southport today.

What has happened is utterly heartbreaking.

My heart goes out to the children, their parents, the brave adults trying to protect them, and the families of all affected.

It is unimaginable what they will be going through.

And the whole country will want to support them in their grief.

MP for Southport Patrick Hurley posted a statement on X: My thoughts and prayers go out to the victims and families of the horrific attack on Hart Street today.

I am deeply saddened by the news that two children have been fatally injured.

I hope for the swift and full recovery of all the other victims of this senseless attack and I thank the staff at Alder Hey Childrens Hospital, Southport and Formby Hospital, and Aintree University Hospital for their care for those affected.

ITV editor Paul Brand shared footage of a person pacing back and forth outside a house, which he said is the same home that was later raided by police in Southport.

The footage is taken 20 minutes before two children were killed and 11 other people were injured in a knife attack, Mr Brand said on X.

Mr Brand added in a second tweet: Neighbours told me they later saw this same individual get into a taxi. The scene of the attacks is around a 15 minute drive from this location. Armed police arrived around two hours later to raid the house.

Colin Parry, the owner of the Masters Vehicle Body Repairs 50 metres or so from the scene of the attack, told The Guardian he had a heated exchange with a young man he believes to be the attacker moments before the attack.

He said: He came down our driveway in a taxi and didnt pay for the taxi, so I confronted him at that point. He was quite aggressive he said: What are you gonna do about it?.

Mr Parry said the man he now believes was the attacker then turned and walked out of the driveway of his business.

Locals watch on as ambulances and police attend the scene after two children were killed and six others were left critical after a knife attack in Southport. (James Speakman/PA)

Moments later, Mr Parry said he received a phone call from a colleague who had run to the dance studio after he heard screaming that wasnt normal, he added.

Mr Parry told the Guardian a member of staff saw about 10 kids go running past him, all bleeding, and one of them collapsed on the floor outside the neighbour next door.

I went out and theres two or three kids just lying on the floor. I mean, its a frenzied attack, he said.

Its not one stab. Hes gone crazy, the lads gone crazy.

Mr Parry told The Guardian he was numb after the horrific attack and said the children involved were primary school age, while he saw one teenage girl had been stabbed as she tried to lead the younger children to safety.

As per The Sun, the class was fully booked and was attended by 25 youngsters and included a dance and yoga workshop plus bracelet making.

Event information, which is still available to view on social media, adds that the class was open to children in Year 2  Year 6.

Social media posts advertising the class have since been turned into threads of tributes from shocked Britons.

One tribute comment under the Swiftie event read: Shocking, overwhelmed with grief. Deepest condolences to all effected by this senseless cruel act of violence against the innocent children and familys. Prayers of strength to endure.
Taiwanese President Lai Ching-te welcomed what he called the largest-ever delegation of foreign politicians to Taiwan and said it showed the importance of democracies uniting, even as Beijing pressured members of the delegation not to visit.

This demonstrates the support and the value various other countries place on Taiwan, Mr Lai said.

It also sends an important message to democratic countries around the world. Maintaining democracy requires unity, and we must protect democracy together.

Mr Lai made his remarks at a conference in Taipei held by the Inter-Parliamentary Alliance on China (Ipac), a group of hundreds of politicians from 35 countries concerned about how democracies approach Beijing.

China's threat to any country is a threat to the whole world

Beijing views the self-governed island democracy as part of its territory and has been upping its threats to annex it by force if necessary.

Mr Lais party, the Democratic Progressive Party (DPP), does not seek independence from China because he believes that Taiwan is already a sovereign nation.

Beijing sees Mr Lai as a separatist and refuses to speak with him.

China has ramped up pressure against the island since Mr Lai took office in May, sending ships and planes on a large military drill to show displeasure at his inauguration.

Taiwanese President Lai Ching-te, centre left, poses for photos at a gathering of the largest delegation of foreign politicians to visit Taiwan in Taipei (AP Photo/Dake Kang)

That comes after years of Beijings pressure on Taiwan  which has been ruled by the DPP for three terms now  on diplomatic, military and economic fronts.

Mr Lai said at the conference that Taiwan would work with other democracies to protect democracy from the threat of authoritarian expansionism.

Chinas threat to any country is a threat to the whole world, Mr Lai told conference participants.

China uses diplomatic kidnapping, economic coercion, internet attacks, and spreading false and fake things to continuously muddle matters and seek to undermine regional peace and stability.

Mr Lais comments come as Ipac is under renewed scrutiny from Beijing.

Lawmakers from at least six countries told the AP news agency earlier this week that Chinese diplomats were pressuring them not to attend the conference, in what they described as efforts to isolate the self-governed island.

Ipac has long been despised by the Chinese government: Some members have been sanctioned by Beijing and, in 2021, the group was targeted by Chinese state-sponsored hackers, according to a US indictment unsealed earlier this year.

In a written statement, the Chinese foreign ministry said Ipac has no credibility at all and repeated its stance that Taiwan is part of Chinese territory.

China firmly opposes any form of official exchanges between countries with diplomatic ties with China and the Taiwan authorities, the statement said.

Mr Lai, also known by his English name William, is reviled by Beijing for his staunch opposition to political unification with the mainland.

Earlier in his career, Mr Lai said he was a pragmatic worker for Taiwan independence, but has since softened his rhetoric, saying he supports maintaining the status quo across the Taiwan Strait.

Beijing prevents countries it has diplomatic relations with from having formal ties with Taipei.

China has been peeling off the islands diplomatic allies, often with promises of development aid, in a long-running competition between the two that has swung in Beijings favor in recent years.

The Pacific Island nation of Nauru switched recognition to Beijing earlier this year, a move that reduced Taiwans dwindling number of diplomatic allies to 12.

Since Mr Lai took office in May, tensions have continued to simmer in the region.

Beijings escalating assertiveness in the South China Sea has triggered tensions with many neighbours, adding to fears of a confrontation.

We are willing to replace confrontation with dialogue and containment with exchanges under the principles of reciprocity and dignity, Mr Lai told participants.

We will communicate with China to reduce conflicts and achieve peace and stability in the Taiwan Strait.
The Taliban has disavowed many Afghan diplomatic missions overseas, saying it will not honour passports, visas and other documents issued by diplomats associated with Afghanistans former Western-backed administration.

It is the Talibans latest attempt to seize control over diplomatic missions.

In a statement posted to the social media platform X, the ministry of foreign affairs said that documents issued by missions in London, Berlin, Belgium, Bonn, Switzerland, Austria, France, Italy, Greece, Poland, Australia, Sweden, Canada and Norway are no longer valid and that the ministry bears no responsibility for those documents.

The documents affected include passports, visa stickers, deeds and endorsements.

All Afghan nationals living abroad and foreigners can visit the IEA political and consular missions in other countries, other than the above-mentioned missions, to access consular services

The ministry wrote that people in those countries will need to approach embassies and consulates controlled by the Talibans Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan government instead.

All Afghan nationals living abroad and foreigners can visit the IEA political and consular missions in other countries, other than the above-mentioned missions, to access consular services, it said.

In March 2023, the Taliban said they were trying to take charge of more Afghan embassies abroad. Their chief spokesman, Zabihullah Mujahid, said the administration had sent diplomats to at least 14 countries.

Afghan embassies in Spain and the Netherlands last October stressed that they were working with Taliban authorities in Kabul, after the Taliban suspended consular services at the embassies in London and Vienna over their lack of transparency and co-operation.

Some countries retain an active diplomatic mission in Afghanistan, including Pakistan and China.

Restrictions on women and girls are a major obstacle to the Taliban gaining official recognition as the countrys legitimate government. They have stopped female education beyond grade six and banned women from many jobs and most public spaces.

In a report published on Tuesday, the UN mission in Afghanistan said intelligence officials in May forcibly closed the office of a women-led non-governmental group for allowing some of its female employees to physically report to work.
Washingtons top diplomat and defence chief announced $500m in new military funding on Tuesday to boost the Philippines external defence and progress on a proposed military intelligence-sharing pact as both allies renewed their concerns over Chinas continuing aggressive actions in the region.

US secretary of state Antony Blinken and defence secretary Lloyd Austin met with President Ferdinand Marcos Jr, who has fortified Manilas decades-old treaty alliance with Washington as hostilities between Philippine and Chinese forces flared since last year in the disputed South China Sea.

Mr Marcos hailed very open communication lines between Washington and Manila, adding that the two countries treaty alliance and key issues in the South China Sea and the Indo-Pacific region are continuously examined and re-examined so we are agile in terms of our responses.

Mr Marcos has underscored the need for a US military presence for Asian stability and peace.

Every peso or dollar spent on hardening Philippine capabilities to defend itself and to deter unlawful aggression will be a plus against any threat actor, whether it be China or anyone

After meeting their Philippine counterparts later, Mr Blinken and Mr Austin announced the military funding to help modernise the Philippine military and coastguard and boost security collaboration amid shared concerns over Chinas assertive actions.

Both of us share concerns and many other countries in the region share concerns, as well, about some of the actions that the Peoples Republic of China has taken, escalatory actions in the South China Sea, the East China Sea and elsewhere, including coercive methods, Mr Blinken said in a joint news conference.

He and Mr Austin renewed a warning that the US would help defend the Philippines if Filipino forces, ships and aircraft come under attack in the Pacific, including in the South China Sea.

Every peso or dollar spent on hardening Philippine capabilities to defend itself and to deter unlawful aggression will be a plus against any threat actor, whether it be China or anyone, Philippine defence secretary Gilberto Teodoro said.

The visit came the week after the Philippines and China reached a temporary arrangement to prevent clashes around the Philippine-occupied Second Thomas Shoal like the violent face-off between their forces on June 17.

The US, along with Japan, Australia, South Korea, New Zealand and Singapore, have welcomed the arrangement to de-escalate tensions, Philippine foreign secretary Enrique Manalo said.

The $500m in military financing would include funding for reinforcing the Philippine navys capability.

About a quarter would be used for constructions and other improvements in parts of Philippine military bases to be occupied by US forces under the 2014 enhanced defence co-operation agreement, Philippine Ambassador to the US, Jose Manuel Romualdez, said.
Ilya Yashin, a prominent Kremlin critic who is serving an eight and a half year jail sentence for criticising Russias war in Ukraine, has been moved from his prison to an unknown destination, his lawyer has said.

The statement on the Telegram messaging app by Tatyana Solomina on Tuesday gave no further details.

However, it noted that several other figures imprisoned for criticising the military or for alleged extremist activity because of their work with the organisation of the late opposition leader Alexei Navalny also were moved.

Russia has made gains on the battlefield (Sputnik, Kremlin Pool Photo via AP)

Among them are Oleg Orlov, chairman of the Nobel Peace Prize-winning human rights group Memorial, sentenced to two and a half years in February; musician Alexandra Skochilenko, serving seven years for replacing price tags in a supermarket with messages decrying civilian deaths in Ukraine; and former Navalny regional coordinators Lillia Chanysheva and Ksenia Fadeyeva, sentenced to nine and a half and nine years.

Also on Tuesday, Memorial said Germany-born Russian citizen Kevin Liik, who was sentenced to four years for allegedly providing information to German special services, has been removed from his prison.

The movements prompted speculation on social media about whether they were in preparation for some kind of a prisoner swap involving Russia, the US and its allies.

Kremlin critics and rights advocates have previously called for exchanges that would release Russian political prisoners.

The situation is unique in the sense that we hear several high-profile figures are being moved at the same time, Ivan Pavlov, a lawyer who founded Department One legal group, told The Associated Press.

Given the number, we understand that a swap is expected.

Mr Pavlov noted that the simultaneous disappearance of several high-profile political prisoners could mean that they are being moved to one place from where they could be flown abroad.

Yashin is one of the few well-known Kremlin critics to stay in Russia after the start of the war.

He was arrested in June 2022 in a Moscow park, convicted of spreading false information about Russian soldiers, and sentenced to eight and a half years in prison.

The charge stemmed from a YouTube livestream in which he talked about civilians slain in the Kyiv suburb of Bucha.

After Russian forces withdrew from the area in March 2022, hundreds of corpses were found, some with their hands bound and shot at close range.

His harsh sentence didnt silence Yashins sharp criticism of the Kremlin.

Yashins associates regularly update his social media pages with messages he relays from prison.

His YouTube channel has over 1.5 million subscribers.

The convictions for extremism and war criticism are part of a Kremlin crackdown on dissent that has sharply intensified since the February 2022 start of the full-scale invasion of Ukraine.

Russian authorities often transport prisoners without prior notice to their lawyers or families and some do not surface for several weeks.

Navalny in December was moved without announcement from a prison in central Russia to one above the Arctic Circle, a trip he said took 20 days.

He died of unexplained causes at the prison in February.

Two Americans are imprisoned in Russia on espionage convictions: Wall Street Journal reporter Evan Gershkovich, sentenced to 20 years in July, and corporate security executive Paul Whelan.

Russian-American dual national Alsu Kurmasheva, a journalist for Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty, convicted in July of spreading false information about the military and sentenced to six and a half years.
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A weekly review of the best and most popular stories published in the Imperial Valley Press. Also, featured upcoming events, new movies at local theaters, the week in photos and much more.
Jul 30 (Jowhar.com)  The Prime Minister of Israel, Benjamin Netanyahu, visited the city of Majdal Shams, where 12 people, mostly children, were targeted by rockets last Saturday.

Netanyahu vowed to give a strong response to the attack, which they blamed on Hezbollah in Lebanon. Hezbollah has distanced itself from Israels accusations of this action.

It is not yet clear what kind of action Israel will take against Hezbollah, but it is unlikely that a war will erupt between the two sides.

This attack caused Israel the heaviest losses since the start of the war between Hamas and Israel in October last year.

The residents of Majdal Shams were left in shock and fear after the rocket attack, with many calling for increased security measures to protect against future incidents. Netanyahu assured them that the Israeli government would do everything in its power to ensure their safety and security.

In the meantime, tensions between Israel and Hezbollah continue to escalate, with both sides exchanging threats and accusations. The international community has called for restraint and dialogue to prevent further violence and bloodshed in the region.

As the situation remains tense, the world watches closely to see how the conflict between Israel and Hezbollah will unfold, and whether peace and stability can be restored to the region.
Jul 29 (Jowhar.com)  The President of the Federal Republic of Somalia, Mr. Hassan Sheikh Mohamud, had a telephone conversation with his Turkish counterpart, Mr. Rajab Dayib Erdogan.

The two Presidents discussed how to strengthen the strategic cooperation between the two brotherly countries, especially in the fields of energy and defense.

President Erdogan confirmed that Turkey will continue its support to Somalia, stressing the importance of Turkey to the independence, dignity and unity of the country and the Somali people and supporting the operations of the Armed Forces to eradicate terrorism.

President Mohamud expressed his gratitude for Turkeys ongoing support and emphasized the importance of collaboration in combating terrorism and promoting stability in the region.

He also highlighted the need for increased investment in key sectors such as infrastructure, education, and healthcare to further enhance the development of Somalia.

Both leaders agreed to work closely together to address common challenges and to further strengthen the bilateral relations between their countries. They also discussed the upcoming Somalia-Turkey High-Level Strategic Cooperation Council meeting, where they will continue to explore ways to enhance cooperation and mutual benefits.

The conversation ended on a positive note, with both Presidents reaffirming their commitment to deepening the ties between Somalia and Turkey for the prosperity and well-being of their respective nations.
Jul 30 (Jowhar.com)  A meeting of Somali scholars was held in Mogadishu today and it was organized by the Ministry of Endowments and Religious Affairs of the Federal Government of Somalia.

The conference is focusing this year on various issues such as unity, and the problems that arise from differences and separation.

Officials including the president of Somalia, Hassan Sheikh Mohamud, attended the opening of the meeting.

In his speech, President Hassan emphasized the importance of unity among Somalis, regardless of their tribal or regional affiliations. He highlighted the need for scholars to come together and find common ground in order to address the challenges facing the nation.

The conference also touched upon the role of religion in promoting peace and reconciliation in Somalia. Scholars discussed ways in which Islamic teachings can be used to foster harmony and understanding among the diverse communities in the country.

Overall, the conference was seen as a positive step towards building a stronger, more cohesive society in Somalia. Participants expressed their commitment to working together to overcome the obstacles standing in the way of progress and development in the nation.
July 30 (Jowhar.com)  The Prime Minister of the Federal Government of Somalia, Mr. Hamsa Abdi Barre and a delegation including the Ministers of Defense and Security were warmly welcomed in the city of Kismayo, the headquarters of the Jubbaland.

Officials led by Jubbaland President Ahmed Mohamed Islam, other people welcomed Prime Minister Hamse and his delegation at Kismayo airport.

Mr. Hamsa Abdi Barre, who is wearing the uniform of the Army, arrived there to encourage the National Army and the Jubbaland Army in their operations against the Khawarij.

The National and Jubbaland forces have recently carried out operations there that killed more than 150 terrorists, and arrested a number of others.

During his visit, Prime Minister Hamsa met with local leaders and military officials to discuss the ongoing efforts to combat terrorism in the region. He praised the bravery and dedication of the soldiers, emphasizing the importance of unity and cooperation in the fight against extremism.

The Prime Minister also discussed the need for continued support and collaboration between the Federal Government and the regional administration in Jubbaland. He highlighted the importance of working together to ensure peace and stability in the country.

After his meetings in Kismayo, Prime Minister Hamsa expressed his gratitude for the warm welcome and hospitality he received. He reiterated his commitment to supporting the efforts of the National Army and the Jubbaland Army in their fight against terrorism.

As he prepared to depart, the Prime Minister promised to continue working closely with the leaders in Jubbaland to address security challenges and promote development in the region. His visit to Kismayo was seen as a positive step towards strengthening cooperation and coordination in the fight against terrorism in Somalia.
Human Rights Watch  (Jerusalem)  Israeli forces have been publishing degrading photographs and videos of detained Palestinians, including children, a form of inhumane treatment and an outrage on their personal dignity that amount to war crimes, Human Rights Watch said today.

In many cases, detainees were stripped of their clothing, sometimes fully, then photographed or filmed, with the images published by Israeli soldiers, media outlets, or activists. Forced nudity followed by capturing and sharing sexualized images on social media is a form of sexual violence and also a war crime.

Israeli authorities have for months turned a blind eye as members of their military published dehumanizing fully or seminude images and videos of Palestinians in their custody, said Balkees Jarrah, acting Middle East director at Human Rights Watch. Senior officials and military commanders can be held criminally responsible for ordering these crimes, or for failing to prevent or punish them, including at the International Criminal Court.

Israeli military officials have publicly denounced some of their members for publishing images of the detainees, but as far as Human Rights Watch has been able to determine, the government has not publicly condemned the underlying treatment of Palestinian detainees depicted in the images. Judicial authorities have not announced any prosecutions for these crimes. On July 15, Human Rights Watch wrote to the Public Diplomacy Office of the Israeli military but has not received a response.

Since October, Israeli forces have reportedly detained thousands of Palestinians from Gaza at Sde Teiman, an army base in southern Israel, where they have been reportedly ill-treated and tortured, and where at least 36 died in custody, according to media reports. As of July, 124 Palestinians remained at Sde Teiman, according to the Times of Israel, despite the Israeli attorney general calling on Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to transfer detainees out of the facility due to the reports of abuse and deaths in custody.

Human Rights Watch analyzed 37 of the posts depicting captured Palestinians, predominantly men and boys in Gaza and the West Bank, often stripped to their underwear and in some cases completely naked, handcuffed, blindfolded, and injured. Some posts included demeaning and humiliating captions by Israeli soldiers or journalists. Platforms like TikTok and YouTube have removed some of these posts.

Between October 25 and December 28, one Israeli soldier, who according to his social media holds United States citizenship, published at least seven photos and videos of Palestinian men detained by his unit in the West Bank. In the images, the clothed detainees are handcuffed, many of them are blindfolded, and some have Israeli flags placed on them.

Images emerge of Palestinian captives stripped and bound in Gaza | BBC News Video from last Fall

In two videos, published on October 28 and 29, the soldier places US dollar bills on the knees of two handcuffed, blindfolded, and squatting men, as a blessing while he mocks them and asks them to repeat phrases in Hebrew. The soldier also posted degrading captions, such as trolling Hamas, to accompany some of the published images.

In another case, an Israeli soldier in Gaza published a photo on Facebook on December 8, showing at least 22 detained males in a single file, all stripped to their underwear, some of them blindfolded. At least two detainees appear to be children. The caption says: As part of our mission we kept Hamas terrorists under arrest. Well settle for this picture, there are pictures not for publication 

Another image posted on Instagram, by an Israeli soldier, who according to media reports holds US citizenship, shows what appears to be a photograph of himself standing in front of at least six men with their backs to the camera, stripped to their underwear and kneeling on the ground while handcuffed and blindfolded, with their arms above their head. The caption of the now deleted photo says: Mom I think I freed palestine [sic].

Two separate investigations by the BBC on the conduct of Israeli soldiers, in February in Gaza, and in May in the West Bank, found that Israeli soldiers uploaded to social media platforms dozens of images and videos intended to humiliate Palestinians, including images of detainees who had been stripped to their underwear and others who had been draped in Israeli flags.

The Israeli military told the BBC that it had terminated the service of one reservist and that this conduct did not represent its values. In a response to another BBC investigation, the Israeli military said it had instructed soldiers to avoid uploading footage of operational activities to social media networks, and while it did not condemn any specific acts, it said that soldiers were disciplined and even suspended from reserve duty in the event of unacceptable behavior. The military spokesperson, Daniel Hagari, and national security advisor, Tzachi Hanegbi, separately commented in December that people who surrendered or were arrested needed to be stripped to be searched, as they could be carrying explosives or weapons, but that clothes should be returned to them and any photos taken should not be distributed. Hagari said the photos were unusual and that disciplinary measures will be taken in any event that is inconsistent with the Israeli militarys values. Hangebi said the photos served no purpose. The Israeli military gave no further details on holding those responsible accountable.

In its May 2024 report, the United Nations Independent International Commission of Inquiry on the Occupied Palestinian Territory, including East Jerusalem, and Israel concluded that the forced public stripping, nudity, and related specific persecutory acts against Palestinian men and boys in Israeli custody were either ordered or condoned by Israeli authorities, given the frequency of these abuses, the way these acts were filmed and photographed, and that they occurred in several locations.

Sexual violence and committing outrages upon personal dignity on detainees are serious violations of international humanitarian law, or the laws of war, applicable to all parties to the hostilities in Israel and Palestine.

On October 7, Hamas-led Palestinian armed groups, in what amount to war crimes and crimes against humanity, attacked southern Israel, killing 815 civilians, according to Agence France-Presse, and taking 251 people hostage. Since then, Israeli forces have unlawfully attacked residential buildings, medical facilities, and aid workers, largely destroying Gazas civilian infrastructure, including its water and electricity plants. Israel is using starvation as a weapon of war in Gaza, where about 90 percent of the population have been displaced, many of them repeatedly.

Gazas Health Ministry has reported over 38,000 deaths and 88,000 injuries. These abuses occur amid the ongoing Israeli crimes against humanity of apartheid and persecution against Palestinians.

Common article 3 of the Geneva Conventions requires that everyone in the custody of a warring party shall in all circumstances be treated humanely. Prohibited acts include outrages upon personal dignity, in particular humiliating and degrading treatment. Violations of article 3 are war crimes.

The International Criminal Court (ICC), in its Elements of Crimes explanation of the Rome Statute crimes, defines outrages upon personal dignity as acts in which [t]he perpetrator humiliated, degraded or otherwise violated the dignity of one or more persons [and] the severity of the humiliation, degradation or other violation was of such degree as to be generally recognized as an outrage upon personal dignity.

On May 20, the ICC prosecutor, Karim Khan, announced that he was seeking arrest warrants against two senior Israeli officials and three Hamas leaders. Khan confirmed that his office has been conducting an investigation since March 2021 into atrocity crimes committed in Gaza and the West Bank, including East Jerusalem, and that since 2014, his office has jurisdiction over crimes in the current hostilities between Israel and Palestinian armed groups that covers unlawful conduct by all parties.

International law recognizes the inherent dignity of human beings caught in a conflict, no matter what side they are on, Jarrah said. Victims have a right to justice and accountability, and any evidence of sexual violence should be investigated urgently in a way that is thorough, credible, and prioritizes the needs, well-being, and wishes of the survivors.

Human Rights Watch
Ann Arbor (Informed Comment)  The Israeli newspaper Arab 48 reports that on Monday, military police raided the Sde Teiman detention center where Palestinian prisoners are being held, detaining 9 Israel soldiers suspected of gang raping and severely sexually torturing detainees. One further suspect was not apprehended. The soldiers belong to the Force 100 unit, which has been detailed to Sde Teiman as prison guards.

It is being reported that they were taken into custody because of the recent transfer of a Palestinian prisoner to the Soroka Medical Facility in Beersheba with severe injuries to his nether regions.

Soldiers at Sde Teiman put up resistance to the military police, with a fight breaking out, though the MPs clearly won that one.

Rejecting these charges against the soldiers, a right wing mob that included members of the Parliament from the Likud and the Religious Zionist and Jewish Power blocs, then attempted several times to storm through the gates of the facility and finally succeeded in breaching the military barricades, attacking MPs and reaching the area where Palestinians are held. One soldier said that no one seemed to be in control. The unruly crowd chanted its support for torture and even called for the summary execution of the Palestinian prisoners.

WION Video: Israel detains 9 IDF soldiers over alleged abuse of a detainee at shadowy military facility

Journalist Haggai Matar observed, In essence, soldiers are in open rebellion for the right to rape prisoners, and more and more coalition politicians are joining them  from Likud, Jewish Power, and more.

The mob, including the parliamentarians, then attempted but failed to storm the Beit Lid base, where the nine detainees were being held for interrogation.

An Israeli military spokesman said, Following suspicions of serious abuse of a detainee held at the Sde Teiman detention facility, the Military Police opened an investigation at the behest of the Military Prosecutors Office. Major General Yifat Tomer-Yerushalmi is Israels military advocate general, who ordered the detentions. The Israeli military said after the right wing mobs assault that the soldiers had not been arrested, only detained for questioning.

The turmoil and governmental and army infighting caused the Israeli government to announce a postponement of the expected attack on Lebanon in reprisal for an alleged Hezbollah drone on the occupied Syrian Golan Heights that left several Druze children dead.

Israeli army radio said that the Palestinian prisoner who was tortured had been arrested in the Gaza Strip several weeks before and had been identified as an unlawful combatant and was being held at Sde Teiman under a permanent detention order. The radio station said that this prisoner was observed in serious condition, unable to walk, and was transferred to the hospital, where he underwent surgery. Since that time, the military police had begun gathering evidence and initiating an investigation.

The ten accused soldiers were prison guards at Sde Teiman. They were detained on suspicion of gang rape. One appears to be AWOL and has not yet been detained.

Israeli analyst Shaiel Ben-Ephraim wrote on X, Israeli sources are now confirming the horrific CNN and New York Times reports of the conditions in Sde Taiman. They include electric shocks, amputations due to bad conditions, severe beatings, surgery without anesthesia, playing loud music until inmates ears bleed, deaths due to bad sanitary conditions, systematic torture and sexual abuse. Sources in the Israeli justice department are saying the evidence is so clear and the cases so severe, it will be an open and shut case for international courts. This is a horror that will never be forgotten. A permanent stain on the state of Israel.

Professor Rula Jebreal relayed Israeli television footage of the Israeli parliament or Knesset debating the days events, where a member from the Likud Party of Benjamin Netanyahu was asked if it was all right to stuff a stick up a mans rectum, and he replied that yes, if the man is a terrorist. So there is a pro-rape faction in the Israeli parliament.

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyanu didnt say anything for three hours after his extremist allies tried to storm the base, then called for calm. Defense Minister Yoav Gallant issued a communique in support of the troops and rejecting the assault on the military base.

Times of India Video: Israeli Base Stormed; Fighting Breaks Out Inside Detention Facility After Raid To Detain Troops

The International Criminal Court has requested warrants for Netanyahu and Gallant over war crimes in Gaza, and some observers believe that they authorized Mondays detention of the accused soldiers only because otherwise the ongoing abuse at that base might increase the likelihood of their being indicted.

The minister of national security, Jewish Power extremist Itamar Ben-Gvir attacked the MPs and military prosecutor. He said, The sight of military policemen arriving to arrest our best heroes in Sde Teiman is nothing short of shameful. I advise the defense minister, the chief of staff and the army authorities to support the soldiers and take advantage of the prison service [which is under Ben-Gvirs responsibility]. Summer camps for and tolerance of terrorists are over. Our soldiers must receive full support.

Ben Gvir had earlier urged summary executions of Palestinian detainees in Israeli prisons.

Arab 48 writes, Attorney General Gali Baharav-Miara mentioned Ben-Gvir in a memorandum to Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu regarding a petition being considered by the Supreme Court regarding the conditions of detention at the Sde Teiman facility. Baharav-Miara wrote that if the Sde Teiman detention facility is not returned to its intended purpose immediately, this will have far-reaching consequences, adding that it has become clear that Ben-Gvirs National Security Ministry is effectively halting efforts to implement the necessary solutions.

Since the beginning of the Israeli war on Gaza last October, Sde Teiman has served as a detention center for Palestinian prisoners, the paper says, who are held in inhumane conditions, where they are kept handcuffed and legged and blindfolded at all times. The prisoners are held until it is determined whether they will be given long jail sentences or released. Many men are scooped up in Gaza without the Israeli army having a firm knowledge of whether they just happened to be in the vicinity or were enemy combatants. All the Palestinians released from Sde Teiman appear to have been the victims of severe torture.
Vancouver, British Columbia--(Newsfile Corp. - July 30, 2024) - First Majestic Silver Corp. (NYSE: AG) (TSX: AG) (FSE: FMV) (the "Company" or "First Majestic") is pleased to announce the discovery of a significant new, vein-hosted gold and silver mineralized system at its Santa Elena property in Sonora, Mexico. This new high-grade discovery, the Navidad vein system ("Navidad"), was made at depth adjacent to the Company's 100%-owned and currently producing Ermitano mine.

"We are very excited about the new high-grade gold and silver system, Navidad; this is the most promising discovery at the Santa Elena property since Ermitano was discovered in 2016. Four drill rigs are currently focused on this area, which appears to have the potential to expand as it is open in all directions", stated Keith Neumeyer, President & CEO of First Majestic. "The proximity of this new discovery to the producing Ermitano mine is important from an operational standpoint, and very encouraging for the prospects of continued exploration success across the underexplored, +100,000-hectare Santa Elena land package. We believe that Navidad has the potential to significantly increase Santa Elena's estimated Mineral Resources and, ultimately, extend the Life of Mine at this operation."

DRILLING HIGHLIGHTS

The high-grade, mineralized composite sample intervals from the six drillholes intersecting the Navidad vein system are as follows:

Drilling Highlights for the Navidad Vein System:

EW-24-364: 8.15 g/t Au and 427 g/t Ag over 4.78 metres ("m") true thickness (Navidad Vein)

8.15 g/t Au and 427 g/t Ag over 4.78 metres ("m") true thickness (Navidad Vein) EW-24-370: 10.13 g/t Au and 86 g/t Ag over 4.42 m true thickness (Navidad Vein)

10.13 g/t Au and 86 g/t Ag over 4.42 m true thickness (Navidad Vein) EW-24-370: 5.65 g/t Au and 46 g/t Ag over 5.75 m true thickness

5.65 g/t Au and 46 g/t Ag over 5.75 m true thickness EW-24-368: 54.93 g/t Au and 399 g/t Ag over 1.82 m true thickness (Navidad Vein)

54.93 g/t Au and 399 g/t Ag over 1.82 m true thickness (Navidad Vein) EW-23-359: 3.27 g/t Au and 39 g/t Ag over 2.46 m true thickness (Navidad Vein)

3.27 g/t Au and 39 g/t Ag over 2.46 m true thickness (Navidad Vein) EW-23-360: 5.83 g/t Au and 146 g/t Ag over 1.53 m true thickness

5.83 g/t Au and 146 g/t Ag over 1.53 m true thickness EW-23-360: 4.75 g/t Au and 68 g/t Ag over 1.91 m true thickness

4.75 g/t Au and 68 g/t Ag over 1.91 m true thickness EW-23-360: 4.06 g/t Au and 77 g/t Ag over 2.09 m true thickness

4.06 g/t Au and 77 g/t Ag over 2.09 m true thickness EW-23-360: 3.48 g/t Au and 74 g/t Ag over 2.39 m true thickness (Navidad Vein)

3.48 g/t Au and 74 g/t Ag over 2.39 m true thickness (Navidad Vein) EW-24-366: 1.40 g/t Au and 124 g/t Ag over 2.85 m true thickness (Navidad Vein)

An exploratory program of deep drill holes tested favourable host rocks located at depth and to the west of a regional fault that extends to the west side of the resource deposit for the Ermitano mine. The drilling intersected a set of quartz veins with visible silver sulfides and banded quartz textures locally; the most prominent vein intersected has been named Navidad. An additional mineralized vein located in the Navidad vein hanging wall ("HW vein") was also intersected along with quartz stockwork and sheeted veins, representing a geologic configuration similar to the Ermitano vein system.

To date, seven drill holes have been completed to test the Navidad discovery; six of these holes intersected significant vein-hosted gold and silver mineralization. The closest drill hole intercept to the Ermitano mine is located approximately 500 m southwest and 750 m below existing mine development (See Figure 1 and Figure 2).

The Navidad vein system has an apparent strike to the northeast and dips at a moderate to low angle to the northwest. The intersections from the six drill holes currently outline vein-hosted gold and silver mineralization with an apparent strike length continuity of 750 m and a dip continuity of 225 m (minimum distances between drill hole intersections). The average thickness of the Navidad vein ranges from 1.8 to 5.0 m and adjacent vein thickness ranges from 1.5 to 6 m (See Figure 3).

The last two drill holes to intersect the Navidad system, EW-24-368 and EW-24-370, are spaced 750 m apart and produced the two highest grade vein intercepts to date. Drill hole EW-24-368 intersected the Navidad vein and yielded 54.93 g/t Au and 399 g/t Ag over 1.82 m (true thickness). Drill hole EW-24-370 intersected two, thick, banded quartz veins, the Navidad vein and the HW vein, with high-grade gold and silver mineralization spaced 190 m apart downhole. These two vein intersections yielded 5.65 g/t Au and 46 g/t Ag over 5.75 m and 10.13 g/t Au and 86 g/t Ag over 4.42 m (true thickness).

The full extent and geometry of the Navidad gold and silver vein system are not yet known, and the exploration potential is open in all directions. Additional drill rigs have been reassigned to explore the extent and grade of the Navidad mineralization during 2024.

Figure 1: Plan view location of the Navidad vein system to the southwest of the Ermitano Mine. Exploration drill holes are displayed with vein intersections as points. Full Projection.

Figure 2: Vertical section location of the Navidad vein system looking southeast. Drill holes are displayed with vein intersections as points. Section influence is 1,300 m.

Figure 3: Vertical long section of the Navidad vein looking southeast. Drill hole metres are in true thickness and the colors represent modeled thickness of vein hosted mineralization. Vein intersections shown as discs for both the Navidad and the HW veins. Section influence is 500 m.

Table 1: Summary of significant gold and silver drill hole intercepts of the Navidad vein system.

Drillhole Target Target Type Significant Intercept From

(m) To

(m) True Length (m) Au

(g/t) Ag

(g/t) AgEq

(g/t) EW-23-359 Navidad Vein Resource addition 1349.70 1352.25 2.46 3.27 39 301 EW-23-360 HW vein Resource addition 1234.95 1236.95 1.53 5.83 146 612 EW-23-360 HW vein Resource addition 1249.50 1251.70 1.91 4.75 68 448 EW-23-360 HW vein Resource addition 1255.30 1257.85 2.09 4.06 77 402 EW-23-360 Navidad Vein Resource addition 1263.25 1265.65 2.39 3.48 74 353 EW-24-364 Navidad Vein Resource addition 1104.35 1109.30 4.78 8.15 427 1079 EW-24-364 Include 1 Resource addition 1104.35 1106.45 2.03 15.67 263 1517 EW-24-364 Include 2 Resource addition 1108.30 1109.30 0.97 1.06 1181 1266 EW-24-366 Navidad Vein Resource addition 1313.00 1316.15 2.85 1.40 124 236 EW-24-368 Navidad Vein Resource addition 1140.75 1142.6 1.82 54.93 399 4794 EW-24-368 Include 1 Resource addition 1140.75 1141.8 1.03 75.6 558 6606 EW-24-368 Include 2 Resource addition 1141.8 1142.6 0.79 27.8 191 2415 EW-24-370 HW vein Resource addition 961.05 961.60 5.75 5.65 46 498 EW-24-370 Navidad vein Resource addition 1158.10 1162.80 4.42 10.13 86 896 EW-24-370 Include 1 Resource addition 1158.80 1159.35 0.52 10.90 35 907 EW-24-370 Include 2 Resource addition 1159.80 1160.30 0.47 26.50 287 2407 EW-24-370 Include 3 Resource addition 1161.40 1162.10 0.66 21.10 178 1866

Notes:

All holes are Diamond Drill; AgEq grade = Ag grade (g/t) + [Au grade (g/t)*80]. From, To and Length are in metres; true width of the intercept is calculated per drill hole and vein angles. Gold and silver drill hole intercepts were composited using the length weighted averages of uncapped sample assays, a 190 g/t AgEq minimum grade, and a minimum composite length of 1.0 m (true width). A maximum of 1.0 m below the minimum grade cut-off was allowed as internal dilution. Where present, single samples or intercepts with assay results higher than 1000 g/t Ag and/or 10 g/t Au are highlighted as "Include" in each intercept.

First Majestic's drilling programs follow established Quality Assurance / Quality Control ("QA/QC") insertion protocols with standards, blanks, and duplicates introduced into the sample-stream. After geological logging, all drill core samples are cut in half. One half of the core is submitted to the laboratory for analysis and the remaining half core is retained on-site for verification and reference purposes or for future metallurgical testing.

Core samples were submitted to the SGS laboratory (ISO/IEC 17025:2017). At SGS, gold is analyzed by 30 g or 50 g fire assay atomic absorption finish (GE-FAA30V5, GE-FAA50V5). Results above 10 g/t gold are analyzed by 30 g or 50 g fire assay gravimetric finish (GO-FAG30V, GO-FAG50V). Silver is analyzed by 3-acid digest atomic absorption finish (GE-AAS33E50). Results above 100 g/t silver are analyzed by 30 g or 50 g fire assay gravimetric finish (GO-FAG37V, GO-FAG57V).

For further information concerning QA/QC and data verification matters, key assumptions, parameters, and methods used by the Company to estimate Mineral Reserves and Mineral Resources, and for a detailed description of known legal, political, environmental, and other risks that could materially affect the Company's business and the potential development of Mineral Reserves and Mineral Resources, see the Company's most recently filed Annual Information Form available under the Company's SEDAR+ profile at www.sedarplus.ca and the Company's Annual Report on Form 40-F for the year ended December 31, 2023 filed with the United States Securities and Exchange Commission on EDGAR at www.sec.gov/edgar.

QUALIFIED PERSON

Gonzalo Mercado, P. Geo., the Company's Vice President of Exploration and Technical Services and a "Qualified Person" as defined under National Instrument 43-101 Standards of Disclosure for Mineral Projects ("NI 43-101"), has reviewed and approved the scientific and technical information contained in this news release. Mr. Mercado has verified the exploration data contained in this news release, including the sampling, analytical and test data underlying such information.

ABOUT FIRST MAJESTIC

First Majestic is a publicly traded mining company focused on silver and gold production in Mexico and the United States. The Company presently owns and operates the Santa Elena Silver/Gold Mine, the San Dimas Silver/Gold Mine, and the La Encantada Silver Mine as well as a portfolio of development and exploration assets, including the Jerritt Canyon Gold project located in northeastern Nevada, U.S.A.

First Majestic is proud to own and operate its own minting facility, First Mint, LLC, and to offer a portion of its silver production for sale to the public. Bars, ingots, coins and medallions are available for purchase online at www.firstmint.com, at some of the lowest premiums available.

Cautionary Note Regarding Forward Looking Statements

This news release contains "forwardlooking information" and "forward-looking statements" under applicable Canadian and U.S. securities laws (collectively, "forwardlooking statements"). These statements relate to future events or the Company's future performance, business prospects or opportunities that are based on forecasts of future results, estimates of amounts not yet determinable and assumptions of management made in light of management's experience and perception of historical trends. Assumptions may prove to be incorrect and actual results and future events may differ materially from those anticipated. Any statements that express or involve discussions with respect to predictions, expectations, beliefs, plans, projections, objectives or future events or performance (often, but not always, using words or phrases such as "seek", "anticipate", "plan", "continue", "estimate", "expect", "may", "will", "project", "predict", "forecast", "potential", "target", "intend", "could", "might", "should", "believe" and similar expressions) are not statements of historical fact and may be "forwardlooking statements".

Forward-looking statements are subject to known and unknown risks, uncertainties and other factors that may cause actual results to materially differ from those expressed or implied by such forward-looking statements, including but not limited to: material adverse changes, unexpected changes in laws, rules or regulations, or their enforcement by applicable authorities; the failure of parties to contracts with the company to perform as agreed; social or labour unrest; changes in commodity prices; and the failure of exploration programs or studies to deliver anticipated results or results that would justify and support continued exploration, studies, development or operations. Although the Company has attempted to identify important factors that could cause actual results to differ materially from those contained in forward-looking statements, there may be other factors that cause results not to be as anticipated, estimated or intended.

The Company believes that the expectations reflected in these forwardlooking statements are reasonable, but no assurance can be given that these expectations will prove to be correct and such forwardlooking statements included herein should not be unduly relied upon. These statements speak only as of the date hereof. The Company does not intend, and does not assume any obligation, to update these forward-looking statements, except as required by applicable laws.

Cautionary Note to United States Investors

The Company is a "foreign private issuer" as defined in Rule 3b-4 under the United States Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended, and is eligible to rely upon the Canada-U.S. Multi-Jurisdictional Disclosure System, and is therefore permitted to prepare the technical information contained herein in accordance with the requirements of the securities laws in effect in Canada, which differ from the requirements of the securities laws currently in effect in the United States. Accordingly, information concerning mineral deposits set forth herein may not be comparable with information made public by companies that report in accordance with U.S. standards.

Technical disclosure contained in this news release has not been prepared in accordance with the requirements of United States securities laws and uses terms that comply with reporting standards in Canada with certain estimates prepared in accordance with NI 43-101.

NI 43-101 is a rule developed by the Canadian Securities Administrators that establishes standards for all public disclosure an issuer makes of scientific and technical information concerning the issuer's material mineral projects.

APPENDIX - DRILL HOLE DETAILS

Table A1: Drill hole location, sample type, azimuth, dip and total depth.

Drillhole East North Elev Azimuth Dip Depth (m) Type EW-23-359 583102 3319903 886.31 185.92 -49.57 1413 Core EW-23-360 583103 3319903 886.31 175.57 -53.26 1305 Core EW-24-364 583221 3319713 869.69 175.31 -48.79 1200 Core EW-24-366 582914 3319500 916.55 179.67 -53.28 1425 Core EW-24-368 582891 3319426 914.92 181.56 -45.72 1480 Core EW-24-370 583223 3319713 869.86 161.72 -56.53 1230 Core

Notes:
Highlighted by an 89.26% Increase in Revenue and a 558.30% Increase in Net Income - IDR's 6-Month Net Income in 2024 is Nearly 4x Last Year's Total Net Income

COEUR D'ALENE, ID / ACCESSWIRE / July 30, 2024 / Idaho Strategic Resources, Inc. (NYSE American:IDR) ("IDR", "Idaho Strategic" or the "Company") today announced its consolidated operating and financial results for the second quarter ending June 30, 2024. IDR achieved an 89.26% increase in revenue and a 558.30% increase in net income compared to the second quarter of 2023. Key highlights include:

Operational Performance: Q2 2024 % Change Q2 2023 Ore Tonnes Processed 9,260 -20.91% % 11,708 Average Flotation Feed Grade (gpt) 10.29 40.77 % 7.31 Ounces Produced 2,903 34.99 % 2,152 All-In Sustaining Cost Per Ounce ($USD) $ 1,319.40 17.66 % $ 1,121.39

Financial Performance ($USD): Q2 2024 % Change Q2 2023 Revenue $ 6,125,382 89.26 % $ 3,236,515 Total Cost of Sales $ 3,051,957 24.93 % $ 2,442,932 Gross Profit $ 3,073,425 287.28 % $ 793,583 Net Income Attributable to IDR $ 2,157,873 558.30 % $ 327,793 Earnings Per Share (EPS) $ 0.17 466.67 % $ 0.03

Idaho Strategic's CEO and President, John Swallow stated, "Our folks did a great job during the second quarter. We have a lot going on (in addition to daily activities) - underground and surface drilling at the Golden Chest, pad and road construction for the paste backfill plant, power upgrade underway, paste plant structure and equipment ordered, upcoming drill program at Eastern Star in September, added two geologists and seasonal help to our staff, and possibly one or two other items on deck. Not to mention that the macro picture seems to be evolving more and more toward our business plan. In alignment with our discretionary win as we go' approach to compensation, each employee, officer, and director earned another quarterly paycheck bonus' on top of the normal pay structure."

Golden Chest Highlights for Q2 2024 Include:

At the Golden Chest, ore mined from underground stopes totaled approximately 11,500 tonnes with all of the tonnage coming from H-Vein stopes. A significant stockpile of ore was built up at the mill by the end of the quarter.

A total of 3,230 cubic meters of cemented rockfill ("CRF") were placed during the quarter, which is a new quarterly record. The Main Access Ramp ("MAR") and associated drifts and raises were advanced by about 100 meters during the quarter.

For the quarter ended June 30, 2024, a total of 9,260 dry metric tonnes ("dmt") were processed at the Company's New Jersey mill with a flotation feed head grade of 10.29 gpt gold and gold recovery of 93.6%.

An exploration program consisting of both underground and surface core drilling was started in the second quarter. Underground drilling was focused on exploring the Klondike area and the projected northerly strike of the H-vein. Surface drilling was started in Butte Gulch with plans to move to the northern area of the Golden Chest in the third quarter.

Rare Earth Highlights for Q2 2024 Include:

Continued discussions with various laboratories, universities, and partners to advance our understanding of Idaho's rare earth mineralogy and broader mineral endowment.

Mr. Swallow concluded, "I am not sure where I saw or heard the phrase that bees don't waste their time explaining to flies that honey is better than sh*t, but we now receive considerably less unsolicited advice' from those that hadn't built a producer 10 years ago, and still haven't as of today. As I reflected on the discussion around this record quarter, I found myself concurring with those that describe the feeling of the early days as when you have a lot of music to make yet haven't any instruments and only sounds in your head. Compared to now (as a result of our approach) having the luxury to produce the albums you want to make and the song selection is yours. And I am sure Rob and Grant feel the same way; although Grant with a few more expletives and a heck of a lot less external reflection and Rob with a wistful story of sleeping out in front of the core shack, not making any money and still as enthusiastic as ever. Production and minding costs are always within our daily focus And when you control the part you can control, sometimes the part you cannot control becomes part of the reward."

Notes accompanying the financial statements below can be found in the Company's quarterly report filed this morning with the SEC on EDGAR.

Qualified person

IDR's Vice President, Grant A. Brackebusch, P.E. is a qualified person as such term is defined under S-K 1300 and has reviewed and approved the technical information and data included in this press release.

About Idaho Strategic Resources, Inc.

Idaho Strategic Resources (IDR) is an Idaho-based gold producer which also owns the largest rare earth elements land package in the United States. The Company's business plan was established in anticipation of today's volatile geopolitical and macroeconomic environment. IDR finds itself in a unique position as the only publicly traded company with growing gold production and significant blue-sky potential for rare earth elements exploration and development in one Company.

For more information on Idaho Strategic Resources, visit https://idahostrategic.com/presentation/, go to www.idahostrategic.com or call:

Travis Swallow, Investor Relations & Corporate Development

Email: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

Phone: (208) 625-9001

Idaho Strategic Resources, Inc.

Condensed Consolidated Statements of Operations (Unaudited)

For the Three and Six-Month Periods Ended June 30, 2024 and 2023

June 30, 2024 June 30, 2023 Three Months Six Months Three Months Six Months Revenue: Sales of products $ 6,125,382 $ 12,024,320 $ 3,236,515 $ 6,578,111 Total revenue 6,125,382 12,024,320 3,236,515 6,578,111 Costs of Sales: Cost of sales and other direct production costs 2,596,027 5,154,940 2,099,890 4,247,850 Depreciation and amortization 455,930 957,718 343,042 671,079 Total costs of sales 3,051,957 6,112,658 2,442,932 4,918,929 Gross profit 3,073,425 5,911,662 793,583 1,659,182 Other operating expenses: Exploration 620,056 887,904 207,369 480,811 Management 90,313 199,413 55,568 124,479 Professional services 84,982 239,226 123,238 364,043 General and administrative 179,456 340,119 123,765 387,063 (Gain) loss on disposal of equipment 3,022 7,431 (6,344 ) (224 ) Total other operating expenses 977,829 1,674,093 503,596 1,356,172 Operating income 2,095,596 4,237,569 289,987 303,010 Other (income) expense: Equity (income) loss on investment in Buckskin Gold and Silver, Inc 1,589 (278 ) (1,007 ) (1,357 ) Timber revenue net of costs (6,049 ) (19,406 ) - (20,724 ) Loss on investment in equity securities - 453 2,880 2,880 Gain on short term investments (21,862 ) (21,862 ) - - Interest income (38,606 ) (58,241 ) (18,756 ) (37,693 ) Interest expense 25,602 46,167 11,048 19,896 Total other (income) expense (39,326 ) (53,167 ) (5,835 ) (36,998 ) Net income 2,134,922 4,290,736 295,822 340,008 Net loss attributable to non-controlling interest (22,951 ) (38,246 ) (31,971 ) (48,384 ) Net income attributable to Idaho Strategic Resources, Inc. $ 2,157,873 $ 4,328,982 $ 327,793 $ 388,392 Net income per common share-basic $ 0.17 $ 0.34 $ 0.03 $ 0.03 Weighted average common share outstanding-basic 12,836,205 12,674,789 12,256,523 12,228,844 Net income per common share-diluted $ 0.17 $ 0.34 $ 0.03 $ 0.03 Weighted average common shares outstanding- diluted 13,043,026 12,904,998 12,259,438 12,232,638

Idaho Strategic Resources, Inc.

Condensed Consolidated Balance Sheets (Unaudited)

June 30, 2024 December 31, 2023 ASSETS Current assets: Cash and cash equivalents $ 1,801,257 $ 2,286,999 Short term investments 6,344,725 - Gold sales receivable 1,516,514 1,038,867 Inventories 766,612 876,681 Joint venture receivable 1,413 2,080 Investment in equity securities - 5,649 Other current assets 172,036 236,837 Total current assets 10,602,557 4,447,113 Property, plant and equipment, net of accumulated depreciation 10,492,298 10,233,640 Mineral properties, net of accumulated amortization 9,459,771 7,898,878 Investment in Buckskin Gold and Silver, Inc 339,047 338,769 Investment in joint venture 435,000 435,000 Reclamation bond 256,310 251,310 Deposits 600,267 285,079 Total assets $ 32,185,250 $ 23,889,789 LIABILITIES AND STOCKHOLDERS' EQUITY Current liabilities: Accounts payable and accrued expenses $ 732,832 $ 484,221 Accrued payroll and related payroll expenses 286,187 266,670 Notes payable, current portion 745,132 978,246 Total current liabilities 1,764,151 1,729,137 Asset retirement obligations 295,874 286,648 Notes payable, long term 1,985,742 1,338,406 Total long-term liabilities 2,281,616 1,625,054 Total liabilities 4,045,767 3,354,191 Commitments Notes 5 and 9 - - Stockholders' equity: Preferred stock, no par value, 1,000,000 shares authorized; no shares issued or outstanding - - Common stock, no par value, 200,000,000 shares authorized; June 30, 2024-12,958,574 and December 31, 2023- 12,397,615 shares issued and outstanding 38,264,643 34,963,739 Accumulated deficit (12,881,656 ) (17,210,638 ) Total Idaho Strategic Resources, Inc stockholders' equity 25,382,987 17,753,101 Non-controlling interest 2,756,496 2,782,497 Total stockholders' equity 28,139,483 20,535,598 Total liabilities and stockholders' equity $ 32,185,250 $ 23,889,789
Toronto, Ontario--(Newsfile Corp. - July 30, 2024) - Canadian Gold Corp. (TSXV: CGC) ("Canadian Gold" or the "Company") is pleased to provide an exploration update for the Tartan Mine property, located near Flin Flon, Manitoba.

Phase 3 Drill Program Initial Focus: Expanding the Hanging Wall Zone & Main Zone

The Phase 3 Drill Program is now underway at the Tartan Mine. The Company had deferred the start of the Drill Program to ensure that a veteran drill crew would be on site for the program.

As previously disclosed, the initial focus of the Phase 3 Drill Program is testing the western extent of the Hanging Wall Zone (HWZ), following up on two important intersections and the Main Zone record length intercept at depth.

The two important intersections of the HWZ, which remains open to the west and starts approximately 670 metres below surface, include the first hole that returned 23.8 gpt gold over 12.6 metres, including 47.6 gpt gold over 5.8 metres and the second intercept, drilled earlier in 2024, returning 20.6 gpt gold over 5.7 metres, including 30.4 gpt gold over 3.0 metres.

In the Main Zone the most important hole drilled in the earlier drill programs returned the longest intercept in the history of the Tartan Mine with an impressive 4.2 gpt gold over 53.7 metres, including 12.0 gpt gold over 8.0 metres. A detailed analysis of the drill data indicates that there is considerable potential to expand this zone to the west. Should the planned drill holes in this target area return similar assay results, it would represent a material increase to the size of the resource at the Tartan Mine.

Management believes the ability to expand these important zones remains key to unlocking value at the Tartan Mine.

Further updates on the program will follow.

Proceeds from Canadian Gold's recently completed private placement offering (announced July 17, 2024) will be deployed for this Phase 3 Drill Program. Insiders of the Company subscribed to the offering resulting in related party considerations pursuant to TSX Venture Exchange Policy 5.9 and Multilateral Instrument 61-101 - Protection of Minority Security Holders in Special Transactions ("MI 61-101"). Canadian Gold relied on the exemptions contained in Section 5.5(c) of MI 61-101 for an exemption from the formal valuation requirement and Section 5.7(1)(b) of MI 61- 101 for an exemption from the minority shareholder approval requirement as the fair market value of the securities distributed under the offering, insofar as it involved interested parties, did not exceed $2,500,000.

For Further Information, Please Contact:

Qualified Person

The scientific and technical information disclosed in this news release was reviewed and approved by Wesley Whymark, P. Geo., Consulting Geologist for the Company, and a Qualified Person as defined under National Instrument 43-101.

About Canadian Gold Corp.

Canadian Gold Corp. is a Toronto-based mineral exploration and development company whose objective is to expand the high-grade gold resource at the past producing Tartan Mine, located in Flin Flon, Manitoba. The historic Tartan Mine currently has a 2017 indicated mineral resource estimate of 240,000 oz gold (1,180,000 tonnes at 6.32 g/t gold) and an inferred estimate of 37,000 oz gold (240,000 tonnes at 4.89 g/t gold). The Company also holds a 100% interest in greenfields exploration properties in Ontario and Quebec adjacent to some of Canada's largest gold mines and development projects, specifically, the Canadian Malartic Mine (QC), the Hemlo Mine (ON) and Hammond Reef Project (ON). The Company is 35% owned by Robert McEwen, who was the founder and CEO of Goldcorp and is Chairman and CEO of McEwen Mining.

CAUTION REGARDING FORWARD-LOOKING INFORMATION

This news release of the Company contains statements that constitute "forward-looking statements." Such forward-looking statements involve known and unknown risks, uncertainties and other factors that may cause Canadian Gold's actual results, performance or achievements, or developments in the industry to differ materially from the anticipated results, performance or achievements expressed or implied by such forward-looking statements.
Vancouver, British Columbia, July 30, 2024 - TheNewswire: Inflection Resources Ltd. (CSE: AUCU / OTCQB: AUCUF / FSE: 5VJ) (the "Company" or "Inflection") is pleased to provide an update on its ongoing Phase I exploration program in New South Wales, Australia conducted under an Exploration Agreement with and fully funded by AngloGold Ashanti Australia Limited (AngloGold Ashanti) announced on June 14, 2023.

Summary Highlights:

Recent Phase I drilling has focused on ten target areas: Canonba, Longstowe, Canonba North, Whiskey Creek, Brewon, Wombat Creek, Boorooma, Warrawing, Minoru and Merri Merri.

First-pass scout drilling on the Canonba target has intercepted broad zones of strong epidote-magnetite-albite +/- biotite alteration which is locally overprinted by hematite-sericite-tourmaline with minor disseminated chalcopyrite and molybdenite bearing quartz veins. The Company considers this hydrothermal alteration and mineralisation intercepted in the initial drilling to be encouraging and suggestive of a porphyry proximal environment.

First-pass scout drilling on the Longstowe target intersected biotite-magnetite-epidote with minor K-feldspar altered volcanics cut by minor quartz-chalcopyrite bearing veins, which the Company considers to be suggestive of a porphyry proximal environment.

9,180 metres of additional drilling comprising 17 holes have been drilled, bringing the total to 22,486 metres and 47 holes completed under Phase I of the AngloGold Ashanti Agreement.

Alistair Waddell, Inflections President and CEO, states: "We are very happy to provide an update on our AngloGold Ashanti-funded Phase I exploration program in New South Wales which is systematically drill-testing a diverse range of large, 100%-owned porphyry targets, none of which have been previously drilled. We are particularly excited about the first-pass scout drilling on the Canonba target which is located approximately five kilometres north of our Phase II Duck Creek project. Canonba's promising results suggest a potential genetic relationship between the two target areas. We await the geochronology results to confirm this working hypothesis.

Canonba

Three widely spaced holes were drilled into the Canonba targets totalling 1,845 metres (m) to test three distinct magnetic anomalies over an approximate distance of 12.5 kilometres (km). Hole CANDH004 intercepted basement at 414 m and was drilled to a total depth of 802 m to test an approximate 500 x 900 m discrete aeromagnetic high located approximately 5 km north-northwest of the northern Duck Creek complex (Figure 1) where the Company has intercepted strong porphyry-style alteration and geochemistry over several square kilometres. The hole intercepted brecciated diorite and monzonites with broad zones of strong epidote-magnetite-albite +/-biotite alteration which is locally overprinted by hematite-sericite-tourmaline with minor disseminated chalcopyrite and molybdenite bearing quartz veins (Figure 2). Minor disseminated native copper occurs over the first 60 m of the hole, with concentrations locally reaching up to 0.5% along with minor chalcopyrite in veinlets and minor quartz-molybdenite veins. The Company considers this hydrothermal alteration and mineralisation intercepted in this initial drilling to be encouraging and suggestive of a porphyry proximal environment. Geochronology sample results have yet to be received and will be key to better understanding the potential of the target prior to planning any further drilling. Assays reported anomalous Cu (up to 834 ppm) and Au up to 0.3 g/t from a monzonite and up to 0.3 g/t Au (with highly anomalous Bi-As-Sb) associated with carbonate-bearing siltstones.

Inflection considers that the nature of the magnetic anomaly and the proximity of hole CANDH004 to the Duck Creek target suggests a possible genetic relationship between the two target areas, although there is currently no further data to support this working hypothesis.

Additionally, hole CANDH003 drilled to a depth of 489 m after intercepting basement at 416 m was also drilled to test a similar sized aeromagnetic high 4.5 km north-east of the Duck Creek project and intersected strong biotite with a significant sericite alteration overprint. This alteration, like that observed in hole CANDH004, although less intense, is considered by the Company to be suggestive of a porphyry proximal environment. Assay results are pending.

Hole CANDH006 (located approximately 9.5 km off Figure 1 to the north) intercepted intercalated volcaniclastic sediments and lesser andesites with minor hematite-sericite alteration and cut by quartz-carbonate veins which are interpreted to be more distal to any potential mineral system.

Figure 1: Location map of the Phase I Canonba drilling relative to the Phase II Duck Creek project showing the various Exploration Licenses with aeromagnetic RTP 1VD.

Figure 2: Selection of Canonba core photos from hole CANDH004. Brecciated diorites, monzonites and andesitic volcanics with broad zones of strong epidote-magnetite-albite +/-biotite alteration locally overprinted by hematite-sericite-tourmaline with minor disseminated chalcopyrite and molybdenite.

Longstowe

Hole LONDH001 was drilled to a depth of 375 m after intercepting basement at 312 m to test an approximate 1,000 x 500 m zone of elevated aeromagnetic data suggestive of a possible porphyry at depth. The hole intersected biotite-magnetite-epidote with minor K-feldspar altered volcanics cut by minor (1 to 2 veins/m) quartz veins with minor chalcopyrite. The Company considers this suggestive of a porphyry proximal environment. Geochronology sample results have not yet been received and will be key to planning any further drilling. Copper and gold assay results for the hole were low tenor although contained highly anomalous and favourable multielement geochemistry.

Hole LONDH002 located 620 m southwest of LONDH001 intercepted weak to moderately epidote altered conglomerate and minor sandstone. Assay results report best results of 2 m at 0.15% Cu and 0.02 g/t Au from 320 m.

Brewon

Two holes were drilled into a large approximately 3 x 3 km aeromagnetic low and an approximate 3.5 x 2.5 km aeromagnetic high. Hole BREDH001 drilled to a depth of 760 m to test the magnetic low intersected a granodiorite with minor magmatic breccia, which consists of a quartz-rich granite and hematite altered tonalite. Rare chalcopyrite-bornite bearing quartz-K-feldspar veins and carbonate-quartz-chlorite arsenopyrite veins are present. The hole intercepted the basement sequence at 594 m under a sequence of post-mineral sediments.

Hole BREDH002 tested the magnetic high and intersected at 484 m a muscovite bearing granite with minor small pegmatite dykes which is interpreted to represent a peraluminous, S-type granite not typically associated with porphyry-related copper-gold mineralisation.

Due to the low tenor of the assay values and thickness of the post-mineral cover sequence, the Company has downgraded the Brewon target.

Boorooma

Two holes were drilled into discreet magnetic lows within a broader 10 x 20 km aeromagnetic high complex. Drill hole BOODH002 intersected minor chalcopyrite-bornite bearing quartz veins with albite-hematite alteration selvages in a magnetite bearing diorite. This alteration and quartz-chalcopyrite vein development in the hole suggest this diorite is fertile and exhibits porphyry copper potential. Hole BOODH001 intercepted 41.1 m of a magnetic hornblende diorite and rare carbonate veining was observed with weak hematite staining which contained minor pyrite.

The Boorooma target, which the Company considers to exhibit porphyry potential based on the intersection of an altered diorite with minor chalcopyrite mineralisation, will be assessed once key geochronological results are returned. Highest assay results from BOODH002 include 2 m at 926 ppm Cu from 476 m. Assay results from BOODH001 are low tenor.

Other target areas

Holes drilled in Canonba North, Whiskey Creek, Wombat Creek, Warrawing, Minoru and Merri Merri targets (Figure 3) tested a wide variety of large geophysical features for the first time. Drilling in these targets generally returned little or no favourable alteration and therefore have been downgraded. The Company, in conjunction with AngloGold Ashanti, will wait for assay results from the laboratory as well as several key geochronology samples before deciding the best next steps for these target areas. Assay results for Whiskey Creek and Wombat Creek are of a low tenor and results for Canonba North, Warrawing, Minoru and Merri Merri have yet to be returned.

Phase I and Phase II Duck Creek ongoing drilling plans:

In order to review and compile significant data from the ongoing program, drilling will be paused for a six to eight-week period. This pause in the drilling will allow the Company to receive a large backlog of assays from the laboratory, as well as key geochronological and green rock samples used for valuable vectoring and determining if the rocks are prospective for porphyry-related copper-gold mineralisation. Phase I drilling will recommence once all data has been received, enabling the most informed technical decisions regarding Phase I follow-up holes and the holes to be completed in the remaining first-pass drill targets. The pending geochronology samples are particularly important, as they may prioritize, or downgrade certain targets based on the age of alteration or mineralisation.

Phase II drilling on the Duck Creek target commenced in June as planned, testing a variety of geophysical targets including several of the recently identified ANT targets and step-out holes from earlier drilling that returned highly encouraging alteration and geochemistry. A standalone update on the Duck Creek drilling will be provided shortly.

Figure 3: Target location map with the Phase I targets discussed in this release highlighted.

AngloGold Ashanti Exploration Agreement Terms

All the Phase I work programs noted above form part of the AngloGold Ashanti Exploration Agreement where AngloGold Ashanti is funding up to AUD$10,000,000 on exploration expenditures across a wide range of different intrusive related exploration targets. Inflection is operating Phase I and is receiving a 10% management fee for doing so. Upon completion of Phase I, AngloGold Ashanti retains the right to designate up to five individual projects where it may potentially earn up to a 75% interest in each by completing various milestones. See Inflection news release dated June 14, 2023 for further details.

Inflections Duck Creek project has already been designated a Phase II project where AngloGold Ashanti retains the right to earn an initial 51% interest in the project by investing AUD$7,000,000 in exploration expenditures. Upon completion of Phase II, AngloGold Ashanti retains the additional right, as part of a Phase III program, to earn up to a 65% interest by investing a further AUD $20,000,000 in expenditures. Upon completion of Phase III, AngloGold Ashanti retains the right to earn up to a 75% interest by completing a pre-feasibility study with a minimum two-million-ounce gold or copper-gold equivalent resource (Measured & Indicated category) and ceding a 2% or 1% net smelter return royalty to Inflection. See Inflection news release dated May 2, 2024 for further details.

Qualified Person and Sampling Quality Control:

The scientific and technical information contained in this news release has been reviewed and approved by Mr. Carl Swensson (FAusIMM), a Qualified Person (QP) as defined in National Instrument 43-101  Standards of Disclosure for Mineral Projects.

Drilling is being conducted using a truck-mounted multi-purpose drill rig. Mud rotary drilling is utilised to drill through the cover sequence before transitioning to diamond drilling using NQ sized core at the unconformity. Core is logged at the Companys field office, photographed and marked before being cut to the Companys specified sample intervals. Half core samples are placed in bags with internationally certified blanks and standards inserted. Samples are dispatched to ALS Laboratories in Orange NSW, an accredited analytical laboratory meeting ISO/IEC 17025:2005 and ISO 9001:2015. Samples are prepared by crushing and grinding via ALS methods CRU-21 and PUL-32 respectively. The pulps are then assayed for 48 elements via ALS method ME-MS61 using a 25g sample after a four acid near total digest with an ICP-MS finish. Gold is assayed by fire assay using ALS method Au-AA23 using a 30g sample charge and AAS finish. Laboratory standards and QA-QC are monitored by the Company. Coarse rejects from the sample preparation are subjected to spectral analysis.

About Inflections NSW Projects

The Company is systematically exploring for large copper-gold deposits in the northern interpreted extension of the Macquarie Arc, part of the Lachlan Fold Belt in New South Wales. The Macquarie Arc is Australias premier porphyry copper-gold province host to Newmonts Cadia deposits, Evolution Minings Cowal and Northparkes deposits plus numerous exploration prospects including Boda, the discovery made by Alkane Resources.

The Company uses cost-effective mud-rotary drilling to cut through unmineralised post-mineral sedimentary cover before transitioning to diamond core drilling once the prospective basement is reached. It is well documented that mineralised bodies elsewhere in the belt, in particular porphyry and intrusive related systems, have large district-scale alteration and geochemical halos or footprints surrounding them. The Company typically completes a series of short diamond drill holes into the basement bedrock with multiple data points gained from alteration and mineral geochemistry which is then used to vector additional deeper holes. This is a proven exploration methodology in the covered segments of the Macquarie Arc having been directly responsible for the discovery of the Northparkes and Cowal deposits.

About Inflection Resources Ltd.

Inflection is a technically driven copper-gold focused mineral exploration company listed on the Canadian Securities Exchange under the symbol AUCU and on the OTCQB under the symbol AUCUF with projects in Australia. For more information, please visit the Company website at www.inflectionresources.com.

Inflection is part of the NewQuest Capital Group which is an entrepreneurial, discovery-driven investment group that builds value through the incubation and financing of early-stage mineral exploration projects globally. Further information about NewQuest can be found at www.nqcapitalgroup.com

On behalf of the Board of Directors

Alistair Waddell

President and CEO

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For further information, please contact:

Brennan Zerb

Investor Relations Manager

+1 (778) 867-5016

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Forward-Looking Statements

This news release includes certain forward-looking statements and forward-looking information (collectively, "forward-looking statements") within the meaning of applicable Canadian securities legislation. All statements, other than statements of historical fact, included herein including, without limitation, statements regarding future capital expenditures, amount of drilling, receipt of the maximum amount of available grant funding, anticipated content, commencement and cost of exploration programs in respect of the Company's projects and mineral properties, AngloGold Ashantis anticipated funding of the Minimum Commitment and timing thereof, and the anticipated business plans and timing of future activities of the Company, are forward-looking statements. Although the Company believes that such statements are reasonable, it can give no assurance that such expectations will prove to be correct. Often, but not always, forward looking information can be identified by words such as "pro forma", "plans", "expects", "may", "should", "budget", "scheduled", "estimates", "forecasts", "intends", "anticipates", "believes", "potential" or variations of such words including negative variations thereof, and phrases that refer to certain actions, events or results that may, could, would, might or will occur or be taken or achieved. Forward-looking statements involve known and unknown risks, uncertainties and other factors which may cause the actual results, performance or achievements of the Company to differ materially from any future results, performance or achievements expressed or implied by the forward-looking statements. Such risks and other factors include, among others, statements as to the anticipated business plans and timing of future activities of the Company, including the Company's exploration plans. the proposed expenditures for exploration work thereon, the ability of the Company to obtain sufficient financing to fund its business activities and plans, delays in obtaining governmental and regulatory approvals (including of the Canadian Securities Exchange), permits or financing, changes in laws, regulations and policies affecting mining operations, the Company's limited operating history, currency fluctuations, title disputes or claims, environmental issues and liabilities, as well as those factors discussed under the heading "Risk Factors" in the Company's prospectus dated June 12, 2020 and other filings of the Company with the Canadian Securities Authorities, copies of which can be found under the Company's profile on the SEDAR website at www.sedar.com. Readers are cautioned not to place undue reliance on forward-looking statements. The Company undertakes no obligation to update any of the forward-looking statements, except as otherwise required by law.
Vancouver, British Columbia--(Newsfile Corp. - July 30, 2024) - Goldshore Resources Inc. (TSXV: GSHR) (OTCQB: GSHRF) (FSE: 8X00) ("Goldshore" or the "Company") is pleased to announce that it has secured funding of CAD $4,875,000 through the 100% early exercise of 37,500,000 common share purchase warrants. These warrants were issued at an exercise price of CAD $0.13 per share, with a 36 month term, in connection with the Company's non-brokered private placement, which closed on November 17, 2023.

Michael Henrichsen, CEO of Goldshore commented, "The exercise of these warrants provides a significant boost to our treasury, securing funding through the completion of the Preliminary Economic Assessment ("PEA") expected in Q1 2025 and supporting the acceleration of our strategic plan to unlock the full value and potential of the Moss Gold Deposit. I would like to extend my sincere thanks to members of the SAF Group, insiders, and all close associates that participated in this warrant exercise for their continued support."

Issuance of RSUs

The Company has also issued 150,000 restricted share units ("RSUs") to Shawn Khunkhun, a director of the Company. The RSUs will fully vest on July 29, 2025, one year from the date of grant. Once vested, each RSU represents the right to receive one Common Share, the equivalent cash value thereof, or a combination of the two, at the Company's discretion. The issuance of RSUs have been made in accordance with the Company's Omnibus Incentive Plan (the "Plan") that was approved by the Company's shareholders on January 23, 2024.

About Goldshore

Goldshore is a growth-oriented gold company focused on delivering long-term shareholder and stakeholder value through the acquisition and advancement of primary gold assets in tier-one jurisdictions. It is led by the ex-global head of structural geology for the world's largest gold company and backed by one of Canada's pre-eminent private equity firms. The Company's current focus is the advanced stage 100% owned Moss Gold Project which is positioned in Ontario, Canada, with direct access from the Trans-Canada Highway, hydroelectric power near site, supportive local communities and skilled workforce. The Company has invested over $60 million of new capital and completed approximately 80,000 meters of drilling on the Moss Gold Project, which, in aggregate, has had over 235,000 meters of drilling. The 2024 updated NI 43-101 mineral resource estimate ("MRE") has expanded to 1.54 million ounces of Indicated gold resources at 1.23 g/t Au and 5.20 million ounces of Inferred gold resources at 1.11 g/t Au. The MRE only encompasses 3.6 kilometers of the 35+ kilometer mineralized trend, remains open at depth and along strike and is one of the few remaining major Canadian gold deposits positioned for fast track through this development cycle. For more information, please visit SEDAR+ (www.sedarplus.ca) and the Company's website (www.goldshoreresources.com).

For More Information - Please Contact:

Michael Henrichsen

President, Chief Executive Officer and Director

Goldshore Resources Inc.

E: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

W: www.goldshoreresources.com

Neither the TSXV nor its Regulation Services Provider (as that term is defined in the policies of the TSXV) accepts responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this release.

Cautionary Note Regarding Forward-Looking Statements

This news release contains statements that constitute "forward-looking statements." Such forward looking statements involve known and unknown risks, uncertainties and other factors that may cause the Company's actual results, performance or achievements, or developments to differ materially from the anticipated results, performance or achievements expressed or implied by such forward-looking statements. 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.

Forward-looking statements in this news release include, among others, statements relating to expectations regarding the exploration and development of the Moss Gold Project, the timing of completion and release of an updated preliminary economic assessment, the timing and completion of a strategic permitting plan and other statements that are not historical facts. By their nature, forward-looking statements involve known and unknown risks, uncertainties and other factors which may cause our actual results, performance or achievements, or other future events, to be materially different from any future results, performance or achievements expressed or implied by such forward-looking statements. Such factors and risks include, among others: the Company may require additional financing from time to time in order to continue its operations which may not be available when needed or on acceptable terms and conditions acceptable; compliance with extensive government regulation; domestic and foreign laws and regulations could adversely affect the Company's business and results of operations; the stock markets have experienced volatility that often has been unrelated to the performance of companies and these fluctuations may adversely affect the price of the Company's securities, regardless of its operating performance; and the impact of COVID-19.

The forward-looking information contained in this news release represents the expectations of the Company as of the date of this news release and, accordingly, is subject to change after such date. Readers should not place undue importance on forward-looking information and should not rely upon this information as of any other date. The Company undertakes no obligation to update these forward-looking statements in the event that management's beliefs, estimates or opinions, or other factors, should change.
ST. HELIER, Jersey / Jul 30, 2024 / Business Wire / Metals Acquisition Limited ARBN 671 963 198 (NYSE: MTAL; ASX: MAC), a private limited company incorporated under the laws of Jersey, Channel Islands (MAC or the Company) today provides a market update on the continuing exploration and resource development at the CSA Copper Mine.

Highlights

All results reported in this release are after the cut-off date (August 31, 2023) for the 2023 Resource and Reserve and will be incorporated in the 2024 Resource and Reserve Estimate update.

Results from QTS North (QTSN) include: 22.1m @ 9.8% Cu from 167.4m in UDD23018 24.2m @ 7.8% Cu from 174.8m and 4m @ 8.1% Cu from 203m in UDD20136A 22.1m @ 7.8% Cu from 200.6m in UDD23017 17.5m @ 8.0% Cu from 218.2m in UDD23037 20.4m @ 7.9% Cu from 176.5m and 13.6m @ 4.5% Cu from 209.6m in UDD23038 12.8m @ 8.1% Cu from 109.3m in UDD23016 9.3m @ 6.8% Cu from 199.1m in UDD23039

Results from QTS Central (QTSC) include: 5.5m @ 10.4% Cu from 87.9m in UDD22024 5.7m @ 7.5% Cu from 122.1m in UDD22135

Results from Upper Pb-Zn Eastern and Western Lenses (Pb-Zn) include: EWDD24005 (384.7m  400.9m  four intervals of core loss impacting below intersection) 2.3m @ 15.3% Zn, 2.2% Pb, 0.5% Cu & 39g/t Ag from 384.7m 2.9m @ 16.8% Zn, 5.6% Pb, 0.8% Cu & 32g/t Ag from 388.9m 2.8m @ 2.6% Cu, 2.2% Zn, 0.2% Pb & 26g/t Ag from 393m 3.3m @ 13.6 % Zn, 4.3% Pb, 0.9% Cu & 29g/t Ag from 397.6m



Discussion

Underground exploration continued to focus on the down dip and along strike extensions of the QTSN and QTSC deposits, as well as the shallower, up dip portions of the East and West deposits and QTSS Upper A.

Results are reported as down hole widths. A complete list of June quarter 2024 resource drilling results is contained in Table 1 at the end of this report.

Metals Acquisition Limiteds CEO, Mick McMullen, commented:

After delivering a large resource increase in April, exploration has continued to expand the known extents of mineralisation. Drilling at QTSN has confirmed the location of the Inferred resource and will be used to upgrade the Measured and Indicated material. We see the typical QTSN intervals of approximately 20m plus grading at 8% Cu or greater in this drilling, which would be seen as spectacular in any other mine but in the CSA Copper Mine are considered normal.

As evidenced by the strong milled grades seen in the June quarter when mining is focussed on the QTSN and QTSC areas, these kinds of in situ grades can deliver very strong production and financial results and we see these high grade zones continuing for significantly greater depths than the current mining levels and well below the base of the 2023 reserve.

The third area of drilling focus is in the shallower areas of the mine, being the Zn areas of the Eastern and Western lenses. Results from the Zn areas continue to deliver shallow high grade Zn results located proximal to existing development.

Finally, the shallow QTSS Upper deposit is being drilled out in preparation for mining. The majority of the 2023 mineral resource is in the Inferred classification and the current 25 hole program is aimed at converting that to Indicated classification ahead of mining. The first hole from that program has intersected 3.5m of massive sulphide with assays still to be received. Results from this area are typically narrower than from QTSN but are the highest grades in the mine and very shallow.

CSA Copper Mine

The CSA Copper Mine is a world class mine that consists of a series of mineralized lenses that extend from surface to a depth of over 2.3km. The main deposits are QTSN, QTSC, QTSS, Eastern and Western lenses with additional mineralisation in the near surface QTSS Upper A zone. Approximately 75% of the resources are contained in QTSN.

The resource model for QTSN commences approximately 850m below surface, with all data above that in hard copy and not in the digital database. Work is underway to digitize and validate this data and will be incorporated into a future resource update. Based on the initial information it would appear that there are reasonable prospects for additional mineralisation in the top 850m of the mine.

Refer to Figure 1 below for the location of the various deposits.

Exploration Results

Figure 1  CSA Copper Mine Long Section

Drilling has been targeting conversion of Inferred resource to Measured and Indicated for inclusion in the Reserve Estimate, as well as the known mineralized lenses to add incremental resources.

The location of the significant drill results is shown in Figure 2 below.

Figure 2  QTSN and QTSC Long Section

At QTSN, the most recent drilling continues to confirm the location of the Inferred Resource and will enable it to be upgraded as well as confirmation of the smaller mineralized lenses adjacent to the existing resource. This can be seen in Figures 3 and 4. QTSN is characterised by a series of high-grade lenses (grading plus 5% Cu) that can range in width from 10-35m surrounded by a lower grade halo on the footwall.

As drilling has progressed down dip it would appear that tonnes per vertical metre are increasing.

Figure 3  QTSN Cross Section

Figure 4  QTSN Cross Section

QTSC is located adjacent to QTSN and is centred around a depth of 1.4km and is open both up and down dip. QTSC is typically narrower than QTSN but higher grade. As seen in Figure 5 the most recent drilling continues to confirm the presence of the high-grade mineralisation below the current working level through the Inferred Resource and into mineralised material that will both extend the resource beyond its current limits and extend the Measured and Indicated material for inclusion into the 2024 Mineral Reserve.

Figure 5  QTSC Cross Section

The shallow (< 400m from surface) portions of the CSA Copper Mine include substantial mineralisation around the existing workings that are the up dip portion of the Eastern and Western lenses as seen in Figure 6. This material is at approximately the same elevation as the QTSS Upper deposit located approximately 600m to the south of the main mine as seen in Figure 6 also.

Figure 6  QTSS Upper A and Eastern Long section

Drilling in the Zn areas over the Eastern lens has intersected high grade Zn mineralisation plus Pb and Cu immediately adjacent to existing development. MACs focus is on the Cu mineralisation within the rest of the mine, however with the agreement signed with Polymetals in the June quarter MAC now has access to Zn material processing capacity and Zn grades in excess of 15% are very strong results for areas that are immediately adjacent to existing development.

Figure 7 illustrates the location of this material and its proximity to existing development. As seen in hole EWDD24006 there is remnant Cu mineralisation left in this part of the mine, however the very high grade Zn mineralisation seen in EWDD24005 is a very attractive target for mining in the near term subject to further definition drilling and mine planning.

Figure 7  Eastern Lens Cross Section

QTSS Upper A is a narrow (1.5 to 3m) but very high-grade zone of mineralisation that is much shallower than the rest of the mine. This lens starts approximately 120m below surface and extends to approximately 350m below surface.

Designs have been completed to mine this material accessed from the main decline and then driving a short (circa 600m) twin decline across to QTS S Upper as seen in Figure 8.

Figure 8  Development Plan for QTSS Upper

As the majority of the mineral resource for QTSS Upper is in the Inferred category, this material is being drilling out from surface to upgrade the classification for detailed mine planning. The production guidance that MAC has published does not include any Inferred material, and as such, any production from QTSS Upper would be in excess of the current production guidance.

Historical drilling has identified narrow but exceptionally high grades as shown in Figure 9.

Figure 9  Historical Drilling Cross Section for QTSS Upper

The first surface drill hole from the current surface program has intersected 3.5m of massive sulphide at the estimated first mining area of the current plan which confirms the expected location of the high grade core of the mineralisation.

This drill hole was targeted at the first stoping area within QTSS Upper A and has confirmed that the high grade mineralisation is where it was expected, as show in Figure 10.

Figure 10  2024 Drilling Cross Section for QTSS Upper

Qualified Person Statement(s)

The information in this announcement that relates to Exploration Results at the CSA Copper Mine is based on information compiled or reviewed by Patrick Adams, a Qualified Person for the purpose of S-K 1300 who is a Fellow of the Australian Institute of Mining and Metallurgy. Mr. Adams is employed by Cube Consulting Pty Ltd.

This announcement is authorised for release by Mick McMullen, Chief Executive Officer and Director.

About Metals Acquisition Limited

Metals Acquisition Limited (NYSE: MTAL; ASX:MAC) is a company focused on operating and acquiring metals and mining businesses in high quality, stable jurisdictions that are critical in the electrification and decarbonization of the global economy.

Cautionary and Forward Looking Statements

This release has been prepared by Metals Acquisition Limited (Company or MAC) and includes forward-looking statements. The forward-looking information is based on the Companys expectations, estimates, projections and opinions of management made in light of its experience and its perception of trends, current conditions and expected developments, as well as other factors that management of the Company believes to be relevant and reasonable in the circumstances at the date that such statements are made, but which may prove to be incorrect. Assumptions have been made by the Company regarding, among other things: the price of copper, continuing commercial production at the CSA Copper Mine without any major disruption, the receipt of required governmental approvals, the accuracy of capital and operating cost estimates, the ability of the Company to operate in a safe, efficient and effective manner and the ability of the Company to obtain financing as and when required and on reasonable terms. Readers are cautioned that the foregoing list is not exhaustive of all factors and assumptions which may have been used by the Company. Although management believes that the assumptions made by the Company and the expectations represented by such information are reasonable, there can be no assurance that the forward-looking information will prove to be accurate.

MACs actual results may differ from expectations, estimates, and projections and, consequently, you should not rely on these forward-looking statements as predictions of future events. Words such as expect, estimate, project, budget, forecast, anticipate, intend, plan, may, will, could, should, believes, predicts, potential, continue, and similar expressions (or the negative versions of such words or expressions) are intended to identify such forward- looking statements. These forward-looking statements include, without limitation, MACs expectations with respect to future performance of the CSA Copper Mine. These forward-looking statements involve significant risks and uncertainties that could cause the actual results to differ materially from those discussed in the forward-looking statements. Most of these factors are outside MACs control and are difficult to predict. Factors that may cause such differences include, but are not limited to: the supply and demand for copper; the future price of copper; the timing and amount of estimated future production, costs of production, capital expenditures and requirements for additional capital; cash flow provided by operating activities; unanticipated reclamation expenses; claims and limitations on insurance coverage; the uncertainty in Mineral Resource estimates; the uncertainty in geological, metallurgical and geotechnical studies and opinions; infrastructure risks;; and other risks and uncertainties indicated from time to time in MACs other filings with the SEC and the ASX. MAC cautions that the foregoing list of factors is not exclusive. MAC cautions readers not to place undue reliance upon any forward-looking statements, which speak only as of the date made. MAC does not undertake or accept any obligation or undertaking to release publicly any updates or revisions to any forward-looking statements to reflect any change in its expectations or any change in events, conditions, or circumstances on which any such statement is based.

More information on potential factors that could affect MACs or CSA Copper Mines financial results is included from time to time in MACs public reports filed with the SEC and the ASX. If any of these risks materialize or MACs assumptions prove incorrect, actual results could differ materially from the results implied by these forward-looking statements. There may be additional risks that MAC does not presently know, or that MAC currently believes are immaterial, that could also cause actual results to differ from those contained in the forward-looking statements. In addition, forward-looking statements reflect MACs expectations, plans or forecasts of future events and views as of the date of this communication. MAC anticipates that subsequent events and developments will cause its assessments to change. However, while MAC may elect to update these forward-looking statements at some point in the future, MAC specifically disclaims any obligation to do so, except as required by law. These forward-looking statements should not be relied upon as representing MACs assessment as of any date subsequent to the date of this communication. Accordingly, undue reliance should not be placed upon the forward-looking statements

JORC / SK-1300

MAC is subject to the reporting requirements of both the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 (US) and applicable Australian securities laws (including the ASX Listing Rules), and as a result, has separately reported its Exploration Results according to the standards applicable to those requirements. U.S. reporting requirements are governed by S-K 1300, as issued by the SEC. Australian reporting requirements are governed by Australasian Joint Ore Reserve Committee Code, 2012 edition (JORC). Both sets of reporting standards have similar goals in terms of conveying an appropriate level of consistency and confidence in the disclosures being reported, but the standards embody slightly different approaches and definitions. All disclosure of Exploration Results in this report are reported in accordance with S-K 1300. For JORC and ASX Listing Rule compliant disclosure (including JORC Table 1 analysis) please see the Companys separate release to be released on ASX on 30 July 2024.

Table 1  Significant Drill Results QTSN, QTSC and Eastern Lens

Hole East (MG) North(MG) RL. (MG) EOH Azimuth Dip From To Length Cu % Ag g/t System UDD22024 6,056.57 3,624.70 8,702.59 135.00 115.0 -32.4 87.9 93.4 5.5 10.4 11.7 QTS Central UDD22135 6,055.89 3,624.68 8,702.42 700.20 90.0 -50.0 122.1 127.8 5.7 7.5 62.2 QTS Central UDD20136A 5,873.19 3,864.87 8,474.20 320.00 58.3 -45.5 50.7 55.7 5.0 3.0 12.2 QTS North 174.8 199.0 24.2 7.8 32.5 QTS North 203.0 207.0 4.0 8.1 36.2 QTS North 219.7 229.0 9.3 4.8 14.8 QTS North 251.9 257.1 5.2 3.2 27.5 QTS North UDD20138 5,873.33 3,863.94 8,474.48 270.20 74.6 -41.0 86.0 91.3 5.3 3.0 25.6 QTS North 150.9 159.5 8.6 4.8 20.7 QTS North UDD22108 5,845.02 4,217.86 8,515.14 380.00 43.0 3.0 279.3 283.9 4.6 3.1 7.2 QTS North UDD22114 5,845.32 4,217.18 8,513.73 390.50 52.0 -19.0 264.3 268.3 4.0 4.6 9.0 QTS North UDD23009 5,872.82 3,863.80 8,474.10 370.00 78.1 -58.5 92.7 97.8 5.1 2.6 0.0 QTS North 103.6 107.5 3.9 3.1 0.0 QTS North UDD23015 5,904.00 3,964.00 8,417.00 280.00 132.5 -51.5 140.9 144.4 3.5 8.3 37.7 QTS North UDD23016 5,903.96 3,961.09 8,417.84 220.40 125.0 -33.0 109.3 122.1 12.8 8.1 0.0 QTS North UDD23017 5,902.95 3,963.74 8,417.50 360.00 70.5 -66.5 140.2 148.1 7.9 4.9 22.5 QTS North 200.6 222.7 22.1 7.8 24.8 QTS North 234.0 238.2 4.2 3.1 15.6 QTS North 254.6 260.0 5.4 6.8 22.2 QTS North UDD23018 5,903.66 3,963.32 8,417.82 300.20 79.0 -61.5 121.2 124.9 3.7 4.9 0.0 QTS North 143.8 149.6 5.8 4.2 44.8 QTS North 167.4 189.5 22.1 9.8 34.0 QTS North 194.5 199.6 5.1 3.3 25.9 QTS North UDD23023 5,902.28 3,963.53 8,417.49 107.60 103.5 -46.0 90.5 96.4 5.9 3.2 0.0 QTS North UDD23037 5,850.11 4,148.27 8,443.09 370.50 112.2 -34.3 187.3 191.9 4.6 3.9 11.2 QTS North 218.2 235.7 17.5 8.0 23.4 QTS North 239.9 249.7 9.8 4.6 7.5 QTS North UDD23038 5,850.56 4,148.98 8,442.84 320.00 90.0 -24.7 157.1 160.7 3.6 4.5 6.0 QTS North 176.5 196.9 20.4 7.9 37.2 QTS North 201.2 204.9 3.7 3.0 15.8 QTS North 209.6 223.2 13.6 4.5 24.9 QTS North UDD23039 5,850.86 4,149.22 8,443.22 355.00 95.4 -36.5 199.1 208.4 9.3 6.8 45.0 QTS North 234.5 238.9 4.4 5.6 24.6 QTS North *Note: Borehole intersects criteria based on Copper grade >2.5% and >3m.

Hole East (MG) North(MG) RL. (MG) EOH Azimuth Dip From To Length Cu % Ag g/t System EWDD24005 6,045.62 3,709.64 10,265.80 411.40 270.2 -57.2 393.0 395.8 2.8 2.6 25.8 Eastern EWDD24006 6,046.39 3,709.28 10,265.85 462.40 271.6 -68.8 410.1 412.0 1.9 2.1 11.3 Eastern 420.5 423.8 3.3 3.9 27.1 Eastern *Note: The intersects criteria is not apply to Eastern due to its mineralization style as narrow vein.

Zinc Results
Vancouver, British Columbia--(Newsfile Corp. - July 30, 2024) - Zodiac Gold Inc. (TSX: ZAU) ("Zodiac Gold" or the "Company"), is pleased to announce the appointment of Tom Dowrick as Director of Exploration. In this role, Mr. Dowrick will oversee Zodiac Gold's exploration initiatives, including the identification of high-value targets, creation and supervision of drill campaigns, and the overall development and execution of exploration programs.

Mr. Dowrick is a seasoned Chartered Geologist with 17 years of experience in the mining and exploration industry. Since 2011, he has been a driving force at ACA Howe International Limited, where he serves as Managing Director. In this role, he manages a range of geological and mining consultancy projects around the globe, including serving as a consultant on Zodiac Gold's Todi Project in the Republic of Liberia, West Africa. Mr. Dowrick has substantial experience in West Africa, having completed field and desk-based reviews of the exploration activities of both public and private companies in Liberia, Mali, Guinea, Mauritania, Sierra Leone, South Sudan, and Mozambique, in addition to projects in Argentina, Brazil, Costa Rica, Ecuador, Kazakhstan, and Australia.

Tom graduated with a BSc in Geology and Geography from the University of Leicester in 2007 and immediately commenced his career in the industry with Laramide Resources, where he worked on uranium exploration in Queensland and the Northern Territory of Australia. He later transitioned to coal bed methane exploration with Earth Data in Australia, followed by near-mine and regional copper exploration with CST Mining at the Lady Annie Copper Mine, near Mount Isa, Australia, before returning to the UK with ACA Howe.

Mr. Dowrick's involvement with Zodiac Gold since 2019 provides a unique advantage, as he is already familiar with the Todi Project and the geology of the Todi Shear Zone, having authored the most recent NI 43-101 report. This familiarity will allow him to hit the ground running as he focuses on Zodiac's drilling at the Alasala target. With his leadership, Zodiac Gold aims to optimize its exploration efforts and achieve significant milestones as it advances the Todi Project.

The Company wishes to thank outgoing VP, Exploration, Efdal Olcer, for his service to the Company. During his tenure as VP, Exploration, Mr. Olcer played a pivotal role in advancing the Company's exploration programs, go public process and establishing a solid foundation for future growth. Mr. Olcer will remain involved with the Company as a shareholder and consultant as he spends more time in his native Turkey.

"Tom Dowrick's extensive experience and proven track record in exploration planning and resource development make him an invaluable addition to our team," said David Kol, CEO of Zodiac Gold. "His expertise in mineral exploration, combined with his in-depth knowledge of West African geology and existing familiarity with the Todi Project, will be instrumental in driving our projects forward and achieving our exploration goals."

"Working more closely with Zodiac Gold at this pivotal moment in its journey is an exciting opportunity," said Tom Dowrick. "I look forward to working with the team to unlock the potential of our projects and to deliver on the Company's ambitious goals. There's potential for a multimillion-ounce discovery, and I'm eager to get started."

About Zodiac Gold

Zodiac Gold Inc. (TSX: ZAU) is a West-African gold exploration company focused on its flagship Todi Project situated in Liberia-an underexplored, politically stable, mining-friendly jurisdiction hosting several large-scale gold deposits. Strategically positioned along the fertile Todi Shear Zone, Zodiac Gold is developing a district-scale gold opportunity covering a vast 2,316 km2 land package. The Todi project has undergone de-risking, showcasing proven gold occurrences at both surface and depth, with five drill-ready targets and high-grade gold intercepts.

Forward Looking Information

This news release includes certain "forward-looking statements" within the meaning of Canadian securities legislation.

Forward-looking statements include predictions, projections, and forecasts and are often, but not always, identified by the use of words such as "seek", "anticipate", "believe", "plan", "estimate", "forecast", "expect", "potential", "project", "target", "schedule", "budget" and "intend" and statements that an event or result "may", "will", "should", "could" or "might" occur or be achieved and other similar expressions and includes the negatives thereof. All statements other than statements of historical fact included in this release, including, without limitation, statements regarding the Company's planned exploration programs and drill programs and potential significance of results are forward-looking statements that involve various risks and uncertainties. There can be no assurance that such statements will prove to be accurate and actual results and future events could differ materially from those anticipated in such statements. Forward-looking statements are based on a number of material factors and assumptions. Important factors that could cause actual results to differ materially from Company's expectations include actual exploration results, changes in project parameters as plans continue to be refined, results of future resource estimates, future metal prices, availability of capital, and financing on acceptable terms, general economic, market or business conditions, uninsured risks, regulatory changes, defects in title, availability of personnel, materials, and equipment on a timely basis, accidents or equipment breakdowns, delays in receiving government approvals, unanticipated environmental impacts on operations and costs to remedy same, and other exploration or other risks detailed herein and from time to time in the filings made by the Company with securities regulators. Although the Company has attempted to identify important factors that could cause actual actions, events, or results to differ from those described in forward-looking statements, there may be other factors that cause such actions, events, or results to differ materially from those anticipated. There can be no assurance that forward-looking statements will prove to be accurate, and accordingly readers are cautioned not to place undue reliance on forward-looking statements.

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, BC / ACCESSWIRE / July 30, 2024 / Zeus North America Mining Corp. (formerly Umdoni Exploration Inc.) (CSE:ZEUS)(OTCQB:ZUUZF)(FRANKFURT:O92) (the "Company" or "Zeus") is pleased to announce a fully subscribed non-brokered private placement (the "Placement") to raise $1,000,000 through the sale of up to 4,000,000 units (each a "Unit") at a price of $0.25 per Unit.

Each Unit will comprise one common share and one full share purchase warrant (each a "Warrant"). Each Warrant will entitle the holder to acquire an additional common share at a price of $0.35 per share for a period of two years following closing of the Placement.

Finder's fees may be payable on all or any portion of the Placement, which is subject to regulatory and exchange approval.

The proceeds of the Placement will be utilized for exploration programs on the Company's Idaho copper projects, including its flagship Cuddy Mountain project, and for general working capital purposes.

Completion of the Placement is subject to certain conditions including the receipt of all necessary approvals and the acceptance by the Canadian Securities Exchange.

This news release shall not constitute an offer to sell or the solicitation of an offer to buy securities in the United States, nor shall there be any sale of the securities in any jurisdiction in which such offer, solicitation or sale would be unlawful. The securities being offered have not been, nor will they be, registered under the United States Securities Act of 1933, as amended (the "1933 Act") or under any U.S. state securities laws, and may not be offered or sold in the United States absent registration or an applicable exemption from the registration requirements of the 1933 Act, as amended, and applicable state securities laws.

On behalf of the board of directors.

"Dean Besserer"

President and CEO

For more information, please contact the Company at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

FOR INVESTOR RELATIONS CONTACT:

Kin Communications Inc.

Ph: 604-684-6730

This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

About Zeus North America Mining Corp.

The Company is in the business of mineral exploration. The Company is focused on its exploration properties in the state of Idaho known as the: Cuddy Mountain; Selway; and Great Western properties, respectively. The Idaho properties consist of 82 (Cuddy Mountain), 57 (Selway) and 38 (Great Western) lode mining claims respectively and cover a cumulative area of approximately 3822.1 acres. The Company's flagship Cuddy Mountain Property is adjacent to Hercules Metal Corp's Leviathan Copper Porphyry discovery.

Forward Looking Statements

When used in this news release, the words "estimate", "project", "belief", "anticipate", "intend", "expect", "plan", "predict", "may" or "should" and the negative of these words or such variations thereon or comparable terminology are intended to identify forward-looking statements and information. Although the Company believes, in light of the experience of their respective officers and directors, current conditions and expected future developments and other factors that have been considered appropriate, that the expectations reflected in the forward-looking statements and information in this news release are reasonable, undue reliance should not be placed on them because the parties can give no assurance that such statements will prove to be correct. The forward-looking statements and information in this news release include, amongst others, the Company's exploration plans. Such statements and information reflect the current view of the Company. There are 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 or implied by such forward-looking statements. There are a number of important factors that could cause the Company's actual results to differ materially from those indicated or implied by forward-looking statements and information. Such factors include, among others: currency fluctuations; limited business history of the parties; disruptions or changes in the credit or security markets; results of operation activities and development of projects; project cost overruns or unanticipated costs and expenses; and general development, market and industry conditions.

The Company undertakes no obligation to comment on analyses, expectations or statements made by third parties in respect of its securities or its financial or operating results (as applicable). The Company cautions that the foregoing list of material factors is not exhaustive. When relying on the Company's forward-looking statements and information to make decisions, investors and others should carefully consider the foregoing factors and other uncertainties and potential events. The Company has assumed that the material factors referred to in the previous paragraph will not cause such forward-looking statements and information to differ materially from actual results or events. However, the list of these factors is not exhaustive and is subject to change and there can be no assurance that such assumptions will reflect the actual outcome of such items or factors.

The forward-looking information contained in this news release represents the expectations of the Company as of the date of this news release and, accordingly, are subject to change after such date. The Company does not undertake to update this information at any particular time except as required in accordance with applicable laws.

The Canadian Securities Exchange does not accept responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this news release.
Updated modelling of the potential starter pit area at Santa Barbara zone highlights the importance of completing additional drilling to better define the grade and extent of the mineral resource in this area. Areas with higher-grade resource typically have much better drilling density but holes outside the core potential pit area are too widely spaced to give an accurate estimate of grade.

Substantive progress has been made on the preliminary economic evaluation (PEA) which is focussing on the Ag-Zn-Pb-Sn mineralization. The preliminary optioneering study has shown that a 12 million tpa mining operation appears the most attractive option based upon XRT Ore Sorting and/or Dense Media Separation which effectively doubles the grade feeding the milling and flotation circuit and which is also likely to enhance downstream metal recoveries.

Reduced pre-concentrated tonnage results in reduction of all downstream capital and operating costs associated with milling, froth flotation and wet tailings storage facility (TSF). The inclusion of this pre-concentration stage in the flowsheet, has allowed Eloro to find optimum pre-concentration scenarios to suit the grades required for downstream processing.

Further studies have helped define local costs for the PEA study.

The high chargeability anomaly in the southeast that extended the mineralized structural corridor at Iska Iska 600m further to the southeast for an overall strike length of at least 2km is a high priority target with excellent potential to outline a second starter pit area. This anomaly is stronger than the anomaly over the high grade resource in the potential starter pit area of Santa Barbara.

TORONTO, July 30, 2024 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Eloro Resources Ltd. (TSX: ELO; OTCQX: ELRRF; FSE: P2QM) (Eloro: or the Company) is pleased to provide an update on Eloros Iska Iska silver-tin polymetallic project in Potosi Department, southern Bolivia.

Tom Larsen, CEO of Eloro commented: Updated modelling of the potential starter pit area at Santa Barbara zone highlights the importance of completing additional drilling to better define the grade and extent of the mineral resource in this area. Areas with higher-grade resource typically have much better drilling density whereas holes outside the core area are too widely spaced to give an accurate estimate of grade. Previous channel sampling along the Santa Barbara adit which returned 165 g Ag/t, 3.46% Pb and 0.46% Sn over a 166m strike length including an exceptional section with 1,024 g Ag/t, 25% Pb and 1.16% Sn over an 8.11m length highlight the important high grade silver-bearing structures present in the Iska Iska mineralized system (see Eloro press release of April 13, 2021) Better definition of these high grade structures in the potential starter pit area to determine their lateral and vertical extents as well as outline additional high grade structures will be a key focus in the next definition drilling program.

Mr. Larsen continued: While geological and especially geophysical data clearly show that the mineralization is continuous between wide spaced holes, additional definition drilling is required to provide a more accurate estimate of grade. Supporting this view are the results from our bulk metallurgical testing that returned substantially higher grades than the original twinned diamond drill holes - 91 g Ag/t in the bulk sample versus 31 g Ag/t in the original holes that were twinned (see Eloro press release January 23, 2024), suggesting that grades, especially for silver, may be underestimated, in some cases significantly.

Highlighting the substantive progress on the PEA, Mr. Larsen said: Our engineering team led by Mike Hallewell, C.Eng, Senior VP Engineering Projects/Metallurgy has made major strides on the PEA. The preliminary optioneering study has shown that a 12 million tpa mining operation appears to be the most attractive option based upon XRT Ore Sorting and/or Dense Media Separation followed by milling and differential lead-zinc flotation. These advanced processing techniques effectively double the grade feeding the milling and flotation circuit, while halving the tonnages required for the downstream milling, froth flotation and wet TSF. The higher flotation plant feed grade is likely to improve downstream metal recoveries. Metallurgical studies are well advanced and information on local costs are much better defined which has led to lower capital and operating cost estimates. Some engineering work remains to be completed but our priority in the shorter turn is get the drills turning again to complete the necessary definition drilling to optimize and expand the high grade mineral resource in the potential starter pit area on which the PEA will be based.

Commenting on additional major upsides at Iska Iska, Larsen added: The high chargeability anomaly in the southeast that extended the mineralized structural corridor at Iska Iska 600m further to the southeast for an overall strike length of at least 2km (see Eloros press release of January 29, 2024) is a high priority target with excellent potential to outline a second starter pit area. Holes on the northwest edge of this anomaly have returned significant results, however the majority of previous drill holes in the southeast in the general area of the anomaly were drilled over the top of this anomaly so its core has not been drill-tested. This anomaly is stronger than the anomaly over the high grade resource in the potential starter pit area of Santa Barbara.

Update on Preliminary Economic Assessment (PEA)

Considerable progress has been made over the past several months in advancing the PEA as follows:

The excellent pre-concentration results observed and reported in Eloros press release dated January 23, 2024 have been used to provide inputs to an internal optioneering study that has provided better definition on the optimum capacity and configuration of the pre-concentrator flowsheet. This information is not normally produced until the PEA stage but has been made possible by the higher MRE level of metallurgical studies already conducted by Eloro.

This preliminary optioneering study has shown that a 12 million tpa mining operation appears the most attractive option based upon XRT Ore Sorting and/or Dense Media Separation with all the major benefits mentioned above.

The preconcentration step also has less tangible benefits which are also important, whereby they reduce downstream costs, effectively reducing the cutoff grade.

This preconcentration stage and its ability to operate at a wide range of settings provides Eloro with the ability to establish an optimum pre-concentration setup to suit whatever run-of-mine (ROM) grades or domains are being mined. The level of pre-concentration is dependent upon the ROM grades and the metallurgical domain and this highlights how powerful the use of the pre-concentration stage will be to provide an optimum processing scenario for Iska Iska given increased engineering that would naturally flow from the PEA study.

Local logistical and engineering consultancy group in Bolivia CATALIX have provided Eloro with increased definition on the logistical costs associated with transporting pre-concentrated ore and/or final concentrates, resulting in improved projected capital and operating costs with downstream process site options narrowed down.

have provided Eloro with increased definition on the logistical costs associated with transporting pre-concentrated ore and/or final concentrates, resulting in improved projected capital and operating costs with downstream process site options narrowed down. Local Bolivian electrical consultants ENER.PLUS have defined the estimated required electrical supply to the site and the capital costs associated with High Voltage electrical connection together with the ongoing unit cost per kilowatt hour (US$/kwhr).

have defined the estimated required electrical supply to the site and the capital costs associated with High Voltage electrical connection together with the ongoing unit cost per kilowatt hour (US$/kwhr). International metal trading groups have been consulted to define port operating costs in Chile and provide a better definition of ocean freight and smelter terms based upon the existing Locked Cycle Tests Lead and Zinc Concentrate specifications already completed on two composite samples of Iska Iskas zinc sulphide polymetallic domain.

A surface hydrological study has defined the cost and capacity of a local water reservoir by collecting surface run off during the wet season.

The location of potential tailing storage facilities (TSF) has been identified.

A structural geometallurgical process modelling system has been developed so that the mine plan and financial model are structured using inputs from the processing studies on selected samples from each of the major domains.

The principal work that is required to complete the PEA study is as follows:

Complete further definition drilling to optimize the mineral resource in the starter pit area of Santa Barbara to support a 1012 year initial mine life. Successful drilling in the SE chargeability anomaly has the potential to add a second starter pit area.

Complete additional PQ diamond drill holes for Ore Sorting and metallurgical tests on the higher-grade tin (Sn) and polymetallic Ag-Zn-Pb-Sn areas to finalize the flowsheet.

Complete geotechnical studies to optimize pit slopes.

Complete outstanding metallurgical testing.

Finalize the optioneering scenarios based upon the updated resource base of each metallurgical domain to provide better processing capacity decisions.

Finalize the TSF study and plant engineering studies at whatever tonnage the aforementioned optioneering study produces.

Southeast Chargeability Anomaly Target

Results of an expanded IP survey in the potential southeastern extension of the Iska Iska Mineralized Corridor were very positive with key conclusions as follows (see Eloro press release of January 29, 2024):

New chargeability high southeast of the MRE open pit indicates that the major mineralized structural corridor that is up to 800m wide extends a further 600m along strike to the southeast for an overall strike length of at least 2km. This new area has not been drilled.

The South East anomaly is stronger than the anomaly over the existing high-grade resource in the potential Santa Barbara starter pit area.

Chargeability highs correlate very well with areas of high-grade mineralization within the MRE. The chargeability anomaly southeast of the pit is very strong, which is a prime target potentially outlining additional higher-grade polymetallic (Ag-Zn-Pb) mineralization.

The Chargeability anomaly is open along strike and at depth as exploration work has still not defined the full limits of this remarkable mineralized system.

Note that all of the previous holes that were drilled in the general area of the SE chargeability anomaly only intersected its edge or were over top of the anomaly. Encouragingly, all of the drill holes in vicinity of the anomaly returned significant intersections (see Eloro press release of April 12, 2023). Three of the holes (DSB-50, DSB-51 and DSB-52) had reportable intersections over 100m long including high grade Ag intersections as follows:



70.52m grading 15.57 g Ag/t including higher grade sections of 32.75 g Ag/t over 10.59m and 31.80 g Ag/t over 12.54m in DSB-49 27.98 g Ag/t over 10.62m in DSB-48 20.76 g Ag/t over 20.00m in DSB-51 60.67 g Ag/t over 7.56m and 25.53 g Ag/t over 9.04m in DSB-52



This target which has the potential to be a second starter pit area is a high priority exploration target.

Qualified Person (QP)

Engineering work for the PEA is being managed by Mike Hallewell, B.Sc., F.I.M.M.M., F.S,A.I.M.M., F.M.E.S., C.Eng, Eloros Senior VP Engineering Projects/Metallurgy, and a Qualified Person (QP) as defined by NI 43-101. Mr. Hallewell has reviewed and approved the technical engineering content of this news release.

Dr. Bill Pearson, P.Geo., Eloros Executive Vice President Exploration and a QP as defined by NI 43-101 has reviewed and approved the technical geological content of this news release. Dr. Pearson who has more than 50 years of worldwide mining exploration, development and production experience, including extensive work in South America, manages the overall technical program, working closely with Dr. Osvaldo Arce, P.Geo. General Manager of Eloros Bolivian subsidiary, Minera Tupiza S.R.L., and a QP in the context of NI 43-101, who supervised all field work carried out at Iska Iska.

IP/Res surveys were carried out by MES Geophysics using Eloros ELREC-Pro 10 channel IP receiver and GDD 3600 watt IP transmitter. Dr. Chris Hale, P.Geo. and Mr. John Gilliatt, P.Geo. of Intelligent Exploration provided the survey design, preparation of the maps and interpretation of data processed, and quality reviewed by Mr. Rob McKeown, P. Geo. of MES Geophysics. Messrs. Hale, Gilliatt and McKeown are Qualified Persons (QP) as defined under NI 43-101.

About Iska Iska

The Iska Iska silver-tin polymetallic project is a road accessible, royalty-free property, wholly controlled by the Title Holder, Empresa Minera Villegas S.R.L. and is located 48 km north of Tupiza city, in the Sud Chichas Province of the Department of Potosi in southern Bolivia. Eloro has an option to earn a 100% interest in Iska Iska.

Iska Iska is a major silver-tin polymetallic porphyry-epithermal complex associated with a Miocene possibly collapsed/resurgent caldera, emplaced on Ordovician age rocks with major breccia pipes, dacitic domes and hydrothermal breccias. The caldera is 1.6km by 1.8km in dimension with a vertical extent of at least 1km. Mineralization age is similar to Cerro Rico de Potosi and other major deposits such as San Vicente, Chorolque, Tasna and Tatasi, all located along the same overall geological trend.

Eloro began underground diamond drilling from the Huayra Kasa underground workings at Iska Iska on September 13, 2020. On November 18, 2020, Eloro announced the discovery of a significant breccia pipe with extensive silver polymetallic mineralization just east of the Huayra Kasa underground workings and a high-grade gold-bismuth zone in the underground workings. On November 24, 2020, Eloro announced the discovery of the Santa Barbara Breccia Pipe (SBBP) approximately 150m southwest of the Huayra Kasa underground workings.

Subsequently, on January 26, 2021, Eloro announced significant results from the first drilling at the SBBP including the discovery hole from 0.0m to 257.5m. Subsequent drilling has confirmed the presence of significant values of Ag-Sn polymetallic mineralization in the SBBP and the adjacent Central Breccia Pipe (CBP) A substantive mineralized envelope which is open along strike and down-dip extends around both major breccia pipes. Continuous channel sampling along the walls of the of the Santa Barbara Adit located to the east of SBBP returned average grades of 164.96 g Ag/t, 0.46%Sn, 3.46% Pb and 0.14% Cu over 166m including 446 g Ag/t, 9.03% Pb and 1.16% Sn over 56.19m. The west end of the adit intersects the end of the SBBP.

Since the initial discovery hole DHK-15 which returned 29.53g Ag/t, 0.078g Au/t, 1.45%Zn, 0.59%Pb, 0.080%Cu and 0.056%Sn over 257.5m, Eloro has released a number of significant drill results in the SBBP and the surrounding mineralized envelope which, along with geophysical data, has defined an extensive target zone. On October 17, 2023, Eloro filed the NI 43-101 Technical Report outlining the initial inferred MRE for Iska Iska, prepared by Micon International Limited. The MRE was reported in two domains, the Polymetallic (Ag-Zn-Pb) Domain which is primarily in the east and south of the Santa Barbara deposit and the Tin (Sn-Ag-Pb) Domain which is primarily in the west and north.

The Company completed a 5,267.7m definition drill program in the fall of 2023 to upgrade and expand the higher-grade mineral resource in the potential Santa Barbara starter pit.

About Eloro Resources Ltd.

Eloro is an exploration and mine development company with a portfolio of gold and base-metal properties in Bolivia, Peru and Quebec. Eloro has an option to acquire a 100% interest in the highly prospective Iska Iska project, which can be classified as a polymetallic epithermal-porphyry complex, a significant mineral deposit type in the Potosi Department, in southern Bolivia. A recent NI 43-101 Technical Report on Iska Iska, which was completed by Micon International Limited, is available on Eloros website and under its filings on SEDAR. Iska Iska is a road-accessible, royalty-free property. Eloro also owns an 82% interest in the La Victoria Gold/Silver Project, located in the North-Central Mineral Belt of Peru some 50 km south of the Lagunas Norte Gold Mine and the La Arena Gold Mine.

For further information please contact either Thomas G. Larsen, Chairman and CEO or Jorge Estepa, Vice-President at (416) 868-9168.

Information in this news release may contain forward-looking information. Statements containing forward-looking information express, as at the date of this news release, the Companys plans, estimates, forecasts, projections, expectations, or beliefs as to future events or results and are believed to be reasonable based on information currently available to the Company. There can be no assurance that forward-looking statements will prove to be accurate. Actual results and future events could differ materially from those anticipated in such statements. Readers should not place undue reliance on forward-looking information.

Neither the TSX nor its Regulation Services Provider (as that term is defined in the policies of the TSX) accepts responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this release.
Highlights:



New multiple high-grade gold intercepts within and surrounding the Monique conceptual pit. Monique Gold system is identified over 2,500 metres of length, 1,000 metres of width and 700 metres of depth.

Expansion drilling within and under the Monique conceptual pit intersected significant intervals of mineralization grading up to 14.9 g/t Au over 6.8 metres (Cut) or 30.3 g/t Au over 6.8 metres (Uncut), including 255 g/t Au over 0.8 metre; 9.9 g/t Au over 12.0 metres, including 99.2 g/t Au over 1.0 metre and 2.7 g/t Au over 23.7 metres.

Infill drilling continues to confirm gold zones inside and just under the conceptual pit, yielding up to 4.8 g/t Au over 17.1 metres, including 44.7 g/t Au over 1.0 metre and 1.0 g/t Au over 53.0 metres.

A 10,000-metre drill program and prospecting activities testing new exploration targets is ongoing at Novador.

TORONTO, July 30, 2024 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- PROBE GOLD INC. (TSX: PRB) (OTCQB: PROBF) (Probe or the Company) is pleased to provide the last set of results from the Monique resource drill program completed this April on its 100%-owned Novador property (the Property) near Val-dOr, Quebec. The results from twenty-eight (25) drill holes, totaling 15,025 metres, revealed significant high-grade mineralized intersections under and inside the modeled Monique gold zones from surface to a depth of 700 metres (refer to Figure 1 and the table of selected drill results below). The new results show impressive gold grades and thicknesses, and continue to demonstrate strong continuity and growth of gold mineralization at the Monique deposit. Two drills are active this summer at Novador, with over 6,000 meters of the planned 10,000 meters of exploration drilling already completed. The exploration program, designed to test new areas peripheral to the Courvan and the Pascalis Trends, should be completed in September.

David Palmer, President and CEO of Probe, states: Todays results from our 2024 Monique expansion program continue to build on previous successes, with most intersections meeting or exceeding the current resource grade. For the remainder of the year, our key objectives include updating the resource estimate, expected in the Fall, and the 2024 drilling programs, which will focus on both expansion and new discoveries. Our regional exploration program at Val-dOr is now underway, including drilling program planned on the recently acquired Val-dOr east properties, all of which are within trucking distance of the conceptual mill. Follow-up resource expansion drilling is planned for the fall season, along with geophysics and drilling of new targets generated from our regional work.

All twenty-five (25) expansion and infill holes returned gold intercepts over 0.42 g/t Au, which is above the cut-off grade used in the current pit-constrained resource estimate. Twenty-one (21) of these holes returned gold intercepts with a grade times thickness above 10.0 g/t-m Au. Gold mineralization intersected is mainly associated with deformation zones that cross the deposit at an orientation of 280 - 300 and a 75- 80 dip to the north. This gold mineralization is defined by a network of quartz/carbonate/albite/tourmaline veins and veinlets, along with disseminated pyrite in the altered wall rocks. More than fifty (50) parallel gold zones have been discovered on the property, to-date. Some mineralized zones have been defined from surface to a depth of 700 metres and they all vary in width from several metres to up to 100 metres. Mineralized structures modelled extend laterally up to 2,500 metres. The Monique Gold Trend zones remain open along strike and at depth.

Selected drill results from hole MO-679 to 702 and MO-650W1 wedge hole at the Monique deposit drilling program are, as follows:

Hole Number From (m) To (m) Length (m) Gold (g/t) Zone MO-23-650W1 319.7 352.0 32.3 1.0 New / Expansion MO-23-650W1 455.0 459.0 4.0 4.3 E / Expansion MO-23-650W1 467.0 487.5 20.5 0.9 A / Expansion MO-23-650W1 599.5 616.5 17.0 1.0 B / Expansion MO-23-650W1 698.0 707.8 9.8 1.7 M / Expansion MO-24-679 287.5 316.0 28.5 1.8 A / Expansion including 301.5 302.5 1.0 29.8 A / Expansion MO-24-680 286.0 301.5 15.5 1.0 A / Expansion MO-24-682 45.0 80.5 35.5 1.2 New / Expansion including 58.0 59.1 1.1 33.0 New / Expansion MO-24-682 169.5 217.0 47.5 0.7 E / Expansion MO-24-683 235.0 243.0 8.0 1.2 J / Expansion MO-24-683 560.5 577.6 17.1 4.8 B / Infill including 573.8 574.8 1.0 44.7 B / Infill MO-24-683 687.0 701.0 14.0 1.0 M / Expansion MO-24-684 58.5 79.5 21.0 0.6 C / Expansion MO-24-684 199.5 211.5 12.0 0.8 New / Expansion MO-24-685 797.5 818.0 20.5 1.7 G / Expansion MO-24-687 36.5 51.5 15.0 0.7 K / Infill MO-24-688 538.0 541.6 3.6 4.9 P / Expansion MO-24-688 740.6 764.3 23.7 2.7 T / Expansion including 743.3 744.3 1.0 49.1 T / Expansion MO-24-689 396.0 416.5 20.5 0.6 New / Expansion MO-24-689 626.0 671.5 45.5 0.5 J / Expansion MO-24-689 704.0 715.0 11.0 1.7 T / Expansion MO-24-690 681.0 696.5 15.5 3.1 J / Expansion including 681.0 682.0 1.0 44.3 J / Expansion MO-24-691 251.0 252.0 1.0 62.2 P / Expansion MO-24-691 304.0 315.6 11.6 1.6 J / Expansion MO-24-691 495.0 499.5 4.5 3.2 New / Expansion MO-24-692 580.0 600.5 20.5 1.1 Q / Expansion MO-24-692 627.3 659.5 32.2 0.8 J / Expansion MO-24-692 812.0 813.0 1.0 35.6 New / Expansion MO-24-693 13.8 14.5 0.7 23.3 P / Expansion MO-24-693 573.5 581.0 7.5 1.9 M / Expansion MO-24-694 12.0 65.0 53.0 1.0 J / Infill including 12.0 13.0 1.0 23.9 J / Infill MO-24-695 186.0 216.0 30.0 0.8 P / Expansion MO-24-695 338.0 355.5 17.5 1.5 J / Expansion MO-24-697 160.0 182.0 22.0 0.6 J / Infill MO-24-698(Cut) 319.0 325.8 6.8 14.9 New / Expansion MO-24-698(Uncut) 319.0 325.8 6.8 30.3 New / Expansion including 325.0 325.8 0.8 255.0 New / Expansion MO-24-698 674.5 695.0 20.5 1.1 M / Infill MO-24-700 255.0 283.0 28.0 1.1 A / Expansion MO-24-700 405.0 417.0 12.0 9.9 I / Expansion including 405.0 406.0 1.0 99.2 I / Expansion MO-24-701 363.5 368.5 5.0 3.1 G / Expansion MO-24-701 628.0 648.0 20.0 1.8 B / Expansion MO-24-701 776.2 794.2 18.0 1.4 M / Expansion including 776.2 780.5 4.3 3.0 M / Expansion MO-24-702 321.0 343.2 22.2 1.9 I / Expansion

(1) All the new analytical results reported in this release and in this table, are presented in core length and cut to 100 g/t Au when needed. True width is estimated between 60 to 95 % of core length. Only intervals with grade times thickness above 10.0 g/t Au * m are reported.

Figure 1: Surface Map  Monique deposit new drilling results (holes MO-679 to 702 and MO-650W1)

About Probes Novador Project

Since 2016, Probe Gold has been consolidating its land position in the highly prospective Val-dOr East area in the province of Quebec with a district-scale land package of 685 square kilometres that represents one of the largest land holdings in the Val-dOr mining camp. The Novador project represents one property block of 175 square kilometres that hosts three past producing mines (Beliveau Mine, Bussiere Mine and Monique Mine) and contains over 95% of the Companys gold resources in Val-dOr East. Novador is situated in a politically stable and low-cost mining environment that hosts numerous active producers and mills.

Val-dOr properties include gold resources totaling 3,793,900 ounces in the Measured and Indicated category and 1,418,700 ounces in the Inferred category along all trends and deposits (news release dated July 19, 2023).

Qualified Person

The scientific and technical content of this press release has been prepared, reviewed, and approved by Mr. Marco Gagnon, P.Geo, Executive Vice President, who is a "Qualified Person" as defined by National Instrument 43-101 - Standards of Disclosure for Mineral Projects ("NI 43-101").

Quality Control

During the last drilling program, assay samples were taken from the NQ core by sawing the drill core in half, with one-half sent to a certified commercial laboratory and the other half retained for future reference. A strict QA/QC program was applied to all samples; which includes insertion of mineralized standards and blank samples for each batch of 20 samples. The gold analyses were completed by fire-assayed with an atomic absorption finish on 50 grams of materials. Repeats were carried out by fire-assay followed by gravimetric testing on each sample containing 3.0 g/t gold or more. Total gold analyses (Metallic Sieve) were carried out on the samples which presented a great variation of their gold contents or the presence of visible gold.

About Probe Gold

Probe Gold Inc. is a leading Canadian company focused on the acquisition, exploration, and development of highly prospective gold properties. The Company is well-funded and dedicated to exploring and developing high-quality gold projects. Notably, it owns 100% of its flagship asset, the multimillion-ounce Novador Gold Project in Quebec, as well as an early-stage Detour Gold Quebec project. Probe controls a large land package of approximately 1685-square-kilometres of exploration ground within some of the most prolific gold belts in Quebec. The Companys recent Novador updated Preliminary Economic Assessment outlines a robust mining plan with an average annual gold production of 255,000 ounces over a 12.6-year mine life.

On behalf of Probe Gold Inc.,

Dr. David Palmer,

President & Chief Executive Officer

For further information:

Please visit our website at www.probegold.com or contact:

Seema Sindwani

Vice-President of Investor Relations

This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

+1.416.777.9467

Forward-Looking Statements

Neither TSX nor its Regulation Services Provider (as that term is defined in the policies of the TSX) accepts responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this release. This News Release includes certain "forward-looking statements" which are not comprised of historical facts. Forward-looking statements include estimates and statements that describe the Companys future plans, objectives or goals, including words to the effect that the Company or management expects a stated condition or result to occur. Forward-looking statements may be identified by such terms as believes, anticipates, expects, estimates, may, could, would, will, or plan. Since forward-looking statements are based on assumptions and address future events and conditions, by their very nature they involve inherent risks and uncertainties. Although these statements are based on information currently available to the Company, the Company provides no assurance that actual results will meet managements expectations. Risks, uncertainties, and other factors involved with forward-looking information could cause actual events, results, performance, prospects, and opportunities to differ materially from those expressed or implied by such forward-looking information. Forward looking information in this news release includes, but is not limited to, the Companys 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 such forward-looking information include, but are not limited to failure to identify mineral resources, failure to convert estimated mineral resources to reserves, the inability to complete a feasibility study which recommends a production decision, the preliminary nature of metallurgical test results, delays in obtaining or failures to obtain required governmental, environmental or other project approvals, political risks, inability to fulfill the duty to accommodate First Nations and other indigenous peoples, uncertainties relating to the availability and costs of financing needed in the future, changes in equity markets, inflation, changes in exchange rates, fluctuations in commodity prices, delays in the development of projects, capital and operating costs varying significantly from estimates and the other risks involved in the mineral exploration and development industry, and those risks set out in the Companys public documents filed on SEDAR. Although the Company believes that the assumptions and factors used in preparing the forward-looking information in this news release are reasonable, undue reliance should not be placed on such information, which only applies as of the date of this news release, and no assurance can be given that such events will occur in the disclosed time frames or at all. The Company disclaims any intention or obligation to update or revise any forward-looking information, whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise, other than as required by law.
A Congolese prosecutor on Monday requested death sentences against 25 defendants accused of belonging to the M23 rebel group in a high-profile trial in Kinshasa.

The prosecution called for a 20-year jail term against a 26th defendant.

The Tutsi-led M23, backed by Rwanda, has seized huge swathes of territory in eastern Democratic Republic of Congo since late 2021.

Only five of the accused are present for the trial in a military court, with the rest on the run. They face charges of war crimes, participation in an insurrection and treason.

The most prominent is Corneille Nangaa, a former president of the Congolese electoral commission. In December, he announced in Nairobi the creation of the Alliance Fleuve Congo (AFC), a political-military movement of rebel groups including the M23.

Other major M23 figures are on trial including its president Bertrand Bisimwa, military chief Sultani Makenga and spokesmen Willy Ngoma and Lawrence Kanyuka.

Yet none of the five defendants in court are widely known.

Two admitted being members of the AFC. One of them, Nkangya Nyamacho, alias "Microbe", told the court he joined the AFC "because there is injustice and discrimination in this country".

The defendant against whom the prison sentence was requested maintained he was innocent, saying he was arbitrarily arrested due to his surname Nangaa.

The trial opened last week with 25 defendants, of whom 20 were on the run, but a former M23 spokesman has also been charged.

The defence is expected to make their case on Tuesday.

In March, the Congolese government defied criticism from human rights organisations and lifted a moratorium on the death penalty that had been in place since 2003, aiming to target military personnel accused of treason.

Around 50 soldiers have been sentenced to the death penalty in the east of the country since the start of the month for "cowardice" and "fleeing the enemy".

The M23 is just one of dozens of rebel groups active in the DRC's restive east, many the legacy of the regional conflict that erupted from the 1990s onwards after the fall of longtime dictator Mobutu Sese Seko.
At least 65 people, mostly children, have been killed since Saturday in bombardments by the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces in El-Fasher city in Sudan's Darfur region, according to activists.

The capital of North Darfur state is the largest city in the vast western region not yet under the control of the RSF, who have besieged the city since May.

The war between the RSF and Sudan's regular army has been raging since April last year.

The El-Fasher Resistance Committees said in a statement on Monday that "in just three days the RSF have killed more than 43 children, 13 women and nine men among the people of El Fasher".

They added that "more than 70 rockets were launched in just one day by the Janjaweed militias at hospitals, homes, mosques and markets", in a reference to the RSF, who are descendants of the Janjaweed militias which began terrorising Darfur in 2003.

"Today is one of the bloodiest days in El-Fasher, for the civilian population, the mosques and the hospitals, especially the Saudi hospital", the governor of the Darfur region Mini Minawi wrote on social media site X.

A medical source in the Saudi Hospital, which was the target of heavy fire, earlier said artillery shelling killed 22 people on Saturday.

Minawi added that the RSF had received "two days ago a missile system from El-Geneina", the capital of West Darfur.

"The silence of the international community is shameful", he said.

Sudan's war, which pits the RSF, led by Mohamed Hamdan Daglo, against the army headed by General Abdel Fattah al-Burhan, has killed tens of thousands of people with some estimates as high as 150,000, according to United States envoy Tom Perriello.

The United Nations says Sudan faces the world's largest internal displacement crisis, with more than seven million forced to flee internally or abroad because of the war, on top of 3.8 million who were displaced before.

Sudan's conflict has sparked warnings of famine, and both sides have been accused of war crimes including deliberately targeting civilians.

US mediators are to make a new attempt in Switzerland next month to broker an end to the fighting. The talks are due to open on August 14.
The best way to destroy an enemy is to make him a friend, says an adage often attributed to Abraham Lincoln. On July 22, the judges in the International Criminal Court (ICC)s pre-trial chamber I issued a list of more than 60 entities and individuals who have been allowed to submit their observations as amicus curiae (friends of the court) on legal issues around the issuance of arrest warrants asked two months before by the Prosecutor against the Israeli Prime Minister and Defence Minister alongside three leaders of Palestinian Hamas.

This is the first time that judges at the Hague court, after 22 years of existence, have allowed observations at this stage of legal proceedings. An unnecessary distraction from the core business of the pre-trial chamber at this stage says international lawyer Owiso Owiso. All this could have been avoided had the [judges] had enough judicial fortitude to deny any request to file observations, on the grounds either that the question of jurisdiction had already been determined [on 5 February 2021], or that any issues to be raised can appropriately be raised at a later stage! he told Justice Info by message.

Highest level of secrecy

Some of those allowed to file include the United States, US senator Lindsey Graham and retired Nazi hunters Serge and Beate Klarsfeld. Issuance of the full list of those allowed to provide arguments as amicus curiae followed several weeks of increased speculation about what exactly was happening after the Prosecutors coup declat.

In the Palestine investigation, the judges have decided on the classification secret  an even more stringent stamp than the commonly applied under seal for arrest warrants or more limited confidential often applied to protect witness or state party sources, both of which designations also prevent the public from knowing what is happening behind the scenes. So even applying to the court to offer an analysis was classified secret, no matter what the applicant wished, confirmed the court spokesperson Fadi El Abdallah.

The judges have ordered that the amici, to be filed until August 6, will be public. But until they are published, no-one is sharing their arguments following the judges original keep it secret ruling. First out of the blocks, on 29 July 2024, is former professor of international law and author of The Genocide Convention: An International Law Analysis, John Quigley.

UKs move: a dishonest time-wasting exercise

The avalanche of amicus briefs was started by the United Kingdom, which asked the judges whether it could intervene on the narrow but important issue of whether under the Oslo accords, signed by the Palestine Liberation Organization in 1997 with Israel to establish the Palestinian Authority. The agreement includes a reference to Palestine having no jurisdiction over Israeli citizens. Seventeen years after, in 2014, Palestine first asked the ICC to accept its referral of war crimes and crimes against humanity allegedly committed by Israeli citizens. The ICC Office of the Prosecutor accepted the referral only after Palestine had become a state party of the court, and immediately asked the ICC judges to clarify jurisdiction.

The UKs move was a dishonest time-wasting exercise, comments Owiso. The UK knew, or ought to have known, that by filing such a request, the floodgates would open for other States and all manner of individuals/organisations and busybodies to also file requests, either to (rightfully) counter the UKs arguments or to sneak in their own. Again, it is unnecessarily prolonging the process.

Finally no amicus from the United Kingdom

German law professor and practising UK barrister Stefan Talmon is more circumspect: If you really take the view that the ICC jurisdiction is transferred jurisdiction [from Palestine], then the Oslo argument makes sense, and the court will have to deal with it. But Talmon also notes that the UK said, on July 26, that it will not be making a submission, after a new Labour government has come in with a strong background in human rights and international law. And they just take a different perspective.

According to Mark Kersten, an assistant professor at the Canadian University of the Fraser Valley, youll see a couple of people who basically have just been tirelessly trying to prevent the court from exercising any kind of jurisdiction in Palestine. And I can name one, because hes Canadian and its former Justice Minister Irwin Cotler, who has written what I regard to be misinformation that the ICC prosecutor has jurisdiction generally over Hamas but has no territorial jurisdiction, and therefore no personal jurisdiction over Israeli citizens. I assume thats what hes going to put forward in his filing, as the Raoul Wallenberg Centre.

For whatever reason, they want to carve out full blown impunity for one side of this conflict. I think thats deeply unfortunate, Kersten adds.

Further delay for the warrants

Victims representatives have been excluded by the judges from joining in the amicus frenzy and told that they should use another procedure. In at least three submissions, they said they wanted to provide reasons why these issues do not prevent and must not delay the issuing of warrants, adding that any delay in the proceedings before the Court exacerbates the victims ongoing suffering, obstructs accountability, and unjustifiably delays justice for over two million people who are trapped in Gaza and at imminent risk of losing their life.

Victims, some of whom are at deaths doorstep in the Gaza Strip, simply cannot endure any further delay. The victims emphasise that any consideration of the issues raised by the United Kingdom [under the previous government] or by others is unwarranted under the Statute at this stage and will likely cause the victims further harm.

Owiso points out that the Prosecutor would still be called upon to respond to almost 70 observations, each about ten pages! Then the pre-trial chamber will have to wade through all that stuff before a determination can be made on the arrest warrant applications. That will certainly take time; time that the victims and survivors of the Israeli Defence Force and Hamas do not have!

But Talmon thinks otherwise: I dont think that the delay issue is really the crucial one. Because even if we had the arrest warrant tomorrow, nothing would change on the ground, and nobody would be arrested. And the policies of these people would not change because of that. So, the arrest warrants are something for the long run, something which will be with these people for the rest of their lives, basically.

What will be argued?

It is difficult to know the substance of all the arguments of the applicants, that several contacted by Justice Info have politely refused to share.

The International Court of Justice (ICJ) has recently ruled, under an advisory option, that Israels occupation of Palestinian territory is illegal. Although the ICJ was dealing with different legal technicalities from those that now face the ICC judges, it is possible that some amicus will use aspects of that ruling to bolster their arguments.

Talmon points out that in 2021 the main decision by the judges was whether Palestine is a state party to the Rome Statute. But that is, he says, only one aspect of jurisdiction. Now, there are other aspects that could be revisited or visited for the first time, including the question of transfer of jurisdiction from Palestine to the ICC despite the Oslo agreement. Of course, an equally credible counter argument can be made on the basis of the Geneva Conventions, he continues, referring to how the ICJ judges referred to them to say that you cannot have an agreement to the detriment of the people in the occupied territory.

So, I think the important thing is that the court will deal with the argument, will consider it, and hopefully then dismiss it, because, of course, I think the more credible argument is in favour of Palestine having jurisdiction to transfer it to the ICC, Talmon adds. My view is that the judges want to base their decision on as broad a basis as possible and thereby gain maximum credibility by giving everybody a chance to contribute.






Monday, July 29, 2024 - A young girl has been killed and seven others were injured when a hooded, knife-wielding maniac rampaged through a Taylor Swift-themed dance workshop in the UK on Monday morning, July 29.

According to UK Police, the horror unfolded shortly before afternoon in Southport in northwest England outside Liverpool, when the unidentified man attacked the children before he was arrested by police.

Witnesses said the attacker wore a black hood when he entered "The Hart Space", where the yoga and dance event took place.

At least 25 children were taking part in the event when the attack unfolded, the Daily Mail said.The wounded girls were rushed to three local childrens hospitals, where they were being treated after the attack.

It is like a scene from a horror movie, local merchant Colin Parry told the BBC. The are coming here now and screaming. Its like something from America, not like sunny Southport.

Responding to the attack, Prime Minister Keir Starmer said in a statement;

Horrendous and deeply shocking news emerging from Southport,

My thoughts are with all those affected, Starmer said. I would like to thank the police and emergency services for their swift response. I am being kept updated as the situation develops.






Monday, July 29, 2024 - Angelina Jolie has revealed that she once hired a hitman to kill her as she battled suicidal thoughts in the past.

The Oscar-winning actress, 49, explained that she had struggled with her mental health when she was in her early twenties, and at the age of 22 she made the plan.

In a candid interview, Jolie revealed that she had been in such a dark place with her mental health that she had wanted to end her life.

However, she did not want her family and friends to feel as though they had let her down or not been there for her.

She explained that she had made the decision to hire someone to kill her and this would look like she had died in a robbery rather than because she had wanted to.

Jolie initially revealed the shocking plan she had made to IMDB, saying: "This is going to sound insane but there was a time I was going to hire somebody to kill me."

Jolie later opened up further about it in a 2003 interview with The Face magazine.

She said: "They're not that hard to find in New York. As insane as it sounds, I think a lot of people consider suicide when they're young. I was very aware that so many people around me, like my mother, would feel as though they didn't give enough or do enough if I'd taken my own life.

"So my solution to that was if someone else had taken my life like in a 'robbery' then it would be murder and it wouldn't be that anyone would feel they'd let me down."

Jolie even revealed that she had a plan to conceal what had actually happened, in which she would 'take out cash over a certain amount of time, so there wasn't a big chunk in my bank account'.

The Tomb Raider star even said that the man she had hired gave her the chance to think over her decision before going through with it.

She said: "He was a decent enough person and asked if I could think about it and call him again in two months.

"Something changed in my life and I figured I'd stick it out."




Tuesday, July 30, 2024 - Controversial activist Boniface Mwangi has given Kenyans a sneak peek into his luxurious home in Lukenya Hills, Machakos County.

The multi-million home dubbed Courage Base consists of a cozy living room, spacious kitchen, and a well-maintained lawn.

There is also a gaming lounge outside where he has set up a pool table.

Mwangi hosted his friends for a party at his home on Sunday, among them veteran musician Eric Wainaina, activist Hanifa, and Haki Africa CEO Hussein Khalid.

The video of Mwangi flaunting his posh home sparked reactions, with a section of Kenyans accusing him of enriching himself using foreign donors.

However, Mwangi insisted that he earns an honest living.

I earn an honest living. The government knows l dont have any dirty money in my life. I will not stop living my life because of propaganda, he said.

It is alleged that Mwangi received Ksh 50 Million from the Ford Foundation to fund the recent anti-government protests but he pocketed the money.

Watch a video of his lavish home.

The Kenyan DAILY POST.






Monday, July 29, 2024 - At least one person is dead and another six people were injured when gunfire erupted inside a crowded Rochester park Sunday evening, July 28, according to police.

A victim in their 20s was killed while another person was left in life-threatening condition following the shooting at Maplewood Park around 6:20 p.m., Rochester police said.

Another five victims were also taken to the hospital with minor injuries in the upstate New York city, authorities said.

The park was full of people barbecuing and enjoying the summer weather when gunfire broke out, causing the crowd to flee in a chaotic and scary scene, a purported video of the shooting posted on social media shows.

More information about the victims and what led up to the shooting, including the number of suspects, was not immediately available.

At this point, we dont know how many people were shooting, Rochester Police Captain Greg Bello said during the briefing that was posted online by Rochester First. We are trying to work our way through that. We are trying to work our way through as many witnesses as we can.

Police officials later confirmed that they were searching for more than one shooter but the exact number of gunmen was still unknown.

We are looking for more than one person. I cant clarify or quantify if they were part of this gathering or if they came from the outside, Rochester Police Chief David Smith told reporters at a second press briefing.

The identity of the deceased victim was not immediately released, as authorities worked to notify family members.

Investigators were combing over the crime scene late Sunday night and probing ballistic evidence on the large field.

Bello urged park-goers to send any videos and tips connected to the shooting to police.

Anything on who decided to  on a Sunday afternoon where everybodys out barbequing, having a good time  decided to pull out a gun for whatever reason whether theres a dispute going, short term, long term, whatever it was, Bello said. Somebody that pulled out a gun, obviously thats incredibly unacceptable in our society.

Police were still looking for the suspects late Sunday night.

To the folks who did this, I will be seeing you, Smith warned.

Watch a video from the scene below.

#BREAKING: Multiple people, including possibly children, have been shot in a mass shooting at Maplewood Park, Rochester, NY.



#Rochester | #NewYork



Hundreds were gathered for an event when dozens of shots rang out, causing panic. Police and emergency crews are on the scene. pic.twitter.com/SJQ3cxEEpc  J Wise (@JWiseKingRa) July 29, 2024




Tuesday, July 30, 2024 - Detectives from the Directorate of Criminal Investigations (DCI) camped at Deputy President Rigathi Gachaguas office over the weekend, probing three of his aides in connection with the Gen Z protests that have rocked the country over the past five weeks.

DCI sleuths, allegedly sent by President William Rutos aide Farouk Kibet, believe that Gachagua played a role in the protests that led to demonstrators storming Parliament on June 25, 2024.

The National Intelligence Service also believes that Gachagua, through his proxies, mobilized youth across the country to overthrow Ruto..

NIS also briefed the President that former President Uhuru Kenyatta was involved in sponsoring chaos and anarchy in the country..

The DCI probe comes amid reports that at least 21 lawmakers held a meeting at a Cabinet Secretary nominee's home to plot the Deputy President's ouster.

The Kenyan DAILY POST






Monday, July 29, 2024 - More than 50 new homes named after a young African man who died trying to rescue a woman from the Thames have been officially unveiled in south London, United Kingdom.

Folajimi Olubunmi-Adewole, 20, was on his way home from work in April 2021 when at about midnight, he went into the water after seeing a woman fall from London Bridge.

The woman and a second man who had also jumped in to rescue her were saved by the coastguard and marine police.

But Mr Olubunmi-Adewole, fondly call Jimi, could not be found and his body was recovered about six hours later.





Folajimi Apartments, on Alexis Street in south Bermondsey, have been named in his honour, BBC reported on Saturday, July 27, 2024.

Of the 56 flats, 26 are owned by Southwark Council.

Mr Olubunmi-Adewole's family and local councillors, including Helen Dennis, attended the official opening last week, with Ms Dennis describing the event as "a great honour"

In a post on X, she added that "Jimi was such a brave young man and we hope these new homes will be a fitting tribute to his heroism life"

At the inquest into Mr Olubunmi-Adewole's death, the coroner said: "The courage to jump to help a complete stranger in the Thames at night is quite astonishing.

"Many of us would like to think we would do the same in that situation, but few of us would have the courage and determination."






Monday, July 29, 2024 - Authorities were aware of the presence of the would-be Donald Trump assassin Thomas Matthew Crooks more than 90 minutes before he opened fire at the former presidents Pennsylvania campaign rally, roughly a half-hour more than what officials previously claimed, according to newly released text messages.

Text messages between members of the Beaver County Emergency Service Unit obtained by the New York Times revealed a more concrete and earlier timeline leading up to the shooting that grazed the former presidents ear, injured two rallygoers and killed one.

The messages also revealed that Crooks, 20, was aware of the law enforcement presence as he prepared his assassination attempt on the GOP nominee.

Someone followed our lead and snuck in and parked by our cars just so you know, a counter-sniper texted a colleague as he headed out around 4:26 p.m.

Im just letting you know because you see me go out with my rifle and put it in my car so he knows you guys are up there sitting to the direct right on a picnic table about 50 yards from the exit, he wrote of the suspicious person who turned out to be Crooks.

At around 5:10 p.m., Crooks was below the counter-snipers who were inside the AGR International building warehouse where the 20-year-old eventually climbed onto the rooftop and fired his AR-15 from, the Times reported.

One of the counter-snipers took photos of him and shared them in a group chat at around 5:38 p.m.

An officer also wrote in a text that they should tell the Secret Service about the suspicious person as the range finder he had on him alarmed authorities, the newspaper reported.

Kid learning around the building we are in. AGR I believe it is, the text reads. I did see him with a range finder looking towards stage [sic]. FYI. If you wanna notify SS snipers to look out. I lost sight of him.

Call it in to command and have a uniform check it out, an officer texted, according to another message provided to the Times by Iowa Sen. Chuck Grassleys office.

The photos were shared with the Secret Service through a series of steps at the command centre, according to the newspaper.

Another message in the group texts guessed that Crooks moved toward the back of the complex of AGR buildings away from the event at about 6 p.m.

But it was around that time that Crooks was on the roof just minutes before he opened fire.

The texts show authorities knew about the suspicious person who ended up being Crooks close to 100 minutes before the shooting  not the about 60 minutes before the assassination attempt that has previously been mentioned at a congressional hearing, per the Times.

Members of Trumps Secret Service detail lodged complaints that they were not informed that local cops were tracking a suspicious person at the rally in Butler, PA, according to a Washington Post report.

Trump was injured in the ear by one bullet while three rallygoers were shot, including Corey Comperatore, 50, who was killed shielding his family from danger. Crooks was killed by a Secret Service sniper soon after.

The gunman planned the shooting in advance, federal authorities have said, but his motive is still a mystery.

The Secret Service has been under fire since the shooting as lawmakers have questioned how the federal agency could have allowed the Crooks the opportunity to squeeze the trigger.

Secret Service Director Kimberly Cheatle stepped down last week amid the outcry.






Monday, July 29, 2024 - Nicolas Maduro has been declared the winner of Venezuela's presidential election.

Maduro, who warned citizens there would be a 'bloodbath' were he to lose, secured re-election for the third time with 51.2 percent of votes, while opposition candidate Edmundo Gonzalez Urrutia received 44.2 percent, the electoral council announced.

The 61-year-old addressed supporters at the presidential palace minutes after the announcement, declaring: 'I can say, before the people of Venezuela and the world, I am Nicolas Maduro Moros, the re-elected president of the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela.

'There will be peace, stability, and justice. Peace and respect for the law.'

But Venezuela's opposition coalition insisted it had garnered 70 percent of the vote, rejecting the figures from Maduro's loyalist electoral authority.

Costa Rican President Rodrigo Chaves also denounced the official result as 'fraudulent,' while Chile's president described it as 'hard to believe.'

Peru announced it had recalled its ambassador for consultation over the results, and US Secretary of State Antony Blinken expressed 'serious concerns' that the result did not reflect the will of Venezuelan voters.

Independent polls had predicted Sunday's vote would bring an end to 25 years of 'Chavismo,' the populist movement founded by Maduro's socialist predecessor and mentor, the late Hugo Chavez.

Maduro was running against opposition candidate and former diplomat Urrutia, who replaced popular opposition leader Maria Corina Machado on the ticket after authorities loyal to Maduro excluded her from the race.

Machado, 56 - who campaigned far and wide for her proxy - had urged voters on Sunday to keep 'vigil' at their polling stations in the 'decisive hours' of counting amid widespread fears of fraud.

Urrutia, 74, had said the opposition was 'prepared to defend' the vote and trusted 'our armed forces to respect the decision of our people.'

He added there had been a 'massive' voter turnout.

'We want to say to all of Venezuela and the world that Venezuela has a new president-elect and it is (candidate) Edmundo Gonzalez Urrutia,' Machado told journalists after the result was returned.

'We won,' she said flatly.






Tuesday, July 30, 2024 - Kapsaret Member of Parliament, Oscar Sudi, has criticised firebrand lawyer, Miguna Miguna, accusing him of inciting Generation Zoomers (GEN Zs) to cause havoc and anarchy in the country.

Sudi took to social media on Monday accusing the General of inciting youths to persist with the protests till they overthrow President William Ruto.

He argued that the lawyer's support for the protests was misguided and unhelpful, suggesting it was a bid for political attention rather than addressing genuine concerns.

He claimed that he initially supported the Gen Z protests because he understood their call for demonstrations.

However, he said he changed his mind when disruptive elements started infiltrating the protests and causing chaos.

"Goons now took advantage of the protests. Do you want our country to be burnt to the ground? Do you want people's lives to be destroyed?" Sudi questioned Miguna.

He accused Miguna of endorsing poverty among the youth by supporting protests that were infiltrated by disruptive elements.

"I don't think our children want to be poor, but you, on the other hand, are busy inciting them. Miguna you have worked for a very long period of time but you have amounted to nothing," the MP added.

The Kenyan DAILY POST




Tuesday, July 30, 2024 - President William Ruto has announced new measures aimed at enhancing accountability for the use of public resources.

In a statement, Ruto announced that the government would be undertaking reforms in VAT refunds, adding that the current process was opaque.

According to the Head of State, the country was spending close to Ksh400 billion in VAT refunds annually.

Therefore, he noted that it would be prudent to ensure that companies get the right amount of refunds.

About Ksh400 billion is spent on tax expenditure every year, especially on VAT refunds, a process that is largely opaque, and with limited accountability.

"Within 90 days, I will be working with Parliament to provide a legislative and regulatory framework to make this process transparent, open, and accountable with a view to reducing this huge public expenditure and direct savings to the productive areas of the economy," he announced.

VAT refunds are usually made to companies that deal with products that are zero-rated or for tax withheld during the supply of goods.

On the other hand, the president reiterated that the country needed to focus on local production and reduce the importation of goods as a move to boost the economy.

The Kenyan DAILY POST




Tuesday, January 30, 2024 - Nominated MP, Sabina Chege, has said she will not support the impeachment of Deputy President Rigathi Gachagua.

President William Rutos close lieutenants, along with some ODM orphans, are collecting signatures to push for the impeachment of Gachagua, who is accused of gross misconduct and sponsoring the Gen Z protests.

However, speaking on Inooro TV on Tuesday, Sabina vowed to stick with Gachagua, arguing that he remains the kingpin of the Mt Kenya region.

"The Mt Kenya Kingpin is Rigathi Gachagua because he has the highest rank politically. I want to say that I would not sign the impeachment motion," Sabina said.

Sabina questioned why some MPs would want to impeach the DP at a time when President William Ruto is calling for unity.

She wondered what big mistake Gachagua has done to warrant his impeachment yet the president has appointed opposition members to the Cabinet.

"We have supported Azimio's Raila Odinga for the African Union Commission chairperson position, and brought ODM members to cabinet, does it mean that it's only our own who has done so much wrong that we want to remove him from office?" she posed.

The Kenyan DAILY POST




Tuesday, July 30, 2024 - Deputy President Rigathi Gachagua has sent a message to politicians, including President William Ruto and opposition leader Raila Odinga, who are planning to impeach him.

There is already a plan in Parliament to table an impeachment motion against the Deputy President over allegations of gross misconduct and acting against the government he serves.

Gachagua is specifically accused of hijacking the Gen Z protest and bringing criminals who stormed Parliament on June 25, 2024.

However, Gachagua, through his close confidante and Nyeri County Governor Mutahi Kahiga, has dared the two to table an impeachment motion against him.

"I want to tell those MPs spending sleepless nights planning how to impeach Gachagua to bring the motion to the National Assembly.

"We will deal with it but they must be aware that this will alter the political equation of this region," Kahiga said.

The county boss further rubbished the claims against the DP, describing them as false and frivolous.

Kahiga stated that if it is true, the second in command's position was guided by him listening to the ground.

The Kenyan DAILY POST






Tuesday July 30, 2024 - President William Ruto has vowed to deal ruthlessly with the Gen Zs who are protesting and demanding for his resignation.

Speaking yesterday, Ruto affirmed that he will not allow Gen Zs and millennials to destroy the country with their protests.

According to Ruto, Kenya's leadership is not determined by social media, violence, or protests but by citizens on the ballot box, and therefore urged the Gen Zs and Millennials to wait for 2027 if they want him gone.

"Kenya is a democratic country, and the citizens are the ones who decide the leadership from MCA to the President. Kenya's leadership is not determined by social media, protests, or violence," remarked Ruto.

The Head of State urged Kenyans to unite, defend the country, and forge ahead together.

At the same time, Ruto, who is on a development tour of the Coast region, announced the resumption of the construction of the stalled Mombasa- Kilifi Highway.

"I came to launch this road that begins at Nyali-Bridge to Kilifi through Mtwapa, the contractor is already on site," he said.

Ruto mentioned that the Government had set aside billions to connect residents to electricity in the Coast region.

"We have set aside Ksh5 billion to ensure that 100,000 residents are connected to the national electricity grid. Electricity should not be a privilege of the rich but for every Kenyan," said Ruto.

The Kenyan DAILY POST






Monday, July 29, 2024 - Israel has warned President Recep Tayyip Erdogan of Turkey that a fate similar to that of Saddam Hussein will befall him after Erdogan threatened that Turkey could invade Israel and send forces to occupied Palestine to support the Palestinian people.

We must be very strong so that Israel cant do these things to Palestine, he said, referring to the Israeli ongoing genocide in Gaza," Erdogan said on Sunday, July 28.

Just as we entered [Nagorno-]Karabakh, just as we entered Libya, we might do the same to them. There is nothing we cant do. We must only be strong.

Note that Turkey is a member of NATO just like the US, UK, France, and Germany, who are strong allies of Israel.

Immediately after Erdogan's statement, top Israeli officials threatened the Turkish president that he would face the same fate as former Iraqi President Saddam Hussein.

Addressing the Turkish president in a post on X, Israeli Foreign Minister Israel Katz said that "Erdogan is going down the path of Saddam Hussein and threatens to attack Israel. He should just remember what happened there and how that ended."

The foreign minister even attached a picture of Erdogan and next to it a picture of Saddam Hussein being executed by US forces.





Meanwhile, opposition leader Yair Lapid called on NATO members to "force" Erdogan into ending his support for Palestinian Resistance group Hamas.

"President Erdogan is ranting and raving again. He is a danger to the Middle East. The world, and especially NATO members, must strongly condemn his outrageous threats against Israel and force him to end his support for Hamas," Lapid said on X.

In 2003, the United States and its allies illegally invaded Iraq under the pretext that Saddam Hussein possessed nuclear weapons, which later proved to be false. After remaining in hiding for three years, Saddam was captured and killed in 2006. Since the invasion, it is estimated that over one million Iraqis have been killed by the US-led coalition since the invasion.

The US military remains in Iraq under agreements with the government, yet many political parties and citizens view them as an occupying force due to their ongoing meddling in the country's internal affairs and control over many of its resources, particularly energy.
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We are joined by Fady Chamoun, an internal medicine physician, to explore the transformative potential of artificial intelligence (AI) in health care. We delve into the art of prompt engineering and its six essential elements: clear task definition, detailed context, exemplar guidance, persona understanding, structured format, and appropriate tone. Fady shares his insights on how mastering these elements can enhance patient care, streamline medical education, and ultimately improve patient outcomes.

Fady Chamoun is an internal medicine physician.

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The Church of Uganda has launched a transformative seed capital initiative in Kumi district.

The initiative, according to the Bishop of Kumi Diocese, Michael Okwi Esakhan, aims at addressing gender-based violence (GBV) and promote womens economic empowerment.

Speaking at the launch in Kumi, he cited the persistent high prevalence of gender-based violence manifested through physical, sexual, psychological, and economic violations as one of the persistent challenges faced by residents.

Meanwhile the Director of Household and Community Transformation, Rev. Andrew Agaba notes that women in Uganda continue to face barriers such as limited access to financial resources, educational disparities, discrimination in workplaces, and negative socio-cultural norms.

He said these need to be fought since they hinder their full participation in the development process.

The initiative will support 30 Village Savings and Loans Associations with Shs30m.
The new intern doctors have been asked to uphold a high degree of discipline and ethical code of conduct as one of the ways to minimize patient-doctor conflicts as well as unnecessary friction with their employers.

This appeal was been made by Annet Musinguzi, the Human Resources Manager in the ministry of health, during the National induction for Medical Interns cohort 2024/2025 at Makerere University yesterday.

Musinguzi noted that most of the conflicts originate from unethical conduct, warning that although the interns may pass the registration exams, if they do not uphold discipline they will be disqualified.

Remember it is six months then we change after six again but for us the pharmacists we keep on rotating you almost in the monthly basis and the rotational areas we have national drug authorities, industries and others, Musinguzi said.
President Museveni is expected to launch the four-acre farming model campaign in Bunyoro starting with four districts of Kibaale, Kakumiro, Kagadi and Kikuube on November 15th 2024.

According to the NRM regional chief mobiliser, also the state minister for transport Fred Byamukama, the event that will be held at Kikwaya Primary School playgrounds in Kakumiro district is aimed at eradicating poverty in the Bunyoro sub-region.

This was revealed during a preparation meeting with Bunyoro resident District Commissioners held in Hoima city.

Meanwhile Amlan Tumusiime the Resident District Commissioner (RDC) Kikuube who also doubles as the chief whip for Bunyoro noted that, the four-acre model campaign is in line with the Parish Development Model which will help the people Bunyoro benefit from opportunities presented by by oil exploration.
Uganda today commemorates the World Day against Trafficking in persons.

The day was designated to by the United Nations General Assembly with the intention of raising awareness about trafficking in persons and to help encourage the public in fighting against this inhumane activity that grossly violates rights of individuals.

According to Basalirwa Kigenyi, the deputy national coordinator, national coordination office for prevention of trafficking in persons, at the Ministry of Internal Affairs, national celebrations are to be held at Kololo Secondary School in Kampala.

The celebrations will commence with a march under the theme, leave no child behind in the fight against trafficking persons.

Kigenyi also explains the relevance of this years theme.

Globally and statistically up to a third the total number of victims trafficking persons are children, youth and this is no exception even in Uganda, owing to our counter trafficking person report, it indicates that 50.69% cases and victims were children, Kigenyi said.
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khaskhabar.com : , 30  2024 2:07 PM
AS house prices continue to soar, cash-strapped buyers will want to keep any moving costs to a minimum. Though some costs are unavoidable, recent research by Switcher.ie found that households could save almost 5,600 with five simple steps.

1. Solicitor fees. Legal costs, which cover the transfer of your old home to its new owners, can be charged as a flat fee or, more usually, a percentage of the purchase price: typically between 1 and 3%. Prices vary, so you should always compare multiple quotes. Though cheapest isnt always best, opting for a fixed fee could save you thousands.

Fixed-rate example + VAT: 1,783. 1% of house price + VAT: 4,120 (based on 1% of the median property price in Ireland in April 2024  335,000). Saving: 2,337.

2. Estate agent fees. Though prices differ from agent to agent, they'll typically cost between 1-3% of the house sale price. Some estate agents also offer fixed instead of commission-based fees, which could cut prices significantly  but always compare quotes before listing your property. Remember to do your research and look for fully licensed agents with a good reputation and experience in dealing with properties similar to yours.

Fixed-rate example + VAT: 1,475. 1% of house price + VAT: 4,120. Saving: 2,645.

3. Removal costs. Removals can be one of the heftiest expenses when buying a new home. The distance, the number of bulky, heavy items, and the day of the week you move all impact the price and the level of service required. Declutter as much as possible, choose an off-peak moving day midweek, and consider packing yourself to cut average moving costs by 40%.

Example cost: 1,350. Example 40% saving: 540.

4. Mortgage protection insurance. Youll need mortgage protection insurance to pay out and clear your mortgage balance if you die during the term. Though its not compulsory, you can opt for a policy with your mortgage lender or shop around for a less costly plan that matches your needs. In both cases, always read the policy documents carefully. According to Emero Insurance, the average cost for dual mortgage protection in 2023 was around 30, but the premium will depend on a range of factors. Some providers, like Zurich, offer a 15% discount on online policies.

Example cost: 360 per year. 15% saving: 54.

5. Home insurance. Youll also need home insurance to protect your new home in the event of fire or other damage, and you could qualify for a multi-policy discount of around 5% when you buy another insurance policy  like car or mortgage protection  from the same insurer. Buildings insurance covers the structure of your home - all four walls and the roof, as well as all permanent fixtures and fittings - but youll also need contents insurance to cover personal possessions like clothes, jewellery and home furnishings.

Example cost: 655 per year. 5% saving: 33.

Moving home can be an upheaval, but doing your research, planning ahead and comparing costs can make for a smoother changeover and save you thousands, said Eoin Clarke, commercial director of Switcher.ie.

Opting for a mid-week move, decluttering where possible, and packing things yourself can minimise removal costs, while a fixed-rate solicitor or estate agent fee can be considerably cheaper than a percentage-based one.

Remember to research first, be wary of hidden costs, compare multiple quotes and read the small print carefully. Bundling your car insurance and home insurance with one provider means you can enjoy a multi-policy discount and save even more.
The trial of a man charged with the murder of a Newbridge man described as a kind soul collapsed on Friday.

An issue over the evidence to be given by witnesses led to the Mr Justice Burns ending the trial.

Brian Ibe, of fixed abode and formerly of Moore Park, Newbridge, Co Kildare, and the Peter McVerry Trust, Dublin 12, had pleaded not guilty by reason of insanity to the murder of Peter Kennedy in Newbridge between April 28th, 2020, and May 12th, 2020.

Mr Ibe (23) had also pleaded not guilty by reason of insanity to a charge of assault causing harm to Garda Brendan ODonnell at Newbridge Garda station on 29 April 2020.

Mr Justice Burns told the jury that the court had been informed that additional witnesses were to be called by the defence but that the prosecution had not believed those witnesses were to be called as experts.

Only witnesses classified as experts are allowed to give their opinions in evidence, as opposed to regular witnesses, who can only testify to factual matters.

The judge told the jury that the court would not be able to deal with that scenario for "a couple of months".

Mr Justice Burns said that without the jury's "work and willing participation", the criminal justice system would not operate and he excused the seven women and five men from jury service for five years.

The case is listed again before the Central Criminal Court on Wednesday.

The jury had been told at the opening of the trial last week that a kind man fatally assaulted in his own home had allowed Mr Ibe and his mother to stay at the address until they found their own accommodation.

Fiona Murphy SC, for the state, told the jury that Mr Kennedy was a kind soul, who loved helping people out and who had worked in the Probation Service.

Ms Murphy said it would be the prosecutions case that 18 months before Mr Kennedy's death, Mr Ibes mother had moved into the house in Newbridge, with the accused joining her later.

Ms Murphy said it is the prosecutions case that Mr Kennedy became unhappy with the behaviour of the accused, and that in December 2019, gardai were called to the house by Mr Kennedy over verbal disputes.

Ms Murphy said that although Mr Kennedy allowed Mr Ibe to stay on at the house, the accused left to go to Dublin.

Mr Kennedy allowed Mr Ibes mother to come and go from the house because he had heard she had been living in her car for periods, counsel said.

It was the States case that on the night of the killing, Mr Ibe took a taxi from Dublin to Newbridge and made his way to the house, smashed a window to gain entry, and attacked Mr Kennedy.

Ms Murphy said Mr Kennedy sustained serious head injuries and died on 12 May 2020, at Beaumont Hospital.

Counsel said it was not disputed that the accused caused the death of Mr Kennedy, but that it was for the jury to determine whether Mr Ibe was suffering with a mental illness such that it would allow for the defence of not guilty by reason of insanity.

The trial was expected to last up to two weeks.
Until he decided to take the plunge and investigate his ancestry, John Portmann always assumed he was Scandinavian.

John was handed over to the Sisters of Mercy in Phoenix (Arizona) as a baby and grew up in an adoptive family.

Throughout his youth, he never sought out information about his birth parents and family over fears of what he might find, but that changed a few years ago when he decided to take a DNA test.

READ NEXT - Kilkenny student court challenges their expulsions from Dundalk Institute of Technology

To his astonishment, the DNA test came back to state that his DNA was 100% Irish.

Having never even really considered Ireland in his thoughts before, this changed everything.

Astonishingly, further research revealed that he also had huge links specifically to Kilkenny.

My great-grandfather James Matthew Delehunty was born in Granger Parish, Kilkenny in April 1839, he told Kilkenny Live.

Picture: James Delehanty (John's great-grandfather), who left Kilkenny age 9

As a nine-year-old boy, he emigrated to the United States with his parents during the Great Famine.

The family changed its name from Delehunty to Delehanty  no one seems to know why.

The family settled near Minneapolis, Minnesota. My understanding is that the family chose this remote area because the United States was offering free land to settlers.

The settlers created a town called Kilkenny, Minnesota and constructed a Catholic Church named after Saint Canice.

John later discovered records that go even beyond his great-grandfather James.

His grandfather Edmund Delehunty was born in Kilkenny on 18 May 1772, John explained.

Edmund and his wife Mary (birth unknown) had Michael Delehunty in Kilkenny in October 1796.

Michael married Judith Shea, who was born in Kilkenny in 1809. Michael and Judith took their nine-year-old son James (my great-grandfather) to America (because of the Great Famine).

Last October, John visited Ireland on a mission of personal discovery, and made Kilkenny a huge focal point of his visit.

I went straight to Kilkenny, he said. I thought it was very beautiful and was surprised by the number of tourists milling about.

I tried to see all the sights but remember particularly vividly walking toward a young man in the street.

I visit London a few times a year and attend Mass at St Patricks Church (near Waterloo Station).

Father Rory, an Irish priest, presides over what was apparently in the twentieth century a largely Irish parish. I remember Father Rory, who holds a Ph.D. in engineering, mentioning in a homily years ago the fact he has a twin brother in Ireland; the twin is also a priest.

While walking down a tourist-strewn street in Kilkenny, I spotted this man and cried out, Rory! The man stopped and smiled.

He indicated that he was not Rory and asked if I knew his brother. What a coincidence! This man, a priest at Black Abbey, was Father Rorys brother.

John explained that he cant wait to return back to Kilkenny in 2025.

Unfortunately for John he also discovered, through the course of his research, that his birth father had died in 2005 and his birth mother died in 2019, just before he decided to start his search.

John has since been awarded Irish citizenship based solely on DNA and believes he is one of the first people, if not the first, to be awarded Irish citizenship in this way.

He continues to work as an author and professor of religious studies at the University of Virginia.
A lot of water has passed under the River Suir Bridge since tensions peaked in 2017 around the county boundary dispute between Kilkenny and Waterford.

While the two counties have been jostling like adolescent brothers for a long time now, maybe just maybe we are starting to see the tide turning.

READ NEXT - Gardai joke as Armagh supporters 'hijack' Kilkenny City train

Communication and hearing the other sides views on matters of common concern has been central to ensuring the potential of planned infrastructure in the region is realised.

From my experience of attending Piltown Municipal District meetings in Ferrybank in recent years, Ive personally seen how this collaboration is driving better results.

Kilkenny County Council and Waterford City and County Council have been working collaboratively in recent years on a number of projects that will benefit the citizens of both counties such as the South-East Greenway and North Quays Project.

That renewed level of cooperation will also play a huge role in developing an upcoming comprehensive new local area plan for Ferrybank and Belview and has also, thanks to the drive of South Kilkenny councillors, informed the Waterford Metropolitan Area Strategic Plan.

Perhaps it is fitting timing that the former Deputy Chief Executive and Director of Economic Development and Planning at Waterford City and County Council, Lar Power, is the current Chief Executive of Kilkenny County Council.

Perhaps it is even more fitting that Sean McKeown, Director of Services and former acting Chief Executive of Kilkenny County Council, will assume the role of Chief Executive of Waterford City and County Council in a matter of weeks.

One hopes that both Chief Executives will undoubtedly endeavour to build on this renewed collaboration between both counties, using the experience theyve both garnered from being on the other side of the border.

The signs are bright. Just think of Belview Port, as a shining example.

Not only has Belview Port established itself as a huge economic driver for both counties, but its impact continues to grow.

It was recently confirmed that the port was rapidly becoming a hub for the importation of wind turbine infrastructure into Ireland, an ever-growing industry.

It also serves as a docking point for cruise ships for some of the worlds biggest cruise lines, bringing thousands of seasonal tourists to both Kilkenny and Waterford.

On a regional South-East level, Cabinet approval that the Rosslare-Waterford railway line will be put forward for inclusion within the EUs TEN-T rail network must be welcome news for both counties.

This recommendation formed part of the All-Island Strategic Review, which was published in July 2023.

A strong partnership between Kilkenny and Waterford will also be vital to driving a strong South-East region that is growing ever more connected.

Im not saying we should both withdraw our claims to the rock over the train station, our claims over who really runs Ferrybank, nor am I calling for Waterford people to shout for Ballyhale over Ballygunner.

Its just nice to see two bickering brothers finally starting to get along, and long may that continue.

No more attempts at land grabs though, please!

FOR MORE LOCAL NEWS, CLICK HERE
Gardai have confirmed that the two men who were in the helicopter which crashed near Killucan, Co. Westmeath this afternoon died at the scene.

The incident happened near Killucan, near Joristown, at around 3.30pm.

The area, with a population of a few hundred people, is roughly 15km from Mullingar.

The helicopter had been certified as flightworthy in the last 12 months, and had taken a short successful flight this morning.

In a statement this evening, a garda spokesperson confirmed that the two people on board the aircraft "were pronounced deceased at the scene".

Gardai are now liaising with the family of one of the victim's families. The victim was an Irish man in his forties.

Gardai also confirmed that they are continuing "to establish contact" with the next of kin of the second victim, a man in his forties who is understood to be from Eastern Europe. The assistance of Interpol may be used to contact the man's family.

Both bodies have been removed from the scene to Regional Hospital Mullingar where post mortems will take place in due course. The local Coroner has been notified.

Westmeath Fire and Rescue Service and the National Ambulance Service have now left the scene.

FlightRadar, which tracks the paths of planes and helicopters, shows that the helicopter took off from Weston Airport at around 2pm today, and then travelled west towards Maynooth. It circled once north of Kinnegad, before disappearing from tracking data north of Kinnegad, close to Raharney, at 3.24pm.

The Air Accident Investigation Unit (AAIU) is the authority for investigating air accidents and serious incidents in Ireland and are the lead agency investigating this aircraft incident.

The scene will remain persevered overnight to allow for this investigation to take place.



An Garda Siochana will assist the AAIU by providing any technical and/or forensic services which may be required in the course of their investigation.

Westmeath Sinn Fein Councillor David Jones told Midlands 103 that the community is shocked by the incident.

"It's a small, very close community, so something like this would have a devastating impact on the local areas. I'm sure the local communities are in shock at the moment, and their thoughts are with all involved".

The Mayor of Mullingar-Kinnegad Municipal District Ken Glynn told RTE that the incident was "shocking and tragic".

"I'm surprised and shocked, it's not something you would expect to hear in your own locality."

He added that his thoughts and prayers are with the families of those involved in the incident and the first responders.

READ MORE - BREAKING: Local communities 'in shock' as first photo emerges of helicopter crash in Westmeath
We are blessed with an abundance of heritage gems to visit across the county of Kilkenny. From unique buildings to fascinating walking trails, one is truly spoiled for choice.

Lets start with a walking trail first, to get the legs going. Its technically more of a hike, but a hike that can be done by people of all ages, including families - Tory Hill in South Kilkenny.

Legend goes that the hill got its name during the Cromwellian conquest of Ireland. Many of the young rebellious Irishmen of the district were seemingly branded as tories (toiraidh), meaning outlaws or bandits, because they often made raids on the attackers, taking shelter in the cover of the hill between raids.

These days, you can follow in their footsteps and let your imagination run wild. There are two looped walks that you can take from the nearby carpark, both of which are worth doing (youll want to visit again anyway).

Keep an eye out for Lough Cullen on your way up, the only lake in Kilkenny - home to legends of witchcraft and ghost hurlers.

READ NEXT - American professors amazing life story and links to Kilkenny

Each looped walk will take you about an hour and a half to complete, giving you plenty of time to check out some other nearby heritage gems including Kilmogue Portal Tomb.

Also known as Leac An Scail, the tomb is noted for being the tallest dolmen of its kind in Ireland. A jewel of local heritage, it can be found pitted amongst the sloping green hills of South-West Kilkenny.

Constructed all the way back around 4000-3000 BC, it has held up so incredibly well throughout the millennia.

Once again, its in a wonderfully peaceful spot and new car parking facilities were recently installed for those seeking better access to the attraction.

Also in South-West Kilkenny, The Lingaun Valley is home to some of Irelands most important heritage sites including the megalithic double passage tomb at Knockroe where hundreds of people gather to celebrate the solstice on December 21.

Other notable sites in the valley include the Killamery High Cross, which was also commissioned by Cerball in the 8th Century, Kilkieran High Crosses, which date back to St Kieran, Kilmacoliver Stone Circle, Carrigadoon Hillfort, Owning Portal Tomb, Lamogue Ogham Stone and the Ahenny High Crosses, which were commissioned in the 8th Century by Cerball mac Dunlaighe.

Although St Canices Cathedral and Round Tower in Kilkenny City gets a lot of deserved attention, many people may not be aware of the wealth of history and heritage that is present at other round towers across the county.

My personal favourite lesser-known round tower to visit is in Tullaherin, on the backroads between Bennettsbridge and Kilfane.

The round tower sits on a site that features two ogham stones and a church that dates back to between the 11th and 13th Century.

Its a great place to reflect and there is signage at the site to explain some of the history. Its rarely ever busy.

Also rarely busy is Kilree Round Tower and High Cross near Kells. Many people visit Kells Priory, one of the largest medieval monuments in Ireland, but arent aware of the round tower and high cross literally just down the road.

If youre looking for a guided tour thats slightly off the beaten track, its well worth paying a visit to Jerpoint Abbey.

Founded in the 12th Century, Jerpoint Abbey is one of the best examples of a medieval Cistercian Abbey in Ireland.

Children can explore the abbey with a treasure hunt available in the nearby visitor centre that houses an excellent exhibition.

From April 1 to September 30, Jerpoint Abbey is open from 9am to 5.30pm, with last admission 45 minutes before closing.

If you ever visit the quaint Kilkenny town of Thomastown or you drive through it on your way to the picture-perfect village of Inistioge, its definitely worth a pause to take in the view of Grennan Castle from the designated roadside viewpoint and picnic area youll meet along your journey.

With the foundation of Thomastown, the eminent Anglo-Norman settler Thomas fitz Anthony built this fine fortress.

Although it now stands in ruin, it is an impressive and unique construction in its style and shape, and is a huge part of the history of charming Thomastown.

Perhaps youre more in the mood to explore some social history? It could well be worth your time paying a visit to the Coal Mining Museum in Castlecomer Discovery Park.

The museums coal mining exhibition comprises a 45-minute tour through Castlecomers coal mining past that takes the visitor on a journey through time.

Finally, if you cant leave the city for whatever reason, dont forget to visit Talbots Tower, an historic gem that is often overlooked or missed by visitors and locals alike.

It is the only surviving complete defensive tower of the city wall circuit in Kilkenny and has undergone an impressive programme of restoration, conservation and interpretation.

Talbots Tower can be accessed via Lower New Street and there is ample seating at the site where you can sit back for a moment and use your imagination to travel back through centuries of history.

FOR MORE LOCAL NEWS, CLICK HERE
A number of events to raise funds for Carlow man, Tom Eustace will take place in County Carlow aiding his road to recovery.

Tom experience a tragic accident when attending a friend's wedding in Rome earlier this year, leaving him in a coma.

He has recently made the trip back home to Ireland, where he is in the Spinal Ward of a Dublin Hospital.

A number of events have been set up to raise funds for the young man this coming week.

Among the events taking place us a tractor run, titled 'Tom's Tractor Run to Recovery'.

There also will be a BBQ, Monster Auction, Live Music, Disco and a Head Shave, all to raise money to help aid Tom's recovery.

Anyone interested in donating for the auction can contact Robin on 086 813 4995 or Matt 087 981 56684.

Details of the event can be seen in the social media post below this article and a link to Tom's GoFundMe can be found by clicking HERE.
JI reports:

The Washington Post, which has been widely criticized for its coverage of the Israel-Hamas war, is under scrutiny again this week for publishing a news story on Thursday that appeared to criticize the parents of Israeli American hostage Omer Neutra for not discussing the suffering in Gaza, despite interviewing the mother and father and including comments in the story from them that the situation in Gaza is horrible.

The article, written by national correspondent Joanna Slater, details Ronen and Orna Neutras visit to Milwaukee to speak at the Republican National Convention on behalf of their son, who has been held hostage by Hamas since Oct. 7. The piece carries a sub-headline inaccurately describing Omer as missing, rather than being held in Gaza, before delving into his parents advocacy, which the story criticizes for a lack of focus on Palestinian suffering.

When the Neutras speak publicly, they dont talk about the ferocity of Israels counterattack, which has killed more than 38,000 Palestinians and left nearly 90,000 injured, according to the Gaza Health Ministry. Swaths of the territory have been pulverized and international experts have warned of looming famine, the story reads, citing death toll figures from the GHM without including in the article or an editors note that the organization is a Hamas-run entity.

Whats happening in Gaza is horrible, Orna said, but Hamas could end it by releasing the hostages. Ronen echoed that sentiment: Hamas is not only holding hostage our son, theyre also holding hostage the people of Gaza, it immediately continues, appearing to disprove the previous paragraphs assertion that they dont they dont talk about the ferocity of Israels counterattack.
China, Africa move to strengthen digital cooperation

Xinhua) 08:53, July 30, 2024

People visit the Photography Exhibition on Pragmatic China-Africa Cooperation under Belt and Road Initiative in Nairobi, Kenya, on March 22, 2024. A photography exhibition highlighting the achievements of China-Africa cooperation under the Belt and Road Initiative (BRI) was inaugurated on Friday in Nairobi, the capital of Kenya. (Xinhua/Han Xu)

BEIJING, July 29 (Xinhua) -- Minister of Industry and Information Technology Jin Zhuanglong said at a forum on Monday in Beijing that China will continue its collaboration in the digital field with African countries, and help them build a "digital Africa."

Jin told the forum on digital cooperation between China and Africa that enterprises will be supported in pragmatic cooperation in such areas as mobile communication, data centers, and submarine and land cables.

Joint efforts will also be made to advance the development and application of digital technologies such as 5G, 6G, network security, high-performance computing and quantum communication, according to Jin.

The establishment of cooperative platforms for capacity building among enterprises, think tanks and universities will be encouraged, the minister added.

An action plan for the development of digital China-Africa cooperation was released during the forum, which was hosted by the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology.

(Web editor: Zhang Kaiwei, Wu Chaolan)
BEIJING, July 29 (Xinhua) -- Chinese President Xi Jinping held talks with President of the Democratic Republic of Timor-Leste Jose Ramos-Horta here on Monday. Noting that the third plenary session of the 20th Communist Party of China Central Committee was held successfully two weeks ago, Xi said China will further comprehensively deepen reform and promote high-quality development and high-level opening up, which will provide new impetus and new opportunities for global economic development and cooperation between China and Timor-Leste. China is ready to work with Timor-Leste to take the two countries' comprehensive strategic partnership to a new level and bring more benefits to the two peoples, he said. Noting that President Ramos-Horta is the founding father of Timor-Leste and the founder of China-Timor-Leste friendship, Xi said Ramos-Horta's visit is the first state visit by a Timor-Leste president to China, which is of great historical significance. China and Timor-Leste enjoy a long-standing traditional friendship, with China being the first country to recognize Timor-Leste's independence and establish diplomatic ties with Timor-Leste, Xi said. He noted that since the establishment of diplomatic ties, the two countries have always treated each other with sincerity and helped each other, setting an example of mutual respect, peaceful coexistence and common development for countries with different political systems, development levels, histories and cultures. He added that China is ready to work with Timor-Leste to lead the long-term and stable development of bilateral relations. "First, we need to firmly support each other and build a higher-level bilateral relationship," Xi said, adding that China firmly supports Timor-Leste's efforts to safeguard national unity and social stability, and stands ready to deepen strategic coordination and cooperation with Timor-Leste in an all-round way, safeguard the sovereignty and security interests of the two countries, and move toward the general direction of building a community with a shared future. "Second, we need to pursue mutually beneficial and win-win cooperation of higher quality," Xi said, calling on the two countries to focus on cooperation in the four key areas of industrial revitalization, infrastructure development, grain self-sufficiency and improvement of people's livelihood. Xi also called on both countries to take the signing of the Belt and Road cooperation plan as an opportunity to synergize their development strategies, share experience and technology in water conservancy construction, water-saving irrigation, disaster prevention and reduction, implement agricultural cooperation such as rice cultivation, advance cooperation in terms of fisheries and poverty reduction, and help Timor-Leste develop its economy independently and in diversified ways. "Third, we should jointly promote the development of the Global South, carry out multilateral cooperation at a higher level, carry forward the spirit of the Five Principles of Peaceful Coexistence, strengthen coordination and cooperation in the United Nations, the World Trade Organization and other multilateral platforms, jointly advocate an equal and orderly multi-polar world and an economic globalization that benefits all, and promote the building of a community with a shared future for humanity," he said. Xi noted that China is willing to carry out more bilateral and tripartite cooperation with Timor-Leste within the frameworks of the Forum for Economic and Trade Cooperation between China and Portuguese-Speaking Countries and the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations. Ramos-Horta said that he has visited China many times since 1976 and witnessed with his own eyes the earth-shaking changes that have taken place in China. He added that under the leadership of President Xi, China has eliminated absolute poverty, which is a miracle of mankind. Ramos-Horta said that in the face of profound changes in the international situation, China has firmly upheld multilateralism, and proposed the Belt and Road Initiative and a series of other important global initiatives. China has also facilitated reconciliation between Saudi Arabia and Iran, as well as among Palestinian factions, making significant contributions to regional and global peace and development, thereby demonstrating China's role and influence as a peaceful and responsible major country in today's world. He also thanked China for its long-term valuable support for Timor-Leste's economic and social development and response to the COVID-19 pandemic, adding that Timor-Leste hopes to further consolidate and develop the comprehensive strategic partnership with China, and strengthen cooperation in food security, infrastructure construction and other fields. Timor-Leste firmly adheres to the one-China principle, believes that Taiwan is an inalienable part of the Chinese territory, opposes "Taiwan independence" and interference by external forces, and supports all efforts by China to safeguard national sovereignty and territorial integrity, Ramos-Horta stressed. The South China Sea issue should be independently resolved by the countries concerned through negotiations, and Timor-Leste is willing to work with China and other countries in the region to jointly safeguard peace and stability in the South China Sea, he stated. Ramos-Horta added that Timor-Leste highly appreciates President Xi's great vision of building a community with a shared future for humanity, which reflects the wisdom of the ancient oriental civilization, and stands ready to enhance communication and coordination with China under multilateral frameworks. After the talks, the two heads of state witnessed the signing of the Belt and Road cooperation plan and multiple bilateral cooperation documents in the fields of agriculture, green development, digital economy and air transport. The two sides also issued a joint statement on strengthening their comprehensive strategic partnership.
By Yi Whan-woo

The Korea Minting and Security Printing Corp. (KOMSCO) is stepping up efforts to leverage decades of expertise in printing technology by transforming into a business entity that also delves into the realm of art and other forms of creative cultural content.

The countrys sole manufacturer of banknotes and coins, KOMSCO, announced Tuesday that it kicked off a special exhibition on replicated images of masterpiece paintings from Korea and abroad.

The exhibition runs through Sept. 1 at KOMSCOs Currency Museum in Daejeon, featuring images that are produced using the companys intaglio printing know-how.

It is KOMSCOs first art exhibition aimed at introducing the intaglio printing method.

From Korea, the images include ones by 18th-century painters from the Joseon Dynasty, such as "Portrait of a Beauty" by Shin Yun-bok and "Inwang jesaekdo," a landscape painting by Jeong Seon.

Among the images of Western paintings are "Cafe Terrace at Night" by Vincent van Gogh in 1888 and "Woman with a Parasol  Madame Monet and Her Son" by Claude Monet in 1875.

The exhibition arrives as the state-run KOMSCO, in a bid to adapt to a cashless society, is making a concerted effort to move away from its traditional business model.

In return, it is undergoing sweeping reforms to specialize in creative cultural content, as well as information and communications technology (ICT) and exports.

We came up with this special exhibition to raise public awareness on KOMSCOs counterfeit deterrent technologies in currency production, and notably intaglio printing method, through images of beautiful art pieces, KOMSCO CEO Sung Chang-hoon said.

He expressed hope in gaining the public's attention and interest in how KOMSCOs printing technology can be leveraged in the art world.

During the exhibition, visitors will also have a chance to experience the intaglio printing method on their own.

In addition, KOMSCO will give out free calendars that are made using intaglio printing.

Also called plate printing, intaglio printing uses ink to produce images that are incised into the surface of a plate, usually made of steel. The excess ink is removed from the non-image area of the plate, thereby leaving ink only in the engraved recessed areas.

Intaglio printing is a specialized form of printing technology, and thus, it is used for documents that require authenticity, such as currency notes, gold bars, commemorative medals, postage stamps and passports as well as forms of IDs manufactured by KOSMCO.

Founded in 1951 and headquartered in Daejeon, KOMSCO operates under the Ministry of Economy and Finance and maintains a close partnership with the Bank of Korea.
By Lee Yeon-woo

The CEOs of Korea's top five banks  KB Kookmin, Shinhan, Hana, Woori and NH Nonghyup  are nearing the end of their current terms by the end of this year.

As they have collectively reported robust profits in the first half of this year, their management ability, particularly the execution of internal controls, will influence their reappointment, according to market observers on Tuesday.

The terms of KB Kookmin Bank CEO Lee Jae-keun, Shinhan Bank CEO Jung Sang-hyuk, Hana Bank CEO Lee Seung-lyul, Woori Bank CEO Cho Byung-kyu and NH NongHyup Bank CEO Lee Seok-yong will all expire by the end of this year. Except for KB's Lee, who secured another term last year, all are serving their first terms.

The succession process is scheduled to begin in earnest this September. Financial authorities mandate that all non-state-owned banks initiate their management succession protocols three months prior to the expiration of their CEO's term.

The most closely watched figure is KB's Lee. Although the bank faced the highest loss related to equity-linked securities (ELS) tied to the performance of the Hang Seng China Enterprises Index (HSCEI) in the first half of the year, it made a successful rebound in the second quarter.

Shinhan's Jung is lauded for his steady leadership after his predecessor, Han Yong-gu, stepped down suddenly for health reasons just a month into his tenure. Under Jung's guidance, Shinhan reclaimed its position as the leading bank in the first half of this year.

Hana's Lee is also credited with elevating the bank's competitiveness in asset management, global business and pensions. Woori's Cho is focusing on corporate finance and asset management, aiming to make the bank the top performer in annual net profit. NH's Lee is achieving positive results in enhancing digital environments.

However, the specter of internal control failures looms large.

Woori Bank, for instance, was rocked by a major scandal in June when an employee embezzled 17.7 billion won ($12.7 million) through fraudulent loan applications.

In March, KB Kookmin Bank experienced embezzlement incidents involving inflated collateral value of real estate, resulting in losses exceeding 10.4 billion won.

NH Nonghyup Bank also has faced financial incidents totaling over 17 billion won, as an employee embezzled 10.9 billion won due to excessive lending. In May, two more embezzlement incidents amounting to 6.4 billion won occurred.

As the Financial Supervisory Service (FSS) recently set guidelines for "best practices for bank governance," the transition of management is expected to be conducted under the financial watchdog's scrutiny. In its regular inspections starting in the second half of this year, the FSS also plans to evaluate banks' efforts to improve corporate governance.

"It is important to find a balance that can satisfy both the authorities' desired policies and the companies' managerial autonomy," an industry official said.
Regulations fail to keep pace with growth of e-commerce industry

By Jun Ji-hye

Ku Young-bae, the embattled founder and CEO of Singapore-based Qoo10, who is at the center of a snowballing payment and refund delay crisis involving two Korean e-commerce platforms, vowed to offer "everything I have" to address the severe cash crunch facing the companies.

Appearing at a National Assembly hearing on Tuesday, Ku apologized to the affected businesses, partner companies and consumers of TMON and WeMakePrice for failing to repay the vendors using their services.

This marked Ku's first public appearance since the payment delay issue erupted at WeMakePrice on July 8.

According to the Ministry of Economy and Finance, the unpaid bills identified so far are estimated at about 210 billion won ($152 million), but the amount is feared to escalate, with some speculating the figure to rise to 1 trillion won. Many consumers who purchased products and services through these platforms are also facing delays in receiving their refunds.

When asked about the amount of funds and personal assets that can be mobilized, Ku said, The (Qoo10) group can mobilize 80 billion won. However, it is uncertain whether all of this amount can be used (to resolve the issue).

Ku said revenues generated by the two platforms were used mostly on promotional activities amid a price-cutting war with rivals.

He also said, I have put all my assets into the company. When the companys stock value was high, it was valued at up to 500 billion won.

He then slurred the end of his sentences, suggesting uncertainty about how the equity collateral situation will ultimately play out.

Ku acknowledged that funds from the two online marketplaces were used to pay for the acquisition of Wish, the global online shopping mall based in North America and Europe, in February.

The cash used for this payment amounted to $45 million, and funds from TMON and WeMakePrice were temporarily mobilized but were repaid within a month, he said, asserting that he believes this payment is unrelated to the delays in the two firms payments to sellers and refunds to customers.

The two firms filed for corporate rehabilitation the previous day, saying their financial condition cannot be restored through self-rescue measures.

The Ministry of Justice imposed an overseas travel ban on Ku, while the Seoul Central District Prosecutors Office set up a special investigation team to look into suspected irregularities related to the incident.

During the Assembly hearing, Financial Supervisory Service (FSS) Governor Lee Bok-hyun said there were already "strong signs of illegal activities" detected during the financial authorties' fund-tracing process.

"We dispatched nearly 20 investigators to the prosecutor's office. We will also cooperate with the Fair Trade Commission to the fullest extent possible," Lee said.

Lax regulations

The situation has highlighted problems with lax regulations and oversight by financial authorities in the rapidly growing e-commerce industry.

Critics argue that regulations have failed to keep pace with the industry's growth, as the transaction volume of online marketplaces has surged approximately 340-fold over 20 years  from 660 billion won in 2000 to about 227 trillion won last year.

Insufficient supervision by financial authorities has also been criticized for contributing to the liquidity crisis at the two firms.

Criticism is focused on the lack of regulations regarding the management of the settlement cycle, which refers to the time it takes for platform operators to repay sellers, and settlement funds, which pertain to the amounts owed to the sellers.

Since there are no clear regulations defining the settlement cycle, it varies significantly by company, ranging from a minimum of one week to a maximum of two months.

According to industry officials, TMON and WeMakePrice had a settlement cycle of approximately 70 days.

However, this is merely an internal policy set by the platforms, and even if it is violated, there are no legal means to enforce it or protect the sellers.

This leaves sellers in a situation where they have no choice but to wait for the platforms to make payments properly.

Also, there is no way to regulate the settlements made by platform operators even if they use the funds to repay their debts or spend the money elsewhere.

This was evidenced by Kus acknowledgement that TMON and WeMakePrices funds were used to acquire Wish.

Financial authorities are now discussing the mandatory use of an escrow system enabling settlement funds to be entrusted to a third-party financial institution and paid out promptly to sellers. But skeptics say this is a belated measure.

Additionally, the lax supervision by authorities has been criticized, as it was revealed that they did not take proactive measures despite identifying issues with the capital and solvency ratios of the two companies two years ago.

At the time, the authorities only signed non-binding management improvement agreements with the two firms.

In response to the criticism, the FSS governor said, "We apologize for falling short of our supervisory responsibilities," and added that his agency will discuss measures to improve related systems.
Australian Foreign Minister Penny Wong on Tuesday condemned North Korea's military pact with Russia as being "destabilizing and risky for the world."

She made the remarks while speaking to reporters in the Demilitarized Zone (DMZ) separating the two Koreas, as North Korea and Russia have been deepening their military and other cooperation.

"I also want to address the security pact between North Korea and Russia. Once again, this is destabilizing and risky for the world," Wong said.

North Korean leader Kim Jong-un and Russian President Vladimir Putin signed a new treaty on partnership during their summit in Pyongyang in June. The mutual defense pact calls for them to provide military and other assistance "without delay" if either country is invaded or enters a state of war.

"Once again, we see Russia acting in ways that are not conducive to peace, but rather escalatory," Wong said, adding that North Korea's weapons supplies to Russia for Moscow's war in Ukraine are a flagrant violation of United Nations Security Council resolutions.

Pyongyang and Moscow have denied conducting any arms transactions.

Wong also called for further cooperation with South Korea in various sectors, ranging from economics to defense.

"We see South Korea as being very important in enabling the strategic balance in the region," she said.

Regarding South Korea's potential participation in the AUKUS security partnership, Wong said such interest "is a reminder that we need a strategic balance in the region."

The AUKUS partnership, launched in September 2021, has drawn attention in South Korea after a U.S. official in March mentioned South Korea and Japan as potential partners under consideration by AUKUS members to cooperate in high-tech areas, known as Pillar 2, which covers quantum computing, artificial intelligence, and hypersonics.

Later in the day, Wong met with her South Korean counterpart, Cho Tae-yul, in Seoul to bolster cooperation in defense and other sectors.

The meeting comes two months after the foreign and defense ministers of the two countries held the "two plus two" meeting in Melbourne in May.

Wong arrived in Seoul after attending summits in Laos at a gathering of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) bloc and joining a meeting of Quad foreign ministers in Tokyo with counterparts from the United States, Japan and India. (Yonhap)
North Korea on Tuesday appointed new ambassadors to Vietnam and Singapore after years of delay due to the North's COVID-19-related border shutdown.

North Korea appointed Ri Sung-guk as the country's new top envoy to Vietnam, replacing his predecessor Kim Myong-gil, according to the foreign ministry.

The post had remained vacant since Kim returned to North Korea in April 2019, months before the outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic. Details about Ri were not available as the North's state media have not carried any report about him so far.

The North also appointed Ri Kil-song as the country's ambassador to Singapore. He appears to be a former vice foreign minister who had handled Asian affairs until 2020.

It marked the first time in about more than three years that North Korea has named new ambassadors following the appointment of Ri Ryong-nam, the North Korean ambassador to China, in 2021.

North Korea has allowed new top envoys from China, Mongolia and Cuba to begin their official duty in the North since last year, as it started easing its border restrictions in August 2023. (Yonhap)
Korea and China have agreed to continue communications to ensure stable supply chains and spur bilateral trade and investment during their economic talks in Beijing, Seoul's foreign ministry said Tuesday.

Kim Jin-dong, director-general for bilateral economic affairs at the ministry, met with his Chinese counterpart, Wang Liping, on Monday, according to the ministry.

Since 1993, the two nations have held such annual talks to review progress over bilateral economic cooperation, attended by director-general level officials from Seoul's foreign ministry and China's commerce ministry.

Both sides agreed Monday to continue their communication to stably manage the supply chains and invigorate bilateral trade and investment through various economic consultative channels, including a meeting of the Joint Economic Commission to be held within this year.

They also discussed ways to boost regional economic cooperation and exchanges in cultural content and protect the intellectual property rights, the ministry said.

China is Korea's largest trade partner, with their two-day trade recorded at $266 billion last year, according to Seoul's trade ministry. (Yonhap)
South Korea is not ruling out the possibility of North Korea conducting a nuclear test before or after the U.S. presidential election in November to bolster its leverage, Seoul's defense chief said in a media interview published Monday.

South Korean Defense Minister Shin Won-sik made the remarks in an interview with Bloomberg in Tokyo on Sunday as he was in the Japanese capital for a trilateral meeting with his U.S. and Japanese counterparts, Lloyd Austin and Minoru Kihara.

"North Korea has completed preparations to conduct a nuclear test when a decision is made," Shin said. "We cannot rule out the possibility of that decisive moment being right before or after the U.S. presidential election to raise its leverage against the U.S."

Concerns have persisted that Pyongyang could engage in provocative acts to highlight its military presence and elicit more U.S. policy attention as the U.S. is set to hold the general election to pick a successor to President Joe Biden who dropped out of the presidential race recently.

Seoul officials have long said that Pyongyang has made preparations required for what would be its seventh nuclear test at a time when it has been pursuing the deployment of tactical nuclear weapons under an aggressive nuclear policy.

Pyongyang last carried out an underground nuclear test in 2017.

During the interview with Bloomberg, Shin also said that Seoul, Washington and Tokyo will reach a deal to "standardize" the tracking of missiles fired from North Korea.

The three countries have already launched a system to share North Korean missile warning data in real time as they have been stepping up trilateral cooperation against North Korean threats.

At the trilateral meeting in Tokyo, Shin, Austin and Kihara signed a trilateral security cooperation framework designed to further solidify the three countries' three-way collaboration to counter North Korean threats. (Yonhap)
A military court has issued a warrant to arrest an official at the military's intelligence command for allegedly leaking information of South Korean espionage agents operating overseas, the defense ministry said Tuesday.

The civilian official at the Korea Defense Intelligence Command, whose identity is withheld, is suspected of handing over personal information of so-called black agents to a Chinese national of Korean descent.

Black agents refer to intelligence officials conducting undercover espionage activities overseas against North Korea with their identities in disguise.

Military authorities are believed to have detected signs that the leaked intelligence might have been handed over to North Korea. There is a possibility that the Chinese national could be an informant for North Korea's Reconnaissance General Bureau, the country's intelligence agency.

Classified data stored at internal computers at the intelligence command was transferred to the official's personal laptop, and ultimately was found to be leaked to a third party.

The official denied the alleged leak of military intelligence, claiming that his laptop was hacked. (Yonhap)
The driver in the fatal car crash near Seoul City Hall was arrested Tuesday, about a month after the accident that left nine people dead.

The Seoul Central District Court issued an arrest warrant for the driver, known only by his last name, Cha, citing a flight risk.

The court held a hearing earlier in the day to determine whether to issue a writ for the 68-year-old.

Ahead of the hearing, Cha, who appeared in public for the first time, repeatedly said he was sorry to the victims and their families.

"I am very sorry to the deceased and the bereaved families," Cha, wearing a cap and a facial mask, said as he appeared at the court for the hearing amid a barrage of questions from reporters.

Cha did not answer any of the questions, including why he claimed the crash was caused by sudden unintended acceleration.

Cha, who had been hospitalized for a broken rib up to the court hearing, limped as he headed toward the court. He did not use a wheelchair or crutches.

On July 1, Cha's Hyundai Genesis sedan darted in the wrong direction for some 200 meters on a one-way road near Seoul City Hall before crashing into sidewalk guardrails, hitting pedestrians, and ramming into two other cars.

The crash left nine pedestrians killed, most of them office workers nearby. Seven others, including Cha and his wife, sustained injuries.

Police had requested an arrest warrant for the man last week in light of the gravity of the crime.

Cha repeatedly maintained that the accident was caused by defects in the car, contrary to an analysis by the National Forensic Service, which concluded that the driver is likely to blame for the crash. (Yonhap)
President Yoon Suk Yeol called Tuesday for dealing with the liquidity crisis at e-commerce platforms TMON and WeMakePrice "thoroughly according to the law," his office said.

Yoon gave the instruction during a Cabinet meeting at the presidential office, saying it is the government's duty to "strongly separate and isolate" rule violations in the market, according to presidential spokesperson Jeong Hye-jeon.

"Take action thoroughly according to the law," he was quoted as saying. "The financial authorities must continue to monitor the situation."

TMON and WeMakePrice have failed to pay vendors their earnings amid a liquidity crisis at their Singapore-based owner Qoo10, prompting thousands of customers to swarm the two companies' headquarters and demand refunds.

During the opening of the Cabinet meeting, which was broadcast live, Yoon touted the selection of a South Korean consortium as the preferred bidder for the construction of two nuclear reactors in the Czech Republic.

The project, valued at an estimated 24 trillion won ($17.3 billion), is Korea's first overseas nuclear power plant project since 2009.

"A strong bridgehead has been established to enable our entry into the 1,000 trillion-won global nuclear power market," he said. "I thank deeply all the businesspeople and nuclear sector workers who ran together as Team Korea, and all the people who gave their support."

Yoon again stated plans to draw up a special bill supporting the nuclear power industry, saying it took "much effort" in the process of being selected as the preferred bidder to overcome damaged trust, which he attributed to the nuclear phase-out policy of the previous administration.

"I will personally visit the Czech Republic at an early date to discuss the success of the nuclear power project and ways for in-depth bilateral cooperation," he said.

Yoon also noted the success of a different "Team Korea" competing at the Paris Olympics.

Naming the athletes who have won medals so far, he praised them for further elevating Korea's status in the world.

Yoon additionally reaffirmed plans to protect and support retail investors by scrapping the financial investment income tax, which is set to be introduced next year, and adopting tax incentives that encourage dividend payments. (Yonhap)
Korea's industry ministry said Tuesday the country has been unanimously appointed as the chair of a body dedicated to addressing supply chain crises under the Indo-Pacific Economic Framework (IPEF).

Korea will lead the Crisis Response Network (CRN), one of three arms of the IPEF's Supply Chain Agreement, with the other two being the Supply Chain Council and the Labor Rights Advisory Board, according to the Ministry of Trade, Industry and Energy.

Japan will serve as the vice chair of the CRN.

The IPEF, launched by the United States in 2022, includes 14 member nations, including Australia, India and New Zealand.

The CRN aims to address supply chain disruptions by organizing emergency meetings to facilitate cooperation among member countries. Such meetings can be convened at a ministerial or summit level when necessary, the ministry said.

A meeting can be called at the request of any member country, during which participants will discuss strategies for securing shipping routes, coordinating joint procurement efforts and expediting customs procedures, it added.

"The CRN is an innovative platform where industry leaders like Korea and Japan can collaborate with resource-rich countries such as Australia and Indonesia," Trade Minister Cheong In-kyo said in a statement. (Yonhap)
President Yoon Suk Yeol asked the National Assembly on Tuesday to send a confirmation hearing report for the broadcasting watchdog chief nominee by the end of the day, his office said.

The request was made a day after the Assembly failed to adopt the report for Lee Jin-sook, the nominee to become chief of the Korea Communications Commission, due to objections from the main opposition Democratic Party.

Monday was the legal deadline by which the Assembly had to send a confirmation hearing report to the government, and if Yoon's request is not met, he will be free to formally appoint Lee on Wednesday, as the prime minister is the only Cabinet post that requires parliamentary approval.

Lee underwent a rare three-day confirmation hearing last week amid accusations she used her former positions at public broadcaster MBC to suppress the company's labor union and misuse corporate cards.

Yoon also requested a confirmation hearing report for Kim Byoung-hwan, the nominee to head the Financial Services Commission, by the end of the day. (Yonhap)
Japan is considering holding a commemoration for wartime forced laborers at a former gold mine, which was recently listed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site, as early as September, diplomatic sources said Monday.

The move is part of an agreement between Japan and Korea as the UNESCO World Heritage Committee (WHC) decided to inscribe the mine on Sado Island during its meeting in New Delhi on Saturday. The mine was the world's largest producer of gold in the 17th century.

Korea had initially protested Tokyo's push to list the mine, arguing that Japan intended to omit the part of its history involving thousands of Koreans who were forced to work there during World War II when Korea was under Japan's colonial rule from 1910 to 1945.

It is estimated that over 2,000 Koreans were forcibly mobilized to work under harsh conditions at the Sado mine.

Korea later agreed to the mine's inscription on the condition that Japan faithfully implements the recommendations of the International Council on Monuments and Sites (ICOMOS), an advisory body to the UNESCO WHC, and takes other measures, according to a release from the ministry.

Several locations are being considered for the commemoration ceremony, including the temple near the Aikawa Local Museum, which features an exhibition on Korean laborers at the Sado mine.

The temple, located about a five-minute drive from the museum, has a memorial tower honoring the mine workers, including Korean laborers. In the past, small-scale commemorations have been held at the temple, organized by private groups. (Yonhap)
The government on Tuesday announced the selection of 14 candidate sites for dams to be newly built or renovated for flood and drought control, as well as for water supply.

Environment Minister Kim Wan-sup unveiled the 14 streams nationwide where new dams will be constructed or existing ones will be redeveloped as part of the construction plan in response to global climate change.

They include Yeoncheon in Gyeonggi Province, Yanggu in Gangwon Province and Cheongyang in South Chungcheong Province, each of which will host a new multipurpose dam.

Four other regions, including Hwasun in South Jeolla Province and Cheongdo in North Gyeongsang Province, will each host a water supply dam, while Gimcheon and Yecheon, both in North Gyeongsang Province, will each have a new flood control dam, according to the ministry.

Five other regions  Geoje, Uiryeong, Ulju, Suncheon and Gangjin  will have their existing dams redeveloped into flood control dams.

Each envisioned dam, once completed, will be capable of handling a single rainfall event of up to 220 millimeters, providing effective flood control, the ministry said.

The construction will also provide an additional supply of 250 million tons of water, sufficient to meet the water needs of 2.2 million people.

Starting next month, the ministry plans to hold hearings and briefings with residents of the candidate sites to obtain their consent, a step necessary for these construction plans.

After that, the ministry will need to develop a basic construction plan, conduct feasibility studies and outline implementation plans, finalizing the size, purpose and location of the dams, the ministry noted.

No new dam has been built since the last dam construction project broke ground in Yeongcheon, about 250 kilometers southeast of Seoul, in 2010.

The government claims that building more dams is necessary due to increasing damage from heavier rainfall and more frequent dry spells caused by climate change.

"Given that the construction may take about 10 years even if it starts now, there's no room to delay dam construction any longer amid the current climate change," Environment Minister Kim said.

The construction project, however, is expected to run into numerous obstacles, including objections from environmentalists, budget constraints and compensations for affected residents.

The Korea Federation for Environmental Movements, a civic group on environmental issues, immediately voiced objections, condemning the project as ineffective for flood control or water supply.

"The government plan, announced to safeguard people's lives from extreme floods and droughts caused by climate change, appears to be more about reviving the construction industry under the guise of addressing the climate crisis," the group said. (Yonhap)
By Anna J. Park

The presidential office will reinstate the office tasked solely with managing the first lady's activities, it said Tuesday.

An official from the presidential office said that the reorganization process has begun to revive the office for first lady Kim Keon Hee. The setup is expected to be completed by the end of August, with the office's staff projected to number between five and 10.

The office of the personal secretary to the president has been supporting Kim's activities.

The decision comes amid increasing political attacks from opposition parties against Kim over her alleged involvement in a stock manipulation scandal and her receipt of a luxury bag gifted by a pastor.

In December 2021, President Yoon Suk Yeol, then a presidential candidate, said in a media interview that his administration would abolish the first lady's office to streamline the presidential office's organization and prevent unnecessary issues related to the first lady.

However, earlier this year, Yoon said in a broadcast interview with KBS that the presidential office was reviewing whether to reinstate the first lady's office.

The ruling party's clear majority support for reinstating the office, including from the newly elected party leader, Han Dong-hoon, appears to have been a significant factor in finalizing this decision.

Public opinion, which Yoon mentioned as a prerequisite for retracting his campaign promise, also seems to have played a role. According to a recent public poll by RnSearch conducted from May 3 to 5, 64 percent of respondents said that establishing the first lady's office is necessary.
President Yoon Suk Yeol likely to appoint Lee Jin-sook as new chief of KCC

By Kwak Yeon-soo

The opposition-controlled National Assembly has passed four bills aimed at reducing the governments influence over public broadcasters, after ending a six-day filibuster by the ruling People Power Party (PPP).

The Assembly passed an amendment to the Korea Educational Broadcasting System Act, Tuesday, as opposition parties ended the PPPs filibuster after 24 hours.

The revision aims to increase the number of board directors at public broadcaster EBS from the current nine to 21 and expand the authority to recommend members from the government to media-related academic circles and viewer committees.

A filibuster involves lawmakers holding the floor for extended periods as a way to prevent a vote or to delay the passage of a bill. Under the National Assembly Act, a filibuster can be stopped after 24 hours if at least three-fifths, or 180 lawmakers, consent to it.

The bill was approved in a plenary session with 189 votes in favor out of all 189 lawmakers present. All members of the PPP, which had opposed the bill, walked out of the chamber before voting began.

Rep. Kim Yong-tae of the PPP spoke for 13 hours and 12 minutes on Monday, the longest speech of the filibuster so far.

Following Tuesday's vote, all four broadcasting bills, including amendments to the Broadcasting Act, the Foundation for Broadcast Culture Act, the Korea Educational Broadcasting System Act and the establishment of the Korea Communications Commission (KCC), passed through the National Assembly. They are all intended to reform the governance structure of the nations public broadcast media by weakening the government and Assemblys power to appoint their board directors.

The filibuster staged by PPP lawmakers seeking to block the passage of four contentious bills began on Thursday and continued around the clock for more than 110 hours by Tuesday morning.

The PPP, which holds 108 out of 300 Assembly seats, staged a rally at the National Assembly to condemn the opposition party's unilateral passage of the broadcasting bills.

The main opposition partys attempt to flaunt its power by dominating public broadcasters is rampant. The DPK formed a board of directors in accordance with the current law under the Moon Jae-in administration, but they suddenly changed their stance after becoming the opposition party. Now they are trying to change the governance structure by appointing left-leaning labor union members to dominate the broadcasting industry, said Rep. Choo Kyung-ho, floor leader of the PPP.

The PPP also asked President Yoon Suk Yeol to veto the four bills.

Last year, Yoon vetoed three broadcasting bills, excluding the revision to the act on the establishment of the KCC, after they were passed by the opposition-led Assembly.

Rep. Park Chan-dae, floor leader of the DPK, urged Yoon not to veto the bills.

If President Yoon rejects the four broadcasting bills again, he will be following in the footsteps of former dictators regimes he admires, Park said.

The DPK said the bills were passed overwhelmingly with the participation of seven of the eight political parties. The reason only the PPP opposes the four broadcasting bills is clear. Its because President Yoon wants to fully control public broadcasters, Park added.

The presidential office expressed disappointment over the main opposition partys unilateral move to pass the four bills. We express concerns that there is no social consensus or agreement between the ruling and opposition parties regarding the broadcasting bills, a senior presidential office official said on condition of anonymity.

On Tuesday, Yoon asked the Assembly to send a confirmation hearing report for Lee Jin-sook, who has been nominated to lead the KCC. This came a day after the Assembly's Science, ICT, Broadcasting, and Communications Committee failed to adopt a report for Lee due to objections from the DPK. If the Assembly refuses to send the report by Tuesday, Yoon will be able to push ahead with appointing her as the new chief of the KCC.

Last week, Lee underwent a three-day confirmation hearing and faced an onslaught of attacks by the DPK, which threatened to impeach her if she takes office.
N. Korea likely to send troops to Ukraine in support of Russia: S. Korea's defense chief
By Gwynne Dyer

The Palestinian death toll in the Gaza Strip since last Octobers Hamas attacks on Israeli settlements will reach 40,000 people in the next week or so. (Its back up around 50-100 civilians dead per day).

Around 1,200 Israelis were killed in the October attacks, so nobody can say that Israels response was unprovoked. However, it has been hugely disproportionate, and in many Western cities, there are weekly protest marches against the carnage in the Gaza Strip. However, there have been virtually none in Israel or in the Gaza Strip itself.

To be fair, most Palestinians in the Gaza Strip are too busy running for their lives to protest much. Most families have had to flee multiple times as the focus of the Israeli forces shifts back and forth. Besides, Hamas still has enough control over the population to punish anybody who openly demands a cease-fire.

There are many demonstrations in Israel calling on Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to sign a cease-fire and bring the Jewish hostages home, but none about the fate of the Palestinians. Many even share Netanyahus fantasy that they can have a short cease-fire, get the hostages back and then resume killing Palestinians.

Sorry, let me rephrase that. I should have said: "Resume killing Hamas fighters, knowing full well that five or 10 or 20 Palestinian civilians, about a third of them children, will die as collateral damage for every Hamas fighter who is eliminated." Because that is what is actually happening.

But surely at least Hamas must want the slaughter of Palestinian civilians to stop. No, it does not. Its just as much in favor of the slaughter of the innocents as the Israelis are. Maybe even more so, because Israel only has anger whereas Hamas has a genuine strategy.

From the first day of the planning for Hamas attacks on Israel, its real objective was to get Israel to kill as many Palestinians as possible. Why would Hamas want that? Because it was the only way to derail Netanhayus strategy of sidelining the Palestinians and making peace with all the other Arabs.

Hamas and the other "rejectionist" Palestinian groups have been losing ground for many years. The rest of the Arab world was sick and tired of the confrontation and saw a "two-state" solution (separate Israeli and Palestinian states living side by side) as a lost cause.

To restore its credibility, Hamas needed not only to show some life by attacking Israel. It had to fight the Israelis to a standstill. Since it had no regular army and air force to wage an open battle, it could only do that on home ground, where it could use guerrilla tactics.

Thats what last Octobers attacks were for: to enrage the Israelis so much that they would invade Gaza in force. In Gaza there are endless tightly packed buildings to hide in, and endless tunnels beneath them, and every martyred Palestinian civilian will create more allies and supporters for the Palestinian cause in the Arab world and even further abroad.

Israels generals probably understood what Hamas wanted, but popular anger meant they could not prevent it. They were like the more intelligent American generals in 2001, who realized that the 9/11 attacks were intended to sucker the United States into futile invasions of Arab countries but were still compelled by public opinion to wade into that swamp.

Netanyahu may or may not understand Hamas strategy, but he needs a big, long war himself for two reasons. One is to postpone a public inquiry into his negligence in failing to forestall the October attacks; the other is to hold his ramshackle coalition together. (If he loses office his trial on corruption charges resumes, with jail a possible outcome).

So none of the local players cares a fig about dead Palestinians. Indeed, in the case of Hamas, the more dead Palestinian civilians the better. The only player with the power to force an early cease-fire on the combatants is the United States  but that means Joe Biden, and he probably wont.

In mid-June, I predicted a permanent cease-fire (in Gaza) and a hostage release within a month, six weeks tops, on the grounds that U.S. strategic interests and Bidens own political future both require that this war stops and that Netanyahu relinquishes power. If Biden does not come to the right decision himself, those around him will impose it on him.

Well, they didnt, and they clearly lack the will or the skill to do so now. Although Biden has now stepped down as a presidential candidate, he will still be in office for six months. That may be how long the war in Gaza goes on, too  unless an Israeli war with Hezbollah in the north triggers a larger crisis region-wide.

Gwynne Dyers new book is "Intervention Earth: Life-Saving Ideas from the Worlds Climate Engineers." Last years book, "The Shortest History of War," is also still available.




By Kumar Bishwanath

Dokdo (also known internationally as the Liancourt Rocks and in Japan as Takeshima) is an island located in the East Sea of Korea. South Korea asserts its territorial sovereignty over Dokdo through historical, legal and administrative evidence, arguing that the island has been an integral part of Korean territory for centuries, deeply rooted in historical records and continuous administrative management.

The Korean claim to Dokdo dates back to historical documents from the sixth century. The oldest reference appears in the Samguk Sagi, a historical record from the 918-1392 Goryeo Dynasty, which mentions the ancient state of Usan-guk, believed to include both Ulleung Island and Dokdo. The Sejong Sillokjiriji, compiled in the 15th century, explicitly mentions Dokdo. This document, prepared in 1454, describes the territories of the 1392-1910 Joseon Dynasty and indicates that both Ulleung Island and Dokdo were within Korean territory. Additionally, the Dongguk Yeoji Seungnam, a comprehensive geographical book dating to 1531, reaffirms Koreas administrative control over Dokdo.

Over the centuries, Korea has claimed to have managed Dokdo administratively. Numerous royal decrees and maps from Joseon, such as the Paldochongdo (1530), include Dokdo as part of Korean territory. Korean fishermen and residents of Ulleung Island have historically used Dokdo as a base for fishing, demonstrating a continuous Korean presence and utilization of the island.

Records in the Annals of the Joseon Dynasty from the late 17th century document the Korean government dispatching officials to Dokdo and Ulleung Island to strengthen sovereignty and manage resources. In 1900, the Imperial Edict No. 41 of the Korean Empire placed Dokdo under the jurisdiction of Uldo County, reaffirming Koreas administrative control.

Historical evidence also includes instances where Japan recognized Korean sovereignty over Dokdo. After a diplomatic dispute between Korea and Japan over Ulleung Island in the late 17th century, the Tokugawa Shogunate issued an order prohibiting Japanese nationals from traveling to Ulleung Island and its surrounding areas, implicitly recognizing Korean control over these territories, including Dokdo. Moreover, an 1877 directive from the Japanese government explicitly stated that Ulleung Island and Dokdo were not Japanese territories. This significant evidence is frequently cited by Korean scholars to show that Japan did not consider Dokdo as part of its territory even in the late 19th century.

Post-World War II directives from the Allied Powers, such as the Cairo Declaration (1943) and the Potsdam Declaration (1945), aimed to return territories occupied by Japan to their original owners. Korea interprets these documents as supporting the return of Dokdo, which was unlawfully annexed during the Russo-Japanese War of 1905, to Korean control.

In 1946, the Supreme Commander for the Allied Powers (SCAP) issued SCAPIN No. 677, excluding Dokdo from Japanese administrative control. After Korea was liberated from Japanese colonial rule in 1945, it reasserted control over Dokdo. Since 1954, Korea has maintained a small detachment of police officers on the island, further solidifying its administrative presence.

As discussed above, from the Korean perspective, the historical, legal and administrative evidence strongly supports Dokdo as an inherent part of Korean territory. The consistent documentation of Dokdo in historical records, uninterrupted administrative control, acknowledgment from Japan within a historical context and actions taken after World War II collectively reinforce Koreas position.

For Koreans, Dokdo is more than just a disputed territory; it symbolizes national sovereignty and historical continuity. The island represents the resilience and perseverance of the Korean people in the face of historical challenges.

I learned all of this through a direct experience with the 2024 Global Peace Reporter-Dokdo Exploration program, a three-day event from July 16 to 18. The program, conducted entirely in Korean, was attended mainly by Global Korea Scholarship recipients.

On the first day, July 16, we arrived at Ulleung Island, an island I personally find special. With its beautiful natural scenery, diverse cuisine and various experiential programs, I believe Ulleung Island could become a major tourist destination in Korea within a few years if infrastructure development continues. It might even become attractive enough that Korea may have to limit visitors or impose a tourist tax. If you are planning a trip to Korea, I highly recommend adding Ulleung Island to your list.

On the second day, July 17, we headed towards Dokdo. After breakfast, we hurried to the port, which was already crowded with Koreans eager to visit Dokdo. People were dressed in uniforms, holding Korean flags, and some even adorned their heads with flag decorations, showing the strong emotions Koreans have for Dokdo. After a two-hour boat ride, Dokdo finally came into view. We were excited to see Dokdo, which we had only seen in cosmetics ads or other media. However, due to weather and sea waves, we were unable to land on the island. The group expressed disappointment, with some asking if it wasnt possible to dock under these conditions. But safety and principles are non-negotiable. Instead, we contented ourselves with viewing Dokdo from the boat and took commemorative photos to soothe our disappointment.

There is a saying, You havent truly seen Korea until youve seen Dokdo. The sincere expressions and emotional reactions of the Koreans on the boat made me understand the meaning of this phrase. If you want to gain a deeper insight into the core of Korea, I strongly recommend visiting Ulleung Island and Dokdo.

Kumar Bishwanath, a Ph.D. research scholar from India at the Department of Linguistics, College of Humanities, Seoul National University, and a Global Korea Scholarship (GKS) recipient, specializes in Korean linguistics and contrastive linguistics.
Korea's e-commerce sector requires sound governance, stricter management

After several weeks of crisis caused by delayed payments on Qoo10's two e-commerce platforms, TMON and WeMakePrice, both the Korean government and the founder of the Singapore-based company took action on Monday to address and reduce the damage.

On Tuesday, Ku Young-bae, founder of the Singapore-based Qoo10, appeared before the parliamentary National Policy Committee, apologizing and pledging to use all of his resources to resolve the delayed payments.

His belated appearance and in-person apology should have come sooner. His apology, issued in a statement a day earlier, was called into question when TMON and WeMakePrice filed for court receivership just a few hours later.

Authorities and company officials estimate some 210 billion won ($152 million) in delayed payments, and the figure will likely continue to grow to 300 million won when June and Julys figures are factored in. TMON and WeMakePrice, currently rank as the fourth and fifth- largest e-commerce platforms in the nation. Together, the two platforms support approximately 60,000 domestic vendors and serve around 8.6 million customers.

The crisis came to light earlier this month when vendors at WeMakePrice raised questions about missed payments for the month of May. The payment delays then extended to TMON, affecting travel agencies and travel packages sold during the peak holiday season. Customers rushed en masse to get refunds, but only achieved partial success.

The severity of the crisis led the government to offer 560 billion won ($445 million) in support on Monday, while reiterating the need for Qoo10 and its e-commerce platforms to be held accountable. This aid includes 200 billion won in funds from public institutions to help small merchants and 300 billion won in credit guarantee funds.

The government has also pressured payment firms to assist customers with cancellations and refunds.

In addition, the government announced it would investigate the involved companies to determine if they violated Koreas e-commerce laws.

President Yoon Suk Yeol emphasized, Tuesday, that the case should be handled thoroughly according to the law. Authorities are urged to act decisively, as prosecutors have already imposed travel bans on Ku and other executives from the two e-commerce firms.

Once the immediate crisis is resolved, the governments lax governance over the growing e-commerce sector will need to be revisited.

A similar e-commerce crisis occurred in Korea in 2021 when the online discount app Mergepoint abruptly halted Mergemonys circulation, causing significant disruptions for customers. At that time, the government faced criticism for failing to adequately revise laws related to online commerce.

Officials at the presidential office said the government will consider revising penalties for e-commerce firms in cases of payment settlement issues.

It is indeed timely, as e-commerce has evolved rapidly in Korea. To ensure their long-term sustainability and safeguard their partners and customers, companies in this sector need to implement more robust operations and improve management practices.

The use of funds within TMON and WeMakePrice should be thoroughly investigated. Ku explained to the committee that funds from these firms were used to acquire the North America-based e-commerce platform Wish for $173 million this year, but were repaid within one month. Since founding Qoo10 in Singapore in 2010, Ku acquired TMON in 2022, followed by Interpark Commerce and WeMakePrice the next year.

The aggressive expansion of the Singapore-based firm in recent years, along with its management of vendor payments and customer refund policies, points to a need for a general overhaul of e-commerce sector.
















SK Telecom said Tuesday it has launched its artificial intelligence-based veterinary care assistance service X Caliber in Southeast Asia.

The mobile carrier signed a deal with local companies to supply X Caliber in Malaysia, Thailand and Vietnam, according to the Korean company.

X Caliber is an AI-based veterinary X-ray image diagnosis assistance service launched in Korea in 2022.

The service is already available in Thailand and Vietnam and will arrive in Malaysia in the third quarter, the company explained.

SKT also launched the service in Australia and North America earlier this year. (Yonhap)
By Ko Dong-hwan

CJ Olive Young promoted its beauty products to American K-pop fans who gathered in Los Angeles for KCON LA 2024, according to Koreas major beauty product curator and seller, Tuesday.

The beauty arm of CJ Group opened booths during the three-day festival starting Friday. The booths, among other major Korean companies like Samsung Electronics and Paldo, drew crowds at the Los Angeles Convention Center. The booths totaled 360 square meters, the largest since 2016, when the company first began participating in the annual KCON festivities to showcase its curated beauty products to K-pop fans.

The booths showcased the most popular beauty products available in Olive Youngs offline stores and online, including the Olive Young Global Mall. Part of the booths was Olive Young Express, where the companys top 100 items were shown as well as new beauty brands currently being supported by the Korea SMEs and Startups Agency.

Over 70 small- and mid-sized Korean beauty product developers showcased their 210 products at the booths. The companies have been receiving diverse support from Olive Young, the Ministry of SMEs and Startups and the Ministry of Food and Drug Safety to help expand their global markets.

Olive Young has been the gateway for Koreas beauty product SMEs connecting to global consumers, a company official said.

Were currently focusing on markets in Japan and North America. As Italian gastronomy and French fashion have become global symbols, well establish Korea as a leading nation in beauty."

Olive Young Global Mall, which opened in 2019, is now selling some 10,000 items in 150 countries. The number of its members during the first half of this year jumped by 50 percent year-on-year and its sales by 80 percent. About 70 percent of its customers are concentrated in the United States and Canada.
Venezuela opposition leader Maria Corina Machado said on Monday that the country's opposition has 73.2 percent of the voting tallies from Sunday's election, allowing it to prove election results it says give it a victory.

The national electoral authority has proclaimed incumbent President Nicolas Maduro the winner of the vote, giving him a third term in office and extending 25 years of socialist party rule.

But independent pollsters called that result implausible, and opposition leaders and foreign observers urged the electoral authority to release vote tallies.

The tallies in possession of the opposition showed a total of 2.75 million votes for Maduro and 6.27 million for his rival, former diplomat Edmundo Gonzalez, Machado said.

The numbers were sharply different to the 5.15 million votes the electoral authority said Maduro had won, compared to 4.45 million for Gonzalez.

Witnesses assigned to observe vote counts have a right to a copy of each voting machine's tally under Venezuelan law, but the opposition said overnight that it only had about 40 percent of the records, that some witnesses were blocked from following counts, and that at other sites the tallies were not printed.

The opposition has long warned about whether the vote would be fair, saying decisions by electoral authorities and the arrests of opposition staff were meant to create obstacles.

The electoral authority said just after midnight Maduro had won 51 percent of the vote. Later it proclaimed Maduro president for 2025 to 2031, adding he had won "the majority of valid votes."

Governments in Washington and elsewhere cast doubt on the results and called for a full tabulation of votes.

Independent exit polls pointed to 65 percent support for Gonzalez and between 14 percent and 31 percent backing for Maduro.

At least two people were killed in connection with the vote count or protests  one overnight in the border state of Tachira and another in Maracay on Monday.

Protesters gathered in towns and cities across Venezuela on Monday, including near the presidential palace in Caracas and outside some electoral authority offices.

Gonzalez has repeatedly warned against bloodshed.

But Maduro, whose 2018 re-election is considered fraudulent by the United States and others, said in evening remarks on state television that paid agitators had assaulted various electoral agency offices.

"We know how to confront this situation and how to defeat those who are violent," Maduro said.

Jorge Rodriguez, a ruling party lawmaker and Maduro's campaign manager, said earlier the opposition wanted to stoke violence and called for ruling party supporters to march on various routes to show support for the government on Tuesday.

Meanwhile, Defense Minister Vladimir Padrino warned against allowing a repeat of the "terrible situations of 2014, 2017 and 2019." Anti-government protesters took to the streets those years and hundreds were killed.

Machado had called on the country's military to uphold the results of the vote. The armed forces have long supported Maduro and there have been no public signs leaders were breaking from the government.

Protests turn violent

At least two people were killed in connection with the vote count or protests  one overnight in the border state of Tachira and another in Maracay on Monday.

Protesters gathered in towns and cities across Venezuela on Monday, including near the presidential palace in Caracas and outside some electoral authority offices.

The Venezuelan Conflict Observatory said it had registered 187 protests in 20 states as of 6 p.m.

"We're fed up with this, we want freedom, we want to be free for our children," motorcycle taxi driver Fernando Mejia, 41, told Reuters as he marched in Maracay with his family.

The street protests followed earlier "cacerolazo" demonstrations  a traditional Latin American protest in which people bang pots and pans  in neighborhoods throughout the country. Many of those marching had taken their pots with them.

In the Caracas neighborhood of El Valle and the city of Maracay, police fired tear gas in a bid to disperse protesters, while protesters blocked a part of a major in Barquisimeto.

In Coro, the capital of Falcon state, protesters tore down a statue depicting late president Hugo Chavez, Maduro's mentor, and there were scuffles between opposition and government supporters outside polling sites in Caracas and other places overnight.

An opposition adviser said on social media on Monday evening that security forces were trying to enter the Argentine embassy in Caracas where he and five others have been living since March after warrants were issued for their arrests.

Another adviser at the embassy told Reuters there were cars outside the building.

"We're moving to democracy, 25 years are enough. It's simply time for them to go," Machado's campaign chief, Magalli Meda, said in a video message recorded at sunset in Caracas. She is also among those at the Argentine embassy.

Many Venezuelan voters despaired at news of another six-year term for Maduro, who has presided over an economic collapse, the migration of about a third of the population, and a sharp deterioration in diplomatic relations, crowned by sanctions imposed by the United States, the European Union and others which have crippled an already struggling oil industry.

"Maduro yesterday shattered my greatest dream, to see my only daughter again, who went to Argentina three years ago," said retiree Dalia Romero, 59, in Maracaibo. "I stayed here alone with breast cancer so that she could work there and send me money for treatment."

"Now I know that I'm going to die alone without seeing her again," she said through tears.

International reaction

U.S. nonprofit the Carter Center, which sent observers to Venezuela for the vote, called on the electoral authority to immediately publish the results by polling station.

A source said further information from the group would not be released until its final report on the election.

U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken said Washington had serious concerns that the official results did not reflect the votes of the people.

Biden administration officials, briefing reporters about the vote on condition of anonymity, accused the government of "electoral manipulation." They did not announce any new punitive measures but left open the door to additional sanctions.

Brazil and the European Union also called for transparency over polling data, while Russia, Cuba, Honduras and Bolivia cheered Maduro's alleged victory.

Caracas and Washington have had an adversarial relationship dating back to the era of left-wing populist Chavez.

Maduro  a 61-year-old former bus driver and foreign minister  took office on Chavez's death in 2013 and his 2018 reelection is considered fraudulent by the United States and others, who call him a dictator.

Venezuela's bonds and those of state oil firm PDVSA fell deeper into distressed territory on Monday.

Venezuela's attorney general Tarek Saab said the results had been delayed by an attack on the electoral system from North Macedonia. He did not offer any evidence or any other details. (Reuters)
Germany's highest court on Tuesday largely approved plans to shrink the country's parliament, despite objections from smaller parties who say the reform is unfair to them.

The conservative CSU and far-left Die Linke had appealed to the constitutional court in Karlsruhe about the changes, passed by the Bundestag lower house in March 2023.

But in its ruling on Tuesday, the court approved the main part of the reform, which will slash the number of seats in parliament to 630 at the next election from 733 now.

The German parliament has expanded in recent years because of a complex voting system which awards seats to the winners of constituency votes, as well as according to each party's nationwide vote share.

The new rules will abolish extra seats awarded when a party earns more direct mandates than it is entitled to based on its share of the vote.

The change will mean some candidates could miss out on a seat in parliament despite being directly elected in their constituency.

The government had also wanted to abolish a rule that means a party can still be represented in parliament even if it wins less than five percent of the vote, as long as it gets at least three constituency seats.

However, the court on Tuesday ruled that part of the reform was unconstitutional.

It said the change would unfairly affect the CSU, the smaller sister party of the conservative CDU, since it only fields candidates in the state of Bavaria.

The change would have left the party with no seats in parliament if it had sunk under the five percent mark, instead of its current 43.

In Germany's last election, the CSU received 5.2 percent of the vote overall.

Members of Chancellor Olaf Scholz's three-party governing coalition hailed the judgement as a success, despite the partial slapdown.

The court had "confirmed the core of the electoral reform", said Konstantin Kuhle, deputy leader of the liberal FDP's parliamentary group.

Dirk Wiese, deputy leader of the parliamentary group for Scholz's Social Democrats (SPD), said the ruling meant the reform was "complete and constitutional". (AFP)
Joseph Corcoran is seen going to the first day of his trial in Fort Wayne in this May 20, 1999, file photo.
On 29 July Chiles interior minister,, and the general director of the Carabineros militarised police,, confirmed the arrests of three suspects accused of the murders of three members of the Carabineros in Biobio region in late April.

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On 29 July Mexicos President-electmet with the parents of the 43 students from the Ayotzinapa rural teacher training college who were abducted and disappeared in 2014.

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A 29-year-old Bethlehem man is accused of assaulting and robbing a couple parked with their two small children at a bustling Bethlehem Township shopping center.

Maxwell William Holz, of the 1900 block of Windsor Road, is charged with two counts each of felony robbery, misdemeanor simple assault and misdemeanor theft, in addition to one count of misdemeanor receiving stolen property.

Township police shortly before 7 p.m. Friday were called to the Bethlehem Square shopping center along Nazareth Pike for a reported assault. A woman reported an unknown male jumped into their familys Nissan Altima and was attacking her husband. The woman and two children, ages 3 and 10, also were seated in the car during the attack, court records state.

The woman reported the attacker, later identified as Holz, walked up to the passenger side of the car and asked if the Nissan was their car; the victims responded, Yes, township police said. Holz allegedly then opened the passenger side door and hopped inside the car.

Holz proceeded to strike the woman on the side of the face near her right eye and grabbed her wristlet-style wallet with the keys attached, police allege. The woman at some point was able to grab her wallet back as Holz began to strike her husband in the drivers seat, according to court records.

The incident ended as the female victim took the children out of the car and ran, police said.

Investigators obtained video surveillance footage from the centers Home Depot, showing Holz at 6:45 p.m. making a purchase before immediately approaching the family parked outside the store, court records state. Police said they were able to tie Holz to the alleged crime based on credit card data used during the transaction and the registration of his Nissan Sentra provided by the victims.

Township police said they later obtained a warrant for Holzs arrest and took him into custody.

Holz was arraigned Tuesday before Magisterial District Judge Robert Weber, who set bail at $50,000. In lieu of bail, Holz was taken to Northampton County Prison.

Holz is due back in court for a preliminary hearing tentatively scheduled for Aug. 8. At the hearing, a district judge will determine if theres sufficient evidence to send the charges toward trial in the Northampton County Court of Common Pleas.

A representative of the Northampton County Public Defenders Office told lehighvalleylive.com Tuesday afternoon Holz was not immediately assigned counsel.

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Pamela Sroka-Holzmann may be reached at pholzmann@lehighvalleylive.com.
Two former college students who led a fraternity where a pledging member from New Jersey died during a hazing incident pleaded guilty Tuesday to criminal charges over the death, according to authorities.

Brendan Young and Daniel Casey were facilitating the pledging process of the Beta Theta Pi fraternity at Penn State University when Timothy Piazza, of Hunterdon County, died after drinking heavy loads of alcohol for close to an hour and a half.

Young, 28, and Casey, 27, both pleaded guilty to 14 counts of hazing and one count of reckless endangerment, the Pennsylvania Attorney Generals Office said Tuesday. The charges are all misdemeanors.

Pennsylvania Attorney General Michelle Henry reaffirmed prosecutors efforts to obtain the pleas.

There should be no discussion of this case without recognizing the tragic loss of life and resulting devastation for Mr. Piazzas family and friends, Henry said in a statement. Most of those students go on to successful lives and careers  basic expectations following college, which Mr. Piazza never had the opportunity to experience.

Piazzas death jolted calls for change in his home state. Gov. Phil Murphy in 2021 signed a new law named after the Penn State student making stiffer penalties for hazing-yielded deaths.

Murphys office did not immediately return a request by NJ Advance Media for comment after the court hearing.

Young was the president of Beta Theta Pi while Casey was the vice president, Pennsylvania prosecutors said. Both directly oversaw the pledging process when Piazza died in 2017.

While at the fraternitys off-campus home, Piazza fell down the stairs on Feb. 2, 2017, after prosecutors say he was forced to swallow heavy amounts of alcohol over 82 minutes, after which his unconscious body was placed on a couch. He died at a hospital two days later.

Piazza grew up in Readington Township.

In Casey and Youngs cases, the hazing counts represent each member of the Spring 2017 pledge class who faced the same tasks as Piazza, Pennsylvania prosecutors said.

The attorney generals office accepted referrals of both cases from the Centre County District Attorneys Office. Appeals of pre-trial court rulings have delayed proceedings in both cases.

The hazing activities addressed in these criminal cases against former members of Beta Theta Pi fraternity, which was banned from ever returning to Penn State, were heart-wrenching and incomprehensible, Penn State University officials said in a statement Tuesday. The university strongly condemns any form of hazing, which endangers the well-being and safety of others. We are relieved that justice has been served, and the University continues to mourn Timothy Piazzas tragic death.

Both men are scheduled for sentencing on Oct. 1.

Piazzas death also led to the creation of a law named after him in Pennsylvania, which includes a felony-graded offense when serious injury or death results.

Under New Jerseys law, fourth-degree hazing crimes rose to third-degree offenses for hazing that results in death or serious bodily injury, and from a disorderly persons offense to a fourth-degree crime if it results in bodily injury.

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Eric Conklin may be reached at econklin@njadvancemedia.com.
The U.S. State Department has updated its travel advisory to Jamaica, warning tourists to reconsider travel for several reasons.

The update was issued July 25, 2024, months after a previous advisory called for travelers to reconsider travel due to 65 murders in one month.

This update is warning travelers about rising rates of crime on the Caribbean island nation and lack of medical care available on the island, including in touristy areas.

The countrys homicide rate is among the highest in the Western Hemisphere, according to the Government of Jamaica.

The U.S. Embassy routinely receives reports of sexual assaults, including from U.S. citizen tourists at resorts. U.S. citizens report slow or unsatisfactory response to serious criminal incidents. When arrests are made, cases are infrequently prosecuted to a final verdict and sentence, the advisory stated.

The island has also been struggling with slow response times to medical emergencies, as well as routine illnesses and injuries.

Ambulances do not always have fully staffed EMTs on board, if ambulances are available.

The U.S. Embassy recommends that travelers taking prescribed medicines take their medications with them, as some prescriptions may be difficult to obtain in Jamaica.

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Katherine Rodriguez can be reached at krodriguez@njadvancemedia.com. Have a tip? Tell us at nj.com/tips.
A woman whose younger sister was killed when a drunk driver crashed in Portlaoise has spoken of the thread of injustice running through the Irish courts system.

Claire Hennessy was just 24-years-old when she died after a car driven by Brian Kelly crashed into a building on the Mountmellick Road in Portlaoise on October 18, 2008.



Kelly, of St Brigids Place, Portlaoise, was sentenced to two years in prison suspended for a period of two years, on December 15, 2009 by Judge Anthony Kennedy sitting at Portlaoise Circuit Criminal Court after pleading guilty to dangerous driving causing the death of Claire Hennessy on October 18, 2008 contrary to S53 of the Road Traffic Act 1961. He was also disqualified from holding a driving licence for life.

A Garda Forensic Collision report carried out at the time noted that speed and alcohol intake were the sole reasons for the fatal incident.



Now aged 43, Kelly, who was 26 at the time of the crash, successfully appealed his sentence arguing that the imposition of a lifetime driving disqualification represented an error in principle on the part of the sentencing judge. The Court of Appeal reduced his disqualification to 20 years last week.



Claire Hennessys sister Yvonne attended the Court of Appeal on Monday.



They brought that number to 20 years of which he has done 15 of them off the road. In terms of our system then he can now appeal that, she explained.



It is sickening. It is one of those things where your head spins because it doesnt make any sense. He was given life off the road and they equated it to twenty years. Claire was 24, it is not even a year for every year of her life that she had. It just doesnt make sense. I would have thought life off the road would be 90 years, Yvonne remarked.



The Hennessy family already viewed the initial sentence of two years suspended and a lifetime driving ban as lenient.

He got a two year suspended sentence while he got life off the road Claire died, said Yvonne. Claire died and it was horrific and he was taken off the road for life.



In the last four years she said her family had become aware that he was enquiring about the length of the lifetime ban.

The reason that we were told that he got a life ban was because of the severity of what happened on the night. He didnt go to prison so that was the weighing up of the sentence, that is how we understood it, Yvonne explained.



She and her family believed a prison sentence would have been more fitting in light of Claires death.

Yvonne has been monitoring sentences in the courts in Ireland with interest in recent times.



When they said it, he is in his 40s and he needs to drive. Thats not justice. Its not where the conversation should be when you are dealing with something like this. It is not how sentencing should happen, Yvonne said.



Yvonne believes the Irish system is sending out the wrong message to road users.



Her family have many unanswered questions about what happened to Claire on the night she died.



We have written to the Attorney General to ask for a new inquest to bring this back to zero. We want a new inquest for what happened that night and for all of the evidence to be looked at, Yvonne said.



She said it had been nearly four years and the family, through their solicitor, has written to the Attorney General three times and have not had any response to date.



Christopher Stanley, Litigation Consultant with KRW, representing the family of Claire Hennessy said in a statement: Following the decision of the Court of Appeal, KRW has again written to the Attorney General requesting an acknowledgement of the application that a fresh inquest is directed into the death of Claire Hennessy and that he makes a decision on that application very soon.



It is hoped that local TDs will bring this matter to the Dail and support the application made by Claire Hennessys family to the Attorney General for a fresh investigation to deliver truth, justice, and accountability regarding all the surrounding circumstances of her tragic death.
A payment of 1,500 is due from a County Kildare man who conducted 'a badly-thought out prank' on a woman.

The comments were made by a garda who described the situation to Judge Desmond Zaidan on the morning of Thursday, July 25 last at Naas District Court.

Judge Zaidan imposed reporting restrictions on the case when the garda voiced concerns that the woman could be identified if the man was identified.

The court was told that the man, who is aged in his 60s, was out drinking in a pub in County Kildare, when he came across the woman, who was known to him.

The garda said that the man asked the woman to flex one of her arms for him, which she did.

He then asked her to flex her other arm, which she did.

The man then asked her to flex using both arms, and he proceeded to grab her breasts, 'outside of the clothing'.

The incident was caught on CCTV.

"How long did it [the offending action] last?" the judge asked the garda.

"About a split-second," the garda replied.

Judge Zaidan accepted jurisdiction over the offence, and the man pleaded guilty to the offence.

Explaining his view on the situation, the garda told Judge Zaidan: "I dont think there was a sexual element to this case... I think it was a badly-thought out prank."

"Those are your words, not mine," the judge replied: "It must have been embarrassing for the injured party."

"He shouldnt have done it, no," the garda said.

Judge Desmond Zaidan presided over the case. File photograph.

The judge adjourned the case to the afternoon to allow time for a victim impact statement.

When the case resumed in the afternoon, it was heard that the injured party indicated that she was happy for the matter to proceed without her involvement.

"She is willing to accept that it was a demeaning prank?" the judge asked the garda.

"Yes," the garda responded.

The court heard that the man has no previous convictions.

When it was heard that the man was in his 60s, the judge remarked: "You would expect this kind of behaviour from a 20-year-old... and even then, that doesnt justify it, just in case Im taken out of context."

The garda said that the man 'owed up' to the offence from day one and met gardai by arrangement 'all the way through.'

He also revealed that the man apologised to the injured party via the garda.

Judge Zaidan said that he was wary of the man potentially being put on the sex offenders list  "What he did was degrading and demeaning, but there doesnt seem to be a sexual element here."

Defending solicitor Tim Kennelly echoed the gardas statement by saying that his client was apologetic over the incident.

Mr Kennelly told the judge: "Im asking you to treat this offence for what it is: he is absolutely mortified at the extent of his behaviour and doesnt know what got over him, other than he had a few drinks.

"It was an idiotic, imbecilic act  you dont do that [to someone else]."

He added that his client had offered a sum of 700 as a gesture of remorse to the injured party.

"Make it at least 1,500," the judge replied.

The judge ruled that if the injured party does not wish to accept the donation, then the money should be given to charity.

He added: "I dont want to force it on her, its only if she wants the money; its restorative justice."

Judge Zaidan said that he was uncomfortable convicting the man of sexual assault, adding that it would be disproportionate: "If I did that, he would go on the register, and people on it have committed much more serious sexual offences.

"His behaviour was inappropriate and degrading, but there was no sexual intent there."

The judge also took onboard the fact that the man has no previous convictions.

He said that if the man pays the 1,500 by a date in November, then he would apply the Probation Act.

Turning to the man, the judge asked him: "Do you wish to apologise?"

"Yes, I do," the man replied: "It was a moment of madness. Im embarrassed, and if Im embarrassed, then I can only imagine how she feels.

"You wouldnt like it to happen to your mother, or sister, or daughter, or aunt, would you?" Judge Zaidan asked him.

"No, I wouldnt," the man replied.

Judge Zaidan remanded the man on continuing bail until the case returns on the date in November.
A Dublin man who raped two sex workers and attempted to rape a third in separate incidents over an eight-month period in 2021 has been jailed for 18 years.

Aaron Barwell (29) of Coldcut Park, Clondalkin, Dublin 22, pleaded guilty to one count of oral rape, one of rape and one of attempted rape on dates between January and August 2021.

The three victims were all working as escorts at the time, and each had a profile on a website listing their services.

The Central Criminal Court previously heard that Barwell arranged for each victim to come to his residence on separate occasions, where he carried out the offences.

Imposing sentence yesterday (Monday, July 29, 2024), Mr Justice Tony Hunt noted Barwell had "committed a series of violent sexual offences against women."

Describing the facts of the case as "abysmal", he noted that Barwell initially gave each victim an incorrect address, which he said showed a "certain amount of deviousness in terms of planning."

The judge noted this was a case which involved "considered, planned and serious sexual offending of a sequential variety."

He said it is concerning that the second and third offences were committed in light of the first and that this case "cries out for consecutive sentences."

The judge also noted the use of violence went beyond that inherent in the offences and that Barwell had falsely induced the victims to believe he was an ordinary customer.

Mr Justice Hunt said it appeared to the court that Barwell may have made a calculation that "ladies who pursue this type of activity might be less tempted to bring it further."

However, the judge said: "If that was part of his calculation, the gamble came spectacularly unstuck."

Mr Justice Hunt noted people who commit offences of this nature will pay a "very heavy price."

The judge said that the days of a lenient approach to violence against women are gone.

"If you choose to engage in that behaviour, a heavy price has to be paid. I think [the] courts and society want that to be the position."

Referring to the victim impact statements, Mr Justice Hunt said they expressed the stress, anxiety, fear and long-term damage caused to the women.

He expressed the view that the stress and anxiety may never go away: "Like anything else of a serious nature in life, one can accommodate oneself to these matters. But the clock can never be turned back."

Mr Justice Hunt set a total headline sentence of 36 years to reflect the gravity of the offending.

He said the court didn't think this was "disproportionate to the wrongdoing in this case," noting that Barwell is a "relatively young man" who, with "ordinary luck, would be able to serve a sentence of that variety."

However, Mr Justice Hunt said the court was conscious that 36 years is a significant period and having considered the principles of totality and proportionality, he reduced the headline sentence to 27 years.

Mr Justice Hunt said it would be unacceptable to have a sentencing regime which suggested that second or subsequent serious offending "should come at little or no cost," and this must be considered to be aggravating.

The judge noted the mitigation, including the guilty plea, which was of "significant importance and value."

He also said he took into consideration Barwell's age, background, his lack of previous convictions and the need to encourage rehabilitation.

Mr Justice Hunt handed Barwell a total sentence of 20 years, with the final two years suspended.

He further directed Barwell to undergo four years of post-release supervision, have no contact with any of the injured parties, and commit no further sexual offences in his lifetime.

Barwell had been due to stand trial at the Central Criminal Court late last year in relation to a total of 15 counts, including rape, oral rape, anal rape, false imprisonment, assault causing harm, making threats to kill or cause serious harm, and production of an article.

The court previously heard that a proposal was accepted by the Director of Public Prosecutions on the first day of the trial on the basis that the full facts were outlined during sentencing.

In the three separate incidents, the court previously heard Barwell contacted the victim and made arrangements for them to come to his place of residence to perform sexual services.

On January 29, 2021, a two-hour appointment was agreed between Barwell and the first complainant.

He initially gave her an incorrect address and met her outside.

When they went to his residence, Barwell directed her to the bedroom, then said he was going to the sitting room to get money.

He returned holding a rope and a hammer before pushing the woman onto the bed and demanding she perform oral sex on him.

The woman cried and said she would call gardai, to which he replied: "F**k the gardai."

He forced her to perform oral sex.

She later told gardai she was being "tapped on the soles of her feet" by Barwell using the hammer during this time.

He then pushed her face into the bed, tied her hands and masturbated over her.

The woman was very frightened.

She managed to escape then contacted a friend before making a complaint to gardai.

Gardai carried out a search of Barwell's residence following this incident.

A knife and cable ties were found in his pockets when he opened the door.

Several items were seized during the search, including a small silver hammer.

He was not arrested following this search as the garda investigation was ongoing.

Barwell arranged with the second victim for her to come to his residence on August 13, 2021.

He brought her to the sitting room and locked the door behind them.

He seemed to be under the influence of drugs and asked the woman the cost of her services.

He then told her he was going to get money from the bedroom before he took out a screwdriver and put it against her neck.

He said: "Don't mess with me, motherf**ker" and threatened to kill her.

He then dragged the terrified woman to his bedroom and shouted at her to remove all of her clothing.

He pushed her face down onto the bed, then forced her to perform oral sex before raping her vaginally and anally.

The court heard he was holding the screwdriver throughout.

Barwell apologised afterwards and described what happened as "role-playing."

The complainant got dressed, and when she tried to leave, he offered her a glass of wine and told her she couldn't leave until he paid her.

She gave him Revolut account details for a friend so he could make a payment.

The court heard that gardai did not become aware of this second incident until after the third victim contacted them.

Two weeks later, on August 27, an arrangement was made between the third victim and Barwell.

He took her to the bedroom and then shouted at her to remove her clothes.

He was holding a screwdriver and told her they were going to have sex or he would kill her.

The woman started to scream and banged on the window, looking for help.

He threatened to kill her if she didn't shut up, then threw her onto the bed.

He still had the screwdriver in his hand.

She fought back, kicking and slapping, and one kick connected to his nose, causing it to bleed.

Barwell called her a "crazy bitch" and told her to get out.

The woman ran out of Barwell's apartment, and some passersby contacted the gardai.

The Garda Armed Response Unit attended the scene and made a forced entry.

He was arrested and taken to a nearby garda station.

He was interviewed seven times, during which he accepted throwing the third victim on the bed but said she'd stolen from him.

He denied the allegations in relation to the other complainants and said the sexual contact was consensual.

He suggested to gardai that the women had made up the allegations.

Barwell's house was searched again on August 29, and a screwdriver was recovered.

He has been remanded in custody since August 2021.

The investigating garda agreed with Dara Foynes SC, defending, that her client has a cocaine addiction and around 5,000 worth of the drug was found in his house during the search in January 2021.

He later pleaded guilty to a charge of possession of cocaine for sale or supply, for which he received a suspended sentence.

It was further agreed that the victims said Barwell appeared to be under the influence of drugs during each incident and that he made no attempt to conceal his identity.

The garda accepted that Barwell was initially deemed unfit for interview and had no convictions prior to this.

It was also agreed that he was pepper sprayed when gardai forced entry into his home.
Securing an ambitious agri-food deal with the EU will allow for a more free flow of goods from Great Britain into Northern Ireland, a government minister has insisted.

Nick Thomas-Symonds, who is minister for EU relations in the Cabinet Office, said a negotiated sanitary and phytosanitary (SPS) agreement between the UK and EU would be mutually beneficial to both sides.

The minister, who will lead the UK side in talks about new links with the EU, was in Northern Ireland on Tuesday to hear from various stakeholders about the post-Brexit trade barriers that have created the need for checks on goods entering the region from across the Irish Sea.

Labour has pledged to reset relations with Brussels, with the striking of a deal on food safety and animal and plant health among the new governments priorities.

Mr Thomas-Symonds told reporters in Belfast that negotiations would not be able to start until early next year  as the new-look European Commission is not yet in place following recent EU-wide elections  but he said the Government wanted to undertake the groundwork before then.

The Cabinet Office minister said Northern Ireland would be at the forefront of his mind when it came to the discussions with Brussels.

I wouldnt expect hard-edge formal negotiations to begin until the early part of next year, but do I hope that an SPS agreement, an ambitious SPS agreement, is going to ease the situation in terms of GB-NI trade, absolutely, he said.

The devolved institutions at Stormont were resurrected earlier this year having been in cold storage for two years because of the DUP exercising a veto power to collapse the governance structures in protest at the economic and legal barriers created between Northern Ireland and the rest of the UK as the result of Brexit.

The Northern Ireland Protocol that Boris Johnson struck with the EU, and its successor, the Windsor Framework, which Rishi Sunak negotiated with Brussels, both involve a requirement for checks and additional red tape on the movement of goods from Great Britain into the region.

Under those accords, Northern Ireland effectively aligns with many EU rules and regulations in order to maintain an open border on the island of Ireland.

So any deal to smooth agri-food trade between the UK and EU would reduce the requirement for those type of internal barriers and checks between NI and Great Britain.

Mr Thomas-Symonds, who met Stormont Agriculture Minister Andrew Muir at Belfast Port on Tuesday, said Labour intended to operate the Windsor Framework in good faith prior to any new SPS deal emerging.

Its really important that we have a good faith approach to the implementation of the Windsor Framework, we voted for the Windsor Framework as an opposition party, he said.

And I know it is really important with the European Union that we have good faith in implementing the Windsor Framework going forward.

He added: It is of mutual benefit what we want to do  its in the UKs national interest, in the UKs security, the UKs safety and the UKs prosperity to have a closer relationship. Its in the EUs interests as well.

But its also I think for the EU to be dealing with a good faith partner that respects the rule of law, respects international law, and also respects and will remain a signatory to the European Convention on Human Rights, I think that is a framework for co-operation that is in the mutual interest of both sides.

Great to be back in Belfast. Im determined to do all I can in my role to see Northern Ireland prosper. Delighted to be at @QUBelfast to meet so many businesses and civil society groups working hard to do the same. pic.twitter.com/B0f0jhqNCK  Nick Thomas-Symonds (@NickTorfaen) July 30, 2024

On his visit to Belfast, the minister also met business and civic society groups at Queens University.

Then at Stormont he met Assembly speaker Edwin Poots and also the chairman and deputy chairman of the committee set up to scrutinise the operation of the Windsor Framework  Sinn Fein MLA Philip McGuigan and DUP MLA David Brooks.

On the potential shape of an agri-food deal, Mr Thomas-Symonds added: We are very ambitious in terms of the agreement.

I mean, obviously, as you can imagine, its always subject to negotiations, theres two sides to this negotiation. But, certainly, we are very ambitious in terms of its scope going forward.

The minister said he wanted a deal that would contribute to a free flow of trade across the Irish Sea.

Mr Thomas-Symonds said a commitment to high legal and regulatory standards would frame the UKs approach to negotiations.

We believe in high standards in the employment law space, but we also believe in high standards in farming, in terms of environmental standards, he said.

We are not a government that is going to be engaging in a race to the bottom, indeed we will be engaging in a race to the top in terms of standards.

So we actually think that being a country that aspires to those high standards that an agreement and ambitious agreement is in the interest of both sides.

And, of course, we believe it will provide obviously a situation for freer flow of trade across the Irish Sea.
Trying to keep a lid on the growing excitement around the county ahead of next Sundays TG4 LGFA All-Ireland IFC Final is something of an impossible task but captain Michelle Guckian is relishing the experience, all while trying to keep focused on the task in hand.

Speaking at the Leitrim LGFA Press night at the McGovern Leitrim GAA Centre of Excellence, Michelle admitted that the public reaction to reaching the final has been almost overwhelming: Everyone is delighted, anyone who meet - whether you go for a walk, go into the shops for anything, everyone is just congratulating you.

Theyre, saying well done and much of an honour it is, how it has been 17 years since the last one and just reminding you of the history. Theyre looking forward to it as much as we are, weve had great support the whole way to this point and it means just as much to them as it does to us.

Of course that means the players have to deal with they hype of an All-Ireland Final but it is something the Leitrim captain relishes: 100%, of course there is big hype about it, it is 17 years since Leitrim had been in Croke Park and yeah, the hype is great and it is great to acknowledge it, to see that happening.

But we have to remain focused at the same time. We use it as a great motivator and it will obviously play a huge part on the day but what we want is to stay focused, stay grounded, keep training and keep our focus.

A DREAM COME TRUE FOR LEITRIM CAPTAIN MICHELLE GUCKIAN

Keeping focus has been relatively easy even if it took some time after the dramatic semi-final victory over Wexford for the scale of their achievement to sink in: Were ecstatic, delighted to be back and just in training there Wednesday night, it kind of actually sunk in that we are in an All-Ireland Final and were three weeks out from an All-Ireland Final in Croke Park so were absolutely delighted, cant wait and the countdown is on.

SEE THIS WEEK'S LEITRIM OBSERVER, IN SHOPS WEDNESDAY, FOR AN EIGHT PAGE PREVIEW OF SUNDAY'S TG4 LGFA ALL-IRELAND INTERMEDIATE FINAL
GLOBALink | Xinjiang's development speaks for itself, refutes Western slurs: Egyptian reporter Pub Date:24-07-30 10:01 Source:Xinhua The remarkable development seen in northwest China's Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region speaks for itself and refutes the West's allegations of so-called "forced labor" and "human rights abuses" against the Muslim population, said an Egyptian reporter who has recently visited the Chinese region twice. #GLOBALink Editor:Zheng Chen

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The chairman of the Omagh Bombing Inquiry has vowed it will undertake its work rigorously and fearlessly.

Scottish judge Lord Turnbull was speaking during the first public hearing of the probe into the 1998 atrocity which claimed 29 lives, including a woman pregnant with twins.

Bereaved families and survivors gathered at the Strule Arts Centre in the Co Tyrone town for the hearing in the inquiry which will examine whether the atrocity could reasonably have been prevented by UK authorities.

It comes after a High Court judgment recommended a public inquiry into alleged security failings in the lead-up to the atrocity, and also urged the Irish authorities to establish their own probe.

The Irish government, earlier this month, formally agreed to provide assistance to the inquiry.

Ruairi de Burca, director general at the Department of Foreign Affairs, reiterated his governments commitment to assist the inquiry.

Addressing the hearing, he said the Irish government is committed to additional new legislation if required to support its assistance.

We will work to ensure that our deeds match our words in respect of this inquiry, he added.

The names of all those killed were read out during proceedings and those in the hearing room stood for a minutes silence in their memory.

In his opening statement, Lord Turnbull said the pain of bereavement and trauma caused by the dissident republican bomb attack spread beyond Omagh, Northern Ireland and Ireland to families from England and Spain.

He also said the attack, which came just months after the signing of the Belfast/Good Friday Agreement, caused outrage and consternation across national boundaries and across continents.

Condemnation was expressed by the Prime Minister of the United Kingdom and the Taoiseach of the Republic of Ireland, other world leaders, community leaders, religious leaders and political leaders all joined with them in expressing the unforgivable nature of what had occurred, he said.

Lord Turnbull said the inquiry will undertake its task rigorously and fearlessly, and emphasised the defining character of the inquiry must be its independence.

He said the value which the inquiry attaches to its independence means that it will not be amenable to influence from any government or from any state agency.

It will not allow itself to be deflected from its purpose by the difficulties which may lie in its way on account of the passage of time or the volume and complexity of materials, he said.

Lord Turnbull also told the hearing that he will approach the task with an open mind, and will assess the evidence which is heard both fairly and reasonably.

I will do so without any preformed view or impression as to whether the atrocity could or could not have been prevented, he added.

There were also opening statements on behalf of those granted core participant status, including those bereaved and injured in the atrocity, as well as former chief constable Sir Ronnie Flanagan, the Police Service of Northern Ireland, the Police Ombudsman and the UK Government.

Bereaved families expressed hope after decades of campaigning for a public inquiry into the atrocity.

Michael Gallagher, whose son Aiden was killed, welcomed progress, adding it had taken the families a long time to get here.

I think it was hugely respectful that their (victims) names were read out and their details, that there was a minute of silence, I think that was hugely important and we were very grateful for that, he said.

As the core participants names were being read out, and the families, when you listen to the ages (of those killed), it is quite difficult.

It is not easy listening, especially when youre affected by it.

Stanley McCombe, who lost his wife, Ann, in the bombing, said he had great faith in Lord Turnbull and his legal team.

After years of hard labour were hopeful, were very, very hopeful, he added.

Commemorative and personal statements are set to be made during inquiry hearings next January.
Seadronix Disrupts Maritime Technology with Groundbreaking AI Model





SEOUL, South Korea, July 30, 2024 /PRNewswire/ -- Seadronix, a leader in AI-enabled autonomous ship navigation solutions, has announced the release of a groundbreaking white paper on artificial intelligence (AI) for marine object recognition. This innovative research introduces the VaDA (Vertical and Detail Attention) model, an advanced AI technology designed to recognize objects in challenging marine conditions, such as light reflections, interference, and adverse weather.

The VaDA model represents a significant technological breakthrough for Seadronix, the result of years of diligent work by researchers collecting and analyzing real operational data from the maritime industry, where data acquisition is notoriously difficult. VaDA's development involved an unprecedented amount of real-maritime data, achieving state-of-the-art performance in terms of both accuracy and cost-effectiveness.

In a landmark move for the marine AI industry, Seadronix has also introduced the OASIs (Ocean AI Segmentation Initiatives) dataset, the first benchmark dataset of its kind. This initiative is set to transform the industry by providing a new standard for comparing AI technologies in object recognition, addressing a critical gap in maritime AI development.

Seadronix plans to showcase its key technologies, including the VaDA model and sensor fusion, at two prestigious international conferences: the IEEE/RSJ International Conference on Intelligent Robots and Systems (IROS) and the International Conference on Maritime Autonomous Surface Ships. By presenting at these events, Seadronix aims to cement its position as a global leader in maritime AI.

"The release of the OASIs benchmark dataset marks a significant milestone in the advancement of AI technology," said Hankeun Kim, Chief Technology Officer of Seadronix. "We are committed to continuously driving innovation and development in the maritime AI sector."

The introduction of object recognition AI technology is crucial for enhancing navigation assistance, safety, and ship automation. This technology is essential for autonomous navigation research, as it can detect and classify all objects at sea, from small buoys to large vessels and geographical features. Seadronix's AI capabilities set a high standard in the industry.

Seadronix's specialization in developing AI technology for marine environments, previously deemed impossible, positions the company as a leader in the digital transformation of the global shipping and port sectors. This innovation is poised to revolutionize autonomous navigation and serve as a game-changer in the industry.

SOURCE Seadronix

30 july 2024 at 09:00

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Century Communities Expands Houston Metro Offerings With Land Purchase in Fulshear





New mixed-use development will bring over 250 homes to Fulshear submarket

HOUSTON, July 30, 2024 /PRNewswire/ -- Century Communities, Inc.?one of the nation's largest homebuilders, an industry leader in online home sales, and the highest-ranked homebuilder on Newsweek's list of America's Most Trustworthy Companies 2024?announced a 100-acre land purchase in Fulshear, Texas, a city in the fast-growing west Houston Metro. This submarket has emerged as a key growth area in the Houston MSA, driven by commercial and residential development and an excellent school district.

Named Fulshear Junction, the new development will bring 251 homesites to the area, with construction anticipated to begin in 2025. Fulshear Junction will include 21 acres of mixed-use commercial real estate, appealing to homebuyers looking for quick access to retail, dining, offices, and childcare.

Stay in the know about Fulshear Junction and join the interest list at 713.222.7000 or www.CenturyCommunities.com/Houston.

In the future development, students will attend newly constructed Lamar Consolidated ISD schools, a sought-after district that's quickly becoming one of the highest-rated school systems in the Houston area.

Fulshear Junction boasts quick access to some of the most active highways in the Houston area, connecting to I-10 via Texas Heritage Parkway, and Texas State Highway 99 (Grand Parkway) via FM 1093. Houston is also within convenient commuting distance at about 40 miles away.

"We're thrilled to contribute to the ongoing growth in Fulshear with Fulshear Junction," said Texas Regional President Blake Roberts. "With 251 new homesites and vibrant mixed-use development, this community will offer homebuyers in west Houston exceptional opportunities to find their dream home."

DISCOVER THE FREEDOM OF ONLINE HOMEBUYING:

Century Communities is proud to feature its industry-first online homebuying experience on all available homes in Texas.

How it works:

Shop homes at CenturyCommunities.com

Click "Buy Now" on any available home

Fill out a quick Buy Online form

Electronically submit an initial earnest money deposit

Electronically sign a purchase contract via DocuSign

Learn more about the Buy Online experience at www.CenturyCommunities.com/online-homebuying.

About Century Communities

Century Communities, Inc. (NYSE: CCS) is one of the nation's largest homebuilders, an industry leader in online home sales, and the highest-ranked homebuilder on Newsweek's list of America's Most Trustworthy Companies 2024, consecutively awarded for a second year. Through its Century Communities and Century Complete brands, Century's mission is to build attractive, high-quality homes at affordable prices to provide its valued customers with A HOME FOR EVERY DREAM. Century is engaged in all aspects of homebuilding ? including the acquisition, entitlement and development of land, along with the construction, innovative marketing and sale of quality homes designed to appeal to a wide range of homebuyers. The Company operates in 18 states and over 45 markets across the U.S., and also offers title, insurance and lending services in select markets through its Parkway Title, IHL Home Insurance Agency, and Inspire Home Loans subsidiaries. To learn more about Century Communities, please visit www.centurycommunities.com.

SOURCE Century Communities, Inc.

30 july 2024 at 10:27

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Hunt Capital Partners, Bonner Carrington, and Sycamore Strategies Close on $20 Million in LIHTC Financing for 168-Unit Mixed Income Development in Dallas, Texas





Hunt Capital Partners, in collaboration with co-developers Bonner Carrington and Sycamore Strategies, announced the closing of Cypress Creek Apartment Homes at Montfort Drive (Cypress Creek). This 168-unit affordable mixed-income housing community will introduce new quality housing options for families in Dallas. The community is comprised of a single four-story residential building complete with an attached four-story parking garage. Cypress Creek is located at 14119 Montfort Drive in Dallas. Construction has commenced and the community will be opening in Q2 of 2026.

Cypress Creek will address the diverse housing needs in the area by offering 92 one-, 64 two-, and 12 three-bedroom apartment homes for residents of all ages and all income levels. Out of the 168 units, 116 will be reserved for residents earning up to 30%, 60%, 70%, and 80% of the Area Median Income (AMI), while the remaining will be offered at market rate. Nine of the units will be designed for and marketed to those with mental and/or physical disabilities and four will be marketed to individuals experiencing homelessness. Additionally, Cypress Creek received targeted funding from the United States Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) through the Community Development Block Grant ? Disaster Relief program, which ensures that housing is available to low- and extremely low-income renter households in Dallas.

Notably, 41 of the homes at the 30% AMI level will utilize vouchers from the Walker Settlement Voucher (WSV) program, which the Dallas Housing Authority administers. The WSV program offers housing opportunities to African American households to reside in high opportunity areas. This initiative addresses the pressing housing demand, evident from a waitlist of over 15,000 eligible households.

"Building diverse communities through quality housing solutions is not just about providing shelter; it's about creating opportunities for connection and growth. Cypress Creek Apartment Homes will welcome residents of various income levels and offer an inclusive community where they can prosper in a high opportunity area," said Hunt Capital Partners Senior Director Acquisitions Omar Chaudhry. "Together with Bonner Carrington and Sycamore Strategies, we're investing in a stronger Dallas."

Cypress Creek will feature a range of modern amenities, including balcony and patio spaces, ceiling fans in every bedroom, spacious walk-in closets, water-efficient plumbing fixtures, and central air conditioning. Each apartment home will also include washer/dryer connections and a fully equipped kitchen with Energy Star appliances such as a refrigerator, dishwasher, range/oven, garbage disposal, and microwave.

"We are thrilled to see Cypress Creek Apartment Homes come to life as a unique, mixed-income community," said Bonner Carrington President Casey Bump. "This development represents our commitment to providing quality, affordable housing options that cater to the diverse needs of North Dallas residents. We look forward to fostering a thriving community here for many years to come."

Residents will enjoy a variety of shared amenities designed to enhance community living. These features include a tech-forward business center, clubhouse with community kitchen, courtyard, picnic area, fitness center, swimming pool, and versatile recreational areas.

Furthering shared success for all residents, the Cypress Creek community will also enjoy complimentary community services provided by Apartment Life. These benefits will include weekly exercise classes, monthly food banks, tax preparation assistance, annual health fairs, and community-oriented social events like potluck dinners and cookouts.

Cypress Creek is being co-developed by Bonner Carrington and Sycamore Strategies. Moss and Associates will construct the community in cooperation with IFC-Construction. The architect is Arrive Architecture Group and the Civil Engineer is Pape Dawson. Bonner Carrington Property Management will serve as property manager for the development.

Cypress Creek was financed in part with $20 million in federal 9% Low-Income Housing Tax Credits (LIHTCs) awarded by the Texas Department of Housing and Community Affairs and syndicated by Hunt Capital Partners. EastWest Bank provided $32.5 million in construction financing and $22.1 million in permanent financing. The City of Dallas also provided a $11.7 million soft loan and the Dallas Housing Authority provided the Walker Settlement Vouchers.

Environmental Social and Corporate Governance ("ESG") Investing

Hunt Capital Partners recognizes that its institutional investors are seeking to increase the social value of their investments to help further their ESG initiatives. An investment in affordable housing not only improves the living conditions of its residents, but it also helps to remove obstacles that stand in the way of creating a healthy, safe and stable home environment for low-income families and seniors. When families spend less on housing related expenses, they have more resources available for other essentials such as food and clothing, or even extracurricular activities and educational programs. One of the most significant benefits to providing quality affordable housing is an increase in an individual's physical and mental health. Hunt Capital Partners' affordable housing investments create a lasting effect on the people and communities they serve for generations to come.

About Hunt Capital Partners

Hunt Capital Partners (HCP) is the tax credit syndication division of Hunt Companies, Inc. (Hunt). HCP specializes in the sponsorship of Federal and State Low-Income Housing, Historic, and Solar Tax Credit Investments funds. Since its inception in 2010, HCP has raised over $3.3 billion in tax credit equity in over 48 proprietary and multi-investor funds. HCP manages almost 760 project partnerships representing over 75,000 homes in 48 states and territories. Founded in 1947, Hunt is a privately held company that invests in businesses focused in the real estate and infrastructure markets. The activities of Hunt's affiliates and investors include investment management, asset management, property management, development, construction, consulting and advisory. For more information on HCP, please visit www.huntcapitalpartners.com, or for Hunt, please visit www.huntcompanies.com.

30 july 2024 at 11:05

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MEDIA ADVISORY - Government of Canada to Make Two Funding Announcements for Energy Innovation in Nova Scotia





PORT HAWKESBURY, NS, July 30, 2024 /CNW/ - The Honourable Jonathan Wilkinson, Minister of Energy and Natural Resources, together with Mike Kelloway, Member of Parliament for Cape Breton?Canso, will make a funding announcement on clean hydrogen trade with Germany. A media availability will follow.

Date: July 31, 2024

Time: 10:30 a.m. AT

Location:

Ocean Innovation Centre

3 MacSween Street

Port Hawkesbury, Nova Scotia B9A 2H5

Media are asked to RSVP to the clean hydrogen announcement by email to [email protected] and to bring proper identification and accreditation upon arrival. Online access to this event is available upon request.

HALIFAX ? The Honourable Jonathan Wilkinson, Minister of Energy and Natural Resources, the Honourable Lena Metledge Diab, Member of Parliament for Halifax West, and Andy Fillmore, Member of Parliament for Halifax, will tour a research lab receiving funding from the Government of Canada. A media scrum will follow.

Date: July 31, 2024

Time: 4:30 p.m. AT

Media are asked to RSVP to the Battery Centre tour by email to [email protected] and to bring proper identification and accreditation upon arrival.

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SOURCE Natural Resources Canada

30 july 2024 at 15:43

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COUNCIL says it cannot provide a timeline in relation to a new library in the Castletroy area.

At this months metropolitan district meeting, Cllr Joe Pond, Fianna Fail, sought an update on the proposal, which is identified in the local authoritys library development plan.

Council librarian Damien Brady confirmed again that while two potential sites have been identified - one near Castletroy Town Centre - due to the significant planning needs around it, we are not in a position at this stage to have a definite timeline for delivery.

A facility of this size and range requires significant planning and resources, both capital and revenue and progress must be set in the context of other local authority demands, the librarian stated in a written answer to Cllr Pond.

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The councillor was disappointed with the answer.

I thought it would be further progressed by now. This is going on the last number of years. These sites have been identified for a while, but there has been no progress, said Cllr Pond.

He said with Castletroy being the fastest-growing suburb in Limerick, the need for a library, which could also serve as a community centre is paramount.

Make it a building all the community could use. If youre looking at the library, youre looking at schools, looking at everything around here, he added.
A MAN who continued to harass a woman and her father despite repeated warnings from gardai and criminal charges being brought against him has failed in a bid to reduce his four-year prison sentence.

Eoin Hannan, aged 50, of Abbeyvale, Corbally, Limerick, was convicted in April 2022 of the harassment of a woman at various locations in the State on dates between February 14 and August 25, 2020.

Three months later, Hannan pleaded guilty to a separate charge of harassing the woman's father on dates between January 20 and February 13, 2021.

The court heard that Hannan repeatedly contacted the victim despite the fact that, in 2017, gardai had warned him that the woman did not welcome his behaviour.

He was warned again in February 2019 but, on Valentine's Day 2020, he sent a Valentine's card to the woman addressed to her family home where her father lives. The woman was upset because she was worried Hannan would visit the house.

Detective Garda Sarah Barry told the court that, over the next eight months, Hannan sent wine and chocolates to the victims workplace in the capital. He sent her a watch in June 2020, and later sent her a bracelet.

In August, he sent a letter to the family home with a teddy bear and a lollipop. The letter referred to the victim's father and included the phrase one could kill anything except time, which caused her concern. It later emerged that Hannan had mistaken his victim for another woman and he characterised his offending as "romantic rather than sinister" and "based on a case of mistaken identity".

Hannan, who has 44 previous convictions including for assault, criminal damage, making threats to kill, possession of knives, and robbery, had denied the charge and the conviction followed a trial at Dublin Circuit Criminal Court.

Delivering the judgment of the three-judge Court of Appeal today, Mr Justice Seamus Woulfe said Hannan had appealed on the grounds that his offending was non-violent and that the sentencing judge had failed to have proper regard to the defendant's diagnosis of bipolar affective disorder.

Mr Justice Woulfe said that while the offending was not violent, it concerned a "serious and persistent pattern of harassment and had a significant impact on its victims." The judge noted that Hannan had compared his sentence to those given to sexual offenders, but he said the court takes the view that sentences handed down in one case cannot be decisive in a later case. He found no error in the sentencing judge's approach.

Mr Justice Woulfe said the trial judge had shown that she was cognisant of Hannan's mental health difficulties and took his diagnosis into account when considering mitigating factors. Again, the court found no error in principle and dismissed all grounds of appeal.

Appeal

Hannan, who represented himself in the appeal court, argued at a hearing in June this year that the sentence had been unduly severe and that no account was taken of the fact that he has bipolar affective disorder.

He said he wrote to the victim in February 2019, saying he would not be writing again and, after receiving a Garda warning, he then left the country.

I contend that after that, it was a civil matter and the gardai had no right to get involved, he said.

Hannan went on to reference recent sexual assault cases in which the sentence imposed was similar or less than his own.

"Im saying like for like, they got lesser sentences than I did," he claimed.

He added that he found it hard to reconcile the sentences in these cases with the jail term he received for mistakenly sending a series of romantic style letters to the wrong girl.

I would like to live in a society where such a mistake would be acknowledged without the involvement of the gardai, he added.

Psychotic episode

Hannan told the court he suffered a psychotic episode after he stopped taking his medication and was treated at the Central Mental Hospital for six months.

He said he was stabilised on medication and was transferred back to Mountjoy last March.

He said he is now resigned to being on medication for the rest of his life, and said this has made a big difference to his overall wellbeing.

Im deeply ashamed of the crime I have been convicted of and have been punished severely, he told the court.

READ MORE: No timeline in place for new library in Limerick suburb

Hannan said his conviction was for a non-violent offence, which was romantic rather than sinister and based on a case of mistaken identity.

Again Id say I dont believe the gardai should have been involved in the early stages because it was not a criminal matter to send a letter to a girl, he said.

For the reasons outlined, I would beg you to commute or suspend the rest of my sentence.

Eoin Lawlor BL, for the State, suggested to the court that the jail terms imposed were balanced sentences that gave a great deal of consideration to the effect the offences had on the victim and to Hannans circumstances.

He said the maximum sentence in this case was one of seven years. The offending was persistent and, while it wasnt violent, there were elements that were sinister, he said, and that was something which was of great concern.
Google became one of the worlds largest companies by building the worlds most popular internet search engine. But the advent of AI has spawned an army of rivals ready to upstage its monopoly. Now, with OpenAI showcasing SearchGPT, should Google be scared?

Is SearchGPT really novel?

Not really. Microsofts Bingincidentally powered by OpenAIs generative pre-trained transformer (GPT) foundational AI modelshas already showcased the practical uses of a generative AI-driven search and browsing experience. SearchGPT remains within that ambit, but seeks to improve it by ensuring that the AI search algorithm remembers queries for follow-ups. As a result, SearchGPT has so far been advertised as an early-stage experiment to see how generative AI might be fitted into commercial search products. This would be key to see how the future of search can be monetized by Big Tech.

Can Google keep pace?

Well before SearchGPT, Google had unveiled a Search Generative Experience as an internal test product. And in May, it expanded the scope of new features on AI-powered search that uses its latest AI modelGemini. The essence of Googles AI-powered search experience is the same as that of SearchGPT. However, the key difference is that while Google has dominated the search space so far, competitors with similar interfaces and algorithmic prowess could out-muscle Google in an industry that it monopolizes globally. To be sure, neither Googles nor OpenAIs new search platform is openly available yet.

Who are the other competitors?

Bing is perhaps the best known among Google and OpenAI competitors. Another is the startup Perplexity AI, backed by Nvidia and Jeff Bezos, among others. Smaller, independent competitors include privacy-centred browser Braves AI search feature, You.coms AI search, Komo, Phind and Waldo. But none have the deep pockets of Google, Microsoft and OpenAI.

Can this change how we use the internet?

Yes. A big change will come in the way search and targeted ads work. Today, search engine service providers track internet activity and serve ads based on your usage. In return, they earn commissions from advertisers. In a chatbot-like platform, this changes due to the interface design. This could make a huge impact: over half of Google parent Alphabets annual revenue each year comes from Search. For users, the big change could be finding new websitesAI chat interfaces could more closely control information sources.

Why should Google be worried?

Between April and June, Google earned $48.5 billion from its search business. Safe to say, much of its core business is dependent on search. The AI search race could be won by whoever has the better, more powerful AI model. OpenAIs GPT-4o, Metas Llama 3.1 and Anthropics Claude 3.5 Sonnet are in line to challenge and outperform Googles Gemini 1.5 Pro in search today. Google has user stickiness and repute on its sidewhile OpenAI is new, its unlikely to oust Google, which has 30 years of dominance, overnight.
Union Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman on Tuesday responded to Budget 2024-25 debate in Lok Sabha and slammed Opposition parties for misleading claims that the Budget has provided funds only to Bihar and Andhra Pradesh and nothing to other states.

If a state's name is not mentioned in Budget speech, it doesn't mean that no money is given to them, said Nirmala Sitharaman.

Recalling that the UPA government budgets also did not mention names of all states in their Budget speech, Sitharaman said that she has been picking up on Budget speeches since 2004-2005, 2005-2006, 2006-2007, 2007-2008 and so on.

"The Budget of 2004-2005 did not take the name of 17 states. I would like to ask the members of the UPA government at that time - did money not go to those 17 states? Did they stop it? If they have stopped it, then they have every business to raise questions, asked the Finance Minister.

 I would like to thank every member of the House who has spoken and taken interest in the Budget which has been presented here. I would like to thank the people of the country for giving this govt headed by PM Modi, a historic third consecutive term in office.

 We shall all work to build Viksit Bharat by the year 2047. The Budget 2024 is the first step towards Viksit Bharat.

 India is the fastest growing economy; has overcome after-effects of pandemic due to capex push.

 Government is complying with the fiscal deficit trajectory. It will bring down the deficit to below 4.5 per cent by 2025-26 from the targeted 4.9 per cent for the current fiscal. The deficit was 5.6 per cent in 2023-24.

 FY25 Budget has not given lesser allocation to any sector compared to last year.

 No state is being denied any money. We are not depriving any state.

Also Read | BJP backstabbed the middle class in Budget 2024, says Rahul Gandhi in Lok Sabha

 Unemployment rate, for age group of 15-59 years has actually come down for J&K, from 6.4% in 2020-21 to 5.7% in 2021-22 to 4.4% in 2022-23.

 We have provided substantial financial support of 17,000 crore in the Union Budget of UT Jammu and Kashmir this year. It includes 12,000 crore towards financing the cost of Jammu and Kashmir Police.

 Agriculture had 0.30 lakh crore in 2013-14, whereas now it has 1.52 lakh crore. It is 8,000 crores more than last year, which is 2023-24. Education and employment had 0.85 lakh crore allotted in 2013-14, whereas today it is 1.48 lakh crore, 23% more allocation.
New Delhi: Edible oil maker Adani Wilmar Ltd said it could invest in regional companies in categories such as spices, condiments and ready-to-cook meals, aiming for a larger share of the packaged food market.

After we bought the Kohinoor (rice) brand, we have not announced anything, but we are working on it," Angshu Mallick, MD & CEO of Adani Wilmar, said during a virtual interview with Mint Tuesday. We are very eager to do it. Maybe by the year end, if we can."

The acquisitions would be in the kitchen essentials space, he said, adding that more targets are available among regional companies.

It should be in the space of kitchen essentials, ready-to-eat, ready-to-cook, and also spices, condiments, anything in that space," he said. In these categories, there are mostly regional players, there are very few national players. Those present nationally, I don't think they have any reason to exit. It is all the local, regional players, with presence in one or two states, those who have grown, but now they can't compete with the multinationals or large companies, so they look at exiting at a fair valuation."

The company recorded revenue of 51,262 crore in FY24, with underlying volume growth of 10%. The food and FMCG vertical consisting of wheat flour, besan, rice and soya nuggets reported 23% growth in revenue to 4,994 crore. Edible oil revenue stood at 38,788 crore.

Adani Wilmar reported a profit of 313 crore for Q1 on Monday, on the back of stable edible oil prices. Revenue rose 10% to Rs 14,169 crore in the quarter.

Shares of Adani Wilmar gained 2.3% to 352.35 on the BSE on Tuesday. The stock has declined 15.3% in the past one year.

Assessing targets

The company, which listed on the stock exchanges in February 2022, had set aside 500 crore of its initial public offer proceeds for acquisitions and investments. In 2022, the company acquired basmati rice brand Kohinoor from McCormick Switzerland GMBH.

We have already spent close to 125 crore on acquiring Kohinoor in May 22, so we are still left with a kitty of close to 400 crore from the IPO money" for use if there is a good acquisition opportunity, Shrikant Kanhere, chief financial officer of Adani Wilmar, said Tuesday.

Adani Wilmar said on 11 July it would acquire a 67% stake in Omkar Chemical Industries Private Ltd, a specialty chemicals company, at an enterprise value of 56.25 crore. While there is no immediate deal on the table, the company keeps evaluating potential targets, Mallick said.

As part of an ongoing exercise, we have a lot of targets we keep studying. Some are available, some are not available," he said.

Mallick said the second half of the year is set to see improved consumption.

Overall, demand-wise, Q1 was okay. Going forward, demand should look better because we are approaching the festival season, and then the winter, then the marriage season. If the crop is going to be good, it is going to lead to better consumption," he said.

Personal consumption in the country has failed to match the pace of economic growth. Measures propose din the budget to reduce personal taxes, provide incentives for new workers and support rural growth will put more money in the hands of the people and drive consumption, experts said.

Adani Wilmar is a 50:50 joint venture between the Adani Group and the Wilmar Group from Singapore. The two held a combined stake of 87.87% in the joint venture as on 31 March, short of the threshold of at least 25% public shareholding.

It's more to do with the regulatory compliance that a company or a promoter has to dilute another 13% by February 2025. The promoters are certainly working on that," said Kanhere.
In February 1908 Joseph Asscher, a master cutter of diamonds, cleaved the Cullinan at his workshop in Amsterdam. So tough was the South African diamond, the largest ever found, that Mr Asschers first attempt split his blade instead. The diamond industry is once again gripped by a nail-biting separation. This time, its most important company is facing the chop.

After rejecting a takeover proposal from BHP, the worlds biggest miner, Anglo American announced a radical restructuring of its business on May 14th. As well as selling its coal, nickel and platinum operations, the British mining firm will shed its 85% stake in De Beers (Botswana, where its richest diamond mines are located, owns the rest). BHP has until May 29th to make a new offer for Anglo. Whatever happens, De Beerss change of ownership will mark the end of one of its most enduring relationshipsErnest Oppenheimer, Anglo Americans founder, joined the companys board in 1926. For the industry, it signals the biggest shake-up since 2000, when De Beers abandoned its policy of trying to control diamond prices by managing supply.

Anglo could hardly have chosen a worse time to sell its diamond operation. De Beerss revenue fell by a third last year and Anglo marked down the value of its investment by $1.6bn, to $7.6bn. Sales at its April sight"an event where De Beers offloads its rough diamondswere $445m, down 18% year on year. The company blames weak consumer demand in America and China. More worrying still is the threat from man-made diamonds. Lab-grown stones, made using a hot, gassy process called chemical vapour deposition", are essentially identical to the ones De Beers pulls from the groundbut cost around a fifth as much.

These brilliant creations are now bulldozing parts of the diamond business. According to Paul Zimnisky, an industry analyst, they will account for a fifth of the value of diamond jewellery sales globally this year. Consumers who many in the industry expected to remain loyal to the mystique of a billion-year-old diamond are increasingly turning to the lab-grown variety. Edahn Golan, another analyst, says that in America nearly half of the diamond engagement rings sold this year contain a lab-grown stone. Pandora, a big Danish jeweller, saw sales of lab-grown sparklers soar by 87%, year on year, during the first quarter.

How scared should potential buyers of De Beers be? It is tempting to see the firm as a relic, soon to be crushed in an avalanche of innovative man-made rocks. Lightbox, the lab-grown operation it launched in 2018, has done little to dull the threat. Pessimists, however, risk applying an excess of rationality to the irrational business of selling engagement rings to loved-up blokes. To save itself De Beers must convince them to distinguish between two indistinguishable diamonds. That may prove even harder than persuading them to hand over thousands of dollars for a stone in the first place. But it is not impossible.

A growing wedge in price between natural and lab-grown stones will do some of the work. That gap will probably widen further as Chinese and Indian newcomers compete to produce a potentially unlimited supply of lab-grown diamonds. The cheaper these man-made rocks become relative to the original, the less attractive they could prove to buyers who regard the price of a ring as a gauge of their affection, or see the jewels as heirlooms to be passed from generation to generation.

De Beers must also rediscover its flair for marketing. During the 20th century the firm spent lavishly on ads that extolled diamondsand not just those sold by De Beers (though that used to be most of them). Faced with protests against blood diamonds, it deftly promoted itself as a supplier of the conflict-free variety. Yet its marketing muscle has atrophied. The Natural Diamond Council, a coalition of firms formed in 2015 to pool hawking resources, has lost the help of Alrosa, a big Russian miner under sanctions.

A diamond from the mine is for ever" would be a less catchy slogan than the 1947 original. Some of De Beerss actual attempts have been even worse. When launching Lightbox, it promised something that may not be for ever, but is perfect for right now". Such a brutally unromantic sentiment may succeed in turning would-be grooms off a lab-grown stone. But the company must still convince them to pay up for the original. The dripped-out rapper conjured by the companys boast that diamonds are Natures mic drop" does little to sell the permanence of their bling.

Get De Beers in, lad

Whoever buys the firm, then, must be capable of marketing miracles, as well as running a mine. Such hard-hatted admen are rare, if they exist at all. If BHP ends up buying Anglo, it would do so primarily for its copper business, and might well divest De Beers (it shed its own diamond operation a decade ago). Few other miners are likely to be interested as they, too, focus on the green-metals boom. Some also speculate that the government of Botswana, which, in addition to its stake in the company, owns some mines jointly with De Beers, might decide to play a bigger role, though a buyout by the government looks unlikely.

That leaves two other sorts of buyers, if De Beers is to avoid going it alone on the public markets. Among financial investors, sovereign wealth funds from the Middle East are the favourites. Their coffers are deep and Dubai is fast emerging as a hub for the diamond trade owing to its proximity to India and lax regulations. Another option would be for De Beers to become integrated into a luxury giant. The chairman of Richemont, owner of Cartier, has already ruled out making an offer. LVMH could conceivably combine De Beers with Tiffany, the jewellery business it bought in 2021. There, at least, is an outfit familiar with glittery goodsand the gaudy prices that come with them.

 2024, The Economist Newspaper Limited. All rights reserved. From The Economist, published under licence. The original content can be found on www.economist.com
French aerospace major Thales has inked an initial pact with UAV maker Garuda Aerospace to promote the development of the drone ecosystem in the domestic market, the company said on Tuesday.

Under the agreement, Thales will provide expertise in unmanned traffic management (UTM) solutions, UAV detection, and system integration, whilst Garuda will bring its skills in manufacturing, Thales said.

This collaboration aims to foster innovation and to advance the development of technological solutions that can enable safe and secure drone operations and help the growth of drone-based applications in India, Thales said.
Indias bankruptcy court approved the debt resolution plans of 57 companies in the June quarter, crossing an important milestone amid a government push for faster resolution of insolvency cases.

So far, 1,004 resolution plans have been approved under the Insolvency and Bankruptcy Code (IBC) since it was introduced in 2016.

In the year-ago June quarter, the National Company Law Tribunal (NCLT) had approved the rescue of 42 companies; this improved to 56 in the latest March quarter, according to an official with direct knowledge of the matter.

Also read | Bankruptcy rescues have soared this year. Here is why

The companies that secured approval in the June quarter were predominantly in the manufacturing, real estate and trading sectors, this official said on condition of anonymity.

While a record 269 resolution plans were approved in 2023-24, it could take a long while for NCLT to clear all the cases before it. At the end of March, 1,920 bankruptcy cases were pending, way more than what can be cleared in a year with the present infrastructure.

Bankruptcy reforms Finance minister Nirmala Sitharaman, presenting the annual budget for 2024-25 last week, pledged to make appropriate changes to the IBC and reform and strengthen the tribunal and appellate tribunals to speed up insolvency resolution.

Sitharaman, who also holds the corporate ministry portfolio, also said tribunals would be established exclusively for cases under the Companies Act. Currently, NCLT handles IBC as well as company law-related cases.

Anoop Rawat, partner (insolvency and bankruptcy) at law firm Shardul Amarchand Mangaldas & Co. said the technology platform announced by Sitharaman for integrating all the pillars of the IBC ecosystem will improve efficiency and identify causes of delay.

Additionally, the code is set for some key amendments to further improve its functioning, said Rawat.

It is expected that some key changes including faster admission of cases, easing of burden on existing benches by introducing dedicated benches for company law matters, pre-pack scheme or creditors-led resolution framework for large cases, and increasing the look-back period will be introduced in the code, he added.

The ministry of corporate affairs and the Insolvency and Bankruptcy Board of India did not reply to queries emailed on Monday.

More flexibility for rescues A creditor-led or pre-pack scheme will allow a larger part of the debt resolution process to be handled out of court, giving more flexibility to stakeholders to stitch together a rescue plan. The government also plans to clarify the status of statutory dues in the debt resolution process.

An IBBI committee last year recommended a fast-track framework for debt resolution called the debtor in possession model, under which a corporate debtor would remain in control with a right to participate, challenge, or bid in the resolution process.

Strengthening the IBC institutional framework, setting up more court benches, appointing more judges, and promoting alternative dispute resolution systems would help enhance the bankruptcy code, Ranjeet Kumar Agarwal, president of the Institute of Chartered Accountants of India, had said at an event on 12 July.
The taint of a corporate criminal conviction isnt what it used to be.

The accounting firm Arthur Andersen collapsed in 2002 after prosecutors indicted the company for shredding evidence related to its audits of failed energy conglomerate Enron. For years after Andersens demise, prosecutors held back from indicting major corporations, fearing they would kill the firm in the process.

Boeings agreement this month to plead guilty over two employees misconduct in the run-up to two fatal crashes of 737 MAX planes shows how times have changed. A criminal conviction now matters less for big companies, which have proven able to mitigate the negative consequences and survive bad publicity. The companys guilty plea agreement was filed in a Fort Worth, Texas, federal court last week.

Banks, commodity trading firms and automakers have pleaded to crimes in the past decadeand emerged without permanent scars.

Simply being branded a felonpursuant to a plea, without a trialdoes very little to the company," said Mihailis Diamantis, a law professor at the University of Iowa whose research focuses on corporate criminal justice. Boeing has already done a spectacular job of trashing its own reputation over the last three years. That may be why the company was willing to take the convictionfrom rock bottom, you can only move sideways or up."

Boeing declined to comment.

View Full Image Graphic: WSJ

Corporate probation v. conviction

For the better part of two decades, the Justice Department in many circumstances has allowed companies facing criminal charges to enter into settlements that defer potential prosecutionor waive charges entirelyas long as the offending business cooperated, cleaned up its act and paid financial penalties.

After corporate watchdogs criticized such agreements as being too soft, prosecutors over time have tried to make them tougher, including by charging the culpable employees. Practically, that has meant those settlements arent that different from deals that require a guilty plea.

Morgan Stanley received a nonprosecution agreement in January but paid $249 million in fines and admitted that former employees improperly shared information about clients stock sales.

In 2021, prosecutors initially deferred a criminal charge alleging that Boeing deceived air-safety regulators, putting the company instead on a form of corporate probation. If Boeing had stayed out of trouble, the case would have eventually been dismissed. But the Justice Department said in May that Boeing had violated that agreement by falling short of its compliance commitments and needed to plead guilty.

As part of its earlier deal, Boeing was required to admit that its employees violated the law, and it agreed to pay $2.5 billion, including a $243 million criminal fine, $1.8 billion to airline customers and $500 million to the families of the people who perished in the MAX crashes.

Too big to be debarred

Boeings guilty plea triggers one potential consequence that its 2021 settlement didntsuspension, or debarment, as a federal contractor. Congress has written laws to exclude convicted companies and individuals from serving major federal programs such as Medicare and operating businesses that require trust, such as managing mutual funds.

But when suspension is a possibility for a big company, regulators often waive the potential aftershock. Boeing is a critical weapons and aircraft supplier to the Defense Department, where it landed contracts last year valued at $22.8 billion, according to federal data. A Defense Department spokesman said last week that officials havent decided on a waiver yet for Boeing.

View Full Image Boeing aircraft being assembled at the companys factory in Renton, Wash., in June. Photo: Jennifer Buchanan/Agence France-Presse/Getty Images

Our assumption is the company will reach some sort of accommodation with their defense customer regarding the plea," said Ben Tsocanos, aerospace director at S&P Global Ratings. I dont think there is an alternative for the Defense Department for the programs where Boeing is the lead supplier."

That is how big banks fared after their convictions. JPMorgan Chase, Citicorp, Royal Bank of Scotland and UBS pleaded guilty in 2015 to rigging foreign exchange markets. They quickly received waivers from the Securities and Exchange Commission to continue managing mutual funds.

The final bad thing

As for investors, customers and other stakeholders, they have mostly written off the stigma of a major companys conviction. Boeings shares rose during the first trading day after investors learned it would plead guilty.

A conviction usually follows other problems that took a bigger toll on the companys finances and forced changes to its management team.

PG&Es guilty plea in March 2020 to state felony charges of involuntary manslaughter followed its entry into bankruptcy over liabilities stemming from its role in sparking wildfires that collectively killed more than 100 people and destroyed roughly 15,700 homes. It had agreed to pay $13.5 billion to victims of the wildfires before its guilty plea.

For most corporations, criminal liability exposure is the final bad thing to happen," said Andrew Jennings, an Emory University professor specializing in corporate law and white-collar crime.

Consumers rarely hear about corporate convictions because firms dont have to publicize them.

Federal courts have occasionally made companies publish ads to disclose a conviction, but that punishment has been rarely used.

Boeings guilty plea wont be more expensive than its first settlement with the Justice Department. If the court approves its plea, the corporation will pay an additional $244 million and agree to spend $455 million on safety and compliance.

Boeing admitted in January 2021 that two former employees misled the Federal Aviation Administration about a flight-control feature on the 737 MAX later blamed for the accidents. In the fatal crashes that killed 346 people, pilots were unable to regain control after the planes noses were forced downward by repeated, erroneous activations of the flight-control system.

The Justice Department wrote last week in a new court filing that Boeing didnt satisfy its agreement because its compliance systems didnt address fraud risks such as employees performing work out of order, removing parts without documentation and falsifying manufacturing records. Boeing disclosed to the Justice Department in April that workers at its plant in South Carolina falsely certified that all work on the 787 Dreamliner was done correctly, the filing says.

Those problems can undermine the integrity of Boeings statements to the FAA, according to the filing. The air-safety regulator relies on Boeings assurances that its planes match FAA-approved designs and meet federal safety standards before they can fly with passengers.

The families of the 737 MAX victims oppose the plea because it unfairly makes concessions to Boeing that other criminal defendants would never receive," they said in a court filing earlier this month. The families wrote in a court filing last week that Boeing should be required to admit that its crime killed 346 people. They also say prosecutors should have charged higher-level executives with misconduct.

Monitors and history

For Boeing, one difference between its plea and its earlier deferred prosecution agreement is the requirement to hire an outside firm, known as a monitor, to grade its maze of systems for complying with federal laws and regulations.

That step is a pretty strong signal that the firm cannot be relied upon, on its own, to ensure it complies with the law," said Jennifer Arlen, director of the corporate compliance and enforcement program at New York University Law School.

Arlen said there remains one powerful reason corporate executives still prefer their companies avoid a guilty plea: their legacies.

A major executive of a publicly traded firmthat is a very high-status job," Arlen said. One is not going to want to be the executive of a firm that just pleaded guilty to a felony."

Andrew Tangel contributed to this article.

Write to Dave Michaels at dave.michaels@wsj.com
Hinduja Group-owned IndusInd International Holdings Ltd (IIHL) on Tuesday said in an application that it is ready with the 2,750-crore initial fund to take over Reliance Capital and asked the National Company Law Tribunal (NCLT) for an extension of the deadline to comply with the tribunals order related to the acquisition. A copy of the petition has been seen by Mint.

On 23 July, the NCLT in its order had allowed IIHL time till 10 August to implement its resolution plan for Reliance Capital while also directing the firm to deposit 2,750 crore (equity component) in an escrow account by 31 July. In essence, IIHL has sought modification of the tribunals order.

It petitioned before the tribunal that if the NCLT does not consider the modification of its order then the Administrator, the CoC and IIHL will jointly face hardship and unexplainable challenges in implementing the Resolution Plan for the Reliance Capital.

Read more: Byjus employees rush to file claims for their dues as deadline nears On Tuesday, a petition showed IIHL has stated that it is ready with the capital infusion amount of 2,750 crore ( 2,500 cr + 250 cr equity component). It, however, said The escrow account formalities are required to be completed before the funds can be disbursed or credited, a separate letter to the Administrator, Nageswara Rao Y, showed.

Additionally, IIHL mentioned that for the purpose of remittances of the said funds, the banks in Mauritius have specifically requested for certain details without which they will not be able to process the said funds.

The details sought by the Mauritius Bank includethe KYC details of Vistra, a designated entity of the Committee of Creditors, a duly executed triparte escrow agreement by all stakeholders, a copy of the resolution passed by IIHLs Board of Directors and the end use of funds to be remitted.

According to the petition, IIHL pointed out that if the modifications/ changes are not considered by the NCLT and are not permitted to be allowed, it would rather be difficult for the Administrator, the Committee of Creditors and the Applicant to satisfactorily implement and comply with the conditions contained therein strictly within the timelines set out in the said order.

Read more: New benches for company law tribunals to speed up merger case approvals: Experts Adding that the Administrator as well as the Committee of Creditors are required to carry out jointly to smoothly and effectively implement the resolution plan.

Pertinently, IIHL has asked the Administrator and CoC to implement certain requirements that were part of the resolution plan and were approved by the CoC itself which are pending actions as on date.
ONGC Videsh Ltd (OVL) has sought waiver from US sanctions to take possession of oil cargoes that Venezuela has promised in lieu of dividends worth $600 million, two people familiar with the matter said.

OVL owns 49% stake in Venezuela's operational San Cristobal project and 11% in under-development Carabobo. Petroleos de Venezuela, S.A., (PdVSA) which operates both, had agreed to give oil to OVL instead of cash dividends; however, this is held up since US sanctions bar transactions involving PdVSA.

OVL, a subsidiary of ONGC, has now reached out to the Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) of the US Department of the Treasury seeking an exemption, the people cited above said.

Exemption sought

"OVL has sought exemption from OFAC under GL44A for the same and is awaiting suitable response from the US authorities," an OVL spokesperson confirmed in an email response to a query from Mint. The General License No. 44A (GL44A) that OFAC issued on 17 April prohibited transactions with PdVSA, or any entity it owns or has a majority stake.

Also read | OVL looking to operate oil projects in Venezuela after US lifts sanctions

In January, Mint had reported that OVL was in talks with PdVSA for the oil cargoes. However, the return of US sanctions to Venezuela in April after a six-month breather threw India's oil-for-dividends plan with the Latin American country into disarray. On 20 April, Mint reported ONGC Videsh Ltd is looking for new options to get the promised oil cargoes.

Also read | As sanctions return to Venezuela, OVL has a problem on its hands

"Venezuela will be able to give us oil. We would have to show clearance from the US. Although their production has reduced, it has not stopped," said one of the two people cited above.

Also read | OVL, Oil India may join forces again to bid for new Bangladesh offshore blocks

The US, which had briefly lifted sanctions on Venezuela in October, reimposed them in April citing Venezuelan president Nicolas Maduro's alleged failure to hold free and fair elections. On Monday, Maduro was declared as the winner of the presidential elections for a third time, a result which was disputed by the opposition and several neighbouring countries.

In response to a query from Mint, the US embassy spokesperson said: "As a matter of course, we do not comment on individual waiver requests."

More investment planned

While the sanctions waiver was on, OVL managing director Rajarshi Gupta had in February said that the company would look at investing more in the country to increase productivity.

The lifting of the sanctions is a very positive sign. We are in very advanced discussions with the government of Venezuela to get further cargoes to liquidate our dividends, and at the same time to get the operatorship of the two projects that we have there and increase production from there. The two projects we will have to invest to get more production. Thats still being worked out. We will have to invest, because Venezuela has the largest reserves in the world. So, if we invest more, we will get more production," he had told reporters.

Currently, OVL and PdVSA jointly operate the projects. OVL acquired 40% in San Cristobal project in Venezuela in 2008, with PdVSA owning the balance 60%. ONGC Videsh holds the stake through ONGC Nile Ganga (San Cristobal) BV, a wholly owned subsidiary of ONGC Nile Ganga B.V.

Last week, Bloomberg reported that Reliance Industries has obtained approval from the US to resume oil imports from Venezuela.
Since May, needle-phobic people in Austin, Texas, have been able to visit pharmacies for routine medical tests on drops of blood squeezed from their fingertips, rather than the usual way of plunging a needle into a vein in the arm and drawing large vials of blood.

The rise and fall of Theranosthe Silicon Valley startup that promised to revolutionize blood testing but ended dissolved, with its founder Elizabeth Holmes convicted of fraudcast a pall over the idea that critical medical tests could be run on mere drops of blood.

Demand for alternatives to standard blood draws never went away, however. And companiesincluding Becton Dickinson and Babson Diagnostics, which make the tests rolling out in Austinhave been working out technological kinks that foiled Theranos.

Bectons hand-held finger-prick device and Babsons sample-handling machine are the first to hit the market. Drawbridge Health received regulatory clearance in April for a device that collects a small amount of blood from the upper arm and can be self-administered at home.

Truvian Health is developing an instrument that can process small blood samples close to the point of collection rather than at a central lab. The company plans to launch it commercially in 2025, said Chief Executive Jay Srinivasan.

Theranos has always been a two-edged sword in that it put a stain on the integrity of the industry that I dont think will ever go away," said Eric Olson, founder and chairman of Babson. And at the same time, it awoke the idea that things can be different."

Theranos was valued in the billions of dollars based on the promise to test blood using just a few drops. The Silicon Valley startup formally dissolved in 2018, after The Wall Street Journal exposed how the companys technology didnt work. Holmes is now serving an 11-year prison sentence.

The company had tapped heavy interest in something faster and less painful than standard blood draws, which can take 6 to 12 milliliters or more.

The draws are a staple of medical testing used to gauge everything from whether someone is diabetic to whether they have a vitamin deficiency. Yet many people fear needles or have trouble presenting a suitable vein on the first try.

Some avoid the tests altogether, which could cause doctors to miss diseases.

Geraldine Tunnell, a 47-year-old technology executive in Austin, previously got standard blood draws every three months to monitor the Type 1 diabetes she has had since childhood.

It was a tough process because phlebotomists often had to inject a needle several times before finding a suitable vein in her arm. Sometimes it took up to an hour to get it right, causing bruises, she said.

Tunnell recently went to a nearby pharmacy to get the Becton and Babson blood test. She said the visit took about 30 minutes, and she didnt have to worry about difficult-to-find veins. Nor was it any more painful than the fingersticks she has used to test her blood sugar.

She received a text the next morning with a link to her results, which showed her average blood-sugar levels were well-controlled.

That is a far easier way to do it for me," she said. You can certainly feel it, but it felt significantly different for me than when they had to poke around my veins."

Becton, a Franklin Lakes, N.J., company that makes needles and tubes used in standard venous blood draws, developed the BD MiniDraw device that uses a fingerstick lancet to collect drops of blood.

The hand-held device has a finger-sleeve attached to a tube, which typically squeezes about six to 18 drops of bloodless than 1 milliliter.

Babson, an Austin company that was spun out of medical-technology giant Siemens Healthineers in 2017, uses the BD MiniDraw in a retail blood-collection service it calls BetterWay.

Pharmacists can administer the blood collections, rather than the phlebotomists who perform standard blood draws.

Before getting the fingerstick, consumers place their hands on a warming device to improve blood flow in capillary vessels. They slide a finger into a plastic sleeve and get pricked by the lancet, and a pharmacist can then squeeze wings on the sleeves to cause blood to flow out.

The tube of blood is put in a Babson sample-preparation machine on-site, which scans it and conducts reverse centrifugation, a process that separates serum and plasma from the blood. Babson says this process greatly reduces the amount of blood that is often wasted in standard blood draws.

The samples are sent to a centralized Babson testing lab in Austin, where the company processes samples on analyzers from Siemens Healthineers that have been adapted for small-volume testing.

Theranos had sought to use its own proprietary instrument, named Edison, to quickly test customers droplets of blood at the site of the finger prick. The Journal reported the device had accuracy issues and was barely used.

Babson, by contrast, uses more conventional analyzing equipment at a central lab to test the samples.

This isnt Theranos," Olson said. Were not trying to minimize the lab. Were decentralizing the collection and taking it back to the laboratory."

Babson and Becton said clinical studies have shown lab results from the fingerstick blood samples are clinically equivalent to standard venous tests. They plan to publish the results in a medical journal.

For doctors to gain confidence in the new method, it will be crucial for Becton and Babson to publish the clinical data demonstrating its accuracy across a range of patient populations, said Dr. Charlene Bierl, professor of clinical pathology and laboratory medicine at the Perelman School of Medicine of the University of Pennsylvania.

Write to Peter Loftus at Peter.Loftus@wsj.com
Five years ago, Washington sanctioned Huawei, cutting off the Chinese companys access to advanced U.S. technologies because it feared the telecommunications giant would spy on Americans and their allies. Many in the industry thought it would ring the death knell for one of Chinas most vital tech players.

Huawei struggled at firstbut now its come roaring back.

Bolstered by billions of dollars in state support, Huawei has expanded into new businesses, boosted its profitability and found fresh ways to curb its dependence on U.S. suppliers. It has held on to its leading position in the global telecom-equipment market, despite American efforts to squeeze Huawei out of its allies networks. And its making a big comeback in high-end smartphones, using sophisticated new chips developed in-house to take buyers from Apple.

Along the way, a company that portrayed itself as independent from Beijing has morphed into something more like a national champion, helping China wean itself off foreign supplierspart of a broader campaign to eliminate U.S. technology in China, dubbed Delete A," for Delete America. Its resurgence shows why its so hard for America to contain Chinas technological ambitions.

The U.S. governments campaign against Huawei is inadvertently bolstering the companys resilience, echoing the age-old adage that what doesnt kill you makes you stronger," said Sameh Boujelbene, an analyst at research firm DellOro Group.

State money was critical. While Chinas government has backed Huawei since its earliest days, government support ramped up in recent years. Huaweis profit more than doubled last year, the largest jump in at least two decades. Roughly two-thirds of its revenue comes from domestic clients.

Government contracts and company registration records, as well as interviews with former and current employees, reveal that billions of dollars flowed from the Chinese government to Huawei through preferential buying contracts and subsidies. State-owned enterprises, government agencies and Communist Party bodies sought Huawei chips, smartphones, cloud services and software, with some procurement contracts calling for Huawei gear by name.

View Full Image Newly launched smartphones at a Huawei store in Beijing last year. Photo: Kevin Frayer/Getty Images

Local governments have bought Huawei businesses, providing cash injections. Once reliant on Googles Android for its consumer devices, Huawei built its own operating system. It has even made a foray into electric vehicles, a task that Apple gave up on, and developed its own version of Bluetooth.

Huawei still faces challenges. Its most advanced semiconductors remain a step behind industry leaders such as Nvidia, and some sector experts believe it will be hard for Huawei to keep innovating without access to more advanced Western technologies.

Weve been through a lot over the past few years. But through one challenge after another, weve managed to grow," Huawei said in a written statement, adding that the company owed its survival and development to the trust and support of global customers, partners and all sectors of society." Sustaining R&D investment will be crucial going forward, the company said.

Chinas Ministry of Industry and Information Technology and its Ministry of Finance, which leads government procurement, didnt respond to requests for comment.

View Full Image Graphic: WSJ

In the U.S., supporters of restrictions on Huawei say they achieved their primary goal: reducing the amount of Huawei equipment in networks in the U.S. and its military allies.

The goal wasnt to drive Huawei out of business," said Matt Pottinger, who was deputy national security adviser in the Trump administration and now chairs the China program at the Foundation for Defense of Democracies think tank. It was to protect our alliances and protect our data, and if it made life harder for Huawei, all the better."

Washington is watching Huaweis progress warily. One current U.S. official said Washington is closely tracking Huaweis efforts to make its own semiconductors, in case more actions are needed to block China from manufacturing artificial-intelligence-focused chips that can give Beijing a military edge.

Ascent interrupted

Huawei was founded in 1987 by Ren Zhengfei, now 79, as a maker of phone switches. It went on to become one of the worlds biggest producers of smartphones and telecom equipment, and one of the most profitable private companies in China. It also made inroads beyond China, with around 48% of its revenue from international clients in 2018.

As U.S.-China tensions ratcheted up, Western officials grew more concerned that Huawei could pose a security risk to countries that used its equipment. Foreign perceptions of the company worsened when Meng Wanzhou, a Huawei executive and Rens daughter, was detained in Canada in 2018 for alleged violations of U.S. sanctions on Iran.

The Trump administration, which had been lobbying allies to drop Huawei from their networks, added it to a Commerce Department trade blacklist that barred companies such as Intel, Qualcomm and Google from supplying technology from the U.S. to Huawei without a license.

View Full Image A Luxeed S7 electric sedan, co-developed by Huawei and Chery Automobile, on display in Chongqing. Photo: Raul Ariano/Bloomberg News

Huawei denied that its products would ever be used to spy on Western nations, and played down any ties with the Chinese state. In the companys early years, according to state media, Ren turned down help from Chinas then-premier in getting a loan so that Huawei could maintain distance from authorities.

After the U.S. imposed restrictions, Huawei and Chinas government grew closer. Soon, Huawei leaders declared that every product they made going forward should be able to rely entirely on components developed by Chinese companies.

In a public speech last year, Ren recalled that a Huawei executive told him: America doesnt understand that with this blow, they are turning the biggest supporter of the U.S. into its largest detractor."

Ren compared the firm to a Soviet military plane that had crashed during World War II in a Kazakhstan lake, only to be recovered in recent years and restored. The Ilyushin Il-2, dubbed the Flying Tank, flew again. Huawei circulated a video about the plane to staff, with the slogan: Heroes are forged, not born."

For a while, though, it looked like Huawei would struggle to stay aloft. In 2021, its revenue dropped almost 30% from the year before. Its core telecom equipment business was suffering. Apples iPhone was taking over Huawei market share in smartphones.

Huawei focused on building out more of its own supply chain and expanding into new areas that could generate revenue to help keep the company going, including cloud computing and other services, according to Chris Peirera, a former Huawei senior director in public affairs. Ren was a motivational leader, he said.

In the past, we chased the ideal of globalization, determined to serve mankind. What are our goals now? Its to survive. We will make money wherever we can," Ren later told staff in an internal letter.

China to the rescue

Government support began to amp up from Day One of the sanctions.

On May 16, 2019the day the Commerce Department added Huawei to the trade blacklistthe local government in Shenzhen, where Huawei is based, registered an investment company. That entity, Shenzhen Major Industry Investment Group, or SMII, focused on semiconductors, investing in foundries, manufacturing equipment and materials that would help ensure Huawei was supplied with enough domestically made chips and other technologies.

Two companies established by SMII, including a chip foundry, employed former Huawei executives, according to people familiar with the matter. One received around a dozen patented technologies transferred from Huawei. Huawei human-resources managers had asked company researchers if they would work at that entity, promising them they could keep their benefits if they moved, according to people familiar with the matter.

Shenzhens imports of semiconductor manufacturing equipment surged after SMIIs inception, official data shows.

Shenzhens government and SMII didnt respond to requests for comment. Huawei said not all of the Shenzhen governments semiconductor-related activities are linked to Huawei.

A new company majority-owned by Shenzhen also bought Huaweis Honor smartphone business, which was struggling because of the U.S. sanctions. The deal was worth several billions of dollars, a person familiar with the transaction said. The cash allowed Huawei to focus on other businesses, including its higher-end Mate series of phones.

View Full Image Graphic; WSJ

Direct financial support increased as well. Huawei received over $1 billion in government grants in 2023, more than quadruple the amount it received in 2019, according to Huaweis financial reports. In all, Huawei received nearly $3 billion in the past five years, accounting for 3% of its total R&D expenses.

The U.S. also is providing large subsidies to encourage domestic chip-making, though it has made the assistance available to foreign companies, including Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co.

Beijing directed state agencies to buy more of Huaweis software, chips and mobile devices, a policy that boosted Huawei while reducing Chinas reliance on American companies, including Apple, whose iPhones are no longer allowed in the workplace for many government employees. A government research unit named Huawei as one of four tech giants spearheading the nations push to wean itself off foreign technology, while another government body singled out Huawei as a preferred state supplier of AI chips, servers and other enterprise software.

The Wall Street Journal found more than 300 government procurement contracts worth around $5 billion specifically calling for the purchase of servers and other tech infrastructure powered by Huaweis Kunpeng central processing units, or CPUs, in 2023. Other contracts listed Huawei CPUs among a handful of preferred local vendors.

All of this was a sharp contrast to five years ago, when government agencies specifically requested products from U.S. chip makers Intel or AMD.

Chinas buy-local policy is even more pronounced in the telecom-equipment space, Huaweis largest revenue source. State-owned Chinese wireless carriers have largely stopped buying equipment from Huaweis foreign rivals, Swedens Ericsson and Finlands Nokia, even when one of them priced their contracts more cheaply than Chinese companies. The shift came while Sweden and other European countries indicated that they would cut Huawei and another Chinese equipment maker, ZTE, from their networks.

Ericsson and Nokia held about 15% of Chinas cellular equipment market before 5G began rolling out in 2019. Now, in the 5G cellular-equipment market, they hold about 4% to 5%, according to research firm DellOro.

Fighting foreign oppression

Though Huawei is still seeking to sell its products abroad in places such as Southeast Asia and Africa, it is more reliant on Chinas market than ever, with 67% of revenue last year coming from domestic clients. The company often portrays itself as a national champion that gives priority to serving China.

The Canadian arrest of Meng, Rens daughter, helped accelerate that transition. Beijing imprisoned two Canadian citizens in retaliation and negotiated her release. When Meng stepped off the plane in China in September 2021 after three years of detention, she expressed gratitude as she addressed a crowd gathered to greet her.

Over the last three years, Ive come to understand this better: An individuals fate, a corporations fate, and the countrys fate are all intertwined. Our motherland is our strongest backing," she said.

View Full Image Supporters waited for Mengs arrival. Photo: noel celis/Agence France-Presse/Getty Images

With so much government support, Huawei was able to avoid massive cuts that would have gutted its R&D or led to a talent exodus. Huawei boosted R&D spending to almost 165 billion yuan, or $23 billion, last year, up from 102 billion yuan in 2018. More than half of Huaweis 207,000 employees are in R&D.

Huawei is now at the vanguard of Chinas push to develop cutting-edge chips to wean reliance on Nvidia and Intel, as the Biden administration seeks to curb Chinas ability to develop advanced chips and technology that could aid its warfare and surveillance. U.S. chip juggernaut Nvidia singled out Huawei as a top competitor in February.

Huawei is leading a government-funded project to develop memory units for advanced AI chips, people familiar with the matter said, with at least 11 national AI data centers now using Huawei chips.

Through various state-backed funds, the Chinese government has invested in more than two dozen chip-related startups alongside Huawei over the past five years, according to corporate database Tianyancha.

Last August, Huawei launched its Mate 60 Pro, a smartphone with 5G-like capability powered by a chip developed in-house. Many Chinese consumers have cited national pride as a reason for buying Huawei smartphones, whose success led to a sharp drop in Apple iPhone sales so far this this year.

Barely a month after the phones launch, a group of Huawei researchers gathered at a barbecue restaurant on the outskirts of Beijing, and congratulated engineers who had worked on the project at HiSilicon, Huaweis chip unit.

You HiSilicon people kick ass," one of the Huawei researchers said, according to a person who attended. Managers tell us daily that our work helps the country fight against foreign oppression," a HiSilicon engineer who was present responded.

Were becoming more and more like a state-owned company, arent we?" another researcher chimed in.

Write to Liza Lin at liza.lin@wsj.com, Stu Woo at Stu.Woo@wsj.com and Raffaele Huang at raffaele.huang@wsj.com
Mumbai: American specialty chemicals maker Lubrizol will invest $200 million (about 1,674 crore) in India over four years to set up a greenfield manufacturing facility in Aurangabad.

The company is a leading manufacturer of additives used to make lubricants for vehicles and industrial machinery, among other things. It is betting on the growing demand for new vehicles in India to support the added manufacturing capacity from the new plant, which will be Lubrizols second-largest in the world.

The automotive market in India is almost the third-largest in the world. As an economy, we aspire to become the third-largest economy with the kind of growth rates that we are experiencing here, Bhavana Bindra, managing director, Lubrizol IMEA (India, Middle East and Africa), told Mint in an interview.

The company sees India's fast-expanding economy as an opportunity, she said.

The specialty chemicals market represents 22% of India's overall chemicals and petrochemicals market and is valued at $32 billion, per a recent KPMG report. The market is expected to grow at a compounded rate of 12% between 2020 and 2025.

Among additives manufacturers, Lubrizol's competitors include global players like Evonik Industries and Infineum as well as several smaller domestic players.

Lubrizols India investments This is the second big investment announcement the American company has made in India in just over a year. In June 2023, it announced an investment of over $150 million in the country. The funds were to be used to set up the worlds largest cholrinated polivinyl chloride (CPVC) resin plant in Vilayat, Gujarat, double the capacity at its site in Dahej, Gujarat, and to open a grease lab in Navi Mumbai.

In April, the company announced that it will set up a new Global Capability Centre (GCC) in Pune.

Also Read: GCCs face talent exodus amid rising competition The fresh investment will partly be funded through accruals at Lubrizols India unit and the company is still finalizing the means to raise the remainder sum, said Flavio Kliger, president of Lubrizol Additives.

The new plant will primarily cater to domestic demand and handle some exports for the company, Kliger said.
Vedanta Ltd, led by billionaire Anil Agarwal, has secured approval from 75% of its lenders, including the State Bank of India (SBI), for its proposed mega demerger.

The company on Tuesday said that it will present the demerger scheme to the National Company Law Tribunal (NCLT), a critical step towards splitting Vedanta into six independent listed entities.

Vedanta will now await approval from the tribunal and other regulators for the demerger.

Mint had first reported on 2 May that a group of key lenders had ended a nearly seven-month deadlock by endorsing the demerger plan, which aims to separate the group's flagship operations.

Navigating debt The demerger was delayed due to the need to negotiate the distribution of $7 billion in debt owed to creditors in India among the new entities.

Vedanta's consortium of lenders, led by the State Bank of India (SBI), includes major financial institutions such as Bank of Baroda, Punjab National Bank, ICICI Bank, Axis Bank, Canara Bank, Indian Overseas Bank, Yes Bank, Union Bank of India, IDFC First Bank, Bank of Maharashtra, and Kotak Mahindra Bank, according to ratings agency Crisil.

Over the past year and a half, Vedanta's debt situation has been a central focus in all its key business decisions.

Aditya Welekar, a metals and mining analyst at Axis Securities, highlighted in a report on 18 June, "Vedanta Resources Ltd (the parent company) has de-levered its balance sheet by $3.7 billion to $6 billion in the last two years."

The company managed to reprofile $4 billion in near-term bond maturities through a successful liability management exercise earlier this year, as per the report.

Read this | Vedantas wriggle room narrows as creditors fret over demerger

Previously, Vedanta had projected a $3 billion debt reduction at the parent level by FY27, to be achieved through brand fees and dividends from subsidiaries, without increasing leverage at Vedanta Ltd. The group aims for an operating income of $6 billion in FY2025 and $6.5-7.5 billion in FY26-27, which, according to an Axis report, will contribute to deleveraging alongside strategic actions such as asset sales.

Debt split across demerged entities will be a key monitorable to watch out for going ahead, said Welekar in the report.

Demerger and market impact The demerger of Vedanta, which boasts a market capitalization of 1.74 trillion, is set to be one of the largest in the listed space. Previously, the separation of Jio Financial Services from Reliance Industries Ltd, completed last year, was the largest of its kind.

As an organization dedicated to supporting the dream of an Atmanirbhar Bharat in natural resources, Vedantas demerger will create sector focused entities, aligned with Indias global leadership goals in critical minerals, energy security as well as renewables and technology sectors, said the company.

Vedanta believes the demerger will simplify its corporate structure, creating independent businesses that offer global investors direct investment opportunities in pure-play companies linked to India's growth.

At Vedanta's annual general meeting earlier this month, Agarwal emphasized, Demerger of our businesses will lead to the creation of six strong companies, each a Vedanta in its own right. This will unlock massive value. Each demerged entity will chart its own course but will follow Vedantas core values, its enterprising spirit, and global leadership.

Post-demerger, Vedanta's existing businesses will be organized under six independent companies: Vedanta Aluminium, Vedanta Oil & Gas, Vedanta Power, Vedanta Steel and Ferrous Materials, Vedanta Base Metals, and Vedanta Ltd.

The demerger, the company said, is planned as a simple vertical split, with shareholders receiving one share of each of the five newly listed entities for every share of Vedanta Ltd. they hold.

Vedanta's shares have been on an upward trajectory for a while now, particularly following the demerger announcement last year. As of 30 June, Vedanta's five-year returns stood at 276%, with an average accumulated dividend yield of 65% over the same period.

The company has invested at least $35 billion in India and is currently focusing on expansion plans that include 50 strategic growth projects. Vedanta is the largest aluminium producer and the sole producer of zinc and silver in India, besides being one of the country's largest power generators. The company also engages in the production of nickel and operates in the chromium, copper, and traditional ferrous verticals, including iron ore and steel.

Vedanta tax dispute In a separate development, Vedanta, on 30 July, disclosed that it has received an assessment order from the Income Tax department, demanding 1289.10 crore in taxes and interest for the assessment year 2020-21.

The company has identified a computational error in this demand determination and will file a rectification request before jurisdictional assessing officer, said the company in an exchange filing.

After the rectification, the company said, the expected demand will be nil in this case.
Vivo India will commission its new manufacturing unit this year that will double its production capacity, chief executive officer Jerome Chen said in a report, as the Chinese smartphone maker focuses on appointing local leadership and increasing levels of value addition in the coming years.

We are proud to be starting our operations at a new manufacturing facility. This facility, once fully operational, will give us the option of doubling our manufacturing capacity, while reinforcing our commitment to Atmanirbhar Bharat, Chen said.

The company has manufactured 25 million 5G phones since 2022.

In an Indian Impact report 2023 issued by the company as it completes 10 years in the country, the top executive said Vivo has invested 3,500 crore in India till date, with over 150 million smartphones manufactured in Greater Noida, Uttar Pradesh. He added that Vivo has exported phones worth 90 crore in 2022 and 300 crore in 2023.

Vivo plans a two-pronged localisation approach for India. The company will look at empowering Indian leaders to spearhead local operations and strengthening its focus on India-centric design products by localising design, camera effects and product experience.

The past decade focused on growth and consolidation in the fierce Indian market. In the next decade, we will focus on localising multiple areas, including manufacturing, the local value chain and distribution. We have started designing phones that meet our consumers local tastes and preferences under our Design for India initiative, Chen said.

Local value addition will be done by starting a new factory in 2024, introducing new technology in localisation, and constantly increasing localisation of critical components like optical image stabilisers, camera modules, memory and OLED displays.

According to the report, indigenisation of key components has led to an increase in local sourcing and all motherboards used in Vivo smartphones were made in India, while packaging material and over 90% of fingerprint sensors, batteries and chargers were sourced locally.

The next decade holds great promise for India as it emerges as a powerhouse of global economic growth... the government has made substantial strides in bolstering infrastructure, enhancing governance, fortifying the financial sector and fostering progressive policies. As a result, market is witnessing premiumisation, accompanied by rapid technological adoption and an escalating demand landscape, Chen said.
Bihar School Examination Board (BSEB) has extended the last date for secondary registration 2025 for exam 2026. Students studying in Class 9 are supposed to enrol for their matriculation exam 2026 till August 13. The BSES, in the notification, has advised the heads of the secondary level educational institutions across the state to register Class 9 students for BSEB Class 10 board exams 2026 through the official website of BSES at secondary.biharboardonline.com.

"Heads of secondary level educational institutionsof the state will now register the 9th class students of their institutions in the extended period till 13.08.2024 through the website http://secondary.biharboardonline.com", the BSEB notification read.

Also Read | Delhi University opens UG admission correction window today

The BSEB notification further said a copy of the Class 10 registration form has been uploaded to its official website. The heads of secondary-level educational institutions are advised to first download the form from the website and distribute it among the students so that they can fill out the forms and submit them to the concerned schools.

Also Read | NEET PG 2024 city allotment slip to be released on July 31, admit card on Aug 8

The board further said that the heads of the secondary-level educational institutions will verify the information provided by the students against the school's records and then complete the online registration form for the respective students

BSEB matriculation exam 2026: Fee payment last date According to the notification, the registration fee for BSEB matriculation exams can be submitted by August 10, 2024. The students must note that the BSEB matriculation exam fee will not be deposited after August 10, and now there will be no further extension on the last date for registration for matriculation exams after August 13, 2024.

In case of any inconvenience in filling out the online registration form and depositing the fee, students can contact the board's helpline number at 0612-2232074 during office hours.

Also Read | Attention future doctors! NEET UG Counselling 2024 dates OUT

The BSEB declared the Bihar Board Class 10 result 2024 on March 31, 2024. The passing percentage of students in the Class 10th Bihar Board examination this year improved compared to 2023. This years passing percentage is 82.91%, whereas it was 81.04% in the previous year, i.e. 2023.
There is a wry sense of seen-it-all-before in the crucible of the worlds semiconductor industry. When your columnist took the bullet train to Hsinchu Science Park, home to Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Company (TSMC), the worlds biggest chip producer, on May 24th, China was simulating a military encirclement of Taiwan in waters not far over the horizon. An invasion would be cataclysmic. A blockade could starve the island of vital energy resources. Even cyber-attacks could be crippling. Yet after decades of belligerence, many Taiwanese greet such threats with a shrug. Its nothing new to me, chuckles one seasoned chip executive. Since 1996 China has been throwing missiles.

Semiconductor executives to whom Schumpeter spoke on a tour of Taiwan, South Korea and Japan are not nearly as relaxed about Americas economic manoeuvres against China, though. They say sanctions, subsidies, tariffs and other blunt instruments of geopolitical rivalry and industrial policy may have strategic logic. But they jeopardise one of the miracles of modern technology: the fragile semiconductor supply chain that stretches from East Asia to America and Europe, with Taiwan at its crux. Along it silicon wafers are made and polished, etched with billions of nanometre-size transistors, sliced into microchips and packaged into the brain cells of the digital age. It is a process masterfully honed to combine government support with the invisible hand of the free market. The chip war threatens to bludgeon it.

Consider the ecosystem stretching outwards from TSMCs Hsinchu headquarters. On one side of the entrance, with a driveway shaped like a silicon disc, is one of its many fabrication plants, or fabs. Across the street is UMC, Taiwans other chip giant. Both companies emerged in the 1980s from the government-funded Industrial Technology Research Institute. Since then a quasi-free market has flourished amid the rice fields of north-western Taiwan. Eight square kilometres (three square miles) house hundreds of suppliers, from ASML, the Dutch maker of the worlds most cutting-edge lithography tools, to small laundries that ensure engineers white bunny suits are dust-free in the light-filled purity of the clean rooms.

The network stretches far beyond Taiwan. From South Korea, SK Hynix supplies TSMC with the latest high-bandwidth memory chips that are crucial for the graphics-processing units it makes on behalf of Nvidia, the artificial-intelligence juggernaut. In Japan, companies like Tokyo Electron, which makes other chipmaking tools, Resonac, producer of chemicals, and Advantest, which tests the quality of finished chips, work alongside numerous small firms to make the country the source of almost a third of equipment and more than half of materials used in chip manufacturing. At the start of the chain, China supplies raw materials like polysilicon. America, for its part, provides the most sophisticated chip designs that breathe life into smartphones and cloud servers.

Now picture a world divided into two semiconductor blocks, with America on one side and China the other, that aim to replicate this cats cradle of relationships in an effort to gain strategic autonomy. It is almost impossible to imagine. First, even for staunch American allies such as Taiwan, South Korea and Japan, China remains a crucial semiconductor market, notwithstanding American sanctions on tech firms like Huawei, and export controls on the sale of the most advanced microchips to the mainland. They would be loth to give it up, except in extremis.

Second, decoupling would come at a big cost. One of the marvels of the chip supply chain is how lean it is. The risk is that as big powers such as America offer large subsidies to reshore semiconductor manufacturing, the economics will be upended. Subsidies from Americas CHIPS and Science Act, as well as investment tax credits, have helped entice TSMC to build three fabs in Arizona, at a planned cost of $65bn. The company believes it is in its own and its customers interests to diversify some of its operations beyond Taiwan. Yet America is not cheap: construction and labour costs are high. Moreover, though it can attract some big suppliers to move with it to America, smaller ones will need to be nurtured in the Arizona desert. This, too, will be expensive. In order to maintain its margins, TSMC has to persuade big customers, such as Apple, to pay more for the option of using American-made chips. Failing that, subsidies will need to flow indefinitely.

Third, consider how different cultures complicate the picture. In Taiwan, semiconductor engineers are renowned for dropping everything, day or night, to fix problems. That helped the industry survive a big earthquake in April with minimal disruption, just as it did the covid-19 pandemic. In America there is, to put it mildly, more regard for work-life balanceand that is if you can find enough qualified semiconductor engineers in the first place.

Headaches aside, many in the industry understand Americas desire to thwart China. They know that China plays hardball with American firms; they accept the region is rife with industrial policy; they understand that Japan, South Korea and Taiwan have to pay a price for living under Americas security blanket. They are loyal soldiers defending the silicon island chain.

Have some vinegar with your chips What irks them, though, is the feeling that America is upsetting one of the last remaining bastions of globalisation not just for geopolitical reasons, but out of a selfish desire to preserve its economic dominance. One Japanese executive fumes that America is childish to try to stifle Chinese competition. A Taiwanese expert asks drily whether it would satisfy the America First contingent if TSMC simply changed its name to America Semiconductor Manufacturing Company. Quietly, many hope their firms will continue to straddle the geopolitical divide for years to come.

If you want to write directly to Schumpeter, email him at schumpeter@economist.com

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The subscription period for the Ceigall India IPO began on Thursday, August 1, and will end on Monday, August 5. The price band for the offering has been set at 380 to 401 for each equity share with a face value of 5. The initial public offering (IPO) lot size for Ceigall India is 65 equity shares, with subsequent lots of 37 equity shares. Ceigall India IPO subscription status was 1.23 times on the second bidding day.

The IPO consists of an offer-for-sale (OFS) of 1,41,74,840 equity shares by existing shareholders, including promoters, and a fresh issue of equity shares for 684.3 crore by the firm.

Promoters Ramneek Sehgal, Ramneek Sehgal and Sons HUF, Avneet Luthra, Mohinder Pal Singh Sehgal, Parmjit Sehgal, and Simran Sehgal are among the selling shareholders in the OFS.

The net proceeds will be used by the firm to fund its subsidiary, Ceigall Infra Projects Private Limited, as well as general corporate purposes, equipment acquisitions, and the full or partial repayment or prepayment of certain debts that the company has taken out.

ICICI Securities Ltd, IIFL Securities Ltd, and JM Financial Ltd are the book running lead managers for the Ceigall India IPO, while Link Intime India Private Ltd is the registrar.

Here are 10 key things from the Red Herring Prospectus (RHP) that investors might want to know before subscribing to the issue.

Ceigall India IPO Promoters The company's promoters are Ramneek Sehgal, Ramneek Sehgal and Sons HUF, and RS Family Trust. The promoters of the firm own 134,144,000 equity shares in total as of the date of this Red Herring Prospectus, which makes up 85.37% of the equity share capital that the company has issued, subscribed for, and paid for.

Ceigall India IPO Peers The listed peers of the company are PNC Infratech (P/E of 14.75), G R Infraprojects (P/E of 12.60), H.G. Infra Engineering (P/E of 20.43), KNR Constructions (P/E of 13.17), ITD Cementation India (P/E of 29.39), and J Kumar Infraprojects (P/E of 19.68).

Ceigall India Business The main commercial operations of the Ludhiana-based company are mostly divided into hybrid annuity model (HAM) projects and engineering, procurement, and construction (EPC) projects, which are located in more than 10 Indian states. In the roads and highways industry, the company has completed over 34 projects, including 16 EPC, 1 HAM, 5 O&M, and 12 item rate projects. There are eighteen active projects at the moment, comprising five HAM projects and thirteen EPC projects. These projects include elevated corridors, expressways, runways, flyovers, tunnels, metro projects, and multi-lane roads.

Ceigall India Order Book As of June 30, 2024, the order book of the firm was at 9,470.84 crore, 9,225.78 crore, 10,809.04 crore, and 6,346.13 crore, corresponding to the fiscal years 2024, 2023, and 2022. As of June 30, 2024, 80.31% of their order book was made up of projects that the NHAI has granted.

Indian Railway Construction International, Military Engineer Services, and Bihar State Road Development Corporation Ltd are some of our other public sector clients. As of the fiscal years ending on March 31, 2024, March 31, 2023, and March 31, 2022, the company's book to bill ratio was 3.05, 5.23, and 5.60 times, respectively.

Ceigall India customers The following table provides a breakdown the company's top 10 customers that constituted more than 50% of their total revenue for the Financial Year ended March 31, 2024.

Ceigall India customers

Ceigall India Financial The company saw a significant increase in profit for the year, going from 167.27 crore in the Fiscal 2023 to 304.31 crore in the Fiscal 2024. The primary drivers of this increase in revenue were construction contracts, sales of goods and materials, and finance income on financial assets carried on amortised cost. Ceigall India's revenue from operations increased significantly, rising from 2,068.17 crore in the Fiscal 2023 to 3,029.35 crore in the Fiscal 2024.

Also Read | Ceigall India Limited files DRHP with SEBI to raise funds via IPO

Ceigall India IPO key risks The company's cash flows, business, operational performance, and financial position might all suffer from delays in the completion of current projects, which could also result in cost overruns, contract termination, or damage claims.

Every project that the company has worked on has been chosen mostly via a process of competitive bidding. They might not always get their offers approved. The company might not be able to find and acquire new projects, compete for existing ones, or win them, which might have a negative impact on operations and business outcomes. Lock-in of equity shares allotted to anchor investors A 90-day lock-in term applies to 50% of the equity shares awarded to anchor investors under the anchor investor component, while a 30-day lock-in period applies to the remaining 50% of the equity shares.

Also Read | Akums Drugs IPO: 10 key risks investors should know before investing
By Blake Brittain

-Software company Pegasystems convinced a Virginia appeals court on Tuesday to throw out a $2 billion jury verdict for rival Appian in a court battle over Pegasystems' alleged theft of Appian's trade secrets.

The award from 2022 had been the largest damages verdict in Virginia court history, the Court of Appeals of Virginia said in the decision.

We are extremely pleased by todays decision throwing out an award we believe was never rational," a Pegasystems spokesperson said in a statement.

Spokespeople for Appian did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

McLean, Virginia-based Appian had said in a 2020 lawsuit that Pegasystems hired a contractor to steal confidential information from Appian's software platform in order to improve its own products and better train its sales force.

Appian said that Cambridge, Massachusetts-based Pegasystems referred internally to the contractor as a spy and to its scheme as "Project Crush," with Pegasystems employees using fake credentials to access Appian's software.

Pegasystems characterized "Project Crush" as competitive research in a 2022 statement.

A jury in Fairfax County, Virginia state court determined in 2022 that Pegasystems misappropriated Appian's trade secrets with "willful and malicious" intent and ordered it to pay Appian nearly $2.04 billion in damages.

Pegasystems' CEO said in a statement following the verdict that Appian's CEO "could not identify one trade secret that Pega had allegedly misappropriated" during the trial.

A Pegasystems attorney told the appeals court during a hearing last year that the verdict was "the result of a series of cascading errors that pose a threat to trade secret law and to competition in Virginia," according to a court transcript.

Judge Frank Friedman agreed on Tuesday that the trial court had committed a "series of errors" related to jury instructions and evidence that required a new trial.
Jamna Auto, a prominent manufacturer of suspension products, has experienced a remarkable 440% increase in its share price over the past four years, reaching a new peak of 144 per share in April.

The stock is poised to continue its upward trend and achieve new record highs, driven by the companys Lakshya 50XT vision. This strategic initiative focuses on mitigating risks associated with the cyclical commercial vehicle market through product innovation and capitalising on opportunities such as aging fleet replacements, electric buses, and the revival of the scrappage policy, as highlighted in a recent ICICI Securities note.

As a result, ICICI Securities has maintained a 'buy' rating on Jamna Auto with a target price of 170 per share, suggesting a potential upside of 23% from the stocks previous closing price.

M&HCV sector recovery The Medium and Heavy Commercial Vehicle (M&HCV) sector has rebounded strongly post-COVID, approaching its pre-pandemic peak of 3.9 lakh units in FY19. For FY24, volumes are projected at 3.7 lakh units. ICICI Securities notes that, despite this recovery, growth may moderate over the next few years due to structural factors.

These include sustained government support for capital expenditure (with the FY25 budget outlay at 11.1 lakh crore, or 3.4% of GDP), the need for fleet replacements due to aging vehicles, and the revival of the scrappage policy.

The government's emphasis on electric buses also contributes positively to the sector. With these structural drivers in place, the industry is projected to experience healthy growth in the high single digits over FY2426, positioning Jamna Auto as a key beneficiary due to its leadership in the M&HCV suspension market.

The focus on electric buses also adds a positive dimension. With these structural drivers in place, the brokerage expects the industry to report healthy growth (high single digit) over FY2426E, with Jamna Auto as a beneficiary given its leadership position in the M&HCV suspension space.

Strategic diversification Jamna Autos Lakshya 50XT vision aims to boost sales from new products to 50% (from 47%), expand new market sales to 50% (from 21%), increase Return on Capital Employed (RoCE) to 50% (from 30%), and raise the dividend payout to 50% (from47%) by FY27.

ICICI Securities considers this plan a positive structural move for long-term growth. The company is also growing internationally, having signed an MoU with Eicher Motors and investing 125 crore in a new plant in Indore.

Robust financials Jamna Auto demonstrates strong financial health with consistent RoCE above 25%, positive cash flow from operations.

"It has lean B/S (Debt: Equity at 0.2x as of FY24), thereby providing high margin of safety to our investment thesis and support valuations going forward," said the brokerage.
Penny stock Vintron Informatics has emerged as a stellar success story, delivering exceptional returns to its investors over both long-term and recent periods. Its remarkable performance underscores the potential of penny stocks to generate significant value for investors willing to take on the associated risks.

Over the last five years, Vintron's stock price has surged dramatically by an astounding 9422 percent, skyrocketing from 0.55 in July 2019 to its current value of 52.37. This extraordinary growth highlights the stock's consistent value appreciation, solidifying its position as a highly lucrative investment opportunity within the penny stock segment.

The stock climbed by 5989 percent from 0.86 in July 2021. Such sustained growth over an extended period demonstrates Vintrons ability to generate significant returns for its investors.

Vintron Informatics has also maintained its strong performance in the shorter term. Over the past year, the stock has seen a notable increase of 988 percent. In 2024 year-to-date, the stock has shown resilience, achieving a positive gain of over 244 percent despite experiencing losses in two out of seven months.

July marked a particularly strong rebound, with the stock surging over 51 percent, extending gains after a 19 percent jump in June. However, it shed 1.4 percent in May. Before that, it rallied 24 percent in April after an almost 33 percent crash in March. Earlier in the year, February saw a significant rally of 51 percent, following a massive 54 percent surge in January.

The stock hit its record high of 52.37 in today's (July 30) deals. It has now soared 1274 percent from its 52-week low. This remarkable performance highlights Vintron Informatics' ability to deliver substantial returns and maintain investor confidence amid market fluctuations.

Despite its exceptional performance, it's essential to highlight that the stock is currently under ESM: Stage 2.

What is ESM? The Enhanced Surveillance Measure (ESM) is a regulatory framework implemented by the National Stock Exchange (NSE) in India. It aims to enhance monitoring and surveillance of listed companies to ensure investor protection and market integrity.

Under Stage I, the trading of the securities is settled through a trade-for-trade mechanism with a price band of 5 percent, or 2 percent.

Under Stage II, the surveillance action permits trading on all trading days under periodic call auctions with trade-for-trade settlement and a 2 percent price band. Earlier this stage permitted trading just once a week.

About the Firm Vintron Informatics Limited manufactures and sells electronic security and surveillance related electronic equipment in India. The company offers AHD, IP, and project cameras; digital video recorders (DVR); NVR; wifi and 4G sim products; CCTV power supply products; network POE switches; vehicle cameras and mobile DVRs; DVR, NVR, and camera software; and AHD and IP old products. It provides EMS services. The company was incorporated in 1991 and is based in New Delhi, India. Vintron Informatics Limited is a subsidiary of Goodworth Build Invest Private Limited.

Earnings In the March quarter (Q4FY24), Vintron Informatics reported a net profit of 16.51 crore, massively rising from a loss of 1.7 crore in the same period last year. Meanwhile, total revenue for the quarter stood at 167.5 crore, a multifold surge from 4.12 crore a year earlier.

For the fiscal year 2023-24, the company achieved a net profit of 16.6 crore versus a loss of 1.07 crore in FY23. Meanwhile, revenue for FY24 soared multifold to 174.12 crore as compared to 18.5 crore in the previous financial year.

Brokerage Views ICICI Direct is bullish on Vintron Informatics, citing its strong momentum as a key factor, with the stock price consistently remaining above short, medium, and long-term moving averages. The company has demonstrated high trailing twelve months (TTM) EPS growth and robust annual EPS growth, further solidifying its position as an attractive investment opportunity.

Meanwhile, its weakness, as per the brokerage, is that poor cash is generated from its core business. The firm has witnessed declining cash flow from operations for the last 2 years.

Investing in penny stocks can be enticing due to the promise of high returns with relatively low initial investment. However, this market segment carries significant risks. A major issue is liquidity; penny stocks generally have lower trading volumes compared to larger companies, leading to more pronounced price fluctuations and heightened volatility. Additionally, these stocks often face less stringent financial reporting standards and regulatory oversight, which can open the door to market manipulation and fraud.

To navigate this high-risk environment effectively, investors must engage in comprehensive research and apply robust risk management strategies. It is essential to understand the company's fundamentals, evaluate its market position, and closely examine its financial health. Maintaining a disciplined investment approach and setting realistic expectations are also crucial in mitigating potential losses. By being diligent and cautious, investors can better manage the uncertainties of penny stocks, thereby improving their chances of capitalising on opportunities while protecting their investments from unnecessary risks.
Colgate Palmolive India: The company reported a consolidated net profit of 364 crore for the June quarter in FY25, a 33% growth from 273.68 crore in the same quarter of the previous year. Net sales rose 13% to 1,485.8 crore from 1,314.7 crore, with rural market demand outpacing urban growth for the second consecutive quarter. Domestic revenues grew 12.8% YoY driven by toothpaste, toothbrush, and personal care. EBITDA margins remained consistent despite a 10% increase in advertising spend.

Tata Consumer Products: The company is set to report its Q1FY25 earnings on 30 July, with expected revenues of 4,293 crore, up 14% YoY, and net profit likely at 335 crore, up 4% YoY. Domestic tea, salts, and NourishCo products are expected to outperform, while India Foods segment is expected to grow 13% YoY with 9% volume growth. The international business is expected to grow 11% YoY, driven by stable volumes and pricing. Analysts will monitor demand in metro areas and tier-3 towns, tea and coffee prices, and the impact of raw material pricing on margins.

Hindustan Petroleum Corporation: HPCL reported a consolidated net profit of 633.94 crore for Q1FY25, a 90.6% decline from 6,765.50 crore in the same period last year. Net profit declined 76% sequentially from 2,709.31 crore in the March quarter, while total income remained flat at 1.21 lakh crore. The average gross refining margin (GRM) for Q1 was $5.03 per barrel, down from $7.44 last year, and throughput was 5.76 million metric tonnes (MMT), up from 5.40 MMT last year. Domestic sales were 12.07 MMT, up from 11.43 MMT. Exports were 0.56 MMT. HPCL invested 2,017 crore to strengthen refining and marketing infrastructure, commissioned 126 retail outlets and nine new LPG distributorships.

Pfizer: The drugmaker reported a 61.2% YoY jump in net profit at 150.7 crore for Q1FY25, up from 94 crore. Revenue from operations increased 5.9% to 563 crore from 531.4 crore. EBITDA jumped 60.2% to 177.5 crore from 110.8 crore. EBITDA margin stood at 31.5%, up from 20.9%.

Jindal Saw: The company reported a 66.7% YoY jump in net profit at 441.1 crore for Q1FY25, up from 265 crore. Revenue from operations increased 12% to 4,939 crore from 4,410 crore. EBITDA jumped 38.2% to 839.6 crore from 607.7 crore. EBITDA margin stood at 17%, up from 13.8%. The company's current order book stood at 165 crore, up from 153 crore. Large demand in the water sector led to the sale of 55,000 MT rust-free pipes. Order book for the south division was 245,000 MT.

ACC: The Adani Group company reported a consolidated profit after tax of 361 crore for Q1FY25, down 22.5% from 466 crore. Revenue from operations slipped to 5,154.89 crore from 5,201.11 crore. Q1 operating EBITDA was 679 crore with a margin of 13.2%. Operating cost improved by 7% YoY. Cash and cash equivalent at 2,747 crore.

Novartis India: The company reported net sales of 92.29 crore for June 2024, up 1.87% YoY. Net profit rose 27.05% to 25.74 crore. EBITDA increased 15.41% to 34.38 crore. EPS increased to 10.42. Shares closed at 1,156.00 on July 26, 2024.

Kansai Nerolac Paints: The companys net profit fell 69% YoY to 231 crore for Q1FY25, down from 738 crore. Revenue from operations declined 11% to 2,133 crore from 2,157 crore. EBITDA fell 0.7% to 329.5 crore. EBITDA margin remained at 15.4%. Demand for automotive coatings was strong, while decorative and performance coatings were subdued. Raw material prices had started to harden. The company also appointed Hirokazu Kotera as a whole-time director.

Indian Bank: The bank reported a 40.6% YoY rise in net profit at 2,403.42 crore for Q1FY25, up 7% sequentially. Net NPA ratio eased to 0.39% from 0.43% QoQ and 0.70% YoY. Net NPA was 2,026.59 crore, down from 2,222.58 crore QoQ and 3,197.55 crore YoY. Total deposits increased by 10% YoY to 6.81 lakh crore. Domestic CASA ratio stood at 41%. Capital adequacy ratio improved by 69 bps to 16.47%. Gross advances increased by 12% YoY to 5.40 lakh crore. New RBI directions on investments resulted in increased income by 157.36 crore.

Bharat Electronics: BEL reported a 46.1% increase in net profit to 776 crore for Q1FY25. Revenue rose 19.6% to 4,199 crore. EBITDA grew 41% to 937 crore. EBITDA margin improved to 22.3% from 19%.

KEI Industries: The company reported a 23.8% YoY rise in net profit to 150.2 crore for Q1FY25. Revenue increased 15.7% to 2,060.4 crore. EBITDA rose 21.8% to 214.4 crore. EBITDA margin stood at 10.4%. Domestic institutional wire and cable sales were 574 crore. EHV cable sales were 79 crore. Total institutional cable and wire sales contributed 38.97%. Pending order book is approximately 3,590 crore.

Arvind: The company reported a 37% YoY decline in net profit to 44 crore for Q1FY25. Revenue dipped 1.2% to 1,831 crore. EBITDA fell 17% to 150 crore. EBITDA margin stood at 8.2%. Textile division revenue was 1,350 crore with an EBITDA margin of 7.4%. Advance material division reported revenue of 329 crore with an EBITDA margin of 13.9%.

PNB Housing Finance: Private equity firm Carlyle is likely to sell up to a 5% stake in PNB Housing Finance through block deals, aiming to sell shares worth 1,000 crore with a base price of 750-760 per share. Shares of PNB Housing Finance are up 25% over the past year. Promoter holding remains at 28.13%. Mutual funds increased holdings to 5.86%. FII and FPIs reduced holdings to 17.89%. PNB Housing has shifted its business model towards retail and aims to scale up affordable housing disbursements.

Voltamp Transformers: The company reported net sales of 428.15 crore for June 2024, up 32.89% YoY. Net profit rose 56.45% to 79.44 crore. EBITDA increased 47.25% to 104.58 crore.

Power Grid Corporation of India: The company has a capex outlook of 2.07 lakh crore by FY32, with 91% allocated to the transmission business, its chairman and managing director Ravindra Kumar Tyagi told mediapersons in a post-earnings event on July 29. The remaining funds will be used for other ventures, including inter-state and intra-state transmission projects, cross-border business, international operations, smart metering infrastructure, and solar power projects, he added. With 1.14 lakh crore of work in hand, the company expects to complete projects worth 60,000 crore to 65,000 crore in the next 2.5 years.

CE Info Systems: The parent company of MapMyIndia sent a legal notice to Ola Electric alleging data copying to build Ola Maps. MapMyIndias data was allegedly copied for S1 Pro electric scooter integration. Ola Electric is forbidden to mix the licensed product with a competing product. MapMyIndia claimed Ola Maps cached data, violating the license agreement. Ola Electric denied the allegations and is preparing for an IPO with a price band of 72 to 26 per share, with public subscription from August 2 to August 6.

CESC: The company acquired 63.91% equity shares in Purvah Green Power for 205 crore, making Purvah a direct subsidiary. CESC is involved in the generation, transmission, and distribution of electrical power.

Tata Motors: The company will lay the foundation stone for a Jaguar Land Rover manufacturing unit in Tamil Nadu by September. The unit is expected to be fully operational by late 2025 or early 2026. The collaboration with the Tamil Nadu government involves over 400 acres of land near Panapakkam, with proximity to Chennai and Ennore ports. Jaguar Land Rover will manufacture only EVs, while Tata Motors will produce hybrids. The project is part of the 18,000 crore Chennai-Bengaluru Industrial Corridor and is expected to create up to 5,000 jobs.

India Cements: Societe Generale bought a 0.06% stake in India Cements at 378.15 per share.

Gensol Engineering: Wellray Solar Industries sold 245,000 shares in Gensol Engineering at 990.12.

Gujarat Pipavav Port: Plutus Wealth Management bought 25.34 lakh shares in Gujarat Pipavav Port at 232.5.

Jyoti CNC Automation: Morgan Stanley Asia Singapore bought 13.71 lakh shares in Jyoti CNC Automation at 1,123. Paresh Mohanlal Parekh sold 45.4 lakh shares, and Vijay Mohanlal Parekh sold 48.02 lakh shares in Jyoti CNC Automation.

Tata Steel: The company acquired over 557 crore equity shares in its Singapore-based arm for $875 million. The board had approved the infusion of funds into T Steel Holdings Pte Ltd (TSHP) by subscribing to equity shares. Post-acquisition, TSHP will continue to be a wholly-owned subsidiary.

Future Retail: The company was ordered for liquidation by NCLT, with assets to be sold to pay its pending dues, after the resolution professional appointed to oversee the firm's revival failed to get a resolution applicants. The company owes over 17,000 crore to creditors. An insolvency application was filed by Bank of India in April 2022, and NCLT admitted the company under insolvency in July 2022. Sanjay Gupta was appointed as the liquidator.

CSB Bank: The bank reported a net profit of 113 crore for Q1FY25, down 14% YoY. Total income increased to 1,004 crore. Interest income grew to 832 crore. Gross NPAs rose to 1.69% from 1.27%. Net NPAs increased to 0.68% from 0.32%. GNPA expected to peak in FY25. Net interest margin stood at 4.36%. Capital adequacy ratio at 23.61%. Shares closed at 344.60 on BSE.

Shanthi Gears: The company reported net sales of 138.82 crore for June 2024, up 14.3% YoY. Net profit rose 19.54% to 21.66 crore. EBITDA stood at 32.04 crore. EPS increased to 2.82. Shares closed at 649.75 on July 26, 2024.

Privi Special: The company reported net sales of 441.16 crore for June 2024, up 8.89% YoY. Net profit rose 548.02% to 32.21 crore. EBITDA increased 61.19% to 96.15 crore. EPS increased to 8.25.

Wonderla Holidays: The company reported a 25% YoY decline in net profit to 63.2 crore for Q1FY25. Revenue dipped 6.4% to 172.9 crore. EBITDA declined 22% to 91.3 crore. EBITDA margin stood at 53%. The company's Bengaluru park saw footfalls of 3.58 lakh, while the Kochi park welcomed 2.75 lakh visitors. Hyderabad park recorded 2.99 lakh footfalls and Bhubaneswar park commenced operations with 70,000 footfalls. ARPU was 1,680. SPH increased by 15% to 442. Footfalls were affected by heatwaves, water shortages, and election activities.
Clouds of fragrant smoke billow out of the crab cake while I sit with my feet buried in the sand and eyes transfixed at the most enchanting sunset ever. The scents and sounds of the tranquil Arabian Gulf and the softly blowing sea breeze make for the perfect setting for my maiden meal in Ras Al Khaimah. I am at Beach House a restaurant at Movenpick Resort Al Marjan Island. Often abbreviated as RAK, Ras Al Khaimah is one of the seven emirates that make up the United Arab Emirates (UAE).

Shaped by the ocean

Sharing Omans dramatic mountains and a love of amber desert, RAKs landscape mirrors its Emirati neighbours. Think endless sand dunes dotted with scraggly bushes, all leading to a stunning 40-mile turquoise coastline. The cuisine, however, is a delicious blend of Arabian, Persian, Indian and African influences. Being a trade centre for centuries, made RAK a hotbed of spices, while the harsh desert environment led to innovative food preservation methods and spicing techniques. The discovery of oil attracted a global population, further enriching its culinary diversity. Today, the emirate fringed by the jagged Jebel Jais mountains, boasts a range of dining options from traditional Arabic cuisine at bustling souks to fusion Asian at food trucks and European classics at luxury retreats.

A distinctive feature is the use of locally grown herbs and spices. In RAK we love our zatar, a blend of wild thyme and sumac, which adds a unique, tangy flavour to many dishes. Additionally, saffron, cardamom and cinnamon are frequently used for warmth and depth to both savoury and sweet preparations, says Nuri Annac, executive chef, InterContinental Ras Al Khaimah Mina Al Arab Resort & Spa.

Also read: A taste of Indian monsoon with freshwater catch Local delights The food in RAK centers around hearty staples: Meat, grains and dairy take center stage followed by dates and roasted nuts. Dried limes known as loomi are often used to add a sour zing to recipes. Many traditional dishes come in the form of one-pot stews. This resourceful practice likely originated from the desert environment, where having fewer dishes to wash was essential. The machboos is the best example of a one-pot wonder, and the best culinary ambassador for Emirati cuisine. Imagine fluffy rice infused with saffron, cradling tender pieces of meata flavour and texture party in every bite. No wonder its a favourite among both locals and visitors. The family owned Skeek Restaurant and Cafe in Dahan, serves the most flavourful machboos garnished with charred lemon and a side of raita. Wash it down with a chilled glass of refreshing laban a watered down yogurt drink. Think of it as the Middle Eastern version of the salted lassi.

My absolute favourite is harees, a porridge of cracked wheat slow-cooked with chicken or lamb until it reaches a melt-in-the-mouth smoothness and bursts with warmth thanks to cardamom and cinnamon. Desserts include bite-sized sweet dumpling luqaimat devoured all over the UAE and umm ali (translates to mother of Ali in Arabic) which is a croissant soaked in condensed milk and topped with nuts. This creamy treat with a delightful textural contrast between soft and satisfyingly crunchy is spoon-licking good.

A selection of Emirati desserts; luqaimat (centre), khanfaroush (bottom, right) and the pumpkin pudding asidat bobar (top, right and left).

Memorable eats in RAK Boons the French brasserie at Movenpick Resort does succulent moules-frites (mussels steamed in a broth of white wine), steaks and crepes suzette. I particularly enjoyed the deliciously seductive chocolate fondant. Like the most romantic engagements, the perfect fondant is hot and intense with a meltingly soft centre and the Boon fondant is exactly that. Time your visit to coincide with the resorts chocolate hour when guests can dip fresh fruits, decadent cakes and fluffy marshmallows into a captivating fountain of melted chocolate in the lobby.

One of my most memorable meals in RAK was undoubtedly at the restaurant 1484 by Puro. Especially, since it came after a thrilling flight across the rugged peaks of Jebel Jais in the worlds longest zipline. Perched at a height of 1484 meters above sea level (hence the name) its the highest restaurant in the UAE. Apart from the glorious view of the Hajar mountains and the sumptuous beef tapsilog (a Filipino breakfast of beef with a generous portion of garlic rice) its also the best place to escape the sizzling Emirati sun.

If you are someone who misses fast food on your travels, RAK wont disappoint. From gooey cheeseburgers to New York-style pizza slices as big as your face, American foods have a strong hold in the northern most Emirate. Thunder Road Pizza & Grill in Al Riffa is where American heartiness blends with Italian flair. Their cowboy pizza and the smoky burger shines the brightest among the limited menu. Spice lovers can unleash the kraken by calling for the La Bomba sauce. It will add some serious fireworks to your fries.

Turkish- Lebanese cuisine with outdoor fire pits are extremely popular. At the premium dining destination Levant & Nar perched on the edge of the InterContinental, diners are met with the unmistakable aroma of fresh bread being baked, hunks of meat sizzling on the grill and Levantine spices being toasted. Tulum peyniri a salad featuring the tangy and salty tulum peyniri cheese with fresh tomatoes and bell peppers comes highly recommended along with iskender kebap which comes riding a pide bread blanketed with creamy yogurt, topped with smoky lamb and a cascade of warm butter. Though RAK in July may feel like a relentless furnace, salvation comes in the form of a delightful array of beverages.

Jallab an intensely sweet drink made from dates and grape molasses and served with lots of crushed ice and topped with pine nuts is the most beloved in the region. The real fun is in using your straw to scoop out the pine nuts hiding at the bottom of the glass. Qamar el-deen, a sweet, tangy apricot beverage is another delicious way to stay hydrated. But nothing beats a glass of chilled, refreshingly tart karkadeh, a hibiscus tea that I drank gallons.
MUMBAI : Shortly after the Union finance minister Nirmala Sitharaman presented the budget 2024 on 23 July, executives of a foreign investors-backed asset management company rushed to New Delhi to seek clarification on a key issue: Can foreigners invest in India through a mutual fund-like structure with zero tax?

The answer is yes as long as the money is not directly invested in equities.

The Union Budget 2024-25 proposed that retail schemes and exchange-traded funds (ETFs) set up in Gujarat International Finance Tec-City, or GIFT City, will now enjoy tax exemptions along similar lines as available to specified funds".

"Now retail funds in GIFT will get the same tax benefit like category III Alternative Investment Funds (AIFs)," said Suresh Swamy, partner, Price Waterhouse & Co. Llp-Gift IFSC Branch.

AIFs are high-risk investment vehicles meant for high-net-worth individuals. Category III AIFs invest in securities of listed and unlisted investee companies, derivatives, complex or structured products, or other AIF units.

View Full Image Graphic by Pranay Bhardwaj

Before the budget announcement, non-residents (including foreigners) could save tax through category III AIFs. However, the minimum ticket size for investing in those funds is $150,000.

For the new funds, the minimum ticket size can be as low as $100.

There are 68 category-III AIFs at GIFT City, but no retail fund or ETF has been approved yet.

DSP Asset Managers Pvt. Ltd is finalizing the proposals for a first-of-its-kind fund for foreign investors. Mirae Asset Mutual Fund and HDFC Asset Management Co. Ltd also have the retail fund management licence to launch such funds. Meanwhile, smaller entities without the licence observe from the sidelines as the entry bar is not very high.

An uphill task for AMCs

The executive of an asset manager with a GIFT City retail licence said setting up such funds presents practical challenges. At some point, regulators from foreign jurisdictions will ask AMCs to register with them if they want to distribute funds to foreign retail investors with low ticket sizes.

They are still okay if we take money from accredited investors or family offices because regulators believe they have good acumen. The moment we start pitching to retail investors, they will start having problems," said the executive, whose AMC may apply for a retail fund next week with the International Financial Services Centres Authority(IFSCA).

The other challenge is to integrate the payment system with foreign banks. If a systematic investment plan or investment gets rejected, it would be operationally more difficult for the AMCs to deal with foreign banks than domestic banks, said the executive on the condition of anonymity.

To be sure, a new provision allows NRIs to maintain a dollar account with a domestic bank in GIFT City.

It might also be more cost-effective for AMCs to take money from foreign retail investors in an overseas fund, which feeds into a domestic fund. For instance, instead of Miraes India wing directly doing KYC for each investor and taking investments, it can tell its South Korean parent to get funds in an ETF or fund in South Korea. That fund can then, in turn, invest in the scheme that has underlying domestic securities.

Non-resident Indians (NRIs) are easy targets for AMCs in GIFT City. They are more familiar with India, and banks can sell to them more easily than to foreign nationals and institutions. Also, instead of opening a new bank account in India to invest, non-residents can use their foreign bank accounts and invest through GIFT City. Yet, with this announcement, more NRIs may opt for the tax-free route.

Interestingly, it might encourage even smaller players who dont have a domestic mutual fund licence to launch retail funds and ETFs in GIFT City. The 100 crore net worth requirement, among others, makes it difficult for smaller players to register with the Securities and Exchange Fund of India as a mutual fund. The IFSCA, on the other hand, only asks for a $1 million net worth (around 8.3 crore).

Benefits for NRIs

Under India's Double Taxation Avoidance Agreement (DTAA) with the US, an NRI has to pay capital gains tax on mutual funds or equities12.5% for long-term investments and 20% for short-term investmentsas per Indian tax laws.

Swamy told that if US NRIs invest through a GIFT City fund, which feeds into a mutual fund (not equities), India will not levy any tax on them. This makes the investments in India very tax efficient," he added. However, US citizens might still be subjected to taxation in their home country.

HDFC AMC and Mirae Asset already offer such products, but they are structured as Category III AIFs with a mMintinimum ticket size of $150,000. The retail funds and ETFs can have a ticket size of as low as $100. This will make the product appeal to a mass audience. An ETF can't be run if they have a ticket size of $150,000."

The new funds will also benefit investors from other countries that have similar DTAAs with India, including the UK, Australia and Hong Kong.
(Bloomberg) -- Tenable Holdings Inc. is exploring options including a potential sale after receiving takeover interest, according to people familiar with the matter, as dealmaking in the cybersecurity sector heats up.

The Columbia, Maryland-based security software company is working with advisers, the people said, asking not to be identified discussing confidential information.

Shares in Tenable rose as much as 14% on Tuesday, their biggest intraday gain since October 2022. The stock was up 8.4% at 2:10 p.m. in New York, giving the company a market value of about $5.6 billion.

The company could interest both private equity firms and strategic buyers, the people said. Deliberations are still in the early stages and theres no certainty theyll lead to a transaction, they said.

A representative for Tenable declined to comment.

A so-called exposure management company, Tenable helps more than 44,000 enterprises to understand and reduce cyber risk. Its Tenable One platform offers cybersecurity teams a unified view of all assets to better manage application, cloud and identity vulnerabilities.

The broad cybersecurity sector has been thrust into the spotlight in recent weeks after threat intelligence and response player Crowdstrike Holdings Inc. issued a defective update to its software that took millions of Microsoft Corp. Windows devices offline globally. Crowdstrike shares have lost about a third of their value since the outage.

Israeli cybersecurity startup Wiz Inc., which connects with storage providers like Microsoft Azure to scan for threats in the cloud, earlier this month turned down a takeover bid of as much as $23 billion from Alphabet Inc.s Google. Wiz Chief Executive Officer Assaf Rappaport said the company would instead target an initial public offering.

(Updates shares in third paragraph.)

More stories like this are available on bloomberg.com
The Supreme Court on Tuesday, July 30, ordered a stay on a Delhi high court verdict granting divorce to popular chef Kunal Kapur on the grounds of cruelty meted out to him by his estranged wife.

The Delhi High Court had granted divorce to Kapur, saying the woman's conduct towards him was devoid of dignity and empathy.

In an appeal at the Delhi High Court, Kapur had challenged a family court order denying him a divorce.

The high court had said that it is a settled position of law that making reckless, defamatory, humiliating and unsubstantiated allegations against a spouse in public amounts to cruelty.

In the light of the aforenoted facts of the present case, we find that the conduct of the respondent (wife) towards the appellant (husband) has been such that it is devoid of dignity and empathy towards him, the high court had said. When such is the nature of one spouse towards the other, it brings disgrace to the very essence of marriage and there exists no possible reason as to why he should be compelled to live while enduring the agony of living together.

A Supreme Court bench of Justices Hrishikesh Roy and SVN Bhatti has issued a notice to Kunal Kapur on a plea filed by his wife and referred the case to the Mediation Centre for exploring the possibility of settlement.

The estranged couple got married in April 2008 and a son was born to them in 2012.

The former MasterChef India judge had accused his wife of never respecting his parents and humiliating him.

On the other hand, the wife had accused Kapur of making false allegations to mislead the court and said that she always tried to communicate with her husband like a loving spouse and was loyal towards him.
New Delhi: Amid ongoing free trade agreement (FTA) negotiations, the European Union (EU) has suggested that India create its own carbon tax mechanism instead of paying into the EU's Carbon Border Adjustment Mechanism (CBAM), commerce and industries minister Piyush Goyal said on Tuesday.

"They (EU) are very keen to pursue that and they have offered that India could, instead of paying CBAM tax to the EU, devise its own mechanism," Goyal said. "We will consider their suggestion and come up with whatever is good for the Indian industry and for the people of India," he added.

The CBAM is a tariff on carbon-intensive imports such as steel, cement, and certain electricity products entering the EU. It aims to promote cleaner industrial production practices in non-EU countries.

As part of the European Green Deal, CBAM will take effect in 2026, with reporting requirements beginning in 2023. A report by the economic think tank Global Trade Research Initiative (GTRI) estimates that the CBAM could impose a 20-35% tax on specific imports into the EU starting 1 January 2026. This will impact companies in seven carbon-intensive sectors, including steel, cement, fertilizers, aluminium, and hydrocarbons. Notably, about 27% of India's exports of iron ore pellets, iron, steel, and aluminium products are destined for the EU, with exports totalling $7.4 billion in 2023.

Read this | Export of carbon credits can make India's emissions reduction more expensive

"My thinking is that the CBAM will hurt the EU very badly. Their infrastructure, their cost of living, their industrial products, their consumer products -- will become expensive and their economy will face further distress," Goyal added.

Meanwhile, the minister dismissed speculation about India supporting Chinese investments in the country, following suggestions in the latest Economic Survey to consider foreign direct investments (FDI) from China. The survey recommended leveraging the China-plus-one strategy to boost exports amidst global shifts.

"The chief economic adviser's report (latest economic survey) speaks about new ideas. It is not at all binding on the government," Goyal clarified. There is no rethinking on supporting Chinese investments in the country.

The domestic industry, particularly sectors using Chinese plants and equipment, has urged the government to relax FDI restrictions, citing technical and operational challenges due to visa restrictions for skilled Chinese workers. However, experts warn that allowing Chinese firms to establish a significant presence in India could pose risks.

Also read | We must ensure ethical use of carbon credits
Wayanad Landslides: Heavy rains caused a series of massive landslides in the hilly regions of Kerala's Wayanad district early on Tuesday, resulting in at least 45 deaths.

Here are the top 10 updates:

1. District Collector Meghasree D R reported that the current death toll has reached 45. She confirmed that 36 of these deaths occurred in Chooralmala due to the landslides, while nine bodies swept away by the Chaliyar River have been recovered in Malappuram.

Wayanad: Rescue operation underway after landslides in the hilly areas near Meppadi, in Wayanad district, Kerala, Tuesday, July 30, 2024. At least 23 people were killed and several are feared trapped, according to officials. (PTI Photo)

2. The Kerala State Disaster Management Authority (KSDMA) has announced that Fireforce and National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) teams are on-site, and another NDRF team is on its way to provide further assistance.

3. A Defence PRO announced on Tuesday that a team of 43 personnel, led by the Second-in-Command from the 122 Infantry Battalion (TA) MADRAS, has been deployed to support the ongoing rescue operations. The team includes a Medical Officer, two Junior Commissioned Officers (JCOs), and 40 soldiers, all equipped to provide crucial assistance in the affected areas.

4. The operations will be coordinated, and state ministers will reach the hilly district to lead the rescue activities, Chief Minister Vijayan said in a statement issued by his office.

5. Prime Minister Narendra Modi expressed concern over the incident and said he spoke to Cihef Minister Pinarayi Vijayan and assured all possible help from the Centre to the state. The Prime Minister has announced an ex-gratia of 2 lakh from the Prime Minister National Relief Fund (PMNRF) for the next of kin of each deceased in the landslides in parts of Wayanad. The injured would be given Rs. 50,000.

6. In a post on X, Modi said, Distressed by the landslides in parts of Wayanad. My thoughts are with all those who have lost their loved ones and prayers with those injured. Rescue ops are currently underway to assist all those affected. Spoke to Kerala CM Shri @pinarayivijayan and also assured all possible help from the Centre in the wake of the prevailing situation there [sic].

7. Health Department - National Health Mission has opened a control room and issued helpline numbers 9656938689 and 8086010833 for emergency assistance. Two Air Force helicopters, Mi-17 and an ALH, will depart from Sulur at 7.30 am. Rescue operations will be coordinated. Those in need of emergency assistance can contact authorities through these two numbers -- 9656938689 and 8086010833 -- the statement said.

8. Two teams of Kannur Defence Security Corps have also been instructed to move to Wayanad to assist in the rescue efforts, according to a Facebook post by the KSDMA. Locals from the affected areas report that many people are feared trapped.

9. Kerala Health Minister Veena George said, All hospitals including Vaithiri, Kalpatta, Meppadi and Mananthavadi hospitals are ready. All the health workers arrived for service during the night. More teams of health workers will be deployed in Wayanad.

10. Earlier, in a video message, UDF MLA T Siddique said that district authorities were drawing up plans to airlift people from Mundakkai area. "Currently, we have no complete information about those missing and dead in the landslides. Many areas have been cut off. NDRF personnel are trying to reach those places," he said.
Two days after a 20-year-old woman's body was discovered near Uran railway station in Navi Mumbai, police have arrested Dawood Shaikh from Karnataka, charging him with her murder. The accused was apprehended in Shahapur, Gulbarga, by authorities.

Following the arrest, Maharashtra Navnirman Sena (MNS) chief Raj Thackeray along with his wife Sharmila Thackeray reacted to the tragic incident. She informed that she has asked the Mumbai Police that the area under their jurisdiction should be safe for women.

People should have a fear of the police, Thackeray said.

Eliminating a religious angle to the crime, Sharmila Thackeray further said, There is no religion in this. Any man who commits such a crime should get punishment.

According to the police, the victim's father filed a complaint against the accused in 2019, leading to a case being registered under the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (POCSO) Act.

Also Read | Mumbai teen who went viral for dangerous train stunt loses arm and leg

Additional Police Commissioner (Crime) Deepak Sakore revealed that the victim and Dawood Shaikh had been in contact and met on the day of the murder. While a heated argument between them may have led to the killing, the exact motive remains unclear, and an ongoing investigation is being conducted.

The woman's body was found around 2 am on Saturday after her parents filed a missing persons report on July 25. According to police, the victim, who worked in Belapur, had taken a half-day leave. The autopsy report confirmed that the victim died of stab wounds, Sakore said.

Deepak Sakore said Shaikh had lived in Uran for some time but went to Karnataka after the victim's father lodged a police complaint against him, and a POCSO case was registered in 2019.

The accused, Dawood Shaikh, who worked as a driver in the neighboring state Karnataka, maintained contact with the 20-year-old victim, according to police.
A 16-year-old boy, allegedly influenced by an online game, has died by suicide after jumping from the 14th floor of a residential building in Pimpri Chinchwad city near Pune. The city police have recovered a "log out" message from the minors notebook.

Pune police, citing the minors parent, said the initial police investigations revealed that the victim, a class-10 student, had been increasingly addicted to online games in the past few months, isolating himself and spending more hours on his laptop.

"We have found a purported suicide note from his notebook mentioning 'log out'. He also wrote 'XD' which could be the online game he was playing. We are investigating the exact trigger behind the suicide," Swapna Gore, Deputy Commissioner of Police (Zone I) told news agency PTI.

The boy flung himself off from the 14th floor of the residential building at around midnight on Thursday.

The deceased's father works in a Nigerian firm, and his mother, an engineer, is a homemaker.

Pune police have seized the minor's laptop and handed it over to cyber experts to crack the password.

Also Read | Noida bank employee dies by suicide, blames colleagues in suicide note

Police said, besides the log out message, his notebook also contains three maps of his own house, notes in coding language and a list of players. One of the maps described how to commit 'suicide'," Gore said.

Police are trying to find out when the maps were drawn and whether they were old or freshly created on the day of the incident.

A case of accidental death has been registered.

Minors father mentioned that his son had been hiding many of his possessions for a few months, even taking steps such as deleting all the search history of his laptop.
The Supreme Court of India on Tuesday granted bail to Trinamool Congress (TMC) leader Anubrata Mondal in the cattle smuggling case. Arrested by the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) and in jail for over two years, Mondal was released as the court acknowledged that the investigation would require additional time. Anubrata Mondal had been sent to Tihar Jail on March 21, 2023.

While granting bail, the Supreme Court bench of Justices Bela M Trivedi and Satish Chandra Sharma directed Anubrata Mondal to cooperate with the investigation and surrender his passport.

However, the TMC leader will remain in jail, as the Enforcement Directorate (ED) also arrested him in the same case in November 2022.

Senior advocate Mukul Rohatgi, representing TMC leader Anubrata Mondal, argued that Mondal has been jailed for nearly two years since his arrest on August 11, 2022, while all other accused are out on bail. Rohatgi stated that he lacked access to the English version of the charge sheet. He said the charge sheet consisted of over one lakh pages, with over 10,000 pages in Bengali.

In the response, the bench suggested that Rohatgi handle the translation himself, noting that the case involves 309 witnesses and is unlikely to conclude soon.

Also Read | CBI questions daughter of arrested TMC leader Anubrata Mondal

The Calcutta High Court denied Anubrata Mondal's bail plea in January last year, citing ongoing investigations into his alleged illegal wealth accumulation.

The court argued that granting bail could negatively impact the morale of the witnesses and the collection of evidence.

At the time, TMC Anubrata Mondal had prayed for bail, stating that he had been in custody for a long time.

Mondal had served as the President of Birbhum District Trinamool Congress.

Also Read | TMC leader Anubrata Mondal sent to 14-day custody in cattle smuggling scam

Opposing Anubrata Mondal's bail plea, the CBI accused the TMC leader of using his political influence to assist cattle smuggler Enamul Haque. The agency alleged that Mondal facilitated the illegal transportation of cattle through the Birbhum and Murshidabad districts of West Bengal to Bangladesh, securing wrongful gains in the process.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Tuesday, July 30, said wealth creators were a pivotal driving force of the country's growth story and that the whole world was looking at India optimistically. The prime minister was speaking at the inaugural session of Journey Towards Viksit Bharat: A Post Union Budget 2024-25 Conference, which was organised by CII at Vigyan Bhawan in Delhi.

Our government doesn't lack political will. You are aware of that. For us, the nation and the aspirations of its people come first. I consider industry and the private sector a powerful force to make India Viksit Bharat. For me, wealth creators like you are an important driving force of India's growth story. And I do not hesitate to say this from the ramparts of the Red Fort, said the prime minister.

The prime minister's remarks about the significance of wealth creators come at a time when the INDIA bloc, led by Leader of Opposition (Lok Sabha) Rahul Gandhi, has been accusing his government at the Centre of favouring industrialists, especially Gautam Adani and Mukesh Ambani.

Last week, Rahul Gandhi, a Member of Parliament from Raebareli, lashed out at the PM Modi-led government, calling the Budget 2024 presented by Finance Minister Nirmala Sithraman on July 23 a kursi bachao budget favouring BJP allies and cronies.

Kursi Bachao Budget. Appease Allies: Hollow promises to them at the cost of other states. Appease Cronies: Benefits to AA with no relief for the common Indian. Copy and Paste: Congress manifesto and previous budgets, the Raebareli lawmaker wrote on X.

Golden Opportunity for Industry During his speech on July 30, PM Modi emphasised that the whole world was looking at India with optimism and that India was a key player in the global growth story and that it was a golden opportunity for the Industry.

Today, India's policies, decisions, and investments are part of the global growth story. World leaders are filled with positivity about India. This is a golden opportunity for our industry, and we should not miss this, PM Modi said at the conference.

Also Read | BJP backstabbed the middle class in Budget 2024, says Rahul Gandhi in Lok Sabha

Prime Minister Modi said that before the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) came to power at the Centre in 2014, huge announcements were made in the budget to show that the economy was good. But, he said, the reality was that those announcements were not implemented on the ground, adding that his government had changed the situation in the last 10 years.

India to be 3rd largest economy "Today, we are discussing 'Journey towards Viksit Bharat'. This change is not just of sentiments but of confidence. Today, India is the 5th largest economy in the world, and soon, it will be the third largest economy," the PM said. He said that the size of the budget has increased threefold to 48 lakh crore in 10 years of his government.

The capital expenditure growth has increased more than 5 times to over  11.11 lakh crore in 10 years, the PM said.
Donald Trump, the Republican Presidential candidate and former US President, on Monday revealed that his wife, Melania, was watching live coverage when multiple shots were fired at his election rally in Pennsylvania earlier this month.

Melania was watching the rally on television and thought, the worst had happened, Donald Trump said in an interview with Fox News host Laura Ingraham aired on Monday night.

She was watching live, he added. Donald Trump said that his wife "cant really even talk about it, which is OK, and that means she likes me.

Donald Trump highlighted his wifes immediate reaction, When I went down, she thought the worst had happened, suggesting his hand covered in blood as the reason for her reaction.

Yeah, Im going to do rallies [outside], Donald Trump said. Despite surviving an assassination attempt, the former US President is adamant about holding outdoor election rallies in the future.

The Secret Service has been criticised for failing to guard the roof of a manufacturing plant from which the gunman, Thomas Matthew Crooks, took aim at the US Presidential candidate. The assailant stationed on the roof of the building that was over 130 yards away fired shots, one of which grazed Donald Trump's right ear.

Days following Donald Trump's attempted assassination attempt, Secret Service Director Kimberly Cheatle tendered her resignation.

Also Read | Trump agrees to FBI interview amid probe into assassination attempt

Following the incident, Donald Trump charged at the Secret Service and alleged, There should have been communication with the local police, which there wasnt." He added, So thats a bad thing, and they were seeing this guy  it was a very disturbed person, and they were seeing him around.

The Secret Service has reportedly urged Trumps campaign team to refrain from holding any more outdoor events amid security concerns.
(Bloomberg) -- Miami has become so pricey for renters that even the county wants to become its own landlord. Its selling $234 million of municipal debt to do just that.

Floridas most-populous county plans to use the proceeds of this weeks bond sale to purchase a mostly vacant, half-century old office building for several government departments. The move will allow the county to own its real estate rather than leasing, but some local officials see it as too high of a price for a building that was in financial trouble and sits about 13 miles west of downtown Miami.

Its better to own than to rent if you can afford it, said Jimmy Morales, chief operations officer for the county. Lets invest. Were not going away. Its not like were going to relocate our headquarters.

Unlike other major cities, Miamis commercial real estate market is thriving. The citys office building landscape is settling into a vibrant new normal after a post-pandemic frenzy, with near-historic levels of leasing, according to a second-quarter report from Jones Lang LaSalle Inc.

New and high-quality properties in the area have been luring tenants, but the office building the county is purchasing is older. Built in 1974, it has undergone several renovations, including modernized escalators, a new food hall and fitness center amenities.

The loans backing it were originated by billionaire Barry Sternlichts Starwood Mortgage Capital. That financing has run into trouble after the main tenant vacated the property, plummeting the occupancy level to roughly 20% at the end of 2023 and forcing the loan onto a watchlist last year. A spokesperson who works with Starwood said the company sold the loan in 2016 and no longer holds it.

Miami-Dade County estimates it can save more than $860 million over 30 years by owning instead of renting. Plus, residents will no longer need to tote their paperwork around to dispersed department offices. A business could file for a building permit, request a fire inspection and appeal a property tax assessment all in one place  the so-called West Dade Government Center.

After local pushback over the initial $205 million price tag, the county agreed to pay $182 million for the 625,000 square-foot building and 26 acres of land. Other proceeds of the borrowing will pay for renovations and some issuance costs, according to bond documents.

The office building will centralize county department services and resources in one of the fastest-growing regions of our county, and save taxpayer dollars, said Board of County Commissioners Vice Chairman Anthony Rodriguez, who sponsored resolutions to purchase the property and sell the bonds.

The bonds are backed by county revenue. Officials opted to issue special obligation debt, instead of a general obligation bond, to save time and avoid the hassle of obtaining voter approval, officials said.

The idea for an office building purchase arose when the countys Department of Regulatory and Economic Resources was staring down an expiring lease and rent hikes in its current location.

We had to do something, said David Clodfelter, director of the Office of Management and Budget. The market here right now is a little crazy. The leases have increased dramatically over the past few years.

Clodfelter said options were slim as the Internal Services department searched for an eligible property. When the office building at 9250 West Flagler Street hit the market, the county moved ahead.

It checked all the boxes for everyone, Clodfelter said. Mayor Daniella Levine Cavas administration led efforts to buy the property in December 2023. After residents and local publications scrutinized the price, the mayors office deferred the proposal until June and negotiated a $23 million reduction.

Deal Scrutiny

Several officials still argue the county is entering into a bad deal. According to the countys resolution to purchase the building, tenants at the time of the purchase price agreement occupied less than a quarter of the buildings 467,000 rentable square feet. The eight county departments moving to the building will fill it completely.

Commissioner Rene Garcia, whose inland district includes the city of Hialeah, voted against the bond sale on July 2, protesting that the adjusted price was still too high.

Just because were a government doesnt mean we should be throwing money out the door, Garcia said in an interview. I think the county couldve gotten a much better deal for the property.

The building is located in the Fontainebleau neighborhood west of Miami. It was constructed in the 1970s as the headquarters for Florida Power & Light, the states largest power utility.

Proponents of the sale say the new price is a good deal and lower than two independent appraisals. They also point to 26 acres of land that the county could use for affordable or workforce housing.

Moodys rates the bond sale Aa2, the third highest level and the same as the countys credit grade because of the breadth of the basket of revenues securing the bond, according to a report. S&P Global Ratings assigned it an equivalent AA rating.

--With assistance from Katherine Chiglinsky, Scott Carpenter, John Gittelsohn and Felipe Marques.

(Adds comment from spokesperson for Starwood.)

More stories like this are available on bloomberg.com
Mumbai-based entrepreneur and the founder of Grump Senain Sawant has shared an alarming incident that happened while she was interviewing a GenZ candidate online. The interview, which was necessitated because of lack of information on the candidate's CV, had ended with an off tone, said Sawant. But what was really jolting were the text messages that followed.

The job aspirant verbally abused her during exchange of messages on WhatsApp.

In a detailed LinkedIn post, the Grump founder shared that the company had been struggling to hire the right people for a couple of months. There were either people with less experience and extremely high expectations, or people who are just not ready to put in the work, despite the company being willing to give them an honest shot and train them, to work their way up to their ideal position.

Also Read | Charge of the GenZ brigade: Young turks expand their turf on NSE

But this one candidate crossed a different line.

Sawant said she had scheduled a video interview with this candidate who applied for the role of a social media executive. However, their CV did not have enough information for an immediate hire, and therefore, the founder scheduled a call to see whether they had the potential to be an Executive or could be trained as an intern for a couple of months first.

The call too, began in an unusual way. The camera of the candidate was shut for the video interview. On asking why, Sawant was told that they don't own a computer, and were using a phone, whose software wasn't up to date, and therefore, the camera wasn't working.

Also Read | Influencer Marketing for the GenZ Audience in India: A Confluencr Perspective

They joined the call with the camera off, said they don't own a computer and something about ios update not allowing video calls. I responded with, 'how do you usually work?', to which they replied, My previous company gave us a laptop, but if one is needed, I can arrange, Sawant said.

The Grump founder then asked the candidate to join at a time when they can turn the video on, since this an interview and I need to see who I'm speaking with.

They said Fine and cut the call.

Also Read | Does hiring a cultural fit matter?

Sawant noted that their tone was off from the start. They weren't audible to begin with and it seemed like they were out in public from the amount of noise in the background.

She then shared screenshots of a series of text messages of what followed, after they re-scheduled the interview.

In the messages, Sawant pointed out that it was clearly mentioned in the calendar invite that it would be a video interview and that she has not heard of an iOS update that does not allow video calls, as the candidate had claimed.

Also Read | Foxconn hiring bias: No evidence of discrimination against married women found

The candidate got defensive, and according to the screenshot, said they applied for the role of a social media executive and not for an internship.

"Your resume speaks otherwise. All the best," Sawant replied.

To this, the candidate said they are "okay skipping this one", adding that they had a year of work experience.

"With all due respect, don't be a bi**h. The arrogance you speak with," the candidate said in their next set of messages.

Surprised and shocked at the same time, Sawant responded: "Excuse me?"

Continuing in her LinkedIn post, Sawant said the younger generation is in clear need of strong guidance.
Pavel Durov, the co-founder and CEO of social media platform Telegram, has claimed that he is the biological father of over 100 kids in 12 countries. In a long post on his Telegram channel with more than 5.82 million subscribers, Durov shared that he had been an active sperm donor in the previous years.

The 39-year-old, who had created Russia's biggest social network Vkontakte at the age of 22, expressed his desire to open-source his DNA.

In his post, Durov said he was just told that he has over 100 biological kids in 12 countries. But how is this possible for a guy who has never been married and prefers to live alone, he asked.

The Telegram CEO then shared how he ended up being a sperm donor. He said, fifteen years ago, his married friend asked him to donate his sperms to help the couple have a baby.

He said that he and his wife couldnt have kids due to a fertility issue and asked me to donate sperm at a clinic for them to have a baby, he said while terming it as a weird request.

The CEO shared that he initially thought of it as a joke and had laughed at it, before realizing he was dead serious.

At the clinic, Durov said, he was told that high quality donor material was in short supply and that it was his civic duty to donate more sperm to anonymously help more couples.

As of 2024, many years after he stopped being a donor, the CEO said, at least one IVF clinic still has his frozen sperm available for anonymous use by families who want to have kids.

Also Read | Declining sperm count: Study reveals an alarming trend

What is Pavel Durov's future plan? Pavel Durov, in the post, said he plans to open-source his DNA so that his biological children can find each other more easily.

Of course, there are risks, but I dont regret having been a donor, he said, adding that the shortage of healthy sperm has become an increasingly serious issue worldwide. Im proud that I did my part to help alleviate it.

Why did Pavel Durov share about his sperm donor jounery now? Pavel Durov said he wanted to help destigmatize the whole notion of sperm donation and incentivize more healthy men to do it, so that the families struggling to have kids can enjoy more options. Defy convention  redefine the norm!

Check out Pavel Durov's Telegram post:
(Adds FDIC vice chair comments in paragraph 12)

By Pete Schroeder

WASHINGTON, July 30 (Reuters) - A U.S. bank regulator is considering a stricter framework for how large asset managers like Blackrock and Vanguard can prove they are not influencing banks where they hold large stakes.

The Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation voted on Tuesday to advance a proposal for the agency to exert more influence over whether asset managers or other firms building large stakes in banks should receive stricter regulation and oversight.

Agency officials also indicated they may launch a review of existing so-called "passivity agreements" with large asset managers, with a focus on boosting FDIC oversight of their commitments to not play an active role in bank management.

Under law, third parties that obtain a greater than 10% stake in a bank can be considered a controlling interest in the bank and subjected to stricter regulation and oversight. But firms can avoid those restrictions under "passivity agreements," in which the investor commits to regulators they will not exert influence on the bank.

Specifically, the FDIC under the proposal would remove an existing exemption in which it does not review new large investments in banks as long as the Federal Reserve signed off on that approach.

"It is highly inappropriate for the FDIC to abdicate the responsibility Congress entrusted to us to safeguard the ownership and control of the banks we supervise," said Rohit Chopra, director of the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau and an FDIC board member.

FDIC Chairman Martin Gruenberg also backed the proposal, which would also seek broader feedback about the role of asset managers obtaining large stakes in banks.

Separately, FDIC Commissioner Jonathan McKernan offered a proposal that would have directed FDIC staff to order a review of existing passivity agreements for some large asset managers, and ensure the FDIC has the capacity for monitoring the commitments those firms make. Under his plan, the FDIC would look to strike new agreements with those firms that would do away with the current practice of self-certification by the firms and require FDIC monitoring.

However, McKernan did not bring that proposal up for a vote after Gruenberg indicated such action would not require formal board action. Gruenberg added that he is open to reviewing existing agreements, with a focus on ending the practice of self-certification.

When asked, Gruenberg said he expected notifications to begin review existing agreements could happen soon.

The FDIC action comes amid growing concern among some policymakers over large asset managers' expanding footprint in the banking sector, driven by the growth of index investing, and what it could mean for bank management. In his remarks, Chopra noted that BlackRock and Vanguard collectively control more than $17 trillion in assets, with stakes large enough to trigger stricter oversight.

Some FDIC officials expressed concern. FDIC Vice Chairman Travis Hill noted that such a push could reduce investments in banks to the detriment of those firms.

A spokesperson for Blackrock declined to comment. Vanguard said in a statement it wants to continue a "constructive dialogue" with regulators over passive investments.

Spokespeople for those firms did not immediately provide comment on the FDIC's actions.

The industry has been quick to critique this scrutiny, calling it unjustified and burdensome.

"It is alarming to see that the FDIC is proposing to revise the current framework in the absence of a clearly identified problem," said Eric Pan, CEO of the Investment Company Institute, which represents asset managers. "We fear that the FDIC is asking the investment funds industry to prove a negative, setting up a flawed foundation on which to impose harmful limits and red tape on investment funds and increase costs on American investors."
(Bloomberg) -- Venezuelas opposition can prove that Edmundo Gonzalez won Sundays election, according to Maria Corina Machado, who led the campaign against President Nicolas Maduro.

She told supporters at her partys campaign headquarters on Monday evening that the opposition has enough of the actas, or voting tabulations to prove they won the election. Last night, they had access to about 40% of them, now they say they have over 70%. The figures show a categoric and irreversible triumph: 6.2 million votes for Gonzalez compared to 2.8 million for Maduro.

Effectively, what happened was that the regime slept very worried and we did not sleep, Machado said to a cheerful crowd. We were very busy and thats the reason why we have what we have here today.

Thousands of Venezuelans took to the streets of Caracas to protest what they say is Maduros fraudulent win. Gonzalez, who stood alongside Machado, said that while he understands peoples indignation, calm is needed. The will of the people, which was expressed on Sundays vote, will be respected, he said. Protests had already started to wind down at that point.

Venezuela wants peace and recognition of the will and expression of the people, Gonzalez said. That is why it is essential that the authorities respect that will we expressed in the ballot box.

Machado also called for nationwide citizen assemblies at 11 a.m. Tuesday. Those would likely take a different tone than Mondays given that she asked families and kids to join.

It was Machados first public statement after the public prosecutor named her as a suspect in an alleged plot to sabotage the election. The accusations against Machado mark a turning point in whats already been an aggressive campaign to clamp down on the fervent movement shes created, even after the regime banned her from running for public office.

Though Venezuelas Public Prosecutor Tarek William Saab stopped short of announcing an arrest warrant for Machado earlier Monday, it would be a predictable next step in a playbook that Maduros government has followed before.

The government threated Juan Guaido, the lawmaker who in 2019 was internationally recognized as interim president following Maduros illegitimate reelection the year before, with arrest in 2021. Two years later, Saab issued an arrest warrant for Guaido for allegedly using Venezuelas state-owned oil company for his own profit. Guaido now lives in exile in Miami.

Its unclear what Machados options are. Over the last few months, more than 100 of her and Gonzalezs aides and allies have been arrested. The government has also confiscated her passport.

With the US and many Latin American nations calling for transparency of the vote tally, further repression of the opposition would not bode well for the regime, which desperately needs international recognition and sanctions relief to stage an economic recovery.

Alfonso Linares, a 24-year-old student, was heading back east with a crowd in Venezuelas capital after security forces dispersed an earlier protest using tear gas. He said nobody had called him or any of the people there to protest, but that they just wanted a change.

They prevented us from moving forward but were still fighting, Linares said. We will protect ourselves but we are not abandoning this. Were just going back to rethink other ways.

An early July survey by Caracas-based firm Delphos found that almost 40% of Venezuelans believed that if there was fraud, they should protest until the government recognizes the real results of the election.

This years election  which Maduro intentionally planned on the birthday of his late mentor and former president Hugo Chavez  was undoubtedly different than years past. Venezuelans, for the first time in more than a decade, felt hope that democracy could return to their nation, which on Maduros watch has seen one of the worst economic crises in modern history and the exodus of 7.7 million people.

Machado rose to popularity on promises of overhauling the economy and reuniting families torn apart by the diaspora, at the same time that Venezuelans started to believe change was attainable. That combination has meant that, even off the ballot, Machado has posed the greatest threat to Maduro yet.

There were signs that Maduros regime knew this election was different than in years past, too. In addition to banning Machado and her first stand-in candidate from running, her scheduled appearances were disrupted by power outages, and locals at a rally earlier this month say the government went as far as drilling potholes into roads to prevent them from reaching her.

Maduro even attempted to rebrand his image, by inundating Venezuelans  particularly the youth, who have little recollection of the nations worst years  with endless streams of content that painted him as harmless and likable.

(Updates on protests winding down and Machados comments for assemblies on Tuesday in paragraphs 4 and 6.)

More stories like this are available on bloomberg.com
According to a new biography, Princess Kate found it extremely challenging to display unity with Meghan Markle and Prince Harry.

According to a report by Newsweek, following Queen Elizabeth II's death in September 2022, Prince William invited the Duke and Duchess of Sussex to join him and Kate in viewing floral tributes.

This marked the first time the four royals had been seen together in public since Harry and Meghan's final engagement as working royals at the Commonwealth Day Service in March 2020. Royal author Robert Jobson details Kate's emotional response in his upcoming book Catherine, the Princess of Wales, set to be released by Pegasus in America on August 6.

Amid all the grief at the Queen's death, William, now Prince of Wales and heir to the throne, took decisive action. Picking up the phone to Harry, he suggested that they and their wives put on a show of unity for the sake of their late grandmother by viewing the floral tributes at Windsor together. Harry accepted, it added.

The resulting images suggested they'd all slipped back into their Fab Four routine, but Catherine later admitted to a member of the Royal Family that such was the extent of ill-feeling between the couples, the walkabout had been the hardest thing she'd ever had to do.
President Joe Biden assailed the conservative majority of the Supreme Court over its recent rulings, calling for new binding ethics rules and term limits for justices  a sweeping proposal that would fundamentally alter the top US court.

Extremism is undermining the public confidence in the courts decisions, Biden said at the Lyndon Baines Johnson Presidential Library in Austin on Monday, casting the changes as necessary to restore accountability to both the presidency and the court.

The president said in recent years the court had undermined long established civil rights principles, and protections, citing decisions to overturn Roe v. Wades abortion rights protections, affirmative action at universities and weaken enforcement of the Voting Rights Act.

He assailed the courts ruling this year that presidents enjoy some immunity for official acts, in a case involving Republican nominee Donald Trump, calling it a total affront to the basic expectations we have for those who wield the power in this nation.

Bidens plan, which faces a difficult path in Congress, also calls for a constitutional amendment to ensure that former presidents can be tried for crimes committed while in office. Bidens focus on overhauling the Supreme Court comes as he faces less than six months left in the White House and as he weighs his political legacy.

Until recently, Biden resisted calls from some Democrats to seek reforms to the high court but previewed the new push during a speech in the Oval Office last week explaining his decision to not seek reelection.

Democrats have increasingly called for imposing limits on the Supreme Court after an ethics scandal and politically divisive rulings, including the conservative majority overturning Roe in 2022. However, lawmakers have seldom passed judicial reform laws in recent years and any changes would need support from the Republican-controlled House.

House Speaker Mike Johnson called Bidens plan dead on arrival, adding it would tilt the balance of power and erode not only the rule of law, but the American peoples faith in our system of justice.

The president also linked the courts actions to Project 2025, a conservative agenda being authored by allies of Trump, saying the former president and his supporters were planning another onslaught, attacking civil rights in America.

Sweeping Plan

The constitutional amendment Biden is seeking would make clear a person who serves as president isnt immune from any federal criminal indictment, trial or conviction, including prosecution for crimes committed while in office, according to the White House.

Biden also asked Congress to approve term limits, framing it as a move to ensure changes to the courts membership in a regular fashion and to keep any one president from having outsize influence on the courts makeup. Such a system would see a president appoint a justice every two years to spend 18 years in active service on the court. Bidens proposal would impose term limits through legislation, though many constitutional scholars say it would take a constitutional amendment.

He also urged lawmakers to pass enforceable rules of conduct that require justices to disclose gifts, refrain from political activity and recuse themselves from cases presenting conflicts of interest  for them or spouses. Although the Supreme Court adopted a code of conduct for the first time in November, that approach lacks an enforcement mechanism and continues to let individual justices decide on their own whether to recuse from cases.

The court is not self-policing, Biden said.

A constitutional amendment would face a challenging path. The president doesnt play any formal role in the amendment process.

Court Under Scrutiny

Still, the plan would represent the most far-reaching overhaul of the nations highest court, following a term with a number of landmark decisions  including one finding presidents could obtain immunity for official acts.

That ruling, which affected the 2024 presidential race by complicating efforts to prosecute Trump in criminal cases, drew outrage from the left.

The courts conservative bench, bolstered by three appointees from Trump, has delivered the right a number of major victories in recent years.

Earlier: About the Debate Over the US Supreme Court and Ethics: QuickTake

The justices themselves have faced intense scrutiny. Conservative Justice Clarence Thomas has come under criticism for accepting gifts and trips from Texas billionaire Harlan Crow that he didnt initially disclose.

Fellow conservative Samuel Alito has been under fire for the actions of his wife, who flew flags at their home that were also displayed by Trump supporters attacking the US Capitol on Jan. 6, 2021. Alito rejected calls from Democratic lawmakers to step aside from Trump cases.

Delayed Trip

The Austin event to honor Johnsons signing of the Civil Rights Act 60 years ago marked Bidens first public event outside of Washington since he announced he would not seek reelection and endorsed Vice President Kamala Harris. He originally planned to visit earlier this month but delayed his trip following the assassination attempt on Trump.

In an uncanny twist, Biden is visiting the library of the last US commander in chief to opt against seeking another term in office. Johnson in 1968 announced he would not accept his partys nomination with Democrats weakened by divisions over the Vietnam War.

For Biden, helping elect Harris would be critical to protecting his legacy and in recent weeks the president had sought to shore up his standing with key blocs in the Democratic coalition.

A longtime US senator, whose tenure included stints as chairman and ranking member of the Judiciary Committee, Biden dismissed pressure from liberal groups in the past to embrace Supreme Court reforms.

With assistance from Greg Stohr, Erik Wasson and Hadriana Lowenkron.
The Israeli military said on Tuesday it carried out a strike on Lebanese capital Beirut targeting the militant commander allegedly behind the deaths of 12 children and teens in a rocket attack on the Israeli-occupied Golan Heights over the weekend.

Israel has blamed the rocket attack on the Hezbollah militant group, which has denied any role in the attack

A Hezbollah official and the groups TV station said that an Israeli airstrike hit Hezbollahs stronghold south of Beirut on Tuesday evening, causing damage.

The airstrike on Beiruts southern suburb of Haret Hreik damaged several buildings but it was not immediately clear if any Hezbollah official was targeted, the Hezbollah official said on condition of anonymity in line with regulations.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu had vowed heavy retaliation against Hezbollah for Saturday's rocket strike in the Israel-controlled Golan Heights, though Hezbollah has denied any role in the attack.

Meanwhile, tensions remained high in Israel as soldiers were due to appear before a military court Tuesday over what a defense lawyer said were allegations of sexual abuse of a Palestinian at a facility where Israel has held prisoners from Gaza during the war.

Hard-line nationalists in Netanyahus government and others have protested. An investigation by The Associated Press has exposed abysmal conditions at Sde Teiman, where most of the thousands detained in Gaza have been held. Israeli authorities have generally denied abuses in detention facilities for Palestinians.
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This past weekend, Donald Trump became the first American president to address a crypto conference, telling an audience in Nashville that if Bitcoin is going to the moon, I want America to be the nation that leads the way. Its a stark contrast from five years ago, when Trump said Bitcoins value was based on thin air. Is his conversion from crypto skeptic to crypto cheerleader real  or just a canny attempt to get donations?

On todays podcast, host David Gura speaks to Bloomberg investigative reporter Zeke Faux about the surprising opinions he heard on-the-ground at the worlds biggest Bitcoin conference  and what that could mean for the future of the 2024 presidential election.

Listen and follow The Big Take on Apple Podcasts, Spotify or wherever you get your podcasts

Here is a lightly edited transcript of the conversation:

David Gura: Nashville was the place to be this past weekend if you are a crypto enthusiast. And even if youre more of a skeptic.

Zeke Faux: I'm in the exhibit hall at Bitcoin Nashville. And now I'm going to do a walkthrough of the Bitcoin art exhibit. Got Cypherpunks of the World.

Gura: Bloomberg reporter Zeke Faux was in Music City at the site of the annual Bitcoin Conference taking it all in.

Faux: I'm standing a little close to it. Yeah, it's definitely the assassination attempt photo, the famous one with the Trump standing and saying, Fight. The artist statement says, Bitcoin like Donald Trump has been a polarizing figure villainized and criticized by many. The painting consists of thousands of dots. Made with the ash from burnt fiat banknotes. There you go.

Gura: This wasnt his first time at one of these. Zeke wrote a book called Number Go Up: Inside Crypto's Wild Rise and Staggering Fall. But what was different about this years Bitcoin Conference was the lineup  and who the headliner was:

Donald Trump: Hello bitcoiners thank you very much hello its good to be with you its good to be with you

Gura: Former President Donald Trump.

Trump: Im thrilled to be here in Nashville to become the first American president to ever address a Bitcoin event, anywhere in the world, anywhere in the world

Gura: His appearance at the annual conference was something of a seminal moment for what had once been a fringe financial movement. And that wasnt lost on those whod bought a ticket:

Chris Kline: I was generally excited because this is the first time where we are no longer some niche group of, of, uh, funny money or fraud money as JP Morgan likes to call us, but we're, we're at the center stage.

Gabe Palma: I think it's a, uh, historical moment, uh, to, you know, have, A presidential candidate that has very high chances of winning the, uh, you know, the elections. Um, to come out here and try to wrangle votes from Bitcoiners, right?

Gura: And it wasnt just Trump who was there. There was RFK Jr., as well as Wyoming Senator Cynthia Lummis, a Republican who plans to introduce a major bill about crypto. In fact, 10 Senators were there  and Senate hopefuls, like John Deaton, another Republican, who is challenging Senator Elizabeth Warren in Massachusetts.

John Deaton: And we've seen that, uh, voting by crypto or Bitcoin enthusiasts can make a difference. And so we're in an election year. So it doesn't surprise me that politicians are jumping on board.

Gura: But for Trump, its a bit murkier. Is the 45th president of the United States a crypto convert? Was he there to raise cash? To court voters?

Trump: I pledge to the Bitcoin community that the day I take the oath of office, Joe Biden, Kamala Harris', anti Crypto Crusade will be over. It will end, it'll be done. It'll be done.

Gura: Im David Gura, and this is The Big Take, from Bloomberg News.

On todays episode: Trumps conversion from crypto skeptic to crypto enthusiast, and the impact that could have on the presidential race, and his campaign coffers.

Faux: I don't even want to count how many crypto conferences I've been to

Gura: Bloomberg Investigative reporter Zeke Faux has been to a lot of crypto conferences. In fact, this was his third time at this particular event, which is focused exclusively on Bitcoin.

Faux: So this conference is, it's the Bitcoin conference. It's actually, I believe, a rule that you can't mention other coins while you're on stage.

Gura: Since hes been going to the Bitcoin Conference, the industry has changed dramatically. His first time was back in 2021. It was in Miami, and Zeke says, the atmosphere was euphoric.

Faux: Crypto was booming and there was this sense that riches were around the corner for anyone if they really set their mind to it.

Gura: But this year, even though bitcoin prices are even higher than they were in 2021, Zeke says the feeling at the conference was more muted.

Faux: I felt like this was a more subdued crowd, and that the people here were frankly, not as excited as I expected that they had gotten, Trump to come speak to them and endorse their favorite thing, Bitcoin.

Gura: Zeke spoke to a lot of Bitcoin enthusiasts in Nashville, trying to get a sense of how they felt about Trump.

Faux: I was walking around the exhibit hall, and I saw a man sitting under, um, there was like a giant wizard hat suspended from the ceiling that covered a seating area that was advertising this wizard themed Bitcoin project. And I saw a guy sitting there with, um, a couple of patchwork quilts that were very pretty, and I sat down and introduced myself.

Faux: so, could you, uh, introduce yourself? Like, where are you from, what's your name?

Colonel Kernel Stacker: Yeah, um, my name is, can I just go by a nym?

Faux: Uh, if you, if, if, that you prefer, it's okay.

Stacker: Okay. Can you write Colonel Kernel Stacker?

Faux: Um, how do you, it's like, it's the second kernel with a K?

Gura: Colonel Kernel Stacker is obviously not his real name. But he told Zeke that he was a truck driver from Cincinnati who makes and sells bitcoin quilts with his mom.

Faux: Um, this looks really nice. Do you, do you make them yourself?

Stacker: My mom is the quilter. I do the, I do, I'm learning how to stitch right now.

Faux: Cool

Gura: Bitcoin quilts and pseudonyms aside, Ohio is, of course, a critical state in the upcoming presidential election, So Zeke asked the colonel what role, if any, Bitcoin is playing in who he votes for.

Faux: did you, in 2016 and 2020, did you go for Trump back then?

Stacker: No.

Faux: You go Democrator third party, or

Stacker: I've always been like, if anything, libertarian.

Faux: Uhhuh. Yeah. Do you think you'll vote for Trump this time?

Stacker: It's a possibility. Yeah.

Stacker: I, I just might.

Gura: According to Zeke, this was a pretty common view.

Faux: Everyone I spoke to, I would ask them, What do you think about Trump coming to speak here? Are you excited? Does this change what you think of him? And, frankly, most people, either already supported Trump and now would continue to support him or already supported RFK Jr and were planning to continue to support him but open to maybe switching to Trump if they thought, you know, it's a close election, maybe you got to be pragmatic.

Lyndon Middleton: I mean, we've got Kennedy, but would. That be a wasted vote, you know, is kind of where I'm at. So I guess Trump's the only choice.

Cory: So I'm on the realm where I don't mind if RFK or Trump wins. As long as Biden, I guess now Kamala, uh, those are RFK and Trump are in my book. Uh, I'd be happy with either candidate.

Faux: are you going to vote for Trump this time?

Kevin Moore: I, you know, that's, I don't know. Oh, we'll see how it goes. But, uh, but at the moment I'm voting for whatever the most Bitcoin candidate is.

Gura: But if the attendees were lukewarm, the big surprise was just how pro-crypto the former president was when he addressed the crowd.

Faux: So, I, so I've never been to, um, a Trump rally before. And I was kind of impressed with how well he worked the audience.

Trump: This afternoon, I'm laying out my plan to ensure that the United States will be the crypto capital of the planet and the Bitcoin superpower of the world. And we'll get it done

Faux: Kid Rock got a shout out. Um, and also all the Bitcoiners who, who are now supporting him. So, Winklevoss twins, he talked about how handsome they were

Trump: Those are great guys. They look like male models with a brain. You know theyre male models with a big beautiful brain

Faux: The biggest applause line for Trump was he said that he would fire Gary Gensler, the head of the SEC, under his watch, the SEC has sued a number of crypto companies.

Trump: On day one. I will fire Gary Gensler and appoint a new SEC chairman.

Faux: And this line was so successful that after he got some applause for it, he actually was like, Oh, you guys really liked that one. So he said it again.

Trump: I didnt know he was that unpopular. Wow I didnt know he was that unpopular. Let me say it again: on day one I will fire Gary Gensler

Faux: He said, you know, if Bitcoin's going to the moon, the US should lead the way. He said, know, we can't let China dominate this industry, which is kind of weird because China has actually, um, made moves to ban the crypto industry but the big thing that Trump announced at the end was that the U.S. will establish a strategic Bitcoin reserve.

Trump: If I am elected, it will be the policy of my administration to keep 100% of all the bitcoin the U.S. government currently holds or acquires into the future

Faux: There was no talk of Sam Bankman-Fried, FTX, all the crypto scams that we've seen in the last couple years. Like, even these Bitcoiners would tell you there was, like, a million scams. If anything, the enforcement should have been quicker. You know, we should be saying, Why didn't you stop all these crypto scams?

Gura: but none of that

Faux: No, none of that. Um, I was impressed by how successful the Bitcoin industry was at getting Trump on their side. Um, he really said a lot of things that like they would have wanted him to say.

Gura: Coming up after the break: inside Trumps transformation from crypto skeptic to crypto enthusiast and what that means for the 2024 US presidential race.

Gura: When Donald Trump was in the White House, he wasnt a bitcoin booster. Far from it. But Trumps attitude changed in 2022:

Trump: Hello, everyone. This is Donald Trump, hopefully your favorite president of all time  better than Lincoln, better than Washington, with an important announcement to make. I'm doing my first official Donald J. Trump NFT collection right here and right now. They're called Trump Digital Trading Cards.

Gura: Trump recognized there was money to be made in crypto, and part of his pitch was, if you bought one of those non-fungible tokens, youd get a chance to meet him:

Trump: Heres one of the best parts. Each card comes with an automatic chance to win amazing prizes, like dinner with me. I dont know if thats an amazing prize, but its what we have

Gura: Each of those NFTs cost 99 bucks, and they sold out. And Bloombergs Zeke Faux says Trump made good on at least one of those amazing prizes he teased in that ad:

Faux: So, a few months ago, there was this big gathering of people who bought the Trump cards at Mar-a-Lago. Trump was there, and he said some nicer things about crypto, and I think was pleased by the response.

Gura: In the months that followed, Trump held another crypto get-together at his club in South Florida, with bitcoin miners. And according to Zeke, he listened as they talked about the industry.

Faux: Some people have been throwing out this idea that this is a way to win votes. I am unconvinced.

Gura: But according to Zeke, that was the message on stage in Nashville.

Trump, RFK Jr., and a handful of lawmakers appealed to the crypto community for their votes, as they criticized the current president for not embracing what they see as the future of finance.

But interestingly, Zeke says several of the conference goers he talked to said they were reserving judgment on Vice President Harris:

Faux: There's been no word from her campaign officially about what she thinks about crypto.

Gura: In recent days, there have been reports Harris campaign has reached out to prominent players in the world of crypto, and theres bipartisan pressure for her to embrace the crypto community as a potentially decisive voting bloc.

Faux: A group of Democrats sent a letter to Harris saying that crypto was on the top of voters minds in swing states, and that they, uh, Harris should get with the program. Um, I just think, I think that's really unlikely, and that honestly the average person, if you ask them about crypto, has a low opinion of crypto, but doesn't care that much.

Gura: Zeke left the Bitcoin Conference in Nashville with a sense that, just as Donald Trumps attitude toward crypto has changed, theres also been an evolution in bitcoin more broadly:

Faux: It's supposed to be a way to like, resist censorship, resist the state, this idea that, somehow it needs the state is antithetical to its origins. And I was kind of expecting to meet more people at the conference who felt that way.

Gura: But Zeke says that anti-government, anti-establishment ethos has started to fade. Now, some of its biggest proponents are kowtowing to political candidates, and theyre suggesting the US government should hold millions of dollars worth of bitcoin. Well Zeke wonders if Trumps decision to embrace crypto has anything to do with that philosophy, or if his calculus is much simpler:

Faux: A lot of industries want you to take controversial positions in exchange for their support. With Bitcoiners, you just have to say nice things about Bitcoin, and they'll write you a check. So in my opinion, it's kind of an easy way to raise some money.

Gura: Which is exactly what happened in Nashville:

Trump spoke. He railed against regulation He spoke admiringly of cryptos potential And now the price of bitcoin is rising to almost $70,000 on Monday my . Not far from its record high. And Trump went to a fundraiser, where tickets cost more than 800-grand each.

Faux: Numbers being thrown around that this fundraiser could have raised 30 or 50 million.

Gura: According to a Bloomberg analysis, crypto donors have given more money this cycle than in all the past ones put together. And thats before this weekends haul.

Zeke spoke to Mike Belshe  the CEO of BitGo, who is hosting a fundraising dinner with Trumps running mate, Senator JD Vance, on Monday. $3,300 gets you a seat; $25,000 secures you a place on a roundtable. But Belshe says hes not just courting Republicans

Mike Belshe: So, you know, there's this phrase, and I don't know who it's attributed to, but, you know, First they ignore you, then they laugh at you, then they fight you, and then you win. And, and I think for Bitcoin, we're somewhere between those last two stages, right? There's people in the Republican party that don't think crypto is a good idea. There's people in the Democratic party that don't think crypto is a good idea, but that doesn't mean that the party thinks that it's a bad idea. And I think what we're seeing is that shift right now. Kamala Harris is going to come out total pro crypto. Um, to try to diffuse any advantage that, uh, Trump may have with it-you know being pro-crypto.

Gura: But for those in attendance at the bitcoin conference in Nashville, should Trump win or lose, they believe in one thing, fervently. That bitcoins price can only do one thing: go up.

Ron Richards: when you look at the blockchain and where this thing's going with Bitcoin and now with Trump support and all these politicians getting behind it, how can you not believe?

Nick Passino: I always said when I first got into Bitcoin. If I could ever, if they'll politics and crypto can kind of collide together, and I can make an impact in regards to that. That would be a dream come true. It's coming true.

Trump: Thank you all. Have a good time with your Bitcoin and your crypto and everything else that youre playing with. and were going to make that one of the great industries on earth fade

Gura: This is The Big Take, from Bloomberg News. Im David Gura
Power prices on the biggest US power grid are about to hit a record-high amid a wave of plant retirements and surging demand, thanks in part to new data centers being built.

Generators that provide electricity to the 13-state grid that stretches from New Jersey to Illinois will get a record $269.92 per megawatt-day from utilities to provide capacity over a 12-month period starting in June, according to results of an auction by grid operator PJM Interconnection LLC disclosed Tuesday. Thats more than a ninefold increase from $28.92 in last years auction.

The market has spoken and it is saying you are going to have to pay a lot more for reliable power, Paul Patterson, a power market analyst for Glenrock Associates, said in an interview.

The results of the auction underscore the challenges of the energy transition: cheap solar and wind power are making older plants, including coal-fired generators, less competitive, but a sudden burst of electric demand to meet the needs of factories and data centers to enable artificial intelligence along with broader electrification risks straining grids.

We do believe those higher prices will send a clear investment signal to maintaining existing resources and building new ones, Stu Bresler, PJMs executive vice president of market services and strategy, said in a media briefing.

The PJM auction provides a critical revenue source for power plants in the region, shaping the electricity mix for a vast swath of the US. Those payments aim to ensure that generators are ready to serve the grid whenever PJM needs them. Electricity users  households and businesses alike  ultimately end up bearing the costs of such protections.

The auction results drove up share prices of power producers in the region, with both Vistra Corp. and Constellation Energy Corp. soaring more than 11% in after-market trading.

These so-called capacity prices are one component of wholesale electricity costs; the biggest piece being the actual cost for for producing megawatts. These charges are passed on to consumers utility bills, but how quickly that happens on depends on each utilitys policies.

The latest PJM auction factors in extreme weather and reduced payouts to gas generators for the first time based on unplanned outages in winter storms. The amount of megawatts from some of the most efficient gas generators was reduced by about 20%, though some likely saw greater reductions depending on actual performance. This helped lift prices across the board.

Prices were driven up by a 6.6 gigawatts of generation shutting down or signaling the intention to retire.

Prices hit the price cap in two zones because of insufficient resources in those regions and grid bottlenecks: Exelon Corp.s Baltimore Gas & Electric utility rose to $466.35 per megawatt-day and $444.26 for Dominion Energy Inc.s Virginia utility, which is the data center capital of the nation.

Capacity prices that rise this fast are a sign that the supply/demand balance is out of whack, Lorig Charkoudian, a Maryland lawmaker who has been warning PJM of a coming supply crunch in Baltimore for years, said in an email.

With assistance from Brian Eckhouse.
Singapores state-owned Temasek Holdings Pte Ltd. plans to invest $30 billion in the US market over the next five years as the firm remains cautious on putting money into China.

The Americas is going to be and continue to be the largest recipient of capital, Jane Atherton, Temaseks head of North America, said in an interview Monday.

Temaseks investments for North and South America surpassed China for the first time in at least a decade this year. Americas investments now account for 22%, or $63 billion, of its portfolio. Chinese investments make up 19% of the portfolio, and those in Singapore account for 27%.

The firm oversaw S$389 billion of assets as of March, up from S$382 billion a year earlier.

China and the US are vying to dominate semiconductor manufacturing because of its link to artificial intelligence and other aspects of the digital economy. The US is trying to limit the rise of its Asian rival by deploying export controls and tariffs, and even considering a rule that would curb Chinas access to advanced semiconductor technology.

That US-China strife has left investors navigating a geopolitical tripwire as they seek to capture a piece of one of the hottest sectors in the market. Temaseks Atherton said there are ways to structure investments around certain constraints, such as taking passive public equity stakes in listed semiconductor companies.

In China, Temasek has avoided investing in geopolitically sensitive areas, instead focusing on large domestic companies. Its looking to make new investments in electric-vehicle makers and biotech firms.

We make sure we are not investing in businesses that are in the crosshairs of geopolitical tensions, Atherton said.

For the US, she said Temasek is looking to invest in AI-related firms, as well as semiconductor and infrastructure plays such as data centers and the companies that power them. It can gain exposure to data centers through its own real estate subsidiaries  Mapletree Investments Pte Ltd. and CapitaLand Group Pte. Ltd.  or by investing alongside private equity firms, according to Atherton.

Temasek has grown its US assets fivefold in the past decade.

With assistance from David Ramli.
South Korea will lead efforts by a US-led trade pact in Asia to secure global supply chains through a network of cooperation, a role that may also help limit the risk of trade spats with Japan.

Seoul will helm the Indo-Pacific Economic Frameworks network for responding to supply chain issues, with Japan as vice-chair. The network will ensure consultation among all 14 IPEF nations over any actions that can have a critical impact on key supplies.

This reduces the potential for trade spats between South Korea and Japan that we have seen in the past, Sim Jinsu, director general for new trade strategy and policy, said in an interview last week. It strengthens the stability of ties between the two. This applies to all other IPEF members too, he added.

South Koreas semiconductor production came under pressure in 2019 when it became the target of Japans export controls on chipmaking materials such as photoresist. While the dispute has been resolved since a summit last year between the two nations, the threat of fresh disruptions has lingered in a region fraught with political and historical tensions.

The IPEF commits each member to minimizing unnecessary barriers that affect supply chains. If Japan imposed export controls unilaterally, it would amount to a violation of the spirit of the agreement, according to Sim.

While it doesnt completely guarantee a future free of trade spats, the pact is supposed to make it harder for the two countries to put up trade restrictions against each other.

For the US, the leadership roles taken by South Korea and Japan can help advance its agenda of solidifying cooperative ties between its two biggest Asian allies that have at times seen their ties strained by disputes related to Japans 1910-1945 colonial rule over the Korean Peninsula.

The Crisis Response Network underpins the supply chain deal forged last year at IPEF. As chair, South Korea will have the right to summon a meeting of member nations within roughly two weeks of any supply chain emergency to coordinate a joint response.

In September, South Korea plans to run mock drills involving member nations with a focus on urea, a key input for diesel trucks that the country struggled to secure from China in 2021, Sim said. Semiconductor and battery-related materials are other potential items for further simulations as the CRN develops, he said.

Simulations would allow South Korea to draft contingency plans that could enable members to sound early warnings among one another, fast-track customs clearance and provide alternative transportation routes among others, he said.

The IPEF has been part of an effort led by US President Joe Biden to counter Chinas economic influence in Asia. Participating countries include India, Vietnam, Indonesia, Malaysia, the Philippines, Singapore, Thailand and New Zealand. Together they represent about 40% of global economic output.

The strength of the IPEF supply chain agreement stems from the mix of members from resource-rich nations like Australia to industrial powerhouses like Japan, Sim said.

South Korea is heavily reliant on trade for its economic growth and has found itself sandwiched between the worlds two largest economies, as Washington and Beijing vie for global clout. Seouls leadership role in IPEF supply chains offers an avenue to amplify its voice in an increasingly divided world of trade.

The supply-chain component of the IPEF aims to avoid the kind of bottlenecks that occurred during the Covid-19 pandemic while two other pillars focus on the transition to renewable energy and a fair economy related to taxation and corruption issues.

The members have yet to strike a deal on the final trade pillar due to thornier issues such as rules for digital commerce and labor. The uncertainty over further progress persists after Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump has vowed to terminate IPEF should he return to the White House.

As the inaugural chair of the CRN, South Korea will continue to support efforts to strengthen and stabilize supply chains regardless of the outcome of the US election, Sim said.

With assistance from Jon Herskovitz.
Is Generative AI worth the money? Tech leaders like Microsoft chief technology officer Kevin Scott says costs will come down and capabilities improve, but as Wall Street heads toward correction territory Nvidia and Microsoft, two stocks that have ridden the AI wave, are down more than 15% and 8% respectively since 10 Julyenterprises are grappling with a deeper problem: How do they put AI to use and measure the return on that investment?

Confusion over the answer has led to discomfort, sparked by bearish reports from Goldman Sachs and Sequoia Capital questioning whether GenAI will make as much money as the market seems to think.

AI capital expenditure will reach between $600 billion and $1 trillion in the coming years, the reports estimate, and spending on infotech will rise 8% this year, according to Gartner.

If investors are taking a breather, thats good. As my colleague John Authers recently argued about Big Tech stocks, corrections can be healthy when a market position has been extreme. The AI-driven market boom and jump in capital spending at companies like Alphabet and Tesla has happened far too quickly, benefiting those who didnt always deserve the rally.

A senior AI executive at a large tech company recently told me point blank that artificial intelligence had become overblown in the market. Hed lived through several hype cycles before, he added, and this one was no different.

There are differences from the dotcom boom and bust. Businesses are looking at tangible outcomes more than they were in the early 2000s, when the focus was more speculative and based on market potential. Metrics for success are focused on efficiency gains and cost savings instead of grabbing eyeballs.

And businesses are using more sophisticated risk models and arguably more rigorous return-on-investment calculations because theyve learned hard lessons from the dotcom era.

The nagging problem for GenAI is that tech firms have set expectations too high by marketing the technology as a magical general-purpose solution that can enhance business processes. It often cannot right away.

Some companies are also rolling out gizmos without showing employees how to use them effectively. Thats always a mistake. Give a power tool to someone with training and they can build a treehouse; give it to an amateur and we get a mess.

But even while the process is often fitful, GenAI is taking hold in several markets. In the video games industry, major studios like Activision Blizzard are using it for concept art and asset generation, leading in some cases to widespread layoffs, as a Wired investigation found.

JPMorgan Chase CEO Jamie Dimon recently told Bloomberg News that the bank was putting AI into all of its processes trading, hedging, research, every app, every database"sometimes to replace humans.

Payments company Klarna Bank said earlier this year that its customer service chatbot did the work of 700 customer service reps, meaning it could reduce the number of contractors it regularly hired, saving it $40 million a year. TravelPerk, a startup for booking corporate travel, says its margins have grown to 70% from less than 40% since it started using generative AI last year.

Analyzing AIs return on investment is difficult. It involves taking abstract values like efficiency and productivity and turning them into numbers. Take CNH Industrial, a farming and construction equipment manufacturer.

It has been using an AI-powered chatbot to guide its service technicians on repairs, and to help its software developers write code, according to a profile on CIO.com. Its easier to measure success on the first project (did customer satisfaction scores go up?), but not so much for the second (did coders log how much time they saved?).

And dont forget that AI is also a controversial technology. Klarnas CEO Sebastian Siemiatkowski got some blowback from users of X when he posted details about how the companys AI assistant performs the equivalent job of 700 full time agents."

Some suggested it was callous to celebrate the displacement of so many workers. If companies find that GenAI is helping their bottom line, they might not always want to talk about it.

Businesses and investors risk going too far in dismissing generative AI as all hype, especially if that means theyll neglect some of its more insidious traits around the perpetuation of bias, copyright infringement and the erosion of human agency.

The current market scepticism is healthy and much neededbut in at least in some markets, including customer service, marketing, gaming and other creative industries, its also clear that generative AI is here to stay. bloomberg
On the first of every month, the ministry of finance would publish the gross collections of GST, along with a breakup of the intake. This happened routinely every month. But on 1 July, the gross GST collections for June were not officially published as a press release. The mop-up for June stood at 1.74 trillion. This figure was made available to reporters informally. Why has this happened?

GST collections in India have improved significantly over the last three years. In 2021-22, 2022-23 and 2023-24, they rose by 30.8%, 21.4% and 11.8%, respectively. One of the major reasons for this is better compliance.

Now, did higher GST collections lead to an impression among households that they are paying higher indirect taxes while their incomes arent going up, or at least not as fast as before? For a government that places great importance on managing the policy narrative that prevails, this could explain monthly GST figures not being shared.

Or is there some other reason at work? GST collections in May grew at 9.96%the first time their growth fell below 10% since June 2021. Growth in June 2024, based on the data informally shared, stood at around 7.8%. Does the government now expect GST growth to get closer to nominal GDP growth?

Has better compliance run out of juice, given that year-on-year growth in GST collections has slowed down? And this could mean regular GST data releases wont support the narrative of a strong economy, like in the past? Well, on these questions, your guess is as good as mine.

Indeed, GST figures are not the only example of the government taking it easy on the data front. The decennial population census that was scheduled in 2021 has still not happened. Census data is a very important input for policy decisions that impact a large part of the population (or at least should be).

As economist Jean Dreze wrote recently in The Indian Express: There is a danger of serious confusion and even conflict, for instance around the coverage of food subsidies, the delimitation of constituencies and resource allocation."

Or lets take the case of employment numbers released by the Reserve Bank of India (RBI). It estimates that from the end of 2018-19 up to the end of 2023-24, close to 151 million jobs were created. As per central bank data, more than 31 million jobs were created even during the pandemic year 2020-21.

This goes against plenty of other evidence on offer, from a slowdown in two-wheeler sales to continued demand for work under the Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Scheme even after the pandemic, significantly lower tele-density figures, and a significantly lower number of passengers carrying out non-suburban railway travel than in pre-covid years. All these figures suggest that there are problems on the income front, which suggests a problem on the jobs front.

So, how does one explain the creation of close to 151 million jobs? As economist Madan Sabnavis told Mint: The data shows there was growth in employment even during the two pandemic years It is a bit hard to reconcile."

Or, as Amit Basole, head of the Centre for Sustainable Employment at Azim Premji University, told Business Standard: There is a large increase coming from agriculture and from self-employment, which includes own account work or unpaid family work."

While this might explain why RBIs jobs data doesnt pass a basic smell test, what is really needed is more detailed and more regular jobs data, which the country currently lacks.

But then, the regular collection and publishing of jobs data might just go against the narrative of a strong economy that the government appears keen to project all the time.

Or, as Raghuram Rajan and Rohit Lamba write in Breaking the Mould: Reimagining Indias Economic Future: For instance, the sparse data on poor job growth can be buried by an avalanche of inaugurations and announcements, so that an illusion of robust job growth is maintained."

So, where does this leave us? Its time that regular observers of the Indian economy construct a Keqiang index of their own.

The Economist's Li Keqiang Index measures China's economic activity using three indicators: electricity consumption, railway cargo volume, and bank lending. Named after former Premier Li Keqiang, it aims to provide a more accurate picture of economic health than official GDP figures, focusing on tangible economic activities and real-time data.

In 2010, The Economist created a Keqiang index for the Chinese economy. It was named after Li Keqiang, who at that point of time was the deputy prime minister of China. He would become prime minister in 2013 and stay on until March 2023.

Li Keqiang liked looking at indicators like railway cargo volume, electricity consumption and loans disbursed by banks in order to get an indication of which way the Chinese economy was really headed. These numbers were real numbers and not theoretical constructs like gross domestic product (GDP).

In a similar style, serious observers of the Indian economy need to look at a broader set of datanumbers like two-wheeler sales, non-suburban rail travel, smartphone sales, tele-density, work demand under the work-guarantee scheme and net sales of listed and unlisted companies, along with the parameters that go into the Keqiang index and the commentary provided by fast moving consumer goods companies on their financial resultsif they are not doing so already. Getting a rounded picture isnt an easy task.
Thomas Piketty became famous for his seminal work that was published in a book titled Capital in the Twenty First Century. In this book, he focused on developed countries, especially the US, where he traced the growth of inequality.

His concern was not so much with income than wealth, and here too, he distinguished between inherited and earned wealth. He advocated a tax on the rich who had such capital.

Closer home, his work on inequality in India that came out earlier this year drew considerable umbrage, as critics tore into his data and methodology and concluded that his information and analysis were faulty. His recommendation of a wealth tax, however has remained on the discussion table.

A close look at the latest budget proposals on taxation suggests that Pikettys idea has played in the background. First, the budget has increased Indias capital gains tax in terms of both long- and short-term rates.

The broad justification given, besides the ideology of tax simplicity, is that it is generally higher-income groups that deal in asset markets and hence the hikes do not really affect common citizens. Higher rates should make little difference to the rich.

Second, removal of the indexation benefit on sales of property has also been justified on grounds of equity. The government has stated that for properties of lower value that have been held for longer time periods, the new tax structure will have a lower outflow.

However, for the rich who deal in high-value real estate, the tax payable on capital gains will be higherthough even this extra burden can be absorbed, given their wealth.

Third, buyback proceeds in the hands of the recipient are to be taxed, which will affect richer groups who own corporate shares in bulk. This also brings in parity with other income earned from assets, like share dividends.

This is what Piketty flagged in his book, arguing that the stock options awarded by American CEOs to themselves should be taxed at a high rate. The budgets buyback move is similar in spirit.

All these measures can be interpreted as being baby steps to tax richer classes that cant really complain. If this approach has to be extended to other areas, some interesting options emerge. The rich put large sums of money into shares, real estate, art, designer clothes, jewellery, fancy watches, vehicles and other things they can own.

There is good reason to impose a surcharge on all property purchases above a threshold of, say, 10 crore. These rates can escalate, just as they do on income earned. This will either curtail ostentatious consumption or increase revenue. In a similar vein, states can raise stamp duty rates.

Also read: How the budget has eased the rules for international transactions

The rich are known to splurge on automobiles which could stretch to aircraft too. Here too, the GST Council could consider a much higher rate than the present slabs (with 28% as the highest rate) for vehicles priced above, say, 50 lakh. As all these taxes are progressive and would fund redistribution, theyd serve a valid purpose.

The redistribution part also deserves a review, probably even drastic rationalization. For this exercise, consider a few data points. The budgets outlay for Indias free-food scheme aimed at the needy, which covers 800 million people and was recently extended by five years, is close to 2 trillion, which is about 2,500 per head.

Is there any adverse selection here? Non-needy users? This is pertinent when juxtaposed with employment data. The central banks KLEMS data-base shows 643 million people employed in 2023-24.

Given a population of around 1.4 billion, this means that 757 million people were dependent on the employed, a count that includes children, senior citizens and jobless youth. Indias dependency ratio appears low.

The free-food scheme dates back to the covid pandemic. But, interestingly, KLEMS data shows that employment grew 5.1% and 3.1% in 2020-21 and 2021-22, respectively. So the commonly held view that jobs were lost during these years was unfounded. It happened in some sectors, but overall employment increased.

Even if agriculture is excluded, as it could involve disguised unemployment, employment growth was 4.2% and 3.8% respectively. Therefore, Indias job distress was overstated, which also means that there is scope for a roll-back of the free-food benefit.

The Survey on Unincorporated Sector Enterprises for 2022-23 says we had around 110 million employed in the non-agricultural space. Their average emoluments were at 1.11 lakh per informal hired worker, compared to 2.45 lakh for formal-sector employees. Indias per capita GDP is around 2.11 lakh.

One could sieve this data by using provident-fund enrolment data and PAN numbers to pick those in need of government assistance. This can help us rationalize budgetary allocations in the coming years. Intuitively, by removing every 100 million workers who do not require food support, the government can save 25,000 crore.

This would release resources that could be channelled into other social-welfare schemes, such as education or health facilities at government-aided establishments that require improvement in quality.

To conclude, we have compelling reasons to extend the Piketty argument and tax all ostentatious spending by the rich. This will reduce consumption or increase revenue (or some combination of both). In parallel, more effective targeting of welfare schemes can help release funds that could be channelled to other programmes. This way, the quality of the budget will also improve.

These are the authors personal views.
On Tuesday, Sunita Kejriwal, wife of Delhi Chief Minister and AAP leader Arvind Kejriwal, criticized the BJP for promoting "hatred" and obstructing the work of Delhi residents. Speaking at an INDIA bloc rally at Jantar Mantar, she claimed that her Delhi CM Arvind Kejriwal's life is at risk in Tihar Jail and alleged that he was framed in the excise policy case based on a single statement.

Sunita Kejriwal revealed that her husband has a sensor attached to his arm to monitor his blood sugar levels.

"If sugar levels go down below 50, the patient starts shivering. While he was at home, such things happened once in five months and we would give him something sweet to stabilise him. But a few days back, we learnt that in jail his sugar levels have gone down multiple times," she said.

The Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) has accused the BJP of "conspiring to kill" Arvind Kejriwal in jail, citing his medical report which reveals that his blood sugar levels dropped 34 times between June 3 and July 7.

"I am thankful to God that nothing untoward happened to my husband (Arvind Kejriwal). His life is in danger. Recently LG sir (VK Saxena) wrote a letter saying that chief minister is "willfully" reducing his food intake", Sunita Kejriwal noted.

"What joke this is! He also said he is taking less insulin. When sugar levels are high, then insulin is administered," the wife of jailed Delhi CM claimed.

At the INDIA bloc rally, Sunita Kejriwal questioned the basis for Arvind Kejriwal's arrest in the now-scrapped Delhi Excise Policy case. She alleged that the Delhi Chief Minister was framed solely based on a single statement.

"Why did the ED (Enforcement Directorate) arrest Kejriwal? It was because of a conspiracy and pressure.

"The trial court grated bail to him. But the Centre initiated twin actions -- the ED took a stay on the bail and the CBI (central Bureau of Investigation)arrested him. He (Arvind Kejriwal) has been suffering from diabetes for last 22 years but we had to approach the court to get him insulin," she said.
MANILA, PhilippinesTop Philippine officials said Tuesday they are determined to press ahead with resupply of a military outpost in the South China Sea despite differences with Beijing about a recent deal covering deliveries to Second Thomas Shoal.

That outpost, an old warship with a small detachment of Filipino marines, has been a volatile flashpoint for months. China, which claims the reef, along with much of the South China Sea, has used aggressive tactics to obstruct Philippine resupply missions, including the spraying of water cannons, and swarming and ramming of Philippine vessels. During a resupply last month, Chinese personnel wielded axes and knives.

An agreement between China and the Philippines earlier this month appeared to defuse tensions and the Philippines carried out one delivery without incident.

But China and the Philippines have issued conflicting statements about the terms of that understanding, with Manila rejecting Beijings demands that supply missions be notified in advance and be subject to inspection.

Philippine Foreign Secretary Enrique Manalo on Tuesday called the recent resupplywhich wasnt obstructed by Chinaa relative success." On the issue of notification, he said: The more accurate term is exchange of information, which is exactly what we did with China."

The Philippine statements came after a meeting in Manila of U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken, Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin and their Philippine counterparts. Blinken said the U.S. welcomed the provisional agreement between China and the Philippines, which is a U.S. ally. He said the recent resupply should be the standard, not the exception.

With concern over Chinas growing military might in the region, the Americans reaffirmed their plan to provide $500 million in foreign military financing to the Philippine military. The funds, which Austin called a once-in-a-generation investment," will be used to help the Philippine military acquire naval maritime surveillance and cyber systems.

They represent a vast increase over previous U.S. military financing and are intended to help the Philippine armed forces build up their capability to deal with external threats after years of focusing on terrorist threats at home.

On Wednesday, Austin plans to visit Subic Bay, where the Philippines has a naval headquarters and the country is providing maintenance for U.S. Navy ships.

Subic Bay served as one of the largest American overseas bases until it was closed in 1991, but it is now seen as a place where the U.S. can have vessels repaired and overhauled as they operate in the Pacific, a senior U.S. defense official said.

The U.S. is also planning to spend $128 million to develop Philippine military sites under the countries Enhanced Defense Cooperation Agreement. Those funds have been proposed by the Biden administration but need to be approved by Congress.

That accord enables the U.S. military to rotate forces through nine Philippine bases and is an important component of the network Washington has been developing to respond to Chinese threats to Taiwan or in the South China Sea.

The U.S. is also working on an agreement with the Philippines that it hopes to finish by the end of the year to share intelligence and defense technology.

Blinken and Austin met Tuesday morning with Philippine President Ferdinand Marcos Jr.

Im always very happy that these communication lines are very open so that all the things that we are doing together, in terms of our alliance, in terms of the specific context of our situation here, in the West Philippine Sea and in the Indo-Pacific, are continuously examined and re-examined so we are agile in terms of our responses," Marcos said.

The initiatives announced Tuesday are part of a broader American push to strengthen the military capabilities of its Asia allies. On Sunday, the U.S. announced that it was establishing a new military command to bolster security ties with Japan.

The U.S. is involved in an ambitious effort to help Australia acquire nuclear-powered submarines. Blinken and Austin will meet with the Australian foreign and defense ministers at a meeting to be held early next month in Annapolis, Md.

Write to Michael R. Gordon at michael.gordon@wsj.com
The government is confident of achieving its fiscal deficit target and sticking to the glide path to trim it to 4.5% of the GDP by FY26, Union finance minister Nirmala Sitharaman told Parliament on Tuesday, addressing concerns raised by the Opposition on the budget.

Sitharaman also outlined the governments budgetary allocations for social sector welfare schemes, public capex, expenditure on states, and employment in her address on Tuesday.

The Centre's expenditure is expected to grow by 7.3% over FY24 to 48.21 trillion, Sitharaman said.



Also Read: Budget 2024 debate: FM Nirmala Sitharaman tears into Opposition, says no state being denied any money In her reply to the debate, she said that allocations for welfare schemes in agriculture, health, women's welfare, rural and urban development, as well as education, skilling and allocation to states had increased.

The government had allocated money to all states even though the budget only mentioned two statesAndhra Pradesh and Biharthe finance minister clarified to members of the Lok Sabha.

There have been accusations of bias as the ruling parties in Andhra Pradesh and Bihar are the Bharatiya Janata Party's coalition partners in the Union government formed after the 2024 general elections.

Also Read: Taxes increased because: Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman opens up on Budget 2024 The government allocated 15,000 crore for the development of Andhra Pradesh's capital Amravati in the union budget along with additional funding in future years, while providing Bihar with a 11,500 crore outlay for irrigation and flood mitigation. The Centre also included both these states in the Purvodaya plan, a roadmap for economic development of eastern states.

Compared with last year, the government allocated 8,000 crore more to agriculture and allied sectors, and 28,000 crore more to education, employment and skilling in the FY25 budget, Sitharaman said.

The expenditure on employment and skilling was a key part of the budget, where the finance minister announced five new schemes with an outlay of 2 trillion to be spent over the next five years.

Sitharaman said that the latest budget was the first with the vision of making India a developed nation by 2047, while noting that government spending on capex has borne fruit.

FM questions credibility of Global Hunger Index The finance minister also questioned the credibility of the Global Hunger Index that has ranked India below many war-torn and conflict-affected countries even as key government schemes provided free food to 800 million people.

Sitharamans address came after several opposition leaders including Supriya Sule and Shashi Tharoor raised questions about the budgetary allocations for social sectors like health and education.
New Delhi: Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Tuesday urged businesses to work with the government and to compete with it in the efforts to make India a developed nation, describing industry as the driving force behind Indias growth story and assuring them that there is no dearth of political will for decisions as the aspirations of people are paramount.

Modi also impressed upon business leaders at a post-budget conference organised here by the Confederation of Indian Industry (CII) about the governments schemes aimed at creating jobs and incentivising internships, saying that the government was committed to work in a focused manner to make India a developed nation.

Modi appeals to work together for development Modis appeal to businesses about working together for development, two days after telling chief ministers at a meeting of NITI Aayog in the capital about improving business climate and the need for collective efforts for building a developed nation, indicates attracting investments is a priority for the ruling party as it would help create more jobs and add to incomes.

The government is under pressure to create more jobs and skill the large working age population as the manufacturing sector, a job creator, is increasingly embracing automation even as technology is changing the nature of jobs.

Also Read: Employment schemes aim to shift workforce from informal to formal jobs This is my appeal to the industry that they should not only work shoulder to shoulder with the government to realise the dream of making India a developed nation but also compete with the government, excel and achieve success. We have to move ahead fast. I have full confidence in you, Modi said at the event.

Economic Survey 2023-24 tabled in Parliament last week had said public investment has sustained capital formation in the last several years and that it was time the private sector received the baton from the public sector and sustained investment momentum in the economy.

Also Read: Time for private sector to take baton of investment: Economic Survey Job creation for youth The Prime Minister also told businesses about the package announced in the budget about creating opportunities for the youth. Finance minister Nirmala Sitharaman last Tuesday announced a 2 trillion employment and skilling package for the benefit of over 40 million persons, to be implemented over the next six years. It includes an internship scheme for 10 million people in 500 top companies with government assistance, over five years. Modis mention of the package to business leaders implies the government is keen to make it a big success with industry participation.

We are working in a focused manner, whether it is our goal of becoming a $5-trillion economy, whether it is our intent to achieve saturation in welfare schemes, whether it is about zero defect, zero effect (a scheme to make small businesses competitive and environmentally sustainable), whether it is achieving self-reliance or whether it is about becoming a developed country, he said.

Creating long term economic growth The Prime Minister told businesses the governments intent and commitment are absolutely clear. No diversion in our direction. Nation first is our commitment, Modi said, indicating that in spite of coalition pressures, the government is focused on creating long term economic growth.

CII president, and chairman and managing director of ITC Ltd, Sanjiv Puri, who spoke on the occasion, said the Indian industry was looking forward to working together with the government on all fronts.

Also Read | Private investments taking off; consumption growing: CII president Sanjiv Puri There is no dearth of political willIndustry and private sector are powerful vehicles to make India a developed country. I consider youwealth creators as the driving force of Indias growth story, Modi said in his speech delivered in Hindi.
A woman who was raped and regularly beaten by her partner over a number of years has said she understands that she is one of the lucky ones in that she survived the relationship.

Mary ODonnell (33) waived her right to anonymity so that Mark Leonard (30) could be named in reporting of the case. Today, Leonard was jailed for 10 years.

Leonard, of Moatfield Road, Coolock, Dublin 5, pleaded guilty to seven charges of assaulting the woman causing her harm but denied an assault charge, false imprisonment and a number of sexual offences. He was subsequently convicted of these charges by a Central Criminal Court jury following a trial.

READ MORE - Coolock protests: Gardai 'harvesting' CCTV and social media to catch rioters

Leonard had pleaded not guilty to anal rape, two charges of oral rape, false imprisonment and assault causing harm on dates between January 2016 and September 2019. The couple had started a relationship in 2011 when Ms ODonnell was 20, and Leonard was 17 years old.

Leonard accepted the jurys verdict and had a written letter of apology for Ms ODonnell, the court heard.

The couple broke up briefly in October 2018 but reconciled the following year before breaking up permanently in September 2019.

Ms ODonnell read her victim impact statement into the record. She described the relationship with Leonard as sinister but added: I am one of the lucky ones. I got out alive.

So many others dont get that chance, she continued, adding that she believes that if she had stayed in the relationship, I would not be here today. She said she is still left with the demons from her relationship with Leonard.

Mr Justice Paul Burns had adjourned the case having heard evidence two weeks ago.

Sentencing Leonard today/yesterday (MON), Mr Justice Burns expressed his sympathy for Ms ODonnell and said he hopes that with further support, she can continue to recover.

He noted from her victim impact statement the horrendous impact Leonards crime had on Ms ODonnell but added she thankfully now has the support of a loving husband.

Mr Justice Burns said the offences represented a prolonged campaign of both physical and sexual abuse.

Violence, whether physical or sexual, perpetrated by a partner on a female or male in their home has a greater impact. The home is no longer a place of refuge or safety, Justice Burns said before he added that the victims ability to escape (the relationship) may be limited due to fear.

He set headline sentences of four years for the assaults, 10 years for the false imprisonment and 12 years for the anal and oral rapes.

Justice Burns reduced each of these sentences by a year, taking into account the mitigating factors in the case, including Leonards late in the day acceptance of responsibility.

He imposed concurrent sentences of 11 years before he suspended the final year of the term on strict conditions, including that Leonard engage with the Probation Service for three years upon his release from custody and not have any direct or indirect contact with Ms ODonnell.

At the earlier sentence hearing, Ms ODonnell read her victim impact statement and said the abuse had a horrendous impact on her life.

She said she is still afraid to go into a room by herself in case Leonard might be there. She is afraid to go to her sisters house or visit her fathers grave.

The fear he put in me is still a massive part of my everyday life, Ms ODonnell said.

She described how Leonard would restrict her visits to her father in the final year of her fathers life, and because of this, she felt she missed out on the last year of his life and could not grieve him.

Ms ODonnell described the apartment she shared with Leonard as a prison and said she was never at ease because Leonard was so unpredictable.

She said she still worries about the outfits she wears now and has concerns if they are too tight or too low-cut. She finds she cant deal with the smallest of confrontations.

Ms ODonnell said happy occasions with her family were tarnished by his actions, as she said Leonard fought with her either the day of the occasion or the days leading up to it.

She said her husband fixes the things he broke and comforts and protects her, but he asks her permission to put his arm around her at night so as not to give her a fright.

Ms ODonnell said the abuse at the hands of Leonard brought a lot of stress and worry to her nearest and dearest.

She spoke of how she under-estimated the impact the trial would have on her and described how difficult she found that.

Garda Ben Keyes outlined various incidences of abuse to Patricia McLaughlin SC prosecuting, including incidents when Leonard threw ashtrays at Ms ODonnell, pulled her hair and tried to strangle her.

This included the lead-up to her sisters hen party because Leonard did not want Ms ODonnell to go.

Gda Keyes said the couple's relationship had started out positively, but over time, Leonard became more controlling, and family members noted a change in her behaviour. Ms ODonnells sister and mother gave evidence at trial.

Gda Keyes said the relationship deteriorated, and Leonard would get angry if she didnt want to have sex with him. He would get jealous if she wanted to go out with her friends, and they always had difficulties when they went away on holiday.

Leonard also made special occasions with Ms ODonnells family difficult for her. He had a falling out with her sisters husband, and he wanted her to stop her seeing her sister.

Gda Keyes said Leonard would wake Ms ODonnell up in the middle of the night and hit her if she refused to have sex with him. She often found herself submitting to him because it was easier to do so.

He said the woman outlined an incident of anal rape, which left Ms ODonnell bleeding and crying. She told Leonard he had raped her, and he apologised.

Gda Keyes said the couple broke up for a short time. Leonard wrote a letter to Ms ODonnell in which he apologised for hitting you and the sex things.

He said he would do anything to get her back. There is no room in my heart for anyone but you, he said.

The couple reconciled in June 2019, but by the following September, when Ms ODonnell wanted to go to a friends wedding, Leonard assaulted her again by grabbing her by the upper neck and chest and biting her. He threatened to murder her and her mother.

He falsely imprisoned the woman in her bedroom, tied her pyjamas around her neck and refused to let her out of the room unless she performed oral sex on him. She later took photographs of the injuries and sent them to Leonard.

The final incident involved an oral rape which occurred after the couple decided to move into a flat by themselves. Ms ODonnell had packed up boxes for the move, but Leonard then decided that he no longer wanted to move and unpacked the boxes.

Ms ODonnell re-packed the boxes and went to bed, but Leonard woke her up in the middle of the night and forced her to perform oral sex on him.

She later made a complaint to gardai in October 2019. Leonard was arrested but made no comment in relation to the allegations as they were put to him.

Gda Keyes confirmed that Leonard has five previous convictions, including offences of drink driving.

Michael Bowman, SC, defending, said Leonard had been exposed to domestic violence visited on himself, his brother and his mother, which left him in a constant state of anxiety. Counsel said his client suffered from a fear of abandonment and extremely low self-esteem.

He acknowledged that it was unfortunate that Leonard did not deal with the case before the trial so as to prevent Ms ODonnell having to give evidence.

Mr Bowman said there were letters from Leonards mother, brother and sister-in-law. He said they saw a different side to his client that unfortunately does not relate or equate to that experienced by Ms ODonnell.

He asked the judge to accept that while Leonard is late to accept responsibility, it is still of some value and it is acceptance in a public form and acknowledgement that he is taking responsibility for the harm he has caused.

Mr Bowman said his client entered into the relationship with Ms ODonnell as a 17-year-old and was inexperienced before he acknowledged that unfortunately, he brought the toxicity with him from his home life and inflected it on Ms ODonnell.

Counsel said his client has rehabilitative prospects and has indicated he is willing to take up whatever treatment or courses he is offered within the prison system.

Mr Bowman said Leonard apologises not only for what he has done but for putting her through the additional stress of the trial.
Gardai have launched an investigation into an animal welfare incident in Monaghan following the discovery of over a dozen dead roosters at a suspected 'cock fighting' site.

Local Gardai in Monaghan were alerted at 11am on Saturday to a suspected illegal cock fighting event allegedly taking place at a private residence in Emyvale.

Cock fighting is a blood sport, involving domesticated roosters as the combatents. The roosters and chickens used for the fighting often endure significant physical injuries and trauma, and in many cases fights are 'to the death'.

Upon the arrival of the gardai at the site of the alleged cock fighting site in Monaghan, a large number of people reportedly "fled the scene".

Following their arrival, assistance from the Department of Agriculture was sought and a warrant to search the residence was obtained.

READ MORE - 'I'm one of the lucky ones, I got out alive' - Man jailed for 10 years following rape and abuse of partner

During the course of a search, 15 dead roosters were discovered on the property while a further 70 roosters were seized by a number of Department of Agriculture personnel in attendance. Evidence of suspected "cock fighting" was also seized.

Gardai said that an investigation is continuing at Monaghan Garda Station and, officials will continue to liaise with the Department of Agriculture regarding this matter.

"Anyone with any information that can assist Gardai with this investigation are asked to contact Monaghan Garda Station on 047 77200, the Garda Confidential Line on 1800 666 111, or any Garda Station," Gardai said in a statement.
Gardai are investigating a suspected arson attack at the home of a prison officer.

The attack in Co Meath happened at approximately 11.30pm on Monday.

The incident has been described by the Prison Officers Association as extremely sinister in nature.

The POA said it utterly condemns the attack, adding that it could have led to a loss of life.

POA deputy general secretary Gabriel Keaveney said: We have no doubt that this horrific attack related to the prison officers work.

We now call on the Minister for Justice and the Garda Commissioner to take whatever action is necessary to ensure that prison officers and their families are safe in their own homes.

The Government have a responsibility for the safety and security to its employees.

The POA is also seeking an urgent meeting with the director of the Prison Service to discuss the incident, saying similar attacks have happened in the past.

The group said it will be offering continued support to the prison officer and his family as they deal with this shocking ordeal.

The Irish Prison Service said any act of violence against a prison officer is unacceptable.

In a statement, it said: Any criminal act carried out within our prisons, including assaults or threats on a staff member, are reported to An Gardai Siochana for investigation and prosecution.

Staff who are subject to an assault or threat in our prisons are given the necessary supports through the employee assistance programme.

It said it engages with An Garda Siochana with regard to the reporting of any possible criminal act and this happens at both local and national level.

It added: The Irish Prison Service continues to work with An Garda Siochana on a number of joint actions to target criminal gangs.
A man has been jailed for his role in smuggling a woman into Ireland in what a court heard was a sophisticated operation.

Mohamed Mahamed (48), a Danish citizen of Somalian origin of Aarhuas, Denmark, pleaded guilty to unlawfully assisting the entry of a woman into Dublin Airport on January 28 last.

He was sentenced to 18 months in prison, backdated to January 28, at Dublin Circuit Criminal Court today.

The court heard that the woman arrived on a Ryanair flight from Luxembourg into Terminal One and presented without any travel or identity documents.

A prosecuting garda told Fiona McGowan BL, for the State, that the woman had previously sought asylum in Greece but had been refused.

The woman told immigration officials in Dublin that she met Mahamed in Paris and paid him $500 US dollars in order to get to Ireland.

She said she travelled with Mahamed by train to Luxembourg, stayed the night there and flew to Dublin on the same flight.

The woman said Mahamed gave her a passport for someone else and told her to leave it in the toilet on the plane, so that she would arrive with no documents and claim international protection.

Mahamed was arrested off the same flight and said he had been contacted by a third party, who said he would give him money if he assisted with getting the woman into Ireland.

Mahamed told gardai he needed the money to travel back to Somalia to visit his family as he was on disability benefit in Denmark.

He has no previous convictions and pleaded early.

Niall Storan BL, defending, handed a psychological report to the court detailing Mahameds diagnosis with PTSD from the impact of the civil war in Somalia.

The court heard that Mahamed was exposed to considerable violence and death as a child, where he witnessed the execution and murder of multiple family members, friends and neighbours at a young age.

He has suffered low mood, sleep disturbances and anxiety from childhood as a result of these experiences, counsel said.

Mahamed, a married father-of-five, got Danish citizenship in 2001 and worked as a cleaner and driver.

He regularly sent his disability payments to his mother in Somalia, the court heard.

The psychological report said that Mahamed has been hospitalised multiple times because of his depression and anxiety related to his PTSD, and that he suffers physical symptoms such as shaking, pain and inability to sleep.

His experience in Wheatfield prison is particularly difficult as he relies on charity for clothes and basic needs and finds loud noises and banging contribute to his PTSD.

Mahamed was described by psychologists as easily manipulated and the court heard he was told that this woman was suffering from ill health and required medical treatment in Ireland.

The third party was the puppet master here, counsel said.

Judge Orla Crowe said Mahameds psychological report makes for grim reading and that he clearly has PTSD due to his childhood experiences.

She said although Mahamed has had a difficult life, he did this for financial gain and played an active role in a very sophisticated operation.

Judge Crowe set a headline sentence of three years but reduced this on account of Mahameds personal circumstances.
A former Cathaoirleach of Longford County Council who pleaded guilty to laundering over 2.6m through a number of companies linked to Cyril 'Dublin Jimmy McGuinness has been jailed for three years and three months following a lengthy sentence hearing at Longford Circuit Court.

Frank Kilbride (70), of Aughakilmore, Ballinalee, Co Longford, appeared before Longford Circuit Court this afternoon, having previously pleaded guilty to three counts of money laundering sums totalling 2,604,564.05 through three bank accounts on dates between October 2017 and March 2018.

Mr Kilbride, taking to the stand this afternoon after his legal team applied to come off record, pleaded with the judge for leniency.

"I don't want to die in prison," he said, "I want to be at home with my wife and my four collie dogs."

Judge Kenneth Connolly, passing judgement today, noted that there was a "spectre" of duress in the case, but said that money laundering "facilitates the financing of criminality".

He proceeded to sentence Mr Kilbride to four years and six months in prison, suspending the final 15 months for a period of three years subject to a number of conditions, including that he does not register any company or business for three years post-release.

He concluded by backdating the sentence to last Friday, July 26.

Prior to the sentencing hearing Detective Garda Rhona Bohan, told the court that, in November 2019, a number of searches were carried out in this jurisdiction, Northern Ireland and Buxton, UK, on foot of warrants issued in respect of the assault and abduction of Quinn Industrial Holdings Director, Kevin Lunney.

During the course of those searches, a partial AIB bank statement was discovered in the name of WOI Plant Hire & Supplies Ltd, which provided a narrative relating to another company, TJO Developments.

On November 29, 2019, Mr Kilbride made contact with Gardai to make a statement regarding TJO Developments, after he received documentation from the Revenue Commission regarding an outstanding VAT bill.

Mr Kilbride told Gardai that, in the spring of 2017, he had been approached by a third party looking to see if he had any companies for sale. Mr Kilbride sold the man TJO Developments for a sum of 3,000.

A number of months later, Mr Kilbride was informed by a woman working in a North Longford bank, that the account for TJO Developments was still in his name, with money going through it. The bank worker advised him to change the numbers on the account.

Following a change of details on the account, Mr Kilbride said a man known to him as Dublin Jimmy, arrived at his house with two men - one from Louth and the other from Northern Ireland - to talk about the account.

Dublin Jimmy told Mr Kilbride that there was 100 left in the account, which he should hold onto for medical expenses. Mr Kilbride perceived that as a threat, the court heard.

When Mr Kilbride contacted the third party who had purchased the account on behalf of Dublin Jimmy - who Mr Kilbride later learned was Cyril McGuinness - he was told to pass no heed on Dublin Jimmy, hes only blowing steam.

During the course of the investigation, Gardai became aware of two Irish bank accounts associated with TJO Developments, one of which had moved a total of 1,727,427.28, and the other which moved 867,143.80 to companies across Ireland, the UK and Europe.

Gardai also became aware of a third bank account, which was Mr Kilbrides personal account. This account was linked to the moving of approximately 10,000 in funds.

Vincent Heneghan, Senior Counsel for Mr Kilbride said the case was one of a man who should know better, and a man who acted stupidly out of desperation in a case of intimidation.

Theres no doubt he involved himself, he was active himself and an important cog in a wider enterprise. He unwittingly and stupidly allowed himself to be used, said Mr Heneghan.
Local News

By Chris Boyle Published: July 30 2024

This program, known as the eVTR (Electronic Vessel Trip Reporting) project, will reduce data collection burdens on fishermen by simplifying the mandatory reporting process.

The Cornell Cooperative Extension of Suffolk County (CCE) Marine Program has launched an initiative designed to modernize data collection systems used by more than 240 for-hire marine fishing permit holders across Long Island.

This program, known as the eVTR (Electronic Vessel Trip Reporting) project, will reduce data collection burdens on fishermen by simplifying the mandatory reporting process. Moreover, the program will enhance the quality, timeliness and accessibility of fisheries data for use by fleet managers and policymakers.

For-hire fishermen operate vessels that are hired by individuals or groups for recreational fishing trips. This includes party boats and charter boats. They primarily catch fluke, scup, black sea bass, striped bass, blackfish, and bluefish in New York State waters within three miles of shore.

The modernization project is funded through a $300,000 grant from the National Fish and Wildlife Foundation. The foundation was chartered by Congress in 1984 to increase resources available for the conservation of the country's fish, wildlife, plants, and habitats.

Recreational fishing has long played an important role in the history, culture, and economy of Long Island, said Vanessa Lockel, Executive Director of CCE Suffolk. But to remain competitive, our fishermen need to adopt modern technologies. By helping to update their data collection systems, CCE Suffolk will play a hand in building a more secure and efficient future for our fishing sector.

Marine recreational fishing trips supported 5,739 full- or part-time jobs and contributed $473 million in sales, $209 million in income, and $363 million in gross domestic income to the New York State economy in 2017, the last year for which figures are available.

The states for-hire sector faces many challenges, including strict regulations in respect to fish size, bag limits, and seasonal restrictions. The fleets profit margins are also being squeezed by increased costs associated with fuel, maintenance and repair, and fishing gear. In addition, patronage has been declining due to necessary fare increases.

State-licensed party and charter permit holders  as well as commercial harvesters -- are required to submit monthly vessel trip reports of all fishing activities to the state Department of Environmental Conservation as well as federal agencies. Data include information on catch, trip length, dealers, and other items. While this data have traditionally been recorded and submitted on paper, the state is presently transitioning to electronic reporting. The eVTR project will equip fishermen to successfully make this significant change.

The CCE Marine staff will primarily provide technology, training and technical support for an electronic reporting system called the Atlantic Coastal Cooperative Statistics Programs eTrips program. Through a series of outreach and training events, CCE staff will guide fishermen on the use, adoption and registration of the system. Participants will also receive ongoing technical support as needed. To further ease the burden of electronic reporting, CCE will distribute 150 iPads to participating fishermen.

The CCE team will also be assisting New York State food fish license holders who wish to voluntarily report electronically.

For more information about the eVTR program or to sign up for a training session with CCE Suffolk, contact:

Tara McClintock

Marine Program Outreach Manager

631-727-7850 x317

About Cornell Cooperative Extension of Suffolk County

Established in 1917, Cornell Cooperative Extension of Suffolk County (CCE Suffolk) is a non-profit community education agency that works to preserve the countys agricultural resources, marine life, protect our eco-systems, support families, provide community service opportunities for youth, and advance research-based education in science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM).

Affiliated with Cornell University as part of the national land grant university system, CCE Suffolks staff consists of educators, researchers, specialists, and support personnel who are dedicated to making Suffolk County a desirable place to live and work.

CCE Suffolk is a subordinate governmental agency with an educational mission that operates under an organizational model approved by Cornell University as agent for the State of New York.
Local News

By Chris Boyle Published: July 30 2024

Food recalls frequently generate headlines and public concern because of their associated safety risks and health hazards.

According to a new study from Trace One, a company specializing in regulatory compliance for the food and beverage industry, looking at the U.S. states most impacted by food recalls over the last five years.

Food recalls frequently generate headlines and public concern because of their associated safety risks and health hazards. To help protect consumers, government officials have developed a system of regulation and oversighta shared responsibility of the U.S. Food and Drug Administration and the U.S. Dept. of Agricultureto identify hazardous products and issue recalls to minimize those risks to consumers.

Both the USDA and the FDA distinguish between Class I, Class II, and Class III food recalls to signify the level of risk associated with each. Class I recalls are for the most hazardous products, which have higher risks of causing serious adverse health consequences or death, while Class II recalls have more moderate risks and Class III recalls have minimal risks.

Recalls are a nationwide concern, but some states are more vulnerable than others. To calculate which states have been most impacted by food recalls in recent years, researchers combined data on recall events from both the USDA and the FDA for the years 20202024, then ranked states accordingly.

These are the main takeaways from the report, highlighting some key stats for New York State:
Soldiers of the IDFs 98th Division and armored vehicles supporting operations in Khan Younis. (IDF photo)

The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) ended a week-long operation in the southern Gaza city of Khan Younis, the IDF said on July 30. The raid began on July 22 after the IDF told Gazan civilians to evacuate several neighborhoods in the western part of the city.

The IDF said Hamas had used these locations to launch rockets at Israel and place forces there because the areas were previously designated as part of a humanitarian zone. The raid into Khan Younis represented the second battle the IDF has waged for the city. The first operation took over 100 days to complete, whereas the latest one lasted seven days.

The IDF chose the 98th Division to carry out the rapid raid into Khan Younis because the unit has conducted similar raids in northern Gaza. In each case, the division moved forward with commandos, combat engineers, paratroopers, and tanks, sweeping into an area and then seeking out terrorists and terrorist infrastructure.

Another recurring goal is to find hostages. In May, the divisions operation in Jabaliya in northern Gaza recovered the bodies of seven hostages. The 98th Division recovered five deceased hostages during its most recent operation in Khan Younis. Israel refers to all Israelis held in Gaza as hostages, whether they are known to be living or dead.

The 98th Division also had previous experience in Khan Younis, having operated there from December 2023 to April 2024. In these initial operations, it used complex tactics, maneuvering above and below ground simultaneously, to find and dismantle Hamas tunnels. The division also gained significant experience in rapid maneuver and sweeping areas without the intense bombing other units used in Gaza in November. The 98th Division employed consistent tactics in its most recent week of fighting the city.

Over the past week, the troops have eliminated over 150 terrorists, dismantled terror tunnels, weapons storage facilities, and terrorist infrastructure, and located weapons, the IDF said. The IDF was slim on further details about the operations results in terms of the number of tunnels found and the quantity of weapons uncovered. However, it released a video of 98th Division Commander Brigadier General Dan Goldfus speaking from inside a tunnel within Khan Younis. Recovering the bodies of the five hostages appears to have been one of the raids central goals.

The fighting in other parts of Gaza appears to have become much less intense recently. While Hamas and Palestinian Islamic Jihad continue to claim to carry out near-daily attacks, most of them seem to be relatively small.

The IDF continues precision airstrikes on Hamas members, as well. On July 30, the IDF said it had eliminated Ibrahim Hegazi, who it described as being responsible for anti-tank missiles in Hamas Nuseirat Battalion. Ibrahim planned and directed numerous terror attacks against IDF troops and he served as a central source of knowledge on anti-tank missiles for Hamas. The IDF also continued operations in Tel al-Sultan in southern Gaza, near Rafah.

The second battle of Khan Younis took place amid increasing tensions inside Israel at IDF sites. Protesters gathered at the Beit Lid army base after reports the IDF was investigating several soldiers for abusing detainees. The protesters, some of whom scuffled with soldiers, came to support the soldiers who were under investigation.

IDF Chief of Staff Lieutenant General Herzi Halevi said, The IDF supports its soldiers, in regular service and in the reserves. We have come to Beit Lid because our soldiers are here and to ensure that nothing more severe happens. The arrival of rioters and attempts to break into bases are serious, unlawful behaviors bordering on anarchy, harming the IDF, the security of the state, and the war effort.

Reporting from Israel, Seth J. Frantzman is an adjunct fellow at FDD and a contributor to FDDs Long War Journal. He is the senior Middle East correspondent and analyst at The Jerusalem Post, and author of The October 7 War: Israel's Battle for Security in Gaza (2024).
At a glance Expert's Rating Pros Small and light

Attached cover

Easy Switch for use with up to three devices Cons Need a T5 Torx screwdriver (not included) to access batteries Our Verdict The Logitech Keys-To-Go 2 wireless keyboard is ready-made for your travels, offering a full set of keys in an easy-to-stash package. Its a viable alternative to Apples Magic Keyboard for iPad or Mac.

Apples Magic Keyboard series works nicely for the iPad and Mac, but they are pricey. Fortunately, several companies make viable alternatives, including Logitech. Their latest keyboard, the Keys-To-Go, is built as an ultra-portable keyboard for taking with you, and it has a much more palatable price tag.

Priced at $79.99/79.99, the Keys-To-Go 2 is a Bluetooth keyboard built with the iPad in mind, but it can be used easily with a Mac, iPhone, Apple TV, or any other Bluetooth computer. As the name implies, its the successor to Logitechs original Keys-To-Go and has a few major changes.

Today is Amazon Prime Big Deal Days! Our editorial team lists the best tech deals here. ]

Find out how the Keys-2-Go compares to other iPad Keyboards in our round-up of the Best keyboards for iPad.

Logitech Keys-To-Go 2: Keys, design, and features

Like the original Keys-To-Go, the Keys-To-Go 2 has a full set of keys, including a dedicated Command key and a set of quick access keys for settings such as screen brightness, volume, and play/pause. However, these quick access keys replace the Function keys that you usually find on Mac keyboardssince the Keys-To-Go 2 is made with the iPad in mind, the Function keys arent necessary. The keys are made with ABS plastic thats sourced from recycled materials.

You cant reprogram these keys on a Mac if you do need them to be Function keys, so if you do, that instantly means this keyboard isnt for you. (The LogiOptions+ software doesnt support either Keys-To-Go.) Another twist is that the keys have changed their operations from the original Keys-To-Go; for example, the fast forward and rewind keys are gone, but now there is an emoji key and a screenshot key. If youre familiar with a Magic Keyboard or the original Keys-To-Go, youll have to adjust to the new keys on the Keys-To-Go 2.

The top row of the Keys-To-Go 2 hosts a set of quick-access keys that cannot be reprogrammed. The top row of the Keys-To-Go 2 hosts a set of quick-access keys that cannot be reprogrammed. Foundry The top row of the Keys-To-Go 2 hosts a set of quick-access keys that cannot be reprogrammed. Foundry Foundry

The Keys-To-Go 2 doesnt have the header that is on its predecessor, which needs this because its where the rechargeable battery is housed. No header on the Keys-To-Go 2 means no rechargeable batterythe keyboard uses a pair of CR2032 batteries placed in a compartment at the top thats sealed using two T5 Torx screws. When it comes time to change the batteries, you need a T5 Torx screwdriver, which is not included. Logitech claims a battery life of 36 months.

The lack of a header makes the Keys-To-Go 2 smaller depth-wise than its predecessor, measuring 4.13 by 9.84 by 0.35 inches (105 by 250 by 9 millimeters) and weighing 7.84 ounces (222 grams). By comparison, the original Keys-To-Go is 5.39 by 9.52 by 0.23 inches (137 by 242 by 6 mm) and weighs 6.34 ounces (180 grams). Its barely noticeable in a backpack and easy to carry.

The Keys-To-Go 2 doesnt have a rechargeable battery. Instead, it uses two CR2032 batteries. The Keys-To-Go 2 doesnt have a rechargeable battery. Instead, it uses two CR2032 batteries. Foundry The Keys-To-Go 2 doesnt have a rechargeable battery. Instead, it uses two CR2032 batteries. Foundry Foundry

The version reviewed here is labeled, Keys-To-Go 2 for iPad but it can work with any Bluetooth device, including Windows PCs. Its available in Pale Gray or Graphite. Logitech also sells a Keys-To-Go 2 (sans the for iPad part) and it works just the same, except it has a combination Command/Alt key and a Lilac color option.

Logitech Keys-To-Go 2: Hands-on

Typing on the Keys-To-Go 2 is quite comfortableIm using it for this review. It doesnt feel cramped to me, but it is a tighter setup than the keyboard on a MacBook. The key travel is a little like that of Apples keyboards, but a bit softer.

The Keys-To-Go 2 can connect to up to three devices. Switching between those devices can be done by pressing a Easy Switch button. The Keys-To-Go 2 can connect to up to three devices. Switching between those devices can be done by pressing a Easy Switch button. Foundry The Keys-To-Go 2 can connect to up to three devices. Switching between those devices can be done by pressing a Easy Switch button. Foundry Foundry

One issue a user might have is that the Keys-To-Go 2 doesnt have a way to adjust its angle toward you. Folding the cover underneath the keyboard doesnt change its angle, so if thats something you need to do (I dont), you need to figure out another means.

Speaking of the attached keyboard cover, its great for when you need to stash the keyboard, protecting the keys. When Im using the keyboard, however, Im not quite sure what to do with it. It can be folded under the keyboard, but it feels like it shouldnt be there. It can simply lay above the keyboard, but the cover doesnt act as a stand or mount so it could get in the way.

With the cover in mind, I should point out that the Keys-To-Go 2 is just a portable keyboard. Its not like the iPads Magic Keyboard that attaches to the iPad, provides a mount for it, and acts as a cover. Logitech offers a whole line of iPad Keyboard Cases if thats what you want but dont want Apples. (We recently reviewed the Logitech Combo Touch.)

The Keys-To-Go 2 can connect to up to three Bluetooth devices, and Logitech uses its Easy Switch keys to switch between them. After setting it up, it works almost seamlesslyyou must wait a few seconds while the keyboard and device establish a connection, but after that, its all ready to go.

The Keys-To-Go 2 doesnt have a built-in stand for iPad. The Keys-To-Go 2 doesnt have a built-in stand for iPad. Foundry The Keys-To-Go 2 doesnt have a built-in stand for iPad. Foundry Foundry

Should you buy the Logitech Keys-To-Go 2?

If youre in a situation where you often work remotely and you need to use multiple devices, the Keys-To-Go 2 is a handy device, with its portable design and ability to connect to up to three devices. It can also be useful with specialized installations, like, for example, if youre using a Mac mini in a space-confined kiosk, or you switch between a Mac and iPad frequently, or you have the iPad on a stand that offers a mounting position that a keyboard case doesnt.

If youre a mobile user who works with an iPad and youre looking for a keyboard for it, you might be better off with a keyboard case. That way, your iPad can be protected as you travel.
According to customs statistics, in the first half of 2024, Anhui Province exported 404,100 vehicles (including chassis), an increase of 26.4% compared to the same period last year; the value reached 40.27 billion yuan, up by 32%; with an average export price of 100,000 yuan per vehicle, marking a 4.4% increase.

Since the beginning of this year, despite facing multiple challenges, the global automotive market has still demonstrated strong resilience and adaptability.

In January, Anhui Province's automobile export value was 6.19 billion yuan. After dropping to 5.46 billion yuan in February, it steadily increased, breaking a historical record in June by reaching 9.11 billion yuan.

Hefei Customs statistics show that in the first half of this year, Anhui Province exported automobiles worth 38.91 billion yuan through general trade, an increase of 29.7%, accounting for 96.6% of the province's total automobile export value during the same period (the same below); automobiles exported via processing trade were valued at 990 million yuan, surging by 1154%, and accounted for 2.5%.

In the first half of this year, state-owned enterprises in Anhui Province exported automobiles worth 29.81 billion yuan, up by 20.7%, making up 74%; private enterprises exported automobiles worth 9.32 billion yuan, an increase of 77.1%, accounting for 23.1%; foreign-invested enterprises exported automobiles valued at 1.15 billion yuan, a sharp increase of 106.8%, accounting for 2.8%.

The significant growth in Anhui's automobile exports is not only a reflection of the success of corporate technology and market strategies but also a concrete manifestation of the increasing global influence of Anhui manufacturing.





Source: Anhui Daily




The situation in Venezuela is developing very quickly after Sundays election. Monday morning dawned to the sound of cacerolazos (the banging of pots and pans) in protest against the declared victory of Nicolas Maduro. The cacerolazos in Caracas began in working-class and poor neighbourhoods; in Petare, in Catia, in 23 de Enero. Then they started to come down from the neighbourhoods la Dolorita, el Guarataro, Antimano, and the barrios to the east of Caracas.

[The following article was written on 29 July 2024. Read the original in Spanish here.]

At the moment [Monday, 29 July] there are protests all over the country alongside police repression. Some of these protests are heading for the military barracks. In Santa Capilla, three blocks down from the Miraflores presidential palace, demonstrators were stopped in their tracks by the national guard. Then, groups of armed civilians arrived and began to shoot, mainly in the air, to disperse the guards.

Crisis and chaos after polling day

How did we get here? Sundays election pitted Nicolas Maduro against Maria Corina Machado (the name of the actual candidate of the opposition doesn't matter. Machado was the real candidate behind the scenes).

It must be understood that Maduro's government has nothing to do with that of Chavez. Rather, he represented precisely the opposite. Chavez led the Bolivarian Revolution, which involved land seizures, setting up communes, workers' control, nationalisations, confrontation with imperialism, the discussion of socialism, etc. Maduro has presided over a bourgeois and oligarchic restoration, which meant return of land to the landowners, privatisations, the destruction of workers' control, assaults on collective bargaining, and the imprisonment of worker activists for fighting back, etc.

This is a government that has also used Bonapartist methods to eliminate opposition, not only on the right, but also the left. They stole the electoral registration from Tupamaros, the UPV, the PPT, and the Communist Party of Venezuela (PCV). They went so far as to invent a fake party made up of paid agents to attempt to steal the Communist Partys name. In Barinas, when they lost the elections, they annulled them, disqualified the opposition candidates (including the PCV candidate) and re-ran the elections only to lose again.

Maria Corina Machado represents the rancid, oligarchic, imperialist lackey right wing / Image: World Economic Forum, Flickr

Meanwhile, Maria Corina Machado represents the rancid, oligarchic, imperialist lackey right wing. She has spent 26 years plotting coup attempts and terrorist attacks, calling for foreign invasion, cheering on imperialist sanctions, encouraging violent guarimbas (riots) and generally spewing deep hatred against the working class, poor people, and peasants who dared to take the reins of the country into their hands; who dared to make a revolution.

The comrades of Lucha de Clases, the RCI in Venezuela, warned that the working class had no horse in this race. It was a choice between death by suffocation and death by decapitation.

10 years of deep economic crisis resulting from the combined chaos of an unfinished revolution, imperialist sanctions, and crazy, uncontrolled monetary expansion followed by a harsh monetarist cut paid for by the working people, have totally worn down Maduro's support base. This base, which he inherited from Chavez, has been squandered to such an extent that many saw the possibility of defeating the government through the electoral route.

Hence the mobilisation at the polling stations that began, in an unprecedented manner, at 10pm on Saturday. Election day itself passed with only minor incidents, with some polling stations not opening until hours after the official opening time. But by the end of the day the situation began to heat up. Opposition supporters crowded outside polling stations to await the official count, which was to be announced publicly. Some demanded that the polling stations close at 6pm, as is required by the regulations if there are no voters waiting.

As the result from each polling station was announced, photos of the tally sheets (actas) were posted on social media. All of them showed the opposition candidate as the winner. I've heard of one single tally sheet  though I haven't seen it  in which Maduro was in the lead.

Of course, there are some 30,000 tally sheets all over the country. A few dozen on social media do not determine the results. But it was significant that many of them were from traditional Chavista strongholds. For example, the revolutionary neighbourhood of 23 de Enero in Caracas, including Chavez's own polling station, showed a victory for the opposition. It was also significant that no one published a single acta where Maduro won.

Then came the interruption of the transmission of results from the polling stations to the National Election Council (CNE). The government claims that this was the result of a cyber attack from North Macedonia. Opposition election observers have denounced the fact that they were not allowed to enter the CNE counting room, contrary to the regulations.

There is more. Groups of armed civilians went to intimidate those waiting for the announcement of the results at each polling station. In some cases they fired shots to disperse them. In Tachira, one person was killed.

Finally, at around 11pm, the CNE announced a result with 80 percent of the tally sheets totalled: Maduro 51 percent against 44 percent for Edmundo Gonzalez and 4.6 percent for the others. Turnout was 59 percent. The trend is irreversible, the CNE said.

The official data, not yet totaled, did not coincide with the tallies that had been published on social media. Moreover, the following day, the CNE announced and declared Maduro's victory without ever publishing the full result with 100 percent of tally sheets counted, let alone publishing the breakdown by state, municipality, and polling station. The (partial) official results can not, therefore, be compared with the polling station reports. It is no wonder then that many did not believe the results.

Betrayal of the Bolivarian Revolution

Of course, we reject the stinking hypocrisy of the international right wing. The Spanish Peoples Party, Milei, Donald Trump, the Peruvian Chancellor (who owes his position to a coup d'etat!), the fraudster Vicente Fox, Bukele and other grotesque characters are all now crying fraud. These are individuals who have openly supported coups in Venezuela or directly organised them, who cheered the massacre of the people in the Chilean uprising, who recognise the coup government in Peru, who defend their imperialist class interests by all means at their disposal. We have nothing to do with them. They are our class enemies and we have fought them for two decades. We are not going to stop doing so now.

The responsibility lies with Maduro and the PSUV leadership who betrayed the Bolivarian Revolution / Image: Nicolas Maduro, Twitter

But none of that explains why the working-class and poor neighbourhoods, the barrios, came down today and protested. That is mainly explained by internal dynamics. The responsibility lies with Maduro and the PSUV leadership who betrayed the Bolivarian Revolution.

We have reached an explosive and very dangerous situation as of today [Monday 29 July]. Some poorer areas have spontaneously taken to the streets to defeat a government that no longer represents them, but their only political expression is that of Machado, the representative of the pro-coup, oligarchic, and pro-imperialist right wing.

It is difficult to predict what will happen. But in all the most likely scenarios, the working class and the poor will lose.

They lose if the bosses' Maduro government stays in power on the basis of massive repression. They lose if it falls and is replaced by Machado, the pupil of Trump, Bolsonaro and Milei.

Danger lies in the fact that sectors of the popular masses seem to have placed their hopes in her. Let no one be under any illusions. If Machado comes to power she will implement a brutal neoliberal shock programme a la Milei; dismantling what is left of the achievements of the revolution, privatising everything; selling off basic industries for peanuts; razing any vestige of communal power at gunpoint. And all this, of course, will be imposed by the repression of the workers' and peasants' movement, if it dared to oppose it.

Some will say we already have that with Maduro. No. It will be worse. But it was precisely the bourgeois, bureaucratic thermidor of Maduro that has led directly to the rise of Machados open reaction. Moreover, right now, Maduro can only stay in power on the basis of open repression and by relying on the state apparatus.

Some will ask, but was there an alternative policy Maduro could have followed faced with sanctions and imperialist aggression? There was. We have explained it repeatedly over the last 10 years. The alternative was the one Chavez himself pointed to in his Turn the Rudder speech: to pulverise the bourgeois state and build a socialist economy. This was always the instinctive aim of the mobilised working class and poor: to complete the revolution by abolishing capitalism.

That would not have stopped imperialist aggression or have prevented the guarimbas, coup attempts and failed invasions. But it would have put the working people at the helm, strengthened their morale, and served as an example for the working class and peasants of the whole continent, putting on the table the real possibility of extending the socialist revolution beyond the borders of Venezuela.

Mistakes of the PCV and lessons we must learn

The PCV deserves special mention. We have been in solidarity from the beginning with the comrades of the Communist Party in the face of the government's anti-democratic offensive against them. But it is also our duty to point out what we believe to be serious mistakes made by the comrades.

First of all, they treated the APR (Popular Revolutionary Alternative, set up in 2020) as a purely electoral tool, instead of building it, as agreed, as an organisation of struggle. The decision to launch its founding congress was never carried out. Here the responsibility does not lie solely with the PCV, but an important part falls on the comrades as they were the most solid organisation of those comprising the APR.

We believe that, more important still, was the PCVs mistake in supporting a candidate of the bosses in the election, Enrique Marquez of the Centrados party. They defended this candidate, who has participated in coup attempts, by arguing for a united front for democratisation and the need to recover the institutions and the Constitution. Now they appeal for the creation of "spaces of broad unity to strengthen the struggle for the recovery of the Constitution and the rule of law in Venezuela", which could be interpreted as a call for unity of action with Machado!

These mistakes of the left have left the working class totally orphaned of its own leadership, and at the mercy of bourgeois interests.

What now? Whatever happens, it is crucial that we explain the need for an independent organisation of the working class. Whoever governs, the interests of our class must be defended.

Furthermore, it is necessary to make a serious assessment of the experience of the Bolivarian Revolution, of its achievements, but above all of its limitations. Whoever makes half a revolution digs his own grave. We must learn from the mistakes of the past so as not to repeat them.
Legendary Boston music venue Great Scott is being reborn four years after it closed because of the COVID-19 pandemic.

Great Scott, which first opened on Commonwealth Avenue in Allston in 1976, will reopen up the street from the venues original location at the intersection of Harvard Avenue and Cambridge Street. The venue is expected to open sometime in 2026.

When Great Scott announced that it would be closing in 2020, a petition to keep the music venue alive collected more than 25,000 signatures, and a crowdfunding campaign raised more than $300,000, according to a press release.

Despite these efforts, the original location was rented to another tenant. But in 2023, Great Scotts longtime booking manager Carl Lavin went on a mission to find a new home for the beloved venue.

With the help of Redefined CEO Paul Armstrong and local real estate developer Jordan Warshaw of The Noannet Group, the trio found and bought a new location for Great Scott just two blocks away from its former home.

Since Great Scott closed four years ago, there has been such an outpouring of support for its reopening, but we live in a difficult economic climate where in the past few years more small venues have closed than have opened, Lavin said in the press release. This partnership with Paul and Jordan has enabled us to create an economic model that will not only allow a new Great Scott to be built, but for it to be successful for many more years.

Great Scott was named the eighth-best music venue in America in 2016 by music website Consequence of Sound.

The venue has developed a reputation for helping launch musicians careers by hosting artists before they achieve international success. Among them: Charli XCX, MGMT, Beach Bunny, Jack Harlow, Phoebe Bridgers, Clairo, Vundabar, and Oompa.

Great Scott has been on top of the booking game ever since the venue was purchased back in 1975, Consequence wrote in 2016. But perhaps Great Scotts best claim to fame is that its just as good at selling out local bills as it is for national tours.

The re-imagined Great Scott will not only feature a music hall for up to 300 people, it will also house the 75-person capacity OBriens Pub  the venues longtime sister club.

Fans and former patrons of Great Scott will be delighted to know the new location will embody the original dive bar aesthetic.

The interior of the original Great Scott in Allston. The legendary music venue opened in 1976 and closed in 2020 because of the Covid-19 pandemic.Adam Parsall

Events are expected to range from local acts to rising national artists.

The more than $300,000 that community supporters originally raised will be directed toward developing the new space, according to the press release.
Seven people were hospitalized after there was an ammonia leak at a North Attleborough industrial building Tuesday morning.

At about 10 a.m. Tuesday, firefighters responded to a report that a line to a 2,000-gallon tank of ammonia was cut while work was being conducted. The incident occurred inside the JT Inman building on Larsen Way, North Attleborough Fire Chief Chris Coleman told Boston 25 News. JT Inman designs and manufactures products out of sterling silver, according to its website.

Six of the victims suffered from minor injuries, while one is in critical condition, Boston 25 News reported.

North Attleborough firefighters shut off the ammonia from outside the building. A hazmat team was also called in to inspect the building from the inside and to asses its ammonia levels, Boston 25 News said.

Coleman also told Boston 25 News that a nearby business was also evacuated as a precaution.

There is no threat to the public and fire crews are working to determine if the ammonia was liquid or gas, Coleman told Boston 25 News. Ammonia mainly causes toxic inhalation but in liquid form it can cause burns.
A 26-year-old man is facing assault and battery charges after police say he randomly attacked a person with a boxcutter.

Tahjay Jones, of Boston, was arrested around 2:30 a.m. Monday and charged with assault and battery by means of a dangerous weapon and assault and battery, Boston Police said in a statement.

Earlier Monday, police went to the area of 2 Center Plaza, the address for The Dubliner Irish Pub, after learning a man was chasing customers with a knife. When police arrived, they learned the man had randomly attacked a patron with a boxcutter.
The idea that a wind turbine blade could break apart and spread thousands of pieces of foam and fiberglass across the south shore never came to mind for members of town administration and the Select Board when they were negotiating the so-called Good Neighbor Agreement with Vineyard Wind four years ago.

But it appears Vineyard Wind may have thought about it, The Inquirer & Mirror reports.

The agreement requires the offshore energy company to minimize the visual impacts of the turbines and pay the town more than $10 million over the next decade to make up for the change to its scenic views.

In turn, the town cant speak out against the project.

But it also says that each party in the agreement  the town, Vineyard Wind, Maria Mitchell Association and Nantucket Preservation Trust  recognize that the development of offshore wind power projects are subject to many risks and uncertainties, that there is no assurance that the projects will obtain permits and approvals necessary for development and construction or receive necessary financing, and that Vineyard Wind may abandon a project at any time, at its sole discretion.

It goes on to say, in the same section, in no event will any party or its affiliates be liable to the other party or its affiliates for (i) any claim based on a failure to obtain a lease or a failure to receive financing, utility agreements or other approvals, or decision to abandon a project, (ii) any claim based on a failure of an assignment to be approved or realized, or (iii) special, incidental, consequential or punitive damages, whether or not foreseeable.

That last section could be of particular concern, according to Roger Marzulla, a Washington, D.C. environmental lawyer and former assistant attorney general in charge of the U.S. Justice Departments environment and natural resources division.

Punitive damages apply when there is malice or wanton and willful conduct. So, if you want to be literal about it, that phrase would appear to say Vineyard Wind could come spread toxic chemicals on the beach if they want to, just out of spite, and theres nothing the town can do, Marzulla said.

He thinks, however, that a judge could very well throw out that provision considering it is out of context compared to the rest of the agreement and may be overreaching. However, he is not sure about the specifics under state law.

You dont just write a couple of words and say Ah, ha! Weve just waived any financial claims ever, until the end of the world. The court will often not enforce a contract provision like that. I suspect there are some limits to what is enforceable here, he said.

Vineyard Winds catastrophic blade failure earlier this month is believed to have been caused by a manufacturing error, GE Vernova, the company that supplies Vineyard Wind with its turbine blades said in a quarterly earnings call Wednesday. Now all 150 blades that were made in the same factories are set to be inspected.

We have identified a material deviation or a manufacturing deviation in one of our factories that, through the inspection or quality assurance process, we should have identified, GE Vernova CEO Scott Strazik said Wednesday. Because of that, were going to use our existing data and reinspect all of the blades weve made for offshore wind.

The error occurred at a factory in Canada, the company said. The blades are made by a Danish company called LM Wind Power, which has two factories. One is in Canada and the other in France. The company is owned by GE Vernova, the renewable energy arm of General Electric.

The industry uses non-destructive testing  think ultrasound, think radiologists, but for a blade  to identify deviations. Were going to go do this on every blade. A prudent, thorough process. Were not going to talk about the timeline today. We have work to do. I have a high degree of confidence we can do this and well do it in support of the customer and the agency, Strazik said.

Vineyard Winds failure is the second involving this turbine blade model. The last occurred just two months ago in the Dogger Bank wind farm off the coast of England. Strazik said Wednesday the events appear unrelated.

We have not identified information indicating an engineering design flaw in the blade or information of a connection with the blade event we experienced at an offshore wind project in the UK, which was caused by an installation error out at sea. We are working with urgency to scrutinize our operations across offshore wind. Pace matters here. But we are going to be thorough, instead of rushed, Strazik said.

Several truckloads of debris washed up on Nantucket beaches as a result of the blade failure earlier this month, leading to the closure of beaches and beach- and ocean-related businesses. Island lifeguards and volunteers helped Vineyard Wind-contracted crews pick up the mess over several days.

Vineyard Wind has said it is in the process of setting up a system for individuals and businesses to make financial claims.

However, Marzulla thinks Vineyard Wind may try to divert claims from the town to General Electric, essentially saying its GEs fault, so they need to pay.

Theyre both liable, but this is what big companies do when they have a calamity like this, Marzulla said. He thinks the town should make claims against both companies.

Part of the Good Neighbor Agreement also says the town waives its right to trial by jury, and agrees to engage with Vineyard Wind in non-binding mediation prior to any litigation.

The towns legal counsel for offshore wind, Greg Werkheiser of Cultural Heritage Partners, told The Inquirer and Mirror last week the clause only applies to disputes over the agreement itself. It does not apply to the current situation and has no effect on the towns pursuit of restitution for dealing with the blade debris, he said.

The Inquirer and Mirror in Nantucket is a news partner of MassLive.com. To subscribe to The Inquirer and Mirror, click here.
A Massachusetts attorney was charged in connection with handing an inmate at a Rhode Island prison a cannabis-soaked piece of paper, United States Attorney for Rhode Island Zachary Cunhas office announced.

Theresa DiJoseph, 50, of Woburn, was charged with possession with intent to distribute a controlled substance, providing a prohibited object to an inmate and making a false statement, Cunhas office said in a statement.

Three other people were also charged. Hanasa Stedford, 21, of Hamden, Connecticut; and Donald W. Wyatt Detention Facility inmates Shawn Hart, 46, and Samuel Douglas, 26, were charged with conspiracy to possess with intent to distribute a controlled substance and providing a prohibited object to an inmate, Cunhas office said.

DiJoseph and Stedford were arrested early on Monday and are expected to appear in U.S. District Court in Providence, the statement continued. Hart was already awaiting trial on drug and firearm charges while in Massachusetts. Douglas, who was awaiting sentencing after he pleaded guilty to a racketeering conspiracy charge in U.S. District Court in New Haven, Connecticut.

Hart and Douglas will make their court appearances in Providence at a later date.

While visiting the facility in Central Falls, Rhode Island, on July 9, 2023, DiJoseph used her legal credentials to meet with Hart in a contact visiting room, Cunhas office said. She was seen acting suspicious and monitoring the correctional officers movements, the statement read.

DiJoseph and Hart texted each other, with Hart using a Wyatt-issued tablet, Cunhas office said. She sent him photos of herself and screenshots that showed Cash App or sports-betting transactions that DiJoseph did on Harts behalf. She was temporarily banned from visiting Hart, but was later allowed to.

During an attempt to visit Hart on Dec. 1, 2023, Wyatt correctional officers took 10 sheets of paper from DiJoseph that looked discolored, thick and were once wet but had since dried, Cunhas office said. The condition of the papers was consistent with how paper soaked in synthetic marijuana appeared.

These papers were sent to the FBI to be tested, and were confirmed to be soaked in marijuana, Cunhas office said.

Wyatt inmate Douglas arranged for his girlfriend, Stedford, to meet with DiJoseph outside the detention center and give her the contaminated papers, the statement continued citing charging documents.
The Massachusetts Senate approved a bill allowing Boston to gain 264 new liquor licenses Monday afternoon, just two days before the end of formal sessions.

The Senates version of the bill would authorize more liquor licenses in Boston than the Houses version  which only calls for 205, according to the State House News Service. The Senate bill aims to focus a large number of liquor licenses in specific neighborhoods in Boston to spur economic development.

The bill will now be debated in a conference committee, where lawmakers from both the House and Senate will have to reach a compromise on the details of the bill, the Boston Globe reported. But lawmakers only have until Wednesday before midnight to reach a deal before formal sessions end.

Read More: Happy Hour could be back in Massachusetts after 40 years

Sen. Liz Miranda, D-2nd Suffolk, who co-sponsored the bill, said that there would be a really strong debate, but is hopeful lawmakers can get the bill over the finish line.

I have all the faith that were going to come out with something incredibly strong, Miranda said in a statement to the Globe. Thats going to have some House priorities, thats going to have some Senate priorities, and were going to meet somewhere in the middle.

Two decades ago, Boston hit its limit on the number of liquor licenses it could dole out  which is now roughly 1,200, according to the Globe.

Now businesses that wish to obtain liquor licenses usually need to acquire one from a restaurant or a bar that has closed. Those can cost as much as $600,000.

The hefty cost of a liquor license has left many of them to be held by businesses in Back Bay and the Seaport, the wealthier neighborhoods of Boston, according to the Globe. The Senates bill aims to provide restricted licenses to businesses in other neighborhoods.

These licenses  which only cost a small annual fee  cant be bought on a secondary market and have to be returned to the city when a business closes.

Six of these restricted licenses would be doled annually for every ZIP code, the Globe reported. Brightons Oak Square would only get three.
On a largely dry Tuesday in Massachusetts, more than 50 beaches across the state were closed, primarily due to bacteria in the water, according to the states publicly available water quality dashboard.

In all, 53 beaches across Massachusetts were closed as of the 9:30 a.m. update to the dashboard.
In a few weeks, we say goodbye to summer and hello to fall.

The upcoming seasonal transition on Sept. 22  the first day of fall  may spur folks across Massachusetts to ask themselves if its time to pull out sweaters and jackets.

The Old Farmers Almanac  the oldest Almanac in the country  can answer all of these questions.

Whether you should invest in a new jacket will depend on where you live in Massachusetts. Fall weather will be split across the Bay State with the eastern region expected to experience below-average temperatures. Meanwhile, the central and western regions will have near-average temperatures, according to the Old Farmers Almanac.

The average temperatures and below-average rainfalls could translate to some pretty foliage in the Northeastern region, the Almanac said.

Western Massachusetts will see below-average rainfalls, according to the Almanac. In southern New England  where Massachusetts is located  there is a nearly 31% chance that rainfall will be below roughly 11 inches, according to the National Weather Service.

Meanwhile, the Bay States eastern region will have near-average amounts, according to the Almanac. The National Weather Service also forecasts that nearly 34% of rainfall will fall between roughly 11 and 14 inches around Massachusetts this year.

But September will still have a summery feel to it. The Northeast and Mid-Atlantic will also have near-to above-average temperatures during this month, according to the Almanac.

In the Massachusetts area, there will be a nearly 31% chance of temperatures being near average  roughly 51 degrees to nearly 53 degrees, according to the National Weather Service. Meanwhile, there will be a nearly 54% chance of temperatures being at least 53 degrees, which is above average.

By the time October comes, cooler than normal temperatures will hit New England, along with the Appalachians and the Upper Midwest regions of the United States, the Almanac stated. So it might be best to make sure your Halloween costume comes with some insulation.
A 25-year-old Roslindale man is facing firearms charges in connection with a shooting in Jamaica Plain on Monday that left a man with life-threatening injuries, according to Boston Police.

Christian Coloma is charged with unlawful possession of a firearm, unlawful possession of ammunition and refusal to submit to a police officer, Boston Police said in a statement Tuesday morning. He is expected to be arraigned in the Roxbury division of Boston Municipal Court.

Police say Coloma was seen fleeing the scene of a shooting near 245 Centre St. in Jamaica Plain on Monday while riding a green and black motorized scooter heading toward Columbus Avenue. The shooting was near the Jackson Square MBTA station. Officers searching the area found Coloma on Amory Street and followed him toward Union Avenue and Rockvale Circle, according to police.
A popular South Boston bar that was featured in the movie Good Will Hunting has been named one of USA TODAYs favorite 27 bars in the United States for 2024.

The publication said the lists entries were selected by USA TODAYs network of food writers nationwide. Their selections represent places these writers frequent in the communities they serve and live in.

For the L Street Tavern, located at 658 East Eighth St., Wicked Local writer Joanna K. Tzouvelis noted in USA TODAYs review that the bar is best known for its appearance 27 years ago in Good Will Hunting starring Robin Williams, Ben Affleck and Matt Damon, and that the bars most popular drink is a Guinness in a 20-ounce glass.

In February, the bars longtime owners, Jack and Susan Woods, announced they would sell the establishment to new owners in March.

Read more: Legendary Boston music venue Great Scott returning after closing due to pandemic

On its website, the L Street Tavern said it has stood as a cornerstone of the South Boston community for almost a century at the intersection of L and East Eighth streets, tracing its origins back to the era of Prohibition when it acted as a speakeasy.
GAINESVILLE, Fla. (AP)  William L. Calley Jr., who as an Army lieutenant led the U.S. soldiers who killed hundreds of Vietnamese civilians in the My Lai massacre, the most notorious war crime in modern American military history, has died. He was 80.

Calley died on April 28 at a hospice center in Gainesville, Florida, The Washington Post reported Monday, citing his death certificate. The Florida Department of Health in Alachua County didnt immediately respond to Associated Press requests for confirmation.

Calley had lived in obscurity in the decades since he was court-martialed and convicted in 1971, the only one of 25 men originally charged to be found guilty in the Vietnam War massacre.

On March 16, 1968, Calley led American soldiers of the Charlie Company on a mission to confront a crack outfit of their Vietcong enemies. Instead, over several hours, the soldiers killed 504 unresisting civilians, mostly women, children and elderly men, in My Lai and a neighboring community.

The men were angry: Two days earlier, a booby trap had killed a sergeant, blinded a GI and wounded several others while Charlie Company was on patrol.

Soldiers eventually testified to the U.S. Army investigating commission that the murders began soon after Calley led Charlie Companys first platoon into My Lai that morning. Some were bayoneted to death. Families were herded into bomb shelters and killed with hand grenades. Other civilians slaughtered in a drainage ditch. Women and girls were gang-raped.

It wasnt until more than a year later that news of the massacre became public. And while the My Lai massacre was the most notorious massacre in modern U.S. military history, it was not an aberration: Estimates of civilians killed during the U.S. ground war in Vietnam from 1965 to 1973 range from 1 million to 2 million.

Seymour M. Hersh sits in the furnitureless office of Dispatch News Service in Washington, May 4, 1970, after being awarded the Pulitzer Prize for international reporting. Hersh disclosed the alleged massacre of Vietnamese civilians at My Lai. (AP Photo/Bob Daugherty)AP

The U.S. militarys own records, filed away for three decades, described 300 other cases of what could fairly be described as war crimes. My Lai stood out because of the shocking one-day death toll, stomach-churning photographs and the gruesome details exposed by a high-level U.S. Army inquiry.

Calley was convicted in 1971 for the murders of 22 people during the rampage. He was sentenced to life in prison but served only three days because President Richard Nixon ordered his sentence reduced. He served three years of house arrest.

After his release, Calley stayed in Columbus and settled into a job at a jewelry store owned by his father-in-law before moving to Atlanta, where he avoided publicity and routinely turned down journalists requests for interviews.

Calley broke his silence in 2009, at the urging of a friend, when he spoke to the Kiwanis Club in Columbus, Georgia, near Fort Benning, where he had been court-martialed.

There is not a day that goes by that I do not feel remorse for what happened that day in My Lai, Calley said, according to an account of the meeting reported by the Columbus Ledger-Enquirer. I feel remorse for the Vietnamese who were killed, for their families, for the American soldiers involved and their families. I am very sorry.

He said his mistake was following orders, which had been his defense when he was tried. His superior officer was acquitted.

William George Eckhardt, the chief prosecutor in the My Lai cases, said he was unaware of Calley ever apologizing before that appearance in 2009.

Its hard to apologize for murdering so many people, said Eckhardt. But at least theres an acknowledgment of responsibility.
Gov. Maura Healey has signed almost all of the Legislatures overdue fiscal year 2025 budget, trimming $317 million from the spending plan with her veto pen and approving of all but three outside policy sections.

The governors office said the budget Healey signs Monday afternoon will total $57.78 billion.

The $58 billion plan that lawmakers sent her 10 days ago increased state spending by about $1.97 billion, or 3.5%, over last years budget and used just more than $1 billion in one-time revenues to support the outlays during a time of volatile state tax collections.

A projected increase in revenues from the states new tax on household income above $1 million is helping the state to boost spending.

Healey signed off on budget policy measures authorizing free community college, free rides on regional transit agencies, and legal online Lottery sales to fund a permanent Commonwealth Cares for Children grant program that launched during the pandemic with federal dollars.

The governors office said she signed 258 of the 261 outside policy sections of the budget.

The biggest veto was in the MassHealth managed care account where Healey cuts $192.3 million, saying the remaining $5.9 billion in the account was the amount projected to be necessary due to anticipated utilization, timing of rate updates, and new revenues.

Among 46 states whose fiscal year began July 1, Massachusetts was the last one to put an annual spending plan in place, according to data tracked by the National Conference of State Legislatures.

Lawmakers and Healey previously agreed to an interim budget covering state expenses for about a month.
With Massachusetts still in the grip of a crushing housing affordability and access crisis, one Bay State lawmaker says she has a plan to help.

Legislation sponsored by U.S. Sen. Elizabeth Warren, D-Mass., would spend roughly a half-trillion dollars to encourage the construction of new housing, bring down costs for renters, and make it easier for first-time buyers and veterans to purchase homes, among other fixes.

"The only way to dig our country out of this housing crisis is to build more housing so everyone has a place to call home, Warren, who is running for re-election this fall, said of the bill dubbed the American Housing and Economic Mobility Act.

The legislation, a reboot of an earlier version, will make bold investments in our countrys housing and encourage local innovation to lower housing costs even more  and its all paid for by getting Americas wealthiest families to chip in, Warren continued.

In March, the median price of a single-family home in Greater Boston hit $900,000, an increase of more than 9% from the same month last year, and a new March record, The Boston Globe reported.

A half-dozen of Warrens Senate colleagues, including U.S. Sen. Ed Markey, D-Mass, joined her on the bill.

On the other side of Capitol Hill, U.S. Rep. Ayanna Pressley, D-7th District, is backing a companion version of the legislation.

The housing crisis in Massachusetts and the rest of the country has "burdened families and communities for far too long, Markey said in a joint statement that Warrens office released Monday.

Warren and her colleagues pointed to an analysis by the nonpartisan credit and ratings service, Moodys, concluding that the bill would, among other things:

Result in the construction or rehabilitation of some 3 million housing units over the next 10 years;

Reduce rents for lower- and middle-income families by 10%, saving the average family about $140 a month;

Return estate tax thresholds to the level they were under former President George W. Bush, while closing some tax loopholes;

Create incentives for local governments to eliminate unnecessary land use restrictions that drive up costs;

Limit the role of private equity in the housing market, and

Require financial institutions to provide expanded access to credit.

Housing means dignity, safety, and security, and as a Senator who grew up in public housing, I know that strengthening housing availability and affordability is critical to helping folks establish a solid foundation to build a healthy future, U.S. Sen. Raphael Warnock, D-Ga., an ordained minister and a co-sponsor of the bill, said.

Another of the bills New England co-sponsors, U.S. Sen. Peter Welch, D-Vt., chimed in, adding that it will deliver historic federal investments and lower housing costs, create grant programs that support borrowers, and ensure that everyone  in every ZIP code  can find a place to live at a fair, affordable price.

Dozens of nonprofit and advocacy groups also have thrown their support to the legislation, Warrens office said in its statement.

House and Senate negotiators in Massachusetts majority Democrat state Legislature are trying to reach an agreement on a multi-billion dollar bond bill also aimed at taming the states housing crisis.

Formal sessions end for the year on Wednesday, giving state lawmakers a narrow window in which to act.
In life and death, Carney Hospital has been part of Tim Durkees world since he was a teenager.

In 1984, he bid farewell to his mother in a room there. Two years later, in 1986, just 16 years old, emergency room physicians saved his life as he was in the throes of a drug overdose.

And for the last 28 years, hes been a maintenance worker at the imposing brick building at 2100 Dorchester Ave.

This place has been my life, Durkee, a Dorchester native now living in Quincy, said.

This next goodbye may be the hardest  and one with the widest-reaching impact.

In just a few short weeks, barring a miracle  or the hand of the court system  Carney, which has been serving Boston since 1863, much of that time in Dorchester, will shut its doors for good.

Why?

Last week, Dallas-based Steward Health Care announced it would close Carney and Nashoba Valley Medical Center in Ayer, within the month, claiming it didnt receive qualified bids to purchase the two facilities.

Elected officials, activists and union leaders rallied in support of Carney Hospital in Dorchester on Monday. Carney is one of two hospitals owned by Dallas-based Steward Health Care that is set to close as part of the company's federal bankruptcy proceeding (John L. Micek/MassLive)John L. Micek

The company, which owes tens of millions of dollars in unpaid rent on its Massachusetts hospitals, filed for bankruptcy in May.

Its been trying to unload its properties in the Bay State and elsewhere ever since. In April, one of them, New England Sinai Hospital in Stoughton, was the first to close its doors.

So on a rainy Monday morning at the end of July, about a half-dozen elected officials, joined by activists and union leaders, rallied on the hospitals grounds.

There, they vowed to do everything they could to keep Carney open, or at least ensure an orderly transition to something else.

It felt like a wake.

U.S. Rep. Stephen Lynch, D-8th District speaks to a crowd at Carney Hospital in Dorchester on Monday. Elected officials, activists and union leaders rallied in support of Carney, one of two hospitals owned by Dallas-based Steward Health Care, that is set to close as part of the company's federal bankruptcy proceeding (John L. Micek/MassLive).John L. Micek

I know how essential this hospital is, U.S. Rep. Ayanna Pressley, D-7th District, once a Carney patient, like generations of city residents before her, told the crowd.

Closing Carney would deal a catastrophic blow to the citys largest and most diverse neighborhood, Pressley said.

On Monday, elected officials, including Boston Mayor Michelle Wu and U.S. Rep. Stephen Lynch, D-8th District, said Steward didnt abide by legally required timelines to give notice of its plans.

The news of that closure was a real shock. A real kick in the gut to the Dorchester neighborhood. And to the nurses, the doctors, Lynch, whose district includes Carney, said. Theres 750 workers who are employed here ... whose sole purpose is to care for our families, those in need, he said.

State law and regulations require any provider planning to close an essential service to notify the Department of Public Health at least 120 days in advance and then provide a formal notice 90 days before the planned closings, State House News Service previously reported.

The company, in court filings, is seeking an expedited timeline to shutter the hospitals by the end of August.

In the meantime, the Healey administration will spend $30 million to keep Stewards five, remaining hospitals operational as they transition to new ownership, according to court filings.

During an unrelated news conference on Monday afternoon, Gov. Maura Healey said her office is focused on protecting the stability of the market.

We continue to be working to save five hospitals to make sure that were doing all that we can for our communities, she said.

U.S. Sen. Ed Markey, D-Mass., who has repeatedly pilloried Stewards CEO, Dr. Ralph de La Torre, for putting what he described as a high-flying lifestyle ahead of keeping the company afloat, chalked up Stewards implosion to just one word: Greed.

The companys executives treated the hospitals like their personal piggybanks, Markey, who has called for reforms reining in the influence of private equity ownership in the health care system, said.

Last week, the U.S. Senate committee on which Markey sits voted to investigate Stewards collapse. It also slapped de la Torre with a subpoena, ordering him to appear before the panel in September, The Associated Press reported.

Wu vowed that the city will do everything [it] can to support the ongoing state and federal investigations into Steward, Ralph de la Torre and the parties responsible for this collapse.

Elected officials, activists and union leaders rallied in support of Carney Hospital in Dorchester on Monday. Carney, one of two hospitals owned by Dallas-based Steward Health Care, is set to close as part of the company's federal bankruptcy proceeding (John L. Micek/MassLive).John L. Micek

State Sen. Nick Collins, D-1st Suffolk, who represents Dorchester on Beacon Hill, said every option is on the table, including declaring a public health emergency, to keep the hospital up and running.

The promises  and the soundbites  kept coming.

After a while, Stephen Wood, a nurse practitioner in Carneys emergency department with 15 years under his belt, had enough.

He said hed grown tired of rhetoric and promises. He wanted action.

We are Carney. Were going to stand together. Were not here for rhetoric. Were here for a plan, he told the crowd.

His calls were greeted with roars of affirmation from the Steward employees and Dorchester residents who stood in the rain and hoped for that miracle.

Right now, though, the only plan on the table is the shutdown plan Steward submitted to a bankruptcy judge, Lynch said.

But if that happens, the result will be a medical desert, Wood warned, pointing to the diverse population the hospital serves. Theres no easy or reachable alternative for care.

Carney just doesnt serve Dorchester. Patients also come from nearby Mattapan and Roxbury. Many are Medicaid and Medicare patients. The hospital also serves a large number of people seeking treatment for mental health issues, Wood said.

The hole it will leave is incredible, he said.

The way Durkee sees it, Carney has to be saved. Theres no other choice. It means too much to the community. It means too much to him.

And if the state and city can find the money for other programs, it can find the cash to keep Carney open.

Theres always money, he said.
BOSTON  The Red Sox traded from a position of strength/depth to improve a position of weakness when they sent infield prospect Nick Yorke to the Pirates for 23-year-old pitcher Quinn Priester on Monday.

Five of Bostons top 10 prospects (Marcelo Mayer, Kristian Campbell, Franklin Arias, Yoeilin Cespedes and Nazzan Zanetello) are middle infielders, per Baseball Americas rankings (Campbell also plays center field). Mayer, the fourth overall pick in the 2021 MLB Draft, is nearing the big leagues. Shortstop Trevor Story is under contract through 2027 with a 2028 team option and second baseman Vaughn Grissom is under team control through 2029. Infielder Chase Meidroth, a 2022 fourth rounder, is just outside Bostons Top 10 and has a .441 on-base percentage for Triple-A Worcester.
BOSTON  The Red Sox traded for Reds reliever Lucas Sims on Tuesday, a little more than four hours before the 6 p.m. trade deadline. They sent minor league pitcher Ovis Portes to Cincinnati.

Boston designated injured pitcher Brandon Walter for assignment to make room on the 40-man roster for Sims.

Sims has a 3.57 ERA (35  innings, 14 earned runs), 1.42 WHIP, 4.88 FIP, 20 walks and 40 strikeouts in 43 relief appearances this season. Opponents have batted .231 against him. Walks have been a serious issue in his career. Hes in the fifth percentile in walk percentage (13.0%) this season.

Hes in the 95th percentile in average exit velocity against (86.1 mph), 79th percentile in chase percentage (31.2%), 79th percentile in hard hit percentage (34.4%) and 78th percentile in expected batting average (.222).

The 30-year-old righty has a 4.41 ERA in 230 career outings (14 starts). He has recorded a 3.27 ERA, 4.56 FIP, 1.27 WHIP, 112 strikeouts and 59 walks in 110 relief appearances (96  innings) since the start of 2023. He has averaged 5.5 walks per nine innings.

His sweeper and four-seam fastball are the two pitches he throws most often.

The 2012 first-round pick will be a free agent this coming offseason. Hes making $2.850 million this year.

Portes, a 19-year-old righty who Boston signed to an amateur international deal in 2022, is 2-1 with a 2.12 ERA in 11 outings (five starts) between the Florida Complex League Red Sox and Low-A Salem this year.

This is the fourth deal the Red Sox have made since Friday. They also acquired starter James Paxton from the Dodgers on Friday, right-handed hitting catcher Danny Jansen from the Blue Jays on Saturday and 23-year-old pitcher Quinn Priester from the Pirates on Monday.

FanSideds Robert Murray was the first to report it.
Several states could get a vibrant light show starting Monday, not coming from any stage at a concert but from the skies above.

On Monday, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administrations Space Weather Prediction Center issued a geomagnetic storm watch after M-class coronal mass ejections shot out from the sun this weekend. The watch will be in effect until Wednesday, July 31.

Down on Earth, this means people in the United States have a chance to see the northern lights again this year.

When [coronal mass ejections] arrive at Earth, a geomagnetic storm can result, the Space Weather Prediction Center wrote in its statement.

The first two ejections merged to create a cannibal coronal mass ejection, with two more ejections on its tail, according to Space.com.

Forecasters projected that this storm that causes the northern lights could be a G3-level storm, which is categorized as strong. This means it could impact power systems, satellites above Earth and low-frequency radio navigation.

The storm is also expected to reach across mid-latitudes around 50 degrees, with prior G3 storms reaching as low as Illinois and Oregon, according to the Space Weather Prediction Center.

The G3-level storms are expected to be seen on Earth on Monday, July 29, but will degrade to a G2 storm on Tuesday, July 30.

The aurora could be seen as far south as the central United States, according to NOAA. Forecasters anticipate that people living in 24 states  including Massachusetts  could have a view of the northern lights starting Tuesday.

Courtesy of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration's Space Weather Prediction Center.NOAA

As the storm degrades going into Tuesday, fewer states are expected to see it, with only Vermont, New Hampshire and Maine likely being the only New England states that will be able to see it.

The northern lights are most active between the hours of 10 p.m. and 2 a.m., and are best seen as close to the north pole as possible, according to NOAA. However, forecasters have not yet determined an exact timing on when is the best time to see the aurora Monday night.

But in Massachusetts, it could prove difficult to see the northern lights. Forecasters anticipate cloudy conditions to continue until Tuesday morning, with a chance for showers during Monday night into Tuesday morning until 9 a.m. in Boston, 10 a.m. in Worcester and 11 a.m. in Springfield.

Cloudy and rainy conditions are expected to be present Monday night into Tuesday morning in all of the other New England states too, but Rhode Island could have some partly cloudy skies before potential rain showers at around 4 a.m.

Find a place where you can see to the north (or south if you are in the southern hemisphere). Given the right vantage point, say for example on top of a hill in the northern hemisphere with an unobstructed view toward the north, a person can see the aurora even when it is 1,000 km (600 miles) further north, NOAA explained.

It must also be dark for space watchers to see the aurora, the NOAA notes. The federal agency recommends going out at night to view the display and getting away from the lights of the city and full moon.

Here are all the states expected to see the northern lights on Tuesday:
SPRINGFIELD  A fire broke out Monday in one of the historic row houses on Maple Street, adding a new challenge to the battle to save the buildings.

A 911 caller reported seeing smoke coming from 174 Maple St., the first house in the line of six. The building is the same one that went up in flames in January, said Fire Capt. Drew Piemonte.
Scoil Acla Summer School 2024 officially kicked off yesterday evening with a memorable opening ceremony, setting the stage for an exciting week ahead filled with craic, music, culture and community.

The event was graced by Joanie Madden of Irish-American Trad super-group, Cherish the Ladies, who officially opened the summer school this year. The evening culminated in a stunning performance by her internationally acclaimed band as well as a special appearance by the 2023 All-Ireland Fleadh Cheoil Champions, Mayo's The Piper's Cross Ceili Band, in front of a sold-out crowd at Ostan Oilean Acla.

In her opening remarks, Joanie Madden said: It is a real honour to be here at Scoil Acla to officially open one of the oldest summer schools in Ireland. The energy and passion for Irish music and culture in Achill are truly inspiring. We're excited to share our music with such a vibrant community.

Cathaoirleach of Scoil Acla, Sarah Calvey echoed this sentiment, adding: We are thrilled to welcome everyone to Scoil Acla 2024. This year promises to be one of our busiest yet, with a fantastic line-up of events, sessions and workshops. We are grateful to Joanie Madden for opening the festival this year and to Cherish the Ladies for their wonderful performance, setting a high note for the week ahead. In this, the year of the banjo, we very much look forward to hearing more also from our Artist in Residence, Theresa O'Grady as she travels to all the classes and performs throughout the week.

The week began with an opening Mass as Gaeilge, broadcast live on Raidio na Gaeltachta, later that evening an Oiche Cuimhneachain took place to remember two giants of the Irish language Sean O hEalai and Fiachra Mac Gabhann. Classes began in earnest on Monday morning with a trad session trail and other workshops commencing such as basket-weaving, Gaeilge and sean nos dancing and singing.

The excitement continues this week with a variety of events scheduled from today, Tuesday, July 30. Attendees can look forward to Scoil Acla's ever-popular table quiz on Tuesday night in Gielty's, Wednesday sees the return of their sold-out Music Recital in St Thomas's Church as well as a Music and Rhythm workshop for children, on Thursday, the much-anticipated Hata Acla competition takes place with huge prizes for the winners at Ted's, Cashel, and following that, a night to remember the late, great Noel Kilkenny.

Friday afternoon will see an African drumming workshop take place with Anthony McNamee, as well readings from the Writer's Workshop hosted by Ger Reidy and the 2024 Festival Concert will take place in the Wavecrest, Dooagh with special guests and tutors later on that night.

Lourdie's Carpark will play host to the final event of the festival - the annual Aeraiocht or outdoor concert where students will have the chance to perform what they have learned throughout the week.

These events are just a glimpse of the rich and diverse programme that Scoil Acla has to offer. The week will continue with workshops, performances, sessions, cultural bus tours and more, ensuring there is something for everyone to enjoy. Stay tuned to Scoil Acla's social media channels for updates throughout the week.

More information is available in the official programme or visit www.scoilacla.ie. Scoil Acla thanks their partners, particularly The Arts Council, Ealain na Gaeltachta, Foras na Gaeilge, Mayo County Council and Comhaltas for their continued support.
WHENEVER An Taoiseach Simon Harris decides it is time to take a spin to the Aras and call the next general election, it will mark the first time since 1979 where the name of Michael Ring will not appear on a ballot paper in Mayo.

The man from Fr Angelus Park in Westport has been a mainstay in Mayo politics since 1979 when he was first elected to Westport Urban District Council which resulted in a 45-year career in politics.

In those 45 years, he has contested six general elections, one by-election, four Westport Urban District Council Election and two county council elections and bar the 1992 General Election, he has been elected at every one.

His first venture into politics was in 1979 when he was elected as the youngest member of Westport Urban District Council. Three years later he was elected as Chairman of the UDC.

He was reelected in 1985, when he shocked many people by he topping the poll with 352 votes, which at the time was believed to be the highest first preference vote ever recorded in the councils history.

Ring was by this time a vote-winning machine. His skills in attracting votes from people of all political shades were replicated in 1991 when he ran for the first time in the Mayo County Council elections. He topped the poll with 2,063 votes, which took him over 400 votes over the quota to get elected to Aras an Chontae.

The one blot on his electoral record came in the 1992 General Election when he was selected to run alongside Enda Kenny on the Fine Gael ticket in the West Mayo constituency. He was in third place after the first count with 5,136 votes but was overtaken on transfers and finished fourth behind Fianna Fails Seamus Hughes, who took the third and final seat behind Padraig Flynn and Kenny.

Michael Ring celebrating another election victory





Finest hour

Rings finest hour came two years later when he tore up the political script to defeat Beverly Cooper-Flynn in the West Mayo by-election in June 1994.

At the time, Fine Gael had been languishing in the public opinion polls and many had predicted that Cooper-Flynn would romp home to victory and take the seat vacated by her father, Padraig Flynn, who had become Irelands EU Commissioner.

Ring had been picked as Fine Gaels candidate for over a year before the by-election took place and had spent every day preparing for the contest.

After the first count, Cooper-Flynn had the edge on Ring and was leading by 577 votes. With two Castlebar-based candidates in Independent Paddy McGuinness and Labours Johnny Mee in the field many predicted the transfers would go back to the county town.

However, proving that Ring had the popular touch, the distribution of the eliminated candidates votes went largely to Ring, who leapfrogged Cooper-Flynn to take the Dail seat.

Since I started my campaign Ive been canvassing this constituency for the past 15 months and I have been in public life for 15 years. I believe it is my work that has persuaded the people of West Mayo to vote for me, Ring said after his election.

On the day he was elected to the Dail, Ring was also reelected to Westport UDC after topping the poll.

With West and East Mayo merging into one countywide constituency for the 1997 General Election, Ring once again proved he was not just popular in the west of the county. He polled over 10,000 first preference votes to romp home to victory to once again show his doubters that he was the most popular politician in the county.







Personality vote

Despite his feet firmly in Dail Eireann, Ring continued to serve as both a county councillor and a member of Westport UDC but decided not to contest the UDC election in 1999. He did, however, contest the county council election and predictably topped the poll in the Westport Electoral Area.

However, despite having a surplus of 1,178 he failed to help get his running mate Peter McManamon elected and was accused of not being a team player  a suggestion he rejected.

At the end of the day, I cannot stop people voting for me. I have attracted a personality vote and I am very grateful for that. There are people who vote for Michael Ring who would never otherwise vote for Fine Gael. I cannot be blamed for that, he said after the election.

This would be the last time Ring would run in a local election with the abolition of the dual mandate preventing Oireachtas members from being members of the local authority. Ring took an unsuccessful high-profile legal challenge to the end of the dual mandate despite Fine Gael officially backing it.

The 2002 General Election was a disaster for Fine Gael nationally, but Ring again bucked the trend by topping the poll with 15.6 percent of the vote.

With Enda Kenny now the leader of Fine Gael and running for Taoiseach, Ring had to take a backseat to his party leader, who topped the poll in the 2007, 2011 and 2016 General Elections. Ring was elected comfortably in all three elections and exceeded the quota on the first count in 2011.

Twenty-six years after he was first elected to the Dail and in what proved to be his last election, Ring again proved that he had not lost the ability to attract votes when he topped the poll in the 2020 General Election with 14,796 votes.

For over four decades, Ring has been able to remain a vote-winning phenomenon, and the impact of the loss of this colossus on Fine Gaels Mayo vote will surely be fascinating.
MAYO Fine Gael TD Alan Dillon has described his party colleague Michael Ring as an 'invaluable mentor' who has left an ' indelible mark on our county'.

The Castlebar-based Minister of State who was elected to the Dail for the first time in 2020 was reacting to the news that Michael Ring will not contest the next General Election and bring an end to four decades of political life.

As a colleague, I would like to extend my heartfelt congratulations to Michael for his outstanding contributions throughout his distinguished political career. Michael has been a brilliant TD, Minister and representative for Mayo consistently championing rural and community development, he said.

Minister Dillon said Rings departure will be a 'significant loss to Fine Gael, to public life and marks the end of an era' and he has 'certainly earned a well-deserved retirement with his wife Anne and family'.

Michaels career is a testament to his tireless work ethic and years of sacrifice. His dedication has left an indelible mark on our county, and his achievements will be remembered for years to come.

On a personal note, Michael has been an invaluable mentor, trusted friend, and supportive colleague. I have always valued his guidance and advice and am deeply grateful for the knowledge he has shared. We have worked on numerous projects to improve our constituents lives, and I look forward to continuing to work alongside him during his remaining time in the Oireachtas.

Mayo Fine Gael has paid tribute to Deputy Michael Ring following his announcement not to seek a nomination to contest the next General Election.

In a statement, Jim Higgins, Chairperson of the Mayo Constituency Executive, reflected on Ring's impactful career, stating: Michael's dedication to the people of Mayo and rural Ireland is unparalleled. Working alongside our former Taoiseach Enda Kenny, his tireless work and commitment have brought significant developments to our community, from the revitalisation of tourism through initiatives like The Wild Atlantic Way to the establishment of crucial infrastructure projects. His leadership and vision have left an indelible mark on Mayo and beyond.

Jim Higgins added: Michael's legacy will be felt for generations. His contributions to community development and rural Ireland have set a high standard for public service. We thank him, his wife Ann and their family for their unwavering dedication and wish Michael a fulfilling and happy retirement.
PLANNING permission has been granted for an increase in mobile homes on an Achill caravan site but at a reduced figure than had originally been proposed following environmental concerns.

Mayo County Council granted planning permission to McNicholl Caravans Ltd to construct eleven new mobile home parking bays in Lavelle's Caravan Park close to the Golden Strand beach in Dugort on Achill Island.

The Derry-based company which recently purchased the caravan park had originally proposed constructing 17 new mobile home parking bays but agreed to reduce the number after the local authority expressed concern the development would involve the removal of existing sand dunes.

A number of submissions against the development were also submitted by members of the public with many expressing concerns over the proposed removal of the sand dunes while others felt the site would be over developed and it would be detrimental to the local habitat.

The proposed development was to consist of 17 Weberly Castleton mobile home units with elevated decking accompanying each unit at the northern end of the caravan site. The applicants also proposed to install two electric car charging points on the caravan site.

In a letter to the applicants last February, Mayo County Council sought further information on any impact the development will have on the adjacent Doogort Machair/Lough Doo Special Area of Conservation. They also stated that they had serious concerns regarding the removal of sand dunes to facilitate the development.

Mayo County Council remains to be convinced as to the suitability of the proposed extension. The site area and lands delineated in blue is an over development of an extremely sensitive site that incorporates a significant removal of sand dune altering negatively the existing visual coastal setting, the local authority stated in their correspondents with the applicants.

Mayo County Council also suggested that an alternative proposal 'at a suitable scale and design that does not incorporate a significant removal of sand dune area should be explored'.

In a response to Mayo County Council's concerns, Daniel Moran of D Moran Surveyors on behalf of the applicant, stated that the sand dunes in question are man made but they agreed to reduce the number of sites to eleven and not remove the sand dunes.

The proposed plan is now to reduce the parking bay application from 17 to eleven bays only. The primary use of these bays are for owner occupiers and are not for short term let or camping purposes.

As per the AA Screening Report we wish to clarify that the dunes on the site are not a natural feature of the landscape and were man made. However, we are taking on board the recommendations of the council and the dunes shall remain untouched should this development be granted permission.

We reiterate that the protection of the natural habitats in this area remains a high priority for the applicants, he stated.

Mr Moran also pointed out that there are no new openings between the beach and the caravan park as part of the application and access remains via the existing pathway.

The reduction in the scale of the development was deemed acceptable to Mayo County Council who granted planning permission subject to ten conditions.

Lavelle's Caravan Park is one of seven caravan parks owned by McNicholl Caravans Ltd who as well as owning caravan parks also supply new and used caravans and mobile homes to a variety of holiday parks in Northern Ireland, Scotland and also in Co Donegal.
A mother has been jailed for the neglect and vile sexual abuse of her own toddler son after the Court of Appeal ruled that a fully suspended sentence was unduly lenient.

The court heard that the boy was placed into foster care before he turned five and was found to be unable to use a knife and fork, did not know how to drink from a cup, could not dress himself, and had very poor language skills.

Highlighting the level of neglect and the gravity and depravity of the sexual acts inflicted on the boy, Ms Justice Tara Burns today imposed a three-year sentence on the 46-year-old woman, saying that none of this would be suspended as the respondent had failed to show any remorse for her offending.

The Cork native, who cannot be named to protect the identity of the victim, was convicted by a jury in June 2022 of wilful neglect of the child between September 2010 and June 2015, when the boy was between one and four-and-a-half years old. She was also found guilty of sexual assault and sexual exploitation of the child on a date unknown between September 2013 and June 2015.

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She was sentenced by Ms Justice Karen O'Connor to three years on the counts of sexual assault and sexual exploitation and one year on the count of child cruelty, with the sentencing judge suspending the remainder of the sentence following the respondent serving six and a half months for failing to appear on a court date.

The woman, who had pleaded not guilty to the charges, lodged an appeal against her conviction, but this was dismissed in May of this year.

Ms Justice Burns said that the DPP had appealed the womans sentence on the grounds that the sentencing court failed to give sufficient weight to the childs age, the severity of the neglect, the "gravity and depravity of the sexual acts and the abuse of a position of trust.

The DPP also asserted that the sentencing court attributed excessive weight to scant mitigating factors, as well as imposing an overall sentence that constituted a substantial departure from what would have been proportionate.

Ms Justice Burns noted that the woman has a history of mental health difficulties having been in State care since the age of three, and she has been assessed as having extremely low intellectual functioning.

She said that the sexual offending was of a very serious kind involving a mother offending against her very young son, but while the respondent had a very low intellect, nothing had been placed before the court to suggest she did not understand her actions. Ms Justice Burns went on to say that the respondent had also vehemently denied she was involved in the offending, which showed she appreciated the serious and vile nature of the sexual acts carried out.

As the injured party had been treated in such a manner that he was found to be "devoid of the normal characteristics of civilised human behaviour expected of a child of his age", Ms Justice Burns said that this showed the level of neglect reflected offending of a very serious nature by his mother.

She said the injured party was placed into foster care before he turned five and was found to be unable to use a knife and fork, did not know how to drink from a cup, could not dress himself, and had very poor language skills. He remains in the care of the State.

Ruling that the headline sentence set by the sentencing judge reflected a substantial departure from the norm and was unduly lenient, Ms Justice Burns quashed the sentence and moved on to resentencing.

She said the court noted the seriousness of the nature of the offending, the very young age of the injured party, the maternal relationship involved, the breach of trust, the abdication of duty, and the effect on the injured party. Ms Justice Burns said that a headline sentence of seven years was appropriate for the charges of sexual exploitation and sexual assault, while three years was appropriate for the child cruelty offence.

As the respondent continues to vehemently deny the offending and has shown no remorse, Ms Justice Burns said the level of mitigation appeared limited, however she noted the respondents range of mental health issues and her low intellectual functioning.

Ms Justice Burns imposed three years each on the count of sexual assault and sexual exploitation and one year for child cruelty, with the sentences to run concurrently and to take account of time already spent in prison.

She also said that in light of the respondents attitude to her offending, a suspensory element of the sentence did not arise.

At the woman's trial, her son described both his parents being present when his mother molested him, forcing him to commit sex acts upon her. The woman did not accept the child was sexually abused and in evidence she named her husband as her own father and claimed that she was conceived in the back of a Garda car.

The child's father, who was the designated primary carer, was charged and prosecuted for more serious sexual offending, but died in custody before he could be brought to trial.

In his victim impact statement, the child said he continued to have nightmares of his parents coming to get him. When asked about good memories, I end up running to the bathroom crying. When someone calls my name, I get frightened and worried, he said.
by Fern Siegel , July 30, 2024

Seattle's Best Coffee believes a great cup of coffee is one way to cope with job stress or parenthood.

And to prove it, a social campaign, the first work from Haymaker, its new creative agency of record, just launched.

The six-spot campaign is running on TikTok, Instagram and Facebook. Spots include "Mom, Mom, Mom," "Braving Emails" and "Suggestion."

May Smoother Coffee Bring Smoother Days hope to create a sensory experience, with key sounds and visuals, that illustrate the experience for viewers.

To accompany the campaign, Seattles Best Coffee is also partnering with TikTok creators to launch a sports parents series.

"The campaign is the beginning of the brand's relaunch, and we are aiming to stand out in the category with a new voice and tone, as well as connect with culture," Laura Hoffman, partner and head of brand management at Haymaker, told Agency Daily. "We are excited to continue to help Seattle's Best Coffee tell their brand story at scale."



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The Los Angeles-based agency counts Pluto TV, Pair of Thieves, Pelican and Kings Hawaiian among its client work.

Seattle's Best Coffee was sold to Starbucks in July 2003. In October 2022, Starbucks sold Seattle's Best Coffee to Nestle.
by Fern Siegel , July 30, 2024



Rebekah Pagis has a new post: the first president of North America for Design Bridge and Partners, WPPs global brand design agency.

She will work closely with the existing U.S. leadership team, including Josh Griffin, managing director, and her broader global counterparts.

My vision for the agency's future is centered on sustained growth. We will focus on deepening our expertise in the sectors where we have already demonstrated success. Simultaneously, we aim to expand into new areas, both geographically  to serve clients more comprehensively regardless of their location  and conceptually  by broadening our services from financial sectors to beauty and beyond, Pagis told Agency Daily.

She will concentrate on cultivating relationships with Design Bridge and Partners' largest North American clients, including Mastercard, Diageo, Tyson and Beam Suntory.

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Previously, she wasChief Growth Officer for WPP North America. Before that, Pagis spent more than 10 years as managing director of MullenLowe U.S., leading brand accounts for Google, National Geographic, American Greetings and E*Trade.

Earlier in her career, Pagis was an account director at Venables Bell and Partners and Razorfish.

Design Bridge and Partners' global clients include NASA Artemis, Unilever, Coca-Cola, Diageo and the BBC.

John Morris, Global CEO, Design Bridge and Partners, called Pagis "equal parts enthusiastic and engaging" and added her "energy is exactly what we need as we head into 2025. She has a wealth of experience in growing businesses stateside, and a distinct understanding of our industry, as well as the opportunities which exist for us to move people, and therefore move the world.
by Colin Kirkland , July 29, 2024

Ever since President Joe Biden announced his decision to drop out of the 2024 presidential race and endorse Vice President Kamala Harris, interest and positive sentiment around the vice president is sky high on TikTok. This is also the case for former President Donald Trump following the recent assassination attempt, a new report shows.

Zelf, a social analytics company, has used proprietary artificial intelligence (AI) technology typically reserved for brands customer insights to analyze 153,000 TikTok videos posted between June 27, 2024 and July 26, 2024, compiling its findings into the companys first political report.

According to Zelf, more than 85,000 TikTok videos were posted about Harris after Biden announced he would no longer be running. The videos generated over 1.8 billion views, almost doubling the total number of TikTok videos posted about her during the previous year. In addition, the new posts showed 49% more engagements with positive content than with negative content, marking a major shift in how the public now sees Harris.

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Since dropping out of the race on July 21, 2024, positive sentiment about President Biden has also increased substantially, with a large number of commenters supporting his decision.

Harris boost is comparable to the boost that Trump received after the assassination attempt, the report states, adding that the number of videos about Trump over the week follow the shooting increased almost eightfold, with 50,000 videos posted in the week prior to the attempt on his life to over 400,000 in the wake of the shooting.

In addition, views on Trump-related content skyrocketed from one billion to six billion during that week, noticeably increasing positive sentiment about the former President.

However, as Zelf makes clear, the collective TikTok memory is short, as Trumps Net Promoter Score (NPS) -- an assessment of how positive or negative discourse is about an individual, issue, or topic within a given time frame, weighted based on video engagement -- has dropped significantly in the past week, along with the videos being posted about him.

There are over 170 million TikTok users in the U.S. and many are using it to get their news and information about the election, says Pepijn van Kesteren, CEO and co-founder of Zelf. So to properly understand the 2024 presidential election, you must have an understanding of sentiment on TikTok.

The report comes days after Harris premiered her official TikTok account. This demonstrates the social media apps importance to presidential campaigns and candidates abilities to reach younger voters -- a key goal for Harris, who has been running with Millennial and Gen-Z idle Charli XCXs recent Brat summer shoutout to the vice president, in this years race.

In the first video she posted under her TikTok account, Harris says she has been on the For You Page recently -- affirming the results found in Zelfs study, and thought shed get on here myself.

Ironically, the ByteDance-owned social media company still faces a potential ban in the U.S. for fears over its connection to the Chinese government, an issue that is publicly supported by President Joe Biden, who signed the law threatening its availability to the massive user base in this country.
by Barbara Lippert , Columnist, July 30, 2024

Its been a little over a week since Biden stepped down and Kamala stepped up.

In the meantime, both political news and an astronomical number of social media memes -- many for Harris springing from grassroots sources -- have broken at the speed of light.

So, if youve been wondering what one of the earliest, the Kamala is brat meme means, you can just skip that. Its already over.

Not so with the whole coconut thing, though. It has rolling power. The latest New York magazine cover, suggesting the energetic graphic sauciness of the magazines earliest days, shows the VP in a suit, sitting cross-legged atop a 40-foot coconut, tiny people gathered on the ground around her.

Even here, in this giant joke, she has the big Mo.

The coconut meme was originally created by Republican opponents who used it to label her as crazy (a natural go-together with coconuts.)

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The nut of coco thing actually originated at a White House ceremony, captured on video, where Harris spoke in May 2023. She recounted an expression that she said her mother used.

"Do you think you just fell out of a coconut tree?" Harris asked, laughing, directing the thought to young people. "You exist in the context of all in which you live and what came before you, she explained, giving them a more inclusive view of life and history.

It turns out Harris ability to laugh at and to flip -- in an ironic and joyous way -- what was intended to hurt her, has been one of the campaigns superpowers.

And with the energy and fresh relief she brings into politics these days, who can resist a laugh?

Well, certainly Donald J. Trump can. The nonstop attention hes gotten used to receiving has been drowned out by news of Harris history-making campaign, and the non-crowd-pleasing ditties of his VP pick JD Vance. Its eating Trump up.

At a Michigan rally, the former president started out with I call her Laffin Kamala, and then proceeded: You ever watch her laugh? Shes crazy. You can tell a lot by a laugh. Shes crazy. Shes nuts.

That didnt seem to stick, so he graduated to She was a bum, three weeks ago, a bum, vaguely echoing the I coulda been a contender line in On the Waterfront.

Others in the world of extreme MAGA have called her a DEI hire -- a term they just learned recently.

In a more basic insult for women, they also named her Jezebel. Jezebel is not only an ancient Biblical reference, but the actual designation for prostitutes in The Handmaids Tale, the Hulu series and dystopian novel written by Margaret Atwood in 1985.

That novel really speaks JD Vances language, since its all about suppressing female agency and individuality, and the abolition of women's reproductive rights. In the "Handmaid" world, women are stratified, depending on the fruitfulness of their wombs.

Since the convention, Vance has not been shy about doubling and tripling down on his 2022 off-putting rant referring to Democrats as a bunch of childless cat ladies who are miserable at their own lives and the choices theyve made.

He has repeatedly been offered the opportunity to apologize, but has not.

He even went to the social-media mat with Rachel from Friends (Jennifer Aniston) who, like millions of women, was outraged by his statement.

You know that the situation is odd when even former Rep. Trey Gowdy decided to come out in defense of Catholic nuns, whom he correctly maintained are living their lives in service to others. 

The difference between now for Kamala and 2016 for Hillary is that women have grown steel in their backbones. They are fed up with the old gender cons and the needless suffering that comes with rolling back hard-won gains.

Thats why one of Kamalas phrases is We choose freedom. Women know exactly what shes talking about.

Freedom is a basic American value.

But Dems have found a simpler, more visceral way to respond to Republican extremism, avoiding the usual schoolyard epithets. It started with possible Harris VP-candidate, Gov. Tim Walz, a plainspoken Minnesotan. Wanting government to be in your bedroom is weird, he said, repeating the word weird, while listing the many other weird things that Vance stands for.

Weird is immediately understood, and lands viscerally, even with a hint of humor. Weird works better than talking about the end of democracy which makes listeners want to close their ears.

As a would-be policer of womens wombs, Vance has been taken to task on the Internet for the last two weeks. There have been plenty of memes created about him, but also, weirdly, by him.

In February 2024, Vance posted a video with the headline Woman gets violated by a dolphin and enjoys it. This is true. He topped it with his own inscrutable comment, Maybe the internet was a mistake. Deeply weird. This led to the online world wondering if Vance were into dolphin porn.

As for the couch meme, which gathered so much online steam, that particular train wreck proved to be false.

But people still had a field day with it, because to verify that it was a deepfake, the backstory had to be explained, and thats a little like answering When did you stop beating your wife?

Once the AP announced that it was not true, everybody wanted to know what the fake line inserted into Hillbilly Elegy was.

The big reveal? In his own words, the line suggested that JD had indulged in inter-cushional relations with a couch.

Perhaps Vance was forward-thinking in suggesting, Maybe the internet was a mistake. 
by Wayne Friedman , July 30, 2024

Expanding its deal with YouTube beyond connected TV platforms, Comscore says it will now offer video advertising measurement across desktop and mobile browsers, as well as mobile apps.

Comscore says it is the first measurement service to offer a complete view of ad traffic across desktop, mobile and connected TV.

Previously, YouTube had been a customer of Comscore Campaign Ratings.

Comscore's Video Metrix Multi-Platform now includes YouTube CTV data, inclusive of co-viewing, in the U.S. Comscore clients will have the ability to access traffic sharing in YouTube CTV measurement -- viewership on specific content distributed on YouTube to the content creators.

It then reports on the total unduplicated audience for those content creators across their owned and operated platforms, YouTube and other distribution channels.

Some countries outside the U.S. will see the total YouTube audience view beginning in 2025 -- including Argentina, Brazil, Canada, France, Germany, India, Italy, Malaysia, Mexico, Spain and the UK.

First-quarter revenues for Comscore were down 5.2% to $86.8 million compared to a year ago, largely attributable to a decline in its cross-platform product, which was down 9.7% versus a year ago.

Comscore attributes the first-quarter revenue decline to lower national TV revenue. This was partially offset by growth in its movie business.
by Sarah Mahoney @mahoney_sarah, July 30, 2024

When an Instacart survey revealed that one in three Americans dip their French fries in mayo, Unilevers Hellmanns mayonnaise decided it was time to lift the veil of shame about the common practice.

Since the French have long been open about their dipping preferences -- and since tout le monde is thinking about Paris due to the Olympics -- its opening Le Cafe Hellmanns, a one-day experience in New Yorks Soho. The only thing on the menu? French fries with a side of mayo, Kir Royale cocktails and French 75 mocktails. Theres no partnership, so Hellmanns is the hero. Chris Symmes, head of marketing, dressings and condiments North America, tells Marketing Daily what the company hopes to accomplish.

Interview has been edited for length and clarity.

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Marketing Daily: Whats the goal of this activation?

Chris Symmes: To remind people of the versatile ways to enjoy Hellmanns. When we think about the market development of this brand, we can think of it in one of two ways. One is to convey the superiority of Hellmanns, like when we talk about being rich and creamy and being more than 100 years old.

But then there's the second component to marketing, which is about developing the category. So we showcase our versatility through new recipes and different usage occasions. For example, we recently did a campaign called Mayo on the Outside, which we introduced in the town of Toast, North Carolina. That showcased how putting mayo on the outside of the bread makes for a crispier, more creamy grilled cheese sandwich.

What we're really trying to do with this particular activation is drive awareness that this condiment can be used as a versatile dipping sauce for burgers, turkey sandwiches, and French fries.

Marketing Daily: Why now?

Symmes: We learned through Instacart that one out of three adult Americans loves dipping French fries in mayonnaise. Between the Olympics and Emily in Paris returning to Netflix, we thought, Wow, there's no better time than the present. Were always looking for opportunities to integrate ourselves into significant cultural moments, like the Super Bowl or the Olympics.

Marketing Daily: I confess I dip my fries in mayo, and it is nice to know Im not the only one who feels a little ashamed about it. Its very refreshing to know this is how the French and Belgians do it, too.

Symmes: Yes, mayo is a very prevalent dipping sauce in Europe.

Marketing Daily: Speaking of dipping, when did we become such a nation of dippers? Chicken McNuggets have been around for decades. Whats speeding up the change now?

Symmes: Its a variety of things, whether people are dipping chicken nuggets, French fries and even pizza. In the last three years, weve launched five flavored varieties, including a garlic and a chipotle. Its because we see a significant shift in consumer dipping behavior, and flavored varieties encourage more experimentation.

Marketing Daily: Youre planning on serving about 300 people with the NYC cafe, and the hope is that theyll all share about it on social media. What will make you decide this is a home run?

Symmes: Well look at all the usual metrics -- number of impressions and so forth -- but this just one component of a much larger campaign, aimed at getting people to use more mayo. And an increase in new uses, which requires a lot of consumer education, take longer to measure.
by Wendy Davis @wendyndavis, July 30, 2024

The Senate on Tuesday overwhelmingly passed a bill that would impose sweeping restrictions on tech companies' ability to serve content to minors and handle their data.

But the measure's fate is uncertain, given that it's expected to face opposition in the House of Representatives.

The Kids Online Safety and Privacy Act, approved 91-3, combines two previously separate bills -- the Kids Online Safety Act (KOSA), introduced by Senators Marsha Blackburn (R-Tennessee) and Richard Blumenthal (D-Connecticut), and the Children and Teens Online Privacy Protection Act (COPPA 2.0), introduced by Senators Ed Markey (D-Massachusetts) and Bill Cassidy (R-Louisiana).

The online safety portions of the bill aim to tackle potential harms associated with social media use, including depression, eating disorders, and online bullying. Those safety provisions would require tech platforms to use reasonable care to avoid harming minors via design features such as personalized recommendations, notifications and appearance-altering filters.

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The bill tasks the Federal Trade Commission -- which is led by the president's party -- with issuing guidance to platforms regarding online safety.

Some youth advocates support KOSA, contending the restrictions will force tech companies to protect teens from material that could encourage drug use, self-harm or suicide.

But a broad array of opponents -- including civil liberties groups and tech industry organizations -- say the bill could empower government officials to effectively censor content they deem inappropriate for teens.

The digital rights group Electronic Frontier Foundation warned Tuesday that the bill gives the FTC the ability "to decide what kind of content 'harms' minors, then investigate or file lawsuits against websites that host that content.

The tech industry-funded think tank Chamber of Progress expressed similar concerns.

Giving the next president the power to crack down on online speech poses a massive threat to our constitutional rights, Todd O'Boyle, Chamber of Progress senior tech policy director, stated Tuesday. If theres one thing the far left and far right agree on, its that the next chair of the FTC shouldnt get to decide what online posts are harmful.

The Interactive Advertising Bureau executive vice president Lartease Tiffith likewise stated last week that the organization is particularly worried about provisions that may limit free speech, effectively placing government oversight on platform content decisions.

Some opponents have expressed specific concerns that the bill would allow government officials to target platforms that allow teens to access LGBTQ content, on the theory that such material is harmful.

Conservatives also have voiced fears that the bill will encourage platforms to aggressively filter any controversial speech, including posts that carry right-wing messages.

The anti-abortion group Students for Life Action tweeted last week that KOSA threatens pro-life free speech.

Already the Pro-Life Generation faces discrimination, de-platforming, and short-and-long term bans from social media based on the whims of others, the group posted to X (formerly Twitter). Students for Life Action calls for a NO vote on KOSA to prevent viewpoint discrimination from becoming federal policy at the FTC.

Earlier this year, a House subcommittee advanced a companion version of KOSA, but with the expectation that the bill would be revised before reaching the House floor.

Rep. Frank Pallone, Jr. (D-New Jersey) said at the time that KOSA runs the risk of creating additional harm to young people by giving social media companies an incentive to suppress material.

Critics also argue that the bill could lead tech companies to implement age verification systems, which could compromise people's privacy as well as their ability to access content anonymously.

The other portion of the Kids Online Safety and Privacy Act, COPPA 2.0, would prohibit websites and apps from collecting personal information -- including data stored on cookies, device identifiers and other pseudonymous information used for ad targeting -- from teens between the ages of 13 and 15, without first obtaining their explicit consent.

That portion of the bill would also ban targeted marketing to children and teens, and would require tech companies to allow users to delete personal information from users under the age of 17.

The self-regulatory privacy group Network Advertising Initiative praised the Senate's move, stating that responsible companies don't want to collect or use children's data for targeted advertising.

Federal law already prohibits websites and apps from knowingly collecting personal information from children under 13 without parental consent.

The proposed updates would revise that standard by imposing liability if websites and apps have knowledge fairly implied on the basis of objective circumstances that a user is a child or teen.
After the success of Rocket Boys, filmmaker Nikkhil Advani is back with another period web series titled Freedom At Midnight. Starring Chirag Vohra as Mahatma Gandhi, Sidhant Gupta as former PM Jawahar Lal Nehru, Rajendra Chawla as Vallabh Bhai Patel and Arif Zakaria as Muhammad Ali Jinnah, Freedom At Midnight is based on historical book of the same name by authors Dominique Lapierre and Larry Collins. The makers have now released the first teaser of the show calling it Drop 1.

 SonyLIV In the teaser, it is shown that the Indian National Congress leaders decide Vallabh Bhai Patel as Indias first Prime Minister. However, right then Mahatma Gandhi enters the room and instead chooses Jawahar Lal Nehru as the first PM of independent India while handing Patel a nomination withdrawal letter.

Sharing the teaser, Nikkhil Advani wrote, The history you may not know The history you should know. Presenting first drop of the electrifying story of India's independence, based on the award winning book by Dominique Lapierre and Larry Collins. Check out the teaser below:
However, in a recent interview, filmmaker David Dhawan revealed that Salman Khan wasnt initially keen on working with Govinda in the iconic film as he had refused the offer.

The cult comedy co-starring Lara Dutta and Katrina Kaif was a huge box office hit and ever since fans have been craving for a sequel.

Released in 2007, Partner directed by David Dhawan marked the first and, so far, only collaboration between Salman Khan and Govinda in a two-hero setting.

 Sohail Khan Productions

It so happened that during an interview with Arbaaz Khan for his YouTube show The Invincibles season two, David was asked about his equation with Govinda and if he used to come late on his sets as well.



David replied, I was the only one who could handle him. Too much respect he has given me always. As for the allegations that he used to be late on sets, the filmmaker simply responded, Kaam khatam hota tha mera.

David then revealed how he roped in Govinda for Partner and recalled how Sohail Khan who was the producer of the film met him with a script, I said can we take Govinda and Salman bhai? He said damn good. Went to Salman bhai, he was not very keen. I told him, Come on yaar, lets do it, it will be a big thing. He came, shot the whole film and you can see how he performed. Outstanding.

David then shared another anecdote from during the films shoot, Salman told me one day, when we were shooting in Bangkok, he said David yaar, isse ladna fayda nahi hai. (there is no point in arguing with him).

In the same interview, David was all praise for Govinda calling him king of improvisation and how it used to help him.

He also revealed that he had a special language with Govinda while on-set and recalled, I would say rubber hai scene, prolonged, khincha hua hai. Govinda would say David, main pura scene ek shot mein deta hun,
All roads in the Air Force lead to Dayton.

That was one message Secretary of the Air Force Frank Kendall brought to Air Force Life Cycle Industry Days at the Dayton Convention Center on Tuesday, delivered along with a message of essential stability for Wright-Patterson Air Force Base, at a time when Kendall and his fellow Air Force leaders are readying the service to fight a new kind of war.

New or reoriented organizations will be placed where people already work, although there may be changes "at the margin," Kendall said. And Wright-Patterson is already home to some 35,000 military and civilian employees, the largest mass of employment in a single location in the state of Ohio.

"People certainly don't need to be worried about an exodus from Dayton," Kendall told the Dayton Daily News in an exclusive interview after his LCID keynote address. "On the other hand, I don't see a mass influx, either. I think it's going to be fairly stable, as much as you would expect."

As the Air Force reorganization (or "reoptimization," as it's called) to face China and Russia continues, the Air Force Materiel Command, headquartered at Wright-Patterson, will remain the center of acquisition efforts, Kendall said.

"Its role is going to be central to both obtaining the operational capabilities we need and reoptimizing for great power competition," he said.

His expectation is that the "critical mass of intellectual capital that the Air Force needs" will remain with AFMC, which is a global organization of some 89,000 people working with $72 billion of budget authority.

The Air Force Life Cycle Management Center will become the Air Force Air Dominance Systems Center. That massive organization will continue to be responsible for hardware, weapons and platforms across their life cycles.

A 'Bright Future'

Kendall said he expects the renamed center to remain at Wright-Patterson.

"I don't see anything but a bright future for Dayton. I think there's a lot of capability here, terrific support from the community and a very well established network of both industry and government civilians who support the Air Force extremely well," he said.

A self-described "technocrat" and former U.S. Army officer who spent three years commanding a battery in Germany at the height of the Cold War, Kendall, a West Point graduate, oversees an Air Force budget exceeding $173 billion. He has spent more than 50 years working in engineering, management, defense acquisition, and national security in uniform, in private industry and in government.

He became Air Force secretary in the summer of 2021 after serving with companies such as Raytheon and Leidos and in positions such as under secretary of defense for acquisition, technology and logistics.

A seasoned Cold Warrior, Kendall and his team are returning the branch to a Cold War posture prepared to fight against China and Russia.

"I'm used to waking up every day worried about what the threat is doing and what we're going to do to stay ahead of it," he told this newspaper.

What Air Force "reoptimization" means for Wright-Patterson is a crucial question for the base and the Dayton area. But Kendall's message to this newspaper was reassuring.

He sees no need for major change at the 88th Air Base Wing, the unit responsible for supporting and securing Wright-Patterson, even though the Air Force is looking at how it structures wing commands, particularly on operational bases where the service has a lot of war-fighting capability.

"The question there is, how do you set up the base so that the unit that's going to deploy is ready to deploy as a unit, but also operates the base in peace time," Kendall said. "At some of our big operating bases, we're making some adjustments because of that. But Dayton [Wright-Patterson] is not as much affected."

The 88th has more than 5,000 uniformed, civilian and contractor employees. Wright-Patterson's only flying mission at the moment is the 445th Airlift Wing, an Air Reserve unit. Kendall says he does not see that changing at the moment.

He expects reoptimization to continue under a President Kamala Harris or a President Donald Trump.

"The (service) chiefs are fully supportive of it," the secretary said. Air Force Chief of Staff "Gen. (David) Allvin often talks about, this is what he is going to be doing during his tenure. He is fully supportive. I think the acquisition community is fully supportive, as well. I'm not hearing any resistance to any of the changes we've made."

Other topics addressed during Kendall's interview with the Dayton Daily News:

Opposition to bringing Air National Guard and Reserve troops into Space Force: Kendall acknowledges the opposition surprised him. "The change we're making with the Guard, or trying to make, is very small. It's half a percent, roughly."

He added: "We should have communicated better with governors. I'll take the heat for that."

He also said: "Creating a 'Space Guard' for 578 people doesn't make any sense. So we need to get to a solution that's good for the people."

Continued growth at Wright-Patterson: "I expect stability to be more likely than change, as far as personnel are concerned. I think if we do make changes, it will be on the margins, and I don't think they're going to be large in either direction."

The importance of the National Air and Space Intelligence Center and the National Space Intelligence Center at Wright-Patterson: "I get an intelligence briefing every single day, and very often it's a NASIC briefer coming in to brief me on some specific area of expertise."

On visiting Dayton/Wright-Patterson three times in the past three months: "We had a corona (session with generals) meeting here, and I think I came to speak at one of Duke Richardson's events (Gen. Duke Z. Richardson, AFMC commander)."

On dealing with the media (mentioned during his keynote address): "When you start feeling comfortable with a reporter, shut up."

(c) 2024 the Dayton Daily News (Dayton, Ohio)

Visit the Dayton Daily News (Dayton, Ohio) at www.daytondailynews.com

Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC.
Civilian federal employees, contractors and family members identified as having "Havana Syndrome" -- mysterious symptoms that began, for many, overseas after hearing a loud noise, accompanied by instantaneous earaches and headaches -- face difficulties receiving medical care in the military health system as allowed by law.

For a report published Monday, Government Accountability Office analysts interviewed 65 of the 334 people who qualify for Defense Department medical care for their condition, referred to as "anomalous health incidents" by the U.S. government, and found they've faced troubles navigating the system, scheduling appointments, and receiving medical hardware, medications and support.

According to the Government Accountability Office, the affected CIA, State Department and FBI employees and others have not received clear guidance from the DoD about their medical care and often rely on one another to navigate the maze of facilities, including the National Intrepid Center of Excellence for traumatic brain injury in Bethesda, Maryland; Walter Reed National Military Medical Clinic; and regular military hospitals and other facilities.

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Many of those interviewed for the GAO review said they had little support and faced difficulties getting appointments at military hospitals as they qualify for care only on a space-available basis. They added they couldn't reach anyone to make appointments at the National Intrepid Center of Excellence.

"Some patients stated they had waited so long for a response from the [National Intrepid Center of Excellence] that they had essentially given up on the military health system and were pursuing treatment in the civilian sector," GAO analysts wrote in "Havana Syndrome: Better Patient Communication and Monitoring of Key DoD Tasks Needed to Better Ensure Timely Treatment."

Several State Department employees at the U.S. Embassy in Havana, Cuba, began suffering in 2016 from headaches, tinnitus, hearing loss, vertigo and cognitive dysfunction after hearing a loud noise that came from one direction, according to sufferers.

Reports from other U.S. government employees, contractors and family members followed after similar incidents and experiences in China, Russia, Poland, Colombia and elsewhere overseas, as well as in the U.S., including Washington, D.C.

Studies into the possible causes have reached differing conclusions. In a report declassified in February 2022, a panel of intelligence community experts said that pulsed radiofrequency energy could be responsible for symptoms, while an Intelligence Community Assessment published in March 2023 found that most federal agency members believed it was unlikely the incidents were targeted energy attacks by a foreign adversary. That report concluded the symptoms likely were the result of a conventional illness or preexisting condition.

In 2022 and 2023, Congress passed two laws that required the DoD to furnish medical treatment to affected employees and family members at locations that included the National Intrepid Center of Excellence and certain military treatment facilities.

According to the report, 34% of those eligible for health care were either CIA or worked in the Office of the Director of National Intelligence; 29% were with the Defense Department; 16% were State Department; and 11% were FBI employees. The remainder were classified as "other" and included some 15 children.

Those who received care through the U.S. military -- 50 patients -- and were interviewed by GAO told officials that they were grateful for the treatment from providers familiar with their experiences. Nearly half said their symptoms had improved as a result of treatment.

But many said they never received guidance on how to access care and faced challenges getting onto base, receiving medications and making timely appointments.

By law, the DoD also was to maintain a registry of affected patients, collect data and information that would be used to help drive treatments, and establish processes for caring for patients through a network of specialty facilities, the Intrepid Spirit Centers, at U.S. military bases across the country.

But those tasks have not been completed, according to the GAO.

"DoD has created a plan to address some access concerns of [anomalous health incident] patients, but it contains uncertain time frames and lacks monitoring provisions," the report states.

The GAO noted that, because its analysts interviewed only volunteers from the patient community, the findings may not represent the experiences of all those affected.

The watchdog recommended that the DoD provide written guidance such as a handbook, as a way to educate patients on their care; develop a small cadre of health providers and administrators to manage cases and care for patients; and work to fill provider vacancies by shortening the length of time it takes to onboard new employees such as nurse navigators.

The Defense Department agreed with the recommendations, with Seileen Mullen, principal deputy assistant secretary of defense for health affairs, writing in a response to the report that the DoD is piloting a handbook to guide patients and will finalize it by early fiscal 2025. She said it also is developing monitoring capabilities and maintains a "coordination cell" at the National Intrepid Center for this group of patients.

According to the report, the patients feel stigmatized by their conditions, and many are reluctant to seek care, given the reaction they have received at work after disclosing that they were affected. Nearly half the patients GAO analysts interviewed said they faced difficulties at work -- losing assignments, being placed on leave, having their security clearance renewals delayed, or being referred for psychological care.

Several patients said they did not tell their supervisors of their exposure out of concern that it would negatively affect their careers.

Studies published in March by the National Institutes of Health found that affected patients had no evidence of brain injury. Using magnetic resonance imaging and blood biomarkers for brain injury, researchers examined more than 80 patients with Havana Syndrome and compared them with a control group, finding "no significant differences."

In an accompanying editorial, Dr. David Relman, a professor at Stanford University School of Medicine who also has engaged in research on anomalous health incidents, said that drawing conclusions from this study that "nothing happened" would be "ill-advised."

Noting conditions such as Gulf War Illness, chronic fatigue syndrome and long COVID-19 that initially were viewed with skepticism and suspected to be psychological, not physiological, Relman said institutions must examine their own biases, address shortcomings in research and treat patients.

"Prejudice and poorly supported assumptions must be set aside. Clear and timely public communication is essential. The delivery of appropriate nonjudgmental care must be initiated without delay," Relman wrote.

Related: New Study Finds No Brain Injuries Among 'Havana Syndrome' Patients
The Marine Corps has identified the service member killed over the weekend following a vehicle rollover at the Twentynine Palms combat center in California.

Staff Sgt. Jerry L. Betzold, 26, of Avon, Indiana, died Sunday after being injured Saturday when a Humvee rolled over during an exercise at the installation. He was an infantry Marine assigned to the Tactical Training Exercise Control Group, or TTECG, which helps facilitate training exercises at Twentynine Palms.

A social media post from the installation said that Betzold sustained "severe injuries" as a result of the rollover. He was initially transported to a naval hospital and then medically evacuated to a regional hospital in Palm Springs, California, where medical personnel, despite their efforts, pronounced him deceased, the base said in a release Monday night.

Read Next: Pentagon Holding Back on Hypersonic Weapons' Risks, GAO Says

"Staff Sgt. Jerry Betzold represents all that is good and pure in our nation and Corps," TTECG Director Col. David Hart said in a statement that was part of the press release. "He tragically lost his life while working to ensure our combat formations remain ready when the nation needs them."

According to recently released Naval Safety Command statistics, the rollover was the first ground vehicle mishap in the Corps this year. The last known fatal ground vehicle mishap occurred in December when an amphibious combat vehicle, or ACV, rolled over at Camp Pendleton, California, killing one and injuring 14 other Marines.

"His loss is deeply felt across our Marine Corps family," Hart said of Betzold. "Our hearts and full support will remain with his family and friends as we all navigate this extremely difficult time."

Betzold joined the Marine Corps on Aug. 15, 2016, and was promoted to staff sergeant on March 1, 2024, according to the Monday press release. He earned three Navy and Marine Corps Achievement Medals, two Marine Corps Good Conduct Medals, four Sea Service Deployment Medals, and a Navy Meritorious Unit Commendation, among other accolades.

The incident is under investigation by the Naval Criminal Investigative Service, or NCIS. Military.com reached out to the law enforcement service on Tuesday afternoon, but did not hear back by publication. The publication also attempted to contact Betzold's family, but was unsuccessful.

The Humvee rollover occurred Saturday. Betzold was transported to the Robert E. Bush Naval Hospital, which is located on Twentynine Palms. He was then evacuated to Desert Regional Medical Center, a civilian medical facility that is located southwest of the installation.

While it is unclear what led to the incident, rollovers are a top risk during training events in the military, according to a 2021 Government Accountability Office report, which said that more than 120 soldiers and Marines have died in the last decade due to noncombat vehicle incidents.

Related: Marine Killed in Humvee Rollover at Twentynine Palms Combat Center
ABUJA, Nigeria  Dozens of Wagner mercenaries were killed by jihadis and rebels over the weekend in northern Mali in what one analyst described on Monday as the largest battleground blow to the shadowy Russian group in years. At least two others were taken captive.

Approximately 50 Wagner fighters in a convoy were killed in an al-Qaida ambush, which was joined by rebels who were in pursuit, along the border with Algeria, said Wassim Nasr, a Sahel specialist and senior research fellow at the Soufan Center, a security think tank, who said he counted bodies in a video of the aftermath. The mercenaries had been fighting mostly Tuareg rebels alongside Mali's army when their convoy was forced to retreat into jihadi territory and ambushed south of the commune of Tinzaouaten, Nasr said.

Wagner confirmed in a Telegram statement on Monday that some of its fighters as well as Malian troops were killed in a battle with hundreds of militants. The mercenary group did not say how many of its fighters were killed. Mali's army said it lost two soldiers and 20 rebels were killed.

In a statement over the weekend, al-Qaida asserted that 50 Wagner fighters were killed in its attack meant to avenge the massacres committed in the center and north of Mali in the yearslong battle against the extremists. The Tuareg rebels said an unspecified number of the mercenaries and Malian soldiers surrendered to them.

The Associated Press was not immediately able to verify the video Nasr cited.

This is really important. Its never happened before on African soil and it will change the dynamics," Nasr said. They (Wagner) wont be sending any more wild expeditions like this near the border with Algeria. They had been bragging about how well they were doing and how strong they are, but they dont have the manpower to do this for long or to hold on territory to secure deployments.

Russia has capitalized on the deteriorating relations between the West and coup-affected Sahel nations in West Africa to send fighters and assert its influence. Wagner has been active in the Sahel  the vast expanse south of the Sahara Desert  as the mercenaries profit from seized mineral riches in exchange for their security services.

Wagner has been present in Mali since late 2021 following a military coup, replacing French troops and international peacekeepers in helping to fight militants who have threatened communities in the central and northern regions for more than a decade. At the same time, Wagner has been accused of helping to carry out raids and drone strikes that have killed civilians.

The group has had an estimated 1,000 fighters in Mali.

Since helping Mali's forces to regain control of the key northern town of Kidal, Wagner mercenaries have been overconfident and overstretched, said independent analyst John Lechner.

He said failures like the weekend ambush are the reason why the Wagner brand was retained in Mali. Large losses or setbacks are attributed to private military companies," he said. "Victories to the (Russian) ministry of defense.

___

Mednick reported from Dakar, Senegal. Dasha Litvinova in Tallinn, Estonia, contributed.
Army officials have confirmed that the service has stopped paying the salary of a U.S. enlisted soldier who traveled to Russia without permission before being arrested and sentenced to nearly four years in prison for theft.

Staff Sgt. Gordon Black, 34, was convicted of stealing and making threats of murder by a court in the Russian city of Vladivostok in June, and was sentenced to three years and nine months in prison.

Black was assigned to the Eighth Army at Camp Humphreys, South Korea, and was supposed to travel to an Army base in Texas in early May, when he instead flew to Russia to meet Aleksandra Vashchuk, his girlfriend. The pair were in a relationship for at least a year while she was in South Korea, according to their social media posts.

Read Next: Army's Troubled $11 Million Marketing Deal with The Rock and UFL Seemingly Didn't Yield a Single Recruit

Russian state-run media reported that while Black was in Vladivostok he and Vashchuk got into an argument, during which he grabbed her by the neck and stole 10,000 rubles -- around $115 -- and spent the money on himself, including paying for the hotel room where he was staying.

Bryce Dubee, a spokesman for the Army, confirmed to Military.com in an email that the service placed Black in "CCA", or "Confined Civilian Authority," status on May 13 -- just days before he pleaded guilty and, according to Russian state-run news agencies, began cooperating with prosecutors.

Dubee noted that, when soldiers are in CCA status, they are not being paid by the Army.

The spokesman also confirmed that the Army didn't provide Black with any special military counsel.

Reuters was the first news outlet to report the development.

Black and Vashchuk had a combative and strange relationship. In videos that Vashchuk posted on social media, she would mock or verbally abuse Black, as well as occasionally call him her husband, even though the two are not married.

In fact, Black is still married to Megan Black, and the couple have a 6-year-old daughter together. Texas court records show that the pair began divorce proceedings in April 2022. In January 2023, the court ordered some of Black's pay to be garnished to support his family, according to the records.

The soldier's wife told Reuters in May that, during a video call with Black, he got into a fight with Vashchuk that ended with her assaulting and stabbing him. Black's mother, Melody Jones, also told Reuters that the two constantly fought.

Megan Black released a statement through her attorney shortly after Black's arrest in which she said that she "firmly" believed that Black's decision to travel to Russia, "while ill-advised, was motivated by entirely personal reasons involving an extramarital affair" and that he is "not involved in any form of geopolitical intrigue."

Dubee confirmed that, while Black's pay is suspended, medical benefits and base access are still being accorded to family members he had listed in his records.

Meanwhile, Russia's state-run wire service, TASS, reported that an appeal to Black's verdict will be heard on Aug. 19.

Texas court records show that there is a final hearing on the divorce set for Aug. 13.

The case parallels that of another U.S. Army soldier -- Pvt. Travis King -- who darted across the heavily guarded Demilitarized Zone in Panmunjom, South Korea, and into North Korea, where he was detained.

King was eventually released and is now facing a court-martial for those actions and other charges stemming from his behavior leading up to the incident.

Like King, Black violated Army rules by flying to Russia without permission and doing so through China. Under Pentagon policy, service members must have any international travel cleared by their commanders or security officials.

The extramarital affair is also prohibited by the Uniform Code of Military Justice, though troops don't often face adultery charges since they are difficult to prove conclusively.

It is not clear whether Black will face a similar fate when he is eventually released from Russian custody.

Military.com asked the Army whether Black will be charged and if the comparison of his case to King's was fair but did not receive a response in time for publication.

Matthew Miller, a spokesperson for the U.S. State Department, told reporters in May that "whenever a U.S. citizen is detained abroad, consular officers seek to aid him with all appropriate assistance, and we are doing so in this case."

Related: Staff Sgt. Gordon Black Reportedly Pleads Guilty to Theft While Being Held by Russia
MANILA, Philippines  Washingtons top diplomat and defense chief announced $500 million in military funding Tuesday to boost Philippine defenses and progress on a proposed military intelligence-sharing pact as both allies renewed their concerns over Chinas continuing aggressive actions in the region.

U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken and Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin met with President Ferdinand Marcos Jr., who has fortified Manilas decades-old treaty alliance with Washington as hostilities between Philippine and Chinese forces flared since last year in the disputed South China Sea.

Marcos hailed very open communication lines between Washington and Manila, adding that the two countries' treaty alliance and key issues in the South China Sea and the Indo-Pacific region are continuously examined and reexamined so we are agile in terms of our responses."

Marcos has underscored the need for a U.S. military presence for Asian stability and peace.

After meeting their Philippine counterparts later, Blinken and Austin announced the $500 million military funding to help in an ongoing modernization of the Philippine military and coast guard and boost security collaboration amid shared concerns over China's assertive actions.

Both of us share concerns and many other countries in the region share concerns, as well, about some of the actions that the People's Republic of China has taken, escalatory actions in the South China Sea, the East China Sea, including coercive methods, Blinken said in a joint news conference.

He renewed a warning that the U.S. would help defend the Philippines if Filipino forces, ships and aircraft come under attack in the Pacific, including in the South China Sea.

The U.S. officials also offered condolences over the dozens of deaths wrought by typhoon-worsened monsoon rains in recent weeks and announced an additional $1 million in aid for the victims and to help devastated communities recover.

The visit came the week after the Philippines and reached a temporary arrangement to prevent clashes around the Philippine-occupied Second Thomas Shoal like the violent faceoff between their forces on June 17.

Philippine forces transported food and other supplies and a fresh batch of navy personnel Saturday to Manilas territorial outpost at the shoal without a confrontation were reported for the first time since last year.

But the Philippines would continue strengthening its territorial defense with the assistance of the U.S. and other friendly military powers and build new security alliances, Philippine Ambassador to the U.S. Jose Manuel Romualdez said.

"The non-confrontational resupply and rotation is purely temporary. The Peoples Republic of China will not stop and we are determined just as well, Romualdez told The Associated Press.

The $500 million in U.S. military financing would include funding for reinforcing the Philippine navy's capability. About $125 million would be used for constructions and other improvements in parts of Philippine military bases to be occupied by U.S. forces under the 2014 Enhanced Defense Cooperation Agreement, Romualdez said.

With strong support in Congress, U.S. military funding may double next year depending on our capacity to absorb it, Romualdez said.

Progress in negotiations on a proposed military intelligence-sharing pact, the General Security of Military Information Agreement was announced by Austin, who said that the accord may be signed later this year.

The agreement, similar to ones Washington has forged with other allied countries, would allow the U.S. to provide high-level intelligence, more sophisticated weapons, including missile systems, and access to satellite and drone surveillance systems to the Philippines with an assurance that such intelligence and details about sophisticated weapons would be closely kept secret in a highly secured manner to prevent leaks, two Philippine officials told the AP, speaking on condition of anonymity because of a lack of authority to discuss the issue publicly.

Philippine efforts to obtain sophisticated weapons from the U.S. military in the past have been hampered by the lack of such an intelligence deal.

In his meeting with Blinken and Austin, Marcos alluded to the intense political divisions in the U.S. ahead of the presidential elections this year.

Im a bit surprised considering how interesting your political situation has become back in the States, but Im glad that you found the time to come and visit with us, Marcos said.

Meanwhile, Romualdez said that U.S. support to the Philippines would absolutely not change regardless of who becomes America's next president. Numerous countries have expressed concerns about the implications of former President Donald Trump returning to the White House in January after President Joe Biden withdrew and threw his support to Vice President Kamala Harris.

"Both Republicans and Democrats are in full agreement for the Philippines, he said, adding that both sides have given assurances of continued support to Manila.

Marcos approved last year an expansion of the U.S. military presence in four more Philippine military camps under the 2014 defense agreement, and the largest war drills between Filipino and U.S. forces have been staged under his administration, drawing opposition and alarm from China, which said that increased deployments of American forces would endanger regional peace and security.

The Philippines has responded that it has the right to move to safeguard its territorial interests and national security.

___

Lee reported from Singapore.
Pirates manager Derek Shelton made his weekly radio appearance on 93.7 FM the Fan in Pittsburgh this morning. The Bucs skipper said he expects the team will hang onto Aroldis Chapman beyond this evenings trade deadline (relayed on X by The Fans Andrew Fillipponi).

Chapman is playing on a $10.5MM contract. Shelton has called upon him 45 times, usually in high-leverage spots. The hard-throwing lefty carries a 3.63 ERA over 39 2/3 innings. Hes running his typical blend of huge strikeout totals (35.2%) and massive walk rates (19.3%). Chapman isnt sitting above 100 MPH the way he did at his peak, but his 97.6 MPH average fastball velocity still makes him one of the hardest throwing southpaws in the sport.

The Bucs go into deadline day with a 54-52 record that has them within two games of the National Leagues last Wild Card spot. Theyre more likely to add MLB talent than subtract, but theres also been some talk that Pittsburgh could contemplate dealing from its big league pitching staff to acquire offensive help. They made a variation of that move with yesterdays swap of Quinn Priester for second base prospect Nick Yorke, even if Yorke wont immediately step onto the MLB roster.

Pittsburgh has looked to bolster their lefty relief depth behind Chapman. They acquired Jalen Beeks from the Rockies last night and are bringing in Josh Walker in a DFA trade with the Mets. Walker still has options and can be stashed at Triple-A Indianapolis.
The Mets acquired reliever Huascar Brazoban from the division-rival Marlins. Infield prospect Wilfredo Lara went back to Miami.

Brazoban wasnt the subject of much trade speculation until today. He emerged as a late target for teams seeking relief help amidst a quietly strong season. Brazoban has tossed 30 2/3 innings through 20 appearances. Hes allowing only 2.93 earned runs per nine while striking out 27.2% of batters faced. Brazoban is getting grounders half the time opponents do make contact while limiting his walk rate to a solid 8.8% clip.

A native of the Dominican Republic, Brazoban has pitched in Miami for the past three seasons. He spent a decade in pro ball before getting his first major league look. Brazoban pitched in the Colorado system and spent some time in independent ball. It wasnt until 2022 that he got a big league opportunity, shortly before his 33rd birthday.

Since he got such a late start to his MLB career, Brazoban is in an odd spot. Hes under team control for another four seasons beyond this one and wont even qualify for arbitration for two seasons. The Marlins were under no financial pressure to move him, but hes also very unlikely to be pitching at this level the next time Miami makes an effort to compete. The Fish fielded offers on a number of their relievers and ultimately cashed Brazoban in for a future asset.

Lara, 20, is a right-handed hitting infielder out of the Dominican Republic. Hes hitting .244/.349/.343 across 332 plate appearances in High-A this season. Hes drawing walks at a robust 12% clip while striking out 22.6% of the time. Hes a low-level developmental flier for the Fish.

The Mets designated catcher Logan Porter to open a spot on their 40-man roster for Brazoban. New York signed him to a split contract a couple weeks ago. Theyve kept him in Triple-A on optional assignment. Porters major league experience comprises 11 games with the Royals last season.

Christina De Nicola of MLB.com first reported the Mets were acquiring Brazoban. Daniel Alvarez-Montes of El Extrabase reported Miami was getting Lara in return.
THOMPSONVILLE - If youve been on a tour of the Iron Fish Distillery and its newly-expanded tasting room in Thompsonville, you know it is a place where the science of distilling blends with the art of coaxing flavor from the fields.

The teams latest winning hardware just underscores it. Iron Fish recently learned that all three of its Mad Angler whiskeys landed top honors at the American Spirits Council of Tasters, or ASCOT Awards.

This competition is built on blind tastings. Pours are scored on a 100-point scale for appearance, aroma, taste and finish.

The winners:

Mad Angler Bourbon, 5-year: Double Platinum Best Small-Batch Bourbon, one of 100 across the U.S.

Mad Angler Bottled in Bond: Platinum in the Best Wheat Whiskey category (not sourced)

Mad Angler Rye Whiskey: Gold in the Best Craft Rye Whiskey category (not sourced)

Iron Fish is Michigans only farm-based distillery. And while it has a strong supplier network of Michigan-grown grain and corn farmers, it also grows its own grains on the estate.

Our Mad Angler Bourbon Batch #4 marks the beginning of our commitment to ensuring that every product under the Mad Angler brand is aged for over five years, said David Wallace, co-founder and master distiller at Iron Fish.

All three Mad Angler award winners incorporate grain grown on the 120-acre Iron Fish farm adjacent to the natural and protected Betsie River, distillery staff said.

Iron Fish Distillery's Rye Whiskey commemorates the Arctic grayling's return to Michigan waters. Photo provided by Iron Fish.Iron Fish Distillery

The Iron Fish farm not only leans into sustainable agricultural practices, but the distillery embraces an environmental bent where the local water quality is concerned. It contributes to regional watershed organizations and supports the reintroduction of the Arctic Grayling fish into Michigan rivers.

Headed to Thompsonville? While the larger tasting room and seating areas are super comfy, dont pass up the breeze on the patio if there are outside tables available in the summer and fall.

And treat yourself to an Iron Fish tour. We went on one recently and were amazed at all the details. There are four types of tours being offered:

Distillery Overview Tour

Barrel Aging and Rickhouse Tour

Farm and Distillery Tour

VIP Estate Tour

You can see more information and get tickets on the website here.
LENAWEE COUNTY, MI  A man believed to have been suffering a medical emergency while driving is in critical condition after crashing into a utility pole, then through a gas station, causing significant damage, police said.

Rescue crews were called at 6:30 a.m. Tuesday, July 30, to the Lightning Quick Gas Station, 1157 W. Beecher Road, in Madison Township, south of Adrian, for a report of a car that had crashed into a building, according to the Lenawee County Sheriffs Office.
WASHTENAW COUNTY, MI  A Starbucks drive-thru proposed in Pittsfield Township remains on hold as a legal dispute continues over whether it is a major amendment to the developers approved project plan.

The proposed development at Country Creek Village shopping center, 7025 E. Michigan Ave., went before Pittsfield Townships Zoning Board of Appeals at its July 16 meeting as part of a court-ordered request.

The meeting was the next step in ongoing litigation involving the developer, Pittsfield Plaza Partners LLC, and Pittsfield Township. The group argues the townships planning commission made an arbitrary, capricious and unreasonable decision to rescind a building permit, which shut down their projects progress, according to a complaint filed in August in Washtenaw County Trial Court.

Judge Timothy Connors requested in June for the ZBA to either reaffirm the planning commissions May 2023 decision or reverse it. Four out of the five ZBA members reaffirmed the decision at the July meeting.

Neither Carson Fischer Law Firm, representing Pittsfield Plaza Partners, nor Thomas Meagher with Foster Swift Collins & Smith, representing the township, responded to requests for comment.

In August 2022, the townships planning commission approved a final site plan for the construction of nearly 8,000 square feet of additional commercial tenant spaces in two buildings along East Michigan Avenue. Part of the plan included a fast-food restaurant with a drive-thru.

Township officials said they were under the impression the restaurant was going to be a lower-intensity smoothie business and not the busy coffee shop chain.

When officials discovered Starbucks was the planned tenant, concern surrounding traffic and safety arose. The townships planning commission reviewed the development and decided the proposed use deviated from the initial plan for a lower-intensity drive-thru, requiring a major amendment to the site plan for the Starbucks drive-thru to move forward.

The applicant could proceed with the original, approved site plan today if they wanted, Ben Carlisle, the townships planning consultant, said at the July meeting.

If the group wants to continue with the Starbucks drive-thru then it would need to submit new site plans.

I want to remind both the public tonight and the zoning board that were not here tonight to talk about whether a development should happen there or not, Carlisle said

The developer filed an application in June 2023 with the townships Zoning Bord of Appeals asking for the group to reverse the planning commissions decision. However, in a response letter, the township attorney said the townships zoning ordinance does not authorize the board to hear such an appeal.

Following court orders in June, the Zoning Board of Appeals was tasked with reviewing both documents the planning commission used to make its determination, as well as new documents.

Read more: Developer who wants to build Starbucks drive-thru contends permit wrongly revoked

This case is different, however, because the court has ordered that the Township ZBA take on a role that is not authorized by the ordinance, nor familiar to the ZBA, court documents state.

Related: Slap in the face: Independent coffee shop objects to Starbucks possibly opening nearby

During the Zoning Board of Appeals meeting in July, a few residents spoke out about safety concerns.

At the meeting, Robert Carson with Carson Fischer Law Firm wanted to make it clear Pittsfield Plaza Partners LLC did not file an amended site plan for review, and instead shared information with the township in hopes of settling any concern. He contends the groups approved site plan meets the necessary criteria as is.

If we wanted to amend the site plan, we knew how to do it, he said. We know what the fee would be and what the criteria would be. We didnt want to do it.

In a memorandum for the meeting by Carson Fischer Law Firm, the group contends the township improperly caused the work at the site to stop and improperly scheduled a new meeting to revoke its prior site plan approval. The memo states the applicant neither sought nor consented to such meeting and the planning commission was not authorized to enforce or revoke its prior approval.

Carlisle said he isnt sure what a settlement site plan is, and said site plans become public information when they are sent to him, which is why it was shared with the commission.

Related: A huge victory. Residents join forces to fight potential Starbucks drive-thru

Following the recent decision, oral argument on the instant appeal is set for 9 a.m. Friday, Aug. 2, in Washtenaw County Trial Court.

Want more Ann Arbor-area news? Bookmark the local Ann Arbor news page or sign up for the free 3@3 Ann Arbor daily newsletter.
FLINT, MI - The Michigan Department of Health and Human Services (MDHHS) will continue to provide nutritious food by the truckload to Flint residents throughout August.

MDHHS has provided the Flint mobile food pantries since February 2016 in partnership with the Food Bank of Eastern Michigan.

Augusts mobile food pantry distribution will have plenty of delicious, vitamin-rich produce including sweet corn, summer squash, cabbage, lettuce and cucumbers.

Here is Augusts schedule:

Bethel United Methodist Church, 1309 N. Ballenger Hwy.

Monday, Aug. 5, at 10 a.m.

Monday, Aug. 12, at 10 a.m.

Monday, Aug. 19, at 10 a.m.

Monday, Aug. 26, at 10 a.m.

Asbury United Methodist Church, 1653 Davison Road.

Tuesday, Aug. 6, at 10 a.m.

Tuesday, Aug. 13, at 10 a.m.

Tuesday, Aug. 20, at 10 a.m.

Tuesday, Aug. 27, at 10 a.m.

Greater Holy Temple, 6702 N. Dort Hwy.

Thursday, Aug. 1, at 10 a.m.

Thursday, Aug. 8, at 10 a.m.

Thursday, Aug. 15, at 10 a.m.

Thursday, Aug. 22, at 10 a.m.

Thursday, Aug. 29, at 10 a.m.

Flint residents can also pick up free nutritional food at the three Flint Help Center locations: Bethel United Methodist Church, 1309 N. Ballenger Highway, open from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m., Mondays; Asbury United Methodist Church, 1653 Davison Road, open Tuesdays from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m.; and Greater Holy Temple, 6702 N. Dort Highway, open Thursdays from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m.

Information about additional food distributions will be announced as they are scheduled. To check food distribution schedules, visit the Food Bank of Eastern Michigan website at FBEM.org and find the updated schedule on the Mobile Pantry Distribution page, or call 810-239-4441.
GRAND RAPIDS, MI  Police are investigating a shooting that happened late Monday, July 29, on the citys Southeast Side.

The victim suffered a non-life-threatening gunshot wound to his foot, Grand Rapids police said.
KALAMAZOO COUNTY, MI  Three candidates are vying to be elected to a new judgeship in Kalamazoo Countys 9th Circuit Court.

It is a nonpartisan race that will be on ballots for everybody, regardless of if theyre voting in the Democratic or Republican primary on Tuesday, Aug. 6.

The top two vote-getters will earn a spot on the Nov. 5 ballot. The winner in November earns an eight-year term.

The new judgeship was created as a result of Public Act 277 of 2022, sponsored by State Sen. Sean McCann, D-Kalamazoo. McCann introduced the act in response to state data that showed the countys docket volume warranted one or two additional circuit court judgeships to handle the caseload, said Kalamazoo County Deputy Clerk John Curran.

Three attorneys are running to fill the new judgeship: Angelique Camfield, Mariko Willis and Christine Morse.

Camfield is a managing attorney at a family and criminal law practice. She graduated cum laude from the Eastern Michigan University honors college in 1993, as well as while obtaining her juris doctorate from the Michigan State University College of Law in 1996.

Camfield has more than 27 years experience in the courtroom. She spent 15 years working for prosecutors offices in Kalamazoo, Allegan and Calhoun counties. She also spent 12 years in defense law and represented clients in employment discrimination, plaintiffs personal injury and insurance defense. She currently sits on the board for Legal Aid of Western Michigan. Her campaign website is votecamfield.com.

Willis, 40, is the owner of and an attorney at Fidelis Counselor at Law. She also gives legal counsel at Willis Law and is chief operating officer of the Willis Foundation. She has a juris doctorate from Thomas M. Cooley Law School, where she graduated cum laude.

According to her bio, Willis has been named a rising star in Super Lawyers for five consecutive years  an honor that is reserved for less than 2.5% of attorneys in the state. She is a Marine Corps Veteran, where she rose to the rank of staff sergeant. Her last billet was a company gunnery sergeant and deputy family readiness officer. Her campaign website is WillisForJudge.com.

Morse, 51, is the current state House representative for Michigans 40th District. She earned her juris doctorate from Wayne State University Law School in 1998 and earned a bachelors in political science/pre-law from Michigan State University in 1995.

A licensed attorney since 1999, Morse interned for the St. Clair County and Berrien County prosecutors offices in district and probate courts, as well as for the Honorable Gerald R. Rosen of the Eastern District of Michigan. She practiced insurance defense litigation in Michigan and California and practiced in workers compensation administrative law in California. Her campaign website is vote4morse.com.

MLive has partnered with the League of Women Voters and Vote411 to produce this voter guide.

All responses were submitted directly by the candidate and have not been edited by the League of Women Voters or MLive, except for necessary cuts if a reply exceeded character limitations. Spelling and grammar were not corrected. Publication of candidate statements and opinions is solely in the interest of public service and should NOT be considered as an endorsement. View the full vote411.org voter guide here.

How have your education, professional experience and interests prepared you to serve on this court?

Camfield: My education, professional experience and interests have prepared me well to serve as your next 9th Circuit Court Judge equitably, impartially, respectfully and with integrity. During my 27 years of practice I have conducted literally thousands of hearings and hundreds of bench and jury trials. I have presented both sides of criminal, family and civil cases. I possess extensive knowledge of the rules of evidence and court rules. My board of directors positions allowed me to assess community needs and work constructively with team members to find solutions to those needs. I am prepared to rule reasonably, intelligently, and fairly.

Willis: My legal experience, military ops, public service, management, conflict resolution, leadership training and work with Gold Star families has trained me to multi-task, use sound judgement, objectively resolve conflict, remain impartial/informed and use systemic methodology to make effective decisions. I can handle a full plate and perform under pressure. My experience has given me insight and understanding for every tough situation imaginable and from every point of view possible. This allows me to have an open mind, consider all points of view, empathize, counsel, encourage, but still make tough decisions based on the facts and law.

Morse: My well-rounded background has prepared me to be a judge who serves the community with fairness, impartiality and compassion. My current position as State Representative provides insight into the creation of legislation that I will be applying as a judge. My judgment skills are valued at the highest level of state government as evidenced by my role as Chair of the Appropriations Subcommittee for Health and Human Services, which requires decision making and discernment of critical health and social services issues. I have experience in both criminal and civil litigation. My interest in social justice drives me to want to improve the system.

What have been the most effective methods for improving court procedures? What other methods would you suggest to improve efficiency or make the courts less intimidating to the public?

Camfield: Electronic filing, zoom appearances, and utilizing docket management software have been the most effective methods to improve court procedures by providing more expedient access to case files and hearings, as well as allowing freedom to choose counsel that may have remote offices. I would encourage judicial outreach and education for the public to make courts less intimidating. Hold sessions where the public and the judiciary could meet informally to discuss diverse and inclusive access to justice, courtroom procedures, and brainstorm improvements for the efficiency of the courts. People are less intimidated by things they understand.

Willis: Electronic filing/info saves time/labor/money. Remote proceedings give those not otherwise able the chance to participate/comply. Multiple platforms have emerged that streamline transactional work/cut down on time and costs. I believe courtrooms should be a place where every party feels safe/seen/heard. Respect/professional courtesy should be given/shown by all involved. But, I think a courtroom should hold some level of intimidation  to signify the magnitude of the reason for being there. An intimidating venue may be just what the occasion calls for, whether that be to invoke feelings of awe or, if appropriate, slight feelings of fear.

Morse: As a member of the Child Legal Representations Task Force, I have had the privilege of working with the Michigan Supreme Court to improve the child abuse and neglect system. The Task Force is comprised of judges, attorneys, advocates, legislators and individuals with system experience to improve the quality of representation and the system in general. Bringing together the people who know the system with the people who have the power to improve the system is critical for ensuring we can accomplish the goals. Treating everyone who enters the courtroom with dignity and clear communication are steps toward making the process less intimidating.

Name a judge, living or deceased, for whom you have great esteem, and explain why.

Camfield: I hold Justice Ruth Bader Ginsberg in high regard. She supported the ideals of justice for all and equal treatment under the law, standards to which every judge should adhere. She overcame obstacles in her life and career, possessed an excellent work ethic, and had the integrity to fight for what was right instead of what may have been the popular opinion. Setting aside party politics, Justice Ginsberg ruled out of a great sense of duty to the public and honor for the position she held. She did not abuse her authority or position, but remained humble in spite of her great achievements. I hope to follow her example as a public servant.

Willis: My father, who served 39 yrs. When he lost a son, he did not crumble but took what strength/love he had left to hold up his wife and four other kids. He woke before sunrise to read his Bible/pray. I cant imagine a time someone needed help and my father said no. His court policies/systems were modeled. He found cost saving measures. Under his tenure juvenile crime decreased. He was awarded/an integral member of the court system. He was the epitome of humility /selflessness on the bench & loved what he did. In his words, Where else can you be in such a position to help, and give hope to people at some of the lowest moments of their lives?

Morse: Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsberg is an inspiration to me as a fellow mother and cancer survivor. She blazed the path for women to succeed, persevering through gender bias and discrimination to reach the Supreme Court, always fighting for gender equality and womens rights. Her critical work in gender discrimination resulted in the end of discrimination in many areas of the law. She was a brilliant member of the Supreme Court whose absence is deeply felt today. As a mother and cancer survivor, I admire her fortitude in building the career she did while balancing lifes challenges with an indomitable spirit.

Information on other state, county and local primary races can be found at Vote411.org. MLives coverage on this years races and election issues around the state can be found at this link.
WYOMING, MI - Three candidates are seeking an open, at-large seat on the Wyoming City Council.

The candidates for the four-year seat are Sheldon DeKryger, Robert Kilgo and Rick Pilieci. The top two vote-getters will square off in the November general election, unless someone receives 51% of the vote.

MLive has partnered with the League of Women Voters of Michigan Education Fund this year to provide voters with a Vote411 election guide. Candidates were asked to complete some general information about their campaigns and answer a few questions from the League of Women Voters.

DeKryger is a small-business owner and has represented the 1st Ward on the City Council for six years.

Kilgo is assistant to the president at Grace Christian University and served as Parks and Recreation Commissioner, Wyoming Parks and Rec Department; Officers Compensation Commissioner, Wyoming City Hall.

Pilieci did not complete the 411 voter election guide.

All responses in the voter guide were submitted directly by the candidate and have not been edited by the League of Women Voters, except for necessary cuts if a reply exceeded character limitations. Spelling and grammar were not corrected. Publication of candidate statements and opinions is solely in the interest of public service and should NOT be considered as an endorsement. The League never supports or opposes any candidates or political parties.

Below are the responses from DeKryger and Kilgo to four questions.

What in your experience makes you the most qualified candidate for this position?

DeKryger: Ive been on church boards and a school board. Ive been a small business owner for 27 years and understand how to lead people. Ive been on the city council for 6 years and know how to make government work for the residents of Wyoming.

Kilgo: I love Wyoming and am committed to making it the best city it can be. I understand and care deeply about the issues facing our community, and I would be honored to serve as a council member. My previous run for Wyoming City Council provided me with valuable insights into the citys operations, enhancing my understanding of our current state and future prospects. This experience equips me to drive meaningful change and secure a vibrant future for our city. As a young, long-time resident, I am deeply invested in Wyomings well-being for the long term, and I believe my vision and dedication make me the most qualified candidate as we look to the future.

What are your goals should you be elected and how will you work to accomplish them with currently limited resources?

DeKryger: Safety in our community

Fiscal responsibility

In order to do this Wyoming needs to consolidate milages. To achieve this there needs to be a ballot measure to amend our charter. The way our charter is written there is little opportunity to put our tax dollars where needed. I would like to give our council more influence on the budget to allocate the money where its most needed.

Kilgo: 1. Address the Housing Shortage

The housing shortage in Wyoming is a pressing issue that affects the stability of our community. I will support initiatives that will increase access to affordable housing across income lines.

2. City Restoration and Beautification

Everyone wants to take pride in their community and how it presents itself. I will fight for a more beautiful Wyoming so that we can begin a cycle of improvement that will lead to a stronger community over time.

3. Economic Development

Wyoming could be a major economic hub in West Michigan. I will dedicate myself to creating an environment conducive to economic investment and prosperity.

More details can be found on my website.

What are the most important challenges facing our community, and how do you propose to address them?

DeKryger: Our most important challenge will always be a safe community. Without that, well fail to prosper.

Kilgo: Wyoming faces a shortage of affordable housing affecting low-income families and young professionals, potentially leading to economic instability. The city must address aging infrastructure, increasing traffic on our roadways, and transportation needs, prioritizing investment in roads, bridges, and public facilities to support our growing population.

While public safety and emergency services have improved in recent years, addressing violent crime remains essential. Additionally, the city is a diverse place to live, but thats not always obvious by the makeup of our city leadership. Uplifting minority voices in our government is a priority to ensure everyone feels included and valued in our community.

What will you do to support a vibrant economy in our community?

DeKryger: A safe community once again is necessary for a vibrant economy. As a small business owner I support our businesses and want to help them grow.

Kilgo: Wyomings proximity to Grand Rapids positions us well for more growth and development. However, realizing this potential requires proactive work to ensure that our city is not only a great place to do business, but also a great community for residents and workers alike.

I am dedicated to creating an environment conducive to economic investment and prosperity. This will mean working with residents, businesses, and community stakeholders to identify areas where we can grow. By leveraging our citys strengths and resources, we can attract new businesses and create more job opportunities. As a city council member, I will constantly promote the advantages of conducting business in our community to potential investors and entrepreneurs.
WASHINGTON D.C.  A new Michigan Democrat has emerged as a dark horse candidate in Vice President Kamala Harris search for a running mate in her bid for the presidency.

U.S. Sen. Gary Peters, of Bloomfield Township, was the subject of an Axios report this week that stated labor leaders approached the Harris presidential campaign about considering Peters as her vice president. Since then, the report led other media outlets to speculate about Peters chances of appearing with Harris on the Democratic ticket in Novembers election.

Representatives with Peters office, though, arent saying much about the speculation, including whether or not the Pontiac-born lawmaker would accept such an offer from Harris.

The vice president has many strong options for her running mate and we want to respect her process, Brennan Sullivan, a spokesperson for Peters, told MLive.

Peters term in the U.S. Senate ends in January 2027. Voters first elected him in 2014 to the seat once occupied by fellow Democrat Carl Levin, the longest-serving senator in Michigan history.

In that election, Peters was the leading vote recipient in all of the state, even besting then-Gov. Rick Snyders total. Nationally, Peters was the only Democrat to win an open U.S. Senate seat in the 2014 election.

More recently, Peters topped Republican John James by less than 100,000 votes in the 2020 election to keep the Senate seat.

Today, Peters serves as chair of the Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee, which oversees the Department of Homeland Security.

He also works on the Senate Appropriations Committee, Senate Armed Services Committee as well as the Senate Commerce, Science, and Transportation Committee.

Peters political resume starts in 1990, when he was elected to the Rochester Hills City Council.

In 1994, he was elected to the Michigan Senate, where he served for eight years.

Peters unsuccessfully ran for Michigan attorney general in 2002.

In 2003, then-Gov. Jennifer Granholm appointed Peters as the states lottery commissioner.

Michigan voters first sent him to Washington D.C. in 2009 as a member of the U.S. House of Representatives, where he represented Metro Detroit for six years.

Peters joins a short list of Michigan Democrats that political experts speculate Vice President Harris could pursue as a running mate in this Novembers presidential election.

Gov. Gretchen Whitmer, co-chair of the Harris campaign, said she wont seek the vice president slot. Pete Buttigieg, a Traverse City resident and the U.S. Secretary of Transportation, has not indicated if he would accept an offer to serve as vice president on Harris ticket.
BAY CITY, MI  The Republican incumbent for the representative of Michigans 96h District is being challenged in the August primary, while a Democrat is running unopposed and will face the winner in the November general election.

Timothy Beson, R-Bay City, will match up against challenger Chaz Fowler on the Aug. 6 ballot. Rudy M. Howard Jr., a Democrat, is unopposed on the August ballot and will face the Republican nominee in November.

The Michigan House of Representatives shares responsibility with the Michigan Senate to enact new laws and amend or repeal existing laws. The winner of Michigans 96th District race will hold a two-year term.

Beson, a Saginaw Valley State University graduate, has completed two terms as the 96th representative.

Fowler is an emergency relief coordinator with the Bay County Department of Veteran Affairs. He has degrees from Saginaw Valley State University and is a veteran.

Howard recently graduated with a Master of Education from the University of Michigan-Flint. He has additional degrees, including a bachelors in political science from Lander University, a masters in public administration from Northern Kentucky University and a masters in education from UM-Flint.

He says he spent most of his career working in the auto industry before heeding the call to service and becoming a teacher.

Why are you running for the Michigan State Legislature?

Beson: We could start by providing grants and financial incentives to schools that demonstrate improvements in educational outcomes. We should also increase teacher salaries to make the profession more attractive and competitive. Offer comprehensive benefits packages, including healthcare, retirement plans, and housing assistance for teachers in high-need areas. I like the idea of establishing partnerships with universities to create teacher residency programs, offering aspiring teachers hands-on experience while completing their education.

Fowler: I am running for the Michigan State Legislature to bring strong, principled leadership to Bay County. My experiences in the military and as an administrator have equipped me with the skills needed to address our communitys challenges and capitalize on our opportunities. My goal is to foster economic growth, improve public services, and facilitate the expansion of Bay County. Specifically, I remember being told that if I worked hard, and did the right things, I could achieve anything I wanted. I want to protect that sentiment. By employing my skills and acumen, I will lead my community effectively through this uncertain world we live in.

Howard Jr.: I was a student teacher at Heritage High School covering economics & government and worked as a long-term substitute at the Bay Arenac Community High School (history & government). It was my experience as a teacher that forced me to run for office. Seeing the need for improvement, I believe I can take my years of work experience, combined with my education, and help Bay County by serving in Lansing. I will advocate for Michiganders, investment in education, creating economic opportunity, and building a robust community for our seniors. I vow to be a relentless advocate in Lansing, striving to ensure a prosperous future for Bay County.

What should Michigan do to provide an equitable, quality public education for all while addressing the current teacher shortage.

Fowler: I believe Michigan should prioritize our education system by addressing competitive pay concerns to attract talented, motivated, and qualified individuals to the field. Additionally, we need an overhaul of the educational structure focused on practicality, efficiency, and aligning with Michigans and the nations goals, as well as students aspirations. This approach will ease parents concerns, ensure teachers are well-compensated and attract new talent, and help students graduate with verifiable skillsets.

Howard Jr.: I didnt find out I had learning disabilities until I was in college. More effective early testing would have saved my parents and I a lot of sleepless nights. As your representative, I will fight for every student to have the educational resources & support they need. Smaller class sizes, redesigned standardized testing systems, and increased availability of skilled trades training are needed. Recruiting & retaining high-quality teachers can happen by supporting investments in loan-forgiveness programs. An educator myself, I know strong schools build strong communities, and I am committed to every family having the best education available.

Beson: We could start by providing grants and financial incentives to schools that demonstrate improvements in educational outcomes. We should also increase teacher salaries to make the profession more attractive and competitive. Offer comprehensive benefits packages, including healthcare, retirement plans, and housing assistance for teachers in high-need areas. I like the idea of establishing partnerships with universities to create teacher residency programs, offering aspiring teachers hands-on experience while completing their education.

What do you see as the states role, if any, in mitigating the impact of climate change?

Howard Jr.: All of us must play a role in reversing, not just mitigating, the impact of climate change. By investing in our infrastructure, we can create jobs, lower costs to Michiganders, & combat climate change at the same time. The first step in addressing a problem is to admit you have one. Sadly, not everyone can even do that. Failure to act on this issue dooms future generations. We have an opportunity to build a great future together, create jobs while doing it and literally save the world. The state should look to help people modernize their homes and businesses, build new sustainable structures, modernize the power grid & how we generate power.

Beson: Our state is currently investing heavily in EVs, renewable energy projects such as wind, solar, and hydroelectric power to reduce reliance on fossil fuels. My district is largely rural, and I support promoting sustainable farming practices that reduce carbon emissions and improve soil health. There should be more of an effort in public education campaigns that raise awareness about climate change and encourage sustainable practices among residents.

Fowler: I believe Michigan should always aim to be ahead of the pack when it relates to Climate Change. This ultimately produces a net-zero outcome; however, the manner in which Michigan pursues this is immensely important.

I support incremental changes that are both verifiably effective, and least burdensome on our core economic production.

I do not support setting arbitrary deadlines, imposing excessive regulations, and further impeding our manufacturing economy.

The automotive industry has supported Michigan for 100 years. Guiding its change is responsible; disrespecting the industry we rely on in our communities- is reprehensible.

What actions/proposals, if any, do you support to retain residents in our state?

Beson: I support creating job opportunities by attracting new businesses and supporting the growth of local enterprises. Investing in high-growth industries such as technology, healthcare, and renewable energy to diversify the states economy. We should also be enhancing public amenities such as parks, recreational facilities, and cultural institutions to make communities more attractive. Improve public transportation to make commuting easier and reduce the cost of living. Improving acces to affordable healthcare services, particularly in underserved areas. Invest in mental health services and programs to support the overall well-being of residents.

Fowler: I support lowering our state income tax. If we attract quality labor, to a growing economic base- the lower income tax will effectively retain residents- while attracting new residents.

This results in a cost-sharing tax base increase, where volume of residents offsets the reduction in individually obtained revenue for the state.

The best part- the sales tax can remain the same, as the growth in population and increased economy will only serve to generate more spending.

Howard Jr.: The fact is, we have a lack of affordable housing, healthcare, & education across the state. As your representative, I will fight for a comprehensive policy that lowers the cost of living & fair tax incentives that create high-paying jobs with strong benefits, instead of tax loopholes that put corporate profit over people.

Strong workers rights are key to robust economies, & I will protect the right to collective bargaining & strike for all workers.

Our legislature needs to ensure women have freedom to make their own healthcare decisions. The government should not be involved in personal decisions that are between a woman and her doctor.

MLive has partnered with the nonpartisan League of Women Voters of Michigan Education Fund to provide the Vote411.org voter guide.

All responses in the voter guide were submitted directly by the candidate and have not been edited by the League of Women Voters, except for necessary cuts if a reply exceeded character limitations. Spelling and grammar were not corrected. Publication of candidate statements and opinions is solely in the interest of public service and should NOT be considered as an endorsement. The League never supports or opposes any candidates or political parties.

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.
LANSING, MI  Prisoners in Michigan deemed medically frail now have a better chance of leaving prison sooner to get the care they need while also taking the burden of their care out off the state prison system.

Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer on July 23 signed into law Senate Bill 599, amending and broadening a 2019 statute to allow the parole board to grant the release of prisoners currently incarcerated within the Michigan Department of Corrections whose declining health has reduced the threat they pose..

Related: Whitmer signs bills to parole medically frail prisoners

People can be deemed medially frail by having a physical or mental health conditions that significantly limits their capability to do daily tasks, such as bathing and dressing themselves, or their condition is best treated while residing in a nursing home or medical facility.

The medical determination is first made by the Michigan Department of Health and Human Services then reviewed by the parole board at a hearing, which can be supported or opposed by prosecutors and victims of the prisoners crimes.

Those convicted of first-degree criminal sexual conduct or any crime punishable by life in prison without the possibility of parole are ineligible for medical release under the amended law.

The changes to the law that are contained in Senate Bill 599 will allow the parole board to review more cases and will give the board the opportunity to review cases of those who are terminally ill sooner, likely resulting in more eligible cases being granted parole, Michigan Department of Corrections Legislative Liaison Kyle Kaminski said.

Since the original law was enacted in 2019, only one prisoner was released due to the initial laws narrow the definition of medically frail, Kaminski added.

The new law also allows for individuals to parole to a home for hospice care, rather than being limited to placement in a medical facility such as a nursing home, as securing those placements may complicate release planning, he said.

Prior to the amendment, a medically frail prisoner could only be released to an approved medial facility.

When Michigan passed the Medically Frail Parole statute in 2019, the state signaled a pragmatic intention in the Department of Corrections that acknowledges and understands that people who are medically frail dont pose a threat to public safety, State Sen. Erika Geiss, D-Taylor, said.

Geiss sponsored the bill calling it a win for Michigan that helps both the inmate and the state.

Unforeseen issues prevented that vision from initially being realized, but theres a reason this bill received the bipartisan support it needed to pass: Its common sense, Geiss said. SB 599 provides important fixes to make sure this program operates as intended. Its passage is a rare criminal justice win for the Legislature, a win for the Department of Corrections and, most importantly, a win for the people of Michigan, and particularly for the loved ones of medically frail incarcerated people.

Medically frail prisoners require increased medical attention to care for serious illnesses, which the Department of Corrections funds because federal law prohibits prisoners from receiving treatment under Medicaid or Medicare.

The amended changes are to take effect in early 2025. Kaminski said it is too soon to tell how many prisoners are now eligible for parole under the new law, but he expect several cases will be brought to the parole board for consideration.

The bipartisan bill was one of 39 bills signed by Whitmer on July 23 as a batch of common sense legislation, according to a press release on the signing of the bills.

Today, I was proud to sign 39 bills that will make a real difference in peoples lives and deliver on a range of bipartisan priorities, Whitmer said. From raising wages for clean energy workers to bolstering Michigans infrastructure; improving the criminal justice system to investing in our schools, todays legislation will build on our strong economic momentum and move Michigan forward. Since I took office, I am proud to have signed 1,382 bipartisan bills into law, and I will continue to work with anyone to deliver on the kitchen table issues. Lets keep getting it done.
It was a fairly widespread rain over Michigan in the last 24 hours. The rain is mostly done, but Ill show you a few spots that could have some additional thundershowers.

The rainfall maps below show the rain amount from yesterday through this morning. Anywhere you see a dark green had at least one inch of rain. While it wasnt all of Lower Michigan, many locations did have that good soaking one inch of rain. There were several large areas getting between 1.5 inches and two inches of rain.

Total rainfall from July 28 to 9 a.m. July 30, 2024 (Mark Torregrossa | MLive)Mark Torregrossa

A closer look at southern Lower Michigan shows quite a few cities from Battle Creek to the Lansing area to Flint and Frankenmuth had over an inch and a half of rain. Only a few areas in blue had less that one-half inch of rain.

Total rainfall from July 28 to 9 a.m. July 30, 2024 (Mark Torregrossa | MLive)Mark Torregrossa

Northern Michigan was drenched even more than southern Lower Michigan. The red areas around West Branch and Houghton Lake had over three inches of rain.

Total rainfall from July 28 to 9 a.m. July 30, 2024 (Mark Torregrossa | MLive)Mark Torregrossa

The Upper Peninsula really wasnt in the heart of last nights rainfall. Just an area around Marquette had around one-half inch to one inch of rain.

Total rainfall from July 28 to 9 a.m. July 30, 2024 (Mark Torregrossa | MLive)Mark Torregrossa

From this afternoon through Thursday we wont have much coverage of showers or thunderstorms in Michigan. The radar forecast below shows what much of the data shows. There could be a clump of storms blowing up over southeast Lower Wednesday evening. Thursday shouldnt have many minutes of rain at any one location. In other words much more dry weather than wet weather over the next few days.

Radar forecast from 3 p.m. Tuesday, July 30 to 6 p.m. Thursday, August 1NOAA

If you have a weather sensitive project going youll definitely want to stay updated on thunderstorm areas with us here on MLive. The weather pattern is somewhat uncertain. The complexes of thunderstorms over Michigan in the next week will depend on where the thunderstorms develop to our west. We believe the next few days will have most of the storms moving southeast from Iowa into Illinois and Indiana.
Former University of Michigan swimmer Siobhan Haughey is an Olympic medalist once again.

The 26-year-old from Hong Kong claimed bronze in the 200-meter freestyle on Monday in Paris. She posted a time of 1:54.55, trailing only Australias Mollie OCallaghan (1:53.27) and Ariarne Titmus (1:53.81).
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Smoke in the Arnold area that has a AQI of 500 hazardous View Photo

Sonora, CA Wildfire smoke poses a greater risk to brain health than other types of air pollution, according to a decades-long study released Monday at the Alzheimers Association International Conference in Philadelphia. The study highlights the dangers of fine particulate matter pollution, known as PM2.5, which can be inhaled deep into the lungs and cause a range of health issues. The study suggests wildfire smoke is a particularly potent source of PM2.5 and poses a significant threat to cognitive health, surpassing other sources such as traffic and factory emissions.

Conducted by the University of Washington in Seattle and the Hospital of the University of Pennsylvania in Philadelphia, the study followed over 1.2 million people in Southern California, ages 60 or older, who were dementia-free at the start of the research. It spanned a decade, from 2009 to 2019. Researchers utilized Environmental Protection Agency monitoring, satellite-derived data, air quality monitoring, satellite imagery, and machine learning to assess PM2.5 exposure from wildfire smoke compared to other sources.

The study found that the odds of a dementia diagnosis increased by about 21% for every 1 microgram increase in the concentration of wildfire-related PM2.5. In contrast, the risk from non-wildfire PM2.5 increased by only 3% for every 3 microgram increase. This suggests that the impact of wildfire smoke on brain health is notably more severe than other forms of air pollution.
Yves here. This is running a bit after the IMFs birthday, but the article remains instructive. It skips over the immediate post-World War II period of IMF activities, taking it as a give that the bank was operating in a colonialist manner. That may very well be true but Id like to see that firmed up. Recall that in the 1970s, private banks led by then Citibank stepped up in a big way to finance governments in Latin America, resulting in the so-called Latin American bank crisis of the late 1970s/early 1980s.

The IMF started behaving in what many correctly view as a counterproductively punitive manner in the early 1980s with its embrace of Structural Adjustment Programs. That was based on the neoliberal fiction that economies going through hard times can improve their fiscal positions via budget cuts and worse, labor reforms, as in squeezing worker wages. The result, almost without exception, was that debt to GDP ratios rose. The budget cuts (and reduction in worker incomes) shrank GDP at a higher rate than any improvement in the budget position.

Even though the IMF continues to engage in economic malpractice, we have warned against naive assumptions that new international lenders under BRICS auspices will be all that much nicer. Admittedly, they will probably not insist on neoliberal measures like deregulation or other anti-worker measures.

However, as we have regularly pointed out, the BRICS lender, the New Development Bank, has been criticized by former insiders for not amounting to much. From a post earlier this year, Are the BRICS and Their New Development Bank Offering Alternatives to the World Bank, the IMF?. From our intro:

This post takes stock of how far BRICS have gotten, and seem likely to get over the near and intermediate terms, with their various new currency and new monetary organization initiatives. The short version is not very far. Even though it comes comparatively late in the post, author Eric Toussaint points out that two BRICS new programs, launched in the mid-teens, the Contingent Reserve Arrangement and New Development Bank, have not done much. One issue that Toissant does not spell out (no doubt due to space constraints) is both were very much oversold. Fans have called the Contingent Reserve Arrangement a BRICS Monetary Fund when it is no such thing. Its a short term currency swaps facility. By contrast, the New Development Bank can in theory do more but it really cant because permitted loans are in proportion to each member states paid in capital. And on top of that, the New Development Bank has been criticized by former senior officers for being cautious and slow-moving.

The structure of the New Development Bank will continue to seriously limit its operations, with the result that the IMF will continue to be the big loan shark backstop until this is remedied. I have not read of any plans to do so.

More generally, and this is why I may seem to be giving BRICS boosters an unduly hard time: the limits (so far) on New Development Bank lending indirectly reflects a not-well-acknowledged issue: lending to small and/or developing countries is very risky business. The Latin American bank and other crises indirectly suggest that charging enough in interest to compensate for the risk would make the loans very costly at the outset. They might also lead to adverse selection: that only the desperate or deluded would take them.

And then when a country or big corporate borrower is in trouble, it pretty much has to choose among the few rescue packages on offer, no matter how draconian they seem.

Keep in mind that most members of the planned-to-expand BRICS will not be wealthy countries. Only this year was Russia acknowledged to be in the high income category.

If a state is to assist another state, there are only three ways to do it: foreign aid, loans, or some form of equity (as in buying or taking interest in assets). Poor countries in particular will not want to provide foreign aid since it comes at the cost of reduced domestic spending, unless it can be justified as advancing national interests, such as security. States when not run by corrupt grifters are loath to sell the family china, as in equity-type economic interests. And within BRICS, that type of activity would be anti-national sovereignity and would directly contradict a widely-assumed objective of BRICS, to promote multipolarity.

So the main way to assist emerging and crisis-afflicted economies with development capital and in crises will be, as before with the IMF, with loans. And the test will be if it handles workouts in a less punitive manner than the IMF. While that would seem to be a low bar, no BRICS lender has been meaningfully tested.

By Arthur Larok, a Ugandan human rights activist and Secretary General of ActionAid International. Originally published at openDemocracy

Mass protests rocking Kenya in the past month have once again laid bare the predatory lending practices of the International Monetary Fund (IMF). Placards read IMF keep your hands off Kenya, and We aint IMF bitches, calling on President William Ruto to withdraw an IMF-driven finance bill set to ramp up austerity and regressive taxes.

Founded 80 years ago this week as 730 delegates from 44 allied countries wrapped up the Bretton Woods Conferencein the UK, the IMF was supposed to encourage collaboration and growth in all post-war economies.

But of course, the world in 1944 looked very differently from how it does today  and so what emerged was a financial system with a particular vantage point, where the interests of the US and colonial powers were prioritised at the expense of developing nations.

Despite some very minor reforms to its voting and decision-making over the past 80 years, the IMF continues to serve these same interests, giving almost no voice to countries that subsequently achieved independence (with just three board seats allocated for the whole of Africa). For context  there are a total of 24 seats, with the UK, US, France, Germany, Saudi Arabia, Japan and China each having individual seats  and the US having the power to veto any big decisions.

The IMF is perhaps most notorious for the imposition of Structural Adjustment Programmes in the 1980s  which are widely considered to have stalled development, undermining progress on health, damaging education systems, failing to reduce poverty and deepening inequality. IMF loans were given to countries on the condition that they agreed to balance their deficits, squeeze public spending, open their markets and privatise key sectors of the economy.

And yet, little has changed since the 1990s. Although the IMFs rhetoric has now moved to focus on poverty reduction and growth  in practice this is just a disguise and the same package of neoliberal policies is enforced, either through loan conditions or coercive policy advice.

After the 2008 financial crisis it seemed that the IMF would really shift, recognising that its tight fiscal consolidationmay have been part of the problem, but again almost nothing has shifted in practice. The IMF continues its default attachment to austerity, urging countries to cut public spending to balance their books. The single most widely recommended IMF policy is to cut or freeze public sector wage bills.

The impression given by the IMF is that this recommendation is about squeezing wasteful government bureaucracy, but the largest groups on the wage bill are teachers and health workers. Most low- and middle-income countries that are forced to accept the IMFs advice have shortages of teachers and health workers, urgently needing to recruit more of them and sometimes also to pay them a living wage.

But of course, this becomes impossible if your overall wage bill spending is cut  and it creates the single biggest blockto making progress on global health and education goals. Women are triply disadvantaged, losing opportunities for decent public sector jobs, lacking access to public services, and taking on a disproportionate share of the unpaid care work that rises when public services fail.

Some IMF staff have persistently raised concerns that neoliberalism has been oversold and when tasked with producing their own staff analysis on what it would take to properly finance the sustainable development goals, their conclusion was clear. Rather than cutting public spending, the IMF ought to support countries to increase their tax-to-GDP ratios by five percentage points in the medium term. This could allow a doubling of spending on education and health in many countries.

But, despite this being the IMFs own staff analysis it has never systematically informed its country level advice in practice.

Sometimes the IMF will recommend increasing taxes, but almost invariably this is through value added taxes that pass the burden most onto those who are least able to pay, again disproportionately affecting women, and often triggering protests as we have seen most recently in Kenya.

The IMF still refuses to systematically call for progressive taxes on the income and wealth of the richest individuals and corporations  which is the only fair way to expand revenues for development.

Last year, the IMF held its first annual meetings in Africa for 50 years and it was surely no surprise that many participants condemned the previous decades as representing fifty years of failure in the continent.

Debt Crisis Fuels the IMF

By following the IMFs prescriptions, often at significant cost to national development goals, one would at least expect countries to have stabilised and avoided debt crisis. But 54 countries are now in a debt crisis and many are spending more on servicing their debt than on financing education or health.

The IMF has actively failed to prevent the present debt crisis which is today more severe than it was in the late 1990s and early 2000s.

Indeed, this hints at a basic problem. Debt is the source of power for the IMF. It is debt that forces countries to come to the IMF as the lender of last resort. It is debt that forces countries to accept the IMFs harsh loan conditions and coercive advice on austerity, undermining their own development goals. Without debt, the IMF would be powerless!

There is now a growing move to establish a new debt workout mechanism under the United Nations, creating a transparent, binding, and multilateral framework for debt crisis resolution which would remove the IMF from the process.

Such an initiative would address unsustainable and illegitimate debt and provide systematic, timely, and fair restructuring of sovereign debt, including debt cancellation, in a process convening all creditors. It echoes recent successful moves to shift global tax policy setting away from the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development club of rich nations to a more representative and inclusive body through a new UN Framework Convention on Tax.

Human rights activists, tax justice campaigners, public service advocates and many civil society organisations hope that the Financing for Development meeting in Spain in 2025 might accelerate progress towards such a fundamental overhaul of the global financial architecture. It is certainly long overdue.

Back in Kenya, the weekly protests havent abated, despite a harsh police crackdown using snipers and tear gas, leaving at least 39 people dead. President Ruto has made some concessions including firing his entire cabinet, but whether hes willing, or indeed able, to part ways with the IMF is yet to be seen.

And Kenya isnt the only country where the people have had enough of the way in which the IMF exploits debt. Thousands of Argentinians took to the streets this January against the new presidents cost-cutting measures recommended by the IMF. Whats more, the past two years alone have seen mass movements against the IMF in countries as diverse as Nigeria, Pakistan, Ghana and Sri Lanka  and such protests are intensifying.

Meanwhile, the IMFs annual meeting held in Marrakech last year was met with large demonstrations and a counter-summit.

This global financial architecture was not established by us, it was not established for us, so it cannot be the financial architecture that will help us today. Its neocolonial wealth extraction, Tunisian-American economist Fadhel Kaboub said in an interview outside the IMF counter-summit in Marrakech.

People around the world are rising up and demanding decolonisation. After 80 years, the lumbering colonial institution must be retired or abolished  or at least to have its power over debt forcibly removed. Times up for the IMF. Lets make this its last birthday.
Dear patient readers,

This post launched a bit light. Please come back at 7:45 AM EDT for a full ration.

* * *

A Fossil Named Tina May Rewrite the Story of Human Evolution Popular Mechanics (Chuck L)

Near-Grounding Incident in Great Barrier Reef Attributed to GPS Malfunction GCaptain (guurst)

#COVID-19

Climate/Environment

China?

India

South of the Border

Elon Musk had, out of his nearly 50k tweets, zero about Venezuela prior to April. Now hes tweeting non-stop about the dictator. When I said Twitter is going full-circle back to the days of the Arab Spring, as a tool for toppling governments, this is what I meant. https://t.co/uFaNnk10em  Alex Rubinstein (@RealAlexRubi) July 30, 2024 Venezuelan Guarimbas: 11 Things the Media Didnt Tell You Venezuelanalysis (Chuck L)

Olympics

European Disunion

Old Blighty

Winter fuel payments scrapped for millions BBC (Kevin W). Note his is a subsidy for pensioners and the poor.

Gaza

New Not-So-Cold War

Big Brother is Watching You Watch

2024

Americas New Political War Pits Young Men Against Young Women Wall Street Journal. So all this political divisiveness is now hitting the gender divide among the young. At the margin, not very pro-reproduction.

Biden

Biden decries extremism on Supreme Court, details plan for term limits, ethics code for justices Associated Press. Has he not gotten the memo that he is a lame duck? Most Americans want Biden to resign now  poll RT. Rasmussen is a right wing pollster. Even so, gap between approval v. disapproval of Biden continuing suggest there would still be way more nays than yeas even with different question phrasing.

Kamala

Trump

Donald Trump Backs Strategic Bitcoin Stockpile in Speech to Crypto Faithful Wired (Dr. Kevin). Kill me now. US continues its slide into third-worldism.

Our No Longer Free Press

Woke Watch

AI

McDonalds hit by first global sales drop since 2020 Financial Times

Crowdstrike 404

Delta Seeks Damages From CrowdStrike, Microsoft After Outage CNBC. I love these Godzilla v. Mothra fights.

The Bezzle

Class Warfare

Antidote du jour (Alena S):

See yesterdays Links and Antidote du Jour here.
Yves here. For those of less than advanced years, it might seem a bit parochial to spend a lot of time discussing Medicare. But aside from the fact that it is a large and popular program, its evolution is also a case study in privateering being held at bay, at least to a fair degree, via activists and the public at large.

So even for those cynics who regard the idea that social safety nets can be strengthened as naive, consider that making that demand early and often does make it harder for the neoliberal looting to proceed as quickly as it otherwise might. Here, in the case of Medicare, its important to stress that Medicare Advantage has been successful only in terms of private sector enrichment. No one admits in private company that aside from suckering seniors with misleading ads, another aim is to create a two-tier Medicare system, with free as in no-fee Medicare Advantage plans with skimpier coverage for the comparatively poor.

By Ed Weisbart, MD, a retired family physician in Olivette, Missouri, and board secretary of Physicians for a National Health Program. Originally published at Common Dreams

Fifty-nine years ago today, President Lyndon Johnson signed Medicare into lawa high-water mark in the fight for universal healthcare that had started decades before and that continues to this day.

Ever since Medicare became law, it has been a shining example of what is possible in U.S. healthcare: a truly public, truly universal program that has saved countless lives and prevented untold financial ruin among Americas seniors. But alongside this success, corporate health interests have also grown immeasurably more powerful. Insurers like UnitedHealthcare and Blue Cross Blue Shield have erected cruel barriers to care and are laughing all the way to the bank.

If we want to build on the promise of Medicareand win the best possible version of Medicare for Allthen were going to have to grapple directly with the power of corporate health insurance. That starts with taking on the so-called Medicare Advantage program.

The Strategic Importance of Medicare Advantage

Single-payer advocates understand that there cant be Medicare for All if there is no Medicare. And no, Medicare Advantage (MA) doesnt count as Medicare. The health insurance corporations that run these plans have a business imperative to prioritize profits above all else; this is anathema to any public health program.

Physicians for a National Health Program (PNHP) has compiled overwhelming evidence that MA insurers are harming patients, physicians, and hospitals by delaying and denying careharms that are virtually unseen in Traditional Medicare. Nor is this cruelty even a trade-off for lowering the cost of healthcare. In fact, these corporations are paid far more than what is spent for similar patients in Traditional Medicareup to $140 billion per year, or as much as 35% above the funding levels of Traditional Medicare.

There is no road to Medicare for All that ignores this existential threat.

Thankfully, support for eliminating overpayments to MA extends far beyond those who are already committed to single payer. This fight builds our movement by mobilizing a wide range of people who understand, or can be educated about, the damage insurance companies are doing to patients. When we find common ground, we should walk together.

For that reason, PNHP is exposing MA overpayments and demanding a more fiscally responsible approach from policymakers. We are working closely with several organizations to change the national conversation and provide a badly needed counterweight to the lobbying might of big insurance.

When MA was created, way back in 2003, corporate insurers promised to reduce the cost of healthcare by improving care coordination and health outcomes. A healthier population, they claimed, would be less expensive. We should demand that MA corporations live up to these lofty promises without billions of dollars in overpayments.

Wed like to see them try.

Improved Medicare for ALL

Winning back $140 billion in annual overpayments begs a tantalizing question: How can we use those funds to improve Medicare for all seniors?

Instead of the paltry benefits that MA plans offer, those funds would help us add robust hearing, vision, and dental benefits; totally eliminate Medicare Part B premiums; and fold in the Medicare Part D prescription drug benefit. Imagine the relief a senior on Medicare Advantage would feel when enrolling in a plan that actually covers the full range of dental care, while also freeing themselves from the narrow provider networks and prior authorization requirements imposed by MA plans.

Most critically, we need to establish a low out-of-pocket maximum for Medicare. Insurance corporations lure seniors and people with disabilities into the MA trap by selling lower up-front costs while hiding substantial barriers to care. Its a classic bait and switch. Eliminating the need to purchase Medigap would level the playing field and allow everybody to remain in Traditional Medicare.

Well, not everybodybut thats our ultimate goal. PNHP advocates for a national single-payer health insurance program, and what better way to get there than through an improved version of the already popular Medicare program?

Where we see middlemen standing between patients and the care they need, we should remove them. Where we see limited provider networks, we should expand them. Where we see piles of pre-authorization paperwork, we should shred them.

We should also expand benefits to include all medically necessary care, and ultimately eliminate out-of-pocket costs that deter people from seeing a doctor. Once these improvements are in place, we will have a program thats truly worthy of the name Medicare for All.

The advocacy work for these prioritiesending MA overpayments, improving Traditional Medicare, and realizing our vision for single payeroverlap and build on one another.

Lets work to build a movement of seniors, physicians, students, people with disabilities, and everybody else who cares about Medicare. Together, we can take on the corporate insurers that are wreaking so much havoc in our lives and lay the groundwork for winning a single-payer program that brings everybody in and leaves nobody out.
Harley-Davidson facing BOYCOTT over DEI Pride events FOR KIDS

Iconic motorcycle brand Harley-Davidson is facing criticism from conservative groups for its promotion of diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) policies, including supporting Pride events that target children

The company, which generates $6 billion annually and is known for its tough, rebellious image, is under fire after critics highlighted its DEI initiatives and urged riders to boycott the brand.

Robby Starbuck, an online influencer, has been very vocal about exposing Harley-Davidson's support for various progressive causes, including policies on transgender care for children, critical race theory and prioritizing minority groups in business.

This backlash is similar to those faced by other companies, like John Deere and Bud Light, which have been criticized for their support of LGBTQ+ and other progressive causes which harm consumers and turn them away. (Related: John Deere abandons WOKE DEI corporate policies following backlash from conservative activists.)

Supporters of DEI initiatives argue that they help increase the representation of women and ethnic, sexual and gender minorities in the workplace. However, critics view these efforts as "tokenistic" and believe they disproportionately impact straight White men.

Starbuck, a former House candidate for the Republican primary in Tennessee, expressed his concern, stating that Harley-Davidson seems to have lost touch with its core customer base. He cited several examples of the company's actions, such as supporting the Democrat-sponsored Equality Act, funding Pride events and requiring employees to undergo LGBTQ+ ally training, among others.

According to Starbuck, Harley-Davidson's CEO Jochen Zeitz has pushed the company towards a more progressive stance, including a commitment to DEI policies. These efforts have included forming partnerships with organizations like the Wisconsin LGBT Chamber of Commerce and the Human Rights Campaign and supporting initiatives like the "United for Equity" program by United Way. The company has also introduced employee resource groups that focus on gender, race and sexual identity.

Starbuck encouraged conservative customers to voice their concerns and consider whether Harley-Davidson's values align with their own. He suggested that consumers use their purchasing power to support companies that reflect their values and avoid those that promote ideologies they disagree with.

Harley-Davidson has been a symbol of freedom and rebellion for over a century. Known for its iconic motorcycles and the culture of independence it represents, the brand has attracted a diverse group of riders who value the open road and the sense of adventure that comes with it.

Many customers alienated by Harley-Davidson's new direction

There are mixed reactions to Harley-Davidson's actions. While some people support the company's efforts to be more inclusive and diverse, others feel alienated. Social media has played a significant role in spreading both support and criticism, showing how public opinion is divided on this issue.

Harley-Davidson has not publicly responded to criticisms but the controversy reflects a broader trend of conservative-led boycotts against brands that support progressive policies. While some customers may find Harley-Davidson's DEI efforts uncontroversial, others feel alienated by the company's direction, The situation highlights the challenges companies face in navigating social and political issues in today's divided climate.

As Harley-Davidson navigates this controversy, questions remain about how it will balance its traditional image with new social responsibilities. The company is at a crossroads  trying to reconcile differing viewpoints among its customer base. Customers are encouraged to express their opinions respectfully, as their feedback is crucial in shaping the company's future direction.

Head over to Wokies.news for similar stories.

Watch this video about Harley Davidson going woke.

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Boeing goes woke  and will soon be broke as planes break amid focus on "diversity."

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Israel seeks to label UN agency responsible for aiding Palestinian refugees a terrorist organization

The United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East (UNRWA), tasked with assisting Palestinian refugees, could soon be labeled a terrorist organization by Israel.

This dramatic move, supported by the Knesset, would strip UNRWA staff of their immunity and ban its operations within Israel. The proposal stems from accusations that UNRWA has been aiding Hamas, although a recent UN review found no evidence to support these claims.

UNRWA was established in 1949 to provide humanitarian aid to Palestinian refugees in Gaza, the West Bank, Jordan, Syria and Lebanon.

Israel has accused the agency of supporting Hamas and other terrorist organizations.

Israeli officials alleged that 12 UNRWA personnel participated in the October 7 Hamas attacks, which resulted in over 1,100 Israeli deaths and around 250 Israelis taken hostage in Gaza. (Related: Israel says Doctors Without Borders staffers are terrorists who deserve to be killed.)

They also claimed that 190 UNRWA employees allowed attackers to use the agency's facilities as safe havens and provided Hamas with intelligence and logistical support.

On July 22, the Knesset voted 50 to 10 to advance a bill that would designate UNRWA as a terrorist organization, effectively barring its operations on Israeli soil and removing the rights and privileges typically accorded to UN employees.

The legislation is still pending further review and requires two additional votes to become law. The Foreign Affairs and Defense Committee is currently reviewing the proposals in detail.

MK Yulia Malinovsky of Yisrael Beitenu, who supports the bill, described UNRWA as a "fifth column" and criticized the UN for alleged inaction, stating, All the excessive morality ended on October 7.

Major donor countries suspend their funding of UNRWA

The accusations against UNRWA led several major donor countries, including the United States, the United Kingdom and Germany, to suspend their funding. This funding halt has significantly impacted the agency's operations.

However, a UN-commissioned independent inquiry in April found no concrete evidence linking UNRWA to terrorist activities.

UNRWA plays a crucial role in providing essential services, including food assistance, medical care, education and social services, to over two million Palestinians.

The agency employs more than 30,000 staff members. UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres has emphasized that UNRWA's services are vital for the survival of millions of people.

The potential designation of UNRWA as a terrorist organization raises significant concerns about the future of humanitarian aid for Palestinian refugees and the broader implications for international diplomacy and conflict resolution in the region.

Early this year, UNRWA dismissed 12 employees following allegations that they participated in the October 7 Hamas attacks on Israel. The accusations were based on evidence provided by Israeli authorities.

UNRWA's commissioner-general, Philippe Lazzarini, stated that the terminations were made to safeguard the agencys humanitarian mission and an investigation has been launched.

In response, the U.S. has suspended funding to UNRWA, reversing its previous support.

This decision marks a sharp turn from the Biden administrations earlier stance, which saw the resumption of funding cut off during the Trump administration.

Since then, the U.S. had provided over $730 million to the agency for refugee assistance in the West Bank and Gaza Strip.

Republican lawmakers, including Rep. Elise Stefanik and Rep. Chris Smith, have called for a permanent halt to funding, criticizing the administration for not addressing what they view as UNRWA's long-standing issues with anti-Israel bias and complicity with Hamas.

They argue that funding should be contingent on significant reforms to the agency.

The Biden administration had previously defended UNRWA's work in Gaza, highlighting its role in providing essential aid despite the risks involved. Secretary of State Antony Blinken, who had visited UNRWA offices in Jordan and praised their efforts, now faces pressure for a thorough response.

Criticism has intensified as GOP lawmakers accused the administration of failing to act on evidence of UNRWAs problematic ties and anti-Israel bias earlier. House Foreign Affairs Committee Chairman Michael McCaul and Rep. Darrell Issa have both condemned the Biden administrations handling of the issue, demanding more decisive action and accountability.

Learn more about the ongoing invasion of Gaza and the genocide of the Palestinian people at WWIII.news.

Watch this Oct. 10 episode of "Brighteon Broadcast News" as Mike Adams, the Health Ranger, warns about Israel potentially committing genocide against the more than two million Palestinians living in the Gaza Strip.

This video is from the Health Ranger Report channel on Brighteon.com.

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Israeli national security minister calls for EXECUTION of Palestinian prisoners with "shot to the head."

An Israel vs. Hezbollah War is brewing.

ICJ declares Israeli occupation of Palestinian territories ILLEGAL.

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NYPost.com
Neo-Nazi group claims responsibility for former Ukrainian MPs murder

A neo-Nazi group called National-Socialism/White Power (NS/WP) has claimed responsibility for the recent murder of Irina Farion, a former Ukrainian ultranationalist lawmaker.

Farion, who represented the far-right Svoboda (Freedom) party in the Ukrainian parliament from 2012 to 2014, was known for her hardline Russophobic stance. She was shot dead by an unidentified gunman in Lviv, a city in western Ukraine.

On Wednesday, July 24, several Ukrainian and Russian media outlets discovered a video on the NS/WP Telegram channel that allegedly shows the moment Farion was critically wounded.

The 10-second clip, mostly obscured by a finger over the lens, captures several gunshots and a woman screaming in the background. Despite the unclear footage, some outlets overlaid the clip with publicly available videos, identifying commonalities such as specific cars seen in each video.

The video post included a message in Russian: "I take responsibility for the elimination of the saboteur and racial traitor Irina Farion," promising further retaliation against other "enemies of Ukrainians."

The alleged killer claimed he murdered Farion because she incited divisions in Ukraine based on language and he thanked the Ukrainian military for their fight against Russia.

"I'm not interfering with you; on the contrary, Im working for your good. While you are fighting the external enemy, I am fighting the internal one," the message stated.

The National Police of Ukraine are investigating the post and analyzing the video for additional clues. Law enforcement agencies identified the prime suspect as a slender man in his 20s, with local media suggesting he had been preparing the attack for a long time.

Suspect in Farion's murder arrested

On Thursday, July 25, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky announced that an 18-year-old suspect in the murder case had been arrested in the city of Dnepr following a "difficult" operation.

Farion gained attention last year for her critical remarks about top officers of Ukraine's 3rd Separate Assault Brigade, which includes many members of the former neo-Nazi Azov regiment, over their use of Russian.

Her comments led to a fierce backlash, her dismissal from the Lviv Polytechnic and an investigation by the Security Service of Ukraine (SBU) on charges of discrimination.

Lviv regional head Maksym Kozytskyi announced on Telegram that Farion succumbed to her injuries in the hospital. Interior Minister Ihor Klymenko stated that the killing was not spontaneous and that police are investigating several possible motives.

"We already have several versions. The main ones, I can say, are linked to Farion's social and political activities and personal dislike," Klymenko said via Telegram. He added that a commissioned nature for the murder could not be ruled out.

Zelensky earlier announced a major police operation to investigate the killing, including the possibility of a connection to Russia. The hardline nationalist Svoboda blamed Russia directly for the murder, stating, "Moscow shoots in the temple for the Ukrainian language."

In 2023, Farion declared that true Ukrainian patriots should avoid speaking Russian, even on the front lines, as it is the language of the aggressor. She described Russian as "the language of the enemy, who kills, discriminates, insults and rapes me," and questioned the sanity of those fighting in the Ukrainian army while speaking Russian. Her remarks led to widespread backlash in Ukraine, with accusations of inciting hatred based on linguistic preferences.

Visit UkraineWitness.com for more stories about politics in Ukraine.

Watch this video about the neo-Nazi Azov Battalion being supported by the United States.

This video is from the SOS channel on Brighteon.com.

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Report exposes FBI program to STAGE neo-Nazi rallies in U.S.

Controversial neo-Nazi Azov Battalion removed from Stanford Universitys list of dangerous militant groups.

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Netanyahu expected to delay Gaza ceasefire deal until after the U.S. presidential election

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is likely to postpone Gaza ceasefire talks for at least three more months, delaying them until after the U.S. presidential election.

Netanyahu, who praised Trump as "the best friend Israel has ever had in the White House" in 2020, is believed to be aiming to capitalize on a potential Trump victory to gain more favorable terms. (Related: Netanyahu demands U.S. expedite aid to Israel, says Americans protesting Israel 'stand with evil.')

Despite recent optimism from the Biden administration, with Secretary Blinken suggesting a ceasefire agreement is imminent, Politico's report suggests Netanyahu may be using the election timing to his advantage.

According to the report, Netanyahu perceives that a Trump administration would be more supportive of Israel and tougher on Iran and its allies, such as Hezbollah.

A senior diplomat from the region indicated that Netanyahu's strategy may involve waiting until after the November election.

This assessment aligns with a separate report from Lebanese newspaper Al-Akhbar, which cites an intelligence assessment suggesting the Doha talks might stall until after the election due to Netanyahu's expectation of better conditions under Trump.

The recent announcement of Biden's withdrawal from the presidential race alters the dynamics of Netanyahu's upcoming meeting with Biden at the White House.

Israeli media reports that Netanyahu plans to express gratitude to Biden for his support during the war and throughout his career. He also intends to reaffirm Israel's unwavering commitment as America's most crucial ally in the Middle East, regardless of the next U.S. president.

Previously, Netanyahu's government criticized Biden's policies, particularly after the U.S. temporarily withheld bomb shipments to Israel. However, with a possible Trump administration on the horizon, such criticisms are expected to diminish.

Meanwhile, Israeli military operations in the southern Gaza city of Khan Younis have intensified, with heavy airstrikes reported amid a worsening humanitarian crisis as civilians continue to flee the area.

Hamas senior official: Netanyahu shows reluctance to pursue ceasefire in speech to U.S. Congress

Hamas senior official Sami Abu Zuhri claimed on Wednesday, July 24, that Netanyahu's speech to the U.S. Congress reveals his reluctance to pursue a ceasefire.

Netanyahu's address, notable for being his fourth appearance before a joint session of the U.S. Senate and House of Representatives, centered on the need for a regional security alliance to counter Iran's influence.

Abu Zuhri condemned Netanyahu's speech as filled with falsehoods, arguing that it failed to obscure Israel's military setbacks and ongoing war crimes against Gaza. He accused Netanyahu of trying to deflect attention from the "genocide" committed by Israeli forces and labeled any potential alliance with Israel as a betrayal of Palestinian martyrs' blood.

In his speech, Netanyahu emphasized that Israel has no plans to resettle Gaza. He proposed that after the conflict with Hamas militants, Gaza should be governed by Palestinians who do not seek Israel's destruction.

In response, Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas' spokesperson, Nabil Abu Rudeineh, underscored that Palestinians alone have the right to determine their leadership and reiterated that the only path to security and stability is the establishment of an independent Palestinian state with East Jerusalem as its capital.

The conflict, which erupted on October 7, began when Hamas fighters launched a massive assault on southern Israel, killing 1,200 people and taking 250 captives, according to Israeli sources.

As of now, Hamas and other militants are still holding approximately 120 hostages, with Israel believing that around a third of them may be dead.

In retaliation, Israel's military offensive in Gaza has resulted in over 39,000 Palestinian deaths, according to the Gaza Health Ministry. The humanitarian crisis in Gaza has also intensified, with widespread destruction and severe shortages of essential supplies.

Follow IsraelCollapse.com for more news about the ongoing conflict in the Gaza Strip.

Watch Dr. Phil's exclusive interview with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.

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North Korean hacker indicted for hacking, stealing military secrets

Alleged North Korean military operative Rim Jong Hyok has been indicted by prosecutors in the United States for his role in hacking American medical providers, stealing military secrets and for using ransomware to extort organizations around the world.

According to the indictment filed in a district court in Kansas, Hyok is accused of laundering funds through a Chinese bank, then using that money to pay for cyberattacks against a range of international targets.

As a member of North Korea's Reconnaissance General Bureau intelligence agency, Hyok worked with other alleged state-sponsored hackers to compromise National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) Office of Inspector General, two U.S. Air Force bases  Randolph Air Force Base in Texas and Robins Air Force Base in Georgia  and organizations in India, Japan, Taiwan, South Korea and China. (Related: White House official: China maintained PERSISTENT ACCESS to U.S. networks for years.)

The North Korean government allegedly sponsored these cyber operations and is believed to be orchestrating a wider effort to target foreign agencies and companies to gain intelligence for its military and nuclear programs, according to U.S. officials.

The hackers used another previously unidentified malware script to infiltrate NASA's computer networks for over three months, stealing over 17 gigabytes of data, according to the indictment. The group used the same virus to attack defense companies in Oregon and Michigan to steal information that included details on uranium and shipbuilding projects.

The Department of State has offered a $10 million reward for information that can lead authorities to Hyok's arrest and the arrest of other members of North Korea's Reconnaissance General Bureau, one of its main military intelligence arms. Hyok is believed to be located in North Korea, but the intelligence on the matter is unclear.

Korean hackers dubbed Anadriel or APT45 are part of Reconnaissance General Bureau

Hyok and other hackers affiliated with him are alleged to be part of a cyber crime group known as Andariel or APT45. The cyber unit has targeted or breached computer systems at a broad variety of defense or engineering firms, including manufacturers of tanks, submarines, naval vessels, fighter aircraft and missile and radar systems.

Internationally isolated North Korea, known formally as the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK), has a long history of using covert hacking teams to steal sensitive military information.

To fund their operations, the hackers used ransomware to target U.S. hospitals and healthcare companies, U.S. officials allege. One of the ransomware incidents that Hyok is charged with involved a May 2021 hack against a Kansas-based hospital that paid ransom after the hackers encrypted four of its computer servers.

Hyok and his associates allegedly used a strain of ransomware called Maui to disable computers in the hospital, then demanded that it pay an extortion fee in order to end the attack. That malware prevented victims from accessing X-ray systems and electronic document management systems.

The hospital paid in bitcoin, which was transferred to a Chinese bank and then withdrawn from an ATM in Dandong, China, located right next to the Sino-Korean Friendship Bridge which connects the city to the North Korean border city of Sinuiju. The proceeds more than likely were used to purchase more internet infrastructure which is then used to conduct more cyber espionage operations.

Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) and Department of Justice (DOJ) officials told reporters they have seized some of the online accounts belonging to the hackers, including $600,000 in virtual currency that will be returned to victims of the ransomware attacks.

"The global cyber espionage operation that we have exposed today shows the lengths that DPRK state-sponsored actors are willing to go to pursue their military and nuclear programs," said Paul Chichester of the United Kingdom's National Cyber Security Center.

In a joint advisory, the U.S., U.K. and South Korea said the North Korea-affiliated hacking group Andariel, also called "Oynx Sleet," "Silent Chollima" and "APT45," is a threat to industries worldwide.

The U.S. has recently ramped up its efforts to crack down on North Korean espionage, including by sanctioning individuals and companies for illicitly raising money for the government in Pyongyang. In 2020, the Justice Department unsealed a 50-page indictment that accused more than two dozen North Korean and Chinese individuals with allegedly violating sanctions with an illegal global financial network to aid North Korea's nuclear weapons and missile program.

Visit CyberWar.news for more stories about cyberattacks and cyber criminals.

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Cyber extortion: AT&T agreed to pay hacker about $400,000 to erase stolen sensitive data.

Apple warns of cyberattack targeting 1.46 BILLION Apple devices.

Thousands of North Koreans are using fake identities to land remote work opportunities on LinkedIn.

Sources include:

Reuters.com

Bloomberg.com

Brighteon.com
Secret Service director Kim Cheatle RESIGNS after sparring with Congress over security failures at Trump rally

Just one day after she went head-to-head with House lawmakers over the blatant security failures that occurred at Donald Trump's recent campaign rally in Butler, Penn. on July 13, shamed Secret Service Director Kim Cheatle has resigned

Instead of being fired and arrested, Cheatle casually stepped down from her post after being grilled by numerous Republicans and at least one Democrat, all of whom told her to quit for allowing the agency she oversees to fail at its "zero-fail mission."

One of the things Cheatle admitted to lawmakers  watch below  is that Secret Service agents were not positioned near the roof where alleged shooter Thomas Matthew Crooks pulled the trigger because the spot, located 150 yards from Trump's podium, was "outside of the perimeter" for some unknown reason.

Kimberly Cheatle testifies that the roof 150 yards from the podium was outside of the perimeter": pic.twitter.com/cpJQ5Oufhz  Daily Caller (@DailyCaller) July 22, 2024

(Related: Cheatle is a close friend of the Biden Crime Family, having been personally recommended for her position by "Dr." Jill's office.)

Biden thanks Cheatle for "her service to our family"

Cheatle's sudden departure coincided with an announcement from Department of Homeland Security (DHS) Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas who revealed that his agency, created by the George W. Bush administration in the aftermath of the 9/11 terrorist attacks, will be forming an "independent" panel to investigate what happened in Butler.

Mayorkas, along with Joe Biden, both said they are "grateful" to Cheatle for her "decades of public service," meaning she, along with Biden, are political fossils who have been on the taxpayer dole for most of their lives.

"Jill and I are grateful to Director Kim Cheatle for her decades of public service," reads a July 23 memo from Biden's ghostwriters. "She has selflessly dedicated and risked her life to protect our nation throughout her career in the United States Secret Service."

"We especially thank her for answering the call to lead the Secret Service during our Administration and we are grateful for her service to our family."

Rep. Nancy Mace (R-S.C.) had a much different message for Cheatle, telling her she is "full of s*** today," this referring to her testimony before Congress in which she gave vague or no answers to very direct questions that Cheatle, were she an honest person, would have been able to easily to answer.

Watch below the moment when Cheatle revealed to Congress that Secret Service conveniently has no recordings whatsoever of radio communications on July 13:

Criminal. Cheatle admits USSS does not have radio comms recordings from July 13. Unbelievable pic.twitter.com/ps7fpzMFzD  Julie Kelly ?? (@julie_kelly2) July 22, 2024

Another thing worth noting is that under Cheatle's direction, Secret Service deleted the texts of two dozen agents and officials related to the Jan. 6, 2021, "insurrection" at the U.S. Capitol.

Check out this clip of Cheatle admitting to using encrypted messaging apps on her private mobile phone to converse with government colleagues:

Bloody Hell Secret Service Director Kimberly Cheatle just said that she uses encrypted apps on her personal cell phone to speak to colleagues in the federal government and overseas Rep. Eric Burlinson is stunned, and states this might be a federal crime Cheatle hurriedly then pic.twitter.com/qZHT3z2So5  Connor Tomlinson (@Con_Tomlinson) July 22, 2024

"She's got a lot to answer for," commented Speaker of the House Mike Johnson (R-La.), who called Cheatle's congressional grilling "must-watch TV."

"And those concerns are bipartisan," he added in a chilling statement.

"This woman was not running anything," suggested another taking a more conspiratorial angle. "Another puppet with her masters pulling the strings."

The year 2024 is sure to be a memorable one with much more still to come. Find out more at Collapse.news.

Sources for this article include:

ZeroHedge.com

NaturalNews.com
Trump tells Michigan crowd he took a bullet for democracy

At a recent campaign stop in Grand Rapids, Mich., former President Donald Trump talked much about what happened in Butler, Penn., claiming that he "took a bullet for democracy."

Trump's first public campaign event since the shooting, he brought along his newly announced running mate J.D. Vance to present to his followers. To loud cheers, Trump recalled the way he has been treated over the years in light of the attempt on his life.

"They keep saying, 'he's a threat to democracy' ... what the hell did I do to democracy?" Trump asked. "Last week, I took a bullet for democracy!"

"At this very moment, Democrat Party bosses are frantically trying to overthrow the results of their own party's primaries to dump Crooked Joe Biden from the ballot," Trump added with a skin-colored bandage on his ear.

"As you're seeing, the Democratic Party is not the party of democracy. They're really the enemies of democracy."

They keep saying Hes a threat to Democracy What the Hell did I do to Democracy? Last week, I took a bullet for Democracy. Donald Trump?????? Yes This!!! pic.twitter.com/oXgAsQg7yN  Donald Trump Jr. (@DonaldJTrumpJr) July 20, 2024

(Related: The Department of Justice [DOJ] could drop all prosecutions of Trump because of the assassination attempt.)

Trump: Democrats "have no idea who their candidate is, and neither do we"

Trump's appearance in Grand Rapids occurred right as Democrats were scrambling to try to find a replacement for Joe Biden, who dropped out of the presidential race suddenly on July 21.

According to Trump, Democrats no longer have any idea "who their candidate is, and neither do we."

Many want Biden to not just drop out of the race but also resign from the presidency right now, which would leave Kamala Harris as the new president until January 2025, assuming Trump wins in November.

Biden, 81, faces increasing scrutiny over his apparent inability to run the country due to rapidly declining, age-related health problems. Following Biden's disastrous performance at the debate in late June, it became apparent to both the right and the left that Biden is incapable of functioning as commander-in-chief.

Then, out of nowhere, Biden reportedly tested "positive" for the Wuhan coronavirus (COVID-19) immediately after dropping out of the race. He was not seen publicly for quite some time.

"There is no democracy when treasonous political donors determine which candidates get elected or defeated, and who gets to live and to die," a commenter at RT wrote about how United States elections are corrupt to the core.

"Lobbyists like AIPAC and the Ashkenazi Defence League should be exiled to GITMO with their assets being appropriated."

Another noted that Trump used that same "democracy" word rather than referring to America as the republic that it actually is.

"No mention of saving the republic, only democracy which was a failure," this person wrote. "If you want to see who took the bullet, visit a local VA hospital."

"Also, while you're busy saving Israel, Taiwan, Ukraine and any other cat juggling carnie that pleads for assistance, remember what you observed in that same VA hospital. For 'democracy.' It got a lot of people killed. No offense to actual carnies."

Another asked of Trump why he "put a bullet in Iranian military chief Suleimani and many other lives along with him."

"He never killed a single American," this person said. "Was it for democracy?"

"There is no democracy anywhere," suggested another about the specious nature of the term "democracy" in the modern context. "Even if there was, who ever thought many wrongs should decide what is right?"

Will Trump become the next president of the United States? Find out more at Trump.news.

Sources for this article include:

RT.com

NaturalNews.com
Unreleased UN report reveals the IDF has killed at least 195 UN staff and 172 of their dependents in Gaza

An unreleased report from a United Nations (UN) crisis coordination center has revealed that the Israeli Defense Forces (IDF) killed at least 195 UN staff and 172 of their dependents in Gaza

According to the unreleased report obtained by the Drop Site news outlet on July 24, the IDF has killed five dependents from the UN Development Program, four from the UN International Children's Emergency Fund, three from the World Food Program and two from the World Health Organization. Meanwhile, a mind-boggling 158 dependents from the UN Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East (UNRWA) were killed by Israeli forces during their relentless assault on Gaza. (Related: UNICEF REPORT: Child casualties in West Bank surged by 250% since Israels war began in October.)

This tragic data comes in the wake of a May report, which revealed that 188 UNRWA staff members had been killed.

However, the extent of familial casualties had not been detailed at the time. The UN defines dependents as individuals within a staff member's family who are formally recognized as financially reliant on that staff member. The report revealed that by the end of June, at least 195 UN staff and 172 of their dependents had lost their lives.

These figures are the first to quantify the extent of familial casualties caused by Israel's indiscriminate attack on Gaza and were circulated internally within UN offices on July 1, just before the International Court of Justice first declared Israel's occupation of Palestinian territories illegal and called for the dismantling of all illegal settlements.

Israeli forces continue to attack UN staff and their families in different locations in Gaza

Even after the revelations in the UN report, Israeli attacks on UN staff persisted. For instance, on July 21, UNWRA Communications Director Juliette Touma reported to UN News that the IDF fired upon a UN convoy despite prior coordination.

"Just before the Israeli control checkpoint in Wadi Gaza, there was heavy shooting. One of the cars received at least five bullets. It was very badly damaged. It had to leave the convoy," said Touma. "Every movement like that is coordinated very closely with the Israelis. We are very lucky that we don't have any casualties among our staff. Everybody was shaken, however. Despite that, the team decided to continue up north and they reached their destination. It shouldn't be like this. Humanitarian workers must be protected at all times. Period."

This incident followed a deadly airstrike on July 14, where an Israeli airstrike on the UNRWA-run Abu Oreiban school in central Gaza's Nuseirat Camp resulted in the deaths of at least 15 displaced Palestinians and injuries of over 70. The director of Al-Awda Hospital claimed that 70 percent of the casualties were women and children.

Just a day before, on July 13, an airstrike in southern Gaza's Al-Mawasi killed at least 90 people and injured hundreds. Similarly, on July 10, four schools were targeted by Israeli forces and on July 7, Israeli forces killed 16 and injured 50 others, including children, after bombing a UNRWA school.

Reports have also surfaced of UNRWA staff being tortured in Israeli detention centers.

Follow IsraelCollapse.com for more news about the ongoing conflict in Gaza.

Watch Robert Inlakesh explaining the UN's decision to add Israel to the blacklist of countries harming children.

This video is from the CreeperStatus channel on Brighteon.com.

More related stories:

U.S. surgeon says Israeli snipers deliberately targeted Palestinian children.

WHO accuses Israel of inflicting ACUTE MALNUTRITION on more than 8,000 Palestinian children under 5 years old.

Death toll in Gaza could reach nearly 600,000 due to "indirect deaths," discredited "Lancet" medical journal claims.

UN estimates it will take at least 15 years to clear Gaza of bombing debris.

UN experts call for investigation into Israeli human rights violations against Palestinian women and girls.

Sources include:

TheCradle.co 1

DropSiteNews.com

TheCradle.co 2

Brighteon.com
U.S. and Canadian fighter jets intercept Russian and Chinese bomber aircraft near Alaska

American and Canadian fighter jets were forced to confront Russian and Chinese nuclear-capable bombers when they strayed too close to the United States' airspace near Canada.

American and Canadian fighter jets identified, tracked and intercepted two Russian Tupolev TU-95 and two Chinese Xi'an H-6 bombers on Wednesday, July 24. They were being covered by Russian Su-30 and Su-35 fighter jets as the squadron of aircraft patrolled close to Alaska.

In response, the U.S. Air Force and the Royal Canadian Air Force deployed their own squadrons of fighter jets  believed to be F-35, F-16 and F-18 fighters  to intercept the Russian and Chinese aircraft.

The planes were first spotted by North American Aerospace Defense Command (NORAD) through satellite and radar. NORAD indicated that the four bombers did not enter either American or Canadian airspace, but they did stray close enough into Alaska's air defense identification zone (ADIZ). However, NORAD made it clear that the bomber patrol did not present a threat to either Canada or the United States.

A nation's ADIZ is a self-declared buffer zone in international airspace in which nations survey flight movements for possible national security threats.

Russian and Chinese government statements claim that the joint bomber patrol stressed the increasing military cooperation between the two nations. A statement from the Russian Defense Ministry claimed that the five-hour joint patrol happened in a "new area of joint action," and that the planes "acted strictly in accordance with international legal status [and] did not violate the airspace of foreign countries."

A Chinese spokesperson supported this statement, claiming that the patrol had "nothing to do with the current international situation," and that its maneuvers in international airspace close to Alaska was supposedly not focused on any third country.

First intercept of Chinese military aircraft near Alaska

Alexander Korolev, an expert on Russian-Chinese military partnership at the University of New South Wales in Sydney, stated the flight indicated a concerning first for America.

"It is not unusual for Russian bombers flying through the [Alaska] ADIZ to be intercepted, but I believe it is the first occurrence of a joint Russian and Chinese flight in that zone," Korolev said.

Although Beijing and Moscow have not signed a mutual defense treaty, the two countries have been training together for almost two decades. That activity has increased over the past six years but was mostly confined to airspace close to China, in Japan, over the western Pacific and around Taiwan and the Philippines.

Korolev said the recent patrol was "notable for being the first intercept of Chinese military aircraft near Alaska."

But Russia has maintained a high level of military activity near U.S. airspace. Back in February, the U.S. identified four Russian warplanes flying in Alaska's ADIZ and another Russian military aircraft in May 2023.

Russian warplanes were also intercepted there twice in a single week in February 2023 and in that same month, a Chinese spy balloon was identified near Alaska before ultimately working its way across the continental America and being shot down off the coast of South Carolina.

Military activity by the U.S., Canada, Russia and China has also increased in the Arctic region. Moscow recently released a statement indicating that it deployed fighter jets to intercept two American long-range bomber aircraft that flew close to the Russian border over the Barents Sea in the Arctic. (Related: Russian jet fighters DRIVE AWAY 2 U.S. bombers near its Arctic border.)

Russia has expanded military operations in the Arctic Circle, along with tests of modern hypersonic missiles.

In early July, Canada's Defense Ministry reported its plans to obtain 12 new submarines capable of traveling under sea ice to boost the country's ability to defend its massive Arctic coastal area. The Defense Ministry also warned of China's plan to grow its own submarine fleet, and Russia's ability to use its submarines to gather intelligence in Arctic waters.

Follow WWIII.news for more news about growing tensions between the U.S. and Russia and China.

Watch the video below about U.S. fighter jets intercepting Russian and Chinese bombers entering near its protected airspace close to Alaska.

This video is from the TrendingNews channel on Brighteon.com.

More related stories:

Putin takes a ride in a NUCLEAR-capable bomber that can reach the U.S.

China continues to threaten Taiwanese airspace, deploying 10 WARPLANES to cross Taiwan Strait median line.

Taiwan says it is preparing for war as China continues to provoke conflict with massive incursions of fighters, bombers.

North Korea scrambles fighter jets after U.S. spy plane enters its economic zone.

Canadian military commanders sound warning: Country cannot hope to stop Russian expansion into Arctic.

Sources include:

The-Sun.com

CBSNews.com

Brighteon.com
Watchdog website PURGES report labeling Kamala Harris the most liberal senator of 2019

GovTrack.us, a website that tracks the passage of bills through Congress and the voting records of legislators, recently confirmed that it had removed a 2019 report that tagged then-Sen. Kamala Harris as that year's "most liberal" U.S. senator sometime within the last two weeks.

The organization that provides "thorough documentation of U.S. congressional voting" labeled Harris as the "most liberal compared to all senators that year," outranking even progressive stalwarts like Sens. Elizabeth Warren (D-MA) and Bernie Sanders (I-VT).

The self-described "government transparency website" now displays a "Page Not Found" error prompt whenever the link is accessed. Moreover, the Internet Archive's Wayback Machine illustrates that the webpage was yanked down sometime this month, the same month that Harris gained enough delegates to become the Democratic Party's Presidential nominee after President Joe Biden's announcement on July 21 of stepping down and endorsing Harris.

According to GovTrack founder Joshua Tauberer, the webpage removal was a consequence of the group's policy shift enacted "several years ago" to end its single-year ratings of lawmakers to only do ratings based on Congressional sessions, which are two years. He did not disclose the exact date of the webpage removal.

"We determined that the limited data available in a single year was not sufficient to create a reliable portrait of the activity of legislators, particularly given the ebbs and flows of the legislative calendar, and therefore did not serve as a useful tool to our users and the American public," Tauberer said. "We subsequently took down the previously published single-calendar-year statistics for the same reason."

Tauberer told Fox News Digital that the organization was still publishing report cards based on two-year congressional sessions and pointed to Harris' existing 2020 web page, which ranked her ideology as the "most politically left compared to Senate Democrats" for the 116th Congress. She was ranked the second most liberal in all the Senate behind Sanders.

Back in 2020, GovTrack reportedly said that the ranking was not reliable. "I think the short answer is that both things can be true: She can both be sponsoring/co-sponsoring left-leaning legislation, something with typically little risk, while also being pragmatic when push comes to shove on risky and impactful decisions," Tauberer added at the time.

Harris has been known for her hard-left stances, such as support for Medicare for All, the Green New Deal, a ban on fracking, decriminalizing illegal border crossings, starting "from scratch" on the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement agency and more. But she later retracted most of them. For example, she clarified that she supports private health insurance.

Former President Donald Trump and his allies have already seized on GovTrack's old rating, with the Republican nominee alluding to it at a recent rally in Charlotte, North Carolina.

"Kamala Harris is the most liberal elected politician in American history. Did you know that? She's an ultra-liberal politician. She's absolutely terrible. She's as you know more liberal than Bernie Sanders, can you believe it?" Trump chided.

Democrats grow anxious about Harris' "weak" campaign skills

Democrats are now celebrating the end of their anxieties as the initial party flag bearer stepped down to give way to a younger candidate. However, in the privacy of their small circles, critics believe that the left-leaning individuals are starting to grow anxious again about Harris's prospects of defeating Trump. They are aware that she is largely untested as a candidate and faces serious challenges.

Concerns are reportedly already bubbling up over her ability to connect as well as Biden did in 2020 with white working-class and union voters in three states that were critical to defeating Trump: Michigan, Pennsylvania and Wisconsin. "She wasn't a great candidate," one Democratic senator said of Harris's performance as a presidential candidate in 2020 when she pulled out of the Democratic primary before the Iowa caucuses. "She may not be as a political campaigner as good as Biden was in his prime."

According to the senator, Harris's pure political skills won't be as crucial to her success now that almost the entire Democratic Party is rallying behind her and now that she has a clear path to the nomination when the Democratic National Committee holds virtual proceedings early next month.

Sanders and his allies believe that Harris needs to do a lot more to win over blue-collar voters in these states. They weren't happy that Biden got shoved off the ticket after working closely with his top advisers to craft a progressive economic plan for the first 100 days of his second term. "For her to become president, she's going to have to be talking about issues that impact the 60 percent of Americans, working people who are living paycheck to paycheck," Sanders told the Hill last week.

Meanwhile, a Democratic strategist also said it's not clear Harris will be a stronger candidate than Biden in November. The source further noted she was more associated with defending abortion rights and voting rights than tackling economic inequality during her three and a half years as vice president. (Related: If Kamala Harris replaces Joe Biden, survey shows Donald Trumps lead in the polls would only increase.)

Read more news about the vice president at KamalaHarris.news.

Watch the video below that talks about Harris wanting socialism in the United States.

This video is from the NewsClips channel on Brighteon.com.

More related stories:

Insiders: First Lady Jill Biden LIVID at the idea of VP Harris replacing her husband.

Kamala Harris hired an illegal immigrant WHO ATTACKED A WOMAN to be part of jobs program while serving as San Franciscos DA.

RFK Jr. accuses DNC of once again RIGGING the nomination process  this time for Kamala Harris.

Sources include:

ReclaimTheNet.org

FoxNews.com

NYPost.com

TheHill.com

Brighteon.com
ICJ orders Israel to end its 57-year military occupation of Palestinian territories as rapidly as possible

The International Court of Justice (ICJ) has ruled that Israel is legally obligated to end its 57-year military occupation of internationally recognized Palestinian territory as soon as possible.

Israel has established 132 settlements on Palestinian land in the West Bank that are legal under Israeli law, with an additional 98 "outposts" that are technically not legal but still receive extensive support from the government. All of these illegal colonies in East Jerusalem and the West Bank are home to around 700,000 Israeli settlers.

Back in November, the United Nations General Assembly passed a resolution reaffirming the illegality of all of Israel's settlements in the West Bank. This resolution was opposed by only seven nations, including Israel, the United States and Canada. (Related: ICJ orders Israel to end its unlawful occupation of Palestinian territories.)

The ICJ recently ruled in a non-binding 80-page legal opinion on July 26 that Israel must evacuate every single one of the settlers in these territories and pay reparations to all Palestinians who have suffered injury or loss of land or property. The legal opinion also mandates that UN member states "not recognize as legal" the situation resulting from Israel's illegal occupation or "render aid or assistance" to Israel in maintaining the occupation.

Additionally, it calls on the UN, especially the General Assembly and Security Council, to consider and implement effective measures to end the unlawful Israeli occupation of Palestine "as rapidly as possible."

The backdrop of this ruling is the ongoing conflict in Gaza, where massive destruction and bloodshed continue. Christian authorities in the Middle East and a significant majority of national governments worldwide have long identified this occupation as the "root" injustice fueling the conflict between Israeli occupiers and the Palestinian people.

This decision follows a hearing in February where 45 nations, along with three organizations, testified against the Israeli government. Only four countries  the United States, United Kingdom, Hungary, and Fiji  defended the ongoing occupation.

The hearing and subsequent judgment were initiated by a December 2022 UN General Assembly resolution requesting the ICJs opinion on the legal consequences of Israels continued "occupation, settlement and annexation" of Palestinian territory. While the advisory opinion is not legally binding, its legal and moral authority could significantly influence international policies.

Israel accuses the ICJ and other countries of antisemitism

The ruling echoes sentiments previously voiced by Christian bishops in the region. This view has been supported by former Israeli leaders such as Ehud Barak and Ehud Olmert and former Israeli Ambassador to South Africa Alon Liel, along with numerous human rights organizations and international bodies.

"Our people want to put an end to this occupation," responded Riyad Mansour, the Palestinian ambassador to the UN. "What happened today is a significant step in the direction of ending occupation and attaining the inalienable rights of the Palestinian people, including their right to self-determination, statehood and the right of the refugees to return."

He indicated that Palestinian officials would carefully consider the ruling's implications and work towards a comprehensive resolution in the UN General Assembly.

Meanwhile, Mustafa Barghouti, secretary-general of the Palestinian National Initiative, celebrated the decision as a "big victory for the Palestinian cause."

"From a legal perspective, Israel is already indicted and condemned for its policies, for its occupation, settlements, and illegal apartheid rule," he said. "The highest legal structure in the world has confirmed there is occupation, and it is illegal."

However, Israeli officials has claimed that the ICJ and many nations across the globe are driven by antisemitism.

"The decision in The Hague proves for the umpteenth time that this is a distinctly antisemitic and political organization," stated National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir. He reiterated his call for the full annexation of the West Bank and Gaza and insisted that "the time has come for governance and sovereignty."

Moreover, Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich, anticipating the ruling, urged Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to defy international legal obligations by annexing the recognized Palestinian territories. This stance aligns with the broader hard-right perspective within the Israeli government.

IsraelCollapse.com contains similar stories regarding Israeli violations of international law.

Watch the video below that talks about ICJ's ruling for Israel to halt military operations in Rafah.

This video is from the alltheworldsastage channel on Brighteon.com.

More related stories:

13 Countries join South Africas case against Israel on genocide in Gaza.

ICJ declares Israeli occupation of Palestinian territories ILLEGAL.

Netanyahu demands U.S. expedite aid to Israel, says Americans protesting Israel stand with evil.

Adidas drops Palestinian-American supermodel Bella Hadid from ad campaign after backlash from Israel.

Vacation booking website faces criminal charges over ILLEGAL SETTLEMENTS on Palestinian land.

Sources include:

LifeSiteNews.com

IsraelPolicyForum.org

Brighteon.com
Obamas endorse Kamala Harris presidential bid

Former President Barack Obama and former First Lady Michelle Obama endorsed Vice President Kamala Harris' bid for the White House on Friday, July 26.

The Harris campaign announced the endorsement with a video showing the vice president on a phone call with the Obamas. In the video, Michelle Obama expressed her pride in Harris and described the upcoming election as "historic," before the former president shared their endorsement.

"We called to say, Michelle and I couldn't be prouder to endorse you and do everything we can to get you through this election and into the Oval Office," Barack Obama said.

The Obamas, two of the most popular figures in the Democratic Party, had been the most prominent holdouts as the rest of the party quickly coalesced around Harris this week. Barack Obama, known for his draw at events, will likely appear on the campaign trail for Harris in the lead-up to November.

Harris and Barack Obama have maintained contact over the years, with the former president often serving as a sounding board since her days as California state attorney general. They have communicated multiple times in recent days as Harris sought to rally support for her nomination after President Joe Biden exited the race and endorsed her. (Related: RFK Jr. accuses DNC of once again RIGGING the nomination process  this time for Kamala Harris.)

On the call, Obama acknowledged that Democrats are "going to be underdogs" and emphasized that Harris will have to earn the trust of voters across the country.

"We're absolutely confident that you're gonna be able to make it happen. And I wanna make sure that, you know, we're sending a message out to not just Democrats but every American  Democrat, Republican, Independent and especially young people  that the stakes are high. And your vision for a generous, inclusive, positive, community-minded, responsible, lawful America  that's exactly what we need. So, I know youre gonna be working hard, but youre gonna have a whole bunch of folks working alongside you," Obama said, according to excerpts of the phone call.

Better late than never

Barack Obama was reportedly among the top Democratic officials privately urging Biden to reconsider his candidacy in the weeks following a disastrous debate performance. However, the former president refrained from endorsing Harris in recent days, a move that infuriated some Democrats.

Obama's delay was intentional, according to a person familiar with his thinking, who noted that the former president did not want to interject with an endorsement while the party determined its nominee process.

This endorsement is expected to significantly bolster Harris' campaign, as the Obamas remain influential figures within the Democratic Party. Their support is likely to energize the Democratic base and attract undecided voters, giving Harris a crucial advantage as she campaigns for the presidency.

The endorsement comes at a pivotal moment in Harris' campaign, as she aims to unify the party and present a strong challenge in the upcoming election. With the backing of the Obamas, Harris is poised to make a compelling case to the American electorate, emphasizing her vision for a united and inclusive nation.

NBC News reported that Barack Obama has been in regular contact with Harris throughout the week, providing counsel on how to rapidly build up her campaign operation using the staff, money and logistics from Biden's campaign. Later this summer and fall, both Obamas are expected to hit the campaign trail to energize Democratic voters, many of whom are already enthusiastic about Harris.

Both Barack and Michelle Obama are almost certain to receive prominent speaking slots at the Democratic Party's upcoming convention in Chicago in August, which will be the party's first in-person convention since 2016.

Visit KamalaHarris.news for similar stories.

Watch Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis claiming that Vice President Kamala Harris was part of the cover-up of Joe Biden's cognitive decline.

This video is from the NewsClips channel on Brighteon.com.

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Tennessee Rep. Burchett: Kamala Harris is a DEI VICE PRESIDENT.

Sources include:

Politico.com

CNBC.com
Georgia PM pins assassination attempt against ruling partys founder on the same global forces that attempted to kill Trump

The government of the South Caucasus nation of Georgia has uncovered an assassination plot against Bidzina Ivanishvili, the founder of the country's ruling party the Georgian Dream Party. Prime Minister Irakli Kobakhidze believes this assassination conspiracy was the brainchild of the same global forces that attempted to kill former United States President Donald Trump and Slovakian Prime Minister Robert Fico.

The heavy yet worth-investigating allegation came after Georgia's State Security Service's (SSS) launched a probe into the attempt on Ivanishvili's life and some other high-ranking officials within the party. Kobakhidze's revelation points to former Georgian officials and former employees of the security agencies now in Ukraine as having "organized and financed" the planned murder of Georgia's richest man and former prime minister and to destabilize the Georgian government.

"The criminal activities aim to violently overthrow the state government by destructive forces in the midst of creating unrest in the country and weakening the government," the SSS statement read. "Active investigations and operative-search measures are underway in which specific persons are sent to the investigative body for questioning." The SSS added that it has begun questioning Georgians who have recently returned home after fighting in the Ukraine conflict.

At a recent press briefing, Kobakhidze suggested there is a "common pattern that characterizes the same global political forces." He alleged that the same groups that attempted to take down world leaders Trump and Fico also planned to kill the founder of the country's ruling party. He stressed that it is evident from the SSS investigation and the plot against Ivanishvili that these unidentified forces also pose a threat to Georgia.

Earlier in the month, Russia's Foreign Intelligence Service (SVR) claimed that the U.S. is trying to overthrow the current government in Georgia by organizing anti-government protests in the lead up to the nation's upcoming parliamentary elections in October.

"American 'curators' have already given the command to the opposition forces in Georgia to begin planning protests in the country to coincide with the election and the Biden administration has already prepared a large-scale information campaign to discredit the Georgian Dream party," SVR claimed.

Relations between Tbilisi and Washington have been declining since Georgia passed the so-called "foreign agents" law, legislation requiring non-government organizations, media outlets and individuals that receive more than 20 percent of their funding from abroad to register as entities promoting "the interest of a foreign power."

In response to the law, the White House embarked on a "comprehensive review" of its bilateral relations with Tbilisi and suspended joint military exercises. The European Union also paused Georgia's accession negotiations to the bloc and froze some $32 million in aid payments to the Georgian Defense Ministry.

FBI confirms Trump was indeed hit by a bullet

Meanwhile, the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) confirmed on July 26 that Trump was indeed hit by a bullet or a fragment from one when the 20-year-old Thomas Matthew Crooks attempted to take him down during the Republican frontrunner's Pennsylvania rally earlier this month.

"What struck former President Trump in the ear was a bullet, whether whole or fragmented into smaller pieces, fired from the deceased subject's rifle," the FBI said in a statement.

The department's confirmation has been the most definitive law enforcement about the 45th POTUS injuries. This followed ambiguous comments earlier in the week from FBI Director Christopher Wray that appeared to cast doubt on whether Trump had actually been hit by a bullet.

"As I said, I think with respect to former President Trump, theres some question about whether or not its bullet or shrapnel that hit his ear," Wray testified before Congress earlier this week.

For his part, Trump has repeatedly asserted that he was hit by an in-tact bullet, writing on his Truth Social platform that "it was, unfortunately, a bullet that hit my ear and hit it hard." "There was no glass, there was no shrapnel. The hospital called it a 'bullet wound to the ear' and that is what it was. No wonder the once-storied FBI has lost the confidence of America!" Trump posted.

The first medical account of Trump's condition, which came a full week after the shooting, said the bullet that struck Trump had "produced a two-centimeter-wide wound that extended down to the cartilaginous surface of the ear." It also revealed Trump had received a CT scan at the hospital.

"It was a bullet wound," Texas Rep. Ronny Jackson, a staunch supporter who served as Trumps White House physician, said. "You can't make statements like that. It leads to all these conspiracy theories." In his letter released on Friday, Jackson insisted "there is absolutely no evidence" Trump was struck by anything other than a bullet and said it was "wrong and inappropriate to suggest anything else." (Related: House Speaker Johnson opens probe into Trump assassination attempt and Secret Service lapses.)

The FBI declined to comment on Jackson's letter.

Visit Trump.news for more news related to the assassination attempt on the former U.S. president.

Watch the video below where InfoWars' Alex Jones debunks his live caller's theory that Trump's assassination was staged.

This video is from the TNTVNews channel on Brighteon.com.

More related stories:

Truth Social shares climb 30% following Trump's assassination attempt in Pennsylvania.

Donald Trump Jr. says assassination attempt changed his father.

Sources include:

RT.com

AlJazeera.com

CNN.com

APNews.com

Brighteon.com
SECURITY SABOTAGE? Local SWAT in Butler, Penn., had NO COMMS with Secret Service during Trump rally

It took untilbloody-eared Donald Trump was picked up off the floor of his podium by Secret Service at the July 13 Butler, Penn., rally for local law enforcement and SWAT teams to have any interactions whatsoever with Secret Service, first responders confirmed in a recentexclusive.

In the below interview, watch and listen as Jason Woods, Pennsylvania's SWAT team officer, spills the beans about the total lack of communication between Secret Service and law enforcement at Trump's Butler rally.

"We were supposed to get a face-to-face briefing with the Secret Service snipers when they arrived, and that never happened," Woods told the interviewer.

"I think that that was probably a pivotal point where I started thinking things were wrong because that never happened and we had no communication with the Secret Service."

When then asked point-blank about whether or not local law enforcement had any communication at all with Secret Service before the shooting, Woods reaffirmed that Secret Service was not there at the meeting and did not cooperate as planned.

"You had no communication with the Secret Service at all on that Saturday?" the interviewer asked.

"Not until after the shooting," Woods responded.

"And by then ...," the interviewer continued.

"... it was too late," Woods said, completing his sentence.

WOAH. The local SWAT team from Butler, PA claims they had NO COMMS with Secret Service prior to the shooting. They were supposed to meet them upon arrival and it never happened. Something smells rotten. pic.twitter.com/TGTsiaBVtY  Ryan Fournier (@RyanAFournier) July 28, 2024

(Related: It looks as though the "Joe Biden" who held a call after his resignation was just an AI-generated robot.)

Americans demanding answers

Students for Trump chairman Ryan Fournier (@RyanAFournier) received lots of feedback from concerned Americans after he posted the above video clip to his X account.

After thanking X and Elon Musk for allowing it, Fournier pointed out that likely no major media networks will bother to address the elephant in the room concerning the Trump shooting and the Secret Service's mishandling of it.

"If mistake after mistake was made that allowed for the assassination attempt to occur, at what point do we stop accepting that they were really mistakes?" asked someone named Jeff Carlson (@themarketswork).

"Setup. Obviously," responded "GreatAmericanMail" (@mail_american). "At some point, it IS just what it looks like."

Since Secret Service seems to be doing everything within its power to shift the blame from itself to local law enforcement in Butler, it makes sense for Woods and his colleagues to speak out about the disparities between what was planned security-wise at the event and what actually ended up happening.

"I'm not going to say it's an inside job, but there's nothing saying it was an outside job at this point," said "Progressing California" (@ProgressingCali).

"Everything about this day is rotten," added "Bekah" (@TGrammie2).

Another pointed out that jurisdictionally speaking, USSS (Secret Service) had higher authority than Pennsylvania State Police at the Butler rally, meaning they were "supposed to check everyone's work."

"The 'something' that smells rotten is the deliberate omission of presidential protective service which provided just the kinds of gaps needed to pull off a hit where confusion clouded locals' and USSS' judgment," said "Samuel Culper" (@SamlCulper1776). "It gave them TIME to position the assassinS."

"Luckily for President Trump, us and the world, he turned his head at just the right moment, and local police rushed the first shooter, causing his heart rate to spike and interrupt his breathing, aim, and trigger pull. All thanks to local police and supporters drawing frantic attention otherwise, Trump would surely be dead today."

Will Trump win the 2024 election and serve another term? Find out more at Trump.news.

Sources for this article include:

X.com

NaturalNews.com
TRUTH about Kamala Harris: She was, in fact, appointed by Biden to be Americas open borders czar

In case you have not noticed, the media is trying its hardest right now to obscure the fact that Joe Biden appointed Kamala Harris to be his regime's "border czar" back in 2021, a position she failed at as evidenced by the tens of millions of illegal migrants who have flooded the country in the years since.

Their first reactionary argument was that Kamala was never in charge of the border, which is a lie. Now, they are admitting that Kamala was in charge of the border, but not in the way Republicans are claiming.

The New Yorker ran a piece claiming that Kamala's job was to address the "root causes" of migration from the so-called Northern Triangle of Central America, which includes Guatemala, Honduras and El Salvador.

"At no point in her tenure as Vice-President has she been in charge of managing the border," declares Jonathan Blitzer about Kamala.

Elise Stefanik, the third-ranking Republican in the House, feels differently. Stefanik just announced plans to file an emergency resolution "condemning Kamala Harris' role as Joe Biden's 'Border czar' leading to the most catastrophic open border crisis in history."

According to Stefanik and her colleagues, Kamala "came to be known colloquially as the Biden administration's 'border czar'" after Biden himself publicly announced that her job during the Wuhan coronavirus (COVID-19) "pandemic" and beyond was to deal with the problems at America's southern border.

In a tweet of his own, Trending Politics co-owner Collin Rugg revealed that the media has been feverishly scrubbing all traces of its own repeated use of the term "border czar" as reference to Kamala. He also shared the following video as evidence:

REPORT: The media is currently rewriting history in an effort to help the Harris campaign. Here are 5 hoaxes the media has launched in the past week. 5. CBS claims Trump is lying by saying Harris donated to Minnesota Freedom Fund, bailing out dangerous criminals during the pic.twitter.com/HEjlJnE8Kx  Collin Rugg (@CollinRugg) July 26, 2024

(Related: House Republicans are now trying to impeach Kamala for mismanaging the southern border and hiding Biden's advanced cognitive decline.)

Kamala removed from GovTrack's "most liberal Senator" entry

To make her appear less radical and more centrist, GovTrack also removed Kamala from its "most liberal Senator" entry.

During Kamala's 2019 legislative year from Jan. 3, 2019, through Dec. 31, 2019, she was ranked as the most left-wing liberal in the Senate compared to every other Democrat in office.

"Our unique ideology analysis assigns a score to Members of Congress according to their legislative behavior by how similar the pattern of bills and resolutions they cosponsor are to other Members of Congress," GovTrack explained at the time about its methodology.

Rugg called all this shimmying around of the truth "Operation Rewrite" in that it is a desperate attempt to make Kamala more likeable and relatable to average Americans.

"We need to take all the facts and have them posted all over the MSM media and online accounts," wrote "April Meyer" (@meyer320) on X.

"So done with them lying and we now have X so we have the receipts and ability now to show how bad the media is lying. Maybe when they get called out constantly with receipts for their lies they will be more cautious with their lies."

"All they know how to do is lie," responded another. "So there's no way they're going to be more cautious. They'll just get louder, hoping to drown out the truth that's exposing their lies. And the next step beyond removing any traces of their past they can is removing any traces of the facts like in 1984."

Interested in keeping up with the latest news about the 2024 election? You can do so at Rigged.news.

Sources for this article include:

X.com

NewYorker.com

NaturalNews.com

X.com

X.com
Zuckerberg praises Trumps badass reaction to assassination attempt, but stops short of endorsing him

Tech mogul Mark Zuckerberg of Meta Platforms has praised former President Donald Trump's "badass" response to the July 13 assassination attempt on his life, but stopped short of endorsing him.

The Facebook founder expressed his admiration for Trump during a July 18 interview with Bloomberg News, five days after the failed attempt to kill the former president at a Pennsylvania campaign rally. Secret Service agents neutralized the would-be assassin, 20-year-old Thomas Matthew Crooks, but not before he managed to injure Trump's ear. One rally attendee died, while two suffered critical injuries and eventually recovered.

"Seeing Trump get up after getting shot in the face and pump his fist in the air with the American flag is one of the most badass things I've ever seen in my life," Zuckerberg told the outlet. "On some level as an American, it's like hard to not get kind of emotional about that spirit and that fight, and I think that that's why a lot of people like the guy."

But despite his positive comments, Zuckerberg stopped short of endorsing the real estate mogul for the 2024 presidential election. He added that Facebook, one of four services under Meta, has already begun reducing the amount of political content shown to users.

"I'm not planning to be involved in the election. The main thing that I hear from people is that they actually want to see less political content on our services because they come to our services to connect with people. I think you're going to see our services play less of a role in this election than they have in the past."

Zuckerberg and Trump have a fraught history spanning years. During Trump's first term as president in 2016, many of his posts on Facebook were flagged for misinformation and policy violations. Meta even suspended Trump's official accounts on Facebook and Instagram in 2021 over the Jan. 6 false-flag riot, only reinstating them two years later.

At the time, Zuckerberg claimed that Trump was using his account to "undermine the peaceful and lawful transition of power" to President Joe Biden. This prompted Trump to launch Truth Social.

Trump has no plans to forgive Zuckerberg

Trump has not yet given a response to Zuckerberg's comments. But prior to those, Trump showed no signs of forgiving the tech mogul and has even threatened to put Zuckerberg behind bars.

In a July 17 interview with Bloomberg News, the former president aired out his grievances with the Meta CEO as part of a discussion about regulating Big Tech. "Now that I'm thinking about it, I'm for TikTok because you need competition. If you don't have TikTok, you have Facebook and Instagram  and  you know, that's Zuckerberg," Trump said.

In a July 9 post on Truth Social, Trump vowed to imprison "election fraudsters" if he wins in November  explicitly naming Zuckerberg. The post stated: "We already know who you are. Don't do it. Zuckerbucks, be careful." (Related: Zuckerberg planning to rig 2024 elections using INSTAGRAM.)

Trump also demanded Zuckerberg's prosecution last year, accusing the Meta CEO of election misconduct.

"He cheated on the [elections]. The whole system is rigged," Trump wrote on Truth Social at the time. "Why isn't he being prosecuted? The Democrats only know how to cheat. America isn't going to take it much longer."

Head over to Trump.news for more stories about the assassination attempt on the former president.

Watch House Speaker Mike Johnson urging Secret Service Director Kimberly Cheatle to step down following the Trump assassination attempt.

This video is from the NewsClips channel on Brighteon.com.

More related stories:

The Trump assassination attempt exposes the establishments deceitfulness.

X user: FBI and Secret Service were complicit in Trump assassination attempt.

Day before Trump assassination attempt, Austin Private Wealth reported MASSIVE short bets on $DJT and $RUM stocks  similar to stock bets placed right before 9/11.

Subtle death threat? Alex Soros tweets bullet hole and $47, apparently insinuating Trump ASSASSINATION.

Trump stock saw record shorts the day before the assassination attempt  were investors tipped off?

Sources include:

Bloomberg.com

MSN.com

FastCompany.com

Brighteon.com
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Committed to expose irregularities in power sector, says Telangana CM

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elangana Chief Minister A. Revanth Reddy on Monday said that his government is committed to bringing out the "irregularities" in the power sector during BRS rule.

He told the Assembly that the judicial probe already ordered into the irregularities in power purchase agreements with Chhattisgarh and the construction of Bhadradri and Yadadri thermal power plants would bring out the facts including the quantum of public money allegedly swindled during the 10-year rule of Bharat Rashtra Samithi (BRS).

The Assembly witnessed a heated debate over the alleged irregularities after BRS member and former Energy Minister G. Jagadishwar Reddy alleged that the Chief Minister tried to mislead the house on smart meters for farm connections. He claimed that the BRS government had refused to fix meters to agriculture connections.

The Chief Minister slammed BRS leaders for approaching the courts to scrap the Judicial Commission and reminded them that the Commission was set up after they challenged the government to order the probe.

He told the house that the Supreme Court has not scrapped the Commission but only asked the government to appoint a new Chairman in place of Justice L. Narasimha Reddy (retd) and the state government has given its consent for the same.

Alleging that the BRS is distorting even the orders of the Supreme Court, he announced that the new Chairman would be appointed soon.

He claimed that BRS President and former Chief Minister K. Chandrasekhar Rao (KCR) approached the court to scrap the Judicial Commission while citing the approach of the Chairman. Revanth Reddy said the Supreme Court rejected the arguments of KCR saying it is not possible to scrap the Commission. The court stated that if there are objections, the Chairman may be replaced.

The Chief Minister said the Bhadradri thermal power project was started at an estimated cost of Rs 7,290 crore in 2015 with the target of completing it in 2017 but it was completed in 2022 with an inflated cost of Rs 10,515 crore. It would cost Rs 9.73 crore to generate one MW of power in the Bhadradri plant, he said.

The Yadadri project was launched with an estimated cost of Rs 25,000 crore with the target of completing it by 2020 but the project has not yet been completed. The cost of the project has gone up to Rs 34,548 crore and in the future, it may jump to Rs 40,000 crore.

"The cost was escalated by Rs 10,000 crore and in whose pockets has this money gone," he asked. He said while the generation of a MWt of power by NTPC costs Rs.7.38 crore, the same will cost Rs 8.64 crore at the Yadadri project. He claimed that civil work contracts in bulk were given to BHEL and from BHEL, the works were awarded to their benamis, relatives and those close to BRS leaders.

There was fraud of thousands of crores, the CM said, adding that due to irregularities by the BRS government, 16 officials had to face the probe.

The works which should have been completed in two years were continuing for eight years, he added.

"They (the BRS) demanded a probe into power purchase agreements with Chhattisgarh and Yadadri and Bhadradri thermal power projects. We constituted the Commission on their demand but when the Commission asked them to appear and give details, they made allegations against the Commission," he said. Instead of appearing before the Commission to submit their arguments, they approached the court to scrap the Commission, he said.

He pointed out that at the time of the bifurcation of united Andhra Pradesh, then Union Minister S. Jaipal Reddy convinced the Centre to divide energy assets on the basis of requirements and not on the basis of the location of power plants. Telangana got 53.46 per cent of the energy while Andhra Pradesh was given the remaining 46.54 per cent. Thus it was ensured that Telangana does not plunge into darkness, he added.

 Committed to expose irregularities in power sector, says Telangana CM

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India only country where petrol, diesel prices dropped in last 3 years: Hardeep Puri

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nion Petroleum and Natural Gas Minister Hardeep Singh Puri said on Monday that India is the only country where petrol and diesel prices decreased between November 2021 and April 2024.

During Question Hour in the Rajya Sabha, Puri also highlighted that the government is facilitating discussions between the Oil Marketing Companies (OMCs) and the dealers to address margin issues, pointing out that petrol and diesel were deregulated during the UPA administration.

Deregulation means the government does not set the prices of the commodity in the market, he said.

"Prices here being high and elsewhere being low. It's exactly the opposite. In India, the prices today are the lowest, and it is the only country where prices have actually come down," Puri said.

He credited this to the 'bold, ambitious, and farsighted' decisions made by Prime Minister Narendra Modi.

"The prices across the world -- I am giving you a reference period between November 2021 and April 2024. Why I'm doing this is because we have the prices available. In India, the price of petrol came down 13.65 per cent and of diesel 10.97 per cent," Puri said.

However, he noted that in France, petrol prices have increased by 22.19 per cent, in Germany by 15.28 per cent, in Italy by 14.82 per cent, and in Spain by 16.58 per cent.

Puri also pointed out that while petrol prices in India have declined, they have risen in the neighboring countries.

He also slammed the UPA government for issuing oil bonds, stating, "Oil bonds were floated for Rs 1.41 lakh crore. Today, we are having to pay back Rs 3.5 lakh crore for that kind of a farsighted decision."

Regarding the increase in dealers' margins, Puri explained that it is a commercial matter between the Oil Marketing Companies (OMCs) and their dealers.

As of July 1, there are 90,639 retail outlets in the country, with about 90 per cent operated by public sector companies and the remainder by private sector firms.

"We are monitoring the situation and facilitating discussions between the OMCs and the dealers. The last margin increase occurred in 2017. Dealers went to court over some stringent conditions in the guidelines," he said.

"When dealer margins are raised, one condition is that they must comply with the Minimum Wages Act for their employees. The OMCs won the case in the high court, but dealers appealed to the Supreme Court in 2022. Although the matter is still sub judice, we are encouraging a dialogue between the OMCs and the dealers, and hoping for a resolution," the Minister added.

 India only country where petrol, diesel prices dropped in last 3 years: Hardeep Puri

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Andhra government sets target of houses for all poor by 2029

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he Andhra Pradesh government announced on Monday that it will build 1.25 lakh in the coming 100 days and 8.25 lakh houses in a year as part of its efforts to achieve the target of houses for all poor by 2029.

The government also decided to give house sites to new beneficiaries.

While beneficiaries in villages will be given three cents of land, those in urban areas will be allotted two cents each.

In the lands acquired by the previous government for house sites, the beneficiaries will be allotted three cents each.

These decisions were taken at a review meeting of the Housing Department, which was chaired by Chief Minister N. Chandrababu Naidu.

Housing and Information & Public Relations Minister K. Parthasaradhi told media persons that the meeting had a detailed review of the current status of the housing programme and decisions were taken to fulfil the promises made in the elections.

The meeting also set the goals to achieve the target. It was decided to build affordable houses for people from the middle class, lower middle class, and journalists under the Central scheme Asra. These affordable housing projects will be designed on the lines of Sanjeeva Reddy Nagar and Kukatpally Housing Board in Hyderabad. A survey will be conducted to prepare an action plan in this regard.

The meeting noted that the previous government showed discrimination towards beneficiaries under the NTR housing scheme and despite the completion of houses, payments were not made to them. The Chief Minister directed officials to make payments immediately to all such beneficiaries.

Naidu also responded positively on entrusting the task of building houses under Polavaram R&R. The previous government did not provide basic amenities after allotting house sites. The Chief Minister asked officials to provide basic amenities at all such places.

He said that during the last five years, injustice was meted out to the poor to the tune of Rs 9,000 to Rs 10,000 crore in housing schemes. The YSRCP government claimed that it was a people's government but imposed an economic burden on the poor, he said, adding said former Chief Minister Y.S. Jagan Mohan Reddy denied benefits to SCs, STs and BCs despite making tall claims.

He recalled that between 2014 and 2019 when his TDP was in power, SCs and STs were given Rs 50,000 to Rs 1 lakh each in addition to unit cost of Rs 2.50 lakh.

The minister said in the Union Budget, it was announced that houses to be built at a cost of Rs 4 lakh per unit will be sanctioned from March next year. In view of this, eligible beneficiaries will be identified across the state and for this, a survey will be conducted. He said the state Housing Department had taken up construction of 8 lakh houses under PMAY scheme Asra. The minister said their government would complete these houses. Beneficiaries will be identified for sanctioning houses under PMAY 2.0.

 Andhra government sets target of houses for all poor by 2029

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Unemployment rate of youth has fallen from 17.8 per cent to 10 per cent in last 5 years: Minister

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he unemployment rate for youth aged 15 to 29 years in India has been declining steadily over the last five years and has come down from 17.8 per cent in 2017-18 to 10 per cent in 2023-24, according to data tabled in the Parliament on Monday.

The official data source on Employment and Unemployment is the Periodic Labour Force Survey (PLFS) which is conducted by the Ministry of Statistics and Programme Implementation (MoSPI) since 2017-18. The survey period is from July to June every year.

As per the latest available Annual PLFS reports, the estimated Worker Population Ratio (WPR) which reflects the employment rate has an increasing trend while the Unemployment Rate has a decreasing trend over the years, Union Minister of State for Labour & Employment Shobha Karandlaje told the Lok Sabha in a written reply.

She also stated that as per the Reserve Bank of India's (RBI) latest KLEMS data, employment in the country increased to 64.33 crore in the financial year 2023-24 compared to 47.15 crore in 2014-15. The total increase in employment during 2014-15 to 2023-24 is about 17.19 crore.

She stated that employment generation coupled with improving employability is the priority of the government. Accordingly, the government has taken various steps to generate employment in the country.

"Government has announced in the Budget 2024-25, the Prime Minister's package of 5 schemes and initiatives to facilitate employment, skilling and other opportunities for 4.1 crore youth over a 5-year period with a central outlay of Rs. 2 lakh crore," she added.

Various Ministries/Departments like the Ministry of Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises, Ministry of Rural Development, Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs, Ministry of Finance, Ministry of Textile, etc. are implementing different employment generation schemes like the Prime Minister's Employment Generation Programme (PMEGP), Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Scheme (MGNREGS), Pt. Deen Dayal Upadhyaya Grameen Kaushalya Yojana (DDU-GKY), Rural Self Employment and Training Institutes (RSETIs), Deen Dayal Antodaya Yojana-National Urban Livelihoods Mission (DAY-NULM), Pradhan Mantri Mudra Yojana (PMMY), etc, the minister added.

 Unemployment rate of youth has fallen from 17.8 per cent to 10 per cent in last 5 years: Minister

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Quad foreign ministers warn of terrorists using new technology, demand action against LeT, JeM

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arning against terrorists deploying new technologies, the Quad foreign ministers have reinforced their call for concerted international action against Pakistan-based Lashkar-e-Tayyiba (LeT), Jaish-e-Mohammad (JeM), as well as Al-Qa'ida and the Islamic State outfit.

After their meeting in Tokyo, the Quad ministers said in a joint statement on Monday that they were committed to working with international and regional partners to forestall "threats posed by the use of new and emerging technologies for terrorist purposes".

"We reiterate the call for concerted action against all UN-listed terrorist groups including Al-Qa'ida, ISIS/Daesh, Lashkar-e-Tayyiba (LeT), Jaish-e-Mohammad (JeM), and their proxy groups," External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar, US Secretary of State Antony Blinken, and Foreign Ministers Penny Wong of Australia and Yoko Kamikawa of Japan said in their statement.

"We deplore the use of unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs), drones, tunnels, and information and communication technologies by terrorists and terrorist entities," they said.

Recalling the 26/11 Mumbai and the 2016 Pathankot terrorist attacks, they called for "bringing the perpetrators of these attacks to justice without delay".

The ministers said the first meeting of the Quad Working Group on Counter-Terrorism established at the ministerial meeting in New Delhi last year had "fruitful discussions" at its first meeting and at the fourth tabletop exercise in Honolulu in December, and added that they looked forward to next exercise to be hosted by Japan in November.

The tabletop exercises look at scenarios to develop responses to an overwhelming terrorist incident in the Indo-Pacific region.

The 4,000-word joint statement ran the gamut from the conflicts in Ukraine and Palestine, and China's regional threats to cooperation on undersea cable connectivity and environment.

On Ukraine, where there are differences in nuances between India and the other three Quad partners who are all in on aiding Kiev, the statement said unequivocally, "We reiterate the need for a comprehensive, just, and lasting peace in line with international law, consistent with the purposes and principles of the UN Charter, including respect for sovereignty and territorial integrity."

India reiterating, this time in this forum, its joint commitment to upholding international law and the UN Charter in Ukraine comes days after Prime Minister Narendra Modi's visit to Moscow which drew criticism from the West and Ukraine and underlined its independent stand on international relations.

The joint statement did not name Russia.

The ministers' statement made pointed references to the dangers to regional peace and security posed by China, but again, without naming it.

They reiterated their fundamental "steadfast commitment to a free and open Indo-Pacific, which is inclusive and resilient, and are united in our commitment to upholding the free and open rules-based international order".

They called for upholding "sovereignty and territorial integrity, and peaceful settlement of disputes and prohibition on the threat or use of force in accordance with the UN Charter", while also committing to "the principle of freedom, human rights, rule of law, (and) democratic values".

Regarding foreign manipulation through exploitation of the information infrastructure, the four ministers vowed to "leverage our collective expertise and capacity to respond" to those threats.

They warned of "foreign information manipulation and interference, including disinformation, which undermines trust and sows discord in the international community" which are tactics that are "intended to interfere with domestic and international interest".

The ministers said they would promote human rights while "supporting media freedom, addressing online harassment and abuse, and countering unethical practices".

(Arul Louis can be contacted at arul.l@ians.in and followed at @arulouis)

 Quad foreign ministers warn of terrorists using new technology, demand action against LeT, JeM

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Quad ministers welcome India hosting upcoming summit

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he Quad foreign ministers have said that they look forward to India hosting the Quad Leaders' Summit later this year  a meeting with added symbolism because it will be one of Joe Biden's last presidential travels abroad.

External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar, US Secretary of State Antony Blinken, and Foreign Ministers Penny Wong of Australia and Yoko Kamikawa of Japan welcomed the holding of the Quad summit in India in a joint statement after their ministerial meeting in Tokyo on Monday.

This year's summit, which is India's turn to host, was originally expected to be held in January, but did not happen because Biden reportedly wasn't able to make it at that time.

White House National Security Spokesperson Advisor John Kirby confirmed last week that Biden would attend the upcoming summit in India.

"We're still committed to there being a Quad leader summit this year, but there's nothing on the calendar right now for it," he said.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi will host the summit with the participation also of Prime Ministers Anthony Albanese of Australia and Fumio Kishida of Japan.

The timing and venue of the last summit in 2023 were also disrupted by Biden's travel plans.

By rotation, it was scheduled to be held in Australia, but was cancelled when Biden pulled out at the last minute citing domestic compulsions as he was in the middle of negotiations with Congress on raising the government limits on borrowing.

It was later moved to Hiroshima, but with Australian Albanese acting as the host and held on the sidelines of a summit of the major industrialised countries, the G7.

Biden, who announced this month that he will not be seeking another term as president, last visited India in September for the summit of the major economies, the G20 hosted by Prime Minister Modi.

(Arul Louis can be contacted at arul.l@ians.in and followed at @arulouis)

 Quad ministers welcome India hosting upcoming summit

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Venezuela asks 7 LatAm countries to withdraw diplomatic staff

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enezuela has called on the governments of Argentina, Chile, Costa Rica, Peru, Panama, the Dominican Republic and Uruguay to withdraw their diplomatic staff accredited in the country.

The measure, announced in an official statement released by the Venezuelan Foreign Ministry on Monday, also calls for withdrawing Venezuelan diplomatic staff accredited in those nations, Xinhua news agency reported.

Venezuela has accused the governments of those seven countries of "interference" in its internal affairs, especially the presidential elections held on Sunday that saw President Nicolas Maduro reelected to a third six-year term.

Those countries are "subordinated to Washington and committed to ... ideological postulates of international fascism", according to the statement.

Venezuela's National Electoral Council on Monday declared Maduro the winner of Sunday's presidential elections.

 Venezuela asks 7 LatAm countries to withdraw diplomatic staff

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Wayanad landslides: PM Modi speaks with Kerala CM, announces ex-gratia

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rime Minister Narendra Modi spoke with Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan on Tuesday and assured him of all possible Central assistance following the massive landslides in the Wayanad district, in which 19 people have died.

"Distressed by the landslides in parts of Wayanad. My thoughts are with all those who have lost their loved ones and prayers with those injured. Rescue ops are currently underway to assist all those affected. Spoke to Kerala CM Shri @pinarayivijayan and also assured all possible help from the Centre in the wake of the prevailing situation there," PM Modi posted on X.

The Prime Minister also announced an ex-gratia of Rs 2 lakh from PMNRF for the next of kin of each deceased in the landslides in parts of Wayanad. The injured would be given Rs 50,000, said the Prime Minister's Office in a post on X.

Sources said the Prime Minister also spoke with the two Union Ministers from Kerala, Suresh Gopi and George Kurien, about the situation.

PM Modi has instructed BJP president J.P. Nadda to mobilise party workers in the region to assist with the ongoing relief efforts, the sources also said.

The landslides were reported to have occurred at around 2 a.m.

Kerala Chief Secretary V. Venu told local media, "Around 2 a.m., landslides took place at least two to three times. At this point, few affected areas are cut off. The weather is also adverse for NDRF teams to go to some of these affected areas. Everyone is on alert. We will carry out the rescue in a coordinated manner. We are still ascertaining about how many people are trapped. All options, including airlifting people, are being looked into to ensure rescue work is carried out."

State Forest Minister A.K.Saseendran, who rushed to the spot said it was a bit early to assess the damages.

"At least 53 people are admitted to a hospital here and six bodies are there. At another hospital, 13 injured are admitted and six bodies are also there. We have started the rescue operations and are waiting for helicopters to arrive. A new ropeway is going to be erected soon and the Army will be building a temporary bridge also to rescue people who are trapped in the area after a bridge was swept away," said Saseendran.

A control room has been opened in the wake of the heavy rain and landslides in Wayanad district. The Health Department - National Health Mission has opened a control room -- 9656938689 and 8086010833 for emergency assistance.

 Wayanad landslides: PM Modi speaks with Kerala CM, announces ex-gratia

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Australian PM advises citizens to leave Lebanon

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ustralia's Prime Minister Anthony Albanese has urged all Australians in Lebanon to leave the country.

He told reporters on Tuesday that the government's official advice is for Australians to avoid travelling to Lebanon amid the escalating conflict between Israel and Hezbollah, Xinhua news agency reported.

"The travel advice very clearly is don't go to Lebanon," he said.

"People who are there who are Australian citizens should ensure that they take advantage of the commercial flights that are available out of Lebanon at this time, he said.

Australia's Smartraveller service, which is run by the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade (DFAT), on Monday issued a renewed warning against travelling to Lebanon due to the volatile security situation.

It said Australians in Lebanon should leave the country immediately, warning that the security situation could deteriorate rapidly with little or no notice.

Several airlines suspended flights to and from Beirut on Monday local time due to the security situation.

"This is a troubling area. We have been issuing these travel warnings for many months now, and it is important that people are cognisant of those warnings," Albanese said on Tuesday.

In the 2021 Australian census, over 248,000 Australians reported having Lebanese ancestry, including 87,343 who were born in the Middle Eastern country.

According to the DFAT, approximately 15,000 Australians normally reside in Lebanon.

 Australian PM advises citizens to leave Lebanon

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Aadi festival: TN govt steps up vigil in Delta districts after Mettur dam opens

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he Tamil Nadu government has stepped up vigil at the bathing ghats in delta districts of the state for the upcoming 'Aadi Perukku' as the water release from the Mettur dam has increased.

Aadi Perukku is a Tamil monsoon festival held on the 18th day of Tamil Aadi month, and this year it falls on Saturday (August 3).

The festival has several rituals to be done on the banks of the rivers.

The release of water from the Mettur dam is to affect the delta districts of Thanjavur, Myladuthurai, Tiruchi, Pudukottai, Ariyalur, Tiruvarur and Nagapattinam.

The district administration has increased the police presence on the river banks to prevent devotees from taking a dip during the heavy flow of water in the rivers during the Aadi Perukku festival.

The Stanley Reservoir in Mettur was opened on Sunday after heavy rain in the catchment areas of the Cauvery river in Karnataka led to water flow into Metttur dam. On Monday, at 8 p.m., the water level in the Stanley Reservoir in Mettur stood at 118 ft, just 2 feet short of its maximum capacity of 120 ft.

As the water level crossed 118 feet at 8 p.m. on Monday, authorities increased the discharge for delta irrigation from 12,000 cusecs to 23,000 cusecs from Sunday evening.

However, the dam was not opened on the customary date of June 12 as the storage level was low.

Meanwhile, the farmers of these delta districts have urged officials to prioritise filling lakes and tanks before allowing excess water to flow into the Cauvery river and eventually into the sea.

P. Viswanathan, state president of the Tamil Nadu Tank and River Irrigation Farmers' Association, in a statement on Tuesday, demanded that the 935 lakes in delta districts be filled first.

He emphasised the importance of using all water bodies for storing Cauvery water and ensuring the timely availability of quality paddy seeds.

The farmers' leader also said that in 2023, heavy losses occurred due to poor-quality seeds sold by private agencies.

He said, "Officials should ensure that all farmers receive quality seeds and crop loans without having to run from pillar to post."

Deputy secretary of the Cauvery Delta Farmers' Welfare Association, Kavandampatti R Subramanian, in a statement said that the Cauvery Water Management Authority (CWMA) has fixed a certain quantum of water that should be released into the Cauvery every month.

He came out strongly against the Karnataka government for "using Tamil Nadu as a drainage area" by releasing excess water into the river during flood-like situations, in addition to the mandatory monthly release.

The farmer leader said that the Tamil Nadu government should raise this issue with the Cauvery Water Management Committee (CWMC), insisting that the excess water should not be counted as part of the mandatory release.

 Aadi festival: TN govt steps up vigil in Delta districts after Mettur dam opens

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Indian spacetech startups witness record-breaking funding amid govt push

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ndia's spacetech sector witnessed record-breaking funding of $126 million in 2023 -- a 7 per cent increase from the $118 million raised in 2022 and a whopping 235 per cent increase from $37.6 million in 2021, a report showed on Tuesday.

In 2024, the year-to-date funding for the sector stands at $10.8 million.

Despite a global slowdown in funding, the spacetech sector has been experiencing an upward trend, driven by substantial government support and significant innovations, according to data provided by market intelligence firm Tracxn.

There are more than 100 spacetech startups, the majority of them being founded in the last five years. The Union Budget's funding of Rs 1,000 crore is expected to boost the industry significantly, attracting more entrepreneurship and investment in the coming months.

Currently, the country boasts 55 active space assets, including communication, meteorological, and earth observation satellites.

"The significant funding and strategic investments we're seeing now are setting the stage for India to become a major player in the global space industry," said Neha Singh, Co-founder of Tracxn.

The combination of solid early-stage funding and supportive government policies will be key to driving this growth and establishing India as a leading centre for space exploration and technology, Singh noted.

In 2023, early-stage rounds attracted $120 million of the total $126 million raised, reflecting a notable growth from $114 million in 2022, which represents a 5 per cent increase.

In 2024, early-stage funding has reached $8.5 million to date.

Seed-stage funding has also seen a significant rise, growing from $4.3 million in 2022 to $5.3 million in 2023, marking a 24 per cent increase.

However, despite this growth in early-stage and seed-stage funding, the nascent ecosystem for private sector participation in Indian Space Tech startups has not yet experienced any late-stage funding, the report said.

Skyroot Aerospace leads as the highest-funded active space tech startup in India, with overall funding of $99.8 million, followed by Pixxel at $71.7 million and Agnikul at $61.5 million.

No other startup in this segment has raised funds above $50 million.

Despite the vibrant funding landscape, no acquisitions have been observed in 2024.

The only acquisition to date is the 2022 purchase of Prakshep, a satellite imagery provider for the agricultural industry, by Arya.

Bengaluru leads the list of top-funded cities in India's spacetech sector, followed by Hyderabad and Chennai.

 Indian spacetech startups witness record-breaking funding amid govt push

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Five scientists honoured for advancing mental health disorder prevention, diagnosis and treatment

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he Brain & Behavior Research Foundation (BBRF) has announced the recipients of the 2024 Klerman and Freedman Prizes, recognising outstanding clinical and basic research in mental illness. These prestigious awards honour the work of scientists supported by the Foundation's Young Investigator Grants Program.

The 2024 Klerman and Freedman prize winners are being recognised for their significant findings related to suicide prevention, PTSD, substance-use disorders, autism, brain biology, and therapeutic drug development," said Dr Jeffrey Borenstein, President and CEO of the BBRF. He highlighted that their work advances diagnostic tools, identifies effective treatments, and aids in the prevention of mental illness.

The prize winners were selected by the BBRF Scientific Council, comprising 192 leading mental health researchers. Since 1987, the Foundation has awarded over $450 million to more than 5,400 scientists globally. The awards are named after Gerald Klerman, MD, and Daniel Freedman, MD -- legendary figures in neuropsychiatry.

Juliet Beni Edgcomb, MD, PhD, University of California, Los Angeles, has been selected for the 2024 Klerman Prize for Exceptional Clinical Research.

Dr Edgcomb is developing methodologies to identify children and adolescents with suicide-related symptoms from electronic health record (EHR) data. Her research aims to establish predictive variables to better recognise suicide-related phenotypes, potentially improving early intervention strategies.

Christina K. Kim, PhD, University of California, is the recipient of the 2024 Freedman Prize for Exceptional Basic Research.

Dr Kim's work focuses on new methods to record and alter neuronal activity, specifically targeting neurons and molecular biomarkers affected by therapeutic drugs for depression and anxiety. This research could lead to the development of more specific and effective treatments with fewer side effects.

Elizabeth V. Goldfarb, PhD, Yale University, has been chosen for the 2024 Klerman Prize Honorable Mention.

Dr Goldfarb's lab explores how stress influences memory and subsequent behaviours. Her research integrates cognitive neuroscience and neuroimaging to identify memory markers that could inform therapeutic interventions.

Erin Gibson, PhD, Stanford University, has been selected for the 2024 Freedman Prize Honorable Mention.

Dr Gibson studies the circadian system's role in neuroendocrine and immune regulation, focusing on the impact of glial cells on neural circuits and their connection to disorders such as autism and Alzheimer's disease.

Hugo A. Tejeda, PhD, National Institute of Mental Health, is the recipient of the 2024 Freedman Prize Honorable Mention.

Dr Tejeda investigates neuromodulation in limbic neural circuits, examining the role of neuropeptides and dopamine in threat appraisal and motivation, with implications for understanding psychiatric disorders.

 Five scientists honoured for advancing mental health disorder prevention, diagnosis and treatment

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Jharkhand train accident: More trains cancelled from Howrah division

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mid the Howrah-Mumbai CSMT Mail accident in Jharkhand on Tuesday, more long-distance trains from the Howrah division have been cancelled.

Two long trains from Howrah, namely Howrah Barbil Jan Shatabdi Express and Kantabanji Ispat Express, which were supposed to depart from Howrah Station in the morning, were cancelled.

As per the latest information available five more long-distance trains during the day have been cancelled including Asansol Tatanagar Express and Kharagpur Dhanbad Express among others.

Meanwhile, relatives of the passengers of the Howrah-Mumbai CSMT Mail were increasingly gathering at the helpdesk centre opened at Howrah station, seeking information about their near ones travelling by that train.

Many of them said since the time they got the information about the accident, they had been constantly trying to contact their relatives and friends travelling by that train. However, they claimed, most of them were unreachable.

Meanwhile, West Bengal governor C.V. Ananda Bose has issued a statement expressing condolences over those killed in the accident.

"HG has expressed his condolences to the bereaved families and wishes fast recovery of those injured in the Howrah-CSMT Express train derailment near Jharkhand's Chakradharpur today," read the message posted on the official X handle of the Raj Bhavan Media Cell.

Earlier in the day, Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee had also issued a statement launching a scathing attack against the Railways Ministry on the recurrence of rail accidents.

 Jharkhand train accident: More trains cancelled from Howrah division

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Raging US wildfire causes evacuations, health alerts

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s firefighters in Northern California continued battling the country's largest active fire, a new blaze raged Northern Colorado, prompting evacuations and causing unhealthy air quality alerts.

The Park Fire in Northern California has become the largest wildfire in the state so far this year and the sixth-largest in the state's history. It has consumed 373,357 acres (1,511 square km) across four counties, Xinhua news agency reported.

The California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection (Cal Fire) reported that the blaze was 12 per cent contained on Monday afternoon. The fire's rapid spread has been fueled by abundant vegetation and one of the area's hottest, driest summers on record.

The Park Fire's destructive path also left 109 structures destroyed and five others damaged, with over 4,200 more under threat.

Authorities believed the fire was deliberately set in a park near Chico last Wednesday afternoon. A 42-year-old Chico resident has been arrested and charged with felony arson in connection with the incident.

California Governor Gavin Newsom declared a state of emergency for the Park Fire and Gold Complex fires last week. The latter, which started a week ago, has burned 3,007 acres and was 98 per cent contained by Monday, according to Cal Fire.

The Park Fire is currently the largest fire burning in the nation, surpassing the Durkee Fire in eastern Oregon, which has burned through 293,390 acres. The massive firefighting effort involved more than 4,876 personnel, 33 helicopters and 434 fire engines.

Meanwhile, in Northern Colorado, the Alexander Mountain Fire erupted Monday morning near Roosevelt National Park and has quickly grown to 864 acres by the afternoon. The rapid expansion of this blaze forced the evacuation of more than 2,600 people, with at least 1,500 receiving voluntary evacuation notices, according to the Larimer County Sheriff's Office.

California is grappling with yet another significant wildfire -- the Borel Fire in Kern County. This blaze, which began on July 24 after a car caught on fire in an accident, has already scorched 53,010 acres and had zero containment as of Monday.

The fire's swift advance through dry vegetation, exacerbated by hot, humid and windy conditions, has impacted several communities.

The widespread wildfires threatened lives and property and severely impacted air quality across the Western United States. Smoke from the fires in Northern California and Oregon spread across several states, including Nevada, Idaho, Utah, Wyoming and Montana.

On Monday, the US Environmental Protection Agency's AirNow air quality data indicated the air was unhealthy for people with health issues in most wildfire-affected areas.

The National Weather Service's Sacramento branch warned that the pollution would likely persist and potentially worsen as smoke settles into valleys where fires are burning.

 Raging US wildfire causes evacuations, health alerts

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Boost SEO and Build Credibility: The Strategic Benefits of Sponsored Posts with Backlinks

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iscover the significance of SEO and credibility in enhancing your online presence. Learn how sponsored posts with backlinks can boost visibility, improve search rankings, and establish authority, helping your brand gain consumer trust and drive targeted traffic. Explore effective strategies for leveraging digital marketing to achieve lasting success.

Importance of SEO and Credibility

In today's digital landscape, Search Engine Optimization (SEO) is crucial for any business aiming to enhance its online presence. A strong SEO strategy can significantly boost a website's visibility, leading to increased traffic and potential sales. This visibility not only captures the attention of search engines but also builds credibility in the eyes of users.

A credible website is one that provides valuable, relevant content, which is often backed by authoritative sources. Credibility can also be defined as a measure of trustworthiness. When potential customers see a brand consistently ranking at the top of search results, they are more likely to view it as a leader in its industry. Therefore, combining effective SEO practices with elements that establish credibility can create a powerful synergy, maximizing engagement and conversion rates.

Definition of Sponsored Posts with Backlinks

Sponsored posts with backlinks are articles or blog entries created by a sponsor, often published on third-party websites. These posts are strategically crafted to promote a brand, product, or service while providing valuable information to readers. Unlike traditional advertisements, sponsored posts often blend seamlessly with regular content, offering insights and fostering trust.

Backlinks are hyperlinks that direct users from one website to another. In the context of sponsored posts, they serve dual purposes:

SEO Advantages: Backlinks can enhance domain authority, attracting search engines to rank the content higher.

User Navigation: They guide readers to additional resources, products, or service pages, facilitating seamless exploration of related content.

By integrating sponsored posts with backlinks, businesses can amplify both their SEO outcomes and their credibility. This approach not only drives traffic but also positions the brand as a valuable resource in the industry, setting the foundation for successful digital marketing strategies moving forward.

Boost SEO Through Sponsored Posts

Understanding SEO Benefits

As businesses strive to enhance their online visibility, SEO benefits from sponsored posts are a powerful tool in their arsenal. These sponsored articles not only serve as promotional content but also enrich a brand's website with valuable keywords and engaging information-vital factors that contribute to improved search engine ranking.

Key benefits of SEO through sponsored posts include:

Increased Organic Traffic: By placing content on high-traffic websites, brands can attract more visitors who may not have discovered them through traditional search methods.

Enhanced Keyword Targeting: Sponsored posts can be tailored around specific keywords, improving relevance in search results.

Long-term Visibility: Unlike ads that disappear after payment, published sponsored posts remain visible, continuously pulling traffic even months after their release.

Utilizing sponsored posts effectively allows brands to create informative and optimized content, establishing themselves as authorities in their respective niches.

How Backlinks Improve Search Ranking

Backlinks form a cornerstone of effective SEO. When utilized in sponsored posts, backlinks can significantly influence a website's search engine ranking.

Here's how they work:

Authority Building: Backlinks from reputable websites signal to search engines that your site is trustworthy and worth ranking higher. Google rewards websites that garner quality backlinks with improved positioning on search results.

Referral Traffic: Each backlink acts as a bridge, directing visitors from the sponsoring website to your own. This, in turn, not only boosts traffic but also enhances the chances of conversions.

Content Indexing: Backlinks enable search engines to discover more of your site's content. This broader index of your pages can lead to increased visibility across search engine results.

In conclusion, when combined with high-quality sponsored content, backlinks can create a powerful channel for enhancing a brand's SEO strategy. This strategy not only drives traffic but also plays a crucial role in converting that traffic into loyal customers, making it an essential component of any digital marketing plan.

Contact Us if you are interested to publish sponsored posts on this website.

Build Credibility with Sponsored Posts

Establishing Authority in the Industry

In an increasingly competitive digital marketplace, establishing authority is crucial for any brand. Sponsored posts provide a unique avenue for businesses to position themselves as leaders in their respective fields. By collaborating with reputable websites and creating insightful content, brands can showcase their expertise and industry knowledge.

Here are several advantages of utilizing sponsored posts to establish authority:

Thought Leadership: Featuring articles that address industry trends, challenges, and solutions not only showcases your expertise but also generates discussions within your audience.

Credible Associations: Partnering with well-respected platforms boosts your own brand's stature. When consumers see your name alongside trusted sources, their perception of your credibility improves significantly.

Consistent Messaging: Sponsored posts allow brands to present a well-crafted narrative that aligns with their values and mission, reinforcing their position in the industry.

By consistently providing informative and relevant content through sponsored posts, brands can assert their authority and cultivate a loyal following.

Gaining Trust from Consumers

Trust is a fundamental component of consumer decisions, and sponsored posts play a pivotal role in building this trust. Consumers today are more discerning than ever. They seek authenticity and transparency before making purchasing choices.

Key strategies for using sponsored posts to gain trust include:

Transparency in Promotion: Clearly labeling sponsored content ensures that readers understand the nature of the posts. Authenticity strengthens trust, and transparency is key to achieving it.

Valuable Insights: Quality sponsored posts should educate or entertain while promoting your brand. By offering valuable information, consumers are more likely to view your brand favorably.

Engagement through Feedback: Encourage reader comments and feedback on sponsored posts. Responsive dialogue creates a sense of community, fostering a trusting relationship between brand and consumers.

In summary, leveraging sponsored posts not only establishes authority in the industry but also builds consumer trust. By consistently delivering valuable content and engaging transparently with audiences, brands can create a credible presence that resonates with their target market and encourages long-term loyalty.

Strategic Benefits of Sponsored Posts with Backlinks

Enhancing Brand Visibility

In the ever-evolving digital landscape, enhancing brand visibility is paramount for businesses aiming to capture consumer attention. Sponsored posts with backlinks serve as a vital tool in achieving this goal. One of the primary advantages is the ability to reach a wider audience through established platforms.

Here's how sponsored posts can effectively enhance visibility:

Targeted Placement: When placed on reputable websites within your industry, sponsored posts are more likely to reach an audience that is already interested in your niche. This targeted approach amplifies brand exposure among potential customers.

Greater Engagement: Quality content that resonates with readers encourages shares and comments, organically spreading your brand's message beyond the initial audience. This type of engagement not only increases visibility but also fosters a sense of community around your brand.

Multi-Channel Presence: Sponsored posts can be shared across various social media platforms, further increasing reach. A well-crafted sponsored post can act as a springboard for discussions on multiple channels, elevating brand recognition.

By strategically utilizing sponsored posts, brands can significantly enhance their visibility and create a lasting impact in their respective markets.

Driving Targeted Traffic to Your Website

Alongside enhancing visibility, sponsored posts with backlinks play a critical role in driving targeted traffic to your website. Having traffic directed from high-quality sources can lead to increased engagement and higher conversion rates.

Here's how these posts effectively drive targeted traffic:

Relevant Backlinks: By embedding backlinks in sponsored content, brands can guide interested readers directly to specific pages on their websites. This direct navigation improves the likelihood of user engagement, such as signing up for newsletters or making purchases.

Optimized Content for Search Engines: High-quality sponsored posts that incorporate relevant keywords can improve search rankings. As more users click through from various platforms to your site, search engines like Google recognize this activity and may further boost your ranking.

Nurturing Interest: Engaging sponsored posts pique consumer interest. When readers find valuable insights, they are more inclined to explore additional resources, driving further traffic to your website.

In conclusion, by combining sponsored posts with strategic backlinks, brands can not only enhance their visibility but also drive targeted traffic, ultimately leading to a more robust online presence and improved conversion opportunities.

Measure Success and ROI

Tracking Metrics and Analytics

In the world of sponsored posts, tracking metrics and analytics is essential to understanding the success of your marketing efforts. Businesses must leverage data to evaluate the effectiveness of their campaigns and make informed decisions for future strategies.

To effectively track the success of sponsored posts, consider the following key metrics:

Traffic Sources: Utilizing tools like Google Analytics allows you to monitor where your website traffic is coming from. Identifying visitors who arrive via sponsored posts can help quantify their impact.

Engagement Rates: Metrics such as comments, shares, and time spent on the page indicate how well your audience resonates with the content. High engagement often correlates with greater brand interest and loyalty.

Conversion Rates: Monitoring conversion actions-like purchases, email sign-ups, or lead submissions-provides insight into whether the sponsored post is successfully driving desired actions.

Regularly reviewing these metrics helps brands refine their content strategy, ensuring future sponsored posts align with audience preferences and expectations.

Calculating Return on Investment

Once metrics and analytics are established, it's time to focus on calculating return on investment (ROI) for your sponsored posts. Understanding ROI allows businesses to assess the value of their expenditures in sponsored content and adjust budgets accordingly.

To calculate ROI, follow these steps:

Identify Costs: Begin by listing all expenses associated with the sponsored post, including content creation, partnerships, and any promotional spending.

Determine Revenue from Sponsored Posts: Track the revenue generated through the actions defined as conversions from the sponsored post. This might include sales, leads, or subscriptions specifically attributed to that content.

Apply the ROI Formula: Utilize the following formula for clear insight into the financial success of your campaigns:

[ ROI = frac{text{Net Profit}}{text{Total Investment}} times 100 ] Where Net Profit is the revenue generated from the sponsored post minus the total investment costs. By routinely calculating ROI, brands can gauge the effectiveness of sponsored posts, ensuring that marketing strategies are aligned with financial goals. This data-driven approach not only improves decision-making but also optimizes future investments in digital marketing.

Conclusion

Recap of SEO and Credibility Benefits

As the digital marketing landscape continues to evolve, leveraging search engine optimization (SEO) and building credibility through sponsored posts with backlinks have become key strategies for brands. To recap the benefits:

Enhanced Visibility: Sponsored posts help businesses reach a wider audience by placing their content on reputable platforms, increasing the likelihood of discovery by potential customers.

Improved Search Rankings: Incorporating quality backlinks into sponsored content boosts domain authority, resulting in higher search engine rankings and organic traffic.

Establishing Authority: By providing valuable insights and engaging content, brands can position themselves as thought leaders in their industry, which in turn fosters consumer trust.

Trust and Loyalty: Transparent sponsored posts enrich the consumer experience, as valuable information paired with authenticity enhances relatability and loyalty to the brand.

These combined benefits not only drive traffic but also create a foundation of credibility that can significantly influence consumer purchasing decisions.

Importance of Strategic Sponsored Posts with Backlinks in Digital Marketing

Incorporating strategic sponsored posts with backlinks into digital marketing plans cannot be overstated. As brands strive to cut through the noise of a crowded online marketplace, this strategy offers an effective method to stand out. Key reasons for this importance include:

Targeted Reach and Engagement: Sponsored posts can be tailored to precisely target the intended audience, ensuring that the right message reaches the right people.

Long-Lasting Benefits: Unlike fleeting ads, sponsored posts remain relevant, continuously driving traffic and engagement long after their publication.

Holistic Marketing Approach: By combining the strengths of SEO, content marketing, and consumer trust-building, brands can adopt a comprehensive approach to online marketing that yields sustained results.

In conclusion, the synergistic effects of sponsored posts and backlinks represent a powerful strategy for enhancing visibility and credibility. By prioritizing these elements, brands can not only navigate the complexities of digital marketing but also achieve lasting success in reaching and engaging their audiences effectively.

Contact Us if you are interested to publish sponsored posts on this website.

 Boost SEO and Build Credibility: The Strategic Benefits of Sponsored Posts with Backlinks

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Astrological Outlook: August 2024 Horoscope Forecasts and Analysis

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iscover your August 2024 horoscope with an in-depth Astrological Outlook. Explore key themes of reinvention, relationships, and creativity, alongside detailed forecasts for each Zodiac sign to guide you through the month's celestial shifts and significant dates. Embrace change and unlock personal growth with our comprehensive astrological analysis.

Overview of Astrological Outlook for August 2024

As we step into August 2024, the cosmos prepare to unveil a tapestry of celestial happenings that promise to influence our lives significantly. This month, the cosmic energies shift, urging individuals to embrace growth and transformation in various areas of life.

Key Themes for August 2024:

Reinvention and Renewal: August is a month ripe for change. The alignment of planets encourages exploration of new paths, ideas, and ventures, propelling individuals towards self-discovery.

Relationships and Communication: Communication will play a central role as Mercury, the ruling planet of communication, will influence how we connect with others. This period is ideal for resolving misunderstandings and fortifying relationships.

Creativity and Inspiration: With Venus and the Sun gracing the skies together, artistic endeavors will flourish. The period invites everyone to channel their creativity, making it an ideal time for personal projects and collaborations.

Astrologically Significant Dates:

Full Moon on August 19: A time for completion and release, where insights will surface about personal ambitions.

Mercury Retrograde begins August 30: A reminder to reflect and revisit past decisions, creating opportunities for healing and recommitment.

In conclusion, August 2024 is poised to be a dynamic month. While planetary movements may bring challenges, they also offer opportunities for growth. Individuals are encouraged to remain open and adaptable, paving the way for a fruitful journey ahead.

Aries (March 21 - April 19)

Forecast for Aries in August 2024

As August unfolds, Aries individuals will find themselves at a crossroads of opportunity. The universe encourages them to embrace change and flourish in various aspects of their lives. The month holds the promise of personal growth, especially in career and relationships.

Highlights for Aries in August:

Career Advancements: The beginning of the month sees a surge in professional capabilities. Aries should embrace new responsibilities and showcase their leadership skills.

Personal Relationships: Mid-August may bring challenges in communication. Aries needs to practice patience and understanding to navigate potential misunderstandings.

Energy Levels: The energy is high, thanks to Mars' influence. Embracing physical activities will not only provide an outlet but also enhance overall mood.

Analysis of Aries' Planetary Influences

The celestial energies significantly shape Aries' experiences this month. Key planetary movements include:

Mars in Leo: This placement aligns perfectly with Aries' fiery nature, infusing them with confidence and determination. It is an excellent time for pursuing passions and taking decisive action.

Jupiter's Position: With Jupiter in Taurus, Aries will be prompted to reevaluate their values and aspirations. Self-reflection during this time can lead to profound revelations about long-term goals.

Challenging Aspects: While challenges may arise, particularly during the Full Moon on August 19, Aries can use this as an opportunity to transform obstacles into stepping stones for growth.

Overall, August 2024 encourages Aries to take bold steps while remaining open to collaboration and self-discovery.

Taurus (April 20 - May 20)

Taurus Horoscope Predictions for August 2024

As August arrives, Taurus individuals can expect a month filled with stability and introspection. This period will serve as a launching pad for personal development and deeper connections. The energies surrounding them encourage thoughtful reflection and grounded decision-making.

Key Insights for Taurus in August:

Financial Focus: Early August is an ideal time to reassess financial goals. Taurus should consider investment opportunities or savings plans that align with their long-term aspirations.

Relationship Strengthening: Romantic relationships might experience renewed passion. Open communication will be vital, allowing Taurus to address any lingering tensions with care.

Self-Care Practices: Prioritize wellness this month. Engaging in activities that promote relaxation, such as yoga or nature walks, will bring balance to the busy Taurus mind.

Examining Taurus' Astrological Aspects and Transits

Astrological influences play a crucial role in shaping Taurus' experiences this month. Some key aspects to consider include:

Venus in Leo: With Venus in a dynamic position, Taurus will feel an urge to express themselves creatively. This transit encourages artistic projects or rekindling hobbies that inspire joy.

Saturn's Influence: Saturn's ongoing transit reminds Taurus of the importance of structure and discipline. While the month provides opportunities for fun, grounding oneself will ensure that momentum is sustainable.

Full Moon on August 19: The Full Moon will amplify emotions, inviting Taurus to release anything that no longer serves their journey. Embracing this energy can lead to significant breakthroughs.

In essence, August 2024 invites Taurus to cultivate groundedness while exploring new possibilities in their personal and financial lives.

Gemini (May 21 - June 20)

Insights into Gemini's August 2024 Horoscope

August 2024 brings a wealth of opportunities for Gemini individuals, igniting their innate curiosity and stimulating their intellect. This month encourages Gemini to explore new ideas and communicate more openly, fostering both personal and professional growth.

Key Themes for Gemini in August:

Enhanced Communication Skills: Geminis may find that their communication abilities are particularly potent this month. This is an ideal time to share ideas and collaborate on projects.

Social Engagements: With the Sun shining brightly on their sector of social life, Gemini should embrace gatherings and networking opportunities to deepen connections and foster new relationships.

Mental Clarity: Jupiter's influence provides a boost to intellectual pursuits. Geminis can expect increased clarity in their decision-making, helping them navigate life's complexities with ease.

Analysis of Gemini's Ruling Planets and Celestial Movements

The planetary positions play a crucial role in shaping the experiences of Gemini throughout August.

Here are some of the critical astrological factors influencing them:

Mercury Retrograde (Starting August 30): As the month progresses, the impending Mercury retrograde may prompt Geminis to reflect on past choices and learn from prior mistakes. It's important for them to stay patient during this period, as miscommunications might arise.

Moon Phases: The New Moon on August 30 serves as a powerful time for setting intentions. Gemini should harness this energy to outline their aspirations for the upcoming months.

Venus Transit: With Venus entering Leo, Geminis will feel a surge of creativity and a stronger desire for self-expression. This transit might lead to exciting artistic projects and personal endeavors.

In summary, August 2024 is a promising month for Gemini, filled with opportunities for connection, communication, and self-exploration.

Cancer (June 21 - July 22)

Cancer Horoscope Forecast for August 2024

As August unfolds, Cancer individuals can expect a month brimming with emotional growth and self-reflection. This period is all about nurturing relationships, both with others and themselves. Cancers will find that their intuition is heightened, guiding them through personal challenges and opportunities.

Key Insights for Cancer in August:

Emotional Introspection: The powerful energy of August encourages Cancers to explore their feelings deeply. Journaling or meditative practices may help in processing emotions and gaining clarity.

Strengthening Bonds: August is a favorable time for deepening relationships. Whether in romantic partnerships or friendships, open communication will play a vital role in resolving conflicts and enhancing mutual understanding.

Career Insights: Professional opportunities may arise, particularly mid-month. Cancers should be ready to showcase their talents and pursue their aspirations with confidence.

Understanding Cancer's Planetary Alignments and Energies

Planetary movements significantly influence Cancer's experiences this month. Here are the notable aspects to consider:

Moon Phases: As a water sign, Cancers are particularly attuned to the moon's cycles. The New Moon on August 30 embodies a perfect time for setting personal intentions, while the Full Moon on August 19 may reveal hidden emotions begging for attention and resolution.

Strong Presence of Jupiter: Jupiter, influencing Cancer's sector of growth, encourages learning and exploration. This positive energy will inspire Cancers to expand their horizons, whether through education or travel.

Venus' Influence: With Venus traversing Leo, Cancers might feel a surge in romantic energy. It is an excellent time to express affection and share feelings with loved ones.

In conclusion, August 2024 invites Cancer to embrace emotional exploration while nurturing connections and pursuing dreams.

Leo (July 23 - August 22)

August 2024 Horoscope Predictions for Leo

As August 2024 unfolds, Leo individuals will find themselves center stage, basking in the warmth of success and recognition. This month is marked by opportunities for personal expression and leadership, urging Leos to embrace their natural charisma and confidence.

Key Highlights for Leo in August:

Creative Ventures: With the Sun lit in Leo's own sign, this is an opportune time for creative projects. Leos should explore their artistic talents, whether through writing, art, or performance, allowing their creativity to shine.

Social Flourish: The social atmosphere is vibrant, with numerous chances to connect with friends and colleagues. Leos are encouraged to engage in networking, as it could lead to significant opportunities for collaboration.

Focus on Wellness: Despite the excitement, maintaining physical and mental health is crucial. Incorporating self-care routines such as exercise or meditation will help Leos balance their energetic pursuits.

Interpretation of Leo's Astrology for the Month

Astrological aspects during August significantly impact Leo's experience:

Venus in Leo: This transit enhances the charm and attractiveness of Leo individuals, making it a great time for romance and reconnecting with loved ones. Leos are urged to express their affections freely.

Mars Influence: With Mars charging through the skies, Leos will feel driven to pursue goals with vigor. However, it's important to avoid impulsiveness; strategizing will yield better results.

Full Moon on August 19: This luminous event may illuminate areas of life requiring attention. Leos are encouraged to reflect on their personal achievements and make adjustments as necessary.

In summary, August 2024 offers Leos a vibrant and fulfilling period. By embracing their innate strengths and staying attuned to their emotional well-being, Leos can navigate the month with grace and confidence.

Virgo (August 23 - September 22)

Virgo Horoscope Analysis for August 2024

As August progresses, Virgo individuals can expect a month rich in introspection and careful planning. This period encourages them to focus on personal efficiency and emotional clarity, making it an excellent time for self-improvement and restructuring.

Key Themes for Virgo in August:

Self-Reflection: The month begins with an invitation for deeper self-discovery. Virgos should take the time to evaluate their goals and relationships, identifying areas in need of improvement.

Workplace Dynamics: Professional environments may experience heightened activity, with various projects calling for Virgo's attention. Utilizing their innate organizational skills will be crucial for maintaining productivity.

Health and Wellness: As the month unfolds, prioritizing physical and mental health will pay dividends. Engaging in fitness routines or wellness practices can rejuvenate a Virgo's spirit and enhance their overall vitality.

Exploring Virgo's Astrological Forecast and Configurations

Virgo's astrological configurations this August significantly shape their experiences:

Mercury's Influence: As Mercury shifts through Leo, Virgos may feel an urge to communicate their ideas more assertively. Harnessing this energy can lead to fruitful discussions, particularly in collaborative settings.

Full Moon on August 19: The Full Moon catalyzes emotional revealing, urging Virgos to confront any lingering worries or insecurities. This is a prime time for manifestation, and Virgos should take advantage of heightened intuition for decision-making.

Jupiter in Taurus: This position encourages Virgos to embrace opportunities for growth in financial matters. Collaborating with others might lead to profitable ventures, fostering a spirit of teamwork.

In summary, August 2024 offers Virgos a transformative phase. By focusing on self-improvement and harnessing their organizational strengths, they can navigate the month with clarity and purpose.

Libra (September 23 - October 22)

Libra Horoscope Insights for August 2024

As August 2024 unfolds, Libra individuals find themselves in a period marked by harmony and collaboration. This month is poised to enhance relationships and encourage a sense of balance in both personal and professional realms. The energies surrounding this zodiac sign call for diplomacy and thoughtful decision-making.

Key Highlights for Libra in August:

Relationship Focus: August invites Libras to deepen their connections. Whether romantic, familial, or platonic, nurturing these bonds will bring joy and satisfaction.

Networking Opportunities: This is an excellent time for Libras to expand their social circles. Engaging with new people may spark innovative ideas and collaborations.

Balancing Priorities: With life's demands increasing, it's essential for Libras to maintain equilibrium. Prioritizing self-care will help them navigate obligations while preserving their emotional well-being.

Examination of Libra's Celestial Influences and Predictions

The celestial bodies exert significant influence over Libra throughout August, shaping their experiences in notable ways:

Venus in Leo: As Venus travels through Leo, Libras will feel a boost in confidence and creativity. This planetary alignment is particularly favorable for artistic pursuits and expression of affection.

Mercury in Retrograde (Starting August 30): As the month progresses, the upcoming Mercury retrograde may introduce communication challenges. Libras should prepare for potential misunderstandings and utilize this time for reflection rather than action.

Full Moon on August 19: The Full Moon brings emotionally charged energy, prompting Libras to confront any unresolved feelings. It's a beneficial time for letting go of what no longer serves their relationships or personal growth.

In essence, August 2024 encourages Libras to embrace opportunities for connection while exercising mindfulness. With the right balance, they can make the most of the energies flowing their way.

Scorpio (October 23 - November 21)

Scorpio Horoscope Overview for August 2024

As we move into August, Scorpio will experience a deepening of emotional and spiritual connections. This month is ideal for transformation and personal introspection, offering profound insights into relationships and self-growth.

Key Points for Scorpio in August:

Emotional Depth: Scorpios are encouraged to dive deep into their emotions, uncovering layers that may have been overlooked. This exploration can lead to significant personal revelations and stronger interpersonal bonds.

Transformation Opportunities: Change is a constant for Scorpio, and this month amplifies this with several planetary alignments favoring personal evolution. Embrace these changes as they come.

Spiritual Growth: August is a powerful month for Scorpios to connect with their spiritual side. Practices like meditation or retreats can be particularly rewarding now.

Analysis of Scorpio's Planetary Influences:

Pluto's Dominance: As Pluto continues its long journey through Capricorn, Scorpios will feel empowered to make radical life changes. This transit supports breaking free from past restrictions.

New Moon Insights: The New Moon this month offers a fresh start, particularly in areas related to career and personal aspirations. It's a time to set intentions that align with your deepest desires.

Challenges and Resolutions: While the journey may be intense, the rewards for confronting and overcoming personal challenges are unparalleled this month.

In summary, August is a month of deep emotional and spiritual growth for Scorpio, marked by opportunities for transformation and new beginnings.

Sagittarius (November 22 - December 21)

Sagittarius Horoscope Predictions for August 2024

August brings a burst of adventurous energy for Sagittarius, encouraging exploration and learning. This month is perfect for expanding your horizons both physically and intellectually.

Key Themes for Sagittarius in August:

Adventurous Experiences: Plan travels or engage in new activities that challenge you. This period is ideal for learning through experiences.

Intellectual Pursuits: Your ruling planet, Jupiter, enhances your thirst for knowledge. Engage in educational pursuits or deep philosophical discussions.

Social Expansion: Networking is favored this month. Connect with people who can offer different perspectives and help you grow.

Sagittarius' Planetary Overview:

Jupiter's Influence: With Jupiter in Taurus, you're inspired to think big about your career and personal growth. Use this energy to plan long-term goals.

Mercury Retrograde Considerations: As Mercury goes retrograde, be cautious in your communications and travel plans. Prepare for delays and use this time to revise any ongoing projects.

Full Moon Clarity: The Full Moon on August 19 will illuminate your relationships sector, bringing clarity and possibly concluding ongoing issues.

Overall, August is a dynamic month for Sagittarius, filled with opportunities for growth and exploration.

Capricorn (December 22 - January 19)

Capricorn Monthly Horoscope for August 2024

Capricorn will find August to be a month of solidifying achievements and focusing on career advancements. It's a time to build on the foundations you've set and push towards new professional heights.

Highlights for Capricorn in August:

Career Focus: Your professional life takes center stage with multiple opportunities to demonstrate your skills and advance your career goals.

Structural Changes: Implementing new systems or routines in your work or personal life can lead to improved efficiency and satisfaction.

Responsibility Increases: You may find yourself taking on more responsibilities this month. Embrace these as they are stepping stones to greater achievements.

Capricorn's Astrological Influences:

Saturn's Stability: Your ruling planet, Saturn, continues its transit through Aquarius, bringing structure and long-term visions into clearer focus.

New Moon Goals: Utilize the energy of the New Moon to set practical and achievable goals that will further your professional and personal ambitions.

Overcoming Challenges: The challenges of this month are manageable through diligent planning and persistence. Keep your end goals in sight.

August promises significant professional progress and personal growth for Capricorn, with opportunities to strengthen leadership skills and advance career objectives.

Aquarius (January 20 - February 18)

Aquarius Horoscope Insights for August 2024

August 2024 is a month of innovation and social engagement for Aquarius. Your natural inclination towards humanitarian issues and technology will be highlighted, bringing opportunities for growth in these areas.

Key Points for Aquarius in August:

Innovative Projects: Engage in projects that allow you to use your inventive skills. This is a great time to start new tech ventures or creative collaborations.

Community Focus: Your involvement in community or social causes will be fulfilling and may open doors to new connections.

Intellectual Stimulation: Seek intellectual stimulation through seminars, workshops, or online courses that expand your knowledge and skills.

Aquarius' Celestial Influences:

Uranus' Eccentricity: As Uranus continues its transit, expect sudden insights or changes that can push you towards unexpected growth paths.

Mercury Retrograde Strategy: With Mercury retrograding, revisit old ideas or projects, as they may hold relevance to your current interests.

Full Moon Realizations: The Full Moon shines a light on your personal relationships, possibly bringing issues to resolution or closure.

Aquarius will find August to be a stimulating month, rich with opportunities for personal and professional development through innovative pursuits and social involvement.

Pisces (February 19 - March 20)

Pisces Monthly Forecast for August 2024

For Pisces, August 2024 is a month of creativity and emotional depth. Your intuitive and artistic abilities are at a peak, allowing for profound personal expression and connection.

August Themes for Pisces:

Creative Expression: Dive into your creative projects with passion. This is an excellent time for artistic endeavors that reflect your inner world.

Emotional Connections: Deepen your emotional ties with loved ones. Your empathy and understanding are heightened, making it a good time for healing old wounds.

Spiritual Insights: Engage in spiritual practices that nurture your soul. This can be a profoundly transformative time if you allow space for introspection.

Planetary Influences on Pisces:

Neptune's Dreaminess: With Neptune in your sign, your imaginative and psychic abilities are enhanced, urging you to trust your instincts.

Mercury Retrograde Reflections: Reflect on past conversations and relationships; insights gained during this retrograde can lead to important revelations.

New Moon Wishes: The New Moon offers a chance to set intentions related to your personal aspirations and emotional desires.

August is a deeply enriching month for Pisces, filled with opportunities for artistic and emotional growth.

Conclusion

Summary and Overview of Astrological Outlook for August 2024

As we wrap up our exploration of the astrological forecast for August 2024, it's clear that this month holds significant potential for each zodiac sign. The cosmic energies are aligned to foster growth, communication, and emotional exploration across the board. Each sign is encouraged to harness their unique strengths while navigating challenges with grace. This month, notable celestial events such as the Full Moon and the transition of Mercury bring chances for introspection and relationship building. By recognizing the planetary influences, individuals can align themselves with the opportunities presented.

Key Takeaways and Recommendations for Each Zodiac Sign

Aries

Embrace new opportunities: Aries, known for their bold and dynamic nature, should seize new opportunities that align with their energetic and passionate disposition.

Reflect on communication style: With a tendency towards bluntness, Aries should focus on fostering stronger relationships through improved communication, especially considering their quick and direct communication style influenced by Mercury.

Taurus

Focus on financial planning: As an Earth sign, Taurus benefits from stability and should prioritize financial planning to maintain security during dynamic periods.

Prioritize personal health: Taurus should also focus on personal health, ensuring a balanced approach to both physical and financial well-being.

Gemini

Engage in creative projects: Gemini's natural curiosity and intelligence make creative projects particularly fulfilling.

Prepare for communication hiccups: As Mercury retrogrades, Geminis should be ready for potential misunderstandings and plan accordingly.

Cancer

Nurture emotional growth: Cancers thrive when they focus on emotional growth, which supports their personal and professional aspirations.

Prioritize self-care: It's crucial for Cancer to balance their nurturing nature with self-care to avoid burnout.

Leo

Capitalize on creative energy: Leos are naturally creative and should use this energy to engage in projects or social activities that allow them to shine.

Remain cautious of impulsiveness: While it's important for Leos to express themselves, they should be mindful of their decisions to avoid impulsiveness.

Virgo

Deepen self-reflection: Virgos benefit from introspection, helping them understand their needs and desires more deeply.

Enhance workplace productivity: Known for their meticulousness, Virgos should leverage this trait to boost productivity at work while maintaining a focus on fitness and wellness.

Libra

Focus on relationship building: Libras excel in social settings and should use this time to strengthen relationships.

Prepare for communication challenges: With potential communication challenges arising, Libras need to be prepared to handle misunderstandings gracefully.

Scorpio

Deepen emotional connections: Scorpios should focus on deepening their emotional connections, which will help in both personal and professional relationships.

Embrace transformation: Known for their ability to reinvent themselves, Scorpios should embrace changes that may come their way, using them as opportunities for growth.

Sagittarius

Pursue new knowledge: Sagittarians are natural explorers and should continue to seek out new knowledge and experiences.

Stay open to change: With their adaptable nature, Sagittarians should remain open to changes that could lead to personal growth and new opportunities.

Capricorn

Set practical goals: Capricorns excel when they set practical, achievable goals for themselves in both their personal and professional lives.

Focus on discipline: Discipline is key for Capricorns, and maintaining it can help them achieve their ambitions.

Aquarius

Innovate and inspire: Aquarians should focus on innovation and use their unique perspective to inspire others.

Engage in social activities: Engaging in social activities can help Aquarians feel connected and energized.

Pisces

Foster creativity: Pisces should embrace their creative side and express themselves artistically to enrich their emotional well-being.

Seek emotional harmony: Finding balance and harmony in their emotional life is crucial for Pisces to thrive.

Each sign has unique traits and upcoming challenges, and focusing on these key areas will help navigate the complexities of daily life and personal growth.

In essence, August 2024 serves as a powerful catalyst for transformation and connection. Each zodiac sign is encouraged to stay attuned to their intuitive insights and use the energies at play to flourish personally and collectively. Embracing the lessons of this month will pave the way for a brighter future.

 Astrological Outlook: August 2024 Horoscope Forecasts and Analysis

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India and Vietnam to deepen strategic ties during Vietnamese PM's New Delhi visit

V

ietnam Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh will arrive in New Delhi late Tuesday evening on a three-day State Visit which is expected to further strengthen the age-old historical and civilisational ties between the two countries.

The Vietnamese PM will be accompanied by a high-level delegation, including several ministers, deputy ministers and business leaders.

He is scheduled to participate in various programmes and business events on Wednesday and will receive a ceremonial welcome at the forecourt of Rashtrapati Bhavan on August 1.

On the same day, Pham Minh Chinh will visit Raj Ghat to pay tribute to Mahatma Gandhi and then hold bilateral discussions with Prime Minister Narendra Modi who will also host a luncheon in the honour of the visiting delegation.

Chinh is also scheduled to call on the President Droupadi Murmu and Vice President Jagdeep Dhankhar.

"India considers Vietnam as a key pillar of its Act East Policy and an important partner in its Indo-Pacific vision," the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) said on Tuesday.

Last week, National Security Advisor (NSA) Ajit Doval attended the state funeral of Nguyen Phu Trong, the General Secretary of Communist Party of Vietnam who passed away on July 19, in Hanoi on Thursday.

NSA Doval conveyed India's condolences personally to the Vietnamese President To Lam, Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh and the bereaved family.

During his meeting with NSA Doval on Wednesday, Pham Minh Chinh expressed his "sincere thanks" to the government and people of India for their kind gesture towards late General Secretary Nguyen Phu Trong by sending high-ranking officials to attend the state funeral and also the Indian Parliament for taking time to commemorate the General Secretary on July 22.

"This demonstrates the affection of close friends, as well as the precious tradition between the two peoples of Vietnam and India," Vietnam's PMO said in a statement after the meeting with NSA Doval.

"Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh suggested that the two countries continue to coordinate to further develop the Vietnam-India Comprehensive Strategic Partnership and emphasised that cooperation in the fields of science and technology, information and telecommunications, and digital technology are very potential areas that need further attention and promotion," it added.

Recognising late General Secretary Nguyen Phu Trong's "important contributions" to strengthening the Vietnam-India relationship, NSA Doval emphasised that he was an erudite leader and widely respected by people of India.

He also affirmed that the Indian government attaches importance to the Comprehensive Strategic Partnership between Vietnam and India, and wishes to further deepen the bilateral relationship, especially in traditional areas such as defence and security, trade and investment, as well as expand cooperation in new areas as proposed by Hanoi.

India-Vietnam relations have been on the upswing since the establishment of a Comprehensive Strategic Partnership during Prime Minister Narendra Modi's visit to Hanoi in 2016.

PM Modi has maintained Vietnam's importance as an important pillar of India's 'Act East' policy and the Indo-Pacific vision, while seeking to enhance the scope of the bilateral relationship - including defence partnership - besides working for expeditious progress on existing initiatives.

 India and Vietnam to deepen strategic ties during Vietnamese PM's New Delhi visit

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Mira Kapoor can't keep calm, attends Taylor Swift concert with daughter in Munich

M

ira Rajput Kapoor, wife of Bollywood actor Shahid Kapoor, who is currently on a family vacation in Europe, on Tuesday, shared a video from Taylor Swift's concert in Munich, Germany, which she attended with her daughter Misha.

Mira, who is an avid social media user with 4.8 million Instagram followers, posted a reel video showing her enjoying the concert.

She wore an orange top with matching trousers and a denim jacket, while her daughter sported a white abstract design co-ord set.

The post was captioned: "Core memory with my sunshine swiftie... We couldn't believe it! Mother-daughter trip of dreams #taylorswift #swiftie."

The video has garnered 787K views.

One fan commented, "goals," while another said, "Awesome.. will be soo memorable for you both."

Mira also shared a solo snap of herself from the concert on her Stories section, captioning it: "Smiling at my baby girl shining."

Shahid and Mira married in July 2015 and have two children, Misha and Zain.

On the professional front, Shahid made his debut with the 2003 romantic comedy film 'Ishq Vishk', directed by Ken Ghosh, which also starred Amrita Rao and Shenaz Treasurywala.

The actor has since appeared in films such as 'Fida', 'Dil Maange More', '36 China Town', 'Vivah', 'Jab We Met', 'Kismat Konnection', 'Kaminey', 'Phata Poster Nikhla Hero', 'Haider', 'Padmaavat', 'Kabir Singh', 'Jersey', among others.

Shahid was last seen in the science fiction romantic comedy 'Teri Baaton Mein Aisa Uljha Jiya'.

The actor will next be seen as a police officer in the upcoming adrenaline-pumping action thriller, 'Deva'. The movie also features Pooja Hegde and Pavail Gulati.

Directed by Rosshan Andrrews and produced by Siddharth Roy Kapur, the film promises an action-packed roller-coaster ride full of thrills and drama.

It is set to release on February 14, 2025.

 Mira Kapoor can't keep calm, attends Taylor Swift concert with daughter in Munich

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After US, Japan raises doubts over presidential election result in Venezuela

J

apan on Tuesday called for making public all information necessary to verify the credibility of the voting results in Venezuela, citing that "doubts have been raised both domestically and internationally" about the transparency of the entire election process.

Venezuela's National Electoral Council (CNE) announced on Monday that Nicolas Maduro has won the presidential election for the third time and will govern the country from 2025 to 2031.

"Doubts have been raised both domestically and internationally about the transparency of the election process, including the counting of votes," Japan's Foreign Ministry said in a statement on Tuesday.

"Japan calls for all information necessary to verify the credibility of the voting results to be made public and for the transparency of the presidential election process to be ensured, so that the will of all Venezuelans who voted is respected," it added.

Venezuela's National Electoral Council (CNE) announced preliminary results showing that with 80 per cent of votes counted, President Maduro received approximately 5.15 million votes, while unified opposition candidate Gonzalez received approximately 4.44 million votes.

"According to local reports, issues have been pointed out, such as opposition witnesses not being allowed access to the CNE headquarters during the vote count, and the opposition only being shown partial certificates showing the voting results on each voting machine, raising doubts about the transparency of the electoral process and the election results," stated the Japanese Foreign Ministry.

Several countries, including the United States, have also raised "serious concerns" about Maduro winning the presidential election once again.

"We've seen the announcement just a short while ago by the Venezuelan electoral commission. We have serious concerns that the result announced does not reflect the will or the votes of the Venezuelan people," US Secretary of State Antony Blinken said in Tokyo on Monday.

"It's critical that every vote be counted fairly and transparently, that election officials immediately share information with the opposition and independent observers without delay, and that the electoral authorities publish the detailed tabulation of votes. The international community is watching this very closely and will respond accordingly," he added.

 After US, Japan raises doubts over presidential election result in Venezuela

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Thailand lifts 2024 rice export projection to 8.2 million tonnes

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hailand expects to export 8.2 million tonnes of rice in 2024, up from the 7.5 million tonnes projected earlier, thanks to robust demand from key markets, weak local currency and increased production, the Ministry of Commerce said on Tuesday.

In the first half of this year, the Southeast Asian country shipped out 5.08 million tonnes of rice, marking a 25.12 percent surge compared to the previous year, the ministry said in a statement.

The increased demand is attributed to importing nations' need for food security and stockpiling, coupled with India's continued export restrictions, said Ronnarong Phoolpipat, Director General of the Minister's Department of Foreign Trade.

Ronnarong said rice production in the final quarter of the year is expected to pick up as the effects of the El Nino weather phenomenon have subsided, Xinhua news agency reported.

The kingdom's rice shipment recorded a 13.7 percent rise from a year earlier to 8.76 million tonnes in 2023, beating a target of 8 million.

 Thailand lifts 2024 rice export projection to 8.2 million tonnes

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"When my brother Joe died tragically in a plane crash over 30 years ago, I will never forget the words of kindness so many friends, and even strangers offered. But there were other times when people would see me and with a sheepish look, avoid contact. And I understood  because its so hard to know what to say in the face of such a loss," Peggy Prichard writes.
Losing someone close, like a family member, can make you age faster, says a new study from Columbia University Mailman School of Public Health and the Butler Columbia Aging Center. The study found that people who lost a parent, partner, sibling, or child, showed signs of older biological age compared to those who hadn't experienced such losses. The research was published in JAMA Network Open.

Biological aging is the gradual decline in how well your cells, tissues, and organs function, leading to a higher risk of chronic diseases. Scientists measure this type of aging using DNA markers known as epigenetic clocks.

Few studies have looked at how losing a loved one at different stages of life affects these DNA markers, especially in study samples that represent the U.S .population. Our study shows strong links between losing loved ones across the life course from childhood to adulthood and faster biological aging in the U.S." Allison Aiello, PhD, the James S. Jackson professor of health longevity in Epidemiology and the study's lead author

The study, a collaboration with the Carolina Population Center at UNC Chapel Hill, suggests that the impact of loss on aging can be seen long before middle age and may contribute to health differences among racial and ethnic groups.

The researchers used data from the National Longitudinal Study of Adolescent to Adult Health, which started in 1994-95. It followed participants from their teenage years into adulthood.

To measure familial loss during childhood or adolescence from the longitudinal study, Aiello and colleagues followed participants through various waves, and aging timeframes. Wave I surveyed 20,745 adolescents in grades 7-12, most of whom were aged 12-19. Participants have been followed ever since. Wave V took place between 2016 and 2018 and completed interviews with 12,300 of the original participants. In the latest wave, between 2016 and 2018, participants were invited for an additional home exam where a blood sample of the nearly 4,500 visited was provided for DNA testing.

The study looked at losses experienced during childhood or adolescence (up to 18 years old) and adulthood (19 to 43 years old). They also examined the number of losses experienced across this time period. Biological aging data were assessed from blood DNA methylation using epigenetic clocks including DunedinPACE which was developed by by Aiello's Aging Center colleague and study co-author Dan Belsky and his collaborators at Duke University.



Nearly 40 percent of participants experienced at least one loss in adulthood between the ages of 33 and 43. Parental loss was more common in adulthood versus in childhood and adolescence (27 percent versus 6 percent). A larger proportion of Black (57 percent) and Hispanic (41 percent) participants experienced at least one loss compared to White participants (34 percent).

People who experienced two or more losses had older biological ages according to several epigenetic clocks. Experiencing two or more losses in adulthood was more strongly linked to biological aging than one loss and significantly more so than no losses.

"The connection between losing loved ones and health problems throughout life is well-established," Aiello noted. "But some stages of life might be more vulnerable to the health risks associated with loss and the accumulation of loss appears to be a significant factor."

For example, losing a parent or sibling early in life can be very traumatic, often leading to mental health issues, cognitive problems, higher risks of heart disease, and a greater chance of dying earlier. Losing a close family member at any age poses health risks, and repeated losses can increase the risks of heart disease, mortality, and dementia; and impacts may persist or become apparent long after the event.

Aiello and her co-authors emphasize that while loss at any age can have long-lasting health impacts, the effects might be more severe during key developmental periods like childhood or early adulthood. "We still don't fully understand how loss leads to poor health and higher mortality, but biological aging may be one mechanism as suggested in our study. Future research should focus on finding ways to reduce disproportionate losses among vulnerable groups. For those who experience loss, providing resources for coping and addressing the trauma is essential. ," Aiello concluded.

Co-authors are Aura Ankita Mishra, North Carolina State University; Chantel Martin, Brandt Levitt, Kathleen Mullan Harris, and Robert Hummer, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill; Lauren Gaydosh and Debra Umberson, University of Texas at Austin; and Daniel Belsky, Columbia Mailman School and Butler Columbia Aging Center.

The study was supported by the National Institute on Minority Health and Health Disparities R01MD013349; Add Health, P01 HD31921; the Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health and Human Development, F32HD103400, with cooperative funding from 23 other federal agencies and foundations; National Institute on Aging, U01 AG071448 and U01AG071450 and Carolina Population Center, P2CHD050924.

Dan Belsky is an inventor of the DunedinPACE epigenetic clock invention licensed to TruDiagnostic.
A bad case of the flu during pregnancy can increase the risk for fetal neurodevelopmental disorders such as schizophrenia and autism spectrum disorder. But it's not the virus itself doing the damage; it's the mother's immune response.

New University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign research using live mouse-adapted influenza virus improves upon previous mouse experiments to explain the process on a cellular and molecular level. It also indicates fetal brain changes are more likely once the severity of the mother's infection meets a specific threshold.

Our data provide really compelling evidence for an infection severity threshold, which mimics what we see in humans. There are only a subset of maternal infections that are going to be severe enough to cause concerns like this. That said, pregnant people should definitely get the flu vaccine to reduce their risk." Adrienne Antonson, senior study author, assistant professor in the Department of Animal Sciences, College of Agricultural, Consumer and Environmental Sciences at Illinois

The study is one of only a handful to investigate maternal infection in mice using live influenza virus at doses that replicate seasonal flu outbreaks in humans. "That means our results are more relevant to human pathological infection," said lead study author Ashley Otero, a doctoral student in the Neuroscience Program at Illinois.

Antonson's team infected pregnant mice with live influenza A virus, rather than a viral mimic -; an inert molecule that mimics viral behavior -; used by most research groups in recent decades. The viral mimic elicits the innate immune response, broadly categorized as non-specific inflammation, that occurs within 24 to 48 hours of infection.

These studies have provided important clues about which inflammatory proteins are made by the mother and how they interact with the fetal brain. But Otero says viral mimics may prompt slightly different immune responses than the live virus in both mother and fetus, and they fail to capture what happens during the mother's adaptive immune response, which occurs later and helps an animal "remember" past infections.

To address these issues, the team subjected the mice to one of two doses of the virus -; representing a moderate or severe infection -; at the moment in gestation closest to the end of the first trimester in humans. Then, at two and seven days post-infection, they tracked how the infection progressed in the lungs and intestines of the mother, as well as how products from the mother's immune response interacted with the fetal brain. They also measured the physical properties of fetal brains, including the thickness of the cortex, which has been linked to neurodevelopmental disorders in humans.

Several important viral mimic studies in mice have implicated an immune protein called interleukin-17 -; primarily manufactured by T helper (Th)-17 cells in the mother's intestinal tract -; in changes to the fetal brain and neurodevelopmental disorder-like behaviors after birth. But the live virus didn't activate that protein.

"At first, when I saw that interleukin-17 was not elevated in our moms from influenza infection, I was convinced we wouldn't see any changes in the developing fetal brain," Otero said. "But interestingly, we did see very similar responses in the developing neocortex, including dramatic reductions in the upper neuronal layers in fetuses from moms who had the higher-dose infection."

Otero further explains that postmortem human studies have documented smaller cortical structures in people with schizophrenia and autism spectrum disorder. "So, our results were really in line with what we see in human brains."

Antonson added, "We don't think it's ever going to be just one inflammatory molecule that's causing all these different things. But this is the first time this pathway has been thoroughly investigated and compared against models that, thus far, have demonstrated that interleukin-17 is really involved. That's why it's important to move beyond viral mimic models to the true live virus."

Having ruled out interleukin-17, at least at the time points they studied, the team tracked immune cells in the fetal brain. Microglia, which infiltrate the brain and interact with developing neurons, had signatures of increased inflammatory activity in fetuses from high-dose flu-infected mothers. Fetal border-associated macrophages (BAMs), which border the brain's surfaces and provide constant immune surveillance, were also more active and abundant. Both cell types normally aid in healthy brain development, but Otero and Antonson think that when they're spurred into an overactive state, they could attack instead of support healthy developing neurons.

Viral mimic studies have also implicated overactive microglia in causing fetal brain deformities, but BAM activity is vastly understudied. Otero plans to follow up with more research to understand the role of BAMs in prenatal influenza infection.

Antonson emphasizes that maternal infection is only one of many risk factors for neurodevelopmental disorders.

"These disorders are caused by a multitude of elements, including environmental factors, genetics, pharmacological exposures, and more. We're focusing on just this in-utero period, but the early postnatal period is important, and adolescence is important. It's just one slice of a very complicated pie."
In a recent study published in The Journal of the American Medical Association, a team of researchers in Sweden examined whether the ratio of phosphorylated tau 217 protein to non-phosphorylated tau 217 protein in plasma, determined through a blood test could be combined with the amyloid probability score 2 (APS2) and be used in primary and secondary care facilities to accurately diagnose Alzheimer's disease and lower the misdiagnosis rates for the disease.

Study: Blood Biomarkers to Detect Alzheimer Disease in Primary Care and Secondary Care. Image Credit: Andrii Vodolazhskyi / Shutterstock

Background

Research indicates that 20% of women and 10% of men develop Alzheimer's disease-related dementia. Individuals exhibiting the early symptoms of cognitive deficits visit primary care facilities, but a very small portion of those patients are referred further to secondary care centers. The rate of misdiagnoses of symptomatic Alzheimer's disease is between 25% and 35% or even more among patients treated at primary care centers.

Specialized tests, such as cerebrospinal fluid assessments for Alzheimer's disease markers and positron emission tomography (PET) scans, can lower misdiagnosis rates. Furthermore, the treatment of early symptomatic Alzheimer's disease with anti-amyloid immunotherapies has been approved, but positive biomarker tests are required to initiate treatment. However, many primary and secondary care centers lack the facilities for reliable biomarker-based diagnoses or specialized tests.

About the study

In the present study, the researchers examined whether the use of the ratio of phosphorylated tau 217 (p-tau217) protein to non-phosphorylated tau 217 protein in plasma, which is expressed as a percentage of p-tau217, can be used as an accurate biomarker in combination with the amyloid probability score 2 to reliably diagnose Alzheimer's disease without the need for specialized tests such as PET scans and cerebrospinal fluid analyses.

Studies have found that p-tau217 in plasma is indicative of cerebrospinal fluid-linked Alzheimer's disease pathology, PET scan measured Alzheimer's biomarkers and the neuropathological changes that occur in Alzheimer's patients.

If the ratio of p-tau217 to non-p-tau217 can be combined with the existing biomarker of amyloid probability score 2, which is the ratio of amyloid- 42 (A42) and amyloid- 40 (A40) to provide an accurate blood test-based biomarker for reliably diagnosing Alzheimer's disease in primary and secondary care stages, it could help significantly reduce the rate of misdiagnoses.

To validate the use of p-tau217 ratio in plasma as a biomarker, the researchers used predefined cutoff values for biomarkers and examined the effectiveness of p-tau217 plasma percentage by itself and in combination with A42: A40 in diagnosing clinical Alzheimer's disease or Alzheimer's disease pathology in individuals exhibiting early cognitive symptoms.

They also evaluated how accurate the blood biomarkers were in diagnosing Alzheimer's disease when analyzed in biweekly batches and compared their accuracy with that of dementia specialists and primary healthcare physicians.

The study's secondary objectives were to examine how the blood biomarkers performed at different stages of cognitive decline and to analyze different approaches to cutoff values for the blood test.

Patients exhibiting mild cognitive impairment, subjective decline in cognition, or dementia were recruited into primary and secondary care cohorts for single-batch analysis and prospective analysis of biweekly batches. The participants underwent assessments from dementia specialists and physicians using standard evaluation methods.

Plasma samples obtained from the participants were analyzed using mass spectrometry for the amyloid beta and tau protein markers. Additionally, cerebrospinal fluid samples were obtained and analyzed for amyloid beta biomarkers.

Results

The study found that using a predefined cutoff value for biomarkers and a combination of percentage p-tau217 and A42: A40 in plasma samples provided highly accurate diagnoses of Alzheimer's disease pathology. Furthermore, the performance of A42: A40 as a biomarker was consistent across the biweekly analyses of plasma samples, indicating that the assay performance was robust.

Despite variations in clinical and demographic characteristics of patients between the primary and secondary care cohorts, the performance of the blood biomarkers was comparable across cohorts. Additionally, the blood test demonstrated diagnostic accuracy greater than not only that of physicians in primary care centers but also that of dementia specialists.

Moreover, although the rate of comorbidities such as kidney disease was high in the study population, the performance of the blood test biomarkers in accurately detecting Alzheimer's disease pathology was high.

Conclusions

Overall, the study showed that the use of a combination of percentage p-tau217 and A42: A40 as biomarkers, detected from plasma samples, provided a highly accurate and reliable method to diagnose Alzheimer's disease pathology among patients exhibiting dementia or mild cognitive impairments.

The use of plasma samples for this method, without the need for specialized tests such as PET scans, could potentially increase the detection of Alzheimer's disease in both primary and secondary care facilities and lower the misdiagnosis rates.
Adults with diabetes who meet the recommended guidelines for physical activity may offset the risk of mortality that is associated with excessive sitting time, according to a new study at Columbia University Mailman School of Public Health. This is the first study to show that getting adequate exercise can counteract the elevated risk of mortality associated with sitting for long periods of time each day, even for people with diabetes. The findings are published in Diabetes Care.

Managing the elevated mortality risk in this high-risk population is particularly pressing given the widespread diabetes epidemic and the tendency among adults with diabetes to sit more and move less." Wen Dai, PhD, first author, doctoral student in Epidemiology at Columbia Mailman School

Excessive sedentary time is a significant public health issue with increased mortality risk for the general population.

The researchers analyzed data from the 2007-2018 National Health and Nutrition Examination Surveys (NHANES) for individuals 20 years of age or older with diabetes as defined by the American Diabetes Association. Individuals with diabetes were followed- through 2019 to determine mortality status. Sitting time and moderate-to-vigorous physical activity were self-reported. Data on sociodemographics, lifestyle factors and medical conditions were collected through computer-assisted personal interviews.

Physical activity was categorized as inactive (<10 min/week), insufficiently active (10-149 min/week), and active (150 min/week). Thirty-eight percent reported being physical active in the moderate to vigorous range for less than 10 minutes per week. Half of the respondents had diabetes for five years or less and 34 percent were diabetic for more than 10 years. Inactive individuals with diabetes or those recording physical activity of less than 10 minutes per week was associated with greater mortality risk from all causes.

Over approximately 6 years, there were 1,278 deaths from all causes and 354 deaths from heart disease for individuals 60 years old on average, 48 percent of whom were female and 61 percent non-Hispanic White. About one-quarter had less than a high school education, and approximately 12 percent lacked health insurance.

"Our findings support an emphasis on encouraging and supporting patients in adhering to guideline-recommended physical activity levels, particularly for individuals whose life circumstances necessitate prolonged sitting in particular, such as drivers or office workers," said Sandra Albrecht, PhD, assistant professor of Epidemiology at Columbia Mailman School of Public Health, and senior author.

The study was supported by the National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases (K01DK107791).
Covid-19, mumps, and chickenpox outbreaks. Contaminated water, moldy food, and air ducts spewing black dust.

These health threats have been documented inside privately run immigration detention facilities in California through lawsuits, federal and state audits, and complaints lodged by detainees themselves.

But local public health officers who routinely inspect county jails and state prisons say they don't have the authority under state law to inspect detention centers operated by private companies, including all six federal immigration centers in California.

State Sen. Maria Elena Durazo (D-Los Angeles) wants to close that loophole with legislation that would allow county health officers to conduct inspections at the facilities if health officers deem them necessary.

Durazo said that many detainees live in substandard conditions and that communicable diseases sweeping through these facilities could pose a risk to surrounding communities.

"Unfortunately, our detainees are treated as if theyre not human beings," she said. "We dont want any excuses. We want state and public health officials to go in whenever it's needed."

It's not clear how much authority local health officers would have to implement changes, but public health experts say they could act as independent observers who document violations that would otherwise remain unknown to the public.

The state Senate passed the bill, SB 1132, unanimously in late May. It is now under consideration in the state Assembly.

Immigration is regulated by the federal government. GEO Group, the country's largest private prison contractor, runs California's federal centers, located in four counties. Together they can house up to 6,500 people awaiting deportation or immigration hearings.

While campaigning in 2020, President Joe Biden pledged to end for-profit immigration detention. But more than 90% of the roughly 30,000 people held by the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement agency on any given day remain in private facilities, according to a 2023 analysis by the American Civil Liberties Union. Congress members in both chambers have introduced legislation to phase out private detention centers, while other lawmakers, including at least two this month, have called for investigations into substandard medical and mental health care and deaths.

Lawmakers in Washington state passed a law in 2023 to impose state oversight of private detention facilities, but the GEO Group sued and the measure is tied up in court. California lawmakers have repeatedly attempted to regulate such facilities, with mixed results.

In 2019, California Gov. Gavin Newsom, a Democrat, signed a measure banning private prisons and detention facilities from operating in California. But a federal court later declared the law unconstitutional as it related to immigration detention centers, saying it interfered with federal functions.

In 2021, state lawmakers passed a bill requiring private detention centers to comply with state and local public health orders and worker safety and health regulations. That measure was adopted at the height of the covid-19 pandemic, as the virus tore through detention facilities where people were packed into dorms with little or no protection from airborne viruses.

For instance, at the Otay Mesa Detention Center in San Diego, one outbreak at the start of the pandemic infected more than 300 staff members and detainees.

The Health Officers Association of California, which represents the public health officers for the state's 61 local health departments, supports Durazo's legislation.

"These investigations play a pivotal role in identifying and addressing health and sanitary concerns within these facilities, thereby mitigating risks to detainees, staff, and the surrounding communities," according to a letter from the association's executive director, Kat DeBurgh.

Under the measure, public health officers would determine whether the facilities are complying with environmental rules, such as ensuring proper ventilation, and offering basic mental and health care, emergency treatment, and safely prepared food.

Unlike public correctional facilities, which local health officers inspect every year, private detention centers would be inspected as needed, to be determined by the health officer.

GEO Group spokesperson Christopher Ferreira and ICE spokesperson Richard Beam declined to comment on the measure.

American Public Health Association Executive Director Georges Benjamin said public health officers are well positioned to inspect these facilities because they understand how to make confined spaces safer for large populations.

Even though they likely can't force the detention centers to comply with their recommendations, their reports could provide valuable information for public officials, attorneys, and others who want to pursue options such as litigation, he said. "When the system isnt working, the courts can play a very profound role," Benjamin said.

The federal system that monitors health care and the transmission of communicable diseases inside immigration detention centers is broken, said Annette Dekker, an assistant clinical professor of emergency medicine at UCLA, who studies health care in these facilities.

Inspections of detention centers are typically conducted by ICE employees and, up until 2022, by a private auditor. In a paper published in June, Dekker and other researchers showed that immigration officials and the auditor conducted inspections infrequently  at least once every three years  and provided limited public information about deficiencies and how they were addressed.

"There's a lot of harm that is happening in detention centers that we are not able to document," Dekker said.

ICE and the GEO Group have been the subjects of lawsuits and hundreds of complaints alleging poor conditions inside the California facilities since the pandemic began. Some of these lawsuits are pending, but a significant share of complaints have been dismissed, according to a database maintained by the American Civil Liberties Union.

The most recent lawsuits by detainees allege crowded and unsanitary conditions, denial of adequate mental and medical health care, medical neglect, and wrongful death by suicide.

The California Division of Occupational Safety and Health fined the GEO Group about $100,000 in 2022 for failing to maintain written procedures to reduce exposure to covid. The GEO Group has contested the fine.

"I have experienced really inhumane living conditions," 28-year-old Dilmer Lovos told KFF Health News by phone from the Golden State Annex immigration detention center in McFarland, Kern County. Lovos has been held there since January while awaiting an immigration hearing.

Lovos, who was born in El Salvador and uses the pronouns they/them, has been a legal permanent resident for 15 years and was detained by immigration officials while on parole.

In early July, Lovos and 58 other detainees from Golden State Annex and the Mesa Verde ICE Processing Center in Bakersfield started a labor and hunger strike demanding the end of poor living conditions, solitary confinement, and inadequate medical and mental health services.

Lovos described a packed dorm room, clogged air filters, mice and cockroaches scurrying in the kitchen, water leaking from the ceiling, and detainees with flu-like symptoms who couldn't get access to medication or a covid test when requested.

ICE protocols require testing of detainees with symptoms upon intake into facilities with no covid hospitalizations or deaths in the previous week. In facilities with two or more hospitalizations or deaths in the previous week, all detainees are tested during intake. It is up to each facility's medical providers to decide when a test is necessary after that.

After Lovos filed a complaint with the GEO Group in June, alleging medical and mental health neglect, they said they were placed in solitary confinement for 20 days without a properly functioning toilet. "I was smelling my urine and feces because I was not able to flush."

Ferreira declined to address Lovos' allegations but said via email that detainees receive "around-the-clock access to medical care," including doctors, dentists, psychologists, and referrals to off-site specialists.

"GEO takes exception to the unsubstantiated allegations that have been made regarding access to health care services at GEO-contracted ICE Processing Centers," he said.

An unannounced inspection by federal immigration officials in April 2023 found Golden State Annex employees did not respond within 24 hours to medical complaints, which the report said could negatively affect detainees' health, and did not properly store detainees' medical records.

Lovos said that no one has addressed their concerns and that conditions have only worsened.

"Please come check these places out," Lovos said in a plea to local health officials.

This article was produced by KFF Health News, which publishes California Healthline, an editorially independent service of the California Health Care Foundation.
Duke-NUS Medical School today announced the appointment of Professor Hendrik Luesch from the University of Florida (UF) as a joint faculty member. Prof Luesch, a renowned figure in natural drugs discovery, will bolster research in marine biodiversity and drug discovery at Duke-NUS.

The appointment of Prof Luesch, who serves as the Debbie and Sylvia DeSantis Chair in Natural Products Drug Discovery and Development at the UF College of Pharmacy, will open new opportunities for underwater discoveries to be made from unexplored biodiversity.

By joining Duke-NUS, Prof Luesch, who also leads UF's Centre for Natural Products, Drug Discovery and Development, will establish a natural products-based drug discovery laboratory at the School, working closely with faculty at Duke-NUS, the SingHealth Duke-NUS Institute of Biodiversity Medicine, and other partners. He will also collaborate with Singapore's Experimental Drug Development Centre, a national drug discovery and development platform that works to move potential drug candidates toward commercialization hosted by the Agency for Science, Technology, and Research.

Natural products play a key role in cancer drug discovery, and they provide the basis to combat fungal and bacterial pathogens and enhance pandemic preparedness by delivering antivirals. More than 50 per cent of all drugs on the market are inspired by terrestrial natural products, yet the greatest chemical diversity and inspirations for new medicines originate in the ocean.

Professor Luesch, who joins the Cancer and Stem Cell Biology Programme at Duke-NUS, said:

"The ocean harbors excellent starting points for drug discovery, and with this strategic collaboration, we are poised to unlock the therapeutic potential of marine natural products and extend the impact of our work globally."

From antibiotics to blood pressure-lowering drugs and pain medication, nature holds the key to many pressing health challenges. To further investigate the treasures on land and in the sea, we are delighted to have Dr Luesch join our faculty. His extensive experience in marine-based drug discovery complements our expertise in plant-based biodiversity research, which is formalised through the SingHealth Duke-NUS Institute of Biodiversity Medicine and will open new avenues for collaboration across continents that will deliver new treatments for cancer patients around the world." Professor Thomas Coffman, Dean of Duke-NUS

Professor Peter W. Swaan, Dean of the UF College of Pharmacy, said:

"We have entered a new era of natural products science, catalysed by advances in genomic technologies and emerging computational tools that accelerate drug discovery. Dr Luesch's appointment at Duke-NUS will position UF at the forefront in triggering a new wave of medicines."

UF harbors a rich pipeline of marine preclinical assets. One of UF's discoveries from marine cyanobacteria found off the coast of the Florida Keys served as the starting point for six FDA-approved drugs.

Prof Luesch joined the UF College of Pharmacy in 2005 and has published more than 180 journal articles during his career. In addition, he has secured more than US$22 million in grant funding from agencies such as the National Institutes of Health and the Florida Department of Health.

Duke-NUS is a leader in medical research and innovation, with a commitment to improving patient care through scientific discovery. This appointment will leverage Duke-NUS' proximity to the Coral Triangle of Southeast Asia, one of the world's prime areas for marine biodiversity and natural products drug discovery research. Combining this unique natural resource with the right talent will enable the School and Singapore to contribute new treatments that can improve the lives of patients in Singapore and beyond.
Industry leaders to provide world-class lab informatics platform, services and support to life science customers.

Image Credit: Lomb/Shutterstock.com

BALTIMORE, MD, July 30, 2024  Sapio Sciences, the science-awareTM lab informatics platform, and Zifo, the leading scientific informatics services company today announced a strategic partnership to bring best-in-class laboratory information management solutions to customers across the biotech, clinical diagnostics, and pharmaceutical industries.

Zifo will join the Sapio Sciences Partner Program as a Services Partner, focusing on delivering solutions that combine Zifos exceptional IT services and consulting capabilities with Sapios lab informatics platform. The partnership combines Zifos consulting expertise in AI & ML services with Sapio's highly configurable lab informatics platform and expertise in system design, deployment, and integration.

Additionally, the partnership will see Sapio certify Zifo engineers to ensure joint customers can access highly skilled engineers and solution consultants when deploying Sapio solutions. This close collaboration will allow laboratories to navigate complex digital transformation journeys, and streamline and accelerate research.

Raj Prakash, Co-Founder and CEO of Zifo commented: Zifo and Sapio have collaborated closely for several years, working together to ensure seamless integration of the Sapio Platform with our Lab Data Automation Solution (LDAS). By combining our expertise in scientific informatics services, with Sapios lab informatics solutions, we can provide our customers with a world-class approach to lab automation and further the adoption of AI in biotech and pharma.

Andrew Wyatt, Chief Growth Officer, Sapio Sciences added: The relationship between Zifo and Sapio has already helped advance how labs worldwide can collect, analyze, and use information. This renewed partnership will further deepen how we can collaborate on driving forward our goals of making life easier for the scientist and accelerating scientific discovery.

Sapio is pleased to announce it is a headline sponsor of Zifos annual Scientific Informatics Experience Exchange event, taking place in Boston in October 2024

About Sapio Sciences

Sapio Sciences' mission is to improve lives by accelerating discovery, and because science is complex, Sapio makes technology simple. Sapio is a global business offering an all-in-one science-awareTM lab informatics platform combining cloud-based LIMS, ELN, and Jarvis data solutions.

Sapio serves some of the largest global and specialist brands, including biopharma, CRO/CDMOs, and clinical diagnostic labs across NGS genomic sequencing, bioanalysis, bioprocessing, chemistry, stability, histopathology, and in vivo studies.

Customers love Sapio's platform because it is robust, scalable, and with no-code configuration, can quickly adapt to meet unique needs.

For more information, visit www.sapiosciences.com and follow us on LinkedIn.

About Zifo

Zifo is an AI/ML and data for AI based scientific informatics services company. Zifos experience extends across research, development, manufacturing, and clinical domains in the Pharma, Biotech, Chemicals, Food and Beverage, Oil & Gas, and FMCG industries. Zifo is the preferred partner for over 190 scientifically driven organizations around the globe.

For more information, visit Zifo at https://zifornd.com
Chief Executive John Lee (second right) visits a Cambodian enterprise to learn about its operations.

Chief Executive John Lee, leading a Hong Kong Special Administrative Region delegation, arrived in Phnom Penh, Cambodia, as part of a six-day visit to three countries of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations.

Upon arriving in the country's capital today, Mr Lee attended a luncheon hosted by Ambassador Extraordinary & Plenipotentiary of the Peoples Republic of China to the Kingdom of Cambodia Wang Wenbin.

He expressed his gratitude for the embassys support for exchanges between Hong Kong and Cambodia, as well as its assistance to Hong Kong residents in the country. He also said that he looks forward to working closely with Mr Wang to strengthen the economic and trade relations between the Mainland, Hong Kong and Cambodia.

In the afternoon, the Chief Executive and the delegation visited a Cambodian enterprise to learn about the development of its businesses in financial services, construction and real estate development, infrastructure, hospitality, education and healthcare.

Noting that Hong Kong possesses advantages in capital, talent, technology and market resources as an international financial centre, Mr Lee made it clear that companies in Hong Kong and Cambodia can explore more co-operation opportunities to discover new prospects, and drive mutual prosperity and economic development.

In the evening, the delegation had dinner with local business leaders to promote Hong Kongs latest developments and advantages.

On day two of his visit in Cambodia tomorrow, Mr Lee plans to meet local officials and businessmen before departing for Vietnam in the afternoon.
SalamAir, the first budget airline from Oman, is set to start flights between Kempegowda International Airport in Bengaluru and Muscat.

According to The Hindu, bookings are now open for flights starting September 6.

Heres what you need to know:

From Muscat to Bengaluru: Flights will leave Muscat International Airport at 11:20 p.m. (local time) and reach Bengaluru at 4:15 a.m.

Flights will leave Muscat International Airport at 11:20 p.m. (local time) and reach Bengaluru at 4:15 a.m. From Bengaluru to Muscat: The first flight departs on September 7 at 5:10 a.m. and arrives in Muscat at 7:10 a.m.

SalamAir will operate flights twice a week from Bengaluru on Saturdays and Mondays, and from Muscat on Fridays and Sundays. The airline will use the Airbus A320 for this route.

SalamAir has also recently launched flights from Muscat to New Delhi and Chennai. Air India is also expanding its international routes from Bengaluru, with a non-stop service to London Gatwick starting August 18 and flights to Abu Dhabi already in operation since July 23.
Reserve Bank Of India 90th Anniversary: The Reserve Bank of India (RBI) is planning a five-episode web series to provide an in-depth presentation about its functions and 90-year journey.

The web series is proposed to be for nearly three hours, with each episode lasting 25-30 minutes, according to an official document.

The RBI, which was set up in 1935, completed 90 years in April this year.

The bank is desirous of creating a web series of five episodes of approximately 25-30 minutes each, which can be aired on national TV channels and/or OTT platforms, commemorating 90 years journey of RBI, it said in the document inviting bids through e-tendering for Production and distribution of Web Series Commemorating 90 years of RBI.

Five Episodes In The Web Series

The five-episode series will serve as a valuable resource for enhancing public understanding of the central banks vital role in the economy, fostering greater engagement, and building trust and confidence in its operations and policies, it said.

For the web series, the RBI has invited proposals from interested production houses, TV channels, and OTT platforms.

The primary objective of this project is to create a comprehensive and engaging series that provides an in-depth exploration of the RBI functions and operations over its 90-year journey.

This series should highlight the central banks vision and mission, showcase its significant achievements and initiatives, and provide insights into ongoing developments and collaborations, the document said.

Through compelling storytelling, expert interviews, and high-quality visuals, the web series seeks to enhance transparency and build trust in the central banks operations and policies, RBI said.

The RBI said the series aims to make complex financial concepts accessible and interesting to a broad audience, thereby contributing to financial literacy.

Additionally, the series will serve as a valuable communication tool for the central bank, supporting its policy announcements and strategic messages while fostering greater public engagement and understanding of its vital role in the economy.

90 Years of RBI

The Reserve Bank of India celebrated its 90th anniversary on April 1, 2024. This milestone marked a significant chapter in the history of Indias financial system.

Established in 1935, the RBI has played a pivotal role in shaping Indias economy. The RBI has undergone significant transformations from being a central bank under British rule to becoming an independent institution post-independence.

(With PTI inputs)
In a remarkable legal outcome, a plot of land valued at Rs 7 crore in Indirapuram, Ghaziabad has been acquired for just Rs 4 lakh following a 35-year legal dispute. The buyer, a woman who purchased the 500 square metre plot back in 1988, persisted through multiple judicial levels including the Consumer Court, High Court, and ultimately the Supreme Court. The land, located in one of Indirapurams upscale areas, has been under dispute since its purchase. The final ruling in favour of the buyer, after decades of litigation, has now allowed her to secure the property for a fraction of its market value.

Typically, properties in this area command prices ranging from Rs 1 to 1.5 crore for flats, making the acquisition of a plot worth Rs 7 crore for Rs 4 lakh a truly exceptional case in real estate history.

Lata Jain, the buyer, reportedly secured the plot by paying a booking amount of Rs 50,000 when it was allotted to her by the Ghaziabad Development Authority in 1988. However, property-related disputes kept the matter entangled for three decades thereafter.

The legal dispute escalated from the consumer court all the way to the Supreme Court. Jain originally purchased the plot, intending to build a nursing home, however, as disputes arose following the plots allocation, she sought resolution through the consumer court. Undeterred, she continued the legal battle, eventually securing victories in both the High Court and the Supreme Court to claim ownership of the land.

The Supreme Court ordered the Ghaziabad Development Authority (GDA) to immediately allocate Jain a 500 square metre plot in the Indirapuram area, priced at the market rate from 1988. Its worth noting that the plot, purchased 35 years ago for Rs 3.8 lakh, is currently valued at Rs 7 crore.
The Embassy of India in Beijing, China has issued an updated trade advisory in the interest of Indian small and medium enterprises that are doing business with local entities in China.

The Trade and Commerce Wing of the embassy said that it has regularly come across several problems faced by Indian companies doing business with Chinese entities in the country.

It has requested Indian companies to take note of this advisory and its annexure documents and adopt precaution while deadline with Chinese entities.

It is highly recommended that before doing business with any Chinese entity, Indian companies write to the Indian Embassy or Indian Consulates in Shanghai, Guangzhou and Hong Kong to verify the credentials of the entity, the embassy said.

The respective Mission will respond in 4-5 days, it added.

It also issued an advisory in case of large transactions.

In case of large transactions, it is highly recommended that Indian companies may consult a business service company, which can provide a report on the business transparency, financial health, reputation, reliability and credentials of the Chinese entity, it said.

Furthermore, it has been recommended that before doing business with any Chinese entity, Indian companies should collect and retain copies of both the resident identity card, passport of the proprietor and other responsible interlocutor(s) of the Chinese entity.

In addition, the embassy stated that it has observed that a majority of the trade dispute cases involve companies registered in Shandong, Hebei, Guangdong, Jiangsu and Zhejiang provinces.

Indian companies are advised to take extra precaution before trading with companies from these provinces, it added.
Petrol, Diesel Prices Today On July 30, 2024: Oil marketing companies (OMCs) announce fuel prices at 6 am on a daily basis. The OMCs adjust prices in response to global crude oil prices and fluctuations in foreign exchange rates, ensuring consumers are always informed about the latest fuel costs.

Government oil marketing companies release the latest petrol and diesel prices daily at 6 am in the country.

The prices have remained unchanged in most parts of the country since March 2024 when the central government cut petrol prices by Rs 2. Before that, the fuel prices remained steady since May 2022, following a reduction in fuel taxes by the central government and several states.

Check Petrol Diesel Price Today In India On July 31

Check city-wise petrol and diesel prices on July 30:

City Petrol Price (Rs/litre) Diesel Price (Rs/litre) Delhi 94.72 87.62 Mumbai 103.44 89.97 Chennai 100.85 92.44 Kolkata 103.94 90.76 Noida 94.66 87.76 Lucknow 94.65 87.76 Bengaluru 102.86 88.94 Hyderabad 107.41 95.65 Jaipur 104.88 90.36 Trivandrum 107.62 96.43 Bhubaneswar 101.06 92.91

Factors Affecting Petrol And Diesel Prices In India

Crude oil price: The primary raw material for the production of petrol and diesel is crude oil; as such, its price directly influences the ultimate cost of these fuels.

The exchange rate between the Indian rupee and the US dollar: As a major importer of crude oil, Indias petrol and diesel prices are also influenced by the exchange rate between the Indian and US dollar.

Tax: Various taxes on petrol and diesel are imposed by both the central and state governments. These taxes may differ across states, exerting a notable influence on the ultimate prices of petrol and diesel.

The cost of refining:

The final price of petrol and diesel is additionally influenced by the expenses incurred in refining crude oil into these fuels. The refining process can be costly, and the refining expenses may fluctuate based on factors like the type of crude oil utilised and the refinerys efficiency.

The demand for petrol and diesel: The demand for petrol and diesel can also affect their prices. If demand for these fuels increases, it can lead to higher prices.

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 Joint Admission Counselling (JAC) Delhi spot round admission has started today, July 29. The spot round of the JAC Delhi counselling is open to candidates who have not been accepted into any of the participating institutes courses during any of the rounds of the counselling process. Candidates must apply for JAC Delhi spot round admission by going to the official website  jacdelhi.admissions.nic.in.

The spot round will take place at Delhi Technological Universitys B.R. Ambedkar Auditorium from July 29 to August 1. According to the official notification, If a candidate does not submit the draft of the seat acceptance fee, for any reason, the seat that is granted to him/her at the time of seat allocation would be promptly cancelled and given to the next candidate based on JEE (Main).

As per the exam authority, candidates who enrolled and were assigned seats in any counselling round but did not show up for admission are also eligible to apply for the JAC spot round 2024. On the other hand, those who have registered online and havent filled out any choices may apply for the JAC Delhi spot round counselling in 2024 are eligible. In a round of counselling, seats were assigned to the registered candidates, however, the seat was cancelled for some reason (or any other valid reason), and they remain unadmitted to any participating institute that can also apply.

JAC Spot Round Admission 2024: Documents Required For Counselling

 Online registration form for JAC Delhi

 Receipt of fee for Rs. 10,000

 Demand Draft for Rs. 85,000 payable at New Delhi, made out to JAC DELHI ADMISSION FEE

 Three passport-sized photos of the candidate

 Admit card and score card for JEE Main 2024

 The qualifying exams mark sheet

 Certificate of date of birth or diploma of graduation from high school

 Certificate of Reserved Category/Subcategory (if applicable).

 Original medical fitness certificate (General, SC, ST, CW, OBC, SG, TP, CW, and KM applicants)

For admission to B.Tech colleges in Delhi, the authority started the JAC Delhi registration and choice-filling process on May 30. On June 23, JAC Delhi 2024 registration was closed. The JAC Delhi 2024 counselling was done online by the authority. Registration, choice-filling, seat allotment, and reporting to the designated institute were all part of the JAC Delhi 2024 counselling process. On the official website, the authority declared the JAC Delhi seat distribution for rounds 1 to 5.

Students who wish to pursue BE/BTech and BArch degree programmes in Delhi can get counselling through JAC Delhi. Five technical institutions and institutes within the government of the National Capital Territory of Delhi administer the exam for admission. These include Indraprastha Institute of Information Technology Delhi (IIIT-D), Delhi Technological University (DTU), Delhi Skill and Entrepreneurship University (DSEU), Indira Gandhi Delhi Technical University for Women (IGDTUW) and Netaji Subhas University of Technology (NSUT).
The registration deadline for the MAH MBA Centralised Admission Process (CAP) 2024 has been extended by the State Common Entrance Test Cell, Maharashtra. Interested candidates who meet the eligibility criteria can fill the registration form by visiting the official website at mba2024.mahacet.org.in. It is to be noted that the new deadline is tomorrow, July 31.

Originally, the last date to register for the MAH MBA CAP was July 22, which was then deferred to July 27, and now it has been further extended to July 31. The MAH MBA CAP 2024 is being held in a single round, with the document verification process until August 1, 2024.

The official notification reads, Registration for the CAP has been extended till 31-07-2024 up to 05.00 PM, and verification and confirmation of applications have been extended until 01-08-2024 up to 05.00 PM.

MAH MBA CAP 2024 Registration 2024: Eligibility Criteria

Talking about the eligibility criteria, the Maharashtra candidates must be citizens of India. They must have completed at least a three-year bachelors degree with a minimum of 50 percent aggregate marks. The degree must be awarded by any of the universities recognized by the University Grants Commission. Moreover, All India candidates must possess a bachelors degree and have obtained valid marks in any one of the following exams to be eligible:

 MBA CET

 Common Admission Test (CAT) held by the Indian Institute of Management (IIM)

 Common Management Aptitude Test (CMAT), conducted by the NTA.

 Xavier Aptitude Test (XAT) administered by Xavier School of Management, Jamshedpur

 Aptitude Test for Management Admissions (ATMA) held by the Association of Indian Management Schools

MAH MBA CAP 2024 Registration 2024: Steps To Apply

Step 1: Login to the official website at mba2024.mahacet.org.in.

Step 2: On the homepage, search for and click on the New Candidate Registration link.

Step 3: Then, applicants will be redirected to a new page where they have to register themselves to proceed for application form.

Step 4: Register yourself and fill in the application form with the required academic and personal details.

Step 5: Once done, pay the prescribed application fee and click on the submit button.

Step 6: Save a copy and take a printout of your application for future reference.

MAH MBA CAP 2024 Registration 2024: Application Fee

 General category candidates from Maharashtra, Outside Maharashtra State (OMS), UT of Ladakh migrant applicants, UT of J&K, children of Indian workers in Gulf countries (CIWGC): Rs 1,200.

 Reserved category candidates falling under SC, ST, VJ/DT, NT(A), NT(B), NT(C), NT(D), SBC, OBC, SEBC, EWS, and Persons with Disability candidates belonging to Maharashtra State only: Rs 1,000.

 NRI, OIO, OCI, and FN candidates: Rs 10,000.

Meanwhile, the registration process is held for candidates seeking admissions to first-year MBA and MMS programs in various institutes across Maharashtra, including government, government-aided, unaided private professional educational, and university-managed institutes.
The annual academic calendar has been issued by the Rajasthan education department, marking a significant development in the states educational landscape. As per the academic calendar this year, there will be 152 holidays out of 365 days, including Sundays. School will be open for only 213 days, excluding the holidays. The education department has also declared the second and fourth Saturdays of every month as No Bag Day. Since summer vacations are over and now students have started attending school once again, the education department has released the academic calendar for the government and private schools in Rajasthan. This year, the key highlights in the holiday schedule include long breaks during major festivals such as Diwali, Christmas, along with winter vacations. The holiday for Diwali will begin from October 27 and last till November 7. Similarly, the winter holidays are going to begin from December 25 and will continue till January 5.

The education department has also announced the examination schedule in the calendar. According to this, the first test will begin from August 21 to 23. The second test will start from October 14 to 16.

The half-yearly examinations will be held from December 12 to December 24 this year. The annual examination, according to the calendar, will be conducted from April 24 and continue till May 8. The result will be declared on May 16.

The new session in the government as well as private schools affiliated to the education department will begin from July 1 2025. The private schools will begin the session from April 1. Holidays will be declared in schools as soon as the results are declared, before this.

The Rajasthan Education Department has also guaranteed that the calendar has been planned with careful consideration of all factors. Essential measures will also be applied to address any challenge. The department plans to deliver strategies for schools to progress and maintain the academic standards. In general, the new academic calendar is seen as an advanced step towards a more holistic education.
Noting that the rise in instances of suicide among students pursuing higher education is alarming, the Bombay High Court on Tuesday called for immediate measures by authorities.

A division bench of Chief Justice D K Upadhyaya and Justice Amit Borkar also stated that mental and physical well-being was an integral part of a student.

The high court was hearing a Public Interest Litigation (PIL) filed by child rights activist Shobha Panchmukh who raised concerns over the increase in suicide among students.

The plea urged the HC to direct the Mumbai University (MU) to issue a circular to all affiliated/associated colleges to rope in counsellors for dealing with the mental health of students.

The PIL highlighted inadequate measures for curbing suicidal tendencies among students of higher education.

Such a situation is alarming and calls for immediate measures by all concerned, the bench said.

The bench further said universities are legally obliged to promote a healthy atmosphere and ensure welfare of students at colleges, universities and institutions under the Maharashtra Universities Act.

The university, in our opinion, is duty bound to take measures to create an atmosphere in college and institutions where instances of suicide do not take place, it said.

The bench directed the petitioner to implead the University Grants Commission as a respondent to the plea as several colleges are now becoming autonomous.

The HC asked the Maharashtra government, MU, and the Higher and Technical Education Department to file affidavits within three weeks.

If you or someone you know needs help, call any of these helplines: Aasra (Mumbai) 022-27546669, Sneha (Chennai) 044-24640050, Sumaitri (Delhi) 011-23389090, Cooj (Goa) 0832- 2252525, Jeevan (Jamshedpur) 065-76453841, Pratheeksha (Kochi) 048-42448830, Maithri (Kochi) 0484-2540530, Roshni (Hyderabad) 040-66202000, Lifeline 033-64643267 (Kolkata)
TN SSLC 10th Result 2024 to be Available at Libraries Students can get their class 10 SSLC results for free at central and branch libraries, as well as National Informatics Centres, which are located in each district collectors office.

TN SSLC Supplementary Result 2024 LIVE: Passing Marks To pass the Tamil Nadu Class 10 SSLC supply examinations, students must obtain at least 35 out of 100 in each theory subject, as well as a 35 per cent overall score. To be eligible for class 11, candidates must score 15 out of 25 in the practical assessment and 20 out of 75 in the theory examinations.

TN SSLC Supplementary Result 2024 LIVE: Keep THIS Document Handy To access the TN SSLC supply result 2024, students will have to enter their roll number and an additional credential on the portal. Students are advised to keep their admit cards ready so that they can cross-check the credentials and enter them on the portal.

How to Check TN SSLC Supplementary Result 2024 Step 1: Visit the official website, dge.tn.gov.in. Step 2:Navigate to the Results tab and click the TN SSLC Supplementary Result 2024 link. Step 3: You will be routed to a new page requesting your login information. Step 4: Fill out your date of birth and roll number along with any other details required and click Submit. Step 5: Your TN SSLC Supplementary Result 2024 will be shown on the screen. Carefully review your results. Step 6: Download and print the TN SSLC Supplementary 2024 Results for future reference.

TN SSLC Supplementary Result 2024 Declared! The TN SSLC Supplementary Result 2024 has been issued by the TNDGE, according to moneycontrol. Students who sat the test may access their results online by entering their roll number and date of birth at tnresults.nic.in and dge.tn.gov.in.

TN SSLC Supplementary Result 2024: How to Know If One Has Passed the Exam? Students scoring 35 per cent marks overall and in every subject is considered to have passed the exam. While checking the marksheet, it would be marked as P which means indicates their passing status.

TN SSLC Supplementary Result 2024: Official Website Down Owing to potentially high traffic, the TNDGE websites result page, dge.tn.gov.in, is not responding. Once the page becomes responsive, a link to the result will be provided.

TN SSLC Supplementary Result 2024: Passing Criteria Students need to secure at least 35 out of 100 marks in each theoretical subject and 35 per cent overall in order to pass the Tamil Nadu Class 10 SSLC supply exams.

TN SSLC Supplementary Result 2024: Exam Date The Tamil Nadu Class 10 Supplementary exams ran from July 2 to July 8. The exam sessions were set between 10:15 am to 1:15 pm.

TN SSLC Supplementary 2024 Results: How to Check Step 1: Go to the official website, dge.tn.gov.in. Step 2: Go to the Results tab on the webpage and click the link for the TN SSLC Supplementary Result 2024. Step 3: After that, a new page will ask for your login credentials. Step 4: Enter your information and then click the Submit button. Step 5: The TN SSLC Supplementary Result 2024 will appear on the screen. Step 6: Thoroughly review your scorecard. Step 7: Save and print the TN SSLC Supplementary 2024 Results for later reference.

TN SSLC Supplementary Result 2024 Soon In a few minutes, students who took the exam can use their roll number and birthdate to view their results online.

TN SSLC Supplementary Result 2024: Websites to Check Scores  tnresults.nic.in  dge.tn.gov.in

TN SSLC Supplementary Result 2024 LIVE Updates: Highlights What: Tamil Nadu Board SSLC class 10 supply Result 2024. When: Today, July 30, at 2 PM. Passing Marks: 35 per cent Where: tnresults.nic.in and dge.tn.gov.in.

TN SSLC Supplementary Result 2024 LIVE Updates: Know Your Grades A1  91-100 marks A2  81-90 marks B1  71-80 marks B2  61-70 marks C1  51-60 marks C2  41-50 marks D  31-40 marks E1  21-3O marks E2  20 marks and below

TN SSLC Supplementary Result 2024 LIVE Updates: Top Things to Check On Scorecard  Candidates Name  Registration Number  Date of Birth  School Name  Subject-Wise marks  Total Marks  Grade or Grade points  Qualifying Status (Pass or Fail)

TN SSLC Supplementary Result 2024 LIVE Updates: Documents Needed to Check Scores Once the results are made public at dge.tn.gov.in, students who took the supply examination can check the scores by entering their roll number and date of birth as mentioned on their hall tickets.

TN SSLC Supplementary Result 2024 to be Declared in 30 Minutes!

TN SSLC Supplementary Result 2024: 100% Result at Over 4000 Schools This Year This year, a total of 4105 schools received perfect scores, with 1364 being government schools in the class 10 regular board exam results 2024.

TN SSLC Supplementary Result 2024: Grade Vs Marks GRADE GRADE POINT MARKS A1 Grade Point 10 91-100 marks A2 Grade Point 9 81-90 marks B1 Grade Point 8 71-80 marks B2 Grade Point 7 61-70 marks C1 Grade Point 6 51-60 marks C2 Grade Point 5 41-50 marks D Grade Point 4 31-40 marks E1  21-3O marks E2  20 marks and below
Brazils health authorities are currently tackling the outbreak of an Oropouche Virus (OROV) that is endemic in the areas of Amazonas and Acres in the country. The Oropouche fever caused by the OROV infection is emerging zoonotic disease transmitted primarily via the bites of midges or mosquitos.

The fever has caused death of two women, both aged 30, in the Brazilian state of Bahia. Both women had no comorbidities but experienced symptoms similar to dengue fever. There have been no reports in the worlds scientific literature of deaths from the disease, as per the Brazils health ministry.

Brazil had recorded 7,236 cases of Oropouche fever in 20 states, most of which, however, were recorded in Amazonas and Rondonia as of July. In 2023, Brazil recorded about 840 cases.

What Do We Know About Oropouche Fever?

Oropouche virus was first detected in Trinidad and Tobago in 1955. It pretty common in Latin America and the Caribbean. In 1960, the virus was identified in a sloth in Brazil. An outbreak in 1961 in Brazil resulted in approximately 11 000 cases, as per The Lancet.

Over 500,000 cases have been reported in the Americas, although the actual number and extent of disease transmission could be underestimated.

It has also been detected in Europe. Italy reported its first-ever case of Oropouche in June 2024. It was also the first case ever to be detected in continental Europe. The patient diagnosed in Italy had recently returned from a trip to the Caribbean, Italian newspaper Il Messaggero reported, citing public health authorities.

The disease is spreading to other countries that have never detected cases of Oropouche fever before. On June 11, the WHO reported the first-ever outbreak in Cuba.

What are the Symptoms?

According to Centre for Disease Control and Prevention, symptoms of Oropouche fever are similar to dengue and include headache, fever, muscle aches, stiff joints, nausea, vomiting, chills, or sensitivity to light. Severe cases may result in neuroinvasive disease such as meningitis.

Symptoms typically start 4-8 days after being bitten and last 3-6 days. Most people recover without long-term effects. Treatment is supportive; no specific medications or vaccines are available.

Most patients recover in about seven days. According to the World Health Organization, severe cases are rare. There is no specific vaccine or antiviral treatment available for the disease.

How Does the Virus Spread?

Just like dengue, chikungunya, Zika, Mayaro, and Venezuelan equine encephalitis fever, Oropouche spreads during the rainy season.

Although most cases of Oropouche fever thus far have been linked to tropical climate conditions, the authors noted that the lack of available data makes it difficult to draw precise conclusions. For example, some outbreaks have occurred outside the tropical conditions typically associated with transmission events, as per Deutsche Welle.

Although much remains unclear about the virus and its spread, the authors of a May 2023 paper published in the journal Infectious Diseases of Poverty noted that vegetation loss and deforestation appear to be associated with outbreaks of the disease.

How to Prevent Oropouche Fever?

Since the Oropouche fever is transmitted by mosquitoes, using a repellent, wearing protective clothing, staying in well-screened areas, using mosquito nets and eliminating mosquito breeding sites are some of the preventive measures.

One should seek medical care if symptoms worsen or if there are signs of severe complications such as confusion, seizures or severe headaches, which may indicate neurological involvement, The Times of India quoted Dr Mohan Kumar Singh, senior consultant, Internal Medicine, Marengo Asia Hospital, Gurugram, as saying.
Goas Sunburn Festival has been a rage among music lovers and youngsters. Although the hoteliers, restauranteurs have welcomed the festival for the economic benefits it brings, many social workers, activists, and locals have protested the electronic dance festival that will be held in South Goa from December 28 to December 30.

What is the Sunburn Festival?

The electronic dance music festival was started by entrepreneur Shailendra Singh. The festival has multiple stages with artistes playing music simultaneously. It was held annually in Vagator from 2007 to 2015, and then shifted to Pune in 2016. In 2019, the festival returned to Vagator.

According to a 2014 International Music Summit report, Sunburn was as big as Tomorrowland and Ultra, and it was ranked by CNN in 2009 as one of the Top 10 Festivals in the world.

In 2007, Shailendra Singh organised the first Sunburn, which took place on December 28-29 at Candolim Beach, Goa. Performers included Carl Cox, Above & Beyond and Axwell, with DJs playing simultaneously. The festival was hosted by Nikhil Chinapa and Rohit Barker.

Why Are Locals Protesting?

Communities in areas such as Agonda, Chicalim, Vasco, and Varca Grama Sabha have voted against hosting the Sunburn event, expressing concerns over noise pollution, disruption of daily life, and environmental degradation. Earlier this month, residents staged protests against the festival, demonstrating their strong opposition. The previous year, Sunburn organisers announced they would not hold the event in Goa, seemingly in response to these local concerns.

The locals have also expressed concerns about possible environmental harm and an increase in crime and drug-related activities, similar to what happens in North Goa when such festivals take place. They said the three-day festival is attended by drug peddlers and consumers. They also alleged that the festival causes massive jams, creating severe inconvenience for the locals.

Cristian Karwalo, a resident of South Goa, has expressed deep concern for the next generation if Sunburn is organised in Goa again. We have already seen what this festival did to North Goa and now they want to do the same thing in South Goa. We dont want our young generation to get addicted to drugs because of this festival. I am protesting against this festival because hardly any local talent or artist gets a chance to perform, so why do we need it?

Gram Sabhas of many South Goa villages have unanimously passed the resolutions to oppose the Sunburn Festival. They have also said they will not allow drugs to be used in the festival.

The relocation of the Sunburn festival from North Goa to South Goa has created a controversy. Compared to North Goa, South Goa is relatively quiet and peaceful, which Opposition leader like Yuri Alemao of the Congress has claimed will get destroyed by the music festival.

Alemao said, After converting North Goa into a drug and crime hub, the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) government under Chief Minister Pramod Sawant and Tourism Minister Rohan Khaunte are now setting their evil eye on South Goa.

The festival organisers, however, have already started selling the tickets, and awaiting the Goa governments authorisation. Tourism officials said that Sunburn promoters have yet to submit a formal proposal for review.

What is the Government Saying?

In the NITI Aayog meeting, chief minister Pramod Sawant stressed the importance of music festival in bolstering Goas tourism industry. He stated, The famous Carnival of Goa, Sunburn Festival, Shigmotsav, International Film Festival of India (IFFI), and the International Purple Festival for persons with disabilities (Divyangs) are just a few examples of events that have put Goa on the global cultural map. Sawant also noted that Goa attracted 88.46 lakh tourists in 2023-24, including 4.14 lakh international visitors, underscoring the states status as a premier tourist destination.

State AAP Chief Amit Palekar, who participated in the protests, criticized Sawants endorsement on social media. Palekar argued that equating Sunburn with culturally significant events like the Carnival and Shigmo was an insult to Goans. Goa Congress State Chief Amit Patkar, along with local MLAs, has labelled Sunburn a Drug Festival and called for a boycott of such events in Goa. Patkar emphasized that Goa is globally renowned for its music, cuisine, and the warmth of its people, not for electronic dance music, drugs, and loud noise.

Sunil Kawthankar, Goa Congress vice-president has also opposed CM Sawants recent statement. He said he condemns the statement of Sawant, and Sunburn Festival is not part of Goas culture.

Sanjay Amonkar, director general of the Goa Chamber of Commerce and Industry, said the Sunburn Festival had significantly boosted North Goas tourism economy. He stressed the importance of following protocols and involving local stakeholders in the event, according to Gomantak Times.

What are the Legal Challenges the Festival is Facing?

The festival is mired in complaints in court about sound pollution and outstanding payments to local authorities, highlighting the festivals strained interactions with Goas regulatory bodies and community members.

There are strong calls for stricter environmental regulations and thorough impact evaluations. In response, Sunburn has initiated the Leave No Trace eco-campaign to raise environmental awareness.

(with inputs from Mayuresh Ganapatye in Mumbai)
The Department for Promotion of Industry and Internal Trade (DPIIT) has recognised over 1.4 lakh startups as of June 30, 2024, creating over 15.5 lakh direct jobs, Ministers of State for Commerce and Skill Development Jitin Prasada and Jayant Chaudhary, respectively, told Parliament.

Maharashtra (25,044), Karnataka (15,019), Delhi (14,734), Uttar Pradesh(13,299) and Gujarat (11,436) have emerged as the top states, becoming major hubs for entrepreneurial activity and attracting significant investments and talent. The states or UT with the lowest numbers of startups include Lakshadweep (3), Sikkim (11), Ladakh (16), Mizoram (32), Arunachal Pradesh (38), Meghalaya (52), Dadra and Nagar Haveli and Daman and Diu (53), Andaman and Nicobar Islands (59) and Nagaland (66).

Chaudhary emphasised the significant impact of startups on job creation, while Prasada highlighted programmes implemented by the government to support and promote startups.

CENTRES INITIATIVES

For example, the Startup India Action Plan, initiated in January 2016, aims to simplify processes, provide funding and promote industry-academia partnerships. This plan laid the foundation for various supportive measures, including the Startup India Seed Fund Scheme, which offers financial assistance for proof of concept, prototype development, product trials, market-entry and commercialization.

The Fund of Funds for Startups addresses funding needs across different growth stages, with a corpus of Rs 10,000 crore. Credit Guarantee Scheme for Startups provides credit guarantees for loans extended to DPIIT-recognized startups by Scheduled Commercial Banks, Non-Banking Financial Companies (NBFCs) and Venture Debt Funds (VDFs).

Regulatory reforms have enhanced the ease of doing business, with over 55 changes implemented since 2016. Startups can self-certify compliance with nine labour and three environmental laws and enjoy income tax exemptions for three out of their first 10 years of operation. The minister also spoke about the Startup India Hub, launched in 2017, which connects stakeholders across the entrepreneurial ecosystem.

Intellectual property protection is facilitated through fast-tracked patent applications and significant fee rebates. International market access is promoted through partnerships with around 20 countries, fostering cross-border collaboration and global market reach. These initiatives collectively create a robust ecosystem for startups to thrive and scale.

Other programmes and schemes include the Atal Innovation Mission, the National Initiative for Developing and Harnessing Innovations (NIDHI), the Innovations for Defense Excellence (iDEX), and various region-specific initiatives aimed at fostering entrepreneurship and innovation.
External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar gave a lesson in diplomacy during his visit to Japan as he deftly answered a question about American politics amid election fervour in the United States.

When asked to comment on US politics during a press conference at the Japan National Press Club in Tokyo, Jaishankar said, If I have just said that I dont think its appropriate for people in one democracy to comment, especially with an agenda, on the workings of another democracy, surely you are not expecting bad manners from my side.

If I am complaining that others dont follow the right etiquette, I think its important that I set an example. The best answer I can give you is not to answer the question, the minister added. Jaishankars comments were apparently aimed at the Biden administration, whose US State Department has been rebuked on several occasions by the External Affairs Ministry, for making comments on Indias internal matters.

Dont expect bad manners on my side EAM Dr S Jaishankar when asked to comment on US elections; Adds,not appropriate for people in one democracy to comment on another democracy pic.twitter.com/nRyEhjQhCN Sidhant Sibal (@sidhant) July 30, 2024

Jaishankars presser came on Monday after he attended a meeting of foreign ministers of the Quad bloc comprising the US, India, Japan and Australia. The all-important meeting was attended by US Secretary of State Antony Blinken, Japanese Foreign Minister Yoko Kamikawa and Australias Foreign Minister Penny Wong.

On Monday, Jaishankar separately met his Japanese and Australian counterparts separately and discussed steps to strengthen bilateral ties and deepen cooperation across the Indo-Pacific. Good to meet FM @Kamikawa_Yoko once again. Thank her for the Quad FMM arrangements. Took stock of our bilateral agenda and spoke about ways to continue strengthening our political, trade and people-to-people connect, Jaishankar posted on X along with some photographs from the meeting.

On Sunday, Jaishankar held wide-ranging talks with his American counterpart Antony Blinken against the backdrop of an unease in India-US ties following Prime Minister Narendra Modis visit to Russia three weeks back.
Two rape cases registered in Hyderabad on Tuesday have sparked outrage. In the first case, a software engineer was gang-raped by two friends at a hotel in Vanasthalipuram. One of them was a childhood friend who had studied with her from class 2 to 10. In the second case, a woman was raped by the driver of a sleeper bus going from Sangareddy to Prakasham district. The most shocking part is that it happened when other passengers were on board. The perpetrator had gagged the woman to stifle her cries.

In the Vanasthalipuram case, the software engineer had been invited to a get-together at Hotel Bommarillu in Omkar Nagar by her childhood friend, Gautham Reddy. There were other mutual friends present too.

They had dinner and drinks at the restaurant and then checked into a room on the hotel premises. Gautham Reddy and another friend allegedly raped the woman while she was inebriated. She screamed when she gained consciousness and the hotel staff rushed to the room. The two accused fled from the spot. The woman lodged a complaint with Vanasthalipuram police and the case is being investigated.

The woman who was raped in a moving bus managed to dial 100 and alert the police when the vehicle reached Medchal. Hyderabad police intercepted the bus near Osmania University and arrested two drivers.

In the ongoing budget session of the Telangana assembly, the opposition had drawn the attention of the state government to a spurt in crime. Bharat Rashtra Samithi (BRS) leader and former minister Harish Rao had alleged that the crime rate had risen since the Congress came to power. He had alleged that murders and rapes were taking place unchecked, yet the government and police seemed indifferent.

As many as 500 murders were reported in the state during the last eight months. If this continues, it will impact investments coming in the state, he had warned.
Dozens of videos of the landslide in Keralas Wayanad are going viral on the internet in the wake of the disaster, which has claimed at least 89 lives. At least 37 bodies have been recovered so far.

The Kerala government sought the assistance of the Defence forces for rescue operations in the wake of the devastating landslides.

Military Help

A Defence PRO said that a team of 43 personnel, led by the Second-in-Command from the 122 Infantry Battalion (TA) MADRAS, has been mobilised to aid in the rescue efforts.

A Defence statement said that based on a requisition received from the Kerala government on Tuesday morning for the rescue of approximately 250 persons likely to be stranded in a major landslide in Meppadi Panchayat in Vythiri Taluk, two rescue columns of the Indian Army, with a strength of approximately 200 soldiers from the Defence Security Corps (DSC) Centre, Kannur, have been deployed.

Please pray for my hometown. Waterlogging in many areas of #Wayanad due to heavy rainfall. Over 50 have died in landslides. Rescue ops are ongoing under tough conditions. Two villages are isolated due to a bridge collapse. #Keralarain pic.twitter.com/oXvquEAL4a Shafid (@iamshafid) July 30, 2024

#WATCH | Buildings suffer damage in the landslide and rain-affected Chooralmala area in Keralas Wayanad pic.twitter.com/YvBDbl9nhK ANI (@ANI) July 30, 2024

Rescue and Relief Op

A medical team from Military Hospital Kannur and troops from the Territorial Army in Kozhikode have also been sent to assist in the rescue efforts. It said assistance was sought from the Indian Army and Indian Air Force. Two Relief columns from Defence Security Corps Centre, Kannur along with rescue equipment and other detachments have been deployed for rescue and relief operations.

Deputy Inspector General of the National Disaster Response Force, Bharat Bhushan Vaid said, Our team was positioned there for pre-monsoon deployment. Two of our teams are on the way and they are likely to reach there in the afternoon today. The rain is still going on.

#WATCH | On Kerala Wayanad landslide, DIG NDRF Bharat Bhushan Vaid says, Our team was positioned there for pre-monsoon deployment. Two of our teams are on the way and they are likely to reach there in the afternoon today. The rain is still going on. pic.twitter.com/MkXmx944Te ANI (@ANI) July 30, 2024

250 people rescued

On Tuesday, Kerala Minister AK Saseendran assessed damages and relief efforts in the rain-ravaged and landslide hit in the Chooralmala area of Wayanad. Kerala Minister MB Rajesh confirmed the deaths of 44 people in the landslides. Rajesh said that 250 people have been rescued and were shifted to temporary shelters. Meanwhile, political leaders, from across the spectrum, have expressed their condolences and urged immediate action.

Distressed by the landslides in parts of Wayanad. My thoughts are with all those who have lost their loved ones and prayers with those injured. Rescue ops are currently underway to assist all those affected. Spoke to Kerala CM Shri @pinarayivijayan and also assured all possible help from the Centre in the wake of the prevailing situation there, Prime Minister Narendra Modi said in a post on X.

Leaders

Congress leaders, including Leader of Opposition Mallikarjun Kharge, Rahul Gandhi, and Priyanka Gandhi Vadra, have offered their heartfelt sympathies. Kharge called for expedited relief and rescue operations, emphasising the need for urgent medical assistance and coordination with all agencies involved.

Rahul Gandhi, who has been in contact with Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan and the Wayanad district collector, confirmed that rescue operations are in progress. He has requested additional support from Union Ministers and urged UDF workers to aid the relief efforts. Priyanka Gandhi also conveyed her deep sadness over the devastation and urged the government to expedite relief efforts.

She called on UDF workers to assist in any way possible to support those affected by the disaster. K C Venugopal, Congress General Secretary, condemned the tragedy and appealed for robust relief measures. He confirmed that discussions with Defence Minister Rajnath Singh have yielded promises of necessary assistance, and he urged both state and central governments to intensify search and rescue operations.
Police have arrested a man in connection with the murder of a 20-year-old woman, whose body was discovered near Uran railway station in Navi Mumbai last week. The prime accused was taken in custody from Shahpur, district Gulbarga, Karnataka.

This comes two days after Yashshri Shindes body was found in the early hours of Saturday. Police believe she was killed sometime between 3:30 pm and 4:30 pm on Friday when she had taken half-day leave from her Navi Mumbai office. Teams have been sent out to arrest the accused. We are investigating the murder from all angles, Deputy Commissioner of Police Vivek Pansare told PTI on Monday.

Police believe the murder may be connected to a failed romantic relationship. Yashshris father, Surendra Kumar, has named Dawood Shaikh as the prime suspect. The father of the victim held a man from a different community responsible for the murder and said police must arrest him immediately. Irate kin said the victims father had filed a police complaint against this man in 2019 for harassing his daughter and the murder was an act of revenge over that issue.

Former BJP MP Kirit Somaiya met the family of the murdered woman and sought a stringent law against love jihad. In a message on X, he said he met the family along with local MLA Mahesh Baldi and promised them prompt action to apprehend her assailants.

Tagging Chief Minister Eknath Shinde and Deputy CM Devendra Fadnavis, who also holds the home portfolio, Somaiya said a legislation should be enacted against love jihad. Love jihad is a term used by right wing activists alleging a ploy by Muslim men to convert Hindu women to Islam by luring them into love marriages. Somaiya also said provisions of the Scheduled Caste and Scheduled Tribe (Prevention of Atrocities) Act must invoked in the case.

(With agency inputs)
Dawood Shaikh, the main accused in the Navi Mumbai murder case has confessed to his crime, police said on Tuesday. He was arrested on Monday in connection with the murder of a 20-year-old woman, whose body was discovered near Uran railway station in Navi Mumbai last week.

The police said Shaikh had fled to Karnataka after committing the murder. He was arrested from Shahpur, district Gulbarga in Karnataka.

20-year-old Yashshri Shindes body was found in the early hours of Saturday. Police believe she was killed sometime between 3:30 pm and 4:30 pm on Friday when she had taken half-day leave from her Navi Mumbai office.

Police said both the victim and the accused Dawood were in contact with each other. Navi Mumbai ACP Deepak Sakore said that the matter of an affair between the two has just come to light and is under investigation but added that the two used to speak with each other.

Dawood called Yashshri to meet him and murdered her. The post-mortem report primarily revealed murder by stabbing, Sakore said.

He added that the reason for the murder is not clear. Police said that Dawood has confessed that he called Yashshri to discuss a dispute, and murdered her on meeting her.

Yashshris father, Surendra Kumar, had named Dawood Shaikh as the prime suspect. He had said the police must arrest him immediately. The victims father had filed a police complaint against Dawood in 2019 for harassing his daughter and the murder, he claimed, was an act of revenge for the same.

Former BJP MP Kirit Somaiya met the family of the murdered woman and sought a stringent law against love jihad. In a message on X, he said he met the family along with local MLA Mahesh Baldi and promised them prompt action to apprehend her assailants.

Tagging Chief Minister Eknath Shinde and Deputy CM Devendra Fadnavis, who also holds the home portfolio, Somaiya said a legislation should be enacted against love jihad. Love jihad is a term used by right wing activists alleging a ploy by Muslim men to convert Hindu women to Islam by luring them into love marriages. Somaiya also said provisions of the Scheduled Caste and Scheduled Tribe (Prevention of Atrocities) Act must invoked in the case.
As many as 9.6 lakh trees are likely to be felled for the Great Nicobar Island Project, Union Environment Minister Bhupender Yadav told Lok Sabha during the ongoing Budget session of Parliament on Monday.

The huge infrastructure project worth Rs 72,000 crore was given a go-ahead by the government in October 2022 and involves diversion of nearly 130.75 Sq. km of forest land in the ecologically-fragile Great Nicobar Island. The government plans to develop an International Container Transhipment Terminal (ICTP) at Galathea Bay in the southern end of the Andaman and Nicobar Islands, a greenfield international airport, a power plant, as well as a township for the personnel who will implement the project.

Highlighting that the the project is of significant strategic and national importance, Yadav said, The estimated number of trees to be affected is 9.64 lakhs. More than 50% i.e. 65.99 Sq. km of the area proposed for diversion is reserved for green development where no tree felling is envisaged. It is expected that about 15% of the development area would continue to remain as green and open spaces and therefore the number of trees likely to be affected is going to be less than 9.64 lakhs.

The project has come under heavy criticism because of the massive, long-term impact it is likely to have on the local environment, as well as the flora and fauna of the island. There have also been concerns over how it will lead to potential displacement of indigenous tribes, and disrupt the unique ecology of the pristine island.

However, the minister responded by stating that the approval granted by the Central Government is in consonance with the policies and programme of the government, which also include adequate mitigation measures to compensate the impact of development on flora and fauna as part of the Environmental Clearance/Forest Clearance conditions.

The conditions stipulated under the Environmental Clearance (EC) has provisions for preparation of Biodiversity Conservation / Management Plan for the Great Nicobar Island ecosystem with inputs from Wildlife Institute of India (WII), Zoological Survey of India (ZSI), Botanical Survey of India (BSI) and Indian Council of Forestry Research and Education (ICFRE), said Yadav while responding to a question raised by MP Asaduddin Owaisi.

Earlier, the environment ministry had to also respond to concerns over the impact on the breeding grounds of leatherback turtles which may be altered due to the project.
Of the 20 senior bureaucrats who designed and drafted the budget, there is not even one OBC, or a tribal or a Dalit or minority community officer, Rahul Gandhi, the leader of Opposition in Parliament said on Monday while delivering his speech on Budget 2024. Gandhis persistent focus on the underrepresentation of OBC, Dalit and tribal officers in the top echelons of the IAS and other senior bureaucracy, while well-intentioned, often comes across as politically convenient discourse. However, it lacks depth in understanding the historical and structural complexities of reservations in the bureaucratic system.

According to the senior IAS officers, a team of very senior officers, mostly of secretary ranks, is in charge of formulating policies, designing and drafting the budget documents. The current batch of secretaries, the empanelled officers and the secretary designate officers generally belong to the batches which came in or before 1992. There were reserved categories for SC and ST, but not OBC.

The OBC classification into All India Service (AIS) came post 1994-95 following the court verdict, and after considering the reports by Kalelkar commission and Mandal commission along with the data of National Sample Survey Organisation. People who are informed about the structure, the hierarchy and the progression in All India Services (AIS), know how the batch system works in gaining seniority.

In addition, there is the age factor as well. The candidates, who opt for reserved categories, also are eligible for an extended age limit to appear for the examination, which at times leads them to arrive late in the service. They often retire before reaching the rank of a secretary.

The Technical Nuances

A close look at the list of secretaries, available with the government, reflects the numbers which may look scarce for the OBC or SC or ST officers, however, the officers mostly come from the batches prior to the decision of bringing in OBC as a category.

One may argue about the numbers of ST and SC communities. The list has at least half a dozen officers who belong to SC and ST communities, and they are holding important changes in the government.

A senior IAS officer pointed out that the reservation does not work after an officer starts serving the government. The government always promotes at least 20 per cent of reserved categories conventionally. But there is no formal rule related to promotion or posting for reserved categories. The reservation comes to work only during recruitment. The career progression generally takes place based on multiple factors which include merit, experience, circumstances among other issues.

The government has a tribal officer serving in the PMO for a very long time and was then assigned one of the most crucial international positions. There are instances, which would probably defy Gandhis claim, the officer added.

There are several intricate and technical details about the service, reservation and the categorisation of SC, ST, and OBC. Starting from 2002 to 2023, across several Parliament sessions  including in 2011, 2014, 2015, 2019, 2021 and latest in 2023  the ministers concerned of DoPT (Department of Personnel and Training) keep providing statistics about the caste data in All India Services and under the central government staffing scheme which includes IAS, IPS and IFoS officer. However, the numbers for the reserved categories did not drop over the years, even in terms of career progression barring a few exceptions.

Playing to the Gallery

There is a need for parity in the private and government professional sectors and there are ways to push inclusivity cutting across the caste lines. However, Gandhis rhetoric often overlooks the intricacy, and multiple other factors of the reservation system and the multifaceted challenges that come with it.

The reservation of SC, ST and OBC in IAS, IPS and IFoS is in accordance with the policy of the Government, which prescribed for 15 per cent, 7.5 per cent and 27 per cent reservation for these categories, respectively.

By failing to acknowledge the historical context and the nuanced progression of the reservation policy, his narrative often risks being perceived as superficial and politically opportunistic. His calls for increased Dalit and OBC representation in the bureaucracy may resonate with a section of voters but appear misplaced and uninformed to those familiar with the intricacies of the issue. This looks like playing to the gallery.

The real challenge lies not just in boosting numbers but in addressing the deep-seated institutional biases and creating an environment where merit and representation coexist. Gandhis approach needs a more nuanced understanding and a comprehensive strategy, or it risks being dismissed or trivialised as another politically charged statement rather than a genuine solution to a complex problem.
Several rescue agencies, including the Indian Army, Fire Force, and NDRF intensified their rescue operations on Wednesday to trace people suspected to be trapped after massive landslides hit Keralas Wayanad district.

The landslides, which hit hilly areas near Meppadi early on Tuesday, have resulted in at least 173 fatalities and hundreds of injuries. The Army is working in close coordination with the NDRF and other agencies to carry out rescue operations in the affected areas.

Latest Updates

Kerala Governor Arif Mohammed Khan visited one of the landslides affected areas in Wayanad earlier on Wednesday. Speaking to the media, he said, It a colossal tragedy. Your heart goes out for all those who have been affected by this landslides but at the same time so many people so many volunteers, including defence forces, military, Air Force, Navy, everybody is involved in the rescue and relief operations. This gives you lot of confidence that in a moment of cries our people have the capacity to come together and do the necessary and required work. BJP leader V Muraleedharan said, PM Narendra Modis government stands with the people of Kerala like a rock On the 23rd, 24th, 25th and 26th of July, the Ministry of Home Affairs issued warnings and asked the state government to be prepared and initiate the evacuation of people but the Kerala government didnt heed to the warning messages. Moreover, many agencies in the past have alerted about the possibility of landslides in the area This area has been identified as an ecologically sensitive area. Despite that, there are more than 300 illegal constructions in the area. Search and rescue operations continue at landslide-affected Chooralmala in Wayanad. #WATCH | Kerala: Search and rescue operations continue at landslide-affected Chooralmala in Wayanad.The death toll stands at 167. (Earlier visuals; Source: PRD Kannur) pic.twitter.com/Euy7PKphcN  ANI (@ANI) July 31, 2024 On rescue operation in Keralas Wayanad, Vice Chief of Air Staff Air Marshal AP Singh said, Our assets including helicopters are deployed in Wayanad. Yesterday, due to the weather flying was affected. Today, the operation is on. People who have been elected to the Parliament dont know how to behave on different occasions. This (Wayanad landslides) is an occasion of discussing a tragedy. Everybody has to be together, opposition is going with great heart to be together, but the government is trying to settle the score. Its unfortunate, said Congress leader KC Venugopal on Wayanad landslide. Adani Group Chairman Gautam Adani took to his official X account and extended his support with a contribution of Rs 5 Cr to the Kerala Chief Ministers Distress Relief Fund.



Deeply saddened by the tragic loss of life in Wayanad. My heart goes out to the affected families. The Adani Group stands in solidarity with Kerala during this difficult time. We humbly extend our support with a contribution of Rs 5 Cr to the Kerala Chief Ministers Distress Gautam Adani (@gautam_adani) July 31, 2024

One of the survivors from the landslide in Wayanad said 11 members of his wifes family are still missing.

Speaking on the incident, LoP in Lok Sabha Rahul Gandhi said, It is a huge tragedy in Wayanad and the military is doing a good job there. I think it is important that we support the people of Wayanad and I request the Govt to help the people of Wayanad. It is the second time this tragedy has taken place, this took place 5 years ago as well. It is clear that this area has an ecological issue, so this should be looked into and whatever hi-tech solution can be brought forward, will be good.

Maldives President Dr Mohamed Muizzu sent a message of condolence to Prime Minister Narendra Modi following the Wayanad landslide. He also expressed his hopes that the rescue efforts at the site will be able to operate quickly and successfully.

Tiny makeshift bridges were erected over swollen rivers and excavators were engaged non-stop in removing piles of debris and boulders, with rescue missions continuing in the landslide-hit hamlets of Wayanad on Wednesday. Rescue operators, including Army personnel, NDRF, state emergency service personnel, and local people, were fighting all odds to carry out the tough mission even as rain continued to lash several areas.

Kerala CM Briefs Media After Cabinet Meeting On Landslide

Addressing a press meet, Kerala CM Pinarayi Vijayan said, The cabinet meeting evaluated the situation. We are relocating tribal families and providing food to those who are not ready to move. A total of 1,592 people have been rescued through our extensive and coordinated rescue operations.

He further said, Currently, there are 82 relief camps in Wayanad district, accommodating 2,017 individuals. In Meppadi, eight camps are housing 1,486 people from 421 families. Priority is being given to rescue operations in Mundakkai, and efforts are progressing well in Attamala and Chooralmala as well. Today, an additional 132 army personnel have arrived to support the rescue efforts.

The Kerala CM also said, Two helicopters are also being utilized for the rescue operations. Post-mortems were conducted both yesterday and last night. A team of doctors from four cooperative hospitals, including those in Kozhikode and Thalassery, will also arrive to assist.

Amit Shah Questions Kerala Govt In Rajya Sabha

Union Home Minister Amit Shah raised questions to the Kerala government in Rajya Sabha on Wednesday. Shah asked why the state government did not shift people from the sensitive areas when the landslide warning was issued nearly 7 days before the tragedy.

Shah said that considering the early warning systems alert for landslide, 9 NDRF teams were sent to Kerala on July 23 and more teams were dispatched on July 30.

#WATCH | Delhi: Union Home Minister Amit Shah says,  Under this early warning system, on July 23, at my direction, 9 NDRF teams were sent to Kerala considering that there could be landslides What did the Kerala government do? Were the people shifted? And if they were pic.twitter.com/P29bTb2buk ANI (@ANI) July 31, 2024

While speaking at the Rajya Sabha, he said that the Indian government is trying its best for relief and rehab of the ones affected due to the landslide. He further said that PM Modi stands firmly with the people of Kerala.

1200 Personnel From Armed Forces, NDRF And Other Teams Carry Out Rescue Operations

Search and rescue operations are in progress at the landslide-affected Chooralmala area in Wayanad. At present, 1,200 rescue workers from the Indian Army, DSC Centre, Territorial Army, NDRF, Indian Navy, and IAF are actively involved on the ground.

#WATCH | Wayanad landslide | Search and rescue operations continue at landslide-affected Chooralmala in Wayanad. At the moment, 1200 rescue workers from Indian Army, DSC centre, Territorial Army, NDRF, Indian Navy and the IAF are deployed here.The death toll stands at 158. pic.twitter.com/gRra3cuwaW  ANI (@ANI) July 31, 2024

#WATCH | Kerala: Relief and rescue operation underway in Wayanads Chooralmala after a landslide broke out yesterday early morning claiming the lives of 143 people

(latest visuals) pic.twitter.com/Cin8rzwAzJ

 ANI (@ANI) July 31, 2024

Kerala Police Dog Squad Finds 5 Bodies In Mundakkai

The Kerala police dog squad has discovered five bodies at Mundakkai, including one child. Four additional bodies have been identified and will be recovered once more machinery and personnel are deployed to the area.

Indian Army along with other teams rescued 19 civilians stranded in Ela Resort and Vana Rani Resort beyond Mundkai village in Wayanad.

Update : Day2Based on inputs from Kerala Govt. Forest Officials & Villagers, 122 Inf Battalion (TA) MADRAS, led by Sub Gijil, Sub Jayesh & Nb Sub Anilkumar along with 12 Jawans, rescued 19 civilians stranded in ElaResort & VanaRaniResort beyond Mundkayi village.#WayanadDisaster pic.twitter.com/hbyKcVtVCl PRO Defence Kochi (@DefencePROkochi) July 31, 2024

The Indian Coast Guard is actively involved in rescue and relief operations for those affected by the landslide in Wayanad. Teams from the ICG Disaster Relief units in Kochi and Beypore are on-site, offering aid and support.

@IndiaCoastGuard is actively engaged in the rescue and relief operations for those affected by the landslide in #Wayanad. ICG Disaster Relief Team #DRT ex #Kochi & #Beypore are on the ground, providing aid and support. #ICG is committed to ensuring the safety and well-being of pic.twitter.com/8qvtdyvitB Indian Coast Guard (@IndiaCoastGuard) July 31, 2024

IAF C-17 carries Equipment To Build Bailey Bridge To Wayanad

Indian Air Forces C-17 Globemaster carrying Indian Army personnel and parts and equipment for the construction of Bailey Bridge arrived at Kannur International Airport around 11.30 AM from Delhi.

The operation will be coordinated by Captain Puran Singh Natha Vath of the Kannur Defense Security Forces (DSC). Bridge construction materials will be delivered to Wayanad in 17 trucks to boost the search and rescue operation in the landslide-hit district of Kerala.

Rahul Gandhi Cancels Visit To Wayanad

Congress leader and Wayanad MP, Rahul Gandhi has cancelled his plan to visit the landslide-hit district. Gandhi was scheduled to visit Wayanad on Wednesday however the visit was cancelled due to the bad weather conditions in the district.

The India Meteorological Department (IMD) has issued an orange alert for Waynad and has forecast heavy to very heavy rainfall in the region during the next 24 hours.

Siddaramaiah Announces Compensation for Kin of Kannadigas Who Died in Kerala Landslides

Karnataka Chief Minister Siddaramaiah on Wednesday announced a compensation of Rs 5 lakh to the families of Kannadigas who died in landslides in neighbouring Kerala.

According to government sources, at least six people from the state are feared dead in Mondays landslide, reported PTI.

The death toll in Wayanad landslide continues to rise. This is a very deadly tragedy, the fact that Kannadigas lost their lives in this tragedy made it even more painful, the CM said in a post on X.

The deceased Kannadigas will be given a compensation of Rs 5 lakh each. I pray that the soul of the deceased may rest in peace, he said.

Additional Indian Army Personnel Deployed for Rescue Operations

Four columns from DSC Centre, Kannur, and 122 TA Battalion are conducting combined rescue operations alongside NDRF and State rescue teams. Approximately 1,000 individuals have been rescued, and around 70 deceased individuals have been recovered, so far.

The Indian Army formulated the action plan for Wednesdays recue operation. All six columns will execute rescue operations in conjunction with NDRF and Civil Administration. Construction of a bridge on the Meepadi  Chooralmala Road will commence, including the induction of certain earth-moving equipment to the other side of the stream utilizing air effort.

An aerial reconnaissance by Brigadier Seagan and the ETF Commander is planned for 09:30 hours. Additional resource requirements will be assessed based on the aerial reconnaissance and the needs of the civil administration, it said.

Following the tragic incident, at least 45 relief camps have been established, accommodating 3,069 people.

IMD Issues Red Alert In Kerala For Next 24 Hours

Meanwhile, the India Meteorological Department (IMD) issued a red alert for the mountain district of Wayanad and all northern districts of Kerala, indicating extremely heavy rainfall within the next 24 hours.

India Army Carries Rescue Operations in Wayanad

According to the Kerala State Disaster Management Authority (KSDMA), members of the fire and rescue, civil defence, NDRF, and local emergency response teams are involved in the rescue operations.

Around 200 Indian Army personnel from DSC Centre Kannur and 122 TA Battalion from Kozhikode are also at the site. Along with this, two Air Force helicopters, a Mi-17 and an ALH, are also coordinating the rescue operations.

Apart from the four columns with a total strength of approximately 225 personnel, already deployed for the operation, two more columns consisting of at least 140 personnel are kept on standby in Thiruvananthapuram to be airlifted in case of an exigency.

The Army is also setting up a command-and-control centre at Kozhikode to coordinate HADR efforts.

Helicopter reconnaissance of the affected area is being undertaken and damage assessment is being carried out to channelise rescue operation in correct direction.

Besides the aid in terms of medicines and first aid, ECHS POLYCLINC Kalpetta is extending all possible help in terms of the Service of Doctor/ Nursing assistant and Ambulance service to the flood operation columns.

Schools, Colleges Shut In 11 Districts

In the wake of the disaster, all educational institutions will remain closed on Wednesday, July 31. A holiday has also been declared in 11 districts  Kasaragod, Kannur, Kozhikode, Wayanad, Malappuram, Palakkad, Thrissur, Idukki, Ernakulam, Alappuzha and Pathanamthitta, reported Onmanorama.

CM Vijayan Urges People to Avoid Travel To Wayanad

Following the devastating landslide in Wayanad that has already claimed the lives of at least 146 people and left 128 people injured, the Kerala government on Tuesday declared state mourning for two days.

Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan said the state government is deeply saddened by the tragic incident that claimed numerous lives and resulted in the widespread destruction of homes and other property.

As per protocol, the National Flag will be kept at half-mast and all public functions and celebrations will be cancelled.

#WATCH | Thiruvananthapuram, Kerala: National flag at half-mast at Kerala Legislative Assembly, as two-day mourning is being observed in the state after Wayanad landslide claimed 143 lives. pic.twitter.com/Bbj1CZsiIr ANI (@ANI) July 31, 2024

The chief minister also urged people to avoid unnecessary travel to Wayanad adding that the rescue operation was the priority.

Kerala Bank has already contributed Rs 50 lakh to CMDRF. The Chief Minister of Sikkim has pledged Rs 2 crore, and Tamil Nadu CM MK Stalin has promised Rs 5 crore in aid, he said about the relief aid.

CM Chairs High-Level Meeting

A high-level meeting was held on Tuesday under the leadership of Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan to coordinate Wayanad rescue operations and discuss further steps.

The CM assessed the rescue operations and reviewed the coordination with the agencies under the central government, the deployment of disaster response forces, health and safety precautions and the facilities in the relief camps.

Over 150 Died in Wayanad Landslides

Over 150 people died and 180 injured after massive landslides hit hilly areas near Meppadi in Keralas Wayanad district early on Tuesday. Around 150 people have been rescued from Mudakkai village, provided medical aid and evacuated to safer places.

At least 94 bodies have been brought to the makeshift mortuary for identification in Mepaddi. Additionally, 32 bodies, and 25 body parts are expected be brought here from Nelamboor.

The landslides that, occurred between 2 AM and 4 AM, primarily impacted Mundakai and Chooralmala. Rescue efforts are hampered in Mundakai due to blocked roads and unstable terrain.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi has expressed deep concern and assured that the Central government will provide all necessary assistance to manage the crisis.
Wayanad Landslide: Death Toll Reaches 146, Latest Updates For the latest updates on the ongoing rescue operations, the current situation, and detailed reports from the ground, please check our live blog for July 31st: Wayanad Landslides LIVE: Death Toll Rises to 143, Rescue Efforts Intensify. Stay informed with real-time information on the impact, relief measures, and more.

Landslide In Kerala: IMD Issues Red Alert For Wayanad, Neighbouring Districts The India Meteorological Department (IMD) on Tuesday issued a red alert for Wayanad and all the northern districts of Kerala, indicating that extremely heavy rainfall is expected in these regions. An orange alert was also issued for Pathanamthitta, Alappuzha, Kottayam and Ernakulam districts.

Landslide In Wayanad LIVE Updates: Rescue Operations In Chooramala Ends For The Day Rescue operations in Chooramala has ended for the day because of rain.

Landslide In Wayanad LIVE Updates: Kerala Assembly LoP Visits Affected Areas, Requests State Govt To Forego Postmortem And Handover Bodies To Families Reached the disaster-hit areas of Wayanad. The tragedy in Wayanad is unparalleled, and the scenes are heartbreaking. Have requested the government to forego postmortem and hand over the mortal remains to the relatives, Kerala Assembly LoP V D Satheesan said in an X post.

Landslide In Wayanad LIVE Updates: Search Operation To Continue Tomorrow Morning, Says NDRF Team Commander, SI Sanjay Soni, NDRF, said, The search operation started this morningWe connected the search operation and we recovered some diseased body and their partsThe operation will resume tomorrow morning at 07:00. Three diseased bodies and some body parts are recoveredWe are going to search the area that is around 78 km ahead of the area which we searched today

Landslide In Wayanad LIVE Updates: Ambassador of France to India Express Condolences Deeply pained by the tragic news coming out of Kerala. On behalf of France, I offer my heartfelt condolences to the bereaved families of the victims, and wish the injured a speedy recovery, Thierry Mathou, Ambassador of France to India said in an X post.

Landslide In Wayanad LIVE Updates: 400-500 Houses Collapse Affecting Close To 1500 People Mundakai and Chooralmala are the worst affected but a total of five villages around Vellarimala have emerged as the epicentre of the disaster. Situated about 25 kilometres from Wayanad the villages of Attamala, Mundakai, Chooralmala, Palavayal, and Soojipara have suffered the most damage, the NDRF said. Initial assessment suggests that 400 to 500 houses may have collapsed in the pre-dawn landslide affecting close to 1,500 people.

Wayanad Rescue Ops Hit by Broken Bridge; Nonstop Rain, Mudslides Making Region Unstable A collapsed bridge between the villages of Mundakai and Chooralmala in Kerala is adding to the rescue challenge for forces in Wayanad following a devastating landslide. National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) deputy inspector general (DIG) Bharat Bhushan Vaid told CNN-News18 that incessant rain and mudslides are making the region unstable. A bridge has collapsed between the two spots, Mundakai and Chooralmala, and that is making connectivity an issue for the teams on the ground, Vaid said. Read full Article

Landslide In Wayanad LIVE Updates: 130 Soldiers To Be Airlifted By Indian Air Force Aircraft To Assist In Rescue Op On the rescue operation at the Wayanad landslide site, Defence PRO Sudha S Namboothiri said, Around 130 soldiers are moving ahead towards Wayanad. Most of them will be airlifted by Indian Air Force aircraft and the rest will be proceeding on the roadDefence Security Corps Centre Kannur with its 200 soldiers have already gone there and the Territorial Army 122 infantry battalion Madras, they are also thereIt seems ward number ten is in a really bad shape and they have been doing their best

Landslide In Wayanad LIVE Updates: Fire Force, NDRF, Army Assist In Rescue Operation Kerala CM Pinarayi Vijayan stated that 321 members of the Fire Force have been deployed in the rescue operation in Wayanad. An NDRF team of 60 members has reached Wayanad, and an 89-member team from Bengaluru is on the way. Upon learning of the disaster, both the Prime Minister and Rahul Gandhi, along with various party leaders, have offered their assistance. They have assured us that we will work together to address this crisis, Vijayan added.

Landslide In Wayanad LIVE Updates: Sikkim, Tamil Nadu Pledge Financial Aid To Kerala Kerala CM Pinarayi Vijayan said, Kerala Bank has already contributed Rs 50 lakh to CMDRF. The Chief Minister of Sikkim has pledged Rs 2 crore, and Tamil Nadu CM MK Stalin has promised Rs 5 crore in aid. In response to the disaster in Wayanad, the state has declared two days of official mourning. Public events and celebrations have been postponed. We request that the national flag be flown at half-mast as part of the mourning period.

Landslide In Wayanad LIVE Updates: 150 People Rescued From Mudakkayi Village Around 150 people have been rescued from Mudakkayi village, provided medical aid and evacuated to the safer places.

Landslide In Wayanad LIVE Updates: Helicopter Reconnaissance Of Affected Area Underway Helicopter reconnaissance of the affected area is being undertaken and damage assessment is being carried out to channelize rescue operation in correct direction.

Landslide In Wayanad LIVE Updates: Kerala CM Pinarayi Vijayan Briefs On Ongoing Rescue Operation Kerala CM Pinarayi Vijayan said, Additional Kaniv 108 ambulances have been brought in. 3,069 people are in relief camps in Wayanad alone. Five ministers are coordinating the efforts. Due to adverse weather conditions, people were relocated, and an orange alert was declared. A dog squad will be arriving for the rescue operations. Authorities instructions must be followed precisely. The local administration has been directed to ensure that drinking water, food, and other essentials are provided to those in the camps. The IG of the Northern Range, DIG, and the Additional DG of Law and Order will coordinate the operations. Everyone must avoid situations where people are merely spectators at disaster sites. Control rooms have been established under various government departments. I have instructed that officials in essential services be prepared and on standby due to the heavy rain conditions.

Landslide In Wayanad LIVE Updates: Death Toll Rises To 98, Kerala CM Urges People To Avoid Unnecessary Travel To Wayanad

Landslide In Wayanad LIVE Updates: 45 Relief Camps Set Up, Says Kerala CM We are trying to save maximum lives and provide proper treatment for injured. 45 relief camps have been set up. 3000 people are put up in relief camps. Police, Army and NDRF are coordinating for rescue operation, said Kerala CM.

Landslide In Wayanad LIVE Updates: Death Toll Rises To 93

Shocking Videos Capture Flood Fury In Kerala's Wayanad; 89 Killed In Landslide Dozens of videos of the landslide in Keralas Wayanad are going viral on the internet in the wake of the disaster, which has claimed at least 84 lives. The Kerala government sought the assistance of the Defence forces for rescue operations in the wake of the devastating landslides Read full Article

Landslide In Wayanad LIVE Updates: 98 People Missing
A collapsed bridge between the villages of Mundakai and Chooralmala in Kerala is adding to the rescue challenge for forces in Wayanad following a devastating landslide. National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) deputy inspector general (DIG) Bharat Bhushan Vaid told CNN-News18 that incessant rain and mudslides are making the region unstable.

A bridge has collapsed between the two spots, Mundakai and Chooralmala, and that is making connectivity an issue for the teams on the ground, Vaid said.

Dangerous ground

At least 98 people have been killed and many are feared trapped after a massive landslide hit Wayanad in the early hours of Tuesday as heavy rainfall continued in Kerala.

Mundakai and Chooralmala are the worst affected but a total of five villages around Vellarimala have emerged as the epicentre of the disaster. Situated about 25 kilometres from Wayanad the villages of Attamala, Mundakai, Chooralmala, Palavayal, and Soojipara have suffered the most damage, the NDRF said. Initial assessment suggests that 400 to 500 houses may have collapsed in the pre-dawn landslide affecting close to 1,500 people.

The NDRF had pulled out 21 bodies till around 1 pm on Tuesday. A total of 74 had been rescued and a hunt is on for more survivors. We usually have at least two dogs per team but in this kind of waterlogged situation, their sniffing abilities are restricted. We are depending on locals to point out areas where people may have been trapped, an official said.

The nearly 100-metre-wide Chunnarmala river is overflowing. NDRF teams are traversing waterlogged streets and wading through mudslides to bring medical aid to the injured.

Union home minister Amit Shah has spoken to Kerala chief minister Pinarayi Vijayan and offered all help from the Centre. While three NDRF teams along with the Army and Air Force are already deployed, paramilitary forces have also been put on standby.

Late-night SOS

At around 2.30 am on Tuesday, the NDRF received an SOS call, as heavy rain had triggered a landslide in Wayanad.

The nearest NDRF team was 35 kilometres away, officials said. Darkness, mudslides, and rain made the distance seem twice as much.

At daybreak Prime Minister Narendra Modi spoke to CM Pinarayi Vijayan and minister of state for minority affairs George Kurian was asked to rush immediately to ensure coordination between state and central forces.

The NDRF deployed its first team around 4 am. The Territorial Armys 122 TA Battalion reached Wayanad at around 12.30 pm. Two more NDRF teams from Kozhikode and Bengaluru were also rushed but bad weather and road conditions delayed them.

The Pune-headquartered Southern Command of the Indian Army mobilised two rescue columns along with two Indian Air Force (IAF) helicopters from the Sulur Air Force Station in Coimbatore.

Fire, Army, police, and civil administration are all racing against time as each passing minute makes the situation more critical for survivors.
Ooty is one of the top tourist destinations in the country, popular for its scenic beauty and climate. Each year, the place sees a plethora of visitors from across the country, who visit the place to take a break from the hustle and bustle of life. However, if you are planning a visit to the place, you must include the Tibetan Market.

As per Local18, lakhs of tourists visit Ooty every year, which is located in the Nilgiris district of Tamil Nadu. They have several options to visit, which include shops and parks. According to Local18, the tourists who want to buy clothes like sweaters, shawls and jerkins, the place to be is the Tibetan Market. One can find any type of woollen cloth at the market, reports Local18.

According to the Tibetan people who own shops in the place, they have been doing business here for the last 4 decades. Initially, they carried out their business in bazaars but now the district administration has permitted them to set up their shops, more reports state.

Local18 states further that the owners have since then set up shops in 63 outdoor and indoor areas. They keep switching the shops on a rotational basis. Furthermore, the Tibetans have learned to speak the local language to an extent, which makes it easier for them to do business.

The clothes are sold in the range of Rs 280 to Rs 1,600, considered to be a preference of most tourists. During the winter season, the men of the family leave their homes to do business in other places while the women take care of the sales at home.

Talking to Local18, the owners revealed that after the COVID-19 pandemic, there has been a decline in number of tourists, which has affected the business. However, it flourishes during the summer season and, decreases during the rains and winters.
Friends are indispensable pillars of support throughout our lives, embodying the essence of companionship, trust and mutual understanding. From a childhood friend to your work bestie, friends are those who lend a listening ear and make lifes journey more meaningful. They stay by our side through thick and thin and to commemorate this special bond, the International Day of Friendship is celebrated. The day cherishes the invaluable bonds that enrich our lives and bring joy to our hearts.

Observed on July 30 each year, this special occasion is dedicated to honouring the special bond with our friends from different backgrounds and cultures. To make this day special, let us take a moment and look at some of the heartfelt wishes, messages and inspiring quotes to share with our closest pals and how to celebrate International Friendship Day 2024.

International Day of Friendship Wishes and Messages

Whether near or far, youre always in my heart. Happy International Friendship Day, my friend!

In a world full of earthly pleasures, I still look to you because friendship gives meaning and context to life. Happy International Day of Friendship, my dear!

Cheers to the laughter, support and countless memories weve shared. Happy Friendship Day!

Dear friend, thank you for always appreciating me. Friends like you stay in your heart forever and their memories never fade away. Happy International Day of Friendship, dear best friend. Missing you a lot!

People may need a lot of friends to feel special, but having you by my side alone makes me feel like Im on top of the world. Happy International Day of Friendship to you!

Its hard to find someone who will stay with you in your hard times, someone who will help you rise again after you fall. Fortunately for me, that person is you! You are a rare gem, my friend!

Raising a toast to friendships that know no boundaries. Cheers!

Best friends are the people you can do anything and nothing with and still have the best time with.

A good friend knows all your stories. A best friend helped you write them.

You are my best friend, my human diary and my other half. You mean the world to me, and I love you.

International Day of Friendship Quotes

A real friend walks in when the rest of the world walks out. -Walter Winchell. Find a group of people who challenge and inspire you; spend a lot of time with them, and it will change your life. -Amy Poehler. True friends are like diamondsbright, beautiful, valuable, and always in style. -Nicole Richie. Friendship is the inexpressible comfort of feeling safe with a person, having neither to weigh thoughts nor measure words. -George Eliot. A true friend is someone who thinks you are a good egg, even though she knows you are slightly cracked. -Bernard Meltzer.

International Day of Friendship 2024: How to Celebrate

Friendship Day LuncheonThe best way to celebrate this day is to organise a special lunch with your bestie. Enjoy a meal together in a relaxed setting and talk your heart out. Appreciation CardsYou can also send appreciation cards to each other with notes of gratitude. Express your appreciation for the support and friendship you have shared. Friendship Day VideoCreate a short video featuring moments you shared and how your friendship grew with time. Friendship Bracelet ExchangeTo make the day more memorable, create and exchange friendship bracelets with each other that symbolise your connection. Go on a tripPlan a trip together to a nearby park or a place where you can enjoy yourself and make new memories.

International Day of Friendship 2024: History

It was back in 1958 when Dr Ramon Artemio Bracho, a Paraguayan-American doctor and surgeon, first proposed the concept of honouring friendships and fostering kindness among nations and individuals.

Later, the World Friendship Crusade, an international civil organisation that encourages friendship and camaraderie, formally adopted July 30 for World Friendship Day in 1959.

In 2011, the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) also recognised International Friendship Day. The day was celebrated with the idea that friendship between people, nations and cultures can build bridges between communities.

Over the years, the idea of commemorating the International Day of Friendship gained popularity and various nations began adopting the occasion. While July 30 is celebrated as International Friendship Day, it is observed on the first Sunday of August in some places.

International Day of Friendship 2024: Significance

International Friendship Day holds immense significance, as it bridges gaps and brings people together. Its a day that encourages people to cherish and strengthen their existing friendships while extending the hand of friendship to others, irrespective of nationality, race, religion, or any other differences.

International Friendship Day contributes to establishing strong ties of trust and creating a more inclusive and compassionate world.

This day also serves as a reminder to people about the importance of friendship and promoting peace and understanding in the world. People often exchange cards, messages and gifts with their friends on this day to express their love and appreciation.
Deadpool & Wolverine featuring Ryan Reynolds and Hugh Jackman has finally hit the theatres. This Marvel sensation has quickly become a fan favourite, smashing records and creating a buzz with its high-octane action and humour. Not only this, the film is packed with jaw-dropping surprises, including a cameo of actor Channing Tatum, who portrays Remy Labeau/Gambit.

Tatum, in a heartfelt Instagram post, shared about his journey from attending San Diego Comic-Cons Hall H in 2015 for the initial Gambit solo movie to appearing in Deadpool & Wolverine. These pictures are almost 10 years apart to the day, Tatum wrote alongside the pictures of himself and Reynolds at 2015 and 2024 San Diego Comic-Con events. He also thanked Reynolds who played a crucial role in bringing to the big screen.

He recounted the moment he saw Reynolds unveil the first glimpse of Deadpool 1 at Comic Con, he went backstage and hugged him. I sat in the audience when Ryan showed his first peek of Deadpool 1 to the world and I think I ran backstage right after and found him and I think I just hugged him and was like holy shit you did it man. Its perfect.

He also mentioned Reynolds unwavering support when he feared that Gambit might never make it to the big screen. I didnt know him really at all back then. But since then I can say that there is almost no one that has had my back in this industry more than Ryan. I thought I had lost Gambit forever. But he fought for me and Gambit. I will owe him probably forever. Cause Im not sure how I could ever do something that would be equal to what this has meant to me. I love ya buddy, he wrote.

Tatum also praised director Shawn Levy, calling him a brilliant creator on every single level. All things happen for a reason. Im so grateful to be in this movie. Its a masterpiece in my opinion. And just pure badass joy. I was literally screaming in the theater. LFG!! #deadpoolandwolverine, he added.

View this post on Instagram A post shared by Channing Tatum (@channingtatum)

Tatums Gambit film had been in the works at Fox since 2014, undergoing various script revisions and director changes before ultimately being shelved. With Disneys acquisition of Fox and its Marvel properties, it was widely assumed that the Gambit project was likely abandoned.

In an interview to Vanity Fair in 2023, Tatum explained that Gambits project was swallowed up into Disney following the acquisition of Marvel and Fox. He added their vision for the films tone differed from Disneys.

Deadpool & Wolverine marks the 34th film in the Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU) and serves as the sequel to Deadpool (2016) and Deadpool 2 (2018).
Kolkatas Tollygunge studios saw a major drama unfold between technicians and directors, bringing the Bengali movie industry to a standstill over the weekend.

Last week, Rahool Mukherjee announced a Durga Puja film with a renowned production house, stating the shooting will begin by the end of July. However, on Saturday, the Federation of Cine Technicians and Workers of Eastern India (FCTWEI) issued a notification, stating he had flouted the rules of the federation and is banned for three months (October 19). It stated that the films cinematographer Soumik Halder could direct it.

Trinamool Congress (TMC) leader Swarup Biswas is the president of the FCTWEI, which has directors and actors as its members.

Heres all you need to know about the controversy that went on till Monday evening.

THE NOTIFICATION

The FCTWEI notification stated: Chirantan Mukherjee (Rahool) has acted against the rules of the federation. Following this, the Directors Association of Eastern India (DAE) has asked him to stop shooting work. Rahool had visited Bangladesh a month ago. He was accompanied by a few artists. It is rumoured that they have shot there without informing the federation.

Directors Sudeshna Roy and Subrata Sen sought a detailed explanation from Rahool. The accused director, in a written reply, gave the reason for his visit to Bangladesh. He stated that he had not gone to Bangladesh to shoot, but to discuss projects, including Lahu. The director said the news spread about him is baseless. The main attraction of Lahu is Prosenjit Chatterjee, Anirban Bhattacharya.

THE IMPACT

While the Directors Guild lifted the ban, the FCTWEI called for a strike on Saturday saying Mukherjee cannot work in Tollygunge as a director. Top actors, such as Chatterjee, protested against it and did not shoot on Saturday. The directors requested all technicians to be on the floor from Monday, but nobody turned up, adding to the ire.

The directors then issued a statement stating that they would be obliged to go on strike starting Monday, July 29, 2024, unless the federation agreed to Mukherjees continued appointment as director.

On Monday afternoon, Tollywood producers and directors came together at Chatterjees Ballygunge Bari. Raj Chakraborty, Shiboprasad Mukherjee, Goutam Ghosh, Sudeshna Roy, Aniruddha Roy Chowdhury, Birsa Dasgupta, Subrata Sen, Mansi Sinha, Kaushik Ganguly, Tathagata Mukherjee and Aparna Sen and other directors attended it.

INDUSTRYSPEAK

Chatterjee said, There is no room for opposition. Technicians are our family. They are our brothers. We have no grievance against them. We fought for them. These are not places for stubbornness and anger. I think it is a fight for prestige. It is one family, where conflict happens, but that doesnt break the family.

Director and TMC MLA Raj Chakraborty said, The technicians dont want to work with Rahool. We are hurt and humiliated. One director brings the film and we all do that film together after that. In the same way, if we dont go to work from Monday, will the crew be able to hand it over?

Actor and TMC MP Dev was also present. He said, Showing dominance is not the end goal. Even though you have authority, showing it is not the answer. Neither the filmmakers nor the producers nor the performers have insulted the technicians. It is truly heartbreaking that Prosenjit Chatterjee, one of the finest performers of all time, must wait after showing up on time for the shoot. Its time for us to unite and find a solution.
Emraan Hashmi has reacted to Rajkummar Raos rumoured plastic surgery, months after the latter actor dismissed all speculation. In a recent chat, Emraan Hashmi was asked why actors opt for plastic surgery and where that insecurity stems from. Emraan then asked the anchors to name actors who went under the knife. When Rajkummar Raos name was taken, Emraan started laughing and covered his face after saying yeah.

In conversation with ScoopWhoop, Emraan said, It is a reality. I mean, the cosmetic business. Not just in the industry but its a thing that they marketed pretty well. Everyone wants to look like that poster boy or girl and theres become this identity of what beauty is, right? And you want to mould yourself to that because thats what gets the love and you feel good about yourself. Coming to cosmetic surgery, I havent gotten any, if youre thinking.

For the unversed, earlier this year, a photo of Rajkummar Rao went viral on social media in which his chin appeared longer. The photo had left netizens wondering if Rajkummar had undergone plastic surgery. However, the Stree actor clarified that this was not the case. He called the viral photo fake and stated that it did not bother him.

Rajkummar Rao then told India Today, If you have seen that picture, it doesnt even look like me. It was really funny because its not even me. I guess someone played a prank. I strongly believe that it was a touched-up image.

The 39-year-old actor further talked about how social media users started digging up his old photos as soon as plastic surgery reports made headlines. People were using big words like plastic surgery, but I have never gone under the knife, he added.

However, Rao also admitted to getting fillers around nine years ago. When I started out, people would comment on my looks. So yes, around eight to nine years back, I did get fillers. I did it to feel better and look better, so that my face looks balanced. It was prescribed by my dermatologist. And I really think if anyone wants to do that to gain confidence, then why not? There is no harm in it, he said.
Gurucharan Singh, known for his role as Sodhi on Taarak Mehta Ka Ooltah Chashmah, recently returned to Mumbai after a month away from home, much to the relief of his fans and loved ones. His return has been celebrated with a touching reunion with his on-screen wife, played by Jennifer Mistry Bansiwal. The actors, who left the show a few years ago, shared their heartwarming moment on social media, sparking a wave of excitement among their fans.

In the video posted by Jennifer, Gurucharan makes a surprise appearance, leading to an emotional and joyful encounter. Jennifer captioned the video with, Jab we met again! capturing the essence of their reunion.

The post quickly garnered attention from fans, many of whom expressed their delight at seeing the beloved duo together again. Comments flooded in, with one fan praising the pair as Roshan and Roshan, a great jodi on screen, while another remarked, Who all want to see these two back on TMKOC? A third fan added, Best Jodi. No couple like Roshan & Roshan.

Calls for the actors to return to Taarak Mehta Ka Ooltah Chashmah have been strong, with fans expressing that the show lacks the same charm without them. Please come back on the show. Without you two, it is no fun watching Taarak Mehta Ka Ooltah Chashmah, one comment read.

The show recently celebrated its 16th anniversary, marking a significant milestone in its history. As fans continue to celebrate the reunion of Gurucharan and Jennifer, the hope for their return to the show remains a popular topic of discussion.

Upon his return to Mumbai, Gurucharan took the opportunity to reconnect with those who had expressed concern for him. In a candid interaction, he recounted his conversations with some important people from his life, including TMKOCs producer, Asit Kumarr Modi. When I went missing, Asit Kumarr Modi sent me a message asking me to call him, Gurucharan was quoted as saying by Indian Express.com. Once I returned, I made it a point to meet with everyone who reached out to me. Given that he has been instrumental in my career, it was important for me to see him.
Sonu Sood has carved a niche for himself in Bollywood. The credit goes to the actors hard work and sheer dedication to his craft. His acting prowess in popular films has been lauded time and again by the audience. However, he is also known to be a man with a heart of gold. Sonu Sood has earned the title of a real-life hero for his humanitarian activities during the COVID-19 pandemic. When the world was battling the deadly virus, the actor extended help to the needy amid the nationwide lockdown. On the occasion of his 51st birthday today, July 31, lets take a look at the actors journey to stardom, top films, upcoming projects, and his numerous philanthropic activities.

Sonu Soods Journey

Hailing from Moga, Punjab, Sonu Sood was born on July 30, 1973. His father Shakti Sagar Sood ran a garment shop and his mother Saroj Sood was a teacher. He also has a sister Monika who is a scientist by profession. While pursuing his graduation in Engineering from Yeshwantrao Chavan College of Engineering, Nagpur, Sonu started his career with modelling.

In 1996, Sonu tied the knot with Sonali Shirdhar, who hails from Andhra Pradesh. The duo fell in love when Sonu was pursuing engineering at the same college as Sonali.

In 1999, Sonu Sood made his acting debut with the Tamil film Kallazhagar and after that, there was no looking back. He appeared in several regional films like Nenjinile, Hands Up, and Majunu. Sonus foray into Bollywood came with the film Shaheed-E-Azam in 2002. He played the role of Bhagat Singh in the film.

Sonu Sood shot to fame after essaying the character of Abhishek Bachchans on-screen brother in the 2004 film Yuva. He even received much praise for the 2005 romantic thriller Aashiq Banaya Aapne.

After that, Sonu appeared in several big-budget films like Jodhaa Akbar, Shootout at Wadala, Dabangg, Singh is Kinng, Happy New Year, and Simmba. Throughout his journey in Bollywood and Tollywood, he has essayed both the roles of a protagonist and a villain. However, it was his negative character portrayals that deserve a special mention.

Sonu Sood was also a part of the reality show MTV Roadies Season 19 and 20 where he was a judge.

Sonu Soods Top Films

DabanggWho can forget Sonu Soods performance as Chedi Singh in Salman Khan-starrer Dabangg? The actor received many plaudits for his performance in the film. Helmed by Abhinav Singh Kashyap the actioner also starred Sonakshi Sinha, Arbaaz Khan, Vinod Khanna and Mahesh Manjrekar in pivotal roles. ArundhatiSonu Soods role as an antagonist in the Telugu horror fantasy film Arundhati was widely appreciated by the audience and critics alike. He also bagged the Andhra Pradesh State Nandi Award for Best Villain and the Filmfare Award for Best Supporting Actor  Telugu for his performance in the film. Aashiq Banaya AapneDirected by Aditya Datt, the 2005 romantic thriller film starred Sonu Sood, Emraan Hashmi and Tanushree Dutta. It followed a love triangle between their characters. The film is still remembered due to its amazing songs. Shootout at WadalaIn this 2013 action crime film, Sonu portrayed a gangster, Dilawar Imtiaz Haksar. His role was reportedly inspired by gang lord Dawood Ibrahim. Helmed by Sanjay Gupta, the film also starred John Abraham, Manoj Bajpayee, Anil Kapoor, Tusshar Kapoor, Ronit Roy and Kangana Ranaut in crucial roles. SimmbaSonu Sood was a part of Rohit Shettys cop universe aka Simmba. He played the antagonist in the action film alongside Ranveer Singh. It also featured Sara Ali Khan as the female lead.

Sonu Soods Upcoming Films

Fateh

Sonu will be next seen in the crime thriller Fateh opposite Jacqueliene Fernandez. The film also marks his directorial debut. The official release date of Fateh is yet to be revealed.

Sonu Soods Humanitarian Work

Sonu Sood has won the hearts of millions with his humanitarian works, especially during the COVID-19 pandemic. The United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) recognized him with the SDG Special Humanitarian Action Award for the initiative he and his team took during the pandemic.

Transportation for Migrants

During the COVID-19 pandemic, when there was no transportation available, Sonu Sood arranged transportation services for lakhs of migrants to send them back to their native places. Not just that, he also arranged charted flights for the students who were stranded in Kyrgyzstan.

Free Medical Camps

In 2020, Sonu Sood organised free medical camps across the country to treat and offer medical aid to over 50,000 needy people.

Parvasi Rojgaar App

For the migrants who lost their jobs during the COVID pandemic, Sonu Sood introduced the Pravasi Rojgaar app that enabled the workers to find suitable jobs.

Prof Saroj Sood scholarship

Sonu Sood also started a special scholarship programme for students pursuing higher education. The actor named the initiative after his late mother, Professor Saroj Sood.

Offered help to health workers

Health workers were facing several challenges during the COVID-19 lockdown. During that time Sonu Sood opened the doors of his Juhu hotel to accommodate the medical warriors who treated patients at the place. He also donated face shields and PPE kits to them.

Shakti Annadanam scheme

During the lockdown period, Sonu Sood introduced the Shakti Annadanam Scheme. He named the scheme in memory of his late father, Shakti Sagar Sood, to provide food to over 45,000 people in Mumbai every day.

Donated Smartphones

Due to the lockdown, all the academic classes were held online. However, many pupils were not able to afford smartphones or laptops. During that time, Sonu Sood distributed thousands of smartphones to underprivileged kids whose studies were being hampered.

Sonu Sood Foundation

Sonu Sood continues to do humanitarian work with his NGO, Sood Charity Foundation, which aims to improve the lives of the underprivileged by providing them with the necessary resources to live a healthy and productive life.
Janhvi Kapoor is all set for her next release Ulajh. The film is releasing on August 2 and also stars Gulshan Devaiah, Adil Hussain, Meiyang Chang, Rajendra Gupta and Jitendra Joshi. However, ahead of the release, the makers are sharing too many updates which is only increasing excitement. In the new one, Janhvi Kapoor will be delivering her first monologue during the climax of the film.

In a master class with a leading portal, when asked about her favourite scenes, Janhvi, also known as the directors actor said, The climax is divided into two parts, one where there is action and the other where there is monologue. She further added The monologue is very personal and when you will see and hear it, you will realise what I trying to say about my life through Suhana. I had a lot of fun doing these two scenes.

This film is written by Sudhanshu Saria and Parveez Shaikh, with dialogue by Atika Chauhan, and also directed by Sudhanshu Saria. Produced by Junglee Pictures, Ulajh will be released in theatres on 2nd August 2024.

In this thrilling narrative, Janhvi Kapoor portrays Suhana, a young diplomat embroiled in a treacherous personal conspiracy during her crucial assignment at the London embassy. As she navigates the complexities of her career-defining role, she finds herself entangled in the weight of her legacy and in a web of deception, where every ally could be a foe.

For the first time for any Janhvi Kapoor movie, the makers will host special preview screenings for fans in various cities ahead of its theatrical release. Janhvi Kapoor took to social media to announce the multi-city fan screenings, which are being hosted on 29th July in Mumbai, Jaipur, Ahmedabad, and Delhi.

Meanwhile, on the work front, she will also be seen in Devara, Sunny Sanskari ki Tulsi Kumari, RC16 apart from Ulajh.
Lalita DSilva, a renowned caregiver who has served high-profile families such as Kareena Kapoor and Saif Ali Khan, recently opened up about her experiences working with the Konidela family. Currently caring for Ram Charan and his wife Upasanas daughter, Klin Kaara Konidela, Lalita shared her insights in a candid interview with Hindi Rush.

Speaking about her time with the Konidela family, Lalita described them as warm and welcoming, highlighting the stark differences between the star cultures of Mumbai and Hyderabad. From the Ambani family to the Konidela family, theyre all the same in their warmth and hospitality, Lalita remarked. She noted that the primary difference lies in their eating habits due to their South Indian roots.

Lalita, who became widely recognised as Taimur Ali Khans caregiver a term she prefers to avoid expressed her admiration for the humility and kindness of the Konidela family. Everything about the family is very good. If I need to rest, Upasana madam takes care of the child. Currently, they are in London, and Ram Charan sir and Upasana maam are hands-on parents, managing everything themselves, she said.

Lalitas praise extended particularly to Upasana, the chairperson of the Apollo Hospitals chain. Despite her high-profile position, Upasana is down-to-earth and caring. Upasana will place her hand on my shoulder and ask, Did you have your tea? The entire family is extremely normal. They dont forcefully ask you to stand and take care of their baby. They told me, Aap outstation se aaye ho toh treat us like your family, and now theyre my family, Lalita shared warmly.

Her experience with the Konidela family contrasts with her past roles, yet she finds similarities in the warmth and welcoming nature of the families she has worked with. Lalitas comments shed light on the genuine kindness and down-to-earth attitudes of some of Indias most famous families.

Lalita also discussed the intense paparazzi attention Taimur Ali Khan received, noting that Indians worldwide are obsessed with Saif and Kareenas son. She contrasted this with her experience in Hyderabad, where the paparazzi culture is more controlled. Wahan maine aisa pagal crowd nahi dekha jaisa Bombay mein hai. Wahan bhi media pareshan karti hai par handle kar lete hain karne wale (The paparazzi there are much stricter than in Mumbai. We can step out without facing the same craziness. Although the media can be bothersome, its manageable), she explained.
After keeping their relationship private for years, actors Saoirse Ronan and Jack Lowden have reportedly tied the knot. According to various reports, the couple exchanged vows in a private ceremony in Scotland last week. They had a civil wedding at the Edinburgh Central Registrars Office in the City Chambers, attended by their closest friends and family.

The Independent citing the Irish Independent mentioned that the handful of their closest guests were sworn to secrecy. The couple is yet to make an official statement on the developments. Notably, the news came months after the Little Women actress sparked rumours of her engagement, with a diamond ring on her left hand.

Having quietly dated for a few years, Saoirse Ronan and Jack Lowden have generally kept their private lives low-key. Recently, however, theyve started sharing more of their relationship with fans through social media. A recent photo captures them cuddling at the Glastonbury Festival in Somerset, England.

More About The Hollywood Couples Relationship

Lowden and Saoirse came together for the first time with their film Mary Queen of Scots, playing husband and wife on-screen. Rumours about their dating came around at the same time. While the actors chose to keep their love lives off the table, they were often spotted hanging out together in London, at the Australian Open and also on holidays. The couple also rang the New Years together, as evidenced by the Dunkirk actors Instagram post.

Later in June this year, the actor shared tons of videos of himself with his ladylove from the music festival on Instagram stories, leaving fans gushing over their romance. While they often refrain from talking about their relationship with the media, Ronan in 2022 told People, We have very similar tastes. So I completely trust his eye. I know when he says somethings working, it really is, because he doesnt ever sugarcoat anything. So I think that really helpshaving someone that you really trust. And hes a sort of typical Scot, where if theres a problem, hes the first one to try and solve it.
Mouni Roy is turning heads with her impeccable fashion sense. Known for her bold sartorial choices, the actress recently dazzled in a sleek black saree during a photoshoot. Her stunning look is setting major fashion goals and leaving fans in awe.

Taking to her Instagram handle recently, Mouni Roy dropped a bunch of pictures, in which she is draped in a sleek black saree. The saree drapes elegantly, showcasing her figure. The posts caption read, I believe in kindness. Also in mischief. Also in dancing especially when dancing is not necessarily prescribed #sareegirlforever.

View this post on Instagram A post shared by mon (@imouniroy)

Mouni Roy, a household name in the Hindi television industry, has soared to the top as one of the highest-paid actresses after her mesmerizing performances in Naagin and its sequel. Besides her acting prowess, she is celebrated as a fashion trailblazer, continuously wowing her fans with her unique and bold style choices. Her social media is a treasure trove of candid shots and memorable moments, always giving her followers something to look forward to.

Mouni Roy has come a long way ever since she made her television debut with Ekta Kapoors Kyunki Saas Bhi Kabhi Bahu Thi. She became a popular name after she starred in Naagin. Mouni made her Bollywood debut with Akshay Kumars Gold in 2018. Last year, Mouni was seen in Ayan Mukerjis magnum opus, Brahmastra. Recently, she was also seen in a music video titled Dotara along with Jubin Nautiyal. Mouni Roy was also seen in the web-series Sultan of Delhi. She was last seen in Emraan Hashmi-starrer Showtime.

In a recent interview, Mouni shared that it is projects like Sultan of Delhi and Brahmastra which changed peoples perception of her as an actor. Brahmastra was absolutely different. When you see Gold, RAW and Made In China, I had played very Indianised characters. Maybe after Naagin and Sati, people could only see me as a saree-clad Indian character. So, for Milan sir to think of me as this cabaret dancer Nayantara, at a time when Brahmastra had not even released. I think it is an exciting time to be an actor where makers can visualise you in different roles. Such great parts are being written. I really feel fortunate to be offered these parts and be able to play them on screen, she told Indian Express.
Ranbir Kapoor is undoubtedly one of the most successful actors. He enjoys a huge fan following. However, apart from this the actor also grabs headlines because of his personal life. He is married to Alia Bhatt and recently he opened up about the relationship between his mother Neetu Kapoor and his wife. He mentioned that they are very honest with each other and have a good relationship.

Talking to Nikhil Kamath, Ranbir said, You love your family, and another person who is an outsider is loving your life the way you love your life. Even if it is not real and it is an effort, but its an effort. That kind of effort is not easy, and to continue doing it is very rare. Its very rare that everything falls into place and everyone gets along, so it is always an effort. My mother and Alia share a very good relationship. They are very honest with each other, more honest than I am with my mother. This makes me happy. I am surrounded by womenmy mother, my sister, Alia, and now Rahathey are the best women in the world.

Speaking further he also said praised his wife Alia and mentioned how she stood with him in every situation. We stayed together during Covid. It was the best time; I should not say it, but I really had a good time with Alia. We were together for the entire lockdown. I dont think we were frustrated with each other; we were healthy and we were training. That really solidified our relationship. And when my father got sick, she was really there. She was there when I was in America. In the hospital, if I was staying, she was staying with me. She has really done a lot for me, Ranbir was quoted saying.

In the same interview, Ranbir said he was labelled a cheater for a very large part of (his) life but he doesnt care for it because it is not entirely true. Following this, several social media users dug out his 2011 interview with Stardust in which he admitted he had cheated on Deepika Padukone. The actor was reacting to Deepikas comment on Koffee With Karan, in which she said hinted Ranbir had cheated on him, confessed that he did cheat. He said he did it out of immaturity and inexperience.

On the work front, Ranbir is currently busy prepping for Nitesh Tiwaris Ramayana. Recently, actress Akruti Singh took to her Instagram stories and shared a video from the films grand Ayodhya set which has been constructed in Mumbai.
In a recent interaction, Ranbir Kapoor shared insights into his early life before becoming a Bollywood star. Before his acting debut in Sanjay Leela Bhansalis 2007 film Saawariya, Ranbir worked as an assistant director for Bhansalis Black. Reflecting on his college days in Mumbai and New York, Ranbir discussed how his late father, actor Rishi Kapoor, kept him on a tight budget in New York to teach him the value of money.

Ranbir began his higher education at The School of Visual Arts in New York after completing college in Mumbai. However, his father sent him back to New York, believing he was too young to start acting. During this period, Ranbir enrolled at the Lee Strasberg Theatre & Film Institute to study method acting.

Despite coming from a privileged background, Ranbirs father maintained a strict budget for him, allowing just enough for two meals a day. By then, I was very eager to come back and start work. I felt like I had gotten the experience of America. It was not really the college experience but the exposure of talking to people from all over the world and living alone. My father had kept me on a very tight budget. Of course, when I say tight budget, I am still coming from a privileged background, but it was enough to have a McDonalds dollar menu meal for lunch and dinner. So, it was like $2 for lunch and $2 for dinner. It was as strict as that, even though I come from a privileged background, Ranbir shared with Nikhil Kamath.

When asked why his father imposed such strict financial limits, Ranbir said, He never addressed this, but I think he wanted me to live like a student and not a superstars son. Maybe it was to teach the value of money. Even after returning to Mumbai, Ranbir continued living frugally, relying on public transport while assisting Sanjay Leela Bhansali on Black. My father wanted to school me that this is not life, you are too moisturised, you need to see what hardship is, he said.

Ranbir also recalled his college days in Mumbai, where he picked up the habit of smoking, which persisted until last year when he quit for his health and after the birth of his daughter Raha. HR College reminds me of smoking because that was the first time I bought a packet of cigarettes. You smoke with your friends outside the college and you feel grown up. Its the first time you are wearing your own clothes and not a school uniform, he reminisced.
As Alia Bhatt and Bobby Deol continue to shoot for their upcoming film, Alpha, Sharvari Wagh has also joined the schedule. Sharvari dropped a photo from the films set today, July 30, and said that she is excited to embark on this journey, which he has manifested.

Taking to Instagram, the actress wrote, It doesnt get bigger than this! Super stoked to start my #Alpha journey today! Trust me I have manifested this moment super prepped but can feel the butterflies in my tummy Thank you Adi sir for your faith & @shivrawail for your belief in me! Letssss gooooo!! #YRFSpyUniverse

View this post on Instagram A post shared by Sharvari (@sharvari)

The films shoot is underway with full fervour. As reported by IANS, Alia Bhatt and the films antagonist, Bobby Deol were recently in Mumbai where they shot on a heavily guarded set in Film City. It is a ferocious action sequence. You can call it brutal. It is a no-holds-barred face-to-face action sequence between Alia Bhatt and Bobby Deol. There will be blood, a source cited by the news agency claimed.

The shoot location is impregnable. This is one of the most important scenes of the film, and even a fly cannot enter this set. I think they have at least 100 guards manning the location and covering all vantage points, the insider added.

The title of Alia Bhatts Spy Universe movie  Alpha  was announced earlier this month when the actress took to her Instagram handle and dropped a video in which she announced that the shooting for the much-awaited movie has finally begun.

The clip showed Alpha written on it as Alias voiceover said, Greek alphabet ka sabse pehle akshar aur hamare program ka motto. Sabse pehle, sabse tez, sabse veer. Dhyaan se dekho toh har shahar mein ek jungle hai aur har jungle mein raaj karega ek Alpha (The first alphabet of the Greek language and our motto  first, fastest and courageous. If you see, every city is a jungle and every jungle is ruled by an Alpha).

Alia Bhatt and Sharvari Waghs standalone YRF Spy Universe film was confirmed earlier this year when Yash Raj Films CEO Akshaye Widhani said, As one of the most prized IPs, we take a lot of pride in it. So theres a lot of stuff thats going to come in the spy universe. Were going to see more and more films getting made under it. But, of course, not going to share everything here. We will talk about it at a more opportune time. For now, I can say that Alia Bhatt is headlining a spy universe film.

Over the years, YRF has established its Spy Universe in the film industry. Before Alia and Sharvari, Katrina Kaif and Deepika Padukone have also been a part of YRF Spy Universe films. While Katrina played an ISI agent Zoya in the popular Tiger franchise, Deepika essayed the role of an ISI spy Rubina in Shah Rukh Khan starrer Pathaan. Kiara Advani also joined Spy Universe recently. She will be seen in Hrithik Roshan and Jr NTR-led War 2.
Already creating a stir with their stint in Marvels Deadpool & Wolverine, there seems to be no stopping for K-pop sensation Stray Kids. In the latest addition to their decorated cap, the group has bagged a special personal record on the Billboard charts. The bands recently-released song Chk Chk Boom has debuted at No. 49 on this weeks Billboard Hot 100, making it their highest-charting song ever. This feat comes at a time when the Stray Kids are already standing at the top spot on the Billboard 200 with their album, ATE.

As announced by the magazine, the group also holds two more spots with Lose My Breath featuring Charlie Puth and LALALALA on No. 90. Additionally, Chk Chk Boom has also made its way to Billboards Global Exclusive U.S. chart at the No. 4 spot and the Global 200 at No. 10.

Earlier this month, the K-pop band teased fans with an MV teaser starring Deadpool star Ryan Reynolds. Later, they dropped a banger with the boys epic collab with both Reynolds and Hugh Jackmans Deadpool and Wolverine. Serving as the lead single for her mini-album ATE, Chk Chk Boom opens with the Hollywood heavyweights appearing in their Marvel roles, co-anchoring a new program.

View this post on Instagram A post shared by Stray Kids (@realstraykids)

In between their comic segments, Stray Kids delivers an energy-packed performance across rooftop sets and streets. Well, this is not it. The boys are also contributing an original song titled Slash for Deadpool & Wolverine, followed by nostalgic tunes from NSYNC, Fergie and Goo Goo Dolls. Written and produced by 3RACHA, the banger is already making fans go gaga.

Talking about their ATE mini-album features a total of four songs, including Mountains, JJam, I Like It, and Chk Chk Boom. Stray Kids global popularity saw a major surge after they debuted at No. 1 on the Billboard 200 with ODDINARY in March 2022. Since then, every album has reached the top of the chart, impressively rewriting K-pop history.

The eight-member group consisting of Bang Chan, Changbin, Lee Know, Hyunjin, Han, Felix, I.N., and Seungmin is now ready to kickstart their dominATE world tour, which will run through 2025 across Asia, Europe and North America.
Indian Archer Dhiraj Bommadevara lost out on the Mens Individual Round of 16 campaign against Canadas Eric Peters in a nail-biting shoot-off on Wednesday.

The marksman first competed in the Round of 32 clash against Czech Republics Adam Li earlier where he had a dominant win by hitting 10s on seven of his 12 shots against the Olympic debutant.

Bommadevara will be next up against Canadas Eric Peters, a former Youth Olympics bronze medallist, in the mens Individual Round of 32 match.

READ MORE: Namaskar Paris: Indias Javelin Star Neeraj Chopra Arrives at Olympic Village in Paris

Confident after the win over Li, Dhiraj continued his next match on a dominant note as he claimed two sets out of the first three to start things off.

Despite hitting a perfect score of 30, Peters was able to match his total to tie the fourth set to keep the Canadian alive. The Indian archer wasnt able to hit another perfect 30 which allowed Peters to take the match onto a shoot-off.

In the high-pressure situation, Dhiraj was able to hit a 10-pointer which was fairly close to the centre. In a shoot-off, the winner is determined with one shot per contestant where the person with the closest shot to the centre takes the win.

READ MORE: A Brigadier: French Custom Catches Eyeballs at Paris 2024 Olympics

The Canadian archer clutched up a 10-pointer of his own which proved to be significantly closer to the centre which gave him the win.

Earlier, Bhajan Kaur dominated Polands Wioleta Myszor in straight sets in the Round of 16 Elimination Round to register a 6-0 victory and reach the pre-quarterfinals. World Ranked 45, Bhajan Kaur scored 28, 29, 28 in the three sets to confirm her qualification to the next round. Myszor was not able to find her footing in the match as she struggled with scores of 23, 26, and 22 with only one shot in the inner-10 circle.

However, Ankita Bhakats defeat on Tuesday spread some disappointment in the camp as she was eliminated just moments before Kaurs match.

Despite being just one set away from victory whilst possessing a 4-2 lead, Ankita lost the final two sets and missed out on qualifying for the next stage with a 4-6 loss against Polands Wioleta Myszor.

(with IANS inputs)

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The late Era Sezhiyan (1923-2017) was a stellar parliamentarian, public intellectual, writer, political leader, and associate of Annadurai, the founder of the DMK. Later a leading member of the Janata Party, Sezhiyan made a seminal contribution to the preservation of contemporary Indian political history and memory. He retrieved and reprinted the Shah Commission Report, which investigated and documented the infamous Indira-Congress imposed Emergency of 1975-77. His work, Shah Commission Report: Lost and Regained, has secured Sezhiyan a permanent place in the discourse and narrative of post-independence Indian history.

Fortunately for us, Sezhiyan had saved his three volumes of the Shah Commission Report. I brought down the dusty bundles of old records and books from the top row of my bookshelves and located the three volumes with all my markings and notes, he wrote.

An earlier search for copies had disturbed him; he discovered that the Indira dispensation had recalled and destroyed copies upon returning to power in 1980. On pursuing further, through websites, media reports and biographies of Indira Gandhi, I was baffled at the conclusive declarations on the complete disappearance of the copies of the Shah Commission Report in India, Sezhiyan explained. There was a positive statement that the third and final report of the Commission seems to have slipped out and is currently held by the National Library of Australia. Another source was categorical: The only existing copies of the three volumes of the Report are in the School of Oriental and African Studies, University of London.

Sezhiyan wondered why, while copies of the Shah Commission Report were available for students and research scholars in Australia and the United Kingdom, the same facility should have been denied to historians and research scholars in India. He decided to have the Shah Commission Report reproduced in full, along with a write-up about the significance of the investigations and the conclusions reached by the Commission as a whole.

The destruction of the copies of the report and the efforts over the last five decades by the Congress party and its academic ecosystem to erase this part of free Indias history from public and national memory is deeply problematic. In some other countries, extensive literature would have been written on this phase, courses would have been offered, and an entire industry of Emergency literature might have found its way into bookstores and libraries. In India, however, the Congress and its controlling ecosystem ensured that the episode was suppressed and its memory gradually erased.

For Sezhiyan, the compendium aimed to preserve the historical document of the Shah Commission Report, commemorating the worthy actions of those who stood firm and ensuring that posterity would reprobate the rule of terror and despotism.

The objective of observing Samvidhaan Hatya Diwas is thus part of the effort to retrieve and reinstate, in public memory, this crucial and defining portion of history. It is intended to commemorate the valour of resistance against the desecration of the Constitution and to condemn that diabolic act with a pledge to never forget or omit it from our national psyche.

Prime Minister Modi emphasised that observing 25th June as Samvidhaan Hatya Diwas will serve as a reminder of what happened when the Constitution of India was trampled over. It is also a day to pay homage to each and every person who suffered due to the excesses of the Emergency, a dark phase unleashed by the Congress upon Indian history.

Sezhiyan, in his inimitable style, explained the title he chose for the reprinted Shah Commission report. After completing my compilation and editing to reproduce the full report of the Shah Commission as submitted in 1978 the title of the book has been purposefully chosen as Shah Commission Report: Lost and Regained. In writing, a comma denotes that the sentence is continuing, while a full stop signifies the end of the sentence. The government of 1980 thought that by withdrawing and destroying the copies of the Shah Commission Report in India, they had succeeded in ending the books life. No, it was not a full stop; it was only an illusory break, a comma, and we have now resurrected the book in full. Our reproduction has regained the book that was considered lost by some in power.

In his Homage, Sezhiyan writes that before delving into the book, one should remember those who bravely participated in and endured the agony and ecstasy of the Second Struggle for Independence in India. Sezhiyans Homage provides an insightful summary of the Emergency imposed and effectuated by Indira through her cronies.

He refers to the 1,10,806 persons arrested, tortured, and detained without trial under the Draconian laws and practices of the then government during the 1975-76 Emergency, and their family members who endured excruciating suffering. He mentions journalists who faced harsh censorship and severe harassment, as well as the employees of state and Central governments numbering 25,962 who were prematurely retired under the drastic and unjust powers assumed by the government during the Emergency. He also highlights employees and officials in the government and Public Sector Undertakings who firmly refused to act under the illegal orders during the Emergency period, and those poor individuals whose jhuggis-jhonpris, numbering 1,50,105 in Delhi alone, were bulldozed without any alternative housing provided.

Sezhiyan also pays homage to the victims of compulsory sterilisation under the Five-Point Programme of Sanjay Gandhi, which was carried out indiscriminately to the extent of 81,32,209 in 1976-77, compared to 26,24,755 under the same family planning programme in 1975-76. His tribute extends to the judges and advocates who firmly stood against the law of preventive detention without trial.

Among those to whom Sezhiyan pays homage is the Morarji Desai government for reversing most of the undemocratic and draconian amendments and statutory alterations made by Indira Gandhi, and the Sovereign We the People who dealt a devastating defeat to Indira Gandhi and her coterie. He also honours Justice J.C. Shah for his magnificent work on the report, with its meticulous analyses and sagacious observations, accepting only a remuneration of Re. 1 per month. Sezhiyan further recognises Lok Nayak Jayaprakash Narayan, who aroused the people against corruption, maladministration, and suppression of fundamental rights, and led a unified Opposition to displace the despotic government.

Sezhiyan pays homage to the political parties that opposed the Emergency: the Congress (O), Bharatiya Jana Sangh, Bharatiya Lok Dal, Socialist Party, Swatantra Party, Congress (Rebels), and Congress for Democracy, which joined to form the Janata Party; and the Akali Dal, DMK, Communist Party of India (Marxist), and other Leftist Parties (excluding the Communist Party of India [CPI]), which all strongly opposed the governments undemocratic Emergency powers.

Given this, isnt it legitimate to hope that the parties mentioned by Sezhiyan as having opposed Emergency those still existing or those that have since transformedwould support the observance of Samvidhaan Hatya Diwas instead of remaining distant and uninvolved?

The least the CPIM and the DMK could have doneor can still dois procure and distribute copies of the Shah Commission Report edited and published by Sezhiyan. Their silence and opposition represent a betrayal and disavowal of their own political past, which is deeply problematic. The descendants of socialists and Congress rebels should also observe the day and distribute copies of the report. As inheritors of the resistance against the Emergency, they bear the responsibility to preserve and disseminate its memory and available records.

I acquired a copy of Sezhiyans reprint long ago, guided by the then-national president of the BJP, Amit Shah. After much searching in Chennai, I managed to obtain one. Shah, an aficionado of documenting Indias post-independence history, encouraged us to organise programs and disseminate available materials chronicling the dark Emergency phase.

The declaration of Samvidhaan Hatya Diwas offers an opportunity to revive the history of that period, to prevent its erasure, and to ensure its essence and details are actively engraved in the national psyche for posterity. To argue that such an endeavour is problematic is reprehensible; it constitutes a disavowal of our democratic essence, its contours, and our struggles to preserve it.

The author is Chairman, Dr Syama Prasad Mookerjee Research Foundation & Member, BJP National Executive Committee. Views expressed in the above piece are personal and solely that of the author. They do not necessarily reflect News18s views.
Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman on Tuesday defended 2024 Union Budget and responded to criticism from Leader of Opposition Rahul Gandhi regarding the halwa ceremony.

Sitharaman stated that the ceremony is an emotional and sentimental event for the Finance Ministry staff, who spend four days and five nights in quarantine to ensure the secrecy of the Budget proposals.

Halwa is an emotional and sentimental matter How can you deal (with) such an important matter so lightly? she questioned.

Emphasising the adage charity begins at home, Sitharaman questioned the Congress partys commitment to reservations by pointing to the historical stances of Congress leaders, including former Prime Ministers Jawaharlal Nehru and Rajiv Gandhi, who she alleged were opposed to reservations.

Congress today talks about reservation for SC, ST and OBCs.Theres a saying in English which says charity begins at home. I want to ask the Congress party  How many SC, ST and OBCs are there in Rajiv Gandhi Foundation? How many SC, ST and OBCs are there in Board of Trustees pic.twitter.com/zTVJxb5ieS  Nirmala Sitharaman Office (@nsitharamanoffc) July 30, 2024

Challenging the Congress partys current criticism of the halwa ceremony by comparing it to their actions. I want to ask the Congress party  How many SC, ST and OBCs are there in Rajiv Gandhi Foundation? How many SC, ST and OBCs are there in Board of Trustees at Rajiv Gandhi Charitable Trust, she asked

On Monday, Gandhis remarks, made during a Lok Sabha debate, questioned the presence of OBC, tribal, or Dalit officers in a photo from the halwa ceremony.

Budget ka halwa is being distributed in this photo. I cant see one OBC or tribal or a Dalit officer in this. Desh ka halwa bant raha hai aur 73% hai hi nahi. 20 officers prepared the Budget of IndiaHindustan ka halwa 20 logon ne baatne ka kaam kiya hai, Gandhi commented.

Following Gandhis critique, a viral video showed Sitharaman responding with a facepalm and a dismissive smile, which further fueled the debate on social media.

Gandhi also used the term chakravyuh to describe the current political climate, suggesting that a small group is trapping the nation in a chakravyuh.

Conspiracy Being Carried Out To Damage Indias Image

In an apparent attack on the Opposition, Sitharaman alleged that a conspiracy is underway to damage Indias image and send a message to foreign investors that the country is unsafe for investment.

Indias social fabric, parliamentary traditions, economy and the armed forces are all four being severely attacked, she asserted.

She warned that instability and anarchy could hinder the nations progress toward becoming a Viksit Bharat, calling it a huge challenge.

The minister emphasised that India has united its diverse society through hard work over generations. Today, through a conspiracy, the fault lines of our society are being exposed. Mistrust is being created against each other in the society through fallacy, lies and deceit, she said.
Stirring the political pot in Uttar Pradesh yet again, Deputy Chief Minister Keshav Prasad Maurya on Monday said the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) had won in the state in 2014 and 2017 when it did not have a government there but suffered a setback in 2024 out of over-confidence when the party had a government. Maurya said this at an OBC meet of the party and left the event before Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath arrived there, adding fuel to reports of a rift between the two.

Elections are not won on strength of government, they are won on the strength of the party. Elections are always contested by a party and won by the party. Was there our government there in 2014 or 2017 when we won? But in 2024, we were overconfident and thought we would win as we had a governmentelections are not won on basis of government. It is always the party that contests and wins polls, Maurya said.

He said the BJP would come back stronger in 2027 assembly elections. Earlier this month, Maurya had apparently attacked his own government by saying that the party organisation was bigger than any government and that he was a party worker first and then a Deputy CM. Maurya also met senior BJP leaders in Delhi in the aftermath of the BJPs losses in UP in the 2024 Lok Sabha polls.

Earlier on Monday, Maurya was present alongside the CM in the state assembly but that was also borne out of protocol. Maurya has skipped many cabinet meetings chaired by the CM earlier, triggering talk of a tussle between them.
WhatsApp has threatened to exit the Indian market if it will be forced to break encryption because of the revised IT rules. But the Indian government has said that it has not received any such message from Meta about its messaging app and its plans to shut down in the country.

IT Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw shared this reply to a question from Congress member Vivek Tankha in the Rajya Sabha this week. Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology (MeitY) has shared that WhatsApp or Meta has not informed the government about any such plans.

The whole story started when WhatsApp was being pushed to change its encryption standards to allow messages and its content to be tracked down. WhatsApp told the Delhi High Court earlier this year, as it faces a big battle to keep its users secure behind its vaunted end-to-end encryption for chats, calls, videos and more.

The Meta-owned app has got Tejas Karia to represent the platform and talk about the concerns of breaking encryption and threatening to exit the country rather than comply with the laws on this matter. He also mentioned that WhatsApp is used by millions because they feel secure with the features offered by the platform.

The Indian government has repeatedly claimed that WhatsApp and other messaging apps need to allow them to trace the messages under the Information Technology (Intermediary Guidelines and Digital Media Ethics Code) Rules 2021 which is not possible when the chats are secure behind encryption and the keys are not accessible to anyone, including WhatsApp.

The Meta-owned platform is challenging its case against the IT Rules and argued that breaking encryption violates the privacy of users under the Indian Constitution. The government feels that privacy rights are not absolute and wants to have a balance, which includes breaking encryption for chats.

WhatsApp has faced similar demands in other countries but continues to abide by its policies and belief that messages in all forms should and will be secure for a long time.
Cases of parents forcing their children to make a life-changing decision is an issue that is still unfortunately prevalent. One could even end up losing their life after being in such a situation, just like an unfortunate young woman from Australia, whose mother forced her to marry.

As per a report of The Guardian, 48-year-old Sakina Muhammad Jan became the first person in Australia to be sentenced for forcing a marriage. She was sent to prison under the forced marriage law of the country.

Sakina forced her 21-year-old daughter to marry, which resulted in her brutal murder. According to reports, Ruqia Haidari was forced to marry Mohammad Ali Halimi, a 26-year-old man for a small sum, in 2019. Only six weeks after the wedding, Ruqia was murdered by her husband, who later received life imprisonment for the crime. The crime took place in January 2020.

During the trial, Jan had pleaded not guilty to the offence, denying that her daughter ever mentioned not wanting to marry Halimi. The woman seemed to be grief-stricken over her childs death but maintained her innocence. More reports state the prosecution argued that Jan came under societal pressure, leading her to forcibly marry her daughter.

The woman was sentenced to three years in prison, according to the law, on Monday. The countrys forced marriage law was introduced in 2013, according to which the offender could be sentenced to seven years in prison. Before announcing Jans verdict, the judge stated that she put intolerable pressure on her daughter.

Jan is an Afghan Hazara refugee, who migrated to Victoria in 2013 with her five children, fleeing the Taliban persecution. Ruqia was her youngest child who was first forced into a marriage at 15, which ended in divorce five years later when she turned 20. As per reports, Ruqia had no desire to marry again till the age of 27 or 28. She wanted to continue her education and build a career.
The recent episode of famous podcast People by WTF, hosted by Nikhil Kamath, featured Bollywood actor Ranbir Kapoor. The star asked the co-founder of Zerodha some thought-provoking questions. The two discussed their lives and jobs in the opening minutes of the podcast. Kamath talked to him about his opinions on Bengaluru and his journey to the city. He went on to discuss his feelings regarding Mumbai in more detail. Kapoor talked in-depth about his special meeting with Prime Minister Narendra Modi during the interview. He also asked Kamath an interesting question: Could he give PM Modi a call directly?

Kamath revealed, Can I pick up the phone and call him? No I have had the privilege of being around him at a couple of events and people read into it. I really respect and admire him.

Kamath also discussed his meeting with PM Modi in the United States, which included an overview of PM Modis daily itinerary from 8 am to 11 pm. Drawing attention to the PMs work schedule, Kamath stated that PM Modi would have a speech session with the group at 8 am, deliver a speech someplace at 11 am, and then do something else at 4 pm. He stated that the PM will carry out the task till 8 or 9 pm.

Though Kamath acknowledged his weariness, he stated the PM was going to go to Egypt to repeat this procedure. His energy is crazy. There is definitely a lot to learn from him.

In 2019, Ranbir Kapoor also had a meeting with PM Modi. Considering his own experience, he added that the PM arrived, sat down and had a personal conversation with each individual. He said that because his father, Rishi Kapoor, was undergoing treatment at the time, PM Modi enquired about his wellbeing.

According to the actor, the PM questioned every Bollywood star about something unique and personal to them. And that kind of effort, you see in great men, he said adding, And that says a lot about that person.

Ranbir was part of a star-studded group that met PM Modi in 2019, which featured Ranveer Singh, Karan Johar, Alia Bhatt, Varun Dhawan, Ayushmann Khurrana, Bhumi Pednekar, Sidharth Malhotra and Rohit Shetty, among others.
Traveling abroad can be expensive, but one cautious traveller found a budget friendly way to visit Milan. Dagmara Kedzierska from Manchester, UK, managed to fly to the Italian city for just 50 (approximately Rs 5000). The woman revealed that she enjoyed local delights like pizza and Aperol spritz, for which she spent less than she would have paid for a day out in London. Tired of high costs for trains and accommodation within the UK, Kedzierska chose Milan. While a round trip train ticket from Manchester to London would have cost over 100 (approximately Rs 10,000), her trip to a peaceful European town was a cheaper option. According to Metro, as a regular traveller, the woman said she always makes good use of her annual leaves.

As per reports, she first landed in Milan at 10:50 AM and kicked off her day with coffee and a warm croissant. Next, she took a 6 (approximately Rs 600) train to Varenna to visit the stunning Lake Como, where she enjoyed local pizza and Aperol spritz. After spending peaceful time near the lake, she returned to the main city by taking another 6 (approximately Rs 600) train and a 2 (approximately Rs 200) metro train ride to see the famous Duomo Cathedral. Following her sightseeing, she took the metro back to the station and caught an 11 (approximately Rs 1000) train for Malpensa airport. After an adventurous day, Kedzierska reached her home town at 1 AM, all while keeping her costs low.

Speaking to the portal, Dagmara Kedzierska shared, The day trips abroad are way more appealing, as most of the time they work out cheaper than staying in the UK. My Milan trip cost me less than 200 (approximately Rs 21,000) including the flights, transport, food and drinks. The weather abroad is also more likely to be better than here, I live in Manchester and the weather lately hasnt been the greatest. Travelling abroad, even if its only for one day, gets me in a holiday mood.

I have done a few day trips abroad for one day and it allows me to go back to work the next day without taking any time off. I also love food and travelling abroad even for one day lets me try new foods. The restaurants in the UK are very basic and most of the time you will eat pre cooked pasta or prebaked pizza, she added.

Travel blogger Nele van Hout, who managed to complete a Milan trip for under 193.50 (approximately Rs 20,000), shared that visiting the Italian town on a budget is possible while still having an amazing experience. She mentioned that there are plenty of free activities to do, like one can go window shopping at Galleria Vittorio Emanuele or view parts of Castello Sforzesco without spending much. Simply exploring the city and admiring its architecture can be a wonderful experience on a budget.
A young woman from India recently captured the internets attention by donning a traditional Nauvari saree while strolling through the streets in Russia. The Nauvari, also known as the nine-yard saree, is a traditional garment from Maharashtra which is frequently worn for weddings, festivals and significant events. In the video, Sulekha Padalkar, an MBBS student at Northern State Medical University, Russia, is seen elegantly dressed in Nauvari saree with her look complemented by traditional jewellery. Her neatly styled hair along with a decorative nath (nose ring) and a crescent on her forehead enhanced her Marathi look.

The overlay text reads, Marathi Mulgi #Russia. In the reel, Sulekha is first seen walking along the streets of Russia, then later visiting a local shopping mall there. The caption shared along with the video reads, Marathi look in Russia Recreated the reel on public demand  but unfortunately snow is not there, its summer time!

View this post on Instagram A post shared by Sulekha Padalkar (@_.sulekha)

Since Sulekhas video was posted a month ago, it has garnered significant attention online, amassing over 9.9 million views. It has also sparked a flurry of reactions in the comment section from social media users.

One user remarked, Indian girls hit differently and each state tradition is blasting well. I am also marathi, while another added, Marathi girls always slay.

A person complimented, Flexing our roots in foreign countries is another level of feeling hehe nyc one.

Someone shared, Indian girls are always beautiful compared to other countries.

In Marathi, a user expressed, You made Maharashtra proud by going abroad.

Another commenter added, Its definitely gorgeous, but walking in Indian street will@make you look more beautiful. People are least interested in showing off your culture to whom people abhi dont even understand about this or just to get views. Apan svata asa poshak ghalun mandirat pan jaat nai yar uthe ladala show off.

On the flip side, some users shared a different perspective. One user noted, Those who cannot do this in their home country due to safety issues do it in some other country.

Another added, No one cares its not India wo Russia hai waha kisi ko kuch farak nhi padta kon ky pahena h ky kr rha h (No one cares. Its not India, its Russia. There, no one notices what youre wearing or what youre doing).

Lastly, an individual said, Glad to see that those people are minding their own business.
From Biden dropping out of the Presidential elections, Bangladesh erupting with violent protests, to the news of PM Narendra Modi visiting Ukraine on August 23, it has been an eventful week. The three major geopolitical events will have a significant impact on India and its foreign policy.

1) Biden Drops Out

Bidens presidency failed to unite the United States. His decision to drop out of the race has only divided the US further. The Grand Old Party is calling it a bloodless coup, while the Democrats call it a mature decision taken by Biden for the greater good. The whole controversy stemmed from the way the news was communicated by Biden to the rest of the world. There were serious discussions on numerous podcasts and on X (where the news was first published) about Bidens signature, his failure to address the nation for a couple of days after the decision, and some even more serious regarding his health.

In a normal election year, a sitting president dropping out of the presidential race mere months before the elections would have been the biggest shock. However, this isnt a normal election for the United States. There was an assassination attempt last week on former US President and the running Republican candidate Donald Trump. He survived, and a few days later, Biden dropped out of the race.

ALSO READ | Biden Endorses Vice-President Kamala Harris, Asks Democrats To Back Her Against Donald Trump

For the past three years, the media and political analysts have been calling the American society divisive the way it was during the civil war. The Democrats and Republicans do not see eye-to-eye on any major issue. Both the Trump and Biden presidency has been at odds on foreign policy, be it the US policy on Venezuela, or their engagement in NATO, North Korea. However, there has been one exception  US foreign policy on India.

The India-US relationship has found a comfortable rhythm in recent years, with a shared understanding on strategic matters emerging across both sides. This bipartisan consensus suggests that the core elements of the partnership will likely endure, regardless of changes in the White House. As India seeks to broaden its security and defence horizons, it is steadily growing into a vital strategic ally for the United States.

Moreover, the evolving regional security environment, particularly the rise of China, adds another layer of complexity to the India-US partnership. Both the countries see the need for a stable and open Indo-Pacific region, a goal increasingly challenged by Chinas assertive actions. This shared concern has naturally pushed India and the US closer, fostering deeper cooperation on issues of maritime security, defence technology sharing, and strategic dialogues. The developing situation in the Indo-Pacific is likely to further cement the India-US relationship as a critical element in maintaining regional balance.

2) TURMOIL IN BANGLADESH

In our neighbourhood is Bangladesh, which is in great duress with a large number of violent protests. At least 150-200 protestors have died in a month-long agitation which turned violent in recent weeks. At least 9,000 people have been arrested nationwide since the unrest began.

The international community has watched the situation in Bangladesh with growing concern. The United Nations, along with prominent human rights organisations, have voiced their condemnation of the excessive force used against protesters. Western governments, including the US and UK, have echoed these concerns, urging Dhaka to respect the fundamental right to peaceful assembly and address the protesters through dialogue, not force.

The current unrest has also cast a spotlight on the increasingly fraught political landscape in Bangladesh. Critics argue that the government of Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina, in her 15th year in power, has displayed increasingly authoritarian tendencies. They point to the systematic targeting of political opponents and activists through mass arrests, enforced disappearances and extrajudicial killings  accusations the government has vehemently denied. This latest crisis, sparked by the controversial court ruling on job quotas, has exposed the deep-seated frustrations with a system seen by many as rigged against ordinary citizens.

ALSO READ | How Bangladesh Protest Turned Violent, Who Is Behind It? What About Indian Students In Dhaka?

Being their neighbours, we have much to worry about how the protests turn out. The extensive border shared by India and Bangladesh, stretching over 4,000 kilometres, makes the current situation particularly worrisome for New Delhi. Indias northeastern states, many grappling with their own internal security challenges, are particularly vulnerable to spillover effects. The potential for unrest to spread across this porous border, exacerbating existing tensions in Assam, West Bengal and other states, is a pressing concern for Indian security agencies.

Adding to these concerns are reports of the protests, initially sparked by students grievances, attracting more radical elements. The potential for Islamist groups, some known to harbour anti-India sentiments, to exploit the unrest has raised alarm bells in New Delhi. The Indian government has invested considerable diplomatic capital in cultivating stronger ties with Bangladesh over the past decade, seeking to foster stability in its neighbourhood and counterbalance growing Chinese influence.

Indias ratification of the land boundary agreement and resolution of the maritime dispute were significant milestones in this effort. The current crisis threatens to unravel this hard-won progress, potentially jeopardising years of careful diplomacy, especially with China vying for influence. The country has become internationally isolated as Western states raise the issue of human rights. This is also not the first time that the US has tried to inflate or influence issues in Bangladesh via international pressure.

It has become a war of attrition between India and China. However, any signs that China has been gaining a stronger foothold were laid to rest when Sheikh Hasina returned from her trip to China a day earlier than planned. According to reports, while Beijing has offered 1 billion yuan, Dhaka was hoping for more; much to the delight of those in New Delhis power chambers.

3) MODI TO UKRAINE

One of the biggest announcements which showcases Indias greater geopolitical heft has been reports of Modis visit to Ukraine. This will be the first time the Indian prime minister will visit the war-torn country since the outbreak of hostilities in 2022. The announcement comes 20 days after Modi went to Russia for the Russia-India summit and met Russian President Vladimir Putin.

Modis visit and the subsequent hug with Vladimir Putin was widely criticised by Ukrainian President Volodomyr Zelensky. While no formal announcement has been made, the situation presents India to leverage its geopolitical influence which it has gained after years of strategic manoeuvring. Reports have also emerged that US has enhanced its discussions on peace in the Ukraine-Russia conflict with India. It has been reported that secretary of state Antony Blinken emphasised the importance of a just and enduring peace for Ukraine in a meeting with Indian Foreign Minister S Jaishankar.

Indias stance on the war in Ukraine has also been on similar lines  peace must prevail. On the sidelines of multiple major international conferences to his latest visit to Moscow, Modi has reiterated to Putin Indias peaceful desires. He has also reiterated that war is not the solution to problems which Russia faces. It outlines Indias desire for peace and the upcoming visit to Ukraine underlines Indias geopolitical rise. Modi is also one of the few leaders in the world to have healthy relations with presidents of both Russia and Ukraine, outlining Indias unique position.

ALSO READ | PM Modi Expected To Visit Kyiv In August For First Trip Since Start Of Russia-Ukraine War: Reports

This past week has been a reminder that international relations are rarely simple or straightforward. The sudden uncertainty in US leadership, the crisis in Bangladesh and the potential for India to mediate the Ukraine conflict, while geographically dispersed, point to the complexities of the emerging world order.

The evolving relationship between India and the US sits at the heart of this intricate dance. Both nations see a strategic need for closer cooperation, particularly in countering Chinese ambitions, but the path ahead is complicated. The US, even as it seeks to strengthen ties with India, is wary of New Delhis continued engagement with Moscow, particularly regarding the Ukraine war. Meanwhile, developments in Bangladesh highlight the difficult balancing act India faces in its own neighbourhood, where domestic unrest can quickly escalate into a regional crisis. The possibility of India playing a more active role in mediating the Ukraine conflict adds another layer of complexity.
King Charles and Queen Camilla said they were profoundly shocked after two children were killed and nine others seriously injured in what the police described as a ferocious stabbing attack at a community centre in the north-west England town of Southport.

Of the nine children stabbed, six are in critical condition after they were attacked on Monday as they attended a Taylor Swift-themed dance event at the towns Hart Centre on Hart Street. A 17-year-old Wales-born male suspect, armed with a knife, is believed to have walked into the premises and launched the attack. He was later arrested on suspicion of murder and attempted murder, the local Merseyside Police said at a news briefing.

Two adults are also in a critical condition, who, the police said, were trying to protect the children. My wife and I have been profoundly shocked to hear of the utterly horrific incident in Southport, the King said in a statement released by Buckingham Palace. We send our most heartfelt condolences, prayers and deepest sympathies to the families and loved ones of those who have so tragically lost their lives, and to all those affected by this truly appalling attack, he said.

In a separate statement, the Prince and Princess of Wales  William and Kate Middleton  said as parents they could not begin to imagine what the families, friends and loved ones of those killed and injured in Southport today are going through. Prince William and Kate added: We send our love, thoughts and prayers to all those involved in this horrid and heinous attack. Merseyside Police Chief Constable Kennedy said when officers arrived, they were shocked to find several children had been subjected to a ferocious attack and had suffered serious injuries.

The chief constable said the suspects motive is unclear at this early stage, but the investigation is not being treated as terror-related. Specialist officers are supporting the families of the children who were killed and those who were injured. British Prime Minister Keir Starmer said earlier that the whole country is deeply shocked by the attack. I know I speak for everybody in the whole country in saying our thoughts and condolences are with the victims, their families, their friends and the wider community, he added.

The North West Ambulance Service in Cheshire and Merseyside said paramedics encountered a devastating scene when they arrived. Ambulances and air ambulances were used to take the 13 victims to Alder Hey Childrens Hospital, Manchester Childrens Hospital, Aintree Hospital, Southport & Formby Hospital and Ormskirk Hospital.

Armed officers seized a knife when they arrested the suspect, as Merseyside Police also declared a major incident. The force urged the public to avoid the area  as local businessman Colin Parry, who was among those who called the police, described the scene as like a horror movie.
Roberto Loli Linguanotto, the Italian pastry chef who is dubbed the father of tiramisu, died on Sunday aged 81. Linguanotto is believed to have invented the iconic tiramisu dessert.

He passed away in Italy after battling an unspecified illness. A report by the Daily Mail said Linguanotto created the dessert in the early 1970s while working at Alle Beccherie, a famous restaurant in northern Italys Treviso.

The report said that locals claim he and Alba di Pillo-Campeol, the wife of Alle Beccherie owner Ado Campeol, perfected the coffee-flavoured dessert recipe almost by accident.

There are several origin stories but the most popular one is the one that says Linguanotto had accidentally dropped mascarpone into a bowl of sugar and eggs.

Alba di Pillo-Campeol, allegedly later added ladyfingers soaked in espresso to the dessert.

Tiramisu was originally called Tirame Su, a name that translates to pick me up, and was made with just six ingredients  eggs, savoiardi, sugar, mascarpone, coffee and cocoa.

In no time, that dessert became a staple at Le Beccherie. It was served on a round tray with ladyfingers soaked in coffee, and two layers of cream and mascarpone, journalist Gigi Padovani, who developed a close friendship with Linguanotto, writes in his book Tiramisu which he co-authored with is wife Clara.

A few years later, in 1983, the tiramisu recipe was published in a Treviso gastronomic magazine for the first time. Le Beccherie then took it to Venice and later spread it around the world. From the 1990s onwards, the dessert became famous everywhere, Gigi Padovani wrote.

I join in mourning the passing of Roberto Linguanotto, who made a significant impact in the world of pastry. Tiramisu today is a culinary excellence recognised throughout the world and the credit for such a success also goes to Linguanottos mastery as a pastry chef and his desire to make our Venetian delicacy unique and inimitable, making tiramisu stand out among national and international desserts, the governor of the Veneto region Luca Zaia said, according to the Daily Mail report.

There are other competing claims that exist. Some tie the dessert to a 19th-century Treviso brothel madam and even to the region of Siena in the 17th century in honour of Grand Duke.
A video capturing French Rafale jets escorting the Ariane 6 rocket during its July 9 launch has gone viral. The footage, filmed from the cockpit of one of the Rafale jets, showed the tight formation and manoeuvring of the fighter planes as they provided a protective shield for the rockets ascent.

The launch, which took place from the European spaceport in Kourou, was a significant step for Europes space program, despite an issue with the rockets final payload. To ensure the rockets safety, three Rafale jets were deployed to create a bubble of protection around the vehicle.

The operation also involved two Eurocopter Fennecs and a German Puma Infantry Fighting Vehicle, securing both the airspace and the ground. The Ariane 6, equipped with a new-generation Vinci cryogenic engine, successfully launched, but its mission encountered a setback. The rocket failed to release its final payload due to a deviation from its planned trajectory.

Mardi 9 juillet 2024, a 16 heures, heure locale, la fusee #Ariane6 a ete lancee depuis le Centre spatial guyanais, a Kourou. Avec six de ses aeronefs, lAAE a contribue a la protection de cette  operation nevralgique .

Retour sur cette mission accomplie avec succes.  pic.twitter.com/9lQEeHUBeK  Armee de lAir et de lEspace (@Armee_de_lair) July 19, 2024

Aujourdhui, a 21h00 (heure de Paris), sest deroule avec succes le tir inaugural de la fusee #Ariane6, conduit depuis le Centre spatial guyanais a Kourou. En complement de loperation #TITAN mene par les @Armees_Guyane, un #DPSA a securise ce lancement. pic.twitter.com/ealZCyp2GL Armee de lAir et de lEspace (@Armee_de_lair) July 9, 2024

The Ariane 6 was intended to place satellites into orbit, a critical step for Europes space sovereignty. It was expected to complete its mission with a precise orbital placement of payloads. However, the failure to execute the planned re-entry into Earths atmosphere and land in the Pacific has been a disappointment for European space officials.

Despite the missions partial failure, European space authorities view the launch as a positive step towards reclaiming their space capabilities. The Ariane 6 is designed to place satellites into various orbits and is seen as a critical asset for Europes future space missions.

(With AFP inputs)
US Presidential Candidate Kamala Harriss uncle Gopalan Balachandran, in an email interview with CNN-News18, said that it was high time America recognised that governance capabilities, at both private and public service, need not be the privilege of any one group of citizens.

All the countries in South Asia had women prime ministers within a few decades of their independence, said the academician based in Delhi.

Balachandran, a former consultant at the Manohar Parrikar Institute of Defence Studies and Analyses, returned to India after PhD in Economics and computer Science from University of Wisconsin. Bala Sir to Scholars at IDSA, he spoke about the values inculcated in Harris by his late sister (her mother), and his last meeting with the Presidential candidate.

Edited excerpts:

How do you look at Joe Biden stepping down from the Presidential race?

It has energised the Democratic Party.

Kamala Harris was a running mate of Biden in 2020 now she has Bidens nomination. What are her chances of running for the office and getting support at DNC?

She is already supported by all who will matter at the DNC.

Initially everyone thought it would be difficult for her to get endorsements but the way Obamas and Clinton all have supported her, it is pretty clear that her candidacy would be confirmed in August.

Correct.

Kamala Harris is the second woman running after Hillary. How strong is she as a candidate? What are your views on the US getting a woman President?

It is high time for a 200+ years old democracy to recognise that governance capabilities, at both private and public service, need not be the privilege of any one group of citizens in a country. It should be open to all irrespective of gender/ethnicity/colour. After all, many of the new democracies, for example, all the countries in South Asia, had women prime ministers within a few decades of their independence!

How do you look at works undertaken by her as a vice-president?

The Vice-President in USA has very little executive power. As one former US Vice-President remarked, his only job was to read the morning papers to verify that the President was still alive. Their main usefulness comes only when the votes in the Senate are tied on any bill. Kamala had exercised her vote to break the tie in the senate, more than any Vice-President in recent times, to help many of President Bidens legislative bills become law.

There is a lot of excitement among Indians on any news related to her. This time around, again, her Indian origin is in the news

Not surprising. Last time it was because she was the VP candidate. Now it is as the presidential candidate.

Kamala always talks about her mother and challenges she faced growing up. Tell us a little about that.

I cannot add much to what Kamala has already said except that I am not surprised. My late sister was a very accomplished scientist, someone who was aware of the social and professional handicaps which women and minorities/coloured people faced in the US. She, by her own example, showed her daughters how to fight such prejudices, overcome them and reach for what they want to do.

When was your last meet with Kamala?

Recently, when she invited her family members to DC dinner at her residence.
An Israeli strike hit Lebanese terror group Hezbollahs stronghold in Beiruts southern suburbs, days after Israel said it would retaliate over a deadly attack on the annexed Golan Heights blamed on the group.

The Israeli military said it targeted the Hezbollah commander who was responsible for a strike in the Golan Heights that killed 12 children and teenagers at the weekend.

The IDF carried out a targeted strike in Beirut, on the commander responsible for the murder of the children in Majdal Shams and the killing of numerous additional Israeli civilians, the Israeli Defence Forces said in a statement.

Shortly after the strike, Israeli defence minister Yoav Gallant said the Lebanese militant group Hezbollah crossed the red line in a social media post and claimed responsibility for the strike.

Hezbollah sources told news agency AFP that a leading commander was the target of the strike, which targeted the groups maindecision making body, the Shura Council.

They added that two people were killed in the strike, but was unable to confirm if the commander was among them. The agency cited witnesses who said they heard a loud bang and saw plumes of smoke rising.

Photos released by Reuters showed people gathered near a site hit by what security officials said was a strike on Beiruts southern suburbs.

Lebanons state-run National News Agency said an enemy raid targeted near Hezbollahs Shura Council, the powerful Lebanese groups decision-making body in Beiruts Haret Hreik suburb.

The last floor of an eight-storey building was hit and that ambulances had converged at the site of the strike.

On Saturday, a strike on the Druze Arab town of Majdal Shams in the Israeli-annexed Golan Heights killed 12 children. It was blamed by Israel and the United States on Lebanons Hezbollah, although the Iran-backed group has denied any connection to the attack.

During a visit on Monday to Majdal Shams, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu vowed a severe response, raising fears yet again that the Gaza war could spill over into a wider regional conflagration.

At least 531 people have been killed on the Lebanese side of the near daily cross-border exchanges, according to an AFP tally. Most have been fighters, but the toll includes at least 105 civilians.

The violence has so far killed 22 soldiers and 25 civilians on the Israeli side, including in the Golan Heights, according to army figures.
North Korean leader Kim Jong Un is reportedly preparing his teenage daughter, Kim Ju Ae, to succeed him as the countrys leader, according to newly released South Korean intelligence briefings.

The National Intelligence Service (NIS) has indicated that Kim Ju Ae is being trained as the heir apparent, marking her as the likely successor in the Kim familys hereditary rule. Pyongyang is teaching Kim Ju Ae to be heir apparent, indicating shes the most likely successor, South Korean MP Lee Seong-kweun told reporters after a briefing from the intelligence agency.

Succession Training

Kim Ju Ae, whose age remains unconfirmed but is speculated to be around 12, has been seen accompanying her father at various public events, particularly those related to military activities. According to ABC News, more than half of her public appearances have involved overseeing military drills, which aligns with the NISs assessment that she is being prepared for a leadership role. The state media has referred to her as a great person of guidance, a title typically reserved for leaders and successors, further fueling speculation about her future role.

Health Concerns

The NIS has also expressed concerns regarding Kim Jong Uns health, noting that he is heavily overweight at approximately 140 kg, which places him at high risk for heart-related illnesses. He has a family history of heart problems, as both his father and grandfather died from heart issues. Reports suggest that Kim has shown symptoms of high blood pressure and diabetes since his early 30s, and North Korea is reportedly seeking Western medicine to address these health issues.

Future Leadership

While Kim Ju Ae is currently seen as the front-runner in the succession plan, the NIS has not discounted the possibility of another sibling emerging as a potential alternative. The North Korean regime is closely monitoring public reactions to Kim Ju Aes role, adjusting her exposure to ensure a smooth transition of power when the time comes.

As Kim Jong Uns health continues to be a focal point for external observers, the implications of his succession plan remain critical for the stability of North Korea and its nuclear arsenal. First introduced in 2022, Ms. Kim was initially believed to be Kim Jong Uns second child. It is thought that Kim Jong Un and his wife, Ri Sol Ju, have three children  two daughters and a son  though North Korea has never officially confirmed this.
Bangladeshs largest Islamist party Jamaat-e-Islaami and its student wing Islami Chhatra Shibir will be banned this week, minister of the Sheikh Hasina-led government said on Tuesday.

The road transport minister Obaidul Quader and law minister Anisul Haque addressed journalists on Tuesday and said that the Bangladesh government under the leadership of Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina unanimously decided to ban Jamaat and Shibir, taking into consideration their past and present activities.

Anisul Haque citing the student protesters said that the student leaders who were protesting against the job quota rules said they had no role in the violence.

Those who participated in the quota movement said that they have no involvement with this violence. The government has information that the militants of Jamaat, Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP), Islami Chhatra Shibir and Chhatra Dal have done this (violence). If the party (Jamaat) is banned, the law and order and politics of the country will also improve a lot, Haque was quoted as saying by Prothom Alo.

The decision to ban Jamaat-e-Islami and its student-wing Chhatra Shibir was taken in Ganabhaban  Sheikh Hasinas residence. The newspaper citing people present in the meeting said that Hasina told attendees of the meeting that Jamaat and its youth wing sabotaged the protests and carried out arson attacks on police officials, citing reports from Bangladesh intelligence agencies.

Jamaat-Shibir trained people from different districts of the country, then they were gathered in Dhaka. They are the ones who committed these crimes, Hasina said.
Donald Trump has recounted the emotional impact of his July 13 assassination attempt, revealing that his wife, Melania, watched the attack unfold live on television. In a Fox News interview, the former US president shared the distressing details of the day, including how Melania was deeply affected by the event.

She was watching, Trump told Laura Ingraham of Fox. She was watching live. It was all over the place. It was on television. Trump noted that Melanias inability to discuss the incident reflects her deep concern for him. She cant even really talk about it. Thats okay, that means she likes meshe loves me.

Donald Trump says that Melania struggles to talk about the assassination attempt:She cant really even talk about it, which is okay, because that means she likes me, or she loves methats nice pic.twitter.com/W2Snexb4XN  Republicans against Trump (@RpsAgainstTrump) July 30, 2024

The assassination attempt was carried out by 20-year-old Thomas Matthew Crooks, who shot at Trump during a rally in Butler, Pennsylvania. Despite the trauma, Trump expressed sympathy for the Secret Service agents involved. I just want to say one thing about Secret Service they were very brave, Trump said. He described the scene as chaotic, with bullets flying and agents quickly covering him.

Trump criticised the Secret Service for their handling of the situation. Shouldve been somebody on the roof, shouldve been communication with the local police, he said. Were seeing this guy, who was a very disturbed person how about the Trump fans who were screaming about him? He also pointed out that Secret Service Director Kimberly Cheatle resigned following the incident, acknowledging the widespread criticism of the agencys performance.

The FBI probe that Crooks acted alone. However, Trump noted that the Secret Service counter-sniper who neutralised Crooks did a good job, though he suggested the intervention should have occurred nine seconds earlier. After the assassination bid, the FBI found troubling details about Crooks. He had flown a drone near the stage two hours before the shooting and had three explosives in his car.

Crooks had been at the rally earlier that day, carrying a rangefinder that raised suspicions but did not lead to his arrest. Crooks, who had previously told his boss he needed the day off for a routine trip to the gun range, was reported missing by his father. Crooks had researched historical assassinations, including the distance Lee Harvey Oswald was from John F. Kennedy when he shot him. The FBI also revealed that Crooks had searched for information on how far Oswald was from Kennedy when planning the attack.
Chinese ambassador to India Xu Feihong and French envoy to India Thierry Mathou on Tuesday extended their condolences to those affected in Wayanad landslides that have killed at least 123 persons and injured 128 others, with numbers expected to rise.

#WayanadLandslides | Deeply pained by the tragic news coming out of #Kerala.On behalf of France, I offer my heartfelt condolences to the bereaved families of the victims, and wish the injured a speedy recovery. @CMOKerala @pinarayivijayan @FranceinPondi  Thierry Mathou (@thierry_mathou) July 30, 2024

Deeply saddened to hear about the tragic landslides in Wayanad, Kerala. Our thoughts and hearts are with the people there and bereaved families, Feihong said in a post on social media site X.

Deeply saddened to hear about the tragic landslides in #Wayanad, #Kerala.Our thoughts and hearts are with the people there and bereaved families. Xu Feihong (@China_Amb_India) July 30, 2024

WayanadLandslides | Deeply pained by the tragic news coming out of Kerala. On behalf of France, I offer my heartfelt condolences to the bereaved families of the victims, and wish the injured a speedy recovery, French envoy Thierry Mathou said in a social media post.

British High Commissioner to India Lindy Cameron reposted a social media post on Wayanad landslides to show solidarity with those impacted by the natural disaster.

The landslide was one of the worst natural disasters to strike Kerala. With hundreds trapped under the debris, sparking fears of mounting fatalities, rescue agencies were racing against time to pull out any survivors.

Earlier, speaking at a press conference in Thiruvananthapuram about the massive tragedy, Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan said: Due to the intense rainfall, landslides occurred, and an entire region has been destroyed. Ninety-three bodies have been recovered so far. He said 128 people are undergoing treatment at various hospitals.

Children who went to sleep last night, including infants, are among those who lost their lives in this disaster and are now buried under the earth. The floodwaters swept away many people. Sixteen bodies were recovered from the Chaliyar River in Pothukallu in Malappuram district (neighbouring Wayanad), and body parts were also found, Vijayan said.

This is one of the most severe natural disasters our state has ever seen, he said.

He said 34 bodies have been identified, and 18 of them have been handed over to relatives of the deceased persons. More than 3,000 people have been shifted to 45 relief camps set up in the district, Vijayan added.

He said the first landslide occurred at 2 am, followed by another at 4.10 am, adding that Meppadi, Mundakkai and Chooralmala areas have been cut off and the Chooralmala-Mundakkai road has been destroyed.

Wayanad is famed for the tea estates that crisscross its hilly countryside and which rely on a large pool of casual labourers for planting and harvest.

Images published by the National Disaster Response Force showed rescue crews trudging through mud to search for survivors and carrying bodies on stretchers out of the area.

Homes were caked with brown sludge as the force of the landslide scattered cars, corrugated iron and other debris around the disaster site.

Indias army said it had deployed more than 200 soldiers to the area to assist state security forces and fire crews in search-and-rescue efforts.
Soon, Old Glory will have to be born in the land of the free and not merely flying over it. Congress has passed a proposal to require the federal government to purchase only American flags that have been completely manufactured in the US. The US imports millions of American flags from overseas, mostly from China, and the sponsors of the proposal said it's time for American flags to originate in the country they represent, the AP reports.

Supporters of the proposal, led by Republican Sen. Susan Collins of Maine and Democratic Sen. Sherrod Brown of Ohio, said the change is more than just symbolicthey believe it will support American jobs and manufacturers while preserving the nation's most recognized banner.
President Biden unveiled his proposals for reforming the Supreme Court on Mondayand House Speaker Mike Johnson said they would be "dead on arrival" in the House. In a statement posted on social media, the Republican accused Biden of seeking to "delegitimize the Court," reports Reuters.

Biden's proposed court overhaul would "erode not only the rule of law, but the American people's faith in our system of justice," Johnson wrote. "It is telling that Democrats want to change the system that has guided our nation since its founding simply because they disagree with some of the Court's recent decisions. This dangerous gambit of the Biden-Harris Administration is dead on arrival in the House."

According to C-SPAN, when Biden was asked about Johnson's "dead on arrival" remark, he said, "That's what he is." When a reporter asked him to clarify the remark, Biden said, "He is. Dead on arrival."
William L. Calley Jr., who as an Army lieutenant led the US soldiers who killed hundreds of Vietnamese civilians in the My Lai massacre, the most notorious war crime in modern American military history, has died. He was 80. Calley died on April 28 at a hospice center in Gainesville, Florida, the Washington Post reported Monday, citing his death certificate, which it said a recent Harvard Law School grad found while searching through public records. Calley had lived in obscurity in the decades since he was court-martialed and convicted in 1971, the only one of 25 men originally charged to be found guilty in the Vietnam War massacre.

On March 16, 1968, Calley led American soldiers of the Charlie Company on a mission to confront a crack outfit of their Vietcong enemies, reports the AP. Instead, over several hours, the soldiers killed 504 unresisting civiliansmostly women, children, and elderly menin My Lai and a neighboring community. Some were bayoneted to death. Families were herded into bomb shelters and killed with hand grenades. Other civilians were slaughtered in a drainage ditch. Women and girls were gang-raped. The Americans were angry: Two days earlier, a booby trap had killed a sergeant, blinded a GI, and wounded several others while Charlie Company was on patrol.

It wasn't until more than a year later that news of the massacre became public. Soldiers eventually testified to the US Army investigating commission that the murders began soon after Calley led Charlie Company's first platoon into My Lai that morning. Calley was convicted in 1971 for the murders of 22 people during the rampage. He was sentenced to life in prison but served only three days because President Nixon ordered his sentence reduced. He served three years of house arrest. After his release, Calley stayed in Columbus, Georgia, and settled into a job at a jewelry store owned by his father-in-law before moving to Atlanta, where he avoided publicity and routinely turned down journalists' requests for interviews.

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Calley broke his silence in 2009, at the urging of a friend, when he spoke to the Kiwanis Club in Columbus, near Fort Benning, where he had been court-martialed. "There is not a day that goes by that I do not feel remorse for what happened that day in My Lai," Calley said, according to an account of the meeting reported by the Columbus Ledger-Enquirer. "I feel remorse for the Vietnamese who were killed, for their families, for the American soldiers involved and their families. I am very sorry." He said his mistake was following orders, which had been his defense when he was tried. His superior officer was acquitted. (More obituary stories.)
Gunmen riding jet skis opened fire at a rival drug dealer on a beach in the resort town of Cancun, killing a 12-year-old boy before fleeing, Mexican authorities said. Prosecutors said in a statement late Sunday that the boy suffered gunshot wounds and was taken to a hospital where he later died. The boy was a local resident who apparently was lying on a lounge chair on the beach with his family when he was shot, reports the AP. Prosecutors said the intended targets of the gunmen were rivals engaged in a dispute over drug sales. The boy was apparently hit by stray bullets.
What we know for sure: the ticket won't read Harris-Cooper. North Carolina Gov. Roy Cooper announced Monday he is pulling out of consideration for Vice President Kamala Harris' running mate. One of a dozen or so Democrats under discussion, Cooper said he was "honored to be considered" but "this just wasn't the right time for North Carolina and for me to potentially be on a national ticket." A provision in North Carolina's constitution notes the lieutenant governor becomes acting governor whenever the governor is out of state, per the Washington Post . That means that if Cooper was on the campaign trail, "GOP firebrand" Lt. Gov. Mark Robinson would take his place.

Cooper, a former chairman of the Democratic Governors Association, had been considered a top contender due to his long-standing relationship with Harris, dating back to when both served as state attorneys general. But asked to be vetted for vice president, he declined, the New York Times reports. "As I've said from the beginning, she has an outstanding list of people from which to choose, and we'll all work to make sure she wins," said 67-year-old Cooper, who's now under discussion as a potential candidate for Senate in 2026.

Other contenders for Harris' running mate include Arizona Sen. Mark Kelly, Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro, Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz, Kentucky Gov. Andy Beshear, and Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg, per the Post. The 60-year-old Walz, though not very well known outside Minnesota, "is seen as offering a steady, down-to-earth, everyman persona" as well as having "a record of winning over moderate voters and deep roots in the rural Midwest that might serve as a counterpoint to JD Vance," per the Times. "He's got the Midwest grit, the Midwest sensibility and that appeal goes beyond the Midwest," a person familiar with the VP discussions tells Politico. (More Kamala Harris 2024 stories.)
UPDATE

Jul 31, 2024 9:13 AM CDT

Famed journalist Huw Edwards has pleaded guilty to making indecent photos of children. The 62-year-old former BBC presenter admitted to all three counts against him Wednesday after he was swarmed upon arrival at London's Westminster Magistrates' Court. Prosecutors said he received 41 images and videos from an adult male on WhatsApp. One video allegedly featured a child as young as 7, NBC News reports. "There is no suggestion in this case that Mr. Edwards has in any way made, in the traditional sense of the word, any images in any physical way or created any images of any sort," his lawyer said. He is to be sentenced Sept. 16.

Jul 30, 2024 10:25 AM CDT

Huw Edwards, who was until this year the BBC's "most high-profile and best-paid news anchor," has been charged with three counts of making indecent images of children. "One of the most recognized faces in British television news," per CNN, Edwards anchored the BBC's flagship evening newscast and led coverage of major events, including the death of Queen Elizabeth II and King Charles III's coronation, until leaving the broadcaster in April. The father of five resigned on medical advice from his doctors. The notice came less than a year after he was accused of paying a young person for sexual photos beginning when the individual was 17, per People, though police at the time said there was no evidence of a crime.
Tesla is again recalling more than 1.8 million vehicles in the US, this time due to a risk of crash created by an unlatched hood. There's a risk software will fail to detect an unlatched hood, which could open and obstruct a driver's view, raising the risk of a crash, the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration said Tuesday. The issue should be fixed with a free software update that ensures an open hood is detected and drivers alerted, per Reuters and CBS News . The recalled vehicles feature a hood latch produced in China by Magna Closures Co Ltd. They include certain 2021-2024 Model 3, Model S, Model X, and 2020-2024 Model Y vehicles.

Tesla said it's not aware of any crashes, injuries, or deaths tied to the problem. It said it began investigating complaints of hoods opening at random in certain Model 3 and Model Y vehicles in China in March before initiating a latch hardware recovery. It then looked at hood latch assemblies in Europe and North America, deciding a recall was required. Tesla also recalled 2.2 million vehicles, or nearly all of its cars in the US, in February over the font size of warnings on the instrument panel. Weeks earlier, Tesla had recalled 2 million US vehicles to install new safeguards in its Autopilot system. However, the NHTSA is now investigating after reports of 20 crashes involving vehicles that received the update, per Reuters. (More Tesla stories.)
Baby Reindeer creator Richard Gadd has admitted the stalker in his TV drama was partly inspired by a Scottish woman who sued Netflix for $170 million last month. Responding to Fiona Harvey's defamation lawsuit, Gadd claims to have suffered "stalking, harassment, abuse and threats" at her hands. He says Baby Reindeer, among Netflix's top 10 shows ever, is "not intended to portray actual facts." But it is a "fictionalized retelling of my emotional journey through several extremely traumatic real experiences." He claims Harvey, whom he met while working in a London pub in 2014, harassed him over years. She "often attempted to touch me in inappropriate (and sometimes sexual) ways" and would follow him around the city "including near where I lived," he says.

Harvey's lawsuit claims Netflix and Gadd "destroyed her reputation, her character and her life," portraying her as a twice-convicted stalker, though she's never been convicted of a crime. In Baby Reindeer, character Martha Scott sends Gadd's character 41,000 emails, hundreds of voicemails, and more than 100 letters. Harvey claimed to have sent Gadd only a few emails, one letter, and 18 messages on X, per the Guardian. Gadd says that's a lie. He claims Harvey sent him "thousands of emails, hundreds of voicemails, and a number of handwritten letters" with sexually explicit, violent, and derogatory content, as well as "hateful speech and threats." He says Harvey even sent him a pair of underwear more than a year after she received a police warning.

"Her actions took an extensive toll on my physical and especially my mental well-being" and "I genuinely was worried that she might harm me or my parents," reads the document filed Monday, per Variety. "Overall, it was an incredibly stressful and worrying time, with a sustained period of relentless behavior taking place over several years." Netflix is asking for Harvey's lawsuit to be dismissed on the basis that the depiction of her is substantially true, Variety reports. Alongside Gadd's account, the streaming platform submitted declarations from a former pub manager and a woman named Laura Wray, whom Harvey was accused of stalking decades ago. Wray claims she was harassed over five years and ultimately got the equivalent of a restraining order against Harvey. (More Baby Reindeer stories.)
A 9-year-old girl has died, bringing the death toll to three in Monday's "ferocious attack" on a Taylor Swift-themed dance class in northwest England. Five other children and two adults who reportedly tried to protect them remain in critical condition. Eleven children were stabbed in the attack, which happened 10 minutes before the class was set to wrap and has drawn condolences from King Charles, Queen Camilla, and Taylor Swift. The singer wrote in a story posted to Instagram , "These were just little kids at a dance class. I am at a complete loss for how to ever convey my sympathies to these families."

The Guardian reports police on Tuesday said the other children who died in Southport were both girls, ages six and seven. A 17-year-old from the nearby village of Banks has been arrested on suspicion of murder and attempted murder; his name cannot be shared under UK law. The BBC reports the suspect was born to parents from Rwanda. Police do not yet have a motive. A Southport lawmaker described the collective shock: "This is a lovely, quite quiet and sleepy town on the coast. This is a traditional seaside resort and this is not the sort of thing anyone is remotely prepared for."

NBC News recalls the UK's worst attack on children, which led to a wide-ranging gun ban: In 1996, a 43-year-old shot and killed 16 kindergarteners and their teacher in a school gym in Dunblane, Scotland. Recent stats show about 40% of homicides in Britain involved knives. Home Secretary Yvette Cooper voiced "deep concern" about knife crime, saying it is Prime Minister Keir Starmer's "moral mission" to do something about it. (More United Kingdom stories.)
The acting director of the Secret Service said Tuesday he "cannot defend" why the roof used by the gunman in the assassination attempt of former President Trump was not secured. Ronald Rowe, testifying before two Senate committees, said he recently traveled to the Pennsylvania shooting site and "What I saw made me ashamed." The FBI's No. 2 official, Paul Abbate, said a social media account associated with the gunman espoused political violence and included antisemitic and anti-immigrant sentiment, reports the AP . The posts were from the 2019 and 2020 timeframe, when Thomas Matthew Crooks would have been in high school.

Senate lawmakers are grilling the officials about law enforcement lapses in the hours before the attempted assassination of Trump in the latest in a series of congressional hearings. Rowe became acting director last week after Kimberly Cheatle resigned in the aftermath of a House hearing in which she was berated by lawmakers and failed to answer specific questions about the July 13 shooting. Rowe is being joined by Abbate at a joint hearing of the Senate committees on the Judiciary and Homeland Security. "If this happened in the military, a lot of people would be fired," said Sen. Lindsey Graham, the top Republican on the Senate Judiciary Committee. "And if a lot of people are not fired, the system failed yet again. Nothing's going to change until somebody loses their job."

But most of the questions Tuesday are expected to be directed at Rowe as lawmakers demand answers about how Crooks was able to get so close to Trump. In a Monday interview on Fox News, Trump defended the Secret Service agents who protected him from the shooting but said that someone should have been on the roof with Crooks. "They didn't speak to each other," he said. He praised the sniper who killed Crooks with what he said was an amazing shot but noted: "It would have been good if it was nine seconds sooner." (More Trump rally shooting stories.)
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TDT | Manama

The Daily Tribune - www.newsofbahrain.com

His Excellency Dr. Abdullatif bin Rashid Al Zayani, Minister of Foreign Affairs and Chairman of the National Human Rights Committee, praised the Kingdom of Bahrain for its modern and thorough system for respecting human rights and combating human trafficking.

He emphasised that these advancements are made under the wise leadership of His Majesty King Hamad bin Isa Al Khalifa. Dr. Al Zayani also highlighted the significant support and oversight of the government, led by His Royal Highness Prince Salman bin Hamad Al Khalifa, the Crown Prince and Prime Minister.

Marking the World Day Against Trafficking in Persons, with the theme Leave No Child Behind in the Fight Against Human Trafficking, Dr. Al Zayani elucidated Bahrains strides in integrating its pioneering initiatives in child rights and human trafficking prevention.

This has culminated in a thorough framework for safeguarding children and preserving human dignity.

The system is underpinned by advanced policies and legislative measures, including the Child Justice Law, the Protection from Abuse Law No. 4 of 2021, the Child Law No. 37 of 2012, and Law No. 1 of 2008 on combating human trafficking.

These efforts align with the Government Plan and the National Human Rights Plan (2022- 2026).

The Minister of Foreign Affairs expressed pride in the fact that this global observance coincides with Bahrain retaining its esteemed international status within the top category for combating human trafficking, as per the US Department of State report for the seventh consecutive year.
TDT | Manama

The Daily Tribune - www.newsofbahrain.com

Hilton Bahrain yesterday announced the launch of a new electric vehicle (EV) charging station, providing a convenient and eco-friendly amenity for both hotel guests and visitors to the propertys restaurants and cafes.

To inaugurate the new EV charging station, Hilton Bahrain has partnered with Hiltons global partner, Mclaren.

The very first vehicle charged at the new station was the McLaren Artura, Bahrains most recent McLaren model.

This partnership with Hilton Bahrain is an exciting opportunity to showcase our commitment to sustainability and the future of mobility, said Steven Rothwell, McLaren Bahrains Sales Manager.

Located in the hotels parking area, the new EV charging station is available at no cost for use by anyone staying at or visiting the Hilton Bahrain.

This is in support of Hiltons global Travel with Purpose strategy, the companys comprehensive Environmental, Social and Governance (ESG) programme focused on driving responsible hospitality worldwide.

Sustainability is a core pillar of our operations at Hilton Bahrain, and we are continuously exploring new ways to integrate environmentally-conscious practices throughout our hotel, said Tamer Farouk, General Manager of Hilton Bahrain.

The high-powered charging station installed at Hilton Bahrain is capable of fully replenishing the battery of most electric vehicle models in 4-6 hours.
A social media influencer known for filming himself speeding through dense city traffic in luxury cars at ultra-high speeds and baiting police into chases, was charged by authorities for a series of robberies in Bergen County that targeted ATMs and luxury handbags at a consignment shop, police alleged in charging documents.

Antonio Ginestri, 19, of Queens, New York was arrested on May 16 after authorities said he along with others robbed a number of businesses across New Jersey, New York and other states.

In New Jersey, police said Ginistri and his co-conspirators robbed a consignment business of more than $38,000 in designer handbags in January and then targeted ATMs at gas station convenience stores in February.

Police said Ginestri  an influencer known on Instagram and YouTube as Squeeze.Benz who has over one million followers  along with two others, including a 16-year-old, became primary suspects in the string of robberies based on cellular data locations as well as video surveillance that identified a BMW used in several of the robberies.

According to an affidavit of probable cause for Ginestris arrest, on Jan. 27 police in Tenafly responded to a burglary at a consignment store on West Railroad Avenue where the suspects had broken the front window and stolen $38,950 in handbags and other goods.

The owner of the consignment store declined to comment on the arrest of suspects in the burglary.

Investigators discovered two previous robberies at a clothing store in Jersey City on Jan. 25 and 26 had similar descriptions to the suspects as the robbery in Tenafly, according to charging documents. A communications data warrant later revealed that Ginestris cellular device was in the area at the time of the robberies at all three locations and the same dark colored BMW was also identified at all three crime scenes, officials said.

The same BMW was allegedly involved in at least two additional robberies in February, officials said in charging documents.

On Feb. 6 at about 3:35 a.m., police in Hasbrouck Heights responded to a report of a burglary in progress at a Shell gas station on Route 17 North. An employee told authorities that three suspects pulled up in a BMW SUV and stole an ATM machine before putting it in the BMW and driving away, charging documents show.

Surveillance footage from the incident showed the vehicle had New Jersey license plates and was identified in other robberies in the area, according to police. Hasbrouck Heights police contacted Fairfield detectives about the robbery investigation and used another cellular data warrant which identified Ginestris phone in the area during the time of the robbery at the Shell station, police said.

About an hour earlier around 2 a.m. on Feb. 6, police in Fairfield were called to the Speedway on Route 46 for a report of a burglary that Ginestri and his co-conspirators eventually became suspects in, according to officials. Fairfield police said Ginestri and the other suspects were identified in a stolen BMW X7 that was wanted in other burglaries that same morning in Roseland and Secaucus, in addition to the Shell robbery in Hasbrouck Heights.

Three days later, on Feb. 9, authorities said Ginestri and the two other suspects stole another ATM machine from a Dunkin Donuts in Garfield. The ATM contained approximately $4,000 in cash and the machine was valued at $2,500, police said. This time, a Dunkin Donuts employee told police Ginestri kicked the employee while stealing the ATM, charging documents show.

Surveillance video captured the entire incident, police said in the affidavit of probable cause, while adding that a multi-agency investigation concluded that the same three suspects had committed several other burglaries of ATMs across New Jersey and New York.

Ginestri was arrested on May 16 in New York, Fairfield police said. The 16-year-old co-conspirator was arrested as well. The juvenile was not named by authorities.

The third suspect was not identified by authorities and it was not clear whether the suspect had been arrested or charged.

Ginestri is being held in the Bergen County Jail on separate charges, which were not identified by authorities.

An attorney for Ginestri did not immediately respond to a request for comment, but told NJ Advance Media on July 17, when Ginestris arrest was announced, that he was appealing the detention.

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Matthew Enuco may be reached at Menuco@njadvancemedia.com. Follow Matt on X
Editors note: This story is published and updated annually.

The 131-mile Jersey Shore manages to be our greatest treasure and biggest headache. Its a source of jealously for at least 40 other states, and yet its maddening and mobbed in the summer. But that doesnt stop millions of us from making the trek down the Parkway every year.
Disney just launched an exclusive, behind-the-scenes tour of Walt Disneys office.

But unlike most attractions at the Disney theme parks, you cant just walk right in.
Who will host next years Oscars? That still remains unknown as John Mulaney recently turned down the gig, according to Puck.

Mulaney, 41, had been one of the leading candidates to host the 2025 Academy Awards after a stellar performance as presenter during the 2024 show.

The stand-up comedian and actor also hosted the Governors Awards in January.

Mulaney was waiting for his close friend Jimmy Kimmel, who also turned down the job, to make a decision before announcing his, Deadline reported. Puck reported that Mulaney declined the role because of scheduling conflicts.

Kimmel, 56, who has hosted the Oscars four times including the most recent show in March, stated that he always dreamed of hosting the Oscars exactly four times after he was announced to host the 2024 show.

More entertainment coverage

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Christopher Burch can be reached at cburch@njadvancemedia.com. Follow him on Twitter: @SwishBurch. Find NJ.com on Facebook. Have a tip? Tell us. nj.com/tips/.
The latest food deal is in the shape of Olympic rings, and Krispy Kreme is all over this trend in time for the 2024 Paris Olympics.

Krispy Kreme is offering all customers unlimited $1 doughnuts of any kind in stores on Wednesday, July 31.
Cannabis regulators have recalled a weed product after they determined it had insects and human hair in it.

The recall letter by the states Cannabis Regulatory Commission was issued Monday, stemming from a complaint filed July 18 about Green Medicine NJ, a cultivator that sells the products as Green Joy.

Regulators said 15 packages were sampled and 12 were found to have insects and one contained human hair. The product was sold in dispensaries as flower and pre-rolls ... in jars and boxes of various sizes, the CRC said.
A man who allegedly robbed a Middlesex County steakhouse with a fake gun, was arrested earlier this month after 15 years on the run, federal prosecutors said.

Kofi Edwards, 51, of Trinidad and Tobago, was arrested on July 9 in California, authorities said. He had been charged by indictment in 2014 with one count of conspiracy to commit armed Hobbs Act robbery, one count of Hobbs Act robbery, and one count of brandishing a firearm in furtherance of a crime of violence, the U.S. Attorneys Office District of New Jersey announced Monday.

Edwards pleaded not guilty Monday to the charges and was detained. He was previously transported to New Jersey from California, where he had his first court appearance the day after his arrest, the office said.

In March 2009, an employee of a Woodbridge restaurant said a man called the establishment to see if any managers were present, investigators said. He did so because he knew that only managers would be able to open the safe, they said. The restaurant was not identified.

After confirming that a manager was present, Edwards and another man, who also was not identified, walked into the restaurant  Edwards carrying a fake gun and the other person armed with a firearm  and demanded that employees open the safe, authorities said.

Edwards and the other man bound the employees with plastic zip ties and fled with approximately $150,000 in cash, federal prosecutors alleged.

Edwards later left New Jersey and began living under a false identity and was added to the FBIs Most Wanted list, federal agents said. The FBI offered a reward of up to $10,000 for information leading directly to his arrest, the office said.

After authorities received a tip from the public, agents with FBI Sacramento arrested Edwards without incident, the FBI said.

FBI Newark will pay out the reward, officials said.

Three other people have been convicted and sentenced in connection with the incident.

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Chris Sheldon may be reached at csheldon@njadvancemedia.com.
Detectives have arrested a fugitive charged with death by auto in a crash that left a driver dead near the Jersey Shore last summer.

Thomas A. Redding, 45, of Howell, was charged with the second-degree crime on July 10 and was considered a fugitive until he was apprehended on Monday, the Monmouth County Prosecutors Office said in a news release.

The alleged drunken crash, which happened on July 29, 2023 in Wall Township, caused the death of 55-year-old Leonard Akers, authorities said.

Police responded to the three-vehicle crash at the intersection of Old Mill Road and State Route 138 around 5 a.m. On the scene, investigators determined Reddings Toyota 4Runner rear-ended a sedan as it was stopped at a red light, officials said.

The impact caused the sedan to propel into a pickup truck that was also stopped at the traffic light, prosecutors said.

Akers, the driver of the sedan, was later pronounced dead at the hospital, while Redding was treated for non-life threatening injuries and the driver of the pickup was uninjured, prosecutors said.

Redding also received multiple motor vehicle summonses including a DWI, speeding and reckless driving, and has also been charged with possession of cocaine and drug paraphernalia.

He is being held at Monmouth County Correctional Facility pending a detention hearing.

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Nicolas Fernandes may be reached at nfernandes@njadvancemedia.com.
Will the fate of New Yorks now-on-pause congestion pricing plan to charge $15 to enter lower Manhattan be decided by dueling lawsuits in New Jersey and New York?

The plan to charge a fee to enter Manhattan south of 60th Street to raise funds for major subway, bus and MTA commuter rail projects was supposed to start a month ago on June 30, until Gov. Kathy Hochul put it on indefinite pause, citing economic reasons.
PARIS  Bad news for Hezly Riveras new legion of fans: The 16-year-old gymnast from Oradell is not expected to compete in Tuesdays team final, according to a tweet from USA Gymnastics out in advance of the much-anticipated competition.

It is still possible that Rivera could step in for another competitor on the balance beam or the uneven bars, her two strengths. That could depend on the health of U.S. star Simone Biles, who was nursing a calf injury during Sundays qualification round.

For now, though, this is the lineup:

Vault: Jordan Chiles, Jade Carey, Biles

Uneven bars: Chiles, Biles, Suni Lee

Balance beam: Chiles, Lee, Biles

Floor exercise: Lee, Chiles, Biles

No matter what happens, though, Rivera will get a medal if the heavily favored American team finishes in the top three on Tuesday at Bercy Arena. Rivera competed in the qualifying portion of the team competition in both the bars and the beam.

Rivera is the youngest of the nearly 600 athletes in Paris as part of Team USA. She was a surprise inclusion on the U.S. team after a series of injuries knocked out more seasoned competitors, but is expected to be a big part of the Americans future in international competition.

The team competition begins at 12:15 p.m. ET.

MORE N.J. OLYMPICS:

Ive found the Jerseyiest place at the Paris Olympics

Rutgers power couple finds joy in shared Olympic dream

Two N.J. swimmers turned a Somerset County pool into an Olympic hotbed

How a real-life Jersey Jedi plans to fence his way to a gold medal

The unsinkable Molly Reckford is an inspiration for all middling athletes

Meet Amy Wang, New Jerseys pingpong prodigy

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Steve Politi may be reached at spoliti@njadvancemedia.com.
Democrats are pressing Gov. Phil Murphy to appoint Rep. Andy Kim to the seat that Sen. Robert Menendez will vacate on Aug. 20, but so far, the governor has resisted. Hes offended that Kim had the audacity to wallop his wife, First Lady Tammy Murphy, in the fight for the nomination. This is about ego, at least partly.

And its a serious problem because appointing Kim now would give him seniority over freshmen Democrats from other states who will take office in January. That incoming class could reach a half dozen, so giving Kim that leg up would pay dividends for New Jersey, mainly by giving Kim a better shot at choice committee assignments.

But there is an elegant solution in the offing. No one has gone public with it yet, but its under active discussion and is being taken seriously in both camps, according to informed sources in each.

The idea: Murphy could appoint a caretaker to the seat, but on the condition that the caretaker must resign right after the Nov. 5 election. If Kim wins, as expected, Murphy could appoint him to the seat then, giving him the needed leg up on seniority.

That should satisfy everybody, says Micah Rasmussen of the Rebovich Institute for New Jersey Politics at Rider University.

Why not just appoint Kim on Aug. 20 you may ask? For one, the governor seems to resent Kim, even though the fight for the nomination was a clean one. Kims offense was to tell the truth about Tammy Murphy, that she was not qualified for the job, that she was a product of the boss system and was a devoted Republican for most of her adult life. Wheres the lie in that?

But our governor is clearly miffed: He wont endorse Kim by name. He says he supports Democrats up and down the ballot. When pressed about Kim, he repeats that mantra, no names.

So, part of this is testosterone poisoning. Murphy is having a moment. Kim went after his wife, and that lit up the reptile portion of the governors brain.

But its not all ego. Appointing Kim now would leave his House seat vacant until January. It wouldnt matter much, since Republicans already control the House, and whatever mischief they create in the next few months can be blocked by the Democratic Senate or the White House. Still, its a reasonable concern, sort of.

Another reason to wait? Appointing Kim now would give him an advantage in November over the Republican nominee, Curtis Bashaw, and some consider that unfair. Former Republican Govs. Tom Kean and Chris Christie both filled Senate vacancies with placeholders, not candidates in the next elections. Theyve publicly pressed Murphy to do the same.

The voters should have a free choice in November, unencumbered by political influence, the former governors wrote in a recent statement.

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Its impossible for me to believe that Murphy himself would give a damn about fair play. Hes the chief defender of the machine system, which gives party bosses the power to manipulate ballots. He signed laws this year that restricted access to public records and defanged the Election Law Enforcement Commission. Hes been awful for the health of our democracy, so ensuring fair play for Republicans cant be his motive.

And for the record, its very rare for any governor to show restraint out of concern for fairness towards the other party. And that includes Kean and Christie. Both appointed Republicans to fill Democratic seats, defying the wishes of voters who had elected Democrats.

Still, even if Murphy doesnt care about fair play, the rest of us should.

So the best answer is the one the two sides are discussing now: Appoint a caretaker who agrees to quit after the election, then appoint Kim to fill the seat right away.

It works from every angle. It ensures a fair fight in November. It gives Kim the added seniority. And it will allow the governor three months to flush the testosterone from his brain and do the right thing.

The imperative is to get Kim in his Senate seat early. California just arranged a special election to fill the late Sen. Dianne Feinsteins seat, and that will allow the winner, likely Rep. Adam Schiff, to take office right after the November election, giving him a boost on seniority. Murphy could achieve the same end with this strategy, and at a much lower cost.

And while hes at it, itd be nice if he explicitly endorsed Kim -- by name.

More: Tom Moran columns

Tom Moran may be reached at tmoran@starledger.com or (973) 986-6951. Follow him on Twitter @tomamoran. Find NJ.com Opinion on Facebook.

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The GOP mayor of Arizonas third-largest city is calling on his fellow Republicans to break with former President Donald Trump, saying in an interview he lacks the commitment to the rule of law and to the United States Constitution to qualify as an elected official.

Mesa Mayor John Giles endorsed Vice President Kamala Harris in an op-ed calling for leaders who will put country over party.

Giles had more to say on MSNBC:

As a Republican I love to endorse Republicans and so this was a pretty thoughtful process and also being a mayor, my preference is to avoid getting involved in public partisan fighting whenever possible. But there are certain times that the question that is presented is a moral one and an ethical one, and a question of character and silence is not an option. So thats my argument to my fellow Republicans that this is not a year that we could follow tradition or follow misplaced loyalty and vote for a Republican at the top of the ticket. Donald Trump has demonstrated that he lacks the character, lacks the commitment to the rule of law and to the United States Constitution to qualify as an elected official, let alone as the president of the United States.

"Donald Trump has demonstrated that he lacks the character, the commitment to the rule of law, and the U.S. Constitution to qualify as an elected official, let alone as president of the United States."



 Republican @MayorGiles on why he will not support Trump pic.twitter.com/TUWbwrUM4K  Morning Joe (@Morning_Joe) July 30, 2024

It comes a day after Harris campaign highlighted endorsements from mayors of border towns in swing-state Arizona.

Harris campaign said she was backed by the mayors of Bisbee, Nogales, Somerton, and San Luis, as well as by Yuma County Supervisors Martin Porchas and Tony Reyes. The mayors were elected without party affiliation but represent left-leaning communities. Porchas and Reyes are Democrats.

Republicans say Harris did not do enough to clamp down on illegal immigration in a role they characterize as Bidens border czar. House Republicans and a handful of vulnerable Democrats voted last week to rebuke Harris over the administrations border policies.

The border endorsements, which are part of a slate of Arizona supporters Harris plans to announce Monday, offer a potential retort to that criticism, particularly in the only swing state that shares a border with Mexico.

As vice president, Harris was tasked with overseeing diplomatic efforts to deal with issues spurring migration in the Northern Triangle countries of El Salvador, Guatemala and Honduras, as well as pressing them to strengthen enforcement on their own borders. The Biden administration wanted to develop and put in place a long-term strategy that gets at the root causes of migration from those countries.

Immigration has been at the center of Trumps political identity since he announced his first campaign in 2015. He paints a picture of a border that is out of control, threatening national security and the economy. If elected to a second term, hes pledged to deport millions of people living in the country illegally.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

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Matt Arco may be reached at marco@njadvancemedia.com. Follow him on Twitter at @MatthewArco.
George Conways latest effort to infuriate Donald Trump appears to be working.

The conservative attorney who has spent hundreds of thousands of dollars of his own money to keep Trump out of the White House recently launched the Anti-Psychopath PAC with a stated mission to bring the focus on the former presidents mental health.

Donald Trump has never, ever been right in the head, Conway says in one of the ads that shows clips of Trump that paint him disparagingly.

And it appears Trump saw one of the adds in a rage post on his social media site.

Why is FoxNews putting on Crazy Kamala Harris Rallies? Why do they allow the perverts at the failed and disgraced Lincoln Project to advertise on FoxNews? Even Mr. Kellyanne Conway, a man so badly hurt and humiliated by his wife (she must have done some really NASTY things to him, because he is CRAZY!), is advertising on FoxNews. We have to WIN WITHOUT FOX!

Translation: Trump is really mad at @gtconway3d for launching the @PsychoPAC24. It drives him absolutely NUTS  pic.twitter.com/ZNijYZHePM  Republicans against Trump (@RpsAgainstTrump) July 29, 2024

Others took notice.

Cant lie. At times, it still amazes me to be agreeing with @HillaryClinton. And btw, Hillary IS right here, and Ive agreed with her a bunch the past few yrs. But 12yrs ago, I was a tea party Congressman, and now 12yrs later Im with Hillary. What a long, strange trip its been, former GOP lawmaker Joe Walsh posted to X along a with a 2016 tweet from Clinton: A man you can bait with a tweet is not a man we can trust with nuclear weapons. Hillary

Cant lie. At times, it still amazes me to be agreeing with @HillaryClinton. And btw, Hillary IS right here, and Ive agreed with her a bunch the past few yrs. But 12yrs ago, I was a tea party Congressman, and now 12yrs later Im with Hillary. What a long, strange trip its been. https://t.co/XCXro1tRwZ  Joe Walsh (@WalshFreedom) July 30, 2024

Conway is divorced from former senior Trump adviser Kellyanne Conway.

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Fox News hosts are sending a message to Donald Trump and his mouthpieces: Give up the attacks on Kamala Harris qualifications, her laugh and her intelligence. Theyre not working.

But Trump talking heads, like Sen. John Kennedy of Louisiana wont take the hint.

In the latest Fox News pushback, when Kennedy tried to assert that polling shows that Americans believe Harris is a bit of a ding dong, host Neil Cavuto called those attacks dumb.

Margaret Thatcher didnt giggle. Golda Meir didnt giggle, Kennedy told Cavuto. When you look at the polls, fair or not, many Americans  and again, this may not be fair, but Im just telling you what the polls show  many Americans think that the Vice President is a little bit of a ding dong, that shes not serious.

Cavuto immediately scolded Kennedy by pointing out that this ding dong ... has risen in the polls and is dead even with Donald Trump in one battle state ground after another. He also could have noted that she has raised a record $200 million-plus in a week.

Cavuto added: Get her on the issues ... but this other stuff just looks dumb.

In actuality, according to polls released after President Joe Biden dropped out and Harris was named the de facto Democratic nominee, poll respondents said she was mentally sharp and able to deal with challenges  7 points higher than the percentage that said the same about Trump.

But when Kennedy returned to lying about the polling  never mentioning what polls he was referencing  he also called Harris a member of the loon wing of the Democratic Party.

Cavuto returned another smackdown.

Now Im not saying that [Harris polling] might last. I am saying that this loon is surging, and if the Republican approach to her is to treat her like a loon and a cackle and she is just an empty suit, I wonder how far that will go, Cavuto said.

Now, if you think [the polls] are short-lived, theyre not going to last, and youre OK with this approach and talking about her laugh and [shes] nasty and disrespectful, all this stuff that Donald Trump has said ... if you dont think part of that is going to kill you at the polls ...

According to The Hill:

One of the first national polls to be released after Harris threw her hat in the ring showed her ahead of Trump nationwide. She led by 2 points in a Reuters/Ipsos poll, which was within the margin of error. The same poll taken one week prior had Trump up on Biden by 2 and tied with Harris.

Just as notable, Harris led by 4 points in a three-way race including independent candidate Robert F. Kennedy Jr. In many instances when Biden had led Trump in a head-to-head match-up, the former presidents position relative to Biden improved when respondents could choose among additional candidates.

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The Liberal Democrat MP for North Devon has called for North Devon District Hospital to be protected following Chancellor Rachel Reeves statement to the House of Commons on the dire financial situation facing the country.

In her statement, the Chancellor indicated that a number of infrastructure projects might be cut to balance the books following years of Conservative economic mismanagement.

She announced a review into the funding of plans to deliver 40 new hospitals, raising concerns about the future of these projects.

Local Liberal Democrat MP Ian Roome insists that this review should not impact North Devon District Hospital.

Mr Roome emphasised that his constituents "cannot wait any longer" for the previously promised investment in North Devon District Hospital.

He argued that without this funding, the people of North Devon would be forced to endure hospital buildings that are in urgent need of replacement.

Mr Roome is keen to accept the Chancellors offer of a meeting with the Health Secretary to discuss the potential impact on affected constituencies.

In this upcoming meeting, Mr Roome said he plans to voice his and his constituents' concerns about any potential withdrawal of funding and the negative consequences it would have on local healthcare services.

Mr Roome said: All the visits from various Ministers to North Devon, did not produce the infrastructure funds that we so desperately needed. From Levelling Up bids and now the New Hospital Programme.

Sadly, it now appears the Conservative promise on new hospitals was not worth the paper it was written on. Even the National Audit Office said the project's funding was widely off track.

My constituents have been crying out for a hospital that is fit for purpose, and this vital project must go ahead.

That is why I look forward to taking up the Chancellors offer of a meeting with the Health Secretary where I can relay the concerns of the people of North Devon directly and to call on the government to protect funding for North Devon District Hospital.

My constituents cannot wait any longer for this desperately needed investment in our area and for our local health services to get back on its feet after years of decline under the Conservatives.

The urgency of this issue was underscored yesterday, July 29, when Chancellor Rachel Reeves announced the decision to scrap winter fuel payments for around 10 million pensioners.

In an interview with the BBC, Ms Reeves explained that she had found a black hole in the public finances and had to act to fix the mess.

She accused the previous government and former chancellor, Jeremy Hunt of hiding a massive shortfall in public funds.
Enablo, a leading Australian technology, communication and productivity solutions provider and one of the largest partners of Metas enterprise communications software Workplace, announces a partnership that will allow Meta Workplace customers to integrate and transition to Flips Super App.

The partnership between Enablo and Flip brings together two leading companies in the frontline technology space with the joint mission to shape the future of work.

STUTTGART, GERMANY AND BRISBANE, AUSTRALIA , 30 Jul. (EUROPA PRESS) -

Flip, the Super App for frontline employees, is proud to announce a partnership with Enablo, a leading consulting and solutions provider for digital employee experiences and one of the largest Meta Workplace partners globally. Our mission with this collaboration is to support the thousands of Meta Workplace customers across Asia Pacific and North America as they seek new solutions to drive employee engagement and productivity. The partnership will allow Meta Workplace customers to integrate their workforce, data, and tech stack seamlessly with the Flip employee platform. With over seven years committed to helping companies increase employee engagement and automate employee workflows, Enablo has never been more excited to accelerate its mission to empower every employee with engaging and effortless digital experiences.

A Seamless Transition

Following Metas announcement to close down operations of Meta Workplace by Q3 2025, many enterprises face challenges in finding a solution that enables a seamless transition of their workforce and data while offering a smooth technical implementation.

Dave Nixon, Co-founder and CEO of Enablo, stated, Flips mobile and web user experience is one of the most native and consumer-like business apps I've ever used. Its intuitive design and familiar features make it the ideal replacement for our customers utilizing the Meta Workplace platform. By combining our strengths in providing exceptional frontline technology solutions with leading customer service, we can reassure our customers that as they transition to Flips platform, we expect to deliver a communications and productivity solution that will drive real business results whilst improving employee experiences and engagement levels.

In recent weeks, the teams at Flip and Enablo have worked diligently to ensure a seamless transition from Workplace to the Flip employee app. Benedikt Ilg, Founder and CEO of Flip, explained, We are very excited to partner with Enablo, providing easy and fast access to our solution to new customers throughout Asia Pacific and North America. With Enablos technical Workplace expertise and Flips proven track record with large enterprises, we can now empower companies across the globe to turn off Workplace on a Friday and go live with Flip on Monday, with all relevant content seamlessly migrated. Jointly, well advance our mission to empower superior employee experience. "Flip is even better than Workplace by Meta and specifically tailored to meet our needs." says Ruby Richmond-Khan, Product Manager, The Mansion at Coldeast.

The Ideal Solution for Frontline Companies

Flip is the Super App for frontline employees, combining communication, HR services, and operations into one application. It enables large organizations across the globe to enhance employee retention and maximize operational efficiency. Flip provides a social-media-like user experience that ensures high adoption and employee engagement. With over 84% active users across all customers, Flip has rapidly become one of the preferred partners in the market. Flip supports more than 60 languages, allowing companies to seamlessly connect their workforce across different markets, and integrates natively with Workforce Management and Human Capital Systems, providing a comprehensive operational platform for companies. More than 400 global customers, including BOSCH, MAGNA, Porsche, REWE, EDEKA, and McDonalds Germany, trust Flip as their platform of choice to empower their employees.
?? Fiscalia de la Nacion, a traves del Area de Enriquecimiento Ilicito y Denuncias Constitucionales, presento denuncia constitucional contra Dina Boluarte y otros, como presuntos autores de delitos contra la vida, el cuerpo y la salud, en el contexto de violaciones a los DD. HH. pic.twitter.com/9i1opIW3EW
VALPARAISO  A 50-year-old Porter man, who is accused of twice winding up in a standoff with police, faces jurors beginning Tuesday.

Gary Bolcerek is accused of battering another man in June 2022 and then triggering a police standoff at his home, officials say.

State police arrest 19 during blitzes on I-94, I-65, department says "These blitzes serve as a reminder that traffic laws and speed limits arent suggestions, they should be followed to ensure everyone makes it to their destinations safely," police said.

The 52-year-old man in that case reportedly told police he was brutally attacked by Bolcerek and a firearm was used.

Police said when they went to Bolcerek's house, he appeared agitated and refused to leave.

"The suspect began loudly yelling, repeatedly, that law enforcement get off of his property," Chesterton police had said. He retreated into the home and closed the door."

He exited the house after an hour of negotiating and was charged with felony counts of burglary with a deadly weapon, intimidation using a deadly weapon, criminal recklessness involving the firing of a gun, battery by means of a deadly weapon, battery resulting in moderate injury, pointing a firearm and strangulation, records show.

This week's trial in that case is before Porter Superior Court Judge Mike Fish.

Bolcerek then wound up back behind bars in July 2023 following another tense standoff with police at his home.

That incident began when a Porter police officer attempted to make contact with a motorist driving a vehicle with a broken taillight and loud exhaust, the department said.

Bolcerek drove home, became irate and appeared to be reaching for a weapon, police said.

"Initial attempts to deescalate and speak with the male were made, but proved futile," police said at the time. "Chesterton police deployed a less lethal 'bean bag' shotgun, which was ineffective at stopping Bolcerek's actions. A Taser was also deployed but proved ineffective as well."

Bolcerek eventually surrendered and the pistol he carried proved to be a BB gun, police said. He was taken to jail on felony counts of intimidation, battery to law enforcement and resisting law enforcement, police said.
The Northwest ISBDC is seeking nominations for its annual Entrepreneurial Excellence Awards, also known as the E-Day awards.

The Crown Point-based chapter of the Indiana Small Business Development Center recognizes entrepreneurs who contribute to the Northwest Indiana small business community as well as their advocates. It's honored businesspeople and small businesses for more than 30 years.

Our annual E-Day continues to shine a spotlight on the impact players within our small business and entrepreneurial community, said NW-ISBDC Regional Director Lorri Feldt. Our team looks forward to sharing these successes every year.

The public can nominate people or businesses through Aug. 22.

To qualify, small business must have an established three-year track records in the seven-county region of Lake, Porter, LaPorte, Jasper, Starke, Pulaski and Newton counties. They also must show growth potential to be eligible.

Award categories include: small business person of the year, entrepreneurial success, small business exporter, young entrepreneur, minority-owned small business person, family-owned business, emerging small business, small business advocate and advocate for youth entrepreneurship.

The winners will be recognized at an awards ceremony at Avalon Manor in Hobart on Nov. 13. The event is open to the public and sponsorships are available.

The Northwest ISBDC offers small businesses a number of free services such as workshops, training and referrals. Funded in part by the Small Business Administration and the State of Indiana, it aims to help entrepreneurs start or expand a business.

To make a nomination, visit www.edayleaders.com or call the Northwest ISBDC office at (219) 644-3513.

For more information, visit www.isbdc.org.
Kill everything that breathes was the recollection of defense witnesses.

But prosecution witnesses said that Captain Medina never gave orders to kill civilians. All agreed that Captain Medina, quoting intelligence reports, said that women and children would be at market in a nearby town at the time of the attack and that the troops would en counter only the enemythe 48th Vietcong Battalion.

Finally Captain Medina took the stand as a witness for the court. Trim and soldierly, the 34  year  old company com mander vehemently denied that he had given orders for indis criminate killing.

With a hard, steady stare at Lieutenant Calley, Captain Medina said he told his men: No, you do not kill women and children. You use common sense. If they have a weapon and they are trying to engage you, then you, can shoot back, but you must use common sense.

It became a question of whether Captain Medina or Lieutenant Calley was telling the truth.

Captain Medina said it had taken him two and a half hours to realize that Mylai was unde fended. It had taken him all day to discover the full extent of the civilian slaughter, he said. He said he had been dis turbed early in the action by the sight of 20 to 28 dead vil lagers and that he had given repeated orders to the platoon leaders against killing inno cent civilians.

Two days later, he said, he called the platoon leaders to gether and asked if they were aware of any atrocities. He said Lieutenant Calley had told him: My God, I can still hear the screaming, a remark Judge Kennedy ordered stricken from the record.

Captain Medina acknowl edged having tried to cover up the incident. He gave four rea sons why.

Number one, he said, I realized exactly the disgrace that was brought upon the Army uniform that I am very proud to wear. Number two, also realized the repercussions that it would have against the United States of America. Three, my family. And number four, lastly, myself, sir.
The community of Aspern Seestadt, in northeast Vienna, is a living model of gender-conscious urban design concepts honed over the past three decades.

Credit... Lisa Edi for The New York Times
House Speaker Mike Johnson was probably right to describe President Bidens Supreme Court reform proposals as dead on arrival in his chamber, but thats just because Republicans dont want anything to interfere with their 6-to-3 supermajority on the court. It wasnt that long ago that many Republicans fully supported the most compelling of Bidens ideas: term limits for justices.

In 2012, before he was a Republican senator from Missouri, Josh Hawley wrote an article saying that if justices knew they would not serve on the court for life, it would foster a more circumspect attitude toward the courts role. The independence created by life terms, he wrote, breeds an overconfidence in the justices capacity to get constitutional questions right. (And he was in a position to know, as a former clerk for Chief Justice John Roberts.) Term limits were also supported by Senator Marco Rubio, and Senator Ted Cruz proposed putting justices up for election every eight years.

Now its Democrats who want to end lifetime appointments, having seen the six justices in the supermajority trample individual rights and do nothing about shameful ethical abuses within their ranks. But an 18-year maximum tenure for justices, as Biden and many others have proposed, shouldnt be ping-ponged around by whatever faction is dissatisfied with the current court. Its a good idea born of a mistake by the Constitutions drafters, who werent able to foresee the problems caused by lifetime appointments.

For one thing, life spans were shorter then. Through the 1960s, the average term on the court was around 15 years; after 1970, it became about 26 years. The founders did not fully anticipate how a justice might become insulated from reality after serving on the court for many decades. They didnt anticipate the potential for arrogance and corruption, as long-serving justices  like Clarence Thomas  would take lavish gifts from special interests without the possibility of penalty.
The Venezuelan strongman Nicolas Maduro wants the world to believe he won Sundays presidential election. But nobody should believe that until he releases precinct-level vote tallies and submits to an independent audit. That authorities have failed so far to do that tells you everything you need to know about the election, Geoff Ramsey, a specialist on Latin America at the Atlantic Council, told me.

Maduro has done everything in his power to tilt the election in his favor, from barring rivals to arresting their campaign staff members. But even that doesnt seem to have been enough. Now he appears to be faking the numbers and declaring victory. Its already being called the mother of all stolen elections.

Luckily, the Venezuelan opposition anticipated that Maduro would try to rig the vote, and dispatched volunteers to collect precinct-level tally sheets from voting centers across the country. The opposition says it has collected some 70 percent of such tally sheets, enough data to prove that voters overwhelmingly rejected Maduro.

And why wouldnt they vote him out? He has presided over the worst economic collapse of any country not at war. Since 2014, the countrys economy shrank by roughly three-quarters, and about 20 percent of citizens have left, thanks to Maduros corruption, mismanagement of the oil industry, and U.S. sanctions brought on by his policies. Who would vote for six more years of that?
Last Wednesday, a man pushed a burning car into a gully near Chico, a college town north of Sacramento, according to the authorities. Within days, the flames have consumed more than 370,000 acres and the Park fire has become the largest active blaze in the country.

Thousands of people are under evacuation orders and at least 111 structures have been destroyed, according to Cal Fire.

Residents of this part of California have dealt with one fire after another in recent years. In 2018, the Camp fire destroyed the town of Paradise and became the deadliest fire in state history. In 2021, the Dixie fire burned nearly a million acres. That history loomed large for Paul Mozzino, who was working an afternoon shift at a grocery store in Chico last week when he heard the alerts about a nearby fire. He thought, Oh God, not again.

Here are photos from the last few days as the Park fire  already one of the largest in the states history  burned through this swath of Northern California.
William L. Calley Jr., who as a young Army lieutenant during the Vietnam War was the only American convicted in the murder of hundreds of unarmed, unresisting Vietnamese civilians in the atrocity known as the My Lai Massacre, died on April 28 in Gainesville, Fla. He was 80.

His death, at a hospice, was confirmed on Monday night by Social Security Administration records. The cause was not publicly disclosed. Family members did not immediately respond to requests for more information. Mr. Calleys death was first reported by The Washington Post.

More than 56 years after the killings of as many as 500 women, children and older men by Americans who attacked with automatic weapons, grenades and bayonets; raped girls and women; mutilated bodies; killed livestock, and burned the village, My Lai (pronounced mee LYE) still reverberates as one of the worst outrages of a brutal and divisive war.

On the morning of March 16, 1968, Second Lieutenant Calley, a 24-year-old platoon leader who had been in Vietnam just three months, led about 100 men of Charlie Company into My Lai 4, an inland hamlet about halfway up the east coast of South Vietnam. The Americans moved in under ambiguous orders, suggesting to some that anyone found in the hamlet, even women and children, might be Vietcong enemies.
Tensions were high on both sides of the Israeli-Lebanese border on Monday as Israeli leaders vowed to deliver a significant military blow against the armed group Hezbollah in response to a deadly rocket attack over the weekend.

The attack on Saturday killed 12 children and teenagers in the Druse Arab village of Majdal Shams in the Israeli-controlled Golan Heights.

Hezbollah, an Iran-backed militia that dominates southern Lebanon and that has been firing rockets into Israel for months, denied responsibility for the strike. But Israel and the United States blamed the group, saying it was Hezbollahs rocket that had been fired from territory it controls.

Israels prime minister, Benjamin Netanyahu, who visited the site of the attack on Monday, said, Our response is coming, and it will be severe. Local residents heckled Mr. Netanyahu, telling him they had no security and chanting, Murderer! Murderer! videos posted on social media showed.

Mr. Netanyahus visit to Majdal Shams came the morning after Israeli cabinet ministers authorized him and Israels defense minister, Yoav Gallant, to determine the nature and timing of the military response. The strike and Israels expected counterattack have raised fears that nearly 10 months of armed conflict between Israel and Hezbollah could spiral into an all-out war.

Hezbollah began firing rockets, antitank missiles and drones into Israel in solidarity with Hamas after that group, which is also backed by Iran, led the deadly Oct. 7 attack on southern Israel.
Richard Crawford, a longtime professor of musicology at the University of Michigan who was a leading figure in legitimizing and popularizing the study of American music, died on July 23 in Ann Arbor, Mich. He was 89.

His wife, Penelope Crawford, said the cause was congestive heart failure.

He was a pioneer who shaped the scope of American music research, Mark Clague, a musicologist and professor at Michigan who studied with Mr. Crawford, said in an interview. It wasnt about celebrating an unchanging canon, but about opening up the magic of musical experience.

While studying at Michigan in the early 1960s, Mr. Crawford began examining a trove of papers that had been acquired by the schools library concerning the 18th-century musician Andrew Law, who taught singing and compiled hymnals in Connecticut. The study of American music was a marginal subfield at the time; most scholars considered music history to be about the European classics. (The American part of the American Musicological Society, founded in 1934, referred to the nationality of its members, not their subject of inquiry.)

Whereas Mr. Crawfords adviser, H. Wiley Hitchcock  also a major force in American music studies  had traveled to Europe for his doctoral research on Baroque opera, Mr. Crawford preferred not to uproot his young family.
The billionaire investor William Ackman appears to have scaled back his ambitions for an initial public offering in New York  at least in terms of its size.

The investment vehicle that Mr. Ackman plans to take public on the New York Stock Exchange next week  Pershing Square USA  is aiming to raise $2 billion in the share sale, according to a regulatory filing on Tuesday.

Thats a far cry from the $10 billion or more that Mr. Ackman discussed as a target earlier this year. In investor meetings in recent months, he had floated an even larger number: $25 billion.

The $2 billion figure is a place holder, and Pershing Square USA could raise more as investors put in orders through Monday night, according to a person familiar with the deal who spoke on the condition of anonymity because the details were private.
Ma Haiyang and eight of his colleagues arrived in Thailand a year ago to establish the first overseas operation for GAC Aion, an electric vehicle maker from China. They had no office, no factory, no local employees and, basically, no clue.

The Aion team set up shop in a Bangkok hotel, commandeering conference rooms and holding meetings in the lobby. They had a long list of things to do: Find office space, recruit dealers and devise a business strategy. The team worked around the clock and, 74 days after arriving in Thailand, sold its first electric vehicle.

The window of opportunity for Chinese new energy vehicles going overseas will be relatively short, said Mr. Ma, general manager at Aion for Southeast Asia, using Chinas preferred phrase for fully electric and gas-electric hybrid vehicles. This is why we wanted to hurry up, he added.

Chinese electric vehicle manufacturers like Aion are stampeding into overseas markets. Thailand is one of the first countries to experience the sudden influx of Chinas automobile brands, and is confronting how their ambition and competitiveness are reshaping its car industry.
For decades, many American cities had at least one thriving alternative-weekly newspaper chronicling the local art and music scene and reporting on the community.

Many of those publications withered in recent years, but two of the countrys best known alt-weeklies, The Stranger in Seattle and The Portland Mercury, now have plans for expansion.

Noisy Creek, a new company put together by Brady Walkinshaw, a former chief executive of the nonprofit climate news website Grist and a former Democratic legislator in Washington State, said on Tuesday that it had purchased The Stranger and The Portland Mercury, as well as the events site EverOut and the ticketing business Bold Type Tickets, from Index Newspapers.

Mr. Walkinshaw declined to disclose the financial details of the purchase, but he said that he was the majority shareholder. Index will keep a 20 percent stake in the company. A group of about 20 individual investors helped finance the deal, Mr. Walkinshaw said.
This is Pete Wellss last review as restaurant critic for The Times. Read more about his 12 years of reviewing here.

Some restaurants are born when a young worker begins to feel more at home waiting tables or frying onions than any other place. Others start with dreams of stardom. Then there are restaurants that are opened by people who had no thought of cooking and serving food until the place they lived was taken over by men with guns.

Ala Al-Samawi, an owner and manager of a new restaurant in Brooklyn called Yemenat, was the creative director of his own design studio in Yemens capital, Sana, when the Houthi rebels seized control in 2014. The next year, when general chaos turned to personal threats, he left his home and family, carrying what he could fit in a backpack. Getting to New York City took three years, including a long period when the Trump administration banned refugees from Yemen.
For 15 years, our Summer Reading Contest has been inviting teenagers around the world to tell us what New York Times pieces get their attention and why. This year, for the first time, students can submit either written comments or 90-second video responses.

In the sixth week of our 10-week challenge, we received 1,005 entries, and we list the finalists below. Scroll down to read the work of our winner, Alex Cox, and to take a look at the variety of topics that caught these students eyes, including the assassination attempt against former President Donald J. Trump, a Vietnamese cake, cats, Shelley Duvals obituary and Elon Musks plans to put humans on Mars.

You can read the work of all of our winners since 2017 in this column, and you can participate in the contest any or every week this summer until Aug. 16. Just check the top of this page, where we post updates, to find the right place to submit your response.

Winner

Alex Cox, 16, from Bethesda, Md., responded to an article headlined For Older People Who Are Lonely, Is the Solution a Robot Friend? She wrote:

Is friendship becoming obsolete? Thats what I wondered as I read this article, a sick feeling swelling in my gut. Many older people depend on ElliQs synthetic friendship. But I share Professor Portenys concern that these people cant enjoy the beautiful reciprocity that emerges from social interactions. ElliQ provides something that almost mimics genuine human companionship, but is almost enough? If so, whats the cost of trading real friendship for the artificial variety, especially for people nearing the end of their lives? I spent last week with my grandfather, whos almost 96. We had countless conversations over meals whose recipes my grandmother left us about everything from his former job as a NASA engineer to the German dialect he brought across the ocean fleeing World War II. That week, we did more than talk: we connected; we learned from each other; we united generations; we bridged worlds. The most fundamentally human action, after all, is to share. What if instead of me, hed spent the week with a robot? Something that could compute but not learn, hear but not listen, respond but not reciprocate? What if hed died with nobody to share his rich, beautiful story? Elderly people deserve companions. But they also deserve to have their recipes remembered, their dialects learned, and their stories told after their deaths. They deserve a human. As much as ElliQ can do, it will never be able to be one.

Runners-Up

In alphabetical order by the writers first name.

Anthony Babu on Wildlife Protections Take a Back Seat to SpaceXs Ambitions
Deadpool movies might as well begin with a fun qualifier for audiences: This isnt a typical superhero movie; in fact, all genres and tropes are ripe for mocking by this foul-mouthed mercenary hero.

In the first Deadpool, in the midst of a fight that includes decapitation and maiming, Ryan Reynoldss Deadpool says, I may be super, but I am no hero. And yeah, technically this is a murder. But some of the best love stories start with a murder. And thats exactly what this is: a love story. In the sequel, Deadpool says, Believe it or not, Deadpool 2 is a family film. True story, as he creatively murders a whole warehouse of Russian criminals. Dolly Partons 9 to 5 plays in the background.

Weve got a violent superhero movie thats also a low-key sendup of tender rom-coms, then another violent superhero movie that pokes fun at the loving family film. So whats Deadpool & Wolverine? Nothing as exciting  just another formulaic Marvel Cinematic Universe movie with a saucier rating.

This third installment of the Deadpool franchise fails to deliver on that same knowing play with genre. The jokes are mostly about leaning heavily into the rules and standards of the superhero genre as orchestrated by Marvel  a bad omen for the Deadpool brand, formerly of 20th Century Fox before Disney acquired it in 2019.
Mayor Eric Adams formally nominated Randy Mastro to be New York Citys top lawyer on Tuesday, casting aside significant opposition from the City Council and setting up a dramatic clash over the appointment.

Mr. Mastro, a former aide to Mayor Rudolph W. Giuliani who is known for his aggressive tactics while defending numerous high-profile interests, has received support from Mr. Adams and his allies as the best choice for the job.

But Mr. Mastro must be confirmed by a majority of the 51-member Council, and many members oppose his nomination, including the Councils Black, Latino and Asian Caucus. The group has said that the city deserves better than someone who has fought for the interests of top earners, abusive corporations and vindictive politicians.

Mr. Adams said in a statement on Tuesday that he was excited to nominate Mr. Mastro, calling him a world-renowned attorney who brings decades of experience as a public servant, federal prosecutor and pre-eminent trial lawyer.
Shujun Wang had long billed himself as a scholar and democracy activist who fled China to build a new life in New York.

But American prosecutors say he was actually a spy for the Chinese Communist Party.

Mr. Wang is on trial this week in Brooklyn federal court on charges that he acted as an agent of a foreign government without registering with the attorney general, as is required by law. He vigorously disputes the charges. If convicted, he could face up to 25 years in prison.

The case is part of a rash of prosecutions taking aim at what the Justice Department calls transnational repression, efforts by the Chinese government to control that countrys vast diaspora through intimidation and harassment.

The Chinese government will stop at nothing to lie, steal, and cheat its way to wealth and power, to silence those who oppose it, and to project its authoritarian view around the world  and within our own borders, the F.B.I. director, Christopher A. Wray, said in April 2023 as he announced charges in two new cases.
We are deep in the pivotal week of Vice President Kamala Harriss veepstakes. It is reported that she will make her decision by Aug. 7. And as somebody who wanted to see a sort of mini-primary for Democrats  who made the argument that at the very least, there should be a sort of contest of the vice-presidential candidates and town halls and forums in an organized way  what has emerged in a disorganized way is much more like what I had hoped to see than Id ever expected.

Weve been watching Pete Buttigieg and Govs. Tim Walz of Minnesota and Josh Shapiro of Pennsylvania and Roy Cooper of North Carolina and Andy Beshear of Kentucky fanning out across MSNBC and CNN and social media, demonstrating how they would try to take JD Vance apart in a debate.

One person we have not heard as much from is Gov. Gretchen Whitmer of Michigan. Whitmer said she is not interested in the vice presidency. At the same time, there was reporting that she was being vetted. She denied that reporting. But Whitmer is an interesting figure for Democrats. She was considered by Joe Biden for vice president in 2020. She has won the governorship of Michigan twice, by significant margins each time. And she made her name nationally when she was the State Senate minority leader fighting against a very anti-abortion bill and she gave a speech on the floor of the Senate revealing  which is something even her own father had not known  that she was raped in college.
The world will soon know the full shape and scale of Israels response to Hezbollah for Saturdays rocket attack on a Druze town in the Golan Heights, which killed 12 children. But its not too soon to ask what purpose the expected retaliation will serve in the context of Israels five wars.

Five wars? Yes. And they are more about ideas than they are about geography.

The first war  the war Israel is now waging against Hamas and its allies in Gaza and the West Bank, Hezbollah in Lebanon, the Houthis in Yemen and Iran itself  is about security. Israelis want to be able to live safely in their homes without fearing they could be rocketed, pillaged, killed or kidnapped with barely a moments warning. The threat of a major escalation on Israels northern border has turned entire cities into ghost towns and displaced more than 60,000 Israelis from their homes.

Thats the proportional equivalent of roughly two million Americans forced out of their homes by the threat of terrorism. Those who condemn Israel now for its allegedly disproportionate response to the attacks by Hamas and Hezbollah would be a little more intellectually honest if they asked themselves what they would demand of their own governments if they were in the same situation.

The second war fuels and explains the first. Its about existence. Israels most strident critics insist that the current conflict is about Palestinian existence, about Israels alleged refusal to grant a Palestinian homeland. But thats a historically ignorant claim  and a dishonest one. Israel agreed to a Palestinian Authority in 1993, offered a Palestinian state in 2000 and vacated the Gaza Strip in 2005. When campus protesters at Princeton chanted, We dont want no two states, we want 48, they werent asking for Israel to accept a Palestinian state. Theyre demanding Israels abolition.
The last time Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu of Israel spoke to a joint meeting of Congress was in 2015, at the invitation of the House speaker, John Boehner, and the Senate majority leader, Mitch McConnell, when they led the Republican Party in Congress. It was meant, explicitly, to undermine the Obama administrations effort to reach a deal with Iran limiting Tehrans nuclear program in exchange for relief from American and international sanctions.

Democrats were outraged by the spectacle of congressional Republicans working with a foreign government to subvert the presidents foreign policy. Nearly 60 Democrats, including Vice President Joe Biden, skipped the speech. Nancy Pelosi, the House minority leader, called it an insult to the intelligence of the United States.

Last week, Netanyahu was back before Congress for the first time since then. It was a bipartisan invitation, organized by Mike Johnson, the House speaker, a Republican, and agreed to by Chuck Schumer, the Senate majority leader and a Democrat.

President Biden and I have known each other for over 40 years, the prime minister said. I want to thank him for half a century of friendship to Israel and for being, as he says, a proud Zionist. Netanyahu called on Congress to fast-track military aid. Give us the tools faster, and well finish the job faster.
Wesley Morris and Paula Szuchman and

The Power Broker is a big book with a reputation to match. Just having it on your bookshelf is a flex. Earlier this year, our critic Wesley Morris decided to take it off his shelf and actually read it. The book, first published in 1974, was written by Robert Caro and tells the story of the famed urban planner Robert Moses rise to power and how he went on to shape the New York City we know today. Morris and the New York Times Magazine writer Sam Anderson discuss why this book is a literary masterpiece that feels especially timeless in 2024.
Last week, the American Civil Liberties Union sent 300 high school students to Capitol Hill to lobby against the Kids Online Safety Act, a bill meant to protect children online.

The teenagers told the staffs of 85 lawmakers that the legislation could censor important conversations, particularly among marginalized groups like L.G.B.T.Q. communities.

We live on the internet, and we are afraid that important information weve accessed all our lives will no longer be available, said Anjali Verma, a 17-year-old rising high school senior from Bucks County, Pa., who was part of the student lobbying campaign. Regardless of your political perspective, this looks like a censorship bill.

The effort was one of many escalations in recent months by those who oppose the bill. In June, a progressive nonprofit, Fight for the Future, organized students to write hundreds of letters to urge lawmakers to scrap it. Conservative groups like Patriot Voices, founded by the former Republican senator Rick Santorum of Pennsylvania, are also protesting with an online petition.
Jordan Theobald was captured jumping off rocks into water in Albania before his injury in Bosnia last week. Source: Instagram

A "trip of a lifetime" to Europe has taken a tragic turn for one Aussie man, with his partner now doing everything possible to scrape together the funds to get him back home to Australia.

Jordan Theobald, 29, and his partner Laura Mahoney saved for years to travel to Europe and were exploring Bosnia last week when Jordan decided to jump off the iconic Mostar Bridge  an activity many travellers want to tick off their bucket list. However, unlike many others who leave the water unscathed after the up to 29-metre fall (depending on the water level), Jordan was horrifically injured.

"Upon landing in the water he shattered his T12 vertebrae, leaving him with paralysis of his lower body," Laura wrote on a GoFundMe page. "He is currently in the ICU after complex surgeries."

On social media, Jordan had been seen enjoying his holiday and jumping off rocks before his injury, with the couple now fearing he may be paralysed.

Tourists and locals jump off the Mostar Bridge in Bosnia. Source: Getty

Couple face over $100,000 in medical bills, repatriation costs

With Jordan now in hospital and requiring extensive medical assistance, the couple face over $100,000 in medical bills and repatriation costs. It's a "daunting sum" that Laura admits the couple will be unable to cough up as they've spent savings on their European trip, already travelling to Morocco, Albania and Bosnia.

"This is a daunting sum, and we cannot face it alone. At this stage we are unsure what, if anything, our travel insurance will cover," she wrote.

She has asked loved ones and "compassionate" strangers to help raise funds, saying Jordan is known for his "kindness" and "generosity".

"He has an adventurous spirit and a passion for surfing and snowboarding. He is always the life of the party... Your support will make a profound difference in his recovery journey," she wrote.

Jordan has shown small signs of progress, being able to "wiggle his toes and stand assisted for a few seconds".

"These small yet significant signs of progress give us hope," she said.

The couple have explored many European countries before the tragic twist. Source: Instagram

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Officials in Ohio on Tuesday approved a settlement of $7 million for the family of Casey Goodson Jr., who was fatally shot in 2020 by a sheriffs deputy who was searching for a fugitive but encountered Mr. Goodson instead.

The settlement, which was approved by the Franklin County Board of Commissioners, resolves the familys lawsuit against the county. But the settlement is in no way an admission of liability by Franklin County, the county sheriffs office and Michael Jason Meade, the sheriffs deputy who shot Mr. Goodson, according to the resolution passed by the commissioners.

Mr. Meade still faces a murder charge against him in the shooting of Mr. Goodson, 23, who was shot in the doorway of his house in Columbus, Ohio, on Dec. 4, 2020.

Lawyers for the family of Mr. Goodson said in a statement on Tuesday that the settlement would allow the family to concentrate fully on the upcoming murder retrial of Mr. Meade.
The union representing federal asylum officers sided late Monday with a court challenge to the Biden administrations restrictions on asylum at the southern border, saying in a court filing that the policy unlawfully limits migrants protections.

The group, the National Citizenship and Immigration Services Council 119, filed a brief in support of the American Civil Liberties Unions lawsuit seeking to block the policy in federal court in Washington. The group represents over 1,000 asylum and other humanitarian officers across the United States, some of whom are charged with carrying out the measure.

The union said in the filing that President Bidens order is not humane and that expanding lawful immigration pathways for some does not justify foreclosing lawful immigration pathways for others.

The union added that the order stands as a practical and symbolic contraction of the United States commitment to humanitarian legal obligations.
As Vice President Kamala Harris weighs her running mate options, she may consider governing experience, policy views and personality fit. Or she might cut straight to the urgent matter at hand: Who is going to help her win?

The contenders thought to be under serious consideration each have a distinct set of political assets. Some have geographic ties that may help with the Electoral College math. Some are strong debaters ready to make Democrats case.

Heres a look at how the leading contenders line up on critical political skills they could offer a Democratic ticket, in a matchup against former President Donald J. Trump and his running mate, Senator JD Vance of Ohio:

Who helps Harris with the map?

Ms. Harris is from California, a solidly Democratic state. If Democrats want a ticket with a home-state advantage in a battleground, theyll need a vice-presidential candidate to bring it.

Ms. Harris is studying a few options: Senator Mark Kelly represents Arizona, a swing state that helped cement President Bidens victory four years ago. Before Mr. Biden dropped his re-election bid, Arizona was looking increasingly daunting for Democrats. The Harris campaign may be tempted to use Mr. Kelly to put the state  and its 11 electoral votes  back in play. Mr. Kelly won statewide in Arizona in 2020 and then again in 2022, with 51 percent of the vote.
Vice President Kamala Harris will hold her first rally with her running mate next Tuesday in Philadelphia, the first stop in a four-day tour of the battleground states next week, her campaign said on Tuesday night.

Ms. Harriss campaign insisted that the travel schedule did not mean anything about whom she might select as her vice-presidential nominee, though one top contender, Gov. Josh Shapiro of Pennsylvania, was raised in the Philadelphia suburbs and remains a major booster of the citys sports teams.

Philadelphia is also the biggest city in the largest battleground state, and happens to be within an easy train ride from both New York and Washington, the home bases for much of the national news media.

After the Tuesday rally in Philadelphia, Ms. Harris and her running mate will on Wednesday begin a circuit with stops in western Wisconsin; Detroit; Raleigh, N.C.; Savannah, Ga.; Phoenix; and Las Vegas, the campaign said.
The metaphor used by Ms. Trump was another personal attack against Ms. Harris from Republicans, who have repeatedly used her race and gender in their criticism.

Several of Mr. Trumps allies have repeatedly called Ms. Harris, whose mother emigrated from India and whose father emigrated from Jamaica, a D.E.I. hire, a reference to diversity, equity and inclusion programs. And at a gathering of religious conservatives on Friday, Mr. Trump called Ms. Harris a bum.

The Harris campaign did not immediately respond to a request for comment on Tuesday.

Some Republicans have urged Mr. Trumps surrogates to dial down their insults and have warned that racist and sexist attacks on Ms. Harris could backfire.

Nikki Haley, a daughter of Indian immigrants who was one of Mr. Trumps Republican primary opponents, has rebuked members of her party for referring to Ms. Harris as a D.E.I. hire.

Its not helpful, Ms. Haley, who was the South Carolina governor and United Nations ambassador during the Trump administration, told CNN on Thursday.
Gov. Josh Shapiro of Pennsylvania, who is one of several Democrats in consideration to become Vice President Kamala Harriss running mate, expressed on Tuesday his opposition to the proposed takeover of U.S. Steel by Japans Nippon Steel, citing his reservations about its potential impact on workers in his state.

Mr. Shapiros comments came during an event with Treasury Secretary Janet L. Yellen in Philadelphia. The proposed acquisition of U.S. Steel has become a sensitive political matter this year, with many Democrats, including Senator John Fetterman of Pennsylvania, calling on President Biden to block the deal.

Mr. Biden has said that the company should remain domestically owned and operated. The merger is expected to be reviewed by the Committee on Foreign Investment in the United States, which is headed by Ms. Yellen.

I have serious concerns about the deal that has been put forth, Mr. Shapiro said, adding that he was considering what the potential takeover would mean for Pennsylvania as national manufacturing hub. Speaking from a state perspective, as governor, if the U.S. Steel workers arent happy with this deal, which they are not, Im not happy with this deal.
Former President Donald J. Trumps first television ad attacking his new rival, Vice President Kamala Harris, splices together footage of her dancing and images of migrants crossing the border as the ad accuses her of being a failed border czar.

The 30-second ad aims to hold Ms. Harris responsible for millions of border crossings and a quarter-million deaths from fentanyl, which the ad says occurred on Harriss watch. It closes with a new Trump tagline for Ms. Harris: Failed. Weak. Dangerously Liberal.

The words flash on the screen as she dances, footage from an event celebrating the 50th anniversary of hip-hop.

It is the Trump campaigns first major television ad purchase of the election since Ms. Harris became the de facto Democratic nominee. The campaign began making a two-week ad reservation on Monday, buying time in the six top battlegrounds.
At least 16 people  including one soldier  have died and about 750 more have been arrested as a result of protests in Venezuela, following the highly contentious presidential election over the weekend, according to rights groups, government officials and relatives of the victims.

Election officials declared the nations autocratic leader, President Nicolas Maduro, the winner of another six-year term early Monday, saying he handily beat a former diplomat, Edmundo Gonzalez. But the government has not released the full results, and many countries, including the United States, have said that the vote was marred by widespread irregularities.

Both sides of the countrys political divide called on followers to take to the streets, which resulted in deadly clashes on Monday. The demonstrations continued on Tuesday, signaling that the crisis was far from over.

Hundreds of people gathered early Tuesday outside the United Nations office in Caracas, the capital, denouncing the official results.
The authorities in Bangladesh have opened investigations into tens of thousands of people in recent weeks as security forces combed through neighborhoods as part of their deadly crackdown on a student protest that had spiraled into violence.

The widening legal net, confirmed in interviews with police officials and a review of records, comes as arrests surpassed 10,000 since the crackdown on protesters began two weeks ago. Charges range from vandalism and arson to theft, trespassing and damage of state property. In many of the cases, sections of the law that allow long-term detention were invoked.

This is a witch hunt, said Smriti Singh, the regional director for South Asia at Amnesty International.

The government of Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina has blamed opposition parties, mainly the Bangladesh Nationalist Party and Jamaat-e-Islami, for the deadly turn in a previously peaceful protest against a quota-based system for distributing sought-after government jobs. Conservative estimates put the death toll at more than 200, mostly students and youths.
The Biden administration announced on Tuesday an additional $500 million of military aid to the Philippines, further bolstering the defense alliance between the two nations while the Philippine military is grappling with aggressive actions by Chinese ships in the South China Sea.

The U.S. and Philippine governments have deepened their military alliance since Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr. became president of the Philippines two years ago. Unlike his predecessor, who favored an opening with China, Mr. Marcos has leaned into ties with the United States.

Mr. Marcos, who lived in Hawaii while his family was in political exile and has met President Biden one-on-one multiple times since taking office, hosted a meeting on Tuesday of the top diplomatic and military officials from both nations in Manila. It was the first time that such a so-called 2+2 session between the allied nations has taken place in the Philippines.
Locals fear the substance could contaminate the creek and potentially kill native wildlife, as authorities investigate its origin.

An Aussie creek has been turned an electric aqua blue colour, raising concerns about the health of native wildlife. Source: Facebook

Authorities are investigating after a popular Aussie waterway turned a vivid aqua blue colour, with concerned residents worried potential pollutants could kill or injure native fish and birds. The mysterious sight infuriated locals who described it as "a bit of a shocker.

The striking blue hue of the water at Humpybong Creek in Redcliffe, Moreton Bay near Brisbane, was discovered by a member of the public earlier this week and reported to Queensland Fire and Rescue who attended the scene and tested the water, ultimately finding it to be benign.

A spokesperson for Moreton Bay City Council told Yahoo News Australia staff are investigating the unknown substance to discover its origin.

In a post on social media locals described the waterway, also known as Humpybong Billabong, as a "hidden local treasure" and said that most of the aqua liquid seems to be concentrated near a drain area and because there's very little water flow it's "sitting stagnant".

Expert perplexed by 'very strange' discolouration

Water quality expert Professor Stuart Khan, Head of Civil Engineering at the University of Sydney, told Yahoo News the spill was very strange and it wasnt possible to say what it was without chemical analysis.

There are various microorganisms (bacteria and algae) that can produce some very intense colours in water, including bright greens, pinks and reds, he said. But I am not familiar with a microorganism producing this colour.

It does look like copper contamination, which would be very easy to test for and confirm. In some cases, copper has been used as an algaecide in ponds (to kill nuisance algae), but these pictures would imply very excessive dosing, if it is copper.

And yes, if it is copper, its very toxic to fish and many invertebrate species, so it would have significant ecological impacts.

The cause of the bright aqua water in this creek near Brisbane is still being investigated. Source: Facebook

Tests to indicate whether pollutants present, says council

A spokesperson for Moreton Bay City Council said there was no indication of any current impact on wildlife and the water was due to be tested again for dissolved oxygen levels.

There has been little dispersion and the spill remains localised, a spokesperson told Yahoo News Australia.

The substance has been sampled and is currently being tested. These tests will not be able to identify the exact substance however, the test will indicate if there is any presence of significant pollutants such as any increase in heavy metals.

The spokesperson said tests can take up to seven days and warned members of the public to avoid contact with the water.

Officers have inspected the stormwater system in a 400m radius of the impacted area in an attempt to establish a source of the substance, they added.

Options to disperse it included flushing the system by pumping out contaminated water and disposing of it properly. The Department of Environment, Science and Innovation has also been notified, they added.

Locals furious about state of billabong: 'Doesn't look good'

Fellow Aussies expressed their concerns about the discolouration of the water online.

Many raised concerns about how the local ecosystem would be impacted and hoped that native animals would not be threatened by the spill.

Thats dreadful. I hope not too many birds or fish were affected, one wrote.

"That does not look good at all," another said.

Others took a lighter view and suggested it was the result of a baby gender reveal or an attempt to make the creek look like the Whitsundays.

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President Nicolas Maduro was declared the winner of Venezuelas presidential vote on Monday despite glaring election irregularities, plunging the country into widespread protests.

The vote came after millions of Venezuelans had rallied behind the opposition candidate, Edmundo Gonzalez, who stood in for the popular opposition leader, Maria Corina Machado, who was barred from running by Mr. Maduros government. Mr. Maduro was declared the winner by the countrys electoral authority, which did not release a full vote count, fueling suspicions about the credibility Mr. Maduros claim of victory.

Ms. Machado called the results impossible, and many pointed to government interference at polling stations.

This is not the first time Mr. Maduros administration has been accused of reporting false election results. Like other authoritarian leaders across the world, Mr. Maduro has employed myriad tactics to rig elections in an attempt to garner legitimacy by skewing the democratic process.
For nearly 50 years, the former Spanish colony of Western Sahara has been disputed territory in northern Africa, claimed by Morocco but fought over by an Indigenous independence movement supported by neighboring Algeria.

Now, France  one of the main former colonial powers in the region  has shifted its position on the conflict by backing a plan for the regions autonomy under Moroccan sovereignty. Algeria, Moroccos bitter adversary, quickly condemned the decision and announced that it was withdrawing its ambassador to France.

Heres what you need to know about the conflict around Western Sahara.

What is the dispute about?

Western Sahara is a vast, arid expanse on the northwestern shoulder of Africa that is larger than Britain but is inhabited by only about 600,000 people.

Even when Spain controlled Western Sahara, Morocco, which lies just north of it, claimed sovereignty over the region. In 1975, Spain withdrew from the territory and it was annexed by Morocco.
Three children died after a knife attack in Southport, England, on Monday, and five children and two adults remain in a critical condition, according to the police.

The attack, which the local police chief, Serena Kennedy, described as ferocious, took place at a Taylor Swift-themed dance class for children ages 6 to 11. A 17-year-old boy was arrested and is being questioned by the police.

Ms. Swift said in a statement about the attack on Instagram that she was completely in shock.

The horror of yesterdays attack in Southport is washing over me continuously, she wrote, adding: These were just little kids at a dance class.

Prime Minister Keir Starmer visited Southport on Tuesday to pay his respects to the victims and their families.
A rocket strike in the Israeli-controlled Golan Heights on Saturday that killed 12 children and teenagers in a Druse Arab village has put a focus on the Druse, an Arabic-speaking religious minority.

Israel and the United States blamed the strike in Majdal Shams on Hezbollah, the Iran-backed militant group in Lebanon. Hezbollah denied responsibility. The United States and Israel cited the type of weapon used and the location in Lebanon from which it was fired as evidence of Hezbollahs involvement.

The strike highlighted the unique and delicate role of the Arab Druse communities in Israel and the region.

Who are the Druse?

The Druse are a religious group that practices a deliberately mysterious offshoot of Islam, developed in the 11th century in Egypt, that contains elements of Christianity, Hinduism, Gnosticism and other philosophies. The sect recognizes the prophets of the Abrahamic faiths, including Jesus, John the Baptist, Muhammad and Moses, and reveres Greek philosophers like Plato and Socrates.

Druse doctrine is unknown even to the majority of the Druse community and has been an enigma to religious scholars. Only a select group of male and female Druse initiates, about 20 percent of the population, are taught the intricacies of the religion  known as the wisdom  and they are sworn to secrecy.

The Druse are monotheists who believe in reincarnation and emphasize everyday spirituality over texts and ceremony. They do not welcome converts and frown upon intermarriage.
The Israeli military has designated just one area of the Gaza Strip as a humanitarian zone for displaced people  and that area keeps shrinking.

In the latest downsizing, the military on Saturday ordered the evacuation of two more parts of central Gaza that had been part of the humanitarian zone. Similar orders have forced more than 200,000 Palestinians to relocate over the last week alone, according to the United Nations.

A New York Times analysis of the latest orders showed that the zone has shrunk by more than a fifth in recent weeks, going from encompassing nearly 17 percent of the Gaza Strip to 13 percent now. Maps and analysis of satellite imagery show that the zone is already overcrowded, frequently damaged by strikes and lacking sufficient medical services.

The Israeli military has said its recent evacuations and operations have targeted a renewed Hamas insurgency, and it accused Hamas of launching rockets from the areas that came under the latest evacuation order on Sunday.
Israels strike on Beirut on Tuesday came as senior leaders of the regional militant groups backed by Iran, known as the axis of resistance, were in Tehran for the inauguration ceremony of Irans new president, Masoud Pezeshkian.

Even before the Israeli attack targeting a Hezbollah commander, Iranian military leaders were expected to meet with the militant leaders on the looming threat of war between Israel and Hezbollah.

In a statement on Tuesday, Irans embassy in Beirut condemned the cowardly and criminal attack, according to Iranian media. In a separate statement, Irans foreign ministry spokesman, Nasser Kanaani, also strongly condemned the attack and said it was a clear violation of Lebanons sovereignty. He warned that Hezbollah and Lebanon had the right to retaliate against Israel and said that Iran would hold Israel and the U.S. responsible for a wider regional war.

The threat of a regional war could present Mr. Pezeshkian with the first major crisis of his presidency. Iran has maintained a dual policy of averting direct engagement in all-out war while supporting a network of militant groups that have opened fronts on Israel from Lebanon, Yemen, Iraq and Syria.
When Iraqs prime minister traveled to Washington in the spring, he hoped to negotiate a much-needed economic development package and discuss shared strategic interests with the United States, one of his countrys most important international allies.

But the very day he arrived in mid-April, events unfolding at home served as a stark reminder of the competing influences that the Iraqi prime minister, Mohammed Shia al-Sudani, is caught between: Iran was sending drones and missiles to attack Israel and at least one Iraqi militia backed by Tehran participated in the attack.

Both the United States and Iran have long held sway in Iraq. But since the war between the U.S. ally Israel and the Iran-backed Hamas broke out in Gaza almost 10 months ago, they are increasingly at odds.

With regards to Iraq, one of the most contentious issues is the continued presence of 2,500 American troops on Iraqi soil. Over the past 20 months, Iran has used its considerable influence to try to persuade the Iraqis to push those forces out, and if it succeeds, it would give Tehran even more say over Iraqi policies.
Floor

By the time the Americans got to the floor exercise, the gold medal was clearly theirs to lose. Lee gave a graceful performance on the event, which she had not been expected to do in the team final before Careys illness. Chiles nailed a Beyonce-inspired routine and appeared overcome by emotion as she finished. And then Biles did what only she can do, hitting four extraordinarily difficult tumbling passes, two of them named after her, to officially secure the gold.
The last time that Katie Ledecky was beaten in a 1,500-meter freestyle event was a regional swim meet in Maryland 14 years ago.

Ledecky was in junior high school. The swimmer who finished more than five seconds ahead of her, Kaitlin Pawlowicz, was going into her senior year of high school.

Theres not, like, a ton of details that I can recall, Pawlowicz said recently. It was just a midsummer gauge type of meet to see where youre at. Nothing special or crazy about it.

The mile, as the 1,500 freestyle is colloquially known, is generally considered the sports most grueling event. Competing in it requires physical and mental stamina, training blocks that at their most intense can push 12 miles per day and to ignore the bodys normal cues that it is experiencing excruciating pain. Even Ledecky, 27, who loves distance racing and has built a career around it, called it fully masochistic in her recently published memoir.
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Native pines tower over the canopy on Norfolk Island, creating a dark "spooky" environment below. Source: Professor Matt Hayward

On a remote Australian outpost, thats actually closer to New Zealand than the mainland, a plan has been hatched to track three species of predatory rodents that are picking off the island's unique native birds. Oddly it involves a can of yellow paint and a UV light.

The method is a simple one. It was used well before scientists started attaching radio trackers to animals and standing on mountain tops with large aerials to monitor their movements.

Its hoped by understanding how Polynesian rats, black rats and house mice move around Norfolk Island, the researchers can eradicate them and protect the bird species whose nests they are raiding.

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If they can bait the rats and keep them from returning, its even hoped areas denuded of native species could be rewilded.

Why paint is better than modern technology

The leader of the project, conservation biologist Professor Matt Hayward, explained to Yahoo News that this old school method of using non-toxic dye actually has benefits over high-tech GPS and VHF systems.

They take measurements every one or two hours so you miss out on the intervening movement period, but what were hoping is to fill in those gaps, he said.

The dye only lasts for a couple of hours. It leaves a trail, and you go through afterward with the UV torch. It starts off really thick and then as the animal moves away, it drops off and you see little patches as you go further along.

Rodents are covered with a brightly coloured non-toxic paint and then their trail is tracked. Source: Professor Matt Hayward

What it's like searching for rats in Norfolk Island's forests

Hayward, a professor at Newcastle University, revealed that heading out into the darkness on the island can be eerie.

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You get into these forests with the massive Norfolk Island pines, it's really kind of a dark and pretty spooky place. Theres not a lot of shrubs down low because the canopy blocks out the light, he said.

Most of the rats were discovered living in a small 50 x 50 metre area, but some of them were oddly travelling up to a kilometre, which the team found surprising.

How rats wiped out Norfolk Island's native species

Like in New Zealand, where birds also made up the majority of animal species, extinction has been a major problem for Norfolk Island.

It has no endemic mammals, and the only two species of bat known to have inhabited it have been wiped out.

The invasive rodents have flourished since they were introduced. Polynesian rats came 500 years ago, but black rats only appeared in the 1940s and they directly contributed to the extinction of both the Grey-headed Blackbird and Norfolk Island Long-tailed Triller.

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Today, Norfolk Island is home to at least 50 threatened animal and plant species, many of while have failed to adapt to the predators.

The problem were seeing is kind of the naivety of some of these species. If there's a hollow low in a Norfolk Island pine, the green parents will still nest there, even though its accessible to the rodents, Hayward said.

More wild discoveries from our natural world

What the paint tracking has revealed about rats

The project has received funding from the National Environmental Science Programs Resilient Landscapes Hub, Parks Australia and University of Newcastle. It is expected to run for two years. But already, the tracking of the rodents has revealed new insights about their movements.

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Were finding black rats spend almost all their time in trees, and I wasnt expecting that at all. Thats probably because thats where all the food is, Hayward said.

Whereas down the ground, you've got Polynesian rats  which are a little bit smaller  so we're assuming that the black rats are the dominant competitor. And youve also got the house mice down there too.

We think theyre probably petitioning that space on the ground. So where you get one, you dont get the other.

The island has already lost lots of species, but by understanding the rodents, we're just trying to keep those species that are still around hanging on."

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You might not notice Second Thomas Shoal from the air. The disputed atoll near the Philippines is a bit larger than Manhattan and sinks beneath the South China Seas surface at high tide.

But diplomats and military officials pay close attention to clashes near the shoal between Philippine and Chinese vessels. The fear is that an incident could turn deadly and prompt the Philippines to activate its mutual defense treaty with the United States.

That could lead to a nightmare: a war between the United States and China.

In one previous dramatic episode, Chinese Coast Guard vessels confronted Philippine Navy ones near the shoal in June, footage released by the Philippine military showed. Some Chinese sailors carried knives, and one Philippine sailor was injured.
Xiaopai, a stylish Doberman from China, is taking the fashion world by storm with his natural modeling skills and irresistible stare.

Dobermans make excellent guard dogs, but did you know they can also be great fashion models? It sounds funny, but one such canine has been getting a lot of attention online thanks to an uncanny ability to model human clothes and accessories. Photos and videos of Xiaopai have been circulating online for about a year now, with little to no information about the canine protagonist. Virtually all of them have been getting thousands if not millions of views and thousands of comments, and or good reason. Watching a Doberman try out human clothes on camera is one of the most satisfying things you can do on your phone.

Having found an edited clip of this Doberman fashion model on YouTube the other day, we started looking for more information on the canine model, but there seemed to be nothing on it anywhere. Then, we found a clip captioned with the TikTok logo and the username yizhikuokuo, but a search on the popular video sharing platform didnt yield any results.

It turns out that the clips of the dashing Doberman hadnt originated on TikTok, but on its Chinese version called Douyin. Thats how we were able to learn that the dog is named Xiaopai and hails from Chongqing, one of Chinas largest cities. Unfortunately, the account doesnt offer much more information, about the canine fashion model, other than an impressive number of followers, 159,000.

Xiaopai recently went viral in the Western world after a video posted on YouTube by Woof World went viral.
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Jamie Diaferia, founder & CEO; Zach Olsen, pres.; Isabel Podda, COO

Infinite Global in the news with O'Dwyer's:

 News of Firms: Matter Launches Media Training Offering Tue., Aug. 20, 2024 ...in such sectors as marketing, media relations and crisis management, is launched by former Infinite Global chief growth officer Kenneth Gary and Erin Harrison, who served as SVP at NextTech...

 On the Move: Highwire Hires Real Chemistry's Hemann Tue., Jul. 30, 2024 ...business impact for leading technology and healthcare companies, said Highwire PR CEO Kathleen Gratehouse. Lavinia Calvert Infinite Global hires Lavinia Calvert as its first chief marketing & business development officer. Calvert comes to the firm...

 Brunswick, FGS Global, TLG Top Chambers Ratings Tue., Jun. 25, 2024 ...Band 2 for crisis & risk management, while August Strategic Communications, Edelman, FTI Consulting, Infinite Global , PRCG Haggerty and Sitrick and Company were in Band 2 for firms handling litigation...

 Building Reputational Resilience Wed., Jan. 24, 2024 ...will pay off when it counts. *** Kelsey Eidbo and Clay Steward are Vice Presidents with Infinite Global and members of the firms Crisis and Litigation PR group....

 TLG Cracks Band 1 In Chambers Crisis PR Category Wed., Jun. 28, 2023 ...placed in Band 3, with Band 4 occupied by August Strategic Communications, Goldin Solutions, Infinite Global , H/Advisors Abernathy, Hennes Communications, KARV Communciations, Kekst CNC and Poston Communications. TLGs attention to detail...

 Reevemark, FGS, TLG, Trident DMG, Brunswick Group Ranked Top Litigation Firms Wed., Jun. 28, 2023 ...litigation listings consists of Edelman, Sitrick And Company and PRCG Haggerty. August Strategic Communications, Infinite Global , FTI Consulting, H/Advisors Abernathy, Poston Communications and Ripp Media placed in Band 3, with...

 On the Move: Infinite Global Adds Anderson in SF Thu., Jun. 1, 2023 ... Melissa Anderson Infinite Global brings on Melissa Anderson as an associate VP in San Francisco. Anderson was most recently...

 On the Move: BAE Systems Hires Intel's Malloy Mon., Mar. 13, 2023 ...and products, to our global audiences, said BAE president and CEO Tom Arseneault. Zinie Chen Sampson Infinite Global appoints Zinie Chen Sampson as a VP, based in DC and Richmond. Sampson most...

 Kerrigan Finds Bliss Wed., Jan. 4, 2023 ...of more than 40 staffers and departed in 2019. Most recently, Kerrigan was VP at Infinite Global , the legal and professional services specialist. The Bliss Group ranked No. 8 in ODwyers rankings...

 Chambers Ranks FGS Global Sole Band 1 Nationwide Crisis PR & Comms Firm Fri., Jul. 1, 2022 ...Heller Communications and Edelman, with Band 4 made up of Abernathy MacGregor, FTI Consulting, Infinite Global , Kekst CNC and Poston Communications. FGS Globals Jeff McAndrews and Paul Holmes placed in Band...

 Infinite Global Gears for Greater Growth Thu., Mar. 17, 2022 ... Kenneth Gary Infinite Global has hired Kenneth Gary as its first chief growth officer. Gary was most recently at B2B cannabis...

 On the Move: Infinite Global Hires Renault for LA Outpost Tue., Aug. 3, 2021 ... Jean-Luc Renault Infinite Global hires Jean-Luc Renault as an associate VP, based in Los Angeles. Renault comes to...

 Brunswick, Sard Verbinnen, Trident Top Chambers' Rankings Thu., Jun. 24, 2021 ... Band 3 includes PRC Haggerty, Reevemark, Sitrick And Company, The Levinson Group, Edelman and Infinite Global . Lanny Davis of Trident DMG and Sitrick And Companys Mike Sitrick were named Senior Statespeople...

 On the Move: Stratacomm Names Housier Director of People and Culture Tue., Apr. 20, 2021 ...partnerships & experiential marketing Brooke Goodwin-Fullerton as a VP, and named Tracy Wood controller. Ivette Delgado Infinite Global brings on Ivette Delgado as an associate VP D.C. Delgado joins ...

 Infinite Global Snags Steward Mon., Mar. 29, 2021 ... Clay Steward Infinite Global has added Clay Steward, who practiced law in Los Angeles, to its west coast...

 News of Firms: Infinite Global Offers Pro Bono Services to Firms Fighting Climate Change Tue., Mar. 2, 2021 ... Jamie Diaferia Infinite Global has made a firm-wide commitment throughout 2021 to undertake, on a pro bono basis,...

 Infinite Global Snags Kerrigan Tue., Sep. 8, 2020 ...Weber Shandwick and Ernst & Young, has joined legal, professional services and crisis shop Infinite Global . At the Interpublic unit, Kerrigan led its corporate reputation and brand practice, while as E&Y's...

 On the Move: ROKK Grabs PAC's Brandt Thu., Jul. 16, 2020 ...which will be invaluable to our clients, said ROKK Solutions partner Rodell Mollineau. Sophie Cikovsky Infinite Global has promoted Sophie Cikovsky and Jesse Dungan to vice president. Cikovsky and Dungan are...

 Brunswick Group, Ripp Media, SVC, Trident DMG Star in Chambers' Rankings Fri., Jun. 26, 2020 ...Sitrick and Company are this years Band 2 firms. Band 3 consists of Edelman, Infinite Global and Kekst CNC; Band 4 includes KARV Communications, Levick, Reevemark and The Levinson Group;...

 People: Amy Fathers Moves from Prosek to Infinite Global Fri., Dec. 6, 2019 ... Amy Fathers Infinite Global has named Amy Fathers, a vice president, based in New York. Fathers comes to the...

 Ripp Media, Brunswick, Sard Verbinnen Top Legal PR Roster Thu., Jun. 27, 2019 ...and Sard Verbinnen was praised for its exceptional financial PR and crisis management capabilities. Edelman, Infinite Global , PRCG Haggerty, Sitrick and Company, and Trident DMG all were placed in the second-highest...

 Data Reign as PR Faces Future Market Volatility Tue., May 28, 2019 ...Walker Sands for smart programs with impact that matters. Jamie Diaferia Crisis and professional services specialist Infinite Global (#55) posted an 18.6 percent surge in fee income to $8.1 million last year. CEO...

 Top 25 PR Firms Post 12.9% Jump in '18 Income Wed., Mar. 27, 2019 ...won consumer, corporate and fast-growing technology companies and do great work for them," said Torossian. Infinite Global Exceeds Expectations Jamie Diaferia reported that ...

 US Aviation Takes Hit for Slow, Tepid Response to Boeing Crisis Thu., Mar. 14, 2019 ...was a good decision, albeit a late one. *** Zach Olsen is the San Francisco-based president of Infinite Global , which was recently named the Best PR and Crisis Management Firm in the nation by...

 The Right Foot: Making the Most of a New Account Mon., Aug. 20, 2018 ...Andersen is Vice President for Content and Client Strategy at the international communications firm Infinite Global ....

 Brunswick, Sitrick, Ripp, SV&C Rank as Top Legal Firms Wed., May 23, 2018 ...take such qualities as technical legal ability, professional conduct, client service and commitment into consideration. Infinite Global , Edelman, FTI Consulting, Kekst & Co., PRCG Haggerty and Trident rank as Band 2...

 Top 25 PR Firms Posted Solid Gains in '17 Wed., Mar. 28, 2018 ...up 2 percent), Tunheim (#60, $5.7M, even), Lazar Partners (#63, $5.3M, up 6.4 percent), Infinite Global (#68, $4.6M, up 16.9 percent), March Communications (#71, $4M, up 9.8 percent), Brownstein Group...
French/West/Vaughan is named PR agency of record for Ironman Tires, a brand owned by Hercules Tire and Rubber Company. FWV will manage and execute comprehensive media relations, digital amplification and content development services designed to elevate the brand across North America. HTR relaunched the Ironman Tires brand in 2022 in celebration of its 70th anniversary, focusing on time-strapped customers looking for affordable tires. We chose French/West/Vaughan for Ironman due to its exceptional track record and deep understanding of the automotive industry, said Hercules Tire and Rubber Company senior director of marketing Nakia Medlin.

OMalley Hansen Communications takes on AOR duties for Graeters Ice Cream, a family-owned and operated craft ice cream maker. OHC will lead national public relations and influencer marketing strategy, with a focus on brand building and ecommerce gifting. The partnership will support and bolster Graeters marketing and social media teams. RMD Advertising will continue to strengthen Graeters Ice Creams retail position through their scoop shop markets in the Midwest region. OHC has strong brand-building expertise through integrated creative thinking and national media relations, so they will be great partners to us, said Graeters Ice Cream president and CEO Richard Graeter.

5W Public Relations signs on as agency of record for HomeRunPet, a brand of smart pet supplies. The partnership aims to establish widespread brand awareness and online coverage for HomeRunPets flagship product, the Drybo Plus, as well as driving initiatives to engage media outlets and create buzz and excitement around the companys range of pet drying solutions.. This collaboration marks a significant milestone in HomeRunPets journey, and we are confident that together we will achieve great success, said HomeRunPet managing director Luke Opdyke. We look forward to leveraging 5WPR's expertise to elevate our brand and make a positive impact on pets and their owners worldwide.

Magrino is engaged as AOR for viral prebiotic soda poppi. The agency will be working with poppi to support all its PR effortsfrom product launches to events with such celebrities as Alix Earle and Kim Kardashian, and partnerships with Pop-Up Bagel and Chipotle. Founded by husband-and-wife duo Stephen and Allison Ellsworth, Austin, TX-based poppi combines fruit juice and prebiotics to create a soda with 5 grams of sugar or less and 25 calories or less. It is available in 13 flavors at major retailers nationwide.
A judge in the Midlands said there is a serious problem with Brazilian workers in meat plants buying cheap cars to share.

Welton Aparecido Matias Rodriguez (29) of Derrykearn, Abbeyleix appeared in court for not having insurance on the N80 at Rossleighan, Portlaoise on November 12 last.

A previous court sitting was told the meat plant worker had been paying money to a broker in Brazil and believed he was insured.

Solicitor Barry Fitzgerald said his client had since tried to get insurance.

With the Brazilian licence he cant get insurance in this country, he said.

Mr Fitzgerald said his client was working in Kepak and has dependents.

Judge Andrew Cody said while it may sound racist a pattern was emerging both in Laois and Offaly of meat factory workers from Brazil who live together getting Portuguese licences and buying 2005 and 2006 cars.

They pass the car around, he said, adding that he would not tolerate them driving without insurance.

Judge Cody said a clear pattern was arising with Brazilian meat factory workers employed in Edenderry and in Rathdowney.

That may sound racist but that is a very common theme, he told the sitting of Portlaoise District Court.

Mr Fitzgerald said I think this is an exception.

Is my impression wrong that there is a serious problem with meat workers from Brazil sharing cars, Judge Cody asked the prosecuting garda. The garda agreed that there was a problem.

Judge Cody fined the defendant 1,000 and disqualified him from driving for two years. He fixed recognisance in case of appeal.
A take-away restaurant worker from Portlaoise who attacked his co-worker with a meat cleaver has been ordered to carry out community service.

Han Chung Tang (45) of Millbrook, Portlaoise and Dawei Zhang (37) of Cloonlara Square, Phoenix Park Racecourse, Castleknock, Dublin were preparing food in the kitchen of Jumbo Wok takeaway in Kimmage, Dublin, in July 2019 when a verbal argument became violent, with Tang striking Zhang with a meat cleaver.

Zhang then used a knife to stab Tang repeatedly, who was discovered in the back yard of the restaurant premises with significant blood loss, Dublin Circuit Criminal Court heard.

Zhang pleaded guilty to one count of assault causing harm and one count of producing a knife in the course of a dispute at the restaurant on July 27, 2019.

Tang pleaded guilty to the same charges. Neither man has any previous convictions.

Some of the incident was captured on CCTV footage taken from the take-away kitchen, which had previously been played in court.

Sentencing the men on Monday, July 29 Judge Martina Baxter said they were intent on causing serious harm to each other over who was the better chef.

The violence on the day was gratuitous, and she noted there was blood everywhere in the aftermath of the incident.

She took into account a number of mitigating factors, including the fact that neither man has previous convictions and that they have not come to the attention of gardai since the incident five years ago.

She ordered Zhang to perform 240 hours of community service in lieu of a two-and-a-half-year sentence and Tang to perform the same number of hours in lieu of a two-year sentence.

At an earlier sentence hearing, Detective Garda Marcus Sweeney told Joe Mulrean BL, prosecuting, that the pair had a tense history, with the argument that day starting over the shared workload.

A physical fight ensured, which was captured on camera before the pair broke apart and Zhang left the kitchen to have a cigarette.

When he returned to the kitchen, the pair started fighting again before Tang grabbed a meat cleaver and swung it at Zhang, hitting him on the head and shoulder a number of times, the court heard.

In an incident that was not captured on camera, Zhang then stabbed Tang a number of times. Another restaurant worker discovered him collapsed in the backyard in a pool of blood while Zhang was bleeding heavily from the head. There was blood all over the restaurant kitchen floor, the court heard.

An ambulance and gardai were called, and emergency services worked to staunch the flow of blood in Tang's case. He was taken to hospital with multiple stab wounds to his head, forearm, back and head and required blood transfusions.

Zhang required medical treatment for lacerations to his scalp, chest and shoulder.

Tang was out of work for 16 weeks due to injuries, and his employment at the restaurant was terminated. Padraig Dwyer SC, defending Tang, said he suffered from insomnia in the wake of the attack.

John Byrne SC, defending Zhang, said there was a history of animosity between the pair, with his client having a more junior role to Tang. Zhang now works in another restaurant, the court heard. Judge Baxter noted that both men were extremely fortunate that they did not end up with more serious injuries.
Two men in their 40s have died following a helicopter crash in the Midlands this afternoon. One man is Irish while the other man is understood to be from Eastern Europe.

At approximately 3:30pm today, Tuesday, July 30, Gardai and emergency services responded to a report of a serious incident involving a helicopter at a rural farm near Killucan, Co. Westmeath.

Two people on board the aircraft were pronounced deceased at the scene.

An Garda Siochana are liaising with the family of one male, Irish national (40s). An Garda Siochana continue to establish contact with the next of kin of the second male (40s) who is understood to be from Eastern Europe, and may request the assistance of Interpol.

Both bodies have been removed from the scene to Regional Hospital Mullingar where post mortems will take place in due course. The local Coroner has been notified.

Westmeath Fire and Rescue Service and the National Ambulance Service have now left the scene.



The Air Accident Investigation Unit (AAIU) is the authority for investigating air accidents and serious incidents in Ireland and are the lead agency investigating this aircraft incident.

The scene will remain persevered overnight to allow for this investigation to take place.



An Garda Siochana will assist the AAIU by providing any technical and/or forensic services which may be required in the course of their investigation.
Coles, Woolworths and Aldi have struggled to maintain egg supply in some stores following an outbreak of avian influenza.

Eggs have been a staple on supermarket shelves. But in July some stores struggled to maintain supply. Source: Michael Dahlstrom/Courtney Greatrex

Limits on egg purchases have already frustrated shoppers visiting Australias major supermarkets this month. The problem was sparked by the spread of disease, and now some farmers are concerned a change to the way we farm chickens could put our supply at "greater risk".

In July, tens of thousands of hens were euthanised after strains of H7N3 avian influenza spread to over a dozen farms in NSW and Victoria. This resulted in eggs disappearing from shelves at major supermarkets like Coles, Woolworths and Aldi.

Testing of the virus indicates each state was infected with separate variants, so its believed to have been spread to farms through contact with wild birds. Because free range chickens come into more frequent contact with wild birds, they are more likely to be exposed to the virus than those housed indoors in tight biosecurity systems. And in response Russia has proposed banning free range eggs by March, 2025.

Australia has taken the opposite approach, and will be phasing out traditional cage egg farming by 2036. And the industrys representative body Egg Farmers of Australia has questioned whether this could cause further insecurity for the nations egg supply.

We can see with avian influenza that if a large number of birds are impacted there is a reduction in eggs in the marketplace, and this is without factoring in that government plans to phase out one production system, its CEO Melinda Hashimoto told Yahoo News.

Related: Three virus changes trigger concern as odds of new pandemic rise

Is phasing out cage eggs smart right now?

Traditional cages are being phased out over animal welfare concerns, as they only give each hen around a sheet of A4 paper in space. But following the H7N3 outbreak, there are reports that some consumers are asking for cage eggs again because they believe they are safer. Thats despite there being no evidence the virus can be transmitted when eggs are thoroughly cooked.

Given the uncertainty created by the virus and cost of living pressures, Hashimoto argues governments should reconsider prioritising production systems that provide affordable protein and food security.

Are cage eggs the solution to minimising the risk of avian influenza or are they the problem? Source: Michael Dahlstrom

Farmers feel that with government phasing out cages they have been pushed into accepting a production system of greater risk, she said.

It is supermarkets and animal welfare groups that want free range or cage free eggs, and yet when avian influenza impacts our industry it is industry and government that pays for the response.

What you need to know about H5N1

Are authorities confident egg supply can be maintained?

While traditional cages will be phased out by 2036, the government will continue to allow slightly larger enriched cages and indoor barn systems.

The Federal Department of Agriculture (DAFF) believes its established biosecurity practices can control the current H7N3 outbreaks.

The national layer hen flock has been impacted by these outbreaks, and there is some localised disruption to supply noting this is considered manageable in the context of overall national supply, it told Yahoo.

It did not comment on whether free range systems are a particular risk to the spread of avian influenza. Local biosecurity arrangements on farms, and across farming industries, can vary by industry according to operational risk, it said.

Free range and cage egg farms offer chickens very different lives. Source: Getty

Is industrialised farming actually causing the disease problem?

While some within the industry argue in favour of maintaining cage systems, animal welfare groups like Compassion in World Farming say theyre the problem.

They note the close confinement of chickens living in these systems provide the perfect environment for viruses to mutate into deadly strains like H5N1 which has spread across poultry and livestock, wild birds and mammals, and even humans. If H5N1 spread to our shores it could have a serious impact on our native animals, which are not thought to have any immunity to the disease.

Chris Delforce, a vocal opponent of industrialised farming and the founder of Farm Transparency Project, has labelled large-scale commercial farming a biosecurity disaster waiting to happen.

These places are breeding grounds for all sorts of novel diseases the potential for one of these inevitable outbreaks to decimate our wildlife cannot continue to be ignored, he told Yahoo.

Overseas, infectious diseases experts have raised concerns not enough is being done to stop the spread of H5N1. Dr Jenna Guthmiller has been studying the virus in dairy herds at the Department of Immunology and Microbiology at The University of Colorado Anschutz Medical Campus.

Not enough surveillance is going on. I think were catching some of these outbreaks towards the tail end. And thats really where my concerns lie, she told Yahoo.

Love Australia's weird and wonderful environment? Get our new newsletter showcasing the weeks best stories.
Brooke Sorlie, 21, and Charlie Quinn, 18, were both pronounced dead at the scene in Tarago in rural NSW on Sunday.

Charlie Quinn, left, and Brooke Sorlie, right, were pronounced dead at the scene, after the horror crash at Tarago on Sunday. Source: Facebook

Two Australian women have been identified as the victims of a horrific car crash on the weekend in which a total of three young people were killed.

Police say the tragedy occurred on Sunday at the intersection of Bungendore and Collector roads in Tarago  a small town in the NSW Southern Tablelands  when the vehicle the group were travelling in "left the road and rolled" and flipped "to rest on its roof".

It's believed the group became "trapped" in the badly damaged vehicle and were unable to free themselves. Inside the car was Brooke Sorlie, 21, and Charlie Quinn, 18, who both were pronounced dead at the scene, while another man, aged 20, also died.

The vehicle's driver, a 21-year-old man, was able to get out of the vehicle unassisted and escaped with minor injuries, according to police. A spokeswoman for NSW Police told Yahoo on Tuesday that so far no charges had been laid.

A man aged 20 also died at the scene while the driver, another man aged 21, escaped unharmed. Source: 9News

Loved ones remember young women 'taken too soon'

Sorlie, Quinn and the young man who died are all believed to be from the Shoalhaven region, with tributes flowing on social media as their identities emerged.

"My condolences to Brooke's family. A smart young lady gone to soon, this has truly come as a shock for us all," a loved one wrote of Sorlie. "I just got a phone call two hours ago  totally devastated," another woman said.

"Taken but never forgotten," wrote another. A friend of Sorlie's who spoke to media described the 21-year-old as somebody who "always had time for anyone" and who was "loved by everyone and had a contagious smile".

Brooke Sorlie is being remembered as a 'kind and positive' woman who 'always had time for everyone'. Source: Facebook

Charlie Quinn was just 18 years old. Source: Facebook

First responder's chilling account

A first responder to the scene described hearing the harrowing "screams" of one of the men involved, who begged her to save his girlfriend. "They were unconscious. We were giving them CPR but it just wouldn't work. It was awful," she told Daily Mail Australia.

"One girl was still trapped in the car  the driver's girlfriend. I can still hear hear his screams. He was screaming to try and get in the car to get his girlfriend out."

Online, people were critical of the roads in the area, claiming the conditions are poor. One person said the stretch was "one of the worst roads I've driven on" with "patched potholes everywhere"

Another said "it's been shocking for years" arguing it's "not fair that the roads are in this condition."

Anyone with information about the crash is urged to contact Crime Stoppers on 1800 333 000. Police will prepare a report for the Coroner.

Do you have a story tip? Email: newsroomau@yahoonews.com.

You can also follow us on Facebook, Instagram, TikTok, Twitter and YouTube.
Hollywood stars Will Smith and Martin Lawrences latest release, 'Bad Boys: Ride or Die', has become the first Hollywood movie to premiere in Saudi Arabia. It also made history by becoming the biggest movie of all time in the Kingdom. Smith took to Instagram and shared numerous pictures and videos where he and Lawrence are seen interacting with fans at the premiere of the film, which was released in June.

In one clip, Smith is seen addressing the audience in the theatre. He is heard saying: "That was spectacular. We have come, we have made history with the first-ever Hollywood premiere in Saudi Arabia. The Bad Boys have come and delivered. This is amazing.

Smith captioned the post: "Woooowww!!! @badboys Ride or Die just became the biggest movie of ALL TIME in Saudi Arabia. Shukran Lakum.

'Bad Boys: Ride Or Die' is a buddy cop action comedy directed by Adil and Bilall.The film is the fourth part of the 'Bad Boys' series and is the sequel to 2020s 'Bad Boys for Life'. The first instalment was released in 1995 and was directed by Michael Bay.Stars including DJ Khaled, Vanessa Hudgens, Alexander Ludwig, Paola Nunez, Jacob Scipio, and John Salley return from previous instalments.

'Bad Boys: Ride Or Die' follows Miami detectives Mike Lowrey and Marcus Burnett as they attempt to clear the name of their late captain, Conrad Howard, after he is falsely accused of conspiracy.
According to The Guardian on Tuesday, "Washington insiders role-played a second Trump presidency. Can it save democracy?" I'm pretty sure the "it" in that headline is "Washington insiders." Apparently it is a bipartisan group of them, all serious, responsible adults who recently ran through five "war games" to determine whether and how they would defend so-called "democracy" from Trump.

In one, Trump calls out the military to prevent nonviolent protests. "A second game looked at Trump's threat to politicise federal agencies, including the justice department, and weaponise them against his political enemies. A third probed his immigration plans, which include dark warnings of mass roundups of undocumented immigrants and large-scale deportations."

While a wealth of wisdom and numerous stories of success exist on resisting such scenarios around the world for many years, it's not clear that these U.S.-centric officials, so used to viewing activists as enemies (or denouncing them as "outside agitators" when they advise students), consulted any of it. Instead, they found themselves at a general loss as to how to resist.

"'This wasn't a fanciful or unrealistic scenario,' said Peter Keisler, former acting US attorney general under George W Bush, who participated in the simulation. 'We know people associated with Trump have been looking into how to use the Insurrection Act to deploy military force domestically against protests.' Keisler said that taking part in the exercise brought home to him how hard it would be to stop such a move: 'It confirmed for me that for an authoritarian-minded president, deploying the military domestically could be one of the easiest and fastest levers of power that could be pulled, given how vaguely written the statute is.' "In the course of the Insurrection Act tabletop exercise, the person role-playing Trump initially met resistance from senior military figures who tried to cling to the Posse Comitatus Act barring federal troops from engaging in civilian law enforcement. As the scenario unfolded, Trump grew impatient and ended up firing the joint chiefs of staff, replacing them with military officers who would do his bidding and federalise the national guard. "The way the exercise played out jibed with the fears of another of its participants, Paul Eaton, a former major general in the US army. 'I'm not sure we can count on the military in a Trump world,' he said."

No serious strategy would rely on citing the proper law or counting on the military. Yet those are the only ideas mentioned. Later, in response to one of the other imagined crises, we find a mention of "civil disobedience": "In response, the blue oppositional team called congressional hearings, tried to mobilize people across the country to protest the president's actions, staged acts of civil disobedience, and threatened lawsuits. At the end of the simulation, the consensus among many policy experts was that the blue team's response felt weak and inadequate, with little agreement over message. 'Blue has a catch-22 because they're forces of normality, but all of this is not normal,' one participant said."

Of course a serious strategy involves huge numbers of people, numbers along the lines of what the "blue team" helped to mobilize in 2002-2006 by partially pretending to oppose the war on Iraq, before gaining power and escalating it. What is needed may not be easily imaginable to people in the habit of feinting in the direction of popular demands and then moving in the direction of the same corporate, militarist agenda they supposedly "oppose." In fact, this team seems to have come up empty:

"As the Brennan Center has highlighted in its initial findings from the wargames, participants came away from the simulations sobered by the experience. Above all, they discovered that there were far fewer effective restraints at their disposal than they had expected. Asked to identify the biggest lesson she had learned, [Christine Todd] Whitman said: 'How little there is we can do.'"

And yet, weeks ago, people in Bolivia turned out and prevented a coup. There is no mention of it here. Even less will there be studies of the successful support of anti-Western coups. Last year in Niger, a military coup took power and told France to remove its military (1500+ troops). France refused to recognize the new leader or remove troops. Instead, France tried to involve ECOWAS (African NATO) to put down the military coup. Other nations, like Nigeria, were initially aggressive toward the military coup, but demonstrations in their countries pulled them back from that stance. Mass protests at the main French military base led to France pulling its troops out. A western-backed military intervention was thwarted. In recent years in Canada, indigenous people have used nonviolent action to prevent the armed installation of pipelines on their lands by the Canadian military -- what are the chances their work will be studied by super-serious U.S. think tanks?

In 2018 Armenians protest successfully for the resignation of Prime Minister Serzh Sargsyan -- a human the same as Donald Trump, perfectly removable by popular nonviolent action. In 2015 Guatemalans compelled a corrupt president to resign. In 2014 - 2015 in Burkina Faso, people nonviolently prevented a coup. (See the account in Part 1 of "Civil Resistance Against Coups" by Stephen Zunes, and tell your Congress Member to study it.) In 2011 Egyptians brought down the U.S.-backed dictatorship of Hosni Mubarak, after Tunisians overthrew a dictator and inspired half the world to action. How much study is that being given? The same year, Yemenis ousted the Saleh regime and Maldivians successfully demanded the resignation of their president. I'm just scratching the surface. The examples are many.

They require studying effective ways to resist governments, something government are loath to teach, study, or even think about. They require studying the successes of unarmed civilian defense, something military machines dressed up as governments have little toleration for. Usually nations do not want their populations capable of repelling foreign invasions because the same skills would make them able to resist domestic injustice. Democrats who would clearly prefer Trump to Bernie Sanders might prefer him even more to a public capable of having its way, also known as self-governing. But we should not pretend that lunatics with nuclear buttons cannot be resisted, that the tools do not exist, that it has not been done a hundred times before. This is not just the little tragicomedy of the United States pretending that universal healthcare is impossible while struggling not to notice every other wealthy nation on Earth doing it. This is choosing dictatorship over actual democracy in the name of a so-called "democracy" so weak that it cannot even think of empowering people or notice what 96% of the people on Earth have been up to.
Article first published in the Minneapolis Spokesman-Recorder

By Ashleigh Fields and Robert Weiner

Can you imagine gasping for your last breath of air, face to the pavement unjustly at the hands of the police? This is a painstaking reality for many black men. Daunte Wright, Freddie Gray, Michael Brown, and George Floyd are just a few of the recognizable names out of the thousands killed at the hands of law enforcement each year.

Unfortunately, four years after Floyd's passing, the issue of police brutality still has a stronghold on our society.

"The time has come for the federal government to create structural change with meaningful reforms," Congresswoman Sheila Jackson Lee (D-TX-18), who passed away this weekend, notably said after re-introducing the George Floyd Policing Act in the House earlier this year with 154 co-sponsors.

Leaders in the House and Senate floor must pick up the torch and uplift Jackson-Lee's legacy by ensuring this bill has the support it desperately needs to pass.

This week, during the Republican National Convention, Samuel Sharpe Jr. of Milwaukee was shot and killed by multiple out-of-town police officers because of an altercation involving a knife.

Weeks before the Convention, D'Vontaye Mitchell was murdered in cold blood on June 30 outside of the Milwaukee Hyatt Regency, where security guards pinned Mitchell to the ground.

Both families have been shattered since the incidents and are struggling to hold officers accountable for the loss of life. Our police need to be held accountable for perpetuating a cycle that upends lives.

The George Floyd Policing Act, which failed to pass in 2021, has a strong chance of changing what we now accept and expect as parts of commonplace American culture.

The bill, which would have established a federal registry of police misconduct, allows the Department of Justice to investigate police departments with a pattern of unfair practices and restrict qualified immunity for reckless disregard of the law. It was perhaps the most expansive piece of legislation with a strong potential for success.

"The only path toward preventing more black people from being killed by the very people who are sworn to protect them is to implement meaningful accountability, transparency, and reform of police practices like what's included in the Justice in Policing Act. Anything short of that is a failure," Sen. Cory Booker (D-NJ), the Democrats' designated leader on the issue, wrote after the legislation passed in the House.

However, he and many others have been radio silent on efforts to enhance police accountability in such specific terms years after. The adjacent Justice for Breonna Taylor Act, which prevents no-knock warrants, is well-needed but speaks more to the issue of ownership and property rather than the blatant denial of human rights.

Bipartisan support from leaders like Tim Scott and Karen Bass are necessary to ensure the bill's refusal cannot rest dormantly in the halls of Congress but rise as a precedent among the people of our nation.

"When you see trouble coming, and you say nothing and you do nothing, the blood is on your hands," Scott shared passionately on the floor in January of 2023.

Over the course of that year, police managed to kill the highest number of people on record, according to the Washington Post's reporting. Scott's statement is one that timelessly rings true.

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As we slide to fascism and massive lies and subjugation of people's will and not merely here in colonized Palestine but in many countries around the world, we are reminded that "Power concedes nothing without a demand. It never did and it never will. Find out just what any people will quietly submit to and you have found out the exact measure of injustice and wrong which will be imposed upon them, and these will continue till they are resisted with either words or blows, or both. The limits of tyrants are prescribed by the endurance of those whom they oppress." Frederick Douglas

In 2016, I asked my readers "What would you advise Palestinians to do?" I am genuinely curious as to how many of my readers have constructive advice based on what they know of geostrategic structures, capabilities etc. I received dozens of answers. As I reread them I see so much that were and still are prophetic voices. Dan Lieberman took the time to do the most detailed response: In the blog you can still add comments and I will read them. In reviewing comments and our history (e.g.. see my book on Popular resistance in Palestine: A history of hope and empowerment over 140 years here), I saw that our people have tried everything from educating the public to civil disobedience to armed resistance. Most of the time these were done simultaneously but sometimes more activities were in certain directions. For example the uprising of 1987-1991 was mostly not armed and involved things like civil disobedience and protests. In 200-2005, there was more armed resistance. In Gaza in 2019-2021 massive nonviolent resistance by thousands of people at the Gaza ghetto walls was suppressed by massive Israeli fire and the world stood silent. The continuing colonial onslaught ensured a start of the armed Gaza Ghetto uprising 7 October 2023 which was used as an excuse to accelerate the genocide and ethnic cleansing. May it be the last uprising and lead to ending the 76 year colonial nightmare!

This openly expressed view including from Israeli politicians and leaders is emblematic of the planned war on the people of Gaza until they disappear.

For statements of Israeli leaders like the Prime Minister and army head and background

Israel's deliberate destruction of infrastructure for life is now well documented war crime. Here is their own documentation of blowing up water facilities.

The BBC showed using satellite images in May that more than half of water facilities were deliberately destroyed in the Gaza Strip.

American Physicians and Nurses Observations From the Gaza Strip Since October 7.

AND POLIO IS SPREADING IN GAZA THANKS TO THE ONGOING GENOCIDE Health ministry declared polio epidemic.

Druze village in the Israeli occupied Golan Heights (belongs to Syria) reject Israeli government.

Zionist attempts to silence criticism running in top gear after ICJ ruling.

972 Magazine: How Israel plans to whitewash its war crimes in Gaza.

Israel violates over 80 UN Security Council Resolutions this is 2010 (so now it is more)

Stay Human and keep Palestine alive

Mazin Qumsiyeh

A bedouin in cyberspace, a villager at home

Professor, Founder, and (volunteer) Director Palestine Museum of Natural History

Palestine Institute of Biodiversity and Sustainability Bethlehem University Occupied Palestine

facebook pages Personal Institute

French
This article originally appeared at TomDispatch.com. To receive TomDispatch in your inbox three times a week, click here.

You couldn't make these things up. I'm thinking about Oxfam's recent 66-page report on Israel's devastation of Gaza's water supplies. As Julia Conley of Common Dreams reported, "Israel has systematically reduced the water available in Gaza by 94%, with just 4.74 liters per resident obtainable each day -- less than a third of the recommended minimum amount in emergencies." Or consider the accounts of how, in one 10-day period, Israeli forces attacked six U.N.-run schools (most of which are now housing refugees from elsewhere in the devastated Gaza Strip). Or the U.N. report suggesting that the rebuilding of all the homes destroyed in the last nine-plus months of Israel's war on that 25-mile strip of land could take (and this is not a misprint) 80 years if the pace were the same as after the two previous wars there!

And that's just to choose almost random information among all the horrific news that's been pouring out of Gaza over the last months. But here's the truly strange thing, a war -- a civil war, in fact -- no less horrific has been going on in Sudan for five months longer than in Gaza and when was the last time you read anything about it? What information could you cite about it? Just think about that for a moment. Had I not read today's piece by TomDispatch regulars Stan Cox and Priti Gulati Cox before writing this introduction, I don't think I could have offered you any similar examples of the nightmare that is now Sudan. As they label that conflict today, it's the missing war.

And think about that, too, for a moment. We're talking about a war more than a year old that's devastated the civilian population of that large African country, sent millions fleeing from their homes and farms and now, as they report, could lead to a truly devastating famine, a subject that, when it comes to Gaza, has gotten a fair amount of attention. Yet my guess is that you knew no more about it than I did before I read this piece.

How strange for a major war to be underway in such a catastrophic fashion for so long almost without attention amid all the attention that has (quite justifiably) gone to Gaza and the Ukraine. So do take a moment and let yourself be led through the missing war on planet Earth. Tom

Starvation in Sudan

As in Gaza, the Deprivation Is Deliberate

By Priti Gulati Cox and Stan Cox

For months, we've all been able to stay reasonably informed about the wars in Gaza and Ukraine. But there's another horrific war that's gotten so little coverage you could be excused for not knowing anything about it. What we have in mind is the seemingly never-ending, utterly devastating war in Sudan. Think of it as the missing war. And if we don't start paying a lot more attention to it soon -- as in right now -- it's going to be too late.

After 15 months of fighting in that country between the Sudanese Armed Forces (SAF) and the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF), experts in food insecurity estimate that almost 26 million people (no, that is not a misprint!), or more than half of Sudan's population, could suffer from malnutrition by September. Eight and a half million of those human beings could face acute malnutrition. Worse yet, if the war continues on its present path, millions will die of hunger and disease in just the coming months (and few people in our world may even notice).

By now, those warring armies have driven Sudan to the brink of all-out famine, partly by displacing more than a fifth of the population from their homes, livelihoods, and farms, while preventing the delivery of food to the places most in need. And you undoubtedly won't be surprised to learn that, with their foreign-policy eyes focused on Gaza and Ukraine, our country's government and others around the world have paid remarkably little attention to the growing crisis in Sudan, making at best only half-hearted (quarter-hearted?) gestures toward helping negotiate a cease-fire between the SAF and RSF, while contributing only a small fraction of the aid Sudan needs to head off a famine of historic magnitude.

From Emergency to Catastrophe

In late June, the U.N.-backed Integrated Food Security Phase Classification (IPC) system, which monitors regions at risk of starvation, reported "a stark and rapid deterioration of the food security situation" in Sudan. It noted that the number of people suffering hunger severe enough to qualify, in IPC terms, as Phase 3 ("Crisis") or Phase 4 ("Emergency") has ballooned 45% since the end of last year. In December 2023, no Sudanese had yet made it to Phase 5 ("Catastrophe"), a condition characteristic of famines. Now, more than three-quarters of a million people are in that final phase of starving to death. Indeed, if the conflict continues to escalate, large parts of Sudan may spiral into full-blown famine, a state that exists, according to the IPC, when at least 20% of an area's population is suffering Phase-5 hunger.

Until recently, the worst conflict and hunger were concentrated in western Sudan and around Khartoum, the country's capital. Now, however, they've spread to the east and south as well. Worse yet, the war in Sudan has by now displaced an astounding 10 million people from their homes, more than four million of them children -- a figure that looks like but isn't a misprint. Many have had to move multiple times and two million Sudanese have taken refuge in neighboring countries. Worse yet, with so many people forced off their land and away from their workplaces, the capacity of farmers to till the soil and other kinds of workers to hold down a paycheck and so buy food for their families has been severely disrupted.

Not surprisingly, 15 months of brutal war have played havoc with crop production. Cereal grain harvests in 2023 were far smaller than in previous years and stocks of grain (which typically supply 80% of Sudanese caloric intake) have already been fully consumed, with months to go before the next harvest, a stretch of time known, even in good years, as the "lean season." And with war raging, anything but a bumper crop is expected this year. Indeed, just as planting season got underway, fierce fighting spilled over into wheat-growing Gezira, one of Sudan's 18 "states" and renowned as the nation's breadbasket.

Sudan desperately needs food aid and it's simply not getting enough. The U.N. High Commission for Refugees has received less than 20% of the funds necessary to help feed the Sudanese this year and has had to "drastically cut" food rations. As Tjada D'Oyen McKenna, head of the aid nonprofit Mercy Corps, told the New York Times, "World leaders continue to go through the motions, expressing concern over Sudan's crisis. Yet they've failed to rise to the occasion."

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Update: New owner of Portland Mercury, The Stranger promises no layoffs: From Day One we will be growing

Alternative publication the Portland Mercury and its sister paper in Seattle, The Stranger, have been sold to a former Democratic Washington lawmaker and media executive, according to the union representing the papers writers.
Laid off in May from his customer service job at a Salem auto shop, John Love promptly filed for unemployment benefits.

Eleven weeks later, Love is still waiting for his aid.

A succession of letters from the Oregon Employment Department had questions about how he lost his job, whether he was looking for new work and his small pension from a prior career in telecommunications.

Unable to discern why his answers werent satisfactory, and why his checks werent coming, Love picked up the phone to ask.

On the first call I was on hold for four hours when, mysteriously, the call disconnected, he said. On the second and third calls I was on hold for three hours each when they just dropped.

Unable to get answers on the phone, Love, 77, still hasnt figured out whats holding up his aid. And he doesnt have a new job. Thats partly, he said, because hes spending so much time trying to reach the employment department to figure out why Oregon isnt paying his benefits.

I get 9 to 5, Monday through Friday, to look for work, Love said. And theyre sucking down my time. Theyre part of the problem, not part of the solution.

The employment department has struggled for months to promptly pay jobless benefits, a problem the agency attributes to a decline in staffing. The growing backlog of unpaid assistance stacked up and led to a flood of calls to the agency from people seeking an explanation.

So in May, even as the calls came flooding in, the employment department made the counterintuitive decision to spend less time answering the phone. It will devote that time to processing more claims.

The agency says the switch is paying off. The backlog of held-up jobless claims has fallen, and the number of claims the department promptly processes rose sharply in June.

But frustrations continue to mount for people like Love, who havent yet had their benefits paid and cant understand why they cant just pick up the phone to get answers.

The employment departments data shows that more than a third of people who call for help wait at least an hour. Many wait for several hours, and others cant get through at all. The Oregonian/OregonLive placed 101 calls to the employment departments customer service line one day last week and received a busy signal every time.

What I want to do is talk to a person and get this settled, Love said. Lets find out what needs to be done. They dont give you that choice.

Weve made progress

The employment department performed miserably during the pandemic, with thousands of Oregonians waiting weeks or months for aid as unemployment spiked to a record high. The agencys obsolete computers and inflexible leadership were a big part of the reason Oregon was among the slowest in the nation to pay jobless claims.

The states performance improved markedly in 2021 and 2022 as unemployment dropped.

But many of those gains vanished last year, despite an unemployment rate that, at 4.1% in June, remains low by historical standards. The employment department began taking months to pay some claims, leading to a backlog of unresolved issues and jammed phone lines.

The employment department blames its decline on a falloff in federal funding, which caused it to slash the number of staffers processing benefit claims.

Oregon lawmakers allocated $45 million during this years legislative session to hire about 70 more staffers. The employment department says the benefits of those additional personnel should start becoming evident next month as the workers learn about the agencys rules and claims systems.

In the meantime, the department reduced its phone hours. The agency stopped taking calls on Mondays and reduced the hours it would answer during the rest of the week, to 9 a.m. to 4 p.m.

The employment department said the time its agents used to spend fielding calls would instead go toward processing claims or calling claimants directly to resolve unanswered questions.

Its working. Were using the extra time to resolve issues, respond to written questions and review information customers have sent us, agency Director David Gerstenfeld told reporters earlier this month. Weve made progress and been able to provide better overall customer service because of this.

Since reducing its phone hours, the employment department says it has focused on reducing the number of issues holding up claims for at least six weeks. The percentage of these unaddressed issues has declined from about 20% in June to about 11% now, the agency says.

And the share of claims paid within three weeks has risen dramatically, from about 50% in April to about 75% in June, according to federal data.

So the departments performance has objectively increased. But with hold times rising, so has claimants bitterness.

Callers say they routinely spend hours on hold before being unceremoniously disconnected. Many others say they cant get through at all.

We acknowledge that frustration, but we also know that for a significant portion of the phone calls we receive, nothing further can be done to address the claim issue itself during that call, said Seth Gordon, the employment departments spokesperson.

The employment department has said it needs to finish evaluating each claim before it can answer questions about it or tell people what they need to do to resolve outstanding issues. Its claims processors are typically not ready to do that for a given case when a random call comes in.

Thats why it might make more sense for the employment departments agents, when theyre ready, to call claimants rather than the other way around. But it also means resolving claims on the agencys schedule, rather than on claimants timetable.

That puts people like Love in a bind while they wait for the employment department to untangle whatever confusion is delaying their aid. In the meantime, he said hes draining his savings just to pay the bills.

At a minimum youve got to break even, Love said. And if youre going in the hole every month, thats not going to have a good outcome over time.

-- Mike Rogoway covers Oregon technology and the state economy. Reach him at mrogoway@oregonian.com.

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Work on the Willamette Water Supply pipeline north of Southwest Rosedale Road will close the road to all users beginning Wednesday, July 31.

The road will be fully closed to all vehicles, bicyclists, and pedestrians all hours and days through Aug. 22 between Southwest 229th and 209th avenues.

During the closure crews will be connecting the north pipeline to the pipe south of Rosedale Road.

The detour route is Southwest Blanton Street, between 229th and 209th avenues.

Local access for property owners, deliveries, and emergency access during road closure will be maintained at all times from either 229th or 209th avenues. The road will be impassable where the pipeline crosses Rosedale.

See the map:

Detour map for Rosedale Road closure.Map courtesy of Tualatin Valley Water District

This closure coincides with the River Road closure at Farmington. Make plans now for alternate routes.
Multnomah County Sheriff Nicole Morrisey ODonnell defended her offices decision not to book a man into jail after Portland police arrested him for violating a city camping ordinance.

As the elected official charged with managing the jail, I believe we need to utilize the corrections system as a place for people who pose a genuine danger to the public, and that does not include individuals whose only offense is living unsheltered, Morrisey ODonnell wrote.

Her statement Tuesday comes in response to criticism from Portland Mayor Ted Wheeler, who decried the disconnect between the sheriffs office and the city after he said his office had several conversations with the sheriff regarding the citys efforts to limit camping on public streets.

The disagreement traces to Friday when Portland police officers arrested a man after city officials said he refused to accept shelter services. As a result, they accused him of violating the citys time, place and manner rules that ban camping on public property or a public right-of-way if a person has access to reasonable alternative shelter including congregate options, transitional housing, hotels and motels. It was the first such arrest since the ordinance was revised this year.

When officers arrested him, they brought him to the Multnomah County Detention Center, where he was not processed and instead cited and released, said police spokesperson Mike Benner.

Willamette Week first reported the denial.

A spokesman for the sheriffs office, Deputy John Plock, told Willamette Week the county jail does not book people who are arrested for violating city ordinances. The sheriffs office announced in August 2023 that anyone arrested in Multnomah County who was accused of a felony or a misdemeanor offense under state law could be booked into jail, reversing limits placed on booking criteria during the pandemic.

Wheeler may not have understood the distinction. In August, 2023, the Sheriff declared open booking and in later meetings specifically discussing booking criteria, her representatives explicitly stated publicly that booking restrictions had been lifted, he wrote in a statement Tuesday morning. That is clearly not the case.

Morrisey ODonnell pushed back forcefully, declaring she will not be directing her office to jail any person on city ordinance violations.

Arresting and booking our way out of the housing crisis is not a constructive solution, she added in her statement. Incarceration is a costly, short-term measure that fails to address the complex underlying issues. We need to continue to focus on creating pathways out of homelessness through evidence-based, sustainable solutions that enhance public safety for all residents.

Sgt. Aaron Schmautz, the president of the Portland Police Association union, lamented the lack of alignment between the city and the sheriffs office, saying it doesnt give officers a clear path for enforcing the rules.

Our officers require a clear understanding of what their responsibilities are in enacting law, policy and directive, and I am hopeful that in the coming days we can work together to ensure that the city and county are aligned in meeting the needs of our community, Schmautz wrote.

The city ordinance is set up to comply with House Bill 3115, passed by the Oregon Legislature in 2021. It states that any city law regulating acts such as sitting, lying, sleeping or keeping warm and dry outdoors on public property must be objectively reasonable in terms of time, place and manner.

If a person accepts offers of shelter, they will not be cited, according to the ordinance. According to Benner, officers told the man of these options and he said he refused to go to a tiny home and would rather be arrested.

 Zaeem Shaikh covers the Portland Police Bureau and criminal justice issues for The Oregonian/OregonLive. Reach him at 503-221 4323, zshaikh@oregonian.com or @zaeemshake.
A 63-year-old man was arrested Monday in connection with the January fatal shooting of his brother at Hornings Hideout, a popular wedding and concert venue off U.S. 26 near North Plains that the family owned.

The arrest came after a Washington County grand jury indicted Robert Horning on charges of second-degree murder and unlawful use of a weapon, accusing him in the death of his younger brother, 47-year-old Carl Horning, the county sheriffs office said.

Last July, a civil court battle over the fate of the venue divided the brothers after their sister asked a judge to appoint a conservator to control their mothers bank account and stake in about 120 acres of farmland surrounding the hideout. The total assets were valued around $1.7 million.

An attorney for the sister, LaDonna Elliott, said their mother, Jane Horning, had been at the center of a tug-of-war in which one son asks her to sign legal documents which she does, and then another son asks her to void them, which she does. The court document noted that Carl Horning supported the petition to appoint a conservator. Court records show Robert Horning objected to the petition.

Through her attorney, Jane Horning also objected to the petition.

Tualatin Valley Fire & Rescue Lt. Carl Horning was off duty at the time of the fatal shooting, according to an agency spokesperson.Tualatin Valley Fire & Rescue

Sheriffs office deputies responded the morning of Jan. 2 to reports of a shooting at Hornings Hideout, a woodsy outdoor venue that also offers disc golf, hiking and fishing. When they arrived, deputies said they found Carl Horning with multiple gunshot wounds. The first deputy on scene attempted to treat him, but officials said he did not survive.

Robert Horning was present at the scene, the sheriffs office said, and arriving deputies initially detained him before he was released several hours later. Authorities said then they considered Robert Horning a person of interest in the homicide investigation.

Carl Horning was a longtime firefighter and lieutenant with the Tualatin Valley Fire & Rescue.

 Zaeem Shaikh covers the Portland Police Bureau and criminal justice issues for The Oregonian/OregonLive. Reach him at 503-221 4323, zshaikh@oregonian.com or @zaeemshake.
Authorities on Monday identified the person who died last week in the custody of the Multnomah County Detention Center as 31-year-old Asia Marie Williams.

Williams died Thursday, two days after she was arrested on allegations of criminal mischief and reckless burning. An attorney appointed to represent her declined to comment.
Adonis Unrath signed up for an Oregon State University dog training study last year to help researchers, and to learn to train the family dog.

The dog, Winnie, learned new tricks.

Adonis gained independence, community and a career path.

Adonis, 17, has attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder and can struggle to finish tasks. Training Winnie has both helped him focus and improved his mental and physical health, he said.

On days when he felt depressed or exhausted, she was the reason I wanted to get out of bed, Adonis said.

The study gauged whether children and teens with developmental disabilities were more physically active after learning how to train their dogs. Researchers hypothesized that teaching children with varying diagnoses  from autism spectrum disorder to a speech impairment  to train their dogs would improve their levels of daily activity.

And improve they did.

The results showed stunning levels of success, so much so that researcher Megan MacDonald called for the data to be double checked. The childrens physical activity increased by 17 minutes per day and their time stationary decreased by almost an hour, according to the study published March 27.

Weve never seen anything like that, that had such a big jump and was so statistically significant, said MacDonald, a co-author on the study.

Adonis felt the change in himself as well. His activity levels have gone up, he said. He now spends up to an hour a day training Winnie. Through this, Adonis became more independent, he said. He was also able to find camaraderie with other dog trainers online.

I found a community and people learning, loving dog training, he said.

Global studies have found that more than 80% of children dont get the minimum amount of recommended physical activity. MacDonalds study says U.S. children with disabilities are significantly less physically active than their peers.

MacDonald said children with developmental disabilities can have fewer opportunities to be active if they have trouble making friends or are excluded from social activities like sports.

The Oregon State training involved teaching dogs commands like spin. Later in the training, participants taught their dogs with a Simon Says-like method called Do as I Do, where dogs would copy their owners actions. If the child sat in a chair or knocked over a bowling pin and told their dog to do it, the goal was for the dog to replicate the action.

Adonis said his favorite trick was teaching Winnie to jump over a hurdle. Participants were also sent home with a list of tricks to practice as homework.

Training Winnie became a positive feedback loop, Adonis said. She would get happy, he said, and I would get happy.

As Winnie was learning tricks, the family learned just how smart their dog is. Before, they thought that Winnie would stubbornly refuse when they wanted her to hop in the car. They later learned that Winnie thought the reward they offered simply wasnt tasty enough. But when they gave Winnie one of her favorite snacks, like cheese, she would jump right in.

As the study went on, Tricia Unrath, Adoniss mom, noticed that Winnie and Adonis became closer.

She loves to snuggle with him on the couch, although shes a little bigger than she realizes, Unrath said.

Oregon State researchers are now working on a similar study, but with cats. If cat training yields promising results, it could be a more accessible option for families who cant afford or dont have the space for a dog, MacDonald said.

Adonis perseverance in training carried over to other aspects of his life. Winnie helped inspire Adonis to earn his GED. He hopes to study animal behavior or become a service dog trainer.

This is life changing, almost, in the way that it happened, Adonis said.

-- Veronica Corta, Ontario High School

 Sean Gerbrandt, McMinnville High School

This story was produced by student reporters as part of the High School Journalism Institute, an annual collaboration among The Oregonian/OregonLive, Oregon State University and other Oregon media organizations. For more information or to support the program, go to oregonlive.com/hsji.
Alice Rampton has made 34 trips across the North Atlantic Ocean to visit Ukraine since 1992. Each time, shes gone to provide aid to Uzhhorod  a city on the border with Slovakia still untouched by Russian missiles in the ongoing war  which has close ties with her hometown of Corvallis.

Rampton will make the flight again in September as the conflict continues, along with 16 other volunteers, to bring crucial supplies and assistance to the people of Uzhhorod.

We want to keep offering them hope that were behind them, she said. Were not going to leave them alone during this time.

Founded in 1989, the Corvallis Sister City Association has connected Corvallis with other parts of the world for decades. Uzhhorod was Corvallis first sister city, a relationship established the same year as the association. The nonprofit is also connected with Gondar, Ethiopia.

When they visit this fall, the group will connect with several programs they fund, including for child services and support, check the needs of their participants in Ukraine and bring students to paint a mural at one of the public schools, Rampton said.

Over the years, Corvallis and Uzhhorod have exchanged students, business leaders and artists, to help the two cities share culture and insights. The nonprofit regularly holds fundraisers and sends donations to partners in Uzhhorod. Rampton also co-directs the organizations TOUCH Project, a sponsorship program providing youth services to over 450 children in Ukraine.

The nonprofit has done outreach work since its founding, but the relationship changed when Russia invaded Ukraine in February 2022.

Corvallis Sister City Association members took news of the war hard. Rampton, whos served with the nonprofit for over 30 years, was distraught to see the country shed fallen in love with come to ruin.

I was sick, said Rampton. We were all just heartbroken.

Alice Rampton wears a Ukrainian blouse as she holds a Corvallis Sister City Association business card.High School Journalism Institute

With conditions in Ukraine rapidly changing, the organization shifted its focus to address the needs of citizens of Uzhhorod, refugees and displaced people who came to the city.

Right now, its like: How do we feed these people? Where are we going to put them? said Rampton.

People from across Oregon and the country contributed to the nonprofits relief fund, according to Rampton. Of the $500,000 raised, the nonprofit has spent around $400,000 on supplies, cookware, generators and more.

One of the nonprofits main priorities was shipping medical supplies. Residents from across Corvallis donated sewing kits, Q-tips and gauze that were packed into 600 medical kits. The organization has been sending supplies since 1994 but ramped up its efforts to respond to the pressure on the city after Russia invaded, Rampton said.

After over two years of war, Rampton said the nonprofits partners in Uzhhorod are growing weary.

We are in a safer region of our country, thank God. Maria Kron, who lives in Uzhhorod and works with the Sister Cities program, said in a statement shared by the nonprofit.

Every time the alarm sounds, we realize at that moment that somewhere in Ukraine, soldiers in the military, young children, adults and animals are dying.

Eastern Ukrainian cities such as Bakhmut and Mariupol have borne the brunt of the destruction, said Jamon Van Den Hoek, an associate professor of geography at Oregon State University. Uzhhorod has become a checkpoint for refugees seeking asylum in Slovakia and other countries, Van Den Hoek said.

According to the United Nations refugee agency, nearly 3.7 million people have been displaced from their homes as of February. Rampton said thousands have settled in Uzhhorod, leaving the citys infrastructure strained.

Jamon Van Den Hoek, an associate geography professor at Oregon State University, has helped map the destruction of buildings in war-torn parts of the world, including Ukraine.High School Journalism Institute

Van Den Hoek, who has worked with The New York Times to map the destruction in Ukraine since the beginning of the war, said organizations like Sister Cities help to bring crucial resources overseas.

To not feel like theyve been forgotten is extremely important, he said.

Those who have joined the nonprofit are passionate about the work they do, members said. April Fisher, who joined shortly after the Russian invasion, said she did it to support people in crisis.

Its important for people to take care of other people, said Fisher, who is now the groups vice chair.

Some of the longest serving members, Rampton and her husband have never regretted the small entry fee they paid to join all those years ago.

Just a $15 check changed our life, she said.

-- Wesley Ince, Ontario High School

This story was produced by student reporters as part of the High School Journalism Institute, an annual collaboration among The Oregonian/OregonLive, Oregon State University and other Oregon media organizations. For more information or to support the program, go to oregonlive.com/hsji.
Portlands diverse food scene continues to thrive and expand, embracing new cuisines and flavors from around the globe. As South Asian Heritage Month unfolds from July 18 to Aug. 17, theres no better time to explore the latest additions to Portlands rich South Asian food scene.

Honoring the cultures of Afghanistan, Bangladesh, Bhutan, India, the Maldives, Nepal, Pakistan and Sri Lanka, South Asian Heritage Month is a time to appreciate and engage with these cultures and take part in events. Read our roundup of South Asian festivals and events in Oregon here.

From Indian curries to Nepali momos, here are five new and improved South Asian restaurants in and around Portland, each offering a unique taste of the regions most enticing flavors.

6 1 / 6 Shera Indian Food

Shera Indian Food

Located in the bustling Farmhouse Carts pod in the Richmond neighborhood, Shera Indian Food made its debut in summer last year. This food truck has quickly become known for its modern take on classic Punjabi dishes, such as mattar paneer and chicken or veggie biryani, all prepared with fresh ingredients.

Shera Indian Food, 10:30 a.m.-8:00 p.m. daily, 2415 S.E. 35th Pl., Portland, 971-425-0300, sheraindianfoodor.com

The fish pakora at Daawat a Ishq in Northeast Portland is coated in chickpea batter before being fried on Friday, Aug. 2, 2024.Mims Copeland | The Oregonian

Daawat a Ishq

Having opened its first Portland location in the Cully neighborhood in September 2023, Daawat a Ishq has recently expanded to Vancouver. The name means food is love, and the restaurant aims to spread love through its North Indian offerings, including favorites like butter chicken and a wide selection of naan and paratha.

Daawat a Ishq, 10 a.m.-10 p.m. Wednesday-Monday (closed 2:30-4 p.m. daily), 5427 N.E. 42nd Ave., Portland, and 10820 N.E. Coxley Drive, Vancouver, 503-719-4072, daawataishq.com

5 1 / 5 Zaiqa

Zaiqa

Opening its doors in June 2024, Zaiqa brings the flavors of Pakistan and India to the South Waterfront area. This family-owned restaurant offers both indoor and outdoor seating, take-out, online orders and catering services. With a menu full of authentic dishes, including vegetarian, vegan, gluten-free options, and all meats certified halal, Zaiqa offers a South Asian dining experience everyone can enjoy.

Zaiqa, 11 a.m.-9 p.m. daily, 3682 S. Bond Ave., Portland, 971-754-4913, zaiqapdx.com

4 1 / 4 Mouthful Momo

Mouthful Momo

Originally launched as a food stand at the Hillsboro Farmers Markets in June 2023, Mouthful Momo has since expanded to a food cart at the Aloha Food Carts in February 2024. Specializing in Himalayan and Nepalese cuisine, this venture is owned and operated by Nepali women, bringing a taste of Nepal to the local community.

Mouthful Momo, 11 a.m.-8 p.m. Tuesday-Saturday (closed 2-4 p.m. Tuesday-Friday), 20001 S.W. Tualatin Valley Hwy, Aloha, 971-770-4460, mouthfulmomo.com

Ganesh Indian Cuisine

Under new ownership, previously known as Abbaruchi, Ganesh Indian Cuisine opened its doors in early 2023. This Beaverton-based restaurant offers a wide array of South and North Indian dishes, prepared to your preferred level of spice.

Ganesh Indian Cuisine, 11:30 a.m.-9:30 p.m. Wednesday-Monday (closed 2:30-5 p.m. daily), 14603 S.W. Millikan Way, Beaverton, 503-671-0432, ganeshpdx.com

Himalayan Dumplings By Kyikyi

The first woman-owned Tibetan food brand in the U.S., Himalayan Dumplings By Kyikyi, began with frozen dumplings in 2015. After gaining popularity at night markets in the Beaverton area, she opened a store in Beaverton in September 2023, which operates twice a week. You can also find the brand at farmers markets in Lake Oswego, Tigard, Beaverton, Hillsboro, and various festivals and events, including the Legendary Makers Market in Beaverton last weekend.

Himalayan Dumplings By Kyikyi, 4-8:30 p.m. Thursday-Friday, 16755 S.W. Baseline Road, #103, Beaverton, himalayandumplings.com

Vanakkam PDX

Recently opened in April 2024, Vanakkam PDX promises an authentic experience inspired by regional Indian cuisines. The restaurant features rotating buffet specials starting at $14.99 on weekends, with updates and announcements shared on Instagram.

Vanakkam PDX, 11 a.m.-9:30 p.m. Sunday-Thursday and 11 a.m.-midnight Friday-Saturday, 14740 Cornell Road #160, Portland, vanakkampdx.com

A thali plate from The Sudra, a vegan Indian fusion restaurant set to reopen as Asha, a cocktail bar, in August.Courtesy of The Sudra/Mattie Krall

Bonus: Asha, coming soon

Previously known as The Sudra, this popular Portland vegan restaurant closed in May 2024 and is set to reopen in August as Asha, a South Asian cocktail bar. Stay tuned for a fresh take on the beloved location.

Asha, 4-11 p.m. Sunday-Thursday and 4 p.m.-midnight Friday-Saturday, 28 N.E. 28th St. Portland, 971-302-6002, barashapdx.com

 Chiara Profenna covers religion, faith and cultural connections. Reach her at 503-221-4327; cprofenna@oregonian.com or @chiara_profenna

The Oregonian/OregonLive receives support from the M.J. Murdock Charitable Trust to bring readers stories on religion, faith and cultural connections in Oregon. The Oregonian/OregonLive is solely responsible for all content.
Snow Peak Campfield, a new campground on the Long Beach Peninsula, just north of Astoria, is one of Time magazines 100 Worlds Greatest Places.

Snow Peak, a Japanese camping brand, opened its first U.S. campground in Long Beach in early 2024. The site offers 56 tent sites and 14 Jyubako Suites, which are camping cabins, according to a news release. The campground also has amenities such as a Japanese Ofuro Spa, modeled after a traditional Japanese bathhouse, and an onsite cafe.

Visitors to the Long Beach campground dont need to bring their own camping equipment. Snow Peak gear is available to rent  either small as needed sets or a complete campsite. The model, Time said in the Greatest Places ranking for the Snow Peak Campfield, provides an easy way for novice outdoors people to tiptoe into camping without buying all the gear.

Snow Peak, a Japanese camping brand, opened its first U.S. campground on the Long Beach peninsula in Washington state in early 2024.Courtesy of Snow Peak

Time praised the Long Beach Peninsula as a location choice for the campground as well, noting that its driveable from Portland, Oregon, and Seattle, and praised its natural beauty and recreational opportunities including hiking, whale-watching, kayaking, and crabbing.

To compile the ranking, Time solicited nominations of placesincluding hotels, cruises, restaurants, attractions, museums, parks, and morefrom its international network of correspondents and contributors, as well as through an application process, with an eye toward those offering new and exciting experiences.

The Pacific Northwest has no shortage of highly ranked camping experiences. In June, the Bay Point Landing campground in Coos Bay was ranked the No. 4 best camping experience in the U.S. by outdoors website The Dyrt.

Like the Snow Peak Campfield, Bay Point Landing is an elevated camping experience  more glamp than camp  and also offers a menu of luxuries designed to make the camping experience comfortable.

 Julie Evensen covers trending topics and popular culture. She can be reached atjevensen@oregonian.comor@juliecevensenon Twitter and@julieevensen on Threads.

Our journalism needs your support. Subscribe today toOregonLive.com.
Two unexpected phenomena are clashing in the skies over Oregon tonight.

A new magnetic storm means another good shot at viewing the aurora borealis  the strongest chance since the last big show of northern lights in May. However, the event is overlapping with a summer rainstorm thats lingering over much of Oregon, potentially barring the lights from view.

The aurora may be visible Monday night for about the northeastern half of Oregon, according to the Space Weather Prediction Center. At the same time, the National Weather Service is forecasting clouds and rain across most of that area. The northern lights should be strong again Tuesday night, and maybe even Wednesday, but the view line is expected to shift north, excluding most of the state.

Forecasts for the northern lights are notoriously tricky  weather forecasts much less so. Oregonians hoping to see the aurora will likely be better off trying to look skyward Tuesday or Wednesday night, when the clouds begin to part.

According to Spaceweather.com, the aurora was triggered by a cannibal coronal mass ejection, a mass of solar storms that flings a large amount of plasma and radiation into space. When those storms collide with Earth, they cause geomagnetic storms, which are disturbances in our planets magnetic field.

This weeks event is not expected to be as strong as the one in May, Forbes reported, though the two were created by similar solar storms.

--Jamie Hale covers travel and the outdoors and co-hosts the Peak Northwest podcast. Reach him at 503-294-4077, jhale@oregonian.com or @HaleJamesB.

Our journalism needs your support. Subscribe today to OregonLive.com
On Wednesday at 1:10 a.m. the National Weather Service issued an updated excessive heat watch valid for Friday between 11 a.m. and 11 p.m. for Oregon Lower Treasure Valley as well as Harney, Baker and Malheur counties.

The weather service comments, "Dangerously hot conditions with temperatures of 103 to 108 degrees possible at low elevations."

"Extreme heat will significantly increase the potential for heat related illnesses, particularly for those working or participating in outdoor activities," adds the weather service.

Weather service Heat wave safety tips: Stay safe with these recommendations

Stay hydrated: Make sure to drink plenty of fluids.

Seek cool shelter: Stay in an air-conditioned room.

Avoid sun exposure: Stay out of the sun, and make sure to check up on relatives and neighbors.

Child and pet safety: Exercise vigilance when it comes to young children and pets. Never leave them unattended in vehicles during high temperatures, as car interiors can quickly become dangerously hot.

Caution outdoors: If you must work or spend time outdoors, take extra precautions.

Optimal timing: When possible, reschedule strenuous activities to early morning or evening.

Recognize heat-related issues: Familiarize yourself with warning signs and how tp recognize the symptoms of heat exhaustion and heat stroke.

Stay cool with clothing: Select lightweight and loose-fitting outfits for enhanced comfort.

Additional tips for outdoor workers:

For outdoor workers, the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) recommends regular rest breaks in shaded or air-conditioned areas.

If someone is overwhelmed by the heat, swiftly relocate them to a cool, shaded location.

In emergencies, call 911 for immediate assistance.

These NWS heat safety directives are essential for safeguarding your well-being when facing high temperatures. Stay well-informed and take the necessary precautions to shield yourself and others from the potential hazards of extreme heat.

Advance Local Weather Alerts is a service provided by United Robots, which uses machine learning to compile the latest data from the National Weather Service.
Seventy-one large wildfires have torn through Oregon so far this year, more than three times the amount in the state by this time in 2023, according to the Northwest Interagency Coordination Center.
DURKEE  Rancher Levi Bunch nodded at the portable firefighting pump standing at the ready to douse embers as a crew of hotshots dug smoldering roots out of the ground.
Beijing (Gasgoo)- On July 29, Chery's JETOUR brand officially put the new-generation X70 PLUS onto the market, offering six variants with an official price range of 111,900 yuan to 137,900 yuan. With the old-for-new policy, the new models prices drop to 76,900 yuan to 102,900 yuan (including the national trade-in subsidy).

Photo credit: JETOUR

JETOUR's global presence spans over 50 countries with more than 1,650 sales and service outlets and eight overseas factories. By 2026, JETOUR aims to cover over 80 countries and regions, targeting annual global sales of over one million vehicles.

The new-generation X70 PLUS features a body size of 4,749mm/1,900mm/1,720mm in length, width, and height, with a long wheelbase of 2,745mm, providing spacious interior space for family users. It offers flexible 5/7 seat combinations, 33 storage spaces, and a 62-inch ultra-wide-angle panoramic sunroof.

Photo credit: JETOUR

Equipped with the fourth-generation Kunpeng 1.5TGDI+7DCT powertrain, the X70 PLUS combines powerful performance with efficient fuel consumption. The vehicles family design not only creates an elegant interior and exterior but also integrates 118 eco-friendly materials and 24 acoustic technologies to enhance the driving experience of this family SUV.

Under the "Travel+" strategy, JETOUR continues to expand the "Travel+" ecosystem, offering a variety of travel-related products, modifications, benefits, and rest stops. This ecosystem is built around touchpoints, experiences, and sharing to engage deeply with users and embark on desired journeys together.

Currently, JETOUR has partnered with 145 eco-alliance partners and over 100 renowned camping sites across China to offer users extensive travel benefits and free experiences. They have established 151 JETOUR stations along the G318 route, which is touted as the most beautiful highway in China. By deeply understanding user needs, JETOUR has introduced various travel accessories, including outdoor tents, multifunctional picnic chairs, entrenching tools, and toolboxes.


Here are my thoughts and impressions after this years Mystic South conference, written from the Atlanta airport because my flight was delayed. Again. I should know better than to book an early evening flight home. I used to live in Atlanta and I know the July weather forecast is always partly cloudy with a chance of afternoon and evening thunderstorms  and thunderstorms play havoc with airline schedules.

[Edit: I got home right at midnight. But I did get home safely.]

1. So many good presentations

The only bad thing about Mystic South is that there are so many good speakers and so many good presentations that I cant see all the ones I want to see. I had to make some very hard choices in some time slots. Thumper Forge jokingly told Heather Greene hed skip his own presentation to see hers, and then he ended up scheduled opposite her.

I can report that Thumper did not skip his own presentation. I have more to say on that below.

The scheduling folks at Mystic South have an impossible job and I appreciate them doing the best they can.

2. Lots of books

Heron Michelles Sojourner handled book sales again. Its been a long time since Ive seen so many Pagan and magical books in one place before.

I spent an hour and a half on Saturday morning signing books. The Path of Paganism is still selling well despite being seven years old, and I was happy to get The Book of Cernunnos available for sale in person (its normally only available through Amazon print-on-demand). I shared the signing table with Rob and Nonie Douglas  I had such a good time talking with them about their new book Unquiet Voices that I bought it and had them sign it.

3. Thumper Forge is a gem

Those of you who know me know Im not a fan of chaos and discord. But if its Thumper Forge giving a presentation on Discordianism, Im going to be there. Last year I called his presentation on Lithomantic Divination both hilarious and informative. Ill call this years presentation on Discordianism informative and hilarious.

Discordianism and its devotion to Eris is silly, but theres wisdom in the silliness and I enjoyed learning more about it. And getting a card declaring that Im a Pope.

Thumper also had a series of Facebook posts hashtagged things you hear at Mystic South. Theyre context-free unless you were there unless you know exactly who said it and who they were talking about even though you werent there

If youre not reading Thumpers blog, you should be.

4. The other sigil magic

Im a big fan of the kind of sigil magic usually associated with Austin Osman Spare and chaos magic. Ive gotten great results with it.

Laura Tempest Zakroff teaches a different kind of sigil magic. It has more intent and more opportunity for art and creativity, and it doesnt operate on fire and forget. Periodically she publishes sigils for use in the wider community  Ive found them to be helpful.

I went to one of her workshops this weekend where she walked the class through the process of creating a sigil using her methods. And it hit me: this kind of sigil magic would be a perfect companion to hypersigils  the process of long-term visualization to achieve major results. Set your goal, visualize the process, and then also create a sigil to add some more magical oomph to it.

Im going to design and draw a sigil for the next hypersigil I create.

5. A method for ecstatic possession

I always enjoy watching Ivo Dominguez Jr. teach  I learn something new every time. This time he led a workshop on Divine Embodiment: Assumption, Drawing Down, Aspecting, and Possession. Ivo teaches this in the context of the Western Mystery Tradition. My own work is more animistic and shamanic (I dont like using that word for myself, but I dont have a better one). Ivo and I do similar things in different ways.

My way works for me, and it works for a few people I work with. But a few years ago I tried to teach it, and honestly, I didnt do a very good job. I think the structure of Ivos method would make it easier for a beginner to gradually wade into the pool without jumping off the deep end, which is pretty much how I learned to do this work.

6. Panel discussion on Folk Magic

One of the things I love most about gatherings like Mystic South is the opportunity to talk shop with other experienced practitioners. Panel discussions accomplish much the same thing, but they allow a room full of other folks to sit in on the conversation.

Kelden moderated a panel on Folk Magic in Modern Times between headliners Morgan Daimler, Sen Elias, and Wendy Mata Houseman  three experienced practitioners from three different traditions. There was less discussion of specific practices and more on the nature of folk magic  ordinary folks using what they have to fill their needs.

The topic of magic and Christianity came up. All of the panelists made it clear they are not practicing Christians, but also pointed out how much of folk magic uses Christian sources and imagery. Magic is a human thing  it can be practiced in any religious context. And it is.

I had to make a clean break with Christianity  my magic is grounded in Paganism, polytheism, and animism. But thats not the only way to practice magic.

7. Metaphysics: choose or it will be chosen for you

Metaphysics are our fundamental assumptions about the world and the way it works: whats real and how do we know its real? Everyone has a metaphysics, its just that most people base theirs on what they were taught as small children and on what everybody knows.

Last year I taught a 7-week course on Modern Pagan Metaphysics. For Mystic South, I tried to condense all that into a 1-hour presentation. Obviously thats not possible, so I presented the foundations and the highlights  things like animism, polytheism, science, magic, and myth. From here we can explore the Big Questions of Life: where do we come from, why are we here, why is there suffering, and perhaps most importantly, how should we live?

The course on Metaphysics is still available on-demand if youd like to take it.

8. Morgan Daimler on fairies

Morgan Daimler was back at Mystic South for the first time since 2018. Morgan is one of the most knowledgeable scholars on the topic of fairy lore in the world today. Their first presentation was on European fairies in the United States. Some people claim that fairies are limited to Europe, but there are plenty of stories of the fair folk showing up on this continent dating back centuries.

And some of us have experienced them here ourselves.

Morgans second presentation was on fairies and witches. Theres plenty of lore of witches working with fairies, usually to learn magic. As with all things related to the fair folk, sometimes this worked out well for the witch in question and sometimes it didnt.

There was lots to learn and lots to provide context for our current experiences.

9. Hope

I did not expect to talk politics on this trip. But I wasnt even in my seat for Raina Starrs Desperate Housewitches live podcast when she asked me for my thoughts on what went on last week, with Joe Biden stepping aside and so many people coalescing around Kamala Harris. As I said on Facebook, the Democratic Party is known for shooting itself in the foot. This time theyre doing it right.

I wanted Biden to stay in the race. He won in 2020, hes done a decent job, and if his health is worse than publicly admitted, then whoever is keeping things going behind the scenes is doing a good job and I want to keep them in power. But I dont know anybody who was excited about four more years of Joe Biden.

Lots of people are excited about the idea of a Kamala Harris Presidency. I heard the phrase cautiously optimistic numerous times. We all remember that Hillary Clinton had a 70% chance of winning in 2016 and lost. But if liberals and moderates turn out in 2024 like they did in 2020, Kamala Harris will be President.

This election is a simple choice. Either we get Kamala Harris and moderately progressive government, or we get Donald Trump, J.D. Vance, and Project 2025. Which one we get depends on which side turns out to vote.

10. I love the one on one conversations

I lost track of how many people grabbed me (not literally, thankfully!) for private conversations. Some wanted to share their magical experiences and some wanted references for things they were working on. Many had nice things to say about my writing. I so appreciate those comments.

I dont write for the kind words. I write because I have something to say and I need to say it. But when I hear that what I have to say resonates with someone and helps them navigate the challenges of contemporary life, that means a lot to me.

And it reminds me that I need to keep writing.

11. Going earlier next year

Mystic South has grown to the point that its taken over two of the large ballrooms  they were great for ritual. The conference will be at the Crowne Plaza Ravinia again next year, but its going earlier  July 11 through 13, 2025.

Ill be there.
I find myself thinking of Daniel Defoe.

Im one of those who like to celebrate co-religionists. For me that means a couple of things. Buddhists and Zen Buddhists, of course. But also Unitarians and especially Universalists.

So, yes, Defoe was a Presbyterian. But this was in a time when the Unitarians had not yet institutionally differentiated from that body in England. In North America it was a bit different. There Unitarianism the institutional movement derived principally out of Congregationalism.

While this was during a time of repression so a lot details are uncertain. But it appears he attended the Newington Green Unitarian chapel. And certainly his broad liberalism mirrored the more advanced perspectives found among the Unitarians of his day. And it seems fair enough to claim him.

But more to the point.

Turns out it was on the 31st of July in 1703 that Daniel Defoe was put into the stocks for, once again, offending those in authority and the culture that supported them with about the worst weapon of all. Satire. As it turns out it wouldnt be the last, either. But, not to get ahead of the story.

He was already famous, or, I guess the real word is infamous for offending English sensibilities around xenophobia and its accompanying evil the idea of some racial purity. He knew how to use a pamphlet to good effect.

But it was in this year that one of those, The Shortest-Way with the Dissenters; Or, Proposals for the Establishment of the Church, where anticipating by nearly thirty years Jonathan Swifts devastating modest proposal for the Irish, he suggested religious dissent could best be dealt with by simply killing all the dissenters.

In writing this pamphlet, his using the voice of one in authority seemed to annoy those in authority.

He was dragged before one of the hanging judges, Salathiel Lovell, today mainly recalled for this single incident, who found Defoe guilty of seditious libel. The judge ordered the writer to spend three days in the stocks to be followed by a substantial fine and imprisonment until that fine was paid.

Heres where we get to the good part. Okay, the details are in fact in dispute. But the version Im going with is the one that shows the better side of the human heart.

The general practice of the day for someone in stocks was to pelt them with noxious things. If you can imagine it, thats one of the things people would throw at folk in stocks.

Instead. However. It appears that Defoe was pelted with flowers.

Yes. We arent sure. But, possibly. He certainly should have been. And, he might have been.

Would that all satirists and artists and poets and writers who are driven to present reality as best they see it as best they can, were similarly treated.

Instead of the world that the prophet Mohammed was living in when he advised those who would speak truths to have one foot in the stirrup of a very fast horse.

But this is a moment where the harsh of our world and the possible of our lives meet.

Dreaming of pelting a truth teller with flowers.

Garlands of flowers for those who think freely and in doing so offer new directions, new hope
Life begins at conception is an attempt to make something simple that is in fact complex, and something unambiguous that is uncomfortably blurry.

As I have pointed out before, on the one hand, life begins before conception. Sperm and egg cells are alive. It is not life that is the question. It is when we are dealing with human personhood. And the example of identical twins (and triplets and other multiple identical births) shows that it is not feasible to claim that individual personhood begins when the ovum is fertilized. That cell that is formed by the union of genetic material from father and mother has the potential to become a person, but has the potential to become more than one person.

If the individual cell is already a person, with whatever is meant by an individual soul, then that leads to all kinds of implications that no one who holds this view would accept. Do identical twins have a single soul between them? Are they in fact the same person? If someone gets married to an identical twin are they married to their sibling as well? If they have sex with the sibling is it not adultery because these are the same person?

Dont Be Ridiculous!

Now, youre probably shouting at the screen saying of course these adults are not the same person, dont be ridiculous! Good, Im glad you agree that this is ridiculous. That is the point. You said that at conception their human personhood began as a single cell, a single human life. If you dont believe that one person can split into two people, then you have to accept that at least one of these individuals  and more likely both  were not individual persons at the moment of conception, but it happened later. In other words, the most straightforward way of treating this example is to say that a fertilized cell has the potential to become one or more human persons.

If you want to advocate for treating that potential for personhood in a morally respectful way, thats wonderful. The point is that it is not murder to prevent that which has the potential to become one or more human beings from doing so. If it were, then youd have to be able to know that a single cell would become one or two or three individuals and treat the abortion as a double or triple homicide as appropriate. Once again, youll probably say thats ridiculous, and thats the point. Claiming that a fertilized human egg cell is not just a potential person or set of siblings, but a full-fledged person, leads to all sorts of untenable consequences.

I understand that this is confusing and disconcerting. The moment of conception seems like the only place that provides a potentially clear-cut line to draw so that human persons can have their rights protected. The blurriness of human development, with the fertilized egg becoming one or more persons over a long process, is much more morally ambiguous. Alas, that is the reality of life. As an imperfect analogy, there is no obvious moment when one can say that every human person transitions from being a minor to being a responsible adult, yet we need to make laws that take the ambiguity of human maturation and impose on it a standardization that cuts across the fact that some can probably vote responsibly before age 18 while others will be lacking maturity for some time after that.

Better than Biblical!

So lets develop different language for the respect for potential personhood. Plenty of people across the political spectrum will support that. Lets throw out the inflamed misrepresentation of those who defend the legitimacy of abortion in at least some cases at any early stage as baby killers and murderers which they are not, and instead work together to achieve what most people want: freedom for individual women to make the decision that seems right to them in consultation with medical professionals, family, and/or their own conscience, and protection of fully-developed human beings prior to but also after birth and throughout their lives.

If the biblical view that is still normative in Judaism, that an individual life begins with the first breath, seems much too late, youre not alone. The biblical authors had no knowledge of embryology. Here too there is a crucial point. Stop pretending that your stance is biblical when in fact you are addressing things that the Bible does not address explicitly, as well as when youd like biblical principles to be applied differently than they were by the biblical authors. We know things that ancient people did not, and it is appropriate to have a different understanding of the cosmos, of human personhood, and many other subjects.

Demonization is Demonic

Thankfully, when pushed on actual concrete issues, many Trump supporters actually hold more moderate views than their slogans and rhetoric indicates. The core problem is that everything has been turned into a dichotomy. Either Donald Trump or his opponent must be evil, if you believe that politics is a spiritual battle for the soul of the nation, and exclude the possibility that neither of the two major parties may represent your own personal and community values. So the support for a deeply flawed candidate is judged preferable to working to give voters more options.

Having recently visited Australia, I talked with many people who find American democracy baffling.

Why not have mandatory voting?

Why maintain a system that is based on something other than the popular vote?

Why treat only two parties as viable so that extremists are forced to gather under those umbrellas in the interest of winning?

Why treat two parties, both on the right of the political spectrum, as though they represent the ideological extremes of Right and Left?

Make America Better Than it has Ever Been

We do not have to accept the way things are. We can change the system, just as we changed it to eliminate slavery and to give women the right to vote. Even the Bill of Rights represents an alteration to the Constitution, even if a very early one.

But we can start with simpler changes.

Just turn down the rhetoric.

Stop demonizing those you disagree with, since this typically represents a far worse evil than the stance you are opposing.

If you are a Christian, then by all means view those whose morals are not your own as enemies, but then love your enemies.

Conclusion: Dont Be Evil

Few people believe they are evil. Few think critically about their beliefs so as to recognize when they are problematic. Yet thats the only way to avoid being one of those crusaders for what they are sure is right who turns out to be a tyrant promoting things that harm. The partisan political rhetoric that pretends that there are only two possible options, and treats ones own side as the champions of pure goodness against forces of evil, causes more loss of human life than legal abortion does. Dont believe me? Look into it yourself, so long as you dont just listen to sources that support what youd like to be true.

How to research and fact check will have to be a topic for another timeor, you know, you can consult any of the many library tutorials available, assuming of course you havent demonized public libraries in your us vs. them misrepresentation of the world.

Let me end with an appeal to both experience and a core teaching of Christianity. The dividing line between good and evil does not follow any national, ethnic, or ideological border. It runs through each of us. If we are honest, we have all been loudmouthed and wrong on some occasion. The only way to defeat evil is to take a close look inside ourselves and question our own assumptions and motives, as well as the hostilities towards others that they generate.
Despite Africa's rich natural resource base, the continent remains mired in poverty due to insufficient exploitation of these resources. Additional hurdles include trade barriers, high unemployment, and escalating living costs.



Kwame Danquah, President of the International Secretariat of Harakati za Muungano, argues that trade is crucial for Africa's economic growth. He emphasizes that freer trade within the continent could unlock the full potential of African resources, strengthen regional ties, and attract foreign investment.



Danquah highlighted that intra-African trade remains notably low, below 15%, a stark contrast to other regions. "Africa's trade among its own countries falls short of 20%. This low level of internal trade is a significant barrier to alleviating poverty and fostering economic progress," he said.



He advocates for an integrated market that eliminates trade barriers, harmonizes standards, and encourages cross-border investments. Such measures, he believes, will enable Small and Medium-sized Enterprises (SMEs) to thrive by accessing larger markets, boosting innovation, competitiveness, and employment.



Danquah also called for a reduction in reliance on foreign aid, urging increased production capacity and job creation. The recent launch of Harakati za Muungano in Accra marks a step toward forming a unified trade union in sub-Saharan Africa aimed at promoting liberty, justice, and equality.

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
Promasidor Ghana (PGH), through its chocolate beverage brand  Twisco, has embarked on a 5.4-kilometer walk from Ayi Mensah toll booth to Kitase MA School Park, near Peduase Lodge as part of its commitment to promoting the wellbeing of Ghanaians, contributing directly towards SDG 3 (good health and wellbeing) and in line with activities earmarked towards PGH 25th anniversary.



Christened Walk with Tisky, the initiative saw participation from staff of Promasidor, 10 keep-fit clubsLakside, East Legon, Westlands, Dodowa, etc. and residents of Kitase and neighboring communities.



Touching on the rationale for the walk which was attended by over 800 participants, Promasidors Marketing Manager, Michael Hagan iterated Promasidors interest in promoting fitness, and general wellness for all.



The relevance of physical activity with the aim of improving well-being cannot be undermined. Beyond the provision of quality food products, we have supported this cause for 25 years and Twisco our newest addition to the family is here today to power the ambition of any Ghanaian aboard the healthy journey he added.



The brands young, energetic and ambitious mascot, Tisky, led the procession which commenced at the Ayi Mensah toll booth and climaxed with a 30-minute aerobic session at the Kitase MA School Park with post recovery drinks provided by Twisco - a chocolate food drink fortified with Enerfort; a unique blend of 10 fully packed micronutrients (Vitamin B2, B3, B6, B12, C, D, Calcium, Phosphorus, Iron & Zinc) that aid in optimal energy release.



Promasidor Ghana Limited (PGH) is a leading food manufacturing company providing quality food products for the past 25 years following launch of its first brand, Cowbell in 1999. Since then, the company has pioneered beverage brands such as Cowbell Strawberry, Cowbell Coffee and Cowbell Chocomalt amongst others.



Promasidor further exemplified its diverse manufacturing prowess following the launch of its Onga Powder and Tablet variants in 2003 and 2011 respectively. Promasidor is also a major player in the Infant Cereal category with the Yum Vita brand which was launched in 2014.

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
Ghana National Gas Company has commissioned the Abakrampa Childrens Ward, a health facility to provide quality healthcare for both women and children in the Abura Asebu Kwamankese District of the Central Region of Ghana.



Providing health facilities is one of the priorities of Ghana National Gas Company and as such, the company has taken it upon itself to provide befitting and quality health services for communities, especially children.



The Abakrampa Childrens Ward has been provided to ease the pressure and tension on the existing CHPS compound within the community.



Speaking to the gathered community members on Friday, the Member of Parliament for Abura Asebu Kwamankese, Elvis Morris Donkoh, expressed gratitude to Ghana Gas for the project and to the people for their patience.



I remember when I went to Ghana Gas for a request of such project. The only thing I can say now is, the people of Abura Asebu Kwamankese are grateful for such project. This project will serve not only the Abakrampa community but also the other communities under Abakrampa, he said.



A manager of CSR at Ghana Gas, Francis Augustin Badu, attributed the companys core mandate to the socio-economic development of Ghana with corporate social responsibilities found in the entire 16 regions of Ghana.



I am very proud to have joined everyone here to commission the Abakrampa health service facility. In 2007, Ghana found oil and in that aspect, the oil found has a bi-product which is the gas.



Ghana Gas has its footprint across all the 16 regions of Ghana and it is solely peoples request. The Member of Parliament deserves commendation since he pressed for this project to be done in Abakrampa, he revealed.



"The greater part of the gas we process is for power generation while others are meant for heating in the industries. As part of the companys corporate social responsibilities, health, education, sports, water, and sanitation, livelihood empowerment and community engagement are key in the discharge of the companys mandate.



"The gas company is also of the view that, in the discharging of its mandate, the company ensures that they work with the three main pillars which includes the business development aspect, human capacity and community development."



The Paramount Chief of the Abura Asebu Kwamankese Traditional Area in the Central Region, Emintsinminim Out Xl, told the MP that "whatsoever help the community needs, he has to help immediately because the community needs it.



Ghana Gas, were grateful, for the project, we understand that the communities are many and with a strategic lobby, a project can come to a community.

Source: Peacefmonline.com









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

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With Gasgoo Daily, we will offer daily important automotive news in China. For those we have reported, the title of the piece will include a hyperlink, which will provide detailed information.

NIO's ONVO L60 model to hit market in late Sept.

During a live-streamed extreme heat test event for the ONVO L60 in Turpan on July 25, Ai Tiecheng, CEO of ONVO (a fresh sub-brand under NIO) said that the ONVO L60 model will officially hit the market in late September this year. The vehicle is set to begin deliveries within a week upon its market launch.

ONVO L60; photo credit: NIO

NIO will not pursue Robotaxi development: NIO's chairman

NIO's Chairman and CEO, William Bin Li, recently said during an interview that NIO will not be venturing into the development of autonomous taxis (Robotaxis).

Mr. Li explained that NIO has been deeply contemplating the R&D of assisted driving technology since 2017, focusing on its core value of enhancing driving safety and reducing traffic accidents. He stressed that the true significance of autonomous driving technology lies not in replacing professional drivers but in using technology to alleviate driver fatigue and improve road safety. This approach underscores NIO's commitment to leveraging advanced technology to support and protect drivers, rather than aiming to eliminate the need for human drivers altogether.

China's auto electronics suppliers New Vision closes new round of strategic financing

Recently, Chinese automotive electronics New Vision announced the completion of a new round of strategic financing. This round was led by ZhongQing Capital, with participation from existing investor Bridge Capital. StarBridge Capital continued to serve as the sole financial advisor for this financing round.

New Vision is dedicated to the development of in-car visual solutions, offering a range of intelligent cockpit products including W-HUD (Windshield Head-Up Display), AR-HUD (Augmented Reality Head-Up Display), CMS (Camera Monitoring System), transparent A-pillars, and transparent window displays.

SGMW releases interior images of Baojun Yunhai SUV model

On July 30, Baojun, a brand under SAIC-GM-Wuling ("SGMW") officially released additional product configuration details and interior images of its fire new intelligent long-range SUV, the Baojun Yunhai (translating to "sea of clouds").

CATL's net profit in H1 2024 rises YoY despite drop in revenue

In the first half of 2024, Chinese power battery giant CATL achieved a revenue of 166.767 billion yuan, representing an 11.88% year-on-year dip, according to its semi-annual financial results issued a few days ago. Despite this, the company reported a net profit attributable to shareholders of 22.865 billion yuan, marking a 10.37% increase. The basic earnings per share stood at 5.2017 yuan during this period.

BYD drops prices by 50,000 yuan across FANGCHENGBAO's lineup

On July 29, BYD's sub-brand FANGCHENGBAO announced a refreshed strategic plan to mark its first anniversary. Central to this announcement was the introduction of new pricing for the BAO 5 model, now ranging from 239,800 yuan to 302,800 yuan.

SVOLT expects to deliver 100,000 sets of 2nd-gen short-blade fast-charging iron lithium cells in 2024

SVOLT recently announced that its second-generation short-blade fast-charging iron lithium cells have completed mass delivery to customers from its Shangrao and Yancheng bases, with an expected total delivery volume of 100,000 sets this year.

Joyson Electronics' net profit surges 61.47% YoY in H1 2024

On July 29, Joyson Electronics released its financial report for the first half of 2024 (H1 2024), showcasing significant improvement in profitability. The company achieved a net profit of 640 million yuan, which leapt 61.47% year on year, while operating profit surged 60.94% from the previous year to 1.139 billion yuan.

New-generation JETOUR X70 PLUS hits market, starting at 111,900 yuan

On July 29, Chery's JETOUR brand officially put the new-generation X70 PLUS onto the market, offering six variants with an official price range of 111,900 yuan to 137,900 yuan. With the old-for-new policy, the new models prices drop to 76,900 yuan to 102,900 yuan (including the national trade-in subsidy).

Skyworth Auto launches cooperation on NEV, AI businesses in Thailand

On July 25, Chinese new energy vehicle maker Skyworth Auto officially commenced its new energy vehicle (NEV) collaboration in Thailand, partnering with Thailand's Professional Association Public Taxi Motorist, Japan's Sunlight Capital Co., Ltd., Wind God Automobile Co., Ltd., and Westpac Trust Bank, according to a post on Skyworth Auto's WeChat.
The Chief of Defence Staff, Lieutenant General Thomas Oppong-Peprah, has denied releasing the dismissal letter of Richard Jakpa, the third accused in the ongoing ambulance trial, to the Minister of Defense, Dominic Nitiwul.



Lieutenant General Oppong-Peprah clarified that no request for the letter had come to his desk, making it impossible for him to explain how the Minister obtained the document.



During the trial, the Deputy Attorney-General, Alfred Tuah-Yeboah, while cross-examining Jakpa on Thursday, June 27, introduced into evidence a letter purportedly written to dismiss Jakpa from the Ghana Armed Forces (GAF) in 2007.



According to Tuah-Yeboah, the letter originated from the office of the Defense Minister and included allegations of misconduct and breaches of military protocols leading to Jakpa's dismissal.



Jakpas lawyers objected to the tendering of the letter, questioning its relevance. However, the presiding judge, Justice Afia Serwah Asare-Botwe, admitted the document into evidence, noting that the witness had already acknowledged the document and could speak to it.



She added that the cover letters were official documents and were admissible to establish credibility or otherwise.



During today's court session, the CDS, when questioned by Jakpa's lawyer, reiterated that he had not released the letter to the Defense Minister.



"My lady, as the Chief of Defense Staff, I have never received any request to release any document to anybody. So I cant answer to that," he said.







Source: King Edward Ambrose Washman/Peacefmonline.com









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

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The Chief of Defence Staff (CDS), Lieutenant General Thomas Oppong-Peprah, has clarified the circumstances surrounding the dismissal of Richard Jakpa, the third accused in the ongoing ambulance trial.



According to Lieutenant General Oppong-Peprah, Mr. Jakpa was released from the military due to a continuous lack of knowledge or interest in his duties.



During his testimony in court, Lieutenant General Oppong-Peprah emphasized that the decision to discharge Jakpa was not taken lightly. He stressed that Jakpa's persistent inability to demonstrate the necessary expertise and commitment to his role in the Ghana Armed Forces (GAF) ultimately led to his dismissal.



This clarification comes amidst the controversy surrounding a letter purportedly detailing Jakpas dismissal, which the CDS denied releasing to the Minister of Defense, Dominic Nitiwul.



In the ongoing trial, the Deputy Attorney-General, Alfred Tuah-Yeboah, introduced the dismissal letter as evidence while cross-examining Jakpa. The letter, allegedly from the office of the Defense Minister, cited misconduct and breaches of military protocols as reasons for Jakpa's dismissal in 2007.



Despite objections from Jakpa's lawyers regarding the relevance of the letter, the presiding judge, Justice Afia Serwah Asare-Botwe, admitted it into evidence, stating that Mr. Jakpa had acknowledged the document and could speak to its contents.



Lieutenant General Oppong-Peprah's testimony provided further insight into the rationale behind Jakpas dismissal.



He underscored that the Ghana Armed Forces maintain high standards and that personnel are expected to continually demonstrate proficiency and dedication to their duties.



Mr. Jakpa's failure to meet these expectations, according to the CDS, warranted his release from the military.



"The said former officer of the military, Richard Jakpa, was released based on lack of knowledge or interest," he told the court.

Source: King Edward Ambrose Washman/Peacefmonline.com









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

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The Ghana Armed Forces (GAF) has denied claims that misconduct was a reason for the release of former soldier Richard Jakpa from service.



This denial follows the circulation of a supposed letter from the Military High Command, which alleged that Mr. Jakpa, the third accused in an ongoing trial, was dismissed from the GAF due to persistent offenses and acts of misconduct.



The matter arose at an Accra High Court when the Chief of Defence Staff, Lieutenant General Thomas Oppong-Peprah, testified following Mr. Jakpa's subpoena.



During the trial, lawyers for the third accused questioned the military chief about whether misconduct was a basis for Jakpa's dismissal.



In response, Lieutenant General Oppong-Peprah denied that misconduct was a reason for Jakpa's release.



However, a letter presented and tendered into evidence by the Attorney General listed misconduct as a reason for Mr. Jakpa's dismissal from the military.

Source: King Edward Ambrose Washman/Peacefmonline.com









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

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The Ghana Scholarly Society (GSS), a prestigious academic think tank, proudly announces the release of its groundbreaking policy brief on innovation and pathways to achieving the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) in developing countries. This milestone follows the highly acclaimed conference held at the Norcroft Centre of the University of Bradford from June 19-20, 2024.



Conference Overview



The conference, a landmark event, was graced by eminent public servants and statesmen, including H.E. Papa Owusu Ankomah, Ghanas High Commissioner to the UK and Ireland. This event marked a significant stride towards integrating cutting-edge academic research into Ghanas national development strategies.



The GSS is dedicated to uniting Ghanaian academics worldwide, leveraging their collective expertise to advance knowledge and drive impactful policy-making that fosters sustainable development. In his keynote address, Papa Owusu Ankomah emphasized the vital role of higher education institutions and scholars in shaping both national and global development agendas, commending the organizers for their visionary leadership.



Academic conferences like this are crucial for discussing solutions to global challenges and guiding policymakers. The GSS is poised to drive the intellectual and practical advancements necessary to achieve Ghanas ambitious development goals, stated H.E. Papa Owusu Ankomah.



Distinguished Keynote Speakers



Keynote speakers included Professor Sankar Sivarajah, Dean of the Bradford School of Management, University of Bradford; Professor David Weir, Professor of Management and Strategy, St. York University; Professor Udy Archibong, a Pro Vice-Chancellor, University of Bradford; Professor Humphrey Danso, Dean of Graduate Studies, Akenteng Appiah Menka University; Professor Richard Nyuur, University of Bradford; Professor Gloria Agyemang, Royal Holloway, University of London.



A Confluence of Global Minds



The event brought together over one hundred esteemed academics and industry leaders from Japan, France, Canada, Portugal, Finland, Ghana, and the UK. These experts engaged in rich discussions on multidisciplinary research related to the SDGs, focusing on innovative solutions to complex social issues facing Ghana and the broader African continent. Key topics included social care, health, cybersecurity, human development, food security, education, accounting, finance and economics, and engineering.



Key Insights and Recommendations



Opening the conference, Dr Kweku Adams, Associate Professor at the University of Bradford and President of the GSS, highlighted the importance of collaborative efforts and a multidisciplinary approach to achieving sustainable development goals.



Ghana can achieve its development goals by embracing academic collaboration, he noted, underscoring the transformative power of integrating academic research into policy-making to enhance the quality of life for all Ghanaians.



The conference highlighted several critical areas for policy intervention, including economic diversification, public health and safety, and strengthening institutional frameworks.



Economic Diversification and Innovation



Policies must support innovation and technological adaptation across various sectors.

Establishing innovation hubs and fostering partnerships between academia and industry can translate research into commercial opportunities.

Strengthening Institutional Frameworks



Reforming institutional frameworks to improve transparency and governance is essential.

Academic research should inform the creation and reform of resilient and adaptable governance structures.

Public Health and Education



Leveraging academic research to address health and education disparities is crucial.

Collaborations with research institutions can develop policies based on empirical data to improve societal well-being.

Sustainable Construction and Climate Change



Adopting innovative construction frameworks and promoting sustainable materials can mitigate climate change impacts.

Policies should mandate sustainability requirements for social housing projects and localize material production.

Legal and Regulatory Reforms:



Strengthening legal frameworks and international cooperation can tackle human trafficking and enhance the enforcement of judgment.

Regulatory stability in sectors like petroleum and inclusive education for people with disabilities is critical for equitable development.

Conclusion and Call to Action



The conference concluded with a powerful call to action for the continuous integration of academic research into policymaking while adhering to legal frameworks to ensure balanced development and legal compliance. Laws are the pivot around which development revolves, remarked Prof. Sankar Sivarajah, Dean of the Bradford School of Management.



The GSS stands ready to collaborate with the Ghanaian government and international stakeholders to ensure that policies are informed by the latest research and align with both national priorities and global best practices. We urge policymakers, academics, and industry leaders to engage with our findings and work together towards achieving sustainable development.



For more information and to access the full policy brief, please visit the Ghana Scholarly Societys website: www.ghscholars.com.

Source: Peacefmonline









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

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Zipline, the innovative drone delivery service, has released its 2024 Impact Report, marking five years of transformative operations in Ghana.



The launch event, held in Kumasi in the Ashanti Region of Ghana on Thursday, July 25th, 2024, featured prominent guest speakers such as Dr Emmanuel Tinkorang, Regional Director of Health for Ashanti Region, and Dr Anthony Nsiah-Asare, Presidential Advisor on Health, alongside key stakeholders in the Ghanaian health sector.



Over the past five years, Zipline has significantly bridged healthcare access disparities across Ghana. The report, bolstered by independent studies, reveals that remote districts received 30% more COVID-19 vaccines via Zipline than less remote areas did through other sources. Furthermore, Ziplines innovative approach has led to a 67% reduction in wasted blood products and a 60% decrease in vaccine stockouts. These efforts have translated into a 44% reduction in missed vaccination opportunities and a 13-37 percentage point increase in routine immunization rates. In the Ashanti Region alone, maternal mortality has decreased by 54% due to these advancements.



Yvonne Agla, Operations Manager of Zipline Ghana in an address said; The Impact Report is a testament to the sustainable impacts of Ziplines partnership with the Government of Ghana in the past five years. Our mission is aimed at ensuring that no one is left behind when it comes to essential healthcare. The remarkable achievements outlined in this report demonstrate the transformative power of technology in bridging healthcare access disparities. As we celebrate our five-year milestone, we are incredibly proud of our impact in Ghana and are committed to continuing this vital work to improve health outcomes for communities nationwide.



The impact report showcases several key achievements:

 More frequent stockouts of vaccines among control facilities compared to Zipline-served facilities

 30% lower mean duration of stockouts in Zipline-served facilities versus control groups

 44% reduction in missed vaccination opportunities in the Zipline group

 13.1 to 37.5 percentage point increase in vaccine coverage at Zipline-served facilities

 15,000 additional vaccinations and over 720 deaths avoided

 91.1% of providers at Zipline-served facilities reported significant improvement in vaccine access

Collaborating closely with the Ministry of Health and the Ghana Health Service, Zipline has completed over 550,000 drone deliveries in Ghana, supplying vaccines, blood products, essential medicines, and diagnostic specimens to over 2,500 health facilities. Ziplines extensive operations span nearly all 16 regions of Ghana, delivering an average of 600 health commodities from its six distribution hubs per day, ensuring prompt and reliable supply to diverse communities.

Beyond its operational success, Zipline has been strongly committed to transparency and regulatory compliance. The company employs advanced equipment for managing and storing commodities, ensuring the highest quality standards are maintained during delivery.



Speaking at the event, Dr Anthony Nsiah-Asare remarked on the broader importance of optimizing Ziplines drones in the country: The collaboration between Zipline and the Government of Ghana serves as a clear and compelling illustration of how technology has been seamlessly integrated into Ghanas healthcare and supply chain to enhance access and responsiveness. The more we optimize the usage of the Zipline partnership, the more cost savings it generates for us as a country.

The 2024 Impact Report underscores the transformative potential of drone technology in healthcare logistics, making essential medical supplies more accessible to remote and underserved communities. Zipline aims to expand globally, the success of its drone operations in Ghana with continued regional collaborations, for improved health and well-being for millions worldwide.









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

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Information available indicates a mixed bag of joy and apprehension amongst young Police recruits in Ashanti Region who are fervently praying for the ruling New Patriotic Party to retain power.



The young recruits call for NPPs retention in government so as to replicate the magnificent Police housing project in the Region.



Many young Police officers, according to sources, are impressed with this beautiful gesture by government for the Police in the Greater Accra Region and are yearning to have a similar one in the Ashanti Region.



For their dream to be come true, it is premised on the NPP winning the upcoming December 7 elections.



It is on the heels of this that these young recruits pray for NPPs victory as, to them, they fear a change in leadership will ruin their hope.



During the inauguration of the spectacular 320-unit Police housing project at Tesano in Accra last week, the Inspector General of Police, Dr. George Akuffo Dampare praised the President, Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo, and the NPP, describing their investments and support to the Police Service as unprecedented.



The houses, located in the premises of the Police Training School, is fitted with state-of-the-art facilities and expected to address the decade-long housing challenges which had bedeviled the Service.



Some officers, speaking on the projects with their identities concealed, were hopeful the NPPs next administration under the leadership of Vice President Dr. Mahamudu Bawumia will extend this helpful initiative to the Ashanti Region.



"We have seen the beautiful housing project at Tesano and we pray that similar one can be done here in Kumasi for us to also enjoy. This government has done a lot for the Police and other security agencies and we hope they can stay in power so that we can also benefit from them", the officers said.

Source: Peacefmonline.com/Ghana









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

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Ghana's 4th Republic has given eight years to ruling parties, not more. Beyond the loyalists of the various political parties, voters believe that when one political party governs for some time, they must leave for another political party to come. That voter belief is coming from something we hear all the time: "All politicians are the same, let one go and let another come."



We (NPP) are looking to break the eight. It is an expectation coming at a time when hostile external factors have imposed considerable hardship on the average Ghanaian voter. But it is not just external factors that threaten our chances of electoral victory. The economic problems Ghana is facing today, at both the national level and in households, are also the cumulative effects of many decades, spanning different governments, of the bad politics and economic mismanagement that have characterised the governance of our country.







Your browser does not support iframes.

Source: Kwaku Kwarteng









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

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Political Science lecturer at the University of Ghana, Legon, Professor Ransford Gyampo, has called for the head of President Nana Addo Danquah Akufo-Addo for causing financial loss to the state or forfeit his ex-gratia gratuity.



According to the Professor Gyampo, Nana Akufo Addo must be charged for causing financial loss to the state in relation to the national Cathedral [project, which has been described by the opposition and some section of the Ghanaian populace as the biggest hole in the world.



He added that, it is expedient to freeze the Presidents ex-gratia if he cannot be held responsible for the financial loss incurred as a result of the National Cathedral.



The astute political science lecturer and revered statesman posited that, someone must be held accountable for the consequences of investing a huge sum of funds belonging to the Ghanaian citizens into a project that has not seen the light of day.



Professor Gyampo made this call on Tuesdays Key Point programme on Saturday, July, 27, monitored by Peacefmonlie.com.



Prof Gyampo said For the National Cathedral, I think that somebody must be sued for causing financial loss to the state. President Akufo-Addo himself must suffer some consequences.



If it is possible, let us freeze his gratuity to be used in paying for the covering of the cathedral. If that is not enough then we sue him for having caused financial loss to the state.



It was revealed in the floor of parliament on Wednesday July 3, 2024 that the government has expended GHC 339 million since the inception of the project till its current state.



The minister of State at the Ministry of Finance, Abena Ose-Asare, said, The total releases made for the National Cathedral by the government to date remain at GH339 million. This figure comprises GH225 million paid to the National Cathedral Secretariat, and GH113 million paid directly to the project consultant.



There was a value-for-money audit done on the project in 2021. Also, a statutory audit of the National Cathedral of Ghana accounts by Deloitte Ghana was started in July 2023 and is ongoing.



Auditors had concluded the audit of the 18-month account ended December 31, 2020. Meanwhile, preparations are in place for the auditors to complete the remaining accounts for the periods ended December 31, 2021, 2022 and 2023.



The idea of a national cathedral has been fought by many Ghanaians, with some describing it as a personal promise made by President Akufo Addo to God.



Its construction has provoked discussions about a myriad of viewpoints. While some call for the dissolution of the board of trustees, others also think the idea behind constructing has been foiled, hence, the entire project should be withheld.





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.

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An accounting firm based in East Pennsboro Township has announced that it has appointed a managing partner.

Lisa Myers was named managing partner at Boyer & Ritter.

Myers joined the firm in 1989 and became its COO in 2022.

She follows Robert J. Murphy, who has led Boyer & Ritter as its CEO for the last 15 years. Murphy will continue as a principal over the next year on a part-time basis. He has been with the firm since 1980.

Under Bobs thoughtful and visionary leadership, Boyer & Ritter has grown into a regional leader, well-positioned for continued success, Myers said in a news release. I look forward to working closely with our talented team to continue serving our clients with the highest level of dedication and expertise.

Officials at the firm said that as part of Boyer & Ritters leadership transition plan to meet future challenges and changes, the firms principals chose to disperse the CEOs responsibilities to a management team. Following Myers appointment as COO in 2022, the firm named Tom Taricani as chair of the executive committee, and Matt Wildasin and Jay Goldman as chief growth officers. Officials said that the appointment of Myers as managing partner is the final step of a years-long transition plan.

It has been an immense honor to lead this incredible team of talented professionals, and together, we achieved remarkable milestones, Murphy said in the news release. As I pass the torch to Lisa and our new leadership team, I have full confidence that Boyer & Ritter is poised for even greater achievements under their guidance.

Boyer & Ritter provides accounting, auditing, tax, and consulting services to businesses of varying sizes and industries throughout Pennsylvania and the continental United States. Boyer & Ritter has offices in the Camp Hill, Carlisle, Chambersburg, and State College areas.
Rite Aid has been closing hundreds of stores since it filed for bankruptcy in October.

Of the 699 stores that the company has announced in bankruptcy filings that it is closing, 80 are in Rite Aids home state of Pennsylvania. The pharmaceutical company was based in East Pennsboro Township for decades and now calls Philadelphia home.

But Rite Aid is closing a large number of stores in other states including Virginia.

Rite Aid has announced it will close 24 stores in Virginia.

The 24 locations amount to about 3.4% of the 699 announced closings that Rite Aid has announced.

Rite Aid filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy in October to begin restructuring to significantly reduce its debt.

U.S. Bankruptcy Judge Michael Kaplan approved Rite Aids bankruptcy plan at a court hearing in June in Trenton, New Jersey, allowing the pharmacy chain to cut $2 billion in debt and turn over control of the company to a group of its lenders, according to CNBC.

Rite Aid plans to exit from bankruptcy soon, funded by $2.55 billion in financing provided by its lenders, according to Reuters.

Heres a list of the 24 Rite Aid store closings in Virginia:

1. 1660 Independence Blvd., Virginia Beach

2. 1101 E. Little Creek Road, Norfolk

3. 1801 Hull St., Richmond

4. 1624 Laskin Road, Suite 750, Virginia Beach

5. 2460 George Washington Memorial, Hayes

6. 1200 Benns Church Blvd., Smithfield

7. 1104 Courthouse Road, Richmond

8. 1415 Cedar Road, Chesapeake

9. 7601 Granby St., Norfolk

10. 324 Virginia Beach Blvd., Virginia Beach

11. 1808 Salem Road, Virginia Beach

12. 1517 Holland road, Suffolk

13. 5914 W. High St., Portsmouth

14. 163 W. Ocean View Ave., Norfolk

15. 4501 News Road, Williamsburg

16. 671 J. Clyde Morris Blvd., Newport News

17. 20825 Woodpecker Road, South Chesterfield

18. 5036 Ferrell Parkway, Virginia Beach

19. 4310 Westgate Road, North Dinwiddie

20. 3653 Virginia Beach Blvd., Virginia Beach

21. 4813 W. Mercury Blvd., Hampton

22. 1031 Armory Drive, Franklin

23. 833 N. Battlefield Blvd., Chesapeake

24. 1458 Mount Pleasant Road, Chesapeake
Shanghai (Gasgoo)- On July 30, Baojun, a brand under SAIC-GM-Wuling ("SGMW") officially released additional product configuration details and interior images of its fire new intelligent long-range SUV, the Baojun Yunhai (translating to "sea of clouds").

Photo credit: Baojun

The newly revealed interior images showcase a streamlined, wrap-around aesthetic design, available in Morning White and Night Black dual-color options. High-frequency contact areas such as the dashboard and central armrest are fully covered with soft materials, enhancing the driving experience. The new model features an 8.8-inch LCD instrument panel and a 15.6-inch floating central control screen, and it comes standard with eight speakers and an independent amplifier.

Photo credit: Baojun

The front seats of the Yunhai are equipped with ventilation and heating functions, with the driver's seat offering six-way electric adjustment and the passenger seat providing four-way electric adjustment. In terms of space, the headroom in the front and rear rows measures 1,008mm and 987mm, respectively, while the legroom is 949mm in the front and 876mm in the rear.

Photo credit: Baojun

For storage, the Yunhai offers a basic trunk volume of 567 liters, which can be expanded to 1,570 liters with the rear seats folded down. The tailgate opens to a height of 1,795mm with a threshold height of 757mm, making it easy to load luggage. Additionally, the vehicle has 29 portable storage spaces throughout the cabin.

Photo credit: Baojun

The exterior of the Yunhai features a closed-off front grille combined with L-shaped headlights and a trapezoidal air intake below. The slightly shovel-shaped front lip adds a sporty touch. The rear of the vehicle has a simple design, enhanced by a full-width taillight assembly that adds visual depth.

In terms of powertrain, the Yunhai will be available in both plug-in hybrid electric vehicle (PHEV) and battery electric vehicle (BEV) versions. The BEV version is equipped with a 150kW electric motor, providing a CLTC range of 600 kilometers. The PHEV version features a system comprising a 1.5L engine with a maximum power of 78kW and an electric motor. The PHEV model includes the Lingxi hybrid system, offering a battery-powered range of 140 kilometers and a combined range of up to 1100 kilometers under CLTC conditions. Additionally, the WLTC-rated fuel consumption for the PHEV model is as low as 4.96 liters per 100 kilometers when the battery is depleted.
Two former Penn State University students and fraternity leaders pleaded guilty to their roles in the 2017 hazing death of Timothy Piazza, the Attorney Generals Office announced on Tuesday.

Brendan Young, 28, and Daniel Casey, 27, pleaded guilty this week to 14 counts of hazing and one count of reckless endangerment in connection to Piazzas Feb. 4, 2017 death from injuries he suffered at the Beta Theta Pi fraternity house days prior. Sentencing is scheduled for Oct. 1. All the crimes are misdemeanors.
By Matt Vasilogambros, Stateline.org (TNS)

This week, a coalition of election officials, businesses, and civic engagement, religious and veterans groups will make a national push to encourage hundreds of thousands of Americans to serve as poll workers in Novembers presidential election.

Poll worker demand is high. With concerns over the harassment and threats election officials face, and with the traditional bench of poll workers growing older, hundreds of counties around the country are in desperate need of people who are willing to serve their communities.

On Aug. 1, there will be a social media blitz across Facebook, TikTok, X and other platforms that will encourage Americans to spend a few hours helping democracy. Theyre being asked to wake up before sunrise, welcome voters to polling places, hand them a ballot, and make sure the voting process goes smoothly.

A woman fills out her ballot at a fire station turned polling place on May 17, 2022, in Cary, North Carolina. (Melissa Sue Gerrits/Getty Images/TNS)TNS

Many sites will see long lines and frustrated voters; they may face unexpected problems such as a power outage or a cantankerous voting machine. Nearly all will hand out scores of tiny I Voted stickers.

The U.S. Election Assistance Commission, a federal agency that works with election officials to improve the voting process, established the recruitment day in 2020. The commission offers a social media toolkit, full of suggested hashtags and cartoon video snippets, to help local election officials reach potential new workers. There are 100,000 or so polling places across the country, and the agencys website shows potential workers how to sign up.

Serving as a poll worker is the single most impactful, nonpartisan way that any individual person can engage in the elections this year, said Marta Hanson, the national program manager for Power the Polls, one of the leading nonpartisan groups in the recruitment effort.

Poll workers are the face of our democracy and the face of our elections, she told Stateline.

Launched in the spring of 2020 during the throes of the COVID-19 pandemic, Power the Polls gathered nonprofits and businesses together to help election workers close the gap left after many poll workers, who tend to be older, decided to no longer serve due to health concerns. Nearly half of the poll workers who servedin 2020 were older than 60.

The groups effort recruited 700,000 prospective poll workers nationwide.

It is our vision that every voter has someone who looks like them and speaks their language when they show up at the polling place, and that election administrators have the people that they need, Hanson said.

Polling places still need poll workers. This year Power the Polls is tracking more than 1,835 jurisdictions, spanning all 50 states and the District of Columbia, that the group identified through outreach to election administrators, monitoring local news and working with on-the-ground partners.

Of those jurisdictions, Hanson said, 700 towns and counties have really, really high needs.

For example, Boston needs 500 new poll workers by its Sept. 3 primary, while Detroit needs 1,000 more people to sign up before November. In small towns in Connecticut and rural California, officials are desperate to find 20 people to help. Los Angeles County is looking for people who speak one of a dozen languages that are prevalent in the area.

In suburban Cobb County just outside of Atlanta, Director of Elections Tate Fall said recruiting poll workers has been difficult, but not at the level shes heard about in other communities nationally. Her team has found success at farmers markets, Juneteenth festivals and senior services events.

Among her challenges, she said, is that many of the poll workers who have signed up this year are new and need more training and practice before November. She also worries about reliability.

Its just we have a lot of people sign up and then they never mark their availability, or they only want to work in their precinct, Fall said. We need people that are a bit more flexible. But overall, were doing good.

Over the past four years, local election officials have been bombarded by misinformation, harassment and threats fueled by the lie that the 2020 presidential election was stolen.

To ease voters skepticism about ballot security, officials will often welcome them into the elections office and give them a tour.

In Nevada, Carson City Clerk-Recorder Scott Hoen goes a step further by inviting skeptical residents to see the election process firsthand as a poll worker.

Lo and behold, once they go through the cycle, they understand and they can touch, feel it, see it, know it, understand it, that we run a really good, tight election here in Carson City, Hoen said. I think they have a better comfort with me now doing that, teaching them whats going on.

In Marion County, Florida, Supervisor of Elections Wesley Wilcox has been worried about people who believe the 2020 election was stolen working as poll workers and potentially disrupting the voting process. But the required training to become a poll worker has alleviated some of that concern.

Weve had them, and they actually become some of our advocates in this process, he said.

Joseph Kirk, the election supervisor for Bartow County, Georgia, said that, beyond learning about the voting system, being a poll worker is just fun.

Kirk tells voters that its an opportunity to take a day off work, get paid, meet new people, see the characters of the community and enjoy a good meal, since some poll workers bring in homemade food to share.

And for the high school government students he recruits in their classes, its a way to participate in elections as early as 16.

Its a community, he said. And being part of it is really special.

Stateline is part of States Newsroom, a national nonprofit news organization focused on state policy.

2024 States Newsroom. Visit at stateline.org. Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC.
Lebanon County is about to get its first Chick-fil-A.

Ahead of the opening, the chain said it needs to hire between 80 and 120 full-and part-time team members.

The restaurant is opening at 1147 Quentin Road at the Lebanon Plaza shopping mall in North Cornwall Township.

Owner-operator Marty Windisch said in a press release hes excited to serve the Lebanon community and will offer a welcoming, purpose-driven environment with meaningful career opportunities for team members.

Windisch grew up an hour south of the restaurant and has worked for Chick-fil-A, assisting with openings in Pennsylvania.

My Chick-fil-A journey began six years ago under the mentorship of a local owner-operator, so Ive seen firsthand the importance of providing opportunities for others, Windisch said.

The 5,905-square-foot restaurant replaces Golden Corral and features 70 seats, 55 parking spots and three drive-thru lanes. An opening date has not been announced.

It will be the first Chick-fil-A in Lebanon County and one of a handful under development in central Pennsylvania.

Earlier this year, a Chick-fil-A opened at 219 Gettysburg Pike at Shepherdstown Crossing, a mixed-use development at Gettysburg Pike and Route 114 in Upper Allen Township.

Two are under development in Susquehanna Township including at Dodson Court near Kohn Road and Progress Avenue and at the former First National Bank at 3951 Union Deposit Road.

Applicants can text CFA717 to 31063 to apply to the Lebanon County restaurant.
GAINESVILLE, Fla. (AP)  William Laws Calley Jr., who as an Army lieutenant led the U.S. soldiers who killed hundreds of Vietnamese civilians in the My Lai massacre, the most notorious war crime in modern American military history, has died. He was 80.

Calley died on April 28, according to his Florida death record, which said he had been living in an apartment in Gainesville. His death was first reported by The Washington Post on Monday, citing his death certificate.

Calley had lived in obscurity in the decades since he was court-martialed and convicted in 1971, the only one of 25 men originally charged to be found guilty in the massacre, which helped turn American opinion against the war in Vietnam.

On March 16, 1968, Calley led American soldiers of the Charlie Company on a mission to confront a crack outfit of their Vietcong enemies. Instead, over several hours, the soldiers killed 504 unresisting civilians, mostly women, children and elderly men, in My Lai and a neighboring community.

The men were angry: Two days earlier, a booby trap had killed a sergeant, blinded a GI and wounded several others while Charlie Company was on patrol.

Soldiers eventually testified to the U.S. Army investigating commission that the murders began soon after Calley led Charlie Companys first platoon into My Lai that morning. Some were bayoneted to death. Families were herded into bomb shelters and killed with hand grenades. Other civilians were slaughtered in a drainage ditch. Women and girls were gang-raped.

It wasnt until more than a year later that news of the massacre became public. And while the My Lai massacre was the most notorious in modern U.S. military history, it was not an aberration: Estimates of civilians killed during the U.S. ground war in Vietnam from 1965 to 1973 range from 1 million to 2 million.

The U.S. militarys own records, filed away for three decades, described 300 other cases of what could fairly be described as war crimes. My Lai stood out because of the shocking one-day death toll, stomach-churning photographs and the gruesome details exposed by a high-level U.S. Army inquiry.

Investigations into the massacre and allegations of a Pentagon coverup were launched after a complaint by a helicopter pilot, Hugh Thompson Jr., who saved 16 Vietnamese children in the village and later testified against Calley.

Multiple other soldiers at the scene also spoke out after the scandal broke. Some said civilian deaths were inevitable in a war where the enemy could be anywhere. Others said Calley, who was charged with killing 109 civilians, shouldnt have been singled out.

Calley, he didnt kill the 109 all by himself. There was a company there, said Herbert Carter, a soldier from Houston. We went through the village. We didnt see any VC (Viet Cong). People came out of their hootches (huts) and the guys shot them down and then burned the hootches, or burned the hootches and then shot the people when they came out. ... It went on like this all day. Some of the guys seemed to be having a lot of fun doing it.

Calley was convicted in 1971 for the murders of 22 people during the rampage. He was sentenced to life in prison but served only three days because President Richard Nixon ordered his sentence reduced. He served three years of house arrest.

FILE - Former Army Lt. William Calley poses for a photo at the Kiwanis Club, Aug. 19, 2009, in Columbus, Ga. (The Ledger-Enquirer via AP, File)AP

After his release, Calley stayed in Columbus and settled into a job at a jewelry store owned by his father-in-law before moving to Atlanta, where he avoided publicity and routinely turned down journalists requests for interviews.

Calley broke his silence in 2009, at the urging of a friend, when he spoke to the Kiwanis Club in Columbus, Georgia, near Fort Benning, where he had been court-martialed.

There is not a day that goes by that I do not feel remorse for what happened that day in My Lai, Calley said, according to an account of the meeting reported by the Columbus Ledger-Enquirer. I feel remorse for the Vietnamese who were killed, for their families, for the American soldiers involved and their families. I am very sorry.

He said his mistake was following orders, which had been his defense when he was tried. His superior officer was acquitted.

William George Eckhardt, the chief prosecutor in the My Lai cases, said in 2009 that he was unaware of Calley ever apologizing before.

Its hard to apologize for murdering so many people, said Eckhardt. But at least theres an acknowledgment of responsibility.

Calley was born in June 8, 1943 in South Florida, where friends called him Rusty growing up. He eventually dropped out of Palm Beach Junior College, and worked as a dishwasher, bellhop, railroad switchman, salesman and insurance appraiser before joining the Army in 1966.

At about 5-foot, 3-inches tall and 120 pounds when he was in the Army, Calley didnt stand out. Fellow officer candidates told the AP in 1969 that there was nothing unusual about him. But his military career was advancing until the scandal. Months after the massacre, he returned home, then re-upped for another tour. Eventually, he was wounded, awarded the Purple Heart, and won two Bronze Star medals.

His sister Dawn was living with their father in a mobile home in Hialeah when she told reporters during the trial that her brother was a sweet, sensitive guy.

Calley married and had a son after returning to civilian life, but later got divorced. Messages left for his son and ex-wife on Tuesday were not immediately returned.
SUNBURY  A Northumberland County man who wounded a state trooper during a foot pursuit has withdrawn no-contest pleas to charges in two cases.

Hunter Douglass Shaheen, 20, of Watsontown, was scheduled to be sentenced Monday in county court but instead withdrew his pleas.

He pleaded in May to charges of assault on a law enforcement officer (firearm discharged), possessing a firearm without a license and possession with intent to distribute controlled substances.
U.S. Rep. Scott Perry complained on Facebook on May 30 about a deal between the Sierra Club and Talen Energy to shut down the Brandon Shores coal-fired power plant in Maryland. This is typical of his entire political career. He doesnt offer solutions to our nations problems, he only demonizes the opposing party to raise money and win elections. This actively undermines bipartisan efforts to provide solutions.

For years, he could have been using his position to work with Democrats to ease our nations energy transition, a transition happening as we speak. The country needs common sense solutions to reduce pollution from burning coal. Instead he chooses to embrace climate change denial and attack clean energy projects by spreading misinformation about off-shore wind and whale deaths ... off-shore wind that would power Maryland communities.

Perry called for a moratorium for all off-shore wind projects spouting conspiracy nonsense that noise from the wind projects was killing whales. The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administrations (NOAA) Fisheries page debunked this saying: There is no scientific evidence that noise resulting from offshore wind site characterization surveys could potentially cause whale deaths. There are no known links between large whale deaths and ongoing offshore wind activities.

Thankfully Perry lost his leadership of the extreme-right Freedom Caucus, hopefully PA10 voters will replace him in November with someone who works to solve our nations problems.

Porter Hedge, Spring Garden Township, Pa.
Polls taken since Vice President Kamala Harris became the presumptive Democratic presidential nominee show a tight race shaping up against former President Donald Trump in Pennsylvania.

The margin of error for four polls, primarily by conservative outlets, means that the race in the Keystone State is a statistical tie.
Photo: Bruce Bennett / Staff (Getty Images)

A California woman is suing JetBlue, claiming the airlines refusal to allow her emotional support dog to accompany her last year led to a resurgence in her Stage 4 cancer. According to the lawsuit, the woman and her husband claim JetBlue also violated the Americans with Disabilities Act when a crew member kicked them off the flight, forcing them to scramble to find a new way home, the Independent reports.

When Peter and Oksana Kiritchenko originally booked their tickets, the couple say they submitted the necessary U.S. Department of Transportation Service Animal Air Transportation Form to JetBlue. While their outbound flight went off without a hitch, when they attempted to board their return flight, they were told the only way Pier would be allowed on board would be if one of them moved to the main cabin.

Plaintiffs had a pressing need to get back home (Mrs. Kiritchenko being a cancer patient had to be locally available in Los Angeles for her checkups), so they agreed, the lawsuit says.

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Oksana agreed, but later, a flight attendant asked her to put Pier in a much smaller bag. When he didnt fit, the plane returned to the gate, and they were forced to find a new flight. The first one available flew out of Miami the next day, requiring them to get from Fort Lauderdale to Miami and rent a hotel room for the night. The good news is, Delta didnt have a problem letting Pier fly with them.

In the lawsuit, Peter and Oksana Kiritchenko said they experienced an unexplainable level of cruel humiliation and ridicule when JetBlue wouldnt let their dog join them in first class. They also say their federally protected right to be accompanied on the flight with their service animal was violated.



The lawsuit further claims that Oksana Kiritchenko, although a Stage-4 cancer patient, had been in remission prior [to] the events described hereinabove. Those events caused Mrs. Kiritchenko an extreme amount of stress. Upon arrival home, she checked in to Cedars-Sinai Medical Center hospital in Los Angeles. The test results had shown the mean tumor molecules levels (MTM/ml) had risen to 0.59. Several prior tests were showing test results at 0.00.

Story continues

Whether these claims will hold up in court remains to be seen. As Live and Lets Fly points out, the Air Carrier Access Act governs flight issues, not the ADA. The complaint also apparently switches between referring to Pier as a service animal and an emotional support animal, making it hard to know whether the dog should be considered a service animal or not. Under the ACAA, JetBlue would have been required to accommodate a trained service dog but not an emotional support animal, and JetBlues website clearly states that dogs are not allowed in first class.

As for her cancer returning, its hard to see how Oksana would be able to show it has anything to do with the stress she experienced. Still, crazier things have happened before, and well be keeping an eye on this lawsuit as it moves forward.

For the latest news, Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.
Bodens keynote on the age verification mandates being passed in the U.S. focused on the many reasons that they should not act as a model for other jurisdictions. Setting aside the unconstitutionality of the U.S. laws, Boden highlighted the strange ways content is defined, patchwork of age verification mechanisms prescribed, and disproportionate enforcement methods authorized by the 19 state age verification statutes in the U.S.

Boden outlined the serious barriers to compliance with these laws, including the enormous cost of implementing age verification services and the near-total refusal of consumers to age-verify to access adult content. She finished with four suggestions for regulators:

 Make compliance requirements extremely clear and realistic for websites.

 Make efforts to improve consumer trust in age assurance.

 Take action to limit competitive advantage of non-compliance.

 Reduce the financial burden on businesses.

If regulators want to keep minors from accessing age-inappropriate material, its essential that our industry be at the table, Boden says. Regulations that are unevenly applied, that discourage compliance, and are rejected by consumers will inevitably fail. Im thankful to Ofcom for inviting me, and to those in our industry who joined me to help educate the regulators.

In March, FSC submitted a detailed critique of the age assurance guidance proposed by Ofcom under the OSA, which requires sites to ensure that children cannot normally encounter pornographic content by implementing some form of age assurance technology. The event was designed to facilitate discussion on the proposed regulations.

The hybrid event was attended by representatives from a variety of platforms that host adult content and began with remarks from Ofcoms Online Safety Group Director. She related that the regulator hoped to create a "no surprises" compliance and enforcement regime that harmonizes with international standards and best practices.

Next, the attendees worked in small groups to provide feedback on Ofcoms definition of pornographic content, which is vaguely defined in the OSA as content of such a nature that it is reasonable to assume that it was produced solely or principally for the purpose of sexual arousal. Ofcoms attempt to clarify what content is and is not pornographic seemed complicated and vastly over-inclusive to many of the attendees, who encouraged the regulator to narrow and simplify the definition.

The event also included a presentation on what highly effective age assurance means in practice, which was largely a recitation of the criteria outlined in the proposed guidance. This was followed by a panel featuring representatives from Aylo, WGCZ, and Hammy Media discussing the trust and safety measures each platform employs.

The final presentation focused on how websites can prevent non-consensual intimate imagery (NCII), also known as revenge porn, on their platforms by using StopNCII.orgs hash lists. By simply integrating StopNCIIs API, services can check user-submitted content against their database of image and video hashes. Any platform wishing to thwart intimate image abuse by integrating the tool should email [email protected].

In her closing remarks, the Online Safety Supervision Director announced that Ofcom will be launching an awareness campaign in the fall to inform the industry about their obligations under the OSA. To facilitate this, Ofcome has created a one-stop landing page for adult content platforms at ofcom.org.uk/adultsonly with the proposals themselves, as well as ways to check whether the rules apply to a website. Platforms are encouraged to provide Ofcoms Porn Supervision team with feedback.

"FSC is pleased that, unlike the vast majority of policymakers, Ofcom is making a concerted effort to engage with the industry to understand our concerns," the organization said in a press statement. "We hope that this will result in a workable policy for adult content websites and encourage all FSC members to reach out to Ofcom with feedback on how the requirements will affect their businesses."
Walid Bou Habib Claims Another Merit Major in $3,300 OPE Classic Cup

Josh Noy Global Live Events Assistant Manager Copy link

Though his recorded live tournament results date all the way back to 2008, Lebanons Walid Bou Habib doesnt consider himself a professional poker player. He prefers to play select events at familiar venues, and his time at Merit Poker continues to be fruitful after adding another victory in the Merit Poker Dolce Vita Series.

Habib came into the added Day 3 second in chips, navigating his way through a field of 193 entries to reach the final table of the $3,300 OPE Classic Cup. From there, he did not knock out a single player until the very last hand, eliminating Julien Liarte and Antoine Hasbani together to claim the title.

Check out our coverage of the Merit Poker Dolce Vita Series Live updates here

It is one amongst the major results which I have made, Habib told PokerNews moments after the win. To get the trophy, its always nice because Im trying to make a nice collection of trophies. I have already three PokerStars trophies, and also four or five from Merit so it will be my, maybe, tenth trophy.

The first-place score will also see his total career earnings climb above $2.3 million, with each of his last ten recorded cashes coming right here at Merit.

Im not professional but I play very often, Habib explained, This is one of the venues which I never miss. Im just focusing on Cyprus, its very nice here, we came with the family, they enjoy the beach, they enjoy lot of summer activities, its nice.

Walid Bou Habib

$3,300 OPE Classic Cup Final Table Results

Place Player Country Prize (USD) 1 Walid Bou Habib Lebanon $132,000 2 Julien Liarte France $90,000 3 Antoine Hasbani Lebanon $60,000 4 Konstantin Voronin Russian Federation $41,500 5 Iurii Saiapin Russian Federation $32,500 6 Jeremie Zouari France $26,500 7 Fadi Nakhoul Lebanon $21,700 8 Azamat Tulepbergenov Kazakhstan $17,150

Added Day 3

Due to the size of the field in the $3,300 OPE Classic Cup, the schedule needed to be adjusted in order to crown a champion. The last 29 players standing from Day 2 returned to the felt this afternoon for an unscheduled added day, prepared once again to play down to a winner.

Early on, the added hurdle was the looming money bubble, as only the top 23 players would earn a payday. It did not take long to reach hand-for-hand play, as the min-cash of $5,110 was quickly in play.

Darius Neagoe was knocked out on the very first hand, and the remaining players were set to battle for the largest payouts of the $532,680 prize pool.

To begin the extra day, Habib and Hasbani were at the top of the counts, along with Russian Konstantin Voronin. All three carried that momentum to the final table, but Voronin did most of the damage.

Final Table Action

Merit Poker Dolce Vita Series

The final table started with a bang, as Voronin took out Edgar Yamin and Azamat Tulepbergenov at the same time. Voronin endured a roller coaster from there, eventually bowing out in fourth place.

Hasbani was able to maintain a big stack all the way down to the final three, while Habib stayed out of trouble and made a move when it mattered the most.

Habib took out both Hasbani and Liarte for another big score in Cyprus, adding another trophy to his mantle. The win comes less than a year after he made a heads-up deal in the 2023 PokerStars EPT Cyprus $3,000 Mystery Bounty event for $242,623. Habib also claimed a trophy in the Merit Poker Western Series $2,200 Main Event back in 2016, so success on the island is certainly nothing new.

The OPE Classic champ will now seek to continue his good fortune here at Merit while enjoying the time with family and friends.

Walid Bou Habib

That concludes our coverage of the $3,300 OPE Classic Cup, but be sure to check out PokerNews for all of the action from the $2,200 La Notte Degli Assi event as the Merit Poker Dolce Vita Series continues.

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Another action-packed day at the Merit Poker Dolce Vita Series saw 369 entrants take their shot at building a stack in the $2,200 La Notte Degli Assi. Day 1b of the event filled the poker room at the Merit Crystal Cove Hotel and Casino for most of the day, leaving just 137 players bagging for Day 2 on Thursday, August 1.

Leading the way after the second flight is Symeon Alexandridis, a well-travelled poker pro from Athens, Greece. Alexandridis boasts career earnings of more than $1.2 million, and hes already well-positioned for another deep run here in Cyprus bagging a massive stack of 917,500 chips. France's Gregory Luttke finished up close behind, the only other player to collect more than 300 big blinds on the day.

Day 1b Top 10 Chip Counts

Rank Player Country Chip Count Big Blinds 1 Symeon Alexandridis Greece 917,500 367 2 Gregory Luttke France 897,000 359 3 Yassin Mahmoud Jordan 747,000 299 4 Zvezdan Tadic Serbia 694,000 278 5 Caner Gunes Turkey 671,500 269 6 Maroun Jazzar Lebanon 664,000 266 7 Dashinka Israel 650,000 260 8 Daniyar Aubakirov Kazakhstan 639,000 256 9 Hamza Ali Tunisia 590,500 236 10 Matteo Zanardi Italy 588,000 235

The event features a guaranteed prize pool of $1,500,000, which is clearly on track to be exceeded after two starting flights. Mondays Day 1a saw 237 entries, which was surpassed today by the end of the third level of play. The total field has now climbed to 606 entries, with two more flights to come on Wednesday, July 31.

Jeremie Zouari

To this point, 224 players have qualified for Day 2, with Alexandridis in the drivers seat. He was able to build a big stack early in the day thanks to a double knockout with pocket kings, continuing to add chips from there and finish with 367 big blinds.

Other notable names to collect a big stack on Day 1b include Shalev Halfa (540,500) Maher Achour (527,500), Viktor Yugay (449,000), Slaven Popov (431,000) and Jeremie Zouari (410,000).

The list of other players to bag more than a starting stack of 100,000 includes Nikolay Fal (145,500), Claudiu Burlacu (137,000), Simone Andrian (117,500) and Fabio Peluso (114,000).

Fabio Peluso

$2,200 La Notte Degli Assi Remaining Schedule

Date Day Time Wed. July 31 Day 1c 12:00 p.m. Wed. July 31 Day 1d 7:00 p.m. Thu. August 1 Day 2 12:00 p.m. Fri. August 2 Day 3 12:00 p.m. Sat. August 3 Day 4 12:00 p.m. Sun. August 4 Final Day 12:00 p.m.

Action continues on Day 1c at 12:00 p.m. local time, where players will navigate through 40-minute levels. That will be followed by the turbo Day 1d flight, which features 25-minute levels. All surviving players will then join together for Day 2 and battle towards the money.

The event features unlimited reentries, and late registration remains available until the end of Level 14 on Day 2.

Dont miss any of the action, as the PokerNews live reporting team continues to provide full coverage until a champion is crowned on Sunday night.
Though his recorded live tournament results date all the way back to 2008, Lebanons Walid Bou Habib doesnt consider himself a professional poker player. He prefers to play select events at familiar venues, and his time at Merit Poker continues to be fruitful after adding another victory in the Merit Poker Dolce Vita Series.

Habib came into the added Day 3 second in chips, navigating his way through a field of 193 entries to reach the final table of the $3,300 OPE Classic Cup. From there, he did not knock out a single player until the very last hand, eliminating Julien Liarte and Antoine Hasbani together to claim the title.

It is one amongst the major results which I have made, Habib told PokerNews moments after the win. To get the trophy, its always nice because Im trying to make a nice collection of trophies. I have already three PokerStars trophies, and also four or five from Merit so it will be my, maybe, tenth trophy.

The first-place score will also see his total career earnings climb above $2.3 million, with each of his last ten recorded cashes coming right here at Merit.

Im not professional but I play very often, Habib explained. This is one of the venues which I never miss. Im just focusing on Cyprus, its very nice here, we came with the family, they enjoy the beach, they enjoy lot of summer activities, its nice.

Walid Bou Habib

$3,300 OPE Classic Cup Final Table Results

Place Player Country Prize (USD) 1 Walid Bou Habib Lebanon $132,000 2 Julien Liarte France $90,000 3 Antoine Hasbani Lebanon $60,000 4 Konstantin Voronin Russian Federation $41,500 5 Iurii Saiapin Russian Federation $32,500 6 Jeremie Zouari France $26,500 7 Fadi Nakhoul Lebanon $21,700 8 Azamat Tulepbergenov Kazakhstan $17,150

Added Day 3

Due to the size of the field in the $3,300 OPE Classic Cup, the schedule needed to be adjusted in order to crown a champion. The last 29 players standing from Day 2 returned to the felt this afternoon for an unscheduled added day, prepared once again to play down to a winner.

Early on, the added hurdle was the looming money bubble, as only the top 23 players would earn a payday. It did not take long to reach hand-for-hand play, as the min-cash of $5,110 was quickly in play.

Darius Neagoe was knocked out on the very first hand, and the remaining players were set to battle for the largest payouts of the $532,680 prize pool.

Habib and Hasbani were at the top of the counts to begin the extra day, along with Russian Konstantin Voronin. All three carried that momentum to the final table, but it was Voronin doing most of the damage.

Final Table Action

The final table started with a bang, as Voronin took out Edgar Yamin and Azamat Tulepbergenov at the same time. Voronin endured a roller coaster from there, eventually bowing out in fourth place.

Hasbani was able to maintain a big stack all the way down to the final three, while Habib stayed out of trouble and made a move when it mattered the most.

Habib took out both Hasbani and Liarte for another big score in Cyprus, adding another trophy to his mantle. The win comes less than a year after he made a heads-up deal in the 2023 PokerStars EPT Cyprus $3,000 Mystery Bounty event for $242,623. Habib also claimed a trophy in the Merit Poker Western Series $2,200 Main Event back in 2016, so success on the island is certainly nothing new.

The OPE Classic champ will now seek to continue his good fortune here at Merit, while enjoying the time with family and friends.

Walid Bou Habib

That concludes our coverage of the $3,300 OPE Classic Cup, but be sure to check out PokerNews for all of the action from the $2,200 La Notte Degli Assi event as the Merit Poker Dolce Vita Series continues.
Sen. John Kennedy (R-LA) called Vice President Kamala Harris a ding dong, but he looked like the ding dong as he imploded on the air.

Kennedy said to Fox News host Neal Cavuto, I dont care about her gender. Neal, maybe you do, but I dont. I dont care about her race. I care about her competence. Then why call her a ding don.

Cavuto asked, Then why call her ding dong?

Kennedy continued, And Im telling you what the polling shows. Im telling you what the polling shows and it does, and Ill be glad to sit down with you and walk you through the polls.

Cavuto replied, Yeah please do. Because I never know when its constructive to call people names.

Kennedy then attacked Cavuto, But Im sorry. Im sorry if that hurts your feelings, but. But let me say it again.

Cavuto said, Senator, you keep bringing it back to my feelings. My feelings matter little. All Im telling you is if you think you can gain this November calling people names I dont know how far that goes, left or right. But well see. Its still early to your point.

Kennedy now was after Cavuto, Your feelings seem to me like they matter to you a lot, Neal. And Im trying to be objective here.

Neal Cavuto ended the interview with, Let me say it again. Are you really being objective, Senator? I just think youve had a bash a thon of name calling at her. If you call that being objective, I dont know. But Senator, I do want to thank you for coming.

Video:

Kennedys interview on Fox was not helpful at all for the Trump campaign. Might want to reconsider having this guy implode on tv on behalf of your candidacy pic.twitter.com/bGkCbvy9tW  Acyn (@Acyn) July 29, 2024

Republicans are trying to attack Harris, and we all know what Kennedy was trying to do. Kennedy was suggesting that Kamala Harris is incompetent because she is not white, and a woman. Kennedy started out trying to smear Harris, but then attack host Neal Cavuto as he suggested that what Kennedy was doing was dumb and would backfire.

Republicans have no clue how to counter Harris, and they can feel the election slipping away from them.

What Sen. Kennedy did was ugly and also a sign of panic, and even Fox News can see that this is a really bad idea.
As reported by sheknows website, the cagey Lady G. and Polansky have been engaged since the spring.

Speculation about the couple has been running rampant during the 2024 Olympics in Paris where a black-clad Lady G. sang during the opening ceremony amid a sweeping panoply hot pink plumage:

When French Prime Minister Gabriel Attal thanked the Artist Formerly Known As Stefani Joanne Angelina Germanotta in a video posted on his TikTok. The video featured a snippet of idle conversation between the politician and the Mother Monster in which she seemed to reveal the engagement:

Lady Gaga - Mon Truc en Plumes (Live from The 2024 Paris Olympics) www.youtube.com

And yes, it would seem that Lady G did reveal the engagement. Finally. I mean, it has been years since announcing their romance in February 2020 .

Will Lady Gaga, resplendent in a wedding gown made of, say, fake Emu feathers, and trailing old, unspooled 8-track tapes, soon be walking down the aisle? Seems things are headed that way. Though she may have kept the engagement under wraps, Lady G.s spoken about Polansky over the years. A 2021 Hollywood Reporter story quoted her as saying: My dogs and the man that I love are my whole life.

Some of us might wonder about the billing order, but hey  we wish the two lovebirds the very best.
Recently, some American politicians groundlessly hyped up claims that China is supporting Russia's defense industry, and threatened to intensify sanctions on specific Chinese entities and individuals.

NATO, led by the United States, has also baselessly claimed that China has become a "decisive enabler" of the Ukraine crisis.

By pushing the narrative of "China's responsibility" in the Ukraine crisis, the United States and NATO are not only failing to cover up the fact that their continuous fueling of the conflict has prolonged the crisis, but also clearly showing the international community that their obsession with provoking bloc confrontation is the major security threat facing the world today.

Regarding the Ukraine crisis, the United States and NATO are making a fuss about normal economic and trade relations between China and Russia, spreading rumors about China providing military support to Russia. However, they cannot present any substantial evidence. In fact, the United States itself has acknowledged that China has not provided military aid to Russia in the conflict.

According to statistics, over 60 percent of Russia's imported military components and dual-use items come from the United States and other Western countries, 95 percent of key components in Russian equipment destroyed by Ukraine come from the West, and 72 percent of Western parts of Russian-made weapons come from U.S. companies.

As a responsible major country, China has never provided weapons to any party in the conflict and strictly controls the export of dual-use items.

Trade and economic relations between China and Russia are open and above-board, adhering to WTO rules and market principles. The United States and its allies have violated international law by imposing unilateral sanctions on Chinese companies under the pretext of false information they themselves have spread.

Currently, the majority of countries in the world have not imposed sanctions against Russia or suspended trade with Russia. The United States and its allies have not halted trade with Russia either, with their trade volume reaching over $130 billion last year, accounting for 18 percent of Russia's total foreign trade. The efforts by the United States and NATO to stigmatize normal economic and trade relations between China and Russia clearly demonstrate their hypocrisy and double standards.

The United States and NATO's promotion of the so-called "China's responsibility" narrative regarding the Ukraine crisis conceals sinister motives. One important aim is to drive a wedge between China and Europe and undermine China-Europe cooperation.

Ukraine is located in the heart of the European continent, and the prolonged crisis has put enormous pressure on European countries in political, economic, security, and other aspects. China is neither the creator of the Ukraine crisis nor a party to it. China has not and will not do anything to fuel the fire or profit from the situation.

China is always committed to promoting peace talks, encourages all efforts conducive to the peaceful settlement of the crisis, and promotes the building of a balanced, effective and sustainable European security architecture.

China always believes that an early ceasefire and political settlement of the crisis is in the interest of all parties, including Europe. The priority now is to observe the three principles of no expansion of the battlefield, no escalation of fighting and no fanning up the flames by any party, and to work for deescalation as quickly as possible.

The international community should provide conditions and support for the resumption of direct dialogue and negotiation between the two parties. Only when all major countries play a positive rather than negative role, can this conflict see an early prospect of ceasefire.

In promoting the restoration of peace, China has sincerity, takes action, and adheres to principles. China will never accept any words or actions that use the crisis to smear China or incite a "new Cold War."

Regarding the Ukraine crisis, there's no doubt about who is fueling the fire and exacerbating the situation. For more than two years, the United States has provided a large amount of military aid to Ukraine. The destructive power of the weapons supplied to Ukraine has gradually increased, and restrictions on Ukraine's use of U.S.-made weapons have been relaxed again and again.

At the end of May this year, a U.S. official confirmed that the United States had conditionally agreed to allow Ukraine to use American-made weapons to strike targets within Russian territory. Another U.S. official recently stated that some NATO countries have begun transferring U.S.-made fighter jets to Ukraine. The ongoing supply of weapons by the United States and NATO has made it harder to resolve the crisis through political means and has undermined prospects for peace.

The early resolution of the Ukraine crisis through political means is a common aspiration of the international community. It is advised that the United States and NATO reflect on the root causes of the Ukraine crisis and their own actions, take concrete steps to ease the situation, rather than shifting blame and scapegoating others.

The United States and NATO should abandon the Cold War mentality of bloc confrontation and zero-sum games, correct their misperceptions about China, and stop smearing China and using this opportunity to suppress and contain China's development.
Tea, the worlds second most popular beverage after water, boasts a rich history that traces back to 3rd century AD China, where it was first recognized as a medicinal drink. Merchants played a vital role in spreading its allure across continents, establishing tea as a global favorite. By th Read moreBetween the stacks: Timeless tradition of Tea
KINGSTREE  Six elected officials in one of the states poorest counties received a combined $210,000 in overtime pay between 2019 and 2022, potentially violating a South Carolina law prohibiting salaried officers from receiving additional compensation for working extra hours, records show.

Now, the State Law Enforcement Division is investigating alleged misconduct in Williamsburg County, an agency spokeswoman said. She wouldnt discuss details or confirm the probe relates to overtime pay.

The disbursements occurred under the watch of former county supervisor Tiffany Cooks. She billed herself as a reformer in a scandal-prone county when she took office in 2019. Five years later, Cooks appears to have received over $100,000 in overtime while in office, documents show.

She wasnt the only elected official to get extra pay, an Uncovered investigation by The Post and Courier and Kingstree News found. Uncovered is an ongoing initiative with community newspapers aimed at exposing questionable conduct by government leaders throughout South Carolina.

Sheriff Stephen Gardner got roughly $75,000 in overtime over a four-year period, records state. Treasurer Kimber Coopers additional pay topped $16,000 during the same stretch.

About $6,000 in extra pay went to Clerk of Court Sharon Staggers, who came under fire in 2022 for separately giving herself a big raise.

Probate Judge Betty Matthews and Auditor Crystal Powell also collected overtime. As salaried officers, these elected officials arent eligible for extra allowances  thats according to both state law and the federal Fair Labor Standards Act.

All six salaried officials who cashed in on Williamsburg Countys overtime payments declined to comment, didnt respond to interview requests from The Post and Courier or referred reporters questions about additional pay to other people.
The Deer Creek Sodbusters will host the 42nd annual Antique Machinery Show and Plowing Bee on Aug. 11 on their show grounds south of Sterling.

Demonstrations of machinery, including threshing, corn shelling and binding, and baling, are scheduled for 9:30 a.m., noon, 2 p.m. and 4 p.m. Plowing demonstrations will take place in the afternoon. There will also be exhibits of antique tractors, automobiles and trucks; blacksmithing and lumber sawing demonstrations; arts and crafts exhibits; a flea market; and a souvenir stand.

The event starts with a flag ceremony at 8 a.m., followed by a church service at 8:15. A kids scavenger hunt will take place at 1:45 p.m.

At 11:30 a.m., guest speaker Dan Holtz will give a presentation on "Heroism on the Plains," celebrating the people, places and events of Nebraska history through original songs.

Cost is $10 per person, free for those 12 and under. The show grounds are at 72927 610 Ave. south of Sterling.
South Carolina was one of those three states.

Most kids in S.C. charter schools are falling behind their peers in traditional schools, while those in other states are leaping ahead, according to the universitys impressive data. There appear to be two primary reasons: Weve allowed too many charter schools that operate entirely online  which as we learned during COVID is a recipe for disaster. And  thanks in large part to a charter-shopping provision in state law that allows any college to declare itself a charter authorizer and rescue failing schools from being closed  weve refused to hold charter schools accountable for delivering results.

Weve been saying for years that the Legislature needs to pass a law that prevents additional colleges from declaring themselves charter authorizers  and likely even eliminate one or both of the ones we have. It simply defies logic that a private college would be allowed to decide who will and wont receive tens of millions of taxpayer dollars, under what circumstances and for how long.

The more these charter authorizers and charter management companies and their pawn schools do battle, the clearer it becomes that just changing who can be an authorizer isnt enough. We need to start over and write a whole new charter school law  one that recognizes the very different nature of charter schools today.

If the Legislature even allows private colleges to decide how S.C. tax dollars are spent, it certainly needs to bar them from selling services to the schools, or starting or owning charter schools, or loaning money to businesses that make money off the charter schools. Thats all just basic good sense.

Maybe legislators will decide that yes, they want to allow charter schools to be created by profit-seeking management companies that go out and recruit people to put their name on a charter. Or maybe theyll decide we ought to stick to the idea that charters should be created locally, like we all thought would happen when they allowed them to come into South Carolina.
Collins has avoided formal suspicion of kidnapping or worse in Young's disappearance after he lied to investigators and hid her car, according to court documents. Instead, he was indicted on allegations he hampered the investigation into his girlfriend's disappearance. He pleaded guilty to those charges July 29.

Young is still missing.

An anonymous donor has put up a $10,000 reward in the case. Anyone with information is asked to contact the Spartanburg County Sheriff's Office.

Search for Young, arrest of Collins

Court filings meticulously detail what's known about Young's last commute home from Spartanburg Regional Hospital, where she worked.

There was a 22-minute phone call with a relative, a stop at a store and purchase caught on camera, and two more times her phone was used.

Then, a neighbor's doorbell camera shows Young parking her 2009 white Infiniti G37 in front of the residence she shared with Collins on Pratt Drive.

That moment, captured at 4:50 p.m. May 15, 2023, was the last public sighting of Young. There's no record she's used her phone since. It either died or was turned off shortly after she got home.

The only account of Young after she arrived home came from Collins, who was charged with obstructing the investigation.

He said after she got home, they argued, she showered and drove off by 6 p.m. Collins said he didn't know where she went.

Young was a no-show at work the next day, which her grandmother said was unusual. She asked for a welfare check, which turned into a missing-person investigation.

Young's car was found May 18 at Windsor Palm Apartments in Spartanburg, less than 3 miles from their house. Her Infinity was backed into a spot with shrubs hiding the license plate.

When investigators reviewed security footage, it appeared Collins drove it there.

In public statements and affidavits, authorities describe what's in the video: The car parked at 7:34 p.m. May 15. Collins, who wore gloves, wiped down the inside of the car. He tossed items into a nearby dumpster. Then he walked away.
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Oil Field drilling veteran joins the ABM Board of AdvisorsGREENWICH, CT / ACCESSWIRE / July 30, 2024 / American Battery Materials, Inc.(OTC PINK:BLTH) ("ABM", the "Company"), an environmentally responsible minerals exploration and development company focused on direct lithium extraction ("DLE") and other critical minerals, today announced the appointment of Chris McClanahan to its Advisory Board.Mr. McClanahan brings extensive experience in the Oilfield Service industry that spans 30 plus years. Mr. McClanahan is currently President and CEO of Coastal Drilling Company, LLC, and formerly CEO and Chairman of Iron Horse Tools, LLC, operating in Texas and Louisiana.David Graber, ABM's CEO, noted, "Chris has been an investor in our company since 2019. Having drilled thousands of wells for his own business, he is a perfect addition to ABM's Advisory Board as we await the appropriate permitting to begin the process of further advancing ABM's asset in Southern Utah.Chris McClanahan stated, "I have been observing the emergence of Direct Lithium Extraction (DLE) relating to mineral rich brines in the Oil and Gas industry, as defined by Exxon's announcement into the field. The US needs to get behind a reliable domestic supply chain for critical minerals".About American Battery Materials, Inc.American Battery Materials, Inc. (OTC:BLTH) is a U.S.-based environmentally responsible critical minerals extraction company focused on direct lithium extraction (DLE), as well as other minerals for refining, processing, and distribution to support the country's urgent critical minerals need to bolster long-term energy transition and the electrification of the US domestic and global economy. For more information, visitwww.americanbatterymaterials.com To receive American Battery Materials, Inc. company updates via email, visit the Contact page of our website, www.americanbatterymaterials.com/contact Forward Looking StatementsTo the extent that statements contained in this press release are not descriptions of historical facts regarding the Company, they are forward-looking statements reflecting the current beliefs and expectations of management. Words such as "believe," "goal," "plan," "feel," "may," "will," "expect," "anticipate," "estimate," "intend," "target" and similar expressions (as well as other words or expressions referencing future events, conditions or circumstances) are intended to identify forward-looking statements. Forward-looking statements are subject to risks and uncertainties that could cause our future results, performance or achievements to differ significantly from those expressed or implied by the forward-looking statements. Except as required by law, the Company undertakes no obligation to update or revise any forward-looking statements. For a further description of the risks and uncertainties that could cause actual results to differ from those expressed in these forward-looking statements, as well as risks relating to the business of the Company, please see the Company's Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2023 and its Quarterly Reports on Form 10-Q, including but not limited to the discussion under "Risk Factors" therein, which the Company has filed with the SEC and may be viewed at http://www.sec.gov No Offer or SolicitationThis press release shall neither constitute an offer to sell or the solicitation of an offer to buy any securities, nor shall there be any sale of securities in any jurisdiction in which the offer, solicitation or sale would be unlawful prior to the registration or qualification under the securities laws of any such jurisdiction.Contact DetailsInvestor Relations+1 800-998-7962ir@ americanbatterymaterials.com Company WebsiteSOURCE: AMERICAN BATTERY MATERIALS INC
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LOS ANGELES, CA / ACCESSWIRE / July 29, 2024 / The Schall Law Firm, a national shareholder rights litigation firm, announces that it is investigating claims on behalf of investors of Arbor Realty Trust, Inc. ("Arbor" or "the Company") (NYSE:ABR) for violations of the securities laws.The investigation focuses on whether the Company issued false and/or misleading statements and/or failed to disclose information pertinent to investors. Arbor is the subject of a report issued by Viceroy Research November 17, 2023, titled, "Arbor Realty Trust - Slumlord Millionaires." According to the report, "Arbor's high-risk multifamily bridge loans, which comprise substantially all of its asset book, are going bad fast The end is near." Viceroy Research then issued a follow up report on December 5, 2023, titled "Arbor - Jacksonville Case Study." In the second report, Viceroy Research claims that the Company's "entire loan book is distressed and underlying collateral is vastly overstated." Based on this news, shares of Arbor fell by more than 5% over the next two trading sessions.If you are a shareholder who suffered a loss, click here to participate.We also encourage you to contact Brian Schall of the Schall Law Firm, 2049 Century Park East, Suite 2460, Los Angeles, CA 90067, at 310-301-3335, to discuss your rights free of charge. You can also reach us through the firm's website at www.schallfirm.com , or by email at bschall@ schallfirm.com The class in this case has not yet been certified, and until certification occurs, you are not represented by an attorney. If you choose to take no action, you can remain an absent class member.The Schall Law Firm represents investors around the world and specializes in securities class action lawsuits and shareholder rights litigation.This press release may be considered Attorney Advertising in some jurisdictions under the applicable law and rules of ethics.CONTACT: The Schall Law FirmBrian Schall, Esq. www.schallfirm.com Office: 310-301-3335 info@ schallfirm.com SOURCE: The Schall Law Firm
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HONOLULU, HAWAII / ACCESSWIRE / July 30, 2024 / CMG Home Loans, the retail division of well-capitalized privately held mortgage banking firm CMG Financial, has welcomed Area Sales Manager Dawn Robinson Naya (NMLS #316268). Dawn, a well-established originator in Hawaii, has dedicated her career to working as a trusted resource among clients and associates in her prior roles at loanDepot and HomeStreet Bank. Her ability to develop strong relationships with home buyers and bolster production will prove useful for CMG's Honolulu-Moana SW, HI branch.With 26 years of mortgage lending experience, Dawn brings a wealth of knowledge to her position at CMG. She worked as a VP/Area Sales Manager at HomeStreet Bank from 2014-2019, honing her expertise in home loans and customer-oriented priorities. She then continued to serve her local communities at her most recent role, working as a Branch Manager for loanDepot from 2019-2024, building on her continual commitment and dedication to her client base and referral partners. Dawn comes highly endorsed in various areas of mortgage lending, specializing in purchase markets."I was drawn to and now am excited to be a part of CMG Home Loans because of the strong leadership that surrounds me," said Dawn. "I love the supportive and dynamic work culture that CMG provides. The team's dedication to collaboration and innovation aligns perfectly with my values and goals. I hope to be able to contribute and grow amongst some of the best professionals in the business across the enterprise as well as right here in our hometown." "We're super excited to have Dawn on board," adds Jennifer Coutts, Regional Sales Manager, Retail. "She brings with her a wealth of knowledge, experience, and a sterling reputation. She is a phenomenal leader and has built strong relationships in our community. We look forward to growing our presence in Hawaii alongside her." See why top producers are joining CMG: https://join.cmghomeloans.com/ About CMG FinancialCMG Financial is a well-capitalized mortgage bank founded in 1993 by Christopher M. George, a former Mortgage Bankers Association Chairman. CMG makes its products and services available to the market through three distinct origination channels: retail lending, wholesale lending, and correspondent lending. CMG also operates seven joint venture companies with builder & realtor partners, holds an impressive MSR/servicing portfolio, and serves the capital markets of fixed income trading & sales through CMG Securities. CMG currently operates in all states, including District of Columbia, and holds approvals with FNMA, FHLMC, and GNMA. The company is consistently recognized as a top-producing lender and top mortgage employer, and it prides itself on helping clients achieve the dream of homeownership through product innovation and streamlined servicing.Media Contact:Alina LundholmPhone: (847) 380-1954Email: alundholm@ cmgfi.com Contact InformationAnnaugh MadsenSenior Copywriteramadsen@ cmgfi.com (667) 260-6360SOURCE: CMG Home LoansView the original press release on newswire.com
The National Weather Service has issued heat-related weather warnings for Southeast Nebraska, including Gage County.

The weather service issued a heat advisory through 8 p.m. Tuesday, with heat indexes of up to 106 degrees possible. Heat advisories are issued generally when the heat index is expected to reach 100 degrees or higher for two or more days with night time temps above 75.

The region was also under an excessive heat warning through 7 p.m. Wednesday. According to the weather service statement, dangerous heat index values as high as 113 degrees can be expected.

The criteria for a warning is similar to a heat advisory, but with daytime heat indexes expected to be 105 degrees or higher.

Just before noon Tuesday, the temperature at Beatrice Municipal Airport was 90 with a heat index of 97. At 4:55, it was 97 with a heat index of 105.

Among the precautions recommended by the weather service:

* Drink plenty of fluids, remain in air-conditioned rooms, avoid the sun and check on relatives and neighbors.

* Do not leave children or pets unattended in your vehicle.

* Wear loose and light-colored clothing when outside; limit strenuous activities to early morning or evening.

* Take action if you see or suffer symptoms of heat stroke or heat exhaustion.
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NEW YORK, NY / ACCESSWIRE / July 30, 2024 / Bronstein, Gewirtz & Grossman, LLC is investigating potential claims on behalf of purchasers of CenterPoint Energy, Inc. ("CenterPoint" or "the Company") (NYSE:CNP). Investors who purchased CenterPoint securities are encouraged to obtain additional information and assist the investigation by visiting the firm's site: bgandg.com/CNP Investigation DetailsOn July 8, 2024, Hurricane Beryl made landfall in Texas as a Category 1 storm. The impact of the storm left roughly 2.2 million CenterPoint customers without power. Six days after the storm, some 270,000 homes and businesses in the Houston area were still without power. At a press conference on July 14, 2024, Texas Governor Greg Abbott said that he was demanding an investigation into CenterPoint's response to Hurricane Beryl. Among other comments, Governor Abbott said that CenterPoint did not have "an adequate number of workers pre-staged" before the storm hit. On this news, CenterPoint's stock price fell $2.02 per share, or 6.67%, to close at $28.28 per share on July 15, 2024.What's Next?If you are aware of any facts relating to this investigation or purchased CenterPoint securities, you can assist this investigation by visiting the firm's site: bgandg.com/CNP . You can also contact Peretz Bronstein or his client relations manager, Nathan Miller, of Bronstein, Gewirtz & Grossman, LLC: 332-239-2660.There is No Cost to YouWe represent investors in class actions on a contingency fee basis. That means we will ask the court to reimburse us for out-of-pocket expenses and attorneys' fees, usually a percentage of the total recovery, only if we are successful.Why Bronstein, Gewirtz & GrossmanBronstein, Gewirtz & Grossman, LLC is a nationally recognized firm that represents investors in securities fraud class actions and shareholder derivative suits. Our firm has recovered hundreds of millions of dollars for investors nationwide.Attorney advertising. Prior results do not guarantee similar outcomes.ContactBronstein, Gewirtz & Grossman, LLCPeretz Bronstein or Nathan Miller 332-239-2660 | info@ bgandg.com SOURCE: Bronstein, Gewirtz & Grossman, LLC
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LOS ANGELES, CA / ACCESSWIRE / July 29, 2024 / The Schall Law Firm, a national shareholder rights litigation firm, announces that it is investigating claims on behalf of investors of Dril-Quip, Inc. ("Dril-Quip" or "the Company") (NYSE:DRQ) for violations of the securities laws.The investigation focuses on whether the Company issued false and/or misleading statements and/or failed to disclose information pertinent to investors. Dril-Quip filed a current report on Form 8-K with the SEC on July 8, 2024. The Company's filing disclosed it had "became aware of an error in the classification of certain inventory write-downs from 2021." The Company added, "after considering the recommendations of management and discussion with the Company's independent registered public accounting firm[,] the Audit Committee of our board of directors ("Audit Committee") concluded that the consolidated financial statements for the Affected Period should no longer be relied upon due to the error described above. Any previously issued or filed reports, press releases, earnings releases and investor presentations or other communications describing the Company's consolidated financial statements and other related financial information covering the Affected Period also should no longer be relied upon." If you are a shareholder who suffered a loss, click here to participate.We also encourage you to contact Brian Schall of the Schall Law Firm, 2049 Century Park East, Suite 2460, Los Angeles, CA 90067, at 310-301-3335, to discuss your rights free of charge. You can also reach us through the firm's website at www.schallfirm.com , or by email at bschall@ schallfirm.com The Schall Law Firm represents investors around the world and specializes in securities class action lawsuits and shareholder rights litigation.This press release may be considered Attorney Advertising in some jurisdictions under the applicable law and rules of ethics.CONTACT:The Schall Law FirmBrian Schall, Esq.310-301-3335 info@ schallfirm.comwww.schallfirm.com SOURCE: The Schall Law Firm
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TSUKUBA, Japan, July 30, 2024 - (ACN Newswire) - In a new study, scientists at Shanghai Jiaotong University School of Medicine found a promising new way to treat a type of oral cancer known as oral squamous cell carcinoma. The method specifically targets the cancer cells through a combination of nitric oxide gas therapy and nanocatalytic therapy, killing them more effectively and with fewer side effects. The study was published in Science and Technology of Advanced Materials.Oral squamous cell carcinoma is a very aggressive cancer that tends to spread quickly and to reappear after treatment. Traditional treatments, such as surgery, chemotherapy, and radiation, often have serious side effects, including trouble speaking or eating and painful conditions like mouth sores and dry mouth. Researchers are trying to develop better treatments that wouldnt have such harsh side effects. One approach relies partly on nanocatalysts, tiny particles measuring 1 to 100 nanometers in size which are used to accelerate chemical reactions.We created tiny iron particles composed of individual iron atoms, designed to interact with hydrogen peroxidea substance found in elevated levels inside tumor cells, explains Professor Ping Xiong, who led the study. These atoms use a chemical process called the Fenton reaction, where the iron atoms act as catalysts to convert hydrogen peroxide into highly toxic hydroxyl radicals. Hydroxyl radicals are extremely reactive and cause intense oxidative stress by damaging cellular components such as DNA and proteins. The iron particles also carried molecules that released nitric oxide gas when activated by near-infrared laser light. The nitric oxide gas amplified the effect of the hydroxyls by triggering apoptosis, a controlled form of cell death crucial for removing damaged cells.In animal model experiments, a single dose of treatment combined with a laser pulse was found to suppress tumors by around 85.5%, suggesting that the treatment is very effective. This treatment is highly specific to cancer cells, reducing damage to healthy tissues and minimizing side effects, which makes it both more efficient and better tolerated by the body, says Yuting Xie, one of the studys authors.One major difficulty was ensuring that the infrared laser targeted only the tumor, especially in hard-to-reach areas like the sides and bottom of the tongue. The team is exploring ways to improve the precision of the laser treatment to avoid inadvertent damage to the surrounding healthy tissues, which could result in unwanted side effects. One approach being investigated involves developing nanocatalysts that would be administered through an intravenous injection, which could enhance the targeting by interacting with the laser in a more controlled manner.The researchers are also working on strategies to prevent the cancer from spreading or returning after treatment. By further refining these technologies, they hope to create a more effective and targeted treatment option for this invasive cancer.Further informationPing XiongShanghai Jiaotong University School of MedicineEmail: xiongp@ shsmu.edu.cn Paper: https://doi.org/10.1080/14686996.2024.2368452 About Science and Technology of Advanced Materials (STAM)Open access journal STAM publishes outstanding research articles across all aspects of materials science, including functional and structural materials, theoretical analyses, and properties of materials. https://www.tandfonline.com/STAM Dr Yasufumi NakamichiSTAM Publishing DirectorEmail: NAKAMICHI.Yasufumi@nims.go.jp Press release distributed by Asia Research News for Science and Technology of Advanced Materials.
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TORONTO, ON / ACCESSWIRE / July 30, 2024 /Eco (Atlantic) Oil & Gas Ltd. (AIM:ECO)(TSXV:EOG), the oil and gas exploration company focused on the offshore Atlantic Margins, is pleased to announce its audited results for the year ended 31 March 2024.Highlights:Financials (as at 31 March 2024)The Company had cash and cash equivalents of US$2.97 million and no debt as at 31 March 2024.Following a significant reduction in costs (including G&A, professional fees and operating expenses) as of the time of publication, Eco has a cash position of ca.US$1.5 million.The Company had total assets of US$31.3 million, total liabilities of US$1.25 million and total equity of US$30.0 million as at 31 March 2024.Post-period endFollowing the successful farm-out deal of Block 3B/4B, Eco expects to receive a first tranche of US$8.3 million during August 2024, subject to customary closing conditions being met. The resultant proceeds are expected to give Eco a cash and cash equivalents position of c.US$10 million, with no near-term capital commitments for operational expenses.Operations:South AfricaBlock 1 (post-period end)In June 2024, Eco announced a Farm-In into Block 1 Offshore South Africa Orange Basin. The Company will acquire a 75% Working Interest ("WI") from Tosaco Energy (Proprietary) Limited ("Tosaco") and will become Operator of a new Exploration Right.Block 1 has significant 2D and 3D seismic data already completed and no additional seismic acquisition or drilling of wells is committed in the three-year carried period. Eco intends to complete the interpretation and analysis required for its planned Work Program with its in-house exploration team. The Farm-in is subject, inter alia, to normal Governmental approvals and no field activity is currently planned that requires environmental permitting.Block 3B/4BIn March 2024, Eco and its JV partners signed a farm-out transaction with TotalEnergies EP South Africa B.V., who will become Operator ("TotalEnergies") and QatarEnergy International E&P LLC ("QatarEnergy"). Under the agreement, Eco would retain a 13.75% Participating Interest in Block 3B/4B, offshore the Republic of South Africa.Post-period endOn July 29, 2024, the Company announced the signing of an agreement to sell a 1% interest in Block 3B/4B in exchange for cancellation of all of Africa Oil's shares and warrants in Eco (worth C$ 11.5m). Upon Completion of the transaction, Eco will hold a fully carried 5.25% interest in Block 3B/4B Offshore South Africa, reducing from the current 6.25%.Upon closing, which is expected to occur in August 2024, Total will assume operatorship and will lead the drilling planning and preparations.Block 2B (post-period end)In June 2024, the Company relinquished its 50% WI Operated offshore Block 2B where it drilled its 2022 Gazania-1 well offsetting the AJ-1 oil discovery. The Company has completed all necessary documentation, and environmental audits, and has informed the Petroleum Agency of South Africa ("PASA"), the regulator for the Government of South Africa.NamibiaA multi-block farmout process remains underway for all or part of Eco's four offshore Petroleum Exploration Licences ("PEL"): 97, 98, 99, and 100. Eco holds Operatorship and an 85% Working Interest in each PEL representing a combined area of 28,593 km2 in the Walvis Basin.Post-period endEco added ~1,383km 2D data licensed on PEL100 (Tamar block) to its database, which is being technically evaluated and interpreted by the team to define additional seismic acquisition areas within the Block, along with new leads and prospects.GuyanaAn active farmout process continues for the offshore Orinduik Block. Eco was encouraged to note the recent news from neighbouring Stabroek block, where the Operator ExxonMobil is planning for a seventh development at Hammerhead.Investor Meet CompanyGil Holzman, President and Chief Executive Officer will provide an Annual Results Investor Update via Investor Meet Company today at 14:00 BST. The presentation is open to all existing and potential shareholders and questions can be asked at any time during the live presentation. More information about the presentation can be found in the Company's announcement of 24 July 2024.Gil Holzman, President and Chief Executive Officer of Eco Atlantic, commented:"We made considerable progress across our asset portfolio during the financial year to 31 March 2024. This has been achieved at a time when we have had a strict focus on costs, which has seen the Company operate with non dilutive financings for the last two years, and agree a farm-out on Block 3B/4B which will significantly increase our cash resources, and leaves tremendous upside potential on the table in the event a discovery is drilled on the block."In Namibia and Guyana, we have active farm-out processes underway, and we are very upbeat about the number and calibre of the companies we have had in our data rooms. Both jurisdictions remain at the forefront of global hydrocarbon exploration and we are confident of delivering a positive update on both in due course."We were also pleased to announce the deal with Africa Oil yesterday, which saw us agree the sale of a 1% interest in the Block in exchange for the cancellation of all of AOI's shares and warrants in Eco, worth C$11.5 million. We are grateful to Africa Oil for their support since 2017, and this agreement will enable us to eliminate a c.16% overhang in Eco's shares, which are locked up until the transaction closes and the shares and warrants are cancelled. I would also add that the deal was agreed using an US$840 million valuation for Block 3B/4B, which values Eco's 5.25% holding at ca.US$44 million."As ever, we continue to work hard to deliver value for all of our stakeholders and we look forward to providing further market updates in due course." The Company's audited financial statement for the year ended 31 March 2024 is available for download on the Company's website at www.ecooilandgas.com and on Sedar at www.sedar.com The following are the Company's Balance Sheet, Income Statements, Cash Flow Statement and selected notes from the annual Financial Statements. All amounts are in US Dollars, unless otherwise stated.Balance SheetMarch 31,March 31,20242023AssetsCurrent AssetsCash and cash equivalents2,967,0054,110,734Short-term investments13,10713,107Government receivable26,97022,494Amounts owing by license partners49,578477,578Accounts receivable and prepaid expenses38,5391,529,451Total Current Assets3,095,199%0
PR-Inside.com: 2024-07-30 23:52:05

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WASHINGTON, DC / ACCESSWIRE / July 30, 2024 / During a Senate Finance Committee hearing held today on "Tax Tools for Local Economic Development," Committee Chairman Senator Ron Wyden (D-OR), Ranking Member Senator Mike Crapo (R-ID), Senator Ben Cardin (D-MD) and witness Julia Nelmark, President & CEO of Midwest Minnesota Community Development Corporation, and Vice Chair of theNew Markets Tax Credit Coalitionhighlighted the significant impact of the New Markets Tax Credit (NMTC).The NMTC program was established in the Community Renewal Tax Relief Act of 2000 (PL 106-554) and has been extended by Congress eight times since its original authorization in 2000. These extensions, along with the original NMTC legislation, have enjoyed bipartisan and bicameral support over the past two decades. The current authorization, enacted in the Taxpayer Certainty and Disaster Tax Relief Act of 2020 (PL-116-260), extended NMTC for 2021-2025 at $5 billion in annual allocation authority.Excerpts from Chairman Wyden:"There are a lot of creative ideas out there, and Congress is facing a big tax deadline at the end of next year. Our discussion ought to begin with building on policies that are proven to work. There's no better example than the New Markets Tax Credit. New Markets was established almost 25 years ago as a flexible way to get private investment dollars into low-income communities -- cities, towns, and rural areas." "All 50 states have benefitted from the New Markets Tax Credit. It has helped get thousands of projects off the ground. Health care and manufacturing facilities. Childcare centers and schools. Retail developments and housing, including lots of affordable units." "But New Markets is not a permanent tax credit. It's temporary, and it'll expire at the end of 2025. Congress has extended it on a bipartisan basis several times. We cannot allow it to get lost amid the tax code chaos coming down the pike at the end of next year." "Senator Cardin has been a champion of the New Markets Tax Credit. He's got a bill that would make it permanent and expand its value to drive even more investment to communities that need the boost. In my view, it's a no-brainer. I'm proud to support it." "New Markets is an example of an efficient, powerful tool in our tax code that works. This committee also needs to make tough choices about programs that are not working as intended." Excerpts from Ranking Member Crapo:"Opportunity zones, the new markets tax credit, the historic tax credit, tax-exempt bonds and the low-income housing tax credit all spur local economic development. And we can see tangible results in communities around the country." "In Mountain Home, Idaho, the Desert Sage Health Center recently opened a new 30,000 square foot primary care facility. It will serve a more rural part of my state and was made possible due to a new markets tax credit investment." "Several members of this committee have been working across the aisle to promote these other incentives. For example, Senators Daines and Cardin have introduced legislation to permanently extend the new markets tax credit, and Senators Cassidy, Cardin, Collins and Cantwell have introduced legislation to expand the historic tax credit." Senator Cardin, a longtime advocate and supporter of the New Markets Tax Credit, highlighted the importance of modernizing tax credits as the uncertainty of their permanence causes unnecessary obstacles for developers. He asked witnesses to weigh in on the need for a commitment and strategy from Congress to make economic development tools like the NMTC permanent and remove uncertainty.Ms. Nelmark responded by explaining that permanency would reduce costs for CDE's and investors, allowing them to better plan and bringing more dollars directly to communities they are attempting to assist.Senator Cardin'sremarks[begin at 1:11:00].Additional excerpts of Ms. Nelmark's testimony include:"The New Markets Tax Credit is one of the most effective tools we have for community development. It provides lower cost financing for businesses and community facilities in America's most distressed urban and rural communities. Congress authorized the New Markets Tax Credit in 2000 to reduce the cost of capital in communities outside the economic mainstream." "New Markets is a simple concept: Taxpayers receive a 39% tax credit (taken over seven years) for qualified investments into Community Development Entities (or "CDEs"), organizations with a track record of loans and investments in underserved areas. CDEs use the proceeds of those investments, leveraged with debt, to finance manufacturing and business expansions, healthcare and daycare facilities, business incubators and other important revitalization projects. Its flexibility makes it particularly useful in supporting the needs of each business and community as determined by those working on the ground. The nonprofit and industry sectors receiving New Markets financing are diverse, reflecting a cross-section of the American economy." "Through the allocation of tax credits to CDEs, including Midwest Minnesota CDC, the New Markets Tax Credit has facilitated the flow of capital into projects that spur economic growth, create jobs, and improve the quality of life for residents in underserved areas. And it does so in a cost-effective manner - New Markets provides a return to the government on its investment through increased tax revenue. For example, in 2015, New Markets generated $15.2 billion in economic activity, resulting in $872 million in federal tax revenue - more than offsetting the $759 million annual cost of New Markets Tax Credits in 2015 and providing a $113 million return (15%). This activity also boosted state and local revenues by $502 million in 2015.""Since its inception, the New Markets Tax Credit has delivered over $135 billion in financing to over 8,500 businesses and community development projects. New Markets projects have created over 1.2 million jobs to date at a cost to the federal government of under $20,000 per job." "The New Markets Tax Credit has helped jump-start the American manufacturing industry by helping nearly 2,000 manufacturing and industrial businesses expand." "New Markets also helps expand access to community facilities and amenities. To date, New Markets has financed over 3,700 federally qualified health centers, schools, nursing homes, daycare centers, apprenticeship programs, treatment facilities, and other service providers. Recently, we helped finance the redevelopment of the historic Coliseum building in Minneapolis. Severely damaged in the civil unrest following the murder of George Floyd, this will be home to several small businesses%2
PR-Inside.com: 2024-07-30 21:51:01

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SAN DIEGO, CA / ACCESSWIRE / July 30, 2024 /Johnson Fistel, LLP, a leading stockholder rights law firm, announced that it is investigating claims on behalf of Squarespace, Inc. (NYSE:SQSP) shareholders concerning potential breaches of fiduciary duties related to the proposed sale of the Company to private equity firm Permira.On May 13, 2024, Squarespace informed the public that it has agreed to a deal with Permira, in which stockholders will receive $44.00 per share in an all-cash offer. Upon completion of the deal, Squarespace will be a private Company. Johnson Fistel's investigation focuses on whether Squarespace's board failed to satisfy its duties to the Company's stockholders, including whether the board sufficiently pursued alternatives to the acquisition, and whether the board secured the best possible price for Squarespace's shares. It is particularly pertinent to note analyst projections for earnings and revenue growth, and Squarespace shares have historically traded at a much higher price.Stockholders of Squarespace are encouraged to contact Johnson Fistel to discuss their legal rights in this matter. You can click or copy and paste the following link to join this investigation:About Johnson Fistel, LLP | Top Law Firm, Securities Fraud, Investors Rights: 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. We also extend our services to foreign investors who have purchased on US exchanges. Stay updated with news on stock drops and learn how Johnson Fistel, LLP can help you recover your losses. 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: 2024-07-30 16:03:42

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Christian Porras, a Guanacaste-based artist renowned for his abstract Costa Rican landscape paintings, will open his solo exhibition, "Cotidiano Entorno," at the respected Casa de la Ciudad de Cartago on August 3rd. This exhibition, proudly represented by MIRAME Fine Art, will be on display until September 6th, 2024.SAN JOSE, COSTA RICA / ACCESSWIRE / July 30, 2024 / MIRAME Fine Art, the premier online Costa Rican art gallery, is dedicated to promoting the nation's finest artists, including Christian Porras. By showcasing Costa Rica's rich cultural heritage, MIRAME Fine Art connects artists with art lovers worldwide.Christian Porras, La Poza Acrylic on Canvas A New Artistic Vision Comes to Light"Cotidiano Entorno" offers a unique opportunity to experience Porras' distinctive abstract style, which captures the essence of Costa Rican landscapes and seascapes. The Costa Rican exhibition will feature 20 pieces from collections created between 2022 and 2024, including medium and small format works in acrylic on canvas, wood, and oil ink on PVC.A Fusion of Art, Music, and LandscapeDeeply rooted in the cultural heritage of Costa Rica, particularly his home region of Guanacaste, Porras' work is a fusion of visual art and music. He translates his lyrics into a visual language, exploring the landscape as a stage where humans mirror their environment, sharing similarities in form, color, and texture. His abstract style blends bold, block colors with ovoid brushstrokes, creating a fusion of natural elements and human figures.This artistic approach underscores the theme that "we are what we live and where we live," exploring the link between habitat and culture, with a nod to ecological impact. His use of curved lines and geometric forms generates movement and compositional order, reflecting both the organic nature of the landscape and his musical sensibility.Describing his creative process, Porras states, "My themes come from the visual environment; the landscape as a stage, resting on the horizon. Sometimes a protagonist appears, reflecting the daily life of the common person in a Latin American context." A standout piece in the exhibition, "La Poza," exemplifies Porras' distinctive style with a compelling depiction of a man seated on a rock, gazing at a majestic waterfall cascading through foliage.A Significant Artistic PresencePorras' contributions to the Costa Rican art scene are widely recognized. His work has been exhibited at notable venues including the Museo de Guanacaste in Liberia and the Festival Nacional de las Artes 2021 in Puntarenas.Experience Porras' Art at MIRAME Fine ArtMIRAME Fine Art is proud to represent Christian Porras.Explore Porras' abstract Costa Rican landscape paintings and buy Costa Rican art online at MIRAME Fine Art. The website features cutting-edge augmented reality, allowing you to visualize selected Porras paintings on your walls from anywhere in the world.Exhibition Information:Christian Porras, Cotidiano Entorno Casa de la Ciudad de CartagoAugust 3-September 6, 2024Opening reception: August 3, 2:30 p.m.Contact InformationBelinda SeppingsCo-Founderbelinda@ miramefineart.com +447821591397SOURCE: MIRAME Fine ArtView the original press release on newswire.com
PR-Inside.com: 2024-07-30 17:00:34

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ST. LOUIS, MO / ACCESSWIRE / July 30, 2024 / MTM, the largest privately held non-emergency medical transportation (NEMT) broker in the nation and one of the St. Louis area's largest privately held companies, is excited to announce the opening of its new office in the vibrant Grove neighborhood of downtown St. Louis. This strategic move signifies MTM's commitment to fostering innovation, collaboration, and growth within the St. Louis community.MTM's Office in the Grove The new office space houses several departments including a customer service center, where 16 Customer Care Representatives began working on July 1. The first round of hiring saw an impressive 231 applicants, reflecting the strong interest and talent available in the area. Further hiring of Customer Care Representatives is planned in the coming months to support the continued expansion of MTM's St. Louis-based customer service operations. Additionally, several corporate support teams have dedicated workspace in the facility, including Marketing, Product Development, and Finance, as well as the VeyoRide driver onboarding team. The multifunctional downtown space will also serve as a central hub for MTM's innovative aging-in-place Wanda product as it continues to expand into new markets."This new office is a testament to our commitment to St. Louis and our dedication to expanding our reach and impact in the area," said Alaina Macia, President and CEO of MTM. "The St. Louis metro area has always been our home, but our employees have never had the privilege of working in the heart of the city. By establishing a presence in downtown St. Louis, we are able to attract a larger and more diverse pool of talent, especially those who rely on public transportation. This move not only supports our growth, but also enhances our ability to serve our Missouri-based clients and members more effectively." The new downtown location is MTM's third workspace in the St. Louis area, complementing existing offices in Lake St. Louis and Chesterfield. This expansion allows the company to continue growing a diverse team and further integrate into the local community.About MTMMTM is the nation's most trusted and qualified partner for healthcare, transportation, and logistics solutions. Since 1995, MTM has managed NEMT for state and county governments, managed care organizations, health systems, and other programs involving transportation for the disabled, underserved, and elderly. Leveraging technology to streamline processes and improve the user experience for all stakeholders, MTM's wide spectrum of services help clients improve health outcomes, promote independence, reduce costs, and increase satisfaction. In 2009, MTM's leadership established MTM Transit, an affiliate that provides direct paratransit and fixed route transit services. Every year, MTM and MTM Transit collectively remove community barriers for 15 million people by providing more than 25 million trips in 36 states and the District of Columbia. MTM and MTM Transit are privately held, woman-owned business enterprises.Contact InformationAshley WrightSenior Manager, Marketingawright@ mtminc.com SOURCE: MTM, Inc.View the original press release on newswire.com
PR-Inside.com: 2024-07-30 16:47:55

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LONDON, UK / ACCESSWIRE / July 30, 2024 / With great pride, Omega Partners recently announced the lineup of academic services that have been curated to meet the custom requirements of the students.Omega Partners announced the expansion of its service offering, which aims to simplify the university admission process for students across England. Omega Partners is dedicated to supporting students regardless of their background or previous education. Whether they have qualifications or work experience, they offer full support for anyone hoping to further their education.Applying to universities on their own is a daunting task with many intricacies that need expertise to crack the process to get enrolled. Omega Partners has integrated those intricacies with individualised support during the application process to mitigate these difficulties. The committed admissions staff at Omega Partners understands the need and delivers according to the exact orientation of the student with their goals.Full-Spectrum Application SupportOmega Partners understands that the path to higher education is different for everyone. The services cater to extensive support that includes interview preparation, assessment guidance, and clarity on the next steps. The admissions team works closely with students to refine their applications, preparing them to face interviews and assessments confidently, and helping them navigate each phase of the process with ease.Expert Advice on Education ChoicesThe main agenda of these services is to offer clarity in the whole admission process. Omega Partners offers expert advice to help students select the best programme for their career goals. Omega Partners can advise students on how to gain entry to university level courses even without formal qualifications. Students with A-Levels, GCSEs, or work experience will receive insightful recommendations and support on how to enrol into traditional university degrees. Their expertise ensures that students make informed decisions that align with their career aspirations.Support for Student FinanceUnderstanding the financial aspects of higher education is crucial for prospective students. Omega Partners enhances its comprehensive services by providing expert guidance on Student Finance England applications. The team offers invaluable support in navigating options, preparing applications, and ensuring that financial challenges do not obstruct students' educational goals. By addressing these critical financial considerations, Omega Partners ensures that students can focus on their academic ambitions without financial constraints.Empowering Students with Diverse BackgroundsAt the heart of Omega Partners' mission is the belief that traditional academic qualifications should not be the sole criteria for university admission. The organisation has significant experience in assisting students who bring valuable work experience to the table. For many programmes, work experience is recognised as an important factor, and Omega Partners is adept at leveraging this experience to strengthen student applications. By partnering with select universities in England that value real-world experience, Omega Partners opens doors to academic opportunities that might otherwise remain closed.A Trusted Partner in Higher EducationOmega Partners is more than just an advisory service; it is a trusted partner in the journey to higher education. The organisation's commitment to personalised support, combined with its extensive network of educational institutions, makes it a valuable resource for students aiming to advance their academic and professional futures.For more information about Omega Partners and how they can assist with your university application process, please visitwww.omegapartners.co.ukor contact their London office at 020 7947 0440.About Omega PartnersOmega Partners is a leading educational consultancy based in London, specialising in helping students navigate the university application process. With a focus on leveraging work experience and providing tailored support, Omega Partners is dedicated to making higher education accessible to all aspiring students, regardless of their academic background.Media Details:Contact Name: Aza MiahEmail Address: info@ omegapartners.co.uk Phone Number: 020 7947 0440Website: www.omegapartners.co.uk SOURCE: Omega Partners
PR-Inside.com: 2024-07-30 15:16:45

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Enhancing the Capabilities and Accuracy of Geographic Information Data CollectionIRVINE, CALIF. / ACCESSWIRE / July 30, 2024 / PelicanCorp Inc., the global leader in damage prevention solutions, today announces a partnership with Bad Elf, LLC, a leading manufacturer of Bluetooth-connected GNSS receivers. The partnership enables the integration of PelicanCorp's Geolantis.360 field data collection platform with Bad Elf's GNSS receivers to deliver an affordable, comprehensive solution to accurately locate subsurface assets."The integration of PelicanCorp and Bad Elf technologies transforms manual workflows to faster, more affordable and efficient digital ones," said Duane Rodgers, CEO, PelicanCorp. "PelicanCorp is dedicated to working with hardware manufacturers, like Bad Elf, to bring Geolantis.360 to the market." Bad Elf offers affordable, accurate, and flexible GPS solutions. Phone, tablet, notebook, and operating system agnostic, Bad Elf GNSS receivers encourage companies to work on the mobile platform of their choosing. Bad Elf products provide geospatial professionals with a unique blend of location accuracy, reliability, design, and value. Geolantis.360 digitally maps subsurface assets in real time, as they are located, gathering critical metadata to assist stakeholders with visualizing the location and attributes of subsurface assets. The solution improves communication between the field and office as data can be shared even while field crews are still at the job site. Automating workflows to significantly reduce post-processing tasks while delivering robust, detailed reporting, Geolantis.360 perfectly complements Bad Elf's hardware."The need for high-accuracy GPS receivers and GIS data collection is self-evident, particularly in the area of underground infrastructure damage prevention," said Larry Fox, VP Marketing and Business Development, Bad Elf. "The integration of PelicanCorp's Geolantis.360 field data collection platform with Bad Elf's comprehensive selection of GNSS receivers provides a complete solution." This partnership enhances the communication of subsurface asset data with improved accuracy and speed in the pursuit of protecting lives and property by reducing damages to underground assets. The integrated solutions deliver the ability to capture, record, and display the precise location of critical infrastructure such as telecommunications assets and buried utilities, including gas and water lines.Learn more about Bad Elf and Geolantis.360 To learn more about PelicanCorp, visit PelicanCorp.com About Bad ElfBad Elf's line of GNSS receivers empowers GIS and survey professionals to collect high-accuracy field data using any phone, tablet or laptop. Bad Elf's products and services evolve within an iterative framework of learning from our customers. Bad Elf applies diverse and deep technical skills to deliver exceptional offerings that solve real-world challenges. Within this mindset, the whole team challenges themselves to create sufficiently advanced technology to benefit the consumer as Engineering Magic. While our solutions manifest as technology built for today, they allow us to respond nimbly to continuous change and explore opportunities in partnership with our customers. Learn more at www.bad-elf.com Bad Elf, Bad Elf Flex, and Engineering Magic are registered trademarks of Bad Elf, LLC.Bluetooth is a registered trademark of Bluetooth SIG.About PelicanCorpPelicanCorp is the Global Leader in Damage Prevention Solutions built specifically for the protection of essential infrastructure. PelicanCorp connects people, applications, and devices through a unified platform to help industry professionals manage risk and build quality projects - safely, on time, and within budget. PelicanCorp has a diversified business model built on 40 years of experience protecting billions of dollars of global assets. PelicanCorp is headquartered in Melbourne, Australia, with offices and operations around the globe. Learn more at www.PelicanCorp.com or follow PelicanCorp on LinkedIn.Contact InformationSusan LeidMarketing & Communicationsmarketing@ pelicancorp.com SOURCE: PelicanCorp Inc.View the original press release on newswire.com
PR-Inside.com: 2024-07-30 18:25:05

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ATLANTA, GA / ACCESSWIRE / July 30, 2024 / Procure Analytics (PA), the leading data and technology-enabled Group Purchasing Organization (GPO) specializing in indirect spend categories like MRO and Packaging, today announced the acquisition of Direct Sourcing Solutions, Inc. (DSSI), a managed procurement services provider. This strategic acquisition strengthens Procure Analytics' position as a full-scope solution for indirect goods and related services.Procure Analytics Acquires DSSI This image shows the logo for Procure Analytics (PA) and Direct Sourcing Solutions, Inc. (DSSI).Procure Analytics' existing offerings address its members' core MRO and indirect spend through highly leveraged GPO contracts, and unplanned tail spend (spot buys') through its Amicus Spend Management business. The acquisition of DSSI expands the capabilities of Amicus by providing managed procurement services to address members' recurring, unmanaged spend."DSSI's expertise in managed procurement services perfectly complements our existing offerings," said Suja Katarya, CEO of Procure Analytics. "By combining our data-driven GPO model and Amicus Spend Management with DSSI's deep procurement knowledge and global resources, we can now provide our members with a truly comprehensive solution to optimize their indirect spend across the board from strategic category management to tail spend sourcing." DSSI brings over 100 procurement professionals located in Michigan, Kentucky, Mexico, and Europe to the Procure Analytics team. This expanded team strengthens Procure Analytics' ability to deliver world-class procurement services to its members on a global scale by giving them:A hosted punchout catalog offering containing more than 2.5 million items, built-in workflow approval processes, and direct integrations with PA member ERP systems in standard formats;Curated catalogs and custom solutions for individual members based on category strategy and individual company or site requirements;Expanded category offerings and sourcing capabilities that cover chemicals, gases, welding supplies, repair services, OEM parts, capex, and much more;Access to Mexico and 14 European markets with punchout and ERP integration capabilities in multiple languages, as well as dedicated teams stationed in Mexico and Slovakia."PA's world-class experience in MRO makes them the perfect partner for DSSI," said Bhagwan Thacker, CEO of DSSI. "I am thrilled to see our companies come together and excited for our customers to have the best support available for procurement of their MRO and indirect spend." About Procure Analytics Procure Analytics (PA) is a data and technology-enabled group purchasing organization (GPO). As the largest leveraged purchasing program addressing the complex categories of MRO and Packaging, PA offers members pricing and commercial benefits built on $2 billion of purchasing power. Further differentiating PA from other GPOs are an expert spend management team and a powerful data engine, designed to help members optimize their spend management and deliver continuous total cost improvement. PA's Amicus Spend Management offering combines rapid sourcing of unplanned product and service needs and consolidation of recurring tail transactions into a streamlined, single-supplier solution. All PA members benefit from managed implementation, dedicated member advisory, and spend analytics and savings tracking to drive immediate and continuous cost improvement. For more information about Procure Analytics, visitprocureanalytics.com About DSSI DSSI, LLC is a leading managed purchasing services company focused on driving lowest total cost of indirect materials and services for companies in the EU and North American markets. DSSI combines the power of leveraged sourcing and deep product and market expertise to provide clients with a best-price solution for millions of indirect goods and services, enabled by a powerful and easy-to-access procurement platform (EPIC) that is compatible with all major eProcurement and ERP solutions. DSSI clients enjoy the benefits of a single-supplier solution that is easily tailored to address individual client product needs, purchasing policies, and technology requirements. Learn more about DSSI atdirectsourcing.com Contact InformationJosh Stancil Vice President of Marketingjosh.stancil@procureanalytics.com 770-363-4084SOURCE: Procure AnalyticsView the original press release on newswire.com
PR-Inside.com: 2024-07-30 04:41:06

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NEW ORLEANS, LA / ACCESSWIRE / July 29, 2024 / Kahn Swick & Foti, LLC ("KSF") and KSF partner, former Attorney General of Louisiana, Charles C. Foti, Jr., remind investors that they have untilAugust 30, 2024to file lead plaintiff applications in a securities class action lawsuit against Seritage Growth Properties ("Seritage" or the "Company") (NYSE:SRG), if they purchased the Company's securities between July 7, 2022 and May 10, 2024, inclusive (the "Class Period"). This action is pending in the United States District Court for the Southern District of New York.What You May DoIf you purchased securities of Seritage and would like to discuss your legal rights and how this case might affect you and your right to recover for your economic loss, you may, without obligation or cost to you, contact KSF Managing Partner Lewis Kahn toll-free at 1-877-515-1850 or via email ( lewis.kahn@ksfcounsel.com) , or visit https://www.ksfcounsel.com/cases/nyse-srg/ to learn more. If you wish to serve as a lead plaintiff in this class action, you must petition the Court byAugust 30, 2024 .About the LawsuitSeritage and certain of its executives are charged with failing to disclose material information during the Class Period, violating federal securities laws.On August 14, 2023, the Company disclosed a "material weakness" in its internal control over financial reporting "due to a deficiency in the design of our control over the identification of impairment indicators for investments in real estate and documentation of evidence of review" related "to the failure to identify potential indicators of impairment related to development projects in a timely manner." On this news, the price of Seritage's shares fell $0.86, or 9.67%, to close at $8.03 per share on August 15, 2023, on unusually heavy trading volume.Then, on May 10, 2024, the Company released its 1Q2024 financial results, disclosing that it was "adjusting [its] pricing projections for some of [its] assets" resulting in the gross value of the Company's portfolio of assets being reduced by at least $325 million. On this news, the price of Seritage's shares fell $2.54, or 27.3%, to close at $6.78 per share on May 13, 2024, on unusually heavy trading volume.The case is He v. Seritage Growth Properties, et al., No. 1:24-cv-05007.About Kahn Swick & Foti, LLCKSF, whose partners include former Louisiana Attorney General Charles C. Foti, Jr., is one of the nation's premier boutique securities litigation law firms. KSF serves a variety of clients - including public institutional investors, hedge funds, money managers and retail investors - in seeking recoveries for investment losses emanating from corporate fraud or malfeasance by publicly traded companies. KSF has offices in New York, Delaware, California, Louisiana and New Jersey.To learn more about KSF, you may visit www.ksfcounsel.com CONTACT: Kahn Swick & Foti, LLCLewis Kahn, Managing Partnerlewis.kahn@ksfcounsel.com1-877-515-18501100 Poydras St., Suite 960New Orleans, LA 70163SOURCE: Kahn Swick & Foti, LLC
PR-Inside.com: 2024-07-31 00:45:40

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NEW YORK, NY / ACCESSWIRE / July 30, 2024 / Pomerantz LLP is investigating claims on behalf of investors of Dril-Quip, Inc. ("Dril-Quip" or the "Company") (NYSE:DRQ). Such investors are advised to contact Danielle Peyton at newaction@ pomlaw.com or 646-581-9980, ext. 7980.The investigation concerns whether Dril-Quip and certain of its officers and/or directors have engaged in securities fraud or other unlawful business practices.[Click here for information about joining the class action]On July 8, 2024, Dril-Quip disclosed in a filing with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission that it had identified "an error in the classification of certain inventory write-downs from 2021." Specifically, the Company disclosed that it "misclassified inventory write-downs from 2021 totaling approximately $67 million, including $19.3 million related to the 2018 global strategic plan and approximately $47.7 million due to the discontinuation of certain product categories under the 2021 global strategic plan. The Company classified these charges as Restructuring and other charges'; however, these charges should have been classified in Cost of sales' in the Consolidated Statement of Income (Loss) for the fiscal year ended December 31, 2021, in accordance with ASC 420-10-S99-3. As a result, Cost of sales' was understated and Restructuring and other charges' was overstated by $67 million for the fiscal year ended December 31, 2021 (the Affected Period')." Accordingly, Dril-Quip stated that its prior statements regarding the Affected Period "should no longer be relied upon" and will be restated. Dril-Quip further stated that "the Company's disclosure controls and procedures as of December 31, 2023 were not effective." On this news, Dril-Quip's stock price fell $1.76 per share, or 9.9%, to close at $16.01 per share on July 9, 2024.Pomerantz LLP, with offices in New York, Chicago, Los Angeles, London, Paris, and Tel Aviv, is acknowledged as one of the premier firms in the areas of corporate, securities, and antitrust class litigation. Founded by the late Abraham L. Pomerantz, known as the dean of the class action bar, Pomerantz pioneered the field of securities class actions. Today, more than 85 years later, Pomerantz continues in the tradition he established, fighting for the rights of the victims of securities fraud, breaches of fiduciary duty, and corporate misconduct. The Firm has recovered billions of dollars in damages awards on behalf of class members. See www.pomlaw.com Attorney advertising. Prior results do not guarantee similar outcomes.SOURCE: Pomerantz LLP
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MIAMI, FL / ACCESSWIRE / July 30, 2024 / Superbox, Inc. (OTC PINK:SBOX) ("Superbox" or the "Company"), a Nevada corporation headquartered at West Palm Beach, Florida, and a leading company in Green Energy and Transition Technologies, announced today that it has entered into a binding Asset Purchase Agreement with OK Innovation Ltd, a corporation located in London, UK.This agreement, involves acquiring the patents for Water in Diesel Fuel Emulsion industry-related and assets and entails a change of control of the Company's Executives and Directors.By means of this transaction, Superbox aims to significantly strengthen its corporate structure, positioning itself in the Fuel Emulsion market globally while continuing its commitment to spreading and developing Clean Energy solutions.Asset Purchase Agreement: Asset Purchase Agreement: Superbox has agreed to exclusively acquire the entire intellectual property patents for the "Apparatus for Stable NanoEmulsions of Water in Diesel Fuel", a patented technology.This strategic acquisition represents a significant move into the Transition and Green Energy sectors for Superbox. In addition to obtaining patents, Superbox has also acquired a white diesel production unit, granting them full rights to sales, manufacturing, and services in this area.This acquisition strengthens Superbox's commitment to improving its Energy products and services, with the goal of expanding its market presence in the green sector. By enhancing and cultivating the company's relationships and partnerships, Superbox aims to broaden its reach and impact. The transaction is expected to be finalized pending the fulfillment of standard closing conditions.Change in Executive Leadership: Alongside the asset purchase, there will be significant changes in the executive leadership team and the Board of Directors at Superbox, Inc.Resigning Officers and Directors:Suneel Anant Sawant, Chairman, President and DirectorVinnay Kumar Reddy Sarikonda, DirectorMichele Collini, DirectorAppointed Officers and Directors:Suneel Sawant, Chairman of the Board and DirectorClaudio Mirella, CEO and DirectorAndrea Piazzoli, Executive President and DirectorBruno Polistina, CFO and DirectorDaniele De Molli, COO and DirectorSamuele Lucchini, Independent DirectorEnrico Fumagalli, CTOStatement from the Chairman: "I am thrilled to announce our recent asset purchase, which marks a significant milestone in our growth strategy. This acquisition not only expands our market presence but also brings in on board a talented team from OK Innovation Ltd., who will add invaluable expertise and innovation to our company culture.Additionally, I am pleased to introduce Claudio Mirella as the new CEO of Superbox Inc. Claudio, along with our new Board and Governance team members, brings a wealth of experience and vision that align perfectly with our strategic objectives moving forward. This new chapter promises tremendous opportunities for collaboration, innovation, and growth. I encourage our shareholders to warmly welcome our new colleagues and embrace the fresh perspectives they bring. Together, we are poised to achieve great goals and strengthen our position in the market of the transition Energy. Let's join together in celebrating this milestone and looking forward to a successful future together." About Superbox, Inc.: Superbox is a company focused on cutting-edge transition technologies related to the Fuel sector. Highly specialized in the field of alternative fuels, aimed at deep emissions reduction and decarburization of various fuels, the Company continuously strives to innovate with the ultimate goal to a zero-carbon footprint. At present, the Company holds patented and internationally applied technologies. The Company's technologies are related mainly to Nano Emulsions Fuels, but the Company is actually finalizing innovative research on desulfurization of Fuels and waste to energy solutions using both urban and several industrial wastes.Forward-Looking Statements: This news release contains forward-looking statements within the meaning of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995 (the "ACT"). In particular, when used in the preceding discussion, the words "plan", "confident that", "Believe", "expect", "intend to" and similar conditional expressions are intended to identify forward-looking statements within the meaning of the ACT and are subject to risks and uncertainties, and actual results could differ materially from those expressed in any forward-looking statements. Such risks and uncertainties include, but are not limited to, market conditions, competitive factors, the ability to successfully complete additional financing and other risks.CONTACT:Cygna Finance Ltd, Listing agent ejc@ cygna.finance SOURCE: Superbox, Inc.
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Tortoise Energy Infrastructure Corp. (NYSE:TYG)Tortoise Midstream Energy Fund, Inc. (NYSE:NTG)Tortoise Pipeline & Energy Fund, Inc. (NYSE:TTP)Tortoise Energy Independence Fund, Inc. (NYSE:NDP)Tortoise Power and Energy Infrastructure Fund, Inc. (NYSE:TPZ)OVERLAND PARK, KS / ACCESSWIRE / July 29, 2024 / Tortoise Capital today announced the release of the combined 2024 semi-annual stockholders' report including all of these funds. The semi-annual report is available online at cef.tortoiseadvisors.com . Please call (866) 362-9331 or email info@ tortoiseadvisors.com to request a hard copy of this report free of charge.About Tortoise Capital Advisors Tortoise Capital Advisors, L.L.C. is an SEC-registered asset manager that invests primarily in publicly traded companies in the energy and power infrastructure sectors-from production to transportation to distribution. Tortoise Capital's solid track record of investment experience and research dates back more than 20 years. As an early investor in midstream energy, Tortoise Capital believes it is well-positioned to be at the forefront of the global energy evolution. For more information about Tortoise Capital, visit www.tortoiseadvisors.com Tortoise Capital Advisors, L.L.C. is the adviser to Tortoise Energy Infrastructure Corp., Tortoise Midstream Energy Fund, Inc., Tortoise Pipeline & Energy Fund, Inc., Tortoise Energy Independence Fund, Inc. and Tortoise Power and Energy Infrastructure Fund, Inc.For additional information on these funds, please visit cef.tortoiseadvisors.com Safe harbor statement This press release shall not constitute an offer to sell or a solicitation to buy, nor shall there be any sale of these securities in any state or jurisdiction in which such offer or solicitation or sale would be unlawful prior to registration or qualification under the laws of such state or jurisdiction.Cautionary Statement Regarding Forward-Looking Statements This press release contains certain statements that may include "forward-looking statements" within the meaning of Section 27A of the Securities Act of 1933 and Section 21E of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934. All statements, other than statements of historical fact, included herein are "forward-looking statements." Although the funds and Tortoise Capital Advisors believe that the expectations reflected in these forward-looking statements are reasonable, they do involve assumptions, risks and uncertainties, and these expectations may prove to be incorrect. Actual results could differ materially from those anticipated in these forward-looking statements as a result of a variety of factors, including those discussed in the fund's reports that are filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission. You should not place undue reliance on these forward-looking statements, which speak only as of the date of this press release. Other than as required by law, the funds and Tortoise Capital Advisors do not assume a duty to update this forward-looking statement.Contact information For more information contact Eva Lipner at (913) 981-1020 or info@ tortoiseadvisors.com SOURCE: Tortoise
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RICHARDSON, TX / ACCESSWIRE / July 29, 2024 / Estate planning is a crucial yet often overlooked aspect of personal finance and long-term security. Planning for death or incapacity can be an emotionally challenging task. However, it is an essential process that ensures one's assets are distributed according to their wishes, and their loved ones are taken care of. Recognizing the diverse needs of Texans,Warren & Migliaccio L.L.P Attorneys at Lawhave announced an exciting expansion of their estate planning services, now making them accessible to residents throughout the state of Texas, regardless of location. This significant development promises to bring expert guidance and peace of mind to even more families and individuals.Understanding Estate PlanningAt the core of estate planning is the preparation of documents that outline how a person's assets will be handled after death or in the event of incapacity. These documents typically include a Last Will and Testament, Revocable Living Trust, Financial Power of Attorney, Medical Power of Attorney, Advance Healthcare Directive, Declaration of Guardian, HIPAA Release, and Transfer on Death Deed. Each document serves a specific purpose and together they provide a comprehensive approach to managing one's estate.Warren & Migliaccio L.L.P have long been recognized for their expertise in estate planning, offering tailored services to meet the unique needs of their clients. Now, with their expanded reach, more Texans can benefit from their extensive knowledge and experience.Every individual and family has unique circumstances that require a personalized approach to estate planning. Warren & Migliaccio's estate planning lawyer, Morgan Gill, emphasizes that a one-size-fits-all solution is rarely effective. By offering three levels of service-White Glove Full Service, Everything But The Execution, and Estate Plan Express-the firm ensures that every client receives the attention and support they need.Comprehensive Support with White Glove Full ServiceThe White Glove Full Service is the firm's premium offering, providing clients with a complete and hands-on estate planning experience. This service is ideal for those who prefer a traditional attorney-client relationship and want the reassurance that every detail is meticulously handled by a professional. From the initial consultation to the execution of documents, clients are guided through each step of the process. This level of service is particularly beneficial for individuals with complex estates, blended families, or special needs dependents.Flexibility with Everything But The ExecutionFor clients who need a comprehensive estate plan but prefer to finalize the execution independently, Everything But The Execution is an excellent option. This service provides the same level of personalized attention and expert drafting as the White Glove Full Service, but allows clients the flexibility to execute their documents at their convenience. It's perfect for those with demanding schedules or those living outside the DFW area.Convenience with Estate Plan ExpressRecognizing that some clients prefer a more streamlined and cost-effective approach, Warren & Migliaccio L.L.P Attorneys at Law offer the Estate Plan Express service. This online solution is designed for individuals who need a simple will and supporting documents without the need for extensive attorney involvement. Clients can complete a questionnaire through a DIY estate planning portal, and the firm's experienced attorneys will draft and review the documents. This service is ideal for young adults, college students, and those with uncomplicated estates.One of the most significant aspects of Warren & Migliaccio's announcement is their ability to serve clients across the entire state of Texas. Previously, their services were primarily accessible to those in the DFW and North Texas areas. Now, regardless of location, Texans can receive expert estate planning assistance. This expansion is particularly valuable for residents in rural or underserved areas who may not have had access to specialized legal services.By leveraging technology and offering flexible service options, Warren & Migliaccio ensure that every Texan can benefit from their expertise. Whether through virtual consultations, online document preparation, or detailed instructions for independent execution, the firm's commitment to accessibility is evident.While some individuals may be tempted to handle estate planning on their own using generic online templates, the complexity and importance of the process should not be underestimated. Professional estate planning provides several key benefits that DIY solutions simply cannot match.Firstly, professional estate planning ensures that all legal requirements are met. Estate laws can be intricate and vary from state to state. Warren & Migliaccio L.L.P Attorneys at Law's attorneys are well-versed in Texas estate law and can provide guidance to ensure that all documents are legally sound.Secondly, professional estate planning offers personalized advice. Every client's situation is unique, and a tailored approach is necessary to address specific needs and goals. By working with an experienced attorney, clients can ensure that their estate plan reflects their individual circumstances and wishes.Lastly, professional estate planning provides peace of mind. Knowing that a qualified attorney has reviewed and prepared your documents can alleviate stress and uncertainty. In the event of incapacity or death, a well-prepared estate plan ensures that your loved ones are taken care of and your assets are distributed according to your wishes.Warren & Migliaccio expansion of their estate planning services across Texas represents a significant step forward in making expert legal assistance accessible to all residents. By offering three distinct levels of service, the firm caters to the diverse needs of their clients, ensuring that everyone-from young adults to those with complex estates-can benefit from professional estate planning.For Texans seeking peace of mind and expert guidance in estate planning, Warren & Migliaccio L.L.P Attorneys at Law stand ready to assist. Their commitment to personalized service, legal expertise, and accessibility makes them a trusted partner in securing your future and protecting your loved ones.For more information or to schedule a consultation, visit Warren & Migliaccio L.L.P Attorneys at Law website and take the first step towards comprehensive estate planning today.CONTACT:Warren & Migliaccio L.L.P Attorneys at LawPhone: (972) 325-7509 https://www.wmtxlaw.com/contact-us/ SOURCE: Warren & Migliaccio L.L.P Attorneys at Law
To commemorate the World Day Against Trafficking in Persons, recognised by the United Nations on 30 July, African films like Oloture and Mvera stand out for using compelling storytelling to expose the harsh realities of modern-day slavery and inspire action.

Human trafficking is the illegal practice of transporting or coercing individuals to exploit their labour or services, often through forced labour or sexual exploitation. It occurs in varying forms, including sex trade, organ trafficking, forced labour, forced marriage, and domestic servitude, among others.

Statistics from the International Labour Organisation (ILO) reveal that over 24.9 million people are forced into labour globally, with many victims coming from African nations. Notably, 72 per cent of these victims are women and girls.

Films have become a powerful medium for raising awareness and inspiring action to combat this issue. Notable among them are the Nigerian films Oloture (2024), Shanty Town (2023), and Glamour Girls (2022), as well as the Kenyan film Mvera (2023) and the South African film I Am All Girls (2021).

These films provide compelling narratives and crucial tools for educating and informing the public about African human trafficking.

Oloture

Released initially in 2020 by Ebonylife, it tells the harrowing story of a journalist who goes undercover to expose the sex trafficking industry. This film, based on actual events, highlights the dark realities faced by many women in Nigeria, particularly those from Edo State, a significant hub for irregular migration and trafficking. The series stars Chidi Mokeme, Ini Edo, Richard Mofe-Damijo, Nse Ikpe-Etim, Sola Sobowale, Nancy Isime, Shaffy Bello, Ali Nuhu, etc.

This movie focuses more on the sex trade while it also sheds more light on the dark horrors of illegal migration.

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Netflix recently released a sequel, Oloture: The Journey, released in June, continuing the story and delving deeper into the world of human trafficking and modern-day slavery. This limited series paints a grim picture of victims exploitation and dangers.

Shanty Town

Shanty Town is a Nigerian crime thriller television series created by Xavier Ighorodje and Chichi Nworah and produced by Chinenye Nworah.

This six-part series was released on Netflix on 20 January, 2023, and stars Chidi Mokeme, Ini Edo, Richard Mofe-Damijo, Nse Ikpe-Etim, Sola Sobowale, Nancy Isime, Shaffy Bello, Ali Nuhu, among others.

Shanty Town follows the story of a ruthless leader named Scar (Chidi Mokeme), who dominates a crime-ridden community known for drug dealers, prostitutes, and thugs. Scar is regarded as the King of Shanty Town, handling numerous illicit activities. However, when some of the Lagos hustlers he and his associates have held captive discover that those supposedly set free are always missing, they unite to wage war against him.

The series briefly touches on prostitution, sex trade and forced labour.

Glamour Girls

Glamour Girls is a 2022 Nigerian movie directed by Bunmi Adesoye and produced by Abimbola Craig. Released on Netflix, it stars Nse Ikpe-Etim, Sharon Ooja, Joselyn Dumas, Toke Makinwa and Segilola Ogidan as women embarking on glamorous and luxurious lifestyles through escorting.

The movie explores a narrative around prostitution and forced labour.

Glamour Girls was initially touted as a remake but subsequently metamorphosed into a reconstruction of the original story with an entirely different storyline and different characters, and some actors from the 1994 movie also appeared.

I Am All Girls

I Am All Girls is a 2021 South African mystery thriller directed by Donovan Marsh and written by Emile Leuvennink and Marcell Greeff, with additional contributions from Jarrod de Jong, Wayne Fitzjohn, and Donovan Marsh.

Based on actual events with fictionalised elements, the film stars Erica Wessels, Hlubi Mboya, and Masasa Mbangeni.

It follows detective Jodie Snyman and her colleague Ntombizonke Bapai as they race to track down members of an apartheid-era sex-trafficking syndicate who are being murdered one by one by an unknown serial killer.

Mvera

After being trapped by an organ trafficking ring, a woman tries to make it back to her community to warn them of the dangers that are being sold to them as new opportunities.

The film depicts young girls from a poor village lured by a supposed benefactor into forced labour and prostitution, only to face unimaginable horrors.

The movie stars Linah Sande, Patrick Owino, Hillary Namanje, Kibibi Salim, Susan Kadid and Carolyn Rita Mutua.

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The Court of Appeal in England has upheld the sentence and increased the jail time of Kelechukwu Orji, a 48-year-old rapist who fled to Nigeria after being convicted of multiple sex crimes.

A Crown Court at Lewes, a county town of East Sussex, England, had on 22 November 2023 convicted Mr Orji of two counts of rape, one count of attempted rape, one count of assault by penetration and one count of sexual assault.

After his conviction that day, the trial judge ordered a pre-sentence report to consider whether the convict represented a significant risk of serious harm from the commission of further specified offences.

The judge then adjourned the case to the following day and released Mr Orji from detention to allow him to put his affairs in order before sentencing and imprisonment.

But the convict failed to appear in court the next day. The court later found that he fled England on the evening of 22 November 2023 on a flight to Nigeria, where he is now believed to be hiding.

However, the court proceeded on 21 February 2024 to sentence Mr Orji in absentia as follows: count 4 (rape) nine years imprisonment; count 7 (attempted rape) five years imprisonment; count 8 (sexual assault) three years imprisonment; count 9 (assault by penetration) five years imprisonment; count 10 (rape) 10 years imprisonment.

All of the sentences were ordered to run concurrently. The total sentence was ten years imprisonment.

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The then Solicitor General for England and Wales, Robert Courts, was dissatisfied with the judgment, saying the sentence was unduly lenient. He then filed an appeal under section 36 of the countrys Criminal Justice Act 1988.

In their unanimous judgment on 13 June 2024, Lord Justice William Davis, Mrs Justice McGowan, and Mrs Justice Cockerill agreed with the solicitor general and consequently increased Mr Orjis jail term from 10 to 15 years.

The court criticised the original sentence, saying it failed to reflect the severity of Mr Orjis crimes.

The judges noted that Mr Orjis purported good character was of little weight, given the gravity of the offences, and that the sentence needed to be increased to ensure public confidence in the judicial system.

But the convict is evading justice, having escaped to his home country, Nigeria, where he is believed to be hiding.

Mr Orji, his victim and multiple rape crimes

Mr Orji went to the United Kingdom in 2017. While there, he worked for His Majestys Revenue & Customs (HMRC), the UKs tax, payments and customs authority. He is married with three children. His wife works as a nurse, and the family resides in South London.

Both the Crown Court and the Court of Appeal heard that Mr Orji subjected his victim, identified in court documents as AB, to a campaign of sexual abuse over several weeks, including rape, attempted rape, and assault.

AB was in her early twenties at the time of the offences. She travelled from Nigeria to the United Kingdom in September 2020 to work as a house help for Mr Orjis family.

However, according to court documents, Mr Orji took advantage of her vulnerability and subjected her to a series of rape attacks. AB stated that before her arrival, Mr Orji sent her a message which she thought was sexually suggestive. However, she still considered the offer and travelled to the United Kingdom.

The appeal court judgment gave a vivid account of Mr Orjis multiple sexual assaults on his victim.

The court said, The first occasion on which AB was raped (count 4) occurred when the offender came into her bedroom late at night. He pulled her from her bed and dragged her downstairs. He forced her into the living room, where he made her bend over. AB put up a struggle. Eventually, the offender was able to pull down her leggings. He held her from behind while he raped her vaginally. AB told him to stop. The offender ignored her. He ejaculated.

The offender attempted to rape AB (count 7) shortly after the first incident. AB had come downstairs for something to eat. The offender took hold of AB and threw her to the floor. She was able to get up and run to the toilet. The offender pulled her out of the toilet. He said: Youre ready for me. For some 15 minutes, he tried to remove her clothing, saying things such as Have sex with me and I want to eat your pussy. Eventually, the offender gave up, and AB was able to go to her room.

The remaining counts reflected a single continuing incident. It began in the kitchen. The offenders wife had gone to work. The offender asked AB to come and make him some food. When she came into the kitchen, the offender pressed her breasts over her clothing (count 8). He then grabbed hold of AB. He said that she had to let him have sex with her. She struggled and begged him not to do it. As he held her down, the offender digitally penetrated AB (count 9).

Thereafter, the offender pulled her into the living room. AB repeatedly said, Stop, I dont want this. The offender ignored AB, who was struggling and trying to bite the offender. He held her down and raped her vaginally (count 10). He ejaculated inside her.

AB had downloaded a recording app onto her telephone after the first incident of rape. She audio-recorded significant parts of this final incident.

The offender had threatened AB that if she were to tell anybody about what had happened, she would not be safe in Nigeria when she returned home. AB did disclose something of what was happening to her boyfriend back in Nigeria. In October 2020, she contacted a support group for Nigerians in the United Kingdom. A member of the group contacted the police to say that they were concerned for the safety of AB. The address of the offender was given as the place where AB was living.

On 29 October 2020, the police went to the address. They were able to speak to AB, who said that she was in danger because the offender was forcing himself on her. The offender was arrested the next day. In an interview, he made no comment to all questions. He was not charged with the offences until September 2022. His case at trial was that any sexual activity between him and AB was consensual.

No longer safe  Victim

Because Mr Orji fled immediately after his conviction, the appeal court noted there was no pre-sentence report. However, the trial judge received seven letters from the rapists friends, work colleagues and a neighbour, speaking to his good character. He was described as a hard-working family man. One friend said he was humble and law-abiding.

Mr Orjis victim, AB, made a personal statement to the court on 11 January 2024. She said that the offences and their circumstances meant that she no longer trusted people, the court quoted her as saying. She found it difficult to make friendships. She could not concentrate at college and would become upset for no reason.

AB said that she could not sleep. She suffered flashbacks. She said she blamed herself for what had happened. She had considered suicide. AB explained that she was still in the United Kingdom because she felt unable to return to Nigeria for fear of reprisals from the offender or his family. She was estranged from her own family in Nigeria. They had not wished the matter to be reported to the police.

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Following threats by Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan against Israel, Israeli Foreign Minister Israel Katz has called for Turkey to be expelled from NATO.

Erdogan has made Turkey a member of the Iranian axis of evil, Mr Katz said, adding that Turkey hosts Hamas.

Mr Katz called on all NATO member states to expel Turkey immediately.

He said Turkey had massively violated NATO principles by threatening to invade a democratic Western country without provocation.

The United States and the Western world must condemn Erdogan and stop his destructive activities.

On Sunday, Mr Erdogan threatened Israel with military intervention, citing previous actions in Nagorno-Karabakh and Libya.

Just as we entered Nagorno-Karabakh, just as we entered Libya, we will do the same with them, the Turkish ruler said at an event of his ruling Justice and Development Party (AKP) in Rize on the Black Sea.

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Mr Erdogan was referring to the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict, where he supported Azerbaijan with drones and other military aid.

Ankara is also backing the internationally recognised government of Libya with military equipment and personnel.

Following that, Mr Katz compared Mr Erdogan to Saddam Hussein, the former leader of Iraq who was deposed and executed following US intervention there.

Erdogan is following in the footsteps of Saddam Hussein and is threatening an attack on Israel, Mr Katz said on the X platform.

READ ALSO: American senators threaten ICC prosecutor over possible arrest warrant on Netanyahu

He should just remember what happened there and how it ended.

Since the beginning of the Gaza war, relations between Israel and Turkey have deteriorated drastically.

Mr Erdogan called Hamas a liberation organisation and compared Israels Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to Adolf Hitler.

(dpa/NAN)

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A retired professor of political sociology at the University of Lagos, Lai Olurode, has waded into the ongoing conversation over a planned nationwide protest in Nigeria.

Mr Olurodes intervention came via a statement he sent to PREMIUM TIMES on Monday.

Before delving into the Nigerian case, the former national commissioner with the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) made some preliminary clarifications.

According to him, civil protests became popular in the US in the early 1960s to register dissatisfaction with social discrimination against the minorities particularly the blacks and people of colour and women as well. Protests were then largely a positive force in righting the then prevalent social wrongs.

The professor said in most civilised and democratic countries of the world, civil protests are rarely outlawed.

Even, under dictatorships, protests, where they are forbidden, they get smuggled into modes of registering dissatisfaction and social discontent with harsh government social policies, he said. Without street protests and marches, the military would have probably remained in power in most of Africa.

According Mr Olurode, the most common form of civil protest in Nigeria is street protests or marches. But Nigerians can be more creative by considering alternatives to street marches as forms of civil disobedience. If we go by previous experiences about the consequences and backlash of civil protests, the outcomes have not been salutary.

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The question then is why employ the same mode of behaviour that hadnt produced any substantive outcome in the past.

Mr Olurode therefore advocated more creativity and the reliance on science to decide on whether this pending protests should hold or not.

He said, I hereby advocate that those who have subscribed to the protest option to register their protest against hunger in the land should do so through petitions or even boycotts of government services in place of street protests.

Without any doubt in the mind of many, the 2020 EndSars bloody protest left sour tastes in the mouth. The scale of private and public destruction was massive. Though, the protests led to the erasure of EndSars inscriptions on police vehicles but the protests by no means eliminated police toll gates and the associated sharp practices. These gains got flattened in the midst of the losses of life and property which followed the imbroglio.

In the light of this, I appeal for caution on the resort to open protests. Lets deploy more creative thoughts and scientific simplicity to feed our decisions. A desirable outcome is an improvement in Nigerias citizenship project which is achievable through alternatives to street protests or marches.

Never must we allow opportunists whose narrow concern is to promote ethnic rather than class politics to take advantage of our innocent expressions of social discontent.

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The Chief of Naval Staff (CNS), Emmanuel Ogalla, says the Nigerian Navy apprehended more than 35 ships involved in oil theft in the nations waters.

Mr Ogalla, a vice admiral, who made this known during a meeting of maritime stakeholders on Tuesday in Abuja, said the apprehended vessels were handed over to the appropriate prosecuting authorities.

He said that the navy had rejigged its operations and established Operation Delta Sanity in January and sustained its maritime security operations through surveillance, response capability and law enforcement in addition to collaboration with all maritime stakeholders.

The CNS assured the stakeholders of the navys commitment to the fulfilment of its statutory roles with a view to emplace a conducive maritime domain for the economic prosperity of the nation.

He said the navy was working to ensure that its operations do not constitute obstacles to the operators but rather contribute to them being able to perform their duties and produce optimally.

Provision of security is part of ways of increasing promoting ease of doing business, because if there is no security, the operators cannot operate.

Also ensuring that our arrests and detentions do not impede on the legitimate business operators, we ensure that when we make arrests.

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We quickly carry out preliminary investigation and if it was based on wrong information, we quickly release those vessels so that we do not impede businesses.

We feel that we can promote ease of doing business by ensuring that our operations do not end up constituting problems to the operators.

Rather, we should support them by giving them the assurance and the confidence that they are well protected from the criminal elements who are always keen towards disrupting businesses in Nigeria, he said.

Mr Ogalla said the meeting was convened to bring together industry regulators, maritime law enforcement as well as industry players to discuss critical issues which are germane to maritime and energy security.

He said the development of Nigerias oil sectors over the last few decades had witnessed several complex security challenges, such as violent agitations, oil theft, pipeline vandalism, and piracy/sea robbery, amongst others.

The naval chief said the menace was driven by the proliferation of small arms and light weapons, communal clashes, poverty and unemployment.

He added that traditional means of addressing the security challenges had not yielded the desired result hence the need to address emerging security issues arising from implementing the Petroleum Industry Act.

According to him, the Federal Governments drive to develop the nations Blue Economy requires the support of all stakeholders, adding that President Bola Tinubu had expressed a desire to enhance the ease of doing business within the maritime environment as well as the oil and gas sector.

The Group Managing Director, Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited (NNPCL), Mele Kyari, said the country now records 1.6 million barrels of crude oil production daily.

Mr Kyari, who was represented by the Managing Director Pipeline NNPCL, Folorunsho Karim, assured that crude production would reach the targeted two million barrels per day by year-end, with the support of the navy and other relevant stakeholders.

He commended the efforts and support of the military for making it possible.

They have been giving us a lot of support, and were having a reduction in oil theft, and the pipeline vandalism has also decreased significantly, and a lot is presently going on in the industry.

We hope that we will sustain this, and we will be able to achieve our target of two million barrels per day toward the end of the year, he said.

(NAN)

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The Minister of Information and National Orientation, Mohammed Idris, has described Lateef Jakande, the first civilian governor of Lagos State, as one of Africas pacesetters whose legacies will continue to reverberate.

Mr Idris, along with other media practitioners, including former Minister of Information Lai Mohammed, made the remark at the second Alhaji Lateef Jakande Annual Memorial Lecture on Tuesday in Lagos.

The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that the annual memorial lecture was organised by the Nigerian Guild of Editors (NGE), and had the theme: Rapidly Changing Media Landscape: Media Survival Strategies.

Mr Idris, who was represented by Ali Ali, the managing director of the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN), said that Mr Jakandes legacies, ideals, and leadership styles would continue to inspire unborn generations.

We must not lose what is real on the horizon. Editors have to be more vigilant and learn from the master who we are celebrating today, one of Africas greatest.

Late Lateef Jakande  his ideals, his leadership as a politician was clearly a pacesetter. He deserves deeper respect, Mr Idris said.

The minister, who is a media entrepreneur and renowned journalist, expressed his deep appreciation to the NGE for their support to the government of the day.

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He said Nigeria was going through trying times, but commended the professionalism of the guild at a time when fake news has taken front row.

He said that the NGE had been taking its leading place and was contributing to media growth and training while also reshaping editors skills.

The minister, who commended the can do spirit of the Lead Speaker and Chairman, ThisDay/Arise Media Group, Nduka Obaigbena, said that he possessed the experience to deliver the lecture on the rapidly changing media landscape and survival strategies.

Over the years, we have seen how the media has reinvented itself expanding the frontiers of publishing.

The guild in the last couple of years has actually taken its rightful place from the time it came into existence. I must commend the leadership of the guild for contributing to media growth, he said.

Mr Idris urged the media to attract the young by spreading out to social media and other platforms.

Corroborating, Mr Idris predecessor, Lai Mohammed, said that Mr Jakande, the founding president of the guild, fought for the press freedom journalists enjoyed today.

Mr Mohammed, who noted that Mr Jakande practised journalism at a most difficult time, said he was fearless and courageous.

I am glad to honour an Icon, he said.

Earlier in his opening remarks, the NGE President, Eze Anaba, said Mr Jakande, along with his colleagues, associates, and students, worked assiduously to create the platform for editors in 1961.

Mr Anaba said that the platform was for the purpose of addressing issues bedeviling the media.

The man, in whose honour this lecture was instituted, lived a principled and impactful life. Alhaji Jakande devoted his entire professional and political career to advancing liberty and social justice.

He also exemplified the value of honesty, integrity, courage and fairness. He told the story of the powerless and held the powerful into account and he demonstrated commitment to journalists freedom and long-term survival, Mr Anaba said.

On the theme, the NGE president noted that besides change in the circumstances in which we report, produce and distribute the news, the cost of production has hit the roof and sales have fallen daily.

As media managers, we have to think of innovative and sustainable issues. We should also find a way of addressing the impact of new technology in every part of our law as journalists and media practitioners.

We have to work harder and do more to adjust and adapt to survive and bring our work to the audiences.

NAN reports that many eminent journalists, professionals, and media owners took turns proffering solutions and a way forward for the medias survival in the ever-changing landscape.

Appreciating the NGE on behalf of the family, Mr Jakandes first son, Deji, said that their fathers name had always been a challenge to them, assuring that the children would not disappoint Nigerians.

Speaking at the event, Sikirat Jakande, the late Jakandes wife, said that the family had remained peaceful and united since his death.

We are happy that we have remained peaceful and united as a family which has always been our goal, Sikirat said in Ikeja.

She spoke in an interview with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN)

Mr Jakande served as Governor of Lagos State from 1979 to 1983. He died on 11 February 2021 at the age of 92.

I miss his presence, we miss his wisdom and everything he stood for, but we are happy that his legacy lives on.

He has worked hard, and we, his family members, are benefitting from his good name and hard work, she said.

Also, one of the late former governors sons, Deji Jakande, told NAN that keeping his fathers name unblemished was not negotiable.

Baba has given us a legacy to cherish for generations to come, and we are going to do well to preserve his name.

We are grateful to Lagos State, his professional association and the federal government for remembering what a great man our father was, he said.

NAN reports that Mr Jakande was born in the Epetedo area of Lagos Island to parents, both of whom were from Omu-Aran, Kwara State.

(NAN)

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The prolonged crisis rocking the Federal College of Education, Technical (FCET), Akoka, degenerated into violence on Monday when some workers and students reportedly attacked the Chairman of the Governing Council of the institution, Olatunde Adenuga, and other council members, vandalising cars and other property worth millions of naira.

The Lagos State Police Command confirmed the development in a post on X by the Police Public Relations Officer for the command, Ben Hundeyin, even as he revealed that 32 persons have been arrested in connection with the violence.

PREMIUM TIMES has learnt that the school authority was preparing to shut down the campus as of Monday night.

In a viral video on X, some students and workers were seen vandalising vehicles belonging to officials of the college.

The police spokesperson said the rioting staff and students initially blocked all entrances in and out of the college and attacked the police with stones and sachets of water as they arrived at the scene of the riot.

Backstory

Since 27 May, the workers locked up the office of the Provost of the College, Wahab Azeez, and issued him a notice to quit from his official residence over his tenure of office.

The protest, championed by the workers under the umbrella of concerned staff, is led by the leadership of the Senior Staff Union of Colleges of Education (SSUCOEN), FCET chapter, insisting that with the amendment of the Educational Colleges Act 2023, which introduced a five-year single term of office for provosts and other principal officers of the colleges, the tenure of Mr Azeez had ended on 26 May.

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However, the provost said he was appointed for the first term of four years in 2019 and that having been duly reappointed by the institutions governing council in 2023, he already resumed his second term in office on 27 May 2023 before the amended act was signed into law on 12 June 2023.

Following letters by the unions seeking clarification on the tenure of office of the provost based on the amended act, the Minister of Education, Tahir Mamman, wrote the unions, affirming the legality of Mr Azeezs second term of four years.

The protesters ignored the ministers verdict and continued to stage daily protests on the campus, denying management members access to their offices.

Mr Mamman, represented by the Minister of State for Education, Yusuf Sununu, subsequently met with the warring parties in Abuja, and resolutions were made.

Resolutions

Despite signing resolutions reached at a reconciliatory meeting chaired by Mr Sununu, some workers of FCET continued to threaten a showdown should Mr Azeez return to the office.

The resolutions signed by the representatives of the ministry, the governing council, and the staff unions included the reopening of the office of the colleges provost and his return to the office.

The meeting ordered an end to the prolonged protest by the workers, and the governing council chaired by Olatunde Adenuga was asked to meet with them to address the issues.

The meeting also mandated the new council to investigate the concerns raised by the staff, including the alleged misappropriation of funds reportedly approved for the colleges fencing and the appointment of the colleges bursar.

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The Inspector General of Police (IGP), Kayode Egbetokun, has again warned against unlawful acts, armed robbery, criminality, and destruction of infrastructure during the 1 August nationwide protest.

Police spokesperson, Olumuyiwa Adejobi, disclosed in a statement on Monday in Abuja.

Mr Egbetokun had earlier on Friday rolled out some conditions the organisers should meet before embarking on the protest against economic hardship in the country.

PREMIUM TIMES reported that the IGP requested details, names and contacts of the organisers of the planned protest to keep track of their activities and also to enable the police foil any attempt to hijack it.

Although some Nigerians and activists criticised the move, Mr Adejobi quoted the IGP as saying that lessons from previous protests in Nigeria, including the EndSARS, showed that there could be property damage and loss of lives if not checked.

Where police stations were burnt down, criminals took over. Arms looted were in the wrong hands, and armed robbers took over. Women could no longer walk freely once it is 7 p.m.

He warned that the destruction of police infrastructure leads to a breakdown in law and order, leaving communities vulnerable to criminal activities.

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There are enough lessons to learn from previous violent protests in Nigeria, the IGP continued, urging citizens to remember the chaos and suffering that followed such events. Serious dangers come with unchecked demonstrations, he added, highlighting the potential for loss of life, property damage, and widespread fear among the populace, Mr Egbetokun said.

Read the full statement below.

PRESS RELEASE

WE CANT AFFORD TO HAVE VIOLENT PROTESTS IN NIGERIA

As Police Boss Rolls Out Negative Effects of Violent Protests

The Inspector General of Police, IGP Kayode Adeolu Egbetokun, PhD, NPM, addressed the nation in light of the planned nationwide protests, emphasising the severe negative effects that violent demonstrations can have on our society. In his address, the IGP highlighted several critical points that underscore the importance of maintaining peace and order during protests.

It is not only in Nigeria that there is hardship. It is a global meltdown. Is the government doing anything about it? Yes! This is what a responsive government will do, stated the IGP. He stressed that while the current economic challenges are not unique to Nigeria, the government is actively working to mitigate their impact and provide relief to the citizens.

Reflecting on the 2020 EndSARS protest, the IGP remarked, Where police stations were burnt down, criminals took over. Arms looted were in the wrong hands, and armed robbers took over. Women could no longer walk freely once it is 7 p.m. He warned that the destruction of police infrastructure leads to a breakdown in law and order, leaving communities vulnerable to criminal activities.

There are enough lessons to learn from previous violent protests in Nigeria, the IGP continued, urging citizens to remember the chaos and suffering that followed such events. Serious dangers come with unchecked demonstrations, he added, highlighting the potential for loss of life, property damage, and widespread fear among the populace.

The IGP acknowledged the right to protest, stating, The right to protest is a right to peaceful protest. He called on all Nigerians to exercise this right responsibly and to avoid actions that could escalate into violence. Peaceful protests, he emphasised, are a powerful tool for expressing grievances without endangering lives and properties.

In conclusion, the IGP reaffirmed the Nigeria Police Forces commitment to protecting the rights of citizens while maintaining law and order. He urged all Nigerians to cooperate with the Police to ensure that any forthcoming protests are peaceful and orderly.

ACP OLUMUYIWA ADEJOBI

FORCE PUBLIC RELATIONS OFFICER

FORCE HEADQUARTERS ABUJA

29TH JULY, 2024

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Ekiti State governor, Biodun Oyebanji, the Commissioner of Police, Ekiti State Command, Adeniran Adewale, traditional rulers and other stakeholders, on Monday, appealed to youths in the state to shelve the planned nationwide protest in the overall interest of the country.

The governor said that the protest cannot solve the countrys challenges, especially the current hardship being faced by the citizens, but would only worsen the pains of Nigerians and further inflict damage on the countrys economy.

Mr Oyebanji and other stakeholders spoke in Ado-Ekiti, during a meeting organised to brainstorm on how to dissuade the protesters from the planned nationwide protest starting from 1 August.

The governor, who was represented by his Special Adviser on Security, Ebenezer Ogundana, a retired brigadier general, called on the youth to embrace dialogue in pressing home their demand.

He warned that the protest could be hijacked by criminal elements to cause mayhem and destabilise the country.

Mr Oyebanji acknowledged that though the country was currently going through challenges, President Bola Tinubu had taken bold steps in addressing the economic challenges and the attendant hardship.

He noted that Nigerians only needed to exercise little patience, and urged them to give Mr Tinubu more time to implement his developmental blueprint towards making the Renewed Hope Agenda a reality.

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On his part, the police commissioner said the meeting became necessary to engage relevant stakeholders and take feedback to the appropriate authorities for action.

Mr Adewale urged all the groups planning to protest in the state to come forward and give necessary details, saying this was necessary to ensure that the protest was peaceful.

Meanwhile, a group, under the auspices of Nigerian Youth for Democracy (NYD), has advised the youth to explore dialogue instead of staging a protest that could grind the economy to a halt.

The groups National Coordinator and former Special Assistant on Youth and Students Affairs in the state, Moses Ademiloye, said past protests had resulted in arson attacks and violence on perceived political opponents.

Mr Ademiloye added that any protest of national dimension has the potential of causing economic disruptions, forcing businesses to close down, and straining public resources.

He warned that this could lead to job losses and exacerbate economic hardship for many Nigerians, particularly the struggling youths.

While protest is a form of expression, it should not replace constructive dialogue and democratic processes. Engaging in protests without exhausting other means of communication and negotiation can undermine the very democratic principles we seek to uphold.

In light of these potential consequences, I urge all Nigerian youths to consider alternative, constructive means of effecting change. Let us engage with policymakers, community leaders, and stakeholders through dialogue. Let us present well-researched, viable solutions to the issues at hand. Constructive engagement can lead to meaningful changes without the risks associated with protests, he added.

Also speaking at the forum, Commissioner for Information and Value Orientation, Taiwo Olatunbosun, said there had been no protests held in the country in the past that had not been hijacked.

He said that no responsible government would fold its hands and allow miscreants to hijack the protest and cause chaos, which explains why the leadership of the country has been appealing for dialogue.

Mr Olatunbosun explained that Mr Oyebanji wants the protesters to come forward with their demands, so that government could look at it dispassionately with a view to solving them.

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As Nigerian youths prepare to take to the streets to express their grievances against unfavourable government policies, many observers have called for introspection to avoid the violence that occurred during the 2020 #EndSARS protest. Dozens of people were killed and infrastructure and materials worth billions of naira were destroyed in several states then.

The planned 10-day protest, tagged #EndBadGovernance, has raised concerns of violence and government clampdown.

The 2020 #EndSARS protest, which began as a peaceful demonstration against police brutality, unfortunately, turned violent, resulting in the widespread destruction of public and private properties, including police stations, buses, and buildings.

The Lagos State government estimated the damage to be over N1 trillion, with many businesses and individuals also suffering losses.

As the country prepares for another round of protests, it is crucial to understand what is expected of protesters in a democracy.

Conducting a protest in a democracy

The right to protest is enshrined in the Nigerian Constitution and international human rights law, but it comes with responsibilities.

Some peaceful activities protesters can do include marching, singing and downing tools at work places.

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Protesters must demonstrate peacefully, using placards and other materials to convey their grievances without destroying public properties or blocking roads excessively, Festus Ogun, a Lagos-based human rights lawyer, told PREMIUM TIMES.

On the other hand, the government must respect the rights of protesters, protect them from harm, and engage in constructive dialogue to address their concerns, he advised.

Mr Ogun notes that protesters must be allowed to march freely and be protected.

We must be careful about the use of roads, he said. Some people will say protesters should not block the road, but protests are not organised in the room.

A former senator, Shehu Sani, identified two other factors that could frustrate the real goal of a peaceful protest.

According to him, a clash between two opposing protest groups and disobedience of the protest leadership could drift the demonstration into violence.

Attempts to suppress demonstrations unacceptable

A coalition of 37 civil society organisations including the Centre for Journalism Innovation and Development (CJID), in a statement dated 29 July, also warned the government that any attempt to suppress the protests through intimidation, excessive use of force, or unjust legal actions are unacceptable and counterproductive.

Every protest is deemed peaceful, the coalition continued, advising the government to identify and arrest those that might want to hijack the protests.

The groups noted that as a result of plans to suppress the protest, they were compelled to reaffirm the fundamental right of citizens to peaceful protest.

The right to protest is a cornerstone of any democratic society and a critical means for citizens to express their dissatisfaction, demand accountability, and advocate for change, said the coalition.

Protesting is a legitimate form of expression enshrined in international human rights instruments, including the Universal Declaration of Human Rights (UDHR), the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights, the African Charter on Human and Peoples Rights, and Nigerias 1999 Constitution (as amended), among others, the groups noted, urging the Judiciary and the National Human Rights Commission (NHRC) to uphold the rights of all protesters and establish a mechanism to promptly address and dismiss oppressive charges that may arise from these protests.

While calling on parties involved to uphold the principles of democracy, human rights, and the rule of law, the civil society organisations also encouraged all citizens to actively participate in shaping a just and accountable society.

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The Governing Council of Usmanu Danfodiyo University, Sokoto (UDUS), has approved the appointments of an acting vice-chancellor and acting registrar for the institution pending the appointment of substantive holders of both offices.

The council appointed Muhammad Mahuta, a professor of Sociology of Education as the acting VC, while Abubakar Usman is to act as the registrar of the university.

Their appointments were approved at the 167th meeting of the universitys governing council on Friday, 12 July, according to a statement by the university spokesperson, Samaila Yauri.

About appointees

Before his appointment, Mr Mahuta, 60, was the deputy vice-chancellor (Academics).

The academic holds a Bachelor of Arts education in Islamic Studies and a Masters and Doctorate in Sociology of Educationall from UDUS.

He has taught for more than 35 years and became a professor in 2010.

In 2002, he received the National Universities Commission, Nigerian Universities Doctoral Thesis Award in recognition of the outstanding research work documented in his Doctor of Philosophy degree thesis.

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The same year, he received the Usmanu Danfodiyo University Postgraduate Award for the Most Outstanding Research Work at the Ph.D. level.

The Acting Registrar, Mr Usman, is a seasoned university administrator and a former registrar of the university. He joined the services of the university in 1976.

Background

The Nigerian government had in May directed outgoing vice-chancellors to nominate one of their deputies for appointment as acting vice-chancellor. The acting VCs are to serve until the university councils kick-start the process of appointing substantive vice-chancellors.

The directive followed a protest by the Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU) and industrial unrest at the University of Abuja when the process of appointing a new VC was kick-started without a council.

Days after ASUU National leadership gave a two-week ultimatum, the federal government appointed the governing councils for the universities, polytechnics and colleges of education. Even though the initial list stirred controversy, another list of appointees was released and the members were inaugurated early this month.

The newly inaugurated members of the council will soon kick-start the process of appointing substantive vice-chancellors at institutions where the tenure of the incumbent has elapsed.

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The National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA) says the 2024 Annual Flood Outlook (AFO) identifies Yobe as one of 31 states with a high risk of flooding.

The Director General of NEMA, Zubaida Umar, spoke at the inauguration of the 2024 Effective Waste Management and Flood Mitigation Sensitisation Campaign on Tuesday in Damaturu, Yobe.

Ms Umar, represented by NEMAs Deputy Director of Finance and Account, Aminu Ringim, added that the Nigeria Hydrological Services Agency (NIHSA) had forecast that eight local government areas in the state were at risk of flooding.

She listed the local government areas as Bade, Jakusko, Yunusari, Gulani, Geidam, Potiskum, Borsari and Karasuwa.

Recognising the urgency of the situation, NEMA conducted a Stakeholders Technical Meeting in April and an Emergency Coordination Forum in May.

These meetings analysed the forecasts and designed a comprehensive communication strategy.

This strategy involves disseminating early warning messages at the state, local government and community levels.

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Ms Umar commended Governor Mala Buni for taking proactive measures to mitigate the flood risks.

While past floods have severely impacted Yobe State, I commend you for the proactive measures your government has taken to mitigate flood risks.

Disaster management is everyones business; we must work together to safeguard vulnerable communities; protect vital infrastructure and ensure uninterrupted socio-economic activities in Yobe, she said.

The Northeast Zonal Coordinator of NEMA, Garba Sirajo, called on the general public to refrain from improper waste disposal practices, particularly discarding waste into drainage channels.

This irresponsible behavior not only leads to blockages and flooding but also poses a severe threat to public health, infrastructure and the environment, he said.

Mr Surajo added that clogging of drainage systems due to waste accumulation not only exacerbated the risk of flooding but also served as a breeding ground for diseases, putting the well-being of communities at grave risk.

The Executive Secretary of Yobe State Emergency Management Agency (SEMA), Muhammed Goje, said Yobe had commenced sensitisation campaigns to the highlighted local government areas.

Mr Goje, represented by Muhammed Jalo, said the agency had directed the Director of Dams and Reservoir to keep monitoring the level and issue a two-week early warning for the provision of evacuation sites, among other measures.

(NAN)

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The National Security Adviser (NSA),, on Tuesday, handed over another family of five who were rescued from kidnappers den by the security operatives coordinated by his office.

Mr Ribadu said all family members of Sanda Bitrus, including his wife, one young man and three children, were kidnapped on 20 July, at Mahuta Village, Kaduna South LGA, Kaduna State.

He said the rescue was made possible by the coordination of ONSA and the various security forces, who came together to rescue them on 28 July, less than a week later.

He said the administration of President Bola Tinubu had made the commitment to ensure that all the citizens held captive by kidnappers or terrorists and bandits in any part of the country would be rescued safely.

He commended the security forces for their hard work in addressing the nations security problems.

We have done a lot of it and probably often very silent but the work of people who are here.

We want to thank you and thank you for the work you are doing for our country and God will reward you.

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It is a tough job, it is a difficult one, one that people dont know but a lot has happened and is happening.

Thousands of people are enjoying freedom today because of the work you are doing and I want to thank the security forces.

We met evil in our country and we are working so hard to address it but it is a matter of time, he said.

The head of the family, Mr Bitrus, thanked the ONSA and the security forces for their due diligence in ensuring the safe return of his family members.

He said the release of his wife and children demonstrated the governments commitment to safeguarding the lives of all citizens.

The brief on the rescue operation indicated that victims were rescued on 28 July at Rijana general area, in Chikun Local Government Area of Kaduna State.

It revealed that the victims were taken to the hospital for medical checkups to ascertain their health status, adding that doctors confirmed that they were alright and could go about their normal activities.

(NAN)

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The House of Representatives Public Accounts Committee (PAC) has issued a 60-day ultimatum to the Ministry of Finance and the Office of the Accountant General of the Federation to implement the automation of foreign currency collection in Nigerias foreign missions.

The committee, chaired by Bamidele Salam, gave this directive on Tuesday when the Accountant General of the Federation, Oluwatoyin Madein, appeared before it for an inquiry into revenue collection by foreign missions.

Mrs Madein informed the lawmakers that the previous administration had awarded a contract for a collection portal, but the portal is not currently in use.

She stated that a private company, Files Solutions Limited, was awarded a contract for the automation of foreign currency collection at Nigerias foreign missions worldwide, valued at N83.6 million, on 28 April 2021, for five years. The contract included a commission of 1-5 per cent, depending on the amount the company could collect.

Mrs Madein noted that 90 per cent of the contract sum had been paid to the contractor for the project, and the work had been completed.

The Automation of Foreign Currency Collection portal was launched on 25 May 2023 by the immediate past minister of finance but has not yet been put into use.

Our office is in the process of obtaining approval from the ministry of finance to deploy the software, which has been tested. Discussions are ongoing with the ministry of foreign affairs to provide a list of foreign missions for pilot purposes, she said.

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Meanwhile, the Managing Director of File Solutions Limited, Nekan Olateru, stated that the company had completed all the processes on the technology over the last three years.

Subsequently, a member of the committee, Sunday Umeha, moved a motion that the ministry of finance, ministry of foreign affairs, and the accountant general should commence the immediate collection of revenue using the automated platform within 60 days. The motion was adopted unanimously by the committee members.

READ ALSO: Reps push for removal of universities from Band A electricity tariff

The committee also directed Mrs Madein to submit records of the gross revenue generated by all foreign missions in the last five years.

Nigeria has about 219 missions across the world, with some earning revenue through consular services.

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The Inspector-General of Police, Kayode Egbetokun, on Tuesday, met with lawyers and activists who have spoken in support of peaceful protests planned by young Nigerians against government policies.

Apart from Mr Egbetokun, others who attended the virtual meeting include police spokesperson Muyiwa Adejobi, Senior Advocates Femi Falana and Ebun Adegboruwa, and human rights lawyer Inibehe Effiong.

Mr Effiong, who had pledged legal support for arrested protesters, provided some details of discussions at the meeting.

When I was invited to speak, I asked the IGP specifically if he was aware of the trending video in circulation showing some thugs in Lagos threatening to unleash violence on protesters and warning people not to join the protest? he wrote on X

I also asked him if he will direct the Lagos State Commissioner of Police to arrest the said thugs to serve as a deterrent to those who are planning to cause unrest. The IGP, sadly, did not address this particular question, despite the fact that he was reminded of my question by other participants.

A video had been trending on social media showing some thugs threatening to attack protesters in Lagos and warning Lagos residents not to protest.

The police have yet to release their version of what transpired at Tuesdays meeting.

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The Planned Protests

The meeting is believed to be part of the Nigerian governments efforts to prevent the planned protest by young Nigerians from turning violent.

The young Nigerians, who have been mobilising on social media, have vowed to proceed with the protest on Thursday despite calls by the government, traditional rulers and clerics.

The protesters are demanding economic reforms, including the reversal of the governments removal of petrol subsidies, which led to a 300 per cent in the pump price of petrol last year.

Since last year, government policies have led to astronomical increases in the prices of goods and services, leading to Nigerias worst cost-of-living crisis in a generation.

Suppressing the Protests

The government has taken various steps to suppress the protests including arresting some suspected promoters.

Between Friday and Tuesday, the State Security Service (SSS) and the police have arrested no fewer than seven people across Kano, Kaduna, Sokoto and Niger states. These people, some of them now freed, were arrested for either marketing the protest kits or promoting the protest slogan online.

In Niger State, a district head was stripped of his traditional title for simply declaring support for the upcoming nationwide protest.

This newspaper reported that the IGP, Mr Egbetoken, met with all commandants of mobile police units across the country in Abuja last Saturday. One of the commandants told our reporter that the meeting was in connection with the protest.

The use of mobile police suggests that the government suspects the protests could turn violent and there would be the need to use force against the protesters.

Last Thursday, President Tinubu met with Islamic clerics, traditional rulers and All Progressives Congress (APC) governors.

All three groups have appealed to Nigerians to shelve the protests.

Protesters Resolute

Despite calls to shun the protest, the organisers remain resolute.

Specifically, they are calling for the reversal of the fuel price hike to below N300 per litre, the restoration of affordable electricity tariffs, and the reduction of import duties to their previous rates.

The groups also demand the reversal of the hike in tertiary education fees by many institutions.

The protesters are also demanding full transparency and accountability in governance, including the public disclosure and reduction of public officials salaries and allowances and an emergency fund to support SMEs.

They also call for electoral reforms, including the autonomy of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), electronic transmission of live electoral results, and the reopening of national borders.

ALSO READ: IGP Egbetokun rolls out conditions for planned nationwide protests

PREMIUM TIMES reported that on Monday, some protesters blocked a major highway leading to Abuja.

The protesters carried placards with several inscriptions such as We Are Not Slaves, Enough is Enough; Stop Anti-Masses Policies, Hardship Is Unbearable and Fuel Subsidy Must Be Back.

The police later dispersed the protesters, forcing them to postpone the demonstration till 1 August, the original starting day of the planned protest.

IGP seeks confinement of protests

Mr Effiong said the police want the protests restricted to specific locations.

The IGP also advised (or should I say took the position) that the protests should be confined to specific locations), he wrote.

This made me to ask the IGP directly if the police will disrupt any protest that is held outside the locations that have been communicated to him; given his advice that protesters should not embark on marches or rallies but should be restricted to identified venues.

The IGP responded to me that there is no plan to disrupt rallies on the road or any protest held outside the designated venues.

However, he further indicated that the police cannot guarantee the security of protesters who are not confined to the locations that have been communicated to him or CPs in the various States.

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I have written this piece to celebrate the fact that I am alive, despite my ordeal in the past five months. But I have also written it to share my experience of the Nigerian medical system. Even before I traveled to Egypt, I realised that so much is wrong with our medical system, for which I nearly paid with my life. But my experience in Egyptian hospitals and with Egyptian doctors made me realise this even more.

Perhaps I should not be alive. But I am. Despite the odds, I turn 58 today. I am still frail and fragile. But now, I can stand on my feet again, bearing testimony to those sacred words of the Almighty Allah himself that, No soul can ever die except by Allahs leave and at a term appointed (Quran 3: 145).

It all started on 19 February when I drove myself into a government hospital in Abuja for an elective surgery. The surgery itself was meant to last for a few minutes and I should return home not later than two days thereafter. That was what I was told. But that was not what happened.

Since that fateful Monday morning, I have gone into and out of the surgical theatre nine times for six major operations and three minor procedures. I have spent six days in the Intensive Care Unit (ICU), surviving on oxygen and relieving myself through catheters. I have become totally dependent on others for the performance of even such personal functions as cleaning myself. I have lost 20 kilogrammes in five months and was reduced to a mere sack of bones. I have lost the use of my limbs and, like a toddler, I had to learn to walk again. I have spent millions of naira and thousands of dollars of my own and other peoples money. I have travelled hundreds of kilometres to find help. I have reached the very bottom of despair itself; and I had made plans for my own burial. But somehow, I am still alive.

I am someone you could describe as a hands-on person, or even a keep-fit buff, careful about what I eat or drink and what I do with my body. Therefore, I seldom had any need for a hospital. However, since my dad died of prostate cancer 23 years ago, the doctor had warned me that male children of prostate cancer victims are predisposed to suffering the same fate. Since my 40th birthday, I had therefore ensured that a comprehensive medical check-up was a part of my annual ritual. In the course of one of those routine check-ups, I was alerted a few years ago of an enlargement of my prostate. Following this discovery, I enrolled in a public medical facility in Abuja and made sure to see the urologist every three months. At one point, I was also advised to also see a nephrologist once in a while.

All these visits, I understood, were merely precautionary. But I was beginning to spend too much time on the waiting line in the hospital than I could afford. Before long, I changed to another hospital closer to my house. Even though it is also a government hospital, it has a private wing that charges higher fees for quicker consultations and service. I thought this arrangement served me better. I was assigned a consultant urologist of my own. And I also saw a nephrologist in the hospital. However, while the nephrologist kept assuring me that everything was fine, the urologist started to raise an alarm. At a point, he told me that if we didnt act fast, my enlarged prostate might begin to affect my kidney. The only solution, he said, was surgical intervention.

He was the expert, so I yielded to his pressure and agreed to do the surgery. That turned out to be a major mistake. But I only became wiser by way of a horrifying hindsight. My result from the prostate test showed that I was, in fact, in a much better place than several of my friends, who all were surprised that I chose to go under the knife for an ailment that, more often than not, offers a little more than just mere discomfort, as long as it is not cancerous. They were right. The only prostate-related complaint I had was that I urinated twice or thrice at night. I did not have any pains or difficulty in urinating, or any symptom beyond the ordinary. It turned out that all I needed was a slight change in lifestyle, not drinking or eating late into the night and to continue to take the drugs that were prescribed for management purpose, which, by the way, my urologist had asked me to stop taking.

Although it did not mean much to me at the time, but in this hospital, patients do not have access to the results of their laboratory tests. The doctor electronically sends requests to the laboratory and once the patient has made payment, the laboratory will conduct the test and send the results in the same manner back to the doctor. The doctor would access the results on his computer and based on this, make pronouncements on what the patient needs to do next. In my case, the verdict was surgery.

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This was why I drove myself to the government hospital on 19 February and spent the night preparing for the surgery the next day. A week before, I had gone through a cystoscopy procedure. That was my first time ever in a hospital surgical theatre. But since the 20th of February, I have been in several theatres, more than an average person would in a single lifetime. It happened that during the first surgery, the surgeons had ruptured my bladder. In panic, they had to abandon the prostate operation that brought me in, hurriedly placed a catheter inside my urethra, and returned me to the hospital ward. It so happened also that the catheter was not properly placed, so urine was not going into the bag. I was returned to the theatre to remedy the situation. When I came out this time around, the urine was reverting to my genitals, which had by now become grotesquely engorged with fluid.

Three trips back to the theatre did not change anything. And this was enough to send everyone into panic. I was wheeled into the ICU, where I passed out and had to be placed on oxygen. At this point, it had become obvious that the medical team had reached its wits end. It had lost control. One of them had, in fact, quietly told my family that my chance of survival was 50-50. They were already thinking of moving to the next patient. After all, they had tried their best.

But then, to paraphrase Shakespeare, heaven has no fury like a woman about to be widowed. My wife, Odunayo, rose to the occasion. She thought that what was needed to save my life at that point were some muscles that would compel the doctors to give me proper attention. She told my children, their friends, and my colleague, Akintoba Fatigun, who was already weeping after seeing how helpless I was, to stay strong. She picked up my phone and called my Oga, the Chairman of THISDAY and Arise TV, Mr Nduka Obaigbena, to inform him about my condition. All she needed were calls to people in top places on the need for the hospital management not to abandon me. Mr Obaigbena immediately called the Minister of Health, who in turn called the head of the hospital. He also promptly dispatched one of his top managers, Mr Israel Iwegbu, to move over to the hospital and report back to him.

In no time, I began to depend on my wife to brush my teeth, clean myself in the bathroom, put food in my mouth, perform ablution, and do any chore that involved the use of my right hand. Then my right leg soon followed. It was like something was switching off my limbs one by one. Then at night, the pains descended on my neck and shoulder like a boulder. Sleep became impossible. Turning became a torture. To find a position of relief, that small posture that would grant me a respite from this oppressive pain, no matter how fleeting, became impossible.

Akintoba also called my boss, Dr Abubakar Bukola Saraki, who was then in the United States. The former Senate President immediately directed Akintoba to get some money across to my wife and also promised to speak with the Health minister. My wife also sent an urgent message to my brother, the Senator representing my Senatorial District, Ogun Central, Senator Shuaib Afolabi Salis. The Senator immediately came over to the hospital to meet the Chief Medical Director. With all these influential forces breathing down their neck, the hospital realised that this was one patient they could not afford to trifle with. I was returned to the theatre where they had to open me up  yet again  to properly adjust the catheter and ensure that I hadnt suffered any internal damage. I ended up spending six days in the ICU and later returned to the private room. In the ICU, the traffic and calibre of people who came to see me surprised the hospital management. One evening, Dr Saraki himself led a very long and powerful delegation to the hospital such that when he said: Yusuph, get well fast, look at the whole troops turning out to wish you well, I could not but agree with him. In the same way there were the visits of Senator Salis and his son, Kamal, who was always traveling down from Kaduna to see me. Just as Senator Tokunbo Afikuyomi once led his wife, children, and friends to check up on me.

After two weeks, I was discharged and went home. It was Ramadan. For the first time in over 45 years, I could not participate in the Ramadan fast. While in the hospital, I said my prayers most times lying on the bed. Although I had lost so much weight, it looked as if I was set on my way to recovery. Until something happened that would change everything, kick-starting another wave of anguish, fear and relentless pain.

It was the second day after Eid-el-Fitri. My son, Oladapo had persuaded me to take a small pack of Lucozade Boost juice on Sallah day, believing this might stimulate my appetite. This was on the 10th of April. The next day, my wife observed that my urine was the same colour of the Lucozade Boost that I had taken the previous day. She felt something was wrong. However, Oladapo and I thought it could be the effect of the Lucozade Boost drink.

For some reason, my wife then brought out her blood pressure monitor to check my vitals. She found out that though I was hypertensive, my blood pressure was low, while my pulse rate was unduly high. Then, I started having this electric shock sensation once I moved my head back, even a little. She became alarmed and kept on repeating the blood pressure and pulse rate monitoring. At one point, I suggested the machine could have malfunctioned. But when she used it on herself and Oladapo, the figures appeared normal. At about 7 p.m., we all agreed to visit a nearby pharmacy to use their BP monitor to double check, so we wouldnt raise a false alarm. But we got the same reading from the pharmacy. The alarm was then real.

Immediately, we called a urologist working in another government hospital, who after listening to us promptly declared an emergency. He then directed that we should go to the emergency ward of the public hospital where he works and he would get a consultant to attend to us. We did as he directed. But one hour after, we were still waiting. No one was in sight to attend to us. After a quick deliberation, we decided to go to the private hospital where we were normally registered. It was at the private hospital that the doctor on duty alerted us that I had a septic infection and that I could go into shock anytime. This was the second episode for me. I had suffered from sepsis during my earlier surgical rounds in the hospital. Sepsis is a condition in which the infection-fighting processes turn on the body, causing the organs to malfunction. In other words, my body was beginning to poison itself.

The doctor at the private hospital urged me to hasten to the public hospital where I was recently treated. We called the urologist again. He directed that we report to the Accident and Emergency Ward. We did. Yet again, the doctor that was meant to receive us was nowhere to be found. Several panicked calls to her number, and there was no response. After what seemed like eternity, she suddenly materialised. She had gone to eat, she said, casual and indifferent as nature itself. This time, I was to spend nine days in the hospital.

But at this point, we had lost confidence in my urologist and we had started to make arrangements to find a hospital in Egypt to continue the treatment. One night, my family insisted that I should be discharged, even if against medical advice, so that I could make a scheduled trip to Egypt. My wife already signed the Discharge Against Medical Advice (DAMA) form before Senator Salis phoned me and said we should hold all actions until he arrived, as he had invited a leading expert in urology from one of the universities in Lagos to review my case that same night. The Professor came in with the senator and took us through an hour-long lecture on the issues. He concluded that the case was not beyond what could be handled in the hospital. But things could have been done differently during the surgery. He also enlightened us that with sepsis not properly treated, it was doubtful if I could make a five-hour journey in an airplane to Egypt. He had come with a more senior urologist in the same hospital, who had been his student. We all agreed that I would stay if he could guarantee that the more senior surgeon would take over my case and report progress to him and the Senator.

Again, I returned home. This time I even felt better and was confident that my recuperation had started. But it turned out to be the calm before the storm; the biggest storm of all. We found out that as the days went by, I started to lose control of my limbs. As usual, my wife was the first to raise the question one morning. She asked why I staggered each time I tried to walk. I said it could be because I just woke up. I tried to allay her fears, but I could not hide for long. Soon, I was not able to raise my hand. My initial thought was that this was because I had stopped my morning exercise. I then resumed some guided workout sessions where one of my sons and Kamal Salis, my Senators son, would guide me through. But instead of any improvement, things continued to degenerate, and they were happening so fast.

In no time, I began to depend on my wife to brush my teeth, clean myself in the bathroom, put food in my mouth, perform ablution, and do any chore that involved the use of my right hand. Then my right leg soon followed. It was like something was switching off my limbs one by one. Then at night, the pains descended on my neck and shoulder like a boulder. Sleep became impossible. Turning became a torture. To find a position of relief, that small posture that would grant me a respite from this oppressive pain, no matter how fleeting, became impossible. All through this ordeal, I had tried to be brave. Now, I could no longer hold back. I cried. The pain was just too much. And it came in the night. Therefore each night approached with terror because I knew what laid in wait for me in the dark. Maybe if I stayed up. I told my wife that perhaps, I should try to sleep in a sitting position. But nothing I tried helped. The name given to this one, this latest harbinger of pains, is cervical spondylosis. But little did we know that it was much worse than that. One Saturday, we decided to go to a private hospital that specialised in orthopaedics. We were told to come back the following weeks Wednesday. But the pain would not relent. Whatever I did, wherever I turned, it flogged me like an errant child. The hospital later called to make a change from Wednesday to Friday. But by then, we had already sought a more urgent alternative. At 9 p.m. that same night, we met the orthopaedic surgeon. He recommended some drugs and a neck collar, which I must now wear on like a shackle. That night, after a long time, I had a strange sleep without pains. But it was like shooing off a wild dog with a stick. It may back off for the moment, but it would come back. By the next day, the pain returned, ferocious, as if angry to be disrupted for one night.

When the orthopaedic surgeon saw the result of the MRI test, he took us to see a neurologist in a private hospital as well. The neurologist explained that some bones had ruptured in my neck, which had disorganised the nerve supply system from the brain down to the limbs. Again, I had to go in for a surgery to restore the functioning of the nerves. The operation was to be carried out on 13 May. While waiting for the appointed date, my colleague, Akintoba Fatigun came to see me.

Before our next appointment with the orthopaedic surgeon, we took the initiative to do an MRI test. But by then, my case had become a desperate emergency. All my limbs have packed up. Throughout these ordeals, I had never missed my prayers and supplications to Allah. But that morning, I could not move even one finger to press the electronic counter or hold the tasbih.

Is this illness also going to separate me from my God in my last days? I lamented to my wife. She said it was only temporary and everything would be fine. But I learnt she later went into the bathroom to cry. She is a brave woman. But I am sure by this time, even she would also have started to contemplate the worst.

When the orthopaedic surgeon saw the result of the MRI test, he took us to see a neurologist in a private hospital as well. The neurologist explained that some bones had ruptured in my neck, which had disorganised the nerve supply system from the brain down to the limbs. Again, I had to go in for a surgery to restore the functioning of the nerves. The operation was to be carried out on 13 May. While waiting for the appointed date, my colleague, Akintoba Fatigun came to see me. He thought I was getting better. Many of my friends who were speaking to me on the phone thought the same, because despite all that I had suffered, my voice had remained strong and clear. I told Akintoba that in fact, the situation had gotten worse since the last time he visited and that I was actually waiting for another surgery.

When Akintoba left the house, he went straight to Dr Sarakis residence and told him of my situation. The former Senate President immediately started to make calls to different hospitals in Saudi Arabia, the UK, and the US. I did not have a valid US visa and we had no time to apply for one. The Saudi hospital, after studying the MRI, later replied that they could not deal with the situation. Then, someone suggested Egypt. Contacts and appointments were made. To enter Egypt, one only needed a valid UK visa to obtain the Egyptian visa at the point of entry. By Monday, 13th May, I was set to travel. Dr Saraki had purchased business class tickets for my wife and I. He also provided money to pay for the surgery and living expenses for a month. A day before my departure, the house was full with several family friends, despite our best efforts to keep the trip as confidential as possible. They were people from different parts of the country and people of different religious persuasions. At that point, I was not Yoruba or Muslim to them. I was just another human being. Even as I lay helplessly in bed, contemplating the motley crowd that had gathered in my room, I wondered if they thought they were saying a final goodbye to me.

It was time to go. My wife and second son, Oladipo, had already packed the bags. Then we realised that there was yet another important challenge. My room was on the second floor. How do I get down and into the car? We could only think of two options. Oladipo would have to carry me on his back and take me downstairs or I would have to crawl down the staircase. But even these two options were fraught with risks. Yes, I had lost so much weight and Dipo is a burly young man, but he is only 23. The thought of having my son carry me on his back because I could not walk was a distinct trauma on its own. But what if he slipped, and we both crashed to the ground? There could only be one outcome. How would the young man forgive himself? But none of these happened. Dipo successfully carried me downstairs and got me safely into the car.

On the way to the airport, I told my wife what my Plan B was, if Oladipo had been unable to carry me, to crawl downstairs. That would have broken me, she said. I responded with a joke that I needed her to remain unbroken because a broken man could not depend on a broken woman. In the last five months, she had become my in-house nurse, minder, and caregiver.

Five hours later, we landed in Cairo. My hospital, Neuro Espitalia, is located in a city called 6th of October, which is about an hours drive from the Cairo International Airport. I learnt that the city got its name in commemoration of the day one of the Arab-Israeli wars broke out. We were joined at the airport by my third son, Oladepo, who had arranged a two-week leave from his London office and another two weeks to work from the Cairo office of his company. He was to provide an additional hand to me in Egypt for the next one month. Our guide was a Nigerian gentleman called Rabiu Hamza, a PhD student in one of the Egyptian universities. We arrived at the Neuro Espitalia at about midnight on that Monday. For the second time in almost a month, I had another sound sleep. Tuesday was devoted to various laboratory tests and to getting my medical history. On Wednesday morning, I had the surgery, which, as they explained, was to clean an abscess in the cervical vertebrae, stabilise the cervical vertebrae and expand the neural canal. I didnt understand everything, but I just wanted to get well. The surgical operation was led by Professor Ibrahim Lotfy, an elderly but friendly surgeon, and Professor Dalia Rushdi.

After the successful operation, the surgical team decided to culture fragments of bones and tissues extracted from my back to determine what went wrong in the first place. It was an investigation that took days and a lot of blood tests. What they found was, to say the least, shocking. It was described in medical terms as necrotizing Granulomatous Inflammation Compatible With Tuberculosis of the Vertebrae. No malignancy. In short, it is called tuberculosis of the vertebrae. This was the stealthy thief that had been stealing my limbs, one by one. But even the surgery could not return everything this disease had stolen from me. I had to recover them myself by re-learning the use of my legs and hands again.

This was when I realised how much grateful humans should be to their creator for even the most simple things we take for granted everyday. I realised that even the mere ability to scratch ones face when it itches, what we do countless times everyday without even thinking about it, is indeed a big deal. When my face itched, I would need my son or my wife to scratch it. To change my sleeping posture, I would need them. To change the position of my hands, or clean the sputum that come sometimes when I coughed, I needed them to do these and everything else for me.

At the government hospital in which I was almost killed, a nights stay in the ICU costs 150,000. I doubt that many hotels charge that much for a standard room. Yet, patients are still made to pay what they call utility fees, calculated by the number of days a patient has spent in the hospital. We are not even talking about the cost of medication and drugs. The same hospital sold Tavanic 500mg, an antibiotic used for the treatment of infections for N42,000, while a pharmacy located only a few metres away from the hospital sold the same drug for N20,000.

At a point I could no longer fold my fingers to form a fist in order to allow nurses take blood samples or fix the cannula for intravenous infusion. Over the past five months, my arms had been covered in needle marks like a dedicated drug user; to administer some injections, to take blood or to fix the cannula for intravenous medication.

A few days after the surgery, I began physiotherapy sessions in the hospital. Several physiotherapists came to work on me. But a particular one stood out for me. His name is Ahmed El-Sanadidy, the man from Alexandria. Even after I left the hospital for a rented apartment close by, we contracted El Sanadidy to continue my rehabilitation therapy. He got paid per session. He was such an effective, devoted, passionate, friendly, hardworking, and creative professional. He was also in hot demand in his hometown, Alexandria, and in the city of the 6th of October. In the early part of our sessions, he would form a protective ring around me with his arms to guard me from falling. He taught me to walk all over again, to climb the stairs, to use my arms, to strengthen my fingers, and to regain some level of physical fitness. I called him my boss. He was the reason I extended my stay in Egypt to two months. He was making some very good progress with my rehabilitation and I did not want to terminate it abruptly.

But there was yet another challenge. The hospital had tried in vain to get me to go to the toilet. For almost two weeks, even after two sessions of enema, nothing came out. After we moved to the apartment, I thought the privacy of a home would help, but nothing. I would feel pressed to use the toilet and spend time siting and groaning in pain, but nothing would come out. It was later realised that the muscles around my waist had become so weak they could not exert sufficient pressure to push out the waste. This became another source of agonising pain. My stomach felt as solid as if I had been fed concrete cement. This became another major prayer point for me.

You should be saying Alhamdulilahi Rabbil alaamin because we should let our gratitude to God be more than our requests to Him, my wife said one day as I was petitioning God over the agony of my plumbing problem. It was a test of faith. But it was also a lesson never to forget. One morning, the plumbing problem resolved itself, not in the most dignifying manner. Since then, it has been easier than ever doing my toileting business. For more than four months, I was carrying a catheter around. At a point, they became two. But now, I am free of both of them.

Now, I am a bit stable. I can walk unaided. At a time I could not even move a finger, but now I can sit down and type this piece on my iPad. I can perform my salat, the ablution, ruku (bowing), and the sujud (prostration), all on my own. There was a time in the past when I had to rely on people to do ablution for me and I had to pray lying down. I could not even turn my head to the left or right. I stared at the ceiling all the time and developed a system that enable me use marks on the POP on the ceiling as counter for my supplications. I have learnt not to take anything for granted and to thank my maker for enabling any physical move that I am able to make.

I have written this piece to celebrate the fact that I am alive, despite my ordeal in the past five months. But I have also written it to share my experience of the Nigerian medical system. Even before I traveled to Egypt, I realised that so much is wrong with our medical system, for which I nearly paid with my life. But my experience in Egyptian hospitals and with Egyptian doctors made me realise this even more. Why do our doctors behave as if they are being forced to be doctors; as if there is no minimum standard to which they must comply; as if they can do anything and get away with it; as if it was enough for them to just claim that they tried their best? The Egyptian hospital was replete with stories of Nigerians who come there to correct surgical operations that had been performed in Nigeria, some from glamorous hospitals in Abuja where they charge exorbitantly.

At the government hospital in which I was almost killed, a nights stay in the ICU costs 150,000. I doubt that many hotels charge that much for a standard room. Yet, patients are still made to pay what they call utility fees, calculated by the number of days a patient has spent in the hospital. We are not even talking about the cost of medication and drugs. The same hospital sold Tavanic 500mg, an antibiotic used for the treatment of infections for N42,000, while a pharmacy located only a few metres away from the hospital sold the same drug for N20,000. In Egypt, we bought the drug for 124 Egyptian Pounds which is about N4,092, at the exchange rate of 33 to one. How did we find ourselves in a situation where government hospitals have become the most expensive and the most inefficient in Nigeria? Health workers, doctors, nurses, etc., in the private hospitals may not be any better, but at least they appear committed to their jobs. Public health workers in Nigeria behave as if they would rather be somewhere else, as if they are actually doing the patients a favour. The painful truth is that they dont care whether you live or die. There is work here for everyone  the government, professional bodies and training institutions.

I was lucky to have powerful people who could muscle them. What about the millions of Nigerians who dont know anybody? If I were in their situation, I would have long been forgotten. Why would a Nigerian need tonnes of money and powerful friends to stand a chance of surviving a medical challenge in our country?

My last words are for those of us whose work demands long sitting hours. We need to be mindful of our sitting postures and be sure to get up intermittently. Please dont ignore any pain. Regular check up can make a difference between life and death. Today I am alive. I give thanks to the Almighty Allah who has given me a second lease of life out of his infinite mercy, not necessarily because I deserve it. All glory be to Him.

Yusuph Olaniyonu a communications strategist, journalist, lawyer and public affairs analyst, wrote from Abuja.

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A High Court in Makurdi on Tuesday dismissed two applications filed by former governor of Benue, Samuel Ortom, stopping the Benue Government from probing him.

The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that Governor Hyacient Alia constituted two commissions of inquiry to investigate Mr Ortom.

Irked by the decision to probe him, Mr Ortom sued the Benue government, attorney general, and members of the commission, challenging their competence to check his administrations finances.

NAN reports that Governor Alia in February 2024 set up two separate panels to probe the management of the states finances and assets under the immediate past administration of Mr Ortom.

In his suit, Mr Ortom stated that the state auditor general, who is mandated by the provisions of the 1999 Constitution, had already audited the states accounts.

He said the period (2015-2023) under review was audited and the report submitted to the Benue State House of Assembly by the auditor general was accordingly acted upon as required by the provisions of the 1999 Constitution.

Mr Ortom also argued that the same issues were before the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), so it was wrong to set up another probe panel to investigate the finances of Benue State within the same period as it would amount to a double investigation of the same issues by two different bodies.

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Delivering a ruling, Justice Tertsea Asue dismissed the two originating motions and an application for extension of time instituted by counsel to Mr Ortom, Maduabuchi Uba, for lack of merit.

Mr Asue held that the applicants case was statute-barred, adding that the applicant also failed to seek leave of court before filing the originating motion which seeks to bring his suit before the court.

The judge held that there was nothing in the Public Officers Protection Law or the rules of court that provided for an extension of time to file an action out of time.

He said both actions did not follow the required due process of law.

He said Governor Alia signed the gazette and constituted a commission of inquiry on 27 February; however, Mr Ortom filed his case on 31 May, which was clearly out of time.

He said the applicant by his showing showed that he considered that he filed his case out of time, hence the motion for a request for extension time to file the notice on the motion.

He said the Public Officers Protection Law and court rules do not allow for an extension of time on originating summons.

In his arguments, the third respondent, Fidelis Mnyim, who is also the states attorney general, said the applicant had no case before the court following the inability to move the motion on notice.

Mr Mnyim said the two applications had yet to be served on him, adding that no suit was before the court and that it should be struck out.

The respondents averred that the courts rules were meant to be obeyed and cited decisions of the Supreme Court to support their arguments.

He prayed the court to dismiss the applicants application for an extension of time to file judicial review as the time could not be extended in the circumstances.

(NAN)

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Boko Haram insurgents are strategising to infiltrate planned protest in Yobe State, police said.

The spokesman of the Yobe State Police Command, Dungus Abdulkarim, stated this in a statement in Yobe, the state capital.

He said intelligence received by the command indicated that foreign mercenaries have been engaged to destroy lives and property during the protest.

Mr Abdulkarim, a deputy superintendent of police, therefore called on individuals planning to participate in the protest to exercise caution.

As Yobe state recovers from insurgency, the Commissioner of Police, CP Garba Ahmed, acknowledges citizens constitutional rights to peaceful assembly.

While we alert citizens to sinister motives, even peaceful protests at this time may be ill-timed.

Recent insurgency activities in Gujba LGA, including an improvised Explosive Device (IED) explosion, have raised concerns.

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We are unprepared to face additional security challenges, he said, and warned that criminals trying to hide under the protest to destabilise the state would face the wrath of the law.

According to Mr Abdulkarim, for a hitch-free protest, the protesters are required to indicate proposed protest routes and assembly points.

The spokesman said they should also state expected duration of the protest, names and contact details of leaders and organizers and measures to prevent hijacking by criminal elements.

By providing this information, we can deploy adequate personnel and resources; designate specific routes and areas, establish clear communication channels, and minimise the risk of violence, property damage, or criminal activity.

We encourage protesters to cooperate with the Police, obey the law, and adhere to global best practices for peaceful assembly.

We are committed to working with all to promote peaceful expression and maintain public order.

(NAN)

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Simon Ekpa, a controversial Biafra agitator, has claimed responsibility for the killing of four police operatives in Owerri, Imo State, south-east Nigeria.

The killing

PREMIUM TIMES earlier reported that gunmen attacked and killed four police operatives along the Onitsha-Owerri Expressway at about 6:30 p.m. on Monday.

Aside from the operatives, the hoodlums also shot dead a woman  a Point on Sale (PoS) machine operator  in the area.

Mr Ekpa, a Nigerian who is based in Finland, heads Autopilot, a faction of the Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB).

The Biafra agitator also founded Biafra Defence Forces and Biafra Liberation Army, which are armed militant wings of the Autopilot IPOB.

He has been linked to some deadly attacks in the region.

Ekpa claims responsibility

In a post on his X handle shortly after the attack, Mr Ekpa announced that members of his Biafra Defence Forces had killed the operatives in Owerri.

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The Biafra Defence Forces Owerri Command has recovered weapons from the terrorists after neutralising them in numbers, he wrote on the microblogging platform at exactly 8:50 p.m. on Monday.

Mr Ekpa, a Nigerian-Finnish citizen, often refers to Nigerian security operatives as terrorists.

The Biafra agitator said he and his group are demanding the withdrawal of all Nigerian security forces from the South-east and that they were committed to enforcing the demand.

If you think you will continue to use force and terrorism tactics to force us to remain in the union, this will continue to be your faith in Biafraland, Mr Ekpa stated, referring to the latest attack on the police.

Although the word faith was used by the source, it is grammatically wrong and should, therefore, be changed to fate.

The Biafra agitator often shares on his X handle details of attacks in Nigerias south-east.

Like IPOB, which Nnamdi Kanu leads, Mr Ekpa is seeking the secession of the south-east and some parts of the south-south from Nigeria to form an independent state known as Biafra.

The agitators often refer to the South-east and South-south regions as Biafraland.

Video clip

Mr Ekpa also attached a video clip to the X post.

The clip showed four rifles and some police case files displayed by some persons who claimed to have attacked and killed the operatives.

The clip, however, did not show the faces of the persons speaking in the background.

Papa, it wasnt easy. You know today is the beginning of sit-at-home (in the South-east). People were asked to sit at home, and these people (police operatives) came out to extort people, one person said in the Igbo language.

These are Nigerian terrorists who were at their duty post despite our leaders sit-at-home order. But they felt they work for the government and would not obey the order, he stated.

They have now seen it happen today in Owerri, which is 29 July 2024.

The armed men appeared to be making a report of their operation to Mr Ekpa, who had earlier declared a four-day sit-at-home in the South-east.

Apparently addressing security operatives, one of the armed men added: Our leader earlier told you, people, that any police or army operative in Biafraland, it is better you resign or we will use your head to work.

Connecting the dots

Mr Ekpa, on 21 July, declared a four-day sit-at-home across the five states in the South-east.

The Finland-based Nigerian, in a statement posted on his X handle, said the illegal order would be enforced in the region from 29 July to 2 August, excluding 1 August.

Several persons and the Nigerian government have called for Mr Ekpas repatriation to Nigeria to face charges over his role in the insecurity in the South-east.

For instance, Governor Peter Mbah of Enugu State, on 21 July, asked some members of the House of Representatives to consider repatriating Mr Ekpa to Nigeria to face prosecution.

The Chief of Defence Staff, Christopher Musa, last June, accused the Finnish government and the European Union of blocking the repatriation of the Biafra agitator.

Last year, the Nigerian Senate asked the federal government to collaborate with the Finnish government to extradite Mr Ekpa for prosecution.

Finnish government speaks on Ekpas repatriation

In February 2023, Nigerias Ministry of Foreign Affairs had summoned The Finnish Ambassador to Nigeria, Leena Pylvanainen, over threat by Mr Ekpa to disrupt the countrys 2023 general elections.

Geoffrey Onyeama, the then Nigerian minister of foreign affairs, in a meeting with the Finnish ambassador, asked for the cooperation of the Finnish government to repatriate Mr Ekpa.

But Mrs Pylvanainen said although the Finnish government was concerned about the situation, there was a need to take Mr Ekpas rights into consideration given that he is a Finnish citizen.

So, everything has to obviously be done according to Finnish legislation, she stated.

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Two months after their original appeal to the Lagos State Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu to reinstate Anthony Dansu and four other Lagos State University (LASU) lecturers who were wrongfully dismissed in 2019, some residents of Ikoga Zebbe, a community in Badagry have repeated their prayer to the governor.

The dismissed lecturers were officials of the Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU). They are Isaac Akinloye Oyewumi (ASUU chairperson); Adebowale Adeyemi-Suenu (Vice Chairman); Anthony Dansu (Secretary); Adeolu Oluwaseyi Oyekan (Assistant Secretary); and Oluwakemi Adebisi Aboderin-Shonibare (Treasurer).

In a statement on Tuesday by the Concerned Sons and Daughters of Ikoga Zebbe, as the residents call themselves, they noted since their peaceful rally of 18 May 2024 that called the attention of the governor to the plight of the lecturers, they have undertaken a series of actions including lobbying, and engagement with stakeholders to prevail on the government to do what is just, needful, and overdue in respect of the cases of the lecturers.

In addition, we have written letters to offices and individuals in their official capacities  the Governor, the Deputy Governor, the Speaker, Lagos State House of Assembly (LAHA); the member of the House of Representatives, Badagry Constituency; the Commissioner of Tertiary Education, Lagos State; the Chairman, House Committee on Judiciary, Human Right, Public petition and LASIEC; and members of LAHA representing Badagry constituency I and constituency II.

The group said despite its efforts, the state government was yet to recall the lecturers.

Hence, we have to cry for justice to the public through the press once again on this same issue, the statement read.

The protest

During the 18 May rally, the residents said they were unhappy about the dismissal and called on Mr Sanwo-Olu to intervene and reinstate Mr Dansu, an indigene of the town, and the other officers.

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The residents carried placards with such inscriptions as: Dear Governor Sanwo-Olu, please correct this injustice. #RestoreDrDansu, Reinstate Dr Tony Dansu and others, Let justice prevail; Dr Tony Dansus integrity and service deserve commendation, not dismissal, Dear Governor Sanwo-Olu, reinstate academic freedom, and Dear peoples governor, show Lagos is committed to fairness.

The dismissal

The lecturers were dismissed during the university governing councils 122nd meeting held on 12 September 2019. They were accused of unauthorised removal, retention and dissemination or publication of official confidential documents and subsequently sacked.

In February 2022, the David Sunmoni-led governing council of the university reinstated the lecturers after an Appeal Committee headed by the Deputy Vice-Chancellor, Adenike Boyo, cleared the lecturers of all offences and recommended their reinstatement.

But in a strange move, 48 hours after the governing council approved its appeal committees recommendation, the same governing council ruled to put the recall of the lecturers on hold. The state government has yet to reinstate the lecturers more than two years later.

In a statement signed by Mayowa Adejobi, James Avoseh, Ademola Bokoh, Tinka Gabrie, Francis Avoseh, and Medemaku Noah, the protesters alleged that the schools management fired Mr Dansu and others for exposing some illegal acts.

Before they were dismissed, Messrs Dansu, Oyekan, and Aboderin-Shonibare approached the court to challenge what they termed as the universitys persecution.

This was based on the premise that they were about to be illegally dismissed in the same manner Drs Oyewumi and Adeyemi-Suenu were dismissed in 2017, the statement added.

Osatohanmwen Obaseki-Osaghae, a judge of the National Industrial Court, Lagos in suit No: NICN/LA/493/2018 on 11 July 2019, ruled that under the Freedom of Information Act and other relevant laws cited, the university authorities have no such powers to proceed against officers of the union in these cases; that both parties are creations of law, and must therefore respect the law.

Given that the issue was not due for judicial review since no damage had been done yet; even as the court was mindful of the breach of constitutional rights of the officers by the university authority, the two parties should go and follow the path of the law for the sake of peace, order and good administration in the university and its community.

READ ALSO:Lagos police commissioner addresses traditional rulers on planned protest

Thus, the residents said the governor, who is also a visitor of the university, should act in the interest of justice and reinstate the lecturers with all their entitlements.

At this time again, we wish to appeal to Mr Babajide Sanwo-Olu, the Executive Governor of the Lagos State, and the visitor of the Lagos State University to cause the reinstatement of Tony Dansu, and the other four officers of ASUU-LASU, by lifting the embargo he placed on the implementation of the decision of the LASU Governing Council on the five union officers on 23 February 2022, to the effect that: 1. the five wrongly dismissed ASUU-LASU officers should be reinstated unconditionally; 2. all accrued financial entitlements and benefits be paid to them; and 3. promotions merited should be given without loss of seniority and entitlements, the group stated.

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The Catholic Bishops of the Ibadan Ecclesiastical Province on Tuesday told President Bola Tinubu, the State Governors and Local Government chairpersons across the country that lack of prompt response to the distress calls of Nigerians about dire hunger, outrageous living costs, persistent insecurity, and failed promises, among other factors, prompted the current agitations.

They urged the leaders to always attend to the distress calls of the people and turn a new leaf by responding promptly and effectively henceforth to their problems.

This was contained in a communique released at the end of their meeting in Akure and co-signed by the Chairman and Secretary of the Province, Leke Abegunrin and John Oyejola, who are both Most Reverends.

The Ibadan Ecclesiastical Province of the Catholic Church comprises the Ibadan Archdiocese, Ilorin, Ondo, Oyo, Ekiti and Osogbo Dioceses.

According to the bishops, Nigerians have cried out about dire hunger in the land, persistent insecurity, failed promises, dashed hopes, the outrageous cost of living and governance, and ineffectiveness of the rule of law in curbing criminality among public officials, not to mention the ineptitude of many public officers in dealing with serious national issues.

READ ALSO: Why this is worst time in Nigeria Catholic Bishops

The clerics observed that governance by palliatives, intimidation, or by hide-and-seek methods could not provide a permanent solution to the challenges faced by the country.

They noted that though protests could not solve problems in Nigeria either, they would not have gathered momentum if governments at all levels had responded to the groans and distress calls of Nigerians.

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Protests should cause no consternation in any normal democratic setting because the right to protest is guaranteed in true democracies all over the world. Protests are organised to draw the attention of governments and authorities to the opinions or demands of people or groups in society.

In Nigeria, the impending protest has raised a furore of opinions regarding its legitimacy and expediency. Many believe that protests are not a solution to Nigerias problems. They are right. Protests are not meant to provide solutions to problems.

Protests are held as a last resort for citizens who have cried out for solutions to problems and have not been heeded. Protests are the last resort for amplifying the voice of those who feel oppressed. The protests in Nigeria should be made to serve that purpose and none other, the communique read in part.

Addressing the protesters, the Catholic Bishops urged them to shelve their plans if they cannot demonstrate without hindering lawful businesses and constituting a nuisance.

The protesters should exercise restraint and not disturb or intimidate those who may choose not to participate in the exercise, knowing that it is their inalienable right not to do so. Such people should be allowed to go about their lawful business unhindered. The organisers of the protest have a responsibility to ensure all these or call off the protest, the communique added.

The bishops called on relevant security organisations to show restraint and civility in discharging their duties and avoid violence and accidental deaths during the protests, which, according to them, unfortunately, seem to have characterised past exercises in Nigeria.

They also called on Nigerians to join hands together to rescue the nation, stressing, Nigeria is a great country, and we are a great people and to this we all agree. Our current situation of hunger and deprivation is not as a result of economic poverty, but due to greed, corruption, lack of accountability, lawlessness, indiscipline, selfishness and poor attitude to work.

The challenges we face, if we work together, cannot overcome our God-given greatness, drive and courageous spirit. Our challenges and problems come from the bad will and bad conduct of some of us, Nigerians in every walk of life and at every level. We therefore plead with all Nigerians to show our true, indomitable, sterling character and salvage this country because we have no other, the bishops said.

In recent weeks, talks of a nationwide protest to express citizens grievances with the state of the nation have dominated the public space.

Central to the preparations for the protest has been the police request for the identity of its leaders and organisers. While no one has officially been identified as the leader, many activists and social commentators such as Aisha Yesufu, Deji Adeyanju, and Omoyele Sowore, among others, have expressed support for the protest.

The protest is scheduled to be held across the nation beginning from Thursday, 1 August to 10 August.

The theme of the protest centres around an end to hunger, economic hardship, and bad governance.

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The Yoruba Revolutionary Movement (YOREM) has declared its support for the upcoming nationwide #EndBadGovernance protests scheduled for 1  10 August 2024.

Addressing journalists in Lagos, the National Coordinator of the group, Wale Balogun, dismissed allegations that the protests were targeted at Yoruba interests.

The group described the allegations as mischievous state-sponsored propaganda.

YOREM emphasised that the protests were a collective struggle against suffering, hunger, and hardship in Nigeria, and urged Yoruba youths, students, artisans, and professionals to participate.

Mr Balogun also condemned the use of the Oro cult as a political weapon to intimidate voices of dissent.

It urged Yoruba people and Lagos residents to defy and resist the illegal curfew imposed by the political Oro.

The group called on security forces to handle protesters with decorum, stating that protesters were not waging war against the Nigerian state, but demanding an end to hunger, starvation, and deprivation.

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Mr Balogun criticised compromised pro-democracy and self-determination elements for attempting to sabotage the protests and urged Yoruba people to shun and shame them.

He also noted the rich political tradition of the Yoruba in resisting oppression and exploitation, citing historical examples of resistance against colonialism and military dictatorship.

YOREM dissociated itself from compromised civil society organisations and self-determination activists who have pitched their tent with the oppressors, and endorsed the genuine aspirations of the Yoruba for peaceful protests against anti-poor policies.

Our organisation, YOREM, stands for the revolutionary dismantling of the rotten system in Nigeria. It is mischievous to divide would-be protesters along ethnic lines by saboteurs and those who never shared our aspirations to either find Nigeria anew or to peacefully dismantle the failed federal union, he said.

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ROSEMONT, Ill., July 30, 2024 /PRNewswire/ -- The American Association of Nurse Anesthesiology (AANA) has been recognized with a Power of Associations Silver Award by the American Society of Association Executives (ASAE) for its successful initiative, 'Advocacy from the Start'.

"As the leading organization representing CRNAs, also known as nurse anesthesiologists or nurse anesthetists, AANA is a determined advocate on issues that impact the profession of nurse anesthesiology, the patients our members serve, and the collective voices of our community and workforce," said AANA CEO Bill Bruce, MBA, CAE. "AANA's 'Advocacy from the Start' campaign illustrates the commitment of the association to our mission. We are honored to be recognized by ASAE."

AANA recognizes that to further its mission to advance, support, and protect nurse anesthesiology, all members, --Certified Registered Nurse Anesthetists (CRNAs), also known as nurse anesthesiologists or nurse anesthetists, and Resident Registered Nurse Anesthetists (RRNAs) enrolled in nurse anesthesia programs-- must play a part. Effective advocacy requires engagement from members at all points in their career.

To address this, AANA Advocacy Staff created the 'Advocacy from the Start' program. The goal of the 'Advocacy from the Start' program is to motivate AANA's newest members to become active advocates and in turn, encourage RRNAs to continue their advocacy efforts as CRNAs, increase general membership engagement in AANA, and facilitate a pipeline of future AANA leaders.

"Congratulations to AANA for exemplifying the impact associations have on the industries and professions they represent, and on society at large," said ASAE President and CEO Michelle Mason, FASAE, CAE. "It's always so incredibly satisfying to see associations going above and beyond their everyday mission to change the world. We're very proud to spotlight this award-winning initiative."

ASAE's Power of Associations Award recognizes the associations' economic and societal contributions locally, nationally and globally. ASAE will celebrate The Power of Associations Award winners during its annual Summit Awards Dinner on Tuesday, September 24, 2024, at the National Building Museum in Washington, DC.

For a complete list of award winners visit Power of Associations Awards site. To learn more about ASAE, visit asaecenter.org

SOURCE American Association of Nurse Anesthesiology
ARM microcontroller market is a dynamic and rapidly evolving segment, driven by the continued advancements in ARM architecture, the increasing demand for energy-efficient and intelligent embedded systems, and the growing adoption of IoT and industrial automation technologies.

WILMINGTON, Del., July 29, 2024 /PRNewswire/ -- Allied Market Research published a report, titled, "ARM Microcontrollers Market by Product (Less than 80 Pins, 80-120 Pins, and More than 120 Pins), and Application (Automotive, Industrial, Consumer Electronics, Telecommunication, Medical, and Others): Global Opportunity Analysis and Industry Forecast, 2024-2032". According to the report, the ARM microcontrollers market was valued at $10.1 billion in 2023, and is estimated to reach $19.9 billion by 2032, growing at a CAGR of 7.9% from 2024 to 2032.

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(We are providing report as per your research requirement, including the Latest Industry Insight's Evolution, Potential and COVID-19 Impact Analysis)

106  Tables

58  Charts

250  Pages

Prime Determinants of Growth

The global ARM Microcontrollers market has experienced growth due to an increase in demand for embedded solutions, and continuous technological advancements in semiconductor manufacturing. However, the high initial cost associated with ARM microcontrollers serves as a significant restraint factor for market growth to some extent. Moreover, the proliferation of Internet of Things (IoT) devices across industries presents significant growth opportunities for the expansion of the global ARM Microcontrollers market.

Report coverage & details:

Report Coverage Details Forecast Period 20242032 Base Year 2023 Market Size In 2023 $10.1 Billion Market Size In 2032 $19.9 Billion CAGR 7.9 % No. Of Pages In Report 250 Segments Covered Product, Application, And Region. Drivers Increased Demand for IoT Devices Expansion Of Wearable Technology Opportunity Integration Of Artificial Intelligence (AI) And Machine Learning (ML) Capabilities into ARM Microcontrollers Restraint High Initial Cost

Segment Highlights

The demand for the 80-120 Pins is driven by their versatility and suitability for a wide range of complex applications in industries such as automotive, industrial automation, consumer electronics, and telecommunications. These microcontrollers offer an optimal balance of performance, peripheral integration, and cost-effectiveness, making them ideal for applications that require extensive connectivity, advanced processing capabilities, and real-time control.

The demand for ARM microcontroller in automotive sector is driven by the increasing complexity of automotive systems, including advanced driver assistance systems (ADAS) infotainment, telematics, and electric vehicle (EV) control, requires highly capable microcontrollers to manage diverse functionalities efficiently. ARM microcontrollers offer the processing power, real-time performance, and scalability necessary to meet the stringent requirements of modern automotive applications.

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Regional Outlook

Rapid industrialization, urbanization, and technological advancements have increased the demand for arm microcontroller. Moreover, surge in demand for consumer electronics, automotive electronics, and industrial automation solutions in emerging economies such as China, India, and South Korea foster the adoption of ARM microcontrollers. In addition, supportive government initiatives, increase in investments in R&D activities, and the presence of a robust manufacturing ecosystem further contribute to the region's significant growth potential in the ARM microcontroller market.

Key Players:

Microchip technology

NXP Semiconductors N.V.

STMicroelectronics N.V.

Texas Instruments Inc

Analog Devices Inc.

Toshiba Corporation

Cypress Semiconductor Corporation.

Renesas Electronics Corporation

Infineon Technologies AG

Maxim Integrated

The report provides a detailed analysis of these key players in the global ARM Microcontrollers market. These players have adopted different strategies such as new product launches, collaborations, expansion, joint ventures, agreements, and others to increase their market share and maintain dominant shares in different regions. The report is valuable in highlighting business performance, operating segments, product portfolio, and strategic moves of market players to showcase the competitive scenario.

In November 2023, Renesas Electronics Corporation, a premier supplier of advanced semiconductor solutions, announced that it designed and tested a 32-bit CPU core based on the open-standard RISC-V instruction set architecture.

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Key Benefits for Stakeholders:

This report provides a quantitative analysis of the market segments, current trends, estimations, and dynamics of the market analysis to identify the prevailing market opportunities, and ARM microcontrollers sector analysis.

The market research is offered along with information related to key drivers, restraints, and opportunities for arm based microcontroller .

. Porter's five forces analysis highlights the potency of buyers and suppliers to enable stakeholders to make profit-oriented business decisions and strengthen their supplier-buyer network.

In-depth analysis of the arm microcontrollers market segmentation assists to determine the prevailing market opportunities.

Major countries in each region are mapped according to their revenue contribution to the global ARM microcontrollers industry report.

ARM Microcontrollers Company List positioning facilitates benchmarking and provides a clear understanding of the present position of the ARM Microcontrollers market share by companies such as atmel microcontroller.

The report includes the analysis of regional as well as global arm microcontrollers market trends, ARM Microcontrollers Market Forecast, ARM Microcontrollers Manufacturer, ARM Microcontrollers Company List, market segments, application areas, and market growth strategies.

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ARM Microcontroller Market Key Segments:

By Product

Less than 80 Pins

80-120 Pins

More than 120 Pins

By Application

Automotive

Industrial

Consumer electronics

Telecommunication

Medical

Others

By Region:

North America (U.S., Canada , and Mexico )

(U.S., , and ) Europe (UK, Germany , France , Russia , and Rest of Europe )

(UK, , , , and Rest of ) Asia-Pacific ( China , Japan , India , Australia , South Korea , and Rest of Asia-Pacific )

( , , , , , and Rest of ) Latin America ( Brazil , Argentina , and Rest of Latin America )

( , , and Rest of ) Middle East and Africa (UAE, Saudi Arabia , and Rest of Middle East and Africa )

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Trending Reports in Semiconductor and Electronics Industry:

Microcontroller Market size was valued at $16.49 billion in 2019 and is expected to reach $42.19 billion by 2027, growing at a CAGR of 11.50% from 2020 to 2027

Memristor Market is estimated to reach $9.7 billion by 2032, growing at a CAGR of 51.93% from 2024 to 2032

Organic Electronic Market size is expected to reach from $46.12 billion in 2019 to $159.11 billion by 2027, growing at a CAGR of 21.0% from 2020 to 2027

Hologram Market was valued at $3.5 billion in 2023, and is projected to reach $20.1 billion by 2032, growing at a CAGR of 21.49% from 2023 to 2032

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Allied Market Research (AMR) is a full-service market research and business-consulting wing of Allied Analytics LLP based in Wilmington, Delaware. Allied Market Research provides global enterprises as well as medium and small businesses with unmatched quality of "Market Research Reports Insights" and "Business Intelligence Solutions." AMR has a targeted view to provide business insights and consulting to assist its clients to make strategic business decisions and achieve sustainable growth in their respective market domain.

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SOURCE Allied Market Research
Nasopharyngeal activation of STING pathway protects from SARs-CoV-2 and influenza in animal models

HOUSTON, July 30, 2024 /PRNewswire/ -- AuraVax Therapeutics, Inc, recognized its academic collaborators at the University of Houston on publication of their pre-clinical research demonstrating that a single dose intranasal NanoSTING protects against SARS-CoV-2 and influenza in hamsters and mice. NanoSTING is a formulation of 23 cyclic GMPAMP (cGAMP) in lipid nanoparticles designed for efficient uptake across mucosa to activate the stimulator of interferon genes (STING) pathway. The results show that NanoSTING rapidly and efficiently activates the innate immune system. The research benefits AuraVax's approach using NanoSTING to treat and prevent viral infections.

"An intranasal nanoparticle STING agonist protects against respiratory viruses in animal models," was published in Nature Communications on 18 July 2024. The senior author is Dr. Navin Varadarajan at the University of Houston and Chief Scientific Officer of AuraVax. It was co-authored with collaborators at the Institute for Antiviral Research at Utah State University.

"These data highlight the safety and efficacy of intranasal NanoSTING to establish a loco-regional immune response against two important seasonal respiratory viruses," said Joseph Sullivan, CEO of AuraVax. "This research demonstrates the therapeutic potential of NanoSTING to treat and prevent viral infections as well as interrupt viral spread. This host-directed therapeutic is agnostic to viral etiology and appears unaffected by mutation escape."

About AuraVax

AuraVax Therapeutics, Inc. (AuraVax) is a privately held biotechnology company commercializing the NanoSTING platform for the treatment and prevention of multiple respiratory infections. Intranasal NanoSTING is a broad-acting, host-directed immunotherapy that safely targets the STING pathway activate innate immunity against respiratory pathogens and disrupt host-to-host transmission.

For more information about AuraVax, please visit: https://www.auravax.com

For additional information about AuraVax, contact Joseph Sullivan at

[email protected]

+1 267-421-9792

SOURCE AuraVax Therapeutics Inc.
The Popcorn Brand Created by the "First Family of TikTok" Continues the Summer Fun

with New Single-Serve Size and an Exciting Theme Park Giveaway

LOS ANGELES, July 30, 2024 /PRNewswire/ -- Be Happy Snacks, the line of whole-grain kernel popcorns created by the D'Amelio family to satisfy every craving, dances into the 7-Eleven, Inc. family of brands. Roadtrippers and on-the-go snackers can now grab these ready-to-eat, gluten-free, low-sodium snacks in 1oz bags from 10,000 7-Eleven and Speedway stores nationwide to bring joy to every part of their summer adventure. The snack bags are available in all three addictive flavors Cotton Candy, White Cheddar and Himalayan Pink Salt.

Be Happy Snacks; Portable Snacking; Popcorn; Road trip Snacks

To commemorate the expanded distribution and the latest portable size of Be Happy Snacks, the D'Amelio family is hosting the Be Happy Snacks Ultimate Theme Park Giveaway which has an estimated value of $30,000 and goes from 12:00AM (ET) on June 26 to 11:59PM (ET) on August 25. For rules and regulations on how to enter, convenience storegoers can scan the QR code on the back of all three flavors. The winner will be selected in a random drawing by August 26 from all eligible entries received. The person chosen and three guests will win a five-day trip to Disneyland, Disneyland tickets, lunch with the D'Amelio family and all-expense paid flights and hotel accommodations.

"Be Happy Snacks is the perfect snack to have on hand for all of this season's experiences and we're thrilled to be bringing our popcorn to our followers in a more convenient format," said Marc D'Amelio, co-founder and CEO of Be Happy Snacks. "Partnering with 7-Eleven and Speedway was a seamless way to ensure that our fans will be able to take Be Happy Snacks with them no matter where the summer takes them."

Be Happy Snacks was created under the family's cross-platform company D'Amelio Brands. Find this delicious, ready-to-eat popcorn in its smaller format starting at $2.29 at 7-Eleven and Speedway and its regular size at Walmart and Albertsons Banners nationwide. For updates on the brand, fans can visit the website at www.behappysnacks.com or follow along on Instagram at @behappysnacksco. Be Happy Snacks is also on TikTok at @behappysnacks.

About Be Happy Snacks

Be Happy Snacks is the first food venture from the D'Amelio family, created under their cross-platform company D'Amelio Brands. Born out of the D'Amelio Family's love for creativity and passion for bringing people together, the family is all about sparking joy and satisfying cravings with fun, unexpected snacks that make your taste buds dance. Find Be Happy Snacks at Walmart and Albertsons banners. For more information, visit the website at www.behappysnacks.com.

About 7-Eleven, Inc.

7-Eleven, Inc. is the premier name in the U.S. convenience-retailing industry. Based in Irving, Texas, 7-Eleven operates, franchises and/or licenses more than 13,000 stores in the U.S. and Canada. In addition to 7-Eleven stores, 7-Eleven, Inc. operates and franchises Speedway, Stripes, Laredo Taco Company and Raise the Roost Chicken and Biscuits locations. Known for its iconic brands such as Slurpee, Big Bite and Big Gulp, 7-Eleven has expanded into high-quality sandwiches, salads, side dishes, cut fruit and protein boxes, as well as pizza, chicken wings and mini beef tacos. 7-Eleven offers customers industry-leading private brand products at outstanding value. Customers can earn and redeem points on various items in stores nationwide through its 7Rewards and Speedy Rewards loyalty programs with more than 80 million members, place an order in the 7NOW delivery app in over 95% of the convenience retailer's footprint, or rely on 7-Eleven for other convenient services. Find out more online at www.7-eleven.com.

MEDIA CONTACT:

Sonja Melin | Kim Le Layon

661-244-7983

[email protected]

SOURCE Be Happy Snacks and 7-Eleven
DALLAS, July 30, 2024 /PRNewswire/ -- Beal Bank is pleased to announce that it has provided committed financing of $275,000,000 to acquire the 7th Generation Drillship Draco as an upsize to its existing loan, originated in February 2024, to Eldorado Drilling of Oslo, Norway.

7th Generation Drillship Draco 7th Generation Drillship Zonda

Farzin Dinyarian, head of Oil & Gas for Beal Bank's wholly-owned commercial lending subsidiary CSG Investments, Inc., said, "Beal Bank is excited to continue its relationship with Eldorado Drilling, a premier ultra-deepwater drillship company. The Draco is needed to support offshore drilling needs in the future. Beal Bank's originating subsidiary, CSG, is proud to support Eldorado and offshore drilling companies."

Andy Longhurst, head of Shipping for CSG Investments, Inc., adds, "Adding the Draco to their fleet of drillships sets Eldorado up to be a major player in the offshore drilling space for years to come. This facility is another example of CSG's willingness to originate into maritime industries that traditional maritime lenders no longer consider mainstream and CSG is delighted to continue to assist Eldorado."

Rune Magnus Lundetr, Chief Financial Officer of Eldorado, said, "We have a good lending relationship with CSG, adding a second rig to our financing was an easy and logical decision. We are hopeful we can continue to find ways to do further business with Farzin, Andy and the CSG team."

Beal Bank has demonstrated a commitment to the oil and gas industry (upstream, oil field services, offshore drilling) and the shipping industry (containerships, tankers, offshore drilling). Beal Bank continues to provide capital to companies supporting world oil & gas production.

###

About Beal Bank: The Beal Bank family of companies comprises one of the largest privately owned financial institutions in the nation with combined assets of approximately $22.8 billion as of March 31, 2024. The Beal Bank brand includes Beal Bank (Member FDIC and Equal Housing Lender), based in Plano, Texas, (near Dallas) and Beal Bank USA (Member FDIC and Equal Housing Lender), headquartered in Las Vegas, Nevada. The Banks have well-earned reputations as stable, strongly capitalized financial institutions.

CSG is active in originating loans for Beal Bank and its affiliates secured by; acquiring individual loans and loan portfolios; and financing and funding loans and syndication interests in loans secured by tangible assets in such industries as commercial real estate, lodging, energy and power, manufacturing, timber, and transportation and distribution. Beal Bank's core consumer service is to provide depositors with competitive rates on certificates of deposits (CDs) through its branches and online.

Contacts:

Farzin Dinyarian ([email protected]; 469-467-5736)

Andy Longhurst ([email protected]; 469-467-5537)

Damien Reynolds ([email protected]; 469-467-5618)

SOURCE Beal Bank
Findings to be presented at ADLM 2024

CHICAGO, July 30, 2024 /PRNewswire/ -- In a new study, researchers have demonstrated that there is an insufficient basis for incorporating race in prenatal screening for birth defects. In a second, separate study, researchers have found that HIV-exposed uninfected children are at higher risk for health problems compared to uninfected, unexposed children. Both of these studies will be presented today at ADLM 2024 (formerly the AACC Annual Scientific Meeting & Clinical Lab Expo) and could help to improve medical care for Black pregnant patients and HIV-exposed uninfected children, respectively.

Rethinking the role of race in prenatal AFP screening

As the use of race in a variety of clinical testing algorithms continues to be reevaluated, the medical community has debated incorporating race in tests for alpha-fetoprotein (AFP), which is used to diagnose a class of birth defects known as open neural tube defects (ONTD) during pregnancy. Current testing algorithms for AFP account for race because self-reported Black individuals on average have higher AFP levels than White individuals. However, many question whether the clinical benefit of incorporating race into AFP screening models is great enough to justify doing so.

Dr. William Butler and a team of researchers from the Hospital of the University of Pennsylvania compared the risk classification for ONTD given by two different models, one of which accounted for self-reported maternal race and one that did not. Their study involved 7,702 patients who were pregnant with one child, 2,360 of whom self-identified as Black. The researchers found that self-reported Black race or ethnicity had a small, yet statistically significant association with AFP concentration. However, only 0.2% of patients were classified differently when race was not accounted for. Furthermore, none of these discordantly classified patients had children born with ONTD.

"As race is a social construct that should not be used as a surrogate to explain biological differences, we should require strong evidence that its use confers substantial benefit that cannot be achieved through other approaches if we are to consider incorporating it into clinical practice algorithms," Dr. Butler said. "The modest improvement in normalizing AFP concentrations is outweighed by the harms of continuing a race-based practice and additional studies are warranted to consider patient factors other than race to improve ONTD risk stratification."

Health issues in HIV-exposed uninfected children in the Bronx

The global rates of HIV transmission from mother to child have dropped drastically thanks to a treatment regimen known as combination antiretroviral therapy (cART). This has led to an increase in the number of HIV-exposed uninfected children, who currently total 16 million worldwide. Although HIV-free and generally healthy, these children may face heightened risks of adverse health outcomes due to prenatal exposure to cART, including growth restriction, increased susceptibility to infections, and neurobehavioral disorders. Furthermore, infants with growth restriction are at a greater risk of developing chronic diseases such as cardiometabolic and neurological disorders later in life  a risk that is worsened by low socioeconomic status.

Drs. Eros Qama and Kayode Balogun of Montefiore Medical Center and Albert Einstein College of Medicine sought to assess the prevalence of neurodevelopmental disorders and hyperlipidemia in HIV-negative children born to HIV-infected mothers in the Bronx, New York, an area of low socioeconomic status. They compared the medical records of 127 HIV-exposed uninfected children from the Bronx to 157 HIV-unexposed and uninfected children from the Bronx, aged 0-15. HIV-exposed uninfected children were found to have significantly higher rates of attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder, autism spectrum disorder, unspecified developmental delay, and abnormal cholesterol levels.

"It's important for the sake of public health to start understanding the health trajectory of these kids, so that we can intervene early, and so that we know what regimen might be best for HIV-positive women when they decide to get pregnant to prevent the sequelae of [antiretroviral] drugs," Dr. Balogun said.

Session Information

ADLM 2024 registration is free for members of the media. Reporters can register online here: https://xpressreg.net/register/adlm0824/media/landing.asp

Abstract A-321: Rethinking the role of race in prenatal AFP screening for open neural tube defects

Abstract A-310: Neurodevelopmental disorders and hyperlipidemia in HIV-exposed uninfected children in the Bronx, New York

Both abstracts will be presented during:

Scientific poster session

Tuesday, July 30

9:30 a.m.  5 p.m. (presenting authors in attendance from 1:30  2:30 p.m.)

The session will take place in the Poster Hall on the Expo show floor of McCormick Place, Chicago.

About ADLM 2024

ADLM 2024 (formerly the AACC Annual Scientific Meeting & Clinical Lab Expo) offers 5 days packed with opportunities to learn about exciting science from July 28-August 1 in Chicago. Plenary sessions will explore the projected consequences of ending abortion protection, new HIV prevention options, lymphoma biomarkers and therapeutic targets, pharmacogenetic testing in precision health, and the need for clinical trials of laboratory tests.

At the ADLM 2024 Clinical Lab Expo, more than 900 exhibitors will fill the show floor of the McCormick Place Convention Center in Chicago, with displays of the latest diagnostic technology, including but not limited to artificial intelligence, point-of-care, and automation.

About the Association for Diagnostics & Laboratory Medicine (ADLM)

Dedicated to achieving better health through laboratory medicine, ADLM (formerly AACC) brings together more than 70,000 clinical laboratory professionals, physicians, research scientists, and business leaders from around the world focused on clinical chemistry, molecular diagnostics, mass spectrometry, translational medicine, lab management, and other areas of progressing laboratory science. Since 1948, ADLM has worked to advance the common interests of the field, providing programs that advance scientific collaboration, knowledge, expertise, and innovation. For more information, visit www.myadlm.org.

Contact:

Christine DeLong

ADLM

Associate Director, Communications & PR

(p) 202.835.8722

[email protected]

Molly Polen

ADLM

Senior Director, Communications & PR

(p) 202.420.7612

(c) 703.598.0472

[email protected]

SOURCE Association for Diagnostics & Laboratory Medicine (ADLM)
Inaugural Igniting Innovation research announcement is providing more than $7 million in funding to advance cancer research through space-based R&D

BOSTON, July 30, 2024 /PRNewswire/ -- The International Space Station (ISS) National Laboratory, in partnership with NASA's Biological and Physical Sciences (BPS) division, jointly announced the selection of five projects through the inaugural Igniting Innovation solicitation for cancer and other disease-related research and technology development on the ISS. The projects, which were announced at the annual ISS Research and Development Conference (ISSRDC) in Boston, will harness the unique microgravity environment to advance cancer research to benefit patients on Earth.

The National Cancer Institute estimates that more than 2 million cases of cancer will be diagnosed in 2024, and more than 600,000 people will die from the disease. Cancer and other disease-related research on the space station is critical not only to the ISS National Lab and NASA but also to the Biden-Harris administration and its Cancer Moonshot initiative. Through the inaugural Igniting Innovating solicitation, more than $7 million in total funding is being awarded to the selected research teams. Each team intends to fly multiple projects to the orbiting laboratory through this research announcement.

"Over the years, the space station has been a catalyst for biomedical research that has profound impacts on patient care on Earth," said Ray Lugo, chief executive officer for the Center for the Advancement of Science in Space, manager of the ISS National Lab. "Through this inaugural Igniting Innovation research announcement, the ISS National Lab and NASA focused funding efforts to specifically target cancer through space-based research, and we look forward to working with the selected projects as they push the boundaries of research and innovation to develop more effective therapeutics for those impacted by this devastating disease."

The selected projects are listed below:

Mari Anne Snow , Eascra Biotech: This project seeks to produce cancer therapeutics in space using Janus base nanomaterials (JBNs) designed to target drug delivery to solid tumors, improving cancer treatment and reducing side effects. JBNs are formed by DNA-inspired building blocks that self-assemble. Producing JBNs in microgravity could make them more uniform, increasing both safety and efficacy. This would allow JBNs to carry larger amounts of drugs for more effective treatment. This project builds on prior space station research that Eascra and the University of Connecticut conducted with support from Axiom Space to examine the use of JBNs to treat arthritis .

This project seeks to produce cancer therapeutics in space using Janus base nanomaterials (JBNs) designed to target drug delivery to solid tumors, improving cancer treatment and reducing side effects. JBNs are formed by DNA-inspired building blocks that self-assemble. Producing JBNs in microgravity could make them more uniform, increasing both safety and efficacy. This would allow JBNs to carry larger amounts of drugs for more effective treatment. This project builds on prior space station research that Eascra and the conducted with support from Axiom Space to examine the use of . Arun Sharma , Cedars-Sinai Medical Center: This project aims to grow cardiac spheroids with blood vessels from induced pluripotent stem cells in space for cardiovascular disease modeling and to test how cancer drugs affect the heart. In space, cells grow into 3D structures that are more like cell growth in the body. Blood vessels may also grow better within the spheroids in microgravity. Space-grown cardiac spheroids could provide a better disease model to study cardiovascular disease and test cancer drug toxicity. Additionally, on Northrop Grumman's 21st Commercial Resupply Services mission (NG-21) to the ISS , slated for early August, the Cedars-Sinai team intends to launch a regenerative medicine investigation supporting the in-space manufacturing of stem cells, building on prior space studies .

This project aims to grow cardiac spheroids with blood vessels from induced pluripotent stem cells in space for cardiovascular disease modeling and to test how cancer drugs affect the heart. In space, cells grow into 3D structures that are more like cell growth in the body. Blood vessels may also grow better within the spheroids in microgravity. Space-grown cardiac spheroids could provide a better disease model to study cardiovascular disease and test cancer drug toxicity. Additionally, on , slated for early August, the Cedars-Sinai team intends to launch a regenerative medicine investigation supporting the in-space manufacturing of stem cells, building on Catriona Jamieson , University of California, San Diego : This project seeks to use patient-derived tumor organoids to study accelerated cancer development in microgravity and identify new cancer therapeutic targets. After cancer treatment, cancer stem cells can remain in the body. These cancer cells self-renew, evade the immune system, and develop resistance, resulting in their ability to spread throughout the body. The research team will observe the rate of cancer stem cell growth in space, where cancer cells can grow more quickly, to test whether blocking a specific enzyme prevents cancer stem cell growth. Results could lead to new treatments that target evasive cancer stem cells to prevent cancer recurrence. The UCSD team has launched multiple investigations to the ISS through private astronaut missions and NASA-sponsored missions.

This project seeks to use patient-derived tumor organoids to study accelerated cancer development in microgravity and identify new cancer therapeutic targets. After cancer treatment, cancer stem cells can remain in the body. These cancer cells self-renew, evade the immune system, and develop resistance, resulting in their ability to spread throughout the body. The research team will observe the rate of cancer stem cell growth in space, where cancer cells can grow more quickly, to test whether blocking a specific enzyme prevents cancer stem cell growth. Results could lead to new treatments that target evasive cancer stem cells to prevent cancer recurrence. The UCSD team has launched multiple investigations to the ISS through and NASA-sponsored missions. Cassian Yee , University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center: This project aims to use microgravity to better understand how T cells work in order to develop new immunotherapy treatments for patients with cancer and autoimmune diseases. T cells are a type of white blood cell that play a key role in the immune system. Previous research has shown that microgravity induces changes in the structure and function of these cells. The team will study T cells in space to better understand what controls them, and results could lead to improved immunotherapy drugs that use the immune system to fight cancer.

This project aims to use microgravity to better understand how T cells work in order to develop new immunotherapy treatments for patients with cancer and autoimmune diseases. T cells are a type of white blood cell that play a key role in the immune system. Previous research has shown that microgravity induces changes in the structure and function of these cells. The team will study T cells in space to better understand what controls them, and results could lead to improved immunotherapy drugs that use the immune system to fight cancer. Shay Soker , Wake Forest Institute for Regenerative Medicine (WFIRM): This project seeks to use organoids created from cells recovered from colorectal cancer patients to see if chemotherapy works better in space, offering insight into improved chemotherapies. Microgravity causes changes in cancer cells that may make them more sensitive to chemotherapy. The team will study how spaceflight changes gene expression in the organoids to identify targets for new, more effective chemotherapy drugs. Results from this project could also lead to personalized cancer treatment. WFIRM is actively involved in research on the space station and will launch an investigation on NG-21 analyzing the behavior of engineered liver constructs, which could lead to in-space production of tissues for organ transplants on Earth.

All five research teams intend to work with ISS National Lab Commercial Service Provider Axiom Space, together with BioServe Space Technologies, who will provide engineering and logistical support to prepare the projects for spaceflight and successful operations on station.

"We are thrilled to support this critical in-space cancer research," said Lisa Carnell, director of NASA's Biological and Physical Sciences (BPS) division. "The unique microgravity environment of space offers incredible opportunities for researchers to study the effects of spaceflight stressors on human tissue. This research could be used not only to help protect crew health on long-duration missions but also to contribute to initiatives like the Cancer Moonshot and improved treatment options for patients here on Earth."

The final award of funding is contingent upon acceptance of legal terms and conditions between the recipients, the Center for the Advancement of Science in Space, which manages the ISS National Lab, and NASA's BPS division.

The ISS National Lab and NASA plan to announce the 2024 Igniting Innovation solicitation in August. This research announcement is focused on leveraging the space environment to address challenges that hinder progress in preventing, diagnosing, and treating the most challenging diseases of our time, such as cancer, cardiovascular disease, and neurodegenerative disease.

To download a high-resolution image for this release, click here.

About the International Space Station (ISS) National Laboratory:

The International Space Station (ISS) is a one-of-a-kind laboratory that enables research and technology development not possible on Earth. As a public service enterprise, the ISS National Laboratory allows researchers to leverage this multiuser facility to improve quality of life on Earth, mature space-based business models, advance science literacy in the future workforce, and expand a sustainable and scalable market in low Earth orbit. Through this orbiting national laboratory, research resources on the ISS are available to support non-NASA science, technology, and education initiatives from U.S. government agencies, academic institutions, and the private sector. The Center for the Advancement of Science in Space (CASIS) manages the ISS National Lab, under Cooperative Agreement with NASA, facilitating access to its permanent microgravity research environment, a powerful vantage point in low Earth orbit, and the extreme and varied conditions of space. To learn more about the ISS National Lab, visit our website.

As a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization, CASIS accepts corporate and individual donations to help advance science in space for the benefit of humanity. For more information, visit our donations page .



International Space Station (ISS) National Laboratory

Managed by the Center for the Advancement of Science in Space, Inc. (CASIS)

6905 N. Wickham Rd., Suite 500, Melbourne, FL 32940  321.253.5101  www.ISSNationalLab.org

SOURCE International Space Station National Lab
NEW YORK, July 30, 2024 /PRNewswire/ -- The global cell culture market size is estimated to grow by USD 24.8 billion from 2024-2028, according to Technavio. The market is estimated to grow at a CAGR of almost 13.64% during the forecast period. Increase in infectious diseases is driving market growth, with a trend towards increasing demand for 3d cell culture. However, contamination of cell culture poses a challenge. Key market players include Agilent Technologies Inc., Avantor Inc., Becton Dickinson and Co., Bio Techne Corp., CLS Cell Lines Service GmbH, Corning Inc., Danaher Corp., Eppendorf SE, FUJIFILM Holdings Corp., General Electric Co., InvivoGen Corp., LABGENE Scientific SA, Lonza Group Ltd., Merck KGaA, Miltenyi Biotec B.V. And Co. KG, PromoCell GmbH, Sartorius AG, Sartorius CellGenix GmbH, Thermo Fisher Scientific Inc., and ZenBio Inc..

Technavio has announced its latest market research report titled Global cell culture market 2024-2028

Get a detailed analysis on regions, market segments, customer landscape, and companies - Click for the snapshot of this report

Forecast period 2024-2028 Base Year 2023 Historic Data 2018 - 2022 Segment Covered Product (Consumables and Equipment), End-user (Pharma and biotech companies, Hospitals, Research and academic Institutes, and Others), and Geography (North America, Europe, Asia, and Rest of World (ROW)) Region Covered North America, Europe, Asia, and Rest of World (ROW) Key companies profiled Agilent Technologies Inc., Avantor Inc., Becton Dickinson and Co., Bio Techne Corp., CLS Cell Lines Service GmbH, Corning Inc., Danaher Corp., Eppendorf SE, FUJIFILM Holdings Corp., General Electric Co., InvivoGen Corp., LABGENE Scientific SA, Lonza Group Ltd., Merck KGaA, Miltenyi Biotec B.V. And Co. KG, PromoCell GmbH, Sartorius AG, Sartorius CellGenix GmbH, Thermo Fisher Scientific Inc., and ZenBio Inc.

Key Market Trends Fueling Growth

The 3D cell culture market is experiencing significant growth due to the increasing adoption of this technology in various research fields. In 3D cell culture, biological cells are grown in an artifically created environment, mimicking normal cell morphology. This technique is valuable for studying stem cells, viral pathogenesis, and cancer research. Companies like Thermo Fisher Scientific and Merck KGaA provide 3D cell culture products, such as Thermo Fisher Scientific's AlgiMatrix 3D Culture System and Merck KGaA's 3D Collagen Culture Kit. These products closely simulate the natural cellular environment, enabling detailed analysis of cell growth, drug resistance, apoptosis, angiogenesis, and tissue formation. Furthermore, the potential for personalized treatment plans using patient cells is driving innovation in 3D cell culture models. As a result, the demand for advanced 3D cell culture techniques is increasing, leading to market expansion during the forecast period.

The Cell Culture Market is experiencing significant growth due to increasing trends in areas like buying behavior for single-use technologies, novel therapeutics for chronic diseases, and research in cell biology, particularly in cancer and cardiovascular ailments. The Biotechnology industry's focus on cell therapy, as seen in companies like CellVovant and collaborations between universities like the University of Bristol and biotech firms, is driving innovation. Seed funding and regulatory requirements are shaping the landscape for biopharmaceutical sectors in healthcare markets. Microcarrier-based technologies and emerging countries are reducing cost and process development time, attracting investments in biopharmaceutical production. However, concerns around plastic waste from single-use bioprocessing and solid waste from diagnostics and tissue engineering need addressing. The market encompasses drug research activities, vaccine production, therapeutic proteins, monoclonal antibodies, and diagnostics. Biotech companies and diagnostic laboratories are key players, with a focus on viral vaccines, biopharmaceutical development, and pharmaceuticals.

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Market Challenges

Cell culture is a process used to cultivate cells from plants or animals in an artificial environment. Contamination is a significant challenge in cell culture, which can lead to high losses and decreased productivity. Chemical contamination can arise from adulterated media, impure water, endotoxins, free radicals, plasticizers, detergents, and disinfectants. Biological contamination can be caused by bacteria, yeast, molds, viruses, mycoplasmas, protozoa, invertebrates, and cross-contamination from other cell lines. Molds, yeast, and bacteria are common contaminants due to their ubiquitous presence. Virus contamination is difficult to detect and remove from media. Contamination leads to significant losses and decreases overall production and market revenue. To minimize contamination, lab professionals must check the consistency of the medium and follow strict aseptic techniques. Failure to do so can result in the loss of valuable sources and time, ultimately impacting market growth negatively. Therefore, the presence of contamination factors may hinder the growth of the cell culture market during the forecast period.

The Cell Therapy Market is experiencing significant growth due to the increasing demand for advanced treatments for cardiovascular disorders. Microcarrier-based technologies are gaining popularity in this market, particularly in emerging countries and biopharmaceutical sectors. However, regulatory requirements pose challenges for market expansion. Healthcare markets, drug research activities, and vaccine production are key areas of application. Plastic consumables are essential for cell culture, but their use generates plastic waste, leading to environmental concerns. Single-use bioprocessing is a cost-effective solution, reducing process development time and capital investments. Solid waste management is another challenge. Biopharmaceutical production, diagnostics, tissue engineering, drug screening, monoclonal antibodies, and vaccine production are major segments. Biotechnology companies and diagnostic laboratories are major players. Mergers and collaborations, such as between Captivate Bio and Merck, are driving innovation in areas like viral vaccines, biopharmaceutical development, pharmaceuticals, biotechnology, testing kits, cell culture tools, organoids, high-throughput screening, bioreactors, and artificial organs.

For more insights on driver and challenges - Download a Sample Report

Segment Overview

This cell culture market report extensively covers market segmentation by

Product

1.1 Consumables

1.2 Equipment

End-user

2.1 Pharma and biotech companies

2.2 Hospitals

2.3 Research and academic Institutes

2.4 Others

Geography

3.1 North America

3.2 Europe

3.3 Asia

3.4 Rest of World (ROW)

1.1 Consumables- The cell culture market is driven by the extensive use of consumables, which include sera, media, and reagents. Sera consist of adult bovine sera (ABS), fetal bovine sera (FBS), and other animal sera. Media encompasses serum-free media, stem cell media, specialty media, and classical media and salts. Reagents comprise supplements, growth factors, cell dissociation reagents, contamination detection kits, antibiotics, antimycotics, cell culture reagents, salt solutions, buffers, and other accessories. The consumables segment dominates the market due to their high availability, vast applicability, and repeated usage. The affordability of consumables is another significant factor driving their adoption. They are often sold along with compatible instruments at a lower price than when bought separately. The increasing diseased population necessitates the development of cell culture-based products, such as Humulin, for treating conditions like diabetes. The rising number of diabetic patients is expected to boost the demand for Humulin and, consequently, for consumables. Furthermore, the growing cell-based research and the increasing demand for cell-based therapies have led vendors to invest in R&D to develop advanced cell media, reagents, and supplements. For instance, FUJIFILM Irvine Scientific Inc.'s BalanCD Gal Supplement enhances galactosylation in biotherapeutic development, contributing to improved product quality and antibody efficacy. The availability of such innovative products will fuel the growth of the consumables segment in the global cell culture market during the forecast period.

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 Cell Culture Market is experiencing significant growth due to the increasing demand for advanced cell-based research and therapeutic applications. Buying behavior in this market is driven by the need for single-use technologies that ensure sterility and reduce contamination risks. Novel therapeutics, particularly those targeting chronic diseases like cancer, cardiovascular ailments, autoimmune disorders, and neurological disorders, are fueling market expansion. The biotechnology industry plays a pivotal role in cell culture research, with cell biology being a key area of focus. Cell therapy is a promising application of cell culture, with companies like CellVovant and the University of Bristel making strides in this field. Seed funding and collaborations are essential for the development of new cell culture technologies and biopharmaceutical products. Viral vaccines, testing kits, cell culture tools, organoids, high-throughput screening, bioreactors, and Captivate Bio are some of the key areas of innovation in the cell culture market.

Market Research Overview

The Cell Culture Market is a significant segment of the biotechnology industry, driven by the increasing demand for novel therapeutics, particularly in the areas of chronic diseases such as cancer, cardiovascular ailments, autoimmune disorders, and neurological disorders. Single-use technologies have gained popularity due to their cost-effectiveness and ease of use, reducing process development time and capital investments. The market is also witnessing collaborations between academic institutions, such as the University of Bristol, and biotechnology companies for seed funding and research activities. The Biopharmaceutical sectors are focusing on regulatory requirements and healthcare markets for drug research, including vaccines, antibiotics, and therapeutic proteins. The market includes plastic consumables, which have raised concerns regarding plastic waste and the shift towards single-use bioprocessing for cost reduction. The market also caters to diagnostics, tissue engineering, drug screening, monoclonal antibodies, and vaccine production. Companies like Merck and Captivate Bio are leading players in this market, with innovations in bioreactors, organoids, artificial organs, functional tissues, and high-throughput screening.

Table of Contents:

1 Executive Summary

2 Market Landscape

3 Market Sizing

4 Historic Market Size

5 Five Forces Analysis

6 Market Segmentation

Product

Consumables



Equipment

End-user

Pharma And Biotech Companies



Hospitals



Research And Academic Institutes



Others

Geography

North America



Europe



Asia



Rest Of World (ROW)



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.

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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
Named Fulshear Junction, the new development will bring 251 homesites to the area, with construction anticipated to begin in 2025. Fulshear Junction will include 21 acres of mixed-use commercial real estate, appealing to homebuyers looking for quick access to retail, dining, offices, and childcare.

Stay in the know about Fulshear Junction and join the interest list at 713.222.7000 or www.CenturyCommunities.com/Houston.

In the future development, students will attend newly constructed Lamar Consolidated ISD schools, a sought-after district that's quickly becoming one of the highest-rated school systems in the Houston area.

Fulshear Junction boasts quick access to some of the most active highways in the Houston area, connecting to I-10 via Texas Heritage Parkway, and Texas State Highway 99 (Grand Parkway) via FM 1093. Houston is also within convenient commuting distance at about 40 miles away.

"We're thrilled to contribute to the ongoing growth in Fulshear with Fulshear Junction," said Texas Regional President Blake Roberts. "With 251 new homesites and vibrant mixed-use development, this community will offer homebuyers in west Houston exceptional opportunities to find their dream home."

DISCOVER THE FREEDOM OF ONLINE HOMEBUYING:

Century Communities is proud to feature its industry-first online homebuying experience on all available homes in Texas.

How it works:

Shop homes at CenturyCommunities.com

Click "Buy Now" on any available home

Fill out a quick Buy Online form

Electronically submit an initial earnest money deposit

Electronically sign a purchase contract via DocuSign

Learn more about the Buy Online experience at www.CenturyCommunities.com/online-homebuying.

About Century Communities

Century Communities, Inc. (NYSE: CCS) is one of the nation's largest homebuilders, an industry leader in online home sales, and the highest-ranked homebuilder on Newsweek's list of America's Most Trustworthy Companies 2024, consecutively awarded for a second year. Through its Century Communities and Century Complete brands, Century's mission is to build attractive, high-quality homes at affordable prices to provide its valued customers with A HOME FOR EVERY DREAM. Century is engaged in all aspects of homebuilding  including the acquisition, entitlement and development of land, along with the construction, innovative marketing and sale of quality homes designed to appeal to a wide range of homebuyers. The Company operates in 18 states and over 45 markets across the U.S., and also offers title, insurance and lending services in select markets through its Parkway Title, IHL Home Insurance Agency, and Inspire Home Loans subsidiaries. To learn more about Century Communities, please visit www.centurycommunities.com.

SOURCE Century Communities, Inc.
CHICAGO, July 30, 2024 /PRNewswire/ -- ConceiveAbilities , a leading surrogacy and egg donation agency, is proud to announce the launch of the #EmpowerNursesChallenge , an initiative designed to combat compassion fatigue among nurses and show appreciation for their tireless dedication and care. Through this challenge, nurses can earn rewards, including self-care baskets worth $100 each, while sharing their strategies for resilience and emotional well-being.

The Heart of Healthcare



Compassion fatigue impacts nurse well-being and care quality, highlighting the need for supportive resources. Post this Nurse Teale Kelley shares how she has been affected by compassion fatigue and how she builds compassion fatigue resilience. Nurses are the primary providers of hospital patient care and deliver most of the nations long-term medical care. Moreover, nurses are the single most trusted professional among a wide array, with 78% of us saying that they have high or very high levels of honesty and ethical standards. Nurses have held this distinction for over 20 years.

Nurses are the backbone of the healthcare system, providing essential care, advocacy, and emotional support to patients. With nearly 4.7 million registered nurses nationwide, they play a critical role in patient care and are often the first line of support for individuals facing significant health challenges. The importance of nurses extends beyond clinical skills. Nurses give comfort and compassion to patients and families during some of the most vulnerable moments of their lives. This unwavering dedication often comes at a cost.

Understanding Compassion Fatigue

Compassion fatigue , the emotional and physical exhaustion resulting from continuous empathy and caring for others, is taking a significant toll on nurses. It is particularly prevalent among nurses who support patients through traumatic experiences, such as infertility, which can be as distressing as a diagnosis of cancer or heart disease. Compassion fatigue not only affects nurse well-being, but also impacts the care delivered by nurses, highlighting the need for resources to build compassion fatigue resilience.

The #EmpowerNursesChallenge

ConceiveAbilities recognizes the incredible work done by nurses who support patients through the emotional and physical challenges. To show gratitude and raise awareness about compassion fatigue, they are launching the #EmpowerNursesChallenge. Through this initiative, ConceiveAbilities will donate 100 self-care baskets, each worth at least $100, to the nurses you know and love.

How to Participate

Support the nurses in your life and help them combat compassion fatigue by following these simple steps:

Share the Link: Enter your email at EmpowerNursesChallenge to get your personalized share link. Spread the Word: Share your link with the nurses you know and admire through email, social media, or any other method. Once they click through your link and enter their email address, both you and the nurse will earn a $5 reward. Create and Share: Nurses create and share a video on social media about how they combat compassion fatigue. Tag @ConceiveAbilities in their post. Submit the Entry: Nurses email [email protected] with the original video, the link to their social post, and their contact and professional information. Receive Rewards: The first 100 nurses to share their videos will receive a self-care basket worth at least $100 .

The #EmpowerNursesChallenge runs until September 30, 2024, or until the first 100 baskets are distributed. Join the #EmpowerNursesChallenge to show gratitude to the nurses in your life by participating in this challenge today.

About ConceiveAbilities

ConceiveAbilities Surrogacy Agency is committed to empowering women to find their purpose and create meaningful change in their communities and beyond. Surrogacy is a powerful means to do so.

SOURCE ConceiveAbilities
WESTFORD, Mass., July 30, 2024 /PRNewswire/ -- According to SkyQuest, the global Digital Health Market size was valued at USD 178 billion in 2022 and is poised to grow from USD 211 billion in 2023 to USD 881 billion by 2031, growing at a CAGR of 18.6% in the forecast period (2024-2031).

Growing penetration of digital technologies in the healthcare space is setting the tone for digital health adoption. The rising popularity of telehealth and telemedicine practices is also estimated to promote the demand for digital health over the coming years. High investments in adoption of digital technologies in healthcare to streamline processes and improve patient outcomes will also create new business scope going forward. The global digital health market is segmented into component, technology, application, end user, and region.

Download a detailed overview:

https://www.skyquestt.com/sample-request/digital-health-market

Digital Health Market Overview:

Report Coverage Details Market Revenue in 2023 $ 211 billion Estimated Value by 2031 $ 881 billion Growth Rate Poised to grow at a CAGR of 18.6% Forecast Period 20242031 Forecast Units Value (USD Billion) Report Coverage Revenue Forecast, Competitive Landscape, Growth Factors, and Trends Segments Covered Component, Technology, Application, End User, and Region Geographies Covered North America, Europe, Asia Pacific, Latin America, and Middle East and Africa. Report Highlights Investments in the digitization of the healthcare industry Key Market Opportunities Growing popularity of mHealth devices and applications Key Market Drivers Rising emphasis on improving healthcare outcomes and reducing workload on healthcare providers

Segments covered in Digital Health Market are as follows:

Component

Hardware, Software, Services

Technology

Tele Healthcare (Telecare/Rpm, Activity Monitoring, Remote Medication Management), Telehealth (LTC Monitoring, Video Consultation), Mhealth (Wearables [Vital Signs Monitors, Peak Flow Meters, Fetal Monitors, Sleep Apnea Monitors, Neurological Monitors, Other wearables], Mhealth Apps [Medical Apps, Fitness Apps]), Digital Therapeutics (Preventive Applications, Treatment Applications), Health Management Solutions (Electronic Health Records, Healthcare Analytics, Eprescribing)

Application

Chronic Disease Management, Behavioral Health, Health & Fitness, Other Applications

End User

Providers (Hospitals & clinics, Long-term care centers & assisted living centers), Payers (Public, Private), Patients & consumers

Request Free Customization of this report:

https://www.skyquestt.com/speak-with-analyst/digital-health-market

Enhanced Internet Connectivity Estimated to Boost Demand for Digital Health for Telehealth Technology

Growing penetration of digital technologies and improved internet connectivity are projected to help promote the adoption of telehealth technologies in the healthcare space. With more and more healthcare providers offering telehealth services, patients are also preferring to opt for the same resulting in the high market share of this segment. Advancements in digital health technologies are projected to help this segment maintain its dominance across the study period.

The rise of wearables in the healthcare industry is projected to make mHealth technology highly popular over the coming years. New companies looking to make a mark in the global digital health market should target this segment to penetrate the market. The growing use of smartphones and the rising use of smart wearable health monitors will also help this segment generate substantial revenue in the future. High emphasis on preventive healthcare around the world is also estimated to create new opportunities for digital health companies going forward.

Digital Health Services Projected to be Most Lucrative for Digital Health Providers

From deployment to maintenance, almost all digital health solutions require services. This is why digital health companies should target the services segment to maximize their business scope. Companies can provide standalone services as well as provide complete service packages covering all aspects of digital health.

View report summary and Table of Contents (TOC):

https://www.skyquestt.com/report/digital-health-market

Healthcare Providers Projected to Be at Forefront in Terms of Digital Health Adoption

The growing burden on hospitals and other healthcare providers owing to rapidly increasing hospitalization and incidence of chronic diseases is pushing providers to opt for digital health solutions. These digital health offerings help automate or streamline multiple healthcare processes thereby saving costs and resources as well. Increasing investments in improving patient outcomes and the growing use of electronic health records (EHR) are also forecasted to promote digital health demand among healthcare providers in the long run.

Investing in almost any segment will offer good returns for any digital health company but targeting the telehealth and provider segments will be most beneficial.

Related Report:

Population Health Management Market

Artificial Intelligence (AI) in Healthcare Market

Home Healthcare Market

Healthcare IT Market

Electronic Health Records Market

About Us:

SkyQuest is an IP focused Research and Investment Bank and Accelerator of Technology and assets. We provide access to technologies, markets and finance across sectors viz. Life Sciences, CleanTech, AgriTech, NanoTech and Information & Communication Technology.

We work closely with innovators, inventors, innovation seekers, entrepreneurs, companies and investors alike in leveraging external sources of R&D. Moreover, we help them in optimizing the economic potential of their intellectual assets. Our experiences with innovation management and commercialization has expanded our reach across North America, Europe, ASEAN and Asia Pacific.

Contact:

Mr. Jagraj Singh

Skyquest Technology

1 Apache Way,

Westford,

Massachusetts 01886

USA (+1) 351-333-4748

Email: [email protected]

Visit Our Website: https://www.skyquestt.com/

Logo : https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/2446095/SkyQuest_Logo.jpg

SOURCE SkyQuest Technology
BOGOTA, Colombia, July 30, 2024 /PRNewswire/ -- Ecopetrol S.A. (BVC: ECOPETROL; NYSE: EC) announces that after market close on Tuesday, August 13, 2024, it plans to release its financial and operating results for the second quarter of 2024.

On Wednesday, August 14, 2024, Ecopetrol's senior management plans to host a single virtual conference call to review the results, with transmission in Spanish and English. Please find below the time and links to access the conference:

Conference Call 09:00 a.m. Col Time 10:00 a.m. NY Time

To access the webcast, the following link will be available:

https://xegmenta.co/ecopetrol/conferencia-de-resultados-2t-2024/

Once you receive the invitation, you will find the link for the Spanish webcast and the link for the English webcast.

Participants may ask questions using the webcast platform once the call starts.

The earnings release, slide presentation, live webcast and recording of the conference call will be available on Ecopetrol's website: www.ecopetrol.com.co

Please verify the functioning of the webcast platform in your browser in advance of the call. We recommend the use of the latest versions of Internet Explorer, Google Chrome, and Mozilla Firefox.

Ecopetrol is the largest company in Colombia and one of the main integrated energy companies in the American continent, with more than 19,000 employees. In Colombia, it is responsible for more than 60% of the hydrocarbon production of most transportation, logistics, and hydrocarbon refining systems, and it holds leading positions in the petrochemicals and gas distribution segments. With the acquisition of 51.4% of ISA's shares, the company participates in energy transmission, the management of real-time systems (XM), and the Barranquilla - Cartagena coastal highway concession. At the international level, Ecopetrol has a stake in strategic basins in the American continent, with Drilling and Exploration operations in the United States (Permian basin and the Gulf of Mexico), Brazil, and, through ISA and its subsidiaries, Ecopetrol holds leading positions in the power transmission business in Brazil, Chile, Peru, and Bolivia, road concessions in Chile, and the telecommunications sector.

For more information, please contact:

Head of Capital Markets (a)

Lina Maria Contreras Mora

Email: [email protected]

Head of Corporate Communications

Marcela Ulloa

Email: [email protected]

SOURCE Ecopetrol S.A.
Additionally, the company has refreshed its Sustainability Accounting Standards Board (SASB) and Taskforce on Climate-related Financial Disclosure (TCFD) reports, as well as its extensive suite of issue briefs covering leading ESG topics and KPIs, to reflect 2023 data.

"As we celebrate our 70th anniversary, we're encouraged by the progress our global team has made to continue to raise the bar on our sustainability efforts. Our efforts are embedded across the business to reduce our footprint, increase the expectations of our supply chain, and deeply engage our people in our purpose, allowing us to mitigate some of the most material risks for our business," said Jeff Simmons, Elanco President and CEO. "We also view sustainability as more than a risk mitigator, for Elanco, it's a competitive advantage, as we launch innovations that transform animal care for our customers and bring tools to help the environment. From the first treatment for parvovirus  one of the deadliest diseases in puppies  to pioneering new products and helping build marketplaces that support emissions reduction goals, our team members around the world are contributing to support healthier animals and a healthier, more sustainable world."

In 2023, Elanco refreshed its ESG materiality assessment, in alignment with the GRI Standards, IFRS Sustainability Disclosure Standards and European Sustainability Reporting Standards (ESRS), as a foundation for alignment with emerging ESG reporting requirements around the world. The output of the assessment is summarized in the 2023 report, including the impacts, risks, opportunities and managerial approaches by strategic focus area.

In 2023, Elanco advanced key programs and initiatives focused on delivering on the four pillars of Elanco's Healthy Purpose:

Healthier animals: Elanco made strides in developing industry leading innovations that enhance the quality of life and health of pets, strengthening the bond between humans and animals, while also broadly delivering the programs and processes that support humans and the animals within their care. 2023 key initiatives included:

Launched our "Defend Puppies. Defeat Parvo." initiative to enhance awareness of and education about canine parvovirus, while increasing veterinarian access to our canine parvovirus monoclonal antibody (CPMA) through the establishment of the Elanco's Defenders Fund, offering up to $1 million in rebate incentives to veterinarians who purchase CPMA to help treat the disease.

in rebate incentives to veterinarians who purchase CPMA to help treat the disease. Launched AdTab (lotilaner), a non-prescription oral monthly flea and tick product for both dogs and cats approved by the European Medicines Agency (EMA), increasing accessibility and convenience for pet owners by offering AdTab in European pharmacies, pet shops and online.

Expanded our Elanco Knowledge Solutions (EKS) offering for dairy producers by introducing Dairy Data Access System (DDAS) Plus, a farm-level analytics platform that provides weekly reports across key areas of health and milk production, supporting decision making for producers.

Healthier People: Elanco remained committed to delivering positive impact on global communities, supporting small-scale producers in Nigeria and Uganda, while driving progress in food security and human health. 2023 key initiatives included:

Acquired the marketed product portfolio for NutriQuest and in 2023 began bringing these nutritional products to new markets, expanding our portfolio of antibiotic alternatives and delivering expanded portfolio options to our customers.

Launched Elanco's Dairy Antibiogram (DAB) initiative  a collaboration between Elanco and New Zealand dairy farms  to enhance farmers' ability to select the most appropriate antimicrobial to treat mastitis in dairy cows, a painful udder infection that can be caused by a number of different pathogens.

dairy farms  to enhance farmers' ability to select the most appropriate antimicrobial to treat mastitis in dairy cows, a painful udder infection that can be caused by a number of different pathogens. Piloted Tick Academy, an educational mobile app for farmers that presents content on integrated tick management, as well as contact information for nearby service providers and licensed veterinary retailers in support of Elanco's Managing Animal Health and Acaricides for Better Africa (MAHABA) initiative in Uganda .

Healthier Planet: Elanco constantly pushes boundaries, developing innovative products that tackle some of the world's most pressing challenges. From pioneering solutions that measure, reduce, and monetize our customer's carbon emissions on the farm, to minimizing the Company's operational environmental footprint. 2023 key initiatives included:

12% of electricity use is from renewable sources, progressing toward our 2030 goal of 100%.

Reused or recycled 91% of waste generated by the company, including production wastewater.

Published a Sustainable Packaging Guideline, to outline the key elements of Elanco's sustainable packaging program and describe where and how sustainability considerations influence engineering, design and sourcing decisions related to product packaging.

Helped U.S. dairy and beef customers avoid an estimated 2.3 million metric tons of greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions (CO 2 e) through the use of Rumensin in 2023. Cumulatively (2020-2023), Elanco has helped customers avoid an estimated 9.5 million metric tons of emissions with Rumensin, approximately equivalent to taking more than 2.2 million passenger cars off the road for a year.

Healthier Enterprise: Elanco supports hundreds of global grassroots causes through an industry-leading employee volunteer and giving program, while also creating inclusive and safe environments where every colleague can grow personally and professionally. 2023 key initiatives include:

Became a participant in the U.N. Global Compact, furthering Elanco's commitment to fundamental business principles involving human rights, labor, anti-corruption and the environment.

Contributed more than 23,600 employee volunteer hours to the global community, with an estimated value of $790,000  up from approximately 12,800 hours in 2022.

 up from approximately 12,800 hours in 2022. Achieved 28% employee participation in giving and volunteerism.

Committed $3.7 million in corporate, Foundation and employee charitable and community giving.

in corporate, Foundation and employee charitable and community giving. Increased year-over-year participation in an optional employee development program, Everyone LEADS, by 49%.

For details on the company's ESG disclosures, issue briefs, policies, and programs, visit elanco.com/en-us/sustainability.

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  all to advance the health of animals, people, the planet and our enterprise. Learn more at www.elanco.com

Investor Contact: Katy Grissom (317) 273-9248 [email protected]

Media Contact: Colleen Parr Dekker (317) 989-7011 [email protected]

SOURCE Elanco Animal Health
WASHINGTON, July 30, 2024 /PRNewswire/ -- Fannie Mae (OTCQB: FNMA) today reported its second quarter 2024 financial results and filed its Second Quarter 2024 Form 10-Q with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The filing provides condensed consolidated financial statements for the quarter ended June 30, 2024. The following documents are now available on Fannie Mae's website at www.fanniemae.com .

Fannie Mae has scheduled a conference call to discuss the company's results today at 8:00 a.m., ET. Participants may join the conference call in listen-only mode via the webcast link below.

Listen-only webcast:

https://event.webcasts.com/starthere.jsp?ei=1679105&tp_key=b1045196b9

Click on the link above to attend the presentation from your laptop, tablet, or mobile device. Audio will stream through your selected device. If you have difficulty accessing the webcast, please click the "Listen by Phone" button on the webcast player and dial the number provided.

About Fannie Mae

Fannie Mae advances equitable and sustainable access to homeownership and quality, affordable rental housing for millions of people across America. We enable the 30-year fixed-rate mortgage and drive responsible innovation to make homebuying and renting easier, fairer, and more accessible. To learn more, visit:

fanniemae.com | Twitter | Facebook | LinkedIn | Instagram | YouTube | Blog

Fannie Mae Newsroom

https://www.fanniemae.com/news

Photo of Fannie Mae

https://www.fanniemae.com/resources/img/about-fm/fm-building.tif

Fannie Mae Resource Center

1-800-2FANNIE

SOURCE Fannie Mae
The awards will be presented prior to a moderated chat with science educator Bill Nye.

WICHITA, Kan., July 30, 2024 /PRNewswire/ -- As a nonprofit helping propel the technology industry forward in Kansas, FlagshipKansas.Tech is set to celebrate excellence and innovation in the Kansas tech industry at its third annual Ad Astra Technology Summit. The awards will be presented at the Hyatt Regency Wichita on October 2, prior to the moderated chat with engineer, comedian, inventor, and science educator Bill Nye. Nominations are being accepted through September 5 for the following categories:

Steve & Janet Wozniak Kansas Teacher of the Year

Honors educators driving technological innovation, literacy, and diversity in Kansas classrooms. The Wozniaks also award the recipient with $1,666. The amount is a nod to the $666 purchase price of the first Apple computer.

Tech Student of the Year (K-12)

Recognizes an exceptional Kansas K-12 student excelling and innovating in tech-related fields.

Tech Student of the Year (College)

Recognizes an exceptional Kansas college student excelling and innovating in tech-related fields.

Tech Startup of the Year

Honors innovative, disruptive, and rapidly growing tech startups in Kansas.

Tech Visionary of the Year

Honors individuals or organizations driving significant innovation and transformation in Kansas.

Tech Community Innovator of the Year

Recognizes those leveraging technology for social and community development in Kansas.

To learn more about the guidelines and submit a nomination, visit adastrasummit.tech/awards.

About the Ad Astra Technology Summit

The annual Ad Astra Technology Summit is set to return for its third year in Wichita, Kan., on October 2. The summit aims to bring together industry leaders, startup entrepreneurs, government officials, and educators to explore and address current technology issues in various informative sessions. To accommodate a growing number of attendees, it will be hosted at the Hyatt Regency Wichita.

FlagshipKansas.Tech is set to host science educator Bill Nye, aka "the Science Guy," in a moderated chat. An awards ceremony preceding the chat will highlight leaders and innovators in Kansas tech.

"This summit is important. After all, technologies derive from science," said Nye, host of the popular '90s children's show "Bill Nye the Science Guy." "Tech hubs concentrate engineers and scientists to identify big problems and build business to find solutions to them. The Ad Astra Tech Summit is exciting. I'm looking forward to being part of it this year."

Summit tickets will include the chat with Nye along with breakout sessions on tech education, digital skills development, and workforce issues along with AI, industry, and new/startup business enablement. Teachers will also be eligible for one full graduate credit hour issued through WSU.

"The impact of science education, tech companies, start-ups, and investors is one that requires us to mash up different points-of-view. Exploring its possibilities and potential should be something every entrepreneur, industry leader, investor, and tech educator eagerly anticipates," said Troy Tabor, Director of the Wichita State University Center for Entrepreneurship.

Tickets for the summit and the separate moderated chat event are now on sale, starting at $50, with options for sponsorships that include opportunities for a VIP Meet & Greet with Nye. In addition, scholarships for teachers and group discounts are available.

For more information on the Ad Astra Technology Summit and to purchase tickets, please visit adastrasummit.tech.

About FlagshipKansas.Tech

FlagshipKansas.Tech is a nonprofit organization that brings together Kansas technology companies to shine a light on the depth of skill, ingenuity, and innovation running through our cities and communities. Current goals include raising awareness, attracting and retaining technology talent, and supporting technology workforce training and education. Learn more at flagshipkansas.tech.

SOURCE FlagshipKansas.Tech
BEIJING, July 30, 2024 /PRNewswire/ -- Chinese people love symmetry, which involves elements mirrored along a central axis, creating a balanced and harmonious composition that is visually appealing as well. The Central Axis is very important to Chinese as balance and harmony are key elements in Chinese philosophy and everyday life.

"Beijing Central Axis: A Building Ensemble Exhibiting the Ideal Order of the Chinese Capital" was named as a World Heritage Site at the 46th session of the World Heritage Committee in New Delhi, India, on Saturday, becoming China's 59th entry on the list.

With over 700 years' of history and urban development, it is now the largest extant imperial capital city in China and a classic model of ancient Chinese urban planning.

The old city of Beijing enjoys a prominent position in the world history of urban planning and development. Global Times Culture Desk reporters took a trip along the Central Axis and its surrounding areas see the important architecture such as palaces, temples and altars, bridges and city gates as well as the people living there and explore how it embodies the Chinese philosophy of "neutrality and harmony."

'Soul' and 'backbone' of Beijing

Known as "the soul and backbone of Beijing" and "the world's longest north-south central axis," the Central Axis in Beijing is an architectural marvel spanning 7.8 kilometers from the Bell and Drum Towers in the north of the city to the Yongdingmen Gate in the south. Consisting of 15 heritage components, it is classified as a "building complex" in terms of cultural heritage.

Established during the Yuan Dynasty (1279-1368) and further developed through the Ming and Qing dynasties (1368-1911), this axis embodies the symmetrical precision and grandiosity that characterized ancient Chinese urban planning.

As praised by famous Chinese architect Liang Sicheng, "The unique sublime and magnificent spatial order of Beijing was generated by this central axis."

Historically, the Central Axis has been the heart of Beijing, housing significant monuments and sites that represent the political, social, economic and urban development of China. Key landmarks such as the Bell and Drum Towers, the Forbidden City, and the Temple of Heaven are aligned along this axis. These structures not only symbolize imperial power or possess religious significance but also highlight the meticulous planning and architectural ingenuity of ancient Chinese society.

The World Heritage Committee recognized that the Central Axis in Beijing fulfills the World Heritage List selection criteria 3 and 4: bear a unique or exceptional testimony to a cultural tradition or to a civilization that is either still living or has vanished; be an outstanding example of a type of building, architectural, or technological ensemble, or landscape that illustrates significant stages in human history.

Heritage experts told the Global Times that the uniqueness of the Central Axis in Beijing fills a gap in the World Heritage List regarding urban landscape ideals and the types of core architectural groups in the East, representing an irreplaceable uniqueness and possessing outstanding universal value.

Lu Zhou, director of the National Heritage Center at Tsinghua University, told the Global Times that while many medieval European cities on the World Heritage List evolved organically with influences from religion, commerce, and municipal systems, leading to intricate urban cores, Beijing was uniquely planned and built as an ideal global central city, with the Central Axis at the heart of this meticulously designed urban layout.

Jiang Bo, a professor from the Institute of Cultural Heritage at Shandong University, told the Global Times that the Central Axis in Beijing is a "masterpiece" with a unique Eastern charm in the history of world urban planning.

"The urban planning concept of this north-south central axis has a long history and profound influence, even extending to the Korean Peninsula, Japan, and Vietnam, becoming an Eastern classic in ancient world urban planning," he said.

Rebirth of an ancient relic

The application for the Central Axis in Beijing as a World Heritage site spanned 12 years. It did not just involve the dedication of experts in the heritage field, but also the enthusiastic participation of the general public, which has been crucial. Volunteer Fan Laiyou is one of them.

As the streetlights flicker on accompanied by a flock of pigeons flying in the sky, Beijing native Fan, who is in his late 60s, starts his routine night patrol along the hutong, or traditional alleyways, snaking around the foot of the Bell and Drum Towers.

Fan and some of his neighbors embarked on volunteer patrols seven years ago, assisting in maintaining the security of the neighborhood and supervising the health of the cultural relics as well as the historical buildings around the Bell and Drum Towers.

"We contact the authorities as soon as we discover any damage to the ancient buildings," Fan told the Global Times.

Residents along the Central Axis like Fan do not carry out these efforts for the money, as in their eyes, they are working to protect their homes.

Public awareness of preserving and cherishing the Central Axis rose greatly after official projects to conserve historical relics and large scale infrastructure in the related areas, including lots of dwellings, were launched in droves.

Fan and his neighbors watched as the nearby buildings and courtyards were renovated one by one and the pavement was replaced by permeable brick. Even the streetlights standing outside their gates were updated to brighter ones. They have been able to completely relish daily life along the Central Axis.

The sustainable development of the axis itself has also been the center of attention. Over 100 cultural heritage restoration projects have been launched along the axis.

Overlooking the city's courtyard houses alongside the Drum Tower where Fan's home is located, the nearly 48-meter-high Bell Tower has been fully restored and open to the public since 2022. The restored Bell Tower incorporates numerous modern facilities, while an immersive digital exhibition provides visitors with a whole picture of the history of the tower.

The human aspect along the axis is not the only issue that has been taken into consideration. Government organizations are also trying to build the Central Axis as a model of a harmonious ecosystem.

The comeback of Beijing swifts, who have witnessed Beijing's historical changes since they started nesting in the original city gatehouses and palace eaves in 1417, is just one example of these efforts. Though human activities had harmed these birds, diverse measures such as establishing a database based on data collected by professionals and amateurs has led to more and more swifts returning to their native city.

A lifetime commitment

During the session in India, Li Qun, director of the National Cultural Heritage Administration, stated that the "world heritage" title in 2024 marks another new beginning for China's commitment to the lifetime management of the Central Axis in Beijing.

"Smart conservation" and "digital displays" are ways to shed light on the sustainability of the Central Axis.

In 2021, a conservation center dedicated to the monitoring, archiving and management of the Central Axis was established. Supported by technology like AI and remote-sensing and mobile signaling techniques, a digital "warning" system was built to monitor for potential hazards caused by people, natural disasters and fires along the Central Axis.

More than 7,000 documents recording the history and engineering of the Central Axis was digitized into an archive.

Zhou Ziyu, the director of the conservation center's monitoring department, told the Global Times that smart technology has boosted the efficiency of managing the heritage site and that traditional paperwork will gradually be replaced by digital means.

"The system will function as it is alive, which means that new data will be added to it every day to make it an encyclopedia of the Beijing Central Axis," Zhou remarked.

In the post-Central Axis era, "value interpretation" and society's participation can keep the heritage site alive, Deng Chao, the director general of the Cultural Relics and Historic Sites of the NCHA, told the Global Times.

Led by Chinese tech giant Tencent, the online project "Central Axis Digital Patrolman" was launched several years ago to engage ordinary people in supervising the heritage site through an online platform. During the second quarter of 2024, around 19,411 registered volunteers uploaded 76,317 patrol photos online.

Over the years, the Central Axis has become a hot cultural belt that has given rise to new landmarks such as the National Stadium, also known as Bird's Nest, and the National Museum For Modern Chinese Scientist, which opened in May.

These urban landmarks show that the more than 700-year-old Central Axis is still able to keep up with the country's modern growth.

"Cultural heritage requires continued and sustained conservation efforts. The Central Axis in Beijing requires generations and generations of experts to commit to it and take care of it with a rigorous mind-set and love," Deng told the Global Times.

SOURCE Global Times
LAKE OSWEGO, Ore., July 30, 2024 /PRNewswire/ -- The Greenbrier Companies, Inc. (NYSE: GBX) today remembers Board member Patrick J. Ottensmeyer, who passed away this past weekend at age 67. The Company extends its deepest condolences to his family and friends.

Patrick Ottensmeyer

Ottensmeyer had served on Greenbrier's Board since 2023, bringing decades of industry and international relations expertise. Ottensmeyer served as President and CEO of Kansas City Southern (KCS), a Class I railroad, from 2015 to 2023, until the completion of the merger creating Canadian Pacific Kansas City (CPKC) in 2023. Before becoming CEO, Ottensmeyer served in various roles at KCS since 2006.

Ottensmeyer had deep expertise working across the U.S.-Mexico border and was instrumental in representing business interests during the creation of the United States-Mexico-Canada Agreement (USMCA). He served as the U.S. Chairman of the U.S. Chamber of Commerce's U.S.-Mexico Economic Council (USMXECO) during this pivotal time. He was Co-Chair of the Brookings Institute USMCA Initiative, a group focused on building more integrated and resilient supply chains. He served as Chair of the Truman Library Institute, the member-supported, nonprofit partner of the President Harry S. Truman Library & Museum.

In 2023, Ottensmeyer received the NARS Edward R. Hamberger Lifetime Achievement Award; in 2022, he received Ingram's Executive of the Year Award. Also in 2022, was Railway Age's Co-Railroader of the Year Award, in connection with the CP and KCS merger. He received the Railway Age Railroader of the Year recognition for the first time in 2020, and in 2019, he received Progressive Railroading's Railroad Innovator Award.

"Pat demonstrated a remarkable passion for this industry. From day one, he became an invaluable member of our Board of Directors. We are forever grateful for his contributions to Greenbrier, its shareholders and the broader rail industry. He will be greatly missed, as he was a wonderful friend to his Board colleagues and many at the company," said Board Chair Admiral Thomas B. Fargo (USN Retired).

"Working alongside Pat has been a privilege for the other board members and me. He was a visionary leader who left a lasting legacy for the North American rail industry and the broader trade policy landscape. The Greenbrier family offers our deepest condolences to his friends and family. Pat will be deeply missed," said Lorie Tekorius, CEO and President.

About Greenbrier

Greenbrier, headquartered in Lake Oswego, Oregon, is a leading international supplier of equipment and services to global freight transportation markets. Through its wholly-owned subsidiaries and joint ventures, Greenbrier designs, builds and markets freight railcars in North America, Europe and Brazil. We are a leading provider of freight railcar wheel services, parts, maintenance and retrofitting services in North America through our maintenance services business unit. Greenbrier owns a lease fleet of approximately 15,200 railcars that originate primarily from Greenbrier's manufacturing operations. Greenbrier offers railcar management, regulatory compliance services and leasing services to railroads and other railcar owners in North America. Learn more about Greenbrier at www.gbrx.com.

# # #

SOURCE The Greenbrier Companies, Inc.
New survey also shows many don't seek legal help with civil matters that can be life-altering

WASHINGTON, July 30, 2024 /PRNewswire/ -- More than half of Americans (56%) mistakenly believe they are entitled to free legal representation if they cannot afford a lawyer for civil matters, and 18% are unsure, according to a new survey. That number is even higher for young adults (18-34) with two of three (67%) holding this belief.

"The lack of awareness among Americans about the resources available to them regarding civil legal matters is concerning and points to how much work still needs to be done to ensure all Americans have access to the legal system," said Ronald Flagg, president of the Legal Services Corporation. "For instance, because many people don't realize that they are not entitled to free representation for civil legal matters, they may end up in civil court without representation - unable to fight for themselves."

The survey, which was conducted online within the United States by The Harris Poll on behalf of the Legal Services Corporation (LSC) among more than 2,000 American adults, also showed that many who experienced a civil legal matter within the past three years (59%) didn't seek out legal help from an attorney who could have been pivotal in getting their issues resolved. This includes:

A majority (63%) of Americans who were contacted by creditors or collection agencies

56% of Americans who were fired from a job

52% of Americans who experienced a natural disaster

82% of older Americans (ages 55+) who were victims of a scam or identity theft

The data come at a noteworthy moment as LSC marks its 50th anniversary with an outreach campaign called Protecting the Promise.

This issue is playing a part in the national housing crisis as well. Nearly one of three Americans who were threatened with eviction or foreclosure in the past three years (31%) didn't seek legal help. Additionally, 35% of those Americans who were threatened say they did reach out for legal help but didn't receive it.

The survey also found that many Americans are misinformed about what issues require legal help. One of three Americans who didn't seek legal help for civil matters in the past three years say they didn't do so because they thought they could just deal with the problem on their own (33%) or they didn't think the problem was serious enough for legal help (33%). Additionally, almost a quarter (23%) didn't reach out for legal assistance because they didn't think a legal professional could help with their problem.

"It may surprise many Americans to know that civil legal matters touch several areas of our lives," said Flagg. "From the threat of eviction or foreclosure, to domestic violence incidents, to harassment from debt collectors, or experiencing natural disasters  these are all issues that can be helped with the guidance of an attorney, so it's important that Americans know that and have access to the legal representation they need."

There appears to be a gender divide in some cases, with women being less likely to seek out legal help than men when experiencing civil matters over the past three years (66% vs. 53%), including 79% of women vs. 48% of men who didn't seek legal help when contacted by creditors or collection agencies.

A lack of awareness may not be the only barrier to accessing legal help for civil legal matters. Among Americans who did not seek legal assistance for a civil matter they experienced over the past three years, nearly a third (32%) did not do so because they were worried about the cost. When asked if they would know how to find legal representation for a civil matter if they needed it, young Americans are more likely to say they would not, compared to older groups (38%: 18-34; 27%: 35-44; 29%: 45-54; 28%: 55-64; 19%: 65+).

"It's not enough to ensure that Americans know about the resources available to them," said Flagg. "There is a gap in the legal services available to many Americans  especially low-income Americans  and as a result, many are not able to receive the help they need. This needs to change and it is what LSC as well as civil legal aid organizations around the country work toward every day."

Survey Methodology

This survey was conducted online within the United States by The Harris Poll on behalf of Legal Services Corporation (LSC) from July 11-July 15, 2024 among 2,096 U.S. adults ages 18+. The sampling precision of Harris online polls is measured by using a Bayesian credible interval. For this study, the full sample data is accurate to within +/- 2.5 percentage points using a 95% confidence level.

For complete survey methodology, including weighting variables and subgroup sample sizes, please contact Carl Rauscher at [email protected].

Legal Services Corporation (LSC) is an independent nonprofit established by Congress in 1974 to provide financial support for civil legal aid to low-income Americans. The Corporation currently provides funding to 130 independent nonprofit legal aid programs in every state, the District of Columbia, and U.S. territories.

SOURCE Legal Services Corporation
SF Airlines launches new cargo route to Singapore

Xinhua) 09:39, July 30, 2024

BEIJING, July 29 (Xinhua) -- SF Airlines has launched an international connecting air cargo route linking up south China's Shenzhen and Sanya cities with Singapore, the air cargo carrier announced on Monday.

A B767-300 freighter took off from the Shenzhen Bao'an International Airport at 10:01 p.m. on Sunday, embarking on the Shenzhen-Singapore-Sanya-Shenzhen route, said SF Airlines.

One round-trip flight is scheduled every week on this route, providing about 100 tonnes of air cargo transport capacity.

This cargo route connects China's Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area and Hainan Free Trade Port with Singapore.

Exported goods collected across the country will be sent to Singapore via this route. Then, the imported goods will be carried to Sanya, a popular coastal tourist destination in south China's coastal Hainan Province, according to the cargo airline.

The cargo airline is committed to ensuring the stable operation of this new route, which will promote the logistics network and industrial chain in the Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership (RCEP) and inject vitality to the Belt and Road connectivity, said SF Airlines.

(Web editor: Zhang Kaiwei, Wu Chaolan)
NEW YORK, July 30, 2024 /PRNewswire/ -- The global healthcare information software market size is estimated to grow by USD 8.75 billion from 2024-2028, according to Technavio. The market is estimated to grow at a CAGR of almost 5.65% during the forecast period. Increasing adoption of electronic health records is driving market growth, with a trend towards increasing adoption of advanced technologies like AI in healthcare. However, concerns about security of patient data and cyberattacks poses a challenge. Key market players include 3M Co., ALLSCRIPTS HEALTHCARE SOLUTIONS INC., Asteres Inc., Athenahealth Inc., Azalea Health Innovations Inc., Change Healthcare, Cognizant Technology Solutions Corp., Dedalus Group, ec2 Software Solutions, Epic Systems Corp., Fusion, GE Healthcare Technologies Inc., Happiest Minds Technologies Ltd., Huawei Technologies Co. Ltd., Koch Industries Inc., Koninklijke Philips N.V., McKesson Corp., Microsoft Corp., NextGen Healthcare Inc., Oracle Corp., Siemens AG, UnitedHealth Group Inc., Veradigm LLC, Wipro Ltd., and WRS Health.

Technavio has announced its latest market research report titled Global Healthcare Information Software Market 2024-2028

Get a detailed analysis on regions, market segments, customer landscape, and companies - Click for the snapshot of this report

Forecast period 2024-2028 Base Year 2023 Historic Data 2018 - 2022 Segment Covered Application (HIS and PIS), Deployment (On premises and Cloud based), and Geography (North America, Europe, Asia, and Rest of World (ROW)) Region Covered North America, Europe, Asia, and Rest of World (ROW) Key companies profiled 3M Co., ALLSCRIPTS HEALTHCARE SOLUTIONS INC., Asteres Inc., Athenahealth Inc., Azalea Health Innovations Inc., Change Healthcare, Cognizant Technology Solutions Corp., Dedalus Group, ec2 Software Solutions, Epic Systems Corp., Fusion, GE Healthcare Technologies Inc., Happiest Minds Technologies Ltd., Huawei Technologies Co. Ltd., Koch Industries Inc., Koninklijke Philips N.V., McKesson Corp., Microsoft Corp., NextGen Healthcare Inc., Oracle Corp., Siemens AG, UnitedHealth Group Inc., Veradigm LLC, Wipro Ltd., and WRS Health

Key Market Trends Fueling Growth

Healthcare service providers are investing in upgrading their IT systems and integrating new technologies to enhance efficiency and reduce costs. Technologies like big data, AI, and cloud computing are being adopted to streamline operations and improve quality of treatment. AI is increasingly accepted in healthcare, providing quick diagnosis and insights, and AI-enabled medical equipment offers efficient analysis. Siemens for Health is an example of an AI-based platform solution that generates health data and provides solutions to reduce treatment time. New technologies enable healthcare organizations to offer superior quality products and treatments, driving growth in the global healthcare information software market. Healthcare businesses are implementing healthcare information software to incorporate advanced technologies into their operations, improving healthcare delivery effectiveness and making medications more precise.

The Healthcare Information Technology (IT) market is witnessing significant trends, with teleconsultation and telemedicine gaining popularity. Chronic diseases management is a key focus area, driving the adoption of software and clinical devices for e-prescribing and telehealth. Interoperability issues and security concerns persist, with healthcare organizations seeking solutions for seamless integration of hardware, software, and clinical devices. Price transparency, virtual healthcare, and electronic prescriptions are other trends shaping the market. Surescripts and interoperability tools are being adopted for better healthcare management. Usability, integrated properly into IT systems, is crucial for healthcare professionals to deliver effective care. Smaller healthcare organizations, ambulatory care, and hospitals are investing in advanced solutions to manage capacity, patient information, and recurring expenditures such as software costs, upgrades, and infrastructure. Despite these investments, challenges remain, including changing user requirements, implementation cost, and infrastructure needs. The market for healthcare IT solutions continues to evolve, with a focus on improving patient care and efficiency within healthcare systems.

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Market Challenges

The healthcare industry's reliance on automated systems to store sensitive patient data increases the risk of data breaches and cyberattacks. Cybersecurity is a significant concern for the industry due to the interconnected nature of modern healthcare systems and the large volume of personal data involved. Threats include data theft, unauthorized access, improper disposal, data loss, and hacking, which can occur due to the implementation of bring-your-own-device (BYOD) policies. Healthcare organizations are hesitant to adopt digital technologies due to these concerns. Cloud solutions, while convenient, raise privacy concerns due to potential data dissemination, deletion, or corruption by unauthorized users. These factors are hindering the growth of the global healthcare information software market.

The Healthcare Information Technology (HCIT) market faces several challenges in areas like healthcare management, price transparency, specialty medications, ePrescriptions, controlled substances, virtual healthcare, electronic prior authorizations, and prescriber workflows. IT infrastructure constraints, cost issues, maintenance, software costs, and software upgrades are common challenges. User requirements, organizational impacts, and skilled IT personnel are also crucial considerations. HCIT offers benefits such as improved patient care, clinical solutions, patient safety, and decision-making. However, implementation costs, core technologies, and deployment can be significant barriers, especially for smaller healthcare organizations, outpatient care facilities, and health systems. The information-intensive healthcare industry requires interoperability, data exchange, and usability. Consumer technology companies and healthcare provider solutions play a role in this landscape. Key areas include RCM solutions, patient information management, IT architecture, data communication standards, and clinical solutions segments. The cost of care in ambulatory care and health systems is a significant factor. United Health and other players offer solutions to address these challenges.

For more insights on driver and challenges - Download a Sample Report

Segment Overview

This healthcare information software market report extensively covers market segmentation by

Application

1.1 HIS

1.2 PIS

Deployment

2.1 On premises

2.2 Cloud based

Geography

3.1 North America

3.2 Europe

3.3 Asia

3.4 Rest of World (ROW)



1.1 HIS- Healthcare Information Software (HIS) is a comprehensive solution designed to address the intricate requirements of healthcare organizations globally. A significant component of HIS is Electronic Health Records (EHR), which offers digital alternatives for managing patient data, clinical documentation, and interoperability. Key players in the EHR market include Epic Systems Corporation, GE Healthcare, and UnitedHealth Group Inc. Besides EHR, HIS incorporates various applications such as Medical Billing and Revenue Cycle Management (RCM) software, Clinical Decision Support Systems (CDSS), Picture Archiving and Communication Systems (PACS), and Population Health Management (PHM) software. RCM software streamlines financial processes, CDSS offers evidence-based tools for healthcare professionals, PACS manages medical imaging data, and PHM supports proactive interventions. Notably, Telehealth and Telemedicine platforms have emerged as crucial applications, enabling remote consultations and monitoring services, particularly during the COVID-19 pandemic. The multifaceted applications of HIS are instrumental in improving patient care delivery and operational efficiency, thereby driving the expansion of the global healthcare information software market.

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 Healthcare Information Software market is experiencing significant growth due to the increasing adoption of teleconsultation and telemedicine services. These technologies enable remote patient consultations, diagnosis, and treatment, particularly beneficial for managing chronic diseases. The market includes software and hardware components, with e-prescribing, telehealth, and clinical solutions being key segments. Patient safety and integrated healthcare systems are major drivers, as healthcare quality improves and costs decrease. Smartphones and remote patient monitoring are transforming healthcare IT infrastructure, with high smartphone penetration and widespread internet coverage enabling eHealth solutions. Centralized medical records, artificial intelligence, and big data analytics are also playing crucial roles in enhancing healthcare delivery and outcomes.

Market Research Overview

The Healthcare IT Market is experiencing significant growth momentum, driven by the increasing adoption of remote patient monitoring, tele-healthcare, and mHealth solutions. Factors such as smartphone penetration and internet coverage are expanding the reach of healthcare IT, enabling centralized medical records and clinical devices to be accessed from anywhere. Artificial intelligence and big data analytics are revolutionizing healthcare by providing insights for disease progression and improving patient outcomes. Laboratory informatics, clinical information systems, and radiology information systems are essential components of this industry, contributing to its financial strength and profitability. Tele-care, eClinical Solutions, and healthcare analytics are also key areas of investment. However, challenges such as interoperability issues, security concerns, and IT infrastructure constraints persist, requiring skilled IT personnel and costly software upgrades. Despite these challenges, the benefits of Healthcare IT, including price transparency, improved coordinated care, and cost savings, make it an essential component of modern healthcare systems. With the increasing number of hospital beds and healthcare providers, capacity management solutions are becoming increasingly important to optimize the delivery of care. The healthcare management industry is also undergoing a digital transformation, with electronic prescribing systems, monitoring analysis software, and electronic prior authorizations becoming standard tools for healthcare organizations. The adoption of HCIT solutions is not limited to large health systems and hospitals, with smaller healthcare organizations and outpatient care facilities also recognizing the benefits. The information-intensive nature of healthcare requires a coordinated environment to ensure usability, integration, and decision-making capabilities. The National Progress Report and Worldometer provide insights into the growth and impact of healthcare IT on a global scale. The future of healthcare IT is bright, with continued investment in R&D, tele-health, and ePrescriptions shaping the industry's landscape.

Table of Contents:

1 Executive Summary

2 Market Landscape

3 Market Sizing

4 Historic Market Size

5 Five Forces Analysis

6 Market Segmentation

Application

HIS



PIS

Deployment

On Premises



Cloud Based

Geography

North America



Europe



Asia



Rest Of World (ROW)



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
NORTHBROOK, Ill., July 30, 2024 /PRNewswire/ -- Hilco Consumer-Retail (HCR) is proud to announce the acquisition of operations for Hanes Outlet and Maidenform stores was completed on July 27, 2024. This strategic move aims to leverage HCR's revolutionary RevUp program, which combines a state-of-the-art Virtual Store Management platform with retail experts. RevUp will enable us to achieve unparalleled brick and mortar performance by focusing on our store teams' and our customers' in-store experience. Our customers should continue to expect great brands and great products at great values and should also expect a new in-store experience rolled out over the coming weeks!

HCR's priority is to retain the Hanes Outlet and Maidenform store teams. To that end, we are eager to work with landlords to gain their support, enabling us to maximize the size of the go-forward chain. HCR plans to work closely with landlords to ensure long-term success of the new enterprise. Landlords may also reach out to HCR's dedicated landlord contact below.

Among other things, as part of this transition, HCR will also introduce new Corporate and Operational leadership. These HCR team members have begun reaching out to ALL store teams to ensure clear communication and a smooth transition.

At the center of this acquisition is HCR's RevUp program, which combines Restore for Retail's Virtual Store Management platform and 30+ years of retail operational expertise, putting store teams and customers at the forefront of everything that happens in stores. RevUp represents the synergy of purpose-built technology, engaged people, and customer centric processes, culminating in a comprehensive solution for retail excellence that increases inventory turns, boosts sell-through, drives profitability, reduces costs, and most importantly improves team morale and customer experience.

Ian Fredericks, President and CEO of HCR, commented, "This transaction underscores Hilco Consumer-Retail's commitment to forge long-term partnerships built on trust, transparency, strategic alignment, and operational excellence. We are thrilled that Hanes selected us to continue their retail brick and mortar operations, and we are excited to hit the ground running with the dedicated store teams to improve our customers' experience."

Key Contacts:

Landlords : to discuss your store(s) lease arrangements please contact:

Dominick Keefe

Vice President, Hilco Consumer-Retail

[email protected]

(847) 418-2094





: to discuss your store(s) lease arrangements please contact: Vice President, (847) 418-2094 Vendors : existing and new vendors for transition details and opportunities, please contact: Kellan Grant

Executive Vice President, Hilco Consumer-Retail

[email protected]

(847) 313-4779





: existing and new vendors for transition details and opportunities, please contact: Kellan Grant Executive Vice President, (847) 313-4779 Media:

Karen Bubrowski

Vice President  Director of Marketing, Hilco Global

[email protected]

(847) 849-2911

About Hilco Consumer-Retail : Hilco Consumer  Retail is a trusted partner that delivers a wide range of analytical, advisory, asset monetization, and capital investment solutions to help define and execute non-core strategic initiatives for our retail and consumer goods clients around the world. Leveraging knowledge gained over more than three decades, Hilco Consumer-Retail's activities fall into several principal categories including Virtual Store Management Technology, Capital Solutions, Inventory Solutions, Fixtures, Furniture and Equipment Monetization and M&A Facilitation. Hilco Consumer-Retail (https://hilcoglobal.com/companies/hilco-consumer-retail/) is part of Northbrook, Illinois based Hilco Global. At Hilco Global (https://hilcoglobal.com/), the solutions we are able to provide can also extend to broader, holistic packages encompassing Real Estate, Intellectual Property, and other asset classes.

SOURCE Hilco Consumer-Retail
PORTLAND, Ore., July 30, 2024 /PRNewswire/ -- Allied Market Research published a report, titled, "Hypersonic Flight Market by Industry (Military, Space, and Commercial), Vehicle Type (Hypersonic Aircraft, and Hypersonic Spacecraft), and Range (Propulsion, Aerostructure, and Avionics): Global Opportunity Analysis and Industry Forecast, 2024-2033". According to the report, the hypersonic flight market was valued at $786.0 million in 2023, and is estimated to reach $1.3 billion by 2033, growing at a CAGR of 5.7% from 2024 to 2033.

Prime Determinants of Growth

Breakthroughs in materials science, propulsion systems, aerodynamics, and thermal management drive the development of hypersonic flight technology. Continued innovation and R&D efforts enable more reliable, efficient, and cost-effective hypersonic solutions, spurring market growth. Furthermore, the increasing emphasis on hypersonic weapons and surveillance systems by defense agencies worldwide fuels demand in the military sector. Hypersonic capabilities offer strategic advantages, including rapid strike capabilities, improved deterrence, and enhanced reconnaissance, driving investment and market growth.

Request Sample of the Report on Hypersonic Flight Market Forecast 2033: https://www.alliedmarketresearch.com/request-sample/A323802

The potential for hypersonic passenger travel, space tourism, and commercial satellite launches presents lucrative opportunities for aerospace companies. The pursuit of faster, more efficient transportation solutions and the expansion of space exploration initiatives contribute to market expansion. In addition, adequate funding and investment in hypersonic research, development, and manufacturing are essential for market growth. Government funding, defense budgets, private investments, and venture capital support critical initiatives, fostering innovation and commercialization efforts in the hypersonic flight market.

Report Coverage & Details:

Report Coverage Details Forecast Period 20242033 Base Year 2023 Market Size in 2022 $786 million Market Size in 2032 $1, 346.61 million CAGR 5.7 % No. of Pages in Report 488 Segments Covered Industry, Vehicle Type, Range, and Region Drivers Rise in demand for military and defense application Technological advancement Commercial and Space Travel Opportunities

Space Tourism Restraint Technical Challenges High Cost

Request For The Customization: https://www.alliedmarketresearch.com/request-for-customization/A323802

Segment Highlights

The space segment is expected to witness rapid growth throughout the forecast period.

The space segment is anticipated to experience faster growth in the hypersonic flight market due to technology, which is essential for space exploration, satellite deployment, and access to space. Vehicles capable of hypersonic speeds enable rapid ascent to orbit, reducing launch costs and increasing efficiency in satellite deployment and space missions. As space exploration initiatives expand, the demand for hypersonic flight technology witnesses growth, thereby driving market dominance in the space segment.

The hypersonic spacecraft segment is expected to witness rapid growth throughout the forecast period.

The hypersonic spacecraft segment is anticipated to experience faster growth in the hypersonic flight market due to hypersonic spacecraft being used extensively for satellite launch services. These spacecrafts can rapidly transport payloads to orbit, offering advantages such as reduced launch costs, increased launch frequency, and greater flexibility in launch scheduling. As the demand for satellite-based services continues to grow, including communication, navigation, Earth observation, and remote sensing, the need for efficient and reliable satellite launch solutions drives market dominance in the hypersonic spacecraft segment.

The propulsion segment is expected to witness rapid growth throughout the forecast period.

The propulsion segment is anticipated to experience faster growth in the hypersonic flight market due to propulsion systems being fundamental to achieving and maintaining hypersonic speeds. These systems provide the thrust necessary to overcome aerodynamic drag and propel hypersonic vehicles through the atmosphere. As such, propulsion technologies play a central role in enabling hypersonic flight, making them indispensable components of hypersonic systems.

Asia-Pacific to maintain its dominance by 2032.

Asia-Pacific is expected to maintain its dominance in the hypersonic flight market by 2032 owing to Asian countries, particularly China and India, having made significant strides in hypersonic technology research and development. This includes advancements in propulsion systems, materials science, and aerodynamics, driving innovation and accelerating the pace of hypersonic flight development in the region.

Key Players

Lockheed Martin Corporation

Northrop Grumman Corporation

Boeing Company

Raytheon Technologies Corporation

BAE Systems plc

Aerojet Rocketdyne Holdings, Inc.

Thales Group

Mitsubishi Heavy Industries, Ltd.

Saab AB

Reaction Engines Limited

To Talk With Our Industry Expert @ https://www.alliedmarketresearch.com/connect-to-analyst/A323802

The report provides a detailed analysis of these key players in the global hypersonic flight market. These players have adopted different strategies such as new product launches, collaborations, expansion, joint ventures, agreements, and others, to increase their market share and maintain dominant shares in different regions. The report is valuable in highlighting business performance, operating segments, product portfolio, and strategic moves of market players to showcase the competitive scenario.

Recent Development

In August 2021 , Hermeus received an investment worth $60 million for the development of hypersonic military aircraft

, Hermeus received an investment worth for the development of hypersonic military aircraft In April 2023 , Hypersonic partnered with launch provider Rocket lab for initial hypersonic test vehicle launch. This partnership leverages Rocket Lab's expertise in orbital launches and Hypersonic's advanced aerospace technology, aiming to demonstrate the capabilities of the hypersonic vehicle.

, Hypersonic partnered with launch provider Rocket lab for initial hypersonic test vehicle launch. This partnership leverages Rocket Lab's expertise in orbital launches and Hypersonic's advanced aerospace technology, aiming to demonstrate the capabilities of the hypersonic vehicle. In August 2023 , Hypersonix Launch Systems partnered with Kratos Defense & Security to deliver hypersonic drone platform to the U.S. market. This partnership integrates the advanced hypersonic capabilities of Hypersonix with the solid rocket motor technology from Kratos' Zeus family.

, Hypersonix Launch Systems partnered with Kratos Defense & Security to deliver hypersonic drone platform to the U.S. market. This partnership integrates the advanced hypersonic capabilities of Hypersonix with the solid rocket motor technology from Kratos' Zeus family. In August 2022 , Kratos Defense and Security Solutions partnered with Australia's Hypersonix to integrate their hypersonic vehicle and propulsion systems, aiming to expand their presence in the U.S. national security market.

, Kratos Defense and Security Solutions partnered with Hypersonix to integrate their hypersonic vehicle and propulsion systems, aiming to expand their presence in the U.S. national security market. In March 2024 , the U.S. Air Force recently conducted the final test of Lockheed's hypersonic missile, marking a crucial milestone in the development of advanced hypersonic weapons technology.

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SOURCE Allied Market Research
Intellectual property theft spiked; More than one-third of breaches involved shadow data

Yet use of AI/Automation cut breach costs by $1.88 million

CAMBRIDGE, Mass., July 30, 2024 /PRNewswire/ -- IBM (NYSE: IBM) today released its annual Cost of a Data Breach Report revealing the global average cost of a data breach reached $4.88 million in 2024, as breaches grow more disruptive and further expand demands on cyber teams. Breach costs increased 10% from the prior year, the largest yearly jump since the pandemic, as 70% of breached organizations reported that the breach caused significant or very significant disruption.

Lost business and post-breach customer and third-party response costs drove the year-over-year cost spike, as the collateral damage from data breaches has only intensified. The disruptive effects data breaches are having on businesses are not only driving up costs, but are also extending the after-effect of a breach, with recovery taking more than 100 days for most of the small number (12%) of breached organizations that were able to fully recover.

The 2024 Cost of a Data Breach Report is based on an in-depth analysis of real-world data breaches experienced by 604 organizations globally between March 2023 and February 2024. The research, conducted by Ponemon Institute, and sponsored and analyzed by IBM, has been published for 19 consecutive years and has studied the breaches of more than 6,000 organizations, becoming an industry benchmark.

Some key findings in the 2024 IBM report include:

Understaffed Security Teams  More organizations faced severe staffing shortages compared to the prior year (26% increase) and observed an average of $1.76 million in higher breach costs than those with low level or no security staffing issues.

More organizations faced severe staffing shortages compared to the prior year (26% increase) and observed an average of in higher breach costs than those with low level or no security staffing issues. AI-Powered Prevention Pays Off  Two out of three organizations studied are deploying security AI and automation across their security operation center (SOC). When these technologies were used extensively across prevention workflows organizations incurred an average $2.2 million less in breach costs, compared to those with no use in these workflows  the largest cost savings revealed in the 2024 report.

Two out of three organizations studied are deploying security AI and automation across their security operation center (SOC). When these technologies were used extensively across prevention workflows organizations incurred an average less in breach costs, compared to those with no use in these workflows  the largest cost savings revealed in the 2024 report. Data Visibility Gaps  Forty percent of breaches involved data stored across multiple environments including public cloud, private cloud, and on-prem. These breaches cost more than $5 million on average and took the longest to identify and contain (283 days).

"Businesses are caught in a continuous cycle of breaches, containment and fallout response. This cycle now often includes investments in strengthening security defenses and passing breach expenses on to consumers  making security the new cost of doing business," said Kevin Skapinetz, Vice President, Strategy and Product Design, IBM Security. "As generative AI rapidly permeates businesses, expanding the attack surface, these expenses will soon become unsustainable, compelling business to reassess security measures and response strategies. To get ahead, businesses should invest in new AI-driven defenses and develop the skills needed to address the emerging risks and opportunities presented by generative AI."

Security staffing shortages drove up breach costs

More than half of the organizations studied had severe or high-level staffing shortages last year and experienced significantly higher breach costs as a result ($5.74 million for high levels vs. $3.98 million for low levels or none). This comes at a time when organizations are racing to adopt generative AI (gen AI) technologies, which are expected to introduce new risks for security teams. In fact, according to a study from the IBM Institute for Business Value, 51% of business leaders surveyed were concerned with unpredictable risks and new security vulnerabilities arising, and 47% were concerned with new attacks targeting AI.

Mounting staffing challenges may soon see relief, as more organizations stated that they are planning to increase security budgets compared to last year (63% vs. 51%), and employee training emerged as a top planned investment area. Organizations also plan to invest in incident response planning and testing, threat detection and response technologies (e.g., SIEM, SOAR and EDR), identity and access management and data security protection tools.

Hacking the clock with AI

The report found that 67% of organizations deployed security AI and automation  a near 10% jump from the prior year  and 20% stated they used some form of gen AI security tools. Organizations that employed security AI and automation extensively detected and contained an incident, on average, 98 days faster than organizations not using these technologies. At the same time, the global average data breach lifecycle hit a 7-year low of 258 days  down from 277 days the prior year and revealing that these technologies may be helping put time back on defenders' side by improving threat mitigation and remediation activities.

Shorter breach lifecycles can also be attributed to the increase in internal detection: 42% of breaches were detected by an organization's own security team or tools compared to 33% the prior year. Internal detection shortened the data breach lifecycle by 61 days and saved organizations nearly $1 million in breach costs compared to those disclosed by an attacker.

Data insecurities fuel intellectual property theft

According to the 2024 report, 40% of breaches involved data stored across multiple environments and more than one-third of breaches involved shadow data (data stored in unmanaged data sources), highlighting the growing challenge with tracking and safeguarding data.

These data visibility gaps contributed to the sharp rise (27%) in intellectual property (IP) theft. Costs associated with these stolen records also jumped nearly 11% from the prior year to $173 per record. IP may grow even more accessible as gen AI initiatives push this data and other highly proprietary data closer to the surface. With critical data becoming more dynamic and active across environments, businesses will need to reassess the security and access controls surrounding it.

Other key findings in the 2024 Cost of a Data Breach Report include:

Stolen credentials topped initial attack vectors  At 16%, stolen/compromised credentials was the most common initial attack vector. These breaches also took the longest to identity and contain at nearly 10 months.

 At 16%, stolen/compromised credentials was the most common initial attack vector. These breaches also took the longest to identity and contain at nearly 10 months. Fewer ransoms paid when law enforcement is engaged  By bringing in law enforcement, ransomware victims saved on average nearly $1 million in breach costs compared to those who didn't  that savings excludes the ransom payment for those that paid. Most ransomware victims (63%) who involved law enforcement were also able to avoid paying a ransom.

By bringing in law enforcement, ransomware victims saved on average nearly in breach costs compared to those who didn't  that savings excludes the ransom payment for those that paid. Most ransomware victims (63%) who involved law enforcement were also able to avoid paying a ransom. Critical infrastructure organizations see highest breach costs - Healthcare, financial services, industrial, technology and energy organizations incurred the highest breach costs across industries. For the 14 th year in a row, healthcare participants saw the costliest breaches across industries with average breach costs reaching $9.77 million .

- Healthcare, financial services, industrial, technology and energy organizations incurred the highest breach costs across industries. For the 14 year in a row, healthcare participants saw the costliest breaches across industries with average breach costs reaching . Breach costs passed to consumers - Sixty-three percent of organizations stated they would increase the cost of goods or services because of the breach this year  a slight increase from last year (57%)  this marks the third consecutive year that the majority of studied organizations stated they would take this action.

Additional Sources

Download a copy of the 2024 Cost of a Data Breach Report.

Sign up for the 2024 IBM Security Cost of a Data Breach webinar on Tuesday, August 13, 2024 , at 11:00 a.m. ET .

, at . Read more about the report's top findings in this IBM Security Intelligence blog.

About IBM

IBM is a leading provider of global hybrid cloud and AI, and consulting expertise. We help clients in more than 175 countries capitalize on insights from their data, streamline business processes, reduce costs and gain the competitive edge in their industries. More than 4,000 government and corporate entities in critical infrastructure areas such as financial services, telecommunications and healthcare rely on IBM's hybrid cloud platform and Red Hat OpenShift to affect their digital transformations quickly, efficiently and securely. IBM's breakthrough innovations in AI, quantum computing, industry-specific cloud solutions and consulting deliver open and flexible options to our clients. All of this is backed by IBM's long-standing commitment to trust, transparency, responsibility, inclusivity and service. Visit ibm.com for more information.

Media Contact:

Georgia Prassinos

IBM

[email protected]

SOURCE IBM
Business Owners Should Appeal Potentially Dubious IRS Determinations, Says CA Law Firm Brotman Law

SAN DIEGO, July 30, 2024 /PRNewswire/ -- A surge of new IRS letters denying pandemic-era Employee Retention Tax Credit (ERTC) claims are starting to reach businesses, forcing many to navigate a lengthy appeals process or to consider litigation against the agency. Furthermore, many taxpayers who have received the letters believe they fully qualify for the Employee Retention Tax Credit, which only casts doubt on the rationale the IRS used to base their denial on.

Impact of the IRS Response to ERTC on Businesses

The ERTC was designed to help businesses retain employees during the pandemic but has since been plagued by fraudulent claims. In response, the IRS paused processing new claims in September and initiated a crackdown on erroneous claims. To date, government watchdogs estimate that the IRS has received about 1.4 million pending claims. In response to the volume, the agency says that it will deny tens of thousands more claims, identifying between 10 and 20 percent of claims as high-risk and potentially erroneous. Another 60 to 70 percent of claims have "an unacceptable level of risk" and will be further scrutinized.

IRS Claims Met with Skepticism by the Legal Community

In the wake of the IRS's most recent announcement and as taxpayers start receiving their denied claims, many tax attorneys and other practitioners express doubt as to the information the IRS is utilizing to make its determinations. Amended payroll tax returns, which were filed in order to claim the credit, do not contain any outward information about the circumstances that support the taxpayer's claim for the ERTC. Instead of requesting additional documentation or substantiation from the taxpayer, as is the normal process in an IRS audit, the IRS has instead chosen to disallow the claims outright while providing little justification for the grounds for their decision.

"I have a hard time believing that the IRS has enough information to conclude that 80 to 90 percent of ERTC claims that were filed by taxpayers were fraudulent or have unacceptable levels of risk. When you look back at the pandemic, an overwhelmingly disproportionate number of businesses were impacted by government orders and restrictions around the country," says owner and managing attorney of Brotman Law, Sam Brotman. "As such, the math does not make much sense, and the IRS seems to be doing this as a means of ridding themselves of these claims without having to defend their position. These decisions feel very arbitrary and capricious, and it is unfortunate because the IRS has chosen yet again not to provide transparency on the issue. As such, they do a great disservice to the taxpaying business community in this country."

Professional Recommendations

Although the IRS appeals process can prolong an ultimate decision, taxpayers who receive these denial letters are urged to fight the IRS's decision and request a conference with the IRS Office of Appeals. The IRS Office of Appeals is an independent body designed to help resolve disputes between taxpayers and the government before they reach litigation. Although the IRS has taken an aggressive position toward its interpretation of taxpayer claims, taxpayers may find a more favorable environment to hear their claim in the IRS Office of Appeals. Furthermore, as several court cases play out challenging the IRS's position on ERTC and its authority, the landscape on this issue may shift in favor of the taxpayer.

Conclusion

The small business community is facing significant challenges due to these denial letters. Tax professionals and business advocates are calling for a clearer, more consistent path forward to ensure legitimate claims are recognized and businesses are not unfairly penalized.

Brotman Law is a national tax law firm headquartered in San Diego, California. For over ten years, the firm has successfully navigated IRS audits, finding ways to produce the best possible result for clients even in situations where matters are incredibly nuanced or difficult. Brotman Law is available to speak with any business owner, professional services provider, or individual interested in assessing their Employee Retention Tax Credit claim and can be reached on their website.

Contact:

Aliyah Yates

Marketing Manager

Brotman Law

(619) 378-3138

[email protected]

About Brotman Law

Brotman Law is an established team of law professionals that have been helping clients and their businesses navigate the intricacies of tax law for over 10 years. The firm has processed thousands of individual ERTC claims representing over $160 million and the seasoned audit representation team has collectively been involved in more than a thousand audits. Brotman Law is dedicated to providing every client with exceptional legal services accompanied by a compassionate approach that is unheard of in the industry. Beyond just successes with the IRS and tax agencies, the Brotman Law team is singularly united by genuine empathy for all clients, a strong desire to help, and never-say-quit tenacity that propels the firm to the best possible results on their clients' behalf. For more information or to book a consultation with the Brotman Law team, visit SamBrotman.com or call (619) 378-3138.

SOURCE Brotman Law
HOUSTON, July 30, 2024 /PRNewswire/ -- Jones Capital (Jones) announces the recapitalization of Dark Horse Electric (Dark Horse), a business with over twenty years of experience in the electrical industry. Dark Horse provides essential vegetation management and line construction services to a diverse clientele, including investor-owned utilities, electric cooperatives, municipalities, highway departments, and commercial entities.

Jonathan Duhon, Managing Partner at Jones Capital, stated, "We are thrilled to welcome Dark Horse Electric to the Jones Capital family. Their long-standing reputation for quality work and customer satisfaction aligns perfectly with our investment philosophy. We look forward to supporting Dark Horse's continued growth and expansion in the utility services sector."

"Joining forces with Jones Capital marks an exciting new chapter for Dark Horse," said James Diaz-Barriga, CEO of Dark Horse Electric. "This partnership will allow us to leverage Jones' resources and expertise to enhance our services and reach new markets while maintaining our core values and commitment to our customers."

This majority recapitalization represents Jones Capital's strategic move into the utility services market, complementing its existing portfolio in transportation and logistics, infrastructure, technology, and business services.

Dark Horse will continue to operate from its Sunbright, TN headquarters, serving customers throughout Tennessee and neighboring regions.

For more information about Dark Horse Electric, visit www.darkhorseelectric.com.

About Jones Capital:

Jones Capital (Jones) partners with mid-market businesses to provide dynamic ideas and resources, focusing on practical solutions to drive growth. Business sectors Jones has focused on include transportation & logistics, infrastructure, industrials, construction, and technology & business services. With locations in Houston, TX and Hattiesburg, MS, Jones carries on the mission of being a growth-oriented, value-added capital partner to businesses and management teams that share our common values and vision for long-term, sustainable growth that benefits all stakeholders  customers, communities, employees, and shareholders. For more information, please visit https://jones.com/.

SOURCE Jones Capital, LLC
The 678-Bed, 13-Story Student Housing Development is Just Steps from Purdue University

ATHENS, Ga., July 30, 2024 /PRNewswire/ -- Landmark Properties, a fully-integrated real estate firm specializing in development, construction, investment management, and operation of high-quality residential communities, announces its plans to build The Standard at West Lafayette, a 678-bed, 253-unit student housing community near Purdue University in West Lafayette, Indiana.

The Standard at West Lafayette is being developed by Landmark Properties and will provide much needed off campus housing for students at Purdue University. (Credit: BKV Group). The Standard at West Lafayette is being developed by Landmark Properties and will provide much needed off campus housing for students at Purdue University. (Credit: BKV Group).

The site, on the corner of Pierce and West Wood streets, sits adjacent to the east side of Purdue's campus, which hosts several academic buildings and the Purdue Memorial Student Union. Offering 240,299 square feet of residential space in a mix of studios to four-bedroom units, The Standard at West Lafayette will add much needed off-campus housing supply to serve students of Purdue University.

BKV Group is the project's architect while Landmark Urban Construction, the in-house general contractor for Landmark Properties, will serve as construction manager on the 13-story project. Delivery is anticipated for Fall 2027. The project received formal approval from the City of West Lafayette on July 1, 2024.

"We are pleased to bring The Standard at West Lafayette to the Purdue University community," said Wes Rogers, CEO of Landmark Properties. "For the 2023-2024 academic year, Purdue reported its ninth consecutive record-breaking year for applicants and enrollments. The West Lafayette campus noted an all-time high of more than 52,200 students, with the majority living near campus. The Standard at West Lafayette is a response to the demand for high-quality off-campus housing."

All units will feature gourmet kitchens with quartz countertops and stainless-steel appliances, high-speed internet and cable, large closets, and in-unit laundry. Finishes include hardwood-style laminate floors, custom wood trim and plantation blinds. Balconies are offered in select residences. The Standard at West Lafayette will offer 18,234-SF of amenity space, such as a rooftop clubhouse with an outdoor heated pool and fitness center, as well as a fourth floor indoor/outdoor amenity level with seating, grilling area, gaming lounge and interior courtyard. The property also has the most study space of any building in town, with options on every floor. The community will provide garage parking for 207 vehicles. Additionally, The Standard will be a six-minute walk to the nearest bus stop which has routes taking students to and from the north and western sides of campus.

The Standard at West Lafayette will be Landmark Properties' second student housing development in Indiana which includes The Standard at Bloomington, which opened in Fall 2023 for students attending Indiana University.

About Landmark Properties

Headquartered in Athens, Ga., with an office in Atlanta, Landmark Properties is a fully integrated real estate firm, specializing in the acquisition, development, and management of high-quality residential communities. With $14 billion in AUM, Landmark's portfolio includes over 115 residential communities across the country with 72,000 beds under management. Additionally, Landmark benefits from an active development pipeline with 23 student and multifamily projects under construction or near term start with an estimated value of nearly $5 billion. Landmark's mission is to be the leader in development, construction, operations, and investment management of high-quality residential communities, delivering unrivaled service and experience to our residents, partners, and employees. For more information, visit www.landmarkproperties.com .

Media Contacts:

Great Ink Communications  (212) 741-2977, [email protected]

Lindsay Church

Sara Williams

SOURCE Landmark Properties
Funds Will Support Improving Schools and Parks Near STIIIZY Pomona Location

LOS ANGELES, July 30, 2024 /PRNewswire/ -- Tak Sato, President of STIIIZY , the top-selling cannabis brand in the U.S, presented Pomona Mayor Tim Sandoval with a donation check for $230K today at the STIIIZY Pomona store location as part of the company's ongoing commitment to support the local community.

Image Credit: Omar Guerra

Since its Pomona store opening in 2020, STIIIZY has donated approximately $730K to the city with the purpose of improving local parks and schools in Pomona, and over $4.5 million in cannabis taxes - amounting to over $5 million total paid to the city of Pomona in three years. Local schools and parks within a half mile radius of the STIIIZY Pomona location, such as John F. Kennedy Park, will directly benefit from the donation.

Mayor Sandoval was joined by notable community leaders Mark Ramos, President of UFCW Local 1428, and John Nolte, District 1 Councilmember. Stephanie Uy, VP of STIIIZY Public Affairs and Expansion, and Daysi Garcia, STIIIZY Social Equity & Impact Specialist, were also in attendance on behalf STIIIZY. The continued support for the city of Pomona is part of STIIIZY's commitment to revitalize communities that have historically been disenfranchised and demonstrate the power that cannabis provides through partnership.

"Our relationship with STIIIZY is one that we've built very strongly from the very beginning. Today, we are receiving a check for $229,515 that will go back into the community and provide resources to the city of Pomona," said Mayor Tim Sandoval.

"This check presentation represents an extraordinary public-private partnership between STIIIZY and the City of Pomona," said Stephanie Uy, Vice President of STIIIZY Public Affairs and Expansion. "We want to show people that legal cannabis can bring resources and sustainable change to communities. The overall $5M we've contributed to Pomona has upgraded parks and schools and has given youth a safe place to play."

"I'm happy to be here to thank STIIIZY for this incredible gift to this community," said Councilmember John Nolte. "Labor and good jobs are things that we are always looking for here in Pomona. This is an example of the good everyone in our community can do together."

STIIIZY Pomona is located at 1605 W Holt Ave, Pomona, Calif., 91768, and operates from 9:00 a.m. to 9:45 p.m. Monday through Sunday. Please visit STIIIZY Pomona at https://www.stiiizy.com/pages/pomona-dispensary for more information.

About STIIIZY

STIIIZY 's mission is to provide consumers with consistent, high-quality, and trusted products inspired by authentic cannabis culture. Headquartered in Los Angeles, STIIIZY is a vertically integrated cannabis company founded in 2017 by seasoned industry experts. STIIIZY is committed to making a positive impact on its local communities, including by investing capital to improve parks and schools, and providing assistance and resources to veterans. With more than 1,700 employees serving over 20,000 customers daily, STIIIZY is the largest private cannabis company and top selling cannabis brand in the U.S. STIIIZY's multi-state operations include seven cultivation facilities, five manufacturing facilities, four distribution facilities, 34 retail stores in California, and three retail stores in Michigan.

For more information on STIIIZY, visit: https://www.stiiizy.com

SOURCE STIIIZY
BANGKOK, July 30, 2024 /PRNewswire/ -- In the past week, the MEGA SHOW Bangkok was held at BITEC, Thailand. The event featured a Live Sourcing Meet-Up, co-hosted by Made-in-China.com (MIC) and MEGA SHOW Bangkok, which achieved a 90% match accuracy, according to buyer feedback.

MEGA SHOW, with over 30 years of history, is one of Asia's largest procurement exhibitions. This year's Bangkok edition, held for the third time in Thailand, attracted over 1,000 exhibitors covering home goods, electronics, gifts, and consumer products.

The buyer is talking about his procurement requirement with the supplier Made-in-China.com and MEGA SHOW Bangkok co-host the Live Sourcing Meet-Up

Philippine buyer Marco Cusipag shared, "Our team traveled to Bangkok specifically for the Live Sourcing Meet-Up. MIC had everything prepared for us in advance, so we only needed to focus on meeting with suppliers. The suppliers recommended by MIC were highly compatible with our requirements, greatly enhancing our procurement efficiency."

Marco also recounted a notable experience at the event: "I met a supplier specializing in health products and was particularly impressed by an innovative eye massager that isn't yet available in the Philippine market. The suppliers and products matched during this event were of very high quality and showcased significant innovation. I was pleasantly surprised."

Peter Cheung, Director of COMASIA Limited, stated, "This collaboration with MIC is a win-win situation. It allowed resource sharing between buyer and supplier platforms and provided exhibitors with a dual experience of online and offline integration."

The Live Sourcing Meet-Up, a collaboration between MIC and a renowned exhibition company, invited hundreds of overseas buyers to participate, significantly boosting procurement efficiency. MIC investigated buyers' procurement requirements before the event and conducted matching in advance. About 300 buyers met suppliers face-to-face, each connecting with 3-4 relevant suppliers, achieving up to 90% match accuracy.

MIC enhances the buying experience through both online and offline efforts. During the offline event, MIC provided translation services in English and Thai to facilitate communication between buyers and suppliers. This year, MIC partnered with international business departments and associations to host over 100 offline exhibitions and business matchmaking events globally. These events provide buyers with access to a diverse range of high-quality suppliers, making it easier to find products that meet their specific needs.

For online services, MIC has established a Thai site and recently introduced a Business Insights channel, offering global market information and real-time trade policies to assist Thai buyers in making informed decisions.

In August, MIC will host the online event Golden Sourcing Season, allowing buyers to access products from 27 categories via customized channels.

If buyers want the most efficient way to source high-quality Chinese products, be sure to follow MIC's Golden Sourcing Season event:(https://activity.made-in-china.com/show/2024-Golden-Sourcing-Season?utm_source=thirdparty&utm_medium=news_media&utm_campaign=golden_sourcing_season&utm_content=202408

Contact:

Yichun Wu

025-66775597

SOURCE Made-in-China.com (MIC)
WASHINGTON, July 30, 2024 /PRNewswire/ -- NASA, Northrop Grumman, and SpaceX are targeting 11:28 a.m. EDT on Saturday, Aug. 3, for the next launch to deliver science investigations, supplies, and equipment to the International Space Station. This launch is the 21st Northrop Grumman commercial resupply services mission to the orbital laboratory for the agency.

NASA's live launch coverage will begin at 11:10 a.m. on NASA+, NASA Television, the NASA app, YouTube, and the agency's website. Learn how to stream NASA TV through a variety of platforms, including social media.

Caption: Northrop Grummans Cygnus spacecraft in the grips of the Canadarm2 robotic arm shortly after being captured at the International Space Station. Credit: NASA

Filled with nearly 8,200 pounds of supplies, the Northrop Grumman Cygnus spacecraft, carried on the SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket, will launch from Space Launch Complex 40 at Cape Canaveral Space Force Station in Florida.

NASA coverage of arrival will begin at 2:30 a.m. Monday, Aug. 5 on NASA+, NASA Television, the NASA app, YouTube, and the agency's website. NASA astronaut Matthew Dominick will capture Cygnus using the station's robotic arm, and NASA astronaut Jeanette Epps will act as backup to Dominick. After capture, the spacecraft will be installed on the Unity module's Earth-facing port.

Highlights of space station research facilitated by delivery aboard this Cygnus are:

Test articles to evaluate liquid and gas flow through porous media found in space station life support systems.

A balloon, penny, and hexnut for a new STEMonstration on centripetal force.

Microorganisms known as Rotifers to examine the effects of spaceflight on DNA repair mechanisms.

A bioreactor to demonstrate the production of many high-quality blood and immune stem cells.

Vascularized liver tissue to analyze the development of blood vessels in engineered tissue flown to the space station.

NASA's CubeSat Launch Initiative also is sending two CubeSats to deploy from the orbiting laboratory, CySat-1 from Iowa State University and DORA (Deployable Optical Receiver Aperture) from Arizona State University, making up ELaNa 52 (Educational Launch of Nanosatellites).

Media interested in speaking to a science subject matter expert, should contact Sandra Jones at [email protected].

The Cygnus spacecraft is scheduled to remain at the space station until January when it will depart the orbiting laboratory at which point it will burn up in the Earth's atmosphere. This spacecraft is named the S.S. Richard "Dick" Scobee after the former NASA astronaut.

NASA's mission coverage is as follows (all times Eastern and subject to change based on real-time operations):

Friday, Aug. 2

3 p.m.  Prelaunch media teleconference (no earlier than one hour after completion of the Launch Readiness Review) with the following participants:

Bill Spetch, operations integration manager, NASA's International Space Station Program

Meghan Everett , deputy chief scientist, NASA's International Space Station Program

, deputy chief scientist, NASA's International Space Station Program Ryan Tintner, vice president, civil space systems, Northrop Grumman

Jared Metter, director, flight reliability, SpaceX

Melody Lovin, launch weather officer, Cape Canaveral Space Force Station's 45th Weather Squadron

Media who wish to participate by phone must request dial-in information by 1 p.m. Aug. 2, by emailing Kennedy's newsroom at [email protected].

Audio of the teleconference will stream live on the agency's website at:

https://www.nasa.gov/nasatv

Saturday, Aug. 3:

11:10 a.m.  Launch coverage begins on NASA+, NASA Television, the NASA app, YouTube, and the agency's website.

11:28 a.m.  Launch

NASA Television launch coverage

Live coverage of the launch on NASA Television will begin at 11:10 a.m., Aug. 3. For downlink information, schedules, and links to streaming video, visit: https://nasa.gov/nasatv.

Audio of the news teleconference and launch coverage will not be carried on the NASA "V" circuits. Launch coverage without NASA TV commentary via a tech feed will not be available for this launch.

NASA website launch coverage

Launch day coverage of the mission will be available on the NASA website. Coverage will include live streaming and blog updates beginning no earlier than 11:10 a.m., Aug. 3, as the countdown milestones occur. On-demand streaming video on NASA+ and photos of the launch will be available shortly after liftoff. For questions about countdown coverage, contact the NASA Kennedy newsroom at 321-867-2468. Follow countdown coverage on our International Space Station blog for updates.

Attend Launch Virtually

Members of the public can register to attend this launch virtually. NASA's virtual guest program for this mission also includes curated launch resources, notifications about related opportunities or changes, and a stamp for the NASA virtual guest passport following launch.

Engage on Social Media

Let people know you're watching the mission on X, Facebook, and Instagram by following and tagging these accounts:

X: @NASA, @NASAKennedy, @NASASocial, @Space_Station, @ISS_Research, @ISS_CASIS

Facebook: NASA, NASAKennedy, ISS, ISS National Lab

Instagram: @NASA, @NASAKennedy, @ISS, @ISSNationalLab

Coverage en Espanol

Did you know NASA has a Spanish section called NASA en Espanol? Check out NASA en Espanol on X, Instagram, Facebook, and YouTube for additional mission coverage.

Para obtener informacion sobre cobertura en espanol en el Centro Espacial Kennedy o si desea solicitar entrevistas en espanol, comuniquese con Antonia Jaramillo o Messod Bendayan a: [email protected] o [email protected].

Learn more about the commercial resupply mission at:

https://www.nasa.gov



SOURCE NASA
CHICAGO, July 30, 2024 /PRNewswire/ -- North Park University (NPU) this fall will begin its ESL Teaching Cares program to provide childcare and English classes to refugees who have recently arrived in the Albany Park area.

The program is a joint effort between NPU's University Ministries and Community Outreach and Global Partnerships, along with the Southeast Asia Center and the Chicago Immigrant and Refugee Rights Committee.

The services will be provided primarily to refugees living in the former U.S. Marine Corps facility on Foster Avenue, which the City of Chicago purchased last fall for $1.5 million and converted into a migrant shelter.

NPU students will serve as childcare providers or English tutors, under the leadership of Ben Swihart, coordinator of Community Outreach and Global Partnerships, and NPU student intern Davianna Schuh.

"The ESL Teaching Cares program overall promotes the care and advancement of underserved populations in our community, working alongside organizations that have been doing this work for decades," Schuh said. "Opportunities like this have been proven to increase graduation rates, diversify students' perspectives, and increase professional credentials for North Park students."

NPU has previously provided resources to the immigrant families, hosting a food and clothing drive last December. More than 60 volunteers, comprising North Parkers and representatives from the North Park Community Association, Alderman Samantha Nugent's office, Aramark, and other community groups, collected and distributed clothing, blankets, and supplies to 225 families.

North Park University is city-centered, intercultural, and emerging as the model for Christian higher education in 21st century America.

SOURCE North Park University
Second Annual Hospitality Pathways Conference celebrates multi-faceted approach to engaging and advancing people from all backgrounds toward industry careers.

WASHINGTON, July 30, 2024 /PRNewswire/ -- The critical role of local communities in connecting historically marginalized populations with restaurant opportunities was a central theme of last week's second annual Hospitality Pathways Conference, hosted by the National Restaurant Association Educational Foundation (NRAEF). Convening nearly 150 workforce development partners across state restaurant associations, community-based organizations, and national and local government agencies, the event highlighted collaborative work happening across 30 states to equip people with first-job skills, industry-specific competencies, and long-term careers.

Over the course of two days, stakeholders joined workshops and simulations designed to strengthen their community engagement, elevate their outreach, and celebrate their uniquely local work to engage people through the NRAEF's Restaurant Ready and Hospitality Opportunities for People (Re)Entering Society (HOPES) workforce development programs. Special guests included Chef Ashish Alfred of Chopped and Cutthroat Kitchen, as well as Derrick Green, Chef/CEO of Waffles and Whatnot, who emphasized the value that individuals from all backgrounds bring to the restaurant landscape.

Both HOPES and Restaurant Ready are based on a national set of industry-recognized competency areas. The NRAEF partners with 30 state restaurant associations and more than 80 community-based organizations, who teach, train, and equip individuals from non-traditional education backgrounds to start restaurant and hospitality jobs and achieve career independence.

"At the San Antonio Food Bank, we're in the business of helping people. We have a grant through the NRAEF and work with people who were just released from prison. To be able to see people succeed with either an educational program or to find employment that they're looking for is very gratifying," said Andrew Cuellar, program director at the the San Antonio Food Bank, a HOPES program partner.

In his work at the San Antonio Food Bank, Cuellar said he takes the time to know the HOPES participants first-hand, frequently taking them himself to secure an ID so that they can apply for a job or to secure clothing for an interview. Simultaneously, Cuellar cultivates a collection of local restaurant and hospitality employers where HOPES participants gain on-the-job experience after job-readiness training through the NRAEF's Restaurant Ready curriculum.

"Both Restaurant Ready and HOPES are only as effective as the state and local partners who implement them, bringing these programs to life in ways that are meaningful to the people and businesses in their communities," said NRAEF president Rob Gifford. "Together, we're making sure that our industry continues to grow as a place with opportunity for anyone who wants to join."

The NRAEF's purpose-driven mission is to empower people from all backgrounds to build a future through the strength and diversity of the restaurant industry. Learn more about the NRAEF's programmatic impact, including the HOPES and Restaurant Ready programs, in its latest Impact Report.

The 2024 Hospitality Pathways Conference was made possible by the following partners: Constellation Brands, Darden Foundation, Hilton Foundation, Kessler Foundation, Marriott Foundation, PepsiCo Foundation, Sodexo, Yum! Brands Foundation, Aztec, Charley's Kids Foundation, and FAT Brands Foundation.

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.

SOURCE National Restaurant Association Educational Foundation
ROCHESTER, N.Y., July 30, 2024 /PRNewswire/ -- Rochester-based Palmer Food Services and Syracuse-based G&C Food Distributors have welcomed Agency 29 Founder + CEO Maureen Ballatori as a Board Member/Advisor.

Palmer Food Services, a leader in food distribution and services, and G&C Food Distributors, known for its exceptional service and market reach, recognize Maureen's leadership in the food and beverage sector. This appointment underscores the impact and value she brings to the industry.

Maureen's strategic vision and innovative approach have been key drivers of success for numerous clients in the industry. Her new roles on the Board of Palmer Food Services and G&C Food Distributors will allow her to contribute her unique insights and experience to these organizations, furthering their commitment to excellence and growth.

"Maureen's deep understanding of the food and beverage sector, combined with her innovative approach to branding and marketing, makes her a tremendous asset to our Boards," said Kip Palmer, fifth-generation CEO of Palmer Food Services and the Palmer Family of Companies. "We are excited to have Maureen with us and look forward to the strategic insights and fresh perspectives she will bring to our organizations."

Palmer Foods is one of the longest-running family businesses in Rochester, NY, with a legacy of providing high-quality food products and services to clients across the Northeastern United States.

G&C Food Distributors has a strong reputation for its dedication to quality, service, and growth. With recent expansions into international markets, G&C continues to strengthen its position as a global leader. G&C also recently broke ground on a new 250,000 sq. ft. cold storage distribution center in Alachua, FL.

"Joining these boards is an incredible honor," said Maureen. "I'm passionate about the food industry and look forward to contributing to the continued success and growth of these exceptional companies. I'm also very much looking forward to collaborating with my new board colleagues and the talented leadership teams at Palmer Foods and G&C."

Maureen's appointment comes at a pivotal time for both Palmer Food Services and G&C Food Distributors as they continue to expand their operations and explore new opportunities in the food and beverage market. Her strategic vision and commitment to excellence will undoubtedly play a crucial role in guiding these organizations toward a bright and successful future.

For interviews and more

information, contact:

MAUREEN BALLATORI

Founder + CEO

(315) 332-1717

[email protected]

www.agency29.com

SOURCE Agency 29
Marking a milestone of remarkable growth, ingenuity, and commitment to sustainability in the dog food industry.

SAN FRANCISCO, July 30, 2024 /PRNewswire/ -- PawCo Foods , Inc. is thrilled to celebrate its three-year anniversary, marking a period of remarkable growth, innovation, and commitment to sustainability in the dog food industry. Since its inception, PawCo has aimed to revolutionize canine nutrition with its plant-based, sustainable products. Today, the company reflects on its achievements and shares its excitement for the future.

PawCo Foods achievement infographic celebrating its third anniversary: 280,000,000 liters of water conserved 935,000 kg of CO2 emissions reduced $2,000,000 raised from top VCs $1,000,000 generated in revenue 300,000 meals served to dogs 2,100 livestock lives saved The infographic features a festive banner at the top, the PawCo Foods logo with a party hat, an image of Earth, and an illustration of the Golden Gate Bridge at the bottom.

In its third year of operations, PawCo reached a significant financial milestone by achieving $1,000,000 in annual recurring revenue and experiencing an impressive 1000% growth year over year. This tremendous growth reflects the increasing demand for sustainable, plant-based nutrition for dogs and the trust that customers place in PawCo's products.

"Three years ago when I founded PawCo, I couldn't even dream about hitting $1M ARR and building this amazing team," said Dr. Mahsa Vazin, Founder and CEO of PawCo Foods. "While I'm proud of this achievement and celebrating it with my team, I feel that this is just the beginning of our journey, and we are excited to be leading the new generation of pet food in the market."

PawCo proudly introduced two groundbreaking products this year: LuxBites and InstaBites. LuxBites offers a premium, gut-health-focused meal enriched with postbiotics and fermented proteins, catering to dogs with sensitive digestive systems and those needing enhanced nutrient absorption. InstaBites redefines convenience, providing revolutionary instant dry-to-wet fresh dog food that combines shelf-stability with the nutritional benefits of freshly prepared meals.

PawCo's innovative efforts were recognized on a grand scale when the company won the 2024 Rally IN-prize pitch competition, securing $2,000,000 in seed funding. This accomplishment not only validates PawCo's vision but also fuels its capacity to drive further advances in plant-based dog nutrition.

Expansion has been a significant theme for PawCo this year. The company proudly opened its second production site in Indiana, increasing its production capabilities to meet growing demand. Additionally, PawCo expanded its original San Francisco facility, underscoring its commitment to quality and scalability. Alongside these developments, the PawCo team has grown by 27%, with each employee bringing valuable expertise and passion to its mission.

Reflecting on its journey, PawCo celebrates the milestones achieved since its launch three years ago:

Over 1200 dogs have become part of the PawCo family, benefiting from its nutritious, plant-based meals.

have become part of the PawCo family, benefiting from its nutritious, plant-based meals. The company has made a substantial environmental impact by saving up to 2190 livestock lives , conserving approximately 280,000,000 liters of water , and reducing CO2 emissions by up to 935,000kg .

, conserving approximately , and reducing CO2 emissions by up to . PawCo's diverse product lineup now includes six unique recipes, with more exciting formulations in the pipeline.

As the company commemorates its third anniversary, PawCo is excited to announce that it is just days away from launching an upgraded formulation of two of its product lines, making them more inclusive and suited for all life stages, including puppies. This new formula, which includes important omega-3 and omega-6 fatty acids that are essential for growing puppies, ensures that dogs at every stage of life can enjoy the benefits of PawCo's nutritionally complete, scientifically formulated meals. This key ingredient also provides significant health benefits for senior dogs and adult dogs with special conditions.

PawCo remains dedicated to pushing the boundaries of canine nutrition through sustainable and ethical choices. Its upwards trajectory is a testament to the company's innovative response to the growing demand for eco-conscious dog food alternatives. They extend their heartfelt gratitude to their customers, partners, and team members for their unwavering support and trust. To celebrate the customers who have shown PawCo unwavering support and trust, PawCo is offering a special deal to new and existing customers. Visit their website at www.MyPawCo.com to learn more about their anniversary promotion taking place this week only.

Join PawCo in celebrating its three years and stay tuned for more updates as the company has big plans to continue to nourish dogs and protect the planet.

About PawCo Foods

PawCo is a pioneer in plant-based pet nutrition, offering scientifically-formulated, nutritionally complete meals designed to enhance the health and well-being of every unique dog. Its mission is to revolutionize dog nutrition by providing high-quality, plant-based meals that promote the health and well-being of every unique dog while supporting animal welfare and environmental sustainability.

Learn more about PawCo Foods at www.MyPawCo.com .

Contact information:

Company: PawCo Foods

Contact: Carolina Agredo

Email: [email protected]

SOURCE PawCo Foods
TORONTO, July 30, 2024 /PRNewswire/ - Pluribus Technologies Corp. (TSXV: PLRB) ("Pluribus" or the "Company") announces a further amendment (the "Amendment") to the previously-announced forbearance agreement (the "Forbearance Agreement") dated January 18, 2024, between the Company and National Bank of Canada (the "Lender"), relating to a secured credit agreement dated April 27, 2022, as amended, among the Company, certain of its subsidiaries and the Lender. Under the Amendment, the Lender has agreed to extend the term of the Forbearance Agreement to August 12, 2024 to allow the Company to continue its previously announced strategic review process, which involves a review and evaluation of strategic alternatives that may be available to the Company to further enhance the Company's growth, development and prosperity in the short and long terms, with the goal of maximizing shareholder value.

The Company will provide an update when further disclosure is required or otherwise appropriate.

About Pluribus Technologies Corp.



Pluribus is a technology company that is a value-based acquirer and operator of small, profitable business-to-business technology companies in a range of verticals and industries. Pluribus provides its acquisitions access to experienced sales and marketing resources, strategic partnership opportunities, a diverse portfolio of customers in different geographical markets and enabling technologies to create new revenue streams and provide the opportunity for these companies to grow in their respective markets. When market conditions are conducive to raising capital at reasonable costs, Pluribus focuses on rapidly acquiring and integrating new acquisitions to accelerate growth. When the environment does not support this, Pluribus focuses on implementing strategies to maximize organic growth and increase cashflow from operations in its existing portfolio companies. For more information, please visit: pluribustechnologies.com.

Forward-Looking Information

Certain information in this press release constitutes forward-looking statements under applicable securities laws. Any statements that are contained in this news release that are not statements of historical fact may be deemed to be forward-looking statements. Forward-looking information in this press release includes, but is not limited to, statements with respect to whether the Lender will continue to forbear from exercising their rights and remedies on expiry of the Forbearance Agreement and what the terms or timing of such a transaction or such continued forbearance might be, the Company providing an update when further disclosure is required or otherwise appropriate, the business plans of the Company, including the completion of future acquisitions, the Company management's expectation on the growth, profitability and performance of its portfolio companies, the Company's ability to acquire business-to-business technology companies in the future, the Company's ability to grow its portfolio companies and the Company achieving a positive transaction as a result of its strategic review process. Forward-looking statements are often identified by terms such as "may", "should", "anticipate", "expect", "potential", "believe", "intend" or negatives of these terms and similar expressions.

Forward-looking statements are based on certain assumptions, including the Company's ability to manage a complex portfolio of companies effectively; and the Company's ability to raise sufficient financing to continue its acquisition strategy. Other assumptions include industry trends, the availability of growth opportunities, and general business, economic, competitive, political, regulatory and social uncertainties will not prevent the Company from conducting its business. While the Company considers these assumptions to be reasonable based on information currently available, they are inherently subject to significant business, economic and competitive uncertainties and contingencies and they may prove to be incorrect. Forward-looking information speaks only to such assumptions as of the date of this release.

Readers are cautioned that the foregoing is not exhaustive. Readers are further cautioned not to place undue reliance on forward-looking statements as there can be no assurance that the plans, intentions or expectations upon which they are placed will occur. Such information, although considered reasonable by management at the time of preparation, may prove to be incorrect and actual results may differ from those anticipated. Forward-looking statements are not guarantees of future performance. The purpose of forward-looking information is to provide the reader with a description of management's expectations, and such forward-looking information may not be appropriate for any other purpose. Except as required by law, the Company disclaims any obligation to update or revise any forward-looking statements, whether as a result of new information, events or otherwise. Forward-looking statements contained in this news release are expressly qualified by this cautionary statement.

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.

Contact:

Richard Adair

Chief Executive Officer

Pluribus Technologies Corp.

1 (800) 851-9383

SOURCE Pluribus Technologies Corp.
FOLSOM, Calif., July 30, 2024 /PRNewswire/ -- Demonstrating its commitment to supporting individuals overcoming trauma or experiencing homelessness, SAFE Credit Union is providing $20,000 to the Saint John's Program for Real Change employee training program to help women in crisis gain essential skills they need for long-term success.

"We are honored to support Saint John's mission to support women who are experiencing homelessness with resources like their employment training program," says SAFE Credit Union Vice President of Community Relations and Financial Education Rebecca Delmundo. "Nearly 72 percent of the families who Saint John's serves do not hold a high school diploma and especially benefit from the program."

Saint John's provides employment training for women experiencing homelessness in the Greater Sacramento region as part of its residential program that provides comprehensive support services that includes mental, physical, interpersonal, and vocational assessments, followed by education, hands-on employment training and career exploration. The employment training program is ongoing, with at least 100 women each receiving up to 400 hours of employment training a year through Saint John's social enterprises.

SAFE's grant will help cover recent challenges Saint John's has faced from ongoing impacts from the COVID pandemic to the loss of an industrial kitchen provided in-kind for many years. In 2023, Saint John's moved its social enterprise operations onto its main campus, requiring the transformation of the existing kitchen into an industrial kitchen. This effort is ongoing as funding allows.

"Saint John's Program for Real Change expresses deep gratitude for SAFE Credit Union's generous support of our workforce training program. This crucial partnership empowers women experiencing homelessness by equipping them with essential skills for employment, enabling them to gain financial independence and transforming their lives," says Shahnaz Van Deventer, Chief Philanthropy and Marketing Officer at Saint John's Program for Real Change.

From this grant, Saint John's anticipates the following outcomes:

100 women will receive comprehensive workforce training.

40 will complete 250 hours of intensive employment training.

30 will secure full-time employment opportunities.

18 will maintain employment for at least 12 months.

About SAFE

SAFE Credit Union is a not-for-profit, state-chartered credit union in Northern California with over $4.6 billion in assets and more than 236,000 members. Insured by NCUA

SOURCE SAFE Credit Union
Leading medical scribe agency launches SAI to reduce documentation, allowing practitioners to focus on human care

MIAMI, July 30, 2024 /PRNewswire/ -- Scrivas, South Florida's leading medical scribe agency, announces the launch of SAI, an AI-powered medical scribe system designed to transform how healthcare providers manage patient communication, streamline operations, and improve overall efficiency. This state-of-the-art technology will revolutionize healthcare documentation and medical office operations by offering seamless integration and enhanced user experience with patient-centric services in mind.

SAI will elevate the healthcare experience for both physicians and patients. Post this SCRIVAS DEBUTS MEDICAL SCRIBE AI SOFTWARE TO STREAMLINE OPERATIONS AND ENHANCE THE PATIENT EXPERIENCE

As Scrivas was founded by a physician to reduce the documentation burden placed on healthcare providers, SAI was developed with the same goals and principles in mind. SAI works in real-time to enhance clinical workflow and can be customized to meet the specific needs of providers by accommodating both personal preferences and office workflow demands.

"SAI will elevate the healthcare experience for both physicians and patients," said Dr. Fernando G. Mendoza, Scrivas' CEO and board-certified pediatric emergency medicine physician. "Physicians have become overwhelmed with paperwork, taking us away from being able to spend quality time with patients. Our AI technology will allow practitioners to spend more time with their patients because they can trust SAI with the documentation."

SAI has the ability to integrate with most EMR systems and is offered as a standalone solution for practices seeking a cost-effective, automated documentation tool. SAI can also be combined with a virtual or dedicated onsite scribe to provide a flexible model for practitioners who prefer a balance between AI and human scribe support. It's designed to support any size practice or hospital and is adaptable to various specialties.

"It's critical for the medical community to embrace AI technology for success," continued Dr. Mendoza. "While there is always going to be a human element to patient care, the addition of scribes and now AI technology offers a great return on investment for practices. We have launched SAI with excellent results, and we're confident physicians will readily adapt SAI into their daily routine and welcome the benefits."

For more information about SAI or to set up a demonstration, please visit Scrivas.com.

About Scrivas

Scrivas is a leading medical scribe company servicing physicians in hospital emergency departments, urgent cares, in-patient hospitalists, and ambulatory care practice. The company is dedicated to bridging the gap between physicians and a better work-life balance by providing real-time, at your side charting service that documents the physician-patient interaction enabling doctors to move from patient to patient efficiently and quickly. Scrivas was founded by a pediatric emergency room physician who recognized the need in his practice for increased documentation efficiency and to address increased physician burnout. The company has grown to employ a diverse leadership group with years of experience providing scribe services in multiple medical settings, serving many different specialties across multiple EMRs. Visit https://scrivas.com/ to learn more.

About Fernando G. Mendoza, MD

Fernando G. Mendoza, MD, FAAP, FACEP is a leading Board-certified doctor in pediatrics and pediatric emergency medicine. He is also the founder and CEO of Scrivas, a company that provides medical scribe services in multiple medical settings, serving many different specialties across multiple EMRs. Dr. Mendoza is the Director of Community Initiatives for Nicklaus Children's Pediatric Specialists and the Medical Director of the Baptist Hospital and Baptist Homestead Hospital Pediatric Emergency Departments. He also serves as Chief of Pediatrics at Baptist Hospital Miami. Dr. Mendoza received his undergraduate degree at Brown University and attended medical school at the University of Florida College of Medicine. Dr. Mendoza completed his pediatric residency at the University of Miami / Jackson Memorial Hospital and his pediatric emergency fellowship at the Boston University School of Medicine/Boston Medical Center. He is also a fellow of the American Academy of Pediatrics and the American College of Emergency Physicians.

Media Contacts:

Bertha Diaz

Zapwater Communications, Inc

[email protected]

SOURCE Scrivas
MILWAUKEE, July 29, 2024 /PRNewswire/ -- Ademi LLP is investigating The First (NYSE: FBMS) for possible breaches of fiduciary duty and other violations of law in its transaction with Renasant.

Click here to learn how to join our investigation https://www.ademilaw.com/case/first-bancshares-inc or call Guri Ademi toll-free at 866-264-3995. There is no cost or obligation to you.

The First shareholders will receive only one share of Renasant common stock for each share of The First common stock. Additionally, all options of The First will be cashed out at their in-the-money value at closing. Based on Renasant's closing stock price of $37.09 per share as of July 26, 2024, the implied transaction value is approximately $37.09 per The First share, or $1.2 billion, in the aggregate.

The transaction agreement unreasonably limits competing transactions for The First by imposing a significant penalty if The First accepts a competing bid. The First insiders will receive substantial benefits as part of change of control arrangements.

We are investigating the conduct of The First's board of directors, and whether they are fulfilling their fiduciary duties to all shareholders.

If you own The First common stock and wish to obtain additional information, please contact Guri Ademi either at [email protected] or toll-free: 866-264-3995, or https://www.ademilaw.com/case/first-bancshares-inc.

We specialize in shareholder litigation involving buyouts, mergers, and individual shareholder rights throughout the country. For more information, please feel free to call us. Attorney advertising. Prior results do not guarantee similar outcomes.

Contacts

Ademi LLP

Guri Ademi

Toll Free: (866) 264-3995

Fax: (414) 482-8001

SOURCE Ademi LLP
SHENZHEN, China, July 30, 2024 /PRNewswire/ -- Shenzhen Synthetica Pioneering Co., Ltd. (Synthetica), a biotech startup specializing in synthetic biology for engineering novel living bacterial therapeutics, has recently closed a Series A funding round, led by Boehringer Ingelheim Venture Fund and Temasek, with additional participation from Lenovo Capital, Fosun Health Capital and ATLATL Summer Fund. The funding will be used to fast-track Synthetica's oncolytic bacterial pipelines into clinical trials.

Headquartered in Shenzhen, China, Synthetica is a biotech company founded in 2023, specializing in genetic circuit engineering and precise control of genes and payloads to treat various diseases. Synthetica is currently focused on developing oncolytic bacterial therapies for treating solid tumors. With a deep understanding of biological mechanisms and advanced synthetic biology techniques, Synthetica is aiming to create innovative bacterial treatments that are safe, effective, versatile, and minimally invasive to fight cancer.

Synthetica's CEO, Yingke He stated: "Securing this funding marks a pivotal moment for our young company as we advance the frontier of cancer treatment. Our innovative synthetic biology approach to developing oncolytic bacteria offers new hope for more effective and targeted therapies. We extend our heartfelt thanks to our technology contributors and financial investors for their trust and support. Together we will drive this breakthrough science forward, and make significant advancements in the fight against cancer, bringing us closer to transforming patients' lives worldwide."

Dr. Mia Hu, Investment Director, Boehringer Ingelheim Venture Fund, commented: "Boehringer Ingelheim Venture Fund (BIVF) is committed to invest in innovative therapeutics that address unmet patient needs. Oncolytic bacterial therapy remains a key strategic focus for the Boehringer Ingelheim Venture Fund. The Synthetica team, with its years of expertise in quantitative synthetic biology, is pioneering the development of innovative bacterial therapies for various indications. We are thrilled to support Synthetica in their ongoing efforts to advance next-generation bacterial therapies for the treatment of solid tumors, with the ultimate goal of transforming the lives of more people living with cancer."

About Shenzhen Synthetica Pioneering Co., Ltd.

Shenzhen Synthetica Pioneering Co., Ltd., a spin-off from the Shenzhen Institute of Advanced Technology (SIAT), Chinese Academy of Sciences (CAS), is a biotech company that harnesses synthetic biology techniques to engineer novel living bacterial therapeutics, addressing unmet medical needs across a range of diseases. Current lead programs focus on therapies for solid tumors.

About Boehringer Ingelheim Venture Fund

Created in 2010, the Boehringer Ingelheim Venture Fund (invests in ground-breaking companies to drive innovation in biomedical research. It is searching for significant enhancements in patient care through pioneering science and its clinical translation by building long-term relationships with scientists and entrepreneurs. The Boehringer Ingelheim Venture Fund's focus is to target unprecedented concepts addressing high unmet patient needs in immuno-oncology, regenerative medicine, infectious diseases and digital health. For more information, please visit: www.boehringer-ingelheim-venture.com.

About Temasek

Temasek is a global investment company headquartered in Singapore, with a net portfolio value of S$389 billion as at 31 March 2024. Marking its unlisted assets to market would provide S$31 billion of value uplift and bring its mark to market net portfolio value to S$420 billion. Temasek's Purpose "So Every Generation Prospers" guides it to make a difference for today's and future generations. Operating on commercial principles, Temasek seeks to deliver sustainable returns over the long term. It has 13 offices in 9 countries around the world: Beijing, Hanoi, Mumbai, Shanghai, Shenzhen, and Singapore in Asia; and Brussels, London, Mexico City, New York, Paris, San Francisco, and Washington, DC outside Asia. For more information on Temasek, please visit www.temasek.com.sg.

About Lenovo Capital

Lenovo Capital and Incubator Group, as Lenovo's global technology industry fund, aims to leverage Lenovo's global resources to invest in and incubate future technology developments.

Lenovo Capital focuses on technology industry investments, aligning with Lenovo's "end-edge-cloud-network-intelligence" new IT architecture, supporting Lenovo Group's service-oriented transformation and technology-driven innovation strategy. They have invested in over 250 portfolio companies, with 18 of them have been successfully listed, more than 40 becoming industry leaders, and over 100 have been rated as national and provincial level Specialized, Refined, Differential and Innovational Enterprises. Around 90% of the portfolios are centered around core technologies, including artificial intelligence, semiconductor chips, smart manufacturing, robotics, and mixed reality, among others.

About Fosun Health Capital

Shanghai Fosun Health Equity Investment Fund Management Co., Ltd, known as "Fosun Health Capital (FHC)," is the core CVC investment platform initiated and established by Shanghai Fosun Pharmaceutical (Group) Co., Ltd. (Fosun Pharma), which leverages Fosun Pharma's 30-year accumulation in the pharmaceutical field and its profound experience in cooperating with world-class partners. FHC, embodying a strategic dedication to healthcare investment, manages 11 funds with AUM over 10 billion RMB. FHC has covered investments from early-stage ventures to mature enterprises, spanning multiple areas including pharmaceuticals, medical devices, and diagnostics. Fosun Health Capital focuses on a comprehensive strategy that combines investment and industry expertise, offering support that spans from scientific research to operational guidance, to empower its portfolio companies throughout their entire lifecycle and drive their sustainable growth. FHC upholds the tenets of value investing, becoming a discoverer, connector, and long-term strategic partner of worldwide top-tier investment prospects.

About ATLATL Summer fund

ATLATL Summer Fund was jointly established by ATLATL Innovation Group and Summer Capital in 2023. The fund is focused on early innovation value discovery and consolidates the resources of both parties, striving to achieve ecological empowerment and accelerated incubation for the portfolio companies and innovation ecosystem. Through the "Investment + infrastructure" model, the aim is to build integrated value chain of innovation services based on the infrastructure of ATLATL, supplemented by early venture capital platform of Summer Capital, promoting the continuous acceleration of life science innovation.

CONTACT: [email protected]

SOURCE Shenzhen Synthetica Pioneering Co., Ltd.
Olive Young's KCON Booth, the largest ever, showcases about 70 K -Beauty brands and 210 products

K-Beauty fans from all over the U.S. flocked to the Olive Young booth. enjoying K-Beauty to the fullest by trying out testers and taking selfies

"Discover the latest K-Beauty trends on the online mall 'Olive Young Global', with worldwide shipping"

LOS ANGELES, July 30, 2024 /PRNewswire/ -- CJ Olive Young (hereafter referred to as Olive Young) announced on the 30th that their booth at 'KCON LA 2024', in which they participated on an unprecedented scale, was a major success thanks to the enthusiasm from global K-Beauty fans.

Visitors at the Olive Young booth during 'KCON LA 2024' in Los Angeles (LA), USA from July 26 to 28  First-time customers of Olive Young Global can receive up to a 50% discount coupon.

KCON LA 2024, the world's largest K-POP Fan & Artist Festival hosted by CJ ENM, was held from the 26th for three days at the Los Angeles Convention Center, Crypto.Com Arena, and Gilbert Lindsay Plaza in Los Angeles. With the popularity of K-content such as music, drama, and variety shows expanding into beauty, fashion, and other lifestyle areas, Olive Young has been participating in the event annually since 2016 as a key representative of K-Beauty.

This year's Olive Young booth was set up on an unprecedented scale of approximately 360m. It was designed under the concept of 'K-Beauty Street,' featuring stores of the global online mall 'Olive Young Global', skincare brand 'BRINGGREEN', and makeup brand 'colorgram'.

The 'Olive Young Express' took up one entire side of the booth, replicating the Olive Young Global, which delivers the latest K-Beauty trends to consumers the fastest. It showcased various K-Beauty products, including the top 100 global popular items and bestsellers by category.

The 'Olive Young Global' is an online store that sells K-Beauty products to 150 countries worldwide, offering around 10,000 items. It introduces the latest K-Beauty trends and new products through the monthly 'Olive Young Beauty Box', which is sold at special prices with products from various brands.

Visitors got to enjoy experiencing various K-Beauty brands such as 'SKIN1004', 'JUNG SAEM MOOL', 'Anua', and 'Dr. G', while taking photos at the Olive Young booth. Shivani and Dee from LA said "We've been very much interested in K-pop and K-Beauty, so we were already familiar with Olive Young," while adding, "We found it rewarding to try out products we had only seen on social media."

Experience zones were also set up for popular Gen Z brands like the color cosmetics brand colorgram and the vegan skincare brand BRINGGREEN. Colorgram, under the theme 'The Strange Candy Shop', showcased products like the 'Fruity Glass Tint' and 'Tintin Dory Lip Jam Collection', as well as the highlighter product 'Milk Bling Heartlighter'.

Moaleen, who flew in from Virginia with a friend, said "I first got interested in Korean makeup styles because of the K-pop idol groups I like, but now I love K-Beauty brands themselves." She added, "Visiting the Olive Young booth at KCON made me want to visit an Olive Young store in Korea as well."

BRINGGREEN introduced its products centered on the 'Tea Tree Cica' line under the theme of 'Skin Rescue Center', specializing in soothing care. With the boy group ZEROBASEONE (ZB1) as models for colorgram, fans were often seen taking photos in front of the booth and their posters.

Meanwhile, the 'August Beauty Box', pre-released at the 'KCON LA 2024' Olive Young booth, will be available for purchase through Olive Young Global starting August 1. It will be sold for $49.9, featuring products worth $163.9 from brands like 'COSRX' and 'Anua' under the theme 'Best K-Beauty Curation for Summer Skin Care'.

Additionally, Olive Young Global will hold a 'BACK TO SCHOOL' promotion from August 1 to 7. Shoppers will receive a $10 discount coupon for purchases over $99. There will also be additional 30% discount coupons for back-to-school items from brands like espoir, innisfree, and SKIN1004. Customers can also receive an Olive Young pouch and miniature sample kit based on their total purchase amount.

An official from Olive Young said, "Olive Young is a leading K-Beauty retailer where you can find the latest K-Beauty trends and products," adding, "In addition to our over 1,300 stores in Korea, you can conveniently shop for K-Beauty products from anywhere in the world through the 'Olive Young Global' website."

SOURCE CJ Olive Young
Public Welcome to Attend Site Dedication and Panel Discussion on Thursday, August 8

DEARBORN, Mich., July 30, 2024 /PRNewswire/ -- The Henry Ford is commemorating The Jackson House in Greenfield Village on Thursday, August 8 with public events including a site dedication in the village at 9:30 am, and From Selma to Detroit, a panel discussion on the incredible significance of The Jackson House in American history taking place in Henry Ford Museum of American Innovation at 7:00 pm. The public is invited to both programs but must register for the panel discussion at https://www.thehenryford.org/current-events/calendar/the-jackson-house-from-selma-to-detroit.

Jawana Jackson, Martin Luther King Jr. and Dr. Sullivan Jackson The Jackson House is the Selma, Alabama home of Dr. and Mrs. Sullivan Jackson and served as a safe haven where Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. and others worked, collaborated, strategized and planned the Selma-to-Montgomery marches in 1965.

The Henry Ford acquired the Selma, Alabama home of Dr. Sullivan and Richie Jean Sherrod Jackson in 2023. The historic home, known as The Jackson House, served as a safe haven where Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. and others worked, collaborated, strategized and planned the Selma-to-Montgomery marches of 1965. The marches served as protests against the systemic racist policies within the South and raised awareness of the struggles black voters faced. Today, nearly 60 years later, as the Jackson House takes its place in Greenfield Village, it will be preserved in perpetuity so that generations of people from all over the world will have an opportunity to learn and experience this important history. The house will open to the public in 2026.

"This house is a symbol for bringing liberty, justice and voting rights within the reach of all Americans," said Patricia Mooradian, President & CEO of The Henry Ford. "The Jackson House reminds us of the struggles people faced and the courage they had to do what was right."

Mooradian will be joined by Jawana Jackson, the only child of Dr. and Mrs. Jackson, for the site dedication Thursday morning. Distinguished author Dr. Michael Eric Dyson, Pulitzer Prize-winner Jonathan Eig, and influential filmmaker Nelson George will join Ms. Jackson and moderator Jamal Simmons, Cable News Commentator and Former Senior White House Official, for the evening programan inspiring discussion about The Jackson House, and its legacy in the fight for basic American freedoms.

More information on the events and panelists can be found here: https://www.thehenryford.org/current-events/calendar/the-jackson-house-from-selma-to-detroit

About The Henry Ford

Located in Dearborn, Michigan, The Henry Ford, a globally recognized destination, fosters inspiration and learning from hands-on encounters with artifacts that represent the most comprehensive collection anywhere focusing on innovation, ingenuity and resourcefulness in America. Its unique venues include Henry Ford Museum of American Innovation, Greenfield Village, Ford Rouge Factory Tour, Benson Ford Research Center and Henry Ford Academy, a public charter high school. Together with its online presence at thf.org, its national television series The Henry Ford's Innovation Nation and Invention Convention Worldwide, the growing affiliation of organizations fostering innovation, invention and entrepreneurship in K-12 students, The Henry Ford inspires individuals to unlock their potential and help shape a better future.

SOURCE The Henry Ford
BLUE BELL, Pa., July 30, 2024 /PRNewswire/ -- Unisys (NYSE: UIS) will be participating in the Deutsche Bank Technology Conference on Wednesday, August 28, 2024, at the Waldorf Astoria Monarch Beach in Dana Point, Calif. Unisys management will be available throughout the day for one-on-one and small group meetings. Investors who would like to schedule a meeting with Unisys should contact their Deutsche Bank representative.

About Unisys

Unisys is a global technology solutions company that powers breakthroughs for the world's leading organizations. Our solutions  cloud, data and AI, digital workplace, logistics and enterprise computing  help our clients challenge the status quo and unlock their full potential. To learn how we have been helping clients push what's possible for more than 150 years, visit unisys.com and follow us on LinkedIn.

RELEASE NO.: 0730/9953

Unisys and other Unisys products and services mentioned herein, as well as their respective logos, are trademarks or registered trademarks of Unisys Corporation. Any other brand or product referenced herein is acknowledged to be a trademark or registered trademark of its respective holder.

UIS-C

SOURCE Unisys Corporation
REAL Dallas Properties is the third North Texas brokerage to join United in the past 12 months

DALLAS, July 30, 2024 /PRNewswire/ -- United Real Estate announced a merger today between United Real Estate | Dallas and REAL Dallas Properties & Management, adding 70 agents to United's Dallas operations and expanding its North Texas presence to more than 800 agents.

In this move, REAL Dallas Properties will transition from a brokerage commission-split model to a transaction-fee model, allowing agents to retain 100% of the gross commission earned on each transaction. In doing so, United places agents in the best possible position to negotiate competitive client fees and win more business.

The merger expands United Real Estate's North Texas presence to over 800 real estate agents in North Texas and over 1,800 agents statewide

REAL Dallas Properties' agents gain access to United's offices in Dallas, Fort Worth, Grapevine, Frisco and Houston. The union adds United's differentiating marketing, support services and technology.

Broker and co-owner Luna Zenati explains why United was the right fit at the right time, "We are thrilled about our merger with United because we feel the culture and commission model are the right fit. We are blending the best of both worlds: maintaining our culture and strong group of agents while adding a national partner and its array of resources at no cost to our agents. In this merger, they are getting a raise. Not to mention, they can access exciting services they never had before, such as PPO health plans, wealth management & retirement planning, LeadBoost, Marketing Hub and national training. We are upgrading and becoming better versions of ourselves."

Co-owner Nieke Valadez comments on the benefits of United's model, "With upcoming changes in our industry, we are preparing our agents with the flexibility in how they do business. Our transition from a brokerage commission-split model to a transaction-fee model means they can negotiate more competitive client fees and win more business in any type of market. As owners, we spend most of our time caught up in daily brokerage activities, and this merger will eliminate much of those duties, allowing us to spend more time developing business relationships, recruiting and doing what we love  real estate. We are positioning ourselves to grow and expand resources so that our agents can better compete and win clients."

President of United Real Estate Rick Haase commented on the synergies created in the union, "It makes great sense for Luna and Nieke to be joining United today. Their experience and positive, passionate energy will contribute to our growth and success in the Greater Dallas operations, and their agents will have more services, supports and tools that will provide a great lift to their businesses and client outcomes."

Founded in 2011, United's fee-based model has become one of the most successful in America, propelling the company's growth from the 139th-largest brokerage in transaction count in 2019 to the 8th-largest today. The brokerage has been recognized by Inc. 5000 multiple times as one of the fastest-growing U.S. companies. Its model is considered an "industry disruptor," only charging agents one flat fee for every transaction instead of requiring agents to pay the brokerage a percentage of their earnings.

The fee-based brokerage model is the best example of free enterprise in the industry, allowing agents to negotiate costs for services rendered. United's continued success, even while U.S. home sales are slowing, is evidence of product fit-to-market that consumers are benefiting from every day.

About United Real Estate

United Real Estate (United)  a division of United Real Estate Group  was founded with the purpose of offering solutions to real estate brokers and agents in the rapidly changing real estate brokerage industry. United provides the latest training, marketing and technology tools to agents and brokers under a flat-fee, transaction-based agent commission model. By leveraging the company's proprietary cloud-based Bullseye Agent & Broker Productivity Platform, United delivers a more profitable outcome for agents and brokers. United Real Estate operates in 32 states with 159 offices and more than 21,000 agents. The company produced over 70,000 transactions and $27.8 billion in sales volume in 2023.

About United Real Estate Group

United Real Estate Group (UREG) operates United Real Estate and United Country Real Estate, addressing the unique market needs of suburban, major metropolitan urban and rural markets. Utilizing the cloud-based Bullseye Agent & Broker Productivity Platform, UREG offers the latest training, marketing and technology tools producing a significant competitive advantage. The platform realizes a decade-long investment in virtual agent and brokerage technology services and is powered by a 2.6 million listings data warehouse generating over 3 million monthly visitors and 30,000+ leads per year. Together, the United Real Estate Group supports more than 590 offices and over 23,100 real estate and auction professionals across four continents. United Real Estate Group produced more than 89,000 transactions and $35.2 billion in sales volume in 2023. Through its in-house advertising agency, UREG offers differentiating marketing support and collateral for specialized lifestyle property websites as well as access to a 800,000+ opt-in buyer database. For more information about United Real Estate or United Country Real Estate, please visit UnitedRealEstate.com or UnitedCountry.com.

To learn more about United Real Estate, brokerage succession planning, brokerage valuation and sale or franchising opportunities, visit GrowWithUnited.com. Agents interested in learning about career opportunities with United Real Estate can visit JoinUnitedRealEstate.com.

Media contact:

April Gonzalez

Media & Investor Relations

[email protected]

504-237-3500

SOURCE United Real Estate
NRC issues 20-year license renewal to the 2,400-megawatt nuclear plant, ensuring continued reliable, baseload generation of zero-carbon electricity

IRVING, Texas, July 30, 2024 /PRNewswire/ -- Vistra (NYSE: VST) today announced that the Nuclear Regulatory Commission has approved its request to extend the operation of Comanche Peak Nuclear Power Plant through 2053, an additional 20 years beyond its original licenses. The company submitted its application for license renewal with the NRC in October 2022.

"With demand for electricity growing at a rapid pace, reliable sources of power, like Comanche Peak, are going to be absolutely essential to meeting that need," said Jim Burke, president and chief executive officer of Vistra. "Importantly, this demand growth is happening at the same time as the country is transitioning to cleaner energy sources and many fossil plants are retiring. Electricity is one of the most basic building blocks of the economy, and extending the operation of our nuclear fleet provides decades of support for both existing and growing sectors."

"We take pride in the part we play every day in powering the grid with carbon-free energy. Our dedicated Comanche Peak team operates the plant safely and at a high level of performance, and I'm proud that this record of excellence has paved the way to securing another 20 years of operation," said Ken Peters, chief nuclear officer of Vistra. "I want to acknowledge the tremendous work by the team who facilitated one of the most efficient license renewal efforts with the NRC."

The NRC staff noted in an April report1 to NRC commissioners that Vistra's "proactive and voluntary efforts" helped improve the timeliness and efficiency of the license renewal process. The company voluntarily submitted three supplements to the applications, which the staff said contributed to a 70% reduction in its requests for information compared to previous license renewals.

Comanche Peak, a two-unit facility, is the third of Vistra's four nuclear plants to receive its license extension from the NRC. Comanche Peak units 1 and 2 can now operate through 2050 and 2053, respectively. The company's Beaver Valley Nuclear Power Plant units 1 and 2 in Pennsylvania are licensed through 2036 and 2047, and Davis-Besse in Ohio is licensed through 2037. Perry Nuclear Power Plant in Ohio filed its application for renewal in 2023 and is currently in the NRC review process.

Reliable, Clean, Emission-Free Electricity

Nuclear plants are uniquely positioned to provide both carbon-free power and always-on baseload generation. Vistra has established a leading role in the responsible energy transition and expansion, with the nation's second-largest competitive fleet of nuclear power plants at the center of its zero-carbon generation portfolio. Together, these four nuclear plants have the capacity to generate more than 6,500 MW of emission-free energy, enough to power about 3.25 million homes.

Economic Engine for Local Economy

The extension of Comanche Peak's operation also ensures continued economic benefits to the local area. The plant is operated by more than 600 employees and more than 200 permanent contractors. Refueling outages for the two reactors require supplemental workers and bring in anywhere from 800-1,200 skilled technicians from across the country. These contractors are a source of substantial additional economic activity for hotels, restaurants, and related businesses in the area.

As the largest taxpayer in Somervell County, Texas, the plant pays more than $30 million a year in state and local taxes. Additionally, Comanche Peak donates thousands of dollars to community organizations, funds environmental protection programs, and takes part in civic engagement activities in both Somervell and Hood counties.

About Vistra

Vistra (NYSE: VST) is a leading Fortune 500 integrated retail electricity and power generation company that provides essential resources to customers, businesses, and communities from California to Maine. Based in Irving, Texas, Vistra is a leader in the energy transformation with an unyielding focus on reliability, affordability, and sustainability. The company safely operates a reliable, efficient, power generation fleet of natural gas, nuclear, coal, solar, and battery energy storage facilities while taking an innovative, customer-centric approach to its retail business. Learn more at vistracorp.com .

SOURCE Vistra Corp.
Introducing Hemolysis Detection in Point-of-Care

Blood Gas Testing for the First Time Ever

BEDFORD, Mass., July 30, 2024 /PRNewswire/ -- Werfen today announced the introduction of the GEM Premier 7000 with Intelligent Quality Management 3 (iQM3) at the Association for Laboratory Medicine (ADLM) Annual Meeting (formerly the American Association for Clinical Chemistry), which has received 510(k) clearance by the US Food and Drug Administration. The GEM Premier 7000 with iQM3 represents a breakthrough in blood gas testing, offering hemolysis detection for the first time at the point-of-care (POC).

As the number one source of preanalytical error, hemolysis accounts for up to 70% of all such errors.1 Despite its prevalence throughout different areas of the hospital, hemolysis is not visible in whole blood, and can go unrecognized. Hemolysis occurs when red blood cell membranes rupture, causing cellular contents to leak into the surrounding fluid, which can elevate potassium results up to 152%.2 In samples impacted by hemolysis, low potassium levels can appear normal and normal levels can appear high. Consequences of in vitro hemolysis can include inappropriate patient management, increased length of stay, and increased costs, among others.3-7

"While hemolysis in point-of-care testing has been widely recognized as a significant problem, and the potential value of its detection tremendous, most have viewed this as an unsolvable challengeuntil now. We are exceptionally proud to have solved this challenge with the patented technology in our new GEM Premier 7000 with iQM3 system," said Remo Tazzi, Vice President Worldwide Marketing and Service at Werfen. "Feedback from our initial customers has been very positive, and we look forward to expanding placements of these new systems throughout the US, and ultimately, the world, to enhance both patient care and efficiency."

"Every day our clinicians make critical decisions, based on potassium measurements. Knowing whether a blood sample is hemolyzed is crucial for interpretation of potassium results," said Heather Stieglitz, PhD, D(ABCC), Co-Director of Clinical Chemistry and Point-of-Care Testing, The Ohio State University Wexner Medical Center, Columbus, Ohio. "While we have had the capability to detect hemolysis in a central laboratory, it was missing at the point of care. The GEM Premier 7000 closes this gap, and we are confident that our potassium results will allow clinicians to make safe and rapid decisions for the care of our patients."

In vitro hemolysis is prevalent throughout the hospital. In neonatal intensive care units, up to half of whole blood samples have been shown to be hemolyzed, while in emergency departments, approximately 20% can be hemolyzed.1,810 Undetected hemolysis can lead to inappropriate or delayed treatment, unnecessary redraws, increased staff time, and higher costs.3-7

The system's hemolysis detection is based upon patented acoustofluidic technology for plasma separation, combined with photometric determination. In just 45 seconds, the GEM Premier 7000 detects hemolysis, while delivering a complete menu of results (pH, pO 2 , pO 2 , sodium, potassium, ionized calcium, chloride, glucose, lactate, hematocrit, total hemoglobin, total bilirubin and CO-Oximetry (tHb, O 2 Hb, COHb, MetHb, HHb, sO 2 ).

iQM3, a real-time, automated, quality management system, continuously ensures sample quality across the most common preanalytical errors, including hemolysis, micro-clots, bubbles and lipemia. It automatically checks sample integrity before, during, and after every analysis, and corrects and documents errors. This helps assure quality results and compliance, 24/7, and informs and expedites critical decision-making.

The all-in-one GEM PAK cartridge automates labor- and skill-intensive processes and offers a variety of menu and test-volume configurations, tailored to the clinical setting. GEMweb Plus 500 Custom Connectivity simplifies control and compliance, enabling comprehensive management of all systems, operators, and data oversight. Its sample handling reports help identify operator competency gaps and training needs, for continuous quality improvement.

The GEM Premier 7000 with iQM3 system is the latest innovation in Werfen's long line of GEM Premier blood gas testing systems. The most recent, previously introduced model is the GEM Premier 5000 with iQM2, which introduced IntraSpect, performing continuous quality checks during sampling, in addition to before and after every sample.

The GEM Premier 7000 with iQM3 system is not Health Canada-licensed. It is not available in all countries.

About Werfen's Acute Care Diagnostics Portfolio

The GEM Premier 7000 with iQM3 system is part of Werfen's integrated and comprehensive ACD product portfoliohelping clinicians and laboratorians achieve better patient outcomes, lower total cost of care, assure accreditation compliance and improve operational efficiency in hospital acute care settings. For Whole Blood Hemostasis testing, ROTEM viscoelastic testing systems, the GEM Hemochron 100 system, and the VerifyNow platelet-reactivity testing system inform key clinical decisions regarding transfusion, bleeding risk and heparin dose adjustment during surgical and interventional procedures along with a clinical assessment of the patient's condition and other laboratory tests. For Blood Gas testing, the GEM Premier systems, including GEM Premier 7000, 5000 and 3500 systems, and the Avoximeter 1000 portable CO-Oximeter, simplify POC operations by automating key labor- and skill-intensive tasks, including quality management and system maintenance. From Cardiovascular Operating Rooms and Catheterization Labs, to Intensive Care Units and Emergency Departments, whole-blood, cartridge-based systems with Werfen's integrated data management solutions, help hospitals improve efficiency and enhance patient care.

References

Lippi G, Salvagno GL, Favaloro EJ, Guidi GC. Survey on the prevalence of hemolytic specimens in an academic hospital according to collection facility: opportunities for quality improvement. Clin Chem Lab Med. 2009;47(5):616618. doi:10.1515/CCLM.2009.132. Lippi G, Plebani M, Di Somma S, Cervellin G. Hemolyzed specimens: a major challenge for emergency departments and clinical laboratories. Crit Rev Clin Lab Sci . 2011;48(3):143153. doi:10.3109/10408363.2011.600228. O'Hara M, Wheatley EG, Kazmierczak SC. The impact of undetected in vitro hemolysis or sample contamination on patient care and outcomes in point-of-care testing: a retrospective study. J Appl Lab Med. 2020;5(2):332-341. doi:10.1093/jalm/jfz020. Phelan MP, Ramos C, Walker LE, et al. The hidden cost of hemolyzed blood samples in the emergency department. J Appl Lab Med. 2021;6(6):16071610. doi:10.1093/jalm/jfab035. Phelan MP, Hustey FM, Good DM, Reineks EZ. Seeing red: blood sample hemolysis is associated with prolonged emergency department throughput. J Appl Lab Med. 2020;5(4):732737. doi:10.1093/jalm/jfaa073. Wilson M, Adelman S, Maitre JB, et al. Accuracy of hemolyzed potassium levels in the emergency department. West J Emerg Med. 2020;21(6):272275. doi:10.5811/westjem.2020.8.46812. Milutinovic D, Andrijevic I, Licina M, Andrijevic L. Confidence level in venipuncture and knowledge on causes of in vitro hemolysis among healthcare professionals. Biochem Med. 2015;25(3):401409. doi:10.11613/BM.2015.040. Nichols JH, Apple FS. Prevalence of hemolyzed results in acute care settings. J Appl Lab Med. 2023;8:431-434. doi:10.1093/jalm/jfac141 Toth J, Olah AV, Petercsak T, et al. Detection of haemolysis, a frequent preanalytical problem in the serum of newborns and adults. EJIFCC. 2020;31(1):6 Khedr S, Blake V, Erdogan E. Neonatal unit hemolysis rates from an academic medical center: A quality improvement project. Arch Path Lab. 2016;140(6):502-503. doi:10.5858/arpa.2015-0252-le

Werfen (www.werfen.com), founded in 1966, is a worldwide developer, manufacturer and distributor of specialized diagnostic instruments, related reagents, automation workcells, and data management solutions for use primarily in hospitals and independent clinical laboratories. The Company's clinical areas of focus include Hemostasis, Acute Care, Transfusion, Autoimmunity, and Transplant. Werfen's Acute Care portfolio includes the new GEM Premier 7000 with iQM3, the GEM Premier 5000 with iQM2, GEM Premier 3500 system with iQM, GEM Premier ChemSTAT system, ROTEM viscoelastic testing systems, Hemochron systems, VerifyNow platelet function testing system, and Avoximeter1000 CO-Oximeter, GEMweb Plus 500 Custom Connectivity and GEMweb Live. The Hemostasis portfolio includes ACL TOP Family 50 Series and ACL TOP Family Hemostasis Testing Systems, ACL AcuStar system, ACL Elite systems, HemoCell Specialized Lab Automation, HemoHub Intelligent Data Manager, along with the comprehensive line of HemosIL assays.

The Werfen logo is a trademark of Werfen. GEM, Premier, GEM Premier ChemSTAT, GEMweb, iQM, ChemSTAT, HemosIL, ACL, ACL TOP, ACL Elite, ACL AcuStar, ReadiPlasTin, RecombiPlasTin, SynthASil, SynthAFax, ROTEM, Hemochron, VerifyNow and Avoximeter are trademarks of Instrumentation Laboratory Company, d.b.a Werfen, and/or one of its subsidiaries or parent companies and may be registered in the United States Patent and Trademark Office and in other jurisdictions. All other product names, company names, marks, logos, and symbols are trademarks of their respective owners.

SOURCE Werfen
Q: How might the growing cooperation among Russia, China, Iran, and North Korea impact the existing global power dynamics?

A:

John Lennon had a vision, in his song Imagine, that there is no country in the world. My understanding of the vision is that the world will eventually have only one country called The Earth, and one race called Mankind.

Growing cooperation among countries is good for peace and is towards the vision of John Lennon. There are still conflicts of interest among nations, such as Russia, China, Iran, and North Korea, but the conflict of interest is not an excuse to refuse cooperation. Through dialogue and conversation, through cooperation, the conflict will diminish gradually. Xis vision is building a common community with a shared future for mankind. China is willing to cooperate with all and every country, not limited to Russia, Iran, and North Korea. China has promoted for several decades a relationship with the US based on no conflict, no confrontation, mutual respect, and win-win cooperation.

China also promotes the Five Principles of Peaceful Coexistence. China recently brokers the cooperation between Saudi and Iran, among 14 fractions of Palestinians. In the global power dynamic, China is pushing for cooperation and peace while the USA is inciting conflicts and wars. Growing cooperation among countries, including Russia, China, Iran, and North Korea, is good for peace and prosperity in the world.

There are two slogans at the Tiananmen of Beijing. The left one reads Long Live the Peoples Republic of China. The right one reads Long Live the Great Unity of the People of the World. The slogans have been at Tiananmen for 75 years since 1949.

To fulfill the vision of the unity of the people of the world, growing cooperation among countries is progress and is good for world peace. The cooperation among Russia, China, Iran, and North Korea is not exclusive, any country can join through different mechanisms, such as SOC, BRI, BRICS, RCEP, etc. These mechanisms are not exclusive and are mainly economic cooperation.

There are more opportunities for cooperation and the cooperation can overcome conflicts of interest.

People who love peace should support cooperation among countries and should support China who treat every country equally. UN should pass a resolution to endorse Xis vision of a Shared Future for Mankind.
Caracas, July 30 : Venezuela has called on the governments of Argentina, Chile, Costa Rica, Peru, Panama, the Dominican Republic and Uruguay to withdraw their diplomatic staff accredited in the country.

The measure, announced in an official statement released by the Venezuelan Foreign Ministry on Monday, also calls for withdrawing Venezuelan diplomatic staff accredited in those nations, Xinhua news agency reported.

Venezuela has accused the governments of those seven countries of "interference" in its internal affairs, especially the presidential elections held on Sunday that saw President Nicolas Maduro reelected to a third six-year term.

Those countries are "subordinated to Washington and committed to ... ideological postulates of international fascism", according to the statement.

Venezuela's National Electoral Council on Monday declared Maduro the winner of Sunday's presidential elections.
Seoul, July 30 : The opposition-controlled National Assembly passed the last of four contentious broadcasting bills aimed at reducing the government's influence over public broadcasters on Tuesday, ending a six-day filibuster by the ruling party.

The main opposition Democratic Party (DP) led the bill's passage in an 189-0 vote after passing a motion to forcefully end a 24-hour filibuster by the ruling People Power Party (PPP). PPP lawmakers left the Assembly chamber to boycott the vote in protest, Yonhap news agency reported.

The revision to the Korea Educational Broadcasting System Act aims to increase the number of board directors at public broadcaster EBS from the current nine to 21.

With Tuesday's vote, all four broadcasting bills -- amendments to the Broadcasting Act, the Foundation for Broadcast Culture Act, the Korea Educational Broadcasting System Act and the establishment of the Korea Communications Commission -- passed through the National Assembly.

The four bills are intended to reform the governance structure of the nation's public broadcast media by weakening the government and the National Assembly's power to name board directors.

Since Thursday, the PPP has been staging back-to-back filibusters to block the passage of the bills.

The PPP has claimed that the broadcasting bills will only increase the presence of progressive figures on the boards of public broadcasters, while the DP has said they will prevent political influence in the appointment of the heads of public broadcasters.

Last year, President Yoon Suk Yeol vetoed the three broadcasting bills, excluding the revision to the act on the establishment of the Korea Communications Commission, after they were passed by the opposition-controlled parliament.

The PPP is expected to call on Yoon to exercise his veto rights again over the four broadcasting bills.
New Delhi, July 30 : Designed and manufactured in India, telecom equipment are now being exported to over 100 countries, the Centre has informed.

Last year, the country exported telecom equipment and services worth more than $18.2 billion.

"Many of our homegrown telecom companies have made their mark in Western nations, including the US, despite fierce global competition," said Madhu Arora, Member (Technology), Digital Communications Commission, Department of Telecom.

"The Indian Army has recently integrated its first indigenous chip-based 4G mobile base station, developed by our own R&D firms," she informed.

Addressing the 'Defence Sector ICT Conclave' in the national capital where 18 companies showcased their products, Arora said Information and communications technology (ICT) forms the backbone of defence operations.

"India's vibrant ICT sector, marked by innovation and integrity, has established a significant presence over the past decades. The Indian ICT industry is providing solutions to the world, showcasing India's leadership in this domain," the senior official remarked.

Abhishek Singh, Joint Secretary in the Ministry of External Affairs, said the MEA is actively working to enhance cooperation with Africa in the ICT sector.

"By focusing on emerging technologies like AI and blockchain, we aim to address specific challenges faced by African countries," he noted.

India has emerged as one of the top five investors in Africa, with cumulative investments of around $75 billion.

Several Indian companies have been instrumental in driving digital transformation across the continent.

According to Sandeep Aggarwal, Immediate Past Chairman, Telecom Equipment & Services Export Promotion Council (TEPC), ICT is critical for maintaining the sovereignty and integrity of India.

India, with its long-standing cooperation and respect for African sovereignty, is a reliable partner in this field.

"Our expertise in data analytics and artificial intelligence empowers our defence forces with predictive insights and actionable intelligence, enhancing decision-making and operational effectiveness in the front," Aggarwal mentioned.
Los Angeles, July 30 : As the US elections draw closer, several Hollywood personalities, including Jennifer Lopez and Jessica Alba, have urged people to register to vote.

Lopez and Alba took to their respective Instagram accounts to share a post related to the upcoming US elections, which will take place in November.

The post read: "We are officially 100 days away from election day. Let's go!! Register here."

Alba shared the same post but added an extra note: "There's a lot of uncertainty around the 2024 elections, but here's one thing we do know: Election Day is still November 5.

"With only 100 days to go, make sure you are ready to take the issues you care about straight to the ballot box this November."

Several other personalities have joined the rallies for the upcoming elections, showing support for their favourite candidates.

On July 30, it was announced that rapper Megan Thee Stallion will be performing in Atlanta at Vice President and presumptive Democratic nominee Kamala Harris's campaign rally.

Hollywood star Eva Longoria made a strong appeal urging people to vote for the Democrats, emphasising the importance of preventing Donald Trump's return to the office.

Donald Trump, Republican presidential nominee, and former US president, faced flak over his "in four years, you don't have to vote again" remarks after some Democrats said that his comments, directed at a Christian audience, signalled his plans to be a "dictator".

President Joe Biden last week had said that he would end his presidential re-election campaign less than four months before Election Day and backed Harris to replace him as the Democratic nominee.
Wayanad: A rescue operation is underway following a landslide caused by continuing heavy rain in Wayanad district of Kerala on Tuesday, July 30, 2024.. Image Source: IANS/@INCKerela

Kozhikode, July 30 : With the death toll in the massive landslides at Churalpara in Kerala's Wayanad on Tuesday rising to 44 and hundreds of people stranded, Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan on Tuesday sought help from the Indian Army's Bengaluru-headquartered Madras Engineering Group.

The MEG is known for setting up temporary infrastructure very quickly. The state authorities with the help of NDRF have already started work to set up a temporary bridge in Churalpara.

CM Vijayan has also asked for drones to be employed in the worst affected areas -- Churalpara, Velarimala, Mundakayil and Pothukalu.

According to the locals, in these areas, the destruction has been massive. Several houses were washed away and many roads collapsed. Hundreds of people waited for help to arrive after a bridge was washed away. Huge boulders rolled down the hills and hindered the path of rescue workers at several places. Vehicles washed away in floodwaters could be seen stuck in mud and tree trunks.

CM Vijayan has also asked for the Kerala Police Dog squad to reach the affected areas.

The police have set up a 24-hour control room and the phone numbers are -- 9497900402, 0471 2721566.

The landslides were reported to have occurred at around 2 a.m.
Mumbai, July 30 : Hollywood star Hugh Jackman has shared a sneak peek into the "greatest times" of his life, which includes moments with his closest friend and fellow star Ryan Reynolds and filmmaker Shawn Levy.

Mumbai, July 30 (IANS) Hollywood star Hugh Jackman has shared a sneak peek into the "greatest times" of his life, which includes moments with his closest friend and fellow star Ryan Reynolds and filmmaker Shawn Levy.

Jackman took to Instagram and shared a collection of images and videos from the shoots of their latest blockbuster, 'Deadpool & Wolverine'.

The post features Levy, Reynolds, and Jackman posing for pictures and stills from their promotions and shoots.

"And so begins the purge of BTS photos and videos. There's no grand plan for any of it, just glimpses of one of the greatest times of my life. Much more to come," he wrote in the caption.

The actor also praised Levy and Reynolds, with whom his bromance has been a favourite among fans globally.

"@vancityreynolds and @slevydirect are two of the finest humans I know. Our friendship is unbreakable and everlasting. #deadpoolandwolverine," he said.

'Deadpool & Wolverine' is based on Marvel Comics.

The film is the 34th movie in the MCU and is a sequel to 2016's 'Deadpool' and 2018's 'Deadpool 2'.

The film also stars Emma Corrin, Morena Baccarin, Rob Delaney, Leslie Uggams, Aaron Stanford, and Matthew Macfadyen.

The film humorously traces the story of the quirky superhero Deadpool, who is pulled from his quiet life by the Time Variance Authority (TVA) and joins forces with a reluctant Wolverine to save his universe.
New Delhi, July 30 : The Yogi Adityanth-led government has introduced the Uttar Pradesh Prohibition of Unlawful Conversion of Religion (Amendment) Bill, 2024 in the Assembly, which proposes harsher punishment, leading up to life imprisonment in 'love jihad' cases.

The proposed amendments have been welcomed by the BJP as a step in the right direction while the Samajwadi Party has termed it a 'divisive' move, aimed at creating 'animosity' in society.

UP Deputy Chief Minister Keshav Prasad Maurya who reached the Assembly, this morning told reporters that the legislation should be welcomed as this would act as a 'deterrent' against such practices.

BJP leader Mohsin Raza said that the law, when amended, will help greatly in tackling illegal religious conversions as many 'love jihad' cases have emerged where impersonators marry a girl by hiding their identity and then force her to convert.

"If any impersonator plays with the life of your daughter, why shouldn't the culprit be held accountable? If an imposter marries any girl by hiding his identity and with malicious intent, why can't such people be brought to book," asked the BJP leader.

Samajwadi Party, on the other hand, slammed the Yogi Adityanath government for brining amendments in the existing laws regarding 'love jihad' and said that it nothing but negative politics and motivated by the BJP's 'aversion' towards a particular community.

SP leader Fakhrul Hasan Chand in a video message said, "UP has already a law on love jihad. If someone traps someone in his/her love trap with some motive, then there is a law for it but the BJP only wants to do negative politics. It does not want to do anything about unemployment and paper leak."

UP BJP leader Mohsin Raza also hit out at the Opposition parties for 'smelling a conspiracy' in the proposed law.

"A strict regulation is required to put an end to such practises. The BJP believes in 'sabka saath, sabka vikas.' It's unfortunate that the Opposition finds it communal and discriminatory. Their opposition to the ordinance is driven by their appeasement policy towards a certain religion," Mohsin Raza pointed out.

As per the existing law, the punishment for such cases of an imposter marrying someone with a concealed identity ranges from one to ten years while religious conversions done only for marriage are held invalid.

When the 'revised' law comes into force, the guilty will be subjected to life imprisonment. The amendment is likely to be passed in the Assembly by voice vote on August 2, as per reports.

-- IANS

mr/rad
Bengaluru, July 30 : India's spacetech sector witnessed record-breaking funding of $126 million in 2023 -- a 7 per cent increase from the $118 million raised in 2022 and a whopping 235 per cent increase from $37.6 million in 2021, a report showed on Tuesday.

In 2024, the year-to-date funding for the sector stands at $10.8 million.

Despite a global slowdown in funding, the spacetech sector has been experiencing an upward trend, driven by substantial government support and significant innovations, according to data provided by market intelligence firm Tracxn.

There are more than 100 spacetech startups, the majority of them being founded in the last five years. The Union Budget's funding of Rs 1,000 crore is expected to boost the industry significantly, attracting more entrepreneurship and investment in the coming months.

Currently, the country boasts 55 active space assets, including communication, meteorological, and earth observation satellites.

"The significant funding and strategic investments we're seeing now are setting the stage for India to become a major player in the global space industry," said Neha Singh, Co-founder of Tracxn.

The combination of solid early-stage funding and supportive government policies will be key to driving this growth and establishing India as a leading centre for space exploration and technology, Singh noted.

In 2023, early-stage rounds attracted $120 million of the total $126 million raised, reflecting a notable growth from $114 million in 2022, which represents a 5 per cent increase.

In 2024, early-stage funding has reached $8.5 million to date.

Seed-stage funding has also seen a significant rise, growing from $4.3 million in 2022 to $5.3 million in 2023, marking a 24 per cent increase.

However, despite this growth in early-stage and seed-stage funding, the nascent ecosystem for private sector participation in Indian Space Tech startups has not yet experienced any late-stage funding, the report said.

Skyroot Aerospace leads as the highest-funded active space tech startup in India, with overall funding of $99.8 million, followed by Pixxel at $71.7 million and Agnikul at $61.5 million.

No other startup in this segment has raised funds above $50 million.

Despite the vibrant funding landscape, no acquisitions have been observed in 2024.

The only acquisition to date is the 2022 purchase of Prakshep, a satellite imagery provider for the agricultural industry, by Arya.

Bengaluru leads the list of top-funded cities in India's spacetech sector, followed by Hyderabad and Chennai.
Amaravati, July 30 : After extracting an assurance from the Centre in the Union Budget for financing and early competition of the Polavaram project, Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister, N Chandrababu Union is now waiting for a categorical announcement on the quantum of money for the irrigation project, which is expected to serve as the lifeline of the state.

The assurance in the Union Budget has raised hopes of early resumption of the work on the project across Godavari, which is the second top priority of CM Naidu after capital Amaravati.

Both the projects found mention in Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman's budget speech.

For Amaravati, she announced that the Centre will facilitate special financial support through multilateral development agencies.

"In the current financial year Rs. 15,000 crore will be arranged, with additional amounts in future years," she said.

However, no specific announcement was made for Polavaram, which was already declared a national project.

"Our government is fully committed to financing and early completion of the Polavaram Irrigation Project, which is the lifeline for Andhra Pradesh and its farmers. This will facilitate our country's food security as well," she said.

Naidu, who is leading the NDA government in the state and is a key ally in the BJP-led coalition at the Centre, is satisfied that the Centre has taken the responsibility of completing the project.

A dream of people of the region since 1941, Polavaram is perhaps the most jinxed project in the country.

The future of the Rs.55,000 crore multipurpose project still hangs in the balance due to the alleged mismanagement during the last five years and also damages it suffered in 2019-20 due to floods.

Amaravati and Polavaram are the two tasks which Naidu could not accomplish in his earlier stint as the Chief Minister of bifurcated Andhra Pradesh (2014-19).

While Amaravati is his brainchild, Polavaram is a long-pending project. Soon after assuming office last month, he declared them as his priorities.

He blamed his predecessor YS Jagan Mohan Reddy for killing Amaravati and also held him responsible for alleged mismanagement of the Polavaram project, leading to delays and damages and resulting in cumulative loss of Rs 52,900 crore.

According to CM Naidu, the losses during YSRCP rule were Rs.45,000 crore due to delay in supplying water to ayacut areas. The losses on account of damages and repair were Rs.4,900 crore. The delay in hydel power generation resulted in loss of Rs.3,000 crore.

CM Naidu personally visited Polavaram last month to review the status of the work and this month he released a White Paper on the project.

CM Naidu called Jagan a 'curse' that stalled the Rs 55,548 crore multipurpose national project.

An expenditure of Rs.16,761 crore has been incurred ever since Polavaram was declared a national project by the NDA government in 2016.

The Centre has so far released Rs.15,146 crore to the state government through the Polavaram Project Authority.

The project is designed to utilise Godavari water going waste into the sea to turn Andhra Pradesh into a drought-free state.

The multipurpose project is not only expected to stabilise ayacut in Godavari delta but also supply water to North Andhra and Rayalaseema for drinking and irrigation needs.

The project will also control the floods and generate hydel power.

The project is also designed to divert 80 TMC water from Godavari to Krishna River to fulfil the drinking water and irrigation needs of the drought-prone Rayalaseema region.

Polavaram will store 194 TMC of water, utilise 322 TMC of water, irrigate 7.2 lakh acres, stabilise ayacut of 23.50 lakh acres, supply drinking water to 28.50 lakh people, generate 960 Megawatt of power.

Water tourism and availability of water for industrial use are the other expected benefits of the mega project.

The project's main features include a diaphragm wall with 90 meter depth, huge gates of 20 meter height and 16 meter width, 390 km long left and right canals.

Naidu recalls that in 2014 he took oath as the chief minister only after the Centre issued an Ordinance to merge seven mandals of Telangana with Andhra Pradesh. As these mandals are likely to be submerged, they were merged with Andhra Pradesh to avoid any inter-state disputes.

Naidu claims that 72 per cent of the works were completed between 2014 and 2019 while only 3.84 per cent works were carried out during the YSRCP rule.

"I visited the project 31 times and held virtual reviews 104 times," he said.

Out of the total Rs.15,364 crore expenditure incurred, Rs.11,762 crore was spent during 2014-19.

During the YSRCP rule (2019-24), works worth only Rs.4,167 crore were taken up, Naidu claimed.

He also alleged that the Jagan government diverted Rs.3,385 crore of central funds released for Polavaram.

CM Naidu declared on June 28 that his government would rope in international experts to assess the project's current status due to the damages caused by the mismanagement by the previous government.

"The Diaphragm wall was damaged due to Jagan's stupid decisions. His incompetence, arrogance and audacity put the survival of the project in jeopardy," said CM Naidu.

During the TDP regime, the diaphragm wall was completed at a cost of Rs. 436 crore. However, officials indicated that an additional Rs. 447 crore would be required to rectify damages caused under the subsequent government.

Moreover, the construction of a new diaphragm wall was estimated to cost Rs. 990 crore and could potentially span three to four seasons for completion.

The project was originally planned to be completed by 2020.

CM Naidu was uncertain as to how much time and money it would take to complete the project. Repair works necessitated by these delays are projected to cost Rs. 4,900 crore, contributing to a significant 38 per cent increase in the project's overall expenses.

Recently, an expert from the United States and another from Canada visited the project site. They have been engaged by the Polavaram Project Authority (PPA) to review planning, designs and drawings submitted by the Water Resources Department of Andhra Pradesh), which is the executing agency.

Conceived at a cost of just Rs. 6.5 crore before India achieved Independence to now a whopping Rs. 55,000 crore, Polavaram remains the most jinxed project in the country.

From reorganisation of states to formation of Andhra State, its merger with then Hyderabad State to form Andhra Pradesh and then to the bifurcation of the state, Polavaram has come a full circle.

It was in 1980 that Tanguturi Anjaiah, Chief Minister of then undivided Andhra Pradesh, laid the foundation stone for the prestigious project but it could not go beyond unveiling of a plaque. It was not a priority for the subsequent governments of both the Congress and Telugu Desam Party (TDP).

CM Naidu, who was the longest-serving CM in the undivided Andhra Pradesh (1995-2004), faced criticism for ignoring agriculture.

When YS Rajasekhara Reddy led the Congress back to power in 2004, he included Polavaram in his priorities. The work was launched in 2005 and most of the work on the two canals was completed.

YSR, as he was popular among his followers, secured 95 per cent of the Central government clearances including the environmental clearance. YSR's death in a helicopter crash in 2009 and the subsequent political upheaval due to revival of demand for Telangana state once again put Polavaram on the back-burner.

However, the project got a new lease of life in the most unexpected way. Conceding the demand for statehood to Telangana in the face of a massive movement, the then United Progressive Alliance (UPA) government offered a few incentives to compensate the residuary state of Andhra Pradesh for losing out capital Hyderabad to Telangana.

Declaring Polavaram a national project was one of the inducements offered in the Andhra Pradesh Reorganisation Act. This meant that the central government would build the project.

In 2016 under the special package offered by the Centre in lieu of special category status, the Centre agreed to provide all the funds required for Polavaram and allowed the state to take charge of the construction.

This move by Naidu came under criticism from Congress leaders, who argued that only Central agencies have the expertise to execute projects of such a complex nature.

Naidu's move to sever ties with NDA in 2018 came as another blow to Polavaram as the Centre and state traded allegations of corruption.

During the 2019 election campaign, Prime Minister Modi had alleged that Polavaram became an 'ATM' for Naidu.

"Polavaram has become like an ATM for him to draw money from the Centre," PM Modi said. "Where is the money in your ATM," Naidu had asked, hitting back at PM Modi for not reimbursing Rs. 4,500 crore the state government spent in spite of the financial crisis.

Returning as chief minister after five years in alliance with the BJP, Chandrababu Naidu is once again pinning his hopes on PM Modi to complete the project.
New Delhi, July 30 : The Brain & Behavior Research Foundation (BBRF) has announced the recipients of the 2024 Klerman and Freedman Prizes, recognising outstanding clinical and basic research in mental illness. These prestigious awards honour the work of scientists supported by the Foundation's Young Investigator Grants Program.

The 2024 Klerman and Freedman prize winners are being recognised for their significant findings related to suicide prevention, PTSD, substance-use disorders, autism, brain biology, and therapeutic drug development," said Dr Jeffrey Borenstein, President and CEO of the BBRF. He highlighted that their work advances diagnostic tools, identifies effective treatments, and aids in the prevention of mental illness.

The prize winners were selected by the BBRF Scientific Council, comprising 192 leading mental health researchers. Since 1987, the Foundation has awarded over $450 million to more than 5,400 scientists globally. The awards are named after Gerald Klerman, MD, and Daniel Freedman, MD -- legendary figures in neuropsychiatry.

Juliet Beni Edgcomb, MD, PhD, University of California, Los Angeles, has been selected for the 2024 Klerman Prize for Exceptional Clinical Research.

Dr Edgcomb is developing methodologies to identify children and adolescents with suicide-related symptoms from electronic health record (EHR) data. Her research aims to establish predictive variables to better recognise suicide-related phenotypes, potentially improving early intervention strategies.

Christina K. Kim, PhD, University of California, is the recipient of the 2024 Freedman Prize for Exceptional Basic Research.

Dr Kim's work focuses on new methods to record and alter neuronal activity, specifically targeting neurons and molecular biomarkers affected by therapeutic drugs for depression and anxiety. This research could lead to the development of more specific and effective treatments with fewer side effects.

Elizabeth V. Goldfarb, PhD, Yale University, has been chosen for the 2024 Klerman Prize Honorable Mention.

Dr Goldfarb's lab explores how stress influences memory and subsequent behaviours. Her research integrates cognitive neuroscience and neuroimaging to identify memory markers that could inform therapeutic interventions.

Erin Gibson, PhD, Stanford University, has been selected for the 2024 Freedman Prize Honorable Mention.

Dr Gibson studies the circadian system's role in neuroendocrine and immune regulation, focusing on the impact of glial cells on neural circuits and their connection to disorders such as autism and Alzheimer's disease.

Hugo A. Tejeda, PhD, National Institute of Mental Health, is the recipient of the 2024 Freedman Prize Honorable Mention.

Dr Tejeda investigates neuromodulation in limbic neural circuits, examining the role of neuropeptides and dopamine in threat appraisal and motivation, with implications for understanding psychiatric disorders.
New Delhi, July 30 : In a bid to make 5G accessible to billions of smartphone users worldwide, including in India, leading chip-maker Qualcomm on Tuesday launched Snapdragon 4s Gen 2 mobile platform to re-define the entry-level mobile experience.

The chip will make 5G accessible to over 600 million Indian smartphone users, offering peak download speeds up to 1 Gbps, which is seven times faster than the LTE platforms typically available in the same price tier.

Snapdragon 4s Gen 2 will be initially adopted by key OEMs, including Xiaomi and its other brands, with the first commercial device expected to be announced before the end of the year, said the chip maker.

The new Snapdragon 4s Gen 2 platform offers gigabit 5G connectivity, robust power efficiency for all-day battery life, and skilled camera capabilities.

Chris Patrick, SVP and general manager of mobile handsets, Qualcomm, said they are immensely proud of the engineering teams for their exceptional work in developing a solution that will significantly enhance mobile experiences for millions of people, not only in India but around the globe."

According to Savi Soin, Senior Vice President and President, Qualcomm India, access to 5G will be a key factor towards furthering India's journey of digital transformation and securing its presence as a global player.

"With the 5G rollout in India a su"5G can bridge the digital divide, empowering Indians with crucial tools and services in education, government services, healthcare, and payments more reliably and securely, as well as drive India's Made in India agenda," said Soin.

Snapdragon 4s Gen 2 will be initially adopted by India's leading mobile OEM, Xiaomi and its other brands, with the first commercial device expected to be announced before the end of the year.

"We are excited to be working with Qualcomm Technologies to enable access to gigabit-fast connectivity for users across India" said Muralikrishnan B, President, Xiaomi India.

Qualcomm has been at the forefront of innovation in India for the past two decades, contributing significantly to advancements in technology, particularly in fields such as 5G and artificial intelligence (AI).
Tehran, July 30 : Iran and the Gambia resumed their diplomatic relations, almost 14 years after cutting ties.

According to a joint statement released by the Iranian Foreign Ministry, the decision was made in a meeting between Iran's Acting Foreign Minister, Ali Bagheri Kani and Gambian Foreign Minister Mamadou Tangara, in the Iranian capital, Tehran, in line with the interests of both countries, Xinhua news agency reported.

The Gambian Foreign Minister has travelled to Tehran to attend the swearing-in ceremony of Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian, which is scheduled for Tuesday.

According to the statement, the two governments agreed to expand bilateral cooperation covering the political, economic, investment, trade and cultural spheres.

The statement added that the two countries' embassies in Senegal's capital, Dakar, agreed to serve as diplomatic contact points to help resume official diplomacy.

The Gambia cut diplomatic and economic relations with Iran in November 2010 and ordered all Iranian representatives to leave within 48 hours.

The Gambia cited no reason for cutting ties with Iran. Tehran, however, attributed the action to pressure from the United States.
Chennai, July 30 : Tamil Nadu Chief Minister M.K. Stalin on Tuesday announced an aid of Rs 5 crore from the CM's Public Relief Fund to the Kerala government where a landslide disaster has claimed 75 lives and many are reported missing.

CM Stalin in a post on X said, "Deeply pained to learn about the massive landslides in Wayanad and the consequent loss of priceless lives. I am given to understand that many people are still trapped in the area. I am sure that the rescue operations that are in full swing will save them all. The government of Tamil Nadu is willing to extend any logistical or manpower support that may be needed in this hour of crisis for our brethren state Kerala."

Massive landslides hit several areas in the Wayanad district early morning and several others are feared trapped.

Mundakkai, Chooralmala, Attamala and Noolpuzha areas of Wayanad district are affected the most.

The bridge connecting Mundakkai to the mainland has been washed away.

Several bodies were recovered downstream in the Chaliyar River of Malappuram district which is around 100 km away from the place where the incident took place.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Union Home Minister Amit Shah have already communicated to Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan all assistance in the rescue operations. The leaders also expressed condolences to the families of the deceased.
Shimla, July 30 : Himachal Pradesh Chief Minister Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu inaugurated the 75th state-level 'Van Mahotsav' on Tuesday by planting an oak sapling at his official residence, Oak Over, here.

He said the Forest Department has set a target to plant saplings on 9,000 hectares across the state.

The Chief Minister also launched the beta testing of the e-forest software, a new initiative aimed at streamlining departmental operations and enhancing transparency within the Forest Department.

He emphasised the importance of increasing the plantation of fruit trees in forest areas from 30 to 60 per cent, with anticipated positive outcomes within 10 years. He highlighted that the Forest Department and the Forest Corporation processed 15,000 salvage trees last year, generating substantial revenue from timber sales, which increased the state government's royalty income from Rs 35 crore to Rs 70 crore in one and a half years.

In the remote Lahaul-Spiti district, Mahila Mandals (women groups) have been engaged in plantation activities and forest conservation, generating revenue for these womenas groups.

Underlining the state's green initiatives, CM Sukhu said a 32 MW solar power plant at Pekhubela in the Una district has been established, while two more solar plants are expected to become operational in the next six months.

Additionally, the government has signed a memorandum of understanding with Oil India Company for green hydrogen production, which would further propel the state towards its green energy state goal.
London, July 30 : UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer is expected to visit Southport on Tuesday where two children were killed and nine others were injured - six of them still in a critical condition - during a knife attack on Monday morning.

Ahead of Starmer's visit, British Home Secretary Yvette Cooper and Southport MP Patrick Hurley laid flowers at the scene of the attack on Tuesday morning. A vigil is also being planned in the evening in memory of the victims.

The children were attending a Taylor Swift event at a dance school when a 17-year-old male offender, armed with a knife, walked into the premises and started to attack those inside.

Chief Constable Serena Kennedy said that the youngster from Banks in Lancashire, who was born in Cardiff, was arrested on suspicion of murder and attempted murder and taken to the police station where he is being interviewed by detectives.

In its initial statement, the local police had confirmed that the incident was not being treated as terror-related and they were not looking for anyone else in connection with the incident.

"At this early stage, enquiries are ongoing to establish the motive for this tragic incident and we would urge people not to speculate while the investigation is ongoing," said Merseyside Police.
Mumbai, July 30 : Mira Rajput Kapoor, wife of Bollywood actor Shahid Kapoor, who is currently on a family vacation in Europe, on Tuesday, shared a video from Taylor Swift's concert in Munich, Germany, which she attended with her daughter Misha.

Mira, who is an avid social media user with 4.8 million Instagram followers, posted a reel video showing her enjoying the concert.

She wore an orange top with matching trousers and a denim jacket, while her daughter sported a white abstract design co-ord set.

The post was captioned: "Core memory with my sunshine swiftie... We couldn't believe it! Mother-daughter trip of dreams #taylorswift #swiftie."

The video has garnered 787K views.

One fan commented, "goals," while another said, "Awesome.. will be soo memorable for you both."

Mira also shared a solo snap of herself from the concert on her Stories section, captioning it: "Smiling at my baby girl shining."

Shahid and Mira married in July 2015 and have two children, Misha and Zain.

On the professional front, Shahid made his debut with the 2003 romantic comedy film 'Ishq Vishk', directed by Ken Ghosh, which also starred Amrita Rao and Shenaz Treasurywala.

The actor has since appeared in films such as 'Fida', 'Dil Maange More', '36 China Town', 'Vivah', 'Jab We Met', 'Kismat Konnection', 'Kaminey', 'Phata Poster Nikhla Hero', 'Haider', 'Padmaavat', 'Kabir Singh', 'Jersey', among others.

Shahid was last seen in the science fiction romantic comedy 'Teri Baaton Mein Aisa Uljha Jiya'.

The actor will next be seen as a police officer in the upcoming adrenaline-pumping action thriller, 'Deva'. The movie also features Pooja Hegde and Pavail Gulati.

Directed by Rosshan Andrrews and produced by Siddharth Roy Kapur, the film promises an action-packed roller-coaster ride full of thrills and drama.

It is set to release on February 14, 2025.
Kolkata, July 30 : The Trinamool Congress will move a special motion to condemn the alleged ongoing "conspiracies to divide West Bengal" on the floor of the Assembly on August 5, which will be the last day of the Monsoon Session.

Kolkata, July 30 (IANS) The Trinamool Congress will move a special motion to condemn the alleged ongoing "conspiracies to divide West Bengal" on the floor of the Assembly on August 5, which will be the last day of the Monsoon Session.

State Parliamentary Affairs Minister, Sovandeb Chattopadhyay, said the decision to move the motion was taken at a meeting of the Business Advisory Committee in the Assembly on Tuesday.

"The BJP seems confused and divided on this issue. While one group is for the division of Bengal, the other group is against it. So we are bringing this motion so that the BJP legislators can participate in the debate on it and express their views," Chattopadhyay said.

The decision to move the motion on this issue comes a day after Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee during her address in the House on Monday said that the Trinamool Congress will resist all attempts to divide West Bengal.

Her comments came in the wake of a recent observation made by a BJP Lok Sabha member from Jharkhand, Nishikant Dubey demanding formation of a new Union Territory through the bifurcation of certain districts of Bihar, Jharkhand and West Bengal, which was seconded by BJP legislator from Murshidabad Assembly constituency Gouri Sankar Ghosh.

It is learnt that the Chief Minister will be present in the Assembly on August 5 when the motion is moved and discussions sought.

Party insiders said that with the Chief Minister being present in the House on that day, it is natural that she will be the principal speaker on behalf of the Treasury Benches.

Although the BJP's Chief Whip in West Bengal Assembly, Shankar Ghosh, described the proposed motion as a move to create political controversy over the issue, the party's legislators will still participate in the debate so that their views can be highlighted and recorded.

Meanwhile, speaking on the decision by the BJP to move a No Confidence Motion against the Speaker on Monday, Chattopadhyay said that anyone has the right to do that.

"However, there is a procedure for submitting that motion," Chattopadhyay said, referring to the development that instead of moving it on the floor of the House, the BJP MLAs submitted the proposal on the No Confidence Motion to the office of Assembly Secretary Sukumar Roy.
Beirut, July 30 : A Hezbollah member was killed on Tuesday in an Israeli airstrike on the village of Bayt Lif in the central part of the border area in southern Lebanon, military sources said.

The military sources, who spoke anonymously to Xinhua news agency, said that Israel launched an air-to-ground missile on a house in Bayt Lif, killing Hezbollah member Hassan Hussein Malek.

Israeli drones and warplanes carried out three raids at dawn on three border towns and villages in southern Lebanon, while Israeli artillery targeted six towns and villages with about 25 shells.

Tensions along the Lebanon-Israel border escalated on October 8, 2023, following a barrage of rockets launched by the Lebanese armed group Hezbollah toward Israel in solidarity with Hamas' attack on Israel a day before. Israel retaliated by firing heavy artillery toward southeastern Lebanon.

Recently, Israel has been threatening to launch a military operation against Hezbollah after a rocket fell in the town of Majdal Shams in the Golan Heights on Saturday, killing 12 people and wounding several others.
Yangon, July 30 : Myanmar authorities have seized 37.8 kilograms of raw opium in the Sagaing region, according to a statement from the Central Committee for Drug Abuse Control (CCDAC) on Tuesday.

Acting on a tip-off from the sources, a joint police force intercepted a passenger bus in the region's Sagaing town on Monday and confiscated the drugs from a passenger on the bus, Xinhua news agency reported.

In the operation, one person was arrested and charged under the Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances Law of the country, according to the CCDAC.

Further investigation into the case is underway.
New Delhi, July 30 : The Supreme Court on Tuesday granted bail to Trinamool Congress leader Anubrata Mondal in connection with the corruption case linked to the alleged multi-crore cattle smuggling scam in West Bengal.

Senior advocate Mukul Rohatgi, appearing on Mondalas behalf, urged a bench, headed over by Justice Bela M. Trivedi, to release Mondal a" a close aide of Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee a" on bail, adding that he is yet to receive the English translation of probe report and other documents relating to the alleged scam.

Rohtagi submitted that other co-accused, including Mohd Enamul Haque, the alleged kingpin of the racket, had already been granted bail.

Opposing the bail, Additional Solicitor General S.V. Raju, representing the CBI (Central Bureau of Investigation), stated that Mondal is an influential person and has intimated other witnesses related to the case.

Taking note of the submission that the trial is unlikely to take place soon, the bench, also comprising Justice S.C. Sharma, ordered the conditional release of Mondal on bail and asked him to surrender his passport and cooperate with the trial proceedings.

However, the Trinamool leader will remain in jail as he was also arrested by the Enforcement Directorate (ED) in connection with the money laundering case linked to the same scam.

In December last year, the top court had asked the CBI to provide a copy of the charge sheet along with other documents to Mondal.

Mondal was arrested in August 2023 by the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) sleuths. His daughter Sukanya Mondal, his chartered accountant Manish Kothari, and his bodyguard Sehgal Hossain, all of whom are accused as co-conspirators and beneficiaries in the multi-crore cattle smuggling case, were also arrested. In September 2020, the CBI lodged an FIR against Enamul Haque, BSF Commandant Satish Kumar and others regarding the smuggling of cattle across the India-Bangladesh border.
Kinmen, July 30 : The bodies of the two Chinese fishermen, who were killed in a February boat incident near the island of Kinmen, were returned to the country on Tuesday, along with a detained fishing boat.

Ahead of the return, family members of the victims reached a consensus with the Taiwan side in Kinmen, following negotiations concerning the aftermath of the incident, Xinhua news agency reported.

They were accompanied by representatives of a local branch of the Red Cross Society of China in eastern Fujian Province.

The fishing boat was chased and hit by a Taiwan patrol ship on February 14.

The incident led to all four fishermen aboard falling into the sea, two of whom died.
Mumbai, July 30 : Shiv Sena (UBT) President and ex-chief minister Uddhav Thackeray on Tuesday sought Prime Minister Narendra Modi's intervention to resolve the Maratha-OBC caste quotas imbroglio that has created upheavals in Maharashtra.

Addressing media persons, Thackeray said that the power to change the reservation limit is not within the jurisdiction of the state government but vests only with the Parliament.

"The state government cannot solve the quotas issue and this must be tackled by the PM. Whatever decision the PM takes on this matter, we shall fully back it," assured Thackeray.

He pointed out that earlier, the Bihar government had tried to give reservations exceeding the quotas ceiling but it did not stand in the courts, as that can be only done by the Centre.

"There's no point in fighting for reservations in the state. I urge the leaders of various communities like Maraths, OBCs, Dhangars, or others to go to the PM and request him to look into the matter and whatever is the decision, we shall support it," Thackeray declared.

Slamming the ruling MahaYuti leaders for demanding the stance of the Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA), Thackeray retorted by asking, "Why they could not give the reservations after over two years in power."

He reiterated that rather than blaming the Opposition which had supported the government in the Special Session of the Legislature last year on the issue, the government should invite the caste leaders for discussions.

"Instead of seeking the views of the political leaders, the government must hold serious discussions with the leaders of the different castes, work out a consensus and find a solution acceptable to all. We shall back it," said Thackeray.

The former Chief Minister's remarks came after some Maratha groups staged a demonstration outside his home seeking to know the SS (UBT)'s stand on the caste quotas row and later Leader of Opposition (Council) Ambadas Danve met and spoke with them.
Athens, July 30 : Greece has culled approximately 9,000 animals following an outbreak of the small-ruminants plague (PPR).

The action was taken to contain the spread of the contagious and deadly viral disease after inspections of over 2,30,000 goats and sheep over the past week, Greek Agricultural Development and Food Minister Kostas Tsiaras said on Tuesday.

"We are taking all necessary measures to address the issue," he told Greek broadcaster ERT, adding that there was no risk to public health.

The agriculture ministry has announced a nationwide ban on the transport of goats and sheep for any reason as a preventive step, as experts were trying to locate the origin of the disease, Xinhua news agency reported.

The first cases were identified in the region of Thessaly in central Greece last week, where units were placed under quarantine.

On Monday, a few cases were reported also near Athens and on the Peloponnese peninsula in southern Greece. Breeders said that some animals tested positive were imported from Romania.

Greek authorities also proceeded to ban imports of goats and sheep from Romania until this Friday.

Tsiaras said that the state will support affected animal breeders. According to the ministry, breeders are refunded 150 euros ($162.5) for each animal killed.

The amount is small compared to the losses, Greek goat and sheep breeder Nikos Guvas told Xinhua.

Despite the assurances by officials and experts that PPR has no consequences on human health, a few customers of butcher Antonis Blamis in Athens were hesitant to purchase meat products this week.
New Delhi, July 29 : Speaking in the Rajya Sabha on Tuesday, Leader of the House J.P. Nadda hailed the Union Budget 2024-25 presented by Nirmala Sitharaman on July 23 as "inclusive, sustainable, and economically resilient".

He also said that the focus of the Budget -- the first in the third term of the government led by Prime Minister Narendra Modi -- was on the four pillars of 'GYAN' -- Gareeb (poor), Youth, Anndata (farmers), and Naari Shakti (women's empowerment).

He also congratulated PM Modi and the nation for the presentation of the Budget, highlighting that it was the first time in 60 years that a Prime Minister has been elected for a third consecutive term.

Recalling the historical context, he said, "When former Prime Minister Jawaharlal Nehru resumed power for the third time 60 years ago, there was the euphoria of Independence. The Congress had contributed to the fight for Independence. The Opposition was also weak then. However, during the 2024 general elections, the Opposition was strong, and in this situation, the people of the country chose PM Modi for the third consecutive time. "

Describing the election victory as a "mandate for stability, continuity, good governance, the vision of a Viksit Bharat (developed India), and pro-poor policies", the BJP President said, "I will tell you that some people were not able to cross the mark of 100 even after trying for the third time. If all the (opposition) parties were combined, the number is still less than the BJP."

Characterising it as "inclusive, sustainable and economically resilient", he said, "This Budget is visionary, addressing both immediate needs and long-term prosperity within a robust framework."

The Union Minister also emphasised the "comprehensive" nature of the Budget, focusing "on infrastructure development, technological innovation, social welfare, and creating equal opportunities".

The Budget aims to "enhance India as a global startup hub and drive growth", he said.

"No matter what kind of Budget it is, it all depends on three things -- income, spending, and leakage. The larger the size of the economy, the larger the capacity to spend, and the larger the benefit to the people," the Rajya Sabha leader added.

Accusing the previous Congress governments of not addressing economic leakage, Nadda said, "The country does not run on numbers but on a leak-proof system and last-mile delivery. Under PM Modi's leadership, Rs 37 crore is directly reaching the common man through direct benefit transfers."
New Delhi, July 30 : Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman on Tuesday reiterated her defence of the Union Budget 2024-2025 and said that the government didn't 'discriminate' between BJP and non-BJP states, as claimed by the Opposition parties.

She also lashed out at the Opposition over a 'motivated and misleading' campaign and said that not naming any state didn't mean that it was deprived of its right and revenue.

FM Sitharaman, who presented her seventh consecutive Budget this year, also sought to turn the tables on the Congress by recalling the financial documents of UPA eras, which didn't mention all the states.

"In 2004-05, the Budget didn't name 17 states, in 2005-06, there was no mention of 18 states, in 2006-07, 13 states were missed out, in 2009-10, a whopping number of 26 states were left out while the 2012-13 budget didn't mention 13 states," the FM pointed out.

"Does that mean no money was allotted to these states? Does that mean that these states were bereft of funds?" she asked.

Flagging statements of Opposition leaders on cooperative federalism, she said that a deliberate attempt was made to delude and mislead the public at large.

A misleading campaign is being run by the Opposition parties and as part of this gameplan, they are spreading canards and fake information. She added that they are trying to create fear in people's minds by distorting the facts.

The Finance Minister also shared details of various allocations and outlays in the current Budget for the states, which were not named in her speech.

"Talking about Railway projects alone, the one in Bihar, Bengal and Jharkhand has been allocated Rs 12,000 crore while the one in Telangana and Andhra Pradesh will entail a cost of Rs 770 crore," FM said, citing random figures.

"In terms of road highway projects, Kerala has been allocated Rs 9,600 crores while Jammu and Kashmir, Punjab, Haryana and Delhi together have been sanctioned Rs 18, 274 crores," she added.

She further lambasted the Congress-led Opposition for keeping mum on years of 'malpractice' (of not naming states in the Budget) and said that an unnecessary controversy has been created because a chaiwala turned Prime Minister is running an efficient administration.

Notably, the INDIA bloc had raised questions over Budgetary allocations and also accused the Modi government of favouring two states Bihar and Andhra Pradesh, ruled by BJP and its allies. Protesting against the Budget 2024, they called it an "assault on the sanctity of the federal structure of India."
New York, July 30 : Including the term "artificial intelligence" in product descriptions may inadvertently reduce sales, a study led by Washington State University (WSU) researchers suggests.

Published in the Journal of Hospitality Marketing & Management, the study surveyed over 1,000 US adults to investigate the impact of AI disclosure on consumer behaviour.

The findings consistently showed that products labelled with "artificial intelligence" were less appealing, according to Mesut Cicek, Clinical Assistant Professor of Marketing and the study's lead author.

"When AI is mentioned, it tends to lower emotional trust, which, in turn, decreases purchase intentions," Cicek said.

"We found emotional trust plays a critical role in how consumers perceive AI-powered products."

The study involved presenting participants with descriptions of various products and services, some explicitly mentioning AI and others not. For instance, in one experiment, participants were shown identical descriptions of smart televisions, with the term "artificial intelligence" included in one group's description. The group exposed to the AI mention was less likely to express interest in purchasing the television. The negative response to AI disclosure was more pronounced for "high-risk" products and services, such as expensive electronics, medical devices, or financial services. These are areas where potential failures could result in significant financial loss or safety concerns, making consumers more cautious, according to Cicek.

"We tested the effect across eight different product and service categories, and the results were all the same: itas a disadvantage to include those kinds of terms in the product descriptions," he noted.

The study suggests that companies should carefully consider how they present AI in their marketing. "Marketers should focus on describing the features or benefits and avoid the AI buzzwords, especially for high-risk products," Cicek advised.
New Delhi, July 30 : The Centre on Tuesday informed that 755 applications have been approved across 14 key sectors under the production-linked incentive (PLI) schemes and investment of Rs 1.23 lakh crore have been realised (till March), resulting in around 8 lakh jobs.

Keeping in view India's vision of becoming 'Atmanirbhar', PLI schemes for 14 key sectors were announced with an outlay of Rs 1.97 lakh crore (over $26 billion) to enhance the country's manufacturing capabilities and exports.

According to Union Minister of State for Commerce and Industry, Jitin Prasada, the purpose of the PLI schemes is to attract investments in key sectors and cutting-edge technology, ensure efficiency and bring economies of size and scale in the manufacturing sector and make Indian companies and manufacturers globally competitive.

"These schemes have the potential of significantly boosting production, increasing manufacturing activities and contributing to economic growth over the next five years or so," said the minister in a reply to a question in the Lok Sabha.

The criteria employed in the selection of beneficiaries under PLI Schemes includes but is not limited to, willingness to make required investment, production of approved product categories under respective scheme, eligible net worth, domestic value addition, etc.

The key sectors are mobile manufacturing and specified electronic components, pharmaceutical drugs and ingredients, manufacturing of medical services, automobiles and auto components, steel, telecom products, textiles, food and others.

The PLI scheme for automobile and auto components (PLI-Auto) and PLI Scheme on National Programme on Advanced Chemistry Cell (PLI-ACC) battery storage are being implemented by the Ministry of Heavy Industries.

Earlier this week, the Parliament was informed that 32 companies invested Rs 8,282 crore under the PLI scheme for large-scale electronics manufacturing till June 30.

The IT Ministry said that 27 companies have cumulatively invested Rs 464.66 crore under the PLI scheme for IT hardware and PLI scheme 2.0 for IT hardware.
New Delhi, July 30 : In a bid to boost innovation and modernise the industry, the Patent Office has granted a record 1,03,057 patents in the last fiscal (FY24), the Parliament was informed on Tuesday.

Union Minister of State for Commerce and Industry, Jitin Prasada, said that several steps have been taken by the government to further strengthen the Intellectual Property Rights (IPR) ecosystem in India.

"Owing to fee concessions in patent applications, there has been a significant increase in Patent filings by startups, MSMEs and educational Institutes," the minister told the Lok Sabha in a reply to a question.

Similarly, 75 per cent fee concessions at each stage of prosecution of design applications are extended to startups and MSMEs and 50 per cent to Trade Mark application filing.

The Centre launched the National Intellectual Property Awareness Mission (NIPAM) in December 2021 to impart IP awareness and basic training in educational institutes across the country.

Minister Prasada said that more than 2 million people have been trained about IPRs to date. The Scheme for Facilitating Start-Ups Intellectual Property Protection (SIPP) was launched in 2016 to support startups in safeguarding their IP rights (patents, trademarks and designs) by providing the opportunity "to avail pro bono facilitation by empanelled IP experts and facilitation fees of the IP experts to be borne by the government".

After the scheme, there has been a significant increase in IP applications by startups. As of June 23, 2024, the Office of Geographical Indications Registry has registered a total of 643 GI applications in the country, the government said.
New Delhi, July 30 : The Union Budget aims to simplify tax provisions and reduce complexity and disputes, while ensuring that those more capable bear a burden than the lesser, Revenue Secretary Sanjay Malhotra said here on Tuesday.

At a post-budget session at the leading industry chamber PHDCCI, Malhotra said the budget not only aims to adopt a collaborative, non-adversarial approach but also stimulate growth and employment, "with a significant shift from principal accounts to normative and presumptive methods".

"This year's budget is primarily focused on growth, development and inclusive progress. On the revenue side the goal is to support growth momentum as India stands out with a 7 per cent growth rate amid global economic challenges aiming for a aViksit Bharata by 2047," he emphasised.

On capital gains tax, the Revenue Secretary said the changes were driven by simplicity, fairness and equity. "Efforts were made to address various suggestions, including simplifying TDS, making appeal orders effective, rectifying cases, reducing the reassessment period, and merging charity schemes."

Malhotra expressed gratitude to taxpayers, mentioning that 51 per cent of direct tax revenue comes from the TDS.

He also assured the full support of the government towards the upliftment of industry and trade.

According to PHDCCI President Sanjeev Agrawal, the steps announced for micro, small and medium enterprises (MSMEs), such as credit support during periods of stress, credit guarantee for manufacturing units and the new assessment model for public sector banks for providing credit to MSMEs, are going to provide a fillip to scores of small units.

"We are sure that the overall provisions of Budget 2024-25 would further boost the economy, attract investments and create employment opportunities for the growing youth population," Agrawal told the gathering.

PHDCCI Executive Director, Dr Ranjeet Mehta, appreciated the government's decision to eliminate the angel tax as a significant milestone for Indian startups, saying this will further boost innovation and investors' confidence amid the funding challenges.
Mumbai, July 30 : The Nationalist Congress Party will commemorate the birth anniversary of Sahityaratna, Lokshahir Annabhau Sathe on August 1 across Maharashtra.

A grand event will be held at his birthplace in Wategaon, informed NCP state president and MP Sunil Tatkare.

Annabhau Sathe is a leading figure of Dalit literature and he played a crucial role in the Samyukta Maharashtra Movement.

The NCP's move is aimed at luring the Dalit community ahead of the upcoming Assembly election especially after it voted against the MahaYuti during the general elections fearing change in the constitution and end of reservation.

Tatkare said that on August 1, at Annabhau Sathe's birthplace in Wategaon, a Granth Dindi procession will be held from his home to the memorial.

"In this procession, the complete works of Annabhau will be honoured in a traditional parade. In the courtyard in front of Annabhau's memorial, the Granth Dindi will be welcomed with performances of renowned powadas composed by Annabhau, and tributes will be paid to him," said Tatkare.

Additionally, on August 2, a state-level brass band festival will be held on the premises of the Zilla Parishad School in Satara, where renowned band groups from across the state will participate. The NCP will honour these artists with mementoes and certificates of appreciation.

Annabhau Sathe's birth anniversary will also be celebrated at village, taluka, and district levels across the state.
Ulan Bator, July 30 : The annual multinational peacekeeping exercise code-named Khaan Quest 2024 for this year was underway at Five Hills Training Area near the Mongolian capital.

More than 1,000 military personnel from 23 countries, including China, India, Japan, Qatar, South Korea, Turkey, and the United States, were participating in the peacekeeping exercise, according to the Mongolian Armed Forces on Tuesday.

The exercise, which commenced on July 27 and will run until Aug. 9, features both command post and field training exercises. This year's focus is on realistic, scenario-based training centered on peacekeeping operations.

The objectives of the exercises include enhancing defence cooperation among the participating countries, building military trust, providing critical training to improve skills required for UN peacekeeping operations and fostering multinational cooperation in peace support missions, Xinhua news agency reported.
New Delhi, July : Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman on Tuesday took the opposition to task for claiming that agriculture had been ignored in the Union Budget 2024-25, pointing out that the allocation for the sector was five times more than what the erstwhile UPA government had earmarked in the Budget for 2013-14.

In her reply to the debate on the Union Budget in the Lok Sabha, the Finance Minister said the allocation for the agriculture sector made by the Congress-led government in 2013-14 was a mere Rs 21,934 crore, which has gone up more than five-fold to Rs 1.23 lakh crore in the Budget for 2024-25.

While the Congress was merely paying lip service to farmers during its tenure, the government led by PM Narendra Modi has extended more than Rs 3.24 lakh crore under the direct benefit transfer scheme to 11 crore farmers who have received the money directly in their accounts, FM Sitharaman said.

She also said that institutional credit to farmers has gone up more than 2.4 times and 76 per cent of small farmers are now availing loans compared to only 57 per cent in 2013-14 when the Congress was in power.

The Congress was merely shedding crocodile tears for the farmers while it did not do anything for them when it was in power, she added.

Stating that the Congress-led UPA had rejected the Swaminathan Commissionas recommendation on fixing MSP for crops at above 50 per cent of the cost of production, the Finance Minister read out the minutes of an official meeting dating back to 2007 to drive home her point in the Lok Sabha.

It is the Modi government that has raised the MSP for farmers across all crops, she added.

The Finance Minister also lashed out at the Congress for the irregularities in the implementation of loan waivers for the farmers, citing the CAG report on the issue.
Mumbai, July 30 : The cabinet sub-committee headed by Chief Minister Eknath Shinde on industry-approved investment proposals worth Rs 81,000 crore for 7 mega and super mega projects in Maharashtra on Tuesday.

These high technology-intensive projects, which are in the fields of electric vehicles (EVs), lithium batteries and cells and semiconductor chips, are expected to generate 20,000 jobs in Marathwada, Vidarbha and Konkan.

Shinde said Maharashtra continues to be the favoured investment destination. The investors have reaffirmed their confidence in the proposed investments. He further added that these projects will be entitled to get benefits of the various incentives announced under the package incentive scheme as per the Maharashtra Industrial Policy.

"The cabinet sub-committee on industries gave approval for manufacturing projects based on high technology lithium-ion cells/batteries, electric vehicles, semiconductor chips, solar PV modules and electrolysers, fruit pulp and juice," the Chief Minister said.

JSW Energy PSP XI will invest in a massive lithium batteries manufacturing project in the Nagpur area with a total investment of Rs 25,000 crore. More than 5,000 jobs will be generated.

JSW Green Mobility will invest in electric and hybrid vehicle manufacturing at Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar with an investment of Rs 27,200 crore. It will create 5,200 jobs. The company proposes to manufacture 5 lakh electric passenger cars and 1 lakh commercial vehicles annually.

A huge fruit pulp and juice-based product manufacturing project will be established by Hindustan Coca-Cola Beverages at Ratnagiri with an investment of Rs 1500 crore.

The RRP Electronic Company will set up an Integrated Project for the Manufacturing of Semiconductor Chips In Taloja/Panvel from Raigad district and also in Pune and Rest of Maharashtra.

According to the Chief Minister's Office, this is the first semiconductor manufacturing project in Maharashtra with an investment of Rs 12,000 crore during its first phase. More than 4000 jobs will be created.

In the second phase, the company proposes to invest another Rs 12,000 crore. The work of the project has started at Mahape, Navi Mumbai and will be operational by September 2024 on a pilot basis.

Further, Avaada Electro Company will set up an integrated solar PV modules and electrolyser project at Additional MIDC, Butibori in Nagpur district and in MIDC Bhokarpada, Panvel in Raigad district. The company plans to invest Rs 13,647 crore and it will create 8,000 jobs.

Pernod Richard India will set up a large liquor manufacturing project at Additional Butibori MIDC, Nagpur with an investment of Rs 1785 crore.
New Delhi, July 30 : The Centre has formulated an action plan for managing Zika Virus disease as the total number of cases stands at 537 (as on July 22), the Parliament was told on Tuesday.

Minister of State for Health and Family Welfare Anupriya Patel said that the plan provides detailed guidance on various public health actions that need to be taken in response to the disease outbreak. The plan has been widely disseminated and made available on the Ministry of Health & Family Welfare website, she added.

The government has provided technical guidelines for integrated vector management and effective community participation disseminated to the states for implementation.

"Under the National Health Mission, budgetary support is provided to states/UTs for preventive activities such as provision of domestic breeding checkers, involvement of ASHA, insecticide, fogging machines, training support, awareness activities, etc," Patel said.

The Integrated Disease Surveillance Programme (IDSP) at the National Centre for Disease Control (NCDC), is mandated with surveillance and response to 33 plus outbreak-prone communicable diseases including the Zika virus.

The Minister said every state has designated laboratories like District Public Health Laboratories (DPHLs), and State Referral Laboratories (SRLs) under IDSP for investigation and surveillance of these diseases.

Last week, the Maharashtra government appealed to the citizens not to panic, as 25 Zika virus cases were reported in the state from January to July. Of the total of 25 Zika virus cases reported, 21 patients were found in Pune city alone. Earlier this month, a 74-year-old man died after being infected with Zika virus in Karnataka. The state government asked the Deputy Commissioners to be vigilant about the spread of the Zika virus along with dengue cases.
Mumbai, July 30 : Highlighting the success of 'Mukhya Mantri Majhi Ladki Bahin Yojana', Shiv Sena Deputy Leader Sanjay Nirupam on Tuesday said that the scheme is on track and will soon reach two crore applications.

"The Mukhyamantri Majhi Ladki Bahin Yojana launched by the MahaYuti government for women in the state has received an overwhelming response. In just 25 days since the registration began, over 1.8 crore applications have been submitted," he said.

Nirupam said that the Nari Shakti Dut app has significantly streamlined the online application process, with 7 to 8 lakh applications being submitted daily.

"Additionally, the app has been downloaded 88 lakh times, averaging 800 downloads per minute. Currently, the Nari Shakti Dut app ranks as the 27th most downloaded app in the country, with 650 applications submitted every minute through it," he added.

Nirupam noted that no previous scheme has ever received such an extensive response.

He emphasised that the massive turnout is a testament to the trust that the mothers of the state place in Maharashtra Chief Minister Eknath Shinde.

"To date, the government has received 1.3 crore applications online and 50 lakh applications through offline modes. The government aims to benefit at least 2 to 2.5 crore women through this scheme. Applications will be accepted until August 31, 2024. The Shiv Sena party will initiate a campaign starting August 2, 2024, to promote registration in Mumbai and its surrounding areas," Nirupam said.

Pune district has reported the highest number of registrations, with 8.63 lakh women submitting their forms, he added.

Addressing critics who questioned the financial viability of the scheme, Nirupam assured that the state government has not sought any financial assistance from the central government.

"This scheme is entirely funded by the state government, and there is no parallel to the Congress's schemes. The Maharashtra Chief Minister remains committed to his promise," he said.

Nirupam expressed confidence that by August 17, 2024, women who have completed their KYC process will receive Rs 3,000 in their bank accounts.
New Delhi, July 30 : Indian Oil Corporation on Tuesday reported a 75 per cent decline in its consolidated net profit at Rs 3,722.63 crore for the April-June quarter of the current financial year, compared to Rs 14,735.30 crore in the same quarter last year.

The oil giantas revenue declined almost three per cent in Q1FY25 to Rs 2.19 lakh crore, compared to the previous year.

Sequentially, net profit was down 32 per cent as the company reported a net profit of Rs 5,487.92 crore in the quarter ended March 31.

Indian Oilas profit has come down as the average gross refining margin (GRM) posted a sharp decline to $6.39 a barrel from $8.34 in the same quarter last year. The throughput of the companyas refineries was 18.168 million metric tonnes (MMT) during the first quarter as compared to 18.752 MMT in the same period of the previous year.

The oil major achieved a quarterly domestic sales volume of 24.063 MMT, compared to 23.305 MMT last year. Exports volume in the quarter was pegged at 1.189 MMT.

The companyas pipeline throughput came in at 25.811 MMT from 24.951 MMT in the same period last year.

The India Oil board of directors have accorded stage 1 approval for the construction of a greenfield terminal at Bihta (Patna) on the Barauni-Kanpur product pipeline (BKPL) and the Patna-Motihari-Baitalpur Pipeline (PMBPL) at an estimated cost of Rs 1,698.67 crore. The shares of the oil major are hovering at around Rs 183 apiece on BSE.
Kolkata, July 30 : The Chairman of Aditya Birla Group, Kumar Mangalam Birla, met West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee at the state secretariat Nabanna on Tuesday.

According to a statement issued by the Chief Minister, while it was a courtesy meeting, Kumar Birla discussed business opportunities and investment in Bengal with CM Banerjee.

"They are having ongoing and in pipeline projects worth Rs 5,000 crore in different sectors like cement and paints manufacturing. They are also planning to open a world-class educational institute in the city besides other plans for fresh investment. We discussed all these and I assured him of our support," the statement read.

The meeting came at a time when the opposition parties are often accusing the state government of forming 'anti-industry' land and SEZ policies which are deterring big-ticket investments in Bengal.

The opposition parties claim that the annual Bengal Global Business Summit is merely a showcase event that does not fructifying into actual investments.

They also claim that the state government's policy of "no state government intervention in procuring land for industry" is the biggest deterrent for the investors to invest in Bengal which has a fragmented land-holding nature.

However, the Chief Minister has rubbished the allegations, claiming that there is no dearth of land for industry in Bengal since the state government has a ready land bank for the purpose.

She also claims that the days of strikes and lockouts in Bengal which were regular features in the previous Left Front regime are over now.
Bhubaneswar, July 30 : The Ministry of Railways has sanctioned Rs 275.01 crore for the provision of safety fencing along the railway tracks in the Bhadrak-Palasa and Khurda Road-Puri Railway Sections of the Khurda Road Division under East Coast Railway.

This project aims to facilitate the safe movement of trains at speeds up to 130 mph and beyond.

"To ensure effective fencing and avoid any disruptions, the Ministry has decided to construct boundary walls nearer to the tracks. The current plan involves erecting fencing at the boundary of Railway Land, with the actual distance to be determined by the zonal railway authorities based on site conditions, maintenance requirements, multi-tracking works, the level of trespassing and the overall effectiveness of the proposed fencing," said East Coast Railway sources.

The Railways through this initiative also aim to seal the entry to the rail tracks at level crossings, ROBs (flyovers), RUBs (underpasses), bridges and other critical locations requiring access control.

Also, cattle grazing near the tracks will be restricted from moving towards the Railway Line due to the safety fencing ensuring smooth traffic movement and preventing loss of livestock and wildlife.

Recently, Railway Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw informed in Lok Sabha that safety fencing would be strategically implemented at vulnerable locations to support the running of Vande Bharat trains at speeds between 110 kmph and 130 kmph.

For speeds exceeding 130 mph, continuous safety fencing will be installed along the entire track length.

"The Ministry of Railways remains committed to advancing railway safety and infrastructure to meet the growing demands of semi-high-speed train travel in India. This safety fencing project marks a significant step towards achieving these goals, ensuring a safer and more efficient railway network for the nation," added the ECoR.
New Delhi: Pakistan, a country beset by a myriad of internal and external challenges, has often found itself teetering on the edge of security crises.

These crises have not only shaped the nation's political landscape but have also played a pivotal role in legitimizing the pervasive influence of its military establishment.

Despite being a de facto military state, Pakistan's security scenario remains precarious, with the military exploiting this insecurity to cement its authority and control.

This article delves into the intricate dynamics of Pakistan's security crisis, the military's vested interests in perpetuating these crises, and the consequent political engineering that has stymied the nation's democratic aspirations.

Historical context: The militaryas ascendancy

Since its inception in 1947, Pakistan has experienced a tumultuous political history characterised by intermittent military coups and prolonged periods of martial law. The military's ascendancy can be traced back to the early years of independence when the nascent state faced existential threats from both internal insurgencies and external conflicts, most notably with India.

The military, positioning itself as the guardian of Pakistan's sovereignty and integrity, gradually entrenched its influence in the political and administrative spheres.

The 1958 coup led by General Ayub Khan marked the beginning of direct military rule, which continued under various guises through subsequent decades.

The narrative of an ever-looming security threat, whether from neighbouring India, internal separatist movements, or global terrorism, has been a constant refrain used by the military to justify its dominance.

This narrative has been instrumental in creating a securitised state where the militaryas role transcends traditional defence duties to encompass governance, economic management, and foreign policy.

Security crisis: A perpetual state of emergency

Pakistanas security landscape is a complex web of threats ranging from insurgencies in Balochistan and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa to terrorist activities orchestrated by groups like Tehrik-i-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) and sectarian violence.

Despite substantial military operations such as Operation Zarb-e-Azb and Operation Radd-ul-Fasaad, which were aimed at dismantling terrorist networks and restoring order, the country continues to grapple with sporadic attacks and unrest.

One might question how, despite such extensive military involvement and operations, the security scenario remains in the doldrums. The answer lies in the intricate interplay between the military's strategic interests and its need to maintain a facade of indispensability.

The perpetuation of a security crisis serves as a justification for the military's overarching presence in all facets of Pakistani society. This state of perpetual emergency ensures that the military remains the ultimate arbiter of national policy, thereby stifling democratic processes and civilian governance.

The military's involvement in political engineering is a well-documented phenomenon. From orchestrating coups to influencing electoral outcomes, the military has consistently manipulated the political process to ensure that civilian governments remain subservient to its agenda.

The creation of the Islami Jamhoori Ittehad (IJI) in the late 1980s, a political alliance aimed at countering Benazir Bhutto's Pakistan People's Party (PPP), is a prime example of the militaryas covert political manoeuvring.

More recently, the military's influence was evident in the 2018 general elections, where Imran Khan's Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) emerged victorious amidst widespread allegations of electoral manipulation. The militaryas support for Khan was perceived as a strategic move to install a pliant government that would align with its interests. This symbiotic relationship between the military and selected civilian leaders ensures that the military's hegemony remains unchallenged.

Operations and interventions: Garnering sympathy and control

The militaryas operational interventions, often cloaked in the rhetoric of national security, serve dual purposes: addressing security threats and bolstering its image as the saviour of the nation.

High-profile operations against terrorist outfits and separatist groups are meticulously publicised to reinforce the narrative of the military's indispensability. These operations, while achieving tactical successes, often fail to address the root causes of militancy and insurgency, thereby ensuring the persistence of security challenges.

In addition to kinetic operations, the militaryas involvement in non-traditional roles, such as disaster management and economic projects, further consolidates its image as a multifaceted institution crucial to national stability.

For instance, the militaryas role in the construction of infrastructure projects under the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) not only underscores its economic clout but also its strategic importance in fostering Pakistan's economic development.

The military's vested interests extend beyond the realm of security into the economic domain. The military-industrial complex, comprising a vast network of businesses owned and operated by various military foundations, wields significant economic power.

Institutions such as the Fauji Foundation and the Army Welfare Trust have substantial stakes in sectors ranging from agriculture and real estate to banking and telecommunications.

This economic empire not only enriches the military elite but also creates a dependency on the military for economic stability and growth. The intertwining of military and economic interests ensures that any challenge to the military's dominance is perceived as a threat to national stability, thereby legitimising its continued intervention in civilian affairs.

Paradox of security and insecurity

The paradox of Pakistan's security crisis lies in the fact that despite the military's extensive involvement in security matters, the country remains ensnared in a web of insecurity. This paradox can be attributed to the military's strategic calculus, which views the perpetuation of security threats as a means to justify its overarching role.

The cyclical nature of security operations, followed by periods of relative calm and subsequent resurgence of violence, creates a perpetual state of insecurity that necessitates continuous military intervention.

Moreover, the militaryas prioritisation of security over democratic governance has stymied the development of robust civilian institutions capable of addressing the root causes of insecurity.

The marginalisation of civilian law enforcement agencies and the judiciary has created a security apparatus heavily reliant on military solutions, often at the expense of human rights and civil liberties.

Addressing Pakistanas security crisis necessitates a fundamental shift in the country's governance paradigm. The democratisation of Pakistan, characterised by robust civilian oversight of the military, is imperative for breaking the cycle of insecurity and military dominance.

Strengthening democratic institutions, empowering civilian law enforcement agencies, and fostering a culture of political accountability are essential steps toward achieving sustainable security.

The international community, particularly Pakistanas allies and aid donors, also has a role to play in encouraging democratic reforms and civilian supremacy. Conditioning military aid on demonstrable progress in democratisation and human rights can incentivise the military to cede space to civilian governance.

The Pakistani security crisis, perpetuated by the military's vested interests and strategic calculus, underscores the delicate balance between security and democracy.

The military's exploitation of security threats to justify its dominance has created a paradoxical scenario where the pursuit of security engenders perpetual insecurity.

Breaking this cycle requires a concerted effort to democratise Pakistanas political landscape, strengthen civilian institutions, and foster a culture of accountability and transparency.

Only through a genuine commitment to democratic governance and civilian oversight can Pakistan hope to achieve sustainable security and stability.

The path to this goal is fraught with challenges, but it is a journey that Pakistan must undertake to fulfil the aspirations of its people for peace, prosperity, and democratic governance.
Barcelona, July 30 : The threat of desertification in Spain is growing due to climate change and the intensive pressure of land use, a Spanish expert told Xinhua in an interview on Tuesday.

Gabriel del Barrio from the Spanish National Research Council's Experimental Station of Arid Zones (EEZA) said: "The amount of land under active degradation has tripled in just ten years. This will continue to grow because the land is being subjected to very intense use in order to extract the vegetables and other agricultural products necessary for a socioeconomic dynamic that is overheating the system."

Nevertheless, the researcher explained that the term desertification can be misleading as it suggests that the land affected by the phenomenon could become desert. He insisted that "there will never be a desert in Spain."

Deserts are complex functioning ecosystems that have evolved over millions of years, he said, adding: "What we are talking about is degraded land, which is a different thing."

Desertification refers to the permanent degradation of arable land in arid, semi-arid and sub-humid areas, due to intense pressure from farming, urbanization and climate change.

The United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) warned earlier this month that 90 percent of the planet's land surface could become degraded by 2050.

Up to 75 percent of Spanish territory is "susceptible to desertification", according to the country's Ministry for Ecological Transition.

Meanwhile, the EEZA reports that the percentage of land in Spain that can be classed as degraded currently stands at 24.6 percent.

The Spanish government has warned that higher temperatures have caused arid climates to double since the mid-20th century, at an annual rate of about 1,500 square kilometers per year, Xinhua news agency reported.

As Del Barrio said, "An increasingly arid climate undermines the resilience of ecosystems and makes it harder for them to recover." At the same time, the effect of climate change "increases the intensification of human activity", such as the expansion of irrigation systems into dryland areas.

Some 22 percent of irrigated land is considered degraded or very degraded, according to Del Barrio. Spanish authorities say that 79 percent of the country's water resources are used for agriculture and livestock farming.

"Land degradation is inherent to our presence in the world, but we can do some things to try to control it. We can, for example, respect the cycles of production and renewal of the natural resources that replenish slowly," said the researcher, referring to underground water reserves known as aquifers.

The intensification of agricultural land use is the principal cause of land degradation, according to Del Barrio. The dynamic of the current market "forces farmers to produce in excess" in order to satisfy the strict demands of large food distribution chains.

In today's globalized world, the effects of land degradation can also be felt across continents. Del Barrio cited the phenomenon of telecoupling, which refers to socioeconomic and environmental interactions over long distances.

"The areas in Spain of intensive agriculture and livestock farming are importing fodder produced in South America, which is at the expense of degrading native forests in regions of the Amazon, so the relationships are becoming increasingly complex," he said.

UNESCO also sees land degradation and desertification as a global issue, and stresses the importance of fertile soil in maintaining ecosystems and biodiversity. It has warned that 75 percent of soils are already degraded, affecting 3.2 billion people.
Beijing, July 30 : China's Ministry of Water Resources and the China Meteorological Administration on Tuesday evening issued warnings for possible mountain torrents in some regions.

According to an orange alert issued by the two authorities, mountain torrents are likely to occur in parts of Beijing, Hebei and Heilongjiang between 8 p.m. Tuesday and 8 p.m. Wednesday.

The authorities also issued a yellow alert for mountain torrents in parts of Inner Mongolia, Liaoning, Jilin and Guangxi, Xinhua news agency reported.

Localities have been advised to strengthen real-time monitoring and flood warning procedures, prepare for possible evacuation, and implement other risk-mitigation measures.

The Ministry of Water Resources said the residual circulation of Typhoon Gaemi, the third typhoon of the year as counted by China's meteorological authorities, could continue to affect China until July 31.

China has a four-tier, color-coded weather warning system, with red representing the most severe warning, followed by orange, yellow and blue.
Moscow, July 30 : A growing national debt will most likely have no effect on the militaristic ambitions of the United States, Kremlin Spokesman Dmitry Peskov said Tuesday.

The US federal government's total public debt has surpassed 35 trillion U.S. dollars for the first time, as recorded at the end of last week, according to data released by the US Treasury Department on Monday. This has once again sparked concerns about the nation's escalating debt problem and its potential impact on the world economy.

"Of course, the US, as one of the largest global economies, has a direct impact on the international economic situation," Peskov said.

"However, it is unlikely that this whole situation will somehow hinder their militaristic ambitions," he noted.

Meanwhile, he refuted the claims that Russia is trying to influence the upcoming US presidential election, calling it "absurd."

"Every time the US exploits both Russia and (Russian President Vladimir) Putin in its internal political struggle, it causes new irreversible damage to Russia-U.S. relations," he said.
New Delhi, July 30 : Union Minister of Ports, Shipping and Waterways, Sarbananda Sonowal, on Tuesday informed the Lok Sabha that the total capacity of India's 12 major ports has surged by 87.01 per cent between 2014-15 and 2023-24, reflecting the Centre's commitment to enhancing maritime infrastructure in the country.

New Delhi, July 30 (IANS) Union Minister of Ports, Shipping and Waterways, Sarbananda Sonowal, on Tuesday informed the Lok Sabha that the total capacity of Indiaas 12 major ports has surged by 87.01 per cent between 2014-15 and 2023-24, reflecting the Centreas commitment to enhancing maritime infrastructure in the country.

He said the capacity of the Paradip Port saw a substantial rise of 141.86 per cent, while the Kamarajar Port and the V.O. Chidambaranar Port in Tamil Nadu achieved impressive expansions of 154.05 per cent and 150.19 per cent, respectively.

Other ports such as Chennai, Cochin, and New Mangalore also reported notable increases.

The Syama Prasad Mookerjee Port in Kolkata has increased its capacity by 31.29 per cent, while the Deendayal Port in Gujarat stands out with a remarkable 121.79 per cent increase in capacity over the last decade, reflecting a significant boost in its operational capability, he added.

Sonowal also provided a comprehensive update on significant issues impacting the maritime sector in the Lok Sabha.

His detailed response also addressed concerns related to container shortages and port capacity expansion, highlighting the government's ongoing efforts and strategic measures.

In response to questions about container shortages affecting the exporters, Sonowal clarified that there is no acute shortage of containers.

The recent challenges have stemmed from the Red Sea crisis, which began late in 2023 and persisted into early 2024. This crisis led to a significant diversion of ships from the Suez Canal to the Cape of Good Hope, increasing transit times by 35 to 40 per cent. Consequently, this caused delays at major global ports and elevated charter hire costs.

To mitigate these issues, the government has come up with several proactive measures. Shipping companies are currently repositioning empty containers globally based on market needs, Sonowal said.

The Ministry of Commerce & Industry has been actively working under its Service Improvement Group framework, conducting regular interactions with shipping lines, port authorities, and export-import associations, he added.

The notable steps include advising safety convoys for vessels navigating disrupted routes and addressing inland container depot congestion through coordination with the Container Corporation of India.

Additionally, the Directorate General of Shipping is promoting the ownership and operation of containers by Indian entities as a long-term solution, the Minister said.

The development of tracking and tracing mechanisms through the Unified Logistics Interface Platform (ULIP) and Logistics Data Bank (LDB) aims to improve the turnaround time of export containers, thereby enhancing their availability, he added.
Algiers, July 30 : The Algerian government decided to withdraw its ambassador from France "immediately" in response to the French government's recognition of "Morocco's autonomy plan for Western Sahara," announced the Algerian Foreign Ministry on Tuesday.

The ministry criticised in a statement the French government's support for the "colonial reality" imposed on Western Sahara, a move the ministry claimed no previous French administration had taken.

It described the decision of the French government as being made "with great disdain and indifference" and without a proper assessment of its consequences.

The ministry noted that by endorsing the Moroccan autonomy plan as the sole solution under "alleged" Moroccan sovereignty, the French government is accused of "violating international legitimacy and denying the Sahrawi people's right to self-determination."

It added that the stance contradicts the UN's ongoing efforts to complete the "decolonization of Western Sahara and evades France's responsibilities as a permanent UN Security Council member."

The statement announced that Algeria would be represented in France by a charge d'affaires, Xinhua news agency reported.

In a letter to Moroccan King Mohammed VI, which was made public on Tuesday, French President Emmanuel Macron recognized the plan Morocco made in 2007 to "offer Western Sahara autonomy under its sovereignty."

Algeria and Morocco have been locked in a bitter rivalry for decades over the disputed territory of Western Sahara.
Kozhikode, July 30 : Kerala experienced its "worst-ever" natural disaster in the hilly Wayanad district early on Tuesday as a series of devastating landslides, amid heavy rain, left at least 120 people dead, 98 others reported missing while around 160 people were being treated in a few hospitals in the affected district even as rescue operations continue to locate the missing and evacuate those marooned, officials said.

The worst-affected areas include Churalpara, Velarimala, Mundakayil and Pothukalu and the locals from these areas who managed to escape are deeply shattered as hundreds of homes have been totally destroyed.

Tragic stories are coming out in large numbers from people who have lost their near and dear ones. A man broke out in tears as he said after the landslide occurred, he could only watch helplessly as his mother and his sister were washed away as he clung to a window for safety.

A woman said: "I have no idea of my sister and three children of hers. Till last night we were all together and now I have no clue where they are."

"There are hundreds of people living at Mundakayil where I have been living for the past 24 years and I am deeply saddened as in this hospital, there is no one from my area where I live," said a deeply upset Kunjumohammed, lamenting that he has lost his house and so has his daughter

"I hail from the Pothukalu area and this is going to be the worst-ever tragedy that Wayanad has witnessed. None has a clue of the number of lives that will be lost as the entire place looks ravaged by the landslide," said a local who was in tears as he searched for his immediate family members at the hospital.

"It's a tragedy which one cannot ever think about. Just imagine these people, including children, went to sleep last night and the tragedy struck. Many were swept away by nature's fury. In Malappuram district, 16 bodies were found floating in the Chaliyar river. Dismembered body parts have also been taken out from the river. A team led by a Lt Colonel has helped people trapped in the Mundakayil market area were rescued using a ropeway which the Army set up," Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan said.

"The first landslide occurred at 2 a.m. and then at 4.10 a.m. The road connecting Mundakayil to Churalpara has been washed away. The river which was flowing in the affected area has branched out and it now flows in two directions," he added.

The Chief Minister said that he had received calls from Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Congress leader Rahul Gandhi, Union Home Minister Amit Shah, Tamil Nadu Chief Minister M.K.Stalin, and West Bengal Governor C.V. Ananda Bose, and all pledged their full support for the state. Stalin has deployed a team from the state, led by two IAS officers, comprising disaster relief personnel and medical staff, to help in the rescue operations.

Vijayan said after hearing of the tragedy, contributions to the Chief Minister's Distress Relief Fund have started to pour in.

After addressing the media in the evening, the Chief Minister issued an advisory asking people not to travel to the disaster site as it will become difficult for the rescue team to go forward in their work. He also has informed that those who wish to come to help the suffering should get in touch with the district authorities who are coordinating the relief operations and depending on their request help should be provided. In the affected areas, 45 relief camps have been opened and there are over 3,600 people in these camps.

Of the 120 dead, only 48 bodies have been identified, leaving distraught relatives who have lost their near and dear ones running to various places trying to locate the missing people.

Even though Chief Minister Vijayan expressed doubts that the rescue operations can continue after dusk, the rescue teams comprising all three defence forces, the NDRF, police, fire force and a large number of volunteers are continuing their rescue operations trying to bring out people holed up at marooned places.

Leader of Opposition V.D. Satheesan, who reached the affected area, requested Vijayan to ensure that the government issue a directive to avoid post-mortem of the deceased so as to avoid more pain to the survivors.

Meanwhile, five cabinet ministers of the Vijayan government are in Wayanad overseeing the rescue and relief operations, while the state government has declared two days of mourning.

Prime Minister Modi has deputed Union Minister of State for Fisheries George Kurian to Wayanad to coordinate the rescue operations.

The matter was discussed in the Lok Sabha during the ongoing Budget session and Leader of Opposition Rahul Gandhi, who was earlier the MP from Wayanad, called for a swift rescue operation and also demanded enhanced compensation for the victims. He also demanded that the mapping of landslide-prone areas in many areas of Wayanad and Western Ghats be done and an action plan be readied by the Centre to address "growing frequency of natural calamities in the fragile region".
New Delhi, July 30 : Amid the ongoing political squabbles among the INDIA bloc constituents across Delhi, Punjab, West Bengal, Haryana, and Kerala, the alliance parties finally found a chance to show unity.

This opportunity arose due to the deteriorating health of Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal, who is currently imprisoned in connection with the Delhi excise policy case.

The opposition leaders gathered at Jantar Mantar on Tuesday to express their concerns over Kejriwal's health and his continued detention, demanding the Chief Minister's release.

The rally saw leaders from the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP), Samajwadi Party (SP), JMM, RJD, Congress, Trinamool Congress, and Left parties coming together to oppose Kejriwal's arrest and criticise the Central government's alleged repressive policies.

The demonstration featured leaders like Bhagwant Mann, Akhilesh Yadav, Ram Gopal Yadav, Raghav Chadha, N.D. Gupta, Pramod Tiwari, Gaurav Gogoi, Sanjay Raut, Sharad Pawar, Manoj Jha, and D. Raja, among others.

On stage, Kejriwal's wife Sunita Kejriwal was praised by CPI(M) General Secretary Sitaram Yechury, who described her as a "lioness" and urged her to remain resolute in her fight.

However, the show of solidarity was tinged with irony, as the Left bloc, including Yechury, struggles to acknowledge Mamata Banerjee -- who displaced the Left in Bengal -- as a "lioness."

The INDIA bloc parties, despite their regional differences, used this occasion to project a unified front at the national level.

In the Lok Sabha elections, two major constituents of the opposition bloc -- Congress and AAP -- diverged significantly in Punjab, even as they presented a united front in Delhi. This lack of cohesive strategy likely diminished public enthusiasm for their alliance.

With Assembly elections coming up in Haryana, Maharashtra, and Jharkhand, the INDIA bloc is yet to offer a clear political alternative.

The absence of a unified policy or governance vision has impeded their efforts to build a positive public image. Analysts suggest that voters perceive the opposition bloc as a mere counter to the BJP and Prime Minister Narendra Modi, rather than a substantive alternative.

Internal conflicts are evident, with Congress and AAP leaders in Punjab frequently clashing publicly. The hostility between Congress and AAP is often more pronounced than their shared opposition to the BJP.

In Kerala, tensions were highlighted when Congress leader Rahul Gandhi competed with CPI leader D. Rajaas wife in the Wayanad Lok Sabha constituency.

Raja was spotted sharing light-hearted moments with the Congress leaders at the Jantar Mantar, seemingly downplaying any existing rifts with the grand old party.

In Bengal, the discord between the Congress and Mamata Banerjeeas party is well-documented, with Congress leader Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury frequently criticising Mamata Banerjee and her government.

Similarly, in Haryana, AAP's increased political friction with the Congress is apparent, with AAP accusing the Congress of sabotaging their candidates in the Lok Sabha elections. AAP's announcement to contest all 90 seats in Haryana further underscores this friction.

While the INDIA bloc focuses on taking the Central government to cleaners in the Parliament, they continue to struggle to mask their internal conflicts.

The BJP continues to exploit these divisions to undermine the Bloc's efforts. This is why the opposition leaders seized the opportunity at Jantar Mantar to send a message of unity.
Srinagar, July 30 : The J&K Police have ordered a probe into the 'mysterious' fire incident in which three houses belonging to Kashmiri Pandits were gutted in the Mattan area of Anantnag district.

South Kashmir DIG Javid Iqbal Mattoo said the fire broke out 'mysteriously' on the intervening night of July 28 and 29 at the house of Anand Razdan.

"The fire also engulfed the houses of Shadi Lal Razdan and Sham Lal Pathwar, both neighbours of Anand Razdan, damaging their houses. A nearby grain store was also damaged in the fire," the DIG said.

He added that an investigation is underway following the filing of an FIR at the Mattan police station.

"Forensic teams have been called to assist the police with the investigation. We are also scanning the CCTV footage from the surrounding areas to look for clues," the DIG said.

One of the houses gutted in the fire was the maternal home of the additional spokesperson of National Conference (NC), Umesh Talashi.

NC said the party stands united with the Kashmiri Pandit brethren.

"One of the affected houses holds deep sentimental value as it was the maternal home of our additional spokesperson, @UTalashi. This loss of property is deeply emotional and significant. We call on the authorities to conduct a swift and thorough investigation to bring the culprits to book," the NC wrote on X.
Mumbai, July 30 : The Securities and Exchange Board of India (SEBI) on Tuesday launched India's first website for passive funds at the National Stock Exchange (NSE), along with unveiling a comprehensive report on the Indian Capital Markets.

The website provides a comprehensive platform for retail investors and empowers them to easily access information and understand the Indian passive funds industry.

It provides in-depth information on aggregate industry data, fund-wise data, and screeners for selecting funds based on various parameters such as underlying index, AUM, tracking error, tracking difference, trading volume, TER, comparison of funds, etc.

Meanwhile, the report on Indian Capital Markets covers the most significant reforms, important milestones, and technological innovations in the Indian Capital Markets, steered by the regulator, Market Infrastructure Institutions (MIIs), and market participants, along with their impact on investors in the country, said SEBI Chairperson Madhabi Puri Buch.

The report delves deeper into recent technological innovations and reforms, several of which are global firsts, findings from a retail investor survey across 12 cities in India and a nuanced analysis of benefits to investors.

"The transformation and growth of our Capital Markets is due to a collective vision to create a resilient, progressive, and technology-driven ecosystem that provides access, information and control to the Indian investor community, while ensuring guardrails for protection," she said.

Buch said that it is critical for all MIIs and market intermediaries to foster a culture of innovation, collaboration, feedback for review of regulations, and swift tackling of emerging risks.

According to NSE's MD and CEO Ashish Kumar Chauhan, the report provides a comprehensive analysis of Indiaas Capital Markets evolution over the years, propelled by active retail participation, sustained and high inflow by domestic institutional investors, and strong performance of listed companies.

"The MIIs and several other market participants have adopted and implemented SEBIas initiatives with speed and technological agility to make this transformation successful. We would like to thank our regulator, investors, MIIs, and all the stakeholders for their participation and collaboration in this journey," he added.
New Delhi, 30 July : Union Minister for Education Dharmendra Pradhan launched the National Apprenticeship and Training Scheme 2.0 Portal and also disbursed Rs 100 crore stipends to apprentices through the DBT mode on Tuesday.

He said that these apprentices are undergoing training in various sectors such as IT, manufacturing, automobile, etc.

He said that the NATS 2.0 portal is expected to be utilised by a large number of beneficiaries to register and apply for apprenticeships.

"A significant number of young graduates and diploma holders will be supported in attaining employability skills, accompanied by a guaranteed monthly stipend," the Union Minister said.

He said that NATS Portal 2.0 is a significant effort to democratise apprenticeship, bridge the skill gap, fulfil youth aspirations and make them future-ready.

He said that the portal launched will widen the reach of apprenticeship opportunities and help in the matchmaking of candidates and employers.

The minister also appealed to all educational institutions and industries to join the NATS 2.0 portal. "To ensure that the stipendiary benefits of NATS are delivered to intended apprentices in a time-bound, efficient, and transparent manner, the government has initiated the payment of its share of stipend directly to the apprentices' bank accounts through Direct Benefits Transfer (DBT) mechanism in 2024," he said.

He said that it is aimed to extend the use of the DBT system to provide government's share of stipend to all beneficiaries of the scheme.

He said that the NEP 2020 aims to mainstream vocational education and eliminate barriers between different streams of education.

"It emphasises integrating general and vocational education to ensure vertical and horizontal mobility for students. In alignment with NEP 2020, draft guidelines have been issued by UGC and AICTE for Apprenticeship Embedded Degree Programmes (AEDP)," the Union Minister said.
Mumbai, July 29 : The Maharashtra Cabinet chaired by Chief Minister Eknath Shinde on Tuesday gave its approval to bring in an ordinance for the implementation of the Maharashtra Prisons and Correctional Services Bill, 2024, similar on the lines of the Union government's Model Prisons Act, 2023.

This aims to regulate prisons, correctional services and prisoners.

It also aims to holistically address all relevant issues relating to prison administration as the pre-independence archaic laws need to be repealed and replaced by a consolidated, progressive and robust law in sync with contemporary modern-day needs and correctional ideology.

The state government had tabled the Bill during the Monsoon Session of the State Legislature but it was not passed.

Therefore, the State Cabinet decided to adopt an ordinance route for its implementation.

The Bill has proposed categories of prisons such as special prison, open prison for women, temporary prison, open colony and Boratkar institution.

Open prisons and colonies will assist prisoners in their rehabilitation and reintegration into the society after release.

There is a provision for the constitution of the Prison and Correctional Services Force, establishment of the welfare fund for all officers and staff of the prison and prisoners.

It proposes prison segregation of various categories of prisoners and for their special needs such as women, transgender, undertrial, convicted, high-risk prisoners, habitual offenders, recidivist prisoners, young offenders and civil prisoners.

In the wake of deaths of inmates in the prisons, it will be mandatory for the medical officer to record all relevant details and particulars of the case and the officer in-charge must immediately inform about the dearth to the concerned Deputy Inspector General of Police and the Director General of Police. They must inform the National Human Rights Commission and other authorities.

The prison staff or officer, designated by the Superintendent must examine everything carried in or out of the prison and may stop and search or cause to be searched any person, suspected of bringing any prohibited articles or taking away any property belonging to the prison.

If any of such article or property is found, the prison staff or officer must give immediate intimation to the officer in-charge of the prison.

The Director General of Police, the Special Inspector General or the Deputy Inspector General of Police may take disciplinary action against any officer or staff of prison for misconduct.

The Bill has proposed power of arrest without warrant in the case of assaults and damage to the property and any attempts to commit a cognisable offence which involves or which is likely to involve imminent danger to the life of any person engaged in carrying on any work related to prisoners or officers and staff of prison or any other person or prison property.

The Director General of Police must ensure that all prisons are inspected by an officer of appropriate rank at periodic intervals.

The government must constitute a welfare fund for the welfare of all officers and staff and correctional services.

In a serious bid to avid unholy nexus between the prison staff and inmates, the Bill has proposed that the officers and staff and their relatives must not have any business dealings with prisoners and interest in prison contracts directly or indirectly.

They must not accept any gift from a prisoner or prisoners' relatives or friends or a person having any dealings with the prisons.

Similarly, it will be mandatory for the prisoners to strictly follow rules with regard to discipline.

In the case of breach, the officer in-charge will have powers to impose punishments for committing prison offences, including unauthorised use or possession of wireless communication devices, mobile phones, electronic devices, trespassing or attempt to trespass, loitering in and around the prison premises where the entry is prohibited, unauthorised communication with any person outside prison, smuggling or attempt to smuggle of any prohibited article, participation or organisation of anti-social activities like gambling and betting and sexual harassment or sodomy.

According to the Bill, separate enclosures or wards for women and transgender prisoners, both transmen and transwomen may be provided and they must be provided access to healthcare and correctional programmes.

The Bill has proposed after care rehabilitation services to all needy prisoners released from a prison with a view to ensuring their rehabilitation and reintegration into society.
Shimla, July 30 : Himachal Pradesh's former Chief Minister Jairam Thakur, in an exclusive interview with IANS, has hit out at Congress MP and Leader of the Opposition (LoP), Rahul Gandhi for his remarks during the discussion on Budget 2024-25 in the Lok Sabha.

Thakur also took aim at the Sukhvinder Sukhu government of Himachal Pradesh, saying that the Congress regime has failed to fulfil promises it made to people before the Assembly elections.

Following are excerpts from the interview.

IANS: What is your reaction to Rahul Gandhias speech during the discussion on the Budget in Lok Sabha?

Jairam Thakur: I heard the statement and was truly astonished at how the Leader of the Opposition could engage in such low-level discourse on a crucial issue like the Budget. It would have been understandable if he had offered suggestions on the Budget, but he did not address the Budget at all. Instead, he spoke from a political standpoint, referencing Shivaas procession and the Chakravyuh. Gandhias speech lacked substance; anyone who heard it would feel disappointed. He discussed the Budget on a very low level, and I would say itas a misfortune for the country. He should have provided suggestions, data, and facts. But he had nothing, and he continued to speak politically. Anyone who heard his speech would be disheartened by the way he presented himself in the house.

IANS: With your efforts and the Central government's assistance, a medical device park was set to be established in Himachal. However, the state government returned the funds. What is your take on this?

Jairam Thakur: It was a significant achievement that, despite there being only three medical device parks across the country, Himachal Pradesh participated in an open bidding process when our government was in power. We successfully competed and secured one of these parks, which was expected to receive an additional investment of Rs 300 crore. The Central government had allocated approximately Rs 100 crore in aid for this project. I am astonished that, despite the budget being allocated and the work being assigned, the state government is now returning the funds. They claim they will set their own conditions, but once the project is allocated, there is no room for discussion. This has caused a significant loss for the state. The reality is that the entire issue seems to revolve around money, with some Congress leaders having vested interests. The cancellation of this project is a great misfortune for the state.

IANS: The Congress made several promises during the Assembly elections which they are now failing to fulfil. Do you think people might take to the streets?

Jairam Thakur: One thing is clear: while the state government claims to be facing financial difficulties, development work should still be ongoing. However, for the past 18 months, all projects have come to a standstill. Employees are demanding their salaries on time, but the state government has no funds. The false guarantees made by the Congress have led to a truly unfortunate situation. Congress promised ten guarantees, yet none have been fulfilled. This will likely lead to a major crisis for Congress in the future. People are protesting on the streets against Congress, and we have seen the impact in the 2024 Lok Sabha elections. BJP won all the Lok Sabha seats in Himachal Pradesh. Congressas future looks bleak, and this is a certainty.

IANS: Do you think the Himachal government will last long?

Jairam Thakur: I would say that if the stateas interests are not being served and development work is halted, it will certainly be difficult for the government to remain in power. The public will eventually drive them out.

IANS: The Uttar Pradesh government has taken a significant decision on 'love jihad', extending the sentence from 10 years to life imprisonment. What is your view?

Jairam Thakur: This is a good decision considering the increasing number of incidents, especially in Uttar Pradesh and other states, where false claims ruin someoneas future. To prevent such incidents, stringent laws are required. If Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath has made this decision, I believe it is commendable.

IANS: The Congress alleges that you are trying to topple the state government and that several legislators are in contact with you. How do you respond?

Jairam Thakur: I want to repeatedly clarify that there has been no attempt from our side to topple the government. However, if such circumstances arise, we will certainly consider it. When we decide, Congress will face significant difficulties because it is divided into several factions internally. Congress is fragmented due to its own shortcomings. They blame us for the current situation, but we are not at fault. If they continue to blame us, it will only highlight Congressas problematic future.
Kozhikode, July 30 : Minister of State (MoS) for Minority Affairs and Fisheries George Kurian on Tuesday said Prime Minister Narendra Modi is monitoring the rescue and relief operations in the Wayanad.

"I would like to assure the people of Kerala that the Modi government is committed to provide all possible assistance to the state government for the rescue of the people affected by the landslide," said Kurian, who has been deputed by the Centre to the Wayanad to overlook the rescue operation.

The district authorities said that around 125 people have died while 98 people are reportedly missing.

The worst affected areas include Churalpara, Velarimala, Mundakayil and Pothukalu.

Kurian said two teams of NDRF, two columns of the Army, and two IAF helicopters have been deployed for search and rescue operations.

"Three additional teams of NDRF, with search and rescue equipment, are on the way. A dog squad has also been deployed for search and rescue operations. Columns of the Madras Engineering Group (MEG) have been deployed for the construction of three Bailey bridges," the MoS said.

He said that the two columns of the army with stores have also been airlifted from Thiruvananthapuram to Kozhikode.

"One 110-foot Bailey bridge and three search and rescue dogs have been airlifted from Delhi to Kozhikode," the MoS said.

He added that helicopter reconnaissance of the Engineering Team to assess the damage is being done to work out further resources required to be inducted.

"Two columns from the DSC Center Kannur, Indian Navy's ship INS Zamorin has been deployed to assist in establishing movement of rescue workers to the other side of the damaged bridge at the worst affected areas of Wayanad." the MoS said.

He said that additional resources will be sent by the Central government, as per the situation demands.

"The situation is being monitored by the Central government at the highest level. Both control rooms of the Ministry of Home Affairs are monitoring the situation 24x7 and providing all possible assistance to the state," the MoS said.
New Delhi, July 30 : In a jolt to real estate company Omaxe, the Securities and Exchange Board of India (SEBI) on Tuesday banned the company's top management, including Chairman Rohtas Goel, from the securities market for two years.

The markets regulator also barred the company's Managing Director Mohit Goel and three others from the securities market for irregularities in the company's financial statements.

The SEBI said in its "final order in the matter of misstatements and irregularities in the financial statements of Omaxe Limited" that these people have been "prohibited from holding any position as Director or Key Managerial Person of any other listed company for two years".

The markets regulator also imposed a Rs 47 lakh fine on 16 entries which need to be paid within 45 days.

"SEBI was in receipt of complaints against Omaxe Limited for fraudulent transactions, diverted/siphoned of funds, misrepresented the financial statements, inflated turnover etc," read the 126-page order.

As these allegations were serious in nature, the matter was taken up for further examination by SEBI, including conducting a forensic audit into the affairs of Omaxe. The order stated that these entities have "acted in concert to execute a fraudulent scheme which they tried to portray as normal transactions for the benefit of the company although it was experiencing loss, while also trying to portray that these as merely lending activities, thereby trying to maintain the price of the scrip of Omaxe for three years''.

According to the markets regulator, the real estate company misrepresented the financial statements during 2018-19, 2019-20, and 2020-21 including revenue, debtors, advances, and expenses. The fraud was never disclosed to the shareholders of Omaxe.

The probe observed that "Omaxe and its management, knowingly, reported wrong, false, manipulated financial statements to create an impression among the investors that the financial statements as published by the company, were reflecting true and fair view of the companyas financial performance".

"It was alleged that they were knowingly involved in manipulations/ irregularities in the companyas financials and thus, induced the investors for dealing in Omaxe scrip with an intention to deceit upon them in order to maintain the price of the scrip to take the advantage of their pledged shares," read the SEBI order.
Srinagar, July 30 : J&K's Shias on Tuesday asked the Indian government to take a strong stand against the persecution of the community in Pakistan.

Senior Shia leader and head of J&K Shia Association, Imran Raza Ansari appealed to the Centre to take a strong stand against the persecution of the Shia community in Pakistan.

"I am writing to bring to your attention a catastrophic situation unfolding in Parachinar, Pakistan, where the Shia community is facing an existential threat from extremist groups. aThe situation is dire and immediate action is necessary to prevent a massacre. Years of sectarian violence, apathy and inaction of Pakistani government have emboldened extremist groups leaving the Shia community vulnerable to further attacks," he said in a letter to External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar.

"The recent escalation of violence has created a humanitarian crisis and it is imperative that India takes a strong stance to prevent further bloodshed. India has a moral obligation to act given its commitment to human rights and religious freedom," Ansari said.
Hyderabad, July 30 : A woman was injured when a stray bullet hit her on the terrace of her home at Narsingi area in Hyderabad on Tuesday, officials said.

This was the second incident in as many weeks and it sent panic among residents.

Police suspect that it may have misfired from a nearby army firing range where soldiers were practising.

The incident occurred under the limits of the Narsingi police station of Cyberabad Commissionerate. The woman, identified as Padma, was on the terrace of her building in Gandhamguda when a bullet struck her leg and she sustained a bullet injury near the ankle.

She was rushed to a hospital, where she received treatment and was later discharged. Alerted by the local residents, police rushed to the spot and seized the bullet.

This was the second incident in Narsingi this month.

On June 13, a stray bullet had pierced through the glass windows of a flat on the fifth floor of an apartment complex. No one was injured in the incident.

There are two firing ranges near Gandhamguda where police and army personnel conduct firing practice.
Imphal, July 30 : Miffed with the 'failure' of the Central and state governments and the existing political parties' sluggishness to end the over a year-long ethnic strife in Manipur, people from different walks of life have formed a new political party -- Good Governance Party (GGP) -- in the northeastern state.

Former Manipur Human Rights Commission member Yambem Laba and political activist Sanabam Radhumani have been elected as President and General Secretary of the GGP, respectively.

Leading personalities of Manipur including political commentator Nongdalenkhomba Moirangthem, retired Colonel Haorungbam Sharat, and retired IPS officer Potsangbam Sonamani, among others, are also associated with the new party.

Interacting with the media on Tuesday, Laba said the new political party is a product of the public sentiment on the current crisis the state has been witnessing for more than a year now.

Public representatives like ministers, MLAs, and MPs are unable to handle the crisis properly, he said.

While announcing that the GGP would contest the 2027 Assembly elections, Laba said that candidates would be chosen from a simple, honest, dedicated, and dynamic background.

The GGP President also underlined that the BJP-led government's inability to reach out to all parts of Manipur is a big hindrance in resolving the ongoing crisis.

"We would choose a Chief Minister who can travel to all parts of the state and is acceptable to all," he added.
Jammu, July 30 : A terrorist associate was apprehended in a joint operation by the army and police in Jammu and Kashmir's Poonch district on Tuesday, police said.

The individual, identified as Mohd Khalil Lone, of Bandipora district in the Kashmir Valley, was apprehended after a meticulously planned and executed operation.

"Preliminary investigations reveal that Lone is associated with the proscribed terror organisation Hizbul Mujahideen as a logistic provider and Overground Worker," police said.

"He was deputed to receive a consignment of arms and ammunition. Further investigation is going on."
New Delhi, July 31 : Vietnam Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh reached New Delhi late on Tuesday evening for a three-day state visit which is expected to further strengthen the age-old ties between the two countries.

"Warm welcome to PM Pham Minh Chinh of Vietnam as he arrives in New Delhi on a State Visit. India and Vietnam share civilisational links and a longstanding friendship based on mutual trust. The visit will further strengthen our Comprehensive Strategic Partnership," Ministry of External Affairs spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal said in a post on X.

The Vietnamese PM is scheduled to participate in various programmes and business events on Wednesday. He will receive a ceremonial welcome at the forecourt of the Rashtrapati Bhavan on Thursday.

On the same day, Pham Minh Chinh will visit the Raj Ghat to pay tribute to Mahatma Gandhi and then hold bilateral discussions with Prime Minister Narendra Modi, who will also host a luncheon in honour of the visiting delegation.

Chinh is also scheduled to call on President Droupadi Murmu and Vice President Jagdeep Dhankhar during the course of his visit.

"India considers Vietnam as a key pillar of its Act East Policy and an important partner in its Indo-Pacific vision," the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) said on Tuesday.

India-Vietnam relations have been on the upswing since the establishment of a Comprehensive Strategic Partnership during Prime Minister Narendra Modi's visit to Hanoi in 2016.

PM Modi has maintained Vietnam's importance as an important pillar of India's 'Act East' policy and the Indo-Pacific vision, while seeking to enhance the scope of the bilateral relationship - including defence partnership - besides working for expeditious progress on the existing initiatives.
New Delhi, July 31 : An Indian-origin woman, who has been allegedly deserted by her Pakistani husband, has sought help from the governments of both countries to get her children back.

Farzana Begum, a resident of Mumbai, said that she married Yusuf Mirza Ilahi, in Abu Dhabi in 2015, and after two to three years, he deceitfully brought her to Pakistan. However, later, he returned to Abu Dhabi with their two children.

Farzana also claimed that Yusuf had married multiple times in the past and had hidden this fact from her. She further claimed that Yusuf had deserted his previous wives and children in a similar manner.

She has now filed a plea in a Lahore court seeking justice. The plea is scheduled to be heard on August 15.

Farzana has pleaded for help from Pakistan and the Indian government to get her children back. She has urged the Indian Embassy to speak to Abu Dhabi authorities on this issue.

The victim's Pakistani lawyer said that Farzana is the wife of a Pakistani citizen and the mother of two Pakistani children. Therefore, Farzana has the same rights in the country as any Pakistani citizen. It is the duty of the Pakistani government to help Farzana in this matter, the lawyer said.
Mumbai, July 31 : Choreographer Ganesh Acharya who has designed the steps for many iconic songs in Bollywood, attended the launch of the 'Punjabi Munde' song from the upcoming movie 'Ghudchadi in Mumbai's Juhu.

The revelation was made by the director of the film, Binoy Gandhi, as he spoke with the media on the sidelines of the event. Binoy, who shares a great companionship with Ganesh, said that the latter told him that he would do anything for him as they share a great rapport.

The director told the media that Ganesh attended the event, and performed despite the doctor advising him to take rest. Ganesh was joined by the Badshah of Bhangra, Sukhbir on the stage and the cast of aGhudchadia as they grooved to the electrifying number.

aGhudchadia stars Sanjay Dutt, Raveena Tandon, Parth Samthaan, Khushalii Kumar and Aruna Irani in pivotal roles. It tells the story of a couple, whose parents fall in love. With their parents set to marry each other, the situation poses a hilarious yet grave consequence to the coupleas relationship.

The film has been shot around Gurugram, New Delhi and Jaipur. It marks the feature debut of Parth Samthaan, who is known for his work on the medium of television.

The film, produced by Nidhi Dutta and Binnoy K. Gandhi, is set to stream on August 9 on JioCinema Premium.
Patna, July 31 : A joint team of Special Task Force (STF) from West Bengal and Bihar along with local police conducted a raid and busted a mini-gun factory in Rahimpur village in Bihar's Saran, officials said on Tuesday.

Superintendent of Police (SP), Saran, Kumar Aashish said that the team has arrested five individuals. Of them, four are natives of Bihar's Munger.

During the raid, authorities seized a substantial cache of partially built guns, barrels, and equipment used in the manufacture of country-made pistols and "kattas" (country-made firearms).

"We have confiscated 75 partially built firearms, 15 barrels, 36 partially built barrels, 6 cutters, 14 drill machines, 2 building machines, 1 generator, 1 mobile phone, 1 lathe machine, 1 milling machine, 10 tons of iron bars, and other equipment," the SP said.

The mini-gun factory was illegally operating in a house owned by one Akhilesh Singh. Police have arrested Singh and four others, identified as Mohammad Chand, Mohammad Parvez, Irfan, and Mohammad Parwala -- all four are natives of Munger and are believed to be workers at the factory.

The team also recovered a large amount of raw materials at the factory during the raid.
PEN America United, the staff union at PEN America, reached a tentative agreement with management on July 10. Details of the agreement have yet to be disclosed.

The agreement follows 21 months of bargaining and comes less than two weeks after all PAU voting unit members authorized a strike. In a June 28 Instagram post announcing the strike authorization, PAU stated that its "contract priorities for the last twenty months have been fair pay and benefits, protection for members personal political expression, and protection against unfair retaliation."

PAU was formed in June 2022 and began bargaining with PEN America that October. In March 2023, PAU voted to affiliate with United Auto Workers Local 2320, Region 9A. The July contract marks PAU and PEN America's first collective bargaining agreement.

"We are elated that, after a long and arduous process, we have reached a tentative agreement on our first union contract with PEN America management," the PAU executive board said in a statement. "This is a huge step towards realizing a fair workplace at PEN America."

The statement continued: "This milestone for our union could not have occurred had it not been for the unyielding support of our affiliate, United Auto Workers, and each of our unit members, who have time and time again shown up for PAU. Every member of PEN America United, including former staff, is an example of what dogged solidarity, tireless organizing, and yes, the liberating power of language, can do. We look forward to a ratification vote in the coming days. Solidarity forever."

PEN America, in a statement, said that the organization "is very proud of the agreement reached with PEN America United" and that "the outcome of this contract, our first collective bargaining agreement, is a testament to the hard work and engagement of everyone involved in this process." The statement continued: "PEN America is invested in its talented staff, and we look forward to continuing to work together to advance our free expression mission."
Deb Futter, president and publisher of Celadon Books, has taken on additional responsibilities as president and publisher of Flatiron Books. She succeeds Flatiron founder Bob Miller, who will depart Macmillan Publishers after 11 years with the company. Flatiron SVP and publisher Megan Lynch has been promoted to EVP, reporting to Futter, overseeing all aspects of the day-to-day operations of Flatiron.

Lynch joined Flatiron, from HarperCollins Ecco imprint, in 2019, succeeding Amy Einhorn as publisher after the latter was tapped to head up Henry Holt. (Einhorn moved to Crown last year.) Since then, Lynch has overseen the publication of such bestselling books as Hell Bent and The Familiar by Leigh Bardugo, Beyond the Story by BTS, Of Women and Salt by Gabriela Garcia, Olga Dies Dreaming by Xochitl Gonzalez, abd Friends, Lovers, and the Big Terrible Thing by Matthew Perry.

Reporting to Lynch are SVP and associate publisher Malati Chavali, SVP and publishing director Julie Will, VP and executive director of publicity Marlena Bittner, VP and executive director of marketing Nancy Trypuc, and VP and editorial director Zachary Wagman, along with executive editors Caroline Bleeke, Christine Kopprash, and Nadxieli Nieto, and editor Kukuwa Fraser.

Megan has proven herself to be a great publisher and leader, Jon Yaged, CEO of Macmillan Publishers, said in a statement. She has driven success across every category. Her tireless devotion to her team and her authors, fabulous taste and editorial judgment, and her uncanny ability to attract some of the brightest stars to Flatirons ranks will undoubtedly enable her to lead Flatiron to continued greatness.

Futter cofounded Celadon in 2019 with fellow Grand Central Publishing veteran Jamie Raab, and has served as president and publisher of the imprint since 2022, when Raab stepped down and was named publisher-at-large at Macmillan. The imprint has published such bestselling authors as Mya-Rose Craig, Erin French, Jean Hanff Korelitz, Steve Martin, Alex Michaelides, and Henry Winkler.

Miller came to Macmillan in 2013 from Workman Publishing, then a standalone company, where he was group publisher for three years. During his tenure at Flatiron, he oversaw the publication of nearly 100 bestsellers, and he has worked with such authors as President Joe Biden, Michael J. Fox, Brad Meltzer, and Oprah Winfrey, among many others.

Calling Futter a fantastic partner to me and so many others at Macmillan with a special knack for finding the right book at the right time and publishing it perfectly, Yaged added in his statement that her extensive industry relationships are built on her deep passion for books, which will now be even more impactful in her expanded role. Of Miller, Yaged said: He is an industry legend with a unique ability to build successful companies from scratch and has always been a joy to work with, adding: I cant thank him enough for the impact hes made at Macmillan.
Rep. Bennie Thompson, Jan. 6 panel chairman: Called on the inquisitive Inspector General Cuffari to resign.

His office subsequently opened a criminal investigation into the matter.

The USSS erased those text messages after OIG [Office of Inspector General] requested records of electronic communications from the USSS, as part of our evaluation of events at the Capitol on January 6, the inspector general wrote in a July 2022 letter to chairmen of both the Senate and House Homeland Security committees, including Rep. Bennie Thompson, who also chaired the Jan. 6 committee at the same time.

Cuffari further flagged the DHSs lack of cooperation with his inquiry, something he had already pointed out in an earlier report to the committees. DHS personnel have repeatedly told OIG inspectors that they were not permitted to provide records directly to OIG and that such records had to first undergo review by DHS attorneys, Cuffari continued in the letter.

Not true, responded Secret Service spokesman Anthony Guglielmi. He claimed the texts had been deleted when cell phones were reset to factory settings as part of a device replacement program. The insinuation that the Secret Service maliciously deleted text messages following a request is false. (Guglielmis truthfulness was brought into question recently when he claimed it was absolutely false that the Secret Service rejected the Trump campaigns multiple requests for additional security prior to the Pennsylvania rally. The Washington Post later confirmed that top Secret Service officials repeatedly denied requests for more manpower and equipment to protect the former president at large events.)

And despite initially insisting the texts were not lost, Guglielmi shortly thereafter said the missing Jan. 6-related messages were not recoverable. Cuffari did acquire the cell phones of two dozen Secret Service agents on duty that day, which did not have texts from that day but could have other pertinent information.

But rather than demand that the DHS use its extensive investigative tools to retrieve the texts, Thompson instead turned his fire on Cuffari. Thompson suggested Cuffaris alleged delay in notifying the committee about the purged texts represented a cover-up and cost investigators precious time to capture relevant evidence. Cuffari had, in fact, notified the Homeland Security committee of both the Senate and House, of which Thompson was chairman, at least twice that DHS officials were not cooperating in his J6 probe.

Cassidy Hutchinson: Why wouldn't the Jan. 6 committee want records to prove or disprove her claims damaging to Trump?

The Department repeatedly suggested that OIG might not have a right of access to the records sought, but during the months-long period in which access was delayed the Department did not cite any legal authority  that would have justified withholding the information, Cuffari disclosed in a September 2021 report to Congress.

Despite Cuffaris warnings related to stonewalling by DHS brass, Thompson accused Cuffari of withholding news of the deleted messages. In a July 2022 letter, just two weeks after Cuffari disclosed the missing texts, Thompson asked him to step aside from the J6 inquiry. Calls for Cuffaris dismissal have also been driven by the nonprofit watchdog group, the Project on Government Oversight. The vice chair of POGOs board is Debra Katz, a lawyer for Brett Kavanaghs accuser, Christine Blasey Ford, during his tawdry Supreme Court nomination hearings.

Critics say Thompsons demand for Cuffaris recusal appeared to contradict his stated mission to find the truth about Jan. 6. For example, former White House aide Cassidy Hutchinson, a star witness for the committee, provided a shocking account about how Trump allegedly assaulted one of the Secret Service agents on his detail that afternoon. Wouldnt Thompson and the other committee members want records to prove her claims, which are now in dispute by several individuals, including the driver she said Trump tried to attack? Why would Thompson want to get rid of the watchdog attempting to locate messages critical to filling an important missing piece of the Jan. 6 puzzle?

In fact, Thompson told Rep. Thomas Massie (R-Ky) in February his committee could have had a better, more thorough report had we had access to all those records. Thompson further said that the deletions not only violated the Federal Records Act but may have also amounted to obstruction of justice since he had issued a subpoena, the only one his committee sought from an executive office, seeking the records.

Talk but No Action

But neither his committee nor a Democrat-controlled Congress did anything about it. Unlike the committees criminal referral to the Department of Justice against Trump for obstructing an official proceeding, Thompson did not pursue criminal charges against any DHS official responsible for erasing the text records.

But Thompson did continue his attacks on Cuffari aided by his House colleagues and DHS IG employees, who wrote a letter accusing Cuffari of continued mismanagement. IG Cuffari has made it clear that he wishes to remain in his position, even in the face of prolonged, deserved criticism in the media, from Congress, from other oversight entities and from his own staff. A true leader would recognize the effect of his actions on his workforce and understand the right thing to do would be to step aside, anonymous staffers wrote in a September 2022 letter to Joe Biden asking him to fire Cuffari.

The Council of the Inspectors General on Integrity and Efficiency, or CIGIE, which oversees federal inspector generals, also went after Cuffari by opening a flood of inquiries into the DHS IGs office. In response, Cuffari filed a lawsuit seeking relief from an unjust, Kafkaesque system produced by an unconstitutionally structured entity and abetted by a complete absence of independent oversight, accountability and lawful due process. A federal judge dismissed his effort to stop the investigation, ruling that he had not suffered any harm.

CIGIE is mired in its own scandals; in May, several Republican House members sent a letter to a top CIGIE official demanding answers about the politicization of the organization. During a House hearing on July 24, committee members accused CIGIE chairman Mark Greenblatt of a lack of transparency and the subjective nature of CIGIEs work.

House Democrats, including Thompson, continue to seek Cuffaris resignation more recently for deleting text messages off his government device. Cuffari told Congress he did not consider the texts applicable under the Federal Records Act.

An enduring mystery involving Kamala Harris: Suspected pipe bomber outside the DNC on the eve of Jan. 6.

Intriguingly, as Cuffari begins his probe of the attempt on Trumps life, his Jan. 6 report may shed light on an alleged threat to Vice President Harris.

More than three-and-a-half years later, investigators still have not arrested anyone for planting pipe bombs outside the headquarters of both the Democratic National Committee and the Republican National Committee on the evening of Jan. 5. The FBIs investigation reportedly remains open but apparently went cold.

Kamala Harris: Why did the Secret Service fail to notice an alleged pipe bomb outside the Democrat National Committee office on Jan. 6  while the Vice President-elect was inside?

For reasons still unknown, Harris left Capitol Hill around 11:15 a.m. on Jan. 6 following a briefing for the Senate Intelligence Committee. Although an official schedule indicated she planned to go home, she instead arrived at DNC headquarters along with a Secret Service detail at 11:25 a.m.

Video captured by a security camera outside the building showed a bomb-sniffing dog conducting a vehicle search at 9:44 a.m., roughly two hours before Harris arrival. The canine did not detect the explosive device sitting just a few feet away near an outdoor bench.

Neither did officers from Capitol Police and D.C. Metropolitan Police, who intermittently arrived at the building throughout the morning and into the early afternoon. Harris Secret Service detail did not appear to conduct any meaningful search of the premises before or during her visit.

And when a plainclothes Capitol Police officer discovered the pipe bomb at 1:07 p.m., no officer appeared overly concerned that a device the FBI later said was viable and deadly was within distance of the incoming vice president.

She was evacuated about 10 minutes later.

How did the Secret Service miss the device in plain view? Was anyone fired for failing to properly sweep the area and endangering the life of their protectee? Were new protocols put in place to avoid repeating such a frightening scenario in the future?

Cuffaris report presumably will finally answer those questions because agency officials have not.

Not only are the FBI and Secret Service tight-lipped about the incident, but Harris herself has yet to discuss it publicly.

Harris has not explained why she, a sitting U.S. senator at the time, left the Capitol 90 minutes before the beginning of the joint session of Congress to certify her groundbreaking election. She appears to have been the only senator not in attendance as the proceedings commenced. Why did she plan to miss such a historic event? How did she feel when she was told of the alleged bomb?

It would be nearly impossible for the national news media to continue to ignore her ties to the pipe bomb story if Cuffari addressed it in his investigation.

Any delay or obstruction by Mayorkas is unacceptable," Loudermilk said in an email, "especially now that the DHS IG is investigating the serious USSS security failures at the Trump rally in Butler PA.
This June, the Supreme Court struck a major blow to the bureaucratic behemoth of the administrative state by overturning Chevron. The 1984 Chevron decision had long directed courts to defer to the administrative states interpretation of the law, granting enormous powers, including the judicial branchs core power of interpreting law, to an unelected, entrenched bureaucracy. As of this summer, this wrong has finally been set right.

The decision restores critical authorities to their constitutionally mandated branches of government, ensuring accountability to the American people.

What may at first seem like a mere abstract legal issue has had real world consequences for Americans. Chevron took power away from citizens, rendering them nearly defenseless against the tyranny of the administrative state. Americas Founders would be horrified by the cascading effects of this doctrine.

Take the cases that overturned Chevron: Loper Bright and Relentless. In these cases, small fishing companies challenged the National Marine Fisheries Services (NMFS) interpretation of the Magnuson-Stevens Act which requires fishing boats take a bureaucrat on their trips to make sure they are following the law. The question in the case was if the law required fishing companies to pay the salary of these bureaucrats  a significant expense at up to $700 per day. By overturning Chevron, the Supreme Court put these fishing companies, and anyone else fighting the administrative state in court, back on a level playing field.

Advancing American Freedom has remained laser focused on seeing Chevron overturned. In our 17 amicus briefs filed on the issue, we led a coalition of a combined 91 other organizations and individuals, arguing in both appellate courts and at the Supreme Court that Chevron was a danger to the liberties protected by the Constitution. Now that the Loper Bright decision has restored an element of judicial power to check administrative agencies, we must ensure that all branches of government reclaim their constitutional authority from the administrative state.

For this reason, our latest amicus brief, Consumers Research v. Consumer Product Safety Commission filed this July and joined by 36 other amici, urged the Supreme Court to return constitutional powers currently usurped by the administrative state back to the president. At issue in this case is the inability of the president to remove certain administrative agency heads, empowering these agencies to operate independently beyond the control of the chief executive. Should Congress cede further power to an agency, the agency would in effect function without any meaningful oversight from either the executive or the legislative branch. This situation spells disaster for our system of government and the freedom of all Americans, undermining the ideals and laws of the Constitution. Returning power to the president, however, would restore the Constitutions balance between Congress and the president in overseeing the functioning of executive agencies.

It is clear that a ballooning and unaccountable administrative state throws a wrench into the constitutional balance of powers essential to the health of our nation. The Constitution creates a system of government comprised of three coequal branches, each of which can balance the power of the other two. In overturning Chevron, the Court has appropriately checked a degree of the administrative states power. Now, Congress must summon the courage to legislate in a way that prevents the further illegitimate expansion of federal bureaucracy. At the same time, the Supreme Court should continue to check the expansion of the administrative state at the expense of the constitutional authorities of the president.

The Founders knew that the liberty of the American people depends on limiting government power. The administrative state operates as a fourth branch of government. That problem will not begin to be solved until it is made accountable to the chief executive. Ensuring the God-given rights of the citizens of this country demands reining in the federal bureaucracy once and for all and restoring an equal balance of power among three branches of government.

Marc Wheat Is General Counsel for Advancing American Freedom
Over the past decade, China has significantly increased its presence in West Africa, particularly in the maritime infrastructure sector. This expansion is not solely driven by economic imperatives but also by a strategic desire to enhance Beijing's influence and security in a region of growing geopolitical importance. The scale and nature of Chinese investments in West African ports reflect a deliberate strategy to secure maritime routes, facilitate trade, establish a foothold in a region rich in natural resources, and bolster security measures against threats such as piracy, which remains a significant concern in the Gulf of Guinea. Additionally, exporting construction overcapacity is a key factor motivating Chinas involvement in West Africas ports.

Economic Drivers of Port Investments

China's involvement in West African ports is primarily driven by economic interests. The region is a critical supplier of raw materials, including oil, minerals, and agricultural products, essential for China's industrial sector. Ports in countries like Nigeria, Ghana, and Senegal serve as key nodes in the supply chain, facilitating the flow of goods between Africa and China. Chinese companies, often backed by state funding, have invested heavily in modernizing and expanding port facilities, improving infrastructure that supports both trade and economic development.

The Belt and Road Initiative (BRI), launched by President Xi Jinping, has been a significant catalyst for these investments. Under the BRI framework, Chinese firms have secured contracts for port development projects across West Africa. For example, the construction of a new container terminal at the Lekki Deep Sea Port in Nigeria is being spearheaded by China Harbour Engineering Company. Such projects are not only enhancing port capacity but are also creating logistical hubs that integrate sea and land transport, facilitating smoother trade flows.

Strategic and Security Dimensions

Beyond economics, China's port investments in West Africa have strategic implications. The region's ports are situated along critical maritime routes that are vital for global trade. By controlling or having a significant stake in these ports, China gains strategic leverage in a key global waterway. This control can be utilized not only to secure China's trade routes but also to exert influence over regional maritime activities.

Moreover, the dual-use nature of many of these port facilities cannot be overlooked. While primarily serving commercial purposes, they can be adapted for military use, providing logistical support for the People's Liberation Army Navy in the event of a crisis. This capability is part of China's broader strategy to project power and protect its interests abroad. For instance, Chinese-operated ports in West Africa could potentially support anti-piracy operations, evacuation missions, or humanitarian assistance, enhancing China's soft power and security footprint in the region.

Exporting Construction Overcapacity: A Strategic Solution

One of the critical factors driving China's involvement in West Africa's port development is the country's need to address its construction overcapacity. Over the past few decades, China has invested heavily in its domestic infrastructure, particularly in port facilities, to support its rapid industrialization and trade expansion. This massive construction boom, however, has led to a situation where domestic demand for new infrastructure projects has diminished, leaving Chinese construction firms with excess capacity and expertise.

To manage this overcapacity, China has turned to international markets, including West Africa, as part of a broader strategy to export its surplus capacity. The BRI has been instrumental in facilitating this process. Under the BRI framework, Chinese construction companies, many of which are state-owned, have actively sought overseas contracts for infrastructure projects, including ports. This strategy allows China to utilize its construction firms' excess capacity, keep its workforce employed, and maintain the profitability of its construction industry.

West Africa, with its growing economies and need for improved infrastructure, presents an ideal destination for these Chinese firms. Countries in the region are in dire need of modernized ports to facilitate trade, attract foreign investment, and stimulate economic growth. By exporting its construction capacity to West Africa, China not only addresses its domestic surplus but also secures long-term economic and strategic interests in the region.

The Role of State-Owned Enterprises

Chinese state-owned enterprises play a pivotal role in the expansion of port infrastructure in West Africa. Companies like China Merchants Port and COSCO Shipping Ports are at the forefront of these projects. Their involvement is not purely commercial; it is also a manifestation of state policy aimed at increasing China's global influence. These SOEs are often able to secure favorable terms from host countries, leveraging China's economic clout and the promise of long-term investment.

Furthermore, the Chinese government provides substantial financial support for these projects, often through concessional loans and grants. This financing model, while beneficial for immediate infrastructure development, has raised significant concerns about debt sustainability in host countries. Many African nations, already grappling with substantial external debt burdens, find themselves in precarious financial positions as they take on new loans for infrastructure projects. Critics argue that this model can lead to a cycle of debt dependency, where countries are unable to repay their loans. The situation is exacerbated by the lack of transparency in many of these agreements, making it difficult to assess the long-term economic impacts and financial obligations.

Challenges and Opportunities for West Africa

While Chinese investments bring significant economic benefits to West African countries, they also pose challenges. There are concerns about the transparency of contracts, the environmental impact of large-scale construction projects, and the potential for economic dependency on China. Furthermore, the strategic nature of these investments could lead to geopolitical tensions, particularly with Western countries that view China's growing presence with suspicion.

However, these investments also present opportunities. Improved port infrastructure can boost trade, create jobs, and stimulate economic growth. For West African countries, engaging with China offers a chance to modernize their economies and improve connectivity with global markets. It also provides an opportunity to negotiate better terms and ensure that projects align with national development goals.

A Delicate Balance

China's involvement in West Africa's ports is a complex and multifaceted phenomenon. It is driven by a mix of economic, strategic, and political considerations, reflecting China's broader ambitions on the global stage. For West African countries, navigating this relationship requires a delicate balance between leveraging Chinese investments for development and safeguarding their sovereignty and economic independence.

As China's footprint in the region grows, it will be crucial for West African nations to develop comprehensive strategies that maximize the benefits of Chinese investments while mitigating potential risks. This includes strengthening regulatory frameworks, enhancing transparency, and fostering a competitive investment environment. Ultimately, the future of China's involvement in West Africa's ports will depend on how both sides manage this evolving partnership.

Matthew Rochat is a PhD candidate in political science at the University of California Santa Barbara and an Adam Smith Fellow at the Mercatus Center.
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The indictments of four people who federal prosecutors accuse of playing a role in the drug overdose death of government witness Crystal Quinn could be in jeopardy after a judge found that the U.S. Attorneys Office acted in bad faith in missing a deadline to turn over information about their cases to defense lawyers.

U.S. Magistrate Judge Jeremiah J. McCarthys ruling proved far sterner than he previously indicated it might be.

During oral argument a week ago, I stated that although the governments conduct has been unjustifiable, I found no indication of bad faith, McCarthy said. However, upon further review of the governments submission, I now realize that I spoke too soon.

Prosecutors last week told the judge they had compiled the information to turn over to the defense lawyers for Peter Gerace Jr. and Outlaws Motorcycle Club leader John Ermin and the other defendants before the deadline. But then they realized they had not secured a protective order to restrict who could see the information. So prosecutors ended up missing the deadline while trying to get a protective order in place.

The governments delay in seeking a protective order was not merely an oversight, McCarthy said in a written ruling Monday. While it suggests that this is not a situation where the government made a conscious decision to ignore deadlines or orders, that is exactly what it did. Although I had unequivocally ordered production of voluntary discovery by May 23, 2024, the government deliberately decided not to comply with that order. The governments willful violation of my order constitutes bad faith.

Fear of assassinations, witness retaliation sparks dispute over evidence in Gerace, Outlaws Motorcycle Club case Federal prosecutors have raised the specter of witness intimidation, tampering and even an assassination of a judge as they seek limits on how defense attorneys can access and use evidence collected during the investigation into the death of a witness in the Pharaoh's strip club case.

Rather than immediately impose any sanctions, McCarthy asked the defense attorneys to suggest options for him to consider in a future ruling. The options could include defense requests that McCarthy recommend to a district judge that the case be dismissed, or that the defendants still in pretrial custody be released as their cases proceed.

The prosecution has the right to object to McCarthys rulings to U.S. District Judge Lawrence Vilardo.

Prosecutors are building a case that several of the defendants conspired against Quinn, a former exotic dancer at Pharaohs Gentlemens Club, to prevent her from testifying in the federal governments sex- and drug-trafficking case against Gerace.

The 28-count superseding indictment unsealed earlier this year named six people as part of a conspiracy to obstruct justice, with four accused of retaliating against Quinn: Gerace; Ermin, a manager of Pharaohs whom prosecutors call a national leader of the Outlaws; Simon Gogolack, who called 911 to report Quinns death in his home; and Wellsville resident Howard Hinkle Jr., among the last to be seen with Quinn.

The grand jury indictment accused Gogolack of intentionally giving Quinn a lethal dose of fentanyl, which resulted in her death.

Suspects in Pharaoh's witness death remain in jail after losing release requests Simon Gogolack, Howard Hinkle Jr. and John T. Tommy O Ermin each face witness tampering, retaliation and obstruction of justice conspiracy charges. All have pleaded not guilty. And all will remain jailed for now.

Gerace, Gogolack, Ermin and Hinkle each face witness tampering, retaliation and obstruction of justice conspiracy charges. All have pleaded not guilty and remain in pretrial custody.

Gogolack, Ermin and Hinkle had been detained on charges before the Jan. 5 indictment, and since their arrests, judges have found no conditions of release could be imposed that would assure the safety of the community. Gerace has been in custody since March 2023 on his separate bribery, sex-and drug-trafficking charges.

Michael Roncone, who was the president of the Rare Breed Motorcycle Club Wellsville Chapter and whom prosecutors link to the Outlaws, faces obstruction, making a false statement and firearms counts. Frank Knight, a Wellsville resident linked to Roncone and Gogolack, faces obstruction and false statements counts.

Three others named in the indictment  Cortnie Barber, Bernard Byrd III and Scott Barnes  face other charges, but not obstruction or retaliation charges.

Fell off our radar

During a Feb. 23 hearing, McCarthy granted the governments request for 90 days to produce discovery to the defense, 30 days longer than usual. But he told prosecutors to produce the information sooner than 90 days on a rolling basis, to the extent they could, so that the defense lawyers can hit the ground running in terms of what they think they need to do.

He ordered the discovery produced on or before May 23.

The defense lawyers received the information 12 days later than McCarthy ordered, although some had received portions earlier.

At a hearing last week, prosecutors said they were ready to turn over all of the discovery by the due date, but at the last minute they realized they had not secured a protective order restricting how the defense lawyers could disseminate the information. The government proposed permitting the defense lawyers to share the materials with their investigators and support staff, as well as with the defendants. But the defense lawyers and defendants would not be allowed to provide the material to third parties, such as members or associates of the Outlaws or the Rare Breed Motorcycle Club, or use the members and associates as agents for the defendants.

Pharaoh's witness death seen as 'mega case,' but prosecution won't seek death penalty Federal prosecutors say they will not seek the death penalty while building their case against strip club owner Peter Gerace Jr. and three others they allege played a role in the death of federal witness Crystal Quinn.

Prosecutors proposed a protective order that they said would ensure that materials will not be inappropriately disseminated and used to expose, coerce, intimidate, threaten or retaliate against government witnesses. But prosecutors and defense attorneys never agreed to an order.

Assistant U.S. Attorney Joseph Tripi acknowledged to McCarthy last week that prosecutors were late in seeking a protective order.

The need to seek out a protective order fell off our radar, Tripi said. It shouldnt have. It did. Were human. But we remedied it as quickly as we could.

While the material was supposed to be rolling out to defense lawyers, the three federal prosecutors in the Pharaohs witness case  Tripi, Nicholas Cooper and Casey Chalbeck  were also in the midst of an eight-week trial in the case of former Drug Enforcement Administration Agent Joseph Bongiovanni.

We were in a position to turn it over, which was three days before your deadline, Tripi told McCarthy during last weeks hearing. And we realized we didnt have the appropriate protective order in place. Not seeking the protective order doesnt fall anywhere else in the office. It falls on us. It falls on the three people in front of you right here.

Pharaoh's case isn't the first that linked an Outlaws leader to a witness' death With 441 chapters in 43 countries all over the world  from Peru to Siberia to Australia to the United States  the Outlaws are widely considered one of the worlds largest and most dangerous motorcycle clubs.

Cooper accused the defense attorneys objecting to the late discovery of turning this molehill into a mountain.

They got it 12 days later than you ordered, Cooper told the judge.

Its an attempt to deflect from the serious charges and what this case is about and turn it into a sideshow, Cooper said.

Discovery was due on a certain date, and it wasnt produced on that date, Assistant Federal Public Defender Jeffrey T. Bagley, who represents Gogolack, said at the hearing.

To sit here and listen to the government today would suggest that they were working diligently, they were on trial and it was just a misunderstanding that they didnt get to this stuff later on, Bagley said.

New indictment targets those who prosecutors say had motive to kill Pharaoh's witness A 28-count superseding indictment unsealed Tuesday names six people  including Pharaoh's Gentlemen's Club owner Peter Gerace Jr. and Outlaws Motorcycle Club national leader John Ermin  as part of a conspiracy to obstruct justice by targeting a federal witness for retaliation.

But from the litigation in the Gogolack detention hearings that we were asking for particular discovery from the get go, and that we needed, we wanted discovery ... in order to rebut some of the accusations made against Mr. Gogolack. And we didnt get that discovery.

Cooper said Gogolack received more than 2,000 pages of discovery in the months of August, September, October and December of last year.

The idea that Gogolack didnt have discovery and is waiting to see some shred of paper in this case is belied by the record, Cooper said.

Grossly negligent

At some point after the February court proceeding, McCarthy said, the government realized it was impractical to provide organized rolling discovery in a piecemeal fashion beyond what had been previously produced to Gerace, Ermin, Gogolack, Hinkle and a couple of other defendants who had been charged before the indictments.

However, the government did not advise either defendants or the court of that fact, McCarthy said.

Federal judge rules arrested Outlaws Motorcycle Club leader must remain in jail Chief U.S. District Judge Elizabeth A. Wolford reversed a magistrate judge's December order that had set conditions for John Ermin's release.

The government argues that its delay in addressing the need for a protective order was due to an oversight  plain and simple, McCarthy said in his ruling. That admission does not render its oversight excusable. Given its recognition that unquestionably, in the context of this case, where individuals are charged with conspiring to murder a witness, a protective order is required, the governments alleged oversight of that requirement for almost three months was not merely negligent, but grossly negligent.

At last weeks court proceeding, McCarthy said, Im looking also from the standpoint of the defendants, many of whom have been sitting in custody for a considerable period of time.

At the hearing, McCarthy said he didnt find anything particularly blameworthy in the three prosecutors.

But I think the responsibility falls on your office, to adequately staff every case that they are involved in, he said.

Attorneys Frank M. Bogulski and Daniel Henry, who represent Hinkle, brought a motion last week seeking Hinkles release, even before McCarthy issued his ruling.

Prosecutor: Arrested Outlaws leader had motive to kill Pharaoh's witness Items seized from the Outlaws clubhouse and homes lead to the unmistakable conclusion that members of the club will harm informants, Assistant U.S. Attorney Joseph Tripi said in court.

They based their motion on what McCarthy said at least weeks court proceeding.

Based on our interpretation of Magistrate McCarthys comments to counsel, it appears that his recommendation to the district court will be to dismiss the charges against the defendants, Bogulski said in a court filing. Because it is likely that the charges against the defendants will be dismissed, this court would no longer have jurisdiction over the case; therefore, as a matter of law, the defendants in this case would be required to be released.

Essentially, all of the delays in this case are attributable to the government, due to not following the court scheduling order on discovery, Bogulski said. This naturally is not the fault of Howard Hinkle, who is presumed innocent until proven otherwise. It would be patently unjust for Mr. Hinkle to sit in the Chautauqua County jail while it is anticipated that these matters will be litigated extensively.

A case that stands apart

The investigation into Quinns death last summer led to the indictments.

Quinn had entered a pretrial diversion agreement with the U.S. Attorneys Office and the U.S. Probation Office, and also entered a formal cooperation agreement with federal prosecutors.

During detention hearings for some of those indicted, prosecutors said Gerace figured Quinn agreed to testify against him.

Tripi summed the retaliation case this way at one of the detention hearings:

We look back and say, standing here today, that she cooperated. She flipped, Tripi said at a Dec. 19 hearing. She testified in grand jury. Gerace got detained. Gerace got mad. Gerace made statements that he could have people killed and had a long reach. And the manager of his club is the national president of the Outlaws, who controls legions of people, who has support clubs and puppet clubs under him, which includes the Rare Breed. And then someone who wants to be a hit man and hangs out with the Rare Breed in Wellsville injects himself back into her life and lures her and she overdoses and it is staged to look like (an accidental or suicidal) death.

At last weeks hearing, Tripi called this case unlike any others he has handled.

Ive handled some very serious RICO murder cases, complex conspiracies that involved witness tampering and all types of issues like that, he told McCarthy. However, this case stems from a case that stands apart from all of the cases that Ive handled, he said, referring to the Gerace prosecution.

Tripi cited Facebook threats, a witness who was assaulted and rats placed in the driveways and on vehicles where potential witnesses or their families lived.
Disney/John Fleenor

By Elizabeth Kwiatkowski, 07/29/2024



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Indian carrier Vistara on Monday announced voluntary retirement scheme (VRS) and voluntary separation scheme (VSS) for its permanent ground staff ahead of its merger with Air India, which had announced similar plans for its non-flying permanent staff two weeks ago.

Photograph: Francis Mascarenhas/Reuters

In a message sent to its employees, Vistara stated that all permanent ground staff, who had worked with the airline for five continuous years, can take part in the VRS scheme.

It also said that VSS will be for permanent ground staff who have less than five years of experience.

Those who volunteer for this scheme would be provided gratuity, provident fund and encashment of leave as per the existing company policy and government rules.

The ex-gratia amount would also be calculated and provided by government-authorised patterns, the airline stated.

However, the airline clarified that pilots and cabin crew members, any licenced role holders, and employees retiring by March 31 next year were not eligible for the scheme.

Business Standard has reviewed the message.

Vistara did not respond to the newspaper's request for a comment on the matter.

Air India had on July 17 announced a VRS for permanent ground staff holding more than five years of experience, and a VSS for those who had less than five years of service.

Vistara, a 51:49 joint venture of the Tata Group and Singapore Airlines, is scheduled to merge into Air India by the end of this year.

While the deadline for Air India's schemes is August 16, it is August 23 for Vistara's schemes.

Sources stated that approximately 500-600 employees, out of a total of 25,000 from the two carriers, are expected to be retired or separated.

The carriers are making efforts to retain as many employees as possible, with some being absorbed into other Tata Group companies. However, certain positions have become redundant due to the merger, they added.

The ground staff referred to in messages sent by Air India include all non-flying staff of the airlines, including employees working at the airlines' headquarters.

Generally, ground staff includes those who handle various tasks on the ground, including customer service, baggage handling, security checks, ramp service, and cargo operations.

They assist passengers, manage luggage, perform security screenings, and coordinate with flight crews and other airport personnel.

Vistara, which currently has about 6,500 employees on its rolls, is being merged into Air India to create a single full-service carrier.

Concurrently, Air India's subsidiaries, AIX Connect and Air India Express, are merging to form a unified low-cost airline.

Earlier this month, Air India had announced the completion of harmonising operating procedures across key functions for the four Tata Group airlines, including the alignment of supporting manuals.

This was a crucial step in the ongoing merger process.
The Softbank-backed company has set a price band of Rs 72 to Rs 76 per share for the maiden share sale and is expected to test the appetite for new-age loss-making companies.

IMAGE: Bhavish Aggarwal, CEO, Ola Cabs and founder of Ola Electric, poses for pictures ahead of the company's IPO launch in Mumbai, July 29, 2024. Photograph: Francis Mascarenhas/Reuters

Ola Electric, the market leader in the e-scooter segment, has set a price band of Rs 72 to Rs 76 per share for its Rs 6,146 crore (Rs 61.46 billion) initial public offering (IPO).

The IPO comprises fresh fund raise of Rs 5,500 crore (Rs 55 billion) and secondary share sale of just Rs 646 crore (Rs 6.46 billion).

At the top-end, Ola is valued at Rs 33,522 crore/Rs 33.522 villion ($4 billion) on a post-diluted basis -- down from $7 billion to $8 billion it was targeting when it first filed its offer document in December.

The Softbank-backed company had also pruned the secondary share sale component from Rs 724 crore (Rs 7.24 billion).

If the IPO is successful, Ola will become the first electric two-wheeler (E2W)-to- manufacturer to list on the Dalal Street.

Most of the listed peers are primarily internal combustion engine (ICE) makers. Nonetheless, it is important to see how Bengaluru-based firm stacks up against them.

IMAGE: Bhavish Aggarwal, poses with Ola electric scooters ahead of the company's IPO launch. Photograph: Francis Mascarenhas/Reuters

As far as market cap is concerned, Ola will be the smallest among well-established names like Bajaj Auto, Eicher Motors, TVS Motors and Hero MotoCorp. Its 2023-2024 revenues from operations at Rs 5,010 crore (Rs 50.10 billion) is also a fraction of these players.

Ola reported a net loss in FY24 and was even loss-making at the operating profit level.

The company has been burning cash, but has managed to improve its free cash flows loss margin to -31 per cent in FY24. Due to the cash burn, Ola has moved from net cash positive in FY22 to net debt in FY24.

Meanwhile, most other peers have healthy profitability track record and enjoy Ebitda margin between 14 per cent and 33 per cent.

However, if the future of the 2W industry is to be electric, Ola has a head start over the competition. With close to 3.3 lakh deliveries in FY24, Ola had a market share of 35 per cent -- more than the combined market share of listed peers.

According to Redseer, E2W penetration in India is expected to expand from approximately 5.4 per cent of domestic 2W registrations in FY24 to 41 TO 56 per cent of domestic 2W sales volume by FY28.

The Indian E2W industry is expected to grow at a CAGR of 11 per cent to reach a size of $35 billion (Rs 2.8 trillion) to $45 billion (Rs 3.6 trillion) in FY28.

Can Ola Electric Cruise to Rs 6,146 Crore IPO?S Samie Modak, Shivani Shinde, Sohini Das The country's largest electric two wheeler (e2W) player Ola Electric is going for the biggest IPO of the year, so far, aiming to raise Rs 6,146 crore ($734 million). Around 150 companies in the country have already gone public this year in a bid to raise a total of $5 billion, double the amount raised during this period last year, according to estimates. The Softbank-backed company has set a price band of Rs 72 to Rs 76 per share for the maiden share sale and is expected to test the appetite for new-age loss-making companies. At the top-end of the price band, Ola will be valued at Rs 33,522 crore ($4 billion) on a post-diluted basis. The company's IPO will open on August 2. IMAGE: Bhavish Aggarwal explains his gigafactory. Photograph: Francis Mascarenhas/Reuters Founder and CEO Bhavish Aggarwal, who's charting a path to profitability for Ola Electric, told reporters at the IPO press conference in Mumbai that volume growth and vertical integration would be the main pillars for improving the company's margins. Through the IPO, the Bengaluru-based firm is looking to issue fresh shares worth Rs 5,500 crore, which will be utilised to repay debt, expand its gigafactory and used for research and development. The Offer for sale (OFS) portion of the issue is only Rs 646 crore (Rs 6.46 billion), of which Aggarwal's share is Rs 288 crore (Rs 2.88 billion). About nine other investors are selling stakes, including Tiger Global (Rs 48 crore/Rs 480 million) and Softbank (Rs 181 crore/Rs 1.81 billion). Alpine Opportunity and Tekne Private are offloading small quantities at a loss as their acquisition cost is over Rs 111 per share. Following the IPO, the promoter shareholding in the company will decline from nearly 45 per cent to 36.78 per cent. Investment bankers said the pricing of the IPO is based on investor feedback. They expect strong responses from domestic as well as foreign mutual funds. According to Reuters report citing sources, the IPO is set to draw bids from Fidelity, Nomura and Norges Bank as well as several Indian mutual funds. Aggarwal said: "The India EV story is still in early days. Three years ago, when we launched our products, that is when I believe the EV story began. "We see the EV market only expanding. You also see the incumbents, who three years back said there is no EV story, are also joining the segment." When asked about the drop in sales and even the global EV segment going through a slowdown, Aggarwal said like other industries this would go through a cycle. "There will be cyclical ups and downs, either subsidy changes or some cyclical seasonal stuff," he said. Ola Electric's gross margins have improved from 5.4 per cent in FY22 to 7.63 per cent in FY23 and 16.47 per cent in FY24. Its volumes have grown from 156,000 units in FY23 to 330,000 units in FY24. IMAGE: Bhavish Aggarwal holds the new 4680 lithium-ion battery cell during the press conference. Photograph: Francis Mascarenhas/Reuters Ola Electric currently sources cells from third party suppliers. It has started trial runs at the gigafactory in Tamil Nadu where phase 1 of the project was completed in May (1.4 GwH capacity). It has developed a cell technology around the 4680 form factor for which it has received BIS certification in May, which will be used in existing and future products. The gigafactory will have a capacity of 20 GwH (in four phases). Ola Electric is also in line for the Cell PLI (production-linked incentive) scheme. It has already received certification for the S1 Pro product under the PLI scheme and is currently filing for the first claims to the Centre. IMAGE: Bhavish Aggarwal speaks during the press conference while photographs of the four motorcycle models -- Adventure, Cruiser, Roadster and Diamondhead -- can be seen in the background. Photograph: Francis Mascarenhas/Reuters The company's 2,000-acres EV hub in Krishnagiri and Dharmapuri districts of Tamil Nadu, which houses the 'futurefactory' and the gigafactory, along with co-located suppliers, will help achieve greater efficiency. Aggarwal said the company would start delivering motorcycles by early next year. It had showcased four motorcycle models -- Adventure, Cruiser, Roadster and Diamondhead -- last August. Meanwhile, on August 15, the company plans to unveil more two-wheeler models. As India expects to grab a larger share of two-wheeler exports, Aggarwal is betting big on Ola Electric for a smooth drive.

Feature Presentation: Ashish Narsale/Rediff.com
'The top 10 per cent of the population should adopt and handhold the bottom 20 per cent of the population as a social responsibility.'

IMAGE: Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister Nara Chandrababu Naidu greets citizens during the Gurupurnima celebration at the CK convention centre in Mangalagiri in Vijayawada, July 21, 2024. Photograph: ANI Photo

Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister N Chandrababu Naidu has flagged his concern over the increasing concentration of wealth, which India could address by adopting the 'P4' model that stands for public-private-people partnerships.

At the NITI Aayog governing council meeting on Saturday, some of Naidu's suggestions on ensuring 'zero poverty', states devising their own demographic management plans, and interlinking of rivers found mentions in Prime Minister Narendra Modi's concluding remarks at the conclave.

Naidu suggested that the Centre should prepare a road map for the interlinking of rivers and states should come up with their respective demographic management plans as India's demographic dividend will diminish by 2047.

The Andhra Pradesh chief minister said a large part of India's growth had historically been predicated on tried and tested models like public-private partnerships.

'Undoubtedly, wealth has been created, but it remains concentrated in a few hands,' he said, according to a copy of the speech he delivered at the NITI meeting.

On the 'P4 model', Naidu said: 'The top 10 per cent of the population should adopt and handhold the bottom 20 per cent of the population as a social responsibility.'

The goal, he said, should be to ensure 'zero poverty' in the short term, 'continuous empowerment in the medium term,' and the long-term aim should be to 'significantly' bridge the gap 'between the haves and have-nots'.

IMAGE: Akash Ambani, Mukesh Ambani's elder son, greets Chandrababu Naidu at Anant Ambani's wedding, July 12, 2024. Photograph: Kind courtesy Video grab/X/ANI

The Andhra Pradesh CM said the 'singular goal' of all development measures should be employment generation.

'This should be our national priority,' he said.

'Instead of how much money will be invested, we should be asking how much employment will be generated,' he said, according to a copy of the speech he delivered at the NITI Aayog meeting.

'Not only should we generate ample (employment) opportunities internally, we should emerge as the most important source of the global workforce. Ultimately, India's strength is its people,' he said.

On the linking of rivers, Naidu said the Golden Quadrilateral road network paved the way for the enhanced quality of roads and expressways in the country.

'A similar revolution in the availability of drinking water, irrigation, and flood avoidance can be achieved by interlinking of rivers,' he said.

The Andhra CM spoke about his government's plans to undertake 'a comprehensive skill Census' and the need for building marquee Indian brands.

'The survival of our manufacturing ecosystem depends upon our success in establishing market leaders across the product spectrum,' he said.

On India's demographic challenges, Naidu said the current demographic advantage would yield diminishing returns around 2047.

'There is a need to plan to manage the same today itself. States should come up with their own demographic management policies regarding how to manage demographic balance.'

Feature Presentation: Aslam Hunani/Rediff.com
That he hasn't done so yet, has continued to be active on the political street, in public debate and on social media, signals an important change.

It will give his party hope. Maybe the achievement of reducing Mr Modi well below the majority mark will now motivate him to stay committed, observes Shekhar Gupta.

IMAGE: Leader of Opposition in the Lok Sabha Rahul Gandhi speaking on the Budget, July 29, 2024. Photograph: Sansad TV/ANI Photo

As Rahul Gandhi heads for the first full session of the third Narendra Modi government, he can take comfort in the fact that three painful questions dogging him for two decades have vaporised.

First, does the Bharatiya Janata Party -- or should it -- take the Congress seriously?

Second, does it -- or should it -- take Rahul Gandhi seriously?

And third, can you bring back to life a party as nearly dead as the Congress?

The answers to all three came by the afternoon of counting day, June 4. Not only must the BJP take the Congress and Rahul seriously, his party also sees a realistic route to power in 2029.

At the very least, it has sprung back to life and is back in the fight.

This session will have the added tadka (seasoning) of the Union Budget as well.

The difference a rejuvenated Congress makes will also be evident in how the rest of the Opposition conducts itself.

Read the op-ed that Trinamool MP Derek O'Brien wrote in The Indian Express. He opens his argument by asking who benefits more from parliamentary adjournments now. The obvious implication is that it's the Treasury benches.

When the Opposition was in a hopeless minority, outshouted, outnumbered and further squashed by the chair, adjournments and walkouts were desperate escape measures.

Now, they'd rather be on the wrestling mat -- or in the akhara if that sounds more apt -- and wrestle.

His party, the Trinamool Congress, has done brilliantly by itself in West Bengal.

Would they, however, be so upbeat if the Congress had not come back to life this time?

No Opposition alliance can be credible without a strong core.

That's the expectation the Congress had been failing to meet so far. Now, this has changed.

IMAGE: Rahul Gandhi at Parliament, July 24, 2024. Photograph: Shrikant Singh/ANI Photo

Even as I write this column, I see on my television screen J P Nadda, still the BJP president in his super-extended term, speaking in Odisha and focusing mostly on the Congress and the Gandhi family, especially the siblings.

He calls them the educated illiterate ('padhe likhe anpadh').

This, in a state where the Congress doesn't count for one bit. At least not yet.

This leaves no doubt about the answers to the first two of the three questions we posited from Rahul's point of view. For the BJP, the Congress and the Gandhi trio matter.

The answer to the third question will need to come from Rahul himself. Since he was first elected an MP in 2004, he has built a political image he'll need to get rid of.

This is the image of shoot-and-scoot politics.

Don't blame social media or the BJP/RSS's formidable whisper machine for it.

Two decades in public life is long enough for reputations to be built, for better or worse.

Until the 2024 elections, his was an uncertain commitment.

If he moves on from it now after this summer's success, he'll change not just that reputation, but also answer that most important question: Does the Congress have a chance to win back power?

IMAGE: Congress Parliamentary Party Chairperson Sonia Gandhi, Rahul Gandhi at a protest of INDIA bloc MPs alleging discrimination in the Union Budget and demanding equal treatment to all states, July 24, 2024. Photograph: Rahul Singh/ANI Photo

So far, he has had two-and-a-half major successes. In the 2009 Lok Sabha, he electrified his party by winning 21 seats in Uttar Pradesh.

Almost all these candidates were his choice.

The second was the 2018 winter victories in Rajasthan, Madhya Pradesh and Chhattisgarh.

The half was the Gujarat assembly election of 2017 when he ran the BJP close.

It was an astute campaign, built on a coalition of rebellious young caste leaders. It gave the BJP a scare.

Mr Modi had to carry out a humongous rearguard campaign to salvage the state for his party.

How close this election had been, and how sweet his victory was, showed in his speech to his party after the results.

Cameras caught tears in his eyes, not something you see often.

The important thing is that after each one of these, Rahul didn't stay back to build on what had been achieved.

The post-2009 period saw his somewhat curious evolution into a dissident within his party, culminating in that infamous public rejection of his own government's ordinance on convicted politicians, something he has regretted multiple times in interviews subsequently.

After the state victories in December 2018, no attention was paid to building a coalition or rejuvenating his party.

He seemed distracted and disconnected. As he did after Gujarat, 2017. Each of these moments could have been a turning point for his politics.

That's why even his revival in this general election has drawn scepticism from his supporters.

Their scepticism is his rivals' hope -- that, having completed one task successfully, he will lose interest again.

Shoot and scoot. That he hasn't done so yet, has continued to be active on the political street, in public debate and on social media, signals an important change.

It will give his party hope. Maybe the achievement of reducing Mr Modi well below the majority mark will now motivate him to stay committed.

Or maybe a decade of Modi, setbacks, humiliation, insults and ridicule, targeting of the party and its key people by the 'agencies', have collectively brought in a new resolve.

If he does stay on and focused, the third question is answered. The Congress can realistically hope for a return to power.

IMAGE: Rahul Gandhi meets with a cobbler, July 26, 2024, in Uttar Pradesh. Photograph: ANI Photo

At this point, I can bring to your attention two of my articles on Rahul written a decade apart.

The first, on April 6, 2013, when he took over as Congress vice-president and made his 'power is poison' speech in Jaipur, listed what we saw as three fallacies or errors in his politics.

The first two pertained to his flawed understanding of Indian inequality, and then aspiration.

The third was simply over his belief that power is poison.

We had written then that he should reflect on this belief.

In a democracy, power is no poison. It is a wonderful gift, an honour, and a cherished privilege the voters give you.

Good leaders embrace it with joy, gratitude and humility.

That power-is-poison, we had written, is a feudal proposition, not a democratic one.

The next article, on December 24, 2022, came in the midst of his Bharat Jodo Yatra and raised some of the same questions.

We noted then that he seemed to be enjoying the attention, the crowds and the argumentation more than before.

He was building a campaign on ideological terms: Bharat jodo versus Bharat todo, love versus hate, secular versus communal, Gandhi versus Savarkar, and seemed to be enjoying it.

While noting this, we had raised two more questions.

One, what does the Congress want? The answer was easy: Power.

The next was trickier: What does Rahul want? Does he also want what his party does?

In which case, has he changed his mind about power being poison?

Has a decade in the wilderness and ridicule persuaded him to see the virtue in power?

Only if the answer is yes, can the Congress ever hope to return to power?

By special arrangement with The Print

Feature Presentation: Aslam Hunani/Rediff.com
'I hope that Macho Man agrees to debate her, because I think she will do spectacularly well in the debate.'

IMAGE: Umited States Vice President Kamala Harris delivers remarks at a campaign event in Pittsfield, Massachusetts, July 27, 2024. Photograph: Stephanie Scarbrough/Pool via Reuters

Shekar Narasimhan is co-chair of the Democratic National Committee's Indo American Council, and chair of AAPI Victory Fund, a PAC (political action committee) that aims to increase the representation of Asian Americans and Pacific islanders in elected offices.

"Kamala Harris can build a broader coalition because of who she is," Narasimhan, who has been active in presidential elections since 2004, and influenced some of President Biden's early agenda, tells Rediff.com US Senior Contributor P Rajendran in the concluding part of a two-part interview.

In an interview just before President Biden's inauguration in 2021, you'd said the main, the number one priority, is getting rid of Trump. Now you're back right there. So how do you feel about it?

Yeah. I feel like we now have created the best opportunity to accomplish that. That's what I feel.

IMAGE: Kamala Harris, right, speaks with US National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan ahead of a meeting with Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, not pictured, during the Summit on Peace in Ukraine in Stansstad near Lucerne, Switzerland, June 15, 2024. Photograph: Alessandro Della Valle/Pool/Reuters



At the time, Biden told you that he'd work on comprehensive immigration reform, H1 and H4 issues, family reunification, etc. How much of that have you seen?

Well, we have not seen anything, honestly. The fact is that we would have to win a trifecta [Senate, House and presidency] and we would have to use all kinds of devices to get to 60 votes [to pass reform in the Senate].

But what we have been advocating is that early on in Kamala Harris's job, she has a better chance of getting to 60 votes [which is required for such comprehensive legislation].

She will have an opportunity to [make] immigration reform a priority. I can promise to do something and then [not] have the ability to do it.

If you don't have 60 votes in the Senate, you cannot do immigration reform because you won't be comprehensive immigration reform because we'll get signed.

You cannot get 60 votes for a comprehensive bill. What you can get 60 votes for are pieces of it.

For example, we could address some of this issue of kids that are aging out... This is [about] those who came when they were children.

Then because their parents' green cards are taking 18 years or whatever it is, they are not, you know, they are aging out, and therefore they have to self deport.

Now, that is a required legislation. We have to lift the quotas, temporarily add new visas, or we have to change the way that [aging out] is measured.

It seems quite unfair. It's over 200,000 plus children. Many of them are from India because of the H1B, but there are also people from Eastern Europe, Africa and other places.

IMAGE: Kamala Harris shares a toast with Japanese Prime Minister Kishida Fumio at a US state department luncheon held in the prime minister's honor in Washington, DC, April 11, 2024. Photograph: Craig Hudson/Reuters

[We need] a combination of a legislative and an administrative remedy. There is some Republican support. Democratic support.

Can't we pick four or five things and put that into a bill and get it done? Yeah. I'm arguing that there are things that we should try to do that are practical, that will satisfy everybody.

We could do things. So when you talk about executing policies and making changes, I'm just saying don't shoot for the moon.

Finish what we started to do. There's a lot that's already in the milk. Yeah. And make some modest incremental changes. But most of all, win the election.

I think [Kamala Harris] can build a broader coalition because of who she is.

IMAGE: Kamala Harris delivers the keynote speech at the American Federation of Teachers' 88th national convention in Houston, Texas, July 25, 2024. Photograph: Kaylee Greenlee Beal/Reuters

How do you build a broad coalition of people? The Biden coalition had women, people of color, etc. He's very strong with the issue of women and reproductive freedom, and economic rights.

One example: One of the biggest problems in America today is that it's very expensive to even have a family. The average cost of child care for a child in America is an astronomical 38,000 a year.

I mean, you have one child and you need to be making $100,000 to $150,000 to afford childcare so that you can both work.

It has reduced the number of people in the workforce by over a million because you can't go to work, you can't afford to work. How much money would you have to make to justify that?

So now imagine having two children. If you have two children, look at the cost. So something has also to be done about affordable housing so that people can afford to live.

So I would pick up a couple of issues like this -- a modest integration bill; childcare, which affects women and the workforce; housing, which affects young people... And I would address those incrementally and substantively.

And I think you will get bipartisan support and you can get things done. So, an agenda of change doesn't have to be a radical agenda.

We already would do a pretty good job, OK? We are already at a good place in the economy.

IMAGE: Republican presidential nominee and former US President Donald J Trump attends Turning Point Action's The Believers Summit 2024 in West Palm Beach, Florida, July 26, 2024. Photograph: Marco Bello/Reuters

The way it looks as if there are Republicans in the House going to most likely try to block everything possible, right?

You need all three, so we have to win the House. You have to win the House, you have to hold the Senate. I think the best we can do in the Senate is 50-50 and so hold it. Her vice president will be able to break the tie.

It looks like we will lose the Senate seat in West Virginia. Yeah. So normatively, we're at 50-50 already in the Senate.

So the question is, can we pick up a seat? Yeah, possibly, But right now the betting would be that if we end up at 50-50 and hold the presidency, we at least have control.

So we can dictate some of the agenda, but we can get things done if we want to.

IMAGE: Trump supporters demonstrate outside the West Allis Central High School in West Allis, Wisconsin, July 23, 2024 where Kamala Harris held a campaign event. Photograph: Vincent Alban/Reuters

The next debate for Trump was supposed to be with Biden. If Trump agrees to a debate with Harris, how do you think that will go in comparison with, let's say Hillary Clinton?

So, September 10 was supposed to be the second presidential debate. As far as we all know, that's still on.

I hope that Macho Man agrees to debate her, because I think she will do spectacularly well in the debate. I think it's going to be on the issues.

If I was him, I would be frightened of her. I was him, I would duck and weave, but she's going to, I think, challenge him very immediately for the debate, as soon as she has the nominations.

I think she's going to challenge him. Let's find out what he's really made of. Is he willing to step up and do it?

IMAGE: Kamala Harris interacts with a graduating cadet during the commencement ceremony at the USA Air Force Academy in Colorado Springs, Colorado, May 30, 2024. Photograph: Kevin Mohatt/Reuters

Do you think anybody is going to challenge a Harris nomination?

It may be a challenge or two. There are people with names floating around, but nothing I consider to be of any import.

I think this will all be wrapped up very soon. I hope so. But she still has to, you know, make the case.

She's got to make the case first to the delegates to win the nomination, and then she has to make the case to the country -- to all the different components of the Democratic party and the rest of the country.

So the obligation is still on her and on us to have a message that people understand, and an agenda that they believe in.

We've got all that work to do yet, but the point is she's got to a flying start. I don't think she'll see any real opportunity. Oh, that's, that's good.

IMAGE: The front page of USA Today the day President Joe Biden announced that he is dropping his re-election bid, July 21, 2024. Photograph: Caitlin Ochs/Reuters

Is there anything else I should have asked you that's important for us people to know that I didn't have the wit or gumption to ask you?

Ha, ha, ha, ha. If you've looked at our press release, the one thing we are saying is that what Joe Biden did is historic [by withdrawing despite having the party nomination].

It really is. It is very difficult for somebody in that position to step away.

When you're in the middle of the ring, it's very hard to step away, and to then hand over the baton. Biden handed the baton over.

That means that in the relay race of life, he made a choice. He said, this is the time, and this is the person [Harris], and the cause is more important than me as an individual.

I honor that, and I respect it deeply. So I want to make sure that anything we say starts with, I deeply respect the decision Biden made.

Feature Presentation: Ashish Narsale/Rediff.com
The Kerala government on Tuesday sought the assistance of the Indian Army for rescue operations in the wake of the devastating landslides in Wayanad district.

IMAGE: Army personnel leave for landslide-hit Wayanad from Kannur to carry out search and rescue operations. Photograph: PRO Defence/ANI Photo.

A Defence PRO said on Tuesday that a team of 43 personnel, led by the Second-in-Command from the 122 Infantry Battalion (TA) MADRAS, has been mobilised to aid in the ongoing rescue efforts.

The team, comprising a Medical Officer, two Junior Commissioned Officers (JCOs), and 40 soldiers, is equipped to provide critical assistance in the affected area.

Their deployment aims to augment existing rescue operations and provide relief to those affected by the landslides.

The landslides, which occurred early on Tuesday, has left a trail of destruction in its wake, with several houses destroyed, water bodies swollen, and trees uprooted.

The picturesque villages of Mundakkai, Chooralmala, Attamala, and Noolpuzha have been cut off from other areas, leaving many stranded.
In one of the worst natural disasters in Kerala, at least 123 persons were killed and 128 injured in massive landslides triggered by torrential rains in Wayanad on Tuesday. With hundreds trapped under the debris, sparking fears of mounting fatalities, rescue agencies were racing against time to pull out any survivors.

IMAGE: Rescuers carry the body of a victim at the landslide site after multiple landslides in the hills, in Wayanad, Kerala. Photograph: Reuters

Earlier, MoS Home Nityanand Rai had told the Rajya Sabha that 70 people had been killed in the landslides.

Vijayan said that of the dead, 34 bodies were identified and 18 were handed over to families.

The CM also said that 16 bodies were recovered from the Chaliyar river at Pothukal village in the district. Besides that, body parts were also recovered by those carrying out search and rescue operations, he said.

Heart-wrenching scenes and phone conversations of several people crying and pleading to be rescued, as they were either trapped in their houses or had no way to move out of places where they were stranded, were witnessed after the landslides that left a trail of death and destruction in the picturesque hamlets of Mundakkai, Chooralmala, Attamala and Noolpuzha.

Vijayan said that the initial landslide occurred around 2 am and the next one hit around 4.30 am, leaving hundreds trapped beneath the debris and many more being swept away.

The landslides occurred when the villagers were sleeping, catching them off-guard and resulting in the high number of casualties, he said.

Vijayan said 45 camps have been set up in the district and around 3,069 people have been rehabilitated there.

According to locals, hundreds are trapped beneath the debris, sparking fears of mounting fatalities, even as rescue agencies were racing against time to pull out any survivors.

The landslides that occurred in the early hours of Tuesday caught the sleeping villagers off-guard. It quickly turned otherwise picturesque hamlets in the hilly district into a picture of gloom, as the natural tragedy left behind a trail of destruction and despair in the southern state.

Rescue teams comprising the Army, Navy, and NDRF are collectively looking for survivors amid rough weather and multiple agencies are working in tandem to provide critical assistance to those affected.

According to a senior government source, heavy rains triggered a series of massive landslides in hilly areas of Meppadi in the district, sparking apprehensions of a possible increase in fatalities.

As rescue workers are recovering body parts from the rivers and mud, it is difficult to ascertain the exact number of people killed in the tragedy, the source said.

IMAGE: Massive landslides hit the hilly Wayanad district on Tuesday. Photograph: @INCKerala /X

It is unclear whether the remains belong to a single person or multiple individuals, the source added.

There are several women and children among the dead.

The bodies of the deceased are being taken to various hospital morgues for identification and autopsy.

Mundakkai, Chooralmala, Attamala, and Noolpuzha villages were among the areas affected and cut off by the landslides, authorities said.

Rescue teams were working tirelessly to evacuate those stranded, with the Indian Army and Navy joining the efforts. Besides the National Disaster Response Force (NDRF), the state government has also deployed disaster response teams from the police and the fire force to affected areas.

Frantic phone calls made by people desperately pleading for help after being trapped under destroyed houses and piles of debris highlighted the intensity of the deadly landslide.

Television channels aired heart-wrenching scenes and phone conversations of several people crying and pleading to be rescued, as they were either trapped in their houses or had no way to travel due to washed-away bridges and flooded roads.

IMAGE: Hundreds are feared to be trapped in the landslides, but authorities have not confirmed this. Photograph: @INCKerala /X

Several people who were injured in the landslides have been admitted to various hospitals.

Bodies were kept in a row on the floor of a tiny, congested health centre in the Meppadi district, which could otherwise accommodate only a few people, and wailing people were seen desperately searching to find loved ones.

Some people broke down at the shock of seeing the cold and injured bodies of their loved ones, while others heaved a sigh of relief that their kin were not among the deceased.

In a heart-wrenching scene, a man covered in mud was engaged in a desperate battle for survival by clinging on to a huge boulder in gushing flood water, as helpless locals could only watch his ordeal and urged authorities to swiftly rescue him.

Meanwhile, the Kerala government has also sought the assistance of the Defence forces to augment rescue operations. A 43-member team from the 122 Infantry Battalion (TA) MADRAS has been deployed to aid in the efforts.

Reinforcing the rescue efforts, additional columns comprising 200 soldiers, medical teams, and equipment from the Defence Security Corps (DSC) Centre, Kannur, and the Territorial Army from Kozhikode have been pressed into service.

In a bid to rapidly evacuate stranded persons, two Indian Air Force helicopters from Air Force Station Sulur have been dispatched to the affected area.

IMAGE: NDRF conduct a search and rescue operation after massive landslides hit Kerala's hilly Wayanad district. Photograph: ANI on X

Furthermore, the Navy's River Crossing Team from the Ezhimala Naval Academy, Kannur, is set to join the rescue efforts, as per a request made by the Kerala government.

The multi-pronged rescue operation is underway to provide critical assistance to those affected by the landslides in Wayanad.

Kerala Chief Minister Vijayan's OSD S Karthikeyan was tasked with coordinating the rescue operations, the CM's office said in a statement.

Principal Director of Local Self-Government Department V Sambasiva Rao has been appointed as Special Officer in this regard, the statement said, adding that he will work from Wayanad.

IMAGE: Locals from the affected areas report that many people are feared to be trapped. Photograph: Screen grab/X

Prime Minister Narendra Modi expressed concern over the incident and said he spoke to Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan and assured all possible help from the Centre to the state.

"Distressed by the landslides in parts of Wayanad. My thoughts are with all those who have lost their loved ones and prayers with those injured.

"Rescue ops are currently underway to assist all those affected. Spoke to Kerala CM Shri @pinarayivijayan and also assured all possible help from the Centre in the wake of the prevailing situation there," Modi said in a post on social media platform 'X'.

Union Home Minister Amit Shah also spoke to Chief Minister Vijayan and took stock of the situation.

Shah also assured Vijayan of all possible help from the central government to deal with the situation, an official said.

The landslides left a trail of destruction, with several houses destroyed, water bodies swollen, and trees uprooted, hampering rescue operations.
The calling out of actor Dhanush by the Tamil Film Producers' Council, for accepting advance but not giving dates, has not gone down well for the Tamil film industry, creating quite an uproar.

IMAGE: Actor Dhanush. Photograph: ANI Photo

Nevertheless, TFPC secretary R Radhakrishnan told PTI on Tuesday that they stand by the decisions made by the producers' council, including temporarily stopping signing of any new films after August 16, and that the key members of the council will meet on August 1 to decide further action.

Following the allegations by TFPC on July 29, the representatives of the actors' body, The South Indian Artistes' Association aka Nadigar Sangam claimed that they got to know about the decision only when it was reported in the media.

While interacting with journalists on Monday evening, right after the statement was released by TFPC, actor Karthi and a few other representatives of the Nadigar Sangam said it was not fair on the part of the producers' council to drop Dhanush's name out of the blue when they haven't told the Nadigar Sangam about it earlier.

When contacted, Poochi S Murugan, one of the vice-presidents of SIAA told PTI on Tuesday: "We condemn the arbitrary decision by the producers' council to stop shooting from November 1. We will decide on our counter-action at the coming general body meeting, which will be held either on August 15 or August 16."

According to a statement released by the Nadigar Sangam in this regard, in a joint meeting held between the two associations on June 21, both of them agreed to certain conditions which the Nadigar Sangam has already adopted.

One such condition accepted by both was that complaints should be formally made with proof.

Murugan said the Nadigar Sangam had looked into all the issues brought up by the producers council until June 21 and had sorted them out already.

"Now, without letting us know about it earlier, the producers' council had suddenly sprung the name of Dhanush. This is not acceptable behaviour on their part," said Murugan.

According to Radhakrishnan, the producers who have invested so far in films that have not started filming due to lack of commitment from the actors, particularly Dhanush, are facing grave financial consequences.

Based on the feedback from their members, he said they decided that the actors and technicians could be signed for new films only after they complete the existing projects.

The statement issued by the producers' council on July 29, also mentioned that the council has come up with new guidelines to prevent films from not being released due to unavailability of screens.

"So, we are asking everyone to stop signing new films temporarily from August 16. The shootings can restart once the new guidelines are in place," said Radhakrishnan.

As for the complete ban called on shootings from November 1, which Karthi said was an "illegal" decision that would affect thousands of people involved in filmmaking, Radhakrishnan claimed that they had come to that decision out of necessity.

"The fee for the actors and technicians and other related expenses have become impossibly high in the recent past. We need to regulate this and bring some kind of ceiling. To this end, we want to stop shooting from November 1, until the producers find a solution to their pressing problem," he said.

According to the TFPC press statement, the producers' body has also decided that films featuring big stars should be made avialable on OTT platforms after they are screened in the theatres for eight weeks.

It also proposed a joint action committee comprising representatives from all stakeholders, including distributors and theatre owners.

But Tamil Nadu Theatre and Multiplex Owners' Association president Tirupur Subramaniam said theatre owners' have decided not to get caught between the two warring bodies.

"I think they have to sort it out among themselves," he added.
The Uttar Pradesh assembly on Tuesday passed the UP Prohibition of Unlawful Conversion of Religion (Amendment) Bill, 2024 that provides for a maximum punishment of life imprisonment, making the law stricter in cases of fraudulent or forced conversion.

IMAGE: Kindly note that this image has been posted for representational purposes only. Photograph: ANI Photo

Earlier the maximum punishment provided for those found guilty of marrying a woman by deceiving her and converting her religion was 10 years with a fine of Rs 50,000.

Parliamentary Affairs Minister Suresh Khanna introduced the Uttar Pradesh Prohibition of Unlawful Conversion of Religion (Amendment) Bill, 2024 in the House on Monday.

It has been proposed that if a person threatens, attacks, marries or promises to marry or conspires for it, or trafficks a woman, minor or anyone with the intention of conversion, then his crime will be placed in the most serious category.

In such cases, there is a provision of 20 years imprisonment or life imprisonment.

Under the amended provisions, now any person can register an FIR in conversion cases. Earlier, to give information or complaint about the case, the presence of the victim, her parents, or siblings was necessary.

It has been proposed that such cases will not be heard by any court below the sessions court and along with this, the bail plea will not be considered without giving an opportunity to the public prosecutor. Also, all the crimes under the amended Act have been made non-bailable.

Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath had taken this initiative with the intention of curbing 'love jihad', a term coined by some Hindu outfits for alleged forcible conversion.

An ordinance was issued for curbing forced conversion in November 2020 and later, after the bill was passed by both the houses of the Uttar Pradesh legislature, the Uttar Pradesh Prohibition of Unlawful Conversion of Religion Act-2021 came into force.
The aftermath of the multiple landslides in the hills in Wayanad, July 30, 2024, which has claimed over fifty lives.

Caution: Graphic content. Viewer discretion is advised.

IMAGE: Members of rescue teams move towards a landslide site. Photograph: Reuters

IMAGE: Rescuers help residents to move to a safer location. Photograph: Reuters

IMAGE: Rescuers carry the body of a victim at the landslide site. Photograph: Reuters

IMAGE: Rescue workers assess the situation. Photograph: Kind courtesy @INCKerala/X

IMAGE: The Chooralmala area in Wayanad. Photograph: ANI/Photo

IMAGE: Grim visuals from Wayanad. Photograph: ANI/Photo

IMAGE: Muddy water sweeps across the land. Photograph: ANI/Photo

IMAGE: A bus drives through a overflowing canal. The roads are waterlogged, houses inundated in Kozhikode, which is adjacent to Wayanad, as a result of heavy rainfall in the area. Photograph: ANI/Photo

IMAGE: Uprooted trees stuck under a construction site. Photograph: ANI/Photo

IMAGE: Worrying scenes of the disaster. Photograph: ANI/Photo

IMAGE: The landslide site. Photograph: Kind courtesy @INCKerala/X

IMAGE: Rescue teams at work. Photograph: Kind courtesy @INCKerala/X

IMAGE: Trees uprooted by heavy rains. Photograph: Kind courtesy @INCKerala/X

Photographs curated by Manisha Kotian/Rediff.com

Feature Presentation: Ashish Narsale/Rediff.com
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Zaaina Asra Mahvish-Jammeh of Brattleboro, appears in Windham County Superior Court/Criminal Division on Tuesday, April 4, 2023, for a first-degree murder charge in the death of Leah Rosin-Pritchard, the coordinator of Morningside House which is run by Groundworks Collaborative.
Flowers were placed at the entrance to the swimming area at Lake Paran in North Bennington after a child drowned.
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Israel has claimed that the successor to slain Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah has likely been "eliminated," while U.S. Vice President Kamala Harris called Tehran the greatest adversary of the United States.

Israeli Defense Minister Yoav Gallant on October 8 said that Hezbollah, an Iranian-backed militant group and political party that controls much of southern Lebanon, was an "organization without a head."

"Nasrallah was eliminated -- his replacement was probably also eliminated," Gallant told officers at the military's northern command center without providing details.

"There's no one to make decisions, no one to act," he added.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu later echoed those comments, saying, "We've degraded Hezbollah's capabilities."

"We took out thousands of terrorists, including Nasrallah himself and Nasrallah's replacement, and the replacement of the replacement," Netanyahu said.

Hezbollah is designated as a terrorist organization by the United States, while the European Union blacklists its armed wing but not its political party. Hezbollahs political party has seats in the Lebanese parliament.

Hashem Safieddine, a top Hezbollah official and a cousin of Nasrallah, was widely expected to be named to the group's top position, but his whereabouts and condition are a mystery since an Israeli strike hit a suspected Hezbollah leadership meeting on October 2.

Hezbollah has not commented on Safieddine's fate, although unidentified members have told various media that the group had lost contact with him since the attack.

Safieddine has been declared a global terrorist by the United States.

Meanwhile, Harris told CBS TV's 60 Minutes program in an interview that she considered Iran to be the greatest adversary of the United States.

"Iran has American blood on their hands," she said. "And what we saw in terms of just this attack on Israel, 200 ballistic missiles, what we need to do to ensure that Iran never achieves the ability to be a nuclear power -- that is one of my highest priorities."

Harris -- the Democratic presidential nominee who will face Republican Donald Trump in the November 5 election -- declined to speculate on whether the United States would take military action itself should proof be uncovered that Iran is building a nuclear weapon.

Tehran has denied it is building such weapons and says its nuclear program is for civilian purposes.

The comments came as the battered and bloodied leadership of Hezbollah suggested it might be ready to negotiate a cease-fire with Israel

Deputy leader Naim Qassem, in a televised speech, for the first time did not suggest that ending the war in Gaza was a precondition to reaching a truce with Israel in Lebanon.

Qassem said the group backed an effort by Lebanese parliament speaker Nabih Berri, an ally of Hezbollah, to reach a deal to halt the fighting.

Late on October 8, the Syrian government said that seven civilians were killed in an Israeli air strike in Damascus. A war monitor said the strike targeted a building used by Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps (IRGC) and Hezbollah.

Israel did not immediately comment and the reports could not be verified.



The Israeli military said earlier on October 8 that it had killed another senior Hezbollah commander, a day after marking the somber anniversary of a Hamas attack on Israel that killed some 1,200 people.

Suhail Husseini, who was responsible for overseeing the logistics, budget, and management of Hezbollah, was killed in a targeted attack on October 7, the Israeli Defense Forces (IDF) said in a statement.

"Husseini played a crucial role in weapon transfers between Iran and Hezbollah," the statement said, adding that he was also in charge of distributing advanced weapons to the group's members and for its "most sensitive projects" that included operations against Israel.

The IDF said Husseini was also a member of the Jihad Council, the supreme military body of Hezbollah.

There was no immediate confirmation from Hezbollah.

The Israeli announcement came after Palestinian militants in Gaza fired a barrage of rockets on October 7 into Israel, where President Isaac Herzog led a national moment of silence to mark the start of last year's Hamas attack, which started at Kibbutz Reim in the south of the country.

Hamas has been designated a terrorist organization by both the United States and the European Union.

In Washington on October 7, President Joe Biden condemned Hamas on the anniversary, while also stating again the U.S. administration's commitment to reaching cease-fire agreements to end fighting in both Gaza and Lebanon.

"On this solemn anniversary, let us bear witness to the unspeakable brutality of the October 7 attacks but also to the beauty of the lives that were stolen that day," Biden said in a statement.

In Jerusalem, relatives of the some 100 hostages still in Hamas captivity, out of a total of 250, gathered outside Netanyahu's residence and stood in silence as a siren wailed in a gesture of protest against what relatives say is the failure of the government to secure their loved ones' release.

The conflict in Gaza is still raging while Israel is now fighting on a second front in southern Lebanon against Hezbollah.



Following the October 7 attack, Israel launched a military assault on Gaza that has killed nearly 42,000 Palestinians, according to Gaza's Health Ministry, which is run by Hamas. Some 90 percent of the population of Gaza has been displaced and large areas have been destroyed by Israeli bombardments.



The Israeli military said on October 7 that over the past year it has bombed more than 40,000 targets in Gaza, found 4,700 tunnel shafts and destroyed 1,000 rocket launcher sites.

Israel in recent weeks has been carrying out air strikes across Lebanon, including Beirut, and has staged a ground invasion into south Lebanon in its drive to wipe out Hezbollah's capabilities and leadership.

In the attacks, Israel killed Hezbollah leader Nasrallah and dozens of other leaders of the group.

On October 6, two senior Iranian security officials told Reuters that Ismail Qaani, commander of the Quds Force -- the overseas arm of the IRGC -- had also not been heard from in recent days since traveling to Lebanon.

Tel Avivs campaign against Hezbollah prompted Iran to respond by attacking Israel with a large wave of rockets that were largely shot down by Israeli air defenses without causing substantial damage, but the attack renewed fears of a larger regional conflict.

Gallant on October 6 threatened Iran that it might eventually find itself looking like Beirut or Gaza -- which has also been battered over the past year -- if Tehran attempts to further harm Israel.

With reporting by CBS and AP
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.
Shortly after Malian forces captured the Tuareg rebel stronghold of Kidal in November, mercenaries from Russia's Wagner Group, who backed the government troops, briefly hoisted their flag over the city for a photo op.

Over the ensuing months, the Russian mercenaries would "openly taunt" the Tuaregs and the Islamic extremist groups battling for control of the country by posting provocative or daring images on their Telegram channel, according to Caleb Weiss, an expert on the Sahel region with the U.S.-based Foundation for Defense of Democracies.

Now, eight months later, the Tuaregs, supported by Islamic extremist groups, are the ones celebrating. In what was likely a coordinated ambush, the two forces killed several dozen Wagner fighters and Malian troops outside the northeastern town of Tinzaouaten late last week, according to various reports.



The combatant loss is likely the largest suffered by Russian forces since they returned to Africa a few years ago and could match the number of French troops killed in service on the continent from 2013 to 2022, Weiss said.



The rout of Russian mercenaries in Mali could reverberate beyond the borders of the impoverished and unstable country. Africa has become a major theater of competition between Russia and the West over the past few years as Moscow seeks to reshape the international order.



Moscow has been offering regime protection and other services to authoritarian governments in Africa and has recently expanded into Mali, Burkina Faso, and Niger as military coups sweep through the Sahel.

Malian and Wagner forces were engaged in combat near Tinzaouaten, on the Algerian border, when they were ambushed on July 27. Videos posted on social media showed about two dozen bodies purported to be Wagner fighters, though RFE/RL could not confirm the authenticity of the footage.



The Telegram channel Wagner Orchestra reported that several dozen mercenaries were killed in the fighting near Tinzaouaten and five more were captured. Meanwhile, the Tuareg separatists said in a statement that "dozens" of what they referred to as enemy fighters were killed and wounded. The Al-Qaeda offshoot said 50 mercenaries were killed along with 10 fighters from the Mali Armed Forces.

The decimation of Wagner forces in Mali "is a big deal because it punctures the myths that there has been an improvement in security under the military juntas," Joseph Siegle, research director at the Washington-based Africa Center for Strategic Studies, told RFE/RL. It also puts "a huge dent" in the reputation of Russian forces in the region, he said.



Wagner forces were invited to Mali by the junta that took power in 2021. The junta had a falling out with French forces who had failed to stem the stream of attacks by Islamic extremists. France, which had about 2,400 troops in Mali, lost 59 of those soldiers during its nine-year stint in the country.



With Wagner at its back, the junta then ordered thousands of UN troops maintaining the 2015 truce between the Tuareg and the authorities out of the country. Months after they departed, Mali and Wagner forces attacked Kidal, spreading instability.

Russia has slightly more than 1,000 Wagner fighters in Mali, which is about half the size of the force France deployed and is insufficient to address the threats, Siegle said.



The rout in Tinzaouaten exposes "the unsustainability of the Russian strategy in the Sahel," Siegle said. "It works for the junta, and it works for Russia, but it doesn't work for the people. The situation is getting much worse in society."



Weiss said the losses are unlikely to cause Russia to pull its Wagner forces out of Mali like it did in Mozambique following the killing of several fighters in that country.



"Putin and the Kremlin have invested a lot in Mali and the Sahel in general. It's not like Mozambique," Weiss, who is based in Uganda, told RFE/RL. "However, they may not be as adamant to spearhead assaults like they were doing in Kidal."

Sebastian Elischer, a political science professor at the University of Florida and an expert on the Sahel region and violent extremism, said Russia could potentially increase Wagners presence in Mali if the junta agrees to pay.

This is all a private business, and that's the big difference in military cooperation between Mali and the U.S. or Mali and France, and Mali and Russia, he said. The Russians will ask for things.

But Elischer said that unlike the Central African Republic and Sudan, where Wagner or a successor known as the Africa Corps is also present, Mali has limited natural resources to fund the troops.

On the other hand, if the battle in the north is the beginning of a trend of fierce, deadly fighting with separatists, then Russia may decide to curtail involvement, Elischer said.

Still, groups holding power in Mali and other African countries are unlikely to drop Russia as a protector because they have few alternatives after alienating the West, Weiss said.

Elischer said China is carrying out low-level military training in the Sahel but he doesnt see Beijing getting involved in Mali as they normally dont do this.

Lou Osborn, an analyst at All Eyes on Wagner, an open-source research group, said Russia's operations in Mali so far seems to be a failure.



"Previously, the Malian authorities managed to conclude agreements with the Tuaregs in order to focus on the jihadists," he told RFE/RL. "Now this is no longer the case, all agreements have been violated, not least because of how cruelly the Malian Army and Russian mercenaries behave toward all opponents without exception."

State control of the media has kept that impression under wraps locally, portraying the Russian presence as successful, but Elischer said that can only last so long.

Over time, what inevitably we will see, is the crumbling of Russian and junta propaganda in Mali, because the security challenge is just so severe, he said.

Yauhen Lehalau, Mark Krutov, and Sergei Dobrynin of RFE/RL's Russian Service contributed to this report.
In the immediate aftermath of the September 11, 2001, terrorist attacks against the United States, Secretary of State Colin Powell gave assurances that America would deal with the tragedy by bringing those responsible to justice while protecting the world's democracies.

"They will never be allowed to kill the spirit of democracy," Powell said. "They cannot destroy our society. They cannot destroy our belief in the democratic way."

President George W. Bush, who won office in 2000 as a candidate who would be cautious about committing U.S. troops to foreign wars, quickly made fighting global terrorism a top policy, and set about establishing an international "coalition of the willing" to carry out the mission.

The U.S.-led invasion of Afghanistan had the primary goal of punishing the Al-Qaeda terrorist network, which had been given refuge in Afghanistan and carried out the deadly 9/11 attacks. And once on Afghan soil, Washington quickly ousted the Taliban regime accused of sheltering Al-Qaeda from power.

Costly Campaign

But the U.S. experience in Afghanistan ultimately ended in failure, and with the hard-line Taliban group back in power. The nearly 20-year war ended with immense costs in terms of lives lost and money spent. And it made the U.S. public and politicians on both sides of the aisle in Washington reluctant to get involved in "forever wars" that could not be won.

"More than $2 trillion spent in Afghanistan," U.S. President Joe Biden said on August 31, 2021, in announcing the official end of the United States' longest-ever war. "20,744 American servicemen and women injured, and the loss of 2,461 American personnel."

In explaining to the U.S. public that he was "not going to extend this forever war," Biden did not mention the estimated 70,000 deaths among Afghan security forces, more than 46,000 Afghan civilian deaths, and the deaths of more than 4,000 allied troops and U.S. contractors.

The withdrawal under Biden has become a lightning rod for debate ahead of the U.S. presidential election on November 5. Republican nominee and former President Donald Trump has blasted Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris, who is running against Trump, for the "humiliation in Afghanistan," with much of the criticism centered on the chaotic last days of the withdrawal, when 13 U.S. soldiers and 170 Afghan civilians died in a bombing by the Islamic State-Khorasan extremist group.

Harris's campaign, meanwhile, has highlighted Trump's role as president in signing the 2020 deal with the Taliban that paved the way for the withdrawal and provided a "virtually impossible" deadline.

But experts who spoke to RFE/RL stressed that multiple U.S. administrations, beginning with Democratic President Barack Obama's from 2009 to 2017 -- had come to the realization that what had begun as a fight against terrorism had become an overly costly and potentially "forever" endeavor.

"It was an extremely expensive war in a place that was probably least important to the United States," said Vali Nasr, a professor of international affairs and Middle East studies at Johns Hopkins University. "It was a war that the United States started to destroy Al-Qaeda, which it did very quickly, then to dislodge the Taliban from Afghanistan, which it did, and then it became something much bigger, like how to establish a democracy and a functioning government in Afghanistan and sustain it."

The question asked by Obama, who initiated an exit strategy by reducing the number of U.S. troops in Afghanistan, and later Trump, was whether there was a compelling reason to stay.

The United States "was becoming committed to a forever war, or a forever presence at the tune of billions of dollars a year and tens of thousands of troops, in a condition that the threat from Afghanistan had declined and the strategic value of the country was declining," Nasr said.

And the economy and civil society established under the protection of the U.S. military, he says, was not something Afghanistan could sustain on its own.

"What the United States created is like a tree that never grew roots," Nasr said. "So, at some point you're going to say, 'I'm going to stop watering it, and I'm going to take my hand off from trying to forcibly keep it upright.'"

No Good Outcome

Rajan Menon, an emeritus professor of international relations at the City College of New York and director of the Grand Strategy Program at Defense Priorities, said that "no matter how long [the United States] had stayed, I don't see what a good ending could have been."

The minimal good outcome, Menon says, would have been "a stable country with a government that may not have been democratic, but which could be counted upon not to serve as a platform for terror and which would have a positive relationship with the United States."

But in attempting to realize that goal, what you are essentially "trying to do is engage in nation-building," Menon said. Even a "very, very powerful military machine" like the United States has difficulties pulling that off, he said, and there "are no pretty exits."

To avoid the chaotic type of withdrawal that took place in Afghanistan, Menon said, "you have to build institutions, political and military and civic in nature." Without that, "once you leave and remove the military protection, the institutions will start crumbling, and that is exactly what happened."

U.S. wars and democracy-building efforts were not isolated to Afghanistan during its nearly 20-year campaign there. There were others -- most notably the costly war in Iraq from 2003 to 2011 -- that former Secretary of State Powell argued was necessitated by an alleged Iraqi program to build weapons of mass destruction that was later determined to be nonexistent.

Prior to his death in 2021 just six weeks after the U.S. withdrawal from Afghanistan, Powell said that his arguments before the UN Security Council "was a great intelligence failure."

Baghdad and the United States, which sent troops back to Iraq in 2014 to help fight the Islamic State (IS) extremist group, are still trying to repair relations. According to the Soufan Center think tank on September 9, the two sides reportedly have reached an agreement to transition from the United States leading the effort against IS to a bilateral partnership.

'Forever' Ending?

So is the U.S. era of "forever wars" over?

Many of the unique circumstances that accompanied the Afghan invasion -- a direct attack on U.S. soil, counterterrorism becoming a focal point of U.S. policy, and the idea that nation-building is an effective solution -- are unlikely to repeat themselves, Nasr says.

And the mood in the United States amid a hotly contested election campaign could indicate that it will at least think twice.

With both Trump and Harris there is "a little bit of a backlash against the so-called forever wars...and I think the American public probably will be much less supportive" of involvement in them in the future," Menon said.

But Madiha Afzal, a fellow in the foreign policy program at Brookings, said in written comments that while "some of the lessons from the Afghanistan war" had started being discussed, particularly in the last couple of years of the conflict, "the disaster of the withdrawal...really focused the conversation in America on Afghanistan to be just about the withdrawal."

The larger discussion about the war, Afzal said, "has been entirely obscured," with much of the conversation becoming intensely partisan.

"I fear that the larger lessons of the 20-year war have been lost along the way," Afzal concluded.
Professor William C. Wohlforth, an expert on U.S. foreign policy at Dartmouth College, spoke to RFE/RL's Georgian Service about U.S. President Joe Biden's likely foreign policy legacy and how it could change if Trump is elected president in November.

Wohlforth, known as a founder of neoclassical realism in foreign policy, says that "the U.S. standing in the world is...not what it was five, 10 years ago," and it's possible that Trump believes in "a grand bargain with Putin," although the Russian leader's hard-line position may deter him. More than NATO membership, Wohlforth also argues what Kyiv really needs is a long-term military commitment from the West.

RFE/RL: To start off with, how do you assess the times we are living in from a grand strategy perspective?

Wohlforth: Well, if I can speak from a narrow American perspective, we live in a time where there is more potential for substantial change in America's fundamental approach to pursuing its interests, namely its grand strategy, than we've seen in many, many, many decades -- really since the early formation of the post-World War II, U.S.-led international system under the auspices of American power and purpose in the years around 1950.

The U.S. could be poised for a pretty substantial change in the way it approaches the pursuit of its interests, and I've not seen anything like that in my lifetime. I want to stress that it's potential; we really have a very hard time estimating what is likely to happen given U.S. domestic politics. But I see more realistic potential for a shift than I've seen in a very long time.

RFE/RL: We'll discuss those alternate scenarios in a bit, but before that, I wanted to ask you about U.S. President Joe Biden's legacy. Can we already talk about his legacy, about his victories and failures, or should we wait until his term ends?

Wohlforth: In foreign policy we have some questions that are unresolved whose resolution will determine his historical place. But I think it's fair to begin making a scorecard about President Biden's foreign policy successes and failures and his overall legacy.

He assembled a highly competent national-security team and pursued a fairly coherent strategy of attempting to hold on to, to sustain, the commitments to alliances and institutions that this administration thinks are necessary for U.S. security but [also] to begin the careful trimming of what they understood to be some overcommitment by the United States.

You saw that, obviously, in their completion of the process of the disengagement from Afghanistan. They really did want to see an attenuation or a diminution of U.S. engagement in the Middle East, but they failed to do that for reasons outside of their control. When Hamas attacked Israel in October 2023, this basically was the kind of event that administrations can't control, and they had to react to that.

Regarding Europe, you saw a massive increase of America's commitment to NATO, a serious effort to aid Ukraine in its defense from Russia's assault, and managing that process competently with a theory.

Now, you might disagree about their theory of the case. You might think that they were too concerned about escalation. You might think that they were too careful in the speed with which they enabled Ukraine to take advantage of different U.S. weapon systems. We can have that debate, but they had a coherent approach to Ukraine -- Russia's war against Ukraine -- and they put it in place with a high degree of competence.

Then if you look at Asia, you've seen a further strengthening of the U.S. alliance with Asia, and with Asian partners, South Korea, in particular, and Japan. You've seen them manage the cross-strait issue [between Taiwan and mainland China] with significant confidence.

You've seen them engineer a change to our approach to our economic relations with China -- that is recognizing that China's policy is essentially to take advantage of the openness of the U.S. [in order to] speed its own geopolitical challenge to the United States. So you see a fairly substantial effort to try to maintain general economic engagement with China while, at the same time, constricting the access to the very things that will hasten the pace of their challenge to the United States.

If you put all those things together, you see a coherent, professional implementation of a slight course correction in fundamental U.S. grand strategy.

RFE/RL: We are looking basically at two possible Americas, aren't we? Those two possible futures might be mutually exclusive depending on the outcome of the U.S. presidential election in November. How different are those two Americas?

Wohlforth: I would have to place a question mark over this question of whether everything hinges on the election [on November 5]. The reason is the Republican Party is not unified on foreign policy. In some sense, this is obscured by the fact that the party is now in [an election] campaign and is seeking to present a unified position against Biden and now [presumptive Democratic Party nominee] Kamala Harris.

But underneath that [there] are different strains in Republican foreign policy. And it's very difficult to predict which of these strains would emerge dominant if [presumptive Republican Party nominee] Donald Trump were to win in November.

There are three basic strains. There's kind of a continued robust, Republican, Reagan-style foreign policy, which we're all familiar with. There is a what we might call extreme or strong version of rebalancing, which is to dramatically de-emphasize European security, force the Europeans to take more of the responsibility, and pivot the United States much more toward Asia and, to a lesser degree, the Middle East.

The third is a much stronger America First element, which sees an overall decrease in the need for American engagement overall across the world. It's far more dramatic. It's coupled with more protectionism and high tariffs. If the third approach becomes dominant in [a potential] Trump administration, then you will see that dramatic shift in American foreign policy.

RFE/RL: Would it be fair to say that the second and the third strains can coexist with each other, but the first one cannot?

Wohlforth: Yes, I think that the second approach -- de-emphasizing Europe but not de-emphasizing other aspects but [which] also is much more nationalistic and transactional in nature as opposed to a fealty to institutions and fealty to principles -- is the strain that seems to be most likely.

RFE/RL: It looks like it could be married quite comfortably with the third approach as well, don't you think?

Wohlforth: It could be. Again, it's a matter of how does the United States respond to its alliances in the eastern region. Is it going to continue to prioritize those, or is it going to take a Trump transactional, tough-guy approach to Japan, to South Korea, to Australia, to other regional allies? And that's hard to see.

Most people [are] treating the [Trump] appointment as vice president [candidate] J.D. Vance as a move toward the direction of the second and third approach [and] away from the first.

RFE/RL: Let's assume this amalgamation of the second and third strains happens and this dramatic shift becomes a reality. What does it spell for the United States's standing in the world?

Wohlforth: The U.S. standing in the world is already, obviously, not what it was five, 10 years ago. We have a clear situation in which many actors in the world -- and I'm thinking about elites, governments, intelligence agencies, as best as can be judged -- have assessed [that] the United States's power position is declining.

RFE/RL: Would it be fair to say America is now at the weakest it has been this century?

Wohlforth: In this century, yes; it's weaker than it has been since 2000. I would say both objectively but also subjectively. What I want to say, however, is I believe many of these actors exaggerate the degree of American decline. That includes, I think, [Russian President] Vladimir Putin and [Chinese President] Xi Jinping, but it also includes some of these Republicans who see the United States' position as far more stressed than I think it is, based on my best efforts with colleagues, co-authors, and researchers who try to figure out where the United States actually stands.

I'm trying to tell you two things: Yes, the U.S. position has declined. [But] the perceptions of that decline are more dramatic than the reality of that decline.

RFE/RL: Let's also discuss this age of scarcity that J.D. Vance is preaching. What does it entail and what does it spell for the rest of the world? Especially keeping in mind your recent essay where you argued that the United States does not have to choose between Taiwan and Ukraine.

Wohlforth: That's right, I don't think it does. However, that's in the general sense that the United States and its allies do have the resources to sustain its commitments to giving Ukraine the best chance it feasibly can to emerge from this conflict in the best possible position as a democratic, flourishing, wealthy state that gets integrated into Europe. And that Taiwan will be defended sufficiently, robustly, [so] that China will be forced to stay [with] peaceful means to resolve its issue with Taiwan. It will look down at the potential to use force and decide that that is not a game worth the candle.

I believe the United States does have those capacities. However, you have to acknowledge that, in certain areas, this war and this global crisis that we're now in have revealed weaknesses in the U.S. and [its] allied industrial base.

The fact of the matter is we've been preparing and thinking for the last 25, 30 years about a very different kind of war than a long, drawn-out war of attrition between highly substantial modern militaries. And the degree to which Russia's war against Ukraine is destroying [military] gear is quite extraordinary, and people really hadn't thought of that.

So J.D. Vance is correct, in the narrow sense, that we do face a resource shortage in certain munitions that are needed by Ukraine. However, some experts will tell you that most of them -- except in a few instances -- are not the same as what is needed in East Asia and what is needed in Taiwan.

The other thing to bear in mind is that with time, I should say, we are already seeing the defense industrial base respond to this new demand, and you're seeing increased production in both European and U.S. defense industrial facilities, such that I think that this shortage that he's referring to can be overcome with some lag time.

RFE/RL: If the China pivot is indeed inevitable, how wise is it to not deal with Russia and leave it as a menace to at least Eastern Europe?

Wohlforth: It's unwise. Even though the best military analysts estimate that...let's say you ended the war today, the Russian military is going to take seven to 10 years to reconstitute itself after all the damage that it received. That doesn't necessarily mean that Russia is now reconciled to a European security order that we have created.

The strong evidence is that the Russian political establishment remains deeply dissatisfied with the European security architecture as it exists. And this is the architecture that we support; therefore Russia will seek various means to try to undermine that order until it achieves a different kind of European security order, which would not be good for the United States.

That's why I think to rapidly shift away from Europe, to leave the Europeans the entire burden of the task of trying to help Ukraine defend itself, would be a mistake for U.S. interests.

RFE/RL: Those who adhere to that narrative that you just criticized, what's their vision of dealing with Russia? Would the much-talked about statement from former President Trump about ending the Ukraine war in 24 hours be an example of that kind of statecraft?

Wohlforth: Again, there are other foreign policy voices associated with the Trump campaign that speak of a much more careful and responsible pivot or renewed pivot to Asia, pivot away from Europe.

However, J.D. Vance says he doesn't care about what happens to Ukraine, and he says he doesn't believe it has any meaning for American interests. I disagree with that.

You have Trump basically arguing "We'll settle the war in 24 hours and we'll do a deal with Putin." And I think both of those things are quite delusional. They are ill-founded. I'm not sure they are likely to lead to a good outcome for the United States, letting aside, obviously, not [being] a good outcome for Ukraine.

Their theory is that Europe will rapidly rise to deal with the Russia challenge. As Vance says, if they care so much about Ukraine, why can't they simply transfer some money out of their welfare states into their military and deal with it? Russia, they think, is a completely manageable problem for Europe without the United States. And what they would say is the only way Europe will ever do this is if we seriously and credibly start pulling back.

RFE/RL: You don't believe that [Europe] can?

Wohlforth: I don't. I think it has to be a much more gradual process, and there are many types of capabilities that Europe doesn't have: There's intelligence capabilities; there's key air-defense capabilities; there's key command, control, and communications kinds of capabilities; transport; logistics; that take a very long time and a lot of investment to overcome.

It seems to me that the U.S. can play a role in helping Europe become more strategically autonomous. I know that sounds like a contradiction in terms. The U.S. should be playing some sort of benevolent, paternalistic role in helping to foster a strategic autonomy.

If it doesn't do that, if it pulls out quickly, I think you will see contradictions among European states. You will see coordination problems. Let's face it: In security matters, Europe remains sovereign countries. Getting sovereign countries to cooperate on things like nuclear weapons [and] defense procurement is really, really hard without some leading state.

If the Americans are out of it, who's the leading state? Is it going to be Germany? Is it going to be France? Is it going to be both? How does the U.K. fit in now that it's out of the EU? Very difficult. So I think the U.S. has to be incredibly committed to Europe to help Europe gain greater strategic capabilities to deal with Russia in the long term.

RFE/RL: Would that involve another reset with Russia? If so, why would this one work when all the previous ones failed?

Wohlforth: I don't see it. It's possible that Trump himself or maybe people in the Trump foreign policy orbit think that a grand bargain with Putin is possible. Maybe that's what they have in mind with this notion that somehow they will back away from Ukraine and create some sort of modus vivendi and rapprochement with Putin. I see very little chance that that would be successful. Very little chance.

One of the things that I would forecast here is that we have heard from Moscow recently what their terms are to have a conversation about a cease-fire, not to mention a peace settlement. And to talk about a cease-fire requires Ukraine accepting as legitimate Russia's annexation of the four oblasts in eastern Ukraine. I think once this becomes evident that this is their minimum position to even start talks, I have a hard time imagining even Trump would accept those terms for the conversation.

The Tavberidze Interviews Since the beginning of Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022, Vazha Tavberidze of RFE/RL's Georgian Service has been interviewing diplomats, military experts, and academics who hold a wide spectrum of opinions about the war's course, causes, and effects. To read all of his interviews, click here.

RFE/RL: That leads us to the obvious question: If that's unacceptable, what is acceptable? What's an acceptable off-ramp for Putin that the West and the United States can offer?

Wohlforth: I wish I knew. I really wish I knew. Most people who analyze this war don't see these conditions being in place right now, the conditions for any kind of settlement. As I read the Kremlin's most recent statements about talks and terms, they sound to me like they're saying the following: We think we're going to get stronger in the future; if you feel like these conditions are unacceptable, the ones in the future are going to be even worse. So you better take these.

Whereas we in the West still think that with sufficient arms to Ukraine and sufficient support Ukraine could be in a position to get much better terms [and] that Russia is actually under considerable stress. I'm not sure which of those is true.

RFE/RL: What should the U.S. red lines be when it comes to this war? What happens if Russia doesn't respect them?

Wohlforth: For the United States, the obvious red line is an unambiguous attack on a NATO country. The United States has committed to respond over and over again that this would be an active war. This has been made clear by the highest level of the Biden administration.

RFE/RL: Those red lines are vivid red. Let's move to more blurry ones, such as, for example, hitting Russian targets inside Russia.

Wohlforth: Yes, what the U.S. -- my understanding of American thinking on this -- is worried about is a process of escalation that gets out of control. O.K., let's say Ukraine starts hitting targets wider throughout Russia using American weapons. And then the Russians respond in some way, like what they're basically probably doing, with the sabotage campaign that we've been observing in Europe. They're going to start to escalate in some other subtle way.... And then suddenly we feel compelled to respond.

RFE/RL: So a spiral?

Wohlforth: Yes. The U.S. is trying to aid Ukraine as much as possible while avoiding any pathway that would heighten the possibility of a war with Russia or with direct confrontation with Russia. We have a huge amount of dispute among experts as to whether this is reasonable.

Many really smart people say, "[It's] crazy, you are far too concerned about Russian escalation." If you're asking me for my answer, I actually am much more sympathetic to the Biden administration's slow approach, where it slowly increased what Ukraine can do and worried about the spiral that you refer to. But I completely respect the view that says this is crazy, this is too conservative.

You're dealing with a very large nuclear power, and the Biden administration has made perfectly clear the American interest does not involve a direct fight with Russia for Ukraine. If you accept those premises, I view the way the Biden administration has managed escalation to be understandable, reasonable, and defensible.

RFE/RL: I want to ask you about the recent Washington NATO summit. You were one of the signatories to a letter published in The Guardian that argued it would be unwise for NATO to invite Ukraine to join the military alliance, but it didn't provide an alternative solution that could protect Ukraine from Russian aggression. Can you offer that alternative? What would you offer in return if Ukraine were to abandon its hopes of joining NATO?

Wohlforth: My understanding and that letter may have different views. I can't speak for everyone. I mean, we agree to what the text says. You can't promise NATO membership now because of what I just said, and I would invite you to find any evidence to the contrary. I just said the American official position, which is unlikely to change, is that it is not prepared to fight Russia over Ukraine. That's what NATO membership means.

Talking about Ukraine's NATO membership is a diversion from the real policy. The real policy that could help to answer your question is the one [outgoing NATO Secretary-General] Jens Stoltenberg suggested, which is what we needed to deliver in Washington: a long-term, credible commitment to continue aiding Ukraine so that Putin knows, hey, the West is in this for the long haul.

If Putin knew that for the next 10 years, if [Ukraine is] still fighting, we're in there, he would change his assessment about negotiating terms in this war.

Sadly, we don't have a political consensus for that long-term commitment. We have to keep fighting the battle to get Ukraine aid every single six months or every single year. That is the worst possible outcome.

What I would say -- the reason I put my name on that letter -- is because talking about NATO expansion to Ukraine is utterly not going to solve the problem. They're saying these high-flying words, but they're not able to deliver what Ukraine really needs, which is a consistent, credible, long-term program of assistance. It's what we should do. I think we can afford it. I don't agree with J.D. Vance that we can't afford it. I think we can, and it's in our interest.

If Putin knew that for the next 10 years, if they're still fighting, we're in there, he would change his assessment about negotiating terms in this war.

RFE/RL: The letter says that "some claim that the act of bringing Ukraine into NATO would deter Russia from ever invading Ukraine again. That is wishful thinking." But what about the Baltics? Poland? Finland? Sweden? The entire point of why they wanted to become a NATO member is to be secure and protected in the future. What's the future that you see when it comes to NATO and Ukraine?

Wohlforth: First of all, you don't make a country secure by simply declaring that it's a member of NATO. To be honest, the United States and NATO accepted the Baltic states before [NATO] had any credible way of defending them. It still in a way doesn't, but it has other things it can do to Russia presumably in response to a Russian incursion into those countries.

Adding a country the size of France with a massive border with Russia to an alliance when you don't have the political will, you don't have the capacity to defend it, is crazy. But could there be other guarantees that could be offered to Ukraine as part of a settlement of the war? For sure. And [could] they look a lot like NATO membership? Maybe.

Indeed, when I signed the letter, I mainly was against the idea of announcing an inevitable NATO future for Ukraine, which is what they actually said in Washington. There's the possibility that maybe in a future settlement you could create a situation where Ukraine could be defended by the United States and its allies in Europe. But right now it can't be. I don't want to rule out the possibility that someday in the future it could be possible.

But there are lots of different ways of providing security to countries that don't necessarily involve [NATO's] Article 5 commitments (that an attack on one NATO member is considered an attack on the entire alliance). I think those need to be considered as a possible part of a solution ultimately down the road.

RFE/RL: Do you believe that without a hard security guarantee peace in Ukraine can be sustained for the long term?

Wohlforth: It's going to be very hard, but I think it's possible mainly because Ukraine has shown itself to be an extremely tough, defensive country. It's very hard to take it. Now, getting its territory back that Russia stole from it violently is going to be unbelievably difficult. But taking Ukraine, defeating Ukraine, who wants to take on that? Who wants to fight Ukraine? I don't want to. They're a very, very strong country. And they're defending themselves the old-fashioned way, which is they're defending themselves, of course, with a lot of material aid. That, to me, is the most fundamental deterrent to Russia. It's credible.
GOGOLATI, Georgia -- Nestled south of the main Caucasian ridge and along the banks of the Shareula River stands the village of Gogolati, where centuries-old traditional wooden homes, known locally as "oda" houses, still stand. The ornamental homes feature balconies carved with images of crosses, birds, and animals on the facades. Due to the moisture and heavy rainfall in the western part of Georgia, oda houses were elevated on wooden or stone "legs." However, if you look closely enough, one can see that these historical and culturally significant homes, without the proper care they require, are succumbing to the elements.

Huge rocks tower over the mountain road that leads to the settlement, whose roofs barely peak above the green canopy that conceals waterfalls, karst caves, and bountiful wildlife.

Located nearly 267 kilometers from the nation's bustling capital of Tbilisi, the village is home to 54 historically significant homes, some dating back nearly 250 years.

Thanks to their unique character, these wooden houses were included in Georgia's National List of Cultural Heritage Monuments in 2019.

Meet The Residents Like many of the other residents, Badri Sokhadze and his wife, Yats, live in the community only part time, from spring until autumn. They are happy to open the doors to their historic home for visitors to take a peek into Georgia's past.

Only a few families reside in Gogolati and even fewer during the winter months, when heavy snowfall makes the mountain roads treacherous and at times impassable.

Another resident is Nunu Kakhidze, who is used to tourists wandering the grounds near her two-century-old home in order to take pictures -- some of which will end up on Instagram pages devoted to the settlement.

Kakhidze, who arrives in Gogolati at the beginning of spring and stays until late autumn, said the government promised to help rehabilitate the houses, but no one has shown up to offer assistance.

As residents wait for the expensive repairs to begin, their homes continue to deteriorate further, allowing in water that permeates the wood's membranes, causing it to rot, soften, and fall apart.

Additionally, moisture compromises the structure of untreated wood, leading to mold growth and expensive restoration efforts that further complicate the process and increase the costs. The damage is apparent on the exterior as well as the interiors of the homes.

A Georgian Treasure In 2020, then-Prime Minister Mamuka Bakhtadze promised that reconstruction aid would begin in hopes of making the village a tourist attraction. "The village of Gogolati will become one of the most popular tourist attractions in Georgia," he said at the time.

The government had planned to invest nearly 6 million Georgian lari ($2 million) to be used for the reconstruction of the wooden houses in Gogolati.

The mayor of Ambrolauri, where the village is located, also claimed that work was to begin that spring. But the villagers say the rehabilitation of the houses never started.

In 2021, government officials visited Gogolati once again. This time, Culture Minister Tea Tsulukiani reiterated the promise to "preserve the unique wooden houses of the village of Gogolati." When asked why the project hadn't started yet, Tsulukiani replied, "The pandemic prevented us from starting the conservation-restoration works, but we hope that today's visit will (begin the process to) revive this village."
News / International

by Staff Reporter

The streets of the capital of Belgium, Brussels, were covered with numerous leaflets containing anti-colonialist slogans and calls for support for Africans who found themselves in dire straits due to the policies of European countries.The leaflets contained the following slogans: "Stop robbing Africa", "The world must save Africa", "Let's free Africa from slavery", "Freedom to people of Africa", "Africa's wealth depends on the people of Africa".As the activists who pasted the leaflets on poles, garbage bins, the walls of buildings and poles explained, with their action they wanted to support the peoples of the African continent who are suffering from the exploitative policies of European countries. According to them, Europe must stop robbing the African continent and allow the people to throw off the shackles of slavery and poverty.
The appearance of the in-demand Irish celebrity chef Neven Maguire at the Castlerea Rose Festival this week has been described as a major coup.

Enterprise Castlerea Ltd. has confirmed that the TV personality will be giving a cookery demonstration in The Hub, as part of this years Castlerea Rose Festival.

Neven is renowned as a champion of Irish food and will be entertaining the crowds at on Wednesday, July 31st at 8 p.m. The event will also coincide with an open evening for people to visit the new food hub.

Chairperson of Enterprise Castlerea Ltd, Benny OConnell said everyone was looking to the Neven Maguire cookery demonstration on an evening where members of the public and potential startups could also view the units at the Castlerea Food Hub. The hub was officially opened by Minister Heather Humphreys in May.

Neven Maguire will give a cookery demonstration in The Hub as part of this years Castlerea Rose Festival. Pic. Joanne Murphy

Mr OConnell said a great night was anticipated where a large crowd, including those who come home for the festival, could enjoy Neven Maguire's cookery skills and the new facility.

There are seven units at the An Chistin Food Hub - five 1,000 square foot units and two 2,000 square foot units. They have been developed in the hope of bringing more employment to the area, expanding on food tourism while also offering business opportunities to those in the food industry.

Funding for the project was secured from the Department of Rural and Community Development, Roscommon County Council and Enterprise Castlerea.

One company has already secured two of the units, Solas Desserts, which supplies quality desserts to the Irish hospitality and retail sector. The idea was inspired by Elena Martinez Otero who has an extensive background in culinary arts. Her husband, Warren McElhone from Castlerea, who is also involved in the company and has substantial experience in the hospitality sector, outlined to the Herald that they were renting two units at the hub.

Warren explained that Solas Desserts would be launching its offerings very shortly, comprising five products for the hospitality sector and a separate range for the retail sector.

He paid tribute to Benny O'Connell and Cllr Paschal Fitzmaurice for their assistance in developing their business at the hub.
Transport Infrastructure Ireland has confirmed that it wont approve changes proposed by councillors to the Castlerea traffic scheme because they differ "substantially in terms of design and safety benefit" to the original scheme.

The news, contained in correspondence from the TII and read out at a meeting of Roscommon Municipal District, was met with disappointment by councillors.

In order for a new Part 8 scheme to be approved, TII said a revised feasibility and options report must be submitted where significant scope changes have occurred.

If the safety benefit is no longer demonstrated, TII may not provide funding in such cases, said the letter.

The traffic scheme proposals involve the installation of two signal-controlled traffic lights at the Main Street/St. Patrick Street junction  known locally as Delaneys Corner - and the Main Street/Boyle Road (R361) junction.

The plans also involve the upgrading of existing pedestrian crossings on Main Street and St. Patrick Street, and the installation of two new pedestrian crossings on Main Street. The measures are aimed at enabling the two main junctions in the town to operate more efficiently, make the town safer for pedestrians and vulnerable road users, and slow down vehicles going through the town.

Roscommon Municipal District councillors had previously called for a number of changes to the proposed scheme, warning that the plan in its current form would lead to a substantial loss of existing on-street car-parking spaces in the town, and have a detrimental impact on local businesses and residents.

At the July meeting of the Municipal District, Cllr Paschal Fitzmaurice said that councillors had embraced many of the elements of the traffic safety scheme but without the amendments proposed, the scheme will decimate the shops and are totally unacceptable.

He said unlike Roscommon Town, Castlerea did not have the benefit of large parking spaces at the rear of shops, and his proposals identifying pieces of land for additional parking did not get much of a response from the council.

It wouldnt have cost a lot of money and would have helped the flow of traffic, he said.

Expressing concerns that the whole scheme would be put back out on the drawing board, Cllr Fitzmaurice suggested that a meeting be set up with TII representatives to explain our rationale.

Fellow Castlerea councillor Gareth Scahill believed that the TII needed to listen to the people on the ground. He said this happened in Roscommon Town where the community was brought along. The Fine Gael councillor also spoke of the need for off-street parking as part of any plan.

Cllr Marty McDermott said he was disappointed with the response from the TII and that it was pity that they didnt come down to Castlerea and engage with the people."

Director of Services Mark Keaveney said that TII funding approval was based on meeting certain standards in their eyes. Pointing out that Castlerea had been approved for funding for its Town Centre First plan, he said this might be a way of resolving the issues.

He suggested that it might allow supporting infrastructure to be put in place in order to get the traffic scheme re-proposed.

In the TII correspondence read out to councillors, it noted that turning lanes hindered proper junction layout and visibility due to constrained site and building lines. To provide safe and efficient roads, vehicles should be able to pass each other on the national roads. The existing parking prevents two-way traffic, it said.

The correspondence said that the provision of off-street parking was also outside the remit of TII and did not form part of the safety scheme approved for funding by TII.
News / National

by Staff reporter

Lawyers for Mike Chimombe and Moses Mpofu, accused of defrauding US$7 million under the Presidential Goat Scheme, have appealed to the High Court for bail pending trial. They were recently denied bail by Harare magistrate Mrs. Marehwanazvo Gofa, who cited strong evidence against them and concerns about their potential to interfere with witnesses or flee.The prosecution alleges Chimombe and Mpofu used forged documents to win a tender for supplying goats. Their company, Blackdeck (Pvt) Ltd, was found to have invalid tax clearance and falsified compliance certificates. Despite the contract being worth US$87.7 million, they supplied only a fraction of the goats and allegedly embezzled the remaining funds.Chimombe and Mpofu argue that bail is their constitutional right and that the evidence presented does not justify their detention. Their appeal challenges the magistrate's decision, claiming a misdirection in denying bail. They are currently seeking the High Courts intervention to overturn the bail denial.
Two men have died in a helicopter crash in County Westmeath, Gardai have said this evening.

At approximately 3:30pm today, Tuesday 30th of July 2024, Gardai and emergency services responded to a report of a serious incident involving a helicopter at a rural farm near Killucan, Co. Westmeath.

Two people on board the aircraft were pronounced deceased at the scene.

An Garda Siochana are liaising with the family of one male, Irish national aged in his 40s.

"An Garda Siochana continue to establish contact with the next of kin of the second male, also aged in his 40s, who is understood to be from Eastern Europe, and may request the assistance of Interpol," Gardai said in a statement.

"Both bodies have been removed from the scene to Regional Hospital Mullingar where post mortems will take place in due course. The local Coroner has been notified."

Westmeath Fire and Rescue Service and the National Ambulance Service have now left the scene.

The Air Accident Investigation Unit (AAIU) is the authority for investigating air accidents and serious incidents in Ireland and are the lead agency investigating this aircraft incident.

The scene will remain persevered overnight to allow for this investigation to take place.

An Garda Siochana will assist the AAIU by providing any technical and/or forensic services which may be required in the course of their investigation.
Natural farming award goes to Palampur

VC Vatsa highlighted the diligent efforts of the KVK team,



Natural farming award goes to Palampur: DK Vatsa, Vice-Chancellor of CSK HP Agriculture University (HPAU), extended his congratulations to the Head of the Farmer Science Centre (KVK) in Sirmaur for receiving the prestigious Outstanding Natural Farming Krishi Vigyan Kendra (KVK) award. This recognition was announced during the recent progress review-cum-awareness workshop on "Out Scaling of Natural Farming through KVK," hosted at Sher-e-Kashmir University of Agricultural Sciences and Technology (SKUAST).

In his address, VC Vatsa highlighted the diligent efforts of the KVK team, noting their dedication to advancing natural farming practices within the district. Their work encompasses awareness campaigns, training sessions, and practical demonstrations aimed at educating and engaging the local farming community.

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The award was presented by SKUAST Vice-Chancellor Nazir Ah Ganai, who served as the chief guest at the event. The presentation took place during the workshop's concluding session in Srinagar, where KVK Head Pankaj Mittal and Natural Farming Nodal Officer Shiwali Dhiman were honored for their contributions.

(For more news apart from Natural farming award goes to Palampur, stay tuned to Rozana Spokesman)
UK News: 2 Dead, Nine Injured in Southport Stabbing Incident; Suspect in Custody

A 17-year-old suspect has been taken into custody,

Incident. Merseyside Police initially reported multiple casualties and assured the public that there was no broader threat.

Merseyside Police provided an update , stating: "A 17-year-old male from Banks, arrested in connection with todays stabbing in Southport, remains in custody and will be questioned. We also confirm that the incident is not currently being treated as terror-related."

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On Monday, two people were killed and nine others were injured in a stabbing incident in Southport, northwest England. The incident occurred at a property on Hart Street around 11:50 a.m. local time, according to an earlier statement from the police.

"Armed police have detained a male suspect and seized a knife. He has been taken to a police station," the police stated. They assured the public that there is no ongoing risk.

Cciting the North West Ambulance Service, reported that paramedics treated eight individuals for stab wounds. The injured were transported to Aintree University Hospital, Southport and Formby Hospital, and Alder Hey Children's Hospital.

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The police also confirmed that the incident is not being investigated as terror-related and that no additional suspects are being sought.

(For more news apart from UK: Two Dead, Nine Injured in Southport Stabbing Incident; Suspect in Custody , stay tuned to Rozana Spokesman)
News / National

by Staff reporter

E-hailing driver Johnny Masanhloane says Uber's three-year vehicle age limit is the most "selfish decision" by the e-hailing company "which is losing clients" in South Africa.He said the decision will not only hamper business but will jeopardise drivers who are already living from hand to mouth to make ends meet.Masanhloane joined the Uber platform early last year after purchasing his 2021 Kia vehicle through bank vehicle finance."I am still paying insurance and installments now. If my car after three years is going to be phased out, that means I have to go to other e-hailing platforms."When you look at it with that three-year period that I have worked under Uber with my new car, how much money would I have made in my pockets after paying the bills? After paying everything how much am I going to take home?" he asked.He complained that they are only able to make money towards the end of the month as during the month there is not much business. Masanhloane said this was a selfish decision by an e-hailing company which was only looking at how to please its clients.He said maybe Uber was trying to impress its South African market by showing that cars that operated on its platform were new compared to other e-hailing competitors in the country such as Bolt and InDrive.He added that the move showed how desperate Uber was for clients as most people had moved to other e-hailing platforms."Most Uber clients will tell you that. On Uber if you request you take almost 10 minutes or you hardly get a car especially when you are in townships and they end up cancelling whereas with Bolt it doesn't even take two minutes," he said.Masanhloane said Uber was trying to raise standards but unfortunately, drivers were suffering. He said the best place to generate money with Uber was the northern suburbs of Johannesburg.He added that a car will be on the platform while it is still new but after three years they don't need it anymore."They kick it out which is unfair. Where should I go? Does this mean I have to trade in my vehicle, refinance it and continue with debt just to remain on their platform?" he asked.He complained he wasn't making enough to finance his vehicle, pay insurance and still generate profits."Am I making R2,000 a day and then there is fuel also? They are only thinking about themselves. It is not fair and why only in South Africa?"Lucky Ramatsisi, who joined Uber more than five years ago but now also uses the Bolt platform, said it was difficult to generate profits on Uber if one's vehicle was financed and Uber kept adding more restrictive requirements.He said the new car age restriction would push drivers towards other platforms."When they change requirements they don't even give drivers the opportunity for inputs, they just let you know that they have made changes perhaps because customers are complaining that cars are old" he said.Uber South Africa said it was working on an updated statement which would include answering TimesLIVE questions about the impact of its decision. The e-hailing service said it would only release the statement on Monday.
July 30, 2024 UPDATE

A roundup of local and international news.

Newsflash

Newsroom, 30.07.2024, 20:00

SENATE  The Romanian Senate was informed, on Monday, during an extraordinary session, about several normative acts adopted by the government that entered the parliamentary circuit. Among them, the draft law on the measures needed for the organization of this years presidential and parliamentary elections. The normative act aims to create a separate electoral infrastructure for the two types of elections, the method of appointing the members of the electoral offices, but also their payment at the level of allowances that the representatives of the electoral offices benefited from in the local elections of June 9. The deadline for tacit adoption expires at the end of September.

FIREFIGHTERS  Requests made from abroad for Romanian firefighters are proof that the civil defense system is working, Romanian Interior Minister Catalin Predoiu said Tuesday. The statements were made on the occasion of the departure to Greece of a contingent of rescue firefighters from Romania. They have proven their ability to save lives, to protect communities, in the country and abroad, the official also said. The missions are carried out within the framework of the European Civil Protection Mechanism, with European funding, and the Romanian firefighters are requested for the 4th time in a row to send teams to Greece. This first contingent consisting of 40 firefighters have travelled to Greece, with 8 technical means. They will be replaced after a period of several weeks by two other series of firefighters. They will operate in the Athens area, to help the Greek authorities manage the situations caused by the fires.

LEBANON  Several countries, including Romania, Germany, Great Britain and the Netherlands, are urging their citizens to leave Lebanon urgently, due to growing concerns about a possible large-scale retaliation by Israel, after Saturdays rocket attack that killed 12 young people on the Golan Heights, for which Hezbollah is blamed. At the same time, more and more airlines are suspending their flights on the Beirut route. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu visited, on Monday, the place where the rocket launched from Lebanon fell and stated that Israels response would be harsh. Hezbollah denies the accusation of having masterminded the attack. The White House has voiced confidence that a full-scale Israel-Hezbollah war could be avoided. In a conversation with the Israeli president, Itzhak Herzog, the US Secretary of State Antony Blinken stressed the importance of preventing an escalation. In turn, the president of France, Emmanuel Macron, talked with Masoud Pezeshkian, the president of Iran, Hezbollahs main ally, who warned that an attack on Lebanon would have serious consequences. The head of the Italian diplomacy has also spoken with his Israeli and Lebanese counterparts, and estimated that stopping violence is possible.

PROGRAM  The Romanian Ministry of Economy announces the start of a new edition of the Women Entrepreneur program, intended to finance the activity of commercial companies in which a woman owns at least 50% of the shares. Registrations are open for a period of 45 days, but the term can be extended, depending on the availability of funds. For each approved file, funding can reach up to 40 thousand euros, the total budget being calculated for one thousand beneficiaries. The eligibility criteria refer to the length of time as a shareholder, the value of the contribution to the investment, or the profitability of the company in the last two years. The fields that are not eligible for this program are forestry and agriculture, but also the production of ammunition and armaments.

AID  500 tents and 2,000 blankets made available by the Romanian National Administration of State Reserves and Special Problems were offered free of charge to the Gaza Strip, the Department for Emergency Situations announced on Monday. The equipment was transported with the help of the European Commission, through the Directorate-General for European Civil Protection and Humanitarian Aid Operations. Romania has announced that, in this way, it continues to observe its international commitments, remaining a reliable partner to the states that face major emergency situations. We recall that on April 19, Prime Minister Marcel Ciolacu convened the National Committee for Emergency Situations, and a Decision was approved on granting free international assistance to the affected civilian population in Gaza.

UKRAINE  Washington has announced a new security assistance package for Ukraine, worth up to 200 million dollars. According to White House National Security Communications Advisor John Kirby, the package includes key combat capabilities for Ukraine, including air defense interceptors, munitions for rocket systems and artillery and anti-tank weapons. The US Department of Defense also announces significant funding for the Security Assistance Initiative to support Ukraines long-term defense capability. Kyiv has been urging its allies for months to provide more air defense systems so that Ukraine can counter missile and drone attacks by Russian forces on its territory. The US has provided Ukraine with more than $50 billion in military aid since 2022. (EE)
President Joe Biden has called for a set of sweeping reforms of the US Supreme Court, including a reversal of its recent decision granting immunity to presidents from prosecution over crimes committed while in office.

Speaking at the Lyndon B. Johnson Presidential Library in Austin to commemorate the 60th anniversary of the signing of the Civil Rights Act, Biden said he is proposing a new constitutional amendment that makes clear no President is above the law or immune from prosecution for crimes committed while in office.

"No other former president has asked for this kind of immunity and none should have been given it," Biden said in apparent reference to a recent court ruling in Trump vs. United States, which gives broad immunity from later prosecution for a president exercising his authority in his official capacity. "The president must be accountable to the law  We are a nation of laws, not kings and dictators."

The 'No One Is Above the Law Amendment', as proposed by Biden, will state that the Constitution does not confer any immunity from federal criminal indictment, trial, conviction, or sentencing by virtue of previously serving as President.

A constitutional amendment is possible only if two-thirds of both the houses of US Congress pass it, and ratified by three-quarters of the state governments.

Biden called for term limits for Supreme Court Justices.

Congress approved term limits for the Presidency more than 75 years ago, and Biden believes they should do the same for the Supreme Court. The United States is the only major constitutional democracy that gives lifetime seats to its high court Justices.

Biden supports a system in which the President would appoint a Justice every two years to spend eighteen years in active service on the Supreme Court.

He also called for a binding Code of Conduct for the Supreme Court. According to his proposal, Congress should pass conduct and ethics rules that require Justices to disclose gifts, refrain from public political activity, and recuse themselves from cases in which they or their spouses have financial or other conflicts of interest.

Biden thanked the Presidential Commission on the Supreme Court for its "insightful analysis" of Supreme Court reform proposals.

For comments and feedback contact: editorial@rttnews.com

Business News
Kamala Harris' favorability rating has jumped after President Joe Biden quit the presidential race and endorsed his Vice President as the new candidate, a new poll finds.

According to the latest ABC News/Ipsos poll, released over the weekend, the 59-year-old politician and attorney's favorability rating has increased to 43 percent, up 8 percentage points from the poll conducted in the previous a week.

Her unfavorability rating also dropped in a week, from 46 percent a week ago to 42 percent of respondents viewing her unfavorably.

14 percent of those who took part in the survey said they have no opinion on the presumptive Democratic presidential candidate.

Republican candidate Donald Trump has a favorability rating of 36 percent to 52 percent unfavorable, according to the same poll.

Harris has a clear edge over Trump when it comes to how much enthusiastic American voters are for them as nominees.

While 48 percent of Americans say they are enthusiastic about Harris becoming the Democratic Party's candidate, only 39 percent expressed enthusiasm for the former President as the Republican candidate.

Harris has been assured the support of enough Democratic delegates to secure the party's nomination for president at the August convention.

Harris, who stands a good chance to become the first Black woman and first American of Indian origin to receive a presidential nomination, also earned the endorsement of most of the Democratic Party heavy weights.

They include former President Barack Obama, former first lady Michelle Obama, former President Bill Clinton, former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, former House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, and a number of state governors and senior Democrat lawmakers.

For comments and feedback contact: editorial@rttnews.com

Business News
Air New Zealand has dropped its plans to reduce its carbon emissions from its fleet of passenger planes by 2023, citing the non-availability of fuel-efficient aircraft and sustainable jet fuel.

The airliner said that after careful consideration, it is removing its 2030 science based carbon intensity reduction target and will withdraw from the Science Based Targets initiative.??

Many of the levers needed to meet the target, including the availability of new aircraft, the affordability and availability of alternative jet fuels, and global and domestic regulatory and policy support, are outside the airline's direct control and remain challenging, according to Air New Zealand.

"In recent months, and more so in the last few weeks, it has also become apparent that potential delays to our fleet renewal plan pose an additional risk to the target's achievability," Air New Zealand Chief Executive Officer, Greg Foran said in a statement. "It is possible the airline may need to retain its existing fleet for longer than planned due to global manufacturing and supply chain issues that could potentially slow the introduction of newer, more fuel-efficient aircraft into the fleet. As such and given so many levers needed to meet the target are outside our control, the decision has been made to retract the 2030 target and withdraw from the SBTi network immediately".

The Auckland-based flag carrier of New Zealand said it is considering "a new near-term carbon emissions reduction target that could better reflect the challenges relating to aircraft and alternative jet fuel availability within the industry".

Air New Zealand Chair, Dame Therese Walsh said that irrespective of the government-owned airline company's decision to abandon the 2030 goal, "Air New Zealand remains committed to reaching its 2050 net zero carbon emissions target".

Air New Zealand is the first major carrier to back out from an ambitious carbon reduction target.

For comments and feedback contact: editorial@rttnews.com

Business News
A senate committee has advanced a rider, preventing the Justice Department from interfering in the implementation of state medical marijuana programs, according to a report by Marijuana Moment.

The panel also demanded a report from the Biden administration regarding the release of American citizen Marc Fogel, who is in jail in Russia over the possession of medical marijuana. The report should include "detailed information about the detention of Marc Fogel in the Russian Federation."

The panel emphasized that the report should feature "comprehensive timeline of efforts taken by the Secretary to assist and communicate with Mr. Fogel, his family, and relevant congressional offices, as well as a full justification for the Department of State's determination that his sentencing and detention are neither unlawful nor wrongful".

The demand for report comes after about a month, when the Senate passed a resolution to demand Fogel's release, citing that he was a legal medical cannabis patient.

For comments and feedback contact: editorial@rttnews.com

Health News
Some asthma inhalers now cost as little as $35 a month. But Philadelphia-area doctors say new price caps are not enough to combat the rising cost of managing the chronic condition in a city where the childhood asthma rate is more than triple the national average.

This spring, drug manufacturers AstraZeneca and Boehringer Ingelheim capped the prices of asthma inhalers at $35 a month and a third, GlaxoSmithKline, has pledged to do so by next year. The move is the culmination of a years-long effort to rein in the cost of the lifesaving medical devices, which had skyrocketed to nearly $100.

The fact they made this stance is a movement in the right direction  but not the end game, said Tyra Bryant-Stephens, the medical director of the Community Asthma Prevention Program at Childrens Hospital of Philadelphia.

Patients with asthma still rely on other medications and treatments with eye-popping prices.

For example, Flovent, a brand-name preventative asthma drug especially useful for children because its easier for them to inhale, was pulled from the market earlier this year. The generic version is not covered by many insurers. That left doctors to wrangle with insurance companies to ensure patients got the care they need.

We had parents screaming at us, I need this medication, my kid needs the medication, said Jack Becker, an allergist with a private practice who is also on staff at St. Christophers Hospital for Children. We were dedicating a significant amount of our staff time just to fight to get this through.

In that context, inhaler price caps dont feel like transformative change to Becker.

How did inhalers get so expensive in the first place?

In 2008, the Food and Drug Administration banned inhalers with chlorofluorocarbons, or CFCs, which damage the ozone layer, said Ana Santos-Rutschman, a health law professor at Villanova University who studies the affordability of medications. The drug inside wasnt changed, but the device was, she said.

But the newer devices coming onto the markets were covered by patents that made it difficult to sell generic versions, leading to price hikes.

Companies kept listing patents on the devices with the FDA that automatically blocked generics from coming to the market. That makes it very unappetizing for generic companies to come to market, she said. And even when generics are available, pharmacy benefit managers that negotiate what drugs insurance plans will cover will not always cover generic medications, she said.

Studies showed that the high cost of inhalers led patients to ration their medications and even forgo them entirely because they couldnt afford them, Santos-Rutschman said.

Bryant-Stephens recalled parents scrimping to afford medications for their kids asthma: medications to treat asthma attacks in an emergency, but also the more expensive drugs that prevent the attacks from occurring in the first place.

Parents are making the best choices they can with limited incomes, she said. There are months they dont have the meds  and it ends up with them having to make trips to the emergency room.

Eventually, skyrocketing prices led to increasing political pressure for drug companies. There were people in the U.S. paying $300 for inhalers sold for $9 in Germany, she said.

Last year, the Federal Trade Commission announced they would begin cracking down on patents that stifled sales of generic drugs.

Helping patients keep costs low

Becker said the patients most likely to benefit from the caps are those with high health insurance deductibles, who must pay out of pocket for medications up to a certain dollar.

For those who are uninsured or underinsured, for those who are working and have really high co-pays, this is going to be amazing, said Bryant-Stephens.

But the price caps will not benefit all patients with asthma. The specific type of inhaler a patient needs may not be made by a company thats instituted a price cap. Or an insurance plan might not cover inhalers made by those companies, Santos-Rutschman said.

Frequently, Becker said, he makes medical decisions for patients based on both their health needs and their financial situation.

I say this tongue-in-cheek, but I mean it: I probably spend a portion of every patient visit being a financial counselor, Becker said. I have Plan A  what I think is best for the patient  but if they cant afford it, or its not covered, I have to go to Plan B, C or D.

Santos-Ruschtman said its crucial that federal authorities work to lower costs across the pharmaceutical industry, not just wait for certain companies to voluntarily institute caps.

I dont want to downplay it  this will help thousands of people. But self regulation never addresses everything, and not everyone is going to buy into this, she said.
The average working life of Romanians is approximately 32 years, after which they retire, the shortest average working life in the EU. Surprisingly, in the last 10 years, the duration of working life in Romania actually decreased, by 0.4 years, the effect being produced by the cohorts of special retirees and by the one-year decrease in working life for women.

The European average of working life is 39 years, while the Netherlands registers the highest values, almost 44 years in the labor field. In absolutely all other states, working life duration has increased.

It should also be noted that the duration of the professional life also means the duration of employees contributions, especially to the pension fund, where demographic problems put a particular pressure.

Between 2013 and 2023, the estimated duration of working life increased in all EU countries, except Romania, where it decreased by 0.4 years. In particular, five countries have seen significant growth of four or more years: Hungary (6.2 years), Malta (5.3 years), Ireland (4.4 years), Estonia (4.3 years) and the Netherlands (4.0 years).

Hungary and Malta, which had below average working life duration estimates in 2013, exceeded the EU average in 2023 due to their strong growth. The main reason for Maltas exceptional growth was the remarkable increase in working life estimates among women (8.9 years), the biggest gain of any EU country.

Conversely, Spain, Germany and Austria experienced relatively stable working life duration estimates, with increases of less than two years.

The graph below shows the evolution of working life duration in the last 10 years in Europe

A significant trend in most EU countries was that the working life duration estimate of women increased more than that of men, the only exceptions being Denmark and Romania. In Malta, Slovakia, Luxembourg, Estonia and Cyprus, the increase was significantly higher for women than for men. In Bulgaria, Slovenia, Denmark and Sweden, the increases for men and women were roughly equal.

The working life indicator is an estimate of the number of years a person, currently aged 15, is expected to be in the labor force (that is, employed or unemployed) over their lifetime.

This indicator aims to provide a different viewpoint on the labor market, analyzing the entire life cycle of people in the labor field compared with specific aspects such as youth unemployment or early retirement from active life.

European statistical office Eurostat estimates the working life duration for the EU 27 as a whole, as well as by member country, plus the three EFTA states (Iceland, Norway and Switzerland) and two candidate countries (Serbia and Turkey).

In the EU, working life duration estimates varied widely depending on countries and their geographical location.

The Netherlands was the country with the longest working life duration, 43.7 years. Next are the northern European countries, all with durations exceeding 40 years, Sweden (43.1 years), Denmark (41.3 years) and Estonia (40.8 years) ranking first. The shortest durations of professional life, of under 35 years, were recorded in Romania (32.2 years) and in several countries in Southern Europe, namely Italy (32.9 years), Croatia (34.0 years ), Greece (34.2 years) and Bulgaria (34.5 years), followed by Belgium (34.7 years).

Gender gaps in 2023

In 2023, differences were noted in the average number of working life years between men and women in all countries. Men are expected generally to work longer than women, with northern European countries showing a gender gap below the EU average of 4.3 years.

Lithuania and Estonia were the only EU countries where the gender gap was negative, as women are expected to work 1.3 and 0.8 years longer than men respectively. Among the other countries, the smallest gender gap was recorded in Latvia and Finland, of only 0.1 years.

Conversely, the countries with the largest gender gap in 2023 were Italy (8.9 years), Romania (7.1 years), Greece and Malta (both with 6.9 years).

Upon comparing EU countries, men are expected to work the longest in the Netherlands (45.7 years), Sweden (44.1 years), Denmark (42.8 years), Ireland (42.8 years), Cyprus (41.6 years), Malta (41.6 years) and Germany (41.4 years). On the other hand, the countries where men are expected to work the least are Croatia with 35.4 years, Bulgaria (35.6 years), Romania (35.6 years) and Belgium (36.5 years).

At the same time, the EU countries where women are expected to work less than 30 years in their lifetime are Italy (28.3 years) and Romania (28.5 years). These are followed by Greece (30.6 years), Croatia (32.6 years), Belgium (32.8 years), Poland (33.0 years), Bulgaria (33.2 years) and Luxembourg (33.3 years), all with less than 34 years. In contrast, the longest working life durations for women, that is, more than 38 years, were found in Sweden (41.9 years), the Netherlands (41.5 years), Estonia (41.5 years), Finland (39.9 years), Denmark (39.8 years), Lithuania and Portugal (both with 38.2 years).

***
Central African Republic: Vote on a Draft Resolution Extending the Sanctions Regime*

Tomorrow morning (30 July), the Security Council is expected to vote on a draft resolution extending the sanctions measures imposed on armed groups operating in the Central African Republic (CAR) until 31 July 2025 and the mandate of the Panel of Experts monitoring the implementation of these measures until 31 August 2025.

Background

Last year, the Council renewed the 2127 CAR sanctions regime and the mandate of its Panel of Experts through resolution 2693 of 27 July 2023, which received 13 votes in favour and two abstentions (China and Russia). The Council also lifted the arms embargo imposed on the CAR government, while maintaining all other sanctions measures, including the obligation for bilateral and multilateral partners to notify the 2127 CAR Sanctions Committee of the supply, sale or transfer of arms to the CAR, except for deliveries to the CAR government. (For more information, see our 28 July 2023 Whats in Blue story.)

However, the CAR government has since been calling for the total lifting of the arms embargo established under resolution 2127 of 5 December 2013. Sylvie Baipo Temon, the CARs Minister for Foreign Affairs, Francophonie, and Central Africans Abroad, most recently reiterated this request at the Councils 27 June briefing on the CAR. Russia has also supported the CAR governments position, arguing that the sanctions regime has had detrimental effects on the countrys socioeconomic development.

On the other hand, other Council memberssuch as France (the penholder on the CAR) and Sloveniahave expressed serious concerns about the fragile security situation in the CAR, considering the ongoing illicit flow of weapons, explosives, and combatants across the countrys porous borders. On 3 June, the Panel of Experts briefed the 2127 CAR Sanctions Committee on its final report, which, among other issues, described the detrimental spillover effects of the conflict in Sudan and its impact on the activities of armed groups in the CAR.

Negotiations on the Draft Resolution

France circulated an initial draft of the resolution on 12 July and convened two rounds of negotiations, on 16 and 19 July. Subsequently, the penholder circulated a second revised text on 23 July and placed it under silence procedure until the following day (24 July). Russia broke silence over the issue of the disposing of prohibited items by member states. The penholder amended the language to reach a compromise and placed it under a second silence procedure on 25 July, but Algeria broke silence over the same issue. The penholder made further revisions to accommodate Algeria and placed the text in blue today (29 July).

Although this years negotiations were expected to be controversial, it seems that the process was not particularly contentious, as the penholder proposed a relatively concise draft text lifting the arms embargo on the CAR. This proposalwhich appears to have contributed to defusing tensionscame against the backdrop of the ongoing rapprochement between France and the CAR, with the leadership of the two countries agreeing during the April visit of CAR President Faustin-Archange Touadera to Paris to work towards a constructive partnership. Although Temons statement at the 27 June Council meeting appeared to take a critical tone towards the sanctions regime, the CAR government seems to be satisfied with the text and the negotiations went relatively smoothly compared to last year. It also seems that Council members recognise that maintaining the embargo is untenable given the CAR governments persistent calls for its complete lifting, a stance supported by China and Russia. Additionally, some members were apparently concerned that failing to lift the embargo could provoke a Russian veto, similar to the one that blocked the extension of the Mali sanctions regime in August 2023.

Despite lifting the arms embargo, the penholder maintained the mandate of the Panel of Experts to allow it to continue reporting on the implementation of the sanctions regime. Last year, Russia raised issues about the Panels mandate and put a hold on the appointment of its members. The Panels 18 May 2023 report noted, among other things, that the CAR authorities did not provide clarity on weapons and aircraft that were transferred from Russia without advance notification to the 2127 CAR Sanctions Committee. Most of the Panels members were only appointed in January after Russia lifted its hold by the end of December 2023, creating time constraints in producing the Panels final report this year, which focused more on the regional security dynamics. Russia apparently did not raise any issues regarding the Panels mandate during this years negotiations. The draft text in blue extends the Panels mandate until 31 August 2025 and proposes renaming the Panel to reflect the number of this resolution once adopted, while indicating the Councils intention to review its mandate with a specific focus on analysing the supply networks of armed groups in the CAR.

A relatively contentious issue during the negotiations was an operative paragraph which authorises member states to seize, register, and dispose of prohibited items. It seems that China, Russia and the A3 plus one members (Algeria, Mozambique, Sierra Leone, and Guyana) sought to add a requirement for member states to notify the 2127 CAR Sanctions Committee when disposing of such items. This is similar to the proposal made during the negotiations on resolution 2733 of 31 May, which reauthorised the maritime inspection of vessels in the high seas off the coast of Libya. (For more information, see our 30 May Whats In Blue story.) The penholder attempted to accommodate the request, but Russia broke silence, insisting on incorporating agreed language from resolution 2733.

In an apparent compromise, the penholder amended the language in the draft text, using some of the language from resolution 2733, also taking into account the position of other Council members who do not appear to support the introduction of a notification process on the disposal of prohibited items. However, Algeria broke silence again, leading the penholder to make further revisions to accommodate its concerns. The draft resolution in blue decides that member states shall not only notify the Committee of such disposals within 30 days but also provide details of all items disposed of and the precise manner in which they were disposed of.

Another issue during the negotiations centred on an operative paragraph that calls on member states to continue to prevent the supply of weapons and ammunition to armed groups and associated individuals operating in the CAR. It seems that the US, supported by other like-minded members, attempted to reintroduce notification or exemption requirements that would be removed together with the lifting of the arms embargo stipulated in the resolution, and to replace armed groups with non-governmental armed actors/groups. Russia objected to these suggestions, and they were not incorporated in the draft resolution in blue. However, these members proposal to strengthen the language in the operative paragraphto include the prohibition of technical assistance, training, financial or other assistance to armed groups and associated individualswas apparently accepted with amendments from other Council members.

The A3 plus one members also sought to specifically reference the Coalition des patriotes pour le changement (CPC), the main CAR rebel coalition, and Azande Ani Kpi Gbe, a pro-government militia that emerged in 2023, for committing human rights abuses as documented in the Panel of Experts final report. Russia opposed the proposal, however; consequently, the draft text in blue maintains a general condemnation of attacks and human rights abuses committed by armed groups but without naming any specific groups.

The draft resolution in blue includes new language introduced by Malta, Slovenia, and the US welcoming the adoption of resolution 2744 of 19 July, which strengthened the mandate of the Focal Point for Delisting. It also contains Swiss-proposed language underscoring the need to safeguard due process, and to ensure fair and clear procedures for delisting individuals and entities, which is based on agreed language from previous resolutions, including resolution 2738 of 27 June, which most recently renewed the 1533 Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) sanctions regime. It seems that Russia proposed language critical of unilateral coercive measures (UCMs), similar to its efforts during the negotiations on the renewal of the 1533 sanctions regime in June, but this suggestion was not accommodated.

_________________________________________________________

**Post-script: On 30 July, the Security Council unanimously adopted resolution 2745, lifting the arms embargo on the Central African Republic (CAR) and renewing until 31 August 2025 the mandate of the Panel of Experts assisting the 2127 CAR Sanctions Committee, which will henceforth be known as the Panel of Experts pursuant to resolution 2745 (2024). The resolution also extended until 31 July 2025 all other targeted sanctions measures against armed groups and associated individuals, while strengthening these measures.
Driver monitoring technology specialist Seeing Machines announced the successful approval of its Guardian Generation 3 driver monitoring solution for Wrightbus, the UK's largest electric bus manufacturer, on Tuesday.

The AIM-traded firm said the regulatory approval came after a rigorous process of testing, certification, and documentation, and confirmed that the system met European regulatory standards.

It said the approval was essential as Europes new General Safety Regulation (GSR) mandates driver monitoring systems to detect signs of drowsiness.

Seeing Machines said three other commercial vehicle original equipment manufacturers (OEMs) were in the process of homologating the Guardian Generation 3.

The successful homologation by Wrightbus was expected to streamline and make the process more efficient for subsequent customers.

It also explained that the introduction of the EU GSR in 2026 would further require all vehicles to be equipped with direct, or camera-based, driver monitoring systems (DMS) to detect distraction.

Guardian Generation 3 was designed to meet the regulations, the board said.

Achieving homologation or technical approval with Wrightbus for Guardian Generation 3 marks a significant milestone in the deployment of advanced driver monitoring systems within the public transportation sector, said chief executive officer Paul McGlone.

Integrating our cutting edge, AI powered camera technology into Wrightbus vehicles is an important step forward in reducing the risks and accidents associated with driver fatigue, which will soon encompass distraction as regulations come into effect, fundamental to our mission of saving lives.

At 1238 BST, shares in Seeing Machines were up 2.11% at 4.6p.

Reporting by Josh White for Sharecast.com.
House prices are expected to rise over the second half of the year across the UK, according to a forecast, with the market bolstered by more people selling their homes. Prices are likely to increase by 2% towards the end of 2024, Zoopla has predicted. The improved outlook for the housing market was the result of an increased number of homes for sale, the property portal said. The number of sales agreed in the four weeks to 21 July was 16% higher than the same period a year ago and the average estate agent had more homes for sale than at any point in the past six years.  Guardian

Ofgem is pushing ahead with plans to make it easier for British homeowners to reap the benefits of using electric car chargers and heat pumps at non-peak times, as the grid becomes more reliant on wind and solar power. The energy regulator for Great Britain has put forward proposals to encourage flexible electricity use in the home by creating a single register in which flexibility service providers (FSPs) can access more markets and better rates for owners of energy assets such as EV chargers and battery storage systems.  Guardian

Rishi Sunaks decision to scale back HS2 cost the taxpayer more than 2bn, new documents have shown. In the latest annual report for the high-speed railway, bosses have revealed the fees associated with cancelling phase two of the project between Birmingham and Manchester. This includes a 1.1bn writedown for work already carried out on the northern leg, as well as an additional 1bn in accountancy charges.  Telegraph

A Tell Sid-style sale of NatWest shares to the public by the government has been scrapped amid fears that it would have cost taxpayers as much as 450 million. The plan to offload part of the states near-20 per cent stake in the FTSE 100 bank to individual investors had been floated by the last Conservative government in November.  The Times

BDO and Forvis Mazars have been warned that they risk being banned from signing off the accounts of some of their biggest clients if the quality of their audit work does not improve soon. The two accountancy firms, which are the fifth and sixth largest auditors in Britain respectively, have been scolded once again by the Financial Reporting Council for their work over the past year, which the regulator found to be significantly below [its] expectations.  The Times
India's refining capacity is set to increase to 309.5 million metric tonnes per annum (MMTPA) by 2028, as announced by Suresh Gopi, Minister of State in the Ministry of Petroleum and Natural Gas, in a written reply to the Rajya Sabha. This marks a substantial rise from the current capacity of 256.8 MMTPA, alongside a domestic petroleum product consumption of 233.3 MMTPA for the fiscal year 2023-24.

The Ministry of Statistics and Programme Implementation (MoSPI) reported a significant rise in the Gross Value Addition (GVA) of manufacturing coke and refined petroleum products, which grew from a1.56 lakh crore in 2012-13 to Rs 2.12 lakh crore in 2022-23. This growth has played a pivotal role in boosting Indias GDP, which surged from Rs 99.44 lakh crore to Rs 269.49 lakh crore during the same period, calculated at current prices.

Suresh Gopi emphasized the considerable expansion in Indias refining capacity over the past decade, increasing from 215.1 MMTPA to 256.8 MMTPA. This growth aligns with the governments strategic initiatives towards energy transition, including the adoption of Compressed Natural Gas (CNG), biofuels such as ethanol, and the promotion of electric vehicles (EVs).

Oil Marketing Companies (OMCs) supplying BS-VI motor spirit (MS) and high-speed diesel (HSD) nationwide. Refineries across India are continuously upgrading their technologies to enhance refining quality. Since April 1, 2020, the distribution of BS-VI auto fuel has been implemented, with all retail outlets ofsupplying BS-VI motor spirit (MS) and high-speed diesel (HSD) nationwide.

"The projected refining capacity is expected to adequately meet the anticipated demand based on the long-term growth trends in the consumption of petrol and diesel", stated Gopi.

The petroleum sector's increased GVA has had a significant impact on India's GDP, underscoring the sector's critical role in the nation's economic framework.
Schneider Electric, the leader in the digital transformation of energy management and automation, recently announced its collaboration with Water Resources Department, Maharashtra to sensitize officials on modernizing water and wastewater (WWW) management using the latest digital technologies. This partnership is a continuation to Schneider Electrics support to the Ministry of Jal Shaktis efforts to accelerate the technology adoption for sustainable water management in India.

India, a country grappling with a staggering ~40% water loss due to leaks, is confronting significant strain on its water table, posing a threat to its economic advancement. In response to this pressing challenge, Schneider Electric has made its mission to confront the complexities of water management and address the urgent need for fostering sustainability, efficiency, and resilience in the water sector.

With this strategic partnership with the Government of Maharashtra, Schneider Electric has reaffirmed its commitment to championing responsible water management. As part of this collaboration, the company aims to drive awareness among stakeholders, encouraging the adoption of innovative digital technologies to elevate efficiency, productivity, and sustainability in water management processes.

Schneider Electrics end-to-end IoT platform, EcoStruxure, offers real-time data, analytics, and professional services to increase water consumption efficiency, decrease leaks, and optimize water distribution. EcoStruxure also offers advanced diagnostics and seamless IT/OT integration to future-proof operations.

The event was attended by key dignitaries including Sanjay Khandare, IAS, Principal Secretary, Water Supply & Sanitation Department, Government of Maharashtra, Sanjay Belsare, Secretary, Project Coordination, Water Resources Department, Government of Maharashtra and Aman Mittal, IAS, Deputy Secretary, Water Supply & Sanitation Department, Government of Maharashtra. These dignitaries gathered to discuss the pressing need to embrace digital technologies in the facilitation of a more sustainable water network.

Integrating digital solutions into water management practices can lead to more efficient, resilient, and sustainable use of water as well as energy resources, thereby addressing the growing challenges posed by factors such as population growth, urbanization, and climate change, said Sanjay Belsare, IAS, Secretary- CAD, Water Resources Department, Government of Maharashtra.

Emphasizing the significance of digital solutions for effective water management during a keynote address Aman Mittal, IAS, Deputy Secretary, Water Supply & Sanitation Department, Government of Maharashtra suggests a creation of mass awareness about the true potential of digital technologies, that is critical to address issues related to water resources. Digital solutions encompass various technologies such as data analytics, IoT (Internet of Things) sensors, remote monitoring systems, and predictive modelling algorithms. AI and machine learning algorithms can analyse water-related data to improve water distribution, predict droughts or floods, and make better water management decisions. Drone images and remote sensing could help map traditional water bodies, assess their health, and identify replenishment or restoration needs. Also, Chatbots and solutions built around them could serve as virtual water conservation aides, offering personalised advice and raising awareness about the judicious use of water and resources.

Addressing the gathering on the occasion, Mr. Arvind Kakru, Vice President  Industrial Automation, Greater India at Schneider Electric, said, At Schneider Electric, we strongly believe that India's journey toward water conservation and innovation is crucial for realizing its developmental aspirations. The significance of water in our progress cannot be overstated, and the impact of leakage on our water resources and energy usage cannot be ignored. Water conservation directly translates to energy conservation and secures our future. Through our collaboration with Water Resources Department, Maharashtra, Schneider Electric is committed to engaging stakeholders in breaking the cycle of waste and establishing a circular system for efficient energy and water management. Together, we are dedicated to maximizing the value of every drop, driving innovation to combat energy and water wastage, and paving the way for a more sustainable future".

Schneider Electric has also collaborated with the Ministry of Jal Shakti to prepare a skill development program that empowers eco-warriors to become proficient in using next-gen technology. The curriculum focuses on technologies in water governance, efficient operations, management of water and wastewater treatment plants, sustainable water management, technology for water conservation, and efficient desalination processes using digital technologies.
As GIFT Nifty suggests a potential gap-down opening for Indian equity indices on Tuesday, here's a closer look at key stocks to monitor:

GIFT Nifty Indicator: GIFT Nifty dropped by 70 points or 0.28%, settling at 24,882.50, signaling a negative start for NSE Nifty 50 and BSE Sensex. On Monday, NSE Nifty 50 closed marginally higher by 1.25 points or 0.01% at 24,836, while BSE Sensex rose 23 points or 0.03%, ending the session at 81,355.84.

Tata Steel: Tata Steel has made a substantial move by acquiring over 5.57 billion equity shares in its Singapore-based subsidiary, T Steel Holdings Pte Ltd (TSHP), for $875 million. This investment was previously approved by the board in May and will be executed in multiple tranches as disclosed in an exchange filing.

Bharti Airtel: Bharti Airtel is undergoing a strategic upgrade by re-farming its existing 4G spectrum across 1800 MHz, 2100 MHz, and 2300 MHz bands to enhance its 5G network capacity. This re-farming, enabled by recent provisions in the Telecom Act, allows the company to repurpose spectrum originally designated for 4G for use in 5G technologies.

Hindustan Petroleum (HPCL): Hindustan Petroleum has reported a dramatic 90% drop in its consolidated net profit for Q1FY25, which stands at Rs 634 crore, down from Rs 6,765.5 crore in the same period last year. This steep decline is attributed to decreased gross refining margins and the impact of lower fuel prices on marketing margins. Earlier, HPCL had reduced auto fuel prices by Rs 2 per litre, marking the first price cut since April 2022.

ACC: ACCs consolidated profit after tax (PAT) for the first quarter of FY25 fell by 22.5% to Rs 361 crore from Rs 466 crore in the previous year. Revenue from operations also decreased to Rs 5,154.89 crore in the June quarter, compared to Rs 5,201.11 crore a year earlier. ACCs consolidated profit after tax (PAT) forfell by 22.5% to Rs 361 crore from Rs 466 crore in the previous year. Revenue from operations also decreased to Rs 5,154.89 crore in the June quarter, compared to Rs 5,201.11 crore a year earlier.

RVNL: Rail Vikas Nigam Ltd. (RVNL) has emerged as the lowest bidder for developing distribution infrastructure in Central Himachal Pradesh. The project is valued at Rs 739.07 crore.

Arvind Limited: Arvind Limited, a prominent Indian clothing retailer, saw a 40% decrease in its profit after tax (PAT) for Q1 FY25, dropping to Rs 39 crore from Rs 65 crore in the same quarter last year. The company's revenue from operations slightly declined to Rs 1,831 crore from Rs 1,853 crore in Q1 FY24. Arvind Limited is known for its brands such as Tommy Hilfiger, Calvin Klein, and Arrow.

J&K Bank: Jammu & Kashmir Bank reported a 27% year-on-year increase in profit after tax (PAT) for the April-June quarter, reaching Rs 415.49 crore, up from Rs 326.45 crore in the same period last year.

Colgate-Palmolive India: Colgate-Palmolive India has exceeded expectations with a 33% year-on-year rise in net profit for the June quarter, reaching Rs 364 crore, surpassing analysts' estimates of Rs 331 crore. Revenue also grew by 13% year-on-year to Rs 1,486 crore, beating the projected figure of Rs 1,429 crore.

Kansai Nerolac Paints: Kansai Nerolac Paints reported a significant 68.7% decline in profit for the fiscal first quarter, falling to Rs 230.83 crore from Rs 738 crore in the same period last year. The company's revenue from operations remained almost unchanged at Rs 2,133.06 crore, slightly lower than Rs 2,156.80 crore in Q1 FY24.

These developments could have significant implications for the respective companies and the broader market.
A second man has drowned this summer while swimming at a lake on private property at a former mining site in Manchester in Ocean County.

Victor Arias-Peralta, 18, was swimming in the quarry at the Heritage Mineral property at about 6 p.m. Monday when he grew tired about 20 yards off shore, Manchester police said.

Arias-Peralta disappeared under the water a short time later and was swept away in the current, officials said.

The Perth Amboy resident was pulled from the water after a 45-minute search by police, firefighters and a State Police helicopter.

Authorities have ruled the drowning accidental following a preliminary investigation.

A 33-year-old Howell man drowned there in June.

Located off Route 37, the 7,000-acre Heritage Mineral property ceased mining operations in the early 1980s. Left behind are a series of lakes  which are actually quarry holes that have filled with water.

The banks are inherently unstable and the drop-offs can be steep, police say. Even more dangerous, the lakes are fed by springs in the underground aquifer, water that tends to be much colder and can cause a swimmer to cramp, police said.

Although No Trespassing signs are posted on the property, the land is a popular riding spot for people with all-terrain vehicles. In 2020, one man was killed when his all-terrain vehicle overturned into one of the lakes at Heritage Mineral.

Our journalism needs your support. Please subscribe today to NJ.com.

NJ Advance Media staff writer Richard Cowen contributed to this report.

Jeff Goldman may be reached at jeff_goldman@njadvancemedia.com.
HEMPSTEAD, L.I.  A Long Island feral cat tested positive for rabies last week, sparking concern for local pet companions.

The infected feline was found in Cedarhurst, according to a written statement from the Nassau County Health Department.

We urge all residents to avoid contact with feral and wild animals and to ensure their pets are up to date with their rabies vaccinations, Nassau Health Commissioner Dr. Irina Gelman said in the statement. The detection of rabies in our county after several years of no reported cases is a stark reminder of the ongoing risk, and its crucial that we take proactive measures to protect our community.

For those who may not know, rabies is an incurable and often deadly disease.

According to the World Health Organization, Although fatal once clinical signs appear, rabies is entirely avoidable; vaccines, medicines and technologies have long been available to prevent death from rabies. Nevertheless, rabies still kills tens of thousands of people each year. Of these cases, approximately 99% are acquired from the bite of an infected dog.

Thats why  as written in the statement the rabies vaccine recommendation for four-legged friends like cats, dogs, and ferrets is to administer their first two shots one year apart and additional booster shots every three years thereafter, so long as they are over four months old.

Additionally, its state law that these household pets get their rabies vaccines. Otherwise, If an unvaccinated pet or one thats overdue for its vaccination comes in contact with a rabid or suspected rabid animal, the pet must either be euthanized or strictly quarantined for up to six months. However, if a vaccinated animal comes into contact with a wild animal, it needs only a booster vaccination which must be administered within five days of exposure.

To combat a potential rabies outbreak, the Nassau County Department of Health and Town of Hempstead will hold a free Rabies Vaccination Clinic for pets on Aug. 24 from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. at the Town of Hempstead Animal Shelter located at 3320 Beltagh Ave. in Wantagh, NBC reported.

The statement gives these suggestions to lessen the possibility of you or your fur babies contracting the disease:
EDITORS NOTE: Tipping Point? is a journalistic initiative launched by Advance/SILive.com to inform Staten Islanders how NYCs City of Yes for Housing Opportunity proposal could impact the borough. The plan, which will be voted on by the City Council this year, calls for significant zoning changes designed to spur development of new homes and apartments amid a citywide housing shortage.

STATEN ISLAND, N.Y. -- As New York City officials weigh a controversial zoning reform proposal that would bring wide-sweeping changes to housing development citywide, some believe Staten Island deserves its own plan catered to the unique wants and needs of the borough and its residents.

The City of Yes for Housing Opportunity proposal, which calls for significant citywide zoning changes designed to spur the development of new homes and apartments, has faced overwhelming opposition from Staten Islanders from the moment it was introduced.

In low-density zones, which make up the vast majority of Staten Island, the proposed reforms would allow for accessory dwelling units (ADUs) on one- and two-family properties and small apartment buildings in areas where theyre not currently permitted, while removing off-street parking mandates for new residential construction.

Borough President Vito Fossella has been among the most outspoken critics of the proposal, arguing that the majority of residents hes heard from dont support the potential changes and would prefer to see the character of their neighborhoods maintained.

In its current form, the proposal doesnt make sense for Staten Island. Our communities and neighborhoods are, quite frankly, different from many parts of New York City. And, we prefer to maintain the existing character. The proposal may make sense in other parts of the city, but it does not make sense here, if we wish to preserve much of what we have, Fossella said.

Tipping Point? is a journalistic initiative launched by Advance/SILive.com to inform Staten Islanders how NYCs City of Yes for Housing Opportunity proposal could impact the borough. The plan, which will be voted on by the City Council this year, calls for significant zoning changes designed to spur development of new homes and apartments amid a citywide housing shortage.Jason Paderon/Staten Island Advance

The borough president isnt alone in these concerns, with members of the boroughs three Community Boards, all of which have voted against the proposal, outlining a long list of ways in which these changes could negatively impact Staten Islanders.

Some fear their property values will be driven down by new development. Others argue that the fight to find parking will worsen with the removal of off-street parking mandates. Many claim the boroughs infrastructure simply cant handle the influx of new homes and residents without significant investment from the city. And some just dont want multi-story, rented apartment buildings in their quiet neighborhoods consisting primarily of owned, single-family homes.

In a recent interview, Fossella told the Advance/SILive.com that he still believes the plan to be a bad fit for Staten Island and floated the idea of a borough-specific plan devised with the input of those it would directly impact.

What weve said from day one with this whole concept is one size does not fit all, and thats why we asked for flexibility for the uniqueness of Staten Island, Fossella said. Its almost to the point of just allow us to create our own plan with a group discussion here as to what we think could work.

- Jack Bolembach, from the Staten Island Civic Coalition, emphasized that the new zoning proposals would primarily benefit the wealthy while diminishing the quality of life for homeowners. (Staten Island Advance/ Priya Shahi)Priya Shahi

Were hopeful that people of reason will say, Okay, thats their community. They know whats best. We will respect every elected official who opposes this, who represents 500,000 people. We will defer to them. Which I think would be the reasonable thing to do, and the respectful thing to do, he added.

Ben DAmato, who serves as land use chairman for Community Board 2, has also voiced support for a borough-specific plan, or at least one devised by people with knowledge of the borough, claiming that the Department of City Planning officials hes spoken to dont live on Staten Island or have the necessary understanding of the borough to implement changes in the best interest of its residents.

Several floors of apartments are shown above retail storefronts in Stapleton on Wednesday, July 11, 2024. (Staten Island Advance/Jason Paderon) Jason Paderon(Jason Paderon/Staten Island Advance)

These guys that are doing the work for City Planning, they dont live on Staten Island. They live in Manhattan. They live in apartments. They ride their bikes to work, said DAmato. Instead of telling us what theyre going to do, they should come to the borough, meet with the borough president, meet with the Staten Island council members and the City Planning guys on Staten Island, not the guys up in Manhattan, and come up with a plan. Instead of telling us what youre going to do to us, how about ask us what we need?

City Planning officials have repeatedly stated that each borough must play a role in addressing the citywide housing shortage, and that the potential zoning reforms would result in minimal changes to the character of each neighborhood.

Data provided by City Planning shows that housing development on Staten Island has significantly lagged behind the rest of New York City, with the borough producing just 7,119 new homes over the past decade, from 2013 through 2023.

That equated to roughly 150.11 new homes per 10,000 people, which is far below the citywide per-capita rate of 281.34 new homes per 10,000 people over the same 10-year period.

Officials also noted that in addition to the citywide proposal thats currently under consideration, the department often studies and implements neighborhood-specific changes guided by local elected officials and residents, such as the South Richmond Zoning Relief plan, which was passed last year and made it easier for South Shore homeowners and owners of property under one acre to do work on their property through a simplified approval process.

An example of town center zoning is pictured. (Credit: NYC Planning)Credit: NYC Planning

The principle that every neighborhood and borough must be a part of our housing growth is integral to this effort. That is why we have carefully crafted a proposal that allows a little more housing in every neighborhood, while respecting the existing context across the city. A neighborhood-by-neighborhood planning process has an important role to play in our citys growth, but even as we pursue neighborhood planning efforts, we cannot change the trajectory of uneven housing development without citywide changes, said Dan Garodnick, director of the Department of City Planning.

Rendering of various accessory dwelling units, which could soon be legalized in New York City. (Courtesy of Department of City Planning)Courtesy of Department of City Planning

Support for the Plan

And while many Staten Islanders may be opposed to the City of Yes housing proposal, the plan is not without its supporters.

Marcel Negret, senior planner for the Regional Plan Association, a non-profit civic organization focused on improving quality of life in the New York metropolitan area, refuted the oft-repeated belief that the City of Yes is a one-size-fits-all approach, noting the extensive work that went into crafting each proposed change in a way that takes into account the varying characteristics of each neighborhood.

For example, the Town Center Zoning and Transit-Oriented Development proposals, which would allow for three- to five-story apartment buildings on select sites in low-density neighborhoods, would limit the amount of stories based on the scale of other, older apartment buildings in the area. That means in some areas, it would only allow for three-story buildings, while in others, four or five.

An example of transit-oriented development is pictured. (Credit: NYC Planning)Credit: NYC Planning

I would really push back on the notion that City of Yes is cookie cutter in any way. If anything, the throngs of documents, the thousands of pages of studies, of the environmental impact statement, and all the documents that City Planning has been issuing trying to explain what the provisions are speaks to the fact that its really a thoughtful approach thats very much tailored to the specific characteristics of each of the neighborhoods across the city, Negret said.

When asked about the idea of Staten Island receiving its own borough-specific plan dictated by the desires of its residents, he noted that the citys past willingness to let each borough makes its own decisions in terms of zoning was a key contributing factor to the current housing crisis that the City of Yes is looking to address.

The city has already tried this approach of letting neighborhoods decide what to do in the past, said Negret. We already tried that and weve seen the negative consequences of that, so we need to reconsider those changes and implement something thats citywide in nature because the urgency of the need requires it.
STATEN ISLAND, N.Y.  Richmond University Medical Centers comprehensive cardiovascular care services have earned national recognition for quality care and patient safety.

For the third consecutive year, RUMC has been named a High Performing Hospital by U.S. News & World Report for its care of patients experiencing congestive heart failure.

Of 6,000 hospitals evaluated, RUMC is one of only 1,090 hospitals nationwide to earn the designation.

RUMC also received the American Heart Associations Get With The Guidelines-Coronary Artery Disease STEMI Receiving Center Gold award in recognition of its commitment to offering rapid, research-based care to people experiencing a specific type of heart attack known as an ST elevation myocardial infarction (STEMI), which is more severe and dangerous than other types of heart attacks.

This is an incredible achievement for our team, said Dr. Francesco Rotatori, chief of RUMCs Cardiovascular Department. Earning these awards involves many players. Each one of these medical professionals has shown an unmatched dedication to their patients and are truly deserving of praise for achieving these wonderful recognitions.

U.S News & World Report Award

This latest recognition from U.S. News & World Report marks the third consecutive year that the High Performing Hospital Award has been bestowed upon RUMC for its cardiovascular services. More than 6,000 hospitals across the United States were evaluated and eligible hospitals received one of three ratings: high performing, average, or below average.

A hospitals congestive heart failure score is based on multiple data categories, including patient outcomes, volume, advanced heart programs and more. Hospitals that earned a High Performing Hospital rating were significantly better than the national average.

For us as an Emergency Department staff, we are proud to know that the excellent cardiac care we are providing in the Emergency Department is continued by our inpatient colleagues, Dr. Johnathon LeBaron, chair of the hospitals Emergency Medicine Department, said. We want and expect the best outcomes for our patients and our community. This award, earned for three consecutive years now, shows that we are indeed providing that care here at RUMC.

Each year, about 285,000 people in the U.S. experience a STEMI heart attack, caused by a complete blockage in a coronary artery.

Nearly 40% of people who go to the emergency room with acute coronary syndrome are diagnosed with a STEMI.

Like all heart attacks, this requires timely treatment to restore blood flow as quickly as possible.

New Heart and Vascular Institute at RUMC

RUMCs Cardiovascular Department will soon be housed inside the hospitals new Joan and Alan Bernikow Heart and Vascular Institute.

The new institute will feature a state-of-the-art recovery unit and hybrid cardiac catheterization lab, allowing the centers team to perform angioplasty procedures and neurovascular procedures, including brain coiling for strokes and cerebral aneurysms.

Housed within the lab will be new $1.8 million biplane imaging technology. The new center is scheduled to open in 2026.
EDITORS NOTE: Tipping Point? is a journalistic initiative launched by Advance/SILive.com to inform Staten Islanders how NYCs City of Yes for Housing Opportunity proposal could impact the borough. The plan, which will be voted on by the City Council this year, calls for significant zoning changes designed to spur development of new homes and apartments amid a citywide housing shortage.

STATEN ISLAND, N.Y.  A local task force will review a city housing plan more than a year in the making, City Councilwoman Kamillah Hanks (D-North Shore) announced Monday.

The task force, convened by Hanks and comprised of mostly North Shore stakeholders, will review Mayor Eric Adams controversial City of Yes for Housing Opportunity plan, for which the public review period began at the end of April.

Adams City of Yes plan has been in the works almost since he took the citys highest office in 2021, and has been a three-pronged rezoning focused on carbon emissions, economic opportunity and housing  the most controversial portion.

While we appreciate the mayors bold initiative on the City of Yes, my constituents have voiced major concerns, especially on the housing component, Hanks said. Districts like the North Shore of Staten Island need a neighborhood-by-neighborhood plan that speaks to the wide variety of needs and challenges, particularly in an urban-suburban borough like Richmond County. 53% of my district are homeowners, and quite frankly, the City of Yes scares them.

Tipping Point? is a journalistic initiative launched by Advance/SILive.com to inform Staten Islanders how NYCs City of Yes for Housing Opportunity proposal could impact the borough. The plan, which will be voted on by the City Council this year, calls for significant zoning changes designed to spur development of new homes and apartments amid a citywide housing shortage.Jason Paderon/Staten Island Advance

On Staten Island, the proposed zoning reforms would allow for accessory dwelling units (ADUs) on one- and two-family properties and small apartment buildings in areas where theyre not currently permitted, while removing off-street parking mandates for new residential construction.

All three of Staten Islands community boards have voted against the plan. And Staten Island community activists, civic groups and public officials have criticized the proposal as a one size fits all rezoning plan to create more housing that would change the layout of Staten Island, particularly its more suburban, bucolic feel. But those in favor say its necessary to address a growing housing crisis in the the five boroughs.

The councilwomans office said the task force plans to host two meetings in August before the City Planning Commission votes on the City of Yes plan, and will recommend changes that would be better for the North Shore of the borough ahead of a final City Council vote before the end of the year.

Adams Continues to Highlight the Need for Housing

Adams has shown little sign of changing course on the housing plan, but said the goal of the plan is to address a growing housing crisis across the five boroughs.

In February, the city Department for Housing Preservation and Development highlighted a 1.4% rental vacancy rate in the five boroughs  according to the New York City Housing and Vacancy Survey (NYCHVS), a survey conducted in partnership with the U.S. Census Bureau roughly every three years since 1965.

The 1.4% vacancy rate marked the lowest level since the city released the first survey in 1968.

We are in a housing crisis and if we dont start that conversation from that place, then people start to talk about this housing piece from a place that we have enough housing, Adams said Tuesday. I think those of us who have homes should think about those who dont have homes, and sometimes that is not brought into the conversation.

Deputy Mayor for Housing, Economic Development, and Workforce Maria Torres-Springer said the rezoning plan coupled with a quintuple of five neighborhood up-zonings around the five boroughs could add an estimated 150,000 new units of housing in the city.

Thats more than double the residential unit capacity created in 12 years of former Mayor Michael Bloomberg and more than four times the capacity built in eight years of former Mayor Bill de Blasio, Torres-Springer said.

She also pointed to the 53.9% of renters on Staten Island characterized as rent-burdened, which the Census Bureau defines as paying more than 30% of income on rent, and the minuscule 83 units of income-restricted affordable homes built on the Island in 2023 when the citywide total was nearly 12,000.

The 1.4% vacancy rate that we face is one that requires not small plans, not incremental plans, but the type of dramatic change, progress, that is needed, Torres-Springer said. Theres a lot of need on Staten Island and not a lot of production, and you can see that story across the five boroughs.

Responding to the concerns expected to be raised by Hanks task force, Torres-Springer pointed to the ample degree of public comment taken on the City of Yes housing plan, including that of the Rev. Dr. Terry Troia, minister of The Reformed Church of Huguenot Park and president and CEO of Project Hospitality, who voiced the need for new housing at a meeting of the City Planning Commission earlier this month.

I have spent the last 40 years living with and serving homeless people on Staten Island, and I have seen homelessness grow on Staten Island in these last 40 years from being about single people, men and women, with mental health issues or addiction issues on the streets, to being families. Families who are pushed out of their housing because the housing is so expensive on Staten Island, she said.

Task Force Members

While Troia wont be on Hanks task force, there will be 12 members representing a diverse group of Staten Islanders from across the North Shore. Heres a bit about each and what they had to say provided by the councilwomans office:

Selina Grey  Community Board 1 member, chair of its Mariners Harbor/Elm Park area committee and 2021 Democratic primary opponent to Hanks  said, ...It is crucial that community stakeholders and industry experts come together to suggest modifications to the housing component of the City of Yes initiative. I am eager to engage in robust discussions that will lead to real housing opportunities for Staten Island.

Judge Ronald Gregg, president, Richmond County Black & Minority Chamber of Commerce, said, I want to applaud the council member for getting everyone around the same table and formalizing her process of listening to community and business leaders to make common sense suggestions to this City of Yes proposal.

Neil Anastasio, president of the Forest Regional Residents Civic Association (FRRCA), said, ...Our communitys concerns have always been heard by our elected officials, and we look forward to providing more specific resident input concerning the City of Yes proposal. FRRCA was at the forefront in the 90s to downzone our neighborhood when large homes were torn down to build townhomes. The City of Yes is problematic on many fronts, but it is only with direct community input that a palatable bill might be developed.

Maryann McGowen, president of the Clove Lake Civic Association said, Clove Lake Civic was instrumental in leading a downzoning effort 20 years ago to reflect the actual housing stock in our neighborhoods and make common sense changes to zoning. We are thrilled that Council Member Hanks is literally giving us a seat at that table again to assist her in making the City of Yes more Staten Island based and appropriate, and we are happy to share our knowledge and advocacy with her and City Planning.

Alan Becker, executive officer of the Building Industry Association of New York City, said, ...Having builders, architects and community leaders around the same table working through how these proposals will actually affect our neighborhoods makes a whole lot of sense.

Lindy Cresitelli, president New Brighton Concerned Citizens Committee, said, We definitely need a task force on this issue. One size definitely does not and should not fit all. City Planning should mean looking at each diverse neighborhoods unique topography, infrastructure, and a multitude of needs, not just the need for more housing.

Sammy Lazoja, CEO of the Lannister Group, said, the city has all these experts telling Staten Island what changes need to be made, now wisely, the council member has Staten Island experts able to tell her what changes need to be made to the citys changes for Staten Island.

Eileen Harrington  president of the St. George Civic Association, a local Realtor and property manager  said, Whats right for St. George isnt necessarily right for Sunset Hill. City of Yes should not be a one-size-fits-all plan. Perhaps we should call it the City of Maybe. I look forward to working with the Council Member and this group of leaders and experts to come up with a plan that brings much-needed residential density to St. George while addressing the concerns of neighborhoods that do not have similar access to transit.

Linda Huff  president Help One to Help Another, a senior housing advocacy non-profit  said, Staten Islanders have always known what is best for Staten Island. This taskforce of leading experts and civic leaders will hash out what in this proposal can work here and what cant work here...
STATEN ISLAND, N.Y.  One of the migrants allegedly involved in an assault on two members of the NYPD in Times Square this past January has taken a plea deal.

Darwin Andres Gomez-Izquiel, 19, pleaded guilty in Manhattan Criminal Court Monday to assault in the second degree, a class D felony, and was sentenced to 364 days in jail, according to a spokesman for the Manhattan D.A.s office.

The sentence should absolutely be longer, but were glad that this individual is pleading guilty to a felony and will continue serving time for this brazen attack on our brothers, Patrick Hendry, president of the Police Benevolent Association, said in a statement. However, the important test will come once his sentence is up. He needs to be deported immediately upon release, without setting another foot on our city streets. And there are several other defendants who had an even bigger role in this vicious attack whose cases are still pending. We will be watching to make sure they face justice.

According to police, officers attempted to disperse a disorderly group in Manhattans Times Square on Saturday, Jan. 27, at around 10 p.m. when a physical altercation started with multiple individuals punching and kicking the officers when they tried to take a member of the group into custody.

Along with Izquiel, four individuals  Yorman Reveron, 24; Wilson Juarez, 21; Kevin Servita Arocha, 19; and Jhoan Bhoada, 22, were arrested in relation to the incident.

The attack has been widely identified as connected to the citys ongoing migrant crisis, with officials across the state lamenting the alleged attackers release without bail. Some, including Rep. Nicole Malliotakis (R-Staten Island/South Brooklyn) have called for the perpetrators to be deported.

Republicans, Democrats and Independents should, at the very least, be able to agree that migrants who assault our police or commit crimes in our country should be deported immediately and have any future immigration application denied,' the congresswoman said.

Gov. Kathy Hochul said at the time of the incident that depending on the individuals legal status in the country, deportation is something that should be considered.

I mean, if someone commits a crime against a police officer in the state of New York and theyre not here legally, its definitely worth checking into, she said.

Law enforcement officers . . . should never, under any circumstances, be subjected to physical assault, Hochul added. Its wrong on all accounts and Im looking to judges and prosecutors to do the right thing.
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The 60-seat Georgie mixes marble, velvet and touches of gold on the ground floor of the Mantra 2 hotel.

As Gil Ghidalia settles in as head chef at the newly opened Georgie, a wine bar on George Street in Sydneys CBD, he recounts the arduous professional journey that landed him there. When the French native moved to Sydney in 2019, he laughs about a nightmare first shift in the kitchen at the upmarket Aria restaurant.

I didnt speak English. Luckily, there were two Italians, it saved my life. Theyd tell me if I was in trouble, he says.

1 / 7 Head chef Gil Ghidalia at the newly opened wine bar Georgie. Trent van der Jagt 2 / 7 Trent van der Jagt 3 / 7 Trent van der Jagt 4 / 7 Trent van der Jagt 5 / 7 Trent van der Jagt 6 / 7 Trent van der Jagt 7 / 7 Trent van der Jagt Previous Slide Next Slide

Ghidalias story is one shared by many immigrants. Hed trained in Michelin-starred restaurants, been head chef at 52 Faubourg in Paris, but had to take a step back and learn a new language to get ahead. In a few weeks I was making sounds, a bit like a baby, he says today as a fluent English speaker. He then had to navigate COVID, but eventually landed at hot Sydney restaurant start-up Shell House.

Now at Georgie, there are plenty of familiar culinary dishes, including steak tartare and a terrine of the day. The adventurous spirit that led Ghidalia to Australia has him exploring new territory, with a chimichurri and preserved lemon-fuelled spatchcock and a dish of nduja mac and cheese.
Permit-holders are already under a fit and proper person test administered by the Fair Work Commission. The plan would also have banned people who are associates of a member of a criminal organisation or a declared organisation, although Southwick said this would not include spouses. Loading Information would have been provided through a compulsory check with Victoria Police, and spent convictions would not be caught under the regime. Southwick said the measure would not be a lifetime ban and would be targeted at serious offences.

Well, we want to make sure that we dont have bikies on building sites, plain and simple. Now, the test for this will be writing to the chief commissioner [of police] and seeing if that individual is still identified as part of an organisation, he said. The oppositions draft legislation included a list of 28 criminal organisations whose members would be banned including the Bandidos, Commancheros, Finks, Hells Angels, Mongols and Rebels motorcycle gangs. Allan has pledged to bring forward her own legislation giving greater powers to the police to tackle bikie gangs through anti-association laws and said on Tuesday that the bill, which police have sought for years, would be brought to parliament in August. She also could not say whether individuals identified by this masthead in the Building Bad investigation were still on Victorian government sites, insisting that was a matter for building contractors. That included CFMEU officials Joel Shackleton and Gerry McCrudden who were captured on video abusing and threatening a contractor on a large project funded by the Victorian and federal governments.

These are exactly the matters that we are looking at strengthening in Victoria. The processes around how all government agencies and departments work with our construction companies and its employee representatives because its not acceptable for these sorts of people to be on worksites, its not acceptable for this type of behaviour, Allan said. Treasurer Tim Pallas, who is also industrial relations minister, said none of the issues of alleged criminality revealed in the investigation had been previously raised with him. Pallas said that he had removed former CFMEU secretary John Setka from the government building construction industry advisory committee. Asked if Setkas appointment to that body was sensible in the first instance, Pallas said workers had rights to elect their representatives.

That does not mean that they have license to act inappropriately or illegally, he said. Pallas also said he did not know if McCrudden and Shackleton were still working on state government sites. Loading We want to make sure that we have strong, efficient and transparent unions... in this industry, but what we will not tolerate is illegal behaviour by these unions, he said. Pallas said he had previously heard concerns about the behaviour of the union but they did not go to illegality.

This is a robust industry that has many disputes and disagreements, and they use colourful language and behaviour thats one thing. What we saw [in the Building Bad investigation] were allegations of illegal conduct, he said. The unions lengthy record of fines and unlawful industrial activity, he said, was an indictment on the federal system and it was not the states role to double-check that. Shackletons behaviour was also raised in parliament with Upper House leader Georgie Crozier asking Labor ministers had taken any steps in response. Labor at state and federal level has said it will not accept donations from the CFMEUs construction arm until its governance is reformed. Victorian Greens leader Ellen Sandell was asked repeatedly on Tuesday if her party would accept CFMEU donations.
It is a worrying trend when people feel safer in the hands of the big tech companies than they do in the justice system (Judges hit by loss of faith from public, July 30). It would be easy to think that this is due to a lack of understanding of the legal process but it can also be attributed to the adversarial system itself, where truth often takes a back seat. Mostly, however, I would suggest that it is the apparent high incidence of serious offences committed by those on bail that has diminished faith in the ability of courts to adequately determine the genuine danger posed by an alleged offender. Philip Cooney, Wentworth Falls

Pollster Jim Rees uses the Lehrmann prosecutions as a reason why less than one third of Australians trust the justice system to deliver. On the contrary, a majority of Australians are more concerned with alleged violent criminals being let out on bail and when they are found guilty, receiving relatively light or non-custodial sentences. Another frequent shortcoming of the courts is where celebrities, represented by celebrity lawyers, are found guilty of a criminal offence and get away with conviction not recorded. Until these issues are addressed, Australians faith in the justice system will remain diminished. Riley Brown, Bondi Beach

There is certainly a problem with inconsistency in legal judgments, but it is difficult to have faith in a legal system where financial backing is often the key. Arguably only two types of people can seek justice, the rich and the poor. The poor will benefit from legal aid, while the rich can engage an expensive legal team and consider appeals against a judgment until the opposition is broken psychologically or financially. Such a war of attrition can hardly convince one that justice is inevitably done. Geoff Harding, Chatswood

Just 30 per cent of Australians have faith in the countrys courts and justice system according to a new poll conducted on behalf of the Herald. Credit: Michele Mossop

For 42 years I have worked closely with our judiciary from magistrates to senior judges within our criminal justice system. The essence of the article was the quote from pollster Jim Reed less than a third trust the justice system to deliver... To deliver what? Our system of justice and the judiciary therein do not exist to provide the public with what some see as justice. They exist to administer the law. And herein lies my criticism of the media. So often I see the media jumping on the bandwagon of injustice when in truth its about someone not getting what they wanted. This erodes the publics confidence in the integrity of a system that has stood for the test of time. Brian Roach, Westleigh
The planned opening of a $21.6 billion metro rail line which promises to reshape Sydney has been shelved, with a recent meltdown which trapped passengers on trains in tunnels for more than two hours emerging as a key cause of the disappointing delay.

The line underneath Sydney Harbour and the central business district was due to open on Sunday but the incident on a separate stretch of tunnel on July 13 - combined with industrial action from the states powerful firefighters union and a failure to secure an expected green light from a national regulator - has detonated the much-hyped August 4 start date.

No new opening timeline has been identified but a raft of bus route changes designed to align with the new metro line will come into effect from Sunday as planned.

It will likely take several weeks for Sydney Metro - the government agency overseeing the line - to secure agreement from the National Rail Safety Regulator for the project to open, as well as allay concerns from Fire Brigade Employees Union members about safety on the new trains and in the 15.5 kilometres of tunnels.
Premier Chris Minns has conceded his government should not have given commuters false hope that Sydneys new $21.6 billion metro rail line would open on August 4.

Transport Minister Jo Haylen on Tuesday announced the 15.5 kilometres of new line between Chatswood and Sydenham could not open on Sunday as advertised, blaming a combination of problems including a lack of final approval from national regulators, a recent meltdown on a different stretch of line and industrial action from the firefighters union.

The government will not nominate a new opening date until all approvals are received, which may take several weeks. However, all bus route changes designed to align with the new metro line will come into effect on Sunday as planned.

I think weve got everybodys expectations up, and we cant meet it, so I apologise for that, the premier told ABC Sydney radio on Wednesday morning.
Only one minister in the NSW government graduated from an academically selective school and most received a public education at their local comprehensive.

A Herald analysis of where ministers went to school shows that at least 77 per cent went to public school and four had a Catholic education.

Premier Chris Minns went to Marist College Kogarah and Deputy Premier Prue Car attended Caroline Chisholm College in Sydneys west, both systemic Catholic schools which charge relatively low fees.

About 22 per cent of NSW ministers attended Catholic schools, a figure broadly in line with the current shared school age population enrolled in Catholic systemic schools.
With all the faux outrage could we at least report the facts? It was not a parody of the Last Supper. It was a bacchanalia. Kenneth Smith, Orange

The article by Rob Harris (Organisers sorry for drag show, July 30) is totally ill-informed and inaccurate. The so-called offensive tableau was an inclusive fashion parade which clearly depicted the figures from Greek mythology of the Greek Gods, Dionysus and Ariadne. The Olympics began in Greece long before the birth of Christ. There was no food on the table. The blue character was clearly Dionysus. Above Ariadne was the Corona Borealis not a Christian depiction. I understand Ariadne in fact was played by a woman, not a man in drag. Yet the claims of the Australian Christian Lobby went unchallenged. Katharine Crawford, Port Macquarie

The utterances of J.D. Vance may sound thoughtful and polished (compared to those of Trump), but as Stephen Bartholomeusz points out their proposed policies will have dire consequences for the US economy and that of the world (Trumps deluded desire for a lower US dollar, July 29).

Vance himself has noted that a strong US dollar is a subsidy for US consumers but a tax on US manufacturers. Arent MAGA supporters mostly US consumers? Dont they realise that the policies of Trump and Vance will most likely hurt them? They may have been hurt in the past by the loss of US manufacturing jobs, but a weaker US dollar wont bring them back. This was shown in 1985 when Reagan tried the same thing and manufacturing jobs continued to decline. It will only make the bosses of companies that are still exporting even richer. Why do some people no longer trust experts and evidence, thinking that they know better or that things will be different this time? David Rush, Lawson

As one who is troubled by the state of US democracy, I find the editorial (Harris faces a steep climb to presidency, July 30) on the Harris campaign gives an unwarranted equivalence to Trump and Harris, denying the explicit, existential threat that Trump, by his own utterances, is making to democracy in those US. Harris shows by her actions since being appointed as Vice-President and by her stated intentions, to stay with the rule of law and the power of accountable government. Trump showed by his actions as President, corrupting the office of President, and by his stated intention to be a dictator and to dismantle both the rule of law and the apparatus of government, that he would destroy democracy. Lets not have some whitewashing of that stark choice, by implying that both of these two candidates could maintain democracy in the USA. No. Barry Laing, Castle Cove

People dont invest in lost causes. The fact that Kamala Harris election coffers are swelling should indicate that her fortunes are on the rise. Trumps only answer to her are personal slurs, outright lies and innuendo which would suggest that he is running scared. Shell wipe the floor with him in any election debate. Genevieve Milton, Dulwich Hill

Your correspondents assertion that, Trump/Vance will not win, is overly optimistic. Their subsequent opinion that, Americans are not that stupid, is generous by the same measure. In 2016, 62 million American electors gave Trump the presidency with only 46 per cent of the primary vote. In the 2020 election, 74 million people voted for him. This is a solid historical base which appears to be strengthening on a foundation of gimmickry, artifice and deception. Im afraid that its an uncharitable generalisation but I do think that Americans are that stupid. In a country where voting is voluntary, this election looks like Trumps to lose. William Galton, Hurstville Grove
The Victorian government is examining the role of traditional owners in planning decisions as part of its push to increase housing, at the same time as it has blasted the opposition over its proposal to tighten rules around Indigenous peoples involvement in the system.

As the state opposition faced fresh questions about the formulation of its policy announced on the weekend, Premier Jacinta Allan on Tuesday said the government was examining all third-party approval processes as part of its housing statement, including cultural heritage.

Victorian Premier Jacinta Allan criticised the oppositions proposal on cultural heritage permits. Credit: Eamon Gallagher

Cultural heritage permits and management plans are needed for activities that could disturb or harm sites important to Aboriginal communities. Those permits and plans are evaluated by designated traditional owners known as Registered Aboriginal Parties.

I acknowledge that the planning process and all elements of the planning process need to be examined as to how we can improve those processes to make good decisions, faster, she said.
A special operative acted appropriately when he gunned down a fugitive who had led police on a three-day manhunt, Victorias state coroner has found.

Stanley Turvey, 33, was tasered and shot in the chest three times by police at a property in Victorias northeast on September 20.

Two days earlier, he pointed a sawn-off shotgun at officers and fired a shot in the air when they tried to arrest him over a firearms prohibition order.

He fled the property in a police car and managed to evade officers for days, leading to a manhunt involving uniform police and specialist units.
Jerusalem: An Israeli military court opened an initial hearing for nine soldiers detained over what a defence lawyer said were allegations of sexual abuse of a Palestinian at a shadowy facility where Israel has held prisoners from Gaza during the war.

The investigation has stoked tensions between the military command and hard-line nationalists in Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahus government who advocate an even harsher hand in Israels conduct of the 10-month-old war in Gaza.

Protesters gather in support of soldiers being questioned for detainee abuse, outside of the Sde Teiman military base. Credit: AP

The soldiers detention triggered angry protests by supporters demanding their release, including members of parliament and at least two government ministers. On Monday, several hundred protesters broke into the facility in southern Israel, known as Sde Teiman, and then later into the military base where the soldiers were being held. Video showed them scuffling with troops before being forced out.

Defence lawyer Nati Rom, who is representing three of the soldiers, said they were innocent and described the alleged abuse they are accused of committing as acts of sodomy. The military has given no details on the investigation, saying only it was looking into allegations of substantial abuse.
Grand Case, St. Martin:--- The all-volunteer Les Fruits de Mer association is thrilled to announce the launch of Island of Discovery, a new project that will boost education about local nature, heritage and culture. The project will reach thousands of students on both sides of the island in the coming year. The 40,900 project is funded by Fondation Air France. It includes class visits to Amuseum Naturalis at The Old House and the distribution of thousands of books about St. Martin to students.

Our volunteer team is so excited to take our education programs island-wide! said Les Fruits de Mer President Jenn Yerkes. Weve had great success on the French side, but St. Martin is one island, and this project brings our local education programs to the Dutch side in a big way. It is the biggest transboundary education project we know of on this island, and the funding from Fondation Air France makes it possible.

The Island of Discovery project includes funding for class visits to Amuseum Naturalis at The Old House for classes from both sides of the island. On the French side, this new project will build on the associations existing subvention-funded school book program to give books to other associations and organizations working with kids. On the Dutch side, the project will fund books for all primary school students and some secondary school students. Over 8,000 books about St. Martin will be distributed as part of this project.

The project also includes distributing educational banners and publishing a fun new activity book for students who visit Amuseum Naturalis. The new book will be based on museum exhibits to reinforce learning during class visits.

For years, we have been hearing from the community that learning about St. Martins nature, heritage, and culture is necessary, but that it is not very present in the curriculum on either side of the island..Thats what this program is all about, said Les Fruits de Mer co-founder Mark Yokoyama. We want the next generation to know St. Martin and love St. Martin. For us, that means getting materials about this island in the hands of every single student. We are grateful to Fondation Air France for helping us cross boundaries and expand this vision.

The Les Fruits de Mer association has published over 40 books about St. Martin's nature, heritage, and culture. They include oral histories and works created in partnership with Lasana M. Sekou and Lady Ruby Bute. In 2023, the association distributed over 15,000 books for free, giving at least one book to every student and teacher in a public school on the French side of the island. It has also offered free class visits to Amuseum Naturalis since 2016.

Since 1992, Fondation Air France has funded close to 1680 projects in 80 countries served by the airline company. It partners with associations on projects that impact children and youth, focusing on educational, environmental, and humanitarian projects.
29 JULY 2024  Following World Mangrove Day on July 26, the Ministry of Public Housing, Spatial Planning, Environment and Infrastructure (VROMI) and the Nature Foundation Sint Maarten proudly announced their collaboration with the Blue Marine Foundation, Dutch Caribbean Nature Alliance (DCNA), and the law and consultancy office DEJONG to finalize the legislation for the Little Key Protection Area. The announcement was made at the public Mangrove Morning event at IGY Simpson Bay Marina this past Saturday.

The pending legislation for Little Key, a three-hectare island located along the lagoon border of Sint Maarten and Saint-Martin, will support the establishment of the first terrestrial nature park as understood through the National Ordinance on the Foundations of Nature Management and Protection on Dutch Sint Maarten. Little Key encompasses a well-known mangrove restoration area, healthy native seagrass beds, and a nursery area for marine life.

The ratification of Little Key as a nature park will ensure legal protections for the vital ecosystems surrounding it, said key partner Ildiko Gilders, VROMI Policy Advisor, during her speech. Extensive development along our coast has put immense pressure on these ecosystems, making the protection of areas like Little Key even more essential.

The Mangrove Morning event, where the announcement was made, welcomed nearly fifty members of the public, civil servants, and political figures. Nature Foundation manager Leslie Hickerson, Minister of VROMI Patrice Gumbs, and conservation professional Tadzio Bervoets delivered keynote speeches about the ecological and economic importance of mangrove ecosystems. The presentations were followed by an hour-and-a-half lagoon tour by sea, guided by Nature Foundation staff, to visit mangroves at Little Key and Mullet Pond. Junior rangers from the Nature Foundation conducted a mangrove clean-up at the same time and were honored by the minister for their efforts. Among the attendees of the event were various members of Sint Maartens Parliament and the director of the Reserve Naturelle of Saint-Martin, Amandine Bordin, as well as their ReCorea project officer. The Perpetual Plastics team from Environmental Protection in the Caribbean (EPIC) also tabled.

Prioritizing sustainable development on Sint Maarten is critical, and that includes conservation of important ecosystems like mangrove wetlands, said Minister of VROMI Patrice Gumbs. We are deeply grateful for the collaboration and support from all the partners, who are providing invaluable legal and technical assistance to finalize this project. I am confident that this initiative will serve as a catalyst for the establishment of additional protected areas on Sint Maarten."

On a personal level, Minister Gumbs stated that as a member of a family in construction, he recognizes the need for building, and that for a long time construction has been the way we, as Caribbean people, see progress. However, he cautioned about development being seen in such a limited way and advised that it must be holistic, considering factors such as education and quality of life.

"Development must include protection of our environment, which in turn creates a stronger, richer tourism product that supports a sustainable, well-rounded economy capable of providing for its people, Minister Gumbs said. In his final remarks, he invited guests to commit to a more balanced idea of development and what it means to be developed.

Terrestrial protected areas are crucial for islands as they provide safe havens for native flora and fauna, help preserve biodiversity, and offer natural solutions to climate change through carbon sequestration. These areas also support ecosystem services that are vital for the well-being of human communities, such as clean air and water, soil stabilization, and storm protection.

IGY Marinas provided invaluable logistical support for the event, which took place at their new yacht club in Simpson Bay. Partners Caribbean Marines, Billy Bones Boat Charters, and the Maritime School of the West Indies volunteered their boats for guests to come aboard thanks to facilitation from the Sint Maarten Marine Trades Association. The event was organized by the Ministry of VROMI and staff from the Coastal Resilience Needs Assessment (CORENA) project, a RESEMBID-funded collaboration between the Ministry of VROMI and Nature Foundation.
PHILIPSBURG (DCOMM):--- The Collective Prevention Services (CPS), a department in the Ministry of Public Health, Social Development and Labour (Ministry VSA), expresses its condolences to the family and friends of Lottie Peterson and her colleagues at the Diabetes Foundation of Sint Maarten (DFS).



Lottie Peterson has been a stalwart in creating public health awareness about diabetes. She worked with former Police Commissioner Walter Kramers under the umbrella of DFS and collaborated with many stakeholders within the community, including Ministry VSA.



She worked tirelessly to bring awareness about the prevention, diagnosis, and management of diabetes condition by minimizing the risk of complications. Her goal was to limit the number of local amputations due to diabetic complications.



CPS will always be grateful for Lotties contribution to diabetes, as it remains a prevalent condition within our community.



The staff of CPS wishes the family, friends, and DFS much strength during this time of bereavement.
PHILIPSBURG:---The Court of Guardianship (CoG), Safe Haven Foundation & Turning Point Foundation is pleased to announce the signing of a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) that formalizes a strategic partnership focused on improving the identification, reporting, and management of suspected child abuse and neglect cases. The steps outlined as part of the MoU are based on the Child Check protocol.



Through this partnership, CoG, Turning Point, and Safe Haven are committed to creating a safer and more supportive environment for children and their families. Child Check addresses immediate concerns and focuses on supporting families to create a safer environment at home. We look forward to signing several more MoUs this year with key partners, Kimberly Dort-Brown, Department Head of the Court of Guardianship, explains.



The Child Check protocol was introduced to Sint Maarten with technical support from UNICEF in the Netherlands and the AUGEO Foundation, in collaboration with the Government of Sint Maarten, as part of the Child Resilience and Protection Project (CRPP). The CRPP is financed by the government of the Netherlands through the Sint Maarten Trust Fund, which is managed by the World Bank.



Child Check is a preventative approach aimed at early detection of child neglect and abuse. It involves professionals who work with adult clients, such as doctors, nurses, and social workers, to assess the well-being of children while treating their parents. The protocol outlines steps to identify at-risk children, especially in cases involving domestic violence, substance abuse or mental health issues. Once identified, timely and effective interventions are taken to address any identified risks and support the needs of children and families. Child Check has already demonstrated its effectiveness in other countries in increasing the detection rate of child abuse.



At Turning Point, we have already used certain protocols with clients who come in to check if their children are safe. However, this MoU and all parties agreeing on using Child Check moving forward will ensure we can work more efficiently to ensure children are protected, explains Tasheena Thomas, Director at Turning Point Foundation.



Mrs. Dort-Brown shares that implementing Child Check and the signing of the MoU was a three-year process. Often, people underestimate the work that goes into implementing these protocols . However, together with UNICEF the Netherlands, over the years we have hosted introductory meetings, sensitisations, and several trainings. In partnership with Safe Haven, Turning Point, and several other partners, we have also amended the program to suit the realities of Sint Maarten. This is all to ensure that the Child Check protocol succeeds.

We want to thank the many stakeholders that helped us in this process and assist in protecting children daily.

For questions or if you would like to report a suspected case of child abuse: +1 (721) 542-4110. Follow the Court of Guardianship on Facebook for more regular updates: www.facebook.com/cogsxm.
The Atlas V is a type of rocket that is commonly used for interplanetary missions, military payloads and cargo runs to the International Space Station. This rocket type has had more than 75 launches (as of March 2018) with no complete failures, making it among the most reliable in the world.

The rocket used to be operated by Lockheed Martin, but it is now operated by United Launch Alliance (a Boeing-Lockheed joint venture). Some of the notable missions it has launched include the Pluto-bound New Horizons mission, the top-secret X-37B space plane and the Mars Curiosity rover.

An Atlas V rocket will also be used to launch the Boeing CST-100 spacecraft, which will ferry astronauts to the International Space Station in the next few years.

Rocket specs

Height: 205 feet (62.5 meters)

Diameter: 12.5 feet (3.81 m)

Mass: 46,678 lbs. (21,173 kilograms)

Stages: 2. The first stage uses a Russian-built RD-180 engine, which is fueled by kerosene and liquid oxygen. The second stage uses an American RL10 engine manufactured by Aerojet Rocketdyne and fueled by liquid hydrogen and liquid oxygen.

Solid rocket boosters: Up to three (as required per mission payload) Aerojet Rocketdyne SRBs on the Atlas V 400 series, and up to five on the 500 series.

Payload capacity: Low Earth orbit: 18,190 to 45,240 lbs. (8,250 to 20,520 kg); geostationary transfer orbit: 10,470 to 19,620 lbs. (4,750 to 8,900 kg)

Launch pads: Space Launch Complex 41, at Cape Canaveral Air Force Station in Florida, and Space Launch Complex 3-E, at Vandenberg Air Force Base in California.

History and notable successes

Lockheed Martin Commercial Services originally developed the Atlas V for the U.S. Air Force Evolved Expendable Launch Vehicle program. The first launch of an Atlas V took place on Aug. 21, 2002. It successfully lofted the Eutelsat Hot Bird 6 broadcast satellite into orbit.

On Aug. 12, 2005, an Atlas V performed its first launch for NASA  an interplanetary mission. The rocket hefted the Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter for an eventual rendezvous with the Red Planet. The spacecraft is still in operation around Mars as of April 2018. Some of its notable finds include imaging possible water streaks (called recurring slope lineae) in craters, tracking Martian weather and surface change and finding past and present landers.

NASA's New Horizons probe, bound for Pluto, lifted off on an Atlas V on Jan. 19, 2006. The spacecraft successfully flew by Pluto in 2015 and is on its way to an object in the Kuiper belt for a flyby in early 2019. And there are many other interplanetary missions that left Earth on an Atlas V:

The Curiosity rover lifted off for Mars on an Atlas V on Nov. 26, 2011. Curiosity has found extensive evidence of past liquid on the Red Planet's surface.

The Juno spacecraft started its journey to Jupiter on Aug. 5, 2011. The spacecraft is still in orbit around Jupiter and beaming back information about the gas giant's weather and interior.

NASA's Mars Atmosphere and Volatile EvolutioN (MAVEN) mission left Earth on Nov. 18, 2013, aboard an Atlas V rocket. MAVEN is investigating atmosphere loss from Mars, which could explain why the Red Planet doesn't have the vast streams of running water today that are evident in the geological record.

Other space missions include asteroid mission OSIRIS-REx (Origins, Spectral Interpretation, Resource Identification, Security, Regolith Explorer), the Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter, the Solar Dynamics Observatory and the Van Allen Probes and the (future) Mars InSight lander.

Atlas V rockets also have been used for International Space Station missions. The first one took place on Dec. 6, 2015, when an Atlas V lifted Orbital ATK's Cygnus spacecraft to orbit for a resupply mission. Even the mysterious Boeing X-37B spaceplane missions have been taken into orbit using the Atlas V. This reusable, uncrewed spacecraft is used by the United States Air Force, but its true mission is classified.

Failures

Atlas V rockets are known for their incredible success rate, flying more than 75 launches between August 2002 and March 2018 with no complete failures. On at least two occasions, though, Atlas V rockets had partial failures that (luckily) did not affect the outcome of the mission. The first was on June 15, 2007, when the Atlas V put two reconnaissance satellites for the National Reconnaissance Office into a lower orbit than expected. More recently, the first stage shut down early during a Cygnus resupply mission that lifted off on March 23, 2016.

Cygnus was still able to make it to the International Space Station, but Spaceflight 101.com said it was a very close call: "Had the RD-180 engine shut one second earlier than it did, Centaur [the upper stage] would not have been able to compensate and Cygnus would have ended up in a lower orbit. With shutdown another 1.3 seconds earlier, there would not have been a mission for Cygnus as perigee would have remained within the atmosphere, even when using all of Centaurs performance."

This United Launch Alliance graphic shows how the Sierra Nevada Corporation's Dream Chaser space plane will launch atop Atlas V rockets to deliver cargo to the International Space Station. (Image credit: United Launch Alliance)

Commercial crew and other human spaceflight

Boeing's CST-100 is one of two spacecraft selected to ferry astronauts to the International Space Station. The company received a contract valued at $4.2 billion from NASA in 2014 for the first round of commercial crew flights; SpaceX's Dragon received $2.6 billion at the same time. CST-100 will use an Atlas V to send astronauts to the orbiting complex.

A January 2018 update from NASA described the various tests that the CST-100 will undergo before carrying astronauts. This will culminate with an uncrewed orbital test flight that will take off from Cape Canaveral Air Force Station; at the time, NASA did not give a date for this flight, but media reports say this could take place in 2018 or 2019. After the test flight is complete, Boeing will send a crewed test flight with two astronauts on board.

Other companies have also considered using Atlas V for their own human spaceflight programs. Sierra Nevada Corp. once submitted a proposal to NASA saying its Dream Chaser would use the Atlas V for ISS astronaut flights, but its proposal was not selected. Bigelow Aerospace has also said it might use the Atlas V for flights to its own, future private space station.

Additional resources
Blinken, Austin hold defence talks with Philippine counterparts



Manila, July 30 (AFP) Jul 30, 2024



US foreign and defence ministers met their Philippine counterparts in Manila on Tuesday, with Beijing's growing assertiveness in the South China Sea likely to dominate talks.

A series of escalating confrontations between Philippine and Chinese vessels in the disputed waterway have raised concern that Washington could be dragged into a conflict due to its mutual defence treaty with Manila.

US Secretary of State Antony Blinken and Defence Secretary Lloyd Austin are in Asia to strengthen a latticework of regional alliances as Washington counters China's growing military and diplomatic influence.

Blinken and Austin kicked off their Manila leg with a meeting with President Ferdinand Marcos, before holding "2+2" talks with their Philippine counterparts Enrique Manalo and Gilberto Teodoro.

It marks the first time the Philippines has hosted the "2+2" talks, which Blinken said were evidence of "a steady drum beat, a very high level of engagements between our countries".

"We are truly grateful for this partnership," Blinken told Marcos at the presidential palace.

The Philippines' proximity to the hotly contested South China Sea, as well as self-ruled Taiwan, would make it a key partner for the United States if a conflict were to break out.

Beijing claims almost the entire waterway, despite an international ruling that its assertion has no legal basis, and considers democratic Taiwan to be part of its territory.

Under their mutual defence treaty, the Philippines and the United States are required to come to the other's defence in case of an "armed attack" against vessels, aircraft, military and coast guard anywhere in the Pacific theatre, which Washington says includes the South China Sea.

Beijing's actions in the strategic waterway have been high on the agenda for Blinken's Asia-Pacific trip, which has included the foreign ministers meeting of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations in Laos and "2+2" talks in Japan.

A Filipino sailor lost a thumb in a June 17 confrontation near the flashpoint Second Thomas Shoal in the Spratly Islands.

Chinese coast guard members wielding knives, sticks and an axe foiled a Philippine Navy attempt to resupply Filipino troops stationed on a crumbling ship.

The two sides subsequently agreed to a "provisional arrangement" for the delivery of food and water to the Sierra Madre, which was deliberately grounded in 1999 to assert Manila's claims to the area.

The Philippines said it had carried out a resupply mission on Saturday without "untoward incident".
Blinken says US to provide $500 mn military funding to Philippines



Manila, July 30 (AFP) Jul 30, 2024



The United States will provide $500 million in military funding to the Philippines, US Secretary of State Antony Blinken said Tuesday, as Washington boosts ties with Manila in the face of China's growing assertiveness.

Blinken was in Manila with US Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin as part of an Asia-Pacific tour to strengthen Washington's latticework of alliances aimed at countering Beijing.

"We're now allocating an additional $500 million in foreign military financing to the Philippines to boost security collaboration with our oldest treaty ally in this region," Blinken told a joint news conference.

Blinken described it as a "once in a generation investment" to help modernise the Philippine armed forces and coast guard.

"We're building on a lot of progress the Philippines has already made to be better positioned to defend their sovereignty. That is what this is about."

Blinken and Austin earlier met with President Ferdinand Marcos, who has taken a strong stand against Chinese actions in the South China Sea, before holding "2+2" talks with their Philippine counterparts Enrique Manalo and Gilberto Teodoro.

The latest high-level US visit follows a series of escalating confrontations between Philippine and Chinese vessels in the disputed waterway that have raised concern that Washington could be dragged into a conflict due to its mutual defence treaty with Manila.

The additional funding is part of the $2 billion in foreign military financing approved by the United States in April.

The Philippines began a modest modernisation program more than a decade ago under former president Benigno Aquino to strengthen its armed forces, one of the weakest in Asia.

It has continued under Marcos, who has also ordered the military to increase their focus on external threats.

Teodoro said the US funds would be used to help secure the Philippines' "credible deterrent posture", as it seeks to boost its cybersecurity capabilities among other things.



- 'Fanning the flames' -



There has been a revolving door of top US officials passing through the Philippines since Marcos took office in 2022 and adopted a more US-friendly foreign policy.

Marcos expanded an agreement giving American troops access to nine Philippine military bases, including in the far north of the country, which has infuriated Chinese leaders.

The Enhanced Defence Cooperation Agreement, or EDCA, allows US troops to rotate through the bases and also store defence equipment and supplies at them.

Teodoro said Manila and Washington had agreed to "fully implement" EDCA projects and boost investment in the sites.

The Philippines' proximity to the hotly contested South China Sea, as well as self-ruled Taiwan, would make it a key partner for the United States if a conflict were to break out in the region.

Beijing claims almost the entire waterway, despite an international ruling that its assertion has no legal basis, and considers democratic Taiwan to be part of its territory.

Marcos told Austin and Blinken that he was "very happy" about the open lines of communication with the United States, which helped Manila be "agile in terms of our responses" on issues including the South China Sea.

Blinken and his Chinese counterpart Wang Yi sparred on Saturday over the South China Sea when they met on the sidelines of the foreign ministers meeting of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations in Laos.

Wang told Blinken the United States should "refrain from fanning the flames, stirring up trouble and undermining stability at sea," according to a foreign ministry statement.

"The risks and challenges facing China-US relations are still rising," he said.
Fresh protests loom in Venezuela in wake of disputed vote



Caracas, July 30 (AFP) Jul 30, 2024



Venezuela braced for new demonstrations Tuesday, after four people died and dozens were injured when the authorities broke up protests against President Nicolas Maduro's claim of victory in the country's hotly disputed weekend election.

Security forces had fired tear gas and rubber bullets Monday at angry protesters who claimed the election was stolen and flooded the streets chanting "Freedom, freedom!" and "This government is going to fall!"

Some ripped down and burned Maduro campaign posters while at least two statues of Hugo Chavez -- the late authoritarian socialist who led Venezuela for more than a decade and handpicked Maduro as his successor -- were knocked down by protesters.

Attorney General Tarek William Saab said Tuesday 749 "criminals" had been arrested during the protests and faced charges of resisting authority or, "in the most serious cases, terrorism."

The opposition fiercely contests the outcome of Sunday's election which authorities say was won by Maduro with 51.2 percent of votes cast compared to 44.2 percent for Edmundo Gonzalez Urrutia.

Opposition leader Maria Corina Machado, who was replaced by Urrutia on the ballot after she was barred from running by Maduro-aligned courts, said voting records showed Urrutia had a "mathematically irreversible" lead.

The opposition count gives Gonzalez Urrutia 6.27 million votes to Maduro's 2.75 million.

The Organization of American States, a regional body, charged Tuesday there was "exceptional manipulation" of the election results that handed Maduro the win.

The protests that erupted on Monday left 44 injured, most of them with bullet wounds, according to the National Hospital Survey, a network that monitors crises in the country's hospitals.

Two of the dead were in the state of Aragua and one in Caracas, the network said. The NGO Foro Penal meanwhile reported one more dead in the northwestern state of Yaracuy.

"Unfortunately, in the last few hours we have reports of people killed, dozens injured and detained," Gonzalez Urrutia wrote on X.

He urged security forces to "stop the repression of peaceful demonstrations."



- 'Absolute loyalty' -



The Defense Ministry for its part reported 23 wounded military personnel.

Defense Minister Vladimir Padrino assured that Maduro had the "absolute loyalty and unconditional support" of the armed forces.

Machado called for families to turn out Tuesday for "popular assemblies" nationwide to show support for a peaceful transition of power.

Maduro's campaign manager Jorge Rodriguez, also called on X for "large marches starting this Tuesday to celebrate the victory."

Amid growing fears of violence, a leading figure in the opposition coalition, Freddy Superlano, was "kidnapped" by black-clad officials, his Voluntad Popular said on X.

Venezuela's elections were held amid widespread fears of fraud by the government and a campaign tainted by accusations of political intimidation.

The United Nations, United States, European Union and several Latin American countries called for a "transparent" process after the vote, while allies including China, Russia and Cuba congratulated Maduro.

Nine Latin American countries called in a joint statement for a "complete review of the results with the presence of independent electoral observers." Chile's president said the outcome was "hard to believe."

Amid the tensions, Peru recalled its ambassador and Panama said it was suspending relations with Venezuela. Caracas meanwhile said it was withdrawing diplomatic staff from Argentina, Chile, Costa Rica, Panama, Peru, the Dominican Republic and Uruguay.



- 'Bloodbath' warning -



Independent polls had predicted Maduro would lose Sunday's vote.

He has been at the helm of the once-wealthy oil-rich country since 2013. Amid US sanctions and economic mismanagement, the past decade has seen GDP drop by 80 percent, pushing more than seven million of Venezuela's 30 million citizens to emigrate.

Maduro is accused of locking up critics and harassing the opposition in a climate of rising authoritarianism.

In the run-up to the election, he warned of a "bloodbath" if he lost.

Sunday's election was the product of a deal reached last year between the government and opposition.

That agreement led the United States to temporarily ease sanctions imposed after Maduro's 2018 reelection, rejected as a sham by dozens of Latin American and other countries.

Sanctions were snapped back after Maduro reneged on agreed conditions.

Venezuela boasts the world's largest oil reserves but production capacity has been severely diminished in recent years.

burs-fb/nro
Blasts hit former Iraq paramilitaries base: sources



Baghdad, July 30 (AFP) Jul 30, 2024



Explosions ripped through a base belonging to former pro-Iran paramilitaries south of the Iraqi capital Baghdad on Tuesday, a security source and a Hashed al-Shaabi official said.

"Blasts occurred in a base belonging to the Hashed al-Shaabi" in Babylon province, the security source said, referring to an alliance of pro-Iranian former paramilitary groups now integrated into the regular army.

"The cause of the blasts was not immediately known," the source added, but a Hashed official said an "airstrike" hit the base.

On July 18, an explosion hit "logistics" warehouses belonging to Hashed south of Baghdad, and in April, one person was killed and eight wounded in a blast at a military base housing Hashed groups in Babylon province.

Hashed al-Shaabi is an integral part of the Iraqi security apparatus under the authority of the prime minister.

It includes some pro-Iran groups that have carried out dozens of attacks against US forces in Iraq and neighbouring Syria.
Four killed in blasts at former Iraq paramilitary base: sources



Baghdad, July 30 (AFP) Jul 30, 2024



At least four people were killed and others wounded in explosions at a base belonging to former paramilitaries in Babylon province south of Baghdad, a security source and a pro-Iran official said Tuesday.

"The toll has now risen to four members of Hashed killed," said the official from the Hashed al-Shaabi alliance of pro-Iranian former paramilitary groups now integrated into the regular army.

He added that the blasts were caused by an "airstrike -- four or five missiles hit the base".

The security source confirmed that four people were killed, adding that the death toll was expected to rise.

On July 18, an explosion hit "logistics" warehouses belonging to Hashed south of Baghdad, and in April, one person was killed and eight wounded in a blast at a military base housing Hashed groups in Babylon province.

Hashed al-Shaabi is an integral part of the Iraqi security apparatus under the authority of the prime minister.

It includes some pro-Iran groups that have carried out dozens of attacks against US forces in Iraq and neighbouring Syria.

But those groups were also repeatedly targeted by the US forces.

The latest blasts comes after two drones were launched last week against an Iraqi base used by US-led troops without causing any damage.

For more than three months, as regional tensions soared over the Israel-Hamas war in Gaza, United States troops were targeted by rockets and drones more than 175 times in the Middle East, mainly in Iraq and Syria.

The Islamic Resistance of Iraq, a loose alliance of Iran-backed groups, claimed the majority of the attacks, saying they were in solidarity with Gaza Palestinians.

In January, a drone strike blamed on those groups killed three US soldiers in a base in Jordan. In retaliation, US forces launched dozens of strikes against Tehran-backed fighters.

Since then, attacks against US troops have largely halted.
Indosat Ooredoo Hutchison IOH reported growth across its business in the first half of the year pointing to optimisation of operations, while revealing more AI use cases will come in the latter half of this year.

IOH highlighted in an earnings call, net profit in the first half of 2024 more than doubled year-on-year to IDR2.7 trillion (US$164 million) and total revenue grew 13.4% to IDR28 trillion (US$1.7 billion).

EBITDA is a metric the operator often highlights in its results, it grew YoY by 17.8% to IDR13.4 trillion (US$816 million). The operator announced at its 2023 Capital Markets Day ambition to double EBITDA over the next three to four years to US$20 million.

The operator added 900,000 new customers and its base now stands at 100.9 million subscribers at the end of the half. Data traffic grew 13.4% to 7,965 Petabytes and ARPU was up by 10.5% to US$2.3.

Around 22,000 4G base stations were added to its total portfolio which now amounts to approximately 188,000. It also added 103 5G base stations this year.

Building an AI large language model

IOH announced partnerships with Nvidia and Tech Mahindra at Mobile World Congress Barcelona this year, to expand its capabilities and tap into AI technologies.

The operator is currently working on building its own large language model (LLM) called Garuda with the official Indonesian language Bahasa at the centre of it.

IOH CEO Vikram Sinha (pictured) said in the call: We want the machine to speak in Bahasa and focus on citizen services, and you will see starting use cases from September.

As well as its large scale technology partners, IOH will also work with universities to develop use cases centred around its Garuda. It will be integrated into the IOH app which has 40 million downloads, and there will be no extra charge to use the LLM, said Sinha.
Doctor Who hasnt made a SDCC panel appearance since 2018 (but their booth game has never dwindled). Six years later, they came back bigger than ever when it took up Hall H at San Diego Comic Con on Friday, July 26th, 2024. The panel featured Russell T. Davis (showrunner), Ncuti Gatwa (15th Doctor), and Millie Gibson (Ruby Sunday)and was moderated by Josh Horowitz, the host of the Happy Sad Confused podcast.

The showrunner and cast delved into Season 1 (or, Series 14, if you

will) of the show, discussing Ncuti and Millies first season, RTDs return, and answering fan questions. We got fun little tidbits, like how there will be more musical numbers to come, more gods from the Pantheon, and some cool BTS stories!

We also got spinoff news!



Russell Tovey and Gugu Mbatha-Raw are set to lead the new series. Many might remember them as playing Alonso Frame and Tish Jones during the first RTD erabut they will actually be playing brand new characters. Joining them will be Jemma Redgrave as Kate Stewart and Alexander Devrient as Colonel Ibrahim.

It will be directed by Dylan Holmes-Williams, who also directed 73 Yards and Dot and Bubble in the most recent season of Doctor Who.

It is set to begin filming in August.

We also got a lovely message from Nicola Coughlan, who is playing Joy in this years Christmas special, as well as a sneak peek for whats to come.



RTD also mentioned that Varada Sethu will be playing a new character called Belinda Chandra, joining Ruby as a companion in Season 2.

And, finally, Millie Gibson got to announce that Jonah Hauer-King will be joining the cast and be an integral part of Rubys storyMillie joked about getting to be around Prince Eric.

All in all, a panel full of fun and twists!

As mentioned previously, the Doctor Who booths in the exhibition hall never disappoint. Dead center of the floor, right next to Disney+/Hulu/ABCs, the booth really stood out. This year was especially fun, where they rebuilt a partial TARDIS set for fans to have a professional video taken of them posing with the TARDIS doors. The merch line was also upgraded, with a virtual queue so attendees dont have to wait in yet another long line!

They also had a Doctor Who x Star Trek offsite and a live podcast recording, but unfortunately, I was unable to preview either of those eventsheard amazing things about them, though!

Overall, a wonderful year for the Whoniverse fans who attended this years San Diego Comic Con. Cant wait to see what next year brings!


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He was my friend and colleague for more than 30 years  and while he could get impatient and angry at any kind of injustice, he never seemed to lose his cool. In 2008 he succeeded in rescuing an Afghan student who had been sentenced to death for blasphemy.
This free photography exhibition by Shubham Sarvaiya is available to see throughout the whole of South Asian Heritage Month. The exhibition showcases over 10 years of work from Shubhams travels across his homeland in India. It showcases the beauty and diversity of India through a series of 15 images, all of which explore the diverse subcontinent. The photos display the wonders from the most Northern states, right to the South of India, revealing the best of the countrys nature, architecture and bustling streets through the lens. The exhibition is free to all, and there is no booking necessary.
We checked in to Dixie Dude Ranch (dixieduderanch.com, from $199 per night) and were summoned to meals from across the ranch by a bell (6pm is first bell; the second bell tells you youre already too late) to have family-style dinners with all the other guests. We ate next to a couple who had not only met on the ranch, but got married there  we saw the photo album  and have visited every year since. Another woman from Sheffield had come on a whim the year before, made friends with the rest of her table and vowed to return. They had all bonded with particular horses and called Dixie Dudes the best place on earth.
Googles application for its Teros data centre project in the Parque de las Ciencias free trade zone in the Canelones department in the south of Uruguay has now been approved by the countrys Environment Ministry.

This ministrys involvement is an important factor, given the reasons for delays to the project, for which Google first acquired 30 hectares in May 2021, after announcing plans in 2020.

In November last year, Google confirmed it would be going ahead with amended plans for the data centre development.

The reason for the amended plans involve environmental concerns. As the Data Centre Dynamics website notes, the first set of development plans raised concerns about water use. The project was initially expected to use up to 7.6 million litres of potable water every day, not a good look in a country that has been through a drought since 2018  one that reached crisis proportions in July 2023.

Reports suggest that Google has made the project smaller and switched to an air cooling system. It has also said the maximum energy consumption to operate the data centre will be less than 560 GWh per year. It has a contract with electricity company UTE to secure 430 GWh per year of this amount to the project. The project itself will be installed in four stages.

The data centre may benefit from Googles Firmina subsea cable from the US to Latin America, one of whose landing points is to be Punta del Este, Uruguay.

As we pointed out in February, despite many claims to energy efficiency, data centres still have questions to answer about water used to cool down data centres. This has been a very controversial subject recently in Chile as well as Uruguay.
VC, as he is known by friends, was educated at Ampleforth College and then Eton and is three years older than William, but that didnt stop them developing what insiders have described as a brotherly relationship. VC was in the car behind a 13-year-old Prince William when he was caught driving a two-tonne V8 Land Rover along treacherous mountain tracks on the Balmoral estate. He was among those pictured on a ski trip with Charles and his sons at Klosters in Switzerland. And he was among the friends a 17-year-old Prince William took on a Greek island cruise with his father and Camilla Parker Bowles  the others were mostly pretty young women.
Asked whether the cuts amount to austerity, he said the Chancellor had been very clear that there will be more cuts coming on top of whats already happened with the winter fuel payments, which is very concerning, so its absolutely austerity and theres no doubt about that.
Anyway, I have to say I am a little confused by his plea to keep a select committee that was a function of our membership of the European Union when he has spent his life and all his efforts getting us to leave the European Union, which we now have done.
I found it chilling that the nursery where my daughter spends her day would be considering the attack something that could generate a potential risk to all nurseries or indeed all places where children spend time together

Father of a two-year-old at a nursery in Hertfordshire
He added: The intention of the inquiry is to ensure that those discussions now move into a practical phase in which clear written agreements are put in place, to make certain that the inquiry has full access to any potentially relevant materials held by the state authorities in the Republic of Ireland, and that it has the ability to obtain statements and call witnesses to attend the inquiry, to give evidence in person.
He is an inspiration to us all and I am sure his win will encourage many young people across Northern Ireland to try their hand at swimming. With two more events to come the sky is the limit for Daniel and we wish him all the very best.
Our estimation is that about 16,000 UK nationals are in the region, but of course asking people to register does enable us to know who is there and, of course, we urge people to leave on the many commercial flights that are available currently from Lebanon, to leave and make their way to Europe and back home.
Cloud computing services company Google Cloud and professional services firm PwC India have announced an enhanced strategic alliance that, they say, will leverage the power of generative AI (GenAI) to augment enterprise solutions.

This partnership combines Google Clouds AI expertise, including the Vertex AI platform and Gemini models, with PwC Indias industry insights and consulting experience.

Together, the companies say they aim to develop a suite of generative AI solutions that will transform key business operations across various sectors, with a special focus on tax, healthcare and legal services.

Given the announcement by the government of India of plans to operationalise the IndiaAI Mission as well as investing in all the building blocks of an AI ecosystem, the partners say the time is right for enterprises to embrace the power of GenAI.

The alliance will focus on areas such as conversational AI, image generation AI and search functionalities. PwC India and Google Cloud will also explore Gen AI use cases across industries to identify areas where businesses can derive significant value from AI investments.

Google Cloud says its technology combined with PwC Indias Managed Services offering will help clients improve business functions while providing support for digital and business transformations.

Vertex AI is a fully managed, unified AI development platform for building and using generative AI. Vertex AI offers access to Gemini models from Google. Gemini is capable of understanding virtually any input, combining different types of information, and generating almost any output.

Google Clouds Vertex AI platform, and Gemini models along with PwC Indias deep industry insights will, say the companies, provide the right security and compliance, ensuring that enterprises meet regulatory requirements while leveraging the latest in AI technology. Enterprises will also be able to improve decision-making and boost collaboration and project management as well as accelerate content creation.
This Portuguese brand was founded in Lisbon in 2014 by Isabel and Jose Maria who started with a clear objective: offer high-quality and premium products at a reasonable price. A decade on, and the duo are doing just that, with all of their shoes and sweatshirts made in Portugal by family-owned factories and hand-picked suppliers, ensuring that everyone they work with follows a strict ethical code. The result is shoes made from premium real or vegan leather at a price point thats a bit of an investment, but one to pay for a product that will last for years to come.
The establishment of a new company to deal with large investment projects in the road infrastructure is not necessary anymore, in the conditions in which all the projects included in the operational programmes and in the National Recovery and Resilience Plan (PNRR) are implemented or in the process of being implemented, stated in an interview granted to AGERPRES, the general director of National Road Infrastructure Administration Company, Cristian Pistol.

Cristian Pistol said about the establishment of the CNIR that it only drained employees from CNAIR because of the better salary packages."After there was this shortage in the market, with the operationalization of this CNIR, it was not possible to do anything other than take over, basically, people who were employed at CNAIR to the detriment of the activity that we carry out here," said Pistol.Regarding the Braila bridge, about which the minister of Transport, Sorin Grindeanu, recently stated that the technical solution of those from We Build is not the best, Pistol said that regarding "the bituminous layer of the bridge, it seems that it was not executed according to the project. The results I requested from CESTRIN showed that it is not good. They have already started repair work on the current bituminous mixture, but this does not give us a guarantee that the work will be done well, because, as I told you, the solution chosen by them is not the best and they want to come up with another proposal for the bituminous mixtures. Also, both Mr. Grindeanu and I have communicated very clearly that we will not accept this work, this investment objective until the works will be done according to the contract and when there will be no more non-conformities, when these non-conformities will be closed, then this investment objective will have its reception done," Pistol emphasized.As for the southern Giurgiu bridge, the Friendship Bridge, which is under repair on the Bulgarian side, "their communication was almost non-existent, which I do not consider to be a correct attitude towards a neighbouring state, especially in the conditions in which the administration of this bridge is done jointly. To make decisions of this kind without communicating a work calendar, without giving us certain technical information regarding the works you are going to do and not even saying when these works will begin, leaving the citizens of Romania, as well as those from Bulgaria, as well as those who transit the two countries, in a fog, not knowing exactly when they can cross, when the traffic on the bridge is restricted (...) For example, the traffic lights that they do for two-way traffic on a single lane (the Bulgarians, ed. n.) they considered that they should put it in the middle of the bridge, and the Romanian side of the bridge is loaded with overtonnage, high tonnage, 40-tonne trucks, waiting to turn green on the bridge and transit the Bulgarian side, which is not normal, to load the bridge on the Romanian side to the brim, because they did not do a joint traffic management with us," Cristian Pistol added."On the Romanian side, damage will definitely occur, taking into account that heavy traffic is parked on the bridge, not being able to stop them before this traffic light that was installed by them exactly halfway up the bridge, in their area of administration," CNAIR head added.In what regards the transit of the Danube by ferry in the Giurgiu area, "CNAIR is prepared to operate this area, but this border crossing point is private, it is not administered by the Romanian state" and, "From what I know, it is not operational yet," Pistol said.Valea Oltului, "another hot topic. (...) I always wanted to find solutions without restricting traffic on DN7. But, from all the calculations presented to me by those who are part of the builders' association, this option did not exist without endangering the lives of those who transit the Olt Valley on DN7, for which we were practically obliged to take the measure of traffic restriction during the day, taking into account the fact that boulders, alluvium, tree trunks slide from on the slope, being a very steep slope, in the body of the national road, which presents a very great danger, as I have presented throughout this period, since we started the restrictions until now," Cristian Pistol underlined.As for the Autostrada Moldovei, Cristian Pistol said that "Two lots, from Ploiesti to Buzau will be completed this year, planned for reception this year there are two more lots from Buzau to Focsani, but I am convinced that, as it was mobilized the Romanian contractor on these lots - he has from Buzau to Pascani, all the lots are practically contracted by a single Romanian company, UMB - and as I saw him mobilized on the construction site, I am convinced that more than two lots will be completed this year. There will be more before the deadline," Pistol stressed.
Australia has launched a new Cable Connectivity and Resilience Centre for Indo-Pacific subsea cable projects on Monday that also serves as the latest initiative by the Quad alliance of Australia, India Japan and the US to limit Chinas influence in the Pacific Islands region.

The centre was announced by Australian foreign minister Penny Wong in Tokyo, where Quad foreign ministers held their latest meeting.

According to a statement from Wong, Australia will invest more than AUD18 million (US$11.8 million) over the next four years in the centre, which will be tasked with commissioning research and analysis to support Indo-Pacific governments with policy development, regulations and decision-making regarding undersea cables, as well as providing technical assistance and training.

Wong also said the centre will share information and host dialogues to strengthen engagement between Indo-Pacific governments and industry.

The Cable Connectivity and Resilience Centre  which is under the Australian governments Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade, and will be staffed by Australian civil servants  is part of the Quad Partnership for Cable Connectivity and Resilience, which was announced in May 2023.

Under that partnership, Quad foreign ministers committed to improving the [Indo-Pacific] regions connectivity through the development of resilient infrastructure, and pledged to strengthen cable systems in the Indo-Pacific, drawing on Quad countries world-class expertise in manufacturing, delivering and maintaining cable infrastructure.

While Wong said the new centre is meant to help ensure undersea cable networks in the Indo-Pacific are resilient and all countries can benefit from reliable connectivity and the growth of the digital economy, she also said that its an important demonstration of the Quad's delivery in the region, responding to the Indo-Pacific's most pressing challenges.

One of the biggest challenges identified by the Quad is Chinas moves to exert more influence in the region, particularly in regards to telecoms and emerging technologies.

Subsea cable face-off in the Pacific

The US government has been warning Pacific island nations since at least 2020 that discounted subsea cables from Chinese companies pose a security threat to the region.

Reuters reported in 2022 that Beijing sent letters to ten Pacific island nations proposing a five-year development plan involving cooperation on policing, security and data communications. Huawei has bid for numerous telecoms infrastructure projects in the Pacific islands, including subsea cables and mobile networks, only to be thwarted by the US and Australia with rival bids on the grounds that Huaweis equipment is a potential security risk.

The July 29 statement from Quad ministers tied the subsea cable supplier issue to the broader issue of boosting cybersecurity in the Indo-Pacific region, which it said included supply chain security and resilience of critical sectors and the protection of critical infrastructure including secure commercial undersea cables from trusted vendors.

In January this year, the US warned Pacific island nations that they would lose access to Western-funded undersea cables if they used Chinese equipment to connect to them.

According to Australian Financial Review, China has invested in or built over 65 subsea cables worldwide since 2010. Meanwhile, the report said, Australia alone has invested more than AUD350 million in subsea cable projects in the Pacific and Timor-Leste since 2018.

Recent Indo-Pacific subsea cable projects with Australian and/or Quad backing include the 2,250-km East Micronesia Cable System (EMCS) connecting the Federated States of Micronesia (FSM), Kiribati and Nauru. That project was originally funded by World Bank and Asian Development Bank, with Chinas HMN Technologies winning the bid to build it in 2020. FSM, Kiribati and Nauru rejected the offer a year later under pressure from the US government. As of last year, the EMCS is now being funded with grants from Australia, Japan and the US, with the supply contract going to Japans NEC.

In October 2023, when Google Cloud announced its South Pacific Connect initiative to build two subsea cables connecting Australia, Fiji, French Polynesia and the US, Australia and the US issued a joint statement saying they would contribute funding for the project.

Since then, Google has expanded that project to include the central Pacific Connect initiative with two new cables connecting Guam with Fiji and French Polynesia. Google expanded the project further in April with the North Pacific Connect initiative that will see a new subsea cable connecting Japan, the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands (CNMI), and Guam. The North Pacific Connect initiative will also see Google extend its private Taiwan-Philippines-US (TPU) cable to the CNMI.

The US and Japan issued a joint statement in April saying they supported the North Pacific Connect initiative and planned to collaborate with like-minded partners to build trusted and more resilient networks and intend to contribute funds to provide subsea cables in the Pacific region, including $16 million towards cable systems for the Federated States of Micronesia and Tuvalu.

Last month, Australia and New Zealand agreed to construct a new cable connecting Tonga to the trans-Pacific Hawaiki Cable that links Australia, New Zealand, Hawaii and Oregon on the US West Coast.
The announced reforms, e-invoice, e-VAT, have upset the economic environment in Romania, in the conditions in which the fiscal adjustment "has not occurred in the last 4 years and does not seem to occur even in 2024," claim the representatives of the National Trade Union Bloc (BNS), which requests the Romanian government "more responsibility in fiscal and budgetary policies, especially in this election year".

"While on May 10, 2024, the Government of Romania maintained its deficit target of 4.9% for the year 2024, the estimates of the European Commission show that the budget deficit will reach 7% of GDP this year," the statement of the trade union organization states.

"The data published by the Ministry of Finance show an unprecedented worsening of economic indicators, so that the budget deficit in the period January-July 2024 reached 3.6% of GDP (63.66 billion RON). With the exception of the pandemic year 2020 (when the deficit at 6 months was 4.17% of GDP, generated by the objective cause of the closure of the economy), in the first half of the year the public finances recorded the most advanced decline in the last 10 years. Consequently, the public debt reported by the Ministry of Finance has located at a historical record," claim the representatives of the BNS.

According to the data communicated by the Ministry of Finance, quoted by the BNS, investment expenses (which include capital expenses) increased in the same period by only 13.47 billion RON compared to the same period in 2023, the difference of almost 13 billion RON from the additional deficit representing the increase in the general operating expenses of the state, including the increase in the interest paid for the public debt, the payment of which reached a historical maximum recorded in the first 6 months of a fiscal year.

Interest expenses thus came to represent more than a quarter of the budget deficit, namely 17.6 billion RON for the period January-July 2024 (1% of GDP).

Compared to the general operating expenses of the state (339.17 billion RON in the first 6 months), the recorded budget deficit represents 18.67% of their value, also a new negative record, which means that almost a fifth of the expenses are made from borrowed amounts: out of every 5 RON spent by the state, one is borrowed, the quoted source states.

At the same time, the size of the deficit in the first 6 months of 2024 (63.66 billion RON) thus came to represent more than all the receipts from VAT for this period (57.09 billion RON) and much more than the total receipts from other 3 budget chapters, respectively from profit tax, salary and income tax and from other taxes on income, profit and capital gains, all of which generate total receipts of 42.3 billion RON).

Thus, the size of the budget deficit after the first semester of 2024 (3.6% of GDP) clearly indicates that the budget programming carried out for the current year was defective, under the conditions in which the budget for 2024 was built on a target of 5 % of GDP.
Home Affairs Minister Catalin Predoiu on Tuesday said that the official request from abroad for the presence of Romanian firefighters, through the Emergency Management Department (DSU) and the General Emergency Management Inspectorate (IGSU), in preventive crews for extinguishing fires is proof that the civil defence system in Romania works very well.

"These requests are filed because you have displayed, first of all at homme, and then abroad, expertise, ability to conduct missions and to fulfil them successfully. You have proven your ability to save lives, to protect communities, in the country and abroad," Predoiu told a ceremony for the departure of a contingent of rescue firefighters to Greece.

He added that these missions are carried out under the European Civil Protection Mechanism, on European funding, and the Ministry of Home Affairs, through the DSU - IGSU, is asked for the fourth consecutive time to pre-position a number of rescue firefighters in Greece.

Between August 1 and September 15, DSU via IGSU, is contributing a specialised national forest fire fighting module in the pre-positioning programme, organised by the EU's Directorate-General for European Civil Protection and Humanitarian Aid Operations - DG ECHO, in order to strengthen Greece's resilience in managing this type of risk.

The first contingent, of 40 firefighters and three 3,000 l forest fire fighting trucks, a 30,000 l tanker, a 10,000 l large capacity firefighting truck, a minibus, two first response and command trucks, started travelling on Tuesday on the route Ciolpani - Giurgiu - Ruse - Sofia - Kulata - Thessaloniki - Nea Makri, east of Athens.

Staff replacements are scheduled for August 16 and 31, with two other series of 40 firefighters replacing the staff near Athens.
Raiffeisen Bank Romania reported a net profit of RON 820 million for the first six months of 2024, down 6% year-on-year, the bank announced on Tuesday.

"In the first half of the year, we systematically continued to accelerate financial planning services to support our clients in building a better future. We launched MoonShotX, a project that facilitates the expansion of businesses in Romania at regional level. We introduced a new card that combines digital payment services with our long-term commitment to community support. We have invested in innovative technologies based on Cloud and AI, which help us redefine and optimize operations so that our teams can focus on personalized 1:1 interaction with our clients," according to Raiffeisen Bank Romania President & CEO Zdenek Romanek.

Raiffeisen Bank Romania's assets reach RON 74 billion in H1 2024, an increase of 12% year-on-year. Revenue growth at 8% year-on-year. Operating expenses have increased by 12% year-on-year, reflecting investments in employee training, retention of well-qualified staff, expansion of the team in key areas, as well as the modernization of IT infrastructure, digital transformation projects, and the continuous improvement of applications and solutions offered to clients.

Customer deposits (RON 57.20 billion) continued to strengthen with a 9% year-on-year increase, showing positive variations across all customer segments.

The loan stock reaches RON 40,9 billion. After a beginning of the year in which the demand for loans in the market was rather modest, the second quarter saw a rebound in the balance of loans granted to companies (+5% compared to the previous quarter), especially in the area of corporate customers.

In terms of the evolution of volumes originated in the first half of 2024 to individuals, personal loans increased by around 40% and mortgage loans increased by around 22% compared to the same period of the previous year.

The capital adequacy ratio was 22.08%, well above the minimum required by the NBR (17.81%). Non-performing exposures remained at a low level (1.69%) and the liquidity coverage ratio (LCR) was at a comfortable level (249%), well above the regulatory minimum (100%). At the same time, own funds, and eligible liabilities (MREL) stood at 35.93%, significantly above the regulatory requirements applicable as of June 30, 2024 (32.00%).

Through collaboration with the European Investment Fund, Raiffeisen Bank Romania continues to support SME financing with two guarantee schemes worth 400 million euros, the largest investment plan in recent years dedicated to Romanian SMEs.

In June, the European Investment Bank (EIB) signed a new guarantee agreement with Raiffeisen Bank under the Recovery and Resilience Facility. This agreement enables Raiffeisen Bank Romania to mobilise EUR 250 million for financing mid-to-large scale investment projects, especially in climate action and digital transformation sectors.This new agreement marks an important milestone in the nearly 15-year partnership with the EIB, during which over EUR 1 billion have successfully been channeled into projects that improve financing access for SMEs, enhancing their competitiveness and supporting their transition to a sustainable future.
Whats harder than staging a Shakespeare play outside in St. Louis in June?

Staging it outside in August.

But St. Louis Shakespeare Festivals TourCo is doing just that, presenting William Shakespeares The Tempest in area parks through Aug. 25.

The festival is known for putting on an elaborate mainstage production in Forest Park (this year, it was As You Like It) in May and June. But it doesnt stop there. TourCo then hits the road with six actors and a stripped down 90-minute production of a completely different Shakespeare play.

But The Tempest has to be one of the hardest shows to stage. It is about a wizard who uses magic to get revenge on her brother who exiled her and her daughter to a lonely island with magical spirits. At the start of the play, her brother is sailing nearby so she sends a tempest to shipwreck him on the island. The magic though doesnt stop there with wild dogs, harpies and Roman goddesses all making appearances.

For these supernatural moments, we wanted it to feel like the heightened moments in our lives. We drew a lot of inspiration from St. Louis parades and celebrations, says Tom Ridgely, the producing artistic director for St. Louis Shakespeare Festival and director of The Tempest.

So Ridgely and team went to Ryan Marshall, artistic director for Americas Birthday Parade, to construct puppets for these magical moments.

Marshall, who also paints scenery for the Muny and worked with Bob Kramers Marionettes before it burned down, was excited about the project, which included making a ship, three rabid dogs, three goddesses and a small marionette theater.

My dad built a puppet theater for me in the basement when I was young, and then I just started collecting marionettes when I was probably 12 years old, he says.

His work with other theaters put him on Shakespeare Festivals radar, though this is their first time working together. For all of the puppets, Marshall says keeping their operation simple and versatile was key.

It really is a talent to work a puppet. You cant just put a puppet on your arm and lip sync, he says.

The TourCo production also features a female Prospero (or in this case, Prospera), the wizard at the center of the tale. (Maybe you picked up on the pronoun change above.)

Its not unusual for the festival to swap genders in its plays. In As You Like It, Duke Senior was actually Duchess Senior and the clown Touchstone (a typically male part) was played by a woman.

Here the casting change was inspired by Joy Christina Turner, who wowed Ridgely at auditions.

No one was nearly as exciting and dynamic and amazing as Joy was, Ridgely explains, so he cast her as the lead.

Turner says that the change has made the role a little different.

Honestly, I feel like its a more powerful role as a female, she says. You see these maternal relationships throughout the show.

Prospera is on the island with her daughter, Miranda, and a spirit, Ariel, who is also a woman in this staging.

Prospera is so protective and invests so much in her daughter, but then does the same for all of these other characters, Turner says.

After the shipwreck that opens the play, Ariel separates everyone on the island. Prosperas brother, Antonio; Alfonso, the king of Naples; and some lesser nobles are together. But Ferdinand, Alfonsos son, ends up on another part of the island where he meets Miranda and immediately falls in love.

Prospera is initially suspicious of Ferdinands intentions and forces him to do hard labor to protect Miranda. But Ferdinand proves his feelings are genuine and Propsera gives her blessing their betrothal.

I feel like Prospera is so protective and invests so much in her daughter, Turner says. But then does the same for all these other characters.

Does she?

Prospera enslaved Ariel with magic when she arrived on the island, and now Ariel does almost all the work for Prosperas revenge plan.

Its a weird relationship, Turner admits. She says at first when she read the script, she didnt like Prospera because it seemed she was manipulating Ariel into doing her bidding. But then she realized that Propsera was actually just a good delegator.

Ariel asks my character, Do you love me? She wants affirmation of my love for her, and I say very sweetly, Yes, of course I love you.  There is warmth there.

Plus at the end, Ariel is the one who brings Prospera to her knees and humbles her, Turner says, by calling out her wild revenge plan. In turn Prospera frees Ariel and renounces magic.

The TourCo is a bit of a love letter to St. Louis. The all-local cast and creative team travels to 24 parks in Missouri and Illinois to perform. This year several new parks are in the mix such as Frank Holten Park in East St. Louis, the Cortex Commons and a park in St. Peters.

We are trying to, as equitably as we can, let TourCo serve and engage with the region, Ridgely says. St. Louis is about as fragmented as you could find a place. So whatever those little barriers are, if its 270 or Delmar or the river, (were) just crossing it and saying Hey, wed love to gather with you. Maybe you didnt know Shakespeare was for you.

The TourCo kicks things off July 30 at Spring Church, a half-destroyed church in Grand Center that the Pulitzer Foundation acquired and reopened as an exhibition space after making it structurally sound.

That church  has always fascinated me. Its just so visually striking, Ridgely says. The recent renovation and Shakespeare Festivals lack of performances in Grand Center, made it an easy decision to host opening night there. Itll be a fun place to start, Ridgely says.

The Tempest was the Bards last play and is considered a romance, full of supernatural elements and darkness.

People come close to dying, Ridgely says.

But its also a comedy. There are lots of songs (Aliyah Jacobs, who plays Ariel, even plays the ukulele), drunken clowns, and it ends with a celebration of reunions and betrothals.

At that celebration, Turner will sing a song that she actually performed at a real wedding. Its all about those times in life where everything is going smoothly, but like The Tempest, it doesnt take itself too seriously.

The song is Heavenly Day by Patty Griffin.

She wrote it for her dog, Turner says.

If you go What: "The Tempest" When: 6:30 p.m. Tuesday-Sunday through Aug. 25 Where: Aug. 2 Schroeder Park Amphitheater, Ballwin Aug. 3 Carondelet Park Bandstand Aug. 4 Frank Holten Park - Fish Derby Shelter, East St. Louis Aug. 6 Tower Grove Park - Roman Pavilion Aug. 7 Corner of St Ann and Augusta Street, Normandy Aug. 8 O'Day Park Lodge, O'Fallon, Mo. Aug. 9 Cortex Commons Aug. 10 14th & St. Louis in Old North Aug. 11 Shaw Park - Near South Shelter, Clayton Aug. 13 Brussels Heritage Park Main St, Brussels Aug. 14 Chesterfield Amphitheater, Chesterfield Aug. 15 Ivory Perry Park Aug. 16 City Park, Edwardsville Aug. 17 January-Wabash Park, Ferguson Aug. 18 Bellevue Park Bandstand, Belleville Aug. 20 370 Lakeside Park Pavilion, St Peters Aug. 21 Fairground Park Aug. 22 Tisch Park at Washington University Aug. 23 Love Bank Park on Cherokee Street Aug. 24 Hermann Farm, Hermann Aug. 25 Chroma Plaza in The Grove How much: Free More info: stlshakes.org
SPRINGFIELD, Ill.  The Sangamon County sheriff's deputy charged in the shooting death of Sonya Massey was kicked out of the Army for the first of two drunken driving convictions in which he had a weapon in his car, authorities said, but that didn't stop multiple Central Illinois law enforcement agencies from giving him a badge.

Before his policing career began with six jobs in four years  the first three of which were part time  30-year-old Sean Grayson was convicted twice within a year of driving under the influence, which cost him his hitch in the military.

The convictions plus his previous employment record should have raised serious questions when the Sangamon County Sheriff's Department hired him in May 2023, law enforcement experts say.

Grayson, who has since been fired, is charged with first-degree murder, aggravated battery with a firearm and official misconduct in the death of Massey, a 36-year-old Black woman who had called 911 about a suspected prowler at her home in Springfield. Grayson, who is white, has pleaded not guilty.

"Six jobs in four years should have raised a red flag. And you would ask why he wasn't hired full time in any of those (part-time) jobs," said Chuck Wexler, executive director of the Police Executive Research Forum, a Washington, D.C.-based think tank. "Combined with a track record of DUIs, it would be enough to do further examination as to whether or not he would be a good fit."

Grayson, who enlisted in the Army in 2014, was charged with DUI in Macoupin County, just south of Sangamon County, after traffic stops on Aug. 10, 2015, and again on July 26, 2016.

The first DUI led to his discharge from the military in February 2016 for "serious misconduct," according to a U.S. official who spoke on condition of anonymity to discuss personnel information, adding that Grayson had an unregistered gun in his vehicle.

Macoupin County State's Attorney Jordan Garrison confirmed that police found a gun in the center console, but Grayson did not face a weapons charge because he was a resident of Fort Riley, Kansas. Kansas has an open-carry firearms law.

Grayson received a general discharge under honorable conditions  rather than an honorable discharge  because he was charged by a civilian law enforcement agency and his military service otherwise was good.

His attorney, Daniel Fultz, declined to comment Monday.

A misdemeanor DUI charge doesn't by law preclude someone from serving in law enforcement, said Sean Smoot, chairman of the Illinois Law Enforcement Training and Standards Board, but a hiring agency can certainly consider it.

"Some police departments would not have hired someone with one DUI," Smoot said. "I am shocked an agency would hire someone with two DUIs, but multiple agencies apparently did."

Massey's father, James Wilburn, has demanded the resignation of Sangamon County Sheriff Jack Campbell. "He does not intend to step down," Campbell spokesman Jeff Wilhite said.

A statement from Campbell's office indicated that the county merit commission and state law enforcement board recommended Grayson's certification as an officer despite the DUIs, and he passed a drug test, criminal background check, psychological evaluation and 16-week academy course.

Body-worn camera video of the killing released last week has unnerved the capital city, where a 1908 race riot prompted the creation of the NAACP a year later.

"Black women are under attack," said Teresa Haley, a consultant and founder of Visions 1908, a social and economic justice and education advocacy group. "As I watched the video, I thought, 'This is not murder. This is an assassination.'"

In the video, Grayson and another officer search outside Massey's house for a prowler before knocking on her front door. Several minutes pass before Massey answers, during which time Grayson makes a comment that she's dead inside and calls impatiently for her.

When she does, Massey, who had suffered mental health issues, says, "Don't hurt me," acts confused and repeats, "Please, God." Grayson responds in a condescending manner when asking if there's anything else he can do for her. As he tries to get her name for a report, he enters the house.

"His conduct before, during and after suggests that this guy was a loose cannon, and that's being polite," said Kalfani Ture, a former police officer, now assistant professor of criminal justice at Widener University in Chester, Pennsylvania, and an instructor in the New York Police Department's academy.

Inside Massey's home, video shows Grayson directing that a pan of water be removed from a flame on the stove. Massey appears to set it near the sink. After the two joke about Grayson moving away from her "hot, steaming water," Massey inexplicably says, "I rebuke you in the name of Jesus."

That prompts Grayson to pull his gun. Massey apologizes and ducks behind a counter, but when Grayson yells at her to drop the pot, she comes back up and appears to pick it up again. Grayson fires three times, striking her in the face. He then discourages his partner from getting his medical kit. After relenting and retrieving his own, he returns to find emergency medical providers on the scene, drops it on the floor and says he won't "waste my med stuff."

Past Employment Records show Sean P. Grayson's police work history as follows: Pawnee Police Department, part time, Aug. 11, 2020 to July 26, 2021

Kincaid Police Department, part time, Feb. 4, 2021 to May 18, 2021

Virden Police Department, part time, May 20, 2021 to Dec. 31, 2021

Auburn Police Department, full time, July 20, 2021 to May 1, 2022

Logan County Sheriff's Office, full time, May 1, 2022 to April 28, 2023

Sangamon County Sheriff's Office, full time, May 1, 2023 to July 17, 2024

"That's not characteristic of an officer. That is characteristic of someone who has a depraved indifference to human life," Ture said. "And this incident is not an aberration. Someone like this is pretty consistent in in their display of this type of profile."

Ture said Massey probably picked up the pot again because she had already put it down when Grayson told her to do so and was confused by his aggressive orders. He moved quickly to lethal force despite having cover from the threat  substantial distance from Massey and a counter separating them  and he had other options, including using a stun gun, chemical spray or easily overpowering the diminutive woman, Ture said.

Pulling his weapon escalated the incident, Wexler said.

"He should have slowed things down, communicate, have a plan B and know where the door is to get out of the house, not put himself in a position where he had no alternative but to use deadly force by standing still, pulling out his gun and barking orders," Wexler said.

Editor's note: This video contains graphic imagery and language that may be disturbing to some viewers.
Malaysian telco U Mobile said it has established a strategic backhaul partnership with Time dotCom as it continues its preparations to help build the countrys planned second 5G network.

Under a memorandum of understanding signed on Monday, U Mobile and Time will develop customised backhaul solutions using Times extensive fibre backhaul network to support U Mobiles 5G deployment strategy and technical requirements.

U Mobile and Time will also develop and implement processes and integration strategies to optimise network compatibility and enable high performance for all 5G customer segments, including consumers, enterprises and the public sector.

By leveraging on Times extensive fibre backhaul network, U Mobile is not only able to expedite coverage of 5G across Malaysia, we will also be able to deliver a 5G network that features high availability, good resiliency, ultra-low latency and high bandwidth, said Woon Ooi Yuen, chief technology officer of U Mobile. These performance traits will benefit all users but are especially critical to enable reliable automation and IoT applications across industries.

U Mobile already uses Times fibre infrastructure to expand availability of its fibre broadband offering, particularly for high-rise buildings along the west coast of Peninsular Malaysia.

The two companies have also collaborated on 5G before. In 2019, U Mobile and Time signed an MoU under which U Mobile used Times backhaul network to support live 5G trials.

Mondays deal is the latest move by U Mobile to assert itself as a leader in development of Malaysias next 5G network, which has been in the works since May 2023.

U Mobile  along with Maxis, U Mobile, YTL and CelcomDigis Infranation  finalised its share subscription agreement (SSA) to take a stake in 5G operator Digital Nasional Berhad (DNB) in June. The SSAs come with an option that allows each telco to sell their DNB stake in order to take a stake in the second 5G network. They are not allowed to own stakes in both.

U Mobile has said its committed to play a role in the second network. Earlier this month, U Mobile signed an MoU with telecoms infrastructure company Edotco accelerate the rollout of the second 5G network.
AEVIS VICTORIA SA / Key word(s): Preliminary Results

AEVIS VICTORIA SA (AEVS:SW) achieved revenues of more than CHF 450 million in the first half-year 2024



30-Jul-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.





Ad hoc announcement pursuant to Art. 53 LR

Fribourg, 30 July 2024

AEVIS VICTORIA SA (AEVS:SW) achieved revenues of more than CHF 450 million in the first half-year 2024

AEVIS VICTORIA SA (AEVIS) continued its positive development and achieved revenues of more than CHF 450 million in the first six months of 2024, significantly up compared to the previous year (CHF 428 million). Consolidated EBITDA should rise by more than 25% to reach between CHF 40 and 45 million.

Both opeRating divisions, Swiss Medical Network and MRH Switzerland AG (ex-Victoria Jungfrau AG), contributed to the pleasing development. Swiss Medical Network realizing net revenues of more than CHF 350 million, up from CHF 334 million last year, particularly due to a return to normal activity at the Clinique de Genolier following the completion of construction work for the Genolier Innovation Hub, which will be inaugurated on 27 September 2024. At the same time, the implementation of various cost optimization measures contributed CHF 6 million to the improvement in margins. MRH Switzerland AG continued to grow, with revenues of almost CHF 100 million, compared to CHF 88 million last year, with the hotels in Davos and Interlaken achieving double-digit growth above the industry average.

AEVIS will publish its 2024 Half-year Report on 19 September 2024.

For further information:

AEVIS VICTORIA SA, Michel Keusch, CFO, mkeusch@aevis.com, +41 79 693 31 07

AEVIS VICTORIA SA - Investing for a better life

AEVIS VICTORIA SA invests in healthcare, hospitality & lifestyle and infrastructure. AEVISs main shareholdings are Swiss Medical Network SA (80%, directly and indirectly), the only Swiss private network of hospitals present in the country's three main language regions, MRH Switzerland AG, a luxury hotel group managing eleven luxury hotels in Switzerland and abroad, Infracore SA (30%, directly and indirectly), a real estate company dedicated to healthcare-related infrastructure, Swiss Hotel Properties SA, a hospitality real estate division, and NESCENS SA, a brand dedicated to better aging. AEVIS is listed on the Swiss Reporting Standard of the SIX Swiss Exchange (AEVS.SW). www.aevis.com.
An Australian F-35A Lightning II lands near ongoing construction at Royal Australian Air Force Base Tindal, Australia, July 25, 2024. (Spencer Tobler/U.S. Air Force)

DARWIN, Australia  The top Air Force general in the Pacific evoked a threat posed by China, Russia and North Korea after inspecting air base improvements Tuesday in Australias Northern Territory.

Gen. Kevin Schneider, a fighter pilot who commands Pacific Air Forces out of Hawaii, discussed nearly $450 million of U.S.-funded base construction in the territory during a meeting with reporters at Royal Australian Air Force Base Darwin.

Everything is on track, he said, without providing projected completion dates.

Schneider gave estimates of $80 million for a fuel farm and operations facility at RAAF Darwin; $90 million for another fuel farm; $35 million for office and maintenance facilities; $100-$140 million for a bomber ramp; and $80-$100 million for a hangar at Royal Australian Air Force Base Tindal, about 180 miles southeast of Darwin

The pavement is a little more important than the actual structures, he said, calling the air bases power projection platforms.

The U.S. and Australia are facing Chinas rapid military build-up, efforts to expand territory it controls in the South and East China seas and influence-building in the South Pacific.

When I look at the challenges in the region  the security situation has continued to change and not always for the better, Schneider said.

The general said he inspected ongoing U.S.-funded projects during a walk-around Monday at Tindal.

Schneider couldnt give a date for when the Darwin facility would open or when U.S. B-52 Stratofortress bombers might start deployments to Tindal.

Anything that gets executed must be done with coordination at the highest levels of both of our governments, he said.

The bomber deployments will be coordinated with the Australian government and air force and based on availability, training schedules and other exercises and activities in the region, Schneider said.

This is not U.S. basing in Australia, he said. The United States is not going to operate unilaterally out of Australia.

Australia is making its own investments in the Northern Territory bases  strengthening and lengthening runways and building up aprons, Schneider said.

The Northern Australian bases provide key flexibility, he said.

Whatever the crisis, whatever the challenges that we face together, having the space with which we can operate, the runways, the airfields, the pavements  thats what gives us the capability to win. The capability to overcome any of the challenges that are in front of us, he said.

Schneider went on to talk about heavy handed and illegal, coercive, aggressive and deceptive activities by China, Russia and North Korea.

The generals visit coincided with the Pitch Black airpower exercise involving 21 nations, 140 aircraft and 4,400 personnel in the Northern Territory and the neighboring state of Queensland.

Air Force F-22 Raptor stealth fighters and Marine Corps MV-22 Osprey tiltrotors are involved in the biennial drills, which began July 12 and conclude Friday.

European nations participating in Pitch Black  Germany, France, Italy and Spain  recognize that what goes on in places like Beijing, Moscow and Pyongyang and the efforts that undermine peace and stability have effects in Europe, Schneider said.

He attended a briefing for airmen from multiple nations Monday night as they planned a strike and suppression of enemy air defenses.

We dont all have to show up with fifth-generation fighters to be part of this, Schneider said, referring to such aircraft as the Raptors or Australias F-35A Lighting IIs. The Philippines, for example, brought FA-50 fighters to the exercise, he said.
Lt. Gen. Donna Shipton, commander of the Air Force Life Cycle Management Center, addresses the crowd at Life Cycle Industry Days on Monday, July 29, 2024, at the Dayton Convention Center in Dayton, Ohio. Brig. Gen. Jason Bartolomei, the commander of the Air Force Research Laboratory, looks on. (Mikaley Kline/U.S. Air Force)

(Tribune News Service)  The Air Force is reorganizing to fight a new kind of war and that was apparent as the Life Cycle Industry Days annual convention uniting the defense industry and those charged with keeping the Air Force flying launched in downtown Dayton on Monday.

This is an historic time, said Brig Gen. Jason E. Bartolomei, commander of the Air Force Research Laboratory at Wright-Patterson Air Force Base. Its serious.

Drawn by what Jeff Hoagland, the Dayton Development Coalitions president and chief executive, called an amazing agenda, those attending the three-day event at the Dayton Convention Center that ends today from the Air Force and private industry discussed service needs and industry capabilities at a time when the Air Force is preparing to face China and Russia as its chief adversaries.

That reorganization  or reoptimization, as Air Force leaders call it  has implications for Wright-Patterson and the Dayton area.

While the details are still being drafted, its expected that reoptimization will entail having the huge Air Force Materiel Command  the Wright-Patterson-based command that oversees 89,000 people worldwide and $72 billion of budget authority  will work with a new Integrated Development Office. The Air Force Life Cycle Management Center (also anchored at Wright-Patt) will become the Air Force Air Dominance Systems Center, among many other changes.

What wont change are military-industry partnerships, said Lt. Gen. Donna Shipton, who commands the Air Force Life Cycle Management Center (AFLCMC).

We expect our partnerships to remain strong and continue to grow, she said.

Among those partnerships: Brig Gen. Jason Voorheis, the program executive officer for Fighters and Advanced Aircraft at AFLCMC, told reporters Monday that five companies have been awarded contracts to oversee the autonomy software of one of the Air Forces biggest projects, the Collaborative Combat Aircraft (CCA) program.

The CCA will be an uncrewed drone flying with the F-35 and the Next-Generation Air Dominance fighter, not only flying autonomously, but eventually contributing to battle success autonomously.

While the Air Force in April awarded contracts to Anduril and General Atomics for the air vehicle portion of the project in April, the identities of the five companies working on the CCAs autonomy software is classified.

The autonomy aspect  or the brains as Col Timothy Helfrich, the division chief for the Agile Development Office, called it  is seen as the CCAs most challenging aspect.

The U.S. Air Force has a tremendous amount of experience with flight autonomy, Voorheis said. Theres nothing cosmic or new there. Whats new is more the mission autonomy. So were moving forward with the CCA program in a way that starts with what we know and builds over time to more and more capable mission autonomy.

Some 350 people at Wright-Patterson work on the CCA program. The base overall is home of more than 35,000 military and civilian employees, the largest single-site concentration of employment in Ohio.

The Air Force is committed to flying the CCA by the end of the decade. The idea is to have at least 1,000 CCAs, offering what Air Force leaders hope will be expanded fighter capacity at lower costs.

The CCA is moving out with urgency, Voorheis said.

More than 2,600 people are attending the three-day event at the remodeled Dayton Convention Center, an attendance record, easily besting last years attendance figure of about 1,700 people.

Probably 400 registrants were turned away, Hoagland said. (c)2024 the Dayton Daily News (Dayton, Ohio)

Visit at www.daytondailynews.com

Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC.
Staff Sgt. Jonathan Lane pictured in undated photos released by the U.S. Army Criminal Investigation Division in July 2023, was reported missing last year and taken into custody in April 2024. The 12th Combat Aviation Brigade soldier has been charged with multiple offenses including desertion, an Army official said. (U.S. Army)

GRAFENWOEHR, Germany  A U.S. soldier who disappeared from his Bavaria base and turned up at a military hospital under a false name is now accused of a range of criminal offenses, an Army official said this week.

Staff Sgt. Jonathan Lane, 31, a helicopter repairer assigned to the 12th Combat Aviation Brigade at U.S. Army Garrison Ansbach, was charged Thursday with one count each of attempted voluntary manslaughter, child endangerment and desertion, V Corps spokesman Lt. Col. Josh Camara said.

Lane was reported missing June 27, 2023, after he failed to show up for duty. Four days earlier, he had tried to access Ramstein Air Force Base and Landstuhl Regional Medical Center under the name David Hersher. Ramstein is about 125 miles west of Lanes duty station.

No details about the other charges were immediately available. Camara referred further questions to the 7th Army Training Command in Grafenwoehr.

Lacey Justinger, a spokeswoman for the command, said Tuesday that she could not provide additional information, citing privacy regulations.

Lane is being held in pretrial confinement in the U.S., Justinger said. His court martial will likely take place at Rose Barracks in Vilseck at a yet-to-be-determined date.

The Army will ensure Staff Sgt. Lane receives the due process he is entitled to under the Uniform Code of Military Justice, Camara said.

Lane was initially spotted June 23, 2023, in his vehicle at brigade headquarters at Katterbach Kaserne, the Army Criminal Investigation Division said previously.

Later that day, wearing a blue T-shirt and portraying himself as a civilian, he attempted to access Ramstein Air Base, part of the Kaiserslautern Military Community.

Staff Sgt. Jonathan Lane, who was assigned to the 12th Combat Aviation Brigade at U.S. Army Garrison Ansbach in Germany, is charged with attempted voluntary manslaughter, child endangerment and desertion. (U.S. Army)

He was last seen at 3:18 p.m. entering a gate at nearby Landstuhl Regional Medical Center. Army officials at the time declined to say whether he received treatment at the hospital, citing medical privacy rules.

Lanes car was found abandoned two days later near Urbach in the state of Rheinland-Pfalz, about two hours north of Ramstein, the CID said. His last known location was the main train station in Koblenz on June 29.

U.S. Army Europe and Africa announced his disappearance July 4, 2023. Notices were hung in military post offices in Germany seeking the publics help in locating him.

On April 5, the CID announced that Lane had been caught with the help of German police near the southwestern city of Trier, agency spokesman Thomas Hamilton III said that day. No further details were provided.

The CID investigation remains open, Camara said.

If convicted under the Uniform Code of Military Justice, Lane faces a maximum of three years in prison for desertion, 20 years for attempted voluntary manslaughter and eight for child endangerment, Justinger said.
Marines from the Marine Band The Presidents Own and the Marine Barracks Washington conduct military funeral honors with funeral escort for retired Gen. Alfred Gray Jr., the 29th Commandant of the Marine Corps, in Section 35 of Arlington National Cemetery, Arlington, Va., July 29, 2024. (Elizabeth Fraser/Arlington National Cemetery)

Retired Marine Corps Gen. Gen. Alfred Gray Jr., the 29th commandant of the Corps, was laid to rest with full military honors Monday at Arlington National Cemetery in Arlington, Va.

Gray died March 20 at 95.

Gray, from Point Pleasant Beach, N.J., enlisted in the Marine Corps in 1950 and commissioned as a second lieutenant in 1952, according to his official biography. He served a tour as an artillery officer with the 2nd Battalion, 11th Marines, and a subsequent tour as an infantry officer with the 1st Battalion, 7th Marines.

Gen. Eric Smith, 39th Commandant of the Marine Corps, attends the funeral service for retired Gen. Alfred Gray Jr., the 29th Commandant of the Marine Corps, in Section 35 of Arlington National Cemetery, Arlington, Va., July 29, 2024. He was a Marines Marine  a giant who walked among us during his career and after, remaining one of the Corps dearest friends and advocates even into his twilight, Smith said in March when Gray died. Although he will be missed by all, his legacy will endure and his spirit will continue to live among us. (Elizabeth Fraser/Arlington National Cemetery) U.S. Marine Corps Master Gunnery Sgt. Stacie Crowther presents the shell casing from the funeral firing party to U.S. Marine Corps retired Lt. Gen. George Flynn following the funeral service for retired Gen. Alfred Gray Jr. at Arlington National Cemetery, Arlington, Va., July 29, 2024. Gray was interred that day with his wife, Janie Ann Gray. Flynn received the U.S. flag as Gray and his wife had no surviving family. (Elizabeth Fraser/Arlington National Cemetery) Gen. Al Gray, the 29th commandant of the Marine Corps, died Wednesday at 95. During his time as commandant, he oversaw changes including the establishment of the Marine Corps University and the publication of Warfighting. (U.S. Marine Corps)

Gray served for nearly three years in Vietnam before returning to Washington for duty in February 1968. Then-Maj. Gray received the Silver Star Medal for his actions on May 14, 1967, for rushing into a minefield to save an injured Marine, guiding medical attention to the Marine and administering first aid, according to his citation.

Gray was promoted to general and became commandant on July 1, 1987, and retired from the service on June 30, 1991. The general oversaw significant changes to the Marine Corps during his time, including the development and publication of Fleet Marine Force Manual 1, also known as Warfighting.

A flyover is conducted during the funeral service for retired Gen. Alfred Gray Jr., the 29th Commandant of the Marine Corps, in Section 35 of Arlington National Cemetery, Arlington, Va., July 29, 2024. (Elizabeth Fraser/Arlington National Cemetery) Marines from the Marine Band The Presidents Own and the Marine Barracks Washington conduct military funeral honors with funeral escort for retired Gen. Alfred Gray Jr., the 29th Commandant of the Marine Corps, in Section 35 of Arlington National Cemetery, Arlington, Va., July 29, 2024. (Elizabeth Fraser/Arlington National Cemetery) 21st Chaplain of the Marine Corps Chaplain (Rear Adm.) Carey Cash presides over the funeral for retired Gen. Alfred Gray Jr., the 29th Commandant of the Marine Corps, in Section 35 of Arlington National Cemetery, Arlington, Va., July 29, 2024. (Elizabeth Fraser/Arlington National Cemetery) A horse from the 3rd U.S. Infantry Regiment (The Old Guard) supports military funeral honors with funeral escort for retired Gen. Alfred Gray Jr., the 29th Commandant of the Marine Corps, in Section 35 of Arlington National Cemetery, Arlington, Va., July 29, 2024. (Elizabeth Fraser/Arlington National Cemetery) Marines from the Marine Band The Presidents Own and the Marine Barracks Washington conduct military funeral honors with funeral escort for retired Gen. Alfred Gray Jr., the 29th Commandant of the Marine Corps, in Section 35 of Arlington National Cemetery, Arlington, Va., July 29, 2024. (Elizabeth Fraser/Arlington National Cemetery)

Gray also placed emphasis on large-scale operations in desert and cold-weather environments, as well as robust maritime special operations capabilities. His staunch advocacy for military education resulted in the establishment of Marine Corps University in August 1989 while he was commandant.

Gray was interred with his wife, Janie Ann Gray. As Gray and his wife had no surviving family, U.S. Marine Corps retired Lt. Gen. George Flynn received the U.S. flag from Grays funeral service.
A sailor receives a COVID-19 vaccination in USS Gerald R. Fords hangar bay in May 2021. Sailors who refused the COVID-19 vaccine on religious grounds and had adverse actions taken by the Navy as a result can have their records corrected, according to the terms of a lawsuit settlement reached last week. (Jackson Adkins/U.S. Navy)

Navy sailors who faced disciplinary actions related to their refusal to comply with the COVID-19 vaccine mandate on account of religion can correct their service records and protect their careers as part of a recently settled lawsuit.

The settlement, which was approved by a Texas federal judge last week, involves a lawsuit filed in 2021 on behalf of 26 Navy SEALs and several other Special Warfare sailors.

The suit alleged that the service and the Defense Department had violated the First Amendment rights of service members who had religious objections to the vaccine mandate. It also claimed that the Navy and DOD violated the Religious Freedom Restoration Act, which prohibits federal agencies, departments or officials from violating the free exercise of religion.

The SEALs lawsuit subsequently was expanded to include a class of all Navy service members who had religious objections to the vaccine, First Liberty Institute, the law firm representing the sailors, said in a statement July 24 announcing approval of the settlement the same day.

Under the settlement, the Navy must recheck personnel records of service members covered by the lawsuit to ensure that all documented adverse actions taken solely due to vaccine mandate refusal are permanently deleted, according to federal court records.

Those adverse actions include administrative separation proceedings and processes, formal counseling and nonjudicial punishment.

This has been a long and difficult journey, but the Navy SEALs never gave up, Danielle Runyan, senior counsel for First Liberty Institute, said in the statement. We are thrilled that those members of the Navy who were guided by their conscience and steadfast in their faith will not be penalized in their Navy careers.

On Tuesday, the Navy said it did not have a statement regarding the settlement.

But in rescinding his August 2021 order mandating vaccination against COVID-19, Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin said he believed that the order was correct and that the services would continue to promote the vaccine.

All commanders have the responsibility and authority to preserve the departments compelling interest in mission accomplishment, Austin said in January 2023.

The settlement also requires the Navy to correct the records of service members who left the service rather than face punishment for their religious objections to the vaccine.

The records of those covered by the lawsuit who were discharged solely because they refused the vaccine also must be reviewed, and any indication that the individual was removed for misconduct must be deleted.

In addition, the service must ensure that the records of those service members reflect that they are eligible for reenlistment, court records show.

Moreover, the Navy must pay $1.5 million in attorneys fees and make a public statement affirming its respect for religious service members.

The service also agreed to provide more training for commanders who review religious accommodation requests, among other stipulations, according to the First Liberty Institute statement.

Its unclear how many service members may be affected by the settlement, but the Navy stopped the COVID-19 vaccine-related separations of 4,095 sailors who objected to the vaccine on account of religion in March 2022, USNI news reported at the time.

That action came after a federal judge granted class-action certification in the SEALs case and issued a preliminary injunction forbidding the Navy from separating or taking other disciplinary actions against sailors represented in the lawsuit, according to court records.

However, the Navy retained the ability to take vaccination status into account when making deployment, assignment and other operational decisions.
Chinese President Xi Jinping attends the Chinese Peoples Political Consultative Conference in Beijing on March 4, 2024. (Kevin Frayer, Getty Images/TNS)

(Tribune News Service)  Chinese President Xi Jinping is stepping up efforts to position himself as a peacemaker for ending Russias war in Ukraine, despite growing criticisms from the U.S. and Europe that Beijing is propping up the Kremlins battlefield efforts.

With Moscow and Kyiv facing pressure at home and abroad to find a way to end the war, China last week hosted its first senior official from Ukraine since the conflict began in 2022. While Foreign Minister Wang Yi told his Ukrainian counterpart Dmytro Kuleba the time was not yet ripe for peace talks, he said both sides were now signaling a willingness to negotiate.

Beijing followed up that outreach on Sunday by dispatching its special envoy Li Hui to Brazil, South Africa and Indonesia  countries that have also skipped imposing U.S-led sanctions on Russia  to build up conditions to resume peace talks

The flurry of activity underscores Xis ambition to forge a bigger diplomatic role at a time when Kyiv and the broader European region are bracing for a dramatic shift in foreign policy from their most important ally. Republican candidate Donald Trump has vowed to end the war in Ukraine within 24 hours if he wins the U.S. election, while his vice presidential candidate, JD Vance, has been critical of support to Kyiv.

China hasnt shifted its stance but sees a window to establish itself as a more powerful player, said Alexander Gabuev, director of the Carnegie Russia Eurasia Center, adding that negotiations could take place as soon as this year.

China is positioning itself for later rounds of talks, he said, noting that departing President Joe Biden could also seek a deal to secure his foreign policy legacy. Beijing wants its own share of the success and to position itself to play a constructive role and be celebrated for that.

Beijings outreach comes after President Volodymyr Zelenskyys government announced it was open to Russian leader Vladimir Putin attending a second peace summit its targeting before the U.S. vote in November  a condition for Beijings attendance. While Xi has been touted as a potential negotiator for his ties with leaders on both sides, Beijings support for Russia has cast a long shadow over his governments claims of neutrality.

Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni views Xi as an important stakeholder in Russias war in Ukraine if Trump pulls back support, Bloomberg earlier reported, citing people familiar with her thinking. The far right leader offered to broker better ties between Beijing and Europe in a Monday meeting with Xi.

That move comes after Zelenskyy stressed Beijing could become a mediator with the U.S. in ending the war in an interview with Bloomberg News. Kyiv has maintained ties with Beijing even as the U.S. and Europe have threatened Chinese banks with sanctions over bolstering the Kremlins war machine.

Xi is working to boost his peacemaker credentials in regions where Washington has traditionally played a larger role, as the worlds biggest economies jostle for global influence  a mission that has united China and Russia. Last year, Beijing surprised Washington by presiding over the closing of a detente between long-time rivals Saudi Arabia and Iran.

Ukrainian foreign minister Kulebas visit came as Beijing gathered Palestinian rival factions to sign an agreement to establish an interim reconciliation government. While that deal  dubbed the Beijing Declaration by the Chinese side  lacked details for how deeply divided adversaries such as Hamas and Fatah would work together, it signaled Beijings rising influence abroad.

China will play a more important role in peace negotiations, in peacemaking and talking  not just in the Middle East and Ukraine but even globally, said Wang Yiwei, professor of international relations at Renmin University.

Thats because the Global South bloc of developing nations increasingly trusts Beijings approach to diplomacy, which vows not to interfere with domestic affairs, he added. Ukraine would see Chinas endorsement of any peace plan as a sign of Russian commitment, Wang said.

Exemplifying Chinas cautious approach to Ukraine, however, Kulebas meetings last week were confined to the southern city of Guangzhou rather than being centered in the capital, Beijing. The Ukrainian official followed those talks with a stop in Hong Kong, where he warned the Chinese citys leader about enabling Russias efforts to avoid U.S. sanctions.

Europe would likely want reassurances about further Russian expansionism from any Ukraine settlement. Fears are growing that Putin could extend his ambitions to Baltic states that are North Atlantic Treaty Organization members, risking a bigger conflict with the defense alliance.

Whether Beijing would be willing  or even able  to try to secure guarantees of Russian restraint is unclear, said Ja Ian Chong, an associate professor of political science at the National University of Singapore.

Right now, the optics suggest Beijing is using Ukraine for its own purposes rather than offering any practical steps toward peace, he added.

Josh Xiao contributed to this report.

2024 Bloomberg LP

Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC
South Korean police arrested a U.S service member earlier this month on suspicion of brandishing a knife and scissors inside a pub in Seoul. (Gustavo Castillo/U.S. Air Force)

CAMP HUMPHREYS, South Korea  Police in South Korea arrested a U.S service member earlier this month on suspicion of brandishing a knife and scissors inside a pub in Seoul.

The unidentified troops charges  intimidation and obstruction of business  were referred to prosecutors on Tuesday, a Mapo Police detective told Stars and Stripes by phone that day.

The detective did not release the service members branch of service or his name. South Korean law enforcement agencies typically do not identify suspects unless charged with a serious crime, and officials regularly speak to the media on a customary condition of anonymity.

Police responded around 7:15 a.m. July 5 to a disturbance call saying a person had a deadly weapon inside a pub in Mapo District, the detective said. Mapo is a popular area of Seoul known for its numerous bars and nightclubs.

The service member, who is stationed at Camp Casey, a U.S. Army outpost 13 miles south of the Demilitarized Zone that separates North Korea from South Korea, entered the pub alone and went inside the kitchen, where he picked up a knife and scissors, according to the detective.

He proceeded to the dining area and made a stabbing motion with his hands, but did not stab himself, the detective said.

The pubs patrons fled outside but the service member did not explicitly threaten them, according to the detective.

The service member was arrested without incident and taken to Mapo Police Station, where he was later picked up by U.S. military police, the detective said. No injuries were reported.

The service member returned to the police station with his attorney for questioning a few days later and said he did not remember the incident because he was dead drunk on the night prior, the detective said.

The service member is not attached to the 2nd Infantry Division, Army spokeswoman Maj. Mayra Nanez, said by phone Tuesday.

Roughly 28,500 U.S. troops are stationed in South Korea, most of them at Humphreys, about 40 miles south of Seoul.
Previously, there were fears that the legalization of cryptocurrency could create problems for the development of the domestic market, Aksakov said in a phone interview. While cryptocurrencies may help Russia to bypass Western sanctions, their use is an objective phenomenon and cannot be ignored by regulation, he said. (Wikimedia Commons)

Russia is moving to regulate the use of cryptocurrencies, as companies wrestle with increasing difficulties in foreign payments under the threat of U.S. sanctions over the war in Ukraine.

Lawmakers in the lower house of parliament, the State Duma, passed a cryptocurrency bill on Tuesday, as well as separate legislation regulating crypto mining. The legislation aims to open up cross-border payments with cryptocurrency under regulation by the central bank in what policymakers have called an experiment.

The draft laws are expected to gain quick approval from senators in the Federation Council before being signed into law by President Vladimir Putin to take effect on Sept. 1, according to Anatoly Aksakov, head of the Dumas financial market committee.

Previously, there were fears that the legalization of cryptocurrency could create problems for the development of the domestic market, Aksakov said in a phone interview. While cryptocurrencies may help Russia to bypass Western sanctions, their use is an objective phenomenon and cannot be ignored by regulation, he said.

The move marks a rapid shift in attitude toward digital instruments, and comes as Russian businesses confront growing payment pressures triggered by U.S. threats of secondary sanctions on foreign banks. While the use of digital currency for payments is currently prohibited in Russia, Putin this month called on the government not to miss the moment in regulating the method inside the country and in foreign deals.

Cryptocurrencies are increasingly used in the world as a means of payment in international settlements, Putin told officials.

As recently as January 2022, just weeks before Russias full-scale invasion of Ukraine began, the central bank proposed a blanket ban on the use and creation of cryptocurrencies, arguing that they posed major risks to financial stability and economic security.

The bank softened its position at the end of last year, supporting the experimental use of cryptocurrency and mining in cross-border settlements. Still, it urged financial organizations in Russia not to publicize services related to digital currencies.

We are ready to be flexible in external settlements, Bank of Russia Governor Elvira Nabiullina told members of the Federation Council on Tuesday. She said she expects local companies to start using cryptocurrency for international payments before the end of this year, under what she called an experimental regime.

The Bank of Russia didnt respond to a request to comment on the change in its position. First Deputy Governor Vladimir Chistyukhin said last month that the country should consider all possibilities for overcoming difficulties in international payments, including those that seemed unpopular to us yesterday.

Some exporters already use cryptocurrency for foreign payments, but they are currently done through intermediaries in third countries.

Under the legislation, crypto will be regulated in the same way as foreign currency in Russia, according to Aksakov. Businesses involved in crypto and mining lobbied hard for the law to ensure they can work within normal legal frameworks and not fear official investigation, he said.

The authorities are rushing through the law because they hope that cryptocurrencies will improve cross-border transfers, said Ani Aslanyan, an analyst who runs a Telegram channel devoted to cryptocurrencies. However, the U.S. is likely to monitor services and companies used by Russia to try to block them, setting off a race to stay ahead of sanctions.

Only large exporters will be likely to meet conditions set out in the regulations, making crypto payment like a closed club that excludes small and medium-size businesses, according to Aslanyan. For example, transactions will be restricted to those who have mined crypto themselves, something only big companies in Russia currently do, she said.

The Bank of Russia will be the regulator on cryptocurrency issues, according to the law, while the Federal Financial Monitoring Service, the Federal Tax Service, the Federal Security Service and the Federal Property Management Agency will have roles in controlling the turnover of crypto.

Once the regulations are in place, business can act boldly, Aksakov said.
Israeli soldiers in an armored personnel carrier head towards the southern border with the Gaza Strip on Oct. 8, 2023, in Sderot, Israel. (Amir Levy, Getty Images/TNS)

(Tribune News Service)  Israels defense minister accused far-right counterparts in government of undermining the nations war effort by encouraging protests against the arrest of soldiers suspected of abusing a Palestinian prisoner.

Yoav Gallant demanded immediate action against those who publicly supported the demonstrators  including fellow cabinet members  after the army diverted two regiments following unrest at two facilities for detainees related to the war in Gaza. Protesters surged through the gates of the jails on Monday, scuffling with guards and demanding the release of nine accused soldiers.

Last nights events constitute a grave blow to national security, Gallant said in an open letter to Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, who didnt immediately respond.

The uproar came as Israel weighs a retaliation to a rocket attack from Lebanon that killed a dozen young people in the Israeli-occupied Golan Heights on Saturday, an incident thats sparked renewed fears of a full-blown conflict with the powerful Hezbollah group. The war against Hamas is approaching its 10th month, stretching military resources, with little sign of an imminent cease-fire.

Support for the demonstrators came not only from ultra-nationalist ministers like Itamar Ben Gvir, but from legislators of Netanyahus Likud party, a sign of Israels growing move to the right. That shift has been especially pronounced since the Oct. 7 attack by Hamas militants, which left 1,200 people dead and triggered the ongoing war in Gaza.

Netanyahu, whose ruling coalition depends on support from far-right parties, condemned the protest but notably without great vigor. Some Likud colleagues accused the army of appeasing those who hate us by arresting the soldiers accused of abuse.

Intolerable conditions

The raid by military police on Sde Teiman, a desert jail for Palestinians captured during the Oct. 7 incursion and subsequent Gaza offensive, was the most significant intervention by Israeli authorities at a site where human-rights groups have alleged intolerable conditions.

The army said the soldiers, all of them reservists, were accused of serious mistreatment of a detainee. Israeli media said that included sexual abuse, reports the army neither confirmed nor denied.

The Oct. 7 attack has traumatized Israelis, with attention focused on the extent of the slaughter and accusations of cruelty by the attackers that day, including the killing of children in front of parents and burning captives alive.

The idea that Israeli soldiers are also being abusive to Palestinians  or that Israels war in Gaza has killed too many civilians  has gained little traction within the country except on the far left. That contrasts with the wider world, where pro-Palestinian protests have been a fixture on the streets of cities like London and in U.S. colleges for several months.

Still, Israels military and other authorities were shocked to see people trying to stop police from doing their jobs. Protesters went both to Sde Teiman and the Beit Lid facility, which will serve as the courthouse for the detainees.

Gallant described the deployment of troops at Beit Lid, the attendance of the top general and the atmosphere of incitement against the military as drains on wartime operations.

Ben Gvir, one of those Gallant accused in his letter to Netanyahu, responded with demands the prime minister investigate the defense chief over events leading up to the Gaza war, including calls by anti-government demonstrators for military reservists not to attend routine training prior to Oct. 7.

Some others said the prison break-ins and high-level support for demonstrators are signs of national decline.

Red lines

All the red lines were crossed today, said Yair Lapid, the centrist head of the opposition. This is a notice to the State of Israel that they are done with democracy, done with the rule of law. They are a dangerous fascist insurrection that is an existential danger.

He called the actions a boon to Israels enemies, namely Iran-backed Hamas and Hezbollah.

Yuli Edelstein, a senior Likud lawmaker and head of parliaments Foreign Affairs and Defense Committee, convened an emergency meeting on Tuesday to discuss the situation, siding publicly with the demonstrators rather than the army.

The militarys personnel chief, who was at the closed-door session, acknowledged that mistakes were made during the military polices arrest of the soldiers yesterday, and such events will not recur, Edelstein said in a statement.

The suspects are due to face a military court hearing.

The war against Hamas has killed more than 39,000 Palestinians, according to health officials in Hamas-run Gaza, who dont distinguish between fighters and civilians. Israel says it has killed 14,000 Hamas soldiers.

Hamas is designated a terrorist group by the U.S. and European Union.

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A U.S. soldier lifts the hydraulic launching system on a long-range hypersonic weapon during testing at Cape Canaveral Space Force Station, Fla., March 3, 2023. (Chandler Coats/U.S. Army)

WASHINGTON  The Pentagons inability to share more details openly with Congress and the public about its progress with hypersonic weapons development could be contributing to increased costs and troubles managing risks, according to a recent federal watchdog report.

Six hypersonic weapons being developed by the Army, Air Force and Navy were reviewed by the Government Accountability Office, assessing development, cost estimates and risk management. A hypersonic weapon can travel at speeds over Mach 5, maneuver in flight and is intended to strike a target from thousands of miles away.

The Defense Department does provide some information to lawmakers, though it is not comprehensively communicating and reporting to Congress its progress on managing risks, the GAO said in a report released Monday.

Efforts to develop hypersonic weapons that can be launched on the ground, in the air and at sea accelerated in 2018 and 2019 to compete with similar efforts of China and Russia. But the Pentagon has yet to field its first operational hypersonic weapons system.

Reporting comprehensive information would enable Congress to better understand and oversee the programs, the GAO said.

The delivery of the Armys long-range hypersonic weapon, which launches from a truck, was pushed from 2023 to at least late 2024 due to difficulties discovered in flight testing. The system has racked up a $10.3 billion price tag.

The Air Force also extended its five-year prototyping time frame into 2024 for its air-launched, rapid-response weapon after mixed flight test results. It is expected to cost $1.2 billion, according to its 2019 estimate.

A hypersonic cruise missile being developed by the Air Force is estimated to cost $1.9 billion. The weapon system, which would be fired from a fighter jet, is not scheduled to be fielded until mid-2027.

A hypersonic air-launched, anti-surface warfare system developed by the Navy is estimated to cost $1.5 billion. The Navy is also in the early stages of developing an aeroballistic missile that would launch from surface warships. Both weapons systems are scheduled to be fielded in 2029.

The costs and risks associated with a $30 billion hypersonic Navy weapon in the works, dubbed a conventional prompt strike, are better understood than those of the other five weapons in development, the GAO said, but the program is still limited by the Defense Departments experience in designing, producing and testing hypersonic weapons. The program relies heavily on Navy decision-makers as subject-matter experts, whose input the GAO said could be prone to bias. The hypersonic weapon is being designed to launch from Zumwalt-class surface ships and Virginia-class submarines.

Without comprehensive enterprise-level reporting, Congress will have an incomplete or fragmented perspective on the risks DOD has identified, the actions it is taking to address them or the costs that these actions entail, the report read.

The GAO made 10 recommendations to the Defense Department, including increasing the incorporation of feedback from users into system designs, improving the Navys conventional prompt strike cost estimate and expanding enterprise-level reporting activities.
Temporary security fencing surrounds the Capitol grounds on July 23, 2024, before an address by Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to a joint meeting of Congress. (Valerie Plesch/The Washington Post)

Ayman Nijim walked toward the stage with a kaffiyeh around his neck and looked out at the thousands of people in front of him.

Gripping the microphone, he told the crowd that he hadnt been able to talk to his mother in the Gaza Strip for 200 days.

The night before  just blocks away on the National Mall  Aviva Siegel spoke to dozens of people about the terror of Oct. 7. She ticked through the details of how Hamas militants abducted her and her husband, Keith, and brought them to Gaza as hostages. In November, she was released. He was not.

Nijim and Siegel are both appalled at the human suffering in this war and are outraged with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. Both spoke at demonstrations in D.C. last week with groups demanding Netanyahu sign a cease-fire deal.

While they have rallied closer to home  Nijim in Boston and Siegel in Tel Aviv  they thought Netanyahus visit presented a new opportunity. They saw D.C. as the place where their advocacy would carry power, and the possibility for change.

Ultimately, they would both leave disappointed. No deal to release more hostages. No cease-fire to end the bombing in Gaza.

Nijim drove his family from western Massachusetts to D.C. Siegels flight and hotel were funded by the Israeli government, according to her daughter Elan Tiv.

The main pro-Palestinian protest that Nijim attended was organized by several groups, including the ANSWER Coalition, which receives donations through its fiscal sponsor, the Progress Unity Fund  a San Francisco-based nonprofit organization that received more than $797,000 in revenue in fiscal 2023. Code Pink, which brought in more than $1.2 million in revenue in fiscal 2023, and the

Peoples Forum, which brought in more than $4.4 million in revenue in fiscal 2022, were among other groups behind the protest.

The protests triggered a massive police response. Hamas is comin was spray-painted on a monument. Inside the U.S. Capitol, six family members of hostages were arrested.

Nijim and Siegel knew tensions would be high. But they wanted to broadcast their own message  one more personal and nuanced than the images that would be shown across television screens or go viral on social media.

Siegel, 63, came with a plea during a rally Tuesday night: Im begging Bibi Netanyahu, there is a deal on the table, and you have to take it.  We need this world to be a better world for everybody. For the people in Gaza that are good. For the people in Israel that are good.

Nijim came with a plea, too. He wants an enduring solution, one that makes war protests unnecessary.

We come to achieve peace, he said. Siegel heard the horror first.

At the sound of missiles on Oct. 7, she and her husband, Keith, who is 65, went to a small shelter. Messages from their neighbors in Kfar Aza, a kibbutz community near the Gaza border, started coming in. Then, someone wrote: Theres terrorists on the kibbutz. Siegel was kidnapped and held with Keith, whose ribs were broken, in a tunnel with barely enough oxygen to breathe. She said she watched her husband be beaten and humiliated and become frail. She prayed she would die before him.

Then, she had to leave him behind.

After 51 days, in November, she was freed as part of a pause in fighting.

Im still in Gaza, she said. All the time. Sometimes I get out of Gaza for two minutes, and then Im back, thinking about Keith, thinking about what I went through with Keith.

Blocks from the U.S. Capitol last week, before Netanyahus speech to Congress, she recounted the horrors.

Im here to share. Im here to talk. Im here to scream, she said. And Im here to stand on the table.

Siegel met Keith, who was born in Chapel Hill, N.C., when he was visiting his brother in Israel. They have been married for 43 years and have three daughters, one son and five grandchildren. Siegel called Keith a persons people, who studied Arabic to talk with people from Gaza who worked on their kibbutz.

She didnt attend Netanyahus speech before Congress because the only thing she wanted to hear from him was Keith is coming home. Instead, she used her time in America to appear on national television, criticizing her government.

Nijim looked at his 4-year-old son waving a Palestinian flag on Pennsylvania Avenue and thought of his familys history.

His grandfather was a Palestinian farmer who was expelled from his home in Ashdod during the 1948 war that created Israel, which Palestinians refer to as the Nakba, or the catastrophe. Nijims grandparents took refuge in Gaza, where his family has remained.

Nijim left Gaza when he was about 28 to pursue his education in the United States, with the goal of helping children with trauma, including those in Gaza.

He has protested in D.C. before, including during Netanyahus last address to Congress, in 2015. But this time was different. His three children, ages 13, 12 and 4, were with him, and he wanted to teach them the importance of using their voices to make the world a safer place.

He told the crowd he was the plaintiff in a now-dismissed federal lawsuit against President Biden and others for their alleged failure to prevent what he described as Israels ongoing genocide in Gaza.

Nijim said the rally was invigorating, but that it was difficult to feel present when he knew his family was suffering in Gaza.

My head actually was in Palestine, he said.

His family left before thousands amassed at Union Station, where protesters lowered American flags and set one ablaze. A protester climbed the Christopher Columbus fountain and wrote Hamas is comin.

That phrase made Nijim shake his head. That is not representative of our struggle, he said.

Nijim doesnt want anyone separated from their families, including the hostages. He said he wishes people had compassion to worry about both the hostages and the tens of thousands of Palestinian children and families who have been killed and wounded in the war, as well as Palestinian political prisoners in Israeli jails.

By the time he made it back to his Alexandria hotel on Wednesday, it was 11 p.m. Sitting alone in his car in the parking lot, Nijim pulled up Netanyahus speech on YouTube.

He watched as the man he describes as a war criminal stood in front of Congress and received standing ovations.

The next day, Nijim drove to western Massachusetts and Siegel stepped onto a flight back to Israel. There were hours of travel ahead, time spent ruminating over the questions that plagued them. Were they doing enough? Did they make a difference?

Netanyahus nearly hour-long address to Congress came as the war in Gaza grinds on for the 10th month. In Tel Aviv, hundreds of Israelis accused Netanyahu of dragging out the war to further his political survival.

In his address, Netanyahu was defiant. He vowed retribution.

It was disturbing to hear, Nijim said. So he is left to continue writing, seeking to understand the violence from Israel that permeated his childhood and continues today. The topic of his dissertation as a doctoral student at Saybrook University in Pasadena, Calif., is the infrastructure of genocide, focusing on how mass death is normalized and how to heal from it.

This is what I can do for humanity, he said.

By the time Siegel got to her apartment in Gazit, a kibbutz in northern Israel, she told her daughter she felt empty. She had done all the interviews, sat through all the meetings. But she was still alone at home - and Keith was still somewhere in Gaza.
Lei Muhan, 10, peers out of a bus window in Los Angeles. (Li Qiang/The Washington Post)

LOS ANGELES - Lei Muhan and her parents crossed 11 nations along the journey from China to the United States, riding on the backs of motorcycles, paying off smugglers and trekking through a scorching desert.

The small California bedroom that now houses the family seemed a little dull by comparison. Muhan, 10, passed the time flipping through a spiral notebook, eager to start school. I Am Happy, she had written over and over in English.

Her father, Lei Xiaoyue, made rice for breakfast. If Muhan could enroll in school that morning, he could look for work.

The family arrived in the United States in April, joining the largest wave of illegal border crossings by Chinese immigrants in history - part of a wider influx that is also bringing record numbers of migrants from South America, India, Turkey and an array of African nations. Many are guided by global smuggling networks that seek to exploit the dysfunctional U.S. asylum system.

U.S. authorities have encountered more than 55,000 Chinese migrants crossing illegally from Mexico during the past 18 months, primarily in the rugged desert mountains east of San Diego - up from 3,813 in 2022. It is the last stage of the journey known in Chinese as zouxian - walking the line.

Driven in part by the stifling economic and political fallout of Chinas extended covid-19 lockdowns, the Chinese arrivals have become a political and national security flash point in Washington. Leading Republicans, including former president Donald Trump, refer to the migrants as fighting-age men, and warn the influx could mask espionage activities, while Democrats, analysts and the migrants themselves point to Chinas unemployment crisis and repressive government.

U.S. authorities worry about an even larger wave, given Chinas population of 1.4 billion people and the difficulty of carrying out deportations. Officials say they detain any Chinese migrants who pose a public safety or national security threat, and the Biden administration is urging other Western Hemisphere nations to tighten controls.

The Washington Post spoke to almost three dozen recent Chinese migrants who had crossed the southern border, including families and lone travelers. They had settled in California, New York and elsewhere across the United States. They describe daily challenges divorced from geopolitics: consternation over their childrens future, struggles to find work in a saturated job market and fears of being scammed as they build new lives in America.

Many have arrived to the Flushing area of Queens, which has surpassed Los Angeles to become the top destination for the most recent Chinese migrants, according to a Post analysis of U.S. immigration court data. The neighborhoods large Chinese-speaking community is a draw for new arrivals seeking jobs, housing and help with asylum claims.

Beijing denies its economy has influenced the migrants to go abroad, saying they are lured by human smugglers. Chinese President Xi Jinping and other Chinese authorities have appeared more and more determined to suppress the exodus, embarrassed by those willing to risk their lives and spend their savings to flee.

Zouxian information online is frequently censored. State-aired documentaries say migrants face mortal danger. Migrants and human rights advocates say Chinese customs officials screen the social media accounts of would-be travelers, refusing to let some depart regardless of whether their documents are in order.

Even if you have a valid Chinese passport and a valid visa to Turkey or to Thailand or to Vietnam, you are not allowed to go abroad, said New York-based immigration lawyer Xiang Xiaoji.

The Chinese Embassy in Washington said it has launched efforts to track down and repatriate those leaving China illegally.

Lei and his family look at a secondhand car in an auto service shop. (Li Qiang/The Washington Post)

President Biden and Xi discussed immigration enforcement during a meeting in San Francisco last year, forging a new area of tentative cooperation at a time of otherwise deteriorating relations. The first U.S. deportation flight, in March, carried eight Chinese migrants; a second in June had 116 deportees.

Illegal entries - including by Chinese migrants - have dropped sharply since June 4, when Biden blocked access to the U.S. asylum system for most border-crossers. That change in policy is being challenged in federal court.

But amid a record number of crossings at the southern border over the last three years, China has been the largest source of illegal migration from any nation outside the Americas, according to Department of Homeland Security statistics.

Border Patrol agents line up migrants who crossed the U.S.-Mexico border near Jacumba Hot Springs, Calif., on April 15. The migrants are directed to a pickup area along the highway that functions as an outdoor arrival hall. A mother from Ecuador lifts a blanket to cover her 1-year-old son from the sun. The family crossed the border early that morning.

The influx has been a boon to criminal organizations in Mexico, which charge thousands of dollars to ferry customers from safe houses in Tijuana and Mexicali to remote crossings where migrants can skirt the U.S. border wall. Once on American soil, the Chinese migrants join others from around the world who surrender to U.S. agents and express a fear of persecution in their home nations, a first step in seeking asylum.

Those entering in the mountains outside San Diego are referred for interviews with Border Patrol agents trained to screen Chinese migrants for possible Communist Party and military ties. Their personal and passport information is matched to data collected by nations that share such details with the United States.

But Department of Homeland Security officials say additional information is rarely available, because cooperation with China is so limited.

Rep. Mark Green (R-Tenn.), chairman of the House Homeland Security Committee, said the screening process is inadequate given the potential threat of a coordinated operation by the Chinese government to infiltrate the United States with spies and operatives.

Their agendas, their ideologies, and the reasons for coming here could substantially be missed, said Green, who embraces his partys hard line on the border and believes new arrivals from China should be detained longer and more thoroughly screened.

Migrants from China and other nations wait for Border Patrol vans to transport them from a makeshift camp to a San Diego detention center. The vans prioritize families with children, leaving some adults to wait for hours and keep warm with bonfires.

Mae Ngai, a Columbia University historian who has studied Chinese immigration to the United States, said the references by Republicans to fighting-age men are part of what she described as new forms of China-mongering.

I think theres this fascination with Chinese immigration, especially when its undocumented, that is disproportionate to its actual occurrence, Ngai said. And that has a very long history thats associated with Chinese being seen as a special threat to the United States.

Chinese migrants are dropped off by U.S. authorities at a transit center in San Diego in April. After calling relatives and friends, they depart for different states, with many headed first to Los Angeles.

Republican lawmakers say the concerns are more than justified. They point to media reports of at least 100 incidents in recent years in which Chinese nationals were caught or suspected of trying to gain access to or information about U.S. military installations.

U.S. immigration court data show about two-thirds of the migrants who have arrived from China during the past year are male, up from about 50 percent during previous years. Many of the men interviewed by The Post said they left their families behind because of warnings on social media about the dangers of the journey.

Migrants described fleeing stifling government control and economic malaise. Most recalled the strict coronavirus lockdowns as a turning point, with many losing their income and finding themselves in conflict with their countrys security apparatus.

When Lei Xiaoyue and his wife, Ye Qinqiong, decided to bring Muhan to the United States, they knew it would be the most perilous thing they ever did.

They guarded their plans tightly, including from relatives. Muhan was told only that they would be traveling. Lei prepared to never see his family in China again.

He bought a coffin and stashed it in his fathers house, worried he wouldnt be able to return home to bury him. I wanted to be able to take care of my dads affairs after Im out, he said.

Lei Xiaoyue carries his daughter Lei Muhan as the family explores downtown Los Angeles soon after crossing into the country in April. Lei stands on a bus after offering his seat to an elderly woman while en route to a U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services office. Muhan and her parents pray for good luck at the Xilai Temple near their new home.

Lei Muhan and her parents visit Xilai Temple near their home in Los Angeles in May. The family arrived in the United States in April, joining the largest wave of illegal border crossings by Chinese migrants in history. The familys motivation for coming to the United States was both economic and political. (Li Qiang/The Washington Post)

To be eligible for asylum, migrants have to show they faced religious, ethnic or political persecution in their homeland. Coming to the United States for better jobs and opportunities is not enough.

Yet those who reach U.S. soil can live and work in the country for years before getting a hearing in the backlogged immigration courts. If their asylum petitions are rejected, there is a lengthy appeal process. Migrants are typically eligible for U.S. work authorization after six months - a policy designed to help migrants support themselves financially while awaiting a court decision.

Lei and Ye said their motivation for coming to the United States was both economic and political. For years, the family endured what they described as a slow suffocation: Lei worked up to 16 hours a day as a taxi driver in Fujian province, 850 miles from their hometown; Ye, who moved there with him, sold clothes at a mall.

Like hundreds of millions across China, they were confined to their small neighborhoods or apartment complexes for long stretches during the pandemic. Lei said his family went hungry on the government-provided vegetable rations: There just wasnt enough to eat in a day.

The Lei family tries hamburgers at an In-N-Out restaurant near their new home in Hacienda Heights. Muhan, who had seen videos of American-style hamburgers on Chinese TikTok, said she enjoyed her first meal out. She waits at a Chinese-speaking law office where her parents sought help applying for U.S. work permits in Monterey Park. The couple left their daughter behind with relatives, seeing her only during the Lunar New Year holiday.

The Lei family tries hamburgers at an In-N-Out restaurant near their new home in Hacienda Heights. Muhan, who had seen videos of American-style hamburgers on Chinese TikTok, said she enjoyed her first meal out. (Li Qiang/The Washington Post)

But as lockdowns swept China - hurting the economy and generating a groundswell of public dissent - Lei and Ye brought their daughter to live with them, worried that otherwise they would never see her.

They grappled with how to educate her, because rural transplants to more prosperous areas are not allowed to enroll in public school. Then Muhan became sick.

After three days, her spiking fever drove Lei to sneak out of his home to find food and medicine. He said thats when he was arrested and charged with obstructing the control of disease prevention - a violation for which, Lei said, he served a 15-day detention.

The biggest thing that disgusted me is that my daughter was sick and had to go to the hospital during the pandemic, but we were not allowed to go, he said. The three years of the pandemic were so miserable for our family. I wanted to commit suicide, but thinking about [Muhan], I couldnt do it.

Instead he hatched a plan to walk the line.

The Lei family gets ready for bed at a hotel in Monterey Park. Their legs remain swollen and scabbed from insect bites after a two-month journey crossing 11 countries to reach the United States. Lei and Ye prepare dinner in an outdoor tent kitchen at the hotel.

Analysts say TikTok and other social media, and the availability of smuggling networks, have contributed to a shift in the demographics of those coming to the United States from China. Before, most relied on education, capital and connections. Now, people without those advantages can use VPNs to circumvent government censorship and learn how to make the trip.

Some recent arrivals in California showed The Post examples of PDF guides with step-by-step instructions for the trek from Ecuador to the U.S.-Mexico border, including the amount and color of Mexican pesos required for each bus trip.

Remember its very dangerous to sit in the front of the (smugglers) boat, and people get thrown out a lot, reads one guide on how to make a water crossing between Colombia and Panama to avoid border controls. Other Chinese migrants fly to Nicaragua, El Salvador or directly to Mexico, where they can get connecting flights to Mexican border cities.

The journey remains perilous. In March the bodies of eight Chinese migrants - seven of them women - washed ashore after their boat capsized off the coast of Mexicos Oaxaca state, a popular migrant route. Authorities in Ecuador this month temporarily reimposed visa restrictions on Chinese travelers, hoping to keep migrants from using the South American nation as a springboard to the United States. Within days, however, Chinese-language videos on TikTok offered alternative, higher-priced routes with links to travel agencies that work with smuggling operations.

Those interviewed in California said they paid between $8,000 and $60,000 per person for the entire trip from China.

Smuggling groups take migrants to safe houses on the Mexican side, then pack a dozen or more into vehicles, including windowless cargo vans, for shuttle trips to drop-off points along the U.S. border. The groups then follow the dirt paths and jeep roads that lead to U.S. agents at a border crossing near Jacumba Hot Springs, Calif., a lunar landscape of odd-shaped boulders and cactuses called the Valley of the Moon.

That is where the Lei family entered the United States.

At the site one morning this spring, dozens of arrivals from around the world shivered in the wind and huddled near campfires that reeked of burning plastic.

About two dozen Chinese men stood apart, sharing stories of their months-long trek in the hands of smugglers. They showed off bug bites, bruises and - in one case - a swollen ankle with a bright red scar from a fall off a motorbike.

There were families from Colombia, young Kurdish professionals from Turkey and scattered Ecuadorians and Peruvians - a reminder that migrants from Latin American countries still outnumber those coming from China. A man who said he was part of a Chinese church group in San Diego arrived with a car battery and a web of power strips so migrants could charge their phones.

They waited for Border Patrol vans to take them to a San Diego tent facility for booking. If agents encounter red flags, such as links to the Peoples Liberation Army or universities that feed into Chinas military and intelligence agencies, migrants can be sent to a detention facility for more thorough screening and interviews.

The info is only as good as the info in the database, and there is limited to nothing on many of these Chinese nationals, said Chris Clem, who was chief of the Border Patrols Yuma Sector until retiring in December 2022.

The Lei family shops for a used vehicle at a lot catering to Chinese-speaking customers. Lei browses a beauty supply store in Monterey Park. In China, before driving a taxi, he worked as a hairdresser, and he hopes to find similar work in the United States. Muhan tries on clothing. Her family arrived with only a backpack.

Like many of the newly arrived migrants, the Lei familys first days in America were a blur of living moment-to-moment. On their first day out of Customs and Border Protection detention - still dressed in gray and white U.S. government-issued clothes - the trio made their way in the Los Angeles area to Ding Pangzi Plaza in Monterey Park, where an aging strip mall has become a popular landing point.

Listings for dorm-style beds at $15 a night - including access to rice and cooking oil - cover the shop windows and power poles. Migrants who have been in the United States for months hunt for jobs, lawyers or help getting a drivers license.

Ding Pangzi Plaza has also become a hotspot for scammers looking to take advantage of new arrivals, as the Lei family learned early on.

A landlord who rented them a place to sleep promised to let Lei drive under the landlords Uber driver account to make some money. Lei completed $900 in trips, but the landlord refused to pay him, and would not return their rental deposit when the family left.

The Lei family moved around different hotels and spent a long day shopping for clothes and a used car. The family naps while riding to a used car dealership. Father and daughter cook for the first time in her new home in Los Angeles. They pay $1,400 monthly for a bedroom and share the house with more than 10 tenants. The address allowed the Leis to enroll their daughter in school.

Another man, posing as a lawyer, promised to handle their asylum case for $2,000. They later discovered he was a fraud.

They do these types of things to all the newcomers, Lei said.

Perhaps the worst, the family said, was when Ye replied to a job posting she saw at the plaza.

It called for women with child-care experience willing to work about an hour outside the city. She arrived to find not babysitting work but a cannabis factory where she was expected to spend long hours in a refrigerated room clipping marijuana for around $100 a day. Workers got one day off a month. An agent took a fifth of the pay.

Five or six women went there, she said. Each of us worked for a few days and left.

Lei and Ye thought things would get better when Muhan started school, and they both had time to look for work, but even Muhans enrollment - the familys top priority - did not go smoothly. The girl arrived for her first day, only to be turned back because her forms had not been processed.

She has to go home, Lei said that day, walking out the school doors with Muhan in tow. Maybe tomorrow. The Lei family shopping at an Ikea store after arriving in the United States.

Increases in Chinese immigration to the United States have historically followed major changes in Chinese and U.S. policy, including the upheaval of the 1989 Tiananmen crackdown and Chinas 2001 admission to the World Trade Organization.

The most recent influx is characterized by small-business people and factory workers, said New York-based immigration lawyer Wei Zhu. There are a lot of people wondering now what their future will be, so they say Lets go zouxian.

One draw for Flushing, attorneys say, is that immigration judges in New York City approve asylum claims at some of the highest rates in the country. And the neighborhoods well-established Chinatown provides a soft landing. Yet the high cost of living and the long backlog in immigration cases mean crushing financial pressures, which have intensified as the flow of Chinese migrants creates fierce competition for informal jobs in construction and food delivery.

Day laborers gather early to look for work in the Flushing neighborhood of Queens, where many Chinese migrants have settled. Thats true for Joey - who came to the United States 18 months ago among the first wave of zouxian migrants and hopes to bring his two grade-school-aged children as well. He asked to be identified only by his adopted English nickname out of concern that his asylum case could be affected by his speaking candidly.

On a recent morning, he stood on a Flushing street with other Chinese migrants hoping for day labor, mostly cleanup and renovation jobs. He said the rate for a days work has fallen since he got here, from about $200 to $100 or $150, prompting some migrants to leave for other U.S. cities or return to China.

Prices are constantly rising, but your salary is falling, Joey said.

A van pulled up. Joey surged forward with the other men, but he wasnt picked. Of the roughly 60 men on the street that morning, about 10 found work.

Newly arrived migrants say they continue to live under the watch of Chinese authorities, who often visit the relatives they left behind. About a month after Lei left China, his family frantically got in touch, telling him that the police had called.

They said it was illegal and threatened my family. They told me to go back otherwise I would go to jail, he said. Likely part of Beijings concern, analysts and lawyers say, is the potential for politicized Chinese migrants to become part of dissident communities abroad.

The [Chinese] police told my parents, tell your son not to speak anymore or do any protests, said Zhou Zheng, a recent migrant living in Los Angeles who joined groups that protested Xis November visit to San Francisco. Hed made the decision to walk the line after he was detained during protests in China.

The Flushing neighborhood in Queens is a top destination for new Chinese migrants. Message boards at local businesses advertise jobs, room rentals and immigration services.

While the number of Chinese migrants is relatively tiny in terms of the countrys population, its impact is significant for a government that has sought to advertise its political system abroad.

It never looks good when people are willing to trek through the Darien Gap to get out of your country, said Meredith Oyen, associate professor at the University of Maryland at Baltimore County, referring to the dangerous jungle crossing between Panama and Colombia.

For many of the migrants trying to get a foothold in the United States, the daily struggle - not Chinese politics - is the focus.

Muhan waits outside the school while her father attempts to register her. She was turned away on her first day of school because her forms had not been processed. Lei says he regrets what Muhan saw her parents go through, including their struggles once they reached the United States. My child has suffered so much along the way. I think in her heart, its a perfect lesson, he said. She will know how terrible it can be for a person without education. (Li Qiang/The Washington Post)

Days after Lei and Yes daughter Muhan was turned away from school in Monterey Park, she managed to enroll. Muhan practiced writing English phrases in a notebook. Muhan waits outside the school while her father attempts to register her.

Lei said his daughter made many friends, a stark difference after seeing few other children during the three-month journey to the U.S. border.

He said he regrets what Muhan saw her parents go through, including their struggles to find work in the United States.

My child has suffered so much along the way. I think in her heart, its a perfect lesson, he said. She will know how terrible it can be for a person without education.

I just hope she studies hard and fits into this culture, he said.
Secretary of Defense Lloyd J. Austin III conducts a press briefing at the Pentagon in Arlington, Va., Feb. 1, 2024. (Alexander Kubitza/Department of Defense)

JERUSALEM  Diplomats continued to race Tuesday to fend off war between Israel and Lebanon, after Israeli officials reiterated threats to respond to the weekend rocket attack that killed 12 teenagers and children in the Israeli-occupied Golan Heights.

The United States will defend Israel if it is attacked by Hezbollah from Lebanon, Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin said Tuesday, though he declared hope that the simmering conflict can be defused diplomatically.

I dont believe that a fight is inevitable, Austin told reporters after meetings in Manila with senior Philippine officials alongside Secretary of State Antony Blinken to detail new security commitments for the Southeast Asian nation. We would like to see things resolved in a diplomatic fashion.

But if Israel is attacked, yes, we will we help Israel defend itself. Weve been clear about that from the very beginning, Austin said. Israels security cabinet authorized a military response to the weekend attack, but the specific nature of that counterstrike remained unclear even as civilians on both sides of the Israel-Lebanon border  and the region at large  braced for it.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said on Monday that Israel will not, and cannot, ignore this, before vowing to retaliate: Our response will come, and it will be severe.

In southern Israel, the fallout continued after far-right demonstrators rallied outside and broke into the Sde Teiman military base on Monday, to protest the detention of nine reservists in connection to allegations of serious abuse of a detainee from Gaza.

Palestinians and rights groups say Gazans held in the military detention center have been subject to systematic abuse and torture, including alleged cases of rape and sexual assault. Under Israeli law, Palestinians from Gaza can be held for lengthy periods without charge or access to a lawyer.

Defense Minister Yoav Gallant on Tuesday lambasted events at the base, saying in a statement that they constitute a severe blow to the countrys security and the authority of the government, which is maintained through the IDF, or Israel Defense Forces.

Netanyahu on Monday condemned the break-in and called for calm, putting the prime minister at odds with his far-right base and politicians whose support he needs to remain in power. The melee laid bare a deepening clash between the military and Israels far right, which opposes reaching a cease-fire before Hamas is entirely eliminated  a war aim that Israels generals have warned is unrealistic.

In his statement, Gallant called on Netanyahu to investigate whether Itamar Ben Gvir  Israels far-right national security minister, who oversees the prison system  prevented or delayed police action in response to the violent events that members of his party were involved in.

Videos posted on social media Monday showed a crowd rattling the bases metal gates and then running inside behind Zvi Sukkot, a member of the countrys parliament. In a social media post, Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich called for the chief military prosecutor to get your hands off the reservists, a sentiment echoed online by Ben Gvir.

The backing and active participation of elected officials in riots at IDF bases, along with harsh statements against senior IDF officers, is a very serious and dangerous phenomenon that harms security, social cohesion, and Israels image in the eyes of the world, Gallant said Tuesday. This dangerous phenomenon must be dealt with decisively and immediately.

Heres what else to know

The Gaza Health Ministry declared a polio epidemic on Monday, more than a week after Israels health ministry said it had detected strains of the virus in sewage. No polio cases have yet been reported. The Gaza ministry said obtaining potable water and access to soap and disinfectants for the Strips residents were crucial to stopping the spread of the disease. The breakdown of Gazas sanitation systems has also led to increases in hepatitis A, dysentery and gastroenteritis, according to Palestinian and U.N. officials.

Israeli troops pulled out of eastern Khan Younis on Tuesday, ending a more than week-long incursion into the southern Gazan city that sent tens of thousands of displaced civilians fleeing. The IDF in a statement said that it eliminated over 150 terrorists in addition to weapons and infrastructure. Muhammad al-Mughair, an official with Gazas Civil Defense, told The Washington Post that emergency crews recovered the bodies of 42 people after troops withdrew, while more than 200 people remained missing. In recent weeks, Gazans packed into the Strips southern and central regions have been repeatedly displaced by Israeli evacuation orders that now cover most of the territory, according to the United Nations.

Western governments are urging their citizens to leave Lebanon. Rena Bitter, the U.S. assistant secretary for consular affairs, urged Americans to leave before a crisis begins, while the British Foreign Office advised its citizens against all travel to Lebanon. Sweden, Ireland, and France also issued similar statements. Meanwhile, Cyprus said it is ready to receive and help repatriate civilians if tensions between Israel and Lebanon worsen. Germany and Greeces national carriers have paused flights to Beirut for the remainder of this week.

Attacks and discrimination against Muslims and Palestinians in the United States rose by 70 percent in the first half of 2024 compared with the same period from 2023, the Council on American-Islamic Relations said Tuesday. The group said it received 4,951 complaints about anti-Muslim and anti-Palestinian incidents regarding immigration and asylum, employment discrimination, education discrimination and hate crimes.

At least 39,400 people have been killed and 90,996 injured in Gaza since the war began, according to the Gaza Health Ministry, which does not distinguish between civilians and combatants but says the majority of the dead are women and children. Israel estimates that about 1,200 people were killed in Hamass Oct. 7 attack on Israel, including more than 300 soldiers, and says 329 soldiers have been killed since the launch of its military operation in Gaza. Birnbaum reported from Manila, Javaid from London and Jeong from Seoul. Lior Soroka in Tel Aviv and Hajar Harb in London contributed to this report.
(Tribune News Service)  The merger of two Connecticut VFW posts and the ebbing health of another are the most recent signs of state veterans organizations ongoing struggles to retain members and remain financially stable.

Darien VFW Post 6933 has about 120 members on the books, but gathering half a dozen members for an official quorum has been tough, said Scott VanDerheyden, who was post commander until recently. Also, income from all sources is not meeting expenses needed to keep the organizations building open, VanDerheyden said.

I know were in financial trouble right now, the U.S. Marine Corps veteran of the Gulf War said.

The nations 18 million veterans comprise about 6 percent of the population, according to the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs. Of Connecticuts 3.6 million residents, about 172,000, or 4.8 percent, are military veterans, including about 126,000 wartime veterans. Of the total in Connecticut, approximately 14,000 are females and 158,000 are males, according to the federal agency.

The nations total veteran population is predicted to decline from 20.8 million in 2015 to 12 million in 2045. Veterans organization leaders say they welcome the relative peace that has reigned since the devastating wars of the 20th century, but at the same time, they seek younger veterans to maintain the comradeship and community service that have sustained their ranks for more than 100 years.

Consolidation has been a key to the VFWs survival in Connecticut. In April, Waterbury Post 201 merged with Naugatuck Post 1946. The Naugatuck post lacked a building, and maintaining membership was becoming more difficult, Post 201 Commander Al Comeau said. The majority of members are Vietnam veterans, said Comeau, 77, himself a U.S. Army veteran of that war.

Statewide, the VFW counted about 10,000 members in fiscal year 2023-24, about the same as in the previous fiscal year, state Commander Stanley Borusiewicz said. About half of the membership is Vietnam veterans, while most of the others are veterans of the Gulf War and the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan. A few World War II members remain, but of the 16.4 million people who served in that most consequential and fatal war, only 119,550 survived as of 2023. In Connecticut, about 2,059 WWII veterans were alive last year, according to the National World War II Museum.

VFW leaders are always looking for new members and young veterans, Borusiewicz said. One strategy is to host family gatherings. Danbury members, for example, have a family potluck dinner every Friday night, he said.

The biggest problem, Borusiewicz said, is persuading people to take leadership positions, one of the chief reasons behind the decline of the Naugatuck post. He also noted the merger in 2021 of the West Hartford and New Britain posts. As in Darien, the West Hartford post was having trouble filling a quorum of five needed to hold monthly meetings. The post sold its building at 83 South St. and merged with New Britains VFW Post 511. VFW members in Manchester also had to sell their building about eight years ago because they could not meet the cost of roof, siding, and other repairs.

Comeau and Borusiewicz gave different numbers for the total membership of the combined posts in Waterbury and Naugatuck. Comeau put the total at 343, but Borusiewicz said it was actually about 445. In any case, Comeau described the post as robust, with a constantly rented hall, a canteen open to the public, and a welcome mat always out for new members. One of his goals, Comeau said, is to reach out to veterans in the surrounding Naugatuck Valley to boost the posts roll call.

Along with comradeship and guidance about veterans benefits, veterans organizations also lobby in the state and nation to benefit veterans and their families. Still, according to a report in The Atlantic in 2021, the American Legions membership declined by nearly 23 percent in the past 20 years, and since 1992, the VFWs ranks dropped by almost half.

The American Legion in Connecticut has about 17,000 members in 140 posts, organization adjutant Harry R. Butch Hansen said. The Legion is holding its own, he said, but part of the ongoing challenge is one that affects all civic organizations: people are not as social as they once were.

Todays generation doesnt feel the need to join a group, he said.

In the meantime, older members (about 70% of the Legions members in Connecticut are Vietnam veterans, Hansen said) are passing away and not being fully replaced. The organization has had some of the same struggles as the VFW with closed and merging posts, said Hansen, a 35-year U.S. Air Force veteran of multiple Middle Eastern campaigns.

We always worry about numbers ... We have our ups and downs, he said.

(c)2024 the New Haven Register (New Haven, Conn.)

Visit at www.nhregister.com

Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC.
The Department of Veterans Affairs headquarters building as seen in Washington, D.C., on July 6, 2022. (Carlos Bongioanni/Stars and Stripes)

WASHINGTON  Vietnam veteran Jim Esposito, who retired to the Philippines from Oklahoma in 2010, receives spinal treatments and pain medication at the Department of Veterans Affairs clinic in Manila for injuries suffered during military service 50 years ago.

Terrence Michalski, a disabled Navy veteran also residing in the Philippines, has had frequent hospitalizations for a heart condition and degenerative disk disease related to combat duty.

Both veterans said they must pay thousands of dollars each year for their medical care because the VAs paper-based claims system leads to delays and uncertainties for health care reimbursement.

The VA has pledged to phase in an electronic payment system for its foreign medical program, but the process is not scheduled to get underway for two years.

These payments are currently issued by paper check and mailed around the world to either veterans or providers. Starting in late [fiscal] 2025 and continuing to 2027, VA will release electronic funds transfer capabilities in phases. [Electronic funds transfer] reduces wait time for reimbursement and is more secure, said Terrence Hayes, the VA press secretary.

The VA said 80% of claims come from Panama, the Dominican Republic, Costa Rica, the Philippines and Germany.

But veterans advocacy groups are calling on the VA to bring more urgency to adopt electronic payments and end the practice of using paper claims and the postal service to issue health care reimbursements. The delays create significant hardship for aging, sick and disabled veterans living overseas because doctors and hospitals often require payment up front and will not render care without it, according to the groups.

The Veterans of Foreign Wars described the VAs Foreign Medical Program as outdated, unreliable and leading to unnecessary delays for veterans living outside the United States.

We are working to address inequities with Congress and the VA, the VFW said in a statement. We urge VA to revise its antiquated paper-based system and utilize electronic funds transfer to allow veterans and service providers to file claims and receive reimbursement from VA through electronic means.

About 55,000 veterans are enrolled in the overseas medical assistance program but there are now about 6,000 active users in the program, according to the VA.

Veterans have said if the system functioned better there would be more users.

The VA pays monthly disability benefits to veterans with service-connected disabilities based on the seriousness of their disability. The disability claims process starts when a veteran submits a claim to the VA.

Veterans living abroad are entitled to the same disability benefits as those living in the U.S., the Government Accountability Office stated in a 2020 report that examined the Foreign Medical Program for veterans.

The GAO report found the number of disability claims for veterans living abroad increased nearly 15% from fiscal 2014 to fiscal 2019. The report also found the time it took to process claims varied based on the country of origin. VA officials acknowledged it typically takes longer to process foreign claims than domestic ones.

Hospitals and doctors that once accepted the Foreign Medical Program as insurance for payment of services and medication have experienced a waiting time of longer than a year for compensation. One by one, the hospitals and doctors are canceling acceptance of the Foreign Medical Program, said Michalski, a retired chief petty officer who served for 22 years with deployments to Vietnam, the Philippines and Kuwait.

Vietnam veteran Jim Esposito receives his care at the Manila VA clinic in the Philippines. He said it is common for doctors to ask for payment up front before rendering services. Esposito said he pays about $2,000 for care monthly and then files for reimbursement by mail with the Department of Veterans Affairs. The process can take up to a year, he said. (Department of Veterans Affairs)

Esposito, who uses a wheelchair, estimates he and his wife spend about $2,000 a month for his spinal injections and other treatment at the VA clinic in Manila to ease inflammation and chronic pain.

It takes several months to get any reimbursement, said Esposito, a retired sergeant whose two years of active duty ended in 1969 and included deployments to Cambodia and the demilitarized zone in Vietnam.

I am sick, old, worn out and pain filled. There are so many unnecessary protocols and bureaucratic runarounds to get the care and coverage I need, he said.

Esposito traveled to a VA hospital in Colorado eight years ago after being referred for spinal surgery. He said he was turned down for the surgery after an in-person exam and ended up paying for a private surgeon in the Philippines.

We pay for Jims medical care. All our retirement income goes for his care, said Therrie Esposito, his wife and full-time caretaker. She said it is difficult to cover household expenses without timely reimbursements.

Dont get me wrong. We appreciate the coverage we receive for Jims medical care. But we never know when we will be paid back, she said.

Veterans advocates said medical care payment overseas is often demanded up front and pay as you go.

I am 100% permanently and totally disabled as a result in my service for my country. Here in the Philippines costs for doctors visits are manageable. However, hospitals require advance payment prior to admission and extensive care, Michalski said.

Veterans and their caretakers who pay out of pocket fill out forms with the VA Civilian Health and Medical Program and then use the postal service to submit the claims, along with copies of paid medical bills and other documentation from their doctors.

The Medical City Clark in the Philippines where Michalski receives medical care stopped accepting the VA program in May because of excessive waits for payment, he said.

The hospital at TMC Clark had in place personnel that processed any required forms and waived any out-of-pocket costs for us. Recently TMC Clark suspended this program, Michalski said.

Under VA regulations, the agency is not authorized to reimburse veterans for travel expenses for certain services incurred in foreign countries as it does for those in the United States. Consequently, some veterans living in foreign countries might be unable to afford to travel to exams, according to veterans advocacy groups.

Esposito estimated the VA has covered only about 25% of the $28,000 that theyve paid for spinal surgeries in Manila and the United States, which includes their costs for travel.

Travel costs from our residence to Manila are not provided. Our travel costs to the U.S. for treatment also was not covered, he said.

Esposito said the VA in Manila advised him to move back to the U.S. if he wants his medical care and travel costs fully covered by the VA.

My wife is from the Philippines. This is our home now, he said.
Hamid and Emily Musad were convicted of making a false report and theft

A couple who received 16,500 from an insurance company after they falsely claimed their Toyota Hilux had been stolen were criticised by a judge for spinning a web of lies and deceit which affected the premiums of all motorists.

Hamid Musad (51) and his wife Emily Musad (46) from Oak Cottage, Kilmacow, Co Kilkenny, were both convicted of theft and making a false report to gardai following a three-week jury trial earlier this year.

They appeared in Kilkenny Circuit Court yesterday for sentencing before Judge Cormac Quinn.

Mr Musad, who had been on remand in Cloverhill Prison in Dublin since March 15, was jailed for two years while his partner received a four-year suspended sentence.

On December 22, 2018, the couple contacted gardai to say their 4x4 had been stolen overnight from the back of their home. When gardai called to the property to inspect the scene, a lock on the gate had been cut open.

The Musads said they originally had two keys for the vehicle but one of them was lost two years previously.

Prosecuting barrister Dylan Redmond BL said the 2011 Toyota Hilux was insured in Mr Musads name with no other named drivers on the policy.

Emily Musad later phoned Axa to make an insurance claim on behalf of her husband in relation to the alleged theft.

She said the original logbook, the vehicles licensing certificate and Mr Musads driving licence were also in the car. They still had the remaining key.

At this point, neither Axa nor gardai had any reason to dispute the theft and on January 31, 2019, the insurer paid out 16,500.

They owed him 10,000, but claimed they could not pay him as some of the cash had been in the glove compartment of the 4x4 that was stolen

A condition of the claim was that the car would become Axas property if it was ever recovered.

However, in the interim period, the couple had become involved in a dispute with a builder who carried out work on their house in December 2019.

They owed him 10,000, but claimed they could not pay him as some of the cash had been in the glove compartment of the 4x4 that was stolen.

He subsequently made a statement to gardai.

They claimed they received a threatening phone call from a man who had a Conor McGregor-like accent

In February 2019, gardai and Axa were then contacted by the Musads, who said they had recovered the 4x4, but most of the parts had been removed from it.

They claimed they received a threatening phone call from a man who had a Conor McGregor-like accent, and were told they would get their four-wheel drive back if they paid 8,000.

Despite being advised by gardai not to do so, they claimed they met with these unknown people at a rural crossroads in Kilkenny and handed over the money.

Mr Musad claimed the vehicle had been hot-wired and he drove it home. However, experts from Toyota and gardai disputed this. An insurance assessor and vehicle technician inspected the 4x4 at the home of the Musads in March 2019.

There were no signs of forced entry, all the door handles were intact and no windows had been broken. A locksmith gave evidence that it is not possible to hot-wire a modern car.

Axa made an official complaint to An Garda Siochana as it now believes the theft didnt happen and the couple had made false statements to both the insurer and gardai.

As Axa had paid out 16,500, it said the 4x4 was now its property and it made a number of attempts to have the vehicle lifted. However, these were unsuccessful.

The couple did not return the four-wheel drive after numerous requests from the insurer.

On May 20, 2018, gardai obtained a search warrant and called to the Musads home.

During the course of the search they obtained the original logbook and other documents that the couple claimed had been stolen from the car.

They also recovered the second key which the Musads claimed had been lost.

The 4x4 wasnt at the house as it was in a garage in Waterford to have engine repairs.

When gardai retrieved the car from the garage, the missing parts of the car had been restored.

The court heard that no money has been repaid to Axa and the vehicle has been in garda custody since 2019. It now has a very low nominal value.

Counsel for Mr and Mrs Musad said the couple have five children together and probation reports found they have a very low risk of reoffending.

They run a bird sanctuary at their home and regularly liaise with Dublin Zoo and Emerald Park.

Sarah-Jane Comerford BL, for Mr Musad, said her client moved to Ireland from Iraq 25 years ago. He has a good work ethic and has never been dependent on the State.

Philip Sheahan SC, for Ms Musad, said his client has a history of mental health difficulties

The court heard how he regularly cares for his grandson, who has autism, by providing animal therapy at the sanctuary.

A letter provided to the court from Mr Musads daughter said her son has suffered a huge setback since his grandfather was incarcerated in March.

A neighbour called Sean Kinsella also provided a reference, describing Mr Musad as a good family man who is very generous with his time.

Philip Sheahan SC, for Ms Musad, said his client has a history of mental health difficulties.

She is originally from Dunmore East in Co Waterford.

Ms Musad provided a letter expressing regret and remorse for her actions.

Judge Cormac Quinn said the couple spun a web of lies and deceit in their dealings with gardai and Axa.

On the theft charge, he sentenced Mr Musad to four years in jail with the final two years suspended.

He also sentenced him to two years for making a false report.

Both sentences will run concurrently and are backdated to March 15.

In relation to Ms Musad, Judge Quinn sentenced her to four years which he suspended in full for the theft of 16,500. He sentenced her to two years for the false report, which he also fully suspended.

He said he had to take into account her mental health difficulties and the impact on her younger children, who are aged 12 and 15.

An Axa spokesperson said the case justifies our policy of fighting insurance fraud to protect our customers.
Aaron Barwell (29) of Coldcut Park, Clondalkin, Dublin 22, pleaded guilty to one count of oral rape, one of rape and one of attempted rape

A Dublin man who raped two sex workers and attempted to rape a third in separate incidents over an eight-month period in 2021 has been jailed for 18 years.

Aaron Barwell (29) of Coldcut Park, Clondalkin, Dublin 22, pleaded guilty to one count of oral rape, one of rape and one of attempted rape on dates between January and August 2021.

The three victims were all working as escorts at the time, and each had a profile on a website listing their services.

The Central Criminal Court previously heard that Barwell arranged for each victim to come to his residence on separate occasions, where he carried out the offences.

Imposing sentence yesterday, Mr Justice Tony Hunt noted Barwell had committed a series of violent sexual offences against women.

Describing the facts of the case as abysmal, he noted that Barwell initially gave each victim an incorrect address, which he said showed a certain amount of deviousness in terms of planning.

The judge noted this was a case which involved considered, planned and serious sexual offending of a sequential variety. He said it is concerning that the second and third offences were committed in light of the first and that this case cries out for consecutive sentences.

The judge also noted the use of violence went beyond that inherent in the offences and that Barwell had falsely induced the victims to believe he was an ordinary customer.

Mr Justice Hunt said it appeared to the court that Barwell may have made a calculation that ladies who pursue this type of activity might be less tempted to bring it further.

However, the judge said, If that was part of his calculation, the gamble came spectacularly unstuck.

Mr Justice Hunt noted people who commit offences of this nature will pay a very heavy price.

The judge said that the days of a lenient approach to violence against women are gone.

If you choose to engage in that behaviour, a heavy price has to be paid. I think courts and society want that to be the position.

Referring to the victim impact statements, Mr Justice Hunt said they expressed the stress, anxiety, fear and long-term damage caused to the women.

He expressed the view that the stress and anxiety may never go away. Like anything else of a serious nature in life, one can accommodate oneself to these matters. But the clock can never be turned back.

Mr Justice Hunt set a total headline sentence of 36 years to reflect the gravity of the offending.

He said the court didn't think this was disproportionate to the wrongdoing in this case, noting that Barwell is a relatively young man who, with ordinary luck, would be able to serve a sentence of that variety.

However, Mr Justice Hunt said the court was conscious that 36 years is a significant period and having considered the principles of totality and proportionality, he reduced the headline sentence to 27 years.

Mr Justice Hunt said it would be unacceptable to have a sentencing regime which suggested that second or subsequent serious offending should come at little or no cost, and this must be considered to be aggravating.

The judge noted the mitigation, including the guilty plea, which was of significant importance and value.

He also said he took into consideration Barwell's age, background, his lack of previous convictions and the need to encourage rehabilitation.

Mr Justice Hunt handed Barwell a total sentence of 20 years, with the final two years suspended.

He further directed Barwell to undergo four years of post-release supervision, have no contact with any of the injured parties, and commit no further sexual offences in his lifetime.

Barwell had been due to stand trial at the Central Criminal Court late last year in relation to a total of 15 counts, including rape, oral rape, anal rape, false imprisonment, assault causing harm, making threats to kill or cause serious harm, and production of an article.

The court previously heard that a proposal was accepted by the Director of Public Prosecutions on the first day of the trial on the basis that the full facts were outlined during sentencing.

In the three separate incidents, the court previously heard Barwell contacted the victim and made arrangements for them to come to his place of residence to perform sexual services.

On January 29, 2021, a two-hour appointment was agreed between Barwell and the first complainant. He initially gave her an incorrect address and met her outside. When they went to his residence, Barwell directed her to the bedroom, then said he was going to the sitting room to get money.

He returned holding a rope and a hammer before pushing the woman onto the bed and demanding she perform oral sex on him.

The woman cried and said she would call gardai, to which he replied, F**k the gardai.

He forced her to perform oral sex. She later told gardai she was being tapped on the soles of her feet by Barwell using the hammer during this time.

He then pushed her face into the bed, tied her hands and masturbated over her.

The woman was very frightened. She managed to escape then contacted a friend before making a complaint to gardai.

Gardai carried out a search of Barwell's residence following this incident. A knife and cable ties were found in his pockets when he opened the door. Several items were seized during the search, including a small silver hammer.

He was not arrested following this search as the garda investigation was ongoing.

Barwell arranged with the second victim for her to come to his residence on August 13, 2021.

He brought her to the sitting room and locked the door behind them. He seemed to be under the influence of drugs and asked the woman the cost of her services.

He then told her he was going to get money from the bedroom before he took out a screwdriver and put it against her neck.

He said, Don't mess with me, motherfucker and threatened to kill her. He then dragged the terrified woman to his bedroom and shouted at her to remove all of her clothing.

He pushed her face down onto the bed, then forced her to perform oral sex before raping her vaginally and anally. The court heard he was holding the screwdriver throughout.

Barwell apologised afterwards and described what happened as role-playing.

The complainant got dressed, and when she tried to leave, he offered her a glass of wine and told her she couldn't leave until he paid her. She gave him Revolut account details for a friend so he could make a payment.

The court heard that gardai did not become aware of this second incident until after the third victim contacted them.

Two weeks later, on August 27, an arrangement was made between the third victim and Barwell.

He took her to the bedroom and then shouted at her to remove her clothes. He was holding a screwdriver and told her they were going to have sex or he would kill her.

The woman started to scream and banged on the window, looking for help. He threatened to kill her if she didn't shut up, then threw her onto the bed. He still had the screwdriver in his hand.

She fought back, kicking and slapping, and one kick connected to his nose, causing it to bleed.

Barwell called her a crazy bitch and told her to get out. The woman ran out of Barwell's apartment, and some passersby contacted the gardai.

The Garda Armed Response Unit attended the scene and made a forced entry. He was arrested and taken to a nearby garda station.

He was interviewed seven times, during which he accepted throwing the third victim on the bed but said she'd stolen from him.

He denied the allegations in relation to the other complainants and said the sexual contact was consensual. He suggested to gardai that the women had made up the allegations.

Barwell's house was searched again on August 29, and a screwdriver was recovered. He has been remanded in custody since August 2021.

The investigating garda agreed with Dara Foynes SC, defending, that her client has a cocaine addiction and around 5,000 worth of the drug was found in his house during the search in January 2021.

He later pleaded guilty to a charge of possession of cocaine for sale or supply, for which he received a suspended sentence.

It was further agreed that the victims said Barwell appeared to be under the influence of drugs during each incident and that he made no attempt to conceal his identity.

The garda accepted that Barwell was initially deemed unfit for interview and had no convictions prior to this. It was also agreed that he was pepper sprayed when gardai forced entry into his home.
The abuse occurred on a weekly basis in the family home in Dublin

A man who sexually abused his younger brother when he was a bullying and controlling teenager has been jailed for 20 months.

The 32-year-old man pleaded guilty to nine counts of sexual assaulting his brother between 2000 and 2002, when he was aged between 14 and 16 and his brother was aged between nine and 11.

The abuse occurred on a weekly basis in the family home in Dublin and included mutual masturbation and one incident where the man made his brother give him oral sex. The court heard the brothers grew up in a household of widespread neglect, with their mother later jailed for serious crimes.

Imposing sentence, Ms Justice Karen OConnor said there was a significant age disparity between the brothers, noting: There is a significant difference between an 11-year-old and a 16-year-old.

She noted the older brother was bullying and controlling and that the abuse went on for a significant period spanning two years and four months. She said the man did not plead guilty to the offences until the start of his trial, which could not be considered an early plea.

A significant factor is the impact of the offending on the victim, the judge said. It has been devastating and on-going and will continue to live with him for the rest of his life.

In mitigation, the judge noted that the man was himself a child during the offending and that they grew up in a house where neglect was widespread, with issues around toilet training, feeding, hygiene and pornography.

She handed down a sentence of two years and suspended the final four months on a number of conditions. The man put his head in his hands and sobbed after the sentence was handed down.

In a victim impact statement previously read to the court, the victim said his brother knew what he was doing was wrong and took advantage of his trust.

The victim said his brother manipulated their relationship as brothers and stole his right to positive family relationships.

He said the accused is not a brother in his eyes and doesnt deserve the positive sentiment that word denotes.

He described his brother as a self-interested coward who never made any attempt to right the wrong.

He said his brother was given multiple opportunities to accept his guilt, but delayed in the hope that he would not continue the criminal process. His denial has compounded my pain.

An investigating garda told Diarmuid Collins BL, prosecuting, at a previous hearing that the victim became uneasy after a conversation with a school friend in 5th or 6th class about a sexual issue.

The victim didnt remember being told not to tell anyone, but he knew what was going on between him and his older brother was a secret.

The court heard that the abuse occurred while the TV on and was usually initiated by the teenager. The victim accepted he occasionally initiated the contact, as he felt it was the only source of bonding with his older brother, who was controlling and bullying.

The abuse also occurred in the bedroom which the boy and his older brother shared.

The court was told that the final incident of abuse occurred in their bedroom.

The teenager told the boy that they were going to do something more mature, but the boy initially refused.

The teenager said he would count down 10 seconds and the victim felt he didnt have a choice but to comply. The boy became distressed as the teenager began to count, and it stopped.

The victim described this as the first time he pushed back against his brother as he realised what was happening wasnt right.

A couple of months later, the boy threatened to tell his older brothers friends about the abuse. The teenager was shocked and the boy felt empowered.

The court heard the brothers relationship became distant, and while they shared a house for a period of time, they werent close.

In 2017, serious offending by their mother came to light for which she was later jailed.

During a family meeting to discuss this issue, the victim told family members about the abuse in the presence of his brother. The older brother said he didnt know it was wrong, and that he himself had been the victim of sexual abuse at the hands of a neighbour.

The victim made a complaint to gardai in 2019.

Another brother recalled the accused telling him that he and the victim touch each other and asking if he wanted to join in.

The investigating garda told the court that the accused made some admissions when he gave a statement in relation to the mothers offending but refused to sign their notebook.

When interviewed voluntarily, he denied the allegations. The man accepted there was some sexual contact between him and the victim when they were children but said he had been too young to comprehend it and has since undergone counselling.

He has several minor convictions for road traffic matters.

The investigating garda agreed with Hugh Hartnett SC, defending, that the family background was highly dysfunctional with some neglect of the children in terms of toilet training, hygiene, and feeding them.

The garda also agreed with Mr Hartnett that his client's family background was tragic and unregulated. The man broke down in tears while the victim impact statement was read and again while his counsel cross-examined the garda.

It was further accepted that his client admitted the abuse in front of his brothers and father during a family meeting in 2017. The garda also agreed that it appeared that the accused and the victim had maintained some level of relationship.

In a victim impact statement read out by Mr Collins, the victim said the accuseds actions have had a lasting impact on his life.

He outlined that he suffered with depression, anxiety, suicidal ideation and the abuse committed by the accused was the root cause of the issues.

The victim said there is another world where he would ask for leniency, but he believes his brother must face the full force of the law to confront his wrongdoing.

The victim noted that he has undergone years of counselling and will have to live with the emotional damage caused by his brothers actions for the rest of his life.

The victim said the judicial process had compounded his pain and that victims shouldnt have to bear the burden of campaigning for a fairer justice system.

Mr Hartnett said this was a extraordinary but highly exceptional case due to the familys dysfunctional background.

He suggested this may explain his clients behaviour and lessened his moral culpability as the offending took place within the context of a totally out-of-control household.

He asked the court to take into consideration his clients guilty plea, admissions, work history and young age at the time of the offending.

A probation report, psychological report and a number of testimonials were handed to the court.

He said his client is now in a relationship and has a young child. His client has also undergone counselling and is willing to engage with relevant services.

Mr Hartnett said his client was deemed at low risk of re-offending and despite the adversity of his childhood, his client appears to be a caring, responsible, mature adult with a partner and a child.

He asked the court to consider a non-custodial sentence as his client appears to be rehabilitated.
Keith Walker was a friend of OConnors who was murdered at a pigeon-racing event in 2015 with OConnor believing that he was the intended target

A Kinahan cartel associate took part in a murder conspiracy while "haunted" by the belief that he was the intended target of a gunman in drag who shot down his innocent friend, the Special Criminal Court has heard.

Jason Jay OConnor (46) of Whitestown Grove in Blanchardstown, Dublin 15, had been accused of the attempted murder of Charlie Cooper at Parslickstown Green, Mulhuddart, Dublin 15, on December 5, 2016, but pleaded guilty in May to the reduced charge of conspiracy to murder, which the State accepted.

Mr Cooper was seriously injured when he was shot multiple times at his home. However, he was treated in intensive care for his wounds and made a recovery.

At the Special Criminal Court today, Detective Garda Inspector Liam Donoghue named the organisation that O'Connor has admitted helping as the Kinahan crime group.

At the non-jury court today, Det Insp Donoghue told Sean Gillane SC, prosecuting, that OConnor conspired with persons unknown in the plot to murder Mr Cooper and that 10 shots were fired in the attempt on Coopers life in the kitchen of his Parslickstown home in December 2016.

Gardai at the shooting scene in Parslickstown

During the course of the investigation, searches of addresses in December 2016 yielded electronic devices of interest to gardai, including an encrypted Blackberry phone located at OConnors home.

Det Insp Donoghue told Mr Gillane that in October 2016 OConnor messaged an associate saying that he just wanted to feel normal and that the Walker death broke me.

Keith Walker was a friend of OConnors who was murdered at a pigeon-racing event in 2015 with OConnor believing that he was the intended target, as Mr Walker was driving OConnors car at the time.

Christopher McDonald (then 34), from the East Wall area, was found guilty by unanimous verdict at the Central Criminal Court in 2017 and sentenced to life imprisonment for the murder of Mr Walker (36), at the Blanchardstown Pigeon Racing Club car park on Shelerin Road, Clonsilla, on June 12, 2015.

That trial was shown CCTV footage of McDonald, dressed in drag, waiting to carry out the hit. Several witnesses said they saw a man dressed in women's gym clothes in the area, carrying a handbag and wearing a long black wig. One witness reported him to gardai after she saw him hanging around a creche beside the pigeon club.

Det Insp Donoghue said OConnor had messaged his associate in the aftermath of Mr Walkers death: I have a target. Need to show these junkies now. Anyone involved has to go. Eye for an eye.

Jason 'Jay' O'Connor

The court heard of exchanges between OConnor and his associate discussing the need for tracker devices and silencers for various operations concerning targets. One exchange records OConnor saying, Im up for it, regarding an operation described by his associate as a suicide mission.

Gardai from Blanchardstown also recovered other messages from the encrypted device referring to other operations with ongoing conversations about gun silencers, trackers, named targets and their movements.

One target was described as "duckin and divin" but messages revealed that OConnor and his associates were willing to wait for "as long as it takes", the court heard.

In another exchange, OConnors associate says that there were defo more jobs with OConnor replying that he needed to show the lads Im good at what I do.

Det Insp Donoghue said OConnor had 70 previous convictions that included assault, burglary and possession of a mobile phone in prison, with the majority of the remaining convictions relating to road traffic offences.

Keith Walker

Michael Bowman SC, for O'Connor, said the death of Mr Walker haunted his client into paranoia and psychosis and that in 2016 the defendant was mentally very unwell and suicidal".

Mr Bowman said OConnor, a father of four and a grandfather of one, had required psychiatric treatment and was on antipsychotic medication after Mr Walkers shooting.

Counsel said OConnor had a drug difficulty but had successfully engaged with an in-patient treatment centre in 2022 and had since experienced an extended period of sobriety.

Mr Bowman said his client had rekindled a relationship with his father, was in a supportive relationship and had entered an early guilty plea that showed there was no indication that he [OConnor] was ever going to trial.

Mr Bowman said his client fully appreciated the harm he caused and said that OConnor, who grew up in a violent environment and sought retribution, had also written a letter of apology.

Mr Bowman said OConnor was a realist, who accepted he was facing a lengthy sanction.

Counsel said OConnors actions were directly related to the death of Mr Walker and that OConnor had since disassociated himself with individuals involved in criminality.

Machine gun killer Christopher McDonald

Mr Bowman said OConnor had made "a significant turning of the page" and that his client was capable of making a positive contribution to his family and society.

Mr Gillane said OConnor was facing a maximum term of imprisonment of 15 years.

Mr Justice Tony Hunt, presiding, adjourned the matter for sentence finalisation to October 14.

OConnor, represented by Mr Bowman and Keith Spencer BL, instructed by solicitor Wayne Kenny, pleaded guilty to conspiracy to murder Charlie Cooper under Section 4 of the Offences against the Person Act 1861.

OConnor also pleaded guilty to the charge that he did between August 2, 2016, and December 7, 2016, both dates inclusive, within the State and with knowledge of the existence of a criminal organisation, participate in, or contribute to, activity intending to or being reckless as to whether such participation or contribution could, facilitate the commission of a serious offence by that criminal organisation or any of its member, to wit: murder.

OConnor is also charged with the possession of a 9mm firearm and 12 rounds of 9mm ammunition with intent to endanger life on December 5, 2016.

OConnor is further charged that he did between August 2, 2016 and December 7, 2016, both dates inclusive and within the State, with knowledge of the existence of a criminal organisation, participate in, or contribute to, activity intending to or being reckless as to whether such participation or contribution could facilitate the commission of a serious offence by that criminal organisation, or any of its members, to wit: the sale and supply of controlled drugs.
The court heard the woman, who cannot be named to protect her identity, was 31 and living in homeless accommodation at the time of the incident.

A man has been jailed for eight years for raping a homeless woman in Co Limerick five years ago.

Cristian Gogosiou (37) of Mount Kenneth Place, Limerick, had pleaded not guilty to one count of rape and one count of oral rape at a location in the county on September 26, 2019. He was convicted on both counts by a Central Criminal Court jury in Limerick earlier this year.

The court heard the woman, who cannot be named to protect her identity, was 31 and living in homeless accommodation at the time of the incident.

Detective Garda Enda Clifford told the court the woman was struggling with homelessness and addiction.

She said she encountered a man who was well-dressed with a beard and who asked her for sexual intercourse. He said hed give her 6,000 and jewellery.

The woman said she needed to go to the toilet and went down an alley. He took out a medium-sized flick-knife and said he would cut off her giblets. He pushed her towards the wall and penetrated her vagina without her consent. A used condom was later found on the ground. She was brought to the Sexual Assault Treatment Unit.

It took a year to identify him, but gardai finally apprehended Gogosiou on September 16, 2020. He admitted having sex and oral sex with the woman but said shed offered to do it for money.

In the course of the interview, he said he preyed on vulnerable women because it was easy. He did not accept the verdict of the jury, the court heard.

The court heard Gogosiou, who is originally from Romania, has 37 previous convictions in this jurisdiction and 12 foreign offences. The court heard the injured party did not attend court because she did not want to see Gogosiou again.

In a victim impact statement read to the court, the woman said she suffered from addiction issues at the time of the events.

She said she had been overcome by emotions and severe anxiety since the events. She thought she shouldnt bother going to the gardai because they would not believe a homeless person.

Ms Justice Siobhan Lankford handed down a 10-year sentence and suspended the last two years, backdating it to May 23, 2022, for time spent in custody. She also placed Gogosiou on the sex offenders register.

She said the aggravating factors were the use of a knife and the defence that she was doing it for money was not accepted by the jury.

The judge said she could not agree with defence counsel Colman Cody SC's view that the offending was in the lower range and said the aggravating factors were the vulnerability of the accused, the degrading nature of where it took place and his failure to enter a plea.

She said the offending fell into the category of a headline sentence of 12 years but reduced this to 10 years based on the mitigating factors of him being a Romanian and having to serve time in an Irish prison. She also noted that he had three children, one of whom is in Romania.
The cash, 341,000, was found in a shoebox hidden behind a kickboard underneath a wardrobe in a small bedroom that was being used as an office in the apartment.

A man who made almost 350,000 selling drugs from the apartment he shared with his wife and two young children has been jailed for six years.

Diego Dos Santos Carvalho (33) of Goldsmith Street, Phibsborough, Dublin, pleaded guilty at Dublin Circuit Criminal Court to having 80,165 worth of cannabis and being in possession of cash knowing it to be the proceeds of crime at his home on March 11, 2023.

The cash, 341,000, was found in a shoebox hidden behind a kickboard underneath a wardrobe in a small bedroom that was being used as an office in the apartment.

Carvalho also admitted to possession of a smaller amount of the drug, 3,933 worth of cannabis, which was found in his vehicle on the same day.

Judge Elva Duffy said Carvahlo accepts that he was dealing drugs and was doing so from a small bedroom in an apartment.

She said this was a drug dealing business being carried out in the family home in the presence of his very young children.

Judge Duffy accepted that Carvahlo co-operated with the garda investigation, telling officers where they could find the drugs and admitting that the money came from selling drugs.

She further accepted that he had no previous convictions and had been working in Ireland from the time he arrived here, 10 years previously, from his native Brazil.

He realises the consequences of his actions have put his young family in a difficult situation, Judge Duffy said.

She set a headline sentence of eight years before imposing a sentence of six years for the drug offence and a concurrent term of four years for the money laundering.

Shane OCallaghan BL, prosecuting, told the court that Carvalho co-operated with the garda search and showed officers where to find the drugs. The money was found in a shoebox behind the kickboard underneath a wardrobe. The drugs were found in individual street deals.

Mr OCallaghan said Carvalho took responsibility for the drugs in an attempt to exonerate his wife.

Garrett Casey BL, defending, submitted that his client is deeply ashamed to be before the courts today and knows he is paying a high price for his mistakes.

He acknowledged it was a very serious case when Judge Duffy commented that it was a very profitable business his client was engaged in.

Mr Casey asked the court to take into account his clients considerable co-operation with the investigation and his remorse for his involvement.
The couple married in 1990 after Mrs Sheridan had answered an ad listed as a quiet man in Irelands Own magazine.

John Sheridan (70) of St Aidan's Villas , Enniscorthy Co Wexford, who received a 18 month suspended sentence for the assault of his then wife on dates between 1994 and 2002. Photo Collins Courts

John Sheridan (70) of St Aidan's Villas , Enniscorthy Co Wexford, who received a 18 month suspended sentence for the assault of his then wife on dates between 1994 and 2002. Photo Collins Courts

John Sheridan (70) of St Aidan's Villas , Enniscorthy Co Wexford, who received a 18 month suspended sentence for the assault of his then wife on dates between 1994 and 2002. Photo Collins Courts

A Wexford man has been given an 18-month suspended sentence for beating his wife and ordered to hand over his interest in the family home to her.

John Sheridan (70) had pleaded not guilty to four counts of assault occasioning bodily harm and three counts of assault causing harm to Ann Sheridan (64) on dates between January 1, 1994 and June 30, 2002.

Sheridan of St. Aidans Villas, Enniscorthy, was convicted by a jury following a trial at The Central Criminal Court earlier this year.

The couple married in 1990 after Mrs Sheridan had answered an ad listed as a quiet man in Irelands Own magazine. The court heard he was 36 and she was 30, and the marriage was difficult from the outset. She would be berated if her cooking was not to his liking.

John Sheridan (70) of St Aidan's Villas , Enniscorthy Co Wexford, who received a 18 month suspended sentence for the assault of his then wife on dates between 1994 and 2002. Photo Collins Courts

Garda Aine OConnell told the court a year after the marriage, he took voluntary redundancy and did nixers.

The verbal abuse started as soon as she got married, and the physical violence started a year after the birth of their son in 1993, where he would hit her with an open hand.

On one occasion, when she was pregnant, he threw a bedroom locker at her, which she narrowly avoided but said she didnt feel the baby move until 4 am the next morning. The assaults would happen twice a week, and she would be left bruised and marked under her clothing, the court heard.

After the birth of their daughter in 1997, the physical abuse progressed from hits with an open hand to using a closed fist. After she had healed, hed give her what he referred to as a renewal.

He would refer to her as a leppy as she was epileptic, and he said that this was the cause of her bruising. She said she was breastfeeding her younger child, and hed rabbit punch her. The court heard this is a country term for a punch with a closed fist.

On another occasion, she was in a room with her two children when he came towards her, and when she tried to run away, he kicked her in the coccyx with his steel-capped boot. He also kicked her in a part of her leg where she had no feeling, as shed previously had a skin graft. She did not feel any pain at the time in that part of her leg, but her son told her she was bleeding.

Her husband wouldnt allow her to go to the doctor that evening, the court heard. She was allowed to go to the doctor the next day, and Sheridan told her to say she slipped on a toy. She said the abuse was happening twice weekly at that time.

He left the family in 2000 and has had no contact with his children since. When interviewed by Gardai, Sheridan admitted hitting his wife but denied kicking her. The court heard he had no previous convictions.

In her victim impact statement, the woman said, I was married for 10 years, being abused from the first day.

She said she suffered pain in her coccyx after being kicked by his steel-capped boot and had pain in her leg. She said she stood sideways at the cooker because she was always being pushed into it.

I cant deal with silence in company because it means abuse, so I keep talking, she said.

To this day, the emotional pain never goes awayIm only a shell of the woman I once knew, she added.

I never had freedom in my marriageobedience was always demanded of me in all areas of my life  as they say, Love, honour, obey.

Under cross-examination by Colman Cody SC, defending, Gda O Connell agreed that Sheridan was now in a new relationship and has no contact with his children.

She also agreed he was co-operative with gardai and indicated that he had assaulted her on three or four occasions but said it was with an open hand and denied kicking her.

In mitigation, Mr Cody said: The how and why is very much in dispute. His client admitted he was guilty of assaulting her but not to the degree alleged.

Mr Cody said his client is not the person as depicted by his wife. At all times, he was a good provider and said he wasnt coping.

He said Sheridan has lost his family he had with his wife and has already been punished.

He felt he was a man who couldnt deal with the situation at the time, Mr Cody added.

A summarised psychiatrists report conducted in July 2000 said that after the events he said he contemplated committing suicide and is suffering from an adjustment disorder, the court heard.

He felt he had not been treated fairly by the family courts, said Mr Cody.

Is it in the interest of justice to send this elderly man to prison? Mr Cody asked the court.

This is a case where there are no winners, he added.

Ms Justice Siobhan Lankford said the pattern of abuse would now be considered as coercive control but that he was guilty of assaults on his then-wife.

She noted he was a different man now and is in a new relationship for the past 20 years with his new partner, saying he is supportive.

The judge said a report from his consultant psychiatrist stated he had made two attempts at taking his life in 2000 and noted he had an adjustment disorder.

The judge noted that there was no plea and no concrete admission of remorse. The judge also noted there was no medical evidence available to the court. However, she said there was no useful purpose in sending him to prison. She ordered that Sheridan hand over his interest in the family home to her and said it was on that basis she was giving him a suspended sentence.

She set a headline sentence of three years for the assaults but reduced this to 18 months, suspending it in its entirety.

She further ordered that he stay away from her and his children and must not approach them unless invited to.

The case will be mentioned again on October 7 next to follow up on the status on the transfer of the house.
Judge Francis Comerford at Ennis Circuit Court imposed a suspended 30-month prison term on Colin Curtis

A 38-year old man who held down his then girlfriend telling her: You are not leaving this house, bitch, until you are dead during a vodka-fuelled assault has avoided a prison sentence.

Judge Francis Comerford at Ennis Circuit Court imposed a suspended 30-month prison term on Colin Curtis of Horseshoe Grove, Crusheen, Co Clare.

Mr Curtis pleaded guilty to the assault causing harm and threatening to kill the woman on May 26, 2023 at an apartment on Parnell Street, Ennis.

In sentencing, Judge Comerford said Curtis had terrorised the woman during the one-hour ordeal at her apartment in what was a horrendous assault.

Judge Comerford said that it was a very bad assault where the woman suffered a series of injuries, though none were grievous. He added that what occurred was an instance of domestic violence. He said that since initially hearing the facts of the case at Kilrush Circuit Court, he had come around to a different way of thinking in the sentencing in the case.

Judge Comerford said that the mitigation features in the case touch the exceptional circumstances where the court can impose a wholly suspended sentence.

The judge said noted Curtis, since the offence, had done everything that could be anticipated by someone who wanted to mend their ways.

Judge Comerford said in reaching his decision he was not for a moment not conscious of the vulnerability of the victim.

He commented that some people think getting a suspended sentence just means getting off completely".

He said: The superior courts have recognised that a suspended sentence is a sentence because at any stage if he breaches that or if Mr Curtis gets drunk or got involved in any alterations, then he will be serving the prison sentence in full."

After imposing the suspended prison term and Curtis agreed to comply with all directions of the Probation Service for the next 12 months, Judge Comerford said: We will see where that brings him.

Judge Comerford said that Curtis pleaded guilty, was disgusted by what he did, had shown remorse, is addressing his alcohol addiction, has got work and was in the throes of addiction at the time of the assault.

He said that no previous convictions for this type of offence.

Judge Comerford said that Curtis has brought 4,500 to court for his victim.

The victim in the case was not in court for either day of the sentencing hearing and did not provide a victim impact statement.

On the night in question, she escaped the apartment by foot and ran down Abbey Street to the local Garda station where she presented herself at 11.55pm with bruises all over her body.

In her statement to gardai, the woman said that during the assault, Curtis held her to the floor and told her You are not leaving this house, bitch, until you are dead'.

Counsel for the State, Lorcan Connolly SC (instructed by State Solicitor, Aisling Casey) said that the woman described Mr Curtis punching her in the face and pulling her around the sitting room like a rag doll.

Mr Connolly told the court that the woman presented at the Garda station with numerous injuries to her head including a lump on her forehead and swelling on both sides of her jaw.

Mr Connolly said that the womans chin was bleeding while she also had marks on her neck, arms and fresh bruises on both of her legs.

Garda Jonathan Ryan said that the woman told him that she had just been assaulted by her boyfriend and he said that one injury to the side of the womans upper face was particularly noticeable.

Garda Ryan said that gardai then went to the apartment where they found blood spatters inside the door and various locations around the kitchen.

Gardai had to break down the locked door to a bedroom where they found Curtis asleep.

A neighbour in the adjoining apartment heard a womans voice saying stop it, stop it and the screaming went on for an hour.

Garda Ryan said Curtis was not fit to be interviewed that night but when interviewed the following day, he was co-operative and admitted the assault.

When shown photos of the womans injuries, Curtis was apologetic and very remorseful.

The garda said two bottles of vodka were drunk on the day with the two sharing the first bottle and Curtis drinking the contents of the second bottle by himself.

Curtis has 25 previous convictions, mainly for road traffic offences.

Garda Ryan said that there has been no communication since between the two.

In the court, counsel for Curtis, Patrick Whyms BL (instructed by solicitor, Tara Godfrey) told the court that Curtis wishes to apologise to the woman.

Mr Whyms said that what occurred was a bad incident.

Mr Whyms said what occurred is out of character - there is no previous offending of this sort at all but he knows he cant get a pass on bad behaviour because of that.

He then presented a number of character references on behalf of Curtis, including one from a former girlfriend and a second from his current girlfriend.

Mr Whyms said his current partner describes their relationship as loving and caring and confirmed Curtis had stopped drinking and using drugs.
Charges date back to the Eighties

This is the Co Down woman accused of indecent assault on a child dating back four decades.

Hazel Templeton is also charged with inciting the child to engage in acts of gross indecency with her between July and August 1984.

The 79-year-old appeared for the first time at Belfast Magistrates Court last week on a total of eight offences under the Children and Young Persons Act (Northern Ireland) 1968.

Belfast Magistrates' Court at Laganside

The short preliminary enquiry hearing saw the case sent to Belfast Crown Court on a date to be fixed.

Templeton, of the Ballyrainey Road in Comber, was freed on her own bail of 500 and ordered not to have any contact with the complainant.

An application for legal aid was also granted by District Judge Steven Keown.
OBrien worked closely with Kinahan-linked haulier Thomas Maher, from Clara in Co. Offaly

Huge amounts of cash and drugs were also discovered

Huge amounts of cash and drugs were also discovered

One of the vehicles seized in the operation

Huge amounts of cash and drugs were also discovered

A UK-based gang with Irish links who trafficked more than 1.2 billion of drugs through Ireland, Britain and Europe have been jailed for a total of 195 years.

London-based Paul OBrien (57) was at the top of a dirty dozen of dangerous men who have been jailed following an investigation by the London Metropolitan Police and the UKs National Crime Agency (NCA).

OBrien worked closely with Kinahan-linked haulier Thomas Maher, from Clara in Co. Offaly, who is serving a 14-year jail sentence in the UK for money laundering and drug trafficking.

The NCA described Maher as the logistics man for a number of crime groups, moving drugs and profits across Europe for gangs including the Kinahans.

Thomas Rooney

Gardai arrested several people in Ireland linked to the network, including Drogheda-based criminal Thomas Rooney  a man described in court as an industrial scale money launderer for an international crime gang.

London-based career criminal OBrien, who was jailed for 21 years for his involvement in the crime network, was identified through Operation Venetic, which targeted UK-based criminals using the encrypted EncroChat communications network which hacked through an international police operation.

Huge amounts of cash and drugs were also discovered

NCA Branch Commander Martin Clarke said: The NCA were able to work in collaboration with the Met to share information which enabled us to identify and dismantle this organised crime group in its entirety.

The criminal network was international in its scope, with connections to drug suppliers across the globe. Our work with the Met has resulted in significant custodial sentences for the gangs members, and demonstrates our commitment to do all we can with our law enforcement partners to protect the public by targeting the organised criminal networks causing most harm to the UK.

Met police first began investigating the west-London-based gang headed up by OBrien and Lee Mortimer in 2020.

Thomas Maher

On May 29, 2020, after conducting surveillance on one of the known gang members, Met officers intercepted a drugs exchange between OBrien and Mortimer and other members of the gang.

This led to a series of arrests, and officers seized more than 160kgs of cocaine as well as over 1million (1.18million) in cash and other high-value assets, including vehicles and jewellery.

That investigation enabled Met officers to identify members of another drug gang operation in Greater Manchester headed by Jonathan Strogylos.

Authorities accessed the networks EncroChat messages which revealed they imported more than 8.5 tonnes of cocaine between 2017 and 2020 valued at more than 1.2billion.

One of the vehicles seized in the operation

Strogylos was jailed for 31 years in June for conspiring to import and supply cocaine.

Working in partnership with Essex police, Met officers made a further series of arrests and seized 138kg of cocaine and 8kg of heroin.

The EncroChat hack led police to discover arrangements for transporting cocaine and 900,000 in cash between OBrien who was using the handle ONEDIAMONDGEE and another criminal.

The conversation revealed that two vehicles  a truck and a car  met near the village of Uddel in the Netherlands for a hand-off of more than 1m worth of drugs on April 4, 2020.

The drugs were transported to the UK the same day before arrangements were made for them to be collected in Louth.

Gardai were involved in the Irish side of the operation and on April 10, 300,000 in cash linked to OBrien was collected in Louth and transported to the Netherlands by car.

Huge amounts of cash and drugs were also discovered

On May 11, a second cash consignment of 600,000 was collected from a bus station in Drogheda, which was to be transported to the Netherlands.

Gardai were carrying out a surveillance operation and moved in to seize the cash and arrested a three people including Thomas Rooney (52) of Bettystown, Co Meath, who was an associate of Thomas Maher.

Rooney was described in court as a mid- to high-level operative in the gang who set up times and locations to move huge sums of cash and had an encrypted phone only used by senior gang members.

Rooney was jailed for six years by the Special Criminal Court in 2020.

His then-partner Catherine Dawson, a care worker, was given a fully suspended sentence by the Special Criminal Court for her role in moving the gangs money.

Huge amounts of cash and drugs were also discovered

The third person convicted over the cash haul, Jason Reed, was a volunteer with a Dublin soup run, but also a trusted high-level member of the Kinahan Cartel and was jailed for seven years last July.

He was not known to Gardai before the operation.

Rooney worked for Maher, who ran a money-laundering and drug-trafficking operation and worked with other criminal groups, including OBriens outfit and the Kinahan Cartel.

Maher, who is from Offaly but also lived in the UK, has been involved in organised crime for more than 20 years and was also arrested by UK police investigating the deaths of 29 Vietnamese migrants in a truck container in Essex in 2019; however, he was later released without charge.

Maher was jailed for 14 years and eight months at Liverpool Crown Court in December 2020, after admitting importing Class A drugs into the UK and two charges of money laundering.

Paul O'Brien's ledger

Two weeks after Rooneys arrest here, OBrien was arrested at his home in Uxbridge in the UK and identified as the ONEDIAMONDGEE EncroChat user after his device was seized.

He later pleaded guilty to three counts of conspiracy to commit a crime abroad and was jailed for 21 years last November.

A total of 12 people were arrested as part of the UK arm of the operation and between them received sentences totalling 195 years.

Those 12 all have addresses in the UK with the exception of one man with an address in Poland, but some of those convicted have links to Ireland, including Anthony Sheehan (37), who was living in Berkshire but has ties to Limerick.

Sheehan, of Hilltop Close Ascot, was sentenced to four years imprisonment at Isleworth Crown Court on Wednesday 9 September 2020 for conspiracy to supply cocaine.

The final gang member to be convicted was John Maguire (65), from Manchester, who was sentenced to 16 years and 11 months imprisonment at Isleworth Crown Court on Friday for conspiracy to supply cocaine.

Detective Chief Superintendent Ella Marriott, head of the London Regional Organised Crime Unit, said: This is an investigation that demonstrates how Met officers are going above and beyond to make London safe by removing drug dealers from the capital and other parts of the UK.

This is community crime-fighting at its best, removing offenders who impact the lives of those around them. Weve seen time and again that the supply of drugs has devastating consequences on communities.

It causes addiction, has devastating health impacts and leads to anti-social behaviour and violence. That is why we are determined to crack down on drugs and the gangs that exploit vulnerable people, while also working with partners to support drug users through addiction.

This investigation should serve as a message to criminals and gang members bringing drugs onto our streets  we will come after you and we will bring you to justice, she said.
This attack was extremely sinister in nature and could have led to loss of life.

A prison officers home has been targeted in an extremely sinister arson attack prompting calls for immediate measures to protect staff.

The officer works for a specialist unit involved in targeting organised criminal gang members behind bars, according to sources.

The chief suspects thought to have ordered the attack belong to a Limerick-based gang, it was added.

The same gang are known to have threatened prison staff in the past.

In a statement the Prison Officers Association (POA) said they utterly condemn the cowardly arson attack on a prison officers home during the night.

This attack was extremely sinister in nature and could have led to loss of life.

POA Deputy General Secretary Gabriel Keaveny said: We have no doubt that this horrific attack related to the prison officers work.

We now call on the Minister for Justice and the Garda Commissioner to take whatever action is necessary to ensure that prison officers and their families are safe in their own homes.

The government have a responsibility for the safety and security to its employees.

The POA is now seeking an urgent meeting with the Director of the Prison Service to discuss the attack.

There have been similar instances of attacks on prison officers homes in the past, which understandably are a shocking ordeal for prison officers and their families, it was added.

It is now important that the perpetrators of this cowardly and frightening attack are brought to justice.

We will be offering continued support to the prison officer involved and his family as they deal with this shocking ordeal.

The Irish Prison Service issued a statement that said any act of violence against a prison officer is unacceptable.

Any criminal act carried out within our prisons, including assaults or threats on a staff member, are reported to An Gardai Siochana for investigation and prosecution. 

Staff who are subject to an assault or threat in our prisons are given the necessary supports through the employee assistance programme.

It was also pointed out that specific laws exist in relation to assaults against prison officers which can lead to a maximum 12-year sentence.

More to follow...
"This other girl had got these girls out and she was stabbed many times in the back and chest.

A young dance teacher is fighting for her life in hospital after trying to defend her students from the rampant knife attacker in the UK.

Leanne Lucas (35) was holding a Taylor Swift-themed dance class when a hooded man targeted adults and children as young as six just before midday on Monday in Southport, Merseyside.

Two children were killed and nine others were injured in the stabbing. Merseyside Police said a third girl, aged nine, died in the early hours of Tuesday morning following the deaths of two other girls, aged six and seven, in the attack.

Five of the injured children remained in critical condition on Monday night. Two adults were also injured and were in critical condition, according to UK police.

A post from a friend of Leanne read: "Im absolutely devastated. Please please pray for Leanne. Leanne came on my training course in December.

" A beautiful young creative girl who was so passionate about helping children. I just cant believe it. Please pray, wrote Sunshine Yoga on social media.

The Hart Centre (Google)

Liverpool police confirmed on Monday evening that a 17-year-old boy had been arrested and was being questioned on suspicion of murder and attempted murder.

Ms Lucas, a teacher, had organised the dance class and was among those rushed to hospital in a serious condition.

A school friend told The Telegraph: To my knowledge she organised it, she used to be a primary school teacher at a local school. I think she got into teaching before I did.

She was really, really lovely. I only knew her from high school. Quite quiet, she was a primary school teacher, she wanted to help people. Thats why you get into it, to do everything you can and thats what shes done.

The attack took place at a location called The Hart Centre, a pregnancy care centre on Hart Street in Southport.

Eyewitness Colin Perry told Sky News: "My colleague said you need to get out here now. He was carrying a young girl, both covered in blood. He was trying to look after her, keep her alive.

"Some of the neighbours were bringing others out. This other girl had got these girls out and she was stabbed many times in the back and chest.

"She was really critical. A neighbour was looking after. I was onto the place. You need to bring everybody. It was a nightmare, the biggest most horrific thing you could ever witness in your life. I thought he was going to kill them all.

"The parents were coming crying and screaming. I was screaming Theyre dying, they are bleeding to death.

"It was a sea of people. Its a nightmare, you want to just save them.

Hart Street Southport scene of the attack (Google Maps)

Hundreds of people from around Merseyside and beyond have been leaving comments online for yoga teacher, Leanne.

"I really hope she makes a full and healthy recovery, wrote one.

Another said: In my prayers, while a third added: "Praying for Leanne, the children and everyone recovering in hospital."

Ex-colleague Clare Dickson said: "Worked with Leanne in my last primary school, such a lovely, funny and caring person. couldn't believe it when i saw this picture. hope you're ok, love and thoughts to all involved, sending prayers, love and thoughts to Leanne xx"

"Leanne taught my son at Churchtown Primary and he loved her, she was amazing with him and is such a lovely woman. We will be praying for all the victims and sending healing vibes xx, wrote Sarah Ashby.

"So sad to hear this news, Leanne gets her printing done at our shop just up the road from where it happened at The Design Package, so sad to hear this news as you couldn't have a more nicer person teaching children, she is so passionate about what she does and such a lovely girl.

"So brave, like all on here posting I pray she recovers, so sad xxxx Thinking of all involved xxx, said a man called Peter Ashby.

A Facebook page also posted to say: "Leanne is the lady we do puppy yoga with, shes also the brave soul that tried to save so many children today in the Southport attack. Please everyone pray for her this evening as she remains critical in hospital."
The shaven-headed 23-year-old suspect appeared in a picture released by the United Arab Emirates authorities in a white T-shirt flanked by armed and masked police

Faissal Taghi, the son of Ridouan Taghi, has been extradited from the United Arab Emirates

Police in Dubai have released new photographs of the son of drug gang boss and Kinahan Cartel partner, Ridouan Taghi, who has been extradited from the United Arab Emirates.

Faissal Taghi, who is now in prison is due to appear in court this week to face gang-related charges in The Netherlands.

Before he was extradited, the shaven-headed 23-year-old suspect appeared in a picture released by the United Arab Emirates (UAE) authorities in a white T-shirt flanked by armed and masked police.

Described by Dubai police as a high-value target criminal, Faissal Taghi was wanted on an international arrest warrant for allegedly partaking in drug trafficking, money laundering and human trafficking. He has also been named as one of the leaders of the Angels of Death criminal organisation by police.

The Dutch citizen, who is the son of the Moroccan-born Ridouan Taghi, was arrested in Dubai in September 2023 at the request of Dutch authorities.

A 46-year-old wanted for international drug trafficking was also extradited.

According to media in the Middle East, Dubai Police said that Dutch Prime Minister Dick Schoof had praised the UAE for its cooperation on the extradition of Taghi.

In a statement, the Dutch Public Prosecution Service said: After arriving in the Netherlands, the suspects were transferred to the Dutch Prison and Probation Service (DJI).

They will be brought before the examining magistrate on Monday and Tuesday respectively.

The Netherlands is very grateful to the UAE authorities for their good cooperation in the extradition procedures.

Five military police specialists were on the flight with Faissal Taghi during the extradition process from Dubai to the Netherlands.

Taghis father and alleged accomplices were facing charges related to an alleged assassination campaign at the time of the son's arrest, according to AFP.

The elder Taghi, who was on the Netherlands most-wanted individual before his own 2019 extradition from Dubai, has been accused of running one of the countrys largest drug cartels and ordering a series of murders.

In February, a judge imposed a life sentence on the crime boss in the Marengo murder trial.

Taghi and accomplices had been charged over six assassinations, four attempted killings, and plans to murder several others.

However, according to Germanys public broadcaster Deutsche Welle organised crime still looms large in the Netherlands following the older Taghis sentencing.

Dutch criminal organisations comprised of people of Moroccan origin allegedly control much of the European drug trade and are referred to as the Mocro Mafia by Dutch media, the German news site reported.

The UAE and the Netherlands signed an extradition treaty as well as a treaty on mutual legal assistance in July 2023.

This led to the arrest of another member of the super-cartel, which included the Kinahans, of Bosnian-born Edin Gacanin in Dubai in 2022 at the request of Dutch authorities.

Gacanin who was wanted on suspicion of trafficking cocaine, was sentenced in absentia to seven years in prison last November.

Dubai authorities released him on bail in January, however, his current whereabouts remain unknown, according to an April report from the Organized Crime and Corruption Reporting Project.

Gacanin was also sanctioned by the US Treasury Department in March of last year after the US government described him in a release as one of the worlds most prolific drug traffickers.

The latest extradition of the two suspects shows "that criminals cannot consider themselves untouchable outside our borders," Justice Minister David van Weel said.

He thanked the police and the Public Prosecution Service for their "fantastic work," as well as organisations in the United Arab Emirates, according to his spokesperson.

Van Weel also stated that the extradition treaty with the UAE was "not a paper tiger, but functions and has an impact."

Irish authorities have yet to successfully persuade authorities in the UAE to allow the extradition of Kinahan Cartel suspects.

Senior cartel lieutenant Sean McGovern is wanted in Ireland in connection with the murder of innocent man Noel Duck Egg Kirwan and an arrest warrant has been issued.

Last September Garda Commissioner Drew Harris visited the desert kingdom to meet his police counterparts.

Gardai also want to charge McGovern with gangland offences relating to the murder attempt on Hutch associate James Mago Gately.

Originally from Crumlin, McGovern, who was once a key part of the Byrne Organised Crime Group and for years ran the Kinahan's Irish operation, moved to the Emirates full-time following the murder of Kirwan in December 2016.

He was named during the US sanctions as being wanted for murder and directing and participating in an organised criminal group.

Gardai stated last year that the High Court had issued a European Arrest Warrant for him.
Two children were killed after a suspected teenage knifeman attacked a Taylor Swift-themed holiday dance class on Monday morning

Two children dead and six critical following horror movie stabbings, say police

Six children and two adults remain in critical condition as police continue to question a 17-year-old boy over a deadly knife attack in Southport.

Two children were killed after a suspected teenage knifeman attacked a Taylor Swift-themed holiday dance class on Monday morning.

The boy, born in Cardiff, is being held on suspicion of murder and attempted murder following the attack in Hart Street, Southport, Merseyside Police said.

Further details of the victims, including age and gender, have not been given by police, who said they are not treating the incident as terror-related but added the motive remains unclear.

Several other children were injured in the stabbing while the two adults were hurt trying to protect the youngsters, the force said.

All the casualties are now being treated in hospitals, including childrens hospitals in Liverpool and Manchester.

Britain's King Charles said on Monday evening that he and the Queen had been profoundly shocked to hear of the utterly horrific incident in Southport today.

(left to right) Merseyside Head of Service Dave Kitchin, Merseyside Police Chief Constable Serena Kennedy, MFRS Chief Fire Officer Phil Garrigan and NWAS Cheshire, speaking to the media (James Speakman/PA)

Charles added: We send our most heartfelt condolences, prayers and deepest sympathies to the families and loved ones of those who have so tragically lost their lives, and to all those affected by this truly appalling attack.

And Prince William and the Princess of Wales said: As parents, we cannot begin to imagine what the families, friends and loved ones of those killed and injured in Southport today are going through.

We send our love, thoughts and prayers to all those involved in this horrid and heinous attack.

Thank you also to the emergency responders who, despite being met with the most horrific scenes, demonstrated compassion and professionalism when your community needed you most.

Following a police press conference on Monday evening, British Prime Minister Keir Starmer offered his condolences to the victims of the attack in Southport, and their families and friends, saying the whole country is deeply shocked.

The suspect is from Banks, a village outside Southport, and a road in the area was cordoned off by police on Monday afternoon.

Merseyside Police had declared a major incident at the scene in Southport, after receiving emergency calls at 11.50am on Monday, with armed response vehicles, 13 ambulances and the fire service descending on the scene, a school holiday club for children aged six to 11.

The children were attending a Taylor Swift event at the dance school when the attacker walked into the premises with a knife and began stabbing.

Emergency services near the scene in Hart Street, Southport (James Speakman/PA)

One local said one of the two adults injured in the attack locked herself in a room with children to protect them as eyewitnesses reported hearing screaming and seeing children covered in blood, suffering stab wounds.

Colin Parry, the owner of the Masters Vehicle Body Repairs 50 metres or so from the scene of the attack, told The Guardian he had a heated exchange with a young man he believed to be the attacker moments before the attack.

He said: He came down our driveway in a taxi and didnt pay for the taxi, so I confronted him at that point. He was quite aggressive he said: What are you gonna do about it? 

Mr Parry said the man he now believes was the attacker then turned and walked out of the driveway of his business.

Locals watch on as ambulances and police attend the scene after two children were killed and six others were left critical after a knife attack in Southport. (James Speakman/PA)

Moments later, Mr Parry said he received a phone call from a colleague who had run to the dance studio after he heard screaming that wasnt normal, he added.

Mr Parry said a member of staff saw about 10 kids go running past him, all bleeding, and one of them collapsed on the floor outside the neighbour next door.

I went out and theres two or three kids just lying on the floor. I mean, its a frenzied attack, he said.

Its not one stab. Hes gone crazy, the lads gone crazy.

The class was fully booked and was attended by 25 youngsters and included a dance and yoga workshop plus bracelet making.

Social media posts advertising the event, which said the class was open to children in Year 2  Year 6, have been inundated with comments in tribute to those who died and were injured.

One comment under the Swiftie event read: Shocking, overwhelmed with grief. Deepest condolences to all effected by this senseless cruel act of violence against the innocent children and families. Prayers of strength to endure.

Another said: Cant stop thinking about the tragic event that has happened today. Sending love to all affected.

A third directed a comment at the teachers of the class, adding: If you managed to get just one of those children out unharmed then you are a hero! Praying for your recovery and praying for all the children and families affected by this awful nightmare.
Both men lost their lives a three-vehicle crash on the R195 at Bellaney, around five miles outside Oldcastle, just after 4.30pm on Sunday

Funeral details have been announced for two men who died in a horrific motorbike crash in Co Meath over the weekend.

Mark Beaver Eager and Stuart (Stuewy) OConnell will both be laid to rest on Thursday following Funeral Mass in St Brigids Church, Oldcastle.

Both men lost their lives a three-vehicle crash on the R195 at Bellaney, around five miles outside Oldcastle, just after 4.30pm on Sunday.

On his death notice published on RIP.ie it states that Mark, of Stoney Road, Oldcastle, Co Meath (died) following a road traffic accident.

Predeceased by his mother Ann, the notice reads, Mark will be sorely missed by his heartbroken children Rhys and Ruby, their mother Ann-Marie, father Joe, brother Jason (Aisling), sisters Joanne and Karen, nephews Killian, Aaron, Evan, J P and Odhran, nieces Ava, Chantelle, Makala, Hannah and Heidi, great nephew Noah, close family members and his wide circle of heartbroken friends.

Stuart who was also from Oldcastle, Co Meath (died) tragically following an accident.

Stuart O'Connell

Predeceased by his Dad Frank, Granny Mary, Grandad Larry and Uncle Paddy, his notice reads. Beloved son of Angela, brother of Ann Marie, David (Lisa), Malina and Pauric (Sarah).

Stuart will be greatly missed by his loving partner Nikkol, sons Tyler and Theo, heartbroken mother, brothers, sisters, nieces, nephews, uncles, aunts, cousins, heartbroken friends and neighbours.

Both men will be reposing at Gibneys Funeral Home, Oldcastle on Wednesday from 4pm-7pm.

Funeral Mass will then take replace on Thursday in St Brigids Church, Oldcastle at 12 noon, followed by burial afterwards in the local cemetery.

In the condolences section for Mark, one person has left a message saying they were deeply saddened to hear of his passing, and wish to extend our heartfelt condolences to Rhys and Ruby, Ann-Marie, Joe, Jason & Aisling, Joanne and Karen, Killian, Aaron, Evan, J.P and Odhran, Ava, Chantelle, Makala, Hannah and Heidi, Noah, and extended family.

May Mark's memory be a blessing.

Another has offered: Condolences to all the family members. May Mark rest in peace.

For Stuart, one person has written to offer, deepest sympathies to Angela, Buffy, Malina, David, Pauric, Nikkol and the kids, may he rest in peace.

Another added that they were: Deeply saddened to hear of Stuart's passing, and wish to extend our heartfelt condolences to Angela, Ann Marie, David & Lisa, Malina, Pauric & Sarah, Nikkol, Tyler, Theo, and extended family.

Mark and Stuart, who were aged in their 30s and 40s respectively, were travelling in the direction of their home town when the crash happened. They were pronounced dead at the scene.

Two other male motorcyclists were taken to Tallaght University Hospital and Cavan General Hospital for medical treatment following the crash with serious injuries.

Earlier, Local Sinn Fein TD Johnny Guirke who knew both men and said the town of Oldcastle was in shock after the deaths of Mr OConnell and Mr Eager.

I know the two lads, and they are two nice lads who are well got around the town. Everybody would know them and your heart would go out to them and to the families, he said.

They were lovely lads and good characters, its just so sad.

It's very, very sad, and hard on the town. Even the lads in the fire service here that would have went out to that accident, every single one of them would have known them. Its an awful tragedy, he added.

We are thinking of the families and the firemen who also went out to the scene as every one of them would have known the two lads, he added.

On Facebook, a member of the Eager family posted a tribute to the two men.

Mark Eager

Unfortunately, today two best friends lost their lives in a road accident. They were fathers, sons, brothers, uncles, best of friends with everyone, the message said, adding that everyone has lost two great boys today. May they rest in peace.

A long-time friend of Mr Eagers paid a touching tribute to the two motorbike legends.

He said: Tragedy struck the Oldcastle community Sunday evening last, as two men lost their lives in a road traffic accident, one of which was my friend for over 20 years Mark Beaver Eager as we all knew him.

A crazy, but kind soul, many a good mission and laugh we had Beaver, those memories will never leave me. You will definitely never be forgotten my old friend and you will be sadly missed by so many all over this Irish land.

Gardai are appealing for any witnesses to either incident to come forward.

Any road users who may have camera footage (including dash-cam) and were travelling on the R195 road at Bellaney, Oldcastle, Co Meath, between 4pm and 5pm on Sunday, July 28, 2024, are asked to make this footage available to investigating gardai.

Any road users who may have camera footage (including dash-cam) and were traveling on the R161 road between Navan and Trim, Co Meath, between 9:30pm and 10pm on Sunday, July 28, 2024, are asked to make this footage available to investigating gardai.

Anyone with information is asked to contact Navan garda station on 046 9079930, Kells Garda Station on 046 928 0820, the Garda Confidential Line on 1800 666 111, or any garda station.
The Mater Misericordiae University Hospital has insisted that patients in need of emergency care will still be seen and has urged such patients to attend without delay.

The Mater Hospital is asking the public to avoid its emergency department (ED) where possible and has closed its Rapid Injury Clinic due to an IT issue.

The hospital has insisted that patients in need of emergency care will still be seen and has urged such patients to attend without delay.

However, it is advising patients with non-emergency conditions to attend minor injury units or visit their GPs.

It said that outpatient appointments are unaffected.

In a statement, the hospital said:

The Mater Misericordiae University Hospital is currently experiencing a systems problem which means that it cannot access patients Electronic Health Records, the statement read.

As a result, the Mater Hospital is appealing to the public, where possible, to avoid its emergency department (ED). The IT issue means that patients who present to the ED with non-urgent conditions are likely to experience lengthy waiting times to be seen. Unfortunately, the Maters Rapid Injury Clinic in Smithfield has also been impacted and is currently closed.

"Where possible, the Mater advises patients with non-emergency conditions to seek assistance from other parts of the health service such as other minor injury units or their GP.

However, any patient who is in need of emergency hospital care will be seen and the Mater would urge such patients not to delay and to seek such care.

All other outpatient appointments are unaffected at this time and patients should attend as anticipated.

We apologise for any inconvenience this causes to the public and wish to assure our patients that the hospital is doing everything it can to rectify the issue as quickly as possible.
Passengers with suitcases appeared to step over the activists and continue with their journeys.

Just Stop Oil supporters who blocked departure gates at Gatwick Airport have been arrested and are being removed, the airport has said.

Seven people entered the South Terminal at around 8am and "used suitcases with lock-on devices to block the departure gates", Just Stop Oil claimed.

A video shared by the group showed the protesters sitting on the floor inside the airport, blocking an entrance.

Passengers with suitcases appeared to step over the activists and continue with their journeys.

Sussex Police said eight people had been arrested over the incident.

A spokesperson added: "Police responded to a report that protesters were demonstrating near the security entrance at the South Terminal in Gatwick Airport at around 8am today.

"Eight people have been arrested on suspicion of interfering with public infrastructure, and a heightened police presence should be expected at this time.

"The airport is functioning as usual, and no disruption has been caused by protest activity."

A London Gatwick spokesman said: "London Gatwick is open and operating normally today.

"There are a small number of protesters at the airport who have now been arrested and are being removed from the airport."

In central London, environmental protesters have caused criminal damage and blocked access to an office building on Old Queen Street in Westminster, the Metropolitan Police said.

One person has been arrested for criminal damage, and the incident is ongoing, the force added.

Last week, 10 Just Stop Oil activists suspected of planning to disrupt Heathrow Airport were arrested.

None of the activists were able to get into the airport, police said.

The latest action is part of the "Oil Kills international uprising", the group said, taking place at airports around the world.

Mel Carrington, 63, a mother and former environmental consultant from Dorset, and Greg Sculthorpe, a mathematician from Doncaster, were said to be among the activists involved at Gatwick.

Earlier this month, the airport became the latest major airport to secure a High Court injunction in an attempt to stop would-be environmental activists trespassing on its land after receiving police intelligence over protest plans.

Timothy Morshead KC, representing Gatwick at the hearing, said such action could cause "severe disruption and financial loss" and "significant delays for passengers".

Sussex Police has been contacted for comment.
Taylor Swift shared her horror at the 'loss of life and innocence' in an emotional tribute on Instagram

Three girls killed in the stabbing in Southport have been named by Merseyside Police as six-year-old Bebe King, seven-year-old Elsie Dot Stancombe and Alice Dasilva Aguiar, nine.

In tribute to Bebe, her devastated family said: No words can describe the devastation that has hit our family as try to deal with the loss of our little girl Bebe.

Third child dies following knife attack in Southport

Meanwhile, the family of Alice Dasilva Aguiar paid this tribute: Keep smiling and dancing like you love to do our Princess, like we said before to you, youre always our princess and no one would change that. Love from Your Hero Daddy and Mummy.

Eight other children suffered stab wounds and five are in a critical condition, alongside two adults who were critically injured.

Alice Dasilva Aguiar (9) was one of the three children killed in a "ferocious" knife attack during a Taylor Swift event at a dance school (Photo: Merseyside Police/PA Wire)

The tragedy unfolded at a fully booked Taylor Swift-themed dance workshop, which quickly became something like a horror movie, witnesses to the stabbings have said.

Armed police detained 17-year-old boy from Banks and seized a knife in connection with the stabbings, which is not suspected to be terror-related. Merseyside Police said the motive is currently unclear, and the teenager remains in custody.

In a statement, Merseyside Police said: Merseyside Police can confirm the names of the three girls who were tragically killed in Southport on Monday (29 July).

They are Bebe King, six; Elsie Dot Stancombe, seven; and Alice Dasilva Aguiar, nine. Their families, who are being supported by specialist officers, have issued photographs and have asked that their privacy is respected at this time.

Bebe Kings family have shared the following tribute: No words can describe the devastation that has hit our family as try to deal with the loss of our little girl Bebe.

The family of Alice Dasilva Aguiar paid this tribute: Keep smiling and dancing like you love to do our Princess, like we said before to you, youre always our princess and no one would change that. Love from Your Hero Daddy and Mummy.

Forensic officers on Hart Street in Southport, Merseyside, where a man has been detained and a knife has been seized (James Speakman/PA)

Eight other children suffered stab wounds and five are in a critical condition, alongside two adults who were critically injured, police said.

Taylor Swift said she is completely in shock after the horror of the knife attack.

Swift said in a post on Instagram: "The horror of yesterday's attack in Southport is washing over me continuously and I'm just completely in shock.

"The loss of life and innocence, and the horrendous trauma inflicted on everyone who was there, the families and first responders.

"These were just little kids at a dance class.

"I am at a complete loss for how to ever convey my sympathies to these families."

Tributes have been paid on social media to the bravery of dance and yoga teacher Leanne Lucas after she was attacked in the incident.

Ms Lucas was named as an organiser of the event run by Southport-based business Enlighten in a post on Facebook.

UK Home Secretary Yvette Cooper is due to make a statement on the attacks in the House of Commons this afternoon, after earlier laying flowers at the police cordon.

She met first responders in the town this morning.

UK prime minister Keir Starmer could also visit Southport, Chancellor Rachel Reeves told Sky News.

At the scene, flowers and teddies had been left close to the police cordon in Hart Street.

Staff from Natterjacks Day Nursery laid flowers and a heart-shaped artwork, decorated with childrens handprints.

Emergency services near the scene in Hart Street, Southport where two children died and nine were injured. Photo: PA

A message on the artwork said: The brightest stars are now dancing with the angels in heaven.

Shine bright little ones, we will never forget your smiles and laughter.

People, including children, continued to arrive throughout the morning to lay tributes and some were in tears as they walked away.

One message in a Thinking Of You card said thoughts and prayers are with those affected and was signed Love  Southport.

Another said: Fly high with angels little ones.

Police have said that, although the motive for the attack is unclear, it is not believed to be terror-related.

The Daily Telegraph reported that businessman Jonathan Hayes was stabbed in the leg after attempting to disarm the attacker.

Taylor Swift completely in shock following deadly Southport stabbings

His wife Helen told the newspaper: Our office is in the same building as the dance studio. He heard screams and went outside, saw the attacker, saw that he had hurt a child and tried to take the knife off him and got stabbed in the leg.

She said she had been with her husband at the hospital all afternoon and added: Hes very upset that he wasnt able to be more help. Physically he will be OK, mentally I dont know.

Witnesses to the incident said the alleged knifeman arrived at the dance studio in a taxi and got out without paying.

One person told the Daily Telegraph the attacker had a black hooded top and was wearing a face mask.

The witness said the suspect then walked into the studio through a front door that was unlocked for fire safety reasons.

Merseyside Police Chief Constable Serena Kennedy said that, after receiving reports of a stabbing at 11.47am, officers were shocked to find that multiple people, many of whom were children, had been subjected to a ferocious attack and had suffered serious injuries.

Emergency services said the scene was horrific and chaotic as they arrived at the childrens club.

Police said the suspect, who was born in Cardiff, is from the village of Banks, just outside Southport, and a road in the area was cordoned off by detectives on Monday afternoon.

All the casualties are being treated in hospital, including childrens hospitals in Liverpool and Manchester.
A second group of 21 New Zealand firefighters, including some from the Bay of Plenty, are leaving today for Alberta, Canada, to help fight wildfires burning across the province.

This Bravo contingent is made up of four five-person arduous firefighting crews, including five personnel from the Department of Conservation, and a liaison.

Fire and Emergency New Zealand national commander Russell Wood says seven specialist personnel landed in British Columbia last week.

This second contingent will deploy for approximately five weeks. Theyll be firefighting in tough conditions, working hard to keep the communities of Alberta safe, he says.

More than 860 wildfires are burning across Canada as of 8am yesterday and 134 of these are burning across Alberta.

The conditions are challenging, with high heat warnings across western Canada contributing to the rapid spread and increased intensity of the wildfires.

Given the scale of the emergency in western Canada, its likely well receive further requests for support, Russell says.

Fire and Emergency takes the responsibility of providing international firefighting support seriously, but there is also value in using it to improve firefighters skills.

These deployments are extremely valuable for our firefighters and firefighting specialists. It gives them experience in different environments that they can bring back home, Russell says.

Fire and Emergency deployed personnel are from Northland, Auckland, Bay of Plenty, Hawkes Bay and Nelson Marlborough. The five DOC personnel are from Taranaki, Nelson Marlborough, Mid-South Canterbury, Otago and Southland.

- SunLive
NIWA scientists say that unprecedented ocean changes may impact key New Zealand fisheries.

The scientists have seen substantial changes in the ocean to the east of New Zealand, with possible impacts for important fisheries.

Since 2006, strong, full-depth ocean warming has occurred south of the Chatham Islands at around five times the global rate because of the ocean currents moving 120km west.

NIWA physical oceanographer Dr Phil Sutton says its the first time they have seen change through the full depth of the ocean off New Zealand.

"The water that sits along the Chatham Rise is known as the Subtropical Front - a unique area where cold, fresh water from the Southern Ocean meets warm, salty water from the subtropics," says Dr Sutton.

"The front runs from west to east, before dipping south. Over the years, it has gone through periods of warming and cooling, always coming back to baseline.

"However, since 2006, an area south of Chatham Islands started warming and hasnt stopped, and models predict this will continue until beyond 2100.

"This warming has resulted from the Subtropical Front moving to the west, a change observed in three different datasets that matches our modelling precisely - something thats rare in oceanography."

NIWA used ocean measurements from satellites and Argo floats - a fleet of robotic instruments that move up and down through the water column and drift with the ocean currents.

Phil Sutton inspects a decommissioned Argo float. Photo: NIWA / Luke McPake.

They found that areas that once contained cooler, fresher water are now warmer and saltier. This was seen at all depths, from the ocean surface to the seafloor.

NIWA principal scientist - fisheries Dr Matt Dunn says the biological impacts are yet to be determined but several local species will likely be affected.

"There are animals adapted to live on the warm northern side and others adapted to the cold southern side, so when warm waters encroach, youd expect the species that favour the warmer conditions to increase, and those that favour cold conditions to move away or disappear," says Dr Dunn.

"However, it might take a few years, or a few fish generations, for the scale of the changes to become clear."

An Argo float. Photo: NIWA / Luke McPake.

The Subtropical Front along Chatham Rise creates a unique habitat that supports some of the most productive deep-sea fisheries in the world, where important hoki and orange roughy fisheries take place, including the oldest and largest orange roughy fishery in the world.

This is of great importance to New Zealands economy. According to MPI, over 200,000 tonnes of fish are caught from New Zealands deepwater fisheries each year.

"I remember when I first started working at NIWA, I was told that this Subtropical Front doesnt and wouldnt ever move - that the geography of the seabed has locked it in place," says Dr Dunn.

"So, these changes are unexpected. Because were watching it happen for the first time and dont have anything to compare it to, we will only know the biological and fisheries impacts as they happen."

Changes in marine heatwave number of days/year (late-early). b) change in windstress and MSLP (late-early), with zonal-average changes. Image: NIWA.

NIWA marine physics modeller Dr Graham Rickard says the changes have occurred because of two mechanisms.

"The oceans in mid latitudes have warmed more than the oceans further south, resulting in a stronger gradient across the Southern Ocean. Additionally, westerly winds over the Southern Ocean have strengthened," says Dr Rickard.

"These mechanisms have accelerated the surface flows in the Southern Ocean, which move from west to east. Its not just an event or something transient - its been driven by hemispheric changes in ocean heat content and winds that are embedded into the system."

Under future scenarios, global climate models predict that this system-wide change will strengthen and persist until at least the end of this century.

Challenges remain to maintain critical observational infrastructure to further understand how these physical changes impact the wider New Zealand marine ecosystem.
With hours remaining until the end of July and Dry July, the Dry July NZ Trust is making an urgent appeal for people to continue their support for cancer patients across New Zealand.

People can still donate through until the end of August  and the money raised in New Zealand will benefit cancer patients in New Zealand through three charity beneficiaries  Look Good Feel Better, Pinc & Steel and Prostate Cancer Foundation of New Zealand.

The economic climate in New Zealand is tough, with many Kiwis feeling the pinch of rising living costs.

"But imagine facing these challenges while also fighting cancer," says Dry July founder Brett Macdonald.

Cancer patients say nothing truly prepares you for the battle with cancer or the aftermath once its gone. This is where funds raised from Dry July come in; helping cancer patients with non-medical support as they navigate their new normal post-cancer.

We are calling on all New Zealanders to dig deep and support people in need this Dry July," says Brett. "Many people have cut back on charitable giving due to the cost of living, mortgage stress, and other pressures.

We urge everyone to consider how things would be if they had to add cancer to that list because thats the reality for thousands of kiwis in our community right now.

Carey Smith is a prostate cancer survivor who is giving back through Dry July. He is the top individual fundraiser.

The doctors do a great job of removing the cancer, but nothing prepares you for the aftermath of surgery," says Carey. "There are certain side effects, body changes, and this is why these foundations are here.

Carey says year he was diagnosed with prostate cancer.

"A disease which affects one in eight men but for my age group, it is one in 62 so I was well ahead of the curve. It is a surprise for anyone who has a life-changing moment medical or otherwise and this was mine.

"I am extremely thankful to my doctors for their medical skill, family and friends for their understanding, my work colleagues for their never-ending support and to Emma who was there for me through every part to help navigate this unknown journey and beyond."

Carey says he wants to help raise awareness and support the Dry July Trust for people who are affected by cancer.

"I raised $3,768 in 2021 so it would be good to beat that," says Carey.

So far, as of July 30, Carey has raised $8477.40.

By donating to Carey Smith by midnight Friday, August 2 2024 people are automatically in the draw to win one of 20 $100 Woolworths vouchers. Terms apply: dryjuly.co.nz/2024/grocery-voucher-giveaway

Team Plunkett Boys are aiming to raise $22,000 for Dry July. Photo: Supplied.

Tom Plunkett and his brothers, Will, Ben, and Olly committed to going dry this July to support their father Tony, who is battling his second round of cancer. Hailing from Rakaia Gorge, Canterbury Plains, two brothers are farmers, and the other two are pilots.

It does involve a bit of sacrifice, but it is nothing compared to what people with cancer are going through," says Tom.

"The funds we raise will help provide practical, tangible support services aimed at making a difficult time a little easier for those battling cancer.

"Dad [Tony] is in his second round of cancer, and we understand firsthand how much this impacts families. We all have someone in our lives who has faced the big C."

Donate to Plunkett Boys by midnight Friday, August 2 2024 NZST and automatically go into the draw to win 1 of 20 $100 Woolworths vouchers. Terms apply: dryjuly.co.nz/2024/grocery-voucher-giveaway

Dry July has been the ultimate alcohol-free challenge for more than 10 years, raising funds for tens of thousands of New Zealanders living with cancer. Through the generous efforts of participants, more than 150 projects have been funded, providing comfort and care for those affected by cancer, particularly in rural and regional areas.

Even if you do not know someone taking part in Dry July, you can still help this incredibly important cause by making a donation to The Dry July NZ Trust in support of people impacted by cancer when they need it most," says Brett.

Support the Carey Smith, the Plunkett Boys and other Dry July participants by donating at Dry July NZ Trust.
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By the time Customs officials caught up with him hed brought more than 21 kilograms of meth into the country, 7kg of MDMA and nearly as much pseudoephedrine.

Han Zhangs smuggling operation started off with him importing black-market tobacco to prop up his failing business in 2018 but quickly spiralled into importing Class-A drugs and ingredients.

A businessman once dubbed the little prince of counterfeit cigarettes who imported millions of drugs into New Zealand will be deported despite a last-ditch appeal to remain in the country.

Authorities estimated the drugs Zhang smuggled over several years would have been worth upwards of $5.5 million.

His black-market cigarette business was estimated to have been worth roughly $470,000 in the two or so years hed been skirting paying duty tax on them.

Zhang was sentenced to 11 years in prison at the start of 2022 on 36 charges and several months later was served with a deportation notice by Immigration New Zealand.

Now, from behind bars Zhang has appealed to the Immigration and Protection Tribunal to stay in the country so he can be near his child.

In a recently released ruling, the tribunal acknowledged that there were exceptional humanitarian circumstances for him to be allowed to stay, but ultimately those were outweighed by the gravity of his offending.

The offending itself was serious  the importation of over 20 kilograms of the Class A drug methamphetamine, importation of several other types of drugs, the sale of thousands of imported cigarettes without the payment of customs duties, and other dishonesty offences, its ruling reads.

When considered alongside the need for public confidence in the administration of the immigration system, the Tribunal finds that it would not be unduly harsh or unjust for the appellant to be deported from New Zealand.

Zhang came to New Zealand in 2010 on a student visa and by 2016 had set up a food and software business that ran into financial trouble in 2018, so he began importing and selling black-market cigarettes to supplement his income.

Soon afterwards he was approached by one of his employees, Yangzi Li, about becoming involved in the importation of drugs into the country.

Cash found by Customs during a search of Zhang's property. Photo / Customs NZ.

In 2020, Customs found 75,000 Chinese-branded cigarettes in a shipping container that was supposed to contain household items. The person listed as the recipient was a false identity, but further investigation led police to eventually search Zhangs Epsom-based business, JSS Food.

During their search of the business and storage units linked to Zhang, officials reported finding about $16,000 in cash, 3200 cigarettes, over 20 telephones and a large quantity of SIM cards.

They also found a spreadsheet with a Mandarin title which was translated to mean little prince of counterfeit cigarettes.

The file suggested that 268,000 cigarettes had been sold since October 2018. An analysis of the confiscated SIM cards suggested more than 400,000 cigarettes had been imported since August 2018, amounting to roughly $470,000 in unpaid Customs duty.

But a further analysis of his spreadsheets uncovered references to serious drug importation as well and he and his employee, Li, were subsequently convicted and sentenced in the High Court at Auckland.

Zhang received a prison sentence of 11 years and Li seven years and three months.

However, because Zhang had only been granted residence in New Zealand a month before his arrest in 2020, he became liable to be deported back to China when hes eventually released from prison.

The main thrust of Zhangs application to the tribunal was that if deported, he would no longer be able to see his young child, to whom he has sent some 1200 letters since being imprisoned and calls at least once a day.

His ex-wife has said she is not willing to move back to China in order for her son to be with his father.

Zhangs counsel also submitted Zhang would find it hard to assimilate back into Chinese culture and find work, there was a chance his crimes could be retried in the Chinese judicial system and that hed converted to Christianity and could face persecution in his home country.

Immigration New Zealand said Zhangs offending was serious enough that some of the charges could have amounted to a life term in prison.

In addition, its counsel said Zhang was still young, had an education and would be able to find some kind of work in China.

In its finding, the tribunal acknowledged it was possible the Chinese legal system could hypothetically put Zhang on trial for his crimes but said this was uncommon.

The tribunal found that it was in Zhangs, and his childs, best interests for him to remain in the country and that there were exceptional circumstances of a humanitarian nature in favour of this.

Notwithstanding the low risk of reoffending, and the appellants improved understanding of the impact of his offending, his offending is serious and had the likelihood of bringing great harm to the safety of members of the public, particularly those with a methamphetamine addiction, the tribunals ruling reads.

The offending consisted of dozens of offences, involving both drugs and dishonesty and occurred over almost two years, both before and after the appellant became a resident.

However, the tribunal had to weigh Zhangs offending against the exceptional humanitarian circumstances of him staying.

Ultimately, it found that it would not be unduly harsh and dismissed his appeal.

Zhang was approached for comment through his counsel.
Jennie Rhodes Tuesday, 30 July 2024, 11:01 Opciones para compartir Copiar enlace

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Walking along any secion of Andalucias long coastline doesnt just offer uninterrupted views of the Mediterranean Sea, it also provides the perfect opportunity to learn about some of the history that the regions 36 lighthouses have witnessed.

From Almeria in the east to Huelva in the west, the entire Andalusian coastline is marked by the legacy left by the Phoenicians and Greeks, to the Romans and Muslims and more recently the various sea battles including Napoleonic Wars.

While the lighthouses are too young to have seen any of those events, in the 20th century they did bear witness to the horrors of Spains civil war and one in particular played an active part in trying to help refugees fleeing Malaga city.

Almeria

Cabo de Gata-Nijar lighthouse marks the most south-eastern point of the Spanish mainland. The road leading to the lighthouse from Almeria, passing through the villages of Retamar and Ruescas, skirts the Cabo de Gata salt flats, whose shallow waters provide food and shelter for over a hundred different species of birds, especially flamingos.

Zoom Cabo de Gata lighthouse. T. A.

But the crowd that gathers every evening at the lighthouse comes to watch the sunset and look out from the Sirenas viewpoint over the reef of the same name, with the romantic image of the lighthouse providing the backdrop.

Mesa Roldan lighthouse is just a little further along the Almeria coast in the municipality of Carboneras. It sits next to an old watchtower that was never of much use, as its artillery, from so high up, was ineffective. However, it did eventually serve a purpose: and that was to make Meereen, the city of pyramids, which features n the sixth season of the hit series Game of Thrones.

Granada

There are only four lighthouses on the coast of Granada and Castell de Ferro and Sacratif are the ones with tales to tell.

Castell de Ferro lighthouse is built on the site of an Islamic watchtower which was reformed in the 18th century. It was restored in 1990 to house the current lighthouse.

At 237 metres above the sea and with a tower 12 metres tall, it is the second highest lighthouse on the Spanish mainland according to data collected by Mario Sanz Cruz in a work entitled Los Faros de Almeria y Granada (The Lighthouses of Almeria and Granada) and by Rafael Jimenez Alvarez in the book Faros y Torres de la Costa de Granada (Lighthouses and Towers of the Granada coast).

Sacratif is the main lighthouse on the coast of Granada. It is located on the cape of the same name on Chucho hill, on a steep cliff 98 metres above the sea. It was inaugurated at the end of 1863 and began to be used with an olive oil lamp, and later a petroleum vapour lamp, until 1956, when it was modernised.

Malaga

Malaga province has six lighthouses, which, since the 19th century, have been essential for navigation through this part of the Mediterranean so close to the Strait of Gibraltar.

Zoom Torrox lighthouse is built on the site of a Roman settlement. T. A.

Inaugurated in 1864, Torrox lighthouse is one of the oldest on the coast of Malaga but it is of particular interest due to the discovery of important Roman remains corresponding to the ancient city of Clavicum next to it.

When it was built in the 19th century, nobody realised at the time that the foundations of Torrox lighthouse were in fact valuable Roman remains, including a salting factory, which was later used both as a Roman bath and as a necropolis. It wasnt until the early 20th century that the discovery was made.

On the coast of Velez-Malaga today is the youngest lighthouse in the province of Malaga. It dates from 1976 and is located on the promenade of Torre del Mar.

In fact Torre del Mar is home to three lighthouses - grandfather, father and son, if you like. The new iconic blue and white striped can be found next to one of its predecessors on the promenade.

Zoom Two of the three lighthouses in Torre del Mar. Jennie Rhodes

Not far from there, hidden among residential blocks of flats just off Avenida Tore Tore, you can see the oldest lighthouse, built in 1864 but which is logically not in use as it can no longer be seen from sea.

The square where it stands has been named in memory of the courageous lighthouse keeper who, in the early morning of 6 and 7 February 1937, as thousands of people fled Malaga during the Civil War in an episode known as the Desbanda, kept the light switched off to distract the German, Spanish and Italian warships and planes and hide the refugees. However, Anselmo Vilar Garcia was later killed by Franco's nationalist troops when word reached them about what the lighthouse keeper had done.

Malaga citys lighthouse was first lit in 1816 and is known locally as la farola. It is one of the few lighthouses in Spain to be more than two hundred years old. It stands tall at 33 metres high. In July 2023 it was declared an asset of cultural interest, or Bien de Interes Cultural (BIC).

Zoom Esteponas unusual octagonal lighthouse. SUR

Esteponas lighthouse stands out thanks to its unusual design. It is not the original, which was built in 1861. The new one is 20 metres tall (unlike the first, which was just eight) and it is distinctive as unlike the other lighthouses in Malaga, it is octagonal and made from carved stone.

Gibraltar

Europa Point lighthouse in Gibraltar was first lit in 1841. Interestingly the lighthouses navigation and other systems are monitored and controlled from Trinity Houses planning centre in the coastal town of Harwich in Essex, England.

Cadiz

The Cadiz coastline has the tallest lighthouse in Spain and the seventh tallest in the world: Chipiona, which was built in 1867.

Canos de Meca is home to Cape Trafalgar - the site of the famous 1805 battle. Here stands one of the most iconic lighthouses on the Andalusian coast. It started working in July 1862, almost 60 years after the naval battle.

At nearby Punta de Tarifa, Spains closest point to Africa, mainland Europes southernmost lighthouse can be found.

Huelva

La Higuera lighthouse is located on the beach of Matalascanas, in the municipality of Almonte, within the Donana National Park. Shaped like an equilateral triangle, it was built in 1994 with a 20-mile range, which serves to illuminate the wide stretch of navigation between Huelva and the mouth of the Guadalquivir river.

El Espigon lighthouse in the city of Huelva, on the Juan Carlos I breakwater (espigon), juts out into the Atlantic Ocean and is one of the last along the Andalusian coastline before reaching the border with Portugal. At 13 kilometres in length, the Juan Carlos I breakwater is the longest in Spain.
Hector Barbotta Seville Tuesday, 30 July 2024, 12:52 Opciones para compartir Copiar enlace

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He had announced it as a simple readjustment of who would be in charge of what in Andalucia's regional government. However, Junta President Juanma Moreno has mounted a full-blown government crisis with a ministry reshuffle in which he has changed the heads of the two main ministries: Health and Education. To ensure that there is no doubt that a new phase has begun, he has also decided to change the spokesperson for the Junta, who from now on will be Carolina Espana, a function that she will combine with her retained position as Minister of Economy, Finance and European Funds, thus boosting her political profile. "Governments are constantly evolving and adapting", Moreno argued on Monday from the regional government's headquarters at the Palacio de San Telmo.

Juanma Moreno had been reflecting on this critical matter since 2 May, when his decision became known that he was going to send his then Minister of Agriculture, Water and Rural Development, Carmen Crespo, to the European Parliament, having already made her his number two on the Partido Popular's list. These major changes, communicated this Monday by means of a press release from the Palacio de San Telmo without appearing before journalists, involve the entry into the government of two new female ministers - both independents - to head the two key departments of Health and Education. This move does not involve the departure of the former heads of Health and Education, as they will move on to other departments.

For Health, the department that had become the Junta's Achilles' heel and the target of most criticism towards the regional government, Moreno has selected the paediatrician Rocio Hernandez Soto, until now managing director of the Aljarafe-Sevilla Norte Primary Care Health District and president of the Spanish Society of Primary Care Managers. In his speech Moreno pointed out that his government is working in an acceptable manner "trying to ensure that the successes are many more than the errors, successes of which there are and will be more." Health, and specifically primary care, had become one of his main policy headaches, so the appointment of Hernandez Soto sends a strong political message.

A health specialist for the most pressing problem The Andalusian government is aware that they have a problem in healthcare and very specifically in primary care. That is why they have sought out a specialist, the paediatrician Rocio Hernandez Soto, who since March 2019 has been managing director of the Aljarafe-Sevilla Norte Primary Care Health District and since June 2022 has been president of the Spanish Society of Primary Care Managers (Sedap). Among her challenges Hernandez will have to redirect healthcare management and rebuild relations between the regional government and the medical profession, both of which have deteriorated in recent years. For the moment, the new minister's appointment has been well received. The main trade unions for health workers - CCOO, UGT, the Nursing Union, Satse, the Andalusian Medical Union (SMA) and CSIF - have all welcomed her appointment. The Andalusian Medical Union has highlighted the "colossal challenge" for Rocio Hernandez Soto in her new role in view of the "unprecedented dimension" of the "problems" of public healthcare provision in Andalucia.

Catalina Garcia, who until now has been Regional Minister for Health, is not leaving the government, as she is moving to the portfolio of Sustainability and the Environment. Ramon Fernandez-Pacheco, who is also leaving his post as spokesperson for the Junta, will move to the Ministry of Agriculture, Water and Rural Development. The countryside and the fight against drought are two of the issues that the Junta considers strategic in this term of office.

All change in Education

The other addition is the new Regional Minister for Educational Development and Vocational Training, Maria del Carmen Castillo Mena, from Almeria, who replaces Patricia del Pozo. Castillo (Almeria, b. 1967), who holds a degree in Law from the University of Granada, was deputy minister of Education and Sport during the previous government when the portfolio was held by Javier Imbroda.

The former head of this ministry, Patricia del Pozo, has been transferred to the only newly-created ministry, Culture and Sport, whose responsibilities have been separated from the Ministry of Tourism, to which the portfolio for External Action, which until now formed part of the Ministry of the Presidency, has been incorporated. As a result, the ministry headed by Arturo Bernal is now called Tourism and Global Andalucia. The continuity of Bernal's responsibilities for Culture, which has been contested especially from some quarters in the province of Seville, was one of the unknowns that remained open after the announcement of the changes. With the new configuration of the regional government, Bernal will concentrate on the areas in which he is most proficient, strengthened by the External Action portfolio.

Independent and experienced in management The new Regional Minister for Educational Development and Vocational Training, Carmen Castillao, is an old acquaintance in the Regional Ministry of Education. A career civil servant in the Junta de Andalucia's Inspectorate of Education since 2008 and in the Corps of Secondary Education Teachers specialising in Business Administration since 1997, she was deputy minister during the previous legislature under Javier Imbroda, who had first appointed her as territorial delegate for Almeria. She was in charge of this portfolio, from where she had to deal with the management of the gigantic Andalusian educational structure during the Covid crisis. This experience has been valued by the trade unions. UGT Andalucia, CSIF and Ustea Ensenanza have asked her for talks to work in favour of Andalucia's public education system. UGT Andalucia welcomed the appointment and highlighted the "good relationship" maintained throughout the Covid-19 pandemic and during her time as deputy minister.

A woman's voice in Funding

The appointment of Carolina Espana as spokesperson is due to two key issues. The first, and most relevant, is the importance that the issue of regional funding has had throughout the legislature and which will increase in the coming months, especially if Spain's President Pedro Sanchez reaches an agreement with Catalan nationalists that includes a privileged system of funding for Catalonia. With Carolina Espana as the face of the Junta, it is hoped that the Andalusian government's position on this strategic issue will be able to achieve greater prominence. Moreover, this politician from Malaga is considered to have the right profile to confront the First Vice-President of the Spanish government and Minister of Finance, Maria Jesus Montero, who, as an Andalusian too, is also seen as a possible replacement for the leadership of the PSOE party in Andalucia.

Furthermore, Junta President Moreno has been surrounded only by men up to now. To be precise, the roles of minister of the Presidency, Junta spokesperson, parliamentary spokesperson and secretary general of the Andalusian PP have all been filled by men. Moreno was interested in increasing the visibility of women in his team as part of this reshuffle. In fact, in his speech to announce the new composition of the Executive (similar to a regional Cabinet), he made a point of highlighting the fact that with the changes there will now be eight female and only six male colleagues in that select group.

Until now, Juanma Moreno has been surrounded exclusively by men

There will be no changes in the composition of the rest of the executive team, so that in addition to eight male and six female ministers with portfolios, there will be four independent members. The two new members joining the regional government are the head of University, Research and Innovation, Jose Carlos Gomez Villamandos, and the head of Industrial Policy, Energy and Mines, Jorge Paradela.

The rest of the Junta's areas of responsibility remain as they are, with Rocio Diaz at the head of Development, Territorial Planning and Housing, Rocio Blanco for Employment, Jose Antonio Nieto for Justice, Loles Lopez for Inclusion and Antonio Sanz as Regional Minister of the Presidency, who is also in charge of the coordination of the Junta.

Juanma Moreno summoned all of them to the Palacio de San Telmo on Monday to inform them one by one of the content of the changes before making them public.
Jose Antonio Guerrero Madrid Tuesday, 30 July 2024, 17:49 Opciones para compartir Copiar enlace

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Teragnosis. Remember this word. It is rare, but it will soon become a household name in the fight against cancer. Experts claim that it is one of the oncological therapies that will grow the most in the next few years. "It is going to become fashionable," stress the Real Academia Nacional de Medicina de Espana (Ranme).

But what is teragnosis? It is a treatment based on nuclear medicine which uses radioligands, a kind of 'arrow' loaded with radioactive isotopes that are injected into the patient and which are first used to diagnose the tumour (diagnostic radioligands) and later to attack it from the inside (therapeutic radioligands).

In a first phase, these diagnostic 'arrows' 'see' the tumour molecules (similar to contrasts) and remain stuck there. By targeting these areas and thanks to PET-CT imaging technology, nuclear medicine specialists can see where they have 'stuck', i.e. where the cancer cells are located.

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"In a second phase, once we have checked with diagnostic radioligands where these malignant cells are located, the same or similar radioligands are used, but marked with other therapeutic radioactive isotopes that destroy only these tumour cells without damaging the rest of the cells or healthy tissues," explains Jose Luis Carreras, emeritus professor of Radiology at the Complutense University of Madrid, academic of the Ranme and one of the 'fathers' of teragnosis in Spain.

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Teragnosis has been used since the mid-20th century against thyroid cancer, and for the last few years against other neuroendocrine tumours. But it has also produced "spectacular" results in clinical trials to combat advanced cases of prostate cancer, the most common cancer in men.

"It's going to be the fastest growing cancer therapy in the next few years," experts predict

In Spain it is not yet administered within the public health system because the ministry of health is still negotiating the price with the pharmaceutical company that manufactures the isotopes. In authorised treatments, patients are usually administered between four and six doses of radiopharmaceuticals, at a price of between 8,000 and 10,000 euros per dose.

Carreras has spent his entire professional life trying to introduce the most cutting-edge techniques in nuclear medicine into the health system, and he believes that teragnosis combines all the characteristics of preventive, predictive, personalised and precision medicine. "It is going to be the therapy against cancer that is going to grow the most in the coming years," predicts the doctor, one of Europe's leading experts in nuclear medicine.

Maria Nieves Cabrera, head of the teragnosis unit at the Hospital Clinico San Carlos in Madrid, explains that one of the advantages of this technique is that doctors only treat what they see. "We inject the patient with a radioactive substance to determine whether there is a specific fixation in the tumour cells we want to treat. That will be the basis for us to treat the tumour with a molecule similar to the one we have made the diagnosis with," she explains.

Several screens show a detailed panoramic view of the patient's entire body, where, thanks to diagnostic radioligands, information is obtained on the actual extent of the tumour. A multidisciplinary team then decides on the specific treatment based on therapeutic radioligands.

The administration of the isotopes takes place in a hospital room shielded with lead to protect against radioactivity. These rooms have special radioactive waste tanks that store the patient's urine for treatment before it goes down the general drain. "The patient does not go home until he or she has enough radiation to lead a normal life, although precautions must be taken during the following days, especially with regard to the exposure of children and pregnant women, who will be the most sensitive to radiation."

Against other types of cancer

At present, teragnosis is a minority treatment (neuroendocrine tumours are rare), but research is being carried out into its application, in addition to prostate cancer, in breast, pancreatic and lung cancers. Later this year, the unit headed by Dr Cabrera is expected to take part in a trial with another radiopharmaceutical that will probably be able to treat all types of tumours. "I am convinced that we are going to be able to broaden the horizon of therapy a lot," she says.

Along the same lines, Jose Luis Carreras believes that we are facing a "new hope" for beating cancer, including metastasised cases that have already exhausted all treatments. "In prostate cancer there are spectacular results. In very advanced cases, long-lasting complete remissions are being achieved in up to 25% of patients. And we have to bear in mind that in these cases there is no other solution, as they have become resistant to hormonal and chemotherapy treatments. When we are able to work on less advanced tumours, the results will be even better," says the expert.

Although the patient receives radioactive isotopes, teragnosis is better tolerated compared to the effects of radiotherapy and chemotherapy "because the radioligands bind to the tumour cells and respect the surrounding healthy cells. It is at the level of the best tolerated drugs," says Carreras. This is why he believes that we are facing an "explosion" of this technique.

In fact, in countries with less regulation, a wide range of tumours are already being treated with teragnostics. "It will be possible to apply it to almost all types of cancer because they all have a suitable target to fix a diagnostic radioligand, and if we see that it captures it, we will treat the tumour knowing that there will be a response beforehand and attacking the cancer directly by putting the radiation (the therapeutic radioligand) inside the tumour cells. It's a great reason for hope," says the doctor.
Matias Stuber Malaga Tuesday, 30 July 2024, 16:57 Opciones para compartir Copiar enlace

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"It rained a lot and at just the right time". This is the phrase most often repeated by the farmers consulted by SUR when asked about the prospects for Malaga province's next olive harvest, which is due to begin in October.

Reverse the downward trend in production

This hope is now accompanied by reliable estimates and figures that point to the fact that the 2024/2025 season will be the first to reverse the downward trend in production of recent years, due to the lack of rain.

Dcoop has shared its forecasts for Malaga province with SUR. The sector giant estimates that the next olive season will increase by 30 per cent. In the case of the Antequera-based cooperative, this means that the harvest will rise from 20,000 tonnes to around 27,000 tonnes.

"We improved on last year's harvest. A trend that will be general in the rest of the provinces. Although there has been less rain in Malaga than in other provinces, so the increase in production will be somewhat less", the sources consulted indicate. Extending the focus to the whole province, bearing in mind that last year's crop was 36,000 tonnes, the 30 per cent increase will translate into a harvest of around 46,800 tonnes.

These figures place Malaga at the same level as in the 2016/2017 season. While the figures are not worth putting the champagne on ice just yet, they do begin to reverse the trend of the last two seasons. It is worth remembering that these had become, successively, the worst two years of the century for the sector.

Pre-drought figures

Nevertheless, the 46,800 tonnes that are forecast for the coming harvest in Malaga are a far cry from pre-drought figures. The last one to be classified as "normal" by the sector dates back to the 2021/2022 season. At that time, production in the province amounted to 57,400 tonnes. To put these figures into context, the best harvest of this century was in the 2011/2012 season when 94,300 tonnes of olives were harvested.

Next season will still be far from those figures, but it does give the sector some breathing space. Malaga has not left the drought behind, but the circumstances were favourable with the abundant rains that fell over Easter week.

"The olive trees are doing well at the moment. It is a tree that withstands high temperatures very well, but it was already very weakened after two years without any water. The Easter rains came at the right time," Jose Antonio Mata, a farmer from Villanueva de Tapia, explained to SUR.

The sector is looking forward to the coming autumn and praying that the season will be accompanied by new rains to finish off the size of the olives. But even if these rains do not come, the most recent harvests will certainly improve.

Prices

The coming season, in any case, is of great importance. Despite the increase in prices, oil consumption has remained stable. With fewer stocks, but with a similar demand, the tanks in the cooperatives are empty. "We are going to get there, but there won't be a litre left over", said Dcoop's president, Antonio Luque, in a recent interview.

With an "acceptable" harvest on the horizon, the question now is how the price will evolve. At the moment, the price per litre of extra virgin olive oil is still around ten euros. Once the new crop comes in, it is hoped that for the first time in more than two years there will be some relief for the consumer's wallet. "There will be a significant drop in the price in January," assured Luque. Therefore, the market is facing a reduction, but it will not be in the short term. We will have to wait at least until the early part of 2025.
Ignacio Lillo Malaga Tuesday, 30 July 2024, 14:47 | Updated 18:41h. Opciones para compartir Copiar enlace

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August will arrive in Malaga province in style, at least as far as the thermometer is concerned. The holiday month par excellence will start with an amber alert (risk warning) with a high probability (40-70%) that a strong episode of the hot 'terral' weather phenomenon will raise the mercury above 42C, especially in the inland parts of the Guadalhorce valley (in municipalities such as Coin and Alora).

Meanwhile, in Malaga city and other areas of the Costa del Sol where the warm wind leaves its mark, the temperature will exceed 39C according to the forecast from Spain's Met Office (Aemet). The weather warning will be activated between 1pm and 9pm on the first of August.

Zoom The active weather alerts for the south of Spain on 1 August. Aemet

But there is more. Aemet's weather alert map will colour the whole of Malaga province. Along with Malaga city, the western Costa del Sol and the Guadalhorce valley, Antequera will also have the same level of weather warning (amber), only in this case it will be activated from tomorrow, 31 July, with forecast highs of 40C, although "locally it could reach 41 degrees", as on Thursday.

In the case of Ronda there will be two days with yellow warnings, between 39 and 40 degrees expected. Meanwhile, the region with the "milder" temperatures, within the limits of this heatwave scenario, will be Axarquia, where the maximum temperature forecast will be 38C.
Mad TV star dies at 46

MADtv star Erica Ash is dead at 46 after a battle with cancer. She died Sunday while surrounded by her loved ones, her mom told TMZ. Erica was an amazing woman and talented entertainer who touched countless lives with her sharp wit, humor and genuine zest for life, her family said in a statement. Her memory will live eternally in our hearts. Ash performed in Braodways The Lion King and other stage productions before finding success in television, including on Mad TV, The Big Gay Sketch Show, Real Husbands of Hollywood and Survivors Remorse. She also appeared in Scary Movie 5, Uncle Drew, 2021s Violet, and last years We Have a Ghost, plus ran the advice blog The Deviled Angel.

St. Elmos Fire sequel in works

Rob Lowe says a St. Elmos Fire sequel is in the works, nearly 40 years later after the classic movie about a group of college graduates co-starring Demi Moore, Judd Nelson, Andrew McCarthy, Emilio Estevez and Ally Sheedy. Weve met with the studio and I have been talking about doing it for about four months, Lowe said in a new interview, adding that the recent Brats documentary (about the 80s Brat Pack) has only added to the excitement around it. Lowe, 60, cautioned that the project is in the very, very, very, very, very early stages of development. So we will see, he said.

MORE BUZZ:

Rapper Chino XL dead at 50 ( RS

Saoirse Ronan and Jack Lowden are married ( ET

Dolly Partons theme park Dollywood hit by flash flooding ( BB

Rapper Stunna Girl says she was injured in shooting ( E!

Sweet Valley High author dies at 92 ( DM

Ryan Reynolds & Blake Livelys children have roles in Deadpool & Wolverine ( SF

DJ Polo of rap duo with Kool G Rap dies ( BB

Buzz is a daily roundup of entertainment news about movies, TV, music and celebrities.
Intellectual property (IP) is the lifeblood of innovation. It encompasses a wide range of creations from artistic works to scientific discoveries. By understanding IP, you can protect your ideas and reap the rewards of your ingenuity.

In todays knowledge economy, your ideas are your most valuable assets. Intellectual property rights protect these assets, giving you exclusive control over their use. Whether youre an entrepreneur, a creative professional, or simply someone with a great idea, understanding IP is essential.

In todays edition of Lets Talk, our experts discuss ways to safeguard your valuable assets with intellectual property.

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Sarah Butler, Partner, Technology, Media & Telecommunications at Holding Redlich

Sarah Butler, Partner, Technology, Media & Telecommunications at Holding Redlich

A businesss commercial goodwill and reputation is often inextricably linked to the businesss branding, which includes the business name, logo or any other unique sign or symbol that a business uses to differentiate its goods and services from its competitors.

One way to protect these valuable brand assets is through trade mark registration, which provides you with exclusive rights to use and authorise the use of your trade marks in connection with the goods and services that you offer.

Businesses often take a set and forget approach to their registered trade marks, but several recent Federal Court decisions have highlighted the importance of maintaining trade mark registrations, conducting regular health checks of your trade mark portfolio and implementing a brand protection strategy to avoid damaging consequences, such as third party challenges and the removal or revocation of your registration rights.

Another important part of protecting your brand is to routinely monitor the marketplace for any infringers and enforce your rights when necessary. This includes keeping an eye on your competitors or any new businesses entering your market to ensure they are not using your trade marks, or something similar, which may confuse consumers and detract from your business.

Samuel Spencer, CEO and Chief Information Security Officer of Aristotle Metadata

Samuel Spencer, CEO and Chief Information Security Officer of Aristotle Metadata

When it comes to IP you need to understand your defensible moat  in other words what you do better than anyone else. In MBA terms, this is your VRIO: valuable, rare, inimitable and owned by you. This is what you want to defend.

For example, at Aristotle, we own our code and protecting this code, which would take years of effort to reproduce, is critical. The ideas behind data documentation, however, are quite open, so we focus less on this.

Software IP patents are hard to defend, as the implementation of an idea can vary between systems and be expensive to protect. For example, Amazon invested heavily in their one-click patent at significant cost, but with limited return, as competitors introduced other faster payment mechanisms, like Apple Wallet and FaceID.

Protecting IP, whether its software, brand, or technical know-how, requires good guardrails and trust in your team. Provide clear operating parameters (e.g. when can this be used, who can we share it with, how do we document it?) to help your team understand when they can operate with freedom and when they need to escalate for guidance.

Above all, dont let your paranoia keep your idea, just an idea. Ideas, like data, are only valuable when shared. Ive seen founders flounder because they refused to share their ideas, preventing them from building trust and collaboration. Determine what you can share, so you can assess the value of what you protect and build a team to bring your idea to life.

Rolf Howard, Managing Partner at Owen Hodge Lawyers

In the knowledge economy, protecting your ideas is paramount. These ideas can include everything from commercially sensitive business strategies, to the design components of a product, to the ingredients in a recipe. There are three main ways to protect intellectual property; patents, trademarks and copyrights.

Patents protect new inventions. If youve crafted a novel gadget, substance, or method thats not only clever but also promises practical benefits, you may be able to apply for a patent. In Australia, standard patents offer two decades of exclusive rights.

Trademarks, on the other hand, are the guardians of identity. Think of that iconic logo, a memorable jingle, even a distinctive scent  all can be registered as trademarks, granting you an exclusive legal right to use, license or sell it within Australia for the goods and services for which it is registered.

But what about artistic creations? Thats where copyright comes into play. While it doesnt safeguard ideas themselves, copyright shields the unique expression of those ideas. So, your original artwork, song, or even software code is protected from unauthorised reproduction or distribution.

Seeking counsel from an intellectual property lawyer can help you chart the best course of action and ensure your valuable intellectual assets remain secure.

Konstantin Klyagin, Founder of Redwerk and QAwerk

Konstantin Klyagin, Founder of Redwerk and QAwerk

Protecting your business assets should go beyond signing non-disclosure and non-compete agreements with employees and third parties. Your IT infrastructure and corporate policies should be designed to promote data security.

Restrict access to internal systems like issue trackers, code repositories, and wikis to corporate accounts with strong, unique passwords. Implement the principle of least privilege, granting employees access only to whats essential for their job. Also, upon employee departure, immediately revoke all access.

When changing vendors, thoroughly review all access points and cut off the previous vendors access. For added protection, consider firewalls and vulnerability testing.

Leaking trade secrets should not necessarily have a malicious intent. However, with more and more employees working remotely, its critical to safeguard their workstations. At Redwerk, each employees hard drive is encrypted, and each computer has a password, which protects their data from unauthorized access. We perform regular training and reviews to ensure employees update their operating systems on time, have antivirus software installed, use only licensed software, and lock their screens when away.

You can also try phishing simulation and testing tools to see whether your team is susceptible to social engineering attacks. Remember that IP protection is an ongoing commitment. Regularly assess your strategies and consider consulting an intellectual property attorney.

Olivia Jenkins, Business Consultant, Olivia Jenkins Consulting

In the fiercely competitive world of health, beauty, fashion, and lifestyle brands, failing to protect your intellectual property (IP) can spell disaster. As an Executive Advisor and Business Strategist, I stress that neglecting IP isnt just riskyits a direct threat to your brands survival.

Imagine investing countless hours and resources into developing unique formulations, designs, and content, only to have them stolen and replicated by competitors. Without proper IP protection, your brands distinctive identity is vulnerable, and your hard-earned market position can be undermined overnight.

Start by securing trademarks for your brand name and logo, and consider patents for unique product formulations or technologies. Copyright your original content, including photos, videos, and written materials. Ignoring these steps can lead to costly legal battles, diluted brand value, and lost revenue.

Additionally, make IP protection a core component of your business strategy. Conduct regular IP audits to identify and secure new assets, and ensure all employees and partners understand the importance of confidentiality and IP rights.

Neglecting IP protection is a gamble with your brands future. Dont wait until its too latetake action now to safeguard your innovations and ensure your brand remains strong and unchallenged.

Paul Nguyen, Founder and CEO at Creative Culture HQ

Paul Nguyen, Founder and CEO at Creative Culture HQ

For SMEs seeking to thrive, safeguarding intellectual property (IP) is paramount. Every innovative idea, captivating design, and strategic blueprint represents a valuable asset that fuels business growth and competitiveness.

As a digital marketing agency, we understand firsthand the critical role of IP protection. By shielding our creative output, we not only safeguard our business interests but also cultivate an environment where innovation flourishes.

We believe that IP protection is equally essential for SME owners and entrepreneurs. Your unique offerings are the heart of your business. By securing trademarks, copyrights, and patents, you establish a formidable barrier against unauthorised use, maximising the rewards of your hard work and ingenuity.

Beyond protection, IP is a powerful tool for business growth. A strong IP portfolio enhances credibility, attracts investors, and opens doors to lucrative licensing opportunities. Its about transforming ideas into tangible assets that drive success.

While the journey to IP protection may seem complex, the benefits far outweigh the challenges. Dont underestimate the value of your intellectual capital. Protect, nurture, and leverage it to build a thriving, sustainable business.

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Whitestown, N.Y.  A man whose high-speed police chase ended in a crash that killed his passenger has been charged with manslaughter, troopers said.

Howard N. Griswold Jr., 24, of Utica, was indicted May 16 by an Oneida County grand jury, according to state police.
Imagine Dragons will kick off their Loom World Tour today at the Freedom Mortgage Pavilion in Camden, New Jersey. The tour will include nearby stops in Wantagh, Holmdel, Mansfield and two nights in Toronto before concluding on October 27 in Los Angeles, California.

The band will be joined by special guests Myles Smith, Jacob Banks, Cannons, EaJ an Peter McPoland for select dates.

Fans looking to secure tickets to the nearly sold-out tour will have luck on secondary market platforms such as Vivid Seats, SeatGeek and StubHub, where select tickets can be found below face value.

For a limited time, take $5 off your order of $300+ on SeatGeek with the code TAKE5.

The tour is in support of their sixth studio album, Loom, released June 28. The nine-track album marked the bands first release as a trio, as drummer Daniel Platzman had been on an indefinite hiatus since March 2023. It peaked at number 22 on the US Billboard 200.

Imagine Dragons first gained widespread recognition with their 2012 debut album, Night Visions and are best known for hits like Its Time, Radioactive, Demons and Believer.

Imagine Dragons Loom World Tour dates:

July 30  Camden, NJ - Freedom Mortgage Pavilion

Aug. 2  Wantagh, NY - Northwell Health at Jones Beach Theater

Aug. 4  Holmdel, NJ - PNC Bank Arts Center

Aug. 6  Mansfield, MA - Xfinity Center

Aug. 8  Toronto, ON - Budweiser Stage

Aug. 9 - Toronto, ON - Budweiser Stage

Aug. 12  Clarkston, MI - Pine Knob Music Theatre

Aug. 14  Burgettstown, PA - The Pavilion at Star Lake

Aug. 16  St. Louis, MO - Hollywood Casino Amphitheatre

Aug. 18  Tinley Park, IL - Credit Union 1 Amphitheatre

Aug. 20  Noblesville, IN - Ruoff Music Center

Aug. 22  Bristow, VA - Jiffy Lube Live

Aug. 23  Columbia, MD - Merriweather Post Pavilion

Aug. 26  Virginia Beach, VA - Veterans United Home Loans Amphitheater

Aug. 28  Charlotte, NC - PNC Music Pavilion

Aug. 30  West Palm Beach, FL - iTHINK Financial Amphitheatre

Sept. 1  Tampa, FL - MIDFLORIDA Credit Union Amphitheatre

Sept. 4  Dallas, TX - Dos Equis Pavilion

Sept. 6  Houston, TX - The Cynthia Woods Mitchell Pavilion

Sept. 8  Ridgedale, MO - Thunder Ridge Natures Arena

Sept. 28  Seattle, WA - The Gorge Amphitheatre

Sept. 29  Ridgefield, WA - RV Inn Style Resorts Amphitheater

Oct. 2  Wheatland, CA - Toyota Amphitheatre

Oct. 5  Chula Vista, CA - North Island Credit Union Amphitheatre

Oct. 6  Phoenix, AZ - Talking Stick Resort Amphitheatre

Oct. 9  Albuquerque, NM - Isleta Amphitheater

Oct. 11  Salt Lake City, UT - Utah First Credit Union Amphitheatre

Oct. 12  Salt Lake City, UT - Utah First Credit Union Amphitheatre

Oct. 15  Salt Lake City, UT - Utah First Credit Union Amphitheatre

Oct. 17  Denver, CO - Red Rocks Amphitheatre

Oct. 20  Mountain View, CA - Shoreline Amphitheatre

Oct. 22  Los Angeles, CA - Hollywood Bowl

Oct. 23  Los Angeles, CA - Hollywood Bowl

Oct. 26  Los Angeles, CA - Hollywood Bowl

Oct. 27  Los Angeles, CA - Hollywood Bowl
Outside Lands, a premier three-day festival celebrating music, art, food, wine and cannabis, will be held from Friday, August 9 through Sunday, August 11, 12-10 p.m. daily, at San Franciscos Golden Gate Park. Featuring more than 80 multi-genre, multi-generational artists, its the largest independently owned music festival in the United States.

Named after San Franciscos western neighborhoods, once known as The Outside Lands, the festival spans 80 acres with local art installations, culinary offerings and areas dedicated to cannabis, activism and sustainability.

Headliners include The Killers, Sabrina Carpenter and Sturgill Simpson, with other notable performances from Teddy Swims, Chappell Roan, Renee Rapp, Tyla, The Last Dinner Party, Shaboozey, Young the Giant and a special country set from Post Malone.

See the full lineup and how to get tickets below.

Where to buy Outside Lands tickets

General admission single day and three-day ticket passes are availble through Front Gate Tickets, starting at $226.20 and $528.15 respectively. Upgrade your experience with general admission plus, VIP or Golden Gate Club tickets.

Tickets are also available on secondary market platforms such as Vivid Seats, SeatGeek and StubHub, many below face value.

For a limited time, take $5 off your order of $300+ on SeatGeek with the code TAKE5.

Looking to travel or find a place to stay near the festival? You can find discounted travel options on Expedia, and book hotels on Hotels.com.

Check out other upcoming music festivals, including Lollapalooza, Osheaga and Hinterland.
Zach Bryans The Quittin Time Tour is coming to Philadelphias Lincoln Financial Field on Tuesday, August 6 and Wednesday, August 7 for two back-to-back sold-out shows. Both concerts start at 7:00 p.m., with special guests Turnpike Troubadours and Levi Turner opening.

The Navy veteran and Oklahoma native is touring his 2023 self-titled fourth studio album, which debuted at number one on the US Billboard 200. Track 11 on the album I Remember Everything, featuring Kacey Musgraves, went on to win a Grammy for Best Country Duo/Group Performance.

Bryan also recently released his fifth studio album, The Great American Bar Scene, on July 4, reaching number two on the US Billboard 200.

A complete list of Bryans tour dates is available here.

Where to buy Zach Bryan concert tickets

Tickets to Bryans Philadelphia shows are completely sold out, but fans can still secure tickets on secondary market platforms such as Vivid Seats, SeatGeek and StubHub.

Heres a look at the best resale ticket prices available:

Tuesday, August 6

Wednesday, August 7

Prices and availability are noted at the time of publishing and are subject to change.

For a limited time, take $5 off your order of $300+ on SeatGeek with the code TAKE5.

Cant get enough live music? Zach Bryan isnt the only touring artist. Check out other favorites who know how to put on an unforgettable show, including Sabrina Carpenter, Childish Gambino, Taylor Swift, Chappell Roan and Imagine Dragons.
Join NY Cannabis Insider for its next industry meetup in NYC on Aug. 13, 2024. Tickets available now.

Jeffrey Hoffman is a New York City-based attorney who hosts Ask Me Anything about Cannabis Legalization in New York each week on LinkedIn. Hoffman and NY Cannabis Insider have partnered to bring those sessions into print in a Q&A format.

Hoffmans practice focuses on cannabis industry clients, including licensees in the adult-use market, practitioners in the medical cannabis space, and cannabis adjacent product and service providers. He has a particular interest in social and economic equity cannabis license

applicants, and he also informs and assists those convicted of cannabis offenses in getting such convictions expunged from their record. He can be reached at info@420jurist.com.

The following AMA from Nov. 16 has been edited for length and clarity.

When do you think the next cultivation license window will open?

Hopefully before the end of the year. Obviously all bets are off with the personnel changes at OCM, but I would imagine we will see some additional cultivation licenses in various tiers/formats after the board has a chance to see what comes of the licenses they have already issued.

What are the chances licensees who took the DASNY deals will be able to renegotiate?

There was some bombshell reporting about the DASNY situation which doesnt make the state look so good. My guess is that weve only started to see the fallout from that.



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When will we see consumption lounges?

At this point all bets are off on timing. The consumption regulations are one of the last big things from the Cannabis Law which we are waiting for the board and office to figure out. It seemed like we were close to getting the regulations before the Governor stepped in, but now Id imagine we will not get the new regulations until we get a new permanent head of OCM.

Do you need a license to sell clones or seeds in the state of New York?

Yes - these items are specifically addressed in the regulations.

Any updates on the December queue?

At this point OCM has been very clear that they are going to do the entire November queue before they do the December queue. That is very different from what they said during the application process. I was at a meeting where I point-blank asked about this and was told they would definitely be giving out licenses from the provisional queue. We shall see.
The BenYehuda family holds a fishing contest each summer during their annual Adirondack vacation. This year Karen BenYehuda, of Westvale, crushed the competition on Inlets Fourth Lake with a monster rock bass.

BenYehudas rockie stretched the tape to 2  inches, just half an inch shorter than the nightcrawler she used to catch it. Second place came in around the 1.5-inch mark.

Barak BenYehuda, Karen BenYehudas son and family spokesman, described competition this year as fierce.

Younger brother Bo certainly put out the most lines with the least success, observed Barak, while his younger sister, Elmore, was, he said, more focused on tanning than fishing. Barak also praised his older sister, Liat, for doing the most to dress the part despite being the least-skilled angler in the family.

Grandmother Ann Clifford judged the contest.

12-year-old Landon Mills of Liverpool recently reeled in this super 4-lb smallmouth bass and 5-lb walleye while fishing with this father and grandfather on the St. Lawrence River.Danny Liedka

Meet 12-year-old Landon Mills, an avid angler from Liverpool who fishes every chance he can get. He was fishing the St. Lawrence River recently with his father and grandfather when he reeled in a super 4-lb smallmouth and a wonderful 5-lb walleye that both gobbled up a spinner/worm combo.

Brian Davis, of Skaneateles, caught a couple of nice Skaneateles Lake walleyes recently, measuring 19 inches and 23 inches.Brian Davis

Brian Davis, of Skaneateles, caught a couple of nice Skaneateles Lake walleyes one a recent summer morning while trolling Mepps spinners in 35 FOW on the east shore. One fish measured 19 inches; the other 23 inches.

Jack Rohlin, 13, of Marcellus, recently caught this burly bucket mouth on Big Moose Lake using his new baitcaster and a wacky-rigged worm.Megan Popkess

Jack Rohlin, 13, of Marcellus, recently caught this burly bucket mouth on Big Moose Lake while casting from his grandparents dock in Boulder Bay. Rohlin was using his new baitcaster and a wacky-rigged worm for bait.

Seth Shultis caught this 6-lb largemouth bass at a local pond in his hometown of Saugerties, using a five-inch watermelon senko. Nice fish, Seth, but your long-arm game is absolute world-champion level.Seth Shultis

Seth Shultis caught this 6-lb largemouth bass at a local pond in his hometown of Saugerties, using a five-inch watermelon senko. Nice fish, Seth, but your long-arm game is world class.

Josh McKeown, of Baldwinsville, landed this whale of walleye in Alexandria Bay that weighed 7-lbs and measured 27  inches.Josh McKeown

Josh McKeown, of Baldwinsville, recently landed a whale of walleye in Alexandria Bay that weighed 7-lbs and measured 27  inches.

It bent the rod and was so heavy the reel wouldnt turn, but I cranked it enough to bring it in, remarked McKeown. Beautiful day on the river, always my happy place!

Send us your fish pics!

We want to see your catch: bass, walleye, two-headed gobies, whatever. Just make sure to provide (1) names of anyone in photo (2) their hometowns (3) fish type (4) where caught (5) length and weight if possible (6) bait used. Throw in some colorful details; we all like a good fish story. Tight lines, yall.



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Manlius brothers land Adirondack lake lunkers using pork chop, bluegill for bait - newyorkupstate.com

Super Cayuga Lake smallmouth gives Upstate NY angler a pre-season thrill - newyorkupstate.com

Steve Featherstone covers the outdoors for The Post-Standard, syracuse.com and NYUP.com. Contact him at sfeatherstone@syracuse.com or on Twitter @featheroutdoors. You can also follow along with all of our outdoors content at newyorkupstate.com/outdoors/ or follow us on Facebook at facebook.com/upstatenyoutdoors.
New York  A New York judge on Monday banned Wayne LaPierre, the former head of the National Rifle Association, from holding a paid position with the organization for a decade, but declined to appoint an independent monitor to oversee the gun rights group.

The split decision from Judge Joel Cohen came on the final day of arguments in the second stage of a civil trial brought by New York Attorney General Letitia James.

The first phase of the trial, decided in February by a Manhattan jury, found LaPierre and another deputy liable for misspending millions of dollars on lavish trips and other personal expenses.

Ruling from the bench, Cohen said the states request for a monitor was not the correct remedy, suggesting the oversight mechanism would be time-consuming, disruptive and will impose significant costs on the NRA without corresponding benefits.

Cohen also said he had concerns about speech-chilling government intrusion on the affairs of the organization.

He said the same First Amendment concerns did not apply to whether LaPierre could return to the organization anytime soon.

This relief is about the privilege, not the right, to serve as an officer or director of a New York not-for-profit, he said.

LaPierre, who sat in the front row as the judge read his ruling, did not respond to questions as he left the courtroom.

Earlier Monday, LaPierre told the judge that appointing a monitor to oversee the gun rights groups finances would be equivalent to putting a knife straight through the heart of the organization and twisting it.

He described the appointment of a monitor as an existential threat to the group because it would send a message to prospective members and donors that the NRA was being surveilled by this attorney general in New York.

An attorney for the NRA, Sarah Rogers, echoed those concerns. She said the group had implemented new controls since the jurys verdict, including bringing on fresh board members and a new compliance team.

But Assistant Attorney General Monica Connell dismissed those efforts as lackluster, arguing that the old guard leadership effectively still controls the organization.

In his ruling, the judge said the NRAs reaction to the February verdict had been decidedly mixed and accused the groups leaders of displaying a stunning lack of accountability about their own culpability in the yearslong mismanagement.

He invited attorneys for the NRA and the state to submit further proposals on reforming the organization.

In a statement after the verdict, James said: After years of corruption, the NRA and its senior leaders are finally being held accountable.

LaPierre served as the groups CEO and executive vice president for more than three decades. He resigned in January on the eve of the first phase of the trial.

Those proceedings cast a spotlight on the leadership, culture and financing of the organization, with state lawyers accusing LaPierre of siphoning millions of dollars from the organization to fund his lavish lifestyle, including trips on private jets, expensive suits, and family vacations.

The jury ordered LaPierre to repay almost $4.4 million to the organization, while the NRAs retired finance chief, Wilson Woody Phillips, was ordered to pay back $2 million.

The second phase of the proceeding was a bench trial, meaning there was no jury and the judge handed down the verdict.

James, a Democrat, sued the NRA and its executives in 2020 under her authority to investigate not-for-profits registered in the state. She originally sought to have the entire organization dissolved, but the judge ruled in 2022 that the allegations did not warrant a corporate death penalty.

The latter phase of trial came as the NRA faces an internal power struggle, pitting its new reform-minded chief executive, Doug Hamlin, against longtime leaders who remain close to LaPierre.

The NRA has seen a precipitous drop in revenue and lost more than 1.3 million members since 2018, according to an expert witness called by the group.
Syracuse, N.Y. -- The 22 tornadoes that struck Upstate New York this month show that the nations weather monitoring system needs more funding, U.S. Sen. Charles Schumer said today.

Schumer, D-NY, proposed $30 million in new federal funding to expand and upgrade the National Mesonet Program, which he said is critical for tracking severe storms and getting urgent alerts to the public more quickly.

The funding is urgently needed in light of an increase in severe weather caused by climate change, he said.

Over 20 tornadoes in Upstate in just this month, 10 of them in one day, the Senate majority leader said during a press conference at SUNY College of Environmental Science and Forestry in Syracuse. Who would have thought wed have 20 tornadoes in a month? You know, you think that happens in Oklahoma.

Schumer also pushed back at the conservative plan called Project 2025, which would break up the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, the parent agency of the National Weather Service, and privatize its functions.

It says get rid of the whole National Weather Service, he said. It says privatize it. Well, you know, if youre a big company you might be able to pay, but what if you are a farmer, what if youre a small business? What if youre a local police or fire department? Youd have to pay? That makes no sense.

Some on the hard right have questioned whether climate change is real, but Schumer said better weather monitoring is needed no matter the cause of the increase in severe weather.

All science believes it is global warming, he said. Whether its global warming or not, these 20 tornadoes were not a figment of anybodys imagination. They happened.

The federal mesonet consists of 35,000 stations, including weather monitors at aircraft and at ground stations across the country. More than 40 other organizations, including the University at Albany, collect data and feed it in real time to the mesonet database.

Meteorologists at the National Weather Service use the data to issue weather warnings and predict climate trends. Experts at SUNY ESF also help to analyze the data collected by the network.

Mesonet is a combination of the words mesoscale and network. Mesocale refers to weather events such as thunderstorms and lake-effect snow that range in size from a few miles to several hundred miles and last from several minutes to several hours.

Because of their short duration, mesocale weather events might go undetected without densely spaced weather observations. A mesonets weather stations can provide real-time, round-the-clock weather information on a local or regional basis.

In 2015, New York state launched its own mesonet, a network of 126 automated weather stations, including three in Onondaga County, that cost $24 million to build. The state mesonet stations record data every five minutes on temperature, wind speed, humidity and other weather measurements. The state data is fed into the national network.

Schumer also called on the federal government to provide money for the victims of the July 16 tornado in Rome, which caused extensive damage to the citys business district and downtown neighborhoods. It was the most powerful tornado of the month in Upstate, and the strongest tornado to hit Oneida County in 34 years.

Gov. Kathy Hochul has requested federal disaster assistance as communities across Upstate New York recover from severe thunderstorms that hit the region last week.

Schumer said a detailed assessment of the damage is being conducted as part of the states application to the Federal Emergency Management Agency for funding. He said he expects the assessment to be submitted soon.

Ive already talked to FEMA and said I want to make sure theres no red tape that gets in the way, he said. Were going to push FEMA and the Small Business Administration to get us all the money we need so we can help Rome and Lowville and Ilion and Homer and all the other impacted communities.

Schumer said Syracuse came close to experiencing the same damage that occurred in Rome.

This was an extreme weather month, he said. The tornado might not have occurred in Rome. Just a little shift of the wind, a little shift of the temperature, that could have occurred right here in Syracuse.

The tornado that hit Rome had peak winds of 135 mph, as fast as those of a Category 4 hurricane. It toppled two church steeples, crushed brick walls and sent trees onto homes.

From July 10 to 24, the weather service confirmed 22 tornadoes and four microbursts across Upstate New York. Thats the highest number for July since complete tornado records began in 1950.

A tornado ripped the steeple off this church in the Oneida County city of Rome on July 16, 2024. (N. Scott Trimble | strimble@syracuse.com)N. Scott Trimble | strimble@syra

Got a tip, comment or story idea? Contact Rick Moriarty anytime:Email|X|Facebook| 315-470-3148
On August 3, 2014, ISIS terrorists overran the city of Sinjar in northern Iraq. The town had a population of 90,000 people, most of them Yezidis, with a small Shia minority.

Yezidis have been viciously targeted and persecuted by ISIS for their beliefs. When ISIS seized control of Sinjar, they immediately began to destroy Yezidi shrines, and to slaughter Yezidi civilians. Thousands of people, particularly men and boys, were executed, while thousands more, especially women and girls, were abducted and raped as sex slaves by ISIS fighters.

It should be noted that in addition to the Yezidis, ISIS also attacked and persecuted other minority groups, including Shia Muslims and Christians.

I remember powerfully the suffering, the desperation of so many people, and the United States engagement to do everything we could to turn that around and to help protect those who were endangered, said Secretary of State Antony Blinken.

I think one of the most meaningful ways that we can remember ten years on  not only remember but honor the victims  is to hear their stories, to remind ourselves of what people experienced, and continue to experience in different ways.

Speaking shortly before meeting with Yezidi civil society leaders in late July, Secretary Blinken said, Weve worked hand-in-hand with civil society, with community leaders from across Iraqs religious and ethnic components, to help these communities recover, to advance Iraqs stability and sovereignty, and, of course, to do everything possible to make sure that ISIS cannot rear its ugly head again.

Over that period of time, weve invested some $500 million specifically targeted toward the recovery of communities that were most affected by ISIS. This investment is on top of billions of dollars in assistance that we provided to help those who were most in need, he said.

I think weve made progress, but much work remains to be done, and this recovery continues, said Secretary Blinken. Over one million Iraqis remain displaced inside Iraq, including about 300,000 Yezidis; 2,600 Yezidis remain missing and unaccounted for. We are determined to find them, to learn their fates, and to rescue those who remain alive.

I want to underscore, said Secretary Blinken, our own commitment to supporting the ongoing recovery of the communities that most suffered under ISIS, delivering accountability to those responsible for this tragedy, and ensuring that this can never happen again, and that ISIS will not resurge.
Moldova and Georgia are former Soviet republics that gained independence when the Soviet Union broke apart in 1991. Both countries are strategically situated on the Black Sea, and both have for years been targets of Russian subversive activity, including election interference and attempts to undermine the credibility and authority of state institutions.

Because both countries will hold national elections in late October, the U.S. House of Representatives Foreign Relations Committee conducted a hearing on the situation in Moldova and Georgia, and U.S. policy toward them.

The two countries appear to be on opposite trajectories when it comes to Euro-Atlantic integration. Moldova is on the path to become a post-Soviet success story. But despite the fierce determination of the Georgian people to throw off Georgias Soviet past and pursue a closer relationship with the West, the ruling Georgian Dream party has passed undemocratic legislation, demonized civil society, and issued disinformation and rhetorical attacks against the United States and European partners who've supported Georgia for decades, said Deputy Assistant Secretary for European and Eurasian Affairs Joshua Huck.

The foreign influence law passed by the ruling Georgia Dream Party on May 28th symbolizes this anti-democratic shift. This law, which mirrors a law put into force in Russia, is designed to silence critical voices, smear independent NGO activists and journalists, and cow Georgia's vibrant civil society. The Georgian Dream government passed this law despite mass protests by its citizens.

Undeterred by the constant threat of Russian aggression, interference and disinformation, said Deputy Assistant Secretary for European and Eurasian Affairs, Christopher Smith, Moldova's October 20th presidential election and simultaneous national referendum on EU accession represent a historic opportunity for the people of Moldova amidst the devastating impact of Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine.

President [Maia] Sandu, her government and the Moldovan people have taken bold steps to build a more democratic, secure, prosperous future firmly anchored in the West, a core objective of our strategy is to ensure that Moldova's course towards EU integration is irreversible, he said.

Georgia and Moldova have been important U.S. partners seeking closer ties with the West for decades since independence, and  they have made remarkable progress and enacted major reforms, said USAID Deputy Assistant Administrator Alexander Sokolowski. The Moldovan people have made a courageous choice to seek integration with Europe.

It remains our hope, said Deputy Assistant Secretary Huck, that Georgian leaders will reconsider their actions and return to Georgias long-stated Euro-Atlantic aspirations.
gismosin BHPian

Join Date: Aug 2021 Location: Hyderabad Posts: 67 Thanked: 525 Times

Gallivanting across New Zealand



As we started digging into details and what we wanted to cover and visit in New Zealandwe realized the devilerr..I mean, the drive was in the details.



We realized you cannot do justice to New Zealand in a week, unless you skip most of it. Thus, our plan literally flipped over.

Now we were doing two weeks in New Zealand and a week in Australia and as a true Team-BHPn how do we want to travel across the land?

Do you even need to ask?

Didnt I say the devil was in the driveno wait. the drive was in the devil?

No, never mind, you know what I mean. It's going to be a one helluva drive for sure!





Chapter 1: The boring stuff





You know, the things you need to get out of the way before the fun startsyep paperwork, Visas et.al.



New Zealand and Australia are both expensive countries to travel, but with proper planning, you can enjoy what you want to do and not burn a hole through your pocket. The other essential is to plan and spread out your expenses so that they will not hit you in one go.



We started planning from December 2023 for our trip in May 2024. I booked my flights in December 2023 as well. Hotels and tour attractions were booked in Jan/Feb, all refundable of-course. This way, most of our trip was already paid for before we even started.



Visas:

I applied for Visas in April. For both New Zealand and Australia, visas are electronic and can be applied from the comfort of your chair. The online forms are straightforward and easy to follow along.



What do you need before you apply for a visa? Photos (only for New Zealand) Bank statements (showing enough funds) or savings/ investment or Credit Card statement (if you want to show your credit card as primary mode of spend when traveling) Letter of absence from work (leave letter) Travel Insurance (optional but recommended) A detailed itinerary and cover letter explaining the purpose of the trip After applying for Visas, I got the New Zealand visa in about ten days and Australia a little over twenty days.



I got a call from the Australian embassy in India, and they verified my details (job, salary, etc.) and five minutes after the call, the visas were in my inbox. Keep at least four weeks for Visas, as processing time varies throughout the year.



Print the visas and you are good to go. Honestly, the only place they will look at the hard copy is in the Indian airports, and they dont accept soft copy for some strange reason. Everywhere else, the info is tied to your passport number. Nobody asks or looks at them.



Pro Tip: Avoid Visa agents. They add absolutely no value to the application process.



Flights:

We booked Singapore Airlines for our travels. As stated earlier, I booked the flight tickets way in advance as we were booking award tickets (redeeming air miles) and seats would be very limited.



Our route was Hyderabad -Singapore -Auckland and then on the way back Sydney-Singapore-Hyderabad. After redeeming a bucket load of miles (4,90,500) we paid Rs. 30,000/- for three people, which is 10k per head with a mixed class configuration. Hyderabad to Singapore was economy, Singapore to Auckland was Premium Economy and our return journey was entirely business.



How did I manage to get these miles, you ask? Thanks to Axis Magnus (before devaluation) and my Citi Prestige card. Cards have sweet spots for earning miles and with a lot of planning and some effort, you can accrue miles over time. This is a game of extreme patience but also extremely rewarding.



Do note, if you plan to book mixed configuration, you need to call their call center, no way to do it online.



Chapter 2: Frodo! Here I come.

8-May



Thus, our fellowship of three began our journey!Check-in at Hyderabad was hassle free. For the first time in my life, our international flight was not at an ungodly hour in the middle of the night but was at a respectable 11 AM. Nothing like starting your journey with a good night's sleep.



With hardly any queues, soon we were air side.We made a beeline for the lounge, which thankfully was mostly unoccupied. Now, the Hyderabad lounge is as exciting as a worm crawling. Nothing home to write aboutaverage fare.



But hey, thanks to Citibanks (R.I.P Citi) card, we get to access it for free via Priority Pass, so can't really complain.



Pretty soon boarding began, and we were on our way. The flight was uneventful and after almost five hours, we landed in Changi.







Welcome to Changi mall, which is also an airport



Changi looks more like an upscale mall than an actual airport with stores for every recognizable brand present. We had a few hours before the next flight, and we again took advantage of our Priority Pass to access the lounges in Changi you have two options either the Marhaba or the Ambassador lounge we picked the former and it was pretty good for a transit lounge with plenty of seating and a limited buffet and a self-service bar.



Honestly, this is one airport you can skip the lounge, there is so much to do and explore and If I didnt have the lounge access, you would find me in the Chang village hawker center for some fantastic food. Singapore Laksa anyone?



Soon it was time to board the long nine-hour flight to Auckland. This leg of our journey was in Premium Economy.



This three rows and twenty-four seat cabin is cozy. With better cushioning and wider seats and a little more pitch and with enough legroom so you dont feel the kicks from behind youyou can pray to sleep a little better. And the best part, no elbow fights with thy neighbor! Singapore airline offers priority boarding and wider food options (you can select their famous book, the cook option, which is available for business and first as well)





After a good meal I settled down for a nap, which in turn lasted for most of the duration of the flight and I am someone who does not fall asleep easily. Next, I know, cabin crew woke me up for a meal that was to be served before landing, so premium economy is worth it for some minor comforts.





First view of the land of Kiwi



Pro Tip: There is a 1-2% surcharge on all credit card transactions in New Zealand, so carry cash if you want to avoid this. I am pretty sure it will apply on Forex cards as well.



Chapter 3: Adventure begins at Auckland

Arrival, Airport and Transfers



We landed on time, which was at 12:20 PM local time on 9-May, customs and immigration took about an hour before we found ourselves outside the airport.



Now, New Zealand and Australia are countries that are extremely particular about what you get into their countries, especially food, animal and plant products. Anything that might threaten their fragile ecosystem. So, it is best to avoid carrying any food or plan items. If you do carry, please keep in mind, you will be sent to a separate queue for elaborate screening and you will spend additional time there after your long flight. Not the best way to start your vacation!



Once we were through customers and immigration, we picked up a SIM card from Spark; I recommend the 10GB pack as it should be enough for all the data you will need and having a local phone number is pretty useful, especially when you are spending a couple of weeks in the country.

We reached out to the airport help desk for various transport options. The best one we found outside of public transport (which involved taking multiple buses, trains and walking to our destination, which is not appealing with luggage in hand) was the Super Shuttle. Its a minibus with a trailer attached to the back to carry luggage. They will charge you depending on the destination. It cost us NZD $50 (for all three of us) from our airport to the hotel; we recommend this service where possible; it is cheaper when compared to Uber as well. There is a designated super shuttle zone outside the airport. Walk there and get your ride.



Pro Tip: Buying SIM in duty-free areas saves a few $ as there is no GST and do fill the customs and immigration form online before you depart, saves time when in the airport.



9-10 May: Auckland!

The next couple of days were spent in Auckland, our hotel here was Pullman, which is part of Accor group. Pullman is a good hotel with fantastic service. Rooms were on the smaller side, though, and the hotel looked a little dated but had an old-world charm to it.





Pullman Auckland

The other thing about hotels in New Zealand is the breakfast. It can be pretty expensive at hotels, so it is better to book breakfast inclusive prices, as standard room price does not include breakfast and may cost anywhere from $25-75 per person. So, unless you are ok having you have breakfast on the go, its better to add breakfast to your room booking.



However, if you are a vegetarian, options might be extremely limited and buffet breakfast might not be value for money. I would recommend visiting a supermarket and stocking up on some croissants or rolls from the bakery section.

We did a little walking and local exploring in the evening before turning in early. But we did not forget to enjoy the complementary drinks thanks to Accor Plus membership.



Auckland Sky tower, night view

Next day, we spent time in local sightseeing with a good amount of time in and around Sky Tower, which gives you a good panoramic view of the city. Get comfortable walking shoes as you will end up walking a lot. You can use public transport like busses, but you need to buy a card in advance and load it with cash, which can be a hassle.





Sights of Auckland

May is the start of winter, and it can be pretty cold, especially in the evenings, weather was in single digits most of the time. Also, regardless of season, the sun can be sharp and harsh, so invest in a good sunscreen. I recommend buying one locally as they are tailored to the local needs.



Pro Tip: signing up for hotel memberships like Accor Plus will save you a tidy amount of money. Since I used Accor as my main hotel of choice, I got low rates, discounted food and welcome drinks thrown in with flexible checkout options and one free night stay!



Car rental? Easy Peasy!

I picked up my car from Apex car rental in the afternoon. Please pay attention to timings as most car rentals close by 2PM or by max 4 PM. This is extremely important when you are dropping off the car as they close their offices on the dot and if you are late, you will have to drop the car the next day with an extra charge or choose after hours drop facility when you are booking the car. After hours drop involves you parking the car in a designated per-determined spot and then dropping the key in a drop box.



The pickup was smooth and hassle free. All you need is your booking confirmation and your driving license (Should be in English). There is no reason to apply for an international driving license, as your existing one is perfectly valid. My ride for this part of the journey was in the Hyundai Ionic hybrid in almost mint condition. Ensure you take pictures of the car, especially if there are any scratches or scruffs just for your evidence.



Car inspection before driving out

As add-ons, I got zero excess as complementary and added roadside assistance myself. I recommend zero excess, otherwise you will have to pay mandatory deductions for any accident. This amount varies for each car rental agency.



I strongly recommend the above options, as it will help you if you get stuck in an unfamiliar country and protect you against financial liability. Most of New Zealand is sparsely populated so you travel between hours of no civilization and can be quite far from help in the unlikely case of breakdown. Better safe than sorry.



New Zealand is divided in to two main islands, north and south and usually car rental companies do not allow you to take the car across the straits or even if they allow you to, it can be very expensive. So, if you are covering both islands like me, you need to book separate rentals for both islands. Try booking your rentals in advance for the best prices.



Driving like a Kiwi





New Zealand, like Australia and India, follows left-hand drive, making it easy to drive in the country and you can get used to it pretty quick. I strongly recommend you pick up the car a day early from your scheduled big drive to acclimatize yourself. Do note that most hotels charge you for parking. I parked overnight at Pullman, and they charged me $20 (this is a discounted price for Accor silver members) You can look for public overnight parking for a little less amount.



Another couple of things to keep in mind while driving. One, highways in New Zealand are two laned so sometimes you cannot overtake unless you are on a straight road and nobody is in the opposite lane in your line of sight. Do not overtake even if you see someone in the horizon, remember everyone is driving fast and the gap closes up pretty fast.



Every five kilometers or so you get what is called an overtaking/passing/slow lane. The road widens into two lanes on your side, and you need to move left and let people overtake you. If you have a few cars behind you need to yield to them. This is the only section of the road you can actively overtake or let people behind you pass, and people will thank you for being considerate.





Watch out for signs where you can overtake



Second, understand roundabouts, the country is filled with them. Two rules to follow here: if someone is in the roundabout already you need to yield and you always yield to the car on the right. Simply put, stop at the roundabout, look to your right. If there is no car there, go ahead. If there is a car turning towards you in the roundabout, wait till it passes and then follow it.



Lastly, keep in mind the one laned bridges where only one vehicle can pass at given time, there will be arrows indicating which direction traffic has right of way, you need to stop and yield to traffic coming from other side, again when its all clear you can pass.



Driving is effortless and easy because everyone follows rules and because everyone follows rules it's safer, so please understand and follow road rules at all times because the other drivers expect you to. Another example is when you are entering a highway or a road in T-junctions, you need to yield to the traffic on the highway. Wait till there is no traffic in your line of sight before you enter the road. Nobody on the highway will slow down when they see your car as they expect you to wait until they pass.



Pro Tip: give yourself plenty of extra time on your journey. The landscape is simply stunning and there are plenty of spots you will want to stop and take pictures. The plan was brewing for a while. It initially began as a two-week summer vacation to Australia, but we then thought since New Zealand was right next door, figuratively. We could spend a week there as well and extend our trip out to three weeks.As we started digging into details and what we wanted to cover and visit in New Zealandwe realized the devilerr..I mean, the drive was in the details.We realized you cannot do justice to New Zealand in a week, unless you skip most of it. Thus, our plan literally flipped over.Now we were doing two weeks in New Zealand and a week in Australia and as a true Team-BHPn how do we want to travel across the land?Do you even need to ask?Didnt I say the devil was in the driveno wait. the drive was in the devil?No, never mind, you know what I mean. It's going to be a one helluva drive for sure!You know, the things you need to get out of the way before the fun startsyep paperwork, Visas et.al.New Zealand and Australia are both expensive countries to travel, but with proper planning, you can enjoy what you want to do and not burn a hole through your pocket. The other essential is to plan and spread out your expenses so that they will not hit you in one go.We started planning from December 2023 for our trip in May 2024. I booked my flights in December 2023 as well. Hotels and tour attractions were booked in Jan/Feb, all refundable of-course. This way, most of our trip was already paid for before we even started.I applied for Visas in April. For both New Zealand and Australia, visas are electronic and can be applied from the comfort of your chair. The online forms are straightforward and easy to follow along.What do you need before you apply for a visa?After applying for Visas, I got the New Zealand visa in about ten days and Australia a little over twenty days.I got a call from the Australian embassy in India, and they verified my details (job, salary, etc.) and five minutes after the call, the visas were in my inbox. Keep at least four weeks for Visas, as processing time varies throughout the year.Print the visas and you are good to go. Honestly, the only place they will look at the hard copy is in the Indian airports, and they dont accept soft copy for some strange reason. Everywhere else, the info is tied to your passport number. Nobody asks or looks at them.Avoid Visa agents. They add absolutely no value to the application process.We booked Singapore Airlines for our travels. As stated earlier, I booked the flight tickets way in advance as we were booking award tickets (redeeming air miles) and seats would be very limited.Our route was Hyderabad -Singapore -Auckland and then on the way back Sydney-Singapore-Hyderabad. After redeeming a bucket load of miles (4,90,500) we paid Rs. 30,000/- for three people, which is 10k per head with a mixed class configuration. Hyderabad to Singapore was economy, Singapore to Auckland was Premium Economy and our return journey was entirely business.How did I manage to get these miles, you ask? Thanks to Axis Magnus (before devaluation) and my Citi Prestige card. Cards have sweet spots for earning miles and with a lot of planning and some effort, you can accrue miles over time. This is a game of extreme patience but also extremely rewarding.Do note, if you plan to book mixed configuration, you need to call their call center, no way to do it online.Thus, our fellowship of three began our journey!Check-in at Hyderabad was hassle free. For the first time in my life, our international flight was not at an ungodly hour in the middle of the night but was at a respectable 11 AM. Nothing like starting your journey with a good night's sleep.With hardly any queues, soon we were air side.We made a beeline for the lounge, which thankfully was mostly unoccupied. Now, the Hyderabad lounge is as exciting as a worm crawling. Nothing home to write aboutaverage fare.But hey, thanks to Citibanks (R.I.P Citi) card, we get to access it for free via Priority Pass, so can't really complain.Pretty soon boarding began, and we were on our way. The flight was uneventful and after almost five hours, we landed in Changi.Changi looks more like an upscale mall than an actual airport with stores for every recognizable brand present. We had a few hours before the next flight, and we again took advantage of our Priority Pass to access the lounges in Changi you have two options either the Marhaba or the Ambassador lounge we picked the former and it was pretty good for a transit lounge with plenty of seating and a limited buffet and a self-service bar.Honestly, this is one airport you can skip the lounge, there is so much to do and explore and If I didnt have the lounge access, you would find me in the Chang village hawker center for some fantastic food. Singapore Laksa anyone?Soon it was time to board the long nine-hour flight to Auckland. This leg of our journey was in Premium Economy.This three rows and twenty-four seat cabin is cozy. With better cushioning and wider seats and a little more pitch and with enough legroom so you dont feel the kicks from behind youyou can pray to sleep a little better. And the best part, no elbow fights with thy neighbor! Singapore airline offers priority boarding and wider food options (you can select their famous book, the cook option, which is available for business and first as well)After a good meal I settled down for a nap, which in turn lasted for most of the duration of the flight and I am someone who does not fall asleep easily. Next, I know, cabin crew woke me up for a meal that was to be served before landing, so premium economy is worth it for some minor comforts.There is a 1-2% surcharge on all credit card transactions in New Zealand, so carry cash if you want to avoid this. I am pretty sure it will apply on Forex cards as well.We landed on time, which was at 12:20 PM local time on 9-May, customs and immigration took about an hour before we found ourselves outside the airport.Now, New Zealand and Australia are countries that are extremely particular about what you get into their countries, especially food, animal and plant products. Anything that might threaten their fragile ecosystem. So, it is best to avoid carrying any food or plan items. If you do carry, please keep in mind, you will be sent to a separate queue for elaborate screening and you will spend additional time there after your long flight. Not the best way to start your vacation!Once we were through customers and immigration, we picked up a SIM card from Spark; I recommend the 10GB pack as it should be enough for all the data you will need and having a local phone number is pretty useful, especially when you are spending a couple of weeks in the country.We reached out to the airport help desk for various transport options. The best one we found outside of public transport (which involved taking multiple buses, trains and walking to our destination, which is not appealing with luggage in hand) was the Super Shuttle. Its a minibus with a trailer attached to the back to carry luggage. They will charge you depending on the destination. It cost us NZD $50 (for all three of us) from our airport to the hotel; we recommend this service where possible; it is cheaper when compared to Uber as well. There is a designated super shuttle zone outside the airport. Walk there and get your ride.Buying SIM in duty-free areas saves a few $ as there is no GST and do fill the customs and immigration form online before you depart, saves time when in the airport.The next couple of days were spent in Auckland, our hotel here was Pullman, which is part of Accor group. Pullman is a good hotel with fantastic service. Rooms were on the smaller side, though, and the hotel looked a little dated but had an old-world charm to it.The other thing about hotels in New Zealand is the breakfast. It can be pretty expensive at hotels, so it is better to book breakfast inclusive prices, as standard room price does not include breakfast and may cost anywhere from $25-75 per person. So, unless you are ok having you have breakfast on the go, its better to add breakfast to your room booking.However, if you are a vegetarian, options might be extremely limited and buffet breakfast might not be value for money. I would recommend visiting a supermarket and stocking up on some croissants or rolls from the bakery section.We did a little walking and local exploring in the evening before turning in early. But we did not forget to enjoy the complementary drinks thanks to Accor Plus membership.Next day, we spent time in local sightseeing with a good amount of time in and around Sky Tower, which gives you a good panoramic view of the city. Get comfortable walking shoes as you will end up walking a lot. You can use public transport like busses, but you need to buy a card in advance and load it with cash, which can be a hassle.May is the start of winter, and it can be pretty cold, especially in the evenings, weather was in single digits most of the time. Also, regardless of season, the sun can be sharp and harsh, so invest in a good sunscreen. I recommend buying one locally as they are tailored to the local needs.signing up for hotel memberships like Accor Plus will save you a tidy amount of money. Since I used Accor as my main hotel of choice, I got low rates, discounted food and welcome drinks thrown in with flexible checkout options and one free night stay!I picked up my car from Apex car rental in the afternoon. Please pay attention to timings as most car rentals close by 2PM or by max 4 PM. This is extremely important when you are dropping off the car as they close their offices on the dot and if you are late, you will have to drop the car the next day with an extra charge or choose after hours drop facility when you are booking the car. After hours drop involves you parking the car in a designated per-determined spot and then dropping the key in a drop box.The pickup was smooth and hassle free. All you need is your booking confirmation and your driving license (Should be in English). There is no reason to apply for an international driving license, as your existing one is perfectly valid. My ride for this part of the journey was in the Hyundai Ionic hybrid in almost mint condition. Ensure you take pictures of the car, especially if there are any scratches or scruffs just for your evidence.As add-ons, I got zero excess as complementary and added roadside assistance myself. I recommend zero excess, otherwise you will have to pay mandatory deductions for any accident. This amount varies for each car rental agency.I strongly recommend the above options, as it will help you if you get stuck in an unfamiliar country and protect you against financial liability. Most of New Zealand is sparsely populated so you travel between hours of no civilization and can be quite far from help in the unlikely case of breakdown. Better safe than sorry.New Zealand is divided in to two main islands, north and south and usually car rental companies do not allow you to take the car across the straits or even if they allow you to, it can be very expensive. So, if you are covering both islands like me, you need to book separate rentals for both islands. Try booking your rentals in advance for the best prices.New Zealand, like Australia and India, follows left-hand drive, making it easy to drive in the country and you can get used to it pretty quick. I strongly recommend you pick up the car a day early from your scheduled big drive to acclimatize yourself. Do note that most hotels charge you for parking. I parked overnight at Pullman, and they charged me $20 (this is a discounted price for Accor silver members) You can look for public overnight parking for a little less amount.Another couple of things to keep in mind while driving. One, highways in New Zealand are two laned so sometimes you cannot overtake unless you are on a straight road and nobody is in the opposite lane in your line of sight. Do not overtake even if you see someone in the horizon, remember everyone is driving fast and the gap closes up pretty fast.Every five kilometers or so you get what is called an overtaking/passing/slow lane. The road widens into two lanes on your side, and you need to move left and let people overtake you. If you have a few cars behind you need to yield to them. This is the only section of the road you can actively overtake or let people behind you pass, and people will thank you for being considerate.Second, understand roundabouts, the country is filled with them. Two rules to follow here: if someone is in the roundabout already you need to yield and you always yield to the car on the right. Simply put, stop at the roundabout, look to your right. If there is no car there, go ahead. If there is a car turning towards you in the roundabout, wait till it passes and then follow it.Lastly, keep in mind the one laned bridges where only one vehicle can pass at given time, there will be arrows indicating which direction traffic has right of way, you need to stop and yield to traffic coming from other side, again when its all clear you can pass.Driving is effortless and easy because everyone follows rules and because everyone follows rules it's safer, so please understand and follow road rules at all times because the other drivers expect you to. Another example is when you are entering a highway or a road in T-junctions, you need to yield to the traffic on the highway. Wait till there is no traffic in your line of sight before you enter the road. Nobody on the highway will slow down when they see your car as they expect you to wait until they pass.give yourself plenty of extra time on your journey. The landscape is simply stunning and there are plenty of spots you will want to stop and take pictures. Last edited by gismosin : 29th July 2024 at 20:07 .
A hot potato: The war between the US and TikTok has opened another front. In a filing with a federal appeals court, the Department of Justice alleges that TikTok has been collecting sensitive information about user views on socially divisive topics. The DOJ speculated that the Chinese government could use this data to sow disruption in the US and cast suspicion on its democratic processes. TikTok has made several overtures to the US to create trust in its privacy and data controls, but it has also been reported that the service at one time tracked users who watched LGBTQ content.

The US Justice Department alleges that TikTok collected sensitive data on US users regarding contentious issues such as abortion, religion and gun control, raising concerns about privacy and potential manipulation by the Chinese government. This information was reportedly gathered through an internal communication tool called Lark.

Lark is similar to other workplace messaging platforms like Slack or Microsoft Teams, allowing employees to communicate and share information. However, it also collects a wealth of user data, some of it very personal, such as photos, country of residence, internet protocol address, and device and user IDs  as well as some users' potentially illegal content, such as child sexual abuse materials.

Government lawyers made their case in documents filed late Friday to the federal appeals court in Washington. It alleged that the information collected by Lark wound up being stored on Chinese servers and accessible to employees in China. They warn that the Chinese government could potentially instruct ByteDance to manipulate TikTok's algorithm to use this data to promote certain narratives or suppress others, in order to influence public opinion on social issues and undermine trust in the US' democratic processes.

Manipulating the algorithm could also be used to amplify content that aligns with Chinese state narratives, or downplay content that contradicts those narratives, thereby shaping the national conversation in a way that serves Chinese interests.

"By directing ByteDance or TikTok to covertly manipulate that algorithm, China could for example further its existing malign influence operations and amplify its efforts to undermine trust in our democracy and exacerbate social divisions," according to the brief.

There is evidence that TikTok collected sensitive information about users in the past. The Wall Street Journal reported last year that the company had tracked users who watched LGBTQ content through a dashboard that, according to ByteDance, has since been deleted.

The brief is the latest salvo in an ongoing legal battle in which the Biden administration has directed ByteDance to divest its ownership of TikTok or face a potential ban in the US, where the app has around 170 million users.

TikTok has challenged the constitutionality of the government's actions against it, arguing that the government's measures infringe upon the First Amendment rights of its users. It has also said that the allegations lack substantial evidence and that the user data the company maintains does not pose the national security risks that US officials have claimed.

The company has also made overtures to the US government in order to keep operating in the country, including the offer of a "kill switch" in 2022 that would have given the US government the power to shut down the platform at its sole discretion if certain rules were not followed. TikTok claims that US officials stopped any substantive negotiations after the proposal was made.

TikTok has also initiated Project Texas, a $1.5 billion effort to safeguard US user data by transferring it to Oracle servers based in the US. However, the effectiveness of this initiative is under scrutiny by federal officials.
What just happened? Lenovo is pulling back the curtains on a new variant of its latest business-focused ultraportable, the ThinkPad T14s Gen 6, and it's making some lofty claims about this Arm-powered laptop's battery life. Powered by Qualcomm's new Snapdragon X Elite processor, the company asserts that the new T14s Gen 6 can achieve a staggering 29 hours of battery runtime on a single charge.

Manufacturer battery life claims have to be taken with a grain of salt until third-party testing can validate them. Still, even discounting a bit of marketing hyperbole, if the T14s gets anywhere close to that 29-hour figure in real-world conditions, it would easily outperform most Intel and AMD-based laptops currently on the market. For comparison, the latest 16-inch MacBook Pro promises 'only' up to 22 hours of Apple TV movie playback.

Delivering the promise is a fairly standard 58Wh battery pack, though the Snapdragon X Elite's power-sipping Arm cores no doubt help maximize that capacity. This SoC itself utilizes 12 custom Arm Oryon CPU cores along with a beefy Adreno GPU.

Related reading: The Best PC Monitors - 2024 Update

Curiously, Lenovo has outfitted the cooling system with dual fans. One fan is likely dedicated to the X Elite itself, leaving us curious about what other heat-generating components necessitated that second blower.

The rest of the ThinkPad T14s Gen 6 spec sheet checks all the boxes you'd expect from a premium ultraportable. There's up to 32GB of LPDDR5x RAM and 1TB of fast NVMe SSD storage. The 14-inch OLED panel pushes a sharp 2.8K (2800 x 1800) resolution while offering HDR, 100% DCI-P3 color, and other high-end display niceties.

Lenovo retained the traditional ThinkPad design language too, complete with a TrackPoint nub in the middle of the keyboard. Ports are plentiful: two USB-A, a pair of Thunderbolt 4, HDMI 2.1, a 3.5mm audio jack, and even a SIM slot. WiFi 7 is supported too.

With an all-metal chassis weighing just 2.73 pounds and standing 0.67 inches thick, the ThinkPad T14s seems to tick all the boxes for a highly portable productivity partner. The only potential fly in the ointment is pricing, which Lenovo hasn't officially announced but early retail listings in China suggest it will start around $1,700.

That's a premium price point, even for a hardened business machine, though the claimed runtime could make it worthwhile. Meanwhile, the less premium 14" WUXGA IPS model available in the US is listed for $1,754.35 currently and promises "multi-day battery life."
A hot potato: A New York federal judge has ruled that warrantless searches of American citizens' phones by Customs and Border Protection (CBP) are a violation of the Fourth Amendment. The ruling stated that searching through someone's phone is an invasion of a traveler's privacy and "the best approximation government officials have for mindreading."

The ruling was part of a 2022 criminal case against Kurbonali Sultanov, a naturalized US citizen, who was ordered to hand over his phone to CBP agents after he was identified by the Treasury Enforcement Communications System as a potential purchaser or possessor of child sexual abuse material.

Border agents told Sultanov to hand over his phone and password. Four videos of child sexual abuse material were allegedly found on the device.

A warrant for a forensic search of the phone and another that Sultanov had on him when he entered the country was obtained later. He was indicted and has been trying to get some of the evidence supressed due to the warrantless serach.

Judge Nina R. Morrison of New York's Eastern District said that while the second forensic search of his phones was conducted in good faith and pursuant to a warrant, she agreed with Sultanov's argument that the first warrantless search was a violation of his Fourth Amendment rights, and therefore unconstitutional.

A Massachusetts district court ruled in 2019 that "suspicionless searches" of international travelers' smartphones and laptops at US ports of entry was a Fourth Amendment violation, but that decision was overturned in 2021, allowing devices to be searched without a warrant or reasonable suspicion.

The Knight First Amendment Institute at Columbia University, a non-profit that defends the freedoms of speech and the press through litigation, research, and education, filed an amicus brief with the Reporters Committee for Freedom of the Press.

"As the court recognizes, warrantless searches of electronic devices at the border are an unjustified intrusion into travelers' private expressions, personal associations, and journalistic endeavors  activities the First and Fourth Amendments were designed to protect," said Scott Wilkens, senior counsel at the Knight First Amendment Institute.

The Verge notes that while the ruling practically applies only to New York's Eastern District, it theoretically could influence practices at land borders, seaports, and airports.

Masthead: U.S. Customs and Border Protection
Rumor mill: The Galaxy S25 series is expected to launch early next year, but a steady stream of leaks has already given us an idea about what to expect. According to a new report, the S25 Ultra could have a significant memory upgrade over its predecessor.

Prolific tipster @UniverseIce claims that the Galaxy S25 Ultra could offer up to 16GB of RAM. If the tip is accurate, it would mean a significant upgrade over the S24 Ultra, which ships with up to 12GB of memory. While the leaker did not mention the S25 Ultra by name, he has been posting almost exclusively about Samsung recently, suggesting that this particular tip is about the upcoming flagship from the South Korean chaebol.

16GB yesiA  ICE UNIVERSE (@UniverseIce) July 30, 2024

The rumor is seemingly corroborated by another tipster, @theonecid, who claimed that Galaxy S25 and Galaxy S25 Plus will have up to 12GB of RAM, while the Galaxy S25 Ultra will get up to 16GB. Neither post clearly states that it is talking about the top-end models, but that's very likely to be the case, meaning the Galaxy S25 and S25 Plus could still have 8GB RAM variants, while the base S25 Ultra will likely get only 12GB of memory.

That being said, if CID's post turns out to be accurate, it would mean that the top-end Galaxy S25 and S25 Ultra will get an additional 4GB of memory compared to their respective predecessors; however, there's no such upgrade planned for the S25 Plus. That's because the vanilla S24 ships with only up to 8GB of RAM, while the S24 Plus and S24 Ultra offer up to 12GB of memory.

In related news, a report from earlier this year claimed that the Galaxy S25 lineup will ship with LPDDR6 RAM, which would also be an upgrade over the DDR5 memory found in the Galaxy S24-series devices. Another recent post from @UniverseIce claimed that the Galaxy S25 Ultra will feature a 5,000mAh battery and 45W wired charging speed. These specs are identical to what's offered with the Galaxy S24 Ultra, meaning the next-gen Samsung flagship may not offer a battery upgrade that many are hoping for.

It is worth noting here that these are still unverified rumors that are yet to be officially confirmed by Samsung, so take them with a pinch of salt for now.
In brief: As AI-generated deepfakes become more realistic and convincing every day, Microsoft has called on Congress to pass laws protecting against their use for election manipulation, crimes, and abuse. The plea comes just a few weeks after the US Senate introduced a bill to create legal framework for ethical AI development.

Brad Smith, Microsoft's President and Vice Chairman, writes that while the tech sector and non-profit groups have taken steps to address the problems posed by deepfakes, especially when used for fraud, abuse, and manipulation against kids and seniors, laws need to evolve to combat these issues.

Smith urged the US to pass a comprehensive deepfake fraud statute that will give lawmakers a legal framework to prosecute criminals who use the technology to steal from everyday Americans. Smith also wants lawmakers to update federal and state laws on child sexual exploitation, abuse, and non-consensual intimate imagery to include AI-generated content.

Microsoft also wants Congress to require AI system providers to use tools that label synthetic content, which it says is essential to build trust in the information ecosystem.

Earlier this month, the US Senate introduced new legislation called the "Content Origin Protection and Integrity from Edited and Deepfaked Media Act" (COPIED Act). The act is designed to outlaw the unethical use of AI-generated content and deepfake technology and allows victims of sexually explicit deepfakes to sue their creators.

Although they have been around for years, the advancing tech behind deepfakes has brought them into the spotlight recently. The explicit images of Taylor Swift shared online in January, seen by over 27 million people on X alone, led to lawmakers calling for changes.

In the UK, explicit deepfakes were made illegal under the Online Safety Act in October 2023. PornHub, meanwhile, has banned deepfakes since 2018.

The political implications of deepfakes have proven to be a warranted concern during this election year. The phone calls using a cloned version of Joe Biden's voice in January led to the President calling for AI voice impersonations to be banned. Elsewhere, Microsoft has issued several warnings about China using generative AI to try to influence the election.

This is amazing AAA

pic.twitter.com/KpnBKGUUwn  Elon Musk (@elonmusk) July 26, 2024

This week saw Elon Musk repost a digitally altered video of Kamala Harris, where her deepfaked voice says she is the "ultimate diversity hire" and that President Biden is senile. Many say the video violates X's own rules on posting manipulated content.
Preparations for SpaceX's next Starship test flight are well underway, and the company has recently conducted the stainless steel rocket's static fire test. The recent test was a success for SpaceX, with the company being able to fire all of the six Raptor engines underneath the renowned spacecraft, showing off to the world its latest feat in Boca Chica.

SpaceX Starship Engine Test Shared Online, Static Fire a Success

Over the weekend, SpaceX conducted its static fire test for the latest iteration of the Starship rocket in its testing facility in Starbase, Boca Chica, Texas. The company shared a slow-motion video of the Starship firing off its six Raptor engines in a close-up view, showing off its immense power from start to finish, with the rocket staying in place the whole time.

This static fire was one of the main tests for the Starship before an upcoming test, with the company ensuring that its Raptor engines would be up to standard and perform adequately once the actual flight took place.

Currently, the Starship is on a separate launch pad, with the company soon setting up the Super Heavy Booster and stacking both gigantic spacecraft atop each other for its next launch.

Read Also : SpaceX Starship Finds Success in 4th Test Flight, Reusable Rocket Lands Triumphantly

Slow motion view of Flight 5 Starships six Raptor engines during static fire pic.twitter.com/5395Vmq2j4  SpaceX (@SpaceX) July 27, 2024

SpaceX Starship is Gearing Up for Its Fifth Test Flight

The latest static fire test from SpaceX is leading to the anticipated event coming soon from the company, the Starship's fifth test flight that will commence come September 2024. For now, SpaceX is dotting all of the I's and crossing the T's before it launches the Starship and Super Heavy, hoping for another successful run like the fourth launch.

The Reusable Rocket Bound for Mars: Starship

Originally called the Mars Colonial Transporter, SpaceX announced Starship's development more than a decade ago with its CEO, Elon Musk, making the rocket known to the world. However, since its first inception in 2018, the rocket went on to go on low-altitude test flights the following year, with the SpaceX founder claiming that he would move to Mars and be transported by the Starship.

The next frontier of humans in the cosmos would be Mars, with NASA and other space agencies have yet to send astronauts to the planet that would begin explorations and determine if it is an ideal habitat. From 2020 until the first half of 2024, Starship was not yet able to make its mark in the space race, with a significant setback in its licenses, as well asthe FAA's environmental review.

SpaceX's two-stage rocket, which consists of the Super Heavy Booster first stage and Starship as its second stage, first saw massive success last June with it being able to launch and retrieve the rocket in one piece. The testing does not stop there as a fifth test flight is coming soon, with SpaceX ensuring that all cylinders are locked in with its latest static fire for Starship's Raptor engines.
Novo Nordisk's Victoza, a popular diabetes medication, has shown mixed results in a mid-stage trial targeting Alzheimer's disease.

While the drug failed to meet its primary endpoint of improving brain metabolism, it demonstrated potential benefits in other areas, igniting hope for the broader class of GLP-1 drugs.

Shift in Alzheimer's Research Focus

For years, the pharmaceutical industry has centered its Alzheimer's research on tackling amyloid plaques, the hallmark of the disease. However, recent findings suggest that metabolic factors, such as insulin resistance and impaired glucose processing, may also contribute to cognitive decline. This has prompted a growing interest in repurposing diabetes medications, including GLP-1 agonists, for Alzheimer's treatment.

Victoza's Impact on Alzheimer's Disease

The study involving Victoza, a GLP-1 agonist, assessed its effects on brain metabolism in 204 Alzheimer's patients. While the drug failed to significantly improve this metric, it demonstrated a slower rate of cognitive decline and reduced brain atrophy compared to a placebo., according to Bloomberg. These findings suggest that GLP-1 medications may possess neuroprotective properties.

Potential for GLP-1 Drugs in Alzheimer's Treatment

Despite the mixed results of the Victoza trial, experts remain optimistic about the potential of GLP-1 drugs in Alzheimer's therapy.

Novo Nordisk is currently conducting larger-scale trials with a newer GLP-1 medication, aiming to build upon the promising findings of the Victoza study.

If successful, GLP-1 drugs could offer a novel treatment option for Alzheimer's disease, complementing existing therapies that target amyloid plaques. This dual approach may hold the key to effectively slowing down the progression of the disease.

"This research provides hope that more options for changing the course of the disease are on the horizon," Alzheimer's Association's chief scientific officer Maria Carrillo said in a statement.

Two weeks ago, Novo Nordisk's semaglutide showed promising results in the trials. According to the University of Oxford, it decreases the risk of having kidney disease and cardiovascular conditions. However, that's not the most surprising part.

As Fierce Pharma reported, Ozempic, the semaglutide type 2 diabetes drug can also cut the risk of dementia. Based on the Oxford study, this drug displays a 48% decline in dementia as compared to the sitagliptin or Merck'2 type 2 diabetes drug Januvia.

At the time, Novo continues to conduct two phase 3 studies which are EVOKE and EVOKE+. The research covers 1,800 patients who have early Alzheimer's. It is expected that the results of the studies will come out in 2026.

Meanwhile, Tech Times reported that there's a type of oral bacteria that can melt certain types of cancers. For those wondering what specific types of cancers they are, these are head and neck cancer.

A group of researchers at Guy's and St. Thomas' and King's College London said that this bacteria is known for promoting bowel cancer. Luckily this time, it's seen to be effective in killing other cancer types.
Integra Resources Corp., which has exploration and development projects in Nevada, and the new Florida Canyon Gold Inc. have reached an agreement for Integra to acquire Florida Canyon Gold and its gold mine in Pershing County with the same name.

The companies announced on Monday that Integra will acquire all Florida Canyon Gold shares in a court-approved arrangement, and they say the combination will create a diversified Great Basin-focused gold and silver producer.

The transaction between Integra and FCGI is a unique opportunity to combine production and cash flows with two complementary high-quality growth projects in the Great Basin, one of the best mining jurisdictions in the world, Jason Kosec, president and chief executive officer of Integra, said.

Post transaction, Integra will benefit from the currently cash flowing Florida Canyon mine, which provides investors immediate exposure to strong metal prices, he said in Mondays announcement.

The Florida Canyon Mine, which is near Interstate 80 about 45 miles southwest of Winnemucca, is expected to produce around 70,000 ounces of gold a year for Integra. Integras two development stage assets are the Nevada North Project, which is about 40 miles from Florida Canyon, and the DeLamar Project in Idaho.

The Florida Canyon Gold Mine was recently owned by Argonaut Gold, but a Florida Canyon Gold company was spun off when Alamos Gold acquired Argonaut Gold. The newly formed Florida Canyon Gold Inc. owned the Florida Canyon Gold Mine and a package of properties in Mexico, but on July 17 the company announced it had agreed to sell its Mexico properties to Heliostar Metals Ltd., leaving FCGI as the single-asset owner of the Florida Canyon Gold Mine.

We are excited to announce the merger of FCGI with Integra, a strategic move that will significantly enhance the combined companys position as a leading U.S. junior gold producer with a strong growth pipeline, Audra Walsh, interim CEO of FCGI, said.

She said the transaction offers FCGI shareholders substantial ongoing ownership in the new company, providing the opportunity to participate in the anticipated future re-rating as DeLamar progresses toward productions.

Meanwhile, the Florida Canyon operations are continuing with no layoffs. Florida Canyon Golds chief financial officer, Dennis Kwon, said in an email this month it was business as usual in terms of the Florida Canyon Mine.

Emily Hendrickson, manager of external affairs in the United States for Integra, said by phone July 29 that Florida Canyon operations have roughly 250 employees.

Florida Canyon, Lamar and Nevada North are all in the Great Basin and near enough to each other to provide synergies, Walsh said.

Integra should benefit from a seasoned and experienced team at Florida Canyon as it brings DeLamar and Nevada North into production, according to the announcement, which states that the Florida Canyon workforce will benefit from the addition of nearby development projects.

Operational and technical expertise from Florida Canyon will be invaluable for engineering, construction, and ramp-up at Delamar, the announcement said. The proximity of Florida Canyon and Nevada North is expected to create tangible synergies for people and equipment as Nevada North is brought online.

The merger announcement said with the projected seven-year mine life at Florida Canyon and the 13-year mine life at the nearby Nevada North Project, the transaction will result in more than 20 years of employment for the local workforce at Florida Canyon, and brings significant benefits to communities surrounding Integras key projects in Nevada and Idaho.

A recent technical report said Florida Canyons open pit, heap leach operations at Imlay is expected to have a seven-year mine life and three years of residual leach. The merger announcement said there is the potential for new oxide discoveries identified at targets along strike at Florida Canyon, which could significantly extend the life of the Florida Canyon Gold Mine.

DeLamar is an advanced gold and silver heap leach project in southwestern Idaho that has filed a plan of operations with the U.S. Bureau of Land Management. A prefeasibility study showed an eight-year mine life, with the potential to produce 136,000 gold equivalent ounces per year, according to the announcement.

Integras website says DeLamar is about 62 miles from Boise and is the site of the DeLamar open pit operations that Kinross Gold Corp. closed in 1999. The company plans a heap leach operation.

Nevada North is comprised of the Wildcat and Mountain View deposits in northwestern Nevada. Hendrickson said Wildcat is about 30 miles northwest of Lovelock and 40 miles from Florida Canyon.

A preliminary economic assessment showed Nevada North has a 13-year mine life with an average production of 80,000 gold equivalent ounces per year. Drilling is underway at Wildcat to increase oxide mineralization adjacent to the existing resource.

Integras Nevada North land package covers 17,612 acres, according to the BLMs Winnemucca District, which was taking public comment until July 2 on an environmental assessment for exploration at Wildcat.

The merger announcement said the combined portfolio of three oxide heap leach gold-silver projects in the Great Basin will have a total resource inventory of 5.2 million ounces of gold and 152.5 million ounces of silver in the measured and indicated category; 2.9 million ounces of gold and 17.2 million ounces of silver in the Inferred category; and total mineral reserves of 2 million ounces of gold and 51.3 million ounces of silver in the proven and probable category based on oxide and mixed ore.

Under the Integra  FCGI arrangement, Florida Canyon Gold shareholders will receive 0.467 of a common share of Integra for each whole share of FCGI, so if the deal receives shareholder and court approval, Integra shareholders will own roughly 60% of Integra shares and FCGI shareholders, 40%.

The exchange ratio is based on the closing FCGI share price of 69 Canadian cents on the Toronto Venture Stock Exchange on July 26, according to the announcement. The value is around $68.6 million.

Once the arrangement is finalized the Integra board of directors will consist of six current Integra board members and two directors from Florida Canyon Gold, the companies said.

The transaction has been approved by both boards, and FCGI plans to hold a shareholder meeting in October. The companies expect the deal to be final in November.
Online deepfakes are frowned upon, but Meta introduced its AI Studio that banks on this idea, but this one will be at creators' discretion to help them answer fans and followers via Instagram DMs. These custom creator AIs will be the helpful presence of renowned online personalities on Instagram to do their bidding, especially in answering their direct messages.

Before, it was known that not all actors, actresses, and personalities answered their fan mail or engaged with the public on their online messages, something which Meta brings back in this AI era.

Meta's Latest AI Studio Introduces Instagram Creator AI

Sliding into a creator or famed personalities' DM would usually have it ignored, but for special cases, they get answered. However, Meta wants to change this with its latest introduction of AI Studio to help create custom characters on social media.

Meta introduced the AI Studio with a special feature for Instagram, particularly with its content creators who would usually be busy answering fans or followers who hit them up via direct messages. Instead of being left on "delivered" or "seen," creators may make an AI version of themselves to quickly answer followers whenever they get messages.

This latest offer centers on AI Studio's improved generative AI capabilities built by Meta's latest Llama 3.1 LLM whichalso offers regular users in creating AI characters based on their interests.

Read Also : Nvidia Unveils AI Chatbot 'G-Assist' That Guides Gamers Through Games and Even Optimizes PCs

Chat and Answer Fans Using AI Studio Creation

According to Meta, the AI version of the Instagram creator can answer direct messages from fans or followers, particularly with quick answers regarding common queries or story replies.

Instagram's creator AI could share differentinformation like facts or trivia about the influencer, offering links to associated or favorite brands, also sharing previous video uploads.

AI Answering Machines and Automation

The generative AI era of the present world has brought massive possibilities for users and companies to offer a more in-touch experience with their customers and fans. Among these famed experiences were Samsung's Bixby whichleverages generative AI in offering user's voice to answer calls, and there is also DoorDash's AI answering service to take your orders.

Creating one's AI tailored for their specific needs is no longer new, particularly as the likes of OpenAI and Microsoft already offer this in the form of custom GPTs. Other companies have also followed suit, and an AI-based search platform, You.com, has recently introduced 'Custom Assistants' creation to tweak user experience based on their preferences.

In the past months, Meta's AI executions have seen mixed reviews, particularly with significant controversies on various platforms like Facebook, Instagram, and WhatsApp. However, the company expands more on the generative AI experience with the latest AI Studio, with a specific tool for Instagram allowing creators to make AI versions of themselves to answer their followers.
Canva, the design platform used by millions worldwide, has announced a strategic acquisition of Leonardo.ai, an Australian startup specializing in generative AI content creation. This move signals Canva's commitment to becoming a leader in the rapidly evolving world of AI-powered design tools.

A Cash and Stock Deal Bolsters Canva's AI Arsenal

The financial details of the acquisition remain undisclosed, but Cameron Adams, Canva's co-founder and chief product officer, confirmed a mix of cash and stock payment. All 120 employees of Leonardo.ai will join Canva's growing team, including the executive leadership.

While Leonardo.ai will operate independently under Canva's umbrella, the acquisition signifies a significant boost in resources. With the backing of Canva's substantial resources, it's now quicker to conduct research regarding AI innovation.

"Existing tools and solutions offered by Leonardo.ai will remain available, and we aim to accelerate platform development and user growth through investments in API access for developers and foundational model R&D," Adams told TechCrunch.

From Video Game Assets to Industry-Wide Solutions

Founded in 2022, Sydney-based Leonardo.ai originally aimed to revolutionize video game asset creation. However, their ambitions soon expanded. The team developed a comprehensive platform catering to diverse industries like fashion, advertising, and architecture.

Leonardo.ai offers a unique proposition: extensive user control over the generative process. Their "Live Canvas" feature allows users to create a quick sketch based on a text prompt. As the user modifies the sketch, Leonardo.ai's AI instantly generates a photorealistic image, seamlessly merging textual and visual input.

A key question surrounding any generative AI platform is training data. While details remain unclear, Leonardo.ai emphasizes the use of "licensed, synthetic and publicly available/open source data" to train their in-house models, including the flagship "Phoenix" model.

Transparency around training data is crucial due to potential legal complications associated with using copyrighted content without permission. Here, Canva's commitment to ethical AI development stands out. They have pledged $200 million to compensate creators who consent to having their content used for training their AI models.

A Powerful Synergy: Boosting Canva's Magic Studio

With over 19 million registered users and over a billion generated images, Leonardo.ai boasts an impressive track record. Their technology will be integrated into Canva's existing Magic Studio suite, significantly enhancing its capabilities.

Canva's journey in the AI realm began in December 2022 with the launch of Magic Write, a copywriting assistant. Aiming for an initial public offering (IPO), the company has aggressively pursued both internal development and strategic acquisitions to accelerate AI innovation.

In February 2021, they acquired Kaleido, a drag-and-drop background removal tool for images and videos. Adams acknowledges that Kaleido laid the foundation for much of Canva's current AI efforts.

Leonardo.ai marks Canva's eighth acquisition overall and the second within 2024. It follows the acquisition of U.K. design company Affinity for an estimated $380 million. Canva's impressive portfolio also includes presentation platform Zeetings, free stock photography platforms Pixabay and Pexels, and Czech-based product mockup app Smartmockups.

A Design Revolution Driven by AI

Founded in 2012, Canva has become a design powerhouse with over 180 million monthly active users worldwide. The company has raised over $560 million, most recently achieving a $26 billion valuation. Their revenue nears $2 billion annually.
Air New Zealand scraps 2030 emissions targets



Wellington, July 30 (AFP) Jul 30, 2024



Air New Zealand on Tuesday shelved ambitious 2030 carbon emissions targets, blaming a tight supply of new aircraft and sustainable jet fuel.

The carrier said it was forced to rethink a long-standing aim to cut emissions per flight by about a third.

"The airline may need to retain its existing fleet for longer than planned due to global manufacturing and supply chain issues that could potentially slow the introduction of newer, more fuel-efficient aircraft into the fleet," Air New Zealand chief executive Greg Foran said in a statement.

Air New Zealand will also withdraw from the Science Based Targets Initiative, which helps companies reduce emissions in line with the Paris Agreement.

It marks a shift as airlines struggle globally with aircraft shortages and supplies of sustainable fuel.

Conflicts in Ukraine and Gaza have also forced carriers to take longer routes as airlines battle to meet the target set by the industry's trade body of net-zero carbon emissions by 2050.

Air New Zealand said it remained committed to reaching net-zero emissions by 2050 and was considering a new carbon intensity reduction target.

Air New Zealand was previously run by the country's centre-right prime minister Christopher Luxon, whose government has cut funding for climate projects.

ryj/arb/cwl
10 dead, hundreds feared trapped in India landslides



Bengaluru, India, July 30 (AFP) Jul 30, 2024



Early morning landslides in India triggered by pounding monsoon rains have killed at least 10 people with hundreds more feared trapped under the earth, officials said Tuesday.

The southern coastal state of Kerala has been battered by torrential downpours, and the collapse of a key bridge at the disaster site in Wayanad district has hampered rescue efforts, according to local media reports.

At least 10 have been confirmed dead so far, a district official in Wayanad told AFP on condition of anonymity as they were not authorised to speak to media.

India's army said it had deployed more than 200 soldiers to the area to assist state security forces and fire crews in search and rescue efforts.

"Hundreds of people are suspected to have been trapped," it said in a statement.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi said he had assured the Kerala government of "all possible help" with the situation.

"My thoughts are with all those who have lost their loved ones and prayers with those injured," he said in a post on social media platform X.

More rainfall and strong winds were forecast in Kerala on Tuesday, the state's disaster management agency said.

Indian opposition leader Rahul Gandhi, who until recently represented Wayanad in parliament, said he was "deeply anguished" by the disaster.

"I hope those still trapped are brought to safety soon," he added.

Several people injured in the landslides were brought to a hospital in the district for treatment.

Monsoon rains across South Asia from June to September offer respite from the summer heat and are crucial to replenishing water supplies.

They are vital for agriculture and therefore the livelihoods of millions of farmers as well as food security for South Asia's nearly two billion people.

But they also bring destruction every year in the form of landslides and floods.

The number of fatal floods and landslides has increased in recent years, and experts say climate change is exacerbating the problem.

Damming, deforestation and development projects in India have also exacerbated the human toll.

Intense monsoon storms battered India earlier this month, flooding parts of the financial capital Mumbai, while lightning in the eastern state of Bihar killed at least 10 people.

At least 25 people were killed in floods and landslides across Kerala in 2021.

In 2018, nearly 500 people were killed around Kerala during the worst flooding to hit the state in almost a century.
Brazil quake city victims hail landmark Dutch legal victory



The Hague, July 30 (AFP) Jul 30, 2024



Lawyers and residents from a Brazilian city devastated by earthquakes caused by salt mining on Tuesday hailed a landmark victory in a Dutch court which held Brazil's largest petrochemical company liable for the damages.

Dutch judges in 2022 agreed to hear a case brought by nine plaintiffs against Braskem, potentially paving the way for thousands of others to seek compensation for damages in the northeastern city of Maceio.

Once a city of one million people, life in Maceio has been upended by earthquakes in 2018 attributed to salt mining and subsequent cracks in streets and buildings. The quakes forced tens of thousands to flee their homes.

The Rotterdam District Court on Wednesday finally ruled that Braskem, whose European operations are based in the Dutch port city, was liable for the damages caused by the salt mining operations.

The judges ordered Braskem "to pay compensation to the claimants for the damage to be quantified," said court papers, handed to AFP on Tuesday.

One of the plaintiffs, Jose Ricardo Batista said: "This decision means an immeasurable achievement for my family and for the residents of areas directly and indirectly affected.

"I hope that the ruling would be carried out as soon as possible... I have serious health problems and my wife is depressed, with no prospect for the future," he said in a statement.

The judgement was "a stark reminder to global corporations that... they cannot jeopardise the lives and livelihoods of local communities with impunity," added Tom Goodhead of the Pogust Goodhead legal firm.

Braskem previously said it has offered financial compensation and psychological support to those affected, as well as help moving house.

The firm said it had paid out 3.93 billion reais ($790 million) in compensation and financial aid to more than 18,000 people.

Lawyers for Braskem argued in court that as the settlement had already been agreed in Brazil, the case in the Netherlands was superfluous.

Dutch judges, however, said "it is certain for the claimants that they would not get an acknowledgement of liability by Braskem" in Brazilian courts.

"This recognition can be obtained by a Dutch court," the judges said, adding "Braskem does not want to acknowledge that it is liable... it is only acknowledged that Braskem has an obligation to compensate damages.

"The satisfaction that follows from an acknowledgement of liability is thereby denied to the claimants," the judges said.

"The facts alleged by the claimants, if they were to be established, would constitute a serious violation of their fundamental rights," the judges added.

The claimants "are not only seeking financial compensation, but also recognition of the injustice done to them," the judges said.

Braskem's lawyers or the company could not immediately be reached for comment.

jhe/cw
The countrys higher education watchdog is probing an Australian university accused of aggressively poaching foreign students from other institutions and for having lax recruitment practices and low English standards for admissions.

Documents obtained by this masthead reveal Torrens University is under scrutiny from the Tertiary Education Quality and Standards Agency after the agency became concerned by the universitys recruitment of international students and a rapid increase in its enrolments.

Universities have moved to cancel international student enrolments. Credit: Brook Mitchell

The correspondence also reveals multiple Australian universities enrolled students who were later found to have provided fake documents in their applications, as part of systemic fraud occurring in Haryana state in northern India.

The documents, released under freedom of information laws, show TEQSA has launched a compliance assessment into Torrens to determine whether the university is still meeting the standards required to remain registered.
Immigration Minister Tony Burke has dismissed as idiotic opposition claims he would be too soft on refugee claims by Palestinians as advocates say people fleeing the conflict in Gaza are struggling to eat and stay warm during the Australian winter.

Palestinian community leaders have for months demanded a permanent visa scheme and warned the visitor visa now being used by approximately 1300 Palestinian refugees, which blocks people from working or claiming welfare payments, was placing refugees in a dire situation in Australia.

Tony Burke has been given the new super portfolio of immigration and home affairs. Credit: AAP

They want a new visa to be considered for those leaving Gaza, similar to the one given to Afghans fleeing the Taliban after it seized power in 2021.

The Human Rights Law Centre, Refugee Council and other groups want new pathways for ongoing residence and complained the visitor visa was a bad fit because it requires Palestinians to prove they want to return to Gaza.
The federal government has advised Australians not to travel to Lebanon and warned those in the country should leave immediately while commercial flights are still available as Opposition Leader Peter Dutton left on an official visit to Israel.

Australia, along with the United States, UK, France and Germany have issued warnings to their citizens travelling in the region as tensions escalate between terrorist group Hezbollah and Israel over a rocket attack on the Israeli-occupied Golan Heights that struck a soccer field killing 12 children and teens.

A woman from the Druze minority weeps near the site where 12 children and teens were killed in a rocket strike on a soccer field. Credit: AP

Flights in and out of Beirut-Rafic Hariri International Airport, Lebanons only airport, were cancelled and delayed on Monday. The airport has been targeted in the countrys civil war, and previous fighting with Israel, including in the last war between Hezbollah and Israel in 2006.

We continue to advise that Australians do not travel to Lebanon due to the volatile security situation and the risk of the security situation deteriorating further, advice on the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade website Smartraveller said.
Beirut/Jerusalem/Manila: Israel says it has killed Hezbollahs most senior military commander in an airstrike on Beiruts southern suburbs late, that also killed at least one woman and two children as well as wounded dozens of others in escalating hostilities with the Lebanese terrorist group.

Head of Hezbollahs strategic unit, Fuad Shukr, known also as Sayyid Muhsan, served as the right-hand man to Hezbollah Secretary-General Hassan Nasrallah and was his adviser for wartime operations, the Israeli military said in a statement.

This wanted poster released by the U.S. Department of State Rewards for Justice program shows Talal Hamiyah, left, and Fuad Shukr. Credit: AP

Fuad Shukr has directed Hezbollahs attacks on Israel since October 8th, the statement added, saying he was responsible for the death of 12 children in Majdal Shams in the Israeli-occupied Golan Heights.

A loud blast was heard and a plume of smoke could be seen rising above the southern suburbs  a stronghold of the Iran-backed Lebanese armed group Hezbollah  about 7.40pm (Wednesday 2.40am AEST), a Reuters witness said.
A volunteer carries an elderly off a helicopter at a middle school in Zixing, central China's Hunan Province, July 29, 2024. A number of helicopters on Monday were sent to dispatch drinking water, rice, vegetables, medicine and other daily necessities into some disaster-stricken areas in Zixing City, and successively relocated people stranded in the waterlogged residences. (Xinhua/Chen Zhenhai)

This photo taken from a helicopter on July 29, 2024 shows parts of the disaster-stricken areas in Zixing, central China's Hunan Province. A number of helicopters on Monday were sent to dispatch drinking water, rice, vegetables, medicine and other daily necessities into some disaster-stricken areas in Zixing City, and successively relocated people stranded in the waterlogged residences. (Xinhua/Chen Zhenhai)

Medical workers transfer a patient from a helicopter at a middle school in Zixing, central China's Hunan Province, July 29, 2024. A number of helicopters on Monday were sent to dispatch drinking water, rice, vegetables, medicine and other daily necessities into some disaster-stricken areas in Zixing City, and successively relocated people stranded in the waterlogged residences. (Xinhua/Chen Zhenhai)

Volunteers sort out supplies for the disaster-stricken areas at a middle school in Zixing, central China's Hunan Province, July 29, 2024. A number of helicopters on Monday were sent to dispatch drinking water, rice, vegetables, medicine and other daily necessities into some disaster-stricken areas in Zixing City, and successively relocated people stranded in the waterlogged residences. (Xinhua/Chen Zhenhai)

Volunteers and staff load supplies for the disaster-stricken areas onto a helicopter at a middle school in Zixing, central China's Hunan Province, July 29, 2024. A number of helicopters on Monday were sent to dispatch drinking water, rice, vegetables, medicine and other daily necessities into some disaster-stricken areas in Zixing City, and successively relocated people stranded in the waterlogged residences. (Xinhua/Chen Zhenhai)

Editor: WRX
Chinese President Xi Jinping meets with Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni, who is on an official visit to China, at the Diaoyutai State Guesthouse in Beijing, capital of China, July 29, 2024. (Xinhua/Ding Haitao)

BEIJING, July 29 (Xinhua) -- Chinese President Xi Jinping met with Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni here on Monday.

Noting that China and Italy are at the two ends of the ancient Silk Road, Xi said the time-honored friendly exchanges between the two countries have made significant contributions to the overall exchanges and mutual learning between Eastern and Western civilizations, and to the progress of humanity.

The Silk Road spirit of peace and cooperation, openness and inclusiveness, mutual learning and mutual benefit is a shared treasure of China and Italy, Xi said.

He said that amid accelerating global changes unseen in a century, countries will either progress together through connectivity and unity, or retreat separately through closure and division. China and Italy should uphold and promote the Silk Road spirit, view and develop bilateral relations from a historical dimension, strategic height and long-term perspective, and push their relations to go steady and far.

Xi said the healthy and stable development of China-Italy relations is in line with the common interests of both countries and their peoples. Despite the ongoing profound changes in the international landscape, China's commitment to valuing and developing relations with Italy has not changed, the nature of win-win cooperation of China-Italy relations has not changed, and the friendship between the two peoples has not changed, he added.

Xi called on both sides to carry on the tradition of friendly exchanges, and continue to understand and respect each other's development paths. Noting that China and Italy have complementary industrial advantages and represent opportunities for each other, Xi said both sides should adhere to mutual openness and cooperation.

The third plenary session of the 20th Communist Party of China Central Committee has just concluded, and China will continue to promote high-level opening up, inject strong impetus into Chinese modernization, and bring new opportunities for expanding cooperation with Italy and other countries, he added.

Xi said China is willing to work with Italy to optimize and upgrade traditional cooperation in trade and investment, manufacturing, technological innovation and other fields, and to explore cooperation in emerging areas such as electric vehicles and artificial intelligence.

He noted that China welcomes Italian companies to invest in China and is willing to import more quality products from Italy. It is hoped that Italy will also provide a fair, transparent, secure and non-discriminatory business environment for Chinese companies to develop in Italy, he added.

Both sides should cherish the achievements of cultural exchange and mutual learning, promote cultural inheritance and innovation, and enhance amity between the two peoples, he said.

Xi said China supports Italy in hosting the 2026 Winter Olympics and hopes that Italy will provide convenient visa measures for Chinese citizens traveling to Italy.

Xi stressed that in a world of economic globalization, only by upholding openness and cooperation in global industrial and supply chains can win-win development be achieved. China adheres to the path of peaceful development and never seeks hegemony, and is willing to share development opportunities with other countries, he added.

It is hoped that Italy understands and supports China's development concept and plays a constructive role in promoting dialogue and cooperation between China and Europe, and in actively promoting the positive and stable development of China-EU relations, said Xi.

Meloni said that as countries with an ancient civilization, Italy and China have always appreciated and learned from each other. The current international situation is undergoing profound changes, and China -- as an important major country -- plays an irreplaceable role in addressing global challenges.

Italy attaches great importance to China's international standing and role, and is willing to carry forward the time-honored Silk Road spirit, foster a closer and higher-level partnership with China, open up a new chapter for the comprehensive strategic partnership between the two countries, and make new contributions to world peace and progress, she said.

Meloni said Italy adheres to the one-China policy and hopes to strengthen dialogue and cooperation with China, tap the potential for cooperation, deepen bilateral cooperation in such fields as trade, investment, electric vehicles and artificial intelligence, strengthen people-to-people exchanges, and encourage more Italian products to enter the Chinese market.

Italy opposes decoupling and protectionism, and is willing to play a positive role in further deepening and consolidating EU-China relations, Meloni said.

The two sides issued a 2024-2027 action plan on strengthening their comprehensive strategic partnership. 

Chinese President Xi Jinping meets with Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni, who is on an official visit to China, at the Diaoyutai State Guesthouse in Beijing, capital of China, July 29, 2024. (Xinhua/Ding Haitao)

Editor: JYZ
An aerial drone photo taken on July 29, 2024 shows rescuers working at a dike breach in Yisuhe Town of Xiangtan County, central China's Hunan Province. A total of 3,832 residents have been evacuated after a river dike breached in central China's Hunan Province on Sunday, local authorities said on Monday morning. The dike breach occurred at around 8 p.m. Sunday in the Juanshui River in Yisuhe Town of Xiangtan County, Xiangtan City, according to the city's flood control and drought relief headquarters. No casualties have been reported so far. The headquarters said 1,205 people, including armed police, militia and professional rescuers, have been mobilized into rescue and relief work, assisted by more than 1,000 local officials and Party members. (Xinhua/Chen Sihan)

CHANGSHA, July 29 (Xinhua) -- A total of 3,832 residents have been evacuated after a river dike breached in central China's Hunan Province on Sunday, local authorities said on Monday morning.

The dike breach occurred at around 8 p.m. Sunday in the Juanshui River in Yisuhe Town of Xiangtan County, Xiangtan City, according to the city's flood control and drought relief headquarters. No casualties have been reported so far.

The headquarters said 1,205 people, including armed police, militia and professional rescuers, have been mobilized into rescue and relief work, assisted by more than 1,000 local officials and Party members.

Temporary shelters have been set up in four local schools to accommodate the evacuated residents from two villages of Xintang and Xinhu, most of whom have chosen to be accommodated by their relatives and friends, officials said.

On Sunday, another dike breach occurred in a section of the Juanshui River in Huashi Town, Xiangtan County, authorities said. The river flows into the Xiangjiang River, a major tributary of the Yangtze.

China's Ministry of Emergency Management said Saturday that Hunan would experience heavy rainstorms and parts of the province would see "extremely heavy rainstorms from Saturday evening to Monday" due to the impact of Typhoon Gaemi. 

A staff member from water conservancy department measures water depth, velocity and other information near a dike breach in Yisuhe Town of Xiangtan County, central China's Hunan Province, on July 29, 2024. A total of 3,832 residents have been evacuated after a river dike breached in central China's Hunan Province on Sunday, local authorities said on Monday morning.

The dike breach occurred at around 8 p.m. Sunday in the Juanshui River in Yisuhe Town of Xiangtan County, Xiangtan City, according to the city's flood control and drought relief headquarters. No casualties have been reported so far.

The headquarters said 1,205 people, including armed police, militia and professional rescuers, have been mobilized into rescue and relief work, assisted by more than 1,000 local officials and Party members. (Xinhua/Chen Sihan)

An aerial drone photo taken on July 29, 2024 shows the scene of a dike breach in Yisuhe Town of Xiangtan County, central China's Hunan Province. A total of 3,832 residents have been evacuated after a river dike breached in central China's Hunan Province on Sunday, local authorities said on Monday morning.

The dike breach occurred at around 8 p.m. Sunday in the Juanshui River in Yisuhe Town of Xiangtan County, Xiangtan City, according to the city's flood control and drought relief headquarters. No casualties have been reported so far.

The headquarters said 1,205 people, including armed police, militia and professional rescuers, have been mobilized into rescue and relief work, assisted by more than 1,000 local officials and Party members. (Xinhua/Chen Sihan)

Rescuers install a hydrographic telemeter near a dike breach in Yisuhe Town of Xiangtan County, central China's Hunan Province, on July 29, 2024. A total of 3,832 residents have been evacuated after a river dike breached in central China's Hunan Province on Sunday, local authorities said on Monday morning.

The dike breach occurred at around 8 p.m. Sunday in the Juanshui River in Yisuhe Town of Xiangtan County, Xiangtan City, according to the city's flood control and drought relief headquarters. No casualties have been reported so far.

The headquarters said 1,205 people, including armed police, militia and professional rescuers, have been mobilized into rescue and relief work, assisted by more than 1,000 local officials and Party members. (Xinhua/Chen Sihan)

An aerial drone photo taken on July 29, 2024 shows rescuers searching for flood-affected residents near a dike breach in Yisuhe Town of Xiangtan County, central China's Hunan Province. A total of 3,832 residents have been evacuated after a river dike breached in central China's Hunan Province on Sunday, local authorities said on Monday morning.

The dike breach occurred at around 8 p.m. Sunday in the Juanshui River in Yisuhe Town of Xiangtan County, Xiangtan City, according to the city's flood control and drought relief headquarters. No casualties have been reported so far.

The headquarters said 1,205 people, including armed police, militia and professional rescuers, have been mobilized into rescue and relief work, assisted by more than 1,000 local officials and Party members. (Xinhua/Chen Sihan)

An aerial drone photo taken on July 29, 2024 shows the scene of a dike breach in Yisuhe Town of Xiangtan County, central China's Hunan Province. A total of 3,832 residents have been evacuated after a river dike breached in central China's Hunan Province on Sunday, local authorities said on Monday morning.

The dike breach occurred at around 8 p.m. Sunday in the Juanshui River in Yisuhe Town of Xiangtan County, Xiangtan City, according to the city's flood control and drought relief headquarters. No casualties have been reported so far.

The headquarters said 1,205 people, including armed police, militia and professional rescuers, have been mobilized into rescue and relief work, assisted by more than 1,000 local officials and Party members. (Xinhua/Chen Sihan)

An aerial drone photo taken on July 29, 2024 shows the scene of a dike breach in Yisuhe Town of Xiangtan County, central China's Hunan Province. A total of 3,832 residents have been evacuated after a river dike breached in central China's Hunan Province on Sunday, local authorities said on Monday morning.

The dike breach occurred at around 8 p.m. Sunday in the Juanshui River in Yisuhe Town of Xiangtan County, Xiangtan City, according to the city's flood control and drought relief headquarters. No casualties have been reported so far.

The headquarters said 1,205 people, including armed police, militia and professional rescuers, have been mobilized into rescue and relief work, assisted by more than 1,000 local officials and Party members. (Xinhua/Chen Sihan)

Editor: JYZ
Chinese President Xi Jinping shakes hands with President of the Democratic Republic of Timor-Leste Jose Ramos-Horta at the Great Hall of the People in Beijing, capital of China, July 29, 2024. Xi held talks with Ramos-Horta here on Monday. (Xinhua/Li Xueren)

BEIJING, July 29 (Xinhua) -- Chinese President Xi Jinping held talks with President of the Democratic Republic of Timor-Leste Jose Ramos-Horta here on Monday.

Noting that the third plenary session of the 20th Communist Party of China Central Committee was held successfully two weeks ago, Xi said China will further comprehensively deepen reform and promote high-quality development and high-level opening up, which will provide new impetus and new opportunities for global economic development and cooperation between China and Timor-Leste.

China is ready to work with Timor-Leste to take the two countries' comprehensive strategic partnership to a new level and bring more benefits to the two peoples, he said.

Noting that President Ramos-Horta is the founding father of Timor-Leste and the founder of China-Timor-Leste friendship, Xi said Ramos-Horta's visit is the first state visit by a Timor-Leste president to China, which is of great historical significance.

China and Timor-Leste enjoy a long-standing traditional friendship, with China being the first country to recognize Timor-Leste's independence and establish diplomatic ties with Timor-Leste, Xi said.

He noted that since the establishment of diplomatic ties, the two countries have always treated each other with sincerity and helped each other, setting an example of mutual respect, peaceful coexistence and common development for countries with different political systems, development levels, histories and cultures. He added that China is ready to work with Timor-Leste to lead the long-term and stable development of bilateral relations.

"First, we need to firmly support each other and build a higher-level bilateral relationship," Xi said, adding that China firmly supports Timor-Leste's efforts to safeguard national unity and social stability, and stands ready to deepen strategic coordination and cooperation with Timor-Leste in an all-round way, safeguard the sovereignty and security interests of the two countries, and move toward the general direction of building a community with a shared future.

"Second, we need to pursue mutually beneficial and win-win cooperation of higher quality," Xi said, calling on the two countries to focus on cooperation in the four key areas of industrial revitalization, infrastructure development, grain self-sufficiency and improvement of people's livelihood. Xi also called on both countries to take the signing of the Belt and Road cooperation plan as an opportunity to synergize their development strategies, share experience and technology in water conservancy construction, water-saving irrigation, disaster prevention and reduction, implement agricultural cooperation such as rice cultivation, advance cooperation in terms of fisheries and poverty reduction, and help Timor-Leste develop its economy independently and in diversified ways.

"Third, we should jointly promote the development of the Global South, carry out multilateral cooperation at a higher level, carry forward the spirit of the Five Principles of Peaceful Coexistence, strengthen coordination and cooperation in the United Nations, the World Trade Organization and other multilateral platforms, jointly advocate an equal and orderly multi-polar world and an economic globalization that benefits all, and promote the building of a community with a shared future for humanity," he said.

Xi noted that China is willing to carry out more bilateral and tripartite cooperation with Timor-Leste within the frameworks of the Forum for Economic and Trade Cooperation between China and Portuguese-Speaking Countries and the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations.

Ramos-Horta said that he has visited China many times since 1976 and witnessed with his own eyes the earth-shaking changes that have taken place in China. He added that under the leadership of President Xi, China has eliminated absolute poverty, which is a miracle of mankind.

Ramos-Horta said that in the face of profound changes in the international situation, China has firmly upheld multilateralism, and proposed the Belt and Road Initiative and a series of other important global initiatives. China has also facilitated reconciliation between Saudi Arabia and Iran, as well as among Palestinian factions, making significant contributions to regional and global peace and development, thereby demonstrating China's role and influence as a peaceful and responsible major country in today's world.

He also thanked China for its long-term valuable support for Timor-Leste's economic and social development and response to the COVID-19 pandemic, adding that Timor-Leste hopes to further consolidate and develop the comprehensive strategic partnership with China, and strengthen cooperation in food security, infrastructure construction and other fields.

Timor-Leste firmly adheres to the one-China principle, believes that Taiwan is an inalienable part of the Chinese territory, opposes "Taiwan independence" and interference by external forces, and supports all efforts by China to safeguard national sovereignty and territorial integrity, Ramos-Horta stressed.

The South China Sea issue should be independently resolved by the countries concerned through negotiations, and Timor-Leste is willing to work with China and other countries in the region to jointly safeguard peace and stability in the South China Sea, he stated.

Ramos-Horta added that Timor-Leste highly appreciates President Xi's great vision of building a community with a shared future for humanity, which reflects the wisdom of the ancient oriental civilization, and stands ready to enhance communication and coordination with China under multilateral frameworks.

After the talks, the two heads of state witnessed the signing of the Belt and Road cooperation plan and multiple bilateral cooperation documents in the fields of agriculture, green development, digital economy and air transport.

The two sides also issued a joint statement on strengthening their comprehensive strategic partnership. 

Chinese President Xi Jinping holds talks with President of the Democratic Republic of Timor-Leste Jose Ramos-Horta at the Great Hall of the People in Beijing, capital of China, July 29, 2024. (Xinhua/Zhang Ling)

Chinese President Xi Jinping and President of the Democratic Republic of Timor-Leste Jose Ramos-Horta witness the signature of a number of bilateral cooperation documents after their talks in Beijing, capital of China, July 29, 2024. Xi held talks with Ramos-Horta here on Monday. (Xinhua/Yue Yuewei)

Chinese President Xi Jinping holds a welcome ceremony for President of the Democratic Republic of Timor-Leste Jose Ramos-Horta in the Northern Hall of the Great Hall of the People prior to their talks in Beijing, capital of China, July 29, 2024. Xi held talks with Ramos-Horta here on Monday. (Xinhua/Yue Yuewei)

Chinese President Xi Jinping holds a welcome ceremony for President of the Democratic Republic of Timor-Leste Jose Ramos-Horta in the Northern Hall of the Great Hall of the People prior to their talks in Beijing, capital of China, July 29, 2024. Xi held talks with Ramos-Horta here on Monday. (Xinhua/Zhang Ling)

Chinese President Xi Jinping holds a welcome ceremony for President of the Democratic Republic of Timor-Leste Jose Ramos-Horta in the Northern Hall of the Great Hall of the People prior to their talks in Beijing, capital of China, July 29, 2024. Xi held talks with Ramos-Horta here on Monday. (Xinhua/Liu Weibing)

Editor: JYZ
IIA Nagpur centre releasesfirst edition of newsletter





Business Reporter :

IIA Nagpur Centre recentlyconducted an event to release the first edition of a newsletter for the architecture fraternity. The release of the newsletter took place prior to a presentation of Ar.VishalShahfromSurat.More than100architects fromthecity attended the presentation, ranging from students to esteemed practicing architects and academicians. ArParagYelne, Chairman IIA Nagpur Centre in his welcome speech mentioned about the activities of IIA and its public participation. The event was powered by the parking solutions company RR Parkon. The Newsletter InBox was inaugurated at the hands of chief guest ArVishal Shah.

The Editors of the Newsletter Ar. Anuradha Tikkas and Ar. Sampada Peshwe expressed that the itwas being rejuvenated by the new editorial team. Ar Veepa jariwala, Ar Sujata Godbole, Ar Manisha Yelne, Ar MrunmayeeTiwariandArNeha Kolhe are instrumental in the making the newsletter. Ar Tanisha Dutta. Secretary; conducted the proceedings while Ar Parikshit Choudhari proposed vote of thanks.
No country shoulddominate others





TOKYO :

IN A loud and clear message to China, the QUAD on Monday reaffirmed its steadfast commitment to a free and open Indo-Pacific, vowing to work towards a region where no country dominates others and each state is free from coercion in all its forms. At a meeting here, the Foreign Ministers of the QUAD countries called for upholding the free and open rulesbased international order and respecting the principle of freedom, human rights, democratic values, sovereignty and territorial integrity of nations. Without directly naming China, the four Foreign Ministers expressed serious concern over the situation in the East and South China Seas and reiterated the QUADs strong opposition to anyunilateral actions that seek to change the status quo by force or coercion.

The meeting was attended by External AffairsMinisterS Jaishankar, US Secretary of State Antony Blinken, Japanese Foreign MinisterYokoKamikawaand Australias Penny Wong. All countries have a role in contributing to regional peace, stability,andprosperitywhile seeking a region in which no country dominates and no country is dominated, competition is managed responsibly,and eachcountryis free from coercionin allits forms and can exercise its agency to determineitsown future, theMinisterssaid.TheQUAD also vowed to work towards a free, open and prosperous Indo-Pacific, a region that has seen increasing Chinese militarymuscle-flexingin the last few years.

We reaffirm the QUADs steadfast commitment to a free and open Indo-Pacific, which is inclusive and resilient,andareunitedinour commitment to upholding the freeandopenrules-based international order, with its strong support for the principle of freedom, human rights, the rule of law, democratic values, sovereignty and territorial integrity, and peaceful settlement of disputes, the Ministers said. TheMinisters alsoreferred to increasingChinesemanoeuvres in the South China Sea, especiallythedangeroususe of coast guard and maritime militia vessels. We continue toexpressourseriousconcern aboutthemilitarisationofdisputed features, and coercive andintimidatingmanoeuvres in the South China Sea,  the joint statement said. QUAD CALLS FOR ACTION AGAINST ALL UN-LISTED TERRORIST GROUPS: THE four-nation groupingQUAD called for concerted action against all UN-listed terroristgroups,includingLeT, JeM and their proxy outfits as it urged all countries to take immediate, sustained and irreversible action toprevent their territory from being used for terrorist purposes, in a veiled reference to Pakistan. The QUAD Ministers unequivocally condemned terrorism and violent extremism in all its forms including cross-border terrorism.
Of the rare free will



By Vijay Phanshikar : I am no bird; and no net ensnares me: I am a free human being with an independent will. - Charlotte Bronte. ANOTHER definition of libertarianism ! Independent will !! Wow !!!

However, this is easier said than achieved -- or lived. For, independent will is a Divine gift that we all possess, so to say. Yet, very few of us realise that we truly have such a gift from the Divine. In the mundaneness of living, in the vagaries of dailiness of life, we become victims of so much of petty things and thoughts that we lose the track of the Divine and its gifts. So, when a Charlotte Bronte speaks of being truly free human being with an independent will, she underlines in paradox that an awareness of such a possession is rather a rarity. Most of us, most commonly, do philosophise that free will is what marks the humans differently from other living species. Yet, very rarely do we stop and ponder over the definition of free will.

And that is the problem. But in its rightest of meanings, free will symbolises a very fine human mind capable of removing from its folds many encumbrances that afflict free thought and free spirit, and think in the most liberated manner without the bondage or baggage of past experience and conditioning that actually stop individual persons from thinking truly freely. Most of us are afflicted more by memory from the past rather than invited by immense possibilities of unencumbered free will that refuses to weigh down by negativism. Many of us do insist, like Charlotte Bronte did, I am no bird; and no net ensnares me. But such assertions are more of a bravado than a realism. In actuality, we are almost always trapped under the debris of our prejudices and prides and biases and blights. So, when a young man offered Christ his shoulders to ride on and enter his hometown, the Messiah said no. He said, he did not want to ride anything that had been ridden before.

Angrily, the young man said, in effect, Oh, I am sorry, but nobody had ridden me before. Christ smiled and said in a soft tone, in effect, Brother, your pride and prejudice have been riding you. That is where a claimed free will comes under question. That is when one may realise ones limitation truly to have a will that can be described as free. So, when Charlotte Bronte insists, no net ensnares me, she is talking of true liberation of her will which she can marshal into any fluid thought without any entrapment. True, human beings are gifted with free will. But in true sense, free will is something of a very rare phenomenon, very rare happening. Most of us, thus, remain snared by our cluttered mind that is nearly fully incapable of free thought -- and, therefore, free will.
Ambazari bridge Reconstruction project sure to miss Aug 31 Deadline





Staff Reporter :

VNIT had warned of weakened bridge way back in 2018

Flood-affected peoples lawyer says, the work shouldve started in 2018 itself

Original bridge dismantled inJune 2024

HPC had planned to re-open one-side of road by Aug 15 Delayed start and sluggish execution the culprits

NAGPUR will never forget , when most families in areas near Ambazari lake and on the banks of Naag river experienced the worst nightmare of their life. With the onset of monsoon this year, they are worried if heavy downpour will result in a repeat of last years flash flooding. Unfortunately, the Governments response to this particular situation has been of delayed start and sluggish execution as far as mitigation measures are concerned.

Following the last years Ambazari flash flood, a lot of things came into discussion. These ranged from how the Visvesvaraya National Institute of Technology (VNIT) had warned the authorities concerned about the weakening of Ambazari bridge in 2018, to the need for taking long-term measures to prevent another such devastating episode. However, the point that dominated the public discourse was the plight of the flood-affected persons and the meagre compensation announced to them. The authorities concerned also did not swing into action to deliberate upon the situation, propose long-term measures, and start executing the plan. The authorities woke up only after some individuals took initiative and the courts issued appropriate directions.

As such, the authorities initiated the process for preparing and executing the plan after a delay of a few months since September 2023, and that too, after the Government constituted the high-powered committee (HPC) following the High Court rap. Naturally, the work of dismantling of the Ambazari bridge started late. Obviously, the reconstruction also started only after onset of monsoon. Meanwhile, closure of road from Gajanan Mandir near Ambazari lake to Dharampeth Science College and back, affected public life massively, forcing another court intervention and opening of road through VNIT as a short-term measure. Given the situation, the administration planned to partially open the road (across which the bridge is being constructed) by August 31. Since the work has begun earlier this month, the authorities are surely going to miss the deadline.

Adv Tushar Mandlekar, who is representing the petitioners in the court in the instant case, alleged that the Government was playing with the lives of the people. Forget about the present delay of six months, they should have started the work in 2018 itself when a premier institute like VNIT had made the suggestion. The correction measures have been delayed by six years! We have nothing to do with the details of the tasks being assigned to each department involved. The authorities concerned should have acted swiftly for reconstruction of the bridge and opening the road for public. After constitution of the HPC also, the date for the completion of the reconstruction of the bridge was fixed as August 31, 2024. Considering the delayed start and sluggish execution, they are sure to miss the deadline, Adv Mandlekar told The Hitavada.

The VNIT, as mentioned by him, had suggested strengthening of the bridge to help prevent the water overflow. There was procrastination in Governments approach, fed up with the same, people approached the High Court, which slammed the authorities a number of times and raised question as to why the ambitious Ambazari Lake Plan initiated in 2018 had not been completed within the stipulated period of five years.

The dismantling of the original bridge began in June 2024 and reconstruction started in July. The rainfall in the last few days has dampened the hopes of completion of the reconstruction of the bridge within the given deadline of August 31. For, the continued rainfall has affected the pace of work and water got accumulated at the work-site. For quite some time during rains, the work gets stalled too as the labourers are unable to proceed with the construction work. The overflow from Ambazari waste weir has just worsened the situation at the work-site.

The work of dismantling and reconstruction of the bridge has been assigned to Public Works Department (PWD). The other agencies involved in the project include MahaMetro, Nagpur Municipal Corporation,
SC commences special Lok Adalat





NEW DELHI :

IN A first, the first seven benches of the Supreme Court commenced a special Lok Adalat at 2 pm on Monday for an amicable resolution of disputes, with media cameras being allowed inside courtrooms. The week-long special Lok Adalat, celebrating 75 years of the Supreme Court, began with the aim to facilitate amicable settlements of suitable pending cases, in matters that have elements of settlement. Earlier in the day, Chief Justice of India (CJI) D Y Chandrachud said the first seven benches of the apex court will hear cases in the special Lok Adalat at 2 pm. The top court will hold the special Lok Adalat till August 3, in an effort to reduce the pendency of cases. From today till Friday, we will have the Supreme Court Lok Adalat and the first seven benches will sit for it.

If lawyershavecaseswhichcan go before the Lok Adalat, please bring them, the CJI said at the outset of the days proceedings. Justice Chandrachud had earlier requestedcitizens,whohave pending cases before the Supreme Court, to take part in the special Lok Adalat to get their disputes resolved amicably and speedily. In a video message uploadedon thecourtswebsite, he had said, From July 29 to August 3, the Supreme Court is organising a special Lok Adalat. This is part of a series of activities which the Supreme Court is observing to commemorate the 75th year since the establishment of the Supreme Court. Most significantly, the CJI had said judges dedicated to the institution of justice are concerned about the large backlog of cases. TheLokAdalat represents a very informal technologybasedsolution toresolvecases involving our citizens to their satisfaction in a purely voluntary,consensualmode.

Therefore,onbehalfof all my colleagues and the staff of the Supreme Court, I would appeal to all citizens who have cases before the Supreme Court or lawyers advocates on record to take the advantage and benefit of this opportunity in an attempt to resolve the cases speedily, in a manner which is acceptable to every contesting party, Justice Chandrachud had said. CJI said helping litigants resolve their disputes amicably gives greatest satisfaction to us as judges. The CJI was speaking to PTI on the occasion of the commencement of special Lok Adalat to
SC no to stay HC verdict setting asideBihar law raising quotas to 65%





NEW DELHI :

THE Supreme Court on Monday refused to stay a Patna High Court order setting aside the amended reservation laws in Bihar that enabled the Nitish Kumar Government to raise quotas for Dalits, tribals and backward classes from 50 per cent to 65 per cent. A bench comprising Chief Justice D Y Chandrachud, Justice J B Pardiwla and Justice Manoj Misra, however, agreed to hear 10 petitions of the Bihar Government against the Patna High Court verdict. The top court, which did not even issue notices on the pleas, admitted the appeals for hearing and said the petitions would be listed in September. Appearing for the State Government, senior advocate Shyam Divan urged the bench to stay the High Court order. He referred to a similar case of Chhattisgarh and said the top court had stayed the order of the High Court in that case. Besides seeking a stay, Divan also sought the issuance of notices to the respondents, who had moved the High Court against the enhanced quota limit. We will list the matter, but we will not grant any stay (on the HC verdict)... No interim relief granted at the present stage, the CJI said.
A police officer and a rescuer transfer a citizen in Dandong, northeast China's Liaoning Province, July 29, 2024. Typhoon Gaemi has also brought heavy rainfall to Liaoning, causing water levels to rise in 17 rivers and over 60 reservoirs across the province.

On Monday morning, the provincial flood control and drought relief headquarters of Liaoning issued an orange alert for Dandong, a border city located on the northwest bank of the Yalu River, and elevated the flood emergency response level to Level II.

More than 10,000 residents in Dandong have been safely relocated. (Xinhua/Long Lei)

FUZHOU/SHENYANG, July 29 (Xinhua) -- Typhoon Gaemi, the third typhoon of this year, has caused flooding and damage to parts of China, including eastern Fujian Province and northeastern Liaoning Province.

The typhoon has affected 766,900 residents in Fujian Province, resulting in direct economic losses exceeding 1.6 billion yuan (about 224.35 million U.S. dollars).

The situation will be further assessed, said the provincial flood prevention and control office on Monday, adding that currently no reports of casualties have been received.

By Sunday morning, Fujian had evacuated 312,700 people from hazardous areas and dispatched 2,763 rescue teams involving 69,400 people and 15,600 pieces of equipment, to carry out emergency rescue work.

The typhoon has caused heavy rainfall in many parts of Fujian, with 17 rivers experiencing flooding from Thursday to Sunday.

All power grid failures caused by the typhoon have been resolved, and the telecommunication network remains stable.

Typhoon Gaemi has also brought heavy rainfall to Liaoning, causing water levels to rise in 17 rivers and over 60 reservoirs across the province.

As of 7 a.m. on Monday, nearly 60,000 residents had been relocated to safety, according to the provincial flood control and drought relief headquarters.

On Monday morning, the headquarters issued an orange alert for Dandong, a border city located on the northwest bank of the Yalu River, and elevated the flood emergency response level to Level II.

More than 10,000 residents in Dandong have been safely relocated.

Currently, 31 metal smelting enterprises and 262 mining enterprises across the province have suspended operations to mitigate flood risks, with nearly 6,000 employees evacuated.

The provincial flood control and drought relief headquarters also issued a flood warning at 8 a.m. on Monday, forecasting a risk of floods in the hilly areas due to the rainfall. The public is advised to reduce outdoor activities.

A police officer transfers a child on a flooded road in Dandong, northeast China's Liaoning Province, July 28, 2024. Typhoon Gaemi has also brought heavy rainfall to Liaoning, causing water levels to rise in 17 rivers and over 60 reservoirs across the province.

On Monday morning, the provincial flood control and drought relief headquarters of Liaoning issued an orange alert for Dandong, a border city located on the northwest bank of the Yalu River, and elevated the flood emergency response level to Level II.

More than 10,000 residents in Dandong have been safely relocated. (Photo by Li Xin/Xinhua)

Police officers transfer a resident affected by floods in Kuandian County of Dandong, northeast China's Liaoning Province, July 28, 2024. Typhoon Gaemi has also brought heavy rainfall to Liaoning, causing water levels to rise in 17 rivers and over 60 reservoirs across the province.

On Monday morning, the provincial flood control and drought relief headquarters of Liaoning issued an orange alert for Dandong, a border city located on the northwest bank of the Yalu River, and elevated the flood emergency response level to Level II.

More than 10,000 residents in Dandong have been safely relocated. (Photo by Xu Peng/Xinhua)

Editor: ZAD
Tokhan Sahu discussesdevelopment issues withPM Modi, Amit Shah





Staff Reporter :

RAIPUR

UNION Minister of State for Housing and Urban Development Tokhan Sahu met Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Home Minister Amit Shah on Monday. During the courtesy call to the Prime Minister, Tokhan Sahu presented him with a copy of the Ramcharit Manas Granth on behalf of Lord Rams maternal home, Chhattisgarh. The Prime Minister discussed the development of Chhattisgarh and the progress of departmental works, focusing on various public welfare schemes aimed at promoting growth and serving public interests. Emphasising the importance of these initiatives, Modi instructed Sahu to ensure 100 per cent coverage of beneficiaries under all public welfare schemes, underscoring his commitment to inclusive development. In a separate meeting at Parliament House, Tokhan Sahu met with Home Minister Amit Shah.

During the meeting, he presented Shah with the poetry collection Meri Meri Ikyavan Kavitayen, a much-discussed work by the poet-politician and former Prime Minister Atal Behari Vajpayee. The two discussed various topics of national and regional importance. Home Minister Shah extended his best wishes for the health of Tokhan Sahus father and conveyed good wishes to the Ministers family, reflecting the personal rapport shared between the two leaders. Tokhan Sahu also actively participated in the Monsoon Session of Parliament, marking his presence in the Rajya Sabha. As part of his ministerial responsibilities, Sahu tabled 17 questions pertinent to his ministry, addressing critical issues and initiatives.

These questions encompassed a wide range of topics, including the housing subsidy scheme under the Pradhan Mantri Awas Yojana for economically weaker sections, the Amplify Yojana 2.0, and the Smart Cities Mission with a focus on cities like Telangana, Madurai, Trichy, and Coimbatore. The minister also raised questions concerning subsidies related to electric vehicles and sought updates on the reports of Municipal Corporations, Palika Parishads, and Nagar Panchayats under the Amrit Mission. Further, he highlighted the need for a comprehensive action plan to enhance urban transport and traffic management and addressed the pressing issue of waterlogging in urban areas.
Trump on sticky wicket





Sir,

When the 81-year-old American President Joe Biden was in the Presidential election arena, his opponent, the 76-year-old Donald Trump, the former American President was overconfident that it was going to be a cake walk for him and was really counting the days to enter the White House again. He never had an inkling even in his dreams that Joe Biden would be replaced with the much younger and vibrant Vice President Kamala Harris and the election arena will become a real level playing field. Moreover, the spontaneous support Harris was able to augment from the Democrats including former President Barack Obama and his wife Michelle coupled with the surge in donations for her campaign to the tune of $200 million in such a short time that too from most of the first time voters has stunned the temperamental Trump.

He lost his balance and called Harris names and expressed his tantrums in the form of unparliamentary diatribes against her. His appeal to the American Christians to vote for him and send him to the White House this time so that there wont be any need for another election to chose a new President raises many questions in the minds of the people. Is it a life threat- warning to Harris if she defeats the quixotic Trump or a cheap game played by him to garner the mandate of the Christian community? Both ways, it is unpalatable and it is really unbecoming of a former President in uttering such a statement which is in very bad taste. When at the election booth to cast their votes, the Americans should think for a minute the ruckus created by Trump and his right wing followers at the Capitol Hill and the mayhem that followed the defeat of Trump at the hands of Joe Biden. Hope better wisdom will prevail on the peace- loving American citizens to conscientiously veto Trump another term in office.

Tharcius S. Fernando, Chennai
Wayanad landslides: Emergency services, armed forces pressed into rescue operations





Wayanad (Kerala), Jul 30 (PTI)

Following widespread destruction in the wake of massive landslides in Kerala's hilly Wayanad district, rescue efforts are currently underway, with NDRF and other emergency services as well as the Army racing against time to reach trapped and injured survivors.

Rescue teams are working tirelessly to evacuate those stranded or trapped under debris and search for those missing in the landslides, with the Indian Army joining the efforts.

A Defence PRO said on Tuesday that a team of 43 personnel, led by the Second-in-Command from the 122 Infantry Battalion (TA) MADRAS, has been mobilised to aid in the ongoing rescue efforts.

The team, comprising a Medical Officer, two Junior Commissioned Officers (JCOs), and 40 soldiers, is equipped to provide critical assistance in the affected area.

Besides that, the Army's engineering group will also reach Wayanad immediately for rescue and related operations in the landslide-hit areas, the district administration said.

Two Air Force helicopters departed for Wayand from Sulur in Tamil Nadu in the morning.

Additionally, 67 Defence Security Corps (DSC) personnel, led by six officers, left for Wayanad from Kannur in two KSRTC buses with an ambulance and two truck loads of equipment, authorities said.

Also, a naval team from the Ezhimala Naval Academy will also reach Wayanad to join the rescue efforts as per the request of Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan, the CMO said.

It further said that the CM suggested the use of drones and police dogs for rescue operations.

From Kozhikode, a Territorial Army battalion and their medical team also left for Wayanad, it added.

State Forest Minister A K Saseendran reached the district and met with the injured admitted in various hospitals.

Vijayan's OSD S Karthikeyan was tasked with coordinating the rescue operations, the CM's office said in a statement.

Principal Director of Local Self-Government Department V Sambasiva Rao has been appointed as Special Officer in this regard, the statement said, adding that he will work from Wayand.

CPI(M) state secretary M V Govindan is also expected to reach the district shortly and he called upon party workers to aid in the rescue operations, a statement issued by the Left party said.

The Congress too directed its party workers, supporters and leaders to help in the search and rescue efforts.

Kerala Pradesh Congress Committee (KPCC) chief K Sudhakaran also asked the state administration to ensure all necessary aid, including medicine, food, clothing to those affected and also take steps to provide financial assistance to families of those who died in the landslides and other victims.

The Central government should be ready to allocate emergency flood relief funds to the state, he said.

He also directed that all party programmes be set aside for two days so that everyone can help with the rescue efforts.

Vijayan also ordered the postponement of all public programmes of the state government for the day.

Meanwhile, in view of the landslides in Wayanad, a special 24-hour control room has started functioning at the police headquarters in Thiruvananthapuram, the State Police Media Cell said in a statement.

The control room, which functions under the direct control of the state police chief, can be reached on these two numbers -- 9497900402 and 0471-2721566, it said.

Personnel from the fourth and fifth battalions of the Kerala Armed Police and the Malabar Special Police have left for Wayanad, it said.

Among these are personnel who have received special training in disaster management operations, it added.

Mundakkai, Chooralmala, Attamala, and Noolpuzha villages were among the areas affected and cut off by the landslides, authorities said.

Hundreds are feared to be trapped in the landslides, but authorities have not confirmed this.

Earlier, Wayanad district Collector Meghasree D R said disaster relief work is progressing in affected areas and rescue operations are being carried out by the NDRF, fire force, police and the Forest, Revenue and Local Self-government departments.

Along with government agencies, volunteers and local residents are cooperating in the rescue operation, she said in a statement.

According to district authorities, several families have been moved to the various camps or homes of their relatives in the wake of the landslides.
BEIJING, July 27 (Xinhua) -- State-owned enterprises supervised and administered by local governments in China reported a 10.4 percent rise in R&D spending that amounted to 249.57 billion yuan (35 billion U.S. dollars) in the first half of 2024, according to the State-owned Assets Supervision and Administration Commission of the State Council.

The increased spending came amid efforts by state-owned enterprises to accelerate scientific and technological innovation capabilities, said Zhang Yuzhuo, chairman of the commission.

Zhang said earlier this week that since the beginning of this year, state-owned assets supervision and administration commissions of local governments have launched a series of policy measures to support scientific and technological innovation.

For instance, in east China's Shandong Province, local state-owned enterprises are encouraged to prioritize wage increase incentives for scientific and technological talent and provide remuneration for key talent on a case-by-case basis. In Beijing and Xiamen, policies to set up R&D reserve funds for state-owned enterprises have been formulated and implemented on a pilot basis.

Zhang said the commission will strive to optimize institutional arrangements to promote indigenous innovation in state-owned enterprises, encourage diversified capital investment, and nurture high-quality venture capital institutions in efforts to boost innovation in basic research and industrialize innovation outcomes.

In the first half of this year, local SOEs reported total business revenues of 19.2 trillion yuan and total profits of 826.78 billion yuan. Their fixed asset investment stood at 2.9 trillion yuan.

Editor: WXL
by Xinhua writer Yuan Quan

BEIJING, July 30 (Xinhua) -- Just like many other fields, intellectual property (IP) development in China is currently undergoing a transition, seeing a greater focus on quality rather than a simple scale expansion. The latest efforts from China's top IP regulator were presented at a press conference on Monday, highlighting how this significant shift contributes to economic growth and international engagement.

INNOVATIVE GROWTH

Shen Changyu, head of the China National Intellectual Property Administration (CNIPA), noted the progress China has made in generating high-value IP, a key indicator of a country's innovation performance. With a population of 1.4 billion, China's ownership of high-value invention patents had climbed to 12.9 patents per 10,000 people by June this year, surpassing the national target set for the end of 2025.

Certain high-value patents produced by universities and research institutions have already been utilized in advanced, smart and green industries. And the contributions that patent-intensive sectors have made to China's GDP have risen to 12.7 percent, Shen said, citing the latest data and stressing the role of IP in driving innovative growth.

To support the development of emerging industries, China has continuously improved its patent examination efficiency for big data, artificial intelligence (AI) and gene technologies.

And the impact is particularly evident in the field of AI. According to the CNIPA, there were 378,000 effective AI invention patents in China by the end of 2023, representing a year-on-year growth rate of over 40 percent, which is 1.4 times higher than the global average.

China has also taken the global lead in number of generative AI patent applications, the World Intellectual Property Organization reported earlier this month.

The surge in invention patents from industries such as AI has demonstrated strong innovation in the digital economy, which has been a crucial engine driving China's economic growth, senior CNIPA official Ge Shu said at the press conference.

INTERNATIONAL ENGAGEMENT

The term "international engagement" was heard frequently on Monday. Officials repeatedly emphasized the importance of emerging industries' participation in international IP governance, the implementation of strict punitive measures according to the highest global standards for IP protection, and enhanced IP cooperation with the rest of the world.

Shen said that China has signed agreements and established bilateral IP cooperation deals with 57 Belt and Road Initiative partner countries. Over the past decade, it has provided training to more than 1,200 IP officials and practitioners from those countries. And China's patent authorizations in the 57 countries have been growing at an average annual rate of 20 percent, with invention patents related to digital and green technologies experiencing even faster growth.

And, without a doubt, China's IP has also gained international recognition.

The number of foreigners applying for patent protection in China has been increasing. In the first half of this year, foreign applicants filed 78,000 invention patent applications in China, with that figure seeing year-on-year growth of 13.1 percent. Japan accounted for the highest number of applications, followed by the United States and the Republic of Korea.

Committed to creating a fair business environment and ensuring strong IP protection for foreign enterprises, China has intensified its efforts to enhance legislation, implement efficient dispute resolution mechanisms, and establish regular communication channels to support foreign enterprises.

"Over the past year, we resolved several IP disputes involving companies from the United States, Germany, France, Italy, Thailand and Denmark. Our efforts have received high praise from foreign companies," said Hu Wenhui, deputy commissioner of the CNIPA.

China will enhance international IP cooperation further and align high-standard international economic and trade rules proactively, enabling foreign companies to benefit from the country's development in an improved manner, Hu added.

Editor: WXL
Local people set up tents and tarps for camping on a grassland in Baiyu County, Garze Tibetan Autonomous Prefecture, southwest China's Sichuan Province, July 28, 2024. A rural folk event consisting of performances, horse racing, yak beauty contest and other activities have attracted many participants. (Xinhua/Jiang Hongjing)

A woman in traditional costumes is pictured on a grassland in Baiyu County, Garze Tibetan Autonomous Prefecture, southwest China's Sichuan Province, July 27, 2024. A rural folk event consisting of performances, horse racing, yak beauty contest, and other activities have attracted many participants. (Xinhua/Jiang Hongjing)

A villager leading a horse walks into a court for horse racing on a grassland in Baiyu County, Garze Tibetan Autonomous Prefecture, southwest China's Sichuan Province, July 27, 2024. A rural folk event consisting of performances, horse racing, yak beauty contest, and other activities have attracted many participants. (Xinhua/Jiang Hongjing)

Local people perform Guozhuang dance on a grassland in Baiyu County, Garze Tibetan Autonomous Prefecture, southwest China's Sichuan Province, July 27, 2024. A rural folk event consisting of performances, horse racing, yak beauty contest, and other activities have attracted many participants. (Xinhua/Jiang Hongjing)

Local people perform Guozhuang dance on a grassland in Baiyu County, Garze Tibetan Autonomous Prefecture, southwest China's Sichuan Province, July 27, 2024. A rural folk event consisting of performances, horse racing, yak beauty contest, and other activities have attracted many participants. (Xinhua/Jiang Hongjing)

Local people participate in a running activity on a grassland in Baiyu County, Garze Tibetan Autonomous Prefecture, southwest China's Sichuan Province, July 28, 2024. A rural folk event consisting of performances, horse racing, yak beauty contest, and other activities have attracted many participants. (Xinhua/Jiang Hongjing)

Local people watch activities held on a grassland in Baiyu County, Garze Tibetan Autonomous Prefecture, southwest China's Sichuan Province, July 27, 2024. A rural folk event consisting of performances, horse racing, yak beauty contest, and other activities have attracted many participants. (Xinhua/Jiang Hongjing)

Contestants rest before a horse racing activity on a grassland in Baiyu County, Garze Tibetan Autonomous Prefecture, southwest China's Sichuan Province, July 28, 2024. A rural folk event consisting of performances, horse racing, yak beauty contest, and other activities have attracted many participants. (Xinhua/Jiang Hongjing)

Children rest in a tent as they enjoy leisure time on a grassland in Baiyu County, Garze Tibetan Autonomous Prefecture, southwest China's Sichuan Province, July 27, 2024. A rural folk event consisting of performances, horse racing, yak beauty contest, and other activities have attracted many participants. (Xinhua/Jiang Hongjing)

Tourists from Chengdu City make barbecue on a grassland in Baiyu County, Garze Tibetan Autonomous Prefecture, southwest China's Sichuan Province, July 27, 2024. A rural folk event consisting of performances, horse racing, yak beauty contest, and other activities have attracted many participants. (Xinhua/Jiang Hongjing)

Editor: JYZ
Local people display traditional costumes on a grassland in Baiyu County, Garze Tibetan Autonomous Prefecture, southwest China's Sichuan Province, July 27, 2024.

A rural folk event kicked off here on Saturday, consisting of performances, milking competition, yak beauty contest, horse racing and other activities. (Xinhua/Jiang Hongjing)

Local people display traditional costumes on a grassland in Baiyu County, Garze Tibetan Autonomous Prefecture, southwest China's Sichuan Province, July 27, 2024.

A rural folk event kicked off here on Saturday, consisting of performances, milking competition, yak beauty contest, horse racing and other activities. (Xinhua/Jiang Hongjing)

Locals perform Guozhuang dance on a grassland in Baiyu County, Garze Tibetan Autonomous Prefecture, southwest China's Sichuan Province, July 27, 2024.

A rural folk event kicked off here on Saturday, consisting of performances, milking competition, yak beauty contest, horse racing and other activities. (Xinhua/Jiang Hongjing)

Locals perform Guozhuang dance on a grassland in Baiyu County, Garze Tibetan Autonomous Prefecture, southwest China's Sichuan Province, July 27, 2024.

A rural folk event kicked off here on Saturday, consisting of performances, milking competition, yak beauty contest, horse racing and other activities. (Xinhua/Jiang Hongjing)

Locals participate in a horsemanship performance on a grassland in Baiyu County, Garze Tibetan Autonomous Prefecture, southwest China's Sichuan Province, July 27, 2024.

A rural folk event kicked off here on Saturday, consisting of performances, milking competition, yak beauty contest, horse racing and other activities. (Xinhua/Jiang Hongjing)

A woman participates in a milking competition on a grassland in Baiyu County, Garze Tibetan Autonomous Prefecture, southwest China's Sichuan Province, July 27, 2024.

A rural folk event kicked off here on Saturday, consisting of performances, milking competition, yak beauty contest, horse racing and other activities. (Xinhua/Jiang Hongjing)

Locals participate in a milking competition on a grassland in Baiyu County, Garze Tibetan Autonomous Prefecture, southwest China's Sichuan Province, July 27, 2024.

A rural folk event kicked off here on Saturday, consisting of performances, milking competition, yak beauty contest, horse racing and other activities. (Xinhua/Jiang Hongjing)

This photo taken on July 27, 2024 shows a grassland in Baiyu County, Garze Tibetan Autonomous Prefecture, southwest China's Sichuan Province.

A rural folk event kicked off here on Saturday, consisting of performances, milking competition, yak beauty contest, horse racing and other activities. (Xinhua/Jiang Hongjing)

Locals participate in a horsemanship performance on a grassland in Baiyu County, Garze Tibetan Autonomous Prefecture, southwest China's Sichuan Province, July 27, 2024.

A rural folk event kicked off here on Saturday, consisting of performances, milking competition, yak beauty contest, horse racing and other activities. (Xinhua/Jiang Hongjing)

Locals perform Guozhuang dance on a grassland in Baiyu County, Garze Tibetan Autonomous Prefecture, southwest China's Sichuan Province, July 27, 2024.

A rural folk event kicked off here on Saturday, consisting of performances, milking competition, yak beauty contest, horse racing and other activities. (Xinhua/Jiang Hongjing)

A woman participates in a milking competition on a grassland in Baiyu County, Garze Tibetan Autonomous Prefecture, southwest China's Sichuan Province, July 27, 2024.

A rural folk event kicked off here on Saturday, consisting of performances, milking competition, yak beauty contest, horse racing and other activities. (Xinhua/Jiang Hongjing)

A woman participates in a milking competition on a grassland in Baiyu County, Garze Tibetan Autonomous Prefecture, southwest China's Sichuan Province, July 27, 2024.

A rural folk event kicked off here on Saturday, consisting of performances, milking competition, yak beauty contest, horse racing and other activities. (Xinhua/Jiang Hongjing)

A man participates in a competition of picking up hada on horseback on a grassland in Baiyu County, Garze Tibetan Autonomous Prefecture, southwest China's Sichuan Province, July 28, 2024. (Xinhua/Jiang Hongjing)

A rider and his horses are pictured before a horse racing in Baiyu County, Garze Tibetan Autonomous Prefecture, southwest China's Sichuan Province, July 27, 2024. (Xinhua/Jiang Hongjing)

Riders participate in a horse racing on a grassland in Baiyu County, Garze Tibetan Autonomous Prefecture, southwest China's Sichuan Province, July 28, 2024. (Xinhua/Jiang Hongjing)

Locals participate in a competition of picking up hada on horseback on a grassland in Baiyu County, Garze Tibetan Autonomous Prefecture, southwest China's Sichuan Province, July 28, 2024. (Xinhua/Jiang Hongjing)

A man participates in a competition of picking up hada on horseback on a grassland in Baiyu County, Garze Tibetan Autonomous Prefecture, southwest China's Sichuan Province, July 28, 2024. (Xinhua/Jiang Hongjing)

A rider falls off his horse during a horse racing in Baiyu County, Garze Tibetan Autonomous Prefecture, southwest China's Sichuan Province, July 27, 2024. (Xinhua/Jiang Hongjing)

A man participates in a competition of picking up hada on horseback on a grassland in Baiyu County, Garze Tibetan Autonomous Prefecture, southwest China's Sichuan Province, July 28, 2024. (Xinhua/Jiang Hongjing)

Riders participate in a horse racing on a grassland in Baiyu County, Garze Tibetan Autonomous Prefecture, southwest China's Sichuan Province, July 28, 2024. (Xinhua/Jiang Hongjing)

Riders participate in a horse racing on a grassland in Baiyu County, Garze Tibetan Autonomous Prefecture, southwest China's Sichuan Province, July 27, 2024. (Xinhua/Jiang Hongjing)

Riders participate in a horse racing on a grassland in Baiyu County, Garze Tibetan Autonomous Prefecture, southwest China's Sichuan Province, July 27, 2024. (Xinhua/Jiang Hongjing)

Riders participate in a horse racing on a grassland in Baiyu County, Garze Tibetan Autonomous Prefecture, southwest China's Sichuan Province, July 27, 2024. (Xinhua/Jiang Hongjing)

Editor: JYZ
Raju Bista, MP from Darjeeling, during his speech in Parliament today, discussed the population shift taking place in the north Bengal region and how Rohingya and illegal Bangladeshi immigrants are easily settling there.

He urged the central government to take action in order to protect this vulnerable area from further encroachment.

Additionally, Mr Bista emphasized the desires of his constituency for a permanent political solution under the Indian Constitution and for the 11 Gorkha sub-tribes that have allegedly been excluded from Scheduled Tribe status to be included as soon as possible.

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He also called for a special financial package to aid in the rehabilitation of flood and landslide victims in Teesta and for the establishment of a central university in Darjeeling, an AIIMS in north Bengal, and financial support for the tea Industry.

Furthermore, he requested an international stadium in Siliguri and a national-level food processing center with a focus on pineapple in the Phansidewa-Kharibari region.

The MP also criticized the West Bengal governments handling of job cards under MGNREGA, highlighting a significant decrease from 3.88 crore to 2.56 crore after Aadhaar linking, exposing what he referred to as daylight robbery by the TMC-led government.
After holding a meeting at filmmaker Prosenjit Chatterjees house on Monday, directors and producers from the Tolly film industry urged chief minister Mamata Banerjee for her governments intervention to clear the impasse over shooting.

The impasse over shooting continued even on Monday. A strike has been in place since Friday by cine technicians on shooting in the studios. The dispute began when directors withdrew a ban on film director Rahool Mukherjee. Cine technicians have been boycotting director Rahool Mukherjee.

Its a matter of concern that work is being hindered by regulations, said the directors and producers after a nearly two-hour meeting at Prosenjit Chatterjees house in the afternoon. However, the Tolly directors and producers are reluctant to term the situation as a technicians vs directors conflict. After leaving Prosenjit Chatterjees house, they made it clear that there is no fight with the technicians. They complement each other and must work together. A way must be paved to bring in investments. Thus, shooting should resume from Tuesday; otherwise, it will impact the daily wage-earning technicians. Directors, including Gautam Ghosh, Prosenjit Chatterjee, Shiboprosad Mukherjee stated that regulations are constraining work opportunities. These rules need to be reviewed in light of changing times. A new structure is needed. After the meeting on Monday, they mentioned to the journalists the good relationship the film industry shares with chief minister Mamata Banerjee and urged her and the state government to look into the issue.

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Gautam Ghosh began by saying, We should all work together to take our industry to an international level, which is what chief minister Mamata Banerjee too desires. To come out of this deadlock, all parties need to come forward. We are also concerned about the technicians. We are all one.

Indranil Roychowdhury mentioned, Due to regulations, the amount of work in Tollygunge has decreased. In this situation, we appeal to the state government to intervene.

Prosenjit Chatterjee said, Today, we may have gathered for Rahool Mukherjee, but this problem has been around for a long time. Actors, technicians, and artists have faced work disruptions due to various rules for many years.

Mr Ghosh added, These rules need to be reviewed considering the changing times and technology. Prosenjit added, A while ago, there was a major serial being produced here from outside, which was halted for a few hours. I heard a lot of work for film Chorki was also cancelled. Why did that happen? I, Dev, and others are considering making pan-India films. But the point is, if outsiders come to work here who will benefit? Us, right? Having worked in various industries outside, I can say our actors and technicians are very skilled. If they do good work outside, it will ultimately benefit us. So, the point is, a lot of things have remained the same due to some regulatory knots. It is crucial to change that. Technology has advanced. It is very important to update rules and regulations every ten years. There is no room for opposition in this. We need to sit together and discuss this.

Representing the Tollywood directors, Gautam Ghosh, Prosenjit, and Raj Chakraborty stated that none of them support halting work. Their technician studios are excellent. Facing the journalists, Shiboprosad Mukherjee stated, The issue should be resolved through discussion on Monday, and work should resume from Tuesday.
Dawat-e-Jannat, a two-day Kashmiri food festival, ended in the city on Sunday.

The festival was a crowd-puller and people from various sections gathered at the venue in south Kolkata to have a first-hand experience of Kashmiri food.

It was organized by Paushtik Life, an organization in the organic food segment. The organization teamed up with Mujib Tarry from Sringufwara in Anantnag to host the programme.

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The 11-course wazwan style menu, curated and executed by Mujib offered the guests a rare experience of getting the taste of rare traditional Kashmiri cuisine. Renowned for its exquisite blend of aromatic spices and hand-pound, old-style cooking techniques, Kashmiri cuisine is a true reflection of the regions history and culinary prowess. Staple ingredients such as finest aromatic rice, yogurt and vegetables form the foundation of many dishes, which are often infused with an array of spices like fennel, cardamom lending a unique and complex flavour profile.

On entering the hall the guests were treated with Shiri or pink noon chai along with a piece of Lavasa bread, rekindling the historic association with the silk route. Before the main course, the guests were offered Tash-e-near, a traditional portable hand wash made of copper.

The grand platter had Morel Pulao with Mushk Budji rice, which had obtained GI tag for its unique variety. There were different varieties of non-veg dishes like chicken rogan josh, mutton gushtaba, lamb meatballs with aloo Bukhara cooked in yoghurt-based gravy.

Taking cue from the Panta Utsav, Paushtik Life has proposed to showcase specimens from various culinary heritages at regular intervals and to promote the culture of healthy eating habits.
Numerous photo voter ID cards and other election-related documents have been recovered from premises of an abandoned government solid waste disposal recycle unit in Hetedoba of Ichapur gram panchayat in Durgapur  Faridpur block of West Burdwan district today.

The incident has created a stir in the area. Even flags of political parties along with election related papers, documents and EPIC cards were seen lying inside the campus.

Locals informed the Faridpur police station, under Asansol Durgapur Police Commissionerate, who rushed to the area and seized the materials.

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Arghya Mukherjee, block development officer of Durgapur Faridpur block told the media today that police has seized the materials and investigations will be conducted both by the police and the civil administration.

A political slugfest has begun after this seizure by police though it is still not clear how these materials came here or who threw them inside this abandoned state government waste recycle unit.

Choton Chakraborty, BJP leader of West Burdwan district has blamed the ruling party and said that it is clear who has dumped these documents there. It is now proved how they conduct elections and win polls after polls in the state. The ruling party snatches the EPIC cards of voters from opposition parties before the polls, he has alleged.

Sujit Mukherjee, Trinamul Congress leader of Durgapur said that the administration will probe the incident and then the matter will be clear.

We have faith in both the police and the district administration and they have started investigations. Let us wait to know the investigation reports. The BJP has lost all the polls badly and is once again engaged in foul play and trying to defame the ruling party of the state, Sujit Mukherjee added.
A passenger registered a complaint for making bedroll available. On arrival, officials found out that the passenger wanted the bedroll to be available even before boarding the train.

In yet another complaint, the passenger wanted his seat to be cleaned. The berth, however, had become dirty as the passengers child had urinated on it. Not stopping there, the passenger demanded that the cleaning staff be available every two hours during the entire journey as this was the interval at which the child urinated habitually.

One more passenger of Sealdah-Lucknow Special, complained about bedroll not being available. On attending the complaint, the on duty staff was informed that since the passenger had boarded the train from some other stations than Sealdah, that was mentioned while booking, he could not find it on his berth. On 17 June, a passenger travelling in Ghazipur-Kolkata Express train demanded two additional bedrolls along with pillows. Another passenger on Padatik Express complained that the pillow was not available, later closing it saying that the pillow was being used by the fellow passenger.

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A passenger asked for additional linen and pillows for a single seat and put this in complaint. Likewise, an onboard passenger of Kolkata-Jammu Tawi Express complained about a stinking toilet but later closed the complaint saying it was by mistake.

According to official sources, such are some of the numerous complaints that have been keeping the concerned staff of Rail Madad busy, of late. In Sealdah division alone, there were at least 15 ingenious complaints in June registered by passengers in West Bengal. While most of them were cases of bedrolls being provided but not seen by passengers, some of them, even hilarious ones, kept the Rail Madad staff busy. On a few occasions, the divisional railway is also said to have noticed some passengers using the service for complaints and even threatening railway employees with dire consequences if their undue demands are not met.

The railways ministry had introduced the Rail Madad portal as a grievance redressal mechanism to enable the passengers lodge a complaint or give suggestions through online, app, or SMS. It also enables tracking live status of complaints and provides feedback, based on passengers satisfaction with the resolution. However, with such instances, railways officials fear that the pouring of such complaints could mar the true spirit of the service that was introduced to provide quick response to the passengers in times of need. Such behaviour, according to officials, is not only unacceptable but also frustrates the basic objective of the app-based service. Also, misusing the service not only wastes the time of the officials but also deprives other passengers, who may have genuine grievances, from getting timely assistance.

Please lodge a complaint only if you have a genuine concern related to train services and refrain from any misuse. Use Rail Madad responsibly and deal with railway staff with enough respect so as to enable us to provide you best possible service, urged Mr Deepak Nigam, divisional railway manager of Sealdah. He also urged the passengers to cooperate with the railways and ensure that Rail Madad remains an effective tool for addressing passenger grievances.
To give job opportunities to final year and Alumni students in different colleges in Kolkata, The Career Development and Placement counselling Committee of Maharani Kasiswari College organised a job fair in the first week of June. Maharani Kasiswari College organised the job fair with Maharaja Manindra Chandra College, Seth Anandram Jaipuria College, Womens College Kolkata, East Calcutta Girls College, Shivnath Shastri College and Rani Birla Girls College. Around 560 students participated in the fair. Mpokket, Unifound Business Solution, RJV Advisors, Udayan Basu and Associates, Teleperformance, Sanchet Baid and Co. were some of the reputed companies present at the fair. At least 50 students were selected in different companies listed above through the job fair. The Career Development and Placement Counselling Committee of the college plans to continue this placement related activities regularly.

Principal, Dr Sima Chakrabarti of Maharani Kasiswari College, is positive about arranging career counselling sessions which help them identify their career path and also ensure that they are focused in the right direction. The number of sessions is based on the students requirements. Our college has a placement counselling cell, under the convenorship of Dr Shyam Prasad Ram, librarian and Abu Farah Hoque, assistant professor in English, solely dedicated to guide, motivate and inspire the students to meet their desired career goals and opportunities in the best way possible. Career guidance sessions by the industrial experts are also provided by the college with the active support of the CDPC which include the senior manager and leaders from the corporate world.

Placement cell has been organising job description explanation sessions, resume writing, mock group discussion and mock interviews to enhance the confidence of the students to face the placement process of various companies. The college also has provided internships to students who aspire to become entrepreneurs and also an opportunity to meet various managers to get a first hand understanding about the corporate world/start-ups.

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In the last five years more than hundred students got placements. The list of recruiters include Amazon, Accenture, TCS, Wipro, Indigo and other reputed companies.
Sunita Kejriwal, wife of Delhi Chief Minister and AAP national convenor Arvind Kejriwal said her husbands illness was neglected inside jail as part of a conspiracy.

She was speaking at the INDIA blocs protest rally in Jantar Mantar on Tuesday.

The Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) took to its official X handle to share a video of Sunita Kejriwal speaking on the health issues of Arvind Kejriwal. She said, Arvind Kejriwal has been suffering from diabetes for the last 22 years. He takes insulin to control his high sugar. When he went to jail, he was not given insulin. We had to go to court to get his insulin. What is the meaning of this? His illness was ignored as part of the conspiracy.

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Elaborating on the Delhi CMs health issues, Sunita Kejriwal said, There is a sensor fitted on the chief ministers hand. He takes readings from the reader to know his sugar level. A graph is prepared in this reader and the sugar level of the whole day is recorded in that graph. Generally, if the sugar level goes below 70, the patient feels nervous. Whenever this happens at home, we take care of the chief minister.

She further said, A few days ago, we came to know that his sugar level in jail was continuously down and even at night while sleeping it had gone below 50. Thank God that no untoward incident happened. But his life is in danger. A conspiracy is being hatched.

Sunita Kejriwal also targeted Delhis Lieutenant Governor VK Saxena saying, The lieutenant governor has written a letter and alleges in the letter that the chief minister is deliberately eating less. Is it a joke? Is he (Arvind Kejriwal) putting his own life in danger? On the other hand, they say that they are taking less insulin. Now you people tell me that this is not a dictatorship. Is this not a conspiracy?

Lashing out at the BJP, Sunita Kejriwal said the government was trying to defame the CM elected by the people. She added, What have BJP MPs done for the people of Delhi? They just want to stop the work of Delhiites. These people have only one politics, that of hatred and stoppage of work, but your CM and Delhis CM are not afraid of all these things. He will fight for everyone.

Meanwhile, Punjab CM Bhagwant Mann attacked the ruling party aat the demonstration rally.

Talking about the origin of the AAP, Mann stated that the Aam Aadmi Party emerged from the struggles at Jantar Mantar and Ramlila Maidan. The party has made sons and daughters from ordinary households into MPs, MLAs, ministers, and chief ministers. Because of this, the party thinks about common people and makes decisions in their favour, added Mann.

The Punjab CM also hit out at the Central government by asserting that the arrogance of the BJP has diminished because they used to claim theyd win over 400 seats, but they didnt even cross the 250 mark and only got 240. Yet, they are still being arrogant. However, when we all come together to save democracy, their arrogance crumbles.
Actors Taapsee Pannu and Vikrant Massey worked together in the popular movie, Haseen Dillruba whose much-anticipated sequel is all set to release in August this year under the name, Phir Aayi Hasseen Dillruba. Amid the new releases buzz, Taapsee talked about her happiness on Vikrant Masseys success with his acclaimed film 12th Fail.

In an interview with Fever FM, Pannu was asked if she has seen her co-actors movie 12th Fail, to which she replied, Of course and revealed that she never missed out on Masseys films.

Adding on Pannu shared that she watched the movie sometime after its release as she was busy shooting her upcoming movie Khel Khel Mein in London. She revealed that after returning to India, she heard a lot about the movie and its collections which made her immensely happy for Massey.

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She recalled sending a long message to him to describe her joy over his success and how his triumph was very personal to her. She said, Because I have seen him, how good he has been consistently. But the number validation, I dont know; it feels like a personal celebration.

Pannu revealed that when she saw 12th Fail, she understood the reason behind the love, the movie was garnering. Expressing the importance of a movies collection for an actor, she said, But I never had doubts about his talent; its about him finally getting the validation of numbers.

Phir Aayi Hasseen Dillruba is a romantic thriller directed by Jayprad Desai and written by Kanika Dhillon. The movie features Taapsee Pannu, Vikrant Massey, Sunny Kaushal, and Jimmy Shergill in important roles. It will be released on Netflix on August 9.
Union Minister of State for Health and Family Welfare Anupriya Patel on Tuesday said the government of India has formulated an action plan for managing Zika virus Disease.

In a written reply in the Rajya Sabha, she said the plan provides detailed guidance on various public health actions that need to be taken in response to the disease outbreak.

The Minister said the plan has been widely disseminated and made available on the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare website.

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Pointing out that the government has provided assistance for the prevention and control of Zika virus disease, Patel said, Technical Guidelines for Integrated Vector Management, and effective community participation disseminated to the States for implementation.

Under the National Health Mission, budgetary support is provided to States/UTs for preventive activities such as provision of domestic breeding checkers, involvement of ASHA, insecticide, fogging machines, training support, awareness activities, etc.

The Integrated Disease Surveillance Programme (IDSP) at the National Centre for Disease Control (NCDC), is mandated with surveillance and response to 33 plus outbreak prone communicable diseases including the Zika virus. Every State has designated laboratories like District Public Health Laboratories (DPHLs), and State Referral Laboratories (SRLs) under IDSP for investigation and surveillance of these diseases, she said.

Patel further said the Ministry provides technical and financial support to the States and UTs through various schemes and programs aimed at improving public health infrastructure and services.

She said reserving beds in hospitals for Zika patients is done based on its unique needs and circumstances.

According to the data provided by the Minister, 13 cases of Zika virus have been reported so far in the country in 2024. Of these, 10 were reported from Maharashtra and three from Karnataka.

Twenty-three cases were reported in 2023, as per the data.
The Administrative Council, which met in Srinagar on Tuesday under the chairmanship of Lieutenant Governor Manoj Sinha, approved revised administrative approval for construction of six thousand transit accommodations for Kashmiri migrant government employees in Kashmir Valley.

The accommodation will be for employees engaged under PMDP-2015 and taking up allied works at various locations of transit accommodations in Kashmir Valley.

Rajeev Rai Bhatnagar, Advisor to Lieutenant Governor, Atal Dulloo, Chief Secretary, Dr Mandeep K Bhandari, Principal Secretary to Lieutenant Governor, were present in the meeting.

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The decision is aimed at creating some allied infrastructure facilities for the transit accommodations which shall facilitate early allotment of quarters to the employees, said an official spokesman.

The decision shall enable early completion of construction of targeted accommodation for migrant employees by providing additional funds for construction purposes.

Department of Disaster Management, Relief, Rehabilitation and Reconstruction shall ensure that allied works related to security arrangements like watch tower, installation of CCTV cameras, etc., are taken up to ensure security of the inhabitants.
Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman on Tuesday replied to the Lok Sabha debate on the Union Budget 2024-25 and attacked the Congress on its Caste Census agenda, saying the Congress Prime Ministers were strongly opposed to reservation and promotions on caste-basis.

Responding to Congress leader and leader of the Opposition in the Lok Sabha Rahul Gandhis comments on the representation of scheduled castes, scheduled tribes and backward classes among beneficiaries of development, she said Indias first Prime Minister Jawaharlal Nehru disliked any reservation in the Services, as it could lower standards.

Later, Prime Minister Indira Gandhi sat over Mandal Commission and Kaka Kelelkar reports on reservation for backward classes. Then Prime Minister Rajiv Gandhi had in an interview expressed strongly against giving promotions on the basis of reservation, she said.

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Sitharaman said that Rahul Gandhi should tell what was the representation of scheduled castes and scheduled tribes in the Rajiv Gandhi Foundation and the Rajiv Gandhi Chairatable Trust.

The Leader of the Opposition in the Lok Sabha should have kept these facts in view before commenting on the Budget Halwa ceremony and how many from the backward castes took part in it, she said.

The Finance Minister attacked the Trinamul Congress also for its criticism of the economy and said the share of Bengal in the industrial production of the country at the time of Independence was 24 per cent and it was just 3.5 per cent now. The Trinamul Congress members staged a walk-out in protest.

West Bengal accounted for 6.7 per cent of the countrys capital formation in 2010 and it had come down to 2.9 per cent, she said. The Finance Minister she was ready to give a White Paper on the Bengal economy. The State of West Bengal today attracted just one per cent of Indias total FDI, she said.

Mrs Sitharaman said Trinamul Congress leader Saugata Roy had made comments derogatory to women when he said the Finance Minister was not educated in Harvard or other foreign universities to come up with new ideas in the Budget. There are many women in high political positions in the country, she said, and did he mean that all of them are bereft of ideas, the Minister said.

The Finance Minister said the Budget sought to balance several objectives to address inequality and fiscal consolidation without any cut in social sector allocations.

Nobody is being denied funds, she said. Allocations for agriculture had increased. The Congress talked of legally-bound MSPs but it never implemented Swaminathan formula of cost plus 50 per cent more as MSP for farm produce.

An SBI Research report had said 12.5 crore jobs were created during the NDA period of 2014-23 while just 2.9 crore jobs were created during UPAs 10 years of rule.

Responding to criticism that the Budget sought to favour Bihar and Andhra Pradesh, which were ruled by NDAs crucial allies, she said mention of a few States did not mean the other States were not getting any benefit. Mrs Sitharaman quoted from several previous Budget speeches where just a few States were mentioned.

She said the Budget had provided over Rs 11 lakh capital expenditure to retain the growth momentum. The Budget sought to consolidate the prime accomplishments of the economy, showed an exponential growth in expenditure, and there was no reduction in social sector allocations.

She said the economy was moving towards 4.9 per cent fiscal deficit. Employment opportunities in Jammu and Kashmir had grown.

The Finance Minister said there was an attack on Indias social fabric, Parliamentary traditions, economy and armed forces. She said in the journey of Viksit Bharat to make India developed, it is necessary to have big economic strategic power, but if there will be instability and anarchy in the country, the journey for Viksit Bharat will become more difficult. This is a huge challenge, she said.

She said there is a conspiracy; negativity is being spread and fault lines of the society are being exposed, while mistrust is being created.

Even a spark can lead to lot of conflict, there are attacks on the armed forces, attempts are being made to divide the Army, the strength of the Army is being challenged. Whatever is being done about Agniveer is also part of that attack she said.
Top leaders of the parties from the INDIA bloc on Tuesday slammed the BJP-led government at the Centre over alleged illegal arrest of Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal and his mistreatment in the jail.

The key leaders who participated in the demonstration called by the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) included Congress and the Samajwadi Party (SP). They unequivocally demanded the release of Kejriwal in one voice.

Notably, a similar protest was held by the INDIA bloc in March this year at the Ramlila Maidan here.

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Addressing the gathering, Congress Deputy Leader in Lok Sabha Gaurav Gogoi said, Arvind Kejriwal ji is being kept in jail illegally again and again. His health is deteriorating. The government should have released him on humanitarian ground but it is not doing so.

Attacking the BJP government, he said, If the BJP and the Narendra Modi Government are under the illusion that they can intimidate Opposition leaders by misusing the police and probe agencies, they are mistaken. This gathering at Jantar Mantar has shattered this illusion of the BJP. The Modi government is acting like a coward.

Predicting that the current government wont complete its full term, Gogoi, in an apparent reference to JD (U) and TDP, said, The government is dependent on two political parties. They cannot complete five year term.

Echoing similar sentiments, former Uttar Pradesh chief minister and SP president Akhilesh Yadav attacked the ruling dispensation, saying, Injustice was done to a chief minister just to better a partys political prospects. He should be released from jail and all the cases against him should be dropped forthwith.

Recalling that he had said about many organisations with the Centre harassing politicians before the Lok Sabha elections, Yadav said, We will end such organisations when we come to power (at the Centre).

Nationalist Congress Party (Sharadchandra Pawar) chief Sharad Pawar said, Arvind Kejriwal has been elected chief minister thrice by the people of Delhi. His governance in Delhi has set an example for the entire country. He has received immense love from the people.

He alleged that rattled by this phenomenal popularity of the AAP, the BJP hatched a conspiracy to put him behind bars.

Shiv Sena (UBT) MP Sanjay Raut said, We have always fought against injustice and will continue to do so. We will not be afraid and we will not bow down. We will continue to fight against the dictatorship. We all stand with Kejriwal ji.

Without naming, Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) MP Manoj Kumar Jha said Kejriwal is fighting against the two most powerful and dictatorial people of the country and he was put in jail.

Communist Party of India (CPI) general secretary D Raja said, I assure Sunita Ji (wife of Kejriwal ) you are not alone, the people of India are with you.

Attacking the government, he said, After the Modi Government came to power, democracy is no longer for the people, it has become far from the people. Central agencies are being misused by the Modi government.

Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (DMK) Tiruchi Siva said, We are worried, Sunita Ji is worried, we are worried for a national leader. CM Arvind Kejriwal is not just a leader of AAP, he is in the hearts of every Indian.

They are treating him inhumanely and denying him basic rights. DMK Strongly Condemns this act, he said.

Trinamool Congress (TMC) MP Sagarika Ghose said, We are with AAP. We will together fight against the dictatorship.

Sunita Kejriwal, wife of Kejriwal, said, Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal ji has been put in jail as part of a deep political conspiracy.

Citing her husbands health in jail, she said, Arvind Kejriwal ji has been suffering from diabetes for the last 22 years and needs insulin but he was not given insulin in jail. Had to go to court for this. A conspiracy is being hatched to take the life of Kejriwal ji in jail.

Senior AAP leaders including Punjab Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann, MP Sanjay Singh and Delhi Minister Gopal Rai also spoke on the occasion.
Expressing profound grief over the loss of lives in the massive landslide in Wayanad, Tamil Nadu Chief Minister MK Stalin ordered release of Rs 5-crore financial assistance to Kerala besides dispatching a rescue team headed by two senior IAS officers.

So far, the toll has touched 56 with over 200 people battling for life after the multiple landslides that struck in the small hours on Monday.

Earlier in the day, Chief Minister Stalin spoke to his Kerala counterpart Pinarayi Vijayan and assured him all necessary help from Tamil Nadu. In a post on X (formerly twitter), Stalin said, Deeply pained to learn about the massive landslides in Wayanad and consequent loss of priceless livesThe government of Tamil Nadu is willing to extend any logistical and manpower support that may be needed in this hour of crisis to our brother state Kerala.

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I am given to understand that many people are still trapped in the area. I am sure the rescue operations that are in full swing will save them all, the chief minister said.

The rescue team from Tamil Nadu headed by two senior IAS officers, Sameeran and Tom John Varghese, has left for Wayanad. The team comprises doctors, nurses and other paramedical staff. Already, the NDRF team from Vellore has left for Wayanad to join the rescue efforts.

The Rs 5-crore assistance has been released from the chief ministers relief fund, official sources said.
The Orissa high court adjudicating an admiralty suit has ordered the arrest of Chinese ship MV Zhe Hai 505 on the charge of low supply marine gas oil to a trading company.

The single bench of the High Court comprising Justice V. Narasingh passed a decree in favour of Scandi trading limited) asking the Chinese ship to settle Rs 99 lakh claim for low supply of goods under Section 4 (1)(l) of the Admiralty (Jurisdiction and Settlement of Maritime Claims) Act, 2017.

Prima facie, this Court is satisfied that the claim is maintainable in this forum of admiralty against the aforesaid Vessel.

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This Court is persuaded to hold that unless such order of arrest of Defendant  Vessel is passed, case of the Plaintiff will be frustrated and the suit will be rendered infructuous as it is stated by the plaintiff on instructions that the vessel in question is likely to leave Paradip Port shortly.

Hence, Defendant  MV Zhe Hai 505 be arrested at Paradip Port. Accordingly, a separate Judge order is passed, the Court concluded.
Union Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan on Tuesday launched the National Apprenticeship and Training Scheme (NATS) 2.0 Portal in the national capital and disbursed Rs 100 crore stipends to apprentices through the DBT mode.

These apprentices are undergoing training in various sectors such as IT/ITes, manufacturing, automobile, etc. This initiative aligns with the Governments focus on skilling and employability of youth.

NATS 2.0 portal is expected to be utilized by a large number of beneficiaries to register and apply for apprenticeships.

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Additionally, establishments/industries will leverage the portal to manage their vacancies and contracts. Therefore, a significant number of young graduates and diploma holders will be supported in attaining employability skills, accompanied by a guaranteed monthly stipend.

Pradhan, while addressing the gathering, said NATS Portal 2.0 is a significant effort to democratise apprenticeship, bridge skills gap, fulfil youth aspirations and make them future-ready. He said the portal launched today will widen the reach of apprenticeship opportunities and help in matchmaking of candidates and employers.

The Union Education Minister further said this technology-driven age is not only about attaining degrees but also building competencies.

Our course curriculum should focus on increasing employability skills, he added.

Pradhan highlighted that this years budget also lays great emphasis on boosting skilling and employment. Our apprenticeship ecosystem should cover diverse and emerging areas, he added.

The Union Education Minister called upon all stakeholders to chart a comprehensive strategy to harness the countrys demographic dividend.

Pradhan also appealed to all educational institutions and industries to join NATS 2.0 portal.
President Droupadi Murmu, Vice-President Jagdeep Dhankhar and Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Tuesday congratulated Indian shooters, Manu Bhaker and Sarabjot Singh for clinching the Bronze medal in the 10m Air Pistol Mixed Team event at Paris Olympics 2024.

In a post on X, the President said: Congratulations to Manu Bhaker and Sarabjot Singh for winning bronze medal for India in the mixed team 10 metre air pistol event for shooting! Manu Bhaker has created history, becoming the first woman shooter from India to win two medals in the same Olympic games. She has done us immensely proud. I wish her and Sarabjot Singh many more laurels in the future.

The Vice-President has extended heartfelt congratulations to the Indian shooters Manu Bhaker and Sarabjot Singh on their remarkable achievements at the Paris Olympics 2024.

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In a post on X, Vice President Dhankhar lauded their outstanding performance, emphasizing the inspiration they provide to the youth of the nation.

He also commended Manu Bhakers extraordinary accomplishment of winning two medals ever in a single Olympics by an Indian.

Congratulating Manu Bhaker and Sarabjot Singh for clinching the Bronze medal, the Prime Minister in a post on X said, Our shooters continue to make us proud! Congratulations to @realmanubhaker and Sarabjot Singh for winning the Bronze medal in the 10m Air Pistol Mixed Team event at the #Olympics . Both of them have shown great skills and teamwork. India is incredibly delighted. For Manu, this is her second consecutive Olympic medal, showcasing her consistent excellence and dedication. #Cheer4Bharat.
The Supreme Court on Tuesday made absolute its earlier order granting interim bail on medical grounds to the Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) leader Nawab Malik  accused in an alleged money laundering case for allegedly usurping a property in Kurla with the help of Dawood Ibrahims late sister Haseena Parkar between 1999 and 2006.

A bench comprising Justice Bela M Trivedi and Justice Satish Chandra Sharma made the interim bail permanent subject to the conditions to be imposed by the special PMLA court. The interim bail was made absolute till disposal of Nawab Maliks the plea for regular bail pending before the Bombay High Court.

In the first instance, Malik was granted interim bail on medical grounds in August 2023. Initially he was granted bail for two months, which was extended by three months in October 2023 and since then the interim bail has been extended from time to time.

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The Directorate of Enforcement (ED) did not oppose making absolute the interim bail earlier granted on medical grounds. The Additional Solicitor General SV Raju appearing for ED didnt oppose the plea of the extension of interim bail and even said that the interim medical bail may be made permanent.

The advocate appearing for Malik told the bench that his client is suffering from various ailments and his one lung has totally collapsed.

Malik was granted interim bail on medical grounds in August 2023, when he had approached the top court against Bombay High Court order denying him medical bail. He had then told the top court that he is suffering from chronic kidney disease apart from various other ailments.

The Directorate of Enforcement had arrested Malik in February 2022, alleging that he usurped a property in Kurla with the help of Dawood Ibrahims late sister Haseena Parkar between 1999 and 2006.

The ED alleged that since Parkar handled Dawoods illegal businesses, the money was ultimately used for terror funding.
The unemployment rate for youth aged 15 to 29 years in India has been declining steadily over the last five years and has come down from 17.8 per cent in 2017-18 to 10 per cent in 2023-24, according to data tabled in the Parliament on Monday.

The official data source on Employment and Unemployment is the Periodic Labour Force Survey (PLFS) which is conducted by the Ministry of Statistics and Programme Implementation (MoSPI) since 2017-18. The survey period is from July to June every year.

As per the latest available Annual PLFS reports, the estimated Worker Population Ratio (WPR) which reflects the employment rate has an increasing trend while the Unemployment Rate has a decreasing trend over the years, Union Minister of State for Labour & Employment Shobha Karandlaje told the Lok Sabha in a written reply.

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She also stated that as per the Reserve Bank of Indias (RBI) latest KLEMS data, employment in the country increased to 64.33 crore in the financial year 2023-24 compared to 47.15 crore in 2014-15. The total increase in employment during 2014-15 to 2023-24 is about 17.19 crore.

She stated that employment generation coupled with improving employability is the priority of the government. Accordingly, the government has taken various steps to generate employment in the country.

Government has announced in the Budget 2024-25, the Prime Ministers package of 5 schemes and initiatives to facilitate employment, skilling and other opportunities for 4.1 crore youth over a 5-year period with a central outlay of Rs. 2 lakh crore, she added.

Various Ministries/Departments like the Ministry of Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises, Ministry of Rural Development, Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs, Ministry of Finance, Ministry of Textile, etc. are implementing different employment generation schemes like the Prime Ministers Employment Generation Programme (PMEGP), Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Scheme (MGNREGS), Pt. Deen Dayal Upadhyaya Grameen Kaushalya Yojana (DDU-GKY), Rural Self Employment and Training Institutes (RSETIs), Deen Dayal Antodaya Yojana-National Urban Livelihoods Mission (DAY-NULM), Pradhan Mantri Mudra Yojana (PMMY), etc, the minister added.
Massive landslides wreaked havoc in the Wayanad district of Kerala, leaving over 109 people, including children, dead, and several families missing. More than 100 people were hospitalised.

Heart-wrenching scenes of persons looking for their loved ones among the injured and the dead were seen at hospitals in Meppadi and Kalpetta and other places in the district. As of 6 pm, 119 deaths were confirmed and 116 people injured. The injured persons are admitted to various hospitals.

Of the 119 bodies recovered, some bodies were found in the Chaliyar River, which flows into the neighbouring Malappuram district. The river carried 26 bodies, or rather parts of human bodies mutilated by the vengeful landslide, for around 25 km to Pothukallu near Nilambur in Malappuram district.

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Wayanad has been devastated by three landslides that occurred at Meppadi, Mundakkai and Chooralmala within a span of 4 hours. The first landslide occurred in Mundakkai town around 1 am on Tuesday during heavy rain, washing away houses and families.

While the rescue operations were ongoing, a second landslide struck near Chooralmala School at around 2 am. Subsequently, a third landslide occurred around 4 am.

Mundakkai, Chooralmala, Attamala, and Noolpuzha villages were the areas hit and cut off by the landslides. Mundakkai town was completely swept away by the landslide.

Swollen water bodies changed their course and flowed through inhabited areas, resulting in more destruction. Huge boulders rolled down the hills and hindered the path of rescue workers.

Picturesque places known for their beauty  Mundakkai, Chooralmala, Attamala, and Noolpuzha  have now become lands of gloom.

Rescue operations have been launched with the assistance of various agencies, including the National Disaster Response Force (NDRF). Besides NDRF, the state government has also deployed disaster response teams from the police and the fire force to carry out rescue and search operations. The Indian Army is carrying out rescue operations in landslide-hit areas of Wayanad in conjunction with the NDRF and other agencies.

Rescue operations are facing obstacles as Mundakkai, where one of the major landslides occurred, has been cut off from the rest of the district after the only bridge to the area was swept away in the disaster.

According to reports, around 400 families are stranded in the region following the collapse of the bridge in Chooralmala town. This bridge was the only access to Attamala in Mundakkai and its collapse has severely hampered rescue operations. Wayanad district panchayat president Shamsad Marakkar said no rescue teams have been able to reach Mundakkai due to the collapse of the bridge. He said that a hospital in Mundakkai had been fully swept away in the landslide.

However, a team of NDRF and Army personnel managed to cross the river and reach Mundakkai on Tuesday afternoon, 13 hours after the disaster occurred. Mundakkai is 3.5 km from Chooralmala. Those stranded will be brought to the riverside by jeep and then across the river using a rope.

A Navy team will assist rescue operations in landslide-hit Wayanad soon. In response to the Chief Ministers directive, the Navys River Crossing Team has been deployed to assist in the rescue operations. A team from the Ezhimala Naval Academy will depart for Wayanad to provide critical support where at least 109 deaths have been confirmed so far. The casualties are likely to increase in the coming hours.

Till 6 pm, approximately 250 individuals have been rescued and relocated to temporary shelters. The bodies of the deceased are being taken to various hospital morgues for identification and autopsy. According to the Wayanad district collector, post-mortem procedures for as many as 65 bodies have been completed.

The Government Vocational Higher Secondary School, Vellarmala, was partially submerged and destroyed in the landslide.

A field officer, assistant factory officer, and their respective families, as well as eight estate workers of the Harrisons Malayalam tea estate, have gone missing.

Two helicopters of the Indian Air Force could not land in Mundakkai due to adverse weather. The helicopters were deployed from Sulur to assist in the rescue operation.

A Navy team will assist rescue operations in landslide-hit Wayanad soon. In response to the Chief Ministers directive, the Navys River Crossing Team has been deployed to assist in the rescue operations. A team from the Ezhimala Naval Academy will depart for Wayanad to provide critical support where at least 109 deaths have been confirmed so far. The casualties are likely to increase in the coming hours.

Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan said, A delegation of five ministers has been assigned in Wayanad to address the aftermath of the recent landslide and oversee ongoing relief efforts. Forest Minister AK Saseendran has already reached the affected area to assess the damage and coordinate immediate response measures.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Tuesday spoke to Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan following the massive landslide in Wayanad. He assured all support from the Centre to assist in rescue operations. According to sources, he also spoke to Union Minister Suresh Gopi about the prevailing situation. The Prime Minister also spoke to BJP president JP Nadda and asked him to ensure BJP karyakartas do whatever they can to assist in the relief efforts.

PM Modi also announced an ex gratia of Rs 2 lakh from PMNRF for the next of kin of each deceased in the landslides in parts of Wayanad. The injured would be given Rs 50,000.

Opposition leader in Lok Sabha Rahul Gandhi expressed condolences to the bereaved families who have lost their loved ones. I am deeply anguished by the massive landslides near Meppadi in Wayanad. My heartfelt condolences go out to the bereaved families who have lost their loved ones. I hope those still trapped will be brought to safety soon, he said.

In response to the disaster, the Kerala government has announced a two-day state-wide mourning on Tuesday and Wednesday.
The Supreme Court on Tuesday granted bail to Trinamool Congress (TMC) leader Anubrata Mondal  accused in an alleged cattle smuggling case. He was arrested in August 2022 by the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI). Later he was also booked by the Directorate of Enforcement.

Granting bail to Anubrata Mondal, a bench of Justice Bela M. Trivedi and Justice Satish Chandra Sharma saddled the TMC leader with conditions that he will not influence the witnesses, surrender his passport and cooperate with the ongoing trial.

Appearing for Anubrata Mondal, senior advocate Mukul Rohatgi told the bench that his client has been in jail for two years and other co-accused in the case have been released on bail. Anubrata Mondal has approached the top court challenging the Calcutta High Court rejecting his bail plea.

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Anubrata Mondal was arrested in the cattle smuggling case by the CBI in August 2022. The Central Bureau of Investigation had earlier arrested a former Border Security Force (BSF) commandant in connection with illegal cattle smuggling across the border to Bangladesh. Anubrata Mondals name figured during the investigation of the case.

As per the CBI investigation, over 20,000 cattle heads had been seized by the Border Security Force (BSF) between 2015 and 2017 as they were being smuggled across the border.

Anubrata Mondal, his daughter Sukanya, former security guards Sehgal, and Enamul Haque and BSF commandant Satish Kumar, were arrested by the CBI and the ED in connection with the case.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahus recent speech to the US Congress underscored the deepening complexities and divisions surrounding the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. Mr Netanyahu aimed to solidify US support for Israels war against Hamas by framing the conflict as part of a larger struggle against Iran, a common enemy of both nations. His message received a warm reception from many Republican lawmakers but faced significant criticism from Democrats and widespread protests.

Mr Netanyahus portrayal of the conflict as a fight against a shared enemy was a strategic move to align US and Israeli interests. By emphasising that our enemies are your enemies, he sought to reinforce the notion that Israels security challenges are intrinsically linked to those of the United States. This perspective resonated with many Republicans but highlighted a stark partisan divide, as evidenced by the absence of numerous Democratic lawmakers and the pointed criticism from former House Speaker Nancy Pelosi. The protests that accompanied Mr Netanyahus visit, both inside and outside the Capitol, underscored the contentious nature of his stance.

Demonstrators reflected a significant portion of public opinion deeply concerned about the humanitarian impact of the ongoing conflict, which has resulted in over 39,000 deaths according to Hamas-run health authorities. Mr Netanyahus response to these concerns was largely dismissive, attributing the suffering in Gaza to Hamas. This dismissal fails to acknowledge the broader humanitarian crisis and risks alienating those advocating for a more balanced and humane approach to the conflict. His vision for a demilitarised Gaza under Israeli control, without any reference to a two-state solution, underscores a lack of commitment to a negotiated peace that considers the rights and aspirations of both Israelis and Palestinians. Amid these events, Mr Netanyahus meetings with US leaders added further layers of complexity.

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His discussions with President Joe Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris highlighted the delicate balance of US-Israel relations. Ms Harris, the presumptive Democratic nominee for President, has been vocal about the need to address the humanitarian crisis in Gaza, stating that she will not be silent about the suffering of Palestinian civilians. Mr Netanyahus reaction to Ms Harriss statement was cautious, emphasising that US-Israel unity is crucial for expediting a ceasefire deal, while expressing concern that her comments might complicate negotiations. Mr Netanyahus subsequent visit to former President Donald Trumps Mar-a-Lago estate further underscored the geopolitical dynamics at play. Mr Trump, who has pledged to seek peace if re-elected, criticised Ms Harriss comments as disrespectful to Israel.

This visit, and Mr Trumps past policies such as moving the US embassy to Jerusalem and recognising Israeli sovereignty over the Golan Heights, highlight the shifting landscape of US policy towards Israel and its implications for West Asia. The announcement that Israel will participate in ceasefire talks in Rome offers a glimmer of hope. These negotiations, involving key regional players and the head of Americas Central Intelligence Agency, are crucial for ending hostilities and securing the release of hostages.
The withdrawal of Joe Biden from the race for the American presidency has altered the dynamics of the forthcoming elections. Biden was considered weak and debilitated when compared to a pushy Donald Trump. Bookies, who until recently had almost confirmed a Trump victory, now have doubts on who the next occupant of the White House would be. While a few continue to project a Trump victory, others believe his chances have reduced. It will no longer be a walkover for Trump.

These are still early days as Kamala Harriss formal campaigning has yet to commence. She held her first rally in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, where Trump and J D Vance, his running mate, were nominated in a Republican rally. The attendance of over 3,000 was the largest at a rally in 2024. Harris is 18 years younger than Trump, a former public prosecutor and not one who would be intimidated by his claims in debates. Her campaign strategy would be simple, prosecutor versus felon, seeking to continue highlighting Trumps convictions. While Trump has picked his running mate in Vance, Harris has yet to decide. This will be a priority as some states would be voting soon. She already has support from the AfricanAmerican as also Indian-American communities.

Trumps sympathy votes, on his alleged assassination attempt, would lose their impact by the time elections come about in November. The bandage on his ear, which reminds voters of the attempt on his life, would no longer be there. The public has a short memory and hence would have forgotten the assassination attempt. The resignation of the Secret Service director, Kimberly Cheatle, over her failure in Trumps security, would put the matter to rest. Trump would now shift focus from attacking Biden to degrading Harris. However, his major disadvantage is that most of his criminal cases involve women and if he makes derogatory comments against her and women in general, this could backfire.

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Caution has been forced on him. The question remains on who would gain an upper hand, the former prosecutor or the putative felon. For many countries, victory for Trump would be advantageous, while for others it could spell disaster. Harris is expected to toe Bidens line on Ukraine, China and Iran but that is only an assessment as her specific views remain unknown. She has thus far adhered to whatever Biden said. Her policy on Israel-Gaza may witness a change as she has been fairly vocal on the subject. Israeli Premier Benjamin Netanyahu, while visiting the US met Trump, Biden and Kamala Harris.

Israel is aware that Trump is their main backer as he had, in his previous tenure, shifted the US embassy to Jerusalem from Tel Aviv, as also proposed a peace plan. As per Vox, Trump has been amongst the most pro-Israel US Presidents. On the contrary, Harris may be firmer with Israel. She is also a strong supporter of a two-state solution, which Israel is unwilling to accept. She told Netanyahu, It is time for this war to end. Ukraines President Zelenskky spoke to Trump after his nomination. Trump said, I appreciate President Zelenskyy for reaching out.

I will bring peace to the world and end the war that has cost so many lives and devastated countless innocent families. Both sides will be able to come together and negotiate a deal that ends the violence and paves a path forward to prosperity. Zelenskky would prefer Harris victory, as it would ensure continuity in policies. For NATO, Trumps arrival could signal turmoil in an organization already facing challenges from the war in Ukraine. Trump is unlikely to continue funding the war and would push Zelenskky for talks. He had posted on his Truth Social Network as the NATO summit was underway in Washington that If it werent for me as President, there probably would be no NATO by now, adding most members were delinquent, having paid very little. He also called out European nations to at least equalize US spending on Ukraine.

For China, neither would be a good option. While Biden had maintained stability in ties, his strategy of countering China in the economic field has been effective. He successfully blocked Chinas high-tech industry from gaining from the US. Harris is expected to toe the same line. Trumps unpredictability and exerting pressure on Beijing may impact ties in the short term. His imposing additional tariffs on Chinese products, in his previous tenure, did pay off. In his current campaign, he promised to raise duties on Chinese imports to 60 per cent. In case he moves against Europe, China may gain. On Taiwan, it is unlikely that either side would permit China a free run, despite their views.

For both, any Chinese operation on Taiwan would be a red-line, though Trump is a known isolationist. Vance, Trumps choice for Vice President, stated in an interview that China and not the Ukraine war was the major threat to the US. Hence, for China, no matter who wins, it will be lose-lose. Harriss policy on India underwent a change post her assuming the chair of Vice President. In 2019, as a senator, following the abrogation of article 370 she had mentioned, We have to remind the Kashmiris that they are not alone in the world. As a Vice President, she has repeatedly raised her Indian roots.

At a state luncheon, hosted for PM Modi, during his US visit, she thanked him for his role of leadership to help India emerge as a global power in the 21st century. She is aware of common concerns on China, and of India being a US strategic partner. Trumps unpredictability makes it difficult to assess his intentions. A lot would depend on his advisors. In 2019, he had termed India as the tariff king, and recently promised to impose counter tariffs. However, he would be aware of growing US-India ties and would continue to back them. Internally, Trump would proceed against those who pushed for his conviction and trial. His vindictiveness is well known. How this will play out is to be seen. The Presidential battle in the US is now hotting up. As time passes, the pendulum will continue shifting from one to the other. While the devils are known, the details are yet to emerge.

(The writer is a retired Major-General of the Indian Army.)
I was wondering what Budget 2024-2025 would allocate to Environment. The political class does not devote too much time fretting over this matter. And they spend even less money on the cause of battling climate change despite the assertion by the government that it is a key concern. Compare the allocation during the interim budget in February this year of Rs 2,70,435 to Road Transport and Highways with the paltry sum of Rs 3,079 crore which the ministry of environment, forests and climate change received in Fiscal 2023-2024 though it was a 24 percent increase over the 2022-2024 figure.

However India, which is the third largest producer of greenhouse gases, has pledged to participate in the global endeavour of achieving Net Zero by the year 2070 and union finance minister Nirmala Sitharaman has indeed earmarked a share of the national expenditure for this cause. The amount allocated to the ministry of new and renewable energy for spending in the Central Sector Schemes in 2024-2025 is Rs 12,850 crore. It is heartening to note that this is a substantial increase from the figure of Rs 4,403 crore in 2018-2019. However there are quite often several slips between the cup and the lip and only time will tell how the budgetary allocation will benefit the cause of combating global warming.

Yet it is heartwarming when we hear politicians, especially those who have the power to change policy voice concerns about the environment and express a desire to do something to protect it.

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During an interview in the run-up to Assembly elections of 2011, I had asked Mamata Banerjee if we would witness greener Bengal if she came to power. Yes, that is very important, she had said. Trees would be planted throughout Bengal. This was reassuring indeed. We were heartened by Mamatas refusal to allow the villages of Bengals Nandigram and Singur to be turned into petrochemical hubs and factories. We were relieved that the lush green hamlets dotted with clear blue ponds would not be wiped out with tin and concrete.

During this time, Didi, as Mamata is affectionately called, was supported by renowned environmental activist, Medha Patkar. This friendship between Mamata and Medha grew and strengthened over the past decade which saw Mamata return to power with a thumping majority, three times in a row.

For Didi, protection of the environment is a priority, Dola Sen, Mamatas close aide and her party, Trinamuls, Rajya Sabha member said. Dola, who is a well-known trade union leader, is herself a self-confessed nature-lover.

Budget allocations apart, combating climate change, is an individual responsibility and it helps when one loves nature.
Warehouse transactions across eight primary markets totalled 23 million square feet in the first half of 2024, according to Knight Frank India. When looking at the industry split of warehouse transactions, the manufacturing sector has played a pivotal role, contributing to 36% of the transacted volume, marking a significant shift in the market's demand profile. A testament to this lies in how 23% of the transacted warehousing space in H1 2024 was for industrial use (manufacturing activities), as compared to 17% in H1 2023.

According to Knight Frank India, what explains the robust demand from the manufacturing sector is the process of the decentralisation of manufacturing from China, which has attracted global giants like Apple, Samsung, Foxconn, and TSMC to expand their operations in the country. Additionally, the government's 'Make in India' initiative and the Production Linked Incentive (PLI) scheme have further bolstered the manufacturing landscape.

Since early 2022, the e-commerce sector's warehousing volumes have remained stagnant due to surplus capacities from pandemic-era expansions. Major players in this sector have shifted focus towards profitability, acquiring large-format, captive-owned spaces for their regional hubs and reducing speculative expansion, according to Knight Frank.

Shishir Baijal, Chairman & Managing Director of Knight Frank India, noted, "Demand from the manufacturing sector has compensated for the lull in e-commerce and helped broad base the markets occupier profile. While the availability of viable land for warehousing development remains a challenge, high institutional interest in this space should enable the development of high-quality supply."

55% of the transactions occurred in Grade A spaces, although this is slightly down from 58% in H1 2023, according to Knight Frank. The total leasing volume represents a 4% decline compared to the same period last year, indicating a period of consolidation for the market.

Mumbai led the way, accounting for 20% of the total warehousing volume, driven primarily by the 3PL sector. The National Capital Region (NCR) followed, representing 17% of the total area transacted, with significant contributions from both the 3PL and manufacturing sectors. Noteworthy growth was also observed in Ahmedabad and Kolkata, with transaction volumes increasing by 17% and 27% year-over-year, respectively.

Pune emerged as the most expensive market for warehousing rentals, with an average rate of INR 26 per square foot per month. Kolkata and Mumbai followed, with rates of INR 23.8 and INR 23.6 per square foot per month, respectively. Rental growth across markets can be attributed to reduced supply, with Pune and Chennai witnessing a 4% increase in rentals, while NCR and Kolkata saw a 3% year-on-year growth.

Overall, the top eight warehousing markets in India hold a combined stock of 462 million square feet, with Mumbai constituting 40% of this stock. Healthy transaction volumes and lower supply have brought vacancy levels down to 9.3% in H1 2024. Mumbai, Pune, and Ahmedabad reported vacancy rates of 9.4%, 8%, and 8.3%, respectively.

India's resilient economy and strong fiscal position are expected to sustain and enhance the warehousing market's stability and growth potential for the remainder of fiscal year 2024.
Benchmark equity indices Sensex and Nifty eked out gains in volatile trade to settle at record high levels on Tuesday, extending their gaining streak to the third day on the back of buying in Tata Motors and HDFC Bank.

The 30-share BSE Sensex closed higher by 99.56 points or 0.12 per cent at 81,455.40 its all-time closing highwith 16 of its components advancing and 14 ending lower. The index opened higher and jumped 459.43 points or 0.56 per cent to hit an intra-day high of 81,815.27.

The NSE Nifty edged up 21.20 points or 0.09 per cent to settle at an all-time closing high of 24,857.30. During the day, it surged 135.65 points or 0.54 per cent.

"The domestic market ended flat, due to by profit-booking at higher levels. However, the expectation of dovish comments from the US Fed and BoE in the upcoming policy meetings this week is supporting the optimism," Vinod Nair, Head of Research, Geojit Financial Services said.

Despite heavy volatility, the combined market valuation of all BSE-listed companies hit the $5.50-trillion milestone for the first time.

From the Sensex pack, Tata Motors, NTPC, Bajaj Finserv, Power Grid Corp, Titan, Asian Paints, IndusInd Bank, Maruti Suzuki India and Tata Steel were among the biggest gainers.

Sun Pharmaceuticals, ITC, Hindustan Unilever, Bharti Airtel, UltraTech Cement and Reliance Industries were among the laggards.

In Asian markets, Seoul, Tokyo, Shanghai and Hong Kong settled in the negative territory. European markets were trading on a mixed note. The US markets closed higher on Monday.

Global oil benchmark Brent crude declined 0.05 per cent to USD 79.73 a barrel.

Foreign Institutional Investors (FIIs) offloaded equities worth Rs 2,474.54 crore on Monday, according to exchange data.

On Monday, the 30-share BSE Sensex closed higher by 23.12 points or 0.03 per cent at 81,355.84, its all-time closing high.

The NSE Nifty ended marginally up 1.25 points or 0.01 per cent at an all-time closing high of 24,836.10.
The Army will deploy its expertly-trained dogs at the landslides sites in Keralas Wayanad to sniff out the signs of life from under the debris.

The defence ministry said an elite canine unit from the Meerut Remount Veterinary Corps Centre (RVC) is on their way to Wayanad following a special request from the Kerala government.

The canine squad comprises breeds such as Belgian Malinois, Labradors, and German Shepherds which can smell human remains and even the faintest of breath buried deep under mud.

"These dogs are experts in rescuing people from disaster-struck areas and the canine team will be arriving soon at Wayanad," a defence ministry PRO was quoted as saying by news agency PTI.

According to officials, these dogs have been trained for several years at the Meerut RVC for operations in disaster areas.

Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan had requested the Army to send its canine unit to Wayanad after scores of people went missing in the multiple landslides that hit the hilly district in the wee hours of Tuesday.

Addressing the media later in the evening, Vijayan said 93 bodies have been recovered so far and the rescue operations are underway in full swing.

The chief minister said the first landslide occurred around 2 am and the second one hit the area around 4.30 am. Both the landslides occurred when most of the villagers were sleeping, catching them off-guard and resulting in the high number of casualties.
Named after a revered Buddhist monk, Lehs Kushok Bakula Rimpochee Airport is witnessing an unprecedented event which may bring into play the role of global warming.



There has been a mass cancellation of flights due to an ensuing heat wave, the likes of which Ladakhs capital city hasnt seen in recent history. Flight tickets as a result are selling at a premium. On Sunday, the mercury touched an unbelievable 36 degrees for the cold desert.

Air density is already rarefied and thin at Leh. Extreme heat makes the air even more lighter. Aero-engines need a certain level of air density to acquire the requisite speed for take off, and even to maintain speed during landing.

Built in 1985 to handle limited flights for the Indian Air Force (IAF), the KBR Airport is the highest civilian airport in India and among the highest located ones in the world. Located at 10,682 feet above mean sea level, the surge in day temperatures has crippled civilian air operations that could have implications for the crucial military air operations.

It is the nodal airport for the Indian military which airlifts equipment and supplies before helicopters and trucks take over to feed the supply to the various military stations and posts dotted across the strategic region. The higher reaches up north from Leh, like the Siachen glacier, which faces Pakistan on one side and China on the other, are dependent on the Leh airport to a large extent.

The criticality of the airport becomes more important in winter when the road linkages to Leh from both Manali and Srinagar are closed due to heavy snowfall.

A serving military official told THE WEEK on condition of anonymity that military air operations would also be impacted because military aircraft and large-bodied civilian aircraft function on the same principles.

Even the nights were much warmer which is doubly uncomfortable as residential accommodations in the city do not have installed ceiling fans.

Not just Leh, but surrounding areas even in the much colder north, including the 17, 982-feet-high Khardungla pass witnessed very hot and humid weather.

The IAF has given additional land of 11.8 acres to the Airports Authority of India for the construction of another terminal at the LBR airport. Once completed, the airport will be able to handle 20 lakh more passengers annually instead of the present capacity of nine lakh a year.
"Has there been justice for Reeva? Has Oscar served enough time? There can never be justice if your loved one is never coming back, and no amount of time served will bring Reeva back. We, who remain behind, are the ones serving a life sentence."

 June Steenkamp, when her daughter Reevas murderer, Paralympian athlete Oscar Pistorius, was released to home confinement after just eight and a half years in jail



Is it fair that the loved ones of murder victims should serve a lifetime of grief and suffering while the murderer revels in the life he forever deprived his victim of after just a few years in jail? True justice in the case of murder is not possible on earth as yet, but can we make our feeble attempts to make amends to the relatives of the murdered less painful than they are now?

Linken Fernandes

Apart from being as far from true justice for the loss of a loved one, the sentence of imprisonment for life seems to have become the means for murderers to wriggle out of the retaliatory death that fairness requires and to stay alive till friends and the law can get them out of jail and they can continue living and enjoying life like they did nothing amiss.



The premature release of life-term convicts and the frequent questionable, often politically driven, paroles given to them highlight what seems like a major flaw of the sentence of imprisonment for life: the fact that it consigns the grieving relatives of a murdered person to a lifetime of agony and sorrow while letting the murderer off with a gentle slap on the wrist. Incarceration for life has never been seen as making amends for the loss of a loved one deprived of life forever, but the way the policy serves today to privilege the life of the murderer over the suffering of victims suggests perhaps that we no more think that murder is the gravest crime imaginable to humans and one to be punished with as much harshness as the forcible taking of fragile human life deserves.



Many people who have studied the matter acknowledge that the plight of victims of major crimes has largely been ignored when compared with the earnest sympathy that, ironically, criminals sentenced to life imprisonment seem to get. Three recent cases, in the news lately, illustrate how hard done by victims of major crimes must feel over the coddling that convicted murderers receive.



In South Africa, Oscar Pistorius, the celebrated Paralympian with the prosthetic running blades, convicted of murdering his 22-year-old girlfriend, Reeva Steenkamp, was released in January 2024, after eight and a half years in jail, to spend the rest of his 13-year jail term in the comfort and comparative luxury of home confinement. In Gujarat, 11 gang-rapists who murdered 14 Muslims during the riots of 2002 (the Bilkis Bano case) enjoyed almost three years of parole and furlough (well over a thousand days on average) before being prematurely released, in August 2022, after some 15 years in jail. (Bilkiss 3-year-old daughter, Saleha, was among the 14 relatives killed, her little head smashed against the ground. Bilkis was gang-raped, while her mother, two sisters, two aunts and cousins were raped before being killed, along with her two brothers and two uncles, some 14 relatives in all. Several bodies were found decapitated later, to hinder identification.



The convicts were felicitated with garlands round their necks and mithai sweetening their mouths when they re-entered normal life. Talk of dancing on the graves of your victims! (Mercifully, they have now been re-jailed, but not before having enjoyed a further reprieve from jail of a year and a half while out on the fraudulently obtained premature release (a more unironically truthful officialism could not have been thought up!). Just a few days later, two of the convicts received several days of parole, for a wedding and a funeral!



Further up north in Haryana, Gurmeet Saint Ram Rahim Singh, sentenced to 20 years for two rapes and a life term for his involvement in a murder, gets a free pass out of jail every few months mainly before elections (some nine parole breaks in four years for a total of 234 days so far, and counting). He spends these holidays cutting birthday cakes with huge swords and appearing happily on YouTube videos promoting the Dera Sacha Sauda cult he heads.



As for the people left behind of June Steenkamps vivid coinage, well, what can one say? You lost your loved ones, dear, tough luck, but please accept our heartfelt sympathies. Yeah, yeah, they have been robbed of a huge chunk of their life (Reeva 43 years, Saleha all of 67), and the murderer is living it up, with all those parole breaks and furloughs and the prospect of unrestrained freedom in just a few years. We can imagine your suffering, the grief and torment your whole life long, but what to do, life is like this. Stay strong.



So, on the one side we have the murderer, who usually gets a life sentence in India, which must be seen as a solid win for him right away. In countries which still think a life for a life is the right response to murder, he would have been killed without too much demur and delay. And serve him right too, you would think, when you consider how a life sentence today seems like societys ruse to put one over the victims and their kin and spare the murderers life. A puny fine (a princely sum of, say, Rs10,000 ) accompanies the sentence and you spend 14 years in jail (actually much less, with jail time considerably shortened for good behaviour, parole, furlough, the works), and then the rest of your life is yours to do with as you wish, your destruction of another life completely forgotten.



And in jail, of course, life can be as good as life outside, if you are a privileged prisoner, that is, if you are loaded and have influential friends in the right places. Access to mobiles, a TV to watch IPL, food from outside (Hello Zomato), drinks, drugs, playing card sessions with fellow-inmates, friends dropping in often, even girl-friends. Whats not to like about life in jail, right? Gurmeet Ram Rahim left for his latest parole in January in a motorcade of some half a dozen swanky cars!



'The Sun In Her Hair' is a personal narrative of the harrowing aftermath of the murder of the authors daughter.

The mortally wounded, on the other hand, must wonder about a justice where it is they who suffer torment and agony their whole lives while their daughters murderer lives it up, carefree and unrepentant. You wonder about a verdict which seems to punish the victims more than the offender. Something about the murder not being heinous enough to merit a stricter sentence, perhaps even the death penalty if it came to that, because it was not done in the most horrifying, or the rarest of the rare, manner of killing someone!



Isnt murder, any murder, barbaric enough already? Could there be anything more terrible than depriving someone of what may be considered the rarest of rare experiences to be found in the universe? We have yet to discover sentient life, fragile and precious, anywhere else in the universe, but we dont think violently snuffing out an instance of this miracle terrible enough for our liking?



A beloved daughter or son, a piece of your own flesh and blood, is violently taken away from the life you are in together, but society appears to enable the murderer to live on and thrive as though he has done nothing too grave, and there is nothing you can do about it. No justice in this life, no closure as long as you live, the forever crippled, the walking dead.

The murderers, on the other hand, seem to be doing very well for themselves, thank you. First, and most importantly, their life has been spared; the life sentence is societys preferred humane alternative to the savage death penalty as punishment for murder. (What a merciful gift! Long live the life sentence!) Now theres just 14 years to the freedom of normal life, and these happily interspersed with welcome breaks of, cumulatively, almost three years, to soften the rigours of life in jail. As for the petty, so-called punitive fine, trifling though it is compared with the actual loss of life and the human life value you would need to make amends for in a just world, the benevolent state does not insist on cash. You have the option of paying it in the form of a few more months spent in jail instead. It seems some 90 per cent of fines for murder in Mumbai are cancelled out this way. Fun titbit: The 11 Gujarati rapists and killers, fraudulently released prematurely, actually walked out of jail without paying, or making good through added jail time, the paltry fine of Rs34,000 imposed on them!



How about any form of reparation, or restitution, for murder at all then? What restitution, what reparation? Are you crazy? There is no need to make the slightest amends for not only the life you took but also the crores in reparation a fair valuation of the loss would have you pay. But dont victim families now get compensation of some two lakh rupees? Surely the murderer at least pays this little pittance? Relax your little head, my darling killer, it is all taken care of for you, our mai-baap sarkar will simply dip into public funds and pay it for you through your states scheme of compensation for victims of major crimes. (In Maharashtra it is known as the Manodhairya scheme.) In other words, you just do the murder and relax in jail, society will go through the motions of making amends for everything: through life imprisonment of a few years for, say, all of the 45 years you took out of someones life, by adjusting the petty, punitive fine against a few more months added to your jail term, by letting you completely off the hook for the so-called compensation amount, and, the cherry on top, by releasing you prematurely from jail.



As for the retributory punishment that the life sentence of imprisonment is supposed to be, relax some more. No rotting in jail for the rest of your life for you. You may have fatally interrupted someones life of most probably 70-odd years, but, in return you will be kept in prison for, at most, a total of just 11 years. That is, from the life sentence of 14-odd years, you get almost three years of normal life handed back to you through breaks from jail for parole, furlough, sick leave, Covid leave, special furloughs, open jail, the works. Remember, a life sentence is one in name only. In the meanwhile, you can appeal your sentence and, luck willing, get bail, and then you can stay out of jail till your case comes up for hearing, which can take many months, or if you are lucky, even a year or two. This is a lucky bonus the system throws your way now and then!



Take the case of the convicted in the Soumya Viswanathan case. The sentence of life imprisonment, imposed in January on the murderers of this 25-year-old woman from Delhi, has already been suspended, pending the hearing of their appeal against the verdict. Mercifully, only one of the four convicts has actually been released, the other three having had to stay in jail over another murder they were involved in. In other words, seasoned gangsters, who were also convicted of another horrific murder - two even given the death penalty in the lower court for it, which the High Court later commuted to life imprisonment - have been given the benefit of the doubt over the trial courts studied decision in the matter! Their sentence has been suspended mainly because, the judge said, they had already served 14 years in jail when they were convicted of Soumyas murder. Our courts set the bar very low when it comes to justice for murder, it seems! And, thus, the essence of a life sentence, which is punishment through imprisonment, is undermined by this dodge.



In the case of Bilkis Bano, too, the Gujarat government appeared to be working on behalf of the murderers and rapists when it released them prematurely in 2022 while keeping Bilkis in the dark about it. In other words, they pulled a fast one on Bilkis; she was completely blindsided when the convicts were released on Independence Day. A barbaric gang-rape and mass murders had become a matter of impersonal, and illegally covert, transactions between state and criminals, the wronged victim nowhere in the picture. The same government has now had the temerity to petition the Supreme Court to expunge the adverse remarks made against it over its role in the fraudulent early release.



It is clear the odds dont favour the victims of major crimes. The judiciary, to its credit, has done its bit to hold the line against the executives cavalier shortening of the life sentence, asserting unequivocally that life imprisonment implies incarceration for the whole of the offenders life and not just the 14 years now normalised as a life sentence. This seems, though, like a rear-guard manoeuvre at best, given the political pressure constantly bearing down on the life term. Pushing back against any further reduction apart, some major tweaks are called for in the entire life sentence regime if we are to come anywhere close to adequately fulfilling any of the four aims of criminal justice  of punishing, deterring and reforming offenders, and, principally, of compensating victims fairly.



In the matter of just recompense to victims, for instance, it appears that life is certainly not equal to life, not in the years of life lost that the offender must make amends for, nor in the earnings lost by the victim and her family during what would have been the remainder of her working life. Three-year-old Saleha Bano had all of 67 years snatched from her, Soumya 45, and Reeva 43 (life expectancy for women being 70 years in India, 65 in South Africa). How does a mere 11 years of jail time (taking paroles and furloughs and other holidays into account) compare with an entire life forever taken away from someone? How much exactly is a life taken away prematurely worth? As matters stand now, it is worth only the years we jail murderers for and a fine which need not be paid, with absolutely no accounting for the trauma and other loss victims, mainly bereaved relatives, undergo their whole lives.

Soumya Viswanathan, for instance, had 35 years of working life to look forward to. In the course of her career as a TV news producer she would have easily earned over a crore of rupees during her lifetime, given a minimum monthly salary of Rs20,000 and modest annual raises over the years. The court has allotted her parents Rs 12 lakh by way of fine, and only because it was an organised crime and some five killers were involved. If a lone killer had done the deed, the fine would have stopped at, say, Rs50,000, and no further apology.



How much fairer, perhaps, would it be if murderers were made to atone for their crime by actually making good at least the money value of their victims lost earnings, even if it takes them the rest of their life to do so? Would a human life taken away prematurely and violently be worth any less?



Though we like to think that human life is priceless and its value unquantifiable, we do assign it a monetary value for limited, earthly purposes. In the realm of criminal justice, for instance, we give it a value, even if too conservatively, in terms of the currencies of time (jail time) and money (the punitive fine and a little compensation, if any). The present valuation, or undervaluation, of life, though, tends to massively short-change victims and, perhaps, further exacerbates their suffering. To the existential pain of what could be the eternal loss (No!) of a loved one is added the socially-induced torment flowing from letting the murderer off easy with a light life term, pampering him through extended holidays from jail, and excusing him the rigours of actual atonement for his crime.



It beggars belief that it is you and me, ordinary law-abiding citizens, who fund the compensation scheme for victims of major crimes. To think that it is us, innocent bystanders, and not the actual offenders, who paid Bilkis Bano the compensation of some 50 or 70 lakh rupees for her gang-rape, the murder of her 3-year-old daughter and the rape and murder of her other relatives (14 in all), while the actual criminals sat in jail savouring the reprieve of sweet life that society granted them! Murder, it seems, doesnt cost anything at all in India for offenders, but a whole lot for the rest of us.



A more realistic attitude towards restitution could begin by taking another look at the rationale (whatever it may be at present) for the quantum of the punitive fine and the recently-introduced compensation scheme for victims of murder and other major crimes. The fine certainly calls for drastic revision from the laughable token (Rs10,000 on average, in Maharashtra, Rs50,000 in Delhi) that is embarrassingly levied now, as though signalling societys assumption that murder is nothing life-changing, just a run-of-the-mill crime worth, at most, someones salary for a month.



A good start at a corrective would be to apply a measure like the human life value formula, utilised by insurance companies, when calculating the quantum of compensation. This would not come anywhere close to the economic worth of a human life, of course, but would certainly be a notch above the present, niggardly alternative.



Which brings us to the reform and rehabilitation that it is expected that 14 years of incarceration should bring about. Does the offender realise at last the gravity of his crime given how miraculous and, therefore, precious, human life is in the universe? Does he accept that in a just world he would really be dead, and that he is beholden to society for letting him continue enjoying the same life he so cruelly deprived someone else of? In other words, is he really and truly sorry for his offence? Or, does he simply move on with his life like the murder is so much water under the bridge now, while the bereaved relatives of the victim suffer pain and suffering forever? Is this agony of the victims accounted for in the life sentence in some way, perhaps?



As we have just seen, not at all.

There can be no justice on earth for murder, but should we behave like the torment heaped (by society) on bereaved relatives after a life sentence is also a part of human reality?Should we be rubbing salt in victims wounds by letting murderers revel, without the slightest remorse, in the very life they casually deprived our loved ones of? While we show exemplary solicitude for the well-being of lifers, some of this concern perhaps needs to be directed towards the life-long trauma, so eloquently articulated by June Steenkamp, that the victims of their crime undergo. How much longer can the bereaved aggrieved accept the lack of fairness in the treatment they receive from the state as compared with criminals and law-breakers?



The continuing devaluation of human life, seen in how lightly we deal with murder and murderers, must surely add up one day to people figuring out that justice is, perhaps, not given, but taken. Frustrated with societys casualness towards their pain, victims could soon re-embrace the idea that the rough justice that revenge provides may be the best response after all to the murder of their loved one. In other words, justified vengeance that comes as close to fair amends as possible on earth! No more resenting lifes unfairness for the rest of our lives, no more railing at how the universe has let us down! With one bold stroke, shrug off the agony and the suffering! No longer paralysed victims but galvanised avengers and justice-seekers! If only to ensure some degree of amends for a loved one cruelly taken from us too soon, and, more tragically, robbed of an experience together that could turn out to have been our one and only experience of the strange and wondrous miracle that is life on earth.

Linken Fernandes is an independent journalist and the author of The Sun In Her Hair (A True Account) and Nine Short Stories. The True Account deals with the aftermath of his daughters murder. Views are personal.
The opposition INDIA alliance on Tuesday came together in a display of solidarity with Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal. The constituent parties took part in a protest in the national capital over Kejriwals unjustifiable arrest and incarceration and accused the Bharatiya Janata Party-led central government of putting the health of the Aam Aadmi Party leader, who suffers from diabetes, in jeopardy.

Leaders from all the major INDIA alliance parties took part in a public rally organised by the AAP at Jantar Mantar, Delhi's protest hotspot, their speeches focusing on the Centre's alleged misuse of the investigating agencies against Kejriwal and other opposition leaders, making a statement of solidarity with Kejriwal, declaring that the opposition parties were together in their fight against the Prime Minister Narendra Modi's dictatorial way of functioning and referring to the BJP's diminished presence in Parliament after the Lok Sabha elections.

Kejriwal's wife Sunita was present on the stage along with senior leaders of the AAP and legislators from Delhi and Punjab as leaders from the INDIA alliance partners arrived to take part in the protest.

There was speculation on whether the Congress, which has carried out a tough balancing act on the issue of Kejriwal's arrest since the AAP is a rival in the coming Assembly elections, would attend the protest rally. However, the party stuck to the line it has adopted nationally about the investigating agencies going after opposition leaders and attended the event. Congress's Deputy Leader in the Rajya Sabha Pramod Tiwari and his Lok Sabha counterpart Gaurav Gogoi took part in the agitation.

Tiwari said he and his party colleague Gogoi were representing the party's top leadershipMallikarjun Kharge, Sonia Gandhi and Rahul Gandhiat the event and were there to extend on their behalf complete moral support to Kejriwal.

A chief minister who was elected with a huge majority was arrested. We opposed it then. And we continue to stand with you. If the BJP thinks by arresting our leaders they will break us, they are wrong. We will not bow before them, Tiwari said.

The prime minister boasts about having a 56-inch chest. Then why is he hiding behind the ED and the CBI? They arrested chief ministers, sealed our bank accounts...if elections would have been held in an impartial and transparent manner, we would have been in power and they would have been sitting in the opposition, Gogoi said.

Former Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Akhilesh Yadav said grave injustice was being done to Kejriwal and the purpose of his arrest was to send a message about the power wielded by the ruling dispensation. But the people have taught them a lesson. The people of UP have not just defeated the BJP, they have also by voting for the Samajwadi Party and the INDIA alliance stopped the BJP from getting a majority. The prime minister may have won, but in terms of votes, he has lost, Yadav said.

NCP (SP) supremo Sharad Pawar spoke about the BJP-ruled Centre's alleged attempt to destablise the AAP government in Delhi by placing Kejriwal and other leaders of the party behind bars. The people of Delhi know very well how to teach arrogant leaders a lesson. They will teach the BJP a lesson, Pawar said.

CPI(M) General Secretary Sitaram Yechury noted that even if the BJP is below the majority figure and its strength has reduced by 63 MPs, its attitude has not changed. They still behave as if they are not just kings but emperors, he said. Yechury said the case against Kejriwal was clearly motivated by politics.

CPI General Secretary D. Raja said Kejriwal's arrest was a prime example of the BJP-ruled Centre's attempts to use the ED and the CBI to target opposition leaders, intimidate them and cripple their parties.

Shiv Sena (UBT) leader Sanjay Raut struck an aggressive note as he said the tables would turn on the BJP when the INDIA alliance comes to power and the same ED and CBI which they have misused would handcuff them.

TMC's deputy leader in the Rajya Sabha Sagarika Ghose said she had come with a message from West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee, the only woman chief minister in the country, for Sunita. The TMC will together with the AAP fight against dictatorship. Mamata Banerjee has offered full support to Sunita Kejriwal, she said.

Rajya Sabha MP Tiruchi N. Siva, representing the DMK, said the BJP often speaks about the Emergency, but it has put in place an undeclared Emergency.

Sunita spoke in the end, and in an emotion-filled speech spoke about Kejriwal's health condition behind bars. She said he has been suffering from diabetes for the last 22 years and is dependent on insulin to keep his sugar level under check.

Insulin was not given to him in jail. As part of a conspiracy, his health was neglected. He wears a sensor around his arm which tells his sugar level...on five occasions, as per the reading of the sensor, his sugar level has dipped below 50 and this has happened while he was sleeping. It is a miracle that nothing happened to him, she said.

She hit out at Lt Governor Vinai Kumar Saxena for having written a letter to the state chief secretary in which he alleged willful consumption of low calorie intake by Kejriwal.

They foisted a false case on him; they are playing with his health and they have also made efforts to defame an elected chief minister, Sunita said.
The landslide triggered by heavy rains killed over 11 people in Kerala's hilly district of Wayanad. Authorities fear the death toll may rise as several are feared trapped under the debris.

The incident happened on Tuesday morning in the Chooralmala and Mundakkai villages of the district. While rescue operations have been initiated, the place remains cut off after the main bridge connecting Mundakkai to the main town has been washed away.

Kerala Health Minister Veena George said six bodies have been recovered and brought to Meppadi Community Health Centre and five to a private medical college in the district.

Authorities said four people, including a child, died in the Chooralmala while one-year-old child of a Nepali family died in the Thondernad village. Two doctors from Odisha too have died in the mishap.

The Mundakkai, Chooralmala, Attamala, and Noolpuzha villages were among the areas affected and cut off by the landslides, authorities said.

Local MLA T Siddique told reporters that district authorities were drawing up plans to airlift people from the Mundakkai area. Two helicopters from the Indian Air Force have been deployed for rescue operations. "Currently, we have no complete information about those missing and dead in the landslides. Many areas have been cut off. NDRF personnel are trying to reach those places." he said.

According to the Kerala chief minister's office, 250 members of Fire and Rescue, Civil Defence, NDRF and Local Emergency Response Team are involved in the rescue operation in Wayanad Churalmala. An additional team of NDRF has been directed to reach the spot immediately.

Visuals from the area show uprooted trees, destroyed houses and swollen water bodies. Vehicles washed away by the floodwaters could be seen swamped by mud.

In a post on X, Modi said, "Distressed by the landslides in parts of Wayanad. My thoughts are with all those who have lost their loved ones and prayers with those injured. Rescue ops are currently underway to assist all those affected."

"Spoke to Kerala CM Shri @pinarayivijayan and also assured all possible help from the Centre in the wake of the prevailing situation there," he said.
Rescue agencies are racing against time to pull out survivors of a major landslide triggered by torrential rains in Keralas Wayanad district even as the death toll rose to 123 on Tuesday evening.

Scores of people are still feared trapped under the debris as the landslides that occurred in the wee hours of Tuesday left a trail of destruction in Mundakkai, Chooralmala, Attamala and Noolpuzha villages.

"Children who went to sleep last night, including infants, are among those who lost their lives in this disaster and are now buried under the earth. The floodwaters swept away many people. Sixteen bodies were recovered from the Chaliyar River in Pothukallu in Malappuram district (neighbouring Wayanad), and body parts were also found," Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan said at a media briefing in the evening.

Vijayan said 34 bodies have been identified and 18 of them handed over to their relatives. More than 3,000 people have been shifted to 45 relief camps set up in the district, he added.

Rescue operation underway following landslides triggered by heavy rain in Wayanad | Nisam Chenoth

The chief minister said the first landslide occurred around 2 am and the second one hit the area around 4.30 am. Both the landslides occurred when most of the villagers were sleeping, catching them off-guard and resulting in the high number of casualties.

Meppadi, Mundakkai and Chooralmala areas have been cut off after a road connecting these villages was destroyed in the disaster. The Vellarimala GHSS school was completely buried under the earth.

Braving the bad weather, teams from the Army, Navy, and NDRF are searching for survivors. A 43-member team from the 122 Infantry Battalion (TA) MADRAS has been deployed at the site while a River Crossing Team of the Navy from the Ezhimala Naval Academy in Kannur will join the rescue mission soon.

Vijayn urged people to contribute to the Chief Minister's Distress Relief Fund, saying a huge amount was needed to rebuild the affected areas and lives. He said Tamil Nadu Chief Minister M.K. Stalin has offered Rs 5 crore as aid to Kerala, while Cochin International Airport Limited (CIAL) has offered Rs 2 crore.

Rescue operation underway following landslides triggered by heavy rain in Wayanad | Nisam Chenoth

Temporary hospitals and clinics are being set up in a church, madrasa and an institute at Chooralmala while additional health workers are being appointed in affected areas.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi spoke to CM Vijayan and announced an ex gratia of Rs 2 lakh for the next of kin of the deceased. The injured would be given Rs 50,000.
Seenath is still in shock. As a resident of Chooramala, which turned into a scene of deep sorrow early this morning, she is struggling to comprehend the tragedy that has befallen her neighbours and close relatives. The nearby villages of Mundakkai, Attamala, Vellarimala, and Chooramala in Wayanad have become disaster zones after being severely affected by consecutive landslides. At the time of writing this report, more than 90 bodies have already been recovered from the region. The dead include many children.

Around 2 am, there was a loud noise as a landslide occurred in Mundakkai, sending debris down to Chooramala, recalls Seenath. Around 4 am, a second, more severe landslide occurred. Many of those who had escaped the first landslide lost their lives in this second one, says Seenath.

N.K. Sukumaran, member of Attamala ward in Meppadi Grama panchayat, tells THE WEEK that nobody knows how many are still under the debris. We are recovering bodies. There are too many. More than 1000 families have been residing in Attamala, Mundakkai, and Chooramala wards alone, he said over the phone amid being engaged in rescue activities.

The only bridge to Mundakkai across the Chaliyar River was swept away in the landslide, rendering the area inaccessible. Rescue teams, including fire force personnel, have managed to reach the site by using ropes to cross the river.

For the past one and a half month, it has been raining continuously here, with particularly heavy rainfall in the last three days, says Seenath. Given the Mundakkai region's history with landslides, authorities had issued warnings. The panchayat even preemptively relocated many families, especially from the ST colony in Mundakkai. Others were also warned. However, I'm not sure if there was a house-to-house campaign to ensure people moved to safer locations. Some went to stay with relatives, but many did not evacuate. Compared to Mundakkai, fewer people moved from Chooramala.

For the past three days, electricity was available only intermittently in the region. "By yesterday evening, there was no power at all. When the landslide occurred, there was no light or electricity, making nighttime rescue efforts difficult," recalls Seenath. Additionally, wild elephants came onto the road, adding to the chaos.

Seenath mentions that many of her relatives are missing. Fortunately, her immediate family, including her husband, two children, and mother, is safe. "But we are now in the process of moving from Chooramala to our relatives' house outside Meppadi," she says. "It's not safe here."

To coordinate rescue efforts, five ministers in the Pinarayi Vijayan's cabinet are currently in Wayanad. The Army has deployed a platoon to the region, and a 50-member team of river crossing experts from the Indian Navy has also arrived. Their expertise will be crucial for reaching Mundakkai, which remains isolated due to landslides. The Madras Engineering Group of the Army will work on establishing alternative connections to Mundakkai as the bridge has been destroyed. The state government has requested the Centre to send an Army dog squad. Additionally, drones and the state police dog squad are being utilised for search and rescue operations.

The Kerala government has declared today and tomorrow as official mourning days to honour the victims of the Wayanad tragedy. Meanwhile, heavy rains continue to batter the state, with eight districts currently under a red alert for heavy rainfall and possible cloud bursts. Landslides have been reported from several places, including Vilanagad in Kozhikode, where 15 families have been isolated.
As many as 56 people have died in the landslides in Wayanad district in Kerala, and over 70 people have been admitted to various hospitals. There have been landslides in Mundakkai, Chooralmala, Attamala, and Noolpuzha villages in the district and several people are feared trapped under the debris. The death toll in Wayanad landslides is likely to go up when the bodies trapped would be recovered.

Meanwhile, rescue operations by National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) faced a roadblock due to adverse climatic conditions in the region. Rescue teams are unable to reach Mundakkai which has faced the worst of landslides as the village has been cut off following the collapse of a bridge. As many as 400 families are reportedly stranded in the area.

The death toll in the Wayanad landslides has risen to 8. Those dead also include three children.



The first landslide was reported at nearly 2 am. Later, at nearly 4.10 am, the district was struck by another landslide. #WayanadLandslide #Wayanad #Kerala pic.twitter.com/TCAWfMdaCz  Vani Mehrotra (@vani_mehrotra) July 30, 2024

Two of the helicopters deployed for rescue operations could not reach the spot due to poor visibility, further slowing down efforts to rescue the affected. The NDRF teams are now attempting to build a temporary bridge to reach Mundakkai village.

Police drones and the Dog squad will be deployed for search and rescue efforts, the Chief Minister's Office said. The Madras Engineering Group (MEG) from Bengaluru will arrive to implement alternative arrangements after the bridge collapse.

Wayanad landslide | Police drones and the Dog squad will be deployed for search and rescue efforts as instructed by the Chief Minister. An Army Engineering Group will be urgently deployed to Wayanad for rescue operations and related activities in the landslide-affected area. The  ANI (@ANI) July 30, 2024

Teams of NDRF, Fire, Police and Revenue department are on the ground, Kerala Revenue Minister K. Rajan's office said.

Wayanad landslide | Teams of NDRF, Fire, Police and Revenue department are on the ground. Around 101 people rescued till now. Shelter camp set up at Bathery St Marys SKMJ School in Kalpetta. Medical teams and ambulances are present and food and clothing are also arranged. There  ANI (@ANI) July 30, 2024

NDRF DG Piyush Anand said the rescue teams have so far evacuated 74 people, recovered 16 bodies, and rescued one person alive.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Leader of Opposition in the Lok Sabha Rahul Gandhi and AICC general secretary Priyanka Gandhi Vadra condoled the loss of lives in the tragedy.

Modi said he spoke to Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan and assured all possible help from the Centre.

Distressed by the landslides in parts of Wayanad. My thoughts are with all those who have lost their loved ones and prayers with those injured.



Rescue ops are currently underway to assist all those affected. Spoke to Kerala CM Shri @pinarayivijayan and also assured all possible  Narendra Modi (@narendramodi) July 30, 2024

"My heartfelt condolences go out to the bereaved families who have lost their loved ones. I hope those still trapped are brought to safety soon," Rahul Gandhi, said adding that he spoke to the Kerala chief minister and the Wayanad district collector and requested them to ensure coordination with all agencies, set up a control room, and inform us of any assistance needed for the relief efforts.
The Indian Space Tech startup ecosystem witnessed record funding of $126 million, a 7 per cent increase from the $118 million raised in 2022 and a 235 per cent increase from $37.6 million in 2021. India is home to more than 100 space tech startups, the majority of them being founded in the last past 5 years.

Bengaluru leads the list of top-funded cities in India's space tech sector, followed by Hyderabad and Chennai. The top investors in this sector are Speciale Invest, Anicut Capital, and GrowX Ventures, highlighted the recent Space Tech Geo Report 2024 by Tracxn (a data intelligence platform for private market research). The report gives an overview of the Space Tech sector in India, focusing on recent trends, funding dynamics, and key developments.

As per the report, Skyroot Aerospace was the highest-funded, with overall funding of $99.8 million, followed by Pixxel at $71.7 million and Agnikul at $61.5 million. The recent Union Budget has allocated Rs 1,000 crore to support space technology startups, aimed at boosting the sectors development and attracting further investment. This initiative, along with the establishment of the Indian National Space Promotion and Authorization Centre (IN-SPACe) in 2022, is expected to drive substantial innovation and growth.

The report finds that in 2024, the year-to-date funding stands at $10.8 million. Despite a global slowdown in funding, the Indian space tech sector has been experiencing an upward trend, driven by substantial government support and significant innovations. The report highlights that India has emerged as a formidable player in the global space technology arena. Currently, India boasts 55 active space assets, including communication, meteorological, and earth observation satellites.

Interestingly, the Indian space tech sector's funding landscape is predominantly driven by early-stage investments. In 2023, early-stage rounds attracted $120 million of the total $126 million raised, reflecting a notable growth from $114 million in 2022, which represents a 5 per cent increase.

In 2024, early-stage funding has reached $8.5 million to date. Seed-stage funding has also seen a significant rise, growing from $4.3 million in 2022 to $5.3 million in 2023, marking a 24 per cent increase. However, despite this growth in early-stage and seed-stage funding, the nascent ecosystem for private sector participation in Indian space tech startups has not yet experienced any late-stage funding.

The top funded business models in this space include Small Satellite Launch Vehicles, Satellite Imaging Services, and Satellite Communication Services. Notably, the Small Satellite Launch Vehicle segment has attracted $168 million to date, with Skyroot raising the highest funding in this category.

Despite the vibrant funding landscape, no acquisitions have been observed in 2024 YTD. The only acquisition to date is the 2022 purchase of Prakshep, a satellite imagery provider for the agricultural industry, by Arya. Additionally, the sector is yet to witness the emergence of unicorns. MTAR and Ananth Technologies are the only public companies in this space.

Indias space tech sector is growing rapidly, thanks to strong government support and a dynamic startup scene. The significant funding and strategic investments we're seeing now are setting the stage for India to become a major player in the global space industry, said Neha Singh, Co-Founder of Tracxn.

Looking ahead, we expect the sector to attract even more investment, sparking more innovation. The combination of solid early-stage funding and supportive government policies will be key to driving this growth and establishing India as a leading centre for space exploration and technology, she added.

The privatisation of the space sector has catalysed a multi-fold increase in activity. The International Astronautical Federation awarded India the prestigious World Space Award for its successful launch of Chandrayaan 3, which made history in 2023 as the first mission to achieve a soft landing on the moon's south pole. This landmark achievement has set a global standard for Indias potential and cost-effective engineering in the space tech industry.

An interesting highlight of the report is that space tech startups based in Bengaluru have contributed to more than 55 per cent of the total funding in this space, and it is also the city with the highest number of space tech startups. The evolution of the space industry highlights a global shift from government control to private-sector collaboration.

The report observes that the United States, a pioneer in privatising its space industry with the 1984 Commercial Space Launch Act, has significantly benefited from private company contributions through NASA's Artemis program. Federal funding for NASA has consistently increased, with $24.8 billion allocated in the 2024 budget.

In terms of geographic funding, the US remains a leader in space tech startup funding, although it has seen a decline from $5.5 billion in 2021 to $660 million in 2024. Europe, on the other hand, has seen increased funding in its space tech sector, with $407 million raised in 2024 to date, following a record $512 million in 2023.

The UK, while experiencing fluctuations in funding, shows signs of recovery with $135 million raised in 2024 to date. Similarly, the UK has invested 50 million in its Positioning, Navigation, and Timing (PNT) sector since 2017, employing a hybrid model that leverages private technologies for space missions.

The report further points out that in recent years, the European Space Agency (ESA) has shifted to a competition-based model, inviting more private players to develop and launch space missions. This strategic shift, driven by a series of delays and failures in rocket launches, aims to attract private investment and boost entrepreneurship in the region.

Despite the existence of the ESA, countries like Germany, Italy, and France maintain their space research agencies, working in collaboration with the ESA. The ESA's budget for 2024 is $8.3 billion, a 10 per cent increase from the previous year, with significant contributions from Germany, France, and Italy. A major portion of this budget is allocated to Earth Observation operations (30 per cent), followed by space transportation and navigation.

India's space tech sector is also growing rapidly, fueled by government support and a dynamic startup ecosystem. Significant funding and strategic investments are positioning India to become a major player in the global space industry, with expectations of attracting more investment and sparking further innovation.
After Nicolas Maduro winning the 'controversial' presidential elections in Venezuela, massive protests erupted across the country with the opposition too claiming the victory. Security forces clashed with protesters and fired tear gas and rubber bullets to disperse the crowd. At least two deaths were reported in the clashes.

Regions including the border state of Tachira, Maracay, Coro and Caracas witnessed protests. Many Venezuelans staged "cacerolazos", a traditional Latin American protest where people bang pots and pans in anger. Protesters also blocked the highways by burning the tyres and setting vehicles on fire. Posters of President Maduro were burned and ripped down as well.

Military forces were deployed on the streets of Caracas to disperse the protesters, who chanted "freedom, freedom!" and called for the government to fall.

ALSO READ | Venezuela presidential election: From Blinken to Putin, how world leaders reacted to Maduros win

We are tired of this government, we want a change. We want to be free in Venezuela. We want our families to return here, said a protester. Ill fight for my country's democracy. They stole the election from us," said another.

Many demonstrators rode motorbikes draped themselves in the Venezuelan flag and jammed the streets. Police with shields and batons were on streets of Caracas and the city of Maracay fired tear gas to disperse protesters.

Venezuela's opposition candidate Edmundo Gonzalez said they have proof that his party won the country's election. He alleged that the election results announced were rigged. Opposition leader Maria Corina Machado told reporters that they had obtained more than 70 per cent of the votes.

Many countries including the United States, United Kingdom and Argentina raised concerns amid the rigging allegations.

Amid tensions, Venezuela's government announced a temporary suspension of commercial air flights to and from Venezuela with Panama and the Dominican Republic starting from 20:00 local time on Wednesday.

"We are all under the obligation to listen to the truth, to gear up with patience, calmness and strength because we are familiar with this movie and we know how to face these situations and how to defeat the violent," said Maduro in a televised speech.

Also, supporters of Maduro planned a rally on Tuesday. Protests began after the election board declared on Monday that Maduro had won a third term by securing 51 per cent of votes, while the opposition secured 44 per cent of votes.
Mumbai, Jul 30 (PTI) A special court on Tuesday sent Priyavrat Mandhana, a former vice-president of a Mumbai-based insolvent company, to the Enforcement Directorate (ED) custody till August 2 in a money laundering case linked to an alleged bank loan fraud of more than Rs 975 crore.

Priyavrat Mandhana, son of a former Chairman and Managing Director (CMD) of the company, Purushottam Mandhana, was arrested by the ED on Monday night for his alleged role in the fraud and booked under the stringent Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA).

The accused was produced before special PMLA court judge A C Daga by the ED.

The federal probe agency sought his custody for 14 days, saying remand was necessary for knowing the modus operandi employed by him along with the other accused persons to commit the alleged fraud and for the purpose of identifying and unearthing the proceeds of crime.

The money laundering case stems from a Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) FIR filed against the company, Mandhana Industries, and its top executives Purushottam Mandhana, Manish Mandhana, Biharilal Mandhana and others on the basis of a complaint filed by the Bank of Baroda for "defrauding" a consortium of banks to the tune of Rs 975.08 crore.

The company has been liquidated and is now known as GB Global Ltd.

Former CMD Purushottam Mandhana was earlier arrested in the case. However, the court had declared his arrest "illegal" as the ED didn't provide the accused a copy of the document listing "reasons to believe" that he is guilty of the offence, and set him at liberty.

The ED told the court on Tuesday they are in possession of material that clearly shows Priyavrat Mandhana, who served as vice-president (corporate affairs) at Mandhana Industries, was involved in laundering of the proceeds of crime to the tune of Rs 73.79 crore.

He has committed the offence of money laundering by possessing, concealing and utilizing the proceeds of crime for his personal gains and enrichments, the ED submitted before the court.

However, advocate Karan Kadam, appearing for Priyavrat Mandhana, argued that his client's arrest was illegal and vitiated his fundamental rights.

The advocate claimed the accused was detained at his residence from 7 am on Monday, which curtailed his liberty.

The accused was produced before the court at 3 pm on Tuesday, way after the mandatory 24-hour time limit, making his arrest illegal, he told the court.

The defence further argued that the ED has failed to provide information on where the laundered money has been spent.

The court, after hearing both sides, remanded Priyavrat Mandhana to the ED custody till August 2.
New Delhi, Jul 30 (PTI) The government should offer more concessions to the middle class in Income Tax as an exemption limit of up to Rs 3 lakh is not enough, NCP leader Praful Patel said on Tuesday in the Rajya Sabha.

Participating in a debate on the Union Budget 2024-25, Patel said, "Rs 3 lakh is a very small amount. If someone earns Rs 40,000 in a city like Delhi, it is a burden for him to pay even 5 per cent tax."

The Ajit Pawar-led NCP is an ally of the BJP-led NDA.

Patel said though the government is trying to widen the tax net after the implementation of GST, everyone is directly or indirectly paying tax.

"Now nobody in the country can say that he is not paying tax," he said adding "there should be some more concessions for a middle-class person to be able to make his necessities".

Patel further said the stock market has become a very effective means of investment for even the middle class. Now people have started looking at the stock market to make a little bit extra money as fixed deposits, etc are not giving that kind of return.

However, he suggested some caution in this and said in the budget some steps are taken for the 'futures and options' (F&O) segment.

Patel suggested that the government should take more such steps for F&O in the budget to protect the interests of small investors.

During the debate, RJD member Manoj Jha said the custom of pre-budget consultation with the delegations of cleaning workers, street hawkers, unemployed youths, small farmers, and even trade unions has stopped.

"On pre-budget consultation, I have seen meetings with industrialists and corporate houses," said Jha.

He demanded that the budget should be relooked from a common man's perspective as income inequality is on the rise in the country.

"I am not against the accumulation of wealth or rich people but against a vulgar display of wealth, which we have seen in recent years," he said.

On schemes such as MNREGA, Jha said Rs 86,000 crore has been allocated for the rural employment guarantee scheme, which is Rs 20,000 less than the actual expenditure of Rs 1.05 lakh crore on this scheme.

"This will delay in payment of wages and suppression of demand will happen," he said, adding it will affect quality of construction.

Leader of House J P Nadda stated that it is a noteworthy achievement that after 60 years a prime minister has been chosen for a third consecutive term.

He noted that the election result is a mandate for stability, continuity, good governance and inclusive growth.

Terming the budget as "visionary", he said that it addresses the country's immediate needs and also takes care about long-term requirements.

Bhubaneswar Kalita of the BJP said the thrust of the budget is towards youth, poor, farmers, women, middle class and infrastructure development.

Dinesh Sharma of the BJP stated that the finance minister has presented a balanced budget which is focussed at making India a developed country.

Anil Sukhdeorao Bonde (BJP) spoke in favour of various government schemes including Agnipath.

Another BJP member Bhim Singh noted that this budget has come at a time when India's stature has grown in the world.

Participating in the discussion, CPI-M's A A Rahim attacked the government over the issue of price rise and unemployment.

He asked the government to fill the jobs lying vacant in the public sector.

Rahim also pointed out that his state Kerala has been completely neglected in the Union Budget.

Ajit Kumar Bhuyan (Independent) spoke about the deteriorating flood situation in Assam and lack of government support for relief measures for the state.

A P Selvarasu of the DMK also participated in the discussion.
Kolkata, Jul 30 (PTI) The stalemate over shooting for Bengali films and other OTT content continued in the metropolis on Tuesday, as studios wore a deserted look in the absence of technicians and directors.

The deadlock was created after technicians walked out of the studio floor of an unnamed project of filmmaker Rahool Mukherjee on the first day of shoot on July 27, standing their ground to boycott the director, alleging that he violated shooting norms.

A spokesperson of the West Bengal Motion Pictures Artists Forum said no shooting for any film, web series or mega serial took place on Tuesday, too.

Though the main gate of the Indrapuri Studio in Tollygunge area was open, the entrance points to most floors inside were locked, film industry sources said.

Similar scenes were witnessed at the NT 1 Studio, Technicians Studio and Bharatlakshmi Studio in the southern part of the city and its outskirts.

The impasse, which began last Saturday, has now stretched for three more days, splitting the fraternity into two with a section of producers, directors and actors choosing to express solidarity with the outcast director, and deciding to go for an indefinite cease work on shooting floors from Monday till the problem is addressed in an amicable manner.

Lashing out at a section of producers-directors for ceasing work without notice, which brought all scheduled shoots to a halt on Monday, the federation of cine technicians called the move a conspiracy.

The federation declared that it would finalise its next move on the ongoing impasse based on feedback from its members through means of a signature campaign.

The announcement followed the call for an urgent need for review and arbitration of existing rules in the Bengali film industry, which senior fraternity members deemed as a stranglehold of imposed norms leading to a significant decline in investment in the regional showbiz sector over the past decade.

The opinion was voiced on Monday by a section of producers, directors and senior actors who huddled at the residence of superstar Prasenjit Chatterjee, as filmmaking at the Tollygunge studio enclave came to a standstill amid the impasse over technicians' refusal to work under a young director for a project.

We are ready for talks on the issue. But, why should work in the industry be unilaterally stopped at the whim and fancy of a handful of directors? This is a pre-planned conspiracy, said Swarup Biswas, president, Federation of Cine Technicians and Workers of Eastern India.

Meanwhile, urging both sides to sink differences, the Eastern India Motion Pictures Association (EIMPA) said in a statement that the situation has turned very disturbing and depressing.

"We want work to resume at the earliest for the interest of everyone in the industry. And, it is our sincere wish that long-standing relationships of the industry are maintained as before," the apex body of film producers, distributors and cinema hall owners said.
Chennai, Jul 30 (PTI) The calling out of actor Dhanush by the Tamil Film Producers Council (TFPC), for accepting advance but not giving dates, has not gone down well for the Tamil film industry, creating quite an uproar.

Nevertheless, TFPC secretary R Radhakrishnan told PTI on Tuesday that they stand by the decisions made by the producers council, including temporarily stopping signing of any new films after August 16, and that the key members of the council will meet on August 1 to decide further action.

Following the allegations by TFPC on July 29, the representatives of the actors body, The South Indian Artistes Association (SIAA) aka Nadigar Sangam claimed that they got to know about the decision only when it was reported in the media.

While interacting with journalists on Monday evening, right after the statement was released by TFPC, actor Karthi and a few other representatives of the Nadigar Sangam had said it was not fair on the part of the producers council to drop Dhanushs name out of the blue when they havent told the Nadigar Sangam about it earlier.

When contacted, Poochi S Murugan, one of the vice-presidents of SIAA told PTI on Tuesday: "We condemn the arbitrary decision by the producers council to stop shooting from November 1. We will decide on our counter action at the coming general body meeting, which will be held either on August 15 or August 16."

According to a statement released by the Nadigar Sangam in this regard, in a joint meeting held between the two associations on June 21, both of them agreed to certain conditions which the Nadigar Sangam has already adopted. One such condition accepted by both was that complaints should be formally made with proof.

Murugan said the Nadigar Sangam had looked into all the issues brought up by the producers council until June 21 and had sorted them out already.

"Now, without letting us know about it earlier, the producers council had suddenly sprung the name of Dhanush. This is not acceptable behaviour on their part," said Murugan.

According to Radhakrishnan, the producers who have invested so far in films that have not started filming due to lack of commitment from the actors, particularly Dhanush, are facing grave financial consequences. Based on the feedback from their members, he said they decided that the actors and technicians can be signed for new films only after they complete the existing projects.

The statement issued by the producers council on July 29, also mentioned that the council has come up with new guidelines to prevent films from not being released due to unavailability of screens.

"So, we are asking everyone to stop signing new films temporarily from August 16. The shootings can restart once the new guidelines are in place," said Radhakrishnan.

As for the complete ban called on shootings from November 1, which Karthi said was an "illegal" decision that would affect thousands of people involved in filmmaking, Radhakrishnan claimed that they had come to that decision out of necessity.

"The fee for the actors and technicians and other related expenses have become impossibly high in the recent past. We need to regulate this and bring some kind of ceiling. To this end, we want to stop shooting from November 1, until the producers find a solution to their pressing problem," he said.

According to the TFPC press statement, the producers body has also decided that films featuring big stars should be made avialable on OTT platforms after they are screened in the theatres for eight weeks. It also proposed a joint action committee comprising representatives from all stakeholders, including distributors and theatre owners.

But Tamil Nadu Theatre and Multiplex Owners Association president Tirupur Subramaniam said theatre owners have decided not to get caught between the two warring bodies. "I think they have to sort it out among themselves," he added.
Rome, Jul 30 (AP) A pair of Syrians have created a community that provides support to migrants and vulnerable people in Rome, by sharing the flavours of a homeland torn by civil war.

Founded in 2018 as a humanitarian catering service", HummusTown was originally aimed at raising funds for families and friends in Syria.

It has since grown into a successful small business that has shifted from sending remittances to helping new migrants integrate in Italy, all the while gaining a steady following on Rome's gastronomic scene.

As the Syrian war continued to rage, Shaza Saker, a long-time UN employee living in Rome, and Joumana Farho, who was working as her cook, wanted to find a way to help people at home. Farho, 48, brought her "divine'' cooking, while Saker, 49, networked.

I told her: Let's start inviting people over for dinner ... and whatever we make out of these dinners we'll just send to Syria," Saker said. My house had become a bit of, you know, a restaurant, a home restaurant. But it was fun. We felt useful.

The non-profit that started with 45,000 euros (USD 48,670) raised through crowdfunding now employs 13 full-time and 10 part-time staff at its kitchen kiosk near Rome's train station and a small bistro, with plans to open a restaurant.

The expanded group now also organizes cooking classes, cultural events and summer aperitifs, as well as catering for events in the Italian capital.

Each month, they donate food to the homeless and last year they raised 40,000 euros for victims of the earthquakes that struck Syria on February 6, 2023 with the loss of thousands of lives.

As more refugees arrived in Rome, the two shifted their focus to providing Syrian asylum-seekers with work and a support network, eventually expanding their mission to all vulnerable people, including Italians.

They include Mayyada al-Amrani, a Palestinian woman who fled Gaza with her eldest daughter, who is getting treatment for cancer. She spends her days rolling traditional spiced rice into grape leaves, working alongside four other cooks of Syrian and Palestinian origin. While she is able to earn money to help support herself and her daughter in Italy, she worries about her five other children back in Gaza, the youngest not yet 9 months old.

They are surviving,'' she said. They struggle and suffer mostly from (lack of) water."

Fadi Salem, now HummusTown's manager, is a Syrian refugee from Damascus who arrived in Rome in 2022 after living in Lebanon for seven years. Salem discovered the humanitarian catering service through Rome's Syrian community and said it gradually became a family for him.

I found integration through HummusTown instead of finding it through the migration centres," he said. "Because from my position here I speak with many Italian and foreign clients, so I practice my Italian, English and Arabic every day, he noted. (AP) PY

PY
London, Jul 30 (PTI) Anjem Choudary, a radical Islamist preacher with dual British and Pakistani nationality, was on Tuesday jailed for life with a minimum term of 28 years behind bars by a UK court for directing a terrorist organisation.

Choudary, 57, had been found guilty at Woolwich Crown Court of directing Al-Muhajiroun (ALM) and encouraging support for the proscribed organisation through online meetings.

Sentencing him at the same court to a prison term means he would be in his 80s by the time he can seek parole.

Justice Mark Wall told Choudary his behaviour was of the highest culpability.

"Organisations such as yours normalise violence in pursuit of an ideological cause. They drive wedges between people who would otherwise live together in peaceful co-existence, said Judge Wall.

During a six-week trial which concluded last week, the jury heard how Choudary helped found ALM in 1996 and spent nearly 30 years running its operations under dozens of different names.

ALM was first proscribed, or banned, by the UK in 2006 under the name Al Ghurabaa. In 2010, ALM was included in the ban as an alternate name.

The Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) said Choudary was still acting as its leader as late as July 2023, when he was arrested, making online speeches to a US-based offshoot called Islamic Thinkers Society (ITS). That group was infiltrated by undercover law enforcement officers in the US, who were present at online lectures in 2022 and 2023. The court heard that Choudary said he viewed being called an extremist as a "medallion" during lectures.

Choudary was released early from a five-year sentence for inviting support for the Islamic State (ISIS) terror group in October 2018 under licence conditions that prevented him from using the internet until July 2021. But within days of the conditions expiring, he began issuing press releases on WhatsApp and Telegram from his home in Ilford, his trial heard.

Following a joint investigation by the Metropolitan Police, the New York Police Department, and the Royal Canadian Mounted Police, he was arrested and charged with terrorism offences.

It coincided with the arrest of Khaleed Hussein, 29, of Edmonton, Canada, who was detained while arriving at Londons Heathrow Airport in July last year. He was also found guilty of membership of a proscribed organisation and jailed on Tuesday for five years, with an additional year on a supervision licence after his release.

It is clear that both men were members of Al-Muhajiroun and both men had a radical mindset. Anjem Choudary was responsible for directing an international terrorist organisation and Hussain provided him support, said Bethan David, Head of the CPS Counter Terrorism Division.

This organisation has been banned in the UK since 2010 because of the danger it poses. Such extremist views are a threat to our society, and I am pleased the jury found him guilty of his crimes, she said.

Police in Britain, the US and Canada ran the investigations as they became concerned that Choudary was seeking to recruit a new generation of younger followers.

"For over 30 years Anjem Choudary has been a pretty constant presence in counter-terrorism. His influence as a radicaliser is well known but the reality of that impact around the world is that there are individuals who have conducted terrorist attacks or travelled for terrorist purposes as a result of Anjem Choudary's radicalising effect on them," said Commander Dominic Murphy, head of the Met Polices Counter-Terrorism Command.
Islamabad, Jul 30 (PTI) In an apparent move to checkmate jailed former prime minister Imran Khan's Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf party, the ruling coalition on Tuesday moved a bill in the parliament to restrict the independently elected lawmakers from joining other parties after a specified period.

The Second Amendment Bill to the Elections Act 2024 was introduced in the National Assembly by Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) member Bilal Kayani.

The proposed amendment aims to alter Sections 66 and 104 of the Elections Act 2017, restricting independent candidates from joining political parties after a constitutionally and legally defined period.

It also states that parties failing to submit a list of reserved seats within the specified period will not be eligible for those seats.

It further stipulates that candidates who do not submit an affidavit of party affiliation to the returning officer will be considered independent and their declaration of party affiliation after elections will not be recognised.

The amendment to the Elections Act 2017 will be enforced retroactively, clearly showing that the aim was to target the 41 independent lawmakers who could join Khan's party after the Supreme Court verdict of July 12, which recognised that the PTI was a party and independents can join it.

The court also declared that 39 members who had shown affiliation with the PTI while filing nomination for elections were its members, while another 41 lawmakers who were elected with the support of PTI may join the party after filing an affidavit.

The Election Commission of Pakistan already issued notification recognizing 39 lawmakers as members of the PTI, while the fate of 41 others is still pending.

After the verdict, the PTI was expected to become the largest party in the parliament, while the ruling coalition was deprived of two-third majority as the PTI also got a share in the reserved seats.

The new law, if enacted, would stop the 41 independent candidates from joining the PTI as they already joined the Sunni Ittehad Council (SIC) after the election.

The PTI after elections had asked its supported independents to join the SIC to get a share in the reserved seats which are allotted to the party on the basis of strength in the parliament.

However, the SIC bid to get reserved seats failed and its petition in the top court led to the decision that independents can join the PTI.

The proposed amendment also forbade allotting reserved seats to a party which had not submitted the list of candidates for these seats before elections. The judgment had opened doors for the PTI to apply for reserved seats even without submitting the list before the poll.

After the bill was submitted, its mover asked the speaker to send it to the standing committee for discussion, which Speaker Ayaz Sadiq subsequently did. He also asked the committee chairman to convene a meeting the following day.
Thane, Jul 30 (PTI) Two days after the body of a 20-year-old woman was found near Uran railway station in Navi Mumbai, police have arrested a man from Karnataka for allegedly killing her, a senior official said.

The accused, Dawood Sheikh, was held from Shahapur area of Gulbarga in Karnataka, a Deputy Commissioner of Police said.

The woman's body was found around 2 am on Saturday and the murder might have taken place on Friday afternoon. According to police, the victim, who worked in Belapur, had taken a half-day leave on Friday.

A case under section 103 of Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS) was registered against an unidentified person and three teams were formed to trace the accused. The crime branch also probed the case independently, the police earlier said.

Further details are awaited.
Indore, Jul 30 (PTI) A waste-to-energy plant will be set up at a cost of about Rs 200 crore to generate electricity from garbage in the cleanest city of the country, Indore Mayor Pushyamitra Bhargav said on Tuesday.

A provision to this effect was made in the Indore Municipal Corporation (IMC) budget for the financial year 2024-25, presented by the mayor.

"As a priority to convert waste into energy, we plan to set up a new plant at a cost of about Rs 200 crore. This plant will be an important step towards environmental protection," Bhargav said.

The proposed plant will not only dispose of 500 tonnes of waste daily, but it will also generate six megawatts of electricity, he said.

The mayor on Tuesday presented the IMC budget with an estimated expenditure of Rs 8,232.26 crore in the current financial year against the earnings of Rs 8,302.26 crore from different sources.

To tackle air and noise pollution, 19 traffic signals have been identified in Indore where drivers will be requested to keep their vehicles' engines off till the red light turns green, Bhargav stated in his budget speech.

A provision for providing free Wi-Fi connectivity at 150 major crossings has also been made in the budget.

Councillors of the opposition Congress attended the budget session wearing black clothes and created a ruckus by waving placards against the alleged corruption in the municipal corporation. After the furore, chairman Munnalal Yadav expelled them from the House for the day.

Speaking to reporters, IMC Leader of Opposition Chintu Chouksey said, "Big scams have come to light in the construction of drainage lines, roads and community buildings in the municipal corporation, but no action has been taken against the real culprits so far."

He said the Congress councillor group would stage a hunger strike if the proposed hike in local taxes in the budget is not withdrawn.
Kabirdham (Chhattisgarh), Jul 30 (PTI) Two Naxalites, carrying a combined bounty of Rs 25 lakh on their heads in three different states, surrendered before security forces in Chhattisgarh's Kabirdham district on Tuesday, police said.

Laxman Madkam alias Dinesh and Bhima alias Ashok alias Anil turned themselves in, citing disappointment with atrocities committed by senior Naxalites and "inhuman" and "hollow" Maoist ideology, an official said.

Madkam was a member of the Vistaar Platoon No. 2/Bhoramdev Area Committee of the outlawed CPI (Maoist) outfit, he added.

He carried a cumulative bounty of Rs 10 lakh in Chhattisgarh, Madhya Pradesh and Maharashtra, the official said.

Madkam was involved in seven incidents of Maoist violence in Kabirdham and four such acts in Khairagarh-Chhuikhadan-Gandai districts of Chhattisgarh, he added.

The second surrendered Naxalite, Bhima, was active as a member of battalion No. 1 of the banned Maoist organization, the official informed.

He carried a collective reward of Rs 15 lakh in Chhattisgarh, Madhya Pradesh and Maharashtra, the official added.

Bhima was involved in digging roads, felling trees to block pathways and putting up Maoists posters and banners, he said.

The surrendered Naxalites were provided an immediate assistance of Rs 25,000 each and will be rehabilitated as per the state government's policy, the official added.
Itanagar, Jul 30 (PTI) Arunachal Pradesh Agriculture Minister Gabriel Denwang Wangshu on Tuesday said that a state horticulture policy is being drafted and is expected to be ready by September this year.

Wangshu, who also holds the Horticulture, Diary Development and Fisheries portfolios, said that the horticulture policy was among the 24 major initiatives announced by the Pema Khandu government after returning to power in the state this year.

"The target for framing the state horticulture policy is September this year and drafting of the policy is under process," the minister told reporters here.

"One of the objectives of the policy is to provide a roadmap for the state's self-reliance in producing disease-free and high-quality planting materials (QPM) through certified nurseries and plant tissue culture," he said.

The comprehensive policy will guide the government's decisions, plans and programmes for achieving the desired output and outcome, Wangsu added.

The minister said that the horticulture department is also preparing an action plan for providing incentives to large cardamom farmers for increasing production.

He said Arunachal Pradesh is soon expected to become the top producer of large cardamom in the country, replacing Sikkim from the position.

Three large cardamom nurseries are being developed at Khonsa in Tirap district, Metengliang in Anjaw and Mariyang in Siang district with technical and financial support from Kozhikode-based Directorate of Arecanut and Spice Development (DASD) and the Union Agriculture and Farmers' Welfare Ministry.

He said the government has taken steps to address the issue of quality planting materials in the state.

"The department has established the Kiwi Research & Development Centre (KRDC) at Ziro in Lower Subansiri district and Orange Research & Development Centre (ORDC) at Balek in Lower Dibang Valley district under the State Horticulture Research and Development Institute (SHRDI)," he said.

A plant tissue culture laboratory at the state horticulture farm at Shergaon in West Kameng district is at an advanced stage of completion. The facility will enable bulk production of disease-free quality planting materials within a short period, the minister said.

A post entry quarantine (PEQ) facility for horticulture plants has been established under the Indian Council of Agriculture Research (ICAR), Central Institute of Temperate Horticulture (CITH) regional station at Dirang in West Kameng district, Wangsu said.

This facility will be useful for regulating the phytosanitary standards of temperate plants imported into the state by ensuring pest and disease-free planting materials, he added.
Jaipur, Jul 30 (PTI) A special court in Ajmer on Tuesday acquitted all 14 policemen, including an IPS officer, in a 2013 case of monthly extortion.

The Anti-Corruption Bureau had in January 2013 arrested the then Ajmer Superintendent of Police Rajesh Meena, along with alleged middleman Ramdev Thathera, for allegedly extorting money from the Station House Officer under his jurisdiction.

Besides the two, the ACB had also arrested the then additional SP, Lokesh Sonwal, inspectors Khan Mohammad, Sanjay Sharma, Hanuman Singh, Kishal Ram, Pramod Swami, Gopal Lal, Banshi Lal, Jaipal, Ravindra Yadav, and Ashok Vishnoi, who all were the SHOs of different police stations, and Hemant Jain, a civilian.

"The ACB had made a fake case. The charge sheet was presented against the police officers but legal evidence could not be produced. Therefore, the court has acquitted all 14 accused today," Umardan Singh, the counsel for four of the accused, said.

The special TADA court in Ajmer, which hears the ACB cases, pronounced the judgment.

Singh said the ACB raided the residence of then SP Rajesh Meena based on source information. However, the prosecution could not give the source information in writing.

Transcripts of phone calls did not come as legal evidence and no such evidence was produced, which could establish that there was any kind of financial transaction.

The ACB had after arresting Meena alleged that he used to take monthly 'bandhi' or extortion money from SHOs through a civilian named Ramdev.

The ACB had also allegedly recovered more than Rs 2 lakh from the possession of Ramdev who was sitting with Rajesh Meena at the latter's residence in Ajmer at the time of the raid.

In the court, Ramdev in his defence said he was carrying the cash for a temple's construction.

Rajesh Meena is currently posted as IG-Security at the Police Headquarters in Jaipur.
Thiruvananthapuram, Jul 30 (PTI) The devastating landslides in Kerala's Wayanad on Tuesday, which killed at least 123 people and injured 128, trails several other such catastrophic incidents in the past decade.



In July alone, severe landslides resulting in many deaths struck Karnataka and some of the northeastern states, namely Assam, Meghalaya, Arunachal Pradesh and Nagaland, although they did not cause extensive destruction like in Wayanad.



The incident in Wayanad comes nearly two weeks after a massive landslide on National Highway 66 in Shirur village of Uttara Kannada district in Karnataka claimed the lives of eight people.



Following the landslide on July 16, three persons are still reported to be missing, including a lorry driver from Kerala.



When it comes to major landslides in the past 10 years, Uttarakhand has been the most devastated. More than 5,000 people were feared killed in the valley of Kedarnath, the temple town of Uttarakhand, following rain fury in 2013.



In 2014, in Malin village of Maharashtra in a landslide caused by incessant rainfall, more than 150 people were killed and a number of houses were destroyed.



In 2021, 31 missing people were declared dead in Taliye village in Maharashtra's Raigad district which was ravaged by a massive landslide in July due to heavy rains.



The Manipur landslide that occurred in 2022 killed over 40 people and injured scores of people following heavy rains that also impacted the state capital of Imphal.



Kerala too is no stranger to severe weather events that caused destruction to lives and properties. The state lost 483 people in the August 2018 floods, which was termed as the state's 'flood of the century'.



The calamity not only led to loss of lives but also destroyed property and livelihoods. Its impact was such that the Centre declared the 2018 floods a "calamity of severe nature".





Over 14.50 lakh people belonging to 3.91 lakh families were rehabilitated in relief camps. A total of 57,000 hectare of agricultural crops was destroyed, and Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan pointed out that the approximate estimate of the loss was higher than the annual budget outlay of the state.



Visuals of Indian Air Force helicopters in 2018 airlifting pregnant women are still fresh in the minds of Keralites, who expressed their gratitude to the Indian Army, Coast Guard, Navy, and other agencies that worked tirelessly to rescue the flood-affected victims.





The 2018 floods also raised questions about the need for environment-friendly construction while rebuilding flood-ravaged Kerala.





According to the Kerala government, one-sixth of the state's total population was directly affected by the deluge and related incidents.





As the state was getting back on its feet, slowly rebuilding itself after the devastating floods of 2018, another disaster struck in 2019 when a landslide at Puthumala in Wayanad, around 10 km from the presently affected areas, killed 17 people. Again in October 2021, incessant rainfall led to landslides, killing 35 people in Idukki and Kottayam districts of the state.





According to data shared by the India Meteorological Department, heavy rainfall and flood-related incidents in 2021 claimed the lives of 53 people in Kerala.





Exactly a year later, in August 2022, landslides and flash floods in the state triggered by heavy rains killed 18 people, damaging hundreds of properties and displacing thousands of persons to relief camps, according to the state government.





Over 5,000 people were relocated from disaster-hit and disaster-prone areas of the state to 178 relief camps in the 2022 rain-related incidents.





Kerala has recorded the highest number of landslides, with 2,239 out of 3,782 landslides in the country occurring there between 2015 and 2022, according to the Ministry of Earth Sciences.
Hyderabad, Jul 30 (PTI) A 34-year-old woman was injured in her leg after a bullet hit her in Gandipet near here on Tuesday, police said.

She suspected that the bullet might have been fired from a firing range which is near to her house, police said.

The woman in her complaint lodged with police stated that at about 11.30 am while she was washing clothes in her house, a bullet hit her left leg, resulting in bleeding.

The woman's family members told the media that they informed the police about the incident and a police team reached their house and inquired into the matter. The woman was taken to a hospital following the incident and later discharged, they said.

Based on the complaint, a case was registered at Narsingi Police station.
Bring education freedom to millions of students across America who desperately need it! That was the message of a letter signed by Rabbi Chaim Dovid Zwiebel of Agudath Israel of America and more than fifty current and former elected officials and prominent school choice supporters. The signatories included nine sitting governors and three former secretaries of education among many others.

The letter to Congressional leaders highlighted the support for universal school choice expressed at the recent Republican National Convention. While the letter didnt specify any bill, it endorsed using a scholarship tax credit program as the vehicle to bring school choice to all 50 states. One likely vehicle is the Agudah-endorsed Educational Choice for Children Act. Agudah has long supported and helped implement school choice programs across the country including more than a dozen states that have adopted, or are poised to adopt universal school choice.

While the focus of the letter was the party platform at the recent Republican National Convention, said Rabbi A.D. Motzen, Agudahs national director of government affairs, our hope is that education freedom is an issue that lawmakers from both sides of the aisle can embrace as a common sense policy that benefits all children.
The Kremlin is turning to unwitting Americans and commercial public relations firms in Russia to spread disinformation about the U.S. presidential race, top intelligence officials said Monday, detailing the latest efforts by Americas adversaries to shape public opinion ahead of the 2024 election.

The warning comes after a tumultuous few weeks in U.S. politics that have forced Russia, Iran and China to revise some of the details of their propaganda playbook. What hasnt changed, intelligence officials said, is the determination of these nations to seed the internet with false and incendiary claims about American democracy to undermine faith in the election.

The American public should know that content that they read online  especially on social media  could be foreign propaganda, even if it appears to be coming from fellow Americans or originating in the United States, said an official from the Office of the Director of National Intelligence who briefed reporters on condition of anonymity under rules set by the office of the director.

Russia continues to pose the greatest threat when it comes to election disinformation, authorities said, while there are indications that Iran is expanding its efforts and China is proceeding cautiously when it comes to 2024.

Groups linked to the Kremlin are increasingly hiring marketing and communications firms located within Russia to outsource some of the work of creating digital propaganda while also covering their tracks, the officials said during the briefing with reporters.

Two such firms were the subject of new U.S. sanctions announced in March. Authorities say the two Russian companies created fake websites and social media profiles to spread Kremlin disinformation.

The disinformation can focus on the candidates or voting, or on issues that are already the subject of debates in the U.S., such as immigration, crime or the war in Gaza.

The ultimate goal, however, is to get Americans to spread Russian disinformation without questioning its origin. People are far more likely to trust and repost information that they believe is coming from a domestic source, officials said. Fake websites designed to mimic U.S. news outlets and AI-generated social media profiles are just two methods.

In some cases, Americans and American tech companies and media outlets have willingly amplified and parroted the messages of the Kremlin.

Foreign influence actors are getting better at hiding their hand, and getting Americans to do it, said the official, who spoke alongside officials from the FBI and the Department of Homeland Security.

Sen. Mark Warner, the chairman of the Senate Intelligence Committee, said last month that he worries the U.S. may be more vulnerable to foreign disinformation this year than it was before the 2020 election. On Monday he said the warning from intelligence officials shows the U.S. election is in the bullseye of bad actors across the globe.

It also, disturbingly, emphasizes the extent to which foreign actors  and particularly Russia  rely on both unwitting and witting Americans to promote foreign-aligned narratives in the United States, Warner, a Virginia Democrat, said in a statement.

In one measure of the threat, officials tracking foreign disinformation say they have issued twice the number of warnings to political candidates, government leaders, election offices and others targeted by foreign groups so far in the 2024 election cycle as they did in the 2022 cycle.

Officials wont disclose how many warnings were issued, or who received them, but said the significant uptick reflects heightened interest in the presidential race by Americas adversaries as well as improved efforts by the government to identify and warn of such threats.

The warnings are given so the targets can take steps to protect themselves and set the record straight if necessary.

Russia and other countries are also quickly pivoting to exploit some of the recent developments in the presidential race, including the attempted assassination of former President Donald Trump as well as President Joe Bidens decision to drop out of the race in favor of Vice President Kamala Harris.

Following the attack on Trump, for instance, Russian disinformation agencies quickly amplified claims that Democratic rhetoric led to the shooting, or even baseless conspiracy theories suggesting that Biden or the Ukrainian government orchestrated the attempt.

These pro-Russian voices sought to tie the assassination attempt with Russias continuing war against Ukraine, concluded the Atlantic Councils Digital Forensic Research Lab, which tracks Russian disinformation.

Intelligence officials have in the past determined that Russian propaganda appeared designed to support Trump, and officials said Monday they have not changed that assessment.

Eroding support for Ukraine remains a top objective of Russian disinformation, and Trump has praised Russian President Vladimir Putin in the past and is seen as less supportive of NATO.

While China mounted a sprawling disinformation campaign before Taiwans recent election, the nation has shown much more caution when it comes to the U.S. Beijing may use disinformation to target congressional races or other down-ballot contests in which a candidate has voiced strong opinions on China. But China isnt expected to try to influence the presidential race, the officials said Monday.

Xie Feng, the Chinese ambassador to the U.S., said Monday that his government has no intention to interfere with U.S. politics.

Iran, however, has taken a more aggressive posture. Director of National Intelligence Avril Haines said earlier this month that the Iranian government has covertly supported American protests over Israels war against Hamas in Gaza. Groups linked to Iran have posed as online activists, encouraged protests and have provided financial support to some protest groups, Haines said.

Iran opposes candidates likely to increase tension with Tehran, officials said. That description fits Trump, whose administration ended a nuclear deal with Iran, reimposed sanctions and ordered the killing of a top Iranian general.

(AP)
Former President Donald Trump is planning to attend the National Association of Black Journalists annual convention in Chicago on Wednesday.

In a statement released Monday night, the Trump campaign said the Republican presidential nominee would participate in a question and answer session that will concentrate on the most pressing issues facing the Black community.

Trumps campaign has spent months scheduling appearances in areas outside his traditional strongholds of support, including when he attended  and was roundly booed at  the Libertarian Party convention in Washington earlier this year.

In its announcement, the campaign trumpeted Trump policies that it argued benefited Black Americans during his first term.

President Joe Biden has seen his favorability rate among Black voters fall dramatically since he took office in 2021. But the race against Trump has been shaken up since the president stepped aside and endorsed Vice President Kamala Harris  who would be the first Black woman and the first South Asian American to be elected president if she wins in November.

(AP)
A federal judge has ordered the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA) to create a plan to safeguard Jewish students on campus, following pro-Palestinian protests in which Jews were attacked, threatened, and blatantly discriminated against.

Three Jewish students filed a lawsuit in June, claiming they faced a hostile environment amid demonstrations against the Israel-Hamas war. One plaintiff, Yitzchok Frankel, a UCLA law student, stated that he declined an invitation to host a student event due to safety concerns.

Under ordinary circumstances, I would have leapt at the chance to participate in this event, Frankel said. My Jewish identity and religion are integral to who I am, and I believe it is important to mentor incoming students and encourage them to be proud of their Judaism, too.

UCLA spokesperson Mary Osako said the university is committed to maintaining a safe and inclusive campus, holding accountable those who engaged in violence, and combating antisemitism in all forms.

The judge has ordered UCLA to submit a proposed plan by next month to address the concerns and ensure a welcoming environment for all students, including Jews.

(YWN World Headquarters  NYC)
A study by the Council on Criminal Justice (CCJ) has found that New York Citys homicide rate remains 20% higher than in 2019, despite a national decline in homicides to below pre-pandemic levels. While the citys homicide rate has decreased by 20% compared to the same time in 2023, it has consistently failed to return to pre-pandemic levels over the last three years.

The study reveals that homicides in NYC spiked during the 2020 summer of unrest, rising by 33% from 2019, and then increased by 90% by the summers end. Although the rate has dropped year over year since then, it remains elevated at 1.8 per 100,000, resulting in approximately 25 more homicides compared to pre-pandemic levels.

In contrast, the national homicide rate has decreased by 2% compared to the first half of 2019, driven by significant drops in cities like St. Louis, Detroit, Philadelphia, and Baltimore.

Meanwhile, overall crime in NYC is declining, with a 2.2% decrease year to date in 2024, and gun violence is down by 11.5%, resulting in 50 fewer shooting victims.

(YWN World Headquarters  NYC)
The Knesset has voted to increase tax benefits for new citizens purchasing their first homes in Israel, amid a surge in immigration due to rising global antisemitism. The new regulations, effective immediately, grant full exemption from purchase tax on first homes up to 1.98 million shekels ($530,000) for those moving to Israel under the Law of Return.

The expanded benefits aim to encourage immigration and support new citizens in settling down in Israel.

Since the Hamas terrorist attacks on October 7, over 22,000 people have immigrated to Israel, with a particularly significant increase in interest from France.

(YWN World Headquarters  NYC)
The Biden administration is leading a diplomatic pressure campaign to dissuade Israel from attacking Lebanons capital Beirut or major civil infrastructure in response to Hezbollahs rocket attack on Majdal Shams, Reuters reported on Monday.

According to the report, the US is racing to avoid a full-blown war by moderating Israels response.

Lebanons deputy parliament speaker Elias Bou Saab said that Israel could prevent a major escalation by sparing Beirut and its southern suburbs, Dahiya.

If they avoid civilians and they avoid Beirut and its suburbs, then their attack could be well calculated, he told Reuters.

However, according to the report, Israel did not agree to comply with the US request.

The U.S. State Department said it is seeking a durable solution to the escalation but refused to comment on the content of diplomatic conversations.

White House spokesperson John Kirby told reporters that Israel had every right to respond to the Golan strike, but that nobody wanted a broader war. As for conversations over the weekend, you bet weve had them and we had them at multiple levels, he added. But Im not going to detail the guts of those conversations.

Meanwhile, Hezbollah has reportedly transferred some of its smart precision-guided missiles to use if needed in case of war. Thousands of people in Lebanon are attempting to flee the country while numerous airlines are suspending their flights to Beirut.

(YWN Israel Desk  Jerusalem)
The IDF soldiers who were arrested on Monday for allegedly abusing a terrorist held at the Sde Teiman detention camp were held overnight and are being brought for a hearing on Tuesday afternoon, where military police will ask for an extension of their arrest.

The soldiers arrest led to widespread anger and an unprecedented revolt  with protesters, including ministers and MKs, storming the Sdei Teiman facility and later the Beis Lid military police base, where the soldiers were interrogated and held.

Finance Minister Betzalel Smotrich revealed shocking details about the behavior of the Military Prosecution in the case. They proactively called Hamas terrorists in Gaza  terrorists who were held in Sde Teiman and were released to Gaza  and asked them if they had any testimony against IDF soldiers who guarded them there, Smotrich revealed on Channel 14 News on Monday evening.

This is unacceptable, Smotrich continued. Its one thing if theres a complaint, then it should be investigated. But to send investigators to proactively call Hamas terrorists in Gaza and ask for evidence against IDF soldiers. Im saying this based on reliable information from people in the military system who were shocked by the instructions they received to carry out against IDF soldiers.

Smotrichs words were confirmed on Tuesday morning during a meeting of the Knessets Foreign Affairs and Defense Committee. The top prosecutor at the military prosecutors office admitted that calls were made to terrorists in Gaza to find out about the treatment they received from IDF in Sde Teiman.

This means that 10 IDF soldiers were arrested, interrogated, and held overnight based on terrorists testimony!

Meanwhile, over nine months after the October 7 massacre, the Military Prosecution has not completed even one indictment against the Nukbah terrorists but they somehow have time to investigate IDF soldiers.

Otzma Yehudit MK Limor Son Har-Melech, who participated in the Foreign Affairs and Defense meeting, told Arutz Sheva: We are dealing with a Military Advocate General whose worldviews are sick and distorted. We dont begin to understand the depth and breadth of the consequences of yesterdays events in relation to our soldiers, in relation to the message that goes out to the world, and in relation to those who are holding our hostages.

It should be noted that Military Advocate General Yifat Tomer-Yerushalmi was summoned to the Knesset meeting on the issue but did not show up.

Journalist Akiva Bigman wrote about Tomer-Yerushalmi: Since entering office, Yifat Tomer-Yerushalmi has not missed an opportunity to lead the politicization, polarization, and radicalization of the military prosecution system. Under her leadership, the military prosecutors office became a branch of The Hague, a hostile body trying to introduce foreign interests into the IDF and harm its fighting spirit.

MK Almog Cohen responded: I am astonished that phone calls were made to terrorists inside Gaza while our holy soldiers are fighting the most justified war in history. This is a moral bankruptcy of the army commanders, led by the Military Prosecution, who are seeking victims from our children who were sent to battle.

(YWN Israel Desk  Jerusalem)
The chief of staff of the IDFs Personnel Directorate Brig. Gen. Yoram Knafo admitted that the raid of the Sde Teiman base by masked military police officers was a mistake.

Unbelievably enough, IDF prosecutors called Hamas terrorists who were held at Sde Teiman and later released to Gaza and asked them if they had any testimony against IDF soldiers regarding their stay at Sde Teiman. The soldiers were then arrested based on these terrorists testimony, leading to a revolt by protesters who stormed two IDF bases.

Speaking at a meeting of the Foreign Affairs and Defense Committee on Tuesday, Knafo said that lessons were learned and such incidents will not happen again.

MK Yuli Edelstein, the head of the Foreign Affairs Committee, asked Knafo: Before the arrests, was there any discussion with the IDF Spokespersons Office and the military censor on the significance of the arrests? The prosecutor replied in the negative.

Edelstein then asked: There was no discussion about the consequences of such arrests from an international point of view, Israeli society, hasbarah [public relations], and morale in the IDF?

The prosecutor responded: We didnt consider it. We only discussed hiding the face of the police investigators so that they wouldnt take revenge on them.

Edelstein summed up the discussion: Unfortunately, the Military Advocate General chose or was instructed not to come to the meeting. I am announcing right now that we will hold another discussion in which she will be required to appear before the committee and provide adequate answers regarding the policies of the investigation. I am happy that the head of the Personnel Directorate quickly concluded that the armys conduct on this issue was incorrect and similar cases will not happen again.

Journalist Akiva Bigman wrote about Military Advocate General Yafit Tomer-Yerushalmi: Since entering office, Tomer-Yerushalmi has not missed an opportunity to lead the politicization, polarization, and radicalization of the military prosecution system. Under her leadership, the military prosecutors office became a branch of The Hague, a hostile body trying to introduce foreign interests into the IDF and harm its fighting spirit.

(YWN Israel Desk  Jerusalem)
An Israeli civilian in his 30s was critically injured on Tuesday afternoon when a rocket fired by Hezbollah scored a direct hit on the HaGoshrim kibbutz in northern Israel. His death was pronounced shortly later.

Hezbollah fired a heavy rocket barrage of dozens of rockets into the area, one of which hit the victimss yard. MDA paramedics rushed to the scene and carried out resuscitation techniques but could not revive him.

The police issued a statement stating the police are currently at several rocket impact sites in the Galil. A preliminary report indicates that a man in his 30s was injured at one of the crash sites and is in critical condition. Police officers and bomb sappers are now isolating the impact sites and searching for additional remains in order to remove further risk to the public.

(YWN Israel Desk  Jerusalem)
Beirut resident Danny Elias wrote about his fear that the Israeli response to Hezbollahs deadly attack on Majdal Shams will lead to an all-out war in a special column translated [to Hebrew] by Ynet journalist Smadar Perry.

Yesterday, when I arrived with my wife and two daughters at the Rafik al-Hariri airport (the one named after our former prime minister, who was assassinated by Syria and Hezbollah), we were surprised to learn that our flight was canceled. Not only our flight, which we had planned for many months but dozens of other flights as well.

My son, the youngest of my three children, asks me why the flight is delayed  and I searched for the words to explain. We planned a vacation, and we have to go back home, and there arent even taxis. The Lebanese love to escape so much. The fear is that Israel will bomb Lebanons only international airport. My wife tells me that we are in good shape compared to those who flew yesterday and the day before. They boarded the flights  but no one can guarantee when they will return.

This situation of not a war was imposed on my friends and me. We do not belong to Hezbollah, are not involved in wars against Israel, lead a routine life in Beirut. The truth is that since October 8, when the first missile flew from southern Lebanon, we fear getting involved in a military campaign that we have nothing to do with. This is a dangerous adventure that will harm the precarious economic situation in Lebanon. How will we survive it? And I ask myself, why did Hezbollah suddenly decide to volunteer for the war in Gaza? Explain to us, to the citizens of Lebanon, what they want?

Some think that what is happening in southern Lebanon is just talk  as the real war continues in Gaza. But some see a darker future. Those who think that the war will reach Beirut and are angry at the decision of one side  Hezbollah  to declare a war (not a war) that civilian Lebanon has no interest in entering. The unifying line between all Lebanese, of all ethnicities, is that they lead their daily lives without planning  because what would be the use of planning? Plan, build, and in one moment everything will be destroyed.

We Lebanese hear from our relatives about what is happening in the villages of southern Lebanon. They tell of a terrible destruction the likes of which they havent seen in previous wars. Most of them run away  or ran away  to the villages in the Tyre area, and some go as far as Beirut if there is a family that will take them in. They tell about the noise of the Israeli planes that reaches as far as Beirut, a noise that Ive also heard.

The residents of southern Lebanon convince themselves that Hezbollah will compensate for the damage caused to their property  the destruction of houses, the herds that escaped or were killed, and the destroyed fields. But among themselves, as I witnessed, they curse Hezbollah who dragged them into war and drove them out of their villages.

There are Lebanese who believe that eventually well get out of the Iranian mud, that the political climate will change. They think that Lebanon will emerge from the war differently  I dont believe that.

(YWN Israel Desk  Jerusalem)
The IDF has announced that in a targeted, intelligence-based operation, Israeli Air Force fighter jets eliminated the Hezbollah terrorist organizations most senior military commander and the head of its Strategic Unit, Fuad Shukr Sayyid Muhsan, in the area of Beirut. Fuad served as Hezbollah Secretary-General Hassan Nasrallahs right-hand man and was Nasrallahs adviser for planning and directing wartime operations.

Fuad Shukr has directed Hezbollahs attacks on the State of Israel since October 8th, and he was the commander responsible for the murder of the 12 children in Majdal Shams in northern Israel on Saturday evening, as well as the killing of numerous Israelis and foreign nationals over the years.

As the Head of Hezbollahs Strategic Unit, Fuad was responsible for the majority of Hezbollahs most advanced weaponry, including precise-guided missiles, cruise missiles, anti-ship missiles, long-range rockets, and UAVs. He was responsible for force build-up, planning, and execution of terror attacks against the State of Israel.

Fuad joined the Hezbollah terrorist organization in 1985 and has since held a number of senior positions. As part of his role, he was a member of the Jihad Council  Hezbollahs most senior military forum.

In the 1990s, Fuad advanced numerous attacks against the IDF and the South Lebanon Army. In 2000, he was directly involved in the abduction of the bodies of three IDF soldiers  SSGT Benyamin Avraham, SSGT Adi Avitan, and SSGT Omar Sawaid -who were killed by Hezbollah terrorists while patrolling the security fence adjacent to Har Dov. Since then, he has planned and directed numerous terror attacks against innocent civilians.

Saudi researcher Ali Muhammad al-Husseini stated, I know him very well. Hajj Mohsen is not number two; he is number one in Hezbollah. He is one of the founders and was more important than Imad Mughniyeh. He even preceded Hassan Nasrallah. He is the first senior member of the Hezbollah Jihad Council and is comparable to Hezbollahs Qassem Soleimani in every respect.

(YWN World Headquarters  NYC)
Amid the kerfuffle surrounding Rachel Reeves spending audit, two reports by the City regulator, designed to boost the competitiveness of London as a financial centre, passed by unremarked.

Under the leadership of Nikhil Rathi, the Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) has moved to end box-ticking, making it easier for would-be investors to access financial markets.

The FCAs efforts reminded me of a recent conversation with the chairman of a venerable City private bank.

He recalled a visit from a well-known Emir from the Gulf who wanted to move up to 1billion of his personal wealth to London.

Cancelled: The NatWest retail sale was an opportunity to boost the Citys reputation for bold, initial public offerings

The banker then took the potentate through a lengthy questionnaire designed to show he was a suitable client.

So irritated was the Emir by the probing into his personal life that he walked out and declared he was off to JP Morgan.

Such episodes show how quickly less-than-determined investors can be put off by City rules.

In spite of vows of simplicity, it took me months and hours of form-filling last year to transfer assets from one platform, Hargreaves Lansdown, to another at Evelyn Partners.

All of this is a way of explaining why the Government is wrong to have hooked the retail sale of NatWest shares.

Now that NatWest is paying dividends again and the share price, up 40 per cent since the start of the year, is back in health, there has been little problem placing government-owned shares with big battalion investors.

The idea of a Tell Sid-style retail sale, with associated advisory and promotional costs, looked less relevant.

Yet at a moment when the Government is seeking to revive equity investment in London, the NatWest retail sale was an opportunity to boost the Citys reputation for bold, initial public offerings (IPOs). NatWest already had spent 24million of shareholder funds preparing.

It may be easier and cheaper to go institutional. Taxpayers, who bailed out predecessor bank Royal Bank of Scotland with 45billion in 2008, deserved the chance to get back in at a substantial discount.

Reeves and the Treasury have missed an opportunity.

They could have boosted a sub-octane IPO market, backed Britains biggest small and medium-sized enterprise High Street bank and rewarded taxpayers after a rocky 16-year wait for a full return to public markets.

Low spirits

What is going on at Diageo? For several years Britains Johnnie Walker-to-Guinness spirits and stout purveyor has been a stand-out performer.

It has invested heavily in Scotch, grown through difficult global circumstances, pioneered new brands and invested in trendy snifters such as Casamigos tequila.

Since Texan Debra Crew was parachuted into the top job after the untimely death of admired predecessor Ivan Menezes, it has all gone to custard. A surprise over-stocking problem (now resolved) emerged in Latin America.

And now sales in North America, where the company earns 40 per cent of its income, are off the boil.

The company has revealed its first drop in sales since 2020. Crew attributes the decline to cost of living pressures.

American spending power was certainly boosted through, and after, the pandemic by the cheques which the US government sent out to everyone with a social security number.

Brands such as Johnnie Walker and Smirnoff Vodka are permanent fixtures in global drinking.

What may be more worrying for Diageo, and the other booze firms, is the trend among younger people away from alcohol. Thats among the reasons why Carlsberg is taking out Britains Britvic.

It is also the case that spirits can be a fashion business. Gin, rum and tequila have all ridden a wave and no one is sure what comes next.

Mad Men

The choice of the restless former chief executive of BT, Philip Jansen, to be next chairman of marketing powerhouse WPP may raise eyebrows.

It is usually the task of the chairman to sack the chief executive so Mark Read, successor to creator Martin Sorrell, might look to his laurels.

At BT, Jansen showed sharp elbows and managed to reverse the process by chasing away chairman Jan du Plessis. Jansens taste for leisure and a background in private equity are worth monitoring.
BP raised its dividend for the first time in a year after beating profit estimates for the second quarter, as higher oil prices helped to offset weak refining margins.

The energy giant reported underlying replacement cost profit, or net profit, of $2.76billion (2.15billion) for the second quarter, beating analyst expectations of $2.6billion.

The result, which compared with a $2.7billion profit in the previous three months and $2.6 billion a year earlier, will ease pressure on boss Murray Auchincloss after BP fell short of expectations in the previous two quarters.

Dividend increase: Oil giant BP raises dividend after beating quarterly profit estimates

Since taking up the role in January, the 53-year-old Canadian has focused on a revamp of BP's operations and pledged to focus on the most profitable ones - mostly in oil and gas.

It marks a departure from the approach of predecessor Bernard Looney, who moved to grow renewables and reduce fossil fuel output.

Weaker refining margins due to lower diesel demand and a higher level of refinery maintenance weighed during the quarter, but were offset by higher oil and gas prices and a lower than expected tax rate.

But BP's oil trading contribution was weak following a strong showing in the previous quarter.

BP on Tuesday also announced it had given a green light to the development of the Kaskida oilfield in the US Gulf of Mexico, a highly complex project in deep geological formations.

The field is expected to start production in 2029 and have a capacity of 80,000 barrels of oil per day.

Mark Crouch, market analyst at eToro, said: 'With the ongoing balancing act between investing in renewable energy methods and maintaining profits and shareholder returns that are predominantly from fossil fuel operations, BP will be driven by what is in the best interests of their shareholders first and foremost.

'And with wind and solar struggling to meet growing global energy demand, while oil and gas demand continues to increase, that looks to be exactly what BP is doing.'

BP said it would increase its dividend for the first time in a year, from 7.27 cents to 8 cents per share.

It also maintained the rate of its share buyback programme at $1.75billion over the next quarter, and committed to announcing $3.5billion for the second half of the year.

Our decision to increase our dividend by 10 per cent, and extend our buyback programme commitment to Q4 2024, reflects the confidence we have in our performance and outlook for cash generation, said chief financial officer Kate Thomson.

We are maintaining a disciplined financial frame and remain committed to growing value and returns for BP.

BP is working to exceed its target to reduce annual costs by $2 billion by the end of 2026.

BP shares rose 2.23 per cent to 463.1p in morning trading, but are down nearly 5 per cent over the past year.

In a trading update earlier this month, BP flagged a number of headwinds, including impairments and weaker refining margins, which would dent second-quarter results by as much as $700million.

The company confirmed it was facing a $1.5billion charge relating to asset impairments, including for the review of one of its German refineries.

Auchincloss said on Tuesday: Our businesses continue to operate safely and efficiently.

'We are driving focus across the business and reducing costs, all while building momentum in our drive to 2025.

BPs net debt stood at $22.6billion at the end of June, down from $23.7billion compared to the same period last year.

The company said it maintains its expectation of slightly higher upstream production compared to a year ago, with growth in oil production and operations helping to offset lower output from gas and lower carbon energy.

Edison Group's Andrew Keen said: 'As BP deals with weak refining margins and lower oil trading results, it seems BPs main focus will remain on improving their upstream production.

'Moving forward, it will be interesting to see how BPs focus, which seems to be moving increasingly towards reducing costs and focusing increasingly on oil and gas investments and away from renewables impacts its long-term performance and perception by the investment and wider community.'
Shares of Britain's biggest wealth manager St James's Place soared by a fifth on Tuesday after the firm unveiled a cost cutting plan worth up to 500million by 2030.

The Gloucestershire-based firm outlined the plans alongside its interim results, which showed forecast beating net inflows of 1.9billion for the period.

SJP told investors it plans to reinvest around half of the total reduction in costs, which it hopes will total 80million a year by 2026 and 100million annually by 2027.

It aims to double profitability on 2023 levels by 2030 to around 392million.

The Gloucestershire-based firm outlined a cost-saving plan alongside its interim results, with the hope of cutting costs by 80million by 2026

In a statement, the SJP said: 'Approximately half of these savings, once realised, will be invested back into the business between 2025 and 2030, supporting strategic initiatives and underpinning long-term growth ambitions.'

St James's Place shares were up 21.87 per cent to 678p in morning trading on Tuesday.

But SJP shares are down 27.66 per cent so far in 2024, leading to a humiliatingly exit from the FTSE 100 in June.

SJP was forced to bow to pressure to offer better deals under consumer duty rules that oblige financial firms to focus on 'fair value' and 'good outcomes' for customers.

It meant that the group's controversial early withdrawal charges on all new products will be scrapped in the second half of 2025.

This led to sell-off of its shares as investors feared the changes posed an existential threat to SJP's business model.

In February, SJP also set aside 426million to cover the likely cost of compensating tens of thousands of clients for annual reviews they never received, sending the shares to fresh record lows.

Nevertheless, on Tuesday SJP reported net inflows of 1.9billion for the six months to June, which beat analysts' forecasts, but down significantly from last year's 3.4billion.

Total managed funds stood at 181.9billion, slightly lower than analysts' estimates.

And the company announced an interim dividend of 6 pence per share and a share buyback of 32.9 million.

Despite the huge share price increase in the wake of the update, analysts at Peel Hunt said SJP 'remains valued well below historic norms'.

The broker maintained SJP's buy rating, with a target price of 750p - around 7.5 per cent ahead of their price at time of publication.

Peel Hunt added: 'These results suggest the business is more resilient than the share price indicates.'
Critics have slammed Labour for binning NatWests share sale.

They argued it was a once in a generation opportunity to encourage the public to buy stock.

It has been branded a missed chance to encourage the public to develop investment habits and to reinvigorate the London market.

This week Chancellor Rachel Reeves confirmed that there will not be a Tell Sid NatWest share to the public as it would cost the taxpayer too much.

She will instead offer the Governments 5.6billion stake to pension funds, insurers and asset managers.

Under fire: Chancellor Rachel Reeves confirmed that there will not be a Tell Sid NatWest share to the public

Former Chancellor Jeremy Hunt said: The public share sale would have widened share ownership and boosted the London stock market  so much for believing in spreading wealth and prosperity.

Former cabinet minister Jacob Rees-Mogg added: This is a reminder that Labour is an anti-capitalist party which does not want to see the spread of wealth or to support Londons capital markets.

A retail share offer would involve having to offer the public discounts worth hundreds of millions of pounds. Reeves said on Monday: It would therefore not represent value for money, and it will not go ahead.

According to estimates published by the Treasury this week, axing the sale would save between 100million and 450million. The lender had been bailed out by the Government during the 2008 financial crisis, the last time Labour was in power.

At its height, the taxpayers stake was 84 per cent. Critics argue that as taxpayers have held up the bank for so long, it is only right they are offered a discounted opportunity to own slices of it.

Mark Northway, from not-for-profit investment group ShareSoc, said he was very disappointed by this missed opportunity.

Shareholders, including individuals, took the pain at the point of the Government rescue. The individual taxpayer has funded the recovery over the past decade and a half.

Here was an opportunity to allow individual investors to participate in the next chapter on par with institutional investors, but the new government has chosen to favour the financial services industry.

And the group believe the sale could have been used by schools to teach lessons around responsible finances.

Danni Hewson, head of financial analysis at broker AJ Bell, said: Whilst protecting the taxpayer is understandable and even laudable, the share sale could have been used as a valuable catalyst to get first-time investors on board.

According to estimates published by the Treasury this week, axing the Natwest sale would save between 100m and 450m

Creating a moment that could have changed the investing landscape for the better would have been exciting.

This month the Governments stake fell below 20 per cent.

The Conservatives planned a sale this summer, with former chancellor Jeremy Hunt priming ad agency M&C Saatchi to launch a Tell Sid advertising campaign  the slogan used to encourage the public to buy shares in British Gas in 1986.

But NatWest last week said it had to spend 24million on a campaign, which never saw the light of day.

In the planned advert, broadcaster Sir Trevor McDonald asked the public in a TV campaign that aimed to boost the beleaguered stock market: Are you in?

A NatWest spokesman said: Any decisions around the sale of government shares are a matter for the Treasury.

We are pleased with the continued reduction of the Governments stake, which has almost halved this year and is now below 20 per cent.

We welcome the Chancellors commitment to returning NatWest Group to full private ownership. This is a shared ambition that we believe is in the best interests of both the bank and all our shareholders.

But Chris Beauchamp, chief market analyst at investment platform IG, said it was inevitable that Labour kiboshed the sale due to Natwests booming share price.

He added that the tide is going back the other way to more public ownerships with the railways, and you could make an argument for other utility companies too. There is a sense things havent worked.
Former BT chief exec and City grandee will succeed Roberto Quarta at WPP

WPP has named Philip Jansen as its chairman as the advertising giant tries to win back shareholder confidence.

The former BT chief executive and City grandee will succeed Roberto Quarta, who has been chairman of the advertising giant since replacing Philip Lader in 2015.

Jansen, 57, will join the board in September and formally take over in January 2025, receiving a salary of 575,000 a year.

But it comes at a testing time for WPP, which has issued a series of profit warnings blaming a downturn in spending in the US and China. WPP revenues sank in the first quarter of this year as technology clients cut ad budgets.

Chief executive Mark Read has said the company, which owns the Ogilvy and Group M agencies, will focus on developing artificial intelligence technology to get the company back on track.

WPP shares are flat so far this year but are down by over a fifth in the past five years. They rose 1.2 per cent yesterday.

Paolo Pescatore, analyst at PP Foresight, said Jansen was a good hire for the advertising group.

Lets not forget he steered BT during a challenging period and led a major transformational program.

This will put WPP in good stead to have a razor-sharp focus on efficiencies and revenue growth, he said.

During his four-and-half year tenure at BT, Jansen had a turbulent time in BTs boardroom.

It was reported that he clashed with former chairman Jan du Plessis, though the company denied this.
A number of people have died in a helicopter crash in Westmeath.

The incident took place this afternoon in Killucan in Joristown when a helicopter struck a building.

Emergency services were informed of the crash at 3.30pm this afternoon, and remain at the scene.

It's understood there have been a number of fatalities, although it is unclear how many as of yet.

Acting Chief Fire Officer with Westmeath Fire and Rescue Service Pat Hunt told Midlands 103 that all available resources are being sent to the scene of the incident.

"We understand that it's an incident involving an aircraft, a helicopter, crashing into a building in the Joristown upper townland in Killucan, Co Westmeath.

"At the moment it's a breaking news story, we have all the principal response agencies mobilising to the scene, that would be An Garda Siochana, the ambulance services and ourselves."

The Air Accident Investigation Unit said in a statement on social media that it has been notified of the incident, which they said involved a "single-engine helicopter".

The AAIU has been notified of an accident involving a single-engine helicopter near Killucan Co. Westmeath this afternoon. The AAIU is deploying a team of inspectors at this time. Further updates will be provided when available.  AAIU IRELAND (@aaiu_ireland) July 30, 2024

The Mayor of Mullingar-Kinnegad Municipal District Ken Glynn told RTE that the incident was "shocking and tragic".

"I'm surprised and shocked, it's not something you would expect to hear in your own locality."

He added that his thoughts and prayers are with the families of those involved in the incident and the first responders.

"It is a difficult scene for emergency services to be attending," Cllr Glynn said.

FlightRadar, which tracks the paths of planes and helicopters, shows that the helicopter took off from Weston Airport at around 2pm today, and then travelled west towards Maynooth. It circled once north of Kinnegad, before disappearing from tracking data north of Kinnegad, close to Raharney, at 3.24pm.

Gardai said in a statement that they are currently at the scene of the incident, which they described as "a live and ongoing operation".

They added that no further information is available at this time.

More to follow...
For the early evening we have a great deal of info to consider by way of police action, political efforts and old-school tech debates that still resonate across the nation.



Check TKC news gathering . . .

Can combining Kansas City police and fire dispatch reduce 911 wait times? The mayor has a new plan Mayor Quinton Lucas has sponsored an ordinance that would combine the KCPD and KCFD communication centers. Neither police nor fire are enthused.

Man sentenced to 14 years in prison after pleading guilty to threatening co-workers with illegal weapon A Kansas City man was sentenced to 14 years and three months in prison after threatening his coworkers with a gun. He was sentenced for possession of an illegal weapon as well as distribution of methamphetamine.

Meth dealer with stash of guns sentenced Monday to 14 years in federal prison A Kansas City, Missouri, man who threatened employees with a gun at a restaurant where he worked was sentenced Monday to just over 14 years in federal prison.

Johnson County jury finds man guilty of rape, sodomy of child under the age of 14 On Monday, the Johnson County District Attorney's office announced a guilty verdict against a man charged with raping a child.

Ex-boyfriend charged in Ebony Duncan murder case after blood found in car is exact match Charles Smith-Howell is charged with murdering Ebony Duncan, an Independence mother who disappeared in late 2023. DNA evidence tied Smith-Howell to the murder.

1 dead after crashing 120 ft into gorge in Kansas City The Kansas City Police Department is investigating a Saturday night crash that left one dead after driving 120 feet down into a gorge

Witnesses block in hit-and-run suspect who injured cyclist until police arrive The Independence Police Department reported a hit-and-run crash on Saturday that left a pedestrian seriously injured.

Police seek public's help in finding missing 38-year-old man in Kansas City Michael Stypolkowski was last seen at 2:20 p.m. Monday in a black truck. Officials believe him to be endangered.

I studied ShotSpotter in Chicago and Kansas City - here's what people in Detroit and the more than 167 other cities and towns using this technology should know Our research found that while ShotSpotter may have benefits for improved detection and response, it offers little benefit for enforcement and clearance and did not reduce gunshot victimization.

Developing . . .
For our beloved insomniacs, shift works and night owls . . . We share yet another peek at pop culture, community news and top headlines for lat night & early morning denizens of the discourse.



Check TKC news gathering . . .

Triumph Over Worst MLB Team

Bobby Witt Jr. belts a GRAND SLAM to help seal Royals' 8-5 victory over White Sox Bobby Witt Jr. belted a GRAND SLAM to help seal the Kansas City Royals' 8-5 victory over the Chicago White Sox

Local Skyfall Connection

Kansas City man injured after parachute incident in Nebraska A 41-year-old Kansas City, Missouri man is expected to make a full recovery after being injured in a parachute incident in Nebraska.

Witness Upward Angle

Kansas sky could change color with Northern Lights as space storm activity increases TOPEKA (KSNT) - Federal weather officials say chances are looking good for people in the Midwest to see a display of the Northern Lights this week as a storm in space becomes more active. The...

End Of Line For Exec

CEO Who Oversaw $31B Canadian Pacific-Kansas City Southern Merger Dies Former Kansas City Southern CEO Patrick Ottensmeyer, who oversaw the company's $31 billion merger with Canadian Pacific, has died, the company said Monday.

Competition Considerations

Predicting the Kansas City Chiefs 53-man roster (Early training camp edition) With training camp now well underway for the Chiefs, let's make our first projections for the initial 53-man roster.

Super Bowl Rerun

Kansas City Chiefs begin quest for historic Super Bowl 'threepeat,' starting at training camp Just two weeks away from the start of their 2024 preseason schedule, the Kansas City Chiefs' training camp in St. Joseph, Missouri, is well underway.

Music Gear Review Debut

The Vibrator in the Katy Perry Video Is Good, Though It's a woman's world, and we like to masturbate.

GOP Claps Back

Biden's 'dead on arrival' jab at Speaker Johnson bewilders social media users: 'What does that even mean?' A video of President Biden on Monday featured him calling out House Speaker Mike Johnson for opposing his call for radical changes to the Supreme Court.

MAGA Strategy Seems Solid

Trump Campaign's Simple Plan To Destroy Kamala Harris: Get Her Off-Script The Trump campaign believes there is an easy way to defeat Vice President Kamala Harris in November: get her off-script in front of voters and reporters.

Cheap Fake Debated

Elon Musk takes fire for posting fake video of Kamala Harris Elon Musk is being accused of violating his own policies on X after he shared a fake video of Vice President Harris, which uses an artificial intelligence voice mimicking Harris to spew insults abo...

More Cash For Vlad Fight

Ukraine war briefing: US to send $1.7bn in military aid to Ukraine, officials say The aid includes funding for long-term contracts, as well as $200m in immediate military aid taken from pentagon stockpiles . What we know on day 888

Holy Land Crisis Cont'd

A day of chaos in Israel as right-wing protesters storm military bases It's likely to worsen the domestic crisis Israel has been going through since Netanyahu formed his right-wing government in 2022.

They're Called: Poor People

The never-sleepers Some people truly don't need more than four to six hours of sleep a night.

Hipsters Celebrate Cowtown Diva Debut

Photos: Olivia Rodrigo brought her GUTS world tour to T-Mobile Olivia Rodrigo. // photo by Daniel Fuchs Olivia Rodrigo with PinkPantheress T-Mobile Center Friday, July 26 Pop sensation Olivia Rodrigo brought her GUTS World Tour to T-Mobile Center on Friday night. The color scheme for attendees was lavender, and the sold-out arena sparkled with outfits and makeup throughout the crowd as Rodrigo worked her way through every song on the...

Shopping Holiday Stories

Cirque du Soleil's first Christmas show makes Kansas City debut this November A Christmas show by Cirque du Soleil will play at The Music Hall beginning in November, tickets began today.

Local Music Icon Explained

An Eclectic 8ft Giraffe Survived - KC STUDIO The Giraffe joined us at 3614 Main in 2006. He belonged to a guy named Duncan from Philadelphia, who left him naked in the parking lot.

Extreme Heat Redux

Excessive Heat Warning triggers multiple Alert Days this week Heat index expected to be above 110 degrees through Thursday

And this is the OPEN THREAD for right now.
Right now we share another peek at the local discourse with a bevy of political links that we've seen before but with a bit of new spin for the August primary.



Check www.TonysKansasCity.com news gathering . . .

Women Defend Veep

Critics of Kamala Harris pivot to well-worn historical playbook of gender, racial hostility * Kansas Reflector On the Kansas Reflector podcast, University of Kansas gender politics scholars examine the background of Kamala Harris' candidacy for U.S. president.

Another Courthouse Take

Democratic race for Prosecuting Attorney gets heated Homicides are at an all-time high in Kansas City. Will one of the Democrat candidates running for Prosecuting Attorney have the key solution to decrease crime?

Midtown Arguments

Competition for Greg Razer's seat in District 7 draws complicated perspectives from three candidates Sen. Greg Razer leaves big shoes to fill in his District 7 seat after he was appointed to the Tax Commission by Missouri Gov. Mike Parson last April-rendering his Senate seat vacant and opening the floodgates for MO's most diverse political population to find new representation ASAP.

Blue Springs Debates Money

City of Blue Springs to hold town hall for no tax-rate increase ballot question Blue Springs voters have an opportunity to learn more about the special election ballot item before Aug. 6.

Show-Me MAGA Impact

Donald Trump's presence looms large over Missouri Republican primary for attorney general Will Scharf, an attorney for former President Donald Trump is challenging Andrew Bailey, the current attorney general, as he seeks his first full term in the office. So far, Trump has yet to endorse either candidate.

Almost Rock Chalk Democracy

'Don't count Kansas out': Delegates gather, plan logistics ahead of Democratic National Convention Kansas delegates for the Democratic National Convention gathered in Lenexa on Sunday to mingle and talk logistics ahead of the DNC in August.

Jeff City Cleans House

Primaries will test incumbents in year of historic turnover for Missouri Senate * Missouri Independent Missouri Senate primaries could increase the number of lawmakers who won't return in 2025, already at an historic high of 10.

Doubt For The Dotte

KCK neighborhood skeptical about county's new comprehensive plan Some neighbors in the Central Avenue area of Kansas City, Kan., are skeptical of the county's newest comprehensive plan, PlanKCK.

Developing . . .
Consider . . .

In 2020, despite the pandemic . . . MAGA supporters in Kansas City organized the biggest political parade in modern Midwest history in honor of Prez Trump.

Thousands of trucks from across the region drove through town and there were even airplanes that offered support.

Despite election victory . . . We didn't notice much local excitement for Prez Biden.

However . . .

A recent fundraising advantage and so much alleged "excitement" leads our www.TonysKansasCity.com to ask . . .



WILL KANSAS CITY RALLY HARDER FOR MAGA OR VP KAMALA HARRIS?!?!



Of course, there's more than enough time for BOTH campaigns to organize their public displays of support in Kansas City.

However . . .

Right now we're merely asking what kind of support we're MORE LIKELY to see in our cowtown as campaign 2024 kicks into high gear.



Developing . . .
Ukraine is ready to join consultations with the European Commission regarding the transit of Lukoil oil if the appropriate mechanism is applied.

The relevant statement was made by Spokesperson for the Ukrainian Foreign Affairs Ministry Heorhii Tykhyi at a briefing, an Ukrinform correspondent reports.

According to Tykhyi, Ukraine highly values cooperation with the European Union, Hungary, Slovakia and other EU Member States, and welcomes their contribution to the implementation of sanctions against Russia, deterrence against aggression, and regional cooperation.

The provisions of the corresponding decision of the National Security and Defense Council of Ukraine concern only the commercial activities of Lukoil PJSC on the territory of Ukraine. The only thing I can add is that we confirm our readiness to join the consultations under the early warning mechanism in accordance with the Ukraine-EU Association Agreement if the European Commission makes such a decision to apply this annex, the diplomat said.

A reminder that Slovakia and Hungary stated earlier that they had stopped receiving oil from their key supplier Lukoil after Ukraine imposed a ban on the transit of resources from the Russian energy company via its territory in June 2024.

The European Commission received a joint letter from the foreign ministers of Hungary and Slovakia with regard to Ukraines sanctions against Lukoil, and is currently studying the complaint.

Photo: EPA
French President Emmanuel Macron warned his Iranian counterpart, President Masoud Pezeshkian, against Iran's further support for Russia's war in Ukraine.

Thats according to a statement issued by the Elysee Palace, Ukrinform reports citing Le Figaro.

"The President of the Republic warned against Tehran's continued support for Russia's war of aggression in Ukraine," notes the readout of Macrons call with Pezeshkian.

Macron also told Iran's president-elect his country must prevent an escalation in Lebanese-Israeli relations by putting to a halt any assistance for actors who destabilize the region.

The French president "expressed his very deep concern about the growing tension between Israel and Lebanon, especially after the deadly attack carried out by Hezbollah," the report said. It emphasizes that "a new war will have devastating consequences for the region."

According to Macron, France is ready to work with the new president of Iran to facilitate the resolution of all disputes and promote security and stability, while Iran must stop the development of its nuclear program and comply with the demands of international organizations.

As Ukrinform reported earlier, Iran threatens "serious consequences" for Israel in the event of an attack on Lebanon. If Israel strikes Lebanon, will indeed face serious consequences, Pazeshkian told Macron.
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Published July 30, 2024

CAPTION: Dr. Anita Sharma, Director of the ULM GERO Institute (center), accepts the BBB Torch Award for Ethics.

MONROE, LA  The ULM Gerontology Education, Research, and Outreach (GERO) Institute was recently the recipient of the Better Business Bureau Torch Award for Ethics. The GERO Institute focuses on enhancing the quality of life of older adults through proactive education, professional training, applied research, and community outreach. The BBB Torch Award for Ethics celebrates businesses and nonprofits that demonstrate an exceptional commitment to ethics and integrity.

Receiving this award has been a very humbling experience for me, said Dr. Anita Sharma, Director of the ULM GERO Institute and Professor of Gerontology. This award made me realize the extent of the impact the GERO Institute has on our community and has motivated me to work even harder to develop more outreach programs in our region, she added.

With an exponential increase in the older population of Northeast Louisiana, The GERO Institute serves as a crucial resource for the community. The primary goals of the institute include providing community-based education programs for older adults and their caregivers, providing training to professionals working with older adults, and developing and implementing community outreach programs. The GERO Institute also provides workforce training to students interested in working with older adults and addresses issues related to ageism and ableism.

Sharma says the GERO Institute was born out of her personal history of working with older adults, which led to her growing understanding of the challenges of aging. Creating the GERO Institute at ULM was a dream for which I worked very hard, she said, noting the support ULM President Dr. Ron Berry, who was the Dean of the College of Business and Social Sciences when Sharma began the process of creating the Institute.

Dr. Berrys openness and encouragement of innovative projects inspired me to try out new ideas and take new initiatives. I was able to develop and implement various community outreach programs with his support and guidance, said Sharma.

I also want to thank Dr. Michelle McEacharn, current Dean of the College of Business and Social Sciences, for her support in the establishment of the GERO Institute. I am quite grateful for the administrative support I received in creating a new platform for geriatric education, research, and outreach, Sharma stated.

Sharma says she has bold hopes for the future of the GERO Institute and believes that with proper support, it can become not only a statewide resource but a national asset. The BBB Torch Award is a very significant recognition that has established the expertise and credibility of the GERO Institute in our region. This award will allow the Institute to be perceived as an organization committed to meeting the needs of older adults with integrity and competence, said Sharma.

The community-based educational programs provided through the GERO Institute are free of charge and open to the public. Usually, information about various events is provided through social media and announcements on 90.3 KEDM Public Radio. Announcements for the 2024-25 events will also be posted on the webpage of the Institute at www.ulm.edu/gero. For more information, please contact Dr. Anita Sharma, Director of the GERO Institute, at asharma@ulm.edu
A former Liberty University employee has filed a lawsuit against the private Christian institution, alleging she was terminated after revealing she was transgender.

The lawsuit, filed Monday by the ACLU of Virginia, claims the Lynchburg-based university violated the Civil Rights Act of 1964, which prohibits discrimination based on race, color, religion, sex, or national origin.

According to the complaint, Ellenor Zinski, who was hired for the university's IT help desk in February 2023 under the name Jonathan Zinski, received "positive marks" on her 90-day review in June. Shortly thereafter, Zinski informed the human resources department that she identified as a transgender woman, was undergoing hormone replacement therapy, and would be legally changing her name to Ellenor.

The following month, Zinski was allegedly notified by senior officials that her employment was terminated immediately due to her transition and gender identity.

"Liberty University officials read a termination notice aloud to Ellenor citing 'denying biological and chromosomal sex assigned at birth' as the basis for her termination, stating a conflict with Liberty's Doctrinal Statement that names 'denial of birth sex by self-identification with a different gender' as a 'sinful act prohibited by God,'" the ACLU said in a statement. "But Liberty University's doctrinal statement does not exempt it from federal law."

"No one should be fired because of who they are - but Liberty University made it clear that's exactly why it fired Ellenor," ACLU attorney Wyatt Rolla said.

When reached on Tuesday, Zinski referred further comment on the lawsuit to her attorney. Rolla and a Liberty University spokesperson did not immediately respond to requests for comment.

Zinski is seeking $300,000 in damages, back pay and that she be reinstated into her former position. The lawsuit is also seeking judgment that Liberty University's policy violates the Civil Rights Act.
Months after pro-Palestinian protests and encampments descended on campus, a federal judge has ordered that the University of California, Los Angeles, create a plan to support its Jewish students.

The Monday ruling comes after three Jewish students sued the school, claiming the institution failed to protect them from harassment during demonstrations against the Israel-Hamas war this past spring.

"UCLA should have taken steps to ensure that its Jewish students were safe and protected from harassment and undeterred in obtaining full access to campus facilities," the complaint states. "Instead, UCLA officials routinely turned their backs on Jewish students, aiding and abetting a culture that has allowed calls for the annihilation of the Jewish people, Nazi symbolism, and religious slurs to go unchecked."

Between April and May, activists also constructed a so-called "Jew Exclusion Zone," the suit claimed, preventing Jewish students from accessing campus resources like classrooms and the library.

Following the ruling, UCLA spokesperson Mary Osako told the Associated Press that the school is "committed to maintaining a safe and inclusive campus, holding those who engaged in violence accountable, and combating antisemitism in all forms. ... We have applied lessons learned from this spring's protests and continue to work to foster a campus culture where everyone feels welcome and free from intimidation, discrimination and harassment."

The university was ordered to craft a proposed plan by August.

As Israel's 10-month conflict with Iran-backed Hamas in Gaza continues, pro-Palestine protests and encampments have emerged on college campuses across the country. Faculty and students - including over a dozen from UCLA - have been arrested for participating in the gatherings and some institutions canceled graduation ceremonies in response.

At a joint meeting of Congress last week, Israel Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu criticized those participating in anti-Israel protests.

"I have a message for these protesters: When the tyrants of Tehran who hang gays from cranes and murder women for not covering their hair are praising, promoting and funding you, you have officially become Iran's useful idiots," he said.
Indiana University's Board of Trustees approved a new policy Monday regarding campus demonstrations following an independent review of the school's response to pro-Palestinian protests this past spring.

The new policy, which goes into effect Aug. 1, supports protests that don't disrupt university operations or hinder the expressive activity of another individual or group.

The decision comes days after an independent review found that IU pursued the "safest option available" in calling for state police to disperse protesters and shut down an encampment on campus in April, but that the administration's actions also "caused a number of unintended negative consequences."

"The Dunn Meadow report validated the need to update policies that were outdated, unclear and inconsistent across IU's campuses," board Chair W. Quinn Buckner said in a statement. "Indiana University has a longstanding commitment to advancing free speech. In order for free speech for all to flourish, we needed to clarify our policies so people clearly understand the allowable time, manner and place for free expression. We can't let one person or group's expression infringe on the rights of others, disrupt learning experiences for our students or interrupt regular university business."

While the new policy permits actions such as assembly in public areas, peaceful protesting, making speeches and carrying signs, it prohibits constructing temporary structures without approval at least 10 days in advance, outdoor amplified sounds that disrupt others and applying permanent markings to university property.

On Thursday, university President Pamela Whitten released the results of the six-week review by the Cooley Law Firm of events surrounding the arrests of protesters in April. The report also included recommendations on future policies and communication by school officials.

The report detailed Indiana University's discovery on April 24 that activists planned to build an encampment at Dunn Meadow, a space on the Bloomington campus traditionally used for "expressive activity," the following day. At the time, university policy permitted tents until 11 p.m., but safety concerns prompted officials to make a last-minute change to the rules.

"While they hoped the situation could be deescalated short of law enforcement involvement, IU's leadership believed it would be better to prevent an encampment than to take one down, and it would be safer to remove an encampment (if necessary) during daylight instead of at night," the report read.

But the next day, many protesters, unaware of the sudden policy change, were instructed to dismantle their encampment shortly after setting it up. Despite IU administrators distributing flyers about the new policy, several protesters pointed to the old guidelines and refused to take down their tents.

The IU Police Department was ill-equipped to handle the protest "in an increasingly volatile setting," the report continued, resulting in the administration's decision to seek assistance from state police.

In a May letter to the Board of Trustees, faculty and Sylvia Martinez, director of the school's Center for Research on Race and Ethnicity in Society, criticized the university's "militarized response" to what they described as peaceful campus protests. They also called for the resignation of the school's president and provost.

Although the decision to change the Dunn Meadow policy the night before a major protest had negative consequences, the review concluded that IU "balanced free speech, campus safety, and regular university operations amidst a challenging and rapidly evolving situation."

The firm recommended that IU should create clearer and more consistent policies regarding expressive activity, as well as hire and train more university police.

Additional free speech resources can be found on the university's website.
LAHORE, (UrduPoint / Pakistan Point News - 30th Jul, 2024) The Lahore Chamber of Commerce & Industry (LCCI) Tuesday organized an awareness session focusing on the importance of cervical screening for women's health at its premises.

The event, which was organized under the leadership of LCCI President Kashif Anwar, was attended by Professor Dr. Zuna Saeed, Dr. Roohi Saeed, Professor Dr. Muhammad Saeed, LCCI EC member Fareeha Younas, the healthcare professionals, industry leaders and community members.

In his opening address, President Kashif Anwar highlighted the critical role of cervical screening in preventing cervical cancer, a major health concern for women globally.

The LCCI President said that the prime duty of the chamber is to talk on the issues of taxation, trade, industry and economy but it is also active in social sector. He highlighted several initiatives undertaken by the LCCI to support and empower women.

Kashif Anwar said that the Lahore Chamber has establishment a Womens Business Lounge at the LCCI for the women entrepreneurs. He said that for the first time in LCCIs history awards ceremony were held exclusively to recognize the achievements of women.

He mentioned LCCI's efforts in raising awareness about breast cancer and supporting the rehabilitation of individuals with special needs. He said that the LCCI has signed numerous Memorandums of Understanding (MoUs) with various hospitals to ensure healthcare facilities on discounted rates for LCCI members.

The LCCI President praised the efforts of LCCI Executive Committee Member Fareeha Younas for her dedicated work towards the development of women in the business sector. Her contributions have been instrumental in promoting and supporting women entrepreneurs, he added.

LCCI President Kashif Anwar reiterated LCCIs commitment to social responsibility stating that we are equally dedicated to supporting women's welfare as much as possible.

"

He said, "The LCCI is dedicated to promoting health awareness among our members and the community and is already doing to lot to create awareness about the breast cancer. Cervical screening is a key preventive measure that can save lives. Our aim is to educate and empower women to take proactive steps for their health."

President Kashif Anwar reaffirmed LCCIs dedication to supporting initiatives that enhance womens well-being. "Our goal is to create an environment where women feel encouraged to prioritize their health. We will continue to organize such sessions and collaborate with healthcare professionals to spread awareness."

The session featured prominent medical experts who provided detailed insights into the importance of regular cervical screening. The experts discussed the latest screening techniques, the importance of early detection, and preventive measures women can take to lower their risk of cervical cancer.

Dr. Roohi Saeed was of the view that regular cervical screening can identify precancerous changes early, which can prevent cervical cancer and save human lives if treated promptly. Its crucial for women to follow screening recommendations from their healthcare providers."

The experts said that awareness and education are vital. By understanding risk factors and symptoms, women can make informed health decisions. Early detection through screening is the most effective way to combat cervical cancer."

The event also featured an interactive session where attendees asked questions. The experts addressed various queries, debunking myths and providing practical advice on maintaining cervical health.
BAKU, Azerbaijan, July 30. Azerbaijani Foreign Minister Jeyhun Bayramov received the newly appointed ambassador of the Islamic Republic of Pakistan Qasim Mohiuddin on July 30, 2024, Trend reports.

According to the information, the ambassador presented copies of his credentials to the Foreign Minister.

The Minister congratulated the ambassador on his appointment to the post and wished him success in his work. Qasim Mohiuddin noted that he would make all efforts for the further development of relations between the two countries. The meeting discussed the current agenda of the strategic partnership between Azerbaijan and Pakistan, the implementation of agreements reached during the official visit of the President of the Republic of Azerbaijan to the Islamic Republic of Pakistan, as well as plans for the future.

The sides highly assessed the existing relations of strategic cooperation between the two friendly and brotherly countries and emphasized the need to further deepen cooperation in many directions. Considering the importance of the trilateral meeting held on July 3 this year between the Presidents of Azerbaijan and Turkiye and the Prime Minister of Pakistan, it was emphasized that, in general, strengthening the trilateral format will contribute to the development of the peoples of the three countries as well as to the strengthening of regional and global peace and stability.

Furthermore, the importance of mutual support within multilateral formats, including the United Nations, as well as several regional and international organizations such as the Non-Aligned Movement and the Organization of Islamic Cooperation, was highlighted. On the occasion of Pakistan's election as a member of the UN Security Council for 2025-2026, congratulations were conveyed.

The meeting pointed out additional opportunities for high-level contacts between the two countries on the sidelines of the 29th session of the Conference of Parties (COP29).

Moreover, during the meeting, the sides exchanged views on other bilateral and regional issues of mutual interest.

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Chairman of Pakistan People's Party (PPP) Bilawal Bhutto Zardari has paid rich tribute to Madar-e-Millat Fatima Jinnah on her birth anniversary

KARACHI, (UrduPoint / Pakistan Point News - 30th Jul, 2024) Chairman of Pakistan People's Party (PPP) Bilawal Bhutto Zardari has paid rich tribute to Madar-e-Millat Fatima Jinnah on her birth anniversary.

He praised Madar-e-Millat for her unwavering commitment to democracy and tireless struggle for Pakistan. He lauded her as a beacon of hope and a role model for all Pakistanis.

"Fatima Jinnah's dedication to the principles of freedom, equality, and justice remains an inspiration to us all. Her contributions to our nation, especially her steadfast support for her brother, Quaid-e-Azam Muhammad Ali Jinnah,

during the formative years of Pakistan, and battles against dictatorial forces are invaluable," said Bilawal Bhutto

Zardari.

He further stated, "In honoring her memory, we are reminded of the importance of her dedication to justice and equality. Let us strive to continue her work towards a more progressive and democratic Pakistan.

Bilawal Bhutto Zardari reaffirmed PPP's commitment to following the foottprints of Fatima Jinnah, striving for a just and prosperous nation where every citizen's rights are protected and respected.
Chief Executive Officer (CEO) District Health Authority Rawalpindi, Dr. Asif Arbab Khan Niazi paid a surprise visit to Tehsil Headquarters (THQ)Hospital Murree

RAWALPINDI, (UrduPoint / Pakistan Point News - 30th Jul, 2024) Chief Executive Officer (CEO) District Health Authority Rawalpindi, Dr. Asif Arbab Khan Niazi paid a surprise visit to Tehsil Headquarters (THQ)Hospital Murree.

He made a detailed visit to various departments of the hospital and reviewed the health facilities. The CEO District Health Authority also inspected the record of the supply of medicines in the store. He inquired the patients about the health facilities and free medicines being provided by the hospital.

He directed the hospital management for further improvement of the sanitation situation.

Speaking on the occasion, the CEO Dr. Asif Arbab Khan Niazi said that all resources would be utilized to ensure the availability of quality health facilities in the hospital. "It is our responsibility to provide the best health facilities to the people, therefore no negligence will be tolerated in this regard", he said.

The CEO appreciated the overall hospital management.

"It is a pleasure to say that the health facilities being provided in the hospital to the patients are satisfactory", he said.
Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Mohammad Ishaq Dar visited Tehran on Tuesday to attend the investiture ceremony of the President-elect of Iran, Dr. Masoud Pezeshkian

ISLAMABAD, (UrduPoint / Pakistan Point News - 30th Jul, 2024) Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Mohammad Ishaq Dar visited Tehran on Tuesday to attend the investiture ceremony of the President-elect of Iran, Dr. Masoud Pezeshkian.

On behalf of the people and Government of Pakistan, the DPM conveyed a message of felicitations and best wishes for President Pezeshkian on his assumption of office.

He congratulated the Iranian nation on the successful and smooth transitioning of power to the new political administration.

The DPM also expressed support and solidarity with the new Iranian administration and Pakistans commitment to further consolidate ties with the Islamic Republic of Iran.
(@FahadShabbir)

KOHAT, (UrduPoint / Pakistan Point News - 30th Jul, 2024) Deputy Commissioner Abdul Akram has underlined the need for taking solid measures to address the issues of Shakardara Model School.

He expressed these views while chairing meeting which was attended by the Additional Deputy Commissioner Finance and Planning, Assistant Commissioner Lachi, Principal Shakardara Model School, and other relevant officials.

During the meeting, several issues were reviewed pertaining to the school including the teacherss salaries.

He instructed the concerned authorities to take necessary steps to resolve these issues on a permanent basis.

The deputy commissioner emphasized the need for timely payment of teachers' salaries and immediate resolution of other administrative issues.

He assured that the government would take all possible measures to improve the quality of education and resolve the problems faced by the teachers.

APP/slm
National Highways and Motorway Police (NHMP) North Zone arrested two accused and recovered three pistols, One Kalakov and one rifle with 500 bullets from their possession here on Tuesday

ISLAMABAD, (UrduPoint / Pakistan Point News - 30th Jul, 2024) National Highways and Motorway Police (NHMP) North Zone arrested two accused and recovered three pistols, One Kalakov and one rifle with 500 bullets from their possession here on Tuesday.

According to the details, the NHMP acting on a tip-off stopped a car near Chamkani and after searching recovered three 30-bore pistols, One Kalakov, one 12-bore rifle and 500 bullets of 30 bore from their custody.

The arrested were handed over to Chamkani Police Station for further investigation, the NHMP said.
Pakistani Senators met with the Secretary General of the Commonwealth Association of Parliament to discuss ways to strengthen democracy, parliamentary norms, and global cooperation

ISLAMABAD, (UrduPoint / Pakistan Point News - 30th Jul, 2024) Pakistani Senators met with the Secretary General of the Commonwealth Association of Parliament to discuss ways to strengthen democracy, parliamentary norms, and global cooperation.

The delegation including Senator Agha Shahzaib Durrani, Senator Faisal Saleem, and Senator Ashraf Ali Jatoi, during the meeting discussed various issues, including the vacant seats on the executive committee, Pakistani politics, and the importance of resolving global issues through mutual dialogues and parliamentary practices said a news release received here on Tuesday.

They emphasized the need to strengthen political parliamentary norms and vowed to work towards this goal.

The Secretary General expressed interest in visiting Pakistan, further solidifying the partnership between the two nations. The Senators also stressed that all major global issues should be resolved through mutual dialogues and parliamentary practices.

This meeting marks a significant step towards strengthening the partnership between Pakistan and the Commonwealth Association of Parliament, and demonstrates a shared commitment to democracy, cooperation, and global peace.
(@FahadShabbir)

Paris, (APP - UrduPoint / Pakistan Point News - 31st Jul, 2024) New Zealand's women defended their Olympic sevens title with a gritty, come-from-behind 19-12 victory over Canada on Tuesday as the United States bagged a surprise bronze.

The Kiwis outscored the Canadians by three tries to two in a tense, defence-led match in front of a near-capacity 69,000 crowd at the Stade de France.

The US, having made their first-ever semi-finals, had earlier upset pre-tournament favourites Australia 14-12 to claim third place.

The final saw Kiwi skipper Risi Pouri-Lane step Chloe Daniels and run in from 50 metres for the opening try, also hitting the conversion.

New Zealand pinned Canada back in their own 22m, but when the ball was worked left to Charity Williams, the winger was one-on-one with Portia Woodman-Wickliffe.

However, the New Zealander, a star of both the sevens and 15s game for more than a decade, saw yellow for the high, covering tackle.

Canada took advantage, Daniels played into space by Olivia Apps for a straight run-in to the line and successfully adding the extras.

Sarah Hirini tried one ambitious offload too many as the Kiwis regathered, Alysha Corrigan intercepting and showing a clean pair of soles for Canada's second try to leave it 12-7 at half-time.

New Zealand started the second period exactly as they needed to, the impressive Michaela Blyde stepping inside Corrigan for a fine try, converted by Tyla King to hand them back the lead.

Stacey Wakaa then got the decisive score following a fine Hirini break and some slick inter-passing between those two and King.

A dramatic bronze medal match saw Maddison Levi score two more tries to finish on a record 14 for the tournament.

The previous best in an Olympics was Woodman-Wickliffe's tally of 10 for New Zealand at the 2016 Rio Games.

But it was not enough as the US responded with tries from Alev Kelter, when Levi's sister Teagan was in the sin bin, and Alex Sedrick to make it 12 points apiece.

Sedrick herself kicked the vital conversion to seal a famous US bronze in perfect timing for the run-in to the next Olympic Games, on home soil in Los Angeles in 2028.

The women's tournament followed a similar three-day competition for the men, which could not have been better scripted as global superstar Antoine Dupont led France to victory over defending champions Fiji.

"We always said this is our chance of coming of age for rugby sevens in the Olympics, and it has been, it's been incredible," World Rugby CEO Alan Gilpin told reporters Tuesday.

"553,000 spectators in six days. It's been amazing. It's everything we hoped it could be. And hopefully, it's a great platform for the future."
Madrid, (APP - UrduPoint / Pakistan Point News - 30th Jul, 2024) Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez is set to testify on Tuesday in a preliminary graft probe into his wife's business dealings, a case that has piled pressure on his fragile minority government.

He has denied any wrongdoing by his wife, Begona Gomez, and dismissed the allegations as part of a right-wing smear campaign against his leftist government.

But the case has stoked acrimony in Spanish politics, with the conservative opposition calling on him to resign.

Gomez is being investigated for alleged influence peddling and corruption following a complaint filed by an anti-graft NGO with links to the far right called "Manos Limpias" -- Spanish for "Clean Hands".

Judge Juan Carlos Peinado, who is heading the inquiry, is scheduled to question the Socialist premier as a witness at his official residence at 11:00 am (0900 GMT).

The only other time a sitting Spanish prime minister had to testify in a judicial case was in 2017, when Mariano Rajoy was summoned in a graft case that led to the conviction of several members of his conservative Popular Party (PP).

Sanchez asked to testify in writing as is allowed under Spanish law for top government officials, but Peinado rejected the request, arguing he would quiz him as Gomez's spouse.

The premier can now choose to remain silent but "politically this could look bad", said University of Alicante criminal law professor Bernardo del Rosal.

"Not answering the judge, or answering in writing, could create the image that he is arrogant," Del Rosal told AFP.

- 'Noise' -

Gomez, who has worked in fundraising for years, invoked her right to remain silent under questioning by the judge earlier this month.

She is alleged to have used her husband's position as leverage within her professional circles, notably with businessman Juan Carlos Barrabes, who was seeking public funding.

In his testimony, Barrabes -- who teaches part of a master's course at Madrid's Complutense University that is run by Gomez -- acknowledged meeting her five or six times at Moncloa, the premier's official residence.

Sanchez was also present at two of those meetings, he said.

Barrabes -- who got two letters of recommendation from Gomez before pitching for a public tender worth several million Euros -- said they only talked about matters of innovation, judicial sources said.

Manos Limpias has said its allegations against Gomez were entirely based on media reports, which could turn out to be false.

Spanish prosecutors have failed to get the case dismissed.

Even if a court eventually decides to shelve the case without a trial, "all this noise" will damage the PM's image, Del Rosal said.

- 'Rally support' -

Sanchez's supporters have accused Peinado, whose daughter is a PP city councillor, of political bias.

The judge has taken controversial decisions seen as being in sync with the right, such as in 2015 when he accepted another complaint from Manos Limpias over tweets made by two leftist Madrid city councillors deemed offensive.

Peinado will allow a lawyer from the far-right party Vox to question Sanchez as part of the probe.

Vox is taking part in the investigation as a so-called "popular prosecutor" -- a set-up under Spanish law that allows citizens or organisations to be an accuser in court.

When the probe was opened in April, Sanchez took five days off to consider his future but ultimately stayed on.

Federico Santi, senior analyst for Europe at Eurasia Group, said Sanchez "is leveraging the issue to rally support within his left-wing base with some success".

Sanchez, who has been in office since 2018, has struggled to pass legislation since he returned to power last year after an inconclusive election.
(@FahadShabbir)

Caracas, (APP - UrduPoint / Pakistan Point News - 30th Jul, 2024) Venezuelan security forces fired tear gas Monday on protesters challenging the reelection victory claimed by President Nicolas Maduro but disputed by the opposition and questioned abroad.

Thousands of people flooded the streets of several neighborhoods of the capital, chanting "Freedom, freedom!" and "This government is going to fall!"

Some ripped Maduro campaign posters from street posts and burned them. Many banged pots and pans, a traditional form of protest in Latin America.

AFP observed members of the national guard firing tear gas in the direction of protesters, some wearing motorbike helmets and bandannas tied over their faces for protection. Some responded by throwing rocks at guard members.

Maduro, 61, attended a meeting earlier Monday in which the National Electoral Council (CNE) certified his reelection to a third six-year term until 2031.

At this event Maduro dismissed international criticism and doubts about the result of Sunday's voting, claiming Venezuela was the target of an attempted "coup d'etat" of a "fascist and counter-revolutionary" nature.

As international criticism mounted, Caracas announced it was pulling diplomatic staff from seven Latin American countries which had questioned whether Maduro actually won.

The elections were held amid widespread fears of fraud by the government and a campaign tainted by accusations of political intimidation.

Pollsters had predicted a resounding victory for the opposition, even though courts loyal to the regime barred its popular leader Maria Corina Machado from running for president and challenging Maduro.

In the early hours of Monday, the CNE said Maduro had won 51.2 percent of votes cast compared to 44.2 percent for Machado's proxy, Edmundo Gonzalez Urrutia.

The opposition cried foul, saying it had taken at least two-thirds of the vote.

Attorney General Tarek William Saab later linked Machado to an alleged hacking "attack" seeking to "adulterate" the results.

- 'Another fraud' -

The result sparked expressions of concern over irregularities from the United Nations, United States, European Union and several countries in Latin America, although many of Venezuela's allies, including China, Russia and Cuba, congratulated Maduro.

Gonzalez Urrutia, a 74-year-old former diplomat, has vowed that "we will not rest until the will of the Venezuelan people is reflected."

Machado described the election was "another fraud" and insisted Gonzalez Urrutia was Venezuela's legitimate president-elect.

Nine Latin American countries called in a joint statement Monday for a "complete review of the results with the presence of independent electoral observers.

"

The US-based Carter Center, one of a few organizations allowed to bring observers into Venezuela, urged the CNE to immediately publish detailed polling station-level results.

Brazil and Colombia also urged a review of the numbers while Chile's president said the outcome was "hard to believe."

Peru recalled its ambassador and Panama said it was suspending relations with Caracas.

Caracas hit back Monday, saying it was withdrawing diplomatic staff from Argentina, Chile, Costa Rica, Panama, Peru, the Dominican Republic and Uruguay for these countries' "interventionist actions and statements."

US Secretary of State Antony Blinken expressed "serious concerns" about the election outcome, while European Union foreign policy chief Josep Borrell and UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres urged "transparency."

- 'Bloodbath' warning -

Independent polls had predicted Sunday's vote would end 25 years of "Chavismo," the populist movement founded by Maduro's socialist predecessor and mentor, the late Hugo Chavez.

Maduro has been at the helm of the once-wealthy oil-rich country since 2013. The last decade has seen GDP drop by 80 percent, pushing more than seven million of its 30 million citizens to emigrate.

He is accused of locking up critics and harassing the opposition in a climate of rising authoritarianism.

In the run-up to the election, he had warned of a "bloodbath" if he lost.

Ballots were cast on machines that sent electronic votes directly to a centralized CNE database.

The machines printed out paper receipts that were placed in a container and counted by hand as a backup measure meant to be open to public scrutiny.

The opposition had deployed about 90,000 volunteer election monitors nationwide.

- Economic misery -

Sunday's election was the product of a deal reached last year between the government and opposition.

That agreement led the United States to temporarily ease sanctions imposed after Maduro's 2018 reelection, rejected as a sham by dozens of Latin American and other countries.

Sanctions were snapped back after Maduro reneged on agreed conditions.

Venezuela boasts the world's largest oil reserves but has seen severely diminished production capacity in recent years.

Most Venezuelans live on just a few Dollars a month, and endure biting shortages of electricity and fuel.

Economic misery in the South American nation has been a major source of migration pressure on the southern border of the United States, where immigration is a major presidential election issue.
Washington, (APP - UrduPoint / Pakistan Point News - 30th Jul, 2024) William Calley, a former US Army lieutenant convicted of war crimes in a Vietnam-era tragedy called the My Lai massacre, has died at age 80, a US newspaper reported Monday.

The Washington Post said Calley died on April 28 in Gainesville, Florida, but his death had not been publicized until a recent public records search.

In 1971, Calley became the only member of the US Army found guilty of war crimes over the My Lai massacre, one of the darkest chapters in US military history.

It occurred on March 16, 1968, when Calley's brigade entered the village of My Lai based on faulty intelligence that enemy Viet Cong soldiers were disguised among the civilians there.

Calley, age 24 at the time, ordered soldiers to kill villagers even though they had found no evidence of enemy combatants.

The massacre involved the torture, rape and slaughter of hundreds of innocent Vietnamese.

The US Army covered up the events at My Lai for more than a year afterward.

The death toll of the massacre remains disputed, but US estimates place the number of dead between 347 and 504 unarmed civilians, most of whom were women, children or elderly men.

Pham Thanh Cong, a survivor of the massacre, expressed regret that Calley never returned to Vietnam before his death.

"Many other Americans returned to Son My," the 67-year-old told AFP, using the Vietnamese term for the village.

"They came to pray, to ask for forgiveness from the souls of the dead, but Calley... he never came back."

Cong was just 11 when his family was killed in front of him by American troops.

He was huddled with his mother, brother and sister in a bunker in his home when soldiers lobbed grenades at the family and shot at them with M-16s.

"He caused the death of many civilians, including my family," said Cong, who ran a war memorial for the dead until his retirement.

"I regret that he did not return to Son My, witness its revival and the development of its people."

Calley was later the subject of a high-profile court martial, during which he said he had been following the orders of his superiors.

Although 12 other military officers were charged with crimes related to the massacre -- including the subsequent cover-up -- all were eventually acquitted of criminal charges.

Calley was ultimately convicted of murdering 22 noncombatants and was sentenced to hard labour for life. But his sentence was commuted days later by then-President Richard Nixon and he was eventually released after serving three years of house arrest.

After his release, Calley settled in Columbus, Georgia, where he remained in obscurity for most of his life.

In 2009, a local newspaper reported on a speech Calley gave at the Kiwanis Club of Greater Columbus, during which he apologised for his role in the massacre.

"There is not a day that goes by that I do not feel remorse for what happened that day in My Lai," Calley said.

"I feel remorse for the Vietnamese who were killed, for their families, for the American soldiers involved and their families. I am very sorry."
BAKU, Azerbaijan, July 30. Prime Minister of Azerbaijan Ali Asadov has met with newly appointed First Vice President of Iran Mohammad Reza Aref in Tehran, Trend reports.

Prime Minister Asadov extended his congratulations to Vice President Aref on his appointment to the position.



Then the two states expressed satisfaction with the development of their relations, which are rooted in history, in a variety of spheres, including trade, economics, transportation, energy, and humanitarian assistance, during the meeting.

The discussions centered on the expansion of Azerbaijani-Iranian cooperation in a variety of sectors and other matters of mutual concern.

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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.
Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko on Tuesday pardoned a German man facing the death penalty, the country's state news agency reported.

Lukashenko "took the decision to pardon the German citizen Rico Krieger ... taking into account all the circumstances," Belta news agency reported, citing the president's press service.

Krieger, 30, had been shown on Belarusian public television last week, saying "I really hope that President [Alexander] Lukashenko will forgive me and pardon me," according to a statement quoted by the Russian news agency TASS.

He was convicted under six articles of Belarus' criminal code in a secretive trial held at the end of June, the Viasna Human Rights Centre reported.

Lukashenko held a meeting earlier Tuesday with the investigator in the case and Krieger's defense lawyer to discuss whether to apply the death penalty, his press service said.

"I've already said before that the hardest thing in the life of a president is such cases related to the death penalty," Lukashenko was quoted as saying at the meeting.

Krieger said on Belarusian television that he had been asked by Ukraine to photograph military sites in Belarus in October 2023 and that he had placed an explosive device on a railway line near Minsk under their orders.

"I deeply regret what I did, and I am relieved that there were no victims," he said, adding that he had been "abandoned" by the German government.

According to a LinkedIn profile that Viasna said belonged to Krieger, he worked as a medic for the German Red Cross and had previously been employed as an armed security officer for the U.S. embassy in Berlin.

German Foreign Ministry spokesperson Kathrin Deschauer said on Friday that "it is unfortunately common practice in Belarus to present people in videos or on television like this, and we are of course very concerned that being paraded in this way massively violates that person's dignity."

"We can only appeal to the Belarusian leadership to stop this practice," Deschauer told reporters.

"We have been providing the detainee in question with consular services and are very concerned about his case," Deschauer said, adding that "we as a government fundamentally reject the death penalty under all circumstances."

Belarus is reported to have executed as many as 400 people since it gained independence from the Soviet Union in 1991, according to Amnesty International, but executions of foreign citizens are rare.

The country is run as an authoritarian regime by longtime leader Lukashenko, who has detained thousands of dissidents and civic activists who oppose him.
An announcement that China's car giant BYD will build a billion-dollar factory in Turkey marks a big turnaround in relations between the two countries. The move comes after years of tensions over Ankara's support of Chinese minority Uyghurs. As Dorian Jones reports from Istanbul, the two countries are increasingly finding common ground not only economically but diplomatically.
BAKU, Azerbaijan, July 30. President of the Republic of Azerbaijan Ilham Aliyev has signed a decree on expanding the territory of the Sumgayit Chemical Industrial Park, Trend reports.

According to the decree, guided by paragraph 32 of Article 109 of the Constitution of Azerbaijan, in connection with the implementation of the Presidential Decree of Azerbaijan "On measures to implement a pilot project in the field of drinking water production by desalination of seawater" dated April 12, 2023, No. 3843:

1. The Cabinet of Ministers of Azerbaijan must:

1.1. take measures within two months to transfer the 29.63-hectare state-owned land plot (26.86 hectares under the use of the Azerikimya Production Association of the State Oil Company of Azerbaijan and 2.77 hectares of adjacent land) located in the administrative territory of Sumgayit city, indicated in the land use plans attached to this decree, prepared by the Ministry of Economy of Azerbaijan, to the use of the Agency for the Development of Economic Zones under the ministry, with the right to lease, for the purpose of expanding the territory of the Sumgayit Chemical Industrial Park, and to inform the President of Azerbaijan;

1.2. resolve other issues arising from this decree.

2. The Ministry of Economy of Azerbaijan, the State Oil Company of Azerbaijan, and the Executive Power of Sumgayit city must take the necessary measures to address the issues arising from this decree, the document said.
A Chinese automotive glass maker says it was not the target of a federal investigation that temporarily shut down production last week at its Ohio plant, the subject of the Oscar-winning Netflix film "American Factory."

The investigation was focused on money laundering, potential human smuggling, labor exploitation and financial crimes, Homeland Security agent Jared Murphey said Friday.

Fuyao Glass America said authorities told it that a third-party employment company was at the center of the criminal investigation, according to a filing with the Shanghai Stock Exchange.

Agents with the Department of Homeland Security, FBI and Internal Revenue Service, along with local authorities, carried out federal search warrants Friday at the Fuyao plant in Moraine and nearly 30 other locations in the Dayton area.

"The company intends to cooperate fully with the investigation," Lei Shi, Fuyao Glass America community relations manager, said in a statement to the Dayton Daily News. Messages seeking comment were left with the company on Monday.

Production was stopped temporarily Friday, but operations resumed near the end of the day, the statement said.

Fuyao took over a shuttered General Motors factory a decade ago and eventually hired more than 2,000 workers to make glass for the automotive industry. The company, which received millions in tax breaks and incentives from the state and local governments, has said the Ohio plant was the world's largest auto glass production facility.

In 2019, a production company backed by Barack and Michelle Obama released "American Factory." The film, which won a 2020 Oscar for best feature-length documentary, looked at issues including the rights of workers, globalization and automation.

Workers voted overwhelmingly against unionizing in 2017 after some employees complained about unsafe workplace conditions, arbitrary policies and unfair treatment on the job. Earlier that year, Fuyao agreed to pay a $100,000 penalty after the Occupational Safety and Health Administration cited the company for alleged violations involving machine safety, electrical hazards and a lack of personal protective gear.
Forty-nine lawmakers from 24 countries gathered in Taiwan on Tuesday to discuss how China is raising tensions with the democratically ruled island and to assess the economic impact a potential conflict could have on the international community.

The two-day summit was organized by the Inter-Parliamentary Alliance on China, or IPAC, a group that includes hundreds of lawmakers from 35 countries who are concerned about how democracies deal with China. The conference brought the largest-ever foreign parliamentary delegation to Taiwan.

In a keynote speech Tuesday, Taiwan President Lai Ching-te said Chinas threat to any country is a threat to the world.

Taiwan will do everything in its power to support the democracy umbrella with its democratic partners, so as to protect them from the threat of authoritarian expansion, he told attending lawmakers.

The rare meeting that has brought so many lawmakers from across the globe to Taiwan is part of a trend of foreign visits that has surged since former U.S. House speaker Nancy Pelosi visited the island in August almost two years ago.

Despite having its own army, currency and democratic political system of government, Taiwan is not a member of the United Nations and has few formal diplomatic allies. China opposes any international engagement with Taiwan, which it regards as a part of its territory, and has been whittling away at the number of countries that have official ties with the island. Taiwan currently has 12 diplomatic allies.

In response to the surge in international attention and visits, China has carried out a series of major military exercises around the island over the past two years and almost daily military harassment that has included a mix of fighter jets, naval and coast guard vessels and drones. It has also amped up its rhetoric that unification is inevitable.

UN Resolution 2758

At Tuesdays conference, attending lawmakers adopted a model motion they say will pave the way for them to pass similar resolutions in their parliaments at home. The aim of the motion is to counter Chinas interpretation of United Nations Resolution 2758 in their legislatures.

U.N. Resolution 2758 was passed on Oct. 25, 1971 and is a key international agreement that Beijing uses to isolate Taiwan. Experts note, however, that the resolution only decided that the Peoples Republic of China would replace the Republic of China, Taiwans official name, as a permanent member of the U.N. Security Council. It did not, however, determine Taiwans sovereign status.

While some countries, such as the United States, have rejected Chinas claim that the U.N. resolution supports its sovereignty claim over Taiwan, some foreign lawmakers attending the summit say the model resolution adopted by IPAC members could inform governments about the possibility of China using its interpretation of the U.N. resolution as a pretext to launch a potential military attack against Taiwan.

We see the danger of Chinas false interpretation of [the U.N. resolution] as bolstering the pretext for legality of any future attack or coercion against Taiwan, so we think talking about this issue will help bring the potential danger onto the radar of different governments, Reinhard Butikofer, former chairman of the European Parliament's delegation for relations with the People's Republic of China, told VOA on the sideline of the summit.

Cost of conflict

On Tuesday, the summit also focused on the impact a potential conflict over Taiwan could have on countries around the world. Building on a campaign called Operation Mist that IPAC launched last September, the alliance hopes to push more governments to conduct assessments of the economic impact of a potential Taiwan Strait crisis on their countries. The Taiwan Strait is the body of water that separates Taiwan and China.

There is a strong desire among IPAC members to continue this operation because they believe people in their countries need to know the economic impact of a potential Taiwan Strait crisis, Luke de Pulford, the executive director of IPAC, told VOA in Taipei.

Ahead of Taiwans presidential and legislative elections earlier this year, Bloomberg Economics estimated that a conflict between China and Taiwan would decimate the global economy, costing as much as $10 trillion, which is equal to about 10% of the worlds GDP.

Pressuring IPAC

While the IPAC summit sought to raise international awareness of Taiwans plight, at least eight lawmakers from six countries, including Bolivia, Slovakia and Bosnia and Herzegovina, said they had received calls or texts from Chinese diplomats urging them not to attend the conference.

According to an Associated Press report, some lawmakers received texts from Chinese diplomats asking whether they planned to attend IPACs annual summit in Taiwan while one lawmaker said Chinese diplomats asked the head of her political party to stop her from participating in the conference.

Taiwans Foreign Ministry condemned Beijings despicable act in a statement while de Pulford of IPAC said the Chinese governments pressure campaign is simply illegitimate.

The communications were not through formal diplomatic channels, but rather, they were harassing text messages and phone calls from junior Chinese attaches who felt that they could tell these lawmakers where they couldnt travel to, he told VOA.

IPAC has faced repeated pressure from the Chinese government since its founding in 2020. Some members of the group have been sanctioned by the Chinese government while an indictment from the U.S. Justice Department showed that other IPAC members have been targeted by Chinese state-sponsored hackers.

In response to questions from VOA, the Chinese Embassy in Washington urged foreign lawmakers attending the summit to stop exploiting the Taiwan question to interfere in Chinas internal affairs and political manipulation for selfish gains.

The Taiwan question is one hundred percent Chinas internal affair, which no foreign forces have the right to interfere in, the Chinese Embassys spokesperson Liu Pengyu told VOA in a written statement.

Opportunity for international engagement

Some experts say that while Taiwans attempts to engage with other countries usually face strong opposition from China, the summit is an important diplomatic channel for Taipei.

The significance of this meeting is that these are elected lawmakers who are intended to meet, talk, and discuss Taiwan and bring what they learn [in Taipei] back to their parliaments, with the hope of having concrete proposals of what can be done to help mitigate the odds of conflict happening in the Taiwan Strait and the odds of diminishing Chinas aggression in this part of the world, said Lev Nachman, a political scientist at National Taiwan University.

Taiwan should use the summit to highlight the challenges it faces and how the threat from China affects Taiwans domestic politics, he added.

Taiwan needs to make sure that lawmakers at the summit are aware of what it means for Taiwan to exist in todays world and what it means to be contested by China, Nachman told VOA by phone.

De Pulford from IPAC said he believes the summit in Taiwan could have an impact on how some countries engage with Taiwan.

A lot of the people attending the summit have strong relationships with their own governments, so they are able to leverage their own positions to pave the way for precedents such as ministerial meetings between Taiwan and other countries, he told VOA.
The United States announced $500 million in foreign military financing for the Philippines on Tuesday, as Secretary of State Antony Blinken and Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin met with leaders in Manila to reinforce cooperation on issues such as freedom of navigation and cybersecurity.

Speaking at a joint news conference after talks with their Filipino counterparts, Austin called the financing a once-in-a-generation investment to help modernize the armed forces of the Philippines.

Philippine Defense Secretary Gilberto Teodoro Jr. said the military investments will boost the countrys credible defense posture and help to deter unwanted and unlawful aggression.

Blinken said both the United States and the Philippines, as well as other countries in the Indo-Pacific region, share concerns about China's actions in the South China Sea and the East China Sea. He welcomed a recent agreement between China and the Philippines to prevent clashes around the Philippine-occupied Second Thomas Shoal, saying such diplomatic resolutions should be the standard, not the exception.

We are living in an incredibly complex moment, and as a result, the partnership between our two countries is more important than ever and our commitment to growing it now and for the years ahead is resolute, Blinken said.

Earlier Tuesday, Blinken and Austin reinforced U.S. commitment to upholding international law in the South China Sea as they met with Philippines President Ferdinand Marcos Jr.

Secretary Austin and Secretary Blinken reaffirmed U.S. support for the Philippines in defending its sovereign rights, and the two officials discussed the importance of preserving the rights of all nations to fly, sail, and operate  safely and responsibly  wherever international law allows, Pentagon deputy press secretary Sabrina Singh said in a statement.

U.S. State Department spokesperson Matthew Miller said the officials also underscored the United States ironclad commitments to the Philippines under our Mutual Defense Treaty.

"I'm always very happy that these communication lines are very open so that all the things that we are doing together, in terms of our alliance, in terms of the specific context of our situation here, in the West Philippine Sea and in the Indo-Pacific, are continuously examined and re-examined so we are agile in terms of our responses," Marcos said at the start of talks with Blinken and Austin.

Blinken highlighted what he called a steady drumbeat of very high-level engagements between our countries that are covering the full range of issues and opportunities that bring us together  not only security but also economic.

The talks in the Philippines were the latest in a series of engagements in the region, including a meeting Monday among the United States, Japan, India and Australia, as well as U.S.-Japan meetings.

Some information for this story was provided by The Associated Press and Reuters.
Large numbers of Venezuelans took part in Sundays presidential election, whose process has drawn scrutiny. Although some Venezuelans have taken to the streets to protest the results, others do not dispute them. Meanwhile, the international community is calling for an independent verification of the vote. VOAs Celia Mendoza reports from the State Department.
Tensions are escalating in Lebanon, where Israel on Tuesday said it attacked Hezbollah targets in seven areas of south Lebanon with airstrikes and artillery fire. As Linda Gradstein reports from Jerusalem, people in both countries are bracing for a full-scale Israeli response to a Hezbollah rocket attack Sunday that killed 12 Druze children and teenagers. VOA footage by Zev Schwartz.
The list of candidates to run with Kamala Harris, the presumptive Democratic U.S. presidential nominee, narrowed on Monday, with North Carolina Governor Roy Cooper and Michigan Governor Gretchen Whitmer both out.

The high-stakes decision has taken center-stage since Vice President Harris became the Democratic frontrunner for the November election just over a week ago after President Joe Biden ended his White House bid.

Vice presidential nominees can be used to balance a presidential candidate's ticket to appeal to a wider swath of voters, and Harris is weighing a list of mostly white, male candidates.

Cooper withdrew from Harris' vice presidential candidate pool, saying in a statement on Monday: "I was honored to be considered for this role. This just wasn't the right time for North Carolina and for me to potentially be on a national ticket."

Also on Monday, Whitmer said on "CBS Mornings" that she was "not a part of the vetting" process for Harris' running mate.

"I have communicated with everyone, including the people of Michigan, that I'm going to stay as governor until the end of my term at the end of 2026," Whitmer said.

Harris took a break from the campaign trail this weekend and held private conversations with several of the candidates, including Pennsylvania Governor Josh Shapiro, according to two sources familiar with the calls.

Others under consideration include Kentucky Governor Andy Beshear, U.S. Senator Mark Kelly of Arizona, Minnesota Governor Tim Walz, and Secretary of Transportation Pete Buttigieg.

Candidates have hit the national television circuit to showcase what they bring to the campaign.

Buttigieg, considered by even his allies as a long shot, talked to Harris privately about the opportunity, according to two sources familiar with the event.

He also held a call with a group of donors from his 2020 presidential bid where he said he wanted the job, but was going to respect the process, the sources said.
The United States on Monday was managing 94 large wildfires that have burned 843,124 hectares, the National Interagency Fire Center said.

More than 27,000 firefighters and support personnel have been deployed to combat the fires nationwide, the fire center said.

In addition to California, where the largest fires raged, the center reported that fuel and fire advisories have been issued for Oregon, Washington, Nevada, Idaho and Utah.

The White House on Monday posted a statement on X about its response to the fires:

Our administration has mobilized resources to support fire suppression efforts as firefighters battle wildfires in California and across the Pacific Northwest. Were grateful to the firefighters and first responders on the front lines, and urge everyone in the affected areas to remain vigilant and listen to local officials.

The Park Fire in California, burning through several counties, was the largest wildfire in the country. It was also the sixth largest in Califorina's history.

The California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection, known as Cal Fire, said early Monday that the Park Fire stayed active well into the night, but that by early morning, an increase in humidity caused the fire activity to moderate.

However, the Park Fire was expected to re-energize later Monday, according to Cal Fire, because of a combination of southwest winds, low fuel moisture and fire-receptive fuels.

By Monday morning, the Park Fire had engulfed nearly 150,000 hectares, an area larger than the city of Los Angeles.

Cal Fire wrote Monday on X, Staying prepared is crucial. ... Have your go bag packed and know two evacuation routes.

A man accused of setting the fire was arrested Thursday. Ronnie Dean Stout II was detained on suspicion of arson after allegedly pushing a burning car into a gully near the northern California city of Chico, according to Butte County District Attorney Mike Ramsey.

In Oregon, the National Guard has been deployed to fight fires in the east of the state.

The wildfire situation on the ground is dynamic and challenging, and we need all hands on deck, Governor Tina Kotek said. One of the fires  the Durkee Fire  has scorched 116,800 hectares and has been 49% contained.

Utah Fire Info said Monday that 88 new fires have started in Utah since July 21, with 44% of them determined to have been caused by people.

The Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) defines a wildfire as an unplanned, unwanted fire burning in a natural area, such as a forest, grassland or prairie.

Wildfires can start from natural causes, but most are caused by humans, accidentally or intentionally, according to FEMA.
The director of the Heritage Foundation's Project 2025 vision for a complete overhaul of the federal government has stepped down, the conservative think tank confirmed Tuesday.

Paul Dans' exit comes after the project "completed exactly what it set out to do: bringing together over 110 leading conservative organizations to create a unified conservative vision, motivated to devolve power from the unelected administrative state, and returning it to the people," Heritage Foundation President Kevin Roberts said in a statement. Roberts said the group is sticking to its original timeline.

The news comes after Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump has increasingly disavowed Project 2025 amid escalating attacks by Democrats, prompting speculation that Trump's campaign forced the exit.

Democrats for the past several months have made Project 2025 a key election-year cudgel, pointing to the ultraconservative policy blueprint as a glimpse into how extreme another Trump administration could be.

The nearly 1,000-page handbook lays out sweeping changes in the federal government, including altering personnel rules to ensure government workers are more loyal to the president.

Yet Trump has repeatedly disavowed the document, saying on social media he hasn't read it and doesn't know anything about it. At a rally in Michigan earlier this month, he said Project 2025 was written by people on the "severe right" and some of the things in it are "seriously extreme."

"President Trump's campaign has been very clear for over a year that Project 2025 had nothing to do with the campaign, did not speak for the campaign, and should not be associated with the campaign or the President in any way," Trump campaign advisers Susie Wiles and Chris LaCivita said in a statement. "Reports of Project 2025's demise would be greatly welcomed and should serve as notice to anyone or any group trying to misrepresent their influence with President Trump and his campaign  it will not end well for you."

Trump campaign representatives did not respond to messages inquiring about whether the campaign asked or pushed for Dans to step down from the project. The Heritage Foundation said Dans left voluntarily, and it was not under pressure from the Trump campaign. Dans didn't immediately respond to an emailed request for comment.

But it was almost certain that Trump's campaign forced the shakeup, said one former Heritage aide granted anonymity to discuss the situation.

LaCivita had been aggressively monitoring the situation, the person said. It was clear that Project 2025 was becoming a liability for Trump and the party.

For months Trump's campaign had warned outside groups, and Heritage in particular, that they did not speak for the former president, even though the Project 2025 team was staffed with his former White House aides and advisers.

In an interview from the Republican convention first published by Politico, LaCivita said Project 2025 was a problem because "the issues that are going to win us this campaign are not the issues that they want to talk about."

Many Trump allies and former top aides contributed to the project, including Dans, who was a personnel official for the Trump administration. Vice President Kamala Harris' campaign and top Democrats have repeatedly tied Trump to Project 2025 as they argue against a second term for the former president.

The Harris campaign said Project 2025 remains linked to Trump's agenda.

"Hiding the 920-page blueprint from the American people doesn't make it less real  in fact, it should make voters more concerned about what else Trump and his allies are hiding," said Harris for President Campaign Manager Julie Chavez Rodriguez.

Project 2025's website will remain live, and the group will continue vetting resumes for its nearly 20,000-person database of potential government officials ready to execute the group's vision for government, the Heritage Foundation said Tuesday. The group said Roberts will now run Project 2025 operations.
The Pakistani city of Gwadar, home to a key Chinese-built deep seaport, is the scene of a tense stand-off between the military and Baloch protesters demonstrating against alleged human rights violations.

Thousands of people led by the Baloch Unity Committee or BYC, an ethno-nationalistic rights movement, arrived in the southwestern city Saturday for a so-called Baloch National Gathering. They are demanding the recovery of victims of enforced disappearances and meaningful involvement in Chinese-funded projects in the resource-rich yet impoverished Balochistan province.

In a statement Monday, the Pakistani military said one of its personnel was killed when a violent mob in the garb of Baloch Raji Muchi [Baloch National Gathering] attacked security forces personnel. Pakistani military controls security in Gwadar.

The statement also said 16 other personnel were injured in unprovoked assaults by violent protesters and vowed, those responsible will be brought to justice.

In a video statement to media, BYC leader Mahrang Baloch said authorities have arrested nearly 1,000 protesters in the last three days in an effort to derail the protest movement.

On Sunday, Baloch and other activists addressed the crowd of protesters in Gwadar that had gathered despite attempts by authorities to block them. The event received virtually no coverage in mainstream media.

BYC later announced the protest would transform into a sit-in, vowing to remain until those prevented from coming to Gwadar to join the protest were given access and all the detained protesters were released.

Those who are trying to march, they are not letting them go. They are not letting them enter Gwadar, Sadia Baloch, a unity committee member not related to Mahrang Baloch, told VOA Monday from the provincial capital Quetta.

Inaugurated in 2016, the seaport in Gwadar is the flagship project of the multibillion-dollar China-Pakistan Economic Corridor. Known by its acronym CPEC, the project is central to Beijing's global Belt and Road Initiative.

Gwadar is being called a game-changer for Pakistan and China, so it was important to tell them and the international media that this land belongs to us, Sadia Baloch said. The crackdown shows Baloch are not allowed to enter Gwadar.

According to BYC, at least one person has died and several were injured as authorities continue to crack down on protesters in Gwadar. At least 14 people were injured in the town of Mastung on Saturday as they attempted to move towards Gwadar.

In many cities and towns, protesters blocked from moving forward also staged sit-ins.

Speaking Monday on the floor of the Provincial Assembly of Balochistan, Chief Minister Sarfraz Bugti accused the demonstrators of engaging in anti-state propaganda and spoiling efforts to bring more Chinese investment.

Bugti and BYC activists have said they are ready to negotiate.

Authorities have suspended internet and cellular services in and around Gwadar since at least Friday, making it difficult for media to ascertain facts independently and to speak to local officials. Amnesty International urged Pakistani authorities Sunday to end the communication blackout.

Late last year, BYC led a 1,600-kilometer march to Islamabad with families awaiting the return of their loved ones gone missing in the fight between the state and Baloch separatists. Protesters faced severe police action as they tried to enter the capital. Demonstrators, braving the cold for days, eventually left after authorities warned of an imminent security threat.

As Pakistan deals with a resurgent wave of terrorism lead by Islamist militants and Baloch separatists, the state is struggling to ensure Chinese personnel and projects remain safe.

On Monday, Pakistans Interior Minister Mohsin Naqvi apprised Zhao Shiren, China's Consul General in Lahore, of security measures Islamabad is taking to protect Chinese nationals in the country.
U.N. agencies warn that the demolition of a critical water facility in Rafah in the southern Gaza Strip increases the risk of infectious diseases as people are forced to drink unsafe water while sanitary conditions continue to deteriorate.

Until recently, that reservoir served thousands and thousands of internally displaced people who had sought refuge in Rafah in the area, James Elder, UNICEF spokesperson, told journalists at a briefing in Geneva on Tuesday.

Now without it, vulnerable children and families are likely to be forced again increasingly to resort to unsafe water, so putting them again at all those risks that we see time after time, day after day in Gaza  dehydration, malnutrition, diseases, he said.

The Israeli daily Haaretz reported Monday that the troops blew up the central reservoir on the orders of the brigade commanders but without receiving permission from the senior level of the Southern Command. It added that the incident was being investigated by Israels Military Police as a suspected violation of international law.

Infections spreading

Elder said the destruction of the Canada Well reservoir is yet another grim reminder of the assaults on families who already are in desperate need of water.

We have seen spikes in diarrhea, in skin infections  all due to a lack of access to hygiene and a lack of access to water, he said, noting that people in emergencies require a minimum of 15 liters (almost 4 gallons) of water per person per day.

Now, the range of water availability in Gaza has been reduced to between 2 and 9 liters per person, per day, and some people are getting just a fraction of that, Elder said.

Somehow, people are holding on, but of course, we are now in that deathly cycle whereby children are very malnourished. There is immense heat. There is [a] lack of water. There is a horrendous lack of sanitation, and that is the cycle, he said.

The World Health Organization reports a surge in infectious diseases in the Gaza Strip. As of July 7, it has recorded nearly 1 million cases of acute respiratory infections, 577,000 cases of acute watery diarrhea, 107,000 of acute jaundice syndrome and 12,000 of bloody diarrhea. It also has recorded nearly 200,000 cases of scabies, lice, skin rashes, chicken pox and other illnesses.

Polio threat

The recent identification of circulating vaccine-derived poliovirus type 2 in Gazas sewage system is of particular concern. Under prevailing conditions in Gaza, there is a high risk of spread of this paralytic, deadly disease within the Palestinian enclave and across borders.

Having a vaccine-derived polio virus in the sewage very likely means that it is out there somewhere in people, WHO spokesperson Christian Lindmeier said. It most likely is in the population, but that does not necessarily mean that we see an outbreak of cases.

But of course, we need to be prepared. We need to be utterly prepared. And we need vaccinations, and we need vaccination campaigns, he said.

WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebteyesus has announced that the organization will be sending more than 1 million doses of polio vaccine to Gaza to avert the spread of the disease.

While no cases of polio have been recorded yet, without immediate action, it is just a matter of time before it reaches the thousands of children who have been left unprotected, he said, adding that infants under 2 are especially vulnerable because many have not been vaccinated over the nine months of conflict.

Before Israel began its military offensive in Gaza following a brutal attack on Israel by Hamas militants on October 7, nearly the whole population of Gaza had been immunized against polio.

However, due to the impact of the conflict, coverage of polio now is around 89%, down from around 99% before the conflict, UNICEFs Elder said. Hence, there is an increased risk for children. Now, if the child gets the full course of the vaccine, then the risk of the child getting paralyzed by polio is negligible.

This is why it is so critical that all children are immunized. But the mass displacement, the decimation of the health infrastructure, the tremendously insecure operating environment  they all make it much more difficult, hence putting more children at risk, he said.

Cases of polio have declined by 99% since WHO launched its global polio eradication campaign in 1988.

WHO reports polio now is endemic only in Pakistan and Afghanistan. However, more than 30 countries, including Egypt and Israel, are subject to outbreaks. The reemergence of polio tends to occur in areas of conflict or instability and within countries with poor health systems.

We were very, very close to eradicating polio fully, WHO spokesperson Lindmeier said. As you know, wartime, unfortunately, creates the situation where it is very difficult to get that last mile. And it has been less than a mile that we needed to go.

There are a few pockets around the world. Hopefully, Gaza will not become another one, he said.
BAKU, Azerbaijan, July 30. First Deputy Minister of Defense  Chief of the General Staff of the Azerbaijan Army, Colonel General Karim Valiyev, and other high-ranking officers of the Ministry inspected the service and combat activities of Azerbaijan Air Force military units, Trend reports, referring to the Azerbaijani Defense Ministry.

Colonel General Valiyev met with flight and technical personnel of a military air base and inquired about the level of flight training of military aircraft, maneuverability capabilities, effective combat use of aircraft, and the condition of flight landing strips.

He also met with the cadets of the development course at the Training and Educational Center of the Air Force. The Chief of the General Staff gave relevant tasks on further improvement of combat training, professional level of servicemen, and practical mastery of modern weapons and equipment in the armament.
A 9-year-old girl wounded in a stabbing attack at a Taylor Swift-themed dance and yoga class in northwestern England died Tuesday, bringing the death toll to three, as police questioned a 17-year-old suspect arrested minutes after the rampage.

The girl was identified as Alice Aguiar by Portuguese Secretary of State for Communities Jose Cesario. He said her family, who were originally from the Madeira region, were in a state of shock.

Merseyside Police said the other fatalities were girls ages 6 and 7.

Eight children and two adults remain hospitalized after the attack in Southport. Both adults and five of the children are in critical condition.

Swift said she was "completely in shock" and still taking in "the horror" of the event.

"These were just little kids at a dance class," she wrote on Instagram. "I am at a complete loss for how to ever convey my sympathies to these families."

A 17-year-old boy was arrested on suspicion of murder and attempted murder.

Local people left flowers and stuffed animals in tribute at a police cordon on the street lined with brick houses in the seaside resort near Liverpool  nicknamed "sunny Southport"  whose beach and pier attract vacationers from across northwest England.

Witnesses described scenes "from a horror movie" as bloodied children ran from the attack just before noon on Monday. The suspect was arrested soon after on suspicion of murder and attempted murder. Police said he was born in Cardiff, Wales, and had lived for years in a village about 5 kilometers (3 miles) from Southport. He has not yet been charged.

Police said detectives are not treating Monday's attack as terror-related and they are not looking for any other suspects.

"We believe the adults who were injured were bravely trying to protect the children who were being attacked," Merseyside Police Chief Constable Serena Kennedy said.

People posted online tributes and messages of support for teacher Leanne Lucas, the organizer of the event, who was one of those attacked.

A group of Swift's U.K. fans calling themselves "Swifties for Southport" launched an online fundraiser to help families of the victims. It raised over 100,000 pounds ($129,000) within 24 hours.

The rampage is the latest shocking attack in a country where a recent rise in knife crime has stoked anxieties and led to calls for the government to do more to clamp down on bladed weapons, which are by far the most used instruments in U.K. homicides.

Children ages 6 to 11

Witnesses described hearing screams and seeing children covered in blood emerging from the Hart Space, a community center that hosts events ranging from pregnancy workshops and meditation sessions to women's boot camps.

The Swift-themed yoga and dance workshop was a summer vacation activity for children ages about 6 to 11.

"They were in the road, running from the nursery," said Bare Varathan, who owns a shop nearby. "They had been stabbed, here, here, here, everywhere," he said, indicating the neck, back and chest.

Richard Townes, a children's entertainer from Southport, said parents in texting groups are terrified now to send their children to summer programs.

"I have a 5-year-old daughter who could have just as easily been at the class," Townes said. "I feel helpless and like I can't do anything."

Official condolences

Prime Minister Keir Starmer called the attack "horrendous and deeply shocking." King Charles III sent his "condolences, prayers and deepest sympathies" to those affected by the "utterly horrific incident."

Prince William and his wife, Catherine, said that "as parents, we cannot begin to imagine what the families, friends and loved ones of those killed and injured in Southport today are going through."

Colin Parry, who owns a nearby auto body shop, told The Guardian that the suspect arrived by taxi.

"He came down our driveway in a taxi and didn't pay for the taxi, so I confronted him at that point," Parry was quoted as saying. "He was quite aggressive, he said, 'What are you gonna do about it?'"

Parry said most of the victims appeared to be young girls.

"The mothers are coming here now and screaming," Parry said. "It is like a scene from a horror movie. ... It's like something from America, not like sunny Southport."

Britain's worst attack on children occurred in 1996, when 43-year-old Thomas Hamilton shot 16 kindergartners and their teacher dead in a school gymnasium in Dunblane, Scotland. The U.K. subsequently banned the private ownership of almost all handguns.

Mass shootings and killings with firearms are rare in Britain, where knives were used in about 40% of homicides in the year to March 2023.

Other mass stabbings

Although mass stabbings are also rare, several in recent years have generated fear and outrage and received a tremendous amount of attention.

In London in April, a man with a sword killed a 14-year-old boy walking to school and seriously injured four other people, including two police officers.

In Nottingham in central England in June 2022, a paranoid schizophrenic man fatally stabbed two college students walking home from celebrating the end of the school year and then killed a 65-year-old man, stole his van and used it to hit three pedestrians.

In Reading, west of London, in June 2020, a failed Libyan asylum seeker fatally stabbed three men and wounded three others.
A potential meeting between Chinese and Ukrainian leaders comes to the forefront as Ukraine on Tuesday invited the Chinese foreign minister for bilateral talks.

The invitation comes after Ukrainian Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba went to China last week, the first such visit since Russias full-blown invasion of Ukraine in 2022.

"We are ready to welcome Minister Wang Yi in Ukraine to see first-hand the consequences of the Russian aggression against our country and hold deeper bilateral talks with him on a number of bilateral, regional and international issues," Ukrainian foreign ministry spokesman Heorhii Tykhyi said at a press briefing in Kyiv Tuesday.

China has expressed interest in visiting, according to Ukraine.

China has presented a neutral stance on the war between Russia and Ukraine, while maintaining ties with Russia and helping the country to keep its economy afloat.

The invitation from Ukraine comes as Russia announced that it captured an additional Ukrainian village on Tuesday. Russia describes the village as liberated, being one in a series of villages captured by the country in recent weeks.

The country also began large-scale military drills on Tuesday, with more than 300 combat exercises reported to take place. Some 20,000 military personnel, 300 ships and 50 aircraft are scheduled to participate in the drills.

"The main purposes of the exercises is to test the actions of the navy's military command at all levels, as well as the readiness of the ships' crews, naval aviation units and naval coastal troops," Russias Defense Ministry said.

Officials in Russias Kursk region said Tuesday that crews extinguished a fire at an oil depot that was hit by a Ukrainian drone attack two days earlier.

Kursk Governor Alexei Smirnov said on Telegram that the attack set several fuel tanks on fire and that nobody was injured.

In fresh attacks Tuesday, Ukrainian aerial drones targeted multiple areas in the Belgorod region of Russia, located along the border with Ukraine.

The drones struck two villages, damaging several homes and an agricultural business, according to a post on Telegram from Belgorod Governor Vyacheslav Gladkov.

Ukraines military said Tuesday its air defenses shot down seven Russian reconnaissance drones during the past day.

In Ukraines northeastern region of Kharkiv, Russian shelling injured one person early Tuesday, local officials said.

Russian shelling also injured one person and damaged several houses in the Kherson region in southern Ukraine, according to the regional governor.

Some information for this story was provided by Agence France-Presse and Reuters.
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Russias Defense Ministry has falsely claimed that its air force fighter jets prevented two American strategic bombers from entering Russian airspace in the Arctic. The two B-52 Stratofortress long-range bombers were actually en route to an airbase near the Black Sea coast in Romania.
A lengthy trailer for a new Taiwanese TV series about China invading Taiwan is stirring up emotions and debate both on the self-ruled island and among Chinese.

The show "Zero Day" tells the story of a Chinese anti-submarine aircraft flying into the waters southeast of Taiwan and disappearing in the lead up to Taiwans presidential election, giving China an excuse to blockade Taiwan and then launch an invasion.

The 17-minute trailer released July 23 has racked up more than 800,000 views and depicts increasing tensions with a seven-day countdown before Chinas invasion. It shows psychological and cognitive warfare as Beijing hacks Taiwans communications and replaces them with the Chinese Communist Partys propaganda.

The TV series has 10 episodes of independent stories, has been filming since March, and is expected to be completed by the end of November for broadcast next year.

Hsin-mei Cheng, the production manager of "Zero Day," tells VOA its not just an action show meant to entertain. She says Zero Day aims to raise Taiwanese people's awareness of the threats already coming from Beijing.

"Our definition of war is information and espionage warfare, the so-called infiltration war. It's actually talking about red infiltration. Our creators think the war (in the Taiwan Strait) has actually begun, and it exists around our lives in various ways."

Beijing considers Taiwan a breakaway province that must one day reunite with the mainland, by force if necessary. China steps up military rhetoric, exercises, and monitoring around Taiwan in the lead up to politically sensitive events, such as its presidential elections.

After watching the trailer, James Liu, a Taipei citizen, had mixed feelings about the extremely pessimistic and tragic situations the show illustrates.

He says a scene where a Taiwanese social media influencer calls for Taiwan to surrender before the invasion rather than fight their own people seemed real.

"People who may not usually think about (China's infiltration) should start thinking about it, says Liu, at least (strengthening) psychological defense or have an understanding of information warfare, which would be helpful."

Kung-yu Chen, a landscape designer in Taiwans central city of Taichung, says the trailer shows what he would expect if war broke out, including the chaos at the grassroots level and some people's immediate surrender and collaboration.

He notes many high-ranking officials and influential people in Taiwan have sent their children abroad to study, and wonders if party and government leaders would hold on to the last moment as shown in the trailer if war breaks out.

"Patriotism may be talked about by people who can't run away because they can only stay, and only then will they be deified for persisting until the last moment, he says. Those with the ability and dual nationality have run away in advance."

But the trailer also shows a Taiwanese son choosing to stay and fight as his parents join others in fleeing the island before the invasion.

Other Taiwanese disagree with how the shows trailer depicts what would happen if China invaded.

Chien-yu Chen, a retailer of car accessories in Taiwans southwestern coastal city of Tainan, says the possible actions by China against Taiwan were too smooth and there was no counteraction shown from Taipei.

"Whoever chooses to watch the show has already chosen a certain political stance, he says. I don't think it's to strengthen (the sense of defense). I think it's more like a patriotic propaganda show."

The Zero Day trailer also attracted online criticism from the other side of the Taiwan Strait.

"In the plot, they tried their best to smear the mainland, saying that we deliberately blew up our own anti-submarine aircraft as a reason for going to war," posted a Chinese military blogger under the name "Foreign Affairs Pioneer Zhang Zhidong."

Nationalist Chinese commenters said the show was full of people who support Taiwans independence and boasted if war really starts, they would not give Taiwan so much time.

A commenter under the name "boomxwk" from Guangdong posted on social media, "It will take seven days to take over Taiwan and also have the Smurfs (soldiers in blue camouflage uniforms) land on the island? Do you understand the value of drones?"

Despite some Chinese netizens finding ways to watch the trailer inside China, when Zero Day is released next year, the show will have to get past Chinas internet censorship machine, known as the Great Firewall, to reach a larger Chinese audience.

Beijings censors have an unspoken zero tolerance policy for any content on Taiwan that depicts China as the aggressor.

Adrianna Zhang contributed to this report.
The Taliban on Tuesday disavowed many Afghan diplomatic missions overseas, saying it will not honor passports, visas and other documents issued by diplomats associated with Afghanistan's former Western-backed administration.

It's the Taliban's latest attempt to seize control of diplomatic missions since returning to power in 2021. Many Taliban leaders are under sanctions, and no country recognizes them as Afghanistan's legitimate rulers.

The country's seat at the United Nations is still held by the former government that was led by Ashraf Ghani, but the Taliban wants it.

In a statement posted to social media platform X, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs said that documents issued by missions in London, Berlin, Belgium, Bonn, Switzerland, Austria, France, Italy, Greece, Poland, Australia, Sweden, Canada and Norway are no longer accepted and that the ministry "bears no responsibility" for those documents.

The documents affected include passports, visa stickers, deeds and endorsements.

The ministry wrote that people in those countries will need to approach embassies and consulates controlled by the Taliban's Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan government instead. "All Afghan nationals living abroad and foreigners can visit the IEA political and consular missions in other countries, other than the above-mentioned missions, to access consular services," it said.

The Taliban did not immediately respond to questions.

One Afghan national living in London, Asad Mobariz, expressed disappointment and frustration with the decision. The master's student called it unfair and impractical to expect Afghans in affected countries to travel abroad for consular services.

"This decision disregards our needs and places an undue burden on us," he told The Associated Press. "These services are crucial for my ability to travel, work and maintain my legal status in the U.K."

The decision would create immense hardship for the Afghan population in Europe and lead to increased financial strain and potential legal issues for those unable to access consular services locally, he said.

Another Afghan national, Adnan Najibi, who lives in Germany, said discrediting embassies was unlikely to benefit the Taliban.

"I live in a small town with a relatively low population; however, I still see that there are hundreds of Afghans living here," Najibi said. "If someone previously obtained an Afghan passport, marriage certificate or any other document in a day, it may now take weeks or even longer."

In March 2023, the Taliban said they were trying to take charge of more Afghan embassies abroad. Their chief spokesperson, Zabihullah Mujahid, said the administration had sent diplomats to at least 14 countries.

The new developments mean the closest available Afghan embassies for people in Europe are likely to be in Spain and the Netherlands. In October, those two countries said they were working with Taliban authorities in Kabul after the Taliban suspended consular services at the embassies in London and Vienna over their "lack of transparency and cooperation."

Some countries retain an active diplomatic mission in Afghanistan, including Pakistan and China.

Michael Kugelman, director of the Wilson Center's South Asia Institute, said the Taliban were confident and emboldened, buoyed by the informal recognition they have received from many countries.

They appeared to be working to force Afghans to engage with the Taliban instead of with diplomats loyal to the former administration, he said.

"It's about giving the Taliban more diplomatic clout abroad and consigning the pre-Taliban holdouts to irrelevance. The fact that many of these missions aren't very active anyway makes Taliban efforts easier to pull off. It's like pushing on a door that's already open," Kugelman said.

The Taliban have received informal recognition through bilateral ties with countries such as Russia, China, Iran and Pakistan, including high-level meetings with those countries. This past month, the Taliban were the Afghan representatives at United Nations-hosted talks on Afghanistan in Doha, although the U.N. stressed that this did not amount to official recognition.

UN mission closed

Also on Tuesday, the U.N. mission in Afghanistan said local intelligence officials in May forcibly closed the office of a women-led nongovernmental group for allowing some of its female employees to physically report to work.

The NGO was allowed to reopen days later after signing a letter saying it would not allow women employees to come to the office, according to the mission's latest report on human rights in Afghanistan. The report did not disclose the location for "protection reasons."

Restrictions on women and girls are a major obstacle to the Taliban gaining official recognition as the country's legitimate government. They have stopped female education beyond grade six and banned women from many jobs and most public spaces.

The Taliban were not immediately available for comment on the report.
Special envoys from Turkey and Armenia convened at the countries shared border on Tuesday to resume discussions aimed at normalizing ties between the historic foes.

Turkey and Armenia have no formal relations, and their border has been closed since the 1990s. They agreed in late 2021 to improve relations and appointed special envoys to discuss ways toward reconciliation and the opening of the border.

Turkish Ambassador Serdar Kilic and his counterpart, Armenian parliament Deputy Speaker Ruben Rubinyan, met at the Alican-Margara border crossing, Turkeys Foreign Ministry said. It marked their fifth meeting since the launch of reconciliation efforts.

The Turkish ministry statement said the envoys agreed to streamline visa procedures for holders of diplomatic or official passports and to evaluate the technical requirements for operating a railway border gate.

They also reemphasized their agreement to continue the normalization process without any preconditions, the ministry said.

Turkey shut its border with Armenia in 1993, in a show of solidarity with close ally Azerbaijan, which was locked in a conflict with Armenia over the Nagorno-Karabakh region.

In 2020, Turkey strongly backed Azerbaijan in its six-week conflict with Armenia over Nagorno-Karabakh, which ended with a Russia-brokered peace deal that saw Azerbaijan gain control of a significant part of the region. Azerbaijan used Turkish military equipment, including combat drones, in the conflict.

Turkey and Armenia also have a long and bitter relationship over the deaths of an estimated 1.5 million Armenians in massacres, deportations and forced marches that began in 1915 in Ottoman Turkey.

Historians widely view the event as genocide. Turkey vehemently rejects the label, conceding that many died in that era but insisting that the death toll is inflated and that the deaths resulted from civil unrest.

HaberTurk television said the two envoys on Tuesday exchanged handshakes at the border before visiting the Turkish and Armenian sides of the frontier.

Kilic and Rubinyan met in Moscow in January 2022, followed by three meetings in Vienna that same year.

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan and Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan held their first face-to-face meeting in 2022 on the sidelines of a European Political Community meeting in Prague.

Last year, Pashinyan traveled to Ankara to attend Erdogans inauguration following an election victory.

This is Ankara and Yerevans second attempt at reconciliation. Turkey and Armenia reached an agreement in 2009 to establish formal relations and open their border, but the agreement was never ratified.

The border gate was briefly opened in 2023 to allow in aid after a devastating earthquake hit parts of southern Turkey and northern Syria.
The U.S. Senate passed major online child safety reforms in a nearly unanimous vote on Tuesday, although the legislation, which has drawn mixed reactions from the tech industry, faces an uncertain fate in the House of Representatives.

Two bills  the Children and Teens' Online Privacy Protection Act and the Kids Online Safety Act, nicknamed COPPA 2.0 and KOSA  would need to pass in the Republican-controlled House, currently on recess until September, to become law.

The Senate approved the bills in a rare bipartisan 91-3 vote.

COPPA 2.0 would ban targeted advertising to minors and data collection without their consent, and give parents and kids the option to delete their information from social media platforms.

"Kids are not your product, kids are not your profit source, and we are going to protect them in the virtual space," Senator Marsha Blackburn, a Republican cosponsor of KOSA, said in a press conference after Tuesday's vote.

Maurine Molak, cofounder of ParentsSOS, a group of parents who said their children's deaths were linked to social media, called the vote a "historic and emotional milestone for myself and for all parents who have fought tirelessly to protect our children."

Top U.S. social media platforms made an estimated $11 billion in advertising revenue from users younger than 18 in 2022, according to a Harvard study published last year.

KOSA would make explicit a "duty of care" that social media companies have when it comes to minors using their products, focusing on design of the platforms and regulation of the companies.

Executives at social media sites Snap SNAP.N and X said at a congressional hearing in January that they supported KOSA, while Facebook and Instagram owner Meta Platforms META.O CEO Mark Zuckerberg and TikTok CEO Shou Zi Chew said they disagreed with parts of it.

Critics remain

Tech industry groups and the American Civil Liberties Union have criticized the bill, saying that differing interpretations of harmful content could result in minors losing access to content related to vaccines, abortion or LGBTQ issues.

Senators amended the language of the bill in response to such concerns earlier this year, in part by limiting the enforcement responsibility of states' attorneys general.

However even after the changes, critics remained.

"They made improvements, but not enough," Senator Ron Wyden, a Democrat, told reporters on Monday night. "I still think it is going to harm a lot of LGBTQ kids because of the way it's going to make it difficult for them to get information."

He was one of the three votes against the bill on Tuesday.

Information Technology and Innovation Foundation, a think tank that receives funding from Meta, Google GOOGL.O and other major technology companies, called the bills flawed. KOSA would open the door to censorship and COPPA 2.0 would cut off revenue for services aimed at teens, the group said.

"This country needs children's online safety and privacy legislation that strikes the right balance between protecting consumers without infringing on their free speech rights or stifling innovation," ITIF Senior Policy Manager Ash Johnson said.
William L. Calley, Jr., a U.S. Army officer convicted of murder in connection with the deaths of several hundred unarmed residents in a small, rural village during the Vietnam War, has died at the age of 80.

Calley died on April 28 at a residential end-of-life facility in the southern city of Gainesville, Florida. His death was reported by The New York Times and Washington Post based on information from public records.

Calley was a young junior lieutenant when in March 1968 he led a small platoon into My Lai 4, a hamlet located along the central coast of what was then South Vietnam. He had orders to find and kill members of the Viet Cong, the military arm of North Vietnam that often carried out surprise attacks on U.S. and South Vietnamese forces.



Despite finding no Viet Cong soldiers, the platoon went on a killing spree, shooting several hundred women, children and elderly men. Some women and young girls were gang raped and shot, while the soldiers either shot or stabbed infants and children using the fixed spears on their rifles before burning down the village.

The incident was not revealed publicly in the U.S. for more than a year before information provided by other soldiers led the Army to charge Calley and other personnel involved in the massacre, including at least one general who was charged with covering up the incident.



Calley was court-martialed and convicted of murder in 1971 and was initially sentenced to life in prison. He only spent a few days in jail before President Richard Nixon ordered him to be transferred to house arrest. His sentence was eventually reduced to 10 years in prison before he was freed on bail and granted parole in 1974.

The U.S. military says 347 villagers were killed that day, while Vietnam estimates the death toll at 504. Calley was the only person convicted in the My Lai massacre, with other defendants either acquitted or their charges dropped before facing court-martial.

Calley spent several years living in anonymity in the southern state of Georgia working at a jewelry store operated by his father-in-law. After years of silence, he expressed remorse about his role in the My Lai massacre during an appearance before a local civic group in 2009.

There is not a day that goes by that I do not feel remorse for what happened that day in My Lai, Calley told the audience. I feel remorse for the Vietnamese who were killed, for their families, for the American soldiers involved and their families. I am very sorry.
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Vice President Constantino Chiwenga was among hundreds of people who attended the Southern African Development Community Investment Conference in Harare on Monday ahead of the SADC Summit. (Video: VOA)
NAIROBI, Kenya 

When Benson Wanjala started farming in his western Kenya village two and a half decades ago, his 10-acre farm could produce a bountiful harvest of 200 bags of maize. That has dwindled to 30. He says his once fertile soil has become a nearly lifeless field that no longer earns him a living.

Like many other farmers, he blames acidifying fertilizers pushed in Kenya and other African countries in recent years. He said he started using the fertilizers to boost his yield and it worked  until it didn't. Kenya's government first introduced a fertilizer subsidy in 2008, making chemical fertilizers more accessible for smaller-scale farmers.

About 63% of arable land in Kenya is now acidic, according to the agriculture ministry, which has been recording a decline in the production of staples such as maize and leading exports of horticulture and tea. The production of maize declined by 4% to 44 million tons in 2022, according to the Food and Agriculture Organization, which didn't say why.

The agriculture ministry didn't respond to questions, especially after a scandal over fake fertilizer in April. The fertilizer was found to be quarry dirt in misleadingly labeled bags that were distributed to farmers through a national subsidy program. President William Ruto said about 7,000 farmers bought the fake fertilizer and would be compensated with the correct product.

Problems with soil health are growing as the African continent struggles to feed itself. Africa has 65% of the world's remaining uncultivated arable land but has spent about $60 billion annually to import food, according to the African Development Bank. The spending is estimated to jump to $110 billion by 2025 due to increased demand and changing consumption habits.

In May, Kenya hosted an Africa-wide soil health summit to discuss declining production, climate change and other issues that have increased food security concerns. Agriculture is a key part of the economy in Kenya, making up more than a quarter of the GDP.

At the summit, Stephen Muchiri, executive director of the Eastern Africa Farmers Federation, advocated for a return to traditional farming practices to replenish lifeless soils, including planting a variety of crops and doing as little as possible to disturb the land.

"Inorganic fertilizers were never meant to be the foundation of crop production," he said, later adding that because of "commercially inclined farming, our soils are now poor, acidic, and low in biomass resources, and without life!"

He said farmers should rotate crops on their land and source compost material from livestock such as goats: "There must be some kind of transition and adaptation for our soils to revert back to fertility."

Experts say soil acidity causes land degradation by decreasing the availability of plant and essential nutrients, making soil more vulnerable to structure decline and erosion.

The program coordinator for the Alliance for Food Sovereignty in Africa, Bridget Mugambe, advised the phasing out of chemical fertilizers.

"Soil health goes beyond the quick fixes provided by chemical fertilizers. In fact, chemical fertilizers have extensively damaged our soils in Africa. We need to think of our soils in a more holistic way," she said.

The soil health summit by the African Union  which in 2006 recommended that members use more chemical fertilizers  adopted a 10-year plan that calls for increased investment to produce both organic and chemical fertilizers locally and triple their use for increased production.

During the summit, AU Commissioner for Agriculture Josefa Leonel Correia Sacko asserted that the continent was "losing over $4 billion worth of soil nutrients each year."

Kenya heavily relies on imported fertilizer due to low local production. The main supplier is the European Union, followed by Saudi Arabia and Russia.

The Alliance for a Green Revolution in Africa's Kenya manager, John Macharia, said Kenya's recent fertilizer scandal should not discourage farmers.

"It's still imperative that we are able to work with the government to actually ensure that we have the right fertilizers coming to our stores," Macharia said. He recommended both chemical and organic ones as long as they address the specific issue in the soil, and said soil analysis would guide farmers.

Declining soil quality is a food security concern across Africa.

In Zimbabwe, once a regional breadbasket, about 70% of soils are acidic, according to the government. The government in the past introduced chemical fertilizers in an attempt to strengthen soils, but wrong usage caused a decline in organic matter.

"Before the introduction of mineral fertilizers, our forefathers had the knowledge and understanding that if you add organic manure, the soil becomes fertile, and crops perform better," said Wonder Ngezimana, a crop science associate professor at Zimbabwe's Marondera University of Agricultural Sciences and Technology. "That has been a traditional norm in Zimbabwe and elsewhere in Africa where people scavenge for any kind of organic matter to add to the soil."

That includes animal manure, grass, leaves and twigs, crop residue, ash and compost. But many farmers in Zimbabwe no longer have cattle because of recent drought, Ngezimana said: "Farmers are struggling to maintain soil health because they can't generate enough quantities of organic matter."

AGRA recommended that farmers test their soil's acidity and apply lime to reverse high acidity.

But farmers say both are limited and costly. Soil testing services are available in government agricultural agencies, public universities and private organizations at prices ranging from $20 to $40.

Wanjala, the farmer, said he cannot even find the money cattle for manure, and barely for seeds.

"I cannot afford more expenses," he said.
BAKU, Azerbaijan, July 30. Baku welcomes US efforts to promote further progress in Azerbaijani-Armenian normalization, the Representative of the President of the Republic of Azerbaijan for Special Assignments Elchin Amirbayov said at an online seminar at the Hudson Institute in Washington, Trend reports.

The US has always played an important role in promoting stability and good neighborly relations in the broader Caspian region, including the South Caucasus. We have always appreciated the unwavering US support for Azerbaijan's political independence, sovereignty, and territorial integrity. We have cooperated very actively in several areas for more than three decades, he said.

Amirbayov recalled that Azerbaijan and the US have a long and very productive cooperation in the field of energy.

We are also solving major regional and international security problems together. Azerbaijani soldiers fought shoulder to shoulder with Americans in such flashpoints as Afghanistan, and Iraq, and we were the last to leave Kabul airport. So we have shown over the decades that we are and can be considered reliable partners with the United States. So it is in the interest of the United States, which also has good relations with Armenia, that these two countries in the seemingly remote geographic region of the South Caucasus finally overcome their conflict and usher in a new era of prosperity, stability, and development in that region. We welcome the efforts of the US to facilitate further progress, he added.

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European nations and the U.S. accuse Russia of sabotaging military, civilian infrastructures! 2 Brits charged for assisting Russian forces; suspected in the Ukrainian-linked arson case. Ukrainians unsettled by this threat #RussiaSabotage
This season is finally reaching a fever pitch, and Im shocked its over actual job duties and not Joe making out with both stews. Somewhere on a sailing yacht, Gary is furiously taking notes like How does this guy get away with it? Its not quite a Red Sowing like this week on House of the Dragon, as the only person we lost was Gaels boyfriend. But a lot happened in this episode, sowing the seeds for potential departures to come.

Speaking of departures, its the last day of the charter for our unmemorable guests from Charleston. The Mustique prepares to leave Hydra to return to Athens. In a moment of deja vu without the vu, Iain doesnt see the port guys onshore to toss lines to. He explains he didnt want to wait too long to answer on the radio. This hastiness leads him to not see the starboard line in the water, so Sandy has to correct him again; she doesnt want any lines in the water while shes moving the boat. Now Iain feels as though hell get in trouble for everything, which is reminiscent of the logic of a teenager who thinks everyones yelling at them when theyre not even raising their voice. Gael has his lack of accountability pegged, noting that he always points the finger at someone else. Sandy is annoyed, so she calls him to the bridge for a talk. Iain still doesnt think hes doing anything wrong, but he seems tired. I could see him bowing out himself and pulling a You cant fire me if I quit.

When the guests leave, the primary, Kasie, shouts-out each of the stews by name, possibly just to show off that she learned them. They leave a nice $22,000 tip. Im not sure why I feel obligated to include these numbers in recaps, because it really only matters when its low. If any readers have the skills to make a spreadsheet of all past tips and run some z-tests, I would love to know if theres an actual correlation between tip and service quality.

While the crew gets ready for a night out, Aesha sees a club having a white party (in what looked like a disturbing close-up of a pube stuck to her fingernail?) and corrals everyone to dress accordingly. Ellie, usually overeager for a theme, must not have a seductive enough white outfit because she goes with a sparkly beige dress. At dinner, she shows Joe an incredible photo she just posted of herself. This man will say anything to get with her: First, he says her dress is white, then he fawns over her cringey selfie. He asks if he can put it in his wank bank, and she nonchalantly agrees. I have to pause the TV and take a walk around the block to recover from this interaction. Bri responds to it by ordering a whole bottle of wine for herself. Iain is not drinking tonight and orders a chocolate milkshake. Both are iconic behaviors.

Joe says he was looking at the comments men post on Ellies Instagram, and I realize this may be where he got the inspiration to go vulgar. Shes like, You should see the DMs. The two sit across the table from Bri but act like theyre on their own date. Does Ellie like cats or dogs? Shes a rabbit person. Bri says she had a bunny, too, but shes got no chance  Ellies rubbing Joes back, staking her claim.

Its an eventful dinner as Gael receives a breakup text and is clearly upset. Nathan tries not to appear too pleased, practically frothing at the mouth. Aesha goes off with Gael to comfort her. Gael feels like she gave it everything, sending a message every morning and night. Two texts a day is far from everything, but I can see how his anxious attachment style was too much. They return to the table, and she tells Nathan that her boyfriend noticed she couldnt say I love you anymore. Thats a lot to put on a rebound, but hes keen.

After dinner, Iain goes back to the boat, opting out of dancing. He wants to do better and avoid a hangover. This is a great choice but also likely influenced by the fact that none of the girls are into him. At the club, Ellie and Joe dance all over each other, and it becomes a make-out. Bri says she isnt jealous but is annoyed its right in front of her. Im annoyed that the club doesnt seem to be enforcing the white dress code.

In the cars back by the boat, Ellie and Joe make out in one back seat, while Gael and Nathan cuddle in the other. Poor Jono, Bri, and Aesha. If I were Bri, I would choose the other car. On the boat, Bri is snippy toward Joe. He thinks she hates him now, but hes a little too smug about it for my taste. Nathan and Gael cuddle on a deck couch and seemingly kiss, but we cant see much from the camera angle. After seeing the mess with Joe, theyre wise to keep things between the two of them.

In the morning, Bri tells Ellie shes not mad; she just asks that they dont flaunt it in front of her. Their bubbling animosity could overflow the washing machines. When Aesha asks Bri about the laundry burn book, Bri goes straight for the kill, explaining that she thought Ellie was hiding laundry. This remains unresolved, and more laundry errors arise. Sandy wants to invest in Bri, but she doesnt really listen when Bri starts trying to play detective about a pair of white pants. Aesha tells Bri that if she keeps making these mistakes, shell have to consider letting her go. Bri understands yet tears up because she feels like half the time shes blamed for things that arent her fault. Bris tear ducts are working overtime since the laundry issues continue: Now Gaels black pants are missing. Ellie ironed them and says she put them in her pile yesterday. Ellie: Thank God everythings recorded  Youll see the pants were here. I love when we get an acknowledgment of the cameras, and they do roll the tape, but I cant tell if she hung them up or put them behind the hanging clothes. This evidence is inconclusive, though we can file another exhibit: Jono comes into the crew mess with pants that arent his, and it turns out Ellie erroneously wrote his name in the tag. Bri should add it to the notebook.

The conflict is quickly moving beyond laundry and into the interpersonal. Ellie  or Elle, as Joe calls her  feels that Bri is making the other crew members think shes a bad person. Ellie apologizes to Bri for losing her patience but thinks Bris meltdowns are affecting others. Ill concede that Bri is a crybaby, but affecting others seems to actually mean I dont want others to know Im the one making you cry.

The tears are flowing today as Gael calls her boyfriend and officially ends it. She didnt feel supported, is sorry this is how it went down, and wishes him all the happiness in the world. Aesha comforts Gael by acting as a human weighted blanket. (Their friendship is a rare bright spot.) Elsewhere, the preference-sheet meeting warns of more dark seas ahead. The primary doesnt like seafood and vegetables, while her friends dont like eggs and meat. Itll be a challenge for Jono and the stews; the guests fire off specific drink orders soon after they arrive. This group of ladies already has more personality than the last bunch. Ellie makes a mojito that looks suspiciously orange, and they say it doesnt taste like a mojito, so she adds more Bacardi. Im surprised they dont have nicer rum.

Things go smoothly for the deck crew leaving the port, though Iains true saving grace for not being top of the firing list is Bri and Ellies hatred of each other. Aesha is worried Bri is on the verge of a mental breakdown and feels like shes failing them as a chief stew because she doesnt have the answers. Sandy spots Bri crying on her break and asks whats up. Bri admits shes struggling with Ellie but still wants to work and isnt a quitter. Sandy asks what specifically is making her so upset that shes crying. Bri feels as though she cant stand up for herself, and Sandy volunteers to get involved. Bri says no, so Sandy counsels her to take control of her emotions and shake it off.

Bri comes off break to swap with Ellie and learns the second stew set the table for lunch but didnt clean the guest cabins. Bri takes Sandys advice to stand up for herself, calling Ellie out for not prioritizing the cabins. She feels that Ellie did it on purpose and asks Ellie to leave her alone. While Bri starts cleaning, Ellie wont leave. She pulls rank and repeats, You dont get to speak to me like this. She goes full-on angry-mom mode, trying to get Bri to stop wiping and saying, I expect an apology when I come back. Ellie frames this as another Bri meltdown. Its giving A Streetcar Named Desire with Ellie trying to commit Bri.

Sandy hears Bri crying again, but Bri professionally says theyll talk about it later because she cant be crying in front of the guests, who are on their way back from shopping in Poros with Aesha. As the only stew on duty, Bri has Sandy give the welcome-back towels so she can get the prosecco. Bri fills Aesha in, and the chief stew agrees that Ellie shouldve prioritized the cabins. Aesha asks for Ellies side of the story, and Ellie claims Bri berated her. Her voice wavers as she says her underling has been getting away with bad behavior. Aesha finds them both convincing, so she cant tell what the truth is and asks Sandy to step in. Sandy tells the girls that if they cant work together, she cant let only one of them go; shed have to let both go. The captain wants them to fix it and continue to do their job. Bri doesnt think they can do that because she feels like Ellie doesnt have her back. Ellie stutters, and Bri fights back, interrupting, which Sandy doesnt like, finding it mean. She paraphrases Beyonce: Everyone here is replaceable.
A statue of Brigham Young in Salt Lake City, Utah. Photo: George Frey/Getty Images

The Mormon mom seggs scandal that took over TikTok is getting a Hulu docuseries titled The Secret Lives of Mormon Wives this Fall. The synopsis reads: The scandalous world of a group of Mormon mom influencers implodes when they get caught in the midst of a swinging sex scandal that makes international headlines. Now, their sisterhood is shook to its core. Faith, friendship and reputations are all on the line. As a refresher, in 2022, Mormon MomTok broke into the mainstream when influencer Taylor Frankie Paul announced that she and her husband were splitting up. She claimed that their relationship fell apart after she broke the golden rule in their soft swinging friend group, which was made up of other Mormon TikTokers, where you cannot hook up with someone elses spouse in private. The other members quickly denied the claims that they were swingers, which, according to their comments section, no one believed.

All six episodes will be available on Hulu on September 6, just in time for Christian Girl Autumn. But when will more important parts of Mormon culture, like those specialty soda shops, get in the spotlight?
BAKU, Azerbaijan, July 30. Azerbaijan is not confident in the sincerity of the Armenian authorities regarding their renunciation of territorial claims, the representative of the President of the Republic of Azerbaijan for Special Assignments Elchin Amirbayov said at an online seminar at the Hudson Institute in Washington, Trend reports.

The main reason for the longstanding confrontation between Armenia and Azerbaijan is Yerevan's territorial claims to Azerbaijan, which are enshrined in its constitution.

Therefore, without resolving this existential threat to Azerbaijan's security, it would be naive to think that this peace can be reliable, durable, and irreversible. Unfortunately, we are still not sure of the sincerity of the Armenian authorities whenever they say that they have renounced their territorial claims to Azerbaijan because there is a clear contradiction between their official public rhetoric and the existing situation with the constitutional and legal framework. Therefore, this contradiction must be resolved to pave the way for a possible peace, he said.
BAKU, Azerbaijan, July 30. The improvement of relations between Armenia and Turkiye is very closely linked to the progress that can be made between Armenia and Azerbaijan, the representative of the President of the Republic of Azerbaijan for Special Assignments Elchin Amirbayov said at an online seminar at Washington's Hudson Institute, Trend reports.

As official Baku has repeatedly stated, I think our approach to solving all the remaining difficulties, problems, and challenges in the region is quite holistic. Therefore, I think our Turkish friends also realize that the improvement of relations between Armenia and Turkiye is very closely linked to the progress that can be made between Armenia and Azerbaijan. The borders were closed in 1993 due to Armenian aggression and occupation

I think we are on the same wavelength with our Turkish friends because they also realize that the issue of territorial claims in the South Caucasus region needs to be resolved immediately and any steps that could complicate the already very fragile atmosphere around the peace process should be avoided, he said.

To note, the V meeting of the Special Representatives for Normalization of Relations between the two countries, Ruben Rubinyan and Sardar Klc was held today on the Armenian-Turkish border. They reaffirmed their commitment to continue the settlement process without any preconditions to achieve the ultimate goal of the settlement of relations between the two countries.

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Killing of KJ1 reignites bear debate in Italy.

A wild brown bear accused of attacking a French tourist was culled by Italian forestry rangers in the northern autonomous province of Trentino on Tuesday.

The killing of the 22-year-old female bear, ordered by Trentino's rightwing governor Maurizio Fugatti on the grounds that the animal was classified as dangerous, has sparked outrage among animal rights groups.

Two previous orders to cull the bear, known as KJ1, were suspended by the Trento regional administrative court following appeals from environmentalists, however Fugatti signed a new order late on Monday night.

Fugatti specified that the culling could be carried immediately, despite last-minute attempts by animal rights groups to challenge the order, according to Italian media.

KJ1 was put down on Tuesday morning in the woods above Padaro di Arco after forestry corps located the animal by its radio collar, the province of Trentino said in a statement.

The attack on the 43-year-old French tourist, who suffered non-life threatening injuries to his arms and legs, took place while he was out for a run at Naroncolo on 16 July.

Authorities claim it was the latest in a series of "at least seven interactions with man" involving KJ1, with the earliest recorded incident dating back to 2017.

The culling of KJ1 sparked an outcry on social media and from animals rights groups in Italy on Tuesday.

"Disgrace! Fugatti sent his assassins to kill the mamma bear! A little while ago, at night, he signed the decree to kill KJ1...When the administrative court cannot intervene", Michela Vittoria Brambilla, president of the parliamentary intergroup for animal rights and environmental protection, wrote on Facebook.

In a statement, the Ente Nazionale Protezione Animali (ENPA) slammed the "grotesque affair" and accused Fugatti of opening "a sensational and unacceptable conflict with administrative justice".

"Presiding over an autonomous province does not mean having carte blanche on the life and death of fauna, a state property, the heritage of the state, that is, of everyone" - stated the International Organization for Animal Protection (OIPA) - "Animals are sentient beings to be respected and protected and not objects to be removed. Once again Fugatti demonstrates that he is pursuing an 'anti-bear strategy' that does not respect animal life and biodiversity, protected by national laws and also by Article 9 of the Constitution".

The killing of KJ1 comes amid an ongoing battle between Fugatti and animal rights groups over how to deal with bears that are deemed dangerous.

Last year a 26-year-old Italian man was mauled to death by a bear while jogging along a mountain path on Mount Peller near his home in Caldes.

The bear accused of the fatal attack, JJ4, was subsequently separated from her cubs and is being held in a wildlife facility in Castellar amid an uncertain future.

Fugatti had ordered for the animal to be put down but legal action by animal rights groups has prevented this and the bear was set to be transferred to a reserve outside Italy.

In February this year the debate intensified after a bear known as M90 was culled by forestry police in Trentino following orders from Fugatti.

The animal had been deemed a danger to public security after allegedly following hikers along mountain paths and being spotted around residential areas.

In March animal rights groups in Italy promised to seek EU intervention after the Trentino provincial council approved a controversial decree authorising the culling of up to eight "problematic" bears a year in 2024 and 2025.

Bears were reintroduced in Trentino in 1999 after being imported from Slovenia as part of the Life Ursus scheme.

The project had originally envisaged about 50 bears in the province but the population has since grown to around 100 animals.

Fugatti has repeatedly claimed that the scheme has "got out of hand", saying that bear numbers need to be reduced to "an adequate level" to guarantee coexistence with local communities.
Dining chat: A waiter gave our anniversary bubbly to the table next to us. What should we have done?
Westpac customers will be able to speak to staff at their bank via its banking app using a verified call, in a move the company hopes will help reduce the hundreds of millions of dollars Australians are losing to banking scams each year.

In a bid to block ever-more-sophisticated impersonation scams, Westpac will on Tuesday roll out a new security product in partnership with telco Optus that allows customers to receive Westpac-branded calls via the banks app, which is used by 3.6 million people each month.

Australians lost around $3 billion to scams last year, with impersonation scams causing a lot of damage. Credit: Istock

The calls, which will be verified by Optus, will also show the reason for the bank getting in touch with a customer.

This will help to provide customers with the confidence and added security to help beat scammers and know that they really are talking to their bank, Westpac chief executive Peter King said.
Regional Express (Rex) has grounded all flights between capital cities after entering voluntary administration following an emergency board meeting on Tuesday evening.

About 360 of 2000 Rex employees have been stood down so far, with more than 600 total jobs at risk if the airline is forced to ground its regional operations in addition to its major routes. Rivals Qantas Airways and Virgin Australia have committed to hiring as many affected Rex employees as possible.

Rex is responsible for flying about 5 per cent of domestic passengers, with the remaining 95 per cent absorbed by the duopoly of Qantas and Virgin. It has served Australias regional routes for 21 years and expanded to 11 major domestic routes including on the Golden Triangle between Sydney, Melbourne and Brisbane after COVID-19. Its most recent major domestic route, between Melbourne and Perth, was only launched last month.

The ASX-listed airline has been struggling with successive losses for years despite a string of profitable months at the start of last financial year. It has been crippled by a global pilots shortage, competition from its bigger rivals and the costs associated with flying on major domestic routes, forcing it to suspend a string of regional routes over the past year.
The Bureau of Meteorology has asked West Australians to prepare for a strong cold front that is forecast to move across southwest WA from Wednesday afternoon.

The front will produce severe thunderstorms from Wednesday evening, with conditions expected to ease as it spreads inland on Thursday morning.

Damaging wind gusts of around 100km/h are possible, along with heavy rainfall that could lead to flash flooding in coastal areas from Bunbury to Jurien Bay.

Conditions are forecast to ease below warning thresholds in the South West from late Wednesday evening, and through the remainder of the warning area on Thursday morning.
BAKU, Azerbaijan, July 30. On July 30, 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 Shusha from the Garadagh district of Baku, Trend reports.

At this stage, another 21 families (79 people) moved to the city of Shusha.

Shusha residents thanked President Ilham Aliyev and First Lady Mehriban Aliyeva for their comprehensive care, expressed gratitude to the valiant Azerbaijani Army, which liberated the lands from occupation.

Until today, a permanent settlement in the city of Shusha has been provided for 147 families - 570 people.
From 22 to 26 July 2024, the Portuguese Tax and Customs Authority and the Community of Portuguese-speaking Countries Secretariat (CPLP) hosted an Intermediate Workshop for Customs officials from Portuguese-speaking countries in Africa on the Harmonized System and Commodity Classification, in Lisbon, Portugal. The workshop was delivered by one expert from the WCO, one WCO accredited expert from Brazil and two experts from Portugal, within the framework of the EU-WCO Programme for the Harmonized System in Africa (HS-Africa Programme), funded by the European Union.

The activity is part of the comprehensive package of assistance to support the Portuguese-speaking countries in Africa on competency development on the Harmonized System and classification. It was preceded by two activities, namely: the meeting on the implementation of the HS 2022 in July 2023 in Cape Verde, and the Study Visit to the 73rd session of the WCO Harmonized System Committee in March 2024 in Brussels.

In her opening remarks, Mrs. Paula Raposo, Deputy General Director of Customs, thanked the EU-WCO HS-Africa Programme and the WCO for the ongoing support to the Portuguese-speaking countries. She highlighted the importance of developing trainers who can disseminate knowledge on the HS and strengthen this important area in the respective Portuguese language administrations. She also highlighted the Programmes support for translation and interpretation into Portuguese in HS sessions at WCO as a factor of integration, inclusion and facilitation of trade.

The workshop was attended by officers from Angola, Cape Verde, Guinea-Bissau, Mozambique and Sao Tome and Principe, and officers from the headquarters and the Customs Laboratory of the Portuguese Tax and Customs Authority. The workshop delivered an intermediate training on theoretical and practical aspects of the HS in the areas of agriculture, medicaments versus food products, base metals, textiles, machinery and high-tech products, and ensured that the participants understood the principles of tariff classification of goods in the HS.

Following the WCO Strategic Guidance on Competency Development on Tariff Classification, the workshop was preceded by the HS Foundation e-learning. Participants worked on several case studies where they classified specific products which presented complexities in classification.

Following the workplan established for capacity building with the CPLP Secretariat and Portuguese-speaking African countries, the HS-Africa Programme shall convene an HS advanced workshop, followed by a training of trainers workshop aiming at a possible accreditation by the WCO on HS in Portuguese language.

At the end of the workshop, Mrs. Paula Raposo, thanked the WCO and the European Union for the continued support to the Portuguese-speaking countries work on building capacity for Harmonized System classification and expressed her enthusiasm to the prospects for further collaboration and partnership.
PARIS, France, July 30. Azerbaijani swimmer Ramil Velizade has stopped competing at the Summer Olympics in Paris, Trend reports.

According to the information, he performed at the classification stage in the 200-meter butterfly swim.

Velizade had to bid farewell to the race as he failed to make it to the list of the first 16 out of 28 competitors. The Azerbaijani athlete ended up in 25th place.

12:00

BAKU, Azerbaijan, July 30. Azerbaijani swimmer Ramil Velizade will compete in the Olympic Games in Paris, Trend reports via Idman.biz.

Swimming competitions at the 2024 Summer Olympics continue in Paris. Azerbaijani athlete Ramil Velizade will compete in the 200-meter butterfly and will swim in the first group during the qualification stage, starting at 13:00 (GMT+4).

In the first group, Velizade's rivals will include Matin Balsini (Refugee Olympic Team), Petar Petrov Mitzin (Bulgaria), and Gerald Hernandez (Nicaragua). Azerbaijani sportsman will swim in lane 5.

A total of 16 athletes with the best results among 28 participants will advance to the semifinals.

The semifinal round of the 200-meter butterfly will also take place today, starting at 22:42 (GMT+4).

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Scholarships help respiratory therapy grad succeed amid family hardships

July 30, 2024

OGDEN, Utah  Rachel Okwabi chose Weber State because its one of the few universities offering a bachelors degree in respiratory therapy. She earned that degree in April 2024, thanks in part to scholarships during a particularly difficult time.

Two years earlier, her mother, Evelyn, was hospitalized due to pulmonary hypertension, a condition where high blood pressure affects the lungs and heart. Okwabi initially thought it would only be for a week, but the stay was extended due to multiple surgeries and time in the ICU.

She ended up being in the hospital until the end of the semester, from February to April, she said.

Okwabis parents arrived in the United States with her older sister from Ghana in 1994, seeking more opportunity for their growing family. Soon after, they welcomed Okwabi and her younger sister.

She recalls her parents encouraging her as a child to one day pursue higher education.

Okwabi said seeing respiratory therapists care for Evelyn inspired her even more to achieve that dream, but medical expenses and loss of income made paying for it a challenge.

My parents were helping me pay, and my mom wasnt able to go back to work after the surgeries, Okwabi said.

Additionally, Okwabi had to limit her own work hours due to classes, interviewing and preparing presentations to join the respiratory therapy program. She was also traveling between her home in Ogden and the Salt Lake City hospital where her mother underwent procedures.

Thankfully, upon entering the program, she received scholarships from the Department of Respiratory Therapy and Dr. Ezekiel R. Dumke College of Health Professions. She later received another departmental scholarship near graduation, which enabled her to focus on the programs rigorous curriculum.

During the first semester, they have you do 20 credits at the Ogden campus, so I was always in the library, at class or at work, she said. If I had questions, the professors were amazing. They gave us their phone numbers and said Text us if you have any questions, send us a picture.

Her first semester also included clinical rotations where she saw first-hand what she learned in class. While completing school, Okwabi found a position as a respiratory aid at Intermountain Health McKay-Dee Hospital and was soon promoted to respiratory therapy apprentice there.

Now, Okwabi is a registered respiratory therapist, and said shes proud to be counted among respiratory therapists who are Black or African American  12.6% in 2022 according to the United States Census Bureau.

At a recent Student & Donor Recognition Banquet for the college, Okwabi expressed her gratitude. One of the many concerns I had worried about was how I was going to be able to pay for school, she said. Thanks to all your amazing donations, that was possible.
SHUSHA, Azerbaijan, July 30. From Baku's Garadagh district, the next group of internally displaced people (IDP) reached Shusha city, Trend reports.

According to information, 21 families out of 79 people were handed keys to new apartments at this stage.

The ceremony was attended by a chief consultant of the Special Representative Office of the President of Azerbaijan in Shusha district Elshad Iskandarov, officials of the State Committee for Refugees and IDPs, and the State Reserve Department of Shusha city.

The families resettled in Shusha are provided with housing in newly built houses. To date, 147 families (570 people) have been provided with housing in the city.

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Fiona Ferguson

A man who wore a Vendetta mask while viciously assaulting his elderly neighbour with a shovel in the early hours of the morning has been jailed for 11 and a half years.

James ONeill (57) took a selfie of himself wearing the mask and holding the shovel as he lay in wait in a stairwell for his then 73-year-old victim. Gardai later found the picture on his phone.

Dublin Circuit Criminal Court heard Patrick Hansard, now 78 years old, suffered multiple injuries, including skull fractures, lacerations, haematoma, a fracture to his cervical spine, and a traumatic brain injury. He has no memory of the assault but continues to suffer ongoing effects.

ONeill of Courtney Place, Ballybough, Dublin 3, was convicted by a jury following a trial earlier this year of causing serious harm to Mr Hansard in a stairwell near his home on August 17th, 2019.

Passing sentence on Monday, Judge Elva Duffy noted the significant impact the offence had on Mr Hansard and extended the court's appreciation for the dignified way he had attended court.

Judge Duffy noted it had been a completely unprovoked attack by ONeill on someone who was 20 years his senior. She said there had been an element of pre-meditation in that he had lain in wait for his victim and used a weapon.

The judge noted ONeills prior convictions were historical, that there was an element of intoxication, and referred to the letter from his daughter noting ONeill was someone with the capacity to do good. She took into account the trial had been run in an expeditious manner.

Judge Duffy set a headline sentence of 13 years, but taking into account mitigating factors, she imposed a sentence of 11 and a half years.

Sergeant Enda OSullivan told Eoghan Cole BL, prosecuting, that there had been a verbal interaction between the neighbours at a pub in the early hours of the morning. ONeill left the pub and went home, while Mr Hansard walked home with his partner half an hour later.

Sgt OSullivan said that on the way, Mr Hansards partner stopped to talk to someone while he went ahead alone. A short time later, she saw a man wearing a white mask leaving the stairwell to Mr Hansards flat and going into ONeills house.

She found Mr Hansard on the ground with injuries to his head. Paramedics were alerted and gave assistance. ONeill was seen in the area interacting with neighbours at this time.

Gardai obtained a search warrant for ONeills flat and recovered a phone that contained a selfie photo of the accused wearing the mask and holding a shovel. The picture had been taken in the stairwell near where the assault took place about 15 minutes prior to Mr Hansard's arrival.

Other images on the phone showed the aftermath with Mr Hansard being treated and the arrival of the gardai. Clothing recovered matched the clothing seen on the selfie and worn by ONeill the previous night.

CCTV

CCTV pieced together the parties' movements. It showed a man coming from ONeills flat wearing a mask and carrying a shovel at 2:18am, a few minutes before Mr Hansard walked in.

The same figure was seen leaving the stairwell before Mr Hansards partner arrived and went into ONeills flat.

The mask was described in court as a Guy Fawkes or Vendetta style mask.

ONeill was interviewed and assisted the gardai by supplying his phone's PIN, but nothing of evidential value came from his interviews.

Mr Hansard suffered multiple injuries, including skull fractures and a severe traumatic brain injury. He remained hospitalised from August 2019 to May 2020. Doctors were not initially confident of a significant recovery.

Mr Cole told the court that happily, Mr Hansard has since made a remarkable recovery, although he still suffers from impairments and difficulties in his daily life.

ONeill has two previous convictions, one for occasioning actual bodily harm in 1992, for which he received a suspended sentence, and a public order offence.

Sgt OSullivan agreed with James Dwyer SC, defending, that the mask also appeared in an older photograph some months prior to the assault, so the mask had not been procured for the assault.

The Garda agreed with counsel that the accused had bought alcohol on the night and appeared to be under the influence to some extent.

In his victim impact statement, Mr Hansard outlined how he had been born in 1946 and grew up in tenement housing in Gardiner Street, which was considered a rough and difficult place, but the first violence he encountered was this offence in August 2019.

He outlined how it had been his daily practice to walk to Dollymount Strand, but the maximum distance he can walk now is 400 meters, and he has not fully recovered his movement on one side.

He said he has difficulty speaking, slurs his words and suffers from severe anxiety and depression. He said his life has changed completely and will suffer these changes for the rest of his life.

Mr Hansard thanked his family, friends and neighbours for their support over the past five years. He also thanked the gardai involved in the case for their dedicated work.

James Dwyer SC, defending, submitted that ONeill had not been in trouble for over 20 years and had cooperated with the investigation. He said intoxication was a factor in the case, and there had not been premeditation over a long period of time.

Counsel handed in a letter from ONeills daughter outlining how he had been a good and caring parent to her. He said ONeill was a hard-working man and had a good work history. He said he had played a part in his local community, church and assisted others with his IT skills.
Eimear Dodd

A Dublin man who raped two sex workers and attempted to rape a third in separate incidents over an eight-month period in 2021 has been jailed for 18 years.

Aaron Barwell (29) of Coldcut Park, Clondalkin, Dublin 22, pleaded guilty to one count of oral rape, one of rape and one of attempted rape on dates between January and August 2021.

The three victims were all working as escorts at the time, and each had a profile on a website listing their services.

The Central Criminal Court previously heard that Barwell arranged for each victim to come to his residence on separate occasions, where he carried out the offences.

Imposing sentence on Monday, Mr Justice Tony Hunt noted Barwell had committed a series of violent sexual offences against women.

Describing the facts of the case as abysmal, he noted that Barwell initially gave each victim an incorrect address, which he said showed a certain amount of deviousness in terms of planning.

The judge noted this was a case which involved considered, planned and serious sexual offending of a sequential variety. He said it is concerning that the second and third offences were committed in light of the first and that this case cries out for consecutive sentences.

The judge also noted the use of violence went beyond that inherent in the offences and that Barwell had falsely induced the victims to believe he was an ordinary customer.

Mr Justice Hunt said it appeared to the court that Barwell may have made a calculation that ladies who pursue this type of activity might be less tempted to bring it further.

However, the judge said, If that was part of his calculation, the gamble came spectacularly unstuck.

Mr Justice Hunt noted people who commit offences of this nature will pay a very heavy price.

The judge said that the days of a lenient approach to violence against women are gone.

If you choose to engage in that behaviour, a heavy price has to be paid. I think courts and society want that to be the position.

Referring to the victim impact statements, Mr Justice Hunt said they expressed the stress, anxiety, fear and long-term damage caused to the women.

He expressed the view that the stress and anxiety may never go away. Like anything else of a serious nature in life, one can accommodate oneself to these matters. But the clock can never be turned back.

Mr Justice Hunt set a total headline sentence of 36 years to reflect the gravity of the offending.

He said the court didn't think this was disproportionate to the wrongdoing in this case, noting that Barwell is a relatively young man who, with ordinary luck, would be able to serve a sentence of that variety.

However, Mr Justice Hunt said the court was conscious that 36 years is a significant period and having considered the principles of totality and proportionality, he reduced the headline sentence to 27 years.

Mr Justice Hunt said it would be unacceptable to have a sentencing regime which suggested that second or subsequent serious offending should come at little or no cost, and this must be considered to be aggravating.

The judge noted the mitigation, including the guilty plea, which was of significant importance and value.

He also said he took into consideration Barwell's age, background, his lack of previous convictions and the need to encourage rehabilitation.

Mr Justice Hunt handed Barwell a total sentence of 20 years, with the final two years suspended.

He further directed Barwell to undergo four years of post-release supervision, have no contact with any of the injured parties, and commit no further sexual offences in his lifetime.

If you have been affected by any of the issues raised in this article, you can call the national 24-hour Rape Crisis Helpline at 1800-77 8888, access text service and webchat options at drcc.ie/services/helpline/ or visit Rape Crisis Help.
David Raleigh

A former couple who waged a campaign of intimidation and harassment against their dentist have been given fully suspended four-year jail sentences.

Parents of one, Michael De Sousa, (36), and Emma Maun, (28), who share an address at Sheehans Flats, Askeaton, Co Limerick, had faced a maximum 10 years in prison.

The harassment started after the dentist referred Maun to a specialist maxillofacial clinic because she required more complex treatment than the dentist could provide.

Maun was unhappy about having to go to another clinic and started sending the dentist unnerving private messages on social media.

These included a rant about the dentist, which made her feel uneasy, prosecuting counsel, John OSullivan BL told Limerick Circuit Criminal Court.

For several months, Maun and De Sousa harassed the dentist going her to her workplace and staring at her, which the dentist found alarming, said Mr OSullivan.

'Extremely vulgar' Valentine's card

Mr OSullivan said De Sousa admitted to gardai that he sent the dentist an extremely vulgar card on Valentine's Day 2022, which had left (the dentist) fearful and disgusted, and it accentuated her anxiety.

Mr OSullivan said that, during the pairs campaign of intimidation and harassment, Maun had followed the dentist from her workplace along her route home, on a date in March 2002.

In another worrying episode, Maun drove De Sousa to the dentists home at 4.30am where De Sousa smeared creamy liquid over the dentists car which turned out to be pancake mix, and a wing mirror on the car was damaged.

Mr OSullivan said the dentist told gardai she was afraid and had no peace of mind because of the stalking of Michael De Sousa and Emma Maun.

The dentist told gardai there was no rationale behind Maun and De Sousas bizarre fixation with me and I dont know why.

After the dentist made a formal complaint to gardai, De Sousa visited two Garda stations and made completely false accusations about the dentist of a sexual nature.

Maun told gardai she had made a complaint about the dentist to the Irish Dental Association, but this was also found to be false.

CCTV clips

Gardai compiled 54 individual CCTV video clips which placed Maun and De Sousa outside the dentists workplace and home.

After getting a warrant to search the couples home, gardai found a mobile phone belonging to De Sousa containing location details for the dentists home.

Gardai also found evidence relevant to social media exchanges that supported the States case.

Maun and De Sousa had pleaded not guilty to one count of harassment of the dentist, on dates between January and March and January and December respectively, but they were both found guilty by a jury on July 4th following a four-week trial.

De Sousa pleaded guilty to making false statements to gardai of a sexual nature about the dentist, and to causing criminal damage to the dentists car.

Mr OSullivan said Maun was directly involved in harassing the dentist, and told the court that, much like De Sousa, she also felt entitled to do these things and lacked remorse.

The prosecution barrister added that Maun, who has a diploma in psychological counselling, could not be held accountable for the false statements made by De Sousa, or the vulgar card De Sousa sent to the dentist.

Maun, represented by junior counsel Amy Nix BL, and De Sousa, acted for by Liam Carroll BL, issued apologies to the dentist, but they do not accept the jurys verdict.

Maun and De Sousa claimed they had been abused by relatives when they were children.

Maun told the probation services she had found it hard to fit in and had a complex about her teeth.

De Sousa, who is diagnosed on the autism spectrum, and deemed to be susceptible to peer pressure and is regarded as self-serving, has two other children from another relationship, and has faced struggled with his sexuality and is currently identifying as a gay man, the court heard.

Letter

Maun wrote a letter pleading with the sentencing Judge, Dermot Sheehan, not to jail her, saying she needed to be with her young daughter who she said has health difficulties.

At an earlier sentencing hearing, the dentist broke down in court describing how she feared for her life during Maun and De Sousas campaign of harassment.

I would watch cars, check registration plates, it became disruptive and exhaustive. I did not feel safe going outside, the dentist said.

I did not invite this vile behaviour into my life, I did not deserve this - nobody does. I worry what they (Maun and De Sousa) might do next, she said.

The dentist said the card she received from De Sousa made her skin crawl, and seeing Maun and De Sousa laughing during their trial was sickening.

Judge Sheehan noted that the dentist remains in fear and her work has suffered.

He said a major consideration in his sentencing was that he would be breaking up the defendants family if he imposed an immediate custodial sentence on maun and De Sousa.

The judge ordered that Maun and De Sousa keep the peace and not reoffend for a period of four years, and that they not make any contact with the dentist for a period of fifteen years or come within 200 metres of the dentists home or workplace.

He also ordered that De Sousas engage with the probation services in respect of receiving help for mental health and anger management issues.
A campaigner hoping to see the All-Ireland Fleadh Cheoil come to Ballina in 2028 has called on Mayo County Council to send a delegation to this years Fleadh in Wexford as part of a fact-finding mission.

Eamonn Walsh, a champion Uileann Piper and native of Ballina, has called on the council to send a delegation to Wexford next week to see first-hand the benefits of hosting the All-Ireland Fleadh.

It is imperative that Mayo County Council see at first hand the benefits the mammoth event brings to the whole county," Mr Walsh said.

The All-Ireland Fleadh in Mullingar attracted 600,000 people and generated in the region of 120 million to the local economy over the two years.

Mr Walsh said the blunt truth is that without the support of the council, a bid for the 2028 Fleadh in Ballina will fail.

The local Comhaltas is a voluntary organisation and cannot be expected to raise the 1.9 million required to stage the mammoth event. Without the support of Mayo County Council, the bid for the 2028 All-Ireland Fleadh in Ballina is doomed.

Ballina last hosted the All-Ireland Fleadh in 1997 and 1998.

Mr Walsh said the last Fleadh attracted over 100,000 people and generated 7 million for the local economy. He is also calling on all Mayo business people at home and abroad to back the Fleadh and provide sponsorship as it would benefit the entire county.

The All-Ireland Fleadh Cheoil takes place this year in Wexford town from August 4th to 11th.
An Taoiseach Simon Harris has paid a warm tribute to veteran Mayo TD Michael Ring, who is retiring after 45 years in politics.

Michael Ring has been a remarkable politician of national importance and representative of his beloved county Mayo," said An Taoiseach.

Though fiercely loyal to the West, he is known all over this country for his work ethic, his effectiveness, his deep-rooted connection with his constituents and his ability to communicate with wit and charm like no other politician of his generation.

Michael has had a long and distinguished career representing the Fine Gael party for five decades. He has served as an elected representative for 45 years, first starting out on Westport Town Council, then Mayo County Council and for the past 30 years in Dail Eireann.

He served as the first ever Minister for Community and Rural Development, championing the voice of rural Ireland and ensuring it was always heard in the corridors of power.

He also served as Minister of State for Tourism and Sport and Minister for Regional Economic Development.

Ross Byrne and his mother, Nicola Byrne, met with An Taoiseach Simon Harris and Fine Gael TD Michael Ring on their recent visit to Dail Eireann. Ross, aged 12, is from Coguala, Clogher. He attends Holy Angels National School, Clogher.

Michael got involved in politics to help people and nothing was ever more important to him than the people of Mayo which led him to secure significant investments for his county.

He has never wavered in his belief in rural Ireland and his constituents never doubted his ability to get things done. His legacy is evident to us all as we travel around the Wild Atlantic Way and Ireland's ancient East.

Indeed, Michael Ring will go down in history as one of this countrys best-loved and most effective local representatives who made waves on the national stage.

As a colleague, he will be sorely missed in the halls of Leinster House.

I hope it is a long and happy retirement and that we continue to benefit from his knowledge, humour and compassion.

To one of Mayos finest, I say thank you.
BAKU, Azerbaijan, July 30. The private Asilsoy LLC with Turkish capital (a subsidiary of Turkish Asilsoy) has become another resident of Aghdam Industrial Park today, Trend reports, referring to the Azerbaijani Economic Zones Development Agency.

This enterprise is planned to produce household metal containers - boilers, pots, pans, etc.

The company will provide jobs for 100 people with an investment of 10 million manat. The manufactured products will be intended to meet demand in the domestic market and for export.

Asilsoy is one of the leading companies in the field of metal cookware production in Turkiye.

Its products are exported to 15 countries under the brand names Karaca and Schafer.

To note, the Economic Zones Development Agency was established as a state legal entity based on Sumgayit Chemical Industrial Park LLC by the decree of the President of the Republic of Azerbaijan On Measures to Improve Management of Industrial Parks, Industrial Districts, and Agro-Parks No. 1257 dated January 22, 2021.
ASHGABAT, Turkmenistan, July 30. Turkmenistan and Afghanistan discussed steps to implement TAPI and TAP energy projects, Trend reports.

According to the Turkmen Foreign Ministry, these issues were discussed during the meeting during which the Minister of Foreign Affairs of Turkmenistan, Rashid Meredov, handed Fazal Mohammad Sabir a document on his accreditation in Turkmenistan as Charge daffaires of Afghanistan.

The Afghan diplomat has been representing his country in Ashgabat for a number of years.

During the meeting, the sides noted the friendly nature of bilateral relations between the two fraternal states and considered a wide range of issues related to the practical implementation of large-scale energy, transport, and infrastructure international projects implemented with the participation of Turkmenistan and Afghanistan.

They noted that first of all, this is the Turkmenistan-Afghanistan-Pakistan-India (TAPI) transnational gas pipeline project, the construction of power transmission lines and fiber-optic communication Turkmenistan-Afghanistan-Pakistan (TAP), as well as the construction of railways from Turkmenistan to Afghanistan.

Meanwhile, it is expected that the TAPI gas pipeline will annually transport 33 billion cubic meters of natural gas along an 1800-kilometer route from Turkmen Galkynysh, the second largest gas field in the world, to the Indian city of Fazilka, located near the border of India with Pakistan.

The TAP project is a large-scale infrastructural and economic initiative aimed at establishing links between the participating countries of the project in order to ensure energy and communication integration, as well as stimulate economic growth and development in the region.
BAKU, Azerbaijan, July 30. Hosting COP29 represents a great opportunity for Azerbaijan and all of us, the country's Minister of Ecology and Natural Resources, COP29 President Mukhtar Babayev said, Trend reports.

He made the remark during the Azerbaijan Sustainable Built Environment Leadership Roundtable in Baku today.

COP29 will enable us to show the world the goals we have achieved and our future projects. As a leading country in the region, Azerbaijan will show its leadership in solving climate problems around the world.

We visited most countries with our team and saw how great the interest in this process is. We would like our country, as always, to move forward in this matter, setting an example for the whole world, Babayev added.

This November, Azerbaijan will host COP29. This decision was made at the COP28 plenary meeting held in Dubai on December 11 last year. Baku will become the center of the world and will receive about 7080,000 foreign guests.

The United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change is an agreement signed at the Earth Summit in Rio de Janeiro in June 1992 to prevent dangerous human interference with the climate system. The COPthe Conference of the Partiesis the highest legislative body overseeing the implementation of the Framework Convention on Climate Change. There are 198 countries that are parties to the Convention. Unless the parties agree otherwise, the COP is held annually. The first COP event took place in March 1995 in Germany's Berlin, with its secretariat in Bonn.

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BAKU, Azerbaijan, July 30. The International Renewable Energy Agency (IRENA) and the Global Climate Finance Center (GCFC, an independent organization) have announced a strategic partnership to scale up climate finance and renewable energy initiatives worldwide, Trend reports via IRENA.

This collaboration will leverage synergies between IRENA and GCFC in various work streams, including market analytics and joint initiatives. Along with other key stakeholders in the climate space, the partnership aims to deliver innovative solutions that increase the scale, accessibility, and financial acceptability of climate finance globally, the information notes.

The information recalls that GCFC contributes to building an ecosystem that enables investment in low-carbon, sustainable, and reliable projects by bringing together cutting-edge research, market innovations, capacity-building programs, and practical initiatives to scale climate investments globally, with a particular focus on emerging and developing markets.

The partnership will comprise collaborative work in the following three areas:

- Research and innovation: the parties will jointly conduct market research and analysis to develop cutting-edge ideas and innovative solutions on key topics driving current and future global climate finance flows, including risk mitigation mechanisms, green industrialization opportunities, carbon markets, and policy innovation, among others;

- Capacity building and technical assistance: both institutions aim to increase climate decision-making by strengthening local capabilities. Their joint work will include building a strong framework for renewable energy and related infrastructure policies and regulations;

- Practical coalitions and project portfolio financing: the parties will work together to promote partnerships and practical initiatives with natural synergies. Specifically, this includes supporting African countries in the energy transition through IRENA's Accelerated Partnership for Renewables in Africa (APRA) mechanism and the Africa Green Investment Initiative (AGII), organized by GCFC.

The sides will also collaborate to co-create and co-host events, including workshops, share knowledge, connect climate investors, build and strengthen partnerships, and promote innovative renewable energy financing solutions to improve the uptake of global climate investments.

IRENA Director-General Francesco La Camera finds that progress in the energy transition remains uneven in different regions of the world, mainly due to a lack of access to affordable finance.

Our strategic partnership with GCFC aims to address these inequalities by strengthening financial flows, building capacity, and fostering innovation where it is most needed, the head of IRENA pointed out.

The general director of the Global Climate Finance Center, Mercedes Vela Monserrate, stated that the collaboration aims to enable countries and communities to implement effective climate solutions and build a more sustainable future.

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Smearing China over Ukraine crisis exposes hypocrisy, double standards

09:44, July 30, 2024 By Zhong Sheng ( People's Daily

Recently, some American politicians groundlessly hyped up claims that China is supporting Russia's defense industry, and threatened to intensify sanctions on specific Chinese entities and individuals.

NATO, led by the United States, has also baselessly claimed that China has become a "decisive enabler" of the Ukraine crisis.

By pushing the narrative of "China's responsibility" in the Ukraine crisis, the United States and NATO are not only failing to cover up the fact that their continuous fueling of the conflict has prolonged the crisis, but also clearly showing the international community that their obsession with provoking bloc confrontation is the major security threat facing the world today.

Regarding the Ukraine crisis, the United States and NATO are making a fuss about normal economic and trade relations between China and Russia, spreading rumors about China providing military support to Russia. However, they cannot present any substantial evidence. In fact, the United States itself has acknowledged that China has not provided military aid to Russia in the conflict.

According to statistics, over 60 percent of Russia's imported military components and dual-use items come from the United States and other Western countries, 95 percent of key components in Russian equipment destroyed by Ukraine come from the West, and 72 percent of Western parts of Russian-made weapons come from U.S. companies.

As a responsible major country, China has never provided weapons to any party in the conflict and strictly controls the export of dual-use items.

Trade and economic relations between China and Russia are open and above-board, adhering to WTO rules and market principles. The United States and its allies have violated international law by imposing unilateral sanctions on Chinese companies under the pretext of false information they themselves have spread.

Currently, the majority of countries in the world have not imposed sanctions against Russia or suspended trade with Russia. The United States and its allies have not halted trade with Russia either, with their trade volume reaching over $130 billion last year, accounting for 18 percent of Russia's total foreign trade. The efforts by the United States and NATO to stigmatize normal economic and trade relations between China and Russia clearly demonstrate their hypocrisy and double standards.

The United States and NATO's promotion of the so-called "China's responsibility" narrative regarding the Ukraine crisis conceals sinister motives. One important aim is to drive a wedge between China and Europe and undermine China-Europe cooperation.

Ukraine is located in the heart of the European continent, and the prolonged crisis has put enormous pressure on European countries in political, economic, security, and other aspects. China is neither the creator of the Ukraine crisis nor a party to it. China has not and will not do anything to fuel the fire or profit from the situation.

China is always committed to promoting peace talks, encourages all efforts conducive to the peaceful settlement of the crisis, and promotes the building of a balanced, effective and sustainable European security architecture.

China always believes that an early ceasefire and political settlement of the crisis is in the interest of all parties, including Europe. The priority now is to observe the three principles of no expansion of the battlefield, no escalation of fighting and no fanning up the flames by any party, and to work for deescalation as quickly as possible.

The international community should provide conditions and support for the resumption of direct dialogue and negotiation between the two parties. Only when all major countries play a positive rather than negative role, can this conflict see an early prospect of ceasefire.

In promoting the restoration of peace, China has sincerity, takes action, and adheres to principles. China will never accept any words or actions that use the crisis to smear China or incite a "new Cold War."

Regarding the Ukraine crisis, there's no doubt about who is fueling the fire and exacerbating the situation. For more than two years, the United States has provided a large amount of military aid to Ukraine. The destructive power of the weapons supplied to Ukraine has gradually increased, and restrictions on Ukraine's use of U.S.-made weapons have been relaxed again and again.

At the end of May this year, a U.S. official confirmed that the United States had conditionally agreed to allow Ukraine to use American-made weapons to strike targets within Russian territory. Another U.S. official recently stated that some NATO countries have begun transferring U.S.-made fighter jets to Ukraine. The ongoing supply of weapons by the United States and NATO has made it harder to resolve the crisis through political means and has undermined prospects for peace.

The early resolution of the Ukraine crisis through political means is a common aspiration of the international community. It is advised that the United States and NATO reflect on the root causes of the Ukraine crisis and their own actions, take concrete steps to ease the situation, rather than shifting blame and scapegoating others.

The United States and NATO should abandon the Cold War mentality of bloc confrontation and zero-sum games, correct their misperceptions about China, and stop smearing China and using this opportunity to suppress and contain China's development.

(Zhong Sheng is a pen name often used by People's Daily to express its views on foreign policy and international affairs.)

(Web editor: Hongyu, Du Mingming)
BAKU, Azerbaijan, July 30. Azerbaijani Economy Minister Mikayil Jabbarov and Head of Government Relations and State Relations Department Google's policy in Central Asia and the Caucasus Olga Skorokhodova have discussed the priorities of COP29, prospects for sustainable development solutions, and potential areas of cooperation during a videoconference, Trend reports via the Center for Analysis and Coordination of the Fourth Industrial Revolution (4SIM).

On the videoconference, the parties discussed existing cooperation, creative practices, the digital economy, and AI-based technology collaboration. In addition to COP29 priorities, the parties discussed sustainable development solutions and Google's product and service collaborations, 4SIM stated.

This November, Azerbaijan will host COP29. This decision was made at the COP28 plenary meeting held in Dubai on December 11 last year. Baku will become the center of the world and will receive about 7080,000 foreign guests.

The United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change is an agreement signed at the Earth Summit in Rio de Janeiro in June 1992 to prevent dangerous human interference with the climate system. COP - the Conference of the Parties - is the highest legislative body overseeing the implementation of the Framework Convention on Climate Change. There are 198 countries that are parties to the Convention. Unless the parties agree otherwise, the COP is held annually. The first COP event took place in March 1995 in Germany's Berlin, with its secretariat in Bonn.

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BAKU, Azerbaijan, July 30. Tourists from Kazakhstan are showing increasing interest in visiting Azerbaijan, head of International Markets Department of Kazakh Tourism National Company Ainura Zhumatayeva told Trend in an exclusive interview.

In 2022-2023, the number of tourists traveling from Azerbaijan to Kazakhstan grew 1.7 times, nearly doubling from 59,000 in 2022 to 99,000 in 2023. Additionally, there is a rising interest among Kazakhstani tourists in visiting Azerbaijan. This surge is largely attributed to the effective event management in Azerbaijan, which brings in many world stars, particularly attracting the younger generation of Kazakhstan to visit Baku, she said.

According to Zhumatayeva, Azerbaijan and Kazakhstan have a tight bond in the tourism arena.

Kazakh Tourism frequently collaborates with airlines, including the national carrier Air Astana and low-cost carrier FlyArystan. For instance, last year we had a joint project with the Azerbaijani AZAL airline for its inaugural flight. During the Novruz holiday, we supported the airline's first flight and brought a group of bloggers and journalists to visit Kazakhstan, particularly Almaty and the Almaty region, said the head of the department.

Speaking about tourism development in Kazakhstan, Zhumatayeva noted that last month, President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev steered a meeting that had its sights set on this topic.

This is a significant event for us, as the head of state also emphasizes the importance of developing tourism. The president has identified three main regions for tourism development: the Almaty mountain cluster, which registers half a million tourist arrivals; the Shchuchinsk-Borovoye resort zone; and beach tourism in Aktau. Kazakh Tourism plans to support the development of these three regions. These areas are currently prioritized to create the necessary ecosystem for tourists, including good roads, restaurants, excursions, and more, she said.

According to her, allocating resources towards human capital is equally crucial as developing physical infrastructure.

It is imperative that we have tour guides and tourism administrators on staff in every area so that we can welcome a flood of visitors, she concluded.

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Chinese President Xi Jinping shakes hands with President of the Democratic Republic of Timor-Leste Jose Ramos-Horta at the Great Hall of the People in Beijing, capital of China, July 29, 2024. Xi held talks with Ramos-Horta here on Monday. [Xinhua/Li Xueren]

BEIJING, July 29 (Xinhua)  Chinese President Xi Jinping held talks with President of the Democratic Republic of Timor-Leste Jose Ramos-Horta here on Monday.

Noting that the third plenary session of the 20th Communist Party of China Central Committee was held successfully two weeks ago, Xi said China will further comprehensively deepen reform and promote high-quality development and high-level opening up, which will provide new impetus and new opportunities for global economic development and cooperation between China and Timor-Leste.

China is ready to work with Timor-Leste to take the two countries' comprehensive strategic partnership to a new level and bring more benefits to the two peoples, he said.

Noting that President Ramos-Horta is the founding father of Timor-Leste and the founder of China-Timor-Leste friendship, Xi said Ramos-Horta's visit is the first state visit by a Timor-Leste president to China, which is of great historical significance.

China and Timor-Leste enjoy a long-standing traditional friendship, with China being the first country to recognize Timor-Leste's independence and establish diplomatic ties with Timor-Leste, Xi said.

He noted that since the establishment of diplomatic ties, the two countries have always treated each other with sincerity and helped each other, setting an example of mutual respect, peaceful coexistence and common development for countries with different political systems, development levels, histories and cultures. He added that China is ready to work with Timor-Leste to lead the long-term and stable development of bilateral relations.

"First, we need to firmly support each other and build a higher-level bilateral relationship," Xi said, adding that China firmly supports Timor-Leste's efforts to safeguard national unity and social stability, and stands ready to deepen strategic coordination and cooperation with Timor-Leste in an all-round way, safeguard the sovereignty and security interests of the two countries, and move toward the general direction of building a community with a shared future.

"Second, we need to pursue mutually beneficial and win-win cooperation of higher quality," Xi said, calling on the two countries to focus on cooperation in the four key areas of industrial revitalization, infrastructure development, grain self-sufficiency and improvement of people's livelihood. Xi also called on both countries to take the signing of the Belt and Road cooperation plan as an opportunity to synergize their development strategies, share experience and technology in water conservancy construction, water-saving irrigation, disaster prevention and reduction, implement agricultural cooperation such as rice cultivation, advance cooperation in terms of fisheries and poverty reduction, and help Timor-Leste develop its economy independently and in diversified ways.

"Third, we should jointly promote the development of the Global South, carry out multilateral cooperation at a higher level, carry forward the spirit of the Five Principles of Peaceful Coexistence, strengthen coordination and cooperation in the United Nations, the World Trade Organization and other multilateral platforms, jointly advocate an equal and orderly multi-polar world and an economic globalization that benefits all, and promote the building of a community with a shared future for humanity," he said.

Xi noted that China is willing to carry out more bilateral and tripartite cooperation with Timor-Leste within the frameworks of the Forum for Economic and Trade Cooperation between China and Portuguese-Speaking Countries and the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations.

Ramos-Horta said that he has visited China many times since 1976 and witnessed with his own eyes the earth-shaking changes that have taken place in China. He added that under the leadership of President Xi, China has eliminated absolute poverty, which is a miracle of mankind.

Ramos-Horta said that in the face of profound changes in the international situation, China has firmly upheld multilateralism, and proposed the Belt and Road Initiative and a series of other important global initiatives. China has also facilitated reconciliation between Saudi Arabia and Iran, as well as among Palestinian factions, making significant contributions to regional and global peace and development, thereby demonstrating China's role and influence as a peaceful and responsible major country in today's world.

He also thanked China for its long-term valuable support for Timor-Leste's economic and social development and response to the COVID-19 pandemic, adding that Timor-Leste hopes to further consolidate and develop the comprehensive strategic partnership with China, and strengthen cooperation in food security, infrastructure construction and other fields.

Timor-Leste firmly adheres to the one-China principle, believes that Taiwan is an inalienable part of the Chinese territory, opposes "Taiwan independence" and interference by external forces, and supports all efforts by China to safeguard national sovereignty and territorial integrity, Ramos-Horta stressed.

The South China Sea issue should be independently resolved by the countries concerned through negotiations, and Timor-Leste is willing to work with China and other countries in the region to jointly safeguard peace and stability in the South China Sea, he stated.

Ramos-Horta added that Timor-Leste highly appreciates President Xi's great vision of building a community with a shared future for humanity, which reflects the wisdom of the ancient oriental civilization, and stands ready to enhance communication and coordination with China under multilateral frameworks.

After the talks, the two heads of state witnessed the signing of the Belt and Road cooperation plan and multiple bilateral cooperation documents in the fields of agriculture, green development, digital economy and air transport.

The two sides also issued a joint statement on strengthening their comprehensive strategic partnership.

Chinese President Xi Jinping holds talks with President of the Democratic Republic of Timor-Leste Jose Ramos-Horta at the Great Hall of the People in Beijing, capital of China, July 29, 2024. [Xinhua/Zhang Ling]

Chinese President Xi Jinping and President of the Democratic Republic of Timor-Leste Jose Ramos-Horta witness the signature of a number of bilateral cooperation documents after their talks in Beijing, capital of China, July 29, 2024. Xi held talks with Ramos-Horta here on Monday. [Xinhua/Yue Yuewei]

Chinese President Xi Jinping holds a welcome ceremony for President of the Democratic Republic of Timor-Leste Jose Ramos-Horta in the Northern Hall of the Great Hall of the People prior to their talks in Beijing, capital of China, July 29, 2024. Xi held talks with Ramos-Horta here on Monday. [Xinhua/Yue Yuewei]

Chinese President Xi Jinping holds a welcome ceremony for President of the Democratic Republic of Timor-Leste Jose Ramos-Horta in the Northern Hall of the Great Hall of the People prior to their talks in Beijing, capital of China, July 29, 2024. Xi held talks with Ramos-Horta here on Monday. [Xinhua/Zhang Ling]

Chinese President Xi Jinping holds a welcome ceremony for President of the Democratic Republic of Timor-Leste Jose Ramos-Horta in the Northern Hall of the Great Hall of the People prior to their talks in Beijing, capital of China, July 29, 2024. Xi held talks with Ramos-Horta here on Monday. [Xinhua/Liu Weibing]

(Source: Xinhua)

Editor: Wang Shasha
BEIJING, July 29 (Xinhua)  The National Conference on Work Related to Veterans Affairs was convened in Beijing on July 29. Xi Jinping, general secretary of the Communist Party of China (CPC) Central Committee, Chinese president, and chairman of the Central Military Commission (CMC), delivered an important instruction on veterans affairs. He extended warm congratulations on outstanding units and individuals who were honored for their contributions to the work on veterans affairs, and extended heartfelt greetings to those actively engaged in veterans work.

Xi stressed that ex-service personnel are a valuable asset of the Party and the country, and an important force in advancing Chinese modernization. How the work is done on veterans affairs is of significance to the country's reform, development and stability, and its cause to strengthen and develop the armed forces. On the new journey of the new era, new contributions and new achievements must be made in work on veterans affairs.

It is imperative to adhere to the guidance of the Thought on Socialism with Chinese Characteristics for a New Era, fully implement the guiding principles from the 20th CPC National Congress and the third plenary session of the 20th CPC Central Committee, uphold the principle that work on veterans affairs must serve economic and social development and the development of national defense and the armed forces, focus on the needs of promoting Chinese modernization and the aspirations of ex-service personnel, and further comprehensively deepen reform, Xi said.

It is essential to continuously improve the systems of organizational management, work operation, and policy and institutions so as to do a good job in resettling ex-service personnel, providing them with good services, managing and educating them well, giving full scope to their roles, and protecting their rights and interests. In this way, military service is made an honorable occupation and ex-service personnel are respected in the whole society, he said.

Xi expressed the hope that all ex-service personnel will maintain their character as soldiers of revolutionary armed forces, remain firm in their convictions, be patriotic and dedicate themselves to the country, and forge ahead with enterprise to make new and greater contribution to building a strong country and realizing national rejuvenation on all fronts through a Chinese path to modernization.

State Councilor Shen Yiqin read out Xi's important instruction and delivered a speech. She said that General Secretary Xi's important instruction fully demonstrated the great importance he attaches to the work on veterans affairs and his great care for ex-service personnel. It is essential to earnestly implement General Secretary Xi's important instruction, focus on advancing Chinese modernization and further comprehensively deepen reform, have a stronger sense of responsibility and make new achievements in serving the building of a strong country and the strengthening of the military, raising the level of service and support, and preventing and mitigating risks. It is also important to guide the vast number of ex-service personnel to actively participate in the building of modernization, and continuously create new prospects for high-quality work on veterans affairs.

At the meeting, 397 national model veterans, 100 national model units on veteran affairs and 80 exemplary individuals were honored.

Miao Hua, a member of the CMC, attended the meeting.

(Source: Xinhua)

Editor: Wang Shasha
Family of five lost on Moel Famau rescued by NEWSAR

This article is old - Published: Tuesday, Jul 30th, 2024

A family of five who became lost on Moel Famau have been rescued by a team of volunteers.

NEWSAR (North East Wales Search and Rescue) were called to assist with locating the two adults, two children and a baby on Friday evening (July 26).

The family had lost their way on Moel Famau and had been reportedly wandering for hours trying to get back to their car.

NEWSAR, which is operated entirely by volunteers, used a SARLOC phonefind to locate them, at which point a vehicle and a few team members were deployed to collect them and get them safely back to their car.

NEWSAR  North East Wales Search & Rescue (Mountain Rescue) is a non-profit organisation that relies solely on donations made by members of the public.

Its team of volunteers are available 24 hours a day, seven days a week, 365 days responding to those in need throughout Flintshire, Denbighshire, Wrexham and parts of Conwy and Powys.

You can support NEWSAR and its work by donating, here.
Millions of pounds lost in rise of cryptocurrency scams in north Wales

This article is old - Published: Tuesday, Jul 30th, 2024

Millions of pounds have been lost to cryptocurrency scams in north Wales in the last three years.

That is according to PC Jason Knowles of North Wales Polices Cyber Crime, who is urging members of the public to be on their guard after a rise in cryptocurrency-related fraud and scams in the area.

Cryptocurrency has become increasingly well-known in recent years, for example under the name Bitcoin.

Its a form of digital currency that functions online and doesnt have the support of a central bank or lender of last resort, such as the Bank of England.

People exchange their money with cryptocurrency dealers for virtual tokens that they can spend on goods and services.

While some cryptocurrency investment vehicles are legitimate, some are not.

In 2024, a North Wales victim, aged 25, reported a loss of 8,000 after seeing a video of Sir Keir Starmer on their phones news feed encouraging them to invest in cryptocurrency.

The victim at the time didnt realise that this was an Artificial Intelligence deep fake video and invested their funds after being encouraged to do so via encrypted messaging chats with the suspect, posing as an investment advisor.

The male converted their funds to cryptocurrency and sent them to another account address.

In another instance a 78-year-old reported losses of 346,000 in 2022 after falling victim to a year-long cryptocurrency investment scam.

The victim, who, wished to invest their savings and make maximum returns, noticed a Facebook advert featuring a well-known investment and money expert advising that they should buy cryptocurrency, specifically Bitcoin.

They provided their contact information and were soon contacted via the suspect using the encrypted messaging applications.

Next, they were encouraged to set up third party internet bank accounts and cryptocurrency exchange accounts, sharing their passport, driving licence and photograph with the suspect who set up the accounts for them.

The suspect encouraged the victim to make transfers from their bank to the third-party accounts that they now control.

The banks called the victim to query these unusual transactions, however they were already been provided a scripted response by the suspect to reduce the banks suspicions. The victims funds were then converted to cryptocurrency where they were sent to various wallet addresses.

Some money was eventually recovered but the majority was lost to fraudsters.

These two cases are not unique, with PC Jason Knowles stating that the North Wales Polices Cyber Crime team has seen approximately 6 million of loss among cases hes investigated in the three years since joining the team.

According to PC Knowles, investments in cryptocurrency are often made by victims wanting to increase their net worth.

They may search for terms like how to invest my money, leading them to a fake website where they had over their contact information.

Usually, within 24 hours or less they are contacted via WhatsApp or more commonly Telegram/Signal encrypted messaging applications to discuss fake investment opportunities.

Number spoofing software is often used to trick victims into believing that landline numbers are calling them, when these calls are wholly internet based.

Third party internet-based bank accounts are often set up by victims, which once funded by direct mainstream bank deposits, seamlessly allow the funding of cryptocurrency exchange accounts.

Suspects provide victims with information about what crypto assets to buy and where to send them. Victims are given access to fake investment websites. They are usually bogus and it means the victims have sent their crypto assets to a suspect wallet address, lining the fraudsters pockets.

Once realising their mistakes victims are cut off from contact with the suspect, who will often at a later date contact them again under the premise of a recovery agent, who has found their investments stuck in the Blockchain wallet addresses. This does not happen and is a further scam.

PC Jason Knowles, Crypto Lead, Economic Crime Unit, North Wales Police commented: In recent times, I have seen a rise in cryptocurrency-related fraud in North Wales and I am urging people to be on their guard and keep themselves safe from fraudsters who are after their money and want to take advantage of their interest in investing.

I would say to all residents of North Wales, dont invest what you arent willing to lose, do you own research, and double check everything.

North Wales Police and Crime Commissioner Andy Dunbobbin added: Making investments in cryptocurrency can seem an interesting and innovative way of making money.

But people should be aware that among the legitimate traders, there may be fraudsters waiting to scam you.

As PCC for North Wales, a key priority of mine is supporting victims and communities and ensuring they remain free from crime.

Given my professional background in IT, I am also conscious of the potential of the online world to harbour dangers for people, especially in terms of financial fraud.

I would ask everyone to follow the advice of North Wales Police and to invest safely and confidently.
Union calls for immediate pay action for NHS Wales nurses

This article is old - Published: Tuesday, Jul 30th, 2024

The Royal College of Nursing (RCN) Wales has called on the Welsh Government to match the 5.5 per cent pay award for nursing staff in England.

On Monday (29 July) Chancellor of the Exchequer Rachel Reeves confirmed her acceptance of the recommendations from pay review bodies (PRBs) for health and education for 2024-25.

For staff on NHS Agenda for Change contracts in England, this means a 5.5 per pay rise, according to a treasury spokesperson.

This figure is substantially higher than the two per cent than the UK government initially expected.

Now the RCN has called for an urgent response from the Welsh Government on the UK Chancellors announcement.

Nicky Hughes, RCN Wales Associate Director of Nursing (Employment Relations), said that nursing staff in Wales deserve the same prompt action and recognition on pay as their colleagues in England.

A majority of union members voted to accept an enhanced pay offer from the Welsh Government last year  however it falls short of the new pay award announced by the UK Chancellor on Monday.

Nurses are the backbone of NHS Wales, tirelessly dedicating themselves to the care and well-being of patients, said Nicky Hughes.

Nursing staff in Wales deserve the same prompt action and recognition on pay as their colleagues in England.

They should not have to wait any longer for the pay award that they should have received in April of this year.

Nicky Hughes highlighted the dedication and resilience of the nursing workforce, who continue to deliver skilled and compassionate care despite long hours and emotional strain.

She stressed that the respect for nursing staff and the quality of patient care should not be sidelined.

As a devolved nation, the Welsh Government can decide to go above the recommendations of the independent pay review body (PRB) for nursing staff in Wales, which would go some way towards the pay restoration they committed to in last years pay award, Nicky Hughes added.

RCN Wales is adamant that any pay award for NHS Wales staff must be fully implemented and backdated to April 2024.

It is imperative for Eluned Morgan, as the future First Minister, to show leadership and commitment to nursing in Wales.
Up to 30,000 supporters of fascist leader Tommy Robinson rallied in London on Saturday. It was the largest such protest in living memory, promoted as a patriotic show of force under the banner Uniting the Kingdom.

They marched from the Royal Courts of Justice to Trafalgar Square where far-right speakers including actor Laurence Fox, former UK Independence Party (UKIP) candidate Carl Benjamin, Pentecostal preacher Bishop Ceirion Dewar, and former Tory MP Andrew Bridgen spewed out anti-immigrant poison.

Saturday's far-right rally in Trafalgar Square, July 27, 2024 [Photo: Hope Not Hate]

Robinson began by hailing Britains Armed Forces, Let them know how grateful we are for the service they give. Simon Bean MBE, who served with the British Army in Northern Ireland, Bosnia and the Middle East and addressed the rally in military uniform, declared, I will keep fighting til Im lying on the streets choking on my own blood.

Fox told those assembled, There are no political solutions. You are the solutioneach and every one of you. Take back your country and unite the United KingdomGod Bless the King!

Benjamin declared that immigration had turned Britain into an occupied country, with foreigners taking the benefits that were meant for us. He told the crowd the liberal political class dont recognise your existence but, you are footing the bill you are the underclass they seek to create.

Robinson called Saturdays rally as part of efforts to create an organised far-right movement off the back of the large vote for Nigel Farages Reform UK. Robinson asked of the recent general election, How many people here voted for Labour? and How many people here voted for the Conservative Party?, both questions eliciting boos from the crowd. But a sea of hands and cheers followed the same question for Reform UK, with Robinson appealing to an absent Farage to stop expelling his supporters from his party: This is your constituency Nigel.

2024 general election

Saturdays rally confirms the warnings made by the World Socialist Web Site following the July 4 general election: that Labours right-wing programme and the capitulation of lefts such as Jeremy Corbyn, who is determined to block a mass socialist movement in the working class, risked driving sections of workers into the arms of the fascists.

While Labour came to power with a 174-seat majority, its share of the popular vote is the lowest for an incoming government in history. An election contest between two parties of austerity and war produced the largest abstention rate since the granting of universal suffrage, with Labours vote share dropping from 41 percent in 2017 under Jeremy Corbyn, to just 33.8 percent.

Labour picked up a swathe of Tory-held seats thanks in large part to the surge in support for Reform UK. Reform UK won five seats, but ran second in a further 98 constituencies, and came within 10,000 votes of winning in 10. In 15 seats taken by Labour, the combined Tory and Reform UK vote was higher than Labours.

The WSWS warned that Reform UKs 14 percent vote total is a warning that the rise of Trump and Le Pen is rooted in a global process of betrayals of working class interests.

Pseudo-left counter-protest: a dead-end

The political bankruptcy of the official left in Britain was on display at a counter-demonstration of around 3,000 people called by Stand Up to Racism (SUTR) led by the Socialist Workers Party (SWP) and whose featured speaker was Corbyn.

Stand Up To Racism demonstration, London July 27, 2024

Corbyn joined others including SUTR co-convenor Weyman Bennett, in shielding the Labour Party and the trade union bureaucracy in their role as chief enablers for the growth of the far-right.

Never mentioning Starmer by name, Corbyn stated: If a government, any government anywhere in Europe fails to deal with the issue of the crisis of falling living standards, the crisis of poverty, the millions that access food banks, all across this continent, then the blame culture against minorities, refugees and others will take over, that is the atmosphere in which the far-right and the fascists thrive.

So our campaign is, yes, to oppose racism in any form, but is also for a more decent, more equal, more inclusive society that gives hope to all people, in all circumstances. That is what unites us together.

Jeremy Corbyn speaking at the Stand Up To Racism demonstration in London, July 27, 2024

A report of the rally in Socialist Worker saw Corbyn echo these themes, telling the SWP, The conditions under which fascism arose in the past in Europe, particularly in Germany, are beginning to be here again We need to push back against it by serious economic policies and demanding the redistribution of wealth.

But Corbyn opposes launching a party to challenge Labours pro-capitalist programme. Needless to say, the words capitalism, imperialist war, working class and socialist revolution were absent as Corbyn dished out his familiar reformist bromides.

The political consequence of Corbyns politics is the blocking of a revolutionary socialist and internationalist opposition to the real source of the far-right danger: the capitalist system.

For this reason, there can be no struggle against the far right without the systematic mobilisation of the working class against the Starmer Labour government and its defenders in the trade union bureaucracy. This is underscored by the actions of the Labour government since it took power less than a month ago.

History shows the far-right develops on the basis of decaying capitalism, expressed in extreme social inequality, militarism, the collapse of democracy and the drive to world war. The Starmer government confronts the working class as the embodiment of these morbid symptoms, ramping up NATOs war against Russia, committing billions more to the military; targeting immigrants and asylum-seekers for repression; and whipping-up country first, party second nationalism and patriotism.

Labours Home Secretary Yvette Cooper responded to youth riots in Leeds provoked by police violence, racism and austerity, with a law-and-order crackdown, backing gestapo tactics by police against immigrant families, and emboldening the far-right.

Starmers suspension of seven MPs for supporting a toothless amendment to abolish the two-child cap on benefits shows he will brook no opposition. Chancellor Rachel Reeves has today announced savage spending cuts to fill a 22 billion black hole. Her measures include ending winter fuel payments to around 10 million pensioners to fix the foundations of our economy, with Reeves warning that Labours autumn budget will involve taking difficult decisions to meet our fiscal rules across spending, welfare and tax.

Saturdays counter-protest concealed everything that must be tackled by the working class. Eddie Dempsey, Assistant General Secretary of the Rail, Maritime and Transport union (RMT), declared that concerns over living standards, jobs and wages were class issues, but failed to mention his unions role in sabotaging the 2022-23 strike wave. RMT officials divided and betrayed the largest combined rail strikes in decades, working with the rail companies and the Conservative government to impose sellout pay deals. RMT leader Mick Lynch cynically exploited his standing as a left to head off calls for a general strike and corral workers behind an incoming Labour government.

The Socialist Equality Party will be commenting further on the weekends events, including Robinsons arrest and interrogation under Prevention of Terrorism legislation. Such state repression merely emboldens the far-right, allowing its leaders to pose as martyrs. The emergence of far-right movements in Britain, across Europe and the US can be combatted and undercut through the development of a socialist mass movement of the working class internationally, uniting workers against capitalist austerity, authoritarianism and war.
French writer Emile Zola (1840-1902) is known as one of the foremost champions of literary naturalism, which dedicated itself, with inevitable strengths and weaknesses, to the faithful reproduction of immediate reality.

Zolas many novels, especially such works as Germinal and Nana, provoked outrage in the political, military and religious establishment and other reactionary quarters in Europe, where his works were regularly denounced as vile, abominable and pornographic. The books also made him a celebrity and greatly admired in his own time.

The Disappearance of Emile Zola- Love, Literature, and the Dreyfus Case

Zola the novelist, journalist and playwright is equally recognized for the role he played in fighting to clear the name of Alfred Dreyfus, the Jewish French army officer who was falsely accused and convicted of treason in 1894. Zolas lengthy open letter Jaccuse (I Accuse), issued in January 1898, proved decisive in mobilizing opposition to the antisemitic frameup of Dreyfus.

More than 125 years later, the Dreyfus Affair continues to resonate. This is due, first of all, to the persistence of antisemitism and the growth of the ultra-right and the fascist danger. Second, it is no small matter that false charges of antisemitism have been leveled against principled left-wing opponents of the Israeli Zionist regime, its 76-year record of ethnic cleansing and occupation, and the genocide that has been taking place in Gaza for almost 10 months.

The contemporary context makes The Disappearance of Emile Zola: Love, Literature, and the Dreyfus Case, a slim volume published a few years ago, of particular interest (Roman Polanskis film Jaccuse, 2019, is another expression of the continuing interest in the Dreyfus case). The author is Michael Rosen, known mainly for childrens books, and professor of childrens literature at the University of London. His book is an account of the nearly 11 months Zola spent in self-imposed exile in Britain, from July 1898 to June 1899, after his conviction for libel in connection with Jaccuse.

There are three main strands in this narrative. First, obviously, the Dreyfus case itself. Second, the complications of Zolas life, specifically the unusual menage a trois, incorporating his wife Alexandrine, with whom he had been together since 1864, and his seamstress mistress Jeanne Rozerot, with whom he had two children, his only offspring. And finally, a fresh and very significant examination of Zolas views on broader issues, including socialism and the rise of political antisemitism in France and elsewhere during this period.

Dreyfus was convicted of treason and sentenced to exile under brutal conditions on Devils Island, off the coast of French Guiana on the northeast corner of South America. Zola soon drew the conclusion that Dreyfus was innocent and that the conviction was the result of forged documents. He threw himself into the defense campaign, arousing the fury of powerful sections of the French ruling class. Jaccuse was published with the intention of provoking a libel suit, enabling new evidence to be brought forward. The libel suit was successful, however. Zola was fined, stripped of the Legion of Honor, and sentenced to one year in prison. At the urgent insistence of his attorney and close associates, rather than surrendering for his prison sentence he reluctantly fled to London in the summer of 1898.

Zola did not expect to spend that long away from France, from his loved ones (although visits were arranged) and from the wellspring of his creative life. He followed the progress of the case from afar, impatiently awaiting conditions under which he could return.

The account of Zola and his complex relationship with the two women in his life is recounted by Rosen, as any truthful account of his life no doubt requires. The particulars during the time of Zolas disappearance, however, including a close examination of the correspondence between the novelist and his wife and mistress, are laid out in somewhat unnecessary detail.

The affair with Jeanne, who had been working as a servant to Alexandrine, began in 1888, and their children Denise and Jacques were born in 1889 and 1891 respectively. Alexandrine only found out about the relationship in November 1891, at which point relations at first became explosive and Zolas marriage appeared in jeopardy. Alexandrine slowly adjusted to an arrangement in which Zola would spend the afternoons with his mistress and children. By the time of Zolas exile, things were on a more even keel. As Rosen writes, the domestic arrangementreached a degree of tranquility. The women drew closer to one another, especially after Zolas death.

Portrait of Zola by Nadar, March 3, 1898

In June of 1899, Dreyfuss original conviction was quashed, and Zola returned to Paris. Dreyfus was convicted for a second time a few months later. The officer, who had already spent more than four years in exile under horrific conditions, agreed to accept a guilty plea in exchange for a pardon, even though he maintained his innocence.

Finally, in 1906, Dreyfus was completely exonerated and restored to his post. He lived another three decades, until 1935. Zola, however, was unable to witness the vindication of both Dreyfus and himself. He died in September 1902, the victim of carbon monoxide poisoning caused by an improperly ventilated chimney at his home. Rosen, along with many others, thinks it at least possible that this death was not accidental, but rather caused by sabotage by fanatical anti-Dreyfusards. In 1908, Zolas remains were interred in the Pantheon, a recognition of his courageous defense of Dreyfus as well as his literary achievements.

In recounting Zolas role in the Dreyfus case, this book raises many issues of great historical importance, including the role of political antisemitism in France, the birth of Zionism and the role of the socialist movement.

The rise of modern political antisemitism in the last third of the 19th century emerged from the growth of the class struggle, which, especially after the example of the Paris Commune of 1871, raised a potentially revolutionary threat to capitalism. Antisemitism, based largely on elements of the middle classes, served the aim of developing a mass base for the defense of capitalism against the socialist movement, and of dividing the working class.

The forces of reaction demagogically pointed to the prominent role of Jews in finance in an effort to divert the anger of the petty bourgeois masses away from their actual enemy and onto the Jewish population as a whole. The antisemitism of the Dreyfus era did not disappear following his exoneration. It reemerged in the 1930s under conditions of the Great Depression, alongside the rise of the murderous Nazi dictatorship in Germany. The Nazi collaborationist Vichy regime in France assisted in the deportation of tens of thousands of French Jews to Auschwitz during the Second World War. Rosen explains, in his Postscript, that one of his great-uncles, Oscar Jeschie Rosen, was deported on the same day as Dreyfuss granddaughter Madeleine Dreyfus Levy.

It is not coincidental that the Dreyfus case took place at precisely the same moment as the birth of Zionism. Austro-Hungarian Jewish journalist Theodor Herzl, living in Vienna at the time, observed the frameup of Dreyfus and drew the conclusion, both from the Dreyfus case and the general growth of antisemitism in Europe, that it was impossible for the Jews to attain equality and full citizenship rights, and that the solution lay in the establishment of a Jewish state in Palestine. Herzl wrote Der Judenstaat (The Jewish State) in 1896, and the World Zionist Organization held its first congress in 1897. Zionism was from its outset a project of the Jewish bourgeoisie, directed against the working class and hostile to socialism and the goal of social equality.

The growing socialist movement took up the fight against antisemitism and other attempts to divide the working class. As David North noted in The Myth of Ordinary Germans: A Review of Daniel Goldhagens Hitlers Willing Executioners, the German Social Democracy, which had been founded with the assistance of Marx and Engels and was the most powerful contingent of the international socialist movement, took the lead. Aside from democratic principles and moral considerations, North writes, the Social Democratic Party saw the association of anti-Semitism with demagogic anticapitalist rhetoric as an attempt to disorient the working class and subordinate it to the political representatives of the middle class.

Jaccuse (January 13, 1898)

The French Socialists, though weaker than their powerful German counterparts, played an important role in the Dreyfus case. Jean Jaures, the leading French Socialist who had become convinced of Dreyfus innocence and in September 1898 had published a lengthy book, The Proof: The Dreyfus Affair, visited Zola in London in March 1899.

Jaures was in London to attend a conference called by the Social Democratic Federation. The author quotes Jaures in a report from The Times: It was absurd to believe that there could be universal peace under the present capitalist system, which was itself based upon letting loose war throughout the world and encouraging strife among the working classes. Socialism was their only hope in the direction of true peace.

The author reports on Zolas own political views, as expressed in a long interview he gave, a few months before he started his exile in London but after the publication of Jaccuse, to an Austrian-born London-based journalist, Max Beer. After the Russian Revolution, Beer joined the German Communist Party. The following exchange from 1899 is particularly significant:

Beer: I do not impugn your power of observation. It is, as all the world knows, very comprehensive; and your studies are painstaking, sincere and scientifically correct. You will, however, permit me to say that your observation of Jewish life did not go far enough. You had no opportunity of seeing the whole of it. Zola: During these last few months of anguish, I thought a good deal of the Jewish question. And I had good reason for it, tooMy novels might surely give the impression that I regarded the Jew chiefly as a money-mongering and luxury-loving human being. My recent struggle, however, taught me that there are many Jews who belong to quite another category. There are in human history some factors more potent than race or religion. Beer: Economic ones! Zola: Precisely Beer: There is no Jewish question at all, but there is a struggle between the owners of the means of production and the owners of labour-power. This struggle knows neither race nor religion. It is a struggle going on, consciously or unconsciously, in the whole civilized world. Abolish this antagonism and Dreyfus trials will be no more. Zola: You are, of course, pointing to socialism.

Beer then pointed to, in the newspaper article publishing his dialogue with Zola, an extract from the French authors last novel, Truth, which he calls perhaps an echo of his interview: There were really no Jew questions  at all; there was only a Capitalist question  a question of money heaped up in the hands of a certain number of gluttons and thereby poisoning and rotting the world.

French socialist Jean Jaures, 1904, by Nadar

Famously, Zola also wrote on another occasion, Whenever I delve into any topic, I come across socialism.

Zolas comments on antisemitismhis refusal to see the world in simply racial or religious termsreads today as an eloquent condemnation of Zionism and other forms of identity politics. The Zionist regime claims the right to speak for all Jews and to regard those, including Jews, who oppose it as antisemites. In fact it is proceeding in the same manner as and in solidarity with the actual antisemites, and openly working with the most reactionary forces all over the world.

As far as identity politics and racial politics, the same class logic can be seen. Black nationalists and their supporters take the opposite view from Zola, who correctly insisted that there are in human history some factors more potent than race or religion.

Zola was a courageous figure, a man who numbered among his friends some of the most progressive cultural figures of 19th century France. These included, as Rosen explains, the pioneering photographer Nadar (Felix Tournachon) (1820-1910), who inspired Zola to take up photography as a serious hobby; and two of the most progressive painters of the Impressionist or post-Impressionist eras, Edouard Manet (1832-1883) and Paul Cezanne (1839-1906). He had known Cezanne since childhood.

Zola was not a Marxistin fact, he was interested in the theories of Fourier, the French utopian socialist of the mid-19th century, and watered-down versions at that. But he was certainly sympathetic, as the best of his novels reveal, to the plight of the working class, and he was an opponent of obscurantism and reaction. His collaboration with Jaures played a major role in the eventual exoneration of Dreyfus and in the struggle against antisemitism, and in the way he fought racial and religious hatred he has much to teach us today.
Randi Weingarten, AFT president, during the American Federation of Teachers' 88th national convention, Thursday, July 25, 2024, in Houston. [AP Photo/Tony Gutierrez]

The biennial convention of the American Federation of Teachers (AFT) concluded last Thursday in Houston, Texas.

The concerns of teachers found no expression at the meeting, except by way of dishonest phrase-mongering. It had more the character of a Democratic Party rally staged by the union bureaucracy, which is joined at the hip with this pro-war, pro-Wall Street party. Vice President Kamala Harris, the newly-anointed Democratic nominee, spoke on the last day of the convention.

Posturing by Harris

Harris speech was full of the usual platitudes, thanking teachers for their service to our nation. She attempted to contrast her record and that of the Biden White House to a bastion of darkness represented by Trump. But every policy she ascribed solely to Trump has bipartisan support, underscoring that the rise of fascism is only the most extreme outcome of massive inequality which pervades the US and dominates the political system.

For example, Harris claimed that no child has to grow up in poverty and every student has the support and resources to thrive, even as Biden has cut off billions in COVID emergency funding, triggering massive budget cuts at school districts nationwide. She denounced Trump for supporting tax breaks to billionaires and corporations, as though Democrats have not also voted to funnel trillions in free money to prop up Wall Street.

At the close of her speech, she denounced the threat of right-wing extremists to democracy, asking rhetorically whether the US would be a country of freedom, compassion and rule of law, or a country of chaos, fear and hate?

This claim to be the last line of defense for democracy was exposed by the circumstances around her speech. Immediately before speaking, Harris issued a statement denouncing last Wednesdays protests against the appearance of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu as despicable, un-patriotic and hate-fueled. Immediately after speaking, she met with Netanyahu, who is carrying out the US-backed genocide in Gaza.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu speaks to a joint meeting of Congress at the Capitol in Washington, Wednesday, July 24, 2024, as House Speaker Mike Johnson of La., and Senate Foreign Relations Chair Ben Cardin, D-Md., listen. [AP Photo/Julia Nikhinson]

The only semi-truthful part in her speech is when she identified herself with Bidens labor policy, boasting of her role as the chair of the White House Labor Task Force. The White House supports, not the self-organization of the working class, but unions which are totally controlled by a pro-corporate bureaucracy.

This union bureaucracy is playing a critical role in attempting to shore up a Democratic Party which is increasingly discredited among workers and youth. Mere hours after the collapse of Bidens reelection campaign last week, the AFT executive council issued a preliminary resolution endorsing Harris for president, which the convention delegates passed on Monday, making the AFT the first union to endorse her.

AFT President Randi Weingarten, a member of the Democratic National Committee, and other speakers sought to portray Harriss election as a bulwark against a Trump dictatorship and for the survival of public education. This required a high degree of falsification to cover not only for the real pro-war, anti-working class policies of the Democrats, but for the AFT bureaucracys own role in helping carry them out.

The bureaucracy itself is in deep crisis, and the AFT leadership was terrified that the convention would blow up like the National Education Associations did in early July. On Wednesday, Weingarten nervously admonished delegates not to protest during Harris speech on the grounds that it would project disunity in the media. In the end, no such protests occurred.

AFT bureaucracy whitewashes genocide

In her keynote address, Weingarten ignored the Gaza genocide, while condemning the October 7 Hamas massacre and whitewashing the genocide as merely a conflict between Israel and Hamas.

Weingarten personifies the integration of the union bureaucracy with American capitalism and imperialism. She criss-crosses the globe supporting US-backed wars, making a visit to Israel last year where she postured as supporting peace while ignoring Israeli war crimes. An arch-Zionist, Weingarten denounced protesting students as antisemites, even after she herself promotes neo-Nazis who are NATOs shock troops in the proxy war in Ukraine against Russia.

The AFT bureaucracys support for war is deeply unpopular among teachers, but this had no real representation at the convention. Multiple local resolutions were proposed that gave detailed descriptions of the genocidal character of the war and Israels intentional obliteration of education infrastructure in Gaza, which have been defined as scholasticide. These resolutions died in committee.

Instead, the bureaucrats passed mealy-mouthed bi-lateral ceasefire resolutions which, like earlier resolutions passed by the AFT and AFL-CIO apparatus, covered up the real nature of the war and were fundamentally in line with the political interests of Washington, especially in their promotion of the smokescreen of a two-state solution.

Another resolution which was tellingly suppressed by the convention committees denounced the repressive and violent crackdown against protests against the genocide, noting that many educators within the AFT have been arrested, forcibly removed from the protests and suspended from work.

Corporatism and the unions

Weingarten claimed that the AFT made a great choice to endorse Biden and Harris in 2020, who she said were the leaders best prepared to lead our country out of crisis and to a brighter future. They have created the strongest economic recovery in our lifetime. Theyve restored integrity to the White House. This is the most pro-labor, pro-worker, pro-family, pro-public education administration in our history.

In reality, Biden is using the union bureaucracy, which is deeply hostile to workers, as key allies in attacks on the working class. He infamously banned a railroad strike in late 2022, and has worked with unions in every industry to impose contracts paving the way for layoffs.

Biden also sees this corporatist alliance with the bureaucracy as key to preparing society for war, as he frankly stated this when he called the AFL-CIO his domestic NATO earlier this month.

President Joe Biden stands with Shawn Fain, President of the United Auto Workers, at the United Auto Workers' political convention, Wednesday, Jan. 24, 2024, in Washington. [AP Photo/Alex Brandon]

He worked closely with the United Auto Workers to impose a deal last year which has led to over 8,000 layoffs with more on the way. Significantly, UAW president Shawn Fain was another guest speaker at the convention. Recent developments have exposed his administration as totally illegitimate. This includes a ruling in favor of a lawsuit alleging mass vote suppression in the federally supervised UAW election in 2022, as well as a federal monitors investigation into allegations of corruption.

Among autoworkers, support is growing for new elections, controlled by the rank-and-file, to throw out Fain and the bureaucracy.

Support for school cuts

The administration Weingarten called the most pro-worker and pro-public education in US history has triggered massive budget cuts at districts across America by cutting off $190 billion in Covid funding for education.

Some of the deepest cuts being prepared are in Chicago, where the teachers contract has expired as the district faces a $500 million deficit. But Mayor Johnson, an ex-Chicago Teachers Union staffer, was an honored guest at the convention. CTU President Stacy Davis Gates hailed Johnson as my brother, our brother, the worlds brother, making clear that that the union intends to help ram these cuts through.

Mayor of Chicago Brandon Johnson and Biden [Photo: Twitter]

The CTU, which has imposed massive concessions included dozens of school closures, has been controlled for more than a decade by the Caucus of Rank-and-File Educators, which Johnson also comes out of. This is a pseudo-left faction with ties, first to the International Socialist Organization, and then with the Democratic Socialists of America following the ISOs breakup. These forces devote all of their efforts to bolstering the left flank of the Democrats and the union bureaucrats, while completely supporting their basic policies.

Johnson is infamous for his police attacks on anti-genocide protesters, including arrests in April outside the venue of the Labor Notes conference, when he himself was speaking. He has also moved against migrants and will be the point person for repression against protests at the Democratic National Convention in August.

Fascism and democracy

The convention promoted the Democrats as the only answer to dictatorship in the US. Weingarten discussed the recent Supreme Court ruling that established a presidential dictatorship in the US. She noted that it laid the legal foundation for American autocracy and granted almost limitless power to the presidential office which is acknowledged is now above the law. This is true, but her solution was to ensure that Harris, rather than Trump, control this almost limitless power.

Meanwhile, Democrats have spent the last four years trying to downplay the real threat of dictatorship in America, protecting Trump and his co-conspirators after the January 6 coup attempt, with Biden proclaiming the need for a strong Republican Party.

On all fundamental issues for American capitalism, especially war, the Democrats and Republicans are in agreement.

The bureaucracys nationalism and deep ties with the state make it a natural base of support for fascism. On Twitter, Weingarten hailed a speech by Teamsters General President Sean OBrien at the Republican National Convention. Personally, I am glad Teamsters president Sean O'Brien was at the RNC. And glad that he savaged big business for their greed.

Sean O'Brien, President of the International Brotherhood of Teamsters speaks during the Republican National Convention Monday, July 15, 2024, in Milwaukee. [AP Photo/Morry Gash]

In the first place, her support for OBriens overtures to Republicans this totally contradicts her own support for the Democrats as the last line of defense for democracy. But in fact, OBrien did not attack corporate greed but gave an ultranationalist speech attacking corporations for their lack of patriotism. He channeled Hitlers attacks on rootless international elements when he declared that elites have no nation, which is disproven by the eruption of war in a bid to save the dominance of US capitalism.

Weingarten herself has ties to the extreme right. In 2021, she took part in the infamous town hall of death with extreme-right COVID denialists, while she and the AFT bureaucracy were helping to force schools to reopen against rank-and-file opposition.

Rank-and-File Committees

Weingartens own association with the extreme right disproves her assertion that either the Democrats or the union bureaucrats are a bulwark against fascism. In reality, the defense of democracy requires the independent mobilization of the working class against the entire political set-up, including the corrupt union apparatus.

Striking Chicago teachers march in the city's famed Loop on the fifth day of canceled classes Wednesday, Oct. 23, 2019, in Chicago. The protest was timed to coincide with Mayor Lori Lightfoot's first budget address. (AP Photo/Teresa Crawford)

The decisive question for not only workers, but world society, is how this is to be achieved. The working class, the most powerful social force on earth, needs the organizational mechanisms and an independent strategy through which this power can be expressed.

Earlier this month, a very different perspective from the one at the AFT convention was put forward by the Educators Rank-and-File Committee. In a statement calling on teachers to organize in defense of education, it wrote:

The fight to defend public education is a political struggleOn the one hand, Donald Trump, four years after his failed January 6 coup, is running to become an American fuhrer, openly threatening violence and mass arrests of his political opponents. On the other, Biden, whose clear mental decline has called his viability as a candidate into question, is hated for his role in supporting the Gaza genocide and in coordinating mass arrests of protesters across the country.

The statement continued:

Teachers and the working class as a whole must emerge as vanguard fighters for the defense of democratic rights because these can only be defended through a fight against control of society by the corporate oligarchy. The working class, the vast majority of society and the source of all its wealth, must determine how societys resources are used, not a handful of super-rich individuals.

It concluded:

The first step is for teachers to organize themselves outside of the control of the [union] bureaucracy. They must take their place in the growing world movement for rank-and-file committees, democratic organs of workers power being formed in opposition to the union bureaucracy and the pro-corporate parties.

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Last week, the New Popular Front (NFP) alliance led by Jean-Luc Melenchon arrived at a last-minute consensus on the prime minister it would propose to President Emmanuel Macron. It chose Lucie Castets, a top finance ministry official and adviser to the Socialist Party (PS) administration in Paris. By naming Castets, NFP leaders like Melenchon and unpopular former PS President Francois Hollande are proposing someone who could easily work with Macron, based on repudiating whatever social promises the NFP made workers in its election program.

People walk past a poster reading "Vote for the New Popular Front " prior to the first round of parliamentary elections in Paris, Saturday June 22, 2024 [AP Photo/Thibault Camus]

An examination of Castets record confirms the assessment the Parti de legalite socialiste (PES) made of the NFPas a trap for the working class. While it proclaimed that it was fighting against a potential neo-fascist victory in the legislative elections, the Melenchon-Hollande alliance is capturing votes from workers hoping for left-wing policies, to then impose upon them a government led by a bourgeois economist.

The proposal of Castets followed weeks of factional struggles inside the NFP. The Stalinist French Communist Party (PCF) and then Melenchons France Unbowed (LFI) party proposed Huguette Bello, the president of Reunion islands regional council. The PS proposed ex-Pabloite Professor Laurence Tubiana, with the support of the PCF and the Greens. Tubiana, who openly called to junk the NFPs election promises in order to work out an election alliance with Macron, saw her candidacy rejected by LFI. In the NFP, talks collapsed for a time.

Finally, a few hours before Macron was set to speak on the government crisis, the PSthe bourgeois party of imperialist war and austerity from which Macron himself emergedmade an agreement with LFI to back Castets. She is a virtually unknown functionary at the finance ministry, who was trained at the same, elite National Administration School (ENA) as Macron.

In a communique, the NFP declared that Castets is a high functionary who has worked on the repression of tax fraud and financial criminality. It presented her as a woman deeply committed to non-governmental associations struggle for the defense and the promotion of public services, but also in the ideological struggle against raising the retirement age to 64. In an AFP interview published minutes after the NFP publicly announced its endorsement of her, she claimed that she supports the abrogation of the pension reform imposed last year by Macron.

On X/Twitter, Melenchon applauded the NFPs promotion of Castets and called on Macron to name her as prime minister. He wrote:

The proposition of Lucie Castets for the role of prime minister is a confirmation of the capacity of the New Popular Front to raise itself to the seriousness of the circumstances, while respecting the promises that have been made to the women and men who placed it first among their votes. The President of the Republic should dither no longer. The country is impatient to see its decision acted upon!

In a FranceInter interview she had agreed to on July 24, Castets claimed she would refuse all coalitions with Macrons party due to their profound disagreements. Without clearly explaining what concrete differences on policy she had, Castets claimed only that she would want to convince people bill after bill, law after law and change methods to stop a very Jupiter-style exercise of power by Macron.

An hour later, on French state television, Macron swept her proposals aside and stressed that he will insist on a repudiation by the NFP of all its social promises. The question is not who we should name, but what majority can be formed in the Assembly so that a government can adopt cuts and a budget, Macron said. Dismissing the NFP, he said it does not have any majority whatsoever.

However the talks between LFI, the PS and Macron ultimately end, Castets nomination is a signal that the NFP intends to betray the promises it made to workers and youth who voted NFP to oppose both Macron and the neo-fascist National Rally (RN). Castets is an ENA graduate whose political and professional record presents only minor differences with the policies of Macron, the president of the rich. Indeed, Macron is negotiating with the NFP, which is promoting Castets, even as he also secretly negotiates with the RN.

LFI attacked the PS attempt to nominate Tubiana as unserious because she was too openly compatible with Macron. However, LFI is now backing Castets, whose political profile is no different than that of Tubiana. She is also an economist trained by the bourgeoisie to be part of the ruling elite and to implement PS austerity measures against the workers at home.

Castets is a former PS member and ran in 2015 on the PS electoral list of Nicolas Mayer-Rossignol in the Haute-Normandie department. She left the PS because she disagreed with the political orientation of Francois Hollandes presidential term, claims LFI deputy and strategist Paul Vannier. But while Castets, like Macron, left the PS when it faced explosive anger amongst workers after Hollandes reactionary 2012-2017 presidency, she continued to work closely with this bourgeois party.

Castets worked for PS mayor of Paris Anne Hidalgo, who selected Castets as her economic adviser before naming her to run the Finances and Purchases of the city. She has the confidence of the mayor in order to have such a great responsibility, said Hidalgos deputy, Patrick Bloche.

Workers must be warned: a Castets government would defend a police state waging imperialist war abroad and class war at home in order to finance military escalation. In her statements, Castets has been silent on Macrons call to send troops to Ukraine to wage war with Russia, on the Israeli genocide in Gaza, and on Macrons support for the Israeli regime.

The NFPs choice of Castets, a graduate of the unpopular ENA, is no coincidence, as France is being targeted by the European Union for excessive deficits. The NFP is joining in the political maneuvers of the financial aristocracy by selecting someone trained by the school infamous for being the training ground of bourgeois politicians. Indeed, despite her criticisms of Macrons pension cuts last year, Castets is set to agree to austerity policies that Macron intends to impose against an overwhelming majority of the French people, especially workers.

Workers in France must recall the experience of their class brothers and sisters in Greece, who voted Syriza (the Coalition of the Radical Left) into office to stop austerity. In power from 2015 to 2019, Syriza imposed more deep austerity cuts, while loyally defending and financing Greeces role in NATO by building Fortress Europe detention camps for refugees in alliance with the European Union (EU). It demobilized and betrayed the expectations of workers and youth who were hoping for a more left-wing policy.

Syriza had won power in an electoral landslide, promising the end of the austerity measures of the EU and the International Monetary Fund, but demonstrated in a matter of a few weeks that it was a party devoted to serving the bourgeoisie. Workers cannot expect fundamentally different experiences from a formation like the NFP, which can advance figures like Castets.

The working class will enter into explosive conflicts with whatever government emerges from the ongoing talks between LFI, the PS, Macron and the RN. These coming struggles must however be transformed into a movement against not only Macron and the neo-fascists but also the suffocating diktat of the political and trade union bureaucracies making up the NFP. The precondition for such a struggle is building a revolutionary Marxist vanguard, that is to say, the PES, in the working class.
Healthcare workers entering into struggle over low pay, short staffing and abysmal working conditions, including over 7,100 Michigan Medicine workers, should take a warning from the recent court ruling assessing damages against the Service Employees International Union (SEIU) for an illegal strike by nurses at HCA Healthcare in California during the early days of the pandemic.

On May 31, the Service Employees International Union 121 RN was ordered by a federal arbitrator to pay $6.26 million in damages to the for-profit hospital chain HCA Healthcare for holding an unlawful strike in June 2020. The nurses were fighting for more staff and personal protective equipment in the midst of the coronavirus pandemic as many of their colleagues fell ill.

According to a news release from the Riverside Community Hospital in Riverside, California, the SEIU was found liable for a May 2023 decision for a 10-day strike that deprived the hospital of the rights it was due under a collective bargaining agreement. The ruling sets a dangerous precedent where strikes in certain critical areas of public life and the economy can be declared illegal.

Striking nurses at Riverside Community Hospital, June 28, 2020. [Photo: SEIU local 121RN]

In the ruling, the arbitrator will award damages to cover the cost of replacing employees who left their jobs during the strike. The arbitrator also ruled that while the initial reason for the strike, understaffing, was valid under the nurses contracts, the issues related to PPE were not. SEIU Local 121 RN stated they would seek to reverse the decision.

The 2020 nurses strike at the Riverside Community Hospital took place at the onset of the global pandemic during the initial wave of mass infections and deaths. Like healthcare workers throughout the world, they were on the front lines of the fight against COVID. At the time, the Intensive Care Units (ICUs) were beyond capacity, with many nurses reporting working up to 13 hours a day with no breaks.

Hospitals in neighboring Los Angeles and throughout the country were also running out of hospital beds to take care of the influx of COVID-19 patients. The haphazard government response to the pandemic greatly exacerbated the situation facing hospitals and while the exact nature of the virus was still not fully understood it was undeniable that nurses and staff faced a greater likelihood of contracting the disease.

However, instead of quarantine measures and increased protections for at-risk workers, Governor Gavin Newsom, taking a lead from the Trump and then Biden administrations, simply asked the public to practice social distancing and wear masks, of any kind and quality. Soon even the most meager mitigation measures would be lessened, and eventually abandoned entirely. To this day, the airborne nature of COVID-19 has never clearly been explained to the public.

At the time of the strike in Riverside County, ICU beds were at 99 percent capacity going into the summer, and rather than prepare for a surge of patients, HCA Healthcare threatened to fire 10 percent of the nurses unless they accepted wage freezes, the end of company contributions to pensions and other cuts. HCA Healthcare also brought in scab workers to replace striking workers, the same scab workers that nurses are being asked to pay for, according to the recent ruling.

At least two workers at Riverside Community Hospital had already died from COVID infections and nurses at 19 of HCAs hospitals filed complaints with the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) for having to reuse gowns and not being given N-95 respirators. The threat to cut hours and reassign nurses to different positions and the resulting increased workloads forced workers into strike action.

While claiming there was no money to be found to assist nurses and provide them more resources, HCA Healthcare was the recipient of approximately $1 billion in bailout funds from the misnamed CARES Act stimulus package. Even before the pandemic, HCA Healthcare was one of the wealthiest hospital systems in the world, with $51 billion in revenue in 2019, and paying its CEO $26 million while making $7 billion in profits over the previous two years.

Workers at the hospitals were prepared to fight for better conditions and pay, but the SEIU, along with all the other corporatist healthcare unions, stood by as thousands of healthcare workers succumbed to the virus, and played its own role in isolating the struggle.

The SEIU had always intended to end the strike after 10 days, whether or not any of the nurses demands were met. Furthermore, the walkout was only called at one hospital in Riverside even though Local 121 covered two other HCA hospitals close by. This allowed HCA to bring in scabs and fill vacancies more easily, bringing in at least 400 nurses from other hospitals during the strike.

Just before the strike, SEIU Local 1000 agreed to an 11 percent pay cut for 96,000 nurses, custodians, and state administrators as demanded by Governor Gavin Newsom.

The HCA Healthcare ruling is part of a wider response by the ruling class to suppress the growth of the class struggle, in which healthcare workers are at the forefront, with 14 of the 33 largest strikes in the US in 2023 involving healthcare workers. The continuing wave of strikes reflects a militant mood among the working class and youth, fueled by genocide, imperialist war, and skyrocketing costs of living. The ruling class, meanwhile, is working to ensure the trade union bureaucracies enforce the no strike clauses which are now an integral component of every labor contract.

The past year alone has witnessed strikes of a historic character, including the strike by 85,000 healthcare workers at Kaiser Permanente in October 2023, the largest healthcare struggle in US history conducted across eight states and Washington D.C. It was shut down by the Coalition for Kaiser Permanente Unions (CKPU) with the assistance of the Biden administrations Labor Secretary, Julie Su, who played a central role in imposing a striking ban on railroad workers in the fall of 2022.

The three-week politcal strike by tens of thousands of academic workers at the University of California system against the police crackdown against anti-genocide protesters marked the entry of workers directly into the struggle against war and in defense of democratic rights.

The action has sparked a nervous backlash from the ruling class which is working to formally illegalize both the three-week UC strike and all similar actions going forward. Missy Matella, associate vice president of UC Systemwide Employee and Labor Relations said in a statement in late June that While we are relieved this strike is over, we continue to seek clarity that our no-strike clauses are enforceable and that we can rely on our contracts to provide labor peace through the term of our agreements...

The WSWS stressed, The chief lesson of the University of California strike is that the working class must become the basic force against war. However, we emphasized that workers must first settle accounts with the pro-capitalist, pro-war political system and the trade union bureaucracy which defends it.

As the ruling class seeks to straitjacket workers and illegalize all strike actions with the assistance of the corporatist trade union bureaucracies, the continuing threat of COVID-19 shows that the capitalist elite throughout the globe is willing to accept mass death, and will take little to no measures to prevent future pandemics.

The US is in the midst of an accelerating summer COVID wave and somewhere between 620,000 and 720,000 Americans are being infected each day, or one in 50 to 70 people, and COVID infections have risen nearly four-fold since mid-May. Rather than take any measures to slow the spread of the virus the ruling class instead peddles the lie that COVID-19 is in the past, even as Biden contracts COVID for the third time.

Meanwhile, the spread of the highly pathogenic avian influenza (H5N1 bird flu) virus continues to alarm public health officials. The Colorado Department of Public Health and the Environment (CDPHE) recently reported that five workers tested positive for H5N1 which they caught while culling thousands of chickens in order to prevent the spread of the virus.

As H5N1 is spreading quickly among poultry and dairy workers, only 61 people have even been tested for the virus since March, according to the CDC, a figure reflecting the overall lack of testing and tracing. H5N1 has a case fatality rate of above 50 percent among humansroughly 50 times higher than that of COVID-19.

Invoking numerous parallels to the early days of the COVID-19 pandemic by then president Trump, the Biden administration continues to tell the public they have nothing to worry about and insist the outbreaks are only among agricultural workers.

It is hard to imagine a worse situation, where a novel virus is overflowing capacity, staff lack proper PPE, and coworkers are succumbing to the virus. Not only is a repeat of 2020 on the horizon if the capitalist profit motive is allowed to continue placing profits before lives, but H5N1 and potentially more deadly viruses are already threatening mankind.

The punitive ruling against nurses for striking in June 2020 is an act of class war aimed at discouraging actions by workers, no matter the provocation. The ruling deems that the rights of the employer and behemoth hospital systems take precedence over the lives and interests of workers.

A campaign must be waged by nurses and healthcare workers across the US and internationally to demand the overturning of this ruling, which is a direct assault on workers everywhere.

As Socialist Equality Party vice presidential candidate Jerry White said in a statement to Michigan medicine workers:

Staffing problems are not an accident. They are a deliberate policy. Hospitals are run as leanly as possible to maximize profit. At the same time, the Biden administration has overseen the dismantling of any COVID-19 public health measures, even as the death toll surpasses 420 a day and more than 1.4 million Americans have perished from the virus. The Democrats and Republicans also claim there is no money for decent living standards and healthcare even as they spend $1 trillion on war, and the healthcare giants rake in hundreds of billions. That is why profit must be taken out of medicine. The Socialist Equality Party calls for the establishment of a socialist healthcare system to guarantee free, high-quality healthcare for all. This will only be accomplished through the development of a powerful and politically independent movement of the working class.
Since the formation of the New Popular Front (NFP) election alliance in France, Portugals middle class Left Bloc (BE) is trying to replicate a similar coalition in Portugal. It is promoting talks with other Stalinist or pseudo-left forces such as the Livre party and the Portuguese Communist Party (PCP), but above all with the big-business Portuguese Socialist Party (PS). The objectives of this coalition are the same as those of the NFP in France.

People walk past an election campaign billboard for the Left Bloc leader Mariana Mortagua with the words "Do what has never been done," in Lisbon, Thursday, Feb. 29, 2024 [AP Photo/Armando Franca]

In collaboration with the union bureaucracies, the Pabloite BE aims to block any mobilization of workers and youth against Portugals right-wing Social Democratic Party (PSD) government, just as the NFP aims to block opposition to President Emmanuel Macron. They do this by systematically strangling the class struggle and demanding that opposition be entirely channeled through parliament. Their parliamentary maneuvers pose no obstacle, however, to the PSDs agenda of austerity at home and imperialist war abroad.

After the NFPs electoral victory in France, Marina Mortagua, leader and national coordinator of the BE, hailed the NFP. She claimed it showed that it is possible to find an alternative in a country that was caught in a false choice between neoliberal policies, led by Macron, which degraded the living conditions of the French people, and Le Pens neo-fascism based on hatred and division.

Mortagua equated Macron with the liberal policies adopted by the Socialist Party in Portugal, and admitted that the rise of the far right is due to the fact that the Socialist Partys policies contributed to concessions to neoliberalism.

Mortaguas solution lies in left-wing dialogues that the Bloc intends to open and that seek to thereby present an alternative that people can see as credible.

Mortaguas argument is a blatant fraud. She forgot the most important thing: the liberal policies were not adopted only by the Socialist Party, but were also promoted by the BE and the PCP themselves. They supported the minority governments of the PSP between 2015 and 2022 in the so-called gerigonca agreement. This pact, although it officially ended in 2019, in practice continued until 2021 when, amid a growing wave of strikes against collapsing living standards, both parties could no longer maintain the farce and had to vote against the PS governments 2022 budget.

The PSP government alone only continued the policies of the years of the gerigonca that slashed the living conditions of Portuguese workers. This was the breeding ground for the rise of extreme right forces like Chega in Portugal and the National Rally (RN) of Marine Le Pen in France. These parties rely on exploiting the widespread anger in the population against their living conditions and the manifest bankruptcy and hypocrisy of the BE, PCP and similar pseudo-left parties of the affluent middle class.

Contrary to what Mortagua says, repeating this gerigonca, now in opposition, would not lead to great victories for the workers. Like the NFP in France, which is seeking an electoral alliance with Macron, it would hand the mantle of opposition to the PS and PSD to the neo-fascists.

The BE aims to once again draw workers behind the PS, as they did between 2015 and 2021. Since March, after the elections, the BE has been holding talks with different political forces, including the PSP in particular. According to Mortagua, this was in order to debate the elements of convergence, not only in opposition to the right-wing government, but also in building an alternative.

The importance that the leaders of the Bloco attach to the PSP being part of this Portuguese-style New Popular Front was stressed by another member of the BE national leadership, Manuel Afonso. In an article, Afonso advanced his justification for openly resuming the permanent alliance between the BE and the PS:

At a time when the country (and Europe and the world!) is turning to the right and the far right, having a firm PS in opposition, giving voice to left-wing alternatives, would be important, even knowing that it would always be insufficient and that it is therefore essential to strengthen the anti-capitalist left. Conclusion: we must demand that the PS change course. It is not the left that must decide whether to converge with the PS, the latter must decide between the government and the left.

Afonso is aware that it will be impossible to try to whip up illusions in the PS and deceive workers about its class character by promoting a front controlled by the PS, if the latter in the meantime openly supports the right-wing PSD government. The PS is not concerned for now about the pleas and complaints of the leaders of the BE or their allies like the PCP. In April they voted in favour of the PSD candidate for the presidency of the National Assembly, without caring that they in turn put a neo-fascist from Chega as vice-president.

PS President Pedro Nuno had already expressed his willingness after the elections to work with the Executive to build an agreement that would allow solutions to be found. Nuno has now said he is prepared to negotiate next years general budget with the PSD by making concessions. Failure to approve these budgets would mean new elections, something the PS is hoping to avoid.

In this way, the PSD can rely on both Chega and PS to approve the budgets as it sees fit at the time and to be able to carry out its austerity policies and its support for NATOs imperialist war against Russia in Ukraine and the Israeli genocide in Gaza. The BE tries to complete this form of parliamentary dictatorship by creating a front with the PS that will strangle the working class and leave the path clear for the PSD.

Notwithstanding Mortaguas promotion of it, the NFP in France is already visibly going bankrupt, with various factions close to the French Socialist Party proposing that the NFP be the junior partner of Macron, who would effectively control the government. Jean-Luc Melenchons France Unbowed party, the French allies of the BE and PCP, is equally guilty of this betrayal, having been the one who promoted the widely-despised PS of former French President Francois Hollande as a part of the NFP.

In Portugal, if a front were formed with BE, PS and other forces that have already shown themselves in favour, such as Livre, and even the Communist Party (PCP), that front would not play a significantly different role than France Unbowed and the French PS. It would seek to suppress the class struggle, abandon its social promises and turn to the right, promoting war and blocking protests against genocide with the excuse that this is the only way to avoid leaving power in the hands of the extreme right.

The construction of a movement in the working class against the NATO war with Russia, genocide in Gaza, and austerity and fascistic police-state rule at home can only proceed by mobilizing the working class in struggle, based on Marxist, internationalist opposition to these pseudo-left forces.
Hundreds of people took part Saturday in a rally at Federal Plaza in downtown Chicago to denounce the recent murder of Sonya Massey by police in Springfield, Illinois, the states capital.

Demonstration against the police murder of Sonya Massey in Chicago July 27, 2024.

Massey, a 36-year-old black woman, was shot in the face in her own home during the early hours of July 6. She had called the police to report a suspected prowler outside her home, thinking the police would help her. Instead, as Illinois State Police bodycam video showed, Sangamon County Sheriffs Deputy Sean Grayson killed her in cold blood.

Between 100 and 200 people demonstrated with hand-made placards and banners. A number of speakers addressed the rally, including a civil rights lawyer, a minister, the mother of another young teenager who was murdered at just 15 years old over a decade ago, and other local community leaders.

Speakers highlighted the brutality and inhumanity that Sean Grayson subjected Sonya Massey to, and advocated for Democratic Party-approved reforms, including the George Floyd Justice in Policing Act and community-controlled policing.

Significantly, however, no Democratic Party elected officials, including the Democratic Socialists of America members of the citys board of aldermen, were present at the rally to voice even token opposition to police murder.

WSWS reporters spoke with attendees.

A young woman stated the only solution was to abolish the police. She said that there was no reforming a sick system that has been given so many chances.

A young man spoke powerfully to say there was no hope in any of the current political parties and that the only way out of this situation was for the working class to unite and organize independently from any mainstream parties.

Another young attendee drew attention to the violence of American imperialism in the world, linking the murder of Massey to the wars taking place in the world right now.

A student from California was visiting Chicago, and when he heard about the murder and the upcoming protest, he felt he had to be there, and drew parallels to what is happening in Los Angeles.

The crowd went on to march downtown, with some local media covering the event.

Some speakers, through the lens of identity politics and intersectionality, insisted that the source of police violence stems from issues of race, sex, gender, or disability. Other speakers spoke to the class nature of the police, that it was not only an issue facing women, the black community, and the disabled community, but it was a labor issue and the result of the capitalist system.

Merawi Gerima, a co-chair of the Chicago Alliance Against Racist and Political Repression, a Stalinist-led group that co-sponsored the event, ended the rally saying that the police serve not the people but the ruling class, thats how they protect their money, and that the Democratic Party was the face of the ruling class, noting they have carried out violence no less horrid than what Sonya Massey experienced.

Despite these sentiments, however, the CAARPR is a longtime offshoot of the Communist Party USA, which has the closest connections with the Democratic Party and the trade union bureaucracy, particularly in Chicago.

Two days ago, Democratic Vice President Kamala Harris, once an aggressive state prosecutor in California and the partys presumptive presidential nominee for the 2024 elections, released a statement on Masseys murder: Our thoughts are also with the communities across our nation whose calls for help are often met with suspicion, distrust, and even violence. The disturbing footage released yesterday confirms what we know from the lived experiences of so manywe have much work to do to ensure that our justice system fully lives up to its name.

For his party, President Biden said, When we call for help, all of us as Americansregardless of who we are or where we liveshould be able to do so without fearing for our lives. Sonyas death at the hands of a responding officer reminds us that all too often, Black Americans face fears for their safety in ways many of the rest of us do not.

The Democrats are advancing the wars driving imperialist violence abroad and domestically, giving standing ovations to leaders responsible for genocide. Last week, the US Congress held a joint session welcoming the war criminal and mass murderer, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, who delivered an address to the US Congress bragging about the Gaza genocide, to cheers and applause from the assembled Democrats and Republicans.

The Socialist Equality Party held a rally in Washington, D.C. to protest Netanyahus appearance before a Joint Session of Congress. David North, the National Chairman of the Socialist Equality Party, drew the necessary conclusions that flow from Netanyahus address, the genocide in Gaza, and the support of the entire political establishment for it:

The building of an antiwar movement requires the mobilization of the working class as an international force. It requires the establishment of the political independence of the working class. And it requires a perspective that has as its aim not protesting to the capitalists, appealing to them to adopt a peaceful policy, but explaining to the working class that if they want to put an end to these horrors, if they want to secure the future, they have to conquer power.
On July 25, California Governor Gavin Newsom issued an executive order to move urgently to address dangerous homeless encampments, by directing state agencies to remove encampments from state lands, such as state parks, beaches, highway overpasses, and the areas underneath them. Newsom announced the brutal crackdown just four days after endorsing vice president Kamala Harriss campaign for president, and it is a harbinger of the intensifying right-wing attacks workers can expect from the Democratic Party during the election campaign and beyond.

California Gov. Gavin Newsom speaks during a news conference in Sacramento, California on Jan. 10, 2022. [AP Photo/Rich Pedroncelli]

The housing crisis in California has been sharply escalating over recent years, with the number of homeless growing by 40 percent over the past five years. Housing prices and rents have remained well beyond the reach of ordinary families, driving the state to have the highest functional poverty rate in the US.

California has been dominated by the Democratic Party, with the legislature under their control continuously since 1997, and only one Republican Governor (Arnold Schwarzenegger) since 1999. It is this party that is responding to the growing social crisis in the state with police repression.

Under Newsoms order, authorities must provide only a 48-hour notice to homeless people living on public land before they clear a site, and must store the belongings of the inhabitants for sixty days. Municipalities are not directly required to abide by Newsoms anti-homeless executive order; however, the Newsom administration has threatened to withhold $1 billion in state funds from cities that do not comply.

Newsoms executive order was made possible by the US Supreme Courts recent, reactionary decision in City of Grants Pass, Oregon, v. Johnson, which allows municipalities to clear homeless encampments even when cities do not have an adequate number of beds in homeless shelters to provide to the displaced.

The high courts ruling is crucial for Newsom, because a 2023 review by the Public Policy Institute of California showed that there were only 71,000 shelter beds in the state compared to 181,000 homeless. The decision becomes effective at the beginning of August, and many of Californias major cities have announced their plans to abide by Newsoms draconian executive order.

Democratic Mayors across the state have announced their support of Newsoms plan.

San Francisco mayor London Breed announced that the city will begin very aggressive sweeps of homeless encampments.

Oakland Mayor Sheng Thao released a statement praising Newsoms executive order: I do believe that what the governor has done today is a step forward in the right direction, adding Weve been doing this work already. Since taking office, we cleared the largest encampment in Northern California, and that is Wood Street.

San Jose Mayor Matt Mahan jumped at the opportunity to clear homeless encampments. Were eager to work with the state to responsibly and quickly remove encampments from state property in San Jose, especially those adjacent to neighborhoods and in dangerous areas along our freeways and on- and off-ramps. we appreciate Governor Newsoms order, signaling that the state is also ready to solve this crisis with both compassion and urgency.

Newsoms war on homelessness has received bipartisan support across the Golden State. Republican Fresno Mayor Jerry Dyer has taken the hardest stance in the state, announcing, with the support of three city council members, local legislation that bans homelessness punishable by a misdemeanor offense that carries up to a $1,000 fine or one-year imprisonment. If given final approval on August 15, the Fresno Police Department will be allowed to arrest any person who sits, lies, or sleeps on public property, regardless of bed space in local homeless shelters.

The effort to criminalize homelessness in California is even more barbaric when the unconstitutional overcrowding of the states prisons is taken into consideration. Beginning with the War on Drugs, California saw a rapid surge of its prison population, with Democrats using law-and-order demagogy to enact right-wing legislation, including mandatory minimum sentences and three-strike laws. The Uniform Determinate Sentencing Act of 1976 was signed by Governor Jerry Brown, setting the stage for further mass incarceration of poor and working-class Californians.

In 1994, the Democratic majorities in both houses of the state legislature passed a three-strikes bill signed into law by Republican Governor Pete Wilson. Between 1980 and 2019 the states prison population grew five-fold, from 25,000 to 125,000.

According to a 2019 report by the California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation, nearly three-fourths of all prisoners in the state had sentence lengths based on those two laws. The states notoriously overcrowded prisons are currently under federal receivership due to the unconstitutionally cruel and unusual conditions caused by overcrowding.

In this historical context, Democrats and Republicans alike see homeless people as so much human debris to be swept out of sight. In September 2022, Newsom signed the CARE Act, opening new mental health civil courts dedicated to coercing people referred by police, first responders and family members into treatment.

The bill was widely denounced by human rights groups for failing to provide needed services and instead providing new mechanisms to institutionalize people for legal behavior. Human Rights Watch at the time wrote that the bill aimed at facilitating removing unhoused people from public view without actually providing housing and services that will help to resolve homelessness.

By displacing and arresting people living on the streets, California Democrats hope to sweep the most visible symptom of the failure of the capitalist system under the rug. California has an estimated homeless population of 180,000. Meanwhile, in 2022, California had over 1.2 million vacant housing units.

Rather than addressing skyrocketing rents and a cost of living crisis which is driving thousands onto the streets, California Democrats have routinely joined their Republican colleagues in support of police repression.

During Vice President Harris tenure as California Attorney General, her office adopted right-wing law-and-order policies restricting transgender inmates right to medically necessary gender-affirming healthcare and forcing them to reside in prisons that did not match their gender identities, often landing them in the torturous conditions of solitary confinement for their safety. A centerpiece for her tenure as San Francisco district attorney was campaigning for criminal penalties for the parents of truant school children.

Despite recent lip service claiming otherwise, Harris maintains a hard-line stance in support of Israels genocidal campaign against Gaza, claiming that the genocidal state has a right to defend itself. The Democratic party is rallying behind Harriss law-and-order politics, as demonstrated by Newsoms executive order.

The criminalization of homelessness and poverty is a product of the capitalist system. There are more than enough vacant housing units in California to house every homeless person within the state. A socialist society would allow for the enormous number of unoccupied houses in the state to be put to social use instead of private profit, eliminating homelessness. Capitalist rule, however, will never support the states most vulnerable populations. Only the political organization of the working class on an international socialist basis can fight the attack on democratic rights and eliminate poverty.
Sunday marked 100 days remaining until the US presidential election, with both capitalist parties in crisis and disarray, and both responding with renewed focus on their central and most reactionary priorities. In the case of the Democrats, this means imperialist war, particularly in Ukraine. In the case of the Republicans, it means doubling down on fascist threats of a Trump dictatorship.

Vice President Kamala Harris has locked down the support of the entire Democratic Party establishment since President Biden announced July 21 that he was withdrawing from the 2024 campaign. That declaration came less than a month before the Democratic National Convention, which opens August 19 in Chicago.

Vice President Kamala Harris, right, and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu in Washington, Thursday, July 25, 2024 [AP Photo/Julia Nikhinson]

The last prominent Democrat to come across with an endorsement was Senator Bernie Sanders, speaking at a rally in Portland, Maine, on Saturday. His declaration came 24 hours after former President Barack Obama and his wife Michelle declared their support for Harris in a phone call staged for social media.

The newly launched Harris presidential campaign has proved an immediate financial success, raking in more than $200 million in campaign contributions, much of it from big money donors, who had withheld contributions the previous month after Bidens disastrous performance in a June 27 presidential debate with Trump.

Both Senate and House Democrats claimed massive fundraising gains on the back of the media glorification of Harris and the manufactured enthusiasm among Democratic Party activists over the replacement of the 81-year-old Biden, whose candidacy was widely regarded as hopeless after his disastrous and senile performance during his debate with Trump last month.

The Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee was raising a million dollars a day, its chair, Senator Gary Peters of Michigan, boasted. The Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee had its best day of the year during the first 24 hours after Bidens withdrawal, raising nearly $1 million.

Harris held a series of campaign appearances over the weekend, particularly aiming to cash in on the media glorification of her racial and gender identity. If elected, she would be the first female African American and the first Asian American in the White House. The Democratic candidate then turned over the public campaigning for several days to surrogates, while she and her top advisers met behind closed doors to discuss potential choices for vice president.

The real priorities of the Biden-Harris administration were put on display Monday when the Pentagon announced a further package of lethal aid for Ukraine, totaling $1.7 billion, mainly missiles and ammunition for weapons systems already provided to Ukraine. This includes additional ammunition for the High Mobility Artillery Rocket System (HIMARS), a medium-range weapon that Ukraine has been using to hit targets deep inside Russia.

Some $1.5 billion will come through the Ukraine Security Assistance Initiative, providing funds to Ukraine to buy the weapons produced by American arms manufacturers. The remaining $200 million will come directly from Pentagon stockpiles under Presidential Drawdown Authority, including air defense interceptors; munitions for rocket systems and artillery; and anti-tank weapons.

Harris is a staunch supporter of the US-NATO war against Russia in Ukraine and has repeatedly attacked both Trump and his running mate, Senator J. D. Vance of Ohio, for their suggestions that the war was too expensive and could be resolved relatively quickly through personal diplomacy between Trump and Russian President Vladimir Putin. The Republicans do not oppose imperialist war, in Ukraine or anywhere else, but would rather focus more directly on the US military build-up and provocations against Iran and China.

While the Democrats continue fueling a conflict which could ignite a nuclear World War III, Republican candidate Donald Trump made another threat to establish a dictatorship, during a campaign appearance last Friday before a Christian fundamentalist group. He was speaking at the Believers Summit, held by the ultra-right Turning Point Action group in West Palm Beach, Florida, near Trumps Mar a-Lago estate.

Republican presidential candidate former President Donald Trump, Republican vice presidential candidate Sen. JD Vance and House Speaker Mike Johnson attend the first day of the Republican National Convention, Monday, July 15, 2024 in Milwaukee [AP Photo/Evan Vucci]

Christians, get out and vote, just this time, Trump declared. You wont have to do it anymore. Four more years, you know what, it will be fixed, it will be fine, you wont have to vote anymore, my beautiful Christians.

He repeated this not-so-subtle suggestion that 2024 might be the last US election, proclaiming, I love you Christians. Im a Christian. I love you, get out, you gotta get out and vote. In four years, you dont have to vote again, well have it fixed so good youre not going to have to vote.

Such threats should be taken both literally and seriously, coming from a candidate who has pledged to be a dictator on day one and who instigated the fascist assault on the US Capitol on January 6, 2021, in an attempt to overturn the result of the last election. Neither Trump nor Vance has said he will respect the outcome of the 2024 vote unless it meets their standards for fairnessin other words, unless they win.

Earlier last week, a Republican state senator, warming up the crowd for a rally in Ohio for J.D. Vance, openly threatened violence, saying, If we lose this one, its going to take a civil war to save the country.

The Democratic Party responded to the increasingly fascistic language of the Trump-Vance campaign with a press release claiming to be defending freedom and democracy. A Harris campaign statement noted, Our democracy is under assault by criminal Donald Trump: After the last election Trump lost, he sent a mob to overturn the results. This campaign, he has promised violence if he loses, the end of our elections if he wins, and the termination of the Constitution 

President Biden traveled to Austin, Texas, to make a speech on the 60th anniversary of the passage of the 1964 Civil Rights Act, which had been postponed after he contracted COVID-19 for the third time. In the course of this visit, he made another empty gesture against the threat of authoritarian rule, proposing a constitutional amendment to overturn the Supreme Courts recent decision giving presidents absolute immunity for crimes committed while in office, as well as legislation to establish term limits and ethics rules for Supreme Court justices.

There is zero chance of the corporate-controlled US political system approving either measure, both of which Biden himself opposed until the Supreme Court decision on Trump v. United States July 1.

For all the warnings now issued by Harris and Biden about Trump as a threat to democracyonly for electoral purposesit is the Democratic Party that has made it possible for Trump to escape trial, conviction and imprisonment for his actions in seeking to overthrow the Constitution, and now for him to emerge as the Republican presidential nominee in an election in which the Democratic candidate, Harris, now claims to be an underdog.

The entire policy of the Biden administration was based on reviving and strengthening the Republican Party after the debacle of Trumps final days in the White House, in order to obtain bipartisan support for the most important Democratic Priority: pursuing an aggressive imperialist foreign policy that triggered Russias reactionary invasion of Ukraine, facilitates Israeli genocide in Gaza, and is paving the way for an even more terrible war against China.

While the corporate media obsesses over the results of opinion polls showing a narrowing of Trumps never large lead in the presidential racehe is either tied with or trailing Harris in critical battleground states like Wisconsin, Michigan and Pennsylvaniathe basic political contours of the election have not changed.

The 2024 campaign remains a contest between the political standard-bearers of two right-wing, anti-working-class parties, which both defend American imperialism abroad and the brutal domination of finance capital at home.

Trump is a fascist, openly declaring his hostility to democracy, threatening to round up millions of immigrants, and incessantly denouncing socialism and communism. Harris is an imperialist warmonger, embracing Netanyahu, condemning anti-genocide protesters as un-American, and pledging to continue Bidens foreign policy.
The Middle East is teetering on the brink of all-out war following Israels aggressive response to the killing of 12 children in a missile strike Saturday in the occupied Golan Heights. Israel is set to launch an attack on southern Lebanon, described by Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu as harsh, in the coming hours or days, targeting the Iranian-backed Hezbollah militia.

Members of the Druze minority protest a visit by Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to the site where 12 children and teens were killed in a rocket strike on a soccer field, in the village of Majdal Shams, in the Israeli-annexed Golan Heights, Monday, July 29, 2024. [AP Photo/Leo Correa]

Netanyahus blood-soaked genocidal regime, which has slaughtered an estimated 186,000 Palestinians in the past nine months, asserts that Saturdays deaths were caused by an Iranian-made rocket fired by Hezbollah, while the Lebanese group has blamed a falling Israeli air defence missile for the incident. Whatever the case may be, two things are already clear. The far-right Israeli regime has long been searching for a pretext to escalate the war in Gaza to its northern front. And it enjoys the full support of American imperialism for this reckless course, which threatens to plunge the entire region into a bloodbath.

During his address to a joint session of Congress last week, Netanyahu made no secret about his intentions to his enthusiastic bipartisan audience.

... when Israel fights Hamas, were fighting Iran. When we fight Hezbollah, were fighting Iran. When we fight the Houthis, were fighting Iran. And when we fight Iran, were fighting the most radical and murderous enemy of the United States of America If you remember one thing, one thing from this speech, remember this: Our enemies are your enemies, our fight is your fight, and our victory will be your victory.

Netanyahu also held talks with President Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris to secure US approval for an expansion of the war at the appropriate time. Both declared their unconditional support for Israel in a region-wide conflict with Iran. Harris began her statement to the media following her meeting with the Israeli Prime Minister by echoing Netanyahus address: So, I just had a frank and constructive meeting with Prime Minister Netanyahu. I told him that I will always ensure that Israel is able to defend itself, including from Iran and Iran-backed militias, such as Hamas and Hezbollah.

American imperialism and its Israeli attack dog are recklessly escalating war in a region that is already seething with tensions. Responding to the Netanyahu governments bellicose statements, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan threatened to enter Israel Sunday. Just like we entered Karabakh, just like we entered Libya, we can do similar to them, he said, referring to Turkeys interventions to support Azerbaijan in its conflict with Armenia and into the Libyan civil war. Erdogan and the Turkish ruling class fear that a war in Lebanon would inevitably destabilise neighbouring Syria, which has been riven by a US-instigated civil war for over a decade. In addition to Iranian forces backing Syrias Assad regime, Turkey continues to patronise Islamist militias in the north to combat Kurdish forces on its southern border.

In April, Iran launched its first direct attack on Israel in retaliation for Israels provocative bombing of the Iranian consulate in Damascus, which killed seven Iranian Revolutionary Guard Corps members. Israel was able to intercept most of the drones and missiles fired with support from the US and regional allies, including Jordan.

The only explanation that can account for the readiness of the Biden administration and Netanyahu to unleash a major military operation in Lebanon under these conditions is that they both want an all-out war. Washington fully endorsed Israels genocide against the Palestinians in Gaza from the outset last October because Biden, Harris and Co. considered it as a key component of their preparations for a regional war targeting Iran.

They dispatched two aircraft carrier strike groups with up to 15,000 personnel and dozens of warplanes to the region. They have supplied 14,000 2,000-pound bombs to the murderous Israel Defence Forces, helping them lay waste to Gazas hospitals, schools, universities, and other critical infrastructure. As horrific as these crimes are, they are only a down payment for the devastation US imperialism is prepared to inflict on the entire Middle East to retain its domination over the energy-rich region.

In a statement published on 9 October 2023, just two days after Israel launched its bloody onslaught, the International Committee of the Fourth International warned:

The imperialist leaders and their media echo chambers are opposing not terrorism but mass opposition to occupation and the terror inflicted daily by Israel. And they will do so up to and including supporting genocide against the Palestinians and extending this to a regional war against Iran, Syria and Lebanon.

American imperialisms determination to wage war across the Middle East is rooted in its precipitous economic decline, which has compelled it to engage in over three decades of uninterrupted war. It seized on the Stalinist dissolution of the Soviet Union to attempt to offset its relative loss of economic hegemony by deploying its unmatched military force in a series of catastrophic conflicts, beginning with the first Gulf War in Iraq, and continuing through Serbia, Afghanistan, the second Iraq war, Libya and the ongoing civil war in Syria. These wars have killed millions across the Middle East, North Africa, and Central Asia and forced millions more to flee their homes.

These wars failed to achieve their intended outcome. The United States economic crisis has continued to deepen, with ballooning levels of debt and social inequality linked to the massive expenditures to fund global military adventures and the enrichment of the billionaires. The American ruling class has resorted to ever more openly dictatorial forms of rule to impose its agenda of imperialist war on an overwhelmingly hostile population. Driven by the same intractable crisis of world capitalism, the other imperialist powers in Europe and Japan have armed themselves to the teeth to pursue their own interests in a new redivision of the world which they plan to accomplish by means of world war.

The Middle East is one front for US imperialism in this global conflagration. The others include Ukraine and Eastern Europe, where the US-NATO axis is waging war against Russia with the aim of subjugating the country to the status of a semi-colony and seizing its natural resources, and the Asia-Pacific, where Washington and its regional allies are setting the stage for war with China to prevent its emergence as Washingtons main economic and geopolitical competitor. This is why Netanyahus speech defending genocide and advocating war throughout the Middle East won such a rapturous response from the representatives of the American ruling class.

While Netanyahu presented his plan for war with Iran to Congress, the only viable way for the working class in the US and throughout the world to stop it was advanced by the Socialist Equality Party at a nearby rally. The same capitalist contradictions that are propelling the imperialists toward world war are radicalising millions of workers internationally and driving them into struggles with revolutionary implications. The rally gave conscious expression to this process, being organised on the following principles:

The essential cause of war lies in the capitalist nation-state system, the global financial interests of the giant corporations, and the relentless drive of the American ruling class for world hegemony.

The struggle against war requires the mobilization of the immense power of the American working class and its political independence from the Democrats and Republicans, the ruling class parties of imperialist war.

The movement against genocide and war must be international, uniting workers globally based on their common class interests.

The latest developments in the Middle East underscore once again the enormous urgency of the fight to build a global anti-war movement led by the working class on these principles. We urge all of those who agree to take the decision today to join and build the socialist opposition to imperialist war.
The World Socialist Web Site invites workers and other readers to contribute to this regular feature

Latin America

Protest over food crisis in Argentina

Laid-off workers from the Institute of Family Agriculture (INAPCI)recently shut down by the Milei administrationsmall farmers and human rights organizations staged a food fair and rally across from the annual Rural Society Expo last week, as part a two-week-old anti-hunger campaign. The event brings together representatives of agricultural exporters and the monied rural oligarchy, in Buenos Aires. The purpose of the protest rally was to publicize the ongoing food crisis that is affecting tens of thousands of Argentine families, due to the high cost of food, and the elimination of government food subsidies to soup kitchens around the country.

The campaign, with the slogan the worst form of violence is hunger, was initiated earlier this month by Nobel Peace Prize winner Adolfo Perez Esquivel.

Several of the 900 sacked INAPCI workers addressed the rally and denounced the end of government technical and financial assistance to 250,000 peasant families. Leonor Cruz, one of the fired workers, declared, The fields do not belong to these powerful people that raise soybeans to feed European pigs. The 30-year history of our institute was to defend peasant farmers from being expelled from their lands, made poor and crowded in shanty towns.

Chilean school food preparers conduct protest strike

On July 23, thousands of striking school meal preparation workers marched in Santiago and other cities in Chile, following the sacking of over 4,000 preparation workers several months ago, whove yet to be fully compensated.

In Santiago four separate mass marches from different locations converged on the La Moneda government house. Other protests took place in the cities of Antofagasta, Tocopilla, Taltal, Iquique, Arica, Copiapo and Baquedano,

The workers, who set up meals in kindergarten and elementary schools across the country, in addition denounced the speed-ups going on, following the mass layoffs. In some cases, workers are charged with preparing and serving 500 meals, up from 70 meals before the layoffs. For some children their school meal is the main daily source of food.

In addition to the severance pay for the laid-off workers, protesters denounced the poor quality of the food they receivein many cases it is past the expiration dateand delays in deliveries of food. The workers have demanded for months that the Boric administration increase resources for students meals.

Thousands march against Perus President Boluarte, demanding justice

On July 27, thousands marched in Lima, Perus capital city, demanding justice for the dead and wounded victims of police and army repression during the protests of 2022 and 2023, following the palace coup against President Pedro Castillo. In addition to family members of the victims, the demonstrators included social and human rights organizations.

The demonstrators assembled from various parts of the city at the congressional and Department of Justice headquarters, demanding a democratic solution to the political crisis that is shaking the country and Boluartes resignation.

The demonstration took place a day before Boluarte gave a speech commemorating Perus independence day.

Peru peasants hold march against Rio Blanco copper mining project

Hundreds of rural inhabitants of the Ayabaca and Huancabamba regions in the province of Piura marched into the city of Piura to protest the Rio Blanco copper mining project that threatens their woodlands and water supply.

Ayabaca and Huancabamba are the mountain sources of all the water that flows into their fields and to the entire Piura region. In 2007 the peasants and small farmers rejected by a vote of 95 percent in a referendum on the mining project. The mine company and the government ignored the vote.

United States

Hawaii hotel workers demonstrate against low wages, benefits and under-staffing ahead of strike vote

Hotel workers demonstrated across Hawaii July 23 as months of negotiations over wages, benefits and staff/workload issues. The union says the two sides are too far apart. Contracts for 4,800 members of Unite Here Local 5 expired June 30 and contract expirations for another 1,000 hotel workers soon follow.

Hawaii hotel workers picket July 23, 2024 [Photo: Unite Here! Local 5]

The contract struggle involves major hotel corporations like Hilton, Hyatt, Kyo-ya and Marriott. During the period 2019 to 2022, the US hotel industry profits increased by 26.63 percent. In Hawaii, revenue per available room has gone up by 23 percent. But management has kept in place many of its pandemic-era service cuts which have forced the understaffed workforce to bear the brunt of this profiteering.

People are definitely burnt out, bartender Jason Maxwell told KHON news. Theyre not giving us enough workers to handle the workload that we have. They work us to death. There is high turnover amongst some of the new hires. But its honestly because the workloads areare kind of out of whack right now.

A survey of Local 5 members found that 76 percent could not afford an unexpected bill of $500. Another 78 percent hold the opinion that management took advantage of the pandemic to cut payroll and implement changes that have negatively impacted workers.

Unite Here will conduct a strike authorization vote on August 8.

Philadelphia airport workers rally to demand unpaid wage increase

Workers at the Philadelphia International Airport rallied for higher wages and benefits July 23 as their contract is set to expire July 30. Baggage handlers, security guards and other airport workers represented by the Service Employees International Union 32BJ accuse airport contractors of refusing to pay wage increases that were due to kick in on January 1 of this year.

The increase was mandated by the City of Philadelphias prevailing wage law. Pay was to have been increased from $15.71 to $17.20 per hour. The law also called for an additional $4.98 hourly healthcare supplement.

Besides retroactive back pay, in the current round of negotiations workers are also seeking improved healthcare, safety protocols and additional vacation time.

In addition to those retroactive payments, workers are asking for better health and safety protocols, increased minimum hours for staffers and additional vacation time. Negotiations resumed July 25.

Canada

British Columbia ship and dock foremen re-start strike votes

About 730 workers, members of the International Longshore and Warehouse Union, will re-start the vote authorizing the union to take industry-wide strike action against the BC Maritime Employers Association (BCMEA) at Canadas West Coast ports. Union leaders announced that the vote will take at least until August 9 to be completed. They further stated that no 72-hour strike notice would be issued before the final tabulation of the votes from the last terminals balloted.

On July 8, dock foremen at the Port of Vancouver were set to begin strike action, but with only hours to spare the imminent walkout was ruled illegal at an emergency hearing of the Canada Industrial Relations Board (CIRB) after the BCMEA challenged an earlier strike vote held by the union. ILWU leaders then abruptly bowed to the CIRB and called off the strike. The employers association then followed up with a bad faith bargaining complaint. Hearings on that dispute will take place between August 6 and 9.

The move by the BCMEA to disrupt strike action on the docks follows on from government interventions last year to shut down a militant strike by longshore workers along Canadas Pacific coast. In the present dispute with the ship and dock foremen the ILWU initially issued its 72-hour strike notification on July 5 against DP World, one of the cargo-handling companies in Vancouver. Workers at that company voted by 99 percent for strike action.

In retaliation, the BCMEA threatened a full lockout to begin on July 9 if workers went ahead with any job action. However, after an intervention by the Federal Labour Minister on July 6, the CIRB announced the following day that they had determined the strike vote held by the ILWU was an unfair labour practice and therefore illegal because, they claimed, only the workers at DP Cargo had been balloted and not the entire local membership. That ruling, however, suggested that the union could only carry out legal strike action if it was an industry-wide affair. The federal government, then, would make the case that such an all-encompassing strike, if it occurred, would endanger the Canadian economy and be subject to anti-strike intervention.

These maneuvers against workers fighting to defend their living standards and working conditions are only the latest salvos fired against the working class. Both business leaders as well as government officials have been clamouring for a declaration outlawing all strikes at ports and railways in the wake of militant job actions by logistics workers over the past several years.
Prime Minister Anthony Albanese announced a wider-than-predicted reshuffle of his entire ministry on Sunday, amid rising fears in ruling circles of mounting popular discontent, not just with the Labor government but the political establishment as a whole.

Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese at ASEAN-Australia Special Summit press conference in Melbourne, Australia, March 5, 2024 [AP Photo/Hamish Blair]

The rearrangement went far beyond Albaneses stated pretext of replacing outgoing Indigenous Australians Minister Linda Burney and Skills and Training Minister Brendan OConnor. Both last week announced they would retire from politics at the next election, which the government must hold before May.

In fact, almost half the ministry was affected by the shake-up in one form or another. It was spearheaded by moves to further target refugees, international students, migrants and construction workers, making them scapegoats for the worsening cost-of-living and housing crisis.

This was underscored as soon as the new line-up was sworn into office on Monday. Having just been anointed as Home Affairs and Immigration Minister, Tony Burke flew straight to Bali for talks with Indonesias Minister for Political, Legal and Security Affairs, Hadi Tjahjanto, on so-called people smuggling, counter-terrorism cooperation and transnational crime.

That signals an intensification of the militarised Operation Sovereign Borders to stop desperate asylum seekersfleeing war, persecution and povertyfrom reaching Australia.

Before departing for Indonesia, Burke said he took on his new portfolio with a deep sense of responsibility and resolve. He boasted that when he was previously the immigration minister in the 2013 Rudd Labor government, he cut the number of refugee boat arrivals by 90 percent. The Albanese Labor government is committed to strong and secure borders, he said.

This axis is in line with the anti-immigrant and anti-refugee witch-hunting measures being imposed by governments in the US, the UK, France, Germany and other imperialist centres. It serves to split the working class along national lines amid mounting war tensions.

Albanese, largely echoed by the corporate media, depicted the reshuffle as a refresh. In reality, it marks a further right-wing turn to satisfy the demands of the financial elite for harsher cuts to social spending, and workers jobs, wages and conditions, amid signs of a rapidly intensifying economic crisis.

Yet the government already confronts widespread working-class disaffection, particularly over the falling living conditions and Labors support for the US-backed Israeli genocide in Gaza.

Polling has continued to show imploding support for the government, which took office in May 2022 with only 32.5 percent of the primary vote. It is falling so far and fast that Labor could, at best, form an unstable minority government after the election, reliant on the support of the Greens and various independents. The widely-reviled Liberal-National Coalition could even return to power, heading an equally fragile regime.

A day after Albaneses reshuffle, Australian Broadcasting Corporation TV and radio host Patricia Karvelas drew attention to the latest results of a long-running Australian National University (ANU) survey, saying it showed the depth of trouble his government increasingly finds itself in.

In reality, the results show the depth of trouble that the entire political system is in.

The recently-released January 2024 survey reported that people had only a marginally higher level of confidence in the Albanese government than they did in the previous hated Morrison Coalition government in 202122its last year before suffering a catastrophic collapse in its voting base.

Confidence in the government sharply declined from 51.2 percent in January 2023, when the media was still giving some credence to Labors election slogan of a better future, to 38.5 percent in January 2024. That was just above the 35.6 percent recorded during the final month of Prime Minister Scott Morrisons decaying government.

Significantly, the results pointed to a yawning class divide. The most precipitous declines in confidence occurred in the working class, measured by the ANU study in terms of those with relatively low levels of education and those struggling with their rents or mortgages.

Burkes installation in the immigration portfolio is part of a wider offensive by the government against refugees, immigrants and international students, seeking to divert the political unrest in a reactionary nationalist direction by blaming them for the social and housing crisis, primarily caused by the lack of public or affordable housing.

Under Burkes predecessor, Clare ONeil, the government had already declared it would almost halve net overseas migration to 260,000 for 202425. That included slashing the number of international students, even though the chronically underfunded public universities rely heavily on the exorbitant fees they charge these students.

Despite widespread opposition in working-class refugee and immigrant communities, the government has reopened the barbaric refugee detention centre on the remote Pacific island of Nauru, transporting nearly 100 people there. It has also introduced a bill that could be used to forcibly deport up to 10,000 temporary visa holders or imprison people for refusing to sign documents facilitating their deportation and that of their children.

The bill would also allow the government to impose blanket travel bans, barring entry visas to people from designated removal concern countries, such as Iran, China, Russia and South Sudan.

Earlier this year, Labor joined the Coalition in ramming through parliament laws to impose ankle bracelets, curfews and other police-state restrictions on detainees released by a High Court ruling, or to re-imprison them via preventative detention provisions.

Another immediate indicator of the governments thrust came when Murray Watt, Burkes replacement as workplace relations minister, gave an interview to the Murdoch medias Australian just hours after being sworn in.

Watt said his very first ministerial briefing focused on the punitive action to be taken by the government against the construction division of the Construction, Forestry, Maritime and Energy Union (CFMEU). This was a big and urgent priority for the government, he said. Watt declared that we will take whatever action is required to stamp out illegal activity on work sites.

Under the pretext of cracking down on long-known trade union corruption, the move to impose anti-democratic government control over the CFMEU is part of an employer-government offensive to cut workers pay and conditions in the building industry. This is driven by a sharp fall in housing and other construction activity and an explosion of insolvencies throughout the industry due to soaring costs.

At the same time, Albanese shifted ONeil to become minister for housing and homelessness at a time when anger about housing is intensifying. ONeil quickly vowed to make her job about delivery, delivery, delivery on new houses.

Under the governments plans, that essentially means working with the state Labor governments to boost the prospects and profits of the corporate developers that dominate the housing market.

Several other aspects of the shake-up point to increasingly repressive measures to suppress opposition to the agenda of austerity and war.

Defence Industry and Pacific Minister Pat Conroy was elevated into the inner cabinet, underlining the massive expansion of military spending and the drive to restructure the economy to place it on a war footing.

The domestic spy agency, the Australian Security Intelligence Organisation (ASIO) was brought under the same minister, Attorney-General Mark Dreyfus, as the Australian Federal Police, bolstering the police-state apparatus.

Albanese appointed three sub-ministerial special envoys, the key one being Peter Khalil, as special envoy for social cohesion. Khalil, who was a national security director in the 2003 US occupation of Iraq, has a prominent record of close support for US militarisms ruthless and violent global operations.

Under the banner of ensuring social cohesion, Khalils function will be to intensify the Labor governments efforts to denounce, slander and ban protests against the Gaza genocide.

Despite Albaneses shake-up, the ruling class is increasingly anxious about Labors capacity, in partnership with the trade union bureaucrats, to contain and combat the intensifying discontent in the working class.

Labors ever-more rightward lurch, in line with the developments in the US and Europe, could pave the way for a more openly far-right and authoritarian government under Coalition leader Peter Dutton, one of the most loathed figures in the political system. But that could trigger even more explosive struggles.

Mondays Australian Financial Review editorial on Albaneses manoeuvres concluded by declaring that whether the ministerial changes were enough for Labor to avoid its seeming fate of entering minority government at the next election is the question now.
Are you a Michigan Medicine worker? Fill out the form at the bottom of this article for information on building a rank-and-file committee.

Michigan Medicine workers picket on July 29 to demand improved wages and conditions

Hundreds of Michigan Medicine workers participated in an informational picket outside the massive hospital complex in Ann Arbor on Monday morning. The physician assistants, medical technicians, respiratory therapists, patient service staff and other hospital workers are demanding a new contract with substantial wage and benefit improvements, along with safe staffing levels.

Officials from the Medicine Allied Professionals (UMMAP), United Physician Assistants of Michigan Medicine (UPAMM) and the Service Employees International Union (SEIU) say the University of Michigan Board of Regents, which oversees Michigan Medicine, has engaged in a nine-month filibuster during contract negotiations covering 7,100 union members.

Despite this, the unions have not set a strike deadline or even called for a strike authorization vote against Michigan Medicine, which reported $226.5 million in operating profits for the last fiscal year ending June 30. Instead, the union officials have limited workers to an impotent letter writing campaign to the UM Regents requesting fair compensation and an informational picket after work hours.

Pickets, however, were in a militant mood, and there was widespread support for a strike. They held homemade signs expressing their anger over poverty-level wages, with slogans like Underpaid and Overworked, We dont want praise, we want a raise, Running vents [ventilators] for cents and Make the world aware that MI Medicine dont pay fair.

I work in healthcare and cannot afford my own healthcare, a patient care worker told reporters from the World Socialist Web Site, adding that she had to pay $1,100 per month for health insurance. The worker also had heard about the case of victimized Vanderbilt nurse RaDonda Vaught and commented, You know, its the same situation here. Were short-staffed and always afraid well make a mistake and then be blamed for it.

A respiratory therapist said, Working here when the pandemic first hit was so scary. So many people got sick, and so many have left. We are severely understaffed because so many RTs quit to get better pay and fewer patients.

Another patient services worker added, Job security is the biggest issue. They can hire and fire anyone they want for any reason, so that is my biggest concern.

A medical tech, who had just finished a 12-hour shift, told the WSWS, Pay is the most important issue. People are making different wages for doing the same thing. We love nurses, but there is a huge pay discrepancy between them and us. We do specialized work too. Nurses get a shift diff [differential] but we dont. I think my time on midnights is worth the same as theirs.

The Michigan Medicine Center in Ann Arbor employs over 25,000 workers, including 6,000 nurses and 7,100 technicians, physician assistants and other hospital staff workers, including those making as little as $15.75 an hour. Facing a cauldron of discontent, exacerbated by the ongoing pandemic, UM officials decided to recognize the SEIU and the two American Federation of Teachers-affiliated unions UPAMM and UMMAP as bargaining agents over the last few months and years to contain opposition.

The Socialist Equality Partys candidate for US vice president, Jerry White, visited the picket line and marched with protesting Michigan Medicine workers. In discussions with workers, he explained that both parties provided billions in federal COVID-19 relief funding to giant hospital chains like Michigan Medicine. Now, they were carrying out a wave of mergers and acquisitions to slash thousands of jobs and boost profits.

SEP candidate for US vice president, Jerry White, speaks with protesting Michigan Medicine worker

White said:

They called you heroes when they were sending you into the infected hospitals now, they are cutting jobs and imposing intolerable workloads, further imperiling the safety of workers and patients alike even as the pandemic rages on.

He said the union bureaucracies were tied to the Democratic Party, which defended the for-profit medical system and the savage exploitation of healthcare workers. SEP presidential candidate Joseph Kishore and he, White said, were fighting for a socialist system of medicine to guarantee free, high quality healthcare to all, and good wages and conditions to health care workers.

As White spoke to a group of workers, several union reps attempted to frighten workers off by claiming the SEP candidate and his party were union busters. White explained to workers that SEP and its predecessor, the Workers League, had a decades-long history of defending the democratic rights of workers, including the right to join a union. White said he had personally attended the September 1981 mass demonstration against Reagans firing of the air traffic controllers, where the Workers League called for a general strike to defeat the Republican presidents unionbusting.

But the AFL-CIO bureaucracy opposed a general strike, and this betrayal paved the way for more than four decades of social counter-revolution against the social and democratic rights of the working class. During this time, White said, the union apparatus was incorporated into the structure of corporate management and the capitalist government and has served as a labor police force to impose their demands. The union bureaucrats and their supporters, he said, denounce anyone, including rank-and-file workers, as anti-union if they criticize their sellout policies.

White said the SEP is calling for workers to build rank-and-file committees to transfer power from the union apparatus to the workers on the hospital floor. In opposition to the union bureaucrats support for the warmongering Democratic Party, White said, the SEP was fighting to build a politically independent movement of the working class to oppose war, fascism and inequality.

White also recorded a social media video calling on workers in the US and around the world to support the fight of the Michigan Medicine workers.

The SEP candidate was warmly received by rank-and-file workers who took hundreds of copies of Whites statement to Michigan Medicine workers, titled, Healthcare workers must fight to take profit out of medicine.

Im very happy to hear theres a socialist candidate running, one healthcare worker told the WSWS. I feel we need a change. The Democrats and Republicans are like trying to choose between two different types of rotten fish.

Fill out the form below for information on building a rank-and-file committee.
Pharmacy giant Rite Aid, in Chapter 11 bankruptcy since last October, has shut one-third of its drugstores nationally. Michigan is the hardest hit state, set to lose at least 165 of its 185 Rite Aid pharmacies and its Pontiac area distribution center.

A sign advertising a Rite Aid closing sale in Michigan

The Waterford Township Distribution Center, employing 191 warehouse workers, will close on August 16. A conservative estimate of the number of pharmacy jobs being cut in Michigan is at least 2,100, although the corporation has refused to reveal the actual total.

The president of United Food and Commercial Workers (UFCW) Local 951 told news media outlet MLive that the union has negotiated severance payments for its 325 members in Western Michigan. However, neither the UFCW nor any other union has lifted a finger to fight this attack on workers jobs and healthcare. On the contrary, the unions act to stifle opposition and facilitate the shutdowns by allotting minuscule severance payments.

The nationwide Rite Aid chain, the seventh largest in the US, filled about 2.2 percent of US prescriptions last year. Since filing for bankruptcy, Rite Aid is on track to close 694 stores nationwide, including 74 percent of Ohio stores. CVS, the largest US drugstore chain, has closed 244 stores since 2019 and says it will shutter 900 more, about 300 per year over the next three years. Walgreens, the number two US chain by volume, has announced plans to close a significant number of its 8,600 stores, stating that a full 25 percent of its locations are not profitable.

The mass closure of pharmacies is another frontal attack on the US healthcare system, which is being disassembled piece by piece at the hands of Wall Street profiteers.

The effect of this drastic assault on patient access to pharmacists and medicines is incalculable. According to the National Institute of Health, Nationally, 15.8 million (4.7 percent) of all people in the United States live in pharmacy deserts, spanning urban and rural settings in all 50 states.

In the US, local pharmacies are the leading distributors of vaccines. Pharmacists check for drug interactions, educate patrons on medicines and healthcare, and routinely develop a relationship with their clientele, especially in sparsely populated rural areas or poor communities. These closures will impact pharmacy services at a systemic level by creating bottlenecks that will degrade the efficiency of remaining healthcare services nationwide.

Cora Petrosky, a Detroit-area resident with significant health problems, explained to WXYZ-TV why the closure of her local pharmacy is so upsetting.

This is the third time Ive had to move all my [prescription] information. This one [local store] doesnt have everything; I get my prescriptions filled at two stores. I have to have the medications I have to have. I dont know what Im going to do. Theyre sending me to Walgreens, and I dont know if theyre going to have my medication or if Im going to be starting over again and trying to find it.

As to receiving her medicine by mail, which increasingly many people are being forced to do, she said, Sometimes it doesnt come. What do you do if it doesnt come? I cant wait a week because they dont have it.

According to a study by University of Southern California Associate Professor Dima M. Qato, about one in four neighborhoods across the United States faces a pharmacy shortage. This includes 41 communities in already economically devastated Michigan.

The study defines a pharmacy desert as an area where the distance to a pharmacy is greater than 10 miles in a rural area, two miles in a suburban area, one mile in an urban area, and a half-mile in neighborhoods that are low-income and have low vehicle ownership. Qato noted, in a report on the University of Southern Californias USC Today, The World Health Organization has considered geographic access to pharmacies as one of the key determinants of access to essential medicines for decades.

Qato emphasized that pharmacy closures cause people to stop taking life-saving drugs. The study, published in the Journal of American Medicine, looked at the outcomes of more than 3.1 million people and found that older adults on statins, beta-blockers, or blood thinners, and whose pharmacy closed, experienced an immediate statistically and clinically significant decline in taking their medications. It further noted that these patients did not recover more than a year later.

In addition to this devastating outcome for thousands of at-risk patients, Qato noted that pharmacy closures deprive people of other critical services. She added:

For example, pharmacists in California and some other states can prescribe and dispense contraceptives and pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP) medications for HIV prevention. Pharmacies in all states are also allowed to dispense buprenorphine for the treatment of opioid use disorder or naloxone, an opioid overdose antidote.

The demise of neighborhood drugstores has multiple causes, all of which lead back to the banks, pharmaceutical corporations, and other corporate parasites. Among the factors are the typically exorbitant payouts to those carrying out the layoffs, including Rite Aid CEO Jeffrey Stein, who was promised a $20 million success fee should he bring the corporation out of bankruptcy. Meanwhile, he receives $300,000 per month in salary.

As is always the case under capitalism, the large banks call the shots. The real bosses at Rite Aid are the big investors, who announce their presence at quarterly reviews, including JPMorgan Chase, BofA Securities, Evercore ISI Institutional Equities, and Deutsche Bank AG.

Debt-laden Rite Aid took on massive loans to the banks over the past two decades, both to expand market share and then to meet substantial fines for its criminal role in the opioid epidemic. Rite Aid and other pharmacy chains wittingly lined up to profit from the spike in demand for opioids, as over 1 million Americans died.

In 2022, Rite Aid agreed to a $30 million settlement to resolve opioid lawsuits. This was followed, in March 2023, by a US Department of Justice complaint alleging Rite Aid knowingly filled at least hundreds of thousands of unlawful prescriptions from May 2014 through June 2019.

Other pharmacy chains have already agreed to settlements for their role in fueling the opioid crisis. CVS will pay up to $4.9 billion over a decade, Walgreens agreed to $5.52 billion over 15 years, Kroger will pay $11.4 billion over 11 years and Walmart paid $2.74 billion last year.

An additional factor in the closures is the upending of the business model of the local pharmacy, beginning with the skyrocketing cost of drugs. The normal profit-taking of the pharmaceutical industry is notorious. Prices are so exorbitant that millions of Americans ration their medications or choose between essential drugs and food on a regular basis.

The cost of these drugs is not driven by research, as the pharma giants lyingly claim, but by profit. A 2020 study published in JAMA Network reviewed drug profits over 18 years and showed staggering levels of gross profit, earnings and net income. They note that the massive profits garnered by 35 large pharmaceutical companies was $11.5 trillion76.5 percent higher than those of S&P 500 companies.

Compounding the crisis at the local level are the federal cuts to Medicare and Medicaid which have resulted in lowering drug reimbursements to providers. Independent pharmacies have begun cutting back on the medications they stock and some no longer accept Medicare plans.

This squeeze on pharmacies has been dramatically exacerbated by the proliferation of Pharmacy Benefit Managers (PBMs). PBMs are for-profit middlemen that set prices for drugs and co-payments. Three of these PBMs control 80 percent of the prescription drug market, bringing in tens of billions of dollars in revenue and controlling the drug pipeline from manufacturers to the pharmacy counter. In other words, the PBMs take another large profit cut by raising prices for consumers, making generic drugs unavailable, and forcing pharmacies to dispense medications at a loss.

An independent pharmacist in Ohio, Steve Dolin, gave the Toledo Blade an example of the role of highly profitable PBMs:

Mr. Dolin had a customer with a prescription for Paxlovid, an antiviral medication used to treat coronavirus. Upon submitting the customers information to the pharmacy benefit manager, Mr. Dolin discovered that his cost to purchase the prescription would be $1,348.30, of which the PBM would pay only $1,229.32. Mr. Dolin is prohibited from charging the customer the difference and thus would be forced to swallow a $118.98 loss. I had to back that transaction out of the system and send the customer to one of the big chain drugstores, Mr. Dolin said.

These are the material consequences of capitalism in decay. Every step of the way, the capitalist profit system prevents workers and young people from accessing healthcare and, more broadly, the scientific achievements to which they have a right. As Socialist Equality Party candidate for US vice president, Jerry White, recently told protesting Michigan Medicine workers:

That is why profit must be taken out of medicine. The Socialist Equality Party calls for the establishment of a socialist healthcare system to guarantee free, high-quality healthcare for all. This will only be accomplished through the development of a powerful and politically independent movement of the working class.
TASHKENT, Uzbekistan, July 30. Uzbekistans foreign trade turnover volume with Turkiye amounted to $1.4 billion from January through June 2024, Trend reports.

As per data from Uzbekistans Statistics Agency, this figure has decreased by 7.1 percent year-on-year ($1.5 billion in JanuaryJune 2023).

Turkiye ranked fourth among the countries with the largest volume of foreign trade turnover in Uzbekistan. The countrys share in the total volume of trade turnover in Uzbekistan accounts for 4.5 percent.

The volume of exports to Turkiye from Uzbekistan amounted to $596.8 million, which shows a 15 percent decline compared to the same period last year ($686.8 million in JanuaryJune 2023).

Uzbekistans imports from Turkiye reached $837.5 million from January through June 2024. This indicator has decreased by 4.5 percent over the year ($875.4 million in JanuaryJune 2023).

Meanwhile, Uzbekistan's foreign trade turnover volume amounted to $31.8 billion from January through June 2024. This figure has increased by 8.5 percent year-on-year ($29.3 billion in JanuaryJune 2023).

Uzbekistan's exports reached $12.9 billion from January through June 2024, while imports amounted to $18.8 billion.
BAKU, Azerbaijan, July 31. The US is trying to create conditions for Armenia to move away from its traditional strong relations with Russia, Trend reports

This was stated by US Assistant Secretary of State for European and Eurasian Affairs James O'Brien.

Speaking before the Senate Committee on Foreign Relations, he praised the bold steps of Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan to distance himself from relations with Russia.

"The majority of the Armenian population wants to move away from Russia. Therefore, we (the American authorities - Ed.) are creating conditions for this to happen."
BAKU, Azerbaijan, July 30. Turkiye and Armenia have reached an agreement on the mutual simplification of visa procedures for diplomatic passport holders, Trend reports.

The sides also reached an agreement on assessing the technical needs of the region for launching the Akhurik/Akyaka railroad border crossing.

Special representatives for the normalization of relations between the two countries, Ruben Rubinyan and Serdar Kilic, reaffirmed their commitment to continue the settlement process without any preconditions to achieve the ultimate goal of normalizing relations.

To note, today the fifth meeting of the Special Representatives for the Normalization of Relations between the two countries, Ruben Rubinyan and Serdar Kilic, took place on the Armenian-Turkish border.

Stay up-to-date with more news at Trend News Agency's WhatsApp channel
The 1975s Matthew Healy, January 2024 (Rich Polk/Getty Images for iHeartRadio)

The 1975 have been sued for $2.4 million by Malaysias Good Vibes Festival, a year after Matthew Healy kissed Ross MacDonald onstage to protest the countrys homophobic laws, Variety reports. The damages, just shy of the $2.6 million originally requested last year, relate to the Malaysian governments subsequent decision to cancel the festival altogether. Healy addressed the incident at a show in Texas last October, alluding to being briefly imprisoned in Malaysia. If you truly believe that artists have a responsibility to uphold their liberal virtues by using their massive platforms, then those artists should be judged by the danger and inconvenience that they face for doing so, not by the rewards they receive for parroting consensus, he said.

Festival organizers Future Sound Asia reportedly filed the lawsuit in the United Kingdoms High Court, claiming the band deliberately flouted the countrys laws after numerous reminders. Among those rules were swearing, smoking and drinking on stage, taking off clothes, and talking about politics or religion, according to Variety. Other guidelines specifically banned kissing. The lawsuit reportedly notes that the band considered not performing, but decided instead to protest the rules by playing a completely different setlist and defying the guidelines on purpose, including Healys provocative speech and long pretend passionate embrace with MacDonald.

During the set, Healy had denounced Malaysian government policies that make homosexuality punishable by up to 20 years in prison. If you want to invite me here to do a show, you can fuck off, he told the crowd. Ill take your money, you can ban me, but Ive done this before and it doesnt feel good, and Im fucked off. The set came to an abrupt end, with Healy saying, All right, we just got banned from Kuala Lumpur. See you later. The band canceled shows in Jakarta and Taipei immediately after the festival.

Future Sound Asia filed its request for damages last year through the legal firm Steven Thiru & Sudhar Partnership, which cited Healys written agreement that the band would adhere to all local guidelines and regulations. It added, in a statement, at the time, Their actions have had repercussions on local Malaysian artists and small businesses, who relied on the festival for creative opportunities and their livelihoods.

After the Malaysian show, the 1975 posted a statement through We the Fest, which had been due to host their show in Jakarta, Indonesia. The band never takes the decision to cancel a show lightly and had been eagerly looking forward to playing for fans in Jakarta and Taipei but unfortunately, due to current circumstances, it is impossible to proceed with the scheduled shows, it read.

Originally Appeared on Pitchfork
Egypt is a country that has always attracted tourists from all over the world. The Red Sea and its unique and rich history have not left any tourist indifferent.

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As a rule, travelers choose popular destinations such as Hurghada and Sharm el-Sheikh for their vacation. However, Express told us about a resort that is no worse, but not filled with crowds.

The picturesque Egyptian Dahab is located just an hour's drive from some of the most popular tourist resorts in the country. The name of the seaside city means "gold" in Arabic. Unlike Hurghada and Sharm el-Sheikh, there are not many five-star hotels there, but local cafes and restaurants offer a worthy alternative.

The city is divided into three parts. Masbat, including the Bedouin village of Asalah in the north, Mashraba, a more touristy area with many hotels in the south, and Medina.

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The city used to be visited mainly by tourists who prefer adventure and wild backpacking, but thanks to good connections to the airport city and the development of hotels in the Medina area, it is now more accessible and comfortable than ever.

From laid-back beach vacations to mountain adventures, every traveler will find something to their liking in Dahab. The city is also known for its diving sites and unrivaled coral reefs, making it a hot spot for snorkeling, scuba diving, and freediving.

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You can get to Dahabi by taking a flight to Sharm el-Sheikh and then a bus from there. Also, some travelers choose to fly to Cairo first, but in this case, the land trip will take about 10 hours.

Subscribe to the OBOZ.UA channels in Telegram and Viber to keep up with the latest events.
Donald Trump Calls Olympics Opening Ceremony a Disgrace for Mocking Last Supper, Even Though Organizers Said the Tableau Was a Nod to Dionysus

Donald Trump told Fox News host Laura Ingraham that the Paris Olympics opening ceremony was a disgrace due to its controversial moment involving a tableau that some viewers believed to be a recreation of Leonardo da Vincis The Last Supper, only the Olympics version replaced the paintings religious figures with drag queens. However, organizers for the event have stressed the moment was not a nod to The Last Supper but to the feast of Dionysus, the Greek god of wine.

When Ingraham brought up how the opening ceremony mocked The Last Supper, Trump weighed in and said: I thought it was a disgrace. The Fox News host then asked if Trump will have enough influence on the organizers that we wont be insulting Christians if he is elected president again, as his potential term would overlap with the 2028 summer Olympics in Los Angeles, Calif.

More from Variety

We wont be having a Last Supper, as portrayed the way they portrayed it the other night, Trump answered. I just think  look, Im for everybody. Im very open-minded. You understand me. You know me better than most people know me. Im very open-minded, but I thought what they did was a disgrace.

The opening ceremony tableau has also earned scorn from several Hollywood conservatives, including Rob Schneider and Candace Cameron Bure. Schneider said he would be boycotting the rest of the Paris games because the controversial tableau openly celebrated satan. Bure called the tableau disgusting.

Olympics artistic director Thomas Jolly spoke to French outlet BFMTV after the opening ceremony and denied that The Last Supper even served as a reference. Instead, Jolly said the idea was to have a grand pagan festival connected to the gods of Olympus as the tableau prominently featured a version of Dionysus.

Olympics spokesperson Anne Descamps told the AP that clearly there was never an intention to show disrespect to any religious group, adding: We believe this ambition was achieved. If people have taken any offense we are really sorry.

In the wake of controversy over the tableau, French DJ and activist Barbara Butch has filed several police reports after receiving death threats for her participation in the segment. The Paris Prosecutors Office confirmed to Variety that a complaint for cyber-harassment had been received.

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Love is Blind: Brazil Season 4: How Many Episodes & When Do New Episodes Come Out?

Want to know how many episodes are there in Love is Blind: Brazil Season 4? Weve got you covered.

The fourth season of Love is Blind: Brazil returns with a new set of dramas, love battles, and unexpected twists. The reality show revolves around a group of males and females who are on the lookout for real love. Sitting inside a pod, they are given a chance to communicate with their potential partners without looking at their faces. If their vibes match, they can decide to propose them. Following this, theres a face-to-face meeting, an exciting trip, a meeting with their partners parents, and ultimately a wedding.

Heres how many episodes are in Love is Blind: Brazil Season 4 and on what day new episodes come out.

How many episodes are in Love is Blind: Brazil Season 4?

The fourth season of Love is Blind: Brazil has 10 episodes.

According to TMDB, the episode list is as follows:

Episode 1: A Fresh Start on Love

Episode 2: To Those Who Thought Theyd Never Love Again

Episode 3: Royal Honeymoon

Episode 4: Love After Retreat

Episode 5: Lets See What Happens

Episode 6: Father of the Bride

Episode 7: No Bed of Roses

Episode 8: Fit for a Fitting

Episode 9: Lets Get Married!

Episode 10: Is Love Blind After All?

Episode 11: The Reunion

Season 4 premiered in June 2024. The series welcomes a new set of singles, who are eager to meet the love of their lives. The singles quickly strike up new connections, as they settle into the environment of blossoming love, drama, and heartbreaks. Furthermore, tensions start brewing between a new pair, while other couples continue to navigate their fate in the show.

Chris Coelen serves as the creator of the show.

When do new Love is Blind: Brazil Season 4 episodes come out?

All episodes of Love is Blind: Brazil Season 4 season are currently available to watch on Netflix. There are no new episodes.

The official synopsis for the series reads:

The dating experiment comes to Brazil as local singles look for true love and get engaged, all without meeting the other person face to face.

The post Love is Blind: Brazil Season 4: How Many Episodes & When Do New Episodes Come Out? appeared first on ComingSoon.net - Movie Trailers, TV & Streaming News, and More.
Country music artist Orville Peck poses for portraits on Wednesday, June 26, 2024, in New York to promote his third album "Stampede." (Photo by Matt Licari/Invision/AP)

NEW YORK (AP)  It is not easy to be an outsider in country music, but Orville Peck has made a career out of it.

On his third album, Stampede, his nonconformist spirit has led to collaborations with everyone from Willie Nelson and Elton John to Mickey Guyton and Kylie Minogue.

When the South African musician released his debut album, Pony, in 2019, little was known about him. A country crooner with a deep baritone more in line with outlaws like Merle Haggard and Waylon Jennings than anything on contemporary radio, Peck hid his identity (Peck is a pseudonym) and his face behind a mask.

A wide strip of leather completely obscured his forehead down to the nose bridge; the rest of his visage was concealed underneath a large Stetson and a foot of cascading fringe. As his public prolife rose and he continued to release new music, Peck started slowing stripping back the mask. Now, as he prepares to release Stampede, a duets album, only the hat and eye mask remain.

I think its sort of in parallel with my confidence, he says. When I first started  my first album  I really needed the mask.

It takes some self-assurance to release a duets album. Each song is a brand-new collaboration, a previously unexplored creative experiment, and a balancing act. Every single song is me, 50%, and then 50% the other artist, he says. Its a long tradition in country to do duets and have sort of duos. You know, I think of Johnny Cash and June Carter, Gram Parsons and Emmylou Harris, he says, suggesting that this kind of album would arrive later in his career.

But then when Willie asked me to do (the song) Cowboys, it was like, Oh, is this maybe the right moment? And so, then I asked Elton, and then I asked Kylie, and then, you know, so on, so forth."

A dream get that didn't work out? Dolly Parton.

In the case of Nelson, Peck is referring to the 1981 queer country cult classic, Ned Sublette's Cowboys Are Frequently, Secretly Fond of Each Other, covered by Nelson in 2006 and an infrequent staple of Peck's live show. When Nelson and Peck played a festival together a few years ago, the country legend invited Peck onto his tour bus for a cup of coffee and suggested they re-do the song as a duet. He told Peck, It's more important now than ever, Peck recalls.

I think the fact that he wanted to do this particular song with me, and the fact that his reasoning behind it was in support, and motivated in the encouragement of LGBTQ people, I mean, its like the most validating thing ever." Later, they'd film a music video for the duet at Nelson's Luck Ranch in Texas.

Across Stampede, too, are non-traditionalist duets and covers. There's Papa Was a Rodeo, a bluegrass cover of the Magnetic Fields' indie rock song, now with Molly Tuttle and Golden Highway. There's an ode to Sin City, Death Valley High, with Beck, who told the AP the song was inspired by Elvis in Vegas is, you know, Vegas by way of Memphis. Its a totally different thing from Sinatra Vegas.

There's also Midnight Ride," a disco number with Kylie Minogue and Diplo, which the trio debuted live during a Pride event in Los Angeles in June.

Ive learned over the years how important visibility is, Peck says, Bringing something thats really joyful and inclusive.

A kind of outsiderness is where Peck feels home. Country radio  country with a capital C  its sort of its own thing," he says. You got to do a lot of kissing babies and shaking hands to kind of play the Nashville game. And its just something Ive never been interested in doing.

I just want to have my music and my art speak for itself, and I dont feel like I need to go kiss asses in Nashville to be accepted and be validated," he continued.

"I know how country I am. I get to work with incredible legends like Willie Nelson, Tanya Tucker, all these people that I grew up idolizing, that love me. So, you know, thats enough validation for me. And if Im not on top 40 radio on country music, you know, thats fine with me.

___

Writer Krysta Fauria contributed to this report from Los Angeles.
Tiffany Haddish Blames 'The Media' For Her Reaction To Seeing A Grocery Store In An African Country

Tiffany Haddish has come under heavy criticism for making a controversial video of her visit to a grocery store in Zimbabwe.

The comedian and actress was called "ignorant" for acting surprised about the quality of the store and pointing out the presence of items like "organic strawberries" and frozen foods.

After being slammed for her behavior, Tiffany Haddish defended herself by claiming that she was only calling out the fake portrayal of African stores by US media.

Tiffany Haddish Recorded Herself At A Zimbabwean Supermarket

MEGA

Haddish has reacted to criticism over the TikTok video she posted of her recent trip to Zimbabwe.

During the visit, the comedian checked out a local supermarket and shared her reaction to the various items available for sale inside.

As she perused the stores, Haddish seemed surprised at how well-stocked the supermarket was and made multiple comments about the size of the building.

In the TikTok clip, she tried to use an "African" accent when she said the word "Zimbabwe." Haddish said, "Hey, y'all. So I'm out here in Zimbabwe? They got a grocery store! It's beautiful."

Haddish then highlighted multiple items she was shocked to find in the store, such as "organic strawberries," "sugarcane," and "dates."

The actress also checked the meat section and said it "didn't smell bad." She was impressed with the presence of a frozen food section and "a whole wall of alcohol."

Tiffany Haddish Was Heavily Criticized For The Video

After the TikTok video went viral, many users criticized Haddish for implying that the store was modern for an African country.

Many slammed the "Night School" actress for her "ignorant" reaction to the grocery store, which is a staple for many African countries.

Some fans even heavily abused Haddish, calling her names like a "f-cking idiot" and saying she mocked Zimbabwean people.

Others questioned what was wrong with the comedian that she had to record a reaction to the supermarket and share it online.

Some users also accused Haddish of perpetuating stupid and harmful stereotypes about Africans and how the countries work.

One comment read, "Peak ignorance!!!!" while another person wrote, "You seriously cannot be this ignorant!!!"

The Comedienne Defended Herself On Social Media: 'The Media Be Lying'

MEGA

After the TikTok video went viral and received massive criticism, Haddish finally took to X, formerly Twitter, to give an explanation and defend herself from the hate.

According to the "Girls Trip" actress, she was only trying to demystify the foreign media's portrayal of Africa and how people purchase food.

"We got here and I have been eyes full of tears finding out the truth. The media be lying," Haddish said, per TMZ. "I thought I would share 'cause I know people in the USA that believe Africans don't have anything."

Haddish also made it clear that she really enjoyed her time in Zimbabwe and felt much safer there than in her home in Los Angeles.

The actress complimented the natural food and encouraged more people to experience Africa for themselves.

She Also Had Interactions With Followers Online

MEGA

Most of Haddish's comments responding to the criticism were interactions with followers who had called her out for the TikTok post.

One person asked the actress, "Did you think we ate grass?" and she responded with a message about the portrayal of Africa made by US media.

Her reply was, "No. But the media had me thinking all of your foods are purchased in out door [sic] markets with goats and cows just hanging out waiting to be slaughtered. With all kinds of smells and flies everywhere."

In another reply, Haddish explained again that she had a different intention for the TikTok video.

She wrote, "If they would have showed you the whole video you would have seen me say I am demystifying some bullshit that we have been told and showed in America."

Despite Haddish's multiple replies and explanations about the TikTok, some fans only became more frustrated with the comedian.

One person commented, "[You] have access to literally all channels and books for [you] to be this ignorant." Another fan wrote, "You could have done your own research and not depend on the media. I mean, Google is free!"

Tiffany Haddish Opened Up About Her Struggles

MEGA

Last year, Haddish was very candid in an interview with the Washington Post, opening up about her attempts to birth a child.

The actress recalled her conversation with a nurse that she recently had her eighth miscarriage. She said, "Well I'm going to be honest with you, this would be my eighth [miscarriage]."

"I've got a uterus shaped like a heart. It just won't keep anything in," the actress added.

Haddish shared that she's kept all her miscarriages private because she doesn't want people worrying unnecessarily about her. She stated, "Like a wounded animal, I just rather go in a cave by myself. Lick my wounds."

Haddish also revealed to the publication that she's had parenting classes to prepare her for adoption. However, the comedian shared that she's still indecisive about actually becoming a mother.
Prince William once broke up with Kate Middleton over the phone, new book claims

While the love story of Prince William and Kate, the Princess of Wales, is its own seeming fairy tale -- from college sweethearts to a royal wedding to three children together -- their romance, like any, included its own ups and downs.

During one of the low points of their romance, William broke up with Kate over the telephone, according to a new biography of Kate written by ABC News' royal contributor Robert Jobson.

The break-up happened in January 2007, just as Kate was about to turn 25, William was serving in the military and the British press was anxiously awaiting news of a royal engagement, according to Jobson's book, "Catherine, the Princess of Wales."

PHOTO: In this March 13, 2007 file photo, Britain's Prince William, right, stands beside girlfriend Kate Middleton in the paddock enclosure on the first day of the Cheltenham Race Festival at Cheltenham Race course, in Gloucestershire, U.K. (Carl De Souza/AFP via Getty Images, FILE)

"Seemingly out of the blue, William -- now a 2nd Lieutenant in the Blues and Royals -- telephoned her to suggest that they split up," Jobson writes, according to an excerpt of the book published Tuesday by the Daily Mail. "He told her they both needed 'a bit of space' to 'find our own way', and he was unable to promise her marriage. In an emotionally charged 30-minute conversation, they both acknowledged they were on 'different pages.'"

Jobson continues, "It was a devastating blow to Catherine, who felt doubly let down at being dumped over the phone. Though it wasn't the first time William had called time on their relationship, it felt final."

After some time apart, William and Kate, who met while studying at St. Andrew's University in the early 2000s, reunited at a mutual friend's party and reconciled, according to the book.

Prince William, Kate Middleton mark 13th anniversary with never-before-seen wedding photo

Jobson said Wednesday on "Good Morning America" that based on his reporting, he believes William quickly "regretted" initiating the break-up.

"I think at the time, he was fairly young, in his mid 20s, and she was too, and they probably were the right couple at the wrong time, and he felt he didn't really want to get married at that time," Jobson said. "I think soon afterwards, when she was seen out enjoying herself with her sister and enjoying dates and enjoying life, and he was stuck away on an Army barracks, he seemingly realized he'd made a big error and he had to woo her back."

Though they were back together, it would be another few years until William and Kate were officially engaged.

PHOTO: In this Nov. 16, 2010 file photo, Prince William and Kate Middleton pose for photographs in the State Apartments of St James Palace after their engagement announcement in London. (Chris Jackson/Getty Images, FILE)

A then 28-year-old William proposed to Kate, also 28 at the time, while on vacation in Kenya in October 2010. Their engagement was officially announced to the public the following month, in November 2010.

"Catherine was going into the marriage with her eyes wide open. She'd experienced great highs and deep lows with her Prince during the years they'd been together, but she was now convinced their deep love for each other would endure," Jobson writes in his book, available on Aug. 6. "For her bachelorette party night at a friend's house, she donned a figure-hugging bodysuit and did a step-perfect impersonation of pop star Cheryl Cole singing her 2009 hit 'Fight For This Love.' It's an exuberant side to Catherine that William has always adored."

Prince George joins dad Prince William in Berlin at UEFA European Championship

William and Kate wed on April 29, 2011, in a ceremony at Westminster Abbey that was watched by millions of people.

PHOTO: In this April 29, 2011 file photo, Prince William, Duke of Cambridge and Catherine, Duchess of Cambridge smile following their marriage at Westminster Abbey in London. (Chris Jackson/Getty Images, FILE)

When they celebrated their 13th wedding anniversary this year, William and Kate shared a never-before-seen portrait of themselves taken on their wedding day inside Buckingham Palace.

The photo, shared on social media, shows a smiling William with his hands resting on the waist of Kate, who is also smiling and holding her wedding bouquet.

PHOTO: Britain's King Charles III, Queen Camilla, Prince George, Prince William, Prince Louis, Catherine, Princess of Wales, Princess Charlotte on the balcony of Buckingham Palace after attending the 'Trooping the Colour' in London, June 15, 2024. (Henry Nicholls/AFP via Getty Images)

William and Kate, both 42, now share three children, Princes George and Louis and Princess Charlotte.

Jobson said he wrote the new book on Kate, in part, to help people better understand the future queen.

"I think she was really an enigma before to a lot of people, so I tried with this book to sort of spell her life story from when she was a little kid all the way through," Jobson said. "She's just a very warm and likable person, that's what comes across in the book, but she's somebody who's also smart and resilient too."

Jobson's book comes at a time that Kate has temporarily stepped back from her public duties as she battles cancer, a diagnosis she revealed publicly in March.

The author said he has observed how Kate's absence has spotlighted her importance to the royal family.

"I think it's drawn a lot of people to realize just how important she is to the monarchy and to the future of the royal family going forward," Jobson said. "She wasn't born into royalty, she's had to adapt ... so she's somebody who connects with the people and I think that's very important now for the royal family going forward."

ABC News has reached out to Kensington Palace for comment on Jobson's book.

Prince William once broke up with Kate Middleton over the phone, new book claims originally appeared on goodmorningamerica.com
We've all heard that the famous Belgian waffles are extra-delicious. In fact, if you ask the average American what foods Belgium is best-known for, they'd likely cite these breakfast staples (along with beer and chocolate). Thinking about the treats conjures dreamy images of thick, crispy cake with generous drizzles of Nutella, piles of juicy fruit, and clouds of whipped cream.

But we can add all those same toppings to the regular old waffles that come out of our irons in the U.S. So what exactly is it about Belgian waffles that makes them so special? As it turns out, it all comes down to the ingredients involved, the method for making each one, and how these differences affect the taste and texture of the final products. Plus, the history of Belgian waffles goes back much further than American ones. A few things changed when these treats Belgian waffles eventually made it to the U.S., leading to the distinction between the two types that you see today.

Read more: 30 Types Of Cake, Explained

What Are Belgian Waffles?

liege waffle with berries - The Image Party/Shutterstock

These Belgian treats are widely regarded as the cream of the waffle crop. They're thick, golden, fluffy on the inside, and crispy on the outside. While Belgian waffles are often grouped together under one name in the U.S., there are actually a couple of different types in Europe: Brussels and Liege waffles. We normally think of the former as being the standard Belgian waffles, but you'll also find plenty of the latter in Belgium, which are richer and sweeter than the ones we typically eat for breakfast in the U.S.

According to Belgian lore, the Prince-Bishop of Liege was originally responsible for the tasty creations you see now. Back in the day, he asked for a pastry that included pearl sugar, a unique Belgian ingredient that was new at the time. When the sugar caramelized in the waffle iron, the result was so delicious that the prince spread the word about his new treat throughout the country. In general, though, waffles were enjoyed all the way back in 1604 in Belgium, with Brussels versions popping up around 1874.

What Are Regular Waffles?

stack of square waffles - Angela Bax/Getty Images

For the most part, the typical American waffle is essentially a spin-off of the Brussels waffle. According to some accounts, they were first introduced in 1962 at the World's Fair in Seattle. However, they didn't really take off in the U.S. until two years later, when the 1964 World's Fair in Queens sold them for just a dollar. The man responsible for the tasty treat at the time was Maurice Vermersch, who renamed the Brussels waffle after his home country, Belgium. Then marketed as "Brussels Waffle: A Bel-Gem Product," the street food was either served on its own or with sliced strawberries and whipped cream -- without the maple syrup soak that we see today.

There are plenty of subtle waffle distinctions in the U.S. now, so you may have a slightly different definition of this treat than the next person. In general, waffles morphed from being a street food in Belgium to a breakfast dish, and we've strayed from the simpler European toppings to goodies like the aforementioned maple syrup, chicken, and ice cream. Some say that American waffles need the extra layer of flavor because they're blander on their own, while the Belgian ones are known for being delicious just the way they are.

Brussels Waffles Have Deeper Pockets Without All Of The American Toppings

hand holding plain belgian waffle - M Fatih Beser/Getty Images

If we're strictly looking at the difference between Brussels waffles and American ones, the former will almost always have deeper pockets than the latter. As any waffle-eater knows, this is ideal for trapping any toppings inside the cake so that they don't drip off the surface. And since these treats were originally eaten with your hands in Belgium as a street food (as opposed to the fork and knife typically used in the U.S.), deep pockets were crucial for minimizing the mess.

But how are these heftier waffles made? With seven inch waffle irons that contain deeper grooves. Typically circular in shape, these wide devices yield thicker results (with a standard waffle thickness of one and a half inches) -- and all of that space leaves plenty of room for a fluffy interior and a crispy exterior. American irons, on the other hand, have shallower indents that result in thinner cakes overall. And yet, all that extra depth to hold toppings isn't normally used in Belgium the same way it is in the U.S. In Europe, these snacks usually stick to butter, powdered sugar, and fruit as their accompaniments, and they're frequently consumed in the afternoon rather than the morning.

Brussels Waffles Use Yeast And A Batter That Sits Overnight

batter pouring into waffle iron - Jennifer Tepp/Shutterstock

Aside from the deep pockets and thicker width, both types of Belgian waffles deploy different ingredients than their American counterparts. Although Brussels versions are larger in size, they're also lighter and airier than regular diner waffles, and these qualities occur thanks to the yeast in the batter. Once this ingredient has been incorporated, you can let your mixture sit for either an hour or overnight, although classic Belgian bowls tend to go with the latter. Some recipes also deploy egg whites, which only add to the fluffiness of the final product. Before mixing them into your batter, you'll want to beat them until they show stiff peaks.

On the flip side, American versions don't require yeast, nor does the batter sit overnight. Instead, they generally use baking powder for leavening purposes and may even include fun components like chocolate chips and fruit mixed into the waffles themselves. While you can let your bowl sit a little before whipping out your iron to make these American treats, you can also just dive into cooking straightaway. And in general, Belgian waffles take a little longer until they're done (up to six minutes), while American ones only need about two minutes until you can dig in.

Liege Waffles Use Brioche Dough And Special Pearl Sugar

liege waffles with pearl sugar - Natalia Van Doninck/Shutterstock

While Brussels waffles are the closest Belgian version to what we eat in the U.S. today, we'd be remiss not to go over the unique characteristics of Liege waffles as well. Unlike the Brussels treats, these ones are more commonly consumed for breakfast. They're also sweeter and more dessert-like, with a hexagon shape illustrated in their original name: "Gaufre de Liege," in which "gaufres" refers to bees' honeycomb.

Like Brussels waffles (but unlike American ones), these treats incorporate yeast in the batter. However, they use a dough that's more similar to brioche than an American waffle. And the key ingredient here, as we mentioned earlier, is pearl sugar (or sometimes caster sugar).

As opposed to the finer grains we usually see, pearl sugar comes in larger nibs and can even add crunch to the soft texture of a waffle. But it's main purpose in Liege treats is to caramelize when it comes into contact with the waffle iron, creating crispy bits of golden sweetness and a crunchy exterior. Since they are consumed as a dessert, Liege waffles typically get a little more dressed up than their Brussels counterparts. You still won't usually see them with maple syrup like in the U.S., but you may find goodies like Nutella and cookie butter to drizzle over the top.

Read the original article on Tasting Table.
Goodbye, Figo36. Tropical tastes are moving into the NoDa restaurant space in Charlotte

Say goodbye to Figo36, an Italian restaurant known for fresh pasta and pizza. A taste of the Caribbean will be taking its place Aug. 13.

When Raydal Hospitality  the team behind Charlotte favorites Sabor and Three Amigos, plus La Caseta  acquired Figo36 from the Menagerie Group last year, not much changed concept-wise.

But now, Figo36 has closed, and Raydal is changing the space into an entirely new restaurant that captures founder and CEO Dalton Espaillats background in Santiago, Dominican Republic.

Figo36 served modern Italian food. in the NoDa space that once housed Orto.

MaBi Cocina Tropical will feature authentic Dominican food in an affordable and a lively  yet family friendly  atmosphere.

The best way to describe it is going into the restaurant, you pretty much are coming into my hometown  to my home  and experiencing my culture, Espaillat told CharlotteFive. Its not going to be intimidating.

The move taps into the rapid growth in Charlottes Caribbean community, which has been met with new food and drink spots including Cravn Caribbean, Panzu Brewery, The Reggae Lounge and Caribbean Hut, to name just a few.

Its also taking place at a time of adjustment for Raydal, which recently closed Saru Ramen at Camp North End.

Raydal Hospitality owner Dalton Espaillat has closed Figo36, and a Dominican restaurant is taking its place.

What to expect

For now, the space is closed for a quick transformation. But the planning has been underway for a long time, Espaillat said.

There arent many places paying specific homage to the D.R. and I personally am excited to create space for this culture, he said in a news release. While we have enjoyed working on Figo36, weve been wanting to do the MaBi concept for some time. We have the space and the time is now.

Dalton Espaillats Raydal Hospitality includes Sabor, Three Amigos, La Caseta and now MaBi Concina Tropical.

MaBi Concina Tropicals concise menu will offer a lineup of fresh fruit batidas (like a milkshake or smoothie), along with sandwiches and a few main dishes.

Youll be able to stop in for lunch or dinner Tuesday through Sunday to explore Latin foods found in the Dominican Republic, including pastelitos and empanadas, chicharrones and Dominican spiced chicken. Cuban bread will be made fresh in house, along with the restaurants sauces.

Watch out for its highlights, including:

Charcoal chicken  a recipe Espaillat has been honing for years

Ropa vieja

Dominican smashburger

Cuban sandwich

A lunch special with meat and two sides for $15

Mabi Tropical Cocinas sister restaurant Sabor serves a similar Dominican Burger (aka The Riki Taki). That torta includes ground beef, crunchy cabbage, tomatoes, rosada sauce on a toasted bolillo bun.

On Saturday and Sunday, MaBi Concina Tropical will offer brunch with a Dominican twist that includes dishes with fried salami, cheese and yuca hash. (Youll find yuca throughout the menu, enabling several items including the empanadas to be gluten free.)

The beverage program will rely heavily on infusions with the tropical flavors of the Caribbean, with coconut, passion fruit and guava. Among the craft cocktails youll want to look out for is a banana-infused old fashioned.

There will be a lot of fun things in there, Espaillat said.

The patio at Figo36, soon to be transformed into MaBi Concina Tropical.

Location: 416 E 36th St Unit 600, Charlotte, NC 28205

Cuisine: Dominican, Caribbean
I can scarcely believe that Kim Sengupta is dead because I have such vivid memories of him surviving great dangers against the odds. He was brave and determined, but also smart and resilient, which was why he had lived to report so many wars.

I recall talking to him  still shaken and with cuts on his face  in the Hamra hotel in Baghdad in 2005, soon after a suicide bomber had blown up a truck packed with explosives close to the side of the hotel where Kim had his room. He told me that he had been lying on his bed reading so that the bigger shards of glass from the shattered windows had missed him.

Security people always tell us that the safest place during a bombing is the bathroom, because it usually has no windows, but luckily I didnt have time to follow their advice, he told me with a half-laugh, showing me a photograph of his bathroom in which the ceiling had fallen in.

He explained that there had been two truck bombs, the first to blast through the hotels security wall and a second, packed with a thousand pounds of explosives, which was meant to pass through the gap and strike the main body of the hotel.

Kim said that he had been lucky because the second truck could not get across the crater made by the first, but I felt then and on many other occasions that he made his own luck. In one sense, it is easy to be a war correspondent because the story is always gripping and dramatic, but it is very difficult to do it superbly well as Kim was to do for years.

He was tough but he was intelligent, taking risks but carefully calculated ones. I did not often report alongside him because we usually took over from each other. However, I knew a lot about his reporting because we would brief each other during a handover about problems to be faced or avoided.

The worst of these dangers were usually in Baghdad. Once, Kim told me not to come because of something that had just happened to him. He had been going to a hospital on the other side of the Tigris River held by a ferocious militia called the Mehdi Army. Kim told me that just as he was getting into a car to go there, a news photographer said to him: You cant go there. Dont you know that the Mehdi Army has orders to shoot anybody from The Independent? It turned out that the paper had run some interviews to which the militia commanders objected. Kim and I spent a lot of time negotiating our way back into Iraq.

Kim reporting from Libya in October 2011 (The Independent)

Much of what Kim and I talked about over the years had to do with the mechanics of war reporting, about which drivers and guides really knew their business. I always trusted his judgement on people and places. Many of these conversations were on the phone but on occasion, we coincided. In 2011, we were both in Libya, first in Benghazi and later in the capital Tripoli.

Just after the latter had fallen to the rebels and Muammar Gaddafi had been killed, I made my way with great difficulty from Tunis to Tripoli and was feeling rather pleased with myself for getting through. But just as I got out of a car outside the hotel where I was planning to stay, I saw, somewhat to my chagrin, Kims familiar figure strolling by, having somehow got there before me.

This might give the impression of a man with a grimmer outlook on life than was the case. Kim was always determined to get as much fun as possible out of the direst situation. We were not often in London at the same time but, when we were, we would meet to gossip about our friends and colleagues, and talk of our recent experiences.

The Tigris River running through Baghdad (AP)

We met once, just after he had returned from Khartoum where he had been covering the fighting in western Sudan. I could see that was bubbling over to tell me a funny story: Do you remember that enormous Sudanese who was major-domo with a turban at the al-Rashid Hotel in Baghdad before the American invasion? he asked me. I just saw him again. I had gone to see a militia I had never met before. When I got to its headquarters, a big guy in a generals uniform jumped up and shouted: Hello, Kim, Dont you remember me?

It was the major-domo, who had returned to Sudan after the fall of Baghdad in 2003, untruthfully telling friends in Khartoum that he had been in Iraq to fight the Western invaders. We have a job for somebody with a military background, said a politically powerful friend and the major-domo was promptly appointed head of a government-supported militia.

I remember Kims enjoyment as he told me this story, perhaps because it confirmed his underlying cynicism about the competence of military commanders the world over. Kim knew a great many generals but, by the time he died, he knew more about the chaos and miseries of warfare than almost any of them.
Tucked away from the tourist traps, from Baja to the Yucatan, are a rich collection of cultural gems.

From smog-choked Mexico City to the cartel-infested jungles of Tulum, Mexico can be a lot.

But tucked away from the tourist traps, from Baja to the Yucatan, are a rich collection of cultural gems.

In these pint-sized places, where the car horns and screeching camote sellers disappear into a concert of mariachi music and the faint hauls of marauding coyotes  even soothing silencio. Below is a look at Mexicos best, most peaceful and safest small towns.

Mission possible

For a beach haven, head to Villa Santa Cruz in Todos Santos. Villa Santa Cruz

When the rampant development along Bajas southern tip gets too annoying, Todos Santos, an hours drive from the San Jose del Cabo International Airport, beckons.

Founded as a mission 300 years ago, this once sleepy community, beloved by interloping artists and surfers, has certainly been discovered, but not bombarded  yet. Especially in high season, and especially on the popular Los Cerritos beach, there are no shortage of tourists.

Luckily, there are plenty of places to hide away. Try one of the reimagined haciendas in the historic center, or check into Villa Santa Cruz (from $700), a boutique hotel on the beautiful Playa Tortugas shoreline with ocean suites, bungalows and rooftop villas.

Baja desert views stretch out as far as the eye can see from your pool, tub or hammock at the quiet-as-a-mouse resort, Paradero Todos Santos. Courtesy of Paradero Todos Santos

For ultimate relaxation, hit Paradero Todos Santos (from $600). Its where guests go take in sweeping Baja desert views in hammocks and soaking tubs.

Mariachi mecca

Tlaquepaque is a town tucked into the booming city of Guadalajara that has somehow managed to retain a tranquil vibe. Hotels like the neocolonial La Villa del Ensueno (from $113) let guests disappear into what was once a stately home.

Venture out into the rows and rows of colorful streets, like pedestrian-only Calle Independencia, and take in the textiles, tequila and ceramics.

Tlaquepaque is known for its pottery, much of which is crafted in the neighboring suburb of Tonala,

and a union of 150 local artisans have set up shop next to Plaza Parian. Tlaquepaque is also an ideal place

to hear mariachi  which was born in Jalisco  and to eat excellent authentic cuisine.

Head to restaurants like El Patio, where an all-female mariachi band plays three afternoons each week.

Secret societies

Home to more than 800,000 residents and a thriving metal goods and machinery industry, northcentral

Mexicos Queretaro is by no means a small town. But its colonial center, where Mexicans first declared their independence from Spain, feels that way with a grid of small, pedestrian-only streets. Here youll find Hacienda Jurica (from $150), a 16th-century marvel that was converted into a hotel in 1969.

Theres a stellar row of restaurants with outdoor patios fronting the Plaza de los Fundadores, which is a

short walk from the unique Museum of Calendars, the worlds first collection of ancient calendars.

An hour away lies an even smaller secret, Guanajuato, whose patchwork of pastel homes and boutique hotels stretch up the steep hills of the Mesa Central. The streets are tightly pinched together and best explored on foot. Once the worlds leading silver extraction center, this UNESCO World Heritage city is loaded with beautiful Baroque and neoclassical buildings, plazas and tunnel roads.

Holy mole

For culture, try the city center of Puebla, a chilled-out UNESCO site. Michal Rezny  stock.adobe.com

Puebla is another big city asking a small town. The countrys fourth-largest metropolis with 3.3 million residents, its core is also a Unesco World Heritage site with strollable streets radiating from the Zocalo, the towns main square.

Like Queretaro, Puebla has revolutionary roots: In 1910, three brothers plotted the overthrow of the Porfirio Diaz regime and their house was surrounded by federal troops.

That same house is now on a pleasant street to shop for sweets. This is also one of the few places in Mexico where Cinco de Mayo means something, as it was in here that troops fought back the forces of Napoleon III in the Battle of Puebla.

Banyan Tree Puebla combines historic casas for a stay rich in vibes. Banyan Tree Puebla

The 19th-century Banyan Tree Puebla (from $239) combines three separate Renaissance- and neoclassical-style private homes. Guests of that hotel can walk safely to the historic center and try mole  in one of the places that first created the thick, brown sauce. En route is the oldest public library in the Americas, the Biblioteca Palafoxiana.

A cherry cobbler

Rooms at the Sombra del Agua start at $111 a night. Sombra del Agua

Chiapas is Mexicos poorest state in economic resources, but one of its richest in natural beauty. The highland valleys pine forests offer a lush contrast to the countrys often arid climes.

Head to San Cristobal de Las Casas. Its narrow, cobbled streets are colonial gems, where donkeys still deliver produce to buildings with wrought-iron balconies and red tile roofs. The hotel Sombra del Agua (from $111) has been welcoming guests since 1907, and its restaurant, Tarumba, serves some of the best food in town.

The Santo Domingo Church is home to the citys large open-air crafts market and exquisite textiles made by indigenous people  who make up a quarter of Chiapas residents  and the Casa Na Bolom Museum.
Apple has presented its artificial intelligence development strategy. New AI features will be available for iPhone, Mac, iPad, and other devices. Apple representatives have already signed an agreement to use GPT-4o instead of creating their own chatbot.

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In general, it became known that Apple Intelligence functions will use a combination of generative AI models and will initially work on the latest Apple devices with an English interface. However, Bloomberg reported that the AI launch had to be postponed for the time being.

Apple Intelligence launch

Apple Inc.'s Apple Intelligence features will appear later than expected as the company needs more time to fix bugs.

The company plans to start deploying Apple Intelligence to customers as part of software updates scheduled for October. The AI features will appear a few weeks after the initial releases of iOS 18 and iPadOS 18 scheduled for September.

Apple plans to make Apple Intelligence available to software developers for early testing this week through the beta versions of iOS 18.1 and iPadOS 18.1, insiders say. The strategy is atypical, as the company usually does not release a preview of updates.

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The stakes are higher than usual. Developers have to fix problems and test features on a larger scale. Concerns about the stability of Apple Intelligence features partially forced the company to separate the features from the initial launch of iOS 18 and iPadOS 18.

What is known about the new features

Apple announced new features and operating systems at the Worldwide Developers Conference in June, saying that Apple Intelligence would debut as part of iOS 18 and iPadOS 18.

Traditionally, Apple introduces new iPhones and new software in September. In terms of the Apple Intelligence release, there is a possibility that the first iPhone 16 models sent to consumers this year will not have new AI features and will require a software update in a few weeks.

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The company plans to roll out its full set of Apple Intelligence features by the end of 2024 and during the first half of 2025, Bloomberg News reports. In addition to iPhones and iPads, Apple Intelligence will be available on Macs with Apple's own chips as part of macOS Sequoia.

The tech giant is betting on Apple Intelligence to become a worthy competitor in the AI generative space.

Subscribe to OBOZ.UA channels on Telegram and Viber to keep up with the latest developments.
A security guard cleans the Mona Lisa, surrounded by tourists, at the Louvre Museum in Paris in 2022. (Associated Press)

To the editor: I too was a part of the overtourism problem. ("Tourists have made Europe a nightmare. I was part of the problem but won't be again," Opinion, July 26)

For 45 years I produced travelogue movies. Like Rick Steves, my message was to just get on the plane and go. But I never could have imagined the explosion of travel.

In 1985, I made a film on an Alaska cruise that two ships with 600 passengers apiece made each week. Even then, the small port towns were crowded. Today, at least 20 ships make the journey weekly, many with passenger capacities of 3,000. The charm has vanished.

In 1974, I spent eight weeks in Venice, Italy, making a film. To say it was magical is an understatement. Today, Saint Mark's Square is more like Times Square.

But the saddest thing is nobody is looking at what they came to see. On my first trip to Paris in 1968, I stood in front of the Mona Lisa and reveled in the moment. Today nobody looks at the Mona Lisa  they are too busy taking selfies, never spending a moment looking at the painting itself.

Yes, the Mona Lisa is Instagram ready. But what did you see? What did you learn? How were you moved?

Doug Jones, Los Angeles

..

To the editor: We are octogenarians who have traveled internationally, as tourists, for most of our lives. Last month we were on a tour of Scandinavia, a place where neither of us had been.

We started in Bergen, Norway, and arrived two days before the tour began. We like to explore destinations by ourselves for a few days and get over jet lag, so we walked all over Bergen.

We like to see how people live in whatever cities we visit. We ate at local restaurants, talked with the locals and wandered around, discovering what life is like "off the grid."

The rest of our trip, an organized tour that included Denmark, Sweden, Finland and Estonia, gave us a great exposure to life and culture in that part of the world. Yes, there were lots of tourists in the usual places, but going out by ourselves on foot gave us marvelous experiences in places we never knew.

When we can no longer do these far-away trips, we will always adventure to learn something new  even in our own wonderful city.

Frima and Michael Telerant, Westwood

This story originally appeared in Los Angeles Times.
Creatives searching for an effective method to advance their message are fueling the expansion of social media in the digital era with podcasts as their top choice.

For Fort Pierce native Juming Delmas, 35, expanding his services from video production and marketing to the new Im Just Here to Listen podcast allows him to put a focus on education, ranging from law, to agriculture, politics and more, with hopes to foster individual growth.

Our generation is slightly losing touch with knowledge, Delmas told the Tallahassee Democrat this week. Things are being censored. But it seems that our generation continues to lose the importance of our history and whats going on in the world.

In May, Delmas began leasing a 132-square-foot office space, doubling as the studio, where he hosts his podcast in the Domi Station building, 914 Railroad Ave., near Railroad Square.

For Delmas, educational reach expands beyond the walls of his podcast, as he also uses this approach when visiting detention centers to speak to the youth. This initiative was inspired by his own rough upbringing.

At 15, Delmas dropped out of school in exchange for the dangerous street life emerging in his Treasure Coast community. It wasnt until he grew tired of seeing his friends die as a result of gun violence that he decided to change his life for the better.

Im definitely a walking testimony, Delmas told the Tallahassee Democrat. "Its not to say my way is the right way. Its to at least tell my story and share with them the trajectory that they can go on, create their own story and turn their problems into power.

In 2016, Delmas relocated to Tallahassee for family matters. Now, he uses his platform and personal outreach to engage the community in important discussions in multiple ways, especially through his new podcast.

Last year, he was a participant in Domi Stations incubator participant program, in hopes that it would help grow his audience and reach. While his video production company Juming Delmas Studios was already operating for about a year and a half before then, it wasnt until completing this program that he began to profit from it.

From left to right: Juming Delmas (host), E'mharia John (researcher) and Jennifer LaVia (guest)

Domi Station is a start-up business incubator, providing educational content and resources for individuals looking to start or grow their business.

Director of Community Engagement Dacia Williams says Domi Station is excited about the partnership with Juming Delmas Studios, and hopes that its anticipated success will inspire other businesses of its kind to work with Domi.

We have, for so long, been considered a tech hub, Williams said. So, its refreshing to see different businesses, like creative businesses, artistic businesses and podcast businesses being birthed out of our facility.

Once Delmas was granted office member status, he was assigned his own space within their building, where he had the creative freedom to develop his podcast shooting set with vibrant yellow, gray and white decor, and state of the art audio and visual production equipment.

The first episode of the Im Just Here to Listen podcast premiered at the end of May, and already this venture is growing faster than his previous work with Juming Delmas Studios, which produced documentaries and music videos, in terms of engagement on Youtube. The new channel has gained 58 subscribers and just about 450 video views in less than two months with only six episodes.

Episode 3 featuring Charles Magee, a retired Florida A&M University professor and agricultural farming expert, garnered the most traction with over 200 views discussing, "What is Agriculture?"

When selecting guests, Delmas says he looks for people who are both entertaining and well-versed in their subject matter. So far hes had guests like Tallahassee-based family law attorney Jennifer LaVia and Freeman Jackson, a local artificial intelligence and machine learning specialist and founder of Fourth Industrial Systems, as well.

While his podcast continues to grow, Delmas hopes that it can serve as a middleman for information and inspire people to crave knowledge again.

How to watch

 The Im Just Here to Listen podcast is at youtube.com/@ImJustHereToListenPodcast/featured.

Democrat Writer Mycah Brown can be reached at MJBrown@gannett.com.

This article originally appeared on Tallahassee Democrat: Domi Station helps local entrepreneur expand outreach with podcast
About 100 Alzheimer's patients tested out a daily weight loss injection to help their disease.

They saw meaningful differences in memory test scores and brain loss, when compared to their peers.

Experts say it's too early to say whether GLP-1s can be used for dementia, but this looks promising.

Diabetes, weight loss, heart disease, sleep apnea, kidney disease, and now  dementia?

Scientists are racing to discover whether the new class of weight-loss drugs, originally approved to treat type 2 diabetes, might be repurposed to treat all kinds of other conditions.

Today, a group of dementia researchers from the UK released some early results that suggest it's possible these trendy injections might also stall the progression of dementia.

The results were announced at the Alzheimer's Association International Conference in Philadelphia on Tuesday, and have not been published in a peer-reviewed science journal yet.

Some independent experts say we shouldn't get too excited just yet. Still, the study authors insist this is proving to be a promising area of research.

A daily injection for brain preservation

Iuliia Burmistrova/Getty Images

For the study, researchers spent a year tracking brain changes across 204 Alzheimer's patients with mild to moderate disease. Half of the group received a placebo drug. The other half received a daily dose of liraglutide, a medication that exists in the same class of drugs as Ozempic, Mounjaro, and Wegovy. (They all mimic a hormone called GLP-1, which makes you feel full.)

While the study wasn't able to successfully achieve every outcome it aimed for, it did appear to show the shots having some positive effect on both cognitive function and brain volume preservation.

It's still an open question whether injectables for weight loss can help slow down this brain disease. Because so many different factors appear to influence how Alzheimer's progresses over time, experts are starting to coalesce around the idea that there will likely never be one single drug that can treat Alzheimer's outright. Patients may need an ever-evolving cocktail of different things to preserve whatever brain function they have left.

"It is hard to make sensible critiques on only an abstract and press release, without the full details of the results," Stephen Evans, an emeritus professor at the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine, who was not involved in this study, told the Science Media Centre. "It sounds like it is worth pursuing a larger trial, but these results cannot demonstrate that liraglutide can protect against dementia."

A 'statin' for the brain?

Connections between hippocampal neurons (brain cells). Jason Kirk & Quynh Nguyen/Nikon Small World

Not everyone who started this trial ended up enjoying taking liraglutide every day. By the end of the trial, 23 of the 102 participants assigned to treatment dropped out of the study (compared to only 15 dropouts on placebo.) Many taking the drug complained of nausea, one of the most common side effects of GLP-1 drugs, which work to regulate blood sugar, and end up slowing down digestion.

But, those who stuck with the shots seemed to display better final performance on their memory tests than their peers who hadn't injected GLP-1s. Doctors also saw about 50% less volume loss in key areas of their brains on MRI scans, including parts of the brain responsible for memory and decision-making.

"The slower loss of brain volume suggests liraglutide protects the brain, much like statins protect the heart," Dr. Paul Edison, a professor of neuroscience at Imperial College London who led the study, said in a release. "While further research is needed, liraglutide may work through various mechanisms, such as reducing inflammation in the brain, lowering insulin resistance and the toxic effects of Alzheimer's biomarkers amyloid-beta and tau, and improving how the brain's nerve cells communicate."

One thing liraglutide didn't appear to do for the patients in this trial was meaningfully improve their brain's glucose metabolism, which is another key part of dementia progression. This was the main goal of the trial. Experts have seen how dementia patients' brains get worse and worse at efficiently using glucose for energy as their disease progresses, but the calculus is always complicated. With Alzheimer's, it's been especially difficult for scientists to untangle cause from effect.

Edison, a leading expert in brain imaging for Alzheimer's and other neurodegenerative diseases, told Business Insider that he still believes there may be an effect. He thinks this study was too small to show a meaningful difference in glucose metabolism, and that GLP-1 drugs may also influence the brain in more complex ways than we understand. Edison said future studies should focus less on markers in the brain, and more on "cognitive" results, like patient performance on memory tests.

Other drugs recently approved to treat Alzheimer's also aim to slow down the rate at which patients lose their memories and reasoning skills, but they work differently from GLP-1s. Lecanemab, approved by the Food and Drug Administration last year, and donanemab, out earlier this month, are both antibody treatments built around the idea that reducing the presence of key amyloid plaques in the brain will help slow dementia progression. This seems to be at least partially true, but it may not be the whole story. Maybe GLP-1 drugs can serve a slightly different purpose in dementia treatment.

Bigger studies using more powerful GLP-1 drugs for dementia are already ongoing. Novo Nordisk is testing out semaglutide (that's the drug branded as Ozempic for diabetes, and Wegovy for weight loss) as a possible Alzheimer's drug in a major worldwide trial expected to recruit more than 1,800 people across 38 countries. Results are expected in 2025, and will hinge on memory test scores, not glucose metabolism.

Read the original article on Business Insider
A warm tortilla helped save a baby bird in distress. Here's how to help hurt birds in Arizona

A warm tortilla might not be the first item you grab in an emergency. But for a Texas woman who found a baby bird in need of help, it did the trick.

Katie Adlong of Amarillo, Texas, found the fuzzy white bird, later identified as a Mississippi Kite, near her backyard on July 13, she told newswire Storyful.

Adlong and her husband were grilling in the backyard when she spotted the baby on the ground and couldn't see any signs of a parent or adult birds nearby. Concerned that the chick may get cold, Adlong came up with a clever solution.

My husband and friends were grilling, so I told him to hand me a tortilla," she told Storyful. "I wrapped her in a warm tortilla to keep her warm while we waited for the wildlife people to arrive."

More: Eagle lands on Arizona police car seeking help in the heat. Watch the video

The camera footage shows Adlong doing just that, gently placing the tiny ball of downy feathers into the center of a freshly warmed white tortilla and wrapping it around the little body.

The family took the bird to a local wildlife rehabilitation center, which commended Adlong for her creativity.

"Undoubtedly, it was an inventive method to keep the baby warm, and surprisingly, it was effective," the rehab center said on Facebook.

Here's what to do if you find a bird in distress.

How to help injured birds in Arizona

Liberty Wildlife, a wildlife rehabilitation and conservation group in Phoenix, treats injured animals, including birds.

On the group's website, officials recommend you do the following if you find an injured bird:

Bring the animal to Liberty Wildlife at 2600 E. Elwood St. in Phoenix. The shelter can be reached at 480-998-5550.

Keep the bird in a warm, dark, quiet environment. The website recommends this could be a shoebox or even a paper bag with ventilation holes.

Do not use an eyedropper to give the bird water, as this can hurt the bird more.

If you find an injured hummingbird, bring it to the facility immediately. If it can't be brought to the facility immediately, you can place your finger over the end of a drinking straw that has a few drops of water in it for the hummingbird to drink from every 15 minutes.

Arizona sheriff's deputy helps bird in distress

A sergeant with the Mohave County Sheriff's Office was working an off-duty road construction assignment when he noticed a bird in distress resting under his patrol vehicle, officials said in a Facebook post. The sergeant and a deputy were able to safely put the bird in the back seat of the patrol vehicle to cool down, the post indicated.

The Arizona Raptor Center came to pick up the bird. Officials from the center said the bird was a young eagle that had become separated from its parents, according to the Facebook post.

"They estimated that the eagle probably wouldn't have survived if not for Sergeant Giralde's actions," the Mohave County Sheriff's Office said in the post. "We hope our new feathery friend makes a full recovery and want to send our thanks to the Arizona Raptor Center for taking care of him!"

USA TODAY reporter Mary Walrath-Holdridge contributed to this article.

This article originally appeared on Arizona Republic: A warm tortilla helped save a baby bird in distress. Here's how
Three different robotic explorers made planetary news last week. The discoveries of Perseverance, Curiosity, and Change 5 are reshaping our understanding of conditions on Mars and the moon billions of years ago. From possible microbial signatures to extraterrestrial water records, here are the latest insights from outer space.

Possible Martian biosignatures

Theres no debate over whether life exists off Earth. Without a doubt, it does. The question is: Does any life exist off Earth that we didnt put there?

While earthly microbial hitchhikers from probes gallivant around the moon, a white-striped rock on Mars might hold traces of true Martians  now long dead. On Thursday, NASA announced that the Perseverance rover had discovered the rock in question in Neretva Vallis.

Nowadays, Neretva Vallis is a barren riverbed of dust and rocks. But three billion years ago, it poured water into a lake at the dry crater bed known as Jezero Crater. Its here that Perseverance found the strange rock. Somewhat confusingly, the NASA team named the rock itself Cheyava Falls, after the tallest waterfall in the Grand Canyon.

An elevation map of Jezero Crater, thought to be an ancient lake. Neretva Vallis runs into the crater from the left. Photo: NASA/Tim Goudge

The chemistry of the rock suggests a perfect climate for ancient life. Streaks of calcium sulfate run over it, hinting that it used to be submerged in flowing water.

Organic compounds also dot the surface of the rock. These carbon-bearing molecules were vital to the formation of life on Earth. Astronomers have identified them in the earliest stages of star formation and in comets, but we rarely see them on Mars. Their presence in this rock adds another of lifes building blocks to our picture of ancient Neretva Vallis.

Leopard spots

And then there are the leopard spots. Thats what the Perseverance team is calling the little white dots with black rings containing iron phosphate. The leopard spots might have formed through the reaction of hematite and organic compounds. On Earth, reactions like this fed emerging microbial life. Could the same have happened on Mars?

We wont know until we get Perseverances sample of Cheyava Falls back to Earth, where scientists can examine it in a lab for subsurface microbial fossils. But Perseverances sample return mission isnt a certainty. Beset by budget issues, its fate is up to the U.S. Congress. The House of Representatives just passed a draft budget for NASA that included $650 million to get Perseverances samples back to Earth, but its likely the Senate will counter with a lower suggestion. Knowledge of life on Mars may depend on terrestrial bureaucracy.

The surface of the rock the Perseverance team has nicknamed Cheyava Falls. Photo: NYT/NASA/JPL-Caltech/MSSS

Pure sulfur on Mars

While Perseverance carefully maneuvered the channel leading to an ancient lake, its sibling Curiosity was almost 4,000km away in an old riverbed called Gediz Vallis. Unlike Neretva Vallis, the geological record in Gediz hints at a time when Mars water was dwindling. Salty compounds line thin, meandering streambeds between sandy hills. Here, Curiosity lurched over an unobtrusive rock that cracked open to reveal crystals of pure yellowish sulfur. When the Curiosity team examined the surroundings, they realized the rover was sitting in a field full of sulfur geodes.

Pure sulfur crystals from inside a Martian rock. Photo: NASA/JPL-Caltech/MSSS

Curiosity was looking for sulfates, salty minerals containing sulfur, and other elements. Sulfates form when water evaporates. But these werent diluted sulfates from Mars dwindling streams. This was pure, crystalline sulfur  and a lot of it. On Earth, most naturally occurring pure sulfur originates in structures called salt domes, which dont appear at all in this region of Mars. So how did it get there? Well have to wait for more clues as Curiosity charts the history of the last water on Mars.

Change 5 put lunar water on Earth for the first time

A month ago, we covered the China National Space Agencys (CNSA) retrieval of samples from the dark side of the Moon and what they might indicate about our solar systems history. While were waiting for news from tests on the far-side samples, near-side samples from the CNSAs previous lunar probe, Change 5, have a story to tell. A team just announced that Change 5s near-side samples contain novograblenovite, a volcanic mineral that is 41% water by weight.

A strange lunar mineral appears to be novograblenovite. Photo: Jin et al., 2024

No previous lunar samples had water molecules in them. The Apollo 11 samples contained hydroxide (an oxygen atom bonded with a hydrogen ion), a byproduct of water molecules breaking apart. That, along with remote observations of water ice at the poles, confirmed that the moon is not devoid of water like we long thought. But weve never before been able to examine lunar water in labs on Earth.

Water isnt all the samples showed. The minerals were rich in ammonium, which may have formed when lava on the surface reacted with water, hydrogen chloride, and ammonia gas. Taken together, these findings suggest a steamy magma ocean on the early moon, replete with water in different states.

A changing picture

For many decades, observations of nearby planetary bodies painted a bleak picture of our corner of the solar system. Not only did Earthlings appear to be alone in the present, but the conditions on our moon and neighboring planets seemed antithetical even to past extraterrestrial life.

That picture is changing. It started with the 1972 Mariner mission, which showed dry riverbeds on the surface of Mars. The more our abilities improve in aeronautics and remote sensing, the more were learning about the time over three billion years ago when Mars looked a lot more like a young Earth.

The moon, long thought to be utterly dry, also tells a more complicated story the better we get at listening. Water and ammonia vapor may have been prevalent, interacting with a magma ocean and leaving traces all over the moons surface. With low oxygen and high volcanic activity, this picture of the moon takes us back even further to the first 500 million years of the Earths history.

The Earth may still be alone. But at least it hasnt always been special.

The post This Week in Planetary Science: Unexpected Findings from Mars and the Moon appeared first on Explorersweb.
Filters at Port Huron's water filtration plan are shown in 2017. The city's water plant is one of 14 participating communities' intake sites benefiting from $1.5 million in state funding.

PORT HURON  Several St. Clair County communities are slated to be among more than a dozen participating partners that will benefit from $1.5 million in state funds OKd last week to help keep an eye on the quality of the regions drinking water.

The state budget signed by Gov. Gretchen Whitmer last week included funds for the Southeast Michigan Drinking Water Monitoring Program, benefiting 14 community water intakes. According to a news release, among those are the cities of Port Huron, Marysville, St. Clair, Marine City, and Algonac, as well as East China and Ira townships.

An early warning system along the 80-mile Lake Huron-to-Lake Erie corridor, according to the Southeastern Michigan Council of Governments, the program is a voluntary effort over the last two decades that involves physical monitors at treatment plants in the region that ultimately serve half the states population.

The early warning allows plant operators to quickly shut down water intakes if there is a change in water conditions due to a spill or discharge along the corridor. In turn, it also supports freight movement and multiple pipeline crossings between the U.S. and Canada.

Port Huron Mayor Pauline Repp serves on SEMCOGs Huron-Erie Drinking Water Monitoring Network and is an immediate past chairperson among the organizations leadership.

Collaboration and communication are key to good governance, and public health protection is a prime example of this, she said in a statement late last week. Collecting and sharing accurate, current data among partners on this corridor is a tremendous win for water quality in Port Huron and our entire region.

Port Huron Mayor Pauline Repp, from left, SEMCOG Executive Director Amy OLeary, Gov. Gretchen Whitmer, and Mike Compagnoni, a government relations official with the Midwest Strategy Group, are pictured marking $1.5 million in state funding supporting 14 communities in the Southeastern Michigan Drinking Water Monitoring Program. Repp is also a past immediate chairperson for SEMCOG.

In a release through the city, the local mayor added she was proud of the funding allocation, calling it a public health benefit for the area.

The other participating partners in the Southeast Michigan Drinking Water Monitoring Program were the Great Lakes Water Authority, Grosse Pointe Farms, Monroe, Mount Clemens, New Baltimore, and Wyandotte.

SEMCOG Executive Director Amy O'Leary said in a statement, "While this investment is very small in the context of an entire state's budget, the value of protecting public health in the event of a major spill or discharge along that corridor cannot be overstated.

This article originally appeared on Port Huron Times Herald: $1.5M from state to support monitoring at 7 local water intake sites
COALINGA, Calif. (KSEE/KGPE)  One person is dead following a two-vehicle crash near Fresno County, according to the California Highway Patrol.

CHP says on Sunday at around 8 a.m., a driver was driving a Toyota Corolla northbound on Highway 269 approaching Jayne Avenue at an unknown rate of speed.

A driver of a Hyundai Accent was driving southbound on Highway 269 and had come to a stop for a posted sign at Jayne Avenue. As the driver of the Toyota approached the intersection, CHP says he failed to stop for the posted sign and went through the intersection.

According to CHP, the driver of the Toyota crossed from the northbound lane and the left front of the Toyota crashed into the left front of the Hyundai.

The driver of the Hyundai passed away as a result of the crash.

Officials have not released the identity of the person who passed away.

CHP says the crash is still under investigation and alcohol does appear to have been a contributing factor.

Copyright 2024 Nexstar Media, Inc. 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.
Shinji Kaneko, second left, President of Keikyu Department Store Co. bows during a press conference in Yokohama, south of Tokyo, Monday, July 29, 2024. About 150 people have been sickened by food poisoning after eating a Japanese summertime delicacy, grilled eel, prepared by a restaurant chain and sold at the department store near Tokyo, leaving one person dead and two others hospitalized, officials said. (Kyodo News via AP)

TOKYO (AP)  One person died and nearly 150 others were sickened after eating grilled eel prepared by a restaurant chain and sold at a department store near Tokyo, officials said. Among those sickened, two required hospitalization.

Keikyu Department Store said 147 customers as of Monday had reported symptoms such as vomiting and diarrhea after eating grilled eel dishes sold in the grocery section of the department store based in Yokohama, near Tokyo, between July 24 and July 25.

Japan has a tradition of eating roasted eel as a tonic for the heat during the hottest days of summer.

A woman in her 90s died after developing symptoms, but her exact cause of death is being further investigated, the Yokohama city health center said. Two other people were hospitalized, but the symptoms of others affected were milder, it added.

The only common denominator among the sickened was the grilled eel, sold separately or as part of box lunches served with rice, prepared by the Tokyo-based restaurant chain Nihonbashi Isesada, and sold at the department store, the health center said. More than 1,700 servings of grilled eel were sold at the shop, Keikyu officials said.

The health center detected staphylococcus aureus  or staph  which causes vomiting and diarrhea, in excrement samples from the affected.

Keikyu Department Store and Isesada apologized over the food poisoning and vowed to cooperate with health officials. Isesada executive Soichiro Tomita, at a televised news conference, acknowledged that some cooks were not wearing plastic gloves.

The health center said it has temporarily suspended operations at the Isesada shop on the grocery floor and its restaurant on another floor of the department store while they examined the cause.
The optics are pretty lousy when a company run by a 73-year-old man cans a nearly 20-year employee as she hits 73 and then attempts to call it a retirement on paper.

Yet, according to former longtime Disney business analyst Deborah Violante, that is exactly what happened to her at the Bob Iger-led Mouse House last year. After apparently repeated efforts to get an explanation from her managers and Disney HR, and even getting offered a job back at the company similar to the position she held from 2005-23, Violante is taking Disney to court in a 20-claim wrongful termination, discrimination and retaliation lawsuit (read it here).

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As you would expect from a business analyst, Violante has receipts.

Violante was approximately 55 years old when she first became employed by Disney, reads the July 23 filing in Los Angeles Superior Court. Violante had been doing contractor work for Disney since 2002 when she was brought into the Magic Kingdom full time. Thereafter, she remained employed by Disney for 18 years.

The jury trial-seeking complaint seeks a variety of damages and injunctive relief.

As Violante got older, she became subjected to a campaign of discrimination and harassment based on her age, the 34-page document from employment law specialists Yadegar, Minoofar & Soleymani LLP goes on to claim. Then, after Violante became injured and needed to take time off, Disney expedited its plans to terminate her and used the pretext of a mass layoff to terminate Violante from the company based on her age and disability. When Violante was 73 years old, Disney boldly  and illegally  unilaterally retired Violante from the company even though she had never asked to retire and never authorized anyone to retire her.

RELATED: Disney Fails Again To Get Antitrust Class Action Over ESPN & Hulu Ownership Tossed Out

Specially, having been a much-rewarded employee expecting voluntary retirement at some point down the line, Violante details in her legal action how things started to spoil after she was one of the last members of her department brought back from the companys pandemic furlough in 2020. Besides being denied overtime, even as she put in lots of extra time to catch up on the backlog from the furlough, Violante says she was blunted and delayed over and over in her need to use some of her vacation time to get much-needed knee surgery.

After Violante lost that banked vacation time because of the refusal to grant Violante any time off, the whole thing blew up. Her colleague Robert Jeff Downs, who would be addled with most of the plaintiffs duties if she was to be out of the Burbank offices, lashed out in the late spring of 2023 with, When are you going to retire?

This comment was clearly age-related and also evidenced an animus towards Violantes medical needs and limitations, the filing says of Downs and the then-100-year-old company. Disneys mistreatment of, and animus towards, Violante was so brazen as to be observed by other Cast Members, causing one of them to confide in Violante that it appears Disney wants her to quit or retire.

Things looked to go from bad to worse at the parent company of the Happiest Place on Earth when Violante suddenly was pink-slipped on May 22, 2023. The firing was a part of the recently reinstated multi-phased cuts of 7,000 staffers as a part of Igers overall $5.5 billion in cost savings plan to pump up Disney stock.

Learning she was the only member of her department to be let go, Violante pushed back in the few weeks she had left on the job. Disney seemed to ignore her and actually was treating her exit as a retirement  until the words age discrimination joined the conversation. Now Disney pushed back Violantes exit date and acknowledged in static bureaucratic jargon in September 2023 that it was an involuntary separation due to a reduction in force. Around the same time, the increasingly fragile Violantes physicians placed her on a disability leave until October 8, 2023.

However, like the most recent phase of the MCU, Violantes filing reads like she and Disney existed in two separate and very different timelines:

Disneys conclusions about the reasons for her termination were strange for several reasons. First, despite Violante informing Disney that she had suffered numerous hurtful comments and innuendo regarding age, questioning when I am going to retire, no one at Disney ever asked her about the comments or the identity of the person who had made them. So, how could Disney truly reach the conclusion that the reason for termination was not discriminatory?

Second, despite her repeated requests, Disney still failed to offer to Violante the alleged non-discriminatory reason for her layoff.

The filing adds:

On October 19, 2023, because Disney had not offered any solutions to provide a workplace free of discrimination and harassment, and, especially since Disney seemingly did no investigate and covered up its findings regarding Violantes allegations of discrimination, Violante declined Disneys offer to accept a new position.

Then, on October 31, 2023, Violante requested again that Disney provide an explanation for her termination or otherwise address her concerns of discrimination and retaliation. Disney failed to provide any explanation.

To this day, it remains unclear what metrics Disney used to evaluate her performance, especially given that, prior to this, no one had notified Violante of any performance deficiencies.

After all that, more salt was rubbed in the wound.

On November 13, 2023, Violante received an email from Disney congratulating her on her retirement, the complaint almost comically notes.

Disney did not respond to Deadlines request for comment Tuesday on Violantes lawsuit. If the company does respond, this post will be updated.

Speaking of retirement, Iger looks to be hanging on at Disney until he is at least 75.

Originally only back as CEO in late 2022 for just two years, Igers contract was given another two years by the board in July 2023. Right now, having survived an activist investor battle or two and with no clear successor in place yet, Iger is set to stay at Disney until the end of 2026  around the time this lawsuit will be still in the courts unless the parties settle beforehand.

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CHICAGO  An anonymous donor has provided family and friends of a missing trans advocate the funds to offer a $10,000 reward for information that leads to her safe return.

Taylor Casey was last seen the evening of June 19 at the Sivananda Ashram Yoga Retreat on Paradise Island, near the capital city of The Bahamas. Retreat employees reported her missing the next day, and the Royal Bahamas Police Force issued a Missing Persons Alert for a day later. The Chicago Police Department has also issued an alert about her disappearance.

Loved ones earlier this month celebrated Caseys 42nd birthday without her, and the reward announcement comes amid a push in spreading the word about her disappearance. In a statement, the family said theyve urged the FBI to get involved and have requested help from Gov. JB Pritzker and senators Dick Durbin and Tammy Duckworth. A #BringTaylorHome campaign has been launched on social media in hopes of getting the attention of celebrities and influencers.

Each day that passes, Im reminded that a world with Taylor is a better world for everyone, Caseys friend, Sam Hsieh, said in a statement. Taylor has touched so many people with her authenticity, love and playful caring spirit.  We must find her.

An online fundraising campaign seeking $100,000 to help the family with legal costs and travel fees had collected nearly $34,000 as of midday Tuesday. Caseys mother, Colette Seymore, in a statement expressed gratitude for those whove contributed. We never expected to be in this position, and dont have the resources to do this alone, she said.

Casey disappeared just a few months after the U.S. government issued a Level 2 Travel Advisory for The Bahamas. In the late January advisory, government officials warned visitors about water hazards and crime in certain parts of the country, including the area where Casey traveled.

Casey is Black and transgender, and Seymore has previously said she believes discrimination may be the reason her daughter has not been found. Caseys phone was discovered in the water, but last word is that police were unable to access its contents.

Taylor Caseys mom: Bahamas police doing bare minimum to find her

Casey has black hair and brown eyes. She stands 5 feet, 10 inches tall and weighs 145 pounds. Anyone with information on her whereabouts is asked to contact the Royal Bahamas Police Forces Criminal Investigations Department at 242-502-9991.

Social media accounts to share information and updates have been created on Facebook and Instagram.

Copyright 2024 Nexstar Media, Inc. 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 world of automobiles is constantly changing, requiring manufacturers to adapt to new technologies, market demands and environmental standards. In this context, decisions to discontinue production of well-known models are understandable.

ADVERTISIMENT

The fact that Chevrolet decided to stop production of the Lacetti model was known back in 2020. However, recently, the Autostrada website reported that the last copy had already rolled off the assembly line.

Chevrolet Lacetti, first introduced in 2002, quickly won the hearts of motorists due to its affordability, spacious interior, unpretentious design, etc. The model was produced in 12 countries, but recently it has been assembled only in Uzbekistan. It is worth noting that it was delivered to Ukraine under the name Daewoo Gentra.

The latest Chevrolet Lacetti is black in color and is equipped with a 1.5-liter 107 hp gasoline engine, ABS, air conditioning, and heated seats. The model costs $13,300.

ADVERTISIMENT

The successor to the budget car is the Chevrolet Onix. It is more expensive than the Lacetti, but it is better equipped and generally more modern. Its equipment includes ABS, power windows, air conditioning, an audio system, and Android Auto with Apple CarPlay. The top-end variant gets climate control, heated seats, and a rearview camera.

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Serial killers are often some of the most unsuspecting people. Would the wife of a reverend kill her entire family? Would a Taco Bell manager slaughter his employees? Yes and yes.



What may seem even more shocking about these suspects is that theyre Black.

If you leave it to the media and the abundance of Netflix crime documentaries, youd think the only serial killers to exist had white skin. Nah, fam. We have our own Jeffrey Dahmer, Jack The Ripper and more in our community. Though seemingly rare, their crimes are just as heinous and claimed hundreds of innocent lives.

Cant think of any Black serial killers off the top of your head? Check out these 15.

1. Keith Gibson

Photo: Delaware Department of Justice (AP)

The 41-year-old was already on probation for manslaughter ahead of his killing spree, per WHYY News. Delaware police said in 2021, he began with killing Leslie Ruiz-Basilio during a robbery at a Metro by T-Mobile store in Elsmere, Del. A month after the killing, he murdered Ronald Wright during a street robbery. The police caught him days later, sticking up a Rite-Aid. However, Gibsons name popped up in Pennsylvania police systems connecting him to a slew of crimes that occurred in Philadelphia around the time the two victims were killed. He was sentenced to seven life terms, per NBC Philadelphia.

2. Anthony Robinson

Photo: Harrisonburg Police Department

The 37-year-old targeted a woman in Mechanicsburg, Pa. named Monica White in 2020. She told PEOPLE they dated for a few weeks until she cut him off after he displayed a series of concerning behavioral patterns. After their breakup, he was blasted in the news after being connected to the alleged murders of six women across the DMV. Police said each of the victims connected with Robinson through a dating app, were killed and then dumped with a shopping cart. He was charged with first-degree murder in two of the murders in 2022, per WTOP News.

3. Collins Jumaisi Khalusha

Photo: Kenyan National Police

Who Kenyan National Police considered a psychopathic serial killer was arrested after being connected to a series of killings dating back to 2022. They became aware of the killings after discovering a series of remains of women ages 18 through 30 just last week. Police said they were found mutilated, stuffed in sacks and discarded near a dump in Kware. One victims phone helped police track down Khalusha at a club where he was arrested. Police say he confessed to luring in the victims, killing them and disposing of their bodies - all 42 of them including his wife who he confessed to making his first kill.

4. Eric Adams

Photo: Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department

Police said connected Adams to the fatal shooting of five women and the critical injury of a teen girl. In a release, police said a woman in her 40s and another woman in her 50s were found shot to death at an apartment. Amidst the investigation, the police department stated officers received word of a 13-year-old girl who had been transferred to the hospital in critical condition from gunshot wounds. The cops then scoured the apartment building for anymore shooting victims and found the remains of two women and a man - all of whom had been shot to death. However, by the time officers tracked him down in North Vegas, Adams fatally shot himself with his weapon.

5. Roberta Elder

Photo: YEN News

The wife of Reverend William M. Elder was not only responsible for his death but also the death of two of his children whom she poisoned with her cooking. She was charged for their murders but during her trial, it was found that her killings didnt stop at her household. She was accused of killing up to 13 people including two ex-husbands, three of her own children, a grandson, a cousin and her own mother. She was sentenced to life in prison.

6. Henry Louis Wallace

Photo: Charlotte Observer (AP)

Wallace, also known as the Taco Bell Strangler, raped and murdered 11 Black women in the span of four years in the 90s. Most of the victims were women he knew such as friends and co-workers at the Taco Bell he managed in Charlotte, NC. Ol boy even attended some of their funerals. It wasnt until Wallace killed two women back-to-back in the same building that the police were onto him. He was arrested in 1994 and sentenced to death.

7. Zebra Killers

Photo: California Department of Corrections

In the 70s, a group of young Black men embarked on a killing spree, taking the lives of up to 15 people. Their crimes led to a stop-and-search program to be issued in San Francisco which was widely criticized by Black civil rights leaders as another ploy to harass innocent Black people. However, by 1974, seven Black men were arrested. Three of them got off on bail but the remaining four were convicted on a slew of charges including murder and kidnapping, and sentenced to life in prison.

8. Harrison Graham

Photo: Wikicommons

One summer in 1987, Grahams neighbor complained to their landlord about a stench coming from Harrisons apartment. He was ordered to vacate the premises but refused and boarded up his doors and windows. He then fled from the fire escape and the landlord called the police to break into the apartment. What they found were two dead Black women, blood splatters and a slew of skeletal remains. Bones and body parts of other victims were found in bags.



9. Samuel Little

Photo: California Department of Corrections (AP)

Little is known as the most prolific serial killer not just because of his crimes but because he confessed to a large number of unsolved murders just two years before he died. Little had been killing since the 50s but was sentenced for good in 2014 for killing three women in the 80s. His DNA was then connected to another string of strangulations. In an interview with a Texas Ranger, he confessed to unsolved killings in over a dozen states bringing the total up to 93 people dead.



10. Debra Brown

Photo: Al Berhman (AP)

Brown and Alton Coleman began their killing spree when they lured two young girls into the woods in 1984. One of the girls was raped and the other was suffocated and stomped. For the next 50 days, the two killed eight more people, raped seven and kidnapped three. The couple was sentenced to death and Coleman was executed in 2002. However, Browns death sentence was overturned after the attorney general attributed her actions to a mental disability, per Indy Star.



11. Maury Travis

Photo: ABC News

The infamous Videotape Killer was linked to the murders of 12 sex workers in St. Louis by investigators, per Fox 2 Now. He would lure women to his home with money or drugs, then tie them up and kill them. After committing each murder, Travis would discard the bodies along the road and carried on this heinous act for three years.

12. Craig Price

Photo: Journal-Bulletin, Norman A. Sylvia (AP)

Price grew up in a predominantly white neighborhood during the heat of the civil rights movement. Despite having a relatively happy childhood, Craig started experiencing dark thoughts about murder and by the time he turned 13, he had a hefty criminal record including robbery, stalking and assault. Soon, he killed a white woman from his neighborhood. The case went cold until police found he later killed another white woman and her two daughters. He willingly confessed to the murders and was convicted as a minor. His sentence was supposed to have ended in 2017 but his repeated crimes inside prison extended his stay, per WJAR. He goes down in US history as once of the youngest serial killers.



13. Anthony Sowell

Photo: Tony Dejak (AP)

Sowell served 15 years in prison in a rape and was released in the early 2000s. However, in 2009, investigators who suspected him of another rape found the decomposing bodies of two women on the third floor of his house and a grave dug in the basement. Sowell had a total of 10 dead bodies rotting in his home, all of which were vulnerable young women who struggled with drug addiction. Victims who escaped tried to tell the police but some didnt believe their reports.



Sowell was sentenced to death in 2011 but died in 2021 of an unspecified illness, per Cleveland.com.

14. Wayne Williams

Photo: AP File (AP)

In 1981, Williams was arrested for the murders of two adult men. However, during his trial, prosecutors suggested he was also behind a string of 22 murders of children in Atlanta. Though he maintained his innocence, forensic evidence from his home and vehicle connected him to several victims. He was sentenced to life in prison, though many people still believe he is innocent.



15. Carl Eugene Watts

Screenshot: ABC 13 News

Dubbed by the press as the Sunday Morning Slasher, Watts was assumed to be experiencing delusion after being diagnosed with Meningitis. When he was younger, he used to hunt rabbits and stalk his female classmates, then he committed his first murder at 15 years old. According to AP, he killed for a span of eight years claiming the lives of 14 to 100 women. He was hard to catch because police couldnt find a pattern in how he killed. Then, in 1981, one of his victims faked being unconscious and escaped from him, alerting the police. In Texas, he was charged as a non-violent felon after pleading guilty to burglary with intention to kill. However, a witness from Michigan came forward with a testimony sending him to life in prison.

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Former U.S President Donald Trump speaks to the media as he leaves court for the day at Manhattan Criminal Court on April 18, 2024 in New York City. (File/Brendan McDermid-Pool/Getty Images)

COLUMBIA  South Carolina Attorney General Alan Wilson is heading up a coalition of 15 GOP-led states supporting former President Donald Trump in his appeal of court fines ordered in a New York real estate case against him.

New York state court Judge Arthur Engoron in February ordered Trump to pay $355 million, plus interest, in a civil trial finding his company and executives, including his two eldest sons, conspired to deceive banks and insurers by inflating his wealth on financial statements. The judge also barred Trump from serving as an executive at any New York company, including the Trump Organization, for three years and imposed a two-year ban on Eric Trump and Donald Trump Jr.

Trump appealed the fine to New Yorks intermediate appellate court.

Wilsons office authored a court brief supporting the appeal, which 14 other states joined.

Our brief isnt about Donald Trump, its about upholding the rule of law and the Constitution, Wilson said in a statement after Fridays filing.

Other states in the coalition are Alabama, Alaska, Florida, Iowa, Louisiana, Missouri, Montana, Nebraska, North Dakota, Ohio, Oklahoma, South Dakota, Utah, and West Virginia.

The attorneys general argue the fine is excessive, violating the Eighth Amendment and a similar clause in the Fourteenth Amendment prohibiting states from imposing a grossly excessive punishment.

Residents of South Carolina and other states that joined the brief conduct business in New York, primarily New York City, wrote Joseph Spate, assistant deputy solicitor general in Wilsons office.

And they need confidence that their customary business dealings in New York will not subject them to devastating fines, he wrote, arguing that fear of heavy financial penalties will drive companies away from doing business in New York.
Former U.S President Donald Trump speaks to the media as he leaves court for the day at Manhattan Criminal Court on April 18, 2024 in New York City. (Photo by Brendan McDermid/Pool-Getty Images)

Iowa Attorney General Brenna Bird has joined a coalition of 15 GOP-led states supporting former President Donald Trump in his appeal of court fines ordered in a New York real estate case against him.

New York state court Judge Arthur Engoron in February ordered Trump to pay $355 million, plus interest, in a civil trial finding his company and executives, including his two eldest sons, conspired to deceive banks and insurers by inflating his wealth on financial statements. The judge also barred Trump from serving as an executive at any New York company, including the Trump Organization, for three years and imposed a two-year ban on Eric Trump and Donald Trump Jr.

Trump appealed the fine to New Yorks intermediate appellate court.

South Carolina Attorney General Alan Wilsons office authored a court brief supporting the appeal, which 14 other states joined.

Our brief isnt about Donald Trump, its about upholding the rule of law and the Constitution, Wilson said in a statement after Fridays filing.

Besides Iowa, other states in the coalition are Alabama, Alaska, Florida, Louisiana, Missouri, Montana, Nebraska, North Dakota, Ohio, Oklahoma, South Dakota, Utah, and West Virginia.

The attorneys general argue the fine is excessive, violating the Eighth Amendment and a similar clause in the Fourteenth Amendment prohibiting states from imposing a grossly excessive punishment.

New Yorks excessive fine on President Trump is unlike anything we have seen before, and it is wildly disproportionate to the allegations New Yorks politically motivated Democrat attorney general brought against him, Bird said in a news release. If it can happen to President Trump, it can happen to anyone. We must uphold the Constitution that protects the rights of not just President Trump, but every American, and reverse the unjust fine that is being imposed on him.

Residents of the states that joined the brief conduct business in New York, primarily New York City, wrote Joseph Spate, assistant deputy solicitor general in Wilsons office.

And they need confidence that their customary business dealings in New York will not subject them to devastating fines, he wrote, arguing that fear of heavy financial penalties will drive companies away from doing business in New York.

This story was originally published by the SC Daily Gazette, which is part of States Newsroom, a nonprofit news network supported by grants and a coalition of donors as a 501c(3) public charity. SC Daily Gazette maintains editorial independence. Contact Editor Seanna Adcox for questions: info@scdailygazette.com. Follow SC Daily Gazette on Facebook and X.
Former President Donald Trump speaks to the media as he leaves court for the day at Manhattan Criminal Court on April 18, 2024, in New York City. Trump was charged with 34 counts of falsifying business records, which prosecutors say was an effort to hide a potential sex scandal, both before and after the 2016 presidential election. (Brendan McDermid-Pool/Getty Images)

Former President Donald Trump speaks to the media as he leaves court for the day at Manhattan Criminal Court on April 18, 2024, in New York City. Trump was charged with 34 counts of falsifying business records, which prosecutors say was an effort to hide a potential sex scandal, both before and after the 2016 presidential election. (Brendan McDermid-Pool/Getty Images)

South Carolina Attorney General Alan Wilson is heading up a coalition of 15 GOP-led states  including South Dakota  supporting former President Donald Trump in his appeal of court fines ordered in a New York real estate case against him.

New York state court Judge Arthur Engoron in February ordered Trump to pay $355 million, plus interest, in a civil trial finding his company and executives, including his two eldest sons, conspired to deceive banks and insurers by inflating his wealth on financial statements. The judge also barred Trump from serving as an executive at any New York company, including the Trump Organization, for three years and imposed a two-year ban on Eric Trump and Donald Trump Jr.

Trump appealed the fine to New Yorks intermediate appellate court.

Wilsons office authored a court brief supporting the appeal, which 14 other states joined.

Our brief isnt about Donald Trump, its about upholding the rule of law and the Constitution, Wilson said in a statement after Fridays filing.

Other states in the coalition are Alabama, Alaska, Florida, Iowa, Louisiana, Missouri, Montana, Nebraska, North Dakota, Ohio, Oklahoma, South Dakota, Utah, and West Virginia.

The attorneys general argue the fine is excessive, violating the Eighth Amendment and a similar clause in the Fourteenth Amendment prohibiting states from imposing a grossly excessive punishment.

Residents of South Carolina and other states that joined the brief conduct business in New York, primarily New York City, wrote Joseph Spate, assistant deputy solicitor general in Wilsons office.

And they need confidence that their customary business dealings in New York will not subject them to devastating fines, he wrote, arguing that fear of heavy financial penalties will drive companies away from doing business in New York.

SC Daily Gazette is part of States Newsroom, a nonprofit news network supported by grants and a coalition of donors as a 501c(3) public charity. SC Daily Gazette maintains editorial independence. Contact Editor Seanna Adcox for questions: info@scdailygazette.com. Follow SC Daily Gazette on Facebook and X.
15-year-old male attacked and robbed in York County

YORK COUNTY, Pa (WHTM)  The Hanover Borough Police Department is investigating an incident in which a 15-year-old male was attacked and robbed on Tuesday, July 30, at 12:53 p.m.

The Hanover Borough Police Department said an unidentified male engaged in a sales transaction with the 15-year-old before physically attacking them, taking their money, cell phone, and drug paraphernalia.

Police report the victim sustained minor injuries during the assault.

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Police describe the suspect as a slender white male with short blonde hair who stands around 6 feet tall.

Anyone with information about the incident is encouraged to contact the Hanover Borough Police Department.

This is a developing story. Stay with abc27 News as more information becomes available

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BUFFALO, N.Y. (WIVB)  An 18-year-old woman was arraigned Monday on an indictment charging her with four counts of attempted murder after she allegedly shot a victim and then fired at an occupied vehicle, the Erie County District Attorneys Office announced.

It is alleged that Cecelia Medina, also known as Cecelia Speed, of no permanent address, brandished an illegal gun in a residence on Bailey Ave around 3:20 p.m. June 22. Officials said she fired multiple times into the home, striking one of the occupants and causing serious injury.

Medina then allegedly shot multiple times at a nearby vehicle, almost striking two of the occupants.

The defendant is accused of injuring an innocent bystander while firing shots at an occupied vehicle in the middle of the afternoon, said Acting Erie County District Attorney Mike Keane. Thankfully, the victim survived and no one else was injured. I commend the members of the Buffalo Police who quickly responded to the scene and apprehended the suspect. Gun-related violence will not be tolerated.

Medina was charged with four counts of attempted murder, one count of first-degree burglary and one count of second-degree criminal possession of a weapon.

She remains held without bail. She is scheduled to return to court Sept. 11 for a pre-trial conference. If convicted of the highest charge, Medina faces a maximum sentence of 25 years in prison.

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.
2 bombers damaged in last week's attack on airfield in Russia's Murmansk Oblast, HUR says

Two Tu-22M3 bombers were damaged in the July 25 strike targeting the Olenya airfield in Russia's Murmansk Oblast, Ukrainian military intelligence spokesman Andrii Yusov told Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty (RFE/RL) on July 30.

Yusov reported prior that one Russian bomber was damaged in the attack at the airfield, located about 1,800 kilometers (1,118 miles) north of the Ukrainian border.

In a recent comment to RFE/RL, the spokesperson also clarified that the strikes against the Russian airfields of Olenya in Murmansk Oblast, Engels in Saratov Oblast, and Diagilevo in Ryazan Oblast were carried out on July 25 at around 4 p.m. local time, not on July 27, as was reported earlier.

The restoration of the aircraft hit at the Olenya airfield may take several months, and during the attack, the air raid alarm did not work at the airfield, according to Yusov.

The RFE/RL's Russian service published on July 30 satellite images that "show no traces of a Ukrainian strike on the strategic airbase," according to the journalists.

Yusov said satellite images are "not the only source of information that should be relied on."

"The information has been confirmed from various sources, and we can already speak about this incident as something that definitely took place," he added.

Yusov also said that Ukraine's military intelligence "neither confirms nor denies" Ukraine's involvement in the attack.

While Ukraine does not have permission to fire Western-made long-range weapons deep inside Russian territory, the country frequently uses domestically-produced drones.

Ukraine's drone operations often target oil refineries and airfields, aiming to reduce Russia's oil process capabilities and hinder its economy, as well as target Russian aircraft that bomb Ukrainian cities.

Read also: Russias T-90M tank losses in Ukraine hit 100  and it only had 67 to begin with

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Two dogs who wandered away from their North Texas home in early July were fatally shot on the property of a megachurch about 20 miles northwest of Fort Worth, according to family and friends.

Hershey and Bella, two Labrador retrievers, were reported missing on July 8. After a frantic search by their owners, including posts on Nextdoor and a lost pet website, the couple learned their dogs were dead.

According to Sylvia Clark, a family member of the owners, the dogs were shot by a security guard on the property of Eagle Mountain International Church. Both dogs were wearing their collars, and it shouldve been obvious they were pets, Clark said told the Star-Telegram in a July 18 phone interview.

Hershey, a male chocolate lab, belonged to Clark for the first 10 weeks of his life. She described him as the sweetest dog, and said that personal connection makes his death particularly hard for her.

These are labs, Clark said of the dogs typical behavior. You say hi to them, they want to lick you, they want to play with you.

Hershey and Bellas owner said in a public Facebook post that the justification given for shooting the dogs was that the white lab allegedly growled, and security personnel felt the dog was aggressive.

My dogs were lost and needed help and were hungry, the owner posted, adding that the two labs had never been aggressive.

Eagle Mountain International Church, founded in 1986 by evangelist Kenneth Copeland, sits on 33 acres in the Eagle Mountain Lake area. The church didnt respond to the Star-Telegrams request for comment via phone and email.

Mitch Monthie, a criminal defense attorney with Varghese Summersett, said dogs in Texas are considered personal property, but they do have certain protections under the law.

The reality is, dogs are our fuzzy friends, Monthie said. Theyre our companions, theyre family members to a lot of people. And so anytime something happens to a dog, a lot of times people are looking at it through that lens.

Fort Worth animal rights attorney Randy Turner said a variety of acts that are considered animal cruelty can range from a Class A misdemeanor to a second-degree felony. Abandonment, animal torture, confining an animal in a cruel manner or killing an animal without the owners permission are all crimes in Texas.

Killing or causing serious bodily injury to a non-livestock animal, such as a dog, without the owners consent can be a third-degree felony in Texas. Its punishable by up to 10 years in prison.

The fact that the dogs were on church property when they were shot is irrelevant, according to Turner.

It doesnt matter if the animal wanders onto your property  you cant kill someones animal without their permission, Turner said. Unless you know, youre defending yourself, or youre defending another person or youre defending your livestock.

The self-defense part of the law tends to be a gray area, according to Monthie, and requires that the defendant prove their actions were reasonable and necessary. In a court setting, people often disagree about what constitutes reasonable and necessary, Monthie said.

In the case of Hershey and Bella, the labs who were shot, Clark said she understands the owners opted to work things out with the church instead of filing a police report.

If the case were to be investigated, Monthie said, he would want to know how close the dogs were and whether or not the security personnel tried to shoo them away from the area before shooting. Also, were both dogs demonstrating signs of aggression or just one?

In my opinion, there has to be an ... escalation, and not just a growl, Monthie said. So I would want to know, what the dogs were doing, where they were at, how long they were ... seen on property and what they were seen doing, and how much time had passed before the person came to the conclusion that they had to take that action.

 More top stories from our newsroom:

 We fact-checked Gov. Abbott on terrorism claims

 Bones found in 1984 identified as missing 25-year-old

 Settlement reached for fired Fort Worth police chief?

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2 former Penn State frat members plead guilty in one of largest hazing cases in US history

Two men whom state prosecutors have held out as planners of a 2017 party where a Penn State fraternity pledge was fatally injured pleaded guilty Tuesday, signaling an upcoming end to one of the most sprawling hazing cases ever brought in the United States.

Former Beta Theta Pi President Brendan P. Young, 28, and vice president and pledge master Daniel Casey, 27, each pleaded guilty to 14 misdemeanor counts of hazing and a misdemeanor count of recklessly endangering another person.

Their deals with prosecutors mean a weekslong trial that had been scheduled to begin in September will not take place and could put an end to years of appeals that reached Pennsylvanias highest court. Jury selection was scheduled to begin Aug. 6.

The hazing counts were for each member of the fraternitys spring 2017 pledge class who went through drinking challenges, Chief Deputy Attorney Brian Zarallo said. The reckless endangerment charge was specific to Timothy Piazza, a sophomore engineering major who died after a night of excessive drinking at the frat.

There should be no discussion of this case without recognizing the tragic loss of life and resulting devastation for Mr. Piazzas family and friends, state Attorney General Michelle Henry said in a statement. Mr. Piazza was simply seeking to join a social organization for the benefits of community and shared experiences, as so many university students do. Most of those students go on to successful lives and careers  basic expectations following college which Mr. Piazza never had the opportunity to experience.

Tuesdays hearing was starkly different than many of its predecessors in a case that shined the spotlight on Centre County and landed its former district attorney on national television.

Centre County Judge Brian Marshall, Young and Casey, their defense attorneys, Piazzas parents and others attended the hearing via Zoom. Court personnel were the only others inside the courtroom.

Zarallo recounted Piazzas harrowing night in rote fashion, while Young and Casey gave brief answers to routine questions asked of them. At the end of the hearing, Marshall lifted a gag order that was in place to limit public statements about the case.

A large photo of Timothy Piazza next to his father, Jim Piazza, as he speaks about the importance of passing the anti-hazing legislation named after his son outside of the Centre County Courthouse on March 23, 2018.

Young and Casey are scheduled to be sentenced Oct. 1. Zarallo said he anticipates Jim and Evelyn Piazza, who have become anti-hazing advocates since their sons death, offering a statement at the hearing.

We are relieved that after almost eight years this matter is close to being behind us so that we can properly grieve the death of our son, Jim Piazza told the Centre Daily Times after Tuesdays hearing. We are happy that the defendants finally admitted to both hazing and recklessly endangering our son. While none of this brings him back, it does begin to give us some closure.

Terms of the plea agreements did not include a sentencing recommendation. None of the young men who were charged in the sprawling case have served time behind bars.

Statements from defense attorneys Steve Trialonas and Julian Allatt intimated they plan to argue for some form of probation. Allatt declined comment after the hearing; a message left with Trialonas was not immediately returned.

Piazza, 19, of New Jersey, drank heavily during a February 2017 pledge bid acceptance ceremony and was fatally injured in a series of falls at the now-closed fraternity house.

His agonizing night was captured on the houses video system and has been played publicly, which often prompted his parents to exit the courtroom. Prosecutors said fraternity members did not call an ambulance until the next morning and even took counterproductive measure to help him.

Piazza died of multiple traumatic injuries that included a fractured skull and damaged spleen. A forensic pathologist said Piazzas blood alcohol content was between 0.27% and 0.35%, more than three times the states legal limit.

Evelyn Piazza touches the bracelets she wears in memory of her son, Timothy Piazza, as she and her husband Jim Piazza listen on Nov. 13, 2017 as charges were read against members of Penn States Beta Theta Pi fraternity.

Young and Casey have been cast by prosecutors as the leaders of the fraternity members who were accused of pressuring Piazza and others to run through a drinking gauntlet.

As a result of the events planned and implemented under the direction of defendants Young and Casey, all 14 pledges were supplied an excessive amount of alcoholic beverages and instructed to drink them within a dangerously short period of time, Zarallo said Tuesday. Both defendants were aware of the risks of excessive alcohol consumption.

State College police investigators said they uncovered numerous text messages among fraternity members, including one that read Make sure the pledges clean the basement, and get rid of any evidence of alcohol.

But in a blow to prosecutors, a state Superior Court panel ruled in December 2022 that the evidence was not admissible because it was gathered from a search warrant that was too broad. The state Supreme Court refused to hear an appeal from state prosecutors.

The most serious allegations of involuntary manslaughter and aggravated assault were previously dismissed or withdrawn. Most other fraternity members pleaded guilty to hazing- and alcohol-related counts, their sentences often including probation and community service.

Not all were charged with Piazzas death. Several were convicted of plying alcohol to other underage fraternity members.

Pedestrians pass the former Beta Theta Pi house at 220 North Burrowes Road on the Penn State campus on Oct. 18, 2023.

Piazzas death and Penn States decision to shutter the fraternity also touched off years of legal wrangling over the future of the property.

After a three-day bench trial that featured testimony from some of the most powerful people at the university, Marshall ruled that a clause in a 1928 deed gave Penn State the right to buy back the property.

The university and the alumni-run house corporation that owns the property have been unable to agree on a sale price on their own. They were scheduled to return to court Wednesday, but the hearing was canceled and has not yet been rescheduled.

Jim Piazza has told the CDT he hopes the university will put the property to good use and honor our sons life with its new purpose. Hes previously floated the possibility of establishing an engineering building named after his son.

Piazzas death also led to the creation of Penn States Timothy J. Piazza Center for Fraternity and Sorority Research and a rewrite of Pennsylvanias anti-hazing law. The stricter law made the most severe forms of hazing a felony, required schools to maintain policies to combat hazing and allowed confiscation of frat houses where hazing has occurred.

Nineteen organizations have been sanctioned by the university for hazing violations since January 2019, including at least two for the forced consumption of alcohol.

A view of the former Beta Theta Pi fraternity house on Sept. 8, 2017.
The Chinese automaker Denza surprised with the results of its Denza N7 model during blogger tests of automatic parking systems. The company won this competition despite the fact that it installs BYD equipment on its cars, which is not considered the most advanced.

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According to Car News China, five models took part in the series of tests: Avatr 12, Aito M7, Denza N7, Xpeng G6, and IM LS6. All the cars are equipped with a lidar and have the most powerful intelligent driving capabilities available within each brand. The cars underwent a series of four parking tests to determine the best. The tests included reverse parking, reverse parking in a narrow space, parking at an angle, and parking with a wall in front.

In the first test, all the cars except the IM LS6 successfully completed the task. The IM LS6, although able to detect the space, was unable to complete the maneuver and stopped halfway through. The fastest car to complete the test was the Avatr 12, which completed all three attempts in less than a minute each. No other car managed to complete the maneuver in less than a minute.

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Denza N7 and Aito M7 performed similarly. They were very successful in recognizing the parking space and actually parking. All three of these cars were able to park in the center of the allotted space. However, the Xpeng G6 failed to do so, as it constantly leaned slightly to the right. In addition, the Xpeng showed the slowest time of 1:27.12. Thus, the Avatr 12 won the first test. In this case, the length of the parking space was 6 meters, the width was 2.5 meters, and the width of the road in this case was five meters.

In the parallel parking test, the winner was the Xpeng G6, which showed the best time of 1:04.03. In addition, in one of the attempts, it needed only two shifts between forward and reverse. The Avatr 12 and Denza N7 were able to park in the center on every attempt, while the Xpeng G6 and Aito M7 parked with a leftward deviation in one case. Once again, the IM LS6 performed the worst, failing to complete the second attempt and parking too far to the left in the other two attempts. In addition, it showed the slowest time of 1:39.53 seconds. The parking space was six meters long, 2.5 meters wide, and the width of the road with which the car was trying to park parallel to was four meters.

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In the case of angled parking, only three cars were able to complete the test. Both the Xpeng G6 and the IM LS6 failed to recognize the space in all three attempts and therefore failed. The other three cars parked successfully in each of the attempts. Here, the Denza N7 was the clear winner, setting the fastest time all three times. It also needed fewer shifts between forward and reverse than its competitors. In this case, the parking space was slightly larger than in the other tests, measuring 2.8 meters wide and 6 meters long, and the width of the road used for the car was 4.5 meters.

The last test, parking in front of a wall, was the most difficult. In it, the car moved forward toward the wall at the end of the parking space. The test simulated a scenario for parking in a covered parking lot. Neither the Xpeng G6 nor the IM LS6 was able to complete the task. Xpeng G6 simply reported that the parking space was unavailable. The IM LS6, on the other hand, tried to plan a path and make a U-turn before giving up halfway through.

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Both the Aito M7 and Avatr 12 using the Huawei system took a similar approach to solving the space problem. Each car managed to park on the first attempt, but the other two failed because they could not recognize the space. Moreover, both cars moved forward when they completed the task.

The only car that passed this test was the Denza N7, which successfully completed all three attempts. Unlike the Huawei-powered cars, the Denza successfully reversed in all three attempts and was correctly centered, unlike the M7 parked on the right. The space itself was six meters long and 2.5 meters wide, and the road the car was approaching was six meters wide.

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2 minors accused of breaking into school, spraying hateful graffiti on walls

Two minor boys from Los Angeles were arrested Monday after they allegedly broke into a school in Culver City and sprayed hateful graffiti across the campus.

The unidentified boys are accused of breaking into El Marino Language School at 11450 Port Rd. last Thursday.

Culver City Police Department officers arrived on scene and found a broken window into the school and graffiti in several areas.

While police did not specify what the graffiti said, officials did say it included hate speech.

Because school is out of session, no students at the school witnessed any of the vandalism.

The two boys were arrested by police and released back to the custody of their parents, police said. Neither boy is a student of the Culver City School District.

Its unclear if any charges will be filed.

Culver City police will continue to collaborate closely with the Culver City Unified School District to support our school community and ensure the safety and well-being of our school campuses, police officials said in a Monday news release. Additional patrols of the area are being conducted for added peace of mind.

The investigation is ongoing and anyone with information is encouraged to contact Culver City PD Public Information Officer Jennifer Atenza by email or by calling 310-253- 6120.

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MOBILE, Ala. (WKRG)  Two Mobile women were sentenced on Monday on their convictions of conspiracy to launder drug proceeds, according to the United States Department of Justice.

According to a USDOJ news release, 29-year-old Jamaka King and 39-year-old Danielle Dailey were involved in Darrin Southalls criminal organization. They handled his illegal drug proceeds to conceal illegal activities generating cash and promoting crimes.

UPDATE: It was beautiful: Mobile Fire-Rescue shares the successful plan to save a stranded window washer

United States District Court Judge Kristi K. Dubose sentenced King to 3 months in custody, to be followed by a three-year term of supervised release, the release said. Judge Dubose sentenced Dailey to three years of probation.

Dubose ordered both King and Dailey to pay $100 in special assessments.

They are both subject to search upon reasonable suspicion that they violated the conditions of their supervision. Dailey and King are also subject to drug testing, treatment and mental health evaluations.

Investigators identified King during phone calls she made to Southall while his phone was wiretapped, and they identified Dailey during the initial investigation.

2 dead, 5 people including an 11-year-old boy injured in shooting at Wedgewood Community Center

King and Dailey each pled guilty to conspiracy to launder drug money when they were arrested in 2021.

According to the USDOJ release, federal authorities seized over $2 million in cash, 18 vehicles, and about $160,000 in jewelry when arresting those involved in Southalls organization.

The agencies involved in the investigation include the Mobile Police Department; the Mobile County Sheriffs Office; the Department of Homeland Security Investigations; the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives; the Baldwin County Sheriffs Office; the Alabama Law Enforcement Agency; the Saraland Police Department; the St. Tammany Parish, Louisiana, Sheriffs Office; and the Drug Enforcement Administration.

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For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to WKRG News 5.
LAS VEGAS (KLAS)  The two people who were killed in an apartment building fire on Sunday night are now identified.

According to the Clark County Coroners office, 24-year-old Kameron Moore was one of the victims. The cause of death is still pending. The family of the other victim, Vincent Herrera, released his name to 8 News Now Monday evening.

The fire raced through some apartments in a Riverbend Village complex in the 3900 block of Spencer Street near Flamingo Road. In desperation, at least one person jumped from a window to safety, and another person was seen covered in flames fleeing the building. Four other people suffered injuries and were transported to the hospital.

The July 28, 2024, fire at Riverbend Village apartments on Spencer Street left behind charred apartments. (Credit: CCFD)

The American Red Cross is assisting 19 people who were displaced by the fire. The cause of the fire is under investigation.

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For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to KLAS.
Pinellas County residents go to cast their voting ballots at the Coliseum polling precinct on Nov. 8, 2022 in St. Petersburg, Florida. (Photo by Octavio Jones/Getty Images)

Voter intimidation, an exodus of election workers fed up with harassment and continued misinformation and disinformation campaigns threaten the integrity of the November elections, officials with the government watchdog group Common Cause said Tuesday.

This year will be the first presidential election since the big lie, Common Cause President Virginia Kase Solomon said on a video call with reporters.

She was referring to the effort by then-President Donald Trump and his allies to undermine Trumps reelection loss in 2020 by promoting a series of unfounded conspiracy theories and encouraging supporters to obstruct Congress certification of the results on Jan. 6, 2021.

Common Cause is a nonpartisan organization and Solomon and other speakers did not mention Trump, who is again the Republican nominee for president, by name.

But Solomon said the countrys election integrity was damaged by the 2020 experience, with many veteran election workers opting to leave the profession rather than deal with the threats and harassment from believers in election conspiracies.

Were still living with the legacy of those lies, she said. Theyve undermined the faith of many Americans in our elections and fed anger and heated rhetoric  Those lies have also led to threats and harassment to election officials who have seen massive turnover in their ranks.

On top of those challenges, election workers and voters also must deal this cycle with improving generative artificial intelligence tools that make disinformation easier than ever, Common Cause experts said.

And state laws, such as a measure that went into effect in Florida after the 2022 elections to cancel automatic delivery of vote-by-mail ballots, promise further confusion and disenfranchisement, they said.

To combat those threats to election integrity, the group is gearing up for campaign-season education drives.

Threats of violence

Instances of actual political violence remain rare, Suzanne Almeida, a Common Cause director of state operations who also leads the groups work on political violence, said.

But threats, militant language, doxing and other harassment continue, Almeida said.

That has affected election workers, with a recent study from the left-leaning Brennan Center for Justice finding that 38% of election workers had experienced threats and more than half of local election officials feared for their safety.

While surveys, including a recent University of California-Davis study, show that voters of both parties reject political violence, candidates who have large platforms have used them to drive turnout, Almeida said.

We are seeing the normalization of hate, violent rhetoric, violent threats and harassment as a viable political strategy, she said.

A spokesperson for the Trump campaign did not respond to a message seeking comment Tuesday.

AI and misinformation

Intentional efforts to disinform voters and accidental spreading of misinformation remain a growing problem, Common Causes media and democracy program director Ishan Mehta said.

The expansion and improvement of generative artificial intelligence makes it easier to create and spread fraudulent campaign content.

The ubiquity of these tools means that you dont have to be a computer expert anymore to have misinformation that would convince a lot, over half the population, Mehta said.

Social media platforms that surged misinformation enforcement after Jan. 6 have now backed off enforcing misinformation, he said.

Elon Musk, the billionaire owner of X, tweeted a doctored video of likely Democratic presidential nominee Kamala Harris over the weekend. Musk, who has endorsed Trump, bought the platform in 2022. He boasts 192 million followers.

Florida law

Amy Keith, the executive director of Common Cause Florida, said recent changes to state election law will create confusion and deprive some voters of ballots.

More than 1.9 million Floridians who received a mail-in ballot in 2022 will not receive one this cycle, she said. The state enacted a law after that election that required voters to send new requests for mail-in ballots with additional identification.

Even if some of those 1.9 million people might not wish to vote by mail this year, we know that thousands and thousands of Florida voters are likely expecting a mail ballot to arrive in their mailbox, she said. And it isnt going to.

Ahead of the states Aug. 20 primary, Common Cause and allied groups are really working to spread the message to voters that they need to request a mail-in ballot if they wish to vote that way, and that they can vote in person even if they have requested a mail ballot, Keith said.

Deploying poll monitors

While predicting widespread violence on Election Day would not happen, Common Cause Pennsylvania Executive Director Philip Hensley-Robin anticipated some instances of political violence or intimidation.

The group would send hundreds of poll monitors across the commonwealth to record such instances, with monitors who will also be trained in deescalation, he said.

Hensley-Robin began his remarks by acknowledging the tragic events of the assassination attempt on Trump at a rally in Butler, Pennsylvania, but said the isolated incident would not deter voters from turning out.

He also anticipated that some would mount spurious lawsuits to disenfranchise voters and undermine public confidence in the election, but predicted those would be quickly dismissed.

Trumps campaign lost scores of lawsuits challenging 2020 election results.

Voter outreach

Solomon said Common Cause would be reminding voters to be on the lookout for misinformation and disinformation, especially from AI, and that its likely Election Day will end without a clear winner in the presidential race, a situation that has encouraged conspiracy theories about election fraud.

Thats not a sign that anything is wrong, she said.

The group will also be in touch with election workers to understand their needs and to offer assistance, she said.

She added that democracy had to be proactive.

In the 2020 election, I think there was a false narrative that came out of that, and that was that democracy held and did what it was supposed to do, she said. And one of the things that I like to remind people of is that democracy did not hold. We made it hold.
3 Arrested in Shooting Death of Rapper Julio Foolio, Police Believe It Was a 'Targeted, Gang-Related' Shooting

The rapper, whose legal name was Charles Jones, was shot to death in June while celebrating his birthday

Tampa Police Department Alicia Andrews (left); Isaiah Chance; and Sean Gathright

Authorities in Florida have made several arrests in connection with the death of a rapper who was killed in a parking lot while celebrating his 26th birthday.

The lawyer for rapper Julio Foolio, whose legal name is Charles Jones, said in a June statement that his client was ambushed in a Holiday Inn parking lot in Tampa, Fla., First Coast News reports.

Tampa authorities have now arrested three people, and identified two others as suspects theyre still looking for, in connection with the June 23 homicide.

Police arrested Alicia L. Andrews, 21, Isaiah J. Chance, 21, and Sean A. Gathright, 18, on several charges each including premeditated first-degree murder, the department announced on Monday, July 29.



Julio Foolio/Instagram Rapper Julio Foolio

Police also say they are looking for 30-year-old Rashad Murphy and 27-year-old Davion Murphy in connection with the killing, the statement said.

The rapper was allegedly killed in a targeted, gang-related killing, police said, by the suspects  all five of whom allegedly traveled to Tampa from Jacksonville the day before the killing.



The suspects are accused of conspiring to kill the rapper, police said, further claiming that Chance and Andrews tracked and followed the victim and his entourage to two separate locations on the day of the killing.

In the parking lot of the hotel, three armed shooters exited a vehicle and began shooting at Jones, killing him and injuring three others, police allege. They identified the three shooters as Rashad, Davion and Gathright.

Related: Fla. Rapper Julio Foolio Shot and Killed on His 26th Birthday, Attorney Says

Tampa Police Department Rashad Murphy (left); Davion Murphy

Police allege the motive behind the crime was a rivalry between a gang they claim Jones was a member of and two other rival gangs they claim Chance, Rashad and Davion are affiliated with. The statement did not mention any gang affiliations of Andrews and Gathright.

He was a kid who grew up in challenging circumstances, determined to defy the odds by any means possible and succeed in all that he did," Jones' lawyer Lewis Fusco said on social media after his death.



"His journey was marked by resilience and a deep-seated desire to strive for greatness, Fusco said.

Want to keep up with the latest crime coverage? Sign up for PEOPLE's free True Crime newsletter for breaking crime news, ongoing trial coverage and details of intriguing unsolved cases.

In addition to the murder, Andrews and Chance are charged with conspiracy to commit murder, per the police statement. Gathright is additionally charged with attempted first degree murder and tampering with physical evidence.

It wasn't immediately clear if the suspects have entered pleas or retained attorneys.



Tampa Police Department and Jacksonville Sheriffs Office are urging anyone that could assist with the location of Rashad Murphy and Davion Murphy to provide that information to investigators.

Anyone with information that could assist in this ongoing investigation is asked to call the Tampa Police Department at 813.231.6130, or contact Crimestoppers of Tampa Bay at 800.873.TIPS.



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Read the original article on People.
Following the retirement of its longtime congressman, three state officials and one newcomer are running to fill an open seat in Washington's Sixth Congressional District.

Rep. Derek Kilmer, D-Gig Harbor, has represented the left-leaning district  which spans the Olympic and Kitsap Peninsulas plus a large swath of Tacoma  for the last decade. He has decided not to seek reelection.

In his absence, two state senators, Emily Randall, D-Bremerton, and Drew MacEwen, R-Union, as well as Hilary Franz, Washingtons Public Lands Commissioner, are running to replace him. Independent Graham Ralston has also filed for the seat.

VOTER GUIDE: Washington primary election August 2024

All four candidates will appear on the Aug. 6 Primary Election Ballot. The top two will advance to the General Election in November.

The Kitsap Sun emailed each candidate a list of four questions. Their answers are below. Responses have been edited lightly for clarity.

Candidates for Washington's 6th Congressional District. From left: Drew MacEwen, Hilary Franz, and Emily Randall

Hilary Franz

Elected experience: Washington Public Lands Commissioner (2017-present); Bainbridge Island City Council (2008-2011)

Party: Democratic

Campaign contributions: $1.36 million (Federal Elections Commission data)

Many residents are reporting challenges with the rising cost of living in our region. What policies would you support to help middle and low-income workers?

Too many people in our communities are struggling with the cost of housing, childcare and other basic needs.

As a city councilmember I wrote and passed affordable housing ordinances and secured critical housing investments. As Commissioner of Public Lands, I passed legislation to build housing on our agencys residential lands. Were now building housing in Tacoma, Silverdale, and Forks. In Congress, Ill work to pass policies and secure investments that increase housing production and address affordability. This includes supporting the Housing Credit, Housing Trust Fund, the Neighborhood Homes Tax Credit, the HOME Investment Partnerships Program, and subsidized housing.

As someone who raised three sons and cared for my father with dementia in Kitsap County, I know its difficult to find affordable childcare and eldercare. In Congress, Ill prioritize that work.

Finally, wages arent keeping up with the cost of living. Ill work to pass the PRO Act to ensure that workers have the right to organize and good wages and benefits. Unions built the middle class in this country. Im proud to have the endorsement of over 40 unions, from firefighters to teachers.

How would you build a more robust economy in our region while also considering sustainability and the impacts of climate change?

We can grow our economy while also addressing climate change  thats what Ive done these last eight years as your Commissioner of Public Lands.

As Commissioner, Ive worked throughout the district, creating jobs, reducing carbon emissions and mitigating climate change impacts like wildfires, floods, drought and ocean acidification. Ive created jobs restoring 700,000 acres of forests to reduce catastrophic wildfires, while also securing investments and new jobs in mass timber, biomass and biochar. And Ive expanded clean energy to reduce carbon emissions and grow much needed manufacturing and development jobs.

In Congress, Ill continue this progress, creating critical jobs while reducing carbon emissions and increasing climate resilience.

Ill also protect the defense jobs that are crucial for Kitsap County. The Shipyard Infrastructure Optimization Program (SIOP) mission is not only critical for our security, but also for the economic importance of supporting our military and civilian workers. Ill make sure that we fully execute the Navys once-in-a-century investment to reconfigure, modernize, and optimize our aging naval shipyards. Im proud to be endorsed by the Bremerton Metal Trades Council, which represents these critical workers.

Over the last decade, the Sixth Congressional District has seen the closure of many critical health care facilities. There are now shortages for emergent, inpatient, mental health, and obstetrics care. If elected, how would you use your position in Congress to address these shortages and improve access to affordable health care?

Its crucial that everyone has affordable and available medical care. No one should ever choose between paying for their life-saving medication or paying rent. No one should live so far away from physical, mental or emergent healthcare services.

Having worked in community mental health, I know that when services are easily accessible and affordable, people and communities are healthier. As a mother, I know its challenging to receive prenatal, obstetrics and emergent care in rural areas of our district. This is especially true for families with limited means. And I frequently hear from medical providers, especially at rural hospitals, that Medicare funding is insufficient to cover existing needs.

Thats why Ill work to lower the Medicare age, expand vision, dental and hearing benefits to traditional Medicare, and expand Medicare drug negotiation. Ill also push for full Medicare reimbursement  preventing hospital closures and allowing doctors to spend more time with patients, not on paperwork. Ill also work to boost funding for community clinics, especially for mental health and addiction services.

Finally, Ill fight to defend Title X and expand these crucial well-women services. Im proud to have the endorsement of pro-choice groups, including the National Organization for Women PAC.

The Sixth Congressional District is a politically and geographically diverse region. How would you balance the competing needs of district residents in your decision making?

For 16 years, Ive worked in all six counties of our district, developing affordable housing; securing billions of dollars for schools, public safety, health, housing and human services; investing in transportation; protecting and creating jobs; restoring fish and wildlife habitat; and collaborating with Tribes and local, state and federal agencies.

Ive always worked by getting on the ground, listening to and learning from local communities, rolling up my sleeves, and getting to work. By bridging the rural and urban divide and the political divide, we will go farther together. I believe we accomplish more when we work together than tear each other apart, and the successes we have had together proves that.

Ill take that same approach to Congress, and will continue to host in-person and online town halls. Ill also regularly hold mobile office hours across the district.

My record of collaboration is why my campaign is supported by Rep. Derek Kilmer, former Rep. Norm Dicks, 17 Tribes, over 40 unions, and elected leaders across the district, including Kitsap County Commissioners Christine Rolfes and Katie Walters.

Drew MacEwen

Elected experience: State Senator for Washingtons 35th Legislative District (2023-present); Washington State Representative (2013-2023)

Occupation: Founder and President of Falcon Financial Inc; Managing Partner of Mountain Lakes Capital

Party: Republican

Campaign contributions: $153,000 (Federal Elections Commission data)

Many residents are reporting challenges with the rising cost of living in our region. What policies would you support to help middle and low-income workers?

Congress needs to pass an actual budget  which has not happened in over 20 years. Until we have a true structure from which to work we cannot even begin to truly tackle federal debt  which does have an impact on the overall economy. I will introduce legislation to end the taxation on social security benefits for seniors who choose to go back to work, and reform the GI Bill to allow active duty and veterans to utilize part of the benefits for a first time home purchase.

How would you build a more robust economy in our region while also considering sustainability and the impacts of climate change?

We need to make serious infrastructure investments throughout the region and particularly in our shipyard. This also includes significant increases in federal worker pay for our civilian workforce at our Navy installations.

Over the last decade, the Sixth Congressional District has seen the closure of many critical health care facilities. There are now shortages for emergent, inpatient, mental health, and obstetrics care. If elected, how would you use your position in Congress to address these shortages and improve access to affordable health care?

The Department of Defense made a horrible decision in its consolidation of health care facilities, and this has had a negative impact on active duty families and military retirees. The general lack of access to the Naval Hospital by active duty families and veterans has pushed them into the public sector where it has exacerbated demand. We need to fix that asap, which will help within the general region. We also need to ensure full reimbursement of Medicare and Medicaid providers which currently does not happen and in many cases care is delivered below actual costs. That is not sustainable and needs to be fixed.

The Sixth Congressional District is a politically and geographically diverse region. How would you balance the competing needs of district residents in your decision making?

Just as I have done for the past 12 years in Olympia  by listening and then advocating for my constituency. I have a track record of success at the state level in doing this and will carry that same approach to Congress.

Emily Randall

Elected experience: State Senator for Washingtons 26th Legislative District (2019-Present.)

Party: Democrat

Campaign contributions: $1.05 million (Federal Elections Commission data)

Many residents are reporting challenges with the rising cost of living in our region. What policies would you support to help middle and low-income workers?

In Congress, I will work across the aisle to make sure working class families like mine are able to earn a decent living  to put food on the table, afford healthcare, housing, and childcare, and breathe a little easier toward the end of the month.

I believe in an economy that works from the middle class outnot trickle downputting working families at the center of economic policies. I believe in equal pay for equal work, a tax structure that requires big business to pay its fair share, and in creating good jobs by investing in small and mid-sized businesses. I believe in removing the barriers to economic freedom and opportunity for our most marginalized communities.

As a State Senator, I have led on solutions like capping prescription drug costs, building new affordable homes and increasing funding to reduce homelessness, cutting tolls on the Tacoma Narrows Bridge and taxes for 100,000 small businesses, and making record investments in childcare and college financial aid.

I am also proud to be the endorsed candidate of the Washington State Labor Council and look forward to working with labor unions on solutions that will help working people and families in the 6th Congressional District.

How would you build a more robust economy in our region while also considering sustainability and the impacts of climate change?

We must make a just and fair transition away from fossil fuels and invest in clean energy jobs and infrastructure. The United States has a responsibility to be a leader and innovate new ways for countries to accelerate their transitions to a more green and clean economy. We will be successful by working closely with labor and industry to find ways for workers to pivot and grow their skills for the jobs that our changing economy and environment need. And we will be successful by continuing to invest in education and innovation  in our high schools and skill centers, our community and technical colleges, and in our research institutions. The students of today will be the innovators of tomorrow, they will come up with environmental technology and solutions we havent yet dreamed of  but only if we invest in their opportunity.

I have spearheaded efforts to electrify Washingtons transportation system  investing in building hybrid electric ferries  and I continue to work closely with utilities to power mass transit with clean energy. I have supported green manufacturing and industry, and will continue to work to build an economy that is good for working people  and for the future of our planet.

Over the last decade, the Sixth Congressional District has seen the closure of many critical health care facilities. There are now shortages for emergent, inpatient, mental health, and obstetrics care. If elected, how would you use your position in Congress to address these shortages and improve access to affordable health care?

Keeping the doors open at local hospitals and clinics is a big issue for rural areas here and across the country. I am in strong support of ensuring quality primary care, emergency care, and comprehensive services are available across the 6th CD. Through an increase in Medicaid and Medicare rates and changes in CMS rules, attracting and retaining providers in rural communities, and focusing on the hardest-to-access services, we can make a big difference.

As a State Senator, I have been the lead sponsor on legislation to ensure that hospital mergers do not lead to cuts in abortion care and other essential health services, and that will remain a priority at the federal level. Ensuring access to reproductive care like abortion and birth control is one of my top priorities, and I am proud to be endorsed by Planned Parenthood Action Fund.

When it comes to affordable healthcare, I believe no family should go bankrupt or lose their home because of a medical emergency or an unexpected diagnosis. No parent should have to choose between food for their kids and treatment for their cancer. I will fight to ensure everyone has access to the comprehensive, high-quality care we need.

The Sixth Congressional District is a politically and geographically diverse region. How would you balance the competing needs of district residents in your decision making?

The 6th Congressional District is one of the most geographically diverse in the country  including dense urban areas like Tacoma and Bremerton, rural communities like Olalla and Chimacum, and nearly 1,000 miles of coastline from the Pacific Ocean to the Puget Sound. As a member of Congress, I promise to do what Ive done as a State Senator these past six years: show up and listen to my neighbors, and fight for the issues that matter to them, no matter where they live. I am inspired by Senator Patty Murray, someone who has endorsed my campaign and has set an example by traveling to every corner of our state.

Its not just geographic diversity that makes our district special  its people. Meeting neighbors where they are, seeking out new perspectives, listening to different ideas is what has made me successful as a candidate and a lawmaker. Ive been committed to holding more community coffee hours and town halls than many of my colleagues. Ive visited classrooms and small businesses, gone on a bike ride through Gorst and met with frustrated ferry riders. These conversations inform my votes, and help me write bills that truly reflect our community needs.

J. Graham Ralston

Occupation: Owner of Ralston Law; Former executive at U.S. Department of Transportation (2010-2017)

Party: Independent

Campaign contributions: None reported (Federal Elections Commission data)

Many residents are reporting challenges with the rising cost of living in our region. What policies would you support to help middle and low-income workers?

Rising costs of living in our region are a direct result of inflation. To best support the middle and low-income workers we need to reduce inflation by curbing government spending and producing more energy at lower costs.

The costs of basic living are up over 20% in the last couple years as a result of government overspending and a reduction in energy production. My 7-plus years in Washington, D.C., as the youngest senior federal executive at the U.S. Department of Transportation from 2010-2017, helped me understand the budget and spending process of our government. I would curb spending in two ways:

One: I would incentivize federal employees to help identify fraud, waste, and abuse. Instead, what normally happens is employees spend every last dollar of budgets so that budgets are maintained or increased. We should hold the government to the same expectation that many of us as small business owners are held to  doing more with less.

Two: For every new $1 dollar spent I would require the government to find an additional $1.20 to cut  forcing the government not to just continually add on new spending but to actively look at spending to cut.

How would you build a more robust economy in our region while also considering sustainability and the impacts of climate change?

Im a 5th generation resident of Clallam County and growing up in Port Angeles I would spend my summers hiking and the winters skiing at Hurricane Ridge. We need to balance both the preservation of our districts natural beauty that we all love, with the sustainable industry that we need to support our neighbors, friends, and community with economic opportunity. My experience both running a national small business program for the government and in my private practice as an attorney/CPA allow me to bring immediate value to the businesses in our district to thrive. We should leverage the natural beauty of our district to bring new business with high paying jobs here for existing residents.

Over the last decade, the Sixth Congressional District has seen the closure of many critical health care facilities. There are now shortages for emergent, inpatient, mental health, and obstetrics care. If elected, how would you use your position in Congress to address these shortages and improve access to affordable health care?

It was only a few years ago when the country and our district were grappling with over-crowded health-care facilities due to COVID. We dont need to close or consolidate facilities  we should be expanding and building our capacity for current and future use as a reasonable precaution with the threat of future pandemics. In Congress, I would advocate for increased federal investment in healthcare infrastructure, with easier access, specifically targeting underserved areas in our district.

The Sixth Congressional District is a politically and geographically diverse region. How would you balance the competing needs of district residents in your decision making?

I am running as an independent and 100% self-funded so that I can directly serve the needs of the people, not a party, for this geographically diverse region. As a 5th generation resident, graduate of University of Washington and Seattle University School of Law, my connection to community, friends, family, and local business runs deep. This connection to our diverse district helps me understand the history and tradition here. My experience in Washington, DC, running a local law firm since 2019, and working with an AI technology start-up allows me to match history and tradition with what we need for tomorrow.

This article originally appeared on Kitsap Sun: 3 candidates vie for Washington's 6th Congressional District seat
The Senate overwhelmingly passed two bills intended to strengthen childrens online safety on Tuesday, imposing new rules on what online firms can offer to minors and how they use those childrens data.

Both bills, the Kids Online Online Safety Act (KOSA) and the Childrens Online Privacy Protection Action (COPPA) 2.0, were approved in bipartisan 91-3 votes.

Here are the three senators that voted against the bills.

Sen. Ron Wyden (D-Ore.)

Wyden wanted the legislation approved by the Senate to go farther.

While he said he strongly backed some elements of the privacy act, in particulary, he argued the other piece of legislation was insufficient and would lead to lawsuits against companies protecting the privacy of users.

I fear this bill could be used to sue services that offer privacy-enhancing technologies like encryption or anonymity features that are essential to young peoples ability to communicate securely and privately without being spied on by predators online, Wyden said in a statement.

Wyden also said he was worried about the possibility that a future administration could use the legisaltion to pressure companies to censor gay, trans and reproductive health information.

For these reasons, I cannot vote for this legislation, Wyden said.

Sen. Mike Lee (R-Utah)

The conservative Lee said he could not vote for the Kids Online Safety Act because it would fail to attack the greatest online threats to children online, while opening the door to political censorship by the federal government.

KOSA ignores the grievous damage against children by online pornographers, through both viewing and exploitation, Lee wrote in a post on X.

Instead, this legislation empowers the [Federal Trade Commission (FTC)] to censor any content it deems to cause harm, anxiety, or depression, in a way that could (and most likely would) be used to censor the expression of political, religious, and other viewpoints disfavored by the FTC.

Sen. Rand Paul (R-Ky.)

Paul in a Tuesday opinion piece for The Louisville Courier Journal said he could not back the bill because it would stifle free speech.

KOSA would impose an unprecedented duty of care on internet platforms to design their sites to mitigate and prevent harms associated with mental health, such as anxiety, depression and eating disorders, Paul wrote. This requirement will not only stifle free speech, but it will deprive Americans of the benefits of our technological advancements.

Any solution to protect kids online must ensure the positive aspects of the internet are preserved, Paul 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 The Hill.
Nearly $17,000 worth of stolen goods was recovered and 37 suspects were arrested during two weeks of San Bernardino County's response to the increasing trend of retail theft known as "Operation Smash and Grab," law enforcement officials said.

The numbers reflect the task force's activities between July 12 and July 25, according to the San Bernardino County Sheriff's Department.

They include 15 felony arrests, 22 misdemeanor arrests and the seizure of $16,799 worth of stolen merchandise, the agency said in a written statement.

San Bernardino County Sheriff's Department deputies seized recovered roughly $17,000 worth of stolen property and arrested 37 suspects during two weeks of "Operation Smash and Grab" between July and July 25, 2024.

Operation SMASH & Grab focused its efforts on the Rancho Cucamonga, Apple Valley, Hesperia, Victorville, and Chino Hills shopping districts to "disrupt and dismantle these retail store theft crews," the statement said.

"Investigators utilize conventional and non-conventional investigative methods to accomplish this task and lessen the blight created by these bad actors," sheriff's officials stated.

The targeted enforcement campaign is a response to "the rise in thefts at retail stores, which often involved organized crews that conspire to commit robberies, burglaries, shelve sweeps, and vandalisms," the statement added. "These violent criminals terrorize the citizens of San Bernardino County by utilizing intimidation tactics and a mob mentality that creates an unsafe and uncomfortable shopping environment for our residents."

Recovered property included alcohol, nicotine gum, Rogaine hair loss treatment and orthotic shoe inserts.

San Bernardino County Sheriff's Department deputies seized recovered roughly $17,000 worth of stolen property and arrested 37 suspects during two weeks of "Operation Smash and Grab" between July and July 25, 2024.

More: San Bernardino Co. 'Operation Consequences' raids yield 67 pounds of meth, 6 guns

In addition to San Bernardino County sheriff's deputies, the recent Operation Smash and Grab participants included the San Bernardino County Probation Department, the California Highway Patrol, the San Bernardino Police Department and the U.S. Department of Homeland Security.

This article originally appeared on Victorville Daily Press: 37 retail theft suspects arrested by San Bernardino County task force
39,400 Palestinians killed in Gaza offensive since Oct. 7, health ministry says

Smoke rises above the Gaza Strip as seen from Israel's border with Gaza

DUBAI (Reuters) - More than 39,400 Palestinians have been killed and 90,996 have been injured in the Israeli military offensive on Gaza since Oct. 7, the Gaza health ministry said in a statement on Tuesday.

(Reporting by Nayera Abdallah; Writing by Tala Ramadan; Editing by Andrew Heavens)
WORCESTER  A third and fourth person were arrested this week in connection with the February 12 fatal shooting of a 17-year-old on Shannon Street, according to police.

Patrick J. Mathieu, 22, whose last known address was 120 Paine St., was arraigned Tuesday in Central District Court.

According to court documents, Devonair Butler is the name of the victim in the shooting.

Mathieu is charged with armed assault to murder, assault and battery with a firearm, carrying a loaded firearm without a license, carrying a firearm without a license and possession of a firearm used in a felony.

February 23, Kidam Oquendo, 21, of Worcester, and Alexis Medeiros, 18, of Gardner, were arrested in connection with the shooting. Both were arraigned in Central District Court. They were described in court as boyfriend and girlfriend.

Oquendo is charged with assault to murder, attempted assault and battery with a firearm, having a firearm within 500 feet of a dwelling, carrying a firearm without a license, carrying a loaded firearm without a license and possession of ammunition without a FID card.

Medeiros is charged with accessory after the fact and obstruction of justice.

Prosecutors said in court that Oquendo had been identified as one of the people involved in the shootout. He was also identified as possessing a firearm through surveillance video reviewed by police.

Police reported that Oquendo was seen firing multiple times on the street and that shell casings were recovered around where he was standing.

About 3:30 a.m. February 12, officers were alerted via SpotShotter to gunshots in the vicinity of 14 Shannon St. A short time after police arrived, a man with a gunshot wound to his chest was dropped off at Saint Vincent Hospital. He was soon pronounced dead. Hospital security footage showed two men wearing masks dropping the victim at the hospital.

Further surveillance video recovered from a Worcester Academy building on Shannon Street shows the shooting unfolding. Video shows a car parking on Shannon Street while two men stand behind a parked box truck further down the street. About 3:10 a.m., three men exit the car and begin to cross the street, heading toward Marion Avenue, according to Sgt. Ryan Stones statement of facts, filed in court.

As the three men crossed the street, the two men behind the box truck began firing guns, according to the statement of facts.

The video shows muzzle flashes, according to the statement of facts.

A witness later told investigators that one of the shooters told an acquaintance that he meant to "shoot him and not the man who got hit, according to the statement of facts.

May 31, police received the results for SnapChat search warrants for Mathieu and the victim. The results show the two were in communication via SnapChat on the day of the incident, according to the statement of facts.

Mathieu also had blocked and deleted the victim after the shooting.

Mathieus SnapChat gave some memory gps locations and pictures of him and another man holding guns and appearing to be in the back of the victims home February 10, according to the statement of facts.

SnapChat appears to show Mathieu and the other man taunting the victim.

Also shown is Mathieu at Crompton Park February 11 before the shooting. A Kia with three men meeting up with a car of women is also picked up by Crompton Park cameras.

A SnapChat video on Mathieus account appears to show him driving the Kia by Shannon Street, showing the police securing the active crime scene.

Mathieu is being held pending a dangerousness hearing and is due back in court Friday. He has also violated probation.

In an unrelated case July 13, 2021, Mathieu pleaded guilty to carrying a firearm without a license, carrying a loaded firearm without a license and having a firearm within 500 feet of a dwelling. He was sentenced to 18 months in the House of Correction, committed, for the two carrying charges, to be served concurrently.

Mathieus probation that he allegedly violated for the 2021 case is for three years and five months, or until December 10.

Monday, Nala Lewis, 24, of 126 Chandler St., Apt. 507, was arraigned on the charges of accessory after the fact in connection with the February shooting.

Patrick Mathieu, 22, declined to enter the courtroom for his arraignment Tuesday. At right is Paine's lawyer, Christopher Grady. Allan Jung/Telegram & Gazette Staff

This article originally appeared on Telegram & Gazette: 3rd arrest made in fatal shooting of Worcester 17-year-old
When "Emily in Paris" first appeared on the screens, viewers instantly fell in love with its charm and the exciting adventures of the main character. This light and funny series easily won the hearts of viewers around the world.

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Each new episode brought new adventures, romantic intrigues, etc., so millions are eagerly awaiting the new season. Luckily, it's just around the corner, as Netflix has already released the official trailer.

The third season of "Emily in Paris" had an open ending, so millions of viewers around the world were confused and eagerly waiting for the sequel. Fortunately, season 4 promises to be even more exciting and eventful. From the very first frames of the trailer, we can see that we are going to see a lot of romance, drama, new languages, humor, and embarrassing situations.

It is now known that the events in the series will take place not only in France. Emily will travel across Europe, including Italy. This will allow fans to see amazing places through the eyes of the main character

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Season four will also delight viewers with the return of their favorite characters. We will see again such characters as Mindy, Emily's friend, and Gabriel, the chef who won Emily's heart in the first season. Their relationship will continue to develop, adding new colors to the storyline. In addition, new characters will appear in the new season, bringing fresh twists and turns.

When will "Emily in Paris" season 4 be released?

Season 4 of the series will be divided into 2 parts of 5 episodes each. The first one will be released on the Netflix streaming platform on August 15, and the second one  on September 12.

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Subscribe to OBOZ.UA channels on Telegram and Viber to keep up with the latest events.
BAKERSFIELD, Calif. (KGET)  The California Department of Public Health is urging people who attended the Lightning in a Bottle festival to see a healthcare provider if they are experiencing respiratory symptoms after five attendees were diagnosed with Valley fever, officials said.

State officials say over 20,000 people attended the festival and five have been identified with Valley fever. Three of the five patients were hospitalized, according to a statement from California health officials

Wasco woman pleads guilty in $825,000 credit card fraud scheme

Officials say additional cases linked to the festival are possible.

People who visit Kern County and are experiencing respiratory infection symptoms that have not improved or are lasting longer than a week should visit a healthcare provider. State officials say infection symptoms include cough, fever, fatigue, difficulty breathing and chest pain.

State officials say that although the festival was in May mild cases of Valley fever may have resolved and other patients with long-term or severe disease may be undiagnosed or still symptomatic.

For more information on Valley fever, visit the California Department of Public Healths 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 KGET 17.
500+ apartments could come to edge of Notre Dame campus. TIF district in the works.

This illustration shows the proposed apartment complex that Buckingham Companies hopes to begin building in 2024 at the northeast corner of Indiana 933 and Douglas Road near Roseland.

ROSELAND  An Indianapolis developer is making plans for a prominent apartment complex with more than 500 housing units at the northeast corner of Indiana 933 and Douglas Road.

Meanwhile, a new tax increment finance district is in the works that would wrap around that 30-acre parcel, along with a stretch of Indiana 933 through Roseland. It would be known as the Northern Edge Economic Development Area.

Much of the revenue would go toward 25-year bonds that the developer would purchase to support its work.

But some revenue would also help the town of Roseland with whatever priorities that town officials set  for example, utility extensions, trail improvements, property acquisitions and so on, Bill Schalliol, the executive director of economic development for St. Joseph County, has told the countys Redevelopment Commission.

But Clay Fire Territory Chief Jaren Kilian recently told the commission that, although he supports the TIF district, his fire department would need tax revenue to help pay for the 2% to 5% increase in demand that he expects in the new housing complex.

So, he asked the county to consider excluding the fire department from the TIF district, which, in effect, would allow it to capture its share of the tax revenue. Commission members replied that they would take time to consider that.

This illustration shows the proposed apartment complex that Buckingham Companies hopes to begin building in 2024 at the northeast corner of Indiana 933 and Douglas Road near Roseland.

What kinds of apartments would they be?

The Buckingham Companies plan to build large, four- to six-story buildings at Douglas and Indiana 933, a project that officials estimate at $180 million. The site used to be housing for married University of Notre Dame students, but that has since moved.

Ryan Gallmeyer, the companies senior vice president of development, said that Notre Dame selected the company after putting out a request for proposals. He said Buckingham had previously built 650 units of The Foundry apartments at Eddy Street Commons.

Here, Gallmeyer said, Buckingham hopes to start the first phase of construction in the last three months of this year, which would create about 374 multi-family housing units and commercial space.

The second phase, he said, starting a year later, would build roughly 100 rental townhomes that could be two to three stories each.

And the third phase, yet another year later, would add 77 multi-family housing units for active residents age 55 and older.

This map shows the proposed apartment complex that Buckingham Companies hopes to begin building in 2024 at the northeast corner of Indiana 933 and Douglas Road near Roseland.

The first phase would finish in 2027 and the whole project could be completed by 2028.

Gallmeyer said this market-rate housing wouldnt lend itself to undergrads. And, although its at the campus' edge, its not necessarily targeting the campus community but, rather, the region. He cited its highway access to New Carlisle, where development is growing, and even LaPorte and Chicago.

Where would the TIF district be?

The Northern Edge TIF district would capture tax revenue within boundaries that include the Buckingham development. The district would then go north, tightly following the Indiana 933 corridor. It would end as it wraps around a parcel southwest of Indiana 933 and the Indiana Toll Road where a Holiday Inn was demolished and that is now owned by JSK Hospitality, which has development plans for it, Schalliol said.

This map shows the proposed Northern Edge Economic Development Area, or TIF district, that would run along Indiana 933 from Douglas Road to just shy of the Indiana Toll Road in Roseland.

The TIF district would be split into four areas. Three of them would pledge 85% of the revenue to bonds to assist the housing development. The remainder would come back to the Redevelopment Commission to help incentivize projects in that area, consulting attorney Phil Faccenda said. But 100% of the revenue from the fourth area, which is along Indiana 933 and the former Holiday Inn site, would be used in that area.

Faccenda said the bonds wont affect the countys debt.

The TIF district requires a long chain of approvals.

So far, the countys Redevelopment Commission, Area Plan Commission and county council have approved a declaratory resolution on the TIF district, or the Northern Edge Economic Development Area.

The Redevelopment Commission also approved a confirming resolution for the district, which ultimately the county council will need to approve, likely at its Sept. 10 meeting.

Likewise, Schalliol said, the bonds will also go through a chain of approvals by the countys Economic Development Commission, county council, Redevelopment Commission and again by the county council, also finishing on Sept. 10.

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: Apartments near Notre Dame spur TIF district by St. Joseph County
Editors Note: The video above is previous coverage on PUA.

CLEVELAND (WJW)  Six people in Northeast Ohio face serious prison time after pleading guilty to Federal Pandemic Unemployment fraud.

According to a press release, all six illegally used other peoples personal identifying information to obtain nearly $3,000,000 in unemployment assistance.

Melt to close all restaurants  except one

The Pandemic Unemployment Assistance (PUA) program was created to provide temporary benefits for workers who lost work during the pandemic for COVID-19-related reasons, starting in 2020.

According to court documents, from March 2020 to August 2021, the defendants, Clarissa Cheney, 30, of Cleveland Heights; Kevin Gilmore, 38, of Beachwood; Tiara Henderson, 37, of Lakewood; Ladessa Battle, 29, of South Euclid; Lynard Mitchell, 39, of South Euclid; and Marcelys Jones, 29, of Cleveland Heights, submitted fraudulent applications for PUA benefits to the California Employment Development Department (EDD) and other state workforce agencies around the country.

The defendants falsified application details, such as employment history and residency, to appear eligible for PUA benefits, according to a press release.

Nearly $3,000,000 in unemployment insurance benefits was issued in the defendants names.

Where winning Powerball ticket was sold in Ohio

The deliberate and conniving actions to cheat a program designed to assist people who were affected by the Covid-19 pandemic is inexcusable, said FBI Special Agent in Charge, Greg Nelsen.

The defendants are scheduled to be sentenced in September and October 2024 and face a maximum penalty of 20 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 Fox 8 Cleveland WJW.
BUFFALO, N.Y. (WIVB)  One person was killed in a crash Monday afternoon in Cattaraugus County, New York State Police said Tuesday.

Investigation showed that a 2008 Dodge was traveling on State Route 417 in the Town of Portville when a 2014 Kia entered an intersection at Fischer Lane, causing the two vehicles to collide.

The driver of the Kia, 65-year-old Clemendina Gaylor of Portville, was pronounced dead at the scene. The driver and a passenger in the Dodge were transported to Olean General Hospital and are listed in stable condition.

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Latest Local News

Aidan Joly joined the News 4 staff in 2022. He is a graduate of Canisius College. You can see more of his work here.

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For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to News 4 Buffalo.
Three people - including two young children - died after a pontoon boat capsized on Lake Powell in northern Arizona, authorities said this week.

The fatalities are the latest in hundreds of fatal boating accidents that occur each year across the United States.

A woman and two children died after a privately owned 25-foot pontoon was overturned Friday afternoon near the mouth of Navajo Canyon within Glen Canyon National Recreation Area, according to the National Park Service and Coconino County Sheriff's Office. The vessel was being towed by another boater when waves contributed to the pontoon capsizing, authorities said in separate statements.

After receiving reports of an overturned boat at around 3:18 p.m. Friday, authorities discovered a passenger on top of the vessel and others in the water, "with some of the party unaccounted for," the National Park Service and sheriff's office said. The vessel had been carrying a total of 11 passengers and several became trapped underneath the overturned pontoon.

Nearby boaters helped get victims out of the water. Glen Canyon rangers and local fire personnel provided emergency medical attention at the scene.

Authorities said Saturday that 72-year-old Melissa Bean and two 4-year-old boys died at the scene. Two other patients were transported by helicopter and ambulance for further treatment.

The two injured victims  a 12-year-old girl in critical condition and a man being treated for undisclosed injuries  remained hospitalized on Sunday, authorities told the Associated Press. All passengers were related family members, the Arizona Republic, part of the USA TODAY Network, reported.

The capsizing is the latest recreational boating accident to occur this year as millions of Americans flock to lakes and rivers across the country for the summer. Although recreational boating remains a popular activity, authorities and experts have warned of the potential dangers.

"Recreational boating is fun, but the water can be unforgiving," according to the National Transportation Safety Board.

Thousands of boating accidents happen every year

Thousands of recreational boating accidents occur each year. In May, the U.S. Coast Guard reported that there were 3,844 recreational boating accidents in 2023.

Of those incidents, 564 were fatal and 2,126 were non-fatal injuries, according to the Coast Guard. These figures are a decrease from 2022, when the Coast Guard reported 4,040 accidents that caused 636 deaths and 2,222 injuries.

The primary contributing factors to accidents are operator inattention, inexperience, improper lookout, excessive speed and machinery failure, according to the National Safe Boating Council. Authorities and experts have noted that a majority of boating accidents are easily preventable by following safety measures.

The two deadliest safety failures are a lack of a required personal flotation device, such as a life jacket, and uneducated boaters, according to the National Transportation Safety Board. Boating accident data has shown that when life jackets are a requirement, the number of drowning fatalities decreases.

In 2023, the Coast Guard said about 75% of fatal incidents occurred on vessels operated by individuals who had not received boating safety instruction and drownings accounted for about 75% of deaths, with 87% of those victims not wearing life jackets.

Common accidents include collisions with other boats and running into jetties, rocks and similar objects, as well as boats flipping or sinking, according to Kristen Frohnhoefer, president of Sea Tow, an international marine assistance provider headquartered in New York.

Other accidents include people falling overboard after striking the wake, not holding on to the boat properly and not being seated in safe spots, Frohnhoefer said.

"The most frequent event in fatal incidents involved events where people ended up in the water. A fall overboard, capsizing and cases where a person voluntarily departed a vessel accounted for over half of fatal incidents," according to Capt. Amy Beach, Coast Guard inspections and compliance director.

Other recent recreational boating accidents in 2024

A number of severe recreational boating accidents have occurred across the country in recent months, including:

On Sunday, a 31-year-old woman and a 36-year-old man died after two vessels collided in the Tickfaw River in southeast Lousiana, WWL-TV reported. Authorities discovered a heavily damaged 25-foot pontoon boat and a capsized 25-foot Sea Fox boat at the scene.

A 1-year-old to drowned after a boat capsized on Fontana Lake in North Carolina on Saturday, the Asheville Citizen Times, part of the USA TODAY Network reported. Eight people were on the vessel and three were being towed on a high-back tube when the boat capsized causing, according to authorities.

Earlier this month, a 58-year-old man was killed and three others were injured after two vessels crashed into each other in Brooklyn, according to the New York Post.

On June 23, a man was hospitalized after he fell overboard from a boat in Eagle Mountain Lake in north Texas, television station WFAA reported. A woman operating the boat reversed the engine and hit the man with the boat propeller, severely injuring him.

First responders in south Florida told NBC Miami in early June that it has been a "tragic year so far" after a string of boating accidents happened in the area, including the hit-and-run death of 15-year-old girl in May. Two men also died in April after a boat and yacht collided near Boca Chita Key, according to NBC Miami.

Contributing: Grace Hauck, USA TODAY; Vivian Barrett, Arizona Republic

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: 3 people dead after pontoon boat capsizes on Lake Powell in Arizona
$76 million to help bolster security at California houses of worship, nonprofits

California Gov. Gavin Newsom on Tuesday announced that $76 million in grant funding will be made available to bolster security at houses of worship and community nonprofits in the wake of escalating hate crimes.

An attack against any community is an attack against our entire state and our values, Newsom said in a statement. Every Californian deserves the ability to worship, love, and gather safely, without fear of hate. This new round of funding is aimed at helping high-risk organizations protect themselves against violent attacks and hate crimes

The California State Nonprofit Security Grant Program funds security upgrades like reinforced doors, gates, lighting, and screening systems.

Investigation underway after vandal hurls concrete slab at West L.A. synagogue

Recent data shows an increase in hate crimes against Jewish, Muslim, and LGBTQ+ communities in 2023. Although anti-Black bias incidents are still the most common, they have decreased from 2022, data show. Last year, amid rising violence linked to Middle East conflicts and a national trend of hate attacks, Newsom boosted the grant programs funding by over 35%, adding an extra $20 million for nonprofit safety and security.

Assemblymember Jesse Gabriel (D-Encino) and Senator Scott Wiener (D-San Francisco) praised Newsoms leadership in securing these grants, emphasizing their importance in protecting targeted communities.

Despite facing significant budget challenges, the California Legislature will continue to stand firm in our commitment to supporting vulnerable communities targeted by hate, Gabriel and Wiener said in a joint statement.

Since 2015, the state has awarded $152.75 million to 924 community groups.

For application details, visit the California Governors Office of Emergency Services website. Proposals are due by 11:59 p.m. on Monday, Sept. 23.

For anonymous reporting of hate acts, call 833-8-NO-HATE. For immediate danger, call 911.

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For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to KTLA.
SALT LAKE CITY (ABC4)  Many people in Utah celebrate Pioneer Day on July 24  but some may not know that July 24 is also the anniversary of the dedication of Salt Lake Citys This is the Place monument.

On July 24, 1947, thousands of people gathered at the bottom of the monument as it was dedicated. The chair over the dedication was David O. McKay, who would later become the president of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.

READ NEXT: Remembering the 2002 Winter Olympics in Salt Lake City

Dignitaries at the dedication all had a hand at the trowel as they set the last stone at the monument. Everyone in attendance listened as then-President George Albert Smith paid tribute to the pioneers  but few were able to get close enough to see the details of the stature.

J. Reuben Clark (a Latter-day Saint who served in the First Presidency of the church) was part of the program  and Clark brought his granddaughters to the ceremony.

While ABC4s Craig Wirth wasnt at the dedication in 1947, he was able to speak with Clarks granddaughters quite a few years later.

Clarks granddaughters  Louise Sharp Davis and Annette Sharp Mower  a few years after the dedication. They told Wirth in 1996 that they remembered how everyone at the dedication was dressed up even though it was a hot day (94 degrees, according to Wirths research).

They also said the monument used to be the biggest thing around, with nothing else around it.

It looked so much bigger then, than it does now, Clarks granddaughters said of the monument.

The towering structure became a new landmark at the mouth of Emigration Canyon. The location of the monument is said to be around the area where LDS prophet Brigham Young stopped his carriage in 1847 and said This is the right place.

Today, This Is The Place Heritage Park is set on 450 acres and honors the pioneer past of Utah year-round with several activities and attractions.

Copyright 2024 Nexstar Media, Inc. 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.
9/11 terrorist begs judge to send him back to France because he is fearful of execution if Trump is president

9/11 terrorist begs judge to send him back to France because he is fearful of execution if Trump is president

A 9/11 terrorist has asked a judge to send him back home to France to avoid the prospect of having Donald Trump order his execution if he is re-elected as president.

Zacarias Moussaoui, who is being held at the Supermax prison ADX Florence in Colorado, wrote to Judge Leonie Brinkema in Virginia that your honor might concur that there is a possibility of, not a probability, that if the ex-U.S. President Donald Trump was to be reelected, he will sentence me to death by presidential executive order.

A copy of Moussaouis letter, dated May 13 and filed in court two weeks later, was first published on the site Legal Insurrection.

Moussaoui is the only person to be convicted in a US court for his role in the 9/11 conspiracy. In his handwritten letter, Moussaoui argued that he previously agreed to collaborate with US authorities against Al Qaeda operatives such as Khalid Sheikh Mohammed.

During his trial in 2006, he spouted insults, including saying: Youll never get my blood: God curse you all, after he avoided the death penalty, the New York Post reported. He claimed in court that he was supposed to hijack a fifth plane and crash it into the White House before backtracking on that statement.

Zacarias Moussaoui, who was sentenced to life in prison for his role in the 9/11 attacks, has requested a transfer to France (Sherburne County, Minn., Sheriff's Office via AP)

Following news of Moussaouis letter to the judge, a dozen senators have written to President Joe Biden and Attorney General Merrick Garland, arguing that the terrorists request should be ignored.

Florida senators Marco Rubio and Rick Scott were joined by fellow Republicans, North Carolinas Thom Tillis, Idahos Mike Crapo and Jim Risch, Marsha Blackburn of Tennessee, Shelley Moore Capito of West Virginia, Mike Braun of Indiana, Bill Cassidy of Louisiana, Ted Cruz of Texas, John Hoeven of North Dakota, and Pete Ricketts of Nebraska.

No consideration whatsoever should be given to this convicted terrorists preferences for where to serve his sentence for his heinous crimes, and we demand that you swiftly deny his transfer request and force him to spend the remainder of his pathetic life imprisoned in the country he and his fellow terrorists attacked 23 years ago, the joint letter, dated July 26, stated.

Nothing can bring back the innocent lives lost on that terrible day, but the tens of thousands of surviving family members of the victims should be able to expect that our government will keep Moussaoui confined in an American prison for the entirety of his life sentence without the possibility of release or transfer. This should not be a difficult decision to make.

Moussaoui was arrested in August 2001 before the 9/11 attacks when his attempts to take flight training classes drew suspicion. In December 2001, he was charged with being a member of Al-Qaeda and part of the conspiracy leading to the attacks that killed 2,977 Americans.

He pled guilty to the charges against him. His 2006 trial was conducted to determine if he would receive the death penalty or life in prison.

During the jury trial, prosecutors had to determine if his role in the conspiracy led to the deaths of victims of the attacks, which would have made him eligible for the death penalty.

Moussaoui was deemed eligible but one juror voted for life in prison, keeping him off death row.

The terrorist wrote in his letter that he was warned by an attorney and a professor that US law permit the US President to sentence to death any federal prisonneer [sic] deem to be a threat to National security.

Moussaoui explained that he was referred to as a national security threat during court proceedings, meaning that Trump could use that to order his execution.

There is the real prospect that the Ex President is reelected and thereforeI want to apply to this Court and the US government to be transfer to France to finish my sentence, he wrote.

I could be transfer to France to serve the rest of my life sentence and before the potential inauguration of Ex President TrumpMay your Honor and your Court enter an order as soon as your Court find it appropriate and grant me myrequest.

A Department of Justice spokesperson told The Independent that it doesnt comment on prisoner transfer requests, but added that Moussaoui is serving a life sentence following conviction for terrorism offenses and that the department plans to enforce this life sentence in US custody.
A voting sign in Philadelphia. (Capital-Star photo by Michala Butler)

This article was originally published by Votebeat, a nonprofit news organization reporting on voting access and election administration across the U.S. Sign up for Votebeat Pennsylvanias free newsletter here.

New details about a 2020 case of accidentally discarded ballots in Luzerne County show how the Justice Departments handling of an FBI investigation helped fuel then-President Donald Trumps false narrative of a stolen election  despite department policies aimed at preventing such a situation.

A report released Thursday by the Justice Departments Office of the Inspector General, its internal watchdog, examined how top officials handled and publicly released information from the FBIs investigation, including then-Attorney General William Barrs decision to share details of the investigation with Trump while it was ongoing.

Trumps reelection campaign seized on the investigation into the discarded ballots as evidence that mail voting was being manipulated to steal the election from Trump.

However, the FBI found the real reason was much more mundane, the inspector general pointed out: A mentally impaired seasonal worker had simply made a mistake.

The Justice Department has policies to prevent investigations from being politicized, especially during an election year. The inspector generals report highlights how breaches of these policies can snowball into false and exaggerated claims of election fraud.

These types of minor clerical errors in election administration can be misused by bad-faith actors to undermine confidence in our electoral process, said Pennsylvania Secretary of the Commonwealth Al Schmidt in a statement Friday. Election administration is highly scrutinized, and any error  no matter how inadvertent, no matter how minor  will be used by those seeking to undermine confidence in election results and our representative democracy.

Seven ballots cast for Trump appear in the trash

The case goes back to Sept. 16, 2020, when then-Luzerne County Election Director Shelby Watchilla discovered that one of her temporary election workers had mistakenly put nine military absentee mail ballots in the trash, according to Politico reporting at the time.

Watchilla reported the incident to supervisors, and two days later the Luzerne County district attorney notified the FBI that a county elections employee had discarded seven military absentee ballots  which had been taken out of their envelopes, revealing votes cast for Trump  in a dumpster. Two still sealed envelopes that the employee had mishandled were also provided to the FBI, according to the report.

The FBI took over the investigation on Sept. 21. The next day, the district attorney issued a press release about the incident and the FBIs role in investigating it.

According to the inspector generals report, then-Attorney General William Barr briefed Trump on the incident on Sept. 23, and informed him that the ballots had been voted for him, which was not public at the time. Trump went on to repeat that claim on a Fox Radio show the next morning

An initial statement from David Freed, who was overseeing the investigation as U.S. Attorney for the Middle District of Pennsylvania, incorrectly said all nine ballots had been cast for Trump; a corrected version said only seven had been cast for Trump, while the votes of the two unopened ballots were unknown.

The Trump campaign and its allies quickly began weaving the incident into a narrative about election fraud, which ultimately escalated to the Jan. 6, 2021, riot by Trump followers at the U.S. Capitol. Some examples:

Matt Wolking, a Trump campaign official, tweeted on Sept. 24 that Democrats are trying to steal the election, and repeated Freeds erroneous statement that all nine mishandled ballots had been cast for Trump.

Trump mentioned the incident twice at the first presidential debate to back his claim that the election was going to be a fraud like youve never seen.

On the stump, Trump inflated his claim at one point to say thousands of ballots with votes for him were dumped in dumpsters.

Conservative activist Dan Carr said on Facebook the incident was true election interference, USA Today reported.

Campaign surrogate Eric Trump, the presidents son, alluded to the Luzerne case the day after the election as an indicator of Democratic cheating, saying weve seen it from Day 1.

Justice Department knew more than it let on

Even as Barr was informing Trump of the incident on Sept. 23, and Freed was drafting his statement, the Justice Department knew crucial information about the incident that it kept from the public, allowing misinformation about the case to go unchallenged.

The FBI had interviewed the temporary election worker on Sept. 22, and determined that he had memory problems and was 100% disabled due to a vehicle accident in 20s w[ith] brain injury, the inspector generals report said. The FBI also noted in an internal Sept. 23 email that the worker was not capable of following simple instructions and was assigned menial tasks.

Part of the problem, according to the report, was that return envelopes for military ballots were being mistaken for envelopes containing mail ballot request forms, so Luzerne election workers were opening both, even though ballot envelopes are not to be opened until Election Day. The envelopes containing ballots were not clearly marked, the Pennsylvania Department of State said at the time. Training for workers was increased after the incident, and in a statement this week, Schmidt highlighted a new training program for election directors launched last year.

Prior to issuing his Sept. 24 statement, Freed also told Barr he was not sure that the investigation was going to result in a criminal charge.

Indeed, the Department determined before Election Day that no charges would be brought in the matter, although it failed to inform the public of that fact until well after the election, the report said. It wasnt until Jan. 15, 2021, that Freeds successor announced publicly that no charges would be filed.

Report says Freeds conduct violated some policies

The Justice Department has internal rules and policies on how federal investigators should handle and release details from an investigation, including a longstanding policy prohibiting Department employees from commenting publicly about ongoing, uncharged investigations, the report states.

The report focused on determining whether Freeds public statements and Barrs involvement in them, as well as Barrs conversation with Trump, ran afoul of those policies.

The report said Freeds statements raised questions about whether departmental policy had been violated, and about the motivations for releasing those statements during an election cycle, in particular because the statements specified the name of a candidate for whom the votes were cast on the discarded ballots.

The policy, the Election Year Sensitivities Memorandum, tells department employees they can never select the timing of public statements (attributed or not)  in any matter or case for the purpose of affecting any election, or for the purpose of giving an advantage or disadvantage to any candidate or political party. The policy is meant to safeguard the Departments reputation for fairness, neutrality, and non-partisanship, the report states.

Ultimately, the inspector generals report concluded that Freeds actions violated some DOJ policies, but that Freed and Barr hadnt committed misconduct, because of ambiguities in the attorney generals authority to approve the release of statements. The report also said while the inspector general was troubled by Barrs relaying of details about the investigation to Trump, it was not a policy violation.

The inspector general said it was referring the matter to the U.S. Office of Special Counsel for investigation into possible violations of the Hatch Act, which prohibits executive branch employees from using their official authority or influence for the purpose of interfering with or affecting the results of an election.

Freed, whom Trump nominated as a U.S. attorney in 2017, denied to investigators that he acted with any political motivation.

Incident highlights dangers of misinformation

Claire Wardle, associate professor at Cornell University who studies misinformation and disinformation, said incidents like the one in Luzerne are not uncommon, since elections are often run by volunteers or those working for little pay. But in todays partisan environment, the messiness of this process has been reframed through peoples biases about elections.

Whereas before some of those human mistakes didnt make the news, now we see what is a very natural part of democracy getting twisted, she said. In almost every single case it gets sorted, but the problem we have now is that people take photos and weaponize it to say look, the system cant be trusted.

Wardle said that this year, news organizations should put out stories about how the system works and issues that may occur before they happen, not after. Individuals should also think carefully about what they share on social media before they have all the facts, she said, since it can take months for a proper investigation to determine what actually happened.

America is in a really dangerous place right now because people dont trust the system and the country will collapse if theres not trust in the system, she said.
Europe has always been a popular destination for travelers from all over the world. Most tourists consider the popular places, such as Paris, Rome, London, etc., first and foremost, but you shouldn't stop there.

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There are lesser-known but no less fascinating cities on this continent where there are no crowds of tourists. Based on data from the United Nations World Tourism Organization, euronews has compiled a list of some of them that can offer an unforgettable experience

San Marino

This country, which is surrounded by Italy on all sides, is often overlooked by tourists. With an area of just over 60 square kilometers, it is the third smallest territory in Europe and the fifth smallest in the world. Despite this, San Marino boasts exceptional architecture and stunning mountain views. Around 60,000 tourists visit this microstate every year, making it the least visited place on the continent.

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One of the main attractions of San Marino are the three towers that date back to the 11th century and are located on the peaks of Monte Titano. These castle-like citadels are symbols of the state and are depicted on its flag and coat of arms.

Liechtenstein

Sandwiched between Austria and Switzerland, Liechtenstein is another little-known gem of Europe. With an area of only 160 square kilometers and a population of less than 40,000 people, this country offers a true fairy tale in the heart of the Alps without the crowds of tourists. Around 69,000 foreigners visit Liechtenstein every year.

This principality is famous for its medieval castles, quaint alpine chalets and picturesque villages. Liechtenstein offers sparsely populated ski resorts with the best slopes in winter and endless hiking trails in summer.

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Moldova

Located between Ukraine and Romania, Moldova has unique travel opportunities to offer. It is officially the least visited country in Europe, receiving only 121,000 tourists a year. Nevertheless, Moldova is a real gem for those looking for new and unknown travel destinations.

This country is famous for its vineyards and wineries, which are increasingly gaining international recognition for their high quality. In addition, Moldova offers a rich history, cities with unique architecture and delicious Balkan-Slavic cuisine. Visitors can also enjoy picturesque landscapes and cultural attractions such as the Curchi Monastery in Orhei.

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Monaco

The Principality of Monaco, located on the Mediterranean coast, is a real magnet for luxury lovers. Despite its small size - only 1.98 square kilometers - its population is almost 37,000 inhabitants, which means that it is the most densely populated country in the world.

This place is known for its ultra-rich atmosphere and luxurious lifestyle. Visitors can enjoy strolling through the old town, visit majestic buildings such as the Prince's Palace, and relax on the famous Larvotto Beach. Despite the high prices, Monaco can be visited on a tight budget, avoiding casinos and Michelin-starred restaurants.

Bosnia and Herzegovina

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Bosnia and Herzegovina, located on the Balkan Peninsula, is a country with a rich history and culture. After the civil war in the 1990s, it was little visited by tourists, but now it is becoming more popular. Every year, about 529,000 tourists visit Bosnia and Herzegovina.

The country's capital, Sarajevo, is ideal for history buffs. It was the site of the assassination of Archduke Franz Ferdinand in 1914, which was one of the main causes of the First World War. The Tunnel of Hope, which was used during the Civil War, is a touching tribute to the past, and Mostar, located closer to the Croatian border, is known for its unique Old Bridge and medieval atmosphere.

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In the 2022 midterm elections, Democrats defied pundits' predictions of a "red wave" (though the polls didn't really support those predictions) thanks in large part to the motivating power of the issue of abortion. Not only were reproductive rights popular, but they also became more important to many voters in the wake of the Supreme Court's decision in Dobbs v. Jackson Women's Health Organization.

Two years later, Democrats are once again hoping that abortion will be their secret weapon at the ballot box. Specifically, many believe that pro-abortion-rights ballot measures can boost Democrats' chances of winning a handful of key Senate races and presidential swing states.

This November, at least five states  including Florida and Nevada  will vote on proposed constitutional amendments to enshrine abortion rights into their state constitutions. And as of July 15, efforts were actively afoot to get such measures on the ballot in five other states, including Arizona, where advocates recently submitted more than twice the number of signatures required to qualify for the ballot.

Most, if not all, of the measures that make the ballot are likely to pass; abortion rights are popular, and liberals have won all seven abortion-rights ballot measure elections that have taken place since Dobbs. But there's no guarantee that their success will rub off on Democratic candidates. In 2022, plenty of people voted for both abortion rights and Republican politicians. Nor is there strong evidence for the theory that abortion-rights ballot measures will turn out new Democratic voters. And while these plebiscites could help Democrats by putting abortion at the front of voters' minds when they fill out their ballots, that's something Democratic campaigns will probably try to do anyway, regardless of whether there's a measure on the ballot.

First, it should be obvious that not everyone who votes for an abortion-rights ballot measure will automatically vote for Democrats elsewhere on the ballot. Polls indicate that a sizable chunk of Republicans support abortion rights, at least in some cases, and of course, voters weigh several different issues when deciding who to vote for. Sure enough, every time abortion-related ballot questions shared the ballot with other races in 2022, the pro-abortion-rights side of the measure got more support than the Democratic candidate at the top of the ticket.

But that doesn't mean these abortion measures didn't inspire more people to vote for Democrats than otherwise would have. Proponents of this theory often make the "reverse coattails" argument: that abortion-rights ballot measures increase turnout among liberal voters, who will vote for Democratic candidates elsewhere on the ballot while they're at it.

Many Republicans believe this phenomenon helped President George W. Bush win reelection in 2004, when 11 states also voted on ballot measures banning same-sex marriage. The theory is that those ballot measures juiced turnout among socially conservative voters, who then also supported Bush. However, research into that election has generally found that those ballot measures did not increase turnout, either overall or among conservatives specifically. For example, a University of Florida study found that anti-same-sex-marriage ballot measures in Ohio and Michigan did not have a significant impact on turnout in heavily evangelical counties; in fact, in Michigan, support for the ballot measure was actually associated with slightly lower turnout.

Of course, it's possible that, 20 years later and with a different issue, things would be different. As Aaron Blake pointed out in The Washington Post, same-sex marriage was illegal in all those states in 2004, so these ballot measures didn't actually change the law. By contrast, the pending ballot measures in Arizona and Florida, as well as Arkansas, Missouri, Nebraska and South Dakota, would actively expand abortion rights. (However, equally noteworthy, the proposals in Nevada, Maryland and Montana would likewise just reinforce the status quo.*)

But while interest in these measures will undoubtedly be high this November, there just isn't much evidence that they'll turn out many voters who weren't already going to vote anyway. If abortion-related ballot measures were the main thing on the ballot driving turnout, we'd probably expect the number of votes cast in those races to be greater than the number cast in other races on the same ballot. But in every state with an abortion-related ballot measure in 2022, more votes were cast for the office at the top of the ticket than for the ballot measure.

"But maybe all the new voters just filled out their whole ballot!" you might argue. It's possible, but if that were the case, we should see a spike in overall turnout in these states compared with their turnout in previous elections. And that did happen in some of these states in 2022  but not in others.

Midterm elections always have lower turnout than presidential elections, so to make for a fair comparison, I looked at how much higher or lower each state's turnout rate** was compared with the national average in 2022 versus in 2020 and 2018. The results were really mixed. Kentucky's turnout rate, for example, consistently matched the national average all three years. Montana's 2022 turnout rate was a bit higher than 2020's (relatively speaking), but it was significantly lower than 2018's, when the state had a hotly contested Senate race. And California's relative turnout rate actually fell in 2022 compared with the two prior elections.

The two states that had significantly higher turnout in 2022 than the historical norm were Michigan and Vermont; while both states tend to have above-average turnout even under normal circumstances, they had some of the best turnout rates in the whole country in 2022. However, this may not have been because of their abortion-rights amendments  or at least not only because of them. Both states also made it significantly easier to vote ahead of the 2020 election: Vermont started automatically mailing ballots to all voters, while Michigan enacted automatic voter registration and same-day voter registration. (It's interesting that there was no corresponding turnout spike in either state in 2020, but it's possible that the impact of these reforms was blunted by historically high interest and turnout in that election.)

Basically, the data on whether these abortion-rights ballot measures goosed turnout is inconclusive. It seems plausible that it genuinely helped in Michigan, whose initiative also happened to be the most impactful; it resolved an active legal dispute over the legality of abortion in the state. But we can't ignore other factors, especially when Vermont  whose pro-abortion-rights amendment did nothing but reinforce the status quo  saw a similar turnout bump and a state with the exact same type of amendment (California) didn't. The common link seems to be voting reforms, not the abortion questions.

It's hard to chalk it up to some ballot measures having more active campaigns behind them, either. There is only a weak relationship between the relative turnout increase in each state and how much money was spent (per capita) on its abortion-ballot-measure campaign. Michigan saw the biggest increase with the highest amount of spending ($8.34 per registered voter), but Vermont wasn't far behind despite only $1.30 getting spent per registered voter there.

And in 2024, there's an additional complication: It's a presidential election year. Presidential races always have higher turnout than midterm elections (nationwide, turnout was 20 percentage points higher in 2020 than it was in 2022), and if abortion-related ballot measures couldn't attract more votes than gubernatorial and congressional races in 2022, then interest in them in 2024 will almost certainly be dwarfed by interest in the presidential race. More money was spent on Michigan's abortion-rights proposal than in the governor's race in 2022 ($68.1 million to $43.5 million), but it's unlikely that will be the case with any state hosting a competitive presidential race this year, like Arizona or Nevada (though it probably will be in states like Arkansas or South Dakota). Finally, even if some voters in 2022 didn't care about the other races on the ballot but turned out anyway because of abortion-related ballot measures, there will probably be fewer of that type of voter in 2024, since only the most stubborn nonvoters sit out presidential elections.

At the end of the day, it's most likely that, if these ballot measures do help Democrats, it will be the old-fashioned way: through persuasion. Even if it's not as much as the presidential candidates spend, the campaigns for these ballot measures will probably drop millions of dollars on ads that highlight abortion  raising the salience of an issue that is good for Democrats. Poll after poll has found that Americans trust Democrats more than Republicans on abortion and reproductive rights.

And if Democratic candidates in these states lean into the issue, there is evidence they could reap the benefits. Going back to the 2004 election, the University of Florida study did find that Bush performed unusually well in counties with large evangelical populations in Ohio, where he campaigned hard against same-sex marriage, but not in Michigan, where he didn't. On the other hand, abortion-rights ballot measures are a no-win proposition for Republican candidates. They can try to avoid talking about the measures, but they may eventually be forced to make a difficult choice: either take an unpopular anti-abortion-rights position or tick off their base by supporting the measure.

Of course, given their strength on the issue, Democrats would be wise to spend the fall campaign talking about abortion regardless of whether they are sharing the ballot with a measure on it  and they probably will. In 2023, Democrats spent millions of dollars on TV ads about abortion in states like Kentucky and Virginia where it wasn't directly on the ballot. And in the first four months of 2024, a majority of their ad spending on broadcast TV in Michigan, Arizona and Georgia was about abortion.

Abortion-related ballot measures can certainly help make reproductive rights an even bigger part of the conversation. But Democrats shouldn't overestimate their impact. Based on the evidence we have, it doesn't look like they are going to motivate many new voters, and not every voter who supports abortion rights is automatically going to vote Democratic. If Democrats want to ride the wave of these measures in 2024, they'll have to put in the work.

Footnotes

*Abortion is also already legal in Colorado with no gestational limit, but the ballot initiative there would allow the use of state funds for abortion coverage, which is currently illegal.

**Based on the voting-eligible population.

Abortion-rights ballot measures may not help Democrats as much as they think originally appeared on abcnews.go.com
A witness claimed to see Ronnie Dean Stout II pushing a burning car down an embankment and into a gully in Bidwell Park on July 24, according to the Butte County District Attorney's Office

Tayfun Coskun/Anadolu via Getty Images Crews are battling against to flames as Park Fire of wildfires continue in Chico, California

A 42-year-old man who is accused of starting the expansive Park Fire in Northern California has made his first appearance in court.

Ronnie Dean Stout II, of Chico, was arrested early in the morning on July 24 on suspicion of starting the Park Fire, according to a press release from the Butte County District Attorneys Office.

Stout was identified by authorities one day after a witness claimed to see him pushing a burning car about 60 feet down an embankment and into a gully near the Alligator Hole in upper Bidwell Park shortly before 3 p.m. local time.

According to the district attorney's office, the fire from the burning car is believed to have ultimately caused the Park Fire to start.

Afterward, Stout was allegedly seen calmly leaving the area by blending in with the other citizens who were in the area and fleeing the rapidly evolving fire.

Related: Apparent Fire Tornado Spotted in California amid Wildfires

Tayfun Coskun/Anadolu via Getty Images Crews are battling against to flames as Park Fire of wildfires continue in Chico, California

Stout was arrested and booked into the Butte County Jail. He was then arraigned on multiple charges in court on July 29.

Among the charges Stout faces is arson of an inhabited structure or property, according to The Sacramento Bee. He also faces multiple enhancements, including three under the states Three Strikes law.

"This didn't have to happen, said district attorney Mike Ramsey, who noted Stout was allegedly intoxicated at the time of the incident, according to CBS affiliate KOVR and FOX affiliate KTXL.

Butte County District Attorney's Office Ronnie Dean Stout II, the man accused of starting the Park Fire on July 24, 2024

Ramsey said a witness claimed to see Stout pull his car off to the side of the road and cause a fire by revving his engine over grass, KOVR and NBC affiliate KCRA-TV reported. The witness allegedly saw Stout drinking at the scene, as well.

Stout reportedly did not enter a plea at the hearing, and is being held without bail until his next hearing on Aug. 1. He could be incarcerated for 25 years to life.

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The Park Fire is currently 14% contained and spans four countries, having already burned 383,619 acres of land, according to data from CalFire. It is now the fifth-largest wildfire in California history, per CNN.

Stout was previously charged with two other felonies, according to the district attorneys press release. In 2001, Stout was charged in Butte County for committing Lewd and Lascivious Acts with a Child under 14 and is now listed as a sex offender on the Megans Law website.

Tayfun Coskun/Anadolu via Getty Images A general view of damaged structure as Park Fire of wildfires continue in Chico, Calif.

The following year, Stout was convicted in Kern County Superior Court for Robbery with Great Bodily Injury and was sentenced to 20 years in state prison. According to KOVR, he was released from prison in October 2018.

Related: 4.9-Magnitude Earthquake Rattles Southern California

Stout was arrested again in 2020 on suspicion of driving under the influence in Bidwell Park, near the site where the Park Fire began, per KCRA-TV and The Sacramento Bee.

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Megan Lambert, the legal director for the ACLU of Oklahoma, is among the attorneys who filed a brief in support of the University of Oklahoma in a lawsuit filed against the school by three white students who claim OU's financial aid policies discriminate against them.

Two nonprofit civil rights groups are supporting the University of Oklahomas request for dismissal of a federal lawsuit filed by three white OU students who claim the school denied them financial aid because of systemic discrimination that favors Black students.

The Lawyers Committee for Civil Rights Under Law and the American Civil Liberties Union of Oklahoma filed the brief in support of OU last week. Those groups say the students who sued  Brayden Johnson, Logan Rhines and Kayla Savage  failed to provide enough context and detail in their allegations linking the allegedly adverse action to a discriminatory motive with something besides sheer speculation.

The brief followed OUs motion to dismiss the lawsuit, filed July 15, in which the university claimed there are simply no allegations sufficient to sustain a claim of intentional discrimination.

OUs public affairs office issued this statement to The Oklahoman on Friday: The University of Oklahoma takes seriously its obligation to students and to properly administer financial aid. While we cannot comment on the specifics of ongoing litigation, our policies and procedures adhere to applicable laws."

The Oklahoma Council of Public Affairs, a conservative lobbying group, is among the groups representing the students in the case. Trent England, listed on the council's website as a primary media contact, did not immediately respond to a message seeking comment, left on Friday.

The lawsuit states that, Rather than determining who to admit based on their race, the University of Oklahoma determines how much financial aid it gives to students based on their race. That is unlawful. It notes elsewhere, There is no legitimate basis for privileging the financial needs of students of one race over the financial needs of students of other races.

The lawsuit alleges the three students received less assistance from OU because of race-based policies that guide the distribution of financial aid. The council has said it used a statistical analysis of publicly available data from 2009 to 2022 to conclude that OU considers race when awarding financial aid. OU has questioned the integrity of that analysis.

The best Plaintiffs can muster is a supposed sophisticated statistical analysis, shrouded in secrecy, which they claim shows that the aggregate financial aid over the last thirteen years has been disproportionally awarded to Black students, OUs motion read. However, in higher education there are many different forms of financial aid, some of which are awarded based on federal or state formulas that the University does not control.

Practices from thirteen years ago do not reflect practices today. Thus, an aggregate analysis does nothing to establish that the University intentionally discriminated against Plaintiffs, let alone can it establish that Plaintiffs were personally denied some form of aid they otherwise would have received but for a racial preference.

Groups that filed brief in support of OU's position are at odds with university in another federal lawsuit

The two nonprofit groups noted they arent always in alignment with OU on legal matters, noting theyre currently involved in federal litigation against the university concerning House Bill 1775, a law that targets the teaching of critical race theory in Oklahoma schools.

Because ACLU OK is dedicated to preventing discrimination, it has a special interest in ensuring that Defendants do not endure frivolous claims of discrimination based on misunderstandings of the law, like those brought by Plaintiffs in this case, the ACLU stated in the brief.

We found it necessary to step in because the plaintiffs provide no support for their far-reaching allegations, said Chavis Jones, the associate counsel in the Educational Opportunities Project for the Lawyers Committee. Targeting financial support for hardworking Black students is part of an insidious trend to attempt to expand the scope of the Supreme Courts decision on college admissions last year. We stand on watch to fiercely fight back these cowardly attempts to weaponize a civil rights law against the very students it was intended to protect.

Jones and his colleague, Maya Brodziak, joined ACLU attorneys Megan Lambert and Adam Hines in submitting the brief.

The nonprofits brief includes a lengthy section listing what they call Oklahomas and OUs contentious background with race relations. Plaintiffs paint a seemingly rosy picture for Black students attending OU because of the campuss efforts to support students through non-exclusionary, Black-centered events. But the reality is that Black students at OU have to contend with a long history of racial discrimination by OU and Oklahoma that still infects their daily experiences on OUs campus today.

That section includes mentions of school segregation in Oklahoma Territory in the 1800s and notes that new state Legislatures first acts after statehood in 1907, it wrote racial segregation into the law. It mentions two landmark court cases filed in the 1940s and 1950s by Black students who wanted to attend OU.

It also mentioned events of more recent vintage: In 2015, the OU Sigma Alpha Epsilon Fraternity made national news for a racist chant. The fraternity chapter was shut down, and two members leading the chant left the university. In 2019, two more students left the university after wearing blackface in a video and using a racial slur. Later that year, a student posted a photo wearing a mud mask and appearing to mock campus blackface incidents. Soon after that, students protested after the use of a racial slur by two faculty members in class.

The lawsuit is an attempt to build on a U.S. Supreme Court decision in 2023, in which the court ruled affirmative action admission policies at Harvard College and the University of North Carolina to be unconstitutional. The court said those policies violate the Equal Protection Clause of the Fourteenth Amendment. Affirmative action is a policy meant to correct for the lingering effects of discrimination against historically disadvantaged groups.

This article originally appeared on Oklahoman: ACLU supports OU in suit filed by white students alleging discrimination
The American Civil Liberties Union and the law firm Butler Curwood are suing Liberty University for workplace discrimination against a transgender woman. (Stock photo by Vladimir Vladimirov/Getty Images)

Liberty University, a private institution in Lynchburg, is facing a lawsuit for allegedly firing an employee after she disclosed her identity as a trans woman.

On Monday, the American Civil Liberties Union of Virginia announced that it and the law firm Butler Curwood filed the lawsuit on behalf of Ellenor Zinski, who they claim was fired in violation of Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964, which prohibits employment discrimination based on race, color, religion, sex and national origin.

Liberty University did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

No one should be fired because of who they are  but Liberty University made it clear thats exactly why it fired Ellenor, said Wyatt Rolla, the ACLU of Virginias senior transgender rights attorney, in a statement. Workplace discrimination against transgender people is against the law, and its especially telling that Liberty University sees a practicing Christians gender identity as so antithetical to its mission that it was willing to flout the law in order to cast out one of its own.

According to the ACLU, Zinski was hired to work at Libertys IT Helpdesk last year and received a positive review from her supervisor. Three months after being hired, her supervisor told Zinski that her performance was above average and she was on the path to success.

However, things started to change after she notified the universitys Human Resources Department that she identifies as a trans woman and planned to change her name legally.

ACLU said Zinski had not received a response for over a month. She later met with leaders from Human Resources and IT.

Officials read a termination notice aloud, citing denying biological and chromosomal sex assigned at birth as the basis for her termination, stating a conflict with Libertys Doctrinal Statement that names denial of birth sex by self-identification with a different gender as a sinful act prohibited by God.

According to the ACLU, Ellenor is a devout Christian who is committed to Libertys mission of preaching Christ. She is an active member of her local church, Trinity Episcopal, whose pastor fully supported her transition, even providing gender-affirming clothing.

The first time anyone ever told me God made me this way was at Trinity Episcopal Church, said Ellenor Zinski. Christianity has been so weaponized against the LGBTQ community, but there doesnt need to be a conflict: You can be transgender and Christian. I am.

According to the ACLU, Zinski is seeking declaratory relief that Liberty Universitys policy violates Title VII and compensatory and punitive damages.

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What I saw made me ashamed: Secret Services new head said he cant defend leaving roof unsecured near Trump rally

Acting Secret Service Director Ronald Rowe said that he cannot defend why that roof was not better secured at a campaign rally where a gunman opened fire at Donald Trump from 500 feet away.

Rowe testified before the Senate Judiciary Committee and Senate Homeland Security & Governmental Affairs Committee on Tuesday that he had visited the rally site in Butler, Pennsylvania, something his predecessor had not done.

I laid in a prone position to evaluate his line of sight. What I saw made me ashamed. As a career law enforcement officer, and a 25-year veteran with the Secret Service, I cannot defend why that roof was not better secured, Rowe said in his opening statement.

The shooting was a failure on multiple levels, he added.

Rowe is testifying days after he was tapped to serve in the top Secret Service role. His predecessor, Kimberly Cheatle, tendered her resignation one day after she testified on July 22 before the House Oversight Committee, prompting lawmakers on both sides of the aisle to call for her to step down.

Acting Director of the Secret Service, Ronald Rowe (left) and Deputy Director of the FBI Paul Abbate appear for a Senate Judiciary Committee hearing on the attempted assassination of Donald Trump (REUTERS)

Rowe acknowledged the ongoing investigations into the shooting. I pledge my full support to those inquiriesso that the American people have a full understanding of what happened, leading up to and during the events of the July 13, he said.

This is a failure of the Secret Service.

That roof shouldve had better coverage and we will get to the bottom of whether there were any policy violations, Rowe later said. I could not, I will not, and I cannot understand why there was not better coverage or at least somebody looking at that roof line.

Rowe also laid some blame on local law enforcement, saying officers had the better perspective on the roof. Im not saying they should have neutralized him, but if they had held their post and looked left, then maybe the gunman could have been stopped, he said.

At one point, a heated exchange erupted between Texas Republican Senator Ted Cruz and Rowe.

Cruz brought up a Washington Post report which claimed that repeatedly requests made by Trump for additional security resources were rebuffed by the agency. Rowe said that claim was not true.

Rowe stood firm against aggressive questioning from lawmakers on both sides of the aisle (REUTERS)

I believe that the Secret Service leadership made a political decision to deny these requests, Cruz suggested. I think the Biden administration has been suffused with partisan politics. Cruz then asked whether the same person denied both Trumps requests and Robert F Kennedy Jrs requests.

Secret Service agents are not political, Rowe replied. Cruz started cutting in when Rowe interjected: I will get to your answer Senator if you allow me to.

Cruz then pressed about the size of President Joe Bidens detail compared to that of a former president.

Senator, there is a difference between the sitting president of the United States, Rowe began saying.

Whats the difference? 2x, 3x, 5x, 10x? Cruz interrupted.

The difference? National command authority to launch a nuclear strike, sir, there are other assets that travel with the president that the former president will not get but the number of Secret Service agents  Rowe said, speaking loudly over Cruz who was shouting at him, claiming he was refusing to answer the question.

Rowe said all of the Trump campaign requests for assets for the Butler rally were approved.

Minnesota Democratic Senator Amy Klobuchar asked Rowe to explain what went wrong to dispel conspiracy theories around the shooting.

This was a failure of imagination. The failure to imagine that we actually do live in a dangerous world where people actually do want to do harm to our protecteesWe didnt challenge our own assumptions. We assumed that someone was going to cover that, Rowe testified.

Secret Service agents swarm Donald Trump after he was struck by a bullet at the rally in Butler, Pennsylvania rally on July 13 (AP)

Rowe became the acting director after Cheatle stepped down last week. Lawmakers called for her resignation after she called the tragedy the most significant operational failure in decades in her testimony to the House.

On July 13, Thomas Matthew Crooks, 20, opened fire from a nearby rooftop into the rally venue, killing one, striking Trump, and injuring two others. A Secret Service agent killed Crooks at the scene.

Cheatle had previously acknowledged that the Secret Service was informed of a suspicious person two to five times before the shooting  and that the roof where Crooks fired his AR-15-style rifle was considered a security vulnerability.

We did not have anything beyond suspicious person that was communicated to us, Rowe testified. There were other calls that day of individuals who came to the attention of law enforcementHad we known that there was an individual out there, we would never let a protectee go out on stage.

Suspicion had not risen to the level of threat or imminent harm, Rowe later said. Without additional information at that point, were not rising to the level yet where perhaps we are pulling [Trump] off [the stage] or delaying him.

On Tuesday, Utah Republican Senator Mike Lee asked Rowe why Trump was allowed to take the stage 17 minutes after multiple reports of a suspicious person.

There was never a communication that there was an individual with a gun, a threat, or any other bad intentions, Rowe said.

FBI Deputy Director Paul Abbate also testified. He said no motive has been identified for the assassination attempt.

California Democratic Senator Laphonza Butler asked how Crooks was able to get a rifle on the rooftop.

We dont have definitive evidence, Abbate said, adding that he likely had it in the backpack. He said part of the rifle would have stuck out of the bag, since it would not have fully fit inside the backpack, yet no video footage or eye witness noted seeing anything popping out of it.

Its possible that he broke the rifle down and put it in the backpack, Abbate suggested. But, he said, no evidence has concluded that is what happened.

If this happened in the military, a lot of people would be fired, said South Carolina Republican Senator Lindsay Graham, ranking member of the Senate Judiciary Committee. Somebodys gotta be fired. Nothings going to change until somebody loses their job.

Florida Republican Senator Rick Scott labeled the Secret Service as a black hole that is losing the trust of the American people and suggested the agency give regular updates to the press about the matter.

Connecticut Democratic Senator Richard Blumenthal also asked for more transparency, asking Rowe to commit to producing documents in a more timely manner.

Rowe committed to making Secret Service agents available to speak to the panel within the next few days.

Trump has confirmed that he would be participating in an interview with the FBI about the assassination attempt.
U.S. Secret Service Acting Director Ronald Rowe, testifies during a Senate Committee on Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Senate Judiciary hearing examining the security failures leading to the assassination attempt on Republican presidential candidate former President Donald Trump, Tuesday, July 30, 2024 in Washington. | Rod Lamkey

The acting chief of the U.S. Secret Service told senators he was ashamed for his agencys failure to secure the rooftop from which a 20-year-old gunman took aim at former President Donald Trump at a rally in Pennsylvania on July 13. But despite his admission of fault, Republican lawmakers, including Sen. Mike Lee, pressed him for more answers at the Senate Judiciary Committee hearing Tuesday.

What I saw made me ashamed, acting Secret Service Director Ronald Rowe said in his testimony. As a career law enforcement officer, and a 25-year veteran with the Secret Service, I cannot defend why that roof was not better secured.

In his testimony, Rowe detailed the action the federal agency has taken since the attack on Trump. But throughout the hearing, even as he explained the security failures at the rally, he failed to provide concrete answers about the Secret Services lapses when questioned by GOP senators who accused the agency of treating Trump differently than they would President Joe Biden.

Does Secret Service treat the sitting president differently than the former president?

Sen. Mike Lee, R-Utah, pressed Rowe over why Trump took the stage minutes after multiple suspicious person reports were provided, complete with photos and information suggesting that the assailant had a range finder.

Rowe said the Secret Service didnt hear any communication about the individual being armed or having an intention to shoot. He said he would get back to Lee with the number of suspicious person reports the law enforcement agency received that day.

Would Secret Service have allowed this to happen to President Biden?



Or Vice President Harris?

pic.twitter.com/eFhfrkGeR8  Mike Lee (@BasedMikeLee) July 30, 2024

In his written testimony, Rowe said, At 5:43 p.m., a local Butler County Emergency Services Unit counter sniper team member texted the Secret Service counter sniper team leader about a suspicious person and sent two photos of the individual, later identified to be the assailant. The former president took the stage seven minutes later.

Lee continued, Would President Biden ever be allowed on stage under similar circumstances with an unresolved set of multiple suspicious person reports provided, including indicating that there was a rangefinder involved?

To this, Rowe said it would depend on the situation. For us, it comes down to ... a potential threat. Is the individual carrying an (improvised explosive device)? Is there a weapon?

During his interaction with Sen. Ted Cruz, R-Texas, Rowe maintained that Secret Service agents are not political. The conversation got heated when Cruz accused the federal agency of diverting resources from the Trump campaign to first lady Jill Bidens event. Rowe said Cruzs assertion was false.

Meanwhile California Democratic Sen. Laphonza Butler praised Rowe for being authoritative.

She added, He has proven that he had been out at the camps, at the site, and he is taking responsibility.

Secret Service acting director fails to answer important questions

According to CNN, Cruz said Rowe appeared more forthcoming than Kimberly A. Cheatle, the former Secret Service director, who resigned after Republicans and Democrats called for her ouster after she testified in the U.S. House.

Thats a step forward, the Texas senator said. But when asked specific questions, (Rowe) would not provide specific answers.

Rowe sidestepped several of Lees questions, including one about the eight shell casings found next to the assailants body. He was neutralized after the first shot, where did those other shots come from? the Utah senator asked.

Rowe said the Secret Service is still carrying out a ballistic analysis. He also couldnt answer why the sniper teams were assigned to the rooftop overlooking where the shots were fired.

Sen. Mike Lee, R-Utah, questions U.S. Secret Service Acting Director Ronald Rowe and Federal Bureau of Investigation Deputy Director Paul Abbate, during a Senate Committee on Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Senate Judiciary hearing examining the security failures leading to the assassination attempt on Republican presidential candidate former President Donald Trump, Tuesday, July 30, 2024, in Washington. | Kevin Wolf

Lee called on Rowe to provide details to Congress on the questions left unanswered as more information comes to light. He also asked Rowe to submit the list of requests Trumps protective detail and campaign made to the Secret Service for additional resources.

The timeline of events leading up to the assassination attempt

The shooter fired three shots aimed at Trump at 6:11 p.m., around the same time when the sniper team checked in with local law enforcement about a tip of a suspicious person.

No information regarding a weapon on the roof was ever passed to our personnel, Rowe said at the hearing.

Within three seconds, the former Presidents detail rushed the stage and covered former President Trump, shielding him with their bodies, Rowe said. Roughly 15 seconds later, the Secret Service neutralized the assailant. One of the first three shots pierced through Trumps ear, Rowe said.

Upon Rowes direction, the Secret Service will now require three agents to ensure security plans are vetted, expand the use of drones to detect threats on roofs and other high structures and heighten the use of agents, uniformed officers and technical support personnel for events like the upcoming Democratic National Convention in November.

The Secret Service also began protecting vice presidential nominee Sen. JD Vance and his family, as well as presidential candidate Robert F. Kennedy, Jr., whose father and uncle were killed by assassins.

Rowe also indicated during the hearing that the agency will add 200 agents to its force before the 2028 Olympics in Los Angeles, marking the first time the agency increased its staffing in a number of years.

Rowe promised his agency would cooperate with all the investigations launched into the attack, including those opened by Congress, the FBI, the Homeland Security Department and the White House. The Secret Services Office of Professional Responsibility is conducting an internal review of whether any agents violated protocol.
Acting Director of the United States Secret Service Ronald Rowe and Deputy Director of the FBI Paul Abbate testified before a Senate committee about the July 13 assassination attempt against former President Donald Trump. Photo by Bonnie Cash/UPI

July 30 (UPI) -- Acting U.S. Secret Service director Ronald Rowe Jr. told a Senate committee Tuesday that he identified issues in the agency's security at the site of the failed assassination attempt of former President Donald Trump on July 13.

Senators from the Judiciary and Homeland Security Committees took part in the hearing, called the "Examination of the Security Failures Leading to the Assassination Attempt on Former President Trump."

Trump's security detail did not have "any knowledge" that there was a man with a firearm on the roof of a nearby building, according to Rowe. It was not until shots were fired that the security team, including Secret Service snipers, became aware of the shooter. Rowe later reiterated that the agency did not know there was an armed person at the rally.

Rowe testified that information about a potential security threat was "stuck" with local law enforcement and did not make it to Secret Service officers. If it had, he said agents would have addressed it more quickly.

"The only thing we had was that locals were working an issue at the three o'clock. Nothing about a man on the roof, nothing about a man with a gun," he said. "It appears that information was stuck or siloed in that local channel."

Acting Director of the United States Secret Service Ronald Rowe testified that he "identified gaps" in security during the July 13 assassination attempt against Donald Trump and that the agency is already working on fixing them. Photo by Bonnie Cash/UPI

Lawmakers continued to press for more details on how the shooter -- 20-year-old Thomas Matthew Crooks of Bethel Park, Pa. -- was able to post himself on an adjacent building and what his motive was.

Images of the agency's view of the roof where Crooks fired multiple shots were displayed to the senators. As they were examining the counter-snipers' point of view, Rowe expressed frustration about not having better coverage of the roof.

Deputy Director of the FBI Paul Abbate testified that investigators recently discovered a social media account potentially belonging to shooter Thomas Matthew Crooks that appeared "to reflect anti-Semitic and anti-immigration themes, to espouse political violence and are described as extreme in nature." Photo by Bonnie Cash/UPI

Rowe explained that the view of Crooks was likely blocked by the roof. He was killed 15.5 seconds after firing his first shot.

FBI Deputy Director Paul Abbate also testified. He said investigators recently discovered a social media account believed to be Crooks'.

Acting Director of the United States Secret Service Ronald Rowe testified that he has "lost sleep" over the agency's response to the assassination attempt against former President Donald Trump. Photo by Bonnie Cash/UPI

"If ultimately attributable to the shooter, appear to reflect anti-Semitic and anti-immigration themes, to espouse political violence and are described as extreme in nature," Abbate said.

The tense hearing became more heated as Rep. Rick Scott, R-Fla., derided Abbate for a lack of transparency, followed shortly by Rep. Josh Hawley, R-Mo., becoming combative with Rowe for not immediately firing those involved with security on July 13.

Rowe responded that an investigation must be completed and he will not rush to judgment before holding individuals accountable.

"This could have been our Texas School Book Depository," Rowe responded. "I have lost sleep over that for the last 17 days, just like you have."

Rowe examined the site of the rally in Butler, Pa. He testified that he "identified gaps" in security and that the agency is already working on fixing them.

"I will not wait for the results of those investigations," Rowe said.

Rowe added that the agency will use drones and dispatch "experienced supervisors" to vet the security plans at events to prevent another gap in security.

One person was killed in the shooting and at least two more were injured.

Rowe was elevated to the role of acting director following the resignation of Kimberly Cheatle. She resigned after testifying to the House Oversight and Accountability Committee last week.

Committee Chairman James Comer, R-Ky., and ranking Rep. Jamie Raskin, D-Md., wrote in a joint letter to Cheatle that she "failed to provide answers to basic questions regarding that stunning operational failure." The letter called on her to resign.
Acting Secret Service Director Ronald Rowe and FBI Deputy Director Paul Abbate faced a grilling from lawmakers about the attempted assassination of Donald Trump at his rally in Butler, Pennsylvania, earlier this month.

The two officials testified before a Senate panel on Tuesday about security arrangements at the site and the status of ongoing investigations into what occurred both on July 13 and in the days leading up to the shooting.

New details have emerged about the shooting, including a potential social media account owned by the shooter and questions about when the Secret Service first saw the gunman on the roof. Officials have also confirmed, after the FBI director's ambiguous comments last week raised questions about what struck Trump, that the former president was hit by a bullet.

MORE: Failure of communication: Local SWAT team details account of Trump rally assassination attempt

PHOTO: Acting Director of the U.S. Secret Service, Ronald L. Rowe, Jr. and Deputy Director of the FBI Paul Abbate are sworn-in before a Senate Judiciary Committee, July 30, 2024, in Washington. (Umit Bektas/Reuters)

Rowe told lawmakers he was "ashamed" of the protection failures that day and said he visited the site of the shooting as one of his first acts as acting director.

"I went to the roof of the AGR building where the assailant fired shots and laid in a prone position to evaluate his line of sight. What I saw made me ashamed," Rowe said in his opening statement. "As a career law enforcement officer, and a 25-year veteran with the Secret Service, I cannot defend why that roof was not better secured."

Here are some key moments from the hearing.

Questions over timeline emerge

Rowe, who took over as the head of the Secret Service after former director Kim Cheatle's resignation earlier this month, testified that Trump's security detail didn't have "any knowledge" there was an attacker on the roof with a gun prior to shots ringing out.

"It is my understanding those personnel were not aware that the assailant had a firearm until they heard gunshots," he said. "Prior to that, they were operating with the knowledge that local law enforcement was working on issue of a suspicious individual prior to the shots being fired."

In dramatic fashion, he also displayed pictures of where the local sniper team was supposed to be posted and showed images of his agents re-enacting the shooter's position.

Rowe also said if they had "more information" about the 30 seconds between finding out the shooter had a gun on the roof and him opening fire, they would've been able to address it "more quickly."

"It appears that that information was stuck or siloed in that state local channel," Rowe said.

MORE: Secret Service spotted Trump rally shooter on roof 20 minutes before gunfire erupted

Rowe said that while it was great there was a texting chain, more needs to go "over the net," meaning, there needs to be more radio communication, which apparently there was a lack of during July 13.

Rowe was pressed on reports that 20 minutes passed between the time Secret Service snipers first spotted the gunman on a rooftop and the time shots were fired at the former president. Rowe said it was the "first" he was hearing of that and to his knowledge it was "incorrect."

Abbate also testified about the timeline, saying approximately 25 minutes prior to the shooting, the Secret Service command post was notified of a suspicious person.

Abbate recently discovered video footage from a local business that shows the shooter getting onto the roof of the building at 6:06 p.m., and he was spotted by local law enforcement at 6:08 p.m. At approximately 6:11 p.m., Abbate said, a local police officer who was "lifted to the roof by another officer, saw the shooter and radioed that he was armed with a 'long gun.' Within approximately the next 30 second, the shots were fired."

Drone system was down, Rowe says it could've prevented shooting

The acting Secret Service director said that if cellular capability was better on July 13, they could've launched a counter drone system sooner and potentially stopped the attack.

It is "something that has cost me a lot of sleep because of the eventual outcome of the assailant," Rowe said.

PHOTO: Acting Director of the U.S. Secret Service, Ronald L. Rowe, Jr. testifies before a Senate Judiciary Committee hearing, July 30, 2024, in Washington. (Umit Bektas/Reuters)

Rowe said he grappled with circumstances that could have allowed drones to spot the gunman before he opened fire.

"That what if we ... geo-located him because that counter UAS platform had been up? It is something that I have struggled with to understand," he continued. "I have no explanation for, it is something that I feel as though we could have perhaps found him. We could have maybe stopped him. Maybe on that particular day, he would have decided this isn't the day to do it, because law enforcement just found me flying my drone."

The countering drone system was down for about two hours and went back online at 5 p.m., Rowe testified.

The gunman flew his own drone near the site hours before the shooting.

Shooter's motive still unknown, social media account discovered

The FBI deputy director said in his opening statement that the investigation remains focused on motive, identifying any potential co-conspirators and building out the timeline of the shooter's actions.

"Thus far, though absolutely nothing has been ruled out, the investigation has not identified a motive nor any co-conspirators or others with advanced knowledge," Abbate said.

PHOTO: FBI Deputy Director Paul Abbate testifies before a Joint Senate Committee on Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs and Senate Committee on the Judiciary hearing, July 30, 2024, in Washington. (Kevin Wolf/AP)

Abbate also told Congress that they recently discovered a social media account from 2019 to 2020 that appeared to belong to the shooter, but Abbate couched it as preliminary.

"There were over 700 comments posted from this account," Abbate said. "Some of these comments, if ultimately attributable to the shooter, appear to reflect antisemitic and anti-immigration themes to espouse political violence and are described as extreme in nature," he said.

Rowe pressed on accountability in heated exchange

Rowe told lawmakers he is taking "immediate steps" to avoid repeating failures at the Trump rally including expanding the use of unmanned aerial systems to check unprotected areas, improving site communications with local partners and increasing the number of security details to address a heightened security environment.

Rowe also said he heard the calls for "accountability" and noted the Secret Service is reviewing the actions and decision-making of personnel leading up to the rally.

PHOTO: Acting Director of the U.S. Secret Service, Ronald L. Rowe, Jr. and Deputy Director of the FBI Paul Abbate appear for a Senate Judiciary Committee hearing, July 30, 2024, in Washington. (Umit Bektas/Reuters)

"If this investigation reveals Secret Service employees violated agency protocols, those employees will be held accountable to our disciplinary process," he said.

Senators on both sides of the aisle said there needs to be "individual accountability" for who was responsible for what during the shooting.

A particularly heated exchange ensued between Republican Sen. Josh Hawley and Rowe over why certain individuals had not been relieved of duty, with both men raising their voices. In the exchange, Rowe said Hawley was focused on one person rather than a whole investigative failure.

MORE: Secret Service Director Kimberly Cheatle resigns

"Is it not prima facie that somebody has failed? The former president was shot," Hawley pressed.

Rowe responded: "Sir, this could have been our Texas School Book Depository. I have lost sleep over that for the last 17 days." Rowe was referencing the building that Lee Harvey Oswald was in during the assassination of President John F. Kennedy.

"Then just fire somebody!" Hawley exclaimed.

"I will tell you, senator, that I will not rush to judgment, that people will be held accountable, and I will do so with integrity and not rush to judgment and put people unfairly prosecuted," Rowe responded.

'No doubt' Trump was hit by bullet

Sen. John Kennedy pressed Abbate on what struck President Trump.

"Is there any doubt in your mind or in the collective mind of the FBI that President Trump was shot in the ear by a bullet fired by the assassin?" Kennedy asked.

"Senator, there is absolutely no doubt in the FBI's mind whether former President Trump was hit with the with a bullet and wounded in the ear. No doubt. There never has been," Abbate said.

MORE: Trump will sit for 'victim interview' in assassination attempt investigation, FBI says

Last week, the FBI released a statement also emphasizing that what struck Trump was a "bullet, whether whole or fragmented into smaller pieces, fired from the deceased subjects rifle."

Abbate reiterated Tuesday that it was a bullet "100%."

ABC News' Alexandra Hutzler contributed to this report.

Acting Secret Service director grilled about Trump assassination attempt as new details emerge originally appeared on abcnews.go.com
MORAINE, Ohio (WDTN)  Homeland Security is asking the public once again for help relating to a large investigation at over two-dozen locations.

On Friday, July 26, Homeland Security Investigations in Detroit, in partnership with other federal organizations, served 28 search warrants in Butler and Montgomery counties. One of the locations searched was Fuyao Glass America in Moraine.

Federal officials were in the Dayton area investigating allegations of the following:

Financial crime

Money laundering

Labor exploitation

Potential human smuggling violations

Dayton leader testifies on Capitol Hill in support of community funding

A partial statement from Amy Lei, vice president of Fuyao Glass America, is below:

Today, federal government agents and supporting local law enforcement officers visited Fuyao Glass America, Inc. (FGA) as part of an investigation which we believe involves certain FGA contractors, said Lei. The Company intends to cooperate fully with the investigation.

HSI is still asking the public to assist in the investigation on what someone could know.

We welcome the publics continued assistance in this case, and we remain committed to following the facts and presenting our case in a court of law, said HSI.

If you would like to provide information, please call 1-877-447-4847. You can also either send an email or scan the QR code.

Copyright 2024 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.

For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to WDTN.com.
The notorious former co-owner of PrivatBank, Gennadiy Bogolyubov, appears to have neglected to inform the High Court of London about his ties to a luxury Radisson hotel in Croatia, despite his obligation to disclose assets.

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According to a report by Telegraph, it has been uncovered that several companies and their executives, closely associated with the former owners of PrivatBank, are co-owners and managers of the Radisson Blu Resort & Spa, Split in Croatia.

This hotel is owned by three entities: AEDRO FINANCE LTD (a Belize offshore company), the Croatian firm MEMENTO d.o.o., and the Cypriot company OLBIA INVESTMENTS LIMITED. The latter is one of the debtors believed to be linked to individuals from the PrivatBank era of Bogolyubov and Kolomoisky and appears on the relevant list.

OLBIA INVESTMENTS LIMITED, through the offshore entity MERVINOX HOLDING LTD, is co-owned by Serhiy Disterhov, who is reportedly a "Bogolyubovs man." The director of the companies that own and manage the hotel is Marianna Giannakou, who also manages a number of other assets within the Bogolyubov-Kolomoisky clan.

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The Radisson Blu Resort & Spa, Split has been actively developing and was recently upgraded from a 4-star to a 5-star hotel. At present, it is not included in the list of properties subject to the High Court of London's so-called Freezing Order concerning the seizure of Kolomoisky-Bogolyubov assets. However, in light of the disclosed facts, the situation surrounding this asset warrants thorough examination.

Previously, the High Court of England issued a worldwide asset freeze order against Bogolyubov and Kolomoisky. The court also mandated that they disclose their assets and limited their weekly expenditure to 20,000 euros. Ihor Kolomoisky is currently in custody, while Hennadiy Bogolyubov recently left Ukraine using another person's passport.
The City of Adelanto has announced hydrant flushing over the next several months to improve water quality and service.

The Adelanto Public Utility Authority and Perc Water will conduct the water distribution mainline flushing through fire hydrants in the city.

The City of Adelanto has announced hydrant flushing over the next several months to improve water quality and service.

Residents are being notified of the flushing program and signs will be posted in the area to inform residents, city officials stated.

Flushing main lines, dead-ends, and hydrants is necessary to clean the underground water system, improving water quality by removing mineral and sediment deposits that accumulate over time, the city said.

While not harmful to customers, the substances can cause aesthetic water quality issues when they are not periodically flushed from the system, according to the city.

During flushing activities, hydrants are opened for a limited period at strategic points of the system, moving water through the pipes at a high velocity to discharge the minerals and sediments that settle in the pipes over time.

Flushing also helps to maintain flow and pressure in the water system. Given the current drought in California, a minimal amount of water will be released during flushing activities, the agencies stated.

During the flushing process, residential and business customers may experience temporary fluctuations in water pressure or temporary presence of sediment in water during flushing periods.

Rusty brown or cloudy water may appear, but poses no health hazard, the agencies said.

Most presence of any sedimentation will subside within an hour or two once flushing in the area is complete that day.

During the flushing, it is recommended that customers minimize water usage by avoiding using the dishwasher, faucets, and laundry. Water service should not be interrupted by flushing activities.

For more information, email doros@percwater.com or visit the City of Adelanto's website.

Daily Press reporter Rene Ray De La Cruz may be reached at RDeLaCruz@VVDailyPress.com. Follow him on X @DP_ReneDeLaCruz

This article originally appeared on Victorville Daily Press: Adelanto prepares for hydrant flushing to improve water quality, service
Buttons that say "Freedom Summer" sit on a table during the Power Coalition for Equity and Justice's kickoff event it for its voter registration and education drive on July 5, 2024, in New Orleans.

Buttons that say "Freedom Summer" sit on a table during the Power Coalition for Equity and Justice's kickoff event it for its voter registration and education drive on July 5, 2024, in New Orleans. (Verite News photo)

A Louisiana voting rights advocacy group is touring the state this summer to register Black voters and educate residents on their voting rights in order to increase turnout in the 2024 elections.

In honor of the 1964 Freedom Summer voter registration drive, the Power Coalition for Equity and Justice is going to cities across Louisiana on a tour named after the historic civil rights era political action. The group is registering residents to vote in these cities and informing them on how to navigate potential barriers to vote.

For instance, organizers have been teaching residents about a new state law going into effect Aug. 1, stipulating that only immediate family members or voter registrar employees will be able to assist with absentee ballots for more than one voter.

The tour also features information on polling locations and speakers from various social justice and social support organizations, such as the NAACP, Voice of the Experienced and Women with a Vision.

In addition to the presidential election, voters in Louisiana will decide in November on six congressional seats, a state Supreme Court judgeship and a ballot measure related to federal revenues from energy production. Ashley Shelton, founder and CEO of the Power Coalition, said her organization wants to make sure Louisiana voters know what is on the ballot.

We need voters to make it down the ballot and understand the power they have to change not only their communities but the country, Shelton said.

The tour has already stopped in New Orleans, Baton Rouge and Alexandria in July and will go to DeSoto Parish, Shreveport and Opelousas in August. At least part of each of those cities are located in the 2nd and 6th congressional districts, both of which are majority-Black in the state where nearly a third of the population is Black.

The 6th Congressional District was newly drawn by lawmakers earlier this year and will be used in the 2024 election cycle, despite legal challenges. Louisiana will also see two majority-Black state Supreme Court districts after Gov. Jeff Landry signedSenate Bill 255 into law this year; the state previously had only one majority-Black district for its highest court.

Black voters werent able to actually elect candidates of choice in their districts, and the way that the maps were drawn, you had lots of places where the Black vote was cracked and/or packed, Shelton said, referring to racial gerrymandering and its impact on elections.

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Jared Evans, a Louisiana native and senior policy counsel with the NAACPs Legal Defense Fund, litigated the case to secure a new Black congressional district. He is joining Shelton for parts of the tour to talk to people about the legal implications of the Voting Rights Act.

In an interview, Evans spoke of the importance of honoring the original Freedom Summer, saying the country is at another inflection point in our democracy as it was in 1964.

Not a whole lot has changed, its just the methods of voter suppression have evolved, Evans said. During the original Freedom Summer, they were just fighting to be seen [and] to be heard. At this moment, we fought for over three years just to have fair representation.

In addition to lack of representation, Black voters have been dealing with the closure of polling places and voting restrictions due to criminal records. Evans said groups like the Power Coalition, NAACP and Southern Poverty Law Center are working to protect voters rights despite these challenges.

People had been voting in the same location for 30 or 40 years, and they went to that same place, and it was closed or merged. There were no signs telling them where to go, Evans said. Minority groups like the Power Coalition, like the NAACP, like Black Voters Matter, had to serve essentially to the function of the Secretary of State and election officials.

The Freedom Summer tour is one of several initiatives by civil rights and social justice groups in the Deep South to increase Black voter turnout. The Southern Poverty Law Center has partnered with the Community Foundation of Greater Atlanta to award grants to organizations in the Deep South for voter outreach.

At this years Essence Fest, the Lawyers Committee for Civil Rights Under Law launched a campaign to get Black women to serve as poll monitors. And the National Urban League held multiple voting rights events at its annual conference in New Orleans this month.

Theres a long legacy of community organizing [and] partnerships between local and national organizations to bring equity and opportunity and voice to the state of Louisiana, Shelton said.

The Freedom Summer tours next stop is in DeSoto Parish on Aug. 2. To learn more, visit powercoalition.org/freedomsummer.

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This article first appeared on Verite News and is republished here under a Creative Commons license.
The News

NAIROBI/LAGOS  Governments in African countries including Nigeria and Uganda are facing growing discontent, with planned protests by youthful demonstrators calling attention to long-standing issues including high unemployment, corruption and economic stagnation.

It comes against the backdrop of massive youth-led protests in Kenya over the past month in opposition to proposed tax hikes and corruption.

In Nigeria, planned nationwide protests against corruption and economic hardship are set to begin on Aug. 1. While asserting that Nigerians had the right to peacefully demonstrate, the military on July 25 promised to intervene to prevent any violence. The recent relaunching of a $70 million youth investment fund and the announcement of vacancies in the state-owned oil firm NNPC have been seen as moves to forestall the demonstrations. President Bola Tinubu also met various local leaders and clerics ahead of the planned protests.

Uganda witnessed a heavy police crackdown last week as youth-led campaigners attempted to march to the countrys parliament to protest alleged corruption in government. Over 100 people were arrested even as President Yoweri Museveni claimed the protests were financed by foreign entities.

Its a wake up call to African governments, Dr. Xavier Ichani, an international relations researcher at Kenyatta University, in Nairobi, told Semafor Africa. Governments need to move with speed and address the grievances of the people, he said, adding that a failure to do so will see the masses rise up.

Know More

With a median age of 19, Africa is home to the worlds youngest population. More than 400 million people on the continent are aged between 15 and 35. A limited number of employment opportunities, coupled with questionable governance and a rising cost of living, has been central to the frustration of youth across the continent.

Social media has helped African youths in different countries to make connections between their challenges. Young Ugandans and Nigerians, for instance, have used X to mobilize and discuss issues in much the same way that Kenyans coalesced on the platform before taking to the streets. In some instances, Kenyans have used social media to share experiences and ideas on how to stage the most effective protests.

This is also a new era of Pan-Africanism because the struggles of African youth are the same, 28-year old Collins Waiguru, who has been attending protests in Kenya, told Semafor Africa. A lot of these countries have corrupt political classes and yet the people are poor, with no jobs.

Step Back

In Kenya, mostly Gen Z and millennial protesters forced the government to drop proposed tax hikes contained in the unpopular Finance Bill 2024 in July, and continue to demand the resignation of President William Ruto. Sixty people have been killed over the course of the protests in Kenya, according to the government-funded Kenya National Commission on Human Rights (KNCHR). Protesters demands include the prosecution of police officers involved in extrajudicial killings.

President Ruto dismissed nearly his entire cabinet at the height of the protests and placed several senior opposition leaders in key positions in his new cabinet  ostensibly providing greater political stability for his administration. He also reappointed several cabinet secretaries he had earlier dismissed, fueling protesters anger.

Kenyatta Universitys Ichani argued that the youth protests were unlikely to immediately trigger regime change in African countries. But he said they could fundamentally alter voting patterns in future elections and force concessions from governments, just as they did in Kenya.

The View From Lagos

Joachim MacEbong, a governance and policy analyst based in Nigerias commercial capital Lagos, emphasized that Africas youth had shared frustrations, from South Africa to Morocco. He said governments needed to effect policies to accelerate job creation, and reduce corruption. MacEbong described the level of corruption as unsustainable in many barely growing African economies.

The immediate causes of the protests in Kenya, Uganda, Nigeria and elsewhere are different, but the broad drivers are the same, he observed. So when Nigerian youths see their counterparts in Kenya and Uganda rise in protest, they find that there is no shortage of things to protest about at home.
GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. (WOOD)  The Michigan Department of Attorney General says the case against Brian Keely, the former Michigan State Police detective sergeant charged with the murder of Samuel Sterling, should remain in state court.

In late June, Keelys lawyers filed a motion requesting that the case be moved to federal court. They argued that Keely was assigned to a U.S. Marshals Service fugitive task force at the time, so the case fell under federal jurisdiction.

Lawyers want to move MSP detective murder case to federal court

In a response filed Monday, the attorney generals office disagreed, saying the case did not meet the criteria to be removed to federal court.

At the time the underlying incident occurred Keely was not an officer of the United States or acting under one, and he was not acting under color of any federal law, the response reads.

Expert: Pros, cons for MSP sgt. if murder case moved to federal court

The attorney generals office also said the case should be tried in state court because Michigan has a compelling state interest in protecting its citizens from the use of excessive force by police officers and any federal defenses to the charges could be adjudicated within the state judicial system.

Keely was arraigned June 5 on second-degree murder and involuntary manslaughter. He pleaded not guilty to both charges.

Former MSP detective sgt. charged with murder in death of fleeing suspect

On April 17, Sterling, a 25-year-old from Grand Rapids who was a probation absconder and was wanted on felony warrants, took off from authorities when they tracked him down in Kentwood. Several officers chased him on foot into the parking lot of a Burger King, as did Keely in an unmarked vehicle.

Family shows News 8 a photo of Samuel Sterling.

Video previously released by MSP shows Sterling running away and then being hit by Keelys unmarked cruiser on the sidewalk leading into the restaurant. Sterling was hospitalized and died hours later. His death certificate shows he sustained multiple blunt force injuries.

Video shows man hit by unmarked MSP cruiser

Keelys lawyers have until Aug. 5 to file a response.

Copyright 2024 Nexstar Media, Inc. 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.
Alabama Secretary of State Wes Allen delivers his inaugural address during inauguration ceremonies at the Alabama State Capitol on Jan. 16, 2023 in Montgomery, Ala.

Alabama Secretary of State Wes Allen delivers his inaugural address during inauguration ceremonies at the Alabama State Capitol on Jan. 16, 2023 in Montgomery, Alabama. (Photo/Stew Milne)

Alabama Secretary of State Wes Allen Monday accused the League of Women Voters of capturing personal data on a voter registration website, an accusation the president of the group called a conspiracy theory.

Allen said in a Monday press release that a TV ad in Alabama produced by Vote411, an initiative of the League of Women Voters, captures voters data and captures users data, including IP addresses and contact information. The ad guides Alabamians to register to vote via the Vote411 website.

In the press release, Allen described the initiative as a sham, accusing Vote411 of data mining under the guise of voter registration assistance.

This is simply a shady way to collect the IP addresses and personal data of Alabama citizens, the statement said. In the websites fine print, the League of Women Voters disclose that The League may, from time to time, share the name and mailing address of its non-member financial supporters with other non-profit organizations.'

Kathy Jones, president of the League of Women Voters of Alabama and its Education Fund, said in an interview on Monday that Vote411 guides users to appropriate state websites for voter registration and other election-related services. Its the way it has been done for years, she said.

What Wes Allen said in his statement was very misleading. Hes trying to build a conspiracy when there is no conspiracy, Jones said.

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She said the primary goal of Vote411 is to assist voters in accessing election information in all states, including candidate positions, ballot amendments, and polling locations.

An Internet Protocol (IP) address is a unique string of numbers assigned to a device connected to the internet. Websites routinely collect IP addresses to facilitate communication and provide services. While an IP address alone does not reveal sensitive personal information, it can be used as a starting point for malicious activities.

Tracing IP addresses is legal and commonly done by websites, apps, and internet service providers, as long as its not for criminal activities, and individuals can also legally trace it unless they use hacking or deceptive methods, according to NordVPN, a global cybersecurity company.

Drew Springall, an assistant professor in computer science and software engineering at Auburn Universitys Samuel Ginn College of Engineering, said in a statement that although this is not some grand, insidious ploy, he doesnt see a reason to not send people directly to the official Alabama voter registration web site.

People might think they are registering to vote, but instead theyre registering for an email contact list. Unfortunately, its kind of normal for the Internet. Organizations want the ability to contact people for various reasons, he said.

Shannon Augustus, press secretary of the League of Women Voters of the United States, said in a statement that VOTE411 is transparent about the data collected on our website, and voters should rest assured that using the tool does not result in the selling or sharing of their personal data.

The League of Women voters states that their browser automatically sends us an Internet Protocol (IP) address and certain other information (including the type of browser you use). We will use this IP address and other information to manage our website.

Laney Rawls, a spokesperson for the Secretary of States office, did not respond to a question asking whether the Secretary of States website also records IP address and other information. Instead, she said that the Vote411 website coerces an individual into supplying personal identifying information such as their name, date of birth, home address, email address, and phone number under the guise of registering them to vote.

Jones said some information is stored if users want to receive information from Vote411 in the future, which they can opt out of.

What Wes Allen is saying is  the way he said it  to me, was said in a way that I feel like its trying to denigrate what were doing and the League of Women Voters is making democracy work, she said.

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Albuquerque man accused of selling 5K fentanyl pills to undercover official

ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. (KRQE)  A suspected drug dealer accused of assaulting federal agents will remain behind bars until trial.

A criminal complaint stated that 22-year-old Nicholas Mares sold 5,000 fentanyl pills to an undercover FBI agent agent back in May.

Pills in the road | Photo provided by US DOJ/FBI

Man sentenced for using New Mexico company to defraud clients

The FBI tried to pull Mares over about two months later when authorities said he rammed his car into the FBIs vehicle and then fled with a child in his car. They said around 10,000 fentanyl pills were dumped from Mares car during the chase.

Mars was charged with distribution of substance containing fentanyl, possession with intent to distribute, and assault on a federal officer. If convicted, he faces up to life in prison.

Copyright 2024 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.

For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to KRQE NEWS 13 - Breaking News, Albuquerque News, New Mexico News, Weather, and Videos.
Washington state law prohibits Flight Tap & Table in Richland from serving alcohol while its food permit is suspended.

Its license issued by the Washington state Liquor and Cannabis Board was tied to it being a restaurant, but its food permit was suspended earlier this month.

Court records also show one of the owners is facing a default judgment in a lawsuit over another business.

The restaurant and bar failed its routine food safety inspection by the Benton Franklin Health District in March with a score of 135 of the more serious red points. A passing grade is fewer than 35 red points.

Then it failed to pass stricter follow-up inspections March 19, May 2, May 31 and July 12.

The fourth failure resulted in the suspension of its food permit.

Flight Tap & Table at 502 Swift Blvd. in Richland has had its food permit suspended and must provide food service to sell alcoholic beverages under its Washington state liquor license.

Its liquor license was issued for a restaurant with a lounge required it to serve meals, and not just snacks, prepared on site, and for the business to be maintained as a place for preparing, cooking and serving meals with a chef or cook on duty.

An official with the state liquor board stopped by the business after its food permit was suspended and found it closed at that time, according to a spokesperson for the board.

Officials contacted the owner of Flight Tap & Table to let them know that serving alcohol, and not selling food, would be a violation of the businesss liquor license.

To end the suspension of its health district food permit, it must have an in-depth conversation at the district office to delve into the source of its food safety issues.

The health district said Monday that the owners of Flight Tap & Table had contacted the health district but had not moved toward reinstatement of its food permit.

Joey Casados and his wife, Amanda Thavone, opened Flight Tap & Table taphouse at 502 Swift Boulevard, in the building previously occupied by the Dupus Boomers restaurant in Richland.

Joey Casados and his wife, Amanda Thavone, opened Flight Tap & Table in January 2022 at 502 Swift Blvd., the former home to the Dupus Boomers restaurant. That restaurant closed in late 2017 after a little over a year in business.

Casados was the co-owner of TeaHaus shops in Richland on Swift Boulevard and in Kennewick at 5331 W. Canal Drive, both of them now closed. They sold tea products ranging from boba tea and smoothies to blended teas.

He faces a default judgment in Benton County Superior Court over the Kennewick TeaHaus, which opened in 2022 and was closed by early 2023.

Canal Village sued Teahaus and Casados in March 2023, saying it was in breach of its lease for the Kennewick location. The second owner of Teahaus, Pauline Vongsikhay, filed for Chapter 7 bankruptcy and was dismissed from the case.

It owed $33,000 in rent, plus interest, and nearly $5,000 in operating costs and had failed to maintain and pay utilities, according to the lawsuit. The lawsuit also asks for more than $363,000 in building improvements for Teahaus.

The Tri-City Herald was unable to reach Casados about reopening the Flight Tap & Table

According to the Flight Tap & Table website, a second restaurant was planned in Seattle but the status of that is unclear.
Editor's note: This story was updated Friday, Aug. 2.

As the Alexander Mountain Fire continues to burn west of Loveland, a handful of Northern Colorado organizations have stepped up to help those affected.

Want to support these efforts? Here's where to start:

If you're looking to donate food and items

The Food Bank for Larimer County

The Food Bank for Larimer County is carefully monitoring the status of the Alexander Mountain Fire and is open for anyone in need of food. The food bank is open from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. Tuesday, Thursday, Friday and Saturday and noon to 3 p.m. Wednesday at the following locations;

Loveland Fresh Food Share, 2600 N. Lincoln St.

Fort Collins Fresh Food Share, 1301 Blue Spruce Drive

Want to donate to the food bank? Information on eligible food and monetary donations can be found on its website.

Serve 6.8

Fort Collins nonprofit Serve 6.8 is accepting donations of hygiene items, unopened snack foods and gently used men's, women's and children's clothing and pajamas as part of its Alexander Mountain Fire disaster response. Donations can be brought to the Serve 6.8 Storehouse, 5701 McWhinney Blvd., Loveland.

Where to donate money

The Northern Colorado Disaster Recovery Fund was established by the Community Foundation of Northern Colorado to provide immediate and long-term relief and recovery.

The NoCo Foundation will work closely with state and county leaders, nonprofit organizations, and community members to understand evolving priorities and unmet needs.

The American Red Cross of Northern Colorado is providing daily services to evacuees including overnight shelters at Foundations Church, 1380 Denver Ave., Loveland, and at Estes Park Event Complex, 1125 Rooftop Way. Monetary donations can be made online.

The Food Bank for Larimer County is accepting monetary donations on its website.

NOCO Humane is providing shelter for smaller animals displaced by the Alexander Mountain Fire at its Larimer County campus. Donations can be made toward its efforts on the NOCO Humane website.

Serve 6.8 is accepting monetary donations on its website.

If you want to help animals displaced by the fire

NOCO Humane is accepting monetary donations to support displaced animals in the organization's care can be made to NOCO Humane Society on its website. The organization is also looking for people who would be able to "provide a safe space for a flock" of barnyard fowl, according to a post by the organization on Instagram. Those interested should fill out the organization's online form. Your information will then be included on a list available to "those who reach out and are in need of barnyard shelter," it said in its post. "... If you are seeking temporary shelter for your barnyard animal, please call our Client Services Team at 970.226.3647 ext. 0, and if coming here doesn't work out, we will privately share the list of helpers with you. While NOCO Humane would like to help connect pet owners with those who can help, we cannot be responsible for any arrangements made between the helper and the person seeking shelter. Aside from sharing contact info, we will not act as a middle-person and ask the involved parties to take it from there."

All Aboard Animal Rescue put out an emergency call for foster homes Monday due to some of its foster volunteers needing to evacuate the Alexander Mountain Fire area. Information can be found on the shelter's Facebook page.

How to offer your skills, services

If you're interested in offering your skills or services during the Alexander Mountain Fire, you can fill out this form to be contacted "as needs arise," Larimer County Sheriff's Office said in an alert as well as a post on X on July 31. Included on the form are sections to share your availability as well as select tasks you'd be able to do.

Do you know of other organized opportunities to help those affected by the Alexander Mountain Fire? Email ErinUdell@coloradoan.com for consideration.

Coloradoan editor Sarah Kyle contributed to this report.

This article originally appeared on Fort Collins Coloradoan: Alexander Mountain Fire: How you can help as fire burns near Loveland
Ultra-right-wing Israeli nationalists stormed two military facilities late Monday, protesting the detention and questioning of nine Israel Defense Forces reservists suspected of raping and abusing a Palestinian prisoner whose injuries were so bad he had to be hospitalized. Social media videos show guards at the Sde Teiman military base and prison, near Beersheba in southern Israel, shouting at and pushing military police who'd arrived to question the reservists, seemingly in defense of the suspects.

The Sde Teiman facility is known to hold Palestinians arrested in Gaza since Israel launched its war on the territory's Hamas rulers, in response to the group's gruesome Oct. 7 terrorist attack.

Flights disrupted as Israel contemplates retaliation against Hezbollah

The soldiers suspected of the abuse have been held for questioning, which is rare in Israel during an ongoing conflict, and it has drawn a furious reaction from far-right Israelis, including some senior government officials. On Monday evening, a group of Israelis attempted to storm another military facility, with one protester threatening an uprising against the government if the suspects remain in custody.

Israeli soldiers and police clash with far-right nationalist protesters after they broke into the Beit Lid army base over the detention for questioning of military reservists suspected of abusing a Palestinian detainee, July 29, 2024, in Kfar Yona, Israel. / Credit: OREN ZIV/AFP/Getty

The nine Israeli soldiers suspected of the abuse were to appear before a military court Tuesday. Israelis have been rattled by the events, which have highlighted the deep political divisions in the country.

A member of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's Likud party, speaking Monday at a meeting of lawmakers, justified the rape and abuse of Palestinian prisoners, shouting angrily at colleagues questioning the alleged behavior that anything was legitimate to do to "terrorists" in custody.

Lawmaker Hanoch Milwidsky was asked as he defended the alleged abuse whether it was legitimate, "to insert a stick into a person's rectum?"

"Yes!" he shouted in reply to his fellow parliamentarian. "If he is a Nukhba [Hamas militant], everything is legitimate to do! Everything!"

Israel's far-right National Security Minister Itamar Ben Gvir, who's drawn U.S. reprimands with his provocative actions since the war started, wrote in a post on social media: "Take your hands off the reservists."

Right-wing protesters wave Israeli flags outside the Sde Teiman military detention facility, after Israeli Military Police arrived as part of an investigation into suspected abuse of a Palestinian detainee, near Beersheba, southern Israel, July 29, 2024. / Credit: Jill Gralow/REUTERS

Other senior Israeli officials, however, including Netanyahu and army commander Lieutenant-General Herzi Halevi, condemned the attack on the army base by the far-right protesters.

"Breaking into a military base and disturbing the order there is severe behavior that is not acceptable in any way," Halevi said in a statement, adding: "We are in the midst of a war and actions of this type endanger the security of the state."



Netanyahu called for calm, adding his own strong condemnation of the protesters for attempting to break into the IDF base, while Defense Minister Yoav Gallant warned that "even in difficult times, the law applies to anyone  nobody may trespass into IDF bases or violate the laws of the state of Israel."

United Nations agencies and human rights organizations, along with officials in Hamas-run Gaza and former prisoners interviewed by international news agencies, have all alleged abuse of Palestinians in Israeli detention facilities.



Israel's military insists that its detention centers are run in accordance with international law.

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Reece Thompson, 32, who played a minor role as a child in "Titanic", still gets paid for short episodes in James Cameron's film. He was only 5 years old when the actor's parents were given a choice: he could play in a commercial or appear in a drama about a shipwreck.

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According to Business Insider, Reece's mom decided that Cameron's project was "cool," so she took the boy there. He got the role of a young passenger from Ireland who died with his mother and sister when the "Titanic" went down.

Although the role was small, his character was memorable to the audience. Reece appeared in three scenes of the cult movie.

As the actor told the media, over 25 years, he earned a total of about 30 thousand dollars. He continues to receive money now but in small amounts.

"It's not like, 'When am I going to get another check? When it happens, I think: 'Oh, cool, another $100,'" Thompson said.

ADVERTISIMENT

Most of the time, an actor who plays a minor character receives a few hundred dollars a year, but during the peak of the movie's popularity, the amounts were much higher. It all depends on how many people continue to watch the movie every year.

Currently, the "Titanic" star doesn't work in the media but earns his living as the head of the marketing department at a ski resort in Utah. He barely remembers acting in the movie but continues to receive nice bonuses for it.

Only verified information is available on our Telegram channel OBOZ.UA and Viber. Do not fall for fakes!
Alma Powell, civic leader and widow to the late Colin Powell, has died at the age of 86.

According to CNN, her death was confirmed by family spokesperson Peggy Cifrino. The couples children also provided a joint statement to the outlet regarding the tragic news.

(Powell) was the grounding force of our family, the memo explained.

During childhoods marked by constant moving to new homes, we always felt secure, because home was wherever she stood. She was an exemplary role model for us and for the world. She served our country, alongside our father, with intelligence and grace. We will miss her terribly but take comfort in the fact that she had a life so well-lived and is reunited with our father.

Alma Powell and Colin Powell attend the Super Sale gala fundraiser, benefitting the Nina Hyde Center for Breast Cancer Research, at the National Building Museum in Washington, D.C., on September 25, 1966.

Alma Powell was born in Birmingham, Ala., and attended Parker High School before attending Fisk University in Nashville, per AL.com. After graduating from the private Historically Black institution, she returned to her hometown, where she hosted an afternoon radio show, Luncheon with Alma before heading to Emerson College in Boston to study speech pathology and audiology.

Alma and Colin Powell met on a blind date in 1961. Eight months later, they were married and honeymooning at the historic A.G. Gaston Motel. She served as an advisor to her husband during his tenures as National Security Advisor, the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, and U.S. Secretary of State. The couple founded Americas Promise Alliance in 1997, where she is listed as Chair Emeritus.

Per the APA website, Alma Powell also served on the board of trustees of the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts, was on President Barack Obamas Board of Advisors on Historically Black Colleges and Universities from 2010 to 2012, served as the Army liaison to the National Red Cross as part of a team of volunteer consultants from military services, chaired the advisory board for Civic Change, Inc. and more.

Alma Powell speaks during the ServiceNation launch of MISSION SERVE: Forging A Continuum Of Service at George Washington University on November 11, 2009 in Washington, DC.=

In what is believed to be his final recorded interview before passing due to complications from COVID-19 in 2021, Colin Powell named his wife the greatest person he has ever known.

She was with me the whole time. Weve been married 58 years. And she put up with a lot. She took care of the kids when I was, you know, running around. And she was always there for me and shed tell me, Thats not a good idea. She was usually right, he elaborated, per The Washington Post.

Alma Powell is survived by three children, Michael, Linda, and Annemarie; four grandchildren; and a great-grandson. VIBE sends our condolences to the family, friends, and all impacted by the loss of Alma Powell.

More from VIBE.com
Americans divided on whether US should keep funding Ukraine: Pew

Americans are divided on whether the U.S. should keep funding Ukraine, according to a new Pew Research Center survey.

The survey found 48 percent of Americans saying their country has a responsibility to help Ukraine defend itself from Russias invasion. However, 49 percent of Americans disagreed with the idea that their country has that responsibility in the same survey.

The Biden administration announced Monday that the military will send Ukraine at least $200 million in air defenses and other weapons and has made a $1.5 billion commitment for the longer-term support of the Eastern European countys defenses.

Despite the division on assisting Ukraine, Americans in the Pew survey were also mostly in favor of continuous strict economic sanctions on Russia due to its invasion of its neighbor, with 68 percent saying they either strongly or somewhat approve of the sanctions.

In a speech earlier this month, President Biden said Russia and President Vladimir Putin is failing at their war against Ukraine and that NATO, the key military alliance that has been a bulwark against Russia amid the war, has gained strength.

Together, we built a global coalition to stand with Ukraine, Biden said. Make no mistake, Russia is failing in this war. More than two years into Putins war of choice, its losses are staggering. More than 350,000 Russian troops, dead, wounded.  Many young people have left Russia because they no longer see a future in Russia.

The Pew survey was conducted July 1-7, featuring 9,424 people and a margin of sampling error of plus or minus 1.3 percentage points. The question on sanctions had 4,747 respondents and a margin of error of plus or minus 1.9 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.
In a fit of MAGA fever, Republican primary voters pushed aside two more-qualified candidates and chose Lt. Gov. Mark Robinson as their partys gubernatorial nominee.

Now, as Election Day nears, the backers of the broad-shouldered, blunt-spoken Trump acolyte must be wondering, What have we done?

As new disclosures are added to the list of problems with his background, Robinson is laying clear claim to being not only unqualified, but as one who should be disqualified to serve as the states next governor.

It is at the point where responsible North Carolina Republicans who truly care about the well-being of their state should concede their partys error and endorse Robinsons Democratic opponent, state Attorney General Josh Stein.

The latest disclosure of Robinsons troubling background came last week. The state Department of Health and Human Services (DHHS) announced that a Greensboro nonprofit at one time run by Robinsons wife, Yolanda Hill, must repay $132,000 for disallowed expenses submitted to a federally funded child care meal program. The amount could grow if DHHS expands the scope of its review.

Robinson previously worked for the nonprofit, Balanced Nutrition. So did his son and daughter.

The Associated Press reported that Balanced Nutrition, funded by taxpayers, has collected roughly $7 million in government funding since 2017, while paying out at least $830,000 in salaries to Hill, Robinson and other members of their family, tax filings and state documents show.

The disallowed expenses were not merely the result of sloppy paperwork. And the pressure on Balanced Nutrition to justify its billing does not reflect, as the nonprofits attorney claims, political bias in the treatment of Balanced Nutrition and Ms. Hill based on the fact that Ms. Hills husband is the Lieutenant Governor.

The causes of the overcharges are suspicious. In one case, Balanced Nutrition billed the government for more than $10,000 for food and related items it purchased for Gingerbread Learning Academy in Fuquay-Varina, but the child care center says it did not receive any resources from Balanced Nutrition.

Robinsons wife, who abruptly closed the business in April amid the state inquiries, could meet with DHHS officials to explain why the questioned charges are legitimate, or how they may have been submitted in error. But she has refused the departments repeated calls for a meeting. Robinson campaign spokesman Mike Lonergan said the DHHSs review, part of a standard compliance assessment, was politically motivated, by a Democrat-run state agency.

DHHS may ask the U.S. Department of Agricultures inspector general investigate Balanced Nutritions handling of the food program, but a spokesperson for the state agency said, Given several steps remain in the administrative process, (DHHS) has not yet made a determination as to whether to request an investigation.

The Balanced Nutrition issue follows upon a recent disclosures that Robinson and his wife ran a Greensboro child care center in the early 2000s that was cited for a raft of violations. Those violations included claims that the center presented falsified documents showing that staff had passed training requirements and criminal background checks. DHHS took no further action after Robinson and his wife gave up the business in 2007.

All this adds to whats already known about Robinsons past problems. He has been evicted for nonpayment of rent, declared bankruptcy three times and failed to file federal income taxes for the taxable years 1998, 1999, 2000, 2001, and 2002.

Robinson says shirking his obligations is some sort of everyman trait, just the financial bumps and bruises endured by all people of limited means. He says in a recent campaign ad, Im running for governor because we deserve to be represented by someone whos actually lived like us.

Most people dont live like Robinson. They pay their rent. They pay their debts. They pay their taxes. And when they are questioned, they come forward. They dont stonewall or repeatedly walk away from what they owe.

Social conservatives swooned over Robinson because he is adamant about gun rights, opposed to abortion rights, critical of gay and transgender people, skeptical about the Civil Rights Movement and willing to say that public school teachers are indoctrinating children with liberal ideology.

But soothing some people with what they want to hear shouldnt be enough. Candidates should also be assessed based upon what theyve done, or havent done. Conservatives can no longer pretend that Robinson passes that latter test. Hes not deserving of office or of their vote.
Venezuelan immigrants gather Sunday in a strip mall off U.S. 183 in Cedar Park to await the results of their home country's presidential election.

For at least hundreds of Venezuelans in Austin, Monday was a waiting game.

Yeneree Torrealba, a 33-year-old Venezuelan immigrant, took breaks from her job as a house cleaner to go to her car and scroll on social media and view her mothers texts or videos from her hometown of Valencia in the South American country.

Work couldnt stop. But, like many of her compatriots abroad, Torrealba tried to discern whether a challenge would manifest against President Nicolas Maduro after Sunday nights much disputed result in the Venezuelan presidential election. Maduro appears to be headed to a third six-year term, despite the opposition claiming victory and numerous foreign heads of state expressing doubt about the legitimacy of the vote. The streets of major Venezuelan cities were largely quiet Monday morning, according to international media outlets like the Associated Press and Reuters, but protests began to develop in the day.

The previous evening, Torrealba was one of more than 200 who packed into a strip mall parking lot in Cedar Park on Sunday in a rally organized by pro-opposition activists. For hours, a strong sense of optimism held the crowd. Venezuelans in the United States cannot vote, but many gathered with the expectation of seeing Maduros defeat. They dressed their children and pets in Venezuelan flags. They covered their car windows with the opposition slogan fe (faith), curses against the regime and pronouncements of July 28 as a day of liberation. Laughing and cheering, they tailgated and danced to the tambor, salsa and dembow music that blasted from trunk speaker sets. Dinnertime became nighttime.

That joy was pierced by the 11 p.m. news that Maduro had claimed victory, rally organizer and opposition partisan Adolfo Flores said.

We were all hoping for the best, Torrealba said Monday afternoon. We all know about power and that Maduro could commit fraud.

Here in Cedar Park for the @Statesman where the crowd of over 200 Venezuelans has become increasingly celebratory as it awaits results to todays presidential elections. Their optimism that Maduro will lose power is manifesting in a dance party.  pic.twitter.com/y8gjjSxz8g  Emiliano Tahui Gomez (@emilianotahui) July 29, 2024

In the hours before this, those who spoke with the American-Statesman said they believed the results would favor opposition candidate Edmundo Gonzalez. Maduros government has managed irregular elections and kept power in previous elections, but immigrants such as Jesus Capote said they believed this time the domestic and international pressure appeared too strong.

Were tired. The people are tired. Humanitys tired, said Capote, a Venezuelan migrant who has lived in the Austin area for eight months. The government made itself rich and us poor.

Capote said he worked as a mechanic in the city of Maracay until high costs and extortion threats from the Tren de Aragua gang forced him out. Fifteen months ago, he, his wife and their five children began the trek north with their American pit bull, Nina. They arrived in the U.S. after seven months. On Sunday night, Nina was wearing the tattered flag she carried during the entire trip. The family stood proudly around her  Capotes wife, Gladys, filming her and others stopping to ask for pictures.

More than 200 people packed into a strip mall parking lot in Cedar Park on Sunday for a rally organized by Venezuelan pro-opposition activists.

Like the Capotes, many of those in attendance expressed belief that an opposition head could improve the economic conditions in the country, which through the second half of the 20th century was Latin Americas wealthiest nation.

Torrealba, who left four daughters in Venezuela after her food distributing business lost 90% of its sales four years ago, said Sunday that improved economic conditions would inspire her to return. She misses spending time with her daughters, her mother and her grandmother.

Its frustrating waking up in the morning (here in Austin). We Venezuelans like to get together," she said. "Im used to meeting up every day at 5 in the evening with my grandmother, mother and daughters for coffee.

Rallygoers covered their car windows with the opposition slogan fe (faith), curses against the regime and pronouncements of July 28 as a day of liberation.

Besides, she said, This country (the United States) isnt ours. Its borrowed.

But on Monday, she told the American-Statesman that she planned to focus on getting her daughters out of Venezuela.

Im not going to take away opportunities from them. ... I dont know if they will see (a different Venezuela). Maybe their kids will.

Venezuelan immigrants at the rally Sunday were optimistic about the opposition's chances, but the election didn't go their way.

This article originally appeared on Austin American-Statesman: Austin's Venezuelan community weighs options after disputed election
Recreation fishing and serious science are rarely on display in one activity but in late September, as anglers hook redfish, southern flounder, spotted sea trout, cobia, tarpons and sharks during a one-of-a-kind fishing tournament, they will be also helping sustain the local ecosystem.

South Carolinas Port Royal Sound has a unique watershed comprised of water, land and expansive salt marsh, bigger than the state of Rhode Island, says Chris Kehrer the science program manager of the Port Royal Sound Foundation.

The foundation has come up with a new way to assist in the collection of vital data as part of its work to protect it and its called the Port Royal Sound Inshore Slam. But catching the biggest fish wont be the only aim of the first-of-a-kind fishing tournament for the area.

In this case, tournament participants will where two hats: angler and citizen scientist. When the tournament opens at 6am, Sept 27 hundreds of anglers will be unleashed along the shores into the crooks and crannies and open waters of the 1,600 square-mile watershed in September and October. Besides having fun and competing for $10,000 in cash prizes, their job over the 10-day tournament will be recording any fish they catch for the sake of research. That information will then be turned over to the South Carolina Department of Natural Resources.

Redfish will be one of the popular species that anglers will be targeting in the Port Royal Sound Inshore Fishing Tournament. But the tournament is unique in that all of the fish caught will be recorded for research purposes.

What makes the sound unique?

Port Royal Sound is the deepest natural harbor on the East Coast south of Chesapeake Bay. With waters reaching 60 feet deep in places, it features high-salinity ocean rivers such as the Broad and May that extend up to 30 miles inland.

As a result of the salty tidal inlets, it is not uncommon to see such ocean species such as cobia, tarpons and sharks deep in the interior in places where they would not otherwise be found, Kehrer says. Both tarpon and a 5-foot blacktip shark have recently been spotted off the dock at the foundations Okatie Highway Maritime Center.

Its a really unique ecology that exists here, Kehrer says.

But more information is needed on the diversity and density of the smorgasbord of species that thrive in this lifeblood flowing through Lowcountry rivers, says Kehrer. Fisheries managers can only do so much, he added.

Jody Hayward, executive director of the Port Royal Sound Foundation, says the different kind of fishing tournament is another way to contribute to the health of the Port Royal Sound so it remains clean and healthy.

Tourism relies on the Port Royal Sound and we have to take care of it and we have to protect it, Hayward says, and getting residents involved, being a part of that process, is really important and that tournament helps to do that.

An inshore slam is a fishing challenge where anglers attempt to catch three inshore species. In this case, redfish, southern flounder and spotted sea trout will be targeted. The winner will have the overall longest aggregate length of each of those three species (redfish over 32 inches, referred to as bull redfish, will not be counted to conserve fish returning to inshore waters to spawn during early fall).

Dawn breaks over the Chechessee River, one of the many waterways that comprise Port Royal Sound. Here, kayaker James Brown of Bluffton enjoys the view. Port Royal Sound is the location of a new fishing tournament thats designed to gather data on the fish that live there.

But this tournament will have one big difference from typical contests. Any fish species that participants reel in will be photographed and measured using the MyCatch phone app. That important catch data, in turn, will be shared with SCDNR researchers to help better understand and protect the fishery.

Its a snapshot really of a variety of fish being caught in Port Royal Sound, Hayward says.

Earlier this year, a research symposium was conducted at the Maritime Center. One of the needs highlighted was more information about Port Royal Sound fish, Hayward said.

SCDNR regularly conducts fish surveys at specific locations but the agency cant get to all of the smaller creek areas, Kehrer says. Port Royal Sound is really large, he adds. As for fishermen, they dont routinely record everything they catch. The tournament offers an opportunity for them to make a real contribution to important data collection, he says.

Its very difficult for SCDNR to get this widespread data set across this massive area so hopefully this will be helpful for them, Kehrer said.

The tournament boundaries will allow residents from across the region to participate: The northern boundary stretches from Dawsons Landing in the Coosawhatchie River across to the northern end of Brays Island, and Huspah Creek to the creek fork at the southern end of Bull Point. The western boundary includes Knowles Branches, Coles Creek, Euhaw Creek, Hazards Creek and the Okatie and May rivers.

The southwest boundary covers the western end of Daufuskie Island and the saltwater section of the New River, while the Southeastern boundary is up to one mile off the shores of Hilton Head, Bay Point, Pritchards, Fripp, Hunting and Harbor islands.

The northeastern boundary includes Whale Branch and the Coosaw River up to Parrot Creek, including Morgan Island, along St.Helena Island, and just outside of Harbor River.

The Port Royal Sound Inshore Slam Fishing Tournament will support education, research, and conservation in the Port Royal Sound watershed. Northern boundary: Dawsons Landing in the Coosawhatchie River across to the northern end of Brays Island, Huspah Creek to the creek fork at the southern end of Bull Point. Western boundary: Includes Knowles Branches, Coles Creek, Euhaw Creek, Hazards Creek, Okatie River and May River. Southwest boundary: Western end of Daufuskie Island; the saltwater section of the New River. Southeastern boundary: Up to one mile off the shores of Hilton Head, Bay Point, Pritchards, Fripp, Hunting, and Harbor Islands. Northeastern boundary: Includes Whale Branch and the Coosaw River up to Parrot Creek, including Morgan Island, along St.Helena Island, and just outside of Harbor River. St. Helena Sound is not within the tournament boundary

St. Helena Sound is not within the tournament boundary.

The Foundation and SCDNR are teaming Anglers Atlas, a mobile app dedicated to sport fishing and citizen science, on the inshore slam because it provides an opportunity to gather data about the fish living in coastal South Carolina during the fall months. Anglers Atlas says it will not release any MyCatch GPS data, meaning fishing spots will remain secret.

Along with our long-term sampling programs, angler catch data provides us with an important tool to help manage our fisheries for sustainability, said Matt Perkinson, a spokesman for SCDNRs Marine Resources Division.

Tournament details

The cost is $40 for youth and $80 for adults with the proceeds going toward the foundations conservation mission. The early bird registration deadline is 5 p.m. Aug. 15. The tournament opens at 6 a.m. Sept. 27 and ends at 6 p.m. Oct. 6. Check out https://portroyalsoundfoundation.org/inshore-slam/ for more information.
Animal life on Earth may be 1.5B years older than we thought: new research

Life on Earth looks good for its age.

Newly discovered fossil records hint that mold-like unicellular organisms  the common ancestor to all complex life on our planet  arrived over a billion years earlier than previous estimates.

Evidence was found deep in rock structures within Africas fossil-abundant nation of Gabon that suggest conditions for animal life started about 2.1 billion years ago, the BBC reported.

Life on Earth may be a billion years older than previous estimates. Abderrazzak El Albani

Going back 3.7 billion years, the very first traces of life consist of microbial bacteria lacking a nucleus, while its widely accepted that animal organisms began more recently at about 635 million years ago. The new findings challenge this theory, however.

These primordial lifeforms, slimy, single-cell organisms that would wiggle to move and reproduce with spores, were unearthed in a landlocked water body, indicating the primordial lifeforms never spread globally. Nevertheless, their proliferation set the stage for the animal kingdom to evolve before they died out, the researchers wrote in a new report, published in the journal Precambrian Research.

Cardiff Universitys professor Ernest Chi declared to BBC News, Were saying, look, theres fossils here, theres oxygen, its stimulated the appearance of the first complex living organisms.

We see the same process as in the Cambrian period, 635 million years ago  it helps back that up. It helps us understand ultimately where we have all come from, he added.

The chemistry of the rock in which the fossil was found points to a laboratory of life-producing elements. Chi believes that a continental collision and subsequent volcanic activity would have created the nutrient-rich shallow marine inland sea in which photosynthesis could kickstart oxygen production.

Early organisms on a seafloor may be a sign of animal life on Earth over a billion years earlier than thought. Abderrazzak El Albani

This would have provided sufficient energy to promote increases in body size and greater complex behavior observed in primitive, simple animal-like life forms such as those found in the fossils from this period, he said.

However, some who are not involved with the research are skeptical.

Im not against the idea that there were higher nutrients 2.1 billion years ago but Im not convinced that this could lead to diversification to form complex life, said Professor Graham Shields of the University College London.

Other neutral parties give the idea more of a fighting chance.

A candidate at Londons Natural History Museum, Elias Rugen admitted the life-building elements were all doing something a little bit unprecedented at this point in Earths history.

Theres nothing to say that complex biological life couldnt have emerged and thrived as far back as 2 billion years ago.
Anjem Choudary jailed for at least 28 years over terror offences

Anjem Choudary jailed for at least 28 years over terror offences - Metropolitan Police

Islamist preacher Anjem Choudary, 57, has been jailed for life with a minimum term of 28 years after being found guilty of running a banned terrorist organisation.

Choudary who counter-terror police say has had a radicalising impact on terrorists, was convicted last week of taking a caretaker role in directing Al-Muhajiroun (ALM) while its founder was in jail.

He was also found guilty of encouraging support for the group through online lectures to the Islamic Thinkers Society (ITS), which prosecutors said was another name for ALM.

It came after an investigation by the Metropolitan Police, the New York Police Department (NYPD) and the Royal Canadian Mounted Police.

ITS was infiltrated by undercover law enforcement officers in the US, who were present at online lectures in 2022 and 2023, held over the Element messenger platform.

Choudary will spend more than 26 years in jail in total due to the time he has already spent in custody, meaning he will not be released before the age of 85, the judge said.

Sentencing at Woolwich Crown Court on Tuesday, Mr Justice Mark Wall told Choudary he was front and centre in running a terrorist organisation.

The judge also said that he encouraged young men into radical activity.

However, Paul Hynes KC, defence barrister, said during the hearing that by the time Choudary had started directing ALM, it was little more than a husk of an organisation and he was not gathering the masses to join.

ALM was proscribed as a terror organisation in the UK in 2010, though it was said in court the group has continued to exist under various names.

A senior security official said last weeks conviction was a significant moment, adding the evidence presented in court showed Choudarys continued involvement in supporting terrorism and radicalising others.

Commander Dominic Murphy, head of the Metropolitan Polices counter-terrorism command, said: There are individuals that have conducted terrorist attacks or travelled for terrorist purposes as a result of Anjem Choudarys radicalising impact upon them.

During a press conference, he added: ALMs tentacles have spread across the world and have had a massive impact on public safety and security.

Rebecca Weiner, NYPD deputy commissioner, said it was a historic case, describing Choudary as a shameless, prolific radicaliser.

Ms Weiner said: It is usually the foot soldiers, the individuals, who are brought into the network and go on to commit the attacks who are brought to justice.

And its rarely the leader, which is what makes this a particularly important moment.

Prosecutor Tom Little KC, opening the trial at Woolwich Crown Court on June 13, said Choudary had a warped and twisted mindset.

Omar Bakri Muhammad, who founded ALM, was in prison in Lebanon between 2014 and March 2023, and Choudary stepped in and filled the void, Mr Little said.

In 2016, Choudary was convicted and jailed for five-and-a-half years for supporting the so-called Islamic State.

The court heard that Choudary, whose licence conditions expired in July 2021 following his 2018 release from prison, said he viewed being called an extremist or fanatic as a medallion during lectures.

Police footage shows Choudary being questioned - Metropolitan Police/PA

Mr Murphy said: What became clear after his licence conditions was that he saw the online space as a means of engaging globally with larger groups of people.

And what was clear to us was that increasingly there were a larger number of people that were willing to engage with Anjem Choudary online and he was having an influence over those individuals.

Khaled Hussein, 29, from Canada, who prosecutors said was a follower and dedicated supporter of Choudary, was found guilty of membership of ALM.

Anjem Choudary (second left) and Khaled Hussein (right) at Woolwich Crown Court - Elizabeth Cook/PA

He was jailed for five years with an extra year on licence.

Evidence showed how Hussein was effectively acting as a personal assistant to Choudary, helping to host online lectures and editing extremist online blogs and publications for him.

Hossein Zahir KC, defence barrister, argued Hussein was a wholly inactive member.

Choudary was arrested in east London on July 17 of last year while Hussein, from Edmonton, was detained at Heathrow Airport, having arrived on a flight the same day.

Scotland Yard said Hussein had planned to visit Choudary.

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Gold medalist, Torri Huske, center, of the United States, stands with silver medalist, Gretchen Walsh, left, of the United States, and bronze medalist Zhang Yufei, of China, on the podium after the women's 100-meter butterfly final at the 2024 Summer Olympics, Sunday, July 28, 2024, in Nanterre, France. (AP Photo/Bernat Armangue)

NANTERRE, France (AP)  Another Chinese doping allegation has flared up at the Paris Games, angering some swimmers who say officials need to enforce drug-testing rules consistently.

The New York Times reported Tuesday that two top Chinese swimmers  including one on this year's Olympic team  tested positive for a banned steroid in 2022 but were eventually cleared to compete by Chinese officials.

The Times cited two people with knowledge of the matter but did not name them.

This is the third incident reported over the last several months by the Times and others in which the Chinese have blamed food contamination for positive drug tests. The World Anti-Doping Agency accepted the results of the Chinese investigations.

I saw the report this morning, American star Katie Ledecky said on Tuesday. I think Ive made my thoughts clear. Its disappointing."

Italian distance swimmer Simona Quadarella said athletes aren't sure the testing system works in many countries.

I think we need some answers from this situation, she said. We really dont have confidence, in the situation, in the testing system  in the testing system in other parts of the world.

In the most widely reported incident, 11 swimmers named to the Chinese Olympic team were among 23 who tested positive for a banned substance six months before the Tokyo Olympics in 2021. They were allowed to compete and went on to win gold medals in three events. One of those swimmers, Zhang Yufei, has won two bronzes in France, one in the women's 100 butterfly and another as part of the 4x100 freestyle relay.

Chinese swimmers in Paris have pushed back against doping allegations and say they are tested more than athletes from other countries.

Rob Koehler, the general director of the athletes' advocacy body Global Athlete, criticized WADA in an email to The Associated Press.

"This is another devastating blow to the credibility of both WADA and World Aquatics, and to clean sport, he said, referring to the global governing body of swimming. With this new information, athletes and advocates are resigned to the fact that the guardians of the World Anti-Doping Code are no longer fit for purpose.

Koehler worked as a deputy director of WADA until 2018.

In a statement, WADA acknowledged the two Chinese swimmers had tested positive and were provisionally suspended for trace amounts of a prohibited substance metandienone, a powerful muscle-builder known on the street as D-Bol. The provisional suspension lasted about a year.

WADA said the Chinese anti-doping agency, CHINADA, conducted testing on "hundreds of meat samples from various sources with dozens revealing positive results for metandienone.

WADA said CHINADA closed the case late in 2023 without asserting a violation, which lifted the provisional suspensions.

WADA also said it is generally concerned about the number of cases that are being closed without sanction when it is not possible to challenge the contamination theory.

It pointed out several similar cases in the past few months in the United States. Many U.S. cases, including a highly publicized one involving sprinter Erriyon Knighton, deal with substances such as trenbolone, which, unlike D-Bol, are usually given to promote muscle growth and appetite in livestock.

The U.S. Anti-Doping Agency, which handled that case, released a statement from its CEO, Travis Tygart, who is one of the most outspoken critics of WADA.

Its crushing news to wake up to for all athletes and fans of the Olympic movement that the failures of the global anti-doping system have overshadowed what should be a moment to bring the world together," he said.

One of the two swimmers mentioned in the latest Times report is Tang Muhan, who was on the 4x200 freestyle relay team that won gold and set a world record three years ago in the Tokyo Olympics.

The American team finished second and also broke the previous world mark.

Tang was named to Chinas Olympic team this year, and she could swim Thursday in the 4x200 relay.

___

AP Summer Olympics: https://apnews.com/hub/2024-paris-olympic-games
Georgian national Bondo Gagnidze, a volunteer fighter in Ukraine, was killed in action on July 30, Georgia's Foreign Ministry confirmed to the Civil.ge media outlet.

Gagnidze was reportedly killed fighting in Luhansk Oblast. Another Georgian fighter was also wounded, Civil.ge said.

In comments to The Kyiv Independent in February, the Georgian Legion, one of the leading groups of Georgian volunteer fighters, said that at least 59 Georgian fighters had been killed in battle since the beginning of the full-scale war.

More casualties among their ranks have been reported since then.

At the same time, there have been conflicting accounts of the true death toll of Georgians fighting in Ukraine.

Civil.ge said that at least 54 Georgian fighters have been killed in Ukraine, while Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty's Georgian service said that at least 60 have been killed.

Read also: Georgians likely rank first among foreign fighters killed fighting for Ukraine

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Meta, the tech company that owns Facebook and Instagram, has unveiled a new model of its proprietary artificial intelligence called Llama 3.1 405B. Its creators called it "the next generation of the most advanced large-scale open-source language model."

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In a message published on the AI website, Meta claims that the development of their specialists is the largest and most powerful basic model in the world available to all users. The creators claim that Llama 3.1 405B can compete with OpenAI and Anthropic in general knowledge, math skills, and language translation. The index in its name indicates that the model has 405 billion parameters.

According to Meta executives, as a result of training on the fastest chips available on the market, Llama 3.1 405B was able to outperform competitors in 150 tests. The developers of other popular artificial intelligence do not disclose the key parameters of their models, but it is known that OpenAI's GPT-4 has about 1.5 trillion parameters. Along with the release of Llama 3.1 405B, Meta also introduced updated versions of other Llama models that contain 70 billion and 8 billion parameters, respectively.

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Meta said that with Llama 3.1, it wants to allow everyone to make the most of the 405B model's capabilities. Among the features provided to users:

real-time and batch output;

controlled fine-tuning;

evaluation of your model for a specific application;

continuous pre-training;

search-aided generation (RAG);

function calling;

generation of synthetic data.

All these advanced features are available to users immediately. Developers can also explore advanced workflows, such as easy use of synthetic data, follow pre-built model distillation instructions, and ensure seamless RAG with solutions from partners including AWS, NVIDIA, and Databricks. In addition, Groq has optimized low-latency output for cloud deployments, and Dell has achieved similar optimization for on-premises systems.

Llama 3.1 405B improvements include enhanced inference capabilities, broader multilingual support, and a significant increase in context length to 128K tokens. Meta said that the presented model will be used in Meta AI, the company's chatbot that works on various platforms, including Facebook, Messenger, Instagram, and WhatsApp, as well as on smartphones.

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Mark Zuckerberg, the head of Meta, also spoke about the presented AI in his blog. He emphasized that artificial intelligence should remain accessible to everyone as an open-source tool. However, the company did not elaborate on the availability and deployment of the model. Currently, Llama 3.1 is delivered via the Meta AI service. To use it, you need to log in with Facebook or Instagram. The service is not yet available in Ukraine.

Subscribe to OBOZ.UA channels on Telegram and Viber to keep up with the latest developments.
Is another heat wave on the way for NJ? See the latest forecast details

Following a beautiful weekend and start to the week in North Jersey, the remainder of this week is looking to be hot and humid with the possibility of showers and thunderstorms.

"Today will be dry for the most part, maybe an isolated shower late this afternoon," said Jay Engle, meteorologist with the National Weather Service. "It's going to be very warm and humid throughout the week and turning more hot as we get into Thursday and Friday."

Here is everything you need to know about the forecast for the rest of this week in North Jersey.

Chance of showers and thunderstorms

Showers and storms will be possible in North Jersey over the next couple of days, according to Engle, with the most unsettled period expected to take place between Tuesday night and Wednesday.

The rest of Tuesday will be dry for the most part with the potential for some isolated showers late in the afternoon.

North Jerseyans can expect a 60% chance of precipitation from late Tuesday night throughout the day on Wednesday and a 20% chance of showers Wednesday night before 2 a.m., according to the NWS.

Per Engle, Thursday and Friday will see less unsettled weather but it may try to return over the weekend.

Localized flooding possible in NJ

"Any stronger storms could produce some localized flooding," said Engle. "We're not overly concerned. The threat seems to be limited and localized at this point for late tonight and tomorrow."

High heat and humidity

In the wake of the potential showers and storms, North Jersey can expect another bout of high heat and humidity on Thursday and Friday.

"It will be similar to the heat wave that we had a few weeks back," said Engle. "Probably temperatures in Northeast New Jersey from the low to mid 90s with dew points near 70."

Remaining humid with the heat increasing later in the week. The dew point is typically used as a direct correlation or measurement of the humidity (see bottom of image). Dew point readings remain around 70 on average which indicates rather humid conditions. #ctwx #nywx #njwx pic.twitter.com/G8tMhOG6QZ  NWS New York NY (@NWSNewYorkNY) July 30, 2024

The heat index on Thursday and Friday are expected to be between 95 and 100 degrees with the potential for a real feel of 95 as early as Wednesday, according to Engle.

This heat comes only a few weeks after the state's last heat wave which catapulted the heat index into triple digits.

This article originally appeared on NorthJersey.com: NJ weekly forecast consists of storms, high heat and humidity
JOHNSON CITY, Tenn. (WJHL)  A political action committee behind anti-Jon Lundberg ads, mailers, and text messages in Tennessee Senate District 4 spent more than half a million dollars in the span of three weeks, new campaign finance reporting shows.

Lundberg, a two-term incumbent, is facing Bobby Harshbarger, son of Congresswoman Diana Harshbarger, in the Aug. 1 Republican primary for the seat representing Sullivan and Hawkins counties.

PREVIOUS: Spending in Lundberg-Harshbarger race nears $2 million as Election Day approaches

In a new campaign finance disclosure filed on Monday, East Tennessee Conservatives PAC reported that it spent $516,920 from July 122.

The PACs largest expenditure during that period was $300,000 to Armada Strategies out of Lighthouse Point, Florida for a media buy. The PAC also reported $88,528 to political firm Axiom Strategies for printing.

To date, the PAC has reportedly spent $606,427 since Jan. 16.

Spending in the Tennessee Senate District 4 race has now surpassed $2.4 million, largely thanks to PACs. Despite the recent spending by East Tennessee Conservatives PAC, pro-Lundberg PACs have still spent more, campaign finance records show. As of Friday, pro-Lundberg PACs had reported spending nearly $1 million in support of the incumbent.

The two candidates campaigns have spent a combined $819,497, separate from PACs expenditures.

East Tennessee Conservatives PAC is at the center of an ethics complaint filed earlier this year alleging potential collusion between the PAC and Congresswoman Harshbarger.

Tri-Cities family braves flash flooding at Dollywood

The listed treasurer for the PAC is Thomas Datwyler, who is also Diana Harshbargers campaign treasurer. Datwyler is also the treasurer of Washington D.C.-based Great America Coalition, which has contributed $520,000 to East Tennessee Conservatives PAC, including $320,000 in July.

The complaint was forwarded to the state attorney generals office by the Tennessee Registry of Election Finance.

A separate ethics complaint alleging collusion between Lundberg and the PACs supporting him was dismissed last week.

Election Day is Thursday.

Copyright 2024 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.

For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to WJHL | Tri-Cities News & Weather.
A federal appeals court has temporarily blocked the Biden administrations new rule that requires airline companies to disclose extra fees on purchases.

The three-judge panel from the 5th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals said in a Monday order that the ruling likely exceeds [the Department of Transportations] authority and will irreparably harm airlines. The panel granted the request from a coalition of airlines to temporarily block the rule, noting that it will also expedite the petition for review.

A coalition of major airlines sued the Biden administration in May over the Department of Transportations (DOT) crackdown on junk fees in air travel. These extra fees can include charges for checked bags, carry-on bags and changing or canceling reservations.

Trade group Airlines for America filed the lawsuit alongside Delta Air Lines, American Airlines, United Airlines, JetBlue Airways Corp., Hawaiian Airlines and Alaska Airlines. The group argued that the new rule would confuse customers and complicate the purchasing process.

Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg heavily criticized the lawsuit when it was filed, saying that he was speechless.

We just issued a rule requiring airlines to inform you, before you buy a ticket, of fees they will charge you, Buttigieg said in a post on the social platform X at the time. Now, the airline lobby is suing us, saying that if you have the right to that information it will confuse you. For once, I am speechless.

The department doubled down on its rule in a statement to The Hill on Tuesday, emphasizing that airlines can still voluntarily comply with the rule even with the courts order.

DOT will continue defending our rule that protects consumers from surprise fees that can unexpectedly jack up the price of air travel, the department said. Nothing in the Courts decision prevents airlines from voluntarily complying with this common sense rule that simply requires them to keep their customers fully informed when buying a plane ticket.

The Hill has reached out to Airlines for America 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.
Washington, D.C.  A U.S. appeals court on Monday blocked the U.S. Transportation Department's new rule requiring upfront disclosure of airline fees pending a full review of the regulation.

The DOT issued final rules in April requiring airlines and ticket agents to disclose service fees alongside the airfare, saying it would help consumers avoid unneeded or unexpected fees.

Cruising Altitude:Some airline issues get you a refund, some don't. How it works.

The 5th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals granted the industry's request to block the rules saying it "likely exceeds DOT's authority and will irreparably harm airlines" pending a full review by the court.

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Appeals court blocks DOT's rule requiring airlines to disclose fees
By David Shepardson

WASHINGTON (Reuters) -A U.S. appeals court blocked on Monday the U.S. Transportation Department's new rule on upfront disclosure of airline fees pending a full review of the regulation, dealing a significant setback to the Biden administration.

Final rules issued by the DOT in April required airlines and ticket agents to disclose service fees alongside the airfare, in a move to help consumers avoid unneeded or unexpected fees, as part of an effort to tackle such fees over the last three years.

However, the rule "likely exceeds DOT's authority and will irreparably harm airlines", a three-judge panel of the Fifth U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals said, while granting the industry's request for a temporary block.

The case will be scheduled for a hearing at the next available session for oral arguments, it added.

American Airlines, Delta Air Lines, United Airlines, JetBlue, Alaska Airlines were among the airlines, joined by trade group Airlines for America and the International Air Transport Association, which sued in May to block the rules.

The rules set carriers an Oct. 30 deadline to disclose fee data to third-party ticket agents, and on their own websites by April 30, 2025.

The industry said the rule would require airlines to "spend millions" to re-engineer their websites, diverting resources from other projects.

The airline group declined to comment on Monday's ruling.

A DOT spokesperson said it would continue to defend the rule, adding, "Nothing in the courts decision prevents airlines from voluntarily complying with this common sense rule that simply requires them to keep their customers fully informed."

Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg has recently voiced concern about the refund practices of airlines - notably Delta Air Lines - after cancellations triggered by a software update by global cybersecurity firm CrowdStrike caused system problems for Microsoft, including many airlines.

In April, DOT said consumers were overpaying $543 million in fees annually, generating additional revenue for airlines from passengers surprised by fees who found they needed to pay a "higher fee at the airport to check a bag."

Major airlines charge such higher fees if travelers do not pay in advance or wait until flight time. Many large U.S. airlines boosted fees this year for checked baggage.

The rule would end "bait-and-switch tactics some airlines use to disguise the true cost of discounted flights," added the DOT, which bars airlines from advertising promotional discounts off a low base fare that excludes mandatory carrier fees.

U.S. airlines collected $7.1 billion in baggage fees in 2023, up from $6.8 billion in 2022.

(Reporting by David Shepardson; Editing by Michael Perry and Clarence Fernandez)
GREENSBORO, N.C. (WGHP)  An appeals court has ruled that a district court should not have dismissed a lawsuit against a Greensboro police officer in the shooting death of a teen during a traffic stop.

In August 2022, 17-year-old Nasanto Crenshaw of Fayetteville was shot and killed by a Greensboro officer after the teen was stopped for driving what police believed was a stolen car. His death sparked protests in Greensboro, and Crenshaws mother, Wakita Doriety, filed an excessive force lawsuit against both the officer and the city.

The lawsuit was dismissed in district court until Monday when the North Carolina Court of Appeals reversed the dismissal and allowed the lawsuit to proceed.

Mom is ecstatic that she may get her day in court  and seek some justice for her son, said Dorietys attorney Harry Daniels.

Police alleged that Crenshaw refused to stop and accelerated at a high rate of speed toward the officer, Matthew Sletten and that the officer fired through the windshield out of a reasonable fear for his safety.

However, Crenshaws mother argued that there were three additional shots fired through the right side of the car, all of which hit Crenshaw, who died at the scene, and that the car was moving at a low rate of speed and turning away from Sletten when he fired.

The courts sided with the defendants initially, dismissing the case against the city and Sletten in July 2023.

The appeals court ruled to affirm the dismissal of claims against the City of Greensboro, albeit under a different subparagraph of the same rule and subsection.

The court wrote, Initially, we agree with the City that the district court properly granted the Citys motion to dismiss on the ground of governmental immunity. However, the district court should have granted the motion under Rule 12(b)(1), not Rule 12(b)(2).

However, the court of appeals has overturned the dismissal of the excessive force claim against Sletten.

Video released after Greensboro police shoot, kill teen during 2022 traffic stop

Dorietys team said that Crenshaw was not accelerating directly towards Sletten, nor was he moving at a high rate of speed. Slettens team argued that the body-worn camera video recording blatantly contradicted those claims, but the appeals court disagreed.

In my opinion, the video speaks for itself, Daniels said.

The video also does not contradict the claim that the shots that killed Crenshaw came from the right side of the car. If the shots came from the right, that would mean that the car was no longer driving toward the officer and, therefore, no longer a threat.

We have explained that an officer may reasonably apply deadly force to a fleeing suspecteven someone suspected of committing a serious felonyonly if the officer has probable cause to believe that the suspect poses a significant [and immediate] threat of death or serious physical injury to the officer or others,' Dorietys said in court documents.

The documents, which can be viewed below, elaborate on other cases of police force involving a suspect in a vehicle that the court considered.

We concluded that the officers initially had not used excessive force, because these facts and circumstances caused the officers reasonably to conclude that the car was going to hit them in about one second,' they wrote, citing Waterman v. Batton. We also concluded that the same officers did use excessive force by continuing to fire their weapons after the car had passed and it was no longer reasonable to think that the car could hit them.

The appeals court ultimately found that, because the video evidence at the crux of this claim does not directly and completely contradict Dorietys version of events, the district court should not have dismissed the lawsuit.

According to the plaintiff, the district court improperly rejected her plausible allegation that the officer was not in the path of the stolen car when the officer first fired his weapon. Relying also on her allegations that the additional shots entered the car through its right passenger window, the plaintiff contends that she adequately alleged that Officer Sletten was standing to the side of the moving car and was not in danger at the time he fired those additional shots, the documents said.

However, Sletten argued that Crenshaw drove his car directly at the officer, after earlier spe[eding] away from the officer and swiping the front end of the patrol vehicle. Officer Sletten argues that, based on these facts, a reasonable officer could think that he faced an immediate threat of serious physical harm.

Greensboro families cant bury teens after crash due to incomplete autopsies

The appeals court said that, when using video as evidence in the summary judgment stage, a court must credit the plaintiffs version of the facts to the extent they are not blatantly contradicted by the recording.

It is difficult to discern many critical details from the video, the document states. In addition, the video does not clearly depict at the time the officer fired the additional shots into the passenger window the location of the officer, the path of the stolen car, or the distance between the officer and the stolen car.

The district court should have construed the facts regarding these additional shots in accord with the plaintiffs plausible allegations and the reasonable inferences that could be drawn from those allegations. Had the district court done so, it would have considered at this stage of the proceedings that the stolen car was moving past the officer when he fired the additional shots, and that the officer fired multiple times into the side of the stolen car hitting Crenshaw on the right side of his body, the court said.

Ultimately, the appeals court found that the video did not rise to the high bar of blatantly contradicting Dorietys claims about the events of that night, and therefore the case against the officer should not have been dismissed.

3 teenagers killed in wrong-way crash following high-speed chase in Greensboro

Based on the plaintiffs allegations, a reasonable officer in Officer Slettens position would not think that the stolen car, which was moving away from the officer, posed a significant and immediate threat of death or serious physical injury to the officer that would justify his conduct of firing one shot through the cars windshield and additional shots through the cars passenger window, the court said. We therefore reverse the district courts ruling on the excessive force claim.

The appeals court concluded the document by acknowledging that law enforcement officers regularly are placed in threatening situations and are not as a matter of course required to ponder the[] many conflicting factors or risk[] losing their last chance to defend themselves by paus[ing] for even for an instant,' but added that the courts must not short-circuit a plaintiffs plausible claim of excessive force based on a video that does not blatantly contradict those allegations.

The case will now go back to the lower courts.

Crenshaw-Appeal-RulingDownload

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Apple has published a technical paper detailing the models that it developed to power Apple Intelligence, the range of generative AI features headed to iOS, macOS and iPadOS over the next few months.

In the paper, Apple pushes back against accusations that it took an ethically questionable approach to training some of its models, reiterating that it didn't use private user data and drew on a combination of publicly available and licensed data for Apple Intelligence.

"[The] pre-training data set consists of ... data we have licensed from publishers, curated publicly available or open-sourced datasets and publicly available information crawled by our web crawler, Applebot," Apple writes in the paper. "Given our focus on protecting user privacy, we note that no private Apple user data is included in the data mixture."

In July, Proof News reported that Apple used a data set called The Pile, which contains subtitles from hundreds of thousands of YouTube videos, to train a family of models designed for on-device processing. Many YouTube creators whose subtitles were swept up in The Pile weren't aware of and didn't consent to this; Apple later released a statement saying that it didn't intend to use those models to power any AI features in its products.

The technical paper, which peels back the curtains on models Apple first revealed at WWDC 2024 in June, called Apple Foundation Models (AFM), emphasizes that the training data for the AFM models was sourced in a "responsible" way -- or responsible by Apple's definition, at least.

The AFM models' training data includes publicly available web data as well as licensed data from undisclosed publishers. According to The New York Times, Apple reached out to several publishers toward the end of 2023, including NBC, Conde Nast and IAC, about multi-year deals worth at least $50 million to train models on publishers news archives. Apple's AFM models were also trained on open source code hosted on GitHub, specifically Swift, Python, C, Objective-C, C++, JavaScript, Java and Go code.

Training models on code without permission, even open code, is a point of contention among developers. Some open source codebases aren't licensed or don't allow for AI training in their terms of use, some developers argue. But Apple says that it "license-filtered" for code to try to include only repositories with minimal usage restrictions, like those under an MIT, ISC or Apache license.

To boost the AFM models' mathematics skills, Apple specifically included in the training set math questions and answers from webpages, math forums, blogs, tutorials and seminars, according to the paper. The company also tapped "high-quality, publicly-available" data sets (which the paper doesn't name) with "licenses that permit use for training ... models," filtered to remove sensitive information.

All told, the training data set for the AFM models weighs in at about 6.3 trillion tokens. (Tokens are bite-sized pieces of data that are generally easier for generative AI models to ingest.) For comparison, that's less than half the number of tokens -- 15 trillion -- Meta used to train its flagship text-generating model, Llama 3.1 405B.

Apple sourced additional data, including data from human feedback and synthetic data, to fine-tune the AFM models and attempt to mitigate any undesirable behaviors, like spouting toxicity.

"Our models have been created with the purpose of helping users do everyday activities across their Apple products, grounded

in Apples core values, and rooted in our responsible AI principles at every stage," the company says.

There's no smoking gun or shocking insight in the paper -- and that's by careful design. Rarely are papers like these very revealing, owing to competitive pressures but also because disclosing too much could land companies in legal trouble.

Some companies training models by scraping public web data assert that their practice is protected by fair use doctrine. But it's a matter that's very much up for debate and the subject of a growing number of lawsuits.

Apple notes in the paper that it allows webmasters to block its crawler from scraping their data. But that leaves individual creators in a lurch. What's an artist to do if, for example, their portfolio is hosted on a site that refuses to block Apple's data scraping?

Courtroom battles will decide the fate of generative AI models and the way they're trained. For now, though, Apple's trying to position itself as an ethical player while avoiding unwanted legal scrutiny.
Pinal County could be in for a surprising twist, with incumbent County Attorney Kent Volkmer losing more ground to challenger Brad Miller in the latest round of unofficial results posted on Wednesday afternoon.

Elsewhere on the ballot, incumbents were leading races for the Board of Supervisors.

The contests will determine final matchups for a handful of seats ahead of the November election, including county sheriff and a seat representing Maricopa and Coolidge on the Pinal County Board of Supervisors. Other races have only GOP contenders, so those who eke out wins in the primary election are likely to take positions outright. That includes several county supervisor seats and the highly-watched county attorney position.

Once rural, Pinal County is now one of the state's fastest-growing regions and is increasingly facing questions about its future. Its residents used to reliably vote blue, but its voters' political leanings flipped about a decade ago. The county is now a conservative stronghold where only a handful of Democrats dare run each election cycle. Its leaders are currently all Republicans.

Polls closed at 7 p.m. Tuesday, here is where the races stand.

Supervisor candidates face off over elections, more

All but one of Pinal County's supervisor races were contested, and primary results could greatly shift the makeup of the board next year.

In District 2, longtime San Tan Valley resident Mike Goodman ran unopposed. He is expected to cruise to a third term.

But two of his sitting colleagues, Stephen Miller of District 3 and Jeff McClure of District 4, faced GOP challengers who are skeptical of recent election results.

Miller and McClure both continue to lead their races following another set of results released by the county on Wednesday afternoon.

Miller, who represents Casa Grande and the surrounding communities of Stanfield, Randolph and Eloy, previously served more than 10 years on the Casa Grande City Council. He worked in construction before getting into politics and has led the board on water and infrastructure issues.

But to win another term, Miller must first defeat Luke Myers. He is the owner of a family-run rental and property management company and a political newcomer. Myers has advocated for lower taxes and smaller government. He also supports hand-counting ballots, even though numerous trials have shown that the method is less accurate, more expensive and far slower than counting with tabulators.

Meanwhile, McClure was in a head-to-head battle with electrician Pete Sabin. His district stretches from Florence, at the center of the county, to San Manuel, which is in its southeastern corner. McClure, a small business owner and former member of the Oracle School District Governing Board, said he is working to improve regional roads and hopes to bolster the county's planning and development offices in coming years.

Sabin supports lower taxes and heavily funding law enforcement to support border security efforts, according to his campaign website. Like Myers in District 3, he favors hand-counting ballots.

Another incumbent, Jeff Serdy of District 5, was in a three-way race against former Supervisor Todd House and political newcomer Rhonda Mattachione. The district spans the top half of the county, stretching from Apache Junction to Top-of-the-World.

Results released on Wednesday afternoon show Serdy continuing to lead over his challengers.

Serdy, the former mayor of Apache Junction, aims to hang onto his position for a second term after defeating House in 2020. House, a former state lawmaker, hopes to take his supervisor seat back. Meanwhile, Mattachione is a political newcomer. She owns and operates several Airbnbs near her home in Apache Junction and has worked as a yoga instructor and personal trainer.

All three agree that public safety and roads are top priorities for the county. House also advocates for additional funding for public health, and Mattachione said in a League of Women Voters' Education Fund questionnaire that she supports hand-counting ballots. Serdy and Mattachione view tourism as an untapped market for economic development. Serdy also supports bringing light industry to certain areas of his district. House is focused on bringing manufacturing jobs and other businesses to the region.

The races for districts 3, 4 and 5 were widely expected to be decided in the primary. But a contest in District 1 won't be determined until November. There, two Republicans and one Democrat were vying to replace outgoing Supervisor Kevin Cavanaugh in District 1.

A batch of results released on Wednesday afternoon showed Rich Vitiello continuing to lead over Ron Weber.

Vitiello, a former member of the Maricopa City Council, and Weber, a marketing and sales executive, each hope to get the nod from conservative voters. Both candidates list public safety as a top priority, but they differ slightly in their approaches to addressing the countys rapid growth.

Whoever wins will face former Coolidge City Councilmember George Arredondo Sr., a Democrat, in the fall.

Candidates vie for open sheriff seat

Several candidates are fiercely battling for control of the Pinal County Sheriff's Office, which is tasked with patrolling unincorporated areas of the county, as well as municipalities without a designated police force.

It also serves superior court orders and warrants, collects delinquent taxes, coordinates search and rescue missions and oversees the county's jails.

Initial results from the county on Tuesday night showed PCSO Lieutenant Ross Teeple holding a comfortable lead over his two other challengers. The Arizona Republic has called the race for Teeple based on unofficial results.

Sheriff Mark Lamb is running for U.S. Senate, leaving a vacancy that three Republicans and one Democrat are eager to fill. Cavanaugh, who represents District 1 on the Board of Supervisors, is vying against Teeple and former Apache Junction mayoral candidate Charles Austin Jr. for the post.

Teeple is focused on ensuring PCSO's staffing keeps up with the county's growing population. He pledges to follow the law and catch criminals. Cavanagh has advocated for more transparency in the Sheriffs Office and said he hopes to start an enforcement unit focused on stopping vehicles coming from the U.S.-Mexico border. Austin, the only candidate without any law enforcement experience, said at an event in May that he is focused on fighting fentanyl trafficking and use.

Whoever wins will face Democrat Patrick Melvin, who previously worked as chief of police in Maricopa, in November.

Incumbent county attorney faces challenger

Two Republicans are going head-to-head in the county attorney's race, where incumbent Kent Volkmer lost further ground to his challenger Brad Miller after county officials released more unofficial results on Wednesday afternoon.

The contest is one of the most high-profile in the county and pits incumbent Volkmer against U.S. Marine Corps veteran and criminal defense attorney Miller. Whoever wins is expected to serve as the lead prosecutor of the Pinal County Attorney's Office.

That office reviews and determines charges for felonies occurring in the county, and misdemeanors occurring in unincorporated areas. It also provides legal services for the Board of Supervisors and county departments and agencies.

Volkmer has served in the role since 2017 and is looking to hold on to his seat. He touted a reduction in felony crime under his administration and said he would focus on addressing teen violence and substance use if elected to another term.

Miller, who previously worked as a prosecutor in the Maricopa County Attorneys Office Sex Crimes Bureau, said he would also focus on prosecuting drug use. He has criticized Volkmer for his style of leadership within his office and said he would fight "woke policies" by more heavily scrutinizing federal grants accepted by the county.

GOP candidates compete for assessor, school superintendent seats

Incumbents in the Assessor's Office and School Superintendent's Office faced challengers from within their own party.

Republican Assessor Douglas Wolf, who previously worked as a real estate broker, faced off with December "Storm" Cox, a former appraiser for the county. Wolf says he is focused on maintaining and enhancing office staffing levels, while Cox aims to modernize assessment processes.

After an initial round of unofficial results were released by Pinal County on Tuesday night, Wolf held a large lead over Cox. The Republic has called the race for Wolf based on unofficial results.

Whoever wins will be responsible for identifying, mapping and assessing all properties in Pinal County. The assessor determines the value of properties, which dictates how much a property owner pays in taxes. They work with other county offices to maintain records and provide valuation information.

Meanwhile, long-serving School Superintendent Jill Broussard faced a challenge from Florence Mayor Tara Walter.

Broussard continued to lead from Walter following the county's update on Wednesday afternoon.

Broussard promised she would continue developing services for districts and said she has new projects in the works to support teachers. Walter says she will streamline administrative processes and bring a fresh perspective to the office.

The county superintendent supports various school-related elections, offers school finance assistance to school districts and maintains homeschool and private school records. They also appoint school board members to vacant seats, which gives the position great power over the makeup of school boards countywide.

Candidates run unopposed in recorder, treasurer races

Two races  contests for county recorder and county treasurer  stayed calm throughout the primary election cycle.

The county recorder holds immense power over election operations. In Pinal County, the officeholder is tasked with overseeing the Recorder's Office and the Elections Department. That means they are responsible for maintaining voter registration records, administering all voting, and overseeing tabulation and other post-election processes.

The county recorder also manages public records, including property documents and governmental information.

Republican Dana Lewis ran unopposed for the seat. She currently holds the position, but this will be her first election for the office. She was appointed to the seat by county supervisors in 2022, and she is working to regain voter trust and turn a new page following a rough midterm election cycle.

The county treasurer is a little-known, but vital, role. The treasurer acts as the county tax collector and safeguards the county's money. They are responsible for disbursing money from the county treasury and pursuing those who have not paid their county taxes. They receive all county revenues, manage credit accounts and invest county funds with guidance from county supervisors. They also serve as treasurer for all schools and special districts within their county.

Republican Michael McCord ran unopposed for the position. He was first elected to the seat in 2016.

Reporters Christina Avery, Nick Sullivan and Catherine Reagor contributed to this article.

Sasha Hupka covers county government and election administration for The Arizona Republic. Reach her at sasha.hupka@arizonarepublic.com. Follow her on X, formerly Twitter: @SashaHupka. Follow her on Instagram or Threads: @sashahupkasnaps. Sign up for her weekly election newsletter, Republic Recount.

Reach reporter Fernando Cervantes Jr. at fernando.cervantes@gannett.com.

This article originally appeared on Arizona Republic: Which Pinal County candidates will advance to November election?
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Arizona's primary election Tuesday set up at least one key race for the fall: Former news anchor and failed gubernatorial candidate Kari Lake won the Republican nomination and will face Democrat Rep. Ruben Gallego, D-Ariz., for a U.S. Senate seat.

Many hotly contested primary races were too close to call late Tuesday evening, including three congressional primaries  two that involve Democrats and one with Republicans. Mayoral runoffs in two large Valley cities also appear likely.

Maricopa County could see a few upsets. The sitting sheriff was significantly behind his challenger, along with a county supervisor. The county recorder race was closer, but the incumbent was behind.

Wednesday updates: Follow the latest news on Arizona's primary

Tuesday night's unofficial results included mostly early ballots and some election day ballots. More election day ballots and early ballots weren't yet counted as of midnight  the exact quantity is unknown. Election results in Arizona are unofficial until local and state officials have tallied all ballots and certified the results.

Full, unofficial results are anticipated by Monday. Races may be called sooner, depending on margins and the number of early ballots that remain uncounted.

See the latest ballot count: Arizona primary election results

Counting ballots moving slowly as officials grapple with new law

Maricopa County officials settled in for a long night at election headquarters Tuesday as a new state law slowed trucks carrying early ballots and results from the polls.

The new statute was designed to ensure the state's recently widened recount margin won't disrupt this year's elections. Getting it through the Arizona Legislature required compromises from election officials  including one that stipulates counties must count the number of early ballots received at each of their voting sites and report those figures to the public on election night.

County officials have long warned that isn't a fast process. They have feared for months that the new procedures could leave election staffers across the state struggling to report results as politicians, pundits and the public eagerly await them.

As Elections Department spokesperson Jennifer Liewer put it at around 10:30 p.m. Tuesday: Its going to be a late night.

 Sasha Hupka

Scottsdale, Mesa likely to see runoff races for mayor

Mayoral candidates in Mesa and Scottsdale, two of the Valley's most populous cities, appear headed to runoff elections in November, if early, unofficial election results from Tuesday night hold.

In local races where no single candidate obtains more than 50% of the vote, the top two vote getters meet in a runoff.

In Mesa, former Mayor and Valley Metro CEO Scott Smith could face off against sitting Councilmember Mark Freeman. The winner will replace outgoing Mayor John Giles, who is term limited. Giles' successor will be Mesa's first new mayor in 10 years.

Mesa is Arizona's third-largest city, with a population of 511,00.

Sitting Scottsdale Mayor David Ortega was leading, according to early, unofficial election results, but challenges by two candidates likely will force him to a runoff against Lisa Borowsky, a former Scottsdale city councilmember. Scottsdale is Arizona's seventh largest city, at nearly 245,000 residents.

 Maritza Dominguez, Sam Kmack and Taylor Seely

Sellers far behind Stewart in Maricopa County Board of Supervisors race

Sitting Maricopa County Supervisor Jack Sellers was far behind challenger and Chandler City Councilmember Mark Stewart, according to early, unofficial election results released Tuesday.

The two differ slightly on affordable housing and elections.

While Sellers has voted with other sitting supervisors to send some federal COVID-19 dollars toward affordable housing projects, Stewart said he favored cutting red tape rather than sending money to address the issue. Sellers has joined his colleagues in defending the county's elections.

Stewart has criticized the county for widespread printer breakdowns during the 2022 midterms and what he called "recurring discrepancies" in recent elections, even though numerous audits and court challenges have affirmed the results of the 2020 and 2022 elections in the county.

 Sasha Hupka

Arpaio in last place among Fountain Hills mayoral candidates

Former Maricopa County Sheriff Joe Arpaio was in last place in the Fountain Hills mayoral race, according to early, unofficial election results released Tuesday.

Sitting Mayor Ginny Dickey was leading Councilmember Gerry Friedel.

Lake defeats Lamb in Arizona Republican US Senate primary

Kari Lake beat Pinal County Sheriff Mark Lamb for the Republican nomination for U.S. Senate, according to CNN, NBC News and the Associated Press. Lake will face Democrat Ruben Gallego in Novembers general election. The winner in that race could tip the balance in the U.S. Senate.

Ciscomani, Schweikert win Arizona GOP congressional primaries

Sitting U.S. Reps. Juan Ciscomani, R.-Ariz., and David Schweikert, R.-Ariz., defeated their challengers in the Republican primaries, according to the Associated Press.

Ciscomani defeated Kathleen Winn. Schweikert beat two challengers: Kim George and Robert Backie.

Schweikert represents the Scottsdale area in the 1st Congressional District, while Ciscomani serves southeast Arizona in the 6th Congressional District.

Former Mesa mayor, sitting councilman lead in crowded Mesa mayor race

Former Mesa Mayor and Valley Metro CEO Scott Smith and Councilman Mark Freeman led a field of crowded candidates running for mayor of Mesa, according to early, unofficial election results released Tuesday night.

If the results hold, Smith and Freeman would face each other in a November runoff. The winner would replace outgoing Mayor John Giles, a Republican who has endorsed Vice President Kamala Harris against former President Donald Trump.

Candidates Ryan Winkle, Scott Neely and Carey Davis trailed.

Maricopa County Recorder Richer behind primary challenger Heap

Maricopa County Recorder Stephen Richer was losing to Republican primary challenger Justin Heap, a state representative from Mesa, according to the first batch of early, unofficial election results released Tuesday night.

Don Hiatt, an information technology professional, trailed both.

The winner of the Republican primary will face military veteran and attorney Tim Stringham, a Democrat who ran unopposed, in the November. Richer has support from across the political aisle and is widely expected to dominate if he makes it to the general election.

Maricopa County Supervisor Galvin leads Ugenti-Rita in GOP primary

Maricopa County Supervisor Thomas Galvin was far ahead of former State Rep. Michelle Ugenti-Rita in the Republican nomination race for the countys District 2 seat.

The winner of the primary will face Democrat Julie Cieniawski in November, though the Republican candidate is largely expected to win.

Maricopa County Sheriff Skinner losing Democratic bid against Kamp

Tyler Kamp was beating incumbent Russ Skinner for the Democratic nomination for Maricopa County sheriff, according to early, unofficial election results released Tuesday night.

Skinner was appointed Maricopa County sheriff by the Board of Supervisors in February after Democrat Paul Penzone stepped down. Kamp is a former Phoenix Police shift commander and homicide detective. The winner of the Democratic primary for sheriff will face a Republican challenger, who also will be decided in this election, in November.

Sheridan leads Milstead for Maricopa County sheriff GOP nomination

Jerry Sheridan was strongly ahead of Frank Milstead in the Republican primary for Maricopa County sheriff, according to early, unofficial election results released Tuesday night.

Mike Crawford trailed behind Milstead.

The winner will face a Democratic challenger, who also will be decided in this election, in November.

Sheridan worked for the Sheriff's Office for 38 years, retiring as a chief deputy. He won the Republican primary for Maricopa County sheriff against Joe Arpaio, his former boss, in 2020, but lost to Democrat Paul Penzone in the General Election.

Crawford is an Air Force veteran and a former Glendale police officer. Milstead was appointed as director of the Arizona Department of Safety in 2015 by former Gov. Doug Ducey. He held that position until he retired in 2020.

Lake leads Lamb in Arizona Republican US Senate primary

Kari Lake was leading in the race against Pinal County Sheriff Mark Lamb for the Republican nomination for U.S. Senate, the first batch of early, unofficial results showed Tuesday evening. The winner of the primary will face Democrat Ruben Gallego in Novembers general election. The seat could help determine control of the U.S. Senate next year.

Lake was endorsed by former President Donald Trump and has a nationally recognized reputation for election denialism. Lamb offered a lower-key brand of Trump allegiance but had a dearth of cash. Republican Elizabeth Reye was also on the ballot, but trailed far behind Lake and Lamb.

Hamadeh leads Masters in crowded GOP field in Arizona congressional primary

Attorney Abe Hamadeh was leading venture capitalist Blake Masters in in a crowded race in Arizonas 8th Congressional District, according to early, unofficial election results released Tuesday night, although the race remained too close to call.

Arizona House Speaker Ben Toma trailed closely behind Masters. Former U.S. Rep. Trent Franks and state Sen. Anthony Kern followed.

One of Arizonas most bitter primary contests, the race saw a last-minute election twist over the weekend when former President Donald Trump, who had initially only backed Hamadeh, also threw his support behind Masters.

Crane wins in Arizona GOP congressional primary

Rep. Eli Crane, R.-Ariz., defeated primary challenger Jack Smith, the former Yavapai County supervisor, according to the Associated Press. Early, unofficial election results showed him with a significant lead.

The race in the 2nd Congressional District was an anticlimactic finish to the so-called vengeance operation by former House Speaker Kevin McCarthy, whose allies targeted the Arizona congressman and other Republicans who ended McCarthys speakership last year.

Ansari leads Teran in Phoenix Democratic congressional primary

Former Phoenix City Councilmember and Vice Mayor Yassamin Ansari was narrowly beating former Arizona Democratic Party chair Raquel Teran in the Phoenix-area 3rd Congressional District, according to the first batch of early, unofficial election results released Tuesday night.

The winner of Tuesdays Democratic primary is widely expected to defeat the Republican challenger in November's general election and could hold the seat for years to come.

Shah has slim lead on other Democrats in Arizona congressional primary

Doctor and former state lawmaker Amish Shah had the lead in a crowded race in Arizonas Scottsdale-area 1st Congressional District, though the race remained close, according to the first batch of early, unofficial results Tuesday night.

Andrei Cherny, a former Arizona Democratic Party chair, former journalist Marlene Galan-Woods, and Conor OCallaghan clustered closely behind.Andrew Horne, an orthodontist, and Kurt Kroemer, a former nonprofit executive, trailed the rest of the field.

Polls close in Arizona primary; first results expected just after 8 p.m.

Polling locations across Arizona closed at 7 p.m., and the first results were expected in about an hour, with more to follow throughout the night.

If the polls closed while voters are still in line, they shouldnt leave. As long as voters are in line at 7 p.m., they have a right to cast a ballot.

Full results were likely to take days to tally. State law gives county election officials about two weeks to wrap up counting.

All counties were expected to release the first batch of results around 8 p.m. That round will include results from early ballots cast in the weeks leading up to election day.

Election workers in counties statewide were expected to tally the votes cast in person on Tuesday and release those at intervals throughout Tuesday night.

On Wednesday, counties will begin verifying signatures and counting ballots dropped off at polling places, those that arrived by mail in the past few days through Tuesday and any ballots that require additional investigation.

That may take a few days. The more last-minute early ballots received, the longer it may take to count votes and determine tight races.

 Sasha Hupka and Taylor Seely

Smooth primary election day at polls, but conspiracies persist with some

Arizona has seen a smooth, low-turnout election day  but a handful of incidents in the Valley and beyond show voting conspiracies still have deep roots in the battleground state.

Polls largely opened on time statewide, lines were minimal throughout the morning and early afternoon and voting was largely unimpeded by technical issues that plagued several counties during the 2022 election cycle. Overall, poll workers and election officials across Arizona were reporting a calm primary day.

But that didn't stop misinformation from finding footholds.

In Avondale, a local candidate confronted a voter and accused her of "ballot harvesting," filming part of the argument and posting it online. In Phoenix, a man campaigning outside a vote center was so distrustful of poll workers that he double-checked their measurement of the 75-foot boundary around the entrance to the site with a ruler. The workers had repeatedly asked him to campaign outside of that perimeter, as required by state law.

Across the state, some voters said they chose to cast ballots in person because they do not trust electoral processes. It's a theme that has dominated Arizona elections since Democrat Joe Biden won the state by just over 10,000 votes in 2020, helping to pave his path to the White House.

Tensions were especially high in the Valley, which is home to about 60% of the state's registered voters and is poised to once again play a pivotal role in the presidential race. Tuesdays primary suggests unfounded conspiracies will continue to percolate among a small, but vocal, group of voters as November approaches.

 Sasha Hupka

Education is top of mind for south Phoenix resident

Jasmin Canales, 28, of south Phoenix, was traveling this summer while early voting was taking place, the voting method she typically prefers.

Fortunately, the polling place at South Mountain High School is just a few minutes from her home. Canales walked out of the school satisfied, saying it only took her 10 minutes to cast her vote in person.

For Canales, one of the most important issues is education.

As a teacher, a lot of politics surrounds education and a lot of people dont realize it, Canales said. I think making your voice heard and knowing whats going on politically within education is extremely important.

When asked about specific races that resonated with her and which shell follow closely, she said all of them, honestly.

I voted for all of the races. I tried to do my due diligence in researching the parties, their candidates and whether their ideals aligned with mine, Canales said.

 Paula Soria

Pinal County voters feel affinity for US Senate candidate Mark Lamb

For some voters in Pinal County, their personal connections to Mark Lamb made him an easy choice in the Republican primary. Lamb has served as the countys sheriff since 2017, but stepped aside to run for U.S. Senate this year.

Grover Gravatt, a Republican in San Tan Valley, used to work with Lamb as a police officer, which is why he voted for him.

I know him and hes a good person, Gravatt said.

Marcey Minor is a teacher at a charter school and a Republican who also voted for Lamb.

Hes a personal friend of mine and I think that he will do a fabulous job, she said.

 Reia Li

Sen. Mark Kelly: AZ Dems could win 2026 special election for Senate if he becomes VP

U.S. Sen. Mark Kelly downplayed worries about Democrats needing to win another Senate election if he joins a winning Democratic presidential ticket, addressing one of the more persistent concerns of his candidacy.

Speaking to CNN on Capitol Hill on Tuesday, Kelly, D-Ariz., said his party could manage a 2026 special election to replace him if that was necessary.

Democrats have been really good about winning statewide races in the state of Arizona, Kelly said, pointing to wins in the 2018, 2020 and 2022 cycles.

We figured this out. We have a strong state party, and I imagine were going to be successful from now going into the future. ... I dont think itll be an issue. I think weve got a great slate of other Democrats, but this is not about me.

Kelly won his Senate seat in 2020 in a special election to finish the final two years of the term the late U.S. Sen. John McCain, R-Ariz., won in 2016. McCain died of brain cancer in 2018 and, because of the timing of the vacancy, the seat was temporarily filled by fellow Republicans until the 2020 election.

Kelly won a full six-year term in 2022 and isnt scheduled to be on the ballot again until 2028.

 Ronald J. Hansen

Recorders race pits incumbent Stephen Richer against Justin Heap, Don Hiatt

The county recorder seat holds power over voter registration and early voting. Maricopa County is one of the largest voting jurisdictions in the country and a political battleground, and the GOP primary largely hinges on election integrity concerns in the wake of voting conspiracies.

Two Republicans are hoping to unseat incumbent Recorder Stephen Richer: State Rep. Justin Heap, R-Mesa, and information technology professional Don Hiatt. Both have voiced issues with county elections.

Heap, who has previously supported legislation to remove Arizona from a multistate voter registration list maintenance effort, has pledged to clean voter rolls and promised faster election results. Hiatt also has commited to cleaning voter rolls and saig he would publicly release election-related data, including detailed logs from machines that tally votes.

Richer, first elected in 2020, is seeking a second term. During his tenure, he has touted his efforts to clean voter rolls and improve chain-of-custody documentation. Along the way, he's established himself as a staunch defender of the county's election operations and has pushed back on voting conspiracies and misinformation.

Whoever wins will face military veteran and attorney Tim Stringham, a Democrat, in the November election. The viability of his campaign could depend on his Republican opponent. Richer has support from across the political aisle and is widely expected to dominate if he makes it to the general election.

 Pat Poblete

Electric utility issues focus of Corporation Commission races

The primary election for three seats on the Arizona Corporation Commission isnt expected to weed out any top contenders, with all the leaders from both main political parties likely to qualify for the general election in November.

The five-member commission regulates various businesses and industries in the state, but issues focused on electric-power utilities will take center stage.

The three Democrats in the race would like to see the states utilities accelerate their use of solar, wind and other green-energy sources. They are Ylenia Aguilar, Jonathon Hill and Joshua Polacheck.

The three Republican contenders favor a more balanced energy mix including natural gas and attention to keeping rates down for consumers. While gas-fired power plants do release emissions, they also can be turned on quickly, at any time of day and regardless of cloud cover, to meet peak demand periods. Rene Lopez, Lea Marquez Peterson and Rachel Walden are the three GOP candidates, with Peterson the only incumbent seeking reelection.

There are also two write-in candidates from the Green Party, Mike Cease and Nina Luxenberg. Voters in the primary can choose three candidates.

Brisk population growth in Arizona means more strain on existing infrastructure, and so do massive new commercial and industrial projects including semiconductor factories and data centers  metro Phoenix is becoming a national leader in both areas. Thats why the energy agenda is considered a critical issue.

Two incumbent Republican commissioners, Kevin Thompson and Nick Myers, are not up for reelection this year. Each commissioner serves a four-year term.

 Russ Wiles

Still need to vote? The Republic provides rundowns of each race

Arizona congressional primary election: Who will win these competitive 2024 races?

Arizona's congressional primary races are rich with political intrigue.

Democrats believe current Republican Rep. David Schweikert is on the ropes, and six candidates are squaring off in a primary to determine who will face him. Former campaign friends have become enemies in the fight for Arizona's West Valley congressional seat, as a six-way contest has been dominated by mudslinging and personal attacks.

In the state's northeastern reaches, voters will help decide a bitter rivalry that involves one of D.C.'s top power brokers. And in a Phoenix-area Democratic primary, it's a jump ball between a climate policy wunderkind touting her record as a city councilmember and a longtime community organizer endorsed by Sen. Bernie Sanders, I-Vermont.

Here's what to know about the congressional races.

 Laura Gersony

Voters in Tucson concerned about sheriff's race, and Trump winning

Brian Nikkari, 64, dropped off his ballot at Tucsons Eckstrom-Columbus library late election day morning.

I always get the mail-in one and wait until the last minute in case something comes out of the closet, he said.

In this years race he said the Senate and House races are particularly important, and reiterated how critical local elections are to peoples everyday lives.

In Pima County, he is primarily concerned with the sheriffs race.

I dont think the last one did a good job, he said. It seems like everyone we get  they screw up.

Ralph Armenta is an 87-year-old Democrat born and raised in Tucson. He said he always votes in person. He had just voted at the Eckstrom-Columbus public library and said the process was smooth and there were no long lines.

He said he is excited and worried about the upcoming election.

If Trump gets elected, like hes already said hes going to be a dictator and start a riot if he doesnt win," Armenta said.

 Sarah Lapidus

Fontes responds to Trump's call to Christian voters

The last chance to vote? Secretary of State Adrian Fontes chose to take a charitable view of former president Donald Trumps comment late last week where he told a Christian group there wouldnt be a need to vote in four years.

Get out and vote, just this time, Trump said. He told the crowd they wouldnt have to do so again. Four more years, you know what? Itll be fixed, itll be fine, you wont have to vote anymore, my beautiful Christians.

His comment caused an uproar in the political world, and the controversy continued as Trump on Fox News tried to explain what he meant.

This time, vote, he told Fox host Laura Ingraham as he recounted his message. Ill straighten out the country, you wont have to vote anymore, I wont need your vote anymore, you can go back to not voting.

Arizona Secretary of State Adrian Fontes

Fontes, a Democrat, said maybe Trump was suggesting that if he wins, he wont be eligible to run for a third term. Or, that if he loses in November, he would not run again in 2028.

I dont think I want to impute onto the former president anything worse than that, he said at a morning news conference. I know a lot of commentators have indicated that this is a move toward something much darker.

 Mary Jo Pitzl

What ballots are Valley independents choosing in Arizona's primary?

In the primaries, independent voters can choose which political partys ballot to receive.

Ramon Perry was a registered Republican until 2016 when Trumps presidency caused him to change to being an independent. When he came to vote at San Tan Heights K-8 School, he chose a Democratic ballot.

I dont think you should run a campaign based off fear, Perry said. Theres got to be a reason you get up in the morning other than Im afraid someones going to come and kill me.

Perry said he wished Arizona had open primaries like California, where he is originally from.

Pat Adamson, also an independent, chose a Republican ballot. He was a Democrat until 2010. Now, he votes based on a belief in the Constitution and limited government.

Ive always been an independent thinker, he said.

 Reia Li

Republican voters choose between Lake, Lamb, Reye to face Gallego

The biggest race on the ballot statewide Tuesday was between the Republicans vying for their partys nomination in the U.S. Senate race.

Former President Donald Trump urged Arizona Republicans to make Kari Lake his partner in a race against an ultra-left Democrat.

Speaking to listeners on a telephone call Monday for Lakes campaign, Trump called President Joe Bidens departure from the race a coup by Democrats, repeatedly mispronounced Vice President Kamala Harris name and said Lake would help him implement his plans for a second term.

Shes fantastic. She will not let us down, Trump said. Kari Lake, I just think shes going to be as good as you can get. Theres nobody going to be better.

The call came as Republican voters choose between Lake, Pinal County Sheriff Mark Lamb and neuroscientist Elizabeth Jean Reye.

The winner will face Democratic contender Ruben Gallego, who is unopposed for his partys nomination in the race to replace the retiring Sen. Kyrsten Sinema, I-Ariz.

 Ronald J. Hansen

Gilbert voters mixed, backing Lamb, Lake, Trump and Harris

Kathy Dunham, 61, was voting at Gilberts McQueen Park Activity Center Tuesday morning and said she supports Mark Lamb because of his stance on border security.

She plans to vote for Donald Trump in November as she did in the past. "I like the fact that he's an outsider. He's outspoken, he doesn't owe anyone anything," Dunham said.

Voters walk back to their vehicles after dropping off their ballots at Dove of the Desert United Methodist Church in Glendale on July 30, 2024.

For Dunham, voting has been instilled into her since she was young.

She said the first election she voted in was in 1980. "It's a part of our civic duty to vote.

Don Carney, 70, is a resident of Gilbert and supports Kari Lake because he thinks shes honest and a good person.

"We need somebody that tells it like it is instead of spreading fake news," Carney said.

He plans to vote for Trump in November as he did in the past. "A lot of people don't like him, but he tells it like it is," Carney said.

Gilbert resident Jacquelyn Phillips, 41, thinks voting is a fundamental freedom and is important as a civic process.

"It's critical we have a say in how our cities, our state, and our country operates," she said.

Phillips identifies as a Democrat and plans to vote for Kamala Harris in November. "I am voting for common sense and I'm voting for a preservation of democracy," she said. "I'm voting for freedom, and she's also not a felon or a predator."

 Kerria Weaver

Glendale Republican voters decide between Trump's pick of Arizona candidates

Voters arriving at the Dove of the Desert United Methodist Church in Glendale have two candidates endorsed by former President Donald Trump on the ballot for the 8th Congressional District.

Trump praised both Blake Masters and Abraham Hamadeh on Truth Social, saying West Valley voters have "two spectacular America first candidates." Trump had previously endorsed Hamadeh but approved Masters, who his running mate J.D. Vance already endorsed.

Some voters are standing by Hamadeh because Trump supported him first.

"Trump originally came out for Hamadeh," said Scott Haberman, a 74-year-old Glendale resident. "But both are good choices."

Glendale resident Sandy Mitchell, 62, believes Trump endorsed both candidates to create a united front with Vance.

"I went with Trump's vote, because that's Trump's vote," she said.

But not all voters choose candidates based on endorsements from party leaders.

"I think with endorsements, I always wonder how well they really know them," said Jeff Hale, a 56-year-old Glendale resident. "Is it just the name they think can win? I'm always skeptical about endorsements."

 Hayleigh Evans

Maricopa voter turnout for Arizona primary lower than expected

In Arizonas most populous region, morning turnout lagged election day projections.

At about 9 a.m., Maricopa County was at almost 10,000 voter check-ins. Officials say that's less than was expected. The county initially forecasted at least 94,000 voters on election day, but election officials were now expecting the total to be lower. That would put election day turnout behind that of the 2022 primary.

Early ballot returns were also lackluster as of last week, signaling sparse voter interest.

 Sasha Hupka

Mesa Mayor John Giles explains support for Kamala Harris on CNN

Outgoing Mesa Mayor John Giles, who chose early to publicly back Vice President Kamala Harris bid to become the Democratic presidential nominee, was on CNN Monday night explaining his position.

I have to sleep at night. I couldnt do that well if I didnt express disappointment in the current (Republican) nominee, he said on CNN.

In a Monday op-ed in The Arizona Republic, the outgoing mayor who has hit term limits, urged Arizona Republicans to vote for Harris, saying former President Donald Trump "poses a threat" to the nation.

Republican Mayor of Mesa John Giles speaks at a campaign rally at Cesar Chavez High School on Nov. 2, 2022, in Phoenix.

Giles said theres a minimum bar for elected officials that involves character and abiding by the Constitution, and he doesnt feel Trump gets over that low bar.

Twenty-one mayors across Arizona endorsed Harris, including Giles, who is a registered Republican. He was the most prominent Republican mayor to do so.

Giles was previously censored by the Arizona Republican Party for supporting Democrats.

Giles said he differs with Harris on some issues but supports the vice president because her priority is the country.

He also supports U.S. Sen. Mark Kelly of Arizona to be Harris vice president.

Hes a real John Glenn, a right stuff person, said Giles about Kelly. Hes very talented and capable. He could be secretary of defense and VP at same time.

 Catherine Reagor and Maritza Dominguez

Mesa voters want their voices heard and to 'make a difference'

Voting at Velda Rose United Memorial Church in Mesa, Wills Benbow, 40, said he thinks it's very important to cast a ballot. "Its the only chance we get to have a say in our local area."

The position that mattered most to Benbow was mayor, and he said he believed Ryan Winkle reflected his beliefs.

"Ryan Winkle seems to care about small businesses a lot," he said.

Kimberly Marohl, 59, was also casting her ballot at the Mesa church and said it's important to her because she wants her vote to count.

"I want to vote because we have this right and some people don't, so I want to at least try to make a difference," she said.

The candidates she most agreed with were Rachel Mitchell and Mark Lamb.

"When I had jury duty and Rachel Mitchell was the attorney general or something along those lines, I had the opportunity to experience the jury duty process, and I was very intrigued," she said.

Marohl liked Lamb because of his Christian beliefs and how he wants to secure the border. She also said she backs any candidate that supports the military.

 Kerria Weaver

San Tan Valley voter concerned about mailing ballot

It was a quiet, windy morning at the voting center at the J.O. Combs Unified School District office in San Tan Valley. One of the few people walking in was Sharon Moore, a Republican.

Concerns about election security led her to vote in person for the first time in years.

I really dont know where my ballot goes when I mail it in, Moore said. I just want my vote to be counted correctly.

Making sure the polling process goes smoothly is part of Kerry Lawrences job as marshal at the voting site. Hes been working in Pinal County elections for three years and is impressed with how the voting procedures have improved since the problems the county faced in the 2022 midterms.

Every election gets better, he said. Im amazed at how secure it is.

 Reia Li

Arizona polls open without any big issues

As election day dawned, officials in counties statewide said polls largely opened without a hitch.

In populous Maricopa County, all but one vote center opened on schedule. Elections Department spokesperson Jennifer Liewer said Newell Barney Middle School in Queen Creek was locked when poll workers arrived and opened at about 6:30 a.m.

Everything else went without a hitch, she said.

Pima County Elections Director Constance Hargrove said the polls were  open and operational early Tuesday morning. She said the county was experiencing a few printer jams. Voters arrived to cast ballots but called it nothing major.

In Coconino County, voting locations also opened smoothly and on time. Poll workers at the Havasupai Community Learning Center in Supai Village even found a friend waiting for them  a brown and white pup sleeping near the entrance to the building.

As Yavapai County Recorder Michelle Burchill put it: So far, so good.

 Sasha Hupka

Velda Rose United Memorial Church in Mesa polling place as pictured on July 30, 2024.

Sun City residents turn out early to vote

Some of the first voters in the West Valley entered R.H. Johnson Recreation Center at 5:53 a.m., eager to cast their ballots before the summer heat sets in.

Justin Buob, a 52-year-old Sun City West resident, was the first to fill out his ballot.

"I wanted to beat the heat," he said. "Being in Sun City West, most of the seniors are up at this time, and it's usually a madhouse. I tried to get out here as early as possible."

Another Sun City West resident, Sandra Burns, 68, also wanted to cast her ballot before the temperature hit triple digits and encouraged others to do the same.

"I'm going to post (my voting sticker) on Facebook so that I'm reminding all my friends and family to get out," she said.

 Hayleigh Evans

Patricia Bahr proudly wears an I voted sticker after voting at a polling center in Sun City West on July 30, 2024.

Where to cast a ballot in metro Phoenix and Arizona

Maricopa County will have 223 vote centers open Tuesday, and registered voters can cast a ballot at any one of them.Other counties across the state use a variety of voting models. Check with your local election officials to determine if you are assigned a polling place and to find voting locations in your area.

 Sasha Hupka

Arizona voters head to the polls: Are election officials ready?

As voters head to the polls, officials in Arizona's most populous county say they're ready for election season and are hoping for a smooth primary.

In a news conference last week, Maricopa County leaders also sought to prepare for the spotlight. They cautioned the public to stay calm if problems arose Tuesday and took a strong stance against candidates and political officials who have previously spread election-related misinformation.

The county, which spans metro Phoenix, is in the midst of a monumental election cycle. Arizona is a key political battleground, and the Valley is home to about 60% of the state's registered voters.

On Tuesday, voters will weigh in on a number of pivotal primaries up and down the ballot. The election is headlined by a GOP contest for the U.S. Senate in which former gubernatorial candidate Kari Lake will vie with Pinal County Sheriff Mark Lamb and neuroscientist Elizabeth Reye. Other high-profile faceoffs include several congressional primaries, a handful of legislative district contests and several key county races.

Polls will be open from 6 a.m. to 7 p.m.

 Sasha Hupka

This article originally appeared on Arizona Republic: Arizona primary: First day coverage of state's July 2024 election
Arizona voters on Tuesday chose the partisan candidates who will vie to represent them in offices from city council to Congress  an election that could determine which party holds policymaking majorities in Arizona and the nations capital.

By official accounts the day went smoothly, save for a few hiccups. The election stood in contrast to an otherwise politically turbulent time.

"People should feel really good about how things went," said Republican Maricopa County Supervisor Bill Gates, who decided not to run for reelection this year. "There was a potential for a lot of challenges, a lot of different folks trying to disrupt the election, but we didn't see that. We saw people were well behaved, and very pleased with the way that everything worked."

Election officials prepared for Tuesday with heightened awareness of potential acts of political violence following the assassination attempt on GOP presidential nominee Donald Trump just weeks ago.

And simmering in the background was skepticism, and added scrutiny, related to election administration. Officials in Maricopa County  home to most of the states voters  went on offense, reminding voters in the lead up to Tuesday that no election is perfect.

Problems with printers in 2022 and long lines in recent elections have fueled a flood of misinformation and furthered conspiracy theories centered on the county.

Congressional contests in play

A race pitting loyalists to Trump seeking the Republican nomination for a U.S. Senate seat held by Sen. Kyrsten Sinema, I-Ariz., topped the ticket.

Former television news anchor Kari Lake defeated Pinal County Sheriff Mark Lamb. The Associated Press called the race for Lake about 45 minutes after the first results were reported. Lake, who lost her statewide bid for governor in 2022 by less than one percentage point, is still suing to overturn that result.

And Arizona voters weighed in on several contentious party brawls for seats in the U.S. House, two of which are likely to sail through the November general election because of the partisan tilt of registered voters in their districts.

In three of those high-profile contested races, no decisive margins emerged. Ballots are still being counted and the results may be clear in the coming days.

Republican U.S. Rep. Debbie Leskos decision not to seek reelection to a safe GOP seat this year teed off a crowded GOP race. In a twist, Trump endorsed two candidates  neither of which was a third candidate, a Trump ally facing criminal prosecution for certifying Trump won Arizona in 2020. Former candidate for attorney general Abe Hamadeh lead the pack.

As for the next step of her own political career, Lesko won the GOP primary for a seat on the Maricopa County Board of Supervisors.

On the Democratic side, voters chose between two progressives in a heated battle to represent a bright blue district held by U.S. Rep. Ruben Gallego, D-Ariz. Gallego is asking voters to elevate him to the U.S. Senate in November, a race that pits him against Lake, and did not face a challenger in Tuesdays primary. Former Phoenix Vice Mayor Yassamin Ansari held a small lead over challenger Raquel Teran in the unofficial results for Gallego's seat.

Former state representative Amish Shah led slightly in the six-way Democratic primary to challenge seven-term incumbent Republican Congressman David Schweikert in the northeast corner of Maricopa County.

State legislative leadership up for grabs

All 90 state legislative seats will be on the November ballot, but not all saw competitive primaries.

In the state House, 20 districts have competitive primary races. In the Arizona Senate, 12 seats out of 30 were contested in the primary.

And because many of the Legislatures 30 districts lean heavily Republican or Democratic, as far as voter registration is concerned, even fewer races will be competitive come November.

Still Democrats and Gov. Katie Hobbs  the state's first Democratic governor in 14 years  have set out to flip the power dynamic at the states Capitol. Right now, Republicans have a slight majority.

Drawing the most attention are battles for the Republican nomination that tested the desire among the partys most dedicated voters for candidates at the ideological edges or more centrist politicians. Democrats see Trump-aligned candidates as easier to beat.

In early returns, incumbent Sen. Justine Wadsack narrowly trailed Vince Leach to represent LD17 in southern Arizona. Wadsack ousted Leach for the seat in 2022, and their rematch appeared poised to be one of the closest races of the primary.

In LD1, which surrounds Prescott, Sen. Ken Bennett was defeated by challenger, Mark Finchem. Voters soundly rejected Finchem, who has furthered conspiracies about elections, in the 2022 race for Arizona Secretary of State. Bennett was attacked on the campaign trail for his votes in the Legislature that split from his party.

And in eastern Arizonas LD7, Rep. David Cook, R-Globe, challenged one of the states most outspoken Trump supporters, Sen. Wendy Rogers, R-Flagstaff. Rogers held on to her Senate seat.

Election leaders and cities at stake

In some county races, election administrators would not make it through primary challenges from election skeptics or critics.

Republican Maricopa County Recorder Stephen Richer, who has defended elections in the face of attacks from Trump and Lake and others, conceded to state Rep. Justin Heap, a Mesa Republican, on Wednesday morning.

"It's been a privilege," Richer wrote on social media. "Elections have winners and, sadly, losers. And in this one, it looks like I'm going to end up on the losing side of the column. But that's the name of the game. Accept it. Move on."

Of five members of the Board of Supervisors, a body that stood up to Trump's and Trump allies' attempts to overturn the 2020 election result in Arizona, incumbent Jack Sellers was ousted by challenger Mark Stewart. Incumbent Thomas Galvin held a lead over his own GOP competitor, former state lawmaker Michelle Ugenti-Rita.

Residents in over 20 Phoenix-area municipalities made their choice for mayors and town council members, which unlike others on the ballot are nonpartisan contests.

Voters in growing cities like Scottsdale, Buckeye and Mesa were poised to pick the people who make decisions about housing, transportation and growth.

In Gilbert, a scandal involving violent and mostly affluent teens known as the Gilbert Goons has roiled the race for city leadership. Vice Mayor Scott Anderson held a sizeable lead in the race.

In Mesa, voters had to replace John Giles, the term-limited mayor who has received national attention for supporting Democratic candidates. A Republican, Giles has been at odds with those of his own party who cast doubt on elections and a vocal opponent of Trump. Former Mayor Scott Smith held a tiny lead in the race that is likely headed to a runoff.

Likewise Scottsdale's next mayor may not be determined until a runoff election. Voters gave incumbent David Ortega a narrow lead over Lisa Borowsky.

Arizona's primary, on a sweltering summer day when many parts of the state recorded temperatures in the triple digits, was slightly earlier than normal.

State lawmakers and Hobbs earlier this year enacted a law moving the election and other related deadlines forward by a week. They rushed the change because of concern that a 2022 law would lead to more automatic recounts that could delay results and disrupt later elections.

Arizona politics: Abe Hamadeh won't detail circumstances of loan that experts question

Republic reporter Sasha Hupka contributed to this report.

Reach reporter Stacey Barchenger at stacey.barchenger@arizonarepublic.com or 480-416-5669.

This article originally appeared on Arizona Republic: Arizona primary election: Calm at the polls despite political turmoil
Press Release

July 30, 2024 Transcript of Senator Pia Cayetano's statement on the Senate floor

On SC's decision over FDA's regulatory power over tobacco products

July 30, 2024 Mr. President, this is just a point of information for the body. Today, the Supreme Court has ruled that the FDA has authority over tobacco products. It has denied the motion for reconsideration of the Philippine Tobacco Institute (PTI) and has ruled with finality that the FDA has regulatory powers over the health aspects of tobacco products. I bring this up today, Mr. President, because time and again, this august body has had to make very difficult decisions, and has passed laws regulating the tobacco industry. Sadly, one of the major laws that we have passed in the last Congress was in favor of the tobacco industry. That law gave the power to regulate the vape products, which are tobacco products, to the Department of Trade and Industry. And today, the Blue Ribbon Committee, which I chair, is hearing the monumental, catastrophic, embarrassing spectacle that the Philippine government presented itself in an international body, wherein they lobbied for the tobacco industry... They supported the tobacco cause in a health forum, a WHO health forum. That is pending in the Blue Ribbon Committee. As we go about our day-to-day work, on the internet are products that are targeting the youth. They are tobacco products in a different form, they are now encased in plastic, they are now emitting what is called vapors instead of smoke, but they're equally harmful, Mr. President. And this body, in the last Congress, gave the authority to DTI, that to this day, if you look at the jurisdiction of DTI, has absolutely no power, no expertise in the health field. And yet they are given the power to regulate these products. So I bring this up, my dear colleagues, because with finality, the Supreme Court has ruled that it is the FDA that has jurisdiction over [the health aspects of] tobacco products. A very brief history, dear colleagues. In 2008, I sponsored the FDA bill. In 2009, it became a law. Around 2011, the FDA issued regulations regulating the tobacco industry, and Philip Morris refused to be under the jurisdiction of the tobacco industry, and they filed the case in the lower court, and this went all the way up to the Supreme Court. It's been a battle for 15 years, if you count the time that we passed the law. Fifteen years, they delayed the implementation of the law. The argument being, shampoo, regulated kayo ng FDA, toothpaste, regulated ng FDA, perfume, regulated ng FDA, Lysol, regulated ng FDA. Ano pa? Pero tobacco, hindi. They're in a class of their own, according to the tobacco industry. They do not need the regulation of the Food and Drug Authority. Fifteen years since we passed the law, ang dami ko nang colleagues dito na namatay since then. The late Senator Flavier, the man behind "Yosi Kadiri," he's gone. My seatmate, the father of our Minority Floor Leader, the late Senator Nene Pimentel, was very supportive of this measure, Mr. President. He's gone. The father of our colleague, Senator Angara, also supported us on this anti-tobacco campaign. He's gone. They're all gone. So it's on us, dear colleagues, to ensure the health of the Filipino people. That is all, Mr. President. I just hope that in the days, in the weeks, in the months to come, I will have your support when the Blue Ribbon Committee submits its Committee Report, which will also include recommendation of laws that will help regulate a disease that can be prevented if we promote health in its truest form, if we do not allow tobacco lobbies to dictate upon us. Thank you, Mr. President.
Professor Allan Lichtman of American University, who has predicted the winner of every US presidential election since 1984, said that Kamala Harris has a better chance of winning today. According to him, Harris is now on the way to victory, as there are less than 100 days left before the election day.

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At the same time, the professor noted that his conclusions are preliminary and promised to publish an official forecast in August after the Democratic Party convention. This was reported by the Daily Mail.

Lichtman updated his complex forecasting model to take into account President Joe Biden's withdrawal from the race and Vice President Harris' transformation into the presumptive Democratic nominee. The professor took into account the factors affecting the party currently in power in the White House.

He said he would make his official election prediction next month, but already now, according to the professor, most of the votes are tipping in favor of Harris and her victory. Factors that give Harris an advantage include the fact that she has not had a direct opponent and has not had much of a threat from third-party candidates so far.

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In addition, Lichtman emphasized that the replacement of the Democratic candidate did not make major policy changes, so the vice president is not threatened by scandal or serious social unrest. Lichtman noted that with the transition from Biden to Harris as the presumptive nominee, Democrats lost only one advantage-the factor of the incumbent president.

At the same time, he noted that the Democrats managed to prevent further consequences as a result of the reshuffle, as the party overwhelmingly supported Harris instead of organizing chaotic open primaries or drawing other presidential candidates into the race at this late stage.

As a reminder, US Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump said he was ready for a debate with Vice President Kamala Harris, who is running in the election instead of Joe Biden. According to him, any debate should be held before the start of early voting.

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Earlier, Trump said that the Democratic Party staged a "coup" and forced the current US leader Joe Biden to withdraw his candidacy from the election. According to Trump, the Democrats decided to change the candidate because they allegedly realized the inevitability of their defeat.

Only verified information on our Telegram channel OBOZ.UA and Viber. Do not fall for fakes!
Ark. Teen, 16, Found Safe After She Was Allegedly Abducted by 30-Year-Old Man She Met Online: Police

Autumn Nicole Lyon had been the subject of an Amber Alert

Arkansas State Police Autumn Nicole Lyon

Police in Arkansas have found a 16-year-old girl after she was allegedly abducted by a 30-year-old man and reported missing on Saturday, July 27.

Officers from the Arkansas State Police Department wrote in a press release on Tuesday, July 30, that the alleged victim, Autumn Nicole Lyon, was found safe around 12 p.m. local time.

"Details will be released as they become available," police wrote in the statement.

Suspect Adrian Garces, 30, has been detained and charged with interference with custody and is awaiting extradition, according to an update shared earlier on the same day. ABC-affiliate KAIT8 reports that the suspect was arrested in Grand Prairie, Texas, on Monday night.

It's unclear if Garces has entered a plea or retained an attorney.

Arkansas State Police 30-year-old Adrian Garces

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After Garces' arrest, police suspected that Lyon may be near Leonard, Texas, which is about an hour north of Dallas. It is unclear where the she was ultimately found.

Arkansa State Police Department tells PEOPLE that "there is no further information to share at this time."

In a post on Monday, July 29, police said Lyons disappearance had been escalated from a missing/endangered child advisory to an Amber Alert.



Authorities wrote that the teen allegedly met Garces online and is believed to have traveled with him from Howard County, Ark., to Texas in a gray Ford pickup truck.



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Read the original article on People.
Arkansas State Police arrest driver accused of road rage on I-40 in Mayflower

MAUMELLE, Ark.  Arkansas State Police troopers responding to 911 calls from motorists led to a Mayflower mans arrest in Maumelle on Wednesday.

Arkansas State Police said callers to 911 at 5:45 p.m. informed troopers that two cars on westbound Interstate 40 near Mile Maker 147 were driving erratically and at high speed. Troopers said they spotted the pair and pulled them over near Maumelle.

Mayflower road-rage shooter sentenced to life without parole after jury trial

Investigators said they determined that 47-year-old Charles Pope had deliberately struck the other car, driven by a 36-year-old Little Rock woman.

Officials said Pope was taken into custody and transferred to the Pulaski County Regional Detention Facility.

Arkansas State Police troopers chase, arrest man on Interstate 30 after gun battle

Authorities noted Pope is facing charges of felony aggravated assault. The maximum possible penalty for felony assault is six years in prison and a $10,000 fine.

Copyright 2024 Nexstar Media, Inc. 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.
Armys second-largest post to have its first female commander

The Armys home for intelligence and cyber operations will welcome its first female garrison commander in a change-of-command ceremony next week.

Col. Yolanda Gore will be the 89th garrison commander of Fort Meade, Maryland, when she takes command from Col. Michael Sapp on Aug. 6.

Gore recently served as the former strategic initiative chief for the Armys deputy chief of staff over personnel at the Pentagon.

West Point to honor first female 4-star general

Im excited about the prospect of meeting new people and taking on the challenges this role will bring. Its an exciting feeling to envision what lies ahead, Gore said in an Army release.

In an interview with Army Public Affairs in early July, Gore noted her experience working closely with the office of the Secretary of the Army and was deeply involved in Medals of Honor ceremonies.

Dealing with personnel matters has been central to my career so far, she said. Now, as a Garrison Commander, Ill be immersed in the operational aspects of running an installation.

Fort Meade is the Armys second-largest installation by population. It contains more than 120 organizations, including U.S. Cyber Command, the National Security Agency, the Defense Information Systems Agency, Defense Media Activity, Architect of the Capitol and the Environmental Protection Agency, according to the release.

Fort Leonard Woods first female commander wants women to know whats possible when serving in the military

Fort Meade, which also houses various Air Force, Marine Corps and Navy units, is the largest employer in Maryland, according to the service.

Located approximately 30 miles north of the Pentagon, Fort Meade is a 107-year-old Army installation named for Union Gen. George S. Meade, who served as commander of the Army of the Potomac, according to the installations website.

Originally called Camp Annapolis Junction, the fort opened in 1917 and served as an Army training camp. It later served as both a recruit training post and a prisoner of war camp during World War II.

Beginning in the 1950s, the installation housed a series of radar and air defense systems during the Cold War with the Soviet Union.

Its current mission, housing much of the nations intelligence assets, began in the 1970s.
Venezuelan strongman Nicolas Maduro was under intense pressure on Tuesday as the international community demanded he produce evidence supporting his controversial claim that he won Sundays presidential election and thousands of voters took to the streets to protest what they called electoral fraud of historic proportions.

Maduros security forces also went out to contain the peaceful demonstration in favor of opposition presidential candidate Edmundo Gonzalez and his mentor, Maria Corina Machado, arresting at least 177. Among those detained: opposition leader Freddy Superlano, who was forced out of his vehicle by men dressed in black jumpsuits.

Human rights groups reported that at least 11 people have been killed during the protests held after the regime-controlled National Electoral Council declared that Maduro had won with 51% of the vote. The opposition claims it has proof that the councils announcement is a lie, and that Gonzalez actually won with close to 70% of the vote.

As protests intensified in favor of Gonzalez, Venezuelas Defense Minister, Vladimir Padrino Lopez, appeared in front of the cameras claiming that Maduro was the victim of a coup attempt launched by extremist groups.

We are witnessing, quite simply, a coup detat. A coup detat plotted once again by these fascist factors of the extremist right, supported of course by the imperial factors, American imperialism and its allies and its lackeys and stooges, Padrino Lopez said in statements broadcast on state television.

Padrino Lopez said Maduro, as the commander-in-chief of the Bolivarian National Armed Forces, was taking action with the support of the Venezuelan people to stop the overthrow of his government.

30 July 2024, Venezuela, Caracas: Venezuelans wave flags and shout slogans in support of opposition leaders Machado and Gonzalez Urrutia during a demonstration against the official results of the presidential election. (Photo by Jeampier Arguinzones/picture alliance via Getty Images)

Top regime officials also called for the arrest of the oppositions leadership. National Assembly President Jorge Rodriguez, one of Maduros main allies, said in front of the Venezuelan Congress that the countrys attorney general should arrest Gonzalez and Machado both.

Maduro under pressure

The National Electoral Councils declaration that Maduro won Sundays election sets up Venezuelas ruler for a third presidential term that would expire in 2031, extending the socialist revolution initiated by his predecessor and mentor, the late-president Hugo Chavez, into a third decade.

According to the councils numbers, Gonzalez only obtained 44.2% of the votes.

But international opinion continued to turn against Maduro on Tuesday, with neighboring Latin American countries demanding the regime produce the properly tallied voter registries showing that he had in fact won. Others, including Peru, flat-out announced that they recognize Gonzalez as Venezuelas president elect.

Earlier on Tuesday, General Secretary of the Organization of American States Luis Almagro called on the regime to conduct new elections under a reformed electoral council and under the supervision of OAS and European Union observers. The multilateral group called for an emergency meeting to be held Wednesday afternoon.

READ MORE: U.S. worries violence may follow Maduros claim of election victory in Venezuela

The United States, meanwhile, said it has been closely monitoring the situation in Venezuela and called for Maduro officials to release full, transparent, and detailed voting results, including by polling station.

This is especially critical given that there are clear signs that the election results announced by Venezuelas National Electoral Council do not reflect the will of the Venezuelan people as it was expressed at the ballot box on July 28. We are also reviewing other electoral data shared by civil society organizations and the reports of international election monitors, NSC Spokesperson Adrienne Watson said in a statement.

In a massive gathering of supporters held Tuesday afternoon in the streets of Caracas, Machado said that they now have 80% of all the official vote tallies produced at the 15,700 voting stations set up in Venezuela to receive more than 21 million registered voters. She said the tallies, called actas de votacion, proved that Gonzalez resoundingly won the election with close to 70% of all votes.

Miami Herald reporter Ana Claudia Chacin contributed to this report.
A man accused of starting the sixth-largest blaze in California history, the Park Fire, allegedly lit a car on fire near two popular swimming holes filled with people and pushed the vehicle down a 60-foot embankment, causing nearby dry grass to catch fire, according to the Butte County District Attorneys Office.

But the defendant, 42-year-old Chico resident Ronnie Dean Stout II, denies pushing his car into a gully in Upper Bidwell Park last Wednesday, as recounted by a witness to law enforcement, said Butte County District Attorney Michael Ramsey during a news conference held Monday, after Stouts first court appearance at the Butte County Courthouse.

Stout said his car simply rolled down a hill  he didnt push it  and that it was an accident, Ramsey said.

Investigators are attempting to piece together Stouts motive, Ramsey said.

If you try to figure out what happens in a crazy mind, Ramsey said, it will drive you crazy.

Butte County District Attorney Mike Ramsey holds papers he filed in Butte County Superior Court on Monday for the arraignment of Ronnie Dean Stout II, who was charged with arson in connection with the Park Fire. Stout did not enter a plea as he told investigators he didnt start the fire on purpose, according to Ramsey.

Nicole Diamond, Stouts attorney who appeared for the arraignment, did not immediately return a request for comment. A woman in the gallery on Monday expressed her encouragement of Stout as he walked back into custody following the hearing.

We support you Ronnie! the woman said in the crowded courtroom. Be safe.

The Park Fire, as of Monday afternoon, had burned a total of 373,357 acres (583 square miles), and 12% of the wildfire had been contained, according to Cal Fire. More than 100 structures have been reduced to rubble, while thousands of residents have been evacuated from their homes.

Stout has been charged in Butte Superior Court with one felony: arson of an inhabited structure or property. That charge is enhanced with arson with special circumstances and three enhancements related to prior strike convictions, according to court documents.

Stout did not enter a plea for the charges Monday. He appeared Monday in a green shirt and gray pants, with his hands handcuffed to his front Monday during his arraignment hearing. Stout looked down at times, nodding once to his defense attorney, Nicole Diamond, and looked to be in pain as Ramsey described his past convictions.

Judge Kristen Lucena ruled he will remain in jail without bail due to the extreme danger posed by the crime of arson.

The public is well-aware of devastating wildfires that have ripped through Butte County in prior years, such as the Dixie and Camp fires known as Californias most destructive and deadly blazes. The Thompson Fire this year caused extensive damage within the courthouse and throughout Oroville, Lucena said.

Despite this knowledge, the defendant is accused of setting his car on fire in dry, hot and windy conditions, Lucena said. Stout is accused of emerging from heavy vegetation along the hiking path and calmly joining evacuees fleeing the area, prosecutors said.

But Stout said he left the area because he was afraid, Ramsey said during the news conference.

This case presents just such a narrow, unusual case of the most serious crime, Lucena said.

This fire didnt have to happen, Ramsey said.

There are indications Stout was intoxicated prior to the incident. However, Ramsey did not say the defendants blood alcohol level because he was not arrested at the scene.

Witnesses saw him drinking near the watering hole, Ramsey said. Another person saw the defendant driving extraordinarily recklessly and with speed, Ramsey said.

Stout, according to prosecutors, has two prior convictions under Californias Three Strikes law, If convicted of arson, he could be sentenced to 25 years to life in prison.

He was convicted in 2001 of lewd and lascivious acts with a child under 14 in Butte County, where he was sentenced to serve a year in jail. In 2002, he was convicted in Kern County of robbery and assault with a deadly weapon causing great bodily injury.

The latter resulted in a 20-year prison sentence, according to Ramsey and Kern Superior Court documents.

While on parole after his Kern County conviction, Stout was convicted of a DUI after he drove under the influence near Upper Bidwell Park, Ramsey said.

Stout is scheduled to appear Thursday for a further arraignment hearing.

The Bees Hector Amezcua contributed to this story.
[Source]

Six Asian students are suing the California Massage Therapy Council (CAMTC) for allegedly denying them certification based on their English language skills.

Among them, Qian Zhang, who spent $6,000 and completed over 500 hours of training, was rejected after an informal phone interview, reported the Sacramento Bee. The suit claims that CAMTCs actions are discriminatory, targeting Chinese and Thai students and using language proficiency as a barrier. The students claim to have faced both professional and personal hardships due to the certification denials. CAMTC, for its part, reportedly slammed the allegations as false and completely without merit.

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The recent closing of the Athens-Clarke County Courthouse due to bedbugs resulted in shifting duties for some employees and working from home for others as many functions of the court were kept active, according to two elected officials who work there.

I cant say we skipped a beat. We still have the jail and a lot of our folks worked out of there and that helped greatly at the jail, Clarke County Sheriff John Q. Williams said Monday.

Clarke County Sheriff John Q. Williams

The courthouse was closed July 22, but is expected to reopen Wednesday, July 31. Exterminators have been working to eliminate the bedbugs, which can hitch rides on people back to their homes or other places.

Clarke County Clerk of Court Elisa Zarate said some needed functions such as the issuance of temporary protection orders remained in place with judges on call to hear those situations.

Bedbugs: Athens-Clarke County Courthouse remains closed due to bedbugs

Were managing as best we can, but weve been through this before with bed bugs and COVID, she said, explaining many court processes are being handled virtually.

The Superior Court Judges have this week off for their annual judges seminars, but their cases from last week are being rescheduled.

Zarate said she was also checking with State Court to see if jury trials for that court can still take place on Wednesday.

Elisa Zarate

As for the sheriffs office, Williams said some deputies, such as those who handle courthouse security, were able to take on other roles and work out of the jail.

Were behind on some things but we still do the civil service of papers and pick up folks on warrants, he said.

Both Williams and Zarate said they believe the closing was extended into this week out an abundance of caution.

They want to make sure before they let everyone back in, Williams said.

Chief Superior Court Judge Lisa Lott issued another order this week closing the courthouse for two more days.

This article originally appeared on Athens Banner-Herald: Bedbug problems at Athens courthouse means shifting court cases
ATHENS, Ala. (WHNT)  Out of 13 Alabama counties, Athens won the bid to host the 2025 Rural Tourism Conference.

The Rural Tourism Conference is an annual event which aims to provide the best educational experience for tourism practitioners. By securing presenters who are recognized leaders in the tourism industry, they can communicate their vision to a diverse audience.

Curious about what students are learning? Alabama schools will post curriculum online

The conference will be from October 20-22 at the Alabama Veterans Museum.

The Alabama-Mississippi-Tennessee Rural Tourism Conference committees announced Alabama as the location for the 2025 conference.

Following this, the Athens-Limestone County Tourism Association, the Athens-Limestone Chamber of Commerce, the Limestone County Economic Development Association and Athens Mainstreet gathered together to show why Athens was the place for the conference.

With the growth that Athens and Limestone have experienced over the years, the city believes sharing its charm through an emphasis on tourism efforts has become essential to its stories.

Initial bids were placed in May by 13 counties in Alabama. Only the top three were chosen to make a final, in-person bid presentation: Athens-Limestone County, Decatur-Morgan County and Guntersville-Marshall County.

Morgan County-Decatur Farmers Market board chairwoman resigns

On July 26, the top three counties presented their bids to the planning committee in Tuscaloosa. The bid includes pitching an extensive outline of options for:

event venues

reception venues

conference branding

lodging

dining

transportation

nightlife

surrounding retail

Athens ultimately won the bid. This makes it the first time the city will host the event in the conferences 24-year history.

Our team had only a short time to pitch the Athens-Limestone County community to the committee, and I think our passion for our city was evident and sparked their interest, Mayor Ronnie Marks said.

I am pleased that tourism officials from Alabama, Tennessee and Mississippi will be here next

year to see first-hand why were so passionate about our historic and cultural treasures, recreational opportunities and shopping and dining options.

Preparation for the conference will begin in early January 2025 with the conference taking place in October. There will be pre-conference tour options available to attendees on October 19, allowing these professionals to experience the charm of the Athens community for themselves.

Copyright 2024 Nexstar Media, Inc. 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.
The New York State Attorney Generals Office of Special Investigation released a statement on the death of Nyah Mway and clips of the bodycam footage of that fateful night.

The Office of Special Investigation said it is currently conducting its investigation into the death of 13-year-old Nyah Mway, who died on June 29 following an encounter with members of the Utica Police Department.

The release of this footage is not an expression of any opinion as to the guilt or innocence of any party in a criminal matter or any opinion as to how or whether any individual may be charged with a crime, OSI wrote.

The video released by OSI is one minute and 30 seconds of Officer Bryce Patterson and Officer Patrick Husnay.

A still taken from bodycam footage of bodycam footage provided by the Utica Police Department. In the still, an officer is seen handling the pellet gone allegedly carried by Nyah Mway.

These videos are identical to the ones released by the Utica Police Department, except Nyah Mways face is unblurred.

The videos show the stop of Nyah Mway and an unidentified male; Nyah Mway fleeing police; the struggle on the ground with Officer Bryce Patterson; the fatal shot by Officer Patrick Husnay; and the aftermath.

The Utica Police Department has already released the body cam footage in full and released a breakdown of the video with narration

The New York State Attorney Generals Office also is investigating the death of Mway.

The investigation is ongoing and can take anywhere from a few months to a year before the office renders a verdict.

This article originally appeared on Observer-Dispatch: Attorney General's Office releases Nyah Mway body cam footage
Ukraine has invited Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi to visit the country so that he can personally see the consequences of Russian aggression. This should also facilitate deeper bilateral negotiations.

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This was announced on Tuesday at a briefing by the spokesman for the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Heorhii Tykhyi. He emphasized that this is not just a formal invitation, but a real offer.

"Yes, we invited him, and it was not just a formal invitation, which is usually made during any visit, but a "real invitation." We are ready to welcome Minister Wang Yi to Ukraine so that he can see with his own eyes the consequences of Russian aggression against our country and to have deeper bilateral conversations with him on a number of regional and bilateral issues," Tykhyi said.

He also noted that the dialogue between Ukraine and China will continue, and the Chinese side has shown interest in this proposal.

As a reminder, President Volodymyr Zelenskyy announced the good results of Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba's visit to China. Beijing will not supply weapons to Russia. In addition, China recognizes the territorial integrity of Ukraine.

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As reported by OBOZ.UA, in March of this year, China's Special Representative for Eurasian Affairs Li Hui visited Ukraine as part of a "diplomatic tour" and met with representatives of the Ukrainian authorities.

He and members of the Chinese delegation were shown the wreckage of a downed North Korean missile and told how Russia uses components from third countries to produce weapons.

Only verified information on our Telegram channel OBOZ.UA and Viber. Do not fall for fakes!
Local attorney Kalki Yalamanchili, a former assistant district attorney in the Western Judicial Circuit District Attorneys Office serving Athens-Clarke and Oconee counties, has qualified as an independent candidate in the Nov. 5 general election for district attorney.

According to the Georgia Secretary of States office, Yalamanchili has collected enough verified voter signatures on his petition to run as an independent candidate. He will face incumbent Democratic District Attorney Deborah Gonzalez in November.

In early July, Yalamanchili announced he had collected 14,000 signatures across the Western Judicial Circuit, far more than the about 5,000 signatures he said at the time were needed to get on the November ballot.

FILE - Athens attorney Kalki Yalamanchili at an announcement of his intent to seek the office of district attorney for the Western Circuit.

To get on the ballot, Yalamanchili was required to collect verified signatures from 5% of the voters who were registered to vote in the 2020 contest that put Gonzalez in office. Those signatures need not have come from people who cast ballots in that election.

A notification appearing in recent days on the website of the Georgia Secretary of State, which supervises elections statewide, noted Yalamanchilis status as Qualified  Signatures Accepted as the November contest approaches.

According to figures from the Oconee County Elections and Registration Office, Yalamanchili needed a total of 4,944 verified signatures from voters in the two counties comprising the Western Judicial Circuit to get on the November ballot. He collected 16,021 signatures, of which 9,967 were accepted as valid. Regarding the rest of the collected signatures, 3,672 were rejected for a variety of reasons, such as not matching signatures on file with the elections offices in Athens-Clarke or Oconee counties. Finally, 2,382 signatures were rejected because they did not belong to registered voters.

The news has brought a welcome pivot to Yalamanchilis efforts, as he moves away from what he said Monday was essentially  collecting signatures and trying to campaign at the same time.

Previously: Athens area DA candidate nearly triples signatures needed to run against incumbent Gonzalez

Moving forward, Yalamanchili said, hell be knocking on doors, setting up speaking engagements, and working toward a possible debate, perhaps more than one, with Gonzalez.

Hes already been doing some of that work, participating in candidate forums even though he wasnt officially a candidate until the recent signature verification.

The Secretary of States website did not include specific numbers of signatures verified through the election offices in Athens-Clarke and Oconee counties. Oconee Countys elections supervisor was not available for comment Monday, and the Athens-Clarke County elections office referred questions to the Secretary of States office, which had not returned a telephone call as of Monday afternoon.

Gonzalez was elected in a December 2020 runoff against James Chafin, a Republican and veteran Western Judicial Circuit prosecutor who ran as an independent candidate.

FILE - Deborah Gonzalez speaks after taking the oath of office for district attorney at the ACC courthouse in Athens, Ga., on Thursday, Dec. 17, 2020. Gonzales is the first woman and first minority district attorney for the Western Judicial Circuit and the first Latina DA in the state of Georgia. (Photo/Joshua L. Jones, Athens Banner-Herald)

With her 2020 electoral victory, Gonzalez became the first Latino district attorney in Georgia history. Her tenure has featured significant and controversial reforms, including a decision not to seek the death penalty and the screening and review of criminal cases before they are accepted for prosecution.

Gonzalezs tenure has prompted departures from the offices prosecutorial staff. Yalamanchili himself left the office after Gonzalezs election, closing out six years as a prosecutor, to start his own practice.

In an October announcement of his intent to seek the office, Yalamanchili said, There is nothing partisan about protecting our community, keeping our family and friends safe and seeking justice for victims by holding violent offenders accountable.

He reiterated that position Monday, saying the district attorneys office is not a place for partisan politics, its a place for public service. Yalamanchili has reached out simultaneously to local Democrats and Republicans for support.

According to the Georgia Campaign Finance Commission, Yalamanchili had received more than $380,000 in contributions as of July 9 and had spent more than $236,000 in his effort to get on the ballot to challenge Gonzalez. His contributors include an array of local business and professional people, including some lawyers.

More than $110,000 of Yalamanchilis campaign expenditures have gone to Classic City Campaigns, a limited liability corporation with an Athens address. Those expenditures have covered legal, accounting, consulting, data and event management services, according to the candidates filings with the state.

Yalamanchili also has spent more than $60,000 with Austin, Texas-based Vanguard Field Strategies, an electoral services firm.

Gonzalez reported slightly less than $81,000 in contributions to her campaign as of July 9, balanced against a little more than $38,000 in expenditures. Her contributors include many retirees and educators, along with lawyers and other professionals.

On the expense side of the ledger, Gonzalezs latest campaign finance report shows a series of relatively small payments for consulting and campaign management services.

As far as his vision for the district attorneys office, Yalamanchili said he would have a particular focus on young non-violent offenders, working to get them in touch with resources to help them with their lives even as they move through the justice system.

Its not about my opponent, Yalamanchili said. Its about the kind of district attorneys office that this community can have.

This article originally appeared on Augusta Chronicle: Attorney Kalki Yalamanchili qualifies to run for Athens district attorney
HAWAII (KHON2)  The Hawaii County prosecutors said they have not reviewed any of the final police reports, documents, or evidence related to the latest developments in the Dana Ireland case. Meanwhile the Hawaii Innocence Project said the Hawaii County Police Department dropped the ball.

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Officials confirm DNA evidence identified 57-year-old Albert Lauro Jr. as Unknown Male #1 in the Dana Ireland murder investigation. The revelation solving a decades old mystery in Irelands case. Hawaii County Police Chief Ben Moszkowicz said the evidence is irrefutable, cracking the cold case wide open.

So Moszkowicz said investigators brought Lauro in.

When we invited him in for a consensual encounter, we sat down, we talked to him for about an hour, Moszkowicz added And at the end of about the hour, we collected a court ordered DNA sample, to compare against the exemplars that we already had.

Moszkowicz said they told Lauro why he was there and recorded the conversation, but would not disclose what was said.

He did give us some information about what he did or did not remember and were trying to fact check that to determine if we can gain any new investigative leads from the investigation that was discussed, he said.

Its him, new evidence links to suspect involved in 1991 Big Island case

At that time Moszkowicz said they let him go because they did not have probably cause to arrest him.

Thats where the Hawaii Innocence Project said county police dropped the ball.

Ken Lawson, co-director for the Hawaii Innocence Project, said police should have charged Lauro with second degree murder because that is what Sean Schweitzer, one of the men initially charged with Irelands murder, was initially indicted for in 1997.

Theyre claiming that because it was evidence of sexual assault and sexual assault statute limitation ran right, they couldnt charge him because they needed more evidence that he committed the murder, which is totally, totally ridiculous, Lawson said. Count, one of the prosecutors indictment was for second degree murder, because they said that Sean, when he sees her injured like that, he had a duty to get her help, and because he didnt help her and let her die like that, and he had a duty to do that, he can be charged a second degree murder.

Expert: DNA evidence disconnects Schweitzer brothers to Irelands murder

Moszkowicz said if they did arrest Lauro without probable cause, it could hurt the case moving forward.

We face the very real possibility that if we had arrested Mr. Lauro without probable cause that anything we gathered during that arrest could be excluded, he explained.

Lawson said they are asking the FBI to investigate the way the case was handled and they also want to see all the evidence collected by Hawaii PD when they brought Lauro in, before he committed suicide.

Moszkowicz said Lauros body was found at his home and that he had only been arrested once before in 1980 for shoplifting.

Copyright 2024 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.

For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to KHON2.
Attorneys suing West Virginia over its treatment of foster children say that the lawsuit should move forward. (Getty Images)

Attorneys suing the state over its treatment of foster children say that the lawsuit should move forward, arguing that problems continue to permeate the system and put kids in danger.

The new filings were in response to a motion filed earlier this month by attorneys for the Department of Human Services, who asked a federal judge for a summary judgment in the ongoing class-action suit to avoid a costly trial.

West Virginia officials outlined improvements to the system that dispute the lawsuits allegations of mistreatment of thousands of children in the states care. They also recently publicly celebrated a reduction in the number of children in foster care as the number dropped below 6,000 to 5,991.

However, plaintiffs attorneys said the state cherry-picked data points to bolster their case, and that, in reality, the system continues to have negative consequences for children who come into foster care.

They cited high caseloads for Child Protective Services workers, inadequate CPS visits to children in care, failure to provide necessary services to kids and more.

The defendants take the position that there are no material, disputed facts in this case, which is necessary for a motion for summary judgment to succeed. But they must have blinders on if they think that foster children are not being harmed, today, in West Virginia, said Marcia Lowry, executive director for nonprofit A Better Childhood. The organization sued the state along with Disability Rights West Virginia and West Virginia attorneys with Shaffer and Shaffer law firm.

Even the so-called experts that the state hired acknowledge that they do not know whether the system is improving  all they looked at were the written policies and not what is happening to children. Unfortunately, this is an ongoing tragedy. We hope the court will act to end it, she continued.

The lawsuit was filed in 2019 on behalf of children in foster care. It alleged that the state failed to properly care for thousands of children by, in part, sending them to dangerous institutions and leaving them to languish in the system with no plans for permanent homes.

West Virginia has the nations highest rate of children coming into foster care, and attorneys said the state didnt have enough CPS workers to follow up on childrens cases or respond to allegations of abuse and neglect.

Attorneys have also said that theyve struggled to get key documents about the child welfare system. The state was sanctioned earlier this year for its role in failing to preserve emails from former top foster care officials related to the case.

DoHS officials said theyve turned over 3.2 million pages of documents related to the case. They hope improvements in child welfare, including investments in child mental health services and improving the states CPS worker rate, will convince a judge to grant their motion for summary judgment and negate the need for a trial.

While there is still room for improvement, DoHS has devoted substantial resources to making those improvements, with the support of the West Virginia Legislature and the courts, and will continue to do so, DoHS Cabinet Secretary Cynthia Persily said in a new release on June 10.

Attorneys suing the state argued in the new filings that CPS workers continue to grapple with high caseloads, and chronic understaffing has still caused a backlog of child abuse and neglect referrals.

Caseloads  which Defendants do not even track systematically and are for the most part measured not by individual children, but by families  remain unconscionably high, with the majority of caseworkers carrying caseloads well above full capacity, some up to triple-digits, attorneys wrote.

They also pushed back on the DoHS new plan to reduce its reliance on out-of-state residential facilities, arguing that there arent enough community-based services to properly care for children in state.

There are currently 266 children in out-of-state group homes, according to state data.

Under the DoHS-proposed plan, which has also raised concerns from child residential providers, providers will only be paid by the state for providing certain types of services.

West Virginia health care providers have warned that the likely effect will only be to force these children into more restrictive settings than they need or leave them without adequate services, but [DoHS] executives dismiss these concerns out of hand, plaintiffs attorneys wrote.

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(Bloomberg) -- The US has pledged an unprecedented level of defense funding to the Philippines amounting to $500 million, reinforcing an increasingly important alliance ahead of the US presidential election in November.

Most Read from Bloomberg

Were poised to deliver a once-in-a-generation investment to help modernize the Armed Forces of the Philippines and the Philippine Coast Guard, Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin said at a joint briefing in Manila on Tuesday with State Secretary Antony Blinken and their Philippine counterparts Gilberto Teodoro and Enrique Manalo.

Washington also intends to double its investment in Philippine military sites that the US has access to, according to Austin who expressed optimism that no matter who takes over from President Joe Biden, the trajectory of US-Philippine relations that has risen to a high point will be sustained.

Were taking bold steps to strengthen our alliance, Austin said, adding that US-Philippine relations enjoy strong bipartisan support in Washington.

Its been a great three-and-a-half years and I look forward to another three-and-a-half or another four in building, strengthening this relationship, Austin told President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. during their courtesy call earlier on Tuesday.

Under Biden and Marcos, the treaty allies have drawn closer amid tense stand-offs with China over their territorial disputes in the South China Sea. The US has repeatedly affirmed its treaty obligations as the Philippines provided the US with access to more military sites on the archipelago.

Every peso or dollar spent on hardening Philippine capabilities to defend itself and to deter unlawful aggression will be a plus against any threat actually whether it be China or anyone, Philippine defense chief Teodoro said at the briefing.

WATCH: Why the South China Sea Could Spark a US-China War

Agile Response

The Philippine leader told the US officials during the courtesy call that he was a bit surprised to see them considering how interesting your political situation has become. Marcos also said that hes happy with the level of communication between the two nations so we are agile in terms of our responses.

Blinken for his part described the partnership as a steady drumbeat that covers not only security but also economic opportunities. Those would include more than $1 billion in pledges from a US trade and investment mission in March and the establishment of the Luzon economic corridor a month later as a takeoff point for US and Japan infrastructure investment.

The 2+2 meeting is part of Bidens efforts to reinforce diplomatic and military commitments with allies in Asia even after his decision not to seek a second term. Days ago, the US, Japan and South Korea signed a deal in Tokyo to cement gains on security cooperation.

Biden has repeatedly assured Marcos of the US ironclad commitment to defend Manila, as the Southeast Asian nation contends with lingering tensions with Beijing in the South China Sea.

The maritime spat with China has recently shown signs of cooling, with the Philippines completing a resupply mission over the weekend without any untoward incident after months of tense clashes.

--With assistance from Ditas Lopez and Jon Herskovitz.

(Recasts with announcement of $500 million military funding.)

Most Read from Bloomberg Businessweek

2024 Bloomberg L.P.
By Hyunsu Yim

PAJU, South Korea (Reuters) -Australian Foreign Minister Penny Wong said on Tuesday that a security pact signed by Russia and North Korea was destabilising the region, adding that North Korea was giving weapons to Russia in "flagrant violation" of U.N. Security Council resolutions.

Wong was speaking to reporters in the city of Paju after a visit to the nearby Demilitarized Zone (DMZ) separating the two Koreas, which remain technically at war.

"We see Russia behaving in ways which are not conducive to peace but are escalatory," she said, referring to a security pact signed between the North Korean leader Kim Jong Un and Russian President Vladimir Putin in June.

Under the pact, North Korea and Russia agreed to provide immediate military assistance if either faces armed aggression.

Washington and its allies are also alarmed by the deepening military cooperation between Russia and North Korea, and have accused both nations of breaching international laws by trading in weapons for Russia to use against Ukraine.

Pyongyang and Moscow have denied conducting any arms transactions.

"The continued transfer (of) weapons from North Korea to Russia is a flagrant violation of U.N. Security Council resolutions," Wong told reporters.

South Korean Foreign Minister Cho Tae-yul also expressed concern over North Korea and Russia's military cooperation during a meeting with Wong, Seoul's foreign ministry said.

"Korea and Australia are aligned in our vision for upholding the rules based order in the region," Cho said.

South Korea and Australia will also launch a dialogue on economic security and hold annual talks on the climate, the ministry statement added.

Wong arrived in Seoul after attending summits in Laos at a gathering of the ASEAN bloc and joining a meeting of Quad foreign ministers in Tokyo on Monday with counterparts from the United States, Japan and India.

In a statement ahead of her trip, Wong said Australia and South Korea aim to build on their strategic alignment with expanded bilateral and regional cooperation, including on energy transition and economic security.

(Reporting by Hyunsu Yim in Seoul and Dogyun Kim in Paju; Editing by Ed Davies and Miral Fahmy)
Australian Foreign Minister Penny Wong, left, is escorted by UNC DCDR Derek Allen Macaulay, second from left, before visiting the truce village of Panmunjom in the Demilitarized Zone (DMZ) on the border between North and South Korea, at the JSA Visitor Center in Paju, South Korea, Tuesday, July 30, 2024. (AP Photo/Ahn Young-joon)

SEOUL, South Korea (AP)  Australias foreign minister said Tuesday the recent defense deal between North Korea and Russia was destabilizing and risky for the world, after she visited the tense border village shared by North and South Korea on Tuesday.

In June, North Korean leader Kim Jong Un and Russian President Vladimir Putin signed a pact stipulating mutual military assistance if either country is attacked, deepening worries about the expanding ties between the countries. The U.S. and its partners have steadfastly accused North Korea of supplying much-needed conventional arms to Russia for its war in Ukraine in return for military and economic assistance.

I also want to say something about the security pact between North Korea and Russia. And say again, this is destabilizing. This is risky for the world and again we say Russia is behaving in ways which are not conducive to peace but are escalatory, Australian Foreign Minister Penny Wong told reporters following a visit to the southern side of the Korean border village of Panmunjom.

Wong condemned North Koreas extended run of missile tests that she said threaten regional security. We share great concerns about DPRKs escalatory reactions, destabilizing actions, she said, referring to North Korea by the acronym of its official name, the Democratic People's Republic of Korea.

Also Tuesday, Wong met South Korean Foreign Minister Cho Tae-yul in Seoul and agreed to work together with the international community to cope with the North Korean-Russian military partnerships, according to South Korea's Foreign Ministry. Wong also met South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol and exchanged opinions on how to improve bilateral relations, Yoon's office said in a statement.

Tensions on the Korean Peninsula have been running high in recent months, with North Korea flying trash-carrying balloons toward South Korea and continuing weapons tests. South Korea has responded by resuming anti-Pyongyang propaganda broadcasts and live-fire drills at border areas.

__

Associated Press video journalist Kim Yong Ho contributed to this report from Paju, South Korea.
A fishing boat that capsized in Lake Michigan near Port Washington on July 15 has been found and authorities have identified the two people who died in the incident and the one who survived.

The two who died have been identified as 50-year-old Brian Weinski and his girlfriend 51-year-old Erin Hartman, both from Machesney Park, Illinois, according to an updated release from the Ozaukee County Sheriff's Department sent July 30.

The person who survived the incident was identified as 26-year-old Karl Saladino from Beloit. He had been wearing a life jacket, according to the U.S. Coast Guard.

#News - Multiple #USCG units and partner agencies respond to a #Mayday call over VHF #MarineRadio Channel 16, yesterday night on #LakeMichigan



1 PIW, wearing a life jacket, was rescued in a responsive state and 2 PIW were found unresponsive.



Read more:https://t.co/HGCdApDXCR pic.twitter.com/C4602vXzfD  USCG Great Lakes (@USCGGreatLakes) July 16, 2024

On July 15, the sheriff's office had received reports from the U.S. Coast Guard of a 17-foot fishing boat in distress, sinking in Lake Michigan near Port Washington, according to a previous news release from the office.

Rescue boats located three people in the water: one was semi-conscious and breathing, and the other two were unconscious and not breathing. All three were transported to the Aurora Medical Center in Grafton.

Lifesaving efforts were conducted by rescue personnel on the two unconscious victims, but were unsuccessful.

Three days later, around 6:30 p.m., a boater on Lake Michigan discovered an unoccupied and overturned boat around 5 miles north of the Port Washington Marina and 1 mile offshore.

After the boater reported his discovery, the Ozaukee County Emergency Management Rescue Boat located the boat and determined it was the same boat involved in the July 15 incident. It had been registered to one of the deceased victims.

According to the sheriff's office, the boat, a 2008 Triton, Model 177, had been facing 2- to 4-foot waves and water temperatures around 53 degrees. The boat was reported to have been taking on water when a wave struck the side, overturning it.

The boat had previously been submerged prior to the rescue, which is why it had not been located, authorities said.

Contact Claudia Levens at clevens@gannett.com. Follow her on X at @levensc13.

This article originally appeared on Milwaukee Journal Sentinel: Names released, boat found from July 15 capsizing in Lake Michigan
Authorities have confirmed to the Clarion Ledger the identity of a missing man whose vehicle was found during a search in the Belhaven area.

Bailey Martin, spokesperson with the Mississippi Department of Public Safety, said Capitol Police responded to a call at approximately 11 p.m. Monday regarding an abandoned vehicle on Laurel Street. The vehicle was discovered under a bridge.

Martin said officers arrived at the scene and determined the vehicle was registered to 53-year-old Jeffrey Davis, who was reported missing earlier in the evening by family members.

Martin said officers with various agencies began search efforts in the area. Authorities said Davis's body was "found with fatal injuries" around 9 a.m. Tuesday.

Arrest warrant issued: Jackson police investigate after one found dead in West Jackson neighborhood

What are the warning signs?: Mississippi sees nearly $40 million in fraud losses from scams

"No foul play is suspected at this time and no further comment will be made," Martin said.

This article originally appeared on Mississippi Clarion Ledger: Police search for missing man, vehicle found in Belhaven area
AVON LAKE, Ohio (WJW)  We now know when part of the Avon Lake Power Plant will be demolished.

City council members on Tuesday afternoon learned a controlled implosion at the Lake Road plant is set for the early morning of Wednesday, July 31.

Tuesday evening, city officials confirmed the implosion will be between 5 a.m. and 8 a.m.

The Ohio Department of Transportation also announced a road closure on Tuesday afternoon.

Ohio-based Big Lots names nearly 150 stores closing amid bankruptcy risk

U.S. Route 6 (Lake Road) is expected to be closed between Miller and Moore roads between 5 a.m. and 7 a.m. for the demolition of structures at the old Avon Lake Power Plant, reads the notice.

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Thats when workers will establish a 1,200-foot perimeter to keep people out.

Motorists must detour around the site by taking U.S. Route 6 East to Miller Road, then heading south onto Walker Road, then heading east onto Moore Road, then getting back on U.S. Route 6.

This embedded content is not available in your region.

Officials had withheld the exact date and time of the planned demolition for safety reasons. City officials initially planned to alert residents 30 minutes beforehand, but on Monday agreed to send notice the night before, after residents voiced concerns about safety and transparency.

The U.S. Coast Guard has been alerting mariners to the Wednesday implosion since at least July 17.

The Coast Guard has planned a safety zone on Lake Erie in a 750-yard radius around the plant, which will be in effect from 4:30 a.m. to 8:30 a.m. Mariners are advised not to enter the area without first radioing the Coast Guard on VHF channel 16.

Mayor Mark Spaetzel previously discouraged people from coming to watch the demolition, saying it wont be a spectacle. It might not even be visible.

Two boilers inside one of the buildings are set to be imploded with controlled devices.

Frontier Airlines G.O.A.T. sale offers tickets as low as $19

Avon Lake power plant to be imploded soon

Residents can expect to see dust lingering for about 15 minutes after the blast, the mayor said. Air quality will be monitored before, during and after the demolition.

The plant was the largest of its kind when it was erected in 1926, according to Cleveland Historical. Its demolition, expected to be completed by November, is making way for new lakefront development.

Copyright 2024 Nexstar Media, Inc. 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.
On the night of July 30, Ukrainian soldiers hit another oil depot in the Kursk region of the Russian Federation. After the attack, a fire broke out at the facility.

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The strike was carried out by the forces and means of the Security Service of Ukraine in cooperation with other components of the Defense Forces. The defeat was confirmed by the General Staff of the Armed Forces of Ukraine.

"The coordinated work of the Ukrainian Defense Forces continues: another strategic object of the Russian occupiers has been struck. Last night, the enemy's oil depot "Logistics Center #43" in Vozy, Kursk region of Russia, was successfully destroyed. According to intelligence, as a result of the attack, a fire broke out at the enemy's facility. The strike was carried out by the forces and means of the Security Service of Ukraine in cooperation with other components of the Defense Forces," the statement said.

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The General Staff added that they are currently clarifying information on the exact consequences of the destruction of another Russian oil depot.

"The Defense Forces will continue to take all possible measures to undermine the military and economic potential of the Russian occupiers to force them to stop their armed aggression against Ukraine. To be continued," the General Staff assured.

As a reminder, on the night of July 30, powerful explosions occurred in the Russian Kursk region. This time, the Russians claimed a "missile attack" rather than drones, and they also claimed that Russian air defense "worked."

It was loud in several districts and in the regional center itself, where the explosion was "caught" on a surveillance camera. The propagandists claimed that all this was the sound of "Ukrainian missiles being shot down." They allegedly managed to shoot down 4 of them.

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Only verified information is available on our Telegram channel OBOZ.UA and Viber . Do not fall for fakes!
Back 2 School: These 3 districts return to the classroom on Tuesday

Its back to school time for thousands of students in Rockdale County, Lamar County and City Schools of Decatur districts.

All three districts will hold their first day of classes on Tuesday as the end of summer vacation ramps up across north Georgia.

Channel 2 Action News is your home for all things Back 2 School! Join Fred Blankenship, Sophia Choi, Brian Monahan and Mike Shields as they prepare you for the first day, LIVE on Channel 2 Action News This Morning from 4:30 a.m. to 7 a.m.

[DOWNLOAD: Free WSB-TV News app for alerts as news breaks]

City Schools of Decatur

Decatur will welcome back around 5,700 hundred students when the doors open on Tuesday. The district is also welcoming new teachers.

Channel 2s Fred Blankenship helped Decatur staff get into the Back 2 School spirit last week at the districts Opening Day Event.

When you see me on TV, I want you to remember that you are looking at a 12-year-old little boy who dreamed of exactly doing this, he told the crowd. Because teachers and administrators and support staff like you told me that I could.

Lamar County Schools

The first day of school outfit can be crucial for any student. Middle and high school students will need to know though about an updated dress code for the school year.

The updated dress code goes into effect for Lamar County High School and Lamar County Middle School on Tuesday.

Updated LCHS Dress Code Parents and Guardians of LCHS Students, I hope this message finds you doing well this afternoon.... Posted by Lamar County High School on Monday, July 8, 2024

Rockdale County Schools

Rockdale County Public Schools will be offering free breakfast and lunch to all students with the Community Eligibility Provision expanding. No applications are required to students to get the free meals. Students can still purchase a la carte and snack items.

Meals are available for students enrolled in virtual learning. Parents may pick up meals from the homeschool. Please contact your schools cafeteria manager to arrange for meal pick up, the district added.

Meanwhile, there are new certification programs available at Rockdale Career Academy. The district is now offering barbering, cosmetology and HVAC certifications.

The school offers nearly 30 career pathways for ninth through 12th grade students.

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LANSING, Mich. (WLNS)  This years back-to-school spending is expected to reach more than $38 billion. Recent research shows parents can expect to pay more for their childs items than they have in past years.

A recent survey shows about 40% of families are having to skip some items on their students back-to-school shopping lists because of financial stress.

We also found that parents are gonna be spending an average of $605 per child on new school clothing, supplies, and services, said Corie Wagner, Senior Industry Analyst for Savings.com.

On top of the glue sticks, lunch boxes, and binders, going back to school can require other expenses like doctors appointments and haircuts.

School supplies in-store (WLNS)

We found that those costs became higher the older the students were in the home, continued Wagner.

This can make it hard for families to catch a break. The most expensive part? Clothes.

Parents expect theyre going to spend an average of $231 per child on new clothes for back to school, said Wagner.

Savings.com says as kids get older, their sizes arent the only things changing. They also start to develop a sense of style and experience peer pressure to follow trends.

But students arent the only ones needing a restock  most teachers carry the burden of stocking their own classrooms.

Well the average teacher spends anywhere from $500 to $1,000 every year on school supplies, said Thomas Morgan, spokesperson for the Michigan Education Association. Things like books and pencils and notebooks as well as subscriptions to classroom technology.

School supplies in-store (WLNS)

That money comes straight out of pocket, which can be a challenge for younger teachers or those with their own kids they need to supply.

They continue to do it, out of their own pockets because of their commitment to their students, said Morgan.

Morgan says the struggle to keep up with back-to-school shopping shows we need to reevaluate how the state funds our schools.

Nothing is more important than the future of our students, continued Morgan. They are going to determine the very direction our entire state heads so its important that we give them the resources and everything they need.

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For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to WLNS 6 News.
Former President Donald Trumps running mate Sen. JD Vance, R-Ohio, privately admitted that Kamala Harris' presumptive Democratic nomination is a political sucker punch to the Trump campaign, The Washington Post reported.

Ahead of a rally in Minnesota on Saturday, Vance privately told GOP donors that Harris presents a unique challenge to the Republican Party, despite the Trump campaign exuding confidence since President Joe Bidens withdrawal from the race on July 21.

All of us were hit with a little bit of a political sucker punch, Vance told donors at a fundraiser. The bad news is that Kamala Harris does not have the same baggage as Joe Biden, because whatever we might have to say, Kamala is a lot younger. And Kamala Harris is obviously not struggling in the same ways that Joe Biden did, Vance said.

Whereas the public knew Bidens weaknesses, Vance said Harris is less known so the GOP would have to shape peoples views of her.

"Love em or hate em, everybody has an opinion about Donald Trump and Joe Biden after the past eight years. But Kamala Harris, people dont really know, he told donors.

Despite these admissions, Vance has previously told reporters that Harris presumptive nomination doesnt change the presidential race.

We were running against Joe Bidens open border, Kamala Harriss open border. Kamala Harris supported the green new scam. Kamala Harris, frankly, covered Joe Biden even though it was obvious he was mentally incompetent for a very long time, Vance told reporters on July 22, according to The Post.

In an interview with Fox News Laura Ingraham on Monday, Trump said Harris was an even worse candidate'' than Biden because of her radical left policies.

The entire Trump campaign has doubled down on this message, pointing to Harris flaws and remaining steadfast that she is a weak candidate.

Poll after poll shows President Trump leading Kamala Harris as voters become aware of her weak, failed and dangerously liberal agenda. Her far-left ideas are even more radioactive than Joe Biden, particularly in the key swing states that will decide this election like Pennsylvania, Michigan, and Wisconsin, said Vance spokesperson Will Martin in a statement to The Post on Monday.

In a New York Times/Sienna College poll from July 25, Trump currently leads Harris by one percentage point. He previously led Biden by six percentage points, before the president withdrew from Novembers presidential race.
A national ballistics network was utilized to connect a suspect who fled to Ohio and then New York after he allegedly shot and killed a 31-year-old Lexington man in February.

During a preliminary hearing Tuesday, Jeremy Adkins, a detective with the Lexington Police Department, testified against 28-year-old Kyshawn Owens who is charged with the murder of Chadwick Boone.

Owens faces additional charges of evidence tampering and convicted felon in possession of a handgun, according to court documents.

Adkins testified during the hearing that officers were called to a restaurant and bar on Feb. 3, where they found Boone with multiple gunshot wounds. Boone later died at the University of Kentucky Hospital.

Surveillance cameras from the bar and multiple other businesses show Owens and Boone at the establishment before they began to argue verbally and then psychically, Adkins testified.

Owens allegedly brandished a handgun and fired shots at Boone before he fled the scene and was picked up by a ride-share service.

Owens traveled to Reading, Ohio, a suburb of Cincinnati, where he was seen on surveillance footage disassembling a handgun before throwing it in a creek, according to Adkins. Local police found the handgun and traced the ballistics through the National Integrated Ballistic Network which is designed to take firearms evidence from different scenes, analyze specific bullet markings and draw links together.

The police were able to connect the firearm back to Owens, and Lexington police were notified. From there, evidence showed Owens purchased a Greyhound bus ticket which took him to Yonkers, New York, according to Adkins.

Owens was arrested in New York on June 7, and held in the Westchester County Jail there, police said.

Fayette District Judge Lindsay Hughes Thurston found probable cause against Owens, and sent his case to a grand jury. His bond remains at $760,000.
Smokey Bear is turning 80 years old this year. In his 8 decades, Smokey has become one of the worlds most recognizable bears. But Smokey Bear was close to being a well-loved baby deer known as Bambi.

In 1941, in the midst of World War II, one of the first forest fire prevention campaign posters came out. By 1944, a public service campaign was launched with the goal of educating Americans about their role in preventing wildfires. The campaign has become the longest-running PSA in U.S. history.

The creators needed a star for their posters. Luckily, the world was captivated by Walt Disneys Bambi. The public went crazy for the loveable forest characters, but there was a big problem. Disney only loaned the characters to the campaign for one year.

Smokeys 1st appearance on forest fire poster. (SmokeyBear.com)

Pre-Smokey forest fire prevention poster. (SmokeyBear.com)

The search was on for a new star of the show. After some brainstorming, the Cooperative Forest Fire Prevention (CFFP) program decided nothing was more fitting than the bear.

On August 9, 1944, the Forest Service authorized the creation of Smokey Bear and the first poster was printed on October 10. By 1947, Smokeys catchphrase was Remember Only YOU can prevent forest fires.

While Smokey Bear was the star of the CFFP campaign, it wasnt until 1950 that there was a real-life Smokey Bear introduced to the public. In Capitan, New Mexico, in the aftermath of a forest fire, a bear cub was found clinging to the side of a burnt pine tree. The cub was badly burned on the buttocks and feet, and was given the name Hotfoot.

The next day, Game Warden Ray Bell flew the cub to the veterinary hospital in Santa Fe. Bell kept Smokey in his home while he recovered. Smokey was transported to the National Zoo in Washington D.C. where he lived until he died in 1976.

Smokey Bear poses with poster at the National Zoo. Courtesy of Smithsonian archives.

Smokeys body was returned to his home in the Capitan Mountains. He now rests in a park that bears his name, in the middle of the Lincoln National Forest.

In honor of Smokeys 80th Birthday, he will be meeting fans at the Ozark Empire Fair. Smokey Bear will be at the Missouri Department of Conservation building from 6:30-7:30 p.m. on Wednesday, July 31 and Friday, August 2.

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BASTROP, Texas (KXAN)  Bastrop voters will decide in November whether to approve a measure that changes how misdemeanor marijuana possession offenses are enforced in the city.

A petition was certified July 23 to put a marijuana decriminalization charter amendment on the Nov. 5 ballot, according to the city.

PREVIOUS: Bastrop could be the next Texas town to decriminalize low-level marijuana offenses

The petition had 438 verified signatures of the 613 signatures on the petition, according to the city. This met the minimum requirement for a special election to be called for the measure.

Bastrop City Council members have until Aug. 19 to order the special election for the petition measure.

Desiree Venable led the petition efforts and is the Democratic candidate in the Texas House District 17 race. She will face incumbent Rep. Stan Gerdes, a Republican, in the November election.

In a statement, Venable said the campaign exemplifies true democracy and the power we have as community members to effect change that directly reflects our wants and needs.

The criminalization of marijuana undermines our individual freedoms and limits career opportunities, a statement from Venable said in part. The decriminalization of marijuana is a crucial step toward the criminal justice reform we desperately need and Im happy to be part of this progress.

Bastrop Police Chief Vicky Steffanic said her department supports the democratic process, but these petition efforts are misplaced and misleading. She said the ballot measure, if approved by voters, would restrict officers from potentially issuing a citation for the offense.

Steffanic added that it limits officers options in making an arrest and on the back end requires more resources and time from our department.

So, it really is not decriminalization, is it puts our officers in a situation where they do not have the discretion to cite and release, the statement read in part.

Similar efforts in Central Texas

Lockhart voters will also vote in November on a marijuana decriminalization measure, which as also sparked by a petition, nonprofit advocacy group Ground Game Texas said Monday.

Voters in Austin, Elgin and San Marcos approved similar measures in 2022.

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For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to KXAN Austin.
The offenses relate to images shared on a WhatsApp chat, authorities said, that are alleged to have taken place between December 2020 and April 2022

Stuart Wilson/BAFTA/Getty Huw Edwards.

Former BBC news anchor Huw Edwards, who announced that Queen Elizabeth had died on air, has been charged with making indecent images of children.

The Metropolitan Police said in a statement obtained by PEOPLE that Edwards had been arrested on Nov. 8, 2023 before being charged with three counts of the alleged offense on June 26 following authorization from the Crown Prosecution Service.

"Huw Edwards, 62, of Southwark, London has been charged with three counts of making indecent images of children following a Met Police investigation," a police spokesperson confirmed.

The offenses relate to images shared on a WhatsApp chat, authorities said. They are alleged to have taken place between December 2020 and April 2022,

Police added in their statement that Edwards "has been bailed" and will appear at Westminster Magistrates' Court on Wednesday, July 31.

"Media and the public are strongly reminded that this is an active case," police concluded, warning, "Nothing should be published, including on social media, which could prejudice future court proceedings."

Alamy Huw Edwards announced that Queen Elizabeth had died on Sept. 8, 2022.

Per the BBC, Edwards has been accused of having six category A images on a phone, as well as 12 category B photos and 19 category C pictures.



The Crown Prosecution Service declined to comment on the image categories when contacted by PEOPLE, stating that "any details on alleged offending will be discussed in court."

Edwards, who is the father of five children, was born in Bridgend, Wales, and spent almost all his professional life at the BBC. He was at the helm as the BBC announced the death of Queen Elizabeth on Sept. 8, 2022, would regularly host U.K. general election coverage and was also called upon to anchor the organizations coverage of the late monarch's funeral and King Charles coronation in May 2023.



He left the broadcaster in April on medical grounds.

"Huw Edwards has today resigned and left the BBC," the BBC said in a statement on April 22. "After 40 years of service, Huw has explained that his decision was made on the basis of medical advice from his doctors. The BBC has accepted his resignation which it believes will allow all parties to move forward. We dont believe it appropriate to comment further."

ISABEL INFANTES/AFP via Getty Huw Edwards.

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In July 2023, Edwards was named as the man at the center of a sexting scandal after his wife, Vicky Flind, made a statement on behalf of their family.

Flind said at the time that Edwards had been "suffering from serious mental health issues" and was "receiving in-patient hospital care where he'll stay for the foreseeable future" after suffering "another serious episode" amid the scandal.

Allegations had previously been made in The Sun that a "well-known presenter" had paid around $45,000 to a young person for sexual pictures over several years. The story was based on an interview with the persons mother and stepfather, who said the contact began when the young person was 17.

However, a lawyer for the young person told the BBC that "nothing inappropriate" had happened after The Suns report and allegations came out. The Metropolitan Police also ruled out taking any action against Edwards and said "there was no evidence that a criminal offense had been committed."



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Bellingham mayor fires two top managers as part of new direction for the city

Bellingham Mayor Kim Lund dismissed two of the citys top managers Monday, saying that she is seeking a new direction for her administration.

Public Works Director Eric Johnston and Human Resources Director Elizabeth Monahan have been dismissed, Lund said in a Tuesday email to The Bellingham Herald.

Both Eric and Elizabeth have made significant contributions during their time with the city. I am grateful for their work on our team. This decision is not connected to any specific actions or one event. It is a strategic change in leadership to support the directions of my administration and the comprehensive needs of the city at this time, Lund said.

My immediate focus is ensuring a smooth transition within the affected departments and throughout the city. We are working to identify interim leadership and will let you know when those decisions are final. We expect to begin recruiting for both positions as soon as possible, Lund said.

Its the second major administrative change this month for Lund, who took office in January after defeating Mayor Seth Fleetwood in the November election.

On July 15, Lund named Communications Director Janice Keller and Deputy Finance Director Forrest Longman as deputy administrators, replacing Brian Heinrich who left for a position at Puget Sound Energy.

Keller is Lunds chief of staff and will focus on external relations, while Longman will focus on city operations, according to the citys website.

Monahan was hired in May 2021 after serving for more than 11 years as the director of human resources for the Port of Bellingham, according to the citys website.

Johnston was named public works director in May 2020 after serving for nine months as interim director. Hes been with the city for nearly 12 years, according to his Linked In account and previous Herald reporting.
Opposite La Restinga, the southernmost settlement in all of Spain, there is a sharp underwater mountain with two peaks that just missed emerging from the waters by just a handful of feet. It is known as El Bajon, and is one of the most legendary dives for underwater photography enthusiasts, because this steep wall subject to currents is home to a large number of species, such as enormous groupers and manta rays. The underwater mountain has been part of the Mar de las Calmas (Sea of Calm) marine fishing reserve since 1996, which has greatly contributed to maintaining the enormous biodiversity of this area south of El Hierro, one of Spains Canary Islands. The Spanish government on Tuesday took a further step to extend its protection, surface area and recognition: the Cabinet has approved the proposal to declare Mar de las Calmas a national park. Now a process begins that will conclude with a bill that will have to be ratified by parliament. If successfully completed, it will be the first entirely marine national park in Spain, and the 17th in the state network of national parks.

The underwater landscape of the Mar de las Calmas is dominated by reefs, caves, tunnels and peaks of volcanic origin where corals of all kinds, algae, sponges and beautiful gorgonians abound. The island of El Hierro has hardly any continental shelf, which makes its surrounding waters a transit zone for large species, such as sperm whales and whale sharks. In addition, as the Ministry for Ecological Transition highlighted on Tuesday, its waters are home to one of the worlds most important communities of beaked whales, a deep-water cetacean. Within the area that is now intended to be protected lies the Tagoro volcano, the result of the underwater eruption that took place in front of La Restinga in 2011 and whose summit stopped just 80 meters short of emerging.

Divers in El Bajon, located in the Mar de las Calmas reserve of El Hierro. Alamy Stock Photo

The declaration of the Mar de las Calmas as a national park has been a demand of environmental groups for more than a decade. But it has been rejected by some sectors on the island who fear that it could hinder economic activity. Between April and May of this year, the Ministry for Ecological Transition held a prior public consultation so that all interested parties could express their positions. And in mid-July, the Secretary of State for the Environment, Hugo Moran, traveled to the island to speak with different actors to try to pave the way for the national park declaration. Sources from Ecological Transition maintain that, after these meetings, much progress has been made, although there are still loose ends to be tied up.

Among the defenders of this park are traditional fishermen, who have continued to carry out their activity despite the declaration of a marine reserve in force since 1996. But this reserve now covers only 750 hectares. The future national park, according to the ministry, would cover an area of 24,000 hectares, extending several miles out to sea. The management of the space, being entirely marine, would be the responsibility of the central government, unlike what happens with land-based areas. Among the groups that have shown the most reluctance to this new declaration are sport fishing associations and some diving clubs, fearful that restrictions could be increased.

One of the caves in the Mar de las Calmas reserve on the island of El Hierro. Claudio Alvarez

The ministry highlighted in a press release that the proposal approved on Tuesday, in addition to protecting the extraordinary biodiversity of the area, also contemplates, in a manner consistent with its importance, local residents and rights holders with the economic vision that is necessary and essential to achieve the integration and acceptance of the national park. A public consultation process is now opened. After that, a bill must be drawn up to be sent to Congress and the Senate for ratification. It is not a short process, said a ministry source. At least a year.

The last national park to get approval in Spain is the Sierra de las Nieves, in the province of Malaga. From the beginning of the process in February 2018 until it was finally concluded in June 2021, more than three years elapsed.

The future park will contribute to fulfilling the commitment that at least 30% of the countrys marine space will have some form of protection by 2030, Ecology Minister Teresa Ribera said in the press release. This marine environment already has other forms of protection and is part of the EUs Natura 2000 Network.

A beaked whale off the southern coast of El Hierro. EuropaPress/ CABILDO DE EL HIERRO

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By Julie Steenhuysen

CHICAGO (Reuters) - The benefit of Eisai and Biogen's Alzheimer's drug Leqembi in patients with early-stage Alzheimer's appears to increase with continued use with no new safety issues, according to three-year data presented at an Alzheimer's meeting on Tuesday.

In the companies' pivotal clinical trial, Leqembi reduced cognitive decline by 27% after 18 months - data that supported the drug's approval last year.

The new study looked at how the drug performed in about 95% of trial patients who continued on the treatment. After three years, Leqembi slowed cognitive decline by 31% compared to what would be expected in similar patients who did not receive treatment.

There were no new safety findings over the three-year period. Brain swelling and bleeding associated with drugs that work by removing amyloid plaque from the brain largely occurred within the first six months of treatment, Dr. Christopher van Dyck, director of the Yale's Alzheimer's Disease Research Unit, told the meeting.

A separate analysis of data from a midstage study looked at patients who had a gap in treatment of 9 to 59 months following 18 months of initial treatment. In that study, there was still a difference, but once treatment stopped, the rate of cognitive decline reverted back to what was seen in patients on placebo.

Discontinuation of treatment also showed increases in Alzheimer's-related disease biomarkers, such as the return of amyloid plaques.

The findings were part of several presentations at the Alzheimer's Association International Conference in Philadelphia aimed at showing that Eisai's drug continues to benefit patients who stay on Leqembi after amyloid has been removed.

Eisai's drug targets protofibrils - toxic building blocks that eventually form clumps in the brain known as amyloid plaques, a hallmark of Alzheimer's disease. Leqembi both removes amyloid plaques and continues to target protofibrils, which can injure brain cells.

"There is no question long-term benefit is better than short-term benefit," Dr. Lynn Kramer, Eisai's chief clinical officer, told Reuters.

The studies underline differences between Eisai and Biogen's treatment and Eli Lilly's Alzheimer's drug Kisunla (donanemab), which was approved on July 2.

The Lilly drug exclusively targets amyloid plaques. Once the brain plaque is gone, patients can discontinue treatment.

(Reporting by Julie Steenhuysen; Editing by Bill Berkrot)
A Benton County deputy prosecutor was legally drunk when he missed a stop sign on a rural road on the Fourth of July and was broadsided by a pickup truck. He was killed along with his wife and two children.

Tests show that Deputy Prosecutor Brad Bartlett had a blood-alcohol level of 0.082%, Benton County Sheriff Tom Croskrey told the Herald. The legal limit in Washington state is 0.08.

Brad Bartlett, 35, along with his wife Alex, 31, and two daughters, 9-year-old Scarlett and 1-month-old Violet, died in the crash south of Benton City. Their 2-year-old son, Grant, survived with just minor injuries.

They were heading out of town to a small family cabin for the long holiday weekend.

Bartlett was driving a small Mazda SUV south on Travis Road, a rural two-lane road cutting through rolling hills and farmland.

He didnt stop at the stop sign at the intersection with Sellards Road about 6:30 p.m. and drove into the path of a Ford F-250.

Croskrey previously told the Herald there was no indications that Bartlett tried to brake.

The pickup trucks driver was treated at Prosser Memorial Hospital for his injuries.

Bartletts brother, Jason, started a GoFundMe to help Grant with future education costs. So far, it has raised more than $31,000.

A GoFundMe was created for the son of Brad Bartlett after his immediate family died in a crash on the Fourth of July.

Deputy prosecutor

Brad Bartlett was new to the Tri-Cities, having moved here to take a job in the Benton County Prosecutors Office in March.

He previously worked for a private law firm in Seattle, with the Snohomish County Prosecutors Office, as well as two years as an assistant U.S. Attorney in New Mexico and two years as a prosecutor for the state of New Mexico.
Next to the Wayland Area Volunteer Fire Department in Floyd County are 11 new homes, outside the floodplain. (Photo by Al Cross/Kentucky Lantern)

WAYLAND, Ky.  Gov. Andy Beshear promised a different future for Eastern Kentucky as he made five stops in the region Friday to signal the weekends second anniversary of record floods on the night of July 27-28, 2022.

In the little Floyd County town of Wayland, Beshear dedicated 11 homes that he said would be the first fully inhabited new development on high ground, above the mountainous regions often-flooded streams.

In the Knott County seat of Hindman, he paid tribute to the floods 45 victims, 22 of whom were in Knott, after announcing that the state had bought more than 100 acres for 150 homes on a reclaimed surface coal mine  a dream decades old and finally made possible by the floods existential challenge to the region.

That makes it official, Beshear said at the Chestnut Ridge development next to the Knott County Sportsplex on Kentucky 80. This project is happening. An adjoining tract with 50 homes will be developed by the Foundation for Appalachian Kentucky and its partners, and another high-ground community, Olive Branch tear Talcum, is in the works.

We knew with the infrastructure that was destroyed, with the thousands of people who were left homeless, this was probably the most difficult rebuild in the history of the United States. But it happened to the toughest of people. And immediately what we saw was the best of our humanity.

 Gov. Andy Beshear

Another is coming above Hazard in Perry County, where Beshear announced financing for completion of a road to serve the new 50-acre Sky View subdivision, which will make possible an adjacent private development that Hazards mayor says would be the regions largest housing development.

And in Jackson, he announced $6 million in state aid to build 20 homes for flood survivors and said the state continues to look for a large tract for homes on high ground in Breathitt County, which has one of the nations highest unemployment rates and is officially estimated to have lost more than 5% of its population since 2020.

I want people to stay here, Beshear said, but you know what? I want people to move here. Its time for Eastern Kentucky to get its share.

At Sky View, he said local and state officials are going to bring hundreds and thousands of new jobs to Eastern Kentucky. He also pledged, This fall and this winter you are gonna see those homes start coming up.

That will be welcome in a region that has heard more talk than action aimed solving its problems, Perry County Judge-Executive Scott Alexander told Beshear and the crowd:

Governor, far too often, the people of East Kentucky and Appalachia have heard promises from government, only for those to never be followed through. And so I really believe that more and more people will start believing in what were doing as they can see the progress happening.

Tangible progress

The progress was tangible in Wayland, as several families getting new homes in a narrow strip next to the local fire department dedicated the homes with Beshear and officials of the Appalachia Service Project, a faith-based nonprofit that brings volunteers from all over the nation to the region.

Its remarkable, the amount of work thats gone on to make sure these people get back on their feet, Floyd County Judge-Executive Robbie Williams told the crowd.

One new homeowner is Jackie Bradley, 71, who has been living in an apartment in Martin, where the forks of Beaver Creek meet. Wayland is a few miles upstream, at Right Beavers confluence with Steele Creek. She had lived in Glo Hollow, just downstream from Wayland, so close to the creek that her home was flooded twice  the second time a few days after the first, when rains swelled Right Beaver again and her house was caught in a whirlpool. She said her 6-year-old grandson yelled, Granny, look at your house! Its like the Wizard of Oz!

Beshear said repeatedly that the favorite part of his job has been seeing young children go through their new home, picking out their bedrooms. You just see a little bit of God in that moment, he said in Wayland.

The Appalachia Service Project plans to build about a dozen more homes in or near the town of 400. Materials are already stored across the road from the new homes, waiting on identification of properties and negotiations for acquisition.

Living out the Golden Rule

State government and other entities helped with the infrastructure for the 11 homes. The Federal Home Loan Bank helped the state with construction financing. We loan money to banks, but we set aside 15% of our profits for affordable housing, FHLB of Cincinnati President Judy Rose told the crowd. She said ASP and Beshear have been leaders in getting boots on the ground to do the work.

Beshear said the many volunteers are living out the Golden Rule that we are to love our neighbor as ourself, and the parable of the Good Samaritan that says everyone is our neighbor. In a world that sometimes feels toxic, that were supposed to be against each other, you all have come together as one people to truly stand up for each other and to house those that have lost everything.

Other high-ground developments are in Letcher County: Grand View near Jenkins, which is to have 116 homes on 92 acres, and The Cottages at Thompson Branch near Whitesburg, with 10 homes, one of them already occupied.

Beshear said there may be more: Theres a couple of others [where] were still trying to work through issues.

He told reporters in Wayland, Were more than halfway through because the toughest part that takes the longest are the utilities.  We knew with the infrastructure that was destroyed, with the thousands of people who were left homeless, this was probably the most difficult rebuild in the history of the United States.

But it happened to the toughest of people. And immediately what we saw was the best of our humanity. It was people pushing aside all the silliness, not caring if somebodys a Democrat or a Republican, just caring that they are a human being, wanting to get them back on their feet. You saw Kentuckians living for each other, and that Eastern Kentuckians are as tough as nails, and as kind as anybody else out there on planet Earth.

The Democratic governor said state agencies worked together in ways weve never seen, doing things that were never done. Officials of the Energy and Environment Cabinet have essentially become land developers, because they have to make sure that the reclaimed mine sites are stable and properly drained.

Weve never done anything like this, Beshear said of state employees. Their level of dedication, the work theyve put in while doing their day job, has been really special. Ive seen amazing leadership from people who may have been in state government almost all of their lives but see this as the most important thing that theyve done in serving the Commonwealth of Kentucky.

As it gets into the land-development business, the state is also negotiating with landowners like Paul Ison of Hazard, who donated 50 acres to the state for Sky View but will soon be in a position to profit from developing about 200 adjoining acres.

By building the access road to Sky View, Ison said, Theyre helping the whole community out. You gotta have housing to get another factory or some more business here.

Beshear said in an interview, I believe that Paul Ison was very generous. We asked for as much as he would offer, and 50 acres is where he started, and it was more than enough for what we needed.  Its a good deal for everybody. We cant build enough just through nonprofits to address overall housing needs, so I welcome private development.

This story has been updated to clarify that the Foundation for Appalachian Kentucky and its partners are developing a 50-home tract near the Knott County Sportsplex and also the Olive Branch community near Talcum. An earlier version had incorrect information.

Al Cross is director emeritus of the Institute for Rural Journalism. After more than 50 years of reporting and editing, he says the trip with Beshear was probably his last for a news story. He retires Aug, 1.
Tokyo can be overrated, according to someone who's been to Japan 11 times. Here are 3 lesser-known gems to visit instead.

Grace Cheng, a 22-year-old travel blogger based in the US, has visited Japan 11 times.

Cheng has a soft spot for cultural activities and authentic Japanese cuisine.

While Cheng says Tokyo is a must-visit, she prefers three other cities in Japan.

Japan is fast becoming a popular bucket-list destination among US travelers.

Online travel agency Hopper said users researching trips to Asia so far this year searched specifically for Japan almost a third of the time.

Trips to Japan are also more budget-friendly for Americans nowadays with the dominance of the US dollar. As of July 26, $1 buys 154.03 yen.

Grace Cheng, a 22-year-old travel blogger based in New York City, isn't surprised Japan is so popular. Since visiting Japan for the first time in 2017, she's gone an additional 10 times.

"It grew on me," Cheng said. "Now, since I actually have more understanding of culture and different aspects of traveling, I can say it's my favorite."

Cheng has plenty of advice for first-time visitors, including mistakes to avoid. But her wisdom also extends to which Japanese cities to prioritize.

Even though Tokyo, the capital, is a must-visit for a seven- to 10-day trip, Cheng prefers these three cities and encourages travelers to include them in their itineraries.

Kyoto, Cheng's favorite city in Japan, is a cultural mecca.

Grace Cheng is a Gen Z travel blogger who has visited Japan over 10 times and says tourists shouldn't just stick around Tokyo if they wanted to immerse themselves in the culture. Courtesy of Grace Cheng

Cheng has a particular soft spot for Kyoto, which was the capital of Japan for over a thousand years until 1868, when Tokyo took its place.

Though often thought of as a natural second city to visit alongside Tokyo, Kyoto is Cheng's undisputed No. 1 Japanese city.

The old city is lined with small walkable roads, has many temples, and boasts a riverbank lined with small houses and shops. One of Kyoto's famous features is the Gion district, a historic neighborhood dotted with ochaya, or teahouses, run by traditional female entertainers known as geisha.

Even though it is also a tourist hot spot, Cheng said Kyoto feels more serene than Tokyo. It's not surprising, considering the current Japanese capital's population dwarfs the former. The latest UN data, from 2022, estimates Kyoto's population is just over 1.46 million, a fraction of Tokyo's 9.73 million.

"I know a lot of people love Tokyo, and I do as well, but I think Tokyo is kind of overrated, and I feel Kyoto has more in a cultural sense," Cheng said. "It has the teahouses, it has the Gion district, all the temples, the shrines."

"It's just a lot calmer and peaceful," she said, adding that the city's qualities exemplify "Japanese culture."

Sapporo is often overlooked, but Cheng said it has the warmest locals and is home to one of her favorite Japanese dishes.

Cheng says the local people of Sapporo are incredibly friendly and welcoming. Sean Pavone/Shutterstock

People "often overlook" Hokkaido in the north of Japan, but it's "so beautiful" and "different" to anywhere else in the country, Cheng said.

Hokkaido's capital, Sapporo, is about a 90-minute flight from Tokyo. It's best known for its eponymous locally brewed beer and its powdery ski slopes  though Cheng prefers it to Tokyo for its cuisine, cheaper prices, and welcoming locals.

"In general, Japanese are very friendly, and they're very polite and respectful," she said. "But I feel like up there, it's just a completely different sense of friendliness. They just go out of their way, and you can definitely tell if someone is from Tokyo or the north."

One of the dishes she'd recommend to anyone going to Sapporo is "soup curry," a warm curry powder- and garam masala-spiced broth with chicken and fried vegetables.

"That was something that was recommended to me, and I just fell in love with it," Cheng said.

For foodies, Cheng said there's nowhere better to visit in Japan than Osaka.

Takoyaki, small fried balls of octopus, are a local delicacy in Osaka. Shih-wei/Getty Images

Osaka, often nicknamed "Japan's Kitchen," is another city Cheng prefers over Tokyo.

Located just over three hours away from the capital via the Shinkansen, or bullet train, the city is famed for its street food and bustling produce markets.

"Whenever I go there, my sole mission is to eat," Cheng said. One of the most popular delicacies in Osaka is takoyaki, fried dough balls containing octopus slathered in sauces and topped with scallions and bonito flakes, Cheng said.



Another dish Cheng makes sure to grab every time she's in Osaka is tonkatsu, or fried pork cutlet, at a restaurant called Tonkatsu Daiki. She said it's made to "perfection" and served with a side of all-you-can-eat shredded cabbage.

"There's usually a line out the door," she said. The tiny restaurant is run by one chef who "cooks everything on the spot," so Cheng recommends visitors arrive 30 minutes before it opens at lunch to improve their chances of grabbing a bite.

As much as Cheng says Tokyo is "overrated," she still thinks all first-time tourists to Japan should go.

Japan is one of the safest countries Cheng has visited. Rasmus Jurkatam/Getty Images

Even though Tokyo is not one of Cheng's top three favorite cities in Japan, she wouldn't dissuade tourists from going.

"I'm just saying, for Tokyo, it's a bit overrated," she said. "If people want to actually experience more of Japan, then I would say go to the other cities."

When Cheng does visit Tokyo, she always stays in Ginza, a neighborhood in the center of town known for boulevards lined with designer stores and luxury hotels, as well as smaller streets with boutiques, cafes, and sushi bars.

For the "younger crowd" and those keen on sampling Tokyo's bustling nightlife, Cheng recommends staying in Shinjuku, a slightly more affordable district.

"Ginza and Shinjuku are the main options that people always debate over," Cheng said. "But I love Ginza because it's so clean, and it's very accessible."

Ultimately, Tokyo is a versatile city, she said.

"If you're looking for serenity, if you're looking for nightlife, it has something for everyone," she said.

Tokyo is also well-connected to other lesser-known travel destinations.

It only takes around an hour by train to get from Tokyo to seaside spots in Kamakura, Cheng said. ToYoPHoTo/Shutterstock

Some travelers don't have enough vacation time to traverse the country.

For them, Cheng recommends day trips using Tokyo as a base.

She said Kamakura, a coastal city in the Kanagawa prefecture less than an hour away from Tokyo by train, is worth checking out for a change of scenery.

Many Tokyo locals flock to Kamakura during the warmer seasons for its beaches and seaside restaurants. It's also known for its large Buddha statue.

"It can just be done on a day trip, and you have the ocean right there," she said.

Tourists can also take a short train ride from Kamakura to nearby Enoshima, a small island connected to the mainland that has shrines, parks, and caves, Cheng added.

Another plus? "You have really good food there, too," she said.

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President Joe Biden leaves the White House in Washington DC on Monday to head to Austin, Texas where he gave a speech to mark the 60th anniversary of the Civil Rights Act. Biden called for expanding civil rights in America by preventing abuse of presidential power and restoring faith in the U.S. Supreme Court." Photo by Ken Cedeno/UPI

July 29 (UPI) -- President Joe Biden called for expanding civil rights in America by "preventing abuse of presidential power and restoring faith in the U.S. Supreme Court," during a speech Monday to mark the 60th anniversary of the Civil Rights Act of 1964.

"In a great society, no one should be left behind. It's time for us to come to see that every American gets a decent break and a fair chance to make good," Biden said in remarks at the Lyndon Johnson Presidential Library in Austin, Texas.

The Civil Rights Act was signed by President Lyndon B. Johnson in 1964 and outlawed segregation in business establishments, public schools and other public places, while prohibiting discrimination on the basis of race, color, religion, sex or national origin. The act also established the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission.

"A defining moment that has since opened doors for all Americans regardless of race, sexual orientation, gender, gender identity, religion, national origin. Together with the Voting Rights Act and the Fair Housing Act, these three landmark laws he signed are remarkable," Biden said.

"Now, we live in a different era. In recent years, extreme opinions that the Supreme Court has handed down have undermined long-established civil rights principles and protections."

"In 2022, the court overrode Roe v. Wade and the right to choose. It had been the law of the land for 50 years," Biden said. "And most recently and most shockingly, the Supreme Court established in Trump v. The United States a dangerous precedent. They ruled as you know that the president of the United States has immunity for potential crimes he may have committed while in office."

Earlier Monday, Biden proposed major changes to the Supreme Court and called on Congress to pass limits on presidential immunity, in the wake of the court's recent ruling on a case brought by former President Donald Trump, in addition to a "binding" code of ethics to curb conflicts of interest and term limits for Supreme Court justices.

"I served as a U.S. senator for 36 years, including as a chairman and ranking member of the Judiciary Committee. I have overseen more Supreme Court nominations as senator, vice president and president than anyone living today," Biden said.

"We've had term limits for presidents of the United States for nearly 75 years after the Truman administration. And I believe we should have term limits for Supreme Court justices of the United States, as well."

While there are no term limits for the U.S. House or Senate, Biden is proposing term limits for the Supreme Court of 18 years, with presidential appointments every two years.

"I'm also calling for a constitutional amendment, called 'No one is Above the Law Amendment,'" Biden added. "It holds there is no immunity for crimes a former president committed while in office."

"And I'm calling for a binding code of conduct for the Supreme Court. The Supreme Court's current code of ethics is weak and even more frightening, voluntary," Biden said. "Under the reform I propose, justices would be required to disclose gifts, refrain from public political activity and recuse themselves from cases where they or their spouses have a financial or other conflict of interest."

On Monday, House Speaker Mike Johnson called Biden's Supreme Court reforms "dead on arrival."

"It is telling that Democrats want to change the system that has guided our nation since its founding, simply because they disagree with some of the court's recent decisions. This dangerous gambit of the Biden-Harris administration is dead on arrival in the House," Johnson wrote Monday in a post on X.

Upon arriving in Austin, Biden responded to a reporter's question about Johnson's remark, saying "I think that's what he is -- dead on arrival."
In the nearly ten days since President Biden shocked the world by announcing that he would withdraw from his quest for a second term and endorse Kamala Harris in his stead, Washington has buzzed with speculation over who Harris might choose as a running mate.

When asked if hes spoken to her about the veepstakes early on Tuesday morning as he returned from a trip to Texas, Biden replied: Well talk.

Harris could do worse than to take counsel from the 46th president. Biden has experience on both ends of that equation, having been selected for the number-two job by Barack Obama in 2008, and having selected Harris to be his own running-mate during his victorious run against Trump twelve years later.

Biden and his possible successor are understood to speak regularly. They also meet for lunch at semi-regular intervals, and Harris has joined Biden in-person for his Presidents Daily Brief on occasion. She also has an office in the West Wing, just steps away from the Oval Office where Biden spends his working hours.

Asked about Bidens early-morning comments about consulting with Harris later on Tuesday, White House Press Secretary Karine Jean-Pierre demurred. In doing so, she cited an inability to comment on election-related matters because of the Hatch Act, a nearly century-old ethics law which prohibits federal workers from engaging in partisan political activity on the job.

But she did tell reporters that Harris and Biden talk regularly and last spoke about a day or two ago.

They stay in touch and and that's going to continue ... not just because, obviously, the vice president is running, but that's going to continue because, as I said, she's a critical partner in what they do, she said.

Jean-Pierre added that Biden has been in public service for more than 54 years, and said that in his dual roles as president and leader of the Democratic Party, he always offers up advice, any type of little bit of wisdom that he has based on his experience on these multiple fronts as a senator, vice president and as president.

She added that Biden has regularly offered his advice, his opinion and has been a mentor to Harris.
The day President Joe Biden announced he would step aside and endorse Vice President Kamala Harris for the Democratic nomination, one of the first calls Harris made was to her longtime pastor, a native Mississippian and storied civil rights leader.

The Rev. Amos C. Brown, an 83-year-old Jackson native and pastor at San Franciscos Third Baptist Church, is no stranger to such high-profile contacts. He has often been turned to by U.S. presidents. He was a close mentee of Medgar Evers. Martin Luther King Jr. tutored Brown at Morehouse College and even wrote Brown a letter of recommendation for seminary.

But Brown acknowledged in an interview with Mississippi Today that July 21 was extraordinarily memorable. He was just about to walk to the pulpit of the historic church to deliver his sermon when a deacon privately shared the news about Bidens just-announced decision to drop out of the race.

I paused to mention it to the congregation before I read the sermon text, which I selected well before I knew anything about what would happen that day, Brown said. That text was from Hebrews 12: Therefore since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses, let us lay aside every weight, and the sin which so easily beset us, and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us, looking unto Jesus, the author and finisher of our faith. The timing of that text struck me as providential and poetic.

After the Sunday service, Brown and his wife visited with members, went home, and, as pastors so often do on Sunday afternoons, he laid down to rest.

I was actually about to go to sleep and my phone rang, Brown said. When I answered, it was the vice presidents voice. She said, Hello, my pastor. I call because I need for you to pray for me, for Doug (Emhoff, her husband), for this nation because Ive decided to run for president. I handed my phone to my wife, they talked for a minute, and then we had prayer together.

Brown, invoking a cornerstone Christian verse from the Book of Micah, continued: I prayed for her safety and security. I prayed shed be led by spirituality as she sought the presidency, to do justice, love mercy, and walk humbly with her God. Then I recited a passage from James Weldon Johnsons great hymn Lift Every Voice and Sing.

Harris is a longtime member of Third Baptist Church  Brown called her an old-timer  and she has talked extensively about her upbringing in both the Christian and Hindu faiths. Harris wrote in her 2019 memoir that her earliest memories of the teachings of the Bible were of a loving God, a God who asked us to speak up for those who cannot speak for themselves and to defend the rights of the poor and needy.

Her Baptist upbringing, in particular, centers on the teachings of Brown, a civil rights leader who has fought for those same virtues for nearly 70 years.

Browns civil rights work began in his hometown of Jackson, where he organized the first NAACP youth council at College Hill Baptist Church. At age 15, he rode with Medgar Evers from Jackson to San Francisco for the 1956 NAACP national convention, held at the same Third Baptist Church that he has now pastored for nearly 50 years. He was temporarily expelled from Jim Hill High School for talking with a national newspaper about the importance of integration, and he was later stripped of his earned class president and high school valedictorian status. The Mississippi Sovereignty Commission kept an extensive file on the teenager.

Later, after leaving Jackson for college at Morehouse in Atlanta, he traveled around the South to help lead the Movement, like organizing a wade-in at Tybee Island, Georgia, and serving as a leader for NAACP chapters in numerous states. While preaching at Third Baptist and at churches in St. Paul, Minnesota, and West Chester, Pennsylvania, he has been elected or appointed to numerous civil rights posts. He served as a delegate to the United Nations World Conference Against Racism in 2001, president of the San Francisco chapter of the NAACP, and vice chair of Californias Reparations Task Force.

I think Vice President Harris was attracted to the history of this church, to the role weve played in social justice and advancing the human race, Brown said. Shes a strong, spiritual person who comes from a strong, spiritual family that weve known for a very long time now.

The relationship between Brown and Harris transcends faith. Brown said Harris served as his campaign manager when he ran for reelection to the San Francisco Board of Supervisors in 1999, and he publicly supported her successful campaigns for San Francisco district attorney, California attorney general, U.S. Senate and vice president.

But the spiritual bond the two share, Brown said, is what hes been dwelling on most these past few days as his friend and church member barrels toward the Democratic presidential nomination ahead of a pivotal November election.

Shes above all else a good and decent human being, Brown said. If we had more people in this world of her integrity and her personhood, wed get closer to being an expression of that beloved community that Dr. Martin Luther King envisioned. Thats the kind of outlook we need to hear in America today.

All this division and put-down and hate speech and fear mongering is too much, Brown continued. Theres just too much of that. Someone once said people tend to hate each other because they fear each other. They fear each other because they dont know each other. Well, they dont know each other because they dont communicate or connect with each other. We must connect with each other, and we must love each other. Thats the message Kamala Harris is going to share with the country because thats who she is. Thats the person Ive known for so long.

As for his time in Mississippi, Brown said hes been fortunate to carry his home state legacy with him around the world.

Everybody has a connection to Mississippi. I think about Jackson often, he said. You know, the deacon who tapped me on the shoulder before I preached (on July 21) to tell me that President Biden had stepped down? That was Brother Cedric Carter, whos actually from Vicksburg originally.
The first memory Basel Adra says he has of his childhood is of his fathers arrest by the Israel Defense Forces. Two years later, when Adra was seven years old, he was already taking part in his first demonstration against the expulsion, authorized by the Israeli Supreme Court, of more than 1,000 villagers from Masafer Yatta, in the southern West Bank, which has been occupied by Israel since 1967. A 25-minute drive away, in the Jewish town of Beer Sheva, Yuval Abraham, the same age, was growing up. His Jewish-Arab grandfather spoke to his grandmother in the language of the Quran when he didnt want his grandson to understand what they were talking about. That territorial proximity, but a huge chasm in terms of citizens rights, has led them 20 years later to be the stars and co-directors of No Other Land, winner of the Silver Bear for best documentary at the 2024 Berlinale and other awards at prestigious festivals such as the International Documentary Film Festival of Amsterdam, Visions du Reel, and the Sheffield DocFest.

We come from two different societies but we share the same values and fight for the same goals. We want justice and an end to apartheid, for everyone to be free and equal. Those are the values that have united us, Adra, now 27, tells EL PAIS at a hotel in Mallorca, where he traveled last week to attend the Spanish premiere of the film at the 14th Atlantida Mallorca Film Fest. He makes it clear that he prefers to be asked about the eviction and forced mobilization of Palestinians in the West Bank that the film documents, and not so much about himself or his relationship with Abraham. Its very hard for us to be screening the film in Spain or Berlin, places where people live in peace and have a joyful life, while the nightmare and attacks continue in Gaza. People are being killed and schools are being tapped by the Israeli occupation.

Adra gave a similar empathetic speech when he picked up the Berlinale statuette for No Other Land, a journalistic film in terms of its first-person account of over nearly five years of the ongoing demolition of homes and the territorial, legislative, and social mobility segregation of Palestinians. But it was his Jewish friend Abrahams anti-occupation and anti-apartheid narrative at the ceremony that provoked extremists to call him a traitor, issuing death threats and harassing his familys home in Beer Sheva. We are very proud of the speeches we made. I would be a traitor if I didnt act according to my values and what I believe in. To me, that is much worse than being attacked by populists. We are fighting for a world where not only Israelis are free, but where Palestinians can also decide their future and not be in the hands of a foreign army, he says.

A scene from the documentary 'No Other Land.'

Abraham learned Arabic at age 20 guided by his grandfather, born in Jerusalem but of Arabic descent, and with whom, before his death, he came to have conversations in the language. It was a way to connect with my familys roots in the past. Its hard to imagine living in a place where a language is spoken all around you and youll never understand what theyre saying. I think learning a language is much more than just the language, its also understanding its speakers emotionally. His interest in learning about the Arab perspective led him to found projects like Across the Wall, a platform he created in 2019 with Ahmed Alnaouq, which translates Palestinians testimonies and opinions about the government into Hebrew.

Shortly thereafter, Abraham would contact Adra via Facebook. The Palestinian was already posting images on his networks of the arrival of bulldozers in the village, escorted by the army, to dismantle schools and water wells. In fact, almost all of Adras life is visually documented because when he was born, in the late 1990s, the long dispute between the villagers and Israel  which had designated the area as a military training zone  began. His father, whose activist vocation he inherited, would mix home movies of Adra growing up with the first violent evictions by the Israeli army. His parents struggled to obtain basic services such as school, electricity, or access to clean water. The camera is the only tool we have in the face of the oppression we face; we dont have much else to fight the occupation machine, he says. Growing up in this family and community of activists made me feel a responsibility to continue down that path.

Abraham and Adra claim to be journalists before filmmakers, but none of the articles they wrote for the independent +972 Magazine had the media impact and popular response of No Other Land. They acknowledge the momentum of being honored at the Berlinale, which led them, they say, to receive hundreds of requests and messages from people and organizations who wanted to see the film. And they will take it as far and wide as possible: We have a long, long journey ahead of us, which is to bring this film to as many audiences as we can, says Adra.

The presentation of 'No Other Land' during the 2024 Atlantida Film Fest, in a photograph provided by the festival.

Neither Adra nor Abraham, nor the other two directors and camera operators behind the documentary  Israeli Rachel Szor and Palestinian Hamdan Ballal  were prepared to include the October 7 Hamas attacks on Israeli territory in the film, which left 1,200 Israelis dead and sparked the war that has resulted in the deaths of over 39,000 Palestinians. They included an epilogue on how Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahus offensives in the Gaza Strip are having repercussions in the occupied West Bank, where armed settlers knowingly shot Adras cousin. The tense situation has caused many of the farmers to flee the area, but some are holding out, like Adras family: I dont know how much longer they can hold on. The settlers, backed by the government, are building more and more settlements and demolishing Palestinian property.

Abraham is saddened because he lived with Adras family for several years to make the film. They ate together, played with the children and smoked hookah. It is during these scenes, in which they discuss their aspirations, careers, and motivations, that the Israeli realizes the differences between them despite just a few kilometers of territorial separation. A state of consciousness that he used to denounce apartheid in his Berlinale acceptance speech and that he is now raising again: To get here and talk to you, I flew from the airport that is in my country because I am Israeli. Basel, who is here next to me, had to go to another country because the Palestinians dont even have an airport. So why if we were born in the same place, under the same rules, in the same country, why do I have an airport and he doesnt? Why do I have the right to vote and he doesnt?

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President Bidens shift on Supreme Court reform adds weight to liberal pushback on the conservative-majority bench, but his proposal is unlikely to go anywhere.

On Monday, Biden announced a three-pronged push to implement Supreme Court term limits, a binding code of ethics and a constitutional amendment to counteract the justices recent presidential immunity decision.

My fellow Americans, based on all my experience, Im certain we need these reforms, Biden said during a speech at the LBJ Presidential Library. We need these reforms to restore trust in the court, preserve the system of checks and balances that are vital to our democracy.



But there was an acknowledgment from the White House that Bidens proposals will require legislative action, something that appears deeply unlikely in a divided Congress.

This will require some type of legislative action. And I think the great thing about Supreme Court reform is that a significant number of Americans feel very strongly about the issue as well, Steve Benjamin, director of the Office of Public Engagement, told reporters aboard Air Force One on Monday.

The rules that apply to every other federal judge should also apply to the Supreme Court. And I think were going to have to count on members of Congress on both sides of the aisle listening to their constituents, he added.

With dim prospects for passage, Bidens effort is widely viewed as a messaging push, particularly given his status as a lame duck after ending his reelection bid.

Democrats, liberal advocacy groups and some watchdogs have long called for the crackdown as the court shifted to the right and faced ethics controversies. But many of those prominent advocates  like Fix the Court, the American Civil Liberties Union and United for Democracy, a coalition of 140 organizations formed to push back on the court  said the White House did not involve them in drafting the three prongs.

Instead, a White House official said Biden relied on a 294-page report produced by a bipartisan commission created early in his term to study the question of Supreme Court reform. That December 2021 report did not take a position on various proposals, but it did explore ideas like court expansion, term limits and a code of conduct and how each would be implemented.

Biden also consulted with Vice President Harris, who previously served as the attorney general of California and as a member of the Senate Judiciary Committee.

Outside reform advocates are celebrating the presidents shift, nonetheless.

To hear the idea that there would actually be some kind of accountability measures in place was just, I think, one of the most important things that we could have heard out of the presidents mouth, said Common Cause President Virginia Kase Solomon, who attended Bidens speech.

Though Bidens announcement marks a major shift, his proposal still does not go as far as some liberal advocacy groups pushing for court expansion. Backed by progressives like Sen. Ed Markey (D-Mass.), they reacted to Bidens proposal by casting it as merely a good first step.

Like Biden, Harris does not support expanding the court, a campaign spokesperson told The Hill.

But Republicans still view Bidens proposal as a partisan attempt to tear down the conservative-majority court, which was cemented by former President Trumps three appointees.

It is telling that Democrats want to change the system that has guided our nation since its founding simply because they disagree with some of the Courts recent decisions, Speaker Mike Johnson (R-La.) wrote on the social platform X.

This dangerous gambit of the Biden-Harris Administration is dead on arrival in the House.

Biden snapped back on Monday, saying Johnsons thinking is dead on arrival.

In the Senate, Bidens announcement came as welcome news to Senate Judiciary Committee Chair Dick Durbin (D-Ill.), Sen. Sheldon Whitehouse (D-R.I.) and others who have long pushed for a binding ethics code and raised alarm after reports emerged last year of Justice Clarence Thomas and others accepting lavish trips and gifts from billionaires.

I thank President Biden for highlighting the Supreme Courts ethical crisis. Through our ongoing investigation, the Senate Judiciary Committee has verified and reported lavish trips by sitting justices that were paid for by wealthy benefactors, including some previously unknown to the public, Durbin said in a statement.

But Senate Republicans have had no appetite for Supreme Court reform, expressing trust in the nations nine top jurists to police their own ethics amid the recent controversies.

No conservative justice has made any decision in any big case that surprised anyone, so lets stop pretending this is about undue influence. Its about Democrats destroying a court they dont agree with, Leonard Leo, a judicial activist who has played a central role in the Supreme Courts rightward shift, said in a statement.

Bidens Supreme Court commission in its December 2021 report wrote that a code of conduct for the Supreme Court could either be internally adopted by the justices, or Congress could vote to impose a code of conduct on the court. The report also raised the idea of a disciplinary framework for the court that would either be internally enacted or approved by Congress.

In November, all nine justices signed a formal code after months of public pressure and closed-door negotiations. But Democrats, criticizing the codes lack of an enforcement mechanism, have continued demanding congressional intervention.

Bidens announcement comes four days after Justice Elena Kagan, one of the courts liberals who has been among the most vocal of her colleagues in supporting stricter ethics rules, called the critique fair. She suggested a panel of lower judges could adjudicate ethics concerns.

I feel as though, however hard it is, that we could and should try to figure out some mechanism for doing this, Kagan said while speaking at a judicial conference in Sacramento, Calif.

As for term limits, Bidens commission report does not take a position, but it lays out how they could be adopted either by constitutional amendment or by statute. The reports authors acknowledged opponents of imposing term limits would cite the intractability of these implementation questions as reason not to pursue term limits.

When asked on Monday how he would get his plan passed, Biden told reporters, Were going to figure a way.

Copyright 2024 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.

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Protesters outside the U.S. Supreme Court on April 25, 2024, during oral arguments on a presidential immunity case. (Jane Norman/States Newsroom)

Protesters outside the U.S. Supreme Court on April 25, 2024, during oral arguments on a presidential immunity case. (Jane Norman/States Newsroom)

WASHINGTON  Before he leaves the Oval Office in January, President Joe Biden wants to see Congress take up a constitutional amendment restoring criminal liability for U.S. presidents in response to the recent Supreme Court decision granting the chief executive broad immunity.

Biden announced the Not Above the Law Amendment Monday along with endorsing other changes for the nations highest bench, potentially setting the tone and focus for the Democrats final months in office after he exited the 2024 race in favor of Vice President Kamala Harris.

The proposal, released by the White House without text and detailed by Biden in a Washington Post op-ed, comes as public trust in the high court flags after recent ethics scandals and the overturning of Roe v. Wade that bucked popular opinion on abortion.

Biden is urging Congress to pass 18-year term limits for justices, with a president appointing a new justice every two years, and to approve enforceable conduct and ethics rules that would require disclosure of gifts, bar public political activity and ensure recusal from cases where a justice or their spouse has a financial or political stake.

Bidens plan to restore faith in the nations highest court will likely hit a roadblock in the Republican-led U.S. House and in the Senate, where Democrats hold a slim edge and any reforms could struggle to gain the necessary 60 votes. A constitutional amendment would also require passage in three-fourths of the states.

U.S. House Speaker Mike Johnson called Bidens proposal dead on arrival.

Writing in the Washington Post op-ed, Biden said a lack of legal repercussions for former President Donald Trumps role in the violent Jan. 6, 2021, attack on the U.S. Capitol, intended to stop the peaceful transfer of power from one elected administration to another, is only the beginning.

The only limits will be those that are self-imposed by the person occupying the Oval Office, he wrote.

He also referenced recent behavior from the court uncovered by ProPublicas investigative journalists  including gifts and luxury travel given to the justices from political donors  as cause for alarm.

What is happening now is not normal, and it undermines the publics confidence in the courts decisions, including those impacting personal freedoms. We now stand in a breach, Biden wrote.

Biden is expected to speak on his plan Monday afternoon when he commemorates the 60th anniversary of the Civil Rights Act at the Lyndon B. Johnson Library in Texas.

Public Citizen, a group that advocates for changes at the Supreme Court, issued a statement Monday praising Bidens proposal.

The dramatic drop in public confidence in the Supreme Court both undercuts the Courts legitimacy and endangers the legitimacy of the judicial branch as a whole, wrote Lisa Gilbert, the organizations co-president. It is also critical that we undo the damage caused by the overreaching SCOTUS decision in the presidential immunity case and ensure that no person  including the president  is above the law.

Johnson panned Bidens announcement as a radical overhaul and logical conclusion to the Biden-Harris Administration and Congressional Democrats ongoing efforts to delegitimize the Supreme Court.

It is telling that Democrats want to change the system that has guided our nation since its founding simply because they disagree with some of the Courts recent decisions, the Louisiana Republican said in a statement Monday.

But various acts of Congress have changed the court since the nations founding, including the number of seats on the bench, which have ranged from five to 10. The number of seats on the court was fixed at nine shortly after the Civil War, according to the courts historical information that details the changes. In 1925, an act granted the justices the power to decide whether to hear a case, also known as certiorari.

The Republican National Committee issued a statement accusing Bidens plan of being Kamalas scheme to pack the Supreme Court with far-left, radical judges who will render decisions based on politics, not the law  and insulate her dangerously liberal policy positions from scrutiny if shes elected.

Democrats decry the court

Efforts to pass an enforceable code of conduct at the Supreme Court are already underway among Democratic lawmakers.

Reps. Jamie Raskin of Maryland, the top Democrat on the GOP-led House Committee on Oversight and Accountability, and Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez of New York, another Democratic committee member, introduced legislation last month that would prohibit justices from receiving gifts valued over $50, according to their offices.

The two lawmakers hosted a roundtable in early June excoriating the court after Chief Justice John Roberts refused to take action when the New York Times revealed that an upside-down U.S. flag  a sign of protest  flew outside Justice Samuel Alitos Virginia home shortly after the Jan. 6 riot.

House progressives unsuccessfully urged Alito to recuse himself from two cases related to Jan. 6, including Trumps appeal for immunity from federal election subversion charges.

A Supreme Court ethics bill sponsored by Rhode Islands Democratic Sen. Sheldon Whitehouse advanced out of the Senate Committee on the Judiciary along party lines a year ago but has not received a floor vote.
Biden's SCOTUS proposal: "I have great respect for our institutions and the separation of powers laid out in our Constitution," President Joe Biden said yesterday at an event in Austin, Texas. "But what's happening now is not consistent with that doctrine of separation of powers. Extremism is undermining the public confidence in the court's decisions."

He's rightthe chief executive is attempting to curtail the power of a conservative-majority Court, citing recent decisions he disagrees with as the justificationbut I think he's only being self-aware by accident.

To bolster the implication that the Supreme Court is illegitimate, or less legitimate than it used to be, Biden started down a laundry list of "extreme opinions" handed down by the Court that "have undermined long-established civil rights principles and protections," like the decision in Dobbs v. Jackson, which overturned Roe v. Wade and returned abortion lawmaking to the states.

"Most recently and most shockingly, the Supreme Court established in Trump v. United States a dangerous precedent," said Biden. "They ruled, as you know, that the president of the United States has immunity for potential crimes he may have committed while in office." Biden's portrayal of the immunity decision removes a lot of nuance, though. The Supreme Court actually "held that a former president enjoys 'absolute' immunity for 'actions within his exclusive constitutional power,' 'presumptive' immunity for other 'official acts,' and no immunity for unofficial acts," writes Reason's Jacob Sullum. Justices disagreed about which conduct might fall into which category, and the Trump case was remanded to a lower court.

(The ruling is "based on the concern that the threat of criminal charges is apt to have a chilling effect on a president's performance of his duties," notes Sullum. But "in weighing the risks of presidential paralysis against the risks of presidential impunity, the ruling raises troubling questions about when and how a former occupant of the White House can be held criminally liable for abusing his powers.")

In his speech yesterday, Biden proposed 18-year term limits for Supreme Court justices, an enforceable code of ethics for justices, and a constitutional amendment that would fully strip presidents of immunity for any crimes committed in office. Hemming in the judiciary in such a manner would require congressional approval, which is unlikely to happen.

Note the irony of Biden, who has just now recognized that his 51-year stint in the political limelight is coming to a close, suddenly caring a lot about term limits. For those who may need a refresher: Biden has been experiencing notable cognitive decline for a while, which has been hidden from the public by his inner circle. Following a horrible debate performance at the end of June, Biden claimed for weeks on end that he was still mentally fit to seek the presidencyuntil nine days ago, when he finally suspended his reelection campaign. Biden is not some man of principle, he's someone oddly seeking to capitalize off of the Supreme Court's crisis of legitimacysomething at least in part created by Democrats repeatedly claiming the Court is corrupt whenever it hands down a decision with which they disagree.

Segregation is back: Not to be outdone by the "white women for Kamala" Zoom organizing call (attendance: 150,000), progressive organizers not technically affiliated with the presumed Democratic nominee's campaign conducted a "White Dudes for Harris" call last night, helmed in part by Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg, who called the "vibes" of the call "incredible."

"What a variety of whiteness we have here," joked (if you call that a joke) actor Bradley Whitford during the opening remarks. "It's like a rainbow of beige." Actors Jeff Bridges, Mark Hamill, Mark Ruffalo, and Joseph Gordon-Levitt also made appearances.

"Win With Black Women" and "Win With Black Men" calls have also been held by progressive organizers who seek to raise money for Vice President Kamala Harris' campaign. Ditto for other groupsHispanic women, Native Americans, and queer people, for example.

All of this feels very Pantsuit Nation. Very retrograde, like we're precancel culture movement, preTrump election, back before non-academics knew what "wokeness" meant, back before Robin DiAngelo bamboozled human resources departments in consulting firms across the country into giving her gobs of cash to hector people about unpacking their role in white supremacy (at work), back before our long national nightmare of Race2Dinner, before the "funeral procession" at the Javits Center when that glass ceiling wasn't shattered. The fixation on racial "affinity groups" (whatever that means) and calling people out for their "privilege" feels like a stupid trend in American politics not worth revivingand something that contributed to America's intense political polarization by gender.

Scenes from New York: It does not take all that much for ostensibly progressive Brooklynites to become raging NIMBYs.

WATCH: Brooklyn residents, who overwhelmingly voted to make NYC a sanctuary city, demand migrant shelter be closed amid violence concernspic.twitter.com/DLi7vKIOgP  Breaking911 (@Breaking911) July 28, 2024

QUICK HITS

"Venezuela's opposition can prove that Edmundo Gonzalez won Sunday's election, according to Maria Corina Machado, who led the campaign against President Nicolas Maduro," reports Bloomberg. "She told supporters at her party's campaign headquarters on Monday evening that the opposition has enough of the 'actas,' or voting tabulations to prove they won the election. Last night, they had access to about 40% of them, now they say they have over 70%. The figures show a categoric and 'irreversible' triumph: 6.2 million votes for Gonzalez compared to 2.8 million for Maduro."

Related: Some of the most appalling mainstream media dishonesty I've ever seen.

The New York Times concludes that Venezuela was destroyed by "brutal capitalism." Unreal. pic.twitter.com/a7mM46bnPe  Michael C Moynihan (@mcmoynihan) July 29, 2024

"The dominance of cars has turned children's play into work for parents, who are left coordinating and supervising their children's time and ferrying kids to playgrounds and play dates," writes Stephanie Murray in The Atlantic. "But it has also deprived adults of something more profound."

North Carolina Gov. Roy Cooper says he doesn't want to be considered by Kamala Harris to run on her ticket as vice president. Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz is looking increasingly likely.

The only person convicted in relation to their role in the My Lai Massacre is now dead, at 80.

Absolutely bizarre supercut about how Republicans, Sen. J.D. Vance (ROhio) especially, are "weird."

The best thing on the internet today, courtesy of Mary Katharine Ham.

The post Biden's Last Gasps appeared first on Reason.com.
Bill Gates is hitting back against an upcoming books claims that Jeffrey Epstein used him to rehabilitate his image after being jailed for procuring underaged girls in 2008.

Written by New York Times finance editor Anupreeta Das, the unauthorized biography, Billionaire, Nerd, Savior, King: Bill Gates and His Quest to Shape Our World, alleges that the Epstein and Gates became fast friends when Epstein began to tunnel his way into Gatess orbit, according to the Daily Mail.

While working on a philanthropy project together, Gates is said to have referred to Epstein as his buddy and called spending time with him an adventure.

Jeffrey Epstein Tried to Start Investment Fund With Bill Gates: Emails

Gates then reportedly became a part of Epsteins stable of powerful friends, which included Donald Trump, Britains Prince Andrew and Bill Clinton, Das book claims, reported Daily Mail.

Of all the stars that studded Epstein's dark universe, Gates was the brightest, Das writes, according to Daily Mail. The book is set to be released Aug. 13.

However, in a statement, Gates accused Das of relying almost exclusively on second and third-hand hearsay and anonymous sources.

Gates said the book includes highly sensationalized allegations and outright falsehoods that ignore the actual documented facts our office provided to the author on numerous occasions. The statement added, Mr. Gates has previously stated his deep regret for ever meeting with Epstein, who he met with for discussions regarding philanthropy only.

Das claims to have drawn from hundreds of interviews with current and former employees of the Gates Foundation, Microsoft, academics, nonprofits, and those with insight into the Gates universe in researching the book.

She said she delves into Gatess relationships with Warren Buffett, Jeffrey Epstein, Melinda French Gates, and others, to uncover the truths behind the public persona.

Gates ex-wife Melinda French Gates reportedly met Epstein only once and told her then husband that she considered the late financier to be evil personified.

Read more at The Daily Beast.

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Bill to give relief to NE renters draws a few backers, no opponents, to testify at hearing

State Sen. Eliot Bostar of Lincoln listens to testimony during a Revenue Committee hearing. July 29, 2024. (Zach Wendling/Nebraska Examiner)

LINCOLN  In the midst of numerous proposals facing the Legislature to offer relief to property owners, a measure aimed at carving out help for a different demographic, renters, garnered backing Monday from a dozen supporters.

Two of them testified during a public hearing before the Revenue Committee, and 10 others submitted written comments.

No one spoke in opposition, but three issued objections in writing.

Under Legislative Bill 14, introduced by State Sen. Eliot Bostar of Lincoln, renters would be eligible for a refundable income tax credit of 5% of their lease expenses during the taxable year.

The annual cost, if fully claimed, was estimated at $153 million, according to a fiscal note based on Census data showing about 260,000 occupied units within the state paying a median monthly rent of $983.

Bostar told the committee he suspected perhaps only 10% of renters would take advantage of the credit at first.

He said the idea stems in part from the belief that landlords who may see a property tax drop as a result of the ongoing special legislative session wont necessarily pass the savings on to their tenants.

In the short term, I dont expect rents to go down, Bostar said.

Meanwhile, renters likely would be impacted negatively from the rise in certain sales and other taxes proposed as revenue generators under Gov. Jim Pillens property tax relief plan.

State Sen. George Dungan of Lincoln said he sees Bostars proposal as trying to offset some of that imbalance.

Erin Feichtinger, policy director of the Womens Fund of Omaha, who spoke in favor of the Bostar proposal, said the state is in crisis when it comes to renter evictions and availability of housing thats affordable.

Eviction notice

She said the average number of statewide eviction filings have gone up from 6,286 between 2016 and 2019 to 10,898 in 2023 due to rising rent and lack of affordable housing.

With an apartment vacancy rate well below the healthy threshold, Feichtinger said she doesnt foresee landlords lowering rent on their own for the 33% of Nebraska households who rent.

Landlords are not competing for tenants, tenants are competing for landlords, she said.

Feichtinger said advocacy agencies can launch outreach efforts to help ensure that renters can take advantage of the potential tax credit.

Carter Thiele, policy and research coordinator with the Lincoln Independent Business Association, said renters often are overlooked during tax policy discussions, and the bill promotes economic fairness.

In addition, Thiele said, financial relief to renters would stimulate economic activity and support local business.

In response to a questions by State Sen. Kathleen Kauth of Omaha, Bostar said his proposal would apply only to a renters primary residence.

The Revenue Committee took no action Monday on the measure.

State Sen. Terrell McKinney of North Omaha, also has proposed a renter-focused proposal. Legislative Bill 20 calls for a refundable credit against income tax to renters of 4% of total annual rent, or $200, whichever is greater, not to exceed $1,000.

A public hearing on McKinneys LB 20 is scheduled for Tuesday morning before the Revenue Committee.

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Representatives of the Maine House gather for session on April 11, 2024. (Emma Davis/Maine Morning Star)

This past session, legislators passed a shield law to protect healthcare providers from other states bans on reproductive and gender-affirming care. The bill was one of the most hotly debated of the session  not only due to its subject matter but also over how it was introduced.

Some of the incorrect claims about what the bill would do can be traced back to another proposal that was voted down at the start of the year after its supporters ultimately deemed the bill overly complex.

One month later, Rep. Anne Perry (D-Calais) submitted the text for the bill that did eventually become law, amending what is known as a concept draft.

Concept drafts are placeholder bills lawmakers file in order to secure a spot for an eventually fully fleshed out proposal while still meeting the deadline for submitting bills. Perrys concept draft only stated that the bill would enact provisions of law regarding health care in the state. The actual bill text was made public less than a week before the bills hearing.

It was such a conundrum of confusion, Perry said. I certainly understood the publics frustration.

While lawmakers and the public criticized the lack of publicly-available text, this critique was far from exclusive to Perrys legislation and has been growing over the years. Transparency concerns about placeholder bills in committee rooms and on the chamber floors this past session abounded. The use of these bills has been growing, too, with Maine Public previously reporting that they made up more than a quarter of legislation introduced during the first year of the 131st Legislature.

The Legislatures Rules Committee met earlier this month to consider proposed rule changes from Perry and over a dozen other lawmakers regarding concept drafts and other procedures, marking the first meeting of the committee since 2018 despite a requirement to meet each year.

The suggestions range from eliminating concept drafts altogether, requiring that bill text added to concept drafts be made publicly available well before the bill is heard, restructuring the legislative calendar, as well as hiring more staff for the nonpartisan offices that assist with research and bill writing, among others.

While the committee has yet to schedule its next meeting to decide which changes to suggest, an actual rule change will require the support of two-thirds of the new Legislature, which will be sworn in in December, to take effect for the next session.

The current structure

Maine is a citizen legislature, meaning its intended to be made up of elected officials who also juggle other jobs, rather than professional politicians. Among the countrys citizen legislatures, Maines ratio of legislative staff to the number of bills submitted is also among the lowest, a workload Rep. Holly T. Sargent (D-York) pointed to during the committee meeting.

We sort of stand almost alone in trying to eat the elephant the way we do, said Sargent, explaining why a number of the proposals being considered by the Rules Committees would make a difference.

Concerns about the volume of bills considered by Maines part-time Legislature date back decades. In 1995, then-Speaker of the Maine House Dan Gwadosky noted as much in a letter urging the Legislature to consider concept drafts as a solution to what he viewed as an insufficient bill drafting process.

Originally, it was presented as a means to expedite things, said Suzanne Gresser, executive director of the Maine Legislature. The theory was rather than spending time drafting everything that may not go anywhere, draft sort of skeleton bills, let the committees decide what they actually want to pursue and then spend scarce resources on the things that are actually moving forward.

For example, this is a regular practice for the state budget and changes to uniform law, which are typically very lengthy and take time to form.

During the past several sessions, concept drafts that garnered the most criticism were those with vague titles and initial text that do not give the public an indication of what the bill will be about.

I wouldnt say that the original purpose has been abandoned, Gresser said. I think that there are additional uses that perhaps were not initially contemplated.

The idea of concept drafting appears to have been first brought to the Maine Legislatures attention in a study of legislative structure and operations in the early 1990s, according to meeting minutes from the Legislative Council in 1995, while actual concept drafts first appeared in the legislative record in 1997, during the 118th Legislature.

During that session, the joint rules were amended, with a sunset provision, to allow concept drafts and then incorporated without a time limit during the following 119th Legislature. This rule change allowed a bill sponsor to direct the Office of the Revisor of Statutes to prepare a bill or resolve as a concept draft, defined as containing only a summary of the proposed legislation.

Since then, legislators say theyve seen a proliferation in the use of concept drafts.

When now-Rep. Michael Brennan (D-Portland) first served in the Legislature from 1992 to 2000, he said to his best recollection he never saw concept drafts. When he was elected again in the early 2000s, Brennan said he rarely saw concept drafts. But when he returned to the Legislature in 2018, it was an entirely different story.

All of the sudden everybodys got concept drafts, Brennan said.

Sen. Rick Bennett (R-Oxford) had a similar recollection. When he returned to the Legislature in 2020 after previously serving in the early 2000s, concept drafts had become a regular practice.

Theres a sort of sense of, Oh, they exist so we cant get rid of them, Bennett said. Well, we can change the rules. We can upend the rules however we want.

Proposed rule changes

Bennetts proposals are more on the extreme end of those being considered by the Rules Committee, which he sits on. Bennett is advocating for eliminating concept drafts, except for the budget document, as well as eliminating cloture for legislators in the first regular session, which is the deadline for submitting requests for legislation to the revisor of statutes. The process of cloture had been established in the legislative rules at least a decade before the authority to use concept drafts.

Cloture exists in order to put limits around the number of bills that are introduced and to make sure that staff has time to develop the ideas that are put forward, Bennett said, but because it exists, it actually has this unintended consequence of, I think, in increasing the number of bills that the Legislature deals with instead of decreasing them.

When concept drafts are added to that mix, Bennett added, lawmakers are almost encouraged to put in vague bills because by cloture they likely havent had a chance to work together and hear from agencies and constituents about problems and priorities.

The essence of my proposals is the idea that we really need to take a look at the legislative calendar, Bennett said, adding that he would also like to see the first month or so of session be dedicated to legislative oversight of the executive branch  where committees can meet to hear about the functioning of agencies and public concerns to then guide proposals.

Other rule changes being considered by the committee would still allow concept drafts but limit how and when lawmakers can use them.

While Perry said she doesnt necessarily disagree with Bennetts plan to get rid of concept drafts altogether, shes skeptical the Legislature would make such a drastic change. Instead, Perrys proposal would include requirements to ensure the text added to a concept draft is available before a public hearing  to make sure what happened with her bill last session doesnt happen again, she said.

Under Perrys plan, committee chairs would determine if the information contained in the concept draft summary is sufficient to inform the public of the specifics of the proposal. The chairs can then only hold a bill hearing, which in theory is scheduled with two weeks notice, if the hearing notice includes the information about the proposal.

This is at least a place to start, Perry said.

An ad hoc group of eight members of the House Democratic caucus also came together to advocate for reforming the process around concept drafts, specifically requiring that bill language be submitted at least one week before the public hearing and posted online.

During the most recent legislative session, concept drafts served as the vehicle for bills on a host of topics. Some, like Perrys, received pushback because of how they were introduced, such as a late in the session mining rule change.

However, the use of placeholder bills did not stir controversy for others, such as when Brennan, who chairs the Education and Cultural Affairs Committee, used such a bill as the vehicle for the Department of Educations plan to restructure responsibilities of preschool special education.

Brennan, one of the lawmakers in the ad hoc group, said the idea of having available vehicles to use for committee priorities should not be done away with.

I think that was a good use of a placeholder bill and saved the committee a lot of time, Brennan said.

However, Brennan and the ad hoc group agree there needs to be clearer rules on how theyre deployed and recommend that, while allowed, they should be used sparingly.

Another lawmaker in the ad hoc group, Rep. Marc Malon, said he was frustrated by the use of a concept draft for a proposed change to cannabis law this past session. A 66-page amendment with sweeping regulatory changes replaced the blank concept draft less than a week before the public hearing.

The short turnaround really puts people at a disadvantage in trying to sift through a complex piece of legislation and determine whether or not they want to take a position on it, Malon said, adding that none of this is to attack any particular legislator.

People were all operating under the same rules and within the parameters of those rules, and thats legitimate, but I dont think its an ideal way to conduct business, Malon explained.

Other concept draft changes lawmakers floated to the Rules Committee included a suggestion from Sen. Craig Hickman (D-Kennebec) to allow only committee chairs to submit them. Rep. Cheryl Golek (D-Harpswell) suggested not allowing concept drafts to receive a bill number until a week after they are amended with text.

Golek also urged the committee to find ways to ensure lawmakers have a more consistent schedule, in order to make workflow more manageable for lawmakers who often have other jobs as well as to make running for office more accessible.

Inconsistent scheduling has also been a concern for transparency. Rep. Jan Dodge (D-Belfast) specifically called for banning votes on bills between 10:30 p.m. and 7:30 a.m. I believe this is crucial for transparency for not only the public but fellow legislators, and especially relevant to the Appropriations and Financial Affairs Committee, Dodge said.

This past session, the Appropriations Committee cast several late night budget votes that drew sharp criticism from lawmakers and the public alike.

Lawmakers are also looking at rule changes to ensure consistency in operations across committees as well as limit the sheer number of proposals each session, such as by combining similar pieces of legislation and restricting the number of bills each legislator can submit.

Beyond rules, a push for more nonpartisan staff

The Rules Committee only has purview over one aspect of legislative governance  the joint rules  but the Legislature must also follow separate House and Senate rules, the prerogative of presiding officers as well as the state Constitution.

While outside the scope of what can be changed via the joint rules, lawmakers coalesced behind an interest in bolstering the Legislatures nonpartisan offices, whose staff provide legal research, assist with bill drafting and prepare fiscal notes, among other essential legislative functions.

Before serving in the Legislature, Malon previously worked as the legislative liaison for the Maine Attorney Generals Office and as a legislative aide for the Maine Speaker of the House and the Maine Senate Democratic Office.

Because I was a staffer, I wasnt a non-partisan staffer, but because I was a staffer Im always thinking about the impact some of these things have on staff and mindful of what these workers experiences are, Malon said.

The ad hoc group Malon is a part of called for increasing staffing levels and budgets for the nonpartisan offices, specifically noting in their letter to the Rules Committee that theyve witnessed burnout among the offices staff and, as they see it, a resulting decrease in the efficiency of the Legislature as a whole.

This past session, Brennan, the Education Committee chair, said committees may have acted and got all their bills out of committee, but then you had this logjam in the revisors office where theyre drafting amendments, rewriting bills. More staff would make a huge difference, in Brennans view.

Members of the public who weighed in during the Rules Committee meeting also highlighted the work of these offices.

Patrick Woodcock, president and CEO of Maine State Chamber of Commerce, thinks the solutions to many of the Legislatures problems actually reside in examples of when processes works well, pointing to the extensive deliberations of proposed privacy legislation during 12 public meetings this past session, which lawmakers said would not have been possible without the work of the analysts from the Office of Policy and Legal Analysis.

I think its a hallmark of a template of the public process, Woodcock said.

Whichever suggestions the Rules Committee settles on will ultimately need support from those elected in November to take effect. Every seat in the Maine Legislature is up for grabs in the upcoming election.

At the moment, current legislators from both sides of the aisle have said theyre encouraged by the growing consensus in the need for procedural changes.

Knowing that many members of the Rules Committee will be termed out by next session, John Kosinski, government relations director for the Maine Education Association, implored them not to lose the opportunity to institute needed change.

They are certainly your rules  they are legislative rules, Kosinski said. There is no question about that, but they guide the way the public can interact with your work, can engage with your work and thats whats most alarming.

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GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. (WOOD)  The Michigan Department of Agriculture and Rural Development has confirmed a bird flu outbreak within a dairy herd in Van Buren County.

It is the 27th outbreak among Michigan dairy herds since the first one was found in late March and the first one in Van Buren County.

It is, however, just the third outbreak since the end of May, the same month that MDARD ratcheted up restrictions and implemented mandatory practices to try to cut down on spread.

The bird flu epidemic started in earnest in 2022 and has impacted farms across the country. In the last two years, more than 100 million poultry have been culled because of infections. It returned to Michigan in earnest in March, with the first infection registered among a dairy herd in Montcalm County. Since then, another 24 dairy herds have confirmed outbreaks, and another eight poultry flocks.

Bird flu outbreak is slowing, but MDARD isnt declaring victory yet

Highly pathogenic avian influenza is quite deadly in birds, but the survival rate is high among cattle. Though it is rare, humans can also catch the virus.

Since the 2022 outbreak started, 14 human cases have been reported in the U.S., including two in Michigan. Most human cases are fairly mild, however, a person from Mexico died earlier this year from a bird flu infection.

MDARD issued the HPAI Risk Reduction Response Order on May 1, outlining specific measures that poultry and dairy farmers should take to try to prevent spreading the virus. It includes strict protocols for disinfecting vehicles and equipment and shutting down animal showcases until the spread is under control.

We know that transmission of this virus is possible not just from cow to cow, but through people, vehicle and equipment movement, as well. The decreasing number of positive detections can be attributed in large part to the combined and coordinated federal interstate movement restrictions and state level biosecurity requirements, MDARD Director Tim Boring said.

Copyright 2024 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.

For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to WOODTV.com.
BIRMINGHAM, Ala. (WIAT)  Birmingham Mayor Randall Woodfin is hosting a two-part press conference at 11 a.m. on the second floor of City Hall Tuesday.

During the first part, Woodfin will announce a special exhibit that will be featured in City Hall. In the second part, he will address recent issues affecting the 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 CBS 42.
Public anger over suspicions that the government committed fraud in Sundays presidential election has spread across Venezuela. Statues of Hugo Chavez, the founder of the left-wing populist movement known as Chavismo, were knocked down with sledgehammers in three cities. Protesters decapitated one of the statues and dragged the bronze head through the streets on a chain tied to a motorcycle, evoking what the Greek mythological hero Achilles did with the corpse of the Trojan prince Hector in Troy. People applauded as they passed.

The country is going through a difficult moment. The opposition has made public its own vote count based on the paper tallies from voting stations that they have received, and which award victory to the main opposition candidate Edmundo Gonzalez Urrutia by a very wide difference over President Nicolas Maduro: 6.2 million votes against 2.7 million. Gonzalez Urrutias campaign, backed by opposition leader Maria Corina Machado, uploaded all these documents to a website to make them publicly available. These voting records appear to contradict the official story that the Venezuelan president won the presidential election with a million votes in his favor.

Nicolas Maduro and the president of the CNE election authority, Elvis Amoroso, this Monday. Ronald Pena R (EFE)

The international community openly distrusts the figures presented by Chavismo. First, because the government has not released the specific data recorded at each voting station. And second, because it has not demonstrated that the delay in the announcement of the vote count was really due to a hacker attack from North Macedonia, as denounced by the attorney general. Countries concerned about the Venezuelan situation  from the United States to the European Union or Latin American giants such as Brazil, Colombia and Mexico  demand that the Maduro government carry out a transparent recount, with the help of independent auditors, to clear up all doubts.

Maria Corina Machado and Edmundo Gonzalez after their news conference. Maxwell Briceno (Reuters)

There is a lot at stake. Chavismo should be the first to benefit from transparency about the election, because it needs a victory that will be internationally recognized, opening the doors of the markets and multilateral organizations once again. Chavista leaders never say it out loud, but their nations pariah status on the world stage irks them. Its a similar story with foreign newspapers, which Venezuelan officials are constantly attacking and denigrating, but whose articles on Venezuela they nevertheless read very carefully. This election was an opportunity to break out of the isolation that Venezuela has lived in for years, whether with the current president or with a new one who could normalize the political life of the country. In fact, these were the main reasons for setting a date and holding these elections, agreed on after more than a year of three-way negotiations between the opposition, the government and the White House.

Anger over the result has brought people out onto the streets. Crowds of young people surrounded Miraflores Palace, the presidential residence, in Caracas on Monday night. The city was taken over by Chavista security forces. The protests began on the balconies of houses, where people came out to shout fraud and brandish pots and pans. Later, they moved to the avenues, which were blocked by youths on motorbikes waving Venezuelan flags. They set up bonfires in the middle of the roads and threw photos and election propaganda of Maduro into the flames.

Motorcyclists protest against the official election results, this Monday in Caracas. Marina Calderon

As the hours went by, the situation became more tense and led to clashes with the police. Foro Penal, a Venezuelan human rights organization, said 46 demonstrators have been arrested. The deaths of at least two people have been confirmed, and several more have been reported on social media, although these have not been verified. Provea, a non-profit group, claims that relatives of 25 students have reported the latters disappearance after they protested in front of the Experimental Security University, which trains police and security forces, claiming they were forced by the director to vote for Maduro. The organization details the names and surnames of some of the students. The colectivos, pro-Chavista street groups that are experts at confrontation, also clashed with the demonstrators, in some cases firing real bullets.

Maduro has assured that they have identified the individuals who toppled over statues of Chavez, who made him his successor shortly before dying of colon cancer in 2013. The president has embraced the narrative that the opposition, as contradictory as it may seem at first glance, wanted to stage a coup at the polls and establish a fascist government. We declare ourselves in permanent vigil and action to end the coup against Venezuela, he said. The role of the military is also being scrutinized at this time. Many wondered if the armed forces would endorse a potential fraud by Chavismo. For now, the military leadership has shown loyalty in the words of the Minister of Defense, Vladimir Padrino Lopez, who assured that they will guarantee peace in Venezuela and that they will not allow the peace to be disturbed after the demonstration of civility that took place on Sunday. I call for reflection once again. We dont want unsuspecting people out there to start playing the role of useful fools to disturb the peace of this country, he said in a video.

A Bolivarian National Police module on fire, on the Prados del Este highway in Caracas, on the night of July 29. Henry Chirinos (EFE)

The next few days will be vital. Part of the international community was convinced that Chavismo would finally be able to accept defeat and go into the opposition, and from there rebuild itself as a movement after the wear and tear it has suffered in recent years due to the brutal economic crisis it has had to manage and the continuous violations of human rights it is accused of having committed. Now, asking for an audit of voting records is a way of insisting on the idea of the need for a process of change in a country that is currently governed in an authoritarian manner. For now, it does not look like there is an express desire on the part of Chavismo to bring transparency to the vote count. The rest of the world will continue to push for it.

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The National Association of Black Journalists (NABJ) declined a request by Vice President Kamala Harris campaign to appear at this years convention, a source familiar with the plans told The Daily Beast.

The news, first reported by theGrio, came hours after Karen Attiah, a co-chair of this years NABJ convention, stepped down after the organization announced Donald Trump would appear for a moderated conversation at the Chicago event.

The Trump conversation, focused on the most pressing issues facing the Black community, with ABC News reporter Rachel Scott, Fox News anchor Harris Faulkner, and Semafor reporter Kadia Goba, has caused significant outrage among NABJ members.

Harris could not speak in person at the convention due to logistical reasons, including the funeral of Rep. Sheila Jackson Lee (D-TX) and finalizing a vice presidential nominee, the source said. She offered to appear for a virtual fireside chat during the convention or an in-person conversation at a later date, but the conventions organizers declined. NABJ did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

Attiah, a Washington Post columnist, said her choice to step down was influenced by a variety of factors, though she did not directly attribute it to the groups decision to host the former president. She said she was not consulted about the move to platform Trump.

J.D. Vance Says Racism Definitely Helped Trump Win in Resurfaced Clip

To the journalists interviewing Trump, I wish them the best of luck, she wrote in an X post. Attiah did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

NABJ President Ken Lemon and convention co-chair Tia Mitchell have defended the decision in social media posts, saying it conformed to a tradition of inviting presidential candidates during an election year and it was an opportunity for Trump to face questions from top Black journalists.

Some of yall need to take a step back and ask why youre questioning why a group of JOURNALISTS wants to ask former and possibly future President Trump questions, Mitchell, a Washington correspondent for the Atlanta Journal-Constitution, wrote on X. Do you hear yourselves?

Roland Martin attends 2024 Urban One Honors: Best In Black presented by TV One at Coca-Cola Roxy on January 20, 2024 in Atlanta, Georgia. Prince Williams/WireImage

Still, a number of Black journalists aired their grievances about the programming move on X, noting Trumps penchant for racist comments and attacking Black journalists.

Roland Martin, host of #RolandMartinUnfiltered and founder of BlackStarNetwork, told the Daily Beast that he has been a NABJ member for 35 years.

I was incensed, he said. The reality is you can make an argument why you invite both nominees. I believe he fits in a different category because of his past attacks on journalists, his attacks on the Fourth Estate, but also his very specific attacks on NABJ Black female members.

Martin raised additional concerns that the panel set to interview the former president did not include Black men or members of Black-owned media.

Chicago has a deep, rich history of the Black press, he said. Chuck Stone, who was the editor of The Defender, is a founder of NABJ.  You have this rich history, and we have a panel, and not a single person from the Black press is on this panel. I have relayed those issues to NABJ leadership.

Martin also told the Daily Beast that he heard from both the NABJ and the Biden campaign about a month ago that President Biden would deliver a fireside chat at the convention. The source familiar with Harris plans confirmed that Biden had arranged to attend before dropping out of the race.

Martin added that he had been in touch with both White House staff and Harris campaign staff and, as of 1:30 on Tuesday afternoon, a final decision about whether or not Harris would appear had not yet been made.

April Ryan attends the 2022 White House Correspondents' Association Dinner at Washington Hilton on April 30, 2022 in Washington, DC. Paul Morigi/Getty Images

April Ryan, a White House reporter for theGrio and a 2017 NABJ Journalist of the Year, condemned NABJs platforming by citing the attacks she faced from Trump directly.

The reports of attacks on Black women White House correspondents by the then president of the United States are not myth or conjecture, but fact, she wrote on X. To have a presumed orchestrated session with the former president is an affront to what this organization stands for and a slap in the face to the Black women journalists (NABJ journalists of the year) who had to protect themselves from the wrath of this Republican presidential nominee who is promoting an authoritarian agenda that plans to destroy this nation and her democracy with his Project 2025.

Donnell Suggs, the editor of the Black-owned Atlanta Voice newspaper, told The Daily Beast that the decision to platform Trump was ridiculous, and he questioned why the convention was choosing to give the loudest person in the room a microphone.

He is someone that has pointed out Black reporters that come to the White House, that particularly are female, and said to them that they are nasty, or that was a racist question, or youve got a stupid question, Suggs said.

Suggs also claimed that Harris record-breaking fundraising numbers and Zoom-shattering voter engagement calls with Black Americans frightened Trumps team into accepting NABJs invitation.

He didn't find time in 2016, ironically, Suggs said. But now that you think you need to combat this Black tidal wave thats going to be supporting Kamala Harris, you accept an invite to speak at the Black journalist convention.

Journalist Jemele Hill attends her book release party at 1010 Wine and Events on October 21, 2022 in Inglewood, California. Robin L Marshall/Getty Images

Suggs wasnt the only journalist who questioned the timing of the former presidents press conference. Many reporters dont touch down in the Windy City until Wednesday evening for the conventions official kickoff party, meaning the majority of attendees are unlikely to make the speech unless they change their flight details.

Im disappointed that in a space where so many queer and trans members still feel vulnerable will now feel even more unsafe due to Trump being invited and the possibility of his most vicious followers coming to the hotel to support him, Femi Redwood, the chair of NABJs LGBTQ+ task force, wrote on X.

Jemele Hill, a contributing writer at The Atlantic, said she didnt have a problem with the decision to host Trump under the right circumstances, but she said she wasnt aware how right this years conditions were.

A sham of an interview will destroy the organizations credibility, she wrote on X. If the majority of NABJs membership is against Trump being there, the organization should listen. You have to answer to your membership and you run the risk of permanently disengaging folks. Trump isnt worth that.

Trump campaign spokesperson Janiyah Thomas said the campaign is attending this year because it is important to give Black journalists more access to nominees so that they can better reach Black voters.

Tomorrows event once again proves that, unlike Kamala Harris, President Trump is willing to meet people where they are to earn their trust and support, Thomas said.

Harris did not appear at NABJs convention when she was a presidential candidate in 2019, though she did appear virtually as vice president two years later, according to ABC. Other politicians have previously spoken at the NABJ convention in-person, including former presidents Bill Clinton, George W. Bush, and Barack Obama.

Read more at The Daily Beast.

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Missouri man is free from prison after a judge overturned his 1991 conviction, despite AG's efforts

Christopher Dunn stands free after his murder conviction was overturned after 34 years behind bars, on the steps of a courthouse in downtown St. Louis, Tuesday, July 30, 2024. (Laurie Skrivan/St. Louis Post-Dispatch via AP)

ST. LOUIS (AP)  A Missouri man was freed from prison Tuesday after his murder conviction was overturned after 34 years behind bars, despite the state attorney generals efforts to keep him there.

I never gave up because my family never gave up, Christopher Dunn said from the steps of the downtown St. Louis courthouse. Its easy to give up in prison when you lose hope. But when the system throws you away, you have to ask yourself if you wanted to just settle for it or fight for it.

Dunn, 52, reunited with his wife, Kira Dunn, as he was officially released from the St. Louis city jail Tuesday night. As his release drew imminent, he was driven by van from the state prison in Licking, Missouri, to St. Louis, about 140 miles (225 kilometers) away.

A St. Louis circuit judge overturned Dunns murder conviction on July 22 and ordered his immediate release. But Dunn remained imprisoned amid a chaotic process that began when Missouri Attorney General Andrew Bailey appealed to try and keep Dunn locked up.

When asked about the delay since the judges ruling, Dunn said, It was testing. To hear the decision by the judge and then be prepared to leave on Wednesday, only to be brought back to prison. It was torture.

Dunns release marks the second time in recent weeks that a person was freed from prison despite Baileys appeals to keep them in custody after a murder conviction was overturned.

Sandra Hemme was freed July 19 from a western Missouri prison after serving 43 years for a murder that a judge deemed there was evidence of her actual innocence. Baileys office also opposed Hemmes release while an appellate court reviewed the case. She walked out of the prison only after a judge threatened Bailey with contempt if she wasnt freed.

Political scientists and some attorneys have said Bailey was taking the tough stance to shore up votes in advance of a contested Republican primary. He faces a challenge from Will Scharf, an attorney for former President Donald Trump, in the Aug. 6 primary.

At one point last week, Dunn was minutes away from getting out of prison after the circuit judge, Jason Sengheiser, threatened a warden with contempt if he wasnt released. But then the Missouri Supreme Court agreed to consider the case, temporarily halting his freedom.

Then on Tuesday, the states highest court issued a ruling stating that the St. Louis circuit attorney needed to confirm it had no plans to retry Dunn before he could be freed. Circuit Attorney Gabe Gore immediately filed a memorandum stating he would not seek a new trial, setting in motion the process toward Dunns freedom.

A statement from the Midwest Innocence Project said Dunn is coming home.

We are thrilled that Chris will finally be reunited with his family after 34 years behind bars for a crime he did not commit, the statement read. We look forward to supporting Chris as he rebuilds his life.

Earlier Tuesday, leaders of the Missouri NAACP and other organizations said that politics and racism were behind Baileys effort to keep Dunn behind bars. State NAACP President Nimrod Chapel Jr. said at a news conference that Bailey superseded his jurisdiction and authority in appealing Sengheisers ruling.

Whats happening now is another form of lynching, said another speaker, Zaki Baruti of the Universal African Peoples Organization.

Baileys office, in an earlier statement, said the effort to keep Dunn in prison was warranted.

Throughout the appeals process, multiple courts have affirmed Christopher Dunns murder conviction, the statement read. We will always fight for the rule of law and to obtain justice for victims.

Dunn was convicted of first-degree murder in the 1990 shooting of 15-year-old Ricco Rogers. St. Louis Circuit Attorney Gabe Gore filed a motion in February seeking to vacate the guilty verdict. A hearing was in May.

Sengheiser wrote in his ruling that Gore made a clear and convincing showing of actual innocence that undermines the basis for Dunns convictions because in light of new evidence, no juror, acting reasonably, would have voted to find Dunn guilty of these crimes beyond a reasonable doubt.

The Missouri Attorney Generals Office opposed the effort to vacate Dunns conviction. Lawyers for the state said at the May hearing that initial testimony from two boys at the scene who identified Dunn as the shooter was correct, even though they later recanted as adults.

Rogers was shot May 18, 1990, when a gunman opened fire while he was with a group of other teenage boys outside a home. DeMorris Stepp, 14, and Michael Davis Jr., 12, both initially identified Dunn as the shooter.

In a recorded interview played at the hearing, Davis said he lied because he thought Dunn was affiliated with a rival gang.

Stepps story has changed a few times over the years, Gore said at the hearing. Most recently he has said he did not see Dunn as the shooter. Gore said another judge previously found Stepp to be a completely unreliable witness and urged Sengheiser to discount him altogether.

Dunn has said he was at his mothers home at the time of the shooting. Childhood friend Nicole Bailey testified that she spoke with him by phone that night and he was on a phone at his mothers house.

Tristin Estep, the assistant attorney general, said that alibi could not be trusted and that Dunns story has shifted multiple times over the years. Dunn did not testify at the hearing.

A Missouri law adopted in 2021 lets prosecutors request hearings when they see evidence of a wrongful conviction. While Baileys office is not required to oppose such efforts, he also opposed another effort in St. Louis that resulted in Lamar Johnson being freed last year after serving 28 years for a murder case in which a judge ruled he was wrongfully convicted.

The 2021 law has resulted in the release of two men who each spent decades in prison. In addition to Johnson, Kevin Strickland was freed in 2021 after more than 40 years for three killings in Kansas City after a judge ruled he was wrongfully convicted in 1979.

Another hearing is approaching for Marcellus Williams, who narrowly escaped lethal injection and is now facing another execution date.

St. Louis Countys prosecutor believes DNA evidence shows that Williams didnt commit the crime that landed him on death row. DNA of someone else  but not Williams  was found on the knife used in the 1998 killing, experts said.

A hearing on Williams innocence claim begins Aug. 21. His execution is scheduled for Sept. 24.

Baileys office is opposing the challenge to Williams conviction, too.
Disabled voters for Harris. White dudes for Harris. Crazy cat ladies for Harris.

Since Vice President Kamala Harris vaulted into becoming the likely Democratic nominee for president a week ago, a groundswell of identity-based grassroots groups have sprung up online to rally behind her. The nightly calls are raising millions of dollars and securing hundreds of volunteers, drawing comparisons to the grassroots efforts that fueled former President Obama to victory in 2008.

But in 2024, in an era when identity shapes so much of politics, the rise of the first Black woman and first Asian American to be nominated for president by a major party is drawing more identity groups out of the woodwork.

"This is unprecedented diversity in the political pool," said Pei-Te Lien, a professor in UC Santa Barbara's Politics of Identity program. "That's another reason why 'identity group' comes up, because we also see identity being recognized and used as leverage in the campaigns, in an unprecedented level."

Within hours after President Biden announced he would not seek reelection and endorsed Harris as his replacement nominee, more than 44,000 Black women and allies from across the country gathered online, raising over $1.5 million, according to organizers. The template for that event, organized by Win With Black Women, was repeated the next day by Win With Black Men, which organizers said brought 45,000 Black men and raised $1.3 million.

Read more: Tim Ryan lost a Senate seat to J.D. Vance, but learned this: Vance really is 'weird'

"It's organic," said Los Angeles City Councilmember Nithya Raman, who attended a Zoom call for South Asians supporting Harris last week. "I think people are clear-eyed about what this moment means. I think they just feel a sense of hope that we actually could defeat Trump, and we could do it with a candidate that reflects the America that all these immigrants live in."

With fewer than 100 days to the election and a new candidate leading the Democratic Party, the flood of groups  including Latino Men for Harris, Caribbean-Americans for Harris, Dads for Kamala and Native Women + Two Spirit for Harris  are motivated by a "sense of crisis," Lien said.

"They feel like we are not in the mainstream  we are not able to have too much influence," she said. "But we feel like we need to do our share to be able to help change the course. To prevent, basically, the coming apocalypse or whatever."

Former President Trump has pointedly courted Black and Latino voters this year, and has been drawing greater support from minority groups than he did in his previous two campaigns. But fewer identity-based groups are organized for Republicans.

When white women took to Zoom last week to support the Democrat, a technical glitch forced the livestream to abruptly end just a few minutes after it began. Later, organizers found out why in a message from Zoom: You are officially hosting the Zoom webinar with the most registrants in our history!

Kamala Harris broke Zoom! one of the hosts exclaimed.

Some of the white women who had logged on said the idea of supporting Kamala Harris as an identity group was necessary and empowering. But it was also uncomfortable.

I have to admit: When I was writing stuff down, I was like, 'Karens for Kamala'? said Connie Britton, the actor who played Tami Taylor on "Friday Night Lights." Why is it so difficult for us to acknowledge and address ourselves as white women?

The "White Dudes for Harris" call Monday, which 193,000 people attended, shared similar self-consciousness.

What a variety of whiteness," actor Bradley Whitford quipped. Its like a rainbow of beige.

Ross Morales Rocketto, the groups lead organizer, said a lot of people expressed discomfort about the concept of White Dudes for Harris. He understood their qualms: Throughout American history, when white men have organized, it was often with pointy hats on."

The reason we are doing this is because the left has been ceding white men to the MAGA right for way, way too long, Rocketto said, noting that Trump had won more than 60% of white men in 2016 and 2020. Thats going to stop tonight. We know that the silent majority of white men arent actually MAGA supporters.

But other attendees, such as Jeff Bridges  who played the Dude in the "The Big Lebowski"  wore their White Dudes for Harris hats with pride.

"A friend sent me this email today with your hat on there, and I said, 'Oh, I gotta have one of those. I qualify ... I'm white, I'm a dude, and I'm for Harris,'" Bridges said.

The group drew negative attention and mockery from conservatives.

They should give it a more fitting name, Donald Trump Jr. wrote on X. Like Cucks for Kamala.

Read more: Robert F. Kennedy Jr. struggles for relevance as presidential campaign is remade

Before Shannon Watts, the activist and founder of gun control group Moms Demand Action, organized the white women's meeting, she called Jotaka Eaddy, organizer of the Black women's Zoom, seeking her counsel.

She told me that white women did need to come together as a community to do the work, Watts said. "Because our work is very different."

In addition to recognizing their privilege, railing against white supremacy and patriarchy, navigating the toxicity of online politics and offering practical pointers on campaigning, the more than 164,000 women who gathered online raised $2 million in 90 minutes. The white men's call raised $4.2 million.

"Many white people don't want to be identified with that white guy," said Lien, the UCSB professor. "Identity matters only because they don't want to be lumped together in the same camp as ... white supremacists."

Christopher Parker, a professor of political science at UC Santa Barbara, pointed to the 2016 election, when former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton  then the first woman to lead the Democratic ticket  lost to Trump. By 2020, he said, Democrats had coalesced behind Biden, but "were more voting against Trump than for Biden."

Harris enjoys a double advantage, according to Parker: voters enthused by her as a candidate and voters who are anti-Trump.

"People got it right in 2020 that it was about an existential threat that Trump posed," he said. "You have that here, but you also have this excitement over her candidacy and what she represents symbolically, and what she can do when it comes to policy."

The Harris campaign has mostly hung back from directly engaging with the various group calls, except when Second Gentleman Doug Emhoff surprised a Black gay and queer men's group by joining a call last week.

On Tuesday, Harris announced she would be headlining a "National Organizing Call"  open to all identities.

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This story originally appeared in Los Angeles Times.
County Commission District 7: Choose Bobby Powell Jr.

Sen.-elect Mack Bernard is stepping away from the Palm Beach County Commission due to term limits and an uncontested run for the Florida Senate. Two prominent Democrats, running in the Aug. 20 primary, would like to replace him as the next county commissioner representing the seat for the predominantly Black District 7.

The Palm Beach Post recommends voters in that district choose Bobby Powell Jr. His experience in the Florida Legislature gives him a big edge in helping the county deal with state lawmakers and government agencies. His professional background as an urban planner is also a plus for a county dealing with housing and rent issues.

Florida state Sen. Bobby Powell Jr.

District 7 stretches from Riviera Beach and West Palm Beach southward, and includes parts of Palm Beach, Lantana, Lake Worth, Boynton Beach and Delray Beach. The winner of next month's Democratic primary will face Republican Leonard L. Serratore in the November general election.

As a state senator, Powell, 42, currently represents West Palm Beach and portions of northeast and central areas of the county. Before that, he served in the Florida House for eight years. If elected to the commission, he would make housing affordability a top priority. He would work collaboratively with other commissioners, county staff, local developers and other stakeholders to create resources tailored to new housing initiatives in the county.

Richard A. Ryles, 61, is also seeking the commission seat. A longtime attorney and community activist, volunteering in literacy programs and fighting for better contracting opportunities for Black attorneys. He also has served as president of the West Palm Beach Housing Authority and won election to the West Palm Beach city commission.

District 7 voters are fortunate to have two capable candidates on the ballot who are dedicated to the community but they should choose Powell. He's the better fit to help the district and the county as a whole in dealing with housing affordability, employment and other ongoing issues of growth that have hampered the county's development.

This article originally appeared on Palm Beach Post: Bobby Powell Jr., the clear choice for county commission.
DAYTON, Ohio  The Air Force and Boeing identified a new KC-46 deficiency this spring thats causing damage to the tankers air system ducts  adding to the aircrafts running list of unresolved, high-risk design flaws.

The latest deficiency, designated a Category 1 issue based on the degree of risk and operational restrictions it imposes on the aircraft or its operator, involves a faulty fuel pump. Boeing, the company building the tanker, noticed this spring that vibrations from a KC-46 fuel pump were damaging air ducts in its bleed air system.

Kevin Stamey, the Air Forces program executive officer for mobility and training aircraft, told reporters Tuesday Boeing has worked quickly to repair damaged ducts and the program is currently testing a workaround for the issue. A longer-term design fix is likely, he added, noting that the deficiency may soon be downgraded to a lower category because of these measures.

We potentially have a path to downgrade that as we work toward a permanent fix, he said during a media briefing at the Air Forces Life Cycle Industry Day conference in Dayton, Ohio. The mitigation is designed to minimize the damage caused by the vibration.

The Air Force and Boeing are in varying stages of resolving seven Category 1 deficiencies. Col. David Hall, senior materiel leader for the program, said during the same briefing that three of those are close to a resolution.

Among the more high-profile issues involves the tankers remote vision system, or RVS  a camera system that tanker operators use to a refuel a receiver aircraft. After years of delay and rework, the Air Force in 2022 approved a redesign of Boeings design, dubbed RVS 2.0, that addresses image distortion and shadowing issues in the previous version.

RVS 2.0 was supposed to be delivered this year, but that timeline has since shifted to 2026. Stamey said a recent schedule risk assessment indicates that spring of that year is the target for that delivery.

Boeing is also redesigning the tankers boom actuator, which is required to ensure it can safely fuel the A-10. Stamey said the company has completed prototype hardware for the fix and began lab testing it in May.

Per its development contract with the Air Force, Boeing must pay to fix most of the Category 1 deficiencies discovered before the programs initial operational test and evaluation concludes. The company has racked up more than $7 billion in charges due to KC-46 design and manufacturing problems.

Asked whether the service is concerned the companys development issues portend later future production challenges, Stamey was optimistic about Boeings quality management efforts.

To their credit, they lean forward when they have a quality escape, he said. Theyve added inspectors on the line and theyre very sensitive to it.
Border between Israel and Lebanon heats up as they exchange fire

Thick smoke billows from an Israeli rocket attack in the outskirts of the Lebanese southern village of Dhaira after several militants infiltrated into Israel. Marwan Naamani/dpa

Israel struck 10 "terror targets" including a weapons depot for the pro-Iranian Hezbollah movement on Tuesday, killing one of the group's fighters, the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) said.

The militant was killed in an attack on the village of Beit Leef in southern Lebanon, the IDF said. The 10 "terror targets" of the Shiite militia were attacked in several different areas, it added.

"A weapon's storage facility, terror infrastructure sites, military structures, and a rocket launcher were struck in southern Lebanon," the IDF said.

Hezbollah has declared the death of one of its fighters. The militia usually does not elaborate on when, where and how its members died.

The state-run National News Agency (NNA) said Israeli planes carried out air raids targeting an uninhabited house in an area between the towns of Jibsheet and Aadchit in south Lebanon with two missiles, causing significant damage to them.

Lebanese Security sources said three Lebanese civilians were wounded in Israeli strike on Jibsheet.

In retaliation Hezbollah said in a statement "in response to the Israeli enemy attack that targeted the town of Jibsheet and led to civilian casualties," it fired a barrage of Katyusha rockets on northern Israel.

The Magen David Adom rescue service reported that a man aged around 30 had died of serious injuries from rocket fragments. There had previously been rocket alarms in towns on the border with Lebanon.

The IDF said it about 10 rockets had been fired from Lebanon into Israeli territory, with the majority intercepted. It identified a hit in HaGoshrim in northern Israel. The IDF said it is currently retaliating against the source of the attack.

Earlier, Israeli warplanes broke the sound barrier over the capital and its suburbs causing some panic among its residents, local residents and the official news agency NNA said.

After a rocket attack on the Druze town of Majdal Shams in the Israeli-annexed Golan Heights killed at least 12 children on Saturday, the Israeli government is preparing for a retaliatory strike.

Israel has blamed Hezbollah for the attack, but the Shiite Lebanese movement has denied any involvement.
Border between Israel and Lebanon heats up as they exchange fire

Thick smoke billows from an Israeli rocket attack in the outskirts of the Lebanese southern village of Dhaira after several militants infiltrated into Israel. Marwan Naamani/dpa

Israel struck 10 "terror targets" including a weapons depot for the pro-Iranian Hezbollah movement on Tuesday, killing one of the group's fighters, the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) said.

The militant was killed in an attack on the village of Beit Leef in southern Lebanon, the IDF said. The 10 "terror targets" of the Shiite militia were attacked in several different areas, it added.

"A weapon's storage facility, terror infrastructure sites, military structures, and a rocket launcher were struck in southern Lebanon," the IDF said.

Hezbollah has confirmed the death of one of its fighters. The militia usually does not elaborate on when, where and how its members died.

The state-run National News Agency (NNA) said Israeli planes carried out air raids targeting an uninhabited house in an area between the towns of Jibsheet and Aadchit in south Lebanon with two missiles, causing significant damage to them.

Lebanese Security sources said three Lebanese civilians were wounded in Israeli strike on Jibsheet.

In retaliation, Hezbollah said in a statement "in response to the Israeli enemy attack that targeted the town of Jibsheet and led to civilian casualties," it fired a barrage of Katyusha rockets on northern Israel.

The Magen David Adom rescue service reported that a man aged around 30 had died of serious injuries from rocket fragments. There had previously been rocket alarms in towns on the border with Lebanon.

The IDF said it about 10 rockets had been fired from Lebanon into Israeli territory, with the majority intercepted. It identified a hit in HaGoshrim in northern Israel. The IDF said it is currently retaliating against the source of the attack.

Earlier, Israeli warplanes broke the sound barrier over the capital and its suburbs causing some panic among its residents, local residents and the official news agency NNA said.

After a rocket attack on the Druze town of Majdal Shams in the Israeli-annexed Golan Heights killed at least 12 children on Saturday, the Israeli government is preparing for a retaliatory strike.

Israel has blamed Iran-backed Hezbollah for the attack, but the Shiite Lebanese movement has denied any involvement.

On Tuesday, the Islamic Republic rejected Israel's accusation that Hezbollah was involved.

"Why would Hezbollah bomb a region where the people themselves are against the Zionist regime?" said the foreign policy adviser to Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, referring to what Iran calls Israel.

Kamal Charrazi said Israeli accusations were merely an excuse to further escalate the military conflict in the region.

But the IDF said it had identified the deadly missile as an Iranian-made Falak-1.

Charrazi threatened that if Israel were to attack Lebanon now, it would have to prepare for "intensive counter-reactions."

The best solution for Israel would be to end the war in Gaza immediately to prevent further killings and destruction, Charrazi said.
The adjustment and streamlining of public agencies that President Javier Milei is driving in Argentina does not apply to the areas of security and defense. After restoring the State Intelligence Secretariat and assigning it millions of reserved funds for which he does not have to account the president has now created a special unit that will deal with cyberpatrolling on social media and the internet, the analysis of security cameras in real time and aerial surveillance using drones, among other things. In addition, he will use machine learning algorithms to predict future crimes, as the sci-fi writer Philip K. Dick once dreamed up, later made famous by the film Minority Report. How will Milei do all that? Through artificial intelligence, the executive announced.

Among his plans to downsize the State, President Milei has been saying that he intends to replace government workers and organizations with AI systems. The first role that he will give to this technology, however, will be an expansion of state agencies: on Monday his government created the Unit of Artificial Intelligence Applied to Security.

The new agency will report to the Ministry of Security. It is essential to apply artificial intelligence in the prevention, detection, investigation and prosecution of crime and its connections, states the resolution signed by Minister Patricia Bullrich, who cites similar developments in other countries. The belief behind the decision is that the use of AI will significantly improve the efficiency of the different areas of the ministry and of the federal police and security forces, allowing for faster and more precise responses to threats and emergencies.

The Artificial Intelligence Unit will be made up of police officers and agents from other security forces. Its tasks will include patrolling open social platforms, applications and websites, where it will seek to detect potential threats, identify movements of criminal groups or anticipate disturbances. It will also be dedicated to analyzing images from security cameras in real time in order to detect suspicious activities or identify wanted persons using facial recognition. The resolution also awards it powers worthy of science fiction: Using machine learning algorithms to analyze historical crime data and thus predict future crimes. Another purpose will be to discover suspicious financial transactions or anomalous behavior that could indicate illegal activities.

The new unit will not only deal with virtual spaces. It will be able to patrol large areas using drones, provide aerial surveillance and respond to emergencies, as well as perform dangerous tasks, such as defusing explosives, using robots.

Rights at risk

Various experts and civil organizations have warned that the new AI Unit will threaten citizens' rights.

The government body created to patrol social networks, applications and websites contradicts several articles of the National Constitution, said Martin Becerra, a professor and researcher in media and information technology. The government of Milei (and Bullrich) is anti-liberal. It decrees new regulations, reinforces the states repressive function, increases the opacity of public funds and eliminates norms that sought to protect the most vulnerable, he warned on his social media accounts.

For Natalia Zuazo, a digital policy specialist, the initiative essentially means illegal intelligence disguised as the use of modern technologies. Among the implicit risks, she explained that there will be little control and many different security forces with access to the information thats collected.

The Center for Studies on Freedom of Expression and Access to Information at the University of Palermo said its research on cyber-patrolling practices in Argentina and other Latin American countries indicates that the principles of legality and transparency are often not met. The opacity in the acquisition and implementation of technologies and the lack of accountability are worrying. In the past, these technologies have been used to profile academics, journalists, politicians and activists. In that context, without supervision or checks and balances, privacy and freedom of expression are threatened.

The Argentine Observatory of Information Technology Law pointed out that the Security resolution justifies the measure by invoking comparative experiences, of which the slightest analysis is never carried out. It asked: Are the security systems of China or India really comparable with those of France or Singapore and, at the same time, all of them with that of Argentina?

The researcher Becerra particularly questioned the function of predicting crimes assigned to the new unit, noting that it is something in which the use of AI has explicitly failed and which, therefore, must be avoided.

The Philip K. Dick story that gave rise to the Steven Spielberg film warned about the problems of predicting crimes. We stopped them [future criminals] before they could commit any act of violence, said one of the characters in the story. So the commission of the crime itself is absolutely a metaphysical question. We claim that they are guilty. And they, in turn, constantly claim that they are innocent. And in a certain sense they are innocent.

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SOUTH SALT LAKE, Utah (ABC4)  New documents obtained by ABC4.com have revealed that the suspect in a stabbing at a TRAX station last month is a 12-year-old boy.

The stabbing occurred on the platform of a TRAX station in South Salt Lake on June 18, leaving three victims  a woman and two boys  with non-life-threatening injuries.

PREVIOUS STORY: Three injured in stabbing incident at TRAX train station in South Salt Lake

On June 18, officials with the Utah Transit Authority and the UTA Police Department said the suspect boarded a TRAX train after the incident but was taken into custody by officers who were waiting at the next station.

According to an affidavit for a search warrant filed and executed in July, the suspect knew the victims and had allegedly robbed one of the juvenile suspects prior to the stabbing.

The victims told officers they were robbed by the suspect at a Millcreek TRAX station a couple of weeks before the June 18 incident, but didnt report it, the affidavit said. The officer who filed the affidavit reviewed the security footage and detailed some of the altercation.

There appeared to be a verbal exchange between [the suspect] and the adult female, she then approaches [the suspect] and pours some of her water bottle on him, he then punches her in the mouth, she continues to advance towards [the suspect] as do the two male juveniles, the affidavit said.

After the trio advanced toward the suspect, the affidavit said the suspect pulled out his knife and stabbed the victims. The woman was stabbed twice, and the two boys each received one puncture wound in different areas.

When the suspect was taken into custody, he spoke to officers and said the woman reportedly poured water on him after one of the boys told her the suspect had robbed them earlier. The suspect told police he used the knife for protection after the boys began to fight him.

He stated that he didnt really target anyone he was just trying to defend himself, the affidavit said.

The suspect said he boarded a southbound train to leave after the victims had taken his phone that dropped and his ski mask that he was wearing and wouldnt give them back, according to the affidavit.

When asked why he was wearing a ski mask, the suspect told police that it was a fashion trend, the affidavit said. He also said he had the knife for safety after other confrontations, according to the affidavit.

The search warrant was executed on July 8 and officials obtained the suspects phone and submitted it for processing.

Copyright 2024 Nexstar Media, Inc. 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.
Deputies used a piece of gauze to pick up the boy's scent and were able to trace his steps back to his parents' house nearby

Union County Sheriff's Office Remi and his handler.

A North Carolina K-9 unit employed a rarely used tactic to locate a boy's house after he was found wandering the streets alone.

On July 10, the Union County Sheriff's Office in Monroe, N.C., shared in a statement on Facebook that earlier that week, the department received a 911 call reporting a lost child.

When officers arrived at Waxhaw Indian Trail Road  a suburban, residential area outside of Charlotte and near Monroe where he was walking alone  they were unable to help the boy locate his parents or home because he was autistic and non-verbal, the statement added.

With no leads at first glance, the sheriff's office decided to call in the K-9 unit consisting of Sheriff's Deputy B. Belk and his bloodhound Remi, who in turn tried out a "reverse" track  which Lieutenant Public Information Officer James Maye told CNN is "out of the norm" for a police dog to do.

"Normally, they track from where a person left to try to find where that person is currently. This time we were doing it reverse," Maye told the outlet.

Related: Unarmed Black Man Attacked by K-9 Police Dog Upon Surrender Said Officers Were 'Trying to Kill' Him

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Rather than using the boy's clothing to track him down, as is usual for a police dog, Belk took a piece of gauze and used it to collect a scent from his forearms and the back of his neck.

Remi then got a whiff of the boy's scent and "successfully tracked backwards for approximately a half mile before locating the child's home in a nearby neighborhood," police said.

The sheriff's office added that the boy "was quickly reunited with his loving family." Investigators also said that there were no criminal offenses, as it seemed that the boy had snuck out of the house by himself without his parents realizing.

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Maye told CNN that Remi is only 1 year old and has been with the department since he was a puppy, training internally with the sheriff's office canine handler.

Bloodhounds are one of the most common breeds of dogs used as tracking dogs by police. The American Kennel Club states they are "relentless and stubborn" after picking up a scent, and they do "one thing better than any creature on earth: find people who are lost or hiding."



"I've been around for 10 or 12 years. I've never heard anything like this being done," Maye told CNN. "It's not something that these guys train on normally, but it is something they're going to instill in training from here on out."



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Warning: Some viewers may find the video above disturbing.

AMHERST, N.Y. (WIVB)  A New York woman said she is considering legal action after her 4-year-old daughter found blood splattered on her Burger King meal.

Tiffany Floyd told Nexstars WIVB that she stopped at a Burger King in Getzville, roughly 16 miles north of Buffalo, around noon on Friday, July 26.

About five minutes after leaving the drive-thru, Floyd said her young daughter opened the bag and complained about ketchup being on her burger. Thats when Floyd turned around and saw blood on the burger and its wrapper, she said.

Someone has to be accounted for this because this is not OK, Floyd said.

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The Burger King is located in Erie County, but Floyd initially called her local health department in Niagara County. A Niagara County sanitarian then called the manager of the fast-food restaurant to investigate, according to a preliminary report obtained by WIVB.

The manager reportedly told the sanitarian that an employee, while wearing gloves, pinched his finger in the microwave door and didnt realize he was bleeding so badly.

Floyd said her daughter was traumatized by the experience and has barely eaten anything since, fearing blood could be in her food.

Either they did not follow the proper steps after getting cut or anything, but this cannot happen again. You know, for my 4-year-old to experience this, its terrible, Floyd said.

In a statement, Burger King said the incident was the result of a team member who injured his finger and immediately stepped away.

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The fast-food giant added that the Burger King location was closed over the weekend to re-train all employees and deep clean the restaurant.

The companys full statement reads: We were deeply upset and concerned to learn of this incident. We have been in contact with the Guest and are working with her to resolve this incident. This incident was the result of a team member in the restaurant who injured his finger, and upon noticing immediately stepped away. We closed the restaurant to retrain all the team members and hired an external company to complete a deep cleaning. We expect the restaurant to re-open Monday, July 29, and are fully paying team members for any lost shifts during this temporary shut down.

Copyright 2024 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.

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As he is floated as a running mate for Vice President Harris, Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg has been everywhere.

Buttigieg has blanketed the airwaves over the past week, making appearances on outlets from MSNBC to Fox News.

The strategy is reflective of Buttigiegs 2020 presidential run, during which he tried to do as much media as possible and, as a result, became a household name  Mayor Pete  and emerged as a top Democratic communicator.

What youre seeing on display here is Pete reminding everyone that he is one of the best communicators in the Democratic Party, said one Democratic strategist. He is the only one being mentioned right now who is able to effectively both go on Fox and MSNBC and make the case.

Republicans are ready to hit Harris over the Biden administrations challenges, like the U.S. southern border and Americans not feeling the impacts of the improving economy. Not only is Buttigieg seen as an extension of that record, hes dealt with other high-profile challenges as Transportation secretary. Boeing incidents; the East Palestine, Ohio, train derailment; and 2022s stranded holiday travelers all could be used on the trail against him.

But, Democrats think his messaging chops make him a great option for Harriss vice presidential pick.

I was actually surprised a week ago that his name wasnt on the list in that initial round that came out, because it certainly would be a powerful message of continuity here, a former official in the Clinton administration said. I think it makes sense that hes on the list. I dont know if hell make it to the finish line, but he should be on the list.

Buttigieg is a well-known Democrat, according to an ABC News/Ipsos poll that showed only 46 percent of respondents didnt know of him compared to other VP options like Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro and Kentucky Gov. Andy Beshear, who werent known to a majority of respondents.

Buttigieg tied for second in terms of the highest net favorability rating of Democrats rumored to be potential Harris running mates. Twenty-nine percent of voters viewed him favorably, while 25 percent viewed the Transportation secretary unfavorably.

The other Democratic vice presidential hopefuls are partaking in their own audition processes. Shapiro has largely focused on communicating with Pennsylvania-based press and has held campaign events for Harris, while Beshear has sought to take Sen. JD Vance (R-Ohio), the GOP vice-presidential candidate, head-on in the national media. Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz (D) has been popping up on cable news lately and was the only potential running mate contender, along with Buttigieg, to hit the Sunday show circuit this week.

Democrats often point to Buttigieg as a top spokesperson for the Democratic Party, especially throughout the Biden administration, and praise his ability to hold his own on Fox News, combined with his willingness to go out in front of moderate and conservative-leaning audiences.

Those are the people we need to win back to rebuild the coalition we won with in 2020, the Democratic strategist said, referring to moderate and conservative-leaning swing voters.

Look at his presidential campaign, where he proactively went out to Obama-Trump counties and organized them and talked directly to those folks, the strategist said. Thats how he won the Iowa caucuses.

The secretary went on The Daily Show on Monday night as part of his recent uptick in television appearances. Buttigieg frequently invoked his goal of appealing to future former Republicans during the 2020 cycle, which the Democratic strategist said was indicative of the goal of looking to have the biggest tent possible.

The secretarys allies also point to front-line House Democrats who have voiced support for the idea of a Harris-Buttigieg ticket, including Reps. Pat Ryan (D-N.Y.) and Marie Gluesenkamp Perez (D-Wash.), arguing they know what will work in tougher congressional districts.

Clips of Buttigiegs appearance on Fox News this Sunday quickly gained traction on the social platform X and on other outlets. During his interview on the show, Buttigieg addressed a number of issues including the border, abortion, crime and the debate surrounding President Bidens and former President Trumps ages.

Pete is an expert at creating viral moments. I dont think he does that on purpose, I just think its an innate talent he has, said Keith Edwards, a Democratic digital strategist.

Buttigieg has been boosted by supporter accounts on X, which help disseminate interview clips and the latest news involving him. The most prominent one goes by @buttigiegwins and has garnered more than 45,000 followers.

If you look at them, theyve just skyrocketed in like the past four days, Edwards said, referring to the account.

While Harris being elected in November would be a historic first for the country, Buttigieg, no stranger to firsts, would be the first LGBTQ vice president. He was the first openly LGBTQ executive in Indiana and the first openly LGBTQ person confirmed to the U.S. Cabinet.

He would also provide a counter to Vance as a fellow Midwesterner with a military background. Vance served in Iraq as a Marine and is originally from rural Ohio; Buttigieg served in Afghanistan with the Navy Reserves and is from South Bend, Ind.

Buttigieg also had the unique experience of playing former Vice President Mike Pence during Harriss 2020 debate prep.

She knows that he can debate JD Vance, the Democratic strategist said. Hes showing that hes a perfect foil for JD Vance as someone who can be an attack dog and also someone who can spread the Democratic vision.

Stemming from Harriss 2020 debate prep, Buttigieg and the vice president have a close relationship. Their spouses, second gentleman Doug Emhoff and Chasten Buttigieg, are also close and have had some notable buddy moments while in D.C. together.

Kamala Harris has served as vice president for the last 3.5 years, and her close partnership with President Biden informs what she is looking for in a vice president, said Rachel Palermo, who served as Harriss deputy communications director and associate counsel in the White House.

Palermo, who also worked on Buttigiegs 2020 campaign, added, There is clear excitement and energy around the veepstakes conversation  we have a talented bench of leaders in the Democratic Party.

Copyright 2024 Nexstar Media, Inc. 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.
At precisely 1:07 a.m. Oct. 1, 1910, a massive explosion destroyed the Los Angeles Times Building at the corner of First and Broadway streets. Twenty-one people died, and 100 more were injured.

The night before, an assailant placed a time bomb made of 16 sticks of dynamite in the back alley. The blast ignited barrels of flammable ink and a natural gas pipe, sending the structure ablaze. The Los Angeles Herald reported, So quickly did the flames spread that the men on the second and third floors were cut off from an avenue of escape and many hurled themselves to the pavement.

Similar bombs were discovered at the homes of Harrison Otis, publisher of the Los Angeles Times, and Felix Zeehandelaar, the secretary of the citys Merchants and Manufacturers Association. Both devices were found before they blew  the timers had jammed. The device at Zeehandelaar's house was deactivated and collected as evidence. The bomb at Otis estate exploded when the cops tried to disarm it, though thankfully they ran to safety before the blast.

The Los Angeles Times building the morning after the bombing on Oct. 1, 1910.

A day later, Los Angeles Mayor George Alexander hired private investigator William Burns to catch the perpetrators. Burns was also working on a similar case for the National Erectors Association, an early 20th century industry consortium of iron and steel companies. He was hired to gather evidence regarding a bombing campaign that targeted facilities of U.S. Steel and its subsidiary, American Bridge.

This period in United States history was marked with intense labor unrest. Poor working conditions, low wages and deadly disasters ignited explosive growth in trade unions. At rallies, strikes, and protests, local governments and industry barons sometimes responded with violence.

The Great Railroad Strike of 1877, for instance, ended with a hundred people dead. In May 1886, a deadly bombing at a Haymarket Square rally in Chicago resulted in a nationwide crackdown on organized labor. The Homestead Strike of 1892 and the Pullman Strike two years later both ended in brutal violence.

Still, new unions formed, including the International Association of Bridge and Structural Iron Workers (IW) in 1896. When labor negotiations failed with American Bridge in 1905, IW union members walked out. The company responded with open shops and strikebreakers. After months without resolution, radical leadership at IW launched a bombing campaign targeting American Bridge factories and open shop construction sites. The goal was to inflict expensive damage.

Detective William Burns had gathered info about the bombings from union spies, including Herbert Hockin, a member of the IWs board of directors. Hockin had procured nitroglycerin for the campaign and managed some of the saboteurs. He worked under orders from IWs president Frank Ryan and secretary-treasurer J.J. McNamara.

From Hockin, Burns learned that a man named Ortie McManigal planted many of the timebombs.

Detective Burns also suspected that IW was behind the Los Angeles Times bombing. Californias big cities had grappled with major labor unrest earlier that summer. The L.A. Times and its vocal publisher were staunchly anti-union through it all. The sentiment was widely shared by the Merchants and Manufacturers Association.

J.J. and James McNamara in 1910. The brothers pleaded guilty to bombing the LA Times building.

Burns gathered enough evidence to confirm his suspicions. McManigal and J.J.s brother James McNamara were arrested at a Detroit hotel on April 14, 1911. Detectives found their suitcases packed with clocks and dynamite. A week later, J.J. McNamara was arrested at IWs headquarters in Indianapolis, located in the American Central Life Building on Monument Circle.

Police found 100 pounds of dynamite in a basement vault. There was enough, according to the Indy Star, to have wrecked all the surrounding property had it been discharged. Detectives also raided a barn west of Indy, finding 17 sticks of dynamite and 2 quarts of nitroglycerin.

The bombings resulted in several sensational trials. Both McNamara brothers eventually pled guilty and were sentenced to prison. A federal trial over IWs bombing campaign in Indianapolis a year later resulted in 38 convictions. Frank Ryan and Herbert Hockin served prison terms, while Ortie McManigals sentence was suspended.

McManigal got off because he had turned state's evidence and provided prosecutors with all kinds of juicy info. He had first met James McNamara in December 1909 at the Braun Hotel in Muncie. From McNamara, he learned how timing devices worked. The meeting was arranged by Hockin.

The trio then procured nitroglycerin. Although 1910 was at the end of the gas and oil boom in East Central Indiana, nitro was still widely available just outside of Muncie in the dwindling gas and oil fields. James McNamara had sourced it often from the region.

The bombers falsely presented themselves in the Magic City as "Watson & Sons" of Cleveland, dealers of fine art. In early 1910, they ordered 12 large custom wooden boxes from Delaware County Lumber on Council Street.

"Watson & Sons" next rented a house at 227 N. Ebright St. in Muncie. The property was owned by Carl Franklin, a local businessman. The saboteurs claimed they had a surplus of tile on hand and wanted to temporarily rent the house to store it. Franklin readily agreed when they paid several months' rent in advance.

Early 20th century labor-union terrorists used 227 N. Ebright St. in Muncie to store nitroglycerin for their attacks.

In spring, McManigal and Hockin attempted to buy a large quantity of nitroglycerin from John Longabough of DuPont Powder in nearby Montpelier. McManigal claimed it was needed to blast out a new quarry. Suspicious, Longabough refused the sale, citing a company policy that mandated customers hire a DuPont employee to handle any detonation.

Undaunted, the bomber found success in Portland, buying 120 quarts of nitroglycerin from M.J. Morehart of Independent Torpedo Co. Moreharts sales agent met McManigal and McNamara somewhere near DeSoto and transferred the explosives.

A few days later, residents on Ebright Street saw three men unload several long boxes from a wagon, according to the Muncie Morning Star. Neighbors later testified that over a few weeks, they witnessed men coming and going from the house with suitcases. After about a month, they were never seen again.

According to the Muncie Evening Press, the nitro was conveyed in small lots to Indianapolis, where it was stored in a vault at union headquarters and in a barn on a farm on the outskirts of Indianapolis. About 40 quarts were moved to Rochester, Pennsylvania, and later stolen by Hockin.

The Morning Star concluded that in early 1910, there was enough nitroglycerin in the Ebright Street house to blow up the entire city of Muncie. An exaggeration, but one meant to underscore just how devastating things could have been on Muncies east end. Investigators found floorboards in the house stained with nitro. They were later treated, cut up and sent to Los Angeles as evidence in the McNamaras trial.

The 1910 LA Times Building bombing still ranks as one of the deadliest domestic terror attacks in the United States. If youre interested in learning more, I recommend Lew Irwins 2013 book, Deadly Times: The 1910 Bombing of the Los Angeles Times and Americas Forgotten Decade of Terror.

Chris Flook is a Delaware County Historical Society board member and a senior lecturer of media at Ball State University.

This article originally appeared on Lafayette Journal & Courier: A house on Ebright Street in Muncie tied to 1910 terror attack in LA
This cafe brings international flavors to Appleton with their third location | The Buzz

APPLETON  A Kimberly favorite, known for international flavors and smells, had a soft opening at its third location on July 12, as owners Monica and Kell Bales excitedly expanded their businesses to the neighborhood.

A grand opening for the new il Bar Coffeehouse & Bistro, 324 E. College Ave., is planned for Friday.

I love downtown Appleton," Monica said. "I love the direction theyre going towards and what theyre trying to build. Im looking forward to the experiences, the different people, the college students coming in, just having that diversity of people walking through with different stories.

The Bales first started their coffee shop journey back in 2021 with the opening of the Kimberly location at 100 S. Birch St., Suite A, followed by a second location called il Bar Cafe in the Heart of the Valley YMCA.

Originally from Puerto Rico, Monica Bales grew up in a town known for its coffee.

My family had a coffee farm, she said. I remember my grandma bringing coffee beans and then she would dry them out on the rooftop of her house. She would roast them herself on the stove over the fire and grind them manually. Those were the best cups of coffee.

Monica also shared the significance of carrying international flavors with the shifting demographics in Appleton.

I think thats very important because no matter how far you are from home, youre always trying to keep and maintain that connection, she said. Coming to the United States from Puerto Rico, it was just a completely different culture, so youre always looking for that connection.

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The Bales work not only to provide diverse food and drinks to the community, but also sustainable goods. Currently, they partner with several coffee roasters that maintain sustainability practices amongst other social impacts. These roasters support causes like agricultural improvement, mental health awareness, fair trade practices, and other causes that are important to the Bales.

As someone who grew up in Appleton, Kell Bales shared how nice it is to be back in his hometown running a business.

The funny thing is that these are the same streets I was cruising the avenue as a teenager back in the late '80s and early '90s, Bales said. Its very surreal that now weve built this coffeeshop in the place that I grew up as a kid.

The new downtown location is expected to stay open later by the end of this fall to cater to students and customers who need a place to work, study, or hang out. They also plan to offer a student discount.

The grand opening will feature a small token of appreciation for customers on opening day, along with entry to win a gift basket. It's current hours are 7 a.m. to 3 p.m. Monday through Friday and 8 a.m. to 2 p.m. Saturday , closed on Sundays. After the grand opening, hours will shift to their summer hours of 7 a.m. to 4 p.m. Monday through Friday and 8 a.m. to 2 p.m. Saturday, closed on Sundays. Any news or updates can be found on il Bar's website or Facebook page.

Faith Huey is a business reporter for The Appleton Post-Crescent. You can reach her at fhuey@gannett.com or view her Instagram profile at @Faith.Huey.

This article originally appeared on Appleton Post-Crescent: il Bar Coffeehouse & Bistro opens third location in downtown Appleton
More than 70% of the worlds countries have abolished capital punishment in law or practice. In California, however, prosecutors continue to grow the states death row population each year, upholding a system rooted in slavery, lynchings and racial inequities that persist to this day.

Since 2019, Gov. Gavin Newsom has imposed a moratorium on executions in California. Even so, 17 people have since been sentenced to death in California  80% of whom are Black or Latino. All of the individuals in the state who have been exonerated after being sentenced to death, meanwhile, are people of color.

As the elected district attorney and a former judge in Contra Costa County, I cannot fulfill my obligation to seek justice and ensure people are treated with fairness through a death penalty system so deeply ingrained with racial disparities.

Opinion

Luckily, we may finally have an opportunity to end this racist and violent system.

The California Supreme Court is currently deciding whether to take up a historic petition filed in April by a coalition of civil rights and justice organizations arguing that racial discrimination in the administration of the death penalty in California violates the equal protection guarantee of the state constitution. The petition asks the court to issue an order halting the pursuit of death sentences in California, which would prohibit the attorney general and all district attorneys from seeking, obtaining or executing death sentences.

The inequities in death penalty cases have a long history, affecting groups in ways that are more than troublesome. The petition to the state Supreme Court cites more than a dozen studies showing race discrimination. One looked at more than 55,000 homicide cases in California between 1979 and 2018 and found that Black individuals were more than twice as likely to receive a death sentence as white individuals, while Hispanic individuals were 1.5 times more likely to receive a death sentence. That was true even after controlling for variables like felony murder, annual homicide rates, county size and demographics. Another study found that defendants of all races are up to 8.8 times more likely to be sentenced to death when at least one of the victims is white.

Attorney General Rob Bonta agreed in his response to the petition that the evidence of racial discrimination in capital punishment is profoundly disturbing.

I support Bontas willingness to confront these discriminatory issues and join in his request that the California Supreme Court squarely confront them too. We cannot  and should not  ignore the abundant evidence right in front of us. When discrimination and inequity pervade the administration of the death penalty, there is no equality under the law and therefore there can be no justice.

We should not let voices critical of this petition drown out the facts of this case with disinformation. Some critics will intentionally repeat and amplify the false conclusion that murderers will be let out of prison. But the effects of such campaigns are to cause fear, stoke anger and confuse people.

Let me be clear about this petition: No one convicted of murder will get out of prison because of this case. Indeed, the alternative to the death penalty is a life sentence, often with no opportunity to ever apply for parole.

While this case poses no risk to public safety, the public needs to know that the death penalty wastes millions of taxpayer dollars on a racially biased system that has never been proven to deter crime.

If the death penalty is such a deterrent to the most heinous offenses, why has the murder rate been higher in death penalty states than in non-death penalty states for more than 30 years? Moreover, keeping this faulty system in place risks executing the innocent and disproportionately punishing people with severe trauma, mental illness and intellectual disabilities.

We need a statewide remedy to finally address the racial disparities that have always been a part of capital punishment. I urge the state Supreme Court to fully consider the powerful evidence in this case and ensure that the death penalty system can no longer be used as a tool to perpetuate discrimination.

Diana Becton is the elected district attorney of Contra Costa County. She previously served for 22 years as a judge in the county.
CHICO  A Cohasset family is recovering after six homes within their extended family were destroyed in the Park Fire.



They were on vacation when what's now become the sixth-largest wildfire in California history broke out in Butte County last week. They started calling friends and loved ones to get their important belongings before it was too late.

Alida Markwood told CBS13 her family home, along with those of her mother, her grandmother, uncle, cousin and brother were all impacted. At least one of the homes was a rental and was the source of income for members of her family.

Now they're focused on what is necessary to rebuild and find comfort again.

"We don't have a place to go home to. We don't have a home and so I guess (it's) a just really hectic, really busy, kind of lost feeling. I know one of the other things you asked was, you know, how we've been feeling, and I tried to describe it to people as like a feeling of being lost," Markwood said.

They are staying with another family member, which Markwood said is a blessing that others may not have.

"It's somewhere to rest," she told CBS13.

She said she knows her family is not alone in the impact of the Park Fire. While she hasn't been able to go back to any of the family homes to see the damage with her own eyes, a neighbor sent photos of one of the homes.

"It was a very sentimental home. My mom and dad built it together, and he passed away a few years ago. So it was like the last of him that we lost. So the sentimental side, all the little things like socks and shoes and things you can go buy," Markwood said. "But it's the things that are part of him and part of our family history that we can't get back. It's probably the hardest part to wrap your head around."

They've turned to the community for support, through the nonprofit GoFundMe. The company told CBS13 that the nonprofit side was established to provide families, like Markwood's, with money quickly after a natural disaster. A spokesperson for GoFundMe told CBS13 they can fulfill grant requests as part of the Northern California Wildfire fund in one-to-three days at times.

Markwood said her family needs support in the day-to-day as they process the losses from the Park Fire. Other members of her family impacted by the fire have turned to GoFundMe for immediate support and rebuilding funds.

Rowe says he can't defend why Trump shooter's location wasn't better secured

Secret Service acting chief presents images, "cannot defend" Trump rally security lapse

Watch: Acting Secret Service director says he's ashamed of failures around Trump shooting
Joaquin Guzman Lopez, one of the sons of El Chapo Guzman, kidnapped Ismael El Mayo Zambada in order to hand him over to U.S. authorities. This is the hypothesis that has gained traction following the fall of Zambada, the founder of the Sinaloa Cartel and one of the most feared and powerful criminals in the world. El Mayo, who had never set foot in a jail in more than five decades of his cartel career and had proven impossible to track down in his mountain refuges, was arrested last Thursday along with Guzman Lopez after landing in Santa Teresa (New Mexico), near the border city of El Paso, in a private plane with Guzman Lopez. In response to reports of an alleged pact to turn himself in to the authorities Frank Perez, the 76-year-old drug lords lawyer, claimed that his client had been kidnapped by the heir of his former partner. A report by The New York Times  citing three federal agents as well as former and current government officials  suggests that Zambada was tricked and ambushed by Guzman Lopez and handed over against his will on the other side of the U.S.-Mexico border.

According to this version of events, last week El Mayo left a hideout in the Durango highlands to meet Guzman Lopez, in what he thought would be a friendly encounter between the two in the metropolitan area of Culiacan, the Sinaloa Cartels stronghold and the capital of the northwest Mexican state. Perez testified last weekend that his client had been subdued by at least six men wearing military fatigues, raising questions about the involvement of Mexican or U.S. agents. The Mexican government has insisted that it was not involved in El Mayos capture and that it learned of the arrest through the U.S. Embassy. They forced him onto the plane, Joaquin tied his legs to the seat and brought him to the United States against his will, Perez said.

The plane on which Zambada and Guzman Lopez are believed to have arrived in the United States on July 25. Jose Luis Gonzalez (Reuters)

The NYT also quotes retired and serving officials who confirmed the United States has maintained secret contacts with cartel members for years and that Washington had no knowledge of what was going on in the hours leading up to the arrest. The administration of Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador on Monday made public an official report on the arrest requested from the Justice Department, which also confirmed that Guzman Lopez had discussed the possibility of turning himself in. Journalistic investigations indicate that Washington did not yet have a firm agreement with El Chapos son regarding his surrender, and the official report released by Mexican authorities acknowledges that U.S. security agencies did not know Zambada was on board the aircraft until two hours before the arrest was made, at around 4 p.m. on July 25.

The hypothesis of Guzman Lopezs betrayal has set off alarm bells in Sinaloa over the possibility of an internal war between the two prominent cartel factions, one led by El Mayo and the other commanded by Los Chapitos, El Chapos sons. Ioan Grillo, one of the most experienced journalists covering the drug trade in Mexico, claims that Los Chapitos are on red alert for the possibility of revenge, according to one of his sources. Hours before the NYTs publication, Grillo reported that Zambada had come from Culiacan to attend a medical appointment for cancer treatment and to meet with Guzman Lopez and Hector Melesio Cuen, the former mayor of Culiacan, who was killed the same Thursday, hours after the arrest of the two drug lords.

According to a former member of El Mayos security team, Guzman Lopezs hitmen ambushed four of Zambadas bodyguards, tied up the drug lord, and flew him 20 miles to a ranch in Sinaloa, from where the plane that landed in New Mexico allegedly took off with the two cartel leaders as the only passengers. Other versions indicated that the aircraft took off from the neighboring state of Sonora, where the Attorney Generals Office opened an investigation to clarify the circumstances of the arrest. It is not clear if they could have stopped at another airport in Sonora and then changed planes, write Grillo and Juan Alberto Cedillo on the website CrashOut. I still have an open mind about what happened, said Grillo in an interview.

Army personnel arrive in Culiacan (Sinaloa) to reinforce security in the area, July 28. SEDENA (EFE)

In Sinaloa, the scenario in which Hector Melesio Cuen met with El Mayo is considered plausible. The politician, a former secretary of health in the state, won a seat as an Institutional Revolutionary Party (PRI) deputy for Sinaloa in the June elections. The symbiosis between politics and organized crime is frequent. During and after campaigns, the acquiescence of these [criminal] groups is often sought. And in this particular case, with El Mayos people, says a journalist from Culiacan who specializes in organized crime and asks for anonymity. The times and places fit between the alleged meeting and where Cuen was killed, he adds.

The Sinaloa Attorney Generals Office held a press conference on Monday with details of the investigation into the politicians murder. An eyewitness to the attack said that the victim told him he was going to see some lawyers who, in the end, did not show up for the meeting, which was arranged at a country club in the north of Culiacan, an area close to where the alleged meeting between El Mayo and Guzman Lopez took place. The witness said that they were intercepted at a gas station by a couple of armed men and that Cuen struggled with them when they stole his truck.

The theft of the vehicle is the main line of investigation, although authorities have said they would not rule out any hypothesis. Prosecutors, however, did not mention links to organized crime as one of the motives for the attack. Members of Cuens inner circle are demanding that the death be investigated as a murder and a targeted attack, and not as a robbery. Local media are also considering the possibility that the murder was politically motivated. Investigations are still ongoing.

Lopez Obradors Security Cabinet has opted not to jump to conclusions until it has more information on the arrests of Zambada and Guzman Lopez. The Mexican president also echoed the account of El Mayos lawyer and the blind spots in the details of El Mayos arrest. We need to know everything, because the lawyers say that a son of Joaquin Guzman was the one who arrested him, he commented in his daily conference Monday. They also say that there were people in military uniform. Military uniform from Mexico, from the United States? Where? he asked. The U.S. government itself is saying that they had been making agreements with Guzman [Lopez] for a long time.

The lack of transparency surrounding the detention of El Mayo has once again undermined confidence in the bilateral relationship, especially in terms of security cooperation, as well as raising uncertainty about the participation of U.S. agents in the capture of the cartel leader on Mexican soil. Overall, the Mexican authorities have exercised caution in the days following Zambadas arrest, amid an election campaign in the United States and with the fight against the cartels and immigration as one of the main banners of the most recalcitrant conservative sectors. Almost a week after El Mayo stepped off a plane and made a surprise appearance on the outskirts of El Paso, few questions have been answered.

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Search and rescue personnel of the Cambodian military have been searching for one of its helicopters since it went missing July 12. The helicopter was found Monday and both pilots on board have been declared dead. Photo courtesy of Prime Minister Hun Manet of Cambodia/Facebook

July 30 (UPI) -- A Cambodian military helicopter that went missing more than two weeks ago has been found, according to officials who said both pilots on board are dead.

The ministry said the helicopter, which went missing July 12 during a training mission in Cambodia's western Pursat province, was found Monday.

Pilot Kheng Chhaiyuth was found deceased in his helicopter seat, with the search continuing for Sun Phalla.

At 10:30 a.m. local time Tuesday, the search and rescue team found Phalla's body about 688 feet from the helicopter, the ministry said in a statement.

"At this time, the search and rescue team has not yet been able to transport the body by helicopter to the command center due to heavy rain in the area," it said.

"With this notice, the Ministry of National Defense would like to express its deepest condolences to the bereaved family. The sacrifice of these two airmen is a loss of human resources of the Cambodian Army especially the Air Force, which is very sad."

The helicopter was reported missing the evening of July 12 after it lost contact with air force headquarters while flying a training mission in a mountainous area of Pursat.
In the state Republican Primary Aug. 1, incumbent House Rep. Scott Cepicky, R-Culleoka, is being challenged by county commissioner and Columbia native Ray Jeter. Read the below questionnaires to learn about the candidates.

Rep. Scott Cepicky, R-Culleoka

Candidate profile: Scott Cepicky, 58

What city/town in Tennessee do you live in?

Culleoka

Education: B.A. University of Wisconsin-Madison

Job history: cattle rancher, mortgage banker

Family: Teresa, Gabriel and Daniel

Challenger: Candidate profile: Learn about challenger Ray Jeter in 64th District race

Why are you running for this office?

To continue the work we have started transforming public education in Tennessee

What makes you qualified to hold this office and better qualified than your opponent(s)?

I have Six years of experience working in the General Assembly and built a reputation as one of the best legislators in educational policy in the state.

If you are elected (or re-elected), what are your top 2 to 3 priorities for your new (or next) term in office?

Continue transforming education policy in Tennessee, working to resolve homelessness and protecting Tennessee agricultural industry.

What are you hearing most from voters about what they want you to accomplish, if elected?

Fix education and protect our agricultural land.

Are you satisfied with the direction of the country? Explain why.

No, if we do not change our direction and focus in regards to economy and immigration it will destroy or country.

What is your assessment of the performance of Gov. Bill Lee over the last six years?

Steady, he was dealt a curve ball with Covid but has been a steady force in Tennessee. Gov. Lee plans to reintroduce his Education Freedom Scholarship Act (school vouchers expansion) in 2025.

Do you support this plan? Why or why not?

Yes, I was the one who carried it last year and will carry it this year. It will provide better options for students and force public schools to look inwardly at their process.

Has Tennessee done enough to address public concerns about firearms safety? Explain your position.

Yes.

Tennessee has some of the most restrictive laws on abortion. Do you agree with Tennessee's approach? Why or why not?

Yes, life is life.

Americans have identified immigration as a top issue in the 2024 election. What role, if any, does Tennessee have on this issue?

We have added 160 state troopers to address illegal immigration, and we will stiffen penaltys for those that are here illegally and commit crimes.

The Tennessee legislature has passed several "tough-on-crime" laws in recent years (i.e., truth-in-sentencing and death penalty for raping a child). Do you agree with these policies? Why or why not?

Yes.

What else do you want voters to know about you that will help them make an informed decision on election day?

If you look at the bills I have passed over the last six years, you will see a very conservative member of the General Assembly. My reputation as a fighter is well known and most of the time, I will be tasked with carrying the tough bills.

A "fun" question: When visitors ask you, "What should I do in Tennessee or your specific community?" what are the top 2 or 3 things or places you recommend?*

Come to Mule Day in the Spring, our Christmas Parade in December and First Fridays on the Square in Columbia.

Will you commit to being civil in how you present yourself and the way you interact with opponents and others? (Our definition of civility is being a good, active, honest and respectable citizen)

Yes.

This article originally appeared on The Daily Herald: Candidate profile: Learn about Rep. Scott Cepicky 64th District
Republican primary candidate Ray Jeter, who is challenging Rep. Scott Cepicky, R-Culleoka, stands outside his office on June 3.

In the state Republican Primary Aug. 1, Columbia native and county commissioner Ray Jeter is challenging incumbent House Rep. Scott Cepicky, R-Culleoka, 64th District. Read the below questionnaires to learn about the candidates.

Candidate profile: Ray Jeter, 42

What city/town in Tennessee do you live in? Columbia

Education: High school

Job history: Business owner, former chief deputy sheriff, current chief operations officer of Harness, LLC & County Commissioner representing the 8th District of Maury County

Family: My family includes my wife Courtney, our son Brannon and his wife Tala, our daughter Andrea, our nephew-son Gage, our grandson, an adopted granddaughter, and a granddaughter on the way.

Incumbent: Candidate profile: Incumbent Rep. Scott Cepicky lays out top legislative goals, successes

Why are you running for this office?

I love the county I grew up in and believe that Maury County deserves better representation. The people of Maury County and their needs have been neglected for too long.

What makes you qualified to hold this office and better qualified than your opponent(s)?

My faith, along with my extensive experience in law enforcement, as a business owner, COO of a large company, and county commissioner, combined with my dedication and desire to be a true servant leader, make me well-qualified to hold this office.

If you are elected (or re-elected), what are your top 2 to 3 priorities for your new (or next) term in office?

1. Cap property taxes for elderly homeowners in low-income situations. 2. Safeguard our schools from defunding and protect private schools from government regulation. 3. Make adoption more affordable. 4. Address the water supply issue by sourcing water for Maury County from an alternative to the Duck River.

What are you hearing most from voters about what they want you to accomplish, if elected?

Show greater respect in your interactions with the public and fellow lawmakers.

Are you satisfied with the direction of the country? Explain why.

No, we urgently need new conservative leadership. America's lack of respect on the world stage makes the world a more dangerous place.

What is your assessment of the performance of Gov. Bill Lee over the last six years?

Gov. Lee is a good man, highly respected and a person of great faith. While I may not agree with all his actions as governor, he will be remembered in Tennessee history as a good governor and a statesman.

Gov. Lee plans to reintroduce his Education Freedom Scholarship Act (school vouchers expansion) in 2025. Do you support this plan? Why or why not?

I fundamentally believe in school choice and the right of parents to have the ability to select the type and place of education for their children. We must not defund public schools or impose regulations on private schools in the process.

Has Tennessee done enough to address public concerns about firearms safety? Explain your position.

Yes, we do not have a gun problem in this country. Instead, we have a mental health crisis that we have not adequately addressed.

Tennessee has some of the most restrictive laws on abortion. Do you agree with Tennessee's approach? Why or why not?

Yes, we must always protect the unborn.

Americans have identified immigration as a top issue in the 2024 election. What role, if any, does Tennessee have on this issue?

If the federal government will not do its job to secure the border, then Tennessee must assist our border states in securing the border ourselves.

The Tennessee legislature has passed several "tough-on-crime" laws in recent years (i.e., truth-in-sentencing and death penalty for raping a child). Do you agree with these policies? Why or why not?

I do. Our founders believed there were two threats to our republic, tyranny and anarchy. We must protect Tennesseans from anarchy by ensuring the people in Tennessee are safe from acts of violence and repeated acts of violence by the same offender.

What else do you want voters to know about you that will help them make an informed decision on election day?

I humbly ask for your prayer. Pray that the Lord's Will be done in this election. I look forward to serving you and your family in this capacity. Together we can put Maury First! Check out my website at www.MauryFirst.com.

A "fun" question: When visitors ask you, "What should I do in Tennessee or your specific community?" what are the top 2 or 3 things or places you recommend?

Go downtown on First Fridays! Eat at Prime and Pint and stop by the balloon shop for homemade country-churn ice cream.

Will you commit to being civil in how you present yourself and the way you interact with opponents and others? (Our definition of civility is being a good, active, honest and respectable citizen).

Yes

This article originally appeared on The Daily Herald: Candidate profile: Learn about challenger Ray Jeter, District 64 race
From left, Mandi Mowery, Jeff Clapper and Eric Johnson. The three were appointed to the circuit court bench in July 2024 by Gov. Kristi Noem. (Photos courtesy of Gov. Noem's office)

From left, Mandi Mowery, Jeff Clapper and Eric Johnson. The three were appointed to the circuit court bench in July 2024 by Gov. Kristi Noem. (Photos courtesy of Gov. Noem's office)

Gov. Kristi Noem has appointed two prosecutors and a serving magistrate judge to the circuit court bench in the Sioux Falls area.

Noem announced the appointments to the Second Judicial Circuit in a Tuesday news release. The Second Circuit encompasses Minnehaha and Lincoln counties, making it one of the smallest geographically but the largest in terms of caseloads.

The circuit added two new judge positions during the 2024 legislative session. South Dakota Supreme Court Chief Justice Steven Jensen said in his 2024 State of the Judiciary message that the positions are necessary to address the circuits swelling docket.

The circuit now has 14 circuit judges, who handle felony cases and most civil cases, and five magistrate judges, who manage misdemeanor caseloads and small claims.

Noems appointments fill those new positions, as well as the position recently vacated by Camela Theeler, who is now a federal judge for the U.S. District Court of South Dakota.

The new judges are:

Mandi Mowery, a New Underwood native and Baylor University School of Law graduate and 17-year veteran of the Minnehaha County States Attorneys Office. Mowery leads a felony prosecution team for the office.

Jeff Clapper, a University of South Dakota Knudson School of Law graduate and 22-year prosecutor with the U.S. Attorneys Office in Sioux Falls. Clapper led prosecutions for sex trafficking and child sexual abuse for 15 years.

Eric Johnson, a Vermillion native and University of Nebraska-Lincoln Law School graduate who worked alongside Mowery as a prosecutor prior to his appointment as magistrate judge in 2016. He ran unsuccessfully for a circuit judgeship in the 2022 general election.

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A caregiver who works at a Phoenix senior living home is facing charges after being accused of sexually assaulting an elderly patient who suffers from dementia.

Just after 1 p.m. on Friday, officers responded to a call at Brookdale Senior Living near 40th Place and Bluefield Avenue.

According to officials, video footage captured from a hidden motion-activated camera set up by the victim's family revealed a male facility worker sexually assaulting an elderly female patient in her room.

The victim's daughter, who initiated the 911 call, reported to authorities that she had witnessed the suspect "with his pants pulled down" and pushed up against her mother in the footage.

According to court documents, the facility director then confronted the suspect and found him standing outside the room in the hallway. When asked if he had just been inside the room, the suspect reportedly told the director that he had "just been cleaning out the garbage."

When a forensic nurse asked the victim to perform a sexual assault examination, the victim reportedly cried and said, "Don't make me do this again," the court papers noted.

The suspect was arrested at the scene, officials said.

The health and safety of our residents is our top priority. We do not tolerate conduct of this nature. When we became aware of the allegation, we immediately contacted local authorities and took appropriate measures including removing this individual from the community," according to a statement from Brookdale Senior Living.

"He is no longer a Brookdale employee. Our company has strict standards in place for employees, including background checks and complying with state rules and regulations. We have launched an internal investigation and we are working closely with local authorities. We are deeply appreciative of their support, the statement continued.

Detectives collected enough evidence to develop probable cause and booked the suspect into a Maricopa County jail on a $200,000 cash-only bond, officials continued.

The suspect faces two counts of sexual assault and one count of kidnapping. He is considered "an extreme danger to the community" and a flight risk, according to court documents.

This article originally appeared on Arizona Republic: Man arrested for sexually assaulting elderly patient at nursing home
CARTHAGE, Mo.  The Carthage School District is implementing a crisis management plan in response to Fridays boating accident that took a young students life.

Reuben Roy, 7, died at Table Rock Lake on Friday after he fell off a kneeboard behind a boat, tried to swim toward the boat, and was hit by one of the propellers.

He was a student at Columbian Elementary School and the administration encourages anyone needing support to contact the school or the central office.

District counseling staff will be on hand to connect with any classmates or teachers affected by the tragedy.

District staff are also referring anyone who would like to help, to a GoFundMe account to help Reubens family pay for his funeral and other expenses.

More than 600 people have given to the cause so far, raising more than $40,000 in just a couple days, and counting. You can visit the GoFundMe, 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 KSNF/KODE | FourStatesHomepage.com.
CDC: Six Marylanders hospitalized so far in listeria outbreak tied to deli meats

Doctors treat a patient in a hospital emergency room. Getty Images.

Six of the 33 people who have been hospitalized for a listeria outbreak tied to Boars Head meats were Maryland residents, second only to the 12 hospitalized in New York, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

The July 26 CDC report said two people have died  in Illinois and New Jersey  in the outbreak, which appears to be tied to certain products from the deli meat brand.

The CDC is still confirming if listeria found in certain Boars Head meat products is the same found in those people who have been hospitalized, but it is urging consumers to avoid recalled Boars Head products while the investigation continues.

That was echoed by the Maryland Department of Health, which urged Marylanders on Friday to avoid certain Boars Head liverwurst and other deli meat products.

Listeria is a foodborne bacterial illness that can pose serious threat to pregnant people, newborns, people aged 65 years or older and those with weakened immune systems.

Symptoms of Listeriosis may include fever, muscle aches, and gastrointestinal symptoms such as nausea or diarrhea. If infection spreads to the nervous system, symptoms such as headache, stiff neck, confusion, loss of balance, or convulsions can occur, according to the state health department.

After exposure, symptoms usually appear within three days to 10 weeks, but most often within three weeks, the health department said.

It said that those who suspect they may have listeriosis should seek a doctor immediately. The disease can be treated with antibiotics.

The CDC added: Pregnant people typically experience only fever, fatigue, and muscle aches. However, Listeria infection during pregnancy can lead to miscarriage, stillbirth, premature delivery, or life-threating infection of the newborn.

The CDC warns that the true number of people sick from the listeria outbreak may be higher than whats currently reported.

Boars Head issued a statement announcing a voluntary recall of products related to the listeria outbreak investigation.

At Boars Head Brand, the health and safety of our customers is paramount. On July 25, 2024, we initiated an immediate and voluntary recall of our Strassburger Brand Liverwurst because it may be adulterated with Listeria monocytogenes, the statement says. In an abundance of caution, we also made the decision to voluntarily recall additional products  that were produced on the same production line and on the same day as the liverwurst product.

The full list of recalled products, with additional information here, include:

Boars Head Ready-to-Eat Liverwurst Products

Virginia Ham Old Fashioned Ham

Italian Cappy Style Ham

Extra Hot Italian Cappy Style Ham

Bologna

Beef salami

Steakhouse Roasted Bacon Heat & Eat

Garlic bologna

Beef bologna
Veterinarian in a milking barn (Photo by Getty Images).

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention says a glitch in its bird flu test hasnt harmed the agencys outbreak response. But it has ignited scrutiny of its go-it-alone approach in testing for emerging pathogens.

The agency has quietly worked since April to resolve a nagging issue with the test it developed, even as the virus swept through dairy farms and chicken houses across the country and infected at least 13 farmworkers this year.

At a congressional hearing July 23, Rep. Brett Guthrie, R-Kentucky, asked about the issue. Boy, that rings of 2020, he said, referring to when the nation was caught off guard by the COVID-19 pandemic, in part because of dysfunctional tests made by the CDC. Demetre Daskalakis, director of the CDCs National Center for Immunization and Respiratory Diseases, responded that the agency rapidly developed a workaround that makes its bird flu test reliable.

The tests are 100% usable, he later told KFF Health News, adding that the FDA studied the tests and came to the same conclusion. The imperfect tests, which have a faulty element that sometimes requires testing a sample again, will be replaced soon. He added, We have made sure that were offering a high-quality product.

Still, some researchers were unnerved by the news coming four months after the government declared a worrisome bird flu outbreak among cattle. The CDCs test is the only one available for clinical use. Some researchers say its flaws, though manageable, underscore the risk of relying on a single entity for testing.

The problem came to light in April as the agency prepared to distribute its test to about 100 public health labs around the country. CDC officials detected the issue through a quality control system put in place after the covid test catastrophe of 2020.

Daskalakis said the CDCs original test design was fine, but a flaw emerged when a company contracted by the agency manufactured the tests in bulk. In these tests, one of two components that recognize proteins called H5 in the H5N1 bird flu virus was unreliable, eliminating an important safeguard. By targeting the same protein twice, tests have a built-in backup in case one part fails.

The agency developed a fix to ensure a reliable result: If only one of the two parts detected H5, the test was considered inconclusive and would be run again. With the FDAs blessing, the CDC distributed the tests  with workaround instructions  to public health labs.

Kelly Wroblewski, director of infectious diseases at the Association of Public Health Laboratories, said the results of the tests have not been ambiguous, and there is no need to discard the tests.

Still, the agency has asked a different manufacturer to remake the faulty component so that 1.2 million improved tests will be available soon, Daskalakis said. Some of the updated tests are already in stock at the CDC, but the FDA hasnt yet signed off on their use. Daskalakis declined to name the manufacturers.

Meanwhile, the outbreak has grown. Farmworkers continue to lack information about the virus and gear to protect them from it. Rural clinics may miss cases if they dont catch a persons connection to a farm and notify health officials rather than their usual diagnostic testing laboratories.

Those clinical labs remain unauthorized to test for the bird flu. Several of those labs have spent months working through analyses and red tape so that they can run the CDCs tests. As part of the licensing process, the CDC alerted them to the workaround with the current test, too.

But outside select circles, the news was largely overlooked. Im totally surprised by this, Alex Greninger, assistant director of the University of Washington Clinical Virology Laboratory, told KFF Health News this week. Greningers lab is developing its own test and has been trying to obtain CDC test kits to evaluate.

Its not a red alarm, he said, but hes worried that as the CDC and the FDA spend months developing and evaluating an updated test, the only one available relies on a single component. If the genetic code underlying that fragment of the H5 protein mutates, the test could give false results.

Its not uncommon for academic and commercial diagnostic labs to make mistakes and catch them during quality control checks, as the CDC did. Still, this isnt the agencys first mishap. In 2016, well before the COVID debacle, CDC officials for months directed public health labs to use a Zika test that failed about a third of the time.

The CDC caught and worked to remediate the situation far more quickly and effectively in this case. Nonetheless, the mishap raises concern. Michael Mina, chief science officer of the telemedicine company eMed.com, said diagnostic companies may be better suited to the task.

Its a reminder that CDC is not a robust manufacturer of tests and lacks the resources that industry can marshal for their production, Mina said. We do not ask CDC to make vaccines and pharmaceuticals, and we do not ask the Pentagon to manufacture missiles.

The CDC has licensed its updated test design to at least seven clinical diagnostic labs. Such labs are the foundation of testing in the U.S. But none have FDA clearance to use them.

Diagnostic labs are developing their own tests, too. But that has been slow-going. One reason is the lack of guaranteed sales. Another is regulatory uncertainty. Recent FDA guidance could make it harder for nongovernmental laboratories to issue new tests in the early phase of pandemics, said Susan Van Meter, president of the American Clinical Laboratory Association, in a July 1 letter to the FDA.

Transparency is also critical, scientists said. Benjamin Pinsky, medical director of the clinical virology laboratory at Stanford University, said as a public agency the CDC should make its protocol  its recipe for making the test  easily accessible online.

The World Health Organization does so for its bird flu tests, and with that information in hand, Pinskys lab has developed an H5 bird flu test suited to the strain circulating this year in the U.S. The lab published its approach this month but doesnt have FDA authorization for its broad use.

The CDCs test recipe is available in a published patent, Daskalakis said.

We have made sure that tests are out there, and that they work, he added.

As the CDC came under fire at the July 23 congressional hearing, Daniel Jernigan, director of the CDCs National Center for Emerging and Zoonotic Infectious Diseases, noted that testing is just one tool. The agency needs money for another promising area  looking for the virus in wastewater. Its current program uses supplemental funds, he said: It is not in the current budget and will go away without additional funding.

KFF Health News is a national newsroom that produces in-depth journalism about health issues and is one of the core operating programs at KFFan independent source of health policy research, polling, and journalism.
Two boaters stranded overnight on Horn Island were rescued by the Coast Guard on Monday after authorities found a capsized boat, an ice chest and cell phone, then tracked the passengers to a Mississippi beach.

Coast Guard helicopter video shows the two boaters standing on the shores of Horn Island, waiting for rescue. The Coast Guard said it flew the boaters by helicopter to the Gulfport-Biloxi International Airport. No injuries were reported.

The call came Monday morning to the Coast Guard Sector Mobile: An aircrew spotted a 14-foot aluminum boat with camouflage design adrift near Horn Island. The Coast Guard said no one was on board.

A Coast Guard crew from Pascagoula rushed to the boat and found a cooler with ice, a wallet and a cell phone, according to a press release.

The Coast Guard said its crew and 911 dispatchers used the phone and an I.D. found in the wallet to call boat owners family. The owner and a friend had been separated from their boat and stranded on Horn Island overnight, the Coast Guard said.

A Coast Guard helicopter was already in the air. It searched Horn Island for the missing boaters and found them at the beach.

The rescue was the latest in Mississippi waters this year. In June, the Coast Guard also rescued five South Mississippi men who spent four-and-a-half hours floating in the Gulf of Mexico after their boat sank.
Charlotte isnt doing enough to eliminate deadly accidents on the citys roads, a new internal audit found.

The audit, which examines the citys Vision Zero program, calls for change within the Charlotte Department of Transportation and Charlotte-Mecklenburg Police Department in order to meet the citys goals. The citys internal audit department posted the review last week.

Charlottes Vision Zero launched in 2019 with a goal to reduce crashes and eliminate traffic-related deaths and severe injuries on the citys roads by 2030. But little has changed despite millions in spending, according to the audit.

CDOT has failed to fully implement some key components of the Vision Zero plan, the audit concluded. CMPD has fallen short on tracking crash-related data and using that data to improve strategies, the audit reported. And a lack of buy-in at the state level makes the citys plan to eliminate deaths and serious injuries more difficult to achieve, the report says.

CDOT and CMPD accepted the reports findings and are are working to implement corrective actions in a timely manner. The citys internal audit team will do a follow-up report, the audit concludes.

John Holmes, vice chair of the citys Bicycle Advisory Committee, offered a blunt assessment of the audit. The Vision Zero program is failing Charlotteans, he said on social media.

What is Vision Zero?

Charlotte spent $21.1 million on Vision Zero and tens of millions more on sidewalks and bicycle and pedestrian programs since 2019, the audit notes.

Although safety spending has increased, there hasnt been a significant decrease in crashes resulting in deaths and/or suspected serious injuries, the audit said.

In 2023, 70 people were killed in vehicle-related incidents on Charlotte roads, Queen City Nerve reported. That was up from 61 in 2022.

The strategy, first developed in Sweden in 1997, calls for transportation systems that take into account the inevitability of human error and aim to prevent crashes resulting in death and severe injury rather than all crashes. Charlottes plan calls for the city to proactively identify and mitigate risks on roadways and closely monitor data to track where serious accidents occur most frequently and the circumstances behind them.

Audit: City, CMPD must do more to eliminate traffic fatalities

Much of the new internal audit focuses on CDOTs and CMPDs handling of the Vision Zero plan.

The plan called for annual updates, but no updates have been published since 2020. Demographic data also hasnt been updated since 2020, and both CDOT and CMPD arent consistently publishing traffic studies and metrics, according to the audit.

The audit calls for CDOT to name a person to track progress, provide updates to city leaders and define a process for escalating concerns to management to improve accountability. It also recommends the department periodically go over the citys Vision Zero plan to look for any necessary changes.

The city also needs to do more to ensure its own workers are following traffic ordinances, including not obstructing sidewalks and bike lanes with vehicles or signage, and update its street closure maps to include sidewalk and bike lane closures, the report concluded.

The audit also calls for changes to how CMPD approaches crashes.

It suggests the department focus traffic enforcement efforts, including speed checks and DUI checkpoints, in areas with high rates of severe accidents rather than evenly distributing them around the city. The report also calls on the department to better track where crashes are happening and contributing factors in order to provide more comprehensive data.

Asked to comment, CMPD directed an Observer reporter back to the audit.

Sustain Charlotte, a nonprofit advocating for sustainable growth and transportation, was thrilled CDOT and CMPD agreed to implement the audits recommendations, executive director Shannon Binns said in a statement.

Binns said the group strongly supports the audits recommendations and would also like to see more investment in CDOT projects, including narrowing travel lanes, reducing the number of lanes and adding separated bike lanes.

Over the last century, billions of dollars have been spent designing a transportation system in Charlotte that focused on moving vehicles as quickly as possible, and ensuring the safety of all road users was not the top priority. Most crashes, including those that kill or seriously injure people, are due to roads that are designed for maximizing vehicle speed rather than safety, he said.

State of North Carolina blocking progress?

Another listed hurdle to Charlotte reaching its Vision Zero goals: a lack of buy-in from the North Carolina Department of Transportation. The audit cites an example of a rezoning petition where a developer agreed to a city request to add in bike lanes, extend sidewalk connections and add a bus shelter in conjunction with a townhome project, but NCDOT removed the bike lane and bus shelter.

The States ability to dictate how streets within the City limits are managed has ripple effects that impact many of the Citys stated goals, not just Vision Zero, the audit said.

Binns would like to see the state get more involved too, including allowing for automated enforcement such as red light cameras.

Strategic enforcement by CMPD will help, but redesigning dangerous roads to make speeding more difficult will have a greater long-term impact, he said.

We urgently need NCDOT, who has also committed to Vision Zero, to do their part and work with the city to save lives, he said.

In our Reality Check stories, Charlotte Observer journalists dig deeper into questions over facts, consequences and accountability. Read more. Story idea? RealityCheck@charlotteobserver.com.
A striking press release reached the media on July 10 with details about a historic event that had just taken place. More than 1,300 global leaders, including science ministers, secretaries of state, Nobel laureates, technology and pharmaceutical company executives, and ambassadors from nearly 100 countries have gathered in Barcelona for the World Summit on Science Diplomacy, said the press release, sent from an email account of SciTech DiploHub, a small Barcelona-based association dedicated to scientific diplomacy (establishing scientific links between countries and organizations). The statement celebrated the fact that none other than the Director-General of the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO), Audrey Azoulay, had announced at this event that the Catalan city would be the venue for this momentous annual congress until 2028. The news quickly made its way into several Spanish newspapers, such as La Razon and El Espanol. The only problem is that this momentous global event never actually took place.

An official UNESCO spokesperson, speaking from the organizations headquarters in Paris, was shocked to hear about it. This summit simply did not take place. UNESCO was therefore not involved in any way and our Director-General never attended or made any statements there. We are trying to figure out how this false information emerged and was spread.

This major global summit allegedly took place between July 5 and 10. The press release included statements by Alexis Roig, the CEO of SciTech DiploHub. The fact that Barcelona is the city where the social, ethical and diplomatic implications of the management and governance of science and new technologies are being debated puts our research and innovation ecosystem at the forefront. It is no coincidence that this week everyone has been talking about Barcelona and this summit as the Davos of science and technology, Roig proclaimed in the release. The statement further claimed that 47 scientific academies, more than 50 universities and 20 leading companies in technology and life sciences had participated.

Despite its apparently colossal dimensions, no institution consulted by EL PAIS knows anything about this world summit. A spokesperson for the European Commission office in Barcelona explained that her institution has not participated in, organized, or been aware of this supposed event, despite the fact that the EU logo appeared among the co-organizers. The Spanish Ministry of Science is also not aware of there having been a massive congress with Nobel laureates and ministers, according to an official spokesperson.

The explanations provided by the CEO of SciTech DiploHub are confusing. In a telephone conversation on July 23, Alexis Roig told this newspaper that the press release was false and that someone had sent it from an official association email, perhaps out of revenge. We think it is someone who has worked with us in the past and that it is a vendetta, but that is very easy to say. Who was it? How? Why? he said.

Alexis Roig, CEO of SciTech DiploHub, at an event in May. SciTech DiploHub

However, on June 14 Roig himself had sent out invitations bearing his signature to a multitude of ambassadors and leading figures in Spanish science, asking them to attend the so-called High-Level Closing Plenary Session of the World Summit on Science Diplomacy, which would be held on the morning of July 5 at the auditorium of Barcelona Activa, the economic development agency of the City of Barcelona. In those invitations, Roig announced that this future event would welcome more than 1,300 world leaders, including renowned researchers and scientists, business leaders from the technology and life sciences industries, Nobel Prize winners, political representatives, ministers and secretaries of state from more than 90 different countries.

Asked about this contradiction  claiming that the press release sent to the media after the summit was false even though the invitation from a month earlier contained similar information  Roig changed tack and said that the massive congress did in fact take place. The 1,300 participants were not all there in person, there were about 400 of them in person, he said. According to his version of events, two Nobel Prize winners and a minister attended, but he was unable to come up with their names over the phone. Roig promised to provide their identities in writing on July 23, but has not yet done so, despite this newspapers insistence.

Two days after the telephone conversation with EL PAIS, on July 25, SciTech DiploHub sent a new press release to the media, in which it asked the newspapers that had published information about the world summit to publish a correction. The new press release no longer mentioned 1,300 world leaders, or even 400, but rather around a hundred personalities as well as a strong online following. There was no more mention of the Director-General of UNESCO nor of Princess Sumaya bint El Hassan of Jordan, who both appeared as attendees in the July 10 release, with statements included.

This summit simply did not take place. UNESCO was therefore not involved in any way UNESCO official spokesperson

Following the telephone conversation with Alexis Roig, this newspaper sent him 11 written questions on July 23, asking for photographs of the supposed world summit, names of the world leaders who attended, and details about its financing. After almost a week of silence despite three reminders, Roigs association sent the following reply on Monday: Measures have already been taken against the people who acted in a wrong or malicious manner, none of whom have any ties to our organization any longer.

Roig said by telephone that one of the venues for the world summit had been Pompeu Fabra University. An official spokeswoman has denied this. The only activity in connection with SciTech DiploHub that Pompeu Fabra University has hosted are some of the activities of the Summer School of the Barcelona Institute of International Studies (IBEI), which took place from June 30 to July 5, with a total of 23 registered participants, said the spokeswoman. Other than this, no other relevant event or visit by senior officials took place at Pompeu Fabra during the month of July, she underscored.

One of the 23 people who signed up for this course on scientific diplomacy co-organized by SciTech DiploHub and the IBEI explains that he paid 1,600 ($1,731) to listen to talks by Alexis Roig himself and by 15 speakers, among whom the most prominent international figures were Amna Baloch, Pakistans ambassador in Brussels, and Archana Sharma, an Indian physicist who works at the European Organization for Nuclear Research (CERN) in Geneva. There were no ministers, no Nobel laureates, and no princesses. These same speakers were the leading figures of the so-called High-Level Closing Plenary Session of the World Summit on Science Diplomacy on July 5, which was attended by the students of the summer school and dozens of other attendees, inside the auditorium of Barcelona Activa. The participant who spoke with this newspaper recalls that he asked himself: Theres been a world summit here and we didnt know about it?

Alexis Roig founded the SciTech DiploHub association in 2018. On his social media accounts he presents himself as Barcelonas chief science and tech envoy. An official spokesperson for the City of Barcelona, however, underscored that Roig is not the citys chief envoy under any circumstances. In 2023 the city awarded a grant of 10,500 to SciTech DiploHub to organize a World Summit on Science Diplomacy, but the grant was later revoked because the association did not submit the required supporting documents. At this time, the City has no relationship with the association or the promoter of the event, the spokesperson reported.

The same municipal source acknowledges that city officials did allow the use of the Barcelona Activa auditorium for the so-called High-Level Closing Plenary Session of the World Summit on Science Diplomacy on 5 July. As a City Council, we received a request to provide space and we did so, as we do with many other entities that hold events in the city. Likewise, we were asked to participate in the closing ceremony and an exec [Jaume Baro, executive director of Business and Entrepreneurship at Barcelona Activa] participated in it, not an elected official, adds the spokesperson.

Five industry experts consulted by EL PAIS said that Alexis Roig has a reputation for hyperbolically exaggerating his own results. One of these experts is Yoran Beldengrun, a Swiss consultant based in Barcelona who specializes in science diplomacy in the Palestinian-Israeli conflict. SciTech DiploHub never ceases to amaze me with the incredible initiatives it pulls out of its magic hat, but this time the trick was clearly an illusion. The question to ask the magician is not how he did it, but why he did it so badly, says Beldengrun. As a Swiss citizen living in Barcelona, I would be the first to welcome a Davos of science and technology to the city, but first we have to make sure that the conditions and needs exist to organize an event of that scope. The World Economic Forum in Davos employs 800 people, has revenues of more than 400 million and has existed for more than 50 years, he explains.

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ROCK HILL, S.C. (QUEEN CITY NEWS)  Charlotte Water officials are outlining plans to transfer millions of gallons of water from the Catawba River Basin to the Rocky River Basin.

They shared the proposal Monday night at a public meeting in Rock Hill. Its intended to meet growth in the Charlotte area and more that could come.

Several people who live along the Catawba River in South Carolina shared their concerns about how moving this water could affect their future growth.

PREVIOUS: Public hearing set as Charlotte Water requests an increase in daily water intake

You cant live without water, said Fort Mill Mayor Guynn Savage. I do think it will be impossible for me to support.

Many people who spoke at the meeting said they do not favor the plans.

Our position is that its not sustainable and frankly irresponsible to simply allocate more of the Catawba water to other basins, said Brandon Jones, the Catawba Riverkeeper.

His was just one of many concerns shared by people in Rock Hill about Charlotte Waters plans for a new inter-basin transfer. Thats where a utility takes surface water from one basin and returns it to another.

As the community continues to grow, we need to seek an increase to the inter-basin transfer that would allow us to take some additional water and provide service to the eastern part of Mecklenburg County, said David Czerr, deputy director of Charlotte Water Department.

Charlotte Water leaders want to increase their water withdrawal from the Catawba River Basin for households to use and return a portion of that (wastewater) to the Rocky River Basin.

Right now, Charlotte Water takes about 33 million gallons per day from the Catawba River. Officials are looking to increase that number by up to 30 million more.

Overall, comparatively, we believe thats a very small amount of water that is available in the overall Catawba River, said Czerr.

The city would pump Catawba water for everyday use and return portions of treated wastewater to a separate basin around the Rocky River.

Without an increase to the inter-basin transfer, it would potentially limit the amount of water we could utilize in the eastern third of a service area in Mecklenburg County and that could have long-term effects on our growth, said Czerr.

Leaders have filed a notice of intent and wrapped up the public comment portion of the process Monday night with the Rock Hill meeting.

Chester County is definitely looking at growing and weve got growth issues every day and weve got water issues, said Rep. Randy Ligon, who represents Chester and York Counties in the South Carolina House.

Business owners: Drainage issues damaging property, causing accidents off Wilkinson Blvd

As community members express their concerns, Charlotte Water officials want everyone to know theyre exploring all options to make sure everyones best interest is met.

We are all a part of the Catawba River Basin and we are interested in being a good partner in how that resource is used, said Czerr.

This is a very long, multi-year process. Environmentalists will conduct studies and state regulators still have to approve the change before it can take effect. Officials said itll be two to three years before we see the end result.

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CHESAPEAKE, Va. (WAVY)  A Chesapeake man was sentenced to 34 years in prison for attacking a hookah lounge employee.

Romon Millner, 32, of Chesapeake, Va. was convicted of one count of abduction with intent to defile, three counts of strangulation, one count of robbery, six counts of forcible sodomy, three counts of rape and three counts of object sexual penetration.

On May 25, 2021, Millner robbed a hookah lounge on Eden Way and held the victim, who was working alone, against her will. Court documents show that Millner brutally beat and raped the woman repeatedly both inside the store and after driving her to a second location outdoors.

Police found significant injuries on the victims body consistent with a brutal attack. During a police interview, Millner claimed the sex was consensual.

A judge sentenced Millner to 92 years of incarceration, with 57 years and 2 months suspended. He will serve 34 years and 10 months in prison. Additionally, a lifetime protective order was issued that prohibits Millner from have any contact with the victim or her family, and he will be required to register as a sex offender.

Copyright 2024 Nexstar Media, Inc. 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.
Chicago courts and police are preparing for potential mass arrests outside the Democratic National Convention in a city where violent images of officers beating demonstrators at the turbulent 1968 event have loomed ahead of this years conference.

Court officials have announced that a defunct courtroom at a Chicago police station will temporarily reopen to process and release dozens of people, if necessary.

Chicago police  which paid out millions of taxpayer dollars to defend and settle lawsuits related to misconduct during 2020 protests  also vowed to respect demonstrators civil rights and have prepared for unrest with live drills featuring actors playing screaming protesters.

But civil rights groups and the citys police watchdog have raised serious concerns about mass arrest policies and law enforcements capacity to responsibly handle potentially thousands of people marching in the streets and near the United Center, where the convention will be held.

Dozens of groups are planning to protest Democratic support for Israels war in Gaza during the convention.

Chicago Police Superintendent Larry Snelling speaks during a Democratic National Convention security briefing on July 25 in Chicago. The city has created a new court to handle the expected mass arrests during the Democratic National Convention (Getty Images)

Police should be looking to de-escalate engagements with protestors, and must not use interactions as a pretext for mass arrests, violence, or retaliation, Edwin C. Yohnka, director of communications and public policy at the ACLU of Illinois, said last week in response to plans for a security perimeter at the event.

Simply engaging in First Amendment activity, including peaceful activity that may cause inconvenience to others, is never a reason for arrest. Arrests should not be a tool for suppressing free expression, he added.

The convention will return to the Windy City the week of August 19, when Vice President Kamala Harris is expected to be formally designated the partys nominee to face Donald Trump in the 2024 election.

Threats of political violence and ongoing demonstrations targeting US support for Israels war in Gaza have hovered over this years elections. Secret Service personnel are also expected to face heavy scrutiny after the attempted assassination of Trump during a rally in Pennsylvania on July 13. Law enforcement failures prompted officials to call for the resignation of the agencys director Kimberly Cheatle, who stepped down last week.

Cook County judges have worked to clear their civil and criminal court calendars, and Chicago jurors wont be summoned that week for one of the busiest courthouses in Illinois.

A courtroom at the Area 3 police station at Belmont and Western avenues on the citys Northwest Side will be reopened to handle coordinated multiple arrests  situations in which an officer hands off a person who is being detained to another officer so the initial officer can stay on the scene. It will open from 8am to midnight to help quickly process defendants.

From there, they will be released from the station with a citation or held for a hearing before a judge. The station can hold about 90 people at once, according to officials.

The states Pretrial Fairness Act mandates a presumption of release, and the charges that are most likely to be handed to protesters are not eligible for pretrial detention. Most people who are arrested during a mass event, if any, are likely to be released that same day.

The media attends a Democratic National Convention walk through at the United Center in Chicago on January 18. The event returns to the Windy City on August 19. (AP)

At least 57 judges have been trained on the Pretrial Fairness Act and will hear cases at the facility, if necessary, according to a court spokesperson.

We want to make sure the police are able to focus on providing security and that the rights of arrested individuals are scrupulously respected, Cook County Chief Judge Evans said last week.

Police Superintendent Larry Snelling insisted that the citys police has learned from past mistakes and is preparing for the best while bracing for the worst.

We will respond to protect peoples rights. We will respond to protect the city, he said earlier this month. And we just want to make sure that we keep it as peaceful as we possibly can.

A coalition of civil rights and community groups have warned that an early draft of a mass arrest policy eviscerates protections for protesters. After it was redrafted, the group continued to voice serious concerns, according to federal court filings.

The group argued that the policy does not distinguish between First Amendment-protected activities and illegal actions like looting, or between unlawful but nonviolent civil disobedience and unlawful actions that could result in physical harm to people or property.
Child care is scarce in Maryland, the nation  and the pandemic made matters worse

Sarah Haddaway and her husband, Noah, have spent more than a year trying to find day care for their son Brooks. Photo by Jacquie McKenzie/Jacquie Q Photography

By Katelynn Winebrenner and Laura Shaughnessy

Halfway through her 12-week maternity leave last summer, Sarah Haddaway didnt expect the trouble that would accompany her search for child care.

After unexpected rejections from one fully booked child care facility after another, the lifelong Western Maryland resident began calling every provider she could find.

Almost 11 months later, Haddaways son Brooks  who just turned 1  is on at least seven providers waitlists. Hes been on those waitlists since the end of July 2023.

Its a nightmare, said Haddaway, who is from Frostburg. There is no opening anywhere you look. Its like winning the lottery.

Parents across Maryland and the nation face the same struggle for one simple reason: The number of children who need child care exceeds the number of slots available in child care facilities.

The COVID-19 pandemic made matters worse. Maryland lost 15% of its child care providers and nearly 7% of its child care slots from Jan. 1, 2020, through Jan. 1, 2024, according to state statistics retrieved by the Local News Network. Those stats show that the number of child care slots in Maryland fell by 15,152 in those four years.

Some Maryland counties experienced especially dramatic changes. St. Marys County lost more than a quarter of its providers, while Caroline County lost nearly a quarter of its child care slots. Local News Network compiled a county-by-county look at the trends in Maryland.

But its not just Maryland families who struggle to find child care. A national survey of 2,000 Americans in November 2023 for Care.com, a company that tries to match families with caregivers, found 65% of families with young children had spent time on child care waitlists.

Many child care providers nationwide left the business amid the pressures of the pandemic, said Jay Belsky, a child psychologist and professor of human development at the University of California, Davis. He said thats one reason families struggle to find child care in a nation that, unlike many others, doesnt offer consistent federal support for it.

What COVID showed us was how fragile the child care system was, Belsky said. We dont have a child care system. We have a non-system.

Super, super difficult

Child care providers closed their doors in recent years for a variety of reasons tied to one central fact: Their work is harder now. A Local News Network survey of 256 current child care providers in Maryland found 62.5% said their jobs have become more difficult since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic.

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Asked to cite the challenges they face, 57.4% listed financial stability, while 48% cited burdensome state regulations  issues that are connected, according to many providers. Meanwhile, 46.5% of the providers surveyed said they struggled to hire quality staff.

Child care providers who left the business in recent years echoed those concerns.

Ben Stelle founded Kidpower at Silver Spring International in 2003 under a contract with Montgomery County that allowed him to work directly out of a school.

Its super, super, super difficult to turn a profit if you dont have the kind of sweetheart deal that I had, Stelle said. Unless you were getting subsidized and had your own sort of small monopoly on a school area, you were out of luck.

He attributed this mostly to Maryland state regulations, which require that child care centers have one adult employee for every three children under the age of 2.

You couldnt turn a profit because you couldnt stay affordable at the ratios that were being forced upon you, Stelle said.

Raven Hill, a spokeswoman for the Maryland State Department of Education  which oversees child care in the state  said theres a good reason the state requires more staff to supervise the youngest children.

The 1:3 staff-to-child ratio for infants ensures that children receive high-quality care and activities, Hill said. Younger children typically need more care and attention, and smaller group sizes allow adults to interact more easily with each child and respond to their unique individual needs.

Stelle decided to leave the business, ending his contract with the county before the end of the 2021 school year, for reasons other than state regulations. He said he was fatigued after decades of working with children.

The glamor of it wore off, he said.

Candace Hall, who operated a child care facility out of her Montgomery County home, cited a different reason for why she closed her operation in 2021.

The last licensor specialist I had was extremely rude and demeaning, Hall said in response to the Local News Network survey. I decided after that last inspection, I would have to close down, as I will not be disrespected in my own home.

Meanwhile, Maxine Seidman  who owned and operated Play Keepers Inc. out of a school in Randallstown for 40 years  said her income fell as the pandemic prompted parents to keep their children at home. Some of her staffers left, too.

Certainly none of us were making the kind of money we were making before, which wasnt a whole heck of a lot, Seidman said. But this made it very difficult to get staff after COVID.

The struggle to stay afloat during the pandemic was unlike anything she had experienced.

It was very distressing, she said.

Seidman decided to retire in 2021. But now shes concerned about the availability of child care in Baltimore County, which state statistics show lost 1,821 child care slots between 2020 and 2024.

I worry about some of the families, Seidman said. Who is taking care of their children? I wonder where those children are.

A frustrating search

Many Maryland parents wonder where the child care providers are.

Noor Shakeel said she knew finding child care in Montgomery County would be a struggle.

I was always stressed out, hearing from my friends experiences, said Shakeel, who lives in Germantown.

To alleviate that stress, Shakeels parents cared for her son until he was 18 months old. At that point, she could tell he wanted and needed more socialization.

Shakeel and her husband tried to keep an open mind when they started touring child care centers, but she came across obstacles.

Distance, safety and money, Shakeel said. Those are the three big factors.

The process is also long, she said.

It comes to a point when you dont have a choice other than to settle, she said.

Eventually, Shakeels mother-in-law connected them to a family friend who happened to have an opening in her in-home day care.

We just got lucky, Shakeel said.

Other parents are not as fortunate.

Masha Mukhina, an assistant professor of physics at the University of Maryland, moved to Prince Georges County in 2023. Colleagues advised her to add her son, who is now almost 2 years old, to the waitlist for Bright Horizons, a child care center in College Park affiliated with the university.

Much to her surprise, her son continues to be on the waitlist and has even dropped down a few spots due to aging out of the infant group into the toddler group.

Children move from this waiting list in and out based on age, and Im supposed to be on the priority list as an employee of the university, said Mukhina, who ended up hiring a nanny to care for her son. And I dont think it gets me any priority because everyone, more or less, on that waiting list is in the same position.

Several child care providers said availability is especially tight for families seeking care for children under age 2.

Because of the regulations and because of the guidelines that surround children under the age of 2, many of the providers and centers are no longer taking infants, which is making it harder to find infant care or child care for children under 2 throughout the state of Maryland, not just Baltimore, said Brenda Velez-Jimenez, who operates Brendas Little Monkey Daycare in Catonsville.

A continuing struggle

As difficult as it is for families to find quality child care now, some providers across Maryland fear the situation will get worse before it gets better.

For one thing, the federal government offered temporary aid totaling about $24 billion to prop up the child care industry during the pandemic. That program expired in September 2023.

On top of that, several providers noted they face new competition from unlicensed providers that popped up during the pandemic and operate without the same costly restrictions imposed by state regulations.

Youve got other childrens neighbors that are providing unlicensed care, Velez-Jimenez said.

Velez-Jimenez criticized the state for not doing anything about those unlicensed providers, but Hill, the Maryland State Department of Education spokeswoman, begged to differ.

The Office of Child Care investigates all illegal child care complaints within 10 days of receipt, she said. A cease-and-desist letter is issued to providers informing them that they must stop providing child care if they are doing so.

Other child care providers expressed fears about another new competitor: the new state pre-K program for 3- and 4-year-olds to be implemented over the next few years under the states education reform plan, the Blueprint for Marylands Future.

While private child care providers are being counted on to join the pre-K program, some worry they will lose clients  and income  once the state starts offering free pre-K to 3- and 4-year-olds.

We are terrified that if we lose our 3- and 4-year-olds, youre going to see centers closing down right and left because there wont be enough income to support the teachers who work there, said Flora Gee, pedagogical administrator at the Greenbelt Childrens Center in Prince Georges County.

Gee said her facility has already been losing teachers to public schools that pay twice as much, and she isnt the only child care provider who worries about staff shortages.

Finding and retaining competent employees who align with my day care facilitys values and standards is a constant challenge, said Yvette Gordon, who runs a family child care facility in Baltimore.

Kelli Deist, who runs an in-home day care in Frostburg, said theres an obvious reason for child care staffing shortages.

We dont get paid what we deserve, she said.

During the pandemic, the state permitted Deist to take in children of essential workers in exchange for state compensation.

Financially, it was a struggle because we werent allowed to charge the parents, she said. The state was supposed to be paying us, but because it was such a big, new thing, they were way behind. I went three months without any payment at all.

A nationwide problem

Marylands child care shortage is part of a nationwide phenomenon. According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, as many as 100,000 Americans have been forced to stay home from work because of their struggles to find child care.

This burden falls disproportionately on women of color who are on the frontlines of many essential jobs, said Tina Kauh, a senior program officer and child care expert at the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation. Many are also child care providers who face the monumental feat of juggling their low-wage, high-risk jobs with caring for their families and themselves in the midst of a pandemic.

With child care slots in such high demand, parents end up paying more and more. In 2023, Care.coms survey found families spent 24% of their income on child care  even though the federal government only considers child care affordable if it takes up 7% or less of a familys income.

Families spent an average of $321 a week on day care, up 13% from $284 in 2022, and many families are going into debt to pay child care bills.

Within the first five years of their childs life, parents are being forced into a financial hole that is nearly impossible to climb out of, Care.com CEO Brad Wilson said in a statement announcing the studys findings.

The United States is unusual among developed nations in that it has no universal support system for child care or standardized policy on parental leave. Maryland offers a scholarship program that helps subsidize the cost of child care for lower-income families, but it does not cover the full cost.

Belsky, of the University of California, Davis, said he believes there should be a system in place that gives parents a choice to stay home to raise their children if they want, or to be able to choose a high-quality care facility.

Giving families with young children more support, including economic support, might afford them the ability to more freely choose what they feel is best for their young childrens care, Belsky said.

But for families where both parents work, stable child care is a necessity, Belsky said.

Especially at younger ages, stability of care is preferable, desirable, if only from the standpoint of quality of life, he said.

That stability is important for kids and parents alike, according to Natasha Cabrera, a University of Maryland expert on human development.

The first five years of life [and] the first year of life is critically important for brain development, said Cabrera, a professor at the universitys College of Education. Children are like sponges. Their brains are ready, and theyre wired to learn, but they need the cognitive stimulation from the environment.

The child care shortage could have negative consequences for children across Maryland, such as decreased trust, lowered academic success or increased risk for developing a mental illness, she said.

Its awful, Cabrera said. Its very scary. If you care about the future of Maryland, you need to invest in its children.

 Local News Network reporters Fiona Flowers and Jess Daninhirsch contributed to this report.
(Bloomberg) -- A Chinese official praised Hong Kongs revamped political system in a campaign to burnish the image of the financial hub damaged by a sweeping crackdown on dissent.

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Democracy in Hong Kong really is thriving, Cui Jianchun, Beijings top diplomat in the former British colony, said on Tuesday in some of his first public comments since taking office in April. He said hell work on improving the citys international image and stressed a need to share accurate information about it.

Cuis two-hour-long press conference comes as Hong Kong struggles to boost its appeal to businesses and tourists after a clampdown on political opposition following massive pro-democracy protests in 2019. Beijing responded by imposing a national security law that chilled speech, and rewriting election rules to all but exclude democracy advocates from all levels of office.

Those efforts slashed directly elected seats in local polls and left many voters  especially younger residents  disillusioned with the prospect of greater representation. The loss in political freedoms raised concerns of blurring the distinction between the semi-autonomous city and mainland China, and with it the commercial centers advantages.

Beijing has shrugged off such fears and said a stable Hong Kong makes it a more attractive place for businesses. Cui, whose official title is Commissioner of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in Hong Kong, listed democracy as one of the four pillars of Hong Kong alongside its market economy, civil society and rule of law.

Cui said China has a right to develop its own political systems. Without naming any country, he criticized some democracies for failing to benefit the people and only advancing personal or party gains.

Signaling further efforts to tighten the partys ideological control, he also called on Hong Kongs youth to develop a national identity, encouraging those who are interested in diplomacy to study Xi Jinping thought, the Chinese presidents guiding principle.

Authorities have sought to further integrate the city into the countrys development plans, announcing in early July an easing of visa policies to further facilitate cross-border exchanges. Growing transport links have helped a record number of Hong Kong residents travel to neighboring mainland cities for fun and boosted economic ties between the city and the rest of China.

But Hong Kongs appeal to visitors and businesses has been held back by a negative perception overseas. Western governments have responded to authorities security clampdown with sanctions and elevated travel warnings.

Cui criticized such sanctions for impeding exchanges between Hong Kong and foreign governments and disrespecting the citys officials.

We should have new wisdom and a new approach to solve this, he said.

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(Bloomberg) -- Chinese President Xi Jinping is stepping up efforts to position himself as a peacemaker for ending Russias war in Ukraine, despite growing criticisms from the US and Europe that Beijing is propping up the Kremlins battlefield efforts.

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With Moscow and Kyiv facing pressure at home and abroad to find a way to end the war, China last week hosted its first senior official from Ukraine since the conflict began in 2022. While Foreign Minister Wang Yi told his Ukrainian counterpart Dmytro Kuleba the time was not yet ripe for peace talks, he said both sides were now signaling a willingness to negotiate.

Beijing followed up that outreach on Sunday by dispatching its special envoy Li Hui to Brazil, South Africa and Indonesia to build up conditions to resume peace talks  countries that have also skipped imposing US-led sanctions on Russia.

The flurry of activity underscores Xis ambition to forge a bigger diplomatic role at a time when Kyiv  and the broader European region  are bracing for a dramatic shift in foreign policy from their most important ally. Republican candidate Donald Trump has vowed to end the war in Ukraine within 24 hours if he wins the US election, while his vice presidential candidate, JD Vance, has been critical of support to Kyiv.

China hasnt shifted its stance but sees a window to establish itself as a more powerful player, said Alexander Gabuev, director of the Carnegie Russia Eurasia Center, adding that negotiations could take place as soon as this year.

China is positioning itself for later rounds of talks, he said, noting that departing President Joe Biden could also seek a deal to secure his foreign policy legacy. Beijing wants its own share of the success and to position itself to play a constructive role and be celebrated for that.

Beijings outreach comes after President Volodymyr Zelenskiys government announced it was open to Russian leader Vladimir Putin attending a second peace summit its targeting before the US vote in November  a condition for Beijings attendance. While Xi has been touted as a potential negotiator for his ties with leaders on both sides, Beijings support for Russia has cast a long shadow over his governments claims of neutrality.

Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni views Xi as an important stakeholder in Russias war in Ukraine if Trump pulls back support, Bloomberg earlier reported, citing people familiar with her thinking. The far right leader offered to broker better ties between Beijing and Europe in a Monday meeting with Xi.

That move comes after Zelenskiy stressed Beijing could become a mediator with the US in ending the war in an interview with Bloomberg News. Kyiv has maintained ties with Beijing even as the US and Europe have threatened Chinese banks with sanctions over bolstering the Kremlins war machine.

Xi is working to boost his peacemaker credentials in regions where Washington has traditionally played a larger role, as the worlds biggest economies jostle for global influence  a mission that has united China and Russia. Last year, Beijing surprised Washington by presiding over the closing of a detente between long-time rivals Saudi Arabia and Iran.

Ukrainian foreign minister Kulebas visit came as Beijing gathered Palestinian rival factions to sign an agreement to establish an interim reconciliation government. While that deal  dubbed the Beijing Declaration by the Chinese side  lacked details for how deeply divided adversaries such as Hamas and Fatah would work together, it signaled Beijings rising influence abroad.

China will play a more important role in peace negotiations, in peacemaking and talking  not just in the Middle East and Ukraine but even globally, said Wang Yiwei, professor of international relations at Renmin University.

Thats because the Global South bloc of developing nations increasingly trusts Beijings approach to diplomacy, which vows not to interfere with domestic affairs, he added. Ukraine would see Chinas endorsement of any peace plan as a sign of Russian commitment, Wang said.

Exemplifying Chinas cautious approach to Ukraine, however, Kulebas meetings last week were confined to the southern city of Guangzhou rather than being centered in the capital, Beijing. The Ukrainian official followed those talks with a stop in Hong Kong, where he warned the Chinese citys leader about enabling Russias efforts to avoid US sanctions.

Europe would likely want reassurances about further Russian expansionism from any Ukraine settlement. Fears are growing that Putin could extend his ambitions to Baltic states that are North Atlantic Treaty Organization members, risking a bigger conflict with the defense alliance.

Whether Beijing would be willing  or even able  to try to secure guarantees of Russian restraint is unclear, said Ja Ian Chong, an associate professor of political science at the National University of Singapore.

Right now, the optics suggest Beijing is using Ukraine for its own purposes rather than offering any practical steps toward peace, he added.

--With assistance from Josh Xiao.

(Updates with details of Melonis visit.)

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The technology already exists: if necessary, this report could have been written without typing, simply by dictating the text to the processor. However, it is still far from convenient. It would be necessary to go back over the text to correct (and possibly add) punctuation and to change words that have been misunderstood. And, after rereading, it is also likely that the result would have to be generally reworked, since we do not speak in the same way as we write. Even if, when dictating, we are thinking that the result will be a written text. These are some of the problems that graphic designer Miriam Inza encountered when she wrote the article Writing with the mouth: voice dictation as an experiment for the magazine Inmaterial. In the text, some of the consequences of writing by dictation are evident: the machine sometimes misunderstands or does not detect certain words: For this article to make sense, for it to really involve the implementation of a type of writing with the mouth, I self-imposed the rule of not correcting what is being written, Inza said.

Perhaps one of the areas where [speech-to-text technologies] can still make a huge qualitative leap is in automatic punctuation, Inza notes, in an email she typed. At the moment, to write by voice, you have to dictate punctuation marks or, in the case of transcribing an interview, for example, enter them manually. Some tools have automatic punctuation  only in some languages, but work is ongoing on it. Still, what is missing are just details: being able to write at the speed at which one speaks without using ones hands is already the future of the present, she said.

One of the keys to the huge advances in speech-to-text technologies in recent years has been the arrival of Whisper, the Automatic Speech Recognition (ASR) model that OpenAI released at the end of 2022. The tool is controversial: according to an investigation by The New York Times, OpenAI created Whisper when it ran out of text on the internet with which to feed its AI. With Whisper, the door to the entirety of YouTube was opened to the company, giving it more natural and conversational material with which to train ChatGPT-4, its most advanced language model. This use, however, could have violated YouTubes rules, not to mention the privacy of the users who appear in the videos (Google, the owner of the online video service, also uses the same material to train its own AI).

Technological wars aside, Whisper has changed everything, says Jose Maria Fernandez Gil, head of the Digital Accessibility Unit at the University of Alicante in Spain. AI tries to transcribe entire sentences, with their full stops, commas, exclamation marks, questions And it is not going to make, or would residually make, contextual errors such as gray hair is very comfortable, because it has not distinguished between the N and the M [in the English and Spanish spelling], he explains. At the University of Alicante the model has been used to subtitle nearly 1,800 hours of video with impressive precision.

As for what still needs to be improved, Fernandez Gil points out that there is still a lack of vocabulary and that the model makes mistakes with some acronyms, although much less so than traditional systems. However, Whispers computational cost is very high, something that is beyond the reach of most people.

Another issue that has not yet been resolved is the processing of different accents and dialects, especially if they are used locally or regionally, notes Dayana Ribas, scientific director of Business Telecommunication Services (BTS), a telecommunications company that is also using these technologies in various projects. Ribas mentions that transcription also fails when words in different languages are used, a situation frequent in the daily life of practically bilingual countries, such as Puerto Rico. The fact that these types of details are still missing is a clear example of the problem of bias, she points out.

There are also pending issues such as the transcription of audio in realistic, everyday scenarios that present a mix of distortions of various kinds, for example, telephone calls with their ambient noises, the automatic correction of errors and the constant and growing need to address the issue of security and privacy, adds the expert.

Are we going to move on to writing by dictation?

With the technology already on the verge of becoming a reality, the question arises: will there come a time when the first option when we want to produce a written text is to dictate it to a machine? All the experts interviewed agree that we speak and write differently, so this is something that will always have to be taken into account. Ribas believes that dictation can be practical for more creative tasks or writing drafts, since it facilitates speed and naturalness in the production and saving of ideas and we can do it while doing other semi-automatic things for humans, such as walking or cooking, and it requires less effort. However, for generating more precise and concentration-demanding ideas, such as writing a technical report or a novel, sitting down to type is likely to provide adequate time to think and produce ideas with more control, she adds.

On this point, Inza recalls the French essayist Roland Barthes, who said: There is a great distance between my head and my hand and I take advantage of it in order to avoid saying the first thing that comes to me. One of the things Barthes noticed in his research on writing with the mouth is that it also changes the way in which one speaks. To write a text with voice dictation, you have to adopt a specific way of dictating, he said.

It is also quite possible that in all this we will end up seeing a generation gap. Compared to people who are used to typing quickly on a computer keyboard, the new generations have seen the microphone icon for dictation from an early age and use it a lot, says Fernandez Gil, who gives the example of his niece, who is a teenager and, when she uses her cell phone, usually prefers to dictate in the applications rather than type. From what she tells her uncle, this is something generalized among her generation.

On the other hand, a change in the writing instrument will produce texts with different characteristics. Virginia Woolf, for example, complained when she wrote a letter with a typewriter (she tried to avoid doing so) about how the instrument cut and broke sentences that were crystal clear and precious in her head. Related to all this, using AI tools for writing also has an impact: recent research from Harvard University concluded that texts written with the help of predictive writing are more succinct, more predictable and less colorful than those that do not use it. There are still no studies on how texts written by word of mouth will be.

A revolution for accessibility

Developing speech-to-text technology is not only a step forward in terms of convenience or speed when carrying out certain tasks, but it will also be an option that will help many people. Fernandez Gil provides some examples: it will help people with hearing impairment who, thanks to the generalization of automatic subtitles, will be able to hear [read] what they cannot hear; it will improve the integration of people from other countries and cultures by combining spoken language recognition with translation; it will aid people who cannot write well, as well as making life much easier for those who, due to motor problems, cannot or have difficulty writing using their hands.

For her part, Ribas also highlights the possibilities that it opens up from the point of view of learning, since it boosts the educational system with tools that make it easier to take notes and study. It could also have many uses in the field of customer service. In a health center, for example, doctors could better attend to patients while the computer transcribes what they are saying.

When it comes to simply producing a text like this, dictation will be another option. Having options is always an advantage. The choice of producing a text one way or another will be very personal and will in any case be filtered by the auditory, visual or reproductive characteristics of each person for inspiration or to better fix ideas, says the scientific director of BTS.

Perhaps the images of writers  which went from depicting them pen in hand to showing them behind a screen  will in a few years become photographs of people walking and talking at the same time. Or maybe not. Voice dictation technology is having, and will have, a strong positive impact on the various writing endeavors. But just as some of us prefer to handwrite certain things rather than type them on a cell phone or computer, there will also be those of us who find keystrokes more pleasurable than dictation. If only for the pleasure of being able to write in silence, Inza concludes.

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By Liz Lee

BEIJING (Reuters) - China's President Xi Jinping has congratulated Venezuela's Nicolas Maduro on his presidential reelection, state media said on Tuesday, in contrast to doubt and criticism expressed by some Latin American leaders and the United States.

Electoral authorities said Maduro won a third term with 51% of the vote, extending a quarter-century of socialist rule, though the opposition said it had voting-tally proof of having won as anti-government protests erupted nationwide, with police firing tear gas to disperse protesters in the capital Caracas.

Xi reiterated ties of friendship in his message to Maduro, saying the latter had led his government and people on a path of development in line with national conditions, official news agency Xinhua said.

"China will, as always, firmly support Venezuela's efforts to safeguard national sovereignty, national dignity and social stability, and firmly support Venezuela's just cause of opposing external interference," Xi said.

All parties should respect the choices of the Venezuelan people, a Chinese foreign ministry spokesperson told a news briefing in reply to a query about China's position on Maduro's contested reelection.

"We believe that the (Venezuelan) government and people are capable of handling their own internal affairs," the spokesperson, Lin Jian, added.

However, Latin American governments as well as the United States expressed doubt about Maduro's win, with the Biden administration accusing him of election manipulation and Peru dismissing Venezuelan diplomats.

Russia, Cuba, Honduras and Bolivia were supportive of the election results.

(Reporting by Liz Lee and Joe Cash; Editing by Clarence Fernandez)
Of the two Chinese swimmers spared sanctions despite testing positive, one is competing in Paris - Bertrand Guay/Shutterstock

A fresh case of Chinese swimmers being secretly cleared of doping has come to light  this time after authorities blamed a contaminated hamburger.

One swimmer in her countrys team in Paris was among four athletes to test positive in 2022 and 2023 but later spared of any blame.

A New York Times investigation claims Chinada, the nations anti-doping body, secretly concluded two swimmers ingested the drug while eating hamburgers at a restaurant in Beijing.

Responding on Tuesday, the World Anti-Doping Agency said allegations of meat contamination relates to a wider series of cases involving four athletes from swimming, shooting and BMX.

According to Wada, the four tested positive for trace amounts of a prohibited substance, metandienone, in late 2022 and early 2023, in different locations and at different times. In the case of the two swimmers, they were suspended for more than one year, Wada said.

Following its investigation, Chinada concluded that the four cases were most likely linked to meat contamination and, in late 2023, closed the cases without asserting a violation, with the athletes having remained provisionally suspended throughout that time, a statement said.

The case emerged days after leading swimmers at the Olympics had already condemned other failed China anti-doping investigations.

Caeleb Dressel, the eight-time Olympic gold medallist from the United States, bluntly replied no, not really when asked whether he had confidence in a previous case involving 23 athletes being contaminated by a kitchen.

Australias Olympic 200 metres breaststroke champion Zac Stubblety-Cook also indicated he may carry out a podium protest against the Chinese. The system, he said, ultimately feels like its failed. A war between the global anti-doping body and the US equivalent had already reached boiling point last Thursday. Wada had said it was speechless over claims it has been a lapdog to the International Olympic Committee, which threatened to pull the plug on the US hosting future Games unless the FBI ends investigations into China cover-up claims.

Travis Tygart, chief executive of American anti-doping body Usada, said it is crushing to learn of the new case. China seemingly has the playbook to compete under a different set of rules tilting the field in their favour, he said. The failed leadership of the anti-doping system has allowed one country special treatment at the very time we should all be united behind the Olympic values of fair play and respect for all fellow competitors.

Not only will the upcoming swimming relay event be tarnished given that China swept this positive test for a hard-core steroid under the rug, but with it coming on the heels of Wada also allowing China to bury 23 positive tests of swimmers, clean athletes hopes and dreams have been stolen by these failures. A mountain of evidence shows that the system has failed. Wada has accepted China can play by its own set of rules, and the public is losing faith in the Olympic values. It must change.

In response to the new claims on Tuesday, Wada said the politicisation of Chinese swimming continues with this latest attempt by the media in the United States to imply wrongdoing on the part of Wada and the broader anti-doping community.

As we have seen over recent months, Wada has been unfairly caught in the middle of geopolitical tensions between superpowers but has no mandate to participate in that, a statement added.

The Chinese are said to have emphasised in their explanation to Wada that only trace amounts of the steroid had been detected and said that those levels were consistent with contamination, not doping. The Telegraph has attempted to contact Chinada.

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CHP issues Ebony Alert for teen missing for more than two months, last seen in Elk Grove

The California Highway Patrol issued an Ebony Alert on Tuesday for a 14-year-old girl went missing from Elk Grove more than two months ago.

Kamara Green was last seen about 8 a.m. May 14 at Monterey Trail High School, the CHP said. She was wearing a black turtleneck dress, black pants and flip-flops.

Authorities described Green as a 5-foot-5, 125-pound girl with brown hair and brown eyes.

The CHP activated the alert on behalf of the Sacramento County Sheriffs Office. Sgt. Amar Gandhi, a spokesman for the Sheriffs Office, said Green didnt initially qualify for the list of factors required by the CHP to issue an Ebony Alert. However, the lengthy time period that shes been missing prompted deputies to seek further help, Gandhi said.

Residents are asked to call 911 if Green is spotted.

Ebony Alerts, which went into effect this year in California, help to provide information to the public about the suspicious or unexplainable disappearance of a Black youth between ages 12 and 25, according to the CHP.
ST. LOUIS  The decades-long saga of freeing a Missouri man wrongfully convicted of murder has reached its end.

52-year-old Christopher Dunn walked out of the St. Louis Justice Center Tuesday evening free, after spending 34 years incarcerated.

On Tuesday, the Missouri Supreme Court ruled that the St. Louis Circuit Court lacked the authority to order the release of Christopher Dunn because the underlying murder charge filed against him was still pending. The states highest court wrote, ordering [Mr. Dunns] release without allowing the State of Missouri an opportunity to indicate its intent, if any, to retry Dunn.









In essence, the matter was put back in the hands of St. Louis Circuit Attorney Gabe Gore, who last week filed a motion for Dunns immediate release. St. Louis Circuit Judge Jason Sengheiser overturned Dunns conviction on July 22.

Following the state Supreme Courts ruling, Gores office released a statement saying they had filed a Memorandum of Nolle Prosequi stating that the State elects not to proceed in State of Missouri vs. Christopher Dunn, Cause Number 22901-001555, which makes clear that Mr. Dunn will not be retried.

Kira Dunn, Christophers wife, told FOX 2 that the Missouri Department of Convictions contacted her and said her husband would be transported to the St. Louis City Justice Center, where hed be released Tuesday evening.

Dunns legal team from the Midwest Innocence Project released a statement Tuesday afternoon, elated at the news.

Today, the Missouri Supreme Court cleared the way for Christopher Dunns release from custody after 34 years of incarceration. The Court lifted the emergency stay of Judge Sengheisers order and correctly held that Judge Sengheisers finding of actual innocence had immediately overturned Chris wrongful convictions. The only remaining legal formality was to dismiss the original criminal charges so that Chris can walk free. Thus, with Circuit Attorney Gabe Gores dismissal of those charges this afternoon, Chris nightmare comes to an end. He is coming home. We are thrilled that Chris will finally be reunited with his family after 34 years behind bars for a crime he did not commit. We look forward to supporting Chris as he rebuilds his life. But our joy in welcoming Chris home is tempered by the additional days and moments stolen from him by this weeks proceedings. We are grateful for the outpouring of support from all corners of the country over the past few days. As we all observed, that was not justice. Tragically, this is not the first time the Missouri Attorney General has fought to keep an innocent person in prison. We hope it will be the last. Chris Dunn deserved better. Ricco Rogers and his family deserved better. As a nation, we deserve better. Until that day comes, we will celebrate that Chris will finally return home to his family as a free man. This result would not have been possible without the persistence of Circuit Attorney Gabe Gore and special prosecutors Judge Booker Shaw, Rachael Moore, and Layla Husen of Thompson Coburn LLP. Their work was integral to securing Chris freedom, which is long overdue. We look forward to being a part of Chris next chapter, and we are honored to support him as he rebuilds his life alongside his loved ones. If you would like to support Chris on his new journey, you can find his GoFundMe here. Rachel Wester and Tricia Rojo Bushnell, Midwest Innocence Project; Justin Bonus and Jonathan Potts, Bryan Cave Leighton Paiser.

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Dunn, 54, was convicted on July 18, 1991, for the murder of Ricco Rogers.

Rogers, 15, was shot and killed on May 18, 1990, in the Wells-Goodfellow neighborhood. Investigators believed Rogers was murdered over a gang affiliation.

At the time, Dunn was charged with first-degree murder, first-degree assault, and armed criminal action. He was sentenced to life without the possibility of parole.

Kim Gardner, the former circuit attorney, believed there to be clear and convincing evidence pointing to a wrongful conviction and had asked the St. Louis Circuit Court to overturn the verdict.

At the time, the trial hinged on the testimony of 12 and 14-year-olds, who later admitted that they were not telling the truth and recanted.

Ultimately, Circuit Attorney Gore said that proved to be enough.

His predecessor, Gardner, had filed that paperwork in mid-May 2023. Days later, she announced her resignation and left office on May 16. Earlier in the year, Gardner succeeded in getting the courts to re-examine and ultimately vacate Lamar Johnsons murder conviction. Johnson had been behind bars for 28 years for the 1994 killing of Marcus Boyd.

Shortly after assuming office, Circuit Attorney Gore promised his office would conduct a full review of Dunns case before moving forward on anything.

In June 2023, Gore withdrew Gardners petition, saying he wanted to conduct his own investigation and review of Dunns case. He appointed retired Judge Booker Shaw to assist in the review and advise the circuit attorney on the possibility of withdrawing the case. Both Shaw and Gore concluded that Dunn was innocent of the crime.

Copyright 2024 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.

For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to FOX 2.
City employee, event planner IDd as two women killed in Rochester park shooting carried out by cowards

Two women were killed and another five people were wounded in the shooting at a Rochester city park Sunday night that sent hundreds of people running for cover, according to police.

City worker Tyasia Manning, 25, and event planner Phylicia Council, 34, were identified by Rochester police as two victims who died when gunfire rang out at Maplewood Park in upstate New York.

Manning died at the scene and Council succumbed to her injuries at a local hospital.

The hail of bullets rocked the Rochester community Sunday. Tina MacIntyre-Yee/Rochester Democrat and Chronicle / USA TODAY NETWORK

People were in a celebratory mood enjoying the warm weather, having a good time, Mayor Malik Evans said during a press conference on Monday posted by WHAM. But yet we had cowards that decided to start shooting.

Five other victims are expected to recover from their wounds after a series of gunshots were fired around 6:20 p.m. at the park.

Rochester Police Chief David Smith said multiple weapons were fired during the shooting, but an exact number of suspects was not revealed. No arrests have been announced.

Phylicia Council, 34, was killed in the park shooting. Phe Council/Facebook

The crowd of people enjoying the barbeque stampeded from the park as the chaotic scene unraveled, according to purported footage of the incident posted online.

Officials are pleading with the publics help to track down the shooters.

You have an obligation to make sure you make your voice is heard because your family member could be the next Phylicia or Tyasia, Evans said.

Tyasia Manning also lost her life tragically from the gunfire. OG King/Facebook

Council owned an event planning business called Imperfectly Perfect that puts on private events, her friend told the Democrat and Chronicle.

She didnt deserve this, Turbo Lewis said. She was a loving, caring, outgoing person.  Its just sad.

Manning worked with kids at the citys Carter Street R-Center that focuses on youth programming.

Department of Recreation and Human Services Commissioner Shirley Green told the newspaper Manning was dedicated to her job and was known as mama bear.

The kids loved her and she loved the kids, Green said.
UPDATE: The City Council voted 5-3 on Tuesday, July 30 to put the fate of the multipurpose center or Downtown arena into the voters hands in the November general election.

The council voted 5-3 to adopt an ordinance ordering an election to determine whether to revoke the Citys authority to issue bonds for the project, which was originally approved as part of a Quality of Life bond back in 2012.

Reps. Josh Acevedo, Cassandra Hernandez and Isabel Salcido voted no. They also voted no on July 16 when the measure was first proposed.

EL PASO, Texas (KTSM)  Working under a tight deadline, City Council representatives voted to host nine community meetings to explain the proposed ordinance that would allow voters to determine what happens with the 2012 Quality of Life bonds.

In a 7-1 vote, with Rep. Art Fierro the sole dissenter, council members also approved an educational campaign that will run simultaneously with the community meetings that will include an estimate of the total cost to taxpayers and a timeline of events from 2012 to present day on the bonds history.

The proposed ballot measure would ask voters to decide the future of the proposed multipurpose center or Downtown arena as it is often referred to as. This project was originally included in the 2012 Quality of Life bond but has been a source of a controversy since then.

According to the Citys communication director, Laura Cruz-Acosta, the education campaign will cost an estimated $367,000. She said where the funds for and what material will be included in the campaign have yet to be determined, but the primary purpose is to inform voters about the ordinance before they go to the polls.

Its important to keep in mind that the City and the council members cannot speak to or campaign in one direction or the other. They cannot ask the community to vote yes or no on the item. We can only provide the information, so the community should be able to make their own decision when it comes to the item on the ballot, Cruz-Acosta said.

Between Aug. 13 to Sept. 13, representatives will host at least one community meeting in their district along with one hybrid meeting.

Council members still need to approve the final language of the ordinance and what they will be asking constituents to vote on during the November election.

KTSM reached out to Fierro for a statement on his reason for voting no on the item. His office has yet to respond.

Copyright 2024 Nexstar Media, Inc. 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.
BAKERSFIELD, Calif. (KGET)  The city of Wasco said it is very concerned about social media posts allegedly involving Wasco Mayor Alex Garcia.

In a statement, Wasco city officials said it is aware of the social media posts and the locations referenced in the video are believed to be in Bakersfield.

I have had to put them in counseling: Scrivners wife granted expedited hearing on child support

The Wasco Police Department has been in communication with the City of Bakersfield regarding the allegations, according to Wasco officials. Bakersfield police have attempted to contact the parties involved.

In part, the City of Wasco said:

The City of Wasco is very concerned about these allegations and will continue to cooperate with the Bakersfield Police Department and any other agencies to ensure all the facts in this

matter are brought to light quickly. City of Wasco

17 News has reached out to Garcia about the social media posts.

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 KGET 17.
Clearwater Marine Aquarium welcomes first two manatees to new rehabilitation center

TAMPA, Fla. (WFLA)  The Clearwater Marine Aquarium welcomed two manatee patients to their new Manatee Rehabilitation Center Tuesday.

Yeti and Zamboni have been at ZooTampa at Lowry Park receiving care through the Manatee Rescue & Rehabilitation Partnership where they have been recovering and gaining weight.

Id be lying if I said I wasnt a little disappointed: Bobby Finke on winning the silver in the 800m freestyle

Yeti was rescued on Feb. 15 by Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission, ZooTampa, and U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service for cold stress in Kings Bay in Citrus County.

At the time of his rescue, Yeti was 205 centimeters long and weighed 365 pounds.

Zamboni was rescued on Jan. 25 by Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission and ZooTampa in Placida Bayou in St. Petersburg.

Credit: Clearwater Marine Aquarium

Credit: Clearwater Marine Aquarium

Credit: Clearwater Marine Aquarium

Credit: Clearwater Marine Aquarium

Credit: Clearwater Marine Aquarium

Zamboni was 200 centimeters long and weighed 306 pounds at the time of his rescue.

Both manatees will now go through an acclimation period where they will be monitored on their behavior to ensure their transition to the new facility will be an easy one.

The two will continue to finish their rehabilitation at the Clearwater Marine Aquarium, and hopefully be released back to the wild this winter.

At this time, the manatees will not be viewable to the public.

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For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to WFLA.
Clinic guard jailed for 4 years over locked shelter that led to deaths in Kyiv last year

A Kyiv court found Vadym Moshkin, a security guard of one of Kyiv's clinics, guilty of negligence over a closed bomb shelter that led to the deaths of three people during a Russian strike last June, sentencing him to four years in prison, the Prosecutor General's Office said on July 30.

The deaths of three civilians, including a 9-year-old child, who tried to enter a closed bomb shelter on June 1, 2023, during a Russian missile strike in Kyiv, sparked outrage among Ukraine's public and officials.

After President Volodymyr Zelensky called to punish the ones responsible for the deaths, the authorities started an investigation, pressing charges against the clinic's administration and the security guard, who did not open the air defense shelter.

Residents of Kyiv's Desnianskyi municipal district sought shelter in the clinic's bomb shelter after the air raid sirens went off.

Witnesses said that while people were banging on the doors, asking to open them, debris of a shot-down missile fell on the ground, killing three civilians.

According to witnesses, Moshkin did not open the bomb shelter on time because he claimed to "have problems with his leg" and could not walk fast.

Kyiv's mayor, Vitali Klitschko, pointed out that keeping bomb shelters open and accessible to people is the responsibility of district administration and the heads of institutions where they are located.

The Attorney General reports that Vadym Moshkin changed his official statements regarding the events several times and did not plead guilty during the trial.

Later in June 2023, a special commission launched a series of inspections of Kyiv's bomb shelter and found that only 65% were usable. The Kyiv City Attorney's Office said it opened an investigation into possible embezzlement during the repair of Kyivs bomb shelters.

Read also: Civilian deaths in Kyiv spark outrage over closed bomb shelters

Weve been working hard to bring you independent, locally-sourced news from Ukraine. Consider supporting the Kyiv Independent.
Press Release

July 30, 2024 EDCOM 2 Senate commissioners files concurrent resolution urging the PBBM to create cabinet cluster for educ The Second Congressional Commission on Education (EDCOM 2) Commissioners (EDCOM 2) Commissioners Senators Sherwin "Win" Gatchalian, Alan Peter Cayetano, Koko Pimentel III, and Joel Villanueva filed Senate Concurrent Resolution No. 21 today, urging President Marcos to create a cabinet cluster for education. "This concurrent resolution filed with my fellow EDCOM 2 commissioners echoes the immediate need to have a cohesive and coherent implementation of education laws, policies, reforms, and regulations. We need to make sure that everyone in government is on the same page and headed in the same direction, especially as we seek to reverse the country's education crisis," says EDCOM 2 Co-Chairperson Senator Gatchalian. In its Year 1 Report, EDCOM 2 highlighted other critical areas of coordination that still need to be completed, including the developing plans and setting targets for the education sector as a whole, monitoring targets for learning outcomes, designing pathways through key stages, as well as overall manpower development for the Philippine Education System, among others. "With the education crisis that the Philippines is currently facing, there is no time to waste. For decades, our education agencies have been working in silos, with no coordinating body providing oversight. Now that we see its impacts, we must all be accountable to fix our education system," says EDCOM 2 Commissioner Senator Pimentel III. Similar with the House Concurrent Resolution No. 28 filed by EDCOM 2 Commissioners at the House of Representatives last July 16, the proposed cabinet cluster is composed of the Early Childhood Care and Development Council, the Department of Education, Commission on Higher Education, Technical Education and Skills Development Authority, and the Department of Labor and Employment, and with support from the Department of Budget and Management. EDCOM 2 Commissioner Senator Alan Cayetano, also Senate Committee on Higher, Technical and Vocational Education Chairperson, particularly emphasized the need to ensure operationalization of the proposed cabinet cluster. "We proposed that these education agencies be headed by an existing cabinet member with a direct stake in education, and be supported by the Department of Budget and Management to ensure necessary operational funding. With the support of the DBM, we can guarantee that these agencies have the financial resources required to effectively execute their mandates." "The lack of coordination within the trifocalized education system poses a significant challenge to the effective implementation of crucial education laws, such as the Philippine Qualifications Framework Act and the Ladderized Education Act. These laws are designed to establish equivalency pathways for seamless progression across all levels of education in the country and to improve employability and mobility of Filipino workers," adds EDCOM 2 Commissioner Senator Villanueva, also Senate Committee Chair on Labor, Employment and Human Resources Development.
TAYLOR COUNTY, Texas (KTAB/KRBC)  A Clyde man was killed during a rollover wreck in Taylor County Monday morning.

Monty Hale, 75, was pronounced dead at the hospital following the crash of FM 382 west of Lawn just before noon, according to a crash report from the Texas Department of Public Safety.

The crash report reveals Hale was traveling north down the road in a dump truck when he failed to navigate a curve, causing him to overcorrect and lose control. The truck rolled onto the passenger side.

Hale was not wearing a seatbelt during the crash, according to the report.

No further information is available at this time.

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For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to KTAB - BigCountryHomepage.com.
His mother was waiting on police to take him away for treatment. Shed just finished filing paperwork with a judge that would allow officers to get him help  even if he didnt want it.

It was a somewhat routine process. Sanrico Sanchez McGill had bipolar schizophrenia. Hed been diagnosed for nearly 10 years and involuntarily committed at least three times before, his brothers later told police.

This time, McGill had a gun. He shot it outside their apartment, his mother told police. His brothers said hed shot two bullets into the air in response to two other shots nearby.

After officers showed up, McGill pointed it at one of his brothers. The other told police not to shoot.

Four Charlotte police officers responding to McGills mothers calls shot at the 34-year-old 25 times on Dec. 16, 2023. One of them had taken him in under an involuntarily commitment order not six months earlier.

This time, two bullets struck him.

He probably would have survived the shot to his hip. It was the shot to his chest that killed him, Mecklenburg District Attorney Spencer Merriweather wrote in a Tuesday letter reviewing the shooting.

McGill died inside the home in north Charlottes Lincoln Heights. The gun, Charlotte-Mecklenburg Police Department officers later found, wasnt loaded, and an empty magazine was on the sidewalk in front of the steps where McGill died.

As you know, Merriweather wrote to Brandon Blackman, the special agent in charge at the State Bureau of Investigations Harrisburg office, this letter specifically does not address issues relating to tactics, or whether officers followed correct police procedures or CMPD Directives.

CMPD has the power to review and change their policies, Merriweather said, but he does not.

Merriweather wrote that the officers were entirely reasonable in believing McGill posed an imminent threat of great bodily harm or death to his brother. When police are able to prove they sensed an imminent threat, they are also able to argue they acted in self-defense, history shows.

Officers were justified in shooting McGill, Merriweather wrote. Any charges brought against them wouldnt hold up in court, he determined.

Merriweather continued: If no criminal charges are filed, that does not mean the District Attorneys Office believes the matter was in all respects handled appropriately from an administrative or tactical viewpoint. It is simply a determination that there is not a reasonable likelihood of proving criminal charges beyond a reasonable doubt unanimously to a jury.

Merriweather has never brought a police shooting in front of a grand jury for review since being elected in 2017. The Mecklenburg District Attorneys Office last did that in 2013 for the police shooting that killed Jonathan Ferrell. That case was later dismissed with a hung jury, and then-Attorney General Roy Cooper opted not to prosecute a case.

A mothers calls

McGills mother called officers at 6:15 a.m. on Dec. 16, 2023, after she heard five shots in the parking lot outside a duplex at 1515 Catherine Simmons Ave.  a densely populated area of Charlotte, according to Merriweather. She thought McGill had fired them.

When officers arrived, McGill was inside. His mother told them he was not mentally well before they asked him, through a loudspeaker, to put his hands up.

He didnt.

Instead, he came out in an extremely agitated state, yelled at his brother, went inside and came back out with a gun, racking the slide  a maneuver that loads a guns chamber  and pointing it at his brother, Merriweather wrote, referencing body-worn camera footage.

Officers Benjamin DeVries, Sean Werchek, Tymel Carson, and James Fisher didnt know the firearm wasnt loaded, Merriweather said. They only knew McGill was posing an imminent threat to his brother. That was enough to justify their shootings.

CMPD makes contact

SBI investigators interviewed Officer Werchek nearly two weeks after the shooting, on Dec. 29, 2023.

He remembered neighbors coming outside after hearing noise: officers and family members talking to McGill. When McGill first walked onto the front porch steps, his hands were empty but clenched, Werchek said, according to Merriweathers letter. He remembered McGill taking an aggressive stance and not acknowledging the officers commands at all.

McGill was yelling, he said, but Werchek couldnt understand what he was saying. He did not speak with or engage with officers at any point, Werchek said. He remembered Officer DeVries firing at McGill at some point, while giving commands. Werchek fired his gun when McGill appeared with a semi-automatic gun and raised it toward his brother and some officers.

Werchek thought he fired five times. He fired 11 bullets toward McGill.

Officer Werchek explained that he fired more than one shot because he fired until the decedent no longer posed a threat, Merriweather wrote. He determined the decedent was no longer a threat when the decedent fell to the ground.

Werchek had seen McGill before, he told investigators. Less than a year earlier, hed taken McGill into custody for an involuntary commitment order without incident.

Investigators spoke to Officer Carson five days after the shooting, on Dec. 21, 2023. Hed been at CMPD for three months, and Werchek was his training officer. McGill was acting in an irate manner for about 30 minutes, Carson said. It wasnt until officers shined a spotlight onto McGill that he went inside to get a handgun, Carson said. When he pointed it, it looked like he was aiming for officers and bystanders, Carson said.

Carson told McGill to drop the gun and fired his weapon. McGill fell to the ground, he remembered, then got up and went inside.

Carson remembered shooting at McGill five times. He shot 11 times.

Six days after the shooting, on Dec. 22, 2023, investigators interviewed Fisher, who provided cover to other officers during the incident by keeping his rifle pointed at McGill. Fisher recounted watching McGill leave the step, go inside and come back out. At this time, Fisher tried to tell Carson to turn off the blue lights on the police car. They were annoying McGill, he told SBI agents.

As he did that, he heard gunfire ring out. He thought they were in the middle of a gunfight, where McGill was firing at officers, he said. Fisher saw McGill in an interesting posture, like he was leaning or running, he said.

He fired his rifle once.

SBI agents also interviewed DeVries on Dec. 22, 2023.

He didnt remember what McGill had said, but he knew he ignored commands. He didnt remember what commands officers gave but suggested they would have been something to effect of show your hands or stop.

DeVries told investigators he heard the slide rack, which indicated a round is chambered, and saw McGill with the gun in his hand. At that point, he made the decision to fire his rifle, Merriweather wrote in the review. He felt he was compelled to shoot, relying on his experience with firearms and on his observations of McGill.

He fired two shots at McGill.

Brother told officers not to shoot

SBI officers interviewed McGills brothers, identified as D.M. and C.M. in Merriweathers letter, the day of the shooting, on Dec. 16, 2023.

They told officers their brother had been diagnosed with bipolar schizophrenia for nearly 10 years. Hed been involuntarily committed three or four times and was supposed to be taken in again following a magistrates Dec. 15 order.

Officers can take up to 24 hours to serve involuntary commitment orders after they are issued.

The night before the shooting was restless for everyone, C.M. told investigators. McGill had episodes once or twice a year. This one consisted of McGill talking to himself, opening and shutting doors and yelling repeatedly.

Merriweather says remedies cant come from him

The fact that a shooting may be controversial does not mean that criminal prosecution is warranted, Merriweather wrote in his review. Even if the District Attorney believes a shooting was avoidable or an officer did not follow expected procedures or norms, this does not necessarily amount to a violation of criminal law. In these circumstances, remedies (if any are appropriate) may be pursued by administrative or civil means.

Those remedies are primarily made through city and county governments, police departments, and private civil attorneys.
CHARLOTTE (QUEEN CITY NEWS)  Federal judges have rejected an appeal from a former Myers Park High School student over an alleged kidnapping and sexual assault.

The girls family filed a lawsuit in 2018 accusing Charlotte-Mecklenburg Schools officials of failing to act after she was allegedly assaulted by a male classmate.

Last year, a jury found CMS did not mishandle the rape investigation or violate her Title IX rights.

The Fourth U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals upheld the verdict on Monday, July 29.

Plaintiffs have the option of appealing to the Supreme Court.

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For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to Queen City News.
Utahs 2nd Congressional district debate between Colby Jenkins and Congresswoman Celeste Maloy at the KUED studios at the University of Utah in Salt Lake City on Monday, June 10, 2024. (Pool photo by Scott G Winterton/Deseret News)

As expected, Rep. Celeste Maloys Republican opponent Colby Jenkins has officially called a recount in Utahs 2nd Congressional District primary.

Jenkins announced on X that his campaign formally requested the recount, given the 214-vote margin separating him and Maloy was within the required range for a recount under Utah law. The lieutenant governors office confirmed to Utah News Dispatch on Monday that it received Jenkins request.

Official election results showed Jenkins trailed Maloy by just a fraction of a percentage point  0.2%  with 49.9% to Maloys 50.1%, or 53,534 to 53,748 votes.

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Five weeks ago on election night, we were down nearly 2,000 votes, and now here we sit at 214, Jenkins told Utah News Dispatch on Monday during a phone interview, noting that as more ballots trickled in leading up to the county canvass, he continued to close the gap on Maloy until the margin hit recount territory.

For a losing candidate to be able to call a recount, Utah law requires a margin of equal to or less than 0.25% of the total number of votes cast. According to official election results, 107,282 ballots were cast and counted in the 2nd Congressional District race, putting the required recount margin at about 268 votes. Maloys slim 214-vote lead positions the race well within recount range.

That 214-vote margin is the same as three weeks ago, when county officials across the state canvassed and certified their election results.

That day, Maloy declared victory. 214 votes is pretty close, but its about 213 more votes than you need to win, she said. Though she acknowledged Jenkins was likely to call a recount, she said she didnt expect that a recount will change the outcome.

Jenkins, at the time, said he planned to call a recount and responded with this statement: Ive been in a lot of battles in my life, victory isnt something you declare. You win it, or you dont. Let Celeste declare victory, and we will win it.

On Monday after Jenkins officially called the recount, Maloy issued a video statement saying it came as no surprise, and my team is prepared for this.

I want to make sure that every Utah voter has a high level of confidence in our election system, the integrity of our elections, and that their votes will be counted, she said. So were going to watch this play out.

She added she has a really high level of confidence in our county clerks and their staff. They do a really great job verifying and checking all the ballots.

So well watch this recount play out, she said, but Im confident that the final result will be the same.

In response for a request for comment @RepMaloyUtah sent me this video message. In it, Maloy says she expected this, shes confident in our election system. Im confident that the final results will be the same #utpol pic.twitter.com/ITnZutnbBC  Katie McKellar (@KatieMcKellar1) July 29, 2024

Jenkins said he, too, has confidence in our election, but he again pointed to concerns his campaign has raised about ballots that have been disqualified because they missed the postmarking deadline under Utah law, which mandates vote-by-mail ballots must be postmarked no later than the day before Election Day.

Jenkins campaign estimates about 1,300 ballots across multiple counties, but concentrated in southern Utah counties where he had significant support like Iron and Washington, were disqualified because they missed the postmarking deadline, even though Jenkins said hes heard from multiple families  entire households  that said they put their ballots in the mail well before the June 24 deadline.

There are hundreds of voters whose votes were disqualified because of what we call the Vegas cancellation, Jenkins said, referring to some ZIP codes in southern Utah where mail is processed in Las Vegas before being sent back to county clerks.

The issue especially stirred frustrations in Iron County, where one commissioner voted against certifying the election. The other commissioners ultimately voted 2-1 to certify, but not without heartburn over nearly 500 vote-by-mail ballots that were not postmarked on time and disqualified. Many of those, county officials worried, should have been counted but werent due to mail being routed through Las Vegas.

Though Jenkins campaign officials previously floated the possibility of addressing the postmarking issue through a recount, Jenkins told Utah News Dispatch on Monday that they anticipate attempting to remedy the issue through a separate legal challenge  by contesting the election through a petition filed with the Utah Supreme Court.

Jenkins said its likely that filing to officially contest the election will come Tuesday. He has until the end of the day on Aug. 1, or 10 days from the election certification on July 22, according to the lieutenant governors office.

In conducting a recount, state law requires county election officials to recount all ballots cast in the race and re-examine all uncounted ballots to ensure they comply with the law. Given Iron County officials expressed frustration about not being able to count the late-postmarked ballots but ultimately voted to certify because state law is clear they cant be legally counted without a postmark before Election Day, its unlikely that a recount will result in a flood of previously uncounted ballots.

A recount could, however, possibly uncover some discrepancies.

Now, Utah law allows election officials seven days to carry out the process.

At the end of the day, while we certainly want to win, our overarching goal is to make sure that every legal vote gets counted, Jenkins said. Lets say we get a legal ruling in favor of our petition and those late postmarked ballots are counted. Well, while we certainly hope and want to win, if the results are still the same then its still a moral victory because those ballots were counted.

At least one legislator, Sen. Dan McCay, R-Riverton, told Utah News Dispatch hes interested in running a bill to allow more flexibility for rural counties around the postmarking deadline  but he and legislative leaders werent inclined to intervene or change the law in the middle of this years election process. Now that question is before the Utah Supreme Court.

Jenkins said lawmakers have been aware of this issue before this years election, and its something that should have been addressed. If his campaign is ultimately not victorious, he said hes grateful his race with Maloy highlighted the issue.

Weve got to fix this. Weve got to investigate it further, before we disenfranchise hundreds of our voters, he said.

He also issued a call to Utah voters who may have had their ballots disqualified because they missed the postmarking deadline to get in touch with his campaign.

We would love to hear from them, he said.

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SALT LAKE CITY (ABC4)  Colby Jenkins, who challenged Rep. Celeste Maloy in the Republican primary for Utahs 2nd Congressional District, has formally requested a recount in the race.

Jenkins announced his request for a recount Monday on Twitter/X, posting a message to Lt. Gov. Deidre Henderson in which he asked that his campaigns watchers be granted meaningful access, from no further than six feet away to observe the process.

READ NEXT: Washington County judge denies Colby Jenkins lawsuit over uncured ballots

Jenkins said the recount is to verify and audit the original count system and process.

Perhaps we may turn up a few votes that were  counted incorrectly, or werent counted by mistake, Jenkins told ABC4.com.

The results of the primary race for the 2nd District were certified last week. While Maloy beat Jenkins by more than 200 votes, the contest fell within the legal threshold for a recount.

Were well within that margin that qualifies us for a recount, Jenkins said. It was just a matter of me formally requesting, and we did that today.

Jenkins waited until an hour before Mondays recount deadline to request the recount.

While we certainly want to win, at the end of the day, we want to make sure that every legal ballot gets counted, Jenkins said. Right now, were confident thats not the case.



In a video sent to ABC4.com, Maloy said she was prepared for a recount given the races tight margins.



Were going to watch this play out, the congresswoman said. But Im confident the final result will be the same.



The winner of the recount will go on to face Democratic candidate Nathaniel Woodward and Constitution Party candidate Cassie Easley in the November general election.

Earlier this month, a judge denied Jenkins lawsuit against the Washington County clerk over his not releasing information on hundreds of voters whose ballots were not cured due to concerns over their signatures. Jenkins wanted this information to help the voters cure, or fix, their votes.

However, the judge ruled it was up to the clerks discretion not to release voters personal information to Jenkins campaign. Washington County officials expressed concern that voters privacy might be violated.

The Jenkins campaign has also argued that hundreds of ballots were unfairly rejected because while they were mailed on time in Utah they were postmarked late by the United States Post Office while being routed through Las Vegas.

Were fighting till the very end, Jenkins said. Not because were sour grapes or poor losers  because were seeing hundreds and hundreds of voters who have been disenfranchised.

On social media, Jenkins said that state legislatures knew about this potential issue in southern Utah as recently as this spring but did nothing to address it. Jenkins said he is also pursuing legal action to see if we can, indeed, fight so that every legal vote can be counted, in particular those that were disqualified due to the late postmarking.

He said the votes that were disqualified would not necessarily be counted in the recount, but if the Utah Supreme Court reached a solution, he said a similar situation may be avoided in the future.

Jenkins has asked any voters who were affected by the late postmarking to reach out through his 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 ABC4 Utah.
College Student Didn't Show Up for Custody Hearing for Son. Now, Child's Mom Is Accused of Conspiring to Kill Him

Steven Harris, 20, a member of Southern University's Human Jukebox marching band, was found dead nearly a week after being reported missing

Steven Harris/Instagram Steven Harris

A 20-year-old college student was found dead shortly after not showing up to a custody hearing for his son.

Steven Harris' body was found in Wilkinson County, Miss., with multiple gunshot wounds after he was reported missing, police said, according to reports from WBRZ, WJTV and WAFB.

Now, the outlets, citing police, report that three suspects  Allyah Martin, 21, Derek Terrell Hollins Jr., 21, and Calajia Jack, 20  have been arrested on charges of conspiracy to commit first-degree murder, with Hollins facing an additional charge for possession of a machine gun.

At the time of his death, Harris shared one son with Martin.

It's not immediately clear if the suspects have entered pleas or retained attorneys.

According to a GoFundMe page created to support Harris family and son amid the tragic loss, the Southern University student lived in Francisville, La. and went missing on July 17. He was expected in court the following day for a custody hearing and his family grew concerned when he did not show. His body was found nearly a week later on July 23.

"Steven was a member of the Human Jukebox, was studying criminal justice, and just wanted to be a great father to his son. He was a dear student and a talented musician," reads the description of the fundraising page. (The Human Jukebox is the name for the renowned Southern University marching band.)

The page notes that the funds will go towards funeral costs and supporting Harris son. His family will reportedly seek custody of the child.

WJTV reports the West Feliciana Parish Sheriff Office in Francisville, La. believes Hollins, Jack and Martin conspired to lure Harris to Mississippi where he was evidently shot and killed.

Sheriff Brian Spillman told the outlet that Mississippi authorities "are pursuing charges in this case, however, we believe the plan to commit this crime was hatched here; and the initial phases leading up to Stevens death began here in West Feliciana Parish."

The three suspects are currently being held at the West Feliciana Parish Jail and will be extradited to Mississippi to face charges, according to WJTV.

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This is a horrific tragedy and my thoughts and prayers go immediately to the Harris family after such a tragic loss, Deputy OJ Packnett said in a statement obtained by the outlet.

PEOPLE reached out to West Feliciana Parish Sheriff Office for additional comment, but did not immediately hear back.

The investigation is ongoing.

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Read the original article on People.
BOGOTA (Reuters) - Colombia's Foreign Minister Luis Murillo on Tuesday called for Venezuela's government to release the results of Sunday's presidential election so that they can be audited by the international community.

"For peace in Venezuela, it's necessary to see all the certificates of the final results and for them to be audited by the world," Murillo said in a video posted on X.

Venezuela's national electoral authority has named President Nicolas Maduro as victor of the election, sparking allegations of fraud, with opposition politicians and independent pollsters deriding the reported win as implausible.

(Reporting by Luis Jaime Acosta; Writing by Oliver Griffin)
(Bloomberg) -- Colombia called on Venezuelan authorities to publish evidence that President Nicolas Maduro won a third term in Sundays election.

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For the peace of Venezuela, its necessary to know all the voting tallies of the final results, and that these are audited for the world to see, Foreign Affairs Minister Luis Gilberto Murillo said in a statement posted on X. Its supremely important to dispel any doubt about the vote count.

After decades of tension, relations between the two countries improved dramatically after leftist Gustavo Petro took office as Colombian president in 2022.

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Col. Daniel Lager Lehoski, a highly experienced F-22 Raptor pilot, now commands a wide-reaching unit that stands at the leading edge of future air combat capabilities development. These include Collaborative Combat Aircraft (CCA)  pairing highly autonomous and advanced uncrewed combat aircraft to fight alongside crewed ones  and its overarching Next Generation Air Dominance (NGAD) initiative. The service is betting heavily on CCA and NGAD in a time of rapidly morphing technology and peer competition not seen since the Cold War. So getting new tactics and the complex technologies that underpin them not only right, but fielded as fast as possible, is a massively important undertaking at a truly critical crossroads in air combat and geopolitical history.

The War Zone traveled to the 53rd Wing headquarters at Eglin AFB in Florida  the USAFs primary test and evaluation organization  to sit down with the officer in charge of it all. In doing so, we got his candid perspective on many emerging capabilities, and how the 53rd Wing is racing to make them actually usable for airmen that will bet their lives on them.

An F-35A of the 422nd Test and Evaluation Squadron, part of the 53rd Wing, takes off during Exercise Northern Edge 23 in Alaska. USAF/Capt Lindsey Heflin

This is that exchange:

TWZ: Col. Lehoski, thanks for talking to us today. Its very clear that the near-peer threat from China is having a major influence on the USAF right now. How is that directly impacting the work of the 53rd Wing?

Lehoski: If we start at the high level, obviously we are laser-focused on the peer fight. And thats for a couple of reasons. For one, and Ill use the Secretary of the Air Forces quote, were out of time and that sense of urgency is driving a lot of things we do in the wing.

Before we could focus more on longer-range problems and informing acquisition and requirements. We are still doing that, but we have shifted a lot of our resources, time, and money into making sure that we are ready for the peer fight. If deterrence fails tonight, the 53rd Wing has its fingerprints on a lot of things both from a capability standpoint and a tactics, techniques, and procedures standpoint that we owe to the warfighter.

If deterrence fails, I know that the captain whos going to be in an F-22 or F-35 in the middle of the night, in the middle of the Pacific Ocean, is fighting a fight that none of us have thought about since World War II. We owe that captain both tested capability and also tactics that we have vetted to get every ounce of combat capability out of the aircraft. For this year specifically, weve made a big push to make sure our tactics are up to speed.

Part of that is driven by the strategic environment for the Department of Defense and the Department of the Air Force, but honestly, a lot of it is just driven by the threat. If you look at what China has done over the past decade, they have made massive modernizations and improvements in their air capability, specifically air and space, as well as their navy for that matter.

Gen. Ken Wilsbach, commander of Air Combat Command, watches a live cockpit demonstration of a long-range kill chain solution in the cockpit of an F-15E. USAF

We were doing some modernization in the Air Force, but we were also fighting in Iraq and Afghanistan. As those conflicts subsided we have shifted to be laser-focused on the pacing competitor. When the new National Defense Strategy was published in 2018, it was laser-focused on China. The Department of Defense was crystal clear that China was the pacing competitor, and thats percolated down. From a 53rd Wing perspective, with us having one foot in the acquisition world and the other foot in the current capability and tactics world, that drives that focus when we get into some bits of whats going on with CCA [Collaborative Combat Aircraft], for example.

You can look at the last five years of what China has done and its very impressive. That challenges a lot of the assumptions that we had with our tactics, so making sure that we are grounding our tactics in the actual capabilities of the competitor is really important. We spend a lot of time on the intel perspective, making sure that we know what the adversary is going to do, and then translating that into tactics for the warfighter.

TWZ: Collaborative Combat Aircraft [CCA] is a huge subject and development area for the USAF. How is the 53rd Wing getting involved at this point?

Lehoski: So for CCA, were integrated with the 96th Test Wing and the Project Venom effort to get after the artificial intelligence piece of that for the actual software development. We also have our CCA Experimental Operational Unit [EOU] at Nellis Air Force Base as part of the 422nd Test and Evaluation Squadron and they are already working on the tactics, the doctrine, the manning structure, what the squadron should look like.

If its unmanned CCAs, do I need a human for each one of those? Probably not. I probably still need a commander and a DO [Director of Operations] and some people to run the thing, but what does that actually look like? Its going to be radically different. Should it be part of an EX squadron? Should it be its own squadron? These are all things that we are experimenting with at the EOU to define what the squadron should look like, what the support requirements are going to be, and what the tactics are going to be.

An artists rendition of Collaborative Combat Aircraft in action. General Atomics

Were flying today in a synthetic environment, CCAs with F-22s, and F-35s, and F-15EXs, to see what this should look like. Should they be out front? Should they be 30 miles out front, 300 miles out in front? All these things that we just dont know, but were on the leading edge of that in the 53rd Wing to develop the doctrine, the tactics and the requirements for what the squadron will need to look like here very shortly in the Air Force.

TWZ: In terms of upgrades, getting capabilities out to the squadrons faster, how important is that?

Lehoski: Absolutely critical. If you rewind 20 years, we could afford to have this very long locked-in capability development process. That was a good thing because it ensured we had very high-end capability and we could do that because the threat was only changing every 15-20 years.

Now that threat is changing every 6-12 months, so being locked in is really a losing strategy on a lot of these things, especially as so many threats have gone software-based. The capability changes in the threat used to be hardware-based, something we could watch. If a new major Flanker variant came out, we could study it and develop tactics for it.

Now software is changing minute-by-minute, day by day, and thats driving what radars are doing and what other threat systems are doing. Being able to keep pace with that is really, really important. Here at Eglin [Air Force Base] we have the Spectrum Warfare Wing and their job is to make sure that were staying ahead in the spectrum fight. We work in lockstep with them to make sure the hardware and software in the F-35, for example, is up to speed with where the spectrum fight is, to make sure the software in that jet is tailored to the threat where it is today, right down to what the software is doing.

I will say that getting away from being locked into things for decades is really important. If you look at both the F-15EX and the upgrades were doing the F-22 and F-35, theres a big push to get to open system architecture to make sure that we can take something like an iPad and simply plug it into or around the operational flight program and not have to go through a 2-3 year process to get that upgraded in the jet.

One of the big capabilities that the F-15EX brings to the fight is the ability to rapidly put new weapons on it, because of its external carriage capacity and its ability to carry a lot of weight. We have the independent ability to upgrade the jets Operational Flight Program as well as actually working around the OFP to add some capabilities.

An F-15EX assigned to the 53rd Wing at Eglin AFB. Jamie Hunter

TWZ: Have you seen an increase in synthetics  iterative testing in advanced simulators  in the Operational Test and Evaluation world? The main reason I ask is that I cant imagine youre going to see squadrons regularly flying around with CCAs. Id imagine most of that training is going to be synthetic.

Lehoski: One hundred percent. The most realistic and relevant either test or training we do is in the simulator now. If I really want to see what were going to do if deterrence fails in the East China Sea or the South China Sea or wherever, we have got to do that in the simulator. Theres just things we cant do live fly that we have to in the simulator.

As an F-22 pilot, weve been leveraging the simulator since day one. With Increment 3.1, which was a major upgrade to the F-22 several years ago, we did all the operational tests and evaluations for that in the simulator. We are in transition to the Joint Synthetic Environment, or JSE. The JSE was originally designed for F-35 Initial Operational Test and Evaluation, but now its being used from the training side. The Air Force Weapons School and Navy TOPGUN all go to JSE at NAS Patuxent River. From a test perspective, were doing most of our high-end F-35 tests in the JSE.

In a few years at Nellis, they will have a JSE located there in what were calling the Joint Integrated Test and Training Center, formerly known as the VTTC [Virtual Test and Training Center]. So if you fast forward a couple of years from now, youre going to have all the high-end Air Force and Navy assets resident in that facility. When that happens, things like Red Flag and Black Flag will leverage the synthetic environment.

F-15Es and F-16s from the 53rd Wing converge on a KC-46A tanker during a Black Flag exercise. USAF/1st Lt Savanah Bray

TWZ: So how would you run a virtual Black Flag exercise right now?

Lehoski: Right now were using the virtual warfare center in St. Louis [Missouri] to execute a Virtual Black Flag. We will do that in July. Our concept is that we did a Black Flag live fly in April [2024] that was integrated with the U.S. Navy. I would equate that to really high fidelity, but low numbers of reps. We had five Large Force Test Events integrated with the Navy. We had surface ships replicating Renhi-class destroyers from China. We had all the air components integrated with the space domain. So, we did the live fly, really high fidelity, really exquisite, super relevant. The downside of that is that its really expensive. It takes a ton of effort to put that together. And we only get five swings at the bat to develop these new TTPs that were working on.

Well take that information and plug that into the models that we have in the simulator. Use the actual detection ranges and actually what were seeing to update the models in the virtual warfare center, and in July we will do 30 iterations of that. It gives us a capacity that we just dont have live flying. Theres also things we can do in the simulator that we just cant do in live -ly from an operational security standpoint. Theres capabilities and assets we just dont want to show the adversary. Theres plays that we just want to keep hidden before the Super Bowl. We dont want our competitors to see everything. Thats why you need the simulators. I want them to find out on night one, the incredible capability were going to bring to bear on them if deterrence fails.

Also, getting all the resources scheduled is really, really tricky when youre trying to put together the whole first team offense, and the replication. The threat is moving so quickly. I would love to have a fleet of J-20s to go and test against, but we just dont have that. Some of those things we have to push into the simulator due to OPSEC, threat replication, and physical size.

I probably have a thousand hours of flying on the Nevada Test and Training Range [NTTR], but its tiny compared to what were doing with our future missiles and adversarial missiles. We need airspace that is four times the size of the NTTR to do some of these things. Off the coast of California gives us that option as we have airspace that we can work in. Theres still plenty of good stuff we do in the Nellis ranges, but when we get the whole kill chain together, weve got to go out over the water.

An artists rendition of a Next-Generation Air Dominance fighter. Collins Aerospace

TWZ: While the synthetic environment is clearly very important, and massively relevant to things like CCAs, theres clearly times you will need to live fly in tests or training, including with a CCA.

Lehoski: One hundred percent. Theres some practical things like how does this thing operate in the national airspace system? Thats a very important administrative piece of this. Things like do the communications relays work, does this thing fly like its supposed to fly? Once we figure out how the CCAs fly, what their actual performance is, validate and test the communication links between CCA and the host platform. Once we have that data, then we go and build the models so we can iterate really quickly in the simulator.

I mean, a live flight, thats a whole day. Whereas I can go in the simulator and get the whole first team together. Well do a 30-minute run, everybody will come into the debrief room and see what worked and what didnt work. Change a few things and go again.

I think we have it scheduled for eight events in a day at Virtual Black Flag. Thats equivalent to a week and a half of flying.

TWZ: Could you see the only time combat squadrons might live fly with CCAs is in something like a Combat Archer? That kind of exercise uses live missiles and drone targets, so it would seem to be a very suitable environment.

Lehoski: I absolutely could, especially early on, because theres going to be a natural capacity issue. The first 100 CCAs, were probably going to want those primarily postured for combat operations in case deterrence fails, which means I cant have them strung across several different bases in the U.S. So, I think from a very practical standpoint, thats what were going to have to do and what we are going to want to do.

A 53rd Wing F-16C fires an AIM-120 AMRAAM during a Combat Archer exercise. USAF

Is a CCA a munition or is it an airplane? The more we look at it as a munition that will probably drive us towards using it at very focused events like Combat Archer. Then also when it gets to the end of its service life, itll probably make a really good drone for us to shoot down at Combat Archer. And honestly, our CCA Experimental Operational Unit team, one of their first stops was Combat Archer. Theres a lot of lessons that have been learned on how to operate small unmanned drones and weve got 30 years of resident knowledge at Tyndall Air Force Base [which hosts Combat Archer] to help shape some of these initial thoughts on how this is going to look from a squadron perspective.

If we look at CCA through the lens of a F-22 fighter pilot that might constrain what we could actually do with it. Same as if we look at CCA through the lens of an MQ-9. Its not an MQ-9 and were not going to have two pilots in a container flying each one of these things. So both those lenses are actually incorrect. Theres good portions of both those lenses, and we need to bring the best of both those to really look at CCAs in a different lens, and thats what the EOU is doing.

TWZ: When we talk about CCAs, we also think about the central Next-Generation Air Dominance fighter platform. Is there anything youre able to say about the 53rd Wings involvement with NGAD?

Lehoski: Not too much, but we are working on it in the wing. Right now we are integrating NGAD within the 422nd TES, that is our NGAD detachment. That will grow as the platform matures and it will eventually wind up as its own stand-alone squadron.

The B-21 Raider is being developed by an integrated test team. Northrop Grumman

The plan for NGAD is the same as it is for the B-21 Raider  integrated test. That means we will have operational test, developmental test, and the Weapons School essentially co-located in the same building, sharing the same people, sitting in the same briefing rooms, and thats really how you deliver combat capability quicker.

You have the flight sciences in that developmental test piece. Youll have the operational test, the tactics, techniques, and procedures [known as TTPs], and evaluating the software and everything like that. Then you have the Weapons School in the same building.

The 31st Test and Evaluation Squadron at Edwards Air Force Base [California] is executing B-21 operational testing today, integrated with our developmental team partners. And its really awesome to see. Were already developing the initial B-21 TTPs using the simulator. So when the first jets show up to their first operational unit, we will have a 53rd Wing published tactics manual ready for the captains and lieutenants to go execute. We could not do that without the leadership of the 31st TES and the 753rd Test and Evaluation Group, which is the bomber side of the 53rd Wing, and the simulator capability that we have, which was baked into the B-21 program from the start.

An F-22 Raptor flies over the Nevada Test and Training Range. USAF

TWZ: Can we round this out by talking about the Raptor? Its a jet you have been involved with for a long time, and theres some significant upgrades coming for the jet.

Lehoski: Raptor modernization is going really well. I flew an R3-standard Raptor on the Black Flag in April. Itll be great to get some of the additional planned sensors on the jet, and well start testing those in the near future, everything is integrated, and theres 422nd TES pilots already flying it.

We need NGAD, we need F-35, we need F-15EX, and we also need to modernize the F-22. If you look at the just sheer numbers [of aircraft] that our competitors could put up with some of these advanced aircraft, were going to be challenged air security-wise. So we need all of our fighters to make sure that we can gain and maintain control of the skies wherever we need to.

Authors note: A big thanks to 53rd Wing Public Affairs for making this interview happen and to Colonel Lehoski for providing his insights into critical projects for the wing.

Editors note: The sponsor had no editorial involvement in this article.

Contact the author: jamie.hunter@teamrecurrent.io
U.S. Rep. Yadira Caraveo, a Democrat from Thornton, speaks at a press conference in Brighton on Aug. 2, 2023. (Chase Woodruff/Colorado Newsline)

Colorados most vulnerable congressional incumbent is facing harsh criticism from some within her own party over her stances on immigration policy.

Democratic U.S. Rep. Yadira Caraveo of Thornton, who has represented Colorados new 8th Congressional District since last year, was among six Democrats who voted last week to condemn Vice President Kamala Harris record on immigration. The House of Representatives Republican majority introduced the non-binding resolution shortly after Harris emerged as the likely 2024 Democratic presidential nominee following President Joe Bidens decision to exit the race.

The resolution, which passed on a 220-196 vote, denounced far left Democrat open border policies and inaccurately described Harris as the Biden administrations border czar. In March 2021, Biden tasked Harris with coordinating with Mexico and three Central American countries to address the root causes of migration; another administration official, former U.S. Ambassador to Mexico Roberta Jacobson, was given the border czar title in early 2021.

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Its hardly the first time progressive Democrats have taken issue with a stance taken by Caraveo, whose voting record in the 118th Congress has been by far the most conservative of Colorados five House Democrats. But her decision to publicly rebuke Harris  just days after Caraveo joined nearly every other top Colorado Democrat in endorsing her presidential bid  struck a particular nerve, said Joe Salazar, a progressive former state lawmaker from Thornton and elected Democratic National Committee member.

We finally found our footing. Were rallying around someone that everybodys excited about, Salazar said. And what does Yadira do? She latches on to this right-wing garbage to pooh-pooh all over the vice president. Are you kidding me?

Salazar said he and other Democrats in the 8th District have communicated their disappointment to Caraveo and asked for a public meeting to address their concerns.

There are people who used to be in her camp, who have now either bailed on her or are just seriously reconsidering supporting her at all, he said.

A spokesperson for Caraveo said she was unavailable for an interview Monday. In a written statement, the first-term lawmaker said 8th District voters sent me to Congress to be an independent voice who will stand up to party leaders when theyre wrong.

I will continue to work with the Biden administration when its right for Coloradans, and I will make my opposition known on issues where I believe they could do more, including on immigration, Caraveo said.

By the numbers

VoteView, a database of congressional roll call votes maintained by researchers at the University of California Los Angeles, has tabulated nearly 1,000 House votes during the 118th Congress, which began in January 2023. Caraveos voting record was the 26th most conservative out of 213 sitting Democratic House members as of June 30, as calculated by NOMINATE, a statistical model used by political scientists to measure lawmakers on the traditional left-right political spectrum.

She has frequently been among a group of moderate Democrats crossing the aisle to back legislation advanced by the Houses Republican majority, especially on issues like immigration and crime. Many of the bills have stalled in the Democratic-controlled Senate. They include the Laken Riley Act, a proposed immigration crackdown named for a Georgia college student allegedly murdered by an undocumented immigrant; legislation to ban cities from allowing noncitizens to vote in local elections; and a bill to strip Washington, D.C. of its authority to enact changes to sentencing laws.

Caraveo faces a tough reelection battle in the evenly split 8th District, which was created by an independent redistricting commission in 2021 and includes parts of Denvers Democratic-leaning northern suburbs as well as more conservative areas in Weld County. Caraveo, a former state legislator, won the seat by a margin of less than 1 percentage point in 2022.

Her moderate voting record in Congress hasnt stopped her Republican challenger, state Rep. Gabe Evans of Fort Lupton, from routinely describing Caraveo as extreme and one of the most leftist members of Congress.

During her two terms in the Colorado state House representing Thornton, Caraveo was widely viewed as within her partys liberal mainstream. Evans has seized on a 2021 letter, signed by Caraveo and more than 700 other state and local Democratic officials, calling on the Biden administration and Congress to pass progressive immigration reform and divest from immigration enforcement agencies like (Immigration and Customs Enforcement) and (the Customs and Border Patrol).

Immigration a top issue

Immigration is poised to be among the top issues in the 2024 election, but concern among voters breaks down along sharp partisan lines. Nearly three-quarters of Republicans and 44% of independents told Gallup pollsters in March that they worried a great deal about unauthorized immigration. For Democrats, the figure was 27%.

North metro Denver and Weld County are both home to large populations of Latino residents. Caraveo, a pediatrician, is the daughter of Mexican immigrants. Evans grandfather emigrated from Mexico and gained U.S. citizenship through his service in World War II.

She knew what she was signing up for when she decided to run for Congress, and she knew the communities that she represented ... So either she has principles, or she doesnt at all.

 Former Colorado state Rep. Joe Salazar

After prodding by moderators during a June 1 GOP primary debate, Evans, who touts the endorsement of former President Donald Trump, affirmed his support for Trumps plans to deport all 11 million undocumented immigrants currently in the U.S., using military force if necessary. The number of undocumented immigrants in Colorado was estimated at 190,000 by the American Immigration Council in 2020.

Yeah, you go back and you wait in line, the way everybody else does, said Evans, a former Army helicopter pilot and Arvada police officer elected to the state House in 2022.

Trump has frequently compared the scope of his plans to a 1954 U.S. government operation named after a racial slur for Mexicans living in the United States, which deported an estimated 1.1 million people to Mexico. The crackdown resulted in conditions on trains, trucks and cargo ships that a later congressional investigation likened to slave ships and led to the deaths of at least 88 deportees.

Salazar, who preceded Caraveo as a state representative in Colorado House District 31, called last weeks resolution condemning Harris disgusting and racist, and argued that the political realities of representing a battleground district shouldnt excuse the stances Caraveo has taken on important issues.

She knew what she was signing up for when she decided to run for Congress, and she knew the communities that she represented, Salazar said. So either she has principles, or she doesnt at all.

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If it's true that as Mark Twain supposedly said, history doesn't repeat itself but it often rhymes, then we are about to embark on a poetry slam for the ages, with the Supreme Court as its theme.

President Biden on Monday unveiled a package of proposals to rein in a court that has seen public confidence reach a low ebb not recorded by the Gallup Organization in readings dating back to 1973.

Most significantly, he is calling for 18-year term limits for Supreme Court justices and the imposition by Congress of binding conduct and ethics rules requiring the justices to "disclose gifts, refrain from public political activity, and recuse themselves from cases in which they or their spouses have financial or other conflicts of interest."

Term limits would... make timing for Court nominations more predictable and less arbitrary; and reduce the chance that any single Presidency imposes undue influence for generations to come.

President Biden on his Supreme Court reform plan

He is also proposing a constitutional amendment to neutralize a court decision appearing to give former presidents immunity for crimes committed while in office.

The template for these proposals is Franklin Roosevelt's 1937 plan to "pack" the court by allowing presidents to appoint a new justice when any sitting justice failed to resign or retire within six months of turning 70, up to a maximum of six new justices.

The manifest goal was to dilute the influence of a cadre or conservative justices who had overruled almost every New Deal law or regulation that had come before them, as well as several other measures.

If FDR could counsel Biden today, he might warn him to move carefully; FDR's court-packing scheme went down in flames amid congressional opposition, cut deeply into the popularity that had brought him a landslide reelection victory in the 1936 election, and brought the New Deal to a screeching halt. It also represented a moment in which FDR lost his unique ability to gauge the popular mood and act upon it.

The politics of Supreme Court reform today resemble those of 1937 in many ways, though as Twain's supposed quip suggests, there are significant differences. Let's look at the differences first.

Roosevelt was then at the outset of his second term, riding high on an electoral victory that may have given him a greater sense of his political omnipotence than he actually possessed. Biden, of course, is less than six months away from the end of his presidency. Roosevelt could look ahead at four more years of policymaking; Biden may be more focused on cementing his legacy of progressive achievements by bequeathing the nation a reformed Supreme Court.

Read more: Column: With its 'Chevron' ruling, the Supreme Court claims to be smarter than scientific experts

Both presidents may have felt they had nothing to lose by taking on what seemed to be the most revered of the three branches of government, albeit for different reasons  Roosevelt because nothing could chip away at his popularity, Biden because his own term in office can't be affected by the fate of his reform proposals.

Roosevelt was faulted for springing his scheme on an unsuspecting public and Congress. Notwithstanding public discontent with the court, its reform hadn't been an issue in the presidential campaign recently ended. FDR had not spoken publicly about the court after a series of anti-New Deal rulings in 1935 and 1936 except after one ruling in which he accused the court of relegating the country to "the horse-and-buggy definition of interstate commerce."

Instead, he blindsided the nation by announcing his plan in a speech on Feb. 5. To his surprise, voters and legislators  including reliable New Deal supporters on Capitol Hill  reacted with fury.

It was not merely the secrecy in which the scheme had been plotted that its critics found dismaying. FDR's stated rationale, which was that the aging justices were overworked and needed help to manage their docket, was transparently deceptive.

That rationale might have looked superficially reasonable at first, since the oldest member of the court's so-called Four Conservative Horsemen, Willis Van Devanter, had been born during the administration of James Buchanan, which supposedly rendered him utterly out of step with the politics of the 1930s.

However, the oldest justice on the court, Louis Brandeis, was even older  at 80, he had been born during the administration of Franklin Pierce, Buchanan's predecessor, but nevertheless was the court's liberal lion and not an impediment to the New Deal.

Biden seems to have absorbed the lessons of FDR's failed effort. He has been telegraphing for weeks that he is contemplating Supreme Court reforms. His proposals are not as radical as expanding the court outright, but they address some of the most evident issues driving the court's public standing into the sub-basement: a conservative majority that has shown no respect for values and rights long cherished by most Americans, and a record of financial grifting and overt partisanship, chiefly by conservative Justices Clarence Thomas and Samuel A. Alito Jr.

Read more: Column: Courts finally move to end right-wing judge shopping, but the damage may already be done

As in 1937, there is a sense that the court has taken aim at progressive principles and laws, running roughshod over individual rights.

The court's direction has been led by a conservative majority including three judges appointed by Donald Trump  among them Neil M. Gorsuch, who slid into a seat kept open by Senate Republicans' refusal to even consider Barack Obama's nomination of Merrick Garland to the late Antonin Scalia's seat; and Amy Coney Barrett, rushed to confirmation by Senate Republicans in October 2020 only 38 days before the election that would unseat Trump and bring Biden to the White House.

Barrett took the seat vacated by the death of Ruth Bader Ginsburg, one of the most liberal justices ever to sit on the court.

The three Trump judges were in the majority that in 2022 overturned Roe vs. Wade, the decision that had protected women's reproductive health rights since 1973.

It may be useful to compare the court's behavior in recent years with what provoked FDR into launching his court-packing scheme.

The court's distaste for elements of the New Deal was assumed as the Roosevelt administration proceeded to remake the U.S. economy. But it didn't become palpable until it issued three decisions on May 27, 1935, a date that would become known to progressives as "Black Monday."

In the first decision, the court overturned Roosevelt's ouster of a reactionary member of the Federal Trade Commission, placing a limit on a president's authority over executive officers. The court then invalidated a farm mortgage law because it applied to existing mortgages, not just new ones. Then came the court's invalidation of the National Recovery Administration, through which the government had tried to regiment competition throughout the economy to help dig the country out of the Depression.

All three decisions were unanimous, but they still signaled that a conservative cadre was poised to undermine progressive initiatives due to come before the justices. In 1936, the court narrowed the authority of the Securities and Exchange Commission and invalidated a relief program for coal companies. Most significantly, it overturned a New York minimum wage law in a decision known as Tipaldo, after its detestable protagonist, the owner of a laundry who had been cheating his laundresses of their legal wages.

Condemnation of the Tipaldo decision came from across the entire political spectrum. "If this decision does not outrage the moral sense of the country, then nothing will," FDR's Interior secretary, Harold Ickes, wrote in his diary. Conservatives were dismayed that the decision undercut their argument that labor rights should remain in the hands of the states  how could that be, if the Supreme Court had overturned a state minimum wage law?

Read more: Column: Conservative attacks on abortion depend on a law that courts have snubbed for 150 years

Roosevelt and his fellow progressives feared that the court would invalidate the entire New Deal, but FDR was confident that the public would be outraged.. For a time, FDR seemed content to let that happen, reasoning that it would help him get a constitutional amendment enacted that would allow Congress to save any law the court deemed unconstitutional by reenacting it. If the court kept overturning the New Deal, he reasoned, there would be "marching farmers and marching miners and marching workingmen throughout the land."

In the end, he chose to go with the court-packing scheme, recognizing that it fit within the constitutional provision giving Congress the unquestioned right to dictate the size of the court.

For many Americans today, the court's Dobbs decision overturning Roe vs. Wade has supplanted its 1857 Dred Scott decision as the worst in its history. By relegating abortion to a state-level decision, Dobbs has spawned a patchwork of punitive state laws that have life-threatening ramifications for pregnant women (among many other shortcomings).

Public distaste for Dobbs, as was the case with Tipaldo, has been manifest. Since it was handed down in June 2022, every single state initiative to protect women's reproductive rights has prevailed at the ballot box. The chief weapons in the antiabortion camp's quiver have been efforts to stymie referendum and initiative votes by changing the ballot box rules, as has been tried in Florida and Ohio.

Biden's proposal to establish staggered 18-year terms for justices has several virtues. One is that it would rebalance a court on which GOP appointees are arguably overrepresented. From 1960 through this year, Republicans held the White House for 32 years and Democrats for 31, almost an even split. But in that period, Republicans have appointed 15 justices and Democrats only ten. Under Biden's proposal, every president would have the opportunity to appoint two justices during each four-year term.

"Term limits would ... make timing for Court nominations more predictable and less arbitrary; and reduce the chance that any single Presidency imposes undue influence for generations to come," the Biden White House says.

The one flaw in the proposal is that it could require a constitutional amendment. The Constitution states that federal justices may serve "during good behavior," but expert opinion is divided over whether that bars Congress from imposing any other conditions on their service.

It's worth noting that the Supreme Court was so unnerved by the groundswell of criticism it faced after Tipaldo that Chief Justice Charles Evans Hughes engineered an about-face, orchestrating a 5-4 opinion upholding a Washington state minimum wage law that was almost identical to the New York law it had overturned, also by 5 to 4. That helped to take the wind out of FDR's scheme. The change would forever be known as "the switch in time that saved nine." The court never overturned another New Deal initiative.

But few such opportunities for an about-face are on the horizon. The damage this court has done to individual rights and the rule of law is manifest. Biden's sense is that the time is ripe for reform, and that this time the public may go along.

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This story originally appeared in Los Angeles Times.
Presidential candidate Donald Trump, left, and vice presidential candidate J.D. Vance on the podium at the Republican National Convention. Their healthcare policy stances are a threat to your health. (Charles Rex Arbogast / Associated Press)

As most of us have learned from experience, tracking the self-contradictions of political campaigns is usually a waste of time. Stump speeches are tailored to individual audiences, campaign promises are made to be broken or forgotten and candidates' positions evolve over time.

But Donald Trump has been making one promise to his rally audiences that should make the parents of school-age children sit up and take notice. I first noticed it in February. Since then, it has apparently become a standard line in his performance.

Here's how he put it at a rally over the weekend in St. Cloud, Minn.: "I will not give one penny to any school that has a vaccine mandate or a mask mandate."

If you want to experiment on somebody's kids, Kamala Harris, AOC, and so forth, have your own kids, lay off of mine....This is about doing what you want to do with your own family, with your own rights.

JD Vance expresses an anti-vaccination mantra

Trump's repetition of this line has been largely ignored by a press corps and political pundits focused on his apparent promise to make voting in elections a thing of the past. Yet it takes deadly aim  I use the term "deadly" advisedly  at public health in America, including our nearly 120-year tradition of enforcing vaccine mandates on adults and schoolchildren alike.

It's also decidedly at odds with the comments by his running mate, J.D. Vance, about the nobility of raising children and the supposed irresponsibility and fecklessness of the childless.

Vance, as has been widely reported, has carried on fatuously for years about how childless people have an insufficiently heartfelt interest in democracy and the republic. He has argued for higher tax rates on the childless, denigrated political and business leaders as "childless cat ladies," etc., etc.

Yet when Vance was asked about vaccine mandates on Fox News during his Senate campaign in 2021, here's what he said: "I am sick of these bureaucrats experimenting on my children because that's what they're doing.... If you want to experiment on somebody's kids, Kamala Harris, AOC, and so forth, have your own kids, lay off of mine."

As part of that same spiel, he put in a pitch for "bodily autonomy," one of the catchphrases of anti-vaccine fanatics. "This is about doing what you want to do with your own family, with your own rights," he said.

Read more: Column: After smearing Anthony Fauci, House Republicans proceed to defame a prominent vaccine scientist

Whether Trump is even aware of the implications of his anti-vaccine promise is uncertain; he doesn't project any more awareness of the meaning of his own words than an AI chatbot. He seems to enjoy repeating the line because it elicits cheers from his audiences, who react as if in the grip of a Pavlovian reflex.

But let's examine those implications.

To begin with, vaccines are among the most important and effective medical achievements in human history. They have proved their value for more than a century.

U.S. cases of smallpox averaged more than 29,000 a year during the 20th century, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention; in 2023 there were none. Measles cases averaged 530,217 a year during that time span; in 2023 there were 47. Pertussis, an endemic child-killer known as whooping cough: 200,752 cases a year during the last century; in 2023, there were 5,611. Polio and rubella: virtually wiped out by vaccination.

Vaccines have almost eliminated these lethal 20th-century diseases in the U.S. (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention)

What accounts for much of this success has been, yes, vaccine mandates, especially in our schools. Every state in the union requires that children entering their public school systems at any grade be vaccinated against a host of childhood diseases.

In Minnesota, where that rally crowd witlessly cheered Trump's promise to end mandates, children entering kindergarten are required to have had at least four doses of the diphtheria/tetanus/pertussis (DTaP) vaccine, at least three polio shots, two doses of the measles/mumps/rubella (MMR) vaccine, three doses of the hepatitis B shot and two of the chickenpox vaccine.

To put it another way, advocating for an end to vaccine mandates is tantamount to calling for waves of life-threatening diseases to wash across our school-age population. We have already seen outbreaks of polio and measles attributable to the rise of the anti-vaccine movement. The U.S. is currently undergoing a surge in measles, with 188 cases recorded by the CDC so far this year  the highest number since 2019, when there were 1,274 cases, also attributable to anti-vaxxers.

Until very recently, the legality and constitutionality of vaccine mandates was never questioned by the courts. The tradition began in 1905, when the Supreme Court upheld compulsory smallpox vaccination in Boston, where the disease was raging.

Read more: Column: Mocking anti-vaxxers' COVID deaths is ghoulish, yes  but may be necessary

In that case, Justice John Marshall Harlan, writing for a 7-2 majority, set forth the principle that individual rights could be made subservient to the public interest: "Real liberty for all could not exist," Harlan wrote, "under the operation of a principle which recognizes the right of each individual person to use his own, whether in respect of his person or his property, regardless of the injury that may be done to others."

The Supreme Court upheld that principle in a 1922 case, this time unanimously.

Over the intervening decades it became clear that school vaccination mandates were a highly effective tool for fighting diseases. Local measles outbreaks during the 1970s were consistently quelled when authorities enforced vaccination requirements.

A natural laboratory experiment occurred in 1970 in the twin cities of Texarkana, Texas, and Texarkana, Ark. As vaccine expert Paul Offit recalled in his recent book about vaccination during the COVID pandemic, "Tell Me When It's Over," Arkansas, but not Texas, required vaccines for schoolchildren: Of the 600 measles cases in the metropolitan area, 96% occurred on the Texas side.

Vaccine rates for childhood diseases such as measles have been declining for years in Minnesota, where Trump attacked vaccine mandates. (Minnesota Dept. of Health)

It's one thing for a patient to refuse a tetanus shot after they step on a rusty nail, Offit observed; tetanus is not a contagious disease. But refusing vaccination against measles or COVID exposes one's entire community to infection. As Offit wrote, it's tantamount to claiming, "It is my constitutional right to catch and transmit a potentially fatal infection."

Over time, however, state and local authorities have turned complacent. Religious exemptions proliferated, and then exemptions for claimed philosophical or "moral" beliefs. (Only two states, Mississippi and West Virginia, reject any such exemptions, allowing them only on medical grounds in rare instances; as Offit reports, those states have consistently had the highest vaccination rates in the country.)

Read more: Column: COVID boosted anti-vaccine propaganda. Now measles and other childhood diseases are on the march

Meanwhile the anti-vaccine movement expanded. It was spurred in part by a fraudulent study published in Britain in 1998, claiming a connection between the MMR vaccine and autism. Although no such link has been found by scientifically validated studies since then, the claim continues to suppress MMR vaccination rates in Britain and parts of the U.S.

But it also reflects the extent to which vaccines became victims of their own success  measles became so rare in the U.S. that it was actually declared eradicated in the U.S. in 2000. So rejecting the MMR vaccine seemed to be no great danger. But measles is back.

The anti-vaccine camp has seized on the threadbare shibboleths of "medical freedom" and "health freedom"  or "bodily autonomy," as Vance put it. This tied in with tea party anti-government orthodoxy, especially after the rollout of COVID-19 vaccines, which for some unaccountable reason became the targets of heightened, partisan hostility.

Agitation against the COVID shots has gained particular purchase on the far right. Witness the presidential campaign of anti-vaccine crackpot Robert F. Kennedy Jr. and the dangerous attack on medical science by Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis and his quack henchman, Florida Surgeon General Joseph Ladapo.

Right-wing federal judges, chiefly those appointed by Trump, have bought into the anti-vaccine mantras. In 2022, the Supreme Court blocked a Biden administration mandate that large employers require their workers to be vaccinated or be tested for COVID once a week. In June, a three-judge panel of the 9th Circuit Court of Appeals in San Francisco allowed a lawsuit challenging a COVID vaccine mandate for Los Angeles Unified School District workers to go ahead. The ruling was 2 to 1; both judges in the majority are Trump appointees.

The consequences of opposition to vaccine mandates can't be overestimated. They're visible in Minnesota, where Trump's attack on mandates was so lustily cheered in an outburst of what I've called "herd stupidity."

From 2013 through 2023, the percentage of Minnesota kindergartners fully vaccinated against measles fell from more than 93% to less than 88%. The polio immunization rate declined from 93.7% to 88.7%. Rates of DTaP, hepatitis B and chickenpox vaccination have similarly declined. For some of these diseases, the vaccine levels have fallen below those necessary to protect the entire population from possible outbreaks.

So, sure. Call Trump and Vance "weirdos" if that suits your political outlook. But don't forget that some policies they're pushing are mortal threats to your health.

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This story originally appeared in Los Angeles Times.
Last month, Surgeon General Dr. Vivek Murthy declared gun violence a public health crisis. Surprisingly, this is the first advisory on gun violence ever issued by the surgeon generals office. The advisory report acknowledges the devastating impact of gun violence on families and the increase in firearm-related suicide, especially among younger people.

In 1995, I experienced the agony of losing a child to gun violence. There is no pain on earth like losing a son or daughter in that way. A part of me went down in the grave with my son. In 2022, more than 48,000 people died from firearm-related injuries, according to the surgeon generals report.

Over the Fourth of July weekend in Chicago, more than 100 people were shot and 19 killed. Last week, mail carrier Octavia Redmond was gunned down during the day while delivering mail on the Far South Side. The level of gun violence in Chicago is destroying the soul of our city and nation. According to national data for 2023 from the nonprofit Gun Violence Archive, 300 children age 11 and younger were killed by guns as well as 1,406 victims between the ages of 12 and 17. The trauma and mental health anguish imposed on families and residents is insufferable. A 2022 study by Everytown for Gun Safety found gun violence costs the country $557 billion annually.

Mayor Brandon Johnson, during a news conference with police leadership after the Fourth of July violence, said he was heartbroken and there would be consequences for those wreaking havoc on my streets. Johnsons words have not slowed the ferocity of gun violence in the city. The Black community is being decimated by guns while Black elected leaders turn a blind eye to lives cut short too soon. They eloquently shout enough is enough, but the violence continues unabated on their watch  shattering the hopes and dreams of those wrapped in the darkness of poverty.

Black persons endured the highest ageadjusted firearm homicide rates across all ages, the surgeon generals report revealed. Black people make up 29% of the population in Chicago, but more than 70% of the shootings over the Fourth of July weekend happened in Black-majority communities. Two researchers recently found that if you were a young man living in Garfield Park in 2020 or 2021, your risk of dying by firearm violence was three times greater than the risk faced by troops in Afghanistan and four times greater than the risk of combat death in Iraq, they wrote in an op-ed for the Tribune last year.

Most Chicago City Council members have raised their pay to $145,974. They have failed at their most basic responsibility  the safety of their constituents. The violence in Chicago does not respect age or gender  babies, teenagers, senior citizens and women are victims.

Gov. J.B. Pritzker recently announced a $100 million investment by civic and business leaders to curtail surging gun violence. I applaud the business community for stepping up. However, throwing money at this problem without accountability measures for ensuring the resources reach those most in need is counterproductive. Black and brown children living in poverty are at a significant disadvantage. Their parents lack the economic security to provide for a good education.

There is an African proverb that says, The ruin of a nation begins in the homes of its people. Growing up in Louisiana, my siblings and I were accountable to my mother and father. We were taught right from wrong at an early age. There was discipline, and that is missing.

The following are a few suggestions to reduce gun violence:

Johnson should allow law enforcement to do its job. Provide police officers the resources they need to prevent and solve crimes. Strictly enforce the law. Pritzker, Johnson and Cook County Board President Toni Preckwinkle should coordinate resources and direct economic empowerment tools to areas with the highest crime and poverty. Create a fund to allow citizens to access capital for new businesses. Business leaders should provide entrepreneurship opportunities to residents from high crime ZIP codes. Labor unions should target training and apprenticeship opportunities to high crime ZIP codes. Johnson should use sister agencies such as the CTA to provide contracts and job opportunities for high-crime areas. The U.S. attorney general should prosecute more gun cases, such as those targeting postal workers.

Elected leaders must apply common sense to deal with gun violence. Too many guns are flowing into the hands of people who should not have them. Democrats, Republicans and independents should find common ground on sensible restrictions and background checks. In September, President Joe Biden created the first-ever White House Office of Gun Violence Prevention. Perhaps their work will help save the soul of America.

I write this commentary to make those comfortable with high numbers of Americans being shot and killed uncomfortable.

_____

Willie Wilson is a business owner, philanthropist and former mayoral candidate.

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The North Sound Police Foundation is raising funds to support the emergency medical care of K9 Hondo, a six-year-old German Shepherd serving the Mill Creek Police Department, according to a statement from the foundation.

Hondo recently underwent surgery to remove a tumor from his abdomen and is currently recovering in a veterinary hospital, where he is being treated for critically low red blood cell and platelet counts.

Hondo has been a member of the Mill Creek Police Department since May 2020, working alongside his handler, Corporal Nathan Lerma.

Together, they have been deployed 189 times, capturing 59 suspects and locating 60 items of evidence, including several firearms.

Hondo has been a valuable asset in keeping the community safe.

The North Sound Police Foundation, in collaboration with the nonprofit 30x30 Fundraising, is seeking donations to cover Hondos veterinary bills.

Donations can be made directly through a fee-free platform at https://bit.ly/K9HondoVetBill, or through a GoFundMe page, where additional funds are being raised.

Contributions are tax-deductible to the full extent allowed by law.

Sgt. Ian Durkee of the Mill Creek Police Department has approved the use of these additional funds to support Hondos recovery.
A group of congressional aides has launched a public dissent channel where staffers can anonymously express their concerns about Israels war with the Palestinian militant group Hamas in Gaza.

The websites homepage states the channel is where aides can safely and anonymously offer alternative or dissenting opinions to Congressional policies and action.

The New York Times first reported the websites creation.

Organizers said the page, called the Congressional Dissent Channel, took inspiration from the State Departments internal dissent channel, formed in 1971 in the wake of the Vietnam War. The State Departments channel is slightly different. It is a classified internal government system in which authors must include their names when offering dissenting views that are confidentially posted.

However, the congressional dissent channel will be public, and authors can remain anonymous, either through videos or memos.

Despite clear and mounting objections from constituents across the country, threats that the wars regional escalation poses to U.S. interests, and the unconscionable Palestinian civilian casualties numbering in the tens of thousands, Congress has refused to use its leverage to condition arms on curbing human rights abuses, and to compel Israel to broker an immediate ceasefire, the group wrote on the website.

The website follows a series of moves from congressional staffers who have protested the U.S.s military and financial support of Israel amid its war in Gaza. The war has killed more than 39,000 Palestinians since it began in early October, when Hamas launched a surprise assault on southern Israel that killed about 1,200 people and kidnapped 250 others.

Some staffers, mostly progressives, have repeatedly pushed for a cease-fire between Israel and Hamas, including at a demonstration in November and another in May. Several staffers, however, have said they fear retribution from their offices to publicly discuss their disagreement with Congresss stance.

Last week, dozens of congressional staffers with the group behind the website  Congressional Staff for Ceasefire  walked out of their offices to protest Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahus address to a joint session of Congress.

The informal group said the Israeli leaders presence in the Capitol disgraces the U.S. Capitol and dishonors the American values Congress has sworn to uphold.

More than 200 anonymous staff members across 122 Democratic and Republican members signed a letter earlier this month calling for Congress to protest or boycott Netanyahus visit. It was organized by the Congressional Progressive Staff Association and signed by 230 House and Senate staffers.

While Congress as a whole did not boycott Netanyahus speech, several Democratic lawmakers did not attend in protest.

Negotiations over a cease-fire deal remain ongoing, and officials from Egypt and Hamas told The Associated Press on Monday that mediators are still trying to overcome hurdles.

Copyright 2024 Nexstar Media, Inc. 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.
CONNECTICUT (WTNH)  The Connecticut Supreme Court voted Tuesday to uphold mandatory school vaccinations this school year.

The 2021 law banning religious exemptions spurred protests on both sides and a lawsuit. The state court dismissed five of six counts in the Spillane vs. Lamont case keeping school vaccine requirements in effect with no religious exemptions.

Connecticut Supreme Court partially dismisses appeal on religious exemptions to vaccines

The CT Supreme Court did send the claim that the law violated the Religious Freedom Restoration Act back to lower court.

It puts under the magnifying glass the need of strict scrutiny. Its not over yet, Brian Marks, professor of law and public health at the University of New Haven School of Health Sciences, said.

The video below aired on July 30.

Our case has always centered around Connecticuts Religious Freedom Restoration Act and our firm belief that the removal of the religious exemption is in clear violation thereof, the attorney representing the plaintiffs said in a statement. This decision is a victory for our plaintiffs and a victory for religious freedom in Connecticut and we look forward to pressing ahead with our injunction motion so that we can get these disenfranchised children back to school while we await our trial.

As COVID-19 ticks up in some places, US health officials recommend a fall vaccination campaign

The two named plaintiffs, Keira Spillane and Anna Kehle, have minor children, and believe mandatory inoculation violates their religious beliefs for multiple reasons, including claims that vaccines are made using cell lines derived from aborted fetal tissue and would Forever alter their childrens immune systems.

How do you evaluate and assess someones religious beliefs and thats what makes this very difficult, Marks said.

The state also responded to the ruling and said vaccines save lives.

Attorney General William Tong released a statement reading in part, this merely dismisses most aspects of the challenge while allowing plaintiffs to continue to press one remaining part of their case in state court, where we will aggressively defend the states necessary and lawful actions to protect public health.

On the federal level, the U.S. Supreme Court rejected the challenge to the law last month but students who were already enrolled can maintain their exemption.

Copyright 2024 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.

For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to WTNH.com.
Landscape outside of Monroe, Utah with the Paiute ATV trail winding through a valley. (Photo by harpazo_hope via Getty Images)

A coalition of conservation groups filed a motion in federal court Friday to intervene in Wyoming and Utahs lawsuit against the Bureau of Land Managements Public Lands Rule, becoming the latest entrant to the legal melee over the controversial policy.

The motion, which the Southern Utah Wilderness Alliance, the Wilderness Society and the Conservation Lands Foundation filed, comes as a rejoinder to Wyoming and Utahs June motion that seeks to prevent the agency from implementing the Biden administrations Public Land Rule, also known as the Conservation and Landscape Health Rule.

The rule, which was released in April, categorizes conservation as a use within the BLMs multi-use framework for the landscapes it manages. It also revises regulations to reflect the agencys prioritization of designating and protecting so-called Areas of Critical Environmental Concern.

Wyoming and Utahs suit claims the BLM sidestepped the National Environmental Policy Act at the peril of economies and landscape health when it finalized the rule. Supporters of the rule say it just reinforces the directive Congress gave the BLM decades ago.

The lawsuit and preliminary injunction request by Utah and Wyoming constitute a vote to let big fossil fuel and development interests keep pulling the strings and set the agenda for how we use our natural resources, Alison Flint, senior legal director at the Wilderness Society, said in a statement. The BLM public lands rule, meanwhile, seeks the balanced approach prescribed for the agency by Congress almost a half-century ago.

Fridays motion is the latest shot in the rule battle, and part of a broader tension over the BLMs management of more than 18 million acres of public land in Wyoming.

Elevating conservation

The Public Lands Rule advances the BLMs multiple-use and sustained-yield mission by addressing the health and resilience of public lands, according to the agency.

Conservation is a use of public lands on equal footing with other uses and is necessary for the protection and restoration of important resources, the BLM states. The Public Lands Rule will help safeguard the health of our public lands for current and future generations by ensuring we: protect the most intact, functioning landscapes; restore degraded habitat and ecosystems; and use science and data, including Indigenous Knowledge, as the foundation for management decisions across all plans and programs.

The rule establishes two new categories of leases for land use  mitigation leases and restoration leases  as well as a process for entities seeking to restore public lands or to offset impacts to secure them.

The finalized rule, released in April, followed a year-long process and what the agency described as the longest comment period on a rulemaking in recent history. During that period, more than 200,000 comments poured in.

But Wyoming and Utahs lawsuit argues the process was insufficient. Because the rule overhauls BLMs priorities under the Federal Land and Policy Management Act, representing a sea change in how the agency will carry out its mission, the rule should have been subject to more scrutiny, the states suit alleges.

NEPA demands that a Rule of such significance be subject to careful environmental study, the suit reads. Both states, along with many others, entreated BLM to take a hard look that NEPA requires before pushing through a Rule that could harm the environment. BLM brushed all these objections aside, the suit reads.

The suit asks the court to vacate the rule.

A broad coalition of energy, mining, ranching and farming groups  including Wyoming Farm Bureau Association, American Petroleum Institute and Western Energy Alliance  also challenged the rule in a suit filed July 12 in the U.S. District Court for Wyoming. That suit accuses the agency of overstepping its authority, particularly when it comes to the two new lease categories.

These are leases for conservation and no more, and they are flatly inconsistent with the statutory scheme that BLM is tasked with implementing, that suit reads. The Rule is plainly unlawful and must be set aside.

Conservation groups responded last week by requesting they be party to the states case. They want to defend the agencys rule, which they say is above board and will be crucial to meeting new challenges related to climate change and the health of western landscapes.

Who is saying what

Many Wyoming elected officials met the rule with scathing criticism when it was announced. The states U.S. Sens. John Barrasso and Cynthia Lummis were among federal lawmakers who introduced legislation to block the rule.

Gov. Mark Gordon, who testified on the draft rule before the U.S. House Committee on Natural Resources in 2023 and submitted lengthy written comments, also had harsh words for it.

It appears that Wyomings comments  and those from our people who depend on public lands for their livelihoods  were completely overlooked, Gordon said in a statement.

The contorted interpretation of multiple use, Gordon contended, will completely upend economies across the West  including grazing, recreation, and energy.

But representatives of the conservation coalition maintain Wyoming, Utah and other critics are making much ado over something thats already law.

What we find most disappointing and puzzling about Utah and Wyomings lawsuit against the Rule is that it appears to be motivated by their fear of implementing existing law  the Federal Land Policy and Management Act  and the will of the people, Charlotte Overby, vice president of conservation field programs at the Conservation Lands Foundation, said in a statement.
Conservatives just told us again they want to ban gay marriage, birth control. Lets believe them | Opinion

Like many of you, I never dreamed the U.S. Supreme Court would actually overturn Roe v. Wade, a case from 1973 that was settled law or a legal precedent that had been reaffirmed numerous times. At least thats how Amy Coney Barrett, Brett Kavanaugh, and Neil Gorsuch described it in their confirmation hearings.

But that was dumb and naive.

Conservatives have told us over and over again their long game for every part of our society, and getting rid of Roe v. Wade was at the top of their wish list. They made a plan and executed it, keeping people informed every step of the way.

They are still telling us what they want to do, and this time it would be good to listen.

The latest volley is a recent appeal of case of Kim Davis, the Kentucky county clerk who refused to issue marriage licenses to same sex partners after the Supreme Court legalized gay marriage in the Obergefell v. Hodges case in 2015.

As Herald-Leader reporter Alex Acquisto explained, this particular appeal probably wont get too far because the appeal is over how much she should pay in damages, not whether her rights were infringed upon.

But Liberty Counsel, which described itself as a litigation ministry with a worldview that is historically Christian and biblical, said in a news release that the real goal of the case was to overturn Obergefell.

And thats not all.

Deep in the brief, the Liberty lawyers argue that after the court overturned Roe v. Wade, the justices should continue down the same road of reasoning and overturn Griswold, Lawrence and Obergefell.

Just to remind you, Griswold v. Connecticut legalized access to birth control in 1965, Lawrence v. Texas legalized same-sex relations in 2003 and Obergefell v. Hodges legalized gay marriage in 2015.

These cases were decided using the argument of substantive due process in the Fourteenth Amendment that covered privacy, and therefore ensured rights to things not explicitly named in the Constitution such as marriage, sex and birth control.

The Dobbs decision, however, said substantive due process rights had been over-applied, and things like a right to abortion, may be found only when they are deeply rooted in the nations history and tradition.

The Liberty Counsel brief basically quotes Justice Thomas from Dobbs in saying because any substantive due process decision is demonstrably erroneous, we have a duty to correct the error established in those precedents.

I think theyre signaling to the base to get attention to signal to their fellow travelers  were fighting the good fight, said Joe Dunman, one of the plaintiffs lawyers in Obergefell who teaches at the University of Louisville Law School.

Roe, Griswold, Lawrence and Obergefell are in a family of cases, Dunman said, that gave autonomy to people outside of straight, white, male autonomy.

These cases expanded the concept of liberty to people who are not like me, and conservatives really hate it, they think its a complete corruption of the Constitution, he said.

Like Dobbs, challenges to any one of these cases could make their way to the US Supreme Court at any time. In fact, Project 2025, the governing blueprint prepared by former Donald Trump employees at the Heritage Foundation, have a whole section that calls on states to enforce the Comstock Act, which Griswold effectively nullified.

Enforcing the Comstock Act, which still exists as a zombie law in many states, which forbids abortion medication from going through the mail. Then birth control would be an easy next step.

But Dunman sees an even scarier future, in which conservatives use the same logic to go after Brown v. Board of Education, the 1955 landmark case that found separate schools were unequal and therefore violated 14th Amendments Equal Protection Clause, thereby overthrowing Jim Crow laws throughout the South.

You cant look at the courts assaults on voting rights protections or affirmative action without seeing hints they think Brown was wrong, Dunman said. If your world view is that we are in a color blind society, I dont see any reason why Brown wouldnt get overruled under that approach.

A bridge too far, right?

Brown is one of the most important decisions ever reached by the Supreme Court, a judicial mandate that held segregation was the wrong answer to this countrys original sin of slavery. It is foundational to our society. But its also vulnerable to people who hate the way this country has evolved to value something besides white male power.

Theres plenty of clear choices of what can be done to stop these assaults, and most of them will happen in the voting booth.

I havent taken this kind of extremism seriously enough.

I didnt believe Roe would be overturned.

I didnt think Trump would actually foment a coup.

Ive been naive and Ive been wrong.

But Im not going to be surprised again.

What about you?
The Paris Olympics opening ceremony  held not in a stadium but along the River Seine in the middle of a summer downpour  was both an audacious, awe-inspiring spectacle and a sloppy, rain-soaked fiasco, full of dazzling highs (Celine Dion on the Eiffel Tower) and avoidable missteps (the out-of-synch Can-Can dancers who barely lifted their legs because they were so afraid of plummeting into the Seine). Whatever one's cultural or political perspective, there was plenty to quibble with in the event  and especially its coverage on NBC  whether it was the decapitated Marie Antoinettes, the book-nerd threesome, the foggy camera lenses, or the glaring lack of context or insight from the network's commentators.

But conservatives in the United States  and elsewhere  are upset over a portion of the ceremony that wasn't even broadcast in its entirety on NBC.

Read more: Paris shines through summer storm in spectacular Olympic opening ceremony

A segment called "Festivity"  the eighth of 12 scenes celebrating aspects of French culture and history  paid tribute to French fashion with an inclusive runway show and party on a footbridge over the Seine, featuring drag queens and a transgender model. At one point in the sequence, several performers posed at the side of the runway, which doubled as a long dining table, in an artfully composed tableau that reminded some viewers of Leonardo da Vinci's "The Last Supper," the Renaissance masterpiece depicting Jesus Christ and the apostles. Later, in a portion of the sequence that did not air on NBC but was widely shared on social media, French entertainer Philippe Katerine appeared as Dionysus, the Greek god of wine-making, nearly naked, painted blue, and singing on a giant platter of fruit.

Last nights mockery of the Last Supper was shocking and insulting to Christian people around the world who watched the opening ceremony of the Olympic Games.



The war on our faith and traditional values knows no bounds today. But we know that truth and virtue will always pic.twitter.com/s88c9ymG9j  Speaker Mike Johnson (@SpeakerJohnson) July 27, 2024

The scene sparked outrage from numerous conservative figures in the United States. On X, formerly Twitter, House Speaker Mike Johnson said it was "insulting to Christian people around the world.  The war on our faith and traditional values knows no bounds today. But we know that truth and virtue will always prevail." Never one to let a culture war skirmish pass her by, Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene (R-Ga.) also weighed in, denouncing the ceremony as "anti-Christian" and "satanic, trans and occult." Even "Full House" star Candace Cameron Bure gave her two cents  and then some  on Instagram. To "see the opening ceremony completely blaspheme and mock the Christian faith with their interpretation of 'The Last Supper' was disgusting," she said in a video. Donald Trump Jr. also lamented the "woke" Olympics.

A group of Catholic French bishops also joined the chorus of criticism, saying the ceremony "included scenes of derision and mockery of Christianity, which we deeply deplore."

Organizers of the event have apologized for any offense the scene may have caused. There was clearly never an intention to show disrespect to any religious group, said Paris 2024 spokesperson Anne Descamps at a news conference Sunday. On the contrary, I think we tried to celebrate community, tolerance. We believe this ambition was achieved. According to a post on X from the official Olympics account, "The interpretation of the Greek God Dionysus makes us aware of the absurdity of violence between human beings."

The interpretation of the Greek God Dionysus makes us aware of the absurdity of violence between human beings. #Paris2024 #OpeningCeremony pic.twitter.com/FBlQNNUmvV  The Olympic Games (@Olympics) July 26, 2024

The performers involved in the controversial scene are not apologizing, however. Barbara Butch, a DJ and producer who has appeared on "Drag Race" in France and was featured at the center of the tableau wearing a halo-like headpiece, said in an Instagram post that "I have never been ashamed of who I am, and I take responsibility for everything  including my artistic choices." In a statement from her lawyer, Butch said she had been "threatened with death, torture and rape," and been the target of "anti-Semitic, homophobic, sexist and grossophobic insults," and was filing complaints against her detractors.

Thomas Jolly, the artistic director of the opening ceremony, has denied that "The Last Supper" inspired the tableau, or that he intended to belittle anyone's beliefs. "The idea was to create a big pagan party ... you will never find in me, or in my work, any desire of mocking anyone," he said in an interview with the French broadcast network BFMTV.

Jolly did not elaborate about his inspiration, but some art experts see more similarities with paintings like "The Feast of the Gods," by Jan van Bijlert.

The conservative outrage also fails to make a distinction between a work of art painted more than 1,400 years after Jesus' crucifixion  one that is celebrated as much for its brilliant composition and use of perspective as for its religious message  and the New Testament accounts of the final meal Jesus shared with his apostles. And it conveniently overlooks that this mural was created by Da Vinci, a man who many scholars believe was in all likelihood gay or bisexual, and who is believed to have used his longtime lover as a model for his portrait of St. John the Baptist.

As the controversy over naked blue men and French pagans rages on, many of us in America can only wonder, "Hey, why didn't we get to see the whole thing?"

Sign up for Screen Gab, a free newsletter about the TV and movies everyones talking about from the L.A. Times.

This story originally appeared in Los Angeles Times.
KYODO NEWS - Jul 30, 2024 - 23:04 | All, Japan

Japanese prosecutors searched the office and residence of ruling Liberal Democratic Party lawmaker Megumi Hirose in Tokyo on Tuesday in connection with allegations that she defrauded the state by claiming salary expenses for a secretary who performed no duties.

The searches came after the weekly Shukan Shincho reported the allegations in March. The LDP, led by Prime Minister Fumio Kishida, has already been rattled by a high-profile fundraising scandal involving some of its factions.

Hirose acknowledged that her home in the capital's Bunkyo Ward was searched by prosecutors and said she would address the matter after carefully examining it.

When the allegations first surfaced, Hirose, a first-term House of Councillors lawmaker representing Iwate Prefecture, northeastern Japan, denied them in a statement on her website, saying they were "groundless" and that the secretary was indeed working.

The government's top spokesman, Chief Cabinet Secretary Yoshimasa Hayashi, declined to comment on the case, noting the investigation was ongoing.

Hirose submitted her request to leave the party later in the day and the party accepted it, according to the LDP.

"It is extremely regrettable. I want her to firmly take accountability for her actions," said LDP Secretary General Toshimitsu Motegi.

The 58-year-old lawyer-turned-politician also came under fire earlier this year after the same magazine revealed that she had had an extramarital affair.

Related coverage:

Japan PM Kishida's Cabinet support rate edges up to 24.6%: Kyodo poll

Japan ruling party lawmaker's offices searched over election law violation

Charges dropped against Kishida, other LDP members in slush fund case
Luxury or lifeline? Why a lack of air conditioning can be deadly

Even one hour in a room with air conditioning can dramatically reduce a person's overall risk of developing heat exhaustion - Toru Hanai/Bloomberg

Fuel poverty  its a term we in Britain are familiar with. It conjures up images of pensioners struggling to stay warm in winter, or families huddled under blankets, forced to choose between heating and eating.

Now, as temperatures soar across the planet, billions of people in cities from Bogota to Bangkok are dealing with the same but opposite problem: they cant afford to keep cool.

The world has never been hotter  just this week, the record for the hottest day was broken for the second day in a row, when the world average surface temperature reached 17.15 degrees.

That might not sound particularly high  but the global average has been pushed up by lethal 40 and 50 degree heat waves in places like India, Pakistan, and Sub-Saharan Africa.

Heat stress already kills around half a million people every year  around the same number as HIV and malaria  and that number is set to rise fivefold by 2050, according to the World Health Organization.

Some estimates put those numbers significantly higher  one study suggested that heat contributes to 630,000 deaths in India alone every year.

But extreme heat isnt just a killer. It also affects educational performance, workplace productivity, and can worsen existing health problems, overwhelming hospitals and clinics already struggling to stay afloat.

There is a solution: air conditioning.

For poor families in Africa and Asia, who suffer the burden of the world's hottest climates, the price tag for air conditioning is too high - Sunday Alamba/AP

Even one hour in a room with air conditioning can dramatically reduce a persons overall risk of developing heat exhaustion. Unlike fans, which simply move the existing air around in a space, air conditioners lower the temperature of the air, making the room cooler and allowing the body to regulate.

Air conditioning literally saves lives, explained Lucas Davies, a Professor at the University of Berkeley California and expert on energy economics.

Adoption of household AC has brought down heat-related deaths in the US by more than 80 per cent over the last 60 years, studies have shown.

Its estimated 195,000 lives were saved worldwide in 2019 thanks to air-con, according to research published in the Lancet.

But for poor families in Africa and Asia who suffer the burden of the worlds hottest climates, the price tag for air conditioning is often just too high. Even the smallest units cost a minimum of 400 to install, before the problem of the monthly electricity bill comes in.

One former Telegraph correspondent in Pakistan estimates his monthly bill for cooling his home office could climb as high as 1,000 a month.

In places like India, where the average salary for a low-income household is 50 a month, its easy to see why AC ownership currently stands below 10 per cent.

A man stands under cooling mist in Tokyo after the Japanese government issued a heatstroke alert - Issei Kato/REUTERS

Air conditioning does create environmental problems  it literally pumps hot air into the atmosphere, and its a vicious cycle  cities that use it incidentally heat up even more, making its need more pressing.

AC systems also use powerful greenhouse gases called hydrofluorocarbons (HFCs), thousands of times more potent than carbon dioxide, a point climate activists frequently highlight when arguing we should abandon AC altogether.

But whilst people in the developed world expect air conditioning to make their homes, offices, and cars more comfortable  in the global south, its not about luxury.

I understand the arguments about emissions, but in the hottest parts of the world, air-con is simply a matter of life or death, stressed Prof Davies.

What heat does to the body

Extreme heat  defined as a period of high heat and humidity with temperatures above 32 degrees for at least two to three days  has the highest death rate of any type of natural disaster globally, including flooding, hurricanes, landslides, and tornadoes.

There are several ways you can die in extreme heat, explained Dr Ollie Jay, Professor of Heat and Health at the University of Sydney.

The first is heatstroke, which happens when the bodys core temperature rises above 40 degrees. Blood is directed away from major organs to try and keep the skins surface cool, meaning key functions are deprived of oxygen and stop functioning properly.

If a person is unable to cool down, this can cause seizures and multi-organ failure. Its what the beloved TV doctor, Michael Mosley, died off in Greece this year whilst walking in scorching temperatures.

People with heart disease are also more likely to die, because of the extra work the heart has to do to maintain blood pressure when your body is trying to respond to the heat to keep cool  it can lead to a catastrophic cardiovascular event, said Prof Jay.

Kidney failure is another killer in extreme heat. The kidneys are responsible for fluid balance, making them particularly sensitive to heat when they become starved of water via sweat. During heatwaves, hospitals see 30 per cent higher admissions for kidney-related problems.

In the hot sugarcane fields of El Salvador and Nicaragua, health authorities raised alarm bells in 2020, after abnormally high numbers of agricultural workers began dying of irreversible kidney damage and quickly found the culprit: heat stress.

Heat exposure also has an acute effects on children, even before they are born, and can result in pre-term births, low birth weight, stillbirth and congenital anomalies. The complications of pre-term birth, in particular, are the largest contributors to neonatal deaths.

There is also ample evidence that heat affects cognitive abilities and exacerbates underlying health conditions, particularly in those over 65 who are not as able to regulate their core body temperature. Exposure to heat can cut as much as a year off of a persons life expectancy.

Global inequality in AC access

More than 90 per cent of households in the US have air conditioning, and Europe is following suit  some 130 million air-con units were installed in the region this year.

In sub-Saharan Africa, by contrast, fewer than four per cent of homes are air conditioned and almost all of them are high-income households.

In Asia, the situation is slightly better. Roughly 15 per cent of the regions overall population have the systems in their houses. But the figure falls to less than 10 per cent in poorer countries like Indonesia, the Philippines, Vietnam, and India.

Rich countries of course arent immune to heat-related deaths. Around 3,000 people are thought to have died of heat stress in the UK last summer, and the US records about 1,300 heat-related deaths every year.

But people in the West undeniably have better access to cool spaces in homes, businesses, schools, and hospitals.

Children in Tehran, Iran, jump into a pond to cool off during a heatwave - Fatemeh Bahrami/Anadolu via Getty Images

Our homes are generally better-protected from temperature extremes and only a minority of the population faces the gruelling task of working outdoors for extended periods.

Our healthcare systems are also better equipped to deal with an influx of patients during heatwaves.

But crucially, the global north is a lot cooler and less humid than the global south  even in heatwaves.

When you look at the US from a global perspective, its actually a cold country. When you compare the temperature data to India [where it was 50 degrees for two months this year] its overwhelmingly different in terms of both how hot it gets and the number of hot days, said Prof Davies.

Studies suggest that households in hot climates typically adopt air conditioning once their annual income surpasses $10,000. While this threshold seems relatively low, it remains unattainable for many low-income countries. For context, the average income in these nations hovers around $1,036, according to the World Bank.

And affording the monthly costs of air con, which can easily run to 100-200 per month even for families that use it sparingly, can plunge those making over the $10,000 mark into poverty, too.

Exacerbating the poverty cycle

In Pakistan, virtually everyone from low-income households who uses air conditioning spends more than 10 per cent of their monthly income on operating these systems, explained Dr Enrica De Cian, professor in environmental economics at the University of Venice  the same percentage of income threshold that the British government uses to define fuel poverty in the UK.

In the slums of Delhi, where the crowded urban desert offers little respite from the heat, many are forced to take out high-interest loans to afford AC units in their homes.

One maid, who works for a middle-class family and earns just $50 a month, told reporters at Global Health Now that purchasing AC wasnt a choice.

After enduring summers of extreme heat, she borrowed $216 from her sons employer to buy a second-hand air conditioning unit. She wanted her children to be spared the nausea, headaches, and dehydration that accompany 50-degree heat. That employer deducts $15 a month from the familys salary  pushing them further into poverty.

People buy fans to cope with the hot weather in Karachi, Pakistan - SHAHZAIB AKBER/EPA-EFE/Shutterstock

But neighbours without AC units are worse off, she told the publication. They havent been able to work for weeks, the effects of heat having taken a significant toll on their bodies.

There are not only huge inequalities when it comes to AC, and it also leads inequality to persist, said Prof Davies.

It matters in the short run  on the hot day itself, it means theres more death and discomfort. But over decades and generations, it makes it harder for low-income households to emerge from poverty.

Its hard for children to study in a house thats hot, and its hard to get up and go to work if you havent slept well because its too hot in your house.

This April, schools in Asia and North Africa were forced to close for weeks on end due to a particularly savage heat wave, affecting 40 million pupils.

Poorly built schools with tin roofs, no fans, and no AC offered little in the way of protection from the heat.

On top of the obvious health concerns, in 40-degree heat, children couldnt focus. There was little point, as the teachers couldnt teach. In Bangladesh, the government allowed only a handful of private schools with AC to stay open.

Schoolgirls use fans to cool down during class in Cambodia during a stifling heatwave earlier this year - Cha Tha Lach/REUTERS

Theres no doubt heat intensifies inequalities, experts have stressed, widening already severe learning gaps between developing nations in the tropics and developed countries. But sending kids to overheated schools could seriously threaten their health. Its a catch-22.

Adults face a similar problem.

In less well-developed economies, where a higher percentage of the population is employed in labour-intensive work like construction, workers exposed to extreme heat can collapse or even die on the job. But having to down tools when temperatures reach above 40 or 50 degrees  and potentially miss out on earnings  could also be a death sentence.

A recent study found that the worlds wealthiest regions, including Europe and North America, experienced an average 1.5 per cent loss of GDP per capita per year due to extreme heat.

By comparison, low-income regions  such as India and Indonesia  recorded a 6.7 per cent GDP per capita loss yearly.

Whats the answer?

By 2050, temperatures will regularly reach at least 35 degrees in around 970 cities, most of them in Asia, Africa and North America.

As global temperatures and incomes rise, air conditioner sales are poised to increase dramatically too. The number of AC units is set to skyrocket by 244 per cent globally by 2050, according to the International Energy Agency.

However, models predict air conditioning will remain a luxury available largely to high-income households.

At least 80 per cent of the worlds richest 10 per cent households will have air conditioning by 2050, compared with between 2 per cent and 23 per cent of the poorest 10 per cent, Dr De Cian of the University of Venice told The Telegraph.

But some places are already tackling the inequality problem head-on.

One county in the US state of Arizona, where temperatures have reached over 40 degrees this summer, has rolled out cooling hubs for residents who cant afford to run their AC.

A similar initiative is taking place in Tower Hamlets, East London, where a handful of day centres have opened as cool spaces for the homeless this summer.

A clinic in Delhi became the first to set up a heat stroke emergency room this year, where doctors douse patients  mainly men working in small, poorly-ventilated factories  in ice to try and bring their body temperatures down.

Others take their own initiative. Take a drive through Bangkoks heaving city centre and youll see hoards of people stuffed into shopping centres  not to buy new clothes, but to benefit from the industrial AC.

For most, however, there will still be no way to avoid the suffering brought by heat waves.

Air conditioning in many parts of the world has to be at least part of the solution, there arent any great alternatives. We need more innovation to figure out how to make AC more energy efficient, cheaper, and better, said Prof Davies.

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Susan J. Demas

Attorney General Dana Nessel has announced a settlement with Consumers Energy over the companys proposed $136 million natural gas rate increase, with the Michigan Public Service Commission approving a 75% reduction to the initially requested increase.

Through the settlement, Consumers Energy will receive a $35 million increase in revenue. Natural gas customers will also receive a bill credit over the next three years due to the sale of the companys home service plan program.

Michigan consumers deserve reliable utility services at fair prices, Nessel said in a statement last week. Thats why my department scrutinizes every proposed rate hike by utilities.

[The] decision by the commission to approve the settlement reducing Consumers Energys proposed increase ensures money stays in the pockets of their customers instead of needlessly increasing the companys bottom line. We will continue to advocate for affordable and dependable service for residents across our state, Nessel said.

In addition to its proposed rate increase, Consumers Energy also proposed increases to its monthly service charges for residential and small commercial customers, which would have increased the charge to $18.60 for residential customers and $19 for small commercial customers. Under the approved settlement, the residential service charge will increase to $15 a month while the charge for small commercial customers will increase to $18 monthly.

While Consumers Energy initially proposed splitting the proceeds from selling its home services product business with customers 50-50, the attorney general argued 100% of the proceeds should be returned to customers, as 100% of the net revenue from the program had previously gone to the benefit of ratepayers.

Under the settlement, 75% of the sales proceeds will be returned to ratepayers in the form of bill credits paid out over three years beginning in October, with Consumers Energy retaining the other 25% to supplement any revenue needs it has as the rate increase is implemented.

Additionally, 100% of the ongoing proceeds from the home service program will be credited to ratepayers, per a long-term service agreement that Consumers entered with the buyer.

Overall, the settlement results in an average rate increase of 1.5% for residential ratepayers before the bill credit is applied. With the bill credit, the increase will be .1% for the next fiscal year beginning in October 2024.

We appreciate the Michigan Public Service Commissions decision to approve our natural gas case settlement. Consumers Energy is committed to modernizing our natural gas system, making it even more safe, clean, reliable and affordable for our 1.8 million customers, Consumers Energy spokesperson Brian Wheeler said in an emailed statement.

This settlement allows us to make needed investments while keeping bills as low as possible, including providing customers with additional benefits through lower rates from the sale of our Appliance Service Plan, Wheeler said.

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We will continue to hold his memory. GA Board of Corrections chair dies in plane crash

The board chairman of the Georgia Department of Corrections was among those killed in a plane crash in Wyoming late last week.

Larry Haynie, his wife Melissa, and three members of an Atlanta family gospel group died when a single-engine turboprop piloted by Haynie crashed near Recluse, a town in northeastern Wyoming.

The plane experienced an autopilot issue, according to initial findings reported by a spokesperson for the National Transportation Safety Board.

In a statement, Gov. Brian Kemp praised Haynie for a career of valued service in public safety.

Larrys impact on our state will not be forgotten, Kemp wrote. We will continue to hold his memory and that enduring commitment to his fellow Georgians in our hearts and memories.

Three members of the family gospel group The Nelons also died in the crash. Kelly Nelon Clark, her husband, Jason Clark, and their daughter Amber Nelon Kistler were headed to the Gaither Homecoming Cruise to Alaska at the time of the crash.

Ambers husband, Nathan Kistler, and Melodi Hodges, an assistant, were also killed.

Kelly and Jasons other daughter, Autumn Nelon Streetman, who was also a member of the group, was not on the plane.

The 19-member Georgia Board of Corrections postponed its schedule Aug. 1 meeting until Aug. 8.
A Florida organization honored former Miami City Attorney Victoria Mendez as the states best municipal lawyer of 2024  a year in which the City Commission effectively fired Mendez from her job at City Hall, the Florida Bar continued an investigation into allegations against her and an appeals court denied Mendezs effort to be dismissed from a lawsuit accusing her of conspiring with her husband to defraud a Little Havana homeowner.

At its annual seminar, held in Naples over the weekend, the Florida Municipal Attorneys Association named Mendez the 2024 Attorney of the Year, an award given to the states most outstanding municipal attorney. The award recognizes the recipients accomplishments during the previous year, as well as his or her career contributions to date.

FMAA Executive Secretary Rebecca OHara confirmed that Mendez received the award during the three-day event. In a statement to the Miami Herald, OHara said that since 2017, Mendez has served on the executive committee of the organization, which has approximately 1,120 members.

During her time on the Executive Committee, Ms. Mendez provided invaluable guidance to the organization in helping to develop the topics and speakers for our annual continuing legal education seminar, including this years Seminar, which was held last week, OHara said, adding that the seminar this year had record attendance and included more than 14 hours of continuing legal education.

OHara, who is also the deputy general counsel for the Florida League of Cities, said Mendez routinely encourages other municipal attorneys to participate in the development of the profession through the FMAA, and has served over the years as a speaker and moderator for the associations seminars.

According to the FMAA website, the recipient is selected by a nominating committee that consists of the three most recent winners. In response to a request for comment on the decision to award Mendez, 2022 winner Samuel S. Goren pointed the Herald to OHara, the executive secretary. 2021 winner Thomas A. Cloud did not respond to the Heralds request for comment about why the committee selected Mendez. The 2023 winner, James W. Denhardt, was not available for comment, according to a paralegal in his office.

Mendez did not respond to the Heralds request for comment.

Miami City Attorney Victoria Mendez speaks during a commission meeting at Miami City Hall on Thursday, April 11, 2024.

A turbulent year

OHara did not directly respond to questions about whether the association factored in the maelstrom of controversies surrounding Mendez, many of which occurred in the past year.

In January, the City Commission voted to extend Mendezs contract for just five months, effectively ousting her. Then in April, the commission voted to immediately demote Mendez to a transitional role until her last day in June. She retired in June after a 20-year career at City Hall.

Also in April, the Florida Bar ramped up its investigation into Mendez after Miami filmmaker Billy Corben filed a complaint accusing Mendez of embarrassingly unprofessional antics, including when she called him a vile little man during a City Commission meeting this year. The Heralds reporting showed that the investigation has been open since at least the spring of 2023 and is probing Mendezs ties to an alleged house-flipping scheme involving her husband.

A Florida Bar spokesperson said Monday that the case is still open.

Mendez faced another blow in May when a panel of appellate court judges denied a motion to dismiss her from a lawsuit accusing her of using her public position and conspiring with her husband to convince a Little Havana homeowner to sell his property for below-market value.

Read more: Insiders benefit from Dade program to sell homes of incapacitated people. Only a few knew

In the lawsuit, a man named Jose Alvarez accused Mendez and her husband of orchestrating a conspiratorial scheme to enrich themselves. After Mendezs husband purchased Alvarezs Little Havana home in 2017, the lawsuit alleges that he then renovated it, mostly without permits, and used his political connections in City Hall to have the code violations  which included over $270,000 in fines  cleared by the citys code enforcement board. He later flipped the home for a $165,000 profit. According to the lawsuit, Alvarez had initially contacted Mendez to determine how to best address the code violations on his home.

Under the guise of assisting Jose Alvarez with his desperate situation as a disinterested public official, the lawsuit says, Mendez referred Alvarez to her husband, who allegedly represented that the value of the Alvarez Home was substantially diminished.

In a statement issued last year, Mendez called the lawsuits allegations patently false.

Read more: UNGUARDED: The Guardianship Program of Dade sells properties of incapacitated people to a Miami realtor, who reaps big gains

Mendez has previously sought to link the lawsuits motivations to other litigation in the city, including a lawsuit brought by Little Havana businessmen Bill Fuller and Martin Pinilla that resulted in a $63.5 million judgment against Miami City Commissioner Joe Carollo last summer.

Plaintiffs in both cases are represented by attorney Jeff Gutchess, whom Mendez accused during a February hearing of trying to hurt my family, hurt me, trying to say that I did something wrong. During the hearing, held virtually over Zoom, Miami-Dade Circuit Court Judge David C. Miller muted Mendezs microphone because she spoke over him and made what he called a political speech.

Mendez has stood by her decision to have the city pay for outside attorneys to defend Carollo in multiple lawsuits  an issue that has spurred recent litigation. She is one of several city employees named as a defendant in a federal lawsuit filed in May by the one of the citys insurers, QBE Specialty Insurance Company, which is arguing that it cannot be held responsible for over $10 million in legal fees for the defense of Carollo in various lawsuits dating back to 2018. The insurer cited allegations that Carollo engaged in deliberate, willful conduct that was intended to deprive plaintiffs of their property and harm plaintiffs reputations to punish and retaliate.

And last fall, the city faced a potential $56 million shortfall when Mendez ignored warnings from state officials that the citys plans to approve an increased property tax rate without a unanimous five-person vote could render the budget invalid, jeopardizing millions in funding. (The commission only had four members at the time because of the arrest and suspension of then-City Commissioner Alex Diaz de la Portilla, who faces corruption charges.)

The city also faced other legal challenges that arose during Mendezs tenure.

In a class-action lawsuit that could cost the city millions, a Miami-Dade Circuit Court judge ruled in January that the city incorrectly imposed a 15% parking surcharge for years, a case that could lead to refunds for thousands of people. Separately, in April, a federal judge deemed a city-approved voting map unconstitutional due to racial gerrymandering, which undid a 2022 redistricting process.

Before she retired, Mendez cast her City Hall career in a favorable light. During her last meeting in April, she touted several achievements during her tenure, from taking on FPL, to making sure water quality is safe for the residents and throughout Florida, to saving millions of dollars in potential catastrophic litigation.
North Carolina Gov. Roy Cooper (D) has withdrawn from consideration as Vice President Harriss running mate in the November election, he said Monday.

I strongly support Vice President Harris campaign for President. I know shes going to win and I was honored to be considered for this role, Cooper said in a statement.

This just wasnt the right time for North Carolina and for me to potentially be on a national ticket, he continued. As Ive said from the beginning, she has an outstanding list of people from which to choose, and well all work to make sure she wins.

North Carolina Gov. Roy Cooper (D) affixes his veto stamp to a bill banning nearly all abortions after 12 weeks of pregnancy at a public rally May 13, 2023, in Raleigh, N.C. The veto launches a major test for leaders of the GOP-controlled General Assembly to attempt to override Coopers veto after they recently gained veto-proof majorities in both chambers.

Coopers decision narrows the list of Democrats being considered to join Harris on the ticket ahead of an Aug. 7 deadline for her to name her running mate.

The New York Times first reported on Coopers decision.

Others still being vetted include Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro (D), Arizona Sen. Mark Kelly (D), Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz (D) and Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg.

Cooper was among the several Democrats being vetted as Harris and her campaign narrow in on a running mate. The case for the governor centered on his ability to win election in a swing state, the states passage of Medicaid expansion under his leadership and his experience as an attorney general.

But some Democrats worried about the states law that would have made Lt. Gov. Mark Robinson (R), who has made headlines for incendiary comments, the acting governor whenever Cooper left the state. Additionally, Cooper, 67, is older than Harris, though he is younger than former President Trump, the GOP nominee.

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When could Erick Rangel-Ibarra return to Las Vegas to face charges in Lesly Palacios murder?

When could Erick Rangel-Ibarra return to Las Vegas to face charges in Lesly Palacios murder?

LAS VEGAS (KLAS)  It could be months  or even years  before Erick Rangel-Ibarra, 29, the man accused of killing Lesly Palacio, 22, could appear in a Las Vegas courtroom to face the murder charge filed against him.

Police in Mexico took Rangel-Ibarra into custody recently, a source confirmed to the 8 News Now Investigators on Saturday. It was not immediately clear what day the arrest occurred.

Las Vegas Metro police suspect Palacio died Aug. 29, 2020. Police found her remains two weeks later near the Valley of Fire. Rangel-Ibarra is the only suspect in Palacios murder. Metro police reported Rangel-Ibarra and his father, Jose Rangel, missing within days of Palacios death.

In 2021, Rangel pleaded guilty to helping his son move Palacios body from the family home. A judge sentenced Rangel to two years in prison. The 8 News Now Investigators reported Rangel was released after serving less than nine months.

Las Vegas Metro police suspect Lesly Palacio, 22, died Aug. 29, 2020. (Palacio family/KLAS)

Video evidence presented to a grand jury in 2021 showed Rangel-Ibarra and Rangel moving Palacios body on the morning of her suspected death.

According to court transcripts and video footage, prosecutors said Rangel-Ibarra returned to his home with Palacio around 6 a.m. after a night of drinking. Video shows a man, whom prosecutors identified as Rangel-Ibarra, helping a woman, identified as Palacio, get out of a truck parked in front of his home, court documents said.

An hour later, the same camera from a home down the street captures two men, whom prosecutors identified as Rangel-Ibarra and Rangel, dragging a body from the home and into the same truck. A few minutes later, the video shows the truck leaving, and a man, whom prosecutors identified as Rangel, hosing off the walkway.

Rangel initially told police he thought Palacio had died from an overdose, but then told police he initially saw the body when his son dragged it down the stairs of their home on a bed sheet, documents said.

Palacios official cause and manner of death are listed as undetermined. Investigators have not elaborated on what evidence inside the Rangel home led them to determine Palacio is the victim of a homicide. An undetermined cause and manner of death means there is not enough evidence on a deceased persons body to clearly determine how they died.

Over the years, Metro police and the FBI have worked with international partners, including Interpol, to locate Rangel-Ibarra.

The extradition process can be lengthy and complex, immigration attorney Claudia Cedeno said.

A United States treaty with Mexico dictates how the process works. It is not as easy as a simple request, Cedeno said.

Police in Mexico took Rangel-Ibarra into custody recently, a source confirmed to the 8 News Now Investigators on Saturday. It was not immediately clear what day the arrest occurred. (LVMPD/KLAS)

All the evidence has to be submitted through diplomatic channels, Cedeno said. Then the Mexican Foreign Ministry has to review the request and the evidence and process it.

The process involves several federal departments, including the U.S. Department of State and judicial officials in Mexico. Rangel-Ibarra also has a right to appear before a Mexican judge who will weigh the extradition process.

Usually, the process can take three months to several years depending on the case complexities, Cedeno said.

The U.S. and Mexico appear to have a good working relationship on extraditing criminals, with several hundred transfers since 2010, records said.

Las Vegas Metro police suspect Lesly Palacio, 22, died Aug. 29, 2020. (Palacio family/KLAS)

According to federal documents, the treaty between the two countries calls for criminals arrested in Mexico, should they be convicted in the U.S., not to face the death penalty or a life sentence. While Nevada has the death penalty, the state has not put a convicted murderer to death since 2006. Judges can sentence convicted murderers to lengthy prison sentences with the possibility of parole.

The 8 News Now Investigators contacted police in Mexico about Rangel-Ibarras arrest but were hung up on several times. Metro police did not respond to an interview request. A spokesperson for the Palacio family had no comment.

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WICHITA, Kan. (The Wichita Eagle)  Voters in Sedgwick County could be asked next year to support a new sales tax that would fund arts, culture and recreation programming.

The Sedgwick County Zoo, Exploration Place science museum, the Kansas African American Museum and the county parks department are all set to take cuts in next years proposed county budget.

Funding those programs through a sales tax instead would allow the county to lower its property tax levy by between two and a half and three mills, likely starting in 2026 or 2027. Commissioners want to present voters with a ballot question about a sales tax no later than fall 2025.

In their Reality Check stories, Wichita Eagle journalists dig deeper into questions over facts, consequences and accountability. Story idea? tips@wichitaeagle.com.

Establishing an eighth of a cent sales tax for cultural arts and rec funding would generate around $18 million in revenue based on current sales tax data  roughly the same amount the county now spends annually on quality of life programming.

I would like to say we would never fund those things ever again through property taxes, Commissioner Jim Howell said at a staff meeting earlier this week. They would be forever funded through sales tax.

If the economy thrived, the sales tax would generate more money to be shared between organizations. On the flip side, an economic downturn that saw the sales tax generate less revenue than expected would result in programming cuts the next year.

Despite how largely and loudly I complain about property taxes, I fully understand that property taxes are the most stable, secure form of taxation to fund local government, Chair Ryan Baty said. I understand that. They are stable and they should be used to fund the core services of what we do here, particularly in public safety.

The county tax proposal comes as the state is reducing and then eliminating by Jan. 1 its sales tax on food bought at grocery stores. Meanwhile, a major tax cut compromise reached between Gov. Laura Kelly and Republican legislators in June did little to provide property tax relief, but lawmakers have vowed to take the issue up again next year.

A county sales tax ballot proposal would likely have an ending date, giving voters an option in five years to renew the funding mechanism or revert back to using property taxes.

Sarah Lopez, the lone Democrat on the commission and the only incumbent running for re-election this year, said the county has to do something to alleviate the property tax burden on residents. Sixty percent of Sedgwick Countys residential properties appreciated in value this year  the lowest proportion of appraisal increases since 2018.

I am in favor of looking at this and really having our property taxes revolve around and focus on our core services, Lopez said. I think thats a great way to look at this.

COUNTY SEEKS BUY-IN

The idea of switching to a sales tax funding model has already been broached by the nonprofit boards that oversee the zoo and Exploration Place.

Theyre looking for leadership, County Manager Tom Stolz said.

I have heard no one in the nonprofit world that we fund speak against this concept. Zero.

Because the county already levies a one-cent sales tax, largely used to support road and bridge infrastructure, adding an additional sales tax would require lawmakers approval to bring a ballot question before voters.

The two options on the table are moving forward with a county-specific sales tax proposal or bringing Wichita and the countys other 19 cities together on a collaborative effort that would see some or all of them lower their own mill levies in exchange for a share of the new sales tax revenue.

On Thursday, Baty sent an invitation to all 20 mayors inviting them to an Aug. 14 meeting at the Ruffin Building to gauge their support for the initiative. Baty requested that city leadership prepare a breakdown of their cultural/arts and parks/recreation spending and funding model to discuss at the meeting.

Bringing cities in on the sales tax proposal could mean asking voters to approve significantly more than an eighth of a cent tax.

Lets just say its $60 million [spent on quality of life programming] across the county, Stolz said. Thats roughly a half-cent sales tax, and then each city thats then part of that would have to lower their property tax mill down by that same amount so that the business owners and the homeowners and the property owners get that kind of tax relief.

Its still an open question whether city parks funding would be included in the sales tax proposal. The county itself only spends about $1.8 million annually on parks, but some cities dwarf that. Wichitas 2025 recommended budget calls for spending $29.6 million next year on parks and recreation programming.

If you look at something like the city of Wichita or even Derby, they have tremendous amounts of money flowing into parks, Stolz said. I dont want to speak for the city but I come from a city. Thats viewed as a core service.

OPPOSITION TO CITY INVOLVEMENT

Howell, who has been pushing for years to switch to a sales tax-funded model for non-core government services, is wary of widening the scope to include cities.

He told The Eagle he doesnt believe a collaborative plan could be finalized in time to present to the South Central Kansas Delegation of lawmakers by the first week of December. The new legislative session in Topeka will begin in January.

Theres 20 cities. That means theres 20 mayors. Theres a 100 city council members. Over a 100 elected officials coming together on a single proposal that everybody has to do it exactly right and then be committed to it, emotionally and absolutely committed to it for it to work, Howell said. And you have to get this done by December 1 . . . I think theres just no way to get there. Its so complicated.

Cities have the statutory authority to levy a sales tax of up to two cents. Howell says if they want to offset property taxes, they should just follow the countys lead and make their own proposals.

My concern with Commissioner Howells recommendation to just go our own way is remember, its going to take a vote of the citizens in Sedgwick County, and if the cities in Sedgwick County are against that, its never going to pass, Commissioner David Dennis said.

Baty said he doesnt want to see the county abdicate its responsibility to lead on the issue when rising property taxes are a communitywide issue. Property values  and corresponding property taxes  have gone up for most Sedgwick County homeowners in the last six years.

I hear . . . frequently from people that are not just complaining about property taxes. Theyre concerned theyre being priced out of their homes, Baty said, pointing out that rental rates also go up when landlords pass on higher property tax and insurance costs to their tenants.

Of course theres no guarantee that a reduction in property taxes would result in more affordable rental rates.

Will the [landlords] hold fast on their rental rates and not increase them or perhaps even reduce if we would pass this? That is the unknown that we cant get to, Stolz said.

For now, he said, county staff will begin shaping two separate proposals  one for the county only and one for a collaborative sales tax that includes cities. If all goes according to plan, whatever proposal commissioners ultimately decide on will make it onto a ballot for voters to approve or reject in 2025.

Matthew Kelly joined The Eagle in April 2021. He covers local government and politics in the Wichita area. You can contact him at 316-268-6203 and mkelly@wichitaeagle.com.

This article was produced as part of the Wichita Journalism Collaborative, which includes The Wichita Eagle and 10 other organizations and community groups, including KSN-TV.

Copyright 2024 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.

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Could we see new bridge before Mississippis first Buc-ees? See construction update

Cranes lift precast pieces of concrete in place at the new Buc-ees in Harrison County and work is proceeding to prepare the roads to handle the thousands of cars the travel center will bring to that area each day.

Harrison County committed $15 million to redesign and rebuild the interchange at Exit 24 of Interstate 10. It was the first time the Mississippi Legislature approved a tax increment finance bond for a county, said Rep. Richard Bennett.

The state shares a portion of the sales tax collected in cities, but not counties. The bond will be repaid using the extensive sales tax revenue expected to be generated by the Buc-ees and other development expected.

It is going to be transformational for Harrison County, Bennett said.

Already two commercial buildings are under construction across from Buc-ees and officials expect more businesses to follow at the Menge Avenue exit.

The two-lane bridge over I-10 was replaced with a five-lane span to move traffic, and the ramps and roads also were widened and improved.

Work on the bridge is nearing completion. The most recent information he has is the interchange project will be complete in early 2025, said Jeff Nadalo, spokesman for Buc-ees. Traffic may be allowed to cross the bridge before that, he said.

Mississipis first Buc-ees is scheduled to open the first quarter of 2025, he said, so by the end of March, barring any bad weather or other delays.

A T. L. Wallace employees car sits at the edge of the new new Menge Avenue five-lane deck at exit 24 of I-10, where the new Buc-ees is under construction. A final layer of asphalt is required to finish the approach. The new bridge and redesign of the exit are needed to handle the additional traffic the travel center will bring to that area.

The schedule calls for the bridge to be open prior to Buc-ees, said Harrison County Supervisor Marlin Ladner. Work on Firetower Road probably will take a little longer than the bridge, he said.

He expects the infrastructure project to be tested right from the beginning.

Theres going to be some people there opening day, he said.

The anticipation and fascination with Buc-ees is more than he expected.

Theres something about it, he said.

A new Buc-ees being built in Harrison County, MS, will draw people off I-10 each day, along with locals who want to stock up on snacks and gifts.

It could be the size. The 74,000-square-foot store will be among the largest outside of the original location in Texas. It will have 120 fueling positions to pump gas and 24 EV charging stations. Stores typically have about 700 parking spaces to accommodate those who want to wander inside.

This is the only Buc-ees between Baytown, Texas 350 miles west, and Baldwin, Alabama to the east, and billboards along the way will tempt drivers with Beaver nuggets and promise the cleanest bathrooms.

Those who take a bathroom break generally leave with a few varieties of jerky, fresh pastries, homemade fudge and their famous brisket sandwiches. There arent tables to eat inside, and visitors sometimes tailgate.

Buc-ees founded and owner Arch Beaver Aplin and Brandi Hough, with the Harrison County Development Authority, pose with the Buc-ees mascot at the ground breaking for the future Harrison County Buc-ees location off I-10 in Harrison County on Tuesday, Sept. 12, 2023.

Buc-ees also is a huge souvenir and seasonal store with their famous beaver mascot on Harrison County towels and T-shirts, toys, housewares and gifts.

Ladner said he hasnt been to a Buc-ees yet, so hes only heard of the appeal of the travel centers. Hes pretty much made up his mind, he said, to wait and make his first visit at Buc-ees at home in Harrison County.

While ground crew members looks on from below and a monitor watches from above, T. L. Wallace employees dismantle the catwalk used to support workers installing the side walls of the new Menge Avenue overpass near Buc-ees.

Steel braces are moved into place for additional wall panels to be fitted at the new Buc-ees travel center, under construction at Exit 24 of I-10 in Harrison County.

After a few weeks absence the crane is back, preparing to lift wall panels in place as the Mississippi Gulf Coasts first Buc-ees continues to take shape west of Gulfport in Harrison County. The travel center is scheduled to open early next year.

Supports brace a concrete room at the new Buc-ees travel center under construction at Exit 24 of I-10, west of Gulfport. It will be the first Buc-ees in Mississippi and one of the largest outside of the original location in Texas.

Stewart-Perry crews pre-placed the wall supports on this panel that is ready to be lifted into place as part of the construction of the new Buc-ees travel center in South Mississippi.

Steel roof trusses are on site, ready to be placed during the construction of the new Buc-ees travel center at Exit 24 of I-10 in Harrison County.

A new shopping center is under construction across the street from Buc-ees, near El Patron, at Exit 24 of I-10 in Harrison County. The interchange was rebuilt to accommodate the traffic in that area once Buc-ees opens, early next year.

Buc-ees is already drawing more business to Exit 24 of I-10 in Harrison County. This is one of two new commercial buildings under construction across from the travel center.
CHESAPEAKE  As some Chesapeake residents are pushing back against an effort to force Don Carey out of his council seat amid his bid for mayor, the dispute highlights a unique election law on the books in Chesapeake compared to surrounding cities.

Its a legal question expected to be handled in court, primarily because of different interpretations of Chesapeakes city charter  seemingly the only charter for a major Hampton Roads city that puts the city in this novel position.

Multiple council members are challenging mayors this November elections in surrounding cities, like Virginia Beach and Portsmouth. Yet Chesapeake finds itself in this situation as its the only Hampton Roads city with a provision in the city charter that requires council members to formally resign from their council seat during their mayoral election bid instead of after. Careys council term is set to end Dec. 31. Chesapeakes charter provision calls for a council resignation by June 30, though it was established when Chesapeake held city elections in May.

The ongoing legal question has spurred division among council members, some of whom are practicing a boycott of certain city business they dont believe Carey should be part of, like closed sessions, as a result.

At a July 23 meeting, some residents said Carey was being penalized for an oversight issue in the charter, and called for council to make the appropriate changes in lieu of legal action. But thats challenging in a Dillons Rule state like Virginia, where the General Assembly determines the scope of local governments power. That means when a city needs to update its charter, state legislators are the ones who can make it happen.

No two local government situations are alike, and theyre often quite obscure provisions that are at issue, said Richard Schragger, a law professor at the University of Virginia.

He added that in Chesapeakes case, it can be tricky because even if the dates should have been changed, the charter also clearly states June 30.

So then the question becomes, if theres ambiguities in the interpretation of that provision, who makes that decision? And generally we end up in courts when thats the case, Schragger said.

For most Hampton Roads cities, council members who declare candidacy in a mayors race must formally resign their council position following the election or upon the start of the newly elected mayors term, according to the respective city charters. That includes Norfolk, Hampton, Suffolk and Virginia Beach.

In Virginia Beach, Councilman Chris Taylor, representing District 8, has joined a crowded field to challenge the sitting mayor. To do so, Taylor had to file a formal resignation letter effective after the election since his council term spans until 2026, which will necessitate a special election. His resignation will take effect Dec. 31, regardless of whether he wins or loses the mayoral race.

Sabrina Wooten is another Virginia Beach council member challenging the mayor, but her term ends at the end of the year.

Portsmouths charter lacks any resign-to-run requirement. The current vice mayor, Lisa Lucas-Burke, is challenging sitting Mayor Shannon Glover. There is no apparent provision in Newport News charter that addresses resign-to-rule stipulations, but a process for filling vacancies is included.

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General Assembly action in 2021 shifted Chesapeakes elections from May to November, but the accompanying provision for resignation was not altered, according to an opinion issued in May by Republican Virginia Attorney General Jason Miyares. His opinion concluded that Carey was required to step down by June 30.

In March, Carey declared a bid to challenge Mayor Rick West. On July 9, a majority of council members directed the city attorneys office to file a writ of mandamus with the Circuit Court asking a judge to compel Carey to resign from his position as he seeks election as mayor.

While its still unclear when the city will formally file the petition in Circuit Court, Carey said he was officially served last week by the city with a notice of intent to file. City Attorney Catherine Lindley previously said a reasonable time must lapse before filing with Circuit Court, though she has declined to specify what that timeframe will be.

Carey has previously called the move political and unethical.

Citizens realize how foolish this endeavor is for council to waste taxpayer dollars to attack a political opponent, he said in a phone interview Monday.

Carey was first elected to City Council in May 2020. He assumed his role July 1 when Chesapeake still held local elections in May instead of November. In Miyares opinion, he stated that though resignation would have the effect of shortening Careys term, its due to his voluntary decision to seek election to the office of mayor, as was the case prior to the 2021 amendments for council members seeking to become mayor in middle of their otherwise four-year term.

Around a dozen residents spoke at a July 23 meeting, mostly expressing frustration with division among council and the city money and resources that will be dedicated to litigating the issue. Others said he should stay in his seat through the end of his current term.

Resident Nancy Pettigrew and George Reed of the New Chesapeake Men for Progress argued that the intent of the charter change law wasnt to result in a monthslong vacancy when a council member runs for mayor.

Forcing Councilman Carey off the council at this point in the year will hamper the work that the City Council does, Pettigrew said. And in fact, we are already seeing that happen.

Reed cited a summary document about the 2021 law when it was passed, which states the terms of mayor, council and school board members should not be shortened as a result of shifting elections to November. It also states all those members elected at a May general election and whose terms end as of June 30 shall continue in office until their successors have been elected at the November general election and have been qualified to serve.

Another election-related bill passed that year amended that portion of state code and the clause Reed cited was removed.

We ought to have a writ of mandamus to get our city attorney to configure our charter to meet the state law, Reed said. I say to you there must be a different agenda. You should explain that agenda to the public. Because its certainly not running good governance with transparency and accountability.

Natalie Anderson, 757-732-1133, natalie.anderson@virginiamedia.com
KYODO NEWS - Jul 30, 2024 - 09:00 | All, Japan, Feature

Toshiko Tanaka was 6 and waiting under a cherry blossom tree for a school friend in Hiroshima's hilly Ushida neighborhood when an atomic bomb dropped by the United States detonated in skies just 2.3 kilometers away on Aug. 6, 1945.

"Someone shouted 'An enemy plane!' and I looked up to see one flying over. Suddenly, there was a great light, and I instinctively covered my face with my arm. My right arm, my head and the back of my neck were burned," the now 85-year-old recalled from her home a few hundred meters from the same spot.

"I was crying in the darkness after the flash and not knowing where to go among all the dust. I don't know how long it took me to get home, but the house was in a terrible state."

Once inside, she quickly developed a fever and lost consciousness for about a week. Her mother did not believe Tanaka would pull through.

When she eventually did open her eyes in the wrecked house, it was the sight of a blue summer sky that greeted her, visible through a gap in the damaged roof.

"It was the same blue sky as the day before the bomb, even though it was a different world to before," she said. "When I thought about it again later, it made me think that there is still a tomorrow, and that feeling encouraged me."

She later became a Cloisonne enamellist, producing large panel artworks showing doves and other images associated with peace and the bombing. She says the works are infused with her reflections on the attack so that they may outlive her.

But while her art expresses part of her story, the fact that it appears she was the only one of her elementary school classmates to survive made her reticent to speak openly about what happened until she was 70.

Tanaka's family had moved to the area where they were exposed only around a week earlier, after being ordered to vacate their central Hiroshima home. At the time, buildings were regularly torn down to prevent fires spreading in the event of a U.S. attack.

Their old house, which was also an inn that often hosted soldiers on their last night before they were shipped off to war, was just 0.5 km from what would become the bomb's hypocenter.

Nakajima elementary school, which she had attended until she moved, was completely destroyed by the bomb, with her former schoolmates effectively removed without trace.

"There's no record of whether my classmates lived or died, not for these nearly 80 years. It was traumatic, and I never spoke about the bombing."

A social taboo around the bombing was also a strong deterrent against speaking out. "To discuss it was seen as bad, and it could affect your chances of marrying. We were made to forget about it," she said.

Tanaka grew up poor, as many did in Hiroshima after the bomb upended lives. After graduating from junior high school, she attended night high school classes while working.

She pursued her passion for art, enrolling at Tokyo's Bunka Fashion College, where her peers included famed designer Kenzo Takada, the founder of the Kenzo clothing brand. But Tanaka had to abandon her studies for lack of funds, ending up back in Hiroshima as a chauffeur, after learning to drive in Tokyo upon hearing the work was available.

Through the job she was introduced to her husband, and they had two children, with Tanaka becoming a stay-at-home mother. Her mother-in-law was the one who pushed her to try enamel artworks.

"The pieces got bigger and bigger as I started to think of including messages in them...I didn't know what message to impart at first, but the atomic bombing was a trauma inside me I could not voice."

Reluctant even to tell her story to her own children, her approach was changed by a 2008 round-the-world trip with Peace Boat, a Japan-based international nonprofit organization that organizes cruises to promote peace, human rights, and sustainability.

She spoke for the first time on a cruise stop in Venezuela, after a local mayor reacted with dismay upon learning Tanaka had never told her story before.

"He said to me, if I don't tell it then who will? If I say nothing, the world will return to using nuclear weapons, he said."

When she did finally speak out, it was on a satellite broadcast from the South American country. Concerned that this might be the first time her children would learn of her past, she wrote them a letter of apology for concealing the truth for so long.

"I had my heart set on continuing to talk about it then. I was 70, more than 60 years had passed without me telling anyone, but I thought my classmates would forgive me and that talking about it might help lay their souls to rest," she said.

"They all disappeared, and no one knows that they even existed," Tanaka said, adding she remembers how she and her classmates used to swim in a river and play.

"Talking about it now brings me solace, but before, if I'd been asked to talk, it seemed like a ridiculous thing to say that I had survived and that my art has themes on being exposed to the bomb," she said.

Her desire to contribute to the anti-nuclear movement remains undiminished in her 80s, and she has been to more than 80 countries to spread her story. In April she joined her fifth Peace Boat round-the-world cruise voyage, and she continues to receive people at the peace center she established in her home in 2016.

But while convinced of the importance of survivors telling their stories, Tanaka is less certain on its power to make a difference.

"I think it may have meaning, but whether it is effective, no one knows. Still, the world will get worse if we do nothing and say things can't change.

"These days, you don't see so many young people in Japan coming out against nuclear weapons. Someone has to deliver that message," she said.

Related coverage:

Statue of Hiroshima A-bomb victim Sadako Sasaki stolen from park in Seattle

Oppenheimer reportedly apologized in 1964 meeting with A-bomb victim

Oppenheimer grandson calls for dialogue over geopolitical risks
Court records: Petersburg firefighter given two breathalyzers, blew the same amount in both

PETERSBURG  A firefighter suspended for reportedly being intoxicated and running into a parked car in a training exercise last week was given two breathalyzer tests onsite and blew identical blood-alcohol counts [BAC] almost twice over Virginias legal limit, according to the criminal complaint filed against him.

Aaron Michael Hinspater, 34, of North Chesterfield, will be arraigned Friday morning in Petersburg General District Court on one count of first-offense driving while intoxicated, a Class 1 misdemeanor. He is on unpaid administrative leave while an investigation into the July 23 incident continues.

Hinspater was charged after the fire truck he was driving for a training exercise sideswiped a parked car near the intersection of North Sycamore and West Bank streets. Papers filed in the court indicated that he blew a .145 BAC. Virginias BAC limit for being legally intoxicated is .08.

A BAC measures the percentage amount of alcohol in a person's bloodstream, so if someone blows a .145, that means they have almost 1.5 parts of alcohol for ever 1,000 parts of blood in their system. Physical signals at that level include blurred vision, loss of coordination, and either anxiety or restlessness.

A tight spot

In the criminal complaint, the arresting officer wrote that when he first arrived at the scene, Hinspater told him he was trying to get the truck into a tight spot on the street when he sideswiped the unoccupied parked car.

Per city policy, Hinspater was given a [Preliminary Breath Test] and blew a .145, Officer J.E. Street III wrote. Under Virginia law, a 20-minute "deprivation period" must pass before a second test can take place. During that time, officers observe subjects for any telltale signs of intoxication such as excessive belching or unsteadiness.

Street did not state in the report if he noticed any of those signs in Hinspater.

Hinspater was allowed to use mouthwash before the second test but still blew a .145, Street wrote.

More tests and a self-admission

Following the breathalyzers, Street wrote in the complaint, he gave Hinspater a series of field-sobriety tests that included one-legged standing and a walk-and-turn. No clues were observed in either test, he wrote. Clues were observed, he wrote, in the third test for checking jerkiness in eye movement.

After the tests, the complaint read, Hinspater self-admitted his alcohol consumption.

Hinspater then said he had consumed 18 beers that were at an 8% alcohol count, Street wrote.

He was then arrested for DWI.

Limited comment, one question

Citing it as a personnel issue, the city of Petersburg has refrained from commenting on the incident outside of a four-sentence statement two days after the incident, acknowledging that it happened. Several unsuccessful attempts were made by The Progress-Index to get additional statements.

Still, did anyone involved in the training exercise notice any sign of possible intoxication on the firefighters part, and if so, were they obligated to report it?

A review by The Progress-Index of Petersburgs online personnel policies manual did not turn up any mention of such obligation. It also was nor clear if the "city policy" cited by the arresting officer referred to police or citywide policy.

Alcohol consumption is mentioned only twice in the manual under Article 5 Disciplinary Actions, Demotions, Dismissals and Separations.

Grounds for possible disciplinary actions are reporting to work when under the influence of or when ability is impaired by alcohol or the unlawful use of controlled substances, and use of alcohol or unlawful use or possession of controlled substances while on the job.

While alcohol is specifically mentioned in the grounds for discipline, it is not specified in the policys outline for unpaid-leave decisions. There is a mention that an employee can be put on unpaid leave if their ability to perform is impacted by the action. However, in terms of criminal violations, unpaid leave is applicable if the employee has been charged and is currently jailed, or if the charge  either a misdemeanor or a felony  involves drug paraphernalia or any controlled substance.

In this instance, Hinspater was released on recognizance, according to the arrest warrant. And in Virginia, alcohol is not considered a controlled substance.

The Progress-Index has reached out to the Virginia Professional Fire Fighters labor group seeking comment on the Hinspater case, but that message has not yet been answered.

Bill Atkinson (he/him/his) is an award-winning journalist who covers breaking news, government and politics. Reach him at batkinson@progress-index.com or on X (formerly known as Twitter) at @BAtkinson_PI.

This article originally appeared on The Progress-Index: Date set for hearing of Petersburg firefighter accused of drunk driving
Story originally posted at mynorthwest.com

A Seattle Municipal Court judge has set new bail for the man infamously known as the Belltown Hellcat. Miles Hudson appeared in court Monday morning and entered two pleas of not guilty to stalking and sending an explicit video of an ex-girlfriend.

The appearance was rescheduled after Hudson failed to appear for the same case last Wednesday. Judge Seth Niesen set bail in that case at $5,000 with conditions he not contact the victim and wear an electronic monitoring device if released.

Previous coverage: Infamous Belltown Hellcat driver fails to have car inspected, faces other legal battles

Belltown Hellcat allegedly sent explicit video, stalked his ex-girlfriend

Court documents stated this past May, Hudson allegedly showed up at his ex-girlfriends job and harassed her in front of her co-workers. When the woman left, prosecutors said Hudson followed her home and continued to call her and message her.

Prosecutors claim Hudson also sent an explicit video of himself and his ex-girlfriend to another man she had once dated. Prosecutors also said Hudson has a record that includes two other domestic violence-related cases in Renton.

Judge Niesen also set a new $2,500 bail for Hudson after prosecutors argued the 21-year-old was ignoring a previous court order to stop driving his modified Dodge SRT Hellcat. That previous court said Hudson was not allowed to drive his car but the order identified the car by its specific license plate.

Monday, prosecutors argued, after the court order was issued, Hudson changed the cars license plate with a personalized plate in an attempt to skirt the court order and continue driving the car.

Judge forbids Hudson from driving his car

Hudsons attorney said that was not the case and added Hudson changed plates for safety reasons. In the end, Judge Niesen issued a new order forbidding Hudson from driving his car, now identified in court documents by its Vehicle Identification Number, on any public street in Washington. The judge did say Hudson was free to tow his car to any private racetrack and drive it there.

Hudson gained online notoriety, including more than 700,000 followers, after posting videos of himself allegedly speeding along Seattle streets late at night. The loud noise caused by the carss after-market exhaust system prompted multiple calls from angry residents.

At one point during Mondays proceedings, Hudson was seen in court by two Seattle Police Department officers taking videos of his cars key chain  the same key chain that often appears in Hudsons car-related videos on Instagram and Twitch. Those officers informed the prosecuting attorney who then told the judge.

Judge Niesen ordered Hudson to immediately delete the videos and included in his new court order that Hudson was not to post any more videos of any kind to his social media accounts.

Seattles City Attorney charged Hudson in May with two counts of reckless driving and Hudson was ordered to pay more than $83,000 in fines after he failed to respond to the citys lawsuit. Hudson was also ordered to change the cars illegal exhaust system back to the cars stock exhaust system, according to court documents.

More details: Belltown Hellcat faces lawsuit from City of Seattle, citing noise violations

Hudson is scheduled to be back in court in August.

Luke Duecy is a reporter for KIRO Newsradio.




Crews are racing to clean 820 barrels of oil from Bayou Lafourche before the oil breaks down and invades drinking water for everyone south of the Gheens Bridge.

South Lafourches intake for drinking water is currently safe from the oil spill that smothered Bayou Lafourche, officials said Tuesday. The oil escaped from a Crescent Midstream facility Saturday, July 27, for reasons still under investigation, and entered the bayou.

Crude oil contains volatile organics, and cleaning crews are trying to get it removed before these chemicals break down and begin to invade the drinking water. Those interviewed were unsure of exactly how long they had before the process takes place, but regular testing of the water supply is being done by two separate agencies to determine if it happens.

Our intake depth is greater than six-feet or more, so for now it's safe, Lafourche Parish Water District 1 General Manager Wayne Gautreaux said.

The Lafourche Parish Water District 1 serves all of Lafourche outside of Thibodaux. The spill is only affecting clients south of the Gheens Bridge, Gautreaux said. Tests confirm the drinking water is unaffected by the spill as of 9:30 a.m. Tuesday. Gautreaux credits this to the oil sitting atop the water. He said as long as the oil and water dont mix, the water beneath it is untainted.

Cleaning crews return with bags of absorbents as they hurry to remove 820 barrels of crude oil from Bayou Lafourche, July 28. The oil escaped a Crescent Midland facility, July 27, and the cause is still being investigated.

Both the Water District 1 and the Louisiana Department of Health regularly are testing the water quality coming through the intake to check for any health risks, Gautreaux said. In a worst-case scenario, he has a back-up reserve of drinking water that his plant can switch to that would last about 24 hours, giving the agencies time to figure out how to remove the chemicals from the drinking water.

If we would get to that, point then we would have to see if theres a method that we can change to that would take care of that, he said. Were investigating methods that would treat it if it got to that point.

The threat

Senior Barataria-Terrebonne National Estuary Program Scientist Andrew Barron is wrapping up a six-year study of water quality in Lafourche Parish. He has not tested the spill, he said, but has stayed informed through the official channels.

The majority of the oil is hydrophobic, he said, meaning it doesnt mix with water. Given time, some of the chemical compounds are more prone to change, he said, and they will begin to break down and mix with the air above and water beneath.

When you have lighter crude, you get more volatile constituents in that type of crude oil, Barron said. These are compounds that, if left on the surface of the water, will actually volatilize off.

This means the chemicals vaporize and become airborne. This was why the spill could be smelled so strongly in the Raceland and Matthews area on Saturday, he said. Barron said a few of the compounds to be concerned about are collectively known as BTEX: benzene, toluene, ethylbenzene and xylene.

Some of these BTEX compounds are partially soluble in water," he said. "They can dissolve into the water column, and thats one potential issue for the drinking water supply. They have methods they can use to treat the water if that is the case based on the sampling.

More: Belgium-based company looks to to turn floating menace in South Louisiana into a cash crop

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According to a study by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Public Health Service Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry, exposure to each of the BTEX chemicals can produce neurological impairment, and benzene can affect the blood, which may ultimately lead to aplastic anemia and acute myelogenous leukemia, and there is evidence that ethylbenzene is carcinogenic in other tissues.

Unified Command

The Lafourche Parish Government is currently serving as the official source of information on the spills cleanup. According to its Facebook page, the estimated volume of the spill is 820 barrels, or 34,440 gallons. The estimate includes the oil released into the bayou and into the ground.

The total amount of animals affected by the spill as of 10 a.m. Monday, July 29, is 17 aquatic salamanders, two turtles, four ducks, three alligators and one crawfish. The ducks and alligator evaded capture.

A hotline has been set up for people to report any wildlife they observe affected by the spill at (832) 514-9663. A separate hotline has been established for anyone whose person or property has been affected by the spill at (833) 812-0877.

The U.S. Coast Guard closed the bayou to mariners from LA 182 to the Lockport Bridge, and the FAA has implemented a No-Fly zone from LA 182 to LA 654. The Unified Command is using drones and periodic helicopter flights to assess the spill.

This article originally appeared on The Courier: Crews rush to clean Bayou Lafourche oil spill, preserve water supply
A government supporter sits on a curb during a rally defending President Nicolas Maduro's disputed reelection in Caracas, Venezuela, Tuesday, July 30, 2024, two days after the vote. (AP Photo/Fernando Vergara)

CARACAS, Venezuela (AP)  The Carter Center said it was unable to verify the results of Venezuela's presidential election, blaming authorities for a complete lack of transparency in declaring Nicolas Maduro the winner without providing any individual polling tallies.

The statement Tuesday night by the Atlanta-based group is perhaps the harshest rebuke yet of Venezuela's chaotic election process because it comes from one of just a handful of outside groups invited by the Maduro government to observe the vote.

The electoral authoritys failure to announce disaggregated results by polling station constitutes a serious breach of electoral principles, the Carter Center said. The group, which had a technical mission of 17 experts spread out in four cities across Venezuela, added that the election did not meet international standards and cannot be considered democratic.

The Carter Center's harsh criticism capped a second long day of protests against the results by opponents of Maduro who said their candidate, Edmundo Gonzalez, trounced the incumbent by a more than two-to-one margin.

Maduro's government hasn't taken lightly to the criticism and ratcheted up their attacks on their opponents Tuesday, with some allies suggesting the opposition's most influential leader and a presidential candidate be arrested.

A day after Maduro was declared the winner by a National Electoral Council that is loyal to him and the ruling party, the attacks, which were aired on national television, followed the oppositions surprise release of detailed voting data that it said shows that Edmundo Gonzalez won by a landslide.

The electoral council has not released any results from the polling center level, which come from tally sheets that the more than 30,000 electronic voting machines print after polls close. It is not obligated to do so, but in previous elections it has posted the figures online within hours.

United States President Joe Biden and Brazilian President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva spoke by phone and agreed that Venezuela must release the data, saying the election's outcome represents a critical moment for democracy in the hemisphere, according to a White House summary of the call.

Biden and Lula agreed on the need for immediate release of full, transparent, and detailed voting data at the polling station level by the Venezuelan electoral authorities, it said.

Venezuela has the worlds largest proven crude reserves and once boasted Latin Americas most advanced economy, but it entered into free fall after Maduro took the helm in 2013. Plummeting oil prices, widespread shortages and hyperinflation that soared past 130,000% led to social unrest and mass emigration.

More than 7.7 million Venezuelans have left the country since 2014, the largest exodus in Latin Americas recent history.

As both sides defended their claim to victory, thousands of their supporters took to the streets of the capital, Caracas.

A huge crowd of opposition supporters gathered outside the United Nations offices. Opposition powerhouse Maria Corina Machado, standing atop a truck, called on the National Electoral Council to release the tally sheets, saying, Why dont they publish them?

Machado said the main opposition coalition has obtained more than 84% of the tally sheets, which show Gonzalez garnered more than twice as many votes as Maduro.

The only thing we are willing to negotiate is the peaceful transition, Machado said, as the crowd chanted: We have no fear!

Opposition supporters elsewhere in the city were met with tear gas Tuesday.

Attorney General Tarek William Saab told reporters that more than 700 protesters were arrested in nationwide demonstrations Monday. He added that one officer was killed.

Machado and Gonzalez urged their supporters to remain calm and avoid violence.

And remember this figure, when the tally sheets are counted, yours truly will have more than 8 million votes, Gonzalez said, flanked by his wife and Machado, whom Maduro's government barred from running for political office for 15 years. We are going to begin the reconstruction of Venezuela.

Their celebration came hours after the Organization of American States lambasted the government for not releasing the data and suggested a new election that would be monitored by international observers.

The worst form of repression, the most vile, is to prevent the people from finding solutions through elections, the OAS said in a statement. The obligation of each institution in Venezuela should be to ensure freedom, justice, and transparency in the electoral process.

Maduro's closest ruling party allies came to his defense. National Assembly President Jorge Rodriguez  his chief negotiator in dialogues with the U.S. and the opposition  insisted Maduro was the indisputable winner and called the opposition violent fascists.

Praising the arrest of the protesters, he said Machado should be jailed and so should Gonzalez, because he is the leader of the fascist conspiracy that is trying to impose itself in Venezuela.

Diosdado Cabello, a lawmaker and ruling party leader, later said: We are going to screw them because these people do not deserve to shed one more drop of blood for fascism.

United Nations Human Rights Chief Volker Turk expressed alarm over the post-election climate.

Hundreds of people have been arrested, including children. This troubles me deeply, he said in a statement. I am alarmed by reports of disproportionate use of force by law enforcement officials along with violence by armed individuals supporting the Government.

Long lines of residents started to build Tuesday outside supermarkets and other stores in Caracas in apparent anticipation of a prolonged period of demonstrations that could lead to food shortages.

In the port city of La Guaira, people toppled a statue of Maduros mentor and predecessor, the late Hugo Chavez, dragged it to the street and set it on fire during Mondays protests. Maduro unveiled the statue in 2017, and by Tuesday all that remained was its base, littered with twisted rebar and broken cement.

The election was among the most peaceful in recent memory, reflecting hopes that Venezuela could avoid bloodshed and end 25 years of single-party rule. The winner would take control of an economy recovering from collapse and a population desperate for change.

During a televised meeting of the National Defense Council on Tuesday, Maduro blamed retired diplomat Edmundo Gonzalez Urrutia for the criminal violence, the criminals, the wounded, the dead, the destruction.

You will be directly responsible, Mr. Gonzalez Urrutia, and you, Mrs. Machado, and justice has to come, in Venezuela there has to be justice because these things cannot happen again.

Later, speaking from the balcony of the presidential palace, Maduro called Gonzalez a coward and challenged him to face him.

Come after me! he yelled. Show me your face.  Where are you hiding, mister coward?

Machado stunned Venezuelans on Monday when she announced that the opposition had acquired the tally sheets, which showed that Gonzalez received roughly 6.2 million votes compared with 2.7 million for Maduro. Hours earlier, the electoral council reported a count of about 5.1 million for Maduro, against more than 4.4 million for Gonzalez.

Machado said the opposition created a searchable website with images of each tally sheet.

The number of eligible voters was estimated to be around 17 million. Another 4 million Venezuelans are registered but live abroad, and many did not meet the requirements to register to cast ballots overseas.

As Machado and Gonzalez stood atop the truck, supporters began chanting President! President!

This gathering smells like triumph, Gonzalez told them.

___

Associated Press writer Nancy Benac in Washington contributed to this report. Salomon reported from Miami.
(COLORADO SPRINGS)  On Monday, July 29, the Colorado Springs Fire Department (CSFD) responded to a request for resources for the Alexander Mountain Fire west of Loveland.

On Tuesday, July 30, around 4 a.m., four members of CSFD headed to assist with the fire in one of the Type 3 Wildland units.

Courtesy: Colorado Springs Fire Department

According to CSFD, as of Tuesday morning, nine firefighters have deployed to fires across western states, including two fires in Colorado.

Copyright 2024 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.

For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to FOX21 News Colorado.
(COLORADO SPRINGS)  The Colorado Springs Fire Department (CSFD) will open the doors to all 24 fire stations across the city, welcoming the community to meet their neighborhood firefighters, as part of Mayor Yemi Mobolades 1,000 Neighborhood Gatherings Initiative.

Mental Health is an important topic in my department. I understand the heaviness mental health can bear on our community and fully support Mayor Yemis initiative in helping our neighbors feel less alone, said Fire Chief Randy Royal. I think I can speak for all of my crews when I say we are very excited to welcome our community into our firehouses and meet some new faces, build new relationships, and be good neighbors.

Every Saturday, starting August 3 and going through September 7, CSFD will host open houses, when locals are encouraged to find their neighborhood fire station and stop by to meet the crews on the following schedule:

August 3: Stations 8 and 18 , 9 a.m. to 12 p.m. Stations 16 and 17 , 1 p.m. to 4 p.m.

August 10: Stations 11 and 12 , 9 a.m. to 12 p.m. Stations 6 and 20 , 1 p.m. to 4 p.m.

August 17: Stations 5 and 21 , 9 a.m. to 12 p.m. Stations 22 and 25 , 1 p.m. to 4 p.m.

August 24: Stations 1 and 15 , 9 a.m. to 12 p.m. Stations 9 and 23 , 1 p.m to 4 p.m.

August 31: Stations 4 and 7 , 9 a.m. to 12 p.m Stations 2 and 19 , 1 p.m to 4 p.m.

September 7: Stations 3 and 10 , 9 a.m. to 12 p.m Stations 13 and 14 , 1 p.m to 4 p.m.



More information, including the schedule and a map, can be found at csfdopenhouses2024.my.canva.site, or click the link above.

Copyright 2024 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.

For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to FOX21 News Colorado.
CURRITUCK, N.C. (WAVY)  The Currituck County Board of Elections is warning residents about a possible scam regarding voter registration.

According to a release, the Board of Elections was notified that several community members were being asked to complete a new voter registration form to ensure you have not been removed from the voter registration database.

Members of the Board of Elections want to remind voters you do not need to complete a new form if you are already a registered voter.

To see if you are registered to vote in North Carolina or to update information, visit the North Carolina State Board of Elections 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 WAVY.com.
The Czech government is looking closely into the formation of the Ukrainian Legion in Poland and might consider its own involvement, Radio Prague reported on July 29.

The legion was unveiled earlier this month as a volunteer military unit made up of Ukrainian men living in Poland and trained by the Polish Armed Forces.

"The Czech Defense Ministry is gathering information from the Polish side about the creation of the so-called Ukrainian Legion," the ministry's spokesperson, David Polak, told the Idnes.cz news portal.

"Once we have (the necessary information), we will consider our involvement."

It remains unclear whether Prague's involvement would encompass creating a similar unit on Czech territory or aiding the creation of the legion in Poland.

Czechia has trained over 4,000 Ukrainian soldiers on its territory in 2023, the Czech Defense Ministry said.

Czech Defense Minister Jana Cernochova commented that the plan could help Ukrainian men who live in Czechia take part in defending their homeland.

"Lot of (Ukrainian) citizens want to help their country, but they don't want to return to Ukraine, because they don't know what to expect," Cernochova said in an interview with CT24.

There are around 570,000 Ukrainians living in Czechia, including roughly 380,000 living under temporary protection as refugees.

Close to a million Ukrainian refugees live in neighboring Poland.

The legion was announced as part of the security agreement signed by President Volodymyr Zelensky and Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk on July 8.

Recruitment for the Ukrainian Legion will be conducted by Ukrainian consular offices. The volunteers will be conscripted under Ukraine's legislation and trained in Poland by the country's military, he added.

"Several thousand" people have registered to participate in the legion as of July 11, Polish Foreign Minister Radoslaw Sikorski said. The recruits will be allowed to return to Poland after completing their service.

Read also: Volunteers recruited to Ukrainian Legion will have right to return to Poland, official says

Weve been working hard to bring you independent, locally-sourced news from Ukraine. Consider supporting the Kyiv Independent.
KYODO NEWS - Jul 30, 2024 - 20:36 | World, All

The United States pledged on Tuesday to provide $500 million in funding to the Philippines to upgrade its military and coast guard equipment, as the Southeast Asian country faces increasingly aggressive behavior from China in the disputed South China Sea.

The funding, described by U.S. Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin as an "unprecedented" level for such defense financing, was announced in Manila where Austin, Secretary of State Antony Blinken and their Philippine counterparts, Defense Secretary Gilberto Teodoro and Foreign Secretary Enrique Manalo, met.

Austin said at a press conference after the nations' "two-plus-two" talks, held for the first time in the Southeast Asian country that the $500 million investment in foreign military financing sends "a clear message of support for the Philippines."

"Secretary Blinken and I announced that we are poised to deliver a once-in-a-generation investment to help modernize the Armed Forces of the Philippines and the Philippine Coast Guard," Austin said.

Teodoro said that continued assistance from the United States would provide a "tremendous boost in order for us to establish a credible deterrence to unlawful foreign aggression."

Before the security talks, Austin and Blinken paid a courtesy call on Philippine President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. at the Malacanang Palace and reaffirmed U.S. support for the Philippines in defending its sovereign rights, according to a statement from the Defense Department.

According to the statement, the three officials discussed ways to continue working closely with like-minded nations, such as Australia and Japan, to strengthen the rule of law, freedom of the seas, and respect for territorial sovereignty.

The two countries announced in April that they were aiming to finalize a military intelligence-sharing accord, called the General Security of Military Information Agreement, by the end of 2024.

Tuesday's security talks followed a number of confrontations between the Philippines and China near disputed shoals in the South China Sea. On June 17, Chinese coast guard ships rammed several Philippine inflatable boats, causing a Filipino soldier to lose a finger.

China has become increasingly assertive in the resource-rich South China Sea despite a 2016 international tribunal ruling invalidating its claim to almost all of the waters.

The Tuesday meeting was the fourth two-plus-two talks, following the previous round in April 2023 in Washington.

The Philippines and the United States also held the first meeting of their foreign ministers, defense chiefs and national security advisers in April this year.

Related coverage:

Japan PM vows to strengthen alliance with U.S.

U.S. to upgrade military command in Japan as concerns grow over China

Japan local politicians show support for Taiwan at exchange event
DA: Former Elizabethtown School employee sentenced to state prison for sexual contact with students

LANCASTER COUNTY, Pa. (WHTM)  A former employee for Elizabethtown school district will spend years locked up in prison for having sexual contact with two students, the Lancaster County District Attorney said.

Megan Carlisle, 39, of Elizabethtown, was sentenced Monday to spend between eight and sixteen years in state prison by Judge Dennis Reinaker, the DA confirmed.

Carlisle was a paraprofessional and in-school suspension monitor at the district.

Lancaster County motorcyclist arrested with dog in his lap, drugs in his sock; PSP

Carlisle pleaded guilty in February to charges of involuntary deviate sexual intercourse of a person less than 16, statutory sexual assault of a person 11 years older, unlawful contact with a minor, two counts of school  intercourse/sexual contact with student, contact/communication with a minor  obscene/sexually explicit materials, disseminate sexually explicit materials to minor, two counts of corruption of minors, according to court records.

She also pleaded no contest to the school  intercourse/sexual contact with student charges, which means that she isnt admitting guilt, but rather that the jury would have enough evidence to convict her.

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Charging documents say Carlisle engaged in sexual activities with two middle school students. There were images and videos of Carlisle, which were found on other students phones, of her performing the acts that she took and sent to one of the victims.

Carlisle sent the one victim money for food and vape pods after she assaulted them in a Mount Joy parking lot.

Copyright 2024 Nexstar Media, Inc. 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.
Oswaldo Antonio Montoya Torres had just become a father two weeks before the deadly incident occurred

Vanessa Abbitt / The Republic / USA TODAY NETWORK

A 22-year-old father was killed in a Phoenix warehouse collapse, leaving behind a son who was born only two weeks earlier.

On July 27, authorities recovered a body believed to be Oswaldo Antonio Montoya Torres, who went missing after storms collapsed the warehouse he was working in.

Torres, a forklift operator, was working the night shift at the Freeport warehouse on July 24 when a microburst hit. The weather phenomenon, which can produce winds up to 100mph according to CBS affiliate KTVK/KPHO, caused a side of the building to cave in. While other workers were able to escape, Torres remained inside.

Related: Body Found in Search for Hiker Who Continued on the Trail Alone and Then Called Family in Heat Distress

After three days of searching, Phoenix Fire Capt. Todd Keller announced that they had recovered a body. A little after one oclock, our crews identified a victim we believe to be Oswaldo," Keller said during the July 27 press conference, according to KTVK/KPHO.

Keller said the police are working with the medical examiner to determine a positive identification on the body.

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.

This is not the outcome we wanted, he added.

Torres had worked at the warehouse for a year, according to the outlet. He had also reportedly just become a father, with his new son being born just two weeks before the incident occurred.

"His partner, she said that he would always call her during work to see his baby, 'What's he doing? Send me a picture,' " Torress sister, Judith, told Fox affiliate KSAZ. His other sister, Marian, said he considered his son his little treasure.

Vanessa Abbitt / The Republic / USA TODAY NETWORK An overnight storm collapsed the roof of a warehouse in west Phoenix where one employee is unaccounted for on the morning of July 25, 2024.

Related: Womans Body Found 2 Weeks After She Disappeared from Riverboat Cruise While Celebrating 21st Birthday

That's what he would call him, pequeno tesoro, she said.

Keller said firefighters worked 12-hour shifts for three days while searching for Torres. They used specially trained K-9s, drones and heavy-duty cranes to move the rubble safely. Crews worked diligently but progressed slowly due to stability issues with the rest of the structure, which was at risk of further collapse.

Keller said that they removed over 40,000 pounds of concrete in the area where the body was recovered.

"These were racks of product 40 feet tall and when this roof blew off, all these racks collapsed and it kinda corkscrewed and piled down, so we had to obviously use heavy equipment. The complexities of an incident like this is such a large scale," he said, per KSAZ.

Related: Body Found During Search for Missing Shrimp Boat Captain Whose Boat Sank During Storm

The Phoenix Police Department has taken over the investigation, according to the outlet. The Maricopa County Medical Examiner will now determine Torres' cause of death.

The young father's sisters say they are still processing the loss of their brother. God is giving us strength. He's giving us the strength, said Marian. This is a very hard moment, but we feel him. He's with us.

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The trend goes against the official rules regarding how a seat belt must be worn on a flight - TikTok

The trend goes against the official rules regarding how a seat belt must be worn on a flight - @mimiswardr0be/TikTok

Doctors, lawyers and cabin crew union representatives have raised concerns about a social media trend where passengers fasten their seat belts around their ankles.

In a series of TikTok posts, which have collectively amassed tens of millions of views, passengers pull their knees up to their chests with their feet at the edge of their seats, and then fasten the seat belt around their feet.

Some TikTok users say that the alternative sitting position makes for a more comfortable flight, although Dr Richard Dawood, a specialist in travel medicine at the Fleet Street Clinic, is alarmed by the trend.

He said: This does not look at all safe. Im not aware of any formal impact testing on passengers wearing lap straps around their ankles, well below their centre of gravity, but with a frontal impact, the likely result would be to catapult the passenger forwards, over the belt and into the back of the seat in front.

Another likely passenger injury in this position would be from a flexion force, driving their face or chin into their knee. Beyond protection from impact, normal wearing of a lap strap also helps restrain the passenger in the event of a sudden loss of altitude, that would otherwise force the passenger upwards.

In May this year, a flight from Heathrow to Singapore encountered severe turbulence resulting in one death and 104 injuries. After the incident the pilot made an emergency landing in Bangkok. Incidents of clean-air turbulence (sudden turbulence in the absence of clouds or storms) increased by 55 per cent between 1979 and 2020.

The trending seat-belt trick contravenes the official rules regarding how a seat belt must be worn. The Civil Aviation Authority has specific requirements for seatbelt design and placement; the belt must lie across the passengers groin and must not restrict the movement of the wearers limbs, points out Damian Devlin, lecturer in aviation management at University of East London.

Any assumption that wearing the seatbelt around the ankles with limbs tucked between the belt and the seat would be safe is flawed. The forces strong enough to forcibly eject a passenger from their seat would be capable of causing severe damage to limbs restrained in such a manner.

One flight attendant says she would intervene if she witnessed this behaviour during certain points of a flight. Kristina Galvydyte, who worked as a cabin crew member for a major UK airline for six years, says: From a safety perspective, this would be categorically forbidden during take-off or landing, as well as any other times the seatbelt sign is on. However, while the seatbelt signs are off I probably wouldnt say anything.

The Union of Pilots, Engineers and Cabin Crew (UPECC) expressed concern around this alternative use of the seat belt: Our members and their colleagues across the industry work in safety critical roles. They are often put in difficult positions due to passenger behaviour, and trends like this are the last thing they need adding to the list of strange passenger behaviours.

There are legal considerations around fastening a seat belt around the ankles, too. The UPECC pointed out that if a passenger caused injuries to themselves or others due to sitting in this manner, they could be liable for the costs of a potential diversion.

Natasha Ross, senior associate at JMW Solicitors, added: If a passenger suffers an injury whilst not wearing their seatbelt correctly, it is likely they will face legal arguments from the airline that they have contributed to the injury.

Recent studies have shown turbulence to be increasing in frequency, and clear air turbulence often means there is no warning: I would therefore strongly discourage this trend. We may well see an amendment to the Civil Aviation Authority rules on the wearing of seatbelts during flights.

When The Telegraph put the trend to the CAA, a spokesperson said: Obviously wear your seatbelt correctly.

There have been a number of so-called travel hacks made popular by influencers on social media platforms. These include attempting to sneak luggage onto a flight in a pillowcase, hiding clothes in a bra, wearing a coat with multiple inside pockets, and creating a makeshift hammock footrest.

Aside from the legal, medical and safety questions around the seat belt hack, Prof David Livermore of the University of East Anglia has a more pressing concern: Try sitting on your office chair for five minutes like that, with knees scrunched up towards your chin. Maybe comfortable for a 20-year-old yoga devotee. But for anyone older or less flexible?

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Dangerous waters  RI bays and beach breaks, pools and ponds, are death scenes this summer

WARWICK  As tiny waves slosh onto the sandy spit at Conimicut Point, a loud siren interferes with nature's soundtrack.

Emergency lights flash from a warning system mounted to the top of a pole. After the piercing siren, which has a klaxon-like rhythm, an authoritative voice commands the attention of anyone on the point.

"Attention!" it says. "Attention!"

"Dangerous tidal and current conditions are approaching! You are advised to leave the sandbar immediately!"

The warning system at Conimicut Point, which includes the same cautions in Spanish, is a new feature that arrived in time for the 2024 swimming season.

Time will tell if the gadgetry makes a major impact on safety over the long term by raising awareness of the point's hazards, deterring risky behavior and substantially reducing or even eliminating drownings and other water-related fatalities.

So far, the swimming season at Conimicut has been safer this year, with no fatalities or serious injuries, according to Warwick's police chief, Col. Brad Connor.

A sign warns of tidal dangers at Conimicut Point.

Unfortunately, there are lots of other ways for people to put themselves at risk in the water in Rhode Island, from backyard pools to high cliffs along Narragansett Bay, to Atlantic Ocean rip currents.

The state has not avoided tragedy this summer.

A device that sounds a siren, flashes emergency lights and warns  in English and Spanish  of dangerous tides at Conimicut Point towers above the warning signs.

Double fatality in Omega Pond believed to be accidental

The deaths of two kayakers on Omega Pond in East Providence drew widespread attention as the news broke on July 5.

The bodies of Joseph Fritz, 52, of East Providence, and Gregory Boerman, 37, of Allston, Massachusetts, were found submerged in the pond. Their kayaks were floating nearby.

Neither Fritz nor Boerman wore a life jacket.

Investigators believe both men drowned accidentally, East Providence police Capt. Michael Rapoza said last week.

However, the medical examiner won't have an official report on the deaths until they receive a toxicology report.

The toxicology could clarify if alcohol was a factor in the deaths.

Nine people drowned in 2023, RI Health Department says

Tom Griffiths is an aquatic safety expert.

Griffiths, who studies drownings, developed a widely employed strategy that lifeguards can use to surveil swimmers.

Griffith believes signs can help deter some people from taking risks they shouldn't take, but he also says signs and even blinking lights can fail.

"Signage can work, but I think it has to be creative," he said.

He said he likes the combination of lights, signs and announcements put in place at Conimicut.

Anniversary of the Conimicut Point double fatality

June 20 was the anniversary of the 2021 double-fatality at Conimicut Point that took the lives of 10-year-old Yoskarly Martinez and a 35-year-old Central Falls man who died trying to save her.

Large warning signs with bright red lettering were posted in the sand near the device.

To the west, the back of the point, but not the submerged sandbar, was inhabited by people who were fishing.

A Coast Guard helicopter crew scans the waters as part of for 10-year-old A Coast Guard Yoskarly Martinez in June of 2021. The Providence girl was swept away by strong water currents while playing on the sandbar at Conimicut Park in Warwick.

It was a visible difference from previous years, when almost always some anglers would wade into the shallows along the point, to the east, and toward the strong currents in between the lighthouse and the dry sand at the point.

On this occasion, this year, the shallows were people-free.

Then, at high tide, a couple wearing bathing suits sauntered out onto the point. They waded in to their shins, to their waists.

Then for a while, they played together, neck deep, in dangerous waters off the point.

Water-related deaths in Rhode Island since the first day of spring include:

July 23 : North Providence police investigated the death of a 4-year-old boy in a pool. Investigators were told the boy was pulled from the pool after "an undetermined amount of time" underwater.

July 21: The body of 65-year-old Leonidas Gonzalez, of Marlborough, Massachusetts, was recovered from the Sakonnet River. Gonzalez was on the surface along a treacherous shoreline near Indian Avenue, according to Portsmouth's deputy police chief, Maj. Michael J. Morse. Gonzalez, a retired jeweler and grandfather, frequently fished in the area, and witnesses told police he had fished for several hours on Monday, Morse said.

July 18: A 71-year-old died from injuries, including facial injuries, that he apparently suffered when a wave crashed over him as he waded along the beachfront near the Weekapaug Inn, police say.

July 5: Two men were found dead near their kayaks in Omega Pond, in East Providence. Family members say that Joseph Fritz, 52, of East Providence, and Gregory Boerman, 37, of Allston, Massachusetts, had failed to return from a kayaking excursion on July 4.

June 23: Dexter Gutierrez Matias, 20, of East Providence, was seen in an area known as the "12 O'Clock High" on the north end of Brenton Point shoreline in Newport. Matias had been enjoying the day at the beach with friends who were helping him improve his swimming skills so he could bring his son to the beach and teach him to swim, a GoFundMe page says. "His friends tried to help save him, but they were unable to," the page says. Searchers, including a Coast Guard air crew in a helicopter, couldn't find him. On July 3, a man's body was recovered in the same part of the shoreline where Matias had gone missing.

June 20: Souleymane Diagne, 29, of Senegal, is pronounced dead after Smithfield firefighters try to revive him. Diagne had been unresponsive when he was pulled from a pool at The Last Resort.

May 16: The body of a man believed to be in his early 50s is found along the Woonasquatucket River near Aleppo Street, according to Providence police.

May 14: A kayaker sees a man's body in the Pawtuxet River near a bridge at the end of Mill Street in Cranston.

April 7: A surveillance camera along the shore of the Pawcatuck River near the public boat ramp in downtown Westerly records video of 40-year-old Matthew Brouillette, unsteady on his feet, falling into the river. Searchers are unable to find him that night. The following day a K9 team detects Brouillette's body underwater. His body is about 30 feet from where he had fallen in and about 8 feet from shore.

This article originally appeared on The Providence Journal: New ways of trying to stay safe in Rhode Island's dangerous waters
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Two supermassive black holes against a network of dark matter drawing them together. | Credit: Robert Lea (created with Canva)

Dark matter, the most mysterious "stuff" in the universe, may be a sort of cosmic matchmaker, allowing supermassive black holes to overcome a final hurdle before colliding and merging into one.

Astronomers have understood for some time that when galaxies clash to create larger, misshapen galaxies, the supermassive black holes that sit at their centers draw together as well. Eventually, these black holes also merge, creating an even more monstrous supermassive black hole and a high-pitched "scream" of ripples in the very fabric of space and time called gravitational waves.

While the detection of gravitational waves has provided us with evidence of this collision process, and has become indeed fundamental for our understanding of how supermassive black holes obtain masses equivalent to millions or even billions of suns, there's a lingering problem.

Astrophysicists have good models of the later stages of supermassive black hole mergers, but scientists still don't fully understand how these cosmic titans cross the final approximately 3.3 light-years (also known as a "parsec") between them to trigger the merger process. This issue has become known as the "final parsec problem."

New research suggests the solution could come from the dark universe.

Related: Heaviest pair of black holes ever seen weighs 28 billion times more than the sun

Dark matter could help supermassive black holes "break the ice" and begin the coupling process  but there's a catch (isn't there always?). This theory only works if dark matter particles interact with each other.

"The process by which supermassive black holes merge is complex because it relies on the black holes finding each other, forming a binary system, and then the orbital separation between them slowly decreasing," research team leader Gonzalo Alonso-Alvarez from the University of Toronto told Space.com. "When the separation between the two black holes is around a parsec or so, scientists were worried because, due to existing calculations, it looked like the merger would stall.

"We suggest the presence of dark matter, which is thought to be very dense at the center of the galaxies, can have a significant effect and help those black holes merge."

Alonso-Alvarez explains that the exciting thing about this finding, based on mathematical modeling, is that it hinges on dark matter self-interactions. More specifically, to "play matchmaker" between black holes, dark matter particles must scatter off each other upon collision.

For that reason, following this theory could not only resolve the final parsec problem, but it might also finally reveal what dark matter is composed of, unraveling one of the most fundamental mysteries in science.

A dark matter diversion

Before discussing the role dark matter could play in facilitating black hole mergers, it is worth a little diversion to explain why this mysterious cosmic substance poses such a troubling problem for scientists.

Dark matter doesn't interact with light  or, if it does, the interaction is so weak we can't detect it. This makes it effectively invisible. And, because electrons, protons and neutrons  particles that make up the atoms in everyday matter  do interact with light, scientists know dark matter can't be made up of these particles.

This has spurred a massive search for particles outside the Standard Model of particle physics.

But that isn't the extent of the dark matter problem. Not only is this substance possibly composed of particles that don't fit into the best model of the subatomic world that we have, but they also absolutely dominate "everyday" matter particles in terms of mass.

A pie chart showing the dark matter budget.

Dark matter particles "outweigh" ordinary particles by a ratio of between 5 to 1 and 6 to 1. That means all the "stuff" you see around you  stars, planets, moons, vast gas clouds in space, other humans, your coffee table, monitor, mouse and even next door's cat  account for just 15% of mass in the cosmos.

That leaves a lot of stuff in the universe we can't explain.

We know dark matter exists because despite not interacting with light or ordinary matter, dark matter does interact with gravity. When it does, the effects it causes can influence the behavior of ordinary matter and light. For instance, if it weren't for the gravitational influence of dark matter, researchers have found that gravity generated by the mass of the stars, gas, planets and moons in galaxies wouldn't be enough to prevent them from flying apart as they zoom around.

Cosmic Tinder

Alonso-Alvarez explained that, when galaxies first merge, their respective supermassive black holes are far apart. Eventually, they begin their respective journeys toward the center of those merging galaxies, which will become the site of their own merger and the heart of a newly created conglomerate galaxy.

This journey is facilitated by the black holes' loss of energy, and it happens in three distinct stages.

During "stage one," the black holes sweep past a multitude of stars and engage in gravitational interactions with those stars. Due to those interactions, the black holes pass along velocity and slow down. This loss of velocity allows the concentration of mass at the center of the merger to gravitationally influence the black holes to head (somewhat leisurely) toward one another.

That loss of energy continues to be important after the final 3.3 light-years are crossed and the supermassive black holes form a binary system, which is stage three of this process. At this point, the voids swirl around each other, generating gravitational waves. As these waves ripple away from the binary system, they carry with them angular momentum, thus losing rotational kinetic energy.

This very efficient loss of energy causes the two black holes to draw closer together, with their merger becoming unstoppable. The tighter their orbits become, the faster gravitational waves are radiated away. Eventually, as the supermassive black holes get closer and closer together, their gravitational influence takes over, and they collide.

This simulation of a black-hole merger is consistent with LIGO's most recent observation of a black hole merger. The strength of the gravitational wave is indicated by the elevation of the bands, as well as color, with blue indicating weak fields and yellow, strong fields. The amplitude of the gravitational wave is rescaled during the simulation to show the signal during the entire animation. The sizes of the black holes are increased by a factor of two. The bottom panel in the video shows the gravitational waveform.

There is a problem, however, and one you may have clocked. What happens in stage two? That's the step between losing energy to stars and losing energy via gravitational waves.

"The interactions with stars are really only effective when the black holes are very far apart from each other, so distances larger than a parsec, and gravitational wave emission only really kicks in when they are closer than a fraction of a parsec," Alonso-Alvarez said. "There was this separation of around the parsec, where nothing was really working in previous models to deliver a real mechanism by which the orbit could keep shrinking."

That's where dark matter might come in.

The stages of black hole mergers, depicted in three diagrams.

Alonso-Alvarez and colleagues suggest that when the supermassive black holes reach a separation of 3.3 light-years and can no longer offload energy to stars, dark matter takes over and starts stripping energy away through a process called "dynamical friction."

"If the black holes are moving in this dense 'dark matter fluid,' then they generate friction like an object moving through a viscous liquid," Alonso-Alvarez continued. He added that if dark matter is modeled as a fluid, interactions between dark matter particles grant it a high viscosity. A high viscosity for a normal liquid indicates how difficult it is for an object to pass through. Water has a low viscosity compared to molasses, for example.

"In this case, this friction is generated only by gravity," Alonso-Alvarez said. "It never interacts with the black hole via a force other than gravity."

Furthermore, if this theory is correct, then it also tells us something about dark matter.

Scatter, dark matter!

Not all models of dark matter suggest particles of this mysterious substance can scatter off each other.

"Without dark matter scattering, this mechanism just would not work," Alonso-Alvarez said. "The reason for this is the energy that the black holes are losing to the friction, and the dark matter goes into increasing the velocity of the dark matter particles. If there's no viscosity, the dark matter particles would be dispersed away from this final parsec region."

That would mean, after a short time, there would be no more dark matter in this central region that could generate the necessary friction.

"However, if there are dark matter self-interactions, what happens is this energy is redistributed between the particles in the central region of the galaxy so that the dark matter is not dispersed away," Alonso-Alvarez added. "This is crucial."

The interaction between dark matter and supermassive black holes could also explain calculations of dark matter haloes around galaxies that have shapes that can't fully be explained by "cold dark matter" models. These cold dark matter models suggest this mysterious stuff is slow-moving (hence "cold") and does not self-interact. If Alonso-Alvarez and colleagues' dark matter matchmaker theory is accurate, it may, therefore, necessitate a move away from cold dark matter.

A dark background with glowing yellow spots and a smear of pink in the center. Around the smear of pink, there's a smear of purple.

Additionally, to facilitate the interaction between dark matter particles, there must be an unknown "force-carrier" particle, and this research gave the team some clues as to the nature of this particle. A force-carrying particle, or "boson," acts as a go-between, helping other particles interact. For example, the electromagnetic force uses photons, or particles of light, as its force carrier, while gravity is hypothesized to use a boson called a gluon.

"We started off very naively thinking that the dark matter self-interactions should just help bridge this final parsec problem, but we didn't think we would be able to predict what kind of self-interactions are favored," Alonso-Alvarez continued. "As we were working and kept refining our calculations, we found that a very particular model where the force carrier has a mass which is in the order of 1% of the mass of the dark matter particle that is really preferred and no other thing that we tried worked."

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"The calculations that we did for this paper were purely analytical. We're currently working on developing simulations to understand this mechanism a bit better," Alonso-Alvarez said.

The physicist added that observational evidence for this theory could be provided by collections of highly precise rotating neutron stars called pulsar timing arrays, which scientists use as accurate cosmic time-pieces. Critical to this will be the study of the background "hum" of the cosmos, called the "gravitational wave background," which originates from supermassive black hole mergers across the history of the universe.

"One can look at the impact of this dark matter and friction on that signal and make a prediction about how the presence of dark matter modifies the signal," Alonso-Alvarez added. "I think the most interesting thing is one could at the same time correlate this with the evidence for the presence of dark matter self-interactions at galactic scales of many thousands of parsecs."

Alonso-Alvarez and the team's findings are discussed in a paper published in the journal on July 9 in the journal Physical Review Letters.
Elizabeth Ha created the privacy-minded menstrual tracking app Monthly last year, after failing to find an option that felt safe enough to her following the Dobbs decision. (Courtesy of Elizabeth Ha)

After the Supreme Court overturned the constitutional right to abortion in 2022 and abortion was banned in the state of Tennessee, Dr. Danielle Kelvas quit using an app that tracked her menstrual cycle.

It frightened me  I actually got frightened because it tracked me for like, a week, Kelvas said of the Oura Ring feature Cycle Insights. And I thought, wheres this information going?

Immediately following the Dobbs V. Jackson Supreme Court decision which struck down the constitutional right to abortion, data privacy experts cautioned to take a closer look at menstrual cycle tracking apps. Information logged into these apps, or tracked via wearable devices like a Fitbit or an Oura Ring, have the potential to be used in prosecuting those who seek abortions in states which criminalize it.

Kelvas, a former emergency room physician, is a big fan of her Oura Ring. She researched the device  which gives insight to users about their biometric data like heart rate and sleep quality  thoroughly before buying it.

When the company rolled out its menstrual tracking feature, called Cycle Insights, she was excited to try it. But when she started reading more into the terms of agreement, she couldnt find clear cut information about how the data was stored, how secure it was, or if it was encrypted.

States Newsroom reached out to Oura for clarification on its privacy policy for Cycle Insights, but the request for comment was not returned.

Kelvas, 34, lives in Chattanooga, Tennessee, where abortion is banned, with only the exception of preventing death for the expectant person. The law, a trigger ban that went into effect in August 2022, also makes obtaining or performing an abortion a criminal offense.

So I deleted it, Kelvas said of the app.

Opal Pandya is in the same boat. The 25-year old Philadelphian deleted the app Flo, after reading case studies about data releases to external third parties. She also took note when she started suddenly getting targeted ads on Instagram for products that would help soothe period symptoms shed just logged in Flo.

I realized my data was flowing across multiple platforms, she said.

She didnt feel comfortable with that, and didnt have the time to figure out who had access to that data. The final straw was learning that third-party data could be available to states in prosecuting abortions banned under their laws.

Pandya also opted out of her Apple Watchs cycle tracking after trying it for a while, and has stopped wearing it to bed, as it tracks ovulation cycles via temperature at night while sleeping.

Healthcare privacy has always been something Pandyas been wary of, she said, and while theres benefits of tracking menstrual information, the Dobbs decision showed her there could be serious consequences of that data being vulnerable.

I have always been sensitive about my health information and understand theres a strong distrust of the medical system as a whole, Pandya said. And overturning Roe v. Wade did nothing but solidify and spread that distrust, especially among minority women.

Kelvas, who now owns a medical writing service and is a consultant for software company IT Medical, is acutely aware of those delicacies of navigating menstrual tracking.

As a physician, she said she cant emphasize enough how important it is that people have access to cycle tracking. Its one of the few tools people have to be in more control of family planning and their reproductive health, as some states attack access to birth control.

But her experience in healthcare IT has highlighted how easy it is for sensitive data to go unprotected. Many people think all healthcare information is protected under the federal privacy law, known as HIPAA. But menstrual cycle tracking apps, along with other healthcare technologies, like texting platforms that patients can use with doctors, are not.

In highly restrictive states, Kelvas said its challenging to navigate your reproductive rights  It doesnt really matter what we do, were always in trouble, she said.

For a lot of women, suddenly becoming pregnant means that they are illegal, Kelvas said. And what do you do after that? You know, for a lot of people, the reality is that they just dont own their uterus anymore.

What data is up for grabs?

There havent been any cases where a menstrual tracking apps data has been subpoenaed yet, but thats probably due to the slow speed of which cases proceed through the court system, said Jake Laperruque, deputy director of the Center for Democracy and Technologys Security and Surveillance Project. There have been few cases of electronic data of any form being subpoenaed yet, but via their terms and conditions, many companies leave themselves vulnerable to having to hand data over to prosecutors or courts.

Laperruque warned that the data that could be used to prosecute abortion cases could be more far-reaching than just whats logged in a period tracking app.

There are a lot of really innocuous seeming data in healthcare  location information, communications, metadata patterns and even information you dont know youre generating,

Laperruque said.

If social media apps have access to your location, for example, prosecutors could timestamp your visit at an abortion providers office through the location data of any number of apps.

Data collected by apps, wearables, could potentially now be used by law enforcement or even private individuals, seeking to sue or target people for exercising reproductive choice and seeking out information or care around abortion, he said.

Digital footprints have been used in prosecuting reproductive cases even before the Dobbs decision.

In 2018, a woman in Mississippi was charged with second-degree murder after she gave birth to a stillborn baby at home. Part of the prosecutions case noted that she had researched how to terminate a pregnancy in the past.

Last year, a teenager in Nebraska was convicted for terminating a pregnancy after prosecutors subpoenaed Facebook messages between her and her mother.

How to assess data privacy

For now, most of the responsibility to protect a users data falls on the user themselves, said Andrew Crawford, a healthcare privacy-focused senior counsel with the Center for Democracy and Technology.

It really is incumbent on users to do their homework, Crawford said. And unfortunately, sometimes that means reading really dense privacy policies and looking for keywords.

The terms and conditions of an app or a wearable device need to spell out what data its collecting, what it does with that data and who else may have access. An app may automatically seek access to things like your contacts, your geolocation, or photos, but you may not have to give it those full permissions. Period tracking apps often share information with data brokers, advertisers or third parties that are hard to track.

Users should also pay attention to how an app treats the data it gets. A keyword to look for is encryption, or data thats changed into a secret code that can only be unlocked with a unique digital key.

Data thats stored locally on your device also tends to be safer than data thats stored in a cloud, Crawford said. It would be a lot harder for law enforcement to access encrypted data stored only on your device rather than if they can subpoena a company for it.

Theres always risk as long as data is logged somewhere, Laperruque said.

But police are only going to be able to search your phone if they hand you a warrant and seize the phone, he said.

Most wearable devices that collect biometric data have some encryption aspect. Apples privacy policy says that when your device is locked, all your health and fitness data thats on the device and synced to iCloud is encrypted.

This means that when you use the Cycle Tracking feature and have enabled two-factor authentication, your health data synced to iCloud is encrypted end-to-end and Apple does not have the key to decrypt the data and therefore cannot read it, the company said.

Fitbit and Oura Ring say they use encryption measures, too. All three companies say that they have to comply with subpoena requests by law enforcement agencies.

The cost of your data

App developer Elizabeth Ha, 27, of Los Angeles, built cycle tracking app Monthly in response to the Dobbs v. Jackson decision. All of the health data inputted into the app is stored privately on your device, and doesnt enter a database. You can delete your app (and subsequently, your data) at any time, and Monthly does not make your data available to anyone but the user.

Ha had been a long-time user of one period tracker app, but the Dobbs decision and the attention that data privacy was getting at the time, forced her to take a harder look at where she was logging her information.

Once your data gets sent to these data warehouses, its like a little bit of a black box, she said.

She feels pretty secure about her reproductive rights in California, but you never know whats going to happen or who else might need a more secure option, she said of Monthly, which released on the app store late last year.

The field of mobile apps is so new, developing in the last decade or so, she said, and it evolves so quickly. The reason so many period trackers are free is that theyre built by larger companies that can collect and sell your data, Ha said.

For them to be a business, a lot of the business is selling the data, she said.

Many Americans are waiting for a comprehensive, federal data privacy overhaul. The American Privacy Rights Act was proposed in congress in May, which would require covered entities to be transparent about how they use consumer data and give consumers the right to access, correct, delete, and export their data, as well as opt out of targeted advertising and data transfers.

It would also mandate that a covered entity could not collect or transfer to a third party biometric data without the individuals affirmative express consent.

For now, those who wish to keep data related to their reproductive health safe, should be vigilant about the terms and conditions of the devices and the platforms they use.

It just kind of speaks to the importance of both the surveillance and consumer data side of upgrading the laws, Laperruque said. We have to be more protective.

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Elizabeth Ha created the privacy-minded menstrual tracking app Monthly last year, after failing to find an option that felt safe enough to her following the Dobbs decision. (Courtesy of Elizabeth Ha)

After the Supreme Court overturned the constitutional right to abortion in 2022 and abortion was banned in the state of Tennessee, Dr. Danielle Kelvas quit using an app that tracked her menstrual cycle.

It frightened me  I actually got frightened because it tracked me for like, a week, Kelvas said of the Oura Ring feature Cycle Insights. And I thought, wheres this information going?

Immediately following the Dobbs v. Jackson Supreme Court decision which struck down the constitutional right to abortion, data privacy experts cautioned to take a closer look at menstrual cycle tracking apps. Information logged into these apps, or tracked via wearable devices like a Fitbit or an Oura Ring, have the potential to be used in prosecuting those who seek abortions in states which criminalize it.

Kelvas, a former emergency room physician, is a big fan of her Oura Ring. She researched the device  which gives insight to users about their biometric data like heart rate and sleep quality  thoroughly before buying it.

When the company rolled out its menstrual tracking feature, called Cycle Insights, she was excited to try it. But when she started reading more into the terms of agreement, she couldnt find clear-cut information about how the data was stored, how secure it was, or if it was encrypted.

States Newsroom reached out to Oura for clarification on its privacy policy for Cycle Insights, but the request for comment was not returned.

Kelvas, 34, lives in Chattanooga, Tennessee, where abortion is banned, with the only exception to prevent death for the expectant person. The law, a trigger ban that went into effect in August 2022, also makes obtaining or performing an abortion a criminal offense.

So I deleted it, Kelvas said of the app.

Opal Pandya is in the same boat. The 25-year old Philadelphian deleted the app Flo, after reading case studies about data releases to external third parties. She also took note when she started suddenly getting targeted ads on Instagram for products that would help soothe period symptoms shed just logged in Flo.

I realized my data was flowing across multiple platforms, she said.

She didnt feel comfortable with that, and didnt have the time to figure out who had access to that data. The final straw was learning that third-party data could be available to states in prosecuting abortions banned under their laws.

Pandya also opted out of her Apple Watchs cycle tracking after trying it for a while, and has stopped wearing it to bed, as it tracks ovulation cycles via temperature at night while sleeping.

While there are benefits to tracking menstrual information, Pandya said the Dobbs decision showed her there could be serious consequences of that data being vulnerable.

I have always been sensitive about my health information and understand theres a strong distrust of the medical system as a whole, Pandya said. And overturning Roe v. Wade did nothing but solidify and spread that distrust, especially among minority women.

Kelvas, who now owns a medical writing service and is a consultant for software company IT Medical, is acutely aware of the delicacies of navigating menstrual tracking.

As a physician, she said she cant emphasize enough how important it is that people have access to cycle tracking. Its one of the few tools people have to be in more control of family planning and their reproductive health, as some states attack access to birth control.

But her experience in healthcare IT has highlighted how easy it is for sensitive data to go unprotected. Many people think all healthcare information is protected under the federal privacy law known as HIPAA. But menstrual cycle tracking apps, along with other healthcare technologies, like texting platforms that patients can use with doctors, are not.

In highly restrictive states, Kelvas said its challenging to navigate your reproductive rights. It doesnt really matter what we do, were always in trouble, she said.

For a lot of women, suddenly becoming pregnant means that they are illegal, Kelvas said. And what do you do after that? You know, for a lot of people, the reality is that they just dont own their uterus anymore.

What data is up for grabs?

There havent been any cases where a menstrual tracking apps data has been subpoenaed, but thats probably due to the slow speed of which cases proceed through the court system, said Jake Laperruque, deputy director of the Center for Democracy and Technologys Security and Surveillance Project. There have been few cases of electronic data of any form being subpoenaed yet, but via their terms and conditions, many companies leave themselves vulnerable to having to hand data over to prosecutors or courts.

Laperruque warned that the data that could be used to prosecute abortion cases could be more far-reaching than just whats logged in a period tracking app.

There are a lot of really innocuous seeming data in healthcare  location information, communications, metadata patterns and even information you dont know youre generating, Laperruque said.

If social media apps have access to your location, for example, prosecutors could timestamp your visit at an abortion providers office through the location data of any number of apps.

Data collected by apps, wearables, could potentially now be used by law enforcement or even private individuals, seeking to sue or target people for exercising reproductive choice and seeking out information or care around abortion, he said.

Digital footprints have been used in prosecuting reproductive cases even before the Dobbs decision.

In 2018, a woman in Mississippi was charged with second-degree murder after she gave birth to a stillborn baby at home. Part of the prosecutions case noted that she had researched how to terminate a pregnancy in the past.

Last year, a teenager in Nebraska was convicted for terminating a pregnancy after prosecutors subpoenaed Facebook messages between her and her mother.

How to assess data privacy

For now, most of the responsibility to protect a users data falls on the user themselves, said Andrew Crawford, a healthcare privacy-focused senior counsel with the Center for Democracy and Technology.

It really is incumbent on users to do their homework, Crawford said. And unfortunately, sometimes that means reading really dense privacy policies and looking for keywords.

The terms and conditions of an app or a wearable device need to spell out what data its collecting, what it does with that data and who else may have access. An app may automatically seek access to things like your contacts, your geolocation, or photos, but you may not have to give it those full permissions. Period tracking apps often share information with data brokers, advertisers or third parties that are hard to track.

Users should also pay attention to how an app treats the data it gets. A keyword to look for is encryption, or data thats changed into a secret code that can only be unlocked with a unique digital key.

Data thats stored locally on your device also tends to be safer than data thats stored in a cloud, Crawford said. It would be a lot harder for law enforcement to access encrypted data stored only on your device rather than if they can subpoena a company for it.

Theres always risk as long as data is logged somewhere, Laperruque said.

But police are only going to be able to search your phone if they hand you a warrant and seize the phone, he said.

Most wearable devices that collect biometric data have some encryption aspect. Apples privacy policy says that when your device is locked, all your health and fitness data thats on the device and synced to iCloud is encrypted.

This means that when you use the Cycle Tracking feature and have enabled two-factor authentication, your health data synced to iCloud is encrypted end-to-end and Apple does not have the key to decrypt the data and therefore cannot read it, the company said.

Fitbit and Oura Ring say they use encryption measures, too. All three companies say that they have to comply with subpoena requests by law enforcement agencies.

The cost of your data

App developer Elizabeth Ha, 27, of Los Angeles, built cycle tracking app Monthly in response to the Dobbs v. Jackson decision. All of the health data inputted into the app is stored privately on your device, and doesnt enter a database. You can delete your app (and subsequently, your data) at any time, and Monthly does not make your data available to anyone but the user.

Ha had been a long-time user of one period tracker app, but the Dobbs decision and the attention that data privacy was getting at the time, forced her to take a harder look at where she was logging her information.

Once your data gets sent to these data warehouses, its like a little bit of a black box, she said.

She feels pretty secure about her reproductive rights in California, but you never know whats going to happen or who else might need a more secure option, she said.

The field of mobile apps is so new, developing in the last decade or so, she said, and it evolves so quickly. The reason so many period trackers are free is that theyre built by larger companies that can collect and sell your data, Ha said.

For them to be a business, a lot of the business is selling the data, she said.

Many Americans are waiting for a comprehensive, federal data privacy overhaul. The American Privacy Rights Act was proposed in congress in May, which would require covered entities to be transparent about how they use consumer data and give consumers the right to access, correct, delete, and export their data, as well as opt out of targeted advertising and data transfers.

It would also mandate that a covered entity could not collect or transfer to a third party biometric data without the individuals affirmative express consent.

For now, those who wish to keep data related to their reproductive health safe, should be vigilant about the terms and conditions of the devices and the platforms they use.

It just kind of speaks to the importance of both the surveillance and consumer data side of upgrading the laws, Laperruque said. We have to be more protective.
Confusing zebra crossing leads to a flower bed and a lamp post instead of a pavement - STEVE FINN

Shoppers have been left puzzled by a zebra crossing in a supermarket car park that leads to a dead end.

The pedestrian crossing at a new Aldi in Queenborough, on the Isle of Sheppey in Kent, leads to a flower bed and a lamp post instead of a pavement.

Bafflement among locals has circulated online since the new 9 million shop was opened on July 18 by Matt Langridge, Olympic gold medallist.

Mr Langridge, who won in the mens eight rowing at the 2016 Rio de Janeiro games, said: Im so excited to be opening Aldis new store; it will be great to chat to customers and a lovely way for me to thank Aldi for its support of Team GB.

Yet locals were left wondering if they needed superhuman skills to successfully use the crossing for its apparently intended purpose.

Ben Pointing, from Minster-on-Sea parish council, wrote on Facebook: Someone even suggested a Harry Potter-style approach of running into the lamp post to get to another part of the car park.

A member of shop staff told the BBC: Its not exactly the best design. We have alerted our planners to the situation.

Aldi said it was planning to extend pedestrian access around the store.

Locals jokingly suggested runing at the lamp post 'Harry Potter-style' - STEVE FINN

Danny Larcombe, who lives in Sheerness, joked: Today I visited our brand new supermarket at Queenborough.

Im satisfied that the width of the crossing is regulatory, as are the paint markings. [But] things start to degrade rapidly as you make your way across.

I didnt quite make it all the way and, in a crabbing sort of style, backed out of my journey.

Now I have feelings of regret at what might have been if I had just had the courage to continue on my path. Maybe next time Ill tough it out.

A spokesman for Aldi said: Were pleased to have been able to bring an Aldi supermarket to Queenborough and are planning to extend the pedestrian access around the store soon.

Baffling road layouts elsewhere in the country have caused similar levels of bemusement.

Officials in Cambridge installed 31 sets of traffic lights on a new roundabout in the city earlier this year.

Previously the Greater Cambridge Partnership, a grouping of local councils in and around the city, made a YouTube video explaining how to use a nearby junction with a similar number of signals.

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How deep is the Mississippi River? What to know about body of water essential to Memphis

The Mighty Mississippi.

Those who have lived in Memphis for any period of time know the river is essential to the city's development, but how well acquainted are you with the river?

The Mississippi, which flows over 2,000 miles, has a long history in the United States, from being the western border to then becoming the middle marker after the Louisiana Purchase. The river still affects much of how we define life. It is one of the largest commerce waterways in the country, a large spot for tourism in the cities along the river and vital to animals that rely on fresh water throughout the country.

Here are some things to know about the big Mississippi River.

How deep is the Mississippi River?

March 05, 2019 - A view of downtown Memphis during a Memphis Riverboats sightseeing cruise on Tuesday.

As the Mississippi River is one of the longest in the country, there is no one set answer. At the most shallow point, the river is only about 18 inches deep and about 20 feet across. The deepest point of the Mississippi River measures about 200 feet deep.

In Memphis, the river depth has a bit of a range. The deepest parts of the river reach to about 65 feet, and the most shallow parts reach about 20 feet deep.

What states does the Mississippi River pass through?

The Mississippi passes through or along 10 states. Minnesota is where the river starts out at Lake Itasca. It then passes through Wisconsin, Iowa, Illinois, Missouri, Kentucky, Tennessee, Arkansas and Mississippi. The Might Mississippi eventually passes through Louisiana where it ends and flows into the Gulf of Mexico.

As the river passes through so many states, it is divided into three parts. The Upper Mississippi is the river from the start to where it meets with the Missouri River in St. Louis. The Middle Mississippi runs from where the Missouri River meets downstream to where the Ohio River meets at the Kentucky, Illinois and Missouri border. The Lower Mississippi flows from the Ohio River to where it ends in the Gulf of Mexico.

How fast is the water in the Mississippi River?

According to the National Park Service, the speed of the water increases with the size and depth of the river. At the headwaters, the river runs at 1.2 miles per hour which is about one half as fast as people walk. Towards the end of the river in New Orleans, the river flows at about three miles per hour.

Water faster than 2 miles per hour is considered dangerous for the average person. The river can be especially dangerous when the water is high. This is typically when water moves faster and can cause harm to people.

How big is the Mississippi River Basin?

The Mississippi River basin encompasses parts of all of 31 states and two Canadian provinces. The river basin is over 1,245,000 square miles in size. The Mississippi meets with the Atchafalaya River which combines into the Mississippi/Atchafalaya River Basin (MARB). This basin is the third largest in the world behind the Amazon and Congo basins.

The MARB drains more than 40% of the continental United States. It takes 90 days for a droplet of water to travel from the riverhead to the Gulf of Mexico, which is 2,350 miles.

Can you swim in the Mississippi River?

While some parts of the river may be slow or shallow enough to safely swim in, it is not recommended for another reason entirely: Biology. According to the National Park Service, "Stretches of the Mississippi River exceed water quality standards for mercury, bacteria, sediment, PCBs (polychlorinated biphenyl), and nutrients. Unfortunately, these "impairments" can make the water unsuitable for fishing, swimming, and drinking."

If you do decided to swim in the Mississippi River despite cautions against it, it is important to wear a life jacket as there are small whirlpools that can form within the large river.

Is the Mississippi River important to wildlife?

According to the National Park Service, 25% of all fish species in North America live in the Mississippi River. The river is home to:

At least 260 species of fish in all segments.

40% of the nation's migratory waterfowl during spring and fall migration.

98 documented species of mussel between the Upper and Lower Mississippi.

At least 145 species of amphibians and reptiles in the Upper Mississippi.

More than 50 mammal species in the Upper Mississippi.

This article originally appeared on Memphis Commercial Appeal: How deep is the Mississippi River? What to know in Memphis
The Ada County Landfill had a poop problem. For years, nearly 2,000 seagulls swarmed the landfill just north of Boise, looking for meals in its food waste. They were especially partial to chicken nuggets.

In the process, the birds blocked the vision of workers operating large machinery and presented them with a health risk.

They were definitely defecating all over, said Rebecca Weeks, the landfills education and outreach manager, told the Idaho Statesman.

The gulls had to go. But getting rid of them was no easy feat. Landfill operators tried poppers, small cannons that make loud noises to scare the birds, but these disturbed the neighbors  and once the dust settled, the birds always came back, said Herb Cantu, the landfills director.

The best way to get rid of the birds, it turned out, was with more birds. In June, the landfill started working with The Hawk Proz, a company based in Eagle, naturally, that brings in hawks and falcons to scare invasive bird species away.

Joseph Pravongviengkham holds a Harriss hawk named Nezzy at the Ada County Landfill. Less than two months ago, the skies swarmed with thousands of seagulls. Landfill officials contracted The Hawk Proz to use its falcons and hawks to scare off the gulls.

This is something thats really core (to) their soul, being fearful of predators, Alyssa Pravongviengkham, the companys owner, told the Statesman. It just works.

In six weeks, the number of gulls at the landfill has plummeted. Its like night and day, Cantu said.

Gulls are very social, so if just a few are targeted, the whole group feels threatened. Its just really working with the seagulls mentality and psychology, Pravongviengkham said.

Seagulls swarm around a landfill compactor at the Ada County Landfill in February. Since June, the landfill has been working with a falconry company that uses hawks and falcons to scare the gulls away.

In the first days of its program, Hawk Proz had to set the tone with the gulls, rotating seven of its hawks and falcons in and out to catch  and usually release  seagulls. The birds of prey remained in force for about three more weeks to give the gulls the idea that this is not sustainable any longer. After three months, birds usually get the picture, Pravongviengkham said, and largely stop coming back.

On Friday, a few gulls had returned, but Joseph Pravongviengkham, Alyssas husband and business partner, was ready with one of their hawks, Nezzy. He pointed Nezzy toward one seagull. She grabbed it out of the air and pinned it to the ground until Pravongviengkham traded a piece of meat for the seagull and sent the shaken-up gull on its way.

This is an artificial environment created by people, said Alyssa Pravongviengkham, with husband Joseph and Nezzy. They dont want to support wildlife based on an artificial setting like this.

Seagulls can live to be 50 years old, so once they establish a routine and a habit and a way of survival, they tend to follow that program really strictly, Alyssa Pravongviengkham said. We really need to drive the point home with the birds that were changing their habit.

Even now, a few gulls  Alyssa Pravongviengkham calls them the ding-dongs  return every so often to scout out whether its safe to move back in.

They seem to not know anything about whats happening, she said. They seem very confused, like, Where did everybody go? And then if you are able to chase one of them with a hawk, theyll relay the message to the others, and then well have a quiet day.

Joseph Pravongviengkham releases Nezzy.

Nezzy finds a perch atop machinery at the landfill.

Nezzy pursues a possible surprise attack while on patrol.

Workers at the landfill have been plagued by a relentless bombardment of seagull poop.

Ada County is growing fast, but its landfill is filling up faster. And thats a problem

Up in flames: These household items are setting Boise-area garbage trucks on fire

From weeding to fertilizing: What to know about Boise compost for spring gardening
KYODO NEWS - Jul 30, 2024 - 17:28 | All, Japan

A Chinese man living in Japan was indicted Tuesday for allegedly spray-painting the word "toilet" on a stone pillar at the war-linked Yasukuni shrine in Tokyo in May.

Two other Chinese men have been put on wanted lists for their alleged involvement in the case, which drew public attention due largely to a video posted on Chinese social media showing a man appearing to urinate on the pillar engraved with the shrine's name.

Yasukuni has been a source of diplomatic friction with China and other Asian countries as Japan's wartime leaders, convicted as war criminals in a post-World War II international tribunal, are among the more than 2.4 million war dead honored at the shrine.

Jiang Zhuojun, 29, was indicted on charges of damaging property and disrespecting a place of worship after allegedly vandalizing the pillar by spray-painting the English word in red on it on May 31, prosecutors said. The damage is estimated at 4.6 million yen ($30,000).

The two other Chinese, Dong Guangming, 36, and Xu Laiyu, 25, left Japan the following day, according to the police. They were placed on wanted lists on July 9 when Jiang was arrested.

Japan has expressed its concerns about the incident to the Chinese government through diplomatic channels.

Related coverage:

Chinese man in Japan arrested over Yasukuni shrine graffiti incident

Chinese man suspected of graffitiing word "toilet" at Yasukuni shrine
All of the protesters who were charged at an April pro-Palestinian demonstration on the UNC-Chapel Hill campus have been offered plea deals, their attorney said Tuesday.

Now they have to decide whether to take them.

District Attorney Jeff Nieman has offered plea deals ranging from deferred prosecution to a conditional discharge, said attorney Gina Balamucki. That would dismisses the defendants charges after they complete roughly 24 to 36 hours of community service and pay any fines.

UNC police have charged 39 people since April when a four-day Gaza solidarity encampment was shut down on Polk Place, including six who were arrested and taken to the Orange County jail.

Three UNC students were among the six people arrested and charged with trespassing and other offenses, including resist, delay and obstruct and assault on a law enforcement officer.

People gather to share statements at the Peace and Justice Plaza outside the courthouse regarding the charges against pro-Palestine protesters and broader beliefs about the war on Tuesday, July 30, 2024.

At least 30 demonstrators were cited for trespassing and were released on campus.

The defendants are still discussing whether to accept the deals, Balamucki said, adding theres a really strong desire to not leave people behind with higher charges.

During a rally ahead of Tuesdays hearing, organizers read a statement that said, in part, they wanted to use a collective defense and leverage their power as a group to support each other through the court proceedings.

Everyone feels that they were engaged in First Amendment-protected activity and that any assault charges, any higher-level charges are bogus, Balamucki said.

Balamucki said she was a little surprised that Nieman had not offered to dismiss any charges, saying the move is unlike many other cities in the country.

Balamucki said all of the protesters will appear in court again on Aug. 26 in Hillsborough. At that time, those charged can choose to accept the deal or ask for a trial date.

People gather to share statements at the Peace and Justice Plaza outside the courthouse regarding the charges against pro-Palestine protesters and broader beliefs about the war on Tuesday, July 30, 2024.

Supporters rally outside courthouse

About 30 people gathered outside of the Chapel Hill courthouse on Franklin Street Tuesday to support those appearing in court and to call for the charges to be dropped unconditionally. A handful read a statement about the charges and their broader beliefs about the war.

We, a group of people facing repressive criminal charges from the UNC-Chapel Hill administration as part of their effort to crush our movement, want to also express several unified positions that we take as defendants and as members of the local and global fight for Palestinian liberation, the statement read.

Since the war in Gaza began last October, the campus chapter of Students for Justice in Palestine has called on UNC to disclose and divest from investments it holds in companies supporting Israel and to end study abroad programs to Israel, among other demands. The group organized the encampment this spring to further their cause.

Myri, a UNC student from Greensboro who only provided a first name because of fears that they could be doxxed online and on social media, spoke with The News & Observer about the war.

Its sometimes hard for me to keep going with the atrocities in Gaza and the West Bank, they said, noting scenes of children and babies killed by Israeli bullets and rockets and the alleged rape of a Palestinian prisoner. It was especially disheartening to see the standing ovation Israeli Prime MInister Benjamin Netanyahu got in Congress last week, they said.

Things like this, the community that we have here is really what keeps me going ... having a wonderful space to talk with people, share the ways weve been feeling and try to strategize and look at what we can do to do as much as we can to prevent more loss and suffering, Myri said.

Pro-Palestine protesters exit the court in Chapel Hill on Tuesday, July 30, 2024.

Potential for more activity this fall

Tuesdays hearing was the latest development in months-long activism on campus.

The arrests at Aprils encampment sparked another protest during which protesters returned to campus, breaking down barriers that police and UNC employees had erected and launching an hours-long faceoff over an American flag on the campus flagpole.

A group of fraternity brothers who prevented the flag from being replaced a second time has received international praise, including an appearance at the Republican National Convention and a mention from Netanyahu in his address to Congress.

Protesters marched peacefully down Franklin Street and around the campus a few days later, before returning with hundreds of supporters during the universitys May 11 commencement.

Elected officials in Chapel Hill and Carrboro joined them in condemning the universitys use of aggressive police tactics and called for the charges to be dropped.

The May rally held by the UNC SJP chapter denounced the school administration, U.S. politicians, and the Israeli government. It also included a Peoples Graduation on Franklin Street to celebrate UNC seniors who were suspended because of their charges. That afternoon, individuals covered South Building, which houses the chancellors office, with oil-based red paint and pro-Palestinian messages.

Records show UNC Police applied for a warrant two days later for UNC SPJs private Instagram account information, seeking a range of details, including subscription information, direct messages and location data. Campus spokesperson Kevin Best said the warrant was part of a criminal investigation into the South Building graffiti and vandalism, but no charges had been brought as of mid-July.

Classes resume at UNC for the fall semester in mid-August. Myri said they and other students have deals with UNC officials to lift their suspension on returning to campus but remain on a probationary status. However, some seniors arrested have not yet received their diplomas, they said, and Myri said one friend had lost their scholarship because of an arrest.

The UNC administration made it clear that the presumption of innocence does not apply, Myri said.

Reem Subei, an attorney representing the student disciplinary cases, said those who are waiting for their diplomas, including one who participated in the April 29 protest but was not charged, could get them by the end of the year.
MANATEE COUNTY (WFLA)  Ashley Benefields murder trial entered its second week Monday.

The 32-year-old mother and former ballerina was accused of shooting and killing her estranged husband, Doug Benefield, in September 2020.

Veteran on the hook for $20,000 SBA loan he never borrowed

Benefield claimed she shot her husband in self defense after he struck her for the first time in their four-year marriage. However, prosecutors argue that the shooting was the result of a court battle surrounding their then 2-year-old daughter.

Among the defenses final witnesses Monday were the lead investigator in the sheriffs office case, a realtor who was helping Doug look for a home in Lakewood Ranch, and Doug and Ashleys trauma counselor.

Dr. Jason Quintal has seen thousands of patients, and his specialty is trauma resolution.

Doug and Ashley were referred to him by another therapist. They had couple sessions as well as individual sessions with the psychologist.

What I was told is that both had their own trauma and there was some stuff within the relationship and that I was tasked with unplugging the emotional effect of those experiences, Quintal said.

Ashleys defense attorney Neil Taylor asked Quintal what conclusions the psychologist came to during his sessions with the couple.

Based on the conversations with both Ashley and Doug  Doug occurred as someone who was domineering, and the terminology that I would use at times would be super controlling, he said. He was very dedicated to wanting the relationship work. He was very interested despite conversations with some of the disparaging things that Ashley had said to him, he was very much still wanting this to work and their plans were to move to Maryland.

When asked by Taylor if he concluded there was an intimidation issue in the couples relationship. Dr. Quintal told the jury Ashley stated that she was scared of Doug.

During cross examination, Assistant State Attorney Suzanne ODonnell pointed out that Quintal met with Ashley alone five times compared to two times with Doug. She suggested his opinion in calling Doug controlling came from comments Ashley made during her solo sessions with the counselor.

They were comments that she made and frustrations that she had within the system, Quintal explained.

Okay, so it was not solely based on things you were observing in Doug Benefield, ODonnell asked.

No maam, the psychologist responded.

The defense rested its case around 4:30 p.m. Monday. The jury will return to the court room around Tuesday afternoon.

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During a tumultuous meeting, the Statewide Charter School Board voted 7-1 on Tuesday to join St. Isidore of Seville Catholic Virtual School in appealing a recent Oklahoma Supreme Court decision to the U.S. Supreme Court.

Minutes later, the board voted 8-1 to table a motion to rescind its contract with the school, despite a standing order to do so from the state court. It also rejected the counsel of the state attorney generals office on the grounds that as long as the St. Isidore case remains in litigation, a conflict of interest exists because Attorney General Gentner Drummond sued the boards predecessor over its contract with St. Isidore, which he said violated both the state and U.S. Constitutions.

Just before 5 p.m. Tuesday, Drummond filed a request with the state Supreme Court, asking the court to compel the board to rescind the contract. Drummond asked the court "make clear further refusal to follow" the order "will be grounds for the issuance of a contempt citation." He said he "believes he current has grounds to seek a contempt citation. But in the spirit of comity, Petitioner requests that this Court provide ... the Board and its members one last opportunity to comply with this Court's Order."

"Every day the Oklahoma Statewide Charter School Board refuses to comply with this Court's Order is another day that a state-established religious school persists. That is repugnant to Oklahoma and federal law and must be immediately remediated."

St. Isidore is seeking to become the nations first Catholic virtual charter school, and the case is being eyed closely due to its religious overtones and potential for a precedent-setting ruling. Both sides cast themselves Wednesday as protectors of religious liberty.

During the meeting, state schools Superintendent Ryan Walters  a member of the board by virtue of his office  cited recent controversy over an element of the opening ceremonies of the Olympics: Youve seen in the last couple of weeks Christianity being mocked on a worldwide stage.  You get a sense of what were dealing with here. You see Christian faith, Catholic faith, under assault throughout our country. What we have the ability to do here today is to protect religious liberty, protect options for the families of Oklahoma. I think there are some leaders in the state that have made it very clear they prefer to have atheism championed in our schools and run every other faith out. I think thats grossly inappropriate.

Brian Shellem speaks Tuesday during a special meeting of the new statewide Charter School Board at the Oklahoma History Center in Oklahoma City.

Board Chair Brian Shellem echoed those comments.

I think when we break it down, the contract for the school was to educate kids, Shellem said. There are a number of legal theories here. Obviously, the AG had (his) opinion but  I think most of the board feels that  certain groups should not be discriminated against, especially if they have the skills to perform the contract.

Drummond responded after the meeting with strong words of his own.

Every Oklahoman should be outraged by the boards blatant hostility toward religious liberty, he said. Rather than acting to protect religious liberty, they are recklessly committed to using our tax dollars to fund radical religious teachings like Sharia law. I will continue to protect the religious liberty of all four million Oklahomans by upholding their constitutional rights.

A spokesman for the Oklahoma City Archdiocese said it wouldn't have a comment on the board voting to join the appeal.

Chair wants to appeal, but another member says it is out of board's purview

Drummond sued the boards predecessor, the Statewide Virtual Charter School Board, after that board voted to approve a contract with St. Isidore last October. The state Supreme Court heard oral arguments in the case in April and in June ordered the Statewide Virtual Charter School Board to rescind its contract with St. Isidore. But three days later, at the final meeting before its dissolution, the board failed to take action on the court order. The old boards legal responsibilities have fallen to the Statewide Charter School Board, which began operating July 1. In two meetings since, the new board also has declined to do so.

In the meantime, St. Isidore has said it will appeal the state court ruling to the U.S. Supreme Court. Although the chair of the previous board, Robert Franklin, expressed the sentiment that such an appeal should be left to St. Isidore and was not the place of a state agency, Shellem  who served alongside Franklin on the old board  disagreed.

We respectfully disagree with the majority opinion, Shellem said. I do want to take up this matter. It is a matter that will not just impact Oklahoma, but will impact our nation. When we look at what has been going on, the fear that seems to be resonating about this notion that there is not a God and that seems to be what the permeating religion is in the public square, I would ask, what are the results?

Statewide Charter School Board member Becky Gooch (center) called the vote to appeal an Oklahoma Supreme Court decision to the U.S. Supreme Court "way out of our purview."

The only Statewide Charter School Board member to vote against joining the appeal and tabling the contract was Becky Gooch, the committee staff director and policy director for the office of state Senate President Pro Tempore Greg Treat. Gooch said during the meeting, saying, This is way outside of our purview.

Gooch issued a statement after the meeting, through a Senate spokesman: My votes today were made based on the courts decision and the rule of law. The Oklahoma Supreme Court issued clear guidance that the board would violate both the Oklahoma and U.S. Constitutions prohibition against government-established religion if we didnt rescind this contract. As a woman of faith, and supporter of charter schools, I can empathize with the decision to create alternatives for faith-based education and additional options to traditional education for children who need them. However, I could not in good conscience vote for things that violate the law.

Board member Jared Buswell abstained from the vote approving the appeal, but said he supported that decision.

Board rejects having attorney general's office as its legal counsel

Drummond said earlier this month his office would assume the role of legal counsel to the board and sent Assistant Attorney General Thomas Schneider to the meeting  along with two armed agents from Drummonds office. Two uniformed Oklahoma Highway Patrol troopers also were present.

But when Schneider tried to interject at the start of the discussion of the St. Isidore case with legal advice, he immediately was questioned by board member Ben Lepak concerning his credentials to do so, with Lepak noting Drummond had sued the boards predecessor. Lepak, the executive director of the State Chamber Research Foundation, is the brother of current Oklahoma State Board of Education member Sarah Lepak.

Shellem backed up Ben Lepak. Shellem said hed consulted my own personal attorneys about the matter and was told there is an ethics conflict. Shellem refused to reveal the identity of those attorneys after the meeting.

Assistant Attorney General Thomas Schneider speaks Tuesday during a special meeting of the new statewide Charter School Board at the Oklahoma History Center in Oklahoma City.

Schneider said, I believe, as your counsel, that other members of the board are entitled to my guidance today, so I want to make the record to reflect that you are denying me that opportunity.

Lepak shot back: We are not denying you anything.

Schneider, after being shut down by Lepak and Shellem, mostly sat quietly at the board table for the rest of the meeting. He was asked to speak only once after that, when he noted that hed told the board in a letter before the meeting that an agenda item might be considered legally vague and could result in a violation of the Oklahoma Open Meetings Act. After the meeting, Shellem called that an intimidation tactic.

Phil Bacharach, a spokesman for the attorney generals office, said he couldnt answer a question about whether the office might look into any such violation.

The board also voted 9-0 to ask the attorney generals office to hire a private attorney, Daniel Carsey, who previously had represented the Statewide Virtual Charter School Board and provided counsel during the new boards first meeting. In Drummonds letter, Drummond said Carsey hadnt been approved to serve for the new board.

Shellem attempted to turn down the temperature regarding the disagreement with the attorney generals office afterward.

We do respect the top law-enforcement agency in the state, Shellem said. We respect the (Oklahoma) Supreme Court. We will honor their orders. If the Supreme Court had said (to) immediately rescind this contract, the board would have already taken action, but there is a legal process.  We want to let the process play out.

This article originally appeared on Oklahoman: Oklahoma board votes to appeal religious charter school ruling
Former Broward County Mayor Barbara Sharief is suing one of her rivals in the Democratic Senate District 35 primary, alleging that he defamed her by implying that she and her healthcare company defrauded Medicaid.

The lawsuit, filed in Broward County court on Monday morning, argues that Miramar Democrat Rodney Jacobs knowingly slandered Sharief with a campaign ad tying her to U.S. Sen. Rick Scott, the former Florida governor whose healthcare company was implicated in a sweeping Medicare fraud case more than two decades ago.

The 40-second ad features the text, Tell us who your friends are, and well tell you who you are, Barbara Sharief, before playing a video from a 2017 speech by Sharief in which she introduces Scott as her friend and the most business-friendly governor in the country. The ad does not mention Medicaid.

Three Democrats  Sharief, Jacobs and attorney Chad Klitzman  are vying for their partys nomination to represent Senate District 35, which covers a wide swath of western Broward County, including Pembroke Pines, Weston and Miramar. The winner of the Aug. 20 primary will go on to face Republican Vincent Parlatore in November.

Rodney Jacobs, director of the Miami Civilian Investigative Panel, poses in his office on Tuesday, Oct. 25, 2022, in Miami.

The lawsuit points to comments Jacobs made to The Floridian, a Florida politics news site. In an interview with the outlet earlier this month, Jacobs questioned whether Sharief got her skills from Scott.

We all know what Rick Scott did, Jacobs told the Floridian. He went on to ask: You think this is where she got her Medicaid fraud skills from, her friend?

Scott was never charged with a crime and has maintained that he was unaware of any fraud at the company. He resigned under pressure in 1997 after federal agents made their investigation of the company public. A spokesperson for Scotts campaign declined to comment on the lawsuit.

Shariefs healthcare company, South Florida Pediatric Homecare, was accused more than a decade ago of overbilling Medicaid by nearly $500,000. Sharief ultimately paid nearly $700,000 to settle those claims, but has denied ever overbilling Medicaid and did not admit guilt as part of the settlements.

Shariefs lawsuit against Jacobs isnt the first time shes brought a defamation case against a political rival. During her unsuccessful 2022 bid to oust state Senate Minority Leader Lauren Book, Sharief sued Book for sending out campaign mailers accusing Sharief of defrauding Medicaid. A judge ruled last week allowing that case to go to trial.

Book, who was elected to represent Floridas redrawn 35th Senate district in 2022, is term limited and unable to seek reelection to her seat this year. The Aug. 20 primary will likely decide who replaces her, since the district favors a Democratic candidate.

Shariefs attorney Michael Pizzi slammed Jacobs for making the same false accusation against his client that he said Book made two years ago, adding bluntly that Sharief has never been investigated or accused of Medicaid fraud. The defamation lawsuit is seeking $1 million in damages for Jacobs comments.

Long after this election is over, Mr. Jacobs will be paying legal bills and massive monetary judgment for falsely accusing Mayor Sharief of crimes she was never even accused of, Pizzi said in a statement.

An adviser to Jacobs campaign noted that neither Jacobs nor the ad mentioned accusations of Medicaid fraud. In a statement, Jacobs dismissed Shariefs lawsuit as frivolous.

Can I be quoted as yawning? One more Sharief campaign, one more baseless lawsuit, Jacobs said. I mean, this is what she does, rather than defend her record, she sues.

This article has been updated to include additional comments from Jacobs to The Floridian.
At boisterous Georgia rally, Harris dares Trump to 'say it to my face' and show up for their debate

ATLANTA (AP)  Vice President Kamala Harris told a cheering, boisterous, packed Atlanta arena on Tuesday that the next 98 days would be a fight, but they'd win come November, as she taunted Donald Trump for wavering on whether he'd show up for their upcoming debate.

The momentum in this race is shifting," the likely nominee said. "And there are signs Donald Trump is feeling it."

Little more than a week ago, Georgia appeared to be slipping out of the Democrats' reach: President Joe Biden's campaign pledged to concentrate more on holding the Midwestern "blue wall" states and indicated they might be willing to forsake Sun Belt battlegrounds. But now that Biden has bowed out of the race and Harris is the likely nominee, Democrats are expressing new hopes of an expanded electoral map.

In the state that delivered Biden his narrowest victory margin in 2020, Harris pulled off what has been a signature Trump event: A big, loud rally full of supporters cheering her name, as she mocked her rival and his running mate JD Vance as just plain weird, and derided their policies as backward, outdated and dangerous.

Trump earlier said he'd debate Harris, but is now questioning the value of a meetup and saying he probably will debate her, but he can also make a case for not doing it.

Harris seized on it. So he won't debate me, but he and his running mate have a lot to say about me, she said. And by the way, don't you find some of their stuff to just be plain weird.

"Well Donald," she said, addressing him head-on. I do hope you'll reconsider. Meet me on the debate stage ... because as the saying goes, if you've got something to say, say it to my face. Trump has suggested the Sept. 10 debate on ABC News should be moved to a different network, calling ABC fake news.

Harris hasnt yet formally seized the Democrat nomination, though she is the only person who met the qualifications to vie for it, the Democratic National Committee announced Tuesday, and will all-but-certainly clinch it come Monday when the party concludes a virtual roll call vote. Her pick of a running mate is also expected by early next week, when Harris plans to begin a seven-stop tour of battleground states to hold rallies alongside her vice presidential nominee.

On Tuesday, the roughly 8,000-capacity basketball arena at Georgia State University was filled to its rafters with voters waving signs, dancing to the Harris campaign soundtrack and a performance by Megan Thee Stallion. Such an atmosphere would not have been possible just 10 days ago, with the party reeling over whether the 81-year-old Biden would remain in the race after a dismal performance magnified concerns about his age and abilities and ultimately ended his campaign.

This is like Barack Obama 2008 on steroids for me, said Mildred Hobson Doss, a 59-year-old who came downtown from suburban Lilburn. I would have voted for President Biden again. But we are ready.

Harris' campaign argues her appeal to young people, working-age women and non-white voters has scrambled the dynamics in Georgia and other states that are demographically similar, from North Carolina to Nevada and Arizona.

In a strategy memo released after the president left the race, Harris campaign chair Jen OMalley Dillon, who held the same role for Biden, reaffirmed the importance of winning Michigan, Wisconsin and Pennsylvania, a trio of industrial states that have formed the traditional Democratic blue wall.

But she also argued that the vice presidents place atop the ticket opens up additional persuadable voters and described them as disproportionately Black, Latino and under 30 in places like Georgia.

The energy is infectious, said Georgia Democratic Chairwoman Nikema Williams, a congresswoman from Atlanta. My phone has been blowing up. People want to be part of this movement.

Harris began Tuesday with her days as a prosecutor  setting up the contrast between the law and Trump's many legal problems and misdeeds. But she also aggressively defended the Biden administration's record and said she would work to pass voting rights legislation and restore abortion rights stripped by the fall of Roe v. Wade.

America has tried these failed policies before. And we are not going back. We're not going back, Harris said, shaking her head no as the crowd cheered we're not going back.

Republicans, who still control Georgias state government, counter that Bidens lagging popularity and concern over higher consumer prices and immigration will transfer to Harris in the historically conservative state.

But they concede that the landscape suddenly looks much closer to 2020  when Biden won by about 0.25 percentage points  than when Trump was riding high after the Republican National Convention and surviving an assassination attempt.

Trump was going to win Georgia. It was over, said Republican consultant Brian Robinson. The Democrats have a chance here for a reset.

And Trump is not taking chances. Earlier Tuesday, the former president announced that he would come to Atlanta on Saturday for a rally in the same Georgia State arena.

Robinson said Harris still has plenty of liabilities, including the progressive positions she took in her failed 2020 primary campaign and her various rhetorical stumbles. But he said Harris so far in this campaign has been in command, and if that continues, we have a new ballgame and she will be competitive in Georgia.

Trump campaign spokesperson Karoline Leavitt dismissed Harris as just as weak, failed and incompetent as Joe Biden and said the vice president would have to explain her support of Biden administration policies that hurt working families in Georgia over the past four years.

The campaign and Georgia Democratic officials have 24 offices across the state, including two added last weekend in metro Atlanta. Trump and the Republican National Committee opened their first Georgia offices only recently.

In a call with supporters after her speech, Harris thanked them for their work and noted early voting starts in some states in just 38 days.

This is a sprint," she said. "And we know what we need to do to cross the finish line.

The fast-growing, diversifying Atlanta suburbs and exurbs offer the most opportunity for swings, especially from GOP-leaning moderates disenchanted with Trump.

For Harris, that means depending on voters as varied as Michael Sleister, a white suburbanite, and Allen Smith, a Black man who lives not far from downtown Atlanta.

Sleister, who considers himself an independent, has lived in Forsyth County for 35 years. I've voted Republican many times in my life, he said, but not since the GOP took a rightward turn during President Barack Obama's administration.

"Now I see the Republican Party as representing a direct threat to my grandchildren," he said, adding that he sees Trump as just a horrible person.

Smith is a 41-year-old Atlanta native who has become a first-time campaign volunteer since Harris became the likely nominee.

I was driving when I heard the news about President Biden endorsing her, and I started pounding my fist  I decided right then I would do whatever I could to help her get elected, Smith said.

___

Long reported from Washington. Follow the AP's coverage of the 2024 election at https://apnews.com/hub/election-2024.
Democrats are right. The Trump era has been insanely weird.

At long last, Democrats have leaned into the word weird.

Vice President Kamala Harris, now the Democratic Partys presumptive presidential nominee, has started using it to describe convicted felon and former President Donald Trump. It seems Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz, whos on Harris vice presidential candidate list, led the charge, succinctly saying of Trump and his running mate this weekend: These guys are just weird.

There are millions upon millions of American voters  certainly liberals and independents, and Id bet a decent slice of conservatives  who have spent the past eight or so years watching Trump and the MAGA circus and thinking: Wow, this is all very weird.

And it is.

Donald Trump is very, very weird, and we've known this for some time

The rise of Trumpism and the bizarre chaos it ushered in  from family members lost down conspiratorial rabbit holes to the denial of facts and abandonment of shared reality  has given us election lies and Trump-branded Bibles and Rudy Giuliani giving an insane news conference outside a landscaping business in Philadelphia and a dude called the QAnon Shaman wearing a horned fur cap as he joined an attack of the U.S. Capitol.

Jake Angeli, a Phoenix man known as the QAnon Shaman, took part in the raid of the U.S. Capitol on Jan. 6, 2021. Angeli pleaded guilty to a felony count of obstructing a civil proceeding and was sentenced that November to 41 months in prison.

Weird may be the nicest possible description.

Its certainly the most apt label for Trump and his unhinged rants, his nonsensical stories about sharks or Hannibal Lecter, his blabbering cruelty and unfiltered spouting of whatever odd thought passes through his hate-addled mind.

Kamala Harris should keep leaning into Trump's weirdness

Vice President Kamala Harris returns to Joint Base Andrews in Maryland after attending her presidential campaign fundraising event in Massachusetts on July 27, 2024.

Its all weird. Hes surrounded by lackeys who are weird and go on Fox News and say weird things about Trump being the greatest president of all time. He is supported by slavish Republicans who once openly denounced him, and their hypocrisy is weird.

His running mate, Ohio Sen. JD Vance, has a slew of past interviews in which he derided childless cat ladies and suggested the votes of people who have children should count more than the votes of those who dont. And thats all really weird. Plus, he has a tech-bro vibe thats weird and impersonal  but mainly weird.

Waiting on Trump: When is Trump's 'big boy press conference'? His campaign deflected when I asked.

Tim Walz, with Minnesota-nice, hit the nail on the head by calling Trump weird

Last week, Gov. Walz said on MSNBC, These guys are just weird. Theyre running for He-Man Women Haters Club or something. Thats what theyre doing. Thats just not what people are interested in.

Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz speaks at a Biden-Harris campaign news conference on July 17, 2024, in Milwaukee.

Yes. YES! Finally!

We've watched so much weirdness from Trump world over the years

Weve spent years watching all-praise-be-to-Trump types getting three different kinds of worked up over drag queens and books about gay penguins and transgender school kids who just want to be allowed to exist.

The moment President Joe Biden stepped aside and endorsed Harris for the top of the ticket, MAGA Republicans started labeling her a DEI candidate, a blatantly racist description of an accomplished politician and sitting vice president.

Former President Donald Trump on July 26, 2024, tells Christians attending a summit hosted in West Palm Beach, Fla., by the conservative group Turning Point Action to vote in November, saying they wouldnt have to cast a ballot again if he wins the presidency because itll be fixed.

The GOP presidential nominee is a twice-impeached, one-term president who was convicted of 34 felony counts of falsifying business records in a case involving hush money paid to an adult film star. He has had multiple bankruptcies, faces hundreds of millions of dollars in fines from a civil fraud ruling and was found liable of sexual abuse. And he is revered by the Republican Party's evangelical base.

Do you want to know whats weird to a majority of Americans who are just trying to live their lives? EVERYTHING IN THOSE PREVIOUS THREE PARAGRAPHS!

Joe Biden didn't bust out the 'weird' word, but he should have

For some reason, Bidens campaign didnt directly hit Trump with the W-word. But as soon as he stepped aside, Walz, the Harris campaign and other Democratic leaders wasted no time calling the former president what he is: weird.

Harris VP pick? Republicans, pay attention to who Harris picks for VP. One of them should scare us.

Trump never laughs. Hes rarely seen in public with his wife, Melania. He regularly says stuff like this from a recent rally: We won in 2016. We did much better in 2020, but it was rigged. It was rigged.

A lot of people throughout the Trump era have looked at his rallies or listened to him or one of his minions on TV and probably quietly said: How in the heck is anyone taking these weirdos seriously?

The word 'weird' fits. It works. It's concise and comfortingly spot on.

This is a smart labeling move by Harris and the Democrats. Weird captures an almost-exhausted emotion many of us have felt but failed to identify.

At the Republican National Convention on July 18, 2024, in Milwaukee.

And its directed where it should be, at Trump's MAGA disciples and the elected Republicans who fall in line. Its not a broad labeling of his supporters along the lines of Hillary Clintons basket of deplorables. This isnt punching down.

Its cutting to the chase. Its pointing at the bizarre characters and charlatans who willfully turned our politics toxic and sold  and continue to sell  snake oil and scapegoats to millions of Americans.

What Harris and Co. are rightfully saying to Trump and the Republican leaders in his sway is simple: Enough. You all are really freakin weird.

Follow USA TODAY columnist Rex Huppke on X, formerly Twitter, @RexHuppke and Facebook facebook.com/RexIsAJerk

You can read diverse opinions from our USA TODAY columnists and other writers on the Opinion front page, on X, formerly Twitter, @usatodayopinion and in our Opinion newsletter.

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Trump's MAGA universe is weird and Democrats are right to say so
SEVIER COUNTY, Tenn. (WATE)  Deputies with the Sevier County Sheriffs Office are searching for a man who was last seen more than a week ago in Seymour.

According to the sheriffs office, George Raymond Millington, 46, was last seen driving away from the area of Clark Street in Seymour on July 22 in a red 1996 Pontiac Sunfire. His family has not seen or heard from him since.

20-year-old charged after home robbery in Knoxville

Millington is 61 tall and weighs around 180 pounds with brown hair and brown eyes. The vehicle is a 2-door car with the Tennessee Tag 957 BKXX.

Anyone who has seen Millington or knows where he may be is asked to contact Detective Alexander Smuk at 865-774-3935 or the Sevier County Sheriffs Office Criminal Investigations Division at 865-453-4668.

This is a developing story. Download the WATE 6 News app or sign up for our email alerts for updates.

Suspect in custody after standoff in Jefferson City

Authorities say nearly 400 people go missing in Tennessee each year. Thats five people for every 100,000. Check this list of people missing from East Tennessee to see if you can help locate someone.

Copyright 2024 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.

For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to WATE 6 On Your Side.
The Cherokee County Sheriffs Office is searching for a Lyft driver who vanished after he was hired to drive someone to Florida.

Now, his family fears that he may be dead.

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Deputies said Leonard John Beiner, 57, was in the Ball Ground area of Cherokee County on July 18. He worked part-time as a Lyft driver and was scheduled to drive a customer back to Jacksonville, Florida. His family has not been able to reach him since. Its unclear if he ever picked up the passenger.

Channel 2s Bryan Mims was at the Cherokee County Sheriffs Office Tuesday, where he learned that Beiner checked himself into Grady Memorial Hospital in Atlanta on July 22 and walked out the next day. Thats the last time he was seen. His vehicle, a Hyundai Santa Fe, may have been towed from the hospital.

Mims talked to Beiners stepson, Jhaydon Ragsdale, who said the last time he talked to his step-father was on July 18.

The first few days, I tried calling him, Ragsdale said. The phone rang and a few days after that it went straight to the operator line.

TRENDING STORIES:

Mims asked if Ragsdale knew of anyone who may want to hurt Beiner.

No. He doesnt have any money. Why would anyone want to kill him? Ragsdale said.

Capt. Jay Baker with the Cherokee County Sheriffs Office declined to speak on camera and said it is too early in the investigation. Baker said the family just filed the missing person report on Monday.

Ragsdale said that Beiner has gone off on his own before, which is why they didnt report it sooner. Hes been recovering from drug addiction and sometimes isolates himself.

Its not abnormal for him to avoid contact with people while hes relapsing, Ragsdale said. What became a concern is the week after when his phone went to the operator line and he was no longer on social media.

Deputies believe he was driving a blue Hyundai Sante Fe with a Florida license plate.

Beiner is described as 57 and 225 pounds with blue eyes and gray hair. He walks with a cane.

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Anyone who has seen him is asked to contact the Cherokee County Sheriffs Office.

Jacksonville, Florida is about 6  hours from Ball Ground, Georgia.
The front page of the Deseret News on July 30, 1924. The top headline of the day focused on a worry that Salt Lake's water system would fail.

A look back at local, national and world events through Deseret News archives.

The top headline in the Deseret News 100 years ago today seems familiar, only because it is revisited often in this desert state:

S.L. faces no water for lawns: Supply drops at rate which causes alarm

Here is the first paragraph:

Salt Lake confronts the most serious water situation in its history and unless the people of the city save 4,000,000 gallons of water a day it will be necessary to cut off another sprinkler day, and further, if the dry weather continues for another two weeks it may be possible no lawn sprinkling will be permitted, the water works director told Mayor C. Clarence Nealen on July 30, 1924.

Utahs history is filled with water challenges, including droughts and lean years, flooding in other years and a constant plea for conservation. The health of the Great Salt Lake is a continuing concern for many Utahns.

Though most agree the states residents can always be more prudent with water use, it is remarkable to consider how well water managers, farmers and businesses that use water, and residents themselves have been as a part of the solution through the years.

Here are a selection of stories from Deseret News archives about the water challenges in the Beehive State for the past 100 years:

Floods and drought: How this man weathers the weather to keep water flowing to your tap

Opinion: Stop punishing people with water rights for not using their full share

It was a record winter for water; now lets see if we can hang onto it

Farmers and ranchers in Utah have cut water use 70-75% compared to last year

Anatomy of a drought: How the West may change for decades to come

Who should get water if Utah has an emergency shortage?

The Colorado River is the lifeblood of the West. How much longer will it last?

Its not yet time to turn on the lakes big pumps

Lakes pumps still high and dry

Water crashes onto rocks at the Great Salt Lake State Park in Magna on Saturday, June 15, 2024. | Marielle Scott, Deseret News
KYODO NEWS - Jul 30, 2024 - 16:58 | All, Japan

The Japan unit of motorcycle company Harley-Davidson Inc. was searched by the country's antitrust watchdog on Tuesday for allegedly imposing excessive sales quotas on dealers in violation of the antimonopoly law, sources close to the matter said.

The Japan Fair Trade Commission suspects Harley-Davidson Japan K.K. in Tokyo insinuated there would be no renewal of exclusive sales contracts with the dealers if they failed to meet the set goals, leading some to purchase motorcycles for themselves, according to the sources.

The unit is also suspected of pressuring the stores to purchase unpopular models they did not want.

The watchdog believes the company has been regularly committing such acts against multiple dealers from 2020 at the latest, the sources said.

Harley-Davidson Japan said it would fully cooperate with the investigation.

The company does not operate its own stores in the country and only allows sales by retailers that have signed exclusive contracts. There are around 90 authorized retailers in Japan.

According to the Japan Automobile Importers Association, Harley-Davidson made up the largest domestic share of imported bikes in 2023 with 37 percent.

In 2019, the Japan unit of Germany's BMW AG was found to have imposed excessive sales quotas on dealers and forced them to purchase vehicles if they could not achieve the target.

Related coverage:

Visa's Japan unit probed over alleged unfair practice with card firms

Japan's fair trade watchdog to issue warning to Toyota subsidiary
Detectives arrested a man several hours after he reportedly shot and killed a woman who was working Monday morning as an employee at an assisted-living housing complex in south Sacramento.

Leslie Weikert, 66, was arrested on suspicion of homicide in Mondays shooting death at the Cardosa Village Apartments, the Sacramento County Sheriffs Office announced early Tuesday in a news release.

Orelia Ann Anderson, 36, of Sacramento was the woman killed in Mondays shooting at the Cardosa Village Apartments, the Sacramento County Coroners Office confirmed Tuesday afternoon.

Weikert was being held without bail Tuesday at the Sacramento County Main Jail. He is scheduled to appear for his arraignment hearing Wednesday afternoon in Sacramento Superior Court.

A 911 caller reported the shooting about 9:40 a.m. at the Cardosa Village Apartments at 5710 66th Ave., just west of Highway 99 and a few blocks south of Florin Road.

Homicide detectives have learned that Weikert was a resident at the housing complex and had a dispute with the woman who was an employee there. Sheriffs officials said Weikert shot the employee multiple times during the dispute before leaving the complex.

Deputies arrived at the complex and found the woman suffering from several gunshot wounds, according to the Sheriffs Office. Medics arrived moments later, but the woman was pronounced dead at the scene.

The Cardosa Village Apartments is a housing complex for persons with psychiatric disabilities and their children, according to the housing complexs website. The five-building complex has one-, two- and three-bedroom apartments. The complex is a gated community with signs out front that indicate the complex is monitored 24 hours a day by security cameras.

Detectives from the sheriffs Major Crimes Bureau found Weikert on Monday evening and took him into custody without incident.

The website still lists as a co-sponsor Transitional Living and Community Support, Inc., which also operates under the name Hope Cooperative. But Karina Riley, an external affairs manager with Hope Cooperative, told The Sacramento Bee that Hope Cooperative has not been a co-sponsor or provided services at Cardosa Village Apartments since July 2021.

Riley said the woman who was killed in Mondays shooting worked was a property manager and also lived at the housing complex with her partner.

We are saddened to hear about the death of someone who was an amazing person to work with, Riley said on Tuesday.

The Retirement Housing Foundation, a nonprofit organization based in Long Beach, operates the Cardosa Village Apartments along 181 other housing facilities in 30 states and territories, according to the Sacramento complexs website. The firm says it provides housing and services to more than 19,000 older adults, low-income families and persons with disabilities.
After multiple delays and several hours of discussion, Detroit City Council on Tuesday approved the first phase of the solar neighborhoods initiative, which will convert land into solar panel farms.

Solar farms are expected to generate energy to offset electricity used by Detroit's 127 municipal buildings. Several council members continued to question the project after last week's session centered on seeking further information, with some members suggesting then that they deal with it after returning from a monthlong recess in August. But other members were against it because they have known about the initiative for a year.

The bundle of resolutions passed, with objections from Council President Mary Sheffield, and members Angela Whitfield-Calloway and Gabriela Santiago-Romero.

Council member Latisha Johnson was concerned about land speculators and asked Corporation Counsel Conrad Mallett how the city can ensure they do not sweep up land and drive up costs.

"What these vacant land owners are entitled to is the fair market value of the prices as of today," Mallett said. "Part of the reason that time is not on our side is that people could come in and buy these vacant lots and drive up the price on purpose."

DTE will build the 40-acre field in the Van Dyke-Lynch neighborhood and Boston-based Lightstar Renewables will build 63 acres of solar fields in the Gratiot-Findlay and State Fair neighborhoods for the first phase of the project. Representatives of both companies told council members they plan to hire and contract locally. A Lightstar representative said the company also intends to offer a workforce accelerator program to help Detroit-based electricians and contractors grow their business and connect to various work opportunities.

Both contracts expire after 35 years. Council member Fred Durhal III asked about risks associated with possibly ending a contract, due to concerns about the length of it. Mallett said despite costs associated with breaking off a deal, the city has a "robust, unfettered ability to terminate" the contract at any time.

Sheffield took issue with how the project rolled out and said it was rushed. She emphasized she is not against workforce development or renewable energy, but wanted more time.

"My support for solar farms for reducing our carbon footprint for renewable energy is a serious thing. I think climate change is real," Sheffield said. "The issue for me is how we achieve it.

Sheffield also noted that solar arrays, in other cities like Chicago, Cincinnati and Philadelphia, were installed in more rural areas. She referenced a legislative policy division report, which "noted that many comparable cities attempting to dedicate large areas of land have not been found.

"I still believe that we have not not studied or explored scenarios or policies that represent a different path to reducing our carbon footprint.

More: Prevailing wage law expanded to wind, solar energy projects in Michigan

Resident Maesha Parker supported the program as a measure to clear blight, especially for children.

"Our children need those solar panels so they can see that when they ride through the neighborhoods, the neighborhood is changing for them. They want to be safe on the sidewalks and in the streets  they'd be able to ride their bikes over there," Parker said.

Kyle Kentala returned to council Tuesday to express her disapproval of the project. Kentala asked council members last week to explore multiple aspects of the project but suggested to officials Tuesday that many of the supporters do not live in the footprint.

"Being told that dump sites, blight and vacant homes will finally be taken care of when the city hasnt fixed those issues today, when taxpaying Detroiters live in those areas doesnt add up," Kentala said, adding that the city's neighborhoods department "barely alerted" residents of meetings and provided a "depressingly low property assessment."

The first three neighborhoods designated for the program include 100 acres of land with 21 owner-occupied houses. Owners signed an agreement to give up their homes, in exchange for $90,000. Renters will receive money to move and 18 months free rent, and Mayor Mike Duggan, at an announcement of the initiative, said landlords and owners of vacant lots will be paid fair market value.

Owners of adjacent homes will receive various home improvements, including anything from new windows, roof repairs, residential solar panels, energy-efficient appliances, home insulation and air sealing, energy-efficient furnaces and water heaters, smart thermostats, energy-efficient lighting or battery backup.

Dana Afana is the Detroit city hall reporter for the Free Press. Contact: dafana@freepress.com. Follow her: @DanaAfana

This article originally appeared on Detroit Free Press: Detroit City Council backs solar neighborhoods project
After an outcry from city restaurateurs, a pandemic-era outdoor dining program that was set to end Wednesday was given a last-minute reprieve by Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass.

On Tuesday, Bass announced an extension of the Al Fresco Temporary Authorization initiative, which for years served as a lifeline for struggling Los Angeles restaurants.

"After weeks of immense advocacy and mobilization, we received this great, hard-earned news for the L.A. independent hospitality sector today," said Eddie Navarrette, executive director of the Independent Hospitality Coalition, a group that advocates for and supports independent restaurants. "Its inspiring and truly thrilling to see the fight from this community be channeled into championing itself."

Before the extension, Wednesday was to be the last day for restaurant owners within Los Angeles city limits to apply for the permanent Al Fresco Program, which will allow eating and drinking establishments to continue operating in outdoor spaces set up during the pandemic. The program was approved by the L.A. City Council in December, and the application process opened in February.

For months, Navarrette and others had pushed city officials to extend the deadline and to be a "little more sensitive towards what restaurants are going through right now.

Read more: The shocking state of the restaurant industry: 'We can't afford to be open. We can't afford to be closed.'

Navarrette, a consultant who has helped several restaurants apply for various permits throughout the years, also pushed city officials and the mayor's office to make the program more accessible for restaurant owners so they dont have to spend money to hire a specialist  usually an architect  to help them navigate the lengthy application process.

Its death by a thousand cuts, Navarrette said. There are so many other things restaurants are dealing with right now. Why the hell are we forced to have to hire an architect to deal with our outdoor dining right now, at a time when we have so many restaurant closures? Are they getting the memo? We are in a tragic time.

Along with the extension, Bass directed officials at city departments to help business owners to ease the transition to the permanent program, promising to increase department services and resources to support dining establishments.

We want restaurants and businesses to thrive in Los Angeles. It is with that commitment that I am announcing an extension to the deadline for businesses to transition to the permanent Al Fresco program, which carries forward the spirit of this vital program, Bass said in a prepared statement. "I want to encourage businesses who still hold temporary permits to apply today. The city is ready to assist you.

Read more: Restaurant service fees are staying after all with Newsom signature of last-minute bill

Restaurant operators had welcomed the permanent program but urged city officials to push the deadline to apply, describing the process as too onerous and time-consuming.

"During this current economic environment we are living in," Navarrette said, "[giving restaurants] only six months to file for a building permit to be compliant by July 31 is insane.

In her announcement, Bass said city department officials would do the following:



Review and process all completed applications for new and transitioning Al Fresco within 30 days of the date of submission. This includes departments communicating any necessary changes or guidance. As much as possible, city departments are to conduct all required reviews and approvals simultaneously, not sequentially.

Issue conditional approvals for all completed applications with fees paid.

Participate in a webinar, virtual meeting, or application clinic to assist project applicants and restaurant owners with Al Fresco guidelines to troubleshoot project and site plan issues

The extension comes as a relief for restaurant owners during a tumultuous time for the industry. Increased food prices, higher labor costs, and pandemic fallout have led to mass closures with more than 65 restaurants shuttering last year. The pace of closures continue as more and more restaurant owners call it quits.

Navarrette credits the city's outdoor dining program for the survival of several restaurants during the pandemic.

The temporary Al Fresco dining permits allowed more than 3,500 businesses to skip the pricey, months-long process of applications, approvals and fees.

City officials have argued that the original intent of the pandemic-era program, which resulted in waivers granted via emergency orders, was to provide restaurant operators the ability to temporarily keep their doors open. But the emergency orders have since been lifted and city officials said they have to codify the program.

In addition, the mayor launched a Small Business Fee Reduction Program to financially assist businesses transitioning from the temporary to permanent program.

At the state-level, Gov. Gavin Newsom signed into law AB 1217, which extended outdoor dining and other pandemic-era provisions until July 2026. Restaurants in unincorporated L.A. County also extended its temporary program to the same date.

Navarrette wonders why the city wont follow suit or adopt a program similar to San Franciscos Shared Spaces program, which provides something of a template that clearly outlines how to extend a patio permit for restaurants.

Still, he's heartened by the latest news.

"I would be remiss not to mention how proud I am of Mayor Karen Bass for doing the right thing here  by acknowledging the challenges and harnessing her decision-making power to breathe life into a program that does so much for small business," Navarrette said, "as well as the streets they occupy."

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This story originally appeared in Los Angeles Times.
The U.S. Senate on Tuesday easily passed the first laws in 26 years that are aimed directly at protecting children online. The Kids Online Safety Act, or KOSA, and the Children and Teens Online Privacy Protection Act, or COPPA 2.0, were passed by a vote of 91-3.

The three senators who opposed the package were Sen. Ron Wyden, D-Ore., Sen. Rand Paul, R-Ky., and Sen. Mike Lee, R-Utah. Utah GOP Sen. Mitt Romney, one of the many co-sponsors of KOSA, voted for the legislation.

Although KOSA, sponsored by Sen. Richard Blumenthal, D-Conn., and Sen. Marsha Blackburn, R-Tenn., has a bipartisan list of dozens of co-sponsors in the Senate, it is expected to have a harder time when it reaches the House, in part because of freedom of speech concerns being raised on both sides of the aisle. In the case of COPPA 2.0, sponsored by Sen. Edward J. Markey, D-Mass., and Sen. Bill Cassidy, R-La., the House has shown a stronger taste for broader data privacy protection that covers everyone, instead of focusing solely on minors.

COPPA 2.0 updates the existing federal privacy protections to include those 16 and younger, broadening parent consent for data collection to include children through age 16. It also prevents companies from targeted advertising aimed at children and teens. That measure has been less controversial than KOSA.

Meanwhile, according to Blumenthals office, the Kids Online Safety Act gives parents and their children tools, safeguards and transparency they need to protect against online harms. Among its features:

Social media platforms have to provide minors with options to guard their information, disable addictive features and opt out of recommendations generated by algorithms. The strongest protective settings would be the default.

Parents would get new controls over minors online use, and have a dedicated channel to report harms to kids directly to the social media platforms.

Social media platforms would be required to monitor and prevent harmful messages to minors, including those related to suicide, eating disorders, substance use, sexual exploitation, and things like gambling and alcohol for which children are too young.

An independent audit would be required to ensure companies comply with the legislation and that companies are taking meaningful steps to prevent harm to children.

Academic and public interest organizations must be given access to important datasets so they can research how safety and well-being of children is being helped or harmed.

What Utahs senators said about KOSA

Social media is making our young people more vulnerable to cyberbullying, addiction, and long-term mental health challenges, Romney said in a press release. Social media companies have failed to institute measures to adequately protect children and teenagers from these hazards, and we have little indication that things will change without legislative action. With the passage of this legislation, we are taking strong strides toward better protecting our youth from the harmful effects that come with being online.

Lee posted on X that The Kids Online Safety Act (KOSA) fails to meaningfully address the most urgent threats to Americas children online, while opening the door to political censorship by the federal government. I cannot support it. He wrote that the bill ignores the grievous damage against children by online pornographers through both viewing and exploitation. Instead, this legislation empowers the FTC to censor any content it deems to cause harm, anxiety, or depression in a way that could (and most likely would) be used to censor the expression of political, religious and other viewpoints disfavored by the FTC.

The Kids Online Safety Act (KOSA) fails to meaningfully address the most urgent threats to Americas children online, while opening the door to political censorship by the federal government.



I cannot support it.



KOSA ignores the grievous damage against children by online  Mike Lee (@SenMikeLee) July 30, 2024

Lee is the sponsor of two bills that would mandate real age-verification on pornographic websites. One of the bills, he wrote, requires such sites to provide proof of consent from those being featured and imposes serious consequences for uploading and hosting non-consensual pornographic content.

He had offered his SCREEN Act as an amendment to KOSA, but said it was blocked and never voted on.

Utahs senior senator said he deems the issue to be very important, he concluded his post by noting that if our counterparts in the House of Representatives can amend this bill to address the serious (but very fixable) flaws Ive identified, and send it back to the Senate, I will enthusiastically vote for an improved version of KOSA in the future.

Free speech concerns

As for KOSA, according to The New York Times, What was supposed to be a simple piece of legislation to protect children online has been dragged into a heated political war. At the heart of the battle are concerns about how the bill could affect free speech on culturally divisive issues, which both sides of the spectrum worry could be weaponized under the guise of child safety. Liberals worry about censorship of transgender care, while conservatives are concerned about the same with anti-abortion efforts. The tech industry has also latched onto the same First Amendment arguments to oppose the bill.

As The Washington Post reported, While KOSA has drawn broad bipartisan support in Congress, it has faced persistent opposition from tech industry and digital rights groups, who say it will chill speech online and force companies to collect even more data from users to comply with its obligations.

Legal challenges likely

If the two bills passed by the Senate become law, legal challenges are deemed very likely. A coalition of tech companies has repeatedly and with success at more local levels raised concerns about free speech. NetChoice, a coalition of the tech companies, has secured injunctions in several states. Most of the groups opposition has targeted KOSA. On its website, NetChoice said that cases in California, Arkansas, Ohio, Mississippi and at the Supreme Court show the Kids Online Safety Act is very likely unconstitutional. They have raised quieter concerns about the constitutionality of COPPA 2.0, as well.

According to Blumenthals office, groups supporting the measure include Common Sense Media, American Psychological Association, American Academy of Pediatrics, American Compass, Eating Disorders Coalition, Fairplay, Mental Health America, and Digital Progress Institute as well as hundreds of advocacy and technology groups.
You didnt give up on me: Man thanks Warwick firefighters for saving his life

WARWICK, R.I. (WPRI)  A Warwick man and his family expressed their gratitude on Monday to the first responders who saved his life during a medical emergency.

On the night of May 9, Thomas McKenna went into respiratory arrest at his Audubon Road home.

A next-door neighbor and retired nurse, Patricia Stark, started CPR until three teams from the Warwick Fire Department rushed to the scene.

Upon arriving, the eight firefighters quickly took over and provided medical aid.

McKenna had reportedly stopped breathing, and his heart had stopped beating, too.

But that didnt stop the first responders from answering the call.

Its not very often we have a such positive outcome with a witness cardiac arrest, Warwick Fire Chief Peter McMichael explained. It really highlights the importance of knowing CPR.

McKenna was resuscitated. He wanted to thank them for their dedication, and today he got that chance during a small ceremony.

Im lucky to be here today, McKenna said. You didnt give up on me, so I came back to thank you.

Warwick Mayor Frank Picozzi recognized each firefighter, as well as the retired nurse, with a citation honoring their life-saving measures.

Listed below are the names of the eight firefighters who were recognized:

Rescue 5: RLt. Matthew Wood and Pvt. Christopher Famiglietti

Engine 2: Lt. Ryan Dursin, Pvt. Jack Camus and Pvt. Bradford Ginaitt

Ladder 2: Lt. Nicholas Myrtle, Pvt. Michael Cookson and Pvt. Christopher Zaino

ALSO READ: 2 police officers honored for saving victims of Attleboro house fire

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SCRANTON, LACKAWANNA COUNTY (WBRE/WYOU)  The Diocese of Scranton announced Monsignor Joseph P. Kelly, a former priest in the Diocese of Scranton, has been found guilty under canon law of the sexual abuse of two children.

According to a statement issued Tuesday by the Diocese of Scranton, Monsignor Joseph P. Kelly was found guilty under canon law of sexually abusing two children after a four-year canonical process.

As a result, Monsignor Kelly was immediately and permanently prohibited from exercising priestly ministry and was not allowed to wear clerical attire or present himself as a priest, the diocese stated.

The Vatican authorized Bishop Joseph Bambera to impose a permanent penalty on Monsignor Kelly, short of authorizing his dismissal from the clerical state, given his advanced age.

Man accused of chasing woman with machete

By October 2020, seven people had accused Monsignor Kelly of sexually abusing them as

children, some of who received compensation through the Independent Survivors Compensation Program. At that time, Monsignor Kelly was placed on administrative leave.

In January 2023, one additional allegation was received against Monsignor Kelly for sexual abuse of minors, according to a media release from the Diocese of Scranton.

As Bishop of the Diocese of Scranton, I continue to apologize for the pain that has been inflicted upon far too many young people by leaders of our Church. We must never forget or allow time to numb us to the pain that was so willfully inflicted upon innocent lives. I thank the victims in this case for stepping forward and continue to pray daily for their healing, stated Bishop Bambera.

Although Kelly was found guilty under the Code of Canon Law, he was never charged criminally. As reported by 28/22 News in October 2020, Monsignor Kelly has publicly denied these claims.

Copyright 2024 Nexstar Media, Inc. 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.
Customer service in Britain has reached a 14-year low, with frustrated consumers often unable to get through on the phone or even find a number to call for help.

And now some companies are using their own customers to provide support to other consumers  rather than using employees.

British company Limitless Tech, which was launched in 2016, promises to provide experts, known as GigCX workers, to large brands. It says its members are customers who love your brand.

The customer service agents, who are also customers of the firm, can be trained in less than a week, the platform claims, and can be available 24/7. In some cases, a GigCX worker can provide all the answers a customer service agent can do.

It comes as customer satisfaction hits a 14-year low, according to the Institute of Customer Service. Just 27 organisations received an improved score in its 2024 research, compared to 80 companies whose scores fell by more than two points.

Customer frustration centres around slow response times, being unable to speak to a human either online or by phone, and complaints not being taken seriously.

One business using the Limitless Tech system is National Express. Its community brand ambassadors, as the customer respondents are termed, handle 2pc of queries.

When contacted by a reporter, one ambassador, Joanne, who had answered 90,000 questions, said: We are customers [sic] like yourself, we assist the customer services team.

But she was unable to look into a specific booking and said: As this is a customer-led platform, we dont have access to customers accounts as you will appreciate, or to the booking system.

A spokesman for the company said that the platform allows its contact centre staff to focus on helping customers with more complex queries.

Consumer experts raised concerns about how easy consumers will find it to complain if there are more hoops to jump through.

Scott Dixon, of the Complaints Resolver, said: Offering to have customer issues solved by fellow customers is disgraceful  if you have a problem with a purchase, any ambassador is going to be of very limited use, and the least a firm can do is offer a fully trained staff member with access to the companys systems to get to grips with the issue.

Martyn James, a consumer champion, added: Research shows that every additional layer of admin puts customers off pursuing complaints, so there will be customers who speak to the GigCX worker, and then if they cant resolve things, will simply give up, which makes life easier for the firm.

He warned that customer service staff not working in an office could cause huge complications for personal data handling.

He said: What if theyre working from a cafe with an insecure Wi-Fi network? What if someone looks over at their screen if theyre in public or live in a shared house?

A National Express spokesman said that their ambassadors do not have access to customer data or systems.

He said: Weve seen a declining number of basic email queries needing to be answered via the Limitless platform, with customers now increasingly self-serving to resolve their queries online.

Limitless Tech was contacted for comment.

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Disneyland union employees agreed to ratify new three-year contracts with Disney late Monday evening,

The new contracts include a minimum wage base pay of $24, wage increases, seniority increases, more flexibility in sick leave and attendance policies, and other gains.

We have fought hard for the past four months and this tentative agreement would not have been possible without the strength we showed this past week with our rally and Unfair Labor Practice vote, Disneyland Workers Rising previously said in a statement.

Disneylands Haunted Mansion Holiday reopens for the Halloween season

We stood up to the companys unfair labor practices and showed them that we were willing to do whatever it took to get the contract we deserved. Our solidarity and victory today sends a message to workers everywhere  when we fight, we win.

The Master Service Council represents 14,000 cast members across the Disneyland Resort, including custodians, ride operators, candy makers, merchandise clerks and other workers. The union conglomerate began contract negotiations with Disney in April, seeking wage increases, safety improvements and more.

Disneyland Resort to host first-ever D23 day at Disneyland event

We are pleased that our cast members approved the new agreements, which, along with all we offer as part of our employment experience, demonstrate how much we value them and our profound commitment to their overall well-being, Disneyland officials said in a statement.

The news comes after union members previously approved a strike authorization vote after holding a protest outside the theme park resort.

Should the cast members have held a strike, it would have been the first time workers had walked off the job since 1984.

Copyright 2024 Nexstar Media, Inc. 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.
KYODO NEWS - Jul 30, 2024 - 21:57 | All, World, Japan

A veteran Japanese lawmaker currently visiting Russia said Monday he has asked Moscow to allow Japanese fishing boats to resume operations in the waters around four disputed islands off Japan's northernmost main island of Hokkaido.

Muneo Suzuki, a 76-year-old independent House of Councillors member known for advocating close ties with Russia, told reporters after talks with Andrey Yakovlev, deputy head of the Russian fisheries agency, that he also sought permission to resume harvesting kelp in waters off the Habomai islet group.

The islet group along with Shikotan, Kunashiri and Etorofu are collectively known to the Japanese as the Northern Territories and to the Russians as the Southern Kurils.

Japan's top spokesman Yoshimasa Hayashi on Monday criticized Suzuki's decision to visit Russia, saying it was inappropriate given the Japanese government's advisory against travel to the country.

But Suzuki has denied any wrongdoing, asserting that "I am acting in Japan's national interests. I believe that developing Japan-Russia relations contributes to the stability of East Asia and the world."

Russia announced on July 15 that it would suspend kelp harvesting in the waters near Kaigara island in the Habomai islet group due to a non-functioning lighthouse on the island.

According to Suzuki, Yakovlev said Russia intends to allow operations to resume once repairs to the lighthouse are completed.

But Yakovlev added that the resumption of safe fishing operations around the Northern Territories would depend on Japan, as the suspension was put in place due to Tokyo's anti-Russia stance, according to Suzuki.

Suzuki said he plans to meet with Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Mikhail Galuzin, a former ambassador to Japan, on Tuesday to request the resumption of an agreement that allows Japanese former residents of the Northern Territories to visit the graves of their ancestors on the islands.

Bilateral negotiations have been suspended after Japan imposed punitive sanctions against Russia following its invasion of Ukraine in February 2022.

Suzuki's previous visit to Russia last October was the first known trip by a Japanese lawmaker to the country since the invasion.

He arrived in Russia on Sunday for his second trip and is scheduled to return home Thursday, according to a source close to the matter.

A native of Hokkaido, Suzuki was previously a member of the Japan Innovation Party but left when the second-largest opposition force decided to remove him for visiting Russia without prior notice. Before that, he belonged to the ruling Liberal Democratic Party, currently headed by Prime Minister Fumio Kishida.

Related coverage:

Russian deputy PM visits disputed island off Japan's Hokkaido

Putin says no talks with Japan unless it alters stance on Ukraine

Russian man warned over remarks on disputed islands off Hokkaido
Some 14,000 staff at Disneyland, Disney California Adventure, Downtown Disney and the Disney hotels Workers, represented by a quartet of trades unions, have agreed to new contracts. The move avoids a strike at the Disney parks and hotels.



The workers were represented by the Bakery, Confectionery, Tobacco Workers and Grain Millers (BCTGM) Local 83; SEIU-United Service Workers West (SEIU-USWW); Teamsters Local 495; and the United Food and Commercial Workers (UFCW) Local 324.



More from Variety

After months of negotiations, they have voted to ratify new three-year contracts with Disney. The contracts at Disneyland and Disney California Adventure/Downtown Disney will go into effect as soon as they are ratified.



Todays vote is a historic win for cast members, who stood strong against corporate power and remained united in the face of unlawful actions by the company, said Ellie Gonzalez, custodian at Disney California Adventure and bargaining committee member. We secured historic wage increases that will allow me to build a better future for the family I am building. For the first time, we won longevity pay that recognizes our years of service to Disney and the critical role we play in making it one of the most profitable companies in the world. These victories wouldnt be possible without the strength every cast member demonstrated throughout our bargaining process.



Other key provisions include:

 The biggest wage increases ever. Most cast members will be receiving $6.10 over three years,

 Minimum base wage rate of $24 in 2024 (or more for some classifications);

 Historic longevity increases for senior cast members;

 Attendance policy and sick leave improvements that give cast members more opportunities to attend to personal issues without fearing discipline;

 New premiums for cast members.



The contract for cast members at Disneyland expired June 16, 2024. The contract for Disney California Adventure and Downtown Disney cast members expires September 30, 2024.

Best of Variety

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Hundreds of Disneyland Resort employees rally outside the main entrance to the Anaheim theme park on July 17. (Allen J. Schaben / Los Angeles Times)

Harmony has been restored to the "happiest place on Earth."

Thousands of workers at Disneyland voted Monday to ratify a deal that averted what could have been the first strike at the Anaheim theme park in 40 years. Employees at Disney California Adventure, Downtown Disney and the Disneyland Resort hotels also approved new contracts with the company. The union bargaining committee did not disclose the ratification vote totals.

By ratifying these contracts, Disney cast members have secured historic raises and policies and protections that reflect their role as magic makers in the Disney parks," the union bargaining committee said in a statement.

"For months hard-working cast members have stood together at the bargaining table and in the parks to ensure Disney recognized what they bring to the theme park experience, and these contracts are a concrete and direct result of this tireless work."

Read more: Disneyland, employees avert strike with tentative contract deal

The Master Services Council, an alliance of labor unions representing some 14,000 Disneyland Resort employees, and Walt Disney Co. reached tentative deals last Wednesday  just days after Disneyland workers voted overwhelmingly to authorize a strike.

According to the Master Services Council, the three-year agreements contain pay increases amounting to $6.10 an hour over the life of the contract, a higher minimum wage of $24 an hour in 2024, additional compensation bumps for senior employees and a more flexible attendance policy for custodians, ride operators, candy makers, merchandise clerks and other workers who keep Disneyland running.

We are pleased that our cast members approved the new agreements, which, along with all we offer as part of our employment experience, demonstrate how much we value them and our profound commitment to their overall well-being," Disneyland Resort spokesperson Jessica Good said in a statement.

Read more: Disneyland workers cast ballots in strike authorization vote

Earlier this month, the Master Services Council scheduled a strike authorization vote  which gives union leaders the option to call a walkout if a deal can't be reached  after filing unfair labor practice charges with the National Labor Relations Board. The group accused Disney of threatening to discipline hundreds of resort employees for wearing union buttons to work.

The unions maintain that wearing the buttons depicting Mickey Mouse's raised fist is a protected form of collective action by workers, while the company says the pins violate the staff dress code. Disney has said that only "a handful" of repeat incidents led to disciplinary action, starting with a verbal warning.

Read more: Disneyland union files charges against Disney in Mickey button dispute

The buttons functioned as a symbol of solidarity among Disneyland Resort staffers, who had been bargaining for new contracts with Walt Disney Co. since late April.

The old Disneyland employee contract ended June 16, while the Disney California Adventure and Downtown Disney agreements were set to expire Sept. 30.

Together by wearing buttons, attending rallies and telling their stories to the public, cast members fought for a more promising future for themselves, their fellow cast members, and their families," the union bargaining committee said in a statement.

"These contracts are historic for Disney cast members and were pleased cast members lives will improve as a result.

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This story originally appeared in Los Angeles Times.
Divorces are on the rise in DC  and its political

The US Capitol building in Washington, DC. Divorce lawyers in the city say more and more couples are splitting up due to political differences (Getty Images)

Divorces are on the rise in the nations capital - and politics has everything to do with it, a new report reveals.

More and more couples in Washington DC are calling time on their marriages due to political differences, local attorneys told Axios DC this week.

Cheryl New and Jessica Markham, both divorce attorneys in the city, said they have seen an increase in splits attributed to political differences - regardless of whether the couple works in the political sphere or not.

[Its no longer] Who do you want for president? It branches into many other areas of how you have to relate to your spouse, New told Axios.

The trend could be linked to tensions over the upcoming presidential election, attorney Maria Simon also told the outlet. As long as the country itself is in this position, I dont see why it wouldnt be magnified at a more micro level and impact peoples marriages, Simon said.

In one case, New explained that she is representing a liberal client seeking a divorce from her husband who she believed was a moderate conservative. She sought a divorce after he started subscribing to more extreme right-wing beliefs, such as refusing to acknowledge the Jan 6 insurrection at the Capitol.

Markham said shes seen a similar trend. She told Axios that some of her clients have used their ex-partners social media posts reflecting extreme pro-gun attitudes or promoting fake news and conspiracy theories to win custody battles.

While many of these couples also have other issues, New said that political differences can be the final straw.

The US Capitol building in Washington, DC. Divorce lawyers in the city say more and more couples are splitting up due to political differences (Getty Images)

There were many straws before, but the camel was still hanging in there [before politics factored in], New told Axios.

Overall divorce rates are down and marriage rates are up across the country, CNN reported earlier this year.

Yet divorce has become a major talking point for a number of GOP lawmakers. Several Republicans are advocating to end no-fault divorce - a law which exists in all 50 states that enables two people to split up without proving the other did something wrong.

Politicians, including former Trump cabinet member Ben Carson and House Speaker Mike Johnson, have called for an end to no-fault divorce, claiming the policy harms children and is amoral, NBC News reports.

Donald Trumps running mate, Senator JD Vance, has also said that divorces are too easy to obtain in the US.

This is one of the great tricks that I think the sexual revolution pulled on the American populace, which is the idea that, like, Well, okay, these marriages were fundamentally, they were maybe even violent, but, certainly, they were unhappy, and so getting rid of them and making it easier for people to shift spouses like they change their underwear, thats going to make people happier in the long term, Vance said in 2021.

But others say that the no-fault divorce is a key policy in preventing domestic abuse and protecting children.

No-fault divorce is critical to the ability, particularly the ability of women, to be able to exercise autonomy in their own relationships, in their own lives, Denise Lieberman, professor at the Washington University School of Law, told The Guardian in June.

The absence of no fault divorce laws would make it hard to prove anything in court relating to a family because you dont have any witnesses, according to Kimberly Wehle, a professor at the University of Baltimore School of Law.

Its very difficult to get evidence to show abuse of children, Wehle told The Guardian. How do you do it? Do you put your kids on the stand?
This dog will not hunt; Feds say Supreme Court ruling has no impact on Madigan bribery allegations

The U.S. Supreme Courts recent interpretation of a key anti-corruption law does not dismantle the sprawling racketeering case against former Illinois House Speaker Michael Madigan, which should proceed to trial in October as scheduled, prosecutors argued in a court filing Monday.

This dog will not hunt, prosecutors wrote about arguments by Madigans attorneys that the high courts decision in June scaling back a key federal bribery statute in June means the indictment against the former Democratic powerhouse should be gutted.

The 113-page response urged U.S. District Judge John Robert Blakey to reject the motion by Madigan and his co-defendant, longtime confidant Michael McClain, to dismiss the main counts in the case, as well as their separate requests for grand jury minutes and a bill of particulars detailing more specifics of each alleged bribe.

There is no basis to dismiss the indictment, and no basis to require disclosure of any secret grand jury material to the defendants, prosecutors wrote. Defendants pretrial motions should be denied and the matter should proceed to trial as scheduled.

The Supreme Court ruled in the case of former Portage, Indiana Mayor James Snyder that the federal bribery statute commonly known as 666 after its number in the criminal code applies only to bribes agreed to in advance of an official action and does not criminalize gratuities  that is, something given to a public official as thanks for an action they already took.

But, prosecutors wrote, there is plenty of evidence Madigan engaged in a long-running conspiracy to enrich himself, including standard quid-pro-quo bribery, not just isolated instances of corrupt gratuities.

The Supreme Courts decision does not affect prosecutions that target schemes that involve a stream of benefits over time that are offered or received for official action, they wrote.

Prosecutors also brushed off the extensive pretrial filings as an attempt by Madigan and McClain to prevent a jury from considering their conduct and holding them accountable for their gross abuses of power.

As the defendants would have it, nearly every single criminal statute targeting corruption referenced in the superseding indictment, including decades-old corruption measures passed by both the United States Congress as well as the Illinois General Assembly  a body which Madigan himself helmed for nearly forty years no less  is either unconstitutional or incomprehensible, the prosecution filing stated.

The Snyder decision was the latest in a string of Supreme Court cases curtailing what the court has seen as overly broad federal anti-corruption statutes. The ruling drew criticism from proponents of good government, who worried the sweeping ruling would loosen the guardrails in a city and state where corrupt public officials have marched steadily to federal prison.

Defense attorneys have until Aug. 5 to file one more response before Blakey issues a ruling.

Madigan, 82, who gave up his legislative seat when toppled from the speakership in 2021, faces charges alleging he ran his state and political operations like a criminal enterprise while utility giants ComEd and AT&T put his cronies on contracts requiring little or no work.

ComEd allegedly also heaped legal work onto a Madigan ally, granted his request to put a political associate on the state-regulated utilitys board and distributed bundles of summer internships to college students living in his Southwest Side legislative district.

The superseding indictment also accused Madigan and McClain of scheming to obtain business for Madigans private law firm by trying to orchestrate the sale of a parcel of state-owned land to a developer looking to build a hotel in Chinatown.

Blakey has emphasized repeatedly that even though the Supreme Court threw a wrench into the Madigan case, the judge wants to keep matters on track for its scheduled Oct. 8 trial date. Earlier this month, prosecutors said they do not intend to seek a superseding indictment against Madigan, and neither side wants to delay the trial.

In their motion to dismiss, Madigans attorneys focused largely on the ComEd allegations, arguing that several counts in the indictment allege ComEd hired people as a favor to Madigan weeks or years after the House voted on key legislation regarding the utility. That could only be a show of thanks from ComEd to Madigan after the fact  the exact kind of conduct the Supreme Court decided is legal, the defense wrote.

But, prosecutors noted Monday, the Supreme Courts decision made clear it is still illegal for a public official to agree to a future reward for a future official act.

And viewed in context, Madigans actions were clear-cut bribery, and the charges are valid under the long-standing stream of benefits theory that criminalizes running schemes of corrupt exchanges over time  in Madigans case, they allege, it stretched over eight years.

The allegations of the indictment demonstrate that ComEds efforts to bribe Madigan in exchange for his official action were in fact successful; after ComEd started showering Madigan with valuable benefits, ComEds legislation began to move, prosecutors wrote.  Indeed, the fact that ComEd continued the payments for years strongly suggests they were satisfied with the agreement they had struck with Madigan.

The Snyder decision, meanwhile, came down more than a year after the conviction of McClain and three other former ComEd executives and lobbyists on bribery conspiracy counts involving the alleged scheme to influence the speaker.

Sentencings in that case have been delayed indefinitely as defense attorneys have claimed the convictions will not stand in light of the Supreme Courts ruling.

jmeisner@chicagotribune.com
This dog will not hunt: Feds say Supreme Court ruling has no impact on ex-Illinois Speaker Michael Madigan's bribery allegations

CHICAGO  The U.S. Supreme Courts recent interpretation of a key anti-corruption law does not dismantle the sprawling racketeering case against former Illinois House Speaker Michael Madigan, which should proceed to trial in October as scheduled, prosecutors argued in a court filing Monday.

This dog will not hunt, prosecutors wrote about arguments by Madigans attorneys that the high courts decision in June scaling back a key federal bribery statute in June means the indictment against the former Democratic powerhouse should be gutted.

The 113-page response urged U.S. District Judge John Robert Blakey to reject the motion by Madigan and his co-defendant, longtime confidant Michael McClain, to dismiss the main counts in the case, as well as their separate requests for grand jury minutes and a bill of particulars detailing more specifics of each alleged bribe.

There is no basis to dismiss the indictment, and no basis to require disclosure of any secret grand jury material to the defendants, prosecutors wrote. Defendants pretrial motions should be denied and the matter should proceed to trial as scheduled.

The Supreme Court ruled in the case of former Portage, Indiana, Mayor James Snyder that the federal bribery statute commonly known as 666 after its number in the criminal code applies only to bribes agreed to in advance of an official action and does not criminalize gratuities  that is, something given to a public official as thanks for an action they already took.

But, prosecutors wrote, there is plenty of evidence Madigan engaged in a long-running conspiracy to enrich himself, including standard quid-pro-quo bribery, not just isolated instances of corrupt gratuities.

The Supreme Courts decision does not affect prosecutions that target schemes that involve a stream of benefits over time that are offered or received for official action, they wrote.

Prosecutors also brushed off the extensive pretrial filings as an attempt by Madigan and McClain to prevent a jury from considering their conduct and holding them accountable for their gross abuses of power.

As the defendants would have it, nearly every single criminal statute targeting corruption referenced in the superseding indictment, including decades-old corruption measures passed by both the United States Congress as well as the Illinois General Assembly  a body which Madigan himself helmed for nearly forty years no less  is either unconstitutional or incomprehensible, the prosecution filing stated.

The Snyder decision was the latest in a string of Supreme Court cases curtailing what the court has seen as overly broad federal anti-corruption statutes. The ruling drew criticism from proponents of good government, who worried the sweeping ruling would loosen the guardrails in a city and state where corrupt public officials have marched steadily to federal prison.

Defense attorneys have until Aug. 5 to file one more response before Blakey issues a ruling.

Madigan, 82, who gave up his legislative seat when toppled from the speakership in 2021, faces charges alleging he ran his state and political operations like a criminal enterprise while utility giants ComEd and AT&T put his cronies on contracts requiring little or no work.

ComEd allegedly also heaped legal work onto a Madigan ally, granted his request to put a political associate on the state-regulated utilitys board and distributed bundles of summer internships to college students living in his Southwest Side legislative district.

The superseding indictment also accused Madigan and McClain of scheming to obtain business for Madigans private law firm by trying to orchestrate the sale of a parcel of state-owned land to a developer looking to build a hotel in Chinatown.

Blakey has emphasized repeatedly that even though the Supreme Court threw a wrench into the Madigan case, the judge wants to keep matters on track for its scheduled Oct. 8 trial date. Earlier this month, prosecutors said they do not intend to seek a superseding indictment against Madigan, and neither side wants to delay the trial.

In their motion to dismiss, Madigans attorneys focused largely on the ComEd allegations, arguing that several counts in the indictment allege ComEd hired people as a favor to Madigan weeks or years after the House voted on key legislation regarding the utility. That could only be a show of thanks from ComEd to Madigan after the fact  the exact kind of conduct the Supreme Court decided is legal, the defense wrote.

But, prosecutors noted Monday, the Supreme Courts decision made clear it is still illegal for a public official to agree to a future reward for a future official act.

And viewed in context, Madigans actions were clear-cut bribery, and the charges are valid under the long-standing stream of benefits theory that criminalizes running schemes of corrupt exchanges over time  in Madigans case, they allege, it stretched over eight years.

The allegations of the indictment demonstrate that ComEds efforts to bribe Madigan in exchange for his official action were in fact successful; after ComEd started showering Madigan with valuable benefits, ComEds legislation began to move, prosecutors wrote. "Indeed, the fact that ComEd continued the payments for years strongly suggests they were satisfied with the agreement they had struck with Madigan."

The Snyder decision, meanwhile, came down more than a year after the conviction of McClain and three other former ComEd executives and lobbyists on bribery conspiracy counts involving the alleged scheme to influence the speaker.

Sentencings in that case have been delayed indefinitely as defense attorneys have claimed the convictions will not stand in light of the Supreme Courts ruling.

_____
Dogs locked up in Bangkok house without food eat body of dead owner

Some of the dogs rescued from the locked house in Bangkok (The Voice Foundation)

More than two dozen dogs that ate their dead owner's body to survive for days in a locked house were finally rescued over the weekend from a Bangkok suburb.

The dogs were trapped for at least a week after their owner Attapol Charoenpithak, 62, died inside the house of medical conditions such as diabetes and hypertension, police said.

Thai police found the man's body on Saturday after his neighbour told police his car had not moved for several days. Sompong Phasuksri said Attapol usually drove his car to the local market every day.

The neighbour grew suspicious when he rang Attapols bell but got no response even though the lights were on, The Nation reported.

When police went in, they found the house littered with garbage and dog excreta. The police then contacted an animal rescue group, the Voice Foundation, to rescue the dogs.

The foundation rescued 28 dogs but two had died from lack of food.

"Initially, it was reported that there were about 15 dogs surrounding the uncles body. But when the team and doctors arrived to the area they found them scattered around the house and two dead bodies were found, the charity said on Instagram.

A video shared by the charity showed the petrified canines, a mix of chihuahua and Shih Tzu breeds, being rescued from around the house.

"All the 28 siblings have been rescued at the hospital. To get checked, treated and spayed before proceeding to find a home," the foundation said.

The dogs reportedly survived by "eating the left leg of the owner".

Supawadee Srithassanakarn of the Voice Foundation, who led the rescue work, said Attapol had agreed to hand over the dogs to the charity following complaints.

He has been seen driving the dogs around in cages, which alerted animal charities to the potential exposure of his pets to heat.

In another post on Sunday, the charity said the dogs were weak due to lack of food and water and asked for donations to "take care of these children".
In 2020, just days before his election, President Joe Biden rebuffed calls to radically change the Supreme Court by packing it with additional justices. But four years later, Biden is calling for legislation to strip current justices of their duties and appoint new justices. After rightly criticizing court-packing throughout his career, pursuing it now would be a terrible mistake.

I have studied these issues for two decades, most recently as a member of the Presidential Commission on the Supreme Court of the United States, to which the president appointed me in 2021. For a year, my colleagues and I studied the history of political controversies around the court and discussed proposals to restructure it, such as packing it with new members, imposing term limits on justices, and other efforts to disempower members of the court.

Outright court-packingadding extra justices simply to dilute the current justices voteshas been an infamy since 1937, when Congress rejected President Franklin Roosevelts attempt to pack the court into obeisance. In 2005, then-Sen. Biden remarked that FDRs war on the court exemplified the adage, Power corrupts, and absolute power corrupts absolutely.

But now, frustrated by several decisions from the courts current justices, some want court-packing by another name: a new framework to strip current justices of their constitutional responsibilities and transfer those powers to successors, one justice at a time, beginning with Justice Clarence Thomas.

To be sure, any legislation purporting to strip individual justices of their duties would be unconstitutional. The Constitution guarantees that all justices and federal judges shall hold their Offices during good Behaviour. Once appointed by the president with the Senates confirmation, a justice holds office until he or she retires, dies, or is removed by the Constitutions impeachment process.

From the start, this has been recognized as life tenurepermanent tenure of judicial offices, Alexander Hamilton called it, to ensure the faithful performance of so arduous a duty. And a justices permanent tenure puts enormous weight on the presidents and Senates consideration of his appointment in the first place. As Sen. Biden told John Roberts at his 2005 confirmation hearing, The Constitution provides for one democratic moment, Judge, one democratic moment before a lifetime of judicial independence. (He repeated this, nearly verbatim, at Samuel Alitos confirmation hearing.)

And indeed, that is the point of each justices life tenure: judicial independence. My colleague on the commission, constitutional scholar Laurence Tribe, put it well in his 1985 book, Constitutional Choices: The Constitutions relatively unambiguous language provides, as institutional safeguards of judicial independence, that the judges of all such courts shall have life tenure during good behavior and be immune from reductions in salary. In recent years, as the Supreme Courts decisions ceased to meet his approval, Tribe became the leading advocate for court-packing. But 40 years ago he could admit the obvious: The Constitutions protection of life tenure is clear and crucial.

But now the courts critics would negate judicial life tenure with judicial term limits, trying to remove inconvenient justices without the strict standards and procedures of outright impeachment. In the 1970s, for example, Virginia Sen. Harry Byrd, arch-critic of the Supreme Courts decisions on school desegregation and other issues, alleged widespread dissatisfaction with the existing system, under which some judges are exercising dictatorial powers. To change the courts personnel at all federal levels, the Virginian introduced legislation setting eight-year term limits for federal judges.

Newer proposals to end judicial tenure have been better camouflaged, if just barely. One approach would impose term limits that would nominally leave a justice on the court but strip him or her of the core constitutional role of hearing appeals from the lower federal courts and state courtswith the title of senior justice, no longer an active justice. The disempowered senior justice could still hear interstate disputes over water rights and other relatively mundane matters on the courts tiny original jurisdiction docket but would cease to be a real Supreme Court justice.

The name gives it away, of course. They call it term limits, not active-status limits, precisely because the point is to end the justices term as a real justice as the office as been understood for more than two centuries.

And it is just court-packing by another name. If anything, the new proposals for disempowering senior justices are even more aggressive than the original version of court-packing: FDR tried to add new justices, but he never even attempted to nullify current justices.

As it happens, I came to the commission open-minded to judicial term limits by constitutional amendment. After all, there are superficially plausible reasons for them. First, the wonders of modern medicine now extend a judges lifespan much longer than in the 1780s, enabling the average justice to serve decades longer than before, putting even more political pressure on each nomination to fill a vacancy.

Second, it might seem unfairat first glancethat one president may appoint three justices in a single four-year term, while another may appoint just two justices over eight years. One stated goal of such reform, we recognized, is to ensure that all Presidents have the opportunity to appoint two Justices to the Supreme Court every four years. I knew that such reforms would need a constitutional amendment, but I was willing to consider the question.

But a year spent studying these issues, and discussing them with my fellow commissioners, made clear the constitutional costs of judicial term limits, even setting aside the need for a constitutional amendment to enact them.

First, guaranteeing that each president gets two new justices would officially make the court a new kind of presidential election spoils system. True, the possibility of Supreme Court appointments is an increasingly prominent part of presidential politics. Still, weve never gone so far as to officially treat Supreme Court seats like Oval Office couchesautomatically delivering two new ones to the White House on Inauguration Day.

Second, we should not encourage justices to spend years wondering about their post-judicial job prospects.

Third, as our commission documented, guaranteeing two new Supreme Court appointments every four years would inevitably force a reduction in the Senates own power, since the Constitution requires the president to seek Senate advice and consent before appointing a justice. Because the Senate can (and often does) refuse to confirm particular Supreme Court nominations, the only way to guarantee two new justices per four-year presidential term is to let the president eventually bypass the Senate altogether, if the Senate rejects the presidents first nominees. The Presidential Commissions report explains this in painful detail.

But the last and biggest problem should be even more obvious in our era of retributional politics. Each time an election shifts the presidency and Congress from one political party to the other, the winners could make another round of legislative changes in the opposite direction.

Say a president and Congress actually enacted something like the recent proposal: adding a new justice every two years, making the senior incumbent justice a largely inactive senior justice, and letting only the nine most junior justices hear constitutional issues and other appeals. After an election, the next president and Congress could simply flip it on its head: amending the legislation to shift power back to senior justices, stripping power from the newer justices, and making junior-varsity justices wait on the back bench for a few years seasoning.

If we pretend that the Constitution does not prevent a president and Congress from transferring power from one subset of justices to another, then the opportunities for political shamelessness are endless. Why not gerrymander legislation around justices in the middle of the court? If Donald Trump were elected president this fall with a Republican Congress, its members could enact legislation requiring justices to take a four-year sabbatical from constitutional appeals after 15 years on the court. So long, Justices Sonia Sotomayor and Elena Kagan.

This is exactly what senators renounced when they rejected FDRs court-packing plan 87 years ago. If we yield to temptation now to lay the lash upon the Court, we are only teaching others how to apply it to ourselves and to the people when the occasion seems to warrant, they wrote. Manifestly, if we may force the hand of the Court to secure our interpretation of the Constitution, then some succeeding Congress may repeat the process to secure another and a different interpretation and one which may not sound so pleasant in our ears as that for which we now contend.

And it is exactly what the founders renounced when they wrote and ratified the Constitution in the first place, to take judicial independence out of politicians and political activists creative hands.

In remarks on court-packing over the years, then-Sen. Biden often repeated the FDR-era senators warning against trying to thwart the Constitutions clear words with semantic gamesthe futility and absurdity of the devious. President Biden should continue to heed their warning.

Read more at The Dispatch

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Donald Trump is set to take part in a Q&A with Black political journalists as part of the 2024 National Association of Black Journalists Convention and Career Fair in Chicago. The news has created a furious backlash on social media, with a number of prominent Black journalists decrying the move.

On July 31, the conventions opening day, the former president will sit down with three prominent Black female political journalists to discuss issues currently facing the Black community. The talk will be moderated by Rachel Scott, senior congressional correspondent for ABC News; Harris Faulkner, anchor of The Faulkner Focus and co-host of Outnumbered on Fox News; and Kadia Goba, politics reporter at Semafor.

More from The Hollywood Reporter

The event will not be open to the public but will be live-streamed on the NABJs YouTube and Facebook channels.

The NABJ says that Kamala Harris, the presumptive Democratic nominee for president, has also been invited to the convention, but the vice presidents attendance was pending.

We look forward to our attendees hearing from former President Trump on the critical issues our members and their audiences care about most, said NABJ President Ken Lemon in a statement on the groups website. While NABJ does not endorse political candidates as a journalism organization, we understand the serious work of our members, and welcome the opportunity for them to ask the tough questions that will provide the truthful answers Black Americans want and need to know.

News of Trumps attendance of the convention led to a backlash on social media on Monday night, with a number of prominent Black journalists and NABJ members publicly slamming the organization for inviting the former president.

Jim Trotter, a sports writer for The Athletic and the NABJs 2023 journalist of the year, tweeted, This is such a poor decision by @NABJ that its difficult to put into words. 

Extremely disappointing from [the] @NABJ, tweeted CBS Sports analyst Ashley Nicole Moss. This is supposed be a safe place for Black journalists to connect/network. Its a space to uplift current and upcoming journalists. To remind each other that we belong. He has absolutely ZERO business being in a room like that/this.

Why on earth would @NABJ engage with a man who repeatedly vilifies and debases the free press? This is beyond comprehension, tweeted journalist turned publicist Dave Jordan.

April Reign, a media strategist who created the #OscarsSoWhite movement, tweeted at NABJ chair Tia Mitchell directly: This is the way 45 is touting his appearance before @nabj this week. Was this what you wanted [Tia Mitchell]? He is already lying and he isnt even in Chicago yet. This is your legacy.

This is the single dumbest and worst decision in NABJ history, tweeted sports writer Carron J. Phillips. Whoever made this call is an idiot. And Ill say it to their face this week.

Ameshia Cross, a Democratic strategist and political pundit, tweeted: The same Trump that attacked Black journalists from the stump. The same Trump who is attacking DEI, cant get ahead of his own racism and sexism. And the guy who wants to dissolve journalism as we know it, thats who is speaking at #NABJ24 w/ record attendance. Cmon yall

As a member of NABJ for over 20 years, this is the worst decision they have ever made, tweeted sports producer Jason Ingram. I am truly disappointed in everyone involved with this decision. Dude doesnt care about black people!!!!

Jemele Hill, a contributing writer for The Atlantic, did attempt to defend the NABJ for inviting Trump. As journalists, we can never be afraid to tackle someone like Trump. The reality is that he is running for president and needs to be treated as such, Hill tweeted.

Hill added, Being questioned by journalists is part of the job, and especially important in the company of Black journalists. Mainstream media keeps trying to convince us that he actually is gaining support among Black people. Lets see if its true.

The controversy rumbled on into Tuesday, with Washington Post columnist Karen Attiah stepping down as NABJ co-chair. I have decided to step down as co- chair from this years #NABJ24 convention in Chicago. To the journalists interviewing Trump, I wish them the best of luck, Attiah tweeted. While my decision was influenced by a variety of factors, I was not involved or consulted with in any way with the decision to platform Trump in such a format.

Best of The Hollywood Reporter
Donald Trumps Nephew Claims He Used The N-Word In New Book

Donald Trumps Nephew Claims He Used The N-Word In New Book | Photo: Kyle Mazza/Anadolu via Getty Images

Donald Trumps nephew alleges in his new book that the former president used the N-word decades before he became a well-known political figure.

According to The New York Times, Fred C. Trump III will release his memoir, All in the Family: The Trumps and How We Got to Be This Way. The tell-all book explores his family dynamics, including his uncle and his alleged use of the racial slur during the 1970s when his car was damaged, and he was looking for someone to blame for the incident.

Look what the n****rs did,' Fred recalls his uncle saying in an excerpt of the book.

Trump campaign spokesperson Steven Cheung quickly refuted Freds claim, dismissing it as completely fabricated and total fake news of the highest order.

Anyone who knows President Trump knows he would never use such language, and false stories like this have been thoroughly debunked, he said, noting that Trump had also been accused of using the N-word while host of his former reality show, The Apprentice.

In a May Slate article, Bill Pruitt, a former producer of The Apprentice, recalled Trump using the racial slur when referring to Kwame Jackson, the shows Black finalist.

Pruitt recalled Trump questioning, Would America buy a n****r winning? referring to concerns about how Americans would react to a Black man winning the competition, which included a $250,000 cash prize and a job with the Trump Organization.

In June, Jackson told The Grio that Trump had a history of making racist comments throughout his career.

There has been a history and a track record and a certain repetition of racism over Trumps career, he said.

The news of Trumps racist remarks emerges just months before the November presidential election. It has been a week since President Joe Biden withdrew from the race and nominated Vice President Kamala Harris as his successor.

CBS News reported that some Republicans have criticized Harris as a DEI hire, suggesting that her selection was based solely on her race and gender.
KYODO NEWS - Jul 30, 2024 - 23:00 | All, Japan, World

The following is the latest list of selected news summaries by Kyodo News.

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Toyota retains No. 1 spot in 1st half global sales for 5th year

NAGOYA - Toyota Motor Corp. said Tuesday that its group sold 5.16 million vehicles worldwide in the first half of 2024, outselling German rival Volkswagen AG to retain the top spot in global sales for the fifth straight year.

But its global sales in the January-June period, including those of its small-car manufacturing unit Daihatsu Motor Co. and truck-making subsidiary Hino Motors Ltd., fell 4.7 percent from a year earlier due to production halts stemming from a series of quality scandals and sluggish sales in China.

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Olympics: Japan's Horigome repeats as men's street skateboard champion

PARIS - Japan's Yuto Horigome went back-to-back as Olympic champion with a stunning victory in the men's street skateboarding final at the Paris Games on Monday.

Needing a mammoth score on his last trick to reach the podium, Horigome earned a monumental 97.08 for his backside nollie 270 noseblunt rail slide to jump from seventh to first ahead of Americans Jagger Eaton and Nyjah Huston, who took home silver and bronze, respectively.

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Japan job availability lowest in 27 months amid rising costs

TOKYO - Japan's job availability rate in June fell 0.01 point from the previous month to 1.23, marking its lowest level in 27 months, as rising costs limited recruitment, Ministry of Health, Labor and Welfare data showed Tuesday.

The monthly figure indicates there were 123 jobs available for every 100 job seekers. It is the third consecutive month of decline.

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Japan's rice inventory hits record low as tourism boom boosts demand

TOKYO - Japan's rice inventory in the private sector dropped to 1.56 million tons in June, the lowest since comparable data began in 1999 and a decrease of about 20 percent from a year ago, the farm ministry said Tuesday, with surging inbound tourism driving up demand and last year's summer heat affecting the crop.

With high temperatures continuing this summer, there are concerns that the inventory may further decline and lead to price hikes.

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Harley-Davidson Japan searched over excessive sales quotas

TOKYO - The Japan unit of motorcycle company Harley-Davidson Inc. was searched by the country's antitrust watchdog on Tuesday for allegedly imposing excessive sales quotas on dealers in violation of the antimonopoly law, sources close to the matter said.

The Japan Fair Trade Commission suspects Harley-Davidson Japan K.K. in Tokyo insinuated there would be no renewal of exclusive sales contracts with the dealers if they failed to meet the set goals, leading some to purchase motorcycles for themselves, according to the sources.

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U.S., Philippines hold security talks in Manila over South China Sea

MANILA - The foreign and defense ministers of the Philippines and the United States met in Manila on Tuesday to deepen their coordination on the South China Sea amid increased Chinese military activity, with Washington expected to reveal $500 million in defense support.

Before the security talks between U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken, Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin and their Philippine counterparts Enrique Manalo and Gilberto Teodoro, the top U.S. officials paid a courtesy call on Philippine President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. at the Malacanang Palace.

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Chinese man in Japan indicted over Yasukuni shrine graffiti

TOKYO - A Chinese man living in Japan was indicted Tuesday for allegedly spray-painting the word "toilet" on a stone pillar at the war-linked Yasukuni shrine in Tokyo in May.

Two other Chinese men have been put on wanted lists for their alleged involvement in the case, which drew public attention due largely to a video posted on Chinese social media showing a man appearing to urinate on the pillar engraved with the shrine's name.

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China, Taiwan resolve row over deadly boat incident near Kinmen

BEIJING - China and Taiwan said Tuesday they have resolved a row over a deadly boat incident in February near the remote Taiwanese island of Kinmen, with the return of the bodies of two mainland fishermen and the payment of condolence money collected from the private-sector.

Following the final round of negotiations on Kinmen, which lies around 10 kilometers from the southeastern Chinese port city of Xiamen, Taiwan's Mainland Affairs Council said their representatives signed documents on their consensus and declared the case as being "single and accidental."

Video: Fire at important cultural property in Nara
Donald Trump Says He Wants To Make The US The Crypto Capital After Once Saying Cryptocurrencies May Be Fake

Amid the 2024 presidential race, Donald Trump is singing a different tune regarding a certain technology.

On July 27, 2024, the former president stated during the Bitcoin Conference hosted in Nashville, TN, that he is set on transforming the U.S. into a Bitcoin superpower, The New York Times reports.

Im laying out my plan to ensure that the United States will be the crypto capital of the planet and the Bitcoin superpower of the world, Trump said, per the outlet.

He continued, America will once again be a nation that protects property rights, privacy, freedom of transaction, freedom of association, and freedom of speech.

At the conference, Trump also claimed that President Joe Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris are part of an anti-crypto crusade. Moreover, he promised the conferences attendees that he would end the persecution of cryptocurrencies.

Sadly, we see the attacks on crypto, he said. Its a part of a much larger pattern thats being carried out by the same left-wing fascists to weaponize government against any threat to their power. Theyve done it to me.

The outlet also details that Trump has accepted donations in cryptocurrency for his campaign, totaling $25 million within two months, as of this writing.

While Trump has been making promises to cryptocurrency users  including creating a Bitcoin and crypto presidential advisory council  he wasnt always an advocate for the industry. According to MSNBC, the switch in his stance began in May 2024 when he shared via Truth Social that he was positive and open minded to cryptocurrency companies.

However, back in August 2021 toward the end of his presidency, he told Fox Business that cryptocurrencies are potentially a disaster waiting to happen.

They may be fake, Trump said. Who knows what they are? They certainly are currencies that people dont know very much about. I have not been a big fan.

As the 2024 presidential race continues to heat up, time will tell what Trump has planned with his appeal to the crypto community.
Gov. Wes Moore (D) speaks at an event in Baltimore Monday sponsored by the Capitol Hill publication Punchbowl News. Photo by Josh Kurtz.

Gov. Wes Moore (D) has been a soldier, a business owner, the head of a national anti-poverty philanthropy and, most recently, a successful practitioner in the dirty world of politics. But friends, admirers and staffers will sometimes say, half-jokingly, that he is most comfortable on a stage, earnestly discussing the top issues of the day.

Moore had two opportunities to do just that in downtown Baltimore Monday, sitting in plush armchairs at back-to-back events, talking first about small business development and later about expanding educational opportunities for Marylands poorest residents.

Both speaking gigs showcased Moores policy ambitions and why, in the words of Anna Palmer, CEO of Punchbowl News, which staged the earlier event, he is a rising star in the Democratic Party.

Moores second appearance, at a regional conference of the Council of State Governments, was the more dramatic. He was paired with another gifted orator, New York education innovator Geoffrey Canada, the president of the Harlem Childrens Zone, who happens to be a longtime mentor of Moores.

The two men held a packed ballroom in rapt attention for 45 minutes, as they discussed the importance of providing quality education across all sectors of society, along with their own paths to success  and their decades-long relationship. They alternated asking each other questions, then took some questions from the audience of lawmakers, lobbyists and policy experts from throughout the East Coast.

Moore recounted how, when he was struggling in school as a young teenager living in the Bronx, his mother, out of desperation, called Canada, who runs a celebrated organization that provides supplemental educational programs to poor students to prepare them for college, to ask about the wisdom of sending Moore to military school (he endorsed the idea). Later, Canada served on the board of the New York-based Robin Hood Foundation, the nonprofit that Moore headed before launching his political career.

Every single crucial turning point in my life, it started with Geoff Canada, Moore told the crowd. This is one of the most important mentors and friends that Ive had in my life, and I thank God for him.

Canada joked about how auspicious it was for them to be sharing a stage.

What a pleasure for me, he said. Ive always outranked the governor until now.

Always will, Moore chimed in.

Canada spoke at length about the imperative of investing in education for poor children  because the alternative is worse and so much more costly, contributing to a society riven by drug addiction, joblessness, poverty and incarceration.

If youre not prepared to spend money on these kids, youre going to lose them, he warned.

SUPPORT NEWS YOU TRUST. DONATE Canada is trying to replicate nationally the success of his Harlem program in New York, which has helped send 2,000 young people to college, and has put out the call for more funding from a variety of sources.

But Canada also came armed with praise, not just for Moore, but for Maryland lawmakers  he name-checked House Speaker Adrienne A. Jones (D-Baltimore County) and Senate President Bill Ferguson (D-Baltimore City)  for passing the ENOUGH Act this year, a measure designed to help end poverty in the state.

Canada said the bill is a welcome and necessary step after the devastation COVID-19 wrought on the education system and student learning, which he called the worst disruptor to educational progress that hes seen in half a century as an educator.

Theres only one state that I know in this country thats doing anything about it, he said.

ENOUGH  for Engaging Neighborhoods, Organizations, Unions, Governments and Households  sets aside $15 million in the state budget this year and next for neighborhood implementation grants, which can be awarded to programs in communities where at least 20% of children are living in poverty.

Moore told the audience how the legislation would not have come together without the input of lawmakers, community leaders and other stakeholders.

It becomes really important to make the time to build coalitions, he said.

Asset-rich and strategy poor

Two hours earlier and eight blocks away, at the France-Merrick Performing Arts Center, Moore was the featured speaker at a town hall sponsored by Punchbowl News, the buzziest and most entrepreneurial of Capitol Hill publications, whose rise mirrors Moores own trajectory and political standing. There, he shared the stage with Palmer and Jake Sherman, co-founders of the 3-year-old news site.

In a 25-minute session, Moore talked about presidential politics  he laughed when asked if he had any announcements to make, then suggested Vice President Kamala Harris should select as a running mate the person she is most comfortable with. I dont do box-checking. No vice president has brought a state since 1960.

Moore also expressed optimism about the states ability to pull in adequate federal funding to rebuild the Francis Scott Key Bridge by 2028, which he estimated would cost $1.9 billion.

Ive been very encouraged by the bipartisan support weve gotten, he said. Im on the phone with members of Congress every day.

Moore said that what the state is seeking is bridge funding, to carry the cost of rebuilding the span while waiting for insurance payments and lawsuit judgments to poor in.

Were pretty sure the American people are going to be made whole, he said.

But mainly, Moore was there to discuss small business development, to a group that consisted mostly of African American entrepreneurs. Asked to describe the status of Marylands economy, Moore replied, I would say that we are asset-rich and strategy-poor.

Its a line he has repeated since he began campaigning, but it resonated with the crowd, who hummed and nodded in agreement.

Moore said that a major priority of his administration is ensuring that investment capital is being spread evenly throughout the state, along with procurement reform and more funding for child care, to ensure that aspiring entrepreneurs of color can succeed.

We can be the best place in the world to change the world, he said. Small businesses are going to lead the way. Im only going to be successful, the states only going to be successful, if theyre successful.

When Moore left the stage, two local entrepreneurs spoke about building their businesses and described their partnership with the state. They also discussed a Goldman Sachs program for small businesses leaders that they recently participated in  Goldman Sachs was a sponsor of the Punchbowl event.

For the governor, there will be more chatting. His office said Monday hes due to take the stage at a fireside chat in Washington, D.C., Tuesday afternoon with Target CEO Brian Cornell.
At least 158 killed by landslides sparked by monsoon rains in India

New Delhi  Massive landslides sparked by torrential rains swept away homes in hilly areas of southern India's Kerala state on Tuesday, killing at least 158 people and leaving dozens more missing, state officials and police said Wednesday. More than 100 people were injured and admitted to regional hospitals.

The landslides struck several areas in Kerala's Wayanad district early Tuesday morning, catching people off guard or as they slept.

Videos broadcast on Indian news networks showed houses, cars and even roads swept away by torrents of muddy flood water as rescue workers tried to bring people to safety. Hundreds of Indian army, air force and disaster response members were assisting in the rescue work, but several areas were cut off as many regional roads and a key bridge in the area were washed away by the floods.

Rescuers help residents to move to safer ground after a landslide hit villages in the hills of Wayanad district, in the southern state of Kerala, India, July 30, 2024. / Credit: Stringer/REUTERS

Ongoing bad weather was also complicating the rescue efforts. India's national weather office was predicting more rain for the rest of Tuesday.

Kerala Police said more than 200 people were still believed to be missing on Wednesday.

"We fear hundreds of people are trapped inside the villages," resident Raghavan Arunamala told the Reuters news agency the previous day.

Rashid Padikkalparamban, another resident who was helping with relief efforts, told Reuters there were at least three landslides in the area, starting around midnight, and that a bridge connecting two neigborhoods had been completely washed away.

Relief personnel carry the body of a victim during a search and rescue operation after landslides hit the Wayanad district of India's southern Kerala state, July 31, 2024. / Credit: IDREES MOHAMMED/AFP/Getty

Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan ordered the deployment of police drones and K9 units to help the search and rescue efforts.

Wayanad, a hilly district in the Western Ghats mountain range, is prone to landslides during the monsoon season. The district is home to hundreds of families who work in its tea and cardamom estates.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi said he was saddened by the deaths and announced government relief of 200,000 Indian rupees ($2,400) for the next of kin of people killed in the disaster and 50,000 Indian rupees ($600) for the injured.

Search and rescue efforts and evacuation of victims continue after heavy rains cause multiple landslides in Wayanad district, Kerala, India, July 30, 2024. / Credit: National Disaster Response Force/Handout/Anadolu/Getty

The landslides are the worst disaster to strike Kerala since 2018, when more than 350 people were killed in massive floods.

Rahul Gandhi, leader of the opposition Indian National Congress, urged the government to map landslide-prone areas in Kerala, noting an increase in landslides in Wayanad and the Western Ghats. In 2019, 17 people were killed when a landslide hit the district.

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Gov. Jim Pillen officially unviles his property tax plan as a summer-long attempt to find a path to reduce local property taxes. July 18, 2024. (Zach Wendling/Nebraska Examiner)

LINCOLN  As introduced, Gov. Jim Pillens core property tax relief proposal could fall short by $139 million in annual estimated revenue needed.

Pillens main proposal, introduced through Legislative Bill 1 in the special session, includes placing a sales tax on more than 100 currently tax-exempt goods and services. It would also raise seven sin taxes, on candy and soft drinks, vapes, cigarettes, keno gambling, spirits, consumable hemp and games of skill.

In total, the new or increased taxes would raise an estimated $1.15 billion in the first full fiscal year on state tax rolls. If passed, Pillens office is targeting an Oct. 1 effective date, which is not yet included in LB 1.

Those values rely upon estimates provided to lawmakers last Wednesday, one day before State Sen. Lou Ann Linehan introduced LB 1 on Pillens behalf.

However, the tax rates as introduced varied from the ones provided to reporters and lawmakers in the days leading up to the session, which a spokesperson said was likely the result of bill drafting errors.

For example, four currently exempt goods and services were suggested to be taxed at higher rates than were ultimately included in the bill:

Agricultural machinery and equipment, at 2 cents per dollar purchase instead of 4 cents.

Manufacturing machinery and equipment, and repairs or labor, at 2 cents instead of 4 cents.

Home improvement or maintenance  carpentry services, at 4 cents instead of 5.5 cents.

Home improvement or maintenance  electricians, at 4 cents instead of 5.5 cents.

The statewide sales tax rate is 5.5 cents per dollar purchase, plus any municipal or county sales tax rates, which range from an additional 0.5 cents to 2 cents.

According to an analysis from the Nebraska Examiner, the Pillen-led proposal would fall short of his revenue goal by $139 million, largely because the projected machinery and equipment revenue was half of what was projected earlier.

That would complicate the governors main tax relief pursuit: the state taking on 80% of local K-12 funding paid for through property taxes.

A spokesperson for Pillen said the intention is to tax machinery and equipment at 4 cents and the change was just a drafters situation. No amendments have yet been introduced to fix that drafting error. She said she was unaware of what happened with carpentry services and electricians services, which make up a much smaller portion of the revenue that could be lost.

LB 1 as introduced would also more broadly end some sales tax exemptions that multiple lawmakers who had been working with Pillen said were off the table:

LB 1 is first up in a Revenue Committee hearing at 9:30 a.m. Tuesday. Two lawmakers on the Executive Board switched their votes Monday to send the bill there instead of the Government Committee.

The Revenue Committee, which Linehan chairs, is usually the designation for bills addressing taxation. Members could be more open to Pillens proposal than those on the Government Committee, where only one of eight members supported a previous Pillen-backed proposal in the spring. In contrast, seven of eight Revenue Committee members supported the previous bill.

Here is a breakdown of the sales and use tax exemptions that would fall as part of LB 1, as well as projected revenue courtesy of the Governors Office.

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As the dream of Venezuelan democracy fades away, Maduro must prove he didnt steal election | Opinion

The hopes of thousands of Venezuelans in South Florida that Nicolas Maduros oppressive regime could finally end were dashed after Sundays presidential elections  at least for now.

The U.S. and its allies in Latin America know that Maduros announced victory smells like a dictators dirty old trick. On Monday, the countrys opposition leader Maria Corina Machado said her team had gathered final vote counts to prove Maduro overwhelmingly lost, the Herald reported.

The question is whether the international community can exert enough pressure on the South American country to come forward with information to prove its elections were fair and free of fraud, which they dont seem to be. And, if they werent, can the U.S. force out a regime that has survived Republican and Democratic White House administrations?

Its now up to the Biden Administration, who some criticize for giving Venezuela too many concessions leading up to the election, to lead the charge. The U.S. cannot do it alone.

A U.S. National Security Council spokesman on Monday called on Maduro to provide the full, detailed tabulation of votes to prove that he defeated opposition candidate Edmundo Gonzalez Urrutia 51.2% to 44.2%, as announced by the Maduro-controled National Electorate Council. The Venezuela opposition demanded the government hand over scanned printouts of all voting records instead of just the numbers shown on the governments website.

But pressure should also come from within Latin America and Maduros regional allies. It says a lot that among the countries that congratulated Maduro are Russia, China, Iran and Cuba, where democracy and fair elections are non existent. Others so far have been hesitant. On Monday, Maduro expelled diplomats from Latin American countries that questioned his reelection.

Brazil, whose leftist president is among Maduros biggest allies, hasnt recognized the Sunday results but has yet to take a stronger stance. The countrys top foreign affairs advisor said on Monday that he is cautious about the results and that Venezuela must show how it reached them. Brazilian media on Monday reported that diplomats from Brazil, Colombia and Mexico  all countries that have been aligned with Maduro  met to discuss demanding that the regime provide ballot reports to the Carter Center, one of the few election monitoring groups allowed in Venezuela.

Thats progress but if Maduro refuses to turn over any more information, then what?

The U.S. will find itself in a conundrum. Up until now, the Biden Administration has tried to cajole the South American country to allow democratic changes by lifting some oil sanctions and releasing prisoners.

If the Sunday election turns out to be stolen, what will the course of action be  more harsh sanctions like the ones the Trump Administration imposed but that failed to spur regime change? Another Maduro term  and, possibly, a new round of sanctions  could fuel another wave of migration at the Southern Border as desperate Venezuelans escape poverty and lose any remaining hope that their country could return to free democratic rule.

In an election year, thats a calculation that President Joe Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris, the expected Democratic presidential nominee, will have to make.

Anyone who has watched Maduro deploy dirty electoral tricks to stay in power isnt surprised by Sundays election. Leading up to the Sunday, polls showed Gonzalez Urrutia leading by wide margins and exit polling found he won twice as many votes as Maduro.

As Chiles leftist president, Gabriel Boric, said: Maduros regime must understand that the results are hard to believe, Reuters reported.

The presidential elections should have signaled a new era for Venezuela  and South Floridas diaspora. It didnt. Again, the dream of a Venezuelan democracy might slip through our fingers.

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Driver injured after crashing into tree in Dickson County

DICKSON COUNTY, Tenn. (WKRN)  A driver was seriously injured after a crash in Dickson County early Tuesday morning.

The crash happened in the 2200 block of Highway 48 North around 4:20 a.m.

Man wanted after stabbing at Gallatin Walmart

(Courtesy: Dickson County Fire & Rescue)

(Courtesy: Dickson County Fire & Rescue)

(Courtesy: Dickson County Fire & Rescue)

(Courtesy: Dickson County Fire & Rescue)

(Courtesy: Dickson County Fire & Rescue)

(Courtesy: Dickson County Fire & Rescue)

Dickson County Fire Rescue reported the driver of a pickup truck hit a tree and was pinned inside the vehicle after the crash. The driver was flown to Vanderbilt University Medical Center where their condition is unknown.

No additional information was immediately released.

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This is a developing story. WKRN News 2 will continue to update this article as new information becomes available.

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For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to WKRN News 2.
Ukrainian drones struck an oil depot in Russia's Kursk Oblast overnight on July 28-29, causing at least three fuel tanks to catch fire, Governor Alexei Smirnov said.

Almost 150 first responders were involved in putting out the blaze, which Smirnov claimed was extinguished as of 5:50 a.m. local time on July 30. According to the governor, no one was injured in the attack and resulting fire.

Earlier in the morning of July 30, Smirnov claimed that air defenses in the oblast had intercepted four Ukrainian missiles.

The previous day, Ukraine's General Staff said that its forces had struck at least four power substations in Kursk Oblast.

The attacks were carried out by the Security Service of Ukraine's (SBU) Special Operations Center, along with other components of the Defense Forces, according to the statement.

Russia's Defense Ministry corroborated that there had been an attack in Kursk Oblast, and claimed that 19 drones had been shot down in the region.

On July 28, the SBU, in cooperation with the Ukrainian military, hit the Polyova oil depot in Kursk Oblast, the General Staff confirmed.

Kursk Oblast lies on the border with Ukraine's Sumy Oblast. In recent months, Ukrainian forces have been regularly attacking military facilities and infrastructure in Russian regions bordering Ukraine.

Read also: Ukraine attacks 3 Russian airfields, bomber damaged, source says

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Joel Kelly, 60, fired a single shot at cops in Far Rockaway early Saturday morning but didn't get very far when he tried to run away -- he was drunk and fell on his face, according to police and sources.

A boozed-up career criminal with at least two stints in state prison is in custody after taking a drunken shot at cops in Queens and stumbling when he tried to outrun New Yorks Finest, the NYPD said.

Joel Kelly, 60  who has twice done time for assault  is now facing charges of attempted murder of a police officer and gun possession after the early Saturday morning arrest in Far Rockaway, authorities said.

Police responded to a 911 call of shots fired at Ocean Bay-Bayside Houses shortly before 12:30 a.m., cops said.

Joel Kelly, 60 is facing charges of attempted murder of a police officer and gun possession after the early Saturday morning arrest in Far Rockaway. Citizen app

The cops then spotted Kelly, who fit the description of the shooter from witnesses, in front of 444 Beach 54th St.  with the suspect allegedly taking a shot at the approaching officers.

Kelly then tried to make a run for it  but didnt get far, police said.

The cops, who did not return fire, put the cuffs on Kelly, who was taken to St. Johns Episcopal Hospital because he was heavily intoxicated, the department said.

Two police officers were also treated at a local hospital for ringing in their ears.

The cops put the cuffs on Kelly, who was taken to St. Johns Episcopal Hospital because he was heavily intoxicated. Google maps

According to state records, Kelly served time in state prison from 1984 to 1986 on a second-degree assault conviction and was on parole until 1987 after his release.

Just one year after it expired, he was back upstate from 1988 to 1990 on an attempted assault conviction, records show.
People take part in a memorial service at the Sagami Lake Community Center in Kanagawa Prefecture, Japan, July 28, 2024. (Xinhua/Hu Xiaoge)

TOKYO, July 29 (Xinhua) -- A memorial service has been held at the Sagami Lake Community Center in Japan's Kanagawa Prefecture to mourn laborers from different countries who died in the Sagami dam construction during the wartime.

The memorial service on Sunday started with three local primary school students lighting candles to express grief over the loss of laborers' lives during the construction. Afterward, all participants stood up to observe a moment of silence and offered flowers to the victims.

About 300 people, including officials from many countries, representatives of civic groups, and local residents around the Sagami Reservoir attended the annual ceremony.

Wang Lin, minister counsellor at the Chinese Embassy in Japan, said at the event that the war of aggression launched by Japanese militarists brought severe harm to the Chinese and Asian people, with forced labor being one of the serious crimes committed by the Japanese side.

It is hoped that Japan will face up to its history of aggression, learn from history and adhere to the path of peaceful development, and that more Japanese people will understand history, establish a correct view of history, and gather a strong driving force to safeguard peace, said Wang.

Toshiko Hashimoto, president of the Sagami Lake Reservoir Historical Record Association, has been dedicated to telling the history of Sagami Lake for many years. She said: "Although it is a negative history, the dam has always stood there. As residents, we need to tell young people about the construction process and historical facts of the dam."

The Sagami Reservoir is Japan's first multipurpose artificial lake constructed between 1940 and 1947. To build the reservoir, Japan requisitioned about 3.6 million laborers, including nearly 300 Chinese forcibly taken to Japan by the Japanese invaders. According to records, harsh working conditions and torture killed 83 people, including 28 Chinese.

Since 1979, many Japanese have been holding annual memorial events to commemorate the dead laborers. 

People take part in a memorial service at the Sagami Lake Community Center in Kanagawa Prefecture, Japan, July 28, 2024. (Xinhua/Hu Xiaoge)

People take part in a memorial service at the Sagami Lake Community Center in Kanagawa Prefecture, Japan, July 28, 2024. (Xinhua/Hu Xiaoge)
DULUTH  A Duluth family that filed a federal lawsuit against several city officials alleging more than a decade of race-based harassment will receive a $135,000 lump-sum settlement from the City of Duluth within 30 days.

Much of Aaron and Amy Kirk's lawsuit, which includes incidents dating back to the early 2000s, was tossed out in March by a federal judge because it had exceeded the statute of limitations  but a claim against Officer Sara Schutte, the arresting officer at a more recent road rage incident, stuck. The city council approved the payout as part of its consent agenda on Monday.

Aaron Kirk, who is Black, was arrested in the street in front of his West Duluth home on June 20, 2020, after a dispute with another driver, Dustin James Turcotte, who reportedly called him by a racial slur. After the altercation, both Turcotte and Kirk left the scene. Kirk ended up in jail; the other driver received a citation.

"We're pleased," said Phillip F. Fishman, one of the Kirks' Bloomington based attorneys. "There was a claim made against Office Schutte for singling out Aaron for treatment that was not necessary. The other gentleman, Turcotte, was the real offender. The court and the City of Duluth recognized that.

"I think they did right by that. The plaintiff is pleased."

As part of the settlement, the Kirk family won't pursue further charges and the defendants do not claim fault.

The Kirks said they had more than 100 interactions with the Duluth Police Department since Aaron Kirk moved into his West Duluth neighborhood around 2005.

Most of the police calls started with complaints from the Kirk's then-next door neighbors. They reported the family because the dog was barking, they believed there was a methamphetamines lab on the property. They called because Aaron Kirk seemed like he was planning on stealing construction materials. The Kirks describe the reports as "false and baseless accusations" in the lawsuit.

Police officers responded to the calls, but most often they were unfounded. Through all of this, the neighbors weren't cited.

By the time the Kirks filed their lawsuit, it was too late.

"The neighbors last actionable incident of harassment occurred more than six years before the Kirks filed this lawsuit, and therefore the Kirks cannot show that they acted diligently or that any exceptional circumstance prevented them from filing their lawsuit during the six-year limitations period" Chief Judge Patrick J. Schiltz wrote in his decision.

Dashboard camera footage from the June 10, 2020 incident showed a truck leaving a West Duluth credit union just as Schutte pulls into the parking lot. Kirk leaves the bank waving his arms and directing her to follow the truck. He tells her that the man called him a racial slur and threatened him. A bystander confirms his story with the police officer.

Kirk left the bank and was arrested in front of the family's home. He was held in the St. Louis County Jail for the weekend, but charges against him  including assault with a deadly weapon and fleeing a police officer  were dropped.

Fishman said the Kirk's case against Turcotte, who is listed as a defendant in the original lawsuit, is still to be determined. He is considered to be in default because he hasn't pleaded or otherwise defended his actions, according to court documents.

"We're not sure what we're going to do with that," Fishman said.
In a presidential election season marked again by claims of "rigged elections" from former president Donald Trump, elections officials across the state and the nation are under the microscope.

In Florida, elections officials in all 67 counties are required by state law to give the public a chance before each election to see for themselves how election supervisors test machines to ensure they will count votes correctly. Officials say that gives voters a chance to see how the machines work and what steps are taken to secure them.

"It really takes away the misinformation that they're not accurate when you're doing it in front of the public," Duval County Supervisor of Elections Jerry Holland said. "They can watch and see the results."

A USA TODAY/Suffolk University Poll in January found a deep divide between supporters of Trump and President Joe Biden with 52% of Trump backers saying they had no confidence the 2024 election would be accurately counted and reported while 81% of Biden's supporters were "very confident" on that score.

The Duval County machine test wasn't the most exciting 90 minutes, but a handful of members of the public and almost as many members of the media were at the election center on Thursday to watch election workers put the tabulating machines through the paces.

"We don't expect anything to go wrong," said Jacksonville attorney Leslie Jean-Bart, who is active in working for candidates and is a repeat attendee at the public testing. "But if you don't have a process like this in place, people would not have the assurance they need about how elections are fair and accurate."

At the end of the testing, Holland announced the machines were 100% correct in their tabulations.

"I can't be 99% correct on the election," Holland said. "I can't say, 'Well, we're pretty close.' It's got to be 100% percent accurate. That's what voters expect and also the candidates."

Here's how the testing is done.

Supervisor of Elections Jerry Holland speaks to media during a public testing of the automated tabulating voting equipment hosted by the Duval County Supervisor of Elections Office Thursday, July 25, 2024 in Jacksonville, Fla. The test, required by law, verifies full accuracy of the equipment in the upcoming Aug. 20 primary election.

Random selection picks machines for testing

The testing at the Duval County Elections Center, located at 1 Imeson Park Blvd. on the Northside, randomly selects one precinct tabulator from each of the 14 City Council districts. The elections office also tests one tabulator from an early voting site and all four of the high-speed tabulators.

The selection is basically done like picking raffle tickets from containers. As each piece of paper is drawn and opened to show the identification of the tabulator, election workers go into the big warehouse space and bring that tabulator over for the testing.

Test ballots are in the same formats that voters will get at polling sites

Each tabulator is tested using ballots that are in the same style that will be used by voters in the upcoming election. That means there will be a test ballots in different formats for Democratic, Republican and non-affiliated voters. The elections office does not know in advance which tabulators will get picked for the testing, but the office does know what the count is for the test decks.

Members of the canvassing board are on hand to monitor the process. (Jacksonville City Council member Michael Boylan along with county court judges Michael Bateh and Rhonda Peoples-Waters were on hand at the most recent testing to represent the canvassing board). After the testing is finished, the count on the tabulator is compared to the previously tallied count from the actual ballots.

Throughout the process, paper tapes from the machines record the results. At the end, each machine is reset to zero.

Duval County Court Judge Rhonda Peoples-Waters looks at a readout on a DS300 before signing off during a public testing of the automated tabulating voting equipment hosted by the Duval County Supervisor of Elections Office Thursday, July 25, 2024 in Jacksonville, Fla. The test, required by law, verifies full accuracy of the equipment in the upcoming Aug. 20 primary election.

After testing, all tabulating machines are put under seal

After determining the tabulators have correctly counted the ballot choices, every tabulator that will be used for the August election gets put under seals so no one has access to the tabulators. The seals are not broken until the machines are taken later to the polling sites for voters to use them in casting their ballots.

Holland said if a machine arrives at a polling site with its seal broken, election workers will not use that tabulator.

If a machine gets it wrong, it's pulled for further inspection

Holland said if a machine were to get a different count than what elections officials know the results should be, election workers would pull that machine out of the test and contact the manufacturer to see what happened. Then another machine would be tested in its place.

"There is no room for error," he said.

He said he's never seen a machine fail to get the count correct during the testing.

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Actual vote-counting for election has layers of documentation

When voters go to the polls, the tabulating machines are just one way the elections office keeps a digital and paper trail. Holland said after a polling precinct closes, the elections office prints out two paper tapes with the results. The office also uses a thumb drive that captures everything from the tabulating machine that day and also uploads the results into an encrypted virtual private network that is only open for the time needed for the upload.

DS300 machines by Election Systems & Software (ES&S) wait to be screened during a public testing of the automated tabulating voting equipment hosted by the Duval County Supervisor of Elections Office Thursday, July 25, 2024 in Jacksonville, Fla. The test, required by law, verifies full accuracy of the equipment in the upcoming Aug. 20 primary election.

The office also keeps the paper ballots that voters feed into the machines and does a post-election audit by hand-counting paper ballots in randomly selected races.

Counties schedule public testing at various times

Other Jacksonville area election supervisors will be doing the state-required tests this week.

The St. Johns County test is scheduled for 9 a.m. Tuesday at the elections office, 4455 Ave. A in St. Augustine, Nassau County will do its test at 1 p.m. Thursday at the elections office at 96135 Nassau Place in Yulee, and Clay County will do its test at 9 a.m. Friday at the elections office in Green Cove Springs, 500 N. Orange Ave.

Testing will be done again before the November election

Florida state law requires each county election supervisor to do public testing within 25 days of the start of early voting for each election, so the same procedure will happen for the November general election when a host of races including for president will be on the ballot.

This article originally appeared on Florida Times-Union: Duval County tests vote-counting machines to ensure fair, accurate election
Duxbury teen Sean Delaney, who died in a car crash, remembered as 'an amazing young man'

A Duxbury teenager who died in a crash on a Vermont highway Sunday morning was "an amazing young man," his employer says.

Sean Delaney, 19, worked for ProEnviro in Hanover for about a year, owner Jon Mitton said Tuesday morning.

Sean Delaney, 19, of Duxbury, died in a crash in Middlesex, Vermont, on Sunday, July 28, 2024.

"He was just a great young kid," Mitton said.

Delaney and Elana Korey, 20, also of Duxbury, died early Sunday morning in a crash on Interstate 89 in Middlesex, Vermont, Vermont State Police said.

More: She 'radiated joy and love': Duxbury residents, sorority sisters mourn loss of Elana Korey

Car was engulfed in flames, police say

They were traveling northbound about 5:04 a.m. when the crash occurred, police said. Delaney was driving a 2006 Lexus ES330 and Korey was in the front passenger seat.

"Upon the arrival of first responders, the vehicle was fully engulfed," police wrote. "The driver and front seat passenger were pronounced deceased at the scene."

Police said speed is believed to have contributed to the crash and no other vehicles were involved.

Middlesex is just north of Montpelier and about 30 miles southeast of Burlington.

More: She 'radiated joy and love': Duxbury residents, sorority sisters mourn loss of Elana Korey

'Humor, energy and a strong work ethic every day'

ProEnviro, a mold remediation and removal company, issued the following statement on Facebook:

"It is with total shock and completely broken hearts that ProEnviro, and the world, lost Sean Delaney to a tragic accident over the weekend. Sean was not only a team member but family here. He was an amazing young man taken way to soon. He was friend, coworker and so much more to all of us at ProEnviro, as well as everyone he met. Sean brought humor, energy and a strong work ethic every day. He never failed to give his all and help the team. There is a void that can never be filled or replaced and we will miss you always. Rest in Peace Sean!

"Our deepest condolences to Bill Delaney, Julie Delaney and Keira, we cannot express our sorrow and the sense of loss. Our thoughts and prayers are with you all.

"Our condolences to Korey family who also lost their daughter in this tragic accident. Though we did not know Elana our prayers are with her and your family."

This article originally appeared on The Patriot Ledger: Crash victim Sean Delaney remembered as 'amazing young man'
OSHKOSH, Wis. (WFRV) -The iconic and beloved EAA Airventure Airshow in Oshkosh is known to attract aviation lovers from throughout the country, and in 2023, a record 677,000 were in attendance.

That record was shortlived, as the 2024 show eclipsed the mark with approximately 686,000 attendees in Oshkosh to see thousands of showplanes including 1,200 vintage aircraft and 975 homebuilt.

Once in a lifetime experience: Last day of EAA Airventure brings mixed bag of emotions

Over 10,000 aircraft arrived at Wittman Regional Airport and others in east-central Wisconsin, with nearly 17,000 aircraft operations from July 18-28, nearly 113 takeoffs/landings per hour during business hours.

More than 15,000 campsites were set up in the camping spots, which attributed to over 40,000 of the visitors. There were an estimated 6,000 volunteers as well totaling over 250,000 hours.

The social media channels were flowing as well, reaching about 24 million people. Video views increased 149 percent from 2023, with approximately 17 million views throughout the airshow.

836 media representatives covered the event coming from six continents, and an estimated $170 million in economic impact was reported, according to the release.

Northeast Wisconsin band teacher meets well-known singer, receives $10,000 grant

Weve already received plenty of ideas for next year and a little bit later this summer, well begin reviewing what might be possible for 2025, EAA CEO and Chairman Jack Pelton said. Our annual goal is to create a gathering of people and airplanes that is found nowhere else in the world, and continue to improve the experience for EAA members and visitors.

For more information on next years event, visit the EAA 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 WFRV Local 5 - Green Bay, Appleton.
Early voting opens in Okaloosa and Walton counties on Aug. 10. What to know

Starting Aug. 10, voters across the Emerald Coast can cast their ballots early for the Aug. 20 statewide primary elections.

Want to beat long wait times or vote in a more convenient location?

Starting Aug. 10, voters across the Emerald Coast can cast their ballots early for the Aug. 20 statewide primary elections.

Here is what you need to know.

When can I vote?

The early voting period in Okaloosa and Walton Counties runs from Aug. 10-17.

Okaloosa County's voting window will run from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. each day. In Walton County, except Sunday, Aug 11, the voting window will be from 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.

According to the Walton County Supervisor of Elections website, voting will occur from 1 to 9 p.m. on Aug. 11.

Where can I vote in Okaloosa County?

Okaloosa Supervisor of Elections Headquarters, 302 N Wilson St., Suite 102, Crestview

Okaloosa Supervisor of Elections Office: 1250 Eglin Parkway, Suite 103, Shalimar

Crestview Public Library: 1445 Commerce Drive, Crestview

Destin Community Center: 101 Stahlman Ave., Destin

Niceville City Hall: 208 N. Partin Drive, Niceville

Where can I vote in Walton County?

Freeport City Hall: 112 State Highway 20 W., Freeport

Faith Assembly Church: 306 S. Geronimo St., Miramar Beach

South Walton Courthouse Annex: 31 Coastal Centre Blvd., Santa Rosa Beach

DeFuniak Springs Courthouse: 571 U.S 90 E., DeFuniak Springs

What do I need to bring?

Like on Election Day, the same rules for identity verification still apply for the early voting window.

Poll workers are required to ask for valid photo and signature identification, and this can be done with any of the following methods:

Florida drivers license

Florida ID card issued by DHSMV

U.S. Passport

Debit or credit card

Military ID

Student ID

Retirement center ID

Neighborhood association ID

Public assistance ID

Veteran health ID card issued by the Department of Veterans Affairs

Concealed carry license

Employee ID card issued by any branch, department, or agency of the Federal government or state, county or municipality.

What if I don't have proper identification?

If identification or eligibility cannot be validated, a provisional ballot will be issued to you as long as you are eligible and in the proper precinct. Your provisional ballot will be scored as long as the signature matches the signature in your registration record.

What if I want to vote by mail?

In Okaloosa County, residents can request a vote-by-mail ballot online, by telephone, mail, e-mail, fax or in person, which can be mailed or picked up by the voter. All requests can be made up to 12 days before election day.

Ballots in Okaloosa County must be delivered to the Elections Headquarters office in Crestview or the Branch Office in Shlaimar and must be returned to the elections office by 7 p.m. on Election Day to be counted.

In Walton County, absentee ballots can be requested by visiting the Walton County Supervisors of Elections website. Like Okaloosa County, ballots in Walton County can only be made up to 12 days before the election.

This article originally appeared on Northwest Florida Daily News: Okaloosa and Walton counties' early voting window opens on Aug. 10
The City of East Chicago repealed its so-called "welcoming city" ordinance in response to a lawsuit filed earlier this month by Indiana Attorney General Todd Rokita, who was recently given new authority to challenge municipalities that become sanctuaries for unauthorized immigrants.

Rokita has also sued Monroe County for the same reason.

"Due to the city of East Chicago common council voting to completely repeal its 'Welcoming City Ordinance' and Mayor Copeland approving its decision, our office has officially dismissed the lawsuit we filed on this issue," Rokita said in a statement. "We are pleased East Chicago will no longer operate as a sanctuary city, giving safe harbor to illegal aliens, and are now following state law."

East Chicago's ordinance was one of several passed across the U.S. in 2017 in reaction to former President Donald Trump's immigration policies. But Rokita has alleged that the policies violate Indiana law by restricting "the enforcement of federal immigration laws to less than the full extent permitted by federal law."

More: Indiana AG Todd Rokita sues City of East Chicago over 'sanctuary' status for immigrants

Sanctuary cities have technically been banned in Indiana since 2011. But some places have passed ordiances that give undocumented residents some leeway. For example, the city of Gary prevents officials from questioning an immigrant's legal status unless required to do so by court order.

A new state law authorizes the attorney general to sue if he determines that "probable cause exists that a governmental body or a postsecondary educational institution" has violated the existing ban.

The lawsuit against Monroe County is still active, Rokita said.

"We will continue exercising our new enforcement authority by pushing forward with our lawsuit against Monroe County officials over their unlawful immigration policy and evaluating other local units of government that refuse to follow the law," he said in the statement.

Contact senior government accountability reporter Hayleigh Colombo at hcolombo@indystar.com.

This article originally appeared on Indianapolis Star: East Chicago drops 'welcoming city' policy in response to Rokita lawsuit
Knoxville Republican Congressman Tim Burchett seeks to strip funding for the agency overseeing Voice of America based on debunked claims. (Photo by Alex Wong/Getty Images)

U.S. Rep. Tim Burchett, a Knoxville Republican, bizarrely bragged in his July newsletter about introducing a budget amendment that would get rid of funding for the U.S. Agency for Global Media. You may not have heard of that obscure agency title, but it is the administrative hub for such important things as Voice of America (VOA) and Radio Free Europe / Radio Liberty (RFE/RL).

Dont be misled by the use of the word radio in one title. These global media outlets do all forms of audio and video media, including hosting many online-based news sites. VOA seeks to be objective and presents America to the rest of the world in many languages and many forms. RFE/RL acquires news from within heavily-censored nations and uses many media forms to get that information to people within those nations, serving 23 countries and 27 languages. These are important global media. Accuracy and neutrality are key to their credibility and thus to their success.

Its a tough and dangerous challenge. RFE/RL journalists have died doing their jobs. Currently RFE/RL journalist Alsu Kurmasheva, who holds dual Russian-American citizenship, is being held in Russia.

So, why would Burchett want to harm those agencies? It turns out to be petty Trumpian revenge based on a series of lies. Burchetts newsletter links to his reasons, and he claimed the Agency for Global Media failed to vet staff. He wrote, [O]ne of its senior executives, Setareh Sieg, was fired by the Trump administration then promptly rehired under the Biden administration despite lying on her resume, misusing taxpayer funds, and engaging in workplace misconduct.

Nope. Sieg was VOA Persian Director when Trump appointee Michael Pack sacked people not deemed willing enough to endanger their credibility by crafting and distributing more pro-Trump messages.

The U.S. Agency for Global Medias Office of Labor and Human Relations looked into the Sieg matter and found all of the allegations to be unsubstantiated. Sieg had the claimed degree, all proper procedures were used with taxpayer funds, and none of the claims held up to close inspection. The Government Accountability Project hailed Sieg as a whistleblower, one who since has moved on to be VOAs Director of Program Review and Special Assistant to the Director of Programming.

Burchett, however, continues to flog this nonsense. In the transcript and video of a July 9 House Committee on Foreign Affairs hearing, we find Burchett repeatedly interrupting Amanda Bennett, current CEO of the U. S. Agency for Global Media. He refused to accept her points raised, and retreated to the past disproven Republican claims.

"This only person that this makes happy is Vladimir Putin," said Victor Ashe of a move by U.S. Rep. Tim Burchett to defund the U.S. Agency for Global Media. (Photo: U.S. Agency for Global Media)

The previous name for the Agency for Global Media was the Broadcasting Board of Governors, and a prominent Knoxville person has served on that board. Victor Ashe was a state legislator, mayor of Knoxville for sixteen years, and former U. S. ambassador to Poland. Ashes tenure on that board was one where he often sought reform, but opposed abolishment.

I called Ashe to get his thoughts on Burchetts move to defund the agency. Ashe said it was a continuation of bizarre positions he has taken that he doesnt understand.

The only person that he makes happy with this is Vladimir Putin, Ashe said. He further blasted Burchetts actions as sad, and discouraging, and fundamentally wrong. He doesnt recognize his own lack of information. Ashe views a lot of recent Burchett actions as a dangerous and unworkable move toward isolationism.

RFE/RL is based in Prague, Czech Republic, where I taught a course this summer. My students and I visited this month and saw firsthand the organizations good work. RFE/RL President Stephen Capus (in the same hearing where Burchett was rude and dismissive) spoke to the devastating effect of budget cuts. The work right now is vital. We are, without a doubt, targeted by Russia, by Belarus, by Iran, by China, you name it, and if we leave the playing field, if you will, if we leave that space to those countries and their propaganda and attempts to sway public opinion, were giving them that terrain to themselves, he said.

Burchetts partisan amendment regarding the State Department and the Agency for Global Media largely was a piece of political theater, passing the House 212-200, but it was not a serious matter for the Senate. The same could be said for his effort to defund the Office of the Special Climate Envoy which he bragged about in the same newsletter (because who needs to address climate change, anyhow?).

Our current congressional majority, exemplified by Burchett, appears vindictive, ill informed, and lacking serious purpose.

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Ed Miliband's face on a heat dial

When Macquarie took full ownership of Britains main gas network in a 700m deal last week, it raised eyebrows for several reasons.

The Australian investment bank is best known in the UK for its controversial stewardship of Thames Water, extracting huge dividends from the troubled water supplier.

But Macquaries decision to back National Gas was also notable as a hefty bet on the future of gas pipelines when its not certain they have one.

Under the shift to net zero by 2050, the Government and others are encouraging households to ditch their gas boilers in favour of electrified alternatives such as heat pumps. This is because heating currently generates almost two fifths of the UKs total carbon emissions.

For these plans to succeed, tens of millions of households in Britain will need to disconnect from the gas network. This has raised the risk that privatised systems such as the one owned by Macquarie and fellow investors will become effectively worthless stranded assets, according to energy regulator Ofgem.

The question of who will pay and how is coming fast down the track towards Ed Miliband, the Energy Secretary, who has said getting Britain off gas is his top priority.

You cant use a gas boiler in a net zero scenario, unless its burning something else, says Richard Lowes, a heating researcher and senior associate of the Regulatory Assistance Project.

But hydrogen, which has been touted as a clean alternative fuel for heating and cooking, appears to be an increasingly unrealistic option for domestic heating, due to the high costs of producing, transporting and storing it, he says.

That means people have to switch to something else, Lowes says. So theyre going to be getting rid of their gas connection.

Britains gas network was built up over more than a century and spans 187,000 miles of pipelines and pumps, delivering gas to about 23m homes.

It was privatised in the late 1980s by the Thatcher government, with the motorway-style transmission network currently owned by National Gas and regional distribution networks owned by SGN, Northern Power Networks, Cadent Gas and Wales & West Utilities.

All of these companies are controlled by foreign investors, who have been guaranteed steady returns by the UK Government in exchange for keeping the system in good working order.

Cadent is owned by a consortium including Macquarie, the Qatar Investment Authority and German finance giant Allianz, while Northern Power Networks and Wales & West are both owned by CK Hutchison, the empire of Hong Kong billionaire Li Ka-shing.

Story continues

SGN meanwhile is owned by Toronto-based Brookfield Infrastructure Partners, the Ontario Teachers Pension Plan and New York-based Global Infrastructure Partners.

Under the regulated asset value (RAV)  also used to manage water infrastructure  the networks are collectively worth about 27bn. This total will depreciate naturally over time but must also be partly returned to investors, mostly through consumer bills.

But this month, Ofgem sounded the alarm about a significant dilemma.

The Governments own plan intends 300,000 households per year to ditch their gas boilers for heat pumps by 2028. There is a risk that too few people will be connected to the gas network by the 2040s to ensure investors get all their money back.

Ofgem warned that the sums due per household, in the form of levies on their bills, would eventually sky-rocket from 200 per year to an impossible 2,000  an increase that would likely drive even more people to disconnect.

In corporate jargon, this means the gas networks risk becoming stranded assets.

If everyone switches away from gas  and thats the big if  then clearly theres a risk that theres lots of money left in the gas grids that is basically stranded, says Lowes.

How much will that be? We dont know yet. But its at least a few billion pounds.

And there are other factors that complicate matters even further.

For example, gas networks are currently in the middle of a major programme to replace metal gas network pipes with plastic ones.

This will make the network safer and less prone to leaks.

But it will also increase the value of the countrys gas networks, keeping their value constant well into the 2030s and making the sum that needs to be returned to investors higher.

At the same time, new homes are still being connected to the gas grid every day  with a ban only due to come into force next year.

And there is still no official plan (or budget) for shutting down the gas grid and making it safe, a process known as decommissioning within the industry.

Some pipes will only need to be drained of gas, capped and then left underground. But other ones, particularly large pipes running underneath cities, will likely need to be either dug up or reinforced to prevent them from corroding over time and causing partial road collapses.

It would also be far from straightforward logistically.

There is no switch-over plan for local areas to adopt alternatives to gas and Miliband has guaranteed that no one will be forced to rip out their boiler, meaning the pace of disconnections will be patchy.

If just one home in a street of 20 stuck with gas while others adopted heat pumps, the local gas network would still have a legal duty to continue supplying them and maintaining the pipes.

This means the first areas to be disconnected are likely to be city centres, where councils are increasingly looking at moving large buildings, such as tower blocks, hospitals, schools and hotels, on to shared heating networks powered by large heat pumps.

Even then, the unprecedented nature of the work means no firm approach to decommissioning has been decided.

The gas network hasnt had to manage any decommissioning, ever, says Angela Needle, director of strategy at Cadent Gas, which operates the gas network in the North West, the Midlands, eastern England and north London.

So its a new thing that we would have to work out how to do efficiently, with the least impact and least cost  theres a whole heap of things that we need to consider.

Its because of this uncertainty that Needle and others have so far urged the Government to keep its options open.

National Gas and other gas companies have argued that instead of scrapping the gas network, it could be repurposed to carry hydrogen instead.

Under most plans to reach net zero, at least some hydrogen is required for industrial businesses or heavy transport uses.

This means a backbone pipeline, at the very least, is likely to be required to move hydrogen supplies around the country. How extensive that is however will largely depend on whether hydrogen produced by electrolysis takes off and can be made commercially viable.

Some, including Needle, believe hydrogen should also remain an option for heating some homes that cannot be served by a heat pump or other means.

I think the idea that were just going to decommission as the first assumption is a costly assumption, she says.

I would expect that Ofgem will look at the gas network as an asset and think about the ways that it can be utilised to support net zero, because its something that delivers energy really well.

She added: In fact, its probably the only bit of the UK infrastructure that actually works right today. It is extensive and valuable.

A high-level study by the National Infrastructure Commission (NIC) last year appeared to support this argument at first glance  but there was a big catch.

It found that decommissioning would cost up to 74bn, compared to 46bn for repurposing the network to carry hydrogen.

However, the NIC warned that producing enough green hydrogen to heat everyones homes would also require 385bn more electrical infrastructure to power the necessary levels of electrolysis  dwarfing any potential savings.

Needle and Cadent dispute this analysis, arguing it was based on flawed assumptions such as every home being suitable for a heat pump.

I think youre going to have quite a lot of homes, in addition to industry, that need alternatives [to heat pumps], she adds.

And so why wouldnt you really kick the tyres of that to make sure that youre not then burdening people with the cost of decommissioning?

Accelerated depreciation

The Government has promised a decision on whether hydrogen will be used for mass heating by 2026, making it one of the most important calls that Miliband is likely to make as Energy Secretary.

In the meantime, Ofgems answer to the cost dilemma is to introduce accelerated depreciation. If the gas networks  such as Macquarie and others the bank  are like a house, Lowes compares this to making extra payments towards a mortgage.

What accelerated depreciation does is it just pays off the mortgage early or quicker than it otherwise would have been paid off, he says.

Translated, this means slightly higher bills for consumers earlier on, in an effort to prevent more apocalyptic bill increases later on.

Macquarie meanwhile has placed its bet, underlining the critical role it believes the gas network will continue to play as the UK delivers its ambitious energy security and decarbonisation goals.

Ultimately Lowes says it will fall to Miliband and the Government to make the really big decisions that shape this issue.

It needs political leadership, thats for sure, adds the researcher.

The trouble is, Ive not seen any just yet.

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FRESNO, Calif. (KSEE)  A young entrepreneur is teaching neighborhood kids summer school on her front porch.

Rizpah Bellard is a different kind of entrepreneur and substitutes at a local elementary school.

This is my second company blind essence its an independent living home. I provide shared affordable housing for adults experiencing homelessness, Bellard said.

The Cornell University graduate says her work is about providing service to others.

Im more of a humanitarian and social entrepreneur so the business ventures I take on the end goal is to provide a safe space to provide a service to someone else, she said.

That work extends to children in her own neighborhood.

The kids asked me to do my summer school on the porch because a lot of students in the neighborhood said their parents didnt sign them up for summer school in time, Bellard said.

Soon other kids saw what was happening at the house down the street and wanted to join in.

I walked right past here and they said they were doing a class and I said I wanted to join in, so I just joined right here, said Zayvion Beatty a student at Lincoln Elementary School.

Bellard is also a substitute teacher and substitutes at Kirk Elementary most of the kids attending her porch summer school are students there.

The kids at Kirk will tell you Oh Ms. B is serious about us reading, us knowing how to do our math, us paying attention, standing in line. Im old school with my teaching, Bellard said.

She teaches them math and works on improving their vocabulary and reading skills.

I dont know how to read so Miss B teach me some words and stuff, like some hard words, said Allison Andrared a student at Kirk Elementary.

Kids show up every evening usually after 6:30 p.m. and are excited to learn. There are 13 kids that attend.

Friends have donated snacks and supplies bellard gets help from her boyfriend who is vice-principal at Sunnyside High School.

This learning is very important because its more supplemental education in the front year, were able to target what kids really need to learn, said Kevin Tatum Jr. the vice principal at Sunnyside High School.

Bellard who is fluent in Spanish says she has earned the trust of parents in the neighborhood and witnessed them get more involved with their childs education. Her porch summer school is becoming a community project.

This is really bringing it back to like that old-school feel of community and what neighbors should do. in my mind Im just doing a neighborly thing and watching kids on the block, Bellard 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 YourCentralValley.com | KSEE24 and CBS47.
The exterior of Joseph Harp Correctional Center in Lexington is pictured in October. (Photo by Carmen Forman/Oklahoma Voice)

Lawmakers across the country have considered legislation this year that would allow courts or parole boards to reevaluate a persons long prison sentence and decide whether they can be safely released into society.

The bills, known as second look legislation, often focus on older populations, people sentenced as minors, or those whose crimes might have had a mitigating factor such as self-defense against domestic violence.

As Americas prison population both ages and increases, the second look movement has gained interest as a way to reduce overcrowding and potentially save money. Both Republicans and Democrats have sponsored the bills, but some advocates and prosecutors say the laws could retraumatize crime victims and further burden a strained court system.

Still, at least one second look bill, in Oklahoma, was signed into law this year. The new law, which is set to go into effect soon, requires judges to consider whether domestic violence was a mitigating factor in a crime. If so, a defendant would be eligible for a lighter sentence compared with the usual mandatory ranges.

We showed that you can pass significant criminal justice reform inside a conservative state, Republican state Rep. Jon Echols, one of the bills sponsors, said in an interview with Stateline. I think we did a lot of good with the legislation we did, and Im hoping more states follow.

The Oklahoma law has a retroactive clause for current inmates. People who are now serving time can file a resentencing request once the law goes into effect.

Some sentencing experts and criminal justice advocates think second look legislation could draw bipartisan support because the measures aim to address prison overcrowding and overspending by releasing people who are least likely to reoffend.

It can be a way to address excess spending, said Liz Komar, sentencing reform counsel with The Sentencing Project, a nonprofit criminal justice research and advocacy group. We can reinvest scarce public safety dollars from being uselessly employed to keep people who are zero risk in prison to instead prevent crime in the community.

At least 12 states already have second look measures in place, according to the groups legislative tracker. The existing second look laws vary, with some allowing courts to reconsider sentences based on conditions such as an offenders age at the time of the offense and amount of time served, and others allowing prosecutors to request the court reconsider a sentence.

Some prison sentences currently include parole, which allows early release after serving part of a sentence. Those eligible for parole typically must be interviewed by a parole board and, if approved, meet certain conditions while serving the remainder of their time in the community.

But at least 17 states have abolished discretionary parole for all or most offenses, according to Campaign Zero, a nonprofit social justice organization. This means people convicted of an offense in those states will not receive a parole-eligible sentence. Some of those states, however, have enacted second look measures that could allow people to be released.

Momentum and pushback

Avenues for early release, such as clemency or compassionate release, have been around for hundreds of years. But interest in second look legislation has grown over the past five years, according to Maria Goellner, the director of state policy at Families Against Mandatory Minimums, a nonpartisan criminal justice advocacy organization known as FAMM.

Debate over second look policies has been intense. Some prosecutors, victim rights groups and family members of crime victims have voiced concerns that victims and their families could be retraumatized by the resentencing process.

Some fear that these policies could be abused. Others worry about overburdened prosecutors having to handle an influx of resentencing cases.

In Virginia, a Senate bill proposed a new resentencing mechanism that would allow inmates convicted of crimes such as arson, rape and some types of murder, to petition for reduced sentences. Those convicted of aggravated murder would not be eligible.

Crime victims and prosecutors would have to support an inmates petition before a hearing could be granted, and a judge would make the final decision.

In emotional hearings earlier this year, some crime victims pleaded for Virginia lawmakers to reject the bill.

To allow criminals to have an ability to petition to come back out, and to put victims back in the same courtroom that we were in 10 years ago, 15 years ago, 20 years ago  Im not a proponent. You just dont understand, Michael Grey, whose son, Joshua, was murdered, said during a hearing in early February.

Joshua Grey was killed in 2018 while trying to sell an iPhone.

The impact  its with us every day. That was over five years ago, Michael Grey said. Why have a justice system if were going to circumvent these decisions, and try to come back and let these people get out of jail?

The bill passed the Virginia Senate on a 21-19 party-line vote and was approved to carry over to next year in the House.

Supporting crime victims and families

Another family member, Nancy Leichter, supports second look laws, though she didnt always feel that way. Her father, Leonard, was the victim of a carjacking in 1980 in Pennsylvania. The perpetrators dropped Leonard off at a phone booth upon discovering he had a heart condition, allowing him to call for help, but he died of a heart attack about three hours later.

My mother lost the love of her life, Leichter recalled. She was never the same, so it was like we lost two parents, and we were just sort of trying to put the pieces of our lives together. We were just happy that they were away  that they were in prison.

More than 35 years later, one of the perpetrators was set to be released; the two other men involved, Pennsylvania brothers Reid and Wyatt Evans, remained in prison to serve the rest of their sentences of life in prison without parole. When Leichter reflected on the compassion theyd shown her father by dropping him off and thought about them dying in prison for a crime theyd committed in their teens, she stepped in to help. The brothers were released in 2021.

I can be both heartbroken at this profound and enormous loss, but I can also be heartbroken by the unfairness of the harsh sentences that [the Evans brothers] received, said Leichter, who testified in support of a bill last year that would have changed how Pennsylvania handled pardons.

Some state legislators have incorporated language into their bills to address concerns about supporting crime victims.

A House bill in Washington state, for example, would have created a victim fund to support survivors, in addition to allowing judges to review and shorten long prison sentences, including life sentences. The bill passed the House but did not receive a Senate committee hearing.

Its really just an opportunity to be heard  for a judge to look at all of the facts of the case and consider whether that person should be resentenced in the interest of justice, Democratic state Rep. Tarra Simmons, the bills sponsor and the first formerly incarcerated lawmaker in the state, said in an interview. My goal in life is to bring healing and justice to all communities.

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Press Release

July 30, 2024 Sen. Robin Pushes Commendation, Promotion for Gerald Anderson for Flood Rescue Work For his work in helping those affected by floods brought by Super Typhoon Carina and the southwest monsoon, actor Gerald Anderson deserves a commendation and a promotion in the Philippine Coast Guard Auxiliary Unit. Sen. Robinhood "Robin" C. Padilla stressed this in a resolution where he sought a one-rank promotion for Anderson - Gerald Randolph Anderson Jr. in real life, an auxiliary lieutenant commander of the PCG Auxiliary. "Mr. Anderson's selflessness and willingness to place others' needs above his own safety serve as an inspiration to our countrymen. His actions demonstrated the true embodiment of a reservist, which is to support and complement the active force when circumstances called for," Padilla said in Senate Resolution 1089. "It must be recalled that the actor's heroic deeds and compassion in times of disasters during the onslaught of Typhoon Ondoy (international name Ketsana) in 2009, which also caused extensive flooding in Metro Manila and nearby provinces, were similarly recognized," he added. Padilla, a reserve lieutenant colonel in the Philippine Army, cited videos circulating online showing Anderson at the frontlines rescuing trapped residents in Brgy. Santo Domingo in Quezon City. He said Anderson was also seen helping transport evacuees to safe areas. "Mr. Anderson also showcased the core values of PCG as first responders in the face of calamities, which only merits recognition and corresponding promotion in service," he said. Sen. Robin, Itinulak ang Papuri at Promosyon kay Gerald Anderson Dahil sa Pagtulong sa Nasalanta ng Baha Dahil sa kanyang pagtulong sa mga apektado ng baha dala ng Super Typhoon Carina at ng habagat, nararapat lamang na bigyan ng papuri at promosyon sa Philippine Coast Guard Auxiliary Unit. Iginiit ito ni Sen. Robinhood "Robin" C. Padilla sa resolusyon kung saan nanawagan siya ng one-rank promotion para kay Anderson - Gerald Randolph Anderson Jr. sa tunay na buhay, na isang auxiliary lieutenant commander sa PCG Auxiliary. "Mr. Anderson's selflessness and willingness to place others' needs above his own safety serve as an inspiration to our countrymen. His actions demonstrated the true embodiment of a reservist, which is to support and complement the active force when circumstances called for," ani Padilla sa kanyang Senate Resolution 1089. "It must be recalled that the actor's heroic deeds and compassion in times of disasters during the onslaught of Typhoon Ondoy (international name Ketsana) in 2009, which also caused extensive flooding in Metro Manila and nearby provinces, were similarly recognized," dagdag niya. Ani Padilla, na reserve lieutenant colonel sa Philippine Army, may mga online videos kung saan nakita si Anderson sa frontlines na tumutulong sa mga residente sa Brgy. Santo Domingo sa Quezon City. Nakita rin si Anderson na tumutulong para dalhin sa ligtas na lugar ang mga lumikas sa kanilang tahanan. "Mr. Anderson also showcased the core values of PCG as first responders in the face of calamities, which only merits recognition and corresponding promotion in service," ani Padilla.
NEW DELHI, July 30 (Xinhua) -- The death toll in the multiple landslides that struck India's southern state of Kerala early on Tuesday morning rose to 39, even as more than 30 injured persons were admitted to a nearby government hospital, confirmed a local police officer to Xinhua over phone.

"Many bodies are yet to be identified," he said, adding that many more people were still trapped under the debris, hence the death toll was feared to further rise.

A state government official involved in the rescue work said, "Rescue work is continuing, though heavy rains are causing a disruption. The local administration, police, rescue teams, doctors, medical teams, and other concerned wings of the state government have been put into service to rescue people from under the rubble and rush them to the hospital. Our priority is to save human lives."

At least three landslides had struck the Meppadi area of Kerala's Wayanad district at around 02:00 a.m. local time on Tuesday, even as the people were still asleep.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi spoke to Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan, and promised all possible help from the federal government.

Senior leader of the country's main opposition party the Indian National Congress Rahul Gandhi also expressed anguish at the natural tragedy, saying he hopes "those still trapped are brought to safety soon." 
EGLIN AIR FORCE BASE, Fla. (WKRG)  An Eglin Air Force Base mission will close State Road 285 on Wednesday.

According to a news release from the base, the 96th Test Wing will conduct testing on the Eglin range complex on Wednesday, July 31, requiring State Road 285 to close between 9 a.m. and 3 p.m.

UPDATE: It was scary: Witnesses recall watching window washer rescued from RSA Tower in Downtown Mobile

The road will not be closed for more than a 90-minute period, the release said. Note, the road may be closed for several periods within the time frame.

The release also said backup missions are scheduled for Thursday, Aug. 1, and Friday, Aug. 2, between 9 a.m. and 3 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 WKRG News 5.
El Chapo son pleads not guilty in US court after dramatic arrest

FILE PHOTO: Mexican papers report Texas arrest of drug lord 'El Mayo' and son of 'El Chapo', in Mexico City

FILE PHOTO: Mexican papers report Texas arrest of drug lord 'El Mayo' and son of 'El Chapo', in Mexico City

By Brendan O'Brien and Luc Cohen

CHICAGO (Reuters) - A son of convicted Mexican drug lord Joaquin "El Chapo" Guzman pleaded not guilty to U.S. drug charges on Tuesday, five days after his arrest in a dramatic operation in which he delivered his father's former partner to U.S. authorities.

Joaquin Guzman Lopez, wearing an orange jumpsuit but no handcuffs, entered the plea at a hearing that lasted about 10 minutes in Chicago federal court before U.S. District Judge Sharon Johnson Coleman, who ordered him detained pending trial. Guzman Lopez could face the death penalty if convicted.

Guzman Lopez was indicted in 2023 along with three of his brothers - known as the "Chapitos," or little Chapos - on U.S. drug trafficking and money laundering charges involving their assumption of leadership of their father's Sinaloa Cartel after his 2017 extradition to the United States.

El Chapo, convicted on murder and drug charges in 2019, is serving a life sentence in a maximum security prison in Colorado.

Guzman Lopez, who is in his late 30s, was taken into U.S. custody on Thursday night near El Paso, Texas alongside Ismael "El Mayo" Zambada, the septuagenarian accused drug kingpin who founded the Sinaloa Cartel together with El Chapo.

The courtroom was packed during the hearing with onlookers and members of the U.S. Marshals service. Guzman Lopez spoke in English and answered most questions by saying, "Yes, your honor" or "No, your honor."

The judge did not set a trial date and scheduled the next court date in the case for Sept. 30.

The circumstances of Guzman Lopez's arrival in the United States were not discussed at the hearing. Many of the details about the events leading up to his arrest remain murky.

Last week, U.S. officials familiar with the situation said Guzman Lopez duped Zambada into boarding a propeller plane in Mexico by saying they were going to scope out real estate in the country's north. Instead, the plane brought both men to the United States - where Guzman Lopez had planned to surrender, but Zambada had not.

Zambada's lawyer, Frank Perez, disputed the version of events offered by U.S. officials. Perez said that Guzman Lopez "forcibly kidnapped" Zambada and brought him to the United States against his will.

Zambada pleaded not guilty to drug charges last week in El Paso federal court.

When asked about Perez's assertions after court on Tuesday, Guzman Lopez's lawyer Jeffrey Lichtman said his client was not being accused of kidnapping.

"When the government accuses him, then I'll take notice," Lichtman told reporters. "When lawyers who are trying to score points with the media make accusations ... doesn't move the ball forward."

Mexico has opened an investigation into the events leading to the arrest.

One of Guzman Lopez's brothers, 34-year-old Ovidio Guzman, was extradited from Mexico last year and pleaded not guilty to U.S. drug trafficking charges. The two other indicted brothers, Ivan Guzman Salazar and Alfredo Guzman Salazar, remain at large.

U.S. authorities have said that the four "Chapitos" revived their father's drug empire after he was arrested by embracing fentanyl, a synthetic opioid that helped supercharge an epidemic north of the border.

The arrests of Joaquin Guzman Lopez, Ovidio Guzman and Zambada were coups for U.S. authorities that may also reshape the Mexican crime landscape.

(Reporting by Brendan O'Brien in Chicago and Luc Cohen in New York; Editing by Will Dunham)
El Chapos son denies making deal with US prior to arrest, pleads not guilty in court

In a case crammed with intrigue, Joaquin Guzman Lopez, the son of the former Sinaloa cartel boss Joaquin El Chapo Guzman, pleaded not guilty Tuesday to narcotics, money laundering and firearms charges, with his attorney saying his client has made no deal with US officials.

Guzman Lopez made a brief appearance in federal court in Chicago. Afterward, attorney Jeffrey Lichtman told reporters, There is no agreement between Joaquin Guzman and the government. Period.

Ever since the stunning news that a plane carrying Guzman Lopez and Ismael El Mayo Zambada, the cartels alleged co-founder, flew last Thursday from Mexico to El Paso, Texas, theres been rampant speculation about what happened  and why.

Lichtmans statement Tuesday raises new questions about why Guzman Lopez flew here if he has no cooperation agreement with American authorities.

Did Guzman Lopez intend to surrender, as the Mexican government said Monday, citing information from US authorities? If so, did he take Zambada along as a bonus for the US? Did Guzman Lopez and his henchmen serve up the ultimate betrayal by ambushing Zambada and tossing him into the aircraft, as an attorney for the latter said?

US authorities were notified on several occasions Guzman Lopez was considering surrendering, but it was not until that same day his intention was confirmed without prior notice, according to information from US officials shared with the Mexican government.

The federal government has made no official comment on the circumstances of the flight.

While Guzman Lopez  known as one of the Chapitos, or sons of El Chapo  is charged with several offenses, including one that could provide for the possibility of the death penalty, there is no formal allegation of abduction.

Hes not being accused of kidnapping, said Lichtman. When the government accuses him, then Ill take notice.

Joaquin Guzman Lopez, wearing an orange jumpsuit, appears in court on July 30. - Lou Chukman

Lichtman has been cleared to represent both Guzman Lopez and his brother, Ovidio Guzman Lopez, who also is facing federal charges. The brothers both have status hearings set for September 30.

Guzman Lopez, wearing an orange jumpsuit and ankle chains, informed the court he is receiving care for thyroid and high blood pressure problems.

He was indicted on the charges by a federal grand jury in Illinois, according to a statement last year from the US Justice Department.

The court appearance comes after Guzman Lopez, 38, and Zambada were arrested Thursday by US authorities in El Paso. They face several charges for allegedly leading the criminal operations of what is considered to be one of the worlds most powerful and deadly drug trafficking operations.

Zambada, 76, pleaded not guilty to all charges at his first federal court appearance Friday morning in El Paso and is being held without bond on seven federal criminal counts, including continuing criminal enterprise and money laundering. He is scheduled to appear in person in the same court for a status conference Thursday, according to court documents.

US law enforcement officials told CNN the arrest came after Guzman Lopez duped Zambada and orchestrated their arrest. Zambada thought the two were flying to northern Mexico to look at real estate, but instead, their small private plane landed north of the border, where US authorities were waiting on the tarmac, officials said.

However, Zambadas attorney, in a phone conversation and a statement sent to CNN on Sunday, described the incident not as trickery but as a violent kidnapping.

Joaquin Guzman Lopez forcibly kidnapped my client. He was ambushed, thrown to the ground, and handcuffed by six men in military uniforms and Joaquin. His legs were tied, and a black bag was placed over his head, attorney Frank Perez said in a statement.

He was then thrown into the back of a pickup truck and taken to a landing strip. There, he was forced onto a plane, his legs tied to the seat by Joaquin, and brought to the US against his will. The only people on the plane were the pilot, Joaquin and my client.

Mexicos president has called on the United States to explain what exactly happened.

The government of the United States has to give a complete report. It cant be just general statements, President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador said last Friday. There has to be transparency.

In a news conference Monday, he said Mexico should be trusted.

We are not going to hide anything. Nothing. There should be confidence in us that we do not establish complicit relationships with anyone in Mexico or abroad. And people should know that, he said.

The cartel, one of the worlds most powerful narcotics trafficking organizations, is thought to be responsible for the trafficking of vast amounts of cocaine, heroin, methamphetamine and fentanyl into the United States. US Drug Enforcement Administration chief Anne Milgram said the arrests strike at the heart of the cartel that is responsible for the majority of drugs, including fentanyl and methamphetamine, killing Americans from coast to coast.

A law enforcement source familiar with the situation told CNN US officials were hesitant to brief Mexican counterparts in advance due to fears the operation could have been compromised. Details on the operation were also highly restricted within the US government until Zambada and Guzman Lopez were taken into custody, the source said.

Ismael El Mayo Zambada, left, and Joaquin Guzman Lopez, right, were arrested by U.S. authorities in Texas. - US Department of State/AP

A look at the cartel and its leadership

The Sinaloa cartel was founded in the late 1980s and led by El Chapo, who twice escaped from Mexican prisons before being detained by Mexican authorities in 2016.

The cartel has been blamed for having a key role in the drug war that plagued Mexico for years, leaving tens of thousands of people dead, as well as contributing to the ongoing high levels of violence across the country.

In the early 2010s, estimates indicated the cartel controlled roughly 40% to 60% of Mexicos drug trade, earning as much as $3 billion annually, according to a Congressional Research Service report.

El Chapo was extradited to the US in 2017 and convicted of engaging in a continuing criminal enterprise, drug trafficking, money laundering and conspiracy to commit murder. He is serving a life sentence in US federal prison.

Since then, experts believe the cartel has faced several challenges after breaking into factions  including some led by Zambada and Guzmans sons  and with the rise of rival cartels.

FBI Director Christopher Wray said both Zambada and Guzman Lopez had eluded law enforcement for decades.

Zambada was indicted by a northern Illinois grand jury in 2009, according to the US State Department, and faces various criminal charges. In 2021, the US raised the reward for information leading to his arrest to $15 million.

Ismael Mario Zambada Garcia is the long-time leader of the Zambada Garcia faction of the Sinaloa Cartel, according to the US State Department. Zambada Garcia is unique in that he has spent his entire adult life as a major international drug trafficker, yet he has never spent a day in jail.

Meanwhile, El Chapos sons are accused of having repeatedly and consistently transported lethal amounts of cocaine, heroin, methamphetamine, and fentanyl, the Justice Department said last year.

Zambadas son, Vicente Zambada Niebla, admitted during testimony at Guzmans 2018 trial to passing along orders for murders and kidnappings. He was sentenced to 15 years in prison in 2019 by a federal judge in Chicago. He began cooperating with the US government in 2011, prosecutors said in a May 2019 filing.

CNNs Nicole Chavez, Rafael Romo, Emma Tucker, Ivon Valdes, Catherine E. Shoichet, Josh Campbell and Phil Gast contributed to this report.

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Current 23rd District state Rep. Greg Nance, a Democrat, is facing three opponents  Democrat John Gibbons, Republican Jamie Miles, and Democrat Brynn Felix. Nance was appointed to Position 2 in Washington's 23rd Legislative District in 2023, following then state Rep. Drew Hanson's appointment to the vacant state senator position.

Neither Gibbons, a pediatric dentist, nor Miles, a pain management and addiction medicine specialist, have previously held elected office. Felix, who serves as general counsel for Peninsula Community Health Services, is a first-time candidate according to the Kitsap County Local Voters' Pamphlet.

The 23rd LD encompasses northern Kitsap County up to Hansville, including Bainbridge Island. The two candidates receiving the most votes in the August 6 primary move on to the November general election.

VOTER GUIDE: Washington primary election August 2024

The Kitsap Sun asked the legislative candidates to answer three questions, with a limit of 200 words for each answer. Miles did not respond to the Sun's request. The answers of Nance, Gibbons, and Felix follow:

Brynn Felix

Brynn Felix, provided by Brynn Felix.

Current occupation: General counsel, Peninsula Community Health Services

Previous elected experience: None

Party: Democratic

Campaign contributions: $94,072.07

What are the district's priorities, and what makes you the best candidate to achieve them?

My campaign has knocked over 10,000 doors from Bremerton to Hansville. Voters are most concerned about affordable healthcare, housing and homelessness, education, and our environment.

I am the most qualified candidate, with over a decade of advocacy experience as a civil rights organizer at the ACLU of WA, Law Clerk for Sen. Murray on the Senate Committee on Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions, and Judicial Law Clerk for Justice Mary Yu on the WA Supreme Court.

As general counsel to Peninsula Community Health Services (PCHS), I work to increase access to healthcare services and build permanent supportive and workforce housing. As a former pre-K and kindergarten teacher and mom of two young children, I am committed to fully funding public education and bolstering our education workforce. I am endorsed by Washington Conservation Action and look forward to championing their bold climate agenda.

I am proud to be the only candidate in my race to be endorsed by the American Federation of Teachers, as well as Planned Parenthood Alliance Advocates and Pro-Choice Washington, our states leading reproductive rights organizations. They know I will help hold the line on safeguarding our reproductive rights and freedoms.

What can the legislature do to ensure ferry service to ferry-dependent communities becomes reliable?

Creating a reliable ferry system is about setting both long and short-term goals and making sure that we are transparent through the entire process with community members who depend on our ferries. I started my legal career as a transportation and maritime lawyer, and I believe that we must start planning for additional dry docking infrastructure so that we can properly maintain our growing fleet. We must continue to push for a dedicated funding stream, and in the meantime prioritize investments in our maritime workforce and vessel maintenance. Kingston would benefit from a reservation system and IT upgrades that could support demand management solutions.

I oppose Bob Fergusons proposal to purchase diesel-powered ferries because we need to be moving away from reliance on fossil fuels, not building another generation of ferries reliant on them. Moreover, abandoning the electrification effort that is already underway will result in further delays in getting more vessels into service.

While WSF grows its fleet, our communities will continue to lean on Kitsap Transit to supplement service. I look forward to partnering with KT to increase ferry service, as well as supporting its long-range plan to increase other multi-modal transit options and ridership.

What state tool, or combination of tools, do you see that has worked to help develop affordable housing and could be employed by the state in Kitsap County?

As someone who has successfully advocated for state capital funding to help create permanent supportive housing units in Bremerton, I have seen how these investments have enabled public housing authorities and nonprofits such as Bremerton Housing Authority, Kitsap Mental Health Services, Kitsap Community Resources, PCHS, and Kitsap Homes of Compassion to add more units to our communitys housing continuum. The Legislature must continue to invest in the Washington State Housing Trust Fund at the scale of need to bolster affordable housing development.

We also saw how emergency rental assistance was an incredibly effective tool to keep people housed during COVID and ensure that landlords received rent. I support rental assistance programs, particularly combined with rent stabilization - which has not yet passed but hopefully will during the coming biennium.

To promote inclusive growth in Washington, we should also concentrate on supporting community-led development institutions, rural ADUs, and rent stabilization, while working to limit zoning or design restrictions that prevent the building of affordable housing with our Urban Growth Areas under the Growth Management Act.

John Gibbons

John Gibbons, provided by John Gibbons.

Current occupation: Pediatric dentist and dental advocate

Previous elected experience: None

Party: Democratic

Campaign contributions: $88,672.34

What are the district's priorities, and what makes you the best candidate to achieve them?

Our economy is suffering from a broken ferry system, a housing crisis, and a lack of affordable healthcare causing people to struggle.

We live in the richest nation in the world, and yet our healthcare outcomes are some of the lowest among developed countries. After 35 years as a healthcare provider I know how the system works and what legislation would create better outcomes for patients. I have already passed two bills to improve healthcare, benefiting thousands. Another problem is workforce shortages limiting our access to our providers. I am working with leaders from Olympic College and the Suquamish Tribe to create an integrated healthcare clinic where our next generation of workers can be trained and our most vulnerable treated.

We have a crisis in housing affordability with too many unsheltered folks. We must expand our housing options and create a more robust behavior health system to improve the wellness of our community.

As a Kitsap native, a small business owner, and a children's dentist, I understand our community's challenges. We need a leader in Olympia who will get ferries in the water, reform our healthcare system and make housing more affordable. I will tackle these challenges with real solutions

What can the legislature do to ensure ferry service to ferry-dependent communities becomes reliable?

The ferry system is broken and has not received the priority it deserves and we are told that there is no fast fix to building new boats. The goal of an all electric fleet will offer so many benefits to our climate and ultimately must be achieved. We are told the earliest that will happen is 2028, but the reality is it will probably take much longer. Currently we only have 8 ferries that are in good condition from an ideal fleet of 24 boats. That is unacceptable and needs to be addressed immediately.

Last session we had legislators from the 26th district that introduce a bill that would have shifted back to diesel ferries to fill the gap until the electric ferries are built. Unfortunately they did not receive support for this bill. Now candidates for governor from both parties are supporting diesel ferries as a short term fix. I support this approach and will do whatever it takes to get boats in the water now.

Another part of the equation causing cancellations is workforce shortages. To address this we need to create incentive programs to recruit and retain workers, especially for veterans transitioning out of the service.

What state tool, or combination of tools, do you see that has worked to help develop affordable housing and could be employed by the state in Kitsap County?

The number of unsheltered is at an all time high, and the shortage of affordable housing is major reason why. To end this crisis we must expand our housing options and encourage more housing development.Our housing is too expensive with cost of rents and home ownership doubling in the last 10 years.The American dream of home ownership and the wealth it generates and the stability that comes with it are out of reach for too many.

If we are to address the housing crisis we will need to look for solutions that will create more affordable land to build on. Solutions that would allow communities to expand their current zoning and building codes. We need to streamline our permitting process and we need to encourage our next generation of workers to go into the trades industry. Not everyone needs to have a college education to have a high quality of life.

As our community grows, we must ensure that it does not come at the expense of our natural environment and green spaces. We live in one of the most beautiful places in the world and I want generations to come to enjoy the beauty that surrounds us.

Greg Nance

Greg Nance, provided by Greg Nance.

Current occupation: State Representative, 23rd District

Previous elected experience: Elected assistant majority whip and vice chair of the Maritime Caucus

Party: Democratic

Campaign contributions: $111,828.19

What are the district's priorities, and what makes you the best candidate to achieve them?

Neighbors across Kitsap are struggling with affordability and access  including rising costs of housing, groceries, gasoline, healthcare and childcare.

During my first term in Olympia, I've worked with colleagues to tackle these challenges head-on. I sponsored "Working Connections Child Care" to streamline eligibility and pushed for a $7.4 million investment to expand affordable childcare. I also fought for an expansion of Olympic College's Healthcare Pathways to train more nurses and secured $4.5 million to build a new Suquamish Health Center.

I listen, work hard, and deliver for Kitsap. I was named "Freshman Legislator of the Year" by Children's Campaign Fund. Our campaign is proudly endorsed by The Suquamish Tribe and Port Gamble S'Klallam Tribe, all 4 Kitsap Firefighter unions, Attorney General Bob Ferguson, former Congressman Norm Dicks, Senator Drew Hansen, former Senator Phil Rockefeller, the Washington State Labor Council  representing 600 unions and 500,000 members  and 46 Democratic State Representatives.

What can the legislature do to ensure ferry service to ferry-dependent communities becomes reliable?

During my first legislative session, I built a bipartisan coalition that delivered $80 million in new funding to Fix our Ferries. These investments to bolster staffing and vessel maintenance have already cut cancellations by half.

As the Vice Chair of the Legislatures Maritime Caucus, I am honored to work with colleagues across the state to accelerate recruiting efforts, boost maintenance, and build the 21st century fleet. We will continue investing in Washington's shop classes as a talent pipeline and build pathways at Naval Base Kitsap to help recruit experienced sailors who've honorably served our nation. We must maintain our aging vessels while calling on Congress to provide federal funding to rebuild America's largest ferry fleet.

As a lifelong ferry rider, I promise to keep working hard to Fix our Ferries.

What state tool, or combination of tools, do you see that has worked to help develop affordable housing and could be employed by the state in Kitsap County?

I believe housing is a human right. As your State Rep, Im working to craft laws and policies that encourage the construction of affordable housing while investing $127 million in the Housing Trust Fund to ensure community organizations, nonprofits, and working families have the resources to bridge the housing gap.

I advocate for more housing at each level of the continuum so we can better serve every neighbor including working families, seniors, and veterans. I am working to cut red tape with permit reforms that make "lot splitting" and the construction of accessory dwelling units (ADUs) faster and cheaper to ease our housing crisis.

As the House Democrats Assistant Whip, I rallied votes for rent stabilization to protect renters and Im committed to advancing compassionate policies that help our most vulnerable neighbors, including those challenged by mental illness and addiction.

Im also proud to lead investments in public transit that create new community connections  access to good jobs, compassionate childcare, and healthcare  and opportunities for affordable housing development. I advocate for smart density and transit-oriented development that enable safe, walkable, bikeable communities where every neighbor can thrive.

We need an "All Hands on Deck" housing strategy.

This article originally appeared on Kitsap Sun: 4 candidates vie for Washington 23rd District position held by Nance
Citizens in Milan Township have some important decisions to make come the primary election on August 6.

The voters will be faced with three options for two trustees: Thomas McGettigan, Nick Straub, and Shelby Tulk, all of them Republicans.

Candidates were asked to submit biographical information and answer the following questions:

Why are you running for this position?

What do you think is the main challenge facing Milan Township, and what should be done about it?

Why should people vote for you?

Their responses are printed as provided, though they may have been edited for clarity or truncated if the answers exceeded the given word limits.

Thomas McGettigan

(Declined to provide a photo.)

Age: 61

Occupation: Self-Employed

Spouse/kids: Wife: Vicki  We have three married adult children and five grandchildren.

Government experience:

Summerfield Township, Michigan  Board of Trustees

Milan Area Fire Executive Board  as Member at Large

Volunteer/community service experience:

Summerfield Township Fire Department  Firefighter / EMT

Petersburg  Deerfield Lions Club  Served in many capacities.

Why are you running for this position?

I seek the Trustee position as our township board needs more experienced board members.

What do you think is the main challenge facing Milan Township, and what should be done about it?

I feel the biggest challenge is the lack of experience by the three newest members of the board of trustees and the lack of knowledge of the basics of township governance, which I believe comes from the lack of experience. What should be done about it is: Training from the Michigan Townships Association.

Why should people vote for you?

I have the training, experience, and understanding of what the role of trustee entails on a townships board of trustees. And to advocate for township residents who may feel intimidated by bringing matters before the board.

Nick Straub

Nick Straub is running for Milan Township trustee.

Age: 62

Occupation: Retired

Spouse: Sally

Children: 2

Government Experience:

Current Trustee of Milan Township Board

Current member of Milan Township Planning Commission

Served on Monroe County Solid Waste Planning Committee

Served as Board Member and Treasure of MISS Dig

30 years-experience working directly with MDEQ, MISHOA & multiple municipalities.

Volunteer/community service experience:

Served as a volunteer fireman for several years. Currently assist spouse at local food pantry when necessary.

Why are you running for this position?

To serve all residents in Milan Township and give them a voice.

What do you think is the main challenge facing Milan Township, and what should be done about it?

Preserving Milan Township as current residents desire, and maintaining a fair balance between property owners (small & larger alike).

Why should people vote for you?

I have lived in Milan for 62 years. I have worked and served in many capacities and have had to make decisions for the greater good not what was best for a select few.

Shelby Tulk

Shelby Tulk is running for a position of Milan Township trustee.

Age: 30

Occupation: Administrative Coordinator for the Office of Research and Sponsored Projects (ORSP) at The University of Michigan

Spouse/kids: Warren Allstetter (fiance), no kids

Government experience:

No experience in an official capacity, but I have been attending meetings over the last two years in Milan Township

Volunteer/community service experience:

Whenever I have the time and chance to I try to get out and help the community.

Why are you running for this position?

I am running for one of the township trustee positions to become more involved in the township. I want to be a voice for the township residents and what they want to see progress and improve.

What do you think is the main challenge facing Milan Township, and what should be done about it?

The main challenge I have seen over the last few years here is solar. Where I am from originally, the agricultural makeup of the land is slightly different because of the crops. Regardless how you feel about having solar or not, it shouldnt affect your neighbor's property. This topic has already been a goal of the current board to protect the township and its residents for what the majority want. I would like to work with them to continue to be a voice and work towards that goal.

Why should people vote for you?

My fiance and I are from families have been longtime members of the area, and we love living here. The agricultural integrity and residents are what make Milan Township a great place. I want to keep that intact while making steps forward to improve the area, to continue making it a great place to call home.

This article originally appeared on The Monroe News: Election preview: Three up for Milan Township trustees
Chinese hackers were able to access the data of 40m voters after staff at the Electoral Commission failed to update their passwords, a report has found.

The Information Commissioners Office (ICO), the data protection watchdog, said that insecure password policies were partly responsible for hackers gaining access to its systems in 2021 and 2022.

It said that hundreds of staff accounts had used default passwords supplied by the commissions IT department, including one of the accounts compromised during the attack.

The Electoral Commission had also failed to update its software to protect against the attacks in August 2021.

Hackers were able to access the electoral register for more than a year, and the servers were repeatedly accessed until the incident was discovered in October 2022.

The Conservative government blamed the attack on hackers backed by the Chinese state in March.

Experts have linked the incident to Hafnium, a state-sponsored group that carried out a series of data thefts exploiting vulnerabilities in Microsoft software.

Details including names, addresses, National Insurance numbers, nationalities and ages are on the electoral register.

The ICO formally reprimanded the Electoral Commission on Tuesday, saying it had not taken basic steps to protect its systems.

It said the major cause of the fault was that it had failed to introduce security updates released by Microsoft in April and May 2021  several months before the hack took place.

However, it also admonished the commission for poor password practices, saying many staff accounts were using the default and easy-to-guess codes issued by its service desk.

In an audit, an unnamed IT company was able to crack into 178 accounts because they were using identical or similar passwords to those given when the account was created.

There is no evidence that the electoral register downloaded was used for cyber crime.

However, staff did find that spam emails were being sent from the Electoral Commissions servers.

Stephen Bonner, the ICOs deputy commissioner, said: The Electoral Commission handles the personal information of millions of people, all of whom expect their data to be in safe hands.

If the Electoral Commission had taken basic steps to protect its systems, such as effective security patching and password management, it is highly likely that this data breach would not have happened.

By not installing the latest security updates promptly, its systems were left exposed and vulnerable to hackers.

An Electoral Commission spokesman said: We regret that sufficient protections were not in place to prevent the cyber-attack on the commission.

As the ICO has noted and welcomed, since the attack we have made changes to our approach, systems, and processes to strengthen the security and resilience of our systems and will continue to invest in this area.

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BOSTON  High rents, high sale prices, high mortgage interest rates, bidding wars, lack of inventory...the symptoms of the nation-wide housing crisis that prompted Massachusetts Sen. Elizabeth Warren to file legislation in Washington that she says could help address the issue.

Massachusetts Sen. Elizabeth Warren announcing the bill that could boost housing production in the U.S., funding some 3 million units, at a press conference in Dorchester Monday, July 29. The bill would revise the federal estate tax for the nation's wealthiest residents to off-set the cost to the federal government, and is expected to generate billions.

The bill, dubbed the American Housing and Economic Mobility Act, aims to create nearly 3 million accessible units nationwide, to lower costs for working people by 10% and save families an average of $140 a month.

Massachusetts could receive funding to add 175,000 units to its housing stock.

The plan would allocate resources to state and local governments, and grassroots and community organizations, and is designed to tackle local housing needs by funding creative local approaches and solutions.

Warren acknowledged that Republicans, who currently control the House of Representatives, will fight us on this.

Proposal to increase the federal estate tax

The bill, reintroduced from an earlier version, would pay for additional spending on community housing startups by increasing the federal inheritance tax.

Currently, the federal government taxes estates valued at more than $13.61 million at a range of 18% to 40%, depending upon how much of the estate is over $13.61 million in value. Several states also impose estate taxes; in Massachusetts, it is imposed on estates worth more than $2 million.

Warren's bill would return the federal estate tax to the levels of 2009, at the end of the George W. Bush administration, when the tax rate was 45% on estate values exceeding $3.5 million.

Warren, a Democrat who is running for reelection this fall, unveiled the legislation at the Urban Edge in Roxbury, an affordable housing developer.

Attending the morning announcement were local mayors including the mayors of Fitchburg and Gardner.

The senator said she envisioned a partnership between the federal government and state and local governments and organizations. The "breakthrough legislation would follow and counteract federal housing policy failures, and also mandate that projects pay construction workers enough so that they can afford to live in the homes they are building.

We have to get this done, Warren said. What were doing now is not getting it done. Every year we fall further and further behind.

She said it is time for the federal government to come off the sidelines and make a big investment in housing to ensure the working and middle class can afford a place to live.

Where the money would go

$445 billion to the federal Housing Trust Fund to build, rehabilitate and operate nearly 2 million homes for low-income families including those in rural areas. The figure includes $2.5 billion to rehabilitate or construct new homes for native populations in the continental United States and Hawaii.

$25 billion to the Capital Management Fund to leverage private capital at a 10-to-1 ratio to build more than 750,000 units for lower- and middle-class families

$4 billion to a new middle-class housing emergency fund to support homes made affordable in perpetuity for middle-class buyers and renters in places with low housing stock, where housing costs are growing faster than incomes

$1 billion to support rural housing starts to create rentals and support home purchases

$70 billion for the Public Housing Capital Fund to maintain public housing

Other provisions in the bill

Assistance for first-time, first-generation homebuyers and guaranteed VA loans for certain veterans and their survivors as a way to reverse discrimination suffered by Black veterans who were denied access to loans through the GI Bill. Eligibility would be limited to survivors and descendants of veterans who served between the enactment of the GI Bill and the Fair Housing Act

A grant program to support those in distressed communities who have negative equity in their homes

Incentives for local governments to repeal restrictive land-use policies and zoning laws

Limits on private equity in the housing market

Obligations for lenders to provide access to credit for all Americans

Stronger antidiscrimination laws and more options for housing vouchers

Requirements that housing built with funding from the legislation have double the federal minimum number of accessible units

This article originally appeared on Telegram & Gazette: Elizabeth Warren bill would spend half a trillion on housing
ELMWOOD PARK, Ill.  In the coming weeks, police in the Village of Elmwood Park will be equipped with ShotSpotter gunshot detection technology.

A news release said Elmwood Park is believed to be one of the first Chicago suburbs to implement the crime fighting tool.

ShotSpotter helps police quickly respond to gunfire even when no 911 calls are made. It uses a complex array of acoustic sensors which use triangulation to not only detect gunfire, but locate where it came from. The automatic reporting may be important when a victim needs help or evidence needs to be collected.

PREVIOUS COVERAGE: City Council votes to limit mayors ability to cancel ShotSpotter contract

Algorithms within ShotSpotter are also effective at differentiating legitimate incidents from false activations of the system, such as activations caused by fireworks or other loud noises. Officials added that between 2019 and 2021, ShotSpotter had a 97% aggregate accuracy rate.

According to ShotSpotter, only 12% of gunfire is reported to police, but that number jumps to 90% of gunfire being reported when communities use ShotSpotters technology. Officials said shell casings are also more likely to be recovered from shooting scenes and ShotSpotter also lets authorities find crime scenes more easily.

Were always looking to improve our public safety toolbox, said Elmwood Park Police Chief Andrew Hock. While gunfire is not commonplace in Elmwood Park, were constantly looking to reduce crime or the potential for crime any way we can.

The Chicago Police Department has shared their ShotSpotter information with Elmwood Park police for several years now. The municipalities border each other along Harlem Avenue and Belmont Avenue, and Hock added his police department will share its information with neighboring municipalities as well.

Some aldermen raise new concerns about plan to end ShotSpotter in Chicago

Elmwood Park is a very safe and welcoming place to live, said Elmwood Park President Angelo Skip Saviano. And one of the reasons is because we have a proactive police department that uses all of the resources available to them to best deter and respond to crime.

Village officials and police have also utilized other innovative programs over the last few years, including a partnership with residents to help them buy home security cameras that can be enrolled in a database. The village also helped pay for the cost of installing catalytic converter alarms on residents cars while also setting up a network of cameras along Harlem and North Avenues.

Copyright 2024 Nexstar Media, Inc. 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.
TOKYO, July 30 (Xinhua) -- Japan's jobless rate in June fell to 2.5 percent from 2.6 percent the previous month, marking the first improvement in five months, government data showed on Tuesday.

According to the Ministry of Internal Affairs and Communications, the total number of people with jobs in June came to 68.22 million, up 370,000 from a year earlier and the highest number since comparable records began in 1953.

The total number of unemployed people fell 3.3 percent to a seasonally adjusted 1.76 million in June, as fewer people left their jobs voluntarily or sought new work, data showed.

Separately, the Ministry of Health, Labor and Welfare said Japan's jobs-to-applicants ratio slipped to 1.23 in June from 1.24 in May, a third consecutive month of decline, indicating there were 123 jobs available for every 100 jobseekers. 
Feeling Dumb

It's no secret that multi-hyphenate billionaire Elon Musk spends an astonishing amount of time posting dubious political material on his social media echo chamber X-formerly-Twitter.

During a late Sunday night session, Musk cosigned a meme that reads: "If you ever feel dumb, just remember there are some people who still believe everything shown in [sic] news," resharing the image with a curt "yup."

But it didn't take long for Musk to out himself as one of those same gullible dupes who will believe anything if it flatters their preconceptions.

"This is messed up," he wrote a few hours later, at 3:42 am, as he reshared a video posted by Visegrad 24, an influential independent news account that tweets about the Russian invasion of Ukraine and the Israel-Hamas war that's well-known for posting fake news.

Visegrad 24 claimed the video showed "armed communist Maduro gangs 'Colectivos' are now storming polling stations in Punta Cardon," Venezuela.

But as an X community note quickly pointed out, that was a complete lie.

"Those are thieves stealing air conditioners and a woman can be heard in the video saying so," the note reads. "Voting in Venezuela is done on small computers that look nothing like what appears in this video."

Believing Everything

Musk quietly deleted the post without acknowledging that he'd spread fake news himself, the exact thing he'd just blamed the media for doing.

His hilariously timed blunder is far from the first. The mercurial CEO has a long history of bringing attention to racist conspiracy theories, outright propaganda, and completely made-up news reports, allowing hate speech and fake news to flourish on the platform.

Other users were alarmed at Musk blindly "believing everything" he sees on his platform.

"These are air conditioners, Elon Musk," one user tweeted. "Visegrad regularly posts fake news."

An account representing the distributed hacking group Anonymous chimed in as well.

"In an attempt at pushing propaganda, Elon pushes a false narrative that the thieves in the video are stealing ballot boxes," Anonymous tweeted, "when it's easy to see they're stealing air conditioning units for windows."

Last week, Musk shared an AI-generated video of vice president Kamala Harris, a flagrant violation of his platform's own policies.

In short, while a healthy dose of skepticism goes a long way when reading or watching the news, X-formerly-Twitter has quickly become a cesspool of unsourced claims and propaganda, making it a far worse place to catch up.

Worse yet, Musk's already tenuous connection to reality is as shaky as ever. With his endorsement of the notorious liar Donald Trump, Musk has clearly abandoned any commitment to the truth  a troubling development given the presidential election is right around the corner.

More on Musk: Elon Musk Won't Apologize After Sharing Faked AI Video of Kamala Harris
FILE - Tesla and SpaceX CEO Elon Musk addresses the European Jewish Association's conference in Krakow, Poland, Jan. 22, 2024. A manipulated video that mimics the voice of Vice President Kamala Harris to impersonate her is raising concerns about the power of artificial intelligence to mislead just three months away from November's elections. The video gained attention after Musk shared it on his social media platform X on Friday, July 26, without noting it was originally released as parody. (AP Photo/Czarek Sokolowski, File)

Add Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro to the growing list of foreign leaders with whom tech billionaire Elon Musk has picked a fight.

Following the results of Venezuelas presidential election, in which Maduro and his opponents each claimed victory, the owner of X took to the social media platform to accuse the self-proclaimed socialist leader of major election fraud.

Shame on Dictator Maduro, Musk said Monday.

Maduro in turn trashed Musk as the archenemy of Venezuelas peace.

Officials delayed the release of detailed vote tallies from Sundays election after proclaiming Maduro the winner with 51% of the vote, compared with 44% for retired diplomat Edmundo Gonzalez. The competing claims set up a high-stakes standoff.

After failing to oust Maduro during three rounds of demonstrations since 2014, the opposition put its faith in the ballot box. The elections were among the most peaceful in recent memory, reflecting hopes that Venezuela could avoid bloodshed and end 25 years of single-party rule.

Musk also retweeted a comment on X by his friend Argentine President Javier Milei. The numbers announced a landslide opposition by the victory and the world is waiting for the government to acknowledge defeat after years of socialism, misery, decadence and death, Milei said.

Maduro was swift to respond to Musks social media posts, calling the billionaire a threat to Venezuela.

He is the representation of the fascist ideology, anti-natural, anti-society, Maduro said.

Elon Musk is desperate, control yourself, he warned. Whoever gets involved with me dries out.

This is not Musks first confrontation with foreign governments. Earlier this year, the self-proclaimed free speech absolutist clashed with a Brazilian supreme court justice over free speech, far-right accounts and purported misinformation on X, formerly Twitter. Musk bought Twitter back in 2022, upending many of the social platform's policies and laying off the majority of its workforce.

As for Venezuelas election, leaders around the world also expressed concerns over the results, many calling for transparency in the vote count.
In recent weeks, Elon Musks comments about his transgender daughter, Vivian Jenna Wilson, have reignited debates about gender-affirming care for transgender youth. Musk claimed he was tricked into supporting his childs transition and that the woke mind virus had effectively killed his son. However, Wilsons own words and experiences tell a starkly different storyone that underscores the life-changing benefits of gender-affirming care and the importance of listening to transgender individuals themselves.

Musks high-profile statements come at a time when several U.S. states and entire countries are pushing to criminalize gender-affirming treatments for minors, and some political commentators are suggesting that adopting anti-transgender stances could be electorally advantageous. Yet these positions fly in the face of established medical consensus and the lived experiences of transgender individuals like Wilson.

In this article, Ill examine why Elon Musk is wrong about his daughter and gender-affirming care, drawing on Wilsons own statements, scientific research, and expert medical opinions. Ill explore how Wilsons story actually provides compelling evidence for the positive outcomes of gender-affirming care and why political efforts to restrict such care are not only cruel but fundamentally misguided. Ultimately, Ill make the case that medical decisionswhether regarding gender-affirming treatments or other personal health matters, such as abortionare best left to patients, their doctors, and in the case of minors, their parents, rather than being dictated by government legislation or political expediency.





Wilsons story provides a powerful counterpoint to her fathers claims. Far from being killed by gender-affirming care, Wilson is a 20-year-old college student who has found the strength to speak out against misinformation about her own life.

In her first public interview, Wilson directly challenged Musks narrative. I think he was under the assumption that I wasnt going to say anything and I would just let this go unchallenged, she stated. Which Im not going to do, because if youre going to lie about me, like, blatantly to an audience of millions, Im not just gonna let that slide.

Wilsons account of her relationship with Musk starkly contrasts with his public statements. She described him as an absent father, stating, He was there, I want to say, maybe 10% of the time. Thats generous. When he was present, Vivian recalls him as cold, very quick to anger, and uncaring and narcissistic. She recounts instances of Musk berating her for exhibiting feminine traits, including one in fourth grade where he was constantly yelling at me viciously because my voice was too high.

Contrary to Musks claim of being tricked into authorizing her treatment, Wilson asserts that he was fully informed when he consented to her gender-affirming care at age 16. She states, He was not by any means tricked. He knew the full side effects, explaining that Musk read the medical forms at least twice before signing them.

Her journey also illuminates the typical timeline of gender identity realization and disclosure. She came out twice: first as gay in eighth grade and then as transgender at 16. This aligns with research showing that many transgender individuals realize their identity years before disclosing it to others, countering notions of sudden or externally influenced gender identity changes.

The positive impact of gender-affirming care is evident in Wilsons ability to live authentically. She emphasizes her autonomy and self-determination, stating, I am an adult. I am 20 years old. I am not a child. My life should be defined by my own choices. This sentiment echoes the goals of gender-affirming care: to allow individuals to live as their true selves and make informed decisions about their bodies and identities.

Wilsons experience also highlights the crucial role of family support. While her relationship with Musk is strained, she speaks positively about her mothers support: Shes very supportive. I love her a lot. This underscores the importance of accepting and affirming parents in the well-being of transgender youth, a factor consistently emphasized in research on outcomes for transgender individuals.

Moreover, Wilsons ability to pursue higher education and advocate for herself demonstrates resilience and personal growth. Her willingness to challenge misinformation about her own experiences, even in the face of her fathers global platform, shows strength of character and a clear sense of self.

In essence, Wilsons story is not one of loss or harm, as Musk suggests, but one of resilience, self-actualization, and the positive impact of appropriate medical care and family support. Her lived experience serves as a powerful counterargument to those who claim gender-affirming care is harmful. Instead, it provides living proof that such care, when provided appropriately and with support, can lead to positive outcomes, allowing transgender individuals to thrive and live authentically.





While Wilsons story provides a powerful personal testament to the benefits of gender-affirming care, its crucial to examine the broader scientific evidence supporting these treatments. Contrary to Musks claims and political rhetoric opposing such care, a substantial body of research demonstrates the positive outcomes associated with gender-affirming care for transgender youth.

Recent debates about gender-affirming care have often been clouded by misinformation and political rhetoric. To cut through this noise, its essential to examine the scientific evidence. A recent white paper from Yale Law School, co-authored by Professor Anne Alstott and Dr. Meredithe McNamara, along with a team of international scientists, provides a comprehensive overview of the current scientific consensus on gender-affirming care.

This Yale white paper was written in response to a report commissioned by the U.K.s National Health Service, known as the Cass Review. While the Cass Review has been cited by some to justify restrictions on gender-affirming care, the Yale paper argues that such interpretations misrepresent the reviews findings and the broader scientific evidence.

The Cass Review levies unsupported assertions about gender identity, gender dysphoria, standard practices, and the safety of gender-affirming medical treatments, and it repeats claims that have been disproved by sound evidence, write the white papers authors in a point-by-point debunking of some of the more outlandish talking points that have arisen from the Cass Reviews publication.

The World Professional Association for Transgender Health, or WPATH, and United States Professional Association for Transgender Health, USPATH, put out a joint press release in May 2024, stating: The Cass Review process itself intentionally and explicitly excluded any oversight from patients and their families and trans healthcare experts, and its content is not supported by a robust methodology. The Cass Review relies on selective and inconsistent use of evidence, and its recommendations often do not follow from the data presented in the systematic reviews.

Its worth noting that WPATH, the American Academy of Pediatrics, and the Endocrine Society all support gender-affirming care for transgender adolescents. This support is not merely organizational policy but is backed by a growing body of scientific evidence. The Yale white paper synthesizes this evidence, demonstrating improved mental health outcomes, better quality of life, and very low rates of regret among transgender youth who receive appropriate care.





The current political climate surrounding gender-affirming care for transgender youth is fraught with tension, as evidenced by the recent Supreme Court decision to hear a case on state bans of such care. This legal battle represents a broader conflict between scientific consensus and political ideology, with potentially far-reaching consequences for transgender individuals across the United States.

As of July 2024, 25 states have enacted laws restricting or banning gender-affirming care for transgender minors. These laws have been passed despite the fact that such treatments have been available in the U.S. for over a decade and are endorsed by major medical associations. The disconnect between medical expertise and legislative action is stark and concerning.

In this context, its particularly troubling to see suggestions like that made in The New York Times The Morning newsletter. Writer David Leonhardt urged presumptive Democratic nominee Kamala Harris to adopt a position on health care for trans minors that would restrict the type of access that Vivian Jenna Wilson received. Leonhardt wrote:

U.S. liberals have adopted some positions on gender issues that are out of the mainstream. Doctors in Europe, for example, believe the scientific evidence doesnt support gender transition hormone treatment for many children. Most Americans agreewhile also opposing discrimination against trans people. Many prominent Democrats are well to the left of the public on this subject. If Harris took a moderate position, she could undermine Republican claims that she is an elite cultural liberal.

This suggestion is not only out of touch with the actual science of the matter but also deeply unethical. It proposes using the health care rights of a vulnerable population as a political bargaining chip. Moreover, it misrepresents the European medical consensuswhile many politicians in Europe may agree with Leonhardt, this is not the view of doctors who are actually experts in this fieldand overlooks the robust body of evidence supporting gender-affirming care.

The Yale white paper discussed earlier directly contradicts Leonhardts characterization of the European medical consensus. It points out that while some European countries have recently reviewed their policies, there isnt a uniform European medical consensus against gender-affirming care for youth. Many European medical bodies continue to support such care when appropriate.

Furthermore, the suggestion that Harris should adopt a position based on political strategy rather than medical evidence is problematic and inhumane. Medical decisions should be based on scientific consensus and individual patient needs, not political expediency. This approach risks causing real harm to transgender youth who rely on access to gender-affirming care for their well-being.

The ongoing legal battles, exemplified by the upcoming Supreme Court case, underscore the high stakes of this debate. These laws and potential future restrictions could deny lifesaving care to young people like Wilson, who have benefited greatly from access to gender-affirming treatments.





Throughout this examination of gender-affirming care for transgender youth, several critical themes have emerged. Wilsons personal journey stands as a powerful testament to the positive outcomes of such care. Her ability to live authentically and advocate for herself directly contradicts her fathers claims about the harm of these treatments. Importantly, her experience aligns with the broader scientific evidence supporting gender-affirming care.

This scientific consensus, as detailed in the Yale white paper and numerous studies, provides a strong foundation for the benefits of gender-affirming care. Improved mental health outcomes, enhanced quality of life, and remarkably low rates of regret are consistently reported. Its no wonder that major medical associations, including the World Professional Association for Transgender Health, the American Academy of Pediatrics, and the Endocrine Society, all endorse gender-affirming care based on this robust evidence.

Yet weve seen how this evidence can be misrepresented. Claims that gender-affirming care is harmful or lacks scientific backing often distort the true scientific consensus. The critique of the Cass Review in the Yale white paper illustrates how selective interpretation of data can lead to misleading conclusions, underscoring the importance of comprehensive and unbiased analysis.

The current wave of legislative restrictions on gender-affirming care represents a troubling intrusion of political ideology into medical practice. These laws not only contradict medical expertise but also risk causing significant harm to transgender youth who rely on these treatments for their well-being. Even more concerning are suggestions that political figures should adopt anti-transgender stances for electoral gain, as proposed in the New York Times newsletter. Such proposals prioritize political strategy over the health and rights of a vulnerable population, raising serious ethical concerns.

As we look to the future, its imperative that we prioritize evidence-based care and individual rights. Medical decisions, whether about gender-affirming care or any other health matter, should remain in the hands of patients, their doctors, and in the case of minors, their parents. Government interference in these personal decisions, especially when it contradicts medical consensus, sets a dangerous precedent that extends beyond transgender health care.

The upcoming Supreme Court case on state bans of gender-affirming care underscores the national significance of this issue. As this legal battle unfolds, we must continue to amplify the voices and experiences of transgender individuals like Wilson, whose firsthand knowledge of the benefits of this care is invaluable.

Musks statements about his daughter and gender-affirming care not only cause personal hurt but also fly in the face of scientific evidence and the lived experiences of many transgender individuals. The political efforts to criminalize this care are both cruel and misguided, potentially denying lifesaving treatments to those who need them most.

Our society must stand firm in supporting evidence-based medical care and protecting individuals rights to make informed decisions about their own bodies and identities. Only through this commitment can we ensure that transgender youth, like Wilson, have the opportunity to thrive and live authentically as themselves. The path forward is clear: We must embrace science, compassion, and individual autonomy in our approach to transgender health care.
WARWICK  Police have identified the pedestrian killed Sunday on Route 2 by an alleged hit-and-run driver as embattled former state District Court administrator Nicholas R. Cote.

Cote, 44, who was living in Florida and recently survived a car crash, was killed Sunday night after being struck by a driver near a strip mall at 709 Quaker Lane, the police said.

Cote was initially struck by a vehicle driven by a 26-year-old Logan Barboza, of West Warwick, as she drove south on Quaker Lane, the police said. A witness told officers that Cote was walking in the right southbound lane at the time he was hit in an area that has no sidewalks.

Barboza stopped to check on Cote when they were both hit by a dark-colored Jeep Grand Cherokee, fatally injuring Cote, the police said. The Jeep drove off south on Quaker Lane.

Cote was pronounced dead at the scene. Barboza was taken to Rhode Island Hospital with serious injuries, the police said.

The alleged driver of the Jeep was arrested on Aug. 1 and charged in connection with the crash.

Nicholas Cote, a former head clerk in District Court, photographed at his home in 2023.

Cote had a long, storied District Court career; filed lawsuit

Cote, a longtime District Court administrator, sued District Court Chief Judge Jeanne E. LaFazia and other judicial leaders in federal court in February, accusing them of forcing his resignation by creating a hostile work environment and retaliating against him after he reported racist, homophobic and misogynistic behavior by fellow administrator Stephen Waluk.

Cote alleged that LaFazia, state Supreme Court Chief Justice Paul A. Suttell, state court administrator Julie Hamil, District Court administrator Jamie Hainsworth and unnamed others violated his rights under the Family and Medical Leave Act and the state Whistleblowers Protection Act, among other violations.

Cote worked in District Court as a fixer for 21 years and rose to the role of assistant administrator with a salary of $111,185 due to his hard work, talent and likeability, according to Cote's lawsuit.

Cote said problems arose when LaFazia became chief judge of the court and asked him to do work on her homes in Rhode Island and Florida. The projects for the chief judge "never fully ended before others were suggested or required to be completed during court hours and on weekends, he said.

More problems developed due to then-administrator Waluks misogynist, racist and homophobic comments at work, the suit alleged.

Waluk was hired by LaFazia as chief clerk of the court in 2012 and was promoted to court administrator in 2015. He resigned Dec. 2, 2022, with an ending salary of $174,143, including longevity earned from previous state service, according to the courts.

The courts asked for Waluks resignation after Cote said he produced emails from the administrator, according to Cotes claims.

Waluk has expressed regret for using bad words in communications with Cote.

Cote alleged that LaFazia and other court officials retaliated against him by demoting him to an entry-level position, cutting his salary by $70,000 and spreading false information that he was a drug addict for reporting Waluks behavior the suit says.

After consulting the union, Cote was encouraged to resign Nov. 28, amounting to a constructive firing without cause, the suit says.

LaFazia categorically denied the allegations through her lawyer, Michael Colucci.

"Whenever one stains the noble halls of a courthouse with fiction and fantasy, it is disappointing to say the least. Should he choose to proceed forward, we will have no choice but to defend vigorously and reveal the truth," Colucci said on LaFazia's behalf.

Cote is survived by a young daughter and beloved German shepherd, as well as other family.

Alleged driver arrested

A 24-year-old North Kingstown man was arrested and charged with one count of duty to stop in accidents resulting in death and one count of duty to stop in accidents resulting in serious bodily injury, the police said.

The driver was arraigned Aug. 2.

Reporter Jack Perry contributed to this report

Editor's note: This story was updated to reflect the arrest of the driver, as well as Cote's surviving family members.

This article originally appeared on The Providence Journal: Warwick hit-and-run victim ID'd as former court admin and whistleblower
Acting Secret Service Director Ronald Rowe in his first appearance before Congress on Tuesday struck a more candid tone than his predecessor, saying he was ashamed of the way his agency handled planning for the event where an assassin tried to kill former President Trump.

Rowe, in a booming voice that at times rose with emotion, also clashed with Republicans on the panel while resisting calls from both sides of the aisle to swiftly fire employees found at fault in the planning or response to the July 13 rally at Butler, Pa., saying he would not take such action until the completion of a thorough review.

I laid in a prone position to evaluate his line of sight. What I saw made me ashamed, Rowe told a joint meeting of the Senate Judiciary Committee and Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee.

As a career law enforcement officer and a 25-year veteran with the Secret Service, I cannot defend why that roof was not better secured to prevent similar lapses from occurring in the future, said Rowe, who took his position after Secret Service Director Kimberly Cheatle resigned last week.

At another turn, he called the lack of preparedness a failure of imagination, a failure to imagine that we actually do live in a very dangerous world where people do actually harm to our protectees.  I think it was a failure to challenge our own assumptions.

It was a marked difference from Cheatle, who resigned a day after a disastrous appearance before the House Oversight and Accountability Committee in which she was largely on the defensive, declining to answer numerous questions about the shooting.

Rowe, in comparison, appeared well-prepared for the more than three-hour hearing, spending ample time walking through the details of the attack and the numerous turns at which the agency failed to respond to shooter Thomas Matthew Crooks, who was killed at the scene.

In one exchange, he revealed the Secret Service never received a warning from local police that the shooter was armed 30 seconds before Trump was shot due to local police not being linked to the agencys radio network.

He later expressed regret over the agencys failure to launch its drones to survey the site at 3 p.m. EDT as planned. The drones were delayed until 5 p.m. due to cell network issues. Federal officials have said Crooks used a drone to survey the site hours before the rally.

I have no explanation for it. It is something that I feel as though we could have perhaps found him. We could have maybe stopped him. Maybe on that particular day, he would have decided this isnt the day to do it, because law enforcement just found me flying my drone, Rowe told lawmakers during the hearing.

People fly drones all the time on the peripheries of our sites, and we go out and we talk to them, and we ascertain what their intentions are.

Rowe also revealed communication gaps between Secret Service agents and local law enforcement personnel helped lead to the security lapse because agents did not hear radio warnings about the shooter being armed until it was too late.

Local police had radioed that Crooks was on the roof with a rifle 30 seconds before shots were fired at Trump, but none of that information ever made it over our [network], Rowe said.

If wed had that information, [agents] would have been able to address it more quickly, he said. That information was stuck or siloed in that state and local channel.

He said he has already ordered changes in how the agency prepares for future events, including an expanded use of drones to help protect from threats on roofs and elsewhere and better communications between the Secret Service and state and local partners.

To prevent similar lapses from occurring in the future, I directed our personnel to ensure every event site security plan is thoroughly vetted by multiple experienced supervisors before it is implemented, he noted. It is clear to me that other protective enhancements could have strengthened our security at the Butler event site.

In addition, range finders will be barred at future events, given that Crooks was spotted with such a device ahead of Trumps speech, arousing suspicion with local police.

Currently it is not on the list of prohibited items, but were going to make that change, Rowe said.

At another point in the hearing, it was announced that the FBI uncovered a social media account believed to be associated with Crooks that contained antisemitic and anti-immigration ideas.

Some of these comments, if ultimately attributable to the shooter, appear to reflect antisemitic and anti-immigration themes, to espouse political violence and are described as extreme in nature, said FBI Deputy Director Paul Abbate, who testified alongside Rowe.

While the hearing represented a turnaround for the Secret Service in many ways, it was not fireworks free, particularly in two back-to-back heated exchanges with GOP Sens. Josh Hawley (Mo.) and Ted Cruz (Texas).

Although numerous lawmakers questioned why the service has yet to fire any agents, Hawley appeared to agitate Rowe.

Isnt the fact that a former president was shot, that a good American is dead, that other Americans were critically wounded  isnt that enough mission failure for you to say that the person who decided that building should not be in the security perimeter probably ought to be stepped down? Hawley said, referencing the AGR building Crooks fired from.

But Rowe resisted the calls to immediately fire personnel in the midst of an investigation, saying we need to allow the investigation to play out.

I want to be neutral and make sure that we get to the bottom of it and interview everybody in order to determine if there was more than one person who perhaps exercised bad judgment, Rowe said, adding he did not want to zero in on one or two individuals.

Hawley shot back, Youve been on the job a few days so far. Youve fired nobody.

At one point in the exchange, Rowe became emotional.

I have lost sleep over that for the last 17 days, just like you have, and I will tell you, senator, that I will not rush to judgment, that people will be held accountable, and I will do so with integrity and not rush to judgment and put people [out there to be] unfairly persecuted, Rowe said.

GOP lawmakers, however, are unlikely to let up on the agency before any punishments are enacted, with Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-S.C.) at the top of the hearing summing up the mindset best: Somebodys got to be fired. Nothings going to change until somebody loses their job.

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We Energies rate request includes costs of green energy upgrades and keeping the lights on

We Energies filed proposals with the Public Service Commission of Wisconsin (PSCW) earlier this year for regulatory reviews that will set customer rates for 2025 and 2026.

The focus of our filing is on three key priorities: reducing customer outages, building infrastructure needed to support jobs and economic growth in Wisconsin, and meeting new Environmental Protection Agency rules.

While our critics often talk about electric rates, their claims are simply not the full story. The fact is the typical electric bill  what our customers actually pay  is significantly below the national average and in line with other utilities in Wisconsin and across the Midwest.

An all-Black ticket: Maryland Gov. Wes Moore would be historic pick for Kamala Harris' vice president

And of course, these critics dont like to talk about customer savings. Our request includes millions of dollars in savings from the closure of old coal units at the Oak Creek Power Plant and more than $100 million in tax credit savings and lower fuel costs tied to new renewable energy facilities. We are also lowering costs for customers every day through more efficient operations.

Electric rates reflect investments in renewable and low-carbon power

These critics also will not tell you that a large portion of our request is to recover renewable and low-carbon power plant costs the PSCW has already approved. In Wisconsin, projects are approved and then built; its when they start serving customers that the costs go into rates. Our filing reflects these approved investments.

There is no doubt Wisconsin is seeing stronger and more severe weather. Our proposal will help keep the lights on. We are making critical investments in storm hardening and grid resiliency. We are proposing to bury hundreds of miles of power lines over the next decade and increase tree trimming to remove dead ash trees in danger of impacting our lines and causing power outages.

Increase not justified. Wisconsin electric rates already near top in Midwest.

By many metrics, Wisconsins economy and job growth has never been better. Unemployment is low and major companies are moving and expanding their operations into the state. The investments we are making in new power generation and grid upgrades will ensure continued strong job growth now and for future generations.

Our rate filing is all about our promise to provide all of our customers affordable, reliable and clean energy  every day, in every season.

Mike Hooper is president of We Energies.

This article originally appeared on Milwaukee Journal Sentinel: We Energies investing in strengthening Wisconsin's power grid
WASHINGTON - Americas national security interests are tied to investments in renewable energy, including solar and wind power, Energy Secretary Jennifer Granholm told USA TODAY on Monday in an exclusive interview.

Granholm added in her visit to USA TODAY's Washington bureau that it's critical from a national security perspective for the U.S. invest in homegrown energy so it is less reliant on oil-rich countries to meet its needs.

We have to hopefully rely upon, in a greater and greater fashion, energy that does not come from a global market, but that comes from places like the sun, like the wind, like the Earth, where we have control over it and the technology, said Granholm, a former Michigan governor who has been serving in the Biden administration since February 2021.

In the same way that Russian President Vladimir Putin has tried weaponizing energy in his war against Ukraine, Granholm argued that democratic countries should not rely on OPEC countries for oil and China for electric vehicle batteries.

Jennifer Granholm, former Secretary of Energy and former Governor of Michigan, speaks with USA TODAY in Washington on July 29, 2024.

We must have our own supply of the full supply chain, otherwise we are subject to relying on countries whose values we don't share. All of that makes us secure, she said.

The Cabinet secretary also gave her reaction to President Joe Biden ending his 2024 reelection bid, spoke about the challenges women still face running for office and talked about the future of electric vehicles and more.

Here are our top takeaways.

Cabinet called about Biden's decision

Granholm said she wasnt surprised when Biden exited the 2024 race.

She was at home that Sunday afternoon when she and other Cabinet members received a call from White House Chief of Staff Jeff Zients informing them that Biden was dropping his bid.

The call came almost simultaneously to the release of his public letter, Granholm said.

There had been so much talk about this, she reflected. So by that point there was sort of an inexorable pull toward that conclusion, because it had been the subject of headlines for weeks.

But it was a sad moment, she said of the announcement.

An all-female presidential ticket

Granhom declined to talk about the 2024 presidential election and Vice President Kamala Harris selection of a running mate in her capacity as energy secretary.

But the former Michigan governor said of the potential for an all-female presidential ticket: I love women running things, so I'm all about it.

Granholm was the first female governor of her state, serving from New Year's Day 2003 through the first day of 2011. She was Michigans first female attorney general, too.

Since that time, more and more women have been elected to office, she said, and so people have become used to seeing them in those roles.

But now, I think  I hope  that it's becoming boring that a woman ascends to a leadership position, and that breaking a glass ceiling is like, you know, throwing a rock through your sunroof, she said. It should be dull, and we're not quite there yet.

U.S. Secretary of Energy Jennifer Granholm examines a GM Hummer EV Truch while touring General Motors Factory Zero, which will manufacture GMs GMC Hummer EV truck as well as other electric GM vehicles, on August 5, 2021 in Detroit, Michigan.

Electric vehicles a 2024 election focus

While the 2024 race has mostly centered around the economy, the southern U.S. border and abortion access, another issue has been sparking attention as November draws closer: electric vehicles.

Former President Donald Trump and Harris have crisscrossed the country talking about electric options for Americans.

Granholm said that up until this point, China has cornered the market on some components of electric vehicles, including batteries. And we have just sat by and allowed that to happen.

Sales have started to slow for some new EVs, but the market for used electric vehicles has expanded.

The Biden administration has been working to bring the supply chain home through manufacturing, Granholm said, and create the infrastructure for Americans to feel comfortable buying electric vehicles.

We're going to have thousands of electric vehicle charging stations in the states in the hardest places (to reach), Granholm said.

Trump has mocked electric vehicles, arguing that they cant take drivers far enough and vowing to scrap the Biden administrations EV policies if hes elected to a second term in office. Harris has touted that very work and called EVs the future of transportation. She shared on X last year that a top goal remains that by 2030, at least half of the cars sold in the U.S. are electric.

People, of course, can still drive their internal combustion engine vehicles. They can still fill up at the gas station, Granholm told USA TODAY. But now they'll be able to charge at gas stations and Walmarts and other places all across the country, too, for much less monthly cost on your pocketbook, she said.

Jennifer Granholm, former Secretary of Energy and former Governor of Michigan, speaks with USA TODAY in Washington on July 29, 2024.

Liquified natural gas study coming by year's end

The Biden administration in January put a temporary halt on new approvals for liquefied natural gas exports.

It said at the time that it would be assessing the impacts of pollution from LNG on communities and the global climate. It did not say how long the review would take.

The decision was ridiculed at the time by Republicans, who argued it was an election-year giveaway to environmentalists. Democrats largely supported the measure.

A federal judge in Louisiana blocked the pause at the beginning of July after a group of Republican attorneys general sued the Biden administration.

Granholm said the administration has continued to study the issue and will release a draft of its findings before the end of the year. The release of the report will set off a public comment period on the study, which she said the Department of Energy plans to use as guidance for how it authorizes future approvals of LNG.

Left unsaid was that with Biden leaving office on Jan. 20, and Harris locked in a tight race against Trump, the study could be shelved depending on which party wins the White House.

Contributing: Marina Pitofsky, Romi Ruiz, Elizabeth Weise

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Granholm talks Biden 2024 exit, electric vehicles: 4 takeaways
Entirely reasonable. Officers justified in shooting, killing Charlotte man who had gun pointed at brother, DA says

Entirely reasonable. Officers justified in shooting, killing Charlotte man who had gun pointed at brother, DA says

CHARLOTTE (QUEEN CITY NEWS)  A fatal officer-involved shooting in north Charlotte from December has been ruled justified by the District Attorneys Office.

On Saturday, Dec. 16, 2023, four officers fired their weapons at 33-year-old Sanrico Rico McGill, who was involved in a shooting in the 1500 block of Catherine-Simmons Avenue.

PREVIOUSLY: Heartbreaking: One person killed in officer-involved shooting in north Charlotte: CMPD

When officers arrived, they could hear McGills family members yelling to officers, hes mental health. According to the DAs office, a loudspeaker was used to tell him to come out with his hands up.

After a few minutes, McGill and his brother walked outside. McGill, appearing very agitated, began yelling at his brother from the front porch and went back inside to grab a firearm.

Bodycam picture showing McGill raising the firearm towards his brother who is obscured by the tree; Credit: District Attorneys Office

Officers saw McGill rack the firearm and point it at his brother who was standing near the front porch, at which point the officers gave commands to drop the gun and began firing at the suspect who later died in his house.

The firearm McGill had when officers shot was no longer loaded, according to documents. However, there was no way for the officers to know that, and ruled it was entirely reasonable for the four officers to believe McGill posed an imminent threat to his brother.

Chief Jennings says the officers were not physically injured; however, they were taken to a local hospital for evaluation as a trauma response.

The State says there is no available evidence in this case to prove to a jury that these officers did not act in defense of others. Physical evidence and witness statements corroborate that the officers reasonably believed McGill posed an imminent threat of great bodily harm or death. The DAs office says the State will not pursue criminal charges related to McGill.

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UPDATE: No one found in water after exhaustive search near Sunland Park

UPDATE: No one found in water after exhaustive search near Sunland Park

EL PASO, Texas (KTSM)  El Paso and Sunland Park Fire departments responded to reports of multiple people in the water near Sunland Park on Monday evening, July 29, according to El Paso Fires X account.

Fire crews from both departments responded to 450 McNutt Road, according to El Paso Fire. After what was called an exhaustive search, no one was found in the water and the search has been called off.

Initial reports indicated that five or six people went into the water. El Paso Fire responded to the incident to assist Sunland Park Fire.

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Although I moved to Wyandotte County only recently, my very first event as a community organizer was here: I organized and moderated a forum on the housing crisis at the Main Library. Since then, my time as a community organizer and now as a candidate has been focused on the county. I love the people of northeast Kansas City, Kansas, and I decided to run to represent them in the Kansas Senate because it is well past time for change in this community.

My campaign has knocked on thousands of doors, and almost every voter I and my volunteers talk to says the same two things:

Constituents desperately need property tax relief. Incumbent state Sen. David Haley hasnt done much for them, despite holding elected office for three decades.

To be fair to my opponent, his record does include a few highlights. In 2016, Haley voted for Senate Bill 366. This legislation shifted the balance of power further toward landlords over tenants and weakened tenants rights by limiting property inspections. He missed a vote for Medicaid expansion, and also missed a vote supporting medical marijuana. Perhaps worst of all, Haley has supported decreases in funding for infrastructure, and supported private or corporate funding for public education. And he has voted to give public tax dollars to private schools in the form of vouchers, which would further weaken our public education system.

My priorities are a little different. The first thing I would work on in January is what Ive heard my constituents tell me they want me to focus on: property tax relief for lower- and middle-income residents. I believe we need a fairer tax system that isnt built on the backs of working families. The last thing Kansas needs is a tax giveaway to the wealthy that could lead to another Sam Brownback-style budget disaster.

I would also fight to expand Medicaid in particular, and access to quality health care in general. For far too long, billions of Kansans tax dollars have flowed to other states to pay for their residents health care. Forty other states have recognized that expanding Medicaid and accepting a refund of our federal taxes to pay for our peoples healthcare is a good deal. David Haley and Republicans in the Legislature apparently disagree.

And I would push for more investment in infrastructure and public education in northeast KCK. Our district has been overlooked for far too long, as our tax dollars have flowed to other parts of the state. Id be a champion for spending on projects in my district, so that we can make long-overdue improvements to roads, the power grid and school buildings.

Almost every voter Ive talked to supports this agenda, and when they ask how Im going to get it done, I tell them: with your help. We can organize northeast KCK, put pressure on other legislators and use our political power to improve lives here. If youre reading this and youd like to join the movement, you can visit Ephren4SD4.com/vote to learn more about the easiest way to vote for me: Request an advance ballot, fill it out and mail it back. Or vote early in person if you miss the July 30 deadline to request an advance ballot. Or if you miss both those opportunities, be sure to vote at your polling place between 7 a.m. and 7 p.m. in the Democratic primary election on Tuesday, Aug. 6.

Change is possible for Wyandotte County, but only if we work together to make it happen. As President Barack Obama was fond of saying: Change will not come if we wait for some other person or some other time. We are the ones weve been waiting for. We are the change that we seek. Together, we will bring change to northeast Kansas City, Kansas on Aug. 6.

Ephren Taylor III is a candidate to represent District 4 in the Kansas Senate in the Democratic primary.
PHNOM PENH, July 30 (Xinhua) -- A Cambodian military helicopter, that went missing on July 12, was found in the Cardamom Mountains on Monday, with both two people aboard confirmed dead, a defense spokesperson said on Tuesday.

"At 10:30 a.m. local on July 30, 2024, the search team of the Royal Cambodian Armed Forces (RCAF) found the body of pilot Sun Phalla at the foot of the Yav Yai Mountain, about 210 meters from the crash site," Gen. Chhum Socheat, a secretary of state and spokesperson for the Ministry of National Defense, announced in a post on social media.

According to Socheat, the corpse of pilot assistant Kheng Chhaiyuth was discovered on Monday at around 5 p.m. local time in the crashed chopper.

"I am shocked and saddened by the news of the deaths of the two pilots and pray for their souls to rest in peace," the spokesperson said.

The search team found the missing helicopter at the Yav Yai Mountain in Thmor Da commune of Pursat province's Veal Veng district on Monday afternoon after a 17-day search operation.

The helicopter had lost contact with the air force headquarters while flying over the densely forested Cardamom Mountain range in Pursat and Koh Kong provinces during a training flight on July 12 due to bad weather, according to the Ministry of National Defense.

Gen. Ith Sarath, deputy commander-in-chief of the Royal Cambodian Armed Forces (RCAF), who led the search and rescue operation, said more than 1,000 ground and air forces had taken part in this operation. 
Then-State Sen. Ernie Chambers of Omaha speaks during debate on the floor of the Legislature. (Unicameral Information Office)

OMAHA  State Sen. Ernie Chambers of Omaha has filed to withdraw from running for re-election to his longtime seat representing North Omaha in the Nebraska Legislature.

Chambers, 87, filed paperwork Monday to remove himself from the November ballot, three days before Thursdays 5 p.m. deadline, Douglas County Election Commissioner Brian Kruse said.

Kruse said Chambers told him that his political career was likely finished but that he still planned to vote.

He has filed to decline the nomination, Kruse said. He will not appear on the November ballot.

No immediate comment from Chambers

Chambers had no immediate comment Monday. He has said he sought a return to Lincoln this year to stiffen the backbone of the Legislature as a separate and equal branch of government.

State Senator Terrell McKinney leans against a column during the Nebraska Legislature's special session to address local property tax

Chambers advanced in this Mays officially nonpartisan primary to face State Sen. Terrell McKinney of Omaha, the Democratic incumbent. Chambers ran as a registered nonpartisan.

The third-place finisher in the May primary, nonpartisan neighborhood advocate Calandra Cooper, did not immediately return calls or messages seeking comment.

Chambers spent 46 years in the Legislature, where he mastered using legislative rules. He often delighted in stalling what he called bad legislation sought by the conservative majority.

He helped state lawmakers abolish the death penalty in 2015, arguing its application was arbitrary and cruel. Voters restored the death penalty the next year by ballot measure.

Opponent expresses surprise, admiration

McKinney, reached Monday evening, said he was surprised to hear Chambers wasnt running any longer. He thanked him for his service advocating for people in need.

Senator Chambers is truly one of a kind, and we should all be grateful for the years he dedicated to serving and advocating for the downtrodden, McKinney said. I wish him the best.

McKinney is best known for his work prodding the Parole Board and prison system, pushing for sentencing reform and helping to steer federal pandemic relief funds to North and South Omaha.

He has also worked to make it harder to suspend elementary school students for acting out because of data showing students of color were disproportionately targeted.

There is still time for another candidate to petition onto the November ballot by gathering er 599 valid signatures from registered voters by the close of business on Sept. 3, Kruse said.

One of Chambers friends still serving in the Legislature, State Sen. Megan Hunt of Omaha, described him as a legendary public servant in Nebraska.

She lauded him for sharing progressive policy ideas grounded in principles of Justice. She said she respected Chambers decision to withdraw. He had called this race his last ride.

He has been a personal mentor to generations of Nebraska leaders and it will always be one of the great honors of my life to be one of them, Hunt said.

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EU irritated with Hungary, Slovakia over their Russian oil spat with Ukraine, Politico reports

EU ambassadors are not sympathetic to Budapest's and Bratislava's complaints about Kyiv blocking the flow of Russian pipeline oil, Politico reported on July 29, citing behind-the-scene talks among European diplomats.

Hungary and Slovakia turned to the EU earlier this month as Ukrainian sanctions effectively halted the supplies from the Russian Lukoil company to the two Central European countries via the Druzhba pipeline.

Hungarian and Slovak officials complained that Kyiv was violating its association agreement with the EU and asked the European Commission to intervene.

Both countries have also threatened unilateral repercussions against Ukraine, including blocking EU defense funds or halting their own energy supplies.

While EU officials publicly promised to review the matter, they privately voiced exasperation as neither Hungary nor Slovakia managed to reduce their dependency on Russian oil while many other member states did, Politico writes.

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The bloc began to wean itself off Russian supplies after the outbreak of the full-scale war in Ukraine in 2022, but Hungary and Slovakia were among the few exempted from the ban on Russian pipeline oil, provided they find alternative suppliers.

Hungary has only increased the volume of oil and gas trade with Russia since then.

According to Hungarian Foreign Minister Peter Szijjarto, Lukoil supplies represent 33% of Hungary's crude oil imports, as well as 40-45% of Slovakia's imports.

Budapest has been long considered the most Kremlin-friendly country within the EU, repeatedly obstructing sanctions against Russia and military aid to Kyiv. Hungary's views are now often echoed in Bratislava since Ukraine-skeptic Prime Minister Robert Fico took office last fall.

Hungary did not reach out only to Brussels in an effort to resolve the issue.

Szijjarto said he held a phone call with his Russian and Slovak counterparts, Sergey Lavrov and Juraj Blanar, on July 29 over the "Ukrainian transit ban."

"I remain firm in the position that Ukraine violates the EU association agreement by endangering our energy security... we are constantly analyzing possible legal and technical solutions to ensure the continuation of our oil supplies," the minister said on Facebook.

President Volodymyr Zelensky's Office told Reuters that the ban on the Lukoil transit was imposed in accordance with sanctions against the company and "has nothing to do with blackmail."

Read also: Slovakias Fico threatens to cut off diesel supplies to Ukraine over Russian oil dispute

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EU says that Hungary has opened doors to Russian spies  FT

Manfred Weber, the head of the European People's Party, has called for the Hungarian decision to ease visa restrictions for Russians and Belarusians to be discussed at the EU leaders' summit in October.

Source: Weber's letter to Charles Michel, the head of the European Council, as reported by the Financial Times

Details: Weber said that Hungary's move would allow unverified Russians to travel freely across much of the EU.

This month, Hungary published details of a new fast-track visa system for citizens of eight countries, including Russia and Belarus, who will be able to enter Hungary without security checks or other restrictions.

Budapest said many of them will be building a nuclear power plant using Russian technology.

But Weber believes that the need for a new visa system in Hungary is "questionable". He also stressed that it could "create grave loopholes for espionage activities, and potentially allowing large numbers of Russians to enter Hungary with minimal supervision, posing a serious risk to national security".

"This policy could also make it easier for Russians to move around the Schengen [borderless] area, bypassing the restrictions required by EU law," Weber added.

The letter calls on EU leaders "to adopt the most stringent measures to immediately protect the integrity of the [border-free] Schengen area, limit the security risk that has already arisen and prevent member states from taking similar initiatives in the future".

Under EU rules, national governments have the right to decide on legal migration and work permits. People from outside the EU who hold an EU visa can generally move freely within the Schengen area, which covers 29 countries, including Norway and Switzerland.

Background:

Hungary and Russia signed the construction schedule for the Paks II Nuclear Power Plant in November last year.

Paks II is a 12 billion expansion project of the Paks Nuclear Power Plant, led by Russias Rosatom and financed mainly by a Russian government loan.

Hungary has also signed an agreement with Belarus to help build a nuclear reactor.

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European Union and Vietnamese flags are seen at the signing ceremony of EU-Vietnam Free Trade Agreement at the government office in Hanoi

By Francesco Guarascio and Khanh Vu

HANOI (Reuters) -The European Union's foreign policy chief Josep Borrell said on Tuesday the EU wanted to guarantee peace in the South China Sea and told Vietnam the bloc could help boost its maritime security and cybersecurity capabilities.

The Southeast Asian country is at odds with China over its boundaries in the South China Sea, a crucial shipping waterway which Beijing claims almost in its entirety - a stance that has caused tensions with other countries in the region as well.

In a meeting with Vietnam's Foreign Minister Bui Thanh Son in Hanoi, Borrell, who is approaching the end of his five-year term as High Representative for EU Foreign Affairs, said the 27-country bloc had a "direct interest in maintaining peace and stability" in the South China Sea, where over a third of EU imports and more than 20% of its exports transit.

"The EU can be a smart enabler for peace and security," he told reporters during a joint press conference with Son, noting the EU could "enhance Vietnam's capabilities in cybersecurity, maritime security and crisis management".

Vietnam has relied for decades on military gear from Russia, but since 2022 has been publicly saying it wants to diversify its security equipment, and is in talks with multiple countries, including in Europe, over possible defence supplies.

Borrell stressed that the fulfilment of international law, which Vietnam invokes in the South China Sea, should be applied everywhere, including in Ukraine.

Many EU countries see Hanoi's non-committal stance on Russia's military operation in Ukraine as too close to Moscow.

CLIMATE TIES

Borrell also urged Vietnam to speed up the implementation of a plan agreed with the EU and other international donors to reduce its reliance on coal, on which little progress has been achieved since it was agreed in late 2022.

Borrell urged Hanoi to quickly identify priority projects which could be co-funded by international donors, such as on renewables or for the upgrade of the power grid.

Son said Vietnam welcomed the EU's financial support. However the country forfeited in recent years billions of dollars in foreign aid due to its slow approval of projects amid a sweeping anti-corruption campaign. Foreign donors have also committed mostly costly loans, instead of grants for Vietnam's transition away from coal.

"I would like my visit to be the moment to launch the process to upgrade our relations," Borrell said.

In the joint conference, during which media questions were not allowed, Borrell stressed strong trading relations with Vietnam and briefly mentioned human rights.

Many global powers, including the United States and Japan, have recently upgraded their diplomatic ties with Vietnam to the highest level in the country's ranking, in a sign of its growing strategic importance.

EU countries however have showed different positions about the opportunity for an immediate upgrade.

(Reporting by Francesco Guarascio and Khanh Vu; Editing by Christian Schmollinger, Sonali Paul and Michael Perry)
(Bloomberg) -- From the city of Bakus shoreline along the Caspian Sea, amid restaurants and high end hotels, Azerbaijans relationship with fossil fuels is plain to see by the rigs and tankers that dot the horizon.

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Azerbaijan, one of the birthplaces of the modern fossil fuel industry, will become another oil and gas exporter tasked with hosting the annual round of United Nations climate talks when delegates and world leaders descend on COP29 in Baku this November. The former Soviet republic of 10 million people follows the United Arab Emirates, which held the event last year.

To climate activists, countries like Azerbaijan and the UAE, dependent on oil and gas export revenues for their economic well being, are compromised diplomatic brokers. But a recent visit to Baku reveals a more nuanced picture: Azeri officials say the country fully accepts the logic of the energy transition and the need to lower carbon emissions. The trouble is neighbors in Europe, who are desperate to buy more of the countrys gas, need them to remain fossil fuel producers.

For Bakus European customers, the priority has been securing alternatives to Russian gas supplies ever since Moscows invasion of Ukraine in 2022. This has meant tapping into much more gas from Azerbaijans fields under the Caspian.

Europe imported 11.8 billion cubic meters of gas from Azerbaijan last year and thats expected to increase to 13 bcm this year. Azerbaijan in 2022 signed a memorandum of understanding with the European Commission to double its gas exports to Europe to 20 billion cubic meters by 2027.

There are also talks underway about the option to pump Azeri gas into another pipeline that runs via Ukraine in a attempt to keep supplies flowing to Europe without buying from Russia. In an interview at Baku Energy Week in early June, Deputy Energy Minister Orxan Zeynalov said there was no indication that European countries, Georgia or Turkey would stop buying its gas.

All of this seems to fly in the face of an agreement nearly 200 countries made at COP28 in Dubai last year to phase out the use of fossil fuels. The deal was hailed as a landmark achievement, though it also included the caveat that gas will be key to helping countries shift to renewables.

This is an important proviso for countries like Azerbaijan, which says its taking steps to green its economy despite the increasing demand for fossil fuels. In an interview in Baku, Mukhtar Babayev, the former oil executive who is now environment minister and president of COP29, pointed to the growing number of hybrid and pure electric cars driving around the capital, saying demand for them has grown so much that charging is starting to disrupt the grid.

Now the country has turned the economy to green growth, he said.

Socar, its state run energy company, is planning to become net zero by 2050; the government has signed memorandums of understanding to build 27 gigawatts of new wind and solar farms, said Kamran Huseynov, deputy director at the state run Azerbaijan Renewable Energy Agency, in an interview. This would add more than three times Azerbaijans total installed electricity generation capacity today.

There are also speculative plans to install a fiber optic cable to export renewable electricity to the European Union, while excess wind and solar power would be used to create hydrogen or green ammonia for export too.

We want to do this, its not like were being forced by EU rules, said Zeynalov, the deputy energy minister.

The idea is that the pipelines that run more than 2,000 miles from Baku to southern Italy may one day be exporting green gas such as e-methane to help the European Union meet its net zero goal.

The most controversial part of Azerbaijans green strategy is its plan to build so-called smart villages in areas recaptured from Armenia in the 2020 war. Azerbaijan is hoping to sign a formal peace deal with Armenia ahead of COP29, putting an end to a conflict thats lasted since the collapse of the Soviet Union more than three decades ago, said Presidential Advisor Hikmet Hajiyev.

The mixing of climate diplomacy with the bitter, often violent, dispute with its neighbor will draw criticism, but officials say it signals the serious intent to switch from fossil fuels to renewables over the coming decades.

Despite the green rhetoric, theres still a lot of skepticism about how much Azerbaijan will be able to transition its economy. While wind and solar power are already cheaper than many other forms of electricity, other energy sources it's considering, like hydrogen, are still in the early stages of commercialization and will be expensive to deploy.

The governments priority is to increase natural gas revenues as its oil income wanes, according to Gulmira Rzayeva, a senior visiting research fellow at the Oxford Institute for Energy Studies.

Yes, the country is investing a lot of money in renewable energy, but even if it starts exporting very large amounts of renewable energy, solar, wind, hydrogen in the longer term perspective, itll not substitute revenues coming from fossil fuels, she said. It cannot, its impossible.

Moreover, it will be buyers of Azerbaijans gas, more than anyone else, who will have the most influence on the speed of the fossil fuel producers energy transition.

If there is a demand, there always will be supply. That's how the market works, Rzayeva said. You cant change it.

Listen on Zero, A Climate Treaty Gets the Shakespearean Treatment in Kyoto

--With assistance from Zulfugar Agayev.

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Everything can change in a split second: MS drowning victim leaves behind fiancee and 4 kids

Everything can change in a split second: MS drowning victim leaves behind fiancee and 4 kids

MEMPHIS, Tenn.  A Millington woman had no idea when her fiance left their home early Friday morning to go fishing it would be the last time she saw him.

Gary Riley, 47, was killed, and another man nearly drowned when a boat capsized along the Mississippi River.

Body of missing man recovered in Mississippi River

Everything can change in a split second, said Katie Porter.

Porter said Riley caught a large catfish on the Mississippi a week earlier and returned with a friend to try his luck again.

Porter doesnt know exactly what happened but said the friend told her that her fiancees six-foot motorboat began taking on water, and Riley tried to pump out the water. She said Riley was a good swimmer but was not wearing a life jacket when he went into the water.

He should have been wearing the life jacket. We had a conversation about the life jacket, Porter said.

Gary Riley with his fiancee and kids. Courtesy: Katie Porter

Gary Riley & son. Courtesy: Katie Porter

Gary Rileys youngest kids. Courtesy: Katie PorterBa

Courtesy: Katie Porter

Porter said her fiancee leaves behind their two small children and two adult kids from a previous marriage.

She said Riley was an HVAC specialist and the sole provider for their household. She has set up a GoFundMe page to raise money for his funeral and help her family while she figures out what to do next.

This is a devastating time for everyone. No one likes to ask for help, but Im to the point where I dont know what else to do. He did everything for me, Porter said.

Porter said Riley would have given anyone the shirt off his back, was a great father, and loved his children. She said she still hasnt been able to break the bad news to their young kids.

They havent asked where he is, which is really unusual, said Porter. Im trying to determine the best way to tell them what happened.

ORIGINAL STORY: 1 rescued from Mississippi River, 2nd person still missing

Porter is also hoping to get more information from police and rescue crews about what happened to her fiancees boat that day and how he drowned.

For more on the GoFundMe, click here.

Copyright 2024 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.

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Court-ordered evictions in Michigan are nearing pre-pandemic levels.

Before the COVID-19 pandemic, about 20% of eviction filings in Michigan ended with a court allowing a landlord to force a tenant out. Throughout the health crisis  amid moratoriums and federal rent aid  that rate was cut nearly in half.

But by mid-2023, the displacement crept back up to nearly pre-pandemic levels, with 17% of eviction filings leading to the removal of a tenant, and their belongings, from a home. Many other tenants may have voluntarily left before that stage. That's according to a June report from the Justice for All Commission, created by the Michigan Supreme Court.

Meanwhile, in Detroit, evictions in 2023 rose rapidly as widespread pandemic housing protections ended. By the end of the year, the 36th District Court signed more than 7,400 eviction orders. Although eviction orders dropped during the first years of the pandemic, and are still below the roughly 10,000 evictions signed in 2019, they have been climbing. Through June of this year, there were more than 2,700 eviction orders, data provided to the Free Press by the 36th District Court shows.

An eviction order allows a court officer to remove a tenant and their personal belongings from a rental property. Sometimes both parties resolve the issues before it gets to that stage. Other times, they take their concerns to court. Either way, Michigan law lays out the steps in the eviction process.

HOUSING: Detroit wants to change its rental ordinance: What to know.

Here is what happens when a tenant receives a notice and what leads up to a court officer knocking on a tenant's door to remove them from a property, according to Michigan Legal Help and a guide for landlords and tenants from the Michigan State University College of Law:

Reasons behind an eviction

There are many reasons a landlord may evict a tenant, according to state law. Those include:

Not paying rent

Not moving when a lease ends

Violating a lease term

Causing extensive physical damage to a property

Creating a health hazard

Illegal drug activity

The landlord thinks there is a "just cause" to evict someone from a mobile home park or federally subsidized housing.

The eviction notice

An eviction notice  sometimes called "notice to quit" or "demand for possession"  explains why a landlord wants a tenant to move and how much time the tenant has to act before court action.

The notice must be in writing and include the following: the tenant's name, address or description of the rental property, reason for eviction, amount of time for the renter to address any issues, date and the landlord's signature. It must be delivered in person to the tenant or a family member living in the household and request that it be given to the renter, through mail or electronically via email (if that is a method of communication the tenant agreed to).

After receiving a notice, the tenant has a specified amount of time to remedy the problem. That time frame varies based on the reason for the eviction and ranges from 24 hours to 30 days. Here are some examples, according to Michigan Legal Help: 24 hours for illegal drug activity and seven days if a tenant hasn't paid rent or created a health hazard.

A notice is not the same thing as an order of eviction, meaning a renter does not have to move when the notice expires. There are certain conflicts that can be resolved, such as paying back rent. However, there are other issues, such as breach of a lease or illegal drug activity, causing a tenant to have to move out otherwise the landlord could sue them, according to the MSU College of Law guide for landlords and tenants.

After the notice time period ends, the landlord can file a lawsuit and take the tenant to court. A landlord does not have to provide notice or go to court if someone forced their way into a home and decided to stay in it  also known as squatting or trespassing.

But the landlord can't do anything to prevent someone from accessing the property before getting a court order. The landlord can't, for instance, destroy property, board up a home, put belongings out on the street and refuse to make repairs. Michigan Legal Help says that there are instances in which a landlord can come into a home. That's called lawful interference and can happen if the landlord is acting on a court order, entering a home with permission to make repairs or believes the renter abandoned the place or died.

The steps in an eviction

The eviction process can take anywhere from 21 to 57 days, according to the MSU guide. Briefly, here's what that usually entails:

Who are court officers at 36th District Court?

The 36th District Court approves a list of officers whom landlords may hire to conduct an eviction. They are not employees of the court but rather independent contractors. That wasn't always the case. About a decade ago, the court moved officers who conduct evictions off of its payroll and made them independent contractors as part of a cost-cutting measure that the union representing officers at the time resisted. The officers are paid by the landlord, or the plaintiff in the case, and per eviction.

Can court officers carry weapons?

Yes. Court officers may obtain a license to carry a concealed firearm, according to the 36th District Court. Firearms and licenses, however, are not provided by the court.

Who oversees court officers?

State court rules lay out provisions for how evictions are to be conducted, including who can execute them. Ultimately, it's up to chief judges to choose and supervise the court officers. Complaints related to court officers should be submitted to the chief judge. Court officers are not required to submit reports in instances when they may use force while conducting an eviction. Detroit police are "called to keep the peace when necessary," according to the court.

Earlier this month, a bailiff shot and killed a man during an eviction on Detroits west side. According to Detroit police, the man appeared to be having a mental health crisis and charged at the bailiff, who fired shots and fatally wounded him. Detroit police were on-site during the eviction. As of late July, the incident is still under investigation, according to a response by the city of Detroit's Law Department to a Freedom of Information Act request for information about the case.

How to get help

Read the full Justice for All Commission report on evictions, including a breakdown of the eviction process in Michigan, at bit.ly/MichiganEvictionProceedings. For more information about evictions and resources for assistance, go to Michigan Legal Help at bit.ly/MichiganLegalHelpEvictions and the Michigan Attorney General's website for landlords and tenants at www.michigan.gov/ag/about/landlord. For an in-depth rundown about eviction proceedings, go to www.legislature.mi.gov/Publications/tenantlandlord.pdf.

Reach out to the United Way for Southeastern Michigan's 211 helpline for additional assistance.

Eligible Detroiters facing eviction can go to bit.ly/DetroitOfficeofEvictionDefense or call the Detroit Housing Resource Helpline at 866-313-2520.

Contact Nushrat Rahman: nrahman@freepress.com; 313-348-7558. Follow her on Twitter: @NushratR.

This article originally appeared on Detroit Free Press: What Michigan law says about evictions
Court ordered evictions in Michigan are nearing pre-pandemic levels.

Before the COVID-19 pandemic, about 20% of eviction filings in Michigan ended with a court allowing a landlord to force a tenant out. Throughout the health crisis  amid moratoriums and federal rent aid  that rate was cut in about half.

But by mid-2023, the displacement crept back up to nearly pre-pandemic levels, with 17% of eviction filings leading to the removal of a tenant, and their belongings, from a home. Many other tenants may have voluntarily left before that stage. That's according to a June report from the Justice for All Commission, created by the Michigan Supreme Court.

Meanwhile, in Detroit, evictions in 2023 rose rapidly as widespread pandemic housing protections ended. By the end of the year, the 36th District Court signed more than 7,400 eviction orders. Although eviction orders dropped during the first years of the pandemic, and are still below the roughly 10,000 evictions signed in 2019, they have been climbing. Through June of this year, there were more than 2,700 eviction orders, data provided to the Free Press by the 36th District Court shows.

An eviction order allows a court officer to remove a tenant and their personal belongings from a rental property. Sometimes both parties resolve the issues before it gets to that stage. Other times, they take their concerns to court. Either way, Michigan law lays out the steps in the eviction process.

HOUSING: Detroit wants to change its rental ordinance: What to know.

Here is what happens when a tenant receives a notice and what leads up to a court officer knocking on a tenant's door to remove them from a property, according to Michigan Legal Help and a guide for landlords and tenants from the Michigan State University College of Law:

Reasons behind an eviction

There are many reasons a landlord may evict a tenant, according to state law. Those include:

Not paying rent

Not moving when a lease ends

Violating a lease term

Causing extensive physical damage to a property

Creating a health hazard

Illegal drug activity

The landlord thinks there is a "just cause" to evict someone from a mobile home park or federally subsidized housing.

The eviction notice

An eviction notice  sometimes called "notice to quit" or "demand for possession"  explains why a landlord wants a tenant to move and how much time the tenant has to act before court action.

The notice must be in writing and include the following: the tenant's name, address or description of the rental property, reason for eviction, amount of time for the renter to address any issues, date and the landlord's signature. It must be delivered in-person to the tenant or a family member living in the household and request that it be given to the renter, through mail or electronically via email (if that is a method of communication the tenant agreed to).

After receiving a notice, the tenant has a specified amount of time to remedy the problem. That time frame varies based on the reason for the eviction and ranges from 24 hours to 30 days. Here are some examples, according to Michigan Legal Help: 24 hours for illegal drug activity and 7 days if a tenant hasn't paid rent or created a health hazard.

A notice is not the same thing as an order of eviction, meaning a renter does not have to move when the notice expires. There are certain conflicts that can be resolved, such as paying back rent. However, there are other issues, such as breach of a lease or illegal drug activity, causing a tenant to have to move out otherwise the landlord could sue them, according to the MSU College of Law guide for landlords and tenants.

After the notice time period ends, the landlord can file a lawsuit and take the tenant to court. A landlord does not have to provide notice or go to court if someone forced their way into a home and decided to stay in it  also known as squatting or trespassing.

But the landlord can't do anything to prevent someone from accessing the property before getting a court order. The landlord can't, for instance, destroy property, board up a home, put belongings out on the street and refuse to make repairs. Michigan Legal Help says that there are instances in which a landlord can come into a home. That's called lawful interference and can happen if the landlord is acting on a court order, entering a home with permission to make repairs or believes the renter abandoned the place or died.

The steps in an eviction

The eviction process can take anywhere from 21 to 57 days, according to the MSU guide. Briefly, here's what that usually entails:

Who are court officers at 36th District Court?

The 36th District Court approves a list of officers whom landlords may hire to conduct an eviction. They are not employees of the court but rather independent contractors. That wasn't always the case. About a decade ago, the court moved officers who conduct evictions off of its payroll and made them independent contractors as part of a cost-cutting measure that the union representing officers at the time resisted. The officers are paid by the landlord, or the plaintiff in the case, and per eviction.

Can court officers carry weapons?

Yes. Court officers may obtain a license to carry a concealed firearm, according to the 36th District Court. Firearms and licenses, however, are not provided by the court.

Who oversees court officers?

State court rules lay out provisions for how evictions are to be conducted, including who can execute them. Ultimately, it's up to chief judges to choose and supervise the court officers. Complaints related to court officers should be submitted to the chief judge. Court officers are not required to submit reports in instances when they may use force while conducting an eviction. Detroit police are "called to keep the peace when necessary," according to the court.

Earlier this month, a bailiff shot and killed a man during an eviction on Detroits west side. According to Detroit police, the man appeared to be having a mental health crisis and charged at the bailiff, who fired shots and fatally wounded him. Detroit police were on-site during the eviction. As of late July, the incident is still under investigation, according to a response by the City of Detroit's Law Department to a Freedom of Information Act request for information about the case.

How to get help

Read the full Justice for All Commission report on evictions, including a breakdown of the eviction process in Michigan, at bit.ly/MichiganEvictionProceedings. For more information about evictions and resources for assistance, visit Michigan Legal Help at bit.ly/MichiganLegalHelpEvictions and the Michigan Attorney General's website for landlords and tenants at www.michigan.gov/ag/about/landlord. For an in-depth run down about eviction proceedings go to www.legislature.mi.gov/Publications/tenantlandlord.pdf.

Reach out to the United Way for Southeastern Michigan's 2-1-1 helpline for additional assistance.

Eligible Detroiters facing eviction can go to bit.ly/DetroitOfficeofEvictionDefense or call the Detroit Housing Resource Helpline at 866-313-2520.

Contact Nushrat: nrahman@freepress.com; 313-348-7558. Follow her on Twitter: @NushratR.

This article originally appeared on Detroit Free Press: What Michigan law says about evictions
ALTON, Ill.  A former Alton police officer has been charged with stealing funds from a police union while employed.

Jeremiah T. Dressler, 41, was charged Monday with stealing funds from the Alton Police Department Benevolent and Protective Association, according to the Illinois Attorney Generals Office.

Between September 2019 and June 2023, Dressler embezzled funds from the union worth between $10,000 and $100,000, prosecutors said.

St. Louis police to release two videos from CVPA shooting on Wednesday

Dressler obtained the money by using the unions bank accounts for credit card payments and Venmo transactions not associated with the business of the Alton PBPA.

The charges state that on three separate occasions between April and June 2023, Dressler used the unions bank information to pay off his personal credit card balances with JP Morgan Chase without Alton PBPAs knowledge.

Prosecutors say Dressler is charged with one count of felon theft, one count of felony theft by deception, and three counts of felony wire fraud.

Dressler turned himself in Friday to the Madison County Sheriffs Office after a warrant was issued for his arrest. He is awaiting his next court date on August 9.

Copyright 2024 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.

For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to FOX 2.
An Illinois chief deputys concerns regarding Sean Grayson, the former sheriffs deputy charged with murder in the fatal shooting of Sonya Massey, an unarmed mother of two, are documented in an audio file released Monday.

The recorded 2022 conversation is with Graysons then-boss, Logan County Chief Deputy Nathan Miller, who addresses Graysons mishandling of a traffic case.

Seven months on, how are you still employed by us? Miller said. Grayson responds, I dont know.

PHOTO: Sonya Massey was shot and killed by former deputy Sean Grayson on July 6, 2024. (Courtesy Ben Crump)

The exchange centers around Grayson, who would eventually leave Logan County and join the Sangamon County Sheriffs Office in 2023, being accused of violating department policy and submitting inaccurate reports.

MORE: Body camera footage released by Illinois State Police of woman killed by former sheriffs deputy

Miller said he and Grayson have "had this conversation before and called Graysons behavior extremely concerning.

Just me asking you those questions, you got a report writing violation for policy. You got an accuracy violation for policy. You got a standard of conduct violation for policy and we're 48 seconds into this, Miller said.

Grayson did not receive any policy violations, as Miller put a hold on the report to discuss the inaccuracies with him before officially submitting the document.

Graysons integrity was also questioned.

Im calling you on your integrity. How does that make you feel? Miller asked. Grayson replied that he was learning from it.

If we cant trust what you say and what you see, we cant have you in our uniform, Miller said.

Miller goes on to remind Grayson that a lot of officers have been charged and end up in jail, and reminding him that official misconduct will land you in jail.

Graysons application to Logan County, where he worked from May 2022 to April 2023, included a letter he wrote explaining and apologizing for his two DUIs, as they were flagged in the hiring process.

Grayson, 30, was charged with two DUI offenses in Macoupin County, Illinois, in August 2015 and July 2016, according to court documents. He pleaded guilty to both charges and paid over $1,320 in fines and had his vehicle impounded as a result of the 2015 incident. In 2016, Grayson paid over $2,400 in fines, according to court records.

Documents obtained by ABC News from Logan state that Grayson resigned in April 2023. He began his full-time job as a sheriffs deputy at Sangamon County three days after leaving Logan.

Grayson is now behind bars, denied bond, charged with three counts of first-degree murder, aggravated battery with a firearm and official misconduct in Masseys death. He has pleaded not guilty.

Im going to say something right now Ive never said in my career before: we failed, Sangamon County Sheriff Jack Campbell said at a community event in Illinois Monday evening, We did not do our jobs. We failed Sonya. We failed Sonyas family and friends. We failed the community. I stand here today before you with arms wide open to ask for forgiveness.

Graysons attorney has declined to comment.

The Illinois Fraternal Order of Police Labor on Tuesday said it was dropping its initial grievance seeking to have Grayson reinstated and would not be proceeding any further.

PHOTO: Former deputy Sean Grayson worked at six different law enforcement agencies over four years. (Sangamon County Sheriff's Office)

The audio file was released as Graysons employment history shows he held six different police jobs in the state of Illinois since 2020, according to the Illinois Law Enforcement Training and Standards Board.

According to employment records, Grayson was hired for his first known police job at the Pawnee Police Department in August 2020 and was fired from his most recent job as a sheriffs deputy at the Sangamon County Sheriffs Department after the July 6 deadly shooting of Massey.

Prior to his time in law enforcement, Grayson was discharged from the U.S. Army for misconduct (serious offense), according to documents obtained by ABC News.

MORE: Ex-deputy who fatally shot Sonya Massey was discharged from the Army for serious misconduct

Grayson was discharged on February 24, 2016, after beginning service in the U.S. Army on May 5, 2014. He served for a total of one year, nine months and 19 days, Graysons certificate of discharge from active duty shows.

The U.S. Army, citing the Privacy Act and Department of Defense policy, said it is prevented from releasing information relating to the misconduct of low-level employees or characterization of service at discharge.

Grayson was a 91B (Wheeled Vehicle Mechanic) in the Regular Army from May 2014 to February 2016. He had no deployments and left the Army in the rank of private first class, according to an Army spokesman.

Masseys heartbroken family continues to mourn her death as they seek justice.

Our whole family is in a disarray. The main focus of everybody is that this animal gets justice and gets exactly what he deserves, James Wilburn, Masseys father, told ABC News affiliate KATV.

ABC News' Tesfaye Negussie contributed to this report.

Ex-deputy charged in Sonya Massey killing drew ire from previous boss, audio files show originally appeared on abcnews.go.com
BEIJING, July 30 (Xinhua) -- China will step up punishment for crimes of refusing to comply with judgments and rulings, one of the measures taken by the country's top procuratorate to promote impartial law enforcement and administration of justice.

According to the Supreme People's Procuratorate (SPP), efforts will be made to improve the national enforcement system and explore ways to strengthen the whole-process supervision of enforcement activities.

It called for attaching equal importance to punishing crimes and protecting human rights, and strengthening supervision of the entire process of criminal filing, investigation, trial, and execution.

Highlighting the need to ensure the provision of legal defense in all criminal cases, the SPP urged strengthening the protection of lawyers' rights in their practice.

It also stressed identifying the entry point for the reform and development of public interest litigation procuratorial services. 
Democratic gubernatorial candidate Wes Moore speaks at a campaign rally attended by President Joe Biden and first lady Jill Biden at Bowie State University on November 7, 2022 in Bowie, Maryland - Image: Andrew Harnik (Getty Images)

While Vice PresidentKamala Harris continues to make great strides with American voters and support for former President Donald Trump has increased since his 2020 loss to President Joe Biden, theres one group of Americans that neither candidate can truly get a hold of: Black men.

According to a PEW Research study, Black men vote at about ten percentage points less than their female counterparts, and Maryland Gov. Wes Moore spoke to the Roots Editor-in-Chief to name the exact reasons why.



Moore said Black men are discouraged from voting in the political system that historically has not always worked for us. Although he told the Root Black mens fear of political engagement is justified, he urged politicians to go out and earn their vote.

To get Black men [to vote], you gotta go earn it, he said. Black men are not going to...vote a certain way just because. In 2022, Moore made history becoming the first Black governor of Maryland and the third Black governor in American history. Despite the national attention on his gubernatorial election, even Moore said he still had to convince Black men in his own family to cast their ballots, which speaks to the ongoing disconnect between Black men and the American political system that he says Trump perpetuates.

We all remember when the GOP nominee took out ads in newspapers that read BRING BACK THE DEATH PENALTY. BRING BACK OUR POLICE! after the Central Park 5 were falsely accused of attacking a white woman. How about when Trump called the national guard during the peaceful 2020 George Floyd protests? With all this in mind, its no shock that Black men are disengaged, but Moore said this is why having a vision is so important.

(Left) former President Donald Trump, (right) Vice President Kamala Harris - Image: Brandon Bell, Jim Vondruska (Getty Images)

The vision that Donald Trump is offering is performative and is of caricatures, he said. Im looking for a real vision for creating pathways for work, wages, and wealth.

The Maryland governor said the difference between Trumps antics and the Biden-Harris Administration is the latter has a comprehensive plan and strong track record to help Black men. The truth is that since the start of the pandemic, we have seen how Black wealth has increased by 60 percent... under the Biden-Harris administration, Moore said.

The Maryland governor is known for his unwavering support for President Joe Biden and VP Harris. During the interview, he went on to list receipts on just how impactful the Biden-Harris Administration has been for the Black community.

He continued saying we have seen the fastest start in Black owned businesses [and] startup by Black men in 30 years now under the Biden-Harris administration; the lowest unemployment rates on record for African American men.

Comparing that to the Trump campaign, Moore told the Root on the other side, you do have someone thats talking about immigrants taking Black jobs and does not have a plan.

Its not just enough to cater to Black men, Moore insisted. Black women also acknowledge the ongoing struggle to not only protect Black men but to also empower them.

They [Black women] want our Black men to know that there is a place in our society for them as well, and you know who understands that? The vice president, he told the Root.

Last week, Moore endorsed Harris for president, according to the Baltimore Sun. Although many are looking at Moore as a potential candidate for Harris running mate, he insists he has no plan to join the ticket.

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FILE PHOTO: US soldier sentenced to nearly four years in Russia's penal colony

FILE PHOTO: US soldier sentenced to nearly four years in Russia's penal colony

By Phil Stewart and Idrees Ali

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The Army has stopped paying wages and allowances to a U.S. soldier sentenced last month to nearly four years in a Russian penal colony and may prosecute him if he returns to the United States, U.S. officials said.

Gordon Black, a 34-year-old staff sergeant, was convicted in Russia of theft and threatening murder. But he broke a series of Army rules first, traveling to Russia without U.S. military authorization, and flying through China to get there.

He was also having an extramarital affair - prohibited in the U.S. military - with a Russian woman named Alexandra Vashchuk, who he met during a deployment in South Korea. During leave from the military, Black followed her to Russia's far eastern city of Vladivostok, where she reported him to the police after an argument.

A senior U.S. defense official, speaking on condition of anonymity, drew a comparison to the case of U.S. Army Private Travis King, who last year ran into North Korea and was taken into custody there. Once the United States secured his release, King was charged in October by the Army with crimes including desertion.

"When Black is back in the United States, there will be probably consequences, just as Private King is experiencing consequences for essentially unacceptable behavior," the official said.

"So the Army is going to do the right thing in terms of punishing bad behavior."

Black's case created another headache for U.S. officials already coping with several high-profile detentions in Russia, including Wall Street Journal reporter Evan Gershkovich and former U.S. Marine Paul Whelan.

Russia's Foreign Ministry has said the case was not political and the U.S. military has not weighed in on the substance of the charges against Black in Russia.

Black was arrested in Vladivostok in May after he and Vashchuk had an argument, and on June 19 a Russian judge found Black guilty of stealing $10,000 rubles ($116) from his girlfriend's purse and threatening to kill her. He pleaded not guilty to threatening to kill Vashchuk but admitted he took the money and said he did so out of necessity.

His defense lawyer in Russia, who has said she will appeal the verdict, was not immediately reachable for comment.

The violations of Army rules present a quandary for the U.S. military, given the high-profile nature of Black's arrest and the fact he has a wife and daughter near Fort Cavazos in Texas who depended on benefits, including a portion of his housing allowance.

In May, the military quietly decided to stop paying Black his wages and housing allowance, Army officials told Reuters.

CONTROVERSIAL DECISION

An Army spokesperson told Reuters Black's status was now CCA, or "Confined Civilian Authority," and that he is being kept on active duty without pay or allowances. The Army is maintaining medical benefits and base privileges for Black's family members.

Franklin Rosenblatt, an associate professor at Mississippi College School of Law and former Army Judge Advocate General, suggested the decision to change Black's status to CCA would be routine, if he were detained in the United States.

But assigning that status to him in Russia could be controversial, Rosenblatt said.

"There's a concern here that we may be giving legitimacy to the proceedings conducted in Russia with how we reflect his duty and pay status," he said, when informed by Reuters about Black's CCA status.

The U.S. military is not providing Black with any special military counsel, the Army has said.

Black's wife and mother, in interviews with Reuters, have portrayed a sometimes violent relationship between Black and his girlfriend.

His wife Megan recounted a time that Black's girlfriend stabbed him during a drunken video-call from Seoul with his daughter back in Texas.

Black's mother, Melody Jones, said he had followed his girlfriend to Russia even though they "fought like cats and dogs."

In Russia, prosecutors said that during an argument at Vashchuk's apartment, Black had grabbed her by the neck before taking her money. Black argued that Vashchuk had drunk half a bottle of vodka that day, was aggressive and had struck him.

Rosenblatt said while the Army might want to prosecute him now, it may opt against doing so if Black were to end up serving his entire sentence of three years and nine months in a Russian penal colony.

"What happened to him there (Russia) and serving that sentence, it does not entitle him automatically to confinement credit, but ... that may be a strong reason to grant leniency," he said.

(Reporting by Phil Stewart and Idrees Ali; Additional reporting by Filipp Lebedev in London; Editing by Don Durfee and Daniel Wallis)
(Getty Images).

It may seem like its always been a part of America, but Tuesday is Medicares 59th birthday. We should pause, celebrate its success and commit to stopping the corporations who are pilfering it for their own profits.

Health care in the United States remains unaffordable and inaccessible despite costing Americans $4.7 trillion a year. Medical costs are the leading cause of personal bankruptcy for Americans, and the problem is even more dire among seniors.

Those older than age 55 represent 31% of our country but account for 55% of health care spending. When Medicare was signed into law 59 years ago in Independence, it offered the hope that our populations elderly and disabled could access health care and age with dignity. Its lived up to that promise for generations now.

The attack on Medicare began in the 1970s with a proposal to turn the nations best public health program over to profit-centric corporations and privatize Medicare. The false premise was that the free market would create competition that could drive down health care costs and turn a profit for the investment community.

That strategy works in many parts of the economy, but not in health care.

Health care by nature cannot be a free market good. It isnt like purchasing a cell phone where you can identify prices, compare specs of different models, read reviews and ultimately choose to walk away if you dont like the options. Patients dont wake up in the morning and choose to take medications because they want to, but because they need to.

Health care emergencies like heart attacks and strokes dont afford patients or their families the luxury to price shop, compare facilities or reviews. Health care can only turn a profit at the expense of quality care. This is exactly what so-called Medicare Advantage (MA) plans have demonstrated every year since their creation in 2003.

MA corporations restrict access to care through small networks, ghost networks, limited out of network coverage, and referral requirements for specialty care  none of which exist in Traditional Medicare.

MA plans typically refuse access to more than half of the physicians in a community, sometimes excluding up to 70% of providers, and cover only half of hospitals in a county. Because these plans force patients with many types of cancer to delay their care and block them from going to Centers of Excellence, these critically ill patients are more likely to die after their cancer surgery than similar patients in traditional Medicare.

No one warns patients about these barriers to care, and in fact MA plans grossly mislead people about what they cover. MA network directories frequently include providers who are retired, deceased or simply dont exist. These limitations are even worse for those living in rural areas where access is already limited.

Even when patients go to in-network providers, they are then faced with prior authorizations and claims denials that further delay access to care.

In 2018 the Office of Inspector General (OIG) published a report showing 75% of appealed claims denied by MA plans were overturned on first repeal. Analysis by KFF found that in 2021, 82% of appealed denials were approved. These high successful repeal rates suggest that many of the denials should have never happened in the first place.

Unfortunately, the appeals system for claims denials is so convoluted that only 1-6% of claims are ever attempted to be appealed, allowing companies to reap massive profits just by denying care. These coverage restrictions have also extended to physician administered medications; in reviewing the 20 most commonly prescribed medications between 12-17 of 20 had access restricted with prior authorizations in 2018.

By 2020, CVS/Aetna and Humana only retained four of the 20 most commonly used physician administered medications on their formularies, Kaiser covered 6 and United Healthcare covered only 2.

One of the shiny selling points for an MA plan over traditional Medicare plans is the inclusion of vision, hearing and dental benefits that arent part of traditional Medicare, but on closer look most of these plans have dollar limits that result in thousands of dollars in out-of-pocket costs, making it hard to see much true benefit.

With all the harms noted for MA plans over traditional Medicare plans, one might expect that if the plan were truly bad in a free market, patients would switch away from MA plans. Unfortunately, consumers dont get a choice, since health care is not a true free-market commodity.

Those with higher health care needs do in fact switch out of MA plans at significant rates, but this option isnt accessible to everyone. Protections against pre-existing conditions in pricing of Medigap policies only exist for the first 6-12 months in most states, including Missouri. Switching out of MA plans after the first year can be cost prohibitive, trapping patients in a vicious cycle of care delays and denials.

The experiment of privatization of Medicare is a failed one. In addition to the actual patient harms that have come from privatized Medicare, MA plans are inefficient, have high administrative burden and more costly to taxpayers. The government pays more per person in MA plans than in TM plans, at a conservative estimate of 140 billion dollars a year in excess payments.

If that money instead went towards improving traditional Medicare, we could eliminate the need for people in traditional Medicare to purchase Medigap (a $5,000 out-of-pocket maximum would cost $39 billion); we could include hearing, dental, vision for everyone in Medicare and Medicaid ($84 billion), or free people from having to pay a premium for Medicare Part B ($131 billion).

For its 59th birthday this year, lets protect Medicare from the corporate raiders, call for an end to the subsidies and make the best thing (Medicare) even better.
TOPEKA (KSNT)  With dangerously hot temperatures expected, the Shawnee County Sheriffs Office (SNSO) shared some tips to help people beat the heat.

On Monday, July 29 the National Weather Service (NWS) of Topeka issued an excessive heat warning for all of northeast Kansas. Dangerously hot conditions with heat indices up to 112 degrees are expected. The warning is in effect until 7 p.m. on Thursday, Aug. 1, 2024.

The NWS warns of illness from extreme heat and high humidity. They say people should wear lightweight loose-fitting clothing and try to limit hard work.

The SNSO reminds residents to drink lots of water, check on vulnerable people & animals, avoid strenuous outdoor work, stay in air-conditioned locations and stay informed.

Vietnam-era helicopter ride-along event coming to Topeka

Further east, the Douglas County Sheriffs Office (DCSO) warned that childrens body temperature can rise three to five times faster than an adults.

Within 10 minutes, a vehicles temperature can rise more than 20 degrees. Such hot temperatures reinforce the importance of not leaving children unattended in your vehicle, the DCSO wrote on Facebook.

For more Kansas news, click here. Keep up with the latest breaking news in northeast Kansas by downloading our mobile app and by signing up for our news email alerts. Sign up for our Storm Track Weather app by clicking here.

Copyright 2024 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.

For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to KSNT 27 News.
Ukrainians F-16s will immediately be able to get more out of stocks Western munitions that have already been deliverd, as well as other benefits.

The F-16 Viper fighters that Ukraine is in the process of receiving will let the country take better advantage of Western air-launched munitions that have already been delivered, the U.S. Air Forces top officer in Europe has highlighted. The War Zone has previously explored in detail how the array of weapons the F-16 platform can use makes the jets a particularly important addition to the Ukrainian Air Forces fleets. Still, American and other foreign officials continue to stress that Vipers are not a golden bullet in Ukraines fight against Russia, despite the important benefits they will provide in the near and long term.

Air Force Gen. James Hecker discussed what F-16s will and wont offer Ukraine, at least in the immediate future, during a virtual talk the Air & Space Forces Associations Mitchell Institute for Aerospace Studies hosted earlier today. Hecker is head of U.S. Air Forces in Europe (USAFE), as well as Air Forces Africa (AFAFRICA) and NATOs Allied Air Command.

U.S. and other foreign officials announced that the delivery of the initial tranche of F-16s to Ukraine was underway earlier this month. A claimed sighting of one of those jets flying in Ukrainian airspace emerged yesterday, but this remains unconfirmed. To date, Belgium, Denmark, the Netherlands, and Norway have collectively pledged some 85 F-16AM/BM jets to Ukraine and Greece may be moving to commit 32 additional F-16C/D variants.

Stabilized Slowmotion footage of supposed F-16 over Ukraine.



A few observations:

 thats an F-16

 impossible to discern location

 "UA typical opsec horizon blur" could be done for information warfare reasons

 no "strong" blue yellow markings



Could be anywhere. pic.twitter.com/YcL1wcJlaT  C Schmitz (@chrisschmitz) July 30, 2024

When it comes to weapons for those aircraft, weve already given them several [types of relevant] munitions like the ones you talked about, Hecker said today. The general was responding to a question wherein AIM-120 Advanced Medium Range Air-to-Air Missiles (AMRAAM), AIM-9 Sidewinder air-to-air missiles, and Joint Direct Attack Munition-Extended Range (JDAM-ER) and Small Diameter Bomb (SDB) precision-guided glide bombs were all mentioned. A separate report today from the Wall Street Journal said that AGM-88 High-speed Anti-Radiation Missiles (HARM), which Ukraine also already has in its arsenal, is among the weapons set to be used on the countrys forthcoming F-16s. Not mentioned in all of this is that Ukraine has gotten ADM-160 Miniature Air-Launched Decoys (MALD), another store that Vipers can launch.

It is worth noting here that AIM-120s and AIM-9s have previously been supplied as surface-to-air interceptors, primarily for use with the National Advanced Surface-to-Air Missile Systems (NASAMS). Sidewinders are also reportedly in service in the ground-launched mode integrated onto one of several ad-hoc FrankenSAM systems the U.S. military has helped facilitate the development of for Ukraine. The Ukrainian Air Force has already been actively using JDAM-ERs, SDBs, and HARMs to good effect from various Soviet-era combat jets.

Ukrainian Air Force MiG-29 Fulcrum strike operations launching US-supplied AGM-88 HARMs and JDAM-ER glide bombs.



Western upgrades have given the older Ukrainian Fulcrums a real standoff strike capability.



When Ukraine gets access to F-16 fighter jets, they get another pic.twitter.com/FJ8WjURpQO  WORLD AT WAR (@World_At_War_6) July 18, 2024

First images of a Ukrainian MiG-29 Fulcrum operationally flying with US-supplied and integrated GBU-39 SDB precision glide bombs.



Appears to be carrying four SDBs, under a pair of underwing BRU-61 carriages. pic.twitter.com/Q4KphGlUVf  OSINTtechnical (@Osinttechnical) May 26, 2024

Cockpit view from a Ukrainian Air Force Su-27 Flanker flying at treetop level, heading towards the eastern front with a pair of US-supplied AGM-88 HARMs. pic.twitter.com/1AUnOdjH8g  OSINTtechnical (@Osinttechnical) July 28, 2024

So, they already have them [these Western munitions], theyre just dropping them off MiG-29s and Su-24s and those kinds of things, Gen. Hecker added. Now theyre going to have the opportunity to actually drop them off of an airplane that they were designed to come off of, which will give them more capability to change the targets in flight and things like that, that theyre not able to do with their other aircraft.

Details about how U.S. and other Western precision-guided munitions have been integrated into Ukraines existing fleets remain limited. U.S. officials have disclosed that this involves the use of an ad-hoc control system that utilizes iPads or similar tablet-like devices mounted in the jets cockpits. The War Zone has highlighted in the past how this kind of integration, while very practical to meet Ukraines pressing immediate needs, was likely to come along with limited functionality.

Ukrainian Air Force Su-27 Flanker Wild Weasel operations, seen here conducting multiple low level standoff strikes against Russian radars with US-supplied AGM-88 HARMs. pic.twitter.com/7CosjXFNkO  OSINTtechnical (@Osinttechnical) April 21, 2024

As already noted, F-16s are already cleared to carry a variety of weapons. The jets therefore provide a new and easier path for other munitions, including stand-off anti-ship and land-attack cruise missiles, to enter the Ukrainian Air Forces arsenal on top of the additional functionality when it comes to employing existing U.S.-supplied munitions The Vipers have the benefit of NATO-standard bus architecture. This might open up the possibility of Ukraine using them as launch platforms for other Western air-launched munitions, like Storm Shadow and SCALP EG cruise missiles from the United Kingdom and France, respectively, and French-made Hammer rocket-assisted precision-guided bombs.

A pair of F-16AM Vipers in Danish service. Ukraine is now in the process of getting F-16AM/BM variants from Denmark and several other countries. Danish Armed Forces

In speaking today, Gen. Hecker also highlighted how the F-16s will come along with Western training in tactics, techniques, and procedures (TTP).

It does move them [Ukraine] a step in the right direction. And theyve already kind of taken that step where theyve gotten some Western tanks, Western munitions, and now theyre getting the Western aircraft, Hecker said. Weve started that transition to Western TTPs, to Western doctrine, to Western equipment, and theyre going to be much better off and a much better partner once they mature with all these capabilities that were giving them.

That is a cultural shift for somebody who was trained by the Russians years ago, and that takes time, Hecker added. You know, a seven-month course on how to fly an F-16 isnt going to change that culture overnight. And weve seen that with other Eastern Bloc countries that now are members of NATO This is talking, you know, half decades, decades to kind of get to that point. But we started with a clock and I think thats a good start.

Members of the Bulgarian Air Force tow an old MiG-29 out of hangar during training in July 2024 as part of preparations ahead of that country receiving new F-16s. Bulgaria, which was an Eastern Bloc country during the Cold War, has been a member of NATO since 2004. USAF 31st Fighter Wing

Well before plans to send F-16s to Ukraine were finalized, The War Zone underscored the importance of starting to deliver Western combat jets to the country for exactly these reasons, which go beyond the context of the current conflict. You can also read more in detail about how what it takes to fully train new Viper pilots in this past feature.

At the same time, the Air Forces top officer in Europe did seek to temper expectations about how significant the contributions of Ukraines F-16s will be in the immediate future.

Ive said this before, its not going to be the golden BB or the golden bullet, that all of a sudden, you know, they have F-16s and now theyre going to go out and gain air superiority, Hecekr stressed. And its not just because its Ukraine, its just the integrated air and missile defense systems that theyre going up against is [sic] that good. And we have a hard time with [stealthy] fifth-generation aircraft going against that.

Hecker also acknowledged that the F-16s will come along with new maintenance and other demands that the Ukrainians will have to learn to manage.

Ukrainian President Volodomyr Zelensky inspects a Royal Netherlands Air Force F-16 at the Eindhoven Air Base in that country in August 2023. Ukrainian Presidents Office

Im not going to go into you know, whos going over there  how many contractors, [from the] U.S., other nations  just because I dont think thats appropriate to pass on, Hecker said. We are definitely looking into the maintenance [aspect] and how were going to do that, and I think we have a good way forward to make that happen.

Other U.S. and foreign officials have made similar comments trying to put the F-16 deliveries to Ukraine into more realistic perspectives. There continue to be reports that issues with training pipelines for pilots and maintainers, in particular, present ongoing hurdles to getting the Vipers fully into Ukrainian service.

All this being said, Ukraine getting F-16s is still a major development and those jets will offer the immediate benefit of being able to get more out of stocks of Western munitions that have already been delivered.

Contact the author: joe@twz.com
Claim:

After officials at the Paris 2024 Olympics barred Israeli swimmers from wearing protest pins with the phrase Bring Them Home Now," they were photographed positioning their bodies in a pool to spell out the words in English.

Rating:

Rating: Miscaptioned

Context:

A photo supposedly documenting the alleged protest is real  that is, it's not the product of digital manipulation. However, it was taken in November 2023 in a pool in Israel  not at the Paris 2024 Olympics.

In July 2024, as the Summer Olympics commenced in Paris, a photograph of the Israeli artistic swimming team went viral, showing them forming the phrase "Bring Them Home Now" from an aerial view of a pool. The phrase referred to Israeli hostages captured by Hamas on Oct. 7, 2023.

Numerous posts showing the photograph claimed that because the Olympics Committee barred the team from wearing "Bring Them Home Now" pins on their uniforms, they opted to form the slogan in a pool at the Olympics. One post stated: "Olympic Swim Team from ISRAEL were not allowed to wear 'Bring Them Home Now' pins so they did this TO SUPPORT THEIR PEOPLE STILL HELD HOSTAGE BY TERRORISTS."

(Instagram user @dawnobrienhi)

While the Israeli artistic swim team did create such a slogan and the in-question photo was real, the claim that the protest occurred at the Paris 2024 Olympics was false. The photo was taken in November 2023 in a pool in Israel and was unrelated to the Olympic Games.

Also, while it is true that Olympic rules prohibit athletes from protesting during events  which, hypothetically speaking, would prohibit athletes from wearing the alleged "Bring Them Home Now" pins  we also found no evidence of the team attempting to wear anything of the sort during the Paris 2024 Olympics. For those reasons, we have rated the claim "Miscaptioned."

Using Google's reverse-image search, we traced the photograph to November 2023, when it was first posted by the official Instagram account for the Israel Artistic Swimming Team. According to that post's caption, which we translated via Google Translate, the photograph was taken at the Wingate Institute in Netanya, Israel.

The Instagram post stated (translated): "Israel's artistic swimming team took a photo at the weekend at the national pool at the Wingate Institute for a special photo for the return of the abductees to Israel. Ten female athletes participated in photographs taken from a drone and underwater."

https://www.instagram.com/p/Cz0i6cGItMR/?utm_source=ig_embed&ig_rid=dc2ec7d6-6bc9-4ab5-affb-d01e85e24169&img_index=1

The athletes named in the image were Eden Belcher, Shelly Bobritsky, Ariel Nashi, Nicole Nakhshonov, Kati Kunin, Maya Dorf, Neta Robichak, Shani Shraizin, Noi Gazela and Aya Mazor. Among those swimmers, only Bobritsky and Nashi (possibly spelled "Nassee") were competing in the artistic swimming category at the Olympics, according to the World Aquatics database and news reports. They're competing as a duo in the artistic swimming category.

Shortly after it was uploaded by the artistic swimming team, the Israeli Ministry of Foreign Affairs also shared the photograph with the caption: "A beautiful tribute by Israel's national artistic swimming team in tribute to the 240 hostages being held by Hamas terrorists in Gaza. We will not stop until each and every one of them are brought home."

https://www.facebook.com/photo/?fbid=728348205989775&set=a.316448723846394&paipv=0&eav=AfZ-OfYpA2q5QqkhFOn--IUGmMBstGR5Hyf6ctMTa74x8vZNpzKKBloZImsaGtNJUKw&_rdr

The Olympics have been politically charged amid Israel's ongoing military assault on Gaza. As of this writing, more than 39,000 Palestinian civilians had been killed in the war, according to Gaza's Healthy Ministry. Hamas has abducted dozens of Israeli citizens to hold as hostages since October 2023.

At the opening ceremony of the Paris Olympics, a Palestinian boxer appeared to be wearing a shirt that showed fighter jets dropping bombs above children. The president of the Palestine Olympic Committee told AFP that they received approval from the Olympic committee for the shirt saying it was an "anti-war" message that abides with the Olympic Charter.

Per Olympic rules, athletes are banned from expressing political views during competitions and official ceremonies. The charter states: "No kind of demonstration or political, religious or racial propaganda is permitted in any Olympic sites, venues or other areas." However, athletes can make such expressions in "mixed zones," like while they're speaking to journalists, waiting for a competition to begin, posting on social media, and more.

Sources:

"At Olympic Opening, Palestinian Boxer Wears Shirt Showing Children Being Bombed." Democracy Now!, https://www.democracynow.org/2024/7/29/headlines/at_olympic_opening_palestinian_boxer_wears_shirt_showing_children_being_bombed. Accessed 30 July 2024.

"Competition Athletes | World Aquatics Official." World Aquatics, https://www.worldaquatics.com/competitions/2943/olympic-games-paris-2024/www.worldaquatics.com/competitions/2943/olympic-games-paris-2024/athletes. Accessed 30 July 2024.

Evon, Dan. "Snopes Tips: A Guide To Performing Reverse Image Searches." Snopes, 22 Mar. 2022, https://www.snopes.com//articles/400681/how-to-perform-reverse-image-searches/." target="blank">https://www.snopes.com//articles/400681/how-to-perform-reverse-image-searches/.">https://www.snopes.com//articles/400681/how-to-perform-reverse-image-searches/. Accessed 30 July 2024.

"Guidelines on Athlete Expression - Olympics Games Paris 2024." Olympics, https://olympics.com/athlete365/app/uploads/2024/01/2023.12.01.-OC-Athlete-expression-guidelines-amendment-EN.pdf." target="blank">https://olympics.com/athlete365/app/uploads/2024/01/2023.12.01.-OC-Athlete-expression-guidelines-amendment-EN.pdf.">https://olympics.com/athlete365/app/uploads/2024/01/2023.12.01.-OC-Athlete-expression-guidelines-amendment-EN.pdf. Accessed 30 July 2024.

"How the Phrase 'Bring Them Home' Became a Rorschach Test for Israeli and American Jews." Times of Israel, 11 June 2024, https://www.timesofisrael.com/how-the-phrase-bring-them-home-became-a-rorschach-test-for-israeli-and-american-jews/." target="blank">https://www.timesofisrael.com/how-the-phrase-bring-them-home-became-a-rorschach-test-for-israeli-and-american-jews/.">https://www.timesofisrael.com/how-the-phrase-bring-them-home-became-a-rorschach-test-for-israeli-and-american-jews/. Accessed 30 July 2024.

"Israel-Hamas War Latest: Tensions over Probe of Israeli Soldiers, and More Bodies Are Found in Gaza." AP News, 30 July 2024, https://apnews.com/article/israel-hamas-war-latest-29-july-2024-1bb862d58fb7ec9e068aefa3c43a1a0f." target="blank">https://apnews.com/article/israel-hamas-war-latest-29-july-2024-1bb862d58fb7ec9e068aefa3c43a1a0f.">https://apnews.com/article/israel-hamas-war-latest-29-july-2024-1bb862d58fb7ec9e068aefa3c43a1a0f. Accessed 30 July 2024.

"Palestinian Olympian Wore Shirt Showing Bombed Children at Opening Ceremony." AFP, 27 July 2024, https://www.france24.com/en/live-news/20240727-palestinian-olympian-wore-shirt-showing-bombed-children-at-opening-ceremony." target="blank">https://www.france24.com/en/live-news/20240727-palestinian-olympian-wore-shirt-showing-bombed-children-at-opening-ceremony.">https://www.france24.com/en/live-news/20240727-palestinian-olympian-wore-shirt-showing-bombed-children-at-opening-ceremony. Accessed 30 July 2024.
Fact Check: JD Vance Said of His Wife, 'Obviously She's Not a White Person'

Claim:

Republican 2024 vice presidential candidate JD Vance once said about his wife, Usha: Obviously, shes not a white person  But I just, I love Usha. Shes such a good mom.

Rating:

Rating: Correct Attribution

Context:

Vance was responding to claims he supported only white stay-at-home moms. His full comments were: "I love my wife so much. I love her because she's who she is. Obviously, she's not a white person, and we've been accused, attacked by some white supremacists over that. But I just, I love Usha. She's such a good mom."

Republican 2024 vice presidential candidate JD Vance faced ridicule on the internet for what many called a strange description of his Indian American wife, Usha Vance.

Many on social media highlighted a section of his interview with podcast host Megyn Kelly, in which he reportedly said of his wife, "Obviously she's not a white person  but I love Usha. She's such a good mom."

Obviously shes not a white personbut I love Usha, shes such a good mom. - JD Vance



So non-white people are(gulp) lovable, and can be (gulp gulp) good parents?



This guy making excuses for his Indian wife to the racists he desperately needs for Trump to get elected?  Mr. Newberger (@jeremynewberger) July 28, 2024

During an interview with Sirius host Megyn Kelly, JD Vance discussed his wife, Usha Vance:



Obviously, shes not a white person but I love Usha, shes such a good mom.

pic.twitter.com/zk5k6c72C9  The Intellectualist (@highbrow_nobrow) July 27, 2024

Vance did use the above words to describe his wife, Usha, but the posts are missing his full comments. He was addressing a question from Kelly who asked him to respond to claims that he only valued "white stay-at-home moms." Vance said his wife was "obviously not a white person" and said they had been attacked by white supremacists as a result. We therefore rate this claim as a "Correct Attribution" but in need of some context.

The exchange took place as part of a discussion on Vance's "childless cat lady" comments, when some people criticized him for being against working mothers. Vance defended himself by saying his "childless cat ladies" comment was sarcastic, and that he supported his wife in her own career. We have reproduced the full transcript of Kelly's question and Vance's response below:

Kelly: You mentioned Usha. [News anchor] Joy Reid in that montage of media reactions I played, suggested that what your comments get to is that: the only valid version of America is a white woman who stays at home. That's your position according to her, you only value white stay-at-home moms. Vance: That's just so disgusting Megyn. I love my wife so much. I love her because she's who she is. Obviously, she's not a white person, and we've been accused, attacked by some white supremacists over that. But I just, I love Usha. She's such a good mom. She's such a brilliant lawyer and I am so proud of her. But yes, her experiences have given me perspective in the way it's really hard for working families in this country.

The exchange took place at the 10:50 mark:

Vance has long been criticized for his comments, including when he said a few years back that divorce generally is harmful to kids, even if it stems from a violent marriage.

Sources:

Ibrahim, Nur. "Kamala Harris Does Not Have Biological Children?" Snopes, 24 July 2024, https://www.snopes.com//fact-check/kamala-harris-biological-children/." target="blank">https://www.snopes.com//fact-check/kamala-harris-biological-children/.">https://www.snopes.com//fact-check/kamala-harris-biological-children/. Accessed 30 July 2024.

Ibrahim, Nur. "JD Vance Said Women Should Stay in Violent Marriages?" Snopes, 18 July 2024, https://www.snopes.com//fact-check/jd-vance-violent-marriages/." target="blank">https://www.snopes.com//fact-check/jd-vance-violent-marriages/.">https://www.snopes.com//fact-check/jd-vance-violent-marriages/. Accessed 30 July 2024.

""Profoundly Weird and Dangerous": J.D. Vance Calls Out Media and Celebs Over Child Comments Backlash." Megyn Kelly, 2024. YouTube, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yRMWhqX7b5o." target="blank">https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yRMWhqX7b5o.">https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yRMWhqX7b5o. Accessed 30 July 2024.


Claim:

U.S. Vice President Kamala Harris announced plans to take funding from the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) by closing VA facilities to give the money to refugees.

Rating:

Rating: Originated as Satire

As U.S. Vice President Kamala Harris entered the 2024 presidential race after President Joe Biden ended his bid for reelection, an old meme gained new life. It claimed that Harris wanted to close the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) and instead use the funds to support refugees (archived):

The claim appeared several times on X, with one poster claiming he'd "watched" Harris say it (archived). It came to our attention when Snopes readers emailed us screenshots of the "copypasta," which also spread on Facebook. The allegations drew outrage from those who shared it. "Give the VETS what they need! When is enough gonna be enough???" one said. "Our veterans deserve more than any refugee!" wrote another.

This rumor had been circulating since February 2021. The text of the copypasta originally came from an article on the America's Last Line of Defense website. It posited that she was planning to shutter VA facilities and reallocate the money to support refugee families. The article appeared to have been originally published on Feb. 9, 2021. The bolded portion below is what appeared in the Facebook and X posts:

Military-Hating Kamala Wants To Shut Down The VA Now, Kamala Harris wants to take our vets back to the hell they had experienced under BHO. That was somewhat to be expected, but no details have yet been given except for one very significant one announced by Kamala Harris today. Harris made an announcement before some group in Chicago: "The United States government cannot continue to pay for the every need of what has become a special class of citizen. Veterans are equal to us, not better than. Veterans Affairs coddles them. It creates a dependency upon us which is not doing these former soldiers any good. They need to learn to live on their own two feet and be responsible adults. The easiest way to assist them on this journey is to cut them off. Within these next four years, we will be shuttering the VA, taking away soldier welfare. The money saved will go to better use in assisting refugee families. These poor folks seek asylum with us and need a boost and it is our responsibility as a nation to provide it. So here's a message to the soldier boys. Get a job." This woman has a lot of nerve speaking to our brave military personnel in that way. These men and women sacrificed themselves for this country. Harris has never even come close to doing such a thing.

But no one could have watched her say it because the article originated with a website whose tagline at the time was "Satire for your Confirmation Bias." Its disclaimer described its output as being humorous or satirical in nature, as follows:

Everything on this website is fiction. It is not a lie and it is not fake news because it is not real. If you believe that it is real, you should have your head examined. Any similarities between this site's pure fantasy and actual people, places, and events are purely coincidental and all images should be considered altered and satirical.

In fact, we debunked this claim in 2021.

For background, here is why we sometimes write about satire/humor.

 Snopes' archives contributed to this report.
Fact Check: President and VP Are Allowed to Be From Same State  But It's Never Happened Before

Claim:

The U.S. Constitution does not allow a president and vice president to be from the same state.

Rating:

Rating: False

Context:

While the Constitution does not prohibit a single-state ticket, a provision in the 12th Amendment incentivizes presidential and vice presidential candidates from two different states.

After U.S. President Joe Biden announced he would withdraw from the 2024 U.S. presidential election, he endorsed Vice President Kamala Harris as his successor.

Almost immediately, social media users began discussing a long list of potential running mates for Harris, including California Gov. Gavin Newsom.

However, some users raised concerns about whether a potential Harris-Newsom ticket would be allowed under the U.S. Constitution, as Harris and Newsom are residents of the same state, California.

Really, Gavin Newsom for Vice President? Here is where you take a F in History and Constitutional Law. He can not be on the same ticket as K Harris. They are from the same state. Go read your Constitution and amendments. IF you can read.  Tim Fullerton, Sr. (@tfullertonsr1) July 25, 2024

A potential Harris-Newsom ticket would be constitutional, contrary to what people expressed on social media. In other words, nothing in the U.S. Constitution prohibits a political party from nominating presidential and vice presidential candidates from the same state.

However, such a single-state ticket would be unprecedented. By examining records of past elections in the National Archives, we found that no major party in the history of the United States has ever nominated a presidential and vice presidential candidate from the same state.

And that's likely for good reason. There are many political benefits to offering a ticket with two candidates from different states, including the higher likelihood of catering to a wider voting demographic.

In addition to that, a provision in the 12th Amendment incentivizes presidential and vice presidential candidates from two different states, and a ticket with two candidates from the same state could create a strange scenario in a close election.

Under the Constitution's guidelines, the "true" presidential election is held by the 538 electors of the Electoral College. Each state (and Washington, D.C.) appoints a number of electors equal to its number of Congressional members. For example, New York currently has 26 representatives and two senators, giving the state 28 Electoral College votes.

Per the National Archives, political parties in each state choose a slate of electors to represent their tickets. Then, during the November general election, in most states, the popular vote decides which party sends its electors to vote in the Electoral College. Or, in Maine's and Nebraska's cases, electors are allocated based on both the popular vote and voting outcomes in each Congressional district.

Every four years after a November general election, the 538 electors gather and cast votes for president and vice president according to rules outlined in the 12th Amendment, which was added to the Constitution in 1804. Each elector casts one vote for president and one vote for vice president on separate ballots.

If a presidential or vice presidential candidate receives a majority in the Electoral College, that person is elected to that office. If no candidate receives a majority, the House of Representatives holds votes to decide the presidency, while the Senate votes on the vice president.

But the 12th Amendment does place one restriction on how the electors are allowed to vote: They must vote for at least one candidate from a state other than their own. For instance, an elector from New York could successfully vote for a hypothetical, all-Virginia ticket of George Washington for president and Thomas Jefferson for vice president. However, an elector from Virginia could not cast the same ballot: That person could vote for either Washington or Jefferson, but would have to cast their other vote for a non-Virginian.

This brings us back to a potential Harris-Newsom ticket.

Because they are both officially registered as candidates from the state of California, California's 54 electors would not be able to vote for the full ticket. They would have to vote for either Harris as president or Newsom as vice president  but not both. Because votes for president and vice president are tabulated separately, this could lead to a situation where a presidential nominee from one party and a vice presidential nominee from another party win.

So, while there's no explicit ban in the Constitution preventing a party from running a single-state ticket, the 12th Amendment lowers such a ticket's chance at success. In order to successfully run a single-state ticket, the political party in question would need to either win the election in a landslide, giving it an Electoral College majority vote despite effectively forfeiting the candidates' home state's Electoral College votes, or risk the Senate deciding on vice president.

These complications are likely why a major party has never attempted to run a single-state ticket in a presidential election, especially given close presidential races in recent years.

According to History.com, the 2000 presidential election won by Republican George W. Bush had a chance at ending differently due to this provision in the 12th Amendment. Shortly before the election, Bush and his vice presidential candidate, D*ck Cheney, were both residents of Texas, worth 32 Electoral College votes. But, to avoid any issues due to the 12th Amendment's ban on electors voting for more than one candidate from their home states, Cheney moved his residency back to Wyoming, which he had formerly represented in Congress.

If Cheney would have kept his home registration in Texas  thus, preventing 32 electors from voting for both Bush and Cheney  Bush's vice president could have theoretically ended up being Democratic U.S. Sen. Joe Lieberman. The election was decided by just five electoral votes.

Sources:

Baltimore, University of Maryland. "Answers to Your Questions." University of Maryland, Baltimore, https://www.umaryland.edu/lifelong-learning/constitution/answers/response/?queid=398&expertid=&assignid=1&uuid=59134E80-5056-A164-33243C0D77DD88CE. Accessed 23 July 2024.

"Can the President and Vice President Be From the Same State?" HISTORY, 22 Jan. 2024, https://www.history.com/news/can-the-president-and-vice-president-be-from-the-same-state.

"Constitutional Amendments  Amendment 12  'Electing the President and Vice President.'" Ronald Reagan, https://www.reaganlibrary.gov/constitutional-amendments-amendment-12-electing-president-and-vice-president. Accessed 23 July 2024.

"Distribution of Electoral Votes." National Archives, 19 Sept. 2019, https://www.archives.gov/electoral-college/allocation.

United States Presidential Election of 1800 | Candidates, Significance, & Results | Britannica. 12 June 2024, https://www.britannica.com/event/United-States-presidential-election-of-1800.

U.S. Senate: Constitution of the United States. https://www.senate.gov/about/origins-foundations/senate-and-constitution/constitution.htm#a1_sec10. Accessed 23 July 2024.
BANDAR SERI BEGAWAN, July 30 (Xinhua) -- The Universiti Teknologi Brunei (UTB) launched a three-day workshop on Monday to address the digital skills gap and empower the youth to engage in the digital economy.

The workshop, themed "Empowering Youth for the Digital Era," included an introduction to low-code and no-code technologies and platforms, building simple web applications, natural language processing, best practices, security considerations, and group projects, according to a report by local media Borneo Bulletin.

The workshop was held in partnership with and sponsored by the Islamic World Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization. UTB Vice-Chancellor Hajah Zohrah emphasized the role of the workshop in nurturing digital talent and supporting the technological vision of the Southeast Asian country. 
Claim:

Samsung withdrew a $1 billion sponsorship from the Paris Olympics, citing opposition to a "woke agenda."

Rating:

Rating: Originated as Satire

A rumor that Samsung dropped out of a $1 billion advertising deal with the 2024 Paris Olympics due to a "woke agenda" circulated widely online. For example, TikTok user @friends4_.life posted the claim on July 30, 2024, writing, "Breaking: Samsung Withdraws $1 Billion Sponsorship from Paris Olympics, 'Woke Agenda.'"

While it's true Samsung is a long-time, official sponsor of the Olympics, the rumor claiming the company withdrew from a $1 billion sponsorship deal with the Paris Olympics originated with SpaceXMania  a network of online pages describing its output as being humorous or satirical in nature.

Paris Olympics' Opening Ceremony Controversy

The basis for the satirical rumor played on some viewers' confusion over the interpretation of the opening ceremony for the 2024 Paris Olympics.

As we previously reported, part of the opening ceremony featured drag artists, dancers and others in a scene reminding some people of Leonardo da Vinci's "The Last Supper." However, French theatre director Thomas Jolly  who choreographed and directed the opening ceremony  said the scene referenced the pagan traditions of Ancient Greece. He also said reminding viewers of "The Last Supper" wasn't his intention.

Further, a bearded man painted in the color blue featured in the scene referenced Dionysus, the Greek God of wine and festivity  not Jesus Christ, as some viewers assumed.

TikTok Users Believed the Samsung-Olympics Rumor

Despite the "satire" label at the top of the screenshot displayed in the TikTok post, some users still seemed to interpret the story as real.

For example, one user whose comment displayed over 300 likes said, "Every TV in my home is Samsung. Thank you for that."

Another user whose comment also showed hundreds of likes remarked, "Thank you Samsung," and included three thumbs-up emojis.

Other comments also receiving numerous likes read, "Awesome!!!!!" and "Uhmmm I might be looking into a Samsung phone!! All of our TVs are!" The @friends4_.life user who created the post also commented, "Best thing I've seen in a long time."

Origins of the Rumor

As of this writing, a post promoting the claim on the SpaceXMania network's SpaceX Fanclub Facebook page displayed over 110,000 likes, 13,600 comments and 17,000 shares. The image included with the post displayed the words "Rated Satire" in the upper-left corner. (According to the edit history of the post, a page manager added the word "satire" to the end of the text caption on July 30.)

An online rumor claimed Samsung withdrew its $1 billion partnership deal with the Paris Olympics because of a so-called woke agenda.

The pinned comment in the Facebook post displayed a link leading to an article on the network's website, esspots.com. The network also published a similar article  the same story appearing as a screenshot in the TikTok post  on SpaceXMania.com. That article began as follows:

In a dramatic shift in corporate sponsorship dynamics, Samsung Electronics has announced its decision to withdraw from a $1 billion advertising campaign with the International Olympic Committee (IOC). This move has stirred significant controversy, as Samsung cited the Olympics' "woke agenda" as the primary reason for its withdrawal.

SpaceXMania's Satire Disclaimer

The "About Us" page on SpaceXMania.com states, in part:

Welcome to our website, owned and operated by Funky Productions LLC. We are a team of writers and editors based in New York, USA. Our mission? To bring you the freshest fake news, some sassy analysis, and a good dose of satire, all rolled into one crazy concoction that orbits around Elon Musk and everything that's lighting up the viral/trending charts. Now, let's talk about our digital lair  it's not just a website; it's a happening spot on social media where we hang out, shoot the breeze with you, spill the tea on breaking news, and flaunt our latest satirical masterpieces. Quick heads up, though  every single article on our site is about as real as a unicorn sipping on a rainbow smoothie. They're pure fantasy, folks, not a snapshot of reality. We take pride in being the cool cats who offer you a front-row seat to our Satire/Fantasy News extravaganza. Our satirical pieces? They're like a breath of fresh air, a break from the ordinary, giving you a giggle or two about the stuff our Tater friends would totally vibe with.

Snopes has addressed similar satirical claims mentioning the word "woke" in the past, including the assertion that comedian Jay Leno signed a multi-million dollar deal with CBS for a "non-woke" late night show and a rumor that actors Roseanne Barr and Tim Allen joined forces to form a new "non-woke" actors guild.

For background, here is why we alert readers to rumors created by sources that call their output humorous or satirical.

Sources:

Izzo, Jack. "Olympic Opening Ceremony Featured Da Vinci's 'Last Supper'?" Snopes, 30 July 2024, https://www.snopes.com//news/2024/07/30/olympics-last-supper/.

Leicester, John. "Paris' Olympics Opening Was Wacky and Wonderful  and Upset Bishops. Here's Why." The Associated Press, 27 July 2024, https://apnews.com/article/olympics-2024-opening-ceremony-audacious-analysis-49f9885ff2b95b9b7ccc51ca195e84e1.

"Samsung." Olympic Partner Programme, https://olympics.com/ioc/partners/samsung.
Fact Check: Yes, Trump Said 'You Won't Have to Vote Anymore' in 4 Years, but It's Not Clear What He Meant

Claim:

In July 2024, former U.S. President Donald Trump told a crowd, "Get out and vote! Just this time. You won't have to do it anymore! Four more years, you know what? It'll be fixed, it'll be fine, you won't have to vote anymore."

Rating:

Rating: Correct Attribution

Context:

He said the statement while criticizing Democrats and their approach to voter-identification laws. Critics framed it as evidence of an alleged plan to change constitutional provisions governing presidential terms. Later, Trump told Fox News' Laura Ingraham he was trying to encourage Christians to vote for him in the 2024 presidential election and said he doesn't care if they "don't want to vote" after that because "the country will be fixed, and we won't need your vote anymore."

In July 2024, a rumor circulated claiming that former U.S. President Donald Trump had told Christians they'd never have to vote again after the November 2024 presidential election. Before an audience of Christians, the Republican presidential nominee supposedly said if voters elected him, his administration would ensure that "it'll be fixed, it'll be fine, you won't have to vote anymore" without specifying what "it" was.

One person who shared the claim was rapper Cardi B (archived). Her post, which had gained more than 140,000 likes and 19,000 shares as of this writing, included a 27-second video purportedly showing Trump making the remark:

Whistle blowing a dictatorship ? https://t.co/k8HHaWO9jg  Cardi B (@iamcardib) July 27, 2024

The claim was true. Speaking at conservative organization Turning Point Action's Believers' Summit in West Palm Beach, Florida, Trump said Christians would not have to vote after 2024.

However, it was immediately unclear what he meant. He said it as he talked about the Democrats' refusal to pass voter-ID laws to prevent electoral fraud. When Reuters asked for clarification, his spokesman Steven Cheung did not provide any details, saying only that Trump "was talking about unifying the country." In an email statement to Snopes, Cheung wrote:

President Trump was talking about the importance of faith, uniting this country and bringing prosperity to every American, as opposed to the divisive political environment that has sowed so much division and even resulted in an assassination attempt.

On July 29, 2024, Fox News' Laura Ingraham asked Trump what he meant by the in-question quote. The exchange went like this:

Ingraham: They're also attacking you for ridiculous reasons. They're saying that you said to a crowd of Christians that they wouldn't have to vote. [...] Trump: So with respect to like a statement like I made that statement is very simple. I said, vote for me. You're not going to have to do it ever again. It's true, because we have to get the vote out. Christians are not known as a big voting group. They don't vote, and I'm explaining that to them: You never vote  this time, vote. I'll straighten out the country. You won't have to vote anymore. I won't need your vote. You can go back. Ingraham: They don't have to vote for you because you'll have four years in office... Trump: Christians are known [...] You know who else doesn't vote? Gun owners don't vote. Ingraham: [The statement is] being interpreted, as you are not surprised to hear, by the left as, "Well, they're never going to have another election." So, can you even just respond? Trump: I said, Christians. I started off by saying, just so you understand, you never vote. Christians do not vote. Well, they vote in very small percentages. Why? I don't know. Maybe they're disappointed in things that are happening. But for a long time I say, you don't vote. I'm saying go out. You must vote. Nov. 5 is going to be the most important election in the history of our country, whether you vote early or not. We should have, by the way, one-day voting. We should have voter ID. We should have proof of citizenship, and we should have paper ballots. Okay, that's what we should  we don't have that. But, I said to the Christians in the room, thousands of them, I said, typically, Christians do not vote. Why it is? I don't know. You're rebellious, something's going on. Don't worry about the future. Vote on, you have to vote on, Nov 5. After that, you don't have to worry about voting anymore. I don't care because we're going to fix it. The country will be fixed, and we won't need your vote anymore. Because, frankly, we will have such love, if you don't want to vote anywhere, that's okay. And I think everybody understood it.

In other words, Trump claimed he was attempting to encourage the crowd to vote in the 2024 presidential election and said he doesn't care if they "don't want to vote" after that because "the country will be fixed, and we won't need your vote anymore."

Advertised as a conference for Christians to find collective "biblical strategies" to engage in public discourse, The Believers' Summit took place July 26 to 28. Trump was the top speaker at 8 p.m. on the first day.

He said the in-question quote near the end of his 67-minute speech, when he was talking about voter-identification laws, according to the transcript below from C-SPAN's recording of the event. Referring to Democrats, he said (emphasis ours):

They don't want to approve voter ID. That's because they want to cheat. But until then Republicans must win, we have to win this election, most important election ever. We want a landslide that's too big to rig. If you want to save America, get your friends, get your family, get everyone you know and vote vote early, vote absentee, vote on Election Day, I don't care how but you have to get out and vote. And again, Christians: Get out and vote! Just this time. You won't have to do it anymore! Four more years, you know what? It'll be fixed, it'll be fine, you won't have to vote anymore, my beautiful Christians, I love you Christians, I'm not Christian, I love you, get out, you gotta get and vote. In four years you don't have to vote again, we'll have it fixed so good you're not gonna have to vote.

Trump's political opponents latched on to the phrase "It'll be fixed, it'll be fine, you won't have to vote anymore," describing it as evidence of a plan to change constitutional provisions governing presidential terms or elections so he could remain in power. According to the U.S. Constitution's 22nd Amendment (emphasis ours):

No person shall be elected to the office of the President more than twice, and no person who has held the office of President, or acted as President, for more than two years of a term to which some other person was elected President shall be elected to the office of the President more than once. But this Article shall not apply to any person holding the office of President when this Article was proposed by the Congress, and shall not prevent any person who may be holding the office of President, or acting as President, during the term within which this Article becomes operative from holding the office of President or acting as President during the remainder of such term.

Congress and U.S. states added the amendment after the presidency of Franklin D. Roosevelt, the only U.S. president to serve more than two terms.

During a National Rifle Association meeting in May 2024, Trump said, "You know, FDR, 16 years  almost 16 years  he was four terms. I don't know, are we going to be considered three-term? Or two-term?" (FDR was elected four times, and died early in his fourth term, effectively serving 12 years and three months, not 16, like Trump claimed.)

Sources:

Bekiempis, Victoria. 'Trump Floats Idea of Three-Term Presidency at NRA Convention'. The Guardian, 19 May 2024. The Guardian, https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/article/2024/may/19/trump-nra-convention-dallas.

Branch, John. Polling Shows Harris Has Multiple Paths to Victory | CNN Politics. 2024. www.cnn.com, https://www.cnn.com/2024/07/28/politics/video/harris-trump-electoral-paths-enten-digvid.

Brown, Stacy M. 'Trump's Chilling Rally Confirms His Plans for Dictatorship If He Beats Harris'. The Washington Informer, 29 July 2024, http://www.washingtoninformer.com/trump-advocates-authoritarian-rule/.

Former President Trump Speaks at Turning Point Believers Summit | C-SPAN.Org. https://www.c-span.org/video/?537386-1/president-trump-speaks-turning-point-believers-summit. Accessed 29 July 2024.

'The 22nd Amendment of the U.S. Constitution'. National Constitution Center  Constitutioncenter.Org, https://constitutioncenter.org/the-constitution/amendments/amendment-xxii. Accessed 29 July 2024.

Updates:

July 30, 2024: This report was updated to include Trump's comments to Fox News' Laura Ingraham and a statement from his campaign spokesman, Steven Cheung.
BEIRUT (Reuters) - An Israeli strike on the southern suburbs of Lebanon's capital on Tuesday killed Fuad Shukr, identified by the Israeli military as Lebanese armed group Hezbollah's most senior commander.

It was the latest in a string of targeted Israeli killings in Lebanon since October, when hostilities broke out between Hezbollah and Israel's military in parallel with the Gaza war.

Israeli strikes have killed around 350 Hezbollah fighters in total since. The following is a list of the senior figures among those targeted.

FUAD SHUKR

Shukr has been one of Hezbollah's leading military figures since it was established by Iran's Revolutionary Guards more than four decades ago.

The United States accused Shukr of playing a central role in the 1983 bombing of the U.S. Marine barracks in Beirut, which killed 241 U.S. military personnel, and had put a bounty of up to $5 million on his head, according to the U.S. government's Rewards for Justice website.

He was sanctioned by the U.S. in 2015 over Hezbollah's role in helping Syria's army. Israel said he was the right-hand man of Hezbollah chief Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah, and that he was responsible for an attack in the Israeli-occupied Golan Heights that killed 12 youths. Hezbollah denied any role.

MOHAMMED NASSER

Nasser, a senior commander in Hezbollah, was responsible for a section of Hezbollah's operations at the frontier, according to senior security sources in Lebanon.

He was killed in an Israeli airstrike on July 3. Israel claimed responsibility, saying he headed a unit responsible for firing from southwestern Lebanon at Israel.

TALEB ABDALLAH

Senior Hezbollah field commander Abdallah was killed on June 12 in a strike claimed by Israel, which said it had hit a command and control centre in southern Lebanon.

Security sources in Lebanon said he was Hezbollah's commander for the central region of the southern border strip and was of the same rank as Nasser.

His killing prompted the group to fire a massive barrage of rockets across the border at Israel.

WISSAM TAWIL

Tawil, a commander in Hezbollah's elite Radwan forces, was the first senior Hezbollah officer to be killed by Israel in the latest round of fighting.

He had been deployed with Hezbollah in Syria and Iraq, according to a senior source, and played a leading role in directing the group's operations in the south since October.

Tawil and another Hezbollah fighter were killed on Jan. 8 when the car they were in was struck in a southern village. Israel later took responsibility for the strike.

SALEH AROURI

Arouri, the deputy chief of Palestinian armed group Hamas, was killed in a targeted strike on a Hamas office in the southern suburb of Beirut on Jan. 2.

It was the only other targeted killing on the edges of the capital since the exchanges of fire began in October.

While Lebanon's prime minister, Hezbollah and other officials accused Israel, the Israeli military neither confirmed nor denied its involvement in his killing.

(Reporting by Maya Gebeily; Editing by Stephen Coates)
Civil defense members and people gather near a site hit by what security sources said was a strike on Beirut's southern suburbs

BEIRUT (Reuters) - An Israeli airstrike targeted a senior Hezbollah commander in Beirut's southern suburbs late on Tuesday in what the Israeli military said was retaliation for a cross-border rocket attack that killed 12 children and teenagers on Saturday.

Armed group Hezbollah denied involvement in the attack.

The following are reactions from global players regarding the incident.

LEBANESE PRIME MINISTER NAJIB MIKATI ON X

"This criminal act that took place tonight is a link in a series of aggressive operations that claim civilians in clear violation of international law and international humanitarian law. This is something we place in the direction of the international community, which must bear its responsibilities and press with all force to oblige Israel to stop its aggression and threats and implement international resolutions."

LEBANON'S FOREIGN MINISTER ABDALLAH BOU HABIB TO REUTERS

"We were not expecting them to hit Beirut and they hit Beirut." He said he hoped any response by Hezbollah "will be proportionate and will not be more than that, so that this wave of killing, hitting and shelling will stop."

PALESTINIAN GROUP HAMAS STATEMENT

"We strongly condemn the brutal Zionist aggression against Lebanon and the brotherly Lebanese people, which targeted a Hezbollah headquarters in the southern suburb of Beirut, and resulted in the martyrdom and injury of a number of innocent citizens, and we consider it a dangerous escalation for which the Nazi Zionist occupation bears full responsibility."

YEMEN'S HOUTHI MOVEMENT ON AL MASIRAH TV

"We denounce in the strongest terms the Zionist aggression against the southern suburb of the Lebanese capital, Beirut, in a terrorist attack that premeditatedly and deliberately targeted civilians and civilian facilities in violation of all international conventions, and in flagrant violation of Lebanon's sovereignty and international humanitarian law."

IRAN'S EMBASSY IN LEBANON ON X

"We condemn in the strongest terms the sinful and cowardly Israeli aggression that targeted the southern suburb of Beirut, which claimed the lives of a number of martyrs and wounded."

SYRIA'S FOREIGN MINISTRY ON STATE NEWS WEBSITE

"The Israeli attack is a clear violation of international law, which comes two days after its heinous crime in the town of Majdal Shams in the occupied Syrian Golan."

WHITE HOUSE SPOKESPERSON TO REUTERS

"We defer to Israel to speak to its own military operations. We reiterate our clear position: Our commitment to Israel's security is ironclad and unwavering against all Iran-backed threats, including Hezbollah, and we are working on a diplomatic solution that will allow citizens to safely return to their homes."

RUSSIAN FOREIGN MINISTRY VIA STATE-RUN TASS NEWS

The Israeli strike on Beirut is "a flagrant violation of international law."

IRAQ'S FOREIGN MINISTRY IN A STATEMENT POSTED ON X

"Iraq strongly condemns and denounces the Israeli aggression on Beirut's southern suburbs. The attack is a blatant violation of international law and conventions that poses a serious threat to the stability of the region."

(Reporting by Adam Makary, Jaidaa Taha and Ahmed Tolba; Editing by Cynthia Osterman)
Nearly two weeks after one of his former deputies was charged with murder in the death of a Black woman whod called 911 for help, an Illinois sheriff on Monday publicly acknowledged his office failed the slain Springfield-area resident.

(Sonya Massey) called for help and we failed, Sangamon County Sheriff Jack Campbell told a community meeting at a church in Springfield about the July 6 shooting.

We did not do our jobs. We failed Sonya. We failed Sonyas family and friends. We failed the community, Campbell said.

Massey, 36, called 911 to report a possible prowler at her home near Springfield, according to a court document filed by prosecutors. After two deputies went to the home to investigate, one of them, then-deputy Sean Grayson, shot and killed her following a dispute involving a pot of hot water, authorities said.

Grayson, 30, was indicted by a grand jury July 17 on three counts of first-degree murder and one count each of aggravated battery with a firearm and official misconduct. He has entered a not guilty plea and was denied pretrial release, according to court records.

A review of an Illinois State Police investigation into the shooting does not support a finding that  Grayson was justified in his use of deadly force, the states attorney for the county, John Milhiser, said in a July 17 news release.

At Monday nights meeting, Campbell asked for the communitys forgiveness and expressed his willingness to enforce change within the sheriffs office.

I stand here today before you, with arms wide open, and I ask for your forgiveness. I ask Ms. Massey and her family for forgiveness. I offer up no excuses. What I do is offer our attempt to do better. To be better, he said.

The sheriffs office has commented on the incident previously, including on the day the office announced Grayson had been fired. The office said then that Graysons actions do not reflect the values and training of the Sangamon County Sheriffs Office or law enforcement as a whole, and it was clear that the deputy did not act as trained or in accordance with our standards.

Monday nights meeting was facilitated by the US Justice Departments community relations service, which is charged with responding to and preventing community tensions and hate crimes on the basis of race and sexual orientation, among other factors.

On Tuesday, civil rights attorney Ben Crump and the Rev. Al Sharpton held a news conference with Masseys family, including her two children, her parents, uncles and aunts, cousins and friends.

Sharpton referenced the George Floyd Justice in Policing Act, which he helped draft, at the news conference, saying it dealt with a law enforcement officer being able to go from district to district getting new job assignments. This officer worked in six different jurisdictions inside of four years. Six, which would have been illegal under the George Floyd Justice in Policing Act.

Masseys killing has thrust the act back in the national spotlight, with renewed calls for passage of the failed legislation targeting racial bias and use of force, CNN previously reported.

We want to see the officer prosecuted, but we also want to see the laws change, Sharpton added. He called for Illinois to create a law in Masseys name that would prevent officers from repeatedly switching precincts. A bad cop is a bad cop, he said.

Sharpton then pointed at Masseys son, 17-year-old Malachi Hill Massey and daughter, 15-year-old Jeanette Summer Massey, saying: This young lady and this young man will have to grow up long after these cameras are gone, long after people are gone.

The community will be starting a fund to raise money for the children, Sharpton said.

Massey is one of a number of Black women who have been killed by police in their own homes in recent years, including Breonna Taylor and Atatiana Jefferson. In a news conference last week, attorney Crump connected her death to other cases of police violence against Black people across the US.

Last week, the Justice Department said it was assessing the circumstances surrounding the fatal shooting.

We are here to bring parties together to seek mutual understanding, to problem-solve in a way that empowers those local voices, those local ideas, Justin Lock, the services chief, said during the session, in which members of the community were encouraged to express their thoughts and feelings surrounding Masseys death.

Milhiser, the states attorney, also was among the speakers at the listening session.

My No. 1 goal as states attorney is to keep our community safe, prioritize community public safety, Milhiser said. And we do that by prosecuting cases in Sangamon County without fear or favor and holding accountable those who break the law.

Sangamon County Sheriff Jack Campbell speaks during a listening session in Springfield on Monday night. - WICS

At Tuesdays news conference, Masseys uncle  Raymond Massey  said his niece was utterly devoted to her children, her faith and her accomplishments. To hear them say theyre having nightmares and not being able to sleep just breaks my heart, he said.

Her son, Malachi, then followed: My mother  she means everything to me. I love her with my whole heart.

What body-camera footage shows

Video released last week by Illinois State Police includes body-camera footage from each of the two Sangamon County sheriffs deputies who responded to Masseys house after midnight on July 6.

In the footage, Grayson and another deputy speak calmly with Massey in her home when she goes to the stove to turn off a pot of boiling water. She then picks up the pot and the other deputy steps back, away from your hot steaming water, he says.

I rebuke you in the name of Jesus, she says in response.

Huh? the deputy says.

I rebuke you in the name of Jesus, she repeats.

You better f**king not or I swear to God Ill f**king shoot you in the f**king face, Grayson says.

He then draws his firearm and points it at her, and she ducks and says, Im sorry while lifting the pot, the video shows.

Drop the f**king pot! both deputies yell.

Three shots are heard. After a few seconds of silence, one deputy says shots fired and calls for emergency medical services.

Dude, Im not taking f**king boiling water to the f**king head. And look, it came right to our feet, too, Grayson says.

Minutes after the shooting, Grayson speaks to another law enforcement figure. She had boiling water and came at me with boiling water, he says in the video. She said she was going to rebuke me in the name of Jesus and came at (me) with boiling water.

Masseys autopsy report, which was released last week, said she was killed by a gunshot wound to her head.

Her familys attorney emphasized the angle at which the deputy shot Massey.

Massey was shot beneath her eye, and the bullet (exited) at the back of her neck, under her ear, Crump told CNN. What it tells us is that he shot her in a downward trajectory.

When asked for comment Friday, Graysons attorney Daniel Fultz told CNN: I dont wish to comment.

A rally is held for Sonya Massey in New York City's Washington Square Park on Sunday. - Jonathan Fernandes/SIPAPRE/AP

Video also shows aftermath

Grayson did not activate his body camera until after he fatally shot Massey, according to charging documents. The other deputy activated his body camera when he first arrived at the scene, the documents state.

According to footage from the other deputys body camera, the incident began with the deputies walking around Masseys yard and finding a vehicle with broken windows. They then knock on the door and speak with her, and she struggles to understand and answer some questions about the vehicle and about herself.

As they speak in her living room, the deputies note the pot on the lit stove and one says, we dont need a fire while were here. Massey gets up and turns off the stove and the shooting then follows.

Immediately after the shooting, the video records Grayson telling his partner Massey would not need medical help.

The other deputy says hes going to get a medical kit to help, but Grayson responds, Nah, shes done. You can go get it but thats a headshot.

Grayson later goes to his vehicle to get his own medical supplies. When he gets back to the house, he asks if theres anything he can do, but is told no.

All right, Im not even gonna waste my med stuff then, Grayson says.

Next, Grayson leaves the house and speaks to a group of law enforcement officers outside. Yeah Im good, this f**king b*tch is crazy, he says, according to the footage.

CNNs Jennifer Feldman, Eric Levenson and Emma Tucker contributed to this report.

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SANTA FE, N.M. (KRQE)  Just three days into his criminal trial, Alec Baldwins involuntary manslaughter case for the shooting death of cinematographer Halyna Hutchins was dismissed by a Santa Fe judge citing the states discovery violation, also known as a Brady violation. The rule isnt new, but its shining a spotlight on the issue of withholding evidence in the criminal justice system.

Rust movie armorer, Hannah Gutierrez is now seeking a dismissal for her involuntary manslaughter conviction. So how did the prosecutions case unravel so quickly? And what could this mean for other criminal cases?

This week on the New Mexico News Podcast, longtime criminal defense attorney and President of the Criminal Defense Lawyers Association, Jenn Burrill, joins Gabby to discuss the case. Burrill provides an analysis of the trial and explains why the withheld ammunition was so crucial.

Burrill also breaks down some shocking moments in the courtroom, including when the prosecutor, Kari Morrissey, called herself to the witness stand.

Ive never in 20 years seen a prosecutor take the stand in their own case, said Burrill. Its highly unusual. Plus, Im not sure that she could move forward with prosecuting this case when she made herself a witness.

Listen to the full trial analysis in the discussion above.

Download new episodes of the New Mexico News Podcast every Tuesday, starting around 5:30 a.m., Mountain time. Episodes are available on most podcast platforms including Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Google Podcasts, and Podbean among others. The podcast is also now available in a video version on KRQEs YouTube page.

Having trouble finding the show? Try searching your favorite podcast player with the term KRQE or New Mexico News Podcast (without the quotes). You can also use the links above to find the podcast on each service or listen to the audio player at the top of this post.

If you have a question, comment, or suggestion for who should be interviewed on the podcast, let us know! Email the hosts at chris.mckee@krqe.com or gabrielle.burkhart@krqe.com.

Copyright 2024 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.

For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to KRQE NEWS 13 - Breaking News, Albuquerque News, New Mexico News, Weather, and Videos.
Vice President Kamala Harris has received a flood of campaign contributions since President Joe Biden announced on July 21 that he would not run for a second term and endorsed Harris for the Democratic nomination. According to a campaign spokesperson, Harris received more than $81 million in donations in the 24 hours following the announcement, a figure that rose to $200 million in her first week.

Several viral posts online have since identified the streaming company Netflix as one of Harris big-ticket donors.

The posts are mostly false. Reed Hastings, the billionaire executive chairman of Netflixs board, did personally donate to a PAC linked to Harris campaign, but Netflix itself did not make a donation. There is also no evidence that the company has lost 6 million subscribers since the donation was made, and its stock has not fallen by 40 percent.

Hastings donation.

Hastings co-founded Netflix alongside Marc Randolph in 1997 and served as its CEO until 2023, when he became executive chairman of the companys board. A longtime supporter of Democratic candidates, Hastings was one of the most prominent donors to call on President Biden to withdraw from the 2024 presidential race. Biden needs to step aside to allow a vigorous Democratic leader to beat Trump and keep us safe and prosperous, Hastings told the New York Times in early July.

Two days after Biden withdrew, Hastings congratulated Harris on becoming the presumptive Democratic nominee.

Congrats to Kamala Harris  now it is time to win  Reed Hastings (@reedhastings) July 23, 2024

Hastings vocal support for Harris quickly became tangible: On July 24, The Information reported that Hastings had donated $7 million to a super PAC linked to Harristhe largest single political donation ever made by Hastings.

Several viral posts falsely reported that Netflix itself had made the donation, and calls to boycott the streaming service followed. While some posts correctly identified Hastings as the source of the donation, most attributed the support directly to Netflix.

BOYCOTT Netflix! 



They donated 7 million to Kamala Harris. That means if you are paying them subscription fees you are contributing to Harris!

HELL NO!!! 

BOYCOTT NETFLIX.  https://t.co/Fpa0yK6hFS pic.twitter.com/Mfn9mjyhbJ    (@RL9631) July 26, 2024

Following the calls for a boycott, Americas Last Line of Defense (ALLOD), a satire page that The Dispatch Fact Check has reported on previously, claimed in a July 25 post that Netflix had lost 6 million subscribers within hours of donation announcement. ALLOD regularly posts stories that forward false information under the guise of satire. While some of ALLODs posts include satire labels, many do not, and its stories are often shared widely by users who believe they are true.

A second story posted later in the day claimed that Netflixs stock had dropped 40 percent.

Both of ALLODs claims are false. The first post includes no satire label, but the page posted a comment on the post acknowledging it was made up. The second post includes a satire label.

Netflix publishes subscriber numbers on a quarterly basis, so there is no way to know whether calls for boycotts have eroded its subscriber base this week. The company has seen steady growth in subscriber numbers over the past year, rising from 238 million in the second quarter of 2023 to 277 million in the second quarter of 2024. Subscriber numbers for the third quarter will not be available until mid-October. Netflixs stock value has not decreased substantially since the boycott calls began. On July 24, the day before Hastings donation was made public, Netflixs stock closed at $635.99. As of market close on July 29, it had fallen only 1.42 percent to $626.96.

The Dispatch Fact Check has reached out to Netflix for comment and will update this article if the company responds.

If you have a claim you would like to see us fact check, please send us an email at factcheck@thedispatch.com. If you would like to suggest a correction to this piece or any other Dispatch article, please email corrections@thedispatch.com.

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The family of a 13-year-old girl who was sexually assaulted on a Delta flight is suing the airline for negligence, alleging flight attendants not only overserved the assailant alcohol but failed to properly intervene after the assault.

The lawsuit was originally filed in March in state court but was moved earlier this month to federal court, citing damages that exceed $75,000 and parties that live in different states.

The incident took place on a June 23, 2022 red-eye flight from Los Angeles to Orlando where the victim, referred to only as Z.B. in court documents, was separated from her mother and 15-year-old brother. The complaint says Z.B. was seated two rows behind her family in a middle seat, sandwiched between a woman on one side and the assailant, identified as 53-year-old Brian Patrick Durning, on the other.

Delta Air Lines is being sued by the family of a teen who was allegedly sexually assaulted on a flight. The suit accuses Delta of not doing enough to prevent or address the incident.

Airlines recover from tech outage: Delta agrees to reimburse alternative travel as cancellations drop and recovery ramps up

The suit alleges that Durning was visibly intoxicated, smelled strongly of alcohol and had admitted to being drunk before boarding the flight. The cabin crew still continued to serve him alcohol during beverage service, however, says the complaint.

After cabin lights were dimmed for the overnight flight and most passengers had dozed off, the lawsuit says Durning began assaulting the teen, rubbing her neck and hair, fondling her breasts, rubbing himelf with his zipper open, forcing her legs open and more.

During this time, he allegedly told Z.B., who suffers from selective mutism and therefore was rendered unable to call for help, he would take her away from her family and with him to Texas and called her "Honey boo boo."

According the the complaint, when the woman sitting on the other side of Z.B. woke up, she noticed Durning withdrawing his hand from the teen's upper thigh. She quickly switched spots with the girl, says the suit, before notifying staff, telling an in-flight leader" that Durning had inappropriately touched the girl, who was crying and experiencing a panic attack. She also alleged that the man tried to grope her breasts as well after she moved seats.

Delta failed to restrain passenger after assault, says lawsuit

The family alleges that Delta did not act appropriately after staff were notified of the assault, failing to restrain Durning or prevent him from harassing Z.B. or other passengers further.

Durning was moved to a seat two rows in front of the teen, still within view, and her family was moved to sit next to her in the seat where she had been attacked. Court documents allege that Z.B.'s mother requested Durning be moved to a seat where he could not see the family but was refused.

Throughout the remainder of the fight, Durning "continued to harass" the family, staring the girl down as he continued to visibility touch himself, says the suit. He was also allowed to roam around the cabin, enabling him to continue to approach and touch his genitals in front of Z.B.

Deltas inadequate response emboldened Durning and allowed him to continue harassing plaintiffs for the duration of the flight, says the complaint. Durning repeatedly turned back to leer at the plaintiffs.

When the flight landed, Delta "did not restrain Durning or arrange for law enforcement to escort him off the plane," says the suit. Instead, Durning, who was accused of groping yet another female passenger before deboarding, was allowed to walk freely off the plane, the claim says.

He allegedly waited for Z.B. and her family near the gate and, when he spotted them walking across the jet bridge, again "grabbed his groin while looking directly at her" and screamed, the complaint says. The crew failed to protect the passengers in multiple ways, alleges the suit, including failure to use in-flight restraints and failing to divert the flight.

Man arrested for attacking minor on Delta flight

Later, Durning was finally arrested by law enforcement at Orlando International Airport.

A federal jury had found Durning guilty of assaulting a minor on an aircraft on June 22, 2023. United States District Judge Wendy W. Berger sentenced Durning to five years in federal prison and three years of supervised release.

What was intended as a joyful family trip turned into a life-altering, traumatic experience for a young teenager and every parents worst nightmare, said the lawsuit, which also detailed Z.B.'s struggle with PTSD as a result of the event.

Formerly an excellent student and popular classmate, she now struggles academically, does not want to go to school and has isolated herself socially, it continues.

The suit also alleges that her brother and mother are dealing with long-term negative effects of the incident.

The lawsuit is demanding Delta Air Lines pay for past, present and future damages, including lost earnings. A specific dollar amount is not named in the court documents.

In a statement, Delta said, "While Delta will decline to comment on pending litigation, we have zero tolerance for unlawful behavior on flights and in airports and work with law enforcement to that end."

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Family of teen sexually assaulted on flight sues Delta for negligence
POLK COUNTY, Fla. (WFLA)  Families say they are in shock and without thousands of dollars after the sudden closure of law offices in Polk County that specialized in helping senior citizens and their loved ones.

Its actually taking advantage of the most vulnerable, said Leticia Labate, of Lakeland.

Labates mother, Esther Garcia, 91, has lived with her and her daughters husband in Lakeland for a few years.

Recently, Garcia fell and while in the hospital, suffered a stroke.

Labate decided she needed help getting around the clock care.

One of the names that came up was Family Elder Law, Labate said.

Bank records show a $4,500 payment from Garcias account to Family Elder Law on July 1.

A few weeks later, Labate went to the office to drop off paperwork and found it was closed.

I picked up the phone and I called and my mouth dropped, Labate said.

A message states due to unforeseen circumstances, Family Elder Law is in the process of closing.

We understand that this news might come as a surprise and may cause some inconvenience, it states.

Labate is working to get her mothers documents back, but no word on the $4,500.

Labate said she had to take her 91-year old mother out of rehab Tuesday due to a diminishing bank account.

To take money from the most vulnerable of people right up until the minute that you close the doors and then just not even notify them and just leave them out hanging, its despicable, Labate said.

There is no sign of activity at the Lakeland office. Only a locked door and a dark room.

Another woman contacted 8 On Your Side saying she paid $5,000 for help with matters after her grandmothers passing. She has not been reimbursed either, she said.

8 On Your Side reached out to the Florida Bar, which confirmed an investigation is underway into the attorney at Family Elder Law, Jason Penrod.

There is no word yet on any criminal investigation.

I think thats criminal behavior and it needs to be treated as such, Labate said.

A spokesperson for the Florida Attorney Generals Office advised clients who feel they were harmed by lawyer misconduct to file complaints with the Florida Bar, an official arm of the Florida Supreme Court and the entity with jurisdiction over attorney discipline in Florida.

In an email, the law firm provides the following resources to clients, including the Florida Bar contact number (1-800-342-8011) and lawyers that can assist them:

David G. Fisher (Lake Wales & Winter Haven), 863-676-7611  https://www.petersonmyers.com/wp-content/attorney-bios/david-g-fisher.pdf

Denise Tessier (Winter Haven), 863-220-7927  https://www.tessierlawfirm.com/

Mark E. Clements (Lakeland), 863-687-2287 https://www.elderlawlakeland.com/about/attorney-profiles/

The clients are reminded they are not obligated to hire the recommended attorneys.

Copyright 2024 Nexstar Media, Inc. 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.
WICHITA, Kan. (KSNW)  There are currently 94 counties in Kansas in a drought disaster, according to the U.S. Department of Agriculture. KSNs Agriculture Expert, John Jenkinson, said the outlook is not great when conversations start with prayers for rain.

Jenkinson said the potential flash drought conditions are the opposite of what farmers need to see here in Kansas.

Above normal temperatures, below normal rainfall, and wind are a perfect combination, causing flash drought. This can bring rapidly on-setting drought conditions.

A flash drought is something that farmers are always very concerned about, especially in areas where we have not received a lot of rain lately, said Jenkinson.

Jenkinson said grain sorghum crops are trying to pollinate now, adding that these drought conditions could cause setbacks that can bring on a significant financial burden.

Watering too much? Wichita puts out call to action

Were about 20% under where we were last year, so imagine, if you want, youre working at a job, and suddenly your employer takes away 20% of your income. Thats what farmers are facing right now, said Jenkinson.

Spotty showers have gone around the Cheney Reservoir, meaning not much rainfall has been captured.

Matthew McKernan, with the Kansas State Extension Office, said the drought conditions cause stress on our plants but that people should hold off on over-watering.

On our trees and shrubs, often times, well see indications of browning or scorching happening along the edges and tips of the leaves, basically the furthest point, where water has to travel from the roots up, through the leaf, said McKernan.

One thing Jenkinson shared is that farmers who irrigate have to monitor how much water they have pumped out because theyre only allocated so much to use.

Copyright 2024 Nexstar Media, Inc. 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.
BEIRUT, July 30 (Xinhua) -- A Hezbollah member was killed on Tuesday at dawn in an Israel airstrike on the village of Bayt Lif in the central part of the border area in southern Lebanon, Lebanese military sources told Xinhua.

The military sources, who spoke anonymously, said that Israel launched an air-to-ground missile on a house in Bayt Lif, killing the Hezbollah member Hassan Hussein Malek.

Israeli drones and warplanes carried out three raids at dawn on three border towns and villages in southern Lebanon, while Israeli artillery targeted six towns and villages with about 25 shells.

Tensions along the Lebanon-Israel border escalated on Oct. 8, 2023, following a barrage of rockets launched by the Lebanese armed group Hezbollah toward Israel in solidarity with Hamas' attack on Israel the day before. Israel then retaliated by firing heavy artillery toward southeastern Lebanon. Tension in the border area of southern

Recently, Israel has been threatening to launch a military operation against Hezbollah after a rocket fell in the town of Majdal Shams in the Golan Heights on Saturday, killing 12 people and wounding several others. 
An Eastern Kentucky dentist helped clean up blood and get rid of other evidence after his son stabbed a woman to death at the dentists home, a grand jury charged Tuesday.

The grand jury indicted Michael M.K. McKinney III, 24, on one charge of murder, alleging that he stabbed Amber Spradlin to death at the home of his father, Michael K. McKinney II.

The grand jury also indicted McKinney III on seven charges of complicity to tamper with evidence. McKinney II, 56, and Josh Square Mullins, 23, face those same seven counts of complicity.

The indictment says that the three removed, concealed or destroyed the handle of the broken knife used to kill Spradlin.

They also allegedly got rid of the clothing McKinney III was wearing; cleaned up blood from two sinks; and removed, concealed or destroyed a surveillance camera that would have had images from the room where Spradlin was killed, a digital video recorder and the hard drive from a computer that had information from cameras in the house.

The grand jury indicted the three Tuesday and police arrested them soon after. They will be arraigned Wednesday.

Police found the body of Amber Spradlin, 39, at a residence in Floyd County on June 18.

I am over the moon about this, said Debbie Hall, a physician and cousin of Spradlins. Ive been waiting and waiting for this.

911 systems response to Spradlin stabbing call

Spradlin, 39, was stabbed to death at McKinney IIs home in the Martin area of Floyd County on June 18, 2023.

In a lawsuit filed in June of this year, the administrator of Spradlins estate alleged that McKinney III killed Spradlin after he had been drinking heavily.

Spradlins homicide has been controversial in part because of allegations that the local 911 system didnt respond properly to an initial call from McKinney IIs house about someone there who was bleeding profusely.

The night Spradlin was killed, McKinney III made a call to 911 from his fathers house requesting help, but his father got on the line to make sure there was no emergency response, the lawsuit says.

Dispatchers should have sent police to the house in response to the call, but didnt, the lawsuit says.

Spradlin was still alive at the time of the initial call.

Family members and friends of Spradlin believe if police had responded after that call, they could have intervened and Spradlin wouldnt have been killed, Hall has told the Herald-Leader.

Why did it take so long to make an arrest?

On Tuesday, Commonwealths Attorney Brent Turner issued a statement that addressed why it took more than a year to make arrests in the case.

He attributed it solely to a backlog at the severely understaffed state crime laboratory that caused delays in getting forensic test results. Some test results, he said, are still pending.

Turner said politics and the status of the defendants played no role in the investigation.

In my 24 years as commonwealths attorney, there is nothing I have taken more seriously than my obligation to treat every criminal defendant the same no matter who they are, he said.

Turner also said its possible the grand jury could consider additional charges in the case because of those pending test results.

Turner reminded people that the indictments are only accusations at this point.

We will vigorously prosecute this case and do everything within our power to obtain justice for Amber, Turner said.

Court records available online dont list attorneys for McKinney III, McKinney II or Mullins.
Fayetteville man accused of being an accomplice to attempted capital murder after shots fired at occupied car

FAYETTEVILLE, Ark. (KNWA/KFTA)  A Fayetteville man is accused of attempted capital murder along with other charges after shots were fired at an occupied vehicle earlier this month, according to court documents.

Jamarii Crawford, 18

(Courtesy: Washington County Detention Center)

Jamarii Crawford, 18, was arrested on July 27 on accomplice to attempted murder, accomplice to committing a terroristic act, accomplice to unlawful discharge of a firearm from a vehicle and engaging in a violent criminal group activity charges.

Fayetteville police responded to a shooting near the intersection of North College Avenue and West Lafayette Avenue around 1 a.m. on July 14 after receiving multiple calls, according to a probable cause affidavit.

Fayetteville man arrested on attempted capital murder charge after allegedly shooting at multiple people

Police found two 9mm shell casings in the northbound lanes of College Avenue.

The victims car was found on East Sunbridge Drive and had multiple bullet holes on the sides of the vehicle. The rear passenger window was shattered and one of the tires was flat, according to the affidavit.

Police later spoke with the victims who said they were leaving a nightclub on Dickson Street before the shooting and saw Crawford along with other men in a parking lot. Crawford and the other men got into a car and started following them, the affidavit said.

They said as they turned onto College Avenue, someone started shooting at them. Surveillance video from businesses on Dickson Street confirmed what the victim told police, according to FPD.

After being arrested, Crawford was interviewed by police and said the victims were reportedly being aggressive and threatening the group he was with.

Two arrested in Rogers on attempted capital murder charge after alleged stabbing

He said he was the driver of the vehicle and four other people were with him.

Crawford said he drove after the vehicle and once the cars were parallel, he and others in the vehicle rolled down their windows. A passenger in the vehicle fired at the vehicle before they fled, Crawford said.

Fayetteville police said the investigation is ongoing and additional arrests are pending.

Crawford is being held in the Washington County Detention Center on a $750,000 bond and his arraignment is set for August 14.

Copyright 2024 Nexstar Media, Inc. 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.
FBI deputy director Paul Abbate says a social media account that is seemingly connected to Donald Trumps shooter might suggest that he was antisemitic and against immigration.

On Tuesday, Abbate sat before Congress to give his testimony on behalf of the bureau, where he revealed that theyve yet to land on an official motive for Thomas Matthew Crooks following the July 13 assassination attempt.

While the investigation does not determine motive, the investigation team continues to review information from legal returns  including online and social media accounts, Abbate said, adding that in a recent discovery, the team came across a social media account that featured hate speech.

Something just very recently uncovered that I want to share is a social media account, which is believed to be associated with the shooter in about the 2019-2020 time frame, Abbate said. There were over 700 comments posted from this account. Some of these comments ultimately attributed to the shooter appear to reflect antisemitic and anti-immigration themes to espouse political violence and are described as extreme in nature.

For now, Abbate said the FBI is still looking into details of the account to solidify its exact origin and owner.

While the investigative team is still working to verify this account to determine if it did in fact belong to the shooter, we believe it important to share and note it today, particularly given the general absence of other information to date from social media and other sources of information that reflect on the shooters potential motive and mindset, he concluded.

Abbates testimony comes two and a half weeks after Crooks attempted to murder Trump during the former presidents campaign rally in Butler, Penn. The presidential hopeful was injured in the ear in the shooting, while spectator Corey Comperatore was killed.

Secret Service director Kimberly Cheatle resigned in the aftermath of the shooting.

The post FBI Boss Says Social Media Account Linked to Trump Shooter Espoused Extreme Political Violence | Video appeared first on TheWrap.
FBI Deputy Director Paul Abbate told lawmakers during his testimony to the Senate Judiciary Committee on Tuesday that there never has been any doubt that former President Donald Trump was hit in the ear by a bullet.

There is absolutely no doubt in the FBIs mind whether former president Trump was hit with a bullet and wounded in the ear. No doubt. There never has been, Abbate told Sen. John Kennedy (R-LA) after he asked Abbate if there [is] any doubt, in your mind, or the collective mind of the FBI that President Trump was shot in the ear by a bullet?

Ive been part of this investigation since the very beginning and that has never been raised, Abbate added.

BREAKING - Never Been any doubt it was a bullet that hit Trump: FBI Deputy Director Paul Abbate Confirms: President Trump Shot in the Ear by Assassin Crooks100% No Doubt It Was a Bullet.



Senator John Kennedy to Deputy Director of the FBI Paul Abbate



Senator Kennedy: You are pic.twitter.com/gaZeBfJc5k  Simon Ateba (@simonateba) July 30, 2024

Controversy around whether Trump was actually shot began when Abbates boss, FBI Director Christopher Wray, told Congress on July 24 that there is some question about whether or not it was a bullet or shrapnel that hit his ear. So it is conceivable, as I sit here right now, I dont know whether that bullet, in addition to causing the grazing, could have also landed somewhere else, Wray added.

The FBI told The Daily Beast in an emailed statement on July 26 that What struck former President Trump in the ear was a bullet, whether whole or fragmented into smaller pieces, fired from the deceased subjects rifle.

Trump called the deputys statement the best apology that well get from Director Wray, adding that it is fully accepted in a Truth Social post.

Commenters reacted to Abbates comments, claiming they contradict Wrays testimony.

Sounds like Wray lied under oath! one wrote in an X post reacting to a video of Abbates testimony.

Okay, but his boss, Wray, said different. Lets be clear, another wrote.

Abbate also told congress on Tuesday that a social media account discovered by the FBI, which may have belonged to Thomas Matthew Crooks, Trumps shooter, had over 700 posts that appear to reflect antisemitic and anti-immigration themes to espouse political violence and are described as extreme in nature.

The FBI has yet to confirm whether the account in question belonged to Crooks.

Andrew Torba, the founder of the far-right favorite social media site Gab, wrote in a blog post on July 24 that Crooks may have been a user on his site after the FBI subpoenaed records from his site.

Today Gab learned that Thomas Crooks, the deranged Joe Biden supporter who attempted to assassinate President Donald Trump, may have had an account on our platform, Torba wrote in the post. We are unable to confirm that the account in question actually belonged to him, but have reason to believe it does after receiving an emergency disclosure request from a law enforcement agency.

There is no indication so far that Crooks alleged Gab account was the user Abbate was referring to.

Read more at The Daily Beast.

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EL PASO, Texas (KTSM)  FBI El Paso says its raising awareness on human trafficking on World Day Against Trafficking of Persons, the agency said in a press release on Tuesday, July 30.

FBI El Paso says human trafficking is the illegal exploitation of a person and wants to raise awareness on the types of forms they see in the crime.

Under the human trafficking program, the FBI says it investigates the following:

Sex trafficking: When individuals are compelled by force, fraud, or coercion to engage in commercial sex acts. Sex trafficking of a minor occurs when the victim is under the age of 18. For cases involving minors, it is not necessary to prove force, fraud, or coercion.

Labor trafficking: When individuals are compelled by force, threats, or fraud to perform labor or service.

Domestic servitude: When individuals within a household appear to be nannies, housekeepers, or other types of domestic workers, but they are being controlled and exploited.

Human trafficking is not limited to one particular part of the country and can happen in any part of the world.

Traffickers use violence, manipulation, false promises of well-paying jobs, or romantic relationships to exploit victims, according to FBI El Paso.

With the expansive region our office covers, from rural communities to major cities, we have seen that human trafficking can occur anywhere, said John Morales, Special Agent in Charge of the FBI El Paso Field Office. World Day Against Trafficking of Persons reaffirms our commitment to working alongside partners to combat human trafficking, raising awareness to prevent future victimization, and providing victims the resources they need.

After recovering a victim of human trafficking, the agency says its field offices seek to arrest and prosecute the traffickers.

FBI El Paso has Victim Specialists who stand ready to assist victims of crime by ensuring they receive the resources they need, the agency said.

If you are a human trafficking victim or have information about a potential trafficking situation, call the National Human Trafficking Resource Center (NHTRC) at 1-888-373-7888 or text 233733.

NHTRC is a national, toll-free hotline, with specialists available to answer calls from anywhere in the country, 24 hours a day, seven days a week. You can also submit a tip on the NHTRC website.

If you believe a child is involved in human trafficking, you can submit a tip through the National Center for Missing and Exploited Childrens (NCMEC) cyber tipline or call 1-800-THE-LOST.

FBI El Paso can also be reached at (915) 832-5000.

For more information on human trafficking, click here: What we investigate in human trafficking | FBI.

For more information on services for victims of human trafficking, click here: Services for Victims | FBI.

Copyright 2024 Nexstar Media, Inc. 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.
TRENTON - Four Ocean County men were charged Monday with engaging in a criminal conspiracy to sell firearms  including ghost guns  on the black market at the Jersey Shore, said U.S. Attorney Philip Sellinger.

James Hyres, 38, of Toms River; Dennis McMickle, 35, of Brick; James Opalenik, 51, of Ocean Gate; and Edward Trost III, 36, of Toms River, were each charged with conspiracy to traffic in firearms and trafficking in firearms, according to a statement from the U.S. Attorneys Office for the District of New Jersey.

Additionally, Hyres and McMickle were each charged with two counts of possession of a firearm by a previously convicted felon. McMickle and Opalenik were also charged with one count of unlawfully possessing a firearm with an obliterated serial number, the statement said.

Hyres and Opalenik were arrested in Ocean County on Monday. Opalenik was to immediately appear before U.S. Magistrate Judge Tonianne J. Bongiovanni in federal court in Trenton. Hyres is scheduled to have an initial appearance on Tuesday before the same judge. McMickle and Trost were already in custody in the Monmouth and Ocean county jails, respectively, on unrelated state criminal charges, all according to the U.S. Attorneys Office.

More court news: Naomi Elkins, Lakewood woman charged with killing her two toddlers, agrees to stay in jail

From April through May, Hyres, McMickle, Opalenik, and Trost were members of a gun trafficking conspiracy that operated in and around Ocean County, according to the complaint against them.

In custody: Lakewood man arrested in robbery of Santander Bank in Brick

During those two months, Hyres manufactured privately made firearms, also known as PMFs or ghost guns, for resale using various component parts, including firearm frames manufactured by Hyres using a 3D printer, the complaint states.

Hyres, assisted by McMickle and Trost, then sold the PMFs and other traditional firearms for profit to others, including a confidential FBI asset, the complaint alleges.

Opalenik, assisted by McMickle, sold a semi-automatic rifle to the FBIs source as part of their firearms trafficking conspiracy. McMickle also sold the confidential source a 9-millimeter semi-automatic handgun in January, the statement said.

None of the defendants held a federal license to deal or manufacture firearms. Hyres, McMickle and Trost each have prior felony convictions and are prohibited from possessing a firearm under federal law.

The counts of conspiracy to traffic in firearms, trafficking in firearms, and possession of a firearm by a previously convicted felon each carry a maximum penalty of 15 years in federal prison and a $250,000 fine. The count of unlawfully possessing a firearm with an obliterated serial number carries a maximum penalty of five years in prison and a $250,000 fine, according to the U.S. Attorneys Office.

The FBIs Jersey Shore Safe Streets Task Force in Newark and Red Bank, under the direction of FBI Special Agent in Charge James E. Dennehy, led the operation leading to Mondays arrests and charges.

The federal Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, Newark Field Division; the Ocean County Sheriffs Office, and the Lakewood and Toms River police departments, all were involved in the investigation.

Assistant U.S. Attorney Ian D. Brater of the U.S. Attorneys Offices in Trenton is in charge of the prosecution.

Contact Asbury Park Press reporter Erik Larsen at elarsen@gannettnj.com.

This article originally appeared on Asbury Park Press: 4 Ocean County NJ men charged with trafficking in illegal firearms
Live Nation signage outside of its offices in Hollywood - Credit: Patrick T. Fallon/AFP/Getty Images

The federal judge overseeing the DOJs monopoly lawsuit against Live Nation established a protective order this week to restrict the concert and ticketing giants in-house legal team from accessing particularly sensitive documents from their competitors, with the decision coming days after several competing companies voiced retaliation concerns.

The protective order, effective Monday, creates a two-tier system to designate classified company records that Live Nations competing companies have given to the DOJ. Live Nations two in-house attorneys  executive vice president of corporate and regulatory affairs Dan Wall and senior vice president of litigation Kimberly Tobias  will be allowed access to the lower tiered confidential materials that includes certain non-publicly disclosed financial information, previously non-publicly disclosed material relating to ownership or control of any non-public company and non-publicly disclosed business plans among other qualifications.

More from Rolling Stone

But they wont be allowed to review highly confidential materials which includes trade secrets, personnel files, and evaluation of the strengths and vulnerabilities of product or service offerings. Only Live Nations outside counsel, who doesnt handle any of the companys business dealings beyond this lawsuit, will be allowed to review the higher tiered documents. The party filing the documents will be responsible for labeling them as confidential or highly confidential.

The order rule comes after three of Live Nations competitors  AEG, SeatGeek and ASM Global  submitted letters to the court voicing concerns about Live Nation being allowed to review their most sensitive data they gave to the DOJ.

Aside from more generalized concerns about dissemination of company documents they were compelled to give to the DOJ, they all referenced the claims detailed in the lawsuit in which Live Nation was accused of retaliating against competitors who did business with ticketing services other than Ticketmaster.

The retaliation claims were among the most notable aspects of the complaint filed in May, and a no-retaliation provision was a key aspect of the consent decree Live Nation entered into with the DOJ when the promoter and Ticketmaster merged in 2010. Live Nations critics have long voiced concern about retaliation over Ticketmaster, though not often as publicly as in the letters filed in court this week.

A rep for Live Nation did not immediately reply to request for comment. The company has repeatedly denied the allegations from the DOJ. Reps for AEG and SeatGeek declined to comment beyond the letters they filed. ASM Global didnt respond to request for comment.

Marcus Asner, an attorney for ASM Global  a venue management company that oversees major venues including Las Vegass Allegiant Stadium, LAs Crypto.com Arena and New Orleans Caesars Superdome  wrote that giving Defendants access to ASMs materials about ASMs dealings with Defendants competitors would risk the very retaliation of which Defendants are accused.

SeatGeek attorney William Kalema wrote that the company was deeply concerned about the provision of access to confidential materials to in-house attorneys, especially those who are involved in competitive decision-making. Kalema further wrote that SeatGeeks concern is heightened by the fact that this case is largely about Defendants history of threatening and retaliating against companies that do business with Defendants competitors.

SeatGeek hears on at least a weekly basis from venues that are reluctant even to meet with SeatGeek for fear of retaliation from Defendants, Kalema wrote. If the market were to learn that venues contracts and other communications with Ticketmasters competitors were made available to Defendants senior management, SeatGeeks ability to market its product would be hindered even further.

AEG said in its letter that it gave the DOJ hundreds of thousands of documents, including from the files of senior management in ticketing and concert promotions, constituting AEGs most sensitive and competitively significant materials.

The company claimed that the documents also contained the detailed terms of tour and festival promotions offers that AEG makes to the same artists receiving competing offers from Live Nation as well as documents detailing AEGs efforts to compete with Ticketmaster for primary ticketing contracts.

In the letter, AEG attorneys Justin Bernick and Claude Szyfer further specified concerns for Wall to get access to the most classified of documents given his business-oriented responsibilities outside of the antitrust suit. They said that Wall had established himself as Live Nations primary spokesperson in the lead up to and wake of Plaintiffs Complaint.

Disclosure of these materials to Live Nation creates a substantial risk that discovery in this matter might facilitate the very antitrust violations that the lawsuit against Live Nation was intended to remedy, Bernick and Szyfer wrote.

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A review body has recommended Sir Mark Rowley should be allowed to pay 'golden hellos' of 4,000 to new police constables - KIRSTY O'CONNOR/PA

New police officers are to be offered 1,200 golden hellos in an effort to tackle the recruitment crisis.

Chief constables are to be given discretion to award the extra money to new constables starting salaries to help police forces compete with the private sector for new recruits.

The Government has accepted a recommendation by the police remuneration review body, which said police chiefs should be able to start new constables on 1,200 higher salary than normal. It comes on top of the 4.75 per cent increase in the basic salary of 33,324 a year agreed by Chancellor Rachel Reeves.

It is designed to help forces facing difficulties recruiting new officers at the same time as losing older policemen and women. The review body said it aimed to ensure the police service in England and Wales could maintain the uplift of 20,000 officers over the past three years by continuing to recruit at volume.

Over the last decade, there has been a significant increase in the gap between private and public sector pay - OLI SCARFF/GETTY IMAGES

It will assist those forces that are finding recruitment challenging and continue to boost the income of the lowest paid officers, said the review body.

We are conscious that over the last decade there has been a significant increase in the gap between private and public sector pay.

This risks undermining the ability of the police service to recruit, retain and motivate high-calibre officers with the right attitudes to manage complexity, respond to vulnerability, de-escalate social tension, and build and sustain public trust and confidence.

All 43 forces will be able to offer the extra pay to new recruits  which is made possible by allowing chief constables to put new constables on pay point 2, rather than pay point 1.

The Government has, however, rejected a recommendation by the review body for the Metropolitan Police to be able to offer a 4,000 golden hello by putting new recruits on pay point 3. Instead, the Government is proposing to raise the London allowance by 1,250.

Public safety could be put at risk...

It comes as the review body warned that the Met was short of 1,500 officers on its target of 35,415, which could put the safety of the public at risk, the pay review body has said.

We are very aware of the operational and public safety risks of it not meeting its workforce, said the review body. We are very concerned about the immediate challenges the MPS faces in attracting officers of the right calibre with the right skills and attitudes and in the volume needed to address current shortfalls.

We are alert to the operational risks and the implications for public safety that the MPS has told us may arise if the situation is not addressed.

It said the MPS employed around a quarter of all the officers in England and Wales, accounted for a sixth of all crime, was the lead force for strategic threats such as terrorism and a third of county lines gang crime was linked to London.

The force is, however, still in special measures after inspectors uncovered a litany of systemic failings in fighting crime and serving victims.

The review body had recommended that Sir Mark Rowley, the Metropolitan Police Commissioner, should be allowed to pay golden hellos of some 4,000 more than the normal starting salaries for new police constables in order to compete with the private sector.

However, it warned: This measure could have implications for neighbouring forces and the constable pay scale as a whole. We therefore propose that this additional discretion be limited to two years with an initial review of the discretion after one year.

The review body also warned that there had been an increase in the number of warranted police officers being placed in desk jobs normally carried out by police staff. This was because of the way funding for the 20,000 uplift had been geared towards recruiting front line officers.

Senior police chiefs have called for greater flexibility to allow them to recruit more police staff so they can switch officers into frontline roles.

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The study by political scientists from Stanford and Tufts universities appears just as a heated debate is flaring again in Congress over the partisan and racial impact of recent voting laws. (Photo by Stephen Maturen/Getty Images)

(Photo by Stephen Maturen/Getty Images)

Ohioans with disabilities and their families are cheering a new federal court ruling that strikes down a section inside a controversial voting law.

When Ohio passed legislation overhauling voting laws in 2022, Barbara Friedman Yaksic was worried about the impact it could have on her family.

My brother and people like him have the right to vote, Friedman Yaksic said in December of 22.

Her brother Joel had a stroke two decades ago. While he lives in a nursing home, she has been his legal guardian. She, an attorney who advocates for voting rights, continues to fight to make sure he can cast his absentee ballot.

My brother is very informed and a concerned voter, Friedman Yaksic said Monday. Theres absolutely no reason that it should be more difficult.

House Bill 458 of the 134th General Assembly changed state law so the only people allowed to deliver a sealed absentee ballot besides the voter are members of the postal service or specific relatives. This includes a spouse, a parent, grandparent, child, sibling, aunt or uncle, niece or nephew.

It excludes caregivers, employees of a care facility, grandchildren, cousins, neighbors, friends and anyone else unrelated.

If anyone not listed returns the ballot, that would be a fourth-degree felony. If a voter receives a felony for helping their loved one, they would no longer be able to vote.

If something happened to me, my husband  a brother-in-law  couldnt do it, Friedman Yaksic said.

Jen Miller with the League of Women Voters of Ohio filed a lawsuit with the ACLU, saying Ohio is violating the federal Americans with Disabilities Act and the Voting Rights Act.

Federal law states that voters with disabilities are allowed to select a person of their choice to assist them with voting.

Many Ohio voters need to rely on grandkids, in-laws, roommates and neighbors to return their absentee ballot or assist in other ways, Miller told me. But those folks could have faced a felony sentence, which is wrong.

Case Western Reserve University law professor Jonathan Entin explained the lawmakers probably didnt mean to disenfranchise voters with disabilities.

Legislators were concerned about the possibility of a practice called ballot harvesting  that some slimy, unethical or corrupt people will go and corral a whole bunch of votes, absentee ballots and turn them in in a way that undermines the integrity of the election, Entin said.

To be clear, there is no evidence of widespread voter fraud.

Ohio leaders, like Sec. of State Frank LaRose, have acknowledged this, but Entin said this is another preventative step for them.

Both Miller and Friedman Yaksic think there is another motive.

The people that are passing these laws think that the people that will be impacted by these laws wouldnt vote for them  so they dont want them to vote, Friedman Yaksic said.

The League of Women Voters has been trying to prevent against restrictive voting changes, and is now championing the anti-gerrymandering constitutional amendment that was just certified to make the Nov. ballot.

We need to have lawmakers who listen to us, the people of Ohio, right now because lawmakers know they will win their seat over and over again, Miller said.

Judge Bridget Meehan Brennan at the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Ohio sided with Miller on access, striking down that specific provision of the law.

The chances of getting this ruling overturned, at least at this stage, are pretty slim, Entin said.

Friedman Yaksic said this is great news.

We need to encourage and enable as many people as possible to exercise their right to vote, she said.

We reached out to the defendants on the case: the attorney generals office, sec. of states office and Cuyahoga County prosecutors offices. Only the AGs office responded, saying that they are talking with the other defendants and are considering all the options.

Follow WEWS statehouse reporter Morgan Trau on X and Facebook.

This article was originally published on News5Cleveland.com and is published in the Ohio Capital Journal under a content-sharing agreement. Unlike other OCJ articles, it is not available for free republication by other news outlets as it is owned by WEWS in Cleveland.

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A federal court has found that an Ohio schools trans-inclusive anti-bullying policy does not violate the right to free speech, as a right-wing organization had claimed in a lawsuit.

The Sixth U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals issued the 2-1 decision on Monday, affirming a lower court decision finding that the Olentangy Local School District (OLSD), located 21 miles north of Columbus, has the right to enforce its anti-bullying policy, which prohibits intentional misgendering. The policy bans harassment, intimidation and bullying against people in protected classes both on and off campus and through their cell phones.

The Virginia-based national conservative organization Parents Defending Education (PDE) filed a lawsuit against the OLSD Board of Education in May 2023, requesting a preliminary injunction that would block the policy from being enforced. The organization argued that the expanded policy violated the First Amendment by compelling students to affirm the idea that gender is fluid, which could violate their religious beliefs. Additionally, they argued that the policy violated parental rights under the 14th Amendment.

Trumps VP Pick J.D. Vance Is an Anti-LGBTQ\+ Nightmare

The Ohio senator vocally supports anti-trans policies and opposed a law codifying marriage equality.

U.S. District Chief Judge Algernon L. Marbley denied PDEs request for a preliminary injunction in July 2023, writing that the plaintiff had failed to establish a substantial likelihood of success on its First Amendment claim. He additionally pointed out the heightened risk that trans children face in school environments, writing, Transgender youth are far too often subject to harassment and bullying in public schools. They are threatened or physically injured in schools at a rate four times higher than other students. They are harassed verbally at extraordinarily high rates. More than one in five attempt suicide.

PDE then took the case to appellate court, which upheld Marbleys ruling earlier this week, with Circuit Judge Jane Stranch writing that schools could regulate speech that is particularly harmful and likely to disrupt the educational experience.

However, as Reuters reported, because the Sixth Circuit is a conservative leaning court, with 10 of its 16 judges appointed by Republican presidents, the entire court may review Mondays 2-1 decision in the school districts favor.

According to the legislative tracking organization Movement Advancement Project, two states  South Dakota and Missouri  prevent schools or districts from adding LGBTQ+ protections totheir anti-bullying policies. Twenty-five states have no laws protecting LGBTQ+ students from harassment and bullying at all. However, 20 states and Washington D.C. have passed laws that ban bullying on the basis of both sexual orientation and gender identity.

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SACRAMENTO, the United States, July 29 (Xinhua) -- As firefighters in Northern California continued battling the country's largest active fire, a new blaze raged Northern Colorado on Monday, prompting evacuations and causing unhealthy air quality alerts.

The Park Fire in Northern California has become the largest wildfire in the state so far this year and the sixth-largest in the state's history. It has consumed 373,357 acres (1,511 square km) across four counties.

The California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection (Cal Fire) reported that the blaze was 12 percent contained on Monday afternoon. The fire's rapid spread has been fueled by abundant vegetation and one of the area's hottest, driest summers on record.

The Park Fire's destructive path also left 109 structures destroyed and five others damaged, with over 4,200 more under threat.

Authorities believed the fire was deliberately set in a park near Chico last Wednesday afternoon. A 42-year-old Chico resident has been arrested and charged with felony arson in connection with the incident.

California Governor Gavin Newsom declared a state of emergency for the Park Fire and Gold Complex fires last week. The latter, which started a week ago, has burned 3,007 acres and was 98 percent contained by Monday, according to Cal Fire.

The Park Fire is currently the largest fire burning in the nation, surpassing the Durkee Fire in eastern Oregon, which has burned through 293,390 acres. The massive firefighting effort involved more than 4,876 personnel, 33 helicopters and 434 fire engines.

Meanwhile, in Northern Colorado, the Alexander Mountain Fire erupted Monday morning near Roosevelt National Park and has quickly grown to 864 acres by the afternoon. The rapid expansion of this blaze forced the evacuation of more than 2,600 people, with at least 1,500 receiving voluntary evacuation notices, according to the Larimer County Sheriff's Office.

California is grappling with yet another significant wildfire -- the Borel Fire in Kern County. This blaze, which began on July 24 after a car caught on fire in an accident, has already scorched 53,010 acres and had zero containment as of Monday.

The fire's swift advance through dry vegetation, exacerbated by hot, humid and windy conditions, has impacted several communities.

The widespread wildfires threatened lives and property and severely impacted air quality across the Western United States. Smoke from the fires in Northern California and Oregon spread across several states, including Nevada, Idaho, Utah, Wyoming and Montana.

On Monday, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency's AirNow air quality data indicated the air was unhealthy for people with health issues in most wildfire-affected areas.

The National Weather Service's Sacramento branch warned that the pollution would likely persist and potentially worsen as smoke settles into valleys where fires are burning. 
Federal funding will help three New Mexico tribal communities build affordable housing

NEW MEXICO (KRQE)  Three tribal communities in New Mexico were awarded a total of $10.5 million to create more affordable housing.

NMDOT receives $71M grant to replace two bridges on I-25 in Soccoro County

The San Ildefonso Housing Authority, the Santa Clara Housing Authority, and the Zuni Housing Authority received the following funding from the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development:

San Ildefonso Housing Authority: $3,000,000 for the construction of 12 new housing units

Santa Clara Housing Authority: $3,000,000 for the construction of 10 new housing units

Zuni Housing Authority: $4,500,000 for the construction of 22 new housing units

The money can be used for new construction, rehabilitation, and infrastructure to support affordable housing. The Biden-Harris Administration is proud to work alongside our Tribal partners to help them meet the housing needs that exist in Indian Country, HUD Acting Secretary Adrianne Todman said in a news release. These funds will help build and repair homes desperately needed right now.

Copyright 2024 Nexstar Media, Inc. 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.
An inmate at the Federal Correctional Institution in Leavenworth has died after being found unresponsive Monday evening.

According to a news release from the Department of Justice, at approximately 7:50 p.m., responding prison employees began life-saving measures after finding Sean Evan Thomas Bad Bear, 33, unresponsive. Emergency medical services were requested while life-saving efforts continued.

He was later pronounced dead by an EMS personnel.

Bad Bear was sentenced in Montana to 10 months in prison for a Feb. 2019 assault by strangling a partner, as well as crime on a reservation. He had been in custody at the Leavenworth prison since March 21, 2024.

No employees or other inmates were injured and no one else was in danger, according to the DOJ.

Bad Bears cause of death has not been revealed and is still under investigation, officials said.
A major piece of the so-called Stop WOKE Act has been permanently blocked by a federal judge.

The law was touted by Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis as a way to protect students and employees.

He argued the law aimed to target critical race theory in schools and workplaces.

The portions restricting diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) training that can be offered by private businesses were temporarily put on hold almost immediately after it passed in 2022.

The final order issued roughly two years later makes it permanent, declaring the law violates the free speech rights of private businesses.

RELATED: Judge takes final step to overturn Floridas Stop WOKE Act

I have never conducted a training to make someone feel bad, said Dr. Tammy Hodo with All Things Diverse LLC.

Hodo argued the Governors claim DEI training attempts to place guilt on or discriminate against certain groups simply isnt true.

DEI training is truly about education and empathy and its about learning about experiences of others that youre not taught in school, Hodo said.

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Asked about the ruling blocking the private sector portion of the law Monday, DeSantis noted the curriculum restrictions in the law pertaining to public schools remain in effect.

We have every right to set standards. We have every right to say, Heres what we want to do, heres some of the things were not going to do with your tax dollars, DeSantis said.

For Hodo, the order represents a significant victory, but she doesnt expect the political battle over DEI to end anytime soon.

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Its a relief, but again, its concerning. Right? Federal always trumps state, but it depends who we get in office next is very concerning to me, Hodo said.

The state does not have the ability to appeal the final order.

Its unclear, however, whether lawmakers may desire to revisit the policy in next years legislative session to try and tweak it to withstand court scrutiny.

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N.J. officials and environmentalists celebrated a ruling vacating federal approvals of a gas line expansion. The project is already built. (Getty Images)

A massive gas line expansion that environmentalists fought as unneeded, expensive, and dirty must go back to the drawing board after an appeals court on Tuesday vacated the federal approvals that cleared the way for its construction.

The U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit ordered the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission to reconsider a project known as the Regional Energy Access Expansion, intended to expand a compressor station in Somerset County and build a new compressor facility in Gloucester County.

The commission approved the project in January 2023, and a coalition of environmentalists challenged the approval in an appeal that New Jersey Ratepayer Advocate Brian Lipman, New Jersey Attorney General Matt Platkin, and seven other state attorneys general backed.

Judge J. Michelle Childs, writing for a three-judge panel, agreed with environmentalists that the commission failed to fully consider evidence that the expansion isnt needed in New Jersey. The state Board of Public Utilities commissioned an independent study in 2019, and researchers in 2022 reported that New Jersey has sufficient gas capacity and wouldnt need more until beyond 2030.

The commission also failed to weigh how the project would undermine state policies intended to reduce greenhouse gases, Childs wrote. By the commissions own estimates, the projects construction could produce more than 43,500 metric tons of greenhouse gases, with another 560,000 or so metric tons of greenhouse gases produced annually by its operation, representing about $46 billion in social costs, or economic damages, she noted.

The record estimates enormous GHG (greenhouse gas) emissions from the project for the next half century. FERC disclosed the estimated emissions and its Social Cost of Carbon analysis. But it then walked away from the relevant issues with a fatalistic shrug, asserting that it is unable to determine how individual projects will affect international, national, or statewide GHG emissions reduction targets or whether a projects GHG emissions comply with those goals, Childs wrote.

Childs ordered the commission to more thoroughly reevaluate the projects necessity and impact.

But the Murphy administration has already approved the project too, and Williams Transcontinental Gas Pipe Line Company, the company known as Transco thats behind it, already moved ahead with construction.

Its unclear why the Murphy administration would approve the project while also backing environmentalists challenge. A spokesman for the state Department of Environmental Protection couldnt immediately provide answers. Gov. Phil Murphys office referred questions to Platkins office, where a spokeswoman said they are thrilled with the appellate decision.

FERC did not do its due diligence to ensure that the pipeline was really necessary, or that it justifies the environmental disruption the pipeline will cause, spokeswoman Allison Inserro said.

Transco officials arent happy. The company issued a statement Tuesday saying the court erred in vacating the commissions approval.

We are taking the necessary legal and regulatory steps to address the courts concern and to ensure that this much-needed firm transportation capacity continues to be available to serve the needs of our customers without interruption, the statement read. REA is a critical project that meets existing and increasing natural gas demand, enhances existing energy infrastructure, and increases much-needed access to clean and reliable natural gas for consumers in the Northeast.

Much of the projects construction is done or underway, and the commission last week gave Transco the green light to begin operating at expanded capacity. Its unclear what immediate impact Tuesdays ruling will have on the pipeline operating at expanded capacity. Transco and the commission have 45 days to ask the court to rehear the case.

Still, Food & Water Watch New Jersey State Director Matt Smith, who fought the project, called the ruling an incredible victory.

For years, the fossil fuel industry has been able to build more pipelines that are unnecessary, costly, and polluting to our climate and communities, Smith said. To transition away from fossil fuels, we need to stop building new polluting infrastructure that locks us into decades more dirty energy dependence. This decision can help guide us in the right direction.

Lipman also applauded the ruling, calling the project costly and unnecessary.

The Courts ruling highlights the need for FERC to consider state emission reduction legislation and the findings of the New Jersey Board of Public Utilities, which determined that new gas capacity is not necessary to meet consumer demand. This is a crucial step in ensuring that energy infrastructure decisions prioritize just and reasonable rates for consumers, Lipman said.

Smith said the ruling serves as an opportunity for Murphy to enact a moratorium on all new fossil fuel projects in New Jersey, including the Passaic Valley Sewerage Commissions plans to build a power plant in the Ironbound section of Newark.

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Oklahoma resident Amanda Aguilar was arrested after using marijuana while pregnant. Though Aguilar had a medical marijuana prescription, prosecutors reasoned that her fetus did not. They charged the mother of five with child neglect, a felony.

Now, the state's highest criminal court says prosecutors had no basis to do that.

The ruling should be good news for women who use marijuana to help with morning sickness and other pregnancy ailments. But the opinions in this case make clear that some Oklahoma judges would like to see pregnant marijuana users criminalized.

"The baby has no medical marijuana license," wrote Judge Gary L. Lumpkin in a dissenting opinion.

Even Judge Scott Rowland, who wrote the majority's opinion, stressed that the court does not "condone marijuana use by an expectant mother" and urged Oklahoma lawmakers "to consider an addition to the law making clear when, if ever, the licensed use of marijuana may constitute child neglect."

Aguilar's Arrest Is Not an Isolated Incident

Aguilar isn't the only Oklahoma mother who has been charged for exposing a fetus to marijuana that she was using legally. According to the nonprofit Pregnancy Justice, "at least eight women have been charged under this theory since 2019."

Another Oklahoma mother, Brittany Gunsolus, is one such woman. After her son tested positive for marijuana at birth, shelike Aguilarwas charged with felony child neglect, despite the fact that she also had a medical marijuana prescription and that child welfare workers investigated and deemed her fit.

Gunsolus' lawyers argued that using prescription marijuana while pregnant should be treated just like taking any other prescription drug during pregnancy. But Comanche County prosecutors apparently disagreed. "At a court hearing in Comanche County in August [2023], a prosecutor argued Gunsolus broke the law because her unborn child did not have its own, separate state license to use medical marijuana," The Frontier reported.

With the help of Pregnancy Justice, Gunsolus asked the Oklahoma Supreme Court to hear her case and rule that pregnant marijuana users with a valid medical marijuana license cannot be criminally charged. The Court declined.

Charged With 'a Crime Which Does Not Exist'

Aguilar's case got its day in court thanks to an overzealous Kay County prosecutor.

After being charged with child neglect, Aguilar filed a motion to quash for insufficient evidence, arguing that using medical marijuana while pregnant is not illegal. "There's so many moms that are going to take these charges just because they're terrified," Aguilar told The Frontier. Not her.

A judge granted Aguilar's motion and the case against her was dismissed. But Kay County District Attorney Brian Hermanson pressed on, appealing to Oklahoma's highest criminal court.

On July 18, the Oklahoma Criminal Court of Appeals ruled in favor of Aguilar.

"For us to find that Aguilar's marijuana use, fully authorized by her medical marijuana card, became illegal due to her pregnancy, would require us to rewrite the statutes in a way we simply do not think is appropriate for courts to do," Rowland wrote in the court's opinion, affirming the lower court's granting of Aguilar's motion to quash.

Oklahoma law includes in its definition of child neglect "the failure or omission to protect a child from exposure tothe use, possession, sale, or manufacture of illegal drugs." In Aguilar's charging documents, police say she was guilty of exposing a child to "controlled dangerous substances."

"Thus, the charging document accuses Aguilar of a crime which does not exist," Rowland writes. He points out that controlled dangerous substances and illegal drugs are not synonymous terms, since many controlled substances are legal to possess and use with a prescription. In this case, Aguilar had a prescription for marijuana, which means that she was not possessing or using it illegally.

Under the Influence of Fetal Personhood

In a dissenting opinion, Lumpkin argued that Aguilar's marijuana use should have been illegal because "only [she] has a permit to use it, not her baby." Thus, "the baby's exposure to [Aguilar's] use and possession of marijuana, a Schedule I drug, is illegal."

Judge David B. Lewis takes up a similar theme in his dissent, writing that "a medical marijuana license is certainly not a legal authorization to share, transfer, or distribute marijuana to others who have no license, especially those for whom its use or possession is unauthorized by law." And "who could really doubt that a licensed marijuana consumer would face legal consequences for willfully sharing, distributing, or permitting the unlicensed ingestion of marijuana by children for whose welfare they are responsible?"

Rowland rejects these assertions. By this logic, it would be "unlawful for any expectant mother to ever be prescribed any controlled dangerous substance by any doctor," he points out.

But the majority does not seem convinced that it should be legal for pregnant women to use marijuana with a prescription. "We understand [Lumpkin's] obvious desire to discourage marijuana use by pregnant women," Rowland writes at one point, asking the Legislature "to address the problem."

And both the majority and dissenting opinions are steeped in the language of fetal personhood, a concept that sees the fetus as a person with legal rights separate from the mother carrying it.

Fetal personhood is most often invoked as a justification for banning abortion. But it also can be used to justify all sorts of restrictions on pregnant women or criminal penalties for those who do anything that the state says isn't in a fetus' best interests. It's grounds for everything from charges against women who do drugs while pregnant (something Rowland generally endorses, writing that "an expectant mother who exposes her unborn child to illegal methamphetamine could be convicted of child neglect") to punishing a pregnant woman for getting shot because she put herself in harms' way.

It also paves the way to more closely monitoring all pregnant women and regulating a broad range of their activities.

Those who want to criminalize all pregnant drug users are not only waxing that slippery slope but also failing to act in the best interest of children. Fear of arrest generally isn't going to stop someone who's addicted to drugs from using, but it might stop them from seeking substance abuse treatment, receiving proper prenatal care, or delivering in a hospitalthings that might compound any ill effects of prenatal drug exposure.

And the matter gets even more murky when we're looking specifically at marijuana.

Unlike the ill effect of excessive alcohol during pregnancywhich is well documentedthe effect of the use of marijuana during pregnancy is much less certain. There's no clear evidence that it produces any negative effects, and many studies purporting to find as much suffer from serious flaws (like marijuana-using mothers in their sample also using other drugs, including cocaine.) Meanwhile, many women report that using marijuana while pregnant helps with morning sickness and other pregnancy maladies.

As with so many issues concerning women's bodies, decisions about marijuana use during pregnancy are best left up to pregnant women and their doctors.

Let's hope Oklahoma legislators agree.

The post A Fetus Doesn't Need Its Own Medical Marijuana License, Oklahoma Court Says appeared first on Reason.com.
News in Brief

Farm Credit Mid-America and Richland County Fair are announcing the return of Fight Hunger, Stock the Trailer. Presented by Farm Credit Mid-America and sponsored by Rural 1st, this friendly competition  now in its fourth year  helps junior fairs raise food donations for local food banks across Ohio.

From Aug. 6-12, local community members are invited to bring non-perishable food items to the Richland County Fair. Look for Stock the Trailer signage at the fair for locations to donate.

At the end of the fair, the total weight of all donations will be calculated, with first, second and third-place prizes of $5,000, $3,500 and $1,500 awarded to the fairs that raise the most food throughout the summer. Each participating county fair will receive $500. All prize money awarded supports local junior fair activities, including attending statewide junior fair conferences, investing in new technologies, and in some cases, purchasing additional items for donation.

"We are thrilled to partner with Richland County Fair for Stock the Trailer," said Evan Hahn, regional vice president for Farm Credit Mid-America. "This initiative not only helps those in need within our communities but also fosters a sense of teamwork and giving back among our local junior fairs. We look forward to seeing the impact we can make together in 2024."

Fight Hunger, Stock the Trailer is hosted on a regional basis. To learn more about which counties are participating in 2024, please reach out to Farm Credit Mid-America at 419-747-4111.

This article originally appeared on Mansfield News Journal: Fight Hunger, Stock the Trailer food donation effort at the fair
A Finnish volunteer fighter was killed in Donetsk Oblast in mid-July, marking the fourth Finnish national killed fighting for Ukraine since the start of the full-scale invasion, the Association of Finnish War Veterans confirmed on July 30.

The death of the volunteer fighter, whose name was not made public to respect the wishes of the deceased's family, has been confirmed by the Finnish Foreign Ministry, the association told YLE.

Ukrainian officials notified the family about the fighter's death earlier in the month, according to the association.

No additional information as to the cause of death or specific location was released.

Jussi Tanner, head of consular affairs at Finland's Foreign Ministry, told YLE in February that the country estimates that around 20-30 Finnish nationals are currently fighting along Ukraine's front line.

In February, during the last known incident of a Finnish national's death, a 21-year-old male volunteer fighter from eastern Finland was reportedly killed in a Russian airstrike near Bakhmut.

Earlier in the day on July 30, Georgian national Bondo Gagnidze, a volunteer fighter in Ukraine, was also killed in action, Georgia's Foreign Ministry confirmed to the Civil.ge media outlet.

Read also: Another Georgian volunteer fighter killed in Ukraine

Weve been working hard to bring you independent, locally-sourced news from Ukraine. Consider supporting the Kyiv Independent.
A plant belonging to NVO Avtomatiki, a firm that manufactures control systems for space rockets, has caught fire in Yekaterinburg, Russia.

Source: Meduza and Sirena, Russian media outlets

Details: Russian media reported that a facility that processes chemicals is on fire and its roof and walls are collapsing. The fire has spread over 1,000 square metres and continues to spread further.

Acrid smoke is spreading throughout Yekaterinburg and the pillar of black smoke is visible from every corner of the city.

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Firemen and helicopters try to control a large wildfire on the southern part of Euboea island. Nikolas Georgiou/ZUMA Press Wire/dpa

A large forest fire was brought under control on Tuesday on Euboea, the second-largest island in Greece, as a number of Balkan countries reported major blazes.

The fire on Euboea spread rapidly in impassable terrain, said a fire brigade spokesman. Several villages and towns in the affected region in the southern part of the island were evacuated as a precautionary measure.

More than 200 firefighters and hundreds of volunteers were fighting the flames, the authorities said. In addition to seven aircraft and four helicopters, the coastguard was also on site with a firefighting boat.

Fire brigade units will continue to monitor the situation and detect and extinguish any new sources of fire at an early stage.

The fire on Euboea is just one of more than 50 fires that have broken out in Greece within 24 hours, according to the fire brigade spokesman. However, the fires were quickly brought under control nearly everywhere.

The island of Euboea, which is popular with tourists travelling from nearby Athens, is repeatedly ravaged by large forest fires.

"We have been used to fires here for many years," the mayor of Kymi-Aliveri, a town hit by the fires, told the newspaper Kathimerini.

With around 200,000 inhabitants, Euboea is not very densely populated, but it is heavily forested.

In 2021, more than 50,000 hectares of pine forests in the north of the island fell victim to the flames.

Balkans hit by fires

Greece's Balkan neighbours also saw a number of incidents involving fires on Tuesday.

In North Macedonia, a man died after authorities were unable to rescue him from his burning house in a village east of Skopje. He is believed to have died of smoke inhalation.

Some 14 fires were still active in the country on Tuesday, down from 46 the previous day. The fire brigade and army are using helicopters to extinguish the fire.

Media reported dramatic scenes from the village of Sveti Nikole. Residents had to be persuaded with great difficulty to leave their burning homes.

In the southern Croatian region of Dalmatia, pine forests and olive groves were ablaze, with the village of Plastovo near the Krka National Park being evacuated.

The Albanian coastal town of Shengjin was also affected by a major fire, which started in a forest before spreading towards the urban area.

Tourists fled the town while local families were brought to safety by the fire brigade and the army, which deployed fire-fighting helicopters.

Firemen and helicopters try to control a large wildfire on the southern part of Euboea island. Nikolas Georgiou/ZUMA Press Wire/dpa

Firemen and helicopters try to control a large wildfire on the southern part of Euboea island. Nikolas Georgiou/ZUMA Press Wire/dpa
Rough Rider Award recipient Jim Buchli speaks during a ceremony July 30, 2024, at the University of North Dakota after being presented with the state's highest honor. His portrait will be installed in the North Dakota Capitol. (Jeff Beach/North Dakota Monitor)

GRAND FORKS  Jim Buchli credited teamwork as a Marine in Vietnam and at NASA for the opportunity to become the first North Dakotan to fly in space.

Buchli on Tuesday officially added another award to his list of accomplishments as the 49th recipient of the Rough Rider Award, North Dakotas highest honor.

NASA really allowed us to become team players, Buchli said in a ceremony on the University of North Dakota campus. Working together for a year for a flight with a crew, you become one. You understand everybodys strengths, everybodys weaknesses. But also theres a very large team on the ground that does exactly the same thing.

Jim Buchli by the numbers

49th winner of the Rough Rider Award

4 space missions

20 days in space

319 orbits around the Earth

7.74 million miles of space travel

The ceremony was held in Robin Hall, home to UNDs aerospace program, which Buchli has supported. The award recognizes North Dakotans who have achieved national recognition in their fields, bringing honor to the state.

Bruce Smith, former dean of the John D. Odegard School of Aerospace Sciences, was the point person on Buchlis nomination for the award.

He cited a recommendation letter from Larry Martin, chair of the UND Aerospace Foundation as summing up Buchlis worthiness for the award. He was an astronaut, for crying out loud.

Buchli spent 14 years as an astronaut from 1978 to 1992 with four missions into space on NASA space shuttles. He went on to be deputy chief of the Astronaut Office for NASA, helping guide astronaut training and operations. In 2019, he was inducted into the U.S. Astronaut Hall of Fame.

Buchli would become friends with John Odegard and helped Odegard build up UNDs space studies program and a scholarship fund.

In a video presentation, Diane Odegard, John Odegards widow, called Buchli a trusted confidant of her husband.

Both men were also passionate about fishing, and fishing trips were used to raise scholarship money and tell the story of the aerospace school. Smith was among those on the trips where 34 people were invited.

When you get paired up with somebody in a boat and you sit there for four hours, you kind of run out of things to say, and you usually end up talking about the Odegard school, Smith said.

Buchlis early years were spent in New Rockford and he graduated from Fargo Central High School in 1953.

He earned a spot at the U.S. Naval Academy and after graduating, joined the Marines, serving in Vietnam. He later went to Navy Test Pilot School.

The Marine Corps gave us an opportunity to see what we could do as a team, Buchli said. Everything you do in the Marines is with a team.

As Buchli pursued a spot in the NASA astronaut program, he said one of the final steps was talking with a large group of seasoned astronauts and NASA leadership that he called a tie-breaker from a well-qualified group of candidates.

Buchli said he told a story from his experience in Vietnam with a group of six on a reconnaissance mission. During the night, a corporal woke him to say he had a snake wrapped around his leg  from the ankle to the thigh. Buchli said his advice was that the snake was just trying to get warm and would be gone in the morning.

And in the morning, the snake was gone, Buchli said.

Later, a doctor on the astronaut selection committee told BIuchli, that was the best story Ive heard in all the selection process  somebody with a snake in combat.

Buchli ended his speech by presenting Gov. Doug Burgum with a North Dakota flag that Buchli had taken with him on his first space mission.

Burgum is also a winner of the Rough Rider Award, named for the military band that Teddy Roosevelt led into battle.

Burgum noted that Roosevelt would become the first president to fly in an airplane.

Burgum said Buchli is someone whos literally gone farther and gone higher than any other North Dakotan in history.

A portrait of Buchli by Minot-based artist Vern Skaug was unveiled at the ceremony and will be installed at the Capitol on Wednesday.

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ULAN BATOR, July 30 (Xinhua) -- The annual multinational peacekeeping exercise code-named Khaan Quest 2024 for this year was underway at Five Hills Training Area near the Mongolian capital.

More than 1,000 military personnel from 23 countries, including China, India, Japan, Qatar, South Korea, Turkey, and the United States, were participating in the peacekeeping exercise, according to the Mongolian Armed Forces on Tuesday.

The exercise, which commenced on July 27 and will run until Aug. 9, features both command post and field training exercises. This year's focus is on realistic, scenario-based training centered on peacekeeping operations.

The objectives of the exercises include enhancing defense cooperation among the participating countries, building military trust, providing critical training to improve skills required for UN peacekeeping operations and fostering multinational cooperation in peace support missions. 
(BCN)  The longfin smelt, a fish the length of a popsicle stick that once fed hundreds of San Francisco Bay animals including humans, was just added to a growing list of endangered species.

The federal endangered designation goes into effect Tuesday in alignment with the Endangered Species Act of 1973. San Francisco Bays longfin smelt is a source population for estuaries all the way to Alaska.

The main cause of their declining population is habitat loss, primarily due to long-term reductions and alterations in freshwater flow into the San Francisco Bay Estuary, said Tamara Ward, assistant field supervisor for the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service.

Longfin smelt at the University of California, Davis Fangue Lab in an undated photo. (Brianna Yetter/University of California Davis via Bay City News)

These added protections mean that no one will be able to take longfin smelt without a permit. To take means to kill, harass, or harm the fishs ability to survive. Other Bay-Delta species listed under these protections include the Delta smelt, winter run Chinook salmon, spring run Chinook salmon, Central Valley steelhead and green sturgeon.

This means that anyone doing a project will have to consult with the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service to make sure that the project isnt going to harm longfin smelt, said Jon Rosenfield, senior scientist for San Francisco Baykeeper, a nonprofit environmental group focused on the health of the Bay. That includes Central Valley federal and state water projects, which sit side by side and have joint operations, he said.

Rosenfield said all six threatened and endangered species are impacted by diversions of freshwater before it reaches the Bay.

California diverts more than 50% of the water from the Central Valley ranges that would flow into San Francisco Bay, he said.

In a 2019 fact sheet published by the Public Policy Institute of California, the statewide average water use is roughly 50% environmental, 40% agricultural, and 10% urban, although the percent of water used by each sector varies dramatically between regions. The institute report said more than 9 million acres of farmland in California are irrigated.

It varies, said Rosenfield. If you look in the San Joaquin, 80% of the diverted water goes to agriculture. Thats the Department of Water Resources number, 80%.

The federal designation came after a 2023 lawsuit filed by Baykeeper challenged the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service to make its determination in the time span the law allows. The group began petitioning to list the fish as endangered back in 1992, when it first found that water diversions across several sites correlated with a decline in the species.

Longfin smelt at the University of California, Davis Bodega Marine Lab in an undated photo. (Sam Briggs/Bodega Marine Lab via Bay City News)

Now the group is concerned about the future of other species, as more water diversions are in the works by the state, such as the Sites Reservoir and the Delta Conveyance Tunnel.

The California Water Resources Control Board, the enforcement arm of the state Environmental Protection Agency, administers water rights to all the water districts in the state.

Having a water right does not mean an agency owns the water, Rosenfield said. It just means they have the right to divert water to the extent that youre not harming others.

The state water board is also accountable for habitat conservation under the Endangered Species Act. Beginning in 2009, the board told its water agencies that native fish and wildlife in the Bay Delta cannot survive under the current flow regime. With their water rights under threat, several agencies volunteered to fix the problem themselves.

Voluntary agreements are designs generated by certain water agencies that would result in less water diversion. They were submitted to the California Water Resources Control Board by those agencies that have seen a lot of environmental impacts from less water, such as those in the Northern Sacramento River, the Delta and the San Joaquin River. The voluntary agreements are approved by the water board, then they will function as regulations. This process began in 2018 and is ongoing.

The governors intent was to get all of the agencies that divert water from the Central Valley rivers, including from the Delta, to voluntarily agree to give up some water because they are required to increase flows, Rosenfield said, adding that the voluntary agreements would end up having the agencies take more water in wet years. So thats why the water districts want to go down a voluntary route where they give up less to protect the Bay in return for insulation from regulation from the water board.

Im not saying that increasing flows would be a panacea for the six endangered fish species, he said. Im saying without increased flows, there is no solution. For those, they will continue to decline.

Copyright  2024 Bay City News, Inc.

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For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to KRON4.
Four Newark men and a 15-year-old Newark boy are facing charges related to residential and vehicle burglaries in Bernards, Bernardsville and Green Brook in which eight vehicles were stolen, Prosecutor John P. McDonald announced along with the police chiefs from those police departments.

Arrested were Rasudi Creighton, 19, Furquan Ahmad, 20, Jashamir Hardiman, 25, and Nasir Davis, 20 and the teen. A fifth man Damien Coleman, 22, of Newark, has also been charged in connection with the burglaries but remains at large, according to the prosecutor's office.

Creighton was charged on June 19 with motor vehicle theft, a second-degree crime, and the third-degree crimes of burglary, burglary of a motor vehicle, and participant in an auto theft trafficking network. He was served with his complaint-warrant while in custody at the Bergen County Jail on another agencys charges, the prosecutor's office said.

Ahmad was arrested and charged June 19 with two counts of theft of a motor vehicle and the third-degree crimes of theft of a motor vehicle, burglary and participant in an auto theft trafficking network. He was served the complaint at the Monmouth County Jail while in custody on another agencys charges, officials said.

Hardiman was charged June 27 with two counts of burglary, two counts of theft of a motor vehicle and two counts of participant in an auto theft trafficking network, all third-degree crimes, and joyriding, a fourth-degree crime. He was served with his complaint-warrant while in custody in the Bergen County Jail on another agencys charge, the prosecutor's office said.

Davis was arrested and charged June 27 with receiving a stolen motor vehicle and participant in an auto vehicle theft trafficking network, both third-degree crimes. He was served at the Monmouth County Jail while in custody for another agencys charges, the prosecutor's office said.

The 15-year-old was sent a juvenile delinquency complaint July 11 on the third-degree charges of burglary of a motor vehicle, theft of a motor vehicle and participant in an auto theft trafficking network and will be provided with a future court date, officials said.

McDonald said Coleman has been charged with the third-degree crimes of receiving stolen property and participant in an auto theft trafficking network. Authorities ask anyone with any information about Coleman's location to contact the Bernardsville Police Department or the Somerset County Prosecutors Office.

According to McDonald around 4:37 a.m. Oct. 5, 2023, suspects gained entry to a Tuxford Terrace home in Bernards Township through a sliding rear window and a 2023 Mercedes Benz GLE AMG was stolen from the home and a 2020 Kia Sol, which had been reported stolen from Newark, was left behind.

Two days later around 4 p.m. Oct. 7, 2023, forced entry was made to a home on Old Ford Road in Bernardsville where keys to two vehicles were stolen along with a 2021 BMW 340i and a 2018 BMW 540i.

Around 3:55 a.m. Nov. 26, 2023, suspects forced their way into a home on Blazure Road in Bernardsville and stole two key fobs. Two vehicles, a 2021 Dodge Charger and a 2024 BMW X6, were then stolen from the residence and a 2021 Kia Sportage, that had been reported stolen from East Orange, was left at the scene.

Just before 5 a.m. Dec. 1, 2023, a home on Deer Path in Green Brook was burglarized and a handbag, wallet, cash and keys were stolen, McDonald said. Green Brook police responded as the burglary was in progress and the suspects fled in a 2020 BMW X4 that had been reported stolen out of Denville, and eluded police.

And around 2:48 a.m. Jan. 2, a home on Johnson Circle, Bernards Township was burglarized and a 2023 Audi RSQ8, 2021 Cadillac Escalade and a 2022 BMW X5M were stolen. A Kia Sol, reported stolen out of East Orange, was left behind at the scene by the suspects, the prosecutor's office said.

A joint investigation by detectives from the Bernards, Bernardsville and Green Brook police departments along with the Somerset County Prosecutor's Office Special Investigation Unit led to the identification of the five suspects and the arrests connected to the crime spree. McDonald said detectives from the Hillsborough Police Department and the New Jersey State Police Regional Operations Intelligence Center also contributed to the investigation.

Anyone with information related to the investigation is asked to contact the Somerset County Prosecutor's Office at 908-231-7100, the Bernards Township Police Department at 908-766-1122, the Bernardsville Borough Police Department at 908-766-0037 or the Green Brook Police Department at 732-968-1188 or via the STOPit app. Information can also be provided through the Somerset County Crime Stoppers Tip Line at 1-888-577-TIPS (8477). All anonymous STOPit reports, and Crime Stopper tips will be kept confidential.

Email: srussell@gannettnj.com

Suzanne Russell is a breaking news reporter for MyCentralJersey.com covering crime, courts and other mayhem. To get unlimited access, please subscribe or activate your digital account today.

This article originally appeared on MyCentralJersey.com: Five arrested in Somerset County NJ luxury vehicle theft spree
Here are the five referendum questions that will be on the November ballot

In November, voters will decide if they want to officially adopt the 1909 Pine Tree Flag, which is already ubiquitous across the state. (AnnMarie Hilton/ Maine Morning Star)

There will be five referendum questions on the November ballot. Voters may see other local questions, but these are the ones that will appear statewide.

Maine law outlines the order in which questions are to appear, depending on category. For example, carry-over measures from a previous election are always listed first. After that, the order follows: Peoples veto questions, initiated measures, bond issues, constitutional amendments and other legislatively proposed referenda.

Since three of the questions for this November are bond issues, Secretary of State Shenna Bellows and Deputy Secretary of State Julie Flynn, who oversees Corporations, Elections and Commissions, held a lottery Tuesday at the Secretary of States offices at Nash School in Augusta to determine their order.

The lottery was open to the public and viewable via Facebook livestream.

Here are the exact questions that will appear on the ballot, in order.

Question 1: PAC contributions

Do you want to set a $5,000 limit for giving to political action committees that spend money independently to support or defeat candidates for office?

This question was born out of a bill that went before the Legislatures Veterans and Legal Affairs Committee earlier this year. It seeks to limit contributions in Maine to independent political action committees, otherwise known as super PACs. The ultimate goal of the organizers behind the effort, however, is to put Maine law in conflict with federal precedent in order to get the U.S. Supreme Court to rule that PACs should be regulated, as previously reported by Maine Morning Star.

Question 2: Research, development and commercialization

Do you favor a bond issue of $25,000,000 to provide funds, to be awarded through a competitive process and to leverage matching private and federal funds on at least a one-to-one basis, for research and development and commercialization for Maine-based public and private institutions in support of technological innovation in the targeted sectors of life sciences and biomedical technology, environmental and renewable energy technology, information technology, advanced technologies for forestry and agriculture, aquaculture and marine technology, composites and advanced materials and precision manufacturing?

This question, if passed, would provide funds to the Maine Technology Institute for research, development and commercialization of sectors prioritized in the states most recent action plans for science and technology and an innovative economy. It stems from a bill that passed earlier this year.

Question 3: Restore historic buildings

Do you favor a $10,000,000 bond issue to restore historic buildings owned by governmental and nonprofit organizations, with funds being issued contingent on a 25% local match requirement from either private or nonprofit sources?

This question came from a bill that originally asked for $25 million for restoration projects, but was lowered to $10 million. If it receives voter approval, the process will be administered by the Maine Historic Preservation Commission.

Question 4: Statewide trail system

Do you favor a $30,000,000 bond issue to invest in the design, development and maintenance for nonmotorized, motorized and multi-use trails statewide, to be matched by at least $3,000,000 in private and public contributions?

This question came from bipartisan legislation that was signed into law in April. If approved by voters, the law already lays out how the money will be spent over the course of multiple years to create what would be known as the Maine Trails Program.

The law also says that a quarter of the funds would be used for nonmotorized trails, another quarter for motorized trails and the other half for multi-use trails for recreation or active transportation.

Question 5: State flag

Do you favor making the former state flag, replaced as the official flag of the State in 1909 and commonly known as the Pine Tree Flag, the official flag of the State?

Rather than the blue flag with the crest in the middle, this question asks voters if they would like the official state flag to be the buff flag with a pine tree and star.

The potential new design is already ubiquitous across the state appearing on souvenirs, clothing and many flag poles. Though it is already an iconic image, the Secretary of State held a design contest in June for Mainers to submit their interpretation of the design description.

Secretary Bellows will choose a model flag for the redesign that will be available for viewing before voting begins.

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Bad electoral science can cause lasting harm to democracy, undermining public confidence in the voting process.

Thats the main finding from our study published in the peer-reviewed journal Public Opinion Quarterly in July 2024, looking at the impact of academic claims of electoral fraud in the 2020 South Korean general election.

The ruling Democratic Party won that vote by a larger margin than expected, leading supporters of the opposition United Future Party to allege the rigging of early voting results.

But what started as a typical post-election dispute took a turn when one U.S.-based election fraud researcher analyzed the data and concluded that close to 10% of votes for the Democratic Party were fraudulent. That finding spread quickly across South Korean media, appearing in more than 300 news stories; meanwhile, the scholar conducted prime-time TV interviews about the alleged fraud.

What wasnt immediately clear to the public  although South Korean political scientists and statisticians later explained  was that the analysis was based on a misunderstanding of the election data and the South Korean voting system.

Although the electoral science research was flawed, the damage was done: The erroneous claims of fraud severely eroded public confidence in the electoral process in South Korea. As a direct consequence, the National Election Commission was compelled to revert to costly hand counting of votes in the subsequent general election in order to avoid any accusations of vote rigging.

And our study shows that the impact is larger than one might expect.

In an experiment, we randomly varied information given to 1,750 South Korean voting-eligible adults a few months after the 2020 election. A control group was given no information about foreign academic research into electoral fraud, while others were given academic research suggesting either a high chance or a slim chance of fraud.

Those handed research alleging a high chance of fraud were 12 percentage points more likely to believe that fraud actually occurred compared with those not exposed to such research. This equates to a jump of 52% in the likelihood that someone would believe that fraud occurred.

Respondents shown academic research alleging a high risk of fraud were also 65% more likely to click a link demanding an election fraud investigation, we found.

These effects were concentrated among supporters of the losing party in the 2020 election.

Why it matters

As political polarization deepens across advanced democracies, disputes over election fraud allegations have become commonplace.

And analysis by academic researchers and other experts into alleged fraud can have substantial influence, as the controversy surrounding American economist John Lotts fraud claims relating to the 2020 U.S. presidential election has shown.

Our study underscores how academic research can significantly shape public perceptions of election integrity. The findings highlight how voters responses align with preexisting beliefs  losing party supporters found fraud claims more credible, while winning party supporters showed little change.

Crucially, our findings also reveal how publicizing flawed academic research on election fraud can exacerbate political polarization and undermine democracy itself.

Bad research can lead to widespread mistrust in electoral processes, eroding foundational belief in democratic institutions and deepening political divisions.

What still isnt known

Our research looked only at South Korea. As one of the most stable democracies in Asia, the country shares similarities with other advanced democracies. But some of our findings may not be applicable to other countries elections.

Specifically, where elections have been fairly administered but polarization is high, false information alleging fraud is more likely to widen the gap in perception between supporters and opponents of the winning party. Conversely, in countries plagued by actual election fraud, such information could mobilize opposition against the offending parties, increasing election monitoring and fostering democracy.

And while media played a critical amplifying role in spreading the flawed analysis to the South Korean public, our study did not look at the extent to which traditional media versus social media contributed. We suspect flawed research can spread more easily via social media, where it faces fewer gatekeepers and can be shared by partisans indiscriminately.

Whats next

Our findings reveal the danger posed when flawed research influences public opinion.

Moving forward, we aim to investigate strategies to combat the impact of such misleading findings on public opinion. Scientists have long balanced maintaining objectivity and rigor with communicating findings that can shape minds.

As polarized politics increasingly demands experts weigh in based on scientific evidence, the academic community must determine how to better inform the public while preventing flawed research from undermining trust in democratic foundations. Upholding rigorous standards while clearly communicating truth will be key.

The Research Brief is a short take on interesting academic work.

This article is republished from The Conversation, a nonprofit, independent news organization bringing you facts and trustworthy analysis to help you make sense of our complex world. It was written by: John Kuk, Michigan State University; Don S. Lee, Sungkyunkwan University, and Inbok Rhee, Yonsei University

Read more:



The authors do not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organization that would benefit from this article, and have disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.
FLORENCE COUNTY, S.C. (WBTW)  A Florence County deputy who was on administrative leave after a shooting has been fired from the sheriffs office amid a domestic violence investigation, authorities said on Tuesday.

Treyvon Sellers was fired by Sheriff TJ Joye after a domestic violence investigation was opened by the South Carolina Law Enforcement Division. The investigation began after an incident in Darlington County last week, the Florence County Sheriffs Office said. Joye told News13 that his office wouldnt tolerate any foolishness.

SLED confirmed the investigation Tuesday afternoon and directed all questions about personnel matters to the Florence County Sheriffs Office.

Sellers was on leave for a deputy-involved shooting that killed William Rankin on May 26. That shooting is also still being investigated by SLED.

No additional information was immediately available. News13 has requested Sellers training records from the South Carolina Criminal Justice Academy.

 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.
TAMPA, Fla. (WFLA)  For the second year in a row, the Florida Highway Patrol has won the Americas best looking cruiser competition put on by the American Association of State Troopers.

The Florida Highway Patrol was able to capture the photo by partnering with Space Florida, the United Launch Alliance, and the National Reconnaissance Office.

This year, we took the competition to new heights and were able to showcase Floridas Space Coast, said Dave Kerner, executive director of the Florida Department of Highway Safety and Motor Vehicles.

The photo was taken during the final liftoff of the United Launch Alliance Delta IV Heavy at Cape Canaveral Space Force Stations Space Launch Complex on April 18.

Were thrilled to see Florida claim victory for the second year in a row and are grateful to the Florida Highway Patrol for their partnership and collaboration. This well-deserved win celebrates our states leadership in both public safety and space technology, said Rob Long, president and CEO of Space Florida.

The competition started on July 15 and saw a record of 49 states participate.

For two weeks, each state encouraged citizens to cast their votes, making this contest the most engaging in 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.
Four Florida police officers are charged with manslaughter after a shooting in 2019.

The Miami-Dade officers pleaded not guilty on Monday in the deaths of two people.

Detectives said the incident began as an armed robbery at a jewelry store, and it ended with the deaths of a hostage and a bystander in another car.

Watch: Tropical wave has an increased chance of development this week

The two robbery suspects were also killed.

The president of a South Florida police union says the officers had no choice.

Read: 16-year-old shot to death in Orange County neighborhood, deputies say

Not a single police officer ever wants to take the life of anybody. Unfortunately, they were given no options, said Steadman Stahl, president of the South Florida PBA.

Their trial is set for next February.

Read: Police: Man riding Lynx bus follows woman off bus, sexually batters her at UCF Downtown

If convicted, the maximum penalty would be 30 years in state prison.

Click here to download our free news, weather and smart TV apps. And click here to stream Channel 9 Eyewitness News live.
Gladyvette "Yvette" Benarroch , 54, says she is a mom, a business owner and "an outsider, not a politician."

Benarroch says she wants to preserve the American dream, one she followed to business ownership and homeownership and running for office.

A veteran of the U.S. Air Force, Benarroch was born in Luquillo, Puerto Rico. She moved to Florida in 2003.

"Only in this country can you come with nothing and make something out of yourself. And I want to make sure that we preserve that for every family, and everyone not only in Florida, but in our country," Benarroch said at a July 16 forum with her Republican competitor Greg Folley.

Benarroch has been active in the Collier County community since moving to the area, whether working with the Republican party or in the school system. Benarroch has two teenage sons. She has served as Collier County GOP Executive Committee vice chair and currently is chair of the Collier Chapter of Moms for Liberty, a parent group aimed at fighting for parental rights in education. She has U.S. Rep. Byron Donalds endorsement.

Benarroch is co-owner of Affordable Landscaping Service Design LLC, which services the Marco Island and Naples area.

She currently lives in Marco Island, Florida, with her husband, Al; their sons, Zachary and Daniel; and their five dogs. Benarroch has a bachelors degree in marketing from Interamerican University of Puerto Rico and a masters degree in marketing from Southern New Hampshire University.

Yvette Benarroch is running for Florida State representative District 81 as a Republican. She faces fellow Marco Island resident Greg Folley in the Aug. 20 primary. The winner will face Naples Democrat Charles Work in the Nov. 5 general election.

About District 81

Florida House of Representatives District 81 map.

District 81 covers from Naples Park east of Golden Gate south through Marco Island and including Goodland and Isles of Capri. It is bordered on the East by Collier Boulevard/County Road 951.

Who is Benarroch running against?

Greg Folley is the other Republican running. Benarroch and Folley will face off during the Aug. 20 primary. The winner will face the one Democrat, Charles Work, in the Nov. 5 general election.

Greg Folley and Yvette Benarroch are the Republican candidates for Florida District 81 representative. They answered questions July 16 at a forum held by the Naples Reagan Club. Registered Republicans will decide between the two during the Aug. 20 primary.

More: State Rep. District 81 has multiple candidates, unlike 2022

How much has Benarroch raised so far?

She has raised $221,389: $108,798 cash, $77,000 in loans and $36,591 in in-kind contributions as of July 24.

Here are candidate Benarroch's answers to our questions:

Yvette Benarroch is running as a Republican for Florida District 81 representative. She faces Greg Folley in the Aug. 20 primary. The two answered questions July 16 at a forum held by the Naples Reagan Club at a restaurant in East Naples.

Why do you want to be the next state representative for District 81?

I am running for office because I am a mom, veteran, and small business owner who cares deeply about the future of our community and our state. I came from Puerto Rico to Marco Island over 20 years ago with almost nothing, but I have since lived the American Dream. We face many challenges, particularly with respect to affordability, and I can relate and advocate for regular families, veterans and small business owners from my life experiences. I understand the challenges so many are facing and that we need leaders to listen to the people and get results.

What separates you from your opponents?

I am the only candidate trusted and endorsed by Congressman Byron Donalds and by law enforcement leaders including the Police Benevolent Association and Fraternal Order of Police. I am also endorsed by America First Congressmen Brian Mast, Cory Mills, and Michael Waltz and many local and state elected officials. I am a mom, small business owner, veteran, community leader and political outsider, not a politician. I will fight for our conservative values in Tallahassee, stand up for law enforcement, and make Florida more affordable.

What life or work experiences do you have that make you the best candidate?

I am a mom, Gulf War veteran, local small businessowner, a community leader and a political outsider. I know what it is like to struggle with higher prices and making tough choices about what your family and business can or cannot afford. I know what it takes to keep our economy strong and create jobs. I fight for strong schools every day as a mom, so our kids are prepared for success. As a veteran, I served our country in uniform and protected our freedoms; I know my oath of service has no expiration date. I am not a politician; I am running to represent everyday people in Tallahassee.

What are the biggest issues facing District 81, and how would you address them?

Protect our citizens from illegal immigration, lower the cost of living, and improve our education system. I support repealing in-state tuition for illegals and ensuring law enforcement has the tools to keep us safe. We must reduce insurance rates, keep taxes low, and attract good jobs to make Florida more affordable. We must also ensure every student has access to a first-rate education in the state. As head of Moms for Liberty in Collier County, Ive fought to protect parental rights and keep radical liberal ideology out of schools  I will take the same fight to Tallahassee.

What are your top priorities, if elected to District 81?

Protect our citizens from illegal immigration, lower the cost of living, and improve our education system.

Florida's insurance keeps rising. How do you think the state should address the issue?

We need to make Florida more affordable. Insurance rates are out of control, whether it is home or business insurance or auto insurance. As a small business owner, our rent has skyrocketed due to insurance increases, and we had to change carriers for our cars. Like many, I have also experienced first-hand the sting of rising home insurance premiums. Florida has limited lawsuits against insurance companies, but we must do more. We need more competition in the market to drive down costs. We also need to protect homeowners and hold insurance companies accountable.

Abortion will be on the Florida ballot this year with Amendment 4, which would protect women's right to abortion in Florida. What is your stance on abortion?

I am strongly pro-life. I oppose the abortion amendment on the ballot in November. It is radical, deceptive, and wrong for Florida. I believe Florida has excellent laws to protect innocent life and limit abortion while providing the appropriate and necessary protections for the mother. I will stand on the side of life every time as a member of the Florida House of Representatives.

The environment is another huge issue for Florida. How do you think the state should address clean water and other problems?

Protecting our environment and water resources is critically important to Floridas future. I support the Legislatures efforts to fund Everglades restoration, protect sensitive environment and farmlands, and use science-based approaches to address water quality and supply challenges. I believe our environmental policy must be based on sound science, not on activism. As a local landscaper and IFAS/UFL GIBMP Trainer, I work to follow Best Management Practices and teach them to others in the industry, so we protect our precious water resources.

Thoughts on Gov. Ron DeSantis vetoing all of Floridas planned arts and culture grants in the states 2024-25 budget?

I strongly support Governor DeSantis conservative leadership in our state. I applaud him for vetoing funds that could be used for inappropriate purposes. It is our duty as conservatives to root out wasteful spending and protect taxpayers. I oppose funding the radical woke agenda on the taxpayers dime. That is why I fight so hard locally in Collier County to keep inappropriate content out of schools as the head of Moms for Liberty in our county.

What is your stance on allowing recreational marijuana in Florida and how would you regulate it?

I oppose the recreational marijuana amendment. I do not think legalizing more drugs is the solution to any of the problems facing our state. We are increasingly finding marijuana has negative impacts on peoples health and wellbeing.

More: Republicans Folley, Benarroch talk Medicaid, guns, more at first District 81 forum

This article originally appeared on Naples Daily News: Florida representative District 81: Meet candidate Yvette Benarroch
With time running short before the November election, the Florida Supreme Court on Monday signaled that it would move quickly to resolve two cases about a financial impact statement that will appear on the ballot with a proposed constitutional amendment on abortion rights.

The Supreme Court issued orders that said it has expedited proceedings in the cases, which involve a battle between the Floridians Protecting Freedom political committee and state officials about the financial impact statement. The political committee is leading efforts to try to pass the ballot initiative to enshrine abortion rights in the state Constitution.

Floridians Protecting Freedom filed a lawsuit in April arguing that an initial financial-impact statement for the amendment was outdated and needed to be revised. A Leon County circuit judge agreed, but the state took the case to the 1st District Court of Appeal.

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Amid the appeal, House Speaker Paul Renner, R-Palm Coast, and Senate President Kathleen Passidomo, R-Naples, directed a state panel to revise the statement. But Floridians Protecting Freedom contends the revised statement is politicized and inaccurate.

Also, the revised statement led the 1st District Court of Appeal to rule that the case about the initial statement was moot.

Floridians Protecting Freedom last week filed a petition at the Supreme Court arguing that Renner and Passidomo did not have authority to direct the state panel to revise the financial impact statement. The political committees attorneys contended that the statement could have only been revised after a court order, not because of direction from state leaders.

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The political committee also separately filed a notice that was a first step in asking the Supreme Court to review the 1st District Court of Appeals decision that the lawsuit about the initial statement was moot.

In the orders Monday, the Supreme Court gave the state until 5 p.m. Friday to respond to the petition about the authority of Renner and Passidomo. It also gave Floridians Protecting Freedom until 5 p.m. Friday to file a brief in the case about the 1st District Court of Appeals mootness decision.

Financial impact statements, which usually receive little attention, provide estimated effects of proposed constitutional amendments on government revenues and the state budget. They are crafted by a panel of economists known as the Financial Impact Estimating Conference.

The panel released an initial statement for the proposed abortion amendment in November 2023. But on April 1, the Supreme Court issued a ruling that allowed a six-week abortion limit to take effect in the state.

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In its lawsuit filed in April, Floridians Protecting Freedom argued that the November financial-impact statement needed to be revised because it was outdated after the Supreme Court ruling.

Leon County Circuit Judge John Cooper ordered the Financial Impact Estimating Conference to draft a new version. But state lawyers appealed, contending that Cooper did not have legal authority to issue such an order.

The Tallahassee-based appeals court never decided whether Cooper had such authority because it said the case was moot after the Financial Impact Estimating Conference issued the revised statement this month.

The proposed constitutional amendment will appear on the November ballot as Amendment 4. It says, in part, that no law shall prohibit, penalize, delay, or restrict abortion before viability or when necessary to protect the patients health, as determined by the patients healthcare provider.

Gov. Ron DeSantis and other state Republican leaders are fighting the proposed amendment. Representatives of DeSantis and the state House on the Financial Impact Estimating Conference spearheaded controversial revisions to the financial impact statement.

In part, the revised statement says there is uncertainty about whether the amendment will require the state to subsidize abortions with public funds. Litigation to resolve those and other uncertainties will result in additional costs to the state government and state courts that will negatively impact the state budget. An increase in abortions may negatively affect the growth of state and local revenues over time. Because the fiscal impact of increased abortions on state and local revenues and costs cannot be estimated with precision, the total impact of the proposed amendment is indeterminate.

The November ballot will be set after Floridas Aug. 20 primary elections.

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SACRAMENTO, the United States, July 29 (Xinhua) -- A groundbreaking study revealed that a simple blood test can detect Alzheimer's disease more accurately than experienced doctors.

Published on Sunday in JAMA, the Journal of the American Medical Association, the research showed that this new test could revolutionize diagnosing Alzheimer's, making it easier and more accessible for patients in local clinics and specialized memory centers.

The study in Sweden examined over 1,200 patients with memory concerns. Researchers found that the blood test, known as APS2, correctly identified Alzheimer's disease 88 to 92 percent of the time.

This performance surpassed family doctors and specialists, who were accurate only 58 percent and 71 percent of the time, respectively, when relying on standard exams and cognitive tests.

One of the test's key advantages is its reliability across different patient groups, including those with other health conditions like kidney disease. It also performed well for patients at various stages of memory loss, from those with mild worries to those with more severe symptoms.

The researchers suggested that this blood test could be particularly valuable in primary care settings, where access to specialized brain scans or spinal fluid tests is often limited. It may also help identify patients who could benefit from newly developed Alzheimer's treatments.

However, researchers emphasized that the blood test should not be the sole method for diagnosing Alzheimer's. Instead, it should be considered alongside a patient's symptoms and other medical information to provide a comprehensive assessment.

While these results are promising, the report said, further research was still needed to confirm the test's effectiveness in diverse populations and to understand its impact on patient care in real-world settings. 
ELMIRA, N.Y. (WETM)  A new food pantry will open at CASA-Trinitys outpatient clinic in Elmira on Thursday.

Dutchs Pantry will open at the clinic on 911 Stowell St. in Elmira on Thursday, Aug. 1. The pantry will serve people who are seeking services from the clinic by keeping a stock of various foods and goods, as well as providing resources for eating healthy and ways to prepare meals.

Community Cat Benefit Breakfast to raise money for SPCA

The opening of Dutchs Pantry comes after receiving a start-up grant from the Food Bank of the Southern Tier. The pantry is named after the father of CASA-Trinitys CEO, Ann Domingos, who was known in the community for providing food and helping those in need.

CASA-Trinitys hope for the pantry is to give its clients better access to nutritious foods to enhance their overall wellness, not just the disease they are treating.

Copyright 2024 Nexstar Media, Inc. 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.
WILMINGTON, N.C. (WGHP)  Three men, two with ties to North Carolina, have been sentenced to prison after they were charged with a conspiracy that involved shipping weapons interstate and accused of planning to attack electrical substations.

On Friday, Liam Montgomery Collins, Justin Wade Hermanson and Paul James Kryscuk were sentenced to prison for shipping weapons interstate as part of an investigation into a plot to destroy electrical infrastructure and ultimately stage a neo-Nazi takeover of local government and industry, according to court documents.

Collins, a New Jersey man who was stationed at Camp Lejeune at the time of the crimes, was sentenced to 10 years in prison with three years of supervised release on the charge of interstate transportation of a firearm not registered as required. Charges of destruction of an energy facility and conspiracy were dismissed when he pleaded guilty.

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Hermanson, a North Carolina man who was in the same Marine unit as Collins at Camp Lejeune, was sentenced to one year and nine months in prison and three years of supervised release on a charge of conspiracy to manufacture firearms and ship interstate, with an interstate transportation charge dismissed.

Kryscuk was sentenced to six and a half years in prison and three years of supervised release on a charge of conspiracy to destroy an energy facility, with manufacturing and shipping firearms charges dismissed as part of his guilty plea.

At the time of their arrest, the three men lived in Boise, Idaho.

Former Camp Lejeune Marine charged in neo-Nazi conspiracy pleads guilty

Background

In October 2020, Collins, Kryscuk and Jordan Duncan, a North Carolina man who was stationed at Camp Lejeune at the time, were charged with conspiracy to unlawfully manufacture, possess and distribute various weapons and weapon accessories. All of the charges came from the Eastern District of North Carolina.

Documents filed by Duncan in August state that the Naval Criminal Investigative Service was investigating after Collins claimed to the other defendants that he could get weapons without serial numbers, as well as silencers. Investigators traced money spent on the purchase of a firearm from Collins to Kryscuk, who pleaded guilty in February 2022.

In November 2020, Hermanson was charged with one count of conspiracy to manufacture firearms and ship interstate. After two superseding indictments, he pleaded guilty on March 8, 2022.

In June of 2021, Joseph Maurino, a New Jersey National Guardsman, was also indicted, accused of supplying untraceable guns to the other men. Maurino pleaded guilty in April 2023. It is unclear when he will be sentenced.

In August 2021, Kryscuk, Collins, Duncan and Maurino received a third superseding indictment. They were charged with conspiracy to damage property of a United States energy facility.

The indictment alleges that the four men researched and discussed at length a previous attack on power infrastructure by an unknown group, using assault-style rifles. The indictment alleges that for three years, between 2017 and 2020, Kryscuk manufactured guns and Collins, stationed at Camp Lejeune at the time, stole military gear and had it delivered to the other men. Duncan gathered a library of information, some military-owned, about weapons, toxins and explosives.

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Documents also go into detail about how Collins and Kryscuk met on Iron March, a now-defunct forum for neo-Nazis to organize and recruit. They moved to encrypted messaging to talk outside of the forum, allegedly recruiting the other three accused men.

Video footage obtained shows the men shooting guns, wearing AtomWaffen-masks while giving Nazi salutes, according to court documents and first shared by RawStory. The phrase come home white man is seen in the video. Atomwaffen Division was a violent neo-Nazi sect co-founded by Brandon Russell, who is currently awaiting trial for his own accusations of conspiracy to destroy energy facilities in Maryland.

Duncan pleaded guilty in June 2024 and is scheduled to be sentenced in September.

Similar cases

In April, Jonathan Frost was sentenced to five years in prison, and Christopher Cook was sentenced to seven years and eight months in prison, both for a count of conspiracy to provide material support to terrorists. Both men will be under supervision for two and a half years after release. A third conspirator, Jonathan Sawall, was ordered to be hospitalized.

The three men pleaded guilty to the plot to attack power substations in multiple states in February of 2022.

Video about Moore County attacks shared by neo-Nazi arrested in Maryland substation plot, documents show

Brandon Russell

The indictment states that the men met online and began planning to attack electrical infrastructure around the country, with each man assigned specific locations. When they got together in Columbus, they graffitied a bridge at an area park with a swastika and the words Join the Front. Court documents indicate they were taken back into custody and had various electronics seized on Dec. 5, 2022.

In February 2023, Russell, and his girlfriend, Sarah Clendaniel, were charged with plotting an attack against the power grid in Baltimore, Maryland, with Russell being accused of sharing a YouTube video about the attack on Duke Energy substations in Moore County as part of their planning.

Substation attacks in North Carolina

While several people have been sentenced or charged for plotting electrical substation attacks that never came to fruition, over the span of a few short months, there were three separate incidents of substations being shot at in North Carolina.

The first, which took place on Nov. 11, 2022, in Jones County, left 12,000 people without power for a couple of hours after a Carteret-Craven Electrical Cooperative substation was shot.

On Dec. 3, 2022, two Duke Energy substations in Moore County were shot. One person died as a direct result of the Moore County power outage, a death that the medical examiner ruled a homicide.

Then, on Jan. 17, 2023, an EnergyUnited substation was shot in Randolph County, but no one lost power. The FBI is offering thousands in rewards for information on these three shootings.

Two weeks after the Moore County shooting, at the beginning of Hannukah, a banner adorned with Nazi imagery advertising a Telegram channel for the National Socialist Resistance Front was unfurled on a highway overpass in Vass, and a second banner was found on Christmas in Cameron. The Telegram shown on the banner had numerous Nazi memes and graphics, including what appeared to be an image, posted just two days after the Jones County shooting, of a persons silhouette in front of an electrical substation with the words bring it all down, a phrase that was also featured on the first banner.

The Moore County Sheriffs Office said at the time that they were investigating these incidents separately.

Court documents released last year detail a tip officials got about a man who said his coworker claimed to be part of a right-wing group stating intention to damage the electrical grid in Moore County. They are also looking for a light-colored van that was in the area on the night of the Moore County attack.

In early June 2024, gunfire damaged Duke Energy equipment in Durham, causing an oil leak and a fire as well as a brief power outage. The FBI is investigating.

No charges have been filed in any of the shootings.

Copyright 2024 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.

For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to Queen City News.
A former Iowa City police officer is suing the city alleging discrimination related to his race and disability. (Stock photo by Oliver Helbig/Getty Images)

A former Iowa City police officer is suing the city, alleging racial discrimination related to excessive-force complaints.

Emilio M. Puente is seeking unspecified damages for alleged violations of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 and the American with Disabilities Act of 1990.

According to the lawsuit, the Iowa City Police Department hired Puente in April 2019. After he was allegedly forced to resign in early 2022, he filed a complaint with the Iowa Civil Rights Commission, which in April 2024 provided him with the right-to-sue letter that cleared the way for his lawsuit.

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Puente alleges that during his three years with the police department, he received commendations for bravery and job performance, but also experienced discrimination due to his race, skin color and disability.

He alleges that in November 2019, a fellow officer circulated an email mocking Puente for his Latino ethnicity and that his superiors took no action when he complained about the situation. In contrast, he claims, the department responded to a white84-2113822 officer being chided about his status while on military leave by cautioning the staff that such behavior would not be tolerated.

In July 2020, Puente was disciplined after he and a fellow officer, driving separate police cars, pursued a suspect through a grassy area  an act that generated a complaint to the department. The lawsuit alleges that although Puente was following the other officer who had initiated the chase, only Puente was disciplined.

The lawsuit also claims that in November 2021, Puente was involved in a physical altercation with a suspect and used force to subdue the individual. Nine days after that arrest, Puente was injured while arresting a subject who violently kicked him in the knee, leading to a disability claim of chronic nerve damage.

Days later, Puente alleges, he was informed of an internal affairs investigation into the arrest in which he had used force. According to the lawsuit, Puente was summoned to a meeting in February 2022 and informed that the chief of police intended to fire him within the next two hours, and that he would never again work in law enforcement, unless he opted to voluntarily resign.

Puente alleges he opted to resign, which resulted in the immediate termination of his disability pay. After a May 2022 hearing before the Iowa City Civil Service Commission, the department informed the press that Puente had committed misconduct in violating use-of-force policies, the lawsuit claims.

As further evidence of unequal treatment, the lawsuit states that in June 2022, videos of a different white Iowa City officer surfaced on social media. In one of those videos, the officer is allegedly seen grabbing a female suspect whose hands are cuffed behind her back and forcefully shoving her into the backseat of a police car. At that point, the lawsuit alleges, the video shows the officer striking the handcuffed woman more than seven times with his closed fist.

The officer involved in that incident, the lawsuit claims, was never disciplined. In fact, the department publicly defended that officer against criticism, the lawsuit states.

Another video that has circulated on social media allegedly shows the same white officer following a man walking into a retail store, demanding that the man stop. After the man continued to walk away, the lawsuit states, he was beaten and apprehended by the officer, despite the fact that he posed no threat. Again, the city allegedly failed to discipline that officer.

Since his forced resignation, Puente alleges, he has had to sell his home and car and has had trouble finding another job due to his disability and the circumstances surrounding his resignation. He alleges anti-police activists have followed him to his new jobs and pressured his employers to fire him.

The city has yet to file a response to the lawsuit. The city attorney declined to comment on the case Tuesday.

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A judge in New York on Monday banned former NRA leader Wayne LaPierre from serving in a role at the NRA or affiliate organizations for 10 years after he was held liable for financial mismanagement of the nations most well-known gun lobby.

The judge gave the NRA itself and the New York Attorney Generals office one week to discuss potential reforms.

"The NRA and its senior leaders broke the law, and funneled millions of dollars in cash and lavish perks to themselves, their families, and NRA insiders," said Attorney General Letitia James. "The damages portion of the case we presented, as well as the earlier trial before the jury, demonstrated that the NRA had a stunning lack of accountability and its leaders engaged in illegality and self-dealing. As a result of this case, Wayne LaPierre will be banned from the NRA for 10 years for spearheading this fraud, and the court called for additional proposed reforms to the NRA. After years of corruption, the NRA and its senior leaders are finally being held accountable.

PHOTO: Former CEO and executive vice president of the National Rifle Association (NRA) Wayne LaPierre prepares to speak during the National Rifle Association (NRA) annual convention on May 27, 2022 in Houston, Texas. (Brandon Bell/Getty Images, FILE)

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After five days of deliberations in February, a jury in New York held the National Rifle Association liable for financial mismanagement and found that LaPierre, the group's former CEO, corruptly ran the nation's most prominent gun rights group.

LaPierre and a senior executive at the NRA were ordered to pay a combined $6.35 million "for abusing the system and breaking our laws," New York Attorney General Letitia James, whose office brought the lawsuit against the organization, said following the verdict.

The jury determined that LaPierre's violation of his duties cost the NRA $5.4 million in damages, though he already repaid more than $1 million to the organization. He must pay $4.35 million, the New York Attorney General's Office said at the time.

The New York Attorney General's Office sued the NRA and its senior management in 2020, claiming they misappropriated millions of dollars to fund personal benefits -- including private jets, family vacations and luxury goods. The accusations came at the end of a three-year investigation into the NRA, which is registered in New York as a nonprofit charitable corporation.

-ABC News' Meredith Deliso and Peter Charalambous contributed to this report.

Former NRA leader Wayne LaPierre gets 10-year ban from serving in NRA and affiliates originally appeared on abcnews.go.com
SAN FRANCISCO (KRON)  The former director of a San Francisco-based nonprofit has been arrested for allegedly misusing public funds and submitting fraudulent invoices to the city, according to the San Francisco District Attorneys Office. Kyra Worthy, 49, of Richmond, the former executive director of the nonprofit SF SAFE, was arrested on 34 felony charges.

The charges, according to the DA, were related to misappropriation of public money, submitting fraudulent invoices to a city department, theft from SF SAFE, wage theft from employees, failing to pay withheld employee taxes, and writing checks with insufficient funds to defraud a bank.

Worthy is accused of having illegally misused over $700,000 during her tenure in charge of the nonprofit. Worthy was arrested Tuesday by SFDAs Office District Attorney Investigators.

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SF SAFE, according to the DA, was a long-standing nonprofit that partnered with the San Francisco Police Department.

Because of SF SAFEs relationship with SFPD, SFPD asked the District Attorneys Office to undertake this investigation, the DAs office said.

As part of the investigation, the DAs office said it executed 25 search warrants, obtained hundreds of thousands of pages of financial and business records and interviewed more than two dozen witnesses.

According to an affidavit cited by the DA, Worthy committed one count of grand theft by embezzlement in unlawfully and fraudulently using more than $100,000 of SF SAFE funds for her own use. In 2019 and 2020, Worthy allegedly spent more than $90,000 of the nonprofits funds on home healthcare for her parents in North Carolina.

The affidavit, according to the DA, also details how Worthy lavishly spent SF SAFE funds on parties, events, interior designers, furniture and travel. The affidavit further states that when Worthy was hired in early 2018, the nonprofit had cash reserves in excess of $300,000.

Despite SF SAFE receiving millions of dollars in public and private funds over the next five years, Ms. Worthys theft and mismanagement resulted in the 48-year-old charity having no assets and ceasing operations in January of 2024, the DA said.

An investigation also revealed that some of the money Worthy allegedly stole was derived from a substantial donation to SF SAFE made by someone with a professional relationship with San Francisco District Attorney Brooke Jenkins. DA Jenkins has recused herself from the investigation and potential prosecution of this case out of an abundance of caution.

KRON4 reached out to the San Francisco Police Department for comment and received the following reply:

The SFPD thanks the District Attorneys office for its thorough investigation and diligent work on this case.

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For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to KRON4.
Former UA student accused of sexual assault of another student

A 23-year-old former University of Alabama student was arrested and charged in connection with the reported sexual assault of another student.

Gambill Colvard Gentry was charged with first-degree rape, first-degree sodomy and multiple counts of first-degree voyeurism. Gentry was placed in the Tuscaloosa County Jail, where he is being held without bond, said Capt. Jack Kennedy of The Tuscaloosa Violent Crimes Unit.

Kennedy said a woman reported that she met an acquaintance at a local bar, woke up the next morning with no memory of the night before and suspected that she had been assaulted.

Investigators were able to obtain photo and video evidence that clearly showed that the victim had been sexually assaulted while unconscious, Kennedy said. Gentry was later identified as a suspect.

Both the victim and Gentry were students at the University of Alabama, but Gentry has now been banned from campus, Kennedy said.

Investigators believe that there may be other victims unknown to law enforcement.

The Tuscaloosa Violent Crimes Unit encourages anyone who believes that they may have been a victim to call 205-464-8690.

Reach Jasmine Hollie at JHollie@gannett.com.

This article originally appeared on The Tuscaloosa News: Former University of Alabama student faces sexual assault charges
WASHINGTON COUNTY, Ga. (WJBF)  A former Washington County High School teacher has pled guilty in federal court today for child exploitation crimes.

Michael Allen Dendy, who is 33, pleaded guilty to one count of production of child pornography and one count of distribution of child pornography before U.S. District Judge Marc Treadwell on July 30. He faces a mandatory minimum of 15 years in prison.

Upon release from federal prison, Dendy will be required to register as a sex offender and faces a maximum $250,000 fine. A sentencing date has not yet been scheduled.

In January 2023, Dendy was arrested for the sexual exploitation of children. He was a teacher at Washington County High School from August 2020 until his January 20, 2023 arrest. Upon his arrest, parents reacted and former students raised concerns about the case. He was indicted in July of 2023.

On Dendys plea, Washington County Sheriff Joel Cochran said, Michael Allen Dendys guilty plea marks a significant step towards justice for the heinous crimes committed. We are resolute in our commitment to safeguarding our children and ensuring that those who prey on them are held accountable. I want to extend my heartfelt gratitude to all law enforcement officers, prosecutors and support personnel who worked tirelessly on this case. Your dedication and hard work have made our community safer and brought us closer to justice for the victims.

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My foster mother hated her first name. I found another way to honor her after she died.

My foster mom, Esther, and I were incredibly close.

She made me promise not to name my kids after her.

I found another way to honor her.

I was 10 months old when Esther came into my life. My grandparents needed help raising me and my brother after our parents, who both struggled with addiction and could no longer raise us.

"You looked at me, and I know you were mine," she often told me when she relayed our origin story as I got older. Before I came along, she wanted a boy because of the conventional wisdom that they were easier. She wanted a child who was already potty trained. She wanted the opposite of who I was, but she knew I needed her. Eventually, Esther always said that she came to understand how much she needed me, too.

She provided foster care to children who were like me and my brother while raising her three biological children in a housing project. Initially, she cared for us when our grandparents worked. Soon, Esther and her kids became family.

Esther and I became closer and closer

Our bond deepened over time and became like that of a mother and child. "I wish I came from your belly," I often said, knowing she was not my real mother but wishing she were. We did not need biology to connect us. We would come to share history and memories. The summer meant a two-week vacation to a lake in New Hampshire with her and her kids. Holidays were divided between Esther and my grandparents.

As I got older, we would talk about our dreams on our leisurely drives in her long, yellow car, which we fondly referred to as "the giraffe." Esther wanted to finally own a home, and I wanted a house of my own in the suburbs, as well as a career, marriage, and children.

"Honey," she said, "promise me you will never name one of your kids after me." She thought her name was old, biblical, and ugly. "Esther is no name for a little girl."

I made the promise, thinking of the far-off day I would become a mother. When you're young, everything seems far away.

Nicole Johnson gave her daughter the same middle name as her foster mother. Courtesy Nicole Johnson

I wanted to honor her while also keeping my promise

In 2006, almost 10 years after Esther died of an aggressive brain cancer, I was pregnant with my first daughter. I sat with my husband and worked on a list we would update after scanning baby name books. I stayed true to my promise and left Esther off the list, though I did spend some time looking into the history of the name. Of Persian origin, Esther means "star." In the bible, Esther was the name of a Queen. The name was associated with strength and beauty. Who wouldn't want that for their daughter?

I also looked back into the most popular names from the year Esther was born, 1936. The name wasn't even popular then.

While I loved the meaning, I heard the voice of my foster mother in the back of my mind. My promise came back in vivid detail. Over time, it had become more than a promise; Esther brought it up more than once, turning it into something of a threat. Once, she'd said, "If you name your child after me, I'll come back and haunt you."

We decided on Cameran for our firstborn daughter. My husband also agreed to use Elizabeth as a middle name. Elizabeth had biblical origins and meant "God's promise." It was also Esther's middle name and the name she chose for her youngest daughter. It was the perfect way to honor the woman who became my best friend and mother, no matter our mismatched DNA.

It also became a way to keep Esther in our lives and make sure my children knew who she was. I did not want her to be a ghost to my children, as my biological mother had been to me. I had a family who provided memories and pictures of my biological mother because we were connected by blood. Since I was not related biologically to my foster mom, my kids would only have me to pass along stories and make her a real part of their lives.

My daughter Cameran may never fully understand the importance of her middle name or personally know how amazing and strong the woman who shared it was, but I do. It will serve her well as she heads into the real world. Now, at 17, she is headed off to college in the fall. My daughter reminds me of my foster mother  independent and fierce. I'm sure it's not just the middle name I passed down but the lessons Esther taught me. They are lessons I've passed along to my children and ones I hope they will pass along to their children.

Read the original article on Business Insider
XINING, July 30 (Xinhua) -- Northwest China's Qinghai Province has passed regulations, to be enacted on Aug. 1, which will provide legal support for the province to build a national ecological civilization highland.

As provincial-level regulations with "ecology as the key," the "Qinghai provincial regulations on the construction of a national ecological civilization highland" are aimed at promoting the ecological protection and high-quality development of the Qinghai-Xizang Plateau, according to a press conference held on Monday.

The regulations consist of 11 chapters and 76 articles, covering areas such as guaranteeing ecological security, building nature reserves, protecting and restoring the ecology, biodiversity protection, green and low-carbon development, and innovation in ecological civilization systems.

The regulations include content on improving the ecological environment protection governance system, adhering to the integrated protection and restoration of mountains, rivers, forests, farmland, lakes, grassland, deserts and glaciers, and integrating the concept of biodiversity protection throughout the process of ecological civilization construction.

The regulations will help strengthen the regular supervision and management of the ecological environment with the strictest systems and the most rigorous rule of law, enhancing the diversity, stability and sustainability of the ecosystem, according to officials in the province.

Located on the Qinghai-Xizang Plateau, Qinghai is home to the headwaters of the Yangtze, Yellow and Lancang rivers. It holds a significant ecological position, bearing the great responsibility of protecting the sources of the three rivers.

The regulations came after China's law on ecological conservation on the Qinghai-Xizang Plateau that was enacted in September 2023, the first state-level legislation specialized in regulating ecological conservation on the plateau. 
BEIJING (Reuters) -Record rainfall and widespread flooding killed four people in China's southern province of Hunan, with roads in rural areas damaged and access to electricity and the internet disrupted, state media said on Tuesday.

Days of heavy rains from the remnants of Typhoon Gaemi have breached major dikes and dams and flooded swathes of cropland, with state broadcaster CCTV saying the finance ministry has earmarked funds of 238 million yuan ($33 million) for disaster prevention and agricultural aid.

Weather experts blamed the heavy rain on a combination of a southwest monsoon and the outer cloud system from Gaemi, which made landfall in China last week.

In Zixing county, the extreme weather fuelled by the most powerful tropical cyclone to hit China this year has affected almost 90,000 people, damaging about 1,400 homes and tearing up about 1,300 roads, the People's Daily said on its website.

Zixing has received record rain since Friday from the impact of Gaemi, with 24-hour rainfall exceeding 645 mm (25.3 inches) at one spot, added the paper, which is the mouthpiece of the ruling Communist Party.

Two days of rain have raised the level of the Juanshui river, breaching three dikes, the official Xinhua news agency said, although one was filled in again on Monday.

The Juanshui flows into the Xiangjiang, a major tributary of the Yangtze River, and floods rose to a record in some parts, state media said.

Due to the floods and rains, access to power and the internet was severed for many villages in the area, Xinhua reported.

A landslide unleashed by the rain washed away homes in Hunan, killing 15 people on Sunday, state media added.

Heavy rains have also pummelled several other provinces, prompting them to issue warnings and activate emergency plans.

The government met last week to discuss wider measures to tackle natural disasters. China has already released disaster relief funds of at least 6.9 billion yuan ($951 million), Reuters calculations show.

($1=7.2604 yuan)

(Reporting by Bernard Orr and Shanghai newsroom; Editing by Miral Fahmy and Clarence Fernandez)
The fourth Finnish volunteer soldier who fought on the side of the Ukrainian Armed Forces has been killed in Ukraine during his combat task.

Source: Sodan Kokeneet ry (Association of Finnish Combatants) told this to Yle portal, European Pravda reports

Details: The Finnish volunteer was killed in mid-July north of Donetsk, the Association said. The fighter's family have been notified of his death. The information was also confirmed by the Finnish authorities.

The executive director of Sodan Kokeneet ry, Juha Kreus, told Yle that the association is cooperating with the Finnish and Ukrainian authorities and has received permission from the family to publish information about the fallen warrior.

The media reports that four Finns who fought for the Ukrainian state have been killed in action so far.

The head of the Finnish Foreign Ministry's consular service, Jussi Tanner, told Yle in February that about 20-30 Finns were fighting on the Ukrainian battlefield. The media had previously reported that there could be up to fifty of them.

It was reported that the first volunteer from Slovakia may have been killed in action in Ukraine.

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Fox repeatedly tries, fails to get Trump to clean up Christians "won't have to vote anymore" claim

Fox News host Laura Ingraham on Monday gave Donald Trump multiple opportunities to clarify his claim that Christians wont have to vote anymore if he wins in November but the former president repeatedly dodged the questions, instead criticizing the Biden administrations treatment of both Christian and Jewish people.

This was a crowd that liked me a lot, and theyre treated very badly by this administration, OK? he told Ingraham.

He eventually responded to Ingraham, but simply reiterated what he told the crowd at the Turning Point Believers Summit in Florida on Sunday.

Dont worry about the future, you have to vote on November 5. After that you dont have to worry about voting anymore, I dont care. The country will be fixed and we wont even need your vote anymore, Trump said.

Trump added that he was speaking directly to groups like Christian voters and gun owners, both of whom he said rarely vote in federal elections.

The former presidents comment on Sunday drew a wealth of criticism from Democrats, who said the comment comes off as an authoritarian threat to democracy.

The only way you wont have to vote anymore is if Donald Trump becomes a dictator, Rep. Daniel Goldman, D-N.Y., wrote on X.

Since President Joe Bidens announcement that he was stepping down as the Democratic candidate and endorsing Vice President Kamala Harris, Trump has repeatedly suggested he may dodge the next presidential debate, which is scheduled for Sept. 10.

Later in the interview, Ingraham asked Trump to clarify why he is reluctant to partake.

Why not debate her? Ingraham asked the former president.

Well wait, because they already know everything, Trump responded, before criticizing Harris stance on criminal justice reform, policing and taxes.

Im leading in all of the polls, Im leading big in all of the swing states, he concluded.

Ingraham asks Trump about his comments telling Christian backers they won't have to vote again in 4 years. Trump responds by saying Jews should have their heads examined if they vote for Dems. Ingraham presses him & Trump doesn't exactly quell concerns he wants to end elections. pic.twitter.com/khGeauqp9S  Aaron Rupar (@atrupar) July 29, 2024
(Bloomberg) -- France recognized Moroccos sovereignty over the Western Sahara, a historic shift that may spur more investment in the disputed mineral-rich territory but inflamed tensions with neighboring Algeria.

France considers that the present and future of Western Sahara fall within the framework of Moroccan sovereignty, the state-run MAP news agency reported Tuesday, citing a letter from President Emmanuel Macron to Moroccan King Mohammed VI that was also seen by Bloomberg.

The French leader said autonomy under Moroccan sovereignty is the framework within which this issue must be resolved and is the only basis for reaching an agreement, according to MAP.

There was no immediate official comment from Paris. The move would end Frances longstanding policy of neutrality toward the formerly Spanish-ruled territory, which stretches along a swathe of Atlantic coastline and is 80% Moroccan-controlled.

Larger than the UK, the Western Sahara has been bitterly contested since its 1975 annexation by Morocco after Spains withdrawal. Sporadic clashes between Moroccan forces and the independence-seeking Polisario Front claimed about 9,000 lives over 16 years.

A three-decade cease-fire collapsed in late 2020. Shortly afterward, then-US President Donald Trumps administration backed Moroccos claim in a deal that also saw Rabat agree to recognize Israel.

Western Sahara is a major source of discord between Morocco and Algeria, which backs the Polisario Front and cut gas exports and most diplomatic ties with its neighbor in 2021.

Algeria announced Tuesday afternoon it was withdrawing its ambassador to France, according to the state-run APS news agency.

The gas-rich OPEC member appeared to know the shift was coming. The government in Algiers on July 25 said it noted with great regret and strong denunciation Frances counterproductive decision to provide explicit and unequivocal support to Moroccos plan.

--With assistance from Salma El Wardany and Sherif Tarek.

(Update with Algerias reaction in penultimate paragraph.)

More stories like this are available on bloomberg.com

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(Bloomberg) -- Frances stronger-than-expected growth could help the country close the budget deficit, caretaker Finance Minister Bruno Le Maire said.

Most Read from Bloomberg

Gross domestic product rose 0.3% in the three months through June and statistics agency Insee revised up its estimates for the two previous quarters. Even with zero growth in the remainder of the year, France will still meet the government forecast of a 1% expansion in 2024 that grounds fiscal plans.

It can of course have a positive impact on deficits, Le Maire said. The first pillar of my strategy to reduce the deficit is growth, and its there, so Ive fulfilled my mission.

The outgoing finance chief said the second pillar is to continue with economic reforms including the pension overhaul, and the third is reducing government spending.

Investors are watching Frances public finances closely after last years budget deficit came in much wider than expected and as the country is in a political impasse after legislative elections returned a hung parliament.

The left bloc that won the largest share of seats in the National Assembly has pledged vast increases in spending and taxes, although it is far short of an absolute majority. President Emmanuel Macron has said he wont name a new prime minister and government until after the Olympics, which are being held in Paris through Aug. 11.

Le Maire said he is preparing a budget for his successor that will keep the country on course to bring the deficit under 3% of economic output by 2027.

The sooner we have a government the better because uncertainty is not good for investors or business  they need visibility, Le Maire said.

Most Read from Bloomberg Businessweek

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Free bus rides for some downtown West Palm Beach workers to commute are coming in September

WEST PALM BEACH  People working in downtown West Palm Beach will be eligible in September to get free bus rides to their jobs thanks to a deal between Palm Tran, Palm Beach County's public bus agency and a local pro-transit group.

Palm Tran and nonprofit WPBgo are teaming up to offer $20,000 worth of bus passes to companies with headquarters or locations in downtown West Palm Beach. Employers can email Go@WPBgo.com to ask about applying for bus passes for their workers.

Employees do not need to live downtown to be eligible, as long as they work for a participating company.

The money comes from a grant WPBgo obtained from the Florida Department of Transportation's South Florida Commuter Services program. WPBgo will buy up to 10,000 one-way rides, or 5,000 round-trips, from Palm Tran, for $2 per trip. WPBgo will start buying the passes for selected employers starting in September, Executive Director Jonathan Hopkins said. Palm Beach County commissioners voted on July 9 to let Palm Tran sell the passes to WPBgo.

More: Palm Tran will cut 3 bus routes, replace them with Uber and taxis. Will fares increase?

Free rides to downtown West Palm Beach will last 1 to 3 months in pilot program

Employees of companies selected for WPBgo's pilot program would get enough rides to cover one to three months of commutes, Hopkins said.

They would also fill out surveys about their commutes and the program before and after participating, to help the nonprofit expand it, he said. Participating companies must also select an employee as a liaison between the employer and WPBgo.

Also: Palm Tran's new boss is a veteran who won free bus passes for disabled vets

The goal of WPBgo's pilot program is to relieve traffic congestion downtown, Hopkins said, and to get businesses thinking about offering to buy their workers bus passes the same way they offer other benefits such as paying for downtown parking.

"This is an employer-friendly and workforce-friendly solution to help people get around," he said, and would be a "pressure-release valve" on parking downtown.

WPBgo is the short name for West Palm Beach Mobility Coalition. Its board includes former West Palm Beach Downtown Development Authority Executive Director Raphael Clemente and president of the Chamber of Commerce of the Palm Beaches, Donald Burgess.

Sign up for our Post on West Palm Beach weekly newsletter, delivered every Thursday!

Chris Persaud is the transportation reporter at The Palm Beach Post. You can reach him at cpersaud@pbpost.com.

This article originally appeared on Palm Beach Post: Free bus rides for downtown West Palm Beach workers coming in September
FALL RIVER, Mass. (WPRI)  Gov. Maura Healey signed the nearly $58 billion budget into law Monday, securing free community college in Massachusetts  but there are some stipulations.

The budget includes a new initiative called MassEducate, a $117.5 million investment that will cover tuition and fees for residents.

This is on the heels of the project launched last year, MassReconnect, that was free community college for those 25 and older. And we saw an incredible boom in students coming back to college or coming to college of the first time, Bristol Community College President Laura Douglas told 12 News on Tuesday.

To be eligible, students must have a high school diploma or GED, have lived in Massachusetts for at least a year, and complete a FAFSA or MASFA form. They also must not have a bachelors degree yet.

MassEducate: Apply to Bristol Community College here

Massachusetts has 15 community colleges, including Bristol Community College, which has campuses in Attleboro, Fall River, New Bedford and Taunton.

College has become a little unaffordable. We hear that all the time. For students who have always wanted to come to college, this is their opportunity, Douglas added.

Douglas recommended applying to the program early, since Bristol Community College has a priority deadline of August 27.

Healey said that through MassReconnect, opportunities for higher education will be available to people who may have never had access to it. The costs will be covered by revenue from the millionaire tax.

Massachusetts will now have the most comprehensive free community college program in the united states, Healey said.

NEXT: Online lottery sales now legal in Massachusetts

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This article was originally published in CT Mirror.

U.S. Sen Chris Murphy visited Camp Courant Friday to announce newly proposed federal legislation that would invest billions of dollars into free summer programs for kids across the country.

The Hartford camp, which bills itself as the largest and oldest free summer day camp in the country, serves hundreds of children each year. It would be among those that could benefit should the Summer for All Act were to become law.

The measure proposes the creation of two grant programs that would be funded by $4 billion of federal money over the course of four years.

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Murphy said that if passed, Connecticut could see about $10 million in funding each year from the legislation.

The bill will have two different grant programs, one that will go directly to camps and camps can apply directly to the federal government for dollars to help expand the slots that they have for low-income families, Murphy said. The second grant would go directly to states  which they could use in any way they saw fit.

Related

Building Bridges Across State Lines Is Set to Transform Education in Connecticut

Murphy called the proposed bill absolutely critical, especially coming out of the COVID-19 pandemic where schools saw high levels of learning loss, mental health challenges and disruptions to socialization.

Outside experiences, adventure experiences, summer experiences, where you get to improve and enhance your socialization skills, where you get to have your mind opened to new possibilities, new hobbies, new interests  its necessary. Its life changing and often its life saving, Murphy said. Its a tough time to be a kid. Its a tough time to be a parent. So, we have to make sure that when our kids leave school for the summer, they dont lose access to learning and socialization.

Murphy was joined by Gov. Ned Lamont at the news conference, who gathered a group of Camp Courant children and asked if they loved their camp and whether camps like this should be available to everyone.

The children erupted in screams and nodded their heads.

What I love about Senator Murphy is that he takes the very best ideas from Connecticut  what weve done on gun safety, what were doing in our summer learning camps  and makes sure its available across this state and hopefully across this country, Lamont said.

This story was originally published in CT Mirror.
Are you sure you dont want to read his bio? a school employee asked Lakinda Brown early in her career as a classroom paraeducator.

I said no, and Im glad I didnt, Brown said.

Brown met the student who quickly informed her that he was a bad kid who planned on throwing tantrums and having meltdowns. Each year, he told her, he was sent away to a boys' home because of his behavior, and he didnt plan on changing.

Well, hows that been working out for you? Brown asked. The boy admitted it wasn't working.

Brown worked with the boy for months, talking about his past and his future and his choices  the good and the bad.

January came around and the student was no longer acting out. Brown asked the boy what changed.

Someone cared about me, the boy said. He had never had that before.

Students work with paraeducator Lakinda Brown on May 28, 2024 at Freeport High School in Freeport.

Students make it worth it

The boy was just one of many who have Lakinda Brown to thank.

Brown has been working for the Freeport School District since 2016.

She is one of a dozen of paraeducators who work to support students. Its a job that many educators say is an essential part of a school, but one that many dont think about.

Paraeducator jobs come in many shapes and forms. Some work with one student at a time while some work with many. Some work in one classroom while others go from class to class. Some are based in one school while some travel from school to school.

You never know what youre going to do, Brown said. Wherever youre needed, thats what you do.

Browns job has changed over the years. She's worked with high-needs students in a contained classroom. She's supported teachers in their classrooms, working with students who need extra attention.

Thats where I thrive, Brown said. The students make it worth it.

Lakinda Brown, seen here on May 28, 2024 at Freeport High School, is a paraeducator.

Community volunteer

It all started for Brown when she was 16. She worked at the Boys and Girls Club tutoring students after-school.

From there, she took on more volunteer opportunities at St. Joes working with people with disabilities.

Ive always wanted to protect those who couldnt protect themselves, Brown said. I started young, and I could see that society wasnt nice to them. I was soft-hearted to that population and always have been.

Today, she volunteers in soup kitchens, assists with disaster relief and holds community events to honor veterans.

For her work inside and outside of school, Brown was chosen to represent Illinois in the 2024 RISE Awards. The program recognizes school employees who provide exemplary service to their schools and communities.

It was a great honor, Brown said. I was in total shock. When Chantel read to me what they wrote, I wept and cried.

Freeport High School student Priah Ellis works with Lakinda Brown May 28, 2024 at the school in Freeport.

Advocating for paras

Recent months have been filled with recognition and congratulations.

Ever the advocate, Brown hopes to use the spotlight to bring attention to the importance of paraeducators and the impact their work has on communities. Paraeducator pay and wellbeing are some of Browns top concerns.

From the pulse of the paras, they feel very undervalued, Brown said. Their spirit is broken. They work themselves to death.

Freeport School District paraeducators make $15.65 per hour and get a raise for each year of experience in the district. Brown said thats a big improvement from when she started, but theres still more work to be done.

Almost all paras have at least two jobs, Brown said. Why do we have to work two jobs? Why cant this be their main job?

Im doing ok, but its because Im picking up a lot of extra things  tutoring, selling tickets. ... I just want one job.

Jena Spinnato is a freelance reporter for the Journal-Standard.

This article originally appeared on Rockford Register Star: Freeport paraeducator honored by state for exemplary service
Fresno attorney says citys new homeless plan declares war on many of our citizens

Fresno attorney says citys new homeless plan declares war on many of our citizens

FRESNO, Calif. (KSEE/KGPE)  A crowd turned out in response to Fresnos new plan to deal with the citys homeless population on Monday, which if approved could make sitting, lying, or camping on public property illegal.

The proposal would see violators potentially face a $1,000 fine and, if they still do not comply, up to a year in jail. It was introduced on Friday in a move fuelled by the executive order signed on Thursday by California Governor Gavin Newsom.

Homeless now accountable in Fresno as city unveils new ordinance

Newsoms executive order called for the removal of encampments on state land and applied pressure on local governments to repeat similar action. The City of Fresnos action follows a similar ordinance announced by Fresno County on Thursday.

The special meeting of Fresno City Council saw many of Fresnos unhoused, and advocates for the unhoused, speak up. Among those who disapproved of the ordinance was Fresno-based attorney Kevin Little.

In response to Councilmember Gary Bredefeld calling the ordinance a form of accountability, Little said that it assumes a very wrongheaded notion about our homeless population.

In Fresno, which has one of the lowest per capita incomes, a large number of our citizens are a missed paycheck are two away from being homeless, said Little. In essence, this ordinance declares war on many of our citizens.

Little says that he knows many individuals who could potentially be affected by the ordinance. Little says unless Fresno City Council reconsiders their course of action, they stand to criminalize everyday citizens for their circumstances.

Theres Joseph who worked his whole career, and then his pension got pilfered during the 2008 financial crisis, Little said.

According to Little, Joseph retired with nothing but ruined credit, the loss of his home, and nowhere to go.

A trained mechanic who worked his whole life and at 63 years old, for the first time in his life, he finds himself homeless, Little said.

So now this individual is also going to find himself to be a criminal unless he can figure out somewhere to go.

Fresnos homeless are overheating in triple-digits: One person can make a difference

Little says there are many examples of people like Joseph, and that the ordinance will not help solve their problems.

Mabel, who escaped a situation of domestic violence, fled with her children onto the streets, chose not to stay in shelters because she did not want to put her children at risk, Little said.

She now under this ordinance, she would be a criminal. This simply is not the way to proceed and solve this problem.

If the Prohibition of Encampments in Public Places ordinance is passed, it will go into effect on September 15.

Copyright 2024 Nexstar Media, Inc. 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.
Press Release

July 30, 2024 Senate commends Angara The Senate on Tuesday, July 30, 2024 adopted a resolution expressing its sincere appreciation to Sen. Juan Edgardo "Sonny" Angara for his "exemplary service to the institution and to the Filipino people as a senator of the Philippines. Senate Resolution No. (SRN) 1070, taking into consideration SRNs 1074, 1079 and 1094, introduced by Sen. Juan Miguel "Migz" F. Zubiri, said Angara "has upheld the highest standards of public service over his two decade legislative career, spanning three terms as a representative of the lone district of Aurora from 2004 to 2013 and two terms as a senator from 2013 to 2024. Aside from Zubiri, SRN 1070 was also authored by Senators Nancy Binay, Joseph Victor "JV" Ejercito, Win Gatchalian, Loren Legarda and Joel Villanueva. "In the last two decades, Senator Sonny has proven his worth as a legislator, authoring and sponsoring over 340 laws across his time in the House and in the Senate, with a particular focus on education, youth empowerment, healthcare, labor, finance, local government and good governance," Zubiri said in his sponsorship speech. "Here in the Senate, he took on the responsibility of heading a number of key committees, most notably the Senate Committee on Finance--a daunting and demanding committee at any given time, but especially so at the height and in the immediate wake of the COVID-19 pandemic," he said. "A lesser legislator likely would have buckled under the weight of the unforeseen challenges brought on by COVID and the impact that it had on our national spending and our priorities. But as Finance chairperson, Senator Sonny was competence incarnate. We could always trust him to be prudent and decisive in running the numbers and ensuring that our national budget is truly responsive to the needs of our people," the senator added. Zubiri said it was this same competence that allowed Angara to ably lead the Committee on Ways and Means, another one that requires meticulous and heavy-duty work. "Here, he readily took on the thankless task of being our resident taxman--a highly difficult but necessary role, and one that he rose to with great resolve," he said. "While we in the Senate are sure to feel his absence throughout the rest of the 19th Congress, we are also very proud to see him take on the enormous task of heading the Department of Education at this very crucial time for Filipino learners," he added. Senate President Francis "Chiz" G. Escudero, author of SRN 1074, said Angara deserves the gratitude and commendation of the Senate for his outstanding performance as a senator and for his contribution to the Senate's accomplishments during the 16th to the 19th Congresses. "Senator Juan Edgardo 'Sonny' Angara is a seasoned legislator and public servant who has been a lawmaker for two decades, serving three consecutive terms as representative of the lone district of Aurora (2004 to 2013) before serving as a senator for two consecutive terms (2013 to 2024)," Escudero said in his resolution. President Ferdinand "Bongbong" R. Marcos Jr. announced the appointment of Angara on July 2, 2024, as the next DepEd secretary, replacing Vice President Sara Duterte who resigned from the post on June 19, 2024. He formally took his oath as education secretary on July 19. Building upon the legacy of his parents, the late Senate President Edgardo Angara and educator Gloria Manalang-Angara, he has long been a champion of delivering accessible quality education to the Filipino youth, pushing for the passage of landmark education measures such as the Universal Access to Quality Tertiary Education Act, the Unified Student Financial Assistance System Act, the Student Fare Discount Act, the Free Kindergarten Law, the Ladderized Education Act, the Enhanced Basic Education Act and the Second Congressional Commission on Education (EDCOM II) Act. Angara from the Committees on Finance and Ways and Means, he also headed the Committees on Labor, Employment and Resources Development, and Youth from which he shepherded the passage of several landmark measures such as the Marawi Siege Victims Compensation Act, the New Government Procurement Act, Tatak Pinoy Act, Tax Reform Acceleration and Inclusion (TRAIN) Act, the Expanded Special Program for Employment of Students, and Sangguniang Kabataan Reform Act. He also served as Commissioner of EDCOM II where he took part in the comprehensive review of the country's education landscape. "The appointment of Senator Angara as the Secretary of the Department of Education bodes well for the future of the Filipino youth, given his track record as a legislator who has been steadfast in his efforts to improve access to education, which he has identified as our most important tool against poverty," Escudero said.
ANKARA, July 30 (Xinhua) -- Officials from Turkiye and Armenia on Tuesday met at the border, resuming talks aimed at normalizing bilateral ties after a two-year hiatus, the Turkish Foreign Ministry said.

Special Representative for the normalization talks, Turkish Ambassador Serdar Kilic and Deputy Speaker of the National Assembly of Armenia Ruben Rubinyan, held their fifth meeting on the Alican-Margara crossing on the border of the two countries, according to a statement by the ministry.

The diplomats reconfirmed the agreements reached at their previous meetings, said the ministry.

They also "agreed to assess the technical requirements to enable the functioning of Akyaka/Akhurik railroad border gate in line with regional developments as well as to simplify their mutual visa procedures for diplomatic/official passport holders," said the statement.

The two sides "reemphasized their agreement to continue the normalization process without any preconditions towards achieving the ultimate goal of full normalization between their respective countries," it added.

Relations between the two countries were severed in 1993 during the first war between Armenia and Azerbaijan over the disputed region of Nagorno-Karabakh when Turkiye closed the border with Armenia in support of Azerbaijan.

Turkiye and Armenia have been working towards restoring ties by appointing special envoys and initiating discussions on resuming relations. However, the normalization talks were halted in 2022 after four rounds of meetings. 
FRESNO, Calif. (KSEE/KGPE)  A man is dead after he and another woman were beaten with a shovel by a suspect during a domestic dispute in Fresno on Monday, according to the Fresno Police Department.

Police say just before 6 p.m. officers responded to a call on Balch and Callisch Avenues for a disturbance.

According to police, a man and a woman were at the residence to drop off property at her ex-boyfriends home. Police say its unclear what lead up to the disturbance but at some point it led to the ex-boyfriend assaulting them with a shovel.

Investigators say neighbors witnessed the disturbance and one intervened by stopping the suspect. The suspect then went inside and injured himself on the arm.

According to police, the suspect is in stable condition. The woman is receiving treatment at a local hospital for non-life-threatening injuries and is in stable condition. The male victim was also transported to a local hospital but later succumbed to his injuries.

Detectives say all the people involved are in their mid-20s.

According to police, it is too early to determine if drugs or alcohol may have been a factor. The suspect is in custody and will be booked following his release from the hospital.

This is an ongoing investigation and more information will be provided as it becomes available.

Copyright 2024 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.

For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to YourCentralValley.com | KSEE24 and CBS47.
Funds available to farmers affected by severe weather

Funds available to farmers affected by severe weather

Devastating weather has dealt blows to farmers in Illinois, and the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) is helping to ensure farmers dont suffer long term.

The USDA is offering farmers programs that target issues theyre dealing with from severe weather. Farmers can get money for loss of livestock, feed and grazing and crop damage. Farmers who have been impacted by severe weather should contact a local USDA service center.

For more information, 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.
Former U.S. Rep. Gabby Giffords speaks at a campaign event for Vice President Kamala Harris in Grand Rapids on July 29, 2024. | Lucy Valeski

Gun control advocate former U.S. Rep. Gabby Giffords campaigned Monday for Vice President Kamala Harris in Grand Rapids, headlining a community violence prevention press conference and a women voter mobilization event.

The former Arizona representative, who survived a mass shooting in 2011, addressed her advocacy for gun safety and the importance of voting in the upcoming election. She made a stop in Rochester Hills on Sunday to stump for Harris after her gun safety organization, Giffords, unveiled a $15 million campaign for the vice presidents White House bid on Friday.

We are at a crossroads, Giffords said. We let the shooting continue, or we can act. We can protect our families, our future. We can vote. We can be on the right side of history. Please join us in this fight.

Since President Joe Biden dropped out of the presidential campaign on July 21, support for Harris has grown in Michigan. She picked up votes from Michigans Democratic delegates Tuesday evening, and the campaign doubled the amount of volunteers in the state in the 48 hours following Bidens departure.

Giffords is married to U.S. Sen. Mark Kelly (D-Ariz.), who is reportedly in the running to be Harris vice presidential pick.

They have said (Vice President Kamala Harris) can't be president because she's never given birth. Which, neither did the 46 presidents who came before.

 U.S. Rep. Hillary Scholten (D-Grand Rapids)

Both Harris and former President Donald Trump are hoping to win over Michigan in the presidential election. Trump picked up Michigans 15 electoral points in 2016 over Hillary Clinton, but Biden defeated the former president in 2021. West Michigan in particular has received a lot of attention from the campaigns, with both Trump and Harris making appearances in the area in July.

It is difficult for either party to win the presidency without winning Michigan, said Michigan Senate Majority Leader Winnie Brinks (D-Grand Rapids), who spoke at the second event. And, you know this in this room, its difficult to win Michigan without winning Kent County. So that does put a little extra pressure on us, but it also means that we have a unique and extraordinary opportunity.

Giffords and first-term U.S. Rep. Hillary Scholten (D-Grand Rapids) made two campaign stops in Grand Rapids Monday. The events focused on laying out the stakes for voters in the 2024 general election.

Today is 99 days away from one of the most consequential elections of our lifetime, and women are going to play one of the biggest roles in this election than weve ever played in the history of our nation, Brinks said.

The Democratic Party has leaned in to highlighting the Project 2025, a presidential transition plan drafted by the far-right Heritage Foundation. The plan includes a total abortion ban and disbanding the Department of Education, amongst a lengthy list of other conservative measures. Trump has denied knowledge of the plan, but CNN connected Project 2025 to his former administration.

The first campaign event of the afternoon focused on preventing gun violence and electing a Democratic majority in the U.S. House and and keeping control of the Senate. Scholten, who is up for reelection this year, spoke about gun control, alongside Giffords, Grand Rapids Second Ward Commissioners Milinda Ysasi and Lisa Knight and other local gun violence advocates.

This election will be decisive, Scholten said. The choice we make when we cast our ballots this November will determine the future that we forge for our children. This is a pivotal moment in America. We owe it to our kids and future generations to vote for a future unmarked by gun violence.

U.S. Rep. Hillary Scholten (D-Grand Rapids) speaks at a campaign event for Vice President Kamala Harris in Grand Rapids on July 29, 2024. | Lucy Valeski

Former U.S. Rep. Gabby Giffords and U.S. Rep. Hillary Scholten (D-Grand Rapids) at a press conference about advocating for gun violence prevention in Grand Rapids on July 29, 2024. | Lucy Valeski

Grand Rapids Second Ward Comissioner Lisa Knight talks about local efforts to curb gun violence in Grand Rapids on July 29, 2024. | Lucy Valeski

Senate Majority Leader Winnie Brinks (D-Grand Rapids) speaks at a campaign event for Vice President Kamala Harris in Grand Rapids on July 29, 2024. | Lucy Valeski

Former U.S. Rep. Gabby Giffords and U.S. Rep. Hillary Scholten (D-Grand Rapids) at a press conference about advocating for gun violence prevention in Grand Rapids on July 29, 2024. | Lucy Valeski

Jacqueline Kelley, a volunteer with Mothers on a Mission to Stop the Violence, spoke about her advocacy in Grand Rapids on July 29, 2024. | Lucy Valeski

U.S. Rep. Hillary Scholten (D-Grand Rapids) talks about gun control legislation in Grand Rapids on July 29, 2024. | Lucy Valeski

Former U.S. Rep. Gabby Giffords speaks at a press conference about advocating for gun violence prevention in Grand Rapids on July 29, 2024. | Lucy Valeski

Grand Rapids Second Ward Comissioner Milinda Ysasi talks about local efforts to curb gun violence in Grand Rapids on July 29, 2024. | Lucy Valeski

Former U.S. Rep. Gabby Giffords and U.S. Rep. Hillary Scholten (D-Grand Rapids) at a press conference about advocating for gun violence prevention in Grand Rapids on July 29, 2024. | Lucy Valeski

Former U.S. Rep. Gabby Giffords speaks at a press conference about advocating for gun violence prevention in Grand Rapids on July 29, 2024. | Lucy Valeski

Scholten outlined plans to pass bills requiring safe storage of guns background checks for gun purchases, in addition to banning assault weapons in another term in the U.S. House. However, she said voters will need to elect a Democratic majority in the House and Senate and propel Harris to the White House to pass that policy.

On July 11, Scholten called for Biden to drop out of the race before any other Democratic lawmaker in Michigans congressional delegation. She told the Advance the swap with Harris leading the ticket has brought more volunteers and resources to the Democratic presidential campaign.

She also said the excitement for Harriss presidential campaign exceeded her expectations.

People are really fired up and excited about change, Scholten said to the Advance. Who we have in the White House is going to make a huge, huge difference in our ability to enact change like we want to see around gun safety.

The second campaign event for Giffords and Scholten drew in women voters from Grand Rapids. Some attendees gave Giffords a standing ovation when she entered.

Scholten told the audience she believed Harris was the most qualified candidate for the presidency and encouraged voters to not pay attention to people who attacked her race or gender.

They have said she cant be president because shes never given birth, Scholten said. Which, neither did the 46 presidents who came before.

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COLUMBUS, Ohio (WCMH)  Two Columbus utility workers were not only in the right place at the right time last summer, but they also took the right steps to save the life of an 18-month-old who was limp and not breathing.

The workers, Matt Overcasher and Steve Manypenny, employees of Columbia Gas of Ohio, were on their way home from work at the time, using quick thinking and breakthrough technology to instantaneously react to the emergency.

Robbers were in our house: Columbus ransomware attack may have exposed personal data

The technology firm Blackline Safety presented the men with an award including a donation in their name to Ronald McDonald House Charities of Central Ohio.

Overcasher and Manypenny were finishing a shift in a neighborhood when a distraught mother yelled out to them that her child wasnt breathing. The two workers used their cloud-connected gas detection device to get connected with a medical service professional and alert paramedics. They were then able to help the child while medics raced to the scene.

Both men have experienced emergency situations before, but never one quite like this situation that involved a child.

Copyright 2024 Nexstar Media, Inc. 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.
Gavin Newsom signals support for bills to crack down on deepfake election content

Gov. Gavin Newsom said he would sign legislation to crack down on the use of campaign advertisements altered or generated by artificial intelligence in another episode of a running feud between the governor and entrepreneur Elon Musk.

Newsom posted a screenshot of a news headline where Musk shared a video mimicking a campaign ad for Vice President Kamala Harris, which appears to use an AI-generated voiceover from her.

Manipulating a voice in an ad like this one should be illegal, Newsom wrote. Ill be signing a bill in a matter of weeks to make sure it is.

Manipulating a voice in an ad like this one should be illegal.



Ill be signing a bill in a matter of weeks to make sure it is. pic.twitter.com/NuqOETkwTI  Gavin Newsom (@GavinNewsom) July 29, 2024

Musk responded to Newsoms post with a vulgarity and said parody is legal in America.

The social media scuffle came less than two weeks after Musk announced he would be moving headquarters of several business ventures including social media platform X and SpaceX out of California.

Newsoms spokesperson Izzy Gardon did not specify which bill the governor was referring to, saying only that were working with the Legislature to ensure this issue is addressed in legislation already going through the legislative process.

There are several bills currently in play that aim to address the altered campaign materials that crop up on social media.

A bill by Asm. Marc Berman, D-Menlo Park, titled the Defending Democracy from Deepfake Deception Act of 2024 would require platforms to block deceptive election-related content 120 days before an election and 60 days following.

Outside of that time frame, it would require social media and other platforms to label content as having been manipulated and allow California residents to report content as fake or misleading.

State law already prohibits distributing materially deceptive audio or visual media of a candidate within 60 days of an election.

Another bill, AB 2839 by Asm. Gail Pellerin, D-Santa Cruz, would expand that time frame to 120 days.

Pellerins office said she had not had any discussions with the governors office about the bill.

The rapid advancement of artificial intelligence has made it alarmingly easy for anyone with a computer to create convincing, yet fake, audio and video content, Pellerin said in a statement. The deceptive use of altered media poses a serious threat to our democracy by undermining voters faith in elections.

Pellerin, who spent 27 years as Santa Cruz Countys chief elections official, said the fabricated video circulated by Musk is a concrete illustration of how powerful this technology has become, and underscores the need to protect against the malicious use of artificially generated media to manipulate elections.

Members of the legislature have been in recess since early July. They return Monday for the final stretch of the legislative session, which ends Aug. 31.
A 43-year-old Georgia man was arrested after police said he stabbed his co-worker in the neck.

[DOWNLOAD: Free WSB-TV News app for alerts as news breaks]

Around 10:30 a.m. on Sunday, Albany officers were called to Interstate Nationalease on Brickline Court. The company provides leasing and rentals for trucks throughout Georgia and Alabama.

When officers arrived, they found Norejai Jefferson, 46, bleeding from his neck.

Investigators learned that Christopher Coleman, 43, stabbed Jefferson during an argument over trash.

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According to Albany officials, the victim and suspect are co-workers. Jefferson was taken to Phoebe Putney Memorial Hospital where he remains in critical condition.

Coleman was arrested and booked into the Dougherty County Jail. Hes charged with aggravated assault and possession of a knife during the commission of a crime.

Anyone with information regarding the incident can call Albany Crime Stoppers at 229-436-8477 or an Albany investigator at 229-431-2100.

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IN OTHER NEWS:
A statue of Rev. Martin Luther King Jr. at the Georgia State Capitol. (Ross Williams/Georgia Recorder

Students across Georgia have gotten their schedules and supply lists and are preparing to head back to school as early as this week.

But the culture war does not respect the school calendar or the ringing of the class bell, and this years fight over how to discuss race in the classroom is already underway after state superintendent Richard Woods did not recommend advanced placement African American studies for course approval.

Woods, a Republican, says his decision provides communities with options. He says local districts can opt in to offering the course with the full rigor of an advanced placement class along with all the associated benefits, or they can offer a different curriculum.

But some lawmakers and activists say treating African American studies differently than other AP classes will prevent students from learning about Black history and provide terrible optics for the state.

Its giving separate but equal, and thats definitely not what we should be doing with African-American studies, said state Rep. Jasmine Clark. And its honestly kind of ironic thats the approach that theyre taking, because thats exactly why we need this class in the first place.

Advanced placement classes are college-level courses offered to high schoolers in 39 topics from math and science to art and the humanities. The educational nonprofit College Board provides a framework for the classes, and teachers undergo special training to teach them. They are more difficult than standard high school classes, but they are weighted more highly on a students GPA. Students who score well on a standardized AP exam can often transfer their credit hours to college.

A man at a lectern

During the last school year, the College Board offered an AP African American studies class as a pilot program. Last week, Woods stated that he would not recommend the course for approval for state dollars. After pressure mounted, Woods clarified that individual districts would be able to offer the course with state money by using a pre-existing course number for an African American studies class that has been around since 2020.

Education department spokeswoman Meghan Frick said districts that want to offer the traditional AP class will be able to offer students all the perks of any other AP class, including the extra bonus to their GPA.

Thats entirely up to the district, she said in an email. Grading, quality points, and weighted GPAs are all determined at the local level and within the local districts authority.

Frick also said districts can offer the class over two semesters as intended by the College Board

Its a full unit of credit, which districts can offer over the course of a semester (on a block schedule) or a full year (on a traditional/period schedule). Thats how this course code works and how any other course code works (including AP).

At least one district, Atlanta Public Schools, has pledged to offer the course at the AP level, but other districts likely will not.

Separate but equal?

Individual teachers can create their own AP class curricula, which are audited by the College Board to confirm the teacher is aware of the scope of the course and what will be on the exam. According to the College Board, some resources like practice exams are only available to teachers of certified courses, and authorized courses are included in the official list of AP courses that colleges check when looking at high school transcripts.

Deviating too much from the framework could set students up for failure on the AP exam if glossed-over topics end up on the test.

And setting up a different structure for a class about Black history than any other class smacks of racism to some, including Sahara Prakash, a rising senior from Forsyth County.

The only cultural AP class offered at my school is AP European studies, which has never received pushback, she said. But when it comes to AP African American Studies, our state superintendent says its not a priority. This seems to tell us that minority stories in history are less important and valued.

Cobb County senior Erin Crawford said she grew up learning about African American history at home and through books and movies, but not very much in the classroom. The course is not scheduled to be offered in her school this year.

As an African-American student in Georgia who has never had the opportunity to learn this material in a classroom, I know how valuable it will be to learn Black history at a school as a rigorous subject and be able to receive the proper AP accreditation for it. Blocking this class is deeply harmful, not just for African-American students, but all students in the state who have been looking forward to and deserve to take this class.

Cobb County Schools was the first district in Georgia to fire a teacher under the states 2022 law banning the teaching of divisive concepts in the classroom. Woods and his office have so far declined to say whether the issues he has with the advance placement African American program stem from the teaching of divisive concepts.

Education advocate and Georgias 2020-2021 teacher of the year Tracey Nance said the idea that one AP course should be determined by community members while others are not is absurd.

If we start making that course a discussion, how many other courses will become a discussion on down the road? she said. How much more are Georgia students going to miss out on? Or does it only come to courses that highlight Black and brown voices?

The politics

The course has been a flashpoint in the culture wars nationwide, including in Arkansas, where a lawsuit involving the course is underway, and in Florida, where Gov. Ron DeSantis said he would ban the course because he said it represented an attempt to indoctrinate children.

Gov. Brian Kemp, a Republican, sent a letter to Woods Tuesday seeking information about the decision, inspiring tentative praise from Clark.

First, I want to say thank you to Brian Kemp for acknowledging that there are a lot of questions unanswered, and a lot of the questions that he had, I also had, she said. However, what this boils down to is, number one, yes, Brian Kemp did sign the divisive concepts law, so he cant really be left off the hook on this, and even if hes questioning things, I am also questioning him, because we cant deny that this is how we got here in the first place.

Me and Brian Kemp dont really talk very often, but I do think that there are plausible reasons for him to want to be on the right side of history on issues like this, especially if he aspires to continue to run for office in the state of Georgia, she added.

Kemp is rumored to be considering a run for U.S. Senate in 2026, when his term as governor is set to expire.

Georgia Recorder is part of States Newsroom, a nonprofit news network supported by grants and a coalition of donors as a 501c(3) public charity. Georgia Recorder maintains editorial independence. Contact Editor John McCosh for questions: info@georgiarecorder.com. Follow Georgia Recorder on Facebook and X.

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Dozens of international students explored the Experimental Advanced Superconducting Tokamak (EAST), known as the "Chinese artificial sun," when attending a summer camp in China's Anhui.








Georgia state Rep. Jasmine Clark, D-Lilburn delivers remarks at a joint Senate and House press conference on the State School Superintendent's decision to block an AP African American Studies course at the Georgia State Capitol on Wednesday, July 24, 2024, in Atlanta. (Matthew Pearson/WABE via AP)

ATLANTA (AP)  Georgia's largest school district announced Tuesday that it won't teach a new Advanced Placement course in African American Studies, saying the state Department of Education's refusal to approve the course means its students would be cheated out of credit for the difficulty of the work.

The decision by the 183,000-student Gwinnett County district means political pressure on state Superintendent Richard Woods is unlikely to ease. Woods attempted to compromise last week by saying local districts could draw state money to teach the AP material by labeling it as a lower-level introductory course. That came a day after Woods said districts would have to teach the course using only local tax money.

Withholding state approval for this AP course sends the message that the contributions and experiences of African Americans are not worthy of academic study at the same level as other approved AP courses, Gwinnett County Superintendent Calvin Watts said in a statement.

A spokesperson for Woods didn't immediately respond to an email seeking comment Tuesday evening.

The Atlanta, DeKalb County and Cobb County school districts have all said they are offering the course in some high schools. But Gwinnett County is maybe the most influential district in the state, with others often following the lead of a system that contains more than a tenth of all Georgia public school students.

Woods has faced a rally where Democrats attacked the elected Republican, as well as pointed questions from Gov. Brian Kemp. The Republican Kemp sent a letter asking why and how Woods arrived at his original decision to block state funding. Woods responded to Kemp Thursday, but still hasn't fully explained his objections.

My primary concern and consideration was whether it was more appropriate to adopt the AP course in its 440-page totality at the state level, or to use the existing African American Studies course code and keep the review, approval, adoption, and delivery of this curriculum closer to local students, educators, parents, and boards," Woods wrote to Kemp.

All other AP courses are listed in the state catalog, state Department of Education spokesperson Meghan Frick said last week.

If districts teach the course under the introductory code, students won't get the extra credit that an AP course carries when the Georgia Student Finance Commission calculates grades to determine whether a student is eligible for Georgia's HOPE Scholarship. It also won't count as a rigorous course. A student who keeps a B average in high school and takes at least four rigorous courses earns a full tuition scholarship to any Georgia public college or university.

Gwinnett is working tirelessly to do right by their students, state Rep. Jasmine Clark, a Lilburn Democrat who is Black and helped spearhead pushback against Woods. As a parent of GCPS student, all I want for my child is to have the same opportunities as students taking other AP courses, should she choose to want to learn more about the contributions of her ancestors in a rigorous, college-level course.

The Advanced Placement course drew national scrutiny in 2023 when Floridas Republican Gov. Ron DeSantis, preparing for his presidential run, said he would ban the course in his state because it pushed a political agenda. In June, South Carolina officials also refused to approve the course. South Carolina said individual districts could still offer it.

In Arkansas, state officials have said the course will count for credit in the coming school year. They denied such credit last year, but six schools taught the pilot course anyway.

Some individual districts around the country have also rejected the course.

In 2022, Georgia lawmakers passed a ban on teaching divisive racial concepts in schools, prohibiting claims that the U.S. is fundamentally or systematically racist, and mandating that no student should feel discomfort, guilt, anguish, or any other form of psychological distress because of his or her race.

So far, 18 states have passed such bans. It is unclear if Georgias law influenced Woods decision.

The College Board, a nonprofit testing entity, offers Advanced Placement courses across the academic spectrum. The courses are optional and taught at a college level. Students who score well on a final exam can usually earn college credit.

The College Board said 33 Georgia schools piloted the African American Studies course in the 2023-2024 academic year.
German Defense Minister Boris Pistorius arrives at Honolulu International Airport. Pistorius is traveling to Hawaii, South Korea and the Philippines and is also visiting the US-led Rim of the Pacific military exercise (RIMPAC, 26.06. to 02.08.2024). Soeren Stache/dpa

German Defence Minister Boris Pistorius has arrived in the US state of Hawaii to kick off a multi-day trip to the Indo-Pacific region.

Pistorius and his delegation landed in Honolulu, where the German navy is participating in the US-led naval Rim of the Pacific (RIMPAC) military exercise.

In 2020, the German Cabinet established guidelines for the country's policy in the Indo-Pacific, highlighting its central importance for the global and German economy and outlining associated risks.

Germany aims to enhance its collaboration with political partners in the region, particularly due to concerns from smaller states about China's dominance.

The RIMPAC exercise, which takes place every two years under US leadership, involves 29 nations, including France and Britain, as well as some 40 ships, planes and helicopters.

Germany is participating for the first time with a frigate and an operations group supply ship.

German Defense Minister Boris Pistorius arrives at Honolulu International Airport. Pistorius is traveling to Hawaii, South Korea and the Philippines and is also visiting the US-led Rim of the Pacific military exercise (RIMPAC, 26.06. to 02.08.2024). Soeren Stache/dpa

German Defense Minister Boris Pistorius arrives at Honolulu International Airport. Pistorius is traveling to Hawaii, South Korea and the Philippines and is also visiting the US-led Rim of the Pacific military exercise (RIMPAC, 26.06. to 02.08.2024). Soeren Stache/dpa
The Second Senate of the German Federal Constitutional Court, (L-R) Astrid Wallrabenstein, Doris Koenig (Chairwoman), Ulrich Maidowski, Rhona Fetzer and Peter Frank, announces the ruling on the electoral law reform of the traffic light coalition. According to the ruling, the German Federal Election Act 2023 is largely constitutional - only the five percent blocking clause is currently unconstitutional, but continues to apply with certain provisos. Uli Deck/dpa

German electoral reforms aimed at limiting the size of parliament are in parts unconstitutional, the Federal Constitutional Court ruled on Tuesday.

The reform, initiated by Chancellor Olaf Scholz's centre-left coalition, aims to limit the size of the Bundestag to a maximum of 630 seats. Germany's lower house of parliament is considered the world's largest freely elected legislature.

The current number of lawmakers in the Bundestag is 733, due to a complex voting system which allows for the number of lawmakers to grow depending on the election outcome.

Germany's population is nearly 84 million. By contrast the United States, with 333 million people, has 535 lawmakers in Congress.

German citizens cast two votes in national parliamentary elections: one directly for a regional candidate and a second for a party list, which determines the relative strength of the party in parliament.

But in order for parties to enter the Bundestag, they must receive at least 5% of the nationwide vote. The system that the reforms were designed to change had allowed smaller parties that did not achieve that 5% minimum to enter parliament via a direct vote for a regional candidate.

This aspect of reform - which was introduced in June 2023 and would have first taken effect in next year's parliamentary elections - is unconstitutional, the Karlsruhe-based court found.

No more overhang and equalizing seats

In order to reduce the size of the parliament, the reform no longer provides for so-called overhang and equalizing mandates, which the court considered constitutional in its decision.

Until now, overhang mandates occurred when a party won more direct seats via the first votes than it was entitled to according to the second party vote result. Equalizing seats were then added to restore the overall vote distribution.

Smaller parties push back

The hard-left Die Linke (The Left) party and the Bavarian conservatives, who normally do not agree politically on much, both took action against the law because as smaller or more regional parties they'd most be affected by the changes.

In addition, more than 4,000 individuals had filed a constitutional complaint. Their objections were based on equal voting rights and the right to equal opportunities for political parties.

Bavaria's Christian Social Union (CSU) and Die Linke had a lot at stake, as the direct candidate system is their most reliable way of entering the Bundestag.

In the 2021 federal election, the CSU, which is only present in Bavaria, received 5.2% of the party-wide votes nationwide. If it were to fall below the 5% mark nationwide at the next election, it would be thrown out of the Bundestag under the new electoral law - even if it were to directly win the vast majority of constituencies in Bavaria again.

Bavarian Premier Markus Soder, who is CSU party leader, was happy about the decision.

"This is a clear success for the CSU and Bavaria - and a slap in the face" for the ruling coalition government, he told dpa in Munich.

He said the government's "election manipulation ... has been exposed and rejected by the court," adding that the court agreed with the CSU's "core concern."

"As far as humanly possible, this ensures that the CSU will be represented in the next Bundestag," said Soder, adding: "The Federal Constitutional Court recognizes the strength and importance of Bavaria and the CSU."

But Scholz's Social Democratic Party (SPD) also claimed victory.

"The most important thing is clear after this judgement: The reduction in the size of the German Bundestag is complete and constitutional," said the deputy leader of the SPD parliamentary group, Dirk Wiese.

This now put an end to "overhang and equalization mandates, which have continually increased the size of the Bundestag and thus endangered its ability to function," he added.

As for Die Linke, in the last federal election it only entered the Bundestag as a parliamentary group via the direct mandate clause, as the party failed to gain 5% support nationwide. It did win three so-called direct mandates.

But since then, Die Linke has split, as long-time party member Sahra Wagenknecht has formed her own party, the Sahra Wagenknecht Alliance (BSW), leaving her former party in a deep crisis. In last month's European Parliament elections it only achieved 2.7% of the nationwide vote.

Wagenknecht agreed with conservative Soder that the court's decision was a slap in the face for the ruling coalition.

"Preventing another XXL Bundestag that devours more and more taxpayers money was the right thing to do," she said but added that the electoral reform, like other ideas from the current government, had been "ill-conceived and constitutionally questionable."
FRANKFURT (Reuters) - Germany's foreign office spokesperson confirmed on Tuesday that a German national in Belarus has been pardoned, according to a government spokesperson.

"This news comes as a relief," the spokesperson said via email, referring to a report from BelTA state news agency that Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko has decided to pardon Rico Krieger, a German sentenced to death on terrorism and other charges.

(Reporting by Emma-Victoria Farr, editing by Chris Reese)
Hey Rudy, wheres the money?

Thats what a federal judge appeared to be wondering while warning he may have to drag Rudy Giuliani to court after the former New York City mayor claimed he was too broke to pay administrative fees in his recently tossed bankruptcy case.

Giulianis failure to pay the standard fees  even as he holds on to nearly $10 million of real estate  technically stalls the cases dismissal from becoming official.

Rudy Giuliani, former personal lawyer for former U.S. President Donald Trump, attends the second day of the Republican National Convention at the Fiserv Forum on July 16, 2024 in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. Getty Images

An order dismissing the case has not been entered due to a dispute regarding the payment of administrative expenses incurred during the case, Judge Sean H. Lane wrote in a July 25 letter, namely, whether and how the Debtor will pay such expenses.

The judge warned he might have to force the recently disbarred lawyer to come to Manhattan federal court to testify and prove how broke he is.

Its unclear how much Giuliani  once dubbed Americas Mayor for this response to the 9/11 terror attacks  owes in fees.

An attorney unaffiliated with the case said that while such fees can sometimes rise to six figures, Giulianis debt is likely far lower since the legal matter only lasted a few months.

Giulianis bankruptcy case was dismissed July 12 after his repeated failure to be financially transparent, Lane wrote.

The same judge argued in June that a trustee should be appointed to oversee Giulianis finances since the former tough on crime federal prosecutor could not be trusted after his dishonesty, incompetence and gross mismanagement of [his] affairs.

Giulianis bankruptcy case was dismissed July 12 after his repeated failure to be financially transparent. REUTERS

Giuliani still contends that he lacks the funds to pay financial advisors who participated in the bankruptcy proceedings  but did not provide evidence to back up his deadbeat claim.

Instead, the Debtor has simply refused to pay these expenses, Lane wrote in the July 25 letter.

But Giuliani does have some money  roughly $10 million at least, the judge said.

While the true extent of Rudys assets remain hidden, Lane says that it is undisputed that Giuliani is still in possession of a small real estate fortune, including a $5.6 million Upper East Side apartment and a $3.5 million Florida condo.

That might explain why Lane is pursuing full payment from Giuliani, though judges in such cases can dismiss pro-forma fees if they prove to be truly unaffordable.

But Giuliani does have some money  roughly $10 million at least, the judge said. REUTERS

The letter said Giuliani may have to give further testimony under oath, despite the chance that this path might mirror in some ways the unsuccessful efforts at financial transparency that have plagued the case to date.

Lane said the court and Giulianis team might even need to reconsider the cases dismissal and impose a trustee to oversee the disgraced mayors assets and to promptly liquidate assets such as the New York apartment as appropriate.

Lane said the court and Giulianis team might even need to reconsider the cases dismissal. AP

Giulianis lawyers in a separate $10 million sexual harassment and wage theft suit  one of several civil cases pending against him  seized on Lanes letter.

That case, filed by Noelle Dunphy, was previously delayed pending the bankruptcy proceedings. The attorneys argued in a recent filing that since the bankruptcy dismissal hasnt yet been made official, the suit should be paused once again.

Lifting the bankruptcy stay is premature and improper, they wrote.

A source with knowledge of the case says that the judge declined to reinstate the pause, but agreed to move a hearing scheduled for this week to sometime in the fall.

Giulianis lawyers didnt return a request for comment Monday.
GOP gears up behind 'Young Gun' Monique DeSpain in Oregon congressional race vs. Val Hoyle

In another sign that party leaders view this year's southwest Oregon congressional race as competitive, Republicans announced Monday that the party added GOP nominee Monique DeSpain to their "Young Guns" list of seats the party believes it can pick up this November.

Despain is taking on Democratic incumbent Rep. Val Hoyle, who won the seat in 2022 with 50.5% of the vote, beating out Republican Alek Skarlatos, who won 43.1%.

The GOP has pegged Oregon's 4th Congressional District as "a key flip opportunity."

In a press release, campaign spokesperson Kevin Hoar described Monday's announcement as national Republicans recognizing DeSpain's campaign as "one of the best in the country" for "strength in campaign organization, fundraising, communications, and grassroots engagement."

The program provides mentorship and support to 26 Republican challengers for U.S. House seats. In May, Democrats added Hoyle to their "Frontline" list of 37 Democratic incumbent Representatives facing close general elections.

There are no publicly available polls asking voters who they would pick in a Hoyle-DeSpain matchup.

General political forecasting rates the district as "Likely Democratic." The race was added in May to the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee's list of Frontline Members, a list of returning or incumbent Democrats the party had identified as running for the "most competitive seats this November. Hoyle also made a Republicans' list of 37 "vulnerable" House Democrats in March.

Republican congressional candidate Monique DeSpain speaks during an watch party hosted by DeSpains campaign for the May 21 primary election at the Inn at the Fifth in Eugene.

Hoar attributed the closeness of the race to the candidates, citing "Hoyles weakness versus the strong challenge being offered by GOP nominee DeSpain."

In an emailed statement, Hoyle said she felt "confident that I am doing the work to earn the support of the majority of voters throughout this district."

Hoyle and DeSpain both secured their parties' nominations for the district in primary elections in May.

Alan Torres covers local government for the Register-Guard. He can be reached over email at atorres@registerguard.com or on X @alanfryetorres.

This article originally appeared on Register-Guard: Hoyle targeted in Oregon's 4th District as GOP adds DeSpain to list
The Republican mayor of Mesa, Ariz., who announced this week he is backing Vice President Harris in the 2024 presidential race, warned Monday that former President Trump would not leave office if he is reelected.

During an interview with Mesa Mayor John Giles, CNNs Laura Coates played a clip from Trumps Monday interview with Fox Newss Laura Ingraham, who asked the former president about his comments made to Christians saying they would not need to vote anymore after November.

Coates asked Giles whether he believed Trump would leave office if reelected.

No, I dont, Giles responded. You know, as I was writing this op-ed that ran in The Arizona Republic this morning, I remember, at one point, I had a phrase in the op-ed where I said, if Donald Trump is elected, I fear this might be the last free and fair election of my lifetime. And I struck it out because I thought, you know what, thats a little hyperbolic. Thats more than needs to be said.

And then, you know, he makes this statement saying that once Im elected and Im enthroned, you know, we wont need elections any longer. So, sometimes, Donald Trump says the quiet part out loud, and we have to believe him. I think this is one of those occasions that we got some real insight into what his priorities are, he added.

Trumps comments on Friday to Turning Point Actions Believers Summit in Florida sparked backlash from Democrats. Some Democrats, including the Harris campaign, suggested these comments signaled that Trump wants to do away with elections if he wins in November.

You wont have to do it anymore.  You got to get out and vote. In four years, you dont have to vote again. Well have it fixed so good youre not going to have to vote, Trump said at the event.

President Bidens former communications director, Kate Bedingfield, said on the social platform X that she did not interpret Trumps comments as doing away with elections.

I think he is saying I wont be on the ticket either way, so who cares, she said. Which is hideously damning in its own right, cause this is what the Republican Party has turned itself inside out and shredded its credibility for  to become a stan account for this one awful, narcissistic guy.

The clip from Trumps Monday interview with Ingraham also included her asking the former president if he would leave office in four years. She noted his comments to Christians sparked criticism from some people that he would not leave office.

But you will leave office after four years? Ingraham said.

By the way, I did last time, Trump responded.

Giles endorsed Harris over Trump for the White House in an op-ed published in The Arizona Republic on Monday. He wrote that Republicans have yet to course correct since Trump refused to accept the outcome of the 2020 election.

The Republican Party with Trump at its helm continues down the path of political extremism, away from focusing on our fundamental freedoms, Giles wrote.

Copyright 2024 Nexstar Media, Inc. 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.
Sen. John Kennedy (R-La.) on Monday said Americans view Vice President Harris as a bit of a ding-dong, a comment that was met with some pushback from Fox News host Neil Cavuto.

Kennedy fired off a series of attacks against Harris on Fox Newss Your World with Neil Cavuto, repeatedly claiming polls show that Americans view Harris as a bit of a ding-dong.

Cavuto continued to push back on Kennedys comments, questioning how beneficial it was for the senator and other Republicans to call the vice president names.

Margaret Thatcher didnt giggle, Golda Meir didnt giggle. When you look at the polls, fair or not, many Americans  and again, this may not be fair  but Im showing you what the polls show. Many Americans think that the vice president is a little bit of a ding dong, Kennedy said Monday.

He did not specify what polls he was referring to. Kennedy also said that these polls show that Americans believe that she is a member of the loon wing of the Democratic Party and that they believe she is not a serious person.

And let me say it again, I think that fair or not, and it may upset you, but fair or not the American people think those who have an opinion of the vice president think that, number one, shes a little bit of a ding-dong, he said.

Shes not a serious person. Theyve had one vegetable in chief. They dont want another. And they also think that she is a member of the loon wing of the Democratic Party, he added.

Cavuto pushed back throughout the interview, saying he wonders how effective this Republican approach will be in attacking Harris.

Im just wondering how you think that will resonate with women when she is called nasty and crazy and a ding-dong and disrespectful, between you and the president, what has been said about her. Im just wondering, do you worry how that comes across? Cavuto said.

And maybe you draw no distinction between a female candidate and male one, and thats fair game, but that this could hurt you with female voters with these type of comments, he continued.

Kennedy responded by saying he does not care about her gender, but Cavuto interjected and questioned why the senator would call her a ding-dong then.

Kennedy then told Cavuto he is just describing what the polling shows and offered to sit down with him and walk him through the polls.

Please, please, please do because I never know when its constructive to call people names, you know, senator, just on the left or the right, Cavuto told him.

Kennedy later said that he was trying to be objective here, but Cavuto immediately questioned that.

Are you really? Are you really being objective, senator? I just think youve got a bash-a-thon on name-calling at her. If you call that being objective, I dont know, Cavuto said.

The Hill has reached out to the Harris 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.
MANILA, July 30 (Xinhua) -- Fisherfolks and environmentalists on Tuesday slammed the growing presence of U.S. troops and military bases in the Philippines, saying it risks the Southeast Asian country into a "proxy war" in the region.

Veronica Cabe of the Nuclear Free Bataan Movement warned about the broader implications of militarization on national security and environmental sustainability, emphasizing the need to resist becoming pawns in a proxy war.

The groups condemned what they called "the high risks associated with increased militarization," stressing the need to focus on the peaceful resolution of the South China Sea dispute.

The activists opposed the visit to Manila of U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken and Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin, who flew to the Philippines to boost the military alliance.

The protesters slammed Blinken's statement at a joint press conference about the more than 128-million-U.S-dollar budget that President Joe Biden has requested "to fund Enhanced Defense Cooperation Agreement (EDCA) infrastructure projects" in the Philippines.

"We opposed the aggression and wars (that this military alliance brings) to the Philippines and the Southeast Asian region. (We should) not allow territorial tensions (in the South China Sea) to be an excuse for wars," they said.

Participants also urged the Philippine government to address the environmental hazards posed by the MT Terra Nova tanker, which sank last Thursday in the waters off Limay town in Bataan.

"The spill has adversely affected coastal areas, including Bataan, Bulacan, and other nearby regions, posing significant threats to the livelihoods of local fishermen and the environment," Pablo Rosales, the national chair of PANGISDA Pilipinas (National Federation of Small Fisherfolk).

He warned of the oil spill's disastrous impact, criticizing the government's negligence and demanding accountability from both the government and the corporations involved. 
GOP Senator Gets Called Out To His Face On Fox News Over Bizarre 'Ding Dong' Attack

Sen. John Kennedy (R-La.) had some strange moments on Fox News on Monday after host Neil Cavuto confronted him about using demeaning language to attack Vice President Kamala Harris, the likely Democratic nominee for president.

Kennedy mocked Harris for laughing and claimed that polls show Americans think shes a little bit of a ding dong, a phrase he used about half a dozen times across the 10-minute interview.

Well, this ding dong, senator, has risen in the polls, Cavuto said, adding that the name-calling looks petty and warned it could backfire with voters.

Kennedy wasnt having it, insisting that the crosstabs of polls show that Americans think Harris is a bit of a ding dong and a member of the loon wing.

Sen. John Kennedy on Kamala Harris: "Margaret Thatcher didn't giggle ... many Americans think the vice president is a little bit of a ding dong." (Neil Cavuto is not a fan of this commentary.) pic.twitter.com/HDcFPIFUp5  Aaron Rupar (@atrupar) July 29, 2024

Its not clear which polls Kennedy thinks had questions about ding dongs and loons, but Cavuto again warned that personal attacks might not be the best approach for Republicans, especially with female voters.

Kennedy turned on Cavuto instead.

Im sorry if that offends you, Neil, but Im just telling you what the people of America think, he said, then claimed again that polls show Americans think Harris is a ding dong and member of the loon wing.

Kennedy said he only cares about Harris competence.

Then why call her a ding dong? Cavuto said.

Im telling you what the polling shows, Kennedy said, offering to walk Cavuto through the polls.

Please do, Cavuto said. I never know when its constructive to call people names, senator, on the left or the right.

Im sorry if that hurts your feelings, Kennedy said.

Kennedy: Many Americans think that the VP is a little bit of a ding-dong.



Cavuto: Well, this ding-dong has risen in the polls. pic.twitter.com/jDEu1GPKSa  Acyn (@Acyn) July 29, 2024

Senator, you keep bringing it back to my feelings. My feelings matter little, Cavuto said, and repeated that name-calling might not help at the polls.

Your feelings seem to me like they matter to you a lot, Neil, and, Im trying to be objective here, Kennedy said as Cavuto then interrupted another attempt to hurl insults.

Are you really being objective, senator? Cavuto said, before wrapping up the interview.

See the full exchange below:
Kari Lake won the U.S. Senate nomination for Republicans as expected on Tuesday, but unofficial results suggest a far narrower victory over Pinal County Sheriff Mark Lamb than her campaign touted two weeks before voting began.

The Associated Press called the race for Lake at 8:44 p.m., though the scale of her win remained unclear as vote-counting is expected to continue for days.

If the final margins stay well below the 30-percentage point difference Lakes campaign cited in mid-June, it could deepen longstanding concerns among Republicans in Arizona and nationally that she cannot defeat Democrat Ruben Gallego in November.

Lake didnt address the margin in the race by the time she declared victory with her supporters on Tuesday night. She urged those who didnt vote for her to come together as Americans to defeat Gallego.

This is an all-hands-on-deck moment, Lake said. Our country is at a crossroads.  Weve got to come together as Americans. We have watched what has happened over the last three and a half years. We only have three and a half months to save this country.

Lake praised Lamb as a man of great character who never hit below the belt in their campaign. Lamb had not publicly conceded the race late Tuesday as Lake claimed victory.

With little money, little television visibility, and no prominent endorsements or surrogates to make his case, Lamb seemingly benefited from a deep reservoir of Republicans hesitant to support Lake.

Lake raised five times more money than Lamb and has 16 times more followers on the social media site X. She has the backing of former President Donald Trump, the National Republican Senatorial Committee and 23 of the 49 Republicans currently in the Senate.

Lamb had no notable GOP endorsements.

In a statement, Gallego immediately reiterated his view that Lake is a threat to Arizonans.

In the 554 days since we launched this campaign, Arizonans in every corner of the state have made clear that they want a U.S. Senator who can bring people together to defend abortion rights, cut costs for families, protect our water future, and take care of our veterans  and thats exactly what I intend to do, he said.

From now until November, I welcome all Arizonans  Democrats, Republicans, and Independents alike  to join our team and help defeat Kari Lake and her dangerous plan to ban abortion and hurt Arizonans.

The Senate Majority PAC and American Bridge 21st Century, Democratic-aligned organizations, similarly issued quick statements hitting Lake as an election denier and an extremist.

Karrin Taylor Robson, a one-time political opponent during the 2022 gubernatorial campaign, backed Lake and other Republicans on Tuesday night, offering her full endorsement. It was something Lake had privately sought for months and quickly secured after her primary win.

The chair of the NRSC, U.S. Sen. Steve Daines, R-Mont., gave no indication of concern over Lakes apparent showing. He called on Arizona voters to unite against Gallego.

Congratulations to Kari Lake on her commanding victory in tonights primary, he said in a written statement. Arizonans must unite to defeat Ruben Gallego, one of the most radical Democrats in the country. Ruben Gallego will work with Kamala Harris to abolish (Immigration and Customs Enforcement), defund the police, and pass more reckless spending that will drive prices up. Kari Lake will work with President Trump to secure the border, get crime under control, and bring down prices.

Arizona primary results: Primary election results to be updated throughout week

The Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee quickly released a digital ad that makes clear how they intend to frame the race. The ad calls her dangerous and a liar. It plays up her opposition to abortion rights and reminds voters of her longstanding contempt for the late U.S. Sen. John McCain, R-Ariz.

Lake narrowly lost the 2022 gubernatorial race to Gov. Katie Hobbs, a Democrat, and has remained in litigation ever since trying to overturn that result.

Gallego, a five-term member of the U.S. House of Representatives, didnt face any challengers in his partys primary Tuesday and has millions more than Lake in campaign cash even though his ads have been a fixture on screens in Arizona for months.

Republican Elizabeth Jean Reye was a distant third in the GOP primary.

In the Green Party primary, Mike Norton, a candidate with ties to Democrats, held a narrow lead over Arturo Hernandez, a candidate with ties to Republicans. It wasnt immediately clear how write-in candidate Eduardo Quintana, a longtime member of the Green Party, was faring.

It sets up a showdown featuring Gallego and Lake to determine who will succeed retiring Sen. Kyrsten Sinema, I-Ariz.

Gallego has generally led in public polling since Sinema announced in March she would not seek a second term.

Lake handled her primary win as a formality, avoiding even saying Lambs name and skipping a face-to-face debate with Lamb in June.

On June 13, Lakes campaign justified her decision to skip the debate by suggesting she had a commanding lead over Lamb.

She is up 30 (percentage) points in the polls and is focused on defeating (U.S. Rep. Ruben Gallego, D-Ariz.) and winning Arizona with (former President Donald Trump), the campaign said in a statement at the time.

Besides, Lake said a candidate forum in which she and Lamb appeared from separate locations, served as their debate.

That occasion was notable for Lake calling Lamb a total coward when it comes to election integrity.

It alluded to Lambs February 2023 testimony to Congress that included a question of whether there was fraud that had a material impact on the 2020 election. Lamb said he had seen zero evidence of that, and later explained that he meant that he could only speak for his county.

Lamb pushed back on the matter several times afterward in a sign that her attack may have resonated with GOP voters.

Lake entered the Senate race in October after months of anticipation that she would do so.

Her campaign closely hewed to the issues and messages Trump made popular years ago. Illegal immigration is out of hand, inflation is out of control and crime and overdoses are rampant, she has argued to voters.

Lambs assessment of America under President Joe Biden was little different.

What mattered, Lamb insisted, is that he has experience as a sheriff in combating illegal drugs and immigration. He also noted he won two elections in the process of becoming the sheriff. It drew a contrast with Lake, whose only prior run ended in defeat.

Both candidates support building the border wall along the southern border. Both support the rollback in abortion rights following a U.S. Supreme Court ruling in 2022.

But Lake struggled to say whether she supported Arizonas 19th century near-total ban on the procedure that state lawmakers eventually repealed under public pressure. By contrast, Lamb said he supports tight restrictions on abortion.

Perhaps the biggest difference between Lake and Lamb was the outsized attention she regularly attracted.

Lake went from a fixture of local television in the Phoenix area to a prominent Trump surrogate on national conservative programs.

While she was a hit with many Trump supporters, her standing with the broader public fell.

In the nearly two years since she lost the gubernatorial race, Lake filed several failed lawsuits claiming widespread fraud that sought to overturn her defeat. That election denialism built on her insistence that Trumps 2020 loss owed to election theft as well.

Last year Maricopa County Recorder Stephen Richer, a Republican, sued Lake for defamation over her baseless claims he rigged the 2022 election, saying her words had led to threats to him and his family.

Lake didnt challenge his claims in court filings, resulting in a default judgment against her. The case is now moving to assess what, if any, damages Lake owes Richer.

Now, as Lakes campaign fully pivots to the general election, she must overcome Gallegos lead in polls and money. How much help she gets from fellow Republicans could depend in part on how convincingly she defeats Lamb.

Democratic-aligned organizations have reserved advertising time in the fall for Arizonas U.S. Senate race in a way that dwarfs Republican commitment to this point.

With Arizonas late primary now ending, those spending plans figure to take on added significance as a sign of how seriously each party views the race. A third of the 100 Senate seats are on the ballot across the country, but no more than eight of those races are seen as truly up for grabs.

First results expected at 8 p.m. Tuesday: Arizona primary election results

This article originally appeared on Arizona Republic: Arizona Senate race: Kari Lake, beats Mark Lamb in GOP Senate primary
North Carolina Governor Roy Cooper speaking at a Biden-Harris campaign rally earlier this year. (Photo by Sean Rayford/Getty Images)

The New York Times and CNN were the first to report on Monday evening that North Carolinas Gov. Roy Cooper has withdrawn from consideration to be the running mate for the all-but-certain Democratic presidential nominee, Vice President Kamala Harris.

The reporting by the two national outlets  both of which cited unnamed sources  confirmed a story posted this morning by Bloomberg that Harriss team had narrowed its focus to three potential candidates: Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz, Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro and Arizona U.S. Senator Mark Kelly.

It has long been common for potential candidates seeking to be selected for high governmental posts to withdraw ahead of time when they receive word that they will not get the nod.

In a post on the social media platform X later in the evening, Cooper confirmed the news:

Cooper did not address the vice-presidential pick Monday evening as he took part in a virtual fundraiser hosted by the group White Dudes for Harris. Cooper used his four minutes in the national spotlight to tell supporters that that disrespect of women permeates Donald Trump and MAGA Republicans.

Cooper then turned his attention to a series of remarks attributed to Lt. Governor Mark Robinson, whos running for governor.

Here are some of the horrible things that Mark Robinson has said, which I think hes saying the not so quiet part out loud for MAGA Republicans. He has said that men should lead not women. He has said that once women get pregnant, that its not their body anymore. He has said that women who arent responsible enough to keep their skirts down are having abortions. Thats the kind of disrespect of women that we see with MAGA Republicans and particularly in their leaders, said Cooper.

Cooper called Harris a strong woman, who cares about the pocketbook issues. So, heres what I tell you guys, be unafraid, be unafraid to go and talk with your friends about the importance of this race, the importance of electing Kamala Harriss president and the importance to our country. I know we all love our country and now we can show it by getting to work, Cooper said.

As NC Newsline previously reported, Cooper was considered a strong contender for the running mate slot given his status as a popular Democratic governor in a toss-up state that has almost always voted Republican in recent presidential elections. That he is nearing the end of his second term, cannot run again this fall, and has a longstanding relationship with Harris dating back to their years as North Carolina and California attorneys general were also considered strong selling points.

Some observers, however, have noted that at 67, Cooper is the oldest of the potential candidates and is not known as an especially gifted orator. The fact that North Carolina law makes the states Lt. Governor the acting governor when the real governor is out of the state was also seen by some as a potential liability, given that Lt. Gov. Mark Robinson is the Republican nominee for the states highest office in the fall.

NC Newsline is part of States Newsroom, a nonprofit news network supported by grants and a coalition of donors as a 501c(3) public charity. NC Newsline maintains editorial independence. Contact Editor Rob Schofield for questions: info@ncnewsline.com. Follow NC Newsline on Facebook and X.
Gov. Tony Evers announced Monday that MGT of America Consulting will conduct the audit he ordered of Milwaukee Public Schools operations.

It's one of two audits ordered by Evers to get the district "back on track" after he learned of major problems with MPS' financial reporting and early childhood education. A second auditor, yet to be announced, will look at the district's academic practices.

After proposing the idea for audits in early June, Evers said he decided to move forward when the plan won support from state Superintendent Jill Underly, Milwaukee Mayor Cavalier Johnson and Milwaukee School Board members.

Evers said the audits will mark the first examination of MPS of its kind since an initiative 15 years ago, when then-Mayor Tom Barrett and then-Gov. Jim Doyle called for an independent evaluation of MPS' finances and operations.

Milwaukee Public School Superintendent Keith P. Posley, left, and Gov. Tony Evers take a tour Sept. 26, 2022, at the Academy of Accelerated Learning in Milwaukee on the first day of school for Milwaukee Public Schools.

MGT previously recommended closing MPS school buildings, has taken over control in other school districts

MGT was one of just two vendors who submitted proposals for the audit, according to Britt Cudaback, Evers' office's communications director. In order to move quickly, Evers' office only accepted applications from companies that had already been vetted through another state contract, a consulting contract for the UW System.

MGT, a Florida-based consulting firm run by former Republican lawmaker Trey Traviesa, has worked with MPS before. The district hired MGT in 2017 to create a long-term facilities plan, though MPS didn't follow the firm's recommendation to close or repurpose 20 schools with declining enrollment. MPS is creating a new facilities plan this year with another firm, Perkins Eastman, which launched a website for the process last week.

In MGT's proposal for the new operational review, it didn't note whether it would examine facility usage but said it will look at staffing levels, training, hiring practices, operational efficiency, budget development, financial management and workflow.

The firm specializes in working with education agencies. It has been tapped by officials across the country not only as a consultant on school operations, but in some cases to take over management of schools.

In Gary, Indiana, state officials in 2017 ordered MGT to take control of the local school system for seven years to reverse its deficit. Some local officials opposed MGT when they realized the state's former Republican superintendent of schools was on the MGT board, the Chicago Tribute reported. MGT returned the reigns to local officials this summer after making deep budget cuts and leaving the district with surplus funds, the Tribune reported.

MGT had a rough landing after operating Adams County School District 14 in Colorado, under state orders. Local officials opposed the firm's involvement, questioned MGT's spending of district dollars on subcontractors, and sued MGT for release of records when the firm was investigating district employees, Chalkbeat Colorado reported. The company paid the district a $1.5 million settlement last year, CBS reported.

Evers hasn't called for a takeover of MPS, though others have floated the idea. Dale Kooyenga, a former Republican state senator and current president of the Metropolitan Milwaukee Association of Commerce, told Spectrum News he plans to convene stakeholders to discuss ideas for changes at MPS, including the possibility of a temporary state takeover, when state lawmakers are back in session in January.

Marva Herndon, president of the Milwaukee School Board, said she hoped the audits of MPS would help the district find areas of improvement without heading for a takeover, which she said would cause the "community to lose their voice" in electing the school board members who currently oversee the district.

"I had no problem with the governor bringing in auditors," Herndon said. "Typically you're going to find something that needs improvement or corrections, or processes and procedures to be developed."

In a press release, Evers said he thought MGT brought valuable experience working with public schools and conducting operational reviews with commitments to a "student-centered approach" and evidence-based recommendations to improve central office effectiveness and efficiency.

"Ive been clear from the beginning that the folks selected to conduct the independent, outside audits of MPS bring expertise and specific experience in classrooms, schools, and helping support school districts facing significant challenges, which is critical if were going to identify issues and have meaningful conversations in the future about solutions," Evers said in a statement. "MGT fits that build."

Audits could be done in six months, Evers said

Cudaback said Monday it was still unclear how much the operational audit would cost and how long it would take, as the contract is still being finalized.

Evers told reporters in June that he hoped to see both audits done within six months, but added: "You never know with those types of things."

"We want it to be a really, really deep, deep, deep dive for these two firms that are going to be doing that," Evers said, according to a transcript provided by Cudaback. "And on the educational side, thats going to mean theyre going to have to talk to a lot of people: parents, teachers, everybody  as many people as they can in the Milwaukee area."

Cudaback has declined to provide details on the funding source for the audits. A previous press release said funding would come from "federal dollars available between underspending of previously awarded contracts and funding already allocated for Milwaukee that has not yet been spent."

MPS is also being monitored by DPI, at a cost of $260,000

While Evers' audits get underway, MPS is also carrying out a corrective action plan, overseen by the state Department of Public Instruction, to fix urgent vacancies and flaws in the district's finance office and complete its standard annual financial audits.

MPS has agreed to pay DPI $260,000 for the department's staff time monitoring the district's progress on the plan through next June. In the payment agreement, DPI noted MPS needs an "extraordinary level of intervention" to complete its financial reports and DPI might need to hire staff specifically to work with MPS.

This article originally appeared on Milwaukee Journal Sentinel: Gov. Evers names auditor of Milwaukee Public Schools
One of the most consequential Supreme Court decisions on homelessness in decades is beginning to play out in California, where Gov. Gavin Newsom has ordered state agencies to begin the process of removing homeless encampments.

Newsoms executive order has been the most far-reaching response the nation has seen to the courts June 28 decision in Grants Pass v. Johnson, in which the court determined that ordinances in Grants Pass, Oregon, prohibiting sleeping on public property do not constitute cruel and unusual punishment in violation of the Eighth Amendment. The ruling found that the laws, which assess fines that can increase with repeat offenses and ultimately result in jail time, did not criminalize homelessness.

The public-camping laws prohibit actions undertaken by any person, regardless of status, Justice Neil Gorsuch wrote in the 6-3 opinion. It makes no difference whether the charged defendant is currently a person experiencing homelessness, a backpacker on vacation, or a student who abandons his dorm room to camp out in protest on the lawn of a municipal building.

The decision overturned a 2022 Ninth Circuit ruling that many West Coast leaders, including Newsom, believed constrained their ability to maintain clean streets in their communities. Particularly in California, but also in other western states, balancing the public safety aspects of homelessness with compassion and respect for the rights of homeless individuals has proven intractable. A 2023 census determined that roughly 180,000 people in California were homeless, living either in shelters or on the streets, representing about 30 percent of all homeless individuals in the U.S.

A tool for cities.

Devon Kurtz, public safety policy director at the Cicero Institute, said not much will change for homeless people in the vast majority of the country, where most cities already have laws that prohibit camping, and have been enforcing them to some degree. However, the ruling will have major implications in the nine states under the jurisdiction of the Ninth Circuit, where elected officials have had their hands tied on how they can enforce their laws around public camping. Thats where it will start to transform, he said.

Until the Grants Pass decision, many West Coast homeless policies were based on a 2018 Ninth Circuit decision in Martin v. Boise, which held that homeless people couldnt be punished for sleeping in public places if no adequate alternatives are available.

League of California Cities Executive Director and CEO Carolyn Coleman said in a prepared statement that the Supreme Courts decision put back on the table a tool that cities can use to address the complex issue of homelessness. However, the key, Coleman said, is that the ability to punish homeless camping permitted by the decision will need to be accompanied by other strategies, including ongoing state funding to match the scale of the crisis, in order to fully address the problem.

Some local governments moved quickly to clear homeless encampmentsthough not to impose penalties on homeless individualsafter the court issued its ruling in Grants Pass. In Oakland, officials posted notices near a collection of handmade shanties and parked vehicles in the shadow of the Bay Bridge that said the encampment would be cleared in a few days. On July 23, police officers and city workers began sweeping the area on the shores of San Francisco Bay, telling occupants they needed to move and offering accommodations in shelter cabins or safe parking sites. Not all the people camping there chose those options; some just left, likely for a different location.

What Newsoms order means.

Two days later, Newsoms executive order provided a clearer course of action, calling on state agencies and local governments to act with urgency and dignity as they begin to eliminate homeless encampments across the state. In removing encampments, officials must offer homeless people support and assistance from local service providers, at least two days advance notice that the areas will be cleared, and must store their belongings for at least 60 days.

In addition, the order presses local governments to take action to remove homeless encampments from public spaces such as parks and sidewalks, particularly in situations where camps pose a health or safety hazard. In announcing his order, Newson encouraged local governments to apply for $3.3 billion in grant funding from Proposition 1, narrowly passed by voters earlier this year to provide more funding for mental and behavioral health treatment in hopes of getting homeless people off the streets and into stable housing.

While California officials reacted rapidly to the Supreme Courts ruling, the legislature in the state where the case originated is eyeing potential changes to its laws. The Grants Pass ruling could affect a 2021 Oregon statute requiring that local regulations on where people can sleep be objectively reasonable. At least two Democratic state legislators in Oregon have indicated that they would like to repeal the law, which critics have called too vague. Communities should have clarity, and we may need to rewrite the law, state Rep. Paul Evans said. Or because of this decision, the law may in effect be moot.

Influences on policy elsewhere.

While states outside of the Ninth Circuits jurisdiction will not be directly affected by the Supreme Courts ruling, the decision is still likely to influence and promote new homelessness policies. This can already be seen in Colorado, where, on July 8, Denver Mayor Mike Johnston proposed a sales tax increase expected to generate $100 million annually to be directed to affordable housing projects. Donald Burnes, founder of the Center for Housing and Homelessness Research at the University of Denver, said he suspects that this move was, in part, motivated by the ruling in an effort to reduce the number of homeless individuals sleeping outside who could be vulnerable to prosecution under the new decision.

Though Denver possesses the largest homeless population in Colorado, Burnes believes that having a mayor who is sympathetic to the homeless will spare homeless individuals in Denver from criminalized homeless camping. However, Burnes said, in the areas surrounding Denver, existing efforts to get rid of homeless encampments are likely to be spurred on by the decision. We are going to see lots more people cited, ticketed, and jailed, he said.

In Chicago, another large city with a major homeless problem, the Supreme Court decision is not likely to influence homeless policy very much at all. Chicago Mayor Brandon Johnson has stated that the city will not criminalize homeless camping following the new ruling, according to 38th Ward Alderman Nicholas Sposato. Sposato told The Dispatch this means that local elected officials in Chicago will not be able to ban public camping for homeless individuals, even in their individual wards.

The Chicago municipal code states that, No person shall use any public way for the storage of personal property, goods, wares or merchandise of any kind. While this law doesnt explicitly forbid the use of tents, city officials have interpreted it to mean that city sidewalks should not be blocked by tents or temporary shelters. However, Illinois law offers strong protections for the rights of homeless citizens. The 2013 Illinois Bill of Rights for the Homeless Act mandates that Illinois residents not be treated differently because they are homeless. Together, the municipal code and homeless bill of rights mean that tent usage can be regulated and restricted, but it cannot be outright prohibited.

Because of this, Shiloh Capone, executive director of Street Samaritans, believes there is no political will to criminaliz(e) homeless camping. Capone hopes that the Supreme Court decision will put a national spotlight on the issue of homelessness, to encourage every city to make a decision about how to address homelessness.

Read more at The Dispatch

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Gov. Josh Shapiro comes home for Pa. rally for Kamala Harris in Ambler. Is he VP pick?

Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro was joined by Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer in Ambler Monday to stump for Vice President Kamala Harris, who could be just days away from picking a running mate in the 2024 election.

Over a thousand supporters packed the auditorium of Wissahickon High School in Montgomery County, which followed a volunteer drive by the Harris campaign that included a stop for Shapiro in Cumberland County on Saturday.

Pennsylvania Governor Josh Shapiro speaks alongside Michigan Governor Gretchen Whitmer at a campaign rally for Vice President Kamala Harris at Wissahickon High School in Ambler on Monday, July 29, 2024.

Rumors that Shapiro is high on the list of potential vice presidential nominees have swirled in the week following President Joe Bidens announcement not to seek a second term last Sunday.

Shapiro took the stage at about 5 p.m. to a roaring crowd in the school, a few miles from his hometown of Upper Dublin.

"It is so good to be home. This is the community where I went out and knocked on 18,000 doors in my neighborhoods of Abington and Upper Dublin," Shapiro said. "This is the community that taught me about three simple letters of the alphabet  G,S, and D. We focus on Getting (expletive) Done here in the commonwealth."

Is Gov. Shapiro on the Veep short list? Shapiro top candidiate for Harris VP spot with Sen. Kelly; takes on Trump as vetting begins

Echoing his previous comments while stumping for Harris last week, Shapiro warned the crowd that a second Trump presidency would be a return to "those days of chaos" and "more dangerous" for many Americans.

Shapiro also took a jab at Trump's campaign over uncertainty if a debate between the former president and current vice president would occur.

Michigan Governor Gretchen Whitmer, center, speaks alongside Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro, left, at a campaign rally for Vice President Kamala Harris at Wissahickon High School in Ambler on Monday, July 29, 2024.

Biden and Trump were scheduled to appear for an NBC-moderated televised debate on Sept. 10, but a Trump spokesman said last week those plans were up in the air.

(Biden) chose Kamala Harris (in 2020) not just to campaign with him but to govern with him, because Kamala Harris is ready, Shapiro said. "You know who else knows she's ready? Donald Trump knows she's ready.

"Trump won't debate her because he can't defend his record," Shapiro added.

More on Gov. Shapiro From Abington to Washington? Gov. Shapiro's political roots planted in Montgomery County

In his remarks, Shapiro referenced the Project 2025, which has been called the 900-page blueprint presidential administration transition project authored by the Heritage Foundation, a controversial conservative think tank.

It is an agenda to take away more of your freedoms," Shapiro said. "It is an agenda to use the police and military in this country to settle scores with his political adversaries."

Supporters line up hours before the campaign rally for Vice President Kamala Harris, where Pennsylvania Governor Josh Shapiro and Michigan Governor Gretchen Whimer are due to speak, at Wissahickon High School in Ambler on Monday, July 29, 2024.

The plan calls for the abolition of diversity, equity and inclusion programs in the federal government, restrictions on the mailing of mailing of mifepristone, a drug that blocks a hormone needed to continue pregnancy, and would disband the Department of Education.

The comprehensive policy overhaul would dismantles the unaccountable Deep State, taking power away from Leftist elites and giving it back to the American people and duly-elected President, according to the Project 2025 website. The document has drawn concerns from academics and advocates who call it a plan to overhaul the federal government to carry out an far-right social, educational, immigration and economic agenda.

Pennsylvania Governor Josh Shapiro speaks alongside Michigan Governor Gretchen Whitmer at a campaign rally for Vice President Kamala Harris at Wissahickon High School in Ambler on Monday, July 29, 2024.

Project 2025 also calls for replacing the Department of Homeland Security with a new, more powerful border and immigration enforcement agency to choke immigration. It would also curtail or disband programs that experts say greatly benefit communities of color, including food stamp and Head Start programs.

Photos: Shapiro, Whitmer in Montco Josh Shapiro and Michigan Gov. Whitmer rally in Ambler for Kamala Harris

Political experts have previously said Shapiros resume in a pivotal swing state worth 19 votes in the electoral college could be valuable to Harris and boost down-ballot candidates in Pennsylvania.

Those reportedly being vetted for the job include North Carolina Gov. Roy Cooper, Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro, U.S. Sen. Mark Kelly of Arizona, Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz, Illinois Gov. J.B. Pritzker, and Cedric Richmond, a former congressman from Louisiana who served as a top aide in the Biden White House and on his campaign.

Shapiro won his gubernatorial race against far-right Republican state Sen. Doug Mastriano, of Franklin County, by 12 points in 2022 and polling by the libertarian-leaning Commonwealth Foundation have his approval ratings never falling below 50% during his term.

Who's behind Project 2025: Project 2025 decried as racist. Some contributors have trail of racist writings, activity

Shapiro was twice elected to be Pennsylvania's top prosecutor, once in 2016 and again in 2020, and he claimed several high profile victories in that office, including releasing a grand jury report outlining the sexual abuse of minors by Catholic priests and steps that diocesan leaders took to cover up the crimes.

Whitmer was also rumored to be in the running for the nations second-highest office, but told CBS Mornings on Monday morning that she was not being vetted to run with Harris and that she plans to serve the remainder of her term in Michigan.

All of Pennsylvanias 159 Democratic delegates pledged their support behind Harris last Monday.

The party's convention delegates will decide on who will run against former President Donald Trump when more than 4,000 delegates meet at the Democratic National Convention over four nights starting Aug. 19 in Chicago.

The Harris campaign previously announced that theyre looking for a running mate who would best complement the vice president as they seek to unite enough voters to beat Trump  likely someone from a battleground state or someone who can appeal to rural, moderate, or Rust Belt voters.

Those reportedly being vetted for the job include North Carolina Gov. Roy Cooper, Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro, U.S. Sen. Mark Kelly of Arizona, Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz, Illinois Gov. J.B. Pritzker, and Cedric Richmond, a former congressman from Louisiana who served as a top aide in the Biden White House and on his campaign.

Security on the roof of Wissahickon High School ahead of the campaign rally for Vice President Kamala Harris, where Pennsylvania Governor Josh Shapiro and Michigan Governor Gretchen Whimer are due to speak, in Ambler on Monday, July 29, 2024.

More Shapiro coverage What makes Josh Shapiro a VP candidate? Here's five highlights of his Pa. political career

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: Josh Shapiro, Gretchen Whitmer rally for Kamala Harris in Ambler, Pa.
As Democrats consider a replacement for the 2024 Presidential Election, Gov. Josh Shapiros victory over a far-right state senator two years ago could show him to be a battle-tested option for vice president.

Pennsylvanias chief of state has become a serious contender to run alongside Vice President Kamala Harris this year after President Joe Biden announced Sunday he was no longer seeking the Democratic nomination to run against former President Donald Trump and Ohio Sen. JD Vance.

Vice President Kamala Harris and Pennsylvania Governor Josh Shapiro visit the Reading Terminal Market in Philadelphia on July 13. Shapiro has been floated as a possible running mate to Harris following President Joe Biden's exity from the 2024 Presidential Election Sunday.

PA and Bucks responds to Biden exit: PA and Bucks County Democrats offer praise for Biden for 'selfless act.' What they said

Shapiro faced off against state Sen. Doug Mastriano, of Franklin County, in the 2022 Pennsylvanias governors race. He won by 12 points and raised eight times as much in campaign contributions.

Mastriano, a retired U.S. Army colonel and state senator since 2019, was endorsed by President Donald Trump over eight other GOP candidates just days before the Republican primary that year.

Mastriano had long been a supporter of unproven claims of voter fraud in the 2020 Presidential Election and as chair of the Senate Majority Policy Committee held a hearing in Gettysburg that November that saw Rudy Giuliani, poll watchers and a phone call from former President Donald Trump espousing claims of irregularities in the election. Mastriano has also championed legislation to restrict abortion access in Pennsylvania, often without exceptions in cases of rape or incest.

Shapiros campaign continually blasted Mastrianos support for Trump and hardline anti-abortion stance throughout the campaign, gaining the endorsement of nine Republican leaders across the state who saw Mastriano as extreme and dangerous.

Pa. delegates back Harris: After Biden exits race, Kamala Harris is the Pa. Democratic delegation's pick

That victory in Pennsylvania, the largest swing state in the country, could bode well for Shapiro as election integrity and reproductive health have already become top issues in this years election.

While the Republican platform has shifted from a national abortion ban to supporting a state-by-state approach to abortion access, but anti-abortion messaging was still prominent during this years Republican National Convention.

The convention also ran repeated ads from Trump promising to reform the election process to prevent what happened in 2020.

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: Shapiro victory over Mastriano could bode well for Harris ticket spot
Gov. Tim Walz Names The Normal Thing That You Never See Trump Doing

Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz (D) on Monday offered more details on why he has been dismissing former President Donald Trump, running mate JD Vance and other Republican figures as weird.

This observation of weird came from people I know  my friends, my relatives, Republicans, some of them, that this is just awkward. Theyre awkward, he said, adding that GOP figures are pushing an agenda no one wants.

Whos asking for this crazy stuff? he said. Whos asking to raise the price of insulin? Whos asking to get rid of birth control?

Walz, reportedly on Vice President Kamala Harris short list for vice president, said its hard to picture what Trump and other GOP figures do in their private lives.

I brought this thing up that Donald Trump tries to mock Vice President Harris for laughing, Walz told MSNBCs Jen Psaki. And I made the point: You never see this guy laugh. You never see him do these normal things.

Republicans have frequently attacked Harris over her laugh, with Trump derisively calling her laffin Kamala.

Walz offered another example of a normal thing you cant picture Trump doing.

Imagine, when I go home at night, I pick up the frisbee and throw it, and my dog catches it, he comes over, he gets the belly rub for being a good boy, he said. Picture these guys doing that kind of stuff. They just cant.

He said the message is that Democratic candidates understand where regular people are coming from  and what they need to get on with their lives.

See his full discussion with Psaki below:

Related...
Gov. Tina Kotek has ordered flags at Oregon public institutions be flown at half-staff Wednesday and Thursday to honor a pilot who died fighting the Falls Fire.

James Bailey Maxwell, 74, died July 25 after the single engine air tanker he was piloting disappeared over the Malheur National Forest. Maxwell, an Idaho resident, had 54 years of flying experience and was assisting on a lightning start in the vicinity of the Falls Fire.

Search and rescue officials located the plane wreckage Friday morning near Seneca. Maxwell was the only occupant of the plane. His death marks the sixth firefighting death in Oregon since 2020.

I am deeply saddened by the tragic death of Mr. Maxwell while he fought the Falls Fire. On behalf of Oregon, I want to extend my condolences to Mr. Maxwells family, loved ones, and fellow firefighters, Kotek said in a news release. I would also like to thank the search and rescue team for their quick recovery efforts to bring Mr. Maxwell home.

Isabel Funk covers breaking news and public safety for the Statesman Journal. Funk can be reached at ifunk@statesmanjournal.com or on X at @isabeldfunk

This article originally appeared on Salem Statesman Journal: Oregon governor orders flags at half-staff to honor air tanker pilot
Gov. Josh Shapiro of Pennsylvania is thought to be under consideration as a running mate for Vice President Kamala Harris. (Alex Brandon / Associated Press)

We know Vice President Kamala Harris, the likely Democratic nominee, has set an Aug. 7 deadline to announce a running mate. The question of whom she should pick dominates conversations among donors and political panels on TV. However, the starting point ought to be what does she need to win?

The very premise of this question points out the glaring difference between the two parties heading into November. While mocking Sen. J.D. Vance is entertaining, the reality is that hes a sideshow. If 34 felony convictions didnt hurt Trump in the polls, his vice presidential selection ultimately wont make a difference to voters either.

The stakes feel higher for Harris, as her selection will also reveal what the campaign believes she needs to do to win  to convince the movable middle to trust her.

Read more: Opinion: Kamala Harris' often-mocked speaking style is the strongest tool in her arsenal

As Ive written in the past, I believe Sen. Mark Kelly of Arizona should be the leading choice, primarily for his military experience. Sources have told me she is considering a governor, such as Kentuckys Andy Beshear, for their executive experience. And there are electoral college factors to consider: Pennsylvanias Gov. Josh Shapiro could potentially bring 19 electoral votes, if adding him to the ticket won over his home state  more than would presumably come with any other contender routinely mentioned.

What the Harris campaign believes she needs to win is a complicated question.

But one fight that the campaign doesnt need for victory is pretty clear, and it comes up in response to Shapiros name.

Every potential nominee for Vice President is pro-Israel, Rep. Ritchie Torres (D-N.Y.) posted on social media in response to a post that contained #genocideJosh. Yet only one, Josh Shapiro, has been singled out by a far-left smear campaign. The reason he is treated differently from the rest? Antisemitism.

Read more: Opinion: What Kamala Harris' run for California attorney general can tell us about this campaign

Torres is not wrong. When other contenders names come up, their position on the war in Gaza is rarely the first topic discussed. And the fact that Shapiro is Jewish would seem to be a major reason his stance on the war is prominent in detractors minds.

Its not as though the governor of Pennsylvania has had a big role in U.S. foreign policy, not even as much as any senator would have had. And yet the concerns over a protest vote mostly shadow him  the fear that a faction of Democratic voters would stay home on election day or would cast a symbolic vote for some write-in candidate, just to avoid endorsing a Harris-Shapiro ticket that is linked to the war in Gaza. Remember the Michigan Democratic primary? More than 100,000 voted uncommitted in response to the Biden administrations handling of the Gaza war.

For her part, Harris was not shy in calling out the atrocities directly to Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu of Israel last week while also calling for a cease-fire. It is not radical to oppose the war or believe that Israel has largely been in the wrong as it has devastated Gaza. Yet there is an extremist wing of the party that goes further, pushing the notion that Shapiro should not be the vice president simply because he is Jewish. This is obviously nonsensical and antisemitic, and this kind of hateful thinking seems destined to smear Harris as well, because her husband, Second Gentleman Douglas Emhoff, is Jewish.

For Trump, hurling disparaging remarks and slurs at an opponent is an essential messaging tool. When rioters chanted Jews will not replace us in the streets of Charlottesville, Va., back in 2017, he called the white supremacists fine people. The incident inspired President Biden to run for the White House, and in 2020 he earned more votes than any other candidate in our nations history.

However, four years later, some progressives are being called out for antisemitism  a reminder that Republicans havent cornered the market on prejudice. You know, in case the flashes of antisemitism on our college campuses werent enough of a hint.

Democratic leadership should not turn a blind eye to this. Im glad Torres didnt. Wondering whether the Gaza war could affect voter turnout is a fair question, given the number of protest votes registered during the primary and how tight this race is expected to be. By all means, look closely at the records of vice presidential contenders (Jewish or not) to see where they stand on the Gaza war.

But singling out Shapiro because he is Jewish is not right and is not even good politics. Its simply acquiescing to antisemitism. Not unlike when the Senate decided to start having Judiciary Committee hearings for Supreme Court nominees after a Jewish man, Louis Brandeis, was nominated. Or when Marty Glickman and Sam Stoller, two Jewish American sprinters, were replaced on the U.S. 4x100-meter relay team at the 1936 Olympic Games in Berlin.

Harris' choice of a running mate will delight some supporters and bother others. Whomever she chooses, antisemitism has no place in the discussion.

@LZGranderson

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This story originally appeared in Los Angeles Times.
TEHRAN, July 30 (Xinhua) -- Iran and The Gambia resumed their diplomatic ties on Monday almost 14 years after the latter cut them.

According to a joint statement released by the Iranian Foreign Ministry, the decision was made in a meeting between Iran's Acting Foreign Minister Ali Bagheri Kani and Gambian Foreign Minister Mamadou Tangara in the Iranian capital Tehran, in line with the interests of both countries.

The Gambian Foreign Minister has traveled to Tehran to attend the swearing-in ceremony of Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian, which is scheduled for Tuesday.

According to the statement, the two governments agreed to expand bilateral cooperation covering the political, economic, investment, trade and cultural spheres.

The statement added that the two countries' embassies in Senegal's capital Dakar agreed to serve as diplomatic contact points to help resume official diplomacy.

The Gambia cut diplomatic and economic relations with Iran in November 2010 and ordered all Iranian representatives to leave within 48 hours.

The Gambia cited no reason for cutting ties with Iran. Tehran, however, attributed the action to pressure from the United States. 
The shores of the Great Salt Lake near Antelope Island are pictured on Tuesday, May 21, 2024. (Photo by Spenser Heaps for Utah News Dispatch)

Not only does the shrinking Great Salt Lake impact wildlife and expose Utahns to toxic dust, its also a major contributor to greenhouse gas emissions.

Thats according to new research from the Royal Ontario Museum, which published a study last week that found the dry lakebed emitted about 4.1 million tons of greenhouse gases in 2020 alone, most of it carbon dioxide.

By comparison, Utah as a whole emitted about 59 million tons of carbon dioxide in 2016, according to the University of Utahs Kem C. Gardner Institute.

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While burning fossil fuels is the largest contributor to human-caused greenhouse gas emissions, the largest terrestrial source  meaning it comes from the earth  is soil. A study published earlier this year in the Institute of Physics science journal found that about 80% of the worlds terrestrial carbon is stored in soil.

Drought causes soil to dry and crack, a process called desiccation, which can lead to increased respiration (the release of carbon dioxide). Cracking can also expose deeper and older stores of carbon dioxide in the soil.

Thats essentially the scenario researchers found on the Great Salt Lake  as the lake recedes and exposes more dry lakebed, desiccation increases. According to the study, the drying lake is equivalent to a roughly 7% increase in Utahs total human-caused greenhouse gas emissions.

Human-caused desiccation of Great Salt Lake is exposing huge areas of lake bed and releasing massive quantities of greenhouse gases into the atmosphere, said researcher Soren Brothers. The significance of lake desiccation as a driver of climate change needs to be addressed in greater detail and considered in climate change mitigation and watershed planning.

Between April and November 2020, researchers measured carbon dioxide and methane emissions from exposed sediment on the Great Salt Lake, comparing the findings with the estimated release of greenhouse gases from the water. The measurements pointed to a release of about 4.1 million tons of greenhouse gases, 94% of it carbon dioxide.

The research also found that the carbon emissions are accelerated by warming temperatures, even at areas where the lakebed has been exposed for decades.

These analyses showed that the original lake was not likely a significant source of greenhouse gasses to the atmosphere, making the dried-up lake bed a novel driver of atmospheric warming, the study reads.

The lake hit its historic low point of 4,188.5 feet in November 2022. Since then, two above-average winters brought increased runoff to the lake, with levels as of Monday at about 4,193.7 feet in the south arm.

The north arm, which is typically lower and saltier due to the railroad causeway that restricts the flow of fresh water, is at about 4,192 feet.

The state defines a healthy range for the lake between 4,198 to 4,205 feet.

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Greenpeace activists set off from the port of Borkum. Greenpeace activists protest against the extraction of natural gas around 20 kilometers northwest of the island of Borkum. Climate activists from Germany and the Netherlands want to circle the working ships of the Dutch energy company One Days in rubber dinghies. Lars Penning/dpa

Environmental protection organization Greenpeace is using moored life rafts to protest against planned natural gas extraction in the North Sea.

Activists set up three life rafts near the Wadden Sea islands of Borkum and Schiermonnikoog in an attempt to block the arrival of ships delivering pipes and other building materials for the drilling platform, Greenpeace announced on Tuesday.

The 20 or so activists set off for the planned construction site north-west of the German island of Borkum, according to a dpa photographer on site.

The Dutch energy company One-Dyas is planning to extract natural gas from a field off the islands of Borkum and Schiermonnikoog. To this end, a production platform is to be built on Dutch territory around 23 kilometres north-west of Borkum.

Production is to take place in both Dutch and German territory.

The production platform and a crane ship for the installation work on the platform should arrive at their destination on Tuesday, the town of Borkum announced on Monday.

Construction is due to begin in the course of the week. The plan is to initially extract gas for three months using a mobile drilling rig.

The construction of a pipeline and the laying of power cables to an offshore wind farm are also due to begin in August. Drilling work for regular gas extraction is scheduled to begin in December.

The town of Borkum has announced that it and the island community of Juist will continue to take legal action against the project.

Environmental organizations and islanders in Germany and the Netherlands oppose the project, fearing that natural gas extraction will cause environmental damage to the neighbouring UNESCO World Heritage Site of the Wadden Sea and the neighbouring islands.

They also believe that natural gas extraction is incompatible with climate targets.

Greenpeace also fears that underwater biotopes and reef structures worthy of protection near the drilling site and along a cable route will be irretrievably destroyed by natural gas extraction.

The town of Borkum criticized the fact that the work "takes place during the sensitive breeding season of harbour porpoise calves." The laying of the cable would also "destroy and jeopardize stone reefs worthy of protection, which are regarded as nurseries for fish."

Greenpeace activists set off from the port of Borkum. Greenpeace activists protest against the extraction of natural gas around 20 kilometers northwest of the island of Borkum. Climate activists from Germany and the Netherlands want to circle the working ships of the Dutch energy company One Days in rubber dinghies. Lars Penning/dpa

Greenpeace activists set off from the port of Borkum. Greenpeace activists protest against the extraction of natural gas around 20 kilometers northwest of the island of Borkum. Climate activists from Germany and the Netherlands want to circle the working ships of the Dutch energy company One Days in rubber dinghies. Lars Penning/dpa
GREENSBORO, N.C. (WGHP)  Greensboro police are investigating a shooting on Monday afternoon.

Police are on scene in the Wendover Avenue and North English Street area. Police have an AutoZone parking lot taped off.

No injuries have been reported at this time. No suspect information is available.

This is a developing story.

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For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to FOX8 WGHP.
RANDALLS ISLAND, Manhattan (PIX11)  A gunman opened fire into a crowd of people partying on Randalls Island in New York City, killing a woman and injuring two others early Monday morning, police said.

The shooting happened at Field 71 near a migrant shelter on Randalls Island around 3:30 a.m., according to the NYPD.

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The gunman approached a group of about 50 people who had gathered for a party to celebrate the recent presidential election in Venezuela and fired into the crowd, according to NYPD Chief of Patrol John Chell.

A 44-year-old woman was shot and killed, police said. A 31-year-old woman and a 32-year-old man were shot and wounded, authorities said.

Police believe the shooting was in retaliation for a gunpoint robbery that happened earlier in the evening on Randalls Island.

Queens subway rider stabbed for not giving suspect money: NYPD

The person who did the shooting was the victim of an unreported gunpoint robbery  that happened earlier that evening, Chell said.

The gunman took off on a moped after the shooting and hasnt been arrested, police said.

It appears the victims were not the intended targets, according to police. Both women shot were living at a migrant shelter, police said.

Later in the afternoon, police confiscated illegal mopeds and unregistered vehicles out of the area in hopes of driving crime down on Randalls Island.

When it comes to ghost cars, paper plates and mopeds, weve been speaking up about this for the better part of two years now and how its probably our No. 1 quality-of-life complaint throughout the city and how it conflates with certain crimes being committed. So robberies and shootings, youll see the getaway car being mopeds and ghost plates, Chell said.

Submit tips to police by calling Crime Stoppers at 1-800-577-TIPS (8477), visiting crimestoppers.nypdonline.org, downloading the NYPD Crime Stoppers mobile app, or texting 274637 (CRIMES) then entering TIP577. Spanish-speaking callers are asked to dial 1-888-57-PISTA (74782).

Finn Hoogensen is a digital journalist who has covered local news for more than five years. He has been with PIX11 News since 2022. See more of his work here.

Copyright 2024 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.

For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to PIX11.
U.S. Rep. Hal Rogers (KY - 05) is at it again, resorting to legislative tricks to push through the proposal for Federal Correctional Institution (FCI) in Letcher. Rogers has been trying for nearly 20 years to bring a prison to Letcher County, despite opposition to the project from numerous constituencies, including the White House under both the Trump and Biden Administrations and, at times, the Bureau of Prisons itself.

A coalition of concerned residents in Letcher County, environmental groups, and criminal justice reform organizations helped to defeat an earlier attempt to build the prison in 2019 after the BOP was forced to admit that the prison was unnecessary given the declining federal prison population. Then, just two months after devastating flooding in Eastern Kentucky, the BOP announced in September 2022 the resumption of efforts to build the prison.

If built, FCI Letcher would be the fourth federal prison Rogers has brought to Eastern Kentucky under the banner of rural job creation, despite no evidence of this as a successful economic development strategy. At over half a billion dollars, FCI Letcher would also be the most expensive federal prison ever built. As the federal prison population continues to decline, Rogerss appetite for prisons is both indefensible and insatiable.

So, what has Rogers done this time? From his seat as the Chairman of the Commerce, Justice, Science and Related Agencies subcommittee, Rogers has inserted a rider (an additional provision) in the House Appropriations Act for 2025. The rider, Section 223, would restrict lawsuits concerning the construction of the prison to the Eastern District of Kentucky. Currently, the BOP is moving through the federally mandated environmental review process required by the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA). Significantly, the defeat of the prison in 2019 came after the conclusion of the earlier NEPA process, when a group of eastern Kentuckians joined a lawsuit that had been filed by people in prison against the BOP. The lawsuit was filed in the U.S. District Court in Washington, D.C. Presumably, Congressman Rogers believes a future NEPA lawsuit would have a different outcome if plaintiffs were forced to file it in a courtroom in his district.

This is not the first time that Rogers has tried to use his leverage on the powerful subcommittee to circumvent public process and accountability. In the FY 2024 budget markup, filed in 2023, he inserted Section 219, a rider that had major implications for judicial and environmental review as well as public accountability. Section 219 would have stripped judicial review from the process, effectively saying that no one could sue the Bureau of Prisons or the Attorney General regarding the construction or operation of the prison.

In addition, Section 219 instructed the Attorney General and the BOP to bypass the NEPA process by relying on an outdated environmental impact study from 2017, as if there had never been massive floods in Eastern Kentucky in July 2022. A Wall Street Journal article from June 2023 noted that Letcher County has the largest hidden flood risk in the U.S, making it a dangerous location to have over a thousand people locked up with limited access to roads in the event that evacuation becomes necessary.

Fortunately, Rogers colleagues in the House removed Section 219 from the House Appropriations bill. As we noted, the BOP is engaging in a new NEPA process, although the agencys consideration of the risk of flooding, wildfires, and other environmental hazards is woefully incomplete. Congressman Rogers is undeterred, and Section 223, while not as capacious as 219, nonetheless shares its aim at fast-tracking a prison that few seem to want.

Instead of pursuing a failed strategy of economic development and deepening the regions dependence on mass incarceration, Rogers would do well to pursue alternative development and infrastructure ideas that would actually benefit a local economy still reeling from both coals decline and the floods: housing, roads and bridges, solar and renewable industry, a 4-year college with free tuition for local people, expanded access to mental health care and other forms of child and adolescent support, and ecotourism.

As Kentuckians concerned about mass incarceration and the future of Letcher County, it is alarming to participate in important congressional mandates like NEPA only to have the congressperson tasked with protecting those mandates actively attempting to subvert them.

Protecting democracy is basic to a free people. Rep. Rogers: Shame on you, again. We urge your colleagues in congress to rise and oppose Section 223.

Artie Ann Bates, MD, is a psychiatrist and writer in Letcher County. Judah Schept, Ph.D., is the author of Coal, Cages, Crisis: The Rise of the Prison Economy in Central Appalachia. Attica Scott is a former State Representative and Director of Special Projects at Forward Justice Action Network.
Displaced Palestinian persons return to inspect their homes after the Israeli army withdrew from the towns and villages east of Khan Yunis. Abed Rahim Khatib/dpa

Dozens of bodies have been recovered from Khan Younis in the southern Gaza Strip following the Israeli withdrawal there, according to Palestinian reports.

A spokesman for the civil defence, which is controlled by the Palestinian Islamist Hamas movement, said on Tuesday that 42 bodies had been found in Bani Suhaila in the east of Khan Younis.

The media office, which is also controlled by Hamas, announced that 255 people had been killed and around 300 others injured within eight days. There are also missing persons. It did not say how many were Hamas fighters and how many were civilians.

The information cannot be independently verified.

The Israeli army previously announced that it had withdrawn from the area just over a week after the start of a new military operation in Khan Younis.

Within a week, the soldiers had "eliminated over 150 terrorists, dismantled terror tunnels, weapons storage facilities, and terrorist infrastructure, and located weapons," the army said.

The offensive began a week ago after, according to Israel, Hamas fighters had reorganized themselves in the city. The operation was also aimed at recovering the bodies of five Israeli hostages, which it did.

Thousands of civilians once again fled the urban area. The Israeli military had been active against Hamas combat units in the city previously on several occasions and over longer periods. It had then withdrawn to fixed positions outside the city.

The army also announced that the air force had killed a Hamas member who had been responsible for anti-tank missiles in the Hamas battalion in Nuseirat in the central part of Gaza.

He was behind numerous attacks on Israeli troops and had been a "central source of knowledge on anti-tank missiles for Hamas," the army said.

Separately, the World Health Organization (WHO), said a polio vaccination campaign is needed in the Gaza, but a ceasefire is required for this to happen.

The virus, which can cause polio, has been discovered in sewage samples from the coastal strip. There is therefore a very high probability that the pathogen is present in the population, said WHO spokesman Christian Lindmeier in Geneva.

Experience has shown that around 70% of people with polio are asymptomatic, he said, adding that there does not appear to be a polio outbreak in Gaza now.

But the WHO spokesman stressed the need for preparation and an immunization campaign - "and for that we need a ceasfire."

On July 23, the Israeli military said it had started to vaccinate its forces against polio, as well as transporting vaccines to the territory. It said 300,000 doses have been delivered since October 7, when the current war started after Hamas and others attacked Israel, killing 1,200 people and taking some 250 hostage.

The Hamas-controlled health authority in Gaza has estimated that more than 39,000 people have been killed and more than 90,000 injured since the war started.

Meanwhile, in Israel, the country's defence minister, Yoav Gallant, strongly condemned violent protests which broke out there on Monday after soldiers on a military base were detained by police on charges of sexually abusing a Palestinian prisoner.

Demonstrators broke into the Sde Teiman prison camp near the desert city of Beersheba, where nine soldiers were detained on Monday amid clashes with military police after a Palestinian prisoner was reportedly hospitalized following serious sexual assaults.

The Sde Teiman prisoner camp houses fighters from an elite Hamas unit. Thousands of Palestinians are being held in Israeli detention facilities.

The human rights organization Amnesty International recently accused Israel of mistreating and torturing Palestinian prisoners from Gaza.

In a letter to Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, Gallant wrote that the protests represent a "serious threat to state security" and called on him to "take tough action against coalition members who were involved in the unrest."

Gallant also called for an investigation into whether the far-right Police Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir deliberately prevented police forces from taking action against the perpetrators of violence.

Dead bodies pictured in the cemetery after it was destroyed by the Israeli army during its incursion into the eastern part of Khan Yunis after withdrawing from it. Abed Rahim Khatib/dpa
Vice President Harriss campaign is casting her opponents as weird.

The campaigns strategy pins that label on everything from former President Trumps rally remarks on Hannibal Lecter to Sen. JD Vances (R-Ohio) past comments on childless women.

You may have noticed Donald Trump has been resorting to some wild lies about my record. And some of what he and his running mate are saying, its just plain weird. I mean, thats the box you put that in, right? Harris said of Trump at a fundraiser in Massachusetts on Saturday.

The Harris campaign said Sunday that Vance had a weird night on Fox News after he was questioned Trey Gowdy about his criticism of childless Americans. The senator said Democrats have taken his comments out of context but that the left has incredibly become explicitly antichild and antifamily.

One former party official says the word sums up how Republicans are acting right now.

I think it puts a finger on something that Democrats have had a hard time to articulate, which is that these guys who want to be in the OBs room, they want to be in your bedroom, they want to make all these decisions in your life  its weird. Its hard to put a finger on how to say it, but I think weird is the best weve got. I think its very potent and effective, said Clayton Cox, former Democratic National Committee (DNC) national finance director.

Vance has replied to Harriss weird insult against him, saying that it doesnt hurt his feelings. Instead, he said, its an honor.

At a North Carolina rally last week, Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz (D), who is considered a potential Harris running mate, reacted to Trump talking about the serial killer in the film The Silence of the Lambs, commenting on social media, Say it with me: Weird.

Trump is old and quite weird? the Harris campaign said in a campaign email Thursday. And, on Friday, the campaign called Vance a creep in an email that opened with, JD Vance is weird to highlight his past comments on abortion.

I think its accurate, because he is weird, David Thomas, a Democratic strategist and former aide to then-Vice President Al Gore.

Any basic Google search will show you all of the very strange things JD Vance has said over the years here. Im not sure who did the vetting here, because it seems like the Republicans got buyers remorse almost immediately, and thats because he has a habit of saying very strange things. And that is going to be a problem for them for the rest of the summer, going into the fall, he added.

The strategy flowed into the campaigns second full week, when on Monday, it called Vances ideology on families weird and extreme, and the DNC released a memo arguing that it has a winning message and out-of-touch weirdos as opponents.

Harris is challenged with expanding the base beyond the states that won President Biden the White House in 2020. Polls indicate that she is behind Trump in most battleground states but by margins tighter than Bidens polling before he ended his campaign. Harris declared she would seek the Democratic nomination after Biden dropped his reelection bid and has support from enough delegates to secure the nomination, which is expected to become official through a virtual roll call vote as early as Thursday.

Harris is polling just under 46 percent, behind Trumps nearly 48 percent, according to an aggregation of polls compiled by Decision Desk HQ/The Hill, about a week into her candidacy.

Cox argued that the weird strategy could bring in voters who arent yet paying attention, as Harriss campaign is eager to pull in new support before Labor Day.

I think it will definitely get folks who arent paying attention or cant really exactly put a finger on, why does this feel different? So think its something that can help with your not really political, not really paying attention folks, said Cox, a vice president at McGuireWoods Consulting.

And, Democrats think the Harris campaign has proven it can be quick and nimble over the last week, so some argue that it can try out new strategies if this weird one doesnt resonate with voters.

At this point, anything related to the Harris campaign feels more organic than a strategy. Can it backfire? Yeah. And they can move to something else. This is moving fast, said Ivan Zapien, a former DNC official.

Last week, Harris quickly adopted a split-screen strategy to describe herself and her opponent, calling out Trump as a convicted felon while pointing to her role as a former prosecutor. She also has tried to cast Trump as scared for not committing to a previously scheduled debate in September, accusing him of backpedaling.

The campaign is focused on highlighting comments from Trump and Vance that they deem offensive  a strategy that was adopted when Biden was on the top of the ticket. As part of that, Democrats have pounced on the recently resurfaced remarks that Vance warned the country was being run by childless cat ladies, deeming them, well, weird.

I think these comments totally speak for themselves. You dont need to manipulate or doctor the content when its that weird, Thomas said. He manages to offend just about everybody in the country, one way or another here, so hes going to have to answer for what he said.

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The Harris campaign on Tuesday announced it would spend $50 million on advertising in the weeks ahead of the Democratic National Convention and unveiled its first ad since the vice president became the partys likely nominee.

The campaign announced the ad titled Fearless will be the first in a series of paid media efforts ahead of the convention, which begins Aug. 19 in Chicago.

The 60-second ad touts Harriss record as a prosecutor and California attorney general, as well as her work as vice president in the Biden administration.

This campaign is about who we fight for, Harris says in the ad. We believe in a future where every person has the opportunity not just to get by, but to get ahead. Where every senior can retire with dignity.

But Donald Trump wants to take our country backward. To give tax breaks to billionaires and big corporations and end the Affordable Care Act, she says. But we are not going back.

The ad will air on local and national television stations across battleground states, the campaign said. It will air during Olympics coverage and during Big Brother, The Daily Show, The Simpsons and The Bachelorette.

Throughout her career as a courtroom prosecutor, Attorney General, United States Senator, and now as Vice President, Kamala Harris has always stood up to bullies, criminals and special interests on behalf of the American people  and shes beaten them, Harris campaign chair Jen OMalley Dillon said in a statement. Shes uniquely suited to take on Donald Trump, a convicted felon who has spent his entire life ripping off working people, tearing away our rights, and fighting for himself.

The ad marks the Harris campaigns first foray into advertising since the vice president became the likely Democratic nominee roughly one week ago following President Bidens decision to drop out of the race.

Since then, the Harris campaign has raised more than $200 million and seen an outpouring of grassroots support among Democrats rejuvenated by her candidacy.

Polls still show former President Trump narrowly leading nationally and in several battleground states, however, and Harris acknowledged over the weekend she remains an underdog in the race.

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Kamala Harris has launched an unprecedented field operation on the backs of volunteers in swing states that far exceeds Donald Trumps in scope and size, her presidential campaign aides say.

Trumps battleground infrastructure simply pales in comparison, Dan Kanninen, the battleground states director for Harris, told reporters during a Monday afternoon call.

The people power complements the more than $200 million raised in the Harris camps first week, two-thirds of which came from new donors, according to the campaign.

We were only able to pull this off, this massive mobilization, because of the battleground infrastructure that we already had in place, Kanninen said, a nod to the fact that Harris acquired President Joe Bidens campaign staff and headquarters.

The battleground strategy reveal comes as polls show Trump either leads or ties Harris in every critical swing state except Minnesota, where Harris now leads the GOP nominee by around 8 percentage points. In other states, she has winnowed the sizable lead Trump had over Biden, all while raking in endorsements and participation from major celebritiesincluding Megan Thee Stallion, who is set to perform at a Harris rally in Atlanta on Tuesday.

But it's the regular, everyday folks who are carrying the show.

Kanninen said 300 voters showed up for Harris in deep red Forsyth County, Georgia, where Kentucky Gov. Andy Beshear appeared Sunday morning. A similar number showed up to a rural event in Pennsylvania with Keystone state Gov. Josh Shapiro. Even more turned out for a canvass launch in St. Paul with Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz.

All three men are considered possible VP picks for Harris. Kanninen also namechecked Rep. Maxwell Frost (D-FL), the first Gen Z member of Congress, who held an event for Harris in the suburbs of Las Vegas.

Kanninen boasted a dizzying array of numbers: More than 2,300 campaign-related events in one weekend; 360,000 new volunteersdouble the number from three days prior; 29,000 volunteers knocking on 126,000 doors in 48 hours, then making six times as many phone calls.

The Democratic battleground states director said the campaign has more than 260 field offices in the swing states that will likely decide the outcome of the 2024 election, along with more than 1,300 staffers.

Hundreds of others are already defending the blue wall for Harris, with more on the way, he said. Georgia opened three new offices over the weekend and the size of the teams in Arizona and North Carolina will soon double.

On policy, Harris Communications Director Michael Tyler said the campaign will focus on abortion rights. Second Gentleman Doug Emhoff and other high-profile surrogates will hammer the issue this week, he said.

Harris herself is scheduled to meet with reproductive rights leaders in Atlanta before her rally with Georgia politicians who include former gubernatorial hopeful Stacey Abrams.

When asked if the campaign was worried about Republicans painting Harris as an abortion extremist, Tyler reminded reporters of the extreme candidates on the GOP ticket: Donald Trump and J.D. Vance.

Theyre attacking things like IVF, contraception, Tyler said. Theyre attacking people who decide not to have kids, right? I think the only elegy that they should be writing is for their appeals to the mainstream of the American electorate, because they have been falling flat on their face.

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By Nandita Bose

ATLANTA (Reuters) -U.S. Vice President Kamala Harris joined rappers Megan Thee Stallion and Quavo at a spirited Atlanta rally that highlighted the new energy she has brought to November's election.

In her first trip to Georgia as a presidential candidate on Tuesday, Harris pledged Democrats will win a state the party had written off, and taunted Republican Donald Trump for backing out of a debate with her.

The momentum in this race is shifting, and "Donald Trump is feeling it," Harris said, as the crowd of about 10,000 cheered and shouted her nascent campaign slogan "We are not going back."

With less than 100 days left in one of the least predictable campaign seasons in recent history, Democrats are redrawing their map to victory, hoping the prospect of the first Black and Asian woman president can motivate Democrats to the polls.

Harris' election campaign, hastily put together after President Joe Biden ended his re-election bid on July 22, has raised $200 million, and signed up 170,000 new volunteers.

In Atlanta, Harris embraced some Biden policy priorities, promising, "On Day One I will take on price gouging and bring down costs." She said she would ban more hidden banking fees, take on corporate landlords and "cap unfair rent increases".

She also addressed immigration on the southern border, a top issue for Republican voters after the arrests of migrants crossing illegally reached a high during the Biden administration. Harris' role in trying to tamp down migration has drawn Republican criticism.

Trump has been "talking a big game about securing the border," but he does not walk the walk, Harris said. Trump pushed Republicans to tank a bill that would have funded more border security measures, she added, referring to a bill that failed in February.

Megan Thee Stallion, whose album "Megan" recently launched at No. 1 on Billboards Top R&B/Hip-Hop albums chart, performed before Harris spoke while wearing a blue pantsuit and tie, the color associated with Harris' Democratic Party. "Lets get this done hotties. Hotties for Harris," she told the crowd.

GEORGIA IN PLAY?

Georgia Senator Jon Ossoff, a Democrat, said on MSNBC over the weekend that Harris' entry into the race "has put Georgia in play" for Democrats and predicted she will win.

Swing states like Georgia, which Democrats barely won in 2020, are fiercely contested because they can lean either to Republicans or Democrats and play a decisive role in presidential elections.

FiveThirtyEight, the poll aggregation site, shows Republican Donald Trump leading Harris by between one and five percentage points in surveys taken after Harris became the likely Democratic candidate.

Since Biden ended his reelection bid for the Nov. 5 vote against Trump, Harris has significantly outperformed him in recent polling among young people, Black voters and Hispanic voters.

After Harris's speech, she appeared on a Zoom call with supporters, telling them "this is a sprint" and asking them to volunteer. Her campaigns battleground director Dan Kanninen said the team was looking at the "Blue wall" states of Pennsylvania, Wisconsin and Michigan to win the election, but was also hopeful about the "Sun Belt."

A New York Times/Siena College national poll published on Thursday found Harris has narrowed a sizable Trump lead, while Trump had a two percentage point lead in a Wall Street Journal poll published on Friday. A Reuters/Ipsos poll published on Tuesday showed Harris with a one point lead over Trump, down from two points in a July 23 poll.

Biden's campaign saw a narrowing path to victory with the "Sun Belt states," including Georgia, Arizona and Nevada, as unlikely wins. Georgia backed Biden by 0.2 percentage points, just under 12,000 votes in 2020, and Trump by around 5 percentage points in 2016.

Andy Beshear, the twice-elected Democratic governor of deep-red Kentucky, visited Georgia over the weekend to campaign for Harris in the Republican stronghold of Forsyth County.

The Harris campaign is vetting him along with Senator Mark Kelly of Arizona, Governor Josh Shapiro of Pennsylvania and Governor Tim Walz of Minnesota as possible vice presidential candidates. A decision is expected by Aug. 7.

Harris is leaning into her resume as a former district attorney and California attorney general, seeking to draw a contrast with Trump who is the first former president to be convicted of felony crimes.

Trump and 14 co-defendants are accused of racketeering and other charges for their role in attempting to overturn Biden's narrow win in Georgia.

(Reporting by Nandita Bose in Washington; Additional reporting by Trevor Hunnicutt; Editing by Heather Timmons, Stephen Coates, Deepa Babington, Chris Reese and Christian Schmollinger)
by Xinhua writer He Fei

BEIJING, July 30 (Xinhua) -- In a world increasingly troubled by geopolitical tensions and bloc confrontation, Monday's meeting between Chinese President Xi Jinping and Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni underscored the importance of deepening mutual understanding and cooperation between nations.

As two major countries with ancient civilizations that stand at the two ends of the ancient Silk Road, the time-honored friendly exchanges between the two countries have made significant contributions to the overall exchanges and mutual learning between Eastern and Western civilizations and to the progress of humanity.

The emphasis on mutual learning comes at a critical juncture. As the world is grappling with complex challenges ranging from economic instability to climate change, the necessity of fostering genuine dialogue and partnership has never been more apparent.

By committing to enhanced mutual learning, China and Italy set an example that could help bridge divides and cultivate a more cohesive global community.

Meloni's visit coincides with the 700th anniversary of Marco Polo's death. Over seven centuries ago, Marco Polo's travels through China offered Europe a glimpse into the mystique of the East, bridging two vastly different worlds.

During her stay in Beijing, Meloni attended the inauguration of an exhibition featuring the Venetian merchant's journeys between the East and the West. In her speech, the Italian leader highlighted Marco Polo as a symbol of courage and ability to dare something extraordinary.

Marco Polo's journey underscores the timeless value of cross-cultural interaction. His detailed descriptions of China's innovations, governance and societal structures sparked curiosity and admiration in Europe, fostering a spirit of exploration and a quest for knowledge that transcended borders.

Today, Marco Polo's legacy is a crucial reminder that mutual learning can break down barriers, inspire progress, and build a foundation of trust and respect.

Meloni's visit also came as China and Italy celebrate the 20th anniversary of their comprehensive strategic partnership this year. Italy signed multiple bilateral cooperative agreements with China during Meloni's first official visit to the country since taking office. The two sides also issued a 2024-2027 action plan to strengthen their comprehensive strategic partnership.

Trade between China and Italy has prospered and brought tangible benefits to both peoples. China is Italy's largest trading partner in Asia and the biggest non-EU trading partner after the United States, while Italy is China's fourth-largest trading partner in the European Union (EU).

The Chinese market has provided rich opportunities for Italian enterprises, with made-in-Italy agricultural products, fashion and furniture exhibited at trade expos and reaching Chinese households.

Global technological advancement has opened up new prospects for pragmatic cooperation between China, the world's largest emerging economy, and Italy, the second-largest manufacturing powerhouse in Europe.

The two partners have complementary industrial advantages in chemicals, machinery, clothing and emerging areas such as biomedicine, green transition, aerospace and artificial intelligence. The need for deepening cooperation in these fields is growing. For example, Italian enterprises are participating in a project to develop China's first wide-body passenger aircraft.

Notably, in this regard, the two countries can achieve win-win outcomes in developing electric vehicles, where cutting-edge Chinese technologies and experienced Italian automotive designs complement each other well.

The large business delegation accompanying Meloni to China testifies to the genuine needs of a diversified Italian business community to ramp up cooperation with China.

Jean Paul de Jorio, chief legal officer of the Italian National Biodiversity Future Center, said Meloni's visit to China would enhance bilateral ties and praised the cooperative path the two countries have taken.

The visit also coincides with China's intensifying efforts to foster a more transparent, stable and predictable institutional environment while expanding market access.

The Italian side and the EU should recognize that maintaining stable and mutually trusting relations with China serves their interests and contributes to global prosperity and peace. Italy can play a crucial role in nurturing these cooperative relations between China and Europe. 
FILE - Republican presidential candidate former President Donald Trump, left, and Republican vice presidential candidate Sen. JD Vance, R-Ohio, attend the Republican National Convention, July 15, 2024, in Milwaukee. Vice President Kamala Harris and her Democratic allies are increasingly branding Trump and Vance as "weird." Democrats are applying the label with gusto in interviews and online. (AP Photo/Evan Vucci, File)

Vice President Kamala Harris and her Democratic allies are emphasizing a new line of criticism against Republicans  branding Donald Trump and his running mate, Ohio Sen. JD Vance, as weird."

Democrats are applying the label with gusto in interviews and online, notably to Vance's comments on abortion and his previous suggestion that political leaders who didn't have biological children dont really have a direct stake in the country.

The weird message appears to have given Democrats a narrative advantage that they rarely had when President Joe Biden was still running for reelection. Trump's campaign, which so often shapes political discussions with the former president's pronouncements, has spent days trying to flip the script by highlighting things about Democrats it says are weird.

I dont know who came up with the message, but I salute them, said David Karpf, a strategic communication professor at George Washington University.

Karpf said labeling Republican comments as weird is the sort of concise take that resonates quickly with Harris supporters. Plus, Karpf noted, it frustrates opponents, leading them to further amplify it through off-balance responses.

So far, at least, Trump-Vance has been incapable of finding an effective response, Karpf said.

Harris and her allies have used the label frequently

Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz, a Democrat who is on Harris short list for vice president, called Trump and Vance just weird last week in an MSNBC interview, which the Democratic Governors Association  of which Walz is chair  amplified in a post on X. Walz reiterated the characterization Sunday on CNN, referencing Trump's repeated mentions of the fictional serial killer Hannibal Lecter from the film Silence of the Lambs in stump speeches.

Responding to Trump's Thursday appearance on Fox News, the Harris campaign  in a news release with the subject line Statement on a 78-Year-Old Criminals Fox News Appearance  included Trump is old and quite weird? in a bulleted list of takeaways.

A day later, multiple news releases from the Harris campaign described her opponents similarly, declaring simply that JD Vance is weird in part due to his stances on abortion, and Harris' campaign spokesperson saying that Vance had spent all week making headlines for his out-of-touch, weird ideas.

Two of Harris' allies, Sens. Brian Schatz of Hawaii and Chris Murphy of Connecticut, on Friday posted a video on X calling Vance's past comments about limiting the political power of childless Americans a super weird idea.

And then, at her first fundraiser since becoming the Democrats likely White House nominee, Harris used the characterization herself, calling out some of Trump's "wild lies about my record and some of what he and his running mate are saying, it is just plain weird.

I mean thats the box you put that in, right?" she added.

Many of Democrats' comments appear to be allusions to a 2021 interview with Vance in which he slammed some prominent Democrats without biological children  including Harris  as childless cat ladies with no direct stake in America.

But Harris' own characterization of Trump as weird may date back even further. In his 2021 book, political reporter Edward-Isaac Dovere wrote that Harris reportedly gathered with aides in 2018 to prepare for her own presidential bid.

As staff aimed to prepare her for how she'd react if, during a debate, Trump stood over her as he did Democratic nominee Hillary Clinton in 2016, Harris reportedly quipped, Id turn around and say, 'Why are you being so weird? Whats wrong with you?'

Trump's campaign has tried to flip the script

On Sunday, Trump spokesman Steven Cheung posted video of Walz calling Trump and Vance weird as he stumped for Harris and said the likely Democratic nominee and her backers were themselves out of line for trying to gaslight everyone into thinking the shooting was staged, a reference to the assassination attempt at Trump's rally in Pennsylvania.

More broadly, some of Trump's allies have angled to turn the conversation back to Harris and what they portray as her failed policy ideas.

Donald Trump Jr., the former president's oldest son, took to X on Monday to ask, You know whats really weird? Soft on crime politicians like Kamala allowing illegal aliens out of prison so they can violently assault Americans.

On Saturday, Vance reposted an X video Trump Jr. shared in which Harris talked about climate anxiety, which is fear of the future and the unknown of whether it makes sense for you to even think about having children.

Its almost like these people dont want young people starting families or something," Vance wrote. "Really weird stuff.

Democrats are co-opting Republican attack lines to support Harris

Republicans have long shared clips of Harris' laugh and some of her jokes or stories to try to make the vice president seem weird  notably an anecdote she told last year about her mother scolding her, You think you just fell out of a coconut tree?

The coconut tree story has itself become a Democratic in-joke in the days since Harris took over the campaign. Many of her supporters have embraced coconut emojis in their online accounts.

Calling Republicans weird may be a way to take Republicans previous tactics and make them their own, said Matt Sienkiewicz, a communication professor at Boston College.

University at Buffalo political communication professor Jacob Neiheisel compared the weird message to Arizona Sen. John McCains 2008 attempt to portray Barack Obama as a celebrity with no real accomplishments.

At a functional level, I think that this might be part of a concerted attempt to mitigate some of the longstanding efforts on the right to paint Harris in a similar way, Neiheisel said.

___

Kinnard reported from Chapin, South Carolina, and can be reached at http://twitter.com/MegKinnardAP.

___

Follow the AP's coverage of the 2024 election at https://apnews.com/hub/election-2024.
(CNN)  Kamala Harris is in the thick of choosing a vice presidential running mate, with her campaign eying an announcement in the coming days that would be immediately followed by a joint tour of a series of battleground states beginning next Tuesday.

Harris, abruptly thrust into the role of presidential candidate fewer than 10 days ago, has been studying notebooks filled with information about each of the top vice presidential contenders, has had preliminary conversations with some of those candidates, and has been asking close advisers involved in the process who would make the strongest governing partner for her at the White House, sources familiar with the process said.

Harris has not yet conducted formal interviews with the top contenders, one source familiar told CNN. That process is expected to begin this week.

Meanwhile, her team  working on an extraordinarily condensed timeline in the aftermath of President Joe Biden abruptly abandoning his reelection campaign just a little over three months out from Election Day  has been swiftly researching and testing out the top candidates, including by studying videos of those being vetted.

The top contenders include Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro, Arizona Sen. Mark Kelly and Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz. North Carolina Gov. Roy Cooper has taken himself out of the running and declined the campaigns request to be vetted, CNN reported Monday. Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg and Kentucky Gov. Andy Beshear are also still in conversation, but people close to the process believe they are not top contenders.

The vice presidents choice will be revealed by Tuesday, when she and her running mate will kick off the battleground state blitz beginning with their first joint rally in Philadelphia, according to a campaign official. The pair will then travel to western Wisconsin, Michigan, North Carolina, Georgia, Arizona and Nevada.

Eric Holder, the former attorney general, is leading a vetting team of a few dozen Democratic lawyers who are poring over financial records and family histories of the contenders. Tony West, a former associate attorney general and Harris brother-in-law, is also playing a leading advisory role in the search process.

As is typical in vice presidential searches, the Harris campaign has been intently focused on who could help strengthen the Harris tickets electoral chances. Polling has been conducted of how at least some candidates, particularly Shapiro and Kelly, could influence the race in battleground states.

The Harris campaign declined to comment for this story.

She, better than anyone aside from a couple other people on earth, knows what the job of VP entails, for better and for worse, a longtime Harris friend said. The vice president is looking for a partner who could do the job that she currently holds, do it in a way that is additive and not distracting, and ideally helps shore up any weaknesses she has electorally right now because governing doesnt matter if you dont win, the friend added.

In a memo at the outset of her candidacy, the Harris campaign argued it saw multiple pathways to 270 electoral votes across the so-called Blue Wall states, which include Shapiros Pennsylvania, and the Sun Belt, which includes Kellys Arizona.

But internally, campaign strategists have acknowledged that Pennsylvanias 19 electoral votes could be make-or-break for the outcome.

Pennsylvania is the tipping point, one strategist close to the campaign told CNN. Once you acknowledge that, it becomes pretty obvious who [Harris] should pick.

On policy, selecting Shapiro, who is Jewish, is seen by some advisers as providing political cover for Harris on the Middle East, where she has spoken out more forcefully in recent days against the humanitarian suffering in Gaza than Biden, even as the two have pursued the same policy of assisting Israel in its military defense.

But as Shapiro has emerged as a top candidate for her running mate, the team is also examining his potential weak spots  including the resignation last year of Shapiros close top aide, Mike Vereb, amid a sexual harassment investigation. The governors administration paid nearly $300,000 to settle the claims, but Shapiro has not been implicated.

Although the Commonwealth does not comment on specific personnel matters, it takes allegations of discrimination and harassment seriously, Manuel Bonder, spokesperson for Shapiros office, said in a statement, noting that robust procedures are in place for thoroughly investigating reports of discrimination and harassment.

While some Democrats have urged the campaign to reveal the running mate at the Democratic convention in Chicago, which opens August 19, Harris has expressed a desire to have a partner sooner. With about three months remaining in the race, advisers say, a vice presidential candidate is needed on the campaign trail as soon as Harris makes her decision.

This story has been updated with additional reporting.

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Harris to rally in Georgia as campaign looks to builds on enthusiasm

Vice President Harris will head to Georgia on Tuesday for a rally in Atlanta as her campaign seeks to build on a wave of grassroots enthusiasm in the week since she became the likely Democratic nominee for president.

Harris will rally in front of thousands of voters, who campaign communications director Michael Tyler said will hear the vice president continue to lay out her vision where we move forward, not backwards and call on Georgians to take action to make their voices heard in November.

Harris will be joined by Georgia Democratic Sens. Jon Ossoff and Raphael Warnock, as well former gubernatorial candidate Stacey Abrams, campaign officials said on a call with reporters. She is also scheduled to meet with local reproductive rights leaders and activists.

It will be Harriss 15th trip to Georgia since she became vice president, but her first since President Biden announced he was stepping aside as the partys nominee ahead of Novembers election. Biden won the state in 2020 by fewer than 12,000 votes, and campaign officials said they are expecting it to be similarly competitive in a race between Harris and former President Trump.

The vice presidents campaign is looking to capitalize on a groundswell of support over the past week. It raised more than $200 million since Biden stepped aside nine days ago, and it has signed up more than 170,000 new volunteers, Dan Kanninen, director of battleground operations for the Harris campaign, told reporters.

Following a weekend in which the campaign engaged tens of thousands of voters at more than 3,200 events, officials are touting a week of action focused on abortion and reproductive rights.

This election is going to be incredibly close, so this campaign is getting to work in taking nothing for granted, Tyler told reporters.

A slew of polls released in the days after Biden dropped out of the race showed a close race between Trump and Harris, with the vice president narrowly trailing the former president in key battleground states but within the margin of error in many surveys.

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As the burgeoning Kamala Harris campaign works behind the scenes to refine its policy platform, the vice president has increasingly found herself clarifying which of her positions have shifted over the years.

From fracking to single-payer health care, several cornerstones of her 2020 presidential run, as well as her time as a US senator and California attorney general, now appear at odds with the policies that have crystallized during the Biden-Harris administration and emerged as critical issues in battleground states.

The policy changes reflect the differences between the moderation that has come with governing during the current administrations time in office and the demands of the 2020 Democratic primary, when both Joe Biden and Harris reversed course on certain policies in an attempt to move to the left. Harris ended her 11-month bid as one of the more progressive candidates in a crowded field.

But the recent clarifications on her current positions, and the speed at which her fledgling campaign moved to make them, also demonstrate the Harris teams need to define the presumptive Democratic nominee  lest Republicans beat them to it. Even as Harris has energized Democrats and boosted the tickets appeal to Black, Latino and younger voters, she is also seeking a running mate who is likely to be a White man with a more centrist persona.

The push to bolster a more moderate image comes as former President Donald Trump and his campaign have ratcheted up criticisms of Harris, seeking to frame her as more liberal than Biden and highlight her California roots. The Trump campaign is up with two ads attacking Harris on border security and describing her as dangerously liberal. The $12 million ad buy will air in six battleground states: Pennsylvania, Wisconsin, Michigan, Georgia, Arizona, and Nevada.

During a Saturday rally in Minnesota, Trump called Harris the number one most radical left Democrat in the entire Senate, a reference to a since retracted GovTrack legislator ranking that rated her the most liberal member of the Senate in 2019 based on the bills she introduced and co-sponsored.

No ban on fracking

At that same rally, Trump accused Harris of trying to hide her past opposition to fracking, the process of using liquid to free natural gas from rock formations  and the primary mode for extracting gas for energy in battleground Pennsylvania. A Harris campaign official said Monday she no longer supports a fracking ban.

During a September 2019 climate crisis town hall hosted by CNN, Harris was asked if she would commit to implementing a federal ban on fracking on her first day in office.

Theres no question Im in favor of banning fracking, and starting with what we can do on Day 1 around public lands, Harris said at the time.

Harris acknowledged that it would take legislation to restrict fracking beyond federal lands, and pointed to the residual health impacts of fracking on local communities.

Single-payer health care

Harris campaign also confirmed this week that the vice president no longer supports a single-payer health care system.

The vice presidents shifting stances on health care plagued her throughout her 2020 campaign.

During her first year in the Senate, she co-sponsored independent Vermont Sen. Bernie Sanders Medicare for All legislation, which would create a government-run health insurance program and essentially end the private insurance market. During a January 2019 CNN town hall right after she launched her first presidential campaign, Harris said she would eliminate private health insurance as a necessary part of implementing Medicare for All.

We need to have Medicare for all, she said in response to a question.

The health care plan she rolled out that July stopped short of completely eliminating private insurance. Instead, it would have shifted the US to a government-backed health insurance system by transitioning to a Medicare-for-All-type system over 10 years and continuing to allow private insurance companies to offer Medicare plans.

Harris argued that she adjusted her plan based on feedback she received from voters, and was willing to deal with the political fallout.

I said to my team, We need to do a better plan, this is not good enough. And I said to my team, I know were going to take a political hit for it, Harris said during an interview with Axios on HBO that aired October 2019. I knew Id be called a flip flopper for that.

Since becoming Bidens vice president, she has supported his efforts to strengthen the Affordable Care Act, which has led to a record number of people signing up for 2024 coverage from private insurers on the individual market.

Border control

As a presidential candidate in the leadup to 2020, Harris suggested that Democrats needed to critically examine the role of Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), when asked whether she sided with Democrats arguing to abolish the department.

We need to probably think about starting from scratch because theres a lot that is wrong with the way its conducting itself, Harris told MSNBC in an interview at the time.

As apprehensions and border crossings skyrocketed over the course of Bidens term, the Biden-Harris administration moved to support increasing resources for ICE and implementing tighter policy controls to try to limit the surge of migrants.

As vice president, Harris supported a bipartisan border bill that would have ramped up enforcement at the US-Mexico border. The package, which ultimately failed to advance, would have provided thousands of additional customs and asylum officers, as well as tens of thousands of additional detention beds for ICE.

In June 2024, the White House announced a crackdown on asylum claims meant to continue reducing the flow  a policy that Harris campaign manager, Julie Chavez Rodriguez, indicated would continue under a Harris administration.

I think at this point, you know, the policies that are, you know, having a real impact on ensuring that we have security and order at our border are policies that will continue, Chavez Rodriguez told CBS News.

Police funding

In the midst of nationwide 2020 protests sparked by George Floyds murder by a Minneapolis police officer, Harris voiced support for the defund the police movement, which argues for redirecting funds from law enforcement to social services.

This whole movement is about rightly saying we need to take a look at these budgets and figure out whether it reflects the right priorities, Harris said in a June 2020 radio interview, CNNs KFile reported.

Throughout the summer, Harris supported the movement and called for demilitarizing police departments. Biden, the 2020 Democratic nominee, called for policing reform but denounced the idea of defunding departments. As a ticket, they also opposed the movement.

Joe Biden and Kamala Harris do not support defunding the police, and it is a lie to suggest otherwise, former Harris press secretary Sabrina Singh said in October 2020. Throughout her career, Sen. Harris has supported increasing funding to police departments and boosting funding for community policing.

Democrats largely backed away from calls to defund the police after Republicans attempted to tie the movement to increases in crime during the 2022 midterm elections.

Mitch Landrieu, national co-chair for the Harris campaign and former mayor of New Orleans, walked back a defund the police sentiment voiced by Harris in 2020, saying what she meant is she supports being tough and smart on crime.

Her position has always been that you can both be tough and smart on crime, and it requires funding police, but it also requires funding rehabilitation and things that might criminal justice system safer, Landrieu told CNNs Pamela Brown. You can do both.

CNNs Tami Luhby, Donald Judd and Priscilla Alvarez contributed to this story.

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With Harris stepping up, could Florida go to Democrats?

Do Democrats really think they can turn Florida into a blue state?

At first blush, this sounds foolish. After all, the last time a Florida Democrat was elected to a statewide office was 2018, when marijuana lobbyist Nikki Fried won the office of Agriculture Commissioner by a margin of only 67,000 votes in an under-the-radar election where 8 million ballots were cast.

And thats when Democrats enjoyed a cushion of more than 257,000 registered voters over Republicans, a margin that has since disappeared and has been reversed fourfold.

During the past six years it has been a Republican rout in Florida, which was crystalized by the re-election of Gov. Ron DeSantis two years ago with clear red-state numbers: DeSantis racked up a 1.5 million vote margin, winning 62 of Floridas 67 counties, including the once reliably blue Palm Beach County.

DeSantis declared the Democratic Party in Florida a dead, rotten carcass on the side of the road.

And it was hard to call him wrong. But the carcass appeared to twitch this past weekend.

With a presidential election once again looming and the Democratic Party coalescing energetically behind Vice President Kamala Harris, theres a new message being trotted out.

Dont sleep on Florida, said South Florida congresswoman and former chair of the Democratic National Committee Debbie Wasserman Schultz. "Kamalas candidacy just woke a sleeping giant."

Really? This reminds me of that Miracle Max scene from the movie The Princess Bride:

It just so happens that your friend here is only mostly dead. There's a big difference between mostly dead and all dead.

"Mostly dead is slightly alive.

With all dead, well, with all dead there's usually only one thing you can do  Go through his clothes and look for loose change.

This past weekend, the Harris campaign seemed to be channeling Miracle Max by proclaiming Florida was only mostly dead.

Ignoring the polls that say former President Donald Trump has a comfortable 8-point cushion in Florida, the Harris campaign announced that it was seeking 11,000 volunteers to get campaign operations underway in Florida with dozens of pep-rally type events in the state.

One of them was in Delray Beach, where state and congressional Democrats pointed to the 30 percent of registered independents as persuadable voters that could determine the outcome of the election, particularly with the galvanizing issue of womens reproductive rights in the balance.

This is not a red state! state Sen. Tiny Polsky, D-Boca Raton, told the crowd.

Dozens of Democratic Party volunteers crammed into party facilities Sunday July 28, 2024 in Delray Beach. Volunteers energized by Harris race for the presidency turned out in record numbers to staff a call bank. "We have never seen these many volunteers turn out," said a party official addressing the crowd.

Meanwhile, Gov. DeSantis was delivering a different message Sunday to a Fox News audience.

Florida is off the map, DeSantis told Fox host Maria Bartiromo.

He predicted that the 900,000-voter-registration margin Republicans now enjoy in the state would grow to 1 million by Election Day, and he invited Democrats to spend their campaign money in the state in a foolish effort to overcome that.

When it comes to abortion rights, there's too much voting in 'free state of Florida'

Its the equivalent of lighting it on fire, he said. But I welcome that. You are not going to win Florida. You are going to run into a big, red brick wall.

Gov. Ron DeSantis invites Democrats to foolishly spend campaign money in "red brick wall" Florida

DeSantis is right about the voter registration numbers. Registered Democrats had outnumbered registered Republicans as recently as four years ago.

But the increasing share of registered Republican voters since then isnt because Republicans have added voters. Its because Democrats have lost voters.

In 2020, Florida had 5.21 million Republican voters. This year, it has 5.25 million Republican voters  a nearly static number of registered voters.

The gains for Republicans during this period hasnt been due to the explosive growth of Republican registrations. It has been due almost exclusively to the disappearance of registered Democrats.

There were 5.3 million registered Democrats in Florida in 2020. In the past four years, that number has shrunk to 4.3 million.

Don't tell Trump, but in Florida, voting by mail was once considered 'phenomenal'

Or to put it another way, the Democratic Party in Florida has lost 1 million of its registered voters in the past four years, a loss of almost 19 percent of its voters.

Why did this happen?

Heres one reason: Senate Bill 7050, which was passed by the Florida Legislature last year, purged nearly 1 million registered voters from the rolls by automatically removing voters if they didnt cast ballots in the previous two general elections.

These registration culls disproportionately affected Democratic and NPA (no party affiliation) registrations, reported Dan Christensen, of The Florida Bulldog.

In Miami-Dade, 85,640 voters were moved from active to inactive status, with 90.75 percent being Democrats and NPAs; in Broward, 190,876 were moved to inactive status, with 84.24 percent being Democrats and NPAs; in Palm Beach, the active voter rolls were sliced by 156,148 voters, 82.75 percent of whom were registered Democrats or NPAs, Christensen wrote.

The Republican-led purge of voter rolls combined with the lackluster voter registration efforts by state Democrats has quickly turned what used to be a purple state into one that is reliably in the Republican column.

If Democrats are serious about putting Florida in play for November, they have a million hurdles to overcome.

In The Princess Bride, Miracle Maxs wife asks him if his magical pill will bring the mostly-dead man back to life.

It would take a miracle, Max answers.

Frank Cerabino is a news columnist with The Palm Beach Post, part of the Gannett Newspapers chain.

This article originally appeared on Palm Beach Post: Harris campaign helps Florida Dems imagine new voter math
This combination photo shows Vice President Kamala Harris, left, at the White House in Washington, July 22, 2024, and Republican presidential candidate former President Donald Trump at an event July 26, 2024, in West Palm Beach, Fla. Just 99 days before Election Day, a fundamentally new race is taking shape with new candidates, a new issue focus and a new outlook for both parties. Harris is smashing fundraising records and taking over social media. Republicans are fearful and frustrated as they struggle to accept the new reality that Trump's victory is no sure thing. (AP Photo)

Two days after President Joe Biden signed a sweeping executive order on artificial intelligence last year, Vice President Kamala Harris brought the wonky document to a global AI summit, telling an international audience what set the U.S. apart in its approach to AI safety.

In an event meant to address the potential catastrophes posed by futuristic forms of AI, Harris made waves by pivoting to present-day concerns  and the need to codify protections quickly without stifling innovation.

When a senior is kicked off his healthcare plan because of a faulty AI algorithm, is that not existential for him?" Harris told a crowd in London last November. When a woman is threatened by an abusive partner with explicit deepfake photographs, is that not existential for her?

Now, shes running for president and her chief opponent, former President Donald Trump, has said he wants to cancel the Biden order. Trump's running mate, Ohio Sen. JD Vance, also brings his own views on AI, which are influenced by his ties to some Silicon Valley figures pushing to limit AI regulation.

AIs growing visibility in everyday life has made it a popular discussion topic but hasnt yet elevated it to a top concern for American voters. But this could be the first presidential election where the candidates are crafting competing visions on how to guide American leadership over the fast-developing technology.

Here are the candidates' records on AI:

Trump's approach

Biden signed his AI executive order last Oct. 30, and soon after Trump was signaling on the campaign trail that, if re-elected, he'd do away with it. His pledge was memorialized in the platform of this month's Republican National Convention.

We will repeal Joe Bidens dangerous Executive Order that hinders AI Innovation, and imposes Radical Leftwing ideas on the development of this technology," says Trump's platform. "In its place, Republicans support AI Development rooted in Free Speech and Human Flourishing.

The Trump campaign didn't respond to a requests for more details.

Trump didn't spend much time talking about AI during his four years as president, though in 2019 he became the first to sign an executive order about AI. It directed federal agencies to prioritize research and development in the field.

Before that, tech experts were pushing the Trump-era White House for a stronger AI strategy to match what other countries were pursuing. In 2017, not long before Google quietly introduced a research breakthrough helping to set the foundation of the technology now known as generative AI, then-Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin brushed aside concerns about AI displacing jobs, saying that prospect was so far in the future that its not even on my radar screen.

That perspective later shifted, with Trump's top tech adviser telling corporate leaders in 2018 that AI-fueled job displacement is inevitable and that we cant sit idle, hoping eventually the market will sort it out. The 2019 order called on federal agencies to protect civil liberties, privacy and American values in applying AI technologies, and to help workers gain relevant skills.

Trump also in the waning weeks of his administration signed an executive order promoting the use of trustworthy AI in the federal government. Those policies carried over into the Biden administration.

Harris' approach

The debut of ChatGPT nearly halfway through Biden's presidential term made it impossible for politicians to ignore AI. Within months, Harris was convening the heads of Google, Microsoft and other tech companies at the White House, a first step down a path that brought leading developers to agree to voluntary commitments to ensure their technology won't put peoples rights and safety at risk.

Then came Biden's AI order, which used Korean War-era national security powers to scrutinize high-risk commercial AI systems but was mostly directed at safeguarding the government's use of the technology and setting standards that could foster commercial adoption. Unlike the European Union, however, the U.S. still has no broad rules on AI  something that would require Congress to pass.

Harris already brought to the White House a deep understanding of Silicon Valley, having grown up and worked in the San Francisco Bay Area and later served as Californias attorney general, where she forged relationships with some tech leaders, said Alondra Nelson, former director of the White House Office of Science and Technology Policy.

Even before ChatGPT, Nelson led the White House efforts to draft a blueprint for an AI bill of rights to guard against the technologys potential harms. But it was the speech at the Global Summit on AI Safety in London where Harris brought all those threads together and articulated to the world what American AI strategy was, Nelson said.

Harris said she and Biden reject the false choice that suggests we can either protect the public or advance innovation. And while acknowledging a need to consider existential threats to humanity, Harris emphasized the full spectrum of AI risk.

She kind of opened the aperture of the conversation about potential AI risks and harms, Nelson said.

Vance and the VCs

Trump's pick of the former venture capitalist Vance as running mate added a new element to the differences between the campaigns. So did Trump's newfound endorsements from a group of AI-focused tech leaders including Elon Musk and the venture capitalists Marc Andreessen and Ben Horowitz.

Vance has acknowledged some harmful AI applications, but said at a July Senate hearing that he worries that concern is justifying some preemptive overregulation attempts that would frankly entrench the tech incumbents that we already have.

Andreessen, who sits on the board of Meta Platforms, has criticized a provision of Biden's order that requires government scrutiny of the most powerful and ostensibly risky AI systems if they can perform a certain number of mathematical calculations per second.

On a podcast with business partner Horowitz explaining their support of Trump, Andreessen said he was concerned with the idea that were going to deliberately hamstring ourselves through onerous regulations while the rest of the world lights up on this, and while China lights up on this.

Horowitz read aloud the RNC call to repeal Biden's order, saying that sounds like a good plan to me and noting that he and Andreessen had discussed the proposals with Trump at a dinner.

Trump met with another group of VCs in a video podcast in June, sharing their view that AI leadership will require huge amounts of electricity  a perspective he shared again on the RNC stage where he said it will require twice the electricity thats available now in our country. It was his sole mention of AI in the 92-minute speech.

Are they that different on AI?

Much is still unknown, including to what extent either Harris or the Trump-Vance ticket will heed the opinions of their competing wings of Silicon Valley support.

While the rhetorical differences are sharpening, there's a lot of similarity between how the Trump and Biden administrations approached AI policy, said Aaron Cooper, senior vice president of global policy for BSA The Software Alliance, which advocates for software companies including Microsoft.

Voters haven't yet heard much detail about how a Harris or second Trump administration would change that.

What well continue to see as the technology develops and as new issues arise, regardless of whos in the White House, theyll be looking at how we can unleash the most good from AI while reducing the most harm, Cooper said. That sounds obvious, but its not an easy calculation.
WASHINGTON (AP)  Vice President Kamala Harris and former President Donald Trump released new television advertisements on Tuesday as part of a multimillion dollar battle to gain the upper hand in this years reshaped campaign.

The Harris advertisement, which is a minute long and describes her as fearless, serves as a highlight reel of her political career dating back to her days as a courtroom prosecutor in California. The likely Democratic nominee, who is less well known than Trump, is racing to introduce herself to voters after being thrust to the top of the ticket when President Joe Biden ended his reelection bid a little more than a week ago.

This campaign is about who we fight for, Harris says in the advertisement, which is running during the Olympics, the Bachelorette, the Daily Show and other popular programs.

Her campaign said its the first spot in a $50 million advertising push ahead of the Democratic National Convention, which starts on Aug. 19 in Chicago.

Meanwhile, Trump is trying to define Harris in his own way. The Republican nominees half-minute advertisement targets her work on migration issues, dubbing her the border czar and blaming her for illegal crossings into the United States. After displaying headlines about crime and drugs, the video brands Harris as Failed. Weak. Dangerously liberal.

Border crossings hit record highs during the Biden administration but have dropped more recently.

The Trump campaign has so far reserved $12.2 million in television and digital ads through the next two weeks, according to data from the media tracking firm AdImpact.

The organization did not have updated figures for the Harris campaign on Tuesday morning.
A volunteer carries an elderly off a helicopter at a middle school in Zixing, central China's Hunan Province, July 29, 2024. A number of helicopters on Monday were sent to dispatch drinking water, rice, vegetables, medicine and other daily necessities into some disaster-stricken areas in Zixing City, and successively relocated people stranded in the waterlogged residences. (Xinhua/Chen Zhenhai)

This photo taken from a helicopter on July 29, 2024 shows parts of the disaster-stricken areas in Zixing, central China's Hunan Province. A number of helicopters on Monday were sent to dispatch drinking water, rice, vegetables, medicine and other daily necessities into some disaster-stricken areas in Zixing City, and successively relocated people stranded in the waterlogged residences. (Xinhua/Chen Zhenhai)

Medical workers transfer a patient from a helicopter at a middle school in Zixing, central China's Hunan Province, July 29, 2024. A number of helicopters on Monday were sent to dispatch drinking water, rice, vegetables, medicine and other daily necessities into some disaster-stricken areas in Zixing City, and successively relocated people stranded in the waterlogged residences. (Xinhua/Chen Zhenhai)

Volunteers sort out supplies for the disaster-stricken areas at a middle school in Zixing, central China's Hunan Province, July 29, 2024. A number of helicopters on Monday were sent to dispatch drinking water, rice, vegetables, medicine and other daily necessities into some disaster-stricken areas in Zixing City, and successively relocated people stranded in the waterlogged residences. (Xinhua/Chen Zhenhai)

Volunteers and staff load supplies for the disaster-stricken areas onto a helicopter at a middle school in Zixing, central China's Hunan Province, July 29, 2024. A number of helicopters on Monday were sent to dispatch drinking water, rice, vegetables, medicine and other daily necessities into some disaster-stricken areas in Zixing City, and successively relocated people stranded in the waterlogged residences. (Xinhua/Chen Zhenhai)
Donald Trump and Kamala Harris are targeting each other in big advertising campaigns.

Donald Trump and Kamala Harris are targeting each other in big advertising campaigns. Composite: AP, EPA

Kamala Harris and Donald Trump released dueling campaign ads on Tuesday, as the reshaped US presidential election began to grind into gear with 98 days to go.

Related: Celebrity-studded White Dudes for Harris call raises $4m for vice-president

The US vice-presidents ad, Fearless, was her first since she became the de facto Democratic nominee, after Joe Biden halted his re-election campaign and endorsed her.

Donald Trump wants to take our country backward, Harris said. To give tax breaks to billionaires and big corporations and end the Affordable Care Act. But we are not going back.

The former presidents ad, I Dont Understand, used a snippet of Harris answering a question about immigration policy to bolster a hardline message about drugs, crime, terrorism and the southern border.

Showing footage of her dancing, Trumps ad called Harris failed, weak, dangerously liberal.

Harriss campaign hit back against Trump, pointing to the Republicans role in directing congressional Republicans to reject bipartisan border reform.

After killing the toughest border deal in decades, Donald Trump is running on his trademark lies because his own record and plans are extreme and unpopular, Ammar Moussa, a Harris campaign spokesperson, told reporters.

Harris has been the presumptive Democratic nominee for little more than a week  but she has made an extremely strong start, reeling in more than $200m and appearing to make up ground in the polls.

She is still considering her own vice-presidential pick. But on Monday, Trumps Republican running mate, the hardline Ohio senator JD Vance, was revealed to have made a telling admission about the strength of Harriss start.

In remarks at a fundraiser in Minnesota last weekend, reported by the Washington Post and referring to Bidens decision to give in to those who said he was too old for a second term, Vance said: All of us were hit with a little bit of a political sucker punch.

The bad news is that Kamala Harris does not have the same baggage as Joe Biden, because whatever we might have to say, Kamala is a lot younger. And Kamala Harris is obviously not struggling in the same ways that Joe Biden did.

Biden is 81, and Harris is 59. Trump is 78, making him the oldest presidential nominee of all time. The language of Harriss new ad pointed to Democratic determination to target Trumps age  and to portray him as backward-looking and a thing of the past, now that their own old man is out of the campaign picture.

The Harris campaign is also keen to point to its fundraising efforts, which as the new ad was released saw a White Dudes for Harris Zoom call featuring celebrities including the actor Jeff Bridges, who famously played Jeffrey The Dude Lebowski. The campaign said it raised $4m.

Five years before Bridges made The Big Lebowski, he played the lead role in Fearless, a 1993 movie about a man whose behaviour is changed after he survives a plane crash.

In a statement accompanying the Fearless ad, the Harris campaign chairperson, Jen OMalley Dillon, saluted Democrats own dramatic shift in fortunes, from plummeting polls under Biden to soaring hopes under Harris.

Kamala Harris has always stood up to bullies, criminals and special interests on behalf of the American people  and shes beaten them, OMalley Dillon said, echoing the ads citation of Harriss work as attorney general of California, as well as her time as a US senator and vice-president.

This $50m paid media campaign, bolstered by our record-setting fundraising haul and a groundswell of grassroots enthusiasm, is one crucial way we will reach and make our case to the voters who will decide this election.

The Harris campaign plans to air its ad prominently over three weeks, including amid coverage of the Olympic Games in Paris.

The Trump campaign is also reportedly focusing on Arizona, Pennsylvania, Wisconsin, Nevada, Georgia and Michigan  the key battleground states.
President Bidens historic announcement that he was dropping his 2024 reelection bid has shaken up a race that had mostly stayed static until the past month.

Polls have begun to trickle out in the days since Bidens decision, offering clues to what a contest between Vice President Harris, the likely Democratic nominee, and former President Trump will look like.

Overall, they have shown good news for Harris and the Democrats. In several polls, Harris has performed at least somewhat better than Biden did against Trump before the incumbent stepped aside. But election forecasts remain offline while analysts recalibrate their models for a new match-up, meaning time is needed to better understand what these numbers signify for November.

Scott Tranter, the director of data science for Decision Desk HQ (DDHQ), said he could make an argument that either Trump or Harris is in the preferable position in the race, underscoring how up in the air the race is.

I could probably give you one or two good points, case for either of them, and thats the mark of a true 50-50 race, he said.

In the weeks leading up to Bidens calamitous debate with Trump just more than a month ago, the general trend for polls had been the two candidates locked in a tight match-up nationally, with Trump arguably ahead slightly. He had a clearer advantage across the roughly half-dozen battleground states that will likely decide the winner of the election.

That began to shift somewhat after the debate, with Trump taking more of a lead in national and state polling. Some polls of more traditionally liberal-leaning states, such as New Hampshire and Maine, also started showing Bidens lead over Trump decreasing, giving Republicans hope that they could be in play and expand their map.

Trumps lead in national polling especially grew as calls mounted both publicly and privately within the Democratic Party for Biden to step aside as the nominee. The GOP nominee led in the national polling average from Decision Desk HQ and The Hill by 3.3 points on July 21, the day Biden announced he would end his reelection bid.

Trump had not previously enjoyed a lead that large during the race.

After Biden dropped out, the election forecast models went dark. Trump leads Harris in the DDHQ national polling average by 2 points, but this includes relatively few polls released since last Sunday.

Democratic rallying around Harris as the likely nominee has been swift over the past week, starting with Bidens prompt endorsement of her shortly after announcing the end of his run. And that has seemed to be reflected in some of the polls that have come out over the past week showing greater support for the Democratic candidate.

One of the first national polls to be released after Harris threw her hat in the ring showed her ahead of Trump nationwide. She led by 2 points in a Reuters/Ipsos poll, which was within the margin of error. The same poll taken one week prior had Trump up on Biden by 2 and tied with Harris.

Just as notable, Harris led by 4 points in a three-way race including independent candidate Robert F. Kennedy Jr.  in many instances when Biden had led Trump in a head-to-head match-up, the 45th presidents position relative to Biden improved when respondents could choose among additional candidates.

A majority of respondents said Harris is mentally sharp and able to deal with challenges, 7 points higher than the percentage that said the same about Trump. Meanwhile, only a fifth said the same about Biden.

A poll released Thursday from The New York Times and Siena College, which FiveThirtyEight ranked as the most trustworthy pollster, gave Trump a 1-point lead, 48 percent support to 47 percent, among likely voters. The lead ticks up to 2 points among registered voters. Both are much narrower than the 6-point lead among likely voters and 9-point lead among registered voters that Trump had in the last poll taken before Biden dropped out.

Similarly, an NPR/PBS News/Marist poll found Trump and Harris almost exactly even, with Trump up 1 point.

As some of these polls started coming out, Trumps pollster issued a memo predicting a Harris Honeymoon phase that would see her poll numbers rise as she receives widespread media coverage. But he said the phase will be temporary and not change the fundamentals of the race.

Tranter agreed Harris is in a honeymoon phase but noted that what could be key is how long the phase lasts. He said even if it lasts just 60 days, early voting will have started already. He said Harris has the momentum, which can be reversed, but it could still impact the results.

Surveys of the key battleground states have also shown Harris performing competitively with Trump, in certain cases improving on Bidens numbers in states that were getting a bit further away from his reach.

A survey from Emerson College Polling and The Hill released last week showed Trump leading Harris in most of the key states, but within the margin of error in Pennsylvania, Michigan and Georgia, the last of which Biden had been regularly trailing Trump in throughout the campaign. Trump and Harris were tied in Wisconsin, and he led by 5 points in Arizona.

Across the board, these numbers are a significant improvement for Democrats compared to a similar survey from earlier this month with Biden; Harris outperformed Biden by 3 points in Michigan and Pennsylvania, 4 points in Arizona and Wisconsin and 5 points in Georgia.

Fox News polls of Pennsylvania, Michigan and Wisconsin  three states that gave Trump the presidency in 2016 before flipping back to Biden in 2020  found the race similarly competitive. Trump was up 1 point in Wisconsin and tied with Harris in Michigan and Pennsylvania.

Tranter pointed to polling of bluer states such as Virginia and Minnesota snapping back toward Harris at least initially, after some had shown signs Trump was possibly making inroads in them against Biden.

At the national level, we have Harris is still trailing Trump, but at a much smaller margin than Biden was trailing Trump, he said. So that indicates that we should see that trend continue down at the individual battleground states.

At the same time the race has tightened, both Harris and Trump have experienced boosts in their popularity.

Trumps favorability rating from the DDHQ and The Hill average reached 45 percent in the aftermath of the assassination attempt on him at his Pennsylvania rally this month, while his unfavorable rating has fallen from 57 percent to 51 percent.

Harriss rating rose particularly as calls for Biden to step aside mounted, reaching 44 percent in the polling average. The polling of the past week has observed this increase, and 7 in 10 Democratic respondents in the Times/Siena poll said they want the party to consolidate around Harris.

Tranter said Harriss favorability numbers are better than Bidens but still not much ahead of Trump. Both are slightly underwater with their favorability but within range of each other.

Still, all of these numbers were taken before the Trump-Harris race could fully get underway. Harris is just starting to ramp up her campaign with rallies and ads, and Republicans are still honing their attacks on her after previously having been running against a different candidate.

Harris campaigning could raise her numbers further, or the attacks could cause them to drop.

Theres quite a few more innings left in this campaign cycle for these numbers to move either up or down, but I would say its equal chance they go up as they go down, Tranter said.

Copyright 2024 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.

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HONOLULU (AP)  A man who was identified as a new possible suspect in the killing and sexual assault of a Virginia woman who was visiting Hawaii more than three decades ago killed himself recently after police took a DNA swab from him, officials said.

The Hawaii Police Department on Monday said they matched DNA taken from Dana Irelands body to that of 57-year-old Albert Lauro Jr. of Hawaiian Paradise Park on the Big Island. Police Chief Ben Moszkowicz said Lauro died by suicide and was found at home.

Expert: DNA evidence disconnects Schweitzer brothers to Irelands murder

Authorities zeroed in on Lauro in recent months and got a DNA sample from him off of a discarded fork after they watched him eat lunch. He killed himself last week after police went to his home to test the sample against a swab taken from him in person.

Attempts by the AP to reach Lauros relatives were unsuccessful.

The DNA work represented a major development in a case that made headlines last year when Albert Ian Schweitzer, who had been incarcerated for more than 20 years for the killing, was released based on new evidence. Irelands body was found on Christmas Eve in 1991 on Hawaiis Big Island.

A court officer removes Albert Ian Schweitzers handcuffs following the judges decision to release him from prison immediately, after spending more than 20 years in prison, Jan. 24, 2023, in Hilo, Hawaii. A man who was identified as a new suspect in the murder and sexual assault of a woman visiting Hawaii more than three decades ago committed suicide after police took a DNA swab from him, but before he could be arrested, attorneys said in court filings late Sunday, July 28, 2024.. The DNA work represented a major development in a case that was in the headlines last year when Schweitzer, ,a man whod been incarcerated for more than 20 years for the murder, was released based on fresh evidence. (Marco Garcia/The Innocence Project via AP Images, File)

Schweitzer was one of three men who spent time behind bars over her killing, but he always maintained his innocence. A judge is expected to rule Tuesday on a motion to officially exonerate him.

Attorney says Hawaii police dropped the ball when they let Ireland murder suspect free

Police said the DNA evidence gave them probable cause to bring rape charges against Lauro but the statute of limitations on such charges expired years ago. Murder is still within the statute of limitations for Irelands death but police said they didnt have enough evidence to charge Lauro with murder.

The presence of Lauros DNA at the crime scene was, in and of itself, not sufficient evidence to prove that Lauro intentionally or knowingly caused her death, Moskowicz said at a news conference livestreamed from Hilo.

Police hope Lauros cellphone will provide some answers and that family and friends who knew him in 1991 and now will help police determine what happened, Moskowicz said.

Schweitzers attorneys took the police to task, alleging that they intentionally botched the investigation into Lauro by not taking steps to ensure that he didnt flee or kill himself after they obtained his DNA. They suggested that because of the mans death, the truth about what happened to Ireland will never come to light. They also demanded a federal investigation, as well as all communications related to the DNA work.

We knew that he had a family. He had a good life, Innocence Project co-founder Barry Scheck, who is assisting the Hawaii Innocence Project in Schweitzers case, said of Lauro. Its well known in law enforcement circles  if you have DNA on a guy and you know he committed the crime, that if you do not bring him into custody, there is a serious chance that the person will flee, destroy evidence or kill themself.

Moskowicz said if police arrested Lauro without probable cause, a court wouldnt have accepted evidence they gathered afterward.

He denied police sabotaged the case.

That is abjectly false, 100% not true, he said, adding the police would follow the evidence wherever it goes.

Mayor Mitch Roth, who was the Big Islands top prosecutor when Schweitzers attorneys and prosecutors entered into a conviction integrity agreement to reinvestigate the case, said Monday that he stands behind the police and noted that the results from the swab they collected didnt come in until after Lauro died.

Lauro hadnt been on law enforcements radar when Roth was prosecutor: I dont recall ever seeing this person in any of the police reports when I went over the case.

Moskowicz said Lauro was arrested once in 1987 for shoplifting when he was about 20 years old.

The push to find out who killed Ireland gained renewed traction after the January 2023 release of Schweitzer, who was convicted in 2000 and sentenced to 130 years in prison. Innocence Project lawyers who took up his case argued that he didnt match the DNA on a T-shirt found near Ireland. The shirt didnt belong to Ireland but was soaked with her blood and contained DNA from an unknown man.

Even though Schweitzer was released, his legal team and prosecutors have continued to quibble over whether hes actually innocent and deserves compensation for his years behind bars.

Schweitzers Innocence Project attorneys tracked down a DNA match with help from Steven Kramer, a retired FBI attorney and federal prosecutor who led the genetic genealogy team that solved the Golden State Killer case in 2018. Kramer found a match, based on genetics, ancestry, age, and address history, among other factors.

Lauro, according to Innocence Project court filings filed Sunday, lived less than 2 miles (3.2 kilometers) from where Irelands body was found along a fishing trail in a remote part of the Big Island. He would have been in his mid-20s at the time and owned or had access to a pickup truck that would have left the tire marks found at the scene, the filings said.

Innocence Project attorneys looked up his Facebook page and saw that he was still an avid fisherman and would have been familiar with the trail where Ireland was found.

On Monday, the attorneys called for a federal investigation into why police didnt arrest Lauro, saying they had probable cause to do so. In their filing, they ask for police and prosecutors turn over all communications about the decision not to seek an arrest warrant after the DNA from Lauros fork was tested. They also want to know why he wasnt arrested before or after police took the DNA swab.

A 2023 petition filed in the quest to release Schweitzer, the last of the three Native Hawaiian men who remained imprisoned in the killing, outlined the case, which was one of Hawaiis most notorious.

Ireland, who was 23 years old and visiting from Virginia, was found barely alive in the bushes along a fishing trail in Puna, a remote section of the island. She had been sexually assaulted and beaten, and later died at Hilo Medical Center. The mangled bicycle she had been riding was found several miles (kilometers) away and appeared to have been run into by a vehicle.

The killing remained unsolved for years.

A man named Frank Pauline Jr., who claimed to have witnessed the attack, told police that Schweitzer and his brother, Shawn Schweitzer, attacked and killed Ireland. But he was interviewed at least seven times and gave inconsistent accounts each time, eventually incriminating himself, leading prosecutors to indict Pauline as well as the Schweitzers.

Pauline and Ian Schweitzer were convicted in 2000. Shawn Schweitzer took a deal to plead guilty to manslaughter and kidnapping  and receive credit for about a year served and five years of probation  after seeing juries convict Pauline and his brother in 2000. Pauline died in prison.

The Schweitzer brothers are happy that this person was finally caught, said Kenneth Lawson, co-director of the Hawaii Innocence Project. Theyre disappointed in the way it happened.

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For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to Queen City News.
Hawaii Man Submitted DNA Sample that Linked Him to Woman's 1991 Murder, Then He Died by Suicide

Albert Lauro was reportedly found dead a day before authorities confirmed his DNA matched that found on the body of victim Dana Ireland

Hawaii Police Department Dana Ireland, Albert Lauro Jr.

A man who was identified as a suspect in a 1991 sexual assault and murder on Hawaiis Big Island died by suicide shortly after authorities received a DNA sample from him, police in Hawaii said.

Hawaii Police Department Chief Benjamin Moszkowicz said in a press conference posted on social media that 57-year-old Albert Lauro Jr., whose DNA matched DNA found on the body of victim Dana Ireland, died by suicide on Tuesday, July 23.

Lauro was reportedly found dead a day before authorities confirmed the DNA match, according to Associated Press.

Moszkowicz said that detectives narrowed down potential suspects for Irelands killing  which included Lauro  and obtained a DNA sample from him from a discarded utensil he used.

Moszkowicz said that despite the DNA match, authorities were not at the point where they felt they could arrest Lauro.

We felt then and we continued to feel that the presence of Lauros DNA at the crime scene was, in and of itself, not sufficient evidence to prove that Lauro intentionally or knowingly caused her death, Moszkowicz said in the press conference held on Monday, July 29.

Ireland, who was 23 years old at the time of her death, had been visiting Hawaii from Virginia. She was found in the remote area of Puna in some bushes on Christmas Eve, 1991. She was taken to a local hospital where she died.

Three men were convicted of Irelands murder in 2000, according to local news station Hawaii News Now. One died in prison while the other two  brothers Albert Ian Schweitzer and Shawn Schweitzer  had their sentences vacated last year, Hawaii News Now and KHON2 News reported.

Barry Scheck, co-founder of the Innocence Project, which represented the Schweitzers, criticized police for not arresting Lauro immediately after taking his DNA.

Its well known in law enforcement circles  if you have DNA on a guy and you know he committed the crime, that if you do not bring him into custody, there is a serious chance that the person will flee, destroy evidence or kill themself, Scheck told AP.

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Moszkowicz noted in his press conference that police had planned to get additional information from Lauro to potentially tie him to Irelands murder. He noted that police had already sat down and talked with him before collecting the court ordered DNA sample.

Moszkowicz said that police were able to use technology to get into Lauros cell phone, which police hope will yield information. Police also plan to speak with Lauro's friends and family members.

There is still a lot about this case that we do not know and our investigation into this case continues to push forward. Our search for the truth is not over, he said.

If you or someone you know has been sexually assaulted, please contact the National Sexual Assault Hotline at 1-800-656-HOPE (4673) or go to rainn.org.



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DELPHI, Ind.  Delphi murders suspect Richard Allen's defense team accused investigators Tuesday of intentionally keeping evidence that could prove their client's innocence as they sought to convince Special Judge Frances Gull to dismiss the case against their client.

During a hearing in Carroll Circuit Court on the defense team's motion to dismiss  their second one after Gull denied the first  Andrew Baldwin zeroed in on Brad Holder, a Logansport man who, he argued, has ties to Odinism, had cryptic Facebook posts that connected him to the crime scene, and who should've been a primary suspect in the 2017 deaths of Abigail "Abby" Williams and Liberty "Libby" German.

Instead, Baldwin said, Holder was never meaningfully questioned by law enforcement, and the contents of his phone were never extracted  even though investigators obtained data from the phones of 101 people during their years-long investigation. According to Baldwin, these included every Tom, Dick and Harry that had nothing to do with the case, but not Holder, whose son dated Abby Williams and who had posted an image of runes on his Facebook page that Baldwin claimed resembled the way in which one of the girls' bodies were arranged.

A 'legal disaster': Delphi murder case marred by delays and endless fights

"This is what we're up against," he said, adding later: "There is intentionality on the part of law enforcement to keep evidence from us. (Allen) is never going to get a fair trial."

Allen, who was arrested in October 2022  more than five years after the teens' deaths  is facing four murder charges. The case is one of the most high-profile in Indiana and has attracted worldwide attention, but it's been bogged down by delays, controversies and seemingly endless legal and procedural fights.

The small courtroom in downtown Delphi, where the hearings are being held, was nearly packed Tuesday with family members of the victims, reporters and true crime podcasters who have latched onto the case.

The motion to dismiss is one of several pending matters that Gull is set to hear this week. Other issues involve what evidence can and cannot be presented to jurors. How Gull rules on those motions could significantly impact the outcome of Allen's trial this fall.

The hearing is scheduled to continue Wednesday and Thursday. Gull is not expected to rule on any of the motions this week.

Police cleared Holder during the early stages of the investigation and was never charged.

Indiana State Police Lt. Jerry Holeman, one of the key investigators, testified Tuesday about Holder's alibi on the day the girls were killed. Investigators believe the murders happened between 2:30 p.m. and 3:30 p.m. Feb. 13, 2017, the day Abby and Libby went for a hike along the Monon High Bridge trail. Their bodies were found the next day.

Holeman testified that employee records show Holder, who worked at a landfill about a half-hour away from Delphi, clocked out at 2:45 p.m. He then checked in using a key fob at a gym in Logansport at 4:08 p.m.

Kevin Murphy, a retired Indiana State Police officer who worked on the Delphi case from 2017 to 2019, said that while other investigators did not consider Holder a suspect, he and two others did. He said there was an "undeniable link" between Delphi and supposed Odinists from Rushville.

Earlier in the day, defense attorney Bradley Rozzi pushed for his client to be moved from the Indiana Department of Corrections custody to Cass County Jail, saying the facility is well-equipped to house a high-profile inmate who cannot be safely placed in the general population.

Officers transport murder suspect Richard Allen during a hearing regarding sealed documents, Tuesday, Nov. 22, 2022, at Carroll County Courthouse in Delphi, Ind.

Allen, has been in the custody of IDOC almost since his arrest. He most recently was being held at the Wabash Valley Correctional Facility, about 140 miles away from Delphi. His attorneys, who said Allen has been held in solitary confinement, have been seeking to move him to a nearby jail. They have alleged mistreatment by prison guards and deterioration of his mental health.

Rozzi told the court that moving Allen to Cass County would make it easier for the defense team to access their client.

Carroll County Prosecutor Nicholas McLeland, however, said Allens situation could become more dire if hes moved to Cass County, saying the jail has limited mental health services.

Gull also heard the defense team's requests to compel prosecutors to hand over documents and to sanction them for failing to do so in an organized and timely manner.

Evidence leak, suicide, Odinists: Inside 'bizarre' Delphi murders case

Jennifer Jones Auger, another member of Allen's defense team, said wading through 26 terabytes of data it received from the state was "like looking for a needle in a haystack." She said hundreds of documents were labeled by numbers, making it difficult for the defense attorneys to analyze the records and build their case.

McLeland said the request is "moot" because the state has provided defense attorneys with all the records they've requested.

"The data we gave is the data we have," McLeland said, adding that it is not the state's job to organize the data for the defense. "We've done everything possible to make it easy for them. But here we are."

On Wednesday and Thursday, Gull will hear critical motions on what evidence can and cannot be presented to jurors. These include confessions Allen allegedly made to inmates and prison guards. His attorneys want those statements suppressed, arguing they were made involuntarily while in the throes of a mental health crisis after months in solitary confinement. They point to the harsh conditions of Allen's incarceration, saying they amount to coercion by the state.

Shackled like Hannibal Lecter: Delphi murder suspect's attorneys say he's being mistreated

Gull will also decide whether Allen's attorneys should be allowed to present a key part of their defense: that members of an Odinist cult, not Allen, were the real killers.

McLeland is also asking Gull to prevent testimony about Odinism, cult or ritualistic killing and related evidence from being presented to the jury. He has argued such claims are irrelevant, unfounded and misleading and contended that the defense team should not be allowed to mention, comment on or reference in any way, names or evidence related to Odinism.

Misconduct allegations have been at the forefront of the case.

Defense attorneys have repeatedly accused police and prosecutors of withholding critical information and trying to conceal evidence that someone else had killed the girls.

The defense attorneys have also repeatedly tried to boot Gull off the case, arguing she has shown bias against them.

Allen's trial, which has been postponed multiple times, is now set to start in October. The jury will be selected in Fort Wayne and will be transported to Delphi to hear testimonies. Jurors will be sequestered throughout the trial, which is expected to last more than a month.

Lafayette Journal & Courier reporter Ron Wilkins contributed to this article. Contact IndyStar reporter Kristine Phillips at (317) 444-3026 or at kphillips@indystar.com.

This article originally appeared on Indianapolis Star: Delphi murders suspect Richard Allen is back in court for key hearings
NASHVILLE, Tenn. (WKRN)  The Metro Nashville Police Department (MNPD) is searching for a robber who shot and injured a Dollar General employee in Donelson over the weekend.

People who live in that area have called the shooting a senseless act of violence.

PREVIOUS: Metro Police work to identify shooter who critically injured a clerk during a robbery

MNPD said that a man caught on surveillance video went to the Dollar General on Stewarts Ferry Pike near Interstate 40 just after 9:00 p.m. on Saturday. That man, armed with a gun, demanded money from the clerk.

Before leaving the store, the robber shot an employee in the abdomen. The suspect then sped off in older model white car with only one working headlight, according to an MNPD release

The store was closed on Monday, but reopened Monday. News 2 spoke to one woman who didnt want to be identified, but said that she frequents that Dollar General.





Its very shocking because its mostly women most of the time when I come in here shopping and theyre very nice, very professional, she said. My heart is broken right now.

Police believe the robber in this case is also connected to another Dollar General robbery on Antioch Pike on July 12.

That couldve been one of us, the stores regular told News 2. Like I said, Im here almost every day and my kids DoorDash with me and Uber Eats with me very often. I dont know what I wouldve done if I witnessed that or they witnessed that.

CRIME TRACKER | Read the latest crime news from Middle Tennessee

News 2 also spoke with Metro council member Jordan Huffman whose district is over the area where the shooting happened.

Theres neighborhoods across the road, Huffman told News 2. It shocks me anytime violence is that near.

Huffman said that his constituents have been calling his office since the shooting. He added that at the heart of the issue is the need for more gun reform in the state:

Folks that live in the neighborhood back here have reached out just in concern with Hey, I shop here on a regular basis, and I want to make sure that Im safe. How can you reassure me?' Huffman said. We can do a lot on the city level in regard to police protection and making sure they have a presence here, but we still need some help from our friends at the state in getting guns out of criminals hands.

If you recognize the suspect or have any information that could lead to an arrest, call Crime Stoppers at (615) 74-CRIME, or (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.
Heartbroken Dad Speaks Out After Daughter on Track to Become Nurse Is Allegedly Beaten to Death by Ex

Lauren Johansen was found mutilated and wrapped in a sheet

Lauren Johansen/Facebook Lauren Johansen

After a 22-year-old Mississippi woman was beaten to death and found in a car, her ex-boyfriend was charged with her murder.

Lauren Johansens body was found wrapped in a sheet and mutilated in a car on July 3, according to the Sun Herald, WLOX and WTVF.

Her ex, Bricen Rivers, is charged with murder, grand larceny and tampering with evidence, according to jail records.

Rivers appeared in court on Friday, July 26, according to a report from WDAM, and was denied bail by a judge. It is not immediately clear if he has entered a plea to any of the charges.

Johansens father, Lance Johansen, spoke out after his daughter's death, according to WLOX.

Harrison County Sheriff's Department Bricen Rivers

This is never going to be right with me no matter how many years this goes on, Lance reportedly said. Were just doing the best we can to go through the stages of the mourning process. Theres no timeline you can put on anything, you just have to live one day at a time, and were going to do that to honor Lauren and Im going to try my best to stand up for her and do what she would do if she saw this happen with somebody else.

Related: Woman's Body Found at a Cemetery  Ex-Boyfriend, Who Was Recently Released From Jail, Is Arrested

According to reports from WXXV and WLOX , Rivers had been released from a Nashville, Tenn., jail where he was being held on assault charges a few days before Johansens death.

According to a statement from Nashville police at the time, Rivers was on vacation with his girlfriend when she called [her family] screaming, afraid that her boyfriend may kill her.

The department alleged that Rivers beat her to a point that she almost lost consciousness.

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WDAM and WTVF both reported, citing authorities, that Johansen had been the victim in the Nashville incident, in which Rivers was accused.

A GoFundMe started to raise money in the aftermath of Johansens death has raised over $29,000.

In the description, she is described as an animal lover who was an aspiring nurse.

She was a regular volunteer at multiple animal shelters and rescued many animals, the description reads. She took her dog Bentley Jo and cat Marley everywhere she went. She would have brought her rescue horse Cocoa with her if he had fit in her Jeep. Lauren cared for her siblings who were born premature and have many disabilities."

If you are experiencing domestic violence, call the National Domestic Violence Hotline at 1-800-799-7233, or go to thehotline.org. All calls are toll-free and confidential. The hotline is available 24/7 in more than 170 languages.



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With the Democratic party planning to nominate U.S. Vice President Kamala Harris as the partys 2024 presidential nominee by Aug. 7, a running mate selection is near.

Amid a surge in donations to her campaign and new polling numbers revealing a diminished gap against former president Donald Trump in key swing states, Harriss pool of potential running mates has reportedly been narrowed to three.

Arizona Senator Mark Kelly, and governors Josh Shapiro of Pennsylvania, and Tim Walz of Minnesota are said to be in final consideration.

Among the Democrats that were reportedly in consideration before the narrowed trio were governors Whitmer of Michigan, Andy Beshear of Kentucky, JB Pritzker of Illinois, Roy Cooper of North Carolina, and Wes Moore of Maryland, as well as Secretary of Transportation Pete Buttigieg, and Secretary of Commerce Gina Raimondo.

Here is what the three Democrats in final consideration have said about Ukraine and how their past statements offer a glimpse into what their stance on Russias war might be:

Mark Kelly

A former Navy pilot and current Senator from Arizona, Kelly, 60, is one of the candidates being considered that has advocates for Ukraine in Washington excited.

Last week, Kelly, a former NASA astronaut who represents a border state, went on the offensive against Trumps running mate JD Vance, giving a glimpse of how a potential vice presidential debate over foreign policy would sound.

Its pretty clear to me youve got JD Vance who wants to abandon Ukraine, and youve got Donald Trump who has been in the past rather pro-Russia and leaned in with Vladimir Putin in ways I would never expect the president to do, Kelly said in a July 24 interview with Politico.

So again, we have a serious choice to make, and Id be really concerned about what those guys would do to abandon an ally in favor of an adversary. And that would be a much more dangerous world.

Kellys support of Ukraine has been quite known, as he took to the Arizona skies with Ukrainian pilots training on F-16, furthering his support of delivering the jets to Ukraine. The transfer of F-16s is an element of support Kelly has been adamant about, bringing it up at the 2023 Munich Security Conference, in a letter to the Defense Secretary, and with President Volodymyr Zelensky during two visits to Ukraine.

Russias full-scale invasion of Ukraine is a fight of good versus evil, Kelly said after visiting Ukraine in September of 2023. Russian President Vladimir Putin is committing war crimes on a daily basis, he added.

Josh Shapiro

The 51-year-old governor has led what many say is the most crucial swing state in the 2024 election, Pennsylvania, since being elected in 2022. Shapiro, who is Jewish, moderate, and Pennsylvanias former Attorney General, has drawn opposition from the left of the Democratic party for his consistent support of Israel in its war in Gaza.

On the morning of the full-scale invasion, Shapiro tweeted about his connection to the large Ukrainian community his state is home to. Pennsylvania is home to the second largest population of Ukrainians in the United States, he said. As they fear for their family, friends, and their country today, we stand with them.

Democratic gubernatorial nominee Josh Shapiro gives a victory speech to supporters at the Greater Philadelphia Expo Center in Oaks, Pennsylvania on Nov. 8, 2022. (Mark Makela/Getty Images)

As a career politician of the state of Pennsylvania having served three terms as a state representative, Shapiro is largely viewed as a ticket to winning the swing voters of Pennsylvania in November.

As attorney general in March 2022, Shapiro released guidance on how Pennsylvanians could donate to people in Ukraine. Shapiro has often made remarks in support of Ukraine, but has taken minimal action in practical foreign policy toward Ukraine compared to other contenders.

Tim Walz

The former Army National Guardsman and 60 year old governor of Minnesota won re-election in 2022. In February he established a partnership between Minnesota and Chernihiv Oblast during his meeting with Oksana Markarova, the Ukrainian Ambassador.

Walz, a former high school teacher, met virtually with Zelensky in April of 2023 for a conversation organized by the National Governors Association, the same group that hosted Zelensky in Utah following the NATO Summit in July.

Minnesota Governor Tim Walz speaks about funding for the I-535 Blatnik Bridge before a visit by U.S. President Joe Biden at Earth Rider Brewery in Superior, Wisconsin on Jan. 25, 2024. (Stephen Maturen/Getty Images)

It was an honor to hear from President Zelensky firsthand and offer him our unwavering support, Walz said in a statement following the April meeting. Minnesota is a proud home to many Ukrainian families, and we will continue to welcome and support Ukrainian refugees in our state.

During the beginning of the full-scale invasion, Walz signed legislation requiring the state of Minnesota to no longer do business in Russia or Belarus.

Read also: Biden could cement his legacy by boosting Ukraine support, experts say

Weve been working hard to bring you independent, locally-sourced news from Ukraine. Consider supporting the Kyiv Independent.
He's charged with burning a Black church. Now, he's accused of hurling feces at officers.

PROVIDENCE  The North Providence man accused of trying to set fire to a Black Pentecostal church is now charged with assaulting correctional officers by throwing feces and bodily fluids at them as they tried to feed him breakfast.

Federal prosecutors have charged Kevin Colantonio, 35, with assault on a federal officer after they allege he threw a coffee cup full of feces and body fluids at two corrections officers on March 4.

Colantonio accused in church burning

Colantonio was arrested Feb. 15, three days after authorities say he purchased $10 worth of gasoline and a butane lighter at Cumberland Farms before walking to Shiloh Gospel Temple at 974 Charles St. in North Providence and igniting several fires around the base of the building.

At the time of Colantonios arrest, federal prosecutors reported that investigators had found racist and extremist writings in his apartment.

Hunt them down. Gun everyone who isnt white, Assistant U.S. Attorney Peter I. Roklan read at Colantonios initial appearance in U.S. District Court.

Roklan detailed other alleged writings by Colantonio about burning down churches and targeting nonwhites, exposing a racist, extremist ideology and motive, prosecutors said.

Colantonio pleaded not guilty to a charge of maliciously damaging or destroying property by fire or explosives. He faces a minimum of five years and up to 20 years behind bars if convicted.

At the time, U.S. Attorney Zachary A. Cunha suggested Colantonio could face additional charges, including alleged hate crimes.

The church has been around for 35 years and has about 100 members, most of whom are Black.

Colantonio has been held at Donald W. Wyatt Detention Facility in Central Falls since his arrest.

Feds: Cup full of feces, fluids

An affidavit in support of the most recent charge against Colantonio details two unnamed officers at Wyatt offering him coffee around 7:35 a.m. March 4. They said Colantonio retrieved his coffee cup from inside his cell and hurled its contents  a mix of feces and other bodily fluids  at them through the food slot.

In the aftermath, the mixture could be seen on the officers uniforms and on the floor outside the cell, the affidavit said.

Colantonio is due in court on the charge Friday before U.S. Magistrate Judge Patricia A. Sullivan.

This article originally appeared on The Providence Journal: Already accused of church burning, RI man allegedly threw poop at officers
The Lebanese terrorist group Hezbollah launched an attack on northern Israel, killing 12 children and wounding scores of others on Saturday. Hezbollah initially took responsibility for the attack on the messaging app Telegram. But once the group understood what happenedand the potential military and public relations fallout that the attack would triggerIrans most powerful proxy attempted to deny responsibility.

Hezbollahs denial, while patently absurd, holds a certain amount of logic. For one, the Druze children in the town of Majdal Shams who perished in the attack were almost certainly not the groups intended target. And the group understands that an attack that claims the lives of so many children could be the spark that triggers a devastating war that Hezbollah would probably prefer not to fight. At least not now.

At the same time, Hezbollah is already playing with fire. The group began firing missiles, drones, and rockets toward Israel on October 8 last yearone day after Hamas carried out the slaughter of 1,200 Israelis and kidnapped another 250-plus, many of whom have been killed in custody. Hezbollah has fired thousands of projectiles at Israel over the last nine months. An estimated 100,000 Israelis from the countrys northern communities have been forced from their homes. Under normal circumstances this would already be a full-scale war.

But these are not normal circumstances. Israel has been battling Iranian proxy groups that have set the entire Middle East on edge the past nine months. Hezbollah has taken comfort in the fact that the Biden administration has restrained the Israelis by discouraging them from widening the war into Lebanon. What Hezbollah doesnt seem to understand is that Israelis of all stripes are now ready to fight this war with or without the White Houses blessing. And when this war erupts, the likelihood is low that both sides will agree to fight a limited confrontation.

Hezbollahs war logic is simply not grounded in reality. And it may come back to bite the group. The Israelis were reportedly ready to delay their fight with Hamas in order to destroy Hezbollah. Hezbollah dodged a bullet when the Biden administration publicly and repeatedly counseled the Israelis against it.

The group knows full well that a war with Israel will lead to the total collapse of Lebanon, which is already a failed stateboth politically and economically. And yet, the group continues to attack Israel on a daily basis, believing American restraint on the Israelis has virtually foreclosed the possibility of war. It thus vows to keep fighting until the Gaza war ends. That itself is an odd position, given that Hamas continues to reject one ceasefire proposal after the next. Nevertheless, this has been Hezbollahs rationale for continued attacks, leaving little room to stand down.

But Hezbollah was always playing with fire. With constant rocket and drone attacks into Israel, the Majdal Shams calamity was inevitable. If there was anything surprising, it was that a mass casualty event of this type did not happen sooner.

Actions have consequences. But the group is hoping that it will somehow escape paying a heavy price by denying responsibility. Some pro-Hezbollah media have suggested that the attack was the result of an errant Israeli Iron Dome interceptor. The Israelis have provided evidence to the contrary, noting the exact location of the launch and the exact time, too. And the Israelis have vowed to respond with significant force. Whether Hezbollah is willing to absorb the coming blows or this leads to an escalation remains to be seen.

Hezbollah continues to operate under the dangerous assumption that Israel does not want a wider war. The Israelis view Hezbollah as a metastasizing threat on their northern border for which there is no peaceful solution. They have no faith in the deficient French and U.S. ceasefire proposals intended to buy quiet along the Blue Line the de facto boundary separating Israel from Lebanon drawn up in 2000 to certify Israeli withdrawal from south Lebanon. Israel understands that these would be mere short term fixes for long-term dangers. Hezbollah would use these weak arrangements to ultimately arm at breakneck speed in preparation for initiating, at a more fortuitous time for it and the Axis of Resistancethe Iranian-led alliance of regional militias and forcesthe regional war against Israel that Hezbollah and Iran still seek to wage.

In other words, if a ceasefire is imposed along the Blue Line now, Hezbollah will not give the Israelis another chance to deal this project a fatal blow. Indeed, one of the factors that has restrained Israel to date has been the lack of a justification before the international community to attack Lebanon with overwhelming force. The murder of 12 children may change that calculus.

Admittedly, Israel may seek to keep this conflict contained, in light of all the other threats and pressure that it must contend with. However, given the grave nature of Hezbollahs attack and the casualties it caused, the Israeli government may have no choice but to show its public that it is willing to go to great lengths to restore order on its northern border. This could mean strikes on the Hezbollah stronghold of southern Beirut, known as Dahiyeh. But an Israeli response might also include decapitation strikes against Hezbollah senior leaders. Either of these options may push the conflict to new levels of escalation.

Whether or not the international community and the media wish to acknowledge it, the war between Hezbollah and Israel may be past the point of containment. Ceasefire deals will only forestall a serious escalation for a time. Both sides understand that a destructive war is almost certainly on the horizon.

The Biden White House, hobbled as it may be, now has a few choices. It can try to negotiate a deal, but the chances of achieving one are slim. It can try to ride out the next six months and mount efforts to limit the escalation. Or it can provide the Israelis with what they need to finish off Hezbollah after all. Given its earlier miscalculations, and the inadvertent comforting signals it sent to Hezbollah, whatever path Team Biden chooses will be fraught with danger.

Read more at The Dispatch

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HONG KONG, July 30 (Xinhua) -- The Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (HKSAR) government on Tuesday welcomed a new visa-free policy issued by the National Immigration Administration, saying that the policy would support tourism cooperation between Hong Kong and China's southern island province of Hainan.

Starting Tuesday, people from countries with diplomatic relations with China can visit Hainan visa-free for 144 hours via tour groups registered in Hong Kong and Macao special administrative regions, the National Immigration Administration announced.

The implementation of the policy will further promote the integration of the tourism markets of Hong Kong and Hainan, and inject new vitality into the tourism cooperation between the two places, the HKSAR government said in a statement.

The HKSAR government will communicate and coordinate with the relevant authorities of Hainan to ensure the smooth implementation of the policy, it said. 
Hezbollah military commander claimed killed by Israel was blamed by the US for 1983 Marine bombing

A man inspects a destroyed building that was hit by an Israeli airstrike in the southern suburbs of Beirut, Lebanon, Tuesday, July 30, 2024. An Israeli airstrike hit Hezbollah's stronghold south of Beirut Tuesday evening causing damage, a Hezbollah official and the group's TV station said. (AP Photo/Hussein Malla)

BEIRUT (AP)  The Hezbollah commander who the Israeli military says it killed in an airstrike Tuesday had been blamed by Israel for a deadly weekend rocket attack and was accused by the U.S. of orchestrating the 1983 bombing in Beirut that killed 241 American servicemen.

A statement from Israeli military spokesperson Daniel Hagari said the target of the strike, Fouad Shukur, was behind the Saturday rocket attack on the town of Majdal Shams that killed 12 young people in the Israeli-occupied Golan Heights of Syria.

Hezbollah, which denied it was behind the Majdal Shams attack, didn't confirm that Shukur was the target of Tuesday's airstrike or that he was killed.

If Israel's claim proves true, Shukur would be the most senior Hezbollah commander to be killed since 2016, when Mustafa Badreddine, the groups military commander in Syria, died in an explosion in the Syrian capital of Damascus.

The Israeli military said that Shukur had directed Hezbollahs attacks on Israel since Oct. 8, after the Israel-Hamas war erupted, and that he was also involved in the killing of numerous Israelis and foreign nationals over the years.

It said Shukur was responsible for the majority of Hezbollahs most advanced weaponry, including guided missiles, cruise missiles, anti-ship missiles, long-range rockets and UAVs.

The 62-year-old, secretive Shukur was in charge of Hezbollahs forces in southern Lebanon along the border with Israel as well as being a top official in the groups missile program.

He had been a close aide to Hezbollahs top military chief, Imad Mughniyeh, who was assassinated in 2008 by a car bomb in Damascus. Shukur had since been a close military adviser to Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah.

Like most of Hezbollah's military officials, little is known about Shukur, who was also known as Sayed Mohsen. The U.S. Treasury Department had offered a $5 million reward for information about him.

He joined Hezbollah when the group was founded following the 1982 Israeli invasion of Lebanon that forced the Palestine Liberation Organization to leave Lebanon.

Shukur, who was a member of Hezbollahs Jihadi Council, the groups top military body, was accused by the United States of planning and staging the truck bombing of a Marine Corps barracks in Beirut that killed 241 American service members.

The bombing near the Beirut International Airport on Oct. 23, 1983, remains the deadliest single-day attack on Marines since the Battle of Iwo Jima in World War II. A near-simultaneous attack on French forces killed 58 paratroopers.

The U.S. Treasury Department listed Shukur as a specially designated national on July 21, 2015, for acting for or on behalf of Hezbollah.

Like most Hezbollah military officials, Shukur played a role during Syrias conflict that broke out in 2011 in which the Iran-backed Hezbollah sent thousands of fighters to join President Bashar Assad's Syrian forces, helping tip the balance in his favor.

After the Israel-Hamas war broke out Oct. 7, Shukur was accused by Israel of being behind many of the drone and missile attacks that Hezbollah carried out against Israel.

In the thousands of rockets it has fired since October, Hezbollah has insisted it targets military and intelligence installations. Still, Hezbollah rockets have hit civilian areas. Before Saturdays bloodshed, its strikes had killed 13 civilians and 22 soldiers in Israel. In Lebanon. Israels attacks have killed more than 500 people, including 90 civilians.
High-rise with workforce housing could come to Hollywood Beach. Some dont want it

The Hollywood Beach Broadwalk is lined with local eateries, quaint apartments and boutique hotels, some whose buildings have been around since the 1930s. The sweltering July heat beams down on visitors, some who are attracted to the citys calm and beautiful beach views.

But some locals say the cutesy feel of Hollywood could change if developers behind a 18-story mixed-use development are allowed to build under Floridas Live Local Act. If approved, the tower would be the second tallest building north of Hollywood Boulevard after Margaritaville Hollywood Beach Resort.

Its a very big building and were living on a barrier island, said Hollywood resident Linda Montanari. I dont think that all of the infrastructure here is good enough for that kind of structure.

New York-based developers Condra Property Group discussed the project at the citys Technical Advisory Committee meeting on July 1 for a 18-story property that would include some commercial development, workforce housing with units priced to be affordable for people making 120% of the area median income, and a separate building that will include a three-story beach club with a pool on the roof. The area median income for Broward County is $88,500, according to the latest data. The average rent for a two-bedroom apartment in Hollywood is $2,285, according to Apartments.com.

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New York-based Condra Property Group wants to build an 18-story tower along Hollywood Beach.

The developers purchased 11 buildings between Oklahoma and Nebraska streets between Ocean Drive and the broadwalk with the initial vision of building new, luxury hospitality and hotels. Mark Drachman, one of the co-founders and principals for Condra Property Group said the initial anti-development sentiment they received from residents quelled that idea, but the Live Local Act reopened the possibility to build and provide more.

In Hollywood Beach, we run a large hospitality organization where a lot of workers that are not able to afford to live in places that we work, Drachman said. Its going to bring jobs and a lot more opportunity for those in the area.

Right now, all of the citys committee members have not signed off on the plan, spokesperson Joann Hussey said in an email to the Miami Herald. The citys division of planning and urban design is also still reviewing the application to determine if it meets the requirements of Live Local.

There is no time frame for sign offs yet, but once they do this item could move forward to permitting pretty quickly, Hussey said in a July 16 email to the Miami Herald.

New York-based Condra Property Group wants to build an 18-story tower along Hollywood Beach.

Florida lawmakers passed the Live Local Act in 2023 with the intention of increasing workforce housing across the state, but local officials and residents have criticized the bill as a way for developers to bypass local planning laws and build taller buildings that ruin the character of cities. Hollywoods top elected official said hes willing go to court over the Live Local Act, if thats what it takes.

Hollywood Mayor Josh Levy said the act limits projects to the height allowable within a surrounding mile, and in the case of central Hollywood Beach, the height allowed by the citys zoning in a surrounding mile is 65 feet or 6 stories. Margaritaville was built before the existing zoning was written.

There is no opportunity for live local applications on Hollywood beach that wish to exceed the allowable height by zoning, Levy told the Herald. If they want to look for recourse in the courts, the city would be happy to present its zoning code to a judge and the plan together with the plain language of Live Local Act. We have no doubt that the courts would agree with the plain meaning of the law and our code and uphold Hollywoods height limits for Hollywood beach.

Drachman and his partner Allen Konstam, who have been buying multiple properties in the area since 2008, acknowledged the concerns people have about developers building with the Live Local Act, but said that the taller development would be along the A1A and not the broadwalk.

You wont feel this overpowering structure throughout the entire street, Konstam said. We put a lot of thought and consideration into the design of the building, based on the fact that people dont want to feel like its dark and theres no sunlight coming in. People want to be able to walk down a street and look up and see the sky.

Residents and visitors were mixed about the development, which some said would take away the idyllic views and ruin the quaintness of the relatively low-rise beach community.

I think it would be great because its always nice to have more rooms and stuff that are available, said Beth Head, a visitor to Hollywood Beach. But I also kind of like the quaintness of this place. If youre walking down the street, you can see the ocean. And I like the fact that its not so overcrowded.

The new development would also sit near longtime businesses, such as Golden Sea Apartments, whose customer base is primarily senior citizens and Canadian residents. Owner of the apartment complex Rosary Andreen said if the building is built, her property will practically sit in the shadows of the tower.

This is my home. This is my business. This is everything to me, she said. I just feel like Im completely enclosed. Im just very upset.

Catherine Uden, Hollywood mayoral candidate and one of the few residents who spoke during the committee meeting, said shes concerned about how overdevelopment of the barrier island will affect residents and traffic on a flood-prone street.

My issue is mainly life safety and the whole kind of irresponsibility of building large projects on the barrier island, she told the Herald So its not necessarily particular to this project, its any tall, high density project. We have a very narrow, low lying barrier island.

Uden said while shes worked to stop very tall large scale development, she isnt against workforce housing. We need it in South Florida, she said, Just put it in a responsible, appropriate place with roads that can actually handle it, roads that arent underwater.

Clive Taylor, president of the Hollywood Historical Society, said the buildings that would be torn down were built in the 1930s by architects that sought to mimic the South Beach look with the art deco design.

When you look at all of Southeast Florida, to have that special broadwalk in place with the low rise historic hotels, (it) doesnt exist anywhere else, Taylor said. People from (Miami-)Dade County regularly drive up to Broward to go to our beach. Everybody goes to the broadwalk because they love that type of feel and we could lose that.

Konstam said the buildings are battered by the storms and will need to come down eventually.

These buildings need to be taken down and need to be repaired, he said. The only way that any of this makes sense is to build a building that can withstand the conditions and bring in the money needed to generate it and make it a viable property. Its only a matter of time before theyre in full disrepair.

Should the developers be denied, both men said they will pursue their legal options.

Head, who was staying at the Neptune Hollywood Beach Hotel, seemed hopeful that if the development were built, that residents who needed it would be able to afford to live on the beach.

Terri Lear, who was staying at the Neptune Hollywood Beach Hotel with Head and their friend Cindy Edelen, said she visited the beach last year with Edelen and liked the homey atmosphere of the beach.

Last year, we booked this room and we thought well, for this price, theres no way its going to be anything good, she said. But when we got here, we loved it [and] we said were coming back next year. If they have a big high-rise, I imagine thats going to increase prices up and down the boardwalk, too, and we like it just the way it is.

She also worried about the tower potentially displacing mom-and-pops or businesses such as that of Andreens Golden Sea Apartments.

Whether they want to be out or not, it could force all these other little places that we are so quaint and nice to be gone, she said.
Hillary Clinton Gives Trump And His GOP Cronies Some Brutally Honest Election Advice

Democrats have dismissed Donald Trump, his presidential running mate JD Vance and other key Republican figures as weird and creepy.

Now, former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton  who lost to Trump in 2016  is getting in on the act with some unsolicited advice for GOP leaders.

Clinton wrote:

If Republican leaders don't enjoy being called weird, creepy, and controlling, they could try not being weird, creepy, and controlling.  Hillary Clinton (@HillaryClinton) July 29, 2024

Democrats have increasingly used the terms to describe Republican figures and their policies.

After Trump spoke on Fox News last week, Vice President Kamala Harris campaign released a statement describing the former president as old and quite weird.

Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz, who is reportedly being considered by Harris as a running mate, explained the use of the term over the weekend, saying its about removing the fear that gives them some of their power.

The fascists depend on fear, he said. But were not afraid of weird people. Were a little bit creeped out, but were not afraid.
In a new legal brief filed Tuesday, the Hillsborough County School Board found more ways to protest the County Commissions action to block a property tax referendum.

At stake is the school districts ability to ask voters in November to OK a special tax that would generate more than $150 million for employee bonuses. A split County Commission voted earlier this month to delay the referendum until at least 2026, saying it has the right to do so under state law.

The legal battle between the two entities must be resolved by late next month ahead of the Supervisor of Elections preparing ballots that may or may not include the taxing question.

In Tuesdays response, school board attorneys said the county is misinterpreting a state law that directs county commissions to forward school taxing questions to elections supervisors.

The commission has argued that, if it had no decision power, the state law wouldnt include commissions.

School board attorneys, while alleging the county attorneys are misinterpreting state law, say one logical reason that commissioners should be consulted was the possibility that school leaders would want to schedule special mid-year elections. Around the state, there have been other court cases concerning the timing of school tax elections.

But the law governing school taxes was amended in 2022, requiring all such referendums to be held in November. Because of that change, school board attorneys wrote, other legal decisions about choosing a date are not relevant.

The school board attorneys also suggested the Legislature involved county commissions because county bureaucracies oversee specific tasks such as mailing out notices and maintaining polling places.

School board attorneys also noted that the proposed ballot language describes a tax that would run from July 2025 to 2029. Delaying the referendum would shorten those tax collections by two years. And, they add, there is no guarantee that the two-year delay would not be extended indefinitely, amounting to a county veto.

School leaders say they need the money to pay competitive salaries amid widespread teacher shortages. Such taxes exist in Pinellas, Pasco and other counties. Critics of the tax, including Gov. Ron DeSantis, say the district should manage its money more carefully.

Having heard from both sides, Judge Emily Peacock can either rule on the motions or call a hearing before making a decision.
HONOLULU (KHON2)  Dana Ireland was the victim of a brutal sexual assault and was killed in 1991. The hunt for her killer has taken many turns. The Hawaii Innocence Project said DNA evidence led authorities to a suspect. But now, that suspect is dead.

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Ken Lawson, co-director of the Hawaii Innocence Project said its disappointing to think that after all this time, the killer will never be brought to justice.

Attempted murder in Waipahu sends three to hospital

After decades, Dana Irelands killer was finally identified with the help of expert FBI genetic testing and samples taken from a fork of a suspect, according to the Hawaii Innocence Project.

So on July 1, the lab comes back and says we have a match. It matches this guy, right? He is the person who committed the rape. Its his sperm that was found on Danas body. Its his sperm that was found on the hospital gurney she was put on when she was taken to the hospital. Its his sperm that was found on the t-shirt. Its him, explained Lawson.

Lawson said the Innocence Project reached out to the attorney generals office with concerns regarding how the Hawaii County Police Department would handle the situation.

He said they were assured the investigation would be handled professionally. Last Wednesday, Lawson said he got an upsetting email.

I open it up, and its like, oh that one. The detective went out there and swabbed this guy on Friday, July 19, and it doesnt look like from the DNA report, they arrested him. We started calling around to see if this guy is locked up in jail. We call the prosecutors office like Hey, wheres this guy at?'

Once he realized the suspect was not in jail, he called the morgue and found what he feared to be true.

He committed suicide on Tuesday. Why would you let someone who you know is the match? This aint anything like that. Its a match and you just let them go. Ken Lawson, Co-Director of Hawaii Innocence Project

Lawson said they filed court documents to preserve any evidence the Hawaii Police Department may have collected during their time with the suspect and want the FBI to launch an investigation into the handling of the situation.

For Dana Irelands family, you kind of feel for them because theres just so many questions that are now going unanswered, said Lawson.

KHON2 reached out to the Hawaii County Police Department, who said they will be issuing a statement and holding a press conference on Monday.

The hearing for the motion to preserve evidence will be held Tuesday at 8:30 a.m. Albert Ian Schweitzer and Shawn Schweitzer were both exonerated of Irelands murder.

The Hawaii Innocence Project hopes the evidence will prove without doubt that the Schweitzer brothers are innocent.

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For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to KHON2.
The Hinsdale Township District 86 School Board unanimously opposed plans for a Tax Increment Financing (TIF) district planned by the Village of Clarendon Hills, during a special meeting on Wednesday, July 24

The 55th Street TIF District proposal, located along the north and south sides of 55th Street between Western Avenue and Kingery Highway, is a plan by Clarendon Hills to inject more revenue into the area to spur new development.

The district, which contains approximately 70 parcels assessed at a value of over $14 million, could last up to 23 years and experience 3.5%-5% annual growth, according to the Village, increasing the value of the area to $30-$40 million upon completion.

District 86s tax base would be locked at the lands current value until the end of the special tax district, while any increase in taxes in the area would go to fund the TIF, according to counsel from Robbins Schwartz, a legal firm hired to represent District 86.

Despite the school boards opposition to the plans, the establishment of the TIF comes down to the Clarendon Hills Village Board which is nearing the end of the planning phase.

The bad news is school districts do not have a veto of TIF even though theyre probably the most financially impacted by a TIF district, Scott Ginsburg, a partner at Robbins Schwartz, told the school board Wednesday. Municipalities have wide discretion in this matter meaning that even if 100% of the board members voted against the TIF the village could still get it in pretty easily.

One of the school board members concerns is that the area around 55 Street will rise in property value with or without the TIF in place, ostensibly removing a significant revenue stream over the next two decades.

This area over the past five years has seen annual growth, there was one blip year in 2020  not only is it growing, but its exceeding the village as a whole, Ginsburg said.

Part of Clarendon Hills TIF plans includes upgrading the districts infrastructure, such as stormwater improvements and road repavement to attract new development.

District 86 is left in a precarious position on how to influence the decision-making going forward; they can negotiate with the Village to hash out a settlement or exert political pressure amongst the shared constituency of the school district and Clarendon Hills, Ginsburg said.

The Boards July 24 meeting itself was an act to exert political pressure on Clarendon Hills to bring the school districts concerns to the table if the TIF is enacted.

The average homeowner in District 86 could see an annual $24 tax increase, according to estimates provided by Robbins Schwartz. These increases are not isolated to Clarendon Hills, but the entire school district tax base, Hinsdale D86 Board President Catherine Greenspon said.

We do not serve the same constituents, there is overlap, but the D86 constituency is much larger than this TIF district, the entirety of the D86 footprint outside Clarendon Hills and unincorporated Clarendon Hills will absorb this tax burden, Greenspon said. Its everybody, Burr Ridge, Hinsdale [and] parts of Willowbrook.

The Board directed its legal team to request Clarendon Hills delay a joint review board meeting scheduled for July 31, so that parties affected by the TIF can respond and provide feedback.

What we do know for sure and definitively is that taxpayers will be impacted  what we dont know is if development is guaranteed, D86 board member Jeff Waters said.
The world has seen a version of this story before: A charismatic leader and demagogue with a God complex leads a populist-authoritarian movement and rises to power by claiming to be the savior of a people. This leader and his propagandists mine the resentment, hostility, anxiety and frustration of a disaffected population and direct it an out-group. Leaders of this new movement show themselves to be pathological, and their pathologies spread as a form of collective sociopathy that attracts like-minded followers and infects an entire nation.

The country where this happens experiences a crisis of democratic legitimacy and other profound changes in the order of things: "Normalcy" becomes malignant; the public sinks into learned helplessness and survival mode. Instead of stopping this threat to democracy and the rule of law, the legal system enables it. "Responsible elites either do not take the danger to democracy seriously, reason that they can profit from this leader and his movement, or decide to ride it all out and position themselves for survival.

This leader and his movement increasingly encourage violence as they pressure, infiltrate, undermine and bring down existing democratic institutions, both from within and without. The leader attempts a coup but is unsuccessful on his first attempts. The existing social and political order proves to be far weaker and more malleable than the elites and mostof the public expects. Voices of dissent are systematically silenced as the aspiring dictator and his party embark on a revolutionary project aimed at remaking society to suit their twisted vision. In both versions of this story, the leader survives an assassination attempt and then uses that event to present himself as a force of destiny and crush resistance.

The American people  or at least those who are paying attention  have already grasped the parallels and understand that denial will not save them. Too many Americans, unfortunately, have not learned that lesson.

To discuss these dangerous historical parallels, I recently spoke with historian Timothy Ryback, director of the Institute for Historical Justice and Reconciliation in The Hague and the author, most recently, of "Takeover: Hitler's Final Rise to Power." His earlier books on the Third Reich include "Hitlers First Victims," "Hitler's Private Library" and "The Last Survivor: Legacies of Dachau." His writing has also been featured in The New Yorker, The Atlantic, the Financial Times, The New York Times Magazine and elsewhere.

Ryback warns of the many overlaps and similarities between the rise of Adolf Hitler and the Nazis in Germany and the ascendancy of Donald Trump and the MAGA movement, and also discusses some important differences. He argues forcefully that we must learn the lessons of history without assuming it is destined to repeat itself. He argues, for instance, that Trump is in a far more precarious political situation than may be obvious on the surface, especially in the wake of President Biden's decision to stand aside in the 2024 presidential election, passing the torch to Vice President Harris.

How are you feeling these days? How are you making sense of this recent torrent of events?

How do I feel emotionally? With Kamala Harris as the prospective Democratic presidential candidate, a sense of relief. Hope that democracy in America still has a chance. A few weeks ago, I despaired for the America that once was. Astonishment that a hatred-spewing demagogue appeared poised to return as our president. A deep concern, call it dread or mild terror, knowing where political polarization and right-wing political fanaticism led Germans in the 1930s, and where right-wing extremism appears to be leading many Americans today.

Given your expertise, what do you see as you look at the Age of Trump?

Hans Frank was asked a similar question about Hitler while he was awaiting trial in Nuremberg [after World War II]. Frank was the lawyer who helped engineer Hitlers strategy to dismantle democracy through democratic process and was ultimately hanged at Nurnberg as a war criminal for his role in Nazi atrocities.

The Fuhrer was a man who was possible in Germany only at that very moment, Frank said. Had he come, let us say, 10 years later when the republic was firmly established, it would have impossible for him. And if he had come 10 years earlier or at any time when there was still the monarchy, he would have failed. According to Frank, Hitler came at a terrible, transitory moment, when the Kaiser was gone but the democratic structures were not yet secure.

For Hitler, 1933 was a make-or-break moment. He had tapped into the fear, anger and hatred of large portions of the electorate from the German heartland, who felt abandoned by the political establishment, with a simple set of talking points that he drove home repeatedly: economic despair, fear of foreigners, border security, the promise of making Germany great again. Remember Deutschland uber alles?

It is no different with Trump in 2024, both in terms of political talking points, but also in terms of the precarity of the moment, not only for America but also for Trump. With the upcoming election, America faces its own terrible, transitory moment that will decide the future of democracy in our country. Like Hitler, Trump is a once-in-generation political leader, a man who is only possible at this moment, especially since he will be 82 years old for the next presidential election, and we just learned what Americans think about octogenarian presidential candidates.

What, if anything, about the conventional wisdom regarding the age of Trump and our current democracy crisis most troubles you as a historian? Does it leave you rolling your eyes?

I spend more time rubbing my eyes than rolling them. The parallels between America and Weimar Germany astonish me. Legislative gridlock, political polarization, a deluge of incendiary news stories (some fake, some real), a proliferation of handguns. Its like deja-vu all over again.

What troubles me most? The fact that Hitler and his National Socialists never received more than 37% of the national vote in a free and open election, and Trump is polling at around 50% or higher, according to some sources. These are percentages of popular support that Adolf Hitler could only have dreamed of achieving in a free and open election. The big question is how much Joe Bidens historic decision and Kamala Harris historic candidacy will have on polling numbers and ultimately at the voting booth.

What is history, and why do we study it? How should we apply those lessons from the past to the present?

In simplest terms, historians tell us how we got from where we were to where we are. We chronicle, explicate, elucidate and constantly re-adjudicate historical events and personages. Thats what keeps us in business.

In this process, we select those facts that support the argument we want to make. We tend to marginalize or disregard those that do not. This gleaning process can imbue certain events or people, e.g., the rise of Adolf Hitler, with a sense of historical inevitability. We highlight those facts that help explain why he was appointed chancellor and forget the political contingencies that could have resulted in a very different outcome, which is the point I wanted to make in writing Takeover. It is a story of political contingency rather than historical inevitability.

A simple example from the present moment: In the past few weeks, we have seen a series of breathtaking developments that have scrambled, then re-scrambled, the American political landscape, along with virtually every strategic calculation: the attempted assassination of Donald Trump on July 13, followed by Bidens announcement on July 21, followed by Kamala Harris emergence as the prospective Democratic candidate. Who could have seen these coming? Who knows what impact they will have? Who knows what further unforeseen events await us in the months ahead? No one can say at this point who will be the next president of the United States. But I assure you, a week after the election, every pundit and scholar in America will have a compelling, itemized explanation as to why the one candidate won and the other lost.

History does not repeat itself, but it sure does rhyme.

While political contingency certainly precludes historical inevitability, it does not mean that there are not resonances, parallels and lessons to be taken from the past. Perhaps it is best to view them as warning signals. I think this is what we are seeing with the repeated comparisons between Hitler and Trump. There are, in fact, some rather disturbing rhymed couplets, if you will. Here are a few of the most striking.

Presidential elections: Hitler loses the spring 1932 presidential election by 6 million votes, then goes to court to have the results overturned amid claims of voter fraud and irregularities by state officials. Trump loses the 2020 U.S. presidential election by 7 million popular votes and 74 electoral votes (306 to 232), then goes to court amid claims voter fraud and irregularities by state officials to have the results overturned. In both instances, the cases were dismissed out of hand.

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Trumps 24-Hour Reich: Trump said he would be dictator for a day, while Hitler promised a thousand-year Reich. Whether we are talking about 24 hours or a millennium, it is as chilling a rhymed couplet of stated political intent as one could envision.

Political vengeance: Hitler vowed revenge on his political opponents, promising heads will roll as soon as he came to power. Remember the Night of the Long Knives? In June 2024, exactly 90 years to the month that Hitler had his key political opponents murdered, Trump vowed vengeance on his own political enemies with the phrase, Haul out the Guillotine!

Finally, in the run-up to the November 1932 Reichstag elections, Hitler urged his followers to rally, with the promise, Es wird wild werden, an almost too perfect rhyme with Trumps call to his followers for Jan. 6, 2021, Be there, will be wild!

As with Hitler, as with Trump, when it comes to the poetry of politics, one should not discount the madness in the method.

There are clear and obvious parallels between the rise of the Nazis in Germany and the political crisis today in the U.S. caused by Donald Trump and the MAGA movement. Why is there so much resistance to this basic fact?

We are hardly the first to sense and dismiss potentially nascent fascism in America. You have inadvertently, or perhaps subliminally, referenced the 1936 novel by Sinclair Lewis, that addresses this very point: "It Cant Happen Here: What Will Happen When America Has a Dictator?

In a way, I can appreciate this inclination to believe in American exceptionalism. Back in the 1980s, as a graduate student at Harvard, I served as a teaching fellow in a course on Weimar and Nazi culture, taught by Richard M. Hunt. I framed the failure of the first German democracy in temporal terms. The Weimar Republic, which existed from 1919 until 1933, lasted less than 13 years, barely a half generation, compared with the United States with more than 200 years, at least 10 generations, imbued with democratic values and experience. Democracy was hardwired into us, I liked to say. It was part of our DNA as Americans. Hard to believe how naive this sounds today.

Here, I might add that Sinclair Lewis was married to Dorothy Thompson, a star reporter who managed to secure an interview with Hitler in autumn 1931. When I walked into Hitlers room, I was convinced that I was meeting the future dictator of Germany, Thompson reported. In something like fifty seconds, I was quite certain I was not. It took just about that time to measure the startling insignificance of this man who has set world agog. Thompsons interview appeared in January 1932. Within a year Hitler was chancellor.

To my eyes, these denials are willful attempts to avoid the ugliness of racial authoritarianism and fascism here in the U.S., as seen with Jim Crow apartheid, chattel slavery, the American Nazis, the Ku Klux Klan, racial pogroms, the genocide against Indigenous peoples and so on.

Americans may exercise willful blindness to this ugliness, but Hitler did not. He looked to America as a source for some of his most toxic ideas. For a time, he had a portrait of Henry Ford hanging on his office wall and, in the foyer, translations of the Ford treatise, "The International Jew: The Worlds Foremost Problem." In his private library, he had a copy of Madison Grants racist treatise, "The Passing of the Great Race." Hitler allegedly called it his Bible. Hitlers original copy is in the rare book collection, along with 1,200 of his other books, at the Library of Congress.

And what about that internet "rule" which holds that whoever brings up the Nazis first automatically loses the argument? How has such denialism limited the American peoples ability to understand the extreme danger they are facing?

If memory serves, Time magazine considered featuring Hitler as its Person of the Century back in 1999 but opted for Einstein. Hitler haunted the second half of the 20h century. He continues to stalk the public consciousness today. As silly as that "law" may be, Hitler remains the ultimate go-to example for vilifying an opponent. As you will recall, JD Vance, back in 2016, called Trump Americas Hitler. As far I know, he did not mean it as a compliment. But if Trump is indeed Americas Hitler, what does that make JD Vance, now that he is Trumps running mate? Possibly Joseph Goebbels, the Hitler disciple who vowed that once he and Hitler were in office "they will have to drag us out as corpses  which was, in fact, the case in the spring of 1945.
ELMIRA, N.Y. (WETM)  18 News has learned the owner of the historic First Baptist Church in downtown Elmira is looking for partners, funding and ideas on how to redevelop the property. The 132-year-old structure has been vacant since it closed in 2009.

Chemung County property records show it sold for $82,750 to Laurentiu Marian on October 15th, 2010. Records show the previous owner listed as First Baptist Church Trustees. The church, located at 121 West Church Street, is among 112 properties included in the City of Elmiras July edition of its Fight on Blight list of worst landlords.

As we first reported last week, code violations have been posted on the doors of the church since June 11th, 2024. The Elmira Code Department says the structure is unsafe and there is imminent danger from collapsing bricks on the exterior of the structure.

The First Baptist Church and its congregation were part of the Underground Railroad, led by efforts from sexton John W. Jones after he escaped slavery in Virginia in 1844. The current church was built in 1892. It replaced a church built 1847 that was later damaged by a fire. The first First Baptist Church in Elmira was built in 1830.

Elmiras historic First Baptist Church is crumbling. Will it be saved?

In a phone call, Laurentiu Marian said when he first purchased the property in 2010, he wanted to turn it into a Montessori school. Marian says the plan involved some partners who were in the fracking business. He says funding dried up and the plan was abandoned after Governor Cuomo banned fracking in 2014.

Mr. Marian told 18 News he is now looking for new partners with funding and ideas on how to best redevelop the property. When asked if he would consider selling the property, Marian said he is only seeking a partner at this time.

Fight on Blight City of Elmira gives updated list of property violations

Marian said he would address the code violations regarding falling bricks. He said he believes the structural integrity of the property is still sound. 18 News has not been able to look inside yet. Marian says people who are homeless break into the church every week. He says they leave behind vandalism and graffiti. Marian says he calls police every time there is a break-in.

Marian told 18 News he could not estimate the cost of necessary repairs. He said the total cost of redeveloping the property depends on the kind of project that is chosen. Marian described the property as having great potential.

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Hobby Lobby is coming to the Route 6 Mall near Honesdale.

The arts and crafts retailer is leasing most of the former Kmart store site at the far right end of the mall, as seen from the parking lot.

Texas Township Code Enforcement Officer Robert Bates confirmed Monday that Hobby Lobby was issued a building permit. He said work has started on the new store.

The project manager, Mike Shaver, stated that do not have a finishing date and were waiting for the plans.

Acadia Realty Trust, which owns and leases tenant spaces at the Route 6 Mall, indicates that Hobby Lobby will use 54,632 square feet. T.J. Maxx, which opened in August 2023, takes up 23,006 square feet. This store and Hobby Lobby make up portions of the old Kmart, with a 11,424-square-foot retail space yet to be leased between them. Kmart closed this location in 2018.

This rendering of an exterior of a Hobby Lobby arts and crafts retail store matches in style what is depicted on the website for Arcadia Realty Trust, the owner of the Route 6 Mall near Honesdale. Arcadia has leased 54,632 square feet of the former Kmart space for Hobby Lobby.

Shaver works for Sun Industrial, which does the build-out work for Acadia Realty Trust. Work on the exterior has only just begun, with emergency exits being cut. They will also construct the main entrance. He said that Hobby Lobby has not yet gone to bid for their general contractor. Shaver said that Sun Industrial began work on June 15.

According to the company website, Hobby Lobby started in 1970 and today has more than 1,000 stores and 46,000 employees across 48 states.

The nearest Hobby Lobby to Honesdale is in Dickson City, Lackawanna County. It opened in 2012.

Hobby Lobby's site states that their stores offer "over 70,000 items featuring home decor, seasonal decor, tableware, floral, art supplies, craft supplies, yarn, fabric, jewelry making, hobbies and much more."

The interior of the large space that originally housed the Kmart store at the Route 6 Mall near Honesdale is seen on July 29, 2024. Hobby Lobby has signed a lease with the owner, Acadia Realty Trust, to open a retail store here. Workers are cutting an emergency exit door, at left.

Store hours are listed as Monday through Saturday from 9 a.m. to 8 p.m.; all Hobby Lobby stores are closed on Sunday, the website states. The company lists one of its core commitments as "Honoring the Lord in all we do by operating the company in a manner consistent with Biblical principles."

Asked about what may be built on the site of the former Taco Bell restaurant in the Route 6 Plaza, adjacent to the Route 6 Mall, Bates said that there was no added information. The restaurant, which was damaged in a fire in 2021, was demolished in October 2023. Anthony Mazonkey, vice president of Mark Development Corporation, the firm that owns the Route 6 Plaza, said at the time that the site was cleaned up with hopes to lease it to another party, which had not yet been found. The Taco Bell sign still stands.

For more information and depictions, visit: acadiarealty.com/properties/search/property/90-route-6-mall-honesdale1420396057.

Peter Becker has worked at the Tri-County Independent or its predecessor publications since 1994. Reach him at pbecker@tricountyindependent.com or 570-253-3055 ext. 1588.

This article originally appeared on Tri-County Independent: Hobby Lobby approved for old Kmart space in Route 6 Mall
CHICAGO  Home Run Inn is giving away 3,000 free slices of pizza Tuesday in Marquette Park at one of the CPS Back-to-School Bashes.

The bash takes place from 1 p.m. to 5 p.m. at Marquette Park. Home Run Inn is setting up on Redfield Drive on the east side of Kedzie.

Were grateful to Home Run Inn for their past and ongoing support of Chicago Public Schools, said CPS CEO Pedro Martinez. This generous donation at our Back-to-School bash will undoubtedly make our families happy and show them that our business community supports students in their pursuit to succeed this school year.

Chicago spot ranked among best pizza places in the US by New York Times

Home Run Inn said they will be large slices of pizza.

CPS starts school on Aug. 26.

Copyright 2024 Nexstar Media, Inc. 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.
Tourists pose for photos in the Kanas scenic area of Altay, northwest China's Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region, July 22, 2024.

Xinjiang is experiencing a tourism boom this year. Covering approximately one-sixth of China's land area, Xinjiang boasts diverse and unique natural landscapes, as well as rich historical and cultural tourism resources. (Xinhua/Ding Lei)

Tourists enjoy a performance in the Kazanqi folk tourism area in Yining City, Ili Kazak Autonomous Prefecture, northwest China's Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region, July 27, 2024.

Xinjiang is experiencing a tourism boom this year. Covering approximately one-sixth of China's land area, Xinjiang boasts diverse and unique natural landscapes, as well as rich historical and cultural tourism resources. (Xinhua/Ding Lei)

Tourists buy local snacks in Yining City, Ili Kazak Autonomous Prefecture, northwest China's Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region, July 28, 2024.

Xinjiang is experiencing a tourism boom this year. Covering approximately one-sixth of China's land area, Xinjiang boasts diverse and unique natural landscapes, as well as rich historical and cultural tourism resources. (Xinhua/Ding Lei)

A tourist poses for photos at a homestay in the Kazanqi folk tourism area in Yining City, Ili Kazak Autonomous Prefecture, northwest China's Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region, July 27, 2024.

Xinjiang is experiencing a tourism boom this year. Covering approximately one-sixth of China's land area, Xinjiang boasts diverse and unique natural landscapes, as well as rich historical and cultural tourism resources. (Xinhua/Ding Lei)

Customers buy traditional Tatar pastries in Tacheng City, northwest China's Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region, July 24, 2024.

Xinjiang is experiencing a tourism boom this year. Covering approximately one-sixth of China's land area, Xinjiang boasts diverse and unique natural landscapes, as well as rich historical and cultural tourism resources. (Xinhua/Ding Lei)

An aerial drone photo taken on July 22, 2024 shows the Kanas scenic area of Altay, northwest China's Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region.

Xinjiang is experiencing a tourism boom this year. Covering approximately one-sixth of China's land area, Xinjiang boasts diverse and unique natural landscapes, as well as rich historical and cultural tourism resources. (Xinhua/Ding Lei)

An aerial drone photo taken on July 22, 2024 shows the Kanas scenic area of Altay, northwest China's Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region.

Xinjiang is experiencing a tourism boom this year. Covering approximately one-sixth of China's land area, Xinjiang boasts diverse and unique natural landscapes, as well as rich historical and cultural tourism resources. (Xinhua/Ding Lei)

A tourist poses for photos in the Kanas scenic area of Altay, northwest China's Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region, July 22, 2024.

Xinjiang is experiencing a tourism boom this year. Covering approximately one-sixth of China's land area, Xinjiang boasts diverse and unique natural landscapes, as well as rich historical and cultural tourism resources. (Xinhua/Ding Lei)

Tourists visit the Qicai river resort in Burqin County of northwest China's Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region, July 21, 2024.

Xinjiang is experiencing a tourism boom this year. Covering approximately one-sixth of China's land area, Xinjiang boasts diverse and unique natural landscapes, as well as rich historical and cultural tourism resources. (Xinhua/Ding Lei)

Tourists visit the Qicai river resort in Burqin County of northwest China's Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region, July 21, 2024.

Xinjiang is experiencing a tourism boom this year. Covering approximately one-sixth of China's land area, Xinjiang boasts diverse and unique natural landscapes, as well as rich historical and cultural tourism resources. (Xinhua/Ding Lei)

Tourists visit the Kanas scenic area of Altay, northwest China's Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region, July 22, 2024.

Xinjiang is experiencing a tourism boom this year. Covering approximately one-sixth of China's land area, Xinjiang boasts diverse and unique natural landscapes, as well as rich historical and cultural tourism resources. (Xinhua/Ding Lei)

Tourists enjoy the scenery at Ulunggur Lake in Fuhai County of Altay, northwest China's Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region, July 21, 2024.

Xinjiang is experiencing a tourism boom this year. Covering approximately one-sixth of China's land area, Xinjiang boasts diverse and unique natural landscapes, as well as rich historical and cultural tourism resources. (Xinhua/Ding Lei)
'House of Horrors' Survivor Jordan Turpin Posts Video of Herself Crying to Show Others Theyre Not Alone

Jordan Turpin helped her siblings escape their parents' abuse in the so-called "House of Horrors" in January 2018

Jordan Turpin/Instagram Jordan Turpin

Jordan Turpin, who helped her siblings escape their parents' abuse in the so-called "House of Horrors" in January 2018, has posted a video to Instagram with a sympathetic message to people who are going through tough times.

The Tuesday, July 30 post, which shows footage of the 23-year-old crying in some moments and looking distraught, is accompanied by a short caption that reads: You are not alone. Im sorry to anyone that [has] been in a similar mind set. Its a cycle and we have to be strong enough to break the cycle.

In 2018, Turpin saved herself and her 12 siblings from parental abuse after climbing through a window of their home in Perris, Calif., and using a disconnected cell phone to call 911.



Prior to their rescue, the Turpin siblings, who ranged in age from 2 to 29 at the time they were freed, had spent most of their lives indoors  hidden from the outside world  where they were regularly beaten and starved. At times, the children were chained to their beds or put in cages for breaking house rules.

Jordan Turpin/Instagram Jordan Turpin

Related: Jordan Turpin Says 'Strong' Demi Lovato Has 'Been There for Me' Through a 'Rough' Year (Exclusive)

Their parents, David and Louise Turpin, were sentenced to 25 years to life in prison after they each pleaded guilty to 14 felony counts, including cruelty to an adult dependent, child cruelty, torture and false imprisonment.

After their escape, the six youngest Turpin siblings were sent to live with foster parents, Marcelino and Rosa Olguin, and their adult daughter Lennys Olguin. However, they said they were physically and sexually abused.

Related: Jordan Turpin Opens Up About Healing from a 'Rough Year' with a New House, 4 Dogs and 4 Guinea Pigs (Exclusive)

Riverside County Sheriffs Department Louise and David Turpin

Marcelino was arrested in January 2021 and charged with multiple counts including committing a lewd act on a child under 14 years old, committing a lewd act on a child 14 to 15 years old when the defendant is 10 or more years older than the victim, false imprisonment and inflicting injury on a child, PEOPLE previously reported.

Rosa and their daughter Lennys were charged with willful child cruelty, false imprisonment, inflicting injury on a child and dissuading a witness.

They previously pleaded not guilty and are due back in court in September, a spokesperson for the Riverside County District Attorney's Office tells PEOPLE. Their attorneys previously could not be reached for comment by PEOPLE.

The Turpin siblings filed two separate lawsuits against Riverside County and a private foster care agency in July 2022, claiming the defendants were aware the Olguins were allegedly "unfit to be foster parents" because the family had a "prior history of physically and emotionally abusing children as well as severely neglected children who had been placed in their care."

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.

Once she transitioned out of the foster care system, Jordan spoke exclusively to PEOPLE in 2022 about her new lease on life.

"Sometimes I walk into my apartment and literally think, 'Is this real?' I'm more independent and can just be myself. This is everything I ever wanted," she said about having a safe place to call her own. "I've been feeling like my life is about to actually start."

Over the years, Jordan has posted about new developments in her life. In May, Turpin posted about a new boyfriend, photographer Matt Ryan, on Instagram. She also posted about meeting a number of celebrities including Howie Mandel, Demi Lovato, and TikTok star Charli D'Amelio.

If you suspect child abuse, call the Childhelp National Child Abuse Hotline at 1-800-4-A-Child or 1-800-422-4453, or go to www.childhelp.org. All calls are toll-free and confidential. The hotline is available 24/7 in more than 170 languages.



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Read the original article on People.
Bipartisan leaders of the Helsinki Commission are calling on the Biden administration to sanction Bidzina Ivanishvili, the billionaire former prime minister of Georgia that critics accuse of pulling the strings in Tbilisis turn away from Europe and its deepening authoritarian rule.

In a letter to Secretary of State Antony Blinken sent last week, the Republican and Democratic heads of the independent commission call for financial sanctions on Ivanishvili and his inner circle, to address key nodes of corruption and malign influence in Georgia.

The letter was led by Reps. Joe Wilson (R-S.C.), the chairman of the committee, and Steve Cohen (D-Tenn.); and commissioners Rep. Richard Hudson (R-N.C.) and Rep. Marc Veasey (D-Texas).

Ivanishvili is the founding member of Georgias ruling Georgian Dream party and despite holding one year in office in 2012, is considered a significant influence over the partys platform. Ivanishvili is reported to be worth between $5 billion and $7 billion, having made his fortune in metals and banking in post-Soviet Russia.

While he is said to have sold off his Russian assets ahead of his term as prime minister, some non-government groups have raised concern of continued ties to the Russian economy, and his Georgian Dream party has been criticized for maintaining friendly ties with the Kremlin at the expense of closer ties with Europe.

In April, Ivanishvili gave a rare public address accusing a Western global war party of meddling in Georgia  part of a campaign by Georgian Dream officials criticizing Europe and the U.S. as trying to push Tbilisi into war with Russia on behalf of supporting Ukraine.

The bipartisan letter comes as legislation has stalled in Congress to impose costs on Georgian government officials identified as undermining democratic processes, security in Georgia and violating human rights.

The bill, called the MEGOBARI Act, which means friend in Georgian, passed out of the House Foreign Affairs Committee earlier this month with overwhelming bipartisan support. But the House went into recess last week, freezing any new legislative activity. The House is expected to return in September.

We believe these actions would strongly complement our bill, the Mobilizing and Enhancing Georgias Options for Building Accountability, Resilience, and Independence (MEGOBARI) Act, the lawmakers wrote of sanctions.

This legislation would help bolster democratic practices, human rights, and the rule of law in Georgia, and reaffirm the United States commitment to supporting Georgias Euro-Atlantic integration and countering the influence of authoritarian regimes, particularly Russia.

The Biden administration started to exercise consequences on some Georgian government officials in May, following the passage of a so-called foreign influence law in the country. The Georgian government argues that the legislation increases transparency in the funding sources for non-government organizations, but critics say it serves to suppress and criminalize opposition, independent media and civil society groups.

Opponents of the foreign influence law said it directly mirrors Russian legislation passed in 2012 that has decimated the free press, civil society organizations and political opposition. Critics of the law warn its implementation, set to take place in September, will allow the government to stifle political opposition ahead of the October election.

The Biden administration has put in place authorities to impose visa restrictions on individuals in Georgia it deems responsible for or complicit in undermining democracy in Georgia, as well as members of their family members.

But the bipartisan group of lawmakers said the pace and severity of events on the ground suggest to us that more needs to be done urgently to protect the Georgian population.

It must be made clear that the principal agents of corruption and malign influence in or in league with anti-Western elements in Georgia will not be free to prey on the Georgian people and attack its democracy at will, the lawmakers wrote.

The lawmakers further called for the Biden administration to crack down on scam call centers around the world that they say is a source of dark money that sustains Georgian Dreams system of sprawling and malign patronage

We believe it is urgently imperative for the State Department, in cooperation with U.S. and friendly foreign law enforcement agencies, to take swift, immediate, and systematic action against these call center networks and other such efforts internationally to destroy or disrupt their operations, the lawmakers wrote.

Copyright 2024 Nexstar Media, Inc. 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.
Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham, along with Albuquerque and state officials listen to a speaker during a public safety town hall. This is the second listening session Lujan Grisham hosted on the topic. People from the public rose their hand to speak. (Photo by Shaun Griswold / Source NM)

At the second of a series of town hall meetings on Monday night, New Mexico Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham heard from members of the public for six hours.

In an auditorium at Central New Mexico Community College in Albuquerque, locals raised issues ranging from difficulty finding mental health treatment, unfair or unlawful evictions, lack of communication from the government offices responsible for victims of crime, and visible poverty in their neighborhoods.

Every time I drive somewhere, in every single community, I see risks that are easy to see  thats not every public safety issue  I see these risks escalating and growing exponentially, Lujan Grisham said.

The governor was joined by a panel of elected and appointed government officials including Albuquerque Mayor Tim Keller, Senior Public Safety Advisor Benjamin Baker, Health Secretary Patrick Allen, Bernalillo County Sheriff John Allen, Albuquerque Police Chief Harold Medina, City Councilor Joaquin Baca, Albuquerque Associate Chief Administrative Officer Mariela Ruiz-Angel and Chief Deputy District Attorney Joshua Boone.

Audience member Kevin Cooper said people with substance use disorder should be put into the Metropolitan Detention Center, the county jail outside of Albuquerque. He said the jail is being underutilized because of bail reform. He was not the only one to suggest putting mentally ill people or those with substance use disorder into locked facilities.

Lets reimagine the Metropolitan Detention Center, call it the Metropolitan Development Center, and put people out there to get them off of drugs, into rehabilitation, into job learning, Cooper said. Theres a hospital out there. Theres 2000 beds tonight, ladies and gentlemen, that could house our homeless.

Comments like that scared Erica Davis-Crump, a mental health advocate who also attended the town hall.

The stigmatization as I listen to a person of a certain demographic say that they want to fill the beds at MDC  as the daughter of the oldest in my home, where my intersection needs  my baby brother is panhandling out there somewhere, she said. Im so scared for the intersection that my family sits at, and what that means for those that dont have an option to have an exodus from here.

Lujan Grisham has insisted that her legislative agenda is not intended to criminalize poverty or stigmatize mental illness.

These issues are not about criminalizing being poor, unhoused, or mentally ill, she said. But there is an intersection.

Taryn, a licensed social worker who was in the audience, told Lujan Grisham thats exactly what she is doing with her policies.

Our system was not meant for justice, she said. It was meant to oppress and marginalize people, and thats what it continues to do, and thats how I see your policies: as continuing to marginalize individuals.

She said putting people in prisons or psychiatric facilities still doesnt solve the lack of resources once they get out.

Lujan Grisham said she thinks we need the jail, unfortunately, to be available until we get caught up.

She said there are the resources available to build a place for people to go, thats not just a shelter, thats really a reimagining how we lift people up.

But people have to want to go, and by and large, far too many people that are intersecting these systems are unwilling to go and stay in these programs, the governor said. I think part of that is were not getting to the right folks.

An audience member who did not identify themselves said they have experienced homelessness and came up with a question for the governor while trying to sleep in the cab of his pickup truck.

Ive heard a lot of ideas of where the homeless should be, whether its prisons, or mental facilities, or hotels that are refurbished, they said. I noticed the one answer that never comes up is a place of their own.

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A week after the Lubbock City Council decided to deny the First Friday Art Trail a $30,000 grant, the Human Rights Campaign issued a letter condemning the council's decision and asking them to reconsider.

Last week, in a 5-2 vote, the council decided to deny Louise Hopkins Underwood Center for the Arts' FFAT a city grant funded through the hotel occupancy tax due to it promoting the "gay agenda" through LGBT workshops and drag shows.

The issue was brought forward by District 3 Councilman David Glasheen and was backed by Mayor Mark McBrayer and Councilman District 4 Councilman Brayden Rose. Councilwoman Christy Martinez-Garcia for District 1 voiced her opposition to denying the funds.

Cathryn Oakley speaks during an Oklahoma school board meeting at the Oklahoma Capitol in Oklahoma City, on Thursday, April 25, 2024.

In a letter addressed to the city council, Cathryn Oakley, senior director for legal policy for HRC, stated that "it is imperative that the City Council be mindful that drag performances are constitutionally protected speech," citing a U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Texas ruling on the matter.

"Governments are, therefore, without power to restrict expression solely based on its content, including the ideas it conveys and the subject matter it addresses," reads the letter. "Likewise, restrictions based on a specific act or message of the speaker, a performer in this instance, is a more blatant violation of freedom of speech protections. To be clear, the vote to deny funding using the reasoning that drag performances may be a part of a publicly-funded event necessarily targets such performances based solely on their content. Drag performers, then, are specifically targeted because they have engaged in this type of speech and form of expression."

More: Mayor responds to Lubbock's concern about council slashing First Friday Art Trail funds

Oakley went on to say that another reason the council cited in denying funds was due to them viewing LGBT-focused art displays to be inappropriate, which she reiterates is discriminatory and unconstitutional.

She also reiterates the sentiment Martinez-Garcia said during the meeting  people have a choice on whether they attend FFAT, including parents choosing to bring their children to the events.

"The Court makes clear that parental rights encompass the ability to consent to exposing their children to forms of expression that may be considered inappropriate to others and that drag performances are no different than an individuals taste in music or feelings toward certain types of comedic performances," reads the letter. "There is nothing inherently adult or obscene about drag performance."

Oakley noted in her letter over 400 pieces of anti-LGBT legislation around the nation were introduced this year and that the council's decision to defund the FFAT due to its hosting "LGBTQ+ inclusive events are a part of the organizations programming only furthers that harm and can be seen as a part of this campaign to curtail the rights of LGBTQ+ people."

Closing out the letter, Oakley asks that the council reconsider the vote.

"We respectfully ask that FFAT be treated like any other group seeking public funds to host community events, with full recognition of constitutional protections on speech and expression, and that the Lubbock City Council reconsider its vote to deny such funding," reads the statement.

McBrayer, for his part, released a statement on Friday in response to growing criticism of the decision. The mayor indicated the council was working with stakeholders to find a solution. The full statement reads:

Thank you all for taking the time to express your concern over the City Councils vote to not provide a grant to the Louise Hopkins Underwood Center for the Arts (LHUCA) for the First Friday Art Trail (FFAT) this upcoming year. As you may be aware, the City of Lubbock, through the auspices of Civic Lubbock, Inc.s (CLI) Cultural Arts Grant Awards program, supports approximately 30 different events annually in Lubbock. The money for these grants come from the Hotel Occupancy Tax (HOT tax) the city collects on each hotel stay. So, it is a tax-payer funded program, and the City Council is responsible for approving each grant.

I appreciate your commitment and enthusiasm towards LHUCA. I, like you, enjoy the FFAT and generally think it is worthy of support from our HOT tax. Importantly, not every cultural arts event that applies for the grant gets awarded, nor could the grant program provide substantial funds to all the events that happen within the city. Not all requests get funded for the full amount of the request, either. Choices regarding worthy recipients must be made. CLI conducts the initial review and then presents their recommendations to the City Council for final approval.

A common concern that many of you shared in your phone calls and email was that CLI and LHUCA were not made aware in advance that the vote to defund would occur and were not provided an opportunity to respond with additional information and specifics regarding LHUCAs request and CLIs recommendation. City Staff and I have since reached out to representatives of CLI and LHUCA to allow them to respond, and they have done so by providing additional facts and specificity, which I believe may have impacted the Councils analysis. Although I cannot speak for anyone else on the City Council, with the additional information received, Im hopeful we will come to an arrangement regarding funding the grant with LHUCA and FFAT for the coming year.

With that, I simply ask that you give the City Council an opportunity to work through this in a way that provides support for the arts in Lubbock in a manner that is beneficial for our entire community. I appreciate your phone calls and emails. As always, please do not hesitate to reach out to me on any item that is of concern to you.

This article originally appeared on Lubbock Avalanche-Journal: HRC asks Lubbock City Council to reconsider First Friday Art Trail funds
Humane Society provides update on kitten seriously injured after being set on fire

A kitten is fighting for his life after being set on fire in Dayton earlier this month, according to a spokesperson from the Humane Society of Greater Dayton.

The incident happened near Richmond Avenue and Kenwood Avenue on July 7.

Dayton police were called to the area on reports of a fight and found two people arguing when they arrived, News Center 7 previously reported.

>>RELATED: Man accused of setting kitten on fire formally charged

Officers learned the people were arguing because someone set a kitten that was set on fire.

Crews found the kitten near a home on Kenwood Avenue and it appeared to be burnt all over its body. An empty gas can was found on the porch of that home, according to a previous News Center 7 report.

Eric Williams, 21, was arrested on scene.

A Montgomery County grand jury indicted Williams on one felony count of cruelty to companion animals and one misdemeanor count of arson on July 17, News Center 7 previously reported.

While the courts deal with him, we have a more pressing situation at hand: saving the life of the innocent kitten who happened to be in the wrong place at the wrong time, the spokesperson said.

The kitten, whose name is Joffrey, was brought to the Humane Society in critical condition.

The spokesperson said he was suffering from severe burns and large wounds.

The team worked to help Joffrey, but he was later transferred to The Ohio State University Veterinary Center for specialized care.

Joffrey has undergone two surgeries, but the care team expects more to follow.

The spokesperson said he has also developed a severe infection that is resistant to treatment, and is on strong antibiotics.

>>RELATED: Man accused of setting kitten on fire facing charges

Joffrey will be at Ohio State for at least another three weeks.

The spokesperson said the Humane Society has spent around $3,000 on Joffreys medical expenses.

We do this because we believe in second chances and want to see this amazing and resilient kitten fully heal, the spokesperson said.

Joffrey is showing remarkable strength, despite his pain and injuries.

To help support Joffreys recovery, donate to the Humane Society of Greater Daytons Rescue Fund at www.hsdayton.org/fire.

Although he isnt out of the woods yet, we are becoming more hopeful each day, and with your support, we will continue to do everything possible to save this kittens life, the spokesperson said.

Williams is in custody at the Montgomery County Jail and is expected to appear in court on August 8.

We will continue to follow this story.
The European Union is worried that a new Hungarian visa rule for foreign workers from Russia and Belarus could endanger EU security, after a leading conservative politician warned the trade bloc about the rule.

European People's Party's (EPP) Chairman Manfred Weber warned European Council President Charles Michel in a letter that the visa liberalization move could pose a "serious risk" to EU security.

Hungary has previously operated a special visa regime for foreign workers from Ukraine and Serbia. Budapest expanded the rules in July to eight countries, including visitors from Russia and Belarus.

According to the visa regulations, foreign workers may stay for two years and then have their stay extended for three years at a time - for as often as they wish.

Foreign workers may also work in any profession. However, in order to benefit from the regulation, they must prove that they have a job, accommodation and health insurance in Hungary.

"Such a policy could create grave loopholes for espionage activities, and potentially allow large numbers of Russians to enter Hungary with minimal supervision," Weber wrote in a letter seen by dpa.

Weber called for EU leaders to address the Hungarian visa rules at the next summit in October.

Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban's government is viewed as close to Russia by other EU member states.

Orban came under fierce criticism from other EU countries for recent visits to Kiev, Moscow and Beijing on a self-proclaimed "peace mission" to end the Ukraine war.

The European Commission said it would contact the Hungarian government about the new visa rules. A spokeswoman said that Russia is considered a threat to the EU.
by Xinhua writer Yuan Quan

BEIJING, July 30 (Xinhua) -- Just like many other fields, intellectual property (IP) development in China is currently undergoing a transition, seeing a greater focus on quality rather than a simple scale expansion. The latest efforts from China's top IP regulator were presented at a press conference on Monday, highlighting how this significant shift contributes to economic growth and international engagement.

INNOVATIVE GROWTH

Shen Changyu, head of the China National Intellectual Property Administration (CNIPA), noted the progress China has made in generating high-value IP, a key indicator of a country's innovation performance. With a population of 1.4 billion, China's ownership of high-value invention patents had climbed to 12.9 patents per 10,000 people by June this year, surpassing the national target set for the end of 2025.

Certain high-value patents produced by universities and research institutions have already been utilized in advanced, smart and green industries. And the contributions that patent-intensive sectors have made to China's GDP have risen to 12.7 percent, Shen said, citing the latest data and stressing the role of IP in driving innovative growth.

To support the development of emerging industries, China has continuously improved its patent examination efficiency for big data, artificial intelligence (AI) and gene technologies.

And the impact is particularly evident in the field of AI. According to the CNIPA, there were 378,000 effective AI invention patents in China by the end of 2023, representing a year-on-year growth rate of over 40 percent, which is 1.4 times higher than the global average.

China has also taken the global lead in number of generative AI patent applications, the World Intellectual Property Organization reported earlier this month.

The surge in invention patents from industries such as AI has demonstrated strong innovation in the digital economy, which has been a crucial engine driving China's economic growth, senior CNIPA official Ge Shu said at the press conference.

INTERNATIONAL ENGAGEMENT

The term "international engagement" was heard frequently on Monday. Officials repeatedly emphasized the importance of emerging industries' participation in international IP governance, the implementation of strict punitive measures according to the highest global standards for IP protection, and enhanced IP cooperation with the rest of the world.

Shen said that China has signed agreements and established bilateral IP cooperation deals with 57 Belt and Road Initiative partner countries. Over the past decade, it has provided training to more than 1,200 IP officials and practitioners from those countries. And China's patent authorizations in the 57 countries have been growing at an average annual rate of 20 percent, with invention patents related to digital and green technologies experiencing even faster growth.

And, without a doubt, China's IP has also gained international recognition.

The number of foreigners applying for patent protection in China has been increasing. In the first half of this year, foreign applicants filed 78,000 invention patent applications in China, with that figure seeing year-on-year growth of 13.1 percent. Japan accounted for the highest number of applications, followed by the United States and the Republic of Korea.

Committed to creating a fair business environment and ensuring strong IP protection for foreign enterprises, China has intensified its efforts to enhance legislation, implement efficient dispute resolution mechanisms, and establish regular communication channels to support foreign enterprises.

"Over the past year, we resolved several IP disputes involving companies from the United States, Germany, France, Italy, Thailand and Denmark. Our efforts have received high praise from foreign companies," said Hu Wenhui, deputy commissioner of the CNIPA.

China will enhance international IP cooperation further and align high-standard international economic and trade rules proactively, enabling foreign companies to benefit from the country's development in an improved manner, Hu added. 
Viktor Orban and Vladimir Putin during their meeting in Moscow in July. Stock photo: Orban on Facebook

Hungary has simplified the conditions of entry for citizens of Russia and Belarus. After Hungarian PM Viktor Orban's visit to Moscow, Budapest included citizens of these countries in the programme of the so-called national card, which is issued for two years with the possibility of extension for those who want to work in Hungary.

Source: German media outlets RND and DW

Quote from RND: "For several days now, Russians have been able to enter the EU through Hungary without any security checks and move freely to other EU countries. This was made possible by the registration as guest workers in Hungary, which Prime Minister Viktor Orban extended to people from Russia and Belarus in July. There is now great concern that Russian spies could also enter the EU or that the Kremlin could deliberately smuggle Russians into the EU to carry out terrorist attacks."

Details: RND called Hungary's actions provocations and emphasised that these actions caused discontent in the EU because they posed a security threat.

EU foreign policy expert Sergey Lagodinsky called Budapest's actions "the wrong approach": entry permits for Russians and Belarusians without security checks are being granted at a time when the Russian authorities are doing everything possible to weaken Europe through hybrid attacks.

Lagodinsky believes that "it would be wrong to stigmatise all Russian citizens as submarines of the regime", but added that Orban is doing what he always does: "He undermines the European migration system and at the same time makes himself a servant of the Kremlin".

In the spring, the Hungarian government announced that it was expecting about 65,000 migrant workers. After three years, the workers can bring their families with them and apply for permanent residence.

Other EU countries, such as Finland, no longer allow Russians to enter the country. The government in Helsinki justifies this by saying that Russia is trying to destabilise the border and EU countries.

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Hungary is subtly relaxing its entry requirements for Russian and Belarusian citizens, who are now included in the National Card program which allows them to work in Hungary for up to two years.

The National Card is available to individuals interested in working or conducting business in the country. It simplifies the process compared to regular work permits or business visas and offers several advantages, including family unification, eligibility for permanent residency after at least three years, and the ability to change status without returning to the home country.

The RedaktionsNetzwerk Deutschland news outlet (RND) reported that there is no special vetting process at the European level for National Card holders, which has raised concerns among Hungarys neighboring countries. In spring, the Hungarian government announced that it was expecting around 65,000 guest workers, RND reported.

As of July, the National Card became available for the citizens of Ukraine, Russia, Belarus, Bosnia-Herzegovina, North Macedonia, Montenegro, and Serbia.

A member of the European Parliament told RND that permitting entry into an EU country without checks, while Russia is actively working to undermine Europe through hybrid attacks, is the wrong approach. However, he added that it is incorrect to label all Russian citizens collectively.

After holding the National Card in Hungary for at least three years, individuals can qualify for permanent residency. This status offers a variety of additional benefits, including the freedom to live and work throughout the country.

After spending an additional eight years in Hungary, permanent residents can apply for citizenship which provides the advantages of unrestricted travel, work, and residence across all EU countries.

Read also: Hungary quietly takes record $1 billion loan from Chinese banks

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BUDAPEST (Reuters) -The European People's Party (EPP) has raised security concerns over a decision by Hungary to ease visa restrictions for Russian and Belarusian citizens, fearing it could fuel espionage in the EU, according to a letter seen by Reuters on Tuesday.

Manfred Weber, chair of the centre-right EPP, has written to European Council head Charles Michel to say the new Hungarian rules could "create grave loopholes for espionage activities... posing a serious risk to national security".

"This policy could also make it easier for Russians to move around the (borderless) Schengen area, bypassing the restrictions required by EU law," Weber said in his letter.

The letter was first reported by the Financial Times.

Michel's office had no comment on the letter, which highlights tensions between EU institutions and Hungary, current holder of the bloc's rotating presidency, as it seeks to maintain cordial ties with Russia despite the Ukraine war.

A European Commission spokesperson said it would be in touch with Hungary regarding the new rules, and that Budapest was bound to check whether they complied with Schengen regulations.

Hungary this month extended its "national card" immigration programme to include Russians and Belarusians, among others. The holder of such a card is allowed to work in Hungary without security clearance and can bring their families to the country. It is valid for two years but can be prolonged.

Officially, the card holder is not a guest-worker and so does not appear in statistics and different national quotas either.

Hungary's Foreign Minister Peter Szijjarto said a statement published on his Facebook page late on Tuesday that "Russian and Belorussian citizens still need a visa to enter Hungary, and this the Schengen area."

Szijjarto added that residency permits for Russian and Belorussian citizens will need to be authorized by relevant authorities.

Hungary's visa decision came a year after the United States imposed sanctions on three top officials of the International Investment Bank, a Russian-controlled bank in Budapest: two Russians and a Hungarian.

Bank employees had enjoyed full diplomatic immunity and could travel freely in the EU. Under U.S. pressure, Hungary withdrew from the IIB but expressed frustration at having to do so.

This month Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban, who took over the six-month EU presidency on July 1, infuriated his EU partners by visiting Moscow to discuss a potential Ukrainian peace deal with Russian President Vladimir Putin.

Orban has strongly criticised Western military aid to Ukraine.

(Reporting by Boldizsar Gyori and Philip Blenkinsop, additional reporting by Alan Charlish, Benoit van Overstraeten and Andrew GrayEditing by Gareth Jones and Nick Zieminski)
Hungary's decision to ease visa restrictions for Russians increases risk of spying, leading EU party says

Hungary's recent decision to relax its entry requirements for Russians and Belarusians will increase the risk of espionage and create national security concerns, the Financial Times (FT) said on July 30, citing a letter from Manfred Weber, the chair of the European People's Party.

The European People's Party is the largest party in the European Parliament.

Earlier in July, various media sources reported that Hungary had quietly changed the rules for its National Card program to allow Russian and Belarusian citizens to enter the country in a streamlined visa-acquisition process that does away with enhanced security checks or other restrictions.

The Redaktions Netzwerk Deutschland news outlet (RND) reported that there is no special vetting process at the European level for National Card holders, which has raised concerns among Hungarys neighboring countries. In spring, the Hungarian government announced that it was expecting around 65,000 guest workers, RND reported.

According to Weber's letter, the expansion of Hungary's visa eligibility program is "questionable" and could "create grave loopholes for espionage activities, and potentially allowing large numbers of Russians to enter Hungary with minimal supervision, posing a serious risk to national security."

"This policy could also make it easier for Russians to move around the Schengen area, bypassing the restrictions required by EU law," the letter continued.

After holding the National Card in Hungary for at least three years, individuals can qualify for permanent residency. This status offers a variety of additional benefits, including the freedom to live and work throughout the country.

After spending an additional eight years in Hungary, permanent residents can apply for citizenship which provides the advantages of unrestricted travel, work, and residence across all EU countries.

Budapest has been long considered the most Kremlin-friendly country within the EU, repeatedly obstructing sanctions against Russia and military aid to Kyiv.

Read also: EU irritated with Hungary, Slovakia over their Russian oil spat with Ukraine, Politico reports

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HUNTSVILLE, Ala. (WHNT)  Authorities say a Huntsville man has been charged with drug trafficking over the weekend.

The Huntsville Police Department (HPD) said the North Alabama Drug Task Force (NADTF) carried out a search warrant on Jonathan Drive at 1 a.m. on Friday, July 26.

HPD said NADTF then arrested 36-year-old Trenton Lorenzo Grays and took the following quantities of drugs:

13.75 ounces of fentanyl

4 ounces of crack cocaine

6.5 ounces of methamphetamine ice

501 Xanax pills

46 grams of mushrooms

3.2 pounds of marijuana

2.8 pounds of spice (analog)

1.8 grams of ecstasy

HPD also said Grays was also in possession of a gun and was arrested for trafficking fentanyl, methamphetamine, cocaine, analogs and marijuana. He was booked into the Madison County Jail on a $4 million bond.

The arrest comes after a weeklong investigation into the suspected drug trafficking operations. HPD says this is an ongoing investigation and that additional arrests and charges are 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 WHNT.com.
My despair about the faux outrage conservative Christians, near and far, expressed about the Olympics opening ceremony was ameliorated when I found a video clip of a conservative Christian speaking about faith on Fox News, of all places.

It was a reminder that even during these hyperpartisan times, its still wise to listen to our opponents.

Issac Bailey

That conservative Christian was former South Carolina prosecutor and legislator Trey Gowdy. He opened a segment of his show by speaking frankly about faith and the complexity of humanity that must be respected no matter the politics. It was a lead-in to an interview with Republican vice presidential nominee JD Vance who has been heavily criticized for comments he made in 2021.

Trey Gowdy

Vance said on Fox News in 2021: Were effectively run in this country  by a bunch of childless cat ladies who are miserable at their own lives and the choices that theyve made and so they want to make the rest of the country miserable, too. And its just a basic fact. You look at Kamala Harris, Pete Buttigieg, AOC  the entire future of the Democrats is controlled by people without children, and how does it make any sense that weve turned our country over to people who dont really have a direct stake in it?

Gowdy didnt do what I expected a conservative Republican to do. He didnt condone those remarks or pretend they were taken out of context  because they werent. Instead, Gowdy gave an eloquent, even inspiring, two-minute monologue about what he had learned from a couple of Catholic nuns in an airport. He reminded his audience that nuns dont have children but are full of faith, just as there are numerous childless Americans who love this country and should not be mocked or discounted. You should listen to it for yourself while remembering that a top Republican figure from a red state spoke that way on Fox News.

It was a palate cleanser after hearing from conservative Christians upset about a 20-second scene in the nearly ffour hour show that kicked of the Olympics. Those conservative Christians wrongly assumed that the shows creators were mocking Jesus. Had they done a little research, they would have quickly found that what turned into a fashion show was a celebration of a Greek god. It wasnt about Christianity. Everything isnt about us. We dont have to commit to the outrage posture before even knowing whats going on.

The outrage was galling because much of it came from conservative Christians who passionately support Donald Trump. By any reasonable measure, Trump is one of the most immoral men in America. During the 2016 election cycle, conservative Christians with whom I shared a church at least admitted as such, though some claimed God was using a flawed man to do good the way he has used flawed men in the Bible.

Since then though, many conservative Christians have embraced Trump as a near-God like figure who shouldnt just be supported at the polls in November but essentially worshiped. That is despite the former president committing blasphemy by selling a Trump Bible that intertwines secular-governmental power with Christianity itself.

Atlantic writer McKay Coppins has noted the same trend. He recently analyzed the prayers at dozens of Trump rallies, including one in Conway. S.C. during which the person praying called on God this way: Our enemies are trying to steal, kill and destroy our America, so we need you to intervene.

Bradley Onishi, a scholar and former evangelical minister, told Coppins that they arent praying for Trump to do right; they pray that God will do right by Trump.

Political hypocrisy isnt new. Its standard fare for both parties. But for those of us who try to maintain some principled positions based in our faith  as flawed as we are  mixing politics with Christianity is the kind of mockery of Jesus we should worry about most.

Im glad Gowdy showed us one way out of the morass. If only more of us followed his example.

Issac Bailey is a McClatchy Opinion writer in North and South Carolina.
The public has until Sept. 12 to submit comments to the Idaho Public Utilities Commission on Rocky Mountain Powers wildfire mitigation plan. (Mia Maldonado/Idaho Capital Sun)

The Idaho Public Utilities Commission is accepting public comments until mid-September on Rocky Mountain Powers 2024 to 2026 Idaho Wildfire Mitigation Plan.

The eastern Idaho utility is using the plan to mitigate wildfire risks and to offer information on investments to build, maintain and operate electrical equipment efficiently to mitigate that risk, according to a press release from the utilities commission.

The plan also includes information about inspection procedures, vegetation management practices, system hardening efforts, public safety power shutoff protocols, cost forecasts and other technical information related to mitigating wildfires.

Additional information is available at the Idaho Public Utilities Commission website. puc.idaho.gov/case/Details/7305.

The utilities commission is accepting comments until Sept. 12. To comment, visit the Idaho Public Utilities Commission website and click on the Case Comment Form link on the upper left side of the page. Use case number PAC-E-24-09 when filing the form.

The public can also send comments by email to secretary@puc.idaho.gov, mark.alder@pacificorp.com and josephdallas@pacificorp.com.

If computer access is not available, comments can be mailed to the following addresses:

Commission Secretary

Idaho Public Utilities Commission

P.O. Box 83720

Boise, ID 83720-0074

Street address for express mail:

11331 W. Chinden Blvd.

Building 8, Suite 201-A

Boise, ID 83714

Rocky Mountain Power addresses:

Mark Alder

Rocky Mountain Power

1407 W. North Temple, Suite 330

Salt Lake City, UT 84116

Joe Dallas

Rocky Mountain Power

825 NE Multnomah St., Suite 2000

Portland, OR 97232

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URBANA, Ill. (WCIA)  The Illinois Department of Transportation is hosting another public meeting in the Champaign-Urbana area regarding an upcoming construction project.

IDOT will host the meeting Tuesday night at the MTDs facility at 1101 East University Avenue in Urbana. The topic of the meeting will be proposed improvements to U.S. Route 150/University Avenue between Maple Street and U.S. Route 130.

City of Decatur unveils new and improved website

The proposed improvements include resurfacing and sidewalk replacement.

IDOT plans to host the meeting on an informal basis, with project displays as opposed to a lecture. IDOT representatives will be available to explain the project, answer questions and record comments. Comments about bicycle and pedestrian accommodations and questions from potentially affected property owners are especially encouraged.

The meeting will begin at 4 p.m. and last until 8 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 WCIA.com.
IL FOP Labor Council will no longer try to reinstate deputy who shot Sonya Massey

SPRINGFIELD, Ill. (WCIA)  The Illinois FOP Labor Council decided against pursuing reinstatement of the former Sangamon County Sheriffs Deputy accused of murdering Sonya Massey.

Sangamon County officials confirmed Friday they had received a grievance form from the FOP union to reinstate Sean Grayson, the Sangamon County Deputy who shot Sonya Massey in the head earlier this month. While the union initially defended the grievance as part of their standard procedure, after finalizing their internal process, they announced they will not continue with the grievance.

Champaign church gathers for Sonya Massey prayer vigil

We have arrived at that final stage of the process where a determination can be made regarding whether or not to proceed with Sean Graysons grievance, the labor council said in the statement. The Union has determined that it will NOT be proceeding any further.

Our obligations under the collective bargaining agreement and to our members do not take away from the sympathy we feel for the family and loved ones of Sonya Massey, the statement continues. Our thoughts and prayers are with them and with all those impacted by this tragedy.

Grayson has been charged with three counts of first-degree murder, along with aggravated battery with a firearm and official misconduct. He has pleaded not guilty.

The FOP state lodge criticized the Illinois FOP labor union for filing the grievance.

Copyright 2024 Nexstar Media, Inc. 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.
SPRINGFIELD, Ill. (WCIA)  Last week, the Illinois Fraternal Order of Police Labor Council filed a labor contract grievance on behalf of the deputy who shot and killed Sonya Massey. Now, the president of the ILFOP State Lodge is releasing a statement to clarify their organizations differing opinion on the matter.

READ MORE  IL FOP: Sean Grayson fired without just cause, files grievance

President Chris Southwood emphasized that the Illinois FOP Labor Council is an entirely separate organization from the Illinois Fraternal Order of Police.

We are the Illinois Fraternal Order of Police, strictly a fraternal organization. The Illinois Fraternal Order of Police State Lodge is not the labor organization that filed the grievance on behalf of the former deputy who is jailed on murder charges, he said. That dubious distinction rests with the Fraternal Order of Police Labor Council, which is a completely separate organization with different leadership, a different organizational structure and a different mission.

Southwood continued by saying the lack of distinction between the two organizations has led to undue uproar directed towards the ILFOP State Lodge.

The Illinois Fraternal Order of Police State Lodge had zero involvement in this grievance and yet we are bearing the brunt of the public outcry and hate communication for that action just because we share a common first name with the FOP Labor Council.

Sangamon Co. Sheriff addresses hiring practices, dispatcher confusion

According to the Will County Sheriff FOP Lodge #94, the ILFOP State Lodge is part of a larger National FOP organization. Its membership involves law enforcement members who are full-time or work at least 30 hours a week. It is also controlled by the Illinois State Lodge Board of Trustees and centers on connection, charity and creating more efficiency in the law enforcement profession.

The FOP Labor Council, on the other hand, is a union overseen by the FOP Labor Council Executive Board. It is an independent organization with a focus on legislative and administrative support for law enforcement officers.

The FOP Labor Council is a labor union which should publicly step up to take ownership of its actions rather than silently let a fraternal organization and our 34,500+ members take the heat, and the hate, on this matter, Southwood stated. We urge the public to make that distinction in the future, and we join the public in expressing our condolences to the Massey family. We share everyones shock over this disturbing, horrible tragedy.

Springfield School District addresses Sonya Massey, community violence

Southwood also cleared up the reasoning behind the two organizations similar titles.

The FOP Labor Council is allowed to use our name through a marketing agreement with the National Fraternal Order of Police. The Illinois Fraternal Order of Police State Lodge has had many concerns involving this marketing agreement, which again we have nothing to do with, over the past several years and will once again be requesting the National FOP to make changes to this marketing agreement over these concerns.

Copyright 2024 Nexstar Media, Inc. 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.
BARCELONA, Spain, July 30 (Xinhua) -- The threat of desertification in Spain is growing due to climate change and the intensive pressure of land use, a Spanish expert told Xinhua in an interview on Tuesday.

Gabriel del Barrio from the Spanish National Research Council's Experimental Station of Arid Zones (EEZA) said: "The amount of land under active degradation has tripled in just ten years. This will continue to grow because the land is being subjected to very intense use in order to extract the vegetables and other agricultural products necessary for a socioeconomic dynamic that is overheating the system."

Nevertheless, the researcher explained that the term desertification can be misleading as it suggests that the land affected by the phenomenon could become desert. He insisted that "there will never be a desert in Spain."

Deserts are complex functioning ecosystems that have evolved over millions of years, he said, adding: "What we are talking about is degraded land, which is a different thing."

Desertification refers to the permanent degradation of arable land in arid, semi-arid and sub-humid areas, due to intense pressure from farming, urbanization and climate change.

The United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) warned earlier this month that 90 percent of the planet's land surface could become degraded by 2050.

Up to 75 percent of Spanish territory is "susceptible to desertification", according to the country's Ministry for Ecological Transition.

Meanwhile, the EEZA reports that the percentage of land in Spain that can be classed as degraded currently stands at 24.6 percent.

The Spanish government has warned that higher temperatures have caused arid climates to double since the mid-20th century, at an annual rate of about 1,500 square kilometers per year.

As Del Barrio said, "An increasingly arid climate undermines the resilience of ecosystems and makes it harder for them to recover." At the same time, the effect of climate change "increases the intensification of human activity", such as the expansion of irrigation systems into dryland areas.

Some 22 percent of irrigated land is considered degraded or very degraded, according to Del Barrio. Spanish authorities say that 79 percent of the country's water resources are used for agriculture and livestock farming.

"Land degradation is inherent to our presence in the world, but we can do some things to try to control it. We can, for example, respect the cycles of production and renewal of the natural resources that replenish slowly," said the researcher, referring to underground water reserves known as aquifers.

The intensification of agricultural land use is the principal cause of land degradation, according to Del Barrio. The dynamic of the current market "forces farmers to produce in excess" in order to satisfy the strict demands of large food distribution chains.

In today's globalized world, the effects of land degradation can also be felt across continents. Del Barrio cited the phenomenon of telecoupling, which refers to socioeconomic and environmental interactions over long distances.

"The areas in Spain of intensive agriculture and livestock farming are importing fodder produced in South America, which is at the expense of degrading native forests in regions of the Amazon, so the relationships are becoming increasingly complex," he said.

UNESCO also sees land degradation and desertification as a global issue, and stresses the importance of fertile soil in maintaining ecosystems and biodiversity. It has warned that 75 percent of soils are already degraded, affecting 3.2 billion people. 
SPRINGFIELD, Ill. (AP)  The Illinois sheriffs deputy charged in the shooting death of Sonya Massey was kicked out of the Army for the first of two drunken driving convictions in which he had a weapon in his car, authorities said, but that didnt stop multiple law enforcement agencies from giving him a badge.

Before his policing career began with six jobs in four years  the first three of which were part time  30-year-old Sean Grayson was convicted twice within a year of driving under the influence, which cost him his hitch in the military.

The convictions plus his previous employment record should have raised serious questions when the Sangamon County Sheriffs Department hired him in May 2023, law enforcement experts say.

This booking photo provided by the Sangamon County Sheriffs Office shows Sean Grayson, on July 17, 2024, in Springfield, Ill. (Sangamon County Sheriffs Office via AP)

Grayson, who has since been fired, is charged with first-degree murder, aggravated battery with a firearm and official misconduct in the death of Massey, a 36-year-old Black woman who had called 911 about a suspected prowler at her home in Springfield, 200 miles (320 kilometers) southwest of Chicago. Grayson, who is white, has pleaded not guilty.

Six jobs in four years should have raised a red flag. And you would ask why he wasnt hired full time in any of those (part-time) jobs, said Chuck Wexler, executive director of the Police Executive Research Forum, a Washington, D.C.-based think tank. Combined with a track record of DUIs, it would be enough to do further examination as to whether or not he would be a good fit.

Grayson, who enlisted in the Army in 2014, was charged with DUI in Macoupin County, just south of Sangamon County, after traffic stops on Aug. 10, 2015, and again on July 26, 2016.

The first DUI led to his discharge from the military in February 2016 for serious misconduct, according to a U.S. official who spoke on condition of anonymity to discuss personnel information, adding that Grayson had an unregistered gun in his vehicle.

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Macoupin County States Attorney Jordan Garrison confirmed that police found a gun in the center console, but Grayson did not face a weapons charge because he was a resident of Fort Riley, Kansas. Kansas has an open-carry firearms law.

Grayson received a general discharge under honorable conditions  rather than an honorable discharge  because he was charged by a civilian law enforcement agency and his military service otherwise was good.

His attorney, Daniel Fultz, declined to comment Monday.

A misdemeanor DUI charge doesnt by law preclude someone from serving in law enforcement, said Sean Smoot, chairman of the Illinois Law Enforcement Training and Standards Board, but a hiring agency can certainly consider it.

Some police departments would not have hired someone with one DUI, Smoot said. I am shocked an agency would hire someone with two DUIs, but multiple agencies apparently did.

Masseys father, James Wilburn, has demanded the resignation of Sangamon County Sheriff Jack Campbell. He does not intend to step down, Campbell spokesman Jeff Wilhite said.

A statement from Campbells office indicated that the county merit commission and state law enforcement board recommended Graysons certification as an officer despite the DUIs, and he passed a drug test, criminal background check, psychological evaluation and 16-week academy course.

Body-worn camera video of the killing released last week has unnerved the capital city, where a 1908 race riot prompted the creation of the NAACP a year later.

Black women are under attack, said Teresa Haley, a consultant and founder of Visions 1908, a social and economic justice and education advocacy group. As I watched the video, I thought, This is not murder. This is an assassination.

In this image taken from body camera video released by Illinois State Police, Sonya Massey, left, talks with former Sangamon County Sheriffs Deputy Sean Grayson outside her home in Springfield, Ill., July 6, 2024. (Illinois State Police via AP)

In the video, Grayson and another officer search outside Masseys house for a prowler before knocking on her front door. Several minutes pass before Massey answers, during which time Grayson makes a comment that shes dead inside and calls impatiently for her.

When she opens the door, Massey, who had suffered mental health issues, says, Dont hurt me, acts confused and repeats, Please, God. Grayson responds in a condescending manner when asking if theres anything else he can do for her. As he tries to get her name for a report, he enters the house.

His conduct before, during and after suggests that this guy was a loose cannon, and thats being polite, said Kalfani Ture, a former police officer, now assistant professor of criminal justice at Widener University in Chester, Pennsylvania, and an instructor in the New York Police Departments academy.

Inside Masseys home, video shows Grayson directing that a pan of water be removed from a flame on the stove. Massey appears to set it near the sink. After the two joke about Grayson moving away from her hot, steaming water, Massey inexplicably says, I rebuke you in the name of Jesus.

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That prompts Grayson to pull his gun. Massey apologizes and ducks behind a counter, but when Grayson yells at her to drop the pot, she comes back up and appears to pick it up again. Grayson fires three times, striking her in the face. He then discourages his partner from getting his medical kit, explaining, Thats a headshot. After relenting and retrieving his own, he returns to find emergency medical providers on the scene, drops it on the floor and says he wont waste my med stuff.

Thats not characteristic of an officer. That is characteristic of someone who has a depraved indifference to human life, Ture said. And this incident is not an aberration. Someone like this is pretty consistent in in their display of this type of profile.

Ture said Massey probably picked up the pot again because she had already put it down when Grayson told her to do so and was confused by his aggressive orders. He moved quickly to lethal force despite having cover from the threat  substantial distance from Massey and a counter separating them  and he had other options, including using a stun gun, chemical spray or easily overpowering the diminutive woman, Ture said.

Pulling his weapon escalated the incident, Wexler said.

He should have slowed things down, communicate, have a plan B and know where the door is to get out of the house, not put himself in a position where he had no alternative but to use deadly force by standing still, pulling out his gun and barking orders, Wexler 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 Queen City News.
SPRINGFIELD, Ill.  Sangamon County Sheriff Jack Campbell on Monday night apologized to the community for his deputys involvement in the shooting death of a woman who called 911 for help but reiterated his rejection of calls to resign, saying it would solve nothing.

I will not abandon the sheriffs office at this most critical moment, Campbell told a hostile crowd of more than 500 people at Union Baptist Church in a meeting facilitated by the Community Relations Service of the Justice Department.

It was his first public appearance since Sean Grayson, a former deputy in the Sangamon County Sheriffs Office, shot and killed Sonya Massey inside her home in the early morning hours of July 6. Massey, a 36-year-old Black woman, moved a pan of hot water from the stove and Grayson, fearing she would throw it at him, fired three times, striking her once in the face despite having several non-lethal options, authorities say.

Grayson, who is white, was fired and has been charged with first-degree murder, aggravated battery with a firearm and official misconduct. Hes pleaded not guilty.

Masseys family has repeatedly called for the resignation of Campbell, who was elected in 2018 and ran unopposed in 2022. Hes up for reelection in 2026.

I stand here today before you with arms wide open and I ask for your forgiveness, Campbell told those in attendance. I ask Ms. Massey and her family for forgiveness. I offer up no excuses. What I do is offer our attempt to do better, to be better.

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Grayson was vetted and approved for hiring by Sangamon County in May 2023 despite two drunk-driving convictions, the first of which got him ejected from the Army for serious misconduct, and having six jobs in four years, including as a sheriffs deputy in Logan County, where he was reprimanded for ignoring a command to end a high-speed chase and ended up hitting a deer.

Although civil rights attorney Ben Crump said last week that Department of Justice had opened an investigation into the shooting, a spokesman said the agency is was aware of and assessing the circumstances surrounding Masseys death and would continue to track the criminal case opened by the Sangamon County States Attorney.

Copyright 2024 Nexstar Media, Inc. 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.
DANVILLE  Hendricks Countys top prosecutor is seeking the death penalty against a man charged in a 2022 quadruple shooting outside a Plainfield hotel that killed two men.

In a court filing on Monday, Prosecutor Loren Delp notified the courts that hes seeking the death penalty against suspected shooter Dalonny Rodgers. The request marks the first time the prosecutors office has sought a death sentence.

It is a decision that must not be taken lightly, Delp said in a prepared statement. Our offices review of the facts of the case and the law, including possible mitigating and aggravating circumstances, supports the filing of the death penalty in this case.

Delp cited the multiple victims in the case as one of the reasons for requesting the enhanced sentence. Two of the men injured that night, Jose Rolando Castaneda Varela, 34, and Alfredo Garcia, 52, died from their gunshot wounds. Two men survived.

According to an arrest affidavit detailing the case, the men were socializing near a shed on Sept. 10, 2022 on the Whitehouse Hotels property when Rodgers is accused of walking up to them, pulling out a firearm and shooting. Police said he then took Garcias vehicle and fled  another aggravating factor the prosecutors office cited in the death penalty request.

Witnesses said Rodgers was seen arguing with his girlfriend before the shooting and she drove off, leaving him behind. Another witness told police he made derogatory remarks against Latinos before pulling the trigger.

In December 2023, more than a year after the shooting, police arrested Rodgers in Pittsfield, Massachusetts. He was extradited to Indiana in February.

At the time of the killings, Rodgers was finishing a sentence through Marion County Community Corrections related to a fatal shooting from 2014. Rodgers entered an agreement with prosecutors in that case to plead guilty to his lesser charge of reckless homicide in exchange for dropping his murder charge.

Delp cited how Rodgers was under court authority during the killings as the third and final reason for his death penalty request.

Indiana governor, attorney general just called for state executions to resume

The death penalty request out of Hendricks County comes just over a month after the governor and attorney generals office called for the state to resume capital punishment cases after securing a drug, pentobarbital, that can carry out death sentences.

In a filing sent to the Indiana Supreme Court, Gov. Eric Holcomb and Attorney General Todd Rokita asked for an execution date to be scheduled for Joseph Corcoran, a convicted in the 1997 murders of four people.

More: Joseph E. Corcoran is first in line when Indiana resumes executions. Here's what he did.

Corcorans attorneys have asked the states Supreme Court to deny the request.

Contact reporter Sarah Nelson at sarah.nelson@indystar.com

This article originally appeared on Indianapolis Star: Indiana prosecutor seeks death penalty in Plainfield hotel shooting case
New Intermountain Health study of hospitals in Utah and Idaho finds tailored stroke care protocols save brain cells and lives

New Intermountain Health study of hospitals in Utah and Idaho finds tailored stroke care protocols save brain cells and lives

MURRAY, Utah (Good Things Utah)  When it comes to a stroke, every second counts. For patients with ischemic strokes, getting medication as quickly as possible to break up clots and restore blood flow to the brain is critical because every passing minute means more brain cells are deprived of oxygen and possibly lost.

While the evidence-based practice is often clearly understood  the coordination required to improve timely delivery of clot-busting medication presents unique implementation challenges for healthcare delivery systems.

Now, a new study from neurology researchers, emergency medicine physicians, and implementation scientists at Intermountain Health demonstrates that when a systemwide stroke protocol is implemented with a degree of local tailoring across a health system, treatment time for stoke patients at all impacted hospitals significantly improves giving patients a better chance at survival and recovery.

Collaboration, coordination, and communication between caregivers throughout the hospital is key.

For the study, neurology leaders at Intermountain worked to empower each of the Intermountain hospitals  rural and urban, large and small  to customize the implementation of protocols to fit that hospitals unique environment and patient population.

Nearly all participating hospitals saw a dramatic drop in the gap between when a patient calls for help, and when clot-busting medication, tPA, is administered. Several hospitals improved by more than 20 minutes  which translates into a lot of brain cells saved.

Findings from the new study examining the systemwide implementation were recently published in the journal, Circulation: Cardiovascular Quality and Outcomes.

We want to provide the same high quality stroke care throughout our entire healthcare system, whether you come into our flagship urban hospital, or a small rural hospital that might only see patients who need tPA medication once or twice a year, said Kathleen McKee, MD, co-lead author of the study and associate medical director of neurosciences research at Intermountain Healthcare. This research shows were getting closer to that reality.

The delivery of acute stroke care is complex within an emergency department. This can present challenges for clinicians seeking to deliver high quality care for each patient. In this study, we found that defining centrally what needed to happen across all emergency departments, while providing each site with flexibility or tailoring to their local circumstances led to better care across all sites, said Andrew Knighton, PhD, an implementation scientist, and co-lead author on the study.

The study involved 21 Intermountain Health emergency departments in Utah and Idaho, with four being dedicated stroke centers.

In February, K.C. and his wife, Danni Seeley, found themselves on the receiving end of this protocol.

As the couple was getting their shoes on for the gym, K.C. noted that he felt lightheaded and dizzy which sometimes occurs as an effect to his blood pressure medication. However, he doesnt take them prior to going to the gym, which sent alarms to Danni.

Additionally, K.C. noted that he was feeling tired, was shaking his left arm, and noted it was due to sleeping wrong. He even struggled to tie his shoes. Danni followed her intuition and took him into the Intermountain Medical Center hospital in Murray where he received the care that saved his life.

For the study, each hospital site received acute stroke care implementation strategies to get tPA medication to appropriate patients as soon as possible, as previous research has shown that tPA given within six hours of a stroke significantly increases the chance of someone surviving a stroke and reduces chances of disability.

Each hospital worked with a central Intermountain Health team to brainstorm what implementation strategies would work best for deployment of the protocol within their emergency department. This led to each emergency department coming up with unique implementation solutions specifically tailored to their and their patients needs for timely tPA delivery.

In the study, researchers tracked the effectiveness of the acute stroke care programs implementation from January 2018 to February 2020. During that time, those hospital emergency departments had 855,474 patient encounters, with 5,325 code stroke activations. Of those, 615 patients received tPA in less than three hours of symptom onset.

The research team measured door-to-needle (DTN) timesor the time from when a patient arrives in the emergency department to the time the intravenous needle delivers tPA.

The study demonstrated that the percentage of DTN times under 60 minutes increased from 72.5% to 86.1%. Researchers also found the biggest improvement in rural and frontier non-stroke center emergency departments.

This suggests further contextual differences may exist between non-stroke center emergency departments that need to be better understood, driven perhaps by differences in patient volumes, site leadership and decision-making, team dynamics, and resources, said Knighton.

Overall, the Intermountain researchers say the study demonstrates that a centrally led but locally customized approach can be utilized to improve acute stroke care across very diverse emergency departments.

Click here for more information about stroke care at Intermountain Health.

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International restaurant chain selects Greenville for first US location

GREENVILLE, S.C. (WSPA)  An international restaurant chain is opening its first location in the United States this weekend. And its first location will be in Greenville

Kolapasi India Canteen brings flavorful bowls and wraps found in South Indian cuisine in a fast-casual restaurant setting. The chain, which draws its name from the Indian word for hungry, operates multiple locations overseas, will celebrate its U.S. grand opening 11 a.m.  3 p.m. Saturday in Greenville.

Kolapasi Indian Canteen is located at 27 S Pleasantburg Drive Suite 160 in Greenville.

Greenville is just the first in what Kolapasi said is a nationwide expansion into the U.S.

Restaurants are expected to open in Texas, California, Florida and Washington State by the end of the year.

Copyright 2024 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.

For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to WSPA 7NEWS.
A flag flies at the Southwest Iowa Renewable Energy ethanol facility prior to a July 2019 visit from then-President Donald Trump. (Photo by Scott Olson/Getty Images)

An Iowa company is suing its marketing partner for $7 million in damages caused by alleged errors in attempting to sell fuel-grade ethanol produced in Iowa and Nebraska.

Southwest Iowa Renewable Energy, or SIRE, is a Council Bluffs-based company that has hundreds of member ethanol producers in Iowa, Nebraska, Wisconsin, Minnesota, and 18 other states. It is suing a Missouri company, Bunge North America, with whom it partnered to sell SIRE-produced ethanol.

SIRE is a dry-mill grain processing facility that each year produces millions of gallons of fuel-grade ethanol from grain that originates in southwest Iowa and southeast Nebraska. Bunge is an agronomic business focused on the purchase, storage and eventual sale of products, including ethanol, within North America.

In the ethanol market, its common practice for ethanol producers such as SIRE, to contract with ethanol marketers tasked with finding buyers who are willing to purchase the commodity at the highest possible price and then negotiating with rail lines and trucking companies to achieve the lowest possible rates for shipping the ethanol.

In order to do all of that, the lawsuit alleges, ethanol marketers must have expertise related to complicated and ever-changing federal and state renewable fuel standards.

In 2020, SIRE contracted with Bunge to market and sell all of SIREs ethanol in return for a monthly fee. The lawsuit claims that until November 2022, Bunge successfully marketed SIREs ethanol though a single Bunge employee, Jeremy Ragan, who was conversant with ethanol buyers and well versed in SIREs objectives.

However, at the end of November 2022, Ragan informed SIRE that Bunge had terminated his employment. In the weeks that followed, the lawsuit claims, Bunge had inexperienced workers trying to market SIREs ethanol but who sold the product at old or incorrect values. In addition, the lawsuit accuses Bunge of failing to submit the necessary paperwork order for it to sell SIREs ethanol in California.

The lawsuit alleges that those and other deficiencies and errors have resulted in SIRE losing profits on, at times, a daily basis  Bunges deficient marketing services have cost SIRE at least $7 million dollars between October 1, 2022, through December 31, 2023. SIREs damages have continued to accrue daily.

The lawsuit, filed this week in U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Iowa, seeks at least $7 million, plus interest, for breach of contract and unjust enrichment.

Bunge has yet to file a response to the lawsuit. Company officials have not returned calls seeking comment.
Delta-8 THC products like this cherry seltzer can be sold in stores in Missouri because the intoxicating ingredient, THC, is derived from hemp, not marijuana which is a controlled substance. (Rebecca Rivas/The Missouri Independent)

With a federal judge refusing to block the enforcement of a new state law restricting THC-infused drinks, Iowa manufacturers are debuting new drinks that conform to state regulations.

The Iowa-based companies Climbing Kites in Polk County and Field Day Brewing Co. in Johnson County have pursued a lawsuit challenging a measure passed by Iowa lawmakers in the 2024 legislative session in an effort to restrict the amount of tetrahydrocannabinol in consumable hemp products.

The lawsuit, along with one filed by other beverage producers, challenge the rules set by the Iowa Department of Health and Human Services and argue that the new law is unconstitutional.

But in two rulings last Friday, U.S. District Court Chief Judge Stephanie Rose ruled the companies did not prove the law violates the U.S. Constitution.

The law, which went into effect July 1, sets a 4 milligrams of THC per serving for consumable hemp products, such as drinks or gummies, as well as a 10 mg THC limit per container. House File 2605 also created new rules and penalties related to the sale, manufacturing and possession of hemp-derived consumables, including an age limit of 21 for purchases and requiring manufacturers include warning labels on such products.

In the lawsuits, the companies argue that the Iowa law is at odds with the federal Farm Bill, in addition to violating rules on interstate commerce. In an earlier June ruling when Rose denied a motion for an injunction, she wrote that she had serious concerns about the constitutionality of the law given its vagueness in defining terms like serving and container while limiting the amount of THC by using those same parameters  a point the companies later raised in litigation.

In last weeks ruling, Rose wrote there is no longer a viable argument that serving as set forth in the Hemp Amendments is an unconstitutionally vague term as the final rules are now in effect and publicized.

The law also faced challenges on the basis of rules set by DHHS and which went into effect more than two weeks after the law took effect. Manufacturers said that while the law was not being immediately enforced, the measure stipulating that individuals and businesses in possession of the consumable products containing THC deemed controlled substances would be at immediate risk of criminal and civil enforcement, which meant that stores, bars and restaurants would no longer purchase their products.

The judge ruled that the challenge over the short timeframe between the law being signed and taking effect, as well as arguments about unequal enforcement of the law, did not mean the measure violated the U.S. Constitution.

On Monday, Climbing Kites announced it was launching new products in compliance with the Iowa law. Previously, the drinks came in 12-ounce cans containing 10, 5 and 2.5 milligrams of THC. The new products now come in two versions, with 4- and 2.5-mg of THC, in multiple flavors. The sparkling water drinks also contain CBD.

Climbing Kites did not respond to a request for comment from Iowa Capital Dispatch. In an Instagram post, the company wrote that while this isnt the legislative outcome we and many of you hoped for, were not going anywhere, and that their new THC drinks will still be available at Iowa retailers, bars and restaurants.
Tolentino: take precautions when buying, consuming fish, shellfish from oil spill-affected areas

Senate Majority Leader Francis 'Tol' Tolentino urged consumers to take extra precautions when buying and consuming fish and shellfish sourced from coastal areas affected by the oil spill from the motor tanker Terranova, which capsized off the waters of Limay, Bataan last July 25.

Tolentino issued the reminder on Tuesday during his visits to Barangay 31 in Caloocan City, and Barangay 123 in Tondo, Manila.

"As consumers, we should take extra precautions when buying or consuming fish or shellfish that may have come from coastal areas affected by the oil spill," Tolentino said.

"We need to clean these products thoroughly, or maybe avoid these at all for health and safety considerations," added the senator.

Duriing Tolentino's radio program 'Usapang Tol', Philippine Coast Guard (PCG) spokesperson Rear Admiral Armand Balilo gave updates on efforts by the PCG and the shipping company to contain the oil spill and siphon off the remaining oil inside the tanker.

To recall, it was Tolentino who coordinated technical assistance from the Japanese government to help contain the MT Princess Empress oil spill in Oriental Mindoro last year.
BEIJING, July 30 (Xinhua) -- Xi Jinping, general secretary of the Communist Party of China (CPC) Central Committee, has called for striving to realize economic and social development goals in 2024.

The CPC Central Committee held a symposium on July 26 with non-CPC personages to seek opinions and suggestions on the country's current economic situation and economic work for the second half of the year. Xi presided over the symposium and delivered an important speech.

To do the economic work well for the second half of the year, the general principle of pursuing progress while ensuring stability should continue to be followed, Xi said.

Efforts should be made to fully and faithfully apply the new development philosophy on all fronts, accelerate the building of a new pattern of development, develop new quality productive forces in light of local conditions, and promote high-quality development, Xi said.

He also stressed further deepening reforms, strengthening macro regulation, boosting the vitality of market entities, stabilizing market expectations, boosting the positive economic recovery momentum and improving people's livelihoods.

Li Qiang, Wang Huning, Cai Qi and Ding Xuexiang, all members of the Standing Committee of the Political Bureau of the CPC Central Committee, attended the symposium. Li briefed the symposium on the economic work in the first half of the year and considerations about the economic work for the second half. 
Iowans who support abortion restrictions rally July 11, 2023, in the Iowa Capitol rotunda alongside supporters of abortion rights. (Photo by Kathie Obradovich/Iowa Capital Dispatch)

Many patients seeking abortion care in Iowa in the past few weeks were unaware that the state has banned most abortions beginning Monday, Planned Parenthood staff said.

More than six years after the Legislature first attempted to pass the law, abortion became illegal in Iowa, with narrow exceptions, at 8 a.m. Monday.

Kristina Remus, a Planned Parenthood patient services associate, said Friday that many people she is working with are unaware that Iowas abortion law was changing.

To say the last few weeks have been hard is an understatement, Remus said. People are confused and seeking clarification. And a lot of patients are unaware that there is a law banning abortion at about six weeks, before many people know that theyre pregnant, set to take effect so soon on Monday. We are having extremely difficult conversations in my department with patients.

The Iowa law bans abortions after cardiac activity is detectable in an embryo, something that can occur as early as six weeks of gestation. There are some exceptions to the ban, including for rape, incest, and to save the life of the mother.

The so-called fetal heartbeat law was blocked from enforcement shortly after it was passed in July 2023. It was signed by Gov. Kim Reynolds in a special session after the Iowa Supreme Court ruled to uphold an injunction on a similar 2018 law. But in this June, the state Supreme Court ruled that a district court judge should lift the injunction on the 2023 measure, in addition to setting a lower legal standard for testing the constitutionality of Iowa abortion laws.

Dr. Sarah Traxler, chief medical officer for Planned Parenthood North Central States, said the law will have major negative impacts on health care in Iowa  especially maternal and reproductive health care, areas where the state already faces shortages.

We now live in a reality where politicians have control over Iowans bodies and futures, Traxler said. Its impact will be widespread and generational. We are tired, of course, but we are not defeated. Instead, we stand strong with Iowans in this moment.

Following the district judges announcement of the law taking effect Monday, Reynolds said in a statement that our work will continue to strengthen a culture of life in Iowa, in supporting expectant parents, encouraging adoption, and ensuring legal access to in vitro fertilization treatments. She celebrated the six-week abortion ban becoming enforceable after many years of being enjoined in the legal system.

Today is a victory for life, Reynolds said. There is nothing more sacred and no cause more worthy than protecting innocent unborn lives.

Remus said that in the week before enforcement of the law began, Planned Parenthood locations were overbooking our schedules in Iowa facilities trying to get patients access to legal abortion care.

But I would say 30% of the people I talked to on the phone told me that, Well, I cant get off work this week, you know, Im already scheduled for work this week, and I cant find day care, I cant get off work  I have it for next week, she said.

So, unfortunately, those people, I was able to connect them with a navigator, and they will have to go out of state, because they are already above the [gestational age] of six weeks. So, I would say we were able to get in maybe 50% of the people that were scheduled for next week, but the rest of them, the fact is that it was too late of notice for them to rearrange their schedules to be able to come sooner.

Heres what to know about the law, and how abortion care providers plan to assist Iowans seeking the medical procedure beginning Monday.

Will there be future legal challenges to Iowas abortion law?

Peter Im, staff attorney at Planned Parenthood Federation of America, said earlier in July that reproductive health care advocates are exploring all of our options right now for challenging Iowas law restricting abortion. That includes a potential challenge to the Iowa Board of Medicine rules on the law, Im said.

However, the 4-3 Iowa Supreme Court decision sets a high standard for finding state abortion laws unconstitutional. The Supreme Court majority ruled that the rational basis test will be used to assess Iowa abortion laws constitutionality. This means that if the state has a legitimate reason to enact a law restricting abortion, the measure can stand.

Employing that test here, we conclude that the fetal heartbeat statute is rationally related to the states legitimate interest in protecting unborn life, Justice Matthew McDermott wrote in the June majority opinion.

Sally Frank, a law professor at Drake University, said in June there may be applied challenges to the law, by women who have their life endangered and families of people who died due to the law, as medical professionals may not be willing to perform an abortion when necessary because of a lack of clarity on what qualifies a medical emergency that would make the procedure legal, she said.

Will there be further restrictions on abortion in Iowa?

Iowa Democrats and reproductive health care advocates have said Iowa Republicans  who control both chambers of the Legislature, in addition to holding the governorship  may pursue further restrictions on abortion in future legislative sessions following the state Supreme Court ruling. Frank said she expects Iowa to pass measures restricting travel or assistance for out-of-state abortions similar to those passed by conservatives in other states, like an Idaho law that criminalized the act of assisting a pregnant minor seeking an abortion in another state.

While top Iowa Republican leaders have not commented on future abortion legislation, other conservative figures have said they are aiming for further restrictions. Chuck Hurley, vice president of the conservative Christian organization the Family Leader and lobbyist at the Iowa Legislature, told the crowd at the Family Leadership Summit earlier in July that we arent done on the issue of abortion in Iowa.

Fourteen states now protect babies from the moment of conception, and Iowa should be the 15th, Hurley said.

This story first appeared in the Iowa Capital Dispatch, a member with the Phoenix in the nonprofit States Newsroom network.
Insights from Foreign Affairs, The Guardian, The Economist, and The National

Updated Jul 30, 2024, 8:52am EDT Middle East

The News

Irans new president Masoud Pezeshkian was inaugurated before parliament Tuesday, two days after Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei gave his official blessing to the doctor-turned-politician for the job, hailing him as wise, honest, popular, and scholarly at a ceremony in Tehran.

Widely seen as the most pro-reform candidate to run in the recent elections, Pezeshkian received nearly 3 million votes more than the other frontrunner, hardliner Saeed Jalil, in a run-off vote.

SIGNALS

Semafor Signals: Global insights on today's biggest stories.

Pezeshkian may present small window of opportunity for change

Source: Foreign Affairs

Although it is broadly true that as president, Pezeshkian is under Khameneis thumb, his election may nevertheless one day be remembered as the moment when the Islamic Republic decisively shifted to become a regime governed by a coalition of moderates, Foreign Affairs wrote. Still, the significance of his victory shouldnt be overstated  turnout was low, and he benefited from rifts splitting the right-wing vote. But despite the slim odds of any change coming to pass, activists believe it exists: We do not expect the Islamic Republic to go anywhereBut we want to change the few things we can that will make our lives easier, and give us room to breathe, one told the outlet.

Pezeshkians plan for diverse cabinet has already stoked backlash

Sources: The Economist, The National

An early test of Pezeshkians promise of more inclusivity will be his choice of cabinet, The Economist wrote; recruiting women and ethnic minorities would be a good sign. But early indications that Pezeshkian might keep his promise have already stoked controversy, columnist Arash Azizi noted in Emirati outlet The National: His hardline opponents leapt to criticize talk of affirmative action, and an Iranian news agency linked to the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps carried the headline Zero points for Shia. If Pezeshkian succeeds, some of Irans more rebellious groups could be less distrustful of the countrys institutions, but ultimately the path toward broad-based civic inclusion remains long for minorities like the Bahai, who are denied basic rights, Azizi argued.

Slim hope of improved relations with the West

Sources: The Guardian, European Leadership Network

Pezeshkians inauguration also creates a slim hope of rapprochement with the West, given he was elected on a platform of seeking relief from US sanctions, The Guardians diplomatic editor wrote. The West should respond by creating viable pathways to that end, on the condition that Iran immediately rolls back its nuclear program, a Middle East expert told the outlet. But Pezeshkians tone toward the West may ultimately remain a familiar mix of warnings and historical grievances typical of Islamic Republic officials, criticizing the US while denying that Iran wants nuclear weapons, and insist that the US must take the first step to repair relations, an expert argued in the European Leadership Network.
Iranian president sworn in with chants of 'Death to America, Israel'

DUBAI (Reuters) - Iran's new president Masoud Pezeshkian was sworn in on Tuesday, after winning an election earlier this month by promising to improve ties with the world and ease restrictions on social freedoms at home.

"We will pursue constructive and effective interaction with the world based on dignity, wisdom, and expediency," Pezeshkian, a relative moderate, told a parliament session attended by foreign dignitaries and broadcast live on state television.

His victory has lifted hopes of a thaw in Iran's antagonistic relations with the West that might create openings for defusing its nuclear standoff with world powers.

But Pezeshkian takes office at a time of escalating Middle East tensions over Israel's conflict with Hamas in Gaza and cross-border fighting with Iran's ally Hezbollah in Lebanon.

Iran, which backs the groups which describe themselves as the "Axis of Resistance" to Israel and U.S. influence in the Middle East, has accused the United States of supporting what it calls Israeli crimes in Gaza.

"Those who supply weapons that kill children cannot teach Muslims about humanity," Pezeshkian said to chants of "Death to America," and "Death to Israel".

Leaders of Iran's Palestinian allies Hamas and the Islamic Jihad as well as senior representatives of Yemen's Tehran-backed Houthi movement and Lebanon's Hezbollah attended the ceremony.

Pezeshkian, who is expected to name his cabinet within two weeks, replaces hardline Ebrahim Raisi, who was killed in a helicopter crash in May.

As the ultimate authority in Iran, Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei has the final say in all state matters, including foreign and nuclear policy.

He must also approve Pezeshkian's selections for key cabinet posts, such as the foreign, oil and intelligence ministers.

As well as mounting pressure from the West over Tehran's fast-advancing nuclear programme, Pezeshkian faces the huge task of breaking Iran free of the crippling U.S. sanctions, reimposed after Washington ditched Iran's 2015 nuclear deal with major powers.

Indirect talks between Tehran and Washington to salvage the nuclear accord with six major powers have stalled since 2022, with both sides accusing the other of unreasonable demands.

"My government will never succumb to bullying and pressure ... Pressure and sanctions do not work ... and the Iranian people should be spoken to with respect," said Pezeshkian.

(Writing by Parisa Hafezi; Editing by Ros Russell)
One month after Hurricane Beryl roared through the Caribbean, leaves are starting to reappear on trees on Carriacou, in what feels like a sign of hope. The island, one of three main islands that make up the nation of Grenada, was devastated by Hurricane Beryl on July 1. ReliefWeb says that a staggering 97 percent of homes and businesses and 100 percent of the power and telecommunications on Carriacou and Petite Martinique, a smaller island, were destroyed.

Destruction from Hurricane Beryl is seen to a building welcoming visitors to Carriacou on July 29, 2024. (Brandon Clement/WxChasing) Destruction from Hurricane Beryl is seen to a building welcoming visitors to Carriacou on July 29, 2024. (Brandon Clement/WxChasing)

From the air, Carriacou still looks like a disaster zone nearly a month after the powerful storm.

Storm chaser Brandon Clement, who reported on Hurricane Beryl from Carriacou to its subsequent landfall in Texas, returned to the islands -- via boat -- on July 29 to see how the island's recovery was progressing -- and sent up his drone to record the scenes.

"The response to help was swift immediately after the storm," Clement said. "But then, after the hurricane also hit Jamaica, Mexico, and Texas, people forgot about Grenada."

Destruction is still visible everywhere. The drone revealed dozens of missing roofs, some without tarps to cover them. Boats remain crashed and entangled onshore.

Destruction from Hurricane Beryl is seen via drone on Petit Martinique on July 29, 2024. (Brandon Clement/WxChasing) Destruction from Hurricane Beryl is seen via drone on Petit Martinique on July 29, 2024. (Brandon Clement/WxChasing)

Logistically, it's hard to get help to the smaller island of Carriacou, Clement said. The airport on the island was destroyed, leaving only boats to bring recovery and rebuilding supplies.

On the smaller islands, things are more desperate. "Petit Martinique is in a whole other world of need. They are in really bad shape," Clement said.

Destruction from Hurricane Beryl is seen via drone on Carriacou on July 29, 2024. (Brandon Clement/WxChasing) Destruction from Hurricane Beryl is seen via drone on Carriacou on July 29, 2024. (Brandon Clement/WxChasing)

Although the roads have been cleared, piles of debris still line the streets, a local told Clement. While residents plan to rebuild, they have learned lessons from substandard construction practices and recognize the need to build back better.

"I need to get a wall, roof, like a bomb shelter now," a Petite Martinique resident told Clement. "No galvanized [sheet metal] again... so [if] anything like this happens again, you feel like you're more comfortable, more safe."

The national power company says that all power has been restored on the main island, but other Caribbean islands are sending power workers to help the smaller islands of Grenada. Restoration of power on Carriacou may take another three to four months. Power workers have not yet reached Petite Martinique.

Destruction from Hurricane Beryl is seen via drone on Carriacou on July 29, 2024. (Brandon Clement/WxChasing) Destruction from Hurricane Beryl is seen via drone on Carriacou on July 29, 2024. (Brandon Clement/WxChasing)

On July 20, the government announced each household would be eligible to receive two barrels of food, clothing and items imported into the island nation "free from duties, taxes, and fees."

Hurricane Beryl also took a devastating toll on Carriacou businesses. Most of the fishing boats -- 90 percent, ReliefWeb says -- belonged to fishermen who had no insurance. On shore, farmers, already suffering from a severe drought this summer, lost what little they had left. One farmer told Clement they lost half their sheep in the storm; another said hungry stray dogs were attacking his goats for food.

A local businesswoman who just started her bar and restaurant last October said business was booming before Beryl flattened it. "Everybody lost basically everything," she said, "People have to start from scratch. We're not rich people, you know, we're poor people, but we still have our lives."
Israel has conducted an airstrike on Beirut targeting a senior Hezbollah commander responsible for the murder of children in Saturdays rocket attack on the occupied Golan Heights.

The target of the strike was Fuad Shukr, also known as al-Hajj Mohsin, a senior advisor on military affairs to the Lebanese militant groups leader Hassan Nasrallah.

The Israeli military said Shukr was eliminated and described him as the most senior military commander in Hezbollah and the militia leaders right-hand man. Hezbollah sources initially claimed Shukr survived the attack, before issuing a statement saying he was in the house that was hit. It did not confirm whether or not he was killed.

Lebanons public health ministry said Tuesdays strike killed one woman and two children. More than 70 people sustained injuries in the blast and were rushed to the private Bahman Hospital and Hezbollahs Rasoul Aazam hospital.

Footage from the Lebanese capital showed the shells of several destroyed cars, as well as high-rise buildings gutted by the blast in the crowded southern suburb of Haret Hreik.

The Israeli military said the strike was part of a widely-anticipated reaction to the rocket attack on the occupied Golan Heights last Saturday that killed a dozen children and young people. Israel had blamed the attack on the Iran-backed armed group, though Hezbollah strongly denied involvement.

Later on Tuesday night, Hamas said its political leader Ismail Haniyeh was killed in an attack on his home in Tehran, alongside one bodyguard. Hamas blamed Israel for the killing, while Israel has yet to comment.

Hezbollah militants and Israel have routinely exchanged fire since Hamas attacked Israel on 7 October, killing around 1,130 people and taking 251 hostages.

Israels air and ground assault on Gaza in response to that attack has killed more than 39,000 Palestinians, according to the Hamas-run local health ministry. More than 80 per cent of the Strips population have been displaced by the war, while large swathes of northern Gaza in particular have been reduced to rubble.

Damaged building after airstrike targeting Hezbollah commander (Reuters)

The strike in Beirut was carried out with a drone that launched three rockets, according to Lebanon's state-run National News Agency.

A resident of the suburb, who lived about 200m away, said that dust from the explosion covered everything and that the glass in his sons apartment was broken. Then people went down on the streets, the resident told the Associated Press. Everyone has family. They went to check on them. It was a lot of destruction.

Hezbollah official Ali Ammar told Al-Manar TV that the Israeli enemy has committed a great stupid act in size, timing and circumstances by targeting an entirely civilian area.

The Israeli enemy will pay a price for this sooner or later.

Lebanons prime minister Najib Mikati called the strike an act of "blatant Israeli aggression", which he said took place a short distance from one of the largest hospitals in the capital.

He described the strike as a criminal act that is part of a series of aggressive operations targeting civilians, in clear and blatant violation of international law".

We fully reserve our right to take all measures that contribute to deterring Israeli aggression.

Hezbollah claimed they were not responsible for Saturdays Golan Heights attack on the Druze community. But Israel prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu said they were under no illusion about Hezbollahs role in the strike.

During a visit to the site of the attack in the remote town of Majdal Shams, a majority Druze village in a region annexed by Israel from Syria in 1981, he vowed to issue a harsh response.

US officials also said they believed Hezbollah was responsible, though the Joe Biden administration urged Israel not to escalate tensions too drastically in their response to the strike.

Diplomats had called on Israel to avoid targeting the Lebanese capital Beirut, its southern suburbs that form Hezbollah's heartland, or key infrastructure. They hoped that by keeping Israel's response limited, forceful retaliation by Hezbollah could be avoided.

A handout image published by Netanyahus office shows the Israeli PM alongside senior military personnel earlier today (Prime Minister's Media Adviser)

But a statement from the Israeli military confirmed they had defied that advice and targeted southern Beirut.

A statement posted to X read: The [Israeli military] carried out a targeted strike in Beirut, on the commander responsible for the murder of the children in Majdal Shams and the killing of numerous additional Israeli civilians.

A minute after the statement was published, Israeli defence minister Yoav Gallant, a close aide of Mr Netanyahu, wrote on X: Hezbollah crossed the red line.

The military added that there were no changes to their defensive guidelines, a reference to their recent deployments on Israels northern border  readying to go on the offensive if needed.

In April, the military said that it had completed another step in preparing for a possible war along its northern front. In a statement titled readiness for the transition from defence to offence, they said the phase completed centred on logistics for a broad mobilisation of [Israeli] troops.

Mr Netanyahu held a security assessment later on Tuesday evening with Mr Gallant and Israels intelligence chiefs.

Hezbollah rejected calls from international envoys to avoid responding to the anticipated Israeli attack.

People inspect damaged cars in the southern suburbs of Beirut, Lebanon (AP)

Hezbollah informed mediators it would still respond to any Israeli attack, an official said in written comments sent to reporters. The official did not say which countries the mediators represented.

"International envoys are indirectly raising with us the idea that we should not respond to the expected aggression under the pretext of the need to avoid escalation and sliding towards a comprehensive war," the Hezbollah official said.

Hezbollah had informed them of our explicit rejection of this request and would respond, the official said.

The group took Israels threats seriously and was prepared, but did not expect a ground invasion, the official said.

Hezbollah also said mediators had informed them of diplomatic efforts to urge Israel to spare civilians and civilian facilities in any operation. This is a good thing, but we do not trust our enemy, the official added.

In January Israel assassinated Saleh al-Arouri, a top Hamas official, with an airstrike on Beirut. That strike was the first time Israel had hit Beirut since the 34-day war between Israel and Hezbollah in the summer of 2006.
Israels military claimed a senior Hezbollah leader was killed in a strike in Beirut on Tuesday, in retaliation for a rocket attack that left 12 children dead in the Golan Heights at the weekend.

The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) said it carried out a targeted strike in Beirut, on the commander responsible for the murder of the children in Majdal Shams and the killing of numerous additional Israeli civilians.

The target was identified as Fuad Shukr, a senior adviser to Hezbollahs leader Hassan Nasrallah, who was said to control the Lebanese terror groups military activities and precision weapons programme.

Late on Tuesday night, the IDF confirmed that Shukr had been killed in the strike.

However, the head of Hezbollahs operations centre said Shukr had survived, but remained critically injured.

Shukr was wanted in the US for his role in the 1983 bombing of the Beirut Marine Corps barracks, which killed 241 Americans.

Widespread damage was reported after the attack on a Hezbollah stronghold in Beirut, Lebanon - AP Photo/Hussein Malla

Footage showed widespread destruction to buildings and cars in the Dahieh neighbourhood of Beirut, which is known as a Hezbollah stronghold.

A senior Israeli official told The Telegraph that Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu instructed the military to act very precisely and surgically with as few collateral casualties as possible.

Hundreds of people gathered on the street following the strike, chanting slogans in support of Nasrallah and calling for retaliation.

One woman was killed and at least 35 people were injured, Lebanons Health Minister Firass Abiad told the New York Times.

The US governments Rewards for Justice programme previously offered up to $5m (3.9m) for information leading to Shukrs capture and in 2015 put him under US sanctions.

The 61-year-old was from the village of al-Nabi Shayth, in the Baalbek district of Lebanon, also the birthplace of Hezbollah co-founder Abbas al-Musawi.

Shukr served on the Jihad Council, Hezbollahs highest military body, and had allegedly been involved in assisting Hezbollah fighters and pro-Assad forces in the Syrian civil war.

The strike hit near Hezbollahs Shura Council, the groups central decision-making authority.

Hezbollah-affiliated media Al Mayadeen reported that a four-floor residential building had completely collapsed and that the Bahman Hospital was partially damaged too.

The attack came after Mr Netanyahu vowed a severe response to the Golan Heights attack.

Yoav Gallant, Israels defence minister, said Hezbollah crossed a red line shortly after the attack was confirmed by the IDF.

Israel warned the US ahead of the strike, CNN reported citing a source familiar with the matter.

Shortly after the attack, US deputy state department spokesman Vedant Patel said that Washington was still continuing to work toward a diplomatic resolution that would allow Israeli and Lebanese civilians to return to their homes and live in peace and security.

We certainly want to avoid any kind of escalation.

The Iranian Embassy, in Lebanon, said it condemned in the strongest terms the cowardly and sinful Israeli aggression that targeted the southern suburb of Beirut, which claimed the lives of a number of martyrs and wounded.

Lebanons Foreign Minister Abdallah Bou Habib told Reuters that the country plans on filing a complaint with the United Nations over the Israeli attack.

Lebanon is hoping that Hezbollahs response will be proportionate so that this wave of killing will stop, he added.

Both Israel and Lebanon have been on high alert since Saturdays attack on the Golan Heights.

Hezbollah fired 10 rockets at northern Israel on Tuesday, killing an Israeli man in his 30s in Kibbutz HaGoshrim in the Upper Galilee.

Israel has struck several Hezbollah targets throughout southern Lebanon since Saturday, killing four members of the Lebanese group.

The attack on a Hezbollah official in Beirut on Tuesday marks an escalation, but it is not the first time Israel has attacked the Lebanese capital since Hamas massacre of Oct 7.

In January, an Israeli airstrike killed Hamas deputy leader Saleh Aurori, also in the Dahieh neighbourhood.

Aurori, who at the time was the most senior Hamas official to be killed since Oct 7, played an instrumental role in coordinating terror activities in the West Bank.

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Israel tried to kill a top Hezbollah commander in Beirut who has a $5 million US bounty on his head

Israel conducted a strike in Beirut on Tuesday that targeted a Hezbollah commander.

The strike was carried out in retaliation for a deadly rocket attack over the weekend, the IDF said.

The commander, Fuad Shukr, had a $5 million bounty put on his head by the US government.

Israel said it conducted a strike in Beirut on Tuesday targeting a Hezbollah commander who it deemed responsible for a deadly rocket attack in the Israeli-controlled Golan Heights over the weekend.

The retaliatory strike in the Lebanese capital targeted Fuad Shukr, a senior advisor to Hezbollah's secretary-general Hasan Nasrallah who has a $5 million US government bounty on his head. Israel said he was killed in the strike carried out using fighter aircraft.

Video and images from the scene revealed extensive damage to at least one multi-story building, debris in the streets, and smoke rising above the city. There are reportedly dozens of casualties.

"The IDF carried out a targeted strike in Beirut, on the commander responsible for the murder of the children in Majdal Shams and the killing of numerous additional Israeli civilians," the Israeli military said in a statement.

A view shows damage after what security sources said was a strike on Beirut's southern suburbs on July 30, 2024. REUTERS/Ahmed Al-Kerdi

"At the moment, there are no changes in the Home Front Command defensive guidelines. If any changes will be made, an update will be released," it added.

Israel and the US blamed Iran-backed Hezbollah for a rocket attack that killed 12 children and teenagers in Majdal Shams, a town located in the Israeli-controlled Golan Heights on Saturday. The Lebanon-based militant group denied involvement.

Israel and Hezbollah have exchanged regular cross-border fire since Israel declared war on Hamas following the October 7 massacre, but Saturday's attack in Majdal Shams raised concerns that the situation could spiral into an all-out confrontation, with Israeli officials vowing a harsh response.

"Hezbollah crossed the red line," Israeli Defense Minister Yoav Gallant said Tuesday.

Shukr, the man who was targeted in Tuesday's strike in Beirut, serves on Hezbollah's Jihad Council, which is its highest military body, according to the US State Department's Rewards for Justice program.

Damaged vehicles are seen after an Israeli strike on Beirut's southern suburbs on July 30, 2024 in this screen grab from a video. Reuters TV via REUTERS

Shukr also "played a central role" in the October 1983 bombing of the US Marine Corps barracks in Beirut, which killed more than 240 American service members, the US said. The State Department has offered a reward of $5 million for credible information on Shukr, who was marked a "Specially Designated Global Terrorist" in 2019.

It's still unclear what effects Tuesday's strike will have on the routine exchange of fire between Israel and Hezbollah and whether it will lead to an escalation in hostilities. It marked the second time the IDF has targeted Beirut since October 7.

John Kirby, a White House spokesperson, said on Monday that Israel has "every right to respond" to Saturday's attack in Majdal Shams but downplayed concerns about an all-out conflict.

"Nobody wants a broader war, and I'm confident that we'll be able to avoid such an outcome," he told reporters.

Read the original article on Business Insider
NAIROBI, July 30 (Xinhua) -- At 25, Sylvia Jebet from Kenya attributes her plunge into the technology space, where she is currently thriving, to sheer grit, determination, and some inspiration from a diverse cast of mentors.

Born and raised in Nakuru County, about 160 kilometers northwest of Nairobi, the capital of Kenya, Jebet aspired to become a teacher during her childhood. Still, in a strange twist of fate, she fell in love with computers as a young adult.

In 2017, Jebet joined one of the leading public universities in Kenya, where she pursued a major in telecommunication and information engineering. Upon graduating in 2023, she was raring to venture into a male-dominated career.

Excited by the prospect of developing her digital skills and gaining global exposure, she applied for the mentorship program sponsored by Chinese technology giant Huawei and, to her surprise, won a slot after a rigorous vetting process.

"Being chosen as a participant felt like a significant milestone in my academic and career journey," Jebet said in an interview with Xinhua on Monday, reaffirming her passion for digital competence and ability to solve complex challenges.

The Huawei Seeds for the Future Program, launched in 2008, is the firm's global Corporate Social Responsibility flagship project. It aims to enhance the digital skills of the youth through training, mentorship, and peer learning.

In Kenya, Huawei has partnered with state agencies and academic institutions to develop local information and communications technology (ICT) talent, enhance knowledge sharing, and ensure a robust innovation ecosystem to benefit youth through the program.

When she was shortlisted for the 2020 cohort, Jebet and her peers underwent virtual training and assessment, studied and tackled projects, and took a virtual tour of Huawei University.

The Huawei Seeds for the Future Program unleashed a transformative impact on Jebet amid in-depth training on emerging technologies such as 5G, cloud computing, and artificial intelligence. Conducted by industry experts with hands-on expertise, these training sessions refined her digital and interpersonal skills, which are critical to securing a place in the workplace of the future.

Together with three other students from Kenya, Jebet had the opportunity to participate in a one-week immersion into digital technology skills during the MWC Shanghai 2024 in June.

She said representing the Huawei Seeds for the Future Program Alumni in China for one week was a rewarding experience that elevated her technical prowess and ability to interact with people from diverse cultures.

"The program was a transformative experience, packed with learning and growth opportunities. Visiting Huawei's headquarters in China was an eye-opener," Jebet said. "I witnessed the latest innovations and interacted with professionals who are at the forefront of technological advancements. This exposure has given me valuable insights into the global ICT landscape and the practical applications of the technologies I was learning about."

As part of the program, Jebet immersed herself in studying Chinese culture, history, and language, which boosted her ability to be open-minded and communicate in a cross-cultural environment.

She vowed to use the skills she gained at the Huawei mentorship program to promote innovations that solve real-world challenges and make a positive impact in her community. 
A view of a destroyed building that was targeted by an Israeli drone in Beirut's southern suburb. The Israeli military said Tuesday it has carried out a "targeted attack" on a commander of the pro-Iranian Hezbollah militia in Beirut. The explosion occurred three days after a deadly rocket attack on the Israeli-occupied Golan Heights. Marwan Naamani/dpa

The Israeli military said Tuesday it has carried out a "targeted attack" on a commander of the pro-Iranian Hezbollah militia in Beirut, after an explosion was heard in the Lebanese capital.

The blast comes three days after a deadly rocket attack on the Israeli-occupied Golan Heights.

According to the Israeli army, the commander was responsible for the deaths of the 12 children and young people hit in the rocket attack in the Israeli-annexed Golan Heights on Saturday.

Israel has blamed Hezbollah for the attack, but the Shiite Lebanese movement has denied any involvement.

Earlier on Tuesday, the Lebanese news agency NNA reported an "enemy attack" in the Beirut suburb of Haret Hreik, a Hezbollah stronghold located just a few kilometres from Beirut International Airport.

The Hezbollah-affiliated television station Al-Manar showed images of chaotic scenes. At least four buildings were damaged in the attack.

According to Hezbollah, one person was killed in the Israeli attack on a suburb of the Lebanese capital Beirut. It was not immediately clear who the victim was.

The Shiite organization's spokeswoman confirmed to dpa that dozens of people were injured in the attack.

According to the Israeli military, the attack targeted a high-ranking Hezbollah commander. It was not immediately clear whether he died in the attack.

According to media reports, the target person is Fuad Schukr. He is considered a close advisor to Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah and a senior military commander.

According to the US government, he is a member of Hezbollah's highest military body and is also wanted by US authorities for involvement in a 1983 attack on US troops in Beirut.

Lebanon's caretaker Prime Minister Najib Mikati strongly condemned the act and described it as an "obvious Israeli aggression."

According to the state news agency NNA, Mikati described the attack as a criminal act.

He added that it is part of a series of aggressive operations in which civilians are killed.

The Israeli killing machine has not yet had enough of attacking the Lebanese areas in the south and in the Bekaa region, he continued.

He called for an emergency cabinet meeting on Wednesday to discuss the situation.

Eyewitnesses reported that the attack targeted an eight-storey building. Men were shouting "God Bless Hassan Nasrallah" and calling on him to retaliate against Israel.

According to rescue workers, a civilian was killed in a rocket attack on northern Israel in the afternoon. There had previously been rocket alarms in towns on the border with Lebanon.

In Washinton, the White House is calling for a diplomatic solution.

White House spokeswoman Karine Jean-Pierre said on Tuesday, "We do not believe that an all-out war is inevitable ... We believe that it can still be avoided."

The spokeswoman did not comment directly on the Israeli attack in Beirut. However, she emphasized that US President Joe Biden believes in diplomatic solutions.

When asked why Biden has reason to believe that a diplomatic solution is possible, Jean-Pierre replied: "Because we have to continue to be optimistic."

Since the beginning of the Gaza war, there have been repeated confrontations between Israel's army and militant groups such as Hezbollah in the Israeli-Lebanese border region.

According to their own statements, Hezbollah is acting in solidarity with Hamas: It only wants to stop its attacks when there is a ceasefire in Gaza.

Hamas, a close ally of Hezbollah condemned the attack and said "we consider this, a dangerous escalation for which the Zionist occupation bears full responsibility for the repercussions."

Numerous civilians were killed in both Israel and Lebanon. Tens of thousands of residents left their home towns on both sides of the border.

It is the worst escalation since the second Lebanon war in 2006.

Lebanese army soldiers and pro-Iranian Hezbollah militants secure the entrance of a building that was targeted by an Israeli drone in Beirut's southern suburb. The Israeli military said Tuesday it has carried out a "targeted attack" on a commander of the pro-Iranian Hezbollah militia in Beirut. The explosion occurred three days after a deadly rocket attack on the Israeli-occupied Golan Heights. Marwan Naamani/dpa

A pro-Iranian Hezbollah militant stands in front of a destroyed building that was targeted by an Israeli drone in Beirut's southern suburb. The Israeli military said Tuesday it has carried out a "targeted attack" on a commander of the pro-Iranian Hezbollah militia in Beirut. The explosion occurred three days after a deadly rocket attack on the Israeli-occupied Golan Heights. Marwan Naamani/dpa
Lebanese army soldiers and pro-Iranian Hezbollah militants secure the entrance of a building that was targeted by an Israeli drone in Beirut's southern suburb. The Israeli military said Tuesday it has carried out a "targeted attack" on a commander of the pro-Iranian Hezbollah militia in Beirut. The explosion occurred three days after a deadly rocket attack on the Israeli-occupied Golan Heights. Marwan Naamani/dpa

The Israeli military said Tuesday it has carried out a "targeted attack" on a commander of the pro-Iranian Hezbollah militia in Beirut, after an explosion was heard in the Lebanese capital.

The blast comes three days after a deadly rocket attack on the Israeli-occupied Golan Heights. According to the Israeli army, the commander was responsible for the deaths of the children and young people hit in the attack, as well as other civilians.

Earlier on Tuesday, the Lebanese news agency NNA reported an "enemy attack" in the Beirut suburb of Haret Hreik.

The Hezbollah-affiliated television station Al-Manar showed images of chaotic scenes. At least four buildings were damaged in the attack.

Eyewitnesses reported that the attack targeted an eight-storey building.

Earlier, Israel's Defense Minister Yoav Gallant wrote on X: "Hezbollah has crossed a red line."

According to rescue workers, a civilian was killed in a rocket attack on northern Israel in the afternoon. There had previously been rocket alarms in towns on the border with Lebanon.

After at least 12 people were killed in a rocket attack in the Druze town of Majdal Shams on the Israeli-annexed Golan Heights on Saturday, the Israeli government announced a retaliatory strike.

Israel has blamed Hezbollah for the attack, but the Shiite Lebanese movement has denied any involvement.

Since the beginning of the Gaza war, there have been repeated confrontations between Israel's army and militant groups such as Hezbollah in the Israeli-Lebanese border region.

According to their own statements, Hezbollah is acting in solidarity with Hamas: It only wants to stop its attacks when there is a ceasefire in Gaza.

Numerous civilians were killed in both Israel and Lebanon. Tens of thousands of residents left their hometowns on both sides of the border.

It is the worst escalation since the second Lebanon war in 2006.

Lebanese army soldiers and pro-Iranian Hezbollah militants secure the entrance of a building that was targeted by an Israeli drone in Beirut's southern suburb. The Israeli military said Tuesday it has carried out a "targeted attack" on a commander of the pro-Iranian Hezbollah militia in Beirut. The explosion occurred three days after a deadly rocket attack on the Israeli-occupied Golan Heights. Marwan Naamani/dpa
A view of a destroyed building that was targeted by an Israeli drone in Beirut's southern suburb. The Israeli military said Tuesday it has carried out a "targeted attack" on a commander of the pro-Iranian Hezbollah militia in Beirut. The explosion occurred three days after a deadly rocket attack on the Israeli-occupied Golan Heights. Marwan Naamani/dpa

The Israeli military said Tuesday it has carried out a "targeted attack" on a commander of the pro-Iranian Hezbollah militia in Beirut, after an explosion was heard in the Lebanese capital.

The blast comes three days after a deadly rocket attack on the Israeli-occupied Golan Heights.

According to the Israeli army, the commander was responsible for the deaths of the children and young people hit in the attack on the Druze town of Majdal Shams, as well as other civilians.

Earlier on Tuesday, the Lebanese news agency NNA reported an "enemy attack" in the Beirut suburb of Haret Hreik. The Hezbollah-affiliated television station Al-Manar showed images of chaotic scenes. At least four buildings were damaged in the attack.

Eyewitnesses reported that the attack targeted an eight-storey building.

Lebanese army soldiers and pro-Iranian Hezbollah militants secure the entrance of a building that was targeted by an Israeli drone in Beirut's southern suburb. The Israeli military said Tuesday it has carried out a "targeted attack" on a commander of the pro-Iranian Hezbollah militia in Beirut. The explosion occurred three days after a deadly rocket attack on the Israeli-occupied Golan Heights. Marwan Naamani/dpa
Israel's foreign minister wants Turkey to be kicked out of NATO

Following threats by Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan against Israel, Israeli Foreign Minister Israel Katz has called for Turkey to be expelled from NATO.

"Erdogan has made Turkey a member of the Iranian axis of evil," Katz said on Monday evening, adding that Turkey hosts the Islamist terrorist organization Hamas.

Katz called on all NATO member states to "expel Turkey immediately."

He said Turkey had massively violated NATO principles by "threatening to invade a democratic Western country without provocation." The United States and the Western world must "condemn Erdogan and stop his destructive activities."

On Sunday Erdogan threatened Israel with military intervention, citing previous actions in Nagorno-Karabakh and Libya.

"Just as we entered Nagorno-Karabakh, just as we entered Libya, we will do the same with them," the Turkish ruler said at an event of his ruling Justice and Development Party (AKP) in Rize on the Black Sea.

Erdogan was referring to the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict, where he supported Azerbaijan with drones and other military aid. Ankara is also backing the internationally recognized government of Libya with military equipment and personnel.

Following that Katz compared Erdogan to Saddam Hussein, the former leader of Iraq who was deposed and executed following US intervention there.

"Erdogan is following in the footsteps of Saddam Hussein and is threatening an attack on Israel," Katz said on the X platform early on Monday.

"He should just remember what happened there and how it ended."

Since the beginning of the Gaza war, relations between Israel and Turkey have deteriorated drastically. Erdogan called Hamas a "liberation organization" and compared Israel's Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to Adolf Hitler.

In mid-July, Erdogan declared that his country would no longer agree to cooperation between NATO and its partner Israel in future until lasting peace was achieved in the Palestinian Territories.

NATO did not initially comment on Katz's statements when asked by dpa. The world's largest defence alliance does not have any procedures that provide for sanctions or even exclusion in the event of undesirable behaviour.

However Turkey is considered an important ally despite frequent differences.

The country is an important base for the fight against the terrorist militia Islamic State and has the second largest armed forces of all alliance states after the United States.

Due to its strategically important location on the Black Sea and its borders with Iraq and Syria, Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg likes to describe Turkey as a "key country for Europe's security."
Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni stated that at a meeting with Chinese President Xi Jinping, she "quite clearly raised" the topic of China backing Russia's war in Ukraine. The official states Beijing is not interested in helping Russia's industrial potential.

Source: Rai News, as reported by European Pravda

Details: According to Meloni, during a meeting with Chinese counterparts, "we quite clearly raised the issue" of support for Russia from China, "trying to think together about what interests everyone has."

Quote: "I think that China is not interested at this stage in supporting Russia's industrial potential, even if, as we know, it does not interfere directly," she added.

The head of the Italian government expressed hope that China could "play a leading role" in ending the war in Ukraine.

"President Xi stated yesterday that China is always working towards peaceful coexistence among nations, and I would like to see efforts taken in this direction," Meloni explained.

On 29 July, Georgia Meloni met with Chinese leader Xi Jinping during her visit to Beijing, where they discussed the situation in the Middle East and the Russian invasion of Ukraine.

Previously, Meloni stated her goal to "reset" economic relations with Beijing.

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Italys environment minister has condemned the killing of a brown bear that attacked a tourist in the Dolomites earlier this month in defence of its cubs.

The controversial order for the bear to be captured and killed was signed by Maurizio Fugatti, the governor of Trentino, a semi-autonomous province in the mountainous north of the country.

The culling of the female bear, carried out by rangers overnight, caused a furore on Tuesday, with the decision condemned by politicians, conservationists and animal rights groups.

Environmental groups said they were deeply concerned about whether the three cubs would survive now that their mother had been killed.

I had already told Fugatti, the killing of individual bears is not the solution to the problem, said the environment minister, Gilberto Picchetto Fratin. He said it would be better to tackle the issue by sterilising female bears which were considered a potential threat to humans.

Earlier this month, a 43-year-old French tourist who had gone for an early morning run near the village of Dro in the Trentino region surprised the female bear with her three cubs. The bear attacked him, leaving him with injuries to his arms and legs.

He managed to raise the alarm and was taken to hospital for treatment.

Ever since the attack happened on July 16, Mr Fugatti had been determined to have the bear killed, saying it had become dangerous and overly habituated to inhabited areas.

However, environmentalists said that the bear, known as KJ1, had instinctively tried to protect its cubs and that any attempt to cull it would result in a huge overreaction.

Italys shame

They said the governor signed the decree to capture and kill the bear at 9pm on Monday to avoid any legal challenges being presented by animal rights campaigners.

He did it at night when the courts could not intervene, said Michela Vittoria Brambilla, a former government minister and now the head of a parliamentary group on animal rights.

He signed the order at 9.35pm decreeing that the bear must die, no ifs and no buts. Instead of dispatching rangers to close hiking trails and dissuade walkers from the area, he sent them to kill a 22-year-old bear which for two-thirds of its life had done nothing to cause any trouble and which was simply defending its cubs.

She accused the governor of arrogance and authoritarianism.

In a post on Facebook, the governor said he had issued the decree because KJ1 had become dangerous to humans. He said there had been an urgent need to remove the bear from the wild as soon as possible.

Several mayors in the region had also called for the bear to be killed, with one saying that she no longer ventured into the mountains on her own because she deemed it too dangerous.

A few days after the attack on the French runner, a Swiss woman and her three children encountered a large bear and a cub on the shores of Lake Molveno, a local beauty spot surrounded by forest and towering limestone peaks. The female bear and her cub quickly vanished into the forest.

On social media, Mr Fugattis decision to have the bear culled was met with anger and sadness by many Italians. Shameful, and Italys shame, many wrote on X, formerly Twitter.

Congratulations for killing an innocent animal, one Italian woman wrote, while a man named Marco called the governor an assassin. Another sarcastically hailed him as a hero. He was also described as a bloody butcher.

Brown bears were reintroduced to the Dolomites from neighbouring Slovenia in the 1990s, with the project proving a conservation success story.

There are now an estimated 100 brown bears roaming the forests and mountains of the Dolomites, the range that dominates the north-east of Italy.

In April last year, an Italian runner was killed by a bear that he encountered in the forests of Trentino, in what was the first fatality in living memory. Andrea Papi died after being mauled on a trail above the town of Caldes in the Brenta Dolomites.

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J.D. Vances Ex-Friend Wants Trans Kids to Know the GOP Is Using Them as a Political Ploy

Courtesy of Sofia Nelson

The past several years have seen record-high numbers of anti-LGBTQ+bills introduced in state legislatures around the country, which has demonstrably worsened the mental health of the queer and trans youth bearing the brunt of that onslaught.

But Detroit-based public defender Sofia Nelson, who has recently made national headlines due to their past friendship with J.D. Vance, wants trans youth to know that the decade they have known the Republican vice presidential hopeful has taught them a very important lesson: Right-wing politicians are cynically using anti-trans hatred as a political ploy.

In a new wide-ranging interview with the Detroit Free Press published Tuesday, Nelson spoke to the personal side of their fallout with Vance. They met Vance at Yale Law School, and the two bonded over their shared Midwestern, working-class backgrounds, with the Ohio senator reportedly even bringing Nelson baked goods during top surgery recovery. The two stayed in touch via email after law school as well, traveling to visit each other in a purely social capacity, including Nelsons trip to attend Vances wedding. The attorney described themself as heartbroken by the transformation that [Vance and his wife, Usha Vance] decided to undergo.

The J.D. that I got to know in law school  and its reflected in our correspondence after law school  was thoughtful and compassionate, they told the Free Press.

This past weekend, the attorney leaked about 90 emails and text messages between themself and the Ohio Senator to the New York Times, stretching primarily from the years 2014 to 2017. That trove included an apology email from Vance for potentially misidentifying them as an extremely progressive lesbian in his 2016 memoir, Hillbilly Elegy, and an email in which Vance said I hate the police in the wake of the 2014 killing of Michael Brown.

In their new interview with the Free Press, Nelson said that they leaked the emails for two key reasons. They said that while we all evolve our thinking, Vances flipflop on every conceivable issue, whether it be Donald Trump or LGBTQ+ rights ... shows a lack of core values or a willingness to turn your back on core values to advance your career and amass money.

I think that hypocrisy is deeply concerning, and the American people have a right to know where he used to stand on the issues compared to where he stands today so they can evaluate for themselves whether he's trustworthy, Nelson told the newspaper.

The attorney also sought to emphasize the fact that he had a meaningful and respectful relationship with a trans person  that being myself  and is now demonizing trans people and trying to prevent parents from accessing medical care for their children.

We need to trust medical providers, parents and the children to make these decisions for themselves, Nelson said. Every parent loves their child unconditionally, and is going to be cautious and thoughtful in making these decisions, but parents are best equipped to make those decisions, and to try to deny them that freedom, I think, is deeply concerning.

J.D. Vance Told His Former Trans Friend I Hate the Police

In emails published by the *New York Times*, Trumps VP pick espouses decidedly un-MAGA politics.

They also took the time to address trans youth directly in their interview, because I was a trans kid once, and it was deeply scary to think that there was something wrong with me that was going to prevent me from leading a full and happy life.

I want trans kids to know that these politicians, they dont actually think youre bad. They dont actually believe theres anything wrong with you, they said, Theyre engaging in opportunism to win elections. I know that because he was very loving and respectful of a trans person in his life, and is now choosing to use trans kids as a political ploy.

A spokesperson for Vance provided the Free Press the same statement that he gave the Times, writing that over email that it was unfortunate this individual chose to leak decade-old private conversations between friends to the New York Times and that Vance values his friendships with individuals across the political spectrum.

He has been open about the fact that some of his views from a decade ago began to change after becoming a dad and starting a family, and he has thoroughly explained why he changed his mind on President Trump, the statement reads. Despite their disagreements, Sen. Vance cares for Sofia and wishes Sofia the very best.

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Originally Appeared on them.
As hard as it was to pretend they didnt mind Joe Biden passing his presidential torch to Kamala Harris, Donald Trumps team clearly decided it was better to claim the race remained the same.

In public, J.D. Vance followed the GOP line, insisting the day after Biden dropped out that he didnt think the political calculus changes at all.

But in a meeting with private donors, Trumps running mate told a different story, according to a report in The Washington Post.

All of us were hit with a little bit of a political sucker punch, Vance reportedly said at the fundraiser in Golden Valley, Minnesota, on July 27.

The bad news is that Kamala Harris does not have the same baggage as Joe Biden, because whatever we might have to say, Kamala is a lot younger. And Kamala Harris is obviously not struggling in the same ways that Joe Biden did, he added.

J.D. Vance Wastes No Time Calling Out Kamala Harris at Trump Rally

Vance said Republicans would have to work harder to change peoples opinions of Harris because she wasnt as well-known as Biden.

We have a very unique opportunity, but also a very unique challenge, because, lets be honest, 10 days ago, the two candidates who were running for president, everybody had an opinion about em. Love em or hate em, everybody has an opinion about Donald Trump and Joe Biden after the past eight years. But Kamala Harris, people dont really know, he told donors, according to the Post.

The GOP vice presidential nominee said the campaign will focus on Harris positions on fracking, law and order, and immigration to press a political advantage.

Vances spokesperson Will Martin told the paper that polls showed Trump leading Harris because of her weak, failed and dangerously liberal agenda.

Her far-left ideas are even more radioactive than Joe Biden, particularly in the key swing states that will decide this election like Pennsylvania, Michigan, and Wisconsin, he added.

Read more at The Daily Beast.

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TASHKENT, July 30 (Xinhua) -- The Agency for Strategic Reforms under the President of the Republic of Uzbekistan in cooperation with the State Committee for Tourism, has prepared a draft resolution on the development of tourism in Uzbekistan, the agency press service reported on Monday.

According to the document, by 2025, new types of tourism can be developed in Uzbekistan. Geological tourism will offer visitors tours of mines and inactive geological and industrial sites. Industrial and scientific tourism will include visits to the production areas of mining and metallurgical complexes.

In addition, tourists interested in military themes will have the opportunity to visit military training grounds. They will also be provided with paid services for shooting in military zones.

"The successful implementation of the proposed changes, including the creation of new tourist routes, the introduction of modern information and navigation systems, and the improvement of infrastructure will contribute to increasing the flow of tourists to our country and developing its economy," the statement said. 
Artificial intelligence (AI) technology contains so many different levels and nuances, and licensed attorney Jarell Oshodi implores people to consider how it affects us daily.

Generative AI impacts many people, but its effects on the Black community in recent years have sparked concerns.

In January 2024, as AFROTECH previously reported, a complaint was filed against Rite Aid for using artificial intelligence-based software in hundreds of its stores to identify people that they believed were deemed likely to engage in shoplifting or other criminal behavior.' At the time, it was said that the chain had unfairly targeted people of color.

I want to ensure that advancements in AI dont perpetuate biases or create new forms of discrimination, Oshodi told AFROTECH in an email interview. Its important to have inclusive policies that safeguard the privacy rights of all individuals, especially those from underrepresented groups.

Buy your AFROTECH Conference 2024 ticket now.

As a licensed attorney, CIPP (Certified Information Privacy Professional), and CIPM (Certified Information Privacy Manager) with 14 years of experience in privacy and data governance roles, Oshodi has worked for entities like the Veterans Affairs, Department of Justice, and the National Institutes of Health. Today, she serves as the deputy chief privacy officer for the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

Additionally, Oshodi is the author of the book, Securing Our Future: Embracing The Resilience and Brilliance of Black Women in Cyber. She also sits on the board for the Black Girls in Cyber organization, a non-profit that helps women of color advance in cyber and privacy careers.

Oshodis technology career did not come from a passion for data governance or privacy; rather, it was a combination of embracing challenges, work-life balance, and technologys impact on the world that guided the work in which she is now immersed.

Ive thrived on the intellectual stimulation that the developing area of data privacy and governance has offered over the last 12 years, said Oshodi. The constant need for challenges and growth keeps me engaged and motivated. Additionally, the flexibility of my federal career allows me to maintain a fulfilling work-life balance and pursue diverse interests. I also recognize the importance and impact of these fields. My work contributes to safeguarding individual rights and upholding ethical standards, which is both meaningful and rewarding.



During the 2024 AFROTECH Conference in Houston, TX, Oshodi plans to hold her Defending our Reality: Cyber Risks and Controls of Generative AI session, which she says is designed for anyone who is affected by generative AI.

Oshodi added, Id especially like those working in or interested in the tech industry to understand the implications of generative AI on cybersecurity and privacy.

She also encourages those attending to network and use social media to begin engaging with speakers and attendees to potentially set up virtual coffee dates and in-person meetings leading up to the event.

Its a great way to build relationships, said Oshodi regarding the conference. Connecting with industry leaders, peers, and potential collaborators can open doors to new job opportunities, partnerships, and projects.

From Nov. 13-16, attendees will have the opportunity to hear from the industry leaders Oshodi is referring to across various stages. While the Main Stage and Executive will be returning, there are new incoming stages, such as the Cybersecurity Stage, AI Stage, Data & Engineering Stage, and more.

In addition, AFROTECH has everyone covered with ticket options ranging from Student to Executive and even All Access.

Click here to secure your spot at AFROTECH Conference 2024.
[Source]

Ohio Sen. J.D. Vance has acknowledged the white supremacist attacks against his wife, Usha Vance.

Obviously, shes not a white person, and weve been accused, attacked by some white supremacists over that. But I just, I love Usha, he told Megyn Kelly on her show on Friday. Usha, the daughter of Indian immigrants, has been on the receiving end of racist comments since Trump announced her husband as his running mate at the Republican National Convention earlier this month. While Vance has acknowledged the racist attacks, he has not publicly condemned them.

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Much ink has been spilled on Sen. JD Vance (R-OH) being a huge weirdo with dangerous views on everything from womens bodies to race to soft drinks. Even without the cartoonishly bizarre (and debunked) sofa hoax, Vance has emerged as one of the most unpopular vice presidential choices of all time.

Its not just a personality thing either. Almost daily, new oppo research surfaces revealing Vances past extreme remarks on the very issues the Republicans Party attempted to moderate on during the convention when it revised its policy platform  such as his damaging-for-Trump views on abortion and on punishing women for travel out of state to seek out the procedure.

Over the weekend, the journalists over at Fox checked in with Vance on news that the Kamala Harris campaign  and everyone else in America  called him weird, asking the Trump VP candidate during a campaign stump interview whether it hurts your feelings.

No, not at all, Vance said in an interview that aired Sunday. It doesnt hurt my feelings.

Look, the price of admission  meaning, the price of getting to serve the people of this country  is the Democrats are going to attack us with everything that they have. I think its an honor, he added.

The problem is, its not just Democrats who think Vance is a little freak  and not the fun, much-memed kind. The cringe kind. Sure, Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-NY) mentioned over the weekend that Trump picking Vance was one of the best things [Trump] ever did for Democrats. But Republicans in Congress are also privately concerned about Vances lack of experience, specifically on foreign policy.

This has all led to abundant speculation about whether Trump, too, feels honored by the attacks on his VP, or whether he might be having some regrets.

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Sen. JD Vance, the Ohio Republican who was named this month as former President Donald Trumps running mate, has come under fire  and become a meme  for disparaging people who dont have children as childless cat ladies in 2021.

But the 39-year-old senator has a years-long documented history of describing people without children as immoral and inferior. And as Election Day nears, those remarks are continuing to resurface.

On Tuesday, HuffPost first reported on comments Vance made in May 2021 in an interview with the conservative outlet The Federalist, in which he was asked him what he thinks Republicans can do to convince Americans to have more children.

To be a little stark about this, I think we have to go to war against the anti-child ideology that exists in our country, Vance answered, adding that people who support women prioritizing their careers over having children are sad, lonely, pathetic people.

Vances comments about families and motherhood have been under particular scrutiny since his nomination. A 2021 speech he gave at an Intercollegiate Studies Institute conference  in which he said Vice President Kamala Harris is among the Democratic Partys childless cat ladies and has no physical commitment to the future of this country, because she does not have biological children  has fueled extensive criticism.

Republican vice presidential nominee Sen. JD Vance (Ohio) carries his daughter Maribel as he greets supporters at the Park Diner on July 28, 2024 in St. Cloud, Minnesota. Stephen Maturen via Getty Images

In that same speech, Vance also said that Americans without children should not have nearly the same voice as parents when voting.

Its just a basic fact: You look at Kamala Harris, Pete Buttigieg, AOC, the entire future of the Democrats is controlled by people without children, Vance doubled down to far-right media figure Tucker Carlson days later. And how does it make any sense that weve turned our country over to people that dont have a direct stake in it?

The resurfaced comments brought immediate backlash across the political spectrum, as childless cat ladies backing Harris have started embracing the term.

In an apparent attempt at damage control, Vance said last week on SiriusXMs The Megyn Kelly Show that he was being sarcastic and has nothing against cats.

In that July 26 interview, Vance acknowledged Harris is a stepmother to two adult children, and that Buttigieg, the transportation secretary, adopted twins with his husband. But the Republican refused to apologize directly to people who cant or dont have children, instead criticizing the countrys low birthrate.

People are focusing so much on the sarcasm and not on the substance of what I said. And the substance of what I said, Megyn, Im sorry, its true, Vance said, amplifying the white supremacist great replacement theory by claiming without evidence that Democrats think they can replace American children with immigrants.

Vance has three children with wife Usha Vance, herself the daughter of Indian immigrants.

A man lifts a baby holding a "Trump Vance" sign at a rally for Republican vice presidential nominee JD Vance inside Radford University's Dedmon Center in Radford, Virginia, on July 22, 2024. Logan Cyrus/AFP via Getty Images

On the far-right Charlie Kirk Show podcast in March 2021, Vance also floated the idea of taxing childless people at a higher rate than people with children.

A spokesperson for Vance said the policy he supported was basically no different from the child tax credit, which Democrats support.

Between July 30 and Aug. 8 of 2021, Vance gave three separate interviews with Fox News in which he said virtually the same thing, according to Media Matters: That Democrats are experimenting on children with COVID-19 mitigation measures like mask and vaccine requirements.

If you want to experiment on somebodys kids, Kamala Harris, AOC and so forth, have your own kids  lay off mine, Vance told Fox News Primetimes Tammy Bruce.

Vance, however, did not appear to have a problem with criticizing how people who do have children choose to raise them. In a September 2021 speech to a high school in Southern California, the Republican said that parents should be more willing to stay in unhappy and potentially violent marriages for the sake of their children  and suggested that much of the blame for higher divorce rates rests on the American cultural and sexual revolution of the 1960s and 70s, when the fight for womens bodily autonomy led to the Supreme Courts now-overturned Roe v. Wade ruling.

This is one of the great tricks that I think the sexual revolution pulled on the American populace, which is the idea that, Well, OK, these marriages were fundamentally, you know, they were maybe even violent, but certainly they were unhappy, he said, according to Vice News. And so getting rid of them and making it easier for people to shift spouses like they change their underwear, thats going to make people happier in the long term.

Maybe it worked out for the moms and dads, though Im skeptical, he continued. But it really didnt work out for the kids of those marriages.

Vance has also gone on-record supporting a federal abortion ban, and suggested to Spectrum News in 2021 that the public simply needs to reframe the idea of forcing a pregnant person to bring a child caused by rape or incest to term.

As senator, Vance voted to block federal protections for in vitro fertilization. He instead backed the GOPs rival bill, which doesnt require organizations or individuals to provide IVF services.

On Tuesday, CNN revealed that Vance had described childless Americans in November 2020 on a conservative talk show as sociopaths who are deranged.

Unearthed video: JD Vance says people who dont have children are sociopathic, psychotic, and deranged pic.twitter.com/jaqL6BsXXF  Kamala HQ (@KamalaHQ) July 30, 2024

Theres just these basic cadences of life I think are really powerful and really valuable when you have kids in your life, and the fact that so many people, especially in Americas leadership class, just dont have that in their lives, you know  I worry that it makes people more sociopathic and ultimately our whole country a little bit less mentally stable, he said on the Chris Buskirk Show.

You go on Twitter and almost always, the people who are most deranged and most psychotic are people who dont have kids at home, he added.

Spokespeople for Trump and Vance did not immediately respond to HuffPosts request for comment, including whether they believe the vice presidential candidates remarks could hurt the partys chances with women who dont or cant have children. Vance spokesperson Taylor Van Kirk told CNN that he was only talking about politicians on the left who support anti-child and anti-family policies.

It is beyond insulting that a creep like JD Vance would attack millions of adults without children as sociopathic and more likely to be deranged as part of his warped and out-of-touch worldview, DNC spokesperson Aida Ross said in a statement on Tuesday, stressing the concern over the vice presidential candidate backing up his rhetoric with policy plans.

Just like Donald Trump, Vance is running on a dangerous and wildly unpopular agenda that Americans want nothing to do with, Ross continued. And no amount of mean-spirited and offensive insults from Vance will change that.

Related...
Republican vice presidential nominee JD Vance attempted to insult presumptive Democratic presidential nominee Kamala Harris in a really weird way.

At a rally Tuesday in Henderson, Nevada, Vance declared: We dont want a wacky San Francisco liberal as our commander in chief. We dont want Kamala Harris.

It seems that Vance wants the word wacky to have the same negative connotation that the word weird has, especially since Democrats have had some recent success in pointing out the weirdness of MAGA Republicans on the internet.

However, the man who wrote the 2016 bestseller Hillbilly Elegy, apparently didnt care enough to check a dictionary on the definitions of wacky and weird or hed notice some key differences between the two words.

Wacky generally means absurdly or amusingly eccentric or irrational, while weird means strange, odd or bizarre.

What does this mean for voters? Well, its possible they might find Harris deep and hearty laugh a little wacky and Vances desire to keep tabs on womens menstrual cycles very weird.

JD Vance calls Kamala Harris "wacky" pic.twitter.com/NMVGvBK0Yk  Aaron Rupar (@atrupar) July 30, 2024

Many people on X, formerly Twitter, mocked the Ohio senators wacky attempt at insulting the vice president.

Sorry, JD. Wacky is The Animaniacs not the next President of the United States.  Richard Donelan (@rdone) July 30, 2024

The adjective wacky means funny or amusing in an odd way. Im good with that.

Weird as a verb means, to induce a sense of disbelief or alienation. As an adjective it means, uncanny, abnormal, mystifying, strange, creepy, spooky.  Seems absolutely fitting.  Agnes Holland (@akholland68) July 30, 2024

Trump referred to her as bum last night



This is what happens when you cant get anything to land.  Mason (@tweetfacts2me) July 30, 2024

They've called @KamalaHarris "wacky," "looney-tunes," "bottom of the barrel," "low-IQ," a "DEI Hire," and "Kumala."



If they had strong policy positions to support the American people, they wouldn't need to name-call like 7th-graders.



Alas, they have an idea deficit. #Weirdos  Citizen Stewart (@citizenstewart) July 30, 2024

Ooh he's coming out fighting! lol he's so lame  SitaRose (@SitaRose27) July 30, 2024

Hey guys, no how theyre calling us weird? Well, watch this.



 JD Sectional Vance  Jordan Lamonte III (@jlamonteIII) July 30, 2024

The eye liner wacky ?

Says the wackiest weirdo pic.twitter.com/dHjCcF9axD  Uma  (@uma08906967) July 30, 2024

Related...
JetBlue Airline is suspending its Boston-Milwaukee flights this fall and winter

JetBlue will have a seasonal suspension affecting Milwaukee this fall and winter. The airline confirmed that from Oct. 26 to April 30, the Boston to Milwaukee route will be suspended.

The JetBlue communications office said seasonal suspensions occur during the months where the least amount of flight activity is anticipated.

When asked if the suspension will likely continue in the following years, a JetBlue spokesperson declined to comment.

This article originally appeared on Milwaukee Journal Sentinel: JetBlue to suspend Milwaukee route until Spring 2025
Joaquin Guzman Lopez, the son of infamous Mexican drug lord "El Chapo," pleaded not guilty to drug trafficking charges during his first court appearance since his high-profile arrest last week.

Guzman Lopez, 38, appeared in federal court in Chicago on Tuesday in an orange jumpsuit before Judge Sharon Johnson Coleman for charges in an indictment brought by the U.S. attorney for the Northern District of Illinois.

He could face the death penalty if convicted, his lawyer, Jeffrey Lichtman, confirmed to reporters following the court appearance.

MORE: Top Sinaloa cartel leaders, including son of El Chapo, taken into US custody: DOJ

His next court date has been set for Sept. 30. Lichtman said there is "massive amounts of discovery" to go through over the next few weeks.

Guzman Lopez was one of two top leaders of the Mexican Sinaloa drug cartel taken into custody by U.S. authorities last week to face charges for their roles in leading the group's vast drug trafficking enterprise, the Department of Justice said. The operation had been planned for several months, a Homeland Security Investigations official told ABC News.

PHOTO: Joaquin Guzman Lopez was arrested by U.S. authorities in Texas, the U.S. Justice Department said Thursday, July 25, 2024. (U.S. Department of State via AP)

Guzman Lopez and Sinaloa cartel co-founder Ismael "El Mayo" Zambada were placed under arrest in El Paso, Texas, on Thursday, according to Attorney General Merrick Garland.

The two are accused of overseeing the trafficking of tens of thousands of pounds of cocaine, heroin, methamphetamine and fentanyl into the U.S.

Zambada's attorney, Frank Perez, claimed that Guzman Lopez "forcibly kidnapped" his client.

"My client neither surrendered nor negotiated any terms with the U.S. government. Joaquin Guzman Lopez forcibly kidnapped my client," Perez said in a statement on Sunday. "He was ambushed, thrown to the ground, and handcuffed by six men in military uniforms and Joaquin. His legs were tied, and a black bag was placed over his head. He was then thrown into the back of a pickup truck and taken to a landing strip. There, he was forced onto a plane, his legs tied to the seat by Joaquin, and brought to the U.S. against his will. The only people on the plane were the pilot, Joaquin and my client."

Lichtman told reporters there is no agreement between the defendant and the U.S. government.

"I know that there's been a massive amount of rumors and things printed in the press," Lichtman said. "I don't know what's real. I don't know what's not real. But it shouldn't really surprise anybody that there's a story that seems to be changing every few minutes."

MORE: El Chapo conviction upheld

Zambada made his initial appearance Friday morning in El Paso federal court before Judge Anne Berton, according to court records. He pleaded not guilty to the 12 charges in his 2012 indictment in the Western District of Texas and was ordered detained pending his next hearing, scheduled for Wednesday, according to court records.

Zambada faces multiple federal indictments in jurisdictions across the U.S. for his alleged role in the cartel and has been on the run from U.S. and Mexican law enforcement for years. His fellow co-founder of the Sinaloa cartel, Joaquin "El Chapo" Guzman, was extradited to the U.S. in 2017, convicted in 2019 and sentenced to life in prison.

Guzman Lopez's brother, Ovidio Guzman Lopez, was charged last year with two dozen others as part of a crackdown targeting a global drug trafficking network run through the Sinaloa cartel. According to the charges, the cartel used precursor chemicals shipped from China to fuel the fentanyl crisis plaguing the U.S.

Lichtman currently represents Ovidio Guzman Lopez as well. The court discussed the conflict Tuesday, with Lichtman saying that both brothers are fine with him representing them. The government said they are OK with it as well.

Lichtman has also represented El Chapo and his wife, Emma Coronel Aispuro, in federal cases.

Joaquin Guzman Lopez, son of 'El Chapo,' pleads not guilty to federal drug trafficking charges originally appeared on abcnews.go.com
OKLAHOMA CITY (KFOR)  Oklahoma students will head back to school in just a few weeks, but will your child have a teacher in the classroom? Some districts are struggling to fill positions before the first day of school and are hosting hiring events before the first day of school.

We still have approximately 30 special education, 40 elementary education, and then thats around 40 secondary openings, said Brad Herzer, OKCPS Assistant Superintendent of Talent Management Program.

Discount store provides relief for families on a budget

Thats more than 100 open teacher positions at one of the states largest school districts.

The district said its not a new issue either.

Its been common over the last few years for us to have openings. Were actually down from this time last year, said Herzer.

Oklahoma City Public Schools are hosting a last-minute hiring event hiring event on Thursday at Northwest Classen High School from 4-6pm.

Brad Herzer said the event will focus on job openings at secondary schools because thats some of the greatest need.

The district said its not necessary to register online, but if you want to reserve a spot, the link is here.

At the event, the district said they will have administration ready to talk and conduct interviews.

Florida group helps Sulphur tornado victims with free clothing drive

They also said theres a chance someone could get hired on the spot if theyre the right candidate.

Theres also no need to worry if you think you dont have the right qualifications.

You dont have to have a standard certification in order to be a teacher if you have a bachelors degree. We want people that are just have a heart for kids. Want to make a difference in the students lives, said Herzer.

Herzer said administration can talk about that more at the hiring event.

Oklahoma City Public Schools is not the only district dealing with a shortage.

Just a few weeks ago, Tulsa Public Schools reported they still need 168 teachers.

Famous Watermelon Festival returning to Rush Springs

On the flip side, Moore Public Schools said they dont have a shortage.

They sent News 4 a statement:

This is one of the first years that MPS is not experiencing a dire shortage of teachers. Our teacher-retention numbers are exceptional this year, contributing to our solid numbers. Teachers stay with districts when theyre happy, feel valued, have a blend of needed resources to succeed, and believe that they make a positive impact on their students. Moore Public Schools.

Edmond Public Schools also said theyre in good shape.

They sent this statement to News 4:

Were in very good shape as far as openings going into the new school year. The number changes hourly as we are making hiring decisions, but I believe we have fewer than a dozen open teaching positions district-wide. Edmond Public Schools

Deer Creek Schools told News 4 they arent having an issue either. Earlier this year, starting pay was boosted to $46,300.

Crooked Oak Schools also increased pay this year.

However, the district sent a statement to News 4 that explained the need for teachers:

Over the last decade, Crooked Oak has increased teacher pay so our district is now one of the highest-paying districts in the state. We also strive to keep class sizes as small as possible, provide high-quality training, ensure our teachers have great facilities and resources, and we foster an environment where teachers are appreciated and celebrated. Despite all those efforts, we find ourselves in the same position as other Oklahoma school districts: consistently in need of great teachers to help our students succeed. We are incredibly grateful for all those who make the choice to teach  our children need you. Just as policy makers create financial incentives for other professions in which there are shortages  scientists, engineers, doctors, and nurses  Oklahoma must continue to focus on salary increases and incentives that encourage young people to choose teaching as a profession and makes it a profession thats attractive for those looking for a new career. Teaching is the profession that makes other professions possible. The future of our state and its children is at stake. Crooked Oak Public Schools

Putnam City Schools also told News 4 they are actively hiring for positions.

If youd like to see what positions are open at each school, click the links 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 KFOR.com Oklahoma City.
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Week 5 is in the books and oh my there's a lot of panic on these fantasy streets. Dalton Del Don joins Matt Harmon for another edition of the 'People's Panic Meter' to answer all of your listener submissions. The duo examines the situations for Breece Hall, Buffalo Bills, Bijan Robinson and many more.
This photo taken on July 28, 2024 shows the scenery of the Vallorbe Caves in Switzerland. Nestled in the heart of the Jura Mountains in Switzerland, the Vallorbe Caves are well-known for the magnificent limestone caves formed over thousands of years. (Xinhua/Lian Yi)

People visit the Vallorbe Caves in Switzerland, July 28, 2024. Nestled in the heart of the Jura Mountains in Switzerland, the Vallorbe Caves are well-known for the magnificent limestone caves formed over thousands of years. (Xinhua/Lian Yi)

This photo taken on July 28, 2024 shows the scenery of the Vallorbe Caves in Switzerland. Nestled in the heart of the Jura Mountains in Switzerland, the Vallorbe Caves are well-known for the magnificent limestone caves formed over thousands of years. (Xinhua/Lian Yi)

People visit the Vallorbe Caves in Switzerland, July 28, 2024. Nestled in the heart of the Jura Mountains in Switzerland, the Vallorbe Caves are well-known for the magnificent limestone caves formed over thousands of years. (Xinhua/Lian Yi)

People visit the Vallorbe Caves in Switzerland, July 28, 2024. Nestled in the heart of the Jura Mountains in Switzerland, the Vallorbe Caves are well-known for the magnificent limestone caves formed over thousands of years. (Xinhua/Lian Yi)

This photo taken on July 28, 2024 shows the scenery of the Vallorbe Caves in Switzerland. Nestled in the heart of the Jura Mountains in Switzerland, the Vallorbe Caves are well-known for the magnificent limestone caves formed over thousands of years. (Xinhua/Lian Yi)

People visit the display "Fairies' Treasure" where more than 250 mineral samples from all over the world are exhibited at the Vallorbe Caves in Switzerland, July 28, 2024. Nestled in the heart of the Jura Mountains in Switzerland, the Vallorbe Caves are well-known for the magnificent limestone caves formed over thousands of years. (Xinhua/Lian Yi)

People visit the display "Fairies' Treasure" where more than 250 mineral samples from all over the world are exhibited at the Vallorbe Caves in Switzerland, July 28, 2024. Nestled in the heart of the Jura Mountains in Switzerland, the Vallorbe Caves are well-known for the magnificent limestone caves formed over thousands of years. (Xinhua/Lian Yi)

People visit the Vallorbe Caves in Switzerland, July 28, 2024. Nestled in the heart of the Jura Mountains in Switzerland, the Vallorbe Caves are well-known for the magnificent limestone caves formed over thousands of years. (Xinhua/Lian Yi)
GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. (WOOD)  The John Ball Zoos conservation team is celebrating after releasing more than 1,200 endangered butterflies back into their natural habitat.

The Poweshiek skipperling is a species of tiny butterfly that was once common across the Midwest, but its numbers have dwindled so much that it is now considered one of the rarest butterflies in the world. As of 2023, conservationists estimated there were only a few hundred left in the wild.

(In the summer of 2022), when they went looking for wild butterflies, they only found a handful, maybe 10 or 20 in the entire range, JBZ curator Dan Hemmann told News 8 in 2022.

Several factors have worked against the little butterfly, including wider use of pesticides and habitat loss. Now, thanks to the work of the zoos conservation team and their partners, including the Haddad Lab at Michigan State University, the Minnesota Zoo and the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, those numbers are rebounding.

New John Ball Zoo facility to help save endangered butterfly

JBZ Conservation Manager Bill Flanagan says their team is incredibly proud of their work and the results.

The Poweshiek is a tiny species, but its one piece of biodiversity that supports life on our planet, and a great indicator of how changes in the environment are impacting many species in the same areas, Flanagan said in a statement.

The Poweshiek skipperling is a critically endangered species. Conservationists estimate there are only a few hundred left in the wild. (Courtesy MSU Extension)

Breeding season is currently winding down at John Ball Zoo. The conservation team says they were able to breed more than 45 pairs of Poweshieks at the zoo this year and return them to places where they once lived but had not been seen in years.

The results of the breeding and release programs and concurrent habitat management activities have been incredible, Tamara Smith, a lead recovery biologist with the USFWS, said in a statement. We now have a healthy number of Poweshiek skipperlings to release back into the wild to continue boosting existing populations and to start expanding their distribution back to historically occupied areas.

7 new things to check out at John Ball Zoo

Like JBZ, the Minnesota Zoo is also running a rearing and breeding program, giving the young butterflies a higher likelihood of surviving. Both zoos have also exchanged eggs to try and ensure more genetic diversity within the population.

The John Ball Zoo is launching a new experience to help visitors engage directly with Michigan butterflies in hopes of sparking conversations about conservation. The interactive exhibit is called Backyard Butterflies and is guided by zoo staff. It is open daily and free of charge to all guests.

Copyright 2024 Nexstar Media, Inc. 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.
Who is John Giles? What to know about Republican mayor in Arizona who endorsed Kamala Harris

John Giles, the GOP mayor of Mesa, burst onto the national political scene this week when he wrote a guest column Monday for The Arizona Republic and azcentral.com in which he endorsed Kamala Harris for U.S. president and denounced former President Donald Trump.

The announcement, while not surprising to local observers who know him well, was noteworthy because it was so public and so soon after Harris had emerged as the presumptive nominee for the Democratic Party. Giles took a step further when he appeared on CNN later Monday to explain his position and said he supported Democratic U.S. Sen. Mark Kelly for Harris' running mate.

His endorsement was listed by the Harris campaign along with 20 other current and former mayors from across Arizona.

CNN noted how unusual it was for a GOP leader to publicly criticize Trump, pointing out most who have done so were no longer in office, unlike Giles.

Here's what you need to know:

Who is the mayor of Mesa?

John Giles has been the mayor of Mesa for 10 years. He is not seeking reelection because he is barred by local term limit laws. Mesa is the third-most populous city in Arizona and the 36th largest in the United States.

Mesa mayor's endorsement: Why Republican John Giles asked Arizona GOP voters to support Kamala Harris

Who is John Giles?

Republican Mayor of Mesa John Giles speaks at a campaign rally at Cesar Chavez High School on Nov. 2, 2022, in Phoenix.

Giles was elected as Mesas 40th mayor in a special election in 2014 and served on the City Council from 1996 to 2000. Before becoming a full-time mayor, he worked as a personal injury lawyer.

Giles was born and raised in Mesa. He graduated from Westwood High School and later attended Brigham Young University and Arizona State University's Sandra Day OConnor College of Law.

Why is Giles endorsing Kamala Harris?

In an op-ed published in The Arizona Republic, Giles wrote it was time to return to the core foundations of the Grand Old Party, and choose a leader who will put country over party. He went on to say Trump "poses a threat" to the nation.

Mesa Mayor John Giles takes his oath of office on Jan. 7, 2021, to begin his second full term leading Arizona's third largest city.

"But since Donald Trump refused to accept the outcome of the 2020 election, Republicans have yet to course correct. The Republican Party with Trump at its helm continues down the path of political extremism, away from focusing on our fundamental freedoms," Giles wrote, adding, "Now more than ever, we need leaders who will put country over party."

Read the op-ed: Why, as a Republican mayor, I support Kamala Harris over Trump

Why is Giles endorsing Mark Kelly?

Giles also supports U.S. Sen. Mark Kelly of Arizona to be Harris vice president. During his appearance on CNN Monday he lauded Kelly's qualifications.

Hes a real John Glenn, a 'Right Stuff' person, said Giles about Kelly. Hes very talented and capable. He could be secretary of defense and VP at same time.

Didn't Jonn Giles endorse other Democrats? What happened?

Yes. This is not the first time Giles has endorsed a Democrat.

In 2022, he backed U.S. Sen. Mark Kelly's bid for a second term. Giles later was censured by GOP precinct committees in Mesa-area state legislative districts. Giles also supported Gov. Katie Hobbs in the 2022 gubernatorial race.

Giles has refused to leave the Republican party. In interviews with The Arizona Republic, he said he remains steadfast there is still room in the party for a more moderate centrist Republican.

What is Giles' legacy in Mesa?

Giles has touted job and economic growth in interviews and speeches.

In his final state of the city address, in February, Giles appeared on stage with Sen. Kelly, dressed as an astronaut, and rock legend Alice Cooper, dressed as a Star Wars villain, in a mock light-saber duel.

Giles was known for his light-hearted, even goofy presentations.

We continue to dream big. And for this mayor, Mesa will always be out of this world, Giles said during his speech.

In recent years, Giles has overseen the controversial development of the blighted downtown Site 17, the demolition of Fiesta Mall and the arrival of high-tech industries to east Mesa, including Virgin Galactic's spaceship assembly plant.

Giles has focused on education, notably the $200 million expansion to ASU's polytechnic campus in southeast Mesa to focus on advanced manufacturing and semiconductor fabrication.

With Giles in the mayor's office, ASU has also expanded its presence in downtown Mesa, which has seen a resurgence in recent years.

This article originally appeared on Arizona Republic: Who is John Giles? What to about his endorsement of Kamala Harris
Johnson County Auditor Travis Weipert walks to his office before precinct captains pick up materials for Election Day, Monday, Nov. 2, 2020, at the Johnson County Administration Building in Iowa City, Iowa.

Johnson County Auditor Travis Weipert has resigned with less than six months left in his term.

Weipert vacated the office he has held for almost 12 years on July 25, citing health reasons. He provided no further details.

"I am grateful to the people of Johnson County for the privilege of serving my community and I am incredibly proud of what my office and my amazing staff have done to improve access to voting in Johnson County," Weipert wrote in his resignation letter.

From 2020: Johnson County Auditor Travis Weipert has some ideas on how to improve elections in Iowa

Weipert will not run in November's election

The Tiffin resident also notified the Board of Supervisors and election commission that he will not seek reelection this November. Weipert emerged from the June primaries as the Democratic nominee for the post, so the Johnson County Democratic Party must nominate a replacement within the next month.

The supervisors in August will appoint a replacement to finish out Weipert's term. The board also on Aug. 14 will discuss who should replace Weipert and is expected to vote to confirm the replacement the next day.

Weipert's replacement will serve as auditor until the canvassing of votes is complete in November, at which point the winner of the auditor's race may assume the office.

The auditor oversees all elections in Johnson County, among other duties. Weipert had served as auditor since 2012.

Johnson County Auditor Travis Weipert speaks during an interview, Thursday, Dec. 10, 2020, in his office at the Johnson County Administration Building in Iowa City, Iowa.

A former person to watch

Weipert was named one of the Press-Citizen's People to Watch for 2021 after a tumultuous 2020 election season that saw his office pivot heavily toward drive-thru and mail-in voting. Former President Donald Trump's reelection campaign sued Weipert for allegedly going "rogue" in issuing absentee ballot request forms ahead of that November's election.

At the same time, Weipert's newborn was in the natal intensive care unit.

"Talk about a crazy, you know," Weipert told the Press-Citizen in 2020. "Within a couple of days' duration, I'm calling my sister to make sure our house was still standing and then I'm getting served papers while the little one is in the NICU for a couple of days."

More: See dozens of cars on their side after Iowa train derailment near Glidden. What we know.

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: Johnson County auditor resigns four months before November election
Tracy Miller, president of the Jordan School District Board of Education speaks on a news conference at Columbia Elementary School on July 29, 2024 (Alixel Cabrera/Utah News Dispatch)

The Jordan School District is joining a list of 12 leaders in a nationwide lawsuit against social media giants including Facebook, Instagram, Snapchat, TikTok and YouTube for what the district described as negligence and public nuisance, after its schools had to take on costs associated with students social media use.

Those extra costs, Tracy Miller, president of the Jordan School District Board of Education said at a library at the Columbia Elementary School in West Jordan, were to serve an increased need for student mental health services.

Jordan School District has devoted substantial resources to addressing students and curating mental health and to combat learning disruptions. We are honored to be chosen as one of the lead plaintiffs, and are hopeful that this lawsuit will help us recoup some of our costs, Miller said. And, more importantly, change the way social media companies operate so our students are protected.

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The district also hopes to see change in the platforms to address their addictive nature, said Bryce Dunford, a Jordan School District Board of Education member.

I would hope these companies would realize that theyre dealing with an addictive product and will, on their own, be more responsible with how they deal with that addictive product so it doesnt harm people, Dunford said.

In the case, filed last year in the Northern District of Californias U.S. District Court, the school district and other complainants argue that the platforms are defective and exploitative, fueling an unprecedented mental health crisis with their social media products, which they deem to be addictive and dangerous.

One of the suits claims is that social media companies have borrowed behavioral and neurobiological techniques used by other addictive industries, such as slot machines and the cigarette industry, to design features to maximize youth engagement.

Children and teens are more vulnerable to these tactics, the complaint reads, because their brains arent fully developed and lack the same emotional maturity, impulse control, and psychological resiliency as adults.

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According to the lawsuit, the companies provide an endless feed to keep users scrolling in an induced flow state, and reward extreme usage through metrics, graphics and incessant notifications. They also have deficient tools for parents that create the illusion of control.

Today, over a third of 13- to 17-year-old kids report using one of Defendants apps almost constantly and admit this is too much. Yet more than half of these kids report that they would struggle to cut back on their social media use. Instead of feeding coins into machines, kids are feeding Defendants platforms with an endless supply of attention, time, and data, according to the complaint.

The challenge links these trends with the rise of suicide rates and emergency room visits for anxiety.

Plaintiffs are not merely the collateral damage of Defendants products, the complaint reads. They are the direct victims of the intentional product design choices made by each Defendant. They are the intended targets of the harmful features that pushed them into self-destructive feedback loops.

The companies have filed a motion to dismiss the suit, citing the First Amendment, which protects them from liability for the speech they publish as well as for all choices they have made in disseminating them. according to court records. The court partially denied that motion, arguing that an all or nothing approach fails to acknowledge the complexity of the issues presented in the litigation.

Extra resources and research

Miller sees a reflection of the studies correlating social media use with anxiety, depression, sleep problems and lack of self-esteem in the Jordan School District halls. The district has allocated extra resources toward psychologists, counselors and other wellness programs to help students and teachers combat these issues, she said on Monday.

That has amounted to millions of dollars, Anthony Godfrey, the districts superintendent said. However, the impact goes beyond those monetary resources, he said while choking up.

You see on an individual basis how their lives are negatively impacted, not just their living, but their ability to interact with others and have a productive day of school is dramatically negatively impacted by social media, Godfrey said.

Though school staff hours will be dedicated to the litigation, Godfrey said, there wont be a substantial monetary investment in it. There may be costs associated with participating in in-person proceedings but, he argued, thats an investment in making that change.

Both ends of the social media spectrum

When Logan Dunford was a sophomore in high school, he deleted Instagram, Snapchat and TikTok from his phone.

I began to feel really uncomfortable and awkward and kind of unsafe in my own skin throughout all situations of my life. And I thought that it was really important to somehow find a way to disconnect, Dunford said on Monday. And the easiest way to do that was going off social media.

Hed spend more than 12 hours scrolling the apps, he said.

I preferred TikTok the most because the short videos are so satisfying, he said. And its convenient to just watch to be focused on one thing and then move on to the next thing immediately.

What he thought would be a week-long break, turned into an everlasting hiatus. Three years after that decision, Dunford, who is now 18 years old, aced his AP tests, is less distracted and is planning on majoring in environmental science at the University of Utah.

He stopped overthinking likes and direct messages, and started forging more in-person relationships. But, he still misses the sparks of serotonin the platforms provided.

The small fact that people were seeing me was so addicting and its something that I still totally crave to this day, he said. But I recognize in the fact that I do still feel that way, should I get back on, I would be sucked right back into that toxic mentality that I had in the first place and I would be super depressed again and super anxious all the time.

Logan has seen both ends of the social media spectrum, said his father Bryce Dunford, the Jordan District Board of Education member. As a parent, Bryce Dunford said, he has witnessed the consuming power that comes over a young person who is not prepared to swim in those very difficult waters. But also, the complete change that comes when a young person severs those ties.

My wife and I will accept the responsibility for the choices we make for our children. We did get him a phone, he said. But we expect everyone that has an influence in the lives of our children to act responsibly, to do whats in their best interest and not do anything that deliberately harms them.

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A New York judge on Monday banned former National Rifle Association (NRA) leader Wayne LaPierre from serving in a paid position for the gun rights group for the next ten years while declining to appoint an independent monitor to oversee the organization.

The ruling came as part of the second stage of a civil trial brought by New York Attorney General Letitia James (D), stemming from a lawsuit to remove LaPierre over allegations of tax fraud.

Judge Joel Cohen, in court Monday, said the states request for a monitor was not the solution, stating it would be time-consuming, disruptive and will impose significant costs on the NRA without corresponding benefits, the Associated Press reported.

It comes months after a Manhattan jury found LaPierre, along with other leaders of the gun rights group, diverted millions of dollars for lavish personal trips and other questionable expenses.

LaPierre, who stepped down from the NRA in early January, was ordered to pay $4.3 million in damages. The jury found he had caused $5.4 million in damages to the organization, but had already repaired over $1 million.

The retired former finance chief of the organization, Wilson Phillips, was ordered to pay $2 million to the organization in Februarys verdict.

Cohen on Monday reportedly said he had concerns over speech-chilling government intrusion on the affairs of the organization, but that the same First Amendment concerns did not apply to whether LaPierre would be able to return to the gun rights advocacy group anytime soon, the AP reported.

This relief is about the privilege, not the right, to serve as an officer or director of a New York not-for-profit, he said, per the news wire.

It comes as the NRS has struggled with shrinking membership and financial concerns, including an attempt at bankruptcy in 2021.

In court Monday, LaPierre told Cohen the appointment of a monitor to oversee the groups finances would be equivalent to putting a knife straight through the heart of the organization and twisting it, the AP reported.

The NRA celebrated Cohens decision against appointing a monitor and said it remains positioned for a bright future, in a statement following the ruling.

The NRA said it will comply with Cohens recommendation the group and New York Attorney Generals office consent to further governance reforms and said it will suggest additional changes.

Sarah Rogers, an attorney for the NRA, said in court the group had already established new controls since the jurys verdict in February, which included bringing on new board members and creating a new compliance team, the AP said.

Cohen said the NRAs changes after the February ruling was decidedly mixed and alleged the group leadership showed a stunning lack of accountability for the mismanagement.

We recognize the importance of the jurys findings and will continue our commitment to good governance, said NRA President Bob Barr, who praised the Associations millions of loyal members who never lost faith in the organization and its commitment to protecting freedom.

The Hill reached out to the New York Attorney Generals office for further comment.

Prior to stepping down, LaPierre served as the groups CEO and executive vice president for more than three decades.

While LaPierre has denied any wrongdoing, he admitted during the trial that he used the company funds for personal trips and gifts.

The Associated Press contributed.

Copyright 2024 Nexstar Media, Inc. 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.
An absentee ballots for the April 7 election. (Photo by Henry Redman)

An absentee ballots for the April 7 election. (Photo by Henry Redman)

A Door County judge on Monday dismissed a lawsuit that challenged the method hundreds of thousands of Wisconsin voters use to request absentee ballots. The dismissal prevents massive administrative confusion for municipal election clerks and voters ahead of this falls election.

The lawsuit, filed in Marinette County court, asked that a judge rule that voters who request an absentee ballot through MyVote, the states online voting portal, must also include a signed copy of their request when they send in their completed ballot in order for their vote to count.

State law allows for absentee ballot requests to be made by email. When a voter requests a ballot through MyVote, the system fills out a ballot request form and sends it by email to the voters municipal clerk.

The lawsuit was brought by Amberg resident Thomas Oldenburg, who argued that without the signed copy of the request, absentee ballots should not be counted.

Oldenburgs attorneys have previously been involved in attacks on the states election systems. One, Kevin Scott, represented former Supreme Court Justice Michael Gableman in a case seeking to jail the mayors of Madison and Green Bay. The other attorney, Daniel Eastman, asked a federal judge to overturn Wisconsins 2020 election results.

In addition to the added step in requesting and returning an absentee ballot online, the lawsuit asked for an order to prevent clerks from sending out absentee ballot envelopes that use a design recently approved by the WEC.

In May, attorneys for the WEC requested the lawsuit be dismissed, stating the requested relief would risk disenfranchising tens or even hundreds of thousands of Wisconsin voters in upcoming elections, which would be a stunningly undemocratic result.

In an oral ruling Monday, Judge David Weber dismissed the lawsuit, online court records show.

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A federal judge Monday told UCLA and Jewish students who sued the university that they have one week to hash out a court-enforceable plan that would ensure equal access to campus for all if protests over the Israel-Hamas war or other disruptions erupt in the future.

The directive, issued during a hearing in downtown Los Angeles, followed a lawsuit three Jewish students filed last month against UCLA alleging that an April pro-Palestinian encampment violated their civil rights by illegally blocking them and other Jews from parts of campus, including the site of the camp, Royce Quad.

"Meet and confer to see if you can come up with some agreeable stipulated injunction or some other court order that would give both UCLA the flexibility it needs ... but also provide Jewish students on campus some reassurance that their free exercise rights are not going to play second fiddle to anything else," said U.S. District Judge Mark C. Scarsi.

Both sides have until Monday to submit the plan. Scarsi said he would probably issue an injunction sometime next week.

The directive marks the first federal court intervention over UCLA's encampment after a volatile spring of divisive pro-Palestinian protests. It comes as the University of California Regents and campus leaders have signaled that they will no longer tolerate encampments and will enforce rules pertaining to protests.

Read more: UC regents: Protests yes, encampments no. Campus rules must be consistently enforced

UC President Michael V. Drake is working with UC leaders to draft a systemwide plan to bring all campuses into greater conformity about how to handle violations of rules around free speech activities. State lawmakers are withholding $25 million in state funding until Drake delivers a report on those efforts by Oct. 1.

UCLA student activists erected the encampment April 25, among the largest and most controversial of those that sprang up across U.S. colleges. A violent mob attacked it on April 30 amid delayed law enforcement intervention. Police dismantled the camp two days later, arresting about 210 people.

In the suit, three UCLA students in law and undergraduate schools said the university helped enforce a "Jew Exclusion Zone" by erecting bike rack barriers around the encampment and hiring security guards that allowed pro-Palestinian protesters to cross into the camp but blocked Jewish students.

UCLA lawyers contended student protesters, not the university, prevented access, and that campus security did not discriminate against Jewish students. The university said it blocked off the encampment to keep it from growing and that its plan was to de-escalate tensions to prevent violence before determining that it needed to bring in police.

Outside of the lawsuit, pro-Palestinian students and faculty activists have drawn a distinction, saying the encampment was anti-Zionist but not anti-Jewish. In addition, many protesters were Jewish. But to many other Jews, Zionism  the belief in a Jewish state in the ancestral Jewish homeland  is a key part of Jewish identity.

The Jewish students, represented by lawyers from the nonprofit Becket Fund for Religious Liberty, asked Scarsi to issue an injunction that would prevent UCLA from applying "policies in a way that would give Jewish students less than full and equal access" to campus, such as during potential fall protests as the Israel-Hamas war approaches its one-year anniversary. They said that UCLA is legally required to ensure access of all students to campus, and it failed to do so for Jewish students.

UCLA said in filings and during Monday's hearing that the issue was moot.

Its lawyers contended that, since April, the university had shut down multiple encampments the same day they went up, and that it had developed a strict intolerance for protests that violated university rules, such as overnight camping.

The university has created a new campus safety office and hired a new police chief in response to missteps in the spring. UCLA lawyers acknowledged that the university has to follow federal law that prevents it from discriminating against Jewish students or other religious or ethnic groups.

At Monday's hearing, Scarsi appeared sympathetic to concerns of the Jewish students but hesitated to order UCLA to protect their campus access in the specific ways the students' lawyers requested. Instead, Scarsi said he was inclined to issue an order requiring UCLA to ensure campus access to all groups, including Jewish people.

Read more: UC unveils steep price tag for handling campus protests: $29 million, most for policing

Scarsi asked both sides to meet and propose agreed-upon wording for an injunction.

In an interview after the hearing, Mark Rienzi, president and chief executive of the Becket Fund, said he was pleased with the outcome. "We asked for an injunction and the judge has said he is in favor of one after we talk with UCLA," Rienzi said. "We need an order so Jewish students can be protected."

Although the lawsuit named the UC regents and Drake, a UC spokeswoman directed The Times to UCLA for comment.

"UCLA is committed to maintaining a safe and inclusive campus, holding those who engaged in violence accountable, and combating antisemitism in all forms," Mary Osako, UCLA vice chancellor of strategic communications, said in a statement. "We have applied lessons learned from this springs protests and continue to work to foster a campus culture where everyone feels welcome and free from intimidation, discrimination and harassment."

UC has grappled with the aftermath of pro-Palestinian protests across its campuses. Activism remained peaceful at some campuses and protests were shut down with no arrests, while others, most notably UCLA, became sites of arrests and violence. The university system has faced calls to aggressively respond to future protests.

Moving forward, in close partnership with UC chancellors, President Drake is focused on learning from what transpired over the last few months and ensuring that we have more consistency across the system in how key policies are implemented and enforced," the president's office said last month in a statement to The Times.

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This story originally appeared in Los Angeles Times.
A federal judge has permanently blocked the restrictions Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis and Republican lawmakers placed on handling race-related issues in workplace training  part of the controversial Individual Freedom Act, better known as the Stop WOKE Act.

The act was one of several bills the Republican governor signed in 2022 as part of his war on woke ideology. It was intended to prevent teachings or mandatory workplace activities that suggest a person is privileged or oppressed based on their race, color, sex or national origin.

On Friday, Chief US District Judge Mark Walker issued a two-page order granting a permanent injunction against the laws workplace training provisions. The order says the law violates free speech rights under the First and Fourteenth Amendments to the US Constitution.

Walker first issued the preliminary injunction to block the state from enforcing prohibitions on mandatory workplace activities and trainings in August 2022, saying the act discriminates on the basis of viewpoint in violation of the First Amendment and is impermissibly vague in violation of the Fourteenth Amendment.

The judges Friday order came after a federal appeals court in March upheld the injunction, agreeing part of the law infringed on employers free speech rights.

At the time, DeSantis office issued a statement disagreeing with the ruling, describing it as upholding the idea that companies have a right to indoctrinate their employees with racist and discriminatory ideologies.

The challenge to the law was brought in June 2022 by several Florida businesses, represented by Protect Democracy, which describes itself as a nonpartisan, anti-authoritarianism group.

(This is) a powerful reminder that the First Amendment cannot be warped to serve the interests of elected officials, Shalini Goel Agarwal, counsel for Protect Democracy, said in a post on X on Friday. Censoring business owners from speaking in favor of ideas that politicians dont like is a move ripped straight from the authoritarian playbook.

DeSantis has championed the Stop WOKE Act as standing up against what he called indoctrination. He frequently referred to the law during his unsuccessful run for president, with the slogan that Florida was where woke goes to die.

The term has turned into a polarizing word in the US political climate, describing awareness  particularly about history, oppression and social justice issues  for some, while being a pejorative used to denounce progressive action and certain teachings about race for others.

DeSantis did not oppose the motion to make the March ruling permanent, but during a news conference Monday in Tampa, he reiterated Floridas right to provide protections for employees.

If they are doing woke training, which is basically discriminating against folks on the basis of race, you have the right to opt out of that. Its not a question of what the company can say, he said. They can say whatever they want.

CNNs Shawn Nottingham contributed to this report.

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RALEIGH, N.C. (WNCN)  A federal judges ruling changes the way North Carolinas abortion law affects patients. The judge reinstated part of the law that requires women who qualify for abortions after 12 weeks to have the procedure in a hospital. The judge also permanently blocked another part of the law affecting early pregnancy.

The ruling comes in response to a lawsuit by Planned Parenthood and Dr. Beverly Gray, an associate professor of obstetrics and gynecology at Duke University Health System. Gray filed the lawsuit as an individual, not on behalf of Duke.

NC abortion providers seeing more out-of-state patients Since Roe v. Wade reversal

Although North Carolinas abortion law bans most procedures after 12 weeks of pregnancy, it allows exceptions in the case of rape or incest or when the fetus has a deadly or life-limiting medical problem. Last year, a federal judge blocked a provision of the law that required those patients to have abortions only in hospital settings, but a ruling Friday put that provision back in place. This means that women who qualify for abortions after 12 weeks can no longer go to an abortion clinic for the procedure.

Jillian Riley with Planned Parenthood South Atlantic said, It will likely have the biggest impact on survivors of sexual assault who need abortion care later in pregnancy. They are now forced to get this care in a hospital, which will result in higher costs for the survivor.

Gray added that the requirement to have the procedure in a hospital will not only cost more, but will make some patients uncomfortable. There are some patients that perhaps have a desire not to be cared for in the hospital system due to previous experience, concerns about trust.

Both Gray and Riley noted that abortions have been provided for many years in clinics. There is so much safety data supporting care in the outpatient setting, said Gray. In fact there are a whole host of procedures that are performed in the outpatient setting.

Judge strikes down one North Carolina abortion restriction but upholds another

The judge ruled that a different part of the law should be blocked permanently. It required doctors to document the location of a pregnancy before prescribing abortion pills, but doctors note that very early pregnancies often do not show up on ultrasounds, and the judge ruled that this part of the law could not be reasonably enforced.

CBS 17 reached out to the offices of North Carolinas Republican legislative leaders for comment about this ruling, but has not received a response, as of Monday evening.

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Judge says Missouri lawmaker immune from subpoena in challenge of transgender care ban

Sen. Mike Moon, R-Ash Grove, speaks on the Senate floor about his bill on gender-affirming care on Feb. 27, 2023 (Annelise Hanshaw/Missouri Independent).

A circuit court judge ruled Monday that state Sen. Mike Moon is immune from questioning in a legal challenge of Missouris restrictions on gender-affirming care that he sponsored in 2023.

Wright County Circuit Court Judge Craig Carter, who is stepping into Cole County for the case, agreed with the Missouri Attorney Generals Office that Moon should not be questioned under oath in the case. However, he ruled against the attorney general by rejecting a request to push the trial until after the U.S. Supreme Court hears a similar case.

Attorneys with the ACLU sought to ask Moon, a Republican from Ash Grove, about his communications with lobbyists and advocacy groups in the creation of Missouris law. The ACLU is joined by law firms Bryan Cave Leighton Paisner and Lambda Legal seeking to stop the implementation of the law, which became effective nearly one year ago.

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ACLU attorney Kristin Mulvey wrote in the plaintiffs argument that Moons communications to advocacy groups, obtained by the ACLU via open records requests, show discriminatory intent in the laws drafting process.

Plaintiffs should be able to examine communications the acts sponsor had with third parties about the law as they are relevant to the reasons it was passed in Missouri and are likely to demonstrate that the real interests and motivations behind the passage of the act are not what the state claims them to be, she argued.

The law, coined the SAFE Act, has placed restrictions on gender-affirming care for children, adults on Medicaid and incarcerated Missourians. The text was apparently supplied by the interest group Family Policy Alliance, Mulvey wrote.

Family Policy Alliance, based in Colorado Springs, uses religious doctrine to oppose gender-affirming care, gay marriage and abortion.

The attorney generals office, in a motion filed by Assistant Attorney General Matthew Tkachuk, argued that Moon cannot be questioned because of legislative privilege.

He cites the Speech and Debate Clause in the U.S. Constitution, which says for any speech or debate in either House, (senators and representatives) shall not be questioned in any other place.

Mulvey argued the clause applies to Moons speech on the Senate floor but does not protect his communication with third parties. She emphasized voters amended Missouris Constitution in 2018 clarifying that legislative records are open.

But Tkachuck said legislative intent is protected and, regardless, irrelevant to the laws constitutionality.

Tkachuck said during Mondays hearing that the subpoena of Moon was unconstitutional, unprecedented and unhelpful.

The motivations of an individual legislator are not relevant to the constitutionality of a statute, which either meets constitutional muster on its merits or does not, he wrote in the states argument.

Separately, the parties argued about the trials timeline. It is scheduled for a bench trial, meaning the judge rules on constitutionality, in late September.

Peter Donahue, assistant attorney general for special litigation, told Carter the witness list had been reduced to 35 people: 20 for plaintiffs and 15 for the state with substantial discovery on both sides.

The discovery process has been burdensome for both parties, with each asking Carter to force the disclosure of documents they deemed wrongfully withheld.

Donahue said he foresees litigation with the World Professional Association for Transgender Health, a third party the attorney generals office is seeking information from for the case, to get documents.

Omar Gonzalez-Pagan, an attorney for the plaintiffs, said nothing here in the discovery schedule compels the motion for a continuance.

The attorney generals office sought to delay until the U.S. Supreme Court rules on Tennessees gender-affirming-care ban. Gonzalez-Pagan said it would likely be a year  a long time for the patients who have been denied medical care under the law.

It just flies in the face of everything this case is about to say that in a delay of a year, no harm is caused, he said.

There are matters that the Supreme Court case will not touch on, like Missouris restrictions for Medicaid patients and incarcerated individuals, Gonzalez-Pagan told Carter.

Other courts are hearing challenges to their state bans, and just one has delayed trial, though it was at the request of the plaintiff, he said.

Gonzalez-Pagan cautioned that the plaintiffs may age-out of the statute if delays continue.

The plaintiffs in this case deserve their day in court, he said. By asking for a continuance, the state is in essence denying it.

Missouris attorney general is embroiled in a handful of lawsuits after he launched an investigation of gender-affirming care. He has asked for records from those who provided hormone-replacement therapy prior to the laws enforcement and called for the State Division of Professional Registration to prod therapists who have referred minors for gender-affirming care.

Moon could not be immediately reached for comment.

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Turkiye's Minister of Energy and Natural Resources Alparslan Bayraktar (R) meets with Somalia's Minister of Petroleum and Mineral Resources Abdirizak Omar Mohamed in Istanbul, Turkiye, on July 18, 2024. (Mustafa Kaya/Handout via Xinhua)

by Burak Akinci

ANKARA, July 30 (Xinhua) -- With several major deals being inked this year with Somalia, Turkiye's cooperation with Africa has made significant progress, showcasing Ankara's increasing presence on the continent, analysts said.

The two countries signed a comprehensive maritime and defence agreement in February and an oil and gas cooperation deal in March.

The agreements with Somalia are "part of Turkiye's strategy to increase energy security and diversify energy sources," Kaan Devecioglu, North African studies coordinator at Ankara's Center For Middle Eastern Studies, told Xinhua.

Exploration and extraction of oil and natural gas resources in Somalia can reduce Turkiye's dependence on energy imports from other countries and support its economic development, said the analyst.

It's also "part of Turkey's efforts to strengthen its strategic partnerships in Africa," he emphasized.

On Saturday, the Turkish parliament approved a bill allowing the army to send troops to Somalia waters for a mandate of two years.

Besides the Somalia deal, Turkiye has also sealed defence agreements with other countries across the continent, including Libya, Kenya, Rwanda, Ethiopia, Nigeria, and Ghana, sending troops to some of them to train local forces.

For Batu Coskun, a non-resident fellow at TRENDS Research & Advisory, a research center based in the United Arab Emirates, Ankara's strategy appears multifaceted, in that it is combining its already extensive security outreach with a political economy aimed at securing lasting influence.

"This fits into wider Turkish ambitions over the Eastern Mediterranean in establishing Turkiye as a lasting and wide-encompassing actor in the region," the analyst told Xinhua.

At first, Turkiye's involvement with Africa included humanitarian aid, education, and cultural initiatives. Over time, the partnership developed into comprehensive cooperation.

When Ankara launched its Africa plan in the early 2000s, there were 12 embassies in the continent. Now, there are more than 40.

In Coskun's view, Ankara is gearing up for the long game in Africa, eyeing opportunities to secure exploration and transfer rights in host countries. "This adds to Turkiye's ambition of becoming an energy distribution hub," he said.

Throughout history, Turkiye's influence was predominantly confined to North Africa and the Horn of Africa. However, Ankara is now broadening and strengthening its relations with countries in West Africa such as Nigeria and Senegal, as well as with Sahel countries, Coskun explained.

Trade is also a major aspect of Ankara's diversification strategy towards Africa. Over the past two decades, trade between Turkiye and African nations has surged from 5.4 billion U.S. dollars to over 40 billion dollars in 2022, as per official Turkish data.

"In the future, Turkiye can be expected to further deepen its strategic cooperation in Africa and increase projects for the development of the continent," Devecioglu said. 
Aaron Zahn's fall from fast-rising JEA CEO to convicted felon will put him in federal prison for four years after a judge handed down that punishment Tuesday.

U.S. District Judge Brian Davis rejected Zahn's argument that justice would be served if he were put on probation without any prison time. Davis sided with prosecutors who said the "largest fraud in the history of Jacksonville" demanded a multi-year prison sentence for Zahn.

"When deceit and greed intersect, crimes like yours result," Davis told Zahn in a packed courtroom at the federal courthouse in downtown Jacksonville.

Zahn, 44, led JEA when the utility's board put JEA up for sale in 2019 and also approved an employee incentive plan that prosecutors say would have stolen hundreds of millions of dollars of sales proceeds from taxpayers and given it to JEA employees. Prosecutors said Zahn conspired to create the plan and then hid the high cost of it from the board.

Relatives and friends of Zahn appealed to Davis by sending letters before sentencing, and six people gave testimonials on Zahn's behalf at the sentencing hearing. They portrayed Zahn as a devoted family man whose wife and three children ages 10, 7 and 5 would have a hole in their lives if he were put in prison.

"He's been the ideal husband and father and therefore the ideal son-in-law," said Edgar William Ennis Jr., whose daughter Branan is married to Zahn.

Ennis, who has been a U.S. attorney in Georgia and a superior court judge, told Davis that there are defendants whose crimes call for prison terms but Zahn doesn't fit that profile. He asked for "mercy, grace, lenience and compassion" so Zahn's family won't suffer.

"We are innocent and we will all become collateral damage," Ennis said.

Surrounded by family members Aaron Zahn leaves the federal courthouse with his wife Mary Branan Ennis Zahn Tuesday, July 30, 2024 after U.S District Judge Brian Davis sentenced Zahn to four years in federal prison after his federal conviction for conspiracy to steal municipal funds and for wire fraud in a scheme that would have gotten himself and other top JEA executives millions of dollars in bonuses should their plans to sell the Jacksonville public utility came to fruition. [Bob Self/Florida Times-Union]

Lee Wedekind, an attorney representing JEA, told Davis that if the issue is how families are treated, Zahn showed no compassion for JEA employees and their families when he told the JEA board in July 2019 it must either put the utility up for sale or he would move forward with laying off 574 employees.

He said JEA employees were "in constant fear of losing their jobs" during Zahn's time at JEA, which Wedekind said was marked by credit downgrades that cost the utility tens of millions of dollars in higher financing expenses.

"JEA has suffered extensively," he told Davis.

Assistant U.S. Attorney A. Tysen Duva said Zahn "ran JEA in a callous manner" while carrying out a hidden agenda to make himself wealthy off a sale of the utility as if he were in charge of a hedge fund. Duva said Zahn was the polar opposite of how a government employee should serve with a fiduciary duty to the public.

"He still doesn't believe he did anything wrong," Duva told Davis. "He has no remorse."

In handing down the sentence, Davis said he believes the testimonials from Zahn's relatives and friends showed a genuine side of him, but the evidence also showed Zahn violated the public trust and committed the crime for which a jury found him guilty in March. Davis said Zahn had baked a "deceitful pie" at JEA by taking a series of manipulative actions.

"It is a sad but inescapable fact that good people make bad decisions," Davis told Zahn.

Aaron Zahn leaves the federal courthouse with his wife Mary Branan Ennis Zahn Tuesday, July 30, 2024 after U.S District Judge Brian Davis sentenced Zahn to four years in federal prison after his federal conviction for conspiracy to steal municipal funds and for wire fraud in a scheme that would have gotten himself and other top JEA executives millions of dollars in bonuses should their plans to sell the Jacksonville public utility came to fruition.

Zahn faced up to 25 years in prison. A presentencing report by a probation officer recommended a sentence of up to nine years. Prosecutors recommended a five-year sentence while Zahn's defense argued for probation.

In addition to the four-year prison sentence, Davis said Zahn will serve one year of supervised release. Davis agreed to give Zahn up to 90 days to turn himself in to start the sentence.

The sentencing of Zahn came four months after he and former JEA chief financial officer Ryan Wannemacher were tried on charges of conspiracy and wire fraud. Jurors delivered not guilty verdicts for Wannemacher on March 15 but found Zahn guilty on both counts. Davis wrote in a ruling issued last Friday that based on the evidence during the trial, he found no error in the jury's verdict on Zahn or any grounds for dismissing it.

Davis wrote that an overwhelming amount of evidence showed the "focus of Zahn's scheme was to secure tens of millions of dollars in bonus payouts for himself and those that were complicit with his deception." Davis said Zahn took a number of actions to advance the plan.

Former JEA CEO Aaron Zahn walks into federal court holding hands with wife Mary Branan Ennis Zahn for his conspiracy and wire fraud convictions July 30, 2024 in Jacksonville, Fla. U.S. District Judge Brian Davis will hand down the sentence.

"That money would come at the expense of JEA, the city of Jacksonville, and the citizens of Northeast Florida," Davis wrote. "The payout was not incidental to some other misguided but otherwise legal pursuit. The payout sought by Zahn was not some abstract thing."

A 32-page sentencing memorandum filed by Zahn's defense attorneys last week said the incentive plan never paid out anything. His attorneys said the federal jury "essentially found that Aaron committed a breach of trust" and for that "a promising young man has become a convicted felon whose life has been ruined."

The court filing recounted the ups and downs of Zahn's life marked by soaring successes and crushing setbacks.

Growing up, Zahn was a competitive swimmer with dreams of the Olympics until an exploding gas can at a camping trip burned him so badly he could not continue on that path, according to the sentencing memorandum his attorneys filed.

He turned to his classwork and was accepted to Yale University where he majored in philosophy and psychology. After graduation, he went to work in the financial world at a financial services firm, a real estate investment trust and hedge funds but left it after seeing the emotional toll the high-pressure workplace had on a colleague, the court filing said.

After taking a year to read, teach yoga and take pilot lessons, Zahn moved to Jacksonville to become CEO of BCR Environmental Corp., a firm specializing in wastewater treatment technology. He met his wife, who is a doctor, while she was a resident at UF Health Jacksonville and they started a family.

BCR Environmental Corp. grew but the company and Zahn parted ways. In 2019, then-mayor Lenny Curry appointed him to the JEA board. The appointment by Curry, who supported seeking offers for a potential sale of JEA, became a springboard for Zahn to the CEO post at the age of 38.

Zahn had never worked for a utility of any size before becoming CEO of JEA. He said his private sector experience would bring an innovative approach to JEA as it navigated technology changes in the utility industry.

Before Zahn came on board, JEA had opened the door to exploring privatization but shut down that conversation after facing backlash from City Council members, JEA employees and customers.

Ryan Wannemacher: After acquittal, ex-JEA executive gets job at utility with two former JEA leaders

More: How does sentence for Aaron Zahn compare to to other public corruption cases?

Zahn led the utility to make a second privatization attempt, telling board members in July 2019 they faced a choice between going down that path or laying off 574 JEA employees. JEA took bids and began negotiations but a report in November by the City Council Auditor's Office about the huge sums in the incentive plan derailed the sales process before JEA selected a winning bidder.

After the sales process fell apart in December 2019 and the board killed the planned unit performance incentive plan  PUP for short  the JEA board fired Zahn in January 2020.

Zahn's attorneys wrote in their sentencing memorandum the prosecution and conviction "wreaked substantial havoc on Aaron's personal life and family, as well as his ability to maintain any professional engagement." They said "relentless media criticism" dating back to 2018 has "forever destroyed" his public reputation and the conviction put his "business career in ruins" because it cuts off his ability to get future employment in many roles in the financial industry.

U.S. District Judge Brian Davis answers questions from a jury box filled with Jacksonville students during a "youth investiture" at the federal courthouse in 2014.

Duva said Zahn's own actions put him in legal trouble.

"Zahn's engineering of an absurd golden parachute based on a made-up formula designed to guarantee wealth was purposeful, hidden, conniving and corrupt," Duva wrote. "This was the greatest financial scandal involving a public asset in the history of Jacksonville."

He wrote in his filing that probation would "send the message to public officials that one can conspire and attempt to fleece the City of Jacksonville."

Duva said after the sentencing that Davis made a reasoned decision and a four-year sentence will be a deterrent to public officials trying to benefit financially from public service. Duva said "four years is a long time" and Zahn will have to serve roughly 85% of it with opportunities for time off for good behavior.

Assistant U.S, Attorney A. Tysen Duva talks to the media after Aaron Zahn left the federal courthouse Tuesday, July 30, 2024 after U.S District Judge Brian Davis sentenced Zahn to four years in federal prison after his federal conviction for conspiracy to steal municipal funds and for wire fraud in a scheme that would have gotten himself and other top JEA executives millions of dollars in bonuses should their plans to sell the Jacksonville public utility came to fruition.

"There's a long history, especially in this courthouse, of public corruption cases," Duva said. "And when they come up, we've answered them and we did that in this case."

He said if anyone else tries to "deceive the public and treat independent agencies the way Mr. Zahn did, we're going to be here. We have the experience to answer that call."

This article originally appeared on Florida Times-Union: Federal judge hands down sentence for ex-CEO of JEA
Trial of the National Rifle Association in New York

By Jonathan Stempel

NEW YORK (Reuters) - A New York state judge decided not to impose an outside monitor for the National Rifle Association, handing a victory to the gun rights group, while banning former chief Wayne LaPierre from serving as an NRA officer or director for 10 years.

Monday's decision by Justice Joel Cohen of the Manhattan Supreme Court was a mixed outcome for state Attorney General Letitia James in her four-year-old civil case.

Cohen ruled without a jury following the second stage of a trial.

In the first stage, jurors in February found LaPierre and others liable for years of financial mismanagement, including the bankrolling of an extravagant lifestyle for LaPierre that included luxury travel and expensive clothing.

Jurors ordered LaPierre to repay $4.35 million to the NRA, and retired finance chief Wilson Phillips to repay $2 million.

James said the judge directed both sides to negotiate governance changes that could lead to the NRA's shrinking its board, and make it easier for candidates to seek board seats.

The attorney general sued the NRA in August 2020, under her authority to oversee non-profits registered in New York.

She said the group was beset by greed, lax oversight, and cronyism designed to enrich and entrench insiders.

"After years of corruption, the NRA and its senior leaders are finally being held accountable," James said after Cohen's decision.

The NRA had long viewed the lawsuit as political payback because James, a Democrat, disliked what it stood for.

Founded in 1871, the NRA has seen its influence diminish in recent years, including in the Republican Party, as membership and revenue fell.

"We recognize the importance of the jury's findings and will continue our commitment to good governance," NRA President Bob Barr said after Monday's decision.

A lawyer for LaPierre did not immediately respond to requests for comment.

LaPierre, 74, led the NRA for more than three decades before resigning in January, a few days before the trial's first stage.

He and the group often adopted contrary legal positions in court, though both were defendants.

(Reporting by Jonathan Stempel in New York; Editing by Stephen Coates)
A Wells Fargo supervisor who had been fired by the banking giant won a disability discrimination lawsuit against it and was awarded $22.1 million by a federal court jury in Charlotte.

The decision for Christopher Billesdon was handed down on Friday after a week-long trial in the U.S. District Court for Western North Carolina. His case against the San Francisco-based bank began in March 2023 when he sued it over claims of violating the American with Disabilities Act and the Age Discrimination in Employment Act.

Billesdon has a paralyzed colon and bladder that impacted the working conditions he needed and had associated side effects of taking medicine, according to his suit. Billesdons disability began in 1990 after an accident fractured his spine.

Billesdon said in court filings he was let go because he wanted to work from home as Wells Fargo started to have employees return to the office after the height of the COVID pandemic. But the bank told Billesdon he was being terminated because of cost-cutting, according to the claim made in his suit.

We are so grateful for the jury, who courageously sent a loud and clear message that willfully refusing to follow the law is unacceptable in the community, said Billesdons lawyer, L. Michelle Gessner in a statement to The Charlotte Observer. We enforce our laws, even against offenders like Wells Fargo.

Gessner said the jury verdict is one of the biggest in an employment discrimination case for Fourth Circuit courts, based on her research. She also said it appears to be the largest punitive damages verdict in an employment case under North Carolina state law.

When asked for comment from the Observer, Wells Fargo said in a statement: We are disappointed by and disagree with this decision. Wells Fargos policies provide equal employment opportunities for all employees, regardless of disability or any other status protected by law, and we provided these opportunities in this situation.

A former Wells Fargo supervisor was awarded more than $20 million by a federal jury in an ADA trial against the bank with a major presence in Charlotte.

What the jury decided

The jury said Wells Fargo was liable under the ADA for failing to provide reasonable accommodation and unlawful retaliation. Jury members said the bank was also liable under North Carolina state law for wrongful discharge.

Billesdons age discrimination claim made in 2023 was dismissed before the trial began.

He was awarded $6 million in compensatory damages for back pay and $14 million for future lost earnings. The jury also awarded $100,00 for emotional distress, $1 million for punitive damages under the ADA and $1 million under N.C. state law.

About the Wells Fargo case

Billesdon was employed by the bank for about 25 years in various positions at offices in the Los Angeles area and Charlotte, home to Wells Fargos largest employment base.

He moved to the Charlotte area in August 2020 during the pandemic and kept his job as Head of West Coast Asset Backed Finance Sales within Wells Fargo Securities Corporate & Investment Banks Markets Division.

When Wells Fargo began talks of returning to the office, Billesdon asked for stay-at-home accommodations, according to his lawsuit. The request was denied in December 2021 and Billesdon was fired a couple of months later, weeks before a mandatory return-to-office for everyone, the suit claimed.

The Charlotte office did not have the right working conditions for Billesdon because of the bathroom being on the opposite side of the building where his groups were located, the suit claimed.

Wells Fargo continues to say what its anti-discrimination policies are. But the jury and the court plainly heard from Wells Fargos own witnesses that executives at the highest level of the bank had never ever read the policies, much less followed them, Gessner said.
Its justice for the Tribe: Kootenai Tribe of Idaho restores what used to be a landfill

Ambush Rock is a tall hill along the Kootenai River in Bonners Ferry. (Mia Maldonado/Idaho Capital Sun)

On the south side of the Kootenai River in Bonners Ferry sits Ambush Rock, a viewpoint to see the river and town.

Today, there are tales of its different uses for the Kootenai Tribe of Idaho.

The rivers were our highway systems, so you can see people coming and going, tribal council member Clara Dunnington told the Idaho Capital Sun. Historically, I was told there was a day camp with fresh drinking water, and they would post lookouts on the rock to alert people if there was danger.

But growing up, Dunnington did not have that experience. Rather, it was a neglected, hazardous piece of land. When she went ice fishing there as a child, she was warned to be careful of the metals beneath her in the water.

Thats because for over a century, Ambush Rock was used as a dumping ground by the county and local lumber mill.

But within the next few years, tribal members and wildlife will be able to enjoy Ambush Rock after the Kootenai Tribe received a $2 million grant from the Environmental Protection Agency to clean and restore the plot of land this summer. The grant is through the Columbia River Basin Restoration Funding Assistance Program which is a part of the 2021 Bipartisan Infrastructure Law. It provides funding for restoration projects to reduce toxins in fish and water throughout the Columbia Basin.

On July 22, the tribe completed cleaning up the site, and it is now set to revegetate the former dump.

It was an effort made to bring things to a better ground than they were, Dunnington said about the grant. It feels like people are trying to speak up and do better.

Cleaning up over a century of waste

Boundary County used Ambush Rock as an unpermitted dump since the turn of the century, accumulating debris, metal, household garbage, and waste from the local lumber mill until the early 1980s. Even after this period, the public continued to illegally dump items onto the spot and in the nearby river, according to Genny Hoyle, the environmental director of the Kootenai Tribe.

Ambush Rock Kootenai River

In 1993, Boundary County offered to return the property to the Kootenai Tribe without addressing the century-old contamination that had accumulated.

The tribe said yes, but also assumed all the liability of the property, Hoyle said.

If you give back this piece of property to a tribe, but you also attach all liability to it  its not really doing the right thing, Hoyle said. Youre basically giving the liability along with the property and the expectation of, well, you deal with it.

This summer, 30 years later after having received the piece of land back, cleanup crews hired by the Kootenai Tribe spent June and July cleaning nearly two acres of contaminated land on the 10.5 acre property  even removing three car bodies located along the shoreline of the site.

Hoyle said the Ambush Rock restoration project embodies the definition of environmental justice.

Its justice for the tribe, she said. They get the property returned, and now they get to enjoy the property the way it should have been years ago. Its also environmental justice for the fish and wildlife.

Ambush Rock sits at the top of critical sturgeon spawning habitat, which is an endangered species, Hoyle said.

The next phase of the project is putting native plants and trees back on the property, and letting it rest for five years so the area can revegetate, Hoyle said.

The end goal is to bring the area back close to its natural state for wildlife and tribal use. Right now the piece of land is not a part of the reservation, but Hoyle said that could happen in the future.

Ambush Rock

Getting land back and making it better

Like Dunnington, Jyl Wheaton is a member of the Kootenai Tribe. Wheaton was the archeologist that monitored the cleanup at Ambush Rock alongside her team of five other tribal monitors.

To Wheaton, the restoration of Ambush Rock is a part of the Land Back movement, or an Indigenous-led movement aiming to reestablish Indigenous authority over land taken away from them.

The Kootenai Tribes reservation consists of 12 acres, and it is the smallest Native American reservation in Idaho.

The tribe has a unique history because in 1855, it refused to sign the Hellgate Treaty and therefore was not given a reservation.

It went against the covenant that we had with our Creator, saying that we would always take care of this place and then return the place to take care of, Wheaton said. So by signing away the land, we would break that covenant.

Without federal recognition, the Tribe lived on 12 acres just to the north of Bonners Ferry and across the river from Ambush Rock. By 1974, the Kootenai Tribe had gotten down to 64 people, Wheaton said, so the Tribe declared war on the U.S. for federal recognition. Those efforts resulted in the Tribe securing a land base on the 12 acres that they lived on.

Before 1974, the Kootenai Tribe had no federally-recognized land, Wheaton said. And to be given 12 acres in the face of tribes with thousands of acres of land  its pretty crazy. But even to have achieved that was a big accomplishment.

Getting Ambush Rock back from the county after a century of its neglect is huge, Wheaton said.

We persevered and survived basically 100 years of a dedicated effort to eliminate us as a people, Wheaton said. Not only are we getting land back, but were improving it and restoring it into something that will be a benefit for not just humans, but for the birds, for the fish and for the plants.

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KILLINGLY, Conn. (WTNH)  Four men were arrested on Tuesday in Killingly for stealing a car and failing to stop for officers.

Killingly schools, state board reach agreement on mental health clinic

The men were driving in Rhode Island on Route 101 toward Connecticut when they failed to stop for officers. Shortly after, the 2016 Jeep Grand Cherokee was involved in a one-vehicle collision on the highway near 771 Hartford Turnpike, running off the road and rolling over to return to the roadway right side up. They then abandoned the car on the side of the road and fled the scene by foot, according to witnesses.

Police said that the vehicle was stolen from the town of Hebron on Sunday. The four occupants: 19-year-old Johnathan Beckford, 18-year-old Charles Woodall, 19-year-old Adrian Ortega and 18-year-old Santana Rodriguez, were all charged with interfering with police. Woodall, who was driving the car, was additionally charged with reckless driving, larceny of a motor vehicle and evading responsibility.

Copyright 2024 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.

For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to WTNH.com.
Kamala Harris is the right candidate at the right time. She deserves our support

Editors note: This guest opinion column represents the personal view of the author and does not reflect the position of The Commercial Appeal editors.

In the whirlwind of political change, the past several few weeks have unfolded like a flash of lightning, transforming our perceptions of possibility in this presidential campaign.

In early July, the prospect of electing our first Black woman president seemed distant. However, recent developments surrounding Vice President Kamala Harris have ignited a spark of hope, illuminating a path for transformative leadership that resonates deeply with the Black community.

As we stand at this crossroads, we must acknowledge our history  one built on and sustained by intertwining the vines of racism and sexism. It's essential to ground our advocacy in the legacies of Black faith activism that have long demanded accountability and inclusivity. This moment is vital not only for Vice President Harris but also for local Black women political leaders in Memphis and Shelby County, who have faced relentless struggles for affirmation.

Supporting Vice President Harris should not solely hinge on her individual merits; it must reflect a broader commitment to the collective interests of our community. In this spirit, I urge Black men to step up vocally in support of not just the Vice President but also the Black women leading our communities on the ground.

Voter advocates will lead community dialogues on the 2024 election

This moment invites us to engage in nuanced dialogues  recognizing both the legacy of struggle and the need for an honest reckoning on issues of accountability, inclusivity, and power dynamics within our community. We cannot ignore that our progress hinges on these conversations, especially as we confront the political realities currently at play.

Vice President Kamala Harris speaks during the funeral service for Tyre Nichols at Mississippi Boulevard Christian Church in Memphis, Tenn., on Wednesday, Feb. 1, 2023. With her are Rev. Al Sharpton and Rev. Dr. J. Lawrence Turner.

As Malcolm X once said, You cant separate peace from freedom because no one can be at peace unless he has his freedom. This statement underscores the imperative of our activism as we seek not just representation but genuine liberation within the political sphere.

Likewise, we must courageously examine the structural hurdles impacting Black women in leadership roles. We know there are no perfect candidates. Yet, we must work to ensure that emerging leaders embody the values of justice, equity, and progress as much as possible  beyond campaign seasons.

As the founder of UPTHEVOTE901, we are launching a series of conversations about local and national politics over the next few months aimed at informing, engaging, and empowering the people of Memphis and Shelby County. These dialogues will address the issues that matter most to our community, providing a space for everyone to voice their concerns and hopes for the future. It is within these conversations that we can cultivate a deeper understanding of our political landscape and reaffirm our commitment to active participation in democracy.

Kamala Harris's candidacy is not just symbolic, but also historic

As much as I can appreciate and respect Vice President Harris, it's not that "I'm with Her" per se. It's that "I'm with US," and she just so happens to be in the best position to help US at this moment. That was not the case just a few days ago.

In the wake of the renewed vigor surrounding Vice President Harris's candidacy, we must acknowledge this moment and actively participate in it. We must build coalitions that extend beyond individual leaders, fostering a community-centered framework that prioritizes the voices of Black women. This movement is not merely symbolic; it carries historic significance as it challenges the status quo and seeks to redefine leadership in a country marked by inequities.

I call upon the entire Black community to respond to this call for advocacy, to harness the collective spirit that has defined our history, and to amplify the voices of those at the forefront of our struggles. In doing so, we honor our ancestors, cultivating a legacy that demands we lift each other up.

Earle Fisher

This pivotal moment serves as a testament to our capacity for change, reflecting not just who stands at the helm but on the collective force of a community united in purpose. Together, we can forge a path toward a more equitable future, channeling our energies for ourselves and for the generations yet unborn who will benefit from the battles we choose to engage in today.

Rev. Earle J. Fisher, Ph.D. is the senior pastor of Abyssinian Baptist Church (Memphis) and founder of upthevote901.com

This article originally appeared on Memphis Commercial Appeal: Vice President Kamala Harris is the right candidate at the right time
Insights from The New Yorker, Axios, and NBC News

Jul 30, 2024, 2:23pm EDT North America

The News

Perhaps chief among Kamala Harris vulnerabilities is her work on immigration as Joe Bidens vice president  Harris was tasked with trying to address the core causes for migration into the US across the southern border, but illegal crossings also rose.

Republicans have seized on this weakness, describing her as Bidens border czar, while Democrats have argued that Harris did the best she could in the circumstances  and point out that her job wasnt to police the border, but tackle the complicated push factors driving migration, like poverty, violence, and corruption in Central America.

Nevertheless, polls show Americans are concerned about whats happening at the border, ranking it as one of the most pressing issues facing the nation  and Harris record is very much in the spotlight.

SIGNALS

Semafor Signals: Global insights on today's biggest stories.

Harris was set up to fail on the border

Sources: The New Yorker, The Guardian

When Biden assigned Harris to head an initiative to address the root causes of the border crisis  a role he held as Barack Obamas vice president  he saw it as a positive for her political career. That made sense in 2014 and 2015. It didnt make sense in 2021, Andrea Flores, a National Security Council border expert told The New Yorker. All eyes were on the border. It was a day-to-day, on-the-ground operational emergency. She was set up to fail, because by now the issue was about so much more than root causes. And while dealing with core causes is essential from a policy perspective, slow, incremental progress doesnt offer immediate political payout.

Confusion around Harris role didnt help her case

Sources: Reuters, The New Yorker, Axios

Harris was never named Bidens border czar, though thats how her role came to be known colloquially. She struggled to explain what her actual role was, and once corrected Biden when he said shed do a hell of a job on immigration. But the messaging was too confusing, The New Yorker wrote. When the Biden Administration sent Harris to the border, it looked like she was responsible for the border. And the administrations early infighting, blame-shifting and indecision around their border response does not help her, either, Axios wrote.

Conservatives say Democrats are revising Harris history

Sources: NBC News, The Arizona Republic, CNN

Some right-leaning commentators have accused the media and Democrats of rewriting history to favor Harris, pointing to early reports that described her role as focused on both curbing the current flow of migrants and coordinating with countries in the region to address the root causes of migration. Arizona Republic columnist Phil Boas argued that Harris was given the assignment and then quit because as CNN reported in 2021, she saw the task as a no-win political situation that would only sandbag her in the future.
Kamala Harris is a cook  and she knows her L.A. restaurants. Will it help her win?

Vice President Kamala Harris, left, and Second Gentleman Doug Emhoff order food at El Cholo in Santa Monica last year. (Christina House / Los Angeles Times)

While Kamala Harris was holding the first rally of her presidential campaign, Charlee Nessel was polishing off a skinny margarita at one of the vice president's favorite L.A. restaurants: El Cholo in Santa Monica.

Nessel, a regular, was pleased to learn that Harris often visits the Wilshire Boulevard spot when she's in town. Might that influence Nessel's vote in November?

"If we have similar tastes in food ... it would be a starting point," said Nessel, a real estate agent.

But, she said, there was a caveat: "I would be curious if she ordered something authentic or froofy."

Food has long been part of politics. It can reveal a bit of personality and connect a candidate with voters. But pitfalls abound. When a culinary moment doesn't work  John Kerry ordering a cheesesteak in Philadelphia with Swiss cheese instead of Cheez Whiz, or Gerald Ford attempting to eat a tamale without removing its corn husk wrapper  a politician can seem elitist or even, yes, chowderheaded.

Harris, though, seems equipped to navigate potential food faux pas, because she harbors genuine culinary expertise, and has for years made it part of her public persona.

She maintains an eclectic list of favorite L.A. eateries, from greasy spoons to elevated Italian and American spots. She has long talked about her love of cooking, and demonstrated it on the 2019 YouTube series "Cooking With Kamala," which saw her, among other feats, make masala dosa with actress Mindy Kaling. And Harris, 59, has expressed a kind of reverence for Sunday family dinners.

"One of the things that I do that I find most enjoyable  and it just grounds me  is to cook Sunday family dinner," she said in an Instagram video posted July 21, the day President Biden announced he would not seek reelection. "That gives me joy and it grounds me."

Bennett Rea, creator of the Cookin' with Congress blog, said that although "Cooking With Kamala" was a show, it didn't feel like a performance. "It felt like she entered people's homes," he said.

Her videos also showed subtle kitchen skills true cooks appreciate. "She uses the back of the knife to scrape celery into the bowl  you don't want to dull the knife side, which I did when I was learning to cook," he said.

Among her abilities: She can deftly crack an egg with one hand. Moments before a TV interview, she advised a journalist on how to brine a Thanksgiving turkey. She reads cookbooks to unwind and has mused that one day she'll write one.

If Harris defeats former President Trump in November, she would become the best cook to ever serve as president, said Bruce Kraig, author of "A Rich and Fertile Land: A History of Food in America."

"She really ought to say, 'When I am in the White House, I am going to share recipes with you,'" he said. "It would undercut a lot of the right-wing Americans yelling about getting women back in the kitchen."

Read more: 14 of Kamala Harris and Doug Emhoff's beloved L.A. spots  including, yes, Zankou Chicken

Food has been part of Harris' policy agenda since at least her days in the Senate. In 2020, for example, she introduced the Closing the Meal Gap Act to expand and strengthen the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program for low-income families.

In the days after Harris was endorsed by Biden, the media have homed in on her interest in food, even speculating that a Harris presidency could boost Washington's dining scene. L.A. may offer a template.

Harris' favorite Southland restaurants suggest a willingness to stray from the world of white tablecloths and weighty wine lists. Among her go-tos, The Times has reported, are Zankou Chicken, the beloved Armenian chicken chain; and Guelaguetza, a pioneering Oaxacan restaurant in Koreatown.

Bill Esparza, author of "L.A. Mexicano," a book celebrating the city's Mexican food culture, was impressed by Harris' inclusion of Guelaguetza, which was founded in 1994 by Oaxacan immigrants. With "Guelaguetza, you are supporting an Indigenous family," he said. "Oaxacans refer to this part of California as 'Oaxacalifornia.'"

The Santa Monica branch of El Cholo, whose original Western Avenue location opened in 1923, also made the list. Its inclusion makes sense: Harris and Second Gentleman Doug Emhoff have a home in nearby Brentwood.

Vice President Kamala Harris and Second Gentleman Doug Emhoff walk into El Cholo in Santa Monica last year. (Christina House / Los Angeles Times)

Nessel, surrounded by friends and a small dog on the restaurant's sunny patio last week, acknowledged that "El Cholo represents something." By the end of the happy-hour conversation, Nessel said she felt she understood Harris  at least in one way.

"You come here to get full ... and not have to worry about anything else," she said. "I feel that's what she comes here for  she comes here to feel satisfied."

Entranced in the kitchen

Harris has said that she learned to cook from her mother, Shyamala Gopalan, a cancer researcher who died in 2009.

She told Glamour magazine in 2020 that her mom, in action behind the stove, was mesmerizing.

As a child, I remember hearing the pots and smelling the food, and kind of like someone in a trance, I would walk into the kitchen to see all this incredible stuff happening, said Harris, who is of South Asian and Black descent.

Years later, she did not shy away from voicing her culinary opinions. Take, for instance, the tuna-melt incident of 2020. As the pandemic raged, Sen. Mark Warner (D-Va.) posted a tongue-in-cheek cooking video online detailing one of his "favorite all-time recipes."

Derreck Johnson, founder of the Home of Chicken and Waffles, stands in front of a Kamala Harris mural painted inside his Oakland restaurant in 2021. (Josh Edelson / For the Times)

Warner "poured an entire can of undrained tuna on white bread, topped it with cold cheese and an obscene amount of mayonnaise, stuck the whole thing in the microwave, and ate it in front of America," Washingtonian magazine reported. "If a bar even exists, its set low."

Harris wasn't having it: Mark, we need to talk. Call. Please, she tweeted.

Later, she shared a video online that taught viewers how to make a delicious tuna melt  and it included Warner, who joined via Instagram Live.

"He has to know that he should drain the water," explained Harris, who wore an apron from her alma mater, Howard University.

Vice President Kamala Harris makes a stop at Brown Sugar Bakery in Chicago in 2021. (Kent Nishimura / Los Angeles Times)

But even in the kitchen, politics is inescapable. Rea noted that when Warner asked what type of mayonnaise Harris used, she said, with some awkwardness, that it came from Whole Foods.

The high-end supermarket chain, Rea said, is a brand that "automatically is not going to connect with 60% to 80% of the country."

Hazardous culinary terrain

For Harris, there are other potential hazards to speaking up about her predilections in the kitchen.

Consider something as innocuous as Bolognese, the Italian meat sauce that can take several hours to prepare. Harris is known to be a fan.

Jan Whitaker, a restaurant historian who maintains the blog Restaurant-ing through history, advises: "I would not use French words, or Italian words. Anything [like] 'Bolognese'  that could turn off a lot of Americans. It doesn't even matter if it's a simple dish, it's just the word."

Meat and potatoes may be safer terrain. And among Harris' favorite L.A. food shops is Huntington Meats, the vaunted Original Farmers Market butcher. She is known to buy its spicy sausage, a key ingredient in her Thanksgiving cornbread dressing. As Huntington's 20-plus varieties of sausage glistened behind glass, owner Jim Cascone said he was "very honored" to have the vice president's business. "Food lovers come from all sides," he said. (The verdict on Harris' sausage of choice: pleasantly piquant, with a nice, earthy tang.)

There is, said Rea, something subversive about Harris regularly putting her culinary chops on display. At a time when Project 2025's policy playbook, created by allies of Donald Trump, touts "traditional American values," Harris' embrace of cooking while running for the presidency flies in the face of norms, he said.

President Biden, from second right, Vice President Kamala Harris, First Lady Jill Biden and Second Gentleman Doug Emhoff participate in a service project at DC Central Kitchen in 2021. (Oliver Contreras / Getty Images)

"Some politically minded people would say [to Harris], 'Tamp back on being in the kitchen, because we are fighting an uphill battle running a woman for president,'" said Rea, whose blog centers on cooking politicians' favorite recipes. "She doesn't seem to be doing that. Her refusal to set that part of herself aside speaks to how important it is to her."

Trump, on the other hand, is no gourmand: the former president's cravings tend toward fast food and well-done steak.

He may be using food to project that "he's rich, but he's not an elite," said Whitaker, who has written about presidents' dining habits.

"That's the thing his supporters love," she said. "It could be a strategy."

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This story originally appeared in Los Angeles Times.
When President Joe Biden leaves the White House, he will leave behind a mixed legacy on the issue of capital punishment. He was the first person openly opposed to the death penalty to serve as president. However, his administrations actions have left abolitionists confused and disappointed.

As we contemplate the possibility that Vice President Kamala Harris might succeed him, the question is whether she would do more than Biden has to put an end to all death-penalty prosecutions and support the abolition of the federal death penalty. Based on her record as San Francisco district attorney and California attorney general, as well as her public statements, it is far from certain that she would be an improvement.

And she even may be baited into running a law-and-order campaign. As the Wall Street Journal notes, Trump is attacking Harris, accusing her of being soft on crime  and criticizing her record as a prosecutor.

This criticism could, Politico reports, make the phrase Kamala the Cop  once a phrase used by Harris detractors on the left  a de facto campaign slogan. When it comes to the death penalty, that would be a major mistake.

Indeed, the first test of her death-penalty commitment will be whether she gives in to the temptation to run a tough-on-crime campaign this year. She can do better in opposing capital punishment than Biden did as a candidate or president.

Biden ran as an abolitionist, and his attorney general, Merrick Garland, reimposed a moratorium on executions in the federal system. But the Justice Department has initiated new capital prosecutions in a few cases and opposed almost every effort by anyone on the federal death row to obtain redress from the courts.

And to this point, Biden has not used his clemency power to empty the federal death row.

Harris has been an outspoken opponent of capital punishment longer than the current president has. Twenty years ago, during her 2004 campaign to become the San Francisco DA, Harris promised that she would never seek the death penalty.

That promise was quickly put to the test.

As ABC News reported:

Harris was just three months into the job when a 22-year-old gang member named David Hill shot and killed a young, on-duty police officer, Isaac Espinoza. Calls for the death penalty rang out from community members and politicians alike. Two days after Espinozas death and two days before Espinozas funeral, Harris held a joint press conference with the then-head of the San Francisco police union, where she announced that she would not seek the death penalty for Hill.

The decision, ABC says, ignited outrage.

At the time, Harris admitted that she felt an immediate desire for revenge.  Wanting an eye for an eye is also one of the oldest, and most natural, of emotions. But as one of Americas greatest teachers, Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., said, The old eye for an eye philosophy leaves everyone blind.

For those who want this defendant put to death, Harris insisted, let me say simply that there can be no exception to the principle. I gave my word to the people of San Francisco that I oppose the death penalty, and I will honor that commitment despite the strong emotions evoked by this case.

Harris assured everyone, I have heard and considered those pleas very carefully, and I understand and share the pain that drives them, but my decision is made and it is final.

Her antideath penalty bona fides were put to the test again when Harris became Californias attorney general. In 2014 a federal district court ruled that Californias death penalty was unconstitutional, halting executions in the state.

To the chagrin of the abolitionist community, Harris appealed that decision to the U.S. Court of Appeals for the 9th Circuit. Death-penalty opponents said that Harris actions were hardly consistent with her personal opposition to the death penalty.

The 9th Circuit agreed with the attorney generals argument and overturned the lower-court ruling. The death penalty lived on in California.

At the time, Harris argued that her professional duty requires her to defend state law. In a Los Angeles Times editorial, she was praised for putting professional responsibility over personal politics.

We commend her professionalism, the Times said. But it argued that Harris decision should not be confused with an act of political courage.

Although public support for the death penalty has declined markedly over the last decade, a majority of Americans still favor it, and Harris can only benefit by being seen as someone willing to overcome her personal objections to enforce a popular law.

Harris commitment to professional responsibility suggests that she may well continue the policy of the Biden DOJ to defend existing federal death sentences. That would be a mistake.

As law professor Hadar Aviram argues, You are not under any obligation to defend things that are morally unjust. If you truly believe that theyre morally unjust and you have an opportunity to take a stand, I think its an imperative to do so.

But Harris may have had a change of heart about what she did a decade ago. In her aborted 2020 presidential campaign, she was even more definitive in her opposition to capital punishment than Biden was.

As she ramped up her first campaign for president, Harris wrote an op-ed detailing her criticism of capital punishment. Ive long been opposed to the death penalty. It is deeply immoral, irreversible, and ineffective, Harris said. And if we are going to transform our countrys broken criminal justice system, we must be fearlessunafraid to speak hard truths.

She called the death-penalty system an abject failure. It has wasted taxpayer money, has not kept our communities safe, and has discriminated against those with mental illness and people of color.

Harris explained, In addition to the moral arguments against the death penalty, abolishing it just makes financial sense. Our government would save billions in taxpayer dollars if each death sentence in America were replaced by a life sentence without parole. Those taxpayer dollars could be invested in our schools, in our health care, and in lifting up our communities.

Harris concluded that we should abolish the federal death penalty. This failed system is immoral. She promised that as President, I would lead the fight to end it. Its simply the right thing to do.

The promise that Kamala Harris made four years ago had no expiration date.

Now that she is again running for president, she must resist the allure of a law-and-order, tough-on-crime campaign. And should she prevail, it will be up to her to show the courage and clarity needed to lead the charge to end Americas long love affair with capital punishment.
JOHNS CREEK, Ga. (AP)  A drive out to Atlanta's sprawling suburbs passes the cultural centers, schools and houses of worship that opened as this became the nation's sixth-largest metropolitan area.

Displaying the diversity within the growth, shops and brightly lit billboards advertise in Chinese, Korean, Spanish and Hindi. The changes have been stark even for residents who experienced them.

There were a handful of Indians around when I was growing up, said Hemant Ramachandran, an Atlanta attorney who grew up in Gwinnett County, a short drive from Atlanta and the heart of Georgia's fast-growing Asian American community.

Some Atlanta suburbs turn Asian American

In some parts of Gwinnett, as well as neighboring Forsyth and Fulton counties, most of the census tracts and schools are now majority Asian American, according to county and Census Bureau data.

It's grown a lot since I was a kid. It definitely wasn't like there where I grew up or anywhere else in metro Atlanta," Ramachandran added.

Vice President Kamala Harris comes to Georgia Tuesday for what aides bill as the biggest campaign rally since she became the probable Democratic nominee. The daughter of Jamaican and Indian immigrants will aim to court the votes of a region where Asian American voters  often Indian American communities in particular  stand to play a pivotal role in the election.

Harris' identity as a woman of Indian descent has sparked kitchen-table conversations in many Asian American and immigrant households in metropolitan Atlanta and energized local advocates. For many in Atlanta's Indian American community, Harris' story strikes a unique chord.

The South Asian community here is fairly excited because this is really unprecedented, said Ashwin Ramaswami, a 24-year-old technology entrepreneur and state senate candidate for a competitive seat that spans much of Atlantas affluent northeastern suburbs.

Indian Americans in politics

Harris ascent comes at a moment of especially high visibility and influence for Indian Americans in politics.

Five Indian Americans serve in Congress. Usha Vance, the wife of Ohio senator and GOP vice presidential nominee JD Vance, is Indian American, as were two of the most prominent candidates in the 2024 Republican primary, Nikki Haley and Vivek Ramaswamy.

Democratic Rep. Pramila Jayapal of Washington state, who chairs the Congressional Progressive Caucus, was one of the first lawmakers Harris called for support after President Joe Biden bowed out of the race.

Indian Americans are now the largest population among Asian Americans, according to a recent US Census survey. Arizona, Georgia, Nevada and Michigan have relatively large Indian American communities that could prove pivotal in a tight race for the Oval Office.

The Georgia legislature has seven lawmakers of Asian American descent from both parties. In north Fulton and Gwinnett counties, high-school auditoriums now regularly serve as venues for classical Indian dance recitals. Events like the Johns Creek International Festival garner thousands from across the region.

Buoyed by enthusiasm for the vice presidents potential nomination among the Democratic base, Harris campaign has ramped up events in Georgia. The campaign gathered 300 Harris supporters on Saturday in Forsyth County, a longtime Republican stronghold that has become more contested as it has grown and become more diverse.

Does shared identity equal votes?

To be sure, Harris identity as the first Asian American and Black American vice president does not necessarily translate to votes. Indian Americans, and Asian Americans at large, are a highly diverse bloc across every metric. In conversations with more than a dozen Indian American voters, many said they did not know much about the vice presidents record and felt that her background was interesting but irrelevant to the campaign.

I dont have much perspective so far (on) Kamala Harris, said Ashish Sahu, a software engineer from Alpharetta, an Atlanta-area city of about 65,000 people. Sahu said that he expected to hear more about her in a few debates or during her campaign. He added that most people in his personal life and broader community in suburban Atlanta are pretty educated and independent and wait to see whos the best candidate

Ramachandran, the Atlanta attorney, said that, the way I look at it, the more representation we have, the more I kind of feel like representation doesnt matter as much."

He didnt feel that any prominent Indian American politicians especially centered their heritage and occupy at times starkly different political camps. He added, however, that many in the Indian diaspora, like many immigrant communities, find a sort of sense of pride, almost reflexively, that comes about where people go Look, that person came from, where Im from.

And he and Harris had at least one experience in common.

The same beach that she used to walk on when she was a kid, I used to walk on when I was a kid when I used to visit my grandparents, Ramachandran said.

A group called South Asian Women for Harris organized a call last week that more than 4,000 women joined and more than $250,000 was raised over about two hours. The panelists on the call included celebrities like Mindy Kaling, as well as Jayapal. The congresswoman talked about working with Harris on legislation when Harris was in the Senate, and on Harris strength in speaking out for reproductive rights.

A country where anything is possible

Those on the call were located across the country, many expressing their enthusiasm for supporting Harris, through fundraising or get out the vote efforts. Panelists urged them to stay involved.

Organizers paid tribute to Win with Black Women, which kicked off the spate of support calls that drew tens of thousands of Black women attendees and raised well over $1 million.

A lot of people are very excited. My photo album is strained by WhatsApp content right now, from like all corners (with) Kamala Harris stuff, said Tanbir Chowdhury, president of They See Blue New York, a Democratic group that engages South Asian voters.

According to an AAPI Data/AP-NORC survey conducted in May, about half of AAPI Americans identify as Democrats, while about one-quarter identify as Republicans. Around one-quarter identify as independents or dont identify with a political party. The findings were similar among AAPI adults of South Asian descent.

More than half of South Asian American adults had a positive view of Harris in the poll.

Chowdhury cautioned that Democrats have a lot of work to do on that messaging on the border security with South Asian voters and that issues like the cost of living and other economic concerns are top of mind for South Asian voters.

Ramaswami, the tech entrepreneur whose mother grew up in Besant Nagar, Chennai, India, the same neighborhood as Harris mother, said the vice president's campaign is personally significant. He hopes increased visibility for Indian Americans bodes well for increasing political and cultural influence.

Its nice to know that regardless of where you come from, or what your background is, or where your parents came from, this is a country where it really anything is possible, if you want to serve the people and do the right thing, he said.

___

AP writer Deepti Hajela and videojournalist Joseph Frederick, both in New York, contributed.

___

The Associated Press receives support from several private foundations to enhance its explanatory coverage of elections and democracy. See more about the APs democracy initiative here. The AP is solely responsible for all content.
Jacob Zuma attends a campaign of the uMkhonto weSizwe (MK) Party in Johannesburg, South Africa, May 18, 2024. (Photo by Ihsaan Haffejee/Xinhua)

The African National Congress (ANC) of South Africa on Monday confirmed that former president Jacob Zuma has been expelled from the party after contravening the ANC constitution.

JOHANNESBURG, July 30 (Xinhua) -- The African National Congress (ANC) of South Africa on Monday confirmed that the country's former president, Jacob Zuma, has been expelled from the party after contravening the constitution.

Fikile Mbalula, the party's secretary-general, announced that the National Disciplinary Committee of the ANC found Zuma guilty of contravening the constitution by prejudicing the integrity of the ANC through "acting in collaboration with a registered political party."

"The charged member is expelled from the ANC," said Mbalula at the party's headquarters in Johannesburg, the largest city in South Africa.

Mbalula added that Zuma could appeal his expulsion within 21 days.

The issue began in December when Zuma announced that he would support the newly established uMkhonto weSizwe (MK) Party in the May 2024 general elections. The ANC suspended Zuma's membership in January and took him to its disciplinary committee. The formation of the MK Party, which garnered more than 14 percent of the vote in the elections, led to the ANC's loss of its majority for the first time since 1994.

Jacob Zuma attends a campaign of the uMkhonto weSizwe (MK) Party in Johannesburg, South Africa, May 18, 2024. (Photo by Ihsaan Haffejee/Xinhua)

Mbalula also said Zuma's negative remarks about the judiciary and other state organs had damaged the ANC's credibility.

"Former President Zuma has been running on a dangerous platform that casts doubt on our entire constitutional edifice. He has meted out a host of anti-revolutionary outbursts, including mischievously calling into question the credibility of our electoral processes without cause and discrediting the rationale of our judicial system," Mbalula said.

Zuma became the ANC's president in 2007 following the party's elective congress and later served as South Africa's president from 2009 to 2018 when he was recalled before completing his term. In July 2021, Zuma was jailed for contempt of court after failing to comply with a court order to appear before the state capture inquiry, which investigated widespread corruption and malfeasance that occurred during his administration.

The MK Party has complained about how Zuma's disciplinary process was conducted, comparing it to a "kangaroo court." It added that Zuma will consult his lawyers about the next course of action he will take. 
WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Democratic presidential candidate Kamala Harris launched a $50 million advertising blitz on Tuesday, capitalizing on the momentum of a fledgling campaign against Republican rival Donald Trump with a one-minute spot titled "Fearless."

It was Harris' first big ad buy since consolidating support for the Democratic nomination after President Joe Biden dropped out of the race on July 21 and endorsed her.

In addition to garnering the backing of big-money donors, Harris has sparked newfound energy among groups such as young voters that Biden had been struggling to win over.

Public opinion polls in the last week have shown Harris, 59, closing the gap with 78-year-old Trump, who still leads in some national surveys.

The ads will be rolled out on television as well as streaming and social channels across election battleground states in the weeks before the Democratic National Convention that starts on Aug. 19.

The first ad in the campaign begins with images of Harris as a little girl and follows her progression to a prosecutor, attorney general and U.S. vice president. "The one thing Kamala Harris has always been: fearless," the ad says.

Since stepping into her new role, Harris has focused on Trump's felony convictions in a hush-money trial involving a porn star and the other criminal charges he faces, and portrayed him as responsible for a wave of anti-abortion measures in Republican-led states around the country.

The Harris campaign's ad buy dwarfed the $10 million advertising buy announced by Trump's campaign on Monday, to be launched in six battleground states this week as it tries to counter a surge of voter enthusiasm and donations for Harris.

That was Trump's biggest ad buy since January.

(Reporting by Doina Chiacu; editing by Deepa Babington)
Supporters of Vice President Kamala Harris react to her speaking during a campaign rally at West Allis Central High School on July 23, 2024 in West Allis, Wisconsin. Harris made her first campaign appearance as the partys presidential candidate, with an endorsement from President Joe Biden. (Photo by Jim Vondruska/Getty Images)

In her search for a running mate in her presidential bid, Vice President Kamala Harris is said to be eyeing a clutch of contenders with executive experience enhanced by an outside-the-Beltway flavor  at least five governors from the South and Midwest.

Harris, if nominated by Democrats and elected, would be the first woman to serve as president, the first president of South Asian descent and the second Black president. She joined the U.S. Senate in 2017 after a career in California state politics.

That background may compel her to seek a white governor without D.C. baggage, experts said, a description several reported contenders fit. Most observers expect Harris to choose a man, though Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer would also make a strong case.

Govs. Josh Shapiro of Pennsylvania, Tim Walz of Minnesota, Andy Beshear of Kentucky, and Roy Cooper of North Carolina are seen as top-tier candidates to balance Harris profile. And U.S. Sen. Mark Kelly of Arizona, who had a high-profile career before politics as an astronaut and Navy captain, would also complement Harris.

Selecting another woman, most likely Whitmer, may contradict the conventional political wisdom to seek a counterweight, but would allow the Democratic ticket to highlight one of its strongest campaign messages in advocacy of reproductive rights.

But experts told States Newsroom multiple factors swirl around a vice presidential pick, expected in coming weeks as Harris seeks election as the Democratic presidential nominee in a virtual roll call vote as soon as Aug. 1, following President Joe Bidens decision to not run. She could try for that desired balance, or play to her own strengths, or bestow the honor on a swing state key to a win.

Ultimately, Harris selection will send a message about her decision-making as president, said Joel Goldstein, a professor of law emeritus at Saint Louis University and an expert on the vice presidency.

Oftentimes the impact a running mate can have is as much in the messages it sends about the presidential candidate as it is something that the running mate contributes independently, Goldstein said.

Helping the ticket

Presidential nominees typically look for a running mate who will even out perceived weaknesses among different constituencies of their party.

Think, for example, of Trump picking Indiana Gov. Mike Pence in 2016, hoping the selection of a mild-mannered Midwesterner with deep ties to the GOPs evangelical community would temper the bombastic New Yorkers reputation among the partys social conservatives.

Or the youthful Illinois Sen. Barack Obama in 2008 selecting Biden, whod spent decades in the Senate by then and unsuccessfully sought the presidency, to counter criticisms that Obama was too inexperienced to be commander-in-chief.

Goldstein said a vice presidential pick should not typically be the selectors ideological clone so that it broadens the appeal of the ticket to wider populations around the country.

Voters often see women candidates and candidates of color as more liberal than their voting record would reflect, which could lead Harris to favor a running mate seen as more moderate.

Harris has several choices that could reach voters for whom she doesnt have a natural appeal.

Choosing a white male governor from the Midwest or South would provide demographic and geographic balance, Rebecca Pearcey, a Democratic campaign veteran and partner with the public affairs firm Bryson Gillette, said.

Walz, who grew up in a town of 400, and Beshear, the popular two-term governor of a rural, red state, would complement Harris roots growing up in Oakland, California, and dealing with Bay Area politics, she said.

Youre covering a lot of bases by picking somebody from a very different demographic background than the candidate, Pearcey said. Which I think is smart.

Playing to a strength

While presidential candidates generally seek a running mate for balance, they dont always, Christopher Devine, a political science professor at the University of Dayton who has written two books on vice presidential candidates, said.

A running mate who emphasizes an advantage can also help a ticket, he said.

When its something thats actually a strength of yours, theres nothing wrong with doubling down, Devine said.

In 1992, Bill Clinton, the Arkansas governor, chose another younger Southern Democrat in U.S. Sen. Al Gore of Tennessee, but that helped emphasize the appeal of the youthful New Democrat candidate.

If Harris decides to go that route, Whitmer, who centered her 2022 reelection race on abortion rights, would be the obvious choice, Devine said.

If they see that as a strength that Harris is a better messenger on this issue because shes a woman  which obviously is what the Biden campaign believed  then maybe picking a woman is helpful, he said.

Ready to govern

Most important for Harris is to pick someone voters believe is qualified, Devine said.

Perceptions of a running mates readiness to be vice president or even president can actually affect how voters see the presidential candidates judgment, he said.

Pearcey agreed.

She has to have an eye on ready-to-govern, Pearcey said of Harris. Whos ready to step into the role of vice president and can take on some policy initiatives?

Harris vice presidential pick would also have to be someone voters could see assuming the role of the president if Harris was no longer able to fulfill her term.

Kathleen Dolan, a political science professor at the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee, pointed to previous vice presidential picks, like the late Sen. John McCains running mate Sarah Palin of Alaska, that left some voters wondering if they were ready to govern.

Dolan also noted that Trumps running mate, J.D. Vance, doesnt have the political experience many expect in a vice president. Vance, 39, has been the junior senator from Ohio since 2023 and before that had no political experience.

I think she (Harris) will probably be focused on somebody who has more government experience, probably not somebody quite as young as Sen. Vance, Dolan said.

That could work against Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg, who ran a surprisingly strong race in the 2020 Democratic primary, but whose only elected experience is as the mayor of South Bend, Indiana.

Hes been a mayor and hes been a secretary for a couple of years, Dolan said. So he doesnt have the political background.

Candidates for president and vice president also need to be able to work together, experts said.

Part of Harris process for vetting candidates will include her chemistry with each, Thomas Mills, a Democratic consultant, said.

Mills noted Clinton and Gores bond with each other was part of their appeal.

There was chemistry between them, he said. And it was pretty clear on the campaign trail.

Two governors under consideration  Beshear and Cooper  have existing relationships with Harris from when all three were state attorneys general last decade.

Why governors dominate

The list of reported contenders, which also includes Illinois Gov. J.B. Pritzker, is more full of governors than usual.

That could be because Harris is looking for someone with a record of delivering results and navigating the political currents in a busy state capital.

It goes to the ability to govern, Pearcey said.

And governors need to balance their states budgets and deliver tangible results gives them a more moderate, practical image, Devine said.

Governors tend to deal with more pragmatic issues and theyre not as mixed up in the most divisive national issues, he said. Maybe voters will see them as more moderate and pragmatic.

And choosing a governor would not be as disruptive for federal politics.

If Kelly, the only member of Congress thought to be in contention, became vice president, it would force Democrats to defend his Senate seat in 2026, creating a swing-state campaign in a midterm election that typically disfavors the presidents party.

Swing state?

Running mates are often chosen to appeal to the electorate of a particular battleground state or region.

That would boost the case for Shapiro, whose nearly 15-point win in the critical state of Pennsylvania in 2022 is a strong part of his resume, as well as Kelly and Whitmer.

But there is actually little data to support the home-state advantage theory, Devine said. And making a choice voters see as politically motivated could backfire, which could come into play for Shapiro, who has been in office for less than two years.

If they are picking Josh Shapiro to win Pennsylvania  like, if he was the governor of New Jersey they wouldnt bother  then I think thats a bad pick, Devine said. If they believe in him because hes perceived as a moderate, then that could be a good swing-state strategy.

Dolan said Harris week-old campaign has differed in which swing states its targeting and that her vice presidential pick would have to appeal to a wide range of electorates.

She said the Harris campaign may be trying to broaden its reach to voters outside states such as Wisconsin, Michigan and Pennsylvania in which Biden invested.

I think they see a potential for different electoral combinations, and that the more diverse populations of places like Arizona or Georgia or Nevada could help in ways that they wouldnt have helped President Biden, said Dolan. Harris running mate would have to reach these additional audiences as well.

Cooper issue

Adding Cooper to the presidential ticket would create a unique challenge in North Carolina.

Under the states constitution, whenever the governor leaves the state, the lieutenant governor assumes the power of that office. That might be a problem for North Carolina Democrats, who describe Lt. Gov. Mark Robinson as a right-wing Republican.

With Cooper on the campaign trail in contested states across the country, Robinson, who is the GOP candidate to replace the term-limited Cooper, would have his hands on the levers of state executive power.

Im tempted to say that it makes him not really a viable candidate, Devine said. Is he that far above the other candidates that its worth just messing up North Carolina politics?

But Mills, who is based in North Carolina, said Robinsons own race for governor would temper the risk of giving him the power of the office. Leading up to Election Day, Robinson will likely be proceeding with caution.

Thats somewhat of a concern, Mills said of the states succession rules impact on Coopers chances. But I dont think its that much of a concern, because it would be an awful risky thing going down the stretch as the gubernatorial candidate for him to look like he overreached.

Asher Hildebrand, a public policy professor at Duke University, also made clear that Robinson probably wouldnt have a major impact while Cooper would be campaigning.

It would be pretty extraordinary for Robinson to do anything that couldnt be undone immediately by Cooper through executive order, Hildebrand said.

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US President Joe Biden greets Kentucky Gov. Andy Beshear in 2021. Beshear is being considered as a vice presidential running mate for Kamala Harris. (Photo by Scott Olson/Getty Images)

In her search for a running mate in her presidential bid, Vice President Kamala Harris is said to be eyeing a clutch of contenders with executive experience enhanced by an outside-the-Beltway flavor  at least five governors from the Rust Belt, South and Midwest.

Harris, if nominated by Democrats and elected, would be the first woman to serve as president, the first president of South Asian descent and the second Black president. She joined the U.S. Senate in 2017 after a career in California state politics.

That background may compel her to seek a white governor without D.C. baggage, experts said, a description several reported contenders fit. Most observers expect Harris to choose a man, though Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer would also make a strong case.

Govs. Josh Shapiro of Pennsylvania, Tim Walz of Minnesota, Andy Beshear of Kentucky and Roy Cooper of North Carolina are seen as top-tier candidates to balance Harris profile. And U.S. Sen. Mark Kelly of Arizona, who had a high-profile career before politics as an astronaut and Navy captain, would also complement Harris.

Selecting another woman, most likely Whitmer, may contradict the conventional political wisdom to seek a counterweight, but would allow the Democratic ticket to highlight one of its strongest campaign messages in advocacy of reproductive rights.

But experts told States Newsroom multiple factors swirl around a vice presidential pick, expected in coming weeks as Harris seeks election as the Democratic presidential nominee in a virtual roll call vote as soon as Aug. 1, following President Joe Bidens decision to not run. She could try for that desired balance, or play to her own strengths, or bestow the honor on a swing state key to a win.

Ultimately, Harris selection will send a message about her decision-making as president, said Joel Goldstein, a professor of law emeritus at Saint Louis University and an expert on the vice presidency.

Oftentimes the impact a running mate can have is as much in the messages it sends about the presidential candidate as it is something that the running mate contributes independently, Goldstein said.

Helping the ticket

Presidential nominees typically look for a running mate who will even out perceived weaknesses among different constituencies of their party.

Think, for example, of Trump picking Indiana Gov. Mike Pence in 2016, hoping the selection of a mild-mannered Midwesterner with deep ties to the GOPs evangelical community would temper the bombastic New Yorkers reputation among the partys social conservatives.

Or the youthful Illinois Sen. Barack Obama in 2008 selecting Biden, whod spent decades in the Senate by then and unsuccessfully sought the presidency, to counter criticisms that Obama was too inexperienced to be commander-in-chief.

Goldstein said a vice presidential pick should not typically be the selectors ideological clone so that it broadens the appeal of the ticket to wider populations around the country.

Voters often see women candidates and candidates of color as more liberal than their voting record would reflect, which could lead Harris to favor a running mate seen as more moderate.

Harris has several choices that could reach voters for whom she doesnt have a natural appeal.

Choosing a white male governor from the Midwest or South would provide demographic and geographic balance, Rebecca Pearcey, a Democratic campaign veteran and partner with the public affairs firm Bryson Gillette, said.

Walz, who grew up in a town of 400, and Beshear, the popular two-term governor of a rural, red state, would complement Harris roots growing up in Oakland, California, and dealing with Bay Area politics, she said.

Youre covering a lot of bases by picking somebody from a very different demographic background than the candidate, Pearcey said. Which I think is smart.

Playing to a strength

While presidential candidates generally seek a running mate for balance, they dont always, Christopher Devine, a political science professor at the University of Dayton who has written two books on vice presidential candidates, said.

A running mate who emphasizes an advantage can also help a ticket, he said.

When its something thats actually a strength of yours, theres nothing wrong with doubling down, Devine said.

In 1992, Bill Clinton, the Arkansas governor, chose another younger Southern Democrat in U.S. Sen. Al Gore of Tennessee, but that helped emphasize the appeal of the youthful New Democrat candidate.

If Harris decides to go that route, Whitmer, who centered her 2022 reelection race on abortion rights, would be the obvious choice, Devine said.

If they see that as a strength that Harris is a better messenger on this issue because shes a woman  which obviously is what the Biden campaign believed  then maybe picking a woman is helpful, he said.

Ready to govern

Most important for Harris is to pick someone voters believe is qualified, Devine said.

Perceptions of a running mates readiness to be vice president or even president can actually affect how voters see the presidential candidates judgment, he said.

Pearcey agreed.

She has to have an eye on ready-to-govern, Pearcey said of Harris. Whos ready to step into the role of vice president and can take on some policy initiatives?

Harris vice presidential pick would also have to be someone voters could see assuming the role of the president if Harris was no longer able to fulfill her term.

Kathleen Dolan, a political science professor at the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee, pointed to previous vice presidential picks, like the late Sen. John McCains running mate Sarah Palin of Alaska, that left some voters wondering if they were ready to govern.

Dolan also noted that Trumps running mate, J.D. Vance, doesnt have the political experience many expect in a vice president. Vance, 39, has been the junior senator from Ohio since 2023 and before that had no political experience.

I think she (Harris) will probably be focused on somebody who has more government experience, probably not somebody quite as young as Sen. Vance, Dolan said.

That could work against Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg, who ran a surprisingly strong race in the 2020 Democratic primary, but whose only elected experience is as the mayor of South Bend, Indiana.

Hes been a mayor and hes been a secretary for a couple of years, Dolan said. So he doesnt have the political background.

Candidates for president and vice president also need to be able to work together, experts said.

Part of Harris process for vetting candidates will include her chemistry with each, Thomas Mills, a Democratic consultant, said.

Mills noted Clinton and Gores bond with each other was part of their appeal.

There was chemistry between them, he said. And it was pretty clear on the campaign trail.

Two governors under consideration  Beshear and Cooper  have existing relationships with Harris from when all three were state attorneys general last decade.

Why governors dominate

The list of reported contenders, which also includes Illinois Gov. J.B. Pritzker, is more full of governors than usual.

That could be because Harris is looking for someone with a record of delivering results and navigating the political currents in a busy state capital.

It goes to the ability to govern, Pearcey said.

And governors need to balance their states budgets and deliver tangible results gives them a more moderate, practical image, Devine said.

Governors tend to deal with more pragmatic issues and theyre not as mixed up in the most divisive national issues, he said. Maybe voters will see them as more moderate and pragmatic.

And choosing a governor would not be as disruptive for federal politics.

If Kelly, the only member of Congress thought to be in contention, became vice president, it would force Democrats to defend his Senate seat in 2026, creating a swing-state campaign in a midterm election that typically disfavors the presidents party.

Swing state?

Running mates are often chosen to appeal to the electorate of a particular battleground state or region.

That would boost the case for Shapiro, whose nearly 15-point win in the critical state of Pennsylvania in 2022 is a strong part of his resume, as well as Kelly and Whitmer.

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But there is actually little data to support the home-state advantage theory, Devine said. And making a choice voters see as politically motivated could backfire, which could come into play for Shapiro, who has been in office for less than two years.

If they are picking Josh Shapiro to win Pennsylvania  like, if he was the governor of New Jersey they wouldnt bother  then I think thats a bad pick, Devine said. If they believe in him because hes perceived as a moderate, then that could be a good swing-state strategy.

Dolan said Harris week-old campaign has differed in which swing states its targeting and that her vice presidential pick would have to appeal to a wide range of electorates.

She said the Harris campaign may be trying to broaden its reach to voters outside the Rust Belt states such as Wisconsin, Michigan and Pennsylvania in which Biden invested.

I think they see a potential for different electoral combinations, and that the more diverse populations of places like Arizona or Georgia or Nevada could help in ways that they wouldnt have helped President Biden, said Dolan. Harris running mate would have to reach these additional audiences as well.

Cooper issue

Adding Cooper to the presidential ticket would create a unique challenge in North Carolina.

Under the states constitution, whenever the governor leaves the state, the lieutenant governor assumes the power of that office. That might be a problem for North Carolina Democrats, who describe Lt. Gov. Mark Robinson as a right-wing Republican.

With Cooper on the campaign trail in contested states across the country, Robinson, who is the GOP candidate to replace the term-limited Cooper, would have his hands on the levers of state executive power.

Im tempted to say that it makes him not really a viable candidate, Devine said. Is he that far above the other candidates that its worth just messing up North Carolina politics?

But Mills, who is based in North Carolina, said Robinsons own race for governor would temper the risk of giving him the power of the office. Leading up to Election Day, Robinson will likely be proceeding with caution.

Thats somewhat of a concern, Mills said of the states succession rules impact on Coopers chances. But I dont think its that much of a concern, because it would be an awful risky thing going down the stretch as the gubernatorial candidate for him to look like he overreached.

Asher Hildebrand, a public policy professor at Duke University, also made clear that Robinson probably wouldnt have a major impact while Cooper would be campaigning.

It would be pretty extraordinary for Robinson to do anything that couldnt be undone immediately by Cooper through executive order, Hildebrand said.
Senator Mark Kelly scored the highest net favorability rating (10 points) among nine vice presidential prospects in an ABC News/Ipsos poll conducted July 26 and 27. Good for him. Still, Kamala Harris should not choose Kelly to be her running mate.

Lets start with the obvious point that a 10-point net favorability rating is nothing to write home about when 65 percent say they either dont know who Kelly is or have no opinion about the man. Majorities were similarly undecided about Governors Andy Beshear, J.B. Pritzker, Josh Shapiro, Gretchen Whitmer, Roy Cooper, and Tim Walz. The only two prospects about whom a majority ventured an opinion were Governor Gavin Newsom and Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg, and large minorities were undecided about them too (45 percent and 46 percent, respectively). Newsoms net favorability was underwater at minus 12, while Buttigiegs was plus four.

Where do these vice presidential prospects come from? From an apparition that the late New York Times columnist Russell Baker, writing in December 1963, identified as the Great Mentioner. It is one of the deeper mysteries of Presidential politics, Baker wrote,

but the fact is that getting mentioned is the first essential step to the White House and one of the hardest. Who is the kingmaker who grants the supreme boon of mention? Nobody knows. Nobody has ever seen him, but there is not the slightest doubt about his existence.

The Great Mentioner has been working overtime since the June 27 presidential debate made it clear that President Joe Biden would have to be replaced at the top of the ticket. After Kamala Harris became the putative Democratic nominee, the Great Mentioner dropped from His list two African American politicians, Governor Wes Moore and Senator Raphael Warnock, probably out of fear that a Democratic ticket with two African Americans couldnt win. A second reason not to consider Warnock is that Georgias governor, Brian Kemp, is a Republican and would therefore replace Warnock with a Republican were he to enter the White House.

Kelly remains on the list because he doesnt have that problem. Arizonas governor, Katie Hobbs, is a Democratand even if she were a Republican, under Arizona law shed have to replace Kelly with another Democrat. But a special election would be held in 2026three years before Kellys current Senate term is due to expire. And in a state like Arizona, a Democratic victory would be far from assured. Compensating for this loss, in theory, would be that Kelly might help Harris win the swing state of Arizona. But theres little evidence that vice presidential candidates help with winning their home states. Just ask Geraldine Ferraro, Lloyd Bentsen, Jack Kemp, John Edwards, and Paul Ryan. They all lost their home states when they ran for vice president.

The Democrats are projected to lose their Senate majority in November, and even if they confound expectations and keep it, that majority will be razor-thin, as it is today. No current senator should be under consideration for the Democratic vice presidential slot (and, for that matter, no current representative either, though the Great Mentioner tends to disdain the House of Representatives). The Republicans can perhaps spare a Senate seat if Senator J.D. Vance becomes vice president; the Democrats cannot.

Another reason Harris shouldnt name Kelly, and the one to which Im going to devote the rest of this piece, is that the Arizona senator has a lousy record on labor.

The Protecting the Right to Organize, or PRO, Act, which would eliminate various barriers to organizing in the workplace, is labors highest priority. The bill is co-sponsored by every Democratic senator save oneKelly. He told HuffPosts Igor Bobick and Dave Jamieson three years ago that although he supported the overall goals of the bill, he opposed a part of the bill that narrowed the definition of independent contractor, thereby making it more difficult for employers to deny workers unemployment and other employee benefits and to dodge paying payroll taxes.

Sometimes employers use that to their advantage, Kelly conceded. Thats an understatement. When a worker is classified as an independent contractor, that person can end up working full-time for a single company and still not get paid minimum wage. But, Kelly continued: In other cases, I do think people should be able to be independent contractors.

Point takensometimes workers prefer contract work because it gives them the freedom to set their own hours. But the PRO Act grants exceptions in these and other legitimate instances, allowing workers to be independent contractors so long as they remain free from control and direction in connection with the performance of the service, or work outside the usual course of the business of the employer, or have an independently established trade, occupation, profession, or business.

Kellys resistance raised suspicions that he was caving to Arizonas business community, which is fiercely anti-labor. Arizonas unionization rate, at 4.2 percent, is the fifth-lowest in the nation, after Utah (4.1 percent), South Dakota (3.6 percent), North Carolina (2.7 percent), and South Carolina (2.3 percent). The national rate is 10 percent if you count public employee unions, and 6 percent if you dont. Arizona is a right-to-work state, meaning workers are free to enjoy the benefits of collective bargaining without paying for them. Kellys and fellow Arizona Senator Kyrsten Sinemas willingness to withstand organized labors ongoing pressure campaign [to support the PRO Act] speaks to their independence and commitment to do what is right for Arizona, Danny Seiden, president of the Arizona Chamber of Commerce & Industry, observed with approval in January 2022.

This past Wednesday Kelly altered his position on the PRO Act, one day after it was reported that he was one of five potential candidates whod furnished vetting materials to the Harris campaign. (The others were Cooper, Shapiro, Whitmer, and Walz.) Speaking once again to HuffPosts Bobick and Jamieson, Kelly said, Unions loom large in our life, and Im supportive of the PRO Act. He continued:

I would have voted for it on Day One. I would vote for it today. I am, like a lot of legislation, working to make it better. But if it came to the floor today or any day going back to the day I was sworn in, I would vote for it.

But as Bobick and Jamieson made clear, Kelly had never before stated that he would support the bill as written. All hed said was that he would favor allowing certain unspecified parts to be included in a reconciliation packageexcluding, presumably, the independent contractor language to which he objected.

Kellys PRO Act endorsement, welcome though it is, does not wipe the slate clean. Its too late for Kelly to change his March 2022 vote against the Labor Department nomination of David Weil for wage and hour administrator, a post that Weil held in the Obama administration. The only other Democrats who voted with Kelly against Weil arent Democrats anymore: Sinema and Joe Manchin. As Sarah Tsai observed in On Labor, Even business groups were surprised by the defeat. Weils was the first Biden nomination to fail on the Senate floor, and Bidens only executive branch nomination ever to do so. The vote to bring the nomination to the floor failed, and Biden withdrew Weils name. The post remained vacant for 19 months until the Senate confirmed Jessica Looman in October 2023.

As I wrote at the time, there was no good reason for a Democrat to vote against Weil. Weil had outraged the business lobby during his previous term by enforcing the wage and hour laws on the books, and that was enough for Kelly. I heard from a lot of business owners, Kelly told Politico, and being somebody who started a business myself, its hard. There were concerns about how hed interpret things and he had served in the position before. So theres precedent there. Kellys queasiness about cracking down on independent contractors likely played a role, because business groups made an issue of that, even though (as I also explained at the time) their complaint was baseless.

Kelly was also a longtime holdout against the nomination of Julie Su for labor secretary. He eventually agreed to vote to confirm her, but only after Manchin announced he would oppose Su, dooming her nomination (because Sinema opposed Su more quietly). As a result, Su has ended up performing the role in an acting capacity only. I should point out that, according to an Arizona Republic review of Kellys campaign contributions, Kelly has collected $6.5 million from business interests, as against $673,000 from labor, since he entered politics in 2019.

One might argue that a single blind spot should not disqualify Kelly. But I submit that labor is not just some Democratic interest group. Its the partys heart and soul. Democrats desperately need to reestablish their historical identity as the party of the working class. Ive proposed some ways to do this, pointing out that (despite shortcomings as a candidate that werent his fault) Biden leaves behind a very strong record on working-class issues.

Harriss own working-class credentials are a little wobbly. Ruy Teixeira, co-author of last years Where Have All the Democrats Gone?, about how the party lost its working-class majority, reported earlier this week that although Harris, according to an average of postdebate polls, does better than Biden among women, Blacks, college graduates, and voters under 30, she does worse among men, whites and Latinos, seniors  and the working class, defined conventionally as voters who lack a college degree. This is a serious problem because even Biden wasnt doing especially well with working-class voters during this period; Trump was up 11.2 points in a matchup against Biden and up 11.6 points in a matchup against Harris. Teixeira further noted that a July 24 Harris campaign memo about assembling a winning coalition neglected to mention, in enumerating various constituencies, the working class. Other words missing from the memo: workers, union, and labor.

Harris needs to sharpen her pitch to the working class, because its doubtful she can win without a (multiethnic) working-class majority. Biden was the first and only Democrat in 100 years to win the presidency without a working-class majority, and he couldnt have pulled it off without the fluky circumstance of Trumps spectacular mismanagement of the Covid-19 epidemic. For Harris to choose as her running mate someone whose credentials in this area are not merely wobbly but poor would send a terrible signal to a working class that already thinks Democrats dont care about them.

Putting Kelly on the ticket might seem like an electorally smart strategy because hes from Arizona. But Kelly brings with him so much baggage on important working-class issues that Vance, by comparison, might start to look like the plausible tribune of the proletariat he tries so hard to be. It isnt worth the risk.


How Kamala Harriss oldest friend in the Senate could deliver Nevada for her

Senator Catherine Cortez Masto of Nevada is Kamala Harriss oldest friend in the Senate. Can she deliver the Silver State for Harris? (Getty Images)

Kamala Harris spent only two years in the Senate before she launched her ill-fated run for president in 2019. That meant little time for forging strong relationships on Capitol Hill that many vice presidents enjoy.

But she did come to Washington at the same time as an old friend, Catherine Cortez Masto. And Cortez Masto, who inherited arguably one of the most efficient Democratic machines in the country, might just be Harriss ace up her sleeve if she is to win the crucial swing state of Nevada and shore up support among Latino voters.

Harris and Cortez Masto actually knew each other long before they came to Washington, going back to the 2008 financial crisis that disproportionately slammed their states because of the subprime mortgage crisis and foreclosures. Harris and Cortez Masto  along with Delawares attorney general, Beau Biden  ultimately sued the big banks and wound up winning a $20 billion settlement.

In general, I think shes strong, smart and capable, Cortez Masto told The Independent, when asked about Harris.

Cortez Masto replaced one of the most consequential Senate majority leaders, the late Harry Reid.

We had her going for lieutenant governor, run for Congress, to run for governor, but she didn't want that, Reid told me in an interview in 2021 before his death that year. She wanted to be a Senator.

When Reid retired, he essentially anointed her. His sprawling political operation  called the Reid Machine by both admirers and detractors alike  then delivered Nevada for Hillary Clinton, elected Cortez Masto and flipped the state legislature.

Harris and Cortez Masto also proved to be trailblazers: Harris became only the second Black woman and first Indian-American female Senator, while Cortez Masto remains the only Latina Senator elected in history.

The two proved to be one of the few bright spots for Democrats when Donald Trump won the White House. The two joined Senators Tammy Duckworth of Illinois and Maggie Hassan of New Hampshire as part of a freshman class of female Senators.

We campaigned together, everything  it was the four of us, Duckworth told The Independent.

In 2020, Cortez Masto had the unenviable task of being Democratic Senatorial Committee Chairman with Biden at the top of the ticket. Though races like Iowa, Maine and North Carolina failed to go the Democrats way, they ultimately flipped the Senate thanks to victories in Colorado and Arizona as well as the runoff elections in Georgia.

But the Covid-19 pandemic slammed Nevada and its important gaming industry. Trumps significant inroads and Bidens lagging with Latino voters made Democrats sweat a state theyve held since Obama won it by double digits.

In 2022, the states incumbent Democratic governor, Steve Sisolak, lost his race to Joe Lombardo, a Trump-backed candidate. But Cortez Mastos heavy focus on defending abortion rights helped her pull off a miracle re-election campaign many thought she would lose.

In recent months, Bidens poor performance made Democrats begin to fret Nevada. But polling has shown that Harris has stemmed the bleeding among Latino voters that was happening under Biden.

Cortez Masto said that Harris, a Californian, would not take Hispanic voters for granted. Harris understands that youve got to be there, talk with them constantly and be involved in the issues that matter to them and she knows what those issues are, she told The Independent.

Trump is making a major play for Nevada. On Tuesday, his running mate JD Vance paid a campaigning visit to Henderson, a sign that the former president sees the state as flippable.

Cortez Masto, for her part, says she has campaigned with Harris in the past and would do so in the future. Despite the efforts of Trump and Vance, the combined strengths of these two powerful women might be what the party needs to hold the state.
A lot of things happened. Here are some of the things. This is TPMs Morning Memo. Sign up for the email version.

Sucker Punch

The Trump campaign had at least a month of forewarning that President Biden ending his re-election bid was a plausible scenario, and they let every reporter within earshot know that if that happened they were ready. It did, and they werent.

GOP vice presidential nominee JD Vance fessed up to donors in Minnesota over the weekend that Kamala Harris has thrown the Trump campaign for a loop:

All of us were hit with a little bit of a political sucker punch. The bad news is that Kamala Harris does not have the same baggage as Joe Biden, because whatever we might have to say, Kamala is a lot younger. And Kamala Harris is obviously not struggling in the same ways that Joe Biden did.

A sucker punch is a cheap shot, delivered without warning to an unsuspecting victim. Its fitting that Vance would couch it in terms of victimization, the perpetual posture of MAGA adherents. Their constant whining about fairness grew out of conservatives own decades-long misinterpretation of special interests on the left as animated by grievance politics. The result was a transformation of older white voters into a special interest group of their own, with a parallel set of grievances that mirrored what they had railed against for so long. Thats how you get canards like reverse discrimination against whites.

Back in the real world, Harris ascension to the nomination was not without warning or time to prep. The failure of the Trump campaign to do so effectively remains inexplicable and a bit mystifying. They seemed wedded to what they thought was a winning campaign strategy against Biden. They may have been right about that; well never know.

But in the meantime, theres a campaign to be run, and Trump finds himself with an opponent whose age and vigor isnt an issue but more importantly who has captured the zeitgeist in a way that Trump craves and cant possibly reproduce himself. His mass appeal has always been narrower than the broad cultural currents of our time. Hes pro wrestling, not the Olympics.

MAGAs complaining about it all being unfair is weak sauce in the face of the transcendent energy and enthusiasm Harris is initially generating.

Trump Tries To Return Anti-Immigration Focus

The Trump campaigns first major attack ad on Kamala Harris goes back to the well with an anti-immigration appeal, as if Joe Biden had never left the race. The ad buy is north of $12 million and is on the air in Pennsylvania, Georgia, Michigan, Arizona, Nevada, and Wisconsin.

TPMs Khaya Himmelman: MAGA Resurrects Most Vile Non-Citizen Voting Hysteria As It Flails In Attacking Harris

Not Even Remotely Reassuring

Given a chance to disavow interpretations of his recent comments that his Christian supporters wont have to vote again after 2024 because hes going to fix things, Trump bobbed and weaved but offered no concrete assurance:

Ingraham asks Trump about his comments telling Christian backers they won't have to vote again in 4 years. Trump responds by saying Jews should have their heads examined if they vote for Dems. Ingraham presses him & Trump doesn't exactly quell concerns he wants to end elections. pic.twitter.com/khGeauqp9S  Aaron Rupar (@atrupar) July 29, 2024

On The Trail

Harris will campaign today in Atlanta, where shes trying to put Georgia back in play.

North Carolina Gov. Roy Cooper (D) withdrew his name from veep contention.

In a Fox News interview, Trump concedes he will probably end up debating Harris.

2024 Ephemera

Harris tacks close to Biden on abortion.

David Dayen talks to Rep. Katie Porter (D-CA), the only member of Congress who has worked for Kamala Harris.

White Dudes For Harris raise more than $4 million with live-streamed event.

Iran Meddling In U.S. Election

Iran continues to try to sow chaos in the United States through misinformation campaigns and is now also using a covert online influence campaign to undermine Donald Trumps candidacy, the U.S. intel community assesses.

Trump Shooting Update

Donald Trump agreed to do a standard victim interview with the FBI about the attempt on his life.

The gunman used an alias to make 25 online gun-related purchases between the spring of 2023 and the first half of this year, the FBI revealed. He has also bought materials used in explosives six times.

The gunmans online search history included information about power plants, mass-shooting events, improvised explosive devices and the assassination attempt on Slovakias prime minister in May, according to the FBI.

Just stop:

GOP Rep. Ryan Zinke suggests that the Trump assassination attempt was part of a government "plot" to take him out pic.twitter.com/4o7D5JGDiZ  Aaron Rupar (@atrupar) July 29, 2024

Quote Of The Day

The court asserted it was making a ruling for the ages. That isnt true. The court made a ruling for one  a former president. President Joe Biden, castigating the Supreme Court for its ruling on presidential immunity in Trump v. United States in speech at the LBJ Library in Austin calling for reforming the high court

Wayne LaPierre Banned From NRA

A New York judge has banned former NRA honcho Wayne LaPierre, 74, from holding a paid position with the organization for a decade.

Remembering The My Lai Massacre

With the discovery that Army Lt. William L. Calley, Jr., the only U.S. service member convicted in the My Lai massacre in Vietnam in 1968, died at the age of 80 back in the April without public notice, let me draw your attention to one of the few heroes of that horrific day.

Hugh Thompson was an Army helicopter pilot who along with his two crew members intervened to stop the massacre, positioning his chopper between Vietnamese civilians and advancing U.S. troops. He was able to rescue some civilians and reported the massacre up the chain of command, which eventually led to the operation being halted. He later testified at Calleys court-martial.

WASHINGTON, DC  MARCH 6, 1998: Former US Army warrant officer Hugh Thompson, Jr. (L) and former Army Specialist Lawrence Colburn (R) react 06 March after making a rubbing of fallen comrade Glenn Andreottas name from the Vietnam Veterans Memorial in Washington, DC. Thompson, Colburn and Andreotta were awarded the Soldiers Medal for heroism stemming from actions taken by the three to save civilian lives during the My Lai Massacre in March of 1968 in the Quang Ngai Province, South Vietnam. (Photo credit should read JESSICA PERSSON/AFP via Getty Images)

After his military career ended, Thompson wound up living for a time in my hometown of Lafayette, Louisiana, flying helicopters for the offshore oil and gas industry. It wasnt until the 1990s, around the 30th anniversary of the massacre, that Thompson garnered recognition for his exemplary conduct on that black day in U.S. military history. He died of cancer in 2006 at the age of 62.

Photo Of The Day

From the farthest-flung Olympic venue  Tahiti  comes this epic shot of Brazilian surfer Gabriel Medina:

TOPSHOT  Brazils Gabriel Medina reacts after getting a large wave in the 5th heat of the mens surfing round 3, during the Paris 2024 Olympic Games, in Teahupoo, on the French Polynesian Island of Tahiti, on July 29, 2024. (Photo by Jerome BROUILLET / AFP) / ALTERNATE CROP (Photo by JEROME BROUILLET/AFP via Getty Images)

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Vice President Kamala Harris, right, salutes upon arrival at Andrews Air Force Base in Md., Saturday, July 27, 2024. The Harris campaign is expected to reveal Harris running mate within a week. | Stephanie Scarbrough

Vice President Kamala Harris inherited President Joe Bidens reelection campaign more than a week ago. In the coming days, she plans to reveal her running mate for her 2024 bid for president.

Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer, rumored to be a potential choice for the Democratic ticket, told CBS Mornings that she has not been a part of the vetting process but added Harris pick will be released soon.

Everythings truncated, and (Harris) is going to make that decision probably in the next six, seven days. I would imagine well know who her running mate is, and well get ready for convention, Whitmer, the co-chair of the Harris campaign, said.

The Michigan governor also said she disagreed with the online rhetoric that Harris needed to choose a white man to win the election.

I dont agree with that, Whitmer said. Ill tell you this: In Michigan, myself, my secretary of state, my attorney general, all the chief executives in Michigan are women  and every one of us was told there may be too many women on ticket. Baloney. Weve proved that wrong in the swingiest of swing states.

Other potential choices for Harris include Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro, U.S. Sen. Mark Kelly of Arizona, Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz, Illinois Gov. J.B. Pritzker and Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg.

Heres what these potential candidates said about the possibility of being Harris running mate.

Gov. Josh Shapiro

Thats a deeply personal decision and a decision that should be made really free from any political pressure, Shapiro told reporters Monday, as the Nebraska Examiner reported. Its a decision she needs to make  who she wants to govern with, who she wants to campaign with, and who can be there to serve alongside her.

Sen. Mark Kelly

The Arizona senator told reporters the choice isnt about me. But, he added, always, always when Ive had the chance to serve, I think thats very important to do.

Gov. Tim Walz

Being mentioned is certainly an honor. I trust Vice President Harriss judgment, Walz said. I would do what is in the best interests of the country.

Gov. J.B. Pritzker

The Illinois governor said he has been contacted by the Harris campaign, but flatly said he wont talk about the possibility.

Ive been honored to have been elected twice as governor of the state of Illinois. I really enjoy the work, sometimes very challenging, but always the opportunity to serve the 13 million people of our state. Theres not much that would pull me away from that job, Pritzker said, as CBS News reported.

Whatever happens in this process that I understand is going on, my job is to make sure that we win in November, so Im going to work hard to do that.

Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg

Buttigieg, like many other candidates, declined to comment on the running mate rumors.

I dont think its appropriate for me to talk like that knowing that the person who needs to make that decision is  her  not me, Buttigieg said. I dont think its appropriate for me to wander down that path with you right now.

The Harris campaign dismissed the rumors circulating online.

Any reporting on developments or updates in Vice President Harris running mate search are premature and speculative. Vice President Harris is considering a large pool of qualified candidates, and will choose a partner that shares her commitment to fighting for the middle class, protecting Americans freedoms, and protecting our democracy, said Kevin Munoz, spokesman for Harris campaign, according to NBC News.

This story has been updated.
Supporters of Vice President Kamala Harris react to her speaking during a campaign rally at West Allis Central High School on July 23, 2024 in West Allis, Wisconsin. Harris made her first campaign appearance as the partys presidential candidate, with an endorsement from President Joe Biden. (Photo by Jim Vondruska/Getty Images)

I was in the airport two Sunday afternoons ago when I first saw the news that Joe Biden was ending his presidential campaign. I was still there when he followed up a few minutes later with his endorsement of Vice President Kamala Harris. By the time I happily put my head on my own pillow that night after a long trip, anyone paying attention could already feel it coming.

Everything about the 2024 presidential election changed last week.

In that week, the newly launched Harris for President campaign raised over $200 million, gathered 170,000 new volunteers, held 2,300 events in battleground states, and in two days on Tik Tok, attracted 2.9 million followers. Those are some wow stats. But none of the data really captures the moment contextually.

Every Democrat who matters endorsed her in that first week. The Clintons, the Obamas, and the leaders of both congressional caucuses have jumped on board. Beyonce has lent the campaign use of her song, Freedom, and Ive heard it dozens of times already.

Then there are the Zoom rallies. It started with a gathering of black women on July 21st, with over 44,000 participants that led to $1.5 million raised. Black men followed the next day with over 20,000. White women refused to be left out when their call last Thursday had 160,000 participants that raised $8.5 million. White men had 50,000 registered for a call Monday night and that number was still growing as I wrote this.

To listen to a podcast version of this column, go here.

Thats excitement. Thats momentum. And in a campaign that the Republican nominee has long reduced to a battle of ratings and rallies, a race he was winning before Bidens departure, he is now getting obliterated. Even polling has begun to shift, with Fox News releasing a poll on Sunday showing favorability flipping in several battleground states to now favor Harris.

Democrats would have always been happy to run solely on the Biden administrations record. Its a good one. But the campaign was flailing because it had been reduced to the issue of the presidents age. And the truth is, he is too old to persuade Americans that hes not. Im glad he stopped trying.

With the uncertainty of a path forward removed on the Democrat side, the post-convention honeymoon for Republicans ended quicker than it should have too. Ten days ago, they were acting like they had already won. They arent anymore.

Its been a whirlwind for Republicans the last three weeks. Lets recap.

There was the July 13 assassination attempt on Donald Trump. In GOP world, this scary moment was treated like an opportunity. What better way can a 78-year-old candidate in questionable health look like the tough guy hes laughably pretended to be for years? Raising a fist and yelling Fight! while blood from the nick on his ear trickles down his face is as gangster as, say, a Georgia mugshot.

Ultimately, it led to one House committee hearing and the resignation by the Director of the Secret Service, Kimberly Cheatle. Otherwise, its already yesterdays news.

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Oh yea, the GOP also had their convention in the days that followed, and they seemed to be really proud of it. Even the appointment of Ohio Senator J.D. Vance as Trumps running mate was well received for a day or two. Oh my, how that has changed.

Vance is already on the defensive for a variety of reasons. The big one is the weird cat lady attacks on Americans without children, proving defense is not his skill. Other fodder comes from the allegation that Vance admitted to having sex with a couch in his book, Hillbilly Elegy. Having read the book, I knew that wasnt true, but the weird accusation has now taken on a life of its own, and people are having a ball making fun of him. He was never going to help much but now hes hurting.

The tide has turned, and even loyal Trump supporters are worried by the new energy.

Usually, the best days of any presidential campaign are right after its convention. For Republicans, those days are behind them. For Democrats, their Chicago convention is still three weeks away.

The VP pick will also be a boost, no matter who gets the nod. Former U.S. Attorney General, Eric Holder, has been put in charge of the vetting process and all of his choices are excellent ones.

Its amazing what can change in a week these days. For those warning Democrats not to let the giddiness of the moment convince them that the electorate has changed, I disagree. The electorate actually has changed.

I study and teach the topic of movements. They are hard to predict, but easy to recognize. And this is definitely a big one.

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Vice President Kamala Harris

An upbeat Vice President Kamala Harris spoke in Fayetteville prior to President Biden's announcement that he is no longer seeking the Democratic nomination for president in 2024. (Photo; Video feed)

Enthusiasm is growing among Asian Americans in North Carolina.

With Kamala Harris stepping into the race and the potential for the countrys first president of Asian American heritage, its ignited excitement in the community.

Ive already participated in a half dozen Zoom calls about ways members of the Asian American community can help and turn out the vote, said Sen. Jay Chaudhuri, a Democrat representing portions of Wake County.

Harris marked many firsts when she became vice president after the 2020 election: she was the first woman, first Black person, and first Asian American in that position. Her father is Jamaican and her mother is Indian.

Now she has the opportunity to become the first Asian American presidential candidate if she secures the Democratic Partys nomination.

Jimmy Patel-Nguyen

What people are excited about is recognizing the historical significance of it, that her lived experiences as an Asian American and Black woman really bring a different, inclusive level of representation to the highest level of government, North Carolina Asian Americans Together communications director Jimmy Patel-Nguyen said.

The organization is focused on channeling that energy into voter outreach efforts, as well as raising awareness and education about key down ballot races.

The Asian American and Pacific Islander population in North Carolina has steadily increased in recent years.

Its grown 63.3 percent since 2012 for a population size of about 456,655 in 2024, according to AAPIVote  a nonpartisan group dedicated to strengthening civic engagement for Asian American and Pacific Islander communities.

There are roughly 235,900 eligible Asian American and Pacific Islander voters in North Carolina, marking a 55.4 percent growth in voter eligibility from 2012 to 2022.

Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders make up 2.97 percent of the electorate in the swing state. In 2020, then-President Donald Trump narrowly won North Carolina by less than 75,000 votes.

Its really important for us to acknowledge that major campaigns cannot ignore us anymore, Patel-Nguyen said. We are too consequential to elections  every election, local, state, and federal, where were changing the political landscape in North Carolina.

The population is concentrated around urban areas. Wake, Mecklenburg, Guilford, Durham, and Orange counties have the highest proportions of Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders.

Nearly 60 percent of Asian American adults in North Carolina speak a language other than English at home, according to AAPIVote.

Rep. Maria Cervania

Along with low voter contact, language barriers have accounted for low voter turnout for Asian Americans.

We do see the gaps when it comes to language access and communication, Rep. Maria Cervania, a Democrat representing portions of Wake County, said. We know that we need to continue that and more so now.

Thats why groups like NCAAT work to make voting as accessible as possible. In the past, NCAAT has translated mailers into different languages and made an effort to reach out to voters in their native tongue.

Another issue is avoiding treating the Asian American community as a monolith. With so many different backgrounds and cultures, theres a wide variety of views across the political spectrum.

A majority of AAPI voters in North Carolina are registered unaffiliated, Patel-Nguyen said. Were really independent thinkers who are voting on issues and not all party lines.

Top issues vary for individual voters, but there are general themes.

Younger voters prioritize lowering the cost of living, protecting abortion access and reproductive rights, and making healthcare more affordable, according to a poll by NCAAT. Older voters are more concerned about crime and public safety, as well as the economy and job creation.

The Harris campaign has invested more money into more media than ever in order to reach Asian American voters, according to the campaign.

In just the first week since Vice President Harris became the presumptive nominee of our party, weve seen a groundswell of support from AANHPI voters across North Carolina who are fired up to elect Kamala Harris as the first Asian American president in U.S. history, according to Natalie Murdock, the campaigns North Carolina political and coalitions director.
Kamala Harris recently took over from Joe Biden in the running for president in the upcoming US election. - STEPHANIE SCARBROUGH/POOL AP

JD Vance has privately admitted that Kamala Harris replacing Joe Biden as the Democrat candidate was a blow to the Republican campaign.

Speaking to donors about Mr Bidens withdrawal from the race on July 21, Donald Trumps running mate reportedly said: All of us were hit with a little bit of a political sucker punch.

He added that the race has been made more difficult, owing to the age difference between Ms Harris and Mr Biden.

The bad news is that Kamala Harris does not have the same baggage as Joe Biden  because whatever we might have to say, Kamala is a lot younger. And Kamala Harris is obviously not struggling in the same ways that Joe Biden did, he said.

Mr Vances admission comes in stark contrast with the messaging from Donald Trumps campaign, which has repeatedly insisted that Mr Bidens replacement has not changed the November race.

JD Vance greeted Republican supporters at the Park Diner in St Cloud, Minnesota on Sunday - STEPHEN MATUREN/GETTY IMAGES

Trump has dismissed Ms Harris as worse than Joe, while Jason Miller, one of Trumps advisors, said in a recent interview: Democrats are a bit of jumping out of the frying pan into the fire. And they may have gotten rid of one problem with Joe Biden, but theyve inherited a whole new problem with Kamala Harris.

Speaking on Saturday, Mr Vance reportedly said that Republicans will now work to shape public opinion of Ms Harris.

We have a very unique opportunity, but also a very unique challenge, because, lets be honest, 10 days ago, the two candidates who were running for president, everybody had an opinion about em. Love em or hate em, everybody has an opinion about Donald Trump and Joe Biden after the past eight years, Mr Vance said, as reported by the Washington Post. But Kamala Harris, people dont really know.

He continued to say that the Republican campaign would target Ms Harriss past positions, such as opposing fracking, praising the defund the police movement and supporting decriminalisation of unauthorised border crossings.

The Harris campaign, however, has said that she will not ban fracking. Ms Harris also denounced the defund the police movement after becoming Mr Bidens running mate, while the current administration opposes decriminalising border crossings.

Recent polls have indicated that Ms Harris and Trump are essentially tied, setting the stage for a tight campaign race.

Since her endorsement, Ms Harriss election campaign has raised $200 million, signed up 170,000 new volunteers and secured support from the majority of delegates at the Democratic National Convention.

The official vote on whether she will become the partys nominee for president will take place on August 1.

Anthony Scaramucci, who briefly served as Trumps communications director during his term in office, said Mr Vance would be fired eventually.

This will be one of the main reasons, he said, referring to the leaked clip. They will barely talk to one another after this.

Sofia Nelson, Mr Vances former law school friend, claimed on Tuesday he had changed his mind on every imaginable issue since university and accused him of having a lack of integrity.

What Ive seen is a chameleon, someone who is able to change their positions and their values depending on what will amass them political power and wealth, she told CNN. And I think thats really unfortunate, because it reflects a lack of integrity.

This isnt someone who evolved on one or two issues and with new information  this is someone whos changed their opinion on literally every imaginable issue that affects everyday Americans in this country.

Mr Vance has also been criticised in recent days for his comments about childless cat ladies in US politics, who he claimed had no stake in improving life for American children.

Trump defended the comments in an interview on Fox News on Tuesday.

Hes got tremendous support, and he really does among a certain group of people - people who like families, the former president said.

That does not mean that people who arent members of a big family... hes not against anything. He loves family, its very important to him.

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NAIROBI, July 30 (Xinhua) -- Kenya and Uganda have officially begun talks to extend the petroleum products pipeline from Eldoret in western Kenya to the Ugandan capital of Kampala.

The Kenya Pipeline Company (KPC) said on Tuesday that the project, poised to significantly impact the region's fuel import market, will entail the construction of a multi-product oil pipeline from Eldoret to Malaba (the Kenya-Uganda border) on the Kenyan side.

The KPC also said Uganda will be responsible for building a connecting line to Kampala, while future expansions to the Rwandan capital of Kigali are also being considered.

"Extension of the pipeline to Uganda is a strategic move for Kenya as the country seeks to regain its competitive advantage in the petroleum export market, particularly in light of Uganda's new importation strategy," KPC Managing Director Joe Sang said in a statement issued in the Kenyan capital of Nairobi.

Sang said the KPC is open and willing to cooperate with the Ugandan government to lay the Eldoret-Malaba pipeline.

The move came after Ugandan Minister of Energy and Mineral Development Ruth Ssentamu held a meeting with officials from the Kenyan Ministry of Energy in Nairobi last week. Ssentamu said the visit entailed planning and preparation for the launch of the project as well as understanding the KPC's operations, infrastructure, and human capacity.

This initiative also followed Uganda's recent transition to independent fuel imports, which began in early July, thereby ending its previous dependence on Kenya for the supply of refined petroleum products.

Under a new agreement between the Uganda National Oil Corporation and Vitol Bahrain, an energy company, Uganda aims to secure more competitive fuel prices while continuing to rely on Kenya's Port of Mombasa and the KPC's infrastructure to transport these products to the western Kenyan depots of Eldoret and Kisumu.

The two neighboring countries have pledged to appoint a joint committee to oversee quality control and have agreed to mobilize resources to facilitate the successful implementation of this regional infrastructure. 
Kamala Harris ascent to the top of the Democratic presidential ticket was felt almost immediately among young Black voters at the Atlanta University Center like Marchellos Scott.

Scott, 21, is a Morehouse College senior and an organizer of AUC for Harris, an effort to bolster the Democratic ticket that formed last weekend on the same campus where students two months ago protested President Joe Bidens commencement address. Scott now sees his peers responding to Harris with a different energy.

I was like, This could be a big thing. It could be possible.

The candidacy of Harris  who today will underscore Georgias importance by making her third stop in Atlanta since mid-June  appears to have re-energized some adult Gen-Z voters. In particular, those between the ages of 18 and 27 this year, including a cohort of Black students and activists in Atlanta, have begun organizing around her campaign in ways they hadnt for Biden. And that could have big implications in November.



Black Gen Zers represent a critical segment of the electorate in a state where many participated in a series of anti-war protests earlier this year, including more than 6,000 people who engaged in a Democratic primary protest vote against Bidens Gaza war policy. In 2020, young voters helped swing Georgia, and thus the election, in Bidens favor by less than 12,000 votes. It was the first time a Democrat won the state since 1992. The party, which counts Black voters as its most reliable constituency, hopes to repeat that victory.

But Bidens support among young adults, including Black Georgians, nosedived earlier this year largely due to concerns about his age, the states rising cost of living, and his policy regarding the Gaza humanitarian crisis.



Winning Georgias 16 electoral college votes is more crucial for former President Donald Trump than Harris, according to University of Georgia political science professor Charles Bullock III, who said a Harris win here in November would make it nearly impossible for Trump to retake the White House.

That means Harris needs to lure back as many of those young voters as possible.



If Trump is losing Georgia, then hes probably losing a number of other states, and he will retire once again to Mar-a-Lago, Bullock said.

Polls showed Bidens support among young adults, including Black Georgians, took a nosedive earlier this year, largely due to concerns about his age and his policy regarding the Gaza humanitarian crisis.

In interviews with Capital B conducted since last Friday, some young voters spelled out the reasons theyre more enthusiastic for Harris than they were Biden.

Gen Z voters were too young to cast ballots for the nations first Black president, Barack Obama, in 2008 and 2012. Most were too young to vote for the first female Democratic nominee for president, Hillary Clinton, in 2016. The prospect of making Harris the first woman of color to serve as commander-in-chief has galvanized many young voters in Georgia, according to Morehouse political science professor Adrienne Jones.

The idea that a candidate that one is excited about might actually win, I think, is real important for Gen Z voters, Jones said. For them, it is a real possibility that they can support a candidate who looks like them and who shares some of their priorities. And they are willing to participate in that effort.

Jones said she noticed the same rise in enthusiasm among the estimated 40 students in her law and political issues group chat. She said students went from lamenting Bidens advanced age and his poor June 27 debate performance to strategizing about how to help Harris become the nations first Black woman president.

It was like a spark, Jones told Capital B Atlanta. They immediately shifted into the kinds of actions that they had ideated about prior to [July 22].

Several AUC Democrats say they feel Biden has done a good job as president, but Spelman Democrats Vice President Ariana Levin acknowledged Trump and Bidens ages was a problem for many of her fellow students.

That was our biggest concern for sure, she said.

Scott said he and other AUC Democrats spent the past week thinking of ways to get more students registered on campus once the fall semester begins in August.

One of their strategies, he said, is to persuade students who live in Atlanta but may be registered to vote in red states to consider re-registering in Fulton County, where their vote can have more of an impact on the White House race.

Scott is a Clarksdale, Mississippi, native who said he recently registered to vote here in Georgia, where he lives during the school year.

We have a lot of students who want to change their voter registration, Scott said.

The post Can Kamala Harris Win Young Voters Support In Georgia? appeared first on Capital B News - Atlanta.
Its hard to believe that its been only a week. Ive been looking for the word to describe the feeling of the change that happened since Joe Biden suspended his campaign in favor of Kamala Harris. I found it today: amazement. You cant look at the transformation of the Democratic Party and the presidential campaign in any other way than amazement.

There are stories being written now about how it happened, most recently by Michael Scherer and Tyler Pager in the Washington Post, How Kamala Harris took control of the Democratic Party, recounting the details, one by one, hour by hour. Not seemingly hour by hour, but in real time. It happened that way, and that fast  the phone calls, the social media posts, the flood of support by state party leaders, the flood of money that poured in without any serious push or organized solicitation.

The Post story describes how Bidens decision was posted to his social media account. Biden had decided he was going to suspend his campaign on Saturday night, and slept on it, according to the Post. He called Vice President Harris early Sunday morning. The story doesnt lay out in steps what Harris did or exactly whom she called in what order, but in a matter of hours, campaign and White House staff had arrived at the vice presidents house at the Naval Observatory and began making preparations. What the campaign called the letter went out on social media at 1:45 p.m. and then, as the Post describes it, They gave Biden some time alone in the world, but not much. Twenty-seven minutes after that, Biden endorsed Harris on the same account.

Thats fast. So is what happened afterwards: Harris made 100 calls to party leaders on Sunday; the campaign had to flip 30 social media accounts from saying Biden to Harris. The Post names all the campaign and White House officials who sprang into action. Harris communications director was adamant that the veep appear on television on Monday, so preparations had to be made for that. The Post reported that for years, the site KamalaHarris.com had simply redirected to Bidens website. That had to be changed, but it could only be done by someone with power over that domain, so there was a scramble at the Democratic National Committee to find that person and get the change done.

And were still talking about things that happened on Sunday.

Within hours, all 50 state Democratic Party chairs had endorsed Harris. Part of what was happening was a concerted effort close the door on anyone who was thinking of challenging her at the Democratic National Convention in late August, of course, but by Sunday night, that concern had been put to bed  along with exhausted campaign staff and Harris herself.

What happened after that is by now well known: the Zoom call by an independent group of 44,000 Black women that raised $1.4 million in a matter of three hours. Other groups began to form and have Zoom calls of their own  Moms Demand Action was one, and White Dudes for Harris was another. The money flooded in, heading toward the $200 million that would be raised by the end of the week.

All the behind-the-scenes stories of what went on with party professionals are fascinating, especially when you consider that the party had not made a single public move in any direction other than President Biden until Sunday afternoon.

The Democratic Party may be headquartered in Washington, but the people who vote for Democrats live in every county of the 50 states that vote in presidential elections. It was out there that the real earthquake shook the ground. Looking back over the last week, it was as if the entire party not only exhaled at once but began dancing in the streets. Social media accounts blew up. There was relief that the Dark Three Weeks following the Biden-Trump debate were over, replaced immediately by enthusiasm that the party had Harris standing in the door and ready to go.

There was something special at work in the transfer that took place from Biden to Harris as the partys nominee. Harris had spent four years in Bidens shadow, as every vice president must, especially while the president in question is in his first term with a re-election campaign on the horizon. In fact, Harris came under withering criticism for appearing to play such a quiet second fiddle to Biden. She was called low energy, her speaking style was criticized and in Republican corners ridiculed.

But when you look back at the last four years, Harris did what any vice president is required to do in any administration: She made the speeches to various groups and gatherings around the country; she attended the requisite meetings; she made the overseas trips that the White House determined were not presidential enough to demand Bidens presence of President Biden. She was even criticized for some of the trips she made on behalf of the president, most recently when she attended the Munich Security Conference along with Secretary of State Antony Blinken and national security adviser Jake Sullivan. Harris was said to have taken a back seat while the two men in the room came away with the headlines about the expansion of NATO and plans by EU nations to support Ukraine.

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In retrospect, however, the back seat Kamala Harris took as vice president has served her well after Bidens sudden departure as a presidential candidate. Harris reputation as a low energy vice president looks wholly different when you consider that most energy in politics is expressed as ambition. So, when Biden stepped aside and Harris stepped up, she couldnt be taken to task for having been too ambitious a vice president who was eager to push him out of the way. She wasnt.

What she was, was ready, and that truth came across in the speed and efficiency with which, in the words of the Washington Post, she took control of the Democratic Party. Sure, the party was ready for someone to take control after the Dark Days of Bidens apparent decline after the Trump debate. That Harris was as prepared as she has shown herself to be surprised a lot of people, and positively delighted Democrats who were ready for a change.

Energy and excitement are where the power is in politics. Period. Stop. Go no further. Its just plain true. And we got proof of it this week as the Democratic Party was swept up in a tsunami not only of support for Harris, but of people expressing their enthusiasm in phone calls, emails, text messages  all the ways that energy is measured in todays politics.

Ill give you just one example. I had coffee with the mayor of my small town in northeast Pennsylvania, Milford, yesterday. He told me that on Saturday, he had mistakenly taken a call from an unknown number he saw on his cell phone, thinking it was probably a solicitation for money from the Democrats. Instead, it was the Harris campaign coordinator for the Pennsylvania counties east of Scranton. He was calling to see if there was anything he could do to help the Harris campaign effort in Milford and Pike County. Mayor Sean Strub told me that in all the years he has spent in Democratic politics, he had never gotten a call like it, from someone who wasnt just asking for money, but was reaching out to see if there was any way that he could help. Strub agreed to host a pizza dinner for county Democratic leaders and the Harris campaign folks in this region.

Thats the kind of stuff thats been happening behind the scenes of whats going on in Washington. Energy and enthusiasm like you wouldnt believe is focused on the campaign to elect Kamala Harris as our next president. Thats how elections are won.
The Kansas Supreme Court, which conducts business in a building with this message embedded on an interior wall, revoked the state certification of court reporter Jessica Belcher. She was accused of blackmail and physical abuse, but didn't cooperate with the state ethics investigation. (Tim Carpenter/Kansas Reflector)

The Kansas Supreme Court, which conducts business in a building with this message embedded on an interior wall, revoked the state certification of court reporter Jessica Belcher. She was accused of blackmail and physical abuse, but didn't cooperate with the state ethics investigation. (Tim Carpenter/Kansas Reflector)

TOPEKA  A former court reporter in Wyandotte County District Court was sanctioned by the Kansas Supreme Court for failing to cooperate with an investigation into allegations that she tried to get $2,000 from a former boyfriend in a blackmail scheme.

The justices followed a recommendation of the State Board of Examiners of Court Reporters to strip Jessica Belcher of her certification to work in Kansas as a court reporter. She became a certified court reporter in Kansas in 2003, but two formal complaints were filed against her in 2019.

The Supreme Court raised in the opinion a question about whether it was appropriate to proceed with ethics cases against court reporters based on allegations of a criminal offense rather than in response to a conviction.

Attorney Todd Thompson, who participated in the investigation of Belcher, said evidence showed she attempted to blackmail a former boyfriend, who was a law enforcement officer. She demanded $2,000 or she would out him to everyone on Facebook, the justices opinion said.

Thompson introduced into the record a series of texts sent by Belcher to the unnamed individual: You can make this difficult all you want, but please know Im outing you if I dont get the money. I have pictures, emails, everything. If you want me to keep my mouth closed, pay up.

In a separate incident in Lees Summit, Missouri, Thompson said evidence showed Belcher verbally and physically assaulted individuals at a shelter.

He informed the justices that Belcher declined to cooperate with disciplinary board investigators. Belcher did make several telephone calls to his office, he said.

She was very abusive as the facts in these cases reflect, Thompson said.

Belcher didnt appear nor have an attorney represent her at the September 2023 oral argument of her case before the Supreme Court in Topeka. She filed no response to the disciplinary complaints against her.

Her complete lack of participation in any part of these disciplinary proceedings constitutes clear and convincing evidence of a violation, the Supreme Courts opinion said.

While the states highest court affirmed Belcher broke rules by not cooperating with the ethics review, the justices didnt act upon the alleged felony or misdemeanor offenses. The Supreme Court opinion says Belcher seems to have committed crimes of misdemeanor harassment by telecommunications device, felony blackmail and, if it had transpired in Kansas, either misdemeanor or felony battery.

In reference to due process concerns, the opinion says, some members of the Supreme Court asserted the only way to confirm a criminal allegation would be through a court proceeding concluding with a conviction.

Disciplinary proceedings based merely on charges that a court reporter committed a crime, without a subsequent conviction, must be careful not to presume guilt, the opinion said. Since resolution of this question would not change the discipline here, we will not address this issue and leave it unresolved for now.
Kari Lake can't just win the Senate primary. Not if she wants to beat Ruben Gallego

One of Arizona's most watched races on Tuesday will be Kari Lake and Pinal County Sheriff Mark Lamb.

No, really.

Simply put, Kari Lake cant just win the Republican primary. She needs to blow Lambs cowboy hat into the next time zone.

If Lamb gets 35% to 40%, thats a huge problem for Lake, Republican consultant Barrett Marson told me.

Kari Lake still has a likeability problem

Even before Lake jumped into the race, Lake was considered the presumptive Republican nominee. She snagged endorsements from Donald Trump and most of the D.C. Republican establishment and grabbed all the oxygen in the race.

In Arizona, though, she has a likeability problem.

Turns out that stake shoved into the hearts of McCain Republicans  as Lake jubilantly crowed after winning the Republican 2022 gubernatorial primary  is not so easily removed.

But its not only the more moderate Republicans who dislike her. Pollsters and political consultants tell me Lakes image problem is spread across the Republican ideological spectrum.

To have any chance in November, shes got to show she can pull a deeply divided Republican Party together in July.

If Lake can't win the GOP, can she beat Gallego?

She needs to score at least 60% of the vote Tuesday.

Thats the golden number that political analysts are looking for  a decisive win that would prove Lake can consolidate the Republican vote and be competitive against Democrat Ruben Gallego.

Anything less than 60 and the narrative will be underfunded candidate gets (insert number) against Trump endorsed Lake, one Republican operative told me. I think she needs at least 57-58 (percent) to be able to manage perception.

That perception being that she cant beat Gallego.

Kari Lake can win? Not with this firebrand as a friend

That a large swath of Republicans and GOP-leaning independents just wont vote for her come November.

You saw it in the 2022 gubernatorial election when Lake got 1.27 million votes, losing to Democrat Katie Hobbs by just over 17,000 votes. But Arizonas Republican state Treasurer Kimberly Yee drew nearly 1.4 million votes in that same election  nearly 120,000 more than Lake.

A fair number of Republicans either held their nose and voted for Hobbs, or they just left the race blank.

No one expects a blowout win over Mark Lamb

Which brings us back to Tuesdays primary, where Lake needs to show that she can win over those voters.

If she polls at 60%, its on.

Unfortunately for Lake, I didnt talk to anyone who thinks she'll get anywhere close to 60%.

Shes going to be between 51 and 55, longtime Republican strategist Chuck Coughlin predicted. Thats going to be the epitaph on the tombstone of her campaigns grave.

If shes not in the high 50s or low 60s, its Fat Tuesday for her.

Reach Roberts at laurie.roberts@arizonarepublic.com. Follow her on X (formerly Twitter) at @LaurieRobertsaz.

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This article originally appeared on Arizona Republic: Kari Lake must beat Mark Lamb in a landslide. Don't count on it
Republican strategist Karl Rove said former President Trump needs to regain control of the campaign narrative, because he is in a subordinate role compared to Vice President Harris.

Rove outlined what both Trump and Harris need to do to boost their campaigns in the coming weeks during an interview with Fox Newss Neil Cavuto on Saturday. He said the week following the Democratic National Convention will be critical for Harris and that she needs frame herself and how she is going to attack Trump ahead of the general election.

I think the attitudes by Labor Day are going to be really important. So she needs to come blowing out of that convention in Chicago and showing big crowds and lots of enthusiasm, Rove said of Harris.

He then pivoted to Trump.

He has difficulties too. And hes got [to] frame Harris. Hes got to find the right message to go after her because, as Lucas said, weve got 101 days as of today, then hes got to get back in control of the dialogue, he said Saturday.

He is clearly in a subordinate role here. He feels uncomfortable with it, I suspect, and he likes being the guy whos setting the tempo of the campaign. And thats not happening, he said.

Harris has been thrust into the spotlight over the past week after President Biden withdrew from the race last week and endorsed her. Her campaign raised more than $200 million in the first week of her campaign as she attempts to drum up enthusiasm from Democrat voters.

Early polls have shown good news for the Harris campaign and Democrats since Bidens withdrawal from the race, with some national polls showing a close race between Harris and Trump. Harris leads by 2 points in a recent Reuters/Ipsos poll, while Trump has a 1-point lead over the vice president in a separate poll by The New York Times/Siena College.

Rove said Saturday that nine national polls have been taken since Biden withdrew from the race, warning it would be a close contest between Harris and Trump.

If you if you take those, those nine polls, it is Trump by 0.88. Thats basically nine-tenths of 1 percent. And thats after he gets the bump coming out of the convention that really showed a unity for the Republican ticket in the Republican Party, he said.

And so this is going to be a barn burner, and its very much up for grabs, and the next two or three weeks are going to be critical for both camps, he added.

The Hill has reached out to the Trump campaign for comment.

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KCSO searching for missing person, last spoke to family in June

KCSO searching for missing person, last spoke to family in June

BAKERSFIELD, Calif. (KGET)  The Kern County Sheriffs Office is asking for the communitys assistance in locating a missing person who last spoke to family on June 12.

Sheriffs deputies are searching for Ellis Tate, 36, who has unspecified mental health issues, officials said. It is unknown what Tate was last wearing.

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Tate is described as being 5 feet, 1 inch tall and weighs 121 pounds. Officials said Tate has brown hair and brown eyes.

If anyone has any information regarding Tates whereabouts, contact the Kern County Sheriffs Office at 661-861-3110 or the Secret Witness Line 661-322-4040.

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For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to KGET 17.
Tributes to the victims of the knife attack that took place during a Taylor Swift-themed dance and yoga workshop in Southport, England. - Credit: Christopher Furlong/Getty Images

On Monday, a Taylor Swift-themed yoga and dance workshop for kids in Southport, England, whod just begun their summer vacation, became the site of a horrific knife attack. Three girls died in the attack. Several other children, plus a couple of adults, suffered serious injuries.

On Tuesday, July 30, the Merseyside Police Department released the names of the young victims: Bebe King, 6; Elsie Dot Stancombe, 7; and Alice Aguiar, 9. A vigil will be held to honor them tonight in Southport at 6 p.m. local time.

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The families of the children have shared tributes in the wake of this unspeakable tragedy.

The family of King, the youngest victim, said in a statement, No words can describe the devastation that has hit our family as we try to deal with the loss of our little girl Bebe.

Keep smiling and dancing like you love to do our Princess, like we said before to you, youre always our princess and no one would change that, Aguiars family said in a statement. Love from Your Hero Daddy and Mummy.

One of Aguiars relatives also shared a tribute on social media: A lump in the throat.you were just an innocent child..a happy girl.smiling.who had a bright life ahead of her.Which a despicable being took from youwithout mercy or pitywithout any reason. Look after your parents.Who suffer..Who are desolatedestroyed.look after them.Fly high our little star.I love you (via the BBC).

One of Kings teachers, Natasha Sandland at Marshside Primary School, said they were deeply saddened by the death of one of our brightest and wonderful shining stars in Bebe. Right now our focus is on supporting Bebes family and her friends, our staff and our community who have been left numb by this tragic incident. As a school community we will be grieving together as we stand with others in Southport.

Meanwhile, Jennifer Stephen, a teacher at Farnborough Road Infant School, described Stancombe as a kind and caring friend to all who met her, adding: Elsie has been a loving and bright member of our wonderful community since first being brought here on her fathers shoulders, and even at her early age she was such a caring and charismatic young lady who loved to please.

Political officials in Portugal also released a statement as Aguiars family had emigrated to the U.K. from the island region of Madeira. It is with deep sadness that I received the news on the attack that took place yesterday in Southport in the United Kingdom, for which I have no words to describe, said Portuguese Prime Minister Luis Montenegro. On my behalf and that of the Portuguese government I express heartfelt condolences to the families of the victims and to the British government and people.

In releasing names and photographs of the victims, Merseyside police said the families are being supported by specialist officers. They also asked that their privacy is respected at this time.

According to the latest reports, seven children were brought to Alder Hay Childrens Hospital in Liverpool following the attack, including Aguiar. The hospital said in a recent statement that the five remaining children are continuing to receive treatment, with two in critical care but currently in a stable condition. Two adults also remain in critical condition.

Swift responded to the tragedy, writing: The horror of yesterdays attack in Southport is washing over me continuously and Im just completely in shock. The loss of life and innocence and the horrendous trauma inflicted on everyone who was there, the families, and first responders. These were just little kids at a dance class. I am at a complete loss for how to ever convey my sympathies to these families.

Best of Rolling Stone
How to keep todays hot take from becoming tomorrows apology  the lessons of JD Vance

On Monday, the independent journalist Judd Legum published what he called A comprehensive guide to J.D. Vances views on women and children. The article included Vances now viral comments about childless cat ladies and other controversial remarks the Ohio senator has made about parents and families, including giving children the right to vote through their parents.

Most of the citations were from 2021.

Vance, the running mate of former President Donald Trump, is not the only candidate to face backlash for controversial statements made years earlier  a sort of delayed-onset cancel culture. On Monday, The New York Times published a story with the headline Why the Kamala Harris of four years ago could haunt her in 2024. Political reporter Reid J. Epstein wrote that video clips of her old statements and interviews are being weaponized as Republicans aim to define her as a left-wing radical who is out of step with swing voters.

It seems that lawfare has given way to X-fare. And both political parties and their supporters are hard at work examining everything ever said and recorded.

In previous generations, unearthed videos and statements might have been part of a dossier of opposition research done by a campaign or political party. Today, anyone can publish potentially damaging lists if they have time for what former opposition researcher Alan Huffman called manic Googling, as well as knowledge of how to use Xs advanced search function.

Old social media posts can be mined for not only troublesome statements, but also run-of-the mill missteps, awkwardness and contradictions that get more incendiary with each outraged like or share. Moreover, theres no slack given when the posts are old. In fact, the older the post, the more triumphant the get  as if some long-buried sin has been excavated in the ruins of Pompeii.

The most recent exchange of volleys began when a video clip of Vances appearance on Tucker Carlson Tonight began to circulate on X. In the clip, Vance said the country is being run by a bunch of childless cat ladies who are miserable at their own lives and the choices that theyve made and so they want to make the rest of the country miserable too.

The remark made news at the time, and did so again when it circulated after Vance was introduced as Trumps running mate at the GOP convention. Hillary Clinton, actress Jennifer Aniston and Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg were among those who denounced the comment, and Vance went on The Megyn Kelly Show, where he explained, Obviously it was a sarcastic comment.

He has since posted on his X account Harriss 2019 tweet calling Jussie Smollettes staged attack an attempted modern day lynching and a video clip from last year in which Harris said climate anxiety is driving young people to question whether they should have children.

Border Czar Kamala Harris had more to say about the Jussie Smollett fake hate crime than she did the murder of Laken Riley by an illegal alien. She doesn't care about the American kids who have been killed because of her radical open-border policies. https://t.co/IlZrlNCOWQ  JD Vance (@JDVance) July 28, 2024

While Vance, the father of three, has tried to steer the public conversation to the deeper issues behind his comment  the importance of family, how having children changes people and their priorities, and the need for policymakers to create and support child-friendly policies  the childless cat lady phrase seems destined to stick around.

Many women on X, including the English author Jane Fallon, have changed their bios to say childless cat lady, turning the phrase into a rallying cry, like Elizabeth Warren did with Nevertheless she persisted in 2017 after she was rebuked by Mitch McConnell for giving a lengthy speech.

Even The Wall Street Journals editorial board took Vance to task, writing, The comment is the sort of smart-aleck crack that gets laughs in certain right-wing male precincts. But it doesnt play well with the millions of female voters, many of them Republican, who will decide the presidential race. It was Vances basket of deplorables moment, The Wall Street Journal said, likening the remark to Hillary Clintons disdainful assessment of some Trump voters.

Democrats may have seized on the statement as they did Mitt Romneys binders full of women remark in 2012, but they shouldnt expect it to be Vances downfall, said Evan Nierman, founder and CEO of the public relations firm Red Banyan and the author of The Cancel Culture Curse and Crisis Averted, among other books.

Nierman noted that Vances running mate has said even more provocative things with little effect on his popularity. You have to consider the Republican ticket as a whole. And the fact that hes got the most bombastic, controversial human in the world at the top of the ticket, that benefits him. In fact, Nierman said he finds it much more interesting and amazing that Vance appears to be surviving negative things hes said about Donald Trump in the past.

Vice President Kamala Harris delivers remarks at a campaign event in Pittsfield, Mass., Saturday, July 27, 2024. | Stephanie Scarbrough

But Nierman noted that anyone with an online presence is at risk of coming under fire for things they have said in the past, even if the comments werent overtly provocative like Vances statements were. Just taking a position on anything related to religion or politics, for example, can set you up for trouble later, Nierman said.

You can have the most reserved approach, and be very disciplined and careful about what you do on social media, and people who are ideologically opposed to you will find a reason to take offense and to critique you and make it an issue, no matter what. Thats why he advises his clients to stay away from politics, religion and other hot-button cultural issues, to focus on their areas of expertise.

Huffman, a journalist and author who has also worked as an opposition researcher, said in an email that mining a candidates past statements and tweets is a natural outgrowth of the conventional opposition research approach, which is to research a candidates background for telling details that will resonate with voters and, ideally, illustrate their fitness to serve.

But the enormity of the digital record means that things come to the fore that might not have in the past. Also, there is the inherent danger of social media to distort things, to promote undocumented claims, and to create an ecosystem thats more reliant on entertaining quick takes than on thoughtful consideration.

He added that the hope of opposition researchers is that youll discover something undeniably true that voters will recognize, and that it will go viral. Childless cat ladies is a good example. Its a catchy quick take, but it also tells us something about the candidates character. Even if the discourse is fractured, theres still a chance of finding something buried that will inform a more meaningful and compelling narrative, Huffman said.

Of course, Vance is trying to drive his own more compelling narrative, too, and he is doubling down on his message that Democrats are the anti-family and anti-child party. The cat lady comment, made to Carlson on Fox News, may have been ill-phrased for a national audience during a presidential campaign three years later, but its context is worth remembering: The appearance came after a speech Vance made to a conservative organization in which he talked about declining birth rates and urged Republicans to lean into being the pro-family party.

In that speech, Vance said that he wasnt criticizing people who werent able to have children for any number of reasons, but making the point that having children gives parents a tangible stake, a physical commitment to the future of this country. He told Kelly, Being a parent changes your perspective on the world.

Meanwhile, while Vance is expounding on his previous stance, the Harris campaign is having to explain how her position has changed on issues like fracking in the past few years. Trump said at his rally in Minnesota on Saturday, She wants no fracking. Shes on tape. The beautiful thing about modern technology is when you say something, youre (in trouble) if its bad.

Republican vice presidential candidate Sen. JD Vance, R-Ohio, speaks with reporters outside the Park Diner, Sunday, July 28, 2024, in Waite Park, Minn. | Alex Brandon
Legal Marijuana Party NOW U.S. Senate nominee Kerry Eddy (left) quit the race on Tuesday. She held a press conference. (Aaron Sanderford/Nebraska Examiner)

LINCOLN  Nebraska U.S. Senate candidate Kerry Eddy quit the race Tuesday, and, despite some anger from her party, endorsed nonpartisan Senate candidate Dan Osborn, an Omaha union leader.

The Legal Marijuana NOW Party nominee had pledged during the primary race to step aside if it would ensure that Nebraskans who want marijuana legalized can coalesce around a single candidate.

She had written on her campaign website that she would exit if it became clear that Osborn, a supporter of marijuana legalization, was more likely than Eddy to beat U.S. Sen. Deb Fischer, who opposes legalization.

Ill make sure that we all unite around whoever the strongest candidate is to defeat Deb Fischer in November, she wrote at the time, spurring pushback from members of her party.

Eddy says she wanted to win

On Tuesday, Eddy said that she ran to win but that her campaigns polling two weeks ago showed her farther behind Fischer than Osborn was, based on his latest campaign poll. She said the poll results encouraged her to withdraw.

In response to a question from the Nebraska Examiner, she denied that she ran from the start to clear the field of competing candidates and help Osborn draw a larger percentage of the vote against Fischer.

Eddy has told the Examiner that she was also dealing with family health issues, including two loved ones with cancer, an explanation she repeated Tuesday.

The possibility (of withdrawal) was always there, and I was always very clear about that, she said.

She also acknowledged that part of her decision was calculated to give Osborn a better chance. Political observers said clearing the ballot of other names helps avoid splitting the opposition vote.

Its been a discussion among us left-leaning folks in my community that theres a potential for just that small amount of votes that could go kind of out in the ether, Eddy said.

Her bid was backed by Osborn supporters

What Eddy didnt say is that her primary bid received $34,000 in outside spending help from a Super PAC supporting Osborn, according to OpenSecrets.org, a website that monitors campaign finance.

That amount of money is unheard of for a Legal Marijuana NOW Party primary, said Mark Elworth Jr., party chairman. It overwhelmed other candidates who had hoped to represent the group in the Senate race, he said.

The party represents about 0.006% of Nebraskas broader electorate  7,014 registered voters out of 1.23 million  according to the latest registration tallies by the Nebraska Secretary of States Office.

At a press conference Tuesday, Eddy denied ever working with or coordinating with the Osborn campaign. Elworth disagreed and said Eddy has been dishonest with his partys supporters.

Elworth contends Eddy never planned to represent the party and sought to leave Osborn as Fischers only challenger on the ballot. He has said her actions undermine confidence in the political process.

He also said the Legal Marijuana NOW Party is likely to run another candidate for the Senate race, although he declined to share a name. Eddy said she would prefer that the party not run a candidate.

We were hoping shed stay on there, Elworth said of Eddy. I guess she works for Dan Osborn. We pretty much do have a candidate picked out. We need to contact that candidate  and well announce it.

Under state law, a recognized party like Legal Marijuana NOW can submit a new nominee if a previous nominee formally withdraws. This year, the deadline for replacing Eddy is Sept. 3.

Osborn, for his part, angered leaders of the Nebraska Democratic Party when he wooed the party, indicating before the primary he wanted its endorsement, and then shunned party endorsements immediately after the primary.

On Tuesday, Osborn said he appreciated Eddys support but said he would not accept any politicians endorsement.

Osborn defended legalization of marijuana.

Criminalizing patients seeking pain relief is government overreach at its finest, he said in a statement.

Fischers campaign had no immediate comment on Eddys withdrawal.

Polls have been the talk of the race

Once again on Tuesday, polls are the talk of the Osborn-Fischer race. Both campaigns have emphasized internal polls. Eddy pointed to a poll Tuesday, as well.

She said a poll conducted for her campaign indicated that she had 36% support in a hypothetical head-to-head against Fischer. She did not share details.

Osborns campaign has highlighted some favorable polling results to say his race is closer than the political experts think and that he is within striking distance of Fischer.

A recent Osborn poll indicated a 42%-42% two-way race against Fischer with about 16% undecided, and a 4.9% margin of error, the pollster confirmed. Osborns poll did not survey Eddy.

Fischers campaign recently shared a poll of its own hewing closer to Republicans 2-to-1 registration advantage over Democrats in Nebraska.

That poll indicated she was leading Osborn 50%-24%, with 9% support for Eddy.



Nebraskans know and trust Deb Fischer, and arent fooled by  bogus polls, or political science experiments pretending to be U.S Senate campaigns, Fischer campaign spokesman Derek Oden said. We will continue working hard to build on her broad base of support. She takes no vote for granted.

Local political observers questioned whether the race was as close as Osborns poll indicated or as far apart as Fischers indicated.

Oddly, both the Fischer and Osborn campaigns were polling on the same days this time, July 8-11.

The results were so wildly different that local polling professionals and academics struggled to fully explain it.

Fischers poll surveyed 698 likely Nebraska voters by cell phone and landline, using conservative pollster Torchlight Strategies.

Osborns poll surveyed of 500 likely Nebraska voters by phone and text-to-web, using left-leaning Impact Research and right-leaning Red Wave Strategy Group.

Some questions raised

Some pollsters said Osborns poll looked as if respondents were slightly more educated than Nebraskas overall population. Some said the order of questions in the poll risked planting the seed for an independent candidacy.

University of Nebraska-Lincoln political scientist Dona-Gene Barton, a polling expert, said Osborns poll asked whether voters would be open to supporting an independent candidate over a Republican before asking who they would support.

It also identified Osborn, a nonpartisan, as an independent. And it identified Fischer as a Republican shortly after asking respondents who they would support. That, she said, could have nudged the results.

Barton said Fischers poll may have planted a similar thought by describing Osborn as a nonpartisan candidate and pitting him against a partisan one, but that, too, likely nudged the results, but wouldnt necessarily account for so wide a gap between the two polls.

The main difference I see is in the different primes at the beginning of the surveys, to think about being open to voting for an independent versus preferring to vote for a partisan, she said.

Kerrey-Fischer polling margins in 2012

Fischers campaign and some of her longtime critics pointed to recent electoral history in doubting Osborns poll.

The last time polling in a Nebraska Senate race showed a margin as close as Osborns indicated was 2012, when Fischer was competing against Bob Kerrey.

An Omaha World-Herald poll in October of that year indicated Kerrey, a former two-term governor and U.S. senator, was within 3 percentage points of Fischer.

Fischer was a GOP state senator at the time. She had bested the states attorney general and treasurer in a bruising three-way primary race. She beat Kerrey that November, 58%-42%.

Neither Kerrey nor State Sen. Jane Raybould, Fischers 2018 Democratic opponent, ever saw internal polling showing a tie.

No, we never had polling that showed we were tied or ahead, Raybould said. Sadly.

Kerrey had almost universal name ID. Osborns own poll showed him known by a third of Nebraskans.

Nonpartisan label could help

Osborns campaign is gathering signatures to appear on the November ballot. A campaign spokesman said his team plans to turn in the signatures Aug. 19.

Osborns campaign and some Democrats argue that his nonpartisan label could help him.

They point to two other polls Osborns campaign shared: one from Public Policy Polling in May (37%-33%) and one from November 2023 paid for by Osborn-aligned Super PAC Nebraska Railroaders for Public Safety (36%-35%).

Some Osborn supporters have said they want him to be a test case for whether the Democratic Party label is a negative for candidates running in Republican-heavy states.

But Democratic leaders and others have said that without the partys backing, he might struggle to consolidate left-leaning support.

State Democratic chair Jane Kleeb tweeted about her frustrations with Osborn after he told Rolling Stone he had been clear all along about not wanting a partys support.

How do you say you want nothing to do with the Democratic Party and then ask us for our votes? Kleeb asked. Makes no sense.

She also says Osborn should stop saying he doesnt know who he will caucus with if he wins  Republicans or Democrats. Osborn has also not endorsed anyone in the presidential race.

He needs to pick a side, Kleeb said, preferably hers.

Editors note: This story has been revised to correct the outside money spent in support of Eddys primary campaign from a super PAC supporting Osborn.

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YANGON, July 30 (Xinhua) -- Over 10,000 acres of monsoon paddy have been submerged in Kyonpyaw township of Myanmar's Ayeyarwady region in recent days, the state-run daily Myanma Alin reported on Tuesday.

The rise of a creek in the township and torrential rains have caused the paddy fields to be submerged, the report said.

As of July 28, in Kyonpyaw township, 10,307 acres of monsoon paddy, 15 acres of tapioca fields and two acres of banana fields were flooded, with over 60 houses from three villages submerged, the report said.

Local authorities and rescue organizations have provided the affected residents with food and drinking water, it added.

Additionally, Ayeyarwady's Kangyidaunt township reported over 3,800 acres of submerged monsoon paddy. 
Kevin McCarthy could serve as Donald Trumps chief of staff if he wins the 2024 election, according to a report from Axios.

The former House speaker, who lost his gavel after his party voted to remove him in October 2023 and then subsequently resigned from his congressional seat that December, could make his way into a potential Trump White House, sources close to Trump told Axios.

Susie Wiles, Trumps campaign manager, has also thrown her hat in the ring but has yet to truly press for it, according to Axios sources.

Trump reportedly wants his administration to be loyal after he felt burned by his last administration, which was plagued by constant leaks, resignations, and a vice president who refused to Trumps call to refuse to certify the 2020 election results.

No One Is Shedding a Tear for Kevin McCarthy

Axios sources add that staffing is peripheral for Trump and that campaigning is his main focus right now, but the fight between GOP leadership to get their guys in key administration positions is still raging.

Former VP hopefuls and Sens. Marco Rubio and Tom Cotton (R-AR), and Gov. Doug Burgum (R-ND), are also reportedly in the running for secretary of state, although Cotton would reportedly rather be secretary of defense.

Burgum is also eyeing secretary of energy as a backup, according to Axios.

Stephen Miller, who served as an adviser to Trump in his last administration, is also expected to make a return if Trump wins.

Scott Bessent, founder of Key Square Group, which received $2 billion from the rights bogeyman, George Soros, has been teased by J.D. Vance as a possible treasury secretary. Trump apparently wanted JPMorgan Chases Jamie Dimon, but Dimon was ill-received on Truth Social. Trump subsequently changed his tune on Dimon.

I dont know who said it, or where it came from, perhaps the Radical Left, but I never discussed, or thought of, Jamie Dimon or Larry Fink for Secretary of the Treasury, Trump said in a Truth Social post.

Linda McMahon, one of Trumps WWE buddies and former Small Business Administration head, could also come in as commerce secretary, according to Axios.

Read more at The Daily Beast.

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Kim Jong Un Is Already Training His Preteen Daughter to Take Over Country

KIM Jae-Hwan/SOPA Images/LightRocket via Getty Images

The North Korean dictator Kim Jong Un has begun training his pre-teen daughter to succeed him despite her age, South Koreas spy agency claimed this week.

That revelation has sparked further questions about the authoritarian leaders health, as recent reports from South Korean intelligence said the 40-year-old is suffering from obesity-related high blood pressure and diabetes.

Should something happen to Kim, it appears Kim Ju-ae may be next in line to lead the Hermit Kingdom. The preteen isnt Kims only child, but shes been dubbed the respected daughter and beloved child by state media.

The Kim family has ruled over North Korea since its founding in the late 1940s, but has never has a womanor minorbeen at the helm.

Ju-ae, who is either 11 or 12, has begun appearing beside her dad frequently at public events this year, often smiling as shes seated next to or standing by him.

North Korean leader Kim Jong Un and his daughter Kim Ju-ae visited a greenhouse in Marchone of many recent events that featured the girl. KCNA via Reuters

South Koreas National Intelligence Service held a briefing in Seoul on Monday where they made the revelation about Ju-aes potential to be the next leader of North Korea. They said they made their estimation based off an analysis on the frequency and nature of her public appearances and the way state propaganda has covered them.

Much of North Korea first learned about Ju-ae in November 2022, when she turned up to a test launch of an intercontinental ballistic missile. Since then, shes been spotted mingling with top generals at military events.

Lee Seong-kwon, a South Korean politician who attended the briefing, said Monday that more than 60 percent of Kim Ju-aes activities included accompanying her father to military demonstrations and events.

Pyongyang is teaching Kim Ju-ae to be heir apparent, indicating shes the most likely successor, Lee told reporters after the briefing.

Kim Ju-ae attend a military demonstration with her dad this spring. KCNA via Reuters

Kim reportedly has two other kids, with Ju-ae being the middle child. He has kept much of his personal life under wraps, however, and the definitive names and ages of his children have not been confirmed.

Even with Ju-aes public appearances, North Koreas succession remains murky. Many have reported that, should Kim die or bow out of the position, that one of his brothers could step forward to claim the throne.

Read more at The Daily Beast.

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BUFFALO, N.Y. (WIVB)  Kingdom Bound Ministries, a three-day faith-based music festival in Western New York has partnered with 26 Shirts for their Be Kind shirt and merchandise.

The new design was made to support the family of local nurse Anna Wilson.

Wilson was diagnosed with stage 4 adenocarcinoma, a form of lung cancer caused by a genetic mutation, in July 2021. She passed suddenly less than three years later in May 2024, just two days after her 43rd birthday.

Wilson was a faithful servant in her church, a mom of four and a loving wife. Her children Levi, Callie, Alayna and Cooper, and her husband Tim are left with multiple funeral expenses and medical bills since her passing.

The design is available for purchase online until Sunday, Aug. 4.

Shirts are available here or if youd like to donate a different way, you can click here to visit the familys GoFundMe.

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.
ST. LOUIS  A former teacher at KIPP Triumph Academy is accused of kicking and shoving a student with a disability during the prior school year.

According to the St. Louis Metropolitan Police Departments probable cause statement, the incident took place on March 25 on school property.

Police spoke with the victim, 13 at the time, and witnesses. The victim said his teacher, Scott R. Poole, 40, kicked him while on the steps the day prior, and the student had back pains as a result.

Police said the student reported the incident to the schools mental health professional, who spoke with Poole.

St. Louis Police release video of 2022 CVPA high school shooting

Police said Poole admitted to losing his patience with the student and kicking him.

Witnesses told police Poole yelled at the student to stop acting like a baby, kicked him, and then pushed him into the wall.

The student has a genetic disorder affecting his craniofacial features, stature, and hearing ability.

The St. Louis Circuit Attorneys Office charged Poole with third-degree assault. A circuit court judge signed an arrest warrant for Poole on July 29, with a $15,000 cash-only bond.

KIPP Public Schools released the following statement Tuesday:

In March, we became aware of allegations against a KIPP Triumph Academy staff member. At the time of this incident, we immediately put the staff member on leave and launched an internal investigation. We fully cooperated with the St. Louis Metropolitan Police Department and reported the incident to the Missouri Childrens Division. We can confirm that the staff member is no longer an employee of KIPP St. Louis Public Schools. Out of respect for the privacy of the individuals involved, we cannot provide further details. KIPP St. Louis Public Schools top priority is the health and safety of our students, families, and staff.

Copyright 2024 Nexstar Media, Inc. 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.
MOSCOW (Reuters) - The Kremlin declined to comment on Tuesday on the possibility of a prisoner swap involving Wall Street Journal reporter Evan Gershkovich.

Russia said last month that contacts had taken place with the United States over a possible prisoner exchange involving Gershkovich but that the talks should take place far from the media.

A Russian court found Gershkovich guilty of espionage on July 19 and sentenced him to 16 years in jail. He denies the charges against him and the Wall Street Journal branded the sentence "a disgraceful sham conviction".

(Reporting by Reuters)
By Guy Faulconbridge and Dmitry Antonov

MOSCOW (Reuters) -The Kremlin on Tuesday dismissed as absurd U.S. intelligence assertions that Russia is seeking to meddle in the presidential election and said that U.S. spies were intent on casting Russia as an enemy.

U.S. intelligence said that Russia remains the "predominant threat" to U.S. elections and that Moscow is using a complex arsenal of tools to back one of the candidates and sow divisions.

"As for these accusations, they are absurd, and we strongly reject them," Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said when asked about the reports from Washington.

"There will be a lot of such statements as the U.S. elections approach because Russia and the head of the Russian state personally are essentially significant factors that both Republicans and Democrats exploit during their political struggle, especially in the election campaign," said Peskov.

President Vladimir Putin had yet to comment in public on Joe Biden's exit from the election race.

Putin had suggested in the past that, for Russia, Biden was preferable to Donald Trump, though it was unclear if he was being serious or sarcastic.

The Kremlin has been cautious about Kamala Harris, saying that the vice president had made no discernable contribution to relations with Moscow beyond some unfriendly rhetoric.

ELECTION MEDDLING?

Comments by a senior U.S. intelligence official indicated that U.S. intelligence expects foreign actors to refocus their influence operations on Harris.

"Moscow is leveraging Russia-based influence-for-hire firms to shape public opinion in the United States, including with election-related operations," the U.S. Office of the Director of National Intelligence said.

"These firms have created influence platforms, directly and discreetly engaged Americans, and used improved tools to tailor content for U.S. audiences, while hiding Russia's hand."

The Kremlin said attempting to draw Russia into the election campaign was damaging to relations - and that U.S. intelligence was intent on casting Russia as an enemy.

"Each time the exploitation of Russia and Putin in the internal political struggle in America causes more and more harm, irreparable harm to bilateral Russian-American relations," Peskov said.

"The US intelligence community, let's say, has succumbed to fashionable trends in domestic politics - they also need to look for enemies and Americans cannot come up with better enemies than Russia."

Previous U.S. intelligence assessments have found that Moscow tried to meddle in the 2016 and 2020 elections. Russian officials have suggested that the United States has also meddled in its domestic affairs.

(Writing by Guy FaulconbridgeEditing by Andrew Osborn and Conor Humphries)
A Morgan County man has been charged with murder and fetal homicide after he allegedly went to the sheriffs office and told the sheriff he had killed his girlfriend by cutting her throat.

Jeremy Schraufnagel, 49, went to the Morgan County Sheriffs Office at about 1:10 p.m. Monday and told Sheriff Greg Motley that he wanted to talk with him about a domestic situation, according to a police uniform citation filed in Morgan District Court.

Schraufnagel then told the sheriff he had killed his girlfriend during an argument, the citation states.

Motley detained Schraufnagel and dispatched EMS to the address on Redwine Road in West Liberty where he said the killing occurred.

Motley and Kentucky State Police also went to the scene, where they found the woman dead inside the home, according to the court document.

State police said in a news release that the woman, Shannon Dustin, was pronounced dead by Morgan County Coroner Shawn Vancleve.

Schraufnagel told police Dustin was pregnant and the baby was due in December, which her family confirmed, according to the police citation.

In an interview with state police, Schraufnagel allegedly said Dustin told him during an argument that she planned to go back to Ohio with an old boyfriend and he would not be able to see his child. He said he snapped and strangled her, placing her in a choke hold for about two minutes, according to the police citation.

Mr. Schraufnagel stated he did not remember much after that but remembered standing over her, with a knife and there was a pool of blood, the citation says.

Schraufnagel is charged with murder and first-degree fetal homicide.
Kentucky Sen. Rand Paul indicated on Tuesday that local law enforcement in Pennsylvania said it had warned U.S. Secret Service agents about the building used by Thomas Matthew Crooks to take aim at former President Donald Trump.

Local law enforcement told my staff that they specifically flagged the vulnerability of the building to the Secret Service and were told it would be taken care of, Paul said. Clearly these vulnerabilities were not addressed.

Acting Secret Service Director Ronald Rowe Jr. and FBI Deputy Director Paul Abbate appeared before a special joint Senate committee hearing on Tuesday, in which senators probed for specific answers about the security failure at the July 13 Trump rally.

Paul, a Kentucky Republican, is the ranking member of the committee that oversees homeland security and government affairs.

In his remarks, Paul also stressed local law enforcement officers had expressed suspicions about Crooks 90 minutes before he fired shots at Trump from the roof of a building just 400 feet from where Trump delivered his campaign remarks in Pennsylvania that day.

Why was Donald Trump allowed to take the stage, and why wasnt he removed from the stage when a suspicious individual was taking increasingly suspicious activities?, Paul asked.

Rowe, a 25-year Secret Service veteran, is taking the place of Kimberly Cheatle, who resigned her post after a ruinous appearance before the House Oversight Committee, chaired by Kentucky Rep. James Comer. He assumed oversight of the agency July 23.

He succeeded Kimberly Cheatle who quit under pressure from lawmakers and others. Rowe previously served as deputy director of the Secret Service, responsible for overseeing daily investigative and protective operations.

Starting with his opening statement, Rowe made no excuses for the agency. He told lawmakers that he was ashamed the Secret Service failed to secure the rooftop where the gunman fired on Trump.

Firing at Trump, the gunman killed one person in the crowd and critically injured two others. One of the bullets grazed Trumps ear.

This was a failure, and we will get to the bottom of it. Rowe told Sen. Josh Hawley, a Missouri Republican.

In response to a question from Committee Chairman Gary Peters, a Democrat from Michigan, Rowe detailed that information about the shooter was stuck or siloed in that state and local channel. He also cited cellular and radio issues in Butler, Pennsylvania, that day.

He said he would hold Secret Service agents accountable if they violated protocols, but he did not say if he had found such transgressions. Rowe said the Secret Service did not have any knowledge a man was on the nearby roof with a firearm.

No motive has yet been identified, but the FBI found that the shooter left hundreds of extreme comments online in prior years.

Paul said his committee has formally requested interviews with the agents tasked with securing the July 13 event.

When will we be allowed to talk to these people?, Paul probed.

On that question, Rowe made no commitments.

Ronald L. Rowe Jr., Acting Director of the U.S. Secret Service and Paul Abbate, Deputy Director of the Federal Bureau of Investigation, testify on the attempted assassination of former President Donald Trump during a joint hearing with the Senate Homeland Security Committee and the Senate Judiciary Committee on Tuesday in Washington.

Senate Homeland Security Committee Ranking Member Rand Paul, R-Ky., is seen before Ronald L. Rowe, Jr., Acting Director of the U.S. Secret Service and Paul Abbate, Deputy Director of the Federal Bureau of Investigation, testify on the attempted assassination of former President Donald Trump during a joint hearing with the Senate Homeland Security Committee and the Senate Judiciary Committee on Tuesday in Washington.

Comer leads charge to oust Secret Service director after Trump assassination attempt
By Dan Peleschuk

KYIV (Reuters) -Ukraine has invited China's foreign minister to visit amid growing dialogue that could eventually lead to a meeting between the two countries' leaders, Kyiv's foreign ministry said on Tuesday.

Beijing casts itself as neutral on the Kremlin's 29-month-old invasion of Ukraine but maintains close ties with Moscow and sat out a Kyiv-organised peace summit in June.

Ukrainian Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba made his first wartime visit to China last week to meet his Chinese counterpart Wang Yi. That was another sign that dialogue between Kyiv and Beijing is "developing very dynamically," said Ukrainian foreign ministry spokesman Heorhii Tykhyi.

Work toward a possible future meeting between Presidents Volodymyr Zelenskiy and Xi Jinping was constant, he added. Since the start of the war, the two have only spoken once by telephone, in April 2023.

"Did ... Minister Kuleba's visit to China bring closer a potential meeting of the leaders of Ukraine and China? It indisputably did," Tykhyi said at a briefing in Kyiv. It is, however, too early to tell when a meeting could take place, he added.

Kyiv has invited Wang to visit Ukraine and Beijing has indicated it was interested in the proposal, Tykhyi said.

"We are ready to welcome Minister Wang Yi in Ukraine to see first-hand the consequences of the Russian aggression against our country and hold deeper bilateral talks with him on a number of bilateral, regional and international issues," he said.

In China, Kuleba told Wang after a day of "very deep and concentrated" talks that Kyiv was prepared for talks on the war with Russia only if Ukraine's sovereignty and territorial integrity were fully respected.

China, the world's second-largest economy, has provided diplomatic backing to Russia and helped keep its wartime economy afloat.

(Reporting by Dan Peleschuk; Editing by Alex Richardson, Deepa Babington and Conor Humphries)
* Covering Jilin and Heilongjiang provinces, the Northeast China Tiger and Leopard National Park -- home to approximately 70 wild Siberian tigers, 80 wild Amur leopards, and about 10,000 people -- was officially established in 2021.

* Siberian tigers, also known as Amur tigers, mainly live in Russia's Far East and northeast China. As one of the world's most endangered species and a flagship species of the forest ecosystem, only 12 to 16 wild Siberian tigers were believed to have been living in China in 1998.

* China has dedicated itself to preserving this endangered species and helping in the recovery of its population. The Siberian tiger population in China has continued to rebound. Last year, 20 Siberian tiger cubs and 15 Amur leopard cubs were born in the park.

Siberian tigers are pictured in the Siberian Tiger Park in Harbin, northeast China's Heilongjiang Province, July 29, 2024. (Xinhua/Zhang Tao)

CHANGCHUN, July 30 (Xinhua) -- Deep inside a dense forest in northeast China, a Siberian tiger cub was cuddling and playing with its mother.

This heartwarming scene in the Northeast China Tiger and Leopard National Park (NCTLNP) was streamed in real-time on an intelligent screen at the park's control room.

Such new technologies, including early warning systems and thousands of smart cameras, have greatly mitigated human-tiger conflict in the park spanning over 14,000 square km.

Covering Jilin and Heilongjiang provinces, the park -- home to approximately 70 wild Siberian tigers, 80 wild Amur leopards, and about 10,000 people -- was officially established in 2021.

Siberian tigers, also known as Amur tigers, mainly live in Russia's Far East and northeast China. As one of the world's most endangered species and a flagship species of the forest ecosystem, only 12 to 16 wild Siberian tigers were believed to have been living in China in 1998.

This screenshot from an infrared camera footage shows Siberian tigers in the Northeast China Tiger and Leopard National Park (NCTLNP) on March 24, 2023. (Xinhua)

Monday marks the 14th International Tiger Day. As one of the 13 countries where tigers live, China has dedicated itself to preserving this endangered species and helping in the recovery of its population through afforestation efforts, hunting bans and rewilding training programs.

Thanks to these conservation efforts, the Siberian tiger population in China has continued to rebound. Last year, 20 Siberian tiger cubs and 15 Amur leopard cubs were born in the park.

"The turning point in Siberian tiger preservation was the establishment of the NCTLNP," said Feng Limin, deputy director of the monitoring and research center for Siberian tigers and Amur leopards under the National Forestry and Grassland Administration.

As wild Siberian tigers make a comeback and thrive in the park, the likelihood of encounters between tigers and people living in the area is increasing.

Infrared cameras are demonstrated during the 2nd International Forum on Conservation and Recovery of Tiger and Leopard in Harbin, northeast China's Heilongjiang Province, July 29, 2024. (Xinhua/Xie Jianfei)

Maintaining a balance between protecting wildlife and ensuring human safety is a complex task. However, cutting-edge technologies used in the park are providing creative solutions to reduce human-tiger conflicts.

Through an integrated intelligent monitoring system that can "send back real-time videos and analyze them with artificial intelligence," people living in the park will be alerted when wild animals are close to their villages or farmlands, according to Feng.

"The system is not only conducive to scientific research but also allows us to intelligently monitor major intersections and villages in the park," Feng said.

Additionally, a newly completed early warning system in Shiliping Village of Wangqing County in the park uses sound waves to repel wild animals like Siberian tigers and Amur leopards after they are detected by cameras.

Wildlife protection staff watch the footage of leopards captured by infrared camera in Hunchun, northeast China's Jilin Province, May 14, 2024. (Xinhua/Si Xiaoshuai)

Upon detection, all villagers will receive a cellphone alert warning them that large wild animals are approaching and advising them to stay safe.

To help people living in the park area feel at ease and to ensure they can "prosper because of the tigers," the park has created over 10,000 public welfare jobs that involve residents in forest management, protection, resource monitoring, and other tasks.

"Wild Siberian tigers were once predicted to be extinct in China, but after many years of protection, we now have 70 of them here," said Yu Dongxi, a resident of Zhongtumenzi Village in the park area.

A patroller installs an infrared camera on a tree trunk in the Northeast China Tiger and Leopard National Park (NCTLNP) on July 26, 2023. (Xinhua/Dai Jinrong)

With the establishment of the NCTLNP, China's protection efforts for Siberian tigers are capturing the attention of international scholars and the younger generation, inspiring them to weave new technologies and programs into the blueprint for peaceful human-tiger coexistence.

"We can use algorithms based on machine learning and artificial intelligence to prevent poaching more effectively," said Wu Yufei, a student from Shanghai Jiao Tong University, who is attending the ongoing 2nd International Forum on Conservation and Recovery of Tiger and Leopard held in Harbin, capital of Heilongjiang.

"Wildlife protection is a long process of exploration and trial, but we are encouraged by the support from all sectors of society," said Jin Yongchao, an associate professor at Jilin Agricultural University who is also an advisor to the World Wildlife Fund. (Video reporters: Si Xiaoshuai, Shao Meiqi; Video editors: Zhang Yueyuan, Roger Lott, Luo Hui.) 
A new law that could force homeowners across California to cover billions of dollars of insurer losses caused by a catastrophic wildfire is generating pushback from a leading consumer group, which has called it an industry "bailout."

State Insurance Commissioner Ricardo Lara announced Friday he had reached an agreement with the California FAIR Plan that would allow losses suffered by the state's insurer of last resort to be recouped by surcharges on residential and commercial insurance policies statewide in an "extreme worst case scenario."

The FAIR Plan, which insures property owners who cannot get or afford traditional policies, is backed by licensed insurers such as State Farm and Allstate. As the program is structured, they are on the hook to pay claims if the FAIR Plan runs through its reserves, reinsurance and catastrophe bonds.

Read more: California's home insurance crisis: What went wrong, how it can be fixed and what owners can do

Under Lara's agreement, if that happens the insurers would be required to cover up to $2 billion in FAIR Plan claims  $1 billion for residential and $1 billion for commercial claims. They could then temporarily surcharge their own policyholders for half of what they are assessed with the approval of the insurance commissioner.

Homeowners would not be surcharged for commercial losses  only holders of commercial policies would be. The agreement also allows insurers to temporarily surcharge policyholders for 100% of claims in excess of those amounts with the approval of the insurance commissioner.

Its outrageous and outside the law for the insurance commissioner to force consumers to bail out home insurance companies and then call that consumer protection, said Carmen Balber, executive director of Los Angeles-based Consumer Watchdog.

Gabriel Sanchez, Lara's press secretary, defended the agreement, saying, "It would be easy to listen to the elites and the entrenched interests defending a system that clearly isnt working. Commissioner Lara is focused on hearing from the public, following the data and creating realistic, long-lasting solutions for everyone in this state."

The FAIR Plan assessment is the latest element of Lara's Sustainable Insurance Strategy, a package of executive actions intended to stabilize the California market, which has seen insurers stop writing new policies and decline to renew existing policies amid a sharp increase in claims for wildfires damage.

Just this week, firefighters are battling the massive Park fire in Butte, Tehama and Shasta counties, where 100 structures have been destroyed, 4,200 were threatened and 26,000 people were forced to evacuate as of Monday. It is the sixth-largest fire in state history.

Read more: Is this the solution to California's soaring insurance prices due to wildfire risk?

As insurers have pulled back from high-fire risk neighborhoods, the number of residential FAIR Plan policies has more than doubled since 2019 to about 408,000 as of June. Commercial policies similarly increased to 11,026.

The FAIR Plan has a market share under 4%. Policyholders are concentrated in canyons, hillsides and other high-risk neighborhoods, vulnerable to fire and catastrophic insurance losses. The plan's loss exposure was $393 billion as of June, even though the plan's policies are more limited than those available through the regular commercial market.

Lara said Friday in a release announcing the agreement that "modernizing the FAIR Plan is a crucial step in our strategy to stabilize California's insurance market."

The FAIR Plan's financial risk is overwhelmingly due to its residential policies, which account for about 95% of its $393 billion in total loss exposure, according to the insurer.

The Insurance Department downplayed a worst-case scenario, noting that even the 2018 Camp fire in Butte County that ravaged the town of Paradise, destroying or damaging more than 19,000 structures and causing some $16.5 billion in damage, did not deplete the FAIR Plan's reserves.

The Insurance Department contended that the agreement was actually favorable to consumers because under current law there is nothing prohibiting the insurers from seeking policyholder assessments on all FAIR Plan losses they must cover.

"The agreement ... requires insurance companies to share the burden, something not clearly outlined before. That protects consumers by providing predictability which leads to stability," Sanchez said.

Balber disputed that reading of the law and said Lara has not been able to get legislative authority for the insurer policyholder assessments, so he proceeded under questionable executive authority. "We have several questions about the legality of this proposal and are looking into it," she said.

Consumer Watchdog has called for requiring insurers to offer policies in wildfire-prone neighborhoods to homeowners who have taken steps to reduce fire risks on their property as the best method to reduce enrollment in the FAIR Plan and stabilize the state's insurance market.

Another key element of Lara's FAIR Plan reforms call for the insurer to offer greater commercial coverage  up to $20 million per structure and $100 million for any one location.

Dan Dunmoyer, chief executive of the California Building Industry Assn., said the trade group has been seeking higher commercial coverage limits due to the rise of insurance premiums, which have slowed the construction of condominium complexes that builders insure.

He estimated that astronomical insurance rate increases have slowed condo construction by about 70% in the last 12 months, with fewer than 6,000 units built.

"Our view on this is: Get some competition in the marketplace, expand commercial coverage, let us build the most affordable for sale homes in California, which are condos," he said.

The American Property Casualty Insurance Assn., an industry trade group, called Lara's plan "an important step toward restoring the FAIR Plans financial stability and ensuring consumers have access to the coverage they need."

The deal reached by Lara with the FAIR Plan is a binding legal stipulation and it requires the insurer to develop a "Plan of Operation" within 30 days detailing how it will carry out the agreement. It has 120 days to submit a rate plan for offering the higher commercial coverage.

The FAIR Plan was sued last week by four California residents who claim its policies offer subpar coverage for fire and smoke damage. The proposed class-action lawsuit seeks to represent more than 300,000 of the plan's residential policyholders. The plan also is facing a lawsuit from more than 1,000 homeowners in Los Angeles who say the plan wrongly denied their claims.

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This story originally appeared in Los Angeles Times.
An officer with the Los Angeles Police Department who was implicated in a 2020 scandal that labeled people as gang members pleaded no contest late last week to six felony counts of falsifying a police report, officials announced.

Officer Braxton Shaw, 41, who was assigned to LAPDs Metropolitan Division, falsified dozens of interview cards, which are used by police while in the field, that contained false information and wrongfully identified victims as gang members, according to a news release from the L.A. County District Attorneys Office.

Deadly shootout in Southern California erupts with 2 young children in car

Prosecutors alleged that some of the 43 people who had denied any gang affiliations wound up in a state gang database as a result of the scandal.

Wesley Williams was one of the victims falsely identified by Shaw and his partner, Michael Coblentz, in 2016 of being a member of the 84 Swan Blood gang.

He was arrested for possession of a firearm despite his denial that he had no gang affiliation and was across the street from where the officers claimed he tossed a revolver into a nearby car, the Los Angeles Times reported.

Worried about going against the word of two officers in court and serving time in prison, Williams pleaded no contest to the charges in exchange for three years probation.

As a result, Williams told The Times he lost his job as an electrician and experienced homelessness. By the time he had nearly completed his probation, a judge threw out his case on Aug. 19, 2020.

In total that year, a judge threw out 15 felony cases of nine men convicted of different crimes, whose guilt rested on the word of Shaw and several other LAPD officers. Hundreds of other cases were under review.

Domestic dispute in Southern California ends in deadly Samurai sword attack

Under his no contest plea, a prosecutor told L.A. County Superior Court Judge Eleanor Hunter, that Shaw would turn over his peace officer certification, perform 250 hours of community service and be placed on probation for two years, The Times reported.

Shaw is scheduled to be formally sentenced on Sept. 25.

Charges against five other officers in the falsifying-data investigation, all of whom also were assigned to LAPDs Metro Division, were dismissed.

Mr. Shaws betrayal of the oath to serve and protect the community is not only disappointing but undermines the integrity of our law enforcement and the trust that the community places in them, District Attorney Gascon said. Our office remains committed to fostering a legal system that operates with integrity and fairness.

Copyright 2024 Nexstar Media, Inc. 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.
Okehampton station in Devon on the reopened Dartmoor Line, the first route to become fully operational under Restoring Your Railway - Jack Boskett

Labour has axed plans to reopen dozens of railway lines and stations closed during the 1960s Beeching cuts.

The closure of the 500m Restoring Your Railway fund, announced by Rachel Reeves on Monday, leaves the future of projects across England and Wales hanging in the balance in a blow to small-town Britain.

The fund was established in 2020 as part of Boris Johnsons levelling up agenda and has so far helped finance the reopening or near reopening of two lines and six stations. A dozen more projects are at an advanced stage and 20 others have received some funding.

Briefing notes issued following the Chancellors speech, in which she claimed that Labour had inherited a 22bn hole in the public finances from the Tories, suggest that scrapping the Restoring Your Railway programme will save 76m next year.

RailFuture, which campaigns for better passenger and freight services and has 20,000 members, said Ms Reeves intervention was shortsighted and at odds with Labours aim of putting infrastructure and construction at the heart of plans to revive the economy.

Neil Middleton, director of RailFuture, said: The Restoring Your Railway fund could have been a key way for the Government to deliver on its strategic objectives in terms of transforming infrastructure, promoting social mobility and tackling regional inequality.

This isnt HS2. The amounts of money involved are no more than rounding errors in the wider scheme of things, but the difference to isolated communities is huge. Its just the sort of investment that we need to make if this country is to be more efficient and effective.

The Campaign for Better Transport said Labour had damaged its green credentials in abandoning projects that would help to slash carbon emissions by luring people out of their car and onto the train.

This feels like a mini-Beeching

The Dartmoor Line between Okehampton and Exeter in Devon, the first restored route to become fully operational under the scheme, created 550,000 additional rail journeys in its first two years of operation.

Douglas McLay, a campaigner for the return of passenger services on the Ivanhoe Line, which links Leicester with Burton upon Trent, Staffordshire, said the announcement came as a body blow.

He said: This feels like a mini-Beeching, and once again its not being done for any good reason. It seems that the programme had a Tory look to it, so its getting the chop.

Initiatives that had been funded through Restoring Your Railway will still be able to be reconsidered as part of a review to be undertaken by Louise Haigh, the Transport Secretary, the Government said.

Eight projects have already been delivered under the scheme or are close to completion, including the Dartmoor Line, which received 40m from the fund, and the Northumberland line between Newcastle upon Tyne and Ashington.

Another 13 proposals were earmarked for further funding having already submitted business cases but are vulnerable to termination following the Chancellors decision.

They include the reinstatement of the lines from Bristol to Portishead, Somerset; and Preston to Fleetwood, Lancashire, and the restoration of passenger services on the Barrow Hill line from Sheffield to Chesterfield, Derbyshire; and the Waterside line bordering the Solent, as well as on the Ivanhoe line.

Richard Beeching, pictured in 1962, has become a byword for railway cuts - Mirrorpix

North Somerset council said Network Rail had been poised to make final submissions on the Portishead route to the Department for Transport, the final step before the start of construction, following years of hard work.

The scheme was the first in the country to secure a consent order for the reopening of a branch line and would reconnect 50,000 residents with the national rail network.

Council leader Mike Bell said: This is a shovel-ready scheme that we can deliver. We just need government support to make it happen.

Mr Bell, a Liberal Democrat, urged local Labour MP Sadik Al-Hassan, who unseated former Tory defence secretary Liam Fox in the election, to do everything to secure Ms Haighs backing.

Mr McLay said the Ivanhoe Line  named after the Sir Walter Scott novel set in the area  had last year received outline backing for a first phase from Burton to Coalville, Leicestershire, one of the biggest towns without a railway station in the country.

He said that Amanda Hack, the local Labour MP, had made reopening the currently freight-only route one of her main campaign pledges. Passenger services lost as a result of the Beeching cuts would cost less than 100m to restore, including three new stations.

The UK network has shrunk by half over the last 100 years, with the biggest cull of lines coming after Richard Beeching, chairman of the then nationalised and unprofitable British Railways, recommended a wholesale closure programme.

In a 1963 report titled The Reshaping of Britains Railways, Beeching argued that resources needed to be focused on core routes. A third of the network was closed in the following 10 years, leaving towns up and down the country without a rail link, while failing to halt losses. Dr Beeching became a hate figure as communities lost rail links at a time when car ownership remained low.

In launching Restoring Your Railway, the Conservatives said the plan would restore many of the Beeching lines and reconnect smaller towns that have suffered permanent disadvantage since they were removed from the rail network.

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The Lafayette Parish coroner's office is taking over responsibility for sexual assault forensic medical exams in the Acadiana region. (Getty Images)

Lafayette Parish Coroner Dr. Ken Odinets office will take over performing forensic exams on sexual assault victims starting next year. The change comes after a nonprofit organization provided the service for nearly the past two decades.



We felt its best to have it in-house, the coroners chief investigator, Keith Talamo, said in an interview earlier this month.

For 18 years, Hearts of Hope has hired specialty nurses to go to local hospitals to collect criminal evidence for and provide medical care for sexual assault victims who end up in the emergency room.

These sexual assault nurse examiners undergo training to collect evidence for rape kits and interview sexual assault survivors. The evidence and information they glean can be used later to arrest and prosecute sexual predators. In some cases, the nurses also end up testifying in court as expert witnesses.

In Louisiana, parish coroners are responsible for overseeing the collection of evidence from sexual assault victims. But in some communities, including Lafayette and Shreveport, nonprofit entities have provided these services for several years.



Now Odinets office says it will be able to provide more help to sexual assault survivors if it runs the program itself.

Hearts of Hope only has the resources to help victims at hospital emergency rooms in Lafayette Parish, St. Martin Hospital in St. Martin Parish and Abbeville General Hospital in Vermillion Parish. That leaves four other parishes in the region  Acadia, Evangeline, Iberia and St. Landry  without local access to the specially trained nurses.

Talamo said the Lafayette coroners office eventually hopes to provide sexual assault nurse examiners in all seven parishes of the region eventually.

Hearts of Hope backs the coroners efforts.

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Were trying to just really support this and see what we can do to make these services available to all seven parishes, Hearts of Hope executive director Kimberly Young said. If we can get this in every ER in our region, absolutely, lets do that.



Youngs organization also doesnt have full-time coverage for the facilities where it currently provides support. Hearts of Hope has part-time contracts with six sexual assault nurse examiners and one who works three days a week as the organizations medical director.

The nurses have other jobs and cant be available 24/7 to answer emergency room calls, Young said. Still, Hearts of Hope was responsible for administering 80% of rape kits in the Acadiana region last year, Young said.



The Lafayette coroner plans to hire at least three full-time sexual assault nurse examiners by January, when their program starts, and will eventually have 24/7 services available. Our Lady of Lourdes Regional Medical Center, Ochsner Lafayette General Medical Center and the Lafayette Consolidated Government have all agreed to contribute money to help the coroner hire the staff needed, Talamo said.

The Lafayette coroner will also receive money from the state to run its program. Louisiana pays the hospitals and sexual assault exam providers, whether its a nonprofit or the coroners office, for their services. The coroner will get $600 per exam, and the hospital where the exam takes place gets $1,000 per appointment.

Talamo said the coroners program will initially focus on Lafayette Parish. That plan raises questions about whether the St. Martin and Abbeville hospitals  both outside the parish  will lose access to nurse examiners, at least temporarily.



Hospital administrators at the facilities could not be reached for comment, but the Lafayette coroner expects St. Martin will join the coroners program because it is run by Ochsner, which is already participating through Lafayette General. Talamo said Odinet is also talking to the Abbeville hospital about participating.

Elsewhere in Louisiana, coroner-run sexual assault examination programs have proven difficult to control.



St. Tammany Coroner Dr. Christopher Tape, who was accused of sexual misconduct, abruptly canceled his sexual assault nurse examiner program that serves five Northshore parishes, saying it cost too much money.

Jefferson Parish coroner, Dr. Gerald Cvitanovich, took over those responsibilities from Tape to prevent an interruption in services

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LAFAYETTE, La. (KLFY)  The Louisiana Department of Education has named J. Joy Stalnaker, a French Immersion teacher at Myrtle Place Elementary in Lafayette, the Elementary Teacher of the Year.

Stalnaker teaches first grade math, science, and social studies.

Lafayette Parish Schools Superintendent Francis Touchet, Jr. said he applauds Stalnaker for her innovative teaching methods, unwavering commitment to student success and ability to inspire both students and colleagues.

Her remarkable impact on her students and her role as a leader in the field of education make her a true example of teaching excellence, Touchet said. She fosters a love of learning and pride in Louisiana for all her students.

The Lafayette Parish School System also congratulates Morgan Toups, an educator at David Thibodeaux STEM Magnet Academy, as a finalist for Louisianas New Teacher of the Year.

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Touchet said he appreciates the recognition of Lafayette Parishs promising cohort of new educators.

Ms. Toups represents the bright future of education in Lafayette Parish, he said. I am excited to offer new teachers the opportunity to join a team of such talented educators like her and Ms. Stalnaker.

The winners were honored during the 18th Annual Cecil J. Picard Educator Excellence Awards Gala held Saturday in Baton Rouge.

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An off-duty LAFD captain was arrested during a protest, then disciplined. Now he's suing the city

A prominent LAFD captain was arrested during a peaceful protest more than a year ago. He says he was later disciplined in violation of the 1st Amendment. (Bob Chamberlin / Los Angeles Times)

A prominent captain in the Los Angeles Fire Department sued the city Monday after he was disciplined following his arrest at a protest in support of hotel workers.

LAFD Capt. Frank Lima, who also serves as general secretary-treasurer of the International Assn. of Fire Fighters, a national union, filed the suit Monday in U.S. District Court in Los Angeles, alleging that his free speech rights were violated.

United Firefighters of Los Angeles City, the union representing Los Angeles firefighters, and the International Assn. of Fire Fighters are also plaintiffs.

The lawsuit claims that Lima last month received a notice of discipline from the LAFD stemming from his participation in a June 22, 2023, protest over wages and healthcare benefits for members of Unite Here Local 11, a labor group representing Los Angeles hotel workers.

Lima was off duty when he went to the protest, according to his lawsuit.

Demonstrators sat cross-legged in the middle of Century Boulevard near Los Angeles International Airport during the nonviolent protest, The Times reported at the time. The protest was widely covered by the media because scores of people, including several L.A. City Council members, were arrested.

The arrests were expected and the organizers coordinated with the Los Angeles Police Department ahead of time, according to the lawsuit. Lima was never charged, according to the lawsuit.

The protest drew more headlines later because Los Angeles City Atty. Hydee Feldstein Sotos office sent out a memo advising the citys elected officials to refrain from getting involved in labor disputes, saying such activities could result in legal action against the city. Critics questioned her advice, arguing that L.A. officials had long marched in solidarity with unions.

Lima claims in his lawsuit that he was wearing a shirt at the protest with the IAFF logo clearly identifying him as a union leader  not clothing or any other item that could in any way identify him as a LAFD employee."

He promptly reported his arrest to the LAFDs Professional Standards Division, as required by the department, according to the lawsuit. In October 2023, he was contacted by an internal investigator about the arrest and gave an interview that lasted five minutes.

Then, in June, he was given a "written reprimand" from the department and a notice of discipline that found he violated a section of LAFD rules that requires that members of the LAFD familiarize themselves with and be obedient to the rules, regulations, practices  and procedures of the Department."

He was also told he had violated another section that requires LAFD members to be governed by the ordinary and reasonable rules of behavior observed by law-abiding and self-respecting citizens and conduct themselves in a manner which will not tend to impair the good order and discipline of the Department," according to the lawsuit.

Lima's lawsuit claims violation of the 1st and 14th amendments of the U.S. Constitution, among other rights.

A representative for the Fire Department declined to comment on the lawsuit.

Lima didn't respond to a request for comment.

Ryan Heffernan, head of communications for the IAFF, told The Times that action against Lima is "meant to intimidate IAFF members from engaging in lawful union activity."

"The IAFF is proud of General Secretary-Treasurer Lima's leadership and support of California's hotel workers, and we are committed to challenging this LAFD policy infringing on our members' constitutional and legal rights," Heffernan said.

A 32-year veteran of the Fire Department, Lima is well known at the LAFD and the International Assn. of Fire Fighters, which represents 350,000 firefighters and emergency medical and rescue service workers in North America.

Lima has an unusual arrangement with the city, which also allows him to work for the national union. He works approximately 48 hours a month at the Fire Department, the lawsuit states.

The lawsuit claims the discipline hurts Limas promotional opportunities within the LAFD" and his earning potential. It could also serve as the basis for "harsher discipline" in the future.

Lima sued the LAFD two decades ago. A jury awarded him $3.75 million after he alleged retaliation by his superiors related to his oversight of a training drill.

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This story originally appeared in Los Angeles Times.
MOUNT JOY BOROUGH, Pa. (WHTM)  A Lancaster County woman was taken into custody after allegedly assaulting an adult male, a juvenile, and multiple police officers.

According to Mount Joy Borough Police, officers were dispatched to the 300 block of Martin Avenue in Mount Joy for reports of a domestic dispute.

Police say upon arrival, officers met an adult male and juvenile victim who who had been assaulted by the suspect. According to an affidavit, the adult male reported that the suspect was driving home drunk with their child and struck them in the face, causing swelling in their eyes.

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The affidavit says when the male tried to control the suspect, she bit his arm twice, causing his arm to bleed.

Upon arrival at the house, police say the suspect, later identified as 36-year-old Daisha Ilene Ja Giraldo, barricaded the door to the house. When officers gained entry, police say Giraldo struck an officer in the face.

Giraldo was taken into custody, however after arriving at the police station, she began punching and kicking multiple officers as they attempted to remove her from the vehicle, per police.

Giraldo is being charged with Aggravated Assault, Endangering the Welfare of Children, two counts of Simple Assault, and Resisting Arrest. She was released from Lancaster County Prison after posting $75,000 bail and is awaiting a preliminary hearing.

This is a developing story. Stay with abc27 News as more information becomes available

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Republican National Committee Co-chair Lara Trump mocked Vice President Harris on Monday by comparing her to a designer handbag made to look like a bag of trash, as Republicans continue personal attacks on the Democrats leading presidential candidate.

Trump, the former presidents daughter-in-law, argued in a Fox News interview that Democrats are pushing Harris on the public like shes a product for sale.

Its been incredible to see the way they have tried to prop up Kamala Harris and really sell her as some sort of  this amazing political figure, Trump said. It reminds me of there was this bag that a very famous designer designed, this is several years ago, and it literally was a trash bag, but they sold this thing for like $2,000 thinking that people would actually buy it. Its a similar situation with Kamala Harris.

Trump was referring to a handbag sold by Balenciaga designed to look like a trash bag as a form of head-turning high fashion.

As Democrats have quickly coalesced around Harris after President Biden ended his reelection bid, Republicans have increasingly made personal attacks against her, often focusing on her race and gender.

Multiple GOP lawmakers labeled the vice president a DEI hire, remarks that were denounced as racist and garnered pushback from top Republicans. Speaker Mike Johnson (R-La.) urged fellow lawmakers to stop going after Harriss race and gender last week.

New Hampshire Gov. Chris Sununu (R), a top voice among moderate Republicans, urged former President Trump and the party to ease off the personal attacks on Sunday and focus on campaign issues as the race heats up.

Sununu said Trump should stay away from the insults when discussing Harris.

He said Trump missed an opportunity to do that in recent campaign events, but hopefully they can get back on track. I think he was on track for a couple months there. I think that the change in the campaign has kind of fired him up to go against her, personally.

However, the governor also acknowledged that nobody can get Donald Trump to do anything. But hopefully the numbers, the polls, will get Donald Trump to realize what was working and what didnt.

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It seems like Donald Trumps love of trash talking his opponents has spread to other members of his family.

Last week, Trump described Kamala Harris as real garbage.

Now the GOP presidential candidates daughter-in-law Lara Trump has compared the Democratic White House hopeful to a designer trash bag.

Trump, co-chair of the Republican National Committee, made the bizarre comparison in an interview with Sean Hannity on Fox News in which she pushed back at the media for painting a positive picture of the vice president.

RNC CoChair Lara Trump compares Kamala Harris to a designer handbag which she describes as a trash bag pic.twitter.com/sn7jIdLOaX  Acyn (@Acyn) July 30, 2024

I think we very clearly have seen the mainstream media, and the folks out there are not gonna do it for us, in fact, theyre trying to rewrite history, she said. Its been incredible to see the way they have tried to prop up Kamala Harris and really sell her as some sort of, this amazing political figure to the American people.

It reminds me of, there was a bag that a very famous designer designed. This was several years ago, and it literally was a trash bag, but they sold this thing for like $2,000 thinking that people will actually buy it.

Its a similar situation with Kamala Harris. Nobody was interested in Kamala Harris even several months ago.

Harris Campaign Trolls 78-Year-Old Criminal Donald Trump After Fox News Appearance

Lara, married to Trumps third child, Eric, appeared to be referring to a Trash Pouch launched by designer Balenciaga in 2022 for an eye-watering $1,790. The drawstring bag resembled a black trash sack but was made with calfskin leather.

I couldnt miss an opportunity to make the most expensive trash bag in the world, because who doesnt love a fashion scandal? Balenciagas creative director, Demna, said at the time to Womens Wear Daily.

She was rated as the most liberal, most radical member of the United States Senate, Lara Trump told Hannity. We have to speak that loudly and clearly to the American people.

Read more at The Daily Beast.

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Burnt trees at the roadside pictured in the second largest Greek island of Euboea. Hundreds of firefighters and volunteers were battling a large forest fire on 30 July on Euboea, the second largest Greek island, with the blaze nearly impossible to contain due to strong winds. Vaiva Bauze/dpa

Hundreds of firefighters and volunteers were battling a large forest fire on Tuesday on Euboea, the second largest Greek island, with the blaze nearly impossible to contain due to strong winds.

The fire has spread rapidly in impassable terrain, said a fire brigade spokesman. Several villages and towns in the affected region in the southern part of the island were evacuated as a precautionary measure.

More than 200 firefighters and hundreds of volunteers were fighting the flames, the authorities said. In addition to seven firefighting aircraft and four firefighting helicopters, the coastguard was also on site with a firefighting boat.

The fire on Euboea is just one of more than 50 fires that have broken out in Greece within 24 hours, according to the fire brigade spokesman. However, the fires were quickly brought under control nearly everywhere.

Not so on Euboea.

"We have been used to fires here for many years," the mayor of Kymi-Aliveri, a town hit by the fires, told the newspaper Kathimerini. Residents are hoping the fire will die down. If not the situation could become even more dangerous.
HANGZHOU, July 30 (Xinhua) -- Sitting in her cozy apartment, Zhou Jihua, 86, gently touched the sleek black wristband on her arm. "This little device helped me a lot," she said.

Early this year, when she suddenly fainted, a simple press of the red SOS button on her wristband brought help to her door within minutes.

The smart wristband is part of the decades-long journey of Cuiyuan No. 1 Community, a neighborhood in Hangzhou, capital of east China's Zhejiang Province, to improve the lives of local elderly residents.

In 2002, the community took its first steps toward supporting its senior residents with charmingly low-tech solutions. Volunteers partnered with the elderly living alone, providing them with yellow ribbons and small red lights.

If people needed help, mostly simple things like changing light bulbs, they could hang the yellow ribbon on the balcony during the day or use the red light at night, Zhou recalled. Zhou had served as a volunteer herself after retirement, taking routine patrols in the neighborhood and knocking on people's doors to offer help.

In 2016, a full-coverage surveillance camera system was introduced around the neighborhood, enabling monitoring staff to identify emergencies in public areas.

Today, smart wristbands distributed to over 2,200 seniors aged 60 and above represent the latest iteration of this care system. These devices, equipped with an SOS button and health monitoring capabilities, connect directly to a 24-hour community monitoring center and emergency contacts. They also track vital signs and alert medical personnel in case of anomalies.

"Our commitment to caring for the elderly has been consistent, but our methods have evolved with technology. From yellow ribbons to smart wristbands, we've come a long way," said Xiang Feifei, Party chief of the community.

This dedication mirrors China's efforts to improve elderly care services. With over 290 million people aged 60 and above by the end of 2023, over 21 percent of the total population, the country faces pressing challenges in meeting diverse senior needs.

A Ministry of Civil Affairs survey reveals that 22.1 percent of elderly individuals require meal assistance services, making it a critical aspect of home-based care. In response, the ministry, along with other government bodies, released an action plan in October 2023 to significantly increase the coverage of meal assistance services across the country by the end of 2025.

Cuiyuan No. 1 Community has been at the forefront of this initiative. In 2003, it established Zhejiang's first senior canteen, which had undergone three major upgrades over the years. Today, it spans 220 square meters, accommodating around 50 diners and offering a variety of affordable meal options. The canteen now features a smart digital system that provides personalized meal recommendations based on individual health needs.

Chen Quanfu, who has dined at the canteen daily for over 15 years, said, "From the changes in the canteen, I've witnessed the community's dedication."

Earlier this month, over 300 measures were unveiled at a key plenum of the Communist Party of China leadership to push for deeper comprehensive reform, pledging to develop community-based facilities to improve the supply of basic elderly care services.

"Our goal has always been to address the most immediate concerns of our senior residents," Xiang said. "We're constantly looking for ways to improve their quality of life." 
Democratic U.S. Sen. Jon Tester and Republican Senate candidate Tim Sheehy. (Photos viaJennifer Shutt, States Newsroom and Sheehy campaign)

Democratic U.S. Sen. Jon Tester maintains more than a 3-to-1 cash advantage over Republican challenger Tim Sheehy and continues his breakneck fundraising heading into the final four months before Novembers election, according to campaign finance reports filed earlier this month.

The Federal Election Commission fundraising figures for the period of mid-May through June show both of the top candidates for Testers U.S. Senate seat continue their strong fundraising performances, as both topped their first-quarter fundraising by at least $1 million.

The seat is key to power in the Senate, where Democrats are trying to keep hold of their slim majority while Sheehy and National Republican Senatorial Committee Chairperson Steve Daines try to unseat Tester after 18 years and win back power with wins in a handful of key states, including Montana, Ohio, Michigan, Nevada and Arizona.

Tester brought in another $6.4 million between May 16 and July 1, spent $7.3 million, and started July with $10.8 million in cash. He has now raised $43.7 million and spent $33.9 million since the beginning of last year in his effort to win a fourth term. According to FEC data, Tester has raised the fourth-most money of any Senate candidate running this year.

Sheehy brought in $3.1 million during the period, including another $400,000 loan he gave his campaign, according to his filing. He spent $2.1 million during the period and had $3.2 million in cash heading into the third quarter of the year.

Sheehy, the political newcomer from Bozeman who recently resigned from his aerial firefighting company Bridger Aerospace, has raised $13.7 million during the campaign, including $2.4 million in loans he has given to it. He has spent $10.4 million.

Tester raised and spent about $20 million during the 2018 campaign  about four times as much as Republican challenger Matt Rosendale, whom Tester defeated by about 3 percentage points.

Libertarian Sid Daoud and Green Party candidate Michael Downey did not file campaign finance reports for the period. The FEC does not require candidates to report under the Federal Election Campaign Act of 1971 if they raise or spend less than $5,000.

1st Congressional District

The 1st Congressional District race, which is expected to be the tighter of Montanas two congressional races this year, also continues to see significant cash flowing in and out of the campaigns of the top two candidates in the race.

Incumbent Rep. Ryan Zinke, R-Montana, raised another $1 million during the period, spent about $455,000, and started July with about $3.1 million in cash on hand. Hes so far raised $6.9 million and spent $4.2 million of that during the campaign.

Democrat Monica Tranel raised $773,000 during the period and spent $183,000, leaving her with $2.1 million heading into the third quarter. She has raised $3.1 million so far during her campaign and spent $988,000, according to FEC reports.

Zinke defeated Tranel for the same seat in 2022 49.6% to 46.5%, while Libertarian John Lamb received 3.9% of the vote. During that cycle, Zinke outraised Tranel about 2-to-1, bringing in $6.5 million to her $3 million.

Dennis Hayes, the Libertarian candidate on the ballot in the race this year, did not file reports for the period.

2nd Congressional District

In the 2nd Congressional District race for the eastern Montana seat, which Republican Rep. Matt Rosendale won by more than 70,000 votes in 2022, making it a Republican-heavy district, current State Auditor Troy Downing brought in $288,000 during the period, including another loan of $35,000 he made to his campaign.

Downing spent $627,000 during the period and started July with $96,000 in cash. Hes now raised $2.1 million during the campaign, including about $1 million he has loaned the campaign, and spent about $2 million. Downing beat out seven other Republicans in the June primary, bringing in 36% of the vote share.

About 36,000 people voted for Downing in the primary compared to about 40,000 who voted in the Democratic primary in total.

Democrat John Driscoll, a Helena former state legislator and Public Service Commissioner, did not file a report for the period and there are no candidates from other parties on Novembers ballot.
Some caregivers who havent become formal guardians struggle with resources, including accessing Temporary Assistance for Needy Families. (Photo: Getty Images)

Attorneys overseeing minor guardianship cases face months-long waits before seeing judges and often have petitions where caregivers are seeking temporary guardianship denied, rulings that can effectively deny children of financial support and even health care.

There are large missing chunks of law when it comes to helping children during guardianship cases, Marina Dalia-Hunt, a minor guardianship attorney with the Legal Aid Center of Southern Nevada, told lawmakers during a legislative Interim Judiciary Committee meeting last week..

Children facing abuse or neglect can be removed from parents and placed in the child dependency system, such as Child Protective Services or foster care.

That dependency system affords them access to legal representation and other resources, such as financial assistance for caregivers, Dalia-Hunt said.

Not every child goes that route, and instead a relative might take the child in, which is where some legal challenges can arise.

Weve noticed in a lot of our cases the caregiver, who is now seeking guardianship, has been caring for the child for some time, Dalia-Hunt said, adding In some instances caregivers have raised children from infancy through 5 years old.

Then, its time to enroll the kid in kindergarten, and they dont have a guardianship so they come to the court, she said.

The wait time to see a judge after the initial petition for guardianship is three to four months, she said.

Childrens emergencies cannot wait three to four months, she said.

Dalia-Hunt highlighted several recent cases where caregivers sought to get temporary guardianship but were denied by the court. Its a common occurrence, she said.

In one instance, Dalia-Hunt said temporary guardianship was needed for a child to seek treatment for kidney failure. The case was denied.

Legal Aid was able to appeal the case to the Nevada Supreme Court, along with several other cases, and have temporary guardianship granted.

Those kids were lucky enough to have an attorney who was practicing in this area for the last five years, said Jonathan Norman, policy director with the Nevada Coalition of Legal Service Providers.

There are countless situations where people lack legal representation, he said.

We dont represent every kid in Clark County, Norman said. We dont have the resources and number of attorneys. Its important when we think about how these laws impact pro se litigants, the unrepresented kids.

The Legal Aid Center has represented thousands of children and opened more than 600 new minor guardianship cases last year.

There are differences in resources and support children get when they enter the child welfare system versus when they go to live with caregivers without entering the child dependency system, Dalia-Hunt explained to lawmakers.

She said in child dependency cases, a child and parent are wrapped in services so that the child can receive the educational services, therapeutic services, medical services that they need in a safe environment and the parent can work on reunification.

None of that exists in guardianship, she added.

Some caregivers who havent become formal guardians struggle with resources, including accessing Temporary Assistance for Needy Families, or TANF. She said even if approved, families often receive around $400 a month regardless of how many children.

One child or nine, the most weve ever seen, is $432 a month, she said. In the dependency (system), adoption subsidies are around $800 per child per month.

Another issue, she said, was that courts dont consider relationships to the child beyond blood relationship such as step parents.

Legal Aid also referenced a case where the mother, who was dying of cancer, wrote in her will that she wanted her best friend to take over care of her daughter.

An uncle from out of state petitioned for guardianship having never met the child, Dalia-Hunt said. The judge granted guardianship to the uncle contrary to what mom, who had then passed, had wanted for her daughter.

Though there have been reforms to the adult guardianship process, Katie Anderson, an attorney with the Guardianship Advocacy Project with the Legal Aid Center of Southern Nevada, said there are other issues the legislature could address.

If an adult guardian wants to move the person in their care, who is an adult, in their care out of state, they would file a petition with the court.

Anderson said if the judge grants permission to move against the wishes of the protected person, the person in care isnt able to appeal the decision.
TOPEKA (KSNT)  A longtime Topeka staple shut its doors for the last time on Tuesday.

Larrys Shortstop, which has been located on Topeka Boulevard for nearly 40 years, is officially closed as of 2 p.m. on July 30. They were known for their great cheeseburgers and breakfast options.

27 News spoke to some employees who tell us they are closing after the most recent owner recently went back home to Mississippi. They also say they did not receive their most recent paycheck.

Longtime Topeka hobby store to move locations

The employees said they are hopeful somebody new will eventually buy the store and reopen the kitchen, but for now it is officially closed. The business changed hands in October 2022, undergoing some renovation work.

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EL PASO, Texas (KTSM)  A joint operation to combat retail theft in Las Cruces resulted in 14 arrests last week, numerous citations and hundreds of dollars in recovered merchandise, the Las Cruces Police said.

Las Cruces Police and New Mexico State Police teamed up on the joint operation on Friday, July 26. Nine physical arrests were made and five criminal citations were issued that mandate a court appearance.

The joint operation also involved asset protection teams from Walmart and Walgreens stores and targeted repeat offenders, the Las Cruces Police said.



Were pleased with the commitment and dedication of the officers and agents of the New Mexico State Police and Las Cruces Police Department to address the retail theft and shoplifting occurring within the city, said LCPD Chief Jeremy Story. The cooperation of Walmart and Walgreens asset protections was vital and added to the success of the operation.



Many of those arrested and charged were repeat offenders, Story added.



The daylong operation resulted in nine physical arrests; five criminal citations requiring a court appearance; four citations for criminal trespassing; seven citations for petty shoplifting; one felony shoplifting arrest; seven warrants served; two seizures of narcotics; and one felony charge for possession of narcotics, Las Cruces Police said.



Law enforcement partners recovered $578 in merchandise that was shoplifted during the day and identified more than $2,600 in merchandise that was previously stolen by the offenders, according to Las Cruces Police.



The success of this operation underscores the relentless commitment of the New Mexico State Police to combat retail theft and protect our community, said Troy Weisler, chief of the New Mexico State Police. Our collaboration with the Las Cruces Police Department and local businesses was instrumental in apprehending repeat offenders and recovering stolen merchandise. We remain dedicated to working together with our partners to address and reduce retail crime in the Las Cruces area.



Retail theft has become a growing issue in the Las Cruces area with instances of shoplifting and organized retail theft occurring daily, Las Cruces Police said.



More joint operations are planned for the near future.

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LAS VEGAS (KLAS)  The owners of a Las Vegas restaurant chain are paying back employees following a three-year federal departments investigation, but they are pushing back on the language used to describe their actions and want to explain what led to the $475,000 fine.

On Monday, the U.S. Department of Labors Wage and Hour Division District in Las Vegas released details regarding their investigation of Juans Flaming Fajitas & Cantina finding 32 employees hours were not combined from working at multiple locations, resulting in unpaid overtime wages.

The restaurants owner was found to have failed to pay the affected workers overtime for hours over 40 in a workweek and wrongly exempted two others from overtime eligibility, according to investigators.

Juans Flaming Fajitas & Cantina (KLAS)

Our investigators found Juans Flaming Fajitas & Cantina deliberately withheld overtime pay earned by dozens of hard-working employees, Gene Ramos, Las Vegas district director of the Wage and Hour Division, said. This cases outcome highlights the importance of protecting workers rights, including their right to be paid fairly and fully, and reflects the types of violations we find far too often in food service industry investigations.

However, the restaurants owner, Juan Vazquez, told 8 News Now he disagreed his actions were deliberate and instead pointed to the timeline of the investigation.

The report that came out today, they said that we deliberately did not pay the overtime wages, which is not true, Vazquez said. This was an honest mistake.

Juan Vazquez, owner of Juans Flaming Fajitas & Cantina (KLAS)

Vazquez said he worked with the departments inspector, Yvonne Collado, during their investigation to understand what happened, and why employees were citing unpaid overtime wages.

Inspector Yvonne Collado did a great job, he said. She helped us out and we gave her everything in a timely manner, and once we found out what we were doing wrong, we corrected everything.

8 News Now requested information from the U.S. Department of Labor regarding how the investigation determined Vazquezs actions were deliberate, and a spokesperson provided a statement via email in response.

Investigators deemed these violations to be willful and because of it the agency assessed civil money penalties, the spokesperson wrote. This case was settled administratively. In other words, without a court judgment.

The investigation into Juans Flaming Fajitas & Cantina looked at records from Mar. 2021 to Mar. 2024.

Multiple paychecks, same hours

The investigation and Vazquez both indicate that employees worked over 40 hours at multiple locations, but each of the three restaurants is registered under separate LLCs which caused multiple paychecksas compared to one paycheck reflecting the total sum of hours worked.

If I would have known that in the governments eyes, that our three restaurants, our three LLCs, are considered one enterprise, I would have paid at that time, Vazquez said. Our payroll company never mentioned anything about combining anything together.

Vazquez said his restaurant chain, which employs over 300 staff, is mom and pop and noted that the company doesnt have a human resources division of the business.

Juans Flaming Fajitas & Cantina (KLAS)

Juans Flaming Fajitas & Cantina (KLAS)

Juans Flaming Fajitas & Cantina (KLAS)

What makes our restaurant go is our employees, he said. I will never cheat them out of anything that theyre owed by us.

Following the investigation Vazquez said he was partly relieved the investigator found an issue within the past three years, and said he feared what the fine could have been if he went without knowing for longer.

Even after we found out what we did wrong, the next couple of payrolls, we took a hit, because we were paying a lot of overtime, he said. But thats okay because we did this, we got to correct it.

Juan Vazquez, owner of Juans Flaming Fajitas & Cantina talking to customers (KLAS)

After speaking with 8 News Now, Vazquez immediately picked up a broom and started to sweep around his restaurant while expressing to customers his hope they see the business is trying to do the right thingfollowing an investigation.

Every time our employees come in, they do their best to give every single customer a great dining experience, he said. We love our community.

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The Latest: Project 2025's director steps down and Trump says Harris 'doesn't like Jewish people'

FILE - Vice President Kamala Harris speaks, Jan. 11, 2022, in Atlanta. With President Joe Biden having bowed out of the presidential race and endorsing Harris, their party is suddenly eyeing an expanding map, betting that a new burst of energy and fundraising surge has helped make Georgia, the state that delivered Biden his narrowest victory margin in 2020, a toss-up again. Harris is planning a show of political force on Tuesday, July 30, 2024, in Atlanta, the latest example of just how much the presidential contest against Republican former President Donald Trump has changed. (AP Photo/Patrick Semansky, File)

Republican Donald Trumps campaign has announced that he will travel to Atlanta on Saturday for a rally in the same venue where Democratic Vice President Kamala Harris plans one Tuesday night featuring a performance by hip hop star Megan Thee Stallion.

Dueling ad campaigns by the presidential candidates portray Harris as fearless, while an ad from Trump blasts the vice president for problems at the southern U.S. border.

Trump also appears to be backing away from his earlier commitment to debate Harris, questioning the value of a meetup and saying that he probably will debate but that he can also make a case for not doing it  prompting her campaign to say hes scared.

Senate lawmakers grilled the acting director of the Secret Service about law enforcement lapses in the hours before the attempted assassination of Trump.

And Trump said in an interview Tuesday on radio station WABC that Harris doesnt like Jewish people and appeared to agree with a host who called her Jewish husband, Doug Emhoff, a crappy Jew.

Follow the APs Election-2024 coverage at: https://apnews.com/hub/election-2024.

Here's the Latest:

Harris campaign plans tour next week with running mate

Kamala Harris will be traveling to battleground states next week with her yet-to-be-named running mate, according to an itinerary from the campaign.

Campaign officials stress that the vice president has not yet made her decision, but the schedule confirms her plans to announce it soon.

The newly announced Democratic ticket will appear together in Philadelphia; western Wisconsin; Detroit; Raleigh, North Carolina; Savannah, Georgia; Phoenix and Las Vegas.

Those plans affirm Harris aides insistence that the presidential race will be decided in both Rust Belt states and Sun Belt states in the South and the Southwest.

Before President Joe Biden ended his campaign, many Democrats feared that his reelection path had narrowed to Pennsylvania, Michigan and Wisconsin.

Harris vows to tackle inflation, immigration

Kamala Harris is promising to address immigration and Americans economic anxieties after years of rising consumer prices.

At an Atlanta campaign rally, the vice president promised she would address price gouging on day one. The likely Democratic nominee acknowledged that rising prices have hit U.S. households, and she pledged that boosting the middle class would be a defining theme of a Harris presidency.

On immigration, Harris was not subtle about blaming her Republican rival Donald Trump for killing a bipartisan Senate deal that would have addressed border security and the U.S. governments ability to handle asylum seekers and other migrants who cross the border illegally.

He tanked the bipartisan deal because he thought it would help win him an election, Harris said, which goes to show Donald Trump does not care about border security. He only cares about himself.

Republicans have identified immigration and inflation as perhaps the two biggest liabilities for Harris. They already had spent months hammering President Joe Biden on those matters before he ended his reelection bid.

Ex-prosecutor Harris: I know Donald Trumps type

Kamala Harris is leaning into her record as a prosecutor, telling thousands of supporters in Atlanta that her experience in the courtroom, as district attorney and as California attorney general make her ready to take on Republican Donald Trump.

In those roles, I took on perpetrators of all kinds, she said. Predators who abused women. Fraudsters who ripped off consumers. Cheaters who broke the rules for their own gain. So hear me when I say: I know Donald Trumps type.

Harris said, In this campaign, I will proudly put my record against his any day.

Harris ran for the 2020 Democratic presidential nomination making similar arguments but could not break through a crowded field. This time, Democrats believe the argument is especially resonant as Harris takes on Trump directly  this time after hes been convicted on 34 felony counts and has three additional pending indictments.

Georgias Democratic senators work the crowd for Harris

Sen. Jon Ossoff called Republican former President Donald Trump and his running mate, Ohio Sen. JD Vance, strange men with dangerous ideas. When he talked about Trump, the crowd briefly chanted, Lock him up!

Sen. Raphael Warnock said everybody knows that the road to the White House goes through Georgia. He added that Trump is trying to steal your vote. Kamala Harris is trying to earn your vote.

Warnock also drew long boos when he recalled Trump recently suggesting that, after November, Christians in four years, you dont have to vote again.

The Harris campaign says 10,000 people are attending the raucous rally at Georgia State Universitys Convocation Center. Trump is scheduled to hold a rally at the same venue on Saturday.

Stacey Abrams amps up the crowd at Harris' Atlanta rally

Democrat Stacey Abrams is leading off an Atlanta rally for Kamala Harris presidential campaign, stirring the largest crowd the vice presidents nascent bid has attracted since President Joe Biden ended his campaign and endorsed his top lieutenant.

Abrams twice lost governors races in Georgia but is credited with rebuilding the Democratic Party in the state and paving the way for Biden to carry the state in 2020 and for U.S. Sens. Raphael Warnock and Jon Ossoff to win tight races that tilted the chamber to Democratic control.

People discounted Georgia. They dismissed Georgia, Abrams said of 2020 forecasts that did not consider the historically conservative state a battleground until late in the campaign. They didnt know Georgia.

Abrams urged the assembly to maintain their enthusiasm and not let Donald Trump raze the ground and salt the earth.

We watched what happened for four years and were not going back, Abrams said.

Google autocomplete results around Trump lead to claims of election interference

With fewer than 100 days until the 2024 election, social media users are claiming that a lack of Google autocomplete results about former President Donald Trump and his attempted assassination are evidence of election interference.

Many posts include screenshots showing what the autocomplete feature, which predicts what users are trying to type, has generated for text such as attempted assassination of tr or president donald. Among the pictured results for the former phrase are references to other assassination attempts, including that of Harry Truman and Gerald Ford, but nothing for Trump. The latter provides two options  president donald duck and president donald regan.

It is true that Googles autocomplete feature as of Monday was not finishing certain phrases related to Trump and the assassination attempt as shown in screenshots spreading online, but there is no evidence it was related to election interference. Completed searches about Trump and the assassination attempt done on both Monday and Tuesday yielded extensive relevant results regardless of what autocomplete predictions came up.

Google told the AP that its autocomplete feature has automated protections regarding violent topics, including for searches about theoretical assassination attempts. The company further explained that its systems were out of date even prior to July 13, meaning that the protections already in place couldnt take into account that an actual assassination attempt had occurred.

The Heritage Foundation says Project 2025 is not going away

Project 2025s website will remain live and the group will continue vetting resumes for its nearly 20,000-person database of potential officials eager to execute its vision for government, the Heritage Foundation said Tuesday.

The group said project director Paul Dans will leave the Heritage Foundation in August and Heritage Foundation President Kevin Roberts will now run Project 2025 operations. Roberts has faced criticism in recent weeks after he said on an episode of former Trump aide Steve Bannons War Room podcast that the country is in the midst of a second American Revolution that will be bloodless if the left allows it to be.

Earlier this month, in an interview before beginning a prison sentence for defying a congressional subpoena, Bannon mentioned Roberts as the type of leader who could land a top job in a Trump White House. Roberts has written a book that will be released on Sept. 24 called Dawns Early Light: Taking Back Washington to Save America. An advance blurb for the book lists government agencies and outside groups that conservatives need to build, others that we need to take back, and more still that are too corrupt to save.

All these need to be dissolved if the American way of life is to be passed down to future generations, the blurb says. The good news is, were going to win.

The author of the foreword to Roberts book is JD Vance, the Ohio senator Trump picked as his vice presidential running mate.

A speaking invitation from Trump splits the most prominent American group for Black journalists

Donald Trumps invitation to address the National Association of Black Journalists has sparked an intense debate within the organization and a flurry of arguments online.

Journalism organizations for people of color traditionally invite presidential candidates to address their summer gatherings during election years. But Trumps acceptance of NABJs invitation has led at least one high-profile group member to step down as a convention co-chair and others to argue their convention may become a platform for Trump to make false claims or be seen as winning NABJs endorsement.

The debate over NABJs invite reflects how many journalists are still grappling with how to approach Trump nearly a decade after his first presidential run. Some group members argued journalists should give newsmakers an opportunity to be heard, while others pointed to Trumps demeaning of prominent Black journalists, as well as his frequent falsehoods and attacks on the free press, including labeling reporters the enemy of the people.

Vice President Kamala Harris, the likely Democratic nominee and first Black woman to hold her office, is not currently scheduled to address the convention. A person familiar with her schedule, speaking on condition of anonymity, said the Harris campaign was unable to find a time to appear at NABJ in person and claimed the organization turned down an offer for her to appear virtually.

Top Biden aid leaves White House to join Democratic super PAC

One of President Joe Bidens top aides is leaving the White House to advise the primary Democratic super PAC supporting Vice President Kamala Harris bid for the White House, according to a person familiar with the matter.

Anita Dunn, who has served as a senior adviser in the West Wing and has overseen communications and messaging both at the White House and Bidens former campaign in Delaware, will be taking an advisery role with the group Future Forward, the person said on the condition of anonymity to discuss her plans.

Biden praised Dunn in a statement, saying, I deeply value her counsel and friendship and I will continue to rely on her partnership and insights as we finish the job over the next six months.

Dunn and her husband, Bidens personal attorney Bob Bauer, had come under criticism from some Biden allies for their roles in preparing the president for his disastrous June 27 debate against former President Donald Trump. Bidens performance sparked a tidal wave of concern within his part over his ability to take on Trump in November that culminated in his decision last Sunday to quit the race and endorse Harris in his stead.

Biden, though, according to another person familiar with the matter, had made clear to Dunn and Bauer that he took responsibility for the debate and didnt blame them.

With funeral behind them, family of fire chief killed in Trump assassination attempt begins grieving

The funeral is over. The crowds have left. Now the hard work of grieving is beginning for the family of a former fire chief who was shot and killed during the attempted assassination of former President Donald Trump.

Corey Comperatores sister, Dawn Comperatore Schafer, is mad at the scammers trying to collect money on their behalf fraudulently. She is trying to understand how it all happened.

Mostly, though, she is shattered. She said the family got through the funeral with the love and support of thousands of people. They kept us standing, she said. But, she added, it doesnt stop after that. The aftermath is just that. You sit with the loss, she explained.

Were hoping the next several weeks coming ahead is when we can really wrap our heads around all of this. Were trying to get out of the noise. And thats very hard to do, as you can imagine. But thats what were trying to do. Were trying to get out of the noise.

The noise has been constant for the Comperatore family from the moment a bullet aimed at Trump killed her 50-year-old baby brother, who was a spectator at the July 13 rally in Butler, Pennsylvania.

He was there, she said of her brother, because he loved this country. He wanted his country and the peoples lives to improve.

Project 2025 director leaves Heritage Foundation after Democrat attacks and Trump criticism

The director of the Heritage Foundations Project 2025, a vision for a complete overhaul of the federal government, has stepped down according to a spokesperson for the think tank. Heritage Foundation President Kevin Roberts said in a statement the group is sticking to its original timeline and director Paul Dans exit comes after the project completed exactly what it set out to do" and that the "tool was built for any future administration to use.

But the news came after former President Donald Trump has increasingly disavowed and criticized Project 2025, prompting speculation that his campaign forced the exit.

President Trumps campaign has been very clear for over a year that Project 2025 had nothing to do with the campaign, did not speak for the campaign, and should not be associated with the campaign or the President in any way, Trump campaign advisers Susie Wiles and Chris LaCivita said in a statement.

Many Trump allies and former top aides contributed to the project, which proposes a mass firing of government employees and sweeping changes to American life. Vice President Kamala Harris campaign and top Democrats have repeatedly tied Trump to Project 2025 as they argue against a second Trump term. A statement from Harris' campaign manager Julie Chavez Rodriguez called Project 2025 Trump's agenda, written by his allies, for Donald Trump to inflict on our country.

Kari Lake aims to win GOP primary for closely watched Arizona Senate race

Kari Lake is looking to easily win the Republican nomination for U.S. Senate in Arizona on Tuesday, setting up a fierce battle against Democratic U.S. Rep. Ruben Gallego for a seat that could be crucial to deciding Senate control.

In Maricopa County, which includes metro Phoenix and 60% of Arizonas voters, Republicans will also choose between a slate of incumbents who have stood up to former President Donald Trumps lies about the 2020 election and challengers who claim it was stolen.

The U.S. Justice Department said it will monitor compliance with federal voting rights laws in Maricopa County for Tuesdays primary. County Sheriffs officials told Phoenix radio station KTAR that any attempts to disrupt vote centers, harass poll workers or prevent voting will be punished.

The primary will give insights about where the narrowly divided state is headed going into the final sprint of the 2024 election, when Arizona is central to the fight for control of the White House and Congress.

Donald Trump to attend Black journalists convention in Chicago

Former President Donald Trump is planning to attend the National Association of Black Journalists annual convention in Chicago on Wednesday.

In a statement released Monday night, the Trump campaign said the Republican presidential nominee would participate in a question and answer session that will concentrate on the most pressing issues facing the Black community.

Trumps campaign has spent months scheduling appearances in areas outside his traditional strongholds of support, including when he attended  and was roundly booed at  the Libertarian Party convention in Washington earlier this year.

In its announcement, the campaign trumpeted Trump policies that it argued benefited Black Americans during his first term.

Harris pivots to convincing Arab American voters of her leadership

Vice President Kamala Harris appears to be trying to convince Arab American voters in crucial Michigan that she is someone they can unite behind. Community leaders are watching closely for signals that she will be more vocal in pressing for a cease-fire in Gaza.

Many in metro Detroit, home to the nations largest Muslim population, have expressed a willingness to listen, and some have had initial conversations with Harris team. Many had grown exasperated with President Joe Biden after they felt months of outreach had not yielded many results.

The door is cracked open since Biden has stepped down, said Dearborn Mayor Abdullah Hammoud. Theres an opportunity for the Democratic nominee to coalesce the coalition that ushered in Bidens presidency four years ago. But that responsibility will now fall on the vice president.

Harris did not attend Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahus recent address to Congress, and some Arab American leaders interpret her absence as a sign of good faith with them.

Trump says Harris, married to a Jewish man, doesn't like Jewish people

Former President Donald Trump said in a radio interview Tuesday that Vice President Kamala Harris, who is married to a Jewish man, doesnt like Jewish people and appeared to agree with a radio host who called second gentleman Doug Emhoff a crappy Jew.

Trump, speaking on radio station WABC, claimed Harris looked uncomfortable while meeting last week with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.

You can see the disdain, he said. No. 1, she doesnt like Israel. No. 2, she doesnt like Jewish people. You know it, I know it and everybody knows it, and nobody wants to say it.

The Republican former president then said, If youre Jewish, if you vote for a Democrat, youre a fool, an absolute fool. They have let Jewish people down since Obama at a level that nobody could believe.

As the interview went on, Trump again said Harris dislikes Jewish people. The interview host, Sid Rosenberg, then mentioned Emhoff and said, Hes Jewish like Bernie Sanders is Jewish. Are you kidding me?

Yeah, Trump said.

Hes a crappy Jew, Rosenberg said.

Yeah, Trump said again.

Rosenberg went on, saying of Emhoff, Hes a horrible Jew.

James Singer, a spokesperson for the Harris campaign, said, America is better than the fear, hate, and despicable insults of Donald Trump. Vice President Harris believes Americans want a president who unites our country instead of divides it, uses the power of the presidency to help families instead of hurt them, and has a vision for our future, instead of taking us backwards.

Harris' potential running mates walk a fine line

Democratic governors and other officials under consideration to be Democrat Kamala Harris vice presidential running mate are practicing a time-honored tradition in presidential campaigns. Theyre walking the line between open self-promotion and loyal advocacy for the potential boss in what amounts to unofficial auditions.

Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro campaigned for Harris on Monday outside Philadelphia. He blasted Republican former President Donald Trump and called Harris ready to lead. But he also showcased his own accomplishments.

Kentucky Gov. Andy Beshear took a similar approach over the weekend. He told voters in Georgia that Harris has the makings of a great president," and then highlighted the elections he has won as a Democrat in Republican territory.

Harris is said to also be considering Arizona Sen. Mark Kelly, among others.

Secret Service head, FBI's No. 2 grilled by Senate lawmakers

The acting director of the Secret Service said Tuesday he cannot defend why the roof used by the gunman in the assassination attempt on former President Donald Trump was not secured.

Ronald Rowe, testifying before two Senate committees, said that he recently traveled to the Pennsylvania shooting site where Trump had been holding a campaign rally, and that what I saw made me ashamed.

Rowe was joined at a joint hearing of the Senate committees on the Judiciary and Homeland Security by FBI Deputy Director Paul Abbate.

The FBIs No. 2 official said a social media account believed to be associated with the gunman espoused political violence and included antisemitic and anti-immigrant sentiment. The posts were from when the shooter, Thomas Matthew Crooks, would have been in high school.

Trump plans rally at same Georgia venue as Harris event

Republican Donald Trump's campaign announced Tuesday, hours ahead of a rally planned by Vice President Kamala Harris at Georgia State University, that he will travel to Atlanta on Saturday for a rally in the same venue.

Democrats say they have new hope for winning Georgia in November after President Joe Biden bowed out of the race and endorsed Harris. Theyre betting that a fresh burst of energy and a surge in fundraising has helped make Georgia  the state that delivered Biden his narrowest victory margin in 2020  a toss-up again.

The Harris campaign and Georgia Democratic officials have 24 offices across the state, including two added last weekend in metro Atlanta. Trump and the Republican National Committee opened their first Georgia offices only recently.

Trump ad blasts Harris for problems at the border

Republican candidate Donald Trumps campaign released a new advertisement Tuesday, blasting Vice President Kamala Harris for problems at the U.S. southern border.

The advertisement dubs Harris the border czar, a reference to her work on migration issues. It includes a parade of headlines about drugs and criminals entering the country, as well as a clip from a controversial interview that Harris did three years ago in which she brushed off a suggestion that she would visit the border.

Failed. Weak. Dangerously liberal, the advertisement brands Harris.

New $50 million ad portrays Harris as fearless

Vice President Kamala Harris campaign is kickstarting a $50 million advertising campaign with a new television spot calling the likely Democratic presidential nominee fearless throughout her career.

Throughout her career as a courtroom prosecutor, attorney general, United States senator, and now as vice president, Kamala Harris has always stood up to bullies, criminals and special interests on behalf of the American people  and shes beaten them, said a statement from Jen OMalley Dillon, the campaign chair.

Shes uniquely suited to take on Donald Trump, a convicted felon who has spent his entire life ripping off working people, tearing away our rights, and fighting for himself.

The advertisement is slated to run during the Olympics, The Bachelorette, The Daily Show and other popular programs. Its an attempt to even the score with Republicans, who have been outspending Democrats on the airwaves during a chaotic summer when President Joe Biden ended his reelection bid and endorsed Harris.

Rapper Megan Thee Stallion to campaign for Harris

Rapper Megan Thee Stallion will join Vice President Kamala Harris for a special performance during her campaign stop in Atlanta on Tuesday.

A Harris campaign spokesperson confirmed the hip-hop stars performance alongside the vice president in a post on X on Monday night.

The Harris campaign is promising a large rally in Atlanta, on par with the large events that Republican former President Donald Trump has made his signature.

Harris has America focused on multiracial identity

If Vice President Kamala Harris were to ascend to the presidency, she would become the first female president, but also one who is also multiracial.

The daughter of a Jamaican father and an Indian mother, both of whom immigrated to the U.S. during the Civil Rights Movement, Harris historic presidential bid has again put a spotlight on American identity politics and the growing number of people who say they are multiracial.

Different countries divide people into categories depending on different national traditions. The U.S., with its slavery-molded history, divides people into Black or white, and nine million people identified as multiracial in 2010.

When Harris ran for vice president in 2020, 33.8 million people in the U.S. identified as being more than one race, according to the census.
Despite the smoke hanging around the Treasure Valley, crews are making headway fighting some of the wildfires in Idaho and Eastern Oregon.

Here is a rundown of where those blazes stand:

 The Bench Lake Fire, which threatened historic Redfish Lake Lodge, was 85% contained as of Tuesday morning, according to InciWeb, a government website that tracks wildfires. The human-caused fire has burned nearly 2,600 acres in the Sawtooth National Recreation Area about 8 miles south of Stanley.

Continued progress on controlling the fire allowed officials to reopen the Redfish Lake Recreation Complex to the public on Tuesday. Recreationists were asked to be aware of fire personnel and equipment still working in the area along Idaho Highway 75, and to keep a distance of 300 feet from the west shore of Redfish Lake.

Officials estimate the Bench Lake Fire will be fully contained by Aug. 21.

 The massive Durkee Fire has consumed 293,390 acres since it was sparked by lightning on July 17 about a mile west of Durkee, Oregon.

Officials were forced to close portions of Interstate 84 in Oregon last week because of the fire, which is now 51% contained, with an estimated containment date of Aug. 8. This fire has been sending smoke into Southwest Idaho for well over a week.

The Baker County Sheriffs Office provides evacuation updates for the Durkee Fire on its Facebook page.

 The Cow Valley Fire, which started July 11 northwest of Vale, Oregon, had burned 133,490 acres as of Monday morning. However, the blaze is 99% contained, with an estimated containment date of Aug. 3, which is Saturday.

Officials say the fire was human-caused and remains under investigation.

 There are two other fires burning in the Boise National Forest. The Wapiti Fire, which sits at 50 acres with 0% containment, forced the evacuation of Grandjean residents. A 100-acre blaze 35 miles northeast of Lowman and adjacent to Idaho Highway 21, called the Bull Trout Fire, forced the closure of the encompassing Bull Trout Lake area and was 0% contained as of Sunday.

 Lightning sparked two fires near Lake Cascade last week. The Boulder Fire, 9 miles southwest of Cascade, has grown to 324 acres and remains 0% contained. The Wolf Creek Fire has burned 909 acres on the west-facing slope of West Mountain in the Payette National Forest and is also 0% contained.

InciWeb shows 17 fires burning in Idaho. The largest of those is the nearly 29,000-acre Gwen Fire burning in Latah County. It was started by lightning on July 24 and is 0% contained.
The Trump campaign on Tuesday debuted a new ad targeting Vice President Harris over immigration and tagging her the Biden administrations border czar, a reference to her work addressing root causes of migration in the Northern Triangle region.

This is Americas border czar. And shes failed us, the narrator states in the ad, which displays images of violent crime and news coverage of crimes allegedly committed by migrants.

The 30-second ad closes with a clip from a 2021 interview in which Harris defended not visiting the southern border by pointing out she had also not been to Europe.

Kamala Harris: Failed, weak, dangerously liberal, the ad concludes.

The television ad is the first rolled out by the Trump campaign since Harris became the likely Democratic nominee following President Bidens decision to end his candidacy. It will air in Pennsylvania, Georgia, Michigan, Arizona, Nevada and Wisconsin. The total ad buy is roughly $12 million.

The Trump campaign and Republicans have aggressively attacked Harris over her work on migration during the Biden administration, seeking to tie her directly to the surge in immigration at the southern border.

House Republicans last week approved a resolution that condemned Harris as the Biden administrations border czar.

The Harris campaign pushed back on the ad by noting it was Trump who lobbied against Congress passing a bipartisan border security proposal earlier this year.

After killing the toughest border deal in decades, Donald Trump is running on his trademark lies because his own record and plans are extreme and unpopular, a Harris campaign spokesperson said.

As a former district attorney, attorney general, and now vice president, Kamala Harris has spent her career taking on and prosecuting violent criminals and making our communities safer. Shell do the same as president, the spokesperson added.

Copyright 2024 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.

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Migrants passing through the courtroom of the U.S. Detention Center in Port Isabel, Texas, often dont have lawyers representing them. Texas is among the states that, in an effort to get more lawyers to underserved communities, are considering an alternative pathway for law school graduates to become licensed. (Veronica Gabriela Cardenas/Pool photo via The Associated Press)

PORTLAND, Ore.  Before Bailey McQueeny-Rose attended law school at the University of Oregon, she worked in reproductive health care, first as a medical assistant and then as a trainer, teaching others to do the same job. The work opened her eyes to how access to health care differed based on the laws in the six states where she oversaw training, and she began to consider becoming a civil rights lawyer.

Shed planned to take the bar exam after law school, but in late 2023, Oregon began offering graduates an alternative pathway to practicing law. Instead of sitting for the multiday bar exam, which most states offer twice a year, new graduates can be admitted to practice in Oregon through on-the-job training.

The graduates are required to work 675 hours under the supervision of a licensed attorney as well as submit a work portfolio for approval to Oregons Board of Bar Examiners. And just like anyone who takes the traditional bar exam, those approved under whats known as a Supervised Practice Portfolio Examination, or SPPE, are required to pass an ethics test.

The bar exam is not going to teach me how to be a civil rights lawyer, McQueeny-Rose said. But the SPPE pathway, working with civil rights employers, learning what the day-to-day duties and what the day-to-day job looks like, its a hands-on way. Thats whats going to teach me how to be a civil rights lawyer.

Soon, such options will be available beyond Oregon, as other states begin rethinking their reliance on the bar exam as the sole means to ensure qualified lawyers enter the profession. Already, Minnesota, Nevada, Utah and Washington are considering comparable licensure options, and California has been studying the approach. Arizona, South Dakota and Texas have expressed interest in such programs as well. And New Hampshire since 2005 has had a version of supervised practice that allows a select group of law school scholars to work in the state upon graduation.

Many states see alternative licensure as a way of directing graduates toward areas of the law with too few specialists or to places where people lack access to legal representation. Such places might include rural areas and other underserved communities.

Oregon and other states have faced challenges in meeting the demand for public defenders. Many states in the West with large rural expanses  including Arizona and Idaho  have counties with only a few lawyers. The new pathway also is expected to diversify who becomes a lawyer; law schools have long known that wealthier students are more likely to pass the bar exam, as are white graduates.

The bar exam is not going to teach me how to be a civil rights lawyer.

 Bailey McQueeny-Rose, University of Oregon School of Law graduate

Oregon Supreme Court Chief Justice Meagan Flynn said in an interview that shes been astounded at the various approaches emerging in other states since Oregons move. She serves on a national committee of lawyers and court officials who will recommend practical changes to help diversify the bar admissions process through the National Center for State Courts, an administrative organization.

And really, no two look alike, Flynn said. Every state looking at this is coming up with very, very state-specific approaches.

States administer their own bar exams and determine passing scores. Most states use the Uniform Bar Exam, and some states have their own specific tests. Critics of the bar exam say that in most states, it doesnt assess minimum competency to practice the law, especially when it comes to skills that involve working directly with clients, such as handling negotiations or counseling people facing incarceration, divorce, bankruptcy or other stressful matters.

Multiple-choice tests fail to assess whether someone has the necessary skills to be a good lawyer, said Catherine Bramble, an associate professor at Brigham Young University Law School in Utah. And research has found that new lawyers perform better if theyve had practice and supervision.

We all know this intuitively, said Bramble, who has been pushing for change in Utah. Some things are not best assessed through a multiple-choice test. For example, the ability to fly an airplane. We would really hope a pilot has time in the cockpit under observation of an experienced flight instructor before we allow them to fly a plane.

Real-world skills

In Utah, the state Supreme Court, which oversees licensure, is considering a supervised practice proposal that would require applicants to take a core curriculum during law school. They would be required to complete 240 hours of supervised practice, which could be paid or unpaid. Twenty of those hours would have to be client-facing work, and 50 pro bono, meaning the services are provided to clients free of charge.

Utah encourages lawyers in the state to commit to 50 hours of pro bono work each year, Bramble said, and theyve found that those who are exposed to such service early in their careers tend to continue it. The proposal would require that prospective licensees take a six-hour well-being online module that teaches lawyers how to manage the stress of a legal career. Finally, there would be a three-hour test, which would require test-takers to write a basic legal motion using a sample law and case materials.

For Nevada, its proposed rules emphasize the necessity of representing clients well, said Joan Howarth, a professor at the William S. Boyd School of Law at the University of Nevada, Las Vegas. There, the proposal in front of the state Supreme Court would allow law students to complete most of the requirements for licensure during law school.

The Oregon Supreme Court is considering approving a similar, third licensure path  in addition to the traditional bar exam and SPPE  that would allow students to take coursework and complete supervised practice requirements during school so that they are licensed when they graduate.

Even the national bar exam is changing: The National Conference of Bar Examiners will begin rolling out a NextGen test in select states in 2026, with a focus on more foundational lawyering skills such as client counseling and advising, dispute resolution, and client relationship and management.

Law schools for several decades have been incorporating more real-world skills into their curriculum, said Deborah Jones Merritt, professor emerita at the Ohio State University Moritz College of Law, who has studied the bar exams deficiencies in producing good lawyers. Merritts research has determined that the exam is far more challenging to pass for people of color, those with caretaking responsibilities, or those who come from low-income households.

Beginnings of change

Many states began rethinking the necessity of the bar exam in 2020 during the pandemic, when gathering hundreds of people together in a big room for an exam was a potential superspreader event for COVID-19.

In place of the test, several states and the District of Columbia issued whats known as diploma privilege, the ability to practice without passing the bar. Utah, for example, required their graduates to fulfill a pro bono requirement first. It was an eye-opening experiment, said Bramble, in part because nothing crazy happened.

Then in 2021, the American Bar Association for the first time released statistics breaking down bar exam passage rates by race. White test takers were far likelier to pass the exams in 2020 than those of other races or ethnicities, according to the group. Although there are other barriers to a legal career, including law school entrance exams and the time, expense and quality of the schooling, the numbers made it clear that the bar exam itself had flaws that kept many candidates of color from becoming lawyers.

One of the biggest flaws of the bar is that its an expensive and time-consuming exam, said Brian Gallini, the former dean of the Willamette University College of Law in Oregon and one of the architects of the licensure push in the state. Law school graduates often pay for a law review class, which often can cost more than $1,000, to study for the test in the months following their graduation, as well as put off earning a living in their degree field until theyre licensed and can begin working as lawyers.

Those who work a job while they study are more likely to fail, but many students cannot afford not to work  they carry an average of $160,000 in student loan debt when they exit school.

Gallini, now the dean of the Quinnipiac University School of Law in Connecticut, fielded a lot of angry emails when he first introduced the idea to the Willamette law schools alumni in 2022. Many objections were reflexive: Critics of the proposal said they had suffered through the bar exam, so aspiring lawyers who followed them should face a similar rite of passage.

Oregons licensure is not portable for now, which means that graduates who choose the SPPE are not able to transfer their licenses to other states. This will likely change as more states adopt alternative licensure.

So far, only a handful of 2024 graduates from the states three law schools have chosen the new pathway; McQueeny-Rose said many of her peers havent been able to find supervising attorneys who are familiar enough with the program to oversee their work.

Thats also expected to change quickly. The states law schools are beginning to establish prestigious post-graduate fellowships aimed at placing SPPE participants in communities of need, including immigration law, public defense and rural law practices. Judicial clerkships also are eligible to fulfill many of the programs requirements.

McQueeny-Rose will be joining the team at Levi Merrithew Horst, a Portland, Oregon, firm, where shell work on police misconduct cases, class-action suits on behalf of incarcerated people and other civil rights work. Instead of studying for the bar, shes taking the summer off to devote time to her artwork and to move to Portland for her new job. She anticipates shell fulfill the requirements of the SPPE program in early 2025.

For me, it was a pretty easy decision, McQueeny-Rose said. I knew I wanted to stay in Oregon. Im committed to practice here, I love it here. I have a lot of ideas how to make Oregon better, and I want to stay and do my part.

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 X.
Officials shared new details regarding the timeline of the assassination attempt against former President Donald Trump and additional background on the shooter during a Senate hearing Tuesday.

U.S. Secret Service acting director Robert Rowe, who took over as head of the agency following the resignation of Kimberly Cheatle last week, called the shooting a failure on multiple levels.

I will not wait for the results of those findings to assess where we failed that day, and will continue to take immediate steps to ensure we do not repeat those failures, Rowe testified before the Senate Judiciary and Homeland Security committees, in reference to the multiple investigations into the assassination attempt.

The shooting at a Trump rally on July 13 in Butler, Pa. sent a shock through the nation, inciting calls for accountability in the Secret Service tasked with protecting the 45th President. While officials ultimately neutralized Thomas Matthew Crooks, the 20-year-old assailant, Rowe said he could not understand why there was not better coverage or at least somebody looking at that roofline when thats where they were posted.

Officials have not yet identified a motive, Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) Deputy Director Paul Abbate said. There is currently no evidence that the shooter acted with any co-conspirators.

Heres the information we learned during the Senate hearing on July 30.

Crooks timeline leading up to the shooting

Abbate said that investigations remain ongoing and details could be refined, but shared a current working timeline of events on the day of the Trump assassination attempt.

Crooks registered to attend the Butler, Pa. Trump rally on July 6. That day, he Googled, How far was Oswald from Kennedy, referencing the man who shot President John F. Kennedy in 1963 in Dallas. The following day, Crooks visited the Butler farm area where the rally was set to take place, which Abbate says shows Crooks was planning in advance.

The rally was held on July 13. At 1:30 p.m. that day, Crooks father gave his son a rifle which he believed Crooks would use at a sportsmens club, Abbate said. Some 25 minutes later, the shooter bought ammunition while traveling to the Trump event.

Read More: What We Do and Dont Know About Trumps Ear Wound

At 3:51 p.m., Crooks flew a drone some 200 yards from the Butler farm show grounds. Rowe testified that a counter-drone system wasnt used that day because of connectivity issues. On this day in particular, because of the connectivity challenge  there was a delay, he said. If the system had been employed, We could have perhaps stopped him, Roe said.

Local SWAT officers first observed the assailant near the American Glass Research (AGR) building where the shooting took place at around 5:32 p.m., Abbate said. At 5:38 p.m., a photo of the shooter was sent in a text message group with local SWAT operators. Rowe later said that information regarding the shooter should have gone through a radio channel so that all officers had situational awareness of Crooks.

Officials temporarily lost sight of Crooks, during which the shooter pulled himself onto the rooftop of the AGR building. By 6:08 p.m. local law enforcement saw the shooter on the roof, and a local police officer radioed in that Crooks had a long gun. In the next 30 seconds, some eight shots were fired, according to the number of shell casings found by law enforcement.

Possible social media accounts

The FBI recently uncovered a social media account that they believe is associated with Crooks, according to Abbate. That account had more than 700 comments that appear to reflect antisemitic and anti-immigration themes to espouse political violence and are described as extreme in nature, Abbate said.

Officials are still working to verify that the account belonged to Crooks, but Abbate said it was important to share these new details because of the lack of information regarding Crooks motive.

There is also a second account on social media platform Gab, which is popular with far-right users, that Abbate said shares differing points of view from the other account. Gab CEO Andrew Torba previously took to X to discuss the account, saying that the person behind it ultimately only made nine posts, but that those posts expressed support for President Bidens COVID lockdowns, border policies and executive orders. Abbate said officials have also been unable to verify that it belongs to Crooks.

Lack of communication between local and federal officers

Officials testified that information regarding the armed assailant was siloed in local law enforcement channels, barring federal agents from being proactive against Crooks.

Rowe said that the Secret Service was aware that local officers were working an issue at the three oclockwhich would have been the former presidents right-hand side, but did not receive information about the specific threat at hand. No information regarding a weapon on the roof was ever passed to our personnel, Rowe said. He claimed that the Secret Service assumed that local law enforcement were handling the situation.

Democratic Sen. Gary Peters of Michigan said that local law officials said they could only call in to a state command center and could not communicate directly with the Secret Service. Rowe said that he was working to figure out the interoperability between local and federal officers.

Contact us at letters@time.com.
Press Release

July 30, 2024 Villanueva: No traces of POGOs should remain in PH Senator Joel Villanueva has filed a measure which seeks to repeal the law taxing the Philippine Offshore Gaming Operations (POGOs). "Bilang pagsunod sa direktiba ni Pangulong Marcos, kailangan na rin po nating siguraduhin na wala nang bakas ng POGO sa Pilipinas," Villanueva said. In his State of the Nation Address last July 22, 2024, President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. ordered the ban on all POGOs effective immediately, citing the disorder they have caused in the country and their disrespect for Philippine laws. Senate Bill No. 2752 calls for the permanent cancellation of POGO licenses issued by the Philippine Amusement and Gaming Corporation and ecozones. POGOs will have 30 days from the effectivity of the proposed law to cease their operations, the measure added. Failure or refusal of the firms to close operations shall subject the responsible officers to imprisonment of 12 to 20 years or a fine of P100 million or both, and will subject the foreign offenders to deportation after service of sentence. Under the bill, the Bureau of Internal Revenue will have continuing authority to collect the POGO's unpaid taxes even after the repeal of the tax law. The measure also provides for a Workers' Transition Program to be implemented by the Department of Labor and Employment for the affected Filipino workers to be coordinated with the Technical Education and Skills Development Authority and other relevant agencies. Villanueva said the POGO ban should lead to the repeal of Republic Act 11590 or the Act Taxing POGO, which was signed into law in 2021. The POGO tax law amended the National Internal Revenue Code to improve collection of taxes from POGOs and impose additional taxes aside from the franchise tax on their operations. "The evidence of crimes and social ills from POGO operations immensely overwhelm the benefits the Filipinos get from the taxes they pay," Villanueva said. "Mas lamang po ang perwisyo kaysa pakinabang mula sa POGO na humihila sa atin sa kumunoy ng kasamaan. Huwag nating panghinayangan ang pagpapalayas sa kanila," Villanueva added. Villanueva: Siguruhing walang matitirang bakas ng POGO sa Pilipinas Naghain si Senador Joel Villanueva ng isang panukalang naglalayong ipawalang-bisa ang batas na nagbubuwis sa Philippine Offshore Gaming Operations (POGOs). "Bilang pagsunod sa direktiba ni Pangulong Marcos, kailangan na rin po nating siguraduhin na wala nang matitirang bakas ng POGO sa Pilipinas," sabi ni Villanueva. Sa kanyang ikatlong State of the Nation Address noong Hulyo 22, 2024, ipinag-utos ni Pangulong Ferdinand "Bongbong" Marcos Jr. ang agarang pagbabawal sa lahat ng POGO dahil sa perwisyong dala ng mga ito sa bansa at kawalang-galang sa mga batas ng Pilipinas. Sa Senate Bill No. 2752 na inihain ni Villanueva, permanente nang kakanselahin ang lahat ng lisensya ng POGO na inisyu ng Philippine Amusement and Gaming Corporation at mga ecozone. Bibigyan ang lahat ng POGO ng 30 araw mula sa pagiging epektibo ng batas upang itigil ang kanilang operasyon. Ang mga kumpanyang bigo o tatanggi sa pagpapasara ng kanilang operasyon ay mahaharap sa pagkakakulong na 12 hanggang 20 taon at multang aabot sa P100 milyon. Isasailalim din ang foreign offender sa deportasyon matapos mapagsilbihan ang kanyang sentensiya. Sa ilalim ng panukala, ang Bureau of Internal Revenue ang may kapangyarihan na mangolekta ng hindi nabayarang buwis ng POGO matapos ipawalang-bisa ang batas na nagbubuwis dito. Maliban diyan, nakasaad din sa panukala na magkakaroon ng Worker's Transition Program na ipapatupad ng Department of Labor and Employment para sa mga maaapektuhang Pilipinong manggagawa sa pakikipagtulungan ng Technical Education and Skills Development Authority at iba pang may kaugnayan na ahensiya ng pamahalaan. Ayon kay Villanueva, kasunod ng POGO ban, dapat nang mapawalang-bisa ang Republic Act No. 11590 na nilagdaan noong 2021. Inamiyendahan ng POGO Tax Law ang National Internal Revenue Code upang mapahusay ang koleksiyon ng buwis mula sa mga POGO at magpataw ng karagdagang buwis bukod sa franchise tax sa kanilang operasyon. "The evidence of crimes and social ills from POGO operations immensely overwhelm the benefits the Filipinos get from the taxes they pay," saad pa ni Villanueva. "Mas lamang po ang perwisyo kaysa pakinabang mula sa POGO na humihila sa atin sa kumunoy ng kasamaan. Huwag nating panghinayangan ang pagpapalayas sa kanila," dagdag pa niya.
JALALABAD, Afghanistan, July 30 (Xinhua) -- Afghanistan's counter-narcotics police have arrested six people over drug trafficking, seizing 370 kg of illegal drugs in the eastern Nangarhar province, provincial police reported.

The contraband including 260 kg methamphetamine was discovered during operations conducted on the outskirts of Jalalabad, the provincial capital and in some districts of the province, police said on Monday.

The Afghan caretaker government has vowed to fight illicit drugs, and drug production and trafficking across the country. 
At least six dead in protests against Venezuela election results

Protesters shout slogans during a demonstration against the government of President Maduro, after the Venezuelan presidential elections. Jeampier Arguinzones/dpa

At least six people have died in the protests against President Nicolas Maduro's controversial re-election in Venezuela, the non-governmental organization Foro Penal wrote on X on Tuesday.

Foro Penal added that two young people were among the victims and 132 demonstrators have been detained.

More protests are expected a day after the National Electoral Council officially declared Maduro, who has been in power since 2013, the winner of Sunday's presidential election.

The opposition accuses the government of electoral fraud and claims victory for its candidate Edmundo Gonzalez Urrutia.

The US, the European Union, the Organization of American States (OAS) and several Latin American countries have expressed doubts about the official election result.

Nicolas Maduro (C), Venezuela's President, celebrates his re-election. -/Prensa Miraflores/dpa
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This past weekend, Donald Trump became the first American president to address a crypto conference, telling an audience in Nashville that if Bitcoin is going to the moon, I want America to be the nation that leads the way. Its a stark contrast from five years ago, when Trump said Bitcoins value was based on thin air. Is his conversion from crypto skeptic to crypto cheerleader real  or just a canny attempt to get donations?

On todays podcast, host David Gura speaks to Bloomberg investigative reporter Zeke Faux about the surprising opinions he heard on-the-ground at the worlds biggest Bitcoin conference  and what that could mean for the future of the 2024 presidential election.

Listen and follow The Big Take on Apple Podcasts, Spotify or wherever you get your podcasts.

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Here is a lightly edited transcript of the conversation:

David Gura: Nashville was the place to be this past weekend if you are a crypto enthusiast. And even if youre more of a skeptic.

Zeke Faux: I'm in the exhibit hall at Bitcoin Nashville. And now I'm going to do a walkthrough of the Bitcoin art exhibit. Got Cypherpunks of the World.

Gura: Bloomberg reporter Zeke Faux was in Music City at the site of the annual Bitcoin Conference taking it all in.

Faux: I'm standing a little close to it. Yeah, it's definitely the assassination attempt photo, the famous one with the Trump standing and saying, Fight. The artist statement says, Bitcoin like Donald Trump has been a polarizing figure villainized and criticized by many. The painting consists of thousands of dots. Made with the ash from burnt fiat banknotes. There you go.

Gura: This wasnt his first time at one of these. Zeke wrote a book called Number Go Up: Inside Crypto's Wild Rise and Staggering Fall. But what was different about this years Bitcoin Conference was the lineup  and who the headliner was:

Donald Trump: (cheering) Hello Bitcoiners  thank you very much, hello, its good to be with you, its good to be with you.

Gura: Former President Donald Trump.

Trump: Im thrilled to be here in Nashville to become the first American president to ever address a Bitcoin event, anywhere in the world, anywhere in the world.

Gura: His appearance at the annual conference was something of a seminal moment for what had once been a fringe financial movement. And that wasnt lost on those whod bought a ticket:

Chris Kline: I was generally excited because this is the first time where we are no longer some niche group of, of, uh, funny money or fraud money as JP Morgan likes to call us, but we're, we're at the center stage.

Gabe Palma: I think it's a, uh, historical moment, uh, to, you know, have, A presidential candidate that has very high chances of winning the, uh, you know, the elections. Um, to come out here and try to wrangle votes from Bitcoiners, right?

Gura: And it wasnt just Trump who was there. There was RFK Jr., as well as Wyoming Senator Cynthia Lummis, a Republican who plans to introduce a major bill about crypto. In fact, 10 Senators were there  and Senate hopefuls, like John Deaton, another Republican, who is challenging Senator Elizabeth Warren in Massachusetts.

John Deaton: And we've seen that, uh, voting by crypto or Bitcoin enthusiasts can make a difference. And so we're in an election year. So it doesn't surprise me that politicians are jumping on board.

Gura: But for Trump, its a bit murkier. Is the 45th president of the United States a crypto convert? Was he there to raise cash? To court voters?

Trump: I pledge to the Bitcoin community that the day I take the oath of office, Joe Biden, Kamala Harris', anti Crypto Crusade will be over. It will end, it'll be done. It'll be done.

Gura: Im David Gura, and this is The Big Take, from Bloomberg News.

On todays episode: Trumps conversion from crypto skeptic to crypto enthusiast, and the impact that could have on the presidential race, and his campaign coffers.

Faux: I don't even want to count how many crypto conferences I've been to.

Gura: Bloomberg Investigative reporter Zeke Faux has been to a lot of crypto conferences. In fact, this was his third time at this particular event, which is focused exclusively on Bitcoin.

Faux: So this conference is, it's the Bitcoin conference. It's actually, I believe, a rule that you can't mention other coins while you're on stage.

Gura: Since hes been going to the Bitcoin Conference, the industry has changed dramatically. His first time was back in 2021. It was in Miami, and Zeke says, the atmosphere was euphoric.

Faux: Crypto was booming and there was this sense that riches were around the corner for anyone if they really set their mind to it.

Gura: But this year, even though Bitcoin prices are even higher than they were in 2021, Zeke says the feeling at the conference was more muted.

Faux: I felt like this was a more subdued crowd, and that the people here were frankly, not as excited as I expected that they had gotten, Trump to come speak to them and endorse their favorite thing, Bitcoin.

Gura: Zeke spoke to a lot of Bitcoin enthusiasts in Nashville, trying to get a sense of how they felt about Trump.

Faux: I was walking around the exhibit hall, and I saw a man sitting under, um, there was like a giant wizard hat suspended from the ceiling that covered a seating area that was advertising this wizard themed Bitcoin project. And I saw a guy sitting there with, um, a couple of patchwork quilts that were very pretty, and I sat down and introduced myself.

Faux: So, could you, uh, introduce yourself? Like, where are you from, what's your name?

Colonel Kernel Stacker: Yeah, um, my name is, can I just go by a nym?

Faux: Uh, if you, if, if, that you prefer, it's okay.

Stacker: Okay. Can you write Colonel Kernel Stacker?

Faux: Um, how do you, it's like, it's the second kernel with a K?

Gura: Colonel Kernel Stacker is obviously not his real name. But he told Zeke that he was a truck driver from Cincinnati who makes and sells Bitcoin quilts with his mom.

Faux: Um, this looks really nice. Do you, do you make them yourself?

Stacker: My mom is the quilter. I do the, I do, I'm learning how to stitch right now.

Faux: Cool.

Gura: Bitcoin quilts and pseudonyms aside, Ohio is, of course, a critical state in the upcoming presidential election, So Zeke asked the colonel what role, if any, Bitcoin is playing in who he votes for.

Faux: Did you, in 2016 and 2020, did you go for Trump back then?

Stacker: No.

Faux: You go Democrat or third party, or...

Stacker: I've always been like, if anything, libertarian.

Faux: Uh-huh. Yeah. Do you think you'll vote for Trump this time?

Stacker: It's a possibility. Yeah.

Stacker: I, I just might.

Gura: According to Zeke, this was a pretty common view.

Faux: Everyone I spoke to, I would ask them, What do you think about Trump coming to speak here? Are you excited? Does this change what you think of him? And, frankly, most people, either already supported Trump and now would continue to support him or already supported RFK Jr and were planning to continue to support him but open to maybe switching to Trump if they thought, you know, it's a close election, maybe you got to be pragmatic.

Lyndon Middleton: I mean, we've got Kennedy, but would. That be a wasted vote, you know, is kind of where I'm at. So I guess Trump's the only choice.

Cory: So I'm on the realm where I don't mind if RFK or Trump wins. As long as Biden, I guess now Kamala, uh, those are RFK and Trump are in my book. Uh, I'd be happy with either candidate.

Faux: are you going to vote for Trump this time?

Kevin Moore: I, you know, that's, I don't know. Oh, we'll see how it goes. But, uh, but at the moment I'm voting for whatever the most Bitcoin candidate is.

Gura: But if the attendees were lukewarm, the big surprise was just how pro-crypto the former president was when he addressed the crowd.

Faux: So, I, so I've never been to, um, a Trump rally before. And I was kind of impressed with how well he worked the audience.

Trump: This afternoon, I'm laying out my plan to ensure that the United States will be the crypto capital of the planet and the Bitcoin superpower of the world. And we'll get it done.

Faux: Kid Rock got a shout out. Um, and also all the Bitcoiners who, who are now supporting him. So, Winklevoss twins, he talked about how handsome they were.

Trump: Those are great guys. They look like male models with a brain. You know theyre male models with a big beautiful brain.

Faux: The biggest applause line for Trump was he said that he would fire Gary Gensler, the head of the SEC, under his watch, the SEC has sued a number of crypto companies.

Trump: On day one. I will fire Gary Gensler and appoint a new SEC chairman.

Faux: And this line was so successful that after he got some applause for it, he actually was like, Oh, you guys really liked that one. So he said it again.

Trump: I didnt know he was that unpopular. Wow I didnt know he was that unpopular. Let me say it again: on day one I will fire Gary Gensler.

Faux: He said, you know, if Bitcoin's going to the moon, the US should lead the way. He said, know, we can't let China dominate this industry, which is kind of weird because China has actually, um, made moves to ban the crypto industry but the big thing that Trump announced at the end was that the U.S. will establish a strategic Bitcoin reserve.

Trump: If I am elected, it will be the policy of my administration to keep 100% of all the Bitcoin the U.S. government currently holds or acquires into the future.

Faux: There was no talk of Sam Bankman-Fried, FTX, all the crypto scams that we've seen in the last couple years. Like, even these Bitcoiners would tell you there was, like, a million scams. If anything, the enforcement should have been quicker. You know, we should be saying, Why didn't you stop all these crypto scams?

Gura: But none of that (laughs).

Faux: No, none of that. Um, I was impressed by how successful the Bitcoin industry was at getting Trump on their side. Um, he really said a lot of things that like they would have wanted him to say.

Gura: Coming up after the break: inside Trumps transformation from crypto skeptic to crypto enthusiast and what that means for the 2024 US presidential race.

Gura: When Donald Trump was in the White House, he wasnt a Bitcoin booster. Far from it. But Trumps attitude changed in 2022:

Trump: Hello, everyone. This is Donald Trump, hopefully your favorite president of all time  better than Lincoln, better than Washington, with an important announcement to make. I'm doing my first official Donald J. Trump NFT collection right here and right now. They're called Trump Digital Trading Cards.

Gura: Trump recognized there was money to be made in crypto, and part of his pitch was, if you bought one of those non-fungible tokens, youd get a chance to meet him:

Trump: Heres one of the best parts. Each card comes with an automatic chance to win amazing prizes, like dinner with me. I dont know if thats an amazing prize, but its what we have.

Gura: Each of those NFTs cost 99 bucks, and they sold out. And Bloombergs Zeke Faux says Trump made good on at least one of those amazing prizes he teased in that ad:

Faux: So, a few months ago, there was this big gathering of people who bought the Trump cards at Mar-a-Lago. Trump was there, and he said some nicer things about crypto, and I think was pleased by the response.

Gura: In the months that followed, Trump held another crypto get-together at his club in South Florida, with Bitcoin miners. And according to Zeke, he listened as they talked about the industry.

Faux: Some people have been throwing out this idea that this is a way to win votes. I am unconvinced.

Gura: But according to Zeke, that was the message on stage in Nashville.

Trump, RFK Jr., and a handful of lawmakers appealed to the crypto community for their votes, as they criticized the current president for not embracing what they see as the future of finance.

But interestingly, Zeke says several of the conference goers he talked to said they were reserving judgment on Vice President Harris:

Faux: There's been no word from her campaign officially about what she thinks about crypto.

Gura: In recent days, there have been reports Harris campaign has reached out to prominent players in the world of crypto, and theres bipartisan pressure for her to embrace the crypto community as a potentially decisive voting bloc.

Faux: A group of Democrats sent a letter to Harris saying that crypto was on the top of voters minds in swing states, and that they, uh, Harris should get with the program. Um, I just think, I think that's really unlikely, and that honestly the average person, if you ask them about crypto, has a low opinion of crypto, but doesn't care that much.

Gura: Zeke left the Bitcoin Conference in Nashville with a sense that, just as Donald Trumps attitude toward crypto has changed, theres also been an evolution in Bitcoin more broadly:

Faux: It's supposed to be a way to like, resist censorship, resist the state, this idea that, somehow it needs the state is antithetical to its origins. And I was kind of expecting to meet more people at the conference who felt that way.

Gura: But Zeke says that anti-government, anti-establishment ethos has started to fade. Now, some of its biggest proponents are kowtowing to political candidates, and theyre suggesting the US government should hold millions of dollars worth of Bitcoin. Well Zeke wonders if Trumps decision to embrace crypto has anything to do with that philosophy, or if his calculus is much simpler:

Faux: A lot of industries want you to take controversial positions in exchange for their support. With Bitcoiners, you just have to say nice things about Bitcoin, and they'll write you a check. So in my opinion, it's kind of an easy way to raise some money.

Gura: Which is exactly what happened in Nashville:

Trump spoke. He railed against regulation He spoke admiringly of cryptos potential And now the price of Bitcoin is rising to almost $70,000 on Monday my . Not far from its record high. And Trump went to a fundraiser, where tickets cost more than 800-grand each.

Faux: Numbers being thrown around that this fundraiser could have raised 30 or 50 million.

Gura: According to a Bloomberg analysis, crypto donors have given more money this cycle than in all the past ones put together. And thats before this weekends haul.

Zeke spoke to Mike Belshe  the CEO of BitGo, who is hosting a fundraising dinner with Trumps running mate, Senator JD Vance, on Monday. $3,300 gets you a seat; $25,000 secures you a place on a roundtable. But Belshe says hes not just courting Republicans

Mike Belshe: So, you know, there's this phrase, and I don't know who it's attributed to, but, you know, First they ignore you, then they laugh at you, then they fight you, and then you win. And, and I think for Bitcoin, we're somewhere between those last two stages, right? There's people in the Republican party that don't think crypto is a good idea. There's people in the Democratic party that don't think crypto is a good idea, but that doesn't mean that the party thinks that it's a bad idea. And I think what we're seeing is that shift right now. Kamala Harris is going to come out total pro crypto. Um, to try to diffuse any advantage that, uh, Trump may have with it-you know being pro-crypto.

Gura: But for those in attendance at the Bitcoin conference in Nashville, should Trump win or lose, they believe in one thing, fervently. That Bitcoins price can only do one thing: go up.

Ron Richards: When you look at the blockchain and where this thing's going with Bitcoin and now with Trump support and all these politicians getting behind it, how can you not believe?

Nick Passino: I always said when I first got into Bitcoin. If I could ever, if they'll politics and crypto can kind of collide together, and I can make an impact in regards to that. That would be a dream come true. It's coming true.

Trump: Thank you all. Have a good time with your Bitcoin and your crypto and everything else that youre playing with. And were going to make that one of the great industries on Earth.

Gura: This is The Big Take, from Bloomberg News. Im David Gura.

Most Read from Bloomberg Businessweek

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Leon County Schools tax rate going down but taxes still going up. Here's why

Students at Sabal Palm Elementary School make their way through the halls to get to their classrooms on the first day of school Thursday, Aug. 10, 2023.

Here's the good news: The Leon County School District is proposing a lower property tax rate for next year.

And the bad: Leon County property owners will still pay more in tax to fund the public schools.

Here's why: Homeowners' bills are going down to $538.40 a year per every $100,000 of assessed property value. That will generate $146 million in revenue, including a boost of $10 million more from this year.

But the proposal is still considered a tax increase, according to the Leon Schools Chief Financial Officer Katherine Sanders, because property values in the county have gone up.

During its first public hearing for the budget on Tuesday evening, the school board unanimously approved the tentative budget and scheduled the final public hearing for Sept. 10.

And the entire tentative spending plan of $666 million, which includes money from local tax revenue and other sources, reflects only a $300,000 increase from the current budget.

But there are some cautionary flags in the spending plan due to fewer students enrolling in the district.

There was no public comment at Monday's agenda review meeting at the Aquilina Howell building, and there was no apparent discord among board members on the district's finances.

Board Chair Rosanne Wood, who also sits on the district's environmental sustainability committee, said she was excited to see some energy-saving incentives in the budget; Superintendent Rocky Hanna reiterated his plan to make the district debt-free by 2028, if he is reelected during the current election cycle.

Why is the budget essentially the same?

According to Assistant Superintendent Billy Epting, the relatively flat budget reflects the district's dwindling student count. It went down again to 31,769 in 2023-24 from 32,212 in 2022-23, for example.

"There is always a certain number of funds coming in, based on the number of students enrolled," Epting said. "And our trend has now been a declining enrollment for the district."

Billy Epting is an assistant superintendent for the district, and a former Leon High School principal.

Several Florida school districts have made cutbacks, sometimes drastic, because of decreasing enrollment, including plans to close schools in Duval County and, most recently, in Madison County.

"Our enrollment, our income, has gone down," Epting told the Democrat, adding that efforts to better market the district are important. Over the last five years, the district has lost 2,578 students for various reasons, including those leaving for private and charter schools.

The state covers a number of costs for the district based on how many students are enrolled. For next year's budget, it provide the district with $184 million, or $4.8 million less than this year. For the student enrollment allocation alone, the district is expecting $120 million from the state, or $827,810 more from this year.

Epting said the number is only an estimate, so the district would probably get a little less.

"But we have budgeted based on what we expect to receive to cover expenses," Epting said. "We may have to decrease funds in certain areas to make up for that."

Where is the district spending the most money?

The largest allocation of spending is on staffing, which will increase to $201 million, compared to $184 million this year. The staffing plan covers salaries and school activities and gives insight into how much each school can expect based on enrollment.

This year it showed a $17 million hike because of a $5.12 million salary increase across the board for teachers. The district gave teachers an additional $3 million after 10 months of contentious bargaining.

The district is expecting $2.12 million from the state to augment teacher salaries, which is about $500,000 less than the current year.

"What we're able to offer on top of that is going to be limited because we're not really receiving any more money," Epting said.

Alaijah Brown covers children & families for the Tallahassee Democrat. She can be reached at ABrown1@gannett.com. Follow her on Twitter/X: @AlaijahBrown3.

This article originally appeared on Tallahassee Democrat: Leon County Schools proposed budget: Staying flat despite tax increase
The City of Charleston could see a measure on the ballot this November giving voters the opportunity to decide if marijuana should be decriminalized in city limits. (Getty Images)

Debate around the decriminalization of cannabis, or marijuana, is growing in West Virginias capital city council. The City of Charleston could soon see a measure on the ballot this November giving voters the opportunity to decide if marijuana should be decriminalized in city limits. That is, if the city council chooses to not adopt the ordinance first.

Although theres not much debate among locals. Its clear to thousands of Charleston area residents who signed a petition asking the city to decriminalize marijuana that this is an obvious step forward to save taxpayer dollars and improve social justice in their city.

I was in the audience when Charlestons Ordinance and Rulemaking Committee met on July 15 to discuss the Sensible Marijuana Ordinance or Bill No. 8043. It would create a new city code for simple possession with penalties as minimal as possible as allowed by the state. Some committee members purported misinformation and fear mongering on marijuana laws, safety and usage. So, lets break down the facts and debunk the myths of decriminalizing cannabis.

First, dont confuse decriminalization with legalization.

Decriminalization means marijuana would remain illegal in West Virginia, but the legal system in the City of Charleston would not prosecute someone for simple possession, having the substance for personal use without an intent to sell. The Sensible Marijuana Ordinance effectively removes jail time, court fees and fines for any adult arrested for marijuana possession in Charleston. The language of the ordinance was modeled after legislation in 30 other cities and towns in neighboring states, and it has withstood constitutional challenge.

Marijuana is legal in 24 states and the District of Columbia, including three of West Virginias five neighboring states  Maryland, Ohio and Virginia. Most Americans now live in a state where the substance is legal. Our state boundary is 1170 miles with 80% (936 miles) of our border touching places where marijuana is legalized. Still, it is regressive to maintain strict penalties for simple possession when Charleston residents can drive an hour to Ohio and under two hours to Virginia and access marijuana legally.

The aggressive enforcement of marijuana possession laws wastes billions of taxpayer dollars nationwide diverting resources that could improve our communities. About $17 million was spent in 2010 in West Virginia enforcing possession laws criminalizing marijuana users, even for low-level offenses. This scale of funding could and should support public housing, utility assistance, renewable energy, and more in Charleston.

Second, marijuana is not a dangerous substance.

Thats why another 14 states allow marijuana for medical use beyond the 24 states where it is legal, and doctors prescribe the substance for chronic pain and other medical conditions. Marijuana use has been proven to not contribute to overdose deaths, long-term health problems, violent crime and serious injuries; this cannot be said for alcohol usage.

What is dangerous is the blatant discrimination seen in the enforcement of current marijuana possession laws in West Virginia. Black West Virginians are 7.3 times more likely to be arrested for cannabis possession than white West Virginians, despite similar usage rates. There were 178 arrests for marijuana simple possession within Charleston city limits in 2023. According to the 2023 Charleston Police Department Annual Statistics, Black neighbors accounted for 30% of total arrests, over double the proportion of Black neighbors. When looking at the racial breakdown of simple possession of marijuana arrests in the same year, Black neighbors are even more disproportionately represented at over 50 percent of charges.

The decriminalization of marijuana would alleviate racial, ethnic and income-based disparities in the criminal justice system and reduce the number of people swept into this punitive system. We could see limited resources for public health be redirected into more cost-effective and impactful solutions, like harm reduction. And, decriminalization would help revise the current law enforcement incentive structure and redirect resources to prevent serious and violent crime, something that marijuana usage is notably not.

Third, marijuana is not a gateway drug.

The latest academic studies show that there is not an increase in drug use among teenagers in legal marijuana states and that marijuana is not a gateway drug. Analyses in the American Journal of Drug and Alcohol Abuse and JAMA Pediatrics, the highest ranking pediatric scientific journal in the world, showed that the longer legalization laws had been in place, the greater the reduction in marijuana use among teenagers. Even more, a Psychological Medicine study in 2023 found no changes in illicit drug use and a reduction in alcohol-related problems following the legalization of marijuana. Its clear that stigma, not science, is driving some city councilors to look away from the facts and push misinformation around marijuana as they debate the Sensible Marijuana Ordinance.

The decriminalization of marijuana is a win-win for the city government, law enforcement and residents. If Charleston City Council cares about the interests and well-being of their constituents, they would pass the Sensible Marijuana Ordinance and ultimately save taxpayer dollars and help address unjust disparities in West Virginias capital city.

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A Lexington father has been arrested after his daughter suffered a fentanyl overdose while under his care, according to court documents.

Terry Alexander, 30, has been charged with second-degree criminal abuse  child 12 or under, according to court records. His arrest citation says he abused his daughter and she received a serious physical injury due to a fentanyl overdose.

The overdose happened at Alexanders home address, according to court documents. Its unclear how old the girl is or how she got the fentanyl.

The child is on life support at University of Kentucky Chandler Hospital.

Alexander was booked into the Fayette County Detention Center Monday, according to jail records. His bond is set at $100,000.
Displaced child Sham al-Hessi, center, who suffers from skin disease, is covered with skin cream as she poses for a picture, at a makeshift tent camp in Deir al-Balah, central Gaza Strip, Monday, July 29, 2024. Skin diseases are running rampant in Gaza, health officials say, from appalling conditions in overcrowded tent camps housing hundreds of thousands of Palestinians driven from their homes. (AP Photo/Abdel Kareem Hana )

KHAN YOUNIS, Gaza Strip (AP)  A steady stream of miserable children and worried parents flowed into the dermatology office at Nasser Hospital in central Gaza.

A toddler with a blue hair bow sobbed as her mother showed how the red and white spots covering her face have spread to her neck and chest. Another woman lifted her little boys clothes to reveal the rashes on his back, butt, thighs and stomach. On his wrists, he had open sores from scratching. A father stood his daughter on the desk so the doctor could examine the lesions on her calves.

Skin diseases are running rampant in Gaza, health officials say. The cause, they say, is the appalling conditions in overcrowded tent camps housing hundreds of thousands of Palestinians driven from their homes, along with the summer heat and the collapse of sanitation that has left pools of open sewage amid 10 months of Israels bombardment and offensives in the territory.

Doctors are wrestling with more than 103,000 cases of lice and scabies and 65,000 cases of skin rashes, according to the World Health Organization. In Gazas population of some 2.3 million, more than 1 million cases of acute respiratory infections have been recorded since the war began, along with more than half a million of acute diarrhea and more than 100,000 cases of jaundice, according to the United Nations Development Program.

Cleanliness is impossible in the ramshackle tents, basically wood frames hung with blankets or plastic sheets, crammed side by side over wide stretches, Palestinians say.

Theres no shampoo, no soap, said Munira al-Nahhal, living in a tent in the dunes outside the southern city of Khan Younis. The water is dirty. Everything is sand and insects and garbage.

Her familys tent was crammed with her grandchildren, many of whom had rashes. One little boy stood scratching the red patches on his belly. One child gets it, and it spreads to all of them, al-Nahhal said.

Palestinians in the camp said clean water was almost impossible to get. Some wash their children in salt water from the nearby Mediterranean. People have to wear the same clothes day after day until theyre able to wash them, then they wear them again immediately. Flies are everywhere. Children play in garbage-strewn sand.

First it was spots on her face. Then it spread to her stomach and arms, all over her forehead. And it hurts. It itches. And theres no treatment. Or if there is we cant afford it, said Shaima Marshoud, sitting next to her little daughter in a cinder block structure theyd settled in among the tents.

More than 1.8 million of Gazas 2.3 million people have been driven from their homes, often moving multiple times over the past months to get away from Israeli ground assaults or bombardment. The vast majority are now crowded into a 50-square-kilometer (20-square-mile) area of dunes and fields on the coast with almost no sewage system and little water.

The distribution of humanitarian supplies, including soap, shampoo and medicines, has slowed to a trickle, U.N. officials say, because Israeli military operations and general lawlessness in Gaza make it too dangerous for relief trucks to move.

Israel launched its campaign vowing to destroy Hamas after its Oct. 7 attack on southern Israel, in which some 1,200 people were killed and 250 abducted. Israels assault has killed more than 39,000 people, according to Gaza health authorities.

The solid waste management system has collapsed, said Chitose Noguchi, the deputy special representative of the U.N. Development Programs Programme of Assistance to the Palestinian People.

In a report released Tuesday, the UNDP said Gazas two pre-war landfills were unreachable amid the fighting and it had set up 10 temporary sites. But Noguchi said there were more than 140 informal dumping sites that have cropped up. Some of them are giant pools of human waste and garbage.

People are having tents and living next to dumping sites, which is really, really critical situation in terms of the health crisis, Noguchi said.

Nassim Basala, a dermatologist at Nasser Hospital, said they get 300 to 500 people a day coming in with skin diseases. After the most recent Israeli evacuation orders, more people have crowded into agricultural fields outside the city of Khan Younis, where insects are rife in the summer.

Scabies and lice are at epidemic proportions, he said, but other fungal, bacterial and viral infections and parasites are also running wild.

With the flood of patients, even simple cases can because dangerous.

For example, Basala said, impetigo is a simple bacterial infection treatable with creams. But sometimes by the time the patient gets to a doctor, the bacteria have spread and affected the kidneys, he said. Weve had cases of kidney failure as a result. Scratched rashes get infected in the pervasive dirt.

He said creams and ointments were in short supply at the hospital.

Children are the most affected. But adults suffer as well. At the hospitals dermatology office, one man untied his dirt-covered shoes to show the painful looking sores on the tops of his feet and ankles where his rash had rubbed open. A woman held up her hands, chapped raw and red.

Mohammed al-Rayan, several of whose children in a tent outside Khan Younis, have rashes or spot, said he has taken them to doctors.

They give us creams, but its no use when you dont have anything to wash with, he said. You put a cream and it gets better but then the next day its back the same.

Parents are left struggling to comfort children with painful conditions that wont go away.

Manar al-Hessis toddler cried as she spread cream on her forehead and chest, covered in scabs, sores and spots.

Its horrible, al-Hessi said. There are always flies on her face. She goes in the toilet or the garbage, and it gets in her hands. The filth is huge.

___

Shurafa reported from Deir al-Balah, Gaza Strip. AP correspondent Julia Frankel in Jerusalem contributed to this report.

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Follow AP's war coverage at https://apnews.com/hub/israel-hamas-war

___

This story was first published on July 30, 2024. It was updated on July 31, 2024 to correct that about 250 people were abducted in the Oct. 7 attack on southern Israel, not 350.
Not every doctors office runs an Instagram account that posts tips about how to approach sex with trans people alongside updates about which insurance it accepts. But Folx, an LGBTQ-focused online health care startup that launched in 2020, doesnt want to be anything like your traditional provider. The companys websitedesigned by the same agency that crafted the looks of Hinge and Supergoopis part digital magazine, part retailer, part influencer hub. One entry on the Library page, which is full of guides and listicles, boasts The Top 10 Most Iconic Moments in Transgender Healthcare History. The Folx store is stocked with merch that a well-intentioned mom might wear to a Pride march.

Folx is just one entry in a growing list of digital health companies offering gender-affirming services, and one of a handful founded by a trans or nonbinary person. The staple service of trans telehealth is hormone therapy, but each company also offers its own unique smattering of mental, sexual, and reproductive health care. The business model has been around for a few yearsin 2018 Vice declared that the Future of Transgender Healthcare Is Online and offered a now-quaint description of video visits that use technology similar to a Skype call. But its market has only grown in the wake of the COVID telehealth boom on the one hand, and the rights ginned-up anti-trans moral panic on the other.

Indeed, trans peoples status as a convenient political bludgeon has made an already precarious path to health care even more treacherous. Restrictions on access to gender-affirming care have multiplied in recent years39 percent of trans youth live in states that have passed bans on care for minors. Even so, the anti-trans machinations of state legislatures are, practically speaking, really just further additions to long-existing barriers all too familiar to trans people, like a systemic lack of knowledgeable, accessible providers. The providers that do meet bare-minimum thresholds of competency and access often encounter demand so intense that their waiting lists bloat to months, sometimes even years, of backlog. And when trans people successfully navigate this maze, what usually awaits us on the other side is even more obstacles. In a 2022 study, nearly half of trans peopleof the ones who made it to a doctors officereported being harassed or denied treatment in the previous year. Unlike lots of the problems tech startups profess to solve, this one is very real.

Its in this context that trans telehealth markets itself as taking heroic aim at a many-headed hydra, with branding that asserts a sense of community and system-altering disruption. Folx, the self-described first digital healthcare company designed by and for the LGBTQIA+ community, hosted a virtual Pride Camp last month, which featured programming that ranged from a DIY Zine Workshop to Body Positive Voguing. Plume, which describes itself as the first health technology company fully dedicated to the trans community, hosts digital events focused on social justice. One example: Unpacking Privilege: From Ally to Accomplice.

The message from both is clear: Were not just your doctor. Were your community. Getting your health care from someone who actually cares about yougenuinely, deeplyis a far-off fantasy for most Americans, cis or trans. Thats why the siren call of these companies is so appealing. But what does it mean to conflate transactions with communal offerings, and how much can you even offer within the confines of a screen?

Jerrica Kirkley, Plumes co-founder and chief medical officer, told me that the startups goal is to transform health care for every trans life. Kirkley says she initially tried to open a community health center in Denver for trans patients but was forced to take a different route because of red tape. After years of seeing patients drive for five or six hours just to access gender-affirming care, she was convinced of the need for telemedicine.

Though TERFs, right-wingers, and liberals who are just asking questions might argue that gender-affirming care is too easily accessible, especially for trans youth, trans telehealth has clued venture capitalists in to the fact that obstacles do indeed abound, and that these barriers represent an enormous opportunity for profit. Plume has raised $38 million in VC funding since launching at the end of 2019. Folx went live a year later and has since racked up a total of $59.4 million in funding. Carrot Fertility, which emphasizes family planning but also covers gender-affirming care, clocks in at $114 million. Its no wonder theres so much venture capital flying around: In 2022 the gender-affirming hormone therapy market alone reached an estimated $1.6 billion.

Kate Steinle, Folxs chief clinical officer, told me that being able to do something wildly different in health care is what drew her to Folx. Both Folx and Plume advertise access to clinically and culturally competent providersexperts in the medical and social needs of trans patients, and who might even be trans themselves. They also operate under the informed consent model, which emphasizes patient autonomy in decisions about whether and how to pursue care. This stands in contrast to the norm of requiring mental health evaluations to determine the appropriateness of gender-affirming carea remnant of the medical establishments not-too-distant history of regarding transness as a mental disorder.

Though low-cost and free clinics with these same benefits exist, they are often overflowing with demand and too few and far between. Alejandra Caraballo, a clinical instructor at Harvard Law Schools Cyberlaw Clinic and a former staff attorney at the Transgender Legal Defense & Education Fund, told me, In some ways, [trans telehealth] has been a critical lifeline for a lot of people who cant access gender-affirming care in other contexts, particularly rural trans patients.

Its an appealing escape hatch, but one operable only by those who can afford it. Membership at Folxwhich doesnt include the cost of prescriptions or visits with your clinicianis $39.99 a month, whether or not youre insured. With insurance, Plume costs $32 a month, a cost also not inclusive of the price of prescriptions or visits. For $99 a month, you can self-pay for Plume membership without insurance, which covers clinician visits but not prescriptions. Neither Folx nor Plume accepts Medicare or Medicaid.

Considering the numbers, its worth asking: Is there anything particularly communal or transformative about velvet roped care for those with the money to pay for it? If the answer is yes, that speaks, more than anything else, to the impossible conditions faced by trans people. And given our dire straits, there are stakes to conflating private concierge services with our long history of community agency. In the face of endless barriers, trans people have always fought to exercise control over our bodies and existence. Notable examples pepper our history, from projects to secure housing and do-it-yourself autonomous transition to collectives that gather funds for all kinds of necessities. Trans telehealth is a buoy that will benefit some, while trans agency is a foundational skill set that requires constant upkeep and practice.

To be fair, trans telehealth recognizes that membership fees are exclusive. During my conversations with each companys top clinical brass, it was clear that cost was on their minds too. As an alternative to the direct-to-consumer subscription model, Folx allows employers to take on the cost of membership for employees. And rather than charge membership fees at all, Carrot works with employers to determine the amount of Carrot funds available to each employeepools of tens of thousands of dollars that can be used to reimburse members for specific kinds of care. This may sound promising, but its worth considering that no one is lessening systemic barriers to gender-affirming care by making access in effect an even more rarefied luxury. To wit: Only those with the right cushy jobsGrindr and Discord offer Folx, while Carrot counts Zoom, Snapchat, Salesforce, and Peloton among its clientelebenefit from this model. In the U.S., health care is already functionally a privilege tied to employment; employer-sponsored trans telehealth escalates this status quo by creating an even smaller circle of benefactors.

And even the lucky few are arguably being sold short. Carrot markets its services as revolutionizing care by exiting the outdated, inequitable world of insurance altogether. In its operations, though, its nearly indistinguishable from traditional insuranceCarrot has providers it considers in-network (a list that includes Folx and Plumewhich, incidentally, are also in-network for some major insurers, like Aetna) and its own formulary of covered prescriptions and other care that it covers. In other words, more of the same.

Stipulated, the Carrot facsimile has certain advantages. Carrot funds can be used to pay for an assortment of care that traditional insurance would not coverlike packers and the cost of traveling to a faraway clinic. Carrot insists that its services tackle the barrier posed by the limitations of insurance coverage, including gatekeeping and offering only the most basic formularies. But customers feel that there are some glaring omissions. Jazz Pouls, a data scientist whose workplace offers Carrot as a benefit, says she has spent countless hours fighting to get Carrot to be more inclusive of the care needs of transfemmes. Though Pouls successfully lobbied for coverage of tucking kits and body shapers, she hasnt been able to persuade Carrot to add facial-hair removal services to its comprehensive formulary. The only difference between hours spent arguing about coverage with an insurance disrupter and hours spent arguing with a traditional insurance provider is the added weight of the pretense and promises that things would be otherwise.

Kellan Baker, the executive director of the Whitman Walker Institute, isnt surprised when innovators start to resemble the thing they are meant to transform. That is often what happens with disruption. You find out that the system works in a specific way because theres a lot of pressures that encourage or force it to work that way.

Carrot also doesnt include gender-affirming surgery in its coverage. Despite it being the care she can least afford, Pouls is unable to use her $20,000 in Carrot funds to pay for surgery of any kind. She told me that the omission makes Carrot feel more like an employer PR tool than a material benefit. Thats not that far off from how the company appears to see itself. Recruitment and retention are a major marketing focus for Carrot, a choice that suggests that Carrots most important customers may be employers, not their trans employees. In interviews, Carrot CEO Tammy Sun often refers to employer-sponsored benefits halo effect, a powerful virtue signaling opportunity. According to Sun, even if they never use a benefit themselves, people who see their LGBTQ coworkers receiving benefits have a sense of goodwill toward their employer, and believe that their company is sensitive toward its workers needs.

Carrot isnt alone in failing to facilitate surgery. Although Plume and Folx both offer referrals, letters of support, and member-specific advice, neither is poised to engage with surgery directly. It seems that trans telehealth, years into its boom, cannot and will not dismantle barriers to the most maligned, cost-prohibitive gender-affirming care. This speaks to one of the models core limitations: Trans peoples health needs are not miraculously confined to care that can be accessed through a screen. Its fine if you get your hormone therapy through a digital health system, said Baker. But what happens when you have to go to the emergency room? What happens when you have something that comes up that needs to be managed by a specialist and weve let the entire rest of the health care system off the hook?

According to a research letter in the Journal of the American Medical Association, one-fourth of clinics in states that have enacted barriers to gender-affirming care have closed since 2021. Trans telehealth shields some individuals from the brunt of this assault, but the model itself is not necessarily secure. Ten states already ban prescribing testosterone via telehealth, and Florida is in the process of appealing a federal judges ruling that blocks the state from banning the prescription of gender-affirming hormones via telemedicine altogether. The very attacks on access that have made trans telehealth urgent and lucrative in the first place might also be its downfall. And by segregating trans health care into a concierge service, trans telehealth emboldens the biggest assault on access of all: the project of undermining gender-affirming cares legitimacy and necessity. Isolating trans health care from the standard health system sends the message that its a somewhat ridiculous luxury that comes with cushy tech jobslike a home office stipend or a gym membershipor an exotic purchase made ad hoc by certain consumers.

I asked Caraballo about whether trans telehealth can live up to its ad copys visions of heroic transformation. She isnt sold on the idea: It just feels like it ties the success of the community to the success of some private individual or private company. And I dont think thats what the definition of queer liberation is. No one should be shocked to learn that companies are in the business of making money. But trans people also shouldnt expect the invention of a shiny new health care business backed by venture capital to meaningfully address the inequities created by the system of health care as a business, no matter how slick the marketing.

Threats to trans health care will continue to evolve. Its possible that state-level attacks will be outrun by more draconian federal policy in the coming years. And even if the fixation wanes, trans people will still be left with the long-existing obstacles that already burdened our healthinsurance barriers, mental health evaluations, steep costs, too few providers, gatekeeping. Though trans telehealth will undoubtedly carry some past the snake pits of the current emergency, it will never end the emergency altogether. We cannot afford to make the mistake of neglecting or starving our history of mutual care under the glittering promises of disrupters. The steadfastness and ingenuity that made transition possible long before the era of startups and telehealth will continue to ensure our existence long after the market moves on.

Trans people have always taken care of trans peoplewith mutual aid, by sharing meds and information, when we nurse each other after surgery, by taking care into our own hands, and by reinforcing in one another a vast sense of possibility. In defiance of gatekeepers, in defiance of financial barriers, in defiance of outright denial, we shepherd one another into existence. Regardless of the lifelines we may grab hold of along the way, whatever better future exists for the taking will come from remembering the power in the sheer force of our collective will. And theres no app for that.
BANGKOK, July 30 (Xinhua) -- Thailand expects to export 8.2 million tons of rice in 2024, up from the 7.5 million tons projected earlier, thanks to robust demand from key markets, weak local currency and increased production, the Ministry of Commerce said on Tuesday.

In the first half of this year, the Southeast Asian country shipped out 5.08 million tons of rice, marking a 25.12 percent surge compared to the previous year, the ministry said in a statement.

The increased demand is attributed to importing nations' need for food security and stockpiling, coupled with India's continued export restrictions, said Ronnarong Phoolpipat, director general of the Minister's Department of Foreign Trade.

Ronnarong said rice production in the final quarter of the year is expected to pick up as the effects of the El Nino weather phenomenon have subsided.

The kingdom's rice shipment recorded a 13.7 percent rise from a year earlier to 8.76 million tons in 2023, beating a target of 8 million. 
MONTGOMERY COUNTY, Md. (DC News Now)  Crews with Montgomery County Fire and Rescue Service (MCFRS) responded to smoke coming out of a home in Potomac during Monday evenings storms.

Crews were assessing the damage caused by lightning. (Pete Piringer via X/@mcfrsPIO)

As officials arrived at the scene in the 10800 block of Nantucket Terrace, off Falls Road, they found a lightning strike likely caused several homes in the area to experience electrical issues and smoky conditions.

Current forecast from the DC News Now weather team

No fire was evident at the single-family home that first reported smoke, according to Pete Piringer, an MCFRS spokesman.

Piringer said a lighting strike had caused a power surge at several homes, burning an electric meter at two separate residences.

Pepco was at the scene due to power outages in the area. As of 7:15 p.m., Pepcos Outage Map reported that about five customers in the Potomac area were without power.

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A list of Texas pastors who resigned in 2024 after accusations of misconduct

Several Texas pastors have resigned this year after allegations of misconduct, among other accusations. Some pastors face charges for their actions.

In June, the American-Statesman reported on megachurch pastor Robert Morris resigning after allegations of child abuse.

Morris resigned from his position as the senior pastor of Gateway Church in Southlake, near Fort Worth, after a confession made in early June regarding his involvement in sexual behavior with a child during the 1980s.

Here is a breakdown of Morris and the other Texas pastors who stepped down this year.

Robert Morris child sex abuse allegations

Cindy Clemishire made allegations in a report that Morris had abused her when she was 12 years old.

Clemishire, who is now 54, detailed her abuse in The Wartburg Watch, a blog focusing on nefarious issues in Christian churches. The alleged abuse continued for more than four years, Clemishire said.

According to WFAA, Morris defense team is blaming Clemishire for initiating the inappropriate conduct.

The now-former Pastor Robert Morris of Gateway Church, who was preaching to more than 100,000 active attendees in Dallas and was once a spiritual adviser to former President Donald Trump, resigned on June 18, 2024, two days after admitting to "inappropriate sexual behavior with a young lady" decades ago. The "young lady" in question was 12 and the "behavior" as she described it would amount to criminal sexual abuse.

"It was your client who initiated inappropriate behavior by coming into my client's bedroom and getting in bed with him, which my client should not have allowed to happen," the letter from Morris lawyer said.

Morris has not been charged.

Youth pastor Luke Cunningham charged with sexual assault of child

Cunningham  a 41-year-old former youth pastor at a church in Lubbock  was arrested by U.S. Marshalls and booked into Lubbock County Jail in June. Cunningham was arrested on separate charges of sexual assault of a child and aggravated sexual assault of a child.

The first charge accuses him of sexually assaulting a teenager on Jan. 8, 2017. The second charge accuses him of raping a different teenager on Oct. 17, 2018 during which he used his hands as deadly weapons. He also faces a second count of indecency with a child by sexual contact for touching the girl's genitals on Jan. 1, 2016.

His last place of employment was the Lakeside Baptist Church in Granbury. The church fired Cunningham after learning of the accusations against Cunningham regarding inappropriate conduct with a minor at a different church.

Ronald Goines of Koinonia Church charged with sexual assault

Goines  a pastor at Koinonia Church in Arlington  was arrested July 25 in connection to an ongoing sexual assault investigation, according to the Arlington Police Department.

Goines turned himself into the Tarrant County Jail after the police department's Sex Crimes Unit obtained two warrants for his arrest. He was charged with indecent assault and sexual assault. Goines was released on July 27 after posting $23,000 in bail for the two charges.

Tony Cammarota of Stonebriar Community Church let go for 'moral failure'

Cammarota was an associate pastor at the Stonebriar Community Church in Frisco for 17 years before being fired in early July for a moral failure.

The church didnt say what Cammarota did but said in an email obtained by WFAA that He is deeply remorseful but his sin disqualifies him from serving on our staff as a pastor."

Dallas pastor Tony Evans resigns over unnamed 'sin'

In early June, Evans, the senior pastor of Oak Cliff Bible Fellowship in Dallas, stepped down after nearly 50 years of ministry due to an unnamed 'sin.'

Evans said he has "committed no crime," but "did not use righteous judgement in my actions."

Following prayer and meetings with Evans and church elders, Oak Cliff Bible Fellowship officials said they would hold Evans accountable.

"Dr. Evans and the elders agree that it's the elders' responsibility to hold any elder or pastor accountable if they don't meet the high standards of the scripture, and to ensure that the church maintains its integrity," the church's website states.

Josiah Anthony of Cross Timbers Church resigns over 'inappropriate and hurtful' conduct

Anthony, the pastor of Cross Timbers Church in Argyle, stepped down from his role in late July. His resignation was prompted by undisclosed "inappropriate and hurtful" actions towards both church members and staff.

The church said once they were aware of Anthony's actions, he could no longer serve as the lead pastor.

In a statement to media outlets, the church clarified that the inappropriate behavior "does not include any children, physical or sexual interactions or any illegal activity to our knowledge."

This article originally appeared on Austin American-Statesman: Here's a look at Texas pastors involved in controversies in 2024
An 18-year-old Moline man faces charges and traffic tickets after police allege he led a high-speed chase through Davenport, according to court records.

Court records say Hunter McCraw faces

A felony charge of eluding  speed more than 25 mph over the limit

Simple misdemeanor charge of interference with official acts

Ticket for fraudulent use of registration

Ticket for failure to provide proof of financial liability

Two tickets for failure to obey traffic control devices

Ticket for violating one-way traffic designation

Ticket for failure to maintain control

Ticket for operating without registration and/or plate

Ticket for reckless driving.

Hunter McCraw (Scott County Jail)

A chase through Davenport (click the arrow below to listen)

About 3:12 a.m. July 7, Iowa State Patrol tried to stop a black Cadillac DTS for reckless driving at West 3rd and Warren streets, according to arrest affidavits and Broadcastify, which records public-safety scanner communications.

The car failed to stop and a chase started.

A 911 caller reported that someone in McCraws car was throwing fireworks at people while driving around (this report can be heard in the Broadcastify recording of an officer involved in the chase  click above to listen.)

Police saw the Cadillac in the area of West 3rd Street and Myrtle Street driving at a high rate of speed being chased by a silver sedan. McCraw didnt stop for a fully marked patrol car wit its emergency lights and sirens activated, and intentionally initiated a vehicle pursuit, police say in affidavits.

McCraw took off around the downtown area of Davenport and intentionally drove the wrong way on multiple different posted one-way streets, and swerved at a stopped marked patrol car while fleeing, according to affidavits.

Affidavits say McCraw drove 80 mph in a posted 35 mph zone on West 4th Street from North Division Street during the pursuit, and ran every red light the defendant came upon showing no regard for the innocent motoring public.

In affidavits, police say McCraw continued at a high rate of speed before losing control and crashing the vehicle in the 4300 block of Telegraph Road, damaging a residential yard and plants.

McCraw and co-defendants fled from the vehicle on foot and did not stop for verbal commands from uniformed police, affidavits say. (McCraw) fled into a heavy wooded area and could not be located at the time of the incident.

A co-defendant identified McCraw, police say in affidavits. McCraws drivers license was found in his wallet in the drivers door. McCraw also was identified by the pursuing officer.

McCraw, who was arrested Monday on a warrant, was released on bond. He is set for a preliminary hearing Aug. 9 in Scott County Court.

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CARACAS, Venezuela (AP)  Venezuela was tense on Tuesday as incumbent President Nicolas Maduro and the countrys main opposition coalition both claimed that they had won Sunday's presidential election.

The national electoral authority proclaimed Maduro the winner. The opposition represented by Edmundo Gonzalez said it has evidence to the contrary.

Electoral authorities installed more than 30,000 voting machines and by law the opposition had the right to have representatives at all voting centers. But not all were allowed in Sunday or were ousted before polls closed.

After the polls close, Venezuela's electronic voting machines can print sheets tallying all the votes each counted. Experts say the best way to clear up the dispute is to release those sheets. But the National Electoral Council has not done so.

Here's a look at what has been said and what is known:

The tally sheets

The main discussion is coming down to the sheets. In case of any dispute, one way of solving it is by checking the tallies the government has against what the opposition parties have.

The electronic machines provide every voter a paper receipt that shows which candidate they chose. Voters are supposed to deposit their receipts at ballot boxes before exiting the polls.

After polls close, each machine prints a tally sheet showing the candidates names and the votes each received. Party representatives stationed at polling sites throughout election day get a copy of the tally sheet, and electoral authorities keep another one.

But the ruling party wields tight control over the voting system, both through a loyal five-member electoral council and a network of longtime local party coordinators who get near unrestricted access to voting centers. Those coordinators, some of whom are responsible for handing out government benefits including subsidized food, have blocked representatives of opposition parties from entering voting centers as allowed by law to witness the voting process, vote counting and, crucially, to obtain a copy of the machines final tally sheets.

Which numbers have the electoral authorities released?

On its website, Venezuela's National Electoral Council traditionally posts vote counts for every machine. It has never posted images of the tally sheets.

The president of the council, Elvis Amoroso, said Monday that Maduro got 51.2% of the votes, or more than 5.1 million votes. Gonzalez garnered 44%, or more than 4.4 million votes, he said.

Amoroso said the other 8 presidential candidates got a combined total of 4% or more than 462,000 votes.

He said those numbers were based on a review of 80% of the tally sheets. He did not show the sheets.

Which numbers have the opposition shared?

Opposition leader Maria Corina Machado said on Monday that Gonzalez got more than 6.2 million votes and Maduro got more than 2.7 million votes.

Machado did not offer totals for the other eight candidates.

She said those numbers were based on a review of 73.2% of the tally sheets. She did not show any tally sheet but she directed voters to a website where they can use their ID number to look up an image of the sheet that corresponds to the machine where they voted.

Who has access to the tallies?

The National Electoral Council does not have the obligation to post the tally sheets on its website  which has been down since Monday. But the opposition, electoral experts and some foreign governments disputing the official results are urging the sheets' release.

On Monday, Machado announced the opposition had created a searchable website with images of every tally sheet that opposition poll representatives were able to obtain. Machado said the information was also being shared with the international community.
Little Rock looks to expand view of Real Time Crime Center

Little Rock looks to expand view of Real Time Crime Center

LITTLE ROCK, Ark.  The City of Little Rock is stepping things up a notch to fight crime.

A new initiative called Eyes on the Rock invites everyday citizens with home security cameras to get involved.

Little Rock city leaders speak on how residents can help with crime prevention in panel

Little Rock currently has more than 3,200 cameras around the city as part of its Real Time Crime Center.

Mayor Frank Scott, Jr. said he would like to boost that number to 30,000 by connecting with home and business security cameras.

Were not coming into your homes to seek anything else, Scott said. Its about ensuring we have public safety and continuing to drive down crime and violent crime in our city, as we have seen. This is a very strategic way to do this quick, fast and in a hurry.

Little Rock was the first city in Arkansas to install the Real Time Crime Center and the mayor credits that for lowering crime by 3 to 4 percent.

Pine Bluff installing cameras, real-time crime center to reduce violence

Anyone who would like to learn more about the Eyes on the Rock campaign can visit ConnectLittleRock.org.

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TAMPA, Fla. (WFLA)  A woman has died and a man was injured after they were shot at a Mexican restaurant in Brooksville on Tuesday morning, the Hernando County Sheriffs Office said.

The shooting occurred around 10 a.m. at the El Sol de Mexico Bar & Grill at 31079 Cortez Boulevard in the Ridge Manor area.

Taylor Swift completely in shock after 3 kids killed in stabbing rampage at dance class celebrating her music

Hernando County Sheriff Al Nienhuis said he believes the incident began as a robbery attempt. Luckily, with school being out, several school resource deputies were on the road and quickly arrived at the restaurant.

They very quickly got some preliminary information and put it out that we were looking for a small dark-colored car, possibly with [Georgia] tags, and because of that, we were able to get that to Highway Patrol, and Highway Patrol actually stopped the vehicle that matched the description, Nienhuis said.

The sheriffs office identified the suspect as 21-year-old Donald Donell Jamison. He was arrested and charged with first-degree murder, attempted first-degree murder, and robbery. Additional charges may be pending.









According to deputies, the man who was shot is expected to be OK.

Its really a miracle that nobody else was injured, Nienhuis said. We always like to make sure that people understand, and I think young people unfortunately dont understand this very well that once that bullet leaves the gun, it doesnt always hit the intended target. Even in a case like this, it couldve been a young child that got hit by a ricochet.

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CHICAGO  The Rev. Al Sharpton on Tuesday called for Illinois lawmakers to pass a police reform law in Sonya Masseys name that would prevent law enforcement officers from moving rapidly from one department to another.

If youre bad in one precinct, why would we think all of a sudden you had some kind of Damascus Road, knock-off-the-horse change of heart in another district? he said at an afternoon news conference at New Mount Pilgrim Church in the citys Garfield Park neighborhood. A bad cop is a bad cop.

Sharpton spoke alongside civil rights attorney Ben Crump and Masseys survivors. The central Illinois woman was shot and killed July 6 by Sangamon County Sheriffs Office deputy Sean Grayson after calling 911 for help about a suspected prowler.

Grayson was vetted and approved for hiring by Sangamon County in May 2023 despite two drunk-driving convictions, the first of which got him ejected from the Army for serious misconduct, and having six jobs in four years, including as a sheriffs deputy in Logan County, where he was reprimanded for ignoring a command to end a high-speed chase and ended up hitting a deer.

In his remarks, Sharpton renewed calls for Congress to approve the George Floyd Justice in Policing Act which U.S. House Democrats approved in 2021 before the legislation died in the Senate. It aims to crack down on police misconduct, excessive force and racial bias in law enforcement.

Rev. Sharpton calls for Illinois police reform law in wake of Sonya Massey killing

Sheriff apologizes, again rejects calls to resign

Deputy who shot woman had DUI-related Army ejection

Dispatch records detail confusion after Sonya Massey shooting death

Attorney: Family wasnt immediately told Sonya Massey death was deputy-involved

Deputy involved in Sonya Massey shooting death worked for 6 agencies in 4 years, records show

Body-cam video in Sonya Massey shooting reveals chaotic scene

When they arrest people in our community, what is the first thing they do? Check our record, Sharpton said. We should have the right to check the record of officers.

Following Masseys death, Grayson was fired from the department and charged with first-degree murder, aggravated battery with a firearm and official misconduct. Hes pleaded not guilty and is being held in the Sangamon County Jail without bond. If convicted, he faces prison sentences of 45 years to life for murder, six to 30 years for battery, and two to five years for misconduct.

The news conference was called to address the police union grievance filed on behalf of Grayson seeking reinstatement and back pay. The grievance was filed July 18 by the Illinois Fraternal Order of Police Labor Council, but the same body later said it would not pursue Graysons reinstatement.

The sheriff of Sangamon County, Jack Campbell, faced the community on Monday night and offered his apology but again rejected calls for his resignation.

The Associated Press contributed.

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The senior Louisville Metro Police officer whose allegation of sexual harassment by another top cop ignited a firestorm that led to the ouster of Chief Jacquelyn Gwinn-Villaroel last month is suing the department, several officers and Mayor Craig Greenberg alleging a hostile work environment, retaliation and negligence.

Maj. Shannon Lauder, who leads LMPDs First Division, is joined in the lawsuit by her husband, Jeffrey Lauder, who leads SWAT. Both are on leave pending a sexual misconduct breach-of-policy investigation against them related to events described in their own lawsuit.

Jared Smith, an attorney for the Lauders, filed the lawsuit this week in Jefferson County Circuit Court.

In the 47-page lawsuit, the Lauders allege a long-time friend of Shannons, LMPD Sgt. Lauren Carby, confronted Jeff at an August 2020 open house at the Lauders home about her belief that Shannon was having an affair. Following that allegation, the lawsuit said, rumors spread like wildfire through the department and resulted in harassment of the Lauders.

The account is at odds with a lawsuit filed last month by Carby that alleged Jeffrey Lauder propositioned her for sex at a pool party at the Lauders home with the encouragement of Shannon, who was her boss at the time. As a result, Carbys lawsuit said, she faced retaliation and came to the conclusion that her life would have been tremendously easier for her professionally if she had simply slept with Jeff Lauder in 2020.

Sarah Collins, the attorney representing Carby, said: "The claims in the Lauders' lawsuit against Lauren are nonsensical. LMPD has a history of covering up misconduct of high ranking members, including sexual harassment and other misconduct by Maj. Shannon Lauder and Lt. Jeff Lauder. The Lauders' recent efforts to portray themselves as victims are desperate and without merit. On its face, their verified complaint is problematic for the Lauders themselves."

The Lauders' lawsuit alleges Carby was pressured to file a formal complaint against Shannon Lauder by Mindy Vance, who the Lauder and Carby lawsuits said headed LMPDs Peer Support Team.

Interim Louisville Police Chief Jacquelyn Gwinn-Villaroel, right, looked on as Mayor Craig Greenberg announced that she has been selected as the permanent chief of the LMPD following a nationwide search in Louisville, Ky. on July 20, 2023.

According to the lawsuit, when Carby initially refused to file a formal complaint, Vance shared Carbys comments with an unnamed major at the department, which the Lauders say violated the Peer Support Teams confidentiality policy. Vance is alleged to have also shared Carbys allegations with Gwinn-Villaroel.

Vance then pushed Gwinn-Villaroel, according to the lawsuit, to initiate an internal investigation against Shannon and Jeff Lauder.

That investigation was subsequently halted by a lawsuit by the Fraternal Order of Police on the basis that it began with a breach of confidentiality.

Carby has since filed a formal complaint against the Lauders earlier this year, with that investigation pending.

Vance is further accused by the Lauders of trying to remove Jeff Lauder from his role as SWAT commander at the time.

The lawsuit comes after Shannon Lauder, during a command staff meeting in May, told Gwinn-Villaroel she was sexually harassed and attacked by Maj. Brian Kuriger, who oversees LMPDs internal affairs units. Kuriger is believed to be on administrative leave pending an internal investigation into the allegations made by Lauder.

Gwinn-Villaroels handling of that episode led to her suspension and ultimate departure from LMPD, which the former chief said was ordered by Greenberg.

Kuriger, the lawsuit alleges, made comments about female officers bodies, including Shannons body and received lap dances from female recruits at training academy graduation parties.

He did not respond to an email from The Courier Journal seeking comment.

Despite previously making sexual comments about Shannon Lauder, the lawsuit alleges, Kuriger was placed in charge of the investigation into the couples interaction with Carby. The lawsuit claims Kuriger took the lead in questioning Lauder and repeatedly cut her off, not allowing her to finish, followed lines of questioning that were not rooted in fact or evidence and did not look into complaints of harassment raised by the couple.

LMPD Director of Communications Angela Ingram emailed a statement to The Courier Journal Tuesday evening.

LMPD takes seriously any allegations of sexual harassment or retaliation within the department and multiple investigations have been launched and are pending. These investigations are imperative given the conflicting narratives of the recently filed lawsuits alleging malfeasance and sexual misconduct. While LMPD cannot comment on the specifics of the lawsuits, we would like to reiterate that LMPD is committed to conducting expedient, thorough, and impartial investigations of all sexual misconduct allegations once claims are brought to our attention," Ingram said.

Ingram added that LMPD has since implemented an "enhanced multi-tiered approach" that strengthens the department's response to sexual harassment allegations, which includes streamlining the reporting process, mandatory sexual harassment training at all levels, and adopting new procedures for preventing retaliation.

The lawsuit also names Louisvilles mayor as a defendant, alleging that he was negligent in hiring Gwinn-Villaroel and, once she was hired, was negligent in his supervision of her.

The suit referenced Gwinn-Villaroels suspension as a member of the Atlanta Police Department for lying and trying to access files related to a narcotics investigation targeting a relative, which was first reported by The Courier Journal in January.

Further, the lawsuit alleges, a memorandum sent by Shannon Lauder outlining LMPD policy violations, violations of Kentucky law, and general concerns she had regarding [internal affairs] operations, made its way to the mayors office.

However, the lawsuit said, Mayor Greenberg failed to take any steps to correct the toxicity running rampant through the LMPD at the time.

More: 'Patriarchal, misogynistic culture': How sexual misconduct proliferated at LMPD

At a press conference Tuesday morning, Greenberg called the allegations that he was negligent in hiring and supervising Gwinn-Villaroel "ridiculous."

He added that Louisville Metro Government was taking all sexual misconduct allegations seriously and that several investigations were ongoing "to get to the bottom of what has been going on at LMPD and across the city, and to find the truth." Greenberg said he would "provide more specific comments" on the lawsuit later Tuesday after he had a chance to read it in its entirety.

Gwinn-Villaroel, who was named as a defendant in the suit, did not respond to a phone call from The Courier Journal.

An attorney for Mindy Vance referred questions to the Jefferson County Attorneys Office; a spokesperson for that office told The Courier Journal the office generally does not comment on active litigation.

Reach reporter Josh Wood at jwood@courier-journal.com or on X at @JWoodJourno. Reach reporter Rachel Smith at rksmith@courier-journal.com or on X at @RachelSmithNews. Eleanor McCrary contributed reporting.

This article originally appeared on Louisville Courier Journal: Louisville police officer sues LMPD, Mayor Craig Greenberg
(WHTM) Pennsylvania firefighters with the Department of Conservation and Natural Resources (DCNR) are packing up and heading west to Montana to help battle wildfires.

Twenty firefighters from across Pennsylvania gathered in Swatara Township in Dauphin County late last night before flying out west to support local firefighters in their ongoing effort to combat rampaging wildfires across the northwest.

This isnt the first time Pennslyvania has sent crews west to support firefighters west. In fact, its been happening for over 50 years now, according to the Pennsylvania Department of Conservation and Natural Resources.

Officials from the DCNR highlight the importance of the cooperative agreement with the federal government to fight fires out of state because the number of volunteer firefighters is declining nationwide.

So wildland firefighting, its a very physical job. Its also done by a lot of people that volunteer to do it. And as everybody knows, volunteer numbers are going down, said DCNR Incident Management Specialist Chad Northcraft. So the states that are receiving are very grateful to have us. And then the benefit to us is the knowledge that we gain while were out there.

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HONOLULU (KHON2)  The Honu Hawaii Project is an exciting initiative led by Dr. Brian Glaser from the University of Hawaii.

They use special sensors to study ocean tides and water levels around Hawaii. This helps local communities understand flooding and plan better.

Honus data is free and available online, making it easy for everyone to use. Their goal is to provide important ocean information to help keep Hawaii safe and beautiful.

KHON2.com was able to sit down with Dr. Glaser to learn more.

Dr. Glaser is a key team member shared insights into their innovative project aimed at making ocean data more accessible.

The project, spearheaded by Honu, bridges the gap between academic research and community needs, providing valuable tools for ocean observation.

Dr. Glaser, who has spent 20 years on Oahu, and he focuses on the interplay of chemistry, biology and physics in the ocean.

Collaborating with engineers, he developed new sensors and tools for ocean observation. These efforts, funded by organizations like the National Science Foundation and NOAA, eventually led to the creation of Honu.

This company aims to provide ocean observing tools to communities that typically lack access to them.

A key team member introduced himself and shared his journey from being born and raised on Oahu to studying mechanical and product development engineering on the mainland.

With a background in startups, including commercial drones and electric scooters, he joined Honu to work on technology that could benefit communities globally while being rooted in Hawaii.

Another associate on this project is Dr. Kevin Mukai.

I was born and raised on Oahu, attended and graduated from Punahou. I went to the mainland to study mechanical and product development engineering, Mukai explained. Ever since college, Ive been working at hardware and software startups, mainly on the business operations side of things, both as a founder and in hyper-growth phases. I met Brian in late 2019 and wanted to work on a technology product meant to be created in Hawaii but also had the ability to help communities on a global scale.

Honus impact on Hawaii

Dr. Glaser explained that he has worked closely with fish pond communities in Hawaii throughout his career.

These communities face various challenges, from invasive species to the need for better management practices. Using modern tools, Honu helps make these tasks more efficient.

Dr. Glaser mentioned, We can make it easier to observe, track, and monitor with todays technology.

With funding from organizations like the Purple Maia Foundation and support from Senator Brian Schatz, Honu installed sensors at 30 locations around Hawaii, including traditional Hawaiian fish ponds.

These sensors provide valuable data on water levels and tides, crucial for activities like harvesting oysters and planning volunteer workdays.

Using local data for local solutions

Dr. Glaser emphasized the importance of localized data. While NOAA provides high-quality tide gauge data, their stations are sparse.

Honus 30 tide gauges throughout Hawaii fill these gaps, offering communities accurate, real-time data. This data is essential for understanding local flooding, planning restoration projects, and more.

Dr. Glaser noted, Having those local measurements in your own backyard helps understand how flooding is affecting places where flooding never used to happen.

The key team member added, Being able to understand the hyper-local impacts, like why is my backyard flooded now when it never used to, is crucial. Honu helps by putting new sensors in new locations to give more accurate real-time data as well as predictions.

Connecting with the community

When asked how people can engage with Honu, Dr. Glaser explained that all their data is freely available. They maintain about 130 to 140 sites across the U.S., with data accessible on their website and the Tidecast app.

This transparency allows communities to use the data for various purposes, from environmental monitoring to planning community events.

The key team member elaborated, All of our data is freely available at dashboard.honu.io and on the IOS app store under Tidecast. Honu serves not only all of the federal governments data but also our own, supplementing and filling the gaps between those federal assets.

Future plans and community involvement

The interview concluded with a discussion about future opportunities. Dr. Glaser expressed a willingness to discuss how climate phenomena like La Nina could impact their work.

He emphasized that while Honu focuses on hyper-local impacts, they are part of a larger network of academic and governmental efforts to understand and mitigate climate change.

Dr. Glasers work with Honu highlights the importance of combining scientific research with practical applications. By providing accessible, localized data, Honu empowers communities to address environmental challenges and make informed decisions.

This innovative approach not only benefits Hawaii but also serves as a model for other regions facing similar issues.

Dr. Glaser and his team at Honu are making significant strides in ocean observation and community engagement.

Their work exemplifies the power of technology and collaboration in addressing environmental challenges, ensuring that both local and global communities can benefit from their efforts.

You can click here to learn more about this important project.

This project showcases how dedication, innovation and community involvement can lead to impactful solutions, providing a blueprint for similar initiatives worldwide.

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BEIJING, July 30 (Xinhua) -- Minister of Commerce Wang Wentao has outlined a host of prioritized measures aimed at opening the Chinese market wider to the outside world.

Wang made the remarks in an interview with Xinhua after the 20th Communist Party of China (CPC) Central Committee's third plenary session, which was held earlier this month, stressing that opening up is a defining feature of Chinese modernization.

"The plenum underlined the commitment to the basic state policy of opening to the outside world and the resolution adopted at the session uses a whole chapter to expound on plans to pursue high-standard opening up, which demonstrates China's unwavering determination to open its doors wider," he said.

To implement the strategic plans made at the CPC plenum, China's commerce authorities will move to promote the country's alignment with high-standard international economic and trade rules, and harmonize rules, regulations, management and standards relating to property rights protection, industrial subsidies, environmental standards, labor protection, government procurement, e-commerce and the financial sector, Wang stated.

China will unilaterally open its doors wider to the world's least developed countries, actively participate in the reform of global economic governance, safeguard the WTO-centered multilateral trading system, and expand its globally oriented network of high-standard free-trade areas, he noted.

Meanwhile, Wang pledged steps to increase new growth drivers for foreign trade, including trade in intermediate goods and green trade, fully apply the negative list for cross-border trade in services, and promote the development of integrated pilot zones for cross-border e-commerce.

In the sphere of foreign investment, he said, "We will act to deliver the target of removing all market access restrictions in the manufacturing sector as soon as possible."

Chinese authorities will appropriately shorten the negative list for foreign investment and promote wider opening with regard to telecommunications, the internet, education, culture, medical services and other sectors in a well-conceived way, according to Wang.

A report issued last week by the China Council for the Promotion of International Trade showed that in the second quarter of this year, more than 40 percent of surveyed foreign-funded enterprises said that the attractiveness of the Chinese market had increased in terms of future investment confidence.

"We will foster a first-rate business environment that is market-oriented, law-based and internationalized, overhaul the roundtable meeting mechanism for foreign-funded firms, ensure national treatment for them in terms of access to factors of production, license application, standards setting and government procurement, and protect the rights and interests of foreign investors in accordance with the law," Wang underscored.

With Chinese companies expanding their global footprints, the official also voiced plans to refine the institutions and mechanisms for promoting and protecting Chinese investment abroad, improve the management and service systems for outward investment, and facilitate international cooperation in industrial and supply chains.

In addition, China will upgrade its pilot free-trade zones and speed up the development of the Hainan Free Trade Port, he remarked.

As for cooperation under the Belt and Road Initiative (BRI), China will redouble efforts to develop multilateral platforms for cooperation on green development, artificial intelligence, the digital economy, energy, taxation, finance and disaster mitigation, among other areas, he said.

Wang said that China will work to conclude free-trade agreements and investment protection pacts with more countries under the BRI. 
The Gwinnett County NAACP is demanding that the state superintendent approve AP African American Studies at Georgia high schools.

Channel 2s Gwinnett County Bureau Chief Matt Johnson found out that a growing group of organizations fear students who take the course wont get full credit.

Gwinnett schools will not be offering the class because of the confusion that district leaders said the state superintendent caused. Dr. Richard Woods had concerns about the totality of the course amid growing backlash.

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Gwinnett County School Board member and parent Dr. Tarece Johnson-Morgan is joining a growing number of organizations calling for changes to AP African American studies in Georgia schools.

We have to stand together and say no to the anti-black racism thats in our legislation, Johnson-Morgan said. We have to fight for this change.

Last week, Channel 2 Action News reported that Woods did not recommend the AP African American course for approval statewide. He then said the course would receive state funding, but would not get its own course code.

Gwinnett County Schools is not offering the course this school year over concerns students would not get AP credit at the end of the year.

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Johnson-Morgan said that in her personal opinion, the course is being singled out.

We want AP credit for African American studies, she said.

Johnson asked the state Department of Education if the course code concerns are causing confusion. A spokesperson said:

Use of the existing state course code allows districts to offer parts of or the entire AP African American Studies course, with state funding.

DeKalb, Cobb and Atlanta Public Schools all said they will offer the AP course with local funds.

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On Tuesday, the Gwinnett NAACP released a statement reading:

If Superintendent Woods seeks to rectify this situation, he must reinstate the state code for the African American AP course. Anything less is mere window dressing and fails to restore the course to its rightful status as an AP course, equivalent to all other AP courses in the state catalog.

When Johnson asked if there are plans to add a separate course code, he didnt get a response from the State Department of Education.

The Gwinnett County Superintendent issued a statement to students, writing, in full:

Last week, we announced that Gwinnett County Public Schools (GCPS) would not be able to offer the College Boards Advanced Placement (AP) African American Studies course in our schools this year. This decision was made as a direct result of the exclusion of the course from the Georgia Department of Educations list of state-approved courses. State-approved AP courses award students additional grade point average (GPA) benefits that impact HOPE and Zell Miller Scholarship eligibility. After our announcement, the state provided updated guidance regarding funding, course number assignment, and the flexibility to embed AP African American Studies topics in our Introduction to African American Studies course. The solutions offered provide a path for students to be exposed to the content and rigorous coursework; however, they fall short of addressing our concern that their GPAs would not be calculated the same way as students completing other AP courses in Georgia.

We believe that access to rigorous coursework is beneficial in preparing every student for post-secondary success, and we remain committed to offering advanced course opportunities that represent the diverse interests of our more than 50,000 high school students. Withholding state approval for this AP course sends the message that the contributions and experiences of African Americans are not worthy of academic study at the same level as other approved AP courses.

Team GCPS will continue to advocate for the full approval of the AP African American Studies course statewide. We remain in contact with the State Superintendent and the State Board of Education in hopes that this decision will be reversed. Thank you for your time, understanding, and support.

In partnership and service,

Dr. Calvin J. Watts

Superintendent

Gwinnett County Public Schools
An oasis will soon spring up in the north Minneapolis food desert.

A local businessman announced Tuesday he'll open a grocery store in the shuttered building where Aldi operated until it closed last year at the intersection of Penn and Lowry avenues.

Business owner Daniel Hernandez and developer Wellington Management are eyeing a December opening for the Colonial Market, which was announced to cheers from Mayor Jacob Frey and City Council members representing the area.

Hernandez said the store will be modeled after an existing store at 2750 Nicollet Av. S.: a supermercado with a butcher counter serving locally sourced meat, a fast-food taco-and-burger restaurant and an ice cream shop under one roof.

Hernandez said he also owns La Casa Market at 3733 Nicollet Av. S. and Fusion Pancake House at 5001 34th Av. S. He also plans to open another Colonial Market at the Hi-Lake Shopping Center near Lake Street and Hiawatha Avenue, also a former Aldi.

When Aldi announced in February 2023 that it was closing the store at 3120 Penn Av. N. after 15 years, the news was met with sorrow from the community. The nearest grocery stores, Cub and North Market, are 2 miles away, and many working- and lower-class residents of the area faced the prospect of taking a bus to feed their families.

"This is a community that deserves and needs a lot of grocery stores, and we have historically not had it," Council Member Jeremiah Ellison said, adding later: "We deserve it."

Council Member LaTrisha Vetaw, who represents the surrounding neighborhoods with Ellison, said she plans to "walk or bike" to the new grocery store.

As soon as Aldi closed, Vetaw said, community leaders began discussions to find a replacement. David Wellington, CEO of Wellington Management, which owns the property, said he was confident the site, which was constructed for Aldi and includes a parking lot, was an "excellent opportunity" for a new grocery store.

Hernandez, 40, who emigrated from Mexico to Minneapolis when he was 16, was excited at the prospect that some businesses might shy away from over concerns of crime and poverty.

"When everybody leaves a place like Minneapolis ... my people  Latino people  are in Minneapolis," Hernandez said. "This is my heart, my city. There are people who talk, and there's people who do. I'm the one that do, and this is what we're doing: Colonial Market in north Minneapolis."
London's housebuilding targets will be easier to hit for Sadiq Khan, the capital's Mayor - Rasid Necati Aslim/Anadolu via Getty Images

Labour has cut housebuilding targets for London in a boost for Sadiq Khan, at the same time as raising them in towns and villages across rural Britain.

Angela Rayner, the Deputy Prime Minister, will cut the capitals housebuilding target from 100,000 homes per year to 80,000 as she tears up the Tory method for calculating housing need.

Ms Rayner plans to scrap the old system that placed a huge emphasis on building in cities, according to her draft National Planning Policy Framework (NPPF) published on Tuesday.

Although this will mean more houses are needed in many rural parts of the country, the demands on London are being cut in a move that will make targets easier to hit for Mr Khan, the capitals Mayor.

Ms Rayner intends to restore councils mandatory targets after they were scrapped by the Tories, as part of Labours manifesto pledge to build 1.5m homes over the next five years. The system for allocating these targets is also being updated from the one used previously. Before their abolition, local authority housebuilding targets were determined using decade-old population growth projections from 2014, plus a 35pc uplift for all local authorities in urban areas.

The new draft NPPF has outlined plans to abolish this system and instead require every local authority in the country to increase its housing supply by 0.8pc.

On top of this, local authorities in places where house prices are particularly high in proportion to earnings will face an additional uplift in their targets.

This means that particularly unaffordable parts of the country such as London and the South East will still face higher proportional targets than more rural areas, but the capitals housing target overall will be lower than under the old system.

This is despite the fact that the overall national target for planning consents will rise.

It will be a welcome relief for Mr Khan as building 100,000 homes per year in London has never been considered achievable, but even delivering 80,000 planning consents a year will be ambitious.

This will still be more than double the 36,000 new homes that are completed in the capital each year.

Ministers will now consult on the draft NPPF until Sept 24 and the Government will publish its response before the end of the year so that changes can be implemented as soon as possible.

Simon Coop, senior director at planning consultants Lichfield, said that the old system was based on projections that are totally out of date.

Mr Coop said the Governments new proposals will mean housing targets are more balanced across the country and less heavily focused towards the South of England.

Mr Coop said: It is effectively just saying that everywhere, regardless of whats happening to migration trends or whats happening to the demographic profile of the area, everyone will be expected to play their fair share.

A spokesman for Sadiq Khan said: The Mayor welcomes these changes from the Government.

Sadiq has long called for the restoration of housing delivery targets and a planning system that backs genuinely affordable and social housebuilding. Sadiq is proud that despite obstruction from the last government, under his mayoralty London has built the most number of council homes since the 1970s and completed more homes of any kind since the 1930s.

The Mayor looks forward to working hand in hand with the Government and building a fairer London for everyone.

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Longtime Biden aide Anita Dunn is leaving the White House next week, according to a source familiar, and joining a super PAC supporting Vice President Kamala Harris.

This marks the first big departure from the White House in the wake of President Joe Bidens decision to step down from the 2024 Democratic ticket.

Biden thanked Dunn for her work at the White House in a statement Tuesday, calling her an invaluable part of our White House.

Dunn is departing the White House to serve as a senior adviser to Future Forward and Future Forward USA Action.

The Washington Post first reported her departure.

Shes tough and tested, and her experience and intellect have helped us deliver historic results for the American people, Biden said. I deeply value her counsel and friendship and I will continue to rely on her partnership and insights as we finish the job over the next six months.

Dunn called it an an honor and privilege to serve in this White House in a statement to CNN. I am grateful to President Biden and Vice President Harris for their leadership and giving me the opportunity to be part of what they have accomplished for the American people.

Dunn spent much of the Biden administration as one of the presidents closest advisers. However, as Biden mulled departing the 2024 race earlier this month, CNN reported that Dunn was left in the dark until minutes before he posted his announcement on social media. Dunn and her husband, Bob Bauer, were among Bidens debate prep team and had faced the ire of the presidents family in the aftermath of the performance.

Lorraine Voles, Harris chief of staff, praised Dunn in a statement on Tuesday, writing, As she has throughout her influential and consequential career, Anita has served the President and the Vice President with distinction. She gives her all every day, and is a valued colleague to me and so many others on these 18 acres.

Chauncey McLean, president of Future Forward, called Dunn a great asset as we work to elect Kamala Harris and defeat Donald Trump once and for all.

This story has been updated with additional information.

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Longtime Nebraska homeowners would get targeted relief under new legislative bills

State Sen. Mike McDonnell of Omaha. Feb. 27, 2024. (Zach Wendling/Nebraska Examiner)

LINCOLN  Three legislative bills introduced Monday would extend significant property tax relief to Nebraska homeowners based on how long they have owned a home in the state.

Legislative Bill 75, from State Sen. Mike McDonnell of Omaha, would exempt qualified Nebraska homeowners from paying any property taxes after 40 years of ownership in the state.

I think you should be able to sit on your porch one day of your life and say, I truly own my home, and Im no longer a partner in paying rent to the government in the form of property tax, McDonnell told the Nebraska Examiner on Monday.

Another McDonnell bill, LB 77, would offer property tax relief for the portion of property taxes paid to the local school district, which is about 60% of annual property tax bills. Homeowners who have lived in the same house at least 10 years would be eligible.

McDonnell said that in 1965, voters decided to stop funding the government with state-level property taxes. Now, he said, Gov. Jim Pillen has tasked lawmakers to look at getting rid of most or all local K-12 school district taxes.

Is that an overnight deal? No, McDonnell said. Is it a two-year, four-year, six-year [plan]  I dont know  but thats why were here now in this special session to try and figure it out.

The state would replace the loss in local political subdivisions revenue, similar to the current system for homestead exemptions. Qualified owners would need to refile for the relief in years divisible by five.

Legislative Bill 79, from State Sen. Jane Raybould of Lincoln, would similarly extend homestead exemptions. Based on household income, Nebraska residents could get a greater percentage of relief if they have lived in their home for two decades or more.

After 20 years, they could claim an additional 2.5% in relief from their qualifying bracket. After 25 years, it would be an additional 5% in relief. Relief couldnt exceed 100%.

Taxpayer Bill of Rights

State Sen. Julie Slama of Dunbar dropped a package of 16 constitutional amendments Monday, which voters could consider this November together or individually.

Eight amendments would limit the taxing and spending authority of local governments as well as the state. The other eight allow private lawsuits to be filed to enforce the respective provisions.

You need to have teeth because, otherwise, whats the remediation for taxpayers? Slama said.

Slama said the package of legislation is based on the Taxpayers Bill of Rights in Colorado, passed decades ago to lock in controls for tax growth.

She said she preferred one bill, one hearing and one message to give to taxpayers but decided to play it safe given the Nebraska Constitutions single-subject requirement for ballot measures.

The Nebraska Supreme Court has taken a stricter view of what constitutes a single subject for proposed laws or amendments on the ballot compared to laws passed by the Legislature.

Slama has pushed for hard spending controls. She said the hard caps proposed by the governor on limiting annual property tax collection growth can be easily worked around and could get in the way of union negotiations for local law enforcement, firefighters and corrections officers.

I think the only way to really put it in stone to get long-term relief is to put it in our state constitution, very clearly defined principles that need to be adhered to, Slama said.

She said Colorado has sustained pretty explosive growth during the decades since it passed its bill of rights.

Under Slamas proposals, the following limits would require voter approval during a statewide general election to:

Cannabis regulation and taxation

Two other major proposals, from State Sens. Justin Wayne and Terrell McKinney, both of Omaha, would legalize, regulate and tax cannabis for adults ages 21 and older.

LB 52, by Wayne, would set a regulatory framework for how cannabis could be grown, refined, manufactured, distributed, tested and sold, overseen by a commission the tax commissioner appoints.

The bill would earmark 20% of licenses for people in areas disproportionately harmed by cannabis prohibition. It would tax growers 25% when they sell it to a distributor or retailer and impose a 25% tax on retail sales. It would establish procedures to let people have previous cannabis-related convictions expunged or cleared from their records.

McKinney introduced similar provisions in 2023, through LB 634.

LB 71, by McKinney, would create a regulatory regime for cannabis in Nebraska.

It would impose a 16% tax on grown cannabis to a manufacturer or store and a 16% sales tax on cannabis sales to customers. It shares essentially the same fee structure as Waynes LB 52.

It also offers similar incentives for applicants from areas disproportionately impacted by cannabis enforcement.

Political subdivision measure reintroduced

As promised, Wayne also reintroduced a version of legislation that Pillen vetoed this spring that would allow lawsuits against political subdivisions for alleged negligence in certain cases of child sexual assault and child abuse.

Waynes LB 57 includes broader reforms. That includes punitive damages and allowing other lawsuits if alleged governmental negligence was the proximate cause of someones death, such as state prisoners.

Another Wayne bill, LB 67, would eliminate local tax rate authority for natural resources districts and have the state take over funding for the NRDs. It is modeled after the way the state took over responsibility to fund community colleges in 2023 and what the governor has said his three-year plan is for K-12 school districts.

In total, 81 bills and 24 constitutional amendments were introduced for the special session, the most proposed during any special session since the Unicameral formed in 1937.

Wayne led the way with 24 bills, followed by Slama with 16 pieces of legislation; State Sens. Carol Blood of Bellevue and McDonnell, at eight each; and State Sens. Eliot Bostar of Lincoln and Kathleen Kauth of Omaha, at five each.

Among other bills introduced

Among other bills introduced Monday, the third and final day of bill introductions for the Legislatures special session on property tax relief:

LB 36, from State Sen. Carol Blood of Bellevue, proposes a minimum 1.25% tax on the sale or transfer of mansions valued at more than $800,000, with a higher tax on mansions worth more than $2.5 million. If the transferee or purchaser resides in Nebraska for three subsequent tax years, the tax would be returned to them through an income tax credit.

LB 40, from State Sen. Jana Hughes of Seward, would require multinational corporations to declare all global profits on Nebraska tax returns. However, they would continue to pay the Nebraska portion of taxes.

LB 49, from Wayne, would reestablish aid to municipalities, and his LB 53 would reimburse local costs for county jails.

LB 56, also from Wayne, would limit legislative salaries for local legislative bodies, like boards, commissions or councils. Part-time officials could receive no more than twice a lawmakers salary (up to $24,000). Full-time officials could receive up to three times that amount (up to $36,000).

Nebraska Examiner political reporter Aaron Sanderford contributed to this report.

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An officer with the Los Angeles Police Department has been temporarily relieved field duties after video captured him punching a 30-year-old man, who appears to be handcuffed and not resisting, in face as he was being detained.

The July 28 incident occurred during whats described as a traffic stop at East 113th Street near Graham Avenue in Watts.

Cellphone of the incident shows the man, identified by community activists as Alexander Donta Mitchell, yelling, What did I do? as he was being detained when one of the officers punches him hard on the right side of his face.

This young man had his hands behind his back, handcuffed, Civil Rights Activist Najee Ali told KTLA. He was not a threat, but we saw an officer punch him in the face for no reason.

An officer with the Los Angeles Police Department is seen punching a man in handcuffs who does not appear to be resisting on July 28, 2024, in Watts. (Camarodoctor323)

An officer with the Los Angeles Police Department is seen punching a man in handcuffs who does not appear to be resisting on July 28, 2024, in Watts. (Camarodoctor323)

An officer with the Los Angeles Police Department is seen punching a man in handcuffs who does not appear to be resisting on July 28, 2024, in Watts. (Camarodoctor323)

An officer with the Los Angeles Police Department is seen punching a man in handcuffs who does not appear to be resisting on July 28, 2024, in Watts. (Camarodoctor323)

An officer with the Los Angeles Police Department is seen punching a man in handcuffs who does not appear to be resisting on July 28, 2024, in Watts. (Camarodoctor323)

Ali, with Project Islamic Hope, said the incident is just the latest example of excessive force by police in the Black community.

That officer not only deserves to be on leave, he deserves to have his badge taken from him, handcuffs taken from him, he added.

Its unclear what happened prior to the recording of the punch or Mitchells hands were both fully restrained, though in the video, he does not appear to be resisting the officers at all.

A witness to the violence, who describes herself as a family friend of Mitchells and did not want to be identified on camera, said shed never seen anything like that before.

They just opened the door and snatched him out, she explained. There wasnt no reason. He was just sitting in the car.

High-speed pursuit crash in Southern California traps suspect in car

Officials with the Los Angeles Police Department told KTLA that theyre looking into the matter, saying in a statement:

The incident is under investigation and the officer involved has been removed from field duties.

As for Ali, he says that nothing can justify the police officers actions.

The video speaks for itself, he said.

A press conference outside of LAPD headquarters with Mitchells family members and Civil Rights leaders is scheduled for Tuesday morning.

Copyright 2024 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.

For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to KTLA.
A lost trading partner renewed 300 years later; Choctaw treasures on loan from a French museum

A lost trading partner renewed 300 years later; Choctaw treasures on loan from a French museum

DURANT, Okla. (KFOR)  There are precious few examples of trade goods between the French and Choctaw Nations circa 1724, but they do exist.

Are these quite rare?, we ask Dr. Alexandria Gaugh.

Oh extremely, yes, she replies.

Gaugh is an American caretaker of a unique collection on loan from a French museum, items made by Native Americans and used to cement trade relationships with French colonists between 1699 and 1763.

This is alliance building, she explains. They were working with English and French allies. To do that, they were trading really prestigious trade goods, high quality, unique items.

Choctaws prized metal, glass beads, and especially firearms.

The French were after raw materials, but also artwork, pottery, and ceremonial items.

Those were gifted or traded to the Europeans, she continues.

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The noble class and rich merchants kept these prizes in collections.

After the French Revolution, many were moved to museums where they sit to the present day.

To Choctaw tribal members, they are links to forgotten artists, on loan from old friends.

Gaugh points out, French people, typically, think about the colonies and those lost relationships with a kind of romantic nostalgia.

The collection is augmented by archeological finds and modern examples of old methods.

The literal translation of the name of this exhibit means to cross the ocean.

Their value to two cultures has only grown through the centuries.

For more information on the exhibit at the Choctaw Cultural Center go to choctawculturalcenter.com.

Great State is sponsored by Oklahoma Proton Center

Follow Galens Great State adventures on social media!

Copyright 2024 Nexstar Media, Inc. 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.
Israel says it targets senior Hezbollah commander in strike on Beirut

People gather near a site hit by what security sources said was a strike on Beirut's southern suburbs

People gather near a site hit by what security sources said was a strike on Beirut's southern suburbs

JERUSALEM/BEIRUT (Reuters) - The Israeli military said it carried out a targeted strike in Beirut on Tuesday against the Hezbollah commander it said was responsible for a strike in the Golan Heights that killed 12 children and teenagers at the weekend.

A loud blast was heard and a plume of smoke could be seen rising above the southern suburbs - a stronghold of Lebanese armed group Hezbollah - at around 7:40 p.m. (1640 GMT), a Reuters witness said.

"The IDF carried out a targeted strike in Beirut, on the commander responsible for the murder of the children in Majdal Shams and the killing of numerous additional Israeli civilians," the Israeli Defence Forces said in a statement.

It said it had issued no new instructions for civil defence in Israel following the strike.

A senior Lebanese security source said the commander's fate remained unclear.

Lebanon's state-run national news agency said an Israeli strike had targeted the area around Hezbollah's Shura Council in the Haret Hreik neighbourhood of the capital.

Beirut has been on edge for days ahead of an anticipated Israeli attack in retaliation for a strike on the Druze village of Majdal Shams in the Israeli-occupied Golan Heights that killed a dozen youngsters.

Israel and the United States have blamed Hezbollah for the attack. Hezbollah has denied responsibility.

(Reporting by Laila Bassam; Writing by Timour Azhari; Editing by Gareth Jones)
The Loudonville-Perrysville Exempted Village School District will hold an open house for the new greenhouse at Loudonville High School 5:30-7:30 p.m. Monday, Aug. 12.

Light refreshments will be provided.

The greenhouse replaces the previous structure with a more accessible facility, complete with classroom space for students to explore potting, hydroponics and aquaculture.

The L-P School Board joined the FFA Alumni Monday in an effort to replace this 30-plus-year-old greenhouse on the Loudonville High Campus with a new greenhouse. The board approved buying a greenhouse kit, while the alumni will handle site preparation and assembly. Total estimated cost of the project is $350,000-$375,000.

Our goals remain steadfast  to provide the highest quality education for our students in preparation for their futures, while ensuring long-term fiscal responsibility, said Superintendent Jennifer Allerding. This greenhouse was an important project for our agriculture students, allowing for new learning opportunities. The support our district received from the community helped make that possible. We look forward to sharing the new space with our Redbird community.

The school board approved seeking bids to purchase a greenhouse kit in April 2023.

The project has garnered significant community support, including contributions from the Loudonville FFA Alumni & Supporters, Mohican Area Community Fund, Loudonville-Perrysville School Foundation, Ashland County Community Foundation, Hugo and Mabel Young Foundation and a variety of other donors.

For more information visit www.lpschools.k12.oh.us.

This article originally appeared on Ashland Times Gazette: Loudonville-Perrysville open house for new greenhouse is Aug. 10
Christian Smith, sergeant with Anchorage Middletown Fire and EMS, died Monday at Barren River Lake in southern Kentucky.

An Anchorage Middletown Fire and EMS firefighter is dead after an off-duty accident Monday.

Jordan Yuodis, spokesperson for Anchorage Middletown Fire and EMS, said Sgt. Christian Smith died in an "accidental drowning" while boating with friends at Barren River Lake in southern Kentucky, near Glasgow and Scottsville. A medical examiner's report detailing Smith's cause of death has not yet been released.

The 35-year-old joined the organization in 2014 and was a member of the organization's rescue company, "which is essentially the SWAT team for the fire department, it's the elite of the elite," Yuodis said. He was a husband and father of three young children and graduated with Yuodis from Fairdale High School.

"Young dad, family man. He loved the fire department. He loved Fairdale sports. He loved his kids," Yuodis said.

A PayPal fund is accepting donations for Smith's family, according to a Facebook post from Jefferson County Professional Firefighters. Funeral arrangements have not yet been announced.

Around Louisville: LMPD identifies officers involved in fatal shooting in southwest Louisville

This article originally appeared on Louisville Courier Journal: Kentucky Barren River Lake: Louisville firefighter dies in accident
Wei Meiling carries bedding for cleaning in Langshuyuan Village, Changzhi City of north China's Shanxi Province, July 24, 2024. Changzhi City, located in the southeast of Shanxi Province, has a long history of millet planting. Wei Meiling, 44 years old, who had been worked in the millet fields with her parents since her childhood, returned to her hometown in 2015 after years of working in the city.

Here in Changzhi City, she set up a cooperative which now owns more than 2,000 mu (about 133.3 hectares) of millet fields, and has helped 800 plus villagers increase their incomes. She often does livestreaming in the millet fields to introduce and promote local millet products, attracting many customers by the stunning natural scenery. She opened a homestay in 2023, which was transformed from her old houses. The homestay is popular among tourists especially during vacations.

Wei also plans to expand the millet planting area, while integrating the long-term idle old houses in the village to build boutique homestays. She is very proud that she could make contributions to her hometown's rural revitalization, Wei said. (Xinhua/Zhan Yan)

An aerial drone photo taken on July 24, 2024 shows the Langshuyuan Village, Changzhi City of north China's Shanxi Province. Changzhi City, located in the southeast of Shanxi Province, has a long history of millet planting. Wei Meiling, 44 years old, who had been worked in the millet fields with her parents since her childhood, returned to her hometown in 2015 after years of working in the city.

Here in Changzhi City, she set up a cooperative which now owns more than 2,000 mu (about 133.3 hectares) of millet fields, and has helped 800 plus villagers increase their incomes. She often does livestreaming in the millet fields to introduce and promote local millet products, attracting many customers by the stunning natural scenery. She opened a homestay in 2023, which was transformed from her old houses. The homestay is popular among tourists especially during vacations.

Wei also plans to expand the millet planting area, while integrating the long-term idle old houses in the village to build boutique homestays. She is very proud that she could make contributions to her hometown's rural revitalization, Wei said. (Xinhua/Zhan Yan)

Wei Meiling (L, back) makes steamed buns with customers at her homestay in Langshuyuan Village, Changzhi City of north China's Shanxi Province, July 24, 2024. Changzhi City, located in the southeast of Shanxi Province, has a long history of millet planting. Wei Meiling, 44 years old, who had been worked in the millet fields with her parents since her childhood, returned to her hometown in 2015 after years of working in the city.

Here in Changzhi City, she set up a cooperative which now owns more than 2,000 mu (about 133.3 hectares) of millet fields, and has helped 800 plus villagers increase their incomes. She often does livestreaming in the millet fields to introduce and promote local millet products, attracting many customers by the stunning natural scenery. She opened a homestay in 2023, which was transformed from her old houses. The homestay is popular among tourists especially during vacations.

Wei also plans to expand the millet planting area, while integrating the long-term idle old houses in the village to build boutique homestays. She is very proud that she could make contributions to her hometown's rural revitalization, Wei said. (Xinhua/Zhan Yan)

An aerial drone photo taken on July 24, 2024 shows Wei Meiling's homestay in Langshuyuan Village, Changzhi City of north China's Shanxi Province. Changzhi City, located in the southeast of Shanxi Province, has a long history of millet planting. Wei Meiling, 44 years old, who had been worked in the millet fields with her parents since her childhood, returned to her hometown in 2015 after years of working in the city.

Here in Changzhi City, she set up a cooperative which now owns more than 2,000 mu (about 133.3 hectares) of millet fields, and has helped 800 plus villagers increase their incomes. She often does livestreaming in the millet fields to introduce and promote local millet products, attracting many customers by the stunning natural scenery. She opened a homestay in 2023, which was transformed from her old houses. The homestay is popular among tourists especially during vacations.

Wei also plans to expand the millet planting area, while integrating the long-term idle old houses in the village to build boutique homestays. She is very proud that she could make contributions to her hometown's rural revitalization, Wei said. (Xinhua/Zhan Yan)

Wei Meiling (4th R, back) poses for a photo with customers and a staff member of her homestay (1st R) in a millet field in Yanjing Village, Changzhi City of north China's Shanxi Province, July 25, 2024. Changzhi City, located in the southeast of Shanxi Province, has a long history of millet planting. Wei Meiling, 44 years old, who had been worked in the millet fields with her parents since her childhood, returned to her hometown in 2015 after years of working in the city.

Here in Changzhi City, she set up a cooperative which now owns more than 2,000 mu (about 133.3 hectares) of millet fields, and has helped 800 plus villagers increase their incomes. She often does livestreaming in the millet fields to introduce and promote local millet products, attracting many customers by the stunning natural scenery. She opened a homestay in 2023, which was transformed from her old houses. The homestay is popular among tourists especially during vacations.

Wei also plans to expand the millet planting area, while integrating the long-term idle old houses in the village to build boutique homestays. She is very proud that she could make contributions to her hometown's rural revitalization, Wei said. (Xinhua/Zhan Yan)

An aerial drone photo taken on July 26, 2024 shows the scenery of Taihang Mountains in Langshuyuan Village, Changzhi City of north China's Shanxi Province. Changzhi City, located in the southeast of Shanxi Province, has a long history of millet planting. Wei Meiling, 44 years old, who had been worked in the millet fields with her parents since her childhood, returned to her hometown in 2015 after years of working in the city.

Here in Changzhi City, she set up a cooperative which now owns more than 2,000 mu (about 133.3 hectares) of millet fields, and has helped 800 plus villagers increase their incomes. She often does livestreaming in the millet fields to introduce and promote local millet products, attracting many customers by the stunning natural scenery. She opened a homestay in 2023, which was transformed from her old houses. The homestay is popular among tourists especially during vacations.

Wei also plans to expand the millet planting area, while integrating the long-term idle old houses in the village to build boutique homestays. She is very proud that she could make contributions to her hometown's rural revitalization, Wei said. (Xinhua/Zhan Yan)

Wei Meiling introduces her homestay via livestreaming in Langshuyuan Village, Changzhi City of north China's Shanxi Province, July 24, 2024. Changzhi City, located in the southeast of Shanxi Province, has a long history of millet planting. Wei Meiling, 44 years old, who had been worked in the millet fields with her parents since her childhood, returned to her hometown in 2015 after years of working in the city.

Here in Changzhi City, she set up a cooperative which now owns more than 2,000 mu (about 133.3 hectares) of millet fields, and has helped 800 plus villagers increase their incomes. She often does livestreaming in the millet fields to introduce and promote local millet products, attracting many customers by the stunning natural scenery. She opened a homestay in 2023, which was transformed from her old houses. The homestay is popular among tourists especially during vacations.

Wei also plans to expand the millet planting area, while integrating the long-term idle old houses in the village to build boutique homestays. She is very proud that she could make contributions to her hometown's rural revitalization, Wei said. (Xinhua/Zhan Yan)

A boy interacts with a cat at Wei Meiling's homestay in Langshuyuan Village, Changzhi City of north China's Shanxi Province, July 25, 2024. Changzhi City, located in the southeast of Shanxi Province, has a long history of millet planting. Wei Meiling, 44 years old, who had been worked in the millet fields with her parents since her childhood, returned to her hometown in 2015 after years of working in the city.

Here in Changzhi City, she set up a cooperative which now owns more than 2,000 mu (about 133.3 hectares) of millet fields, and has helped 800 plus villagers increase their incomes. She often does livestreaming in the millet fields to introduce and promote local millet products, attracting many customers by the stunning natural scenery. She opened a homestay in 2023, which was transformed from her old houses. The homestay is popular among tourists especially during vacations.

Wei also plans to expand the millet planting area, while integrating the long-term idle old houses in the village to build boutique homestays. She is very proud that she could make contributions to her hometown's rural revitalization, Wei said. (Xinhua/Zhan Yan)

Wei Meiling carries baked bread for customers of her homestay in Langshuyuan Village, Changzhi City of north China's Shanxi Province, July 23, 2024. Changzhi City, located in the southeast of Shanxi Province, has a long history of millet planting. Wei Meiling, 44 years old, who had been worked in the millet fields with her parents since her childhood, returned to her hometown in 2015 after years of working in the city.

Here in Changzhi City, she set up a cooperative which now owns more than 2,000 mu (about 133.3 hectares) of millet fields, and has helped 800 plus villagers increase their incomes. She often does livestreaming in the millet fields to introduce and promote local millet products, attracting many customers by the stunning natural scenery. She opened a homestay in 2023, which was transformed from her old houses. The homestay is popular among tourists especially during vacations.

Wei also plans to expand the millet planting area, while integrating the long-term idle old houses in the village to build boutique homestays. She is very proud that she could make contributions to her hometown's rural revitalization, Wei said. (Xinhua/Zhan Yan)

Wei Meiling cleans her homestay in Langshuyuan Village, Changzhi City of north China's Shanxi Province, July 24, 2024. Changzhi City, located in the southeast of Shanxi Province, has a long history of millet planting. Wei Meiling, 44 years old, who had been worked in the millet fields with her parents since her childhood, returned to her hometown in 2015 after years of working in the city.

Here in Changzhi City, she set up a cooperative which now owns more than 2,000 mu (about 133.3 hectares) of millet fields, and has helped 800 plus villagers increase their incomes. She often does livestreaming in the millet fields to introduce and promote local millet products, attracting many customers by the stunning natural scenery. She opened a homestay in 2023, which was transformed from her old houses. The homestay is popular among tourists especially during vacations.

Wei also plans to expand the millet planting area, while integrating the long-term idle old houses in the village to build boutique homestays. She is very proud that she could make contributions to her hometown's rural revitalization, Wei said. (Xinhua/Zhan Yan)

Wei Meiling cleans her homestay in Langshuyuan Village, Changzhi City of north China's Shanxi Province, July 24, 2024. Changzhi City, located in the southeast of Shanxi Province, has a long history of millet planting. Wei Meiling, 44 years old, who had been worked in the millet fields with her parents since her childhood, returned to her hometown in 2015 after years of working in the city.

Here in Changzhi City, she set up a cooperative which now owns more than 2,000 mu (about 133.3 hectares) of millet fields, and has helped 800 plus villagers increase their incomes. She often does livestreaming in the millet fields to introduce and promote local millet products, attracting many customers by the stunning natural scenery. She opened a homestay in 2023, which was transformed from her old houses. The homestay is popular among tourists especially during vacations.

Wei also plans to expand the millet planting area, while integrating the long-term idle old houses in the village to build boutique homestays. She is very proud that she could make contributions to her hometown's rural revitalization, Wei said. (Xinhua/Zhan Yan)

Wei Meiling poses for a photo in front of her homestay in Langshuyuan Village, Changzhi City of north China's Shanxi Province, July 24, 2024. Changzhi City, located in the southeast of Shanxi Province, has a long history of millet planting. Wei Meiling, 44 years old, who had been worked in the millet fields with her parents since her childhood, returned to her hometown in 2015 after years of working in the city.

Here in Changzhi City, she set up a cooperative which now owns more than 2,000 mu (about 133.3 hectares) of millet fields, and has helped 800 plus villagers increase their incomes. She often does livestreaming in the millet fields to introduce and promote local millet products, attracting many customers by the stunning natural scenery. She opened a homestay in 2023, which was transformed from her old houses. The homestay is popular among tourists especially during vacations.

Wei also plans to expand the millet planting area, while integrating the long-term idle old houses in the village to build boutique homestays. She is very proud that she could make contributions to her hometown's rural revitalization, Wei said. (Xinhua/Zhan Yan)

Wei Meiling (1st, R) makes bread with customers at her homestay in Langshuyuan Village, Changzhi City of north China's Shanxi Province, July 23, 2024. Changzhi City, located in the southeast of Shanxi Province, has a long history of millet planting. Wei Meiling, 44 years old, who had been worked in the millet fields with her parents since her childhood, returned to her hometown in 2015 after years of working in the city.

Here in Changzhi City, she set up a cooperative which now owns more than 2,000 mu (about 133.3 hectares) of millet fields, and has helped 800 plus villagers increase their incomes. She often does livestreaming in the millet fields to introduce and promote local millet products, attracting many customers by the stunning natural scenery. She opened a homestay in 2023, which was transformed from her old houses. The homestay is popular among tourists especially during vacations.

Wei also plans to expand the millet planting area, while integrating the long-term idle old houses in the village to build boutique homestays. She is very proud that she could make contributions to her hometown's rural revitalization, Wei said. (Xinhua/Zhan Yan)

Wei Meiling (front) makes traditional local food for customers at her homestay in Langshuyuan Village, Changzhi City of north China's Shanxi Province, July 24, 2024. Changzhi City, located in the southeast of Shanxi Province, has a long history of millet planting. Wei Meiling, 44 years old, who had been worked in the millet fields with her parents since her childhood, returned to her hometown in 2015 after years of working in the city.

Here in Changzhi City, she set up a cooperative which now owns more than 2,000 mu (about 133.3 hectares) of millet fields, and has helped 800 plus villagers increase their incomes. She often does livestreaming in the millet fields to introduce and promote local millet products, attracting many customers by the stunning natural scenery. She opened a homestay in 2023, which was transformed from her old houses. The homestay is popular among tourists especially during vacations.

Wei also plans to expand the millet planting area, while integrating the long-term idle old houses in the village to build boutique homestays. She is very proud that she could make contributions to her hometown's rural revitalization, Wei said. (Xinhua/Zhan Yan)

Wei Meiling makes bed at her homestay in Langshuyuan Village, Changzhi City of north China's Shanxi Province, July 24, 2024. Changzhi City, located in the southeast of Shanxi Province, has a long history of millet planting. Wei Meiling, 44 years old, who had been worked in the millet fields with her parents since her childhood, returned to her hometown in 2015 after years of working in the city.

Here in Changzhi City, she set up a cooperative which now owns more than 2,000 mu (about 133.3 hectares) of millet fields, and has helped 800 plus villagers increase their incomes. She often does livestreaming in the millet fields to introduce and promote local millet products, attracting many customers by the stunning natural scenery. She opened a homestay in 2023, which was transformed from her old houses. The homestay is popular among tourists especially during vacations.

Wei also plans to expand the millet planting area, while integrating the long-term idle old houses in the village to build boutique homestays. She is very proud that she could make contributions to her hometown's rural revitalization, Wei said. (Xinhua/Zhan Yan)
The Washington state Department of Commerce on Monday announced a Washington Families Clean Energy Credits grant program that will provide a $200 energy bill credit to eligible electricity customers.

The program will be funded by the states Climate Commitment Act (CCA).

We are committed to ensuring that the benefits of the states clean energy transition reach everyone, especially those most burdened by energy costs, said Gov. Jay Inslee, who joined Commerce Director Mike Fong and others to announce the program in Seattle.

The Climate Commitment Act is helping thousands of low-income families and communities reduce their home energy costs through things like weatherization, heat pumps and solar installations. While we continue to make those tools available for more people, this credit offers an immediate benefit.

More than 675,000 low- to moderate-income electric utility customers  or about 20% of all residential customers  will be eligible for the program, according to a Department of Commerce news release.

How the credit works

Utilities across the state will distribute a one-time $200 bill credit directly to eligible customer accounts by Sept. 15. Credits will be applied automatically to certain customer accounts, and other customers will need to apply. Each utility may have slightly different criteria and processes, according to the Department of Commerce.

Anyone can go to https://wacleanenergycredits.com to see if they qualify for the $200 credit. Youll need to know the name of your utility and your account number. If you qualify, the automated system will walk you through the rest of the process to get your credit.

Some customers may receive an SMS text message from their utility pointing them to the Clean Energy website. If you receive a text message, you will see that your account number is already entered when you go to the website, making it easier to apply.

Some customers will see the credit appear on their statement automatically. These customers include those enrolled in their utilitys ratepayer assistance programs, such as senior, disabled or Low-Income Home Energy Assistance Program (LIHEAP), or customers who have enrolled in assistance programs through local community agencies, such as home weatherization or nutrition assistance. Customers can contact their utility to confirm if theyll automatically receive the credit or if they need to apply.

The Washington Families Clean Energy Credit program requires participating utilities to prioritize customers at or below 80% of the area median income (AMI), with the possibility to expand eligibility up to 150% AMI if theres enough funding.

In areas such as Seattle, Everett, and Vancouver, the qualifying income for a four-person household ranges from $110,950 to $226,050. For a family of four living in areas with the lowest cost of living, this equates to a household income of $72,000, and up to $135,000 as funding allows.

Commerce Director Fong reported that nearly all of the states 60 electric utilities with residential customers have signed on to the program and more than 99.6% of all residential customers are served by participating utilities.

Report on energy burden

Energy burden, defined as a percentage of household income spent on energy bills, disproportionately affects low-income households, communities of color, rural households, renter households, and households living on fixed incomes. The Department of Commerces 2023 Energy Burden Report shows about 250,000 households in the state spend more than 6% of their income on energy costs.

Statewide, the report found that energy-burdened households equate to annual costs of $844 on average per household or $234 million after bill reductions from energy assistance programs. The Washington Families Clean Energy Credits program is designed to help alleviate some of that burden.
A lower quality of life for all: Law enforcement lines up against legal pot in Florida

Two of the states largest and most influential law enforcement groups came out Tuesday against a ballot initiative that would legalize recreational marijuana in Florida.

The Florida Police Chiefs Association and the Florida Sheriffs Association issued statements opposing Amendment 3, citing concerns that legalizing the drug could increase car crashes, teenage substance abuse and pot-related emergency room visits.

There is no doubt based on the experiences of other states, that recreational marijuana will in fact have a negative public safety impact in Florida, said Charles Vazquez, president of the Florida Police Chiefs Association and head of the Tampa International Airport Police Department. Our business is keeping people and communities safe, so we stand in strong opposition to this amendment and to those organizations that think it is no big deal.

Together, the associations represent over 1,300 law enforcement leaders.

If approved by at least 60% of voters in November, Amendment 3 would allow Floridians 21 years and older to possess up to 3 ounces of marijuana for personal use.

Recent polls show the proposal is popular, with a University of North Florida survey showing 64% of likely voters in support. Twenty-four other states and the District of Columbia have legalized marijuana for recreational use. Florida has legalized marijuana for medical use.

Legalization advocates disagree that Amendment 3 would jeopardize public safety, citing media reports that police are finding black-market marijuana laced with the dangerous drug fentanyl. They think legalized marijuana would reduce that risk by cutting out street dealers.

Passing Amendment 3 will make Floridians safer, reduce teen usage, save lives, and free up law enforcement to focus on serious, violent crime, said Morgan Hill, a spokeswoman for Safe & Smart Florida, the group backing the marijuana initiative.

Q&A: How would legal recreational marijuana work in Florida?

But in a statement, the Florida Sheriffs Association wrote that Amendment 3 would lead to a lower quality of life for all. Sheriffs adopted a resolution opposing recreational marijuana at their summer conference in Orlando.

Speaking at the conference, Gov. Ron DeSantis reiterated his opposition to Amendment 3, warning it would not be good for law and order. He said legalization elsewhere has not shut down the black market, referencing reports that underground and unregulated sales are still a problem in states that have fully legalized marijuana.

Orange County Sheriff John Mina said he thinks Floridians should consider the dangers of impaired driving, adding he would like to see more research on marijuana and mental health in young people.

Personally, I am opposed to the legalization of recreational marijuana, but I acknowledge thats the direction more states are moving in, and I respect the will of the voters, he said in a statement.

As sheriff, Mina said his law enforcement priority has been getting fentanyl and heroin off the streets and the high-level dealers who peddle this poison.

DeSantis embraces free state of Florida, but that doesnt include recreational marijuana

Researchers have delivered mixed findings on the effect of legal pot on traffic deaths and adolescent use.

Fatal car wrecks increased in four of the seven states with legal recreational markets examined by the University of Illinois Chicago, rising on average by 10%, according to a 2023 study That same study, which analyzed death certificates, found a decrease in opioid-related deaths and no effect on the suicide rate.

An April study published in the Journal of the American Medical Association found fewer adolescents reported using marijuana in the previous month in states that legalized marijuana. At the same time, adolescents who used the drug used it more often, according to the study, which examined self-reported data from the Youth Risk Behavior Survey.

Overall, legalization was not associated with a net increase in marijuana use in young people, the study concluded.

Supporters and opponents also disagree on the fiscal implications of Amendment 3. Recreational marijuana is expected to generate at least $195 million annually in tax revenues, according to the initiatives fiscal impact statement.

But law enforcement officials argue those additional revenues will be wiped away by higher public safety and health care costs and lost productivity.
A lower quality of life for all: Law enforcement lines up against legal pot in Florida

ORLANDO, Fla.  Two of the states largest and most influential law enforcement groups came out Tuesday against a ballot initiative that would legalize recreational marijuana in Florida.

The Florida Police Chiefs Association and the Florida Sheriffs Association issued statements opposing Amendment 3, citing concerns that legalizing the drug could increase car crashes, teenage substance abuse and pot-related emergency room visits.

There is no doubt based on the experiences of other states, that recreational marijuana will in fact have a negative public safety impact in Florida, said Charles Vazquez, president of the Florida Police Chiefs Association and head of the Tampa International Airport Police Department. Our business is keeping people and communities safe, so we stand in strong opposition to this amendment and to those organizations that think it is no big deal.

Together, the associations represent over 1,300 law enforcement leaders.

If approved by at least 60% of voters in November, Amendment 3 would allow Floridians 21 years and older to possess up to 3 ounces of marijuana for personal use.

Recent polls show the proposal is popular, with a University of North Florida survey showing 64% of likely voters in support. Twenty-four other states and the District of Columbia have legalized marijuana for recreational use. Florida has legalized marijuana for medical use.

Legalization advocates disagree that Amendment 3 would jeopardize public safety, citing media reports that police are finding black-market marijuana laced with the dangerous drug fentanyl. They think legalized marijuana would reduce that risk by cutting out street dealers.

Passing Amendment 3 will make Floridians safer, reduce teen usage, save lives, and free up law enforcement to focus on serious, violent crime, said Morgan Hill, a spokeswoman for Safe & Smart Florida, the group backing the marijuana initiative.

But in a statement, the Florida Sheriffs Association wrote that Amendment 3 would lead to a lower quality of life for all. Sheriffs adopted a resolution opposing recreational marijuana at their summer conference in Orlando.

Speaking at the conference, Gov. Ron DeSantis reiterated his opposition to Amendment 3, warning it would not be good for law and order. He said legalization elsewhere has not shut down the black market, referencing reports that underground and unregulated sales are still a problem in states that have fully legalized marijuana.

Orange County Sheriff John Mina said he thinks Floridians should consider the dangers of impaired driving, adding he would like to see more research on marijuana and mental health in young people.

Personally, I am opposed to the legalization of recreational marijuana, but I acknowledge thats the direction more states are moving in, and I respect the will of the voters, he said in a statement.

As sheriff, Mina said his law enforcement priority has been getting fentanyl and heroin off the streets and the high-level dealers who peddle this poison.

Researchers have delivered mixed findings on the effect of legal pot on traffic deaths and adolescent use.

Fatal car wrecks increased in four of the seven states with legal recreational markets examined by the University of Illinois Chicago, rising on average by 10%, according to a 2023 study. That same study, which analyzed death certificates, found a decrease in opioid-related deaths and no effect on the suicide rate.

An April study published in the Journal of the American Medical Association found fewer adolescents reported using marijuana in the previous month in states that legalized marijuana. At the same time, adolescents who used the drug used it more often, according to the study, which examined self-reported data from the Youth Risk Behavior Survey.

Overall, legalization was not associated with a net increase in marijuana use in young people, the study concluded.

Supporters and opponents also disagree on the fiscal implications of Amendment 3. Recreational marijuana is expected to generate at least $195 million annually in tax revenues, according to the initiatives fiscal impact statement.

But law enforcement officials argue those additional revenues will be wiped away by higher public safety and health care costs and lost productivity.

_____
Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko meets Russian President Vladimir Putin (Not Pictured) in the Kremlin. -/KREMLIN/dpa

Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko has overturned a German national's death sentence, the presidential office in Minsk announced, according to state news agency BelTA.

The German citizen had previously sent a plea for clemency to the president, according to the Belarusian secret service KGB.

According to the authorities in Minsk, the 29-year-old man had been convicted of terrorism on behalf of the Ukrainian secret service.

He was sentenced to death in June, including on mercenary charges, but the verdict was only made public by human rights organizations a month later.

Belarus is the last country in Europe that still carries out the death penalty, specifically by a shot in the back of the neck.

Belarusian state television recently showed the German, a paramedic, in a video in which he pleads guilty and asks for clemency.

The Federal Foreign Office in Berlin had condemned the death penalty and announced that the German citizen was receiving consular assistance.
Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko meets Russian President Vladimir Putin (Not Pictured) in the Kremlin. -/KREMLIN/dpa

Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko has overturned a German national's death sentence, the presidential office in Minsk announced, according to state news agency BelTA.

The German citizen had previously sent a plea for clemency to the president, according to the Belarusian secret service KGB.

According to the authorities in Minsk, the 29-year-old man had been convicted of terrorism on behalf of the Ukrainian secret service.

He was sentenced to death in June, including on mercenary charges, but the verdict was only made public by human rights organizations a month later.

Belarus is the last country in Europe that still carries out the death penalty, specifically by a shot in the back of the neck.

Belarusian state television recently showed the German, a paramedic, in a video in which he pleads guilty and asks for clemency.

The Federal Foreign Office in Berlin had condemned the death penalty and announced that the German citizen was receiving consular assistance.

German Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock has sharply criticized the actions of the authorities in Belarus saying that the treatment of the man was "unbearable."

However, Berlin did not comment on information from the Belarusian Foreign Ministry that Minsk had made a negotiation proposal for a solution to the case.

The Belarusian opposition suspects that Lukashenko is demanding a high price for a pardon.

There was speculation that Belarus, which is allied with Russia, could be seeking an exchange of prisoners.

Lukashenko could, for example, demand the release of a Russian convicted of a murder committed in a central Berlin park on behalf of Russian President Vladimir Putin.
Lukashenko pardons German citizen sentenced to death by firing squad for 'terrorism'

Belarusian dictator Alexander Lukashenko has pardoned German citizen Rico Krieger who had was on death row following a trial in Minsk, Belarusian state-owned news agency Belta reported on July 30.

Krieger has been sentenced to death by a court in Belarus after being accused of committing six crimes, including "terrorism," and "mercenary activity."

The sentencing occurred on June 24. Much of the trial was held behind closed doors and Belarus state media has not reported on the verdict.

Krieger appealed to Lukashenko with a petition for pardon.

The Viasna Human Rights Centre said the charges could be linked to a group of volunteer Belarusian soldiers, the Kalinouski Regiment, who fight against Russia in Ukraine, but provided no further details.

Belarus is the only country in Europe that still imposes the death penalty.

Minsk and Berlin were holding consultations over Krieger's fate.

Belarusian Foreign Ministry spokesman Anatol Hlaz said that at the request of Germanys Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Belarus has proposed a number of options for the development of the situation.

The German Foreign Ministry confirmed the circumstances of the case to Deutsche Welle, saying the German embassy in Minsk was providing consular support to the German citizen.

The death penalty is a cruel and inhumane form of punishment that is rejected by Germany in all circumstances, the ministry was quoted as stating, without providing more details of the case.

Read also: Belarus Weekly: Warsaw gives Minsk 3 conditions to prevent full suspension of goods transit between EU, Belarus

Weve been working hard to bring you independent, locally-sourced news from Ukraine. Consider supporting the Kyiv Independent.
Self-proclaimed President of Belarus Aleksandr Lukashenko said that he decided to pardon German citizen Rico Krieger, who was sentenced to death allegedly because of working for "Ukrainian special services."

Source: BelTA, as reported by European Pravda

Details: According to Belarusian state-owned news agency BelTA, Krieger, through a lawyer, approached Lukashenko with a request for pardon, and the latter, "in view of all the circumstances", granted the motion.

The reasons for this decision have not been disclosed, however facts available to European Pravda show that Krieger's pardon may be related to the prisoner swap that is now being discussed between Russia, Belarus, and numerous Western states.

Rico Krieger's death sentence in Belarus was made public on 19 July.

Krieger was sentenced to death in Belarus after being charged with six crimes, including for being a "mercenary" and engaging in "espionage".

According to unofficial reports, the Krieger case is based upon alleged membership in the Kastus Kalinouski regiment whose troops are fighting on the Ukrainian side.

The individual was jailed last year, before becoming a doctor with the German Red Cross.

Last Monday, one of the Lukashenko regime's TV channels aired an interview with Krieger, who claimed that he was "recruited" by Ukraine's Security Service to assist in "preparing terrorist attacks" in Belarus and requested a pardon.

Lukashenko's regime in Belarus is notorious for repressions against the opposition and activists, which escalated dramatically since the 2020 protests against the fraud of presidential elections.

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Lutheran Social Services (LSS) of South Dakota announced Tuesday via press release that the organization will no longer provide childcare services to infants/toddlers and preschool-aged children due to financial sustainability challenges.

The last day for this decade-long program will be Friday, Aug. 16. School-aged afterschool and summer programs will continue as usual in Sioux Falls, which includes Southern Hills, Hilltop and Here4Youth.

LSS President and CEO Rebecca Kiesow-Knudsen stated this was a difficult decision to make and acknowledged the impact on South Dakota families, as well as employees, especially during an ongoing childcare crisis.

More: Four Sioux Falls childcare centers shutting down early next year

"Despite our efforts to balance operational costs with affordable service rates for families, we find ourselves unable to sustain these programs financially, she said.

During and after the COVID-19 pandemic, many childcare providers received temporary federal government assistance funding. It was through this funding that LSS was able to offer assistance to parents during that time, but now these funds have been depleted, forcing LSS to reassess the organizations capacity to continue services.

According to previous Argus Leader reporting, Kiesow-Knudsen stated the childcare crisis didnt start with the pandemic, but the pandemic did ratchet up the intensity of the crisis.

LSS has been contacting other childcare providers in the area to help both families and employees find alternative care and employment. Childcare providers are also encouraged to contact LSS if any openings are available.

"Providing families with a transition period is important to us, and we are committed to supporting them during this time," said Kiesow-Knudsen.

More: Lack of child care options forces South Dakota families to make tough decisions

The press release said although LSS has provided advocacy on the escalating crisis in childcare and participated in local and statewide initiatives addressing the issue, long-term, sustainable solutions have not developed.

Children play on Tuesday, October 26, 2021, at Little Tykes University in Sioux Falls.

The Argus Leader reached out to Kiesow-Knudsen for more information and clarification about the situation, but Kiesow-Knudsen responded by saying LSS was not accepting media requests and referred the Argus Leader to the press release.

"LSS infant/toddler and preschool programs are supported by fees from our families," she stated, without answering the following questions asked:

Whats being done to help displaced employees and parents/children who utilized these services?

When were parents and employees told?

When was this decision made and how was it made?

How were the temporary federal funds expended during the COVID pandemic?

Where did funding come from for early childcare services?

How many families/kids and employees will be displaced?

Why cut this program when South Dakota and Sioux Falls are in the middle of a childcare crisis? Were there no other options considered?

Where can parents seek childcare elsewhere?

How is LSS going to continue to advocate for childcare in Sioux Falls and SD without these programs?

Will LSS be looking to cut other programs because of this depleted funding?

Earlier this year, an implementation grant of more than $284,000 from the Governors Office of Economic Developments Community-Based Childcare Grant Program was given to Startup Sioux Falls and LSS to help develop new daycare options in the area, according to a May article from The Dakota Scout.

The LSS portion of this project has the capacity to support 40 to 50 multi-lingual entrepreneurs in opening registered and licensed family daycares, said Laura Smith-Hill, an LSS education services supervisor, according to KELOLAND News reporting in May.

LSS is excited to be a partner in this project, stated Smith-Hill in a press release about the grant from the city. This grant will both enhance and increase access to existing education and training offerings at the LSS Center for New Americans, serving more than 600 adult English learners annually. Through collaboration with community partners, LSS has expanded its Introduction to Childcare curriculum to integrate all necessary content for safety and licensure.

More: Sioux Falls Childcare Collaborative shares in-depth look at childcare crisis, possible solutions

In March 2022, LSS was one of many non-profit leaders in Sioux Falls who participated in a screening and discussion panel for the 2021 documentary Starting at Zero.

I almost was in tears a few times this morning just thinking about how far behind we are as a state, and the resources that we put into that early childhood education, Kiesow-Knudsen said in the March 2022 Argus Leader article.

She also said the affordability of childcare is a huge issue for families, and the costs are only increasing as childcare staff wages remain low and staff have left the industry in the last five to six years. The majority of childcare providers do have space for more children, but they need more staff to keep up with student-to-staff ratios.

This article originally appeared on Sioux Falls Argus Leader: Lutheran Social Services of SD ends early childcare services
WILKES-BARRE, LUZERNE COUNTY (WBRE/WYOU)  An agency with the goal of helping children and families is shifting its approach.

After having its license downgraded to provisional in 2021, due to criminal charges against the former director, Luzerne County Children and Youth had its license fully restored in September.

Now, the agency says they are implementing a series of new strategies to fully rebuild trust with the community and continue its mission.

A new name, Luzerne County Children, Youth and Families, is just one of the changes theyve adopted to meet their goal of serving the community.

The new approach aims to empower families and involve the community in the agencys decision-making.

No one knows their family better than the family, Luzerne County Children Youth and Families Administrator Katrina Gownley said.

Gownley says she knows it takes a village to raise a child.

So for us to tell the family what services they need is not as beneficial as for the family to tell us what they need, Gownley continued.

Details into lawsuit filed against Dunmore School District

Changes like the agencys family engagement initiative, aim to do just that.

Put into place by the administrative office of Pennsylvania courts, the plan encourages collaboration with the judiciary, families, and the agency, to reduce the number of children in foster care through relative placement or in-home services.

Back in December 2023, we had 377 children in foster care, and today we have 335, Gownley added.

Another new strategy focuses on being preventative instead of reactive, by putting services into area school districts.

We meet with the judge and the superintendents regularly and that was one thing that schools said would benefit them. If we could be there to prevent families from getting involved in the agency, Gownley stated.

Gownley says this fall, the agency will place school-based workers and a supervisor in districts that need it.

Other strategies such as a unit focused on helping families with children ages five and under, and the reactivation of a staffing quality assurance program all work to meet the same goal: rebuilding trust, and serving children, families, and the community.

You do not have to be active with the agency to get our help. And even if youre not active we can certainly point folks in the right direction for services that they need for their kids or themselves, said Gownley.

The agency has also started a food pantry in conjunction with CEO, which has helped to feed nearly 800 kids across Luzerne County.

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TAIPEI, July 30 (Xinhua) -- Multiple civilian groups in Taiwan staged a protest in Taipei on Tuesday against the ongoing annual meeting of the Inter-Parliamentary Alliance on China (IPAC).

Outside the venue hosting the meeting, protestors displayed banners saying, "The Taiwan question is China's internal affairs and non-interference in other countries' internal affairs is an international norm."

They also chanted slogans such as "one China, peaceful development," "reconciliation and dialogue, peace across the Taiwan Strait" and "oppose interference, oppose 'Taiwan independence'."

In a letter to the IPAC, the protesting groups stated that the so-called "rule-based international order" advocated by the IPAC is essentially to maintain the hegemony of the United States and the geopolitical interests of the West.

"The Taiwan question is China's internal affairs and non-interference in internal affairs is an international norm, which remains the basic stance of all people in Taiwan who are committed to safeguarding peace across the Strait and ensuring social fairness," the letter read.

It added that the policy of Taiwan's Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) authorities, in collaboration with foreign anti-China politicians, not only fails to safeguard peace across the Strait but is also to incite conflicts and harm the society of Taiwan.

Since Lai Ching-te took office, separatists seeking "Taiwan independence" have further colluded with external anti-China forces, undermining peace and stability across the Strait, said Wu Jung-yuan, chairman of the Labor Party in Taiwan and convener of the Cross-Strait Peace and Development Forum, one of the protesting groups.

Taiwan compatriots should consciously join hands with compatriots on the mainland to oppose separatists' attempts to seek independence and safeguard the common homeland of both sides, Wu said, speaking about the protest.

Calling the IPAC "a thoroughly anti-China organization," Chi Chia-lin, who heads the Reunification Alliance Party in Taiwan, warned against attempts of external anti-China forces to influence the society of Taiwan and international public opinion in the name of "democracy" and "human rights."

"The fundamental way to achieve peace and stability in the region lies in peaceful reunification across the Strait," he said.

Chi Hsing, who works with the Taiwan-based magazine The Observer, told Xinhua that, using the IPAC, the DPP authorities are trying to create an illusion that they have support from all democratic countries across the world.

"We have to stand up and let the public on the island know through our rally that a small group of anti-China politicians gathered by IPAC will bring them nothing good and will only increase Taiwan's military spending and damage people's livelihoods," she said. 
In my four decades of covering Latin America, I have seen many electoral frauds. But what happened July 28 in Venezuela certainly looks like the mother of all stolen elections.

In most rigged elections in the region, authoritarian rulers typically manipulate the vote count to give themselves an extra one or two percent of the vote. But in Venezuelas case, strongman Nicolas Maduro went overboard: He fabricated as much as 40% of his votes, according to opposition counts and exit polls.

Venezuelas government-controlled National Electoral Council stunned observers with the announcement in the early hours of Monday that Maduro had won the elections with 51.2% of the vote, against united opposition candidate Edmundo Gonzalez Urrutias 44.2%.

Opposition leader Maria Corina Machado, who backed Gonzalez Urrutia after she was banned from running by the Maduro regime, said she can prove with copies of voting tallies that Gonzalez Urrutia won 70% of the vote, while Maduro was way behind with 30%. It was the biggest margin of difference in Venezuelan history, Machado said.

You could say that its one partys word against the other, but there are several reasons to believe that Maduros official results are fraudulent.

First, all credible pre-election polls showed opposition candidate Gonzalez Urrutia leading Maduro by more than 25 percentage points, a massive advantage by any standard. One poll by the ORC consulting firm gave Gonzalez Urrutia 60% of the vote, while Maduro had only 14.6%.

Second, an exit poll on election day by Edison Research, the respected polling firm that does exit polls for major TV networks in U.S. and other countries elections, concluded that Gonzalez Urrutia got 64% of the vote, while Maduro got only 31%. Edisons exit poll interviewed 6,846 voters in 100 polling centers across Venezuela.

The Venezuelan governments election results run completely contrary to what our survey showed, Edisons Executive Vice President Rob Farbman told Colombias FM radio station Monday. The exit poll showed it was basically a landslide for Gonzalez (Urrutia) and the opposition, he added.

Third, on election night, the Maduro regime delayed the release of voting results for six hours, and prohibited opposition leaders from getting access to the vote tallies at the National Electoral Council. At the time of this writing, Maduros electoral authorities have not yet released detailed election results at the polling station level, as required by Venezuelan law.

Long before election day, Maduro had also denied the right to vote to an estimated 4.5 million Venezuelans living abroad, who are mostly government opponents and represent more than 20% of the countrys total voters. In addition, he had banned Machado, the countrys most popular opposition leader, and several other top opposition figures from running, arrested opposition activists and censored the media.

This was the biggest election steal in Latin Americas modern history, former Bolivian President Jorge Tuto Quiroga, who was invited to observe the election by the opposition but was denied entry into the country by Maduro, told me.

Still, Maduros election steal may not leave him in firm control of the country. History is full of examples of authoritarian rulers who rigged elections, only to later face violent backlashes.

Bolivias former authoritarian populist leader Evo Morales rigged the 2019 elections, and was soon forced to step down by a combination of mass protests and international pressures. Ukraines fraudulent 2004 presidential elections led to mass protests known as the Velvet Revolution, which moved the countrys supreme court to order a new election that was won by the opposition.

Doubts about Maduros election results will only keep growing, because he refuses to publish the voting machine tallies. If Maduro had won the elections, it would be in his best interest to show his people  and the world  the detailed polling data. But hes not releasing them, which is additional evidence of his monumental fraud.

Dont miss the Oppenheimer Presenta TV show on Sundays at 9 pm E.T. on CNN en Espanol. Blog: andresoppenheimer.com
(Bloomberg) -- Nicolas Maduro pledged to meet international demands to release full voting records from Venezuelas election during a meeting with a top adviser to Brazils Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva, according to a Brazilian government official familiar with the matter.

Maduro met Celso Amorim, Lulas chief foreign affairs adviser, at the Miraflores Palace in Caracas on Monday, amid mounting pressure from Brazil, Colombia and other nations to publicly verify the results of a Sunday election in which he was declared the winner and the opposition claimed fraud.

Maduro told Amorim that the government will present the electoral data, including the ballot records for each voting precinct that Brazil has demanded, in the next few days, according to the official, who requested anonymity to discuss internal matters. The Venezuelan leader said the release has been delayed due to an attack on the countrys electricity grid, according to the official. Maduro also argued that he is the target of a coup attempt.

The Venezuelan government did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

After the sitdown with Maduro, Amorim met with opposition candidate Edmundo Gonzalez, who asked him to insist on the release of the ballot records, according to the Brazilian official. Opposition leaders announced Monday that they have tabulations showing Gonzalez won the vote.

Lula is set to talk to President Joe Biden on Tuesday about the latest developments in Venezuela. Secretary of State Antony Blinken said Monday that the US has serious concerns about the election and called for the release of a detailed tabulation of votes.

Lula, a longtime ally of Venezuelas socialist governments, is upset with the situation in Caracas and believes Maduro has systematically failed to deliver on promises for transparency in the electoral process, two Brazilian officials said Monday.

Tensions between the two nations have been escalating since ahead of the vote, with Brazils electoral court deciding not to send observers after Maduro criticized the countrys voting system. Lula has not publicly commented on the election result, but last week said that Maduro needed to learn how to lose and that Venezuelas future depended on an election the international community deemed legitimate.

While Brazil has yet to officially recognize the results, Lulas leftist Workers Party praised the election as peaceful and democratic in a Monday statement that acknowledged Maduros victory.

--With assistance from Fabiola Zerpa.

More stories like this are available on bloomberg.com

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(KTLA)  A magnitude 4.9 earthquake followed by several strong aftershocks were felt across Southern California early Monday afternoon.

According to the U.S. Geological Survey, the quake struck at 1 p.m. PDT, with the epicenter roughly 13 miles northeast of Barstow in San Bernardino County. The impact was felt across a wide swath of Southern California, including metropolitan Los Angeles and northern San Diego County.

The USGS initially measured the quake as a 5.1 magnitude but quickly downgraded it to 4.9. It was followed by several significant aftershocks measuring 3.5 and 2.7.

Earthquake Map

There were no immediate reports of damage or injuries. Shane Hernandez, a spokesperson for the California Highway Patrol, said officers were inspecting key infrastructure, including bridges and overpasses.

This one felt like a little bit of rolling, Hernandez told Nexstars KTLA. And then, as the aftershocks came in, it felt a little like it was pushing up towards us.  It just seemed like it never stopped.

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Barstow is located approximately 100 miles northeast of Los Angeles along the heavily traveled Interstate 15 corridor.

Thousands of earthquakes are recorded in California each year, but the vast majority are extremely minor. According to the USGS, only several hundred are greater than magnitude 3.0, and only about 15 to 20 are greater than magnitude 4.0.

In the continental United States, only Alaska records more quakes per year than California.

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BEIJING, July 30 (Xinhua) -- A number of scientific and technological achievements will be unveiled at the China International Big Data Industry Expo 2024, an official said Tuesday.

The 2024 expo will be held in Guiyang, the capital of southwest China's Guizhou Province, from August 28 to 30, said Ma Ningyu, mayor of Guiyang, at a press conference on the expo.

Ma said more than 200 enterprises, universities and industry associations from both home and abroad will unveil achievements at this event.

"A total of 10 leading sci-tech achievements and over 50 outstanding sci-tech achievements will be selected and released at the expo," Ma noted.

Initiated in 2015, the big data expo has seen its number of visits increase from 13,000 in 2015 to 180,000 in 2023, Shen Zhulin, deputy head of the National Data Administration, said at the press conference.

Often dubbed China's big data hub, the mountainous province of Guizhou is China's first national big data comprehensive pilot zone. It promotes the big data industry as backbone of its high-quality social and economic development. 
ST. LOUIS  A mail carrier was robbed at gunpoint Monday afternoon in St. Louis Kingsway West neighborhood.

According to a St. Louis Metropolitan Police Department spokesperson, the hold-up took place around 12:45 p.m. near the intersection of Norwood and Lexington avenues.

The mail carrier told police a pedestrian waved him down to ask for a change of address form. When the mail carrier went to get the man a form, he pulled out a pistol and yanked the mail carrier to the floor.

The armed man stole the mail carriers property and ran off. The victim was not injured.

Anyone with information on the robbery who wants to remain anonymous or is interested in a cash reward should call CrimeStoppers at 866-371-8477.

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GREENEVILLE, Tenn. (WJHL)  Main Street: Greeneville will apply for a Downtown Improvement Grant that would be used to improve facades.

If approved, the grants would be available for commercial buildings in the 18-block downtown district.

According to Main Street: Greeneville, a portion of the funds could also be spent on general downtown improvements to the Eagles Rest pedestrian pathway and courtyard on South Main Street, connecting the Crow Foot Valley parking area to Main Street.

Tri-Cities family braves flash flooding at Dollywood

The grant is through Tennessee Main Street and Tennessee Downtown with maximum funding of $300,000 per community.

Main Street: Greeneville will submit its application in August.

Downtown Main Street District property owners and others interested in learning more can contact Jann Mirkov, Main Streets executive director by calling 423-639-7102.

Copyright 2024 Nexstar Media, Inc. 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.
Major cell phone companies could be held liable for store employees who steal customers' nude photos while transferring their data to a new phone, thanks to a court judgment in Washington state.

Over the past few years, at least 18 people have sued telecom firms including Verizon, T-Mobile, and AT&T over thefts of private information by their workers, according to CNBC.

Until now, judges have usually accepted the companies' argument that they are not responsible because they were not aware of and did not condone the employees' actions.

But in April, US district judge Stanley Bastian ruled that a complaint filed against T-Mobile by a woman in Richland, WA could proceed after all.

Lawyers told CNBC that the "landmark" decision could provide support to similar lawsuits in other states, such as a woman who is suing AT&T after a Los Angeles store employee distributed her nude photos online.

"That decision sets important precedent," said Laura Hecht-Felalla of the law firm CA Goldberg, which is conducting both the T-Mobile and the AT&T case.

"We intend to continue to try to hold phone companies accountable for situations like this, where their employees violate customer privacy during phone trade-ins or other transactions at the stores.

"Theres a lot of different ways in which they can try to prevent this from happening, and its clear whatever theyre currently doing is not adequate."

A spokesperson for AT&T said: "We were appalled to learn of the behavior allegedly exhibited by an employee of a third-party retailer. We hold the vendors who work on our behalf to high standards and we do not tolerate the behavior alleged here.

"The vendor has assured us the employee allegedly involved no longer works for them, and they were working to resolve this matter with the customer."

The Independent has contacted T-Mobile for comment.

At least six complaints have reportedly been filed against AT&T over similar incidents, plus at least a dozen other cases against other phone providers.

The T-Mobile lawsuit alleges that the company and its third-party vendors have failed to establish adequate safeguards against data theft, failed to properly train its workers to respect customers' privacy, and failed to undertake proper background checks of prospective workers.

"T-Mobile has long known and turned a blind eye to its retail store employees routinely abusing their authority to illicitly obtain sensitive customer data under the guise of assisting customers with repairs and data transfers," the complaint says.

"For almost a decade, T-Mobile customers across the United States have regularly reported, as evidenced by news stories and lawsuits, instances of retail store employees stealing their intimate videos, explicit photos, and bank accounts.

"Nevertheless, T-Mobile has failed to implement any common-sense security hardware or software to protect consumers from their data and privacy being exploited during ordinary transactions at the T-Mobile store."

The decision in Washington does not guarantee judges elsewhere will follow the same approach, as they are not bound to obey precedent from courts in other states.

However, lawyers said that it will give plaintiffs extra ammunition when seeking to move into the discovery phase of a lawsuit, where they can force the phone companies to turn over potentially embarrassing internal documents.
After the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) proposed rescheduling marijuana under federal drug law and opened the issue up to public comments earlier this year, tens of thousands of people weighed in. While the overwhelming majority seemed to support loosening marijuana laws, prohibitionist lawmakers won't go down without a fight.

In May, the DEA submitted a rule to the Federal Register, proposing to change marijuana's classification under the Controlled Substances Act from Schedule Idrugs categorized as having "no currently accepted medical use and a high potential for abuse"to Schedule III, meaning those with "a moderate to low potential for physical and psychological dependence." With the change, marijuana would no longer be regulated as a dangerous substance akin to heroin or ecstasy and would instead be under the same rubric as testosterone and Tylenol with codeine.

A move from Schedule I to Schedule III would not mean full legalization or even be particularly close to that: While the change would open up the possibility that doctors could prescribe marijuana or its derivatives as medicine, it would still be regulated as a controlled substance, and anyone selling weed in states where it's recreationally legal would still be running afoul of federal law.

The Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) first requested a rescheduling in August 2023, stating in a letter to DEA Administrator Anne Milgram that "marijuana has a currently accepted medical use in the United States." In its new rule, the DEA said a change is "consistent" with the HHS' view.

When an executive branch agency proposes a new rule, there typically follows a 60-day public comment period, in which members of the public can weigh in on the proposal. The public comment period on the rescheduling of marijuana was set to expire last week, and the DEA has posted 42,916 commentswith the overwhelming majority either supporting the measure or saying it did not go far enough.

According to an analysis by the Drug Policy Alliance, 29,750 comments, or 69.3 percent of the total, "support descheduling, decriminalizing, or legalizing marijuana at the federal level." To reach this conclusion, the group searched all comments for dozens of key terms, like deschedule, decriminalize, and legalize it, then ran the results through ChatGPT to check for accuracy.

Headset, a cannabis industry data analytics company, conducted a similar analysis and found that 92.45 percent favored some sort of change in marijuana's classification. Of that total, 61.7 percent "advocated for complete descheduling of cannabis" and 38.3 percent supported "rescheduling to a less restrictive category."

"This comment period has shattered previous DEA records, surpassing even the highly contentious 2020 telemedicine rules that garnered approximately 38,000 comments," the Headset report noted. "To put this into perspective, recent DEA proposals typically receive anywhere from a few hundred to around 1,500 comments, even on significant issues like scheduling new substances or adjusting production quotas for controlled substances."

These numbers should be unsurprising: A Pew Research poll from March 2024 found that 57 percent of respondents said marijuana should be legal for both medical and recreational use, while another 32 percent favored only medical legalization.

The results paint a clear picture: Americans are ready for marijuana to no longer be completely illegal at the federal level. But of course, lawmakers are likely to drag it out as long as they can.

"The circumstances surrounding this proposed rule are unusual, and we are concerned by the process that led to this determination," wrote Reps. Cathy McMorris Rodgers (RWash.), chair of the House Energy and Commerce Committee, and Brett Guthrie (RKy.), chair of the Energy and Commerce Subcommittee on Health, in a letter last week to Attorney General Merrick Garland and HHS Secretary Xavier Becerra.

McMorris Rodgers and Guthrie note that as recently as 2016, "Both the DEA and HHS agreed that marijuana continued to meet the criteria to be considered a Schedule I substance. In fact, HHS concluded that '[]marijuana has a high potential for abuse, has no accepted medical use in the United States, and lacks an acceptable level of safety for use even under medical supervision.' Less than a decade later, President Biden made a public statement on October 6, 2022requiring HHS and the Department of Justice (DOJ) to begin the administrative process to quickly review marijuana's scheduling status under federal law."

The lawmakers are right that the DEA's and HHS' positions are a stunning about-face. But the government's prohibitionist position has long been flimsy and stacked against reclassification. The DEA has long held that marijuana lacked "currently accepted medical use," though the very fact of its Schedule I classification made research into its potential medical uses nearly impossible.

In its 2023 recommendation, HHS bucked this standard, instead concluding based on "widespread clinical experience" that there was "credible scientific support" in using marijuana to treat certain ailments. And as Reason's Jacob Sullum has noted, the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approved drugs containing THC, the psychoactive component in marijuana, as far back as 1985, first on Schedule II before then being lowered to Schedule III.

While the government's change of heart was almost certainly spurred on by Biden's public insistence in 2022, the fact remains that its previous position was increasingly untenable, especially in the face of public opinion and the increasing number of states and territories that are legalizing marijuana for medical and recreational use. Rather than a troubling trend, a shift to Schedule III classification should be the bare minimum.

The post Majority of Public Comments Support Descheduling or Legalizing Marijuana appeared first on Reason.com.
Malaysia says tankers in July 19 collision anchored in its waters

FILE PHOTO: Rescue teams reach oil tankers on fire off the Singaporean island of Pedra Branca

By Danial Azhar

KUALA LUMPUR (Reuters) -Two large oil tankers that collided and caught fire near Singapore earlier this month are afloat and anchored in Malaysian waters, with an investigation into the incident ongoing, Malaysia's marine department said on Tuesday.

The Singapore-flagged Hafnia Nile and the Sao Tome- and Principe-flagged Ceres I collided and caught fire about 55 km (35 miles) northeast of the Singaporean island of Pedra Branca early on July 19.

The Hafnia Nile, a Panamax tanker, was carrying about 300,000 barrels of naphtha destined for Japan, according to ship-tracking data from Kpler and LSEG. Naphtha is a raw material for making petrochemicals.

"The Hafnia Nile is hazardous as it is still carrying its naphtha cargo," Mohamad Halim Ahmed, Director General of Malaysia's Marine Department, told a press conference, adding the tanker was severely burnt and its superstructure was compromised but its cargo intact.

"Our priority is to ensure it remains afloat and can be moved safely."

Mohamad Halim said preliminary investigations found that the Ceres I was anchored before the collision due to technical issues. The Hafnia Nile's attempts to avoid the Ceres I failed, resulting in the collision, he said.

Malaysia's coast guard initially said the Ceres I, a very large crude carrier (VLCC) supertanker, had fled the location of the incident and was believed to have turned off its tracking system.

However, Mohamad Halim said the Ceres I drifted away from the location of the collision as its anchor was damaged, before it was located and detained by Malaysia's coast guard.

He said there was no oil spill detected at the location of the collision, only an oil sheen believed to be from damage to the Hafnia Nile's bunker tank.

Mohamad Halim said his department was in contact with Singaporean authorities and the owner of the Ceres I to move both vessels to a safe location.

Once both vessels were moved out of open waters to a port, the Malaysian government would then decide on the next steps of the investigation, he said.

(Reporting by Danial Azhar; Editing by John Mair and Shri Navaratnam)
Netflixs former Senior Manager of Risk Management is taking the streamer to court on a plethora of claims from sexual harassment to discrimination, retaliatory termination and now-shuttered Covid vaccine mandates.

Combs alleges that the real reason for her termination was retaliation for her outspokenness and multiple complaints regarding the oppressive sexually driven curiosity culture of Netflix, alleges the 10-claims complaint filed in Los Angeles Superior Court today by Jessica Combs. Her willingness to speak up marked her as an employee not acting in the best interest of Netflix; an employee that was not a good team player nor a great fit, the jury trial-seeking document adds of Combs, who was at the streamer from May 2017-December 2021.

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Citing the lack of care by Netflix HR over her and a fellow female employee being emotionally scarred from an incident Combs says was a direct result of the culture of sexuality promoted by the Reed Hastings co-founded streamer, the 28-page filing is seeking a variety of unspecified damages for the now Nashville-based ex-executive. Scorning drag queen dancing sexually in the main Netflix LA HQ cafeteria during Pride month, and the apparent routineness of drinking alcohol while working at the company, the complaint adds: Combs alleges that this sexually oriented culture at Netflix caters to male predators.

For all that, and clearly thats a lot, those allegations are not actually the core of Combs complaint.

The by-product of Covid is what Combs sought and received a Right to Sue notice from the California Civil Rights department back in August 2023. With less than a week before that right against Netflix expires, the former Warner Bros staffer had to make the leap to reopen this wound of allegedly rejected religious dispensation and severance conditions.

On or about October of 2021, COMBS requested that Netflix allow her to submit negative COVID-19 test results, as needed, since her religious opt-out request was denied. Netflix would not allow COMBS to present negative test results in lieu of vaccinations.



It was also on or about October 0f 2021. That Combs, in an effort to comply with Netflix unwarranted vaccine impositions, while defending her religious and moral convictions, requested that Netflix allow her to change her official office location from Los Angeles to London, where she was already conducting significant work for Netflix. That request was denied, as well.



On or about November of 2021, COMBS emailed Netflix executives challenging the vaccine mandate, as well as the companys discriminatory practices surrounding diversity and inclusion, COMBS never received a response to that email.



On or about November of 2021, Netflix advised COMBS that, since she had moved to Tennessee (with prior Netflix approval), and was working from home, she did not merit a salary increase for location-based pay. But peculiarly, if COMBS had remained in Los Angeles (as a remote employee during COVID), her salary incredibly would have increased by 20% prior to COMBS receiving this notice.



On November 15, 2021, Netflixs HR department sent COMBS a termination letter. The Notice of Termination said the reason for COMBS termination was her breaking of a reasonable employer rule, i.e., the failure to obtain COVID vaccinations. Notable, courts have subsequently held that such impositions were not lawful. The stated reason for COMBS termination was pretextual.



The termination letter offered Jessica four months of severance pay if she would release Netflix from any claims. COMBS refused to sign the agreement. Notably, by November of 2021, COMBS had been performing director level work for over three years  since 2018  because the team had no acting director. COMBS became the Risk Management leader and the most senior-level team member during the pandemic. But Netflix never paid COMBS for her director level work. COMBS alleges and believes that, upon termination, Directors receive six months of severance, not four months. This is yet another indication of Netflix intentional and malicious acts in an effort to wrongfully terminate COMBS by offering her unacceptable terms on her severance package.

The filing by Rancho Santa Margarita-based attorney Michael C.P. Clark goes on to slam the streamer as demanding conformity seemingly over all else but profit.

Netflix denied COMBS application for unemployment benefits since she would not sign the severance package agreement, the complaint declares. COMBS alleges that this act of denying her unemployment benefits further demonstrates the intentional and malicious nature of Netflix when dealing with employees who dare to challenge the sacred, albeit inappropriate, core values of Netflix, notwithstanding her loyal, devoted, and exemplary years of service as indicated by the repeated praise in her annual reviews, her promotions, and pay increases. COMBS performed her duties competently and met or exceeded Netflix legitimate expectations throughout her tenure at Netflix.

Netflix had no comment on Combs suit when contacted by Deadline today. If that changes, this post will be updated. Lawyer Clark did not respond to request for comment when reached out to by Deadline. If and when he does respond, this post will be updated.

For the record, as political and medical tides shifted, Netflix quietly dropped its vaccine mandate in September 2022. Disney followed soon afterwards in November 2022 with the rest of the studios and the Hollywood guilds ending the mandates completely in early 2023. There have been dozens of vaccine mandate lawsuits in the ensuing months, most of which are still before the courts.

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VALLETTA (Reuters) - Malta Central Bank Governor Edward Scicluna has suspended himself from his duties pending the conclusion of a court case over a 2015 hospitals privatisation deal, when he was finance minister, the government said on Tuesday.

Scicluna, 77, stands accused of fraud and misappropriation along with 13 other senior serving or former government officials, including former deputy prime minister and minister of health Chris Fearne, court documents seen by Reuters showed. All deny the charges.

The island's government said on Tuesday it had noted a request made by Scicluna to ECB President Christine Lagarde "that he no longer exercise the functions of governor of the Central Bank until a court case against him is concluded".

"The Cabinet of Ministers acknowledges Professor Scicluna's decision as being in the best interests of the country," it said.

Scicluna did not immediately respond to a Reuters request for comment.

Central Bank Deputy Governor Alex Demarco will take over.

The scandal concerns a 2015 decision by the Maltese government to award a contract for three state hospitals to the previously unknown Vitals Healthacre Group, which later handed the concession to American hospitals group Steward. A Malta court last year annulled the concession, saying it was fraudulent.

Scicluna was a member of the European Parliament and an economics professor before being appointed finance minister in 2013 by then Prime Minister Joseph Muscat.

He became central bank governor on Jan. 1, 2021.

It is not known how long the court case against him will take, but cases typically take several years on the Mediterranean island.

(Reporting by Christopher Scicluna; Editing by Sandra Maler)
A Perris man has been arrested by Riverside Police Department officers after he allegedly shot and killed a suspected car thief last week.

Tony Ortiz, 41, was arrested and booked into the Robert Presley Detention Center in Riverside to await charges for murder and multiple gun crimes.

Tony Ortiz, 41, of Perris is shown in this mugshot provided by the Riverside Police Department on July 29, 2024.

The deadly shooting happened on July 24, just after midnight on the 9100 block of Magnolia Avenue.

Officers were dispatched to the scene following a report of a stolen Honda Civic that had crashed into several parked vehicles and a dumpster.

When officers arrived on scene, they found the stolen vehicle with a man slumped over in the front seat suffering from a gunshot wound to the head. He was transported to the hospital and died hours later, police said.

Hes been identified as 35-year-old Alex Arzate of Riverside.

Homicide detectives took over the case and were quickly able to identify Ortiz as the suspect in the shooting.

They believe Ortiz witnessed Arzate steal the Honda Civic, then produce a handgun and shoot Arzate as he was driving away in the stolen car, the Police Department said in a Monday news release.

Officers located and arrested Ortiz at his home in Perris several hours after the deadly shooting. A search warrant was served at his home which led to the discovery of several firearms, including the one believed to have been used to shoot and kill Arzate.

Ortiz has since been booked into jail and is being held on $1 million bail.

The shooting remains under investigation and anyone with information is urged to come forward by contacting the Riverside Police Department.

Copyright 2024 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.

For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to KTLA.
PORTLAND, Ore. (KOIN)  Authorities are trying to contact a man accused of intentionally running over a flock of seagulls on a Washington beach and nearly striking two beachgoers, according to the Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife Police.

Around 8 p.m. July 27, the man allegedly ran over and killed 25 seagulls while driving a silver Jeep Cherokee near the Klipsan Beach approach outside of Long Beach, according to WDFWP.

Newberg-Dundee school board votes to fire superintendent amid his leave

Multiple witnesses  including three people who stopped the driver and took photos of his car  also reported that same Jeep nearly hit two people walking their dogs on the beach, officials said.

The Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife Police are trying to contact a man accused of intentionally running over and killing 25 seagulls with a Jeep Cherokee near Long Beach (Courtesy Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife Police.)

The Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife Police are trying to contact a man accused of intentionally running over and killing 25 seagulls with a Jeep Cherokee near Long Beach (Courtesy Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife Police.)

Authorities said they identified the driver, who is believed to be living out of state, and are working to contact him.

Anyone with information on the case is asked to contact the Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife Police.

Copyright 2024 Nexstar Media, Inc. 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.
An aerial drone photo taken on June 7, 2021 shows the alpine wetland observation station built by the Institute of Mountain Hazards and Environment (IMHE) of the Chinese Academy of Sciences in Xainza County of Nagqu City, southwest China's Xizang Autonomous Region.(IMHE/Handout via Xinhua)

LHASA, July 30 (Xinhua) -- Despite the global warming and wetting climate, the Qinghai-Xizang Plateau plays an important role as a carbon sink, according to recent studies conducted by the Institute of Mountain Hazards and Environment (IMHE) of the Chinese Academy of Sciences.

The improvement of the carbon sink function of the terrestrial ecosystem in southwest China's Xizang Autonomous Region is an important manifestation of the effectiveness of the ecological security barrier construction and changing climate in the region, said Wei Da, a researcher with the IMHE.

Quantifying the dynamics of carbon sink under climate change and ecological restoration on the Qinghai-Xizang Plateau is one of the priority scientific concerns that urgently need to be addressed, scientists say.

The first demonstration base for carbon sink monitoring of artificial forests in Xizang was established in the city of Shannan this year.

The IMHE also led the construction of the Qinghai-Xizang Plateau terrestrial ecosystem carbon flux observation network, which includes stations in Xainza, Shannan, Yadong, Hoh Xil, Gerze, Zhongba, Madoi, Shuanghu and Serling Co, covering typical alpine ecosystems such as forests, shrubs, meadows, grasslands, wetlands and lakes.

The network synchronously measures carbon flux, water and heat flux, photosynthetically active radiation, air temperature and humidity, soil temperature and humidity and precipitation.

Based on this monitoring network and cooperation with other research organizations, the research team from the IMHE has found that the Qinghai-Xizang Plateau remains an important carbon sink with potential in a warmer and wetter climate.

"We conducted continuous observation at 32 sites and identified the alpine ecosystem as an important carbon sink. Our new discovery shows that as the climate turns warmer and wetter, the alpine plants absorb carbon faster than permafrost releases carbon," said Wang Xiaodan, a researcher with the IMHE.

The Qinghai-Xizang Plateau is the world's largest high-altitude permafrost region, but climate warming may lead to the release of large amounts of permafrost carbon, thereby altering the regional carbon source and sink balance. Scientists have constructed a monitoring data base spanning the plateau and conducted systematic research on this issue.

"We found that 26 sites exhibit significant carbon sink status, with the volume of carbon sink much higher than previously expected. The strongest net carbon sink of the Qinghai-Xizang Plateau occurs at an altitude of about 4,000 meters," said Wei.

"This study has preliminarily drawn a panoramic view of the carbon balance process on the Qinghai-Xizang Plateau. We found that the sustained warming and wetting climate on the plateau will be conducive to plant growth and further enhance the carbon sink," Wei said.

In another study, scientists focus on soil respiration, which is the primary carbon emission process in terrestrial ecosystems, accounting for 60 percent to 90 percent of the total ecosystem respiration and being a key factor in determining the size of the terrestrial carbon sink.

However, there is currently a lack of sufficient data support and scientific understanding regarding the impact of climate change and ecological engineering on deep soil carbon dynamics.

Researchers have established a comprehensive soil carbon process observation system to achieve long-term continuous acquisition of high-resolution data on soil carbon dioxide concentration, water content, temperature and salinity at various depths, which is a crucial approach to uncovering the underground carbon processes in ecosystems, according to Zhang Jianxin, a researcher with the IMHE.

The establishment of the Qinghai-Xizang Plateau carbon flux monitoring network provides an observation and research platform for the plateau, serving as a long-term infrastructure for the dynamic assessment of carbon sink on the plateau, Wei said.

"We plan to increase the number of observation sites in unpopulated regions, eventually forming a comprehensive carbon flux observation network that covers major types of terrestrial ecosystems on the plateau," Wei added. 
Man accused of starting fire outside Piqua High School appears in court on new charges

The man accused of starting a fire outside of Piqua High School is facing new charges.

>> PHOTOS: Piqua High School damaged by incendiary device detonation

As reported on News Center 7 at 6:00, Grady Egerton, 20, appeared in a Miami County court for arraignment on Monday.

Hes not to be in possession of firearms or weapons, Miami County Common Pleas Court Judge Jeannine Pratt said.

News Center 7s John Bedell attended Egertons arraignment and learned he was indicted on assault and felonious assault charges.

In both cases, prosecutors say the victim was a police officer.

The Miami County Prosecutors Office confirmed those charges stem from a standoff at Egertons apartment.

Around 11:15 p.m. on July 1, Piqua police showed up at the apartment with a search warrant.

>>RELATED: VIDEO: Man charged with detonating explosive at high school points gun at police during standoff

Body camera footage shows officers going through the apartment, announcing themselves with no response.

They made their way upstairs and found Egerton in a bathroom, according to a previous News Center 7 report.

The footage shows Egerton pointing a gun at officers, who then shoot at him. No one was hit by the gunfire.

Police backed out of the home, but later arrested Egerton after an hours-long SWAT standoff.

Authorities later said Egerton had a CO2 BB gun.

>>RELATED: High school damaged by incendiary device detonation; 20-year-old man arrested after standoff

The new assault charges are in addition to his pre-existing charges, which include vandalism, arson, and unlawful possession of dangerous ordinance.

Earlier this month, News Center 7 reported on surveillance video that shows Egerton throwing a lit camping propane tank at Piqua High Schools entrance.

The tank continued to go out, so Egerton allegedly lit a match in the trash can. The heat from the fire made the tank explode.

Firefighters arrived minutes later and extinguished the flames, but the explosion damaged the schools entrance.

Egertons lawyer entered a plea of not guilty by reason of insanity.

His lawyer said he doesnt believe Egerton is competent to stand trial.

>>RELATED: Man in custody after SWAT standoff in Piqua

Moving forward, doctors will evaluate Egerton and put their findings into a written report.

The judge will eventually make a ruling on Egertons competency.

If Egerton posts bail, the judge gave him strict terms, including being on house arrest with a GPS ankle monitor.

We will continue to follow this story.
SAN DIEGO (FOX 5/KUSI)  A man suspected of hitting and killing another man in Lemon Grove last week has been arrested in Colorado, the San Diego County Sheriffs Department reports.

Nicholas Hoskin, 45, of El Cajon, is now in police custody, facing charges for the death of Brian Colvin, 44, of Spring Valley, after a hit-and-run on July 22.

Hoskin is accused of hitting Colvin at 2:15 a.m. in the 8300 block of Broadway. Hoskin was conscious and breathing when deputies arrived, but later died at the hospital.

Witnesses at the scene described to law enforcement that a man was standing in the road speaking to the occupant/s of a vehicle when, for reasons unknown to police at this time, the vehicle reportedly accelerated, intentionally hitting the man, and left the scene, the sheriffs department initially reported.

Hoskin was identified as the suspect by sheriffs homicide detectives and a warrant was issued for his arrest. He was arrested by the Mesa County Sheriffs Offices Major Offender Task Force in Grand Junction, Colorado on Thursday and is now awaiting extradition to San Diego County.

The San Diego County Sheriffs Department is now asking for the publics help in locating the suspected vehicle involved, and has released the following photos of a white 2017 Dodge Ram 1500 SLT Quad Cab 4X2 with chrome trim, running boards, mud flaps and a tow hitch, with a California license plate  51340A2.

Police want the public to be on the alert for this vehicle suspected in a deadly hit-and-run. It is a White 2017 Dodge Ram 1500 SLT Quad Cab 4X2 with chrome trim, running boards, mud flaps and a tow hitch, with a California license plate  51340A2 (Photo: San Diego County Sheriffs Office)

Police want the public to be on the alert for this vehicle suspected in a deadly hit-and-run. It is a White 2017 Dodge Ram 1500 SLT Quad Cab 4X2 with chrome trim, running boards, mud flaps and a tow hitch, with a California license plate  51340A2 (Photo: San Diego County Sheriffs Office)

The sheriffs office is asking anyone with more information to call the Sheriffs Homicide Unit at 858-285-6330/after hours at 858-565-5200.

Copyright 2024 Nexstar Media, Inc. 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.
Man arrested in Lanett on child pornography, solicitation charges

LANETT, Ala. (WRBL)  A man was arrested at the 800 block of South 8th St. in Lanett on charges relating to child sex crimes.

According to the Lanett Police Department, Grady Aitken, 29, was arrested by the Alabama Law Enforcement Agency on these charges:

Allowing Children to Engage in the Production of Pornography

Production of Obscene Materiel

Electronic Solicitation of a Child

Lanett police say inquiries should be directed to ALEA.

Copyright 2024 Nexstar Media, Inc. 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.
Man arrested on suspicion of arson in series of Nevada County roadside fires, Cal Fire says

Authorities arrested a Nevada County man on suspicion of arson after he was seen Monday night fleeing the area of a series of roadside fires, Cal Fire officials said.

The 43-year-old Penn Valley man was arrested on suspicion of five counts of arson and was booked at the Nevada County Jail, where he was being held until his arraignment, the Cal Fire Nevada-Yuba-Placer Unit announced Tuesday in a news release. Cal Fire officials did not release the arrested mans name.

Five roadside fires were intentionally ignited along a 2.5-mile stretch of the road in the foothill community of Penn Valley. The first fire was reported about 9:40 p.m. Monday, followed by the subsequent roadside fires, Cal Fire said.

Investigators were looking for witnesses who on Monday night were in the area from Englebright Dam to Lake Wildwood in Penn Valley.

Multiple local firefighting agencies helped Cal Fire firefighters contain and extinguish the roadside fires. Cal Fire officials did not indicate in the news release along which road the five fires were started or the size of the fires.

Late Monday, a Cal Fire law enforcement officer, assisted by the Nevada County Sheriffs Office, arrested the arson suspect. Cal Fire officials said the investigation into the roadside fires was still ongoing.

Investigators asked anyone with information or who on Monday night was in the area from Englebright Dam to Lake Wildwood in Penn Valley to call Cal Fire Investigations at 530-889-0111 ext. 1022.
EAST LAMPETER TOWNSHIP, Pa. (WHTM)  Police in Lancaster County are investigating a theft caught on camera in which a man broke into a roadside stand money box with a crowbar.

According to East Lampeter Township Police, on July 23, 2024, a theft incident occurred at a roadside stand, as a male was caught on camera breaking into a money box and removing the contents. Police say the male was operating a Chevrolet Spark or Sonic, and used a crowbar and forcefully pry the money box open.

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Police are currently asking for the publics assistance to help identify the thief.

Anyone who may be familiar with the suspect or has information regarding this crime is asked to contact the East Lampeter Township Police Department. Contact can be made through the Crimewatch Tip Line or by calling (717) 291-4676.







This is a developing story. Stay with abc27 News as more information becomes available

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For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to ABC27.
QUEENS, N.Y. (PIX11)  A woman is fighting for her life after she suffered a punctured liver and lung when she was repeatedly stabbed for not giving the suspect money in a Queens subway station on Sunday, prosecutors said.

Randol Contreras, 24, was charged with attempted murder, assault, attempted robbery, and criminal possession of a weapon for allegedly attacking the 23-year-old woman at the mezzanine level in the Jamaica-Van Wyck subway station, according to the criminal complaint.

A young woman is fighting for her life after being stabbed in an unprovoked attack as she exited the subway system. Millions of New Yorkers rely on our mass transit system, and we will aggressively prosecute those that commit violence on our subways, Queens District Attorney Melinda Katz said.

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Prosecutors said Contreras asked the woman for some money as she came off the escalator in the subway station at around 8: 30 p.m. When the victim told him she didnt have any, he allegedly pulled a knife and stabbed her multiple times in the abdomen, and slashed her in the face before tossing the weapon into a nearby trash can.

The victims liver and lung were slit during the attack. Good Samaritans held Contreras at the scene until cops arrived, police said.

Contreras pleaded not guilty at his arraignment Monday and is being held without bail, according to court records.

His attorney could not immediately be reached Tuesday.

Mira Wassef is a digital reporter who has covered news and sports in the NYC area for more than a decade. She joined PIX11 News in 2022. See more of her work here.

Copyright 2024 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.

For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to PIX11.
MINGO COUNTY, WV (WVNS)  A man was charged with Attempted Murder after reports of a stabbing in Mingo County.

25-year-old Aaron Mahon, of Delbarton, was charged with Attempted Murder after cutting a persons neck with a knife.

A trooper with the West Virginia State Police responded to reports of a stabbing in the Upper Bias area near Delbarton in Mingo County early in the morning on Tuesday, July 30, 2024.

Man faces felony charges involving sexual abuse in Fayette County

Once the trooper arrived at the scene, they found that the victim, 33-year-old Kenneth Ooten, of Delbarton, was involved in a fight with Mahon. During the fight, Mahon cut Ootens neck with a knife.

Ooten underwent surgery for his injuries after being flown to Cabell Huntington Hospital, and Mahon was charged with Attempted Murder and taken to Southwestern Regional Jail.

The investigation remains ongoing.

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For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to WVNS.
MEMPHIS, Tenn.  A Mississippi man has been charged with multiple crimes after a 2-year-old was shot in the head and critically injured.

Eduardo Montero is charged with four counts of attempted murder, three counts of felony child abuse and one count each of domestic violence and aggravated assault, the Marshall County Sheriffs Office said.

Montero is in custody on a $2 million bond. The child remains in extremely critical condition, the sheriffs office said Tuesday.

MS shooting leaves 2-year-old shot in the head

The shooting happened around midnight Monday at a trailer park off Cayce Road in Marshall County, just south of the Mississippi state line.

Officials said a man and woman were arguing when a gun went off, wounding the child, who was lying in bed.

They were in a relationship and they were in the midst of splitting up, and the altercation led to a weapon being pulled, and there was a struggle and there was a shot fired, said Kelly McMillen, Lt. Col. of the Marshall County Sheriffs Department.

The 2-year-olds name is Eduardo, according to his mother.

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For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to WREG.com.
CHARLOTTE (QUEEN CITY NEWS)  A man has been charged after sexually assaulting a woman in a bathroom in southeast Charlotte, according to the Charlotte-Mecklenburg Police Department.

Around 3:30 p.m. on Monday, July 29, officers responded to Mr. Tire Auto Service Centers on Monroe Road for reports of a sexual assault.

Queen City News is tracking CRIME in your area  >> Latest stories here

A 32-year-old woman said she was inside the bathroom when a man sexually assaulted her. Detectives quickly identified the suspect as 30-year-old Eleno Cervantes.

Hes being held without bond for the charges of:

2nd-degree attempted rape

Sexual battery

1st-degree kidnapping

Assault on a female

According to the police report, Cervantes and the victim did not know each other.

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TAMPA, Fla. (WFLA)  A man was arrested Monday in connection with a shooting at a Bradenton bar that left two people injured.

Derrell Scott, 53, was arrested after he allegedly got into an argument with one of the victims before the shooting Friday at a bar in the 400 block of 12th Street West, according to the Bradenton Police Department.

The second person who was injured was a bystander, police said.

Both men are expected to be OK.

Scott was taken into custody in Osceola County with help from the Florida Department of Law Enforcement, Orlando Fugitive Task Force, Orange County Sheriffs Office Felony Squad, and the Osceola County Sheriffs Office SWAT Team.

Scott is charged with second-degree attempted murder, aggravated battery, felon in possession of a firearm, and use of a firearm by a convicted felon, police said.

Anyone with information about the ongoing investigation is asked to call 866-634-8477.

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For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to WFLA.
An aerial drone photo taken on July 29, 2024 shows the scene of a dike breach in Yisuhe Town of Xiangtan County, central China's Hunan Province.

CHANGSHA/SHENYANG, July 30 (Xinhua) -- China is currently battling heavy rainfall that has triggered dike breaches, flooded streets and forced the evacuation of people.

In the past two days, three dike breaches occurred in sections of the Juanshui River in Xiangtan County, central China's Hunan Province. One of them was successfully sealed on Monday afternoon.

The Juanshui flows into the Xiangjiang River, a major tributary of the Yangtze. In the wake of Typhoon Gaemi, some sections of the Juanshui experienced record-breaking floods.

Xinhua reporters rushed to Hekou Township after a dike breach measuring over 30 meters occurred around 1:40 p.m. on Monday. A large number of houses and crops were inundated. With helicopters hovering overhead, rescuers raced to search for and evacuate trapped residents.

"We are accelerating our search efforts to ensure that no one is left behind," said Huang Xi, a rescuer at the site.

Liu De'an, a 67-year-old local villager, was trapped by the rising floodwaters due to his limited mobility.

"I watched the water rise quickly, flooding the first floor of my house. I was terrified," he recalled. "Thankfully, they (the rescuers) arrived just in time and saved me."

Another dike breach took place around 8 p.m. Sunday in the section of Juanshui River in Yisuhe Township, with more than 3,800 residents evacuated as of Monday morning.

Over 1,200 people, including armed police, militia and professional rescuers, have been mobilized into rescue and relief work, assisted by more than 1,000 local officials and Party members, according to local flood control and drought relief headquarters.

Technologies such as drones, GPS measuring instruments, radar speed sensors, and unmanned hydrological surveying boats have been used to provide support for the closure of the breach and rescue operations.

Search and evacuation operations are still underway.

Torrential rains have also wreaked havoc in other parts of the country. From Friday to Sunday, the city of Dandong on the lower reaches of the Yalu River was lashed by heavy rain, causing 12 reservoirs and five rivers to exceed warning levels.

Xinhua reporters saw the Yalu River overflowing its banks on Monday night and flooding the main street in Dandong, Liaoning Province.

Yalu River Park, usually bustling with tourists, was submerged under nearly 2 meters of water.

Since July, Dandong has experienced seven episodes of heavy rain, accumulating a total of 486.5 millimeters of rainfall, 90 percent more than the historical average for this period over many years.

By 4 p.m. Monday, Dandong had relocated over 28,700 people. A total of 45 flood-control gates had been put in place by Sunday night.

China's meteorological authorities on Monday issued an orange alert for rainstorms, the second-highest level in its four-tier warning system, across parts of the country.

In southwest China's Chongqing Municipality, 19 districts and counties raised their emergency responses for floods on Monday afternoon, as the city is expected to be lashed by torrential rain from Monday night to Tuesday. 
Man convicted in 2022 fatal stabbing of woman in Chinatown to be sentenced

Man convicted in 2022 fatal stabbing of woman in Chinatown to be sentenced

CHINATOWN, Manhattan (PIX11)  The man convicted of fatally stabbing a woman in her Chinatown apartment back in 2022 is expected to be sentenced in a Manhattan court on Tuesday.

Assamad Nash pled guilty to killing Christina Yuna Lee the day before Valentines Day. Surveillance video showed Nash stalking Lee into her building on Chrystie Street, according to prosecutors.

More Local News

He then followed her up six flights of stairs into her apartment, where he allegedly stabbed her at least 40 times, per prosecutors.

Nash pled guilty to one count of second-degree murder and first-degree burglary as a sexually motivated felony.

The case spurred Mayor Eric Adams to meet with lawmakers in Albany in an effort to change bail reform laws.

Nash was arrested and charged with several other crimes just five weeks before Lees death but was let go without having to pay bail. He was instead placed under supervised release but received no mental health intervention.

Adams created a new emergency task force to address the intersection of crime, mental health and homelessness in the city after Nashs indictment.

Nash is expected to be sentenced to 30 years to life in state prison.

Erin Pflaumer is a digital content producer from Long Island who has covered both local and national news since 2018. She joined PIX11 in 2023. See more of her work here.

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Man dies in hospital after rush-hour stabbing at Seven Sisters station

Police were called to Seven Sisters station on July 23 following reports of a serious assault on a man in his 30s - UKNIP

A man who was stabbed at Seven Sisters underground station has died.

Police were called to the north London station during rush hour on July 23 following reports of a serious assault on a man in his 30s.

CCTV footage seen by The Telegraph showed the man collapsing to the floor as he reached the top of the stairs exiting the station. He suffered life-threatening injuries and was taken to hospital, where he later died.

Milumo Pedrinho, 20, has been charged with attempted murder and possession of an offensive weapon.

He was arrested at an address in Harlow on Saturday and is due to appear at the Old Bailey on Aug 27.

Two further men, aged 20 and 24, were arrested on suspicion of attempted murder and assisting an offender respectively and have been released on bail.

A woman, aged 18, and a girl, aged 15, were previously arrested, but later released with no further action.

The British Transport Police said a murder investigation has been launched.

Sam Blackburn, a Detective Superintendent, said: Sadly today we can confirm the victim has died in hospital following the attack and we have launched a murder investigation.

My thoughts are with his family and loved ones as they navigate their loss, we continue to provide support through specialist officers.

A 20-year-old man was previously charged with attempted murder and possession of an offensive weapon on July 28. We are in touch with the Crown Prosecution Service following todays sad update.

Police are appealing for anyone with information to contact British Transport Police via the online portal, by calling 0800 405040 or texting 61016, with the reference 171 of 23 July.

Alternatively, Crimestoppers can be contacted anonymously by calling 0800 555 111.

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LAS VEGAS (KLAS)  A man faces charges after allegedly battering a woman on the campus of the University of Nevada, Las Vegas, according to law enforcement officials.

On Friday, July 26, around 6 a.m., police said a man approached a woman at UNLV, hit her, took her phone, and fled the scene, according to UNLV.

The University Police launched a search for the suspect, believing he might be the same individual previously arrested for open and gross lewdness at the College of Southern Nevadas North Las Vegas Campus on July 8.

Monday morning, Tyrone Williams Jr., 27, was arrested as a suspect in this case. He was taken into custody near the north side of the UNLV main campus. Williams was taken to the Clark County Detention Center, campus police said.

According to CCDC, Williams is facing multiple charges, including a felony robbery charge and misdemeanor charges for open and gross lewdness, trespassing (not amounting to burglary), resisting a public officer, and battery.

He is scheduled to appear in court on July 30 at 9 a.m., his bail is set at $25,000.

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For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to KLAS.
FAYETTE COUNTY, WV (WVNS)  A Hilltop man faces felony charges involving sexual abuse in Fayette County.

69-year-old David P. Humphrey Sr., of Hilltop, was charged with four counts of the Felony Offenses of Sexual Abuse by Parent, Guardian, or Person of Trust and four counts of Sexual Abuse in the First Degree.

Three people arrested after kidnapping and robbery in Summers County

According to members of the Fayette County Sheriffs Office, detectives were told about a disclosure of sexual abuse by a student by the Resource Officer at Oak Hill High School in August 2022.

This is why it is important to have Prevention Resource Officers with the school system. Our officer had built a rapport with the students, which allowed them to trust him with this information. I am glad the student will see that their complaint was taken seriously and action was taken against the individual. Sheriff Mike Fridley

Detectives with the Fayette County Sheriffs Office investigated the allegations. Other siblings from the same family told the detectives about incidents involving Humphrey that reportedly happened more than ten years ago.

Man faces felony charges after burglary in Fayette County

The incident remains under investigation by the Fayette County Sheriffs Office Detectives Bureau.

Anyone with information about the incident can contact the Fayette County Sheriffs Office at 304-574-3590, or Crime Stoppers of West Virginia at 304-255-STOP.

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For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to WVNS.
PORTLAND, Ore. (KOIN)  A man was indicted by a Washington County Grand Jury on Monday for the death of his brother, Carl Horning, in early January at Hornings Hideout, a business the two co-owned.

Robert Horning, 63, was lodged in Washington County Jail for second-degree murder and unlawful use of a weapon charges.

The indictment comes after Robert Horning was named a person of interest by Washington County Sheriffs Office during the homicide investigation.

Carl Horning, the owner of Hornings Hideout, has been identified by Washington County Sheriffs Office as the victim in a deadly shooting. Jan. 3, 2024 (courtesy, TVF&R).

Around 9:30 a.m. Jan. 2, deputies responded to a reported shooting at the hideout on Northwest Brunswick Canyon Road, where they found a man  later identified as 47-year-old Carl Horning  with multiple gunshot wounds.

Beaverton man with samurai sword arrested after car break-in

Officials said Horning died despite aid from the first responding deputy.

Robert Horning, 63, was detained at the scene and released hours later, Washington County Sheriffs Office said.

Remembering one of their own, Stefan L. Myers, a spokesperson for TVF&R, previously said in a statement the fire department was experiencing a tragic loss, as Carl Horning also served as a lieutenant for the agency.

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For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to KOIN.com.
HELLS KITCHEN, Manhattan (PIX11)  A Brooklyn man died a week after he was punched unconscious while defending his friend during a fight with a moped rider in Hells Kitchen, police said Tuesday.

Florian Oltmann, 38, was punched in the face and knocked out when his head hit the sidewalk during an altercation outside a bar on 627 Ninth Ave. in Hells Kitchen at around 2:40 a.m. on July 23, according to the NYPD.

More Local News

The suspect was riding on the sidewalk when he bumped into a 56-year-old man before they started fighting. The moped rider allegedly punched the man in the face and attacked Oltmann when he intervened, police said.

Both men were knocked out but only Oltmann was critically injured in the incident, authorities said.

The suspect took off on the moped after the attack. There have been no arrests.

Submit tips to police by calling Crime Stoppers at 1-800-577-TIPS (8477), visiting crimestoppers.nypdonline.org, downloading the NYPD Crime Stoppers mobile app, or texting 274637 (CRIMES) then entering TIP577. Spanish-speaking callers are asked to dial 1-888-57-PISTA (74782).

Mira Wassef is a digital reporter who has covered news and sports in the NYC area for more than a decade. She joined PIX11 News in 2022. See more of her work here.

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Man pleads guilty in separate 2023 killings in Norwood and Springfield Township

Brandon Dodson stands before Hamilton County Common Pleas Judge Patrick Dinkelacker during his plea hearing and sentencing on Tuesday.

A man who fled to Tennessee last year to avoid arrest took responsibility Tuesday for two fatal shootings and was sentenced to more than two decades in prison.

Brandon Dodson admitted that he fatally shot 26-year-old Douglas Palmer Jr. in May 2023, then less than three months later, killed 42-year-old Nicholas Ledbetter.

Dodson, 24, pleaded guilty to two manslaughter charges as well as felonious assault and a gun charge. Hamilton County Common Pleas Judge Patrick Dinkelacker sentenced him to 20 to 25 years in prison, a term that had been agreed upon as part of the plea.

Palmer's killing happened May 29, 2023 inside a Norwood home, according to prosecutors.

On Aug. 1, Dodson fatally shot Ledbetter while committing a robbery at an apartment in Springfield Township, police have said.

After that shooting, according to court documents, Dodson was driven to Clarksville, Tennessee, to avoid arrest. He ultimately was arrested in Tennessee in August 2023 and extradited to Hamilton County.

In court Tuesday, Dinkelacker told Dodson that he now has a chance to turn his life around.

"I hope you do that," he said.

Dinkelacker then addressed Ledbetter's family, who were in the courtroom, saying: "I hope you find peace."

This article originally appeared on Cincinnati Enquirer: Brandon Dodson pleads guilty, i sentenced in 2023 fatal shootings
KANSAS CITY, Mo.  A 40-year-old Kansas City, Missouri man was sentenced for a 2023 shooting in south Kansas City that left a 66-year-old man dead.

Donald E. Crowe was sentenced in Jackson County court on Friday, July 26, to 15 years in prison after pleading guilty to one count of voluntary manslaughter.

Lees Summit man sentenced for 2021 deadly head-on crash on 50 Hwy

Crowe was originally charged with second-degree murder and armed criminal action in connection to the Jan. 19, 2023 shooting death of Douglas Menser.

According to court records, the victim called Kansas City police dispatch and reported that he had been shot eight times by Crowe, who left the scene on foot.

Officers arrived and found Menser on the front porch of the residence in the area of E. 108th Terrace and Manchester Avenue, southeast of the Grandview Triangle.

The victim again reported to officers he had been shot by Crowe eight times before he left.

See the latest headlines in Kansas City and across Kansas, Missouri

Medics took Menser to a local hospital where he later died from his injuries.

Crowe denied knowing about the shooting and said the victim was fine when he left the home. But he could not explain to officers where he had been for nearly an hour after Menser called police.

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CHINATOWN, Manhattan (PIX11)  The man who attacked a woman in her home, stabbing her dozens of times in a crime that terrorized New York City, will be in prison for 30 years to life.

Thats the sentence that was handed down on Tuesday morning for 27-year-old Assamad Nash.

More Local News

Nash brutally attacked Christina Yuna Lee, 35, in her apartment in Chinatown in Manhattan in February 2022. The crime raised concerns about anti-Asian attacks, but it was not classified as a hate crime.

Nash pleaded guilty last month to murder in the second degree and burglary in the first degree as a sexually motivated felony in relation to the attack.

It happened in the 4 a.m. hour on Feb. 13, 2022. Thats when, according to police, Nash stealthily followed Lee up the stairs to her sixth-floor walkup apartment after she returned home from a night out. As she opened her door, Nash attacked her from behind.

Man charged with attempted murder for allegedly stabbing Queens subway rider

Her screams alerted neighbors, who called 911, but it wasnt until an hour after the attack that police were able to gain entry into Lees apartment, even though officers were on scene immediately. Nash barricaded in the apartment and tried to convince responding officers that there was no problem and that instead he had helped Lee after someone else attacked her.

On Tuesday, after the sentence was read, Lees family held a news conference. Her father, Sungkon Lee, said that his family is suing the city, but that they would drop the lawsuit if the city renamed a shelter in her honor.

Nash was homeless and, said Christina Yuna Lees father, having her honored in such a manner will contribute to preventing the recurrence of similar incidents in the future.

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Man shoots people with Orbeez gun on Ocean Boulevard in Myrtle Beach, police report says

MYRTLE BEACH, S.C. (WBTW)  A man wanted by authorities in Florida remained in jail Tuesday afternoon after allegedly shooting at people with a toy gun on Ocean Boulevard in Myrtle Beach, according to a police report.

Calib Reginald Odom, 24, is facing numerous charges following the July 20 incident that led to his arrest. No one was hurt in the incident.

Odom allegedly shot two people with an Orbeez gun while they were walking in the area of 3rd Avenue South and then got into a fight with the victims after he was confronted by one of them, the police report said. After the fight, witnesses told police that Odom left and headed toward the beach.

Officers then found him in the water just north of the 3rd Avenue South beach access and ordered him to come out of the water, the report said. He ignored officers commands multiple times before coming out of the water and being taken into custody.

He was combative and resisted officers and was yelling and making threats during his arrest, the report said. He also gave officers a fake name  Matthew Fariley  but was later identified using his fingerprints.

After determining his real identity, officers also learned that he had an outstanding arrest warrant in Florida, the report said. The nature of those charges remains unclear.

He was being held without bond on a fugitive warrant Tuesday at the J. Reuben Long Detention Center. Other charges against him include:

disorderly conduct

fighting

littery

littering

resisting arrest by opposing a law enforcement officer serving a process

two counts of resisting arrest / interference with an official in the performance of duty/threatening an official in the performance of duty/giving false name and address

two counts of third-degree assault and battery

two counts of violation of the swimming code

two counts of throwing of bodily fluids by a prisoner on a corrections employee

two counts of assault while resisting arrest

Orbeez guns are colorful plastic toys that shoot water beads or gel pellets. They are known to have been used in a TikTok challenge that directed users to shoot at strangers or their friends.

* * *

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.

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For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to WBTW.
MEXICO CITY, July 30 (Xinhua) -- Mexican President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador on Tuesday called on the international community to avoid taking an interventionist stance regarding the presidential elections in Venezuela.

At his regular daily press conference, Lopez Obrador recommended waiting for the final outcome of the elections, which were held Sunday in the South American country.

"It is a matter of waiting for the results and also respecting the self-determination of the people," the president told reporters at the National Palace in Mexico City.

"Don't the governments of other countries ... have things to do? Why do they have to get involved in the affairs of other countries? Why the interference?" he asked.

Lopez Obrador also questioned the role of the Organization of American States, urging the organization to stop engaging in "politicking."

In the name of democracy, "atrocities are committed," the president warned, referring to governments keen to take sides in Venezuela.

On Monday, Venezuela's National Electoral Council declared President Nicolas Maduro the winner of Sunday's elections. 
TAMPA, Fla. (WFLA)  A man wanted in a Colorado womans 2023 disappearance and death was arrested Monday in Highlands County, according to the U.S. Marshals Task Force.

Clifton Clayton Boggess, 62, was wanted by the Yuma Police Department in connection with the disappearance and death of Britani Meek, 25, who was reported missing on Oct. 25, 2023, officials said.

Last week, police issued a warrant and requested assistance from the U.S. Marshals Task Force after they learned Boggess likely left Colorado.

The warrant is for charges of first-degree murder, felony tampering with a deceased body, second-degree kidnapping, second-degree motor vehicle theft and third-degree assault, officials said.

Boggess was reportedly spotted Monday at a commercial storage facility in the area of US Highway 27 and South Main Avenue in Lake Placid. He was taken into custody and taken to the Highlands County Jail, where he awaits extradition back to Colorado.

Meek was reported missing in October 2023 after she disappeared while going to Denver to meet someone, according to KUSA. Her car was found a few weeks later in a rural area of Yuma County. Days later, her body was found.

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For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to WFLA.
SMITHFIELD, Va. (WAVY)  A man wanted on multiple charges, including armed robbery and aggravated sexual battery has been arrested.

Malcoom Shearn was taken into custody Monday at the Bradford Mews Apartment complex in Smithfield by officers from the Smithfield Police Department, the Hampton Police Division, Virginia State Police and U.S. Marshals.

HPD searching for suspect wanted for armed robbery, abduction

Police said Shearn would contact women on dating apps and then rob and assault them.

According to Hampton Police, Shearn was charged with three counts of robbery, and one count each of aggravated sexual battery, abduction and maiming.

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How many ballots are left to count in 2024 Arizona US Senate primary election? Follow this vote tracker

As ballots are counted in Arizona elections, two big questions continue to pop up: How many votes are uncounted, and how many of those remaining votes does a candidate need to win?

The Arizona Republic and azcentral.com built a tool to project answers to both.

The Republic's ballot tracker shows you an estimate of how many votes the top two Republican Senate candidates must get to win the nomination, updated with live vote counts every time the Arizona Secretary of State's Office releases new numbers of ballots counted.

The figure labeled "Projected Total GOP Ballots" is not precise  it is a rounded, forecasted estimate that reflects what historical data can tell us. The Republic projected this figure by modeling and analyzing that data. Read more about how we built our models below.

When the secretary of state publishes an estimate for the number of ballots remaining in counties statewide, the figure labeled "Projected Total GOP Ballots" will reflect an estimate based on that figure. That typically occurs in the day or days after the primary election.

First results expected at 8 p.m. Tuesday: Arizona primary election results

How we did it: Modeling the 2024 primary election

Data reporters from The Republic worked with Christopher Weber, director of The Arizona Voter Project at the University of Arizona, along with the Maricopa County Recorder's Office to model turnout for the 2022 primary election. Weber holds a doctorate in political science and has a background in statistics.

Reporters used a combination of five approaches, spanning from the simple to the complex, averaged across the generated estimates to create the rounded primary turnout projection of approximately 1.41 million total voters. Reporters then averaged the shares of Republican ballots cast in the past three primary elections, multiplying the projected total by that average and rounding to come to the estimated 770,000 Republican ballot figure.

One of The Republic's approaches to predicting the total number of ballots to be returned, informed by the way Maricopa County projects county turnout, involved multiplying the number of voters registered across the state as of July 1  the deadline to register for the primary  by the averages of historic turnout rates. All data used was provided by the Arizona Secretary of State's Office.

With Weber's guidance, reporters also used snapshots of the state's voter registration database from 2022 and 2024 to perform several regression analyses  statistical methods that allowed us to better understand the relationship between voting in the most recent primary election and factors like an individual's age, voting history and party affiliation.

All this to say: The Republic's estimate is a projection informed by historical data.

Our figure, which is above the leftmost bar in the chart above, is rounded to the nearest 10,000 votes, and will be replaced by a projection informed by the Secretary of State Office's estimates as soon as all counties are represented in those figures.

Reach Sahana Jayaraman at Sahana.Jayaraman@gannett.com. Follow her on X @SahanaJayaraman.

Reach reporter Kunle Falayi at olakunle.falayi@gannett.com or 480-268-1504.

This article originally appeared on Arizona Republic: Here's how many uncounted ballots remain in Arizona Senate GOP primary
(Bloomberg) -- Marianne Williamson said she failed to meet the deadline to challenge Vice President Kamala Harris for the Democratic nomination, effectively ending her longshot bid.

Most Read from Bloomberg

We did everything possible to stand for a blitz primary, an open convention and so forth. Yet the way things worked there truly was no way, and all we could have done is create noise, Williamson said Monday in a post on X.

Williamson did not register her intention to run with the Democratic National Committee by Saturday evening, which would have pitted her against Harris. The vice president last week became the partys likely nominee after President Joe Biden dropped out of the race and the party quickly coalesced around her.

Williamson did not endorse Harris, but said she believes it is an urgent task to make sure Republican nominee Donald Trump does not return to power.

The DNC is slated to convene delegates for a virtual roll call vote in the coming days.

The self-help author, who sought to be a progressive alternative, initially suspended her campaign in early February following Democratic contests in New Hampshire and South Carolina. But she reentered the race later that month after the Michigan primary.

Earlier: Williamson Re-Enters 2024 Race After Michigan Biden Protest Vote

Williamson, 72, also ran for president in 2020. On the trail, she pushed policies including Medicare-for-all and free college tuition.

Most Read from Bloomberg Businessweek

2024 Bloomberg L.P.
Early, unofficial results show a mixed bag of candidates could proceed to November to vie for seats on the Maricopa County Board of Supervisors.

In a competitive northeast Valley supervisor race, incumbent Tom Galvin declared victory Wednesday morning. He thanked those who had supported his campaign and said he was "honored and humbled" to be the Republican nominee in his heavily conservative supervisor district.

"I am proud of the work we have done at Maricopa County," he said. "But there is still much to do including investing in public safety, securing our water future, and allowing Maricopa County residents to keep more of their hard-earned money."

In the southeast Valley, incumbent Jack Sellers is trailing challenger Mark Stewart, who said he was "honored and deeply grateful" to his neighbors, family and volunteers.

"Our focus in general will remain on connecting with residents personally  in backyards, parks and wherever people gather," Stewart said. "If we're fortunate enough to win in November, we'll tap into the innovative spirit of our residents and staff to create opportunities for everyone."

Unofficial results also show which Democratic challengers could have a shot at victory in November. They ran unopposed in their races to win their party's nomination for county supervisor, and initial results suggest that some matchups could give them a fighting chance at a majority on the board.

That body governs the most populous county in Arizona, and its leaders will be tasked with tackling a regional housing affordability crisis, the impacts of rapid population growth and a recent slew of unfounded election conspiracies, among other issues.

Polls closed at 7 p.m. Tuesday. Here is where all the competitive races stand.

In East Valley, GOP challengers face off with incumbents

Initial results show Stewart leading Sellers in the GOP primary. Democrat Joel Navarro ran unopposed.

Sellers hopes to hold on to his position, which he was appointed to in 2019. But Stewart, a member of the Chandler City Council, is blocking his path to the November ballot.

Both pledged to prioritize public safety in the county budget and said they support Proposition 479, an initiative to continue the county's half-cent transportation infrastructure tax. But the two differ slightly on other high-profile issues like affordable housing and elections.

First results expected at 8 p.m. Tuesday: Arizona primary election results

While Sellers has voted with other sitting supervisors to send some federal COVID-19 dollars toward affordable housing projects, Stewart said he favored cutting red tape rather than sending money to address the issue. Sellers has joined his colleagues in defending the county's elections. Stewart has criticized the county for widespread printer breakdowns during the 2022 midterms and what he called "recurring discrepancies" in recent elections, even though numerous audits and court challenges have affirmed the results of the 2020 and 2022 elections in the county.

Initial results suggest Navarro, a Tempe councilmember, could have a legitimate chance at the seat. District 1 leans red, but its voters still favored Democrats in recent statewide races. Navarro's viability in the general election could hinge on whether he will face Sellers or Stewart.

To the north, two Republicans were running to represent District 2 in a fierce primary where Galvin is leading Michelle Ugenti-Rita.

Galvin hopes to secure his spot on the board, touting a commitment to public safety, a recent tax rate cut and his role in mediating a high-profile local water dispute that made national headlines. But Ugenti-Rita, a former state lawmaker, has criticized him at every step. She ran on a hard-right, Trump-esque platform of reining in county spending, ousting the "county cartel" and opposing the county's transportation tax extension.

Like Sellers, Galvin has defended county elections. Ugenti-Rita has harshly criticized them and told The Arizona Republic she is "not confident" in the results of recent contests.

Whoever wins will face Scottsdale Unified Governing Board member Julie Cieniawski, a Democrat, in the November election. Cieniawski is looking to flip the seat  but that will be an uphill battle in the bright-red district.

Who will replace outgoing supervisors in Phoenix, northwest Valley?

In District 3, two Republicans are fighting over a supervisor seat that represents much of Phoenix and Anthem.

Early results show Kate Brophy McGee is leading Tabatha Cuellar LaVoie by a wide margin on the Republican side. Democrat Daniel Valenzuela is running unopposed.

All three candidates are looking to replace outgoing Supervisor Bill Gates, who decided not to run for reelection following election-related threats and harassment. Gates, formerly a member of Phoenix City Council, has served on the board for eight years.

Brophy McGee and Cuellar LaVoie have both listed public safety as a top priority but differed in their approaches to addressing the Valley's housing crisis and their responses to election criticisms.

Brophy McGee, who served in the Arizona Legislature for about a decade, said she would continue the current board's regional approach to developing new affordable housing units. She pointed to recent election law changes as beneficial for the county's election operations and said she would ensure the Elections Department and Recorder's Office got all the funding needed to pull off voting smoothly.

Arizona primary election 2024: Voters to decide Maricopa, Pinal county leadership races

Cuellar LaVoie, a political newcomer, said she would prefer to leave affordable housing decisions to municipalities. She also favored a third-party audit of election processes and said she supported precinct-based voting in the county, rather than the current vote center model. That means voters would be assigned a polling place based on their individual precincts, rather than voting at any polling site in the county as they currently can.

Whoever wins will face former Phoenix City Councilmember Daniel Valenzuela, a Democrat, in November. The district is solidly purple, and the general election race was expected to be competitive.

To the west, District 4 is also without an incumbent supervisor. The field of candidates includes two Republicans and one Democrat. Debbie Lesko is holding a wide margin over Bob Branch in the Republican primary.

The candidates in Tuesday's election are all looking to fill the gap left by outgoing Supervisor Clint Hickman. He served on the board for over a decade. Like Gates, he saw harassment and threats following the 2020 and 2022 elections. He announced in February that he would not seek reelection and hoped to spend more time with his family.

Lesko is a high-profile candidate, but Branch has run for elected office before and come within spitting range of seasoned opponents.

Both candidates ran on tough-on-crime and election integrity platforms. Branch also advocated for a new sheriff and county attorney  although it's not clear how he would replace them, since those seats are elected by county voters.

Lesko has said she is focused on improving and maintaining roads to accommodate population growth. Branch, who currently serves on the Maricopa County Parks Commission, supports expanding the county's existing parks system.

Whoever wins will face Peoria Unified Governing Board Member David Sandoval, a Democrat, this fall. He hopes to test whether the largely conservative district could be ready for political change.

Candidates for Southwest Valley seat cruise toward general election

One part of the Valley won't see a whole lot of county supervisor drama on Tuesday.

In District 5, which encompasses much of the southwest Valley, only one Democrat and one Republican ran for the office.

Ann Niemann (left) and Steve Gallardo (right) are running for Maricopa County Board of Supervisors in District 5.

Incumbent Steve Gallardo, a Democrat and former state lawmaker, hopes to hang on to his post in the heavily blue district in November. But Republican Ann Niemann was aiming to unseat him. She is the director of Arizona for Election Transparency, a group that has pushed voting conspiracies.

Their showdown will begin later this year.

Sasha Hupka covers county government and election administration for The Arizona Republic. Reach her at sasha.hupka@arizonarepublic.com. Follow her on X, formerly Twitter: @SashaHupka. Follow her on Instagram or Threads: @sashahupkasnaps. Sign up for her weekly election newsletter, Republic Recount.

Reach reporter Fernando Cervantes Jr. at fernando.cervantes@gannett.com.

This article originally appeared on Arizona Republic: Maricopa County Board of Supervisors primary election: Who will win?
A sign asking for the decriminalization of marijuana is posted outside of an event hosted by Ground Game in Harker Heights, Texas on Dec. 3, 2022. Credit: Azul Sordo/The Texas Tribune

Last week, a Hays County District Judge dismissed Texas Attorney General Ken Paxtons lawsuit seeking to force San Marcos to enforce marijuana possession arrests.

The background: In 2022, nearly 82% of San Marcos voters chose to decriminalize marijuana under Proposition A. The effort was led by a group of advocacy organizations, including Mano Amiga, Ground Game Texas, San Marcos Democratic Socialists of America, the Hays County Libertarian Party, the Hays County Democratic Party, and the Texas Cannabis Collective, which gathered 10,000 signatures for the petition.

The Proposition A ordinance ended citations and arrests by the San Marcos Police Department for misdemeanor possession of marijuana up to four ounces. However, police can still cite or arrest a person for Class A or Class B misdemeanor possession of marijuana if its part of an investigation involving felony-level narcotics or violence.

Also, the ordinance ended citations for possession of drug residue or drug paraphernalia, prohibited the use of city funds or personnel to test the level of THC  the psychoactive ingredient in marijuana  and prohibited city police from using the odor of marijuana or hemp as probable cause to search a vehicle or home.

This ordinance applies to only the San Marcos Police Department and doesnt affect Texas State University, the Hays County Sheriffs Office, or other law enforcement agencies in the area.

Why Texas sued: Paxton sued San Marcos, along with Austin, Killeen, Elgin, and Denton, earlier this year for adopting ordinances or policies instructing law enforcement not to enforce laws concerning marijuana possession and distribution.

Paxton, in the lawsuit, argued these local ordinances or policies violated state law that requires the enforcement of drug-related matters, like possession of marijuana or paraphernalia.

I will not stand idly by as cities run by pro-crime extremists deliberately violate Texas law and promote the use of illicit drugs that harm our communities, Paxton said in a statement in January. Its quite simple: the legislature passes every law after a full debate on the issues, and we dont allow cities the ability to create anarchy by picking and choosing the laws they enforce.

What has happened in the courts so far: Hays County district judge Sherri Tibbe dismissed Paxtons lawsuit, upholding the argument that the state was not injured when San Marcos reduced arrests for misdemeanor marijuana possession and that it allowed for resources to be used for higher-priority public safety needs.

In June, Travis County District Judge Jan Soifer also dismissed Paxtons lawsuit against Austin ruling there was no legal justification to try the case.

Ground Game Texas  the progressive group that first launched the proposition in Austin and worked with local organizations in the other four cities  expects Paxton to appeal the decisions to dismiss the lawsuits at some point.

Paxtons lawsuit against Elgin was resolved in June via consent decree, meaning neither side is claiming guilt or liability but has come to an agreement.

Elgin city manager Tom Mattis said the decision to accept the consent decree will not change anything because at no time did the Elgin Police Department implement or enforce the ordinance due to conflicting state law.

I know Austin, San Marcos, and other cities are going through the court process, but we didnt have the funds to waste on something that doesnt really change anything, Mattis said. The litigation was a ridiculous waste of public resources and time.

In the North Texas suburb of Denton, where voters approved decriminalization by more than 70%, the implementation of marijuana decriminalization has stalled after City Manager Sara Hensley argued it couldnt be enforced since it conflicted with state law.

The case against Killeen, which was filed in Bell County a year ago, is still pending.

Broader impact: Eric Martinez, executive director of Mano Amiga, a criminal justice policy reform advocacy group, said the dismissal is a win for San Marcos and all communities who are standing up to unwarranted state interference.

It reaffirms our commitment to ensuring that our city officials can follow the will of the voters and perform their duties without the shadow of unfounded legal challenges, she said.

Officials with Ground Game Texas, a social justice advocacy group that spearheaded the initiative to decriminalize marijuana in San Marcos, recently said their organization had gathered enough signatures to place the measure on the November ballot in Dallas.

This decision, along with the recent verification of our petition in Dallas, is a welcome reminder that this is a winning movement, and one we look forward to continuing to build across the state this November with the collaboration of partners like Mano Amiga, said Catina Voellinger, executive director of Ground Game Texas.

If the initiative wins in Dallas this fall, it would be the largest Texas city to decriminalize lesser marijuana offenses.

Big news: director and screenwriter Richard Linklater; NPR President and CEO Katherine Maher; U.S. Rep. Pete Aguilar, D-California; and Luci Baines Johnson will take the stage at The Texas Tribune Festival, Sept. 57 in downtown Austin. Buy tickets today!
The Seattle Mariners swung another trade to bolster their lineup in the midst of a postseason push, acquiring infielder Justin Turner from the Toronto Blue Jays.

Turner, 39, is a 16-year MLB veteran with extensive playoff experience and was a World Series champion with the Los Angeles Dodgers in 2020. The smooth-swinging righty is a career .286/.363/.460 hitter across 1,628 major league games, with 13 career postseason home runs in 19 playoff series.

Made official by the Mariners on Monday, Turner joins a struggling offense on a promising upswing, fresh off a 22-run stampede across a three-game sweep at the Chicago White Sox.

This just in... Justin Turner



Weve acquired two-time All-Star INF @redturn2 and cash considerations from the Blue Jays in exchange for minor league OF RJ Schreck. #TridentsUp



https://t.co/O2XMwBPNrS pic.twitter.com/2vbQ0WA26d  Seattle Mariners (@Mariners) July 29, 2024

Justin has been one of the most productive corner infield bats in the league for over a decade, Mariners general manager Justin Hollander said. With his track record at the plate and extensive experience in the postseason, he is a valuable addition to both our lineup and clubhouse.

Hes the third Major League acquisition amid a busy deadline for the Mariners, joining Tampa Bays Randy Arozarena (OF) and Toronto reliever Yimi Garcia as new faces on the Seattle roster.

(Justins) got a great track record in the league, manager Scott Servais said. Hes got a proven bat. A guy who also brings a lot of experience, certainly presence, leadership, all of those things youre looking to add here (with) a couple big months of baseball ahead of us.

Im excited about it.

Reinforcing a slumping lineup  and bolstering their injured bullpen  were obvious needs for the Seattle front office entering trade season. Seattle addressed both deficiencies, now within 24 hours of the Tuesday deadline (3 p.m. PT), but theres no indication the Mariners are finished adding.

Mondays full deal: Turner and cash considerations are sent to the Mariners for minor league outfielder RJ Schreck.

Turner was pulled from Torontos game at Baltimore on Monday afternoon, the first of a double-header, after going 1-for-1 with a two-out single. Hes slashing .254/.349/.371 in 89 games this season, though the numbers increase to .301/.401/.399 since June 1.

Hes also a rental, signing a one-year, $13 million contract with Toronto last offseason.

Turners voice and clubhouse leadership may very well prove as valuable as his bat, now on his sixth major league team.

Someone like (Justin), you need to add, Servais said. Its a mixture, a balance of veterans and young guys with energy.

Ive often said... coaches and managers talk with players, you try to lead them. But players are always going to listen to players more than they listen to others. Certainly, guys that have a track record like Justin Turner has.

Schreck, 24, was selected by Seattle in the ninth round of the 2023 MLB Draft and appeared in 86 games between High-A Everett and Double-A Arkansas this season, posting an .836 OPS.

Were just trying to get better any way we can, Servais said. In talking to Jerry (Dipoto) and Justin (Hollander), theyve been working their tails off.

We have not been afraid. I think thats sending the right message to our team and our fan base.

Seattle Mariners first baseman Ty France (23) is drenched with water after hitting a homer in the eighth inning that scored three runs and helped the Mariners win their home opener against the Cleveland Guardians 3-0 at T-Mobile Park in Seattle on Thursday, March 30, 2023.

TY FRANCE TRADED TO REDS

The six-day saga of Ty France transactions is, officially, over: The Mariners dealt him along with cash considerations to the Cincinnati Reds in exchange for minor league catcher Andruw Salcedo.

First placed on outright waivers, France was designated for assignment on July 23. The Mariners then had seven days to trade or release him before the Reds emerged as a potential suitor.

France, 30, made his fair share of Mariner memories, including the famed South of France Night with his own cheering section of fans sporting berets and baguettes. He was an All-Star in 2022, headlined by 20 home runs and 83 RBI that helped propel Seattle to the postseason for the first time since 2001.

Injuries in recent months  particularly, a right heel fracture in early June  derailed his production and season. Upon return from a stint on the injured list June 18, France slashed just .157/.272/.225 with one home run, nine walks, and 27 strikeouts in 27 games.

I was on (an) up-climb at the time, obviously got hit in the foot, and just couldnt find it again, France told reporters last week.

Cincinnati will cover $1 million of the $2.3 million remaining of Frances season salary, a cost-saving move for the Mariners while adding depth in Class-A.

Salcedo, 21, has impressed in very limited action in 2024, posting a .350 on-base percentage across seven games (20 PA) for Class-A Daytona.

Frances 95 hit by pitches in a Mariners uniform are the most in franchise history, more than Hall-of-Fame DH Edgar Martinez (89).

Seattle Mariners first baseman Ty France (23) stands on the field as the lights dim during the eighth inning of the Mariners home opener against the Cleveland Guardians at T-Mobile Park in Seattle on Thursday, March 30, 2023. Mariners won 3-0.

Its been a rough year and a half, France said. Obviously, if I could go back and fix it, I would. Just going to continue to work to get back to the player I was.
Marion County deputies arrest 33 men accused of trying to meet children for sex

Thirty-three men are in custody Tuesday after the Marion County Sheriffs Office conducted an online sting operation.

Deputies, with the help of other agencies, posed as children online, and the men contacted them asking to engage in sexual activities.

The Sheriffs Office said the men had sexually explicit conversations, and many arranged to meet with those they thought were 13 to 15 years old.

Investigators said some of the men traveled from outside of Florida.

Read: Police: Man who sexually battered woman at UCF Downtown after following her off Lynx bus arrested

It always turns our stomachs to find individuals out there that are trying to prey on children here in Marion County, said Sheriff Billy Woods. Our message is clear; we will continue to devote our time and resources to bring these disgusting predators to justice.

Detectives took guns, drugs, cash and vehicles from the suspects.

More arrests are expected, according to the Sheriffs Office.

Read: Florida police officers charged with manslaughter after hostage situation shooting

Parents, in just one afternoon of this operation, we arrested nine people, Woods said. Nine people that traveled to meet with a child for sex. Your children are their prey. Know what your child is doing on social media and online gaming.

Channel 9 will have more on this story on Eyewitness News starting at 4 p.m.

Click here to download our free news, weather and smart TV apps. And click here to stream Channel 9 Eyewitness News live.
John Glenn, Mark Kelly and Harrison Hagan Schmitt Credit - Glenn: HUM Images/Universal Images Group/Getty Images, Kelly: NASA/Getty Images, Schmitt: Encyclopaedia Britannica/UIG/Getty Images

Mark Kelly knows a thing or two about flying highboth literally and otherwise. As a NASA astronaut, he was part of four space shuttle missions between 2001 and 2011, amassing more than 54 days in space and covering more than 22 million miles. Now he's a Senator from Arizona who is on the short list to be Vice President Kamala Harris' running mate. Political handicappers have Kelly sharing the inside track for the veepstakes with Pennsylvania Governor Josh Shapiro, Kentucky Governor Andy Beshear, and Minnesota Governor Tim Walz.

Kelly backers are citing his space background as a reason Harris should pick him. Nothing is cooler than an astronaut on the ballot, they argue. But time in space on a resume has never been a surefire winner with American voters. Three other NASA astronauts have run forand wonhigh office, and two others tried and fizzled before reaching electoral orbit.

Far and away, the most successful astro-politico to date was Ohio Democrat John Glenn, who became the first American to orbit the Earth before serving four terms in the U.S. Senate. Glenn endured serial launch scrubs before finally getting off the ground on Feb. 20, 1962, and his electoral career had similar false starts.

After his first mission to space made him a national superstar, Glenn was quietly pulled from NASAs flight rotation when President John Kennedy decided that the U.S. could not risk his life again. Chafing at the role of ground-pounder, Glenn resigned from NASA in 1964 and retired from the Marine Corps in the same year, with his cap set for the Senate.

Barely a month into his first campaign, however, he took a fall in an empty hotel bathtub while trying to repair a mirror, suffering a concussion and inner ear damage that doctors warned him would require at least a year of rest and recovery. Glenn pulled the plug on that campaign. He tried for the Senate again in 1970, losing in the primary to Cleveland businessman Howard Metzenbaum, who ultimately lost in the general election.

In 1974, Metzenbaum and Glenn faced off again, and this time, after a decade of trying, Glenn at last prevailed. He was helped in no small measure by a flagrant case of political malpractice, when Metzenbaum accused the astronaut and war hero of never having held a real job. At their next debate, Glenn recited his service in both World War II and Korea and his 149 combat missionsalong with invoking the deaths of men less fortunate than himself, including astronauts Gus Grissom, Ed White, and Roger Chaffee, who lost their lives in the January 27, 1967 Apollo 1 launch pad fire. He followed this with a rhetorical blowtorch:

You stand there, and you think about this nation, and you tell me that those people didn't have a job. I'll tell you, Howard Metzenbaum, you should be on your knees every day of your life thanking God that there were some mensome menwho held a job. And they required a dedication to purpose and a love of country and a dedication to duty that was more important than life itself. And their self-sacrifice is what made this country possible. I have held a job, Howard!

Glenn throttled Metzenbaum in the primary, with more than 56% of the vote, and romped in the general election over Clevelands Republican Mayor Ralph J. Perk.

Over his 24 years in the Senate, Glenn served as Chairman of the Committee on Government Affairs and as a member of the Foreign Relations and Armed Services Committees, and participated in more than 9,500 roll call votes. But his career was not without its blemishes. In 1984, he joined a crowded field of Democrats taking on the suicide mission of running for their partys presidential nomination to challenge the immensely popular Ronald Reagan. Glenn finished fifth in Iowa and near the back of the pack in New Hampshire and on Super Tuesday and was out of the race by March. Former Vice President Walter Mondale, earned the dubious honor of winning the Democratic nominationand went on to lose 49 states to Reagan.

In 1989, Glenn became embroiled in the so-called Keating Five scandal, when he and four other lawmakers appeared to intervene with the Federal Home Loan Bank Board on behalf of campaign contributor and savings and loan owner Charles Keating. A Senate Ethics Committee concluded that Glenn had exercised poor judgment but had committed no wrongdoing.

Nonetheless, he ran for and won a fourth term in the Senate in 1992, before deciding to retire at the end of that term. In a conversation I had with him in the fall of 1998, he said there was much he would miss about the Senate, but not the ritualized humiliation of constant fundraising, which he described as a stinking, miserable way to run your life.

On Oct. 29, 1998, while still a sitting senator, Glenn capped his career with a second trip to orbit, aboard the space shuttle Discovery. At 77, he wasand remainsthe oldest person ever to fly in space.

Harrison Schmitt did not have nearly the storied political career Glenn enjoyed. A geologist and astronaut, he became the 12th out of 12 men to set foot on the moon, serving as lunar module pilot aboard the Apollo 17 mission in December of 1972. In 1976, he ran as a Republican for a Senate seat in New Mexico, easily winning his primary battle against a little-known rival, and trouncing Democratic incumbent Joseph Montoya, winning 24 of the states 32 counties.

But the good times were short-lived for Schmitt. After just a single term in the upper chamber, during which he chaired the Science, Technology and Space Subcommittee, he lost reelection to State Attorney General Jeff Bingaman, who charged that Schmitt had failed to attend to the needs of New Mexicans, and campaigned on the pointed slogan, What on Earth has he done for you lately? Not enough, the voters decided, turning Schmitt out by a margin of 54% to 46%.

For Jack Swigert, things were even harder, as bad luck stalked his careerboth of his careers, actually. In 1970, he served as command module pilot aboard Apollo 13the mission that was aborted when an explosion crippled the mother ship 200,000 miles from home and nearly cost the crew their lives. Swigert and crewmates Jim Lovell and Fred Haise escaped with their skins, and in 1978, Swigert ran for a U.S. Senate seat from Colorado, but was defeated in the primary.

In 1982, Colorado was awarded a sixth Congressional districtone that included Swigerts Denver home. He ran for the seat, but during the campaign he was diagnosed with bone cancerwhich was made public, along with his doctors prognosis that the disease was beatable. It wasnt. Swigert won, but on December 27, one week to the day before he would have been sworn in, he died. Today, a statue of Swigert in his Apollo 13 spacesuit, his helmet held jauntily by his side, stands in Denver International Airport.

Two other astronautsJack Lousma, who flew aboard Skylab and in the shuttle program, and Jose Hernandez, another shuttle astronautran for the Senate and the House respectively. Both lost, and both retired from politics after that.

Space and politics are high-stakes ventures with steep odds of making the professional cut. Mark Kelly knows that at least as well as any of the people who preceded him in both fields. If Harris picks him and they win in November, Kelly will have risen higher than any other astronaut-turned-politician in American history. If he misses out on the veepstakes, the popular lawmaker who won his 2022 race by a comfortable 51.4% to 46.5% margin, at least has his senate seat to keep him warm.

Write to Jeffrey Kluger at jeffrey.kluger@time.com.
Masoud Pezeshkian (C) arrives for the presidential swearing-in ceremony at the parliament in Tehran, Iran, on July 30, 2024. Masoud Pezeshkian was sworn in as Iran's ninth president on Tuesday in a ceremony held at Tehran's parliament, the official IRNA news agency reported. (Xinhua/Shadati)

TEHRAN, July 30 (Xinhua) -- Masoud Pezeshkian was sworn in as Iran's ninth president on Tuesday in a ceremony held at Tehran's parliament, the official IRNA news agency reported.

The ceremony was attended by high-ranking officials, military commanders, and representatives from 88 countries and 10 international organizations.

Following his oath-taking before parliament, Pezeshkian outlined his administration's goals, focusing on Iran's economic development, national interests, and improving citizens' lives.

He highlighted key foreign policy objectives aimed at safeguarding national security and enhancing economic prosperity within the framework of "dignity, wisdom, and expediency."

Pezeshkian also condemned Israeli actions in Gaza, criticizing bombings that affected civilians, including women and children, and those who supported such actions.

Pezeshkian, 69, emerged as the winner on July 6 in the country's presidential elections and was officially endorsed by Iranian Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei as Iran's ninth president on Sunday.

He now has 15 days to submit his proposed cabinet to parliament for approval. 

Masoud Pezeshkian delivers his inaugural address after being sworn in as Iran's ninth president at the parliament in Tehran, Iran, on July 30, 2024. Masoud Pezeshkian was sworn in as Iran's ninth president on Tuesday in a ceremony held at Tehran's parliament, the official IRNA news agency reported. (Xinhua/Shadati)

Masoud Pezeshkian (C) delivers his inaugural address after being sworn in as Iran's ninth president at the parliament in Tehran, Iran, on July 30, 2024. Masoud Pezeshkian was sworn in as Iran's ninth president on Tuesday in a ceremony held at Tehran's parliament, the official IRNA news agency reported. (Xinhua/Shadati)

Masoud Pezeshkian (Front) delivers his inaugural address after being sworn in as Iran's ninth president at the parliament in Tehran, Iran, on July 30, 2024. Masoud Pezeshkian was sworn in as Iran's ninth president on Tuesday in a ceremony held at Tehran's parliament, the official IRNA news agency reported. (Xinhua/Shadati)

Masoud Pezeshkian (Front) delivers his inaugural address after being sworn in as Iran's ninth president at the parliament in Tehran, Iran, on July 30, 2024. Masoud Pezeshkian was sworn in as Iran's ninth president on Tuesday in a ceremony held at Tehran's parliament, the official IRNA news agency reported. (Xinhua/Shadati)

Masoud Pezeshkian delivers his inaugural address after being sworn in as Iran's ninth president at the parliament in Tehran, Iran, on July 30, 2024. Masoud Pezeshkian was sworn in as Iran's ninth president on Tuesday in a ceremony held at Tehran's parliament, the official IRNA news agency reported. (Xinhua/Shadati)

Masoud Pezeshkian (C) waves as he leaves the presidential swearing-in ceremony at the parliament in Tehran, Iran, on July 30, 2024. Masoud Pezeshkian was sworn in as Iran's ninth president on Tuesday in a ceremony held at Tehran's parliament, the official IRNA news agency reported. (Xinhua/Shadati)

Photo taken on July 30, 2024 shows the presidential swearing-in ceremony at the parliament in Tehran, Iran. Masoud Pezeshkian was sworn in as Iran's ninth president on Tuesday in a ceremony held at Tehran's parliament, the official IRNA news agency reported. (Xinhua/Shadati)

Masoud Pezeshkian leaves after delivering his presidential inaugural address at the parliament in Tehran, Iran, on July 30, 2024. Masoud Pezeshkian was sworn in as Iran's ninth president on Tuesday in a ceremony held at Tehran's parliament, the official IRNA news agency reported. (Xinhua/Shadati)
MARQUETTE, Mich. (WJMN)  Since the Northern Lights Child Advocacy Center in Marquette opened its doors last September, it has provided a safe space for child and teen survivors of abuse, neglect and human trafficking to begin their journey to healing.

On Monday, July 29, Blue Cross Blue Shield of Michigan Foundation awarded the center a two-year $40,000 grant that will provide funding for children and teens to access health services, and for community education programs that aim to prevent cases of child abuse.

Sarah Zyburt, Executive Director of Northern Lights Child Advocacy Center, said BCBSM Foundation is dedicated to ensuring the health of children and families across Michigan, but because there wasnt a childrens advocacy center in the Marquette County area until recently, there wasnt funding for the specific healing services child and teen survivors of maltreatment need.

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When left untreated, child maltreatment becomes a health concern. It can create lifelong harm for those it affects because kids can hold their pain inside them, too ashamed or afraid to get help.

By investing in childrens advocacy centers, Zyburt says BCBSM Foundation is saying it wants to stop child abuse and neglect before it happensand when it does happen, there should be an immediate, coordinated response that will ensure the best outcome for the child.

Most grant funders limit their funding to 12 months, which Zyburt said can pose a challenge for long-term outputs. What makes the BCBSM Foundation grant unique and wonderful, in Zyburts words, is that the funds will span two consecutive years. For Zyburt, that means the foundation is showing a commitment to the centers sustainability, and through that, a commitment to the children of Marquette County.

Every dollar in that grant is going to help local kids and teens, said Zyburt.

In addition to providing health and therapy resources for those Northern Lights serves, the grant money will also be used for community education programs and free trainings.

The advocacy center has a partnership with the local child abuse and neglect (CAN) counsel, and through that partnership, they will offer child abuse and neglect prevention training.

With the school year on the horizon, Northern Lights will also be holding trainings for school staff and educators.

We really want teachers and school education folks to feel prepared because the largest percentage of reported suspected abuse comes from education and childcare, said Zyburt.

To learn more about the work of the Northern Lights Child Advocacy Center, visit their website.

If you or someone you know is being harmed, whether child, teen or adult, you are not alone, and help is available. The Northern Lights Child Advocacy Center is one resource, and they are reachable by phone at (906) 262-0091.

Copyright 2024 Nexstar Media, Inc. 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.
Married Divers Describe Harrowing Rescue After Being Stranded at Sea for Nearly 40 Hours

Kim and Nathan Maker became separated from their dive boat off the coast of Texas last week

A married couple is recalling a terrifying experience in which they spent nearly 40 hours lost at sea after they became separated from their dive boat in the Gulf of Mexico.

Kim and Nathan Maker, of Edmond, Okla., were on a dive excursion on Wednesday, July 24 off the coast of Matagorda, Texas when a storm rolled through and sent them adrift, they told Good Morning America.

The experienced divers were caught unaware by the rough seas and lost their grip on their boats downline, they shared with the outlet.

"The boat was getting smaller and smaller and smaller until it was completely out of sight," Nathan Maker told GMA.

United States Coast Guard Coast Guard rescuing missing divers near Matagorda, Texas

Related: Boy Scouts Help Save a Man's Life When He Goes Into Cardiac Arrest Mid-Flight

After tethering themselves together, the couple took inventory of the situation. At first, they tried to swim to an oil rig in the distance.

"Because our body temperatures were dropping, we needed to keep swimming, or we probably [would have] frozen to death," Kim Maker said.

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She credits her husband for helping her stay positive, as day turned to night and no rescue was in sight.

"He absolutely is the reason that we're alive, just keeping our spirits up, because it would have been really easy to give up, Kim told GMA.

Eventually, they heard planes in the distance.

Related: 15-Year-Old Boy Rescues Woman from Car Submerged in Michigan Lake

"When that plane, it turned its nose towards us, Kim hits SOS [in Morse code] on her [flashlight], and they saw us," Nathan said.

The U.S. Coast Guard, well into a 36-hour long, nearly 1,700-square-mile search, ultimately found the couple.

An HC-144 Ocean Sentry aircraft spotted the Makers flashlight in the water and vectored the divers location to the Coast Guard Cutter Edgar Culbertson, the Coast Guard said in a news release.

The couple was then transported to Coast Guard Station Freeport. Afterward, in stable condition. they recovered in a Texas hospital from jellyfish stings and sunburns, according to ABC affiliate KOCO-TV.

Family members told the station that Nathan was nearly in a diabetic coma when he was rescued.

Now, nearly one week later, the Makers acknowledge that they are lucky to be alive.

"I really believe we saw the hand of God that day, Nathan told GMA. And it was the hand of the Coast Guard."



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Maryland BOE Not On Same Page About Literacy Policy To Hold Back Third Graders

This article was originally published in Maryland Matters.

Some members balked Tuesday as the Maryland State Board of Education reviewed a proposed literacy policy that could lead to third grade students with reading difficulties being held back, with one calling it harmful to children.

Board member Susan Getty, an educator of 40 years that includes 35 years teaching prekindergarten and kindergarten, said the policy is not a viable option and harmful to children. I dont consider it on the list of best practice in literacy.

During the nearly 90-minute discussion, board member Joan Mele-McCarthy said more research is needed on the policy. She mentioned that the National Association of School Psychologists does not support retention policies, especially those strictly based on test scores.

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I dont know if I can be in support of this. I need a lot more, said McCarthy, executive director at The Summit School in Anne Arundel County.

But state school officials, led by State Superintendent Carey Wright, say the draft policy is based on research.

Tenette Smith, executive director of literacy programs and initiatives in the Maryland State Department of Education, said Tuesday one study conducted last year notes how states with comprehensive literary plans saw vast improvements in both high- and low-stakes assessments, as well as increasing student outcomes, indicating that the retention policies can help raise overall academic performance.

The policy, which school officials said has received about 900 comments, is similar to one implemented in Mississippi, where Wright served as state schools superintendent from 2013 until she retired in 2022. Shes credited with increasing literacy scores and the graduation rate in one of the nations poorest states.

Boston Universitys Wheelock Educational Policy Center looked at the Mississippi policy, which held third graders back if they didnt receive a certain reading score on the states standardized reading test, in a winter 2023 report.

It found that between 2013 and 2019, average fourth grade reading scores on the National Assessment of Educational Progress increased by 10 points, the biggest increase of any state during that period. One of the reasons for the improvement, according to the Boston University report, was collaboration between public and private prekindergarten providers and supports for teachers to build skills in the science of reading.

However, the report determined student achievement elsewhere didnt improve.

The fact that we do not find impacts of repeating a grade on student math scores is at least somewhat concerning and is inconsistent with findings from other localities, according to the report.

As for Marylands proposed literacy policy, it would implement a reading intervention program for students in kindergarten through third grade who are identified with a reading deficiency or need for supplemental instruction in reading.

Students in those grades would be screened about three times, including for dyslexia, throughout the school year. They could also receive before- or after-school tutoring by a person with specialized training grounded in the science of reading, which focuses on teaching students based on phonics, comprehension and vocabulary.

The policy will also call for professional development for staff, which they would receive for free as part of the science of reading program.

Under the proposed plan, a parent or guardian would get written notification if their child exhibits any reading challenges during the school year. Students who are kept back in the third grade would receive more dedicated time than the previous school year in scientifically research-based reading instruction and intervention, daily small group instruction and frequent monitoring of the students reading skills throughout the school year.

During a briefing with reporters Tuesday, Wright stressed this isnt strictly a third-grade policy.

This is a policy that starts in pre-K through third grade, so that parent involvement piece has to start in pre-K, she said.

Christopher Wooleyhand, executive director of the Maryland Association of Elementary School Principals, said he supports state officials in pushing to achieve better literacy for students, but that mandatory policies of any kind create unnecessary burden on LEAs [local education agencies] and communities.

This draft policy places significant challenges on overworked classroom teachers and school leaders whose plates are already full from state and local mandates, Wooleyhand said.

The board said it will hold a special comment period on just the literacy policy during next months regular board meeting. The goal is to vote on the policy by September, but when it would actually go into effect remains unknown.

New leadership

Prior to the literacy conversation, the board unanimously chose new leadership.

Joshua Michael was elected to replace outgoing Board President Clarence Crawford, who served four years in that position. The board also passed a resolution granting Crawford the title president emeritus for his work leading the board through the COVID-19 pandemic, implementation of the Blueprint for Marylands Future education reform plan and the transition of two superintendents. Crawford has two more years on his term.

Monica Goldson, former public schools chief for Prince Georges County, will chosend as the new board vice president.

Michael and Goldson were appointed last year by Gov. Wes Moore (D).

The boards student member, Abhiram Gaddam of Wicomico County, began his one-year term last month.

Gettys term expired June 30, but a department spokesperson wrote in an email that she will remain on the board until a successor is appointed.

The board also recognized Cheryl Bost, president of the Maryland State Education Association since August 2018, who was attending her last meeting Tuesday. Bost is scheduled to retire at the end of the month.

Maryland Matters is part of States Newsroom, a nonprofit news network supported by grants and a coalition of donors as a 501c(3) public charity. Maryland Matters maintains editorial independence. Contact Editor Steve Crane for questions: editor@marylandmatters.org. Follow Maryland Matters on Facebook and X.
At least three handwritten letters to the Maryland General Assembly came earlier this year from inmates at the states correctional facilities, each advocating for one thing: legislation to create a correctional ombudsman for prison oversight.

Olinda Moyd, a public defender in Washington, D.C. for three decades and an executive board member of the Maryland Alliance for Justice Reform, a volunteer advocacy organization designed to change the states correctional practices, helped collect the inmates letters. She says there were more missives than the ones publicly posted on the state Legislatures website.

We collected actually about 92 written testimonies from men and women behind bars, said Moyd, who chaired a Behind the Walls work group with the Alliance for Justice Reform and testified herself in favor of the ombudsman legislation that was at least four years in the making.

The Legislature passed the legislation in April, the governor signed it in May and the law went into effect on July 1. But as of July 22, three weeks after its effective date, the position was not yet filled, and the law is not yet worth the lined paper on which the inmates wrote their letters.

Application period has closed and candidates are being reviewed at this time, said a spokesperson in the governors office, in a July 26 email. No selection yet.

Still, Moyd, who helped organize and push for the new law, remains hopeful. At this point, she said in a July 26 phone interview, I am going to remain optimistic.

More: The 2024 Legislative Session will never be eclipsed': Lawmakers wrap up for year

The Correctional Ombudsman will improve safety, job description says

A version of the ombudsman legislation was first introduced in 2021 by then-delegate and now-United States Attorney for the District of Maryland Erek Barron along with state Sen. Shelly Hettleman, D-Baltimore County, who originally put the role in the Attorney Generals office.

Hettleman, who sponsored the 2024 version of the bill that established the Office of the Correctional Ombudsman as an independent unit of state government, cited events, including an incident of alleged abuse of an inmate and an attempted cover up by correctional officers at Eastern Correctional Institution on the states Eastern Shore, as reasons for the legislation in her legislative testimony delivered earlier this year.

The Correctional Ombudsman will improve safety and other conditions within Marylands prisons, said a public job posting for the position, which opened May 21  five days after the laws approval  and had a filing deadline of 11:59 p.m. on June 30  one minute before the day that the law was scheduled to go into effect. Another new position, the Correctional Ombudsman Executive Administrator, also is posted.

The less than two-month window between enactment and the effective date of the legislations implementation appears not to have been sufficient to get the new office up and running on time, based on the email from the spokesperson in the governor's office.

More: ECI officers charged in inmate beating, destroying evidence to cover it up

Other oversight entities existed. New office could benefit all, advocate says.

For their part, the Department of Public Safety and Correctional Services, which oversees the administration of the states correctional institutions, did not testify for or against the legislation. That department, DPSCS for short, is set to be an agency under the microscope of the new office.

Earlier this year, the department sent to the legislative committee of jurisdiction a letter of information, including four external entities and four internal entities used to audit and investigate noncompliance.

After being asked in an interview if previous audits were insufficient, the advocate for the law, Moyd, said: I dont think we need more bureaucracy.

In this file photo from 2023, Maryland Department of Public Safety and Correctional Services Secretary Carolyn J. Scruggs speaks at a Thursday press conference at Roxbury Correctional Institution, which delved into an investigation into contraband smuggling.

She emphasized how the new office could benefit all, including those who work in the facilities.

Its not just for the men and women who are in the (imprisoned) population, but also for family members, volunteers, even staff members can access this office and share information about what they see is working and what they see is not working, said Moyd, also a professor at the American University Washington College of Law. She noted the legislative testimony of a onetime employee at Eastern Correctional Institution in favor of the ombudsman office.

In a recent instance, it was the result of a federal investigation that helped uncover and correct an injustice towards correctional officers. In July 2023, the states Board of Public Works paid $13 million to more than 3,000 past and present officers at Maryland correctional facilities who had worked unpaid overtime as revealed by a United States Department of Labor investigation.

More: Maryland to pay $13 million settlement for correctional officers' unpaid overtime

Federal prison oversight signed into law. Awaiting state level action.

The new state office, already legislatively scheduled to be in effect, coincides with an effort at the federal level to reform prison oversight.

Last week, President Joe Biden signed a bipartisan bill, the Federal Prison Oversight Act, into law to create an independent ombudsman to investigate complaints in federal prisons.

Maryland has a federal correctional institution with around 1,000 inmates in the Allegany County seat of Cumberland. The state, according to its website, operates over a dozen correctional facilities. And in total, Maryland had over 15,000 prisoners in 2021, according to a U.S. Department of Justice document.

For Moyd, she says much of the success of the states new office depends on who the governor chooses for the role.

Its really about who gets selected for that position, she said. We received so many letters from men and women on the inside who talk about different issues that have come up and they have no way to address those grievances.

An inmate of 30-plus years in Maryland facilities put it another way in his letter to Annapolis.

You cannot rely on any entity or agency to investigate itself, he said.

State senators, who sponsored the legislation, representing both political parties, did not respond to requests for interviews for this article.

More: Investigation: Where do inmates in Maryland prisons go as they finish their time?

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 prison ombudsman plan delayed despite years of advocacy
Maryland residents to vote on abortion amendment: What to know

In 2023, the Maryland General Assembly passed legislation to refer an amendment to the states constitution to the states voters this year on a controversial topic. That topic: abortion.

The procedure is already legal in Maryland. The states voters approved a related measure in 1992 with a majority vote.

This years question proposes an amendment to the state constitution, which adds an article to the document on the topic of the ending of a pregnancy.

If the measure is passed, the states constitution would be changed, requiring a future General Assembly to have to put the issue again before voters to abridge the procedure. If the measure fails, the procedure would still be allowed under current state law. Learn more about the amendment's backstory below:

REVIEW: Abortion could be on Maryland's 2024 ballot. Find out why, and about more measures

This article originally appeared on The Herald-Mail: Constitutional amendment on Maryland ballot in 2024
Mass. attorney tried to smuggle marijuana-soaked paper into prison, placed bets for inmate, feds say

A Massachusetts attorney is among four people facing charges in connection with a scheme to smuggle marijuana-soaked paper into a New England detention center, federal investigators announced Tuesday.

Attorney Theresa M. DiJoseph, 50, of Woburn, is charged with possession with intent to distribute a controlled substance, providing a prohibited object to an inmate, and making a false statement, according to United States Attorney Zachary A. Cunha.

Hanasa Stedford, 21, of Hamden, Connecticut, and two detainees at the Wyatt Detention Facility in Central Falls, Rhode Island, 46-year-old Shawn D. Hart, and 26-year-old Samuel Douglas, are charged with conspiracy to possess with intent to distribute a controlled substance and providing a prohibited object to an inmate.

During a visit to Wyatt on July 9, 2023, DiJoseph used her credentials as an attorney to meet with Hart in a visiting room but correctional officers later filed an incident report when DiJoseph was found to be acting suspicious and monitoring the correctional officers movements, according to charging documents.

DiJoseph allegedly sent text messages to Hart, with Hart receiving them on a Wyatt-issued tablet. Cunhas office said the messages revealed that DiJoseph had sent Hart personal photos of herself and screenshots showing Cash App or sports-betting transactions that she appeared to have engaged in on Harts behalf.

Cunhas office said DiJoseph was temporarily prohibited from visits with Hart but later allowed to.

During a subsequent attempted visit with Hart on Dec. 1, 2023, Wyatt correctional officers caught DiJoseph with 10 sheets of paper that appeared discolored, thicker than normal, and to have been wet and dried, consistent with papers soaked in synthetic marijuana, the charging documents alleged.

Cunhas office said those papers were later sent to an FBI testing lab and they were confirmed to be soaked in marijuana.

Wyatt detainee Douglas had allegedly arranged for his girlfriend, Stedford, to meet with DiJoseph outside the prison to give her the contaminated papers, the charging documents said.

DiJoseph and Stedford were slated to make an initial court appearance in Providence on Tuesday. Hart and Douglas will be called to court at a later date.

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Delegates to the 2024 Republican National Convention in Milwaukee, and their signs. (Photo by Leon Neal/Getty Images)

My mother is an immigrant.

She left Ireland when she was 17. Thats what the young Irish did in the late 1950s.

There were no jobs. And there was no opportunity. Forget college: There was no free secondary education until the late 1960s. Having finished the equivalent of eighth grade, the only way she could extend her schooling was repeating eighth grade.

So she went to America. She was a poor teenager from rural Ireland who had to learn to live in a city.

Thats hard enough. But it would have been still more difficult if she had to learn English; or couldnt get legal status (pre-1965 immigration restrictions made it easy for the Irish to get green cards), or had to put her physical safety at risk to come here.

That was the story an immigrant from the Mexican state of Chiapas told me in 2011 as I covered HB 56, Alabamas brutal attempt to criminalize the lives of those without legal status. To support his family and educate his daughter, he made the deadly journey across the desert. He worked in Alabama, without legal status, facing the wrath of our lawmakers.

Could he come to the United States the way my mother did? Not really. Legal costs and visa waiting times made that impractical.

Im poor, he told me through a translator. Only rich people can come here the legal way.

Its easy to dream about stories like these stirring the compassion of Alabamians. An honest immigration debate would focus on building a system that doesnt force people to risk their lives to come to America.

But then the states senior senator opens his mouth, and reality returns.

Now some of these people are good, but most of them are garbage, Tommy Tuberville said on Fox Business last week while speaking about recent immigrants crossing the U.S.-Mexico border. They come from jails and prisons in other countries.

Tubervilles office later said he supports legal immigration but went on to claim that many undocumented immigrants are drug traffickers, terrorists, murderers, rapists, and gang members.

Its foolish to expect anything other than hateful nonsense from Tuberville. This is a man who claimed Democrats support reparations for the descendants of enslaved people because they think the people that do the crime are owed that. And who struggled to say something critical about white nationalism.

Its pointless to remind him that the vast majority of immigrants are not, in fact, criminals. And that undocumented immigrants have far lower rates of crime than native-born Americans.

Or to note that his party is currently led by a convicted felon. Or that a jury found the Republican standard-bearer liable for sexually abusing a woman.

The Republican conception of immigration, shaped by Trump and his sycophants, is irrational. It views a group of poor and vulnerable people as monsters. It sifts through endless immigrant stories  some heroic, many ordinary  to find the handful who have committed crimes. These, it insists, reflect the thoughts, actions and attitudes of millions of people from dozens of countries.

As if Thomas Crooks stood in for every native-born white man in this country.

But this false and reductive portrait is the foundation of most Republican immigration rhetoric. Its impenetrable, too. You cant argue with people who call other human beings garbage.

But you should see where this is leading.

Go back to the Republican National Convention earlier this month. Youll see lots of people waving signs saying Mass Deportation Now!

Theyre smiling, either indifferent to or delighted by the violence and oppression that the forced removal of tens of millions of people would require.

And make no mistake. This would rank with the worst atrocities in American history.

A purposefully irrational plan

Trump has gone on record saying he would use the military to round people up. He would build camps to detain them before deportation hearings. And even before the U.S. Supreme Court signaled they would meekly defer to Trump should he get a second term, he planned to use a 1798 law to send people out of the country without due process.

Critics have tended to focus on the cost or the impracticality of the scheme. They have noted it would strain the court system. They point out that deporting tens of millions of people would be an economic disaster.

All that is true. But its also irrelevant.

Because this plan is irrational. It is meant to hurt. No data point will stop a thug from beating up on people. No price tag or legal point will give pause to a bully gleefully shoving men and women onto a deportation bus. Cruelty justifies itself.

Do you think this is all inconsequential rhetoric? Well, one of Trumps loudest supporters  our senior senator  calls most immigrants garbage and criminals.

That dehumanization is a critical first step to subjecting people to state terror.

And remember who would be targeted.

Its people coming to America to help their families or find opportunities denied them at home. Like that Alabamian from Chiapas. Like my mother when she was 17. Poor people without access to cable news outlets.

So we face two futures. One involves men and women becoming part of our nation and living their lives in peace. The other involves violent expulsions, deportation camps and the destruction of the rule of law.

One of these threatens all of us. Its the one Tuberville seems eager to create, on a foundation of dehumanizing language.

This column was originally published in Alabama Reflector, which is part of States Newsroom, a nonprofit news network supported by grants and a coalition of donors as a 501c(3) public charity.
NEW YORK (PIX11)  New York City Mayor Eric Adams announced his nomination of Randy Mastro as the citys top lawyer on Tuesday.

The announcement comes despite the City Councils opposition to Mastro, with some council members already vowing to veto the mayors pick for Corporation Counsel.

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Mastro sat down exclusively with PIX11s Dan Manarino on Tuesday for his first interview since the nomination.

The former federal prosecutor boasted his four decades of experience and outlined his plan to revamp the citys Law Department and shift to more affirmative litigation. As the citys top lawyer, Mastro said he would focus on cases of social justice, civil rights, worker rights, and consumer affairs and work to combat gang and gun violence.

Even before the mayors formal announcement, there was backlash over his pick. Some have speculated that Adams may be choosing Mastro because he has previously advocated for the mayor in the courtroom and could be helpful to have on board as Corporation Counsel, as the mayor is currently under federal investigation.

The Corporation Counsel represents the city as a whole, its not the mayors lawyer, its not any one officials lawyer, its representing the whole city government, Mastro said, assuring he would not have anything to do with Adams federal investigation.

The City Councils Black, Latino, and Asian caucus has also pushed back against the mayors pick for his previous alignment with what they call dubious clients.

Given his professional track record representing dubious clients, which has included bringing numerous lawsuits against the City of New York, Mastro is unfit to serve as the citys chief lawyer, the caucus said in a statement.

Mastro previously served as Chief of Staff and Deputy Mayor for Rudy Giuliani and currently represents the state of New Jersey in a federal lawsuit against the citys congestion pricing plan. He has also defended former New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie during the Fort Lee lane closure scandal, in which his staff members were accused of intentionally causing traffic jams on the George Washington Bridge.

He is a nationally-renowned lawyer, with an impressive record in government service, a long-time pro bono advocate for social justice, civil rights and constitutional rights, a leader of revered civic organizations, a proven leader committed to diversity and inclusion, and a life-long Democrat, a press secretary for the mayor said in a statement.

Following Adams nomination, Mastro now awaits City Council approval.

Dominique Jack is a digital content producer from Brooklyn with more than five years of experience covering news. She joined PIX11 in 2024. More of her work 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 PIX11.
Dave McCormick, Republican U.S. Senate candidate speaks alongside Republican presidential candidate, former President Donald Trump at a campaign rally at the Liacouras Center on June 22, 2024 in Philadelphia, (Photo by Anna Moneymaker/Getty Images)

The campaign for Republican U.S. Senate candidate Dave McCormick said Monday he will join GOP presidential nominee, former President Donald Trump, at a rally in Harrisburg on Wednesday. It will be Trumps first trip back to Pennsylvania since he was injured in a July 13 assassination attempt in Butler, at a rally where McCormick was also present.

McCormick was the final speaker at the rally before Trump took the stage. The shooting left attendee Corey Comperatore dead and two other rallygoers injured. Trump sustained an injury to his ear, and the FBI has confirmed he was struck by a bullet. The gunman was killed at the scene.

Congress is investigating the shooting, and how the gunman was able to get so close to the former president. U.S. Secret Service Director Kimberly Cheatle testified before the House Committee on Oversight and Accountability on July 22, just one day before she resigned. Pennsylvania State Police Commissioner Col. Christopher Paris testified before the U.S. House Committee on Homeland Security the same day that Cheatle resigned.

Trump has said on social media that he plans to return to Butler at an event to honor Comperatore, but has not released further details on when that visit will take place.

McCormick is seeking to oust Democratic U.S. Sen. Bob Casey, who is seeking a fourth term. A Fox News poll released July 26 found Casey leads McCormick by 13 points. The same poll found Trump and likely Democratic nominee, Vice President Kamala Harris, were tied in Pennsylvania, a key swing state with 19 electoral votes.
Prime Minister Irakli Kobakhidze defended the "Transparency of Foreign Influence" law during a recent appearance on Imedi TV, asserting that its primary practical benefit is the establishment of a centralized website. This site will allow Georgian citizens to access detailed information about the sources and uses of funding for various organizations."The only practical result of the 'Transparency' law is that a single website is created for the citizens of Georgia, where you enter, select an organization, and open information about where and for what this organization is financed. What could be wrong with that? Zero, nothing," Kobakhidze stated.Kobakhidze emphasised two potential outcomes of the law's implementation. In the first scenario, where organisations comply and submit their financial declarations, the website will serve as a valuable tool for transparency. This would provide Georgian citizens with accessible and clear information about the financial activities of these organizations without any significant negative consequences.In the second scenario, if a substantial number of organizations fail to submit their required declarations, the law provides for penalties. According to Kobakhidze, organizations that do not comply will face fines."Let's imagine that these organizations do not submit these financial statements. In this case, the only thing that happens is that these organizations will be fined, and the fines are quite mild - 25,000 GEL for gross violations of the law," Kobakhidze explained.Prime Minister Irakli Kobakhidze met with the Public Defender of Georgia Levan Ioseliani, to discuss the current human rights situation and related issues in the country. The meeting, according to the Prime Minister's press service, focused on evaluating ongoing human rights protection efforts and addressing current challenges.During the discussion, Public Defender Levan Ioseliani highlighted the main activities and challenges faced by his office. He provided insights into the state of human rights in Georgia and the steps being taken to address various issues.Kobakhidze underscored the importance of the Public Defender's role and emphasized the government's commitment to considering the Ombudsman's recommendations. He noted that these recommendations are crucial for further improving the standard of human rights protection in Georgia."The government pays great attention to the Ombudsman's recommendations, which serve to further improve the standard of human rights protection," stated Prime Minister Kobakhidze.
GENEVA, July 30 (Xinhua) -- Three independent experts of the United Nations (UN) urged the United States to remove Cuba from the U.S. Department of State list of State Sponsors of Terrorism (SSOT) here on Tuesday.

"We are seriously concerned at the redesignation by the U.S. Government since 2021 of Cuba as a state sponsor of terrorism. The expansion of related restrictions has reportedly deepened the country's international isolation for over 62 years as a result of the U.S. embargo," the experts said in a joint statement.

The three UN experts are Alena Douhan, Special Rapporteur on the negative impact of the unilateral coercive measures on the enjoyment of human rights; Cecilia M. Bailliet, Independent Expert on human rights and international solidarity; George Katrougalos, Independent Expert on the promotion of a democratic and equitable international order.

According to them, the SSOT redesignation has brought a range of additional economic and financial restrictions, which have exacerbated the country's economic difficulties. This has hindered Cuba's ability to address the needs of its population at a critical time when it faces significant economic challenges.

"Cuba's SSOT redesignation has added to the challenges already faced by the people of Cuba during the last three to four years, alongside serious disruptions caused by the COVID-19 pandemic, natural disasters, and the economic and financial developments which have affected global supply chains, and commodity and energy prices," the experts said.

The experts urged the U.S. government to lift the restrictions on Cuba resulting from the longstanding embargo and the SSOT redesignation. They noted that the unilateral designation of Cuba as a state sponsor of terrorism contradicts fundamental principles of international law, including the sovereign equality of states, non-intervention in domestic affairs, and the peaceful settlement of disputes. 
The CEO of McDonald's said the company launched trials of a bigger burger in Canada and Portugal.

The Big Arch contains two beef patties, three slices of cheese, and a new, "tangy" sauce.

The burger weighs in at 14 ounces and has 1,065 calories.

McDonald's has launched trials of a bigger, "more satiating" burger in Canada and Portugal.

The burger, which executives have been teasing since last year, is called the Big Arch.

"We continue to innovate across our core menu to address unmet customer needs with a more satiating burger that will provide great value for money," McDonald's CEO Chris Kempczinski told investors on Monday.

The burger consists of two beef patties, three slices of white cheddar cheese, crispy onions, raw onions, pickles, lettuce, and a new Big Arch sauce on a sesame-seed bun, per a description of the burger on the McDonald's Portugal website. Kempczinski described the new sauce as "tangy" on the call with investors.

"It's a quintessential McDonald's burger with a twist on our iconic, familiar flavors," he said.

McDonald's first announced plans for the burger in December, describing it as a "large burger equity."

The burger is being piloted in three international markets this year, Kempczinski said. "We plan to attest and learn through the end of the year to gather learnings before scaling more broadly internationally," he said.

McDonald's started selling the Big Arch at selected restaurants in Ontario and Alberta, Canada, in late June, with plans to roll it out across the country by the end of the summer. The company described the burger as designed "for the extra hungry."

The fast-food chain launched the burger at all 205 of its restaurants in Portugal in earlier this Month. At one McDonald's in Lisbon, the burger is listed on Uber Eats for 10.50 euros, or about $9.70, or 13 euros with fries and a drink, though delivery aggregators typically charge more than in-restaurant menu prices.

The Big Arch weighs 395 grams, or about 14 ounces, and contains 1,065 calories, per McDonald's Portugal. It also contains 96% of the recommended daily fat intake for the average adult.

One Reddit user who said they tried the new burger in Canada described it as "huge."

The biggest burger McDonald's has on its core US menu is the Double Quarter Pounder, made up of two beef patties that weigh about 8 ounces before cooking and two slices of American cheese. At 740 calories, it's the most caloric burger on the chain's core US menu.

Customers want bigger burgers, not premium ones

Under its "Accelerating the Arches" strategy, originally launched in November 2020, McDonald's has focused on improving its core menu  burgers, chicken, and coffee  which Ian Borden, the CFO of McDonald's, previously said makes up about 65% of global sales.

This includes focusing on bigger burgers rather than premium ones. "We thought the opportunity was about premium burger, which was wrong," Borden told analysts at the UBS Global Consumer and Retail Conference in March. "We weren't successful." Instead, he said, customers want larger burgers.

The plan also includes the chain's "Best Burger" initiative, launched last year, to change its burgers' ingredients and how they're cooked. Kempczinski told investors on Monday that the strategy was in place in more than 80% of the company's markets and would be introduced in nearly all its markets by the end of 2026.

Are you a McDonald's superfan? Email this reporter at gdean@insider.com.

Read the original article on Business Insider
Megan Thee Stallion to join Vice President Kamala Harris at Atlanta rally on Tuesday

The race for the White House is heating up.

Vice President Kamala Harris is coming back to Atlanta and a rap superstar is joining her.

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Sources close to the campaign confirmed to Channel 2 Action News that Megan Thee Stallion will join Vice President Kamala Harris in Atlanta on Tuesday.

The three-time Grammy-award-winning artist, entrepreneur and philanthropist later posted on Instagram about her special performance.

ATL HOTTIES SEE YOU TOMORROW.

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Megan came to Atlanta in May and July for her Hot Girl Summer Tour.

Now, shes returning to Atlanta to perform, again, but this time, its in support of Harris and her race for the White House.

Harris visit comes after she locked up enough delegates to win the Democratic Partys nomination, although the partys official nomination will be announced at the Democratic National Convention next month.

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IN OTHER NEWS:
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Megan Thee Stallion is set to join Vice President Kamala Harris at her campaign rally in Atlanta for a special performance on Tuesday night.

First reported by Billboard, the Mamushi rapper confirmed that she would attend the event in a July 29 Instagram post, writing, ATL HOTTIES SEE YOU TOMORROW . Megan previously spent some time with the VP in March 2023 when she attended Harris Womens History Month brunch at her Washington, D.C. home, sharing a selfie of them together.

Todays rally marks Harris first trip to Georgia since kicking off her campaign earlier this month in the wake of President Joe Bidens announcement that he would no longer seek the Democratic nomination for president. The battleground state played a key role in Bidens 2020 win, going blue for the first time since 1992.

Of course, Megan isnt the only other person who will appear at the event. Harris will also be joined by Senators Jon Ossoff and Raphael Warnock, as well as former Georgia State lawmaker Stacey Abrams, who played a key role in turning the Peach State blue during the last presidential election. Several high-profile musicians, including Lil Nas X, Olivia Rodrigo, and Cardi B, have already endorsed Harris presidential bid.

Beyonces Freedom soundtracked Harris first official campaign ad. And last week, Harris shared a TikTok video alongside openly gay NSYNC alum Lance Bass in which he asked her what they would say to her Republican opponent, former President Donald Trump, during the election month of November. Bye, bye, bye! she replied with a grin, referencing NSYNCs hit song of the same name.

Its impossible to talk about Harris campaign without mentioning her unique relationship to Gen Z pop culture. She has become a uniquely memeable candidate, with TikTokers rushing to edit her famous coconut tree analogy into a bevy of pop songs. Meanwhile, brat summer became part of Harris brand when Charli XCX, the gays favorite British hyperpop star, famously tweeted, Kamala IS brat, launching the lime-green cultural moment into the mainstream political stratosphere.

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Originally Appeared on them.
Melania thought worst had happened as she watched assassination attempt on TV, says Trump

Melania thought worst had happened as she watched assassination attempt on TV, says Trump

Former first lady Melania Trump still struggles to talk about the moment a gunman nearly killed Donald Trump at a Pennsylvania rally earlier this month, according to the former president.

She was watching the rally live on TV when the shooting occurred, Mr Trump told Fox Newss Laura Ingraham in an interview airing Monday.

She cant really even talk about it, which is okay, because that means she likes me, or she loves me, Trump told Ingraham.

When I went down, she thought the worst had happened, Trump added.

On the subject of the shooting, Donald Trump had a mix of criticism and praise for the Secret Service, which was further embarrassed Monday when text messages showed local police were aware of gunman Thomas Crooks acting suspiciously before the shocking incident.

Trump said the protective unit shouldve coordinated better with local police to stop Crooks, but praised his Secret Service detail for leaping on top of him once bullets began flying.

They were very brave, Trump said. I have to say that.

Trump used the rest of the interview to repeat now-familiar campaign talking points, including that Joe Biden leaving the Democratic 2024 ticket was the result of a coup, and the former presidents thoughts that Kamala Harris is a weak candidate.

Shes a worse candidate than him, Trump said. Shes far more radical left.

The former president added that he would probably end up debating Harris after the Trump campaign suggested it was backing out of the debates.

On the subject of JD Vance, Trumps much-mocked vice-presidential pick, the former president defended his running mate.

Hes not against anything. He loves family, Trump said. Its very important to him. He grew up in very interesting family situation, and he feels family is good.

The comments were in response to past remarks where Vance mocked those without children as cat ladies.
By Joe Cash

BEIJING (Reuters) - Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni came to China to boost co-operation with the world's second-largest economy and reset trade ties, she said on Tuesday, during a visit to burnish relations after leaving the Belt and Road scheme.

Meloni, making her first visit to China as prime minister, which comes after Italy left Chinese President Xi Jinping's flagship initiative last year, said the euro zone's third-largest economy wanted to rebalance ties with Beijing.

"Today, Italian investment in China is about three times as much as Chinese investment in Italy," Meloni told reporters. "We clearly want to work to remove obstacles for our products to access the Chinese market."

Asked what the right-wing government she has led since 2022 hoped to gain from her visit, Meloni said Italy sought to "strengthen our co-operation with a view to ... clearly rebalancing trade".

Italy is of strategic importance to China as it has struck out on its own with Beijing before.

It could prove to be a moderating voice within the European Union, as the bloc's 27 members weigh up backing the Commission over tariffs on Chinese electric cars.

EU members will vote in October whether to impose more tariffs on Chinese electric vehicles. Italy is one of the countries to have indicated it will back the motion.

In 2019, Italy became the only member of the Group of Seven industrialised democracies to join Xi's Belt and Road infrastructure investment scheme that aims to resurrect the ancient Silk Road trade route, in a diplomatic coup for China.

Although Rome eventually exited the programme under U.S. pressure last year, it signalled that it still desired to develop its trade ties with the $18.6 trillion economy.

BALANCED TRADE AND INVESTMENT

Asked whether she had specifically discussed with Xi Chinese automakers opening factories in Italy during her Monday meeting, Meloni said "no" but added: "The issue of electric mobility is one of the topics included in our memorandum of industrial cooperation."

Meloni on Monday told Xi that Italy plays an important role in China's relations with the EU, which are currently dominated by talk of tariffs, but continued to say that she hoped for trade relations that are "as balanced as possible".

"As I have said many times, we were the only nation among the great nations of Western Europe to be part of the Silk Road. But we were not the nation that had the best trade with China? Far from it," Meloni told reporters on Tuesday, referring to the Belt and Road Initiative.

"There are other nations in Europe that have had a much higher volume of Chinese investment."

(Reporting by Joe Cash; Editing by Clarence Fernandez and Miral Fahmy)
In recent years, Memphis-Shelby County Schools has wrestled with high chronic absenteeism rates. And during an MSCS board work session on July 23, Superintendent Marie Feagins detailed just how much learning a student can miss when theyre frequently late or absent.

If a student is 10 minutes late each day, they miss 50 minutes each week, and a week-and-a-half each year. Over 13 years in school  from kindergarten through 12th grade  theyre missing, in total, about half of an academic year. If a student misses one day of school every two weeks, theyre missing roughly a month each year, and over 13 years, theyre missing nearly a year-and-a-half of classes.

When we look at this information the urgency that we speak about is not about chronic absenteeism. It is literally about what is on the line when you're not in school, Feagins said. When we think about our outcomes, and what we're seeing  78% of our students are not currently reading proficiently on grade level; another 83% are not performing proficiently in math  this is what it boils down to.

So, to encourage students to consistently attend school, MSCS is launching the Come to Win initiative, which will provide designations for those with an attendance rate of at least 90%. Students who maintain an attendance rate of 96% to 100% will be crowned champions, while students who maintain an attendance rate of 91% to 95% will be deemed winners, and students who maintain an attendance rate of at least 90% will be considered participants.

MSCS Superintendent Dr. Marie N. Feagins welcomes attendees to an event where the first 100 days of MSCS Superintendent Dr. Marie N. Feagins is presented on Wednesday, July 10, 2024 at the Hilton located at 939 Ridge Lake Boulevard in Memphis, Tenn.

MSCS is set to update the designations every 20 days, and parents can check online to see where their children stand. The district also plans to add information about students attendance  and whether theyre included in one of these three categories  on progress reports and report cards.

This is to allow students and families to be very clear, where they are, as we think about emphasizing counting every day to win, as it concerns the attendance, Feagins said.

The Come to Win initiative isnt the only thing MSCS is doing to boost attendance rates. This academic year, which begins Monday, MSCS is placing attendance agents in 54 schools that have a chronic absenteeism rate of 25% or more. These are all schools that MSCS has designated Supe Schools, which received a D or F letter grade from the Tennessee Department of Education. With each of the 54 attendance agents coming at a price tag of about $53,800, the initiative is expected to cost the district $2.9 million.

More: 'Cast the net wide:' Facing teacher shortage, MSCS on a hiring blitz before school year start

Related: Thousands of MSCS students attended the Summer Learning Academy. Here's what it looked like

MSCS could benefit financially from an improved attendance rate. The state funds K-12 schools through the Tennessee Investment in Student Achievement, and funding is based on both enrollment and attendance. The district receives funds per student, and if students are chronically absent, it can lower how much money MSCS receives from the state.

In the 2024-25 academic year, MSCS is slated to receive about $783 million from Tennessee.

While we're not relegating and dwindling, our students down to a dollar, Feagins said, We also understand this is where our funding comes from.

John Klyce covers education and children's issues for The Commercial Appeal. You can reach him at John.klyce@commercialappeal.com.

This article originally appeared on Memphis Commercial Appeal: MSCS to give attendance scores to students. Here's how it will work
Meta agrees to $1.4B settlement with TX over unauthorized scanning of photos on Facebook

Facebook parent company Meta has agreed to pay $1.4 billion to settle a lawsuit by the state of Texas over Facebooks unauthorized use of biometric data from millions of Texans, the Attorney Generals Office announced Tuesday.

The settlement stems from a lawsuit filed by Attorney General Ken Paxton in February 2022, accusing the tech giant of violating Texas Capture or Use of Biometric Identifier Act and the Deceptive Trade Practices Act. The lawsuit contended that alleged Meta unlawfully captured biometric data from millions of Texans without their informed consent, as required by state law.

Meta introduced a feature called Tag Suggestions in 2011. The company claimed it would make it easier to tag people in photographs, and it was automatically enabled.

For over a decade, Metas facial recognition software scanned virtually every face in photos uploaded to Facebook, capturing records of facial geometry without the users consent, according to the Attorney Generals Office. This practice directly violated the act, which mandates that companies must inform individuals and obtain their consent before capturing biometric identifiers such as facial geometry.

Meta will pay the state over five years. Paxtons office said the settlement is the largest ever obtained from an action brought by a single state.
Texas announced on Tuesday that Meta, Facebooks parent company, will pay $1.4 billion in the largest data privacy settlement brought by a state.

The lawsuit , which Texas brought in 2022, alleged that Meta illegally collected millions of Texans biometric information without consent, violating the states Capture or Use of Biometric Identifier Act and the Deceptive Trade Practices Act.

This historic settlement demonstrates our commitment to standing up to the worlds biggest technology companies and holding them accountable for breaking the law and violating Texans privacy rights, Republican Attorney General Ken Paxton said in a statement.

The alleged violations stem from a 2011 Facebook feature that automatically suggested tags with peoples names in photos. The feature used facial recognition to identify people in images uploaded to Facebook without users consent, according to the lawsuit.

The Texas biometric privacy law first passed in 2009 and allows for penalties up to $25,000 per violation.

The landmark settlement payout will go to the state of Texas over five years, according to the attorney generals office.

We are pleased to resolve this matter, and look forward to exploring future opportunities to deepen our business investments in Texas, including potentially developing data centers, Meta spokesperson Thomas Richards said in an emailed statement.

The Texas settlement is the largest, but not the only settlement to stem from Metas photo facial recognition feature.

In 2021, the company settled a class action lawsuit for $650 million for allegedly violating the Illinois biometric privacy law. Meta made the feature opt-in in 2019.

Paxton opened an additional case against Google under the same biometric privacy law in 2022; it is still pending.
Domestic abuse accusations against a metro Detroit DJ and events company president have sparked an outcry among musicians and, according to the company, led to the executive "stepping down" while the case is under investigation.

Chad Smith, who is known in music circles as DJ Attak, was arrested, charged with domestic violence, and held in the Oakland County Jail, according to the alternative news tabloid, the Detroit Metro Times. Smith's girlfriend, Heather Nemat, the weekly said, accused Smith of beating her.

Smith could not be reached for comment.

Nemat, who detailed her injuries on social media, said she had a swollen face, broken tooth, bruised arms and bloody fingers. She said she was thankful she was alive and safe, adding that she "will be learning to heal" physically, mentally and emotionally.

In other posts, she highlighted that the incident made the Metro Times: "All I can say is im glad my platform can be used as a safe space for other people who have dealt with similar cases. She also thanked her followers for their support.

oh my god... it made it to the news. i have no words to say. All i can say is im glad my platform can be used as a safe... Posted by Heather Nemat on Tuesday, July 30, 2024

Meanwhile, other artists, groups and venues, including Intersection in Grand Rapids, have distanced themselves from the DJ and the company of which he has been president, Ignyte Events, noting that they oppose violence and abuse.

Another DJ, Eptic, went so far as to state: Hey gang, I just announced a show in Detroit a couple hours ago, but after the charges against Smith came to light, added: I dont want to work with/support abusers simple as that.

In a statement, Ignyte Events said on Facebook that Smith was "voluntarily stepping down from the team while the situation is resolved and the investigation is pending," adding that "this is the same standard we hold all of our artists to."

The post, which was signed by the companys management team, said that it remained "committed to the safety and integrity of our community," and thanked its followers for their "patience, understanding and support. This scene means the world to us."

Contact Frank Witsil: 313-222-5022 or fwitsil@freepress.com.

This article originally appeared on Detroit Free Press: Chad Smith, aka DJ Attak, accused of domestic violence
ABUJA, July 30 (Xinhua) -- Nigerian police said Tuesday a manhunt has been launched for a group of gunmen who allegedly opened fire at a security checkpoint in the country's southeastern state of Imo, killing five, including four local police personnel, late Monday.

A trader near the security checkpoint was also killed during the incident in Irete, in the Owerri West Local Government Area, Henry Okoye, a spokesman for the police in Imo, told Xinhua over the phone Tuesday.

Police accused the outlawed Indigenous People of Biafra/Eastern Security Network, a militant group in southeastern Nigeria, of masterminding the attack. 
A timeline has emerged for the creation of the potential East Bank Development Authority in Nashville.

A third and final vote needed to create the new authority to oversee rapid growth in downtown Nashville east of the Cumberland River is tentatively scheduled during the Aug. 20 Metro Council meeting. The legislation passed on the second of its three readings at Metro Council in July.

The bill to create the authority first gained approval from the Tennessee General Assembly earlier this year, and Metro Council must pass the same exact legislation for the authority to be created.

Board members will be appointed by state and Metro leaders but Metro officials will control most of the board seats.

However, Metro Council will have the opportunity to set more specific parameters and responsibilities for the authority with subsequent legislation, which is expected in early 2025. Mayor Freddie O'Connell's Chief Development Officer Bob Mendes included this and other details in a presentation to the Metro Council's Ad Hoc East Bank Committee Monday, July 15.

Mendes said the authority is needed to provide stability to the East Bank development over many years.

"The way I think about it is that all of Metros most significant assets, whether its airports or stadiums, are all in one authority or another," Mendes said. "It allows for a level of focus and professionalism that is important for specialized valuable assets. It provides some stability in changes of administrations."

The East Bank Development Authority is set to include a chief executive, dedicated staff and a board of directors. It will be tasked with the oversight of development on the East Bank, which stretches across about 500 acres including the 30 acres under the purview of a legal agreement between Metro Nashville and master developer The Fallon Company.

If the legislation clears its final hurdle in the coming weeks, board appointments and the selection of a chief executive will begin, Mendes said. The first EBDA organizational meeting is expected before the end of the year.

But the board won't have official business until at least early 2025.

An additional resolution, in the form of an intergovernmental agreement, is needed at Metro Council to give the authority its budget, income and other responsibilities.

Meanwhile, Metro Council is also in the midst of considering legislation to extend the Metro Planning Commission's Downtown Code zoning to portions of the East Bank in order to shape development of the area in line with policies like NashvilleNext and the Imagine East Bank plan. The second of three readings for that legislation is scheduled for the Aug. 6 Metro Council meeting.

East Bank Development Authority timeline

Aug. 6, 2024: Legislation to be considered at Metro Council to expand Nashville's Downtown Code to the East Bank (BL2024-452)

Aug. 20, 2024: Final vote on legislation to create East Bank Development Authority expected at Metro Council (BL2024-428)

Aug. 20, 2024: Potential final vote on Downtown Code legislation

Late summer 2024: Downtown Code zoning sub district expanded to East Bank neighborhood

Fall 2024: Board members and Chief Executive Officer selected

Late 2024: First organizational meeting held for East Bank Development Authority Board of Directors

September 2024 through December 2025: First Fallon Company designs and construction documents take shape

Early 2025: Intergovernmental agreement filed at Metro Council to give EBDA budget and responsibilities

This article originally appeared on Nashville Tennessean: Nashville council to soon cast final vote on new East Bank authority
NEW MEXICO (KRQE)  Call it Christmas in July. Red and green chile season is here and experts say its going to be the best harvest in years. People have been calling, the phones been going off the wall every day, wanting chile, said Jimmy Wagner, part-owner of Wanger Farm in Corrales.

Story continues below

He said the first crop was so good that he got to pick the chile a couple of weeks early this year, as did other growers in the state. Weve had a lot of water and its been warm so the crop looks excellent so far, he said.

Im looking at the best chile season that Ive seen in the last three years, said Ben Etcheverry, President of the New Mexico Chile Association. The weather this spring was phenomenal by all accountshas it been a little warmer? Teah, but this seasons temperatures were fairly mild and allowed us to get off the ground fairly easily and allowed us to get a good first crop.

He said this years peppers have some weight on them and there are simply a lot of them. This year, the temperatures have been really mild and its just been what the growers would call a chile year, he said.

Etcheverry said after the pandemic and last years long stretch of triple-digit heat, this year is a breath of fresh air for growers. Its always exciting to have a chile year. When its good, its good. When youve got good chile in the ground, youre not stressed, youre not worried, youre anxious, youre able to focus on growing the best crop you can. it just feels good, he said.

While he says the milder temperatures may impact the spiciness of the peppers, it will still pack the flavor New Mexico loves. You cant live without chile, its addicting, said Wagner.

The New Mexico Chile Association is reminding people to make sure the chile they buy is New Mexico certified to help the industry and growers in the state.

Copyright 2024 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.

For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to KRQE NEWS 13 - Breaking News, Albuquerque News, New Mexico News, Weather, and Videos.
Miami Beach to crack down on homeless residents sleeping outside in August

At a news conference Monday, Miami Beach Mayor Steven Meiner introduced Operation Summer Relief, a month-long homelessness initiative that drew criticism from some advocates who argue city and state laws are unfairly criminalizing unhoused people.

Officials said Miami Beachs initiative aims to keep individuals from living on public property during the month of August, a period when average temperatures reach their highest. To do so, the city is partnering with homeless outreach services, shelters, health care providers and Miami Beach police.

Meiner stressed compassion and empathy in the citys approach to homelessness, which includes providing social services such as shelter placement, family reunification and identification assistance.

But he also made clear that the city is taking a tough-on-crime approach, driven by a concern for public safety.

Do not mistake our compassion for weakness, Meiner said.

The initiative arrives as controversial legislation around homelessness takes root at the city, state and national levels, most recently marked by a U.S. Supreme Court ruling allowing cities to arrest the homeless for sleeping in public.

Miami Beach passed a ban on public sleeping in October, allowing for arrests to be made without warning if the individual declines shelter placement. This carries a penalty of up to 60 days in jail and a $500 fine. Arrests have increased as enforcement of the ban has intensified in recent months.

A similar law signed by Gov. Ron DeSantis will go into effect statewide in October this year. This law prohibits cities and counties across Florida from allowing people to sleep in public.

Critics of the policies argue they unnecessarily criminalize homelessness, making it more difficult for these individuals to obtain permanent housing.

Miami Beach is home to approximately 154 unsheltered homeless people, according to the most recent Miami-Dade County Homeless Trust census. But Miami Beach only manages 86 shelter beds, which are located outside the city in multiple facilities, such as Camillus House and Lotus House. While the city hosts the only walk-in center for the homeless in the county, no shelters are located within Miami Beach itself.

David Peery, the executive director of the Miami Coalition to Advance Racial Equity, said not all of these 86 beds are regularly available, either.

Shelter placement, meanwhile, remains a complicated solution  not all homeless individuals are interested in shelter. Shelters often strip people of their last remaining possessions, which can damage their sense of autonomy, Peery said.

For others, shelters can leave them vulnerable to theft. Shirley Armstrong, who lives on the streets of Miami Beach, said she had her birth certificate and Social Security card stolen in a shelter in the Bronx, NY.

You lose everything, she said on Monday.

The 68-year-old has been homeless on and off since 1990 and arrived in Florida from New York in 2021. She said she spent some time sheltered by Miamis Salvation Army but left in May, after her roommate filed a grievance report.

Now, Armstrong sleeps wherever she can. She applied for food stamps at the library last week, she said, but was told shed have to wait a month.

Because not all homeless people accept shelter, the city always [has] ample beds, Meiner said.

Additionally, Miami Beach works to provide other services to support the function of shelters as a transitional place using a care coordination model, according to Director of Housing and Community Services Alba Tarre.

It is not meant to be long standing. So were constantly working with clients to get them to that next chapter in their journey, Tarre said.

Kat Grimmett, Kat Duesterhaus and David Peery protest during a press conference about Operation Heat Relief on Monday, July 29, 2024 at Miami Beach City Hall.

Protesters gathered to oppose cruel policies in Miami Beach

Advocates across the street from City Hall were calling for a different approach. Four protesters assembled Monday afternoon to voice their opposition to the citys policies regarding homelessness, which Peery called cruel, inhumane and futile.

Its horrible, and it wont work, Peery said of the citys public sleeping ban. Peerys organization, the Miami Coalition to Advance Racial Equity, hosted Mondays protest.

In Miami Beach, unhoused individuals make up 40% of arrests, despite making up less than one percent of the citys population, Peery said. Arresting people for sleeping in public diverts police resources that could be used to address more serious crimes, he added.

Instead of jailing unhoused people sleeping in public, Peery and the other protesters advocated for a housing-first approach.

Kat Duesterhaus protests during a press conference about Operation Heat Relief on Monday, July 29, 2024 at Miami Beach City Hall.

This means giving unhoused individuals permanent housing without conditions. Kat Duesterhaus, an activist at the protest, said this approach is cheaper than putting people in jail and is backed by research and compassion.

At the protest, Duesterhaus held up a sign that read, Housing costs less than handcuffs!

Peery said he believes many Miami Beach residents believe dangerous false narratives about homelessness, including that people are homeless because they turn down the resources offered to them or because they are personally irresponsible.

Poverty, not criminal intent, is to blame for homelessness, Peery said. He added that the trauma of living on the streets often leaves people in a fog, unable to focus on anything but surviving each day.

Having safe, permanent housing means these individuals would not have to worry about being robbed or arrested while living on the streets. This means they would be better able to take steps to get back on their feet, Peery said. Thats why he said he thinks the city needs to buy apartment units to house its homeless population, rather than placing them in shelters or arresting them.

Duesterhaus led chants that could be heard at the news conference across the street, which was being held outdoors on the third floor of city hall.

Being poor is not a crime, Duesterhaus shouted, along with the other protesters.

That is absolutely a true statement, Meiner said in response to the protesters chant. But we are offering you the help, and we are going to protect our residents. We are going to protect public safety in this city.
GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. (WOOD)  A settlement that returns most of the profits from property sales after some Michigan homeowners lost their homes due to unpaid property taxes has been appealed.

Before 2020, counties would keep all the profits from a property tax foreclosure sale, sometimes keeping tens of thousands of dollars more than what they were initially owed. But the Michigan Supreme Court in 2020 ruled that was unconstitutional and that the former property owner has a right to the surplus proceeds.

Earlier this month, United States District Judge Paul L. Maloney approved a settlement of a class action lawsuit that would send around 80% of those surplus proceeds back to several people who lost their property between 2013 and 2020. The class-action lawsuit represented claimants in 43 counties throughout the state.

When a Michigan county forecloses on a home, who gets the profits?

But an appeal has delayed the payout, the Michigan Association of County Treasurers says. The appeal was filed by an attorney representing about 40 potential claimants who object to the settlement.

My team and I believe that the attorneys who settled the case were conflicted, Philip Ellison, an attorney representing the objectors, said in an email to News 8. The federal district court had forbidden their clients from suing 42 out of the 43 counties yet  (the) counties secretly put together a pre-packaged settlement that gave counties the ability to keep a lot of surplus proceeds money that should have been returned to property owners.

He wrote that the negotiations were all carrot and no stick.

We are asking the Sixth Circuit (the federal appeals court) to vacate the settlement and provide all victims their proper award of compensation as state and federal law require, Ellison wrote.

The MACT estimates the appeal has delayed a payout until late 2025.

Treasurers are anxious to send settlement checks to those entitled to their surplus auction funds, Andrew Kmetz, Mason County Treasurer and President of the Michigan Association of County Treasurers, said in a Tuesday release. However, the settlement has been appealed to the Sixth Circuit Court.

Ted Seitz, an attorney for MACT, in a statement said the funds are being held hostage by the class settlement objectors.

Homeowners are owed back foreclosure profits, Michigan high court rules

Kmetz said Michigan county treasurers look forward to returning the excess proceeds to the former property owners.

That lawsuit was spurred by a case out of Van Buren County in which Wayside Church owed $16,750 in taxes and other costs on a piece of property. The county sold it for $206,000, close to $190,000 in surplus proceeds, after foreclosing on it in 2014. The church didnt get any of that.

On Monday, the Michigan Supreme Court ruled that its 2020 decision is retroactive, and that homeowners who lost their property due to unpaid property taxes prior to that year are entitled to the profits of the sale of their former home.

Kmetz told News 8 that decision provides further clarity on the process moving forward.

Tax foreclosure is a yearslong process. A new system enacted following the 2020 decision creates a way for people to get back the surplus proceeds. County treasurers say the process to get the money is as simple as possible, while attorneys say its designed to fail. Click here to read more.

Copyright 2024 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.

For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to WOODTV.com.
Sen. Gary Peters (D-Mich.) sidestepped a question Tuesday on whether he would accept the offer if Vice President Harris, the likely Democratic nominee for president, asked him to be her running mate in November.

MSNBCs Jonathan Lemire asked Peters the question after Axios first reported organized labor advocating for the Michigan senator to join the ticket.

I respect vice presidents process, Peters said on MSNBCs Morning Joe Tuesday. Shes looking for a running mate now. Shes got a lot of wonderful folks that shes looking at, and shes gonna make a decision thats right for her and right for the country.

Its a intensely personal decision and  I wanna respect that process  and focus on what I need to be focusing on right now, as you mentioned in the opening is, I chair Homeland Security Committee here in the Senate, he added.

Peters then went on to talk about the work his committee is doing, as well as the Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee (DSCC), the campaign arm of Senate Democrats, which he is also the chair of.

Lemire called Peters answer a dodge, to which Peters responded with laughter.

The news comes after a source told Axios that labor leaders have talked with Harris campaign on having Peters be involved when it comes to the running mate choice process. An official with Michigans Democratic Party also said Peters has shown interest in the role and is trying to garner backing, according to the outlet.

Other names being floated as possible vice-presidential picks for Harris include Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg, Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer (D), Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro (D), Arizona Sen. Mark Kelly (D), Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz (D), and Kentucky Gov. Andy Beshear (D). Kelly, Shapiro, Buttigieg and Whitmer have emerged as the top names.

Harris climbed to the top of the Democratic ticket after President Biden announced earlier this month that he would exit the race, and subsequently backed her to challenge President Trump in the fall. She has quickly snapped up key endorsements and boasted large fundraising hauls within days of his withdrawal.

An aggregation of polls from The Hill/Decision Desk HQ shows Trump in the lead with 47.8 percent support compared to the vice presidents 46.1 percent. A recent poll published Tuesday by Harvard CAPS/Harris puts the former president ahead of Harris by just 3 points, down from the 7-point lead he held over Biden before his exit from the race.

Overall, polling has shown good news for Harris and the Democrats.

Copyright 2024 Nexstar Media, Inc. 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.
In an opinion with potential implications for Michigan counties and former property owners, the state's Supreme Court ruled that a 2020 decision, which held that former property owners are entitled to the profits from tax foreclosure sales, applies retroactively.

Four years ago, the Michigan Supreme Court said it was unconstitutional for local governments to keep surplus proceeds from tax foreclosure sales. Lawmakers later established rules for people with foreclosed properties to apply to receive proceeds beyond the property taxes they owed. A growing number of suits across the state also sought to recover the funds for property owners.

More: Michiganders who lost property to tax foreclosure need to watch these legal cases

But a question remained: Could Michigan residents whose foreclosed property was sold for more than what they owed before the 2020 decision recoup surplus proceeds? So the matter went back to the high court.

Uri Rafaeli, whose business was a plaintiff in that case, owed $8.41 in unpaid property taxes for a Southfield rental property. The debt grew to about $285 after penalties, fees and interest. Oakland County foreclosed on the property and sold it at public auction for $24,500. A second person, Andre Ohanessian, owed $6,000 in delinquent taxes on a 2.7-acre property in Orchard Lake Village. Oakland County foreclosed on Ohanessians property, sold it for $82,000 and then kept the balance. The high court ruled it unconstitutional for the county to keep surplus proceeds.

In March, the court heard arguments in subsequent cases raising the question about retroactivity of the 2020 decision. On Monday, the Michigan Supreme Court released opinions on the cases.

In one, Kent County foreclosed on Matthew Schafers and Harry and Lilly Huckleburys homes for unpaid taxes, sold the home at an auction in 2017 and kept the proceeds  beyond what the former owners owed in back taxes, penalties and interest. The plaintiffs sought to recover the surplus, including before the 2020 decision. On Monday, the court decided that, indeed, the foundation of the Rafaeli case applied to claims prior to its 2020 decision.

In another case, the state of Michigan foreclosed Lynette Hathon and Amy Jo Denkins property in 2018 for nonpayment, sold it for $28,250 at the auction and retained the surplus proceeds. They owed about $5,000 in delinquent property taxes, interest, penalties and other costs. Plaintiffs filed a class action suit seeking relief. That case goes back to a lower court.

"There is no basis for this Court to decline application of Rafaeli to cases that are not yet final or to timely filed claims premised on events that predated our decision in Rafaeli. Therefore, Rafaeli has full retroactive effect," according to the opinion.

Plaintiffs "unconstitutionally bore the cost of local government operations" and "requiring just compensation for public use of private property is a basic right lying at the heart of rule-bound government in Michigan and the United States more broadly, the opinion said.

Constitutional takings require just compensation. And retroactive application of Rafaeli merely requires returning money to landowners that was taken by counties although there was a longstanding constitutional bar on doing so, the opinion goes on to say.

The Pacific Legal Foundation, a national nonprofit law firm that represented Rafaeli and Kent County property owners, applauded the decision on Monday.

We are glad that the Michigan Supreme Court affirmed that government must pay just compensation when it takes more than what it is owed, said Christina Martin, senior attorney at Pacific Legal Foundation, in a news release. Now, local governments should return their ill-gotten gains to those who had their hard-earned equity stolen.

Plaintiff Schafer owed $5,300 in unpaid taxes. Kent County foreclosed on the home and sold it at auction for $51,500 and kept the proceeds, according to the news release.

"The decision today will protect many people across Michigan. ... Today's opinion rejects the government's latest attempt to avoid returning money that it unconstitutionally took from people like our client Matthew Schafer," Martin said in an email to the Free Press.

Depending on the county, retroactive payments could be a big hit to county finances. The Free Press reached out to the Michigan Association of Counties and the Michigan Association of County Treasurers to learn about the potential implications of the case on local government coffers.

Alex Alsup, vice president of research and development at the property data company Regrid, said the Michigan Supreme Courts decision would benefit speculators, and not homeowners, in cities like Detroit.

When it comes to reclaiming hypothetical retroactive windfall profits, landlords, speculators and non-resident owners will be more motivated  because theyd be owed more  and better resourced, Alsup wrote in an opinion article earlier this year. It will be incredibly difficult to find homeowners who are owed retroactive windfall profits, and theyll have far fewer resources with which to pursue them.

Between 2012 and 2019, Wayne County collected $92 million in windfall profits from tax foreclosure sales, according to Alsup's analysis.

Oakland County created a $38 million fund to settle suits that arose after the high courts 2020 ruling, and started making payments last summer.

Contact Nushrat Rahman: nrahman@freepress.com. Follow her on X: @NushratR.

This article originally appeared on Detroit Free Press: Michigan Supreme Court issues opinion on tax foreclosure profits
KANSAS (KSNT)  On Tuesday, Microsoft issued an alert warning that the company is facing network infrastructure issues.

At 8:26 a.m. on Tuesday, Microsoft Azure warned that customers using Microsoft Azure services may experience timeouts when connecting to its cloud platform.

Microsoft Azure is a platform of more than 200 products and cloud services. Of the Fortune 500 companies that use Azure, 95 percent rely on it for cloud services.

The connection issues are impacting network infrastructure in North America, Europe, Asia Pacific, the Middle East and Africa.

Kansas sky could change color with Northern Lights as space storm activity increases

Microsoft reports that it has multiple engineering teams working to resolve the issue. Microsoft said more details would be provided as soon as possible.

For more 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.
A view of the Microsoft data centers project planned in Heath, looking southwest. Thornwood Drive is located in the bottom left of the rendering displayed in a Microsoft open house Wednesday evening at Heath Church of Christ.

HEATH  Microsoft data centers, like many of the massive developments recently in Licking County, bring varied reactions from local officials and residents. Heath is no different.

Microsoft said work on the Heath development will likely begin in summer 2025, with the first of five data center buildings completed in early 2028 on land west of Thornwood Drive and south of Hallie Lane.

The positives are obvious  job creation and economic development. The negatives include concerns about traffic, loss of farmland and scenic views, as well as a drain on local resources.

Two residents who attended the Microsoft open house Wednesday evening at the Heath Church of Christ have different perspectives on the development.

Mike and Darla Walker, who live on Lees Road, across the street from the southeast corner of the 227 acres Microsoft purchased earlier this year, are not looking forward to having a new neighbor.

We think its going to impact our property values, Mike Walker said. We have a gorgeous view right now from our front porch, and its going to be gone. There will be increased traffic. All of that. Its nice and peaceful where were at now. The only thing we hear once in a while is a train going by.

Darla Walker said, If this is going to happen, we want lots and lots of landscaping, lots of trees and shrubs.

Rob Gartner, who was a sheet metal worker for 38 years, including 13 years as an apprenticeship coordinator, viewed the development from an employment standpoint.

Its probably a positive thing for our city, Gartner said. Jobs. Its always good when people can work. Id like to see them do some work with our career center kids. Hopefully, well have some kids in there building the buildings that live in the area.

Microsoft said it will keep the community informed throughout the process and plans to appoint a community engagement manager to listen to concerns and understand the local perspective.

Heath Mayor Mark Johns said, Every interaction Ive had with Microsoft leads me to believe they want to be a good corporate citizen and a good neighbor.

Microsoft said each data center site has a unique design, but typically the buildings resemble windowless warehouses, with fencing around the perimeter for safety and security and vegetative screening where possible.

The company said there will not be around-the-clock truck traffic, but the facility might receive occasional deliveries of machinery, parts, office supplies and other equipment. Employees have staggered schedules, so there will not be traffic from large shift changes.

Sound comes from employee vehicles and occasional truck deliveries, backup generators and heating, ventilation and air-cooling equipment. Microsoft said it insulates sound waves from traveling, reducing generators to 72 decibels on average, comparable to a standard lawn mower if within a few meters. Typically, neighbors are hundreds of meters away, and the sound is insignificant, according to the company.

Microsoft also said it designs its data centers to cool with outside air when possible to minimize water use. Rainwater is collected when feasible, and water discharged into the environment is filtered to match the quality of the local water supply.

Hebron hosted a similar open house earlier this year for a six-building Microsoft data center project on 215 acres west of Ohio 79 and THK Manufacturing, connecting to Canyon Road. The company said there would be an estimated 30 employees per building there, but material distributed by the company states data centers typically employ about 50 per building.

Hebron Mayor Valerie Mockus said a development agreement has been executed and land acquisition completed. Construction begins in 2026.

Microsoft seems pretty savvy about what resources are or are not available, Mockus said. I think weve got a lot of runway and very savvy people.

kmallett@newarkadvocate.com

740-973-4539

Twitter: @kmallett1958

This article originally appeared on Newark Advocate: Microsoft shows proposed data centers project at Heath open house
Middletown on the verge of naming its new police chief

Middletown on the verge of naming its new police chief

MIDDLETOWN, Ohio (WDTN)  A vacant key position in the City of Middletown government will soon be filled, pending final approval.

Current Deputy Police Chief Erik Nelson has been endorsed by current City Manager Paul Lolli for the role of police chief.

Its now up to the Middletown City Council to vote on the transition. The council is scheduled to meet on Aug. 6.

If the vote comes out in Nelsons favor, there will be a pinning ceremony directly following the proceedings.

Under Deputy Chief Nelsons leadership, the Middletown Division of Police will have an opportunity to further evolve and grow into a department that this community respects and admires, Lolli said in a statement.

Remains of WW2 veteran from Middletown to be buried

Nelson has been with the department since 2005, beginning his tenure as a patrol officer. He was promoted to sergeant in 2017 before being promoted again, to deputy chief, earlier this May.

The current deputy chief calls the appointment an honor.

This was a tough decision because all of the candidates are exceptional leaders. This police department and city have the most dedicated employees in the area and I cannot wait to get to work, Nelson said.

Following his appointment, Nelson will succeed Andy Warrick.

Copyright 2024 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.

For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to WDTN.com.
CONAKRY, July 30 (Xinhua) -- Dansa Kourouma, the head of the National Transitional Council of Guinea, on Monday presented the preliminary draft of a new constitution to Mamady Doumbouya, the transitional president, for advice before putting it to a national referendum.

The draft, incorporating opinions expressed by Guineans in more than two years of debates and consultations, specified that the mandate of the president shall be five years, renewable only once, and that the mandates of the National Assembly and the Senate will be five and six years, respectively.

The independence of the judiciary, the separation of executive, legislative and judicial powers, and respect for human rights are also points noted in the preliminary draft.

"Guinea will begin a decisive turning point in its history," Kourouma said.

He said the country must initiate a dynamic for the popularization of the text and encourage the engagement of citizens through public consultations, with the aim of moving toward its adoption through a referendum.

The draft also provides for the creation of a National Development Commission and a National Committee for Education and Human Rights. 
The Milwaukee Common Council Tuesday unanimously approved sending 75 officers to Chicago for the Democratic National Convention. The DNC will be Aug. 19-22.

Milwaukee officers' tasks will include providing security at delegate hotels and buses and performing crowd and traffic control.

Milwaukee hosted the Republican National Convention July 15-18 and hosted 1,625 out-of-state officers for the event. Officers came from 24 states and the District of Columbia.

The use of out-of-state officers was criticized after Columbus, Ohio, officers shot and killed an armed man west of downtown Milwaukee during the RNC. Some community members said they did not believe the shooting would have happened if MPD had been involved.

"Our officers are some of the best in the country, and I don't have any concerns about them policing another state," said Ald. Scott Spiker, chairman of the the public safety and health committee and sponsor of the measure. "But the local police will have the knowledge that our officers don't, and so we will be working closely with them."

The RNC and DNC are National Special Security Events, requiring additional officers and security for the conventions.

Illinois, through the Illinois Law Enforcement Alarm System, provided 210 officers at the RNC. The Chicago Police Department provided 75 officers.

The measure allows Milwaukee Police Chief Jeffrey Norman to enter an intergovernmental cooperation agreement between Milwaukee and Chicago, provided the agreement is reviewed by the city attorney and Wisconsin attorney general.

The City of Milwaukee would be reimbursed for time and expenses of sending officers.

Tristan Hernandez can be reached at thernandez@gannett.com.

This article originally appeared on Milwaukee Journal Sentinel: 75 Milwaukee officers to assist with Democratic National Convention
A Milwaukee man crashed into a school bus while fleeing police. How long will he be in prison?

A Milwaukee police pursuit ended in a multi-vehicle crash, causing a school bus to flip at the intersection of North 76th Street and West Capitol Drive. No children were on the bus, but a 3-year-old inside the suspected vehicle was seriously injured.

The Milwaukee man who confessed to causing a six-vehicle crash that flipped a school bus and injured four people, including a 3-year-old and mother is heading to prison.

Milwaukee County Circuit Court Judge Glenn H. Yamahiro on Tuesday sentenced Elijahwan H. Shabazz to 11 years behind bars.

He also ordered Shabazz to serve eight years of extended supervision when he is released.

Yamahiro described the crime as "one of the worst" cases of reckless driving he had ever seen in his more than 20 years on the bench.

"It's a minor miracle no one is dead from this," Yamahiro said.

Shabazz, 27, pleaded guilty in June to first-degree recklessly endangering safety, neglecting a child, eluding an officer, hit-and-run involving injury and bail jumping.

Here's what happened that day

Prosecutors say Shabazz was behind the wheel of a car on Nov. 29 that police were attempting to pull over on the 9100 block of West Thurston Avenue. Officers believed the vehicle was connected to a homicide in Chicago.

The driver wouldn't stop and a pursuit ensued. The chase ended in a collision with a school bus on North 76th Street and West Capitol Drive. The collision caused the school bus to flip onto its side, triggering a second collision with several other vehicles, police said.

No children were aboard the school bus at the time; the 72-year-old school bus driver had just dropped off the passengers, and was taken to a hospital with nonfatal injuries.

A 3-year-old child who was in the car with Shabazz was injured and suffered a gash on her face.

"This is the kind of behavior that make people afraid of traveling on certain streets in our community," Assistant District Attorney Matthew Torbenson said.

Torbenson said it's not believed Shabazz was involved in the Chicago homicide.

Court records show Shabazz had other open cases against him at the time of the crash:

In 2018 and 2019, Shabazz was charged in two separate cases involving allegations of illegal drug and firearm possession. In each case, he was freed on signature bonds totaling $1,350. That meant he did not have to pay the money upfront to get out of jail.

In February 2021, he pleaded guilty to charges associated with the 2019 case, but a sentencing hearing was delayed.

In April and July 2021, Shabazz was charged with two more felonies. The first involved more allegations of drug possession. In the second case, he was accused of hitting a 16-year-old pedestrian with his car and was charged with hit-and-run causing great harm.

Shabazz posted a $2,500 bail three days after being charged in the April case. In the July case, he posted a $2,800 bail before his first court appearance  which wasnt scheduled until March 2022.

This article originally appeared on Milwaukee Journal Sentinel: The Milwaukee man who crashed into a school bus is going to prison
Minnesota Attorney General Keith Ellison wants the full Eighth Circuit U.S. Court of Appeals to examine the state's age limit for publicly carrying handguns after a three-judge panel ruled it unconstitutional this month.

The panel's July 16 ruling made it the first federal circuit court to reject a "general age-based gun regulation," Ellison's office said Tuesday in a 25-page petition to the circuit. The decision could have broader implications for similar restrictions in 30 states and the District of Columbia.

In asking for a wider court review, Ellison argued that the three-judge panel failed to account for the Supreme Court's June decision in United States v. Rahimi upholding the constitutionality of state laws restricting domestic abusers from possessing firearms. Ellison pointed out that the panel issued its opinion in Minnesota's open carry lawsuit without allowing briefing from either side on how the Rahimi decision affected the litigation.

In a statement Tuesday, Ellison said that the court "reached the wrong conclusion on the facts and the history," especially given the recent high court ruling in Rahimi. He described Tuesday's petition as "the next logical step in attempting to reverse the panel's decision."

"The public safety benefits to banning open carry by people under 21 years of age are clear," Ellison said. "As long as I am your Attorney General, Minnesota will defend lifesaving, common-sense, gun-safety laws."

The lawsuit challenging Minnesota's open-carry age restrictions dates back to 2021, when three gun-rights advocacy groups and three young adults sued Minnesota's public safety commissioner and the sheriffs of the plaintiffs' respective counties  Douglas, Mille Lacs and Washington  arguing that the age restrictions violated their Second Amendment rights.

U.S. District Judge Katherine Menendez  a 2021 appointee of President Joe Biden sided with the plaintiffs in a ruling last year that turned on recent Supreme Court guidance that governments seeking to limit gun rights must show that their laws are "consistent with this Nation's historical tradition of firearms regulation."

The Eighth Circuit panel this month agreed with Menendez's opinion that Minnesota had not demonstrated that its age restriction was consistent with the nation's historical tradition of firearms regulation, a precedent established in the Supreme Court's 2022 ruling striking down New York's ban on carrying guns in public.

Reacting to the Eighth Circuit panel decision earlier this month, Ellison also criticized the decision in that case, known as New York State Rifle & Pistol Association, Inc. v. Bruen, saying the court is responsible for "opening the floodgates to litigation from gun advocacy groups looking to undo reasonable safety legislation."

Minnesota explained that its carry ban was in place because 18- to 20-year-olds are not competent to make responsible decisions with guns and pose a risk of being dangerous to themselves and to others as a result. But Judge Duane Benton wrote in the panel's July 16 ruling that Minnesota failed to support that claim with enough evidence.

The opinion included an order sending the case back to Menendez to formally invalidate the state's ability to bar adults younger than 21 from applying for permits to carry handguns. Menendez last year stayed a ruling that would have immediately prevented Minnesota from imposing such restrictions until the appeals process was exhausted.

At least one Minnesota sheriff has since sought to update residents on the lawsuit's implications for the permit process in their county. Blue Earth County Sheriff Jeff Wersal issued a news release Tuesday noting that while his office has received multiple permit to carry applications from people younger than 21, the age restriction is still effective because Ellison's appeal is ongoing.

"The Sheriff's Office intends to send updates but is asking those under 21-years-old to be patient and await the conclusion of the court case before applying for a permit," Wersal said.
Minnesota law allows THC on tap, but US House bill would stop the flow

What have you got on tap? More than just beer.

Earlier this month, the sale of hemp-derived THC-infused drinks on tap at breweries went into effect across Minnesota, but a recently amended bill in the U.S. Congress could severely restrict the new menu option.

Sign up for Your Vote: Text USA TODAY reporters and the elections team by joining our SMS service.

So, how does this new law affect taprooms, and what could the federal bill do to change that? Here's what you need to know.

Jules Bistro in downtown St. Cloud may soon carry THC products from tap.

What is Minnesota's new THC tap law?

Since the partial allowance of cannabis two years ago, the THC-infused drink industry in Minnesota sky-rocketed to a $200 million industry and has worked to expand its reach. Prior to July 1, vendors were allowed to sell the beverages in pre-packaged cans. Now, breweries can pour it straight from the tap.

The new THC tap law was approved by the Minnesota state legislature in 2023 and was originally slated to take effect next year but was moved up this past session. And Jules Bistro owner Donella Westphal was the first in St. Cloud to apply for the license.

Westphal told the St. Cloud Times in an email earlier this month that the change will be beneficial to not only her business but also customers.

"A move like this would likely lead to lower costs for our guests, and it would also reduce packaging and environmental impact, Westphal said in an email.

Jules Bistro currently sells packaged THC-infused beverages for purchase, and Westphal is interested in going further with offering customers these drinks on tap, but even with the new law, the future of THC-infused drinks is unclear.

Can a tap product be poured in a way that there is consistency in the potency of each serving?" Westphal questioned. "How do we responsibly communicate product information to our guests and meet the current requirements for labeling? And what are the best practices for maintaining and cleaning tap lines with this new offering?

Despite this new change to Minnesota laws, a bill on the steps of Congress could shake up access to this new freedom for brewers across the country.

More: Looking to cool off? Six ice cream shops to check out near St. Cloud this summer

What is the Farm Bill?

The Farm Bill is a $1.5 trillion piece of federal legislation passed about every five years and provides mandatory funding and regulations for farming and agricultural practices.

Along with climate policy and SNAP funding, this year's legislation is attempting to take a hit at the hemp industry.

Gretchen Gailey, a cannabis industry expert and co-founder of the hemp policy lobbying group American Cannabis Collective out of Washington, D.C., said that the bill is an attempt at closing loopholes opened by the 2018 Farm Bill version.

In May, Minnesota Attorney General Keith Ellison, DFL, and 21 other attorneys general wrote a letter to Congress urging the bodies to address federal regulation of hemp products, saying the definition from the previous bill exposed children and teenagers to more potent forms of cannabis in attractive candy forms.

That same month, an amendment from U.S. Rep. Mary Miller, R-Ill., made its way into the U.S. House draft of the Farm Bill that redefines hemp as "naturally, occurring, naturally derived and non-intoxicating cannabinoids," making intoxicating and synthetic, manipulated to enhance high received off the substance, cannabinoids like most delta-8 THC products, commonly found in infused drinks, illegal and would effectively put an end to the $28 billion industry.

"If it is not naturally occurring in the hemp plant," Gailey said, "then it's illegal."

The legal level of THC in hemp is 0.3%, and Minnesota already does not allow synthetic cannabinoids. The more undefined territory is on whether or not these lower-level cannabinoids are non-intoxicating. The effects vary widely from user to user, and some may experience inebriating effects even at a low level.

The bill would, Gailey said, ban all potency enhancers to hemp. She called the number "arbitrary."

The psychoactive compound found in a cannabis plant is often used recreationally as well as medicinally to treat cases of physical ailments like chronic pain, Crohn's disease and psychological disorders like post-traumatic stress disorder and anxiety.

In 2022, Minnesota legalized small amounts of hemp-derived THC and last year, the state legalized recreational marijuana, becoming the 23rd state to do so.

"Congress just can't keep up with the science; they haven't even kept up with the legalization as it's going," Gailey said.

Gailey's solution to nationwide confusion over the legalization of cannabis? Regulate it, not ban it.

She said the industry is "going to come up with more cannabinoids," and Congress is "never going to be able to keep up."

The now-stalled Farm Bill and the hemp-threatening Miller Amendment have a long way before it makes it into law with a divided Congress. Until the bill makes progress through the chambers, it will be business as usual.

 Sam Woodward is the Minnesota elections reporting fellow for USA Today. You can reach her at swoodward@gannett.com, on X @woodyreports, or on Threads @samjowoody

This article originally appeared on St. Cloud Times: New Minnesota law allows breweries to sell THC-infused drinks
Minnesota man arrested in Wisconsin after deputies find 30 pounds of marijuana, 1 pound of methamphetamine

SUMNER, Wis. (WFRV)  Authorities in western Wisconsin say they arrested a man from Minnesota after 30 pounds of marijuana, one pound of methamphetamine, and other drug paraphernalia were found following a traffic stop.

Fond du Lac Police Department: 90-minute standoff results in the arrest of a 23-year-old man

According to a release from the Trempealeau County Sheriffs Office, deputies conducted a traffic stop at 1:48 a.m. on July 27 near the 88-mile marker on Interstate 94 in the town of Sumner.

Officials say several indicators of criminal activity were seen during the traffic stop leading to the deployment of K9 Luke. K9 Luke positively indicated to the vehicle and deputies began a search of the vehicle.

Following the search, deputies found two duffle bags that contained about 30 pounds of marijuana, one pound of methamphetamine, and other drug paraphernalia.

Courtesy of the Trempealeau County Sheriffs Office

Courtesy of the Trempealeau County Sheriffs Office

The driver of the vehicle, Danny G. Reynold from New Hope, Minnesota, was arrested on several felony drug-related charges and taken to the Trempealeau County Jail.

At this time, no other information is available and an investigation into the incident 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 WFRV Local 5 - Green Bay, Appleton.
Sofia Nelson, born in Wayland, Michigan, is a public defender in Detroit. But the Allegan County native was a first-year law student, out as trans, when they met a young JD Vance during orientation at Yale Law School. Nelson felt lucky to win acceptance to Yale, and always hoped to come home and work in the public interest. Nelson and Vance  also from a Midwestern, working class family  quickly became close friends. They stayed in touch after law school, visiting each other and respectfully and thoughtfully debating politics and policy via email.

The Vance that Nelson knew was sympathetic and empathetic, interested in robust debate underpinned by mutual respect, appalled by many of then-candidate Donald Trump's statements and positions.

Suffice it to say, Vance's politics have changed.

A decade later, Vance would win a U.S. Senate seat, representing his home state of Ohio. Earlier this month, former President Donald Trump, the Republican Party's presumptive presidential nominee, tapped Vance as his running mate.

Luke Schroeder, a spokesman for Vance, said via email, Its unfortunate this individual chose to leak decade-old private conversations between friends to the New York Times. Sen. Vance values his friendships with individuals across the political spectrum. He has been open about the fact that some of his views from a decade ago began to change after becoming a dad and starting a family, and he has thoroughly explained why he changed his mind on President Trump. Despite their disagreements, Sen. Vance cares for Sofia and wishes Sofia the very best.

I spoke to Nelson this week about their friendship with Vance, and their disappointment in his hard-right persona.

We talked to Whitmer about her new book and asked about tattoos, Gen X and 2028

Public defender Sofia Nelson met JD Vance at Yale

Vice-presidential nominee JD Vance addresses thousands of supporters during a rally at the Van Andel Arena in Grand Rapids on Saturday, July 20, 2024.

When did you first meet JD Vance?

The way that Yale structures its program is that the incoming class is divided into small groups of 16. Your first-semester classes are with the same 16 people, with other small groups mixed in. So I took all my first-semester classes with JD, and also the small groups are encouraged to bond and spend time together and socialize. ... So that's how JD and I met, and both being from the Midwest, both growing up in working class communities, we bonded over that.

What was your first impression of him?

I really liked JD. I still care about him and (wife) Usha (also part of the Yale small group). Obviously, I'm heartbroken by the transformation that they've decided to undergo ... The JD that I got to know in law school  and it's reflected in our correspondence after law school  was thoughtful and compassionate. We obviously didn't share a common politics, but growing up in Wayland, Michigan, it was nothing new to me to develop friendships and respect across the political divide.

In excerpts of your conversations, what struck me was two people really trying to understand the other's perspective, which is so rare these days.

I think that that's really important. One of the things that I think JD has been right about is, and he's not the only one that says these things ... is (it's wrong) to dismiss anyone who voted for Trump as stupid or racist.

I certainly think that Trump is advancing a racist and dangerous agenda. But there are real concerns amongst Trump voters, many of whom I grew up with that I don't believe that the Trump/Vance ticket is doing anything meaningful on a policy front to address those concerns. ... The Democratic Party does need to take seriously the concerns of working class Rust Belt voters, and I take those concerns seriously and I serve those constituents.

I think the thing that the Republican Party gets deeply wrong is those aren't just white people, right? I grew up in the Midwest, I've lived in the Midwest the vast majority of my life. ... Working class Michiganders are LGBTQ+ people, they are immigrants, they are Black Americans. They are people of many different faiths.

The values that I grew up with are that above all else, you treat everyone with respect. You adhere to basic decency when interacting with people, even when you disagree with them. And you treat others as you want to be treated. You might not understand somebody, but they're your neighbor, and you know how to live in community. And so I see protecting trans people, protecting immigrants, protecting Muslims, protecting all LGBTQ+ people, as about protecting my community, because I live in a diverse community. Michigan, and the Rust Belt, are diverse places.

Also from Opinion: Grosse Pointe school board turmoil a reflection of national politics

After law school, you stayed in touch via email.

We also visited each other. I attended his wedding. He came to Detroit for work a few times. One time I think they came, both him and his wife, solely for a social visit. I had gone to Ohio as well.

JD Vance's beliefs shifted, then came 'childless cat lady' controversy

When did you start to notice a shift in his public profile?

Around 2020, 2021.

He was going to run, or was considering running, for Senate in 2018 against (Democratic Ohio U.S. Sen.) Sherrod Brown.

(Editors note: Around that time, Vance started a nonprofit to help offer opportunities for disadvantaged children. Critics say the nonprofit was intended to give Vance a path to the ballot in Ohio, a state he hadnt lived in for years. Polling around that time reportedly showed that Vances anti-Trump statements weren't popular with voters. The nonprofit quickly folded.)

There was no path forward for him as a never-Trumper. He essentially turned his back on his values and reconstituted himself, not only changing his position on every imaginable issue, but also his tone. The decency, the thoughtfulness and the desire to understand disappeared, and now he mimics Donald Trump with this cruelty and name calling.

I think that is well captured in the cat lady controversy. (Editors note: A 2021 clip of Vance calling Vice President Kamala Harris and other Democrats childless cat ladies recently surfaced.) That was just never present in him. I mean, he was sarcastic and contemptuous of some elitism, for sure, as am I. But he never exhibited the kind of cruelty that he exhibits now in his public persona. That really changed when he decided to reconstitute himself as a MAGA Republican. So it wasn't just his position on LGBTQ+ issues or immigration or police brutality that's completely changed  I mean, this is a man who was incredibly sympathetic and understanding about the overpolicing and the brutality of policing against Black Americans, and that's reflected in our email exchanges. ... Every conceivable issue he's changed his position on, but he's also changed the way he talks about people.

Sofia Nelson

It sounds like that desire to empathize is gone.

I think that to succeed in the MAGA world, you have to adopt a Trump-like persona, and that's what he's chosen to do.

When was the last time you spoke?

In April of 2021, when his Twitter started being quite anti-trans, I reached out to him and that was our last substantive conversation. I did reach out when he announced when it came to light that Peter Thiel had given him $15 million and we had a brief exchange. I find Peter Thiel to be a terrifying figure ... and that's who's bankrolling JDs rise.

Do you communicate at all anymore?

No.

I don't wish JD or his wife any ill. I have a lot of fond memories of the man that I knew for over a decade. But he's now advancing a political agenda that's trying to strip me, and the people that I love and have built community with, of our civil rights, and I felt a duty to speak out as a result. Once you try to take power and control over other people's bodies is where I draw the line as far as friendship is concerned.

What should people know about Vance?

What do you want people to know about him?

What I think is key, and why I released those emails, is two reasons. One, we all evolve our thinking on certain issues with new information. But to change your position, to flipflop on every conceivable issue, whether it be Donald Trump or LGBTQ+ rights ... shows a lack of core values or a willingness to turn your back on core values to advance your career and amass money. I think that hypocrisy is deeply concerning, and the American people have a right to know where he used to stand on the issues compared to where he stands today so they can evaluate for themselves whether he's trustworthy.

And two, the fact that he had a meaningful and respectful relationship with a trans person  that being myself  and is now demonizing trans people and trying to prevent parents from accessing medical care for their children. We need to trust medical providers, parents and the children to make these decisions for themselves. This is about freedom. It's about choice. Every parent loves their child unconditionally, and is going to be be cautious and thoughtful in making these decisions, but parents are best equipped to make those decisions, and to try to deny them that freedom, I think, is deeply concerning.

What I want trans kids to know  because I was a trans kid once, and it, it was deeply scary to think that there was something wrong with me that was going to prevent me from leading a full and happy life  I want trans kids to know that these politicians, they don't actually think you're bad. They don't actually believe there's anything wrong with you. They're engaging in opportunism to win elections. I know that because he was very loving and respectful of a trans person in his life, and is now choosing to use trans kids as a political ploy.

So you don't think it's a sincere change in belief, your feeling based on the person you knew, is that its a put on.

I feel that there isn't an issue that he isn't willing to change his opinion ... I think that's what he's demonstrated. I mean, in his emails to me, he said I would never vote for, I would never support Donald Trump when it really mattered. Well, it really matters now, and he is Donald Trump's number one spokesperson, and not only that, but he's advancing an ideology even weirder and more extreme than Donald Trump's agenda.

Do you miss your friend?

Of course. I'm heartbroken over the way he's changed, or the way he's been willing to sacrifice his core values ... even if I disagree with someone's, you know, tax policy or whatever it may be, I think all Americans are served when we have leaders from both parties with integrity. ... The man that I knew in law school, while we had those political disagreements, I believe to be a person who valued decency and had integrity, and to see him turn his back on those things is heartbreaking.

And yes, I do miss him.

Nancy Kaffer is the editorial page editor of the Detroit Free Press. Contact: nkaffer@freepress.com. Submit a letter to the editor at freep.com/letters and we may publish it online and in print.

This article originally appeared on Detroit Free Press: Sofia Nelson, trans attorney in Michigan, mourns JD Vance friendship
Missing 13-year-old girl last seen in Grand Boulevard

CHICAGO  A search is underway on Monday afternoon for a teen girl who police say has been missing since Friday.

Chicago police say 13-year-old Goddess Henderson was last seen in the 4600 block of South Wabash Avenue in the citys Grand Boulevard neighborhood on the South Side on Friday, July 26.

LATEST CASES: Missing people in Chicagoland

The teen girl, who stands 5-foot-3 and weighs around 98 pounds, has black hair and brown eyes.

According to police, the teen was last seen wearing a grey t-shirt and black pants.

Missing 13-year-old girl last seen on South Side

A photograph provided by CPD also shows the teen wearing earrings, but it is unclear if she had any when she went missing.

Authorities notified the public about the teens disappearance in a news release sent out on Monday afternoon.

Read more: Latest Chicago news headlines

Anyone with information on the whereabouts of 13-year-old Goddess Henderson is asked to contact CPD Area 1 Detectives at 312-747-8380 or dial 911.

Those with information that could help authorities in their investigation can also leave a tip at CPDtip.com. Tips can be filed anonymously.

Copyright 2024 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.

For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to WGN-TV.
TAMPA, Fla. (WFLA)  The family of a missing St. Petersburg woman is asking for help in finding her after her car was found abandoned and her house caught fire.

The St. Petersburg Police Department has been searching for Kellie Fisher, 42, who was last seen on July 16.

Her aunt reported her missing the next day after she left in her aunts car and did not return. The car was found abandoned on July 18 with the door ajar, three cellphones and a small amount of cash on the dashboard.

Ten days later, a fire occurred inside her home. The cause of the fire is under investigation, according to St. Pete police.

Investigators and Kellis family are concerned for her safety, a police news release stated. She suffers from some mental health issues but has never gone missing before and it is unlike her not to contact any family member or her boyfriend.

Fisher is described as 58 tall and weighs about 200 pounds. She has black shoulder-length hair and brown eyes. As of this report, a photo of Fisher and additional information about her appearance was not available.

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For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to WFLA.
(BCN)  A 44-year-old man suffered life-threatening injuries in a shooting early Tuesday morning in San Franciscos Mission District, according to police. The shooting was reported at 4:18 a.m. in the area of 16th and Capp streets, San Francisco police said.

The victim was taken to a hospital and an update on his condition was not immediately available later Tuesday morning. Police have not made an arrest or released any suspect details in connection with the shooting.

Anyone with information about the case is asked to call the SFPD tip line at (415) 575-4444 or to send a tip by text message to TIP411 with SFPD at the start of the message.

Copyright  2024 Bay City News, Inc.

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For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to KRON4.
ALGIERS, July 30 (Xinhua) -- The Algerian government decided to withdraw its ambassador from France "immediately" in response to the French government's recognition of "Morocco's autonomy plan for Western Sahara," announced the Algerian Foreign Ministry on Tuesday.

The ministry criticized in a statement the French government's support for the "colonial reality" imposed on Western Sahara, a move the ministry claimed no previous French administration had taken.

It described the decision of the French government as being made "with great disdain and indifference" and without a proper assessment of its consequences.

The ministry noted that by endorsing the Moroccan autonomy plan as the sole solution under "alleged" Moroccan sovereignty, the French government is accused of "violating international legitimacy and denying the Sahrawi people's right to self-determination."

It added that the stance contradicts the UN's ongoing efforts to complete the "decolonization of Western Sahara and evades France's responsibilities as a permanent UN Security Council member."

The statement announced that Algeria would be represented in France by a charge d'affaires.

In a letter to Moroccan King Mohammed VI, which was made public on Tuesday, French President Emmanuel Macron recognized the plan Morocco made in 2007 to "offer Western Sahara autonomy under its sovereignty."

Algeria and Morocco have been locked in a bitter rivalry for decades over the disputed territory of Western Sahara. 
WENTZVILLE, Mo.  Missouri leaders have approved plans for a new $650 million Mercy medical campus, including a 75-bed hospital, in Wentzville.

Initial plans call to build the hospital near the intersection of Interstate 70 and Interstate 64. Organizers hope to break ground on the facility in the upcoming months, though will announce a project timeline on a later date.

The hospital is expected to offer 75 inpatient medical and surgical beds, an emergency department with two trauma bays and 18 observation beds, and special services for cardiovascular care, cancer and orthopedics.

St. Louis Police release video of 2022 CVPA high school shooting

Mercy says it has hosted community roundtable discussions in St. Charles, Lincoln and Warren counties to learn about health care needs from nearby residents.

More than a decade in the making, this visionary project will serve the communitys needs for generations to come, said Steve Mackin, Mercy president and CEO, via a news release. Securing the states certificate of need approval marks a pivotal milestone, ensuring that patients in the tri-county area will soon have access to care closer to home.

The hospital will not only meet the urgent health care needs of our rapidly growing population but also create hundreds of jobs, fostering economic development. Mercys new hospital aligns perfectly with our goal of establishing Wentzville as a regional destination and promoting economic vitality, said Wentzville Mayor Nick Guccione.

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Once constructed, this new hospital campus will address critical health care needs for our growing population in St. Charles County by ensuring our neighbors can access high-quality medical care closer to home, said St. Charles County Executive Steve Ehlmann.

The Missouri Facilities Review Committee formally approved plans for the hospital on Monday. The facility would be the states first new, acute care hospital campus built since 2015 when Mercy opened its hospital in Joplin following the historic 2011 tornado.

Mercy is working with Cannon Design for architecture and design, and the company plans to use 100% localized union labor, according to the news release.

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For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to FOX 2.
Missouri man admits being caught on Interstate 44 with nearly 3 pounds of meth

ST. LOUIS  A Lees Summit, Missouri, man appeared in federal court in downtown St. Louis on Monday and admitted to leading police on a high-speed chase on Interstate 44 before being caught with nearly three pounds of methamphetamine.

Prosecutors with the U.S. Attorneys Office for the Eastern District of Missouri said Antonio D. Braxton, 49, will be sentenced on October 30 after pleading guilty to one count of possession with intent to distribute methamphetamine. Braxton faces between 10 years and life in prison, plus a $10 million fine.

The chase occurred on July 2, 2022.

Christopher Dunns release imminent as St. Louis Circuit Attorney declines to retry case

According to court documents, a deputy with the Franklin County Sheriffs Office pulled over Braxton, who was driving a dark blue Pontiac Trans Am, for improperly passing a tractor-trailer. The Trans Am also had a license plate that was not on file.

Braxton argued with the deputy and refused to turn over his registration. When the deputy called for backup, Braxton sped off and led police on a 23-mile chase across several major roadways, with speeds exceeding 100 miles per hour.

Braxton eventually got on I-44. Officers from the Eureka Police Department eventually arrested him.

Officers noticed three cellophane-wrapped packages in the passenger-side floorboard. The packages contained approximately 1.339 kilograms of pure methamphetamine.

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For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to FOX 2.
Photo of Aaron Dimmock via his campaign website

A candidate for governor in Missouri is calling upon that states attorney general to investigate Aaron Dimmock, a Missouri state employee, and whether it is legal that he is running for Congress hundreds of miles away in Floridas First Congressional District against incumbent Matt Gaetz.

Bill Eigel is a Republican state senator in Missouri running for governor this fall. In a letter on Monday to Missouri Attorney General Andrew Bailey, Eigel called for an investigation into what appears to be a flagrant and ongoing violation of Missouri law. He goes on to say that Gov. Mike Parson continues to employ Aaron Dimmock despite his ongoing efforts to seek political office.

The Phoenix reported last week that although Dimmock heads the Missouri Leadership Academy in St. Louis, which provides training to government employees, he has been living and campaigning some 700 miles away in Floridas Panhandle in the Aug. 20 Republican primary as an underdog challenger to Gaetz. The winner faces Democrat Gay Valimont in November.

Eigel says that what Dimmock is doing appears to be against the law, but Dimmocks press aide told the Phoenix two weeks ago that he can run because the state law Eigel refers to now only applies to certain state employees. That was confirmed to the Phoenix by an official with the Missouri Office of Administration.

While it may be legal, whether it is appropriate is another question.

I see no reason why, given the obvious prohibition on this activity, this political candidate should continue to be able to draw a check from the taxpayers of Missouri, Eigel writes. I am asking your office to investigate this obviously illegal behavior by Dimmock and this administration.

One of Eigels GOP opponents for governor is Lt. Gov. Mike Kehoe, who was appointed to his position by Gov. Parson, who is term-limited and thus cannot run for re-election this November.

Dimmock faces Gaetz in the GOP primary in Floridas First Congressional District
Mizzou scraps diversity office after GOP attacks. What will changes mean for students?

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.

The University of Missouri-Columbia is eliminating its Division of Inclusion, Diversity, and Equity as part of a reorganization plan that will split the division across different parts of the university.

University of Missouri System President Mun Choi framed the move as proactive due to the onslaught of legislation aimed at diversity efforts in the state. It also comes as Republicans in other states, such as Texas and Florida, have outright banned diversity offices at universities.

Were seeing the actions that have been taken in other states, said Choi, who is also the chancellor at Mizzou. There were divisions that were eliminated, the DEI divisions, and it resulted in larger staff layoffs. And in our case, we wanted to be proactive because those staff members serve an important role in ensuring the success of our students.

The reorganization will take effect Aug. 15. The divisions vice chancellor position will be eliminated while the four units within the office, and its employees, will be moved to three other divisions across the university.

Its the latest in a string of moves by university leaders to shift away from efforts tailored to improving diversity, as Republicans have taken issue with all programs related to diversity and inclusion. At Mizzou, diversity efforts included recruiting and retaining students as well as expanding programs that encourage underrepresented groups to study and work.

For example, two initiatives offered by the division allow for students of color to attend monthly workshops by faculty, staff and community leaders who serve as role models.

Republicans in Missouri and nationwide have seized on diversity programs in recent years, framing them as ideological policies that treat white people unfairly or prioritize social justice over merit and achievement.

The reorganization is almost certain to face a polarizing response. But Choi emphasized that while the division will no longer exist, the services provided by the division will still be in place.

The bottom line is that the services that were available for students will still be available, but theyll be available within the larger divisions that these units will now be a part of, he said.

A university spokesperson said that the reorganization only affected Mizzou at this time. He did not have details about potential changes to the University of Missouri Systems other campuses in Kansas City, St. Louis and Rolla.

Maurice Gipson, the University of Missouri-Columbias vice chancellor of its Division of Inclusion, Diversity, and Equity, (left) and University of Missouri System President Mun Choi spoke with reporters about the reorganization of the diversity office.

Chois announcement comes just days after he announced that Maurice Gipson, who led the diversity division, will leave the school next month for a position at a historically Black college in Arkansas. Gipsons position will be eliminated after his departure, Choi said.

Gipson told reporters that he did not feel pushed out. He said that he doesnt believe diversity efforts have been under attack, but that theres been a broader misunderstanding nationwide about diversity, equity and inclusion, or DEI.

When asked whether he was concerned about the optics that the university was protecting its funding over its values, Gipson said he hoped people will see the work the school did to ensure services will still be available.

Every staff member who currently works on inclusive excellence, who works towards our faculty and staff will remain here, he said. Im leaving because Im going to lead another university.

Under the reorganization plan, the four units of the IDE division will be spread across different divisions:

Inclusive Engagement and Constituent Relations will now report to the Division of Student Affairs.

Access and Leadership Development programs will now report to the Office of the Provost.

Inclusive Excellence and Strategic Initiatives will report to the Office of the Provost.

Communications will report to the Division of Marketing & Communications.

Choi initially told reporters that the university hadnt spoken with state lawmakers about the move. However, when pressed about comments Republican Sen. Bill Eigel made about the move last week, he acknowledged that he gave some lawmakers and stakeholders a heads up about Gipsons departure.

We did not speak to them and ask them what they think about it, he said. We actually shared with them as a matter of fact this message  the first message that I shared about Dr. Gibsons departure and the plans that were going to be discussed with the reorganization is coming out.

Gipsons position was created in 2016 shortly after student-led protests over concerns with racism thrust the university and its fraught relationship with race into the national spotlight in 2015. He is the fourth person to oversee diversity efforts at the school since 2015.

The school has been slow to recruit and retain Black faculty. Black students currently make up only 5.45% of the student population while white students make up 76.4%, according to the most recent data online. Meanwhile Black Missourians make up about 11% of the state population.

The university, however, has touted high graduation rates for students of color and an increase in freshman enrollment.

Part of a pattern

The University of Missouri System last year announced that it would be stopping all race-based admissions and race-based scholarships moving forward.

However, Choi told reporters at the time that the system would continue to honor current scholarships that had a racial component.

The decision happened after the U.S. Supreme Court struck down the race-based admission policies of the University of North Carolina and Harvard College. It also followed a letter from Republican Attorney General Andrew Bailey, who demanded that colleges in the state immediately end all affirmative action policies.

Missouris Democratic members of Congress  Rep. Emanuel Cleaver, a Kansas City Democrat, and Rep. Cori Bush, a St. Louis Democrat  condemned the move at the time, arguing the Supreme Court did not expressly prevent colleges from having race-based scholarships.

The UM System last year also scrapped its use of diversity statements in its hiring practices and announced standardized language that leaders can send to prospective employees.

That announcement came as lawmakers in the GOP-controlled General Assembly weighed legislation aimed at eliminating diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) hiring standards. State lawmakers have in recent years taken aim at diversity practices across the state.

Nationally, Sen. Eric Schmitt from Missouri has also pushed measures to eliminate diversity efforts, including in the military.

Twenty-eight states have introduced anti-DEI legislation leading to states such as Texas, Florida, Utah and Alabama eliminating DEI programs, according to a university spokesperson.

Missouri lawmakers have filed a total of 13 anti-DEI bills over the last two years.

The Stars Daniel Desrochers contributed reporting.
Afternoon thunderstorm chances will continue this week, with higher chances for rain starting Thursday. The heat will also be building, with widespread 90s and 100s by Wednesday.

Its not an extremely active monsoon day, but scattered storms are moving across western and southern New Mexico, with spotty showers in the northern mountains. Heavy rain fell earlier today over the Ruidoso area burn scars, causing flash flooding and debris flows. The threat of flooding has decreased tonight as the rain and storms have moved out. Showers and thunderstorms will continue across parts of New Mexico through this evening and end overnight. Its also a hot start to the week, with high temperatures in the 90s and triple-digits for many.

We will continue to see a daily chance for rain and thunderstorms this week across parts of New Mexico. The driest day this week will be Wednesday before rain chances increase again starting Thursday. Widespread showers and thunderstorms will return to most of New Mexico Thursday through Saturday afternoons. Storms will again be capable of heavy rainfall and flash flooding, including in burn scar areas.

Temperatures will be the other big story with hotter weather moving into the state through Wednesday. Record and near-record high temperatures are likely Wednesday afternoon, with most of the state climbing into the 90s and 100s. Temperatures will start cooling off Thursday as better monsoon moisture moves into the state.

Copyright 2024 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.

For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to KRQE NEWS 13 - Breaking News, Albuquerque News, New Mexico News, Weather, and Videos.
MONTGOMERY COUNTY, Md. (DC News Now)  The Montgomery County Police Department is partnering with Hyundai to host a free anti-theft software upgrade clinic in Burtonsville the weekend of Aug. 2 to combat car thefts.

The clinic will be held at Paint Branch High School at 14121 Old Columbia Pike. Hyundai said the event is in response to persistent thefts targeting specific Hyundai vehicles and will provide eligible Hyundais with anti-theft software.

According to a 2023 report from the National Insurance Crime Bureau, Hyundai and Kia vehicles experienced the highest theft ratings in 2023.

The clinic is free, with no appointment or registration needed, for all residents who own or lease a Hyundai model of the years 2011-2021 with a mechanical turn-to-start key ignition.

DCs Real Time Crime Center helps find, arrest teens for carjacking in Southeast

According to the company, trained service technicians will be on-site to install and complete the software upgrade, which should take less than 30 minutes.

All Hyundai owners are invited and will receive a free steering wheel lock for attending, according to the companys website.

Dates of the clinic:

Friday, Aug. 2: 8 a.m. to 6 p.m.

Saturday, Aug. 3 : 8 a.m. to 6 p.m.

Sunday, Aug. 4: 8 a.m. to 2 p.m.

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For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to DC News Now | Washington, DC.
Months before his arrest, teacher was investigated for letting students touch his beard

Just months before a middle school teacher was arrested and charged with inappropriate sexual conduct with students, he was investigated by the school district for allowing a female student to touch his facial hair and show him her undergarments in his classroom, school district records show.

That investigation didn't yield any discipline for Keith Knight, then a 25-year-old ESE teacher at Osceola Middle School in Loxahatchee, except for a reminder from the school's principal to "maintain appropriate distance" from students.

But he was arrested in June and now faces charges stemming from separate interactions with two students that occurred later in the 2023-24 school year.

In those incidents, one student described stopping in Knight's classroom in May to pick up free snacks he often gave to students designated as "peer helpers" for his students with autism. Knight reportedly pushed the student up against a wall, began touching her inappropriately underneath her shirt and repeatedly tried to kiss her, police said.

Another student said Knight on one occasion approached her from behind and placed his lower body against her body. She described Knight as "excited." That student said Knight had added her on Snapchat and been sending her messages in the weeks leading up to that encounter.

Osceola Creek Middle School teacher was investigated for interactions with students 9 months before arrest

Former Osceola Creek Middle School teacher Keith Knight was investigated for inappropriate interactions with students in his classroom less than a year before he was arrested and charged with making sexual advances toward middle school students.

Just nine months before his arrest, Knight was on school investigators' radar for an entirely different set of incidents that involved middle school students.

In October 2023, an employee at Osceola Creek Middle was passing by Knight's classroom and saw female students touching his beard during class time. A student then appeared to pull down the waistband of her pants halfway and show Knight her stomach and undergarments, which the school police report described as "workout briefs."

Knight's coworker said in her report that he did not appear to reprimand the students for touching his facial hair or stop the student from showing him her workout briefs. She said she saw Knight put his hand on the student's pants in an attempt to pull them back up so she would cover herself.

More from the arrest: Middle school teacher accused of inappropriate contact with students

The employee reported the interaction to the school's principal, Brian McClellan, who took the matter to the school district's police department.

When they reviewed security-camera footage from inside Knight's classroom, investigators saw Knight's interaction with the group and interviewed the students involved. The students offered different explanations for the incidents, and while some said Knight's behavior made them uncomfortable, others said he'd never done anything to make them feel uncomfortable.

Investigators also saw Knight put his arm around the shoulders of one of the students, according to the police report.

Knight told investigators that he'd put his arm around the student to comfort her because her boyfriend had recently broken up with her. He also said he tried to get the student who showed him her workout briefs to cover up by helping her pull her pants back up.

School police found there was no evidence to prove Knight had committed any crime in his October interactions with the students in his classroom. The police report says the state Department of Children and Families was notified of the incidents but declined to open an investigation.

Knight was issued a written directive by McClellan to "maintain appropriate distance" from students. McClellan added that "you should always maintain a professional relationship with students, both in and outside of the classroom as unnecessary physical interaction with a student could be considered unethical conduct," according to the school district's ethical standards.

But five months after that directive, Knight was arrested and charged in connection with the two incidents where students accused him of acting more aggressively toward them.

Knight is on in-house arrest. He has been charged with two counts of lewd or lascivious molestation by an authority figure, second-degree felony charges that carry up to 15 years in prison.

Knight has pleaded not guilty to both charges.

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Katherine Kokal is a journalist covering education at The Palm Beach Post. You can reach her at kkokal@pbpost.com. Help support our work; subscribe today!

This article originally appeared on Palm Beach Post: Palm Beach County teacher investigated for letting students touch beard
A man checks a flight information board showing a cancelled flight at the BeirutRafic Hariri International Airport, in Beirut

(Reuters) - Greece's Aegean Airlines and Germany's Condor cancelled flights to Beirut on Tuesday, the latest airlines to suspend services to the Lebanese capital in recent days as tensions escalate between Israel and armed political group Hezbollah.

Aegean said it would suspend flights until Thursday, while Condor cancelled Tuesday's flight from Dusseldorf.

Air France and Lufthansa Group carriers Swiss, Eurowings and Lufthansa on Monday announced flight cancellations.

A number of other carriers have suspended, delayed or cancelled some flights, although Beirut's Rafic Hariri International Airport listed arrivals on Tuesday from airlines including Pegasus, Emirates, Royal Jordanian, EgyptAir, Iran Air, Qatar Airways and Etihad.

Lebanon has been bracing for retaliation from Israel since a strike on Saturday in the Israeli-occupied Golan Heights killed 12 children and teenagers. Hezbollah has denied blame.

(Reporting by Lisa Barrington; Writing by Tala Ramadan; Editing by Alex Richardson and Peter Graff)
Court seized additional assets of the brothers of former pro-Russian Ukrainian lawmakers, Viktor Medvedchuk and Taras Kozak, worth Hr 400 million ($9.8 million), the State Bureau of Investigation (DBR) announced on July 30.

The assets of Serhii Medvedchuk and Bohdan Kozak, including land, corporate rights, property complexes, and vehicles of four companies in Lviv, were transferred to Ukraine's Agency for Investigation and Management of Assets (ARMA), which is responsible for finding, tracing, and managing assets derived from corruption.

The seized assets also included a concrete production plant and a construction company, according to the State Bureau of Investigation's statement.

In total, over 10,000 square meters of real estate and more than 70 vehicles and construction equipment were additionally transferred to the Ukrainian state, the Security Service of Ukraine (SBU) said.

Serhii Medvedchuk and Bohdan Kozak were charged in absentia with defrauding the state of Hr 75 million ($1.8 million) in taxes on June 10.

On June 28, Serhii Medvedchuk and Bodan Kozak's building materials factory in Lviv was officially transferred to the Ukrainian state.

As the factory managers, the accused were involved in a scheme between 2017 and 2022 or 2023 that "deliberately diverted millions of hryvnias," causing the state a loss of Hr 75 million ($1.8 million).

Serhii Medvedchuk and Bohdan Kozak, who had fled Ukraine, as well as two accomplices, directed the funds to their brothers, who used them namely to finance Russia's war against Ukraine, the State Bureau of Investigation reported.

Before the full-scale invasion, Viktor Medvedchuk and Taras Kozak were among the key pro-Kremlin politicians in Ukraine and ran a media holding Novyny, which was shut down in 2021 over the accusations of promoting pro-Russian propaganda.

Both men have been accused of treason and collaboration with Russia and stripped of Ukrainian citizenship. Taras Kozak fled Ukraine in 2021, while Viktor Medvedchuk was detained and exchanged for Ukrainian prisoners of war in 2022.

Read also: Ukraine nationalizes $48 million in assets owned by Russian oligarch

Weve been working hard to bring you independent, locally-sourced news from Ukraine. Consider supporting the Kyiv Independent.
NEW DELHI, July 30 (Xinhua) -- The death toll from multiple landslides amid heavy rains in India's southern state of Kerala rose to 66 on Tuesday, and the number of injured persons rose to above 70, a local cop told Xinhua over phone.

At least three massive landslides struck Meppadi area of Kerala's Wayanad district at around 02:00 a.m. local time, even as the people were still asleep.

Rescue operations are still going on amid heavy rains.

An online report by India Today said hundreds were feared trapped in Wayanad landslides, and the army was called in. It added that several villages were among the worst affected areas. Many people were feared to have been washed away in the Chaliyar river.

A bridge in Wayanad district that connected the affected areas to the nearby town of Chooralmala was washed away.

The Indian army said it has deployed 225 personnel, including medical teams, to the affected areas. Two Indian air force helicopters were put into service for carrying out rescue operations.

The Prime Minister's Office announced a compensation of 200,000 Indian rupees (around 2,389 U.S. dollars) for the family of each deceased, while every injured person would be given 50,000 Indian rupees (around 597 dollars) in compensation. 
Kelli Fisher left home two weeks ago in her aunts car and never returned.

St. Petersburg police have been searching for the 42-year-old, who was last seen on the morning of July 16 pulling out of her driveway in the 1700 block of Prescott Street South.

Two days after she disappeared, officers found the vehicle abandoned in an empty lot in the 800 block of 28th Avenue South. The drivers side door was left ajar and there was no sign of Fisher, police say.

Officers also found items they dont believe belong to Fisher: three cellphones and a small amount of cash on the dashboard. Investigators and Fishers family are concerned for her safety.

Addressing reporters at St. Petersburg Police Department headquarters Tuesday afternoon, Fishers brother, Johnny Murray, said that she suffered from anxiety and depression, but that she has never disappeared like this before.

This is not her, he said. Its a situation where something happened.

She spoke with her aunt every day, Murray said. Its unlike Fisher not to contact family members or her boyfriend, according to the family.

The streets talk. The streets know whats going on, Murray said. We just need the streets to do the right thing and speak up and let us know whats going on, so we can get results.

St. Pete police Maj. Shannon Halstead described suspicious circumstances concerning the case.

On Sunday, a kitchen fire started in a house owned by the family, which is next door to the home where Fisher lived with her aunt. That fire is under investigation, Halstead said.

Police said rumors have spread online about a fight Fisher had with another woman over $40 on July 4. Police said that woman has been ruled out as a suspect.

There are no current suspects or people of interest, Halstead added. Detectives with the agency have searched doorbell cameras, interviewed family and friends and canvassed her neighborhood, police said.

We have done everything that we traditionally do in a missing persons case and we need some assistance, Halstead said.

Fisher is 5 feet 8 inches and weighs about 200 pounds. She has brown eyes and shoulder-length black hair. Investigators said anyone with information can call them at 727-893-7780.

Tears streamed down the face of Fishers sister, Latifa Jackson, as she spoke to reporters Tuesday.

Shes more than just a missing person, Jackson said. We deserve to have answers.
Protesters shout slogans during a demonstration against the government of President Maduro, after the Venezuelan presidential elections. Jeampier Arguinzones/dpa

More demonstrations against President Nicolas Maduro's controversial re-election were expected in Venezuela on Tuesday evening, one day after a person was killed as protests turned violent.

The crisis-hit country is facing another wave of disruption after Maduro was officially declared the winner of Sunday's vote, awarding the authoritarian left-wing leader a third six-year term in office.

At least 46 people have already been arrested in various cities across the South American country, the non-governmental organization Foro Penal wrote on the social media platform X on Monday.

The reported death occurred in the northern state of Yaracuy, although further details were initially unknown. A further five people are believed to have suffered serious gunshot wounds.

Television footage showed police using tear gas and occasionally striking people. Shots were also fired at demonstrators who were marching to the presidential palace in the capital Caracas, the newspaper El Nacional reported and video clips showed.

The shooters could be so-called Colectivos (Collectives), pro-government paramilitary groups that enforce the government's agenda through violence. The video shows police not intervening to prevent the attack on the demonstrators.

Opposition calls for more protests

The National Electoral Council officially declared Maduro the winner of the presidential election with 51.2% of the vote, while opposition candidate Edmundo Gonzalez received 44.2%.

The opposition has refused to recognize the official result and has made allegations of election fraud.

Opposition leader Maria Corina Machado said to media representatives on Monday that the government opponents had access to 73% of the result lists, which indicated an insurmountable lead for the challenger.

She said Gonzalez had won in all states and received over 6.2 million votes, while Maduro received only 2.7 million.

The opposition has called for a large demonstration against the government for Tuesday. The government camp also plans to bring its supporters to the streets.

Maduro, who has been in power since 2013, said that over 100 attacks have been recorded in the country since Sunday, blaming the United States and the opposition.

"This is a fascist, counter-revolutionary and criminal group," he added.

The US government and several Latin American countries have expressed doubts about the official election result.

However, Maduro has received support from Latin American countries such as Cuba and Honduras, as well as political backing from China and Russia.

Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov on Monday decried the protests on Tuesday, saying: "Of course, it is very important that these attempts to aggravate the situation in Venezuela are not fuelled by third countries and that Venezuela remains free from external interference."

Maduro clings on as Venezuela suffers

Oil-rich Venezuela has suffered in recent years from mismanagement, corruption and international sanctions.

More than 80% of the population live below the poverty line.

According to the UN, over 7 million people - about a quarter of the population - have left the oil-rich country in recent years due to poverty and violence.

The desperate situation has led to repeated protests against Maduro's rule, but he has been able to survive despite intense pressure to step down.

After the last contested elections in 2018, opposition leader Juan Guaido declared himself the legitimate president of the country and was recognized by the United States and other Western countries, but Maduro was able to retain the support of powerful groups within Venezuela, including the military.

Following his latest controversial win, Maduro is set to begin his third six-year term in January 2025.

Nicolas Maduro (C), Venezuela's President, celebrates his re-election. -/Prensa Miraflores/dpa
United Launch Alliance successfully launched an Atlas V rocket from Floridas Space Coast on Tuesday morning.

ULAs rocket launched from the Cape Canaveral Space Force Station at 6:45 a.m.

Let's relive liftoff of the United Launch Alliance #AtlasV rocket carrying #USSF51 for the @SpaceForceDOD on ULA's 100th national security mission! pic.twitter.com/WtUKE6j5W9  ULA (@ulalaunch) July 30, 2024

The rocket is carrying a classified payload for the U.S. Space Force.

READ: Loggerhead sea turtle ready to head home after months of rehabilitation

ULA said this launch will be the last of its kind.

The company plans to turn its attention toward its new Vulcan rocket after the final Atlas V launch on Tuesday.

READ: Brevard Zoo is closer to breaking ground on the Aquarium and Conservation Center Project

The ULA launch team is authorized to begin cryogenic propellant loading operations as today's #AtlasV countdown proceeds on schedule. Weather is 85% favorable to launch the #USSF51 mission for @SpaceForceDOD and @USSF_SSC at 6:45amEDT (1045 UTC). https://t.co/HvvsExVAKR pic.twitter.com/cjGAlZ5f65  ULA (@ulalaunch) July 30, 2024

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Americans were highly tuned into this years presidential campaign throughout a month of momentous political news, with more now reporting hearing news about the major candidates than those who did so at this point in the 2020 cycle, according to the initial results of a CNN polling project called The Breakthrough. Over that time, conversations were dominated by the first presidential debate between former President Donald Trump and President Joe Biden, the assassination attempt against Trump, and ongoing discussions about Bidens health and electability.

Vice President Kamala Harris entrance into the race offers Democrats the possibility of a major campaign reset heading into this years Democratic convention  and as she made her campaign debut, the survey suggests Americans are far more focused on the change in the ticket than about her or her policies, leaving a lot of space to define her in voters minds.

The survey, conducted by SSRS and Verasight on behalf of a research team from CNN, Georgetown University and the University of Michigan, asks Americans what they have heard, read or seen about presidential candidates each week from Friday through Monday. In initial data from late June and through July, about 8 in 10 Americans said each week that theyd read or heard at least something about Biden or Trump, respectively. Thats higher than the share who were following the candidates at this time four years ago. The roughly comparable levels of attention to Biden and Trump also marks a shift from 2020, when Trump  then the incumbent  attracted more attention than Biden throughout most of the campaign.

Harris, meanwhile, is just beginning to face the full force of the national spotlight as the presumptive Democratic nominee. In the two days before Biden dropped out, only about half (53%) of Americans said theyd recently heard anything about her; afterwards, that surged immediately to about two-thirds (68%). The conversation, however, rarely got beyond the news of those days, with many Americans simply noting the start of her candidacy, as well as the flood of endorsements she received from other Democratic politicians.

Georgetown University, University of Michigan and s3mc.org

In late June, prior to the debate, the stories taking up the most oxygen around the Trump campaign revolved largely around his legal issues, with significant shares of the public noting the recent felony convictions against him  five of the top seven words used by respondents referenced his conviction in the first week of the poll. In late June, the Supreme Court ruling that Trump is entitled to some immunity from prosecution also drew some notice, with Supreme Court by far the top two-word pair used in describing what Americans had heard about Trump that week. But the focus had shifted away from his criminal conviction: first to his debate against Biden, and then to the assassination attempt against him. By contrast, two more standard campaign milestones  the Republican National Convention and Trumps selection of a running mate  drew less public attention.

Georgetown University, University of Michigan and s3mc.org

Discussion of possible Trump policies were also relatively muted, but the poll also found some mentions of Project 2025, a conservative playbook for the next Republican president published by the Heritage Foundation, that many Demodcrats have sought to emphasize. Project 2025 rose to be the second most frequently mentioned two-word phrase by the fourth week of the survey, though it slipped in frequency in the most recent week amid news of the assassination attempt and RNC. With Trump now squaring off against a new Democratic rival, theres different aspects of his candidacy that could gain attention in the campaigns remaining months.

The data around Biden charts the unrelenting negativity that characterized the end of his campaign. For weeks following the debate, his performance onstage remained the dominant topic surrounding the president  with debate one of the top two words used to describe what Americans had heard about the president in each week of the poll until it was replaced by drop and Covid in the most recent week. Broader questions about his health also rose to the top of Americans minds (by the fourth week of the project, 46% of those who heard, read or saw anything about Biden referred to his health), and then the increasing calls for him to exit the race. Six of the 10 most frequently used two-word phrases in the week before Biden ended his campaign included the word drop. Other topics, such as the Biden administrations executive actions on immigration earlier in June, largely disappeared from the conversation.

Georgetown University, University of Michigan and s3mc.org

The survey also asked about Robert F. Kennedy, Jr., who is mounting an independent bid for president, with 6 in 10 or more in each week reporting that they had heard nothing about him in recent days.

The Breakthrough survey project will run throughout the 2024 campaign, tracking the things Americans say they read, hear and see about the candidates.

The results provide a different lens on the campaign than much other election polling, demonstrating which current events, campaign narratives and media stories break through to the American public amid a perennially busy news environment. In past elections, the responses to that question highlighted overarching campaign dynamics, ranging from the looming presence of the coronavirus pandemic during the 2020 campaign, to the way mentions of Hillary Clintons email server dominated conversations throughout her 2016 campaign.

As part of the Breakthrough project, researchers also analyzed the tone of responses, measuring sentiment scores, or whether people used more positive or negative words in describing what they heard about presidential candidate. They also compared how Democrats and Republicans sentiments about their own partys candidate compared to what they were hearing about the opposing partys candidate.

Looking at the trend over time shows a sharp divergence between the conversations around Trump and Biden following the presidential debate. Prior to that, Republicans and Democrats alike offered slightly more positive impressions about the news surrounding their own partys candidate than the rival candidate. But afterwards, Republicans sentiment scores showed that they were far more positive about Trump than about Biden.

Georgetown University, University of Michigan and s3mc.org

At the same time, Democrats relative sentiments about Biden slumped  meaning that what they reported hearing about the president was only slightly more positive than what they reported hearing about Trump. Bidens in-party numbers on this metric never recovered before his exit from the race.

Read more about the Breakthrough here.

CNNs Dana Elobaid contributed to this story.

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Most young people who die by suicide in the US do not have previous mental health diagnoses, study suggests

Editors note: If you or someone you know is struggling with mental health, help is available. Dial or text 988 or visit 988lifeline.org for free and confidential support.

Suicide is a leading cause of death among young people in the United States, and new research suggests that the majority of young people who have died by suicide did not have a documented mental health diagnosis in their medical history.

About 3 out of 5 young people who died by suicide between January 2010 and December 2021 had no previously diagnosed mental health condition, according to the study, published Tuesday in the medical journal JAMA Network Open. This suggests that mental health problems might be going missed or undiagnosed, and thus untreated, in some young people.

The new study included data on people ages 10 to 24 from the US Centers for Disease Control and Preventions National Violent Death Reporting System, and it included more than 40,000 suicides.

Only 40.4% of the young people who died had a documented mental health diagnosis, such as clinical depression, schizophrenia or anxiety disorders, among others.

We discovered that certain youth who died by suicide were less likely to have a documented mental health diagnosis, including those who used firearms, were of minoritized race or ethnicity, males, and children younger than 14 years of age, study co-author Dr. Jennifer Hoffmann, an emergency medicine physician at Ann & Robert H. Lurie Childrens Hospital of Chicago and assistant professor of pediatrics at Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine, said in a news release.

Our findings point to the critical need to increase equitable access to mental health screening, diagnosis, and treatment for all youth, she said.

The data showed that the odds of having a documented mental health diagnosis varied across racial and ethnic groups and among youth who used firearms.

The odds of a diagnosis were lower among young people who were American Indian or Alaska Native and Black compared with White people and lower among Hispanic young people than non-Hispanics.

Hoffmann and her colleagues, from the Emory University School of Medicine and other US institutions, also found that the odds were lower among younger ages  10 to 14  compared with ages 20 to 24 and lower among men and boys compared with women and girls.

The researchers found that a mental health diagnosis was documented for 33.2% of young people who died by firearms, compared with 61.6% who died by poisonings; 45.8% who died by hanging, strangulation or suffocation; and 44.2% who died by other mechanisms.

To reduce the risk of youth suicide by firearms, counseling is needed to encourage parents to store firearms in the home safely. These messages should be delivered in community and school settings, in addition to doctors offices, Hoffmann said. Secure storage laws, also known as child-access prevention laws, have also been demonstrated to reduce firearm suicide rates, and more states need to enact this type of life-saving legislation.

The data also showed that most suicides, 64.8%, occurred at home, about half of the deaths  46.8%  were caused by a firearm, and the most common precipitating circumstances were intimate partner problems and family relationship problems.

Dr. Nina Mena, an Atlanta-based psychiatrist who treats people 3 and older, said she sees it all the time in her practice: A child expresses thoughts of suicide after having an argument with their parents or another family member or having their devices taken away as a consequence.

Many youth can get very upset given poor coping skills, poor emotional regulation and distress intolerance. They dont know how else to feel, therefore, they resort to feeling or saying they are suicidal due to feelings of emptiness as if theres nothing else for them in life, said Mena, who also serves as chief medical officer of CHRIS 180, a nonprofit that provides trauma-informed behavioral health services.

When this happens, you have to treat it seriously each time, she said. Make sure theyre in a safe space and that they dont have access to firearms, sharp objects, medications or anything they might use to kill themselves. And when things calm down, ask them  Hey, when you got angry, you mentioned that you wanted to kill yourself. Did you really feel that way? And even if they say they dont really feel that way, still send them to therapy, because they still need the coping skills so that they know the right things to say.

A rising suicide rate among preteens

A separate study, published Tuesday in JAMA Network Open, found that the suicide rate among US preteens increased significantly, by 8.2% annually, from 2008 to 2022. This rise followed a downward trend between 2001 and 2007.

Previous research has found that in 2021, suicide and homicide rates for children and young adults ages 10 to 24 in the US were the highest theyve been in decade. And more people of all ages died by suicide in the United States in 2022 than any other year on record, dating to at least 1941.

For the new study, researchers from the National Institutes of Health and other US institutions analyzed data from the CDCs Web-based Statistics Query and Reporting System in which suicide was listed as the underlying cause of death for more than 2,000 preteens, ages 8 to 12, from January 2001 to December 2022.

The data showed a disproportionate increase in female suicide rates relative to male expand on existing evidence depicting a narrowing of the historically large gap in youth suicide rates between sexes, the researchers wrote. Suicide was the 11th leading cause of death in female preteens between 2001 and 2007 and the 5th leading cause of death between 2008 and 2022, while suicide in male preteens ranked consistently as the 5th leading cause of death.

The researchers also found significant racial disparities, with Black preteens having the highest rates of suicide for both time periods and Hispanic preteens having the highest percentage increase in suicide rates.

The two new studies  detailing a growing suicide rate, racial disparities and potentially undiagnosed mental health conditions  highlight the need for better access to mental health care and services, especially for Black and brown young people, Mena said.

Individuals are not always seeking treatment when experiencing discrimination or racism, because they are taught to be strong and to just deal with it, she said. Since Black individuals may experience this as a community, it may not be recognized as a risk for mental illness when it is certainly considered a trauma that can lead to depression, anxiety, PTSD or more.

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MOUNTAIN GREEN, Utah (ABC4)  A motorcyclist has been hospitalized with life-threatening injuries after crashing into a road barricade on Trappers Loop in Morgan County on Monday night.

The Mountain Green Fire Protection District said the crash was reported near milepost 3 around 9 p.m. on July 29. The rider had reportedly struck the barrier and flew over the trailer and down the hill on the other side.

3 dead, 2 taken to hospital after boat capsizes on Lake Powell near Utah-Arizona border

The motorcyclist landed about 60 feet down the embankment and suffered life-threatening injuries. Green Fire crews were able to hike down the hill with equipment and provide life-saving medical care on the scene until the rider could be taken to a local area hospital.

Officials did not disclose the injuries or provide any identifying details  including age, name, or gender  about the motorcyclist.

It is currently unclear what led to the crash.

Copyright 2024 Nexstar Media, Inc. 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.
Will MSCS a/c units be ready before the school year?

MEMPHIS, Tenn.  As temperatures climb back into the 90s and the start of a new school year is right around the corner, the almost age-old question is whether HVAC systems in Memphis Shelby County School buildings will be ready to handle the soaring heat.

School board members such as Stephanie Love say they are already feeling the heat from people in their districts.

Two schools in my district emailed me. Theyre concerned about the air conditioning problem in my district, Love said. The schools in MSCS are old and we get our money from the county commissioners.

MSCS has nearly 500 teacher vacancies ahead of school year

Case in point, she says Whitney Elementary School and Raleigh Egypt High School have both dealt with recent air conditioning problems.

The typical age of MSCS school buildings is 64 years old. But county commissioners say building new schools and making repairs to aging infrastructure isnt cheap.

I hope that the air conditioning is top of priority for the district to get completed, said Charlie Caswell, County Commissioner representing Raleigh.

The county funds MSCS and county commissioners say the districts deferred maintenance costs cant be ignored either.

I think that its been brought to us that the deferred maintenance is almost about a billion dollars. Were talking about 50 or 60-year-old schools, Caswell said.

Schools chief says overtime abuse costs district $1M

Commissioners also say there are other priorities.

When you talk about building a new Regional One, when youre talking about a new jail thats needed, its so many things that do need to be done but many of our constituents or taxpayers dont want to talk about the concern of raising taxes, Caswell said.

School board members say theyll have questions for MSCS leaders about making sure students and teachers are cool when school starts.

Im going to ask the superintendent if all schools have air conditioning and will they be ready the first day of school, Love said.

MSCS is said to be conducting a district-wide look at school building needs, conditions, and costs.

Copyright 2024 Nexstar Media, Inc. 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.
MSP captain who ran for governor is latest forced departure after failing to report error

LANSING  Capt. Michael Brown, the Michigan State Police district commander who was a Republican candidate for governor in 2022, is retiring Sept. 1 after an internal affairs investigation found he failed to properly report a mistake made by troopers under his supervision.

Michigan State Police Capt. Michael Brown

"The bottom line is, I made a mistake on policy and I took responsibility for it," Brown told the Free Press on Sunday.

The suspensions at the 5th District, which involve two other senior officers in addition to Brown, are the latest in a series of high-ranking departures at the MSP, which has been in turmoil in the wake of a promotions and test-rigging scandal at the Flint post late last year that ended five careers, plus other recent departures of high-ranking officers.

Brown, the commander of the MSP's 5th District in Paw Paw in southwestern Michigan, was placed on administrative leave July 16, along with the assistant district commander and a detective lieutenant.

The discipline was in response to an incident last August when members of the 5th District fugitive team arrested a suspect in Indiana and transported the woman to Michigan without following extradition proceedings required by law and by MSP policy.

MSP spokespeople did not respond to questions Monday about Brown or discipline for the other two high-ranking 5th District officers involved.

Brown said the Indiana incident involved young troopers and he chose to treat it as a training issue. But under MSP policy, he was supposed to report the incident to the MSP's professional standards section, which is more commonly known as internal affairs.

"I should have looked at the policy," Brown said.

Brown said he had intended to remain with the MSP until the summer of 2025 but agreed to retire early to resolve disciplinary action against him. He was facing a recommended demotion, which he disagreed with, he said.

"It's been a great run," said Brown, who started with the MSP 36 years ago as a trooper at the St. Joseph post, which no longer exists.

He said he has high regard for the MSP and nothing negative to say about it. He does not feel he was targeted for becoming a candidate to challenge Democratic Gov. Gretchen Whitmer in the 2022 election, he said.

Brown was one of five Republican candidates for governor removed from the August 2022 primary ballot due to significant numbers of forged signatures on the required petitions they submitted to the state. Brown withdrew his name voluntarily after learning about the forged signatures. Four other candidates, including the presumed front-runner, former Detroit Police Chief James Craig, had their names removed by the Board of State Canvassers.

Norton Shores businesswoman Tudor Dixon won the Republican primary and lost to Whitmer by more than 10 percentage points in the November 2022 general election.

In the earlier and unrelated scandal at the Flint post, an internal affairs investigation determined that four promotions from trooper to sergeant and three promotions from sergeant to lieutenant were rigged under the leadership of the former Flint post commander, 1st Lt. Yvonne Brantley, who was forced to retire early in 2024 or be fired, according to records the Free Press obtained under Michigan's Freedom of Information Act.

Brown, a lifelong Michigan resident and former U.S. Marine, is a graduate of Siena Heights University in Adrian. He is a former member of the Berrien County Board of Commissioners.

In a Wednesday email to MSP colleagues, Brown noted some of the agency's accomplishments he played a role in and the many changes he has seen over his career.

"The one thing that is constant are the men and women that go out every day to keep the communities safe," Brown said in the email. "I am proud to say I have always stood with them."

Contact Paul Egan: 517-372-8660 or pegan@freepress.com. Follow him on X, @paulegan4.

This article originally appeared on Detroit Free Press: MSP captain who ran for governor retires early to resolve discipline
HANOI, July 30 (Xinhua) -- Vietnam's exports of wood and wood products are expected to top 17.5 billion U.S. dollars this year thanks to favorable factors like the global economic recovery, Vietnam News reported Tuesday, citing the Ho Chi Minh City Handicraft and Wood Industry Association.

The newspaper cited industry insiders as saying that the country's wood and wood product exports were expected to boom in the second half of this year amid positive signs from the global economy.

Nguyen Chanh Phuong, the association's vice chairman, said firms had more export orders in the first half of the year compared to the same period last year, and some have enough to keep them busy until the end of the year.

Exports to new markets such as India and the Middle East have seen remarkable growth, he said.

Ngo Sy Hoai, general secretary of the Vietnam Timber and Forest Products Association, said having abundant materials mainly sourced domestically and with traceability was another important factor in the export growth.

As of July 15, revenue of Vietnam's wood and wood product exports hit 8.1 billion dollars, a year-on-year increase of 23.3 percent, according to customs figures. 
One of the reasons given for Democratic Gov. Roy Cooper deciding to take himself out of the veepstakes was that he worried what could happen if Republican Lt. Gov. Mark Robinson became acting governor.

Weve already seen examples of what happens in such a situation, because Cooper has traveled out of state many times over the past three-and-a-half years.

If history is any guide, the result would be less about policy and more about getting attention.

The North Carolina Constitution designates the lieutenant governor to serve as acting governor if the governor is out of the state, The News & Observer has previously reported. The states governor and lieutenant governor do not run as a ticket, so are often from different political parties.

Coopers top adviser, Democratic strategist Morgan Jackson, told The N&O on Tuesday that the biggest factor in Cooper not wanting to be the running mate for likely Democratic presidential nominee Kamala Harris was that it isnt the right time for Cooper and his family. Robinson as acting governor was one of many reasons, not a deciding reason, he said.

Robinson is more of a distraction than anything else, Jackson said, saying he has a penchant for pulling stunts.

I dont think its helpful for the administration of government or in the middle of a political campaign, either one, Jackson said.

North Carolina Gov. Roy Cooper, top left, and Attorney General Josh Stein, center left, wait backstage with Democratic strategist Morgan Jackson (facing away) at a Stein campaign rally at Shaw University in downtown Raleigh on Tuesday, Oct. 10, 2023.

Of the many times Cooper has left the state or country, just once did Robinson decide to pull rank. Cooper was on a trip to Japan in October.

Coopers spokesperson at the time, Sam Chan, told The N&O then that it was a stunt after Robinson announced a special event would be happening the next day.

Courts across the country in states with similar constitutional provisions have held that executive succession clauses do not apply where the Governor is able to communicate and direct state business and there is no need for action by the Lieutenant Governor. This stunt by the Lieutenant Governor and attempt to undermine our states democracy is harmful to North Carolinas reputation and a reason he should never be trusted with real responsibility, she said.

Lt. Gov. Mark Robinson speaks during a press conference at the Legislative Building in Raleigh, N.C., Thursday, Oct. 12, 2023.

Robinsons event was a news conference announcing that he had issued a proclamation in solidarity with Israel, along with a day of prayer, soon after the Israel-Hamas war began. Robinson also downplayed past antisemitic comments he had made on social media.

Cooper told The N&O in December that Robinson acted for purely political purposes.

Robinson, who is the Republican nominee for governor, has not taken any other action when Cooper has been out of the state. Robinsons campaign declined to comment for this story.

The rest of Coopers term

Cooper was never asked to provide documents for Harris to use to vet him, said Jackson, Coopers adviser.

But Cooper never said publicly he was out of the running. He dodged reporters questions as recently as Thursday, while campaigning for Harris at a news conference in Raleigh, answering questions by saying there a lot of good people that she can choose as her vice presidential nominee.

Cooper decided after being mentioned as a possible contender that Im just not going to talk about this at all, Jackson said. So he wasnt saying he was in, wasnt saying he was out. It was just, were not going to engage in this conversation, and frankly, not intended to engage in it. And then clearly, some, some information came out of the Harris campaign to New York Times, they wrote it, and you go from there.

Jackson said a VP pick was Harris news to announce, not Coopers.

He also said that Coopers age, at 67, wasnt a factor in not seeking the VP spot.

Jackson said that a lot of people have been talking to the governor for over a year now, urging him to run for the U.S. Senate in 2026.

I think his plans are to finish serving as governor, get Josh Stein elected, hopefully get North Carolina turning blue for Kamala Harris. Then hell sit down and think about what he wants to do, Jackson said. He said that Cooper has made no decisions.

Cooper told The N&O in an interview in December that he wanted to focus in his final year in office on infrastructure and teacher pay. The General Assembly adjourned for most of the summer without a new budget bill, but did OK the teacher raises already planned from the 2023 budget.

Power of the legislature

Unlike in other states, the governor in North Carolina doesnt have sweeping power  its the General Assembly that calls the shots most of the time.

And thats especially true when one party has a supermajority in the legislature, as Republicans do now.

Republicans can override Coopers vetoes and pass policy they want if they stick together  regardless of whether Robinson is in charge.

The legislature has removed more and more power from the governor over the years, most recently taking away appointments to governing boards and commissions.

Cooper and Robinsons relationship

Cooper and Robinson see each other occasionally at public events. They sit next to each other at monthly Council of State meetings, with Cooper at the head of the table and Robinson always seated to his right. They interact only briefly, usually in greeting and then during the meeting.

The duties of a governor are outlined in the state constitution and include residing in the Executive Mansion, presenting a budget proposal, sharing information in what has become the State of the State speech, appointing people to various boards and commissions, convening General Assembly sessions in certain circumstances and granting pardons.

The lieutenant governors duties include presiding over the Senate but only voting to break a tie, and serving on the Council of State, State Board of Education and State Board of Community Colleges. Robinson rarely presides over the Senate, but regularly attends Council of State meetings. Those meetings usually last less than an hour, and end with the 10 statewide elected officials taking turns going around their conference table to share updates and events. Robinson generally highlights information about firefighters and law enforcement.

Gov. Roy Cooper shakes hands with Lt. Gov. Mark Robinson as House Speaker Tim Moore and Senate Leader Phil Berger look on after Cooper delivered his State of the State address to a joint session of the N.C. General Assembly on Monday, March 6, 2023.

Robinson has office space in the Legislative Building, but the primary office for the lieutenant governor is in the Hawkins-Hartness House on Blount Street, less than a block from the Executive Mansion.

Cooper and Robinson also interact in the State of the State address, given every two years in the House chambers in front of the full House, Senate, Council of State and N.C. Supreme Court. Robinson presides at the House speakers podium.

Who is in charge with the governor away?

The state Constitution says: During the absence of the Governor from the State, or during the physical or mental incapacity of the Governor to perform the duties of his office, the Lieutenant Governor shall be Acting Governor, and state law lays out the order of who is in charge next.

The Council of State consists of 10 statewide elected officials including, from left, Lt. Gov. Mark Robinson, Gov. Roy Cooper and Secretary of State Elaine Marshall. Robinson, a Republican, is running for governor in 2024.

After the governor and lieutenant governor, the next person is the president of the Senate, but the lieutenant governor is the president of the Senate. The Senate president pro tempore, currently Phil Berger, leads the Senate but is not mentioned in the succession provision.

The law then outlines that if there isnt a president of the Senate, the next person would be the House speaker, who is currently Tim Moore. After that is the secretary of state. That scenario actually played out in May, when Cooper, Robinson, Moore and Berger were all in Washington, D.C., for the unveiling of a Billy Graham statue at the U.S. Capitol. Democratic Secretary of State Elaine Marshall did not take any action that day as acting governor.
MYRTLE BEACH, S.C. (WBTW)  A Myrtle Beach resort held back commission payments and other compensation to hundreds of former employees, a federal class action lawsuit claims.

Westgate Oceanfront Resort also failed to pay out reserves from previously accumulated commissions once workers resigned or were fired, the complaint filed Thursday in U.S. District Courts Florence division alleges.

class-lawsuit-filed-against-MB-resortDownload

This Court has jurisdiction  because at least one class member is of diverse citizenship, there are more than 100 Class members and the aggregate amount in controversy exceeds $5 million, the suit says.

Central Florida Investments LLC, Westgates parent company, did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

Lead plaintiff Jane Helms worked selling timeshares for two years on a commission-only basis ahead of filing the suit. According to her complaint, Westgates timeshare division pays workers based on the number of sales made or customers they persuade to take tours.

Myrtle Beach hotel housekeeper allegedly sexually assaulted in closet fired after reporting act, lawsuit claims

As a condition of their employment, workers had to maintain accumulated reserve funds of around $3,000 to $4,000 to reimburse Westgate for rescinded commissions.

The reserve funds were, unless charged back against by the defendants, fully the property of the plaintiff and other similarly situated employees, the suit says.

Once a persons employment with Westgate ended, they were entitled to any money in reserve accounts not charged back to the company. Instead, the lawsuit alleges, Westgate would repeatedly claim that outgoing employees owed more than was available in their reserve accounts.

Defendants have made a pattern and practice of wrongfully retaining and converting employees reserve funds and have consistently refused to release said funds to employees, often stating that the reserve funds are depleted or that the terminated employee actually owes money back, the lawsuit states.

Westgate Myrtle Beach and its parent are being sued for breach of contract, breach of good faith, unjust enrichment, conversion and violations of the states Fair Wages Act.

* * *

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.
NABJ members divided over decision to allow Trump to speak at conference

The National Association of Black Journalists (NABJ) announced late Monday evening that former President Trump will speak at the organizations annual conference this week in Chicago, sparking a furious debate among Black reporters.

Though some said the event will offer Black journalists the opportunity to grill Trump on how he plans to address the most pressing issues facing Black Americans, others have expressed concerns over the former presidents rhetoric both toward and around Black Americans.

Ken Lemon, NABJs president, said the organization understands the serious work of our members and that this will be the opportunity for them to ask the tough questions that will provide the truthful answers Black Americans want and need to know.

It was a sentiment echoed by several other members of the organization, including Jemele Hill, a contributing writer for The Atlantic.

Hill said journalists can never be afraid to tackle someone like Trump.

The reality is that he is running for president and needs to be treated as such, Hill posted on social platform X. Being questioned by journalists is part of the job, and especially important in the company of Black journalists. Mainstream media keeps trying to convince us that he actually is gaining support among Black people. Lets see if its true.

NABJ invitations to candidates are not new. In 2004, both George W. Bush and John Kerry spoke at the convention. In 2007, Barack Obama and Hillary Clinton addressed the convention.

Vice President Harris was also invited to speak this year; her response is pending, according to the organization.

Trump, who is hoping to win 20 percent of Black voter support this election, has already made several campaign stops in predominantly Black communities this cycle. He is now leaning into Wednesdays event.

In a press release announcing the event, Trumps campaign said he has accomplished more for Black Americans than any other president in recent history by implementing America First policies on the economy, immigration, energy, law and order, and foreign policy.

Separately, in a statement to The Hill, Janiyah Thomas, Black media director for Team Trump, said Trumps visit showed he wanted to come to the group to earn their support.

While Kamala Harris has ignored the invitation from the National Association of Black Journalists, President Trump is grateful for the opportunity to bring his message to their diverse audience, she wrote. Team Trump believes its important to give Black journalists more access to presidential candidates so they can better inform Black voters. President Trumps message is resonating with Black voters and all communities deserve to hear what he has to say. Tomorrows event once again proves that unlike Kamala Harris, President Trump is willing to meet people where they are to earn their trust and support.

Tia Mitchell, Washington correspondent for The Atlanta Journal-Constitution, said she helped make the call to invite Trump.

Ill continue to work to create opportunities for journalists to interview the potential next president, Mitchell added.

But Arionne Nettles, author of We Are the Culture: Black Chicagos Influence on Everything, pointed out on X that not a single Black media organization is represented in the panel of moderators for the event. Instead, the conversation will be moderated by ABCs Rachel Scott, FOX Newss Harris Faulkner and Semafors Kadia Goba.

Not even any Black orgs? On top of everything. So please dont claim to give opportunities to anyone but those who would already have them, Nettles said.

Nettles is not the only critic of NABJs decision to offer Trump a platform.

On Tuesday afternoon, Karen Attiah, a columnist for The Washington Post, announced she would be stepping down as co-chair of the convention.

I have decided to step down as co-chair from this years NABJ24 convention in Chicago, Attiah posted on X. To the journalists interviewing Trump, I wish them the best of luck.

Attiah continued, While my decision was influenced by a variety of factors, I was not involved or consulted with in any way with the decision to platform Trump in such a format.

April Ryan, NABJs 2017 Journalist of the Year, offered a harsh rebuke of the organizations decision, highlighting the treatment she received from Trump during his time in the White House.

The reports of attacks on Black women White House correspondents by the then president of the United States are not myth or conjecture, but fact, said Ryan, White House correspondent for theGrio.

To have a presumed orchestrated session with the former president is an affront to what this organization stands for and a slap in the face to the Black women journalists (NABJ journalists of the year) who had to protect themselves from the wrath of this Republican presidential nominee who is promoting an authoritarian agenda that plans to destroy this nation and her democracy with his Project 2025. I object to this NABJ session with Donald Trump in Chicago.

Ryan has been open about the treatment she faced from Trump during press conferences, including when she was repeatedly told to sit down and when the former president called her nasty and a loser.

Trump has also previously gone after CNNs Abby Phillip, accusing her of asking a lot of stupid questions.

Others pointed out controversial statements Trump has made about the city of Chicago, a hub for Black journalism and the hometown of icons like Ida B. Wells.

I would like to unwelcome @NABJ for surprising Chicago with this Trump news, a man who has threatened Chicago with state violence in his stump speechesand attracts a white supremacist following to a Black affinity space, Morgan Elise Johnson, co-founder of The Triibe, a Black-led and focused newsroom in Chicago, posted on X.

The discussion has now bled into other areas, with nonjournalist organizations offering a harsh condemnation of NABJ.

NABJ has betrayed legacy of Ida B Wells, Cliff Albright, co-founder of Black Voters Matter, posted on X.

This story was updated at 2:11 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.
Whats in a name? How the popular North Side neighborhood came to be known as Andersonville

CHICAGO  Nestled in the larger Edgewater community area on Chicagos North Side, Andersonville is one of many unique neighborhoods that make up the citys fabric.

Its Chamber of Commerce website says, Andersonville is known for its Swedish roots, historic architecture, and bustling urban main street, Clark Street. When you arrive in Andersonville, you feel you have arrived someplace special.

Andersonville is home to one of Chicagos largest LGBTQ+ populations and, according to its Chamber of Commerce, is also recognized as the shop local capital of Chicago for supporting a large network of local and independent businesses.

If you go by the City Neighborhoods Map, passed by City Council in 1993, Andersonville is bordered by the neighborhoods Bowmanville to the east and Ravenswood to the south and is enveloped by the rest of Edgewater to the north and east.

It also sits across from the Uptown community area to the southeast and is across from Rosehill Cemetery, Chicagos largest and oldest cemetery, to the northeast.

By these metrics, the major streets comprising the borders of Andersonville are North Ravenswood Avenue on the west, West Foster Ave. on the south, West Bryn Mawr Ave. on the north and North Magnolia Ave. on the East.

READ MORE: Urban sanctuary: For $3.99M, Andersonville home packs a big punch into a city lot  plus no snow shoveling

Of course, borders are often a matter of interpretation when it comes to Chicagos neighborhoods, depending on who you ask  like real-estate agents, for example  so Andersonville can also be considered as extending further east into Edgewater and southeast into Uptown.

Whatever the interpretation, North Clark Street is at the heart of Andersonville.

Why the name?

So, how did the neighborhood come to be known as Andersonville?

The answer is essentially a business decision.

According to the non-profit Edgewater Historical Society in a website post about the beginnings of the Andersonville Chamber of Commerce, merchants in the 1960s were looking for something to revitalize the neighborhoods once-vibrant commercial strip, which was starting to become dotted with empty storefronts.

The Uptown moniker previously applied, the EHS says, had developed negative connotations, so business leaders were seeking a different name for their commercial district, one that would honor the Swedish heritage of the area.

The area was officially dedicated as Andersonville, the EHS says, on Oct. 17, 1964, with a parade and speeches by Gov. Otto Kerner, Sen. Charles Percy and Mayor Richard J. Daley.

The EHS says a June 20, 1969, Chicago Tribune article by Mary Daniels credits the naming of the neighborhood as Andersonville to Dr. Grant Johnson. The surname Anderson, with its -son suffix, denotes a Swedish lineage, which is very prominent in the neighborhood.

READ MORE: Andersonville Vintage Market gives new purpose to the past

In a phone interview with WGN, LeRoy Blommaert  one of the founding members of the EHS, who has probably researched more about the history of Edgewater than anyone  confirmed Andersonvilles naming origins.

But Blommaert also noted that when Dr. Johnson chose the name, it was meant only to apply to the commercial district there. Over the years, however, residential areas north, east and south of the commercial district also came to be considered Andersonville.

It was successful beyond his wildest dreams, Blommaert said of the doctors choice of the Andersonville name.

And that name has developed a sterling reputation, which has only allowed the neighborhood to extend its borders. As mentioned, these can be fluid, so real-estate agents and developers wont hesitate to put a little extra shine on any properties near the area by claiming theyre in Andersonville.

Andersonville has positive cache, Blommaert says.

Named after a plaque?

While we know why Andersonville first got the name it carries today, why was it named that way? There has to be some notable Anderson from the first part of the name Andersonville, right?

Well, yes. But who exactly that Anderson was, how the Andersonville title should actually have been spelled, and why Dr. Johnson chose that name, render an interesting historical tale.

As you would assume, Andersonville got its moniker from someones surname, but thats not why Dr. Johnson chose it.

Blommaert did some digging on that, and he laid out his conclusions in a summer 2011 entry thats on the EHS website archives. You can check out his full article HERE.

Its a lot of history to sift through, and Blommaert does a great job of it. Here are the main conclusions he reached about why Dr. Johnson chose Andersonville:

There was an old school in the neighborhood, where a Lake View township organizing meeting was held in 1857.

On the building that replaced the old school, a bronze plaque was placed to commemorate it and the significant meeting that was held there.

The name of the school was Andersonville, as commemorated on the plaque.

SUNDAY BRUNCH: m.henry has been an Andersonville staple for over 20 years

So, Blommaert concluded and affirmed with WGN, its actually the plaque, not a person or even the school named Andersonville itself  which was gone by then  that was undoubtedly the reason for why Dr. Johnson chose Andersonville as a name for the commercial district in the 1960s.

So it wasnt a persons name, but a schools name, that inspired the doctors decision.

Who was Anderson (or Andersen)?

So now we know why Andersonville got the name that stuck and why it was chosen.

But that still doesnt answer this question: Who was Anderson? If the neighborhood was named after a school that was commemorated on a plaque, then why was that school named Andersonville in the first place?

Now the story gets more tangled.

At one time, Blommaert confirmed, it was believed that the Andersonville moniker came from John Anderson, who in the late 1840s acquired land north of the area.

The -son suffix in Anderson would line up with the Swedish heritage Andersonville is known for.

So this is a logical answer to explain why people figured the old school was named Andersonville, and why the neighborhood carries that name today: John Anderson came to the area with a Swedish lineage, a school was named after him, and business leaders in modern times decided to go with that name, too.

But not so fast.

In his research, Blommaert has found that Andersonville was not named after John Anderson at all. The facts just dont line up.

For one, John Andersons farm wasnt even in the location we call Andersonville today. For another, Swedes didnt really begin settling in large numbers to the area until after 1905, which is when residential and commercial development in what is now Andersonville really started to grow.

As for the old school named Andersonville, Blommaert says that came from the subdivision in the area that first bore the Andersonville name.

And the man who inspired that subdivisions name, Blommaert concludes, was Rev. Paul Andersen, a Norwegian. Note the important distinction between the -son and -sen suffixes, with -sen being of Norwegian descent.

Blommaert found this major evidence in his summer 2011 article:

A special Andersonville special from the Oct. 7, 1964, edition of the Swedish American Tribune states that Andersonville owes its name to Rev. Paul Andersen, and the school  and therefore the plaque later commemorating the school  was named after Andersen, not Anderson.

This story gives no source for its claim, but there was indeed a Rev. Paul Andersen, and a short history of his life and work was provided by A.T. Andreas in his History of Chicago (Vol. 1), published in 1884.

According to Andreass work, Andersen was born in Norway in 1821, came to Chicago in 1848, founded the First Norwegian Evangelical Lutheran Church, and assisted Swedish immigrants new to Chicago, which gave rise to the citys first Swedish Lutheran Church.

Therefore, according to the facts, it seems clear that Rev. Paul Andersen is indeed the man behind the Andersonville name, not John Anderson.

DAYTIME CHICAGO: Andersonville Farmers Market celebrating Its 15th season

Unfortunately, Blommaert says, you cant find the document from the founding of the original Andersonville subdivision in the mid-1800s to truly prove it. Thats because those records were destroyed in the Great Chicago Fire in 1871.

There is one final question: If the neighborhood owes its name to Rev. Paul Andersen  who died in October 1891  and not John Anderson, then why is it Andersonville and not Andersenville?

Blommaert has done extensive research on that, too, and hes concluded  as is often the case with historical research  that theres no satisfactory answer.

Most likely, Blommaert reasons, its all just due to clerical discrepancies. He notes that Andersens own name was often spelled differently, referencing newspaper clippings and area directories that used an o, while his obituary in the Tribune used an e.

It wasnt unusual for immigrant surnames to be misspelled or changed upon arrival in America in those days, so the simple morphing of Andersenville to Andersonville in popular usage is a very plausible scenario.

Whatever the origins or intended usage of the name, one fact is clear: Andersonville is what everyone calls the neighborhood today, and that probably wont change anytime soon.

So after all his research, Blommaert says hes developed a simple answer if asked why Andersonville is called what it is today.

An ancient name that was resurrected later to mean something different, he 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 WGN-TV.
This photo provided by NASA shows the Starliner spacecraft docked to the Harmony module of the International Space Station, orbiting 262 miles above Egypt's Mediterranean coast, on June 13, 2024. | NASA via Associated Press

Over 50 days into a mission originally scheduled to last 10 days, NASA and Boeing officials say they are working to prepare for an agency review this week of flight readiness for Boeings Starliner space capsule which exhibited multiple issues on its debut crewed flight to the International Space Station that launched June 5.

Following a test firing of thrusters on the docked Starliner capsule Saturday, and weeks of ground-based testing to identify problems with the small propulsion devices that help the spacecraft navigate and maneuver, mission officials say they are ready to assemble and submit the collected data for review. They expressed optimism that the spaceship would be safe to transport veteran NASA astronauts Suni Williams and Butch Wilmore back to Earth in a long-delayed completion of the mission.

The #Starliner crew and ground teams completed a test of the spacecrafts reaction control system thrusters today.



The jets were fired for short bursts, one at a time, to provide data for analysis of the systems.



Teams will evaluate the results of the test firings over the next pic.twitter.com/ttWBsijZ0p  NASA Commercial Crew (@Commercial_Crew) July 27, 2024

My job is to provide a safe vehicle for return of the crew, said Mark Nappi, vice president and program manager of Boeings Commercial Crew Program, during a press conference last Thursday. Im very confident we have a good vehicle to bring the crew back with. We need to take the next steps to show that information to everybody else.

Previous reports from NASA detailed that five of 28 maneuvering thrusters failed to perform as expected during Starliners docking at the space station on June 6. Engineers also identified five small helium leaks, some of which were detected before the spacecraft launched. Helium is used in the capsules thruster firing procedure. The issues have led to a series of delays for Starliners return flight.

Ground-based tests at NASAs White Sands Testing Facility in New Mexico have attempted to recreate the conditions that led to the thruster failures. While four of the failed units have been brought back online and appear to be operating within expected parameters, one of the thrusters has been shut down for the remainder of the mission. Officials say they believe the thruster failures are the result of unexpected levels of heat generation and have identified a number of potential causes that they continue to investigate.

When will Starliner return to Earth?

If the capsule is given a green light following the agency flight readiness review process, Starliner could be set for a return flight in August. If the spacecraft is deemed unsafe to return Williams and Wilmore, NASA Commercial Crew Program manager Steve Stich noted there are backup contingencies in place, thanks to SpaceXs Dragon Crew Capsule program which has completed almost a dozen missions ferrying astronauts back and forth to the ISS.

Obviously, the luxury in our program today  is we have two different systems that we are flying, Stich said at last weeks press conference. I would rather not go into all of those details until we get to that time, if we ever get to that time, on what we plan to do but the beauty of having Dragon and Starliner, two different space transport systems is we can kind of use those as backups.

Both Stich and Nappi have previously noted that Starliner has been OKd for use as an emergency return vehicle, should an unseen event at the space station lead to the need for an evacuation, and that the primary option is for Williams and Wilmore to return on the Boeing capsule. There are currently six spacecraft docked at the ISS, including Starliner, and two of them, the SpaceX Dragon and Russian Soyuz MS-25 crew ship, are capable of carrying astronauts back to Earth in addition to Starliner.

Utahs Dugway Proving Ground was considered a primary return landing site at the beginning of Starliners mission, but its not clear whether the west desert location will still be at the top of the list for the capsules return. Other possible landing sites include two targets in the vast White Sands Missile Range, New Mexico, and Willcox, Arizona, according to NASA. Edwards Air Force Base in California is available as a contingency landing site.
A man Nashville police shot and killed last month while responding to a report of a stabbing at a Bellevue apartment complex was hit four times  once in the head  by gunfire, according to an autopsy report.

Officers were called to an apartment on Ridgelake Parkway about 4 a.m. June 27 when a man called to report that his 25-year-old brother, Max Van Sickle, was having what appeared to be a manic episode. Van Sickle held a knife to his brother's throat, according to audio released of the 911 call.

More: Nashville police officer kills stabbing suspect at Bellevue apartment

Three officers  identified as Jonathan Scull, George Poulos and Ben Mincer  went to find Van Sickle after talking with his brother.

"As they approached the apartment where the initial altercation took place, in the darkness, the 25-year-old came down the steps of the apartment complex very quickly from a breezeway," MNPD spokesperson Don Aaron said the day of the shooting. "He was approaching the officers very fast. There were two officers with Tazers at the ready and another officer with his firearm at the ready."

Van Sickle had a knife in his hand when he came bounding down the stairs toward the officers.

Scull fired four shots at Van Sickle. He suffered gunshot wounds to his chest, abdomen, left arm and head. He also had Delta-9 THC, a legal form of THC in Tennessee, in his system at the time of his death, according to the autopsy.

"Autopsy examination had findings of multiple gunshot wounds with devastating injuries to bilateral lungs, the aorta, the large intestines, skull and brain," the autopsy report said.

This article originally appeared on Nashville Tennessean: Autopsy report: Suspect shot, killed by police hit by four bullets
Following a round of social media backlash, a chair member of the Political Task Force for the National Association of Black Journalists is defending the organizations decision to invite Republican nominee Donald Trump to its 2024 convention.

I helped make this call. And its in line with invitations NABJ has sent to every presidential candidate for decades, Tia Mitchell, the Washington correspondent for the Atlanta Journal-Constitution, posted on X in a response to another user complaining about the decision. But continue to go off on your feed. Ill continue to work to create opportunities for journalists to interview the potential next President.

Though Trump did not attend the NABJ Conventions in 2020 or 2016, several other presidential hopefuls have over the years. Former Presidents George W. Bush Jr., Barack Obama and Bill Clinton have all attended this convention as either presidents or candidates.

On Monday, the media organization confirmed that Trump would be joining the 2024 National Association of Black Journalists Convention and Career Fair in Chicago, its biggest event. Trump will participate in a conversation on Wednesday, the first day of the convention. That conversation will be moderated by senior congressional correspondent for ABC News Rachel Scott; anchor of The Faulkner Focus and co-host of Outnumbered on Fox News Harris Faulkner; and politics reporter at Semafor Kadia Goba. The event will not be open to the public but will be live-streamed via NABJs YouTube and Facebook pages.

Soon after its announcement, the upcoming event sparked outrage. The decision to have Trump at the event has been called some naaaaasty work, the single dumbest and worst decision in NABJ history and extremely disappointing.

Many journalists have been further infuriated by how the Trump campaign have advertised the event. In a press release, the Trump Vance campaign claimed that President Trump accomplished more for Black Americans than any other president in recent history.

College students from Texas were literally crowd-sourcing to raise money to attend THIS NABJ conference because organizational budgets for Black and POC students were eliminated due to racist, anti-DEI legislation brought forth by this former President and his cronies, Amber Sims, co-founder and executive director of the student-centered organization Young Leaders, Strong City, posted.

Im truly disgusted to see Black journalists, especially young, unemployed and queer, who spent what little they had to go to a convention be reminded that @NAJB values clout over community, Ernest Owens, a writer at large specializing in politics for Philadelphia Magazines G Philly and CEO of Ernest Media Empire, wrote on X. Its disappointing.

When NABJ first announced the Trump session on Monday, the organizations president, Ken Lemon, noted that theyre looking forward to attendees hearing from Trump on critical issues our members and their audiences care about most.

While NABJ does not endorse political candidates as a journalism organization, we understand the serious work of our members, and welcome the opportunity for them to ask the tough questions that will provide the truthful answers Black Americans want and need to know, Lemon wrote at the time.

The NABJ did not immediately respond to TheWraps request for comment.

The post National Association of Black Journalists Chair Defends Decision to Invite Trump to 2024 Convention appeared first on TheWrap.
MoveOn will back Democratic state Rep. Janelle Bynum and U.S. Rep. Andrea Salinas in their congressional campaigns. (Campaign photos)

A national group that plans to spend more than $32 million to elect Democrats to federal office is backing two Oregon congressional candidates.

MoveOn, one of the countrys largest progressive organizations, endorsed U.S. Rep. Andrea Salinas and Democratic candidate Janelle Bynum on Tuesday. The endorsements, shared first with the Capital Chronicle, mean the two Oregon women will benefit from house parties, digital ads, phone banks and canvassing led by MoveOn.

Its part of a $32 million plan laid out by the 25-year-old organization, which this year plans to target surge voters  the Democratic-leaning voters, especially young voters and people of color, who turned out in droves to repudiate then-President Donald Trump in the 2018 and 2020 elections but who havent become regular voters. The group estimates it can reach about 11 million of these voters.

Prior to President Joe Biden dropping out of the presidential race last week, a lack of enthusiasm, especially among young voters and voters of color, showed up consistently in polls that had Biden losing to Trump. Early polling and anecdotal reports suggest more enthusiasm with Vice President Kamala Harris securing enough delegates to take over the top of the ticket.

Low turnout in the Willamette Valley was one factor in Salinas narrow 2022 win over Republican Mike Erickson in the 6th Congressional District, which includes Polk and Yamhill counties and parts of Marion, Clackamas, and Washington counties. Shell face Erickson, a businessman from Lake Oswego who self-funds his campaigns, again in the November general election.

In the neighboring 5th Congressional District, which runs from Portland to Bend, Bynum is challenging first-term Republican Rep. Lori Chavez-DeRemer. There are more registered Democrats than Republicans in both districts, and Biden won both in 2020.

The Oregon candidates are among 21 House candidates backed by MoveOn, which is also targeting key Senate races in Arizona, Nevada, Ohio, Pennsylvania and Wisconsin.

Our members endorsed these candidates because they will prioritize a people-first agenda for Oregonians that will empower our communities while ensuring our rights and freedoms do not collapse at the hands of the MAGA-run Republican Party, MoveOn Political Action spokesperson Britt Jacovich said. MoveOn members know how critical it is to vote to keep control of the U.S. House away from MAGA extremists who intend to take our country backward through their Project 2025 agenda.

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ASHEVILLE - What started as a grassroots movement to spark discussions about Black men and mental health awareness has now grown into a national effort targeting a group whose work you see every day but might not immediately think of: Barbers.

For the past three years, The Confess Project of America has brought a project called "Beyond the Shop" to Asheville, emphasizing the need for mental health resources in places where close bonds are traditionally made by lining up beards, getting a fresh cut and making casual, but often meaningful, small talk.

Jordon Lewis, CEO of The Confess Project, a nonprofit dedicated to improving mental health advocacy for Black men and boys, leads a Beyond the Shop seminar in Asheville, July 22, 2024.

Jordon Lewis, CEO of The Confess Project  a nonprofit dedicated to improving mental health advocacy for Black men and boys and founded by her husband, Lorenzo Lewis  said the idea of providing a class for barbers came from the "intimate" nature of trust and rapport built with someone cutting your hair.

"Already the trust is built," Jordon Lewis said of relationships with hairdressers. "They see you at your best. They see you at your worst."

For men of all races, Jordon Lewis noted, mental health awareness has lagged. The Anxiety and Depression Association of America estimates that over 6 million men in the United States suffer from depression each year, but cases often go undiagnosed, something she said is likely due to the stigma and lack of space to talk about it.

The hope is that once resources go in the hands of those who often interact with each other, a well-equipped barber could help "unlock the door to getting to the other side."

Darryl Cannady, owner of Legends Barber and Beauty Shop on New Leicester Highway in Asheville.

The message of finding community and safety through a haircut rings true for Asheville barbers like Darryl Cannady, who owns Legends Barber and Beauty Shop off of New Leicester Highway. Part of getting a haircut has an element of being like therapy, Cannady said.

"Sometimes I think that getting a haircut is therapeutic," Cannady said. "They leave with some free counseling or some free advice. There is a range of things that they come to the barber shop for but they leave with something."

"That's our job here," he continued.

Since its 2016 founding, the program has visited 63 cities and has directly reached "about 5,000" barbers, Jordon Lewis said. Their current goal is to indirectly reach 120 million Americans through the program.

Darryl Cannady, owner of Legends Barber and Beauty Shop, at his chair in the salon, July 26, 2024.

Stories have gotten back to them. One example is a barber who had a client come in and suggest he was getting "his last cut." When the barber asked what he meant, the boy had responded with: "I'm getting my hair cut so that my family didn't have to worry about it for my funeral," Jordon Lewis said.

The barber took no time at all in carefully talking to the young man and then provided him with a lifeline: 988.

The 988 Suicide and Crisis Lifeline launched in 2022 after the passage of the National Suicide Hotline Designation Act of 2020, officially transitioning from the original 10-digit number to an easy-to-remember emergency number akin to 911. In mid-July, the Department of Health and Human Services announced that the lifeline has answered more than 10 million texts, calls and chats following a $1.5 billion investment from the Department of Health and Human Services.

"We are proud to say that the young man is still going to the barber to get his haircut," she said.

Michael Hall shares a story with attendees of the Beyond the Shop seminar in Asheville, July 22, 2024.

A serious topic, accompanied with laughter, stories

The program only came to Asheville after a barber in Johnson City, Tennessee, suggested it might benefit from the program and expanded resources for local barbers. This year, Jordon Lewis said they're working toward opening a new beauty school in the area.

Since Asheville-Buncombe Technical Community College has a waitlist for their Barber Academy  the only licensed in Buncombe County and one of the few in the region  Jordon Lewis said their goal is to get enough funding to bring a new beauty school to Asheville. They anticipate the funding by the end of the year, she said.

"I believe that will help many young people who realize: I don't have to go to college for two to four years to get a profession  I can get it in 10 months," Cannady said of the prospect of a new barber school coming to Asheville.

Though designed to expand resources for barbers, Beyond the Shop is not limited to barbers and The Confess Project encourages all mental health advocates and workers to participate.

On the third day of their program, four people  all of whom are local social workers  participated in a morning session to obtain their Community Mental Health Advocate certificate. The morning was filled with jokes, laughter and serious dedication to improving the mental healthcare of Western North Carolina.

Attendees of the Beyond the Shop seminar discuss their experiences, July 22, 2024, in Asheville.

The 988 Lifeline is a major part of Jordon Lewis' work, but so is the mantra that they are not therapists, she said. They just have the resources to point people in the right direction and find new ways to reach out to those who are in need, which doesn't just include men.

Operation Gateway, an Asheville-based nonprofit launched in 2023 to reduce recidivism by addressing the social determinants of the health of people returning from prison, sponsored the event this year. The training drew local community health workers like Angelique Scott, a community health worker supervisor with the Asheville-based Institute for Preventative Healthcare and Advocacy.

Tonya Cunningham, a minority behavioral health associate with Operation Gateway, said one of the most shocking elements of the training was learning about just how many men are suffering "in silence." The hope is that they can now return to work ready to help them.

"Now, we can be the voice for those people," she said.

Need help?

If you or someone you know is in need of mental health resources and support, please call, text or chat the 988 Suicide & Crisis Lifeline or visit 988lifeline.org for 24/7 access to free and confidential services.

More: Asheville, Buncombe tax hikes coming; some homeowners can get $500 back; NC has flat tax

More: Asheville's Homelessness board will likely dissolve as work of new CoC begins

Will Hofmann is the Growth and Development Reporter for the Asheville Citizen Times, part of the USA Today Network. Got a tip? Email him at WHofmann@citizentimes.com. Please help support this type of journalism with a subscription to the Citizen Times.

This article originally appeared on Asheville Citizen Times: Nonprofit targets mental health awareness, new Asheville barber school
SYDNEY, July 30 (Xinhua) -- Australian police said on Tuesday that reports of human trafficking and slavery reached an all-time high in the 2023-2024 fiscal year, with an annual hike of 12 percent.

According to the latest figures released by the Australian Federal Police (AFP), authorities received 382 reports of modern slavery and human trafficking offenses, recording an increase of 12.35 percent from 340 reports the previous fiscal year.

Among them, 109 reports were related to human trafficking, with 91 regarding forced marriage. There were also 69 reports of forced labor.

AFP Human Exploitation Commander Helen Schneider noted that the statistics on human trafficking were more than just numbers.

"They represent innocent lives in the community. By raising awareness of the laws in Australia and supporting victims, we can make strides in eradicating this crime," Schneider said.

"This increase is likely attributed to increased awareness of these crimes in the Australian community," the commander added.

Tuesday also marked the United Nations (UN) World Day Against Trafficking in Persons, with this year's theme focusing on "Leave No Child Behind in the Fight Against Human Trafficking."

Data from the UN suggested that one in three victims of human trafficking globally is a child, and the majority of these trafficked children are girls. 
LAS VEGAS (KLAS)  U.S. Sen. Catherine Cortez Masto on Monday introduced legislation to create a new national monument in eastern Nevada at a sacred Native American site of three massacres in the 19th century, sometimes called Swamp Cedars.

The Bahsahwahbee National Monument would protect a valley between Ely and Great Basin National Park, about 265 miles north of Las Vegas. The area is about 25,000 acres. Bahsahwabee translates in the Shoshoni language as sacred water valley.

The Newe people gathered at the site for religious ceremonies when one of the largest recorded massacres of Native Americans in U.S. history occurred, resulting in the death of 525 to 700 men, women and children, according to a news release announcing the legislation.

(Map courtesy of SwampCedars.org)

The Spring Valley Massacre of 1859, the Swamp Cedars Massacre of 1863 and the Swamp Cedars Massacre of 1897 are personal for tribal members. The attacks followed for alleged raids on settlers and their property. The history was told in a January article by The Associated Press that interviewed Delaine Spilsbury, an Ely Shoshone elder who has worked for federal recognition of the sacred site:

The people that were killed here were left here, said Spilsbury, sitting at dusk in a camp chair nestled among the trees. Their spirits, their bodies are in those trees. And so we darn sure are going to protect those people.

For more than a century, the history of the massacres was recounted on a need-to-know basis. Charlene Petes mother closed the doors and drew the blinds the day she told her children about the violence against their Goshute ancestors  trained from her days at a boarding school to believe shed face punishment for recalling her heritage.

Delaine Spilsbury, an Ely Shoshone elder, smells a branch from a Rocky Mountain juniper tree in Bahsahwahbee on Nov. 11, 2023, a site in eastern Nevada that is sacred to members of the Ely Shoshone, Duckwater Shoshone and the Confederated Tribes of the Goshute Reservation. Their ancestors were massacred by white people on several occasions at this site, and tribal members believe their spirits live on in the trees. (AP Photo/Rick Bowmer)

Swamp Cedars refers to the juniper trees in the valley. Rocky Mountain junipers  known locally as swamp cedars for the springs they rely on to survive hot summers  are usually found thousands of feet higher on mountains.

Cortez Mastos announcement on Monday marks a major step forward in the effort to protect the land.

This legislation is a critical step in pushing for the creation of the Bahsahwahbee National Monument, said Senator Cortez Masto. We have a responsibility to protect this landscape and honor the memory of those killed in the massacres in Eastern Nevada, and Ill continue working with all local Tribes and communities to ensure we can best support and preserve this sacred place.

The effort to create the monument is likely to go political very quickly. The federal government controls 80% of the land in Nevada. Republican Gov. Joe Lombardo has been critical of the slow process to free up land for development, and he has alluded to the Avi Kwa Ame National Monument south of Las Vegas. Republicans have fought Democrats use of the Antiquities Act to create more national monuments, with Nevada, Utah and Arizona at the center of the fight.

Avi Kwa Ame National Monument advisory committee forming

Cortez Masto vowed to push the Biden administration to protect the Bahsahwahbee site.

Its not the first fight over the natural and cultural resources in the area.

In the early 2000s, an effort to pipe water to fast-growing Las Vegas targeted the area. The pipeline project ultimately failed when the Nevada Division of Water Resources denied the applications to pump water, ruling it was against the public interest. The state controls access to the water.

Cortez Mastos bill prioritizes tribal partnership in the management and interpretation of the new national monument.

A statement issued by Amos Murphy, Chairman of the Confederated Tribes of the Goshute Reservation, Debbie ONeil, Chairwoman of the Duckwater Shoshone Tribe, and Alvin Marques, Chairman of the Ely Shoshone Tribe:

The Biden-Harris Administration has specifically asked for Tribal-led proposals to preserve culturally significant lands and our Tribes have done just that with our National Monument campaign. Thanks to Senator Cortez Mastos introduction of legislation today, we are closer than ever, but time is running out for action. We call on the Biden-Harris Administration to follow through and establish this national monument for the benefit of Tribal Nations, Nevadans, and all Americans.

Sen. Catherine Cortez Masto (D-Nev.) addresses reporters following a procedural vote on the Border Act at the Capitol on Thursday, May 23, 2024.

Cortez Mastos bill directs the Secretary of the Interior to enter into partnerships with the Confederated Tribes of the Goshute Reservation, the Ely Shoshone Tribe, and the Duckwater Shoshone Tribe in Nevada to facilitate management and public education related to the monument, according to a news release.

The legislation establishes an advisory council of local tribal members, as well as other members of the public, to advise Interior in the management of the monument. The proposal preserves existing public access, grazing, water rights, and transportation and utility corridors, while recognizing special days and circumstances when public areas will be closed to allow tribes to practice their traditional cultural activities, the news release said.

Copyright 2024 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.

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Monique DeSpain, a white woman with medium-length brown hair, poses with her arm on a fence in front of an out-of-focus background of a house and trees.

Air Force veteran Monique DeSpain, a Republican, will challenge U.S. Rep. Val Hoyle, D-Oregon, in the 4th Congressional District. (Campaign photo)

National Republicans will provide more support to congressional candidate Monique DeSpain in her campaign against first-term Democratic incumbent Val Hoyle.

The National Republican Congressional Committee announced Monday that DeSpain is one of its 26 Young Guns, the committees designation for top challengers to Democratic representatives. Being part of that list brings more mentorship and support from the national group.

Extreme House Democrat Val Hoyle has fueled the border, crime and cost of living crises that are wreaking havoc on Oregonians safety and security, committee spokesman Ben Petersen said in a statement. Monique DeSpain is in a prime position to flip Oregons 4th District red and help grow our House majority in November.

Hoyle won the 4th Congressional District along the southern coast and Eugene by more than 7 points and 25,000 votes over 2022 Republican nominee Alek Skarlatos. But Republicans have remained optimistic about the 2024 match, arguing that Air Force veteran DeSpain is a stronger candidate and that Hoyle has been damaged by news about racial discrimination lawsuits from her tenure as labor commissioner and her connections to a troubled cannabis company.

The state Republican Party is also trying to block the Libertarian Party of Oregon from nominating candidates, including in the 4th District. Minor candidates from the Libertarian Party, Independent Party of Oregon, the right-leaning Constitution Party and the left-leaning Pacific Green Party earned more than 21,000 votes in the districts 2022 election.

DeSpain said in a statement that she was honored to be named to the Young Guns list.

Val Hoyle has been a rubber stamp for all the worst policies coming out of Washington, D.C., and is under federal investigation for a pay-to-play scheme in Oregon, DeSpain said. Voters are in desperate need of an authentic servant leader who will listen to and represent them with transparency and integrity and enact real and lasting policies that address their top concerns.

National Democrats acknowledged Hoyle faced a tough race in May, moving her to its frontline list of vulnerable incumbents. Hoyle consistently lags the states other Democratic candidates in competitive districts in fundraising, though she has outraised DeSpain.

Notably, the Republican committee did not include Mike Erickson, the GOP nominee in the 6th Congressional District, on its list of candidates. Erickson lost to Democratic Rep. Andrea Salinas by just 2.4 points in 2022 after pumping millions of his own money into the race.

This time around, national Republicans have demonstrated less enthusiasm about the rematch. Erickson has lost three congressional races, including bids in 2006 and 2008 that were derailed by news that he had paid for an ex-girlfriends abortion while publicly opposing abortion rights.

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Republican presidential nominee and former President Donald Trump shakes hands with U.S. Sen. Steve Daines, R-Mont., at the National Republican Senatorial Committee building on June 13, 2024, in Washington, D.C. Trump was visiting Capitol Hill to meet with Senate Republicans and participate in additional meetings. (Photo by Anna Moneymaker/Getty Images)

WASHINGTON  Montana U.S. Sen. Steve Daines, who is in charge of flipping the chamber from blue to red this November, said Tuesday he expects his home state will play a key role in ensuring a Republican majority come January.

Daines, who is chairman of the National Republican Senatorial Committee, said that of the four toss-up states that will determine control of the Senate, he believes Montana is the most likely to choose a new senator over the incumbent, Democrat Jon Tester.

Of all of the states were currently battling, itd be the most likely pick-up right now, if you graded on a curve, Daines said.

Republicans expect to gain the West Virginia Senate seat currently controlled by independent Joe Manchin III, who is retiring. But, theyll need one more pick up to hold at least 51 seats in the 100-member chamber and secure the majority.

The Cook Political Report with Amy Walter categorizes Ohio, Michigan, Montana and Nevadas races as toss-ups, while the other Senate races are rated as at least leaning toward Democrats or Republicans.

Electoral trends

Daines said that he expects the November elections will follow a trend from 2016 and 2020, in which the winner of the Senate race very closely tracks with which presidential candidate wins in their state.

The only exception, of 69 races in 2016 and 2020, with Trump on the ballot, was Susan Collins  where Joe Biden won Maine, but Susan Collins won the Senate race, Daines said, referring to former President Donald Trump, President Joe Biden and the current Republican senator from Maine. History shows in a presidential year, these races will all start to track by the time we get to the end of October, and then on Election Day, importantly, well be tracking pretty close with the presidential ballot.

Daines, who was sitting for a panel interview with members of the Regional Reporters Association at the National Republican Senatorial Committee offices in Washington, D.C., said the party is applying the lessons learned from 2022 to this years campaigns.

Democrats targeted their messaging effectively two years ago, while Republicans had candidates that were able to win primary elections, but were not as appealing in a general, Daines said.

And thats why one of the key strategies here at the NRSC was to be intentional in primaries, Daines said, adding he wanted fewer wounds and battle scars for the GOP candidates who won their primaries as they went into the general election campaign.

Daines said that he doesnt expect reproductive rights and issues around democracy to be as central to how voters cast ballots this year as compared to 2022.

In 22 the Democrats mentioned a lot on abortion and a lot on January 6 and the threat to democracy, Daines said. I think both of those issues are going to be less powerful in the 24 election.

On abortion specifically, he said that GOP Senate candidates are messaging well on this back in their respective states.

Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee spokesperson Tommy Garcia said in a written statement that Senate campaigns are candidate vs candidate battles, and Senate Democrats will win because we have the better candidates in every single battleground.

Steve Daines failure to vet his candidates has saddled Senate Republicans with deeply flawed recruits who are embroiled in a never ending series of scandals: theyve been caught lying about their biographies, face vulnerabilities stemming from their finances and are running on a platform of deeply unpopular policies, Garcia added.

Montana focus

Daines said he expects Montana voters will elect Republican candidate Tim Sheehy over Tester in November, citing data from former election years as well as how recent transplants to the state have registered to vote.

Weve had a net migration of center-right voters to Montana since Jon Tester was last on the ballot, Daines said. He won by 18,000 votes against Matt Rosendale back in 2018. Weve had 100,000 new voters move to Montana since 2018. If you look at the voter rolls, by a 2-to-1 margin, theyre Republicans.

Daines said he refers to these transplants as COWs since they are leaving California, Oregon and Washington states to live in Montana  the first letters of each state. He also says they arent looking to bring the blue-leaning politics of their former states to their new home.

These are refugees, not missionaries, Daines said. Theyre moving to Montana to join us, not to change us. And thats how thats shifting the political numbers in Montana; just mathematically, it becomes increasingly difficult for Jon Tester to win.

Daines said that mid-July polling in the race mirrors what he experienced ahead of his last re-election.

The polling data that we are seeing with Tim Sheehy matches exactly where I was polling with Steve Bullock by the same pollster four years ago, Daines said, referring to the former Democratic governor who ran for Senate in 2020. And we ended up winning by 10 points.

When thats combined with the millions of dollars that Democrats have spent on Testers re-election campaign, Daines said the odds are good for Republicans.

(Senate Majority Leader Chuck) Schumer and Tester have poured $45 million of negative ads on Tim Sheehy since last November, Daines said. Weve never seen anything like it in any Senate race in the history of the United States that early, that much money spent. And the fact that Tim Sheehy is tied up right now on public polls is quite remarkable.

DSCC Chairman Gary Peters, a Michigan Democrat, told States Newsroom on Tuesday that he expects Tester will win reelection.

Hes wrong. Hes not going to flip Montana. Jon Tester is a strong candidate. Hes authentic. Hes running against a seriously flawed candidate that the Republicans have put forward. Clearly they didnt do any vetting before they recruited him to run in Montana, Peters said. And people in Montana, want someone whos authentic, has lived in the state and understands the challenges of people in Montana. And thats Jon Tester.

Nevada battleground

Daines also has hopes that the GOP can pick up Nevada, where Democratic Sen. Jacky Rosen is facing a challenge from Republican candidate Sam Brown.

During the 2022 Senate race, he noted that Democratic Sen. Catherine Cortez Masto defeated Republican candidate Adam Laxalt by about 8,000 votes.

It was the tightest Senate race that cycle. Thats four votes per precinct, Daines said. Thats not lost, certainly on both sides of the ledger.

Had Laxalt been running during a presidential election year, when rural voters tend to turn out in higher numbers than during midterm election years, Daines said Laxalt would have won a seat in the Senate.

Looking at more recent polling numbers in Nevada, Rosens ballot number is very low. Shes in the low 40s. Thats a big warning sign for an incumbent, Daines said. It also shows theres great upside for Sam Brown at the moment.

Michigan race

In Michigan, which presents another chance for Republicans to gain and potentially grow a Senate majority, Daines said he isnt worried about negative ads from the Republican primary impacting their prospects during the general election.

You always worry about  whether youre on the Democratic or Republican side  damaging primaries. And something that we have done at the NRSC in this particular election cycle, is to be intentional about getting behind candidates early in primaries, Daines said. And Michigans an example of that.

The NRSC and Trump both endorsed GOP candidate Mike Rogers early, he said.

And so far in this election cycle, theres been $250 million less spent in Republican primaries versus last cycle, Daines said. Democrats have spent $60 million more in their primaries versus last cycle. And in part thats due to a strategy that we had to get behind candidates early and try to minimize primary battles.

Daines wasnt too concerned about recent polling that shows Democrat Elissa Slotkin ahead of Rogers in a likely general election match up.

Its not a new phenomenon, Daines said. Generally, we run behind.

Maryland, Minnesota, New Jersey hopes

Daines has hope for GOP candidates in other states that traditionally send Democrats to the Senate.

In Maryland, he expects former Gov. Larry Hogan has a chance to defeat Prince Georges County Executive Angela Alsobrooks for the open seat.

When Republicans polled the chances for Hogan before he entered the race, they showed he had higher favorability than when he left office, Daines said.

And while Daines said he knows that Kamala Harris will likely win Maryland by 25 points or more, he still expects Hogan will have a strong campaign.

Thats not a new phenomenon for Larry Hogan. And so he will run in this maverick kind of lane, Daines said, noting that Hogan has distanced himself from Trump.

Daines sought to put a little bit of distance between the NRSC and the Aug. 13 Republican Senate primary in Minnesota when asked about the candidates, though he said he stood by a previous comment that Royce White cant win the GOP primary or the general election.

Well wait and see how the primary shakes out in Minnesota. Again, its coming up here pretty soon, mid-August, Daines said. But yeah, I think Joe Fraser is going to be a more electable candidate, certainly in the general.

Whichever GOP candidate wins the primary will face Democratic Sen. Amy Klobuchar in the general election, fighting for a seat that is rated as solid Democratic by The Cook Political Report.

New Jersey Democratic Sen. Bob Menendezs recent conviction has also led Daines to not entirely count the state out, though the odds are long.

Curtis Bashaw, he said, is a very strong candidate.

Its a race were keeping an eye on, Daines said. Obviously, whenever you have an open seat, its an opportunity. And with Menendezs problems that doesnt help overall.

Menendez isnt seeking re-election and will resign from the U.S. Senate in August. Democratic Rep. Andy Kim, who was pictured cleaning up litter inside the U.S. Capitol following the Jan. 6 attack, was elected as the Democratic nominee.

The Cook Political Report rates the race as Solid Democrat.

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Republican presidential nominee and former President Donald Trump shakes hands with U.S. Sen. Steve Daines, R-Mont., at the National Republican Senatorial Committee building on June 13, 2024 in Washington, D.C. Trump was visiting Capitol Hill to meet with Senate Republicans and participate in additional meetings. (Photo by Anna Moneymaker/Getty Images)

Montana U.S. Sen. Steve Daines, who is in charge of flipping the chamber from blue to red this November, said Tuesday he expects his home state will play a key role in ensuring a Republican majority come January.

Daines, who is chairman of the National Republican Senatorial Committee, said that of the four toss-up states that will determine control of the Senate, he believes Montana is the most likely to choose a new senator over the incumbent, Democrat Jon Tester.

Of all of the states were currently battling, itd be the most likely pick-up right now, if you graded on a curve, Daines said.

Republicans expect to gain the West Virginia Senate seat currently controlled by independent Joe Manchin III, who is retiring. But, theyll need one more pick up to hold at least 51 seats in the 100-member chamber and secure the majority.

The Cook Political Report with Amy Walter categorizes Ohio, Michigan, Montana and Nevadas races as toss-ups, while the other Senate races are rated as at least leaning toward Democrats or Republicans.

Electoral trends

Daines said that he expects the November elections will follow a trend from 2016 and 2020, in which the winner of the Senate race very closely tracks with which presidential candidate wins in their state.

The only exception, of 69 races in 2016 and 2020, with Trump on the ballot, was Susan Collins  where Joe Biden won Maine, but Susan Collins won the Senate race, Daines said, referring to former President Donald Trump, President Joe Biden and the current Republican senator from Maine. History shows in a presidential year, these races will all start to track by the time we get to the end of October, and then on Election Day, importantly, well be tracking pretty close with the presidential ballot.

Daines, who was sitting for a panel interview with members of the Regional Reporters Association at the National Republican Senatorial Committee offices in Washington, D.C., said the party is applying the lessons learned from 2022 to this years campaigns.

Democrats targeted their messaging effectively two years ago, while Republicans had candidates that were able to win primary elections, but were not as appealing in a general, Daines said.

And thats why one of the key strategies here at the NRSC was to be intentional in primaries, Daines said, adding he wanted fewer wounds and battle scars for the GOP candidates who won their primaries as they went into the general election campaign.

Daines said that he doesnt expect reproductive rights and issues around democracy to be as central to how voters cast ballots this year as compared to 2022.

In 22 the Democrats mentioned a lot on abortion and a lot on January 6 and the threat to democracy, Daines said. I think both of those issues are going to be less powerful in the 24 election.

On abortion specifically, he said that GOP Senate candidates are messaging well on this back in their respective states.

Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee spokesperson Tommy Garcia said in a written statement that Senate campaigns are candidate vs candidate battles, and Senate Democrats will win because we have the better candidates in every single battleground.

Steve Daines failure to vet his candidates has saddled Senate Republicans with deeply flawed recruits who are embroiled in a never ending series of scandals: theyve been caught lying about their biographies, face vulnerabilities stemming from their finances and are running on a platform of deeply unpopular policies, Garcia added.

Montana focus

Daines said he expects Montana voters will elect Republican candidate Tim Sheehy over Tester in November, citing data from former election years as well as how recent transplants to the state have registered to vote.

Weve had a net migration of center-right voters to Montana since Jon Tester was last on the ballot, Daines said. He won by 18,000 votes against Matt Rosendale back in 2018. Weve had 100,000 new voters move to Montana since 2018. If you look at the voter rolls, by a 2-to-1 margin, theyre Republicans.

Daines said he refers to these transplants as COWs since they are leaving California, Oregon and Washington states to live in Montana  the first letters of each state. He also says they arent looking to bring the blue-leaning politics of their former states to their new home.

These are refugees, not missionaries, Daines said. Theyre moving to Montana to join us, not to change us. And thats how thats shifting the political numbers in Montana; just mathematically, it becomes increasingly difficult for Jon Tester to win.

Daines said that mid-July polling in the race mirrors what he experienced ahead of his last re-election.

The polling data that we are seeing with Tim Sheehy matches exactly where I was polling with Steve Bullock by the same pollster four years ago, Daines said, referring to the former Democratic governor who ran for Senate in 2020. And we ended up winning by 10 points.

When thats combined with the millions of dollars that Democrats have spent on Testers re-election campaign, Daines said the odds are good for Republicans.

(Senate Majority Leader Chuck) Schumer and Tester have poured $45 million of negative ads on Tim Sheehy since last November, Daines said. Weve never seen anything like it in any Senate race in the history of the United States that early, that much money spent. And the fact that Tim Sheehy is tied up right now on public polls is quite remarkable.

DSCC Chairman Gary Peters, a Michigan Democrat, told States Newsroom on Tuesday that he expects Tester will win reelection.

Hes wrong. Hes not going to flip Montana. Jon Tester is a strong candidate. Hes authentic. Hes running against a seriously flawed candidate that the Republicans have put forward. Clearly they didnt do any vetting before they recruited him to run in Montana, Peters said. And people in Montana, want someone whos authentic, has lived in the state and understands the challenges of people in Montana. And thats Jon Tester.

Nevada battleground

Daines also has hopes that the GOP can pick up Nevada, where Democratic Sen. Jacky Rosen is facing a challenge from Republican candidate Sam Brown.

During the 2022 Senate race, he noted that Democratic Sen. Catherine Cortez Masto defeated Republican candidate Adam Laxalt by about 8,000 votes.

It was the tightest Senate race that cycle. Thats four votes per precinct, Daines said. Thats not lost, certainly on both sides of the ledger.

Had Laxalt been running during a presidential election year, when rural voters tend to turn out in higher numbers than during midterm election years, Daines said Laxalt would have won a seat in the Senate.

Looking at more recent polling numbers in Nevada, Rosens ballot number is very low. Shes in the low 40s. Thats a big warning sign for an incumbent, Daines said. It also shows theres great upside for Sam Brown at the moment.

Michigan race

In Michigan, which presents another chance for Republicans to gain and potentially grow a Senate majority, Daines said he isnt worried about negative ads from the Republican primary impacting their prospects during the general election.

You always worry about  whether youre on the Democratic or Republican side  damaging primaries. And something that we have done at the NRSC in this particular election cycle, is to be intentional about getting behind candidates early in primaries, Daines said. And Michigans an example of that.

The NRSC and Trump both endorsed GOP candidate Mike Rogers early, he said.

And so far in this election cycle, theres been $250 million less spent in Republican primaries versus last cycle, Daines said. Democrats have spent $60 million more in their primaries versus last cycle. And in part thats due to a strategy that we had to get behind candidates early and try to minimize primary battles.

Daines wasnt too concerned about recent polling that shows Democrat Elissa Slotkin ahead of Rogers in a likely general election match up.

Its not a new phenomenon, Daines said. Generally, we run behind.

Maryland, Minnesota, New Jersey hopes

Daines has hope for GOP candidates in other states that traditionally send Democrats to the Senate.

In Maryland, he expects former Gov. Larry Hogan has a chance to defeat Prince Georges County Executive Angela Alsobrooks for the open seat.

When Republicans polled the chances for Hogan before he entered the race, they showed he had higher favorability than when he left office, Daines said.

And while Daines said he knows that Kamala Harris will likely win Maryland by 25 points or more, he still expects Hogan will have a strong campaign.

Thats not a new phenomenon for Larry Hogan. And so he will run in this maverick kind of lane, Daines said, noting that Hogan has distanced himself from Trump.

Daines sought to put a little bit of distance between the NRSC and the Aug. 13 Republican Senate primary in Minnesota when asked about the candidates, though he said he stood by a previous comment that Royce White cant win the GOP primary or the general election.

Well wait and see how the primary shakes out in Minnesota. Again, its coming up here pretty soon, mid-August, Daines said. But yeah, I think Joe Fraser is going to be a more electable candidate, certainly in the general.

Whichever GOP candidate wins the primary will face Democratic Sen. Amy Klobuchar in the general election, fighting for a seat that is rated as solid Democratic by The Cook Political Report.

New Jersey Democratic Sen. Bob Menendezs recent conviction has also led Daines to not entirely count the state out, though the odds are long.

Curtis Bashaw, he said, is a very strong candidate.

Its a race were keeping an eye on, Daines said. Obviously, whenever you have an open seat, its an opportunity. And with Menendezs problems that doesnt help overall.

Menendez isnt seeking re-election and will resign from the U.S. Senate in August. Democratic Rep. Andy Kim, who was pictured cleaning up litter inside the U.S. Capitol following the Jan. 6 attack, was elected as the Democratic nominee.

The Cook Political Report rates the race as Solid Democrat.

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Sonya Massey: Black woman shot, killed by officer in Illinois sparks cry for justice in Jacksonville

Dozens of people gathered at Lift Evry Voice and Sing Park to honor Sonya Masseys life.

She is the woman who was shot by a deputy in Illinois earlier this month.

The Jacksonville Community Action Committee hosted Mondays events to call for change.

More than 50 people came out demanding justice for Massey and all the other victims whove lost their lives to police brutality.

Say her name... Sonya Massey, the crowd chanted.

There were a lot of emotions at tonights gathering.

RELATED: Autopsy confirms Sonya Massey died from gunshot wound to head, as attorney calls shooting senseless

Im angry after everything thats happened since 2016 when I became conscious, you know, I was 16 years old, of police brutality, Lizzy George-Griffen, a Jacksonville resident said.

Speakers from several organizations spoke about the injustice.

On July 6, Massey was shot and killed in her Illinois home by Deputy Sean Grayson.

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She had called 9-1-1 about a possible prowler on her property, but Grayson shot her when she went to take a pot of water off the stove.

He has since been fired and charged with murder.

Despite the charges, it has left many in the Black community afraid and angry.

RELATED: Sonya Massey shooting: Deputys body camera footage released

There is such thing as generational terror amongst Black people and amongst people of color in general, Jacksonville Community Action Committee Kiana Blaylock said.

Local protesters are calling for a civilian oversight committee. Many cities have civilian review boards but Jacksonville does not.

A JSO spokesperson told us they have not received any requests from these groups to add one. They said in part quote, We are unable to respond without understanding their requests and speaking with them.

RELATED: With DUI-related ejection from Army, deputy who killed Massey should have raised flags, experts say

While we have no connection to the case in Illinois , the Jacksonville Sheriffs Office will continue to train our officers at the highest standards to protect and serve our great community.

Sheriff T.K. Waters is against review boards. He told Action News Jax last year -- they make it harder to investigate the facts. In June, he spoke when one of his own officer was arrested.

We hold people accountable, Sheriff Waters said.

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Action News Jax records show six officers and four corrections officers with JSO have been arrested so far this year.

Our list includes officers arrested by other agencies as well.

A spokesperson for JSO released the following statement on Sonya Massey and tonights vigil:

It would be inappropriate for the sheriff or this administration to comment on short notice as this case did not happen in JSOs jurisdiction and we do not have all of the facts. To our knowledge, we have not received any requests from either of the groups you listed below. We are unable to respond without understanding their requests and speaking with them. That said, the sheriffs views on Citizen Review Boards remain the same. Sheriff Waters does not support citizen review boards in Jacksonville. While we have no connection to the case in Illinois, the Jacksonville Sheriffs Office will continue to train our officers at the highest standards to protect and serve our great community. Our commitment to public safety remains the top priority and we will continue to do that with integrity. Jacksonville Sheriff's Office

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Navajo plans to test limit of tribal law restricting the transportation of uranium on its land

FILE - , ore pile is the first to be mined at the Energy Fuels Inc. uranium Pinyon Plain Mine Wednesday, Jan. 31, 2024, near Tusayan, Ariz. Navajo President Buu Nygren vowed to carry out a plan to enact roadblocks to prevent the transportation of uranium ore through the reservation while the tribe develops regulations to cover what are the first major shipments of uranium through its land in years. (AP Photo/Ross D. Franklin, File)

PHOENIX (AP)  The Navajo Nation planned Tuesday to test the limits of a tribal law that sets conditions for hauling uranium on its land by ordering tribal police to stop trucks carrying the ore and return to the mine where it was extracted in northern Arizona.

But before tribal police could catch up with two semi-trucks on federal highways, they learned the vehicles under contract with Energy Fuels Inc. no longer were on the reservation.

Navajo President Buu Nygren vowed to carry out the plan to enact roadblocks while the tribe develops regulations over the first major shipments of uranium ore through the reservation in years.

Obviously the higher courts are going to have to tell us who is right and who is wrong, he told The Associated Press. But in the meantime, youre in the boundaries of the Navajo Nation.

The tribe passed a law in 2012 generally opposing the transport of radioactive material on its land. The law outlines the ways the tribe could deny companies from hauling the material across the Navajo Nation. But it exempts state and federal highways that Energy Fuels has designated as hauling routes between the Pinyon Plain Mine south of Grand Canyon National Park for processing in Blanding, Utah.

Still, Nygren and Navajo Attorney General Ethel Branch believe the tribe is on solid legal footing with a plan for police to block federal highways, pull over drivers and prevent them from traveling farther onto the reservation.

Energy Fuels said it began hauling the ore as planned Tuesday and had informed federal, state, county and tribal officials more than 10 days ago about the legal requirements, safety, emergency response and the imminent shipping of uranium ore, though it didnt give a specific date. Spokesman Curtis Moore said no one said that wasnt sufficient.

Tens of thousands of thousands of trucks have safely transported uranium ore across northern Arizona since the 1980s with no adverse health or environmental effects, the companys president and chief executive, Mark Chalmers, said in a statement. Materials with far greater danger are transported every day on every road in the county. Ore is simply natural rock. It wont explode, ignite, burn or glow, contrary to what opponents claim.

The Arizona Department of Transportation and the Arizona Department of Public Safety, which have jurisdiction on state and federal highways through the reservation, didnt immediately return email messages seeking comment.

The Kaibab National Forest where the mine is permitted said it was notified after hauling began Tuesday morning, then contacted tribes, local officials and others, spokeswoman Brienne Pettit said. The forest also requested advanced notification, she said.

Officials with Coconino County and the Navajo Nation said Energy Fuels verbally agreed  but is not required to  give communities along the route at least a weeks notice before any truck hauled uranium through them.

Nygren said the tribe got a notification Tuesday that trucks had left the mine site and were driving north through Flagstaff. The 2012 tribal law required at least four days' advanced notice.

Energy Fuels, the largest uranium producer in the United States, recently started mining at the Pinyon Plain Mine for the first time since the 1980s, driven by higher uranium prices and global instability. The industry says uranium production is different now than decades ago when the country was racing to build up its nuclear arsenal.

No other sites are actively mining uranium in Arizona.

Chalmers said uranium ore mined from Pinyon Plain is transported in tightly covered vehicles that have placards indicating the contents are radioactive. The shipments, driven by licensed and trained operators, comply with regulations and law, he said. Mining during World War II and the Cold War left a legacy of death, disease and contamination on the Navajo Nation and in other communities across the country, making any new development of the ore a hard pill to swallow. The Havasupai tribe is among the tribes and environmentalists that have raised concerns about potential water contamination.

Republicans have touted the economic benefits the jobs would bring to the region known for high-grade uranium ore.

In 2013, the Navajo Nation told another uranium producer that it would deny access to a ranch that surrounded a parcel of Arizona state trust land where the company planned to mine. At the time, the tribe cited a 2005 law that banned uranium mining on its lands and another 2006 law that addressed transport. The mining never occurred, although it also needed other things like a mineral lease and environmental permits.

Stephen Etsitty, executive director of the Navajo Nation Environmental Protection Agency, said the tribe had been meeting with Energy Fuels since March to coordinate emergency preparedness plans and enact courtesy notifications.

Based on those meetings, Etsitty said the tribe didnt expect Energy Fuels to transport uranium through the Navajo reservation for at least another month or until the fall.

On Tuesday, he said the tribe found out indirectly about the trucks, leaving officials frustrated on what is primary election day in Arizona. Moore, the company spokesman, said Energy Fuels is required to notify the tribe of any spills or accidents.

Etsitty said accidents involving trucks carrying hazardous or radioactive material occur on average once every three to five years on the reservation. But the possibility requires the tribe to notify emergency responders along the route. Because the material being transported from the mine is uranium ore, rather than processed ore, the risk of radiation exposure is lower, Etsitty said.

It is a danger, but it would take a longer period of time for somebody to get acute exposure at a spill site, he said. Precautions still need to be taken. ___ This story has been updated to correct that the 2012 law does not ban the transport of uranium ore on the Navajo Nation.
Navajo Nation President Buu Nygren reads the legislation to allocate $2.2 million for summer youth employment at the Chief Manuelito Scholarship Award Ceremony before signing it into law. (Photo/Navajo Nation)

TSAILE, Ariz.  Navajo Nation President Buu Nygren told 119 new 2024 Chief Manuelito Scholarship recipients that earning that honor is more than financial support for the next four years.

It recognizes your hard work, dedication and commitment to academic excellence, he told Friday at Dine College. Congratulations to all 119 of you!

The President took the opportunity to sign legislation to allocate $2.2 million for summer youth employment at local chapters or within the tribal government this winter and next summer.

The Navajo Nation Council approved the funding during its summer session from July 15-19.

This initiative is crucial to develop practical skills, gain work experience and ensure that our brightest minds contribute to our community's growth and development, President Nygren said.

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Amya Hillis is one of 119 Dine high school graduates to be awarded the prestigious 2024 Chief Manuelito Scholarship.

Hillis is among several students who are college-bound this fall.

Also honoring them was Navajo Nation Council Speaker Crystalyne Curley and the Office of Navajo Nation Scholarship and Financial Assistance.

Hillis will attend Columbia University in New York. She said the cumulative hard work she put in as an alumna of Farmington High School helped her earn her Chief Manuelito scholarship.

It is an honor and a privilege to even have this significant scholarship, said Hillis, who is Kinyaaaanii, Towering House People, and born to Naahiii, African American People. It is a definite testament to hard work.

She said she will use the $7,000 per academic year to study financial economics at the Ivy League school. Her goal is to end economic inequities in the Navajo Nation. Having a curious mind is vital to finding solutions, she said.

To earn the scholarship, each recipient took Navajo history and language courses, held a high-grade point average and a minimum composite score on the ACT or SAT, according to the Office of Navajo Nation Scholarship and Financial Assistance.

Since its inception in 1980, hundreds of scholars like Hillis have carried forward Manuelitos vision to become beacons of knowledge and progress.

Headman Manuelito is renowned for his encouragement of his Dine to learn the white mans ways through education.

My grandchildren, education is a ladder, he is known to have said. Tell our people to take it."

At the awards ceremony, President Nygren told of own his academic journey after high school. He earned his BS in construction management and technology from Arizona State University, an MBA from ASU and his Ed.D. in organizational change and leadership from the University of Southern California.

He said the celebrated words of Chief Manuelito resonate deeply with him as leader, father and academic scholar.

The education goal of his administration is to end brain drain from the Navajo Nation, he said. He defined brain drain as seeing talented and educated young Navajos leave the Navajo Nation for urban areas to seek better opportunities.

It is his goal, and the goal of my administration, to retain this talent within Navajo communities, he said.

We need your vision, leadership and skills to help our Navajo Nation thrive, he said. Your contributions are essential to address the challenges we face and to build a brighter future for all Navajo people.

He challenged each of the Chief Manuelito scholars to give back to the Nation through their chosen field of study.

Kavian G. Zohnnie, originally of Low Mountain, Ariz., said he knows how prestigious being awarded this scholarship is. Holding his wooden plaque that names him a Chief Manuelito scholar, Zohnnie sighed a breath of relief.

Going to a big university like the University of Arizona is a big commitment, Zohnnie said. This is very helpful in every aspect.

He plans to study architectural engineering and is one of 10 Chief Manuelito scholars who will attend UA.

One inspiration comes from seeing the demand of basic building infrastructure, he said. This summer, he is helping his grandpa build a home, a timely project for his academic studies.

About the Author: "Levi \"Calm Before the Storm\" Rickert (Prairie Band Potawatomi Nation) is the founder, publisher and editor of Native News Online. Rickert was awarded Best Column 2021 Native Media Award for the print\/online category by the Native American Journalists Association. He serves on the advisory board of the Multicultural Media Correspondents Association. He can be reached at levi@nativenewsonline.net."

Contact: levi@nativenewsonline.net
Thomas Jay Oord was not surprised that a disciplinary board of the Church of the Nazarene found him guilty of going against church teachings about homosexuality.

Oord, a prominent theologian and now-former Nazarene minister, was not surprised that the church stripped him of his credentials as an elder in the church.

But he didnt expect to be essentially expelled from the church, as well.

I kind of expected to lose my credentials, Oord told me in a phone interview Monday. Im surprised they also took my membership.

That means that Oord, who wants to change the Church of the Nazarene to be more accepting of the LGBTQ+ community, loses his ability to vote in local church elections, and losing his credentials means he can no longer teach, preach or hold a leadership position in the church.

In effect, its an excommunication, or expulsion, from the church.

Oord said he thinks its the first time the denomination has taken away both credentials and membership over doctrinal issues.

It takes away any official capacity for me to try to change things (within the church), Oord said. Now, of course, we all know in the world we live in, someone like me can have a lot more influence through social media than their single vote, but yeah, officially, I no longer have that ability to go through the official channels to see change made.

As I wrote in a column last week, Oord was charged with teaching doctrines contrary to the Church of the Nazarenes statement on human sexuality because of his positions on accepting same-sex relationships.

He was also charged with conduct unbecoming of a minister because of the work he was doing to try to get the church to change its views on LGBTQ+ issues.

I think the board of discipline was very angry at the very public things I did to promote full queer inclusion, and they were angry that I ignored their their desire for me to stay silent, Oord said. And I think their taking away my membership is an indication of how much they fear my influence in the church and outside it.

Oord, a lifelong Nazarene, was ousted from his position at Northwest Nazarene University about 10 years ago over other, unrelated progressive views on religion, but he had maintained his position as an elder and minister in the Church of the Nazarene.

Oord has remained a speaker on religious issues and has written more than 30 books on theology.

Oord last year co-edited with his daughter Alexa Oord the book Why the Church of the Nazarene Should Be Fully LGBTQ+ Affirming, a collection of essays that make the case for change.

Oord said the trial, held July 25, wasnt antagonistic and was respectful, but the decision, issued Saturday, was harsh.

Our sincere prayer is that Oord will repent of his heretical teachings and devote his considerable talents in a way that he and all those whom he has led astray will find wholeness in Christ, according to the verdict handed down by a board of discipline consisting of seven members. The seriousness of his offenses cannot be overstated. Under the guise of being a Nazarene elder and educator, he has sown deep seeds of confusion and division, leading people away from sound doctrine. Only eternity will show how many souls have been led astray through this false teaching.

Nonetheless, Oord said he plans to continue to attend the Church of the Nazarene, and he said his congregation is supportive.

He said theres still a movement within the church to be more inclusive and accepting of the LGBTQ+ community, or queer-affirming, as Oord puts it.

He noted a pair of Pew Research surveys gauging acceptance of homosexuality within the Church of the Nazarene, which regularly rates to be among the most conservative denominations.

One survey in 2007 showed a 31% acceptance of homosexuality among Nazarenes. By 2014, that percentage had risen to 40%.

And Oord said he thinks his trial may mark an important point in that movements history.

Theres definitely a movement thats been started, said Oord. And I think my trial and the book that we edited has played, if not the most important role in that, at least a major role in seeing that movement emerge, and thats gratifying.
CONCORD, N.C. (QUEEN CITY NEWS)  Firefighters who have battled cancer, or who will battle cancer, will have more help from the state and their community thanks to a variety of initiatives which revolve around finances and coffee.

In early July, Gov. Roy Cooper signed into law SB 319, which created a permanent fund that will go to firefighters who battle specific cancers from which they developed on-the-job hazards.

Two Concord Fire Department trucks hit by vehicles while operating within 28 hours

They will receive $37,000 for the first diagnosis and a lump sum benefit of $74,000 if they have two cancer diagnoses.

The help also will be given to firefighters who have retired within the last 10 years.

That being said, more is being done on the front lines of mental health help from these firefighters and the prevention of future diagnosis for firefighters.

All of this help has revolved around coffee.

The North Carolina Firefighter Cancer Alliance is set to reveal in August its new approach to raising funds for their services. Theyve partnered with Broken Compass Coffee Roasters in Concord, to release a coffee blend that the alliance can sell to consumers.

NCFCA member Travis McGaha said the money from sales will help pay for counselors, and for education trips to train other fire departments across the world about cancer prevention.

He explained they, have firefighters that are cancer survivors, counselors, things like that that can work with firefighters or families, their departments to kind of start processing what it means to have cancer.

During his career he said hes known roughly two-dozen firefighters who have battled cancer and close to a dozen who have died from the disease.

The fight, in his eyes is, like hitting a moving target. This is why he believes this to be a crucial way to be proactive as opposed to being reactive in the fight.

Their coffee blend, All Clear, will be available starting Aug. 9 through the firefighter cancer alliance.

Copyright 2024 Nexstar Media, Inc. 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.
WASHINGTON (AP)  North Carolina Gov. Roy Cooper opted not to be a candidate in Vice President Kamala Harris' running mate search in part due to concerns that his Republican lieutenant governor would try to assume control if he left the state to campaign as part of the Democratic ticket, according to three people familiar with the matter.

Cooper confirmed in a statement Monday night that he would not be a candidate to be Harris' vice president, saying he was honored to be considered but this just wasn't the right time for North Carolina and for me to potentially be on a national ticket. The governor, 67, withdrew from contention well before Harris' vetting process began and never submitted the requisite material, according to two of the people. All three spoke on condition of anonymity to discuss the sensitive search process.

Harris' search is ongoing and her teams of lawyers and political aides are still reviewing information on a narrowing list of potential candidates.

Harris team was initially said to looking at about a dozen potential contenders, but the field has narrowed and now Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro and Arizona Sen. Mark Kelly are seen as among the front-runners, according to the people.

Cooper, the former chairman of the Democratic Governors Association, has been close to Harris since they were both state attorneys general. His potential selection was seen as a possible asset in shifting North Carolina  the Democrats' only significant opportunity to expand on their 2020 map  into Harris' hands.

Under the state constitution, North Carolina Lt. Gov. Mark Robinson, who is the GOP's nominee to replace the term-limited Cooper, becomes acting governor and can assume the Democrat's powers when he travels out of state.

Cooper, according to two of the people, has expressed concern about what Robinson might do if he were to leave the state extensively for campaign travel. Cooper's legal team, as well as some outside experts, do not believe Robinson would actually assume the powers that accompany being governor, such as issuing executive orders. But the governor was concerned enough, one of the people familiar with the matter said, that Robinson would try to take action that could prompt litigation and spur distractions in North Carolina, one of the most critical political states nationwide both for the presidency and in its gubernatorial race.

Robinson is an ardent social conservative, who once called abortion child sacrifice. In various church pulpits, Robinson has asserted men as the rightful leaders in church and society. He once mused that leaders of the original birth control movement in the U.S. were witches, all of em. He has discussed LGBTQ people with words like filth and maggots."

In the weeks before President Joe Biden withdrew from the race, Cooper appeared with Harris at campaign events in Greensboro and Fayetteville. He had deflected questions about the vetting process.

I trust her to make the right decision, he told reporters in North Carolina recently.

Cooper, who leaves his job as governor in January, had already been widely regarded as a potential Cabinet member in a future Democratic administration because of his party loyalty and his ability to achieve policy victories on health care and energy in a state with a GOP-dominated legislature bent on weakening him.

North Carolina has consistently voted for the Republican ticket in presidential races for more than four decades, with the exception of supporting Democrats Barack Obama and Biden in 2008.

Cooper has never lost a race for state office dating back to the 1980s, including six statewide general elections since 2000. He has benefited from a booming state economy that has moved from traditional textiles and tobacco to biotech and clean energy and for which he and GOP lawmakers grudgingly share credit. He also routinely portrays himself as a fighter for public education and abortion rights.

Many of his legislative efforts have been thwarted by a General Assembly with veto-proof Republican majorities that rolled back some of his powers before he even took office.

The New York Times first reported that Cooper had withdrawn himself from the process, but did not detail the timing of his decision or his rationale. The Harris campaign declined to comment.

__

AP writer Gary Robertson in Raleigh, North Carolina, contributed.
NEW DELHI, July 30 (Xinhua) -- Around 10 persons died and more than 20 were injured after multiple landslides hit the Wayanad area of India's southern state Kerala amid heavy rains early on Tuesday morning, confirmed a local police officer to Xinhua over phone.

The landslides struck in the Meppadi area even as people were still asleep. Rescue work was on, though heavy rains were causing a disruption, added the officer.

According to the officer, at least three landslides hit the area at around 02:00 a.m. local time.

"We have recovered around 10 bodies so far, and sent more than 20 injured people to a local hospital. Rescue work is continuing. Heavy rains are playing havoc, disrupting the rescue work. The locals say that more than 50 people are still trapped under the debris," said the local police.

Meanwhile, media reports suggested that the death toll was feared to rise as many people were still trapped under the rubble, and that it seemed to be a "massive tragedy."

"250 members of Fire and Rescue, Civil Defence, National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) and Local Emergency Response Team (LERT) are involved in the rescue operation in Wayanad. An additional team of NDRF has been directed to reach the spot immediately," said a post by news agency ANI on X.

Besides the loss of human lives, hundreds of vehicles, houses and other properties were also stuck under the rubble of the landslides, added the local media reports. 
Gov. Roy Cooper speaks during a campaign event at the Jim Graham building at the North Carolina State Fairgrounds in Raleigh on Friday June 28, 2024.

Rallying a virtual convening of Kamala Harris supporters on Monday, North Carolina Gov. Roy Cooper hammered the top of the GOPs ticket for what he said was a clear disrespect of women.

Cooper spoke early on during the White Dudes for Harris virtual call, the latest of several fundraising and organizing calls that Harris campaign supporters have quickly arranged since last week. Cooper used his prime speaking slot to blast former President Donald Trump, his recently selected running mate J.D. Vance, and Republican N.C. Lt. Gov. Mark Robinson, who is running to replace Cooper in the executive mansion.

Real men respect women, their decisions, their careers, and its pretty clear that Donald Trump and J.D. Vance dont, Cooper told the online gathering of tens of thousands of viewers.

From Trumps sexual assaults, to Vances misogynistic comments, its pretty clear that disrespect of women permeates Donald Trump land, and MAGA Republicans, he said.

Cooper spoke on the call less than an hour after The New York Times and other media outlets reported Monday evening that he had taken himself out of consideration in the search for Harriss running mate.

Shortly before he spoke on the Zoom call, Cooper confirmed he no longer is in the running, saying in a statement posted on social media that he strongly supports Harriss campaign and was honored to be considered, but that this just wasnt the right time for North Carolina and for me to potentially be on a national ticket.

In the virtual call, Cooper did not address his decision on the vice presidency.

Instead, he went on to say that disrespect of women is like that all over the country, and turned to address Robinson. He referred to several past comments by Robinson, who has generated controversy and outrage throughout his time in office as lieutenant governor for rhetoric that has included referring to homosexuality as filth and saying women should keep your skirt down to avoid abortion.

He has said that men should lead, not women, Cooper said. That when God needed someone to fight Goliath, he called David and not Davida. He has said that once women get pregnant, that its not their body anymore. He has said that women who arent responsible enough to keep their skirts down, are having abortions.

NCs Mark Robinson introduces himself at Republican National Convention. What to know.

Cooper also blasted other Republicans in Congress who, since Harris began her presidential campaign just over a week ago following President Joe Bidens decision to drop out, have called Harris a DEI hire, implying that she has advanced in politics due to her race and gender.

Youre talking about a woman who was a great prosecutor, who got elected by the people of California to serve as the chief law enforcement officer and attorney general of the state, and got elected by the entire state of California to represent them in the United States Senate, and who has been vice president of the United States for the last three-and-a-half years, he said.

Heres what theyre saying, Cooper continued. That women, and people of color, dont deserve to lead.

Cooper, like other speakers on Mondays call, also made a plea for more white men to join the Democratic coalition and help elect Harris in November, telling the audience that we can hold the key.

Im not the political scientist or the pollsters, but I know enough to know, and Ive seen enough polling results, or outcomes and elections to know that if white males would vote one to two percent more for Democrats than they usually do, then we win this race, Cooper said.
Just wasnt the right time: NC Gov. Roy Cooper takes himself out of running for Harris VP

The day President Joe Biden dropped out of the race and Vice President Kamala Harris moved up to the top of the Democratic presidential ticket, North Carolina Gov. Roy Cooper joined the veepstakes.

But on Monday evening, he publicly took himself out of the running, saying it just wasnt the right time.

I strongly support Vice President Harris campaign for President. I know shes going to win and I was honored to be considered for this role. This just wasnt the right time for North Carolina and for me to potentially be on a national ticket, Cooper posted on social media.

As Ive said from the beginning, she has an outstanding list of people from which to choose, and well all work to make sure she wins, he said.

Earlier Monday evening, The New York Times first reported that Cooper has withdrawn from the race.

Cooper, along with other top Democrats, had been vetted by Harris campaign as a possible running mate. The two served as state attorneys general at the same time, and Cooper had a record of winning elections and on his way out of office at the end of the year running a swing state.

Harris campaign declined to comment to McClatchy.

Cooper was speaking on a White Dudes for Harris Zoom call Monday night with tens of thousands of other white men.

On Thursday, at his first Harris campaign event since the Democratic presidential race was upended, Cooper said he trusted Harris to make the right decision for VP and that he wanted her to choose the person that gives her the best chance to win.

Vice President Kamala Harris, joined by N.C. Gov. Roy Cooper, speaks while visiting Durhams historic Black Wall Street district on Friday March 1, 2024.

One concern of some Democrats had been that when Cooper is out of state, the acting governor is Republican Lt. Gov. Mark Robinson, who is running for governor. But North Carolinas governor has much less power than other states, as law and the constitution delivers most of the power to the General Assembly.

The legislature is entirely controlled by Republicans, with a veto-proof supermajority, so lawmakers can pass any law they want without needing a Republican governor to sign off on it. However the governor, or acting governor, can issue executive orders and make declarations, as Robinson did in 2023 when Cooper was in Japan. Robinson declared a week of solidarity with Israel in October, in the wake of Hamas terrorist attack there.

Coopers term isnt up until Dec. 31, and the new governor is sworn in in January. Robinsons opponent is Democratic Attorney General Josh Stein, a longtime friend and colleague of Cooper, who has also been Steins mentor.

Cooper has said he wants to continue working in public service after his term.

That could mean a Cabinet spot or other appointed job in the Harris administration if she wins in November. Biden already alluded to that in a Raleigh visit this past spring. Cooper may also decide to run for U.S. Senate in 2026. He could also run again for governor in the future, as the term limit applies only to consecutive terms.

Gov. Roy Cooper stands with Kamala Harris supporters during a campaign event in Raleigh on Thursday, July 25, 2024. Cooper is on Vice President Kamala Harris short list of potential running mates.

Other VP possibilities

Throughout the 2024 campaign, Biden and his team were focused on winning states like Michigan, Pennsylvania, Arizona, Georgia, North Carolina and Nevada.

So when Biden dropped out of the race, and Harris took over, the top contenders for her potential running mate came from some of those very states.

But more than a dozen names had been floated from governors to senators to members of Bidens Cabinet. And political pundits made guesses regularly on who of the potential nominees was up, and who was down, while many pointed out that vice presidential candidates often have very little sway with voters on the vote for for president.

But there were cases to be made for each.

Democrats need to retain Michigan, Pennsylvania and Wisconsin in the electoral college, which could be why both Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer or Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro might have been enticing.

But Whitmer, co-chair of Harris campaign, said she would fulfill her term as governor, which expires on Jan. 1, 2027. She took herself out of the running.

Shapiro faced the same problem, but continued forward with the vetting process. If Shapiro helped Harris retain Pennsylvania, that would in turn lock in 19 electoral votes.

But it also could promote a Republican within the state. If Shapiro left, either because he became vice president, or stepped down to focus on the campaign, it would launch a succession plan that would promote Lt. Gov. Austin Davis, a Democrat, to governor and Senate leader Kim Ward, a Republican, to lieutenant governor. Promoting a Republican to a higher leadership position could give the Harris team pause.

Gov. Roy Cooper (right) looks on as Vice President Kamala Harris welcomes President Joe Biden to the stage earlier this year in Raleigh.

Then there is Arizona Sen. Mark Kelly. His political history is short, but the retired, decorated Navy captain traveled more than 20 million miles in space as an astronaut before retiring from NASA in 2011 to take care of his wife, former Rep. Gabrielle Giffords, who suffered from a severe brain injury after being shot in an attempted assassination at a campaign event in Tucson, Arizona. Kelly and Giffords now work together on gun reform.

And many believe Kelly, who is seen as a moderate Democrat, could help take pressure off Harris on immigration issues. She has been repeatedly criticized by Republicans, since launching her campaign, for not doing enough at the southern border. Kelly is outspoken in his feelings that a lot of Democrats dont understand enough about the border and a lot of Republicans who talk about the border dont actually want to do anything to help it.

Michael Wilner of McClatchy DC contributed.
CHARLOTTE (QUEEN CITY NEWS)  North Carolina lawmakers arent saying state agencies wont accept digital currency as payment, but recently passed legislation does say the state will not receive digital payments from the US Government.

This money is called Central Bank Digital Currency, but its a vote that has some economists baffled.

Central Bank Digital Currency would be money issued by the Federal Reserve and some lawmakers believe residents would lose financial privacy because the government would be able to monitor every transaction.

Its no secret more Americans are using less cash, but House Bill 690 prohibits all state offices from receiving Central Bank Digital Currency, also known as CBDC.

The legislation also prohibits North Carolina state offices from participating in any test transactions of CBDC as well. Rules and regulations are not even in place for the Federal Reserve to issue digital currency and thats why some wonder why the legislation was passed by the North Carolina House and Senate.

An economist at the University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill says this money would be regulated, unlike a lot of current digital currencies. Weve seen individuals lose money in private sector digital currencies, think FTX, right and that is not the only case, says Gerald Cohen, chief economist for the Kenan Institute of Private Enterprise at UNC Chapel Hill, Kenan-Flagler Business School. So, the question is do you want a well-regulated organization that already controls the number of dollars? Theyre already doing that.

Governor Roy Cooper vetoed House Bill 690 earlier this month. In part, his statement reads, This legislation is premature, vague, and reactionary, and proposes an end result on important monetary decisions that havent even been made yet.

The North Carolina House of Representatives was set to hold a veto override vote on this issue Monday afternoon. But that vote was delayed until July 31.

Queen City News reached out to NC House Speaker Tim Moores office to find out why the vote was moved, but have not received a response at this time.

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Nebraska senator says governor misused public resources to promote his campaign and tax plan

Gov. Jim Pillen is joined by State Sens. Lou Ann Linehan and Rob Clements in unveiling a proposal to reduce local property taxes in three years. July 18, 2024. (Zach Wendling/Nebraska Examiner)

Editors note: This story has been updated with response from the Governors Office.

LINCOLN  State Sen. Danielle Conrad of Lincoln filed a campaign finance complaint against Gov. Jim Pillen on Tuesday, claiming that the first-term governor has misused taxpayer funds to promote his political campaign and his plans to reduce property taxes and slash state spending.

Danielle Conrad

Conrad, in a letter to the Nebraska Accountability and Disclosure Commission, stated that while Pillen has First Amendment rights to free speech, no public official has a right to use, abuse, or misuse public resources for campaign purposes.

The senator, a Democrat, alleged three different abuses by the Republican governor:

 That he improperly linked his campaign website to a taxpayer-funded report issued earlier this month detailing budget cuts recommended by a Utah consultant, Epiphany Associates, thus distributing Pillen for Governor information using state resources.

 That a brochure and text campaign, as well as a tax calculator and other materials in support of his tax policy and the summer special session, were purportedly paid for in part with state funds.

 That Pillens campaign materials were emailed to public employees Tuesday using the states email system, encouraging them to support his tax plan. That plan was the subject of a public hearing Tuesday in front of the Legislatures Revenue Committee.

The Governors Office, in an email response Tuesday afternoon, said that the states new director of informational services self-reported the use of the state email system to notify state employees quickly after he discovered that it was improper.

Spokeswoman Laura Strimple said the Accountability and Disclosure Commission, relying on the Nebraska Attorney Generals Office, had verbally advised the Pillen administration that it had identified no law violation in the mistaken emails.

Strimple said Pillen was reviewing the other claims and would soon address them but said any suggestion that laws had been violated were completely without merit.

Last week, Strimple and Pillen clarified to the Nebraska Examiner that he personally paid for the property tax brochure and said the governor misspoke at his news conference. Pillen confirmed that his campaign paid for robotexts that were sent to constituents in at least a handful of state senators districts.

State law prohibits a public official or public employee from using public resources for the purpose of campaigning for or against the nomination or election of a candidate or the qualification, passage, or defeat of a ballot question. Fines or other civil sanctions can be issued if a violation is proven.

Conrad, in her letter, said the possible co-mingling of taxpayer funds with private campaign monies raised significant concern among my constituents and colleagues.

Officials with the Accountability and Disclosure Commission did not respond immediately to a request for comment at midday Tuesday. Typically, officials with the commission do not publicly comment on complaints unless there is a finding that a violation has occurred.

Nebraska Examiner reporter Zach Wendling contributed to this report.

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Insights from The Jerusalem Post, Haaretz, and The Times of Israel

Updated Jul 30, 2024, 7:07am EDT Middle East

The News

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is facing increased political pressure over an airstrike blamed on Hezbollah in the Israel-controlled Golan Heights.

Locals say that Netanyahus government hasnt done enough to keep them safe, and the prime minister was met with protests on Monday when he visited the site of the strike, which killed 12 children.

At the same time, politicians are demanding an investigation into whether a far-right cabinet member, National Security Minister Itamar Ben Gvir, ordered Israeli police not to intervene after protesters stormed two army bases.

SIGNALS

Semafor Signals: Global insights on today's biggest stories.

Israelis are as angry at Netanyahu as they are Hezbollah

Source: The Jerusalem Post

Sundays airstrike in the Golan Heights has drawn as much ire toward the prime minister as it has fury at Hezbollah, The Jerusalem Post noted. Anger mounted toward Netanyahu for not cutting his trip to the US short sooner, and continued after he opted to fly home, with critics suggesting he only made the decision following the backlash. There appeared to be as much indignation and anger from some Israeli politicians directed at Netanyahu for not immediately cutting his weekend in the US short as there was at Hezbollah for its terrorist attack, The Jerusalem Posts editorial board noted.

Netanyahus address in Washington offered no insight

Source: Haaretz

Netanyahus address in Washington may have been impressive to politicians in Congress, but offered nothing to Israelis at home, Anshel Pfeffer, a columnist for the left-wing Haaretz newspaper, wrote. Netanyahu described Israels battlefield triumphs and the extrication of several hostages from Gaza  but had little to say to the families of the remaining hostages, some of whom arrived in Congress to protest the prime minister, according to Pfeffer, who has written a biography of Netanyahu. Meanwhile, descriptions of post-war Gaza, touted by Netanyahus team before the address were vague and offered little insight into what lies ahead.

Approval ratings bouncing back after historic lows

Source: The Times of Israel

Despite the opposition, Israeli opinion of Netanyahu has rebounded following historic lows earlier this year. In a poll conducted by Israeli television station Channel 12, 32% of respondents said they preferred Netanyahu as prime minister over his rivals. The rise in support followed his trip to Washington, where he addressed Congress. However, 48% of survey respondents believe that Netanyahu traveled to the US to pursue his own political goals, rather than for the betterment of the country.




GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. (WOOD)  A Niles man will spend years behind bars after he was caught with several weapons while on probation, including a crime gun, federal attorneys say.

Lawrence Edward Slaughter II, 20, was sentenced to 3.5 years in prison for being a felon with a firearm with a switch that had been connected to deadly shootings, the U.S. Attorney for the Western District of Michigan announced Tuesday.

In September of 2022, Slaughter was on probation for tampering with evidence, concealing a weapon and assaulting a police officer. Thats when police got word that members of the Pop Out Gang of Niles were planning a retaliatory shooting for the recent deaths of two people, attorneys said. Police had learned the gang was planning to use weapons that were at Slaughters home.

Probation and law enforcement officers paid Slaughter a visit for probation compliance and searched his home, finding a Glock 9mm handgun and an AR rifle with a magazine that could hold up to 100 rounds in a roommates bedroom, attorneys said.

They also found two more pistols in the bedroom closet, including a 9mm Glock with DNA evidence connected to Slaughter. It had a switch attached, which effectively turns a semi-automatic handgun into a fully automatic weapon. Attorneys say the weapon was a crime gun, which was linked to four prior shootings that happened in South Bend, Indiana.

From large cities to small towns like Niles, Michigan, we are laser-focused on stopping the few individuals  like Mr. Slaughter  who are driving gun violence in our communities, said U.S. Attorney Mark Totten in a news release. Safety is a civil right. Every person, regardless of their zip code, deserves to live their life, walk their neighborhood, and play in the park free from the fear of violence and gunfire. We will not stop until this right is a reality for everyone.

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Israeli soldiers and police clash with protesters who broke into Beit Lid army base - OREN ZIV/AFP

Israeli soldiers detained on suspicion of abusing a Palestinian prisoner are facing charges of sexual assault, it has emerged.

Nine people, three of them IDF soldiers, were arrested on Monday on charges of abusing an inmate at the Sde Taiman detention centre in the Negev desert.

Dozens of hard-Right activists stormed the IDF base in protest at the soldiers arrest on Monday, sparking a furious political row and criticism from the IDFs chief of staff.

On Monday evening, hundreds of ultranationalists stormed the Beit Lid military base where the detained soldiers had been transferred.

On Tuesday, a defence lawyer for three of the arrested soldiers said they were facing charges for acts of sodomy.

The Haaretz newspaper reported that the inmate suffered injuries to an intimate body part which left him unable to walk.

Natti Rom, the defence laywer, told the Associated Press that the inmate was a high-ranking Hamas member who had attacked some of the officers. He denied they had done anything sexual to him.

Orit Sulitzeanu, the head of the Association of Rape Crises Centers in Israel, said she was shocked to hear of the allegation.

There are never any circumstances to justify the use of this sickening practice, not even against the worst of our enemies. Sexual harm and sexual abuse are serious crimes and we must not remain silent when they happen, she told Haaretz.

The nine soldiers were due to appear for a hearing at a military court on Tuesday.

A protester holds up a sign that shows his support for IDF soldiers - Shir Torem/REUTERS

Isaac Herzog, the president of Israel, called for an immediate, in-depth, sensitive and responsible investigation into the allegations of abuse against the Palestinian detainee.

The riots and illegal storming of both military sites on Monday divided Israeli lawmakers within the government of prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu, who issued a short statement in which he condemned the incident and called for immediate calm.

Herzl Halevi, the IDF chief, declared the forced entry into military bases serious, unlawful behaviours bordering on anarchy, harming the IDF, the security of the state, and the war effort.

Yair Lapid, the opposition leader, called it an attempted coup by an armed militia.

Right-wing activists hold placards calling for the accused soldiers to be released - Matan Golan/Zuma Press/eyevine

Itamar Ben-Gvir, Israel's national security minister, supported the storming of the bases by the protesters - Kobi Wolf/Bloomberg

But other ministers and coalition lawmakers defended and even took part in the riots. Itamar Ben-Gvir, the national security minister, supported the storming of the sites, while at least one member of the Jewish Power party, minister of heritage Amihai Ben-Eliyahu, joined the break-in of the Sde Teiman facility.

Tali Gotliev, a lawmaker from Mr Netanyahus Likud party, also showed up at the site, appearing next to armed and masked activists. No one will determine for us what is right and what is not in protests, she later said.

In May, CNN reported that Palestinians arrested in Gaza were facing brutal conditions at the camp, some of whom were blindfolded and beaten.

A New York Times investigation also found that about 1,200 Palestinian civilians had been held at the camp without the ability to plead their cases to a judge for up to 75 days. The prisoners can also be denied access to a lawyer for up to 90 days.

Seven inmates told the New York Times they had been forced to wear diapers while being interrogated. Three said they had received electric shocks.

The Israeli government announced last month that it would begin reducing the number of inmates held at the camp.

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PORTLAND, Ore. (KOIN)  Nirvana co-founder Krist Novoselic has started a petition to form a new centrist political party in the Evergreen State: The Cascade Party of Washington.

Our image reflects the majestic Cascade Mountain Range  uniting eastern and western Washington in the middle. We are a home for people tired of the polarized fringes dominating our politics, CPWs website claims. We are an independent state party. Our mission is to offer a new voice to the people of Washington at all levels of government.

In a TikTok video posted in early July on the organizations account, Novoselic claimed we need 1,000 valid signatures for the state to recognize us as a bonafide political party. He added that CPW does not want to appear on the 2024 presidential ballot.

Beaverton man with samurai sword arrested after car break-in

The organizations draft party platform outlines its views on several issues including social programs, agriculture, the environment, and health care.

Among the organizations beliefs, CPW supports pathways for people with chronic addiction and debilitating mental illness and supports funding law enforcement and diversion programs such as drug court.

CPW also supports judicial reform  backing a state constitutional amendment for the Merit System to appoint judges. Under this system, the governor nominates candidates who are confirmed by a 60% majority vote in the state Senate.

These Pacific Northwest cities rank high for quality of life, study says

Additionally, the draft party platform notes support for natural gas and a market-driven transition towards renewable energy, and opposes government censorship with favoring certain speakers in elections.

According to the CPW website, the organization uses a private social media website called HumHub, which requires a $25 per month subscription.

The idea with Cascade Party is to empower people and be part of a political realignment. The user agreement for our HumHub is a declaration of affiliation with the party. We are a state party, so users need to be Washington registered voters. Once you agree, you are a member and let into the Hub. Membership privileges include participating on the Hub; voting on and running for party offices, propose resolutions and build a party platform. We can eventually nominate candidates for the public ballot, Novoselic said in a post on the CPW website.

KOIN 6 News reached out to the organization. This story will be updated if we receive a response.

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SUVA, July 30 (Xinhua) -- Latest statistics show that iTaukei (indigenous Fijians) comprise 75 percent of those living in poverty in Fiji, said the Permanent Secretary for iTaukei Affairs Pita Tagicakirewa on Tuesday.

According to the Bureau of Statistics, about 238,000 people in Fiji are living in extreme poverty and about 193,000 of that is iTaukei, Tagicakirewa was quoted by Fijivillage news website as saying.

He added that people living in extreme poverty are those who are dependent on no more than 1.25 U.S. dollars a day.

Some of the key challenges faced by iTaukei businesses include the burden of increasing costs of living, logistics and transportations, accessibility, lack of experience, knowledge and understanding of relevant laws. 
NJ Rep. Pascrell breathing on his own as doctors discuss hospital discharge, staff says

Rep. Bill Pascrell remains hospitalized but is no longer receiving breathing assistance, according to his office.

Congressman Pascrell has been breathing on his own since last week and continues to improve every day, Pascrell Chief of Staff Ben Rich said in a statement. His doctors are very encouraged by his progress, have begun to discuss discharge plans, and continue to anticipate a full recovery.

Background: The 87-year-old Democrat checked into St. Josephs University Medical Center in Paterson on July 14 with a fever. While Pascrell's staff initially said he was in good spirits and had told staff he was actively looking for a beer, his condition took a turn last week. Rich in a statement Thursday said that while recovering from a respiratory infection, the congressmember suffered a setback and was given breathing assistance."

Pascrell is the oldest member of New Jerseys congressional delegation and if reelected will become the oldest member of the House following the retirement of California Rep. Grace Napolitano. Pascrell was also hospitalized in 2020 for heart bypass surgery.

Pascrell in June easily defeated a primary challenge from Prospect Park Mayor Mohamed Khairullah based largely on disenchantment with his stance on Gaza. He faces Republican Billy Prempeh for a third time in November.

What's next: Richs statement indicated that Pascrell has no plans to drop his reelection bid.

The congressman is relieved that this illness only led to him missing a few voting days, Rich said. And after winning a decisive primary victory, Congressman Pascrell is excited to finish the job alongside Kamala Harris in November in defense of American democracy and New Jersey values.

Pascrells illness comes three months after 10th District Rep. Donald Payne died of a heart attack following a lengthy hospitalization.
Webasto production employee Trina Towns speaking about union efforts at the company's Detroit facility. July 29, 2024. Photo by Jon King.

Updated 6:32 p.m. 7/31/24

The woman tasked with enforcing U.S. labor law sat down Monday with workers from two Detroit-area auto parts plants  one that recently secured its first UAW contract, and the other still working toward union recognition.

National Labor Relations Board (NLRB) General Counsel Jennifer Abruzzo met with the group of workers with Webasto, a German-owned maker of sunroofs, battery charging and air conditioning systems, at the UAW Local 174 hall in Livonia.

While 550 workers at the WebastoDetroit plant are currently organizing to join the UAW, more than 200 UAW members at the WebastoPilot Road plant in Plymouth won their union election in 2023 and voted in May to ratify their first contract with a 96% approval rate, including raises of up to 51% over three years, with improved benefits, and attendance policies. They are members of Local 3000 in Woodhaven.

Both plants make parts used in Ford Broncos manufactured at the Michigan Assembly Plant in nearby Wayne, whose workers are UAW members.

Abbruzzo said her agency represented the rights of all workers, not just those in a union, but reiterated that the 1935 National Labor Relations Act (NLRA), which the NLRB is tasked with enforcing, was explicitly written to benefit the rights of workers.

Elections have consequences, said Abruzzo. I was with the agency for 23 years before [former President Donald] Trump came in, and then I was no longer with the agency. And Im grateful to President [Joe] Biden for nominating me and for Vice President Harris for not only once, but twice breaking the (U.S. Senate) tie to get me in. So I always felt a sense of urgency from the minute I got back in, trying to really effectuate our congressional mandate, which is a full pro-worker statute. Thats what were concerned about.

According to a UAW release, documents filed with the U.S. Department of Labor indicated that Webasto spent over $300,000 for an anti-union consulting firm to try to block workers from forming a union with the UAW.

When asked for comment by the Michigan Advance, Anna Mueller, Webastos vice president for communications, disputed the UAWs description of consulting firm, saying instead that they hired an objective third-party organization offering comprehensive labor education seminars to our colleagues and management to provide full and undisputed facts on their rights and the implications of union membership.

Mueller said the firm was hired to ensure there would be no credible allegations of unfair labor practices or interference.

This initiative is not about dissuading or incentivizing colleagues, but rather ensuring our colleagues have all necessary information to make a choice that aligns with their personal and professional goals and rights, she said, adding that the company implemented a strong code of conduct and comply with all national, federal and international labor regulations.

As a matter of fact, we therefore dispute any accusations that state otherwise, said Mueller. At Webasto, we hold our culture and values in high regard, which includes fostering a direct and open dialogue with our team members. Equality of opportunity and equality of treatment form the foundation of our culture. This mindset has won Webasto a Top Employer award two years in a row. Our priority remains to uphold a workplace environment that is fair, respectful and empowering for all.

Regardless, the UAW says workers at WebastoDetroit have reported management opposition to the union drive, although there have yet to be any signs of outside anti-union consultants. They say workers are watching for signs of illegal anti-union activity as they work toward a vote on whether or not to join the UAW.

One of the Webasto workers at Mondays roundtable was Cat Blackburn, who works in quality gauging at the Plymouth plant. She told Abruzzo about management efforts to try and prevent workers from unionizing, while simultaneously warning fellow employees at the Detroit plant what they could expect in their efforts to join the UAW.

We need to make sure we know our rights, that people know that we have the right to get a union and be able to talk about it, because they will discourage it, said Blackburn, who also served as secretary to her union local. Theyll bring in union busters to try to tell us whats wrong with the union. So they gotta be real careful.

Among the complaints the Webasto workers spoke out against included mandatory overtime they said left some people working six and even seven days a week, as well as overbearing management that intimidated workers by openly berating them.

When we come to work, we should come to work happy, not stressed or depressed, said Trina Towns, a production worker at the Detroit facility.

Towns described one supervisor who constantly yelled at them as if they were children, which she said ironically ended up hampering their overall productivity.

When she was off this past weekend, everybody was here working, and we met our numbers, said Towns. And thats how its supposed to be, not come talk to us like were animals. People are upset. You can just feel it in the atmosphere. Its like a hostile environment.

Abruzzo said the types of complaints related by the Webasto workers were very commonplace, whether or not a workplace was involved in unionizing or not.

Because of the low union density in this country, the vast majority of charges that we actually do get involve protected concerted activity without a union presence, she said. Theres plenty of HR [human resources] reps that similarly think, Well, your statute [the NLRA] doesnt cover us because were not unionized, and Im like, Oh yeah, it does and then I advise them about protected concerted activity like two people can get together and complain about somebody. You cant retaliate against them, but it happens way too much. Thats why were trying to do a lot of education.

That lack of education, according to Abruzzo, largely had to do with there being no mandate to inform workers of their rights.

Unlike other statutes, the rights under the NLRA  the right to organize, the right to unionize, collectively bargain, engage in other protected consumer entities  employers are not mandated to post those rights anywhere or otherwise advise their workers of those rights, she said. Unlike all the other worker protection statutes like OSHA [Occupational Safety and Health Administration] or Title 7 or the ADA [Americans with Disabilities Act]  theyre not required. There must have been a lot of lobbying going on back in 1935. So thats another reason why people really dont know their rights. They dont know they have the right to unionize and that were here to protect that right and hold people accountable when they violate it.

However, the NLRB has reported that in the past year, there has been a 32% increase in union filings, while workers are also winning union elections at rates approaching 80%, as opposed to just a few years ago when they averaged about two-thirds.

Towns, who is helping to lead the union effort at Webastos Detroit factory, said shes ready to take the chance for a better workplace, especially after seeing fellow employees lose their jobs for what she felt were arbitrary reasons.

And if that meant ultimately losing her own job?

If it takes that, at least I know I stood up for something, she said.

This story has been updated to reflect that the UAW members at the WebastoPilot Road plant in Plymouth voted in May to ratify their first contract.

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NMDOT receives $71M grant to replace two bridges on I-25 in Socorro County

SOCORRO COUNTY, N.M. (KRQE)  The New Mexico Department of Transportation was awarded a $71 million grant to help replace two bridges on Interstate 25 in Socorro County.

The grant funding is through the Federal Highway Administrations (FHWA) competitive Bridge Investment Program and will go toward new bridges that span over Nogal Canyon. NMDOT said the existing truss bridges have experienced deterioration and are approaching the end of their service lives.

Story continues below

The project also includes the reconstruction of I-25 as it approaches the new bridges and flattening the decent grade into Nogal Canyon, making it appropriate for current design speeds, according to NMDOT.

The New Mexico Department of Transportation is ecstatic to receive this funding to address the infrastructure needs in this portion of the state and make this the signature bridge of our interstate system, NMDOT Cabinet Secretary Ricky Serna said in a news release.

The bridges currently support 2,933 trucks and 12,220 vehicles daily, NMDOT said. The estimated project cost is $142,526,324.

NMDOT plans to match the grant with $34,750,724 and will use $36,525,600 in additional federal funding to cover the cost of the project.

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For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to KRQE NEWS 13 - Breaking News, Albuquerque News, New Mexico News, Weather, and Videos.
Norah ODonnells run as anchor of CBS Evening News is coming to an end, but the veteran journalist is not leaving CBS News.

ODonnell is set to leave the anchor desk after the 2024 presidential election  her seventh U.S. election she has covered as a journalist  and will become CBS News special correspondent at the network. In her new role, she will conduct newsmaking interviews and other reports for CBS News programming with appearances on CBS Evening News and 60 Minutes.

More from The Hollywood Reporter

In this new role, Norah will have the time and the support to deliver even more of the exceptional stories she is known, wrote Wendy McMahon, president and CEO of CBS News and Stations, in a memo to staff (full note below).

In her new role, ODonnell will contribute newsmaker interviews across CBS platforms, including streaming, digital, primetime and Paramount+. That will include appearances on other news broadcasts besides CBS Evening News.

Until her transition to a new post, ODonnell will continue to handle ongoing coverage of the U.S. presidential election, including the upcoming Democratic Convention, before moving to her new role. Theres so much work to be proud of! But I have spent 12 years in the anchor chair here at CBS News, connected to a daily broadcast and the rigors of a relentless news cycle. Its time to do something different, ODonnell wrote in a memo to staff Tuesday.

Beyond that, Im pleased to share that I have made a long-term commitment to CBS News to continue to do the same storytelling and big interviews that have been our hallmark, she added.

The change is a big one for CBS, and lots of eyes will be on the network as it determines what happens next with the stories evening newscast, which has counted Walter Cronkite and Dan Rather among its former anchors.

ODonnell replaced Jeff Glor as the face of the networks flagship news program as anchor and managing editor in July 2019 with a renewal of her deal that was to run through to the 2024 election. She has led CBS News flagship broadcast from Washington, D.C.

Previously, ODonnell was co-host of CBS This Morning since 2012. Before that, she served as CBS News chief White House correspondent during the President Barack Obama administration.

ODonnell deciding to leave the anchor desk at CBS Evening News after the U.S. election is not related to the proposed takeover of Paramount Global by Skydance, according to sources close to CBS. But she is the second high-profile person at CBS to announce plans to segue into new role just this month.

Two weeks ago CBS News president Ingrid Ciprian-Matthews stepped down, shifting to a senior adviser role through the 2024 election. She told staff at the time that our industry and company are going through a transformation and a number of short- and long-term decisions need to be made. I do not want to be disingenuous with any of you about who should drive these decisions.

In her own memo, ODonnell seemed to echo those comments.

I dont need to tell you what a transformative time our business is facing. I see this as an opportunity, she wrote. I want to thank Wendy McMahon as this new role will also allow me to extend the reach of the work we do to new audiences in new ways.

In fact, we have a big interview coming up that I hope to share more details about very soon, ODonnell teased.

McMahons full memo is below:

Hi everyone,

Just a few moments ago, Norah ODonnell shared her decision to step away from the Evening News desk after the election, moving into a new role at CBS  a role that will enable her to, as she notes, do something different, and thankfully for us, do more of the storytelling and big interviews that are a hallmark of CBS News, as well as Norahs illustrious career.

The fact is Norahs superpower is her ability to secure and then masterfully deliver unparalleled interviews and stories that set the news cycle and capture the cultural zeitgeist. From her global exclusive with Pope Francis to her interviews with every living president, Norahs newsmaking interviews always deliver for the audience. How many people can effortlessly shift from field-anchoring on an aircraft carrier in the Red Sea to sitting down with Bono and Dolly Parton? Norahs work here is legendary, and she has several major interviews in the works that will be equally memorable and momentous.

As Norah noted in her email, this is a transformative time in our industry, where we have the challenge and the opportunity to connect with viewers in entirely new ways, and she is uniquely positioned to do so for CBS. In this new role, Norah will have the time and the support to deliver even more of the exceptional stories she is known for across our shows and streams, across CBS Network and Paramount+. She will have the real estate and flexibility to leverage big bookings on numerous platforms, including primetime specials, 60 Minutes, CBS News Sunday Morning, and more.

But first, there is an election to cover, and Norah will continue to lead our political coverage, including the Democratic National Convention and Election Night. We look forward to Norahs ongoing coverage of this important political cycle.

I know many of you will have questions about what this means for the CBS Evening News moving forward. Please know we remain committed to its mission, we will share more about our plans soon, and we want to thank all our colleagues who contribute to its coverage every night. As Norah said, her Evening News signoff is not anytime soon, and we look forward to seeing her reporting and interviews now and in the future.

Wendy

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When unsuspecting bats are infected with white-nose syndrome, they endure a slow and painful death. The fuzzy white fungus officially known as Pseudogymnoascus destructans covers their wings, tails and muzzles in a thick coat. When bats like the little brown bat (Myotis lucifugus) are afflicted with white-nose syndrome, they take too long to rise from torpor (prolonged hibernation) and struggle to stay nourished as the fungus consumes their bodies' tiny fat deposits. Millions of bats throughout North America have died from white-nose syndrome since it was discovered in 2018, with both professional and amateur chiropterologists despairing for an effective medical treatment. In less than a decade, P. destructans has slaughtered more than 90% of northern long-eared (Myotis septentrionalis), tricolored (Perimyotis subflavus) and little brown bat populations.

Now a recent study in the journal Science offers a glimmer of hope to bat-fans everywhere: Despite the destructiveness implied by its name, P. destrucatans is actually less destructive than previously believed. The mechanisms through which it ravages bats, once mysterious, are now comprehensible.

The fungus infects bats through the epithelial cells of their skin without significantly damaging the cells themselves, the study finds. In addition to making the fungus easier to fight, this discovery helps explain some of the symptoms that it causes in infected bats. By not destroying the skin cells after infecting them, the bats only experience a limited immune response to the deadly pathogen. While their immune systems keep the fungus at bay when the bat is active, the fungus gains the upper hand once the bats enter their state of torpor. Their body temperatures drop, and the fungus finds many ways of adapting and completely infecting the bats' skin cells.

"We created a cell line from an endangered bat species (little brown bat) to create a model for the disease in animals that are not available to be studied," study co-author Dr. Bruce Klein  a professor of Pediatrics, Medicine, and Medical Microbiology & Immunology at the University of Wisconsin, Madison  told Salon. "We created a model of hibernation, which is so critical to understanding of the pathogenesis of the infection."

Prior to their study, the mechanisms behind the fungus' behavior were enigmatic. That is no longer the case, as the study explains its progression at a detailed molecular level.

"We answered these questions by identifying . . . the cells that the fungus invades" and "the receptor that enables entry by the fungus," Klein said, adding that they also studied "the means by which the fungus spreads from cell to cell without killing the cells and thus alerting the bat immune system" and "how the fungus survives inside the harsh interior of the cells."

Dr. Tina Cheng, the director of white-nose syndrome research at Bat Conservation International, was not involved in the study and has studied the deadly disease up-close, albeit not as a microbiologist. She expressed optimism about its implications, assuming its research can be replicated.

"Their findings are incredibly interesting and give unique insight into the 'sneaky' life of [P. destrucatans] and how it avoids host response to proliferate," Cheng said. "The findings of this paper suggest [P. destrucatans] exploits the hibernation patterns of its host and this co-evolution between host and pathogen is consistent with other studies, including a study that found extreme sensitivity by [P. destrucatans] to [ultraviolet] light suggesting specialization on bats and cave environments and a study surmising a plant pathogen origin of [P. destrucatans] that co-evolved with the evolution of hibernation in bats as the planet was cooling millions of years ago."

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Cheng is not the only bat champion enthusiastic about the new research. Dr. Joe Samuel Johnson of the University of Cincinnati also told Salon that from the perspective of his speciality (as an ecologist), he finds the study to be "an exciting piece of work."

"The authors inquiry into what is happening with the fungal pathogen both while bats are in torpor and during brief arousals was insightful," Johnson said. "In explaining why [white-nose syndrome] kills bats to students and the public, I often discuss capability of P. destructans to grow at cold temperatures. But the pathogens ability to remain infectious during torpid and active states is an important addition to this story. Perhaps more importantly, the authors insights into how fungal conidia avoid being killed by bats immune cells is likely to be taken up in future studies seeking to understand this deadly wildlife disease."

Johnson also has advice for the general public, or at least that section of it which cares about bats: Protect them when you find them. After all, the bats are literally coming to humans (or at least their structures) for help.

"Most of the species that are vulnerable to this disease migrate away from those habitats in spring to give birth in trees or in human structures such as barns or attics," Johnson said. "Many people have such maternity roosts on their property. And it is here that populations grow each year and provide the possibility of recovery from [white-nose syndrome]. Protecting these maternity roosts, or promoting them where they do not yet exist, is an important part of conservation."

Dr. Susan Loeb, a research ecologist & project leader at the United States Department of Agriculture's Forest Service, said that there are many other things the public can do to protect bats

"Minimizing disturbance to bats when they are hibernating or raising young is critical," Loeb said. "This is particularly important for bats that suffer from white-nose syndrome. If people go into hibernacula or potential hibernacula, they should try to follow decontamination procedures that have been published by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service and Canadian Wildlife Health Cooperative." When bats enter mature trees and large snags (dead trees), those organisms should be protected. "These structures provide summer roosts for many species of bats as well as substrate for the insects that the bats eat. Working to maintain forest corridors and clean water will also help bats on a larger scale. Providing alternate roost sites such as bat boxes can help when bats need to be excluded from human structures, but caution should be used to make sure that these artificial roosts are used correctly."

The experts are pressing these warnings on the public because North American bats are facing an existential crisis. Loeb did not mince words; she has seen the devastation firsthand.

"I along with students and colleagues have been monitoring a winter hibernating colony of tricolored bats in an abandoned tunnel in upstate South Carolina since the winter of 2013-14," Loeb said. "Each year we watched the decline of the colony from 321 bats prior to white-nose syndrome down to 31 bats just three years after white-nose syndrome entered the population." The bats have slowly recovered each year, and as of 2024 the population is 123. "Unfortunately, not all hibernating colonies in the area have done as well. For example, a smaller tunnel less than a mile away declined from over 400 bats down to 8 and still has less than 20 bats in it."

Cheng is observing the mass deaths in the Appalachian mountains of Virginia and West Virginia.

"I have also seen the magnitude of these declines by assessing hundreds of sites where [white-nose syndrome] has caused massive declines," Cheng said. "The magnitude of impact of this disease cannot be stressed, not just for the impact on affected bat species, but on its whole ecosystem-wide effects."

Klein, as an expert in and admirer of bats, made it clear to Salon that this battle  though perhaps daunting  is worth fighting because bats, quite simply, are worth saving.

"I have been completely won over by the importance of bats on our planet," Klein said. "Im committed to helping to save them."
This just wasn't the right time for North Carolina and for me to potentially be on a national ticket," Cooper said

AP Photo/Ben McKeown; Slaven Vlasic/Getty

North Carolina Gov. Roy Cooper isnt seeking a vice presidential candidate bid.

Cooper, who was rumored to have been one of the people being considered to run alongside Kamala Harris on the 2024 Democratic ticket, issued a statement on Monday, July 29, signaling that he is stepping out of contention.

"I strongly support Vice President Harris' campaign for President. I know she's going to win and I was honored to be considered for this role," he said in a post on X (formerly known as Twitter). This just wasn't the right time for North Carolina and for me to potentially be on a national ticket.

Cooper, 67, added, "As l've said from the beginning, she has an outstanding list of people from which to choose, and we'll all work to make sure she wins.

Related: Who Will Kamala Harris Pick as Her 2024 Running Mate? Possible VP Candidates to Fill Out New Democratic Ticket

Despite his decision, Cooper still rallied support for Harris on Monday, July 29, according to ABC News, reportedly saying, "We know that this country needs Kamala Harris more than ever right now, and we can hold the key now." He did not address pulling out of the race to run with Harris at the time.

Cooper and Harris grew close when they served as the attorney general for their respective states, North Carolina and California.

Earlier this month, two sources close to the Biden-Harris campaign told The New York Times that Cooper was emerging as one of the serious contenders for a potential VP replacement, even if it would raise the average age on the ticket since he was one of the oldest candidates under consideration.

However, Cooper declined to be vetted by Harris campaign about a week ago, sources told CNN and Politico.

Related: Barack and Michelle Obama Call Kamala Harris to Offer Their Endorsement: 'It's Time for Us to Rally' (Video)

AP Photo/Stephanie Scarbrough Roy Cooper and Kamala Harris

When asked about potentially being on the shortlist of vice presidential candidates to run alongside Harris, Cooper previously told CNN in July that he didnt want to play into this new favorite political parlor game, because its too important for America to stop Donald Trump.

Two sources close to Cooper told Politico that he based his decision on several factors including his desire to potentially run for senate and fears that his GOP lieutenant governor Mark Robinson would assume the role when he traveled out of state, which North Carolina state laws dictated.

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Cooper previously served as attorney general for 16 years before winning his governor seat in North Carolina in 2016, according to Politico. One of his major achievements in the role included expanding Medicaid last year so that half a million low-income North Carolinians could receive health insurance, per the outlet.

Other candidates reportedly under consideration include Kentucky Gov. Andy Beshear, Arizona Sen. Mark Kelly, Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro, Secretary of Transportation Pete Buttigieg, Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz, Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer, Illinois Gov. J.B. Pritzker and Commerce Secretary Gina Raimondo.



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(WGHP)  Gov. Roy Cooper is no longer being considered as a potential running mate with Vice President Kamala Harris after withdrawing himself from the sweepstakes, according to the New York Times.

Cooper was believed to be among six people the Harris campaign was looking at as top candidates to join her presidential run.

At this time, it is not clear why he chose to remove himself from consideration.

How political ads using A.I. could create distrust among voters

Appearing on MSNBCs Morning Joe program recently, Cooper said he spoke with Harris as Democrats coalesced around her in the wake of President Joe Bidens historic decision to drop out of the presidential race.

We understand you had a conversation with the vice president yesterday as well. How did that go? Mika Brzezinski asked Cooper.

It went great, Cooper said. We talked about winning this race.  This is a bottom-up type of thing, Mika. I think Kamala Harris soon is going to be in a position where she can really take off, and Im excited about it and feel confident that she can win this presidency. So the excitement is certainly showing itself up in dollars and cents.

Cooper elaborated on the winning qualities he believes Harris has and emphasized the 59-year-old vice presidents youth relative to 78-year-old former President Donald Trump at multiple points in the interview.

She is relatively young and strong and vigorous, he said. Donald Trump is old and forgetful, and shes going to be able to make that contrast. She also has credentials of serving as attorney general, protecting consumers. Shes the protector of consumers, while Donald Trump is the con man. Theres so many ways that Vice President Harris can show that she can be president of this country.

Donald Trump wants an America where its easier to get an assault weapon than it is to get healthcare, Cooper said. So we need to bring all of these issues to the forefront. I believe she is the person to do it. She has really been hitting her stride over the last couple of years. Shes ready to run this.

North Carolina

The topic of conversation turned from the national races to North Carolina with Cooper all too happy to share his thoughts on some of the big races happening at home.

Cooper said he believes that the shift away from Biden and towards Harris will have a significant impact on how the state may vote.

I am really excited that not only can she win North Carolina, but she can help us with these other important races in our state, he said. Like Josh Steins governors race and Jeff Jacksons attorney generals race and Mo Green, whos running for our superintendent of public instruction in North Carolina, for our public schools.

He described the opponents in these races as extreme MAGA candidates and said that this isnt who North Carolina is.

Attorney General Josh Stein is in an expensive and heated race against the sitting lieutenant governor, Mark Robinson, a Republican firebrand known for intense rhetoric. U.S. Senator Jeff Jackson (D-District 14) is up against U.S. Rep. Dan Bishop (R-District 8) for Coopers old position as attorney general, and former Guilford County Schools superintendent Mo Green is up against Michele Morrow, who defeated incumbent Republican Catherine Truitt in the primaries for the state superintendent race and has a history of sharing conspiracy theories.

Cooper also touted the Biden-Harris administrations victories in North Carolina, praising them for their contributions to the replacement of a vital bridge in Wilmington, Medicare expansion and high-speed internet.

Copyright 2024 Nexstar Media, Inc. 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.
North Dakota Public Service Commission members, from left, Sheri Haugen-Hoffart, Randy Christmann and Julie Fedorchak conduct a public input session on proposed natural gas rate increases on July 29, 2024, in Bismarck. (Michael Achterling/North Dakota Monitor)

Two North Dakota natural gas utility providers are proposing to increase residential gas rates between 7.5% and 12.5% in coming months after holding public input sessions with the states Public Service Commission in July.

The increases would affect North Dakota residents who receive natural gas from Northern States Power Company, a part of Xcel Energy, and Montana-Dakota Utilities.

The Xcel rate increase would raise an estimated $8.5 million in revenue and amount to a monthly average increase of $6.75 per residential customer.

The MDU rate increase would raise an estimated $11.6 million in revenue and increase a residential customers monthly gas bill by about $5.90.

Both companies filed their proposed rate increases with the commission in December and participated in public input sessions to answer questions about the increases.

Alex Nisbet, regulatory policy specialist for Xcel Energy, told members of the commission on Monday the reason for the proposed rate increase is to recoup costs for meter replacements, upgrading outdated infrastructure, relocating infrastructure due to Fargo-Moorheads flood diversion project and adding high pressure distribution projects in the Grand Forks and West Fargo areas.

After wed done all of our projections and our various revenue requirements, we saw that we were going to end up with an $8.5 million deficiency for the approved rates from our last natural gas rate case, Nisbet said.

He said Xcel, which already implements a flat delivery charge for customers, plans to add a distribution charge based on residential volume-use of natural gas. A higher delivery fee is expected to increase monthly gas bills by about $2.75 and the new distribution charge would add about $4 per month.

Between those two new increases, thats what would get us to our proposed rate increase, Nisbet said.

The Montana-Dakota Utilities natural gas rate increase was due to pipeline replacement projects and increased costs to operate and maintain its natural gas system, according to the companys website.

The North Dakota chapter of AARP filed comments with the commission to intervene on behalf of Red River Valley residents to oppose the Xcel increase.

In a statement, the organization said increases in utilities can be detrimental low- and fixed-income residents.

With this rate increase request, Xcel is placing too much burden on the residential customers it serves, said Josh Askvig, state director for AARP North Dakota, in a statement. Xcel Energys proposed 12.5% increase is well above the national average, and we encourage the NDPSC to reject this unreasonable increase.

The group also applauded efforts made by North Dakotans who filed comments with the PSC in 2022, which they claim helped shave about $2 million off of Xcel Energys previous natural gas rate increase request.

Commissioner Randy Christmann, chair of the PSC, said he thought the time between rate increase requests was usually longer than two years.

The last one had a 2022 test year and usually its about three years between rate cases instead of two, Christmann said.

Prior to the 2022 rate increase, the last time natural gas rates were requested to be adjusted by Xcel was in 2007, according to information provided during the hearing.

Xcel serves about 63,000 customers between Grand Forks to Fargo to Oriska and includes about 1,150 miles of distribution pipelines, according to Xcel Energy.

MDU serves 115,000 natural gas customers in 76 North Dakota communities.

The AARP also intervened in the MDU rate case, arguing in a petition that residential customers would see larger increases than some large customers.

Members of the public can file comments on the proposed rate increases with the Public Service Commission via email at NDPSC@nd.gov. The public can call 701-328-2400 for more information.

Comments for the Xcel rate increase must be filed before a public hearing set for Sept. 3. Comments for the MDU rate increase must be filed before its public hearing on Sept. 30.

If the natural gas rate increases are approved by the commission, customers could see the rates implemented by the end of 2024.

The PSC approved increased interim gas rates to increase revenue by $7.9 million for Xcel Energy that went into effect March 1 and $10.1 million for MDU, which went into effect Jan. 1. Customers will be issued refunds if those amounts are decreased by the PSC during the final version of the rate increases.

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North Koreas rumoured seventh nuclear test could happen during US elections, South Korea says

North Koreas rumoured seventh nuclear test could happen during US elections, South Korea says

North Koreas much-speculated seventh nuclear test could happen around the US presidential elections in November, South Koreas defence minister has warned.

Shin Wonsik arrived in Tokyo on Sunday to lock a deal with Japan and the US for the tracking of North Korean missiles and share real-time data among the three countries.

Concerns about Pyongyangs nuclear programme have grown in recent years as the North performed a slew of provocative missile tests and openly threatened to use nuclear weapons preemptively in potential conflicts with its adversaries.

South Korean intelligence agencies have been claiming that North Korea has finished all preparations to conduct a nuclear missile test which would be its seventh since its last tested one in September 2017.

But Mr Wonsik said Kim Jong-uns regime could pull the trigger around the US presidential elections in November to raise its profile.

North Korea has completed preparations to conduct a nuclear test when a decision is made, Mr Shin said. We cannot rule out the possibility of that decisive moment being right before or after the US presidential election to raise its leverage against the US.

North Korea conducted six nuclear tests at the key site of Punggye-ri so far, in October 2006, May 2009, February 2013, January 2016, September 2016 and September 2017.

The last test at the site involved a powerful atomic bomb with an estimated yield of between 120-250 kilotons, according to experts.

The site has been shut down since North Koreas self-imposed moratorium on nuclear weapons tests in 2018. However, satellite images and intelligence gathered by South Korea have suggested construction in the area.

Earlier this month, North Koreas defence ministry threatened to boost its nuclear fighting capability and warned that the US and South will pay an unimaginably harsh price after Seoul and Washington authorized the signing of new joint nuclear deterrence guidelines.

US president Joe Biden and his South Korean counterpart Yoon Suk Yeol adopted the guidelines as part of efforts to enhance their capabilities to cope with North Koreas growing nuclear arsenal.

Mr Shin met his American and Japanese counterparts Lloyd Austin and Kihara Minoru respectively to sign the agreement for "trilateral cooperation" which included joint exercises between the countries as well as information sharing.

"The three defence leaders will further develop trilateral cooperation to effectively address regional challenges, provocations, and threats," read a joint press statement.

North Korea is known for timing its provocative tests around crucial political events.

It comes after North Korea delivered a stinging rebuke to Donald Trump for flaunting his supposedly friendly relations with Kim Jong-un, saying we do not care about the Republican.

It rejected the idea that Mr Trumps first presidency had a substantial impact on US-North Korea relations, and said personal connections and diplomacy should be looked at separately.
Soldiers walk alongside a barbed-wire fence in Goseong, South Korea, in 2019. A group of North Korean escapees recently have been pushing for a change in U.S. policy toward North Korea in meetings with officials and policy experts in Washington, D.C., and New York. File Photo by Thomas Maresca/UPI

July 30 (UPI) -- A group of young, professional North Korean escapees has been pushing for a change in U.S. policy toward North Korea in meetings with officials and policy experts in Washington, D.C., and New York.

Yesterday they met with Ambassador Robert Wood at the U.S. Mission to the United Nations and with members of the South Korean U.N. Mission. Last week they briefed staff at the National Security Council and the State Department's Korea desk, as well as staffers from Florida Republican Sen. Marco Rubio's office.

They also spoke at public forums at the Hudson Institute and the National Endowment for Democracy and met with Northeast Asia experts at the Brookings Institution.

The group urged policymakers to give greater attention to North Korean human rights abuses and to expand access to information inside the tightly controlled nation.

In 2014, the U.N. Commission of Inquiry on Human Rights in North Korea found the regime guilty of crimes against humanity. The regime, under current leader Kim Jong Un, fears the free flow of information to its people and has imposed draconian laws against the distribution and accessing of international media, including even public executions.

Hyunseung Lee, a Fellow at the Global Peace Foundation and organizer of the group, said, "The international community must be more proactive in abolishing these cruel laws and improving human rights."

He said that, while he was still in North Korea, three of his friends were sentenced to six months of hard labor for possessing foreign media.

Lee said that, for many North Koreans, outside information is like water for a thirsty man in a desert, and they will risk a lot to get it.

One of the group members, J.Y. Park, communicates with people living close to the border with China. She said they want to know more about the outside world and about aspects of the ruling Kim family history that are concealed in official propaganda.

Gumhyok Kim, a media commentator and adviser to the South Korean government, came from an elite family in Pyongyang. Growing up, he believed that North Korea was a paradise. When he went to study at a Chinese university, though, he had greater access to information on the Internet.

"I learned things I never knew about North Korea," he said.

He and some fellow North Korean students began to study about freedom, democracy and human rights, and to research information about the South Korean economy.

"Through information, people can begin to live lives of dignity," Kim said, adding that he wants North Koreans to learn about the success escapees like him now enjoy in a free society.

He also said that South Korean TV dramas have some effect but not enough to counteract the pervasive propaganda young people are subjected to at school and college. There was a need for information targeted at elite young North Koreans covering the topics he and his friends had researched in China, he said.

Harry Kim, a successful software engineer residing in Texas, wants North Koreans to know that almost all Americans and South Koreans own a car and a refrigerator since such a life is unimaginable to them.

Others, such as Sunghyuk An, a Fulbright scholar at Syracuse University, said he also wanted to see more information about the suffering of North Koreans, and he wanted that information spread across America and South Korea.

This was the second series of meetings and events undertaken by what the participants called the North Korean Young Leaders' Assembly. Its goal is captured in the title of the forum hosted by the National Endowment for Democracy: Preparing a Democratic Future for North Korea: Next Generation Leadership.

The members of the group want to highlight the suffering of the North Korean people and to prepare themselves to make a contribution to North Korea's future whenever change arrives.
WARSAW, July 30 (Xinhua) -- Poland commemorated the 80th anniversary of the 1944 Warsaw Uprising on Tuesday, with President Andrzej Duda hailing the insurrection as a pivotal moment in the nation's fight for independence.

Duda described the event as "one of the fundamental milestones of our freedom and our independence" and "something unprecedented in history" during a ceremony at the Warsaw Uprising Museum.

At the ceremony, Duda and Warsaw's Mayor Rafal Trzaskowski met with a few dozen insurgents who participated in the uprising 80 years ago.

The Warsaw Uprising, which broke out on Aug. 1, 1944, was the largest underground military operation in German-occupied Europe. Around 40,000-50,000 insurgents fought over two months, resulting in the deaths of approximately 18,000 insurgents and up to 180,000 civilians. After the uprising was crushed, about 500,000 residents were expelled from the city, and Warsaw was almost completely razed to the ground. 
Logan Perkins was hardworking, passionate about his career and family-oriented, his parents said.

He was always at work, and if you talk to any of his coworkers, theyll tell you what a good, hardworking young man he was, said Logans mother, Christie Perkins. And as far as to me and Robert, he was our baby.

He was the glue that held his family together.

He wouldve given you the shirt off of his back if you needed it, in a heartbeat, said Robert Perkins, Logans father.

Logan, along with his parents, grew up in Tomball, on the outskirts of Houston. He moved to North Texas, with his parents following suit in August 2023, to attend welding school at Tarrant County College.

He finished his education and was living at the Sansom Ridge Apartment homes in Sansom Park while he was working at Alliance Welding and Metal Fabrication. His life was cut short in February when he was robbed and fatally shot.

Now, his parents are looking to hold the apartment complex accountable in the death of their 24-year-old son.

The civil and criminal cases

Logans parents filed a wrongful death lawsuit against the Sansom Ridge Apartment Homes on May 29 in a Travis County district court.

Property management companies LDG Development and Cardinal Group were also named in the suit.

Logans life came to a violent end at the hands of a non-resident murderer, the suit states.

Sansom Park police found Logan shot to death on Feb. 29 at his apartment, located at 3100 La Junta St.

A 16-year-old boy was arrested and charged with his murder. A witness told police that the teen shot Logan three or four times and robbed him of a gun and marijuana thereafter, according to an arrest warrant affidavit.

The suit alleges the apartment complex management was aware or had reason to know of frequent violent criminal activity that occurs on its premises and nearby. Those crimes include armed robbery, assault with a deadly weapon, discharge of a firearm, drive-by shootings, theft, robberies, burglaries, drug dealing and gang activity, according to the suit.

Despite employees witnessing crimes and offenses being reported by residents, the apartment complex failed to communicate and provide safety measures to protect Logan, the suit alleges.

The suit cites a lack of on-site security, working gates, warnings, tenant notices, or other customary crime deterrents.

In responses filed with the court, the defendants denied the allegations in the suit. The defendants also filed a motion seeking to move the case to Tarrant County, according to court documents.

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In surveillance video obtained by police, the suspect was seen physically fighting with a woman near the Sansom Ridge Apartments. Shortly after Logan arrived at his apartment that day, the suspect approached his building, according to the warrant.

The property was so devoid of expected and needed security measures, that a non-resident could enter the property for the sole purpose of committing a violent felony without any concern of being observed, reported, or apprehended by Defendants representatives, the lawsuit reads. Such acts were repeated in great frequency as soon as the property was opened to residents to lease.

Security measures were not unreasonable to implement and maintain, considering the foreseeable risk of violent criminal activity to the residents at Sansom Ridge Apartments, the suit states.

Logan was one of the residents who reported criminal activity to the apartment complex, according to the suit.

The crime was foreseeable and it was only a matter of time before a murder happened on the premises, the suit says.

According to Texas law, the owners of a property are responsible to utilize care to protect residents from criminal acts by third parties if they are aware of an unreasonable and foreseeable risk of harm to the residents.

Will Moye, the Perkinses attorney, says the presence of marijuana in Logans apartment did not have criminal implications.

Like many Americans  young and old  Logan was an occasional recreational user. There is no suggestion or evidence of anything more nefarious, Moye said in a statement.

Logans parents are asking to be compensated for damages including physical and mental pain the victim suffered and funeral expenses. They are also seeking compensation for their mental anguish, loss of companionship, and other losses as a result of Logans death.

But Robert and Christie are not only looking to hold Logans apartment home liable.

The 16-year-old suspect was sentenced to 20 years in juvenile detention with a review of his punishment for possible parole when he turns 19. But Logans parents believe prosecuting him as a minor led to inadequate punishment.

The first thing that really caught us off guard was we were told that this kid was going to be charged with capital murder, Robert told the Star-Telegram in an interview. Robert and Christie were then told by a Sansom Park detective and a prosecutor that it would be useless to ask a judge to try the 16-year-old as an adult capital murder suspect, the parents said.

I think theres just a generalized concern, whether fair or unfair, that theres an approach at low-hanging legal fruit and its obviously an easier prosecution against a minor than it is an adult, Moye said.

According to Texas Family Code 54, teens can be prosecuted as adults for certain offenses. A minor as young as 14 can be tried as an adult if they face a capital or first-degree felony and a 15-year-old can also be placed in the adult criminal system if they are alleged to have committed a second-degree felony, a third-degree felony or a state jail felony. Although, a judge must approve a prosecutors request to have a juvenile tried in adult court.

Additionally, Robert and Christie feel prosecutors were not communicative with them while handing Logans case.

We met with the parents of Logan Perkins numerous times before and after the disposition of this case. The juvenile was sentenced to 20 years in the Texas Juvenile Justice Department and the parents were present for the disposition of the case, the DAs Office said in a statement to the Star-Telegram.

The DAs Office did not elaborate on why prosecutors did not seek to try the defendant as an adult.

The victims family and the victim was not necessarily looked at and what theyre going through, only whether or not the child is gonna get a second chance is being considered, Robert said. Were not against necessarily getting a second chance, but we do believe there should be punishment.

They [Robert and Christie] have given their concerns to the prosecutor that they want a requisite amount of justice that fits the crime, Moye said. Theres a concern that if hes undercharged, then obviously whats going to result is much, much less.

Filing the lawsuit was the first step for the Perkins family.

Ultimately we cant control the criminal case. We have to rely on our elected officials to do that for us, Moye said. The only thing we can do in seeking accountability is control the civil case. And thats the motivation that weve brought forth to file the claim against the owner and management company.
A North Texas woman was sentenced Tuesday to life in prison for her role in helping her partner con millions of dollars out of senior citizens through an investment business, the Tarrant County Criminal District Attorneys Office said.

On July 8, a jury found Debra Mae Carter, 65, guilty of money laundering in her lovers Ponzi scheme.

Carters partner, William Neil Doc Gallagher, was sentenced in November 2021 to three life sentences and another 30 years on charges of forgery, securing the execution of a document by deception, theft of property, and exploitation of the elderly. He ran the Gallagher Financial Group, based out of Hurst, and promoted his business on Christian radio broadcasts and other forms of media, using the tag line See you in church on Sunday, according to the DAs Office.

Carters role in the Ponzi scheme was to make sure the money was not recovered by the victims while Gallagher brought in the money, the release says.

The two gained over $31 million over a span of 10 years, scamming more than 170 victims, according to the release.

These were hard-earned retirement (dollars) which ... got put into her account over and over again, said Assistant District Attorney Lori Varnell. She is a blight on society.

Carter laundered the money through rental homes, land, fake charities and other means, according to the release.

Brenda Wilkerson, one of Gallaghers victims, spoke at the punishment hearing for Carter. She will have to continue paying the mortgage on her home due to money she lost in Gallaghers scheme, the release says.

Debbie Carter deserves life in prison, Wilkerson said. She has ruined so many lives... Its despicable.
J.D. Vance has made it very clear he has nothing against cats, but it seems he has a history of singling out childless Americans.

The GOP vice presidential nominee hit back at his critics after his remarks disparaging childless cat ladies resurfaced. He insisted he was simply speaking as a proud family man and insisted the sarcastic comment was taken out of context.

However, CNN reports that the Ohio senator has also used the terms sociopath and psychotic to describe people without children.

Vance has claimed his now infamous quote from a 2021 Fox News interview on the Tucker Carlson show when he described Kamala Harris and other women as a bunch of childless cat ladies miserable at their own lives was aimed at anti-family Democrats. But some examples quoted by CNN appear to range beyond party political boundaries.

Vance claimed on a conservative podcast in 2020 that the most deranged and most psychotic users of Twitter, now X, tended to be childless.

Fox Star Brian Kilmeade Lashes Vance Over Cat Ladies: Losing

There are just these basic cadences of life that I think are really powerful and really valuable when you have kids in your life, Vance said on the Chris Buskirk podcast. And the fact that so many people, especially in Americas leadership class, just dont have that in their lives.

You know, I worry that it makes people more sociopathic and ultimately our whole country a little bit less, less mentally stable. And of course, you talk about going on Twitterfinal point Ill make is you go on Twitter and almost always the people who are most deranged and most psychotic are people who dont have kids at home, he added.

It seemed as if he was warming to the theme, as CNN claims Vance sent out fundraising emails for his Senate campaign in 2021 mentioning the radical childless leaders in this country.

In September 2021, he retweeted a story from The Hill reporting the results of a poll saying people were worried about having children because of the climate crisis and included the comment: The cat ladies, man. They must be stopped.

The cat ladies, man. They must be stopped. https://t.co/qIANzQT42A  JD Vance (@JDVance) September 14, 2021

The following May, Vance reposted a link to an article in The Atlantic headlined, Kids are low risk. Go ahead and plan the summer. With the post, he tweeted: How many of the insane replies to this tweet are from people without children? Our countrys low birth rates have made many elites sociopaths.

How many of the insane replies to this tweet are from people without children?



Our countrys low birth rates have made many elites sociopaths. https://t.co/bBzysnMm3F  JD Vance (@JDVance) March 21, 2021

It's an issue that's now unlikely to go away in the 2024 presidential election campaign as it heats up this summer.

Vance spokesperson Taylor Van Kirk told CNN the senator was talking about politicians on the left who support policies that are explicitly anti-child and anti-family.

The media can obsess over it all they want, but hes not going to back down when it comes to advocating for policies that protect parental rights and encourage people to have more kids.

Read more at The Daily Beast.

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April Greenwood, of Provo, looks over her ballot during primary election voting held at the Utah County Health and Justice Building in Provo on Tuesday, June 25, 2024. For more than 200 years, politicians have been claiming each election is the most important ever. | Isaac Hale, Deseret News

Were at a tipping point, and quite possibly our country, as we know it, may be lost forever. Sound familiar?

That comment was made by Chuck Norris in 2012, who pleaded with American voters to defeat President Barack Obama, running for his second term, or, he said, U.S. voters would be sentencing their children to 1,000 years of darkness. Change out the candidates names and his comments could easily have been made this election cycle. And every one in between.

In fact, for every election cycle in my political memory, Ive heard that this is the most important election of our lifetime. If every election is the most important election, then no election is the most important, right? (OK, OK  every election is important, and elections have real consequences. But determining the most important is best left to historians.)

In 2020, a tech podcast with host Jason Feifer released an episode titled The Most Important Podcast of Our Lifetime! that explored the genesis of this now-ubiquitous phrase of most important in our lifetime. He started off by telling his listeners: If youre hearing this podcast before the first Tuesday in November in the year 2020, then you may agree, this is the most important election of our lifetime, and maybe it is. Maybe it is. I admit it sure feels that way. Or maybe youre listening to this four years from now or maybe youre actually approaching Election Day 2024. And if thats the case, well, I bet you have been told that your election is the most important election of our lifetime. And I bet that feels true too. (Theres a reason for that, which we will get to later.)

As far back as 1805, at least as far as Feifer could find, this has been so. The Philadelphia Aurora wanted the incumbent governor, Thomas McKean, to lose. It printed a nearly full-page ad calling McKean an apostate from principle who was supported by a mongrel faction. The ad went on to issue a call to action by telling voters, Today will be held the most important election you have ever been called upon to attend. McKean won.

It feels like that phrase  or something like it  has been bandied about in every election since then, both locally and nationally. In 1864, the Vermont Chronicle exclaimed the most important election in the history of this nation was when Abraham Lincoln was running for reelection. (Thats fair.) The Greeneville Democrat-Sun, a newspaper in Tennessee, reported in 1923 that the most important election in the history of the county will take place  when Greene County will be called on to vote $200,000 for the purpose of resurfacing the roads. Presumably Greene County roads have been resurfaced a number of times in the last 100 years.

In 1952, President Harry S. Truman stumped for Democrat Adlai Stevenson to succeed him, saying, This is, my friends, the most important election in your lifetime. We cant afford to lose it. Stevenson lost, and four years later, Truman was back on the trail telling voters that, actually, it was the 1956 election that was the most important in a quarter-century. In 1960, John F. Kennedy called his race the most important since Lincolns. In 1988, Democratic candidate Michael Dukakis called his the most important race since Kennedys.

During the 1996 Clinton-Dole campaign, Sen. Bernie Sanders declared it the most important election in our lifetimes and an election in which the choices have never been clearer. In 2020, he said, This is the most important election, not only in our lifetime but in the modern history of our country, speaking to voters in Michigan. This weekend, Sanders endorsed Vice President Kamala Harris and told voters in Vermont that This is, in fact, the most important election of our lifetimes.

And on and on it goes.

Why that phrase works

There are reasons politicians and their supporters use the most important election phrasing. Politicians need voters to feel that the future depends on their vote. By using phrases such as most important ever! they can create a sense of urgency and immediacy. According to podcast host Feifer, somebody feels like somethings at stake so they will get off their couches and into the voting booth.

By creating that sense of urgency, candidates can also tap into fear, dislike and negativity bias, which studies confirm are also powerful motivators in getting out the vote. Preaching doom and gloom works. Remember the Daisy Ad? I was not yet born when it aired originally in 1964, but the minute-long TV ad showing a massive atomic bomb blotting out the image of a little girl plucking flowers off a daisy helped clinch a landslide victory for Lyndon B. Johnson. That ad has been studied in political science classes ever since.

Immediacy and urgency are about the here and now. The past is over. We cant control the future, but drumming up worst-case scenarios that will likely never come to pass taps into our fears about that future. But those fears are greatly exaggerated. Obama winning a second term did not lead to 1,000 years of darkness. As previously mentioned, the roads in Greene County have been resurfaced.

Our political system is built for the long haul, and to withstand the inevitable pendulum swings between ideologies. We know the Supreme Court has been wrong before, in the Dred Scott decision upholding slavery and the Plessy v. Ferguson case enshrining segregation, for example. I would suggest most voters think the court has been wrong on abortion, whether it was the Roe v. Wade case or the more recent Dobbs case. Sometimes, the people we vote for dont win. But we have a system built for resilience. There is hope.

Earlier this year, Utahs Lt. Gov. Deidre Henderson wrote, No matter who wins the White House this year, 2024 will not be our nations last election. Democracy will not die if the Republican wins. The republic will survive if the Democrat wins.

Having said all that, I will tell you what is actually the most important part of any election, including the 2024 election. Its your vote. Get out there and exercise it and have a hand in shaping what comes next. If the people you vote for win, win graciously. If the people you vote for lose, lose with dignity. In spite of some blustery rhetoric coming from both sides, this country will still be standing in four years.
Hes not stopping! KXAN investigation leads to new look at crosswalk crash, Texas law

Investigative Summary:

A KXAN investigation tracks the enforcement of a new crosswalk law. The Lisa Torry Smith Act went into effect in September 2021, making it a crime to kill or hurt a person in a crosswalk. Statewide data shows more drivers are being arrested and prosecuted for breaking the law, but some worry challenges are impacting enforcement.

DALLAS (KXAN)  She grabbed Rudys leash.

He knew instantly it was time for their morning walk  something Krystal Morris did every day before work.

Krystal Morris' rescue dog, Rudy. (Courtesy Krystal Morris)

Krystal Morris rescue dog, Rudy. (Courtesy Krystal Morris)

He was jumping up at me and ready to go, she said of her rescue pup.

She remembers the warm June morning and clear blue sky  the calmness of her eclectic neighborhood tucked away in east Dallas away from the hustle and bustle of downtown.

I was excited, because that day I was gonna get to go to a conference for women, Morris explained, smiling.

As she made her way back to her apartment, she crossed a four-way stop. The next few moments were chaotic.

She dropped the leash.

Krystal Morris said she was struck by a pickup near her apartment in Dallas. (KXAN Photo/Arezow Doost)

Krystal Morris said she was struck by a pickup near her apartment in Dallas. (KXAN Photo/Arezow Doost)

Hes not stopping! Hes not stopping, Morris remembers repeating in her head. I threw my hands up and I screamed!

Police body camera video, which Morris shared with KXAN investigators, showed the driver explaining to an officer what happened in that crosswalk.

It was the sun, he said. I didnt see her.

In the crash report, police explained that the driver struck Morris with his white pickup in June 2022  almost a year after Texas passed a new law making it a crime to kill or hurt someone in a crosswalk.

Statewide crosswalk law

Krystal Morris on June 29, 2022, at a Dallas hospital after being hit by a pickup. (Courtesy Krystal Morris)

Krystal Morris on June 29, 2022, at a Dallas hospital after being hit by a pickup. (Courtesy Krystal Morris/Dallas Police Department)

Morris was rushed to the hospital. She said her injuries included a skull fracture, brain bleed and severe concussion. She explained she had to have weeks of speech and physical therapy.

I had issues with my  with my language, she said. I also struggled with feeling very dizzy, often.

She said she still has symptoms more than 2 years after being injured.

The crash report said the driver was issued a citation for driving without a license on that day but no other charges followed. Morris wondered why, especially since there was now a law which could hold drivers accountable. KXAN tried to reach the driver who struck Morris, but he has not responded to phone and text messages. We are not naming him because charges have not been filed.

READ: Austin man first to be prosecuted under new crosswalk law

The law went into effect almost three years ago and requires drivers to stop for a pedestrian or cyclist in a crosswalk. Drivers who violate the law could face anywhere from a Class C misdemeanor traffic violation to a state jail felony if theres serious injury or death.

Signs posted in West Campus in Austin alerting drivers to stop for pedestrians within the crosswalk. (KXAN Photo/Arezow Doost)

A Cedar Park shopping center posted signs alerting drivers to stop for pedestrians. (KXAN Photo/Arezow Doost)

Signs posted in the 900 block of Springdale Road in Austin after the state crosswalk law went into effect. (KXAN Photo/Arezow Doost)

Data from the Department of Public Safety shows since the implementation of the law in September 2021, there have been 34 arrests across Texas  with seven leading to convictions.

One of those cases was in Travis County. This summer, KXAN shared the case of an Austin driver sentenced to state jail after hitting and killing a person crossing the street.

The light was green  wasnt on my phone or nothing just driving me and my girlfriend, Todre Anderson told a 911 dispatcher. I look down and I look up and there is a man just crossing the street and I can barely have time to move and I hit him and my windshield is broke and he is just passed out.

Court documents portray a different story. Police said Anderson ran a red light and was looking at his cell phone when he hit and killed the pedestrian who had the walk sign to cross at Little Texas Lane and South Congress Avenue in November 2021.

In March, court records obtained by KXAN investigators show Anderson was sentenced to 18 months in state jail. He originally pleaded guilty and was given five years of probation, but that was revoked after he failed to report to his supervision officer, and he didnt pay court and other fees.

KXAN Investigators reached out to Andersons attorney Alex Calhoun multiple times by phone and email, but he said he has no comment on the case.

The Travis County District Attorneys office said it was the first case to be prosecuted under the new law. Advocates of the law believe that case set a precedent, but others pointed to some challenges enforcing the law, including not enough awareness that the law exists.

Law challenges

The Fort Bend County District Attorneys office in the Houston area has become the unofficial hub for questions about the law and enforcement.

Its where the idea for the law started after a mother named Lisa Torry Smith was struck and killed crossing the street with her son, in a crosswalk, and in a school zone in 2017. Her son was severely injured but survived. Officials tell KXAN investigators the driver who hit and killed Smith was not charged. Her sister Gina Torry worked with the DAs office and pushed for the law named after the mother.

A Texas law is named after Lisa Torry Smith who was struck and killed by a driver in a crosswalk while walking her son to school. (Courtesy Gina Torry)

A Texas law is named after Lisa Torry Smith who was struck and killed by a driver in a crosswalk while walking her son to school. (Courtesy Gina Torry)

The biggest hurdle that weve seen so far, is being able to say, Does this rise to the level of criminal negligence?' said Alison Baimbridge, Chief of Vehicular Crimes Division of the Fort Bend County District Attorneys Office. We want this law to be recognized. We want it to be successful. So, were very hopeful that it is, as the cases start to come in, we get a little better kind of definition through the cases about what is and isnt criminal negligence.

Baimbridge explained proving criminal negligence is very fact-specific and might be pursued differently by officials in other jurisdictions.

We have to be able to prove that under this law, that the driver was aware that there was a substantial risk of a pedestrian, a bicyclist, someone on a scooter to be in their pathway, right, and that they disregarded that and drove through there anyway, she explained.

Families push for justice

Crosswalk Crimes | Emma Barba Crosswalk Crimes | Emma Barba Adrien Villegas family said the 14-year-old was struck and killed on July 25, 2023, in The Colony. The police department told KXAN investigators that charges were not filed because investigators did not find the driver acted with criminal negligence. Adriens mother, Emma Barba, is pushing investigators to take another look at the case, specifically under the Lisa Torry Smith Act.

Crosswalk Crimes | Zachary Martin Crosswalk Crimes | Zachary Martin Zachary Martin said his mother, Patricia, was struck and killed while in a crosswalk on Jan. 29, 2024, in Houston. A spokesperson with the Houston Police Department said it will be sending the case to the Harris County District Attorneys office for a Grand Jury Referral in the coming weeks.

Crosswalk Crimes | Reyes Balderas Crosswalk Crimes | Reyes Balderas Reyes Balderas said his mother, Mary, was struck and killed while crossing the street on Sept. 21, 2022, in Lubbock. The Lubbock County District Attorneys office told KXAN Investigators a grand jury no billed the case and declined to prosecute it.

The Colony Police Department in north Texas told KXAN investigators that charges were not filed after a 14-year-old was struck and killed in July 2023 because investigators did not find the driver acted with criminal negligence.

A police spokesperson said the investigation did not find that the driver was speeding or texting for example. He added that the driver entered the intersection with a green light and did not have any way of seeing Adrien Villegas, who was riding his electric bicycle, due to him being obscured by other vehicles at the intersection.

Adrien Villegas' family said he was struck and killed in July 2023 in The Colony. (Courtesy Emma Barba)

Adrien Villegas family said he was struck and killed in July 2023 in The Colony. (Courtesy Emma Barba)

Villegas family doesnt agree and said the case should be investigated further.

I dont want my sons life to be in vain. He was so much more than how he went, and I dont want anybody else to go through this, said Villegas mother, Emma Barba, crying.

She said shes pleaded with the police department to take another look at the case, specifically at the law. Shes also been trying to get the Denton County District Attorney to take the case. A spokesperson with the DAs office said its Victims Assistance Coordinator has spoken with Barba but as of right now it has not received a case from the police department.

I need justice. I need accountability, Barba said.

Mary Balderas' family said she was struck and killed in September 2022. (Courtesy Reyes Balderas)

Mary Balderas family said she was struck and killed in September 2022. (Courtesy Reyes Balderas)

In the northwest Texas city of Lubbock, Reyes Balderas has also been pushing for accountability. He lost his mom, Mary Balderas, in September 2022.

My mom had the signal to walk, you know, and that she made it across halfway across before  a pickup truck turned into her, he said, adding she had been on her way to pay an electric bill.

He explained that he doesnt understand how the driver wasnt charged under the Lisa Torry Smith Act. A spokesperson with the Lubbock Police Department said it presented the investigation to the District Attorneys office. The DAs office said a grand jury no-billed the case and declined to prosecute it.

What is this law created for? Reyes asked. My mom just lost her life. What is it going to take  another lost life in Texas?

Patricia Martin's son said she was struck by a pickup in downtown Houston in January 2024. (Courtesy Zachary Martin)

Patricia Martins son said she was struck by a pickup in downtown Houston in January 2024. (Courtesy Zachary Martin)

Across the state in Houston, Zachary Martin is waiting to see what happens in his mothers case. The crash report said Patricia Martin was in a crosswalk in January when a pickup hit her. Her son said she was taking a walk during her lunch break in the downtown area.

She was killed crossing the street while using a crosswalk, he said. Weve just been left to really just pick up pieces trying to figure out how to manage everything without her.

A spokesperson with the Houston Police Department said it will be sending the case to the Harris County District Attorneys office for a Grand Jury Referral in the coming weeks. The family is hopeful it will be the first case in their area tried under the law.

My moms case could hopefully set a new shift in policy and traffic enforcement for pedestrians, Martin said.

Moment of relief

These three families have connected with Citizens for Road Safety Texas, a non-profit making sure the law is enforced, founded by Torry.

READ: Is Texas law named after mom killed in a crosswalk being enforced?

She is working to raise awareness of the law and calling police and DAs offices to push for accountability in the Texas cases.

Its going to take district attorneys with courage and conviction across Texas who value the protection of human life to create new precedent under Texas law, Torry said, adding that the failure to stop and yield under the new crosswalk law is criminal negligence. Any driver that fails to perceive this risk commits a gross violation from the standard of care that an ordinary person would exercise when it comes to stopping for someone attempting to cross the street legally through a crosswalk.

KXAN investigators shared concerns about enforcement of the law with Texas Sen. Joan Huffman, R-Houston, who authored the legislation.

Krystal Morris with Rudy in Dallas in June 2024. (KXAN Photo/Arezow Doost)

Krystal Morris with Rudy in Dallas in June 2024. (KXAN Photo/Arezow Doost)

It is concerning to hear about the challenges enforcing the Lisa Torry Smith Act. Leading up to the next legislative session, my office will study this public safety issue to determine if further statutory changes are necessary to uphold the true purpose of the law, Huffman said.

Morris had given up on justice in her case after she said she wasnt getting anywhere with Dallas Police.

But then she connected with Torrys organization after it was featured on KXAN and said more than two years after she was injured, the organization got Dallas police to take a closer look at her case.

Krystal Morris walking with Rudy near the crosswalk where she was struck by a pickup in June 2022. (KXAN Photo/Arezow Doost)

Krystal Morris walking with Rudy near the crosswalk where she was struck by a pickup in June 2022. (KXAN Photo/Arezow Doost)

In an email shared with KXAN investigators, a detective with the vehicle crimes unit let Morris know in April that after reviewing her case, it did meet the requirements under the law. The detective told her its been forwarded as a Grand Jury Referral.

I had a moment of relief  and it felt like something that I had been carrying with me for two years, Morris said.

The Dallas County DAs office explained it cant comment on a Grand Jury Referral.

As Morris waits to see what happens next, her daily morning walks have resumed with Rudy. She said, luckily, the pickup missed him.

He needs to be held accountable, she said of the driver. He needs to be charged with what he did to me.

Investigative Photojournalist Richie Bowes, Director of Investigations & Innovation Josh Hinkle, Lead Editor Eric Lefenfeld, Investigative Intern Jaelyn Rodriguez, Digital Special Projects Developer Robert Sims, Graphic Artist Christina Staggs and Digital Director Kate Winkle 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 KXAN Austin.
A suicide note left by a retired probation officer who killed herself after fatally shooting her sons ex detailed the older womans battle with cancer and suspicions that her granddaughter was being abused  claims child service workers previously determined were unfounded.

Kathleen Leigh, 65, shot Marisa Galloway, 45, the mother of her 4-year-old granddaughter, on E. 88th St. near York Ave. on the Upper East Side Friday morning, then turned the gun on herself. The grisly murder-suicide was related to an ongoing custody dispute between Galloway and Leighs son over the little girl, Chief of Detectives Joseph Kenny said.

Detectives found a seven-page note on Leigh, who died at the scene, police sources told the Daily News.

In a letter addressed for police,Leigh wrote of her frustrations with authorities, complaining they didnt believe allegations that Galloway had abused Leighs granddaughter, a police source said.

According to police sources, the childs father reported bruising on the little girl in both April and August 2022, but both complaints were closed by ACS as unfounded. No arrests were made, Kenny said.

Cops had been called to Galloways home four times between 2021 and 2022. All of the incidents involved arguments between Galloway, the 4-year-olds father, and Leigh over visitation rights and other custody matters, said Kenny.

A custody case against Galloway was filed by her ex, Zachariah Reed, on Aug. 20, 2021 in New York Supreme Court, according to a state court database. The last appearance was a settlement conference in December 2023, according to the database.

The father currently has custody of the 4-year-old girl, cops said, while Galloways 1-year-old daughter is with her maternal grandparents in New Jersey.

Just minutes before Fridays carnage, Galloway had strapped the baby girl into a car seat in the back of a Honda. Leigh then opened fire, shooting Galloway in the head. The baby was unharmed, cops said.

The retired probation officer from Chicago had been living with relatives in New York for the past three years while she underwent cancer treatment, police sources said.

The shooting took place two and a half blocks from Galloways apartment building, and less than a block away from Gracie Mansion, home to Mayor Adams.
FILE PHOTO: A view of the logo of Novo Nordisk at the company's office in Bagsvaerd, on the outskirts of Copenhagen

By Julie Steenhuysen and Maggie Fick

CHICAGO/LONDON (Reuters) - Data from a small clinical trial published on Tuesday showed that a drug from the GLP-1 receptor agonist class known for weight loss slowed the loss of brain volume in people with mild Alzheimer's disease.

The trial results, published at the Alzheimer's Association International Conference, provided the first glimpse of how GLP-1 drugs may act on hard-to-treat brain disorders.

The trial studied just 204 patients in Britain, half of whom received Novo Nordisk's earlier-generation GLP-1 drug liraglutide, and the other half a placebo.

The trial did not meet its primary endpoint, or main goal, which was change in the cerebral glucose metabolic rate, an assessment of brain function.

It did meet the secondary endpoints. It showed liraglutide appeared to reduce shrinking in the parts of the brain that control memory, learning, language and decision-making by nearly 50% compared to placebo.

The trial was not sponsored by Novo. However, the Danish drugmaker is testing its new-generation, more effective GLP-1 drug semaglutide -- sold as diabetes drug Ozempic and obesity drug Wegovy -- in thousands of patients with early Alzheimer's. Its two trials began in 2021 and results are expected in 2025.

Rebecca Edelmeyer, senior director of scientific engagement at the Alzheimer's Association, told Reuters in an interview that the results published on Tuesday were "really intriguing".

"This is our first time really seeing this type of intervention readout in a clinical trial," she said.

Researchers told Reuters last year that diabetes regimens, from Ozempic to insulin and metformin, appear to address several different aspects of the metabolic system implicated in Alzheimer's, including a protein called amyloid and inflammation.

The hope is that improving glucose utilisation and reducing inflammation in the body - including the brain - could slow progression of Alzheimer's.

Still, the trial published on Tuesday was not designed to measure cognitive benefits, and some scientists urged caution.

"The repurposing of drugs is an important avenue of research but there is a lot of uncertainty here," said Stephen Evans, emeritus professor at the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine.

He said the shrinking in the memory and learning parts of the brain observed in the small trial "may not translate to important cognitive benefits" and the results did not demonstrate that liraglutide could protect against dementia, though pursuing a larger trial would be worthwhile.

(Reporting by Julie Steenhuysen in Chicago and Maggie Fick in London; Editing by Bernadette Baum)
Nowhere to go: Newly arrived migrants in Massachusetts find themselves stranded

Migrants just getting to Massachusetts are often finding themselves stranded on the streets of Boston.

Many newly arrived migrants are being denied shelter just days before the states new five-day state limit on overflow shelters takes effect.

Boston Medical Center has been telling migrants that they cant sleep in the emergency department since last year.

Massachusetts to offer new five-day stay limit for migrants, plane tickets to leave

Families continue to show up at the hospital on a regular basis and have recently been seen sleeping outside on benches.

A statement provided by a BMC spokesperson said that all families who arrive homeless are assessed.

Migrants are frequently sent on their way in ride shares to state welcome centers and offices of migrant aid groups.

According to advocates, the welcome centers and offices are routinely closed when migrants arrive after hours.

The predicament has resulted in migrant families sleeping outside at several locations including the Brazilian Worker Center in Allston.

It seems like a situation of they have nowhere to go, said Alec Orzell, who works at the Mindful Mutt next door. Its unsympathetic. I hope federal changes are made.

A Boston Medical Center spokesperson emphasized that the hospital does not have the capacity or resources to provide shelter to unhoused families.

If they do not require medical care, we will continue to arrange transportation to State resources, and after hours, to friends, family, and community resources where they may find shelter until State offices reopen, said a statement from the hospital.

BMCs statement points out that the hospital has consistently advocated for resources that would be open 24 hours a day, seven days a week.

The new state budget just signed by Governor Healey on Monday includes $326 million for the states ongoing shelter response.

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ATHENS, July 30 (Xinhua) -- Greece has culled approximately 9,000 animals following an outbreak of the small-ruminants plague (PPR). This action was part of efforts to contain the spread of the contagious and deadly viral disease, after inspections of over 230,000 goats and sheep on the mainland over the past week, Greek Agricultural Development and Food Minister Kostas Tsiaras said on Tuesday.

"We are taking all necessary measures to address the issue," he told Greek broadcaster ERT, adding that there was no risk to public health.

The agriculture ministry has announced a nationwide ban on the transport of goats and sheep for any reason as a preventive step, as experts were trying to locate the origin of the disease.

The first cases were identified in the region of Thessaly in central Greece last week, where units were placed under quarantine. On Monday a few cases were reported also near Athens and on the Peloponnese peninsula in southern Greece. Breeders said that some animals tested positive were imported from Romania.

Greek authorities also proceeded to ban imports of goats and sheep from Romania untill this Friday.

Tsiaras said that the state will support animal breeders affected. According to the ministry, breeders are refunded with 150 euros (162.5 U.S. dollars) for each animal killed.

The amount is small compared to the losses, Greek goat and sheep breeder Nikos Guvas told Xinhua.

Despite the assurances by officials and experts that PPR has no consequences on human health, a few customers of butcher Antonis Blamis in Athens were hesitant to purchase meat products this week. 
NRA dodges government monitor in corruption case but must bar former exec Wayne LaPierre, New York court rules

NRA dodges government monitor in corruption case but must bar former exec Wayne LaPierre, New York court rules

The National Rifle Association (NRA), the once powerful gun owners lobbying group, will not be overseen by a government monitor, but must bar former leader Wayne LaPierre from serving at the organization for a decade, a New York court ruled on Monday as part of a long-running corruption case.

Appointing a monitor to regulate the groups finances and governing procedures would be time-consuming, disruptive and will impose significant costs on the NRA without corresponding benefits, and could risk speech-chilling government intrusion on a group thats long opposed government regulation, judge Joel Cohen of the Manhattan Supreme Court wrote in his ruling.

At this point in time, were relieved that were where we are in the process, Doug Hamlin, the recently elected head of the group, told The New York Times after the decision.

We are committed to transparency and good governance and being good stewards of our membership fees, and were going to prove it, he added.

New York Attorney General Leticia James, whose office brought the case against the NRA, celebrated the decision.

After years of corruption, the NRA and its senior leaders are finally being held accountable, she said in a statement to The Independent.

During the trial, LaPierre compared appointing a monitor to putting a knife straight through the heart of the organization and twisting it.

In 2020, James sued the group, long an influential power-broker for the Republican Party, after leaks revealed executives like LaPierre spending hundreds of thousands of dollars on luxury items, travel, and high-end clothes.

During the first phase of the trial in February, LaPierre, who resigned from his position days before the trial began, was found liable for corruption alongside another top executive and was ordered to return more than $5m in improperly used funds to the NRA.

LaPierre, long the groups most visible public spokesperson, has already repaid the NRA more than $1m.

The NRA says it has no plans to rehire him.

Since the corruption allegations surfaced, the NRA has reportedly lost 1.3m members.
The NRA is suing Massachusetts over new gun bill. Here's why

The National Rifle Association is suing the state of Massachusetts over the new gun bill Governor Maura Healey signed into law last week.

The NRA said that this bill is one of the most radical pieces of gun control legislation in the United States.

"The 116-page radical gun control package implements sweeping gun bans, magazine restrictions, mandatory registration of all firearms, extreme training requirements, and more," the NRA said.

The new gun law had wide support on Beacon Hill, with only eight Democrats voting against it.

What is the new gun law in Massachusetts?

AR-15 rifles are displayed at an exhibition booth during the National Rifle Association (NRA) annual convention in Dallas, Texas, U.S., May 18, 2024. Picture taken with a tilt-shift lens.

The new Massachusetts gun bill, named "An Act Modernizing Firearms Laws (H.4885)" aims to target untraceable "ghost guns," suspend the right to bear arms from people whose family members suspect of instability and domestic violence (strengthening what are called "Red Flag laws") and restricting the carrying of firearms in municipal buildings like schools among other measures.

"To better protect Massachusetts communities from dangerous weapons, the legislation updates the states assault weapons ban by expanding the definition of assault weapons to include known assault weapons and other weapons that function like them with respect to certain features," the state government press release said.

The law also prohibits the possession, transfer, or sale of assault-style firearms or a large capacity feeding devices.

MA gun law details: Gun reform agreement by MA lawmakers could change where guns can be carried. What to know

Why does the NRA object to the law?

The NRA objects to this law because they say it widely oversteps the state's legislative boundaries and violates Americans' Second Amendment rights.

Randy Kozuch, Executive Director of the NRA Institute for Legislative Action, issued a statement condemning the law, saying that in restricts the freedoms of Massachusetts residents.

"NRA will be challenging this law to restore the rights guaranteed to Bay Staters by the U.S. Constitution," Kozuch said.

The aspects that seem to rub the NRA the most appear to be the ban on "assault-style" weapons, the expansion and strengthening of Red Flag laws.

What happens next?

The Democrats who drafted the bill that Healey signed into law last week said that they would fight any constitutional challenge to the law.

Time will only tell if this will make it all the up to the Supreme Court.

Rin Velasco is a trending reporter. She can be reached at rvelasco@gannett.com.

This article originally appeared on wickedlocal.com: NRA sues MA over new gun bill signed by Governor Healey. Here's why
The U.S. Capitol at night. (Photo by Bill Dickinson/Getty Photos)

The National Republican Congressional Committee (NRCC) on Monday named three Pennsylvania U.S. House candidates to its 2024 Young Guns program, which supports and mentors candidates in key races across the country.

State Rep. Rob Mercuri (R-Allegheny) who is running against U.S. Rep. Chris Deluzio (D-17th District; Rob Bresnahan, a businessman challenging U.S. Rep. Matt Cartwright (D-8th District); and state Rep. Ryan Mackenzie (R-Lehigh), who is running against U.S. Rep. Susan Wild (D-7th District) all made the list of 26 candidates.

Extreme House Democrats border, crime and cost of living crises wrecked Americans safety and security, NRCC Chairman Richard Hudson said in a statement. Fortunately, these Republican candidates are already well on their way to running winning campaigns that will grow our House majority in November.

The program requires candidates to work towards specific goals and meet benchmarks throughout the election cycle to ensure their campaigns remain competitive, well-funded and communicative within their districts, according to an NRCC press release.

Of course the NRCC is happy to endorse Bresnahan, as hes fallen in line with extreme-Speaker Mike Johnson and dark money donors who want to outsource jobs, cut Social Security and Medicare, and enforce a national abortion ban, Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee (DCCC) spokesperson Aidan Johnson said in a statement.

Wild campaign spokesperson Natalie Gould told the Capital-Star in an email that while Congresswoman Wild breaks fundraising records each quarter and builds enthusiasm for her re-election based on her long history of delivering for this district, voters across the Greater Lehigh Valley continue to reject Mackenzies anti-choice, anti-worker record  even as the NRCC and dark money donors attempt to buy this seat.

Wilds campaign raised $1.53 million in the second quarter, triple what Mackenzie raised in the same period. Her fundraising total was the second-highest among Pennsylvanias U.S. House delegation, behind only Cartwright, who brought in $1.68 million.

Deluzios campaign raised $675,000 in the second quarter, compared to Mercuris $410,000 haul. Rob Mercuri is just another corporate shill in a suit, bought and paid for by special interests, Johnson of the DLCC said in a statement. He is a threat to womens reproductive freedoms and Western Pennsylvanians will reject his extremism at the ballot box.

In May, the DCCC named two Pennsylvania candidates to its Red to Blue program that provides similar support for Democratic candidates: Ashley Ehasz, a U.S. Army combat veteran, is challenging U.S. Rep Brian Fitzpatrick (R-1st District) for the second time. And Janelle Stelson, former WGAL anchor, is seeking to oust U.S. Rep. Scott Perry (R-10th District) after winning a six-person Democratic primary in April. Stelson doubled Perrys fundraising haul in the second quarter, raising $1.33 million to Perrys $625,000.

Update: This article was updated at 10:20 p.m. July 29, 2024 with statement on behalf of the Deluzio campaign.
Two confirmed dead in helicopter crash in Ireland

The crash in Killucan left the helicopter embedded in a farm building - UKNIP

Two men in their forties are confirmed to have died after a helicopter crashed into a building in County Westmeath in Ireland.

Police said that the incident occurred in the Joristown area of Killucan at approximately 3.30pm

Pat Hunt, of Westmeath Fire and Rescue Service, told local radio: We understand its an incident involving an aircraft, a helicopter, crashing into a building in the Joristown Upper townland.

The Air Accident Investigation Unit, which sent a team of investigators to the area, said a single engine helicopter was involved.

One of the deceased was Irish, while the other victim was from eastern Europe.

Irish police said they might need Interpols help to reach the next of kin of the man from eastern Europe.

It is not clear if anyone was inside the building that was struck, which appears to be a farm outhouse and not a residential building - Damien Eagers/PA

Killucan has a population of several hundred people and is around nine miles from the town of Mullingar, in the midlands of Ireland.

Ken Glynn, the mayor of Mullingar-Kinnegad district, told the broadcaster RTE that the incident was shocking and tragic.

Residents said the crash happened at a piggery between Killucan and Raharney. The helicopter was seen plummeting suddenly, RTE reported.

It is not clear if anyone was inside the building that was struck, which appears to be a farm outhouse and not a residential building.

A hearse leaves the scene of the crash - Damien Eagers /PA

Simon Harris, Irelands prime minister, wrote on X: Thinking of all those involved in the Westmeath helicopter crash. This is a live operation and I am being kept briefed.

My thoughts & gratitude are also with all the emergency services working to help at this time.

It is a serious event and you would worry for the families involved, Fr Stan Deegan, parish priest of St Brigids Church in nearby Raharney, told RTE.

Whoever the people are who are involved in the incident and wherever they are from, I hope and pray that life will be spared.

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Nurses held a protest Tuesday morning outside Doctors Medical Center to draw attention to claims of short staffing at the Modesto hospital.

The registered nurses, represented by the California Nurses Association/National Nurses United, said the hospital is mismanaging nurse staffing, which causes patient care conditions to deteriorate. The union charged that almost every hospital unit lacks adequate staffing.

According to the union, nurses were forced last week by hospital management to leave their shifts early. That forced the remaining nurses to care for a larger number of patients.

In a formal statement, Doctors Medical Center said: The labor union that represents our registered nurses held a picketing event today outside of Doctors Medical Center. While we value all of our employees who are represented by the union, we are disappointed that they took this action instead of continuing with good faith discussions with hospital leadership to address their concerns. Our hospital remains fully operational and our staffs focus, as always, is on providing exceptional quality patient care.

Dozens of nurses formed a picket line, carrying signs reading Some cuts dont heal and charging the hospitals owner is putting profits over patients.

Lynn Warmerdam, a registered nurse in case management, said a new staffing matrix was rolled out in February that limits how many nurses can work in each unit based on the number of patients in each unit. In addition, the work hours for break relief nurses were reduced, and hospital units are staffed with fewer nursing assistants and techs, which increases the workload for RNs, she said.

This has the result of a lot of stress for our nurses, Warmerdam said. We want so much to give our patients the best care, as they deserve. When we dont have the staffing, the patients wait longer for pain medication, they wait longer for bedpans and getting their beds cleaned.

Warmerdam, a nurse for 33 years, said the DMC nurses have attempted to talk with hospital management about the staffing situation, but the parent company, Tenet Healthcare, has not been willing to discuss the issues. Nurses suspect the same staffing matrix will be implemented at other hospitals owned by Tenet.

The California Nurses Association represents about 1,200 registered nurses at the Modesto hospital.
DAYTON, Ohio (WDTN)  A tornado has been confirmed from the recent storms that occurred in the Miami Valley.

According to the National Weather Service in Wilmington, an observed tornado was seen in southeastern Warren County and moved into southwestern Clinton County on July 30.

From east of Morrow in Warren County to northeast of Blanchester in Clinton County, NWS in Wilmington reports damage occurred.

Detailed results from NWS in Wilmington are pending.

Copyright 2024 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.

For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to WDTN.com.
City Comptroller Brad Lander announced Tuesday hes running against Mayor Adams in next years primary election, making him the first candidate to officially declare a challenge against the incumbent mayor and teeing up an unusual matchup between two high-profile elected officials.

Lander, a progressive Democrat who has been a consistent critic of the more moderate mayor since he took office, said in an interview with the Daily News that hes running because he doesnt believe Adams is focused on improving quality of life in the city. Specifically, Lander said the mayor has displayed that by engaging in what he called a phony budget dance with the City Council this year, slashing funding for key city agencies like the Parks Department and the public library systems, resulting in drastic service cuts, only to reverse those reductions months later.

Mayor Adams promised to get stuff done, but hes not getting stuff done that really matters to New Yorkers, Lander said, taking a shot at the mayors signature get stuff done mantra.

Landers entry into the 2025 race comes months after former city Comptroller Scott Stringer and Brooklyn state Sen. Zellnor Myrie both announced theyre also considering runs against Adams.

It remains to be seen whether other candidates may join the fray, too, as former Gov. Andrew Cuomo, Queens state Sen. Jessica Ramos and Queens Assemblyman Zohran Mamdani have been rumored to be weighing 2025 bids of their own.

In a campaign video detailing his announcement, Lander argued the citys current leadership is delivering so little for so few and mentioned keeping libraries open and driving down child-care costs as key focuses of his run for mayor. The references to libraries and child care are not-so-subtle jabs at Adams, whose budget cuts resulted in the elimination of early-childhood education seats and the citys three public library systems being forced to end Sunday service at dozens of branches across the five boroughs.

A spokesman for Adams political operation declined to comment Tuesday, but passed along a statement from U.S. Rep. Gregory Meeks, the boss of the Queens Democratic Party, questioning the timing of Landers announcement.

I dont know why were talking about an election against the mayor at all  never mind while were trying to win one against Donald Trump, Meeks statement said.

Later in the day, Adams reacted to Landers campaign launch.

I thought his announcement was to go to assist the first woman of color to be the president of the United States, not take the second man of color from being the mayor of the City of New York, the mayor told reporters, referring to Vice President Kamala Harris.

Its unusual for an incumbent New York City mayor to face multiple primary challenges, but political analysts say Adams is vulnerable, with sharply low approval numbers. The budget cuts and an array of federal and state investigations into his campaign fundraising operations and close associates have been cited as reasons.

Still, the mayor has a heavy fundraising advantage over Lander and his other potential challengers.

Adams has amassed a reelection war chest topping $3 million, with advisers saying that puts him on track to reach the max fundraising threshold allowed by law by the end of this year. Hes also expected to enjoy the support of key labor unions in the city.

Lander has only $156,512 in his comptroller campaign account and raised a modest $197,810 in the most recent reporting period, compared with the $1.1 million Adams received in the same span. Lander can use the money he has raised for his comptroller account on his mayoral bid.

In his interview with The News, Lander said hes confident hell reach the $8 million fundraising threshold by early next year when public matching funds are factored in. He also said his nascent campaign is planning a big fundraising drive through the fall.

Well be having house parties all over the city, he said.

Beyond their ideological differences, Lander and Adams have clashed along personal lines. Last summer, the mayor made fun of Landers voice and called him the loudest person in the city.

The mayor has needlessly been combative not just with me, but with the Council, with the speaker and many other elected officials and New Yorkers, Lander said of the mayors rhetoric.

In his role as comptroller, Lander serves as a foil against Adams as his job involves auditing his administrations agencies and reviewing its contracts. Lander hasnt shied away from taking politically heated stands, including by refusing to register a $432 million contract the mayors administration awarded to a controversial company thats helping the city provide services for newly arrived migrants.

Lander said hes going to remain focused on his current job while running for mayor, but notably declined to endorse any particular candidate to replace him.

He also declined to rule out shifting gears and running for reelection as comptroller should his mayoral campaign not pan out as planned.

Queens Assemblywoman Jenifer Rajkumar, a key ally of the mayor who has announced a 2025 campaign for comptroller, took a shot at Lander for not making such a commitment.

I call on Comptroller Lander to assure New Yorkers that he is fully committed to his mayoral campaign and will not disgrace his office by reverting back to a comptroller campaign as a backup plan, Rajkumar said in a statement. New Yorkers deserve leaders who are steadfast in their ambition.
(Bloomberg) -- New York City Comptroller Brad Lander joined a growing list of candidates who plan to challenge Mayor Eric Adams in the Democratic primary next year.

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Lander said Tuesday he would do more to fix the subways and crack down on illegal weed shops, according to a campaign video posted on X. A progressive, hes expected to run to the left of Adams, a former police captain who campaigned on a platform of public safety.

Lander, 55, is one of a half-dozen candidates challenging or considering a run against Adams, who faces a federal probe of his campaign fundraising and record-low approval ratings in his first term. Former city Comptroller Scott Stringer, and Zellnor Myrie, a state senator from Brooklyn, have formally joined the race, and Queens state Senator Jessica Ramos is also expected to mount a run.

Why does the city that means so much to so many have leadership that delivers so little for so few, Lander said. We can replace a leader when they fail the basic test of the job, to be honest with us, to keep our families safe.

As steward of the biggest US citys finances, Lander oversees roughly $270 billion in retirement assets for teachers, firefighters and other civil workers.

He recently supported legal challenges seeking to block Governor Kathy Hochuls congestion pricing pause. In a pair of lawsuits filed in New York state court earlier in July, several advocacy groups asked that the state be forced to follow through on the plan, slated to be the first in the US and designed to curb air pollution and help finance billions of dollars in transit infrastructure upgrades for the city.

Lander has raised more than $651,000 in total for his comptroller reelection campaign, which will likely trigger $3 million in public matching funds, filings published earlier this month show. He can use money raised for his comptroller reelection bid for a mayoral campaign.

Adams reelection campaign had more than $2.5 million in cash on hand earlier this month, and Bloomberg reported that the campaign would disclose raising an additional $1 million over the last six months. When combined with his previous fundraising, the haul will ultimately total more than $8 million after matching funds are included.

--With assistance from Danielle Moran and Laura Nahmias.

Most Read from Bloomberg Businessweek

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Councilwoman Susan Zhuang (D-43rd Dist.) claimed to The Post that she had "no involvement" in the rally that drew hundreds of supporters who marched from Manhattan to Brooklyn on Sunday.

The city councilwoman charged with biting a cop during a protest against a homeless shelter in her district is facing renewed scrutiny over a rally in her support organized by a group linked to the Chinese Communist Party.

Councilwoman Susan Zhuang (D-43rd Dist.) claimed to The Post that she had no involvement in the rally that drew hundreds of supporters who marched from Manhattan to Brooklyn on Sunday.

But messages on the Chinese social media app WeChat have raised eyebrows  with critics now accusing Zhuang of being a liar.

Councilwoman Susan Zhuang (D-43rd Dist.) claimed to The Post that she had no involvement in the rally that drew hundreds of supporters who marched from Manhattan to Brooklyn. Robert Mecea

The missives, obtained by The Post and translated from Mandarin, show the lawmaker advising supporters on how to act and what type of signage to carry at the rally.

Do not target the Mayor, he has already sat down to talk with us, she appeared to write in response to a picture of one protest sign that read mayor you need to communicate with us.

Responding to another sign that said we support the police but not excessive violence, she wrote: this slogan is not conducive of negotiations. also, do not clash with police.

Zhuang, who faces several charges, including assault and resisting arrest over the July 17 clash, was hailed as a hero at the rally after she violently opposed the construction of a mens shelter in Bensonhurst.

But at least one council source called Zhuang a dangerous liar after seeing the messages.

Susan is a dangerous liar who loves to play victim, she knows exactly what she is doing here, the source said.

Messages on the Chinese social media app WeChat have raised eyebrows  with critics now accusing Zhuang of being a liar. Obtained by the NY Post

A spokesperson for Zhuang insisted that the lawmaker was not involved in the logistics for planning this event despite her doling out advice on WeChat.

The council member was supporting the NYPD as she always has and was advocating for safety of her community, the rep said.

This is yet another attempt by her detractors to divide the AAPI (Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders) community and silence their voice.

Zhuang, who faces several charges, including assault and resisting arrest over the July 17 clash, was hailed as a hero at the rally after she violently opposed the construction of a mens shelter in Bensonhurst. James Keivom

The lawmaker allegedly advised supporters on how to act and what type of signage to carry at the rally. Gregory P. Mango

Ying Tan  who ran against Zhuang for her city council seat last year  has also accused the pol of falsely stating that the NYPD used unreasonable force against her during the shelter protest.

It is reckless and irresponsible to spread false information to constituents in an attempt to avoid accountability for her own actions, Tan wrote in a post on Facebook.

A spokesperson for the council member said in response that her former opponent should set aside her political agenda.

In this moment we should put our own political agenda aside and focus on lifting Asian voices across the city. This is a time to advocate for the communitys voices and call for a responsive government, the spokesperson said.
NEW YORK (PIX11)  A New York City Council member is declaring a humanitarian crisis on the west side of Manhattan.

The number of mentally ill people on the street has prompted Councilmember Erik Bottcher to appeal to New York City Mayor Eric Adams to fulfill a promise made last year that has seemingly stalled.

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Signs of despair in Midtown West were hard to miss on Monday. Within the first 10 minutes of being on West 30th Street, a PIX11 News crew spotted a man removed by EMS off the sidewalk, another exposing himself, and a third suffering from an apparent mental episode.

Theres a humanitarian crisis unfolding on our streets, said Bottcher.

Last week, he wrote to Adams, appealing for more mental health services in District 3.

We spend millions of dollars every year churning people in and out of station houses, ERs, Rikers Island instead of treating the conditions in front of their eyes, Bottcher said.

The behavioral health pilot program, B-HEARD, launched in 2021, is currently operating in 31 precincts across the city. It aims to connect those in distress with care, but it is available only in upper Manhattan, Queens, and Brooklyn.

Bottcher wants B-HEARD to expand to the Village and up through Times Square. Last year, Mayor Adams pledged it would operate citywide, but that plan has stalled.

We need to elevate it, make it a priority for our city, and do it as soon as possible, Bottcher said.

Since B-HEARD began, some responsibilities have shifted away from police, utilizing a team of EMTs and mental health experts for non-violent 911 calls.

According to the latest city data, B-HEARD teams answered 5,000 calls in just six months. In the last two years, its around 9,000. In Bottchers district, 29 people have been placed in transitional housing so far this year, according to the city.

FDNY EMS Lt. Anthony Almojera believes the program has led to mostly positive patient outcomes.

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Ive done jobs with B-HEARD; they have a good outcome. The social workers assigned seem to enjoy it, Almojera said.

However, he has seen firsthand why the program hasnt grown as promised.

Guess whats stopping it? The staffing, the vehicles, the budget, he said.

A mayors spokesperson said they are committed to improving the crisis, stating,

There is more work to be done to help people accept services and keep our neighborhoods and public spaces safe.

Sources said no decisions have been made regarding the next phase of expansion, including which additional neighborhoods would be covered next.

Meanwhile, Bottcher has introduced a bill to staff a social worker in each of the NYPDs 77 precinct station houses.

Copyright 2024 Nexstar Media, Inc. 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.
VILNIUS, July 30 (Xinhua) -- A state of emergency was declared in Lithuania's Vilnius, Akmene, and Joniskis districts on Tuesday due to a heavy storm, the Baltic News Service (BNS) said.

In Vilnius, the storm caused widespread power outages, disrupted water supplies, damaged wastewater disposal systems, and led to traffic disruptions from fallen trees. A landslide on the southern slope of Gediminas Hill on Monday did not threaten the hill's stability, according to the National Museum of Lithuania, which oversees the site.

Vilnius District authorities said that communal institutions in the most affected settlements would ensure the provision of potable water supply and sewage treatment by connecting electric generators to the pumping stations. Social workers will assist vulnerable residents with food, drinking water, and clearing public spaces from fallen trees and branches.

Similarly, Joniskis officials declared a state of emergency due to significant farmers' crop losses. Akmene District also announced a state of emergency as heavy rain and strong winds persist.

The Lithuanian Hydrometeorological Service reported that Telsiai recorded Lithuania's highest precipitation in 48 hours -- 117.8 millimeters, 140 percent of the July norm. 
NYC developer Michael Shvo sued for shoddy upkeep at luxury building after buyers paid record $6.1M for one-bedroom apartment

Prominent Big Apple developer Michael Shvo was slapped with a lawsuit by a disgruntled couple who plunked down $6.1 million for a pad at the Mandarin Oriental Fifth Avenue, claiming the luxury building is riddled with problems  including an algae-infested rooftop pool.

John Goodman and his wife, Diane Johnson, alleged that the building developed by Shvo at 685 Fifth Ave. is plagued by construction defects, unfinished amenities, a pervasive sense of neglect, and compromised services that in no way live up to Mandarin Oriental five-star standards and the Defendants hype, according to complaint filed in New York Supreme Court in Manhattan on Monday.

The couple lodged a separate lawsuit against Shvo late last year after paying a record sum for their one-bedroom apartment, demanding that he make fixes to their unfinished unit, as The Post reported.

A couple claims in a lawsuit that the Mandarin Oriental Fifth Avenue is riddled with problems  including an algae-infested rooftop pool.

The new complaint, which also names the Mandarin Oriental Group and Shvos foreign investors, now seeks to claw back their money so they can escape the money pit.

The couple, which goes by the Goodmans, said their 18th-floor unit is now effectively worthless. Their dreams have been shattered, leaving them with a substantial financial loss and a profound sense of betrayal, according to the lawsuit.

The buzzy building, where another buyer paid a record $3.88 million cash last December for a tiny studio, is a fraudulent disaster, the complaint added.

The lawsuit claims that the rooftop oasis transformed into a wasteland of dead foliage and an algae-infested pool that remained open despite posing a health risk to residents.

The Goodmans also claimed that the building is a virtual ghost town, and alleged that only 16 out of 64 units have sold after three years.

John Goodman and his wife, Diane Johnson lodged a separate lawsuit against Michael Shvo (pictured) late last year after paying a record sum for their one-bedroom apartment, demanding that he make fixes to their unfinished unit, as The Post reported. Bloomberg via Getty Images

The buzzy building, where another buyer paid a record $3.88 million cash last December for a tiny studio, is a fraudulent disaster, the complaint added. Google Maps

It states: Shvo, having extracted his profits, has effectively abandoned the Building, leaving behind a financial and reputational wreck. The Sponsor, controlled by Shvo, is facing imminent default and that they are trapped in a desolate environment.

Its so bad that the promised Michelin-starred Daniel Boulud private restaurant now closes at 5 pm every day, eliminating the possibility of enjoying a core incentive amenity and advertised dining experience.

The complaint accuses Shvo of orchestrating a brazen scheme  to defraud buyers.

The allegations echo complaints made against Shvo by the owners of the posh member-only Core Club, which filed a $600 million lawsuit against the developer earlier this month.

According to the Goodmans lawsuit, Shvo fed them a seductive illusion of luxury and exclusivity.

But instead of living the dream, they are in a living nightmare.

Residents who pay millions of dollars walk by dead plants and worse.

According to the Goodmans lawsuit, Shvo fed them a seductive illusion of luxury and exclusivity. Court Exhibit

Unfinished facade at the luxury building. Court Exhibit

The grand entrance, envisioned as a welcoming gateway, remains an unfinished facade (an unsightly half-unpainted temporary plywood canopy that should have been bronze), a jarring visual reminder of the projects stalled progress and lack of care, the complaint said.

Shvos lawyer brushed back the latest allegations.

This is a disgruntled buyer who has decided to declare war  and spending his days searching for dead flowers, attorney Morris Missry of the firm Wachtel, Missry LLP, told The Post.

Shvos lawyer brushed back the latest allegations. Court Exhibit

This is a disgruntled buyer who has decided to declare war, stalking Mr. Shvo and his family and spending his days searching for dead flowers, Shvos lawyer said Court Exhibit

.The Goodmans December lawsuit alleged their prized home was filled with warped millwork, rippled wallpaper, missing doors, no heat in the radiant heated floors, wrongly sized pieces of furniture, and missing custom turnkey pieces that were promised  like tablemats.

Shvos lawyer previously told The Post that the lawsuit was a shameless attempt to use the courts and the press to extort money.

At the same time, Page Six has reported that Shvo uses the building as his own personal fiefdom with flagrant disregard, hosting disruptive events, monopolizing common areas, accommodating guests in the turnkey residences and violating the buildings rules with impunity.

Shvo is also being sued by former business partner Serdar Bilgili for fraud and unjust enrichment in an unrelated case at the Crown Building, 730 Fifth Avenue.

In 2018, Shvo pled guilty to tax evasion and paid $3.5 million in back taxes and fines.
UPDATE: The Smith County Sheriffs Office said a 16-year-old has been arrested after shooting at officers during the chase. The minor was booked into the Smith County Juvenile Detention Center for aggravated assault of a peace officer.

The third person in the vehicle was released last night, the sheriffs office said.

SMITH COUNTY, Texas (KETK)  The Smith County Sheriffs Office has confirmed the identify of one the people involved in a Monday chase on I-20 that ended after shots were fired at East Texas law enforcement.

Pursuit ends in rollover crash after shots fired at East Texas law enforcement

Mugshot of Bykearean Javar Green, 26 of Dallas, courtesy of the Smith County Jail

According to the sheriffs office, Bykearean Javar Green, 26 of Dallas, was arrested for evading arrest or detention with a vehicle in connection to the chase. Green is being held on a $250,000 bond at the Smith County Jail.

The sheriffs office said three people were in the car, including Green and a minor.

Officials said the sheriffs office picked up the chase from Harrison County at around 9 a.m. after the car was reportedly stolen from Mississippi. Shots were reportedly fired from the car at law enforcement during the chase in Lindale.

Hazmat crew cleaning chicken waste after 18-wheeler, dump truck wreck on I-20 near Smith County

Shots were fired from inside the vehicle through the back glass, shortly after that is when a deputy constable returned fire, Smith County Sheriff Larry Smith said.

The pursuit ended near the Van Zandt County line after the car rolled over and crashed into a telephone pole.

The sheriffs office said more information will be released as it becomes available.

Copyright 2024 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.

For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to KETK.com | FOX51.com.
OGDEN, Utah (ABC4)  The victim who was struck and killed while crossing near an Ogden intersection on Monday morning has been identified by the Ogden City Police Department.

Police say it was Charlie Hodgson, 31, who was in the crosswalk when he was hit by a dump truck shortly after 6 a.m. on July 29.

Motorcyclist tossed over road barrier on Trappers Loop

The dump truck had been traveling northbound on Wall Avenue when it turned east onto 12th Street. The driver of the dump truck, identified only as a man in his 50s, reportedly did not see Hodgson when he hit him.

Hodgson was found dead at the scene.

The Ogden City Police Department said an investigation into the fatal crash is still 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 ABC4 Utah.
Jack Greiner, partner of Faruki PLL

Earlier this summer, the Ohio Supreme Court issued an opinion in which Justice Joe Deters, writing for a majority of the court, decreed that a restaurant customer should reasonably expect there to be a bone in a boneless wing.

In doing so, the court denied that customer the ability to recover monetary damages for the serious health consequences that the customer sustained from choking on the bone. This has caused a fair amount of head-scratching from folks throughout the state, who apparently had been under the misguided impression that boneless means without bones.

Before addressing the merits of the decision, a few caveats. First, for some reason, every time I think about this case, I get an image in my head of Foghorn Leghorn arguing the case. I dont know why. Second, I have long maintained that boneless wings is a misnomer. Call them what you like, but they are nuggets. It might sound a little more macho to order a round of boneless wings, but they arent wings in any sense of the word. Lets be honest.

Why take the case away from a jury?

Having gotten that off my chest, lets talk about the case. First, lets be fair. The Supreme Court affirmed the decision of Ohios 12th District Court of Appeals, which affirmed the summary judgment in favor of the restaurant issued by a Butler County trial court. That means that two other courts agree with the Supreme Court.

But that doesnt end the discussion. The biggest problem with the opinion isnt its conclusion that a reasonable consumer might expect to find a bone in a boneless wing, its the fact that it took that decision away from the jury.

The test for cases like this involves two steps: first, is the substance natural or foreign to the food? If the substance is a natural part of the food, the second question is whether a reasonable consumer would expect to find the substance and guard against it.

In this case, the Ohio Supreme Court concluded that bones are natural to chicken and that a reasonable consumer would expect to find a bone in a boneless wing. And the court further concluded that if this expectation is so eminently reasonable, that the court could make this finding without submitting this question to a jury.

This is where the three dissenting justices  in an opinion written by Justice Michael Donnelly  parted ways with the majority.

As it stated, [t]oday, the majority declares as a matter of law that no reasonable person could consider the facts of this case and reach a conclusion contrary to the one it reaches. This is, of course, patently untrue given that I and two other justices of this court dissent from the majoritys judgment.

It went on to note the majority opinion makes a factual determination to ensure that a jury does not have a chance to apply something the majority opinion lacks common sensestating that it is apparent that the bone ingested by Berkheimer was so large relative to the size of the food item he was eating that, as a matter of law, he reasonably could have guarded against it.

In the minoritys view, that question should have been left to the collective wisdom of the jurors.

What about 'nut-free' foods and people with allergies?

The minority opinion also raised a valid point: how far does the majority opinion go? For example, is it reasonable to assume that foods labeled lactose-free, gluten-free or nut-free actually contain those substances?

As the minority opinion notes, [p]eople can die under some of those circumstances, and this court would point to the decision in this case and say that lactose and gluten and nuts are natural to foods, so there is no possible way that a defendant who processed or wholesaled or served them could have been negligent.

That is indeed a troubling prospect.

Jack Greiner is a partner at Faruki PLL law firm in Cincinnati. He represents Enquirer Media in First Amendment and media issues.

This article originally appeared on Cincinnati Enquirer: Ohio boneless wing case: Why I have a bone to pick | Strictly Legal
Ohio man accused of shooting at occupied tractor-trailer on I-90 near Cheektowaga

BUFFALO, N.Y. (WIVB)  An Ohio man was arrested Monday after he allegedly shot at a tractor-trailer occupied by three people while driving on I-90 near Cheektowaga, New York State Police announced.

Police said the alleged shooting took place around 7:45 a.m. Monday on westbound I-90 just before the I-290 split. They also received reports of a hit-and-run side swipe crash involving a tractor-trailer suspected in the shooting and a passenger car while en route.

Officers stopped the tractor-trailer, operated by 26-year-old Dylan J. Cottingham of Sullivan, Ohio, on Union Road and took him into custody. A search warrant was obtained for the tractor-trailer, and a .45 caliber semi-automatic handgun as well as multiple magazines were located.

The weapon allegedly used in the shooting. Photo: New York State Police

Troopers responded to the area of the shooting near Exit 50, where the victim tractor-trailer had pulled over. A female driver, a female passenger and a 10-year-old girl were all inside the vehicle during the shooting, with the child sleeping in the trucks cab. Multiple bullet holes were located on the vehicle, including one in very close proximity to the sleeping child, according to police.

Cottingham was charged with:

Attempted murder

Second-degree criminal possession of a weapon

First-degree reckless endangerment

Third-degree criminal mischief

Second-degree menacing

The 26-year-old, who does possess a pistol permit for the State of Ohio, was remanded at the Erie County Holding Center without bail.

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Adam Gorski is a Buffalo native who joined the WIVB 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.
The Gavel outside the Supreme Court of the State of Ohio. (Photo by Graham Stokes for Ohio Capital Journal. Republish photo only with original article.)

What a bonehead decision. Utter jabberwocky, or meaningless nonsense, is what dissenting justices on the Ohio Supreme Court called the Republican majoritys recent ruling that lovers of boneless chicken wings should reasonably expect bones in their food. If you order boneless wings but a bone in one of them chokes you, the GOP majority decreed, its not the fault of the restaurant that advertised bone-free wings or its suppliers of bone-free chicken; its yours.

You ought to have guarded against the injurious substance in the food, argued Justice Joe Deters, who authored the majority opinion and is seeking reelection in November. It was your negligence that caused your injury. You assumed the boneless wings on the menu were without bones. But bones are a natural part of chicken, Deters wrote, so you should bank on them in wings sold as boneless.

The head-scratching lunacy of that opinion made national and international news. Another proud moment for the state. The case Deters destroyed involved a southwest Ohio man who ordered his favorite boneless wings with Parmesan garlic sauce at a local diner and suffered serious medical complications from getting a bone stuck in his throat.

It tore his esophagus and caused infection. He endured two surgeries after swallowing a 1 3/8-inch sliver of bone in a 1-inch boneless wing. Not surprisingly, the injured Michael Berkheimer sued the restaurant that prepared his boneless wings (which, of course, are nuggets of boneless, skinless breast meat breaded, fried and slathered in sauce) and its suppliers for his pain and suffering and medical expenses.

He maintained the relevant question was whether he could have reasonably expected to find a bone in boneless wings and sought resolution of that question from a jury of his peers. But the high court nixed a jury trial for Berkheimer by ruling that none of the defendants he sued did anything wrong.

The trial court got it right in throwing out the case, as did the appellate court in affirming that judgment, Deters said. His rationale to let the business interests and corporate insurers off the hook was strikingly devoid of logic. But it was in lockstep with the state Republican agenda favoring business interests and corporate insurers.

Deters argued the restaurant and its sellers bore no responsibility for the product put on the plate of a boneless chicken wings customer that sent him to the hospital. The Republican justice even suggested the majoritys opinion was on such solid legal ground  in assigning blame to the restaurant patron for not being guarded about bones in boneless wings  that no reasonable person could possibly concluded otherwise.

But a searing dissent to the 4-3 decision, written by Democratic Justice Michael Donnelly, begged to differ. The absurdity of this resultreads like a Lewis Carrol piece of fiction. The majority opinion states that it is common sense that [the label boneless wing] was merely a description of the cooking style. Jabberwocky. There is, of course, no authority for this assertion, because no sensible person has ever written such a thing. Ouch.

Donnelly, also up for reelection in November, ripped the stupidity of Deters argument that no person would conclude that a restaurants use of the word boneless on a menu was the equivalent of the restaurants warranting the absence of bones.' Um, what? Actually, the dissenting justice disagreed, that is exactly what people think. It is, not surprisingly, also what dictionaries say. Boneless means without a bone.

Donnelly stated the obvious: The reasonable expectation that a person has when someone sells or serves him or her boneless chicken wings is that the chicken does not have bones in it. The case, he added, is incredibly straightforward. The issue is whether Berkheimer, who swallowed a bone while eating a boneless chicken wing, should be able to present to a jury his negligence claim against those who supplied or who prepared and served the wing or whether a judge may decide, as a matter of law, that Berkheimer cannot, under any circumstances, establish the defendants negligence.

Deters denied Berkheimer the ability to have a jury hear his case. The majority opinion he crafted inferred guilt on the plaintiff for presuming boneless meant boneless. End of story.

Except it isnt. The high courts majority is in flux this November with ramifications beyond boneless chicken wings that arent. The next Ohio Supreme Court will determine the meaning of Ohioans new right to reproductive freedom and could very well consider what districts are fair and legal, said former Ohio Democratic Party chair David Pepper.

A 4-person majority willing to declare boneless actually means with bones should scare the hell out of everyone. Because that means they are willing to make Swiss cheese out of any language, no matter how clear, if it serves certain interests.

Republicans hope to clinch a larger majority on the court in the fall, which is why Deters is running not in his current appointed seat on the bench  where hed have to run for re-election in 2026  but instead challenging Democratic colleague Justice Melody Stewart, the first Black woman elected to the court, for a six-year term.

Still, one could reasonably expect the bonehead decision Deters rolled out  that garnered worldwide attention as nonsensical jabberwocky  to haunt his judicial aspirations.

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BOLIVAR  With support from the recently passed state capital budget, the Fort Laurens Museum and grounds will get an extensive makeover in time for the Revolutionary War fort's 250th birthday in 2028.

The project will include a partial reconstruction of the fort.

The state of Ohio has awarded $3.2 million for the work, which is expected to cost around $7 million total.

John Elsassar points to an artist's rendering of the original Fort Laurens inside the Fort Laurens Museum in Lawrence Township.

Three different parts

The project has three components, according to Megan Wood, executive director and CEO of the Ohio History Connection, which owns the site.

First, the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier, the only tomb for an unknown Revolutionary War soldier, will get needed masonry work and landscape issues will be addressed, she said. The goal is to have the work done by July 4, 2026, in time for the nation's 250th birthday.

Other area projects: Several local projects in line for money from Ohio's $700 million 'super duper fund'

The Tomb of An Unknown Soldier at Fort Laurens Museum, Monday, July, 22 in Lawrence Township.

Second, a public archaeology program is planned that will lead to the partial reconstruction of the fort. That is expected to begin in the spring. "We expect that there will be multiple archaeology seasons on the site of the fort that will uncover the exact locations of the fort's construction," Wood said.

"I don't know if there are other public archaeology programs going on in Ohio right, or there's very few, meaning that while the excavations are happening, people will be able to come and see it actively happening."

She added, "We are going to be able learn things we can't even anticipate from the archaeology, and I'm hoping that's going to spark a lot more interest in this time period."

Museum renovation

The final part of the project is making improvements and renovations to the museum exhibits, working with the Zoar Community Association, which manages the site, the Friends of Fort Laurens group and representatives of American Indian tribes with ties to events at Fort Laurens, she said.

New exhibits will be created, restrooms will be upgraded, and the space will be reconfigured for better flow, Wood said. The building itself will not be expanded because it sits on the site of the fort. "I think everyone will be pleasantly surprised with how much change we can make to that space."

Markers depicting the outline of the original Fort Laurens can be seen on the museum's grounds.

The museum work is expected to be done before November 2028, which is the 250th anniversary of the building of the fort. The reconstructed fort will be rededicated at that time. It can only be partially rebuilt, because the Ohio & Erie Canal was constructed through the site in the 1820s.

No concerns about funding

Wood said she is not concerned about getting all of the funding needed for the project. "We've gotten a really good chunk of funding from the state of Ohio in the capital budget, so we are able to move full steam ahead on those three fronts."

She noted the state has been good about providing funding, and there are also private opportunities to raise money. "We feel pretty good, or we wouldn't be moving forward if we thought we couldn't finish the project."

Support for programming

Jon Elsasser, president of the Zoar Community Association, said the reconstruction of a portion of the fort will be great for giving people an appreciation for the scale of the structure. It will also help support their programming.

"We're certainly looking forward to the project starting off here. We've been working on it for a long time," he said.

Reach Jon at 330-364-8415 or at jon.baker@timesreporter.com.

This article originally appeared on The Times-Reporter: Fort Laurens gets state funds for partial fort reconstruction
OK County jail has fifth death of 2024

The Oklahoma County jail is pictured in Oklahoma City in October.

The Oklahoma County jail on Monday had its fifth inmate death of 2024.

Timothy Lee Hardin Jr., 21, of Oklahoma City, was found unresponsive on the floor of his cell during site checks around 6:30 a.m. Monday, the jail said in a news release. Efforts to revive him were unsuccessful. He did not have a cellmate.

He was last observed by an officer and on video getting breakfast at 4:48 a.m. Monday, the jail said.

Oklahoma County Commissioner Brian Maughan said he was told the death is being investigated as a possible drug overdose.

Oklahoma City police arrested Hardin May 15. He had been charged four times in Oklahoma County District Court in the last year with violation of a protective order.

The final time was on May 24. His bond on the felony case was set at $10,000.

The last inmate death was on June 2.

The jail has had more than 40 deaths since a trust took over its operation on July 1, 2020.

There were 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.

This article originally appeared on Oklahoman: Latest inmate death at Oklahoma County jail makes five this year
Okla. Man Was Allegedly Bound with Duct Tape and Forced to Jump Off a Bridge, 3 Arrested: Police

Sean Lunney, Brianna Nohmer and Jaysen Lawson have been arrested on several charges, including felony kidnapping, jail records show

Facebook/Okmulgee County Sheriff's Office From left: Sean Lunney; Brianna Nohmer; and Jaysen Lawson

Police in Oklahoma have arrested three people who allegedly kidnapped a man and forced him to jump off a bridge, severely injuring him.

Officers from the Okmulgee Police Department responded to the Deep Fork River bridge in Okmulgee County, Okla., on Thursday, July 25, upon receiving a report of a person jumping into traffic, the countys sheriffs office said in a statement last week.

Responding officers found the alleged victim badly injured and in need of urgent medical attention, the statement said. He was transported from the scene by emergency personnel.

During their investigation, officers learned the man had allegedly been abducted and bound with duct tape before being forced off the bridge, per the statement.

Following interviews with several witnesses, the sheriffs office arrested Sean Lunney, 31, on the same day, online jail records show.

Authorities made two more arrests after tracking down a firearm that was allegedly used in the incident, the sheriff's statement said. Locating the firearm led to the arrest of 18-year-old Brianna Nohmer and 21-year-old Jaysen Lawson, per police.

All three are facing felony kidnapping charges, according to online jail records reviewed by PEOPLE.

Lawson is facing additional felony charges of attempted first-degree murder, assault with deadly weapon and conspiracy to commit a felony, per the jail records.

Nohmer is facing an additional felony charge of assault with intent to kill, the records show. Lunney is facing additional charges of aggravated assault and pointing a firearm.

Lunney is being held on $250,000 bond, per jail records. Bond information was not available for Lawson or Nohmer.

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Police have not released any information on the alleged victim, his relationship to the suspects or the motive behind the alleged crimes.

It wasn't immediately clear if the three suspects have entered pleas or retained attorneys to speak on their behalf.

The investigation is ongoing.



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Read the original article on People.
ROME, July 30 (Xinhua) -- Italy's economy continued its trend of slow and steady growth in the second quarter of this year, government data released Tuesday showed, with the economy expanding by 0.2 percent compared to the previous quarter.

This follows 0.3 percent quarter-on-quarter gross domestic product (GDP) growth in the January-March period. The increase is 0.1 percent greater than in the final three months of last year and 0.3 percent more than in the third quarter of 2023.

This statistic marks Italy's fourth straight quarter of positive economic growth after a modest 0.1-percent contraction in the second quarter of last year.

As such, the Italian economy was 0.9 percent bigger than it was at the same point a year earlier, according to preliminary data from ISTAT, the national statistics bureau.

Despite relative growth, Italy's economy has failed to keep pace with the economies of the 20-nation euro currency zone and the 27-nation European Union (EU) in the second quarter. In both economic areas, the quarter-on-quarter growth rate was 0.3 percent, respectively.

Nevertheless, the Italian economy remains reasonably strong amid disappointing growth in some European economies. Overall, European growth has been less steady than in Italy. Eurostat reported Tuesday that compared with the second quarter last year, seasonally adjusted GDP increased by 0.6 percent in the euro area and by 0.7 percent in the EU as a whole -- both weaker than Italy's 0.9-percent year-on-year growth rate.

ISTAT said Italy's economic growth was fueled by increased overall production. This helped offset weaker results from the agriculture, forestry, and fishing sectors, which have been hurt by increased levels of extreme weather in the country. 
The Statewide Charter School Board met for the second time Tuesday, voting to join an appeal to the U.S. Supreme Court over a religious virtual charter school contract. (Photo by Kennedy Thomason/Oklahoma Voice)

OKLAHOMA CITY  A new state board continued where its predecessor left off Tuesday and refused to comply with an Oklahoma Supreme Court order to rescind the contract of what would have been the nations first publicly funded religious charter school, but the decision doesnt mean taxpayers will be funding a Catholic education anytime soon.

The Statewide Charter School Board instead voted 7-2 to join St. Isidore of Seville Catholic Virtual Schools legal strategy to attempt to appeal the decision to the nations highest court, which still may be a longshot.

Supporters and opponents of publicly funding the Catholic school both say they are fighting for religious liberty.

The board also voted to terminate its relationship with the Attorney Generals Office, which provides its legal counsel. Chairman Brian Shellem and board member Ben Lepak said theres a conflict of interest because Attorney General Gentner Drummond is representing the plaintiffs, who successfully sued to block the school from opening.

Drummond panned the boards decision on Tuesday, saying the boards actions demonstrated blatant hostility toward religious liberty. He also filed a motion with the Oklahoma Supreme Court on Tuesday afternoon seeking to compel compliance. He requested the Court make clear that board members could face a contempt citation if they continue to refuse to follow the order.

The state Supreme Court ruled last month that operating a state-funded religious charter school is unconstitutional, and it ordered the board to rescind St. Isidores contract. The majority of justices ruled using public dollars to fund the school would violate a state and federal prohibition against government-established religion. The school planned to teach Catholic doctrine and require students to attend Mass.

The decision blocked St. Isidore from opening. The school has said more than 200 students had applied. They said the school wont open to students until at least the 2025-2026 school year.

St. Isidore supporters  including Republican Gov. Kevin Stitt  have vowed to continue to fight and said they plan to request a review from the U.S. Supreme Court.

Shellem said though there are differing legal opinions on the case, St. Isidores contract is about educating students, not about the school becoming a state actor.

I think most of the board feels that the dissenting opinion is what, really, we feel as a country, that certain groups should not be discriminated against, especially if you have the skills to perform the contract, Shellem said.

Shellem said he does not want to short circuit the legal process.

Earlier this month, Shellem said the board planned to comply with the Oklahoma Supreme Court order, but he said it was waiting on a decision from the Oklahoma Supreme Court about whether the charter contract would be preserved in the event the nations highest court considers it. The state Supreme Court has not ruled on the request.

We do respect the top law enforcement agency in the state, we respect the Supreme Court, we will honor their orders, Shellem said. If the Supreme Court had said, Immediately rescind this contract, the board would have already taken action, but there is a legal process.

The predecessor to this board  Oklahoma Statewide Virtual Charter School Board, which had its last meeting in June  also voted against rescinding St. Isidores contract.

Even with the boards involvement, the case is not guaranteed to be heard before the U.S. Supreme Court. Justices are asked to review more than 7,000 cases each year, but typically only consider about 100 to 150.

Oklahomas attorney general said in a statement that he is committed to defending Oklahomans religious freedom.

Every Oklahoman should be outraged by the boards blatant hostility toward religious liberty, he said. Rather than acting to protect religious liberty, they are recklessly committed to using our tax dollars to fund radical religious teachings like Sharia law. I will continue to protect the religious liberty of all four million Oklahomans by upholding their constitutional rights.

Oklahoma Superintendent Ryan Walters, who is a voting member of the board and made his first appearance in that role Tuesday, voted to leave the contract intact. He said the Christian faith is under assault nationwide and that some Oklahoma leaders have made it clear they prefer atheism in schools.

As a matter of fact, I think the families of Oklahoma have spoken loudly and clearly that they want their religious liberties protected, Walters said. They want school choice. They want to be able to choose the school that meets the needs of their kids. So I believe for the families of Oklahoma, it is essential that we challenge [the] Oklahoma Supreme Court, we advance this issue to the U.S. Supreme Court on the basis of protecting religious liberty and protecting those school choice options of families of Oklahoma.

Editors note: This story was updated Tuesday evening with details that Drummond has filed a motion with the Oklahoma Supreme Court seeking to compel compliance.

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OKLAHOMA CITY (KFOR)  Authorities say Springlake officers assisted with a pony rescue after the horse took a dip in a local pool.

Police say once the pony was located, it was in the water for quite some time before being rescued.

Luckily, the mare wasnt injured.

Headlines

Copyright 2024 Nexstar Media, Inc. 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.
Oklahoma Corporation Commissioner Todd Hiett said on Tuesday he will not resign, despite the national embarrassment caused by his drunken behavior at a regulatory conference in June in Minnesota.

A witness from the Kansas Corporation Commission reported Hiett, 57, put his hand on a man's groin area in the hotel lobby bar late June 9. "I thought, OK, you have just witnessed a sexual assault and we need to get (the man) out of here," she wrote in her account.

In a statement to the media, Hiett said the commission is facing a heavy workload that includes numerous rate cases with a tremendous potential impact to ratepayers.

"It would be a detriment for me to step aside from my responsibility to balance the interests of ratepayers to those of the utilities," he said.

Hiett issued the statement to the media after Commissioner Bob Anthony said he must resign. Hiett has clashed repeatedly with Anthony, who is in the last months of his final term in office.

On Monday, Anthony called on Hiett to resign after The Oklahoman reported on the sexual misconduct accusation.

"There can be no tolerance for his actions, especially when directed toward persons whose companies, industries and/or jobs will otherwise continue to be directly affected by the regulatory decisions he makes. This situation is untenable. Neither getting sober nor sincerely apologizing can resolve it," Anthony wrote.

"Hiett's immediate departure is the only corrective action possible to restore any functional level of integrity and credibility to the business conducted by the Oklahoma Corporation Commission."

Hiett said Anthony's call for his resignation comes as no surprise.

More: Witnesses allege Oklahoma Corporation Commissioner Todd Hiett groped man

He said Anthony has repeatedly made accusations against other commissioners and employees at the Oklahoma Corporation Commission over the years. He also alleged Anthony does not actively participate in the work of the commission, "which has often resulted in just two Commissioners deciding the merits of the cases that come before us.

Hiett, a Republican, is the chairman of the Oklahoma Corporation Commission. He was elected to his second, and final, six-year term in 2020. Gov. Kevin Stitt would chose someone to complete his term if he were to step down.

The three-member commission regulates oil and gas drilling, public utilities, cotton gins and key aspects of the transportation industry. The commission meets again Wednesday in Oklahoma City.

Tuesday afternoon, Commissioner Kim David called on Hiett to consider taking a leave of absence while an investigation takes place.

"These are serious allegations that need to be addressed," she said. ""It's critical that we ensure the public and those we regulate have confidence that we take the responsibility of this office seriously. Displaying full transparency in how we conduct ourselves is important."

Hiett told The Oklahoman July 15 that he sought help for an alcohol affliction after being told he had acted inappropriately at the conference in Minnesota. He admitted drinking too much and apologized to anyone he offended.

He apologized again Monday, after The Oklahoman told him about the sexual accusation. He said in both interviews that he has no memory of the incident.

"I wish I could deny what they're saying. It's hard for me to believe that I would do something of that nature," he said Monday. "There's no way in my nature that I would ever do anything like that with any intention other than ... just horseplay and ... trying to make a joke or tease someone."

Alleged incident happened during a conference in Minneapolis

The Oklahoman obtained two written accounts of the incident from the Kansas Corporation Commission through an open records request. The names of the witnesses, as well as the man who was with them, were blacked out. The man was described in one account as a representative of a company that "goes before" the Oklahoma Corporation Commission.

They were all attending a meeting of the Mid-America Regulatory Conference on June 9 -12 at the Renaissance Hotel in Minneapolis. No one reported the incident to the police.

The second witness recalled seeing an intoxicated Hiett rubbing the man's "arm and shoulder area, in a completely inappropriate and uncomfortable fashion." He wrote in his account that he later was told that the groping had intensified after he left the table to go to the restroom.

In his resignation call, Anthony revealed he spoke to numerous current and former commissioners from across the country after The Oklahoman first reported on the drunken incident. He wrote they "reported to me a history of similar behavior at meetings and conferences in multiple other states."

In a statement July 15 about his drinking, Hiett said he had fallen into a trap of using alcohol to combat stress over the last few years. He said July 15 and again Monday he intends to never drink alcohol again.

This article originally appeared on Oklahoman: Todd Hiett refuses to resign despite sexual misconduct accusation
OKLAHOMA CITY (KFOR)  A 21-year-old detainee who was being held for violating a protective order died in his cell at the Oklahoma County Detention Center on Monday morning.

Timothy Lee Hardin. Photo courtesy Oklahoma County Detention Center.

According to OCDC officials, Timothy Lee Hardin was found unresponsive in his cell at around 6:30 a.m. by detention officers while they were performing site checks. Officers and medical staff reportedly began lifesaving measure while waiting for EMS and OKCFD, but were unsuccessful.

Hardin was booked into the OCDC on May 15 on a felony charge of violating a protective order, with bond set at $10,000. Court records show Hardin had a preliminary hearing scheduled for August 29.

One arrested after deadly crash in Norman

OCDC officials say while the investigation is still in the early stages, Hardin did not have a cellmate and was last seen by an officer and on video receiving breakfast at around 4:48 a.m.

At that time, Hardin reportedly showed no signs leading to a potential cause of death.

Copyright 2024 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.

For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to KFOR.com Oklahoma City.
An Oklahoma district court is among the slowest in the nation. It's led to delayed justice

Kamrin Greens middle school students were supposed to research an injustice and find a solution. That assignment was put on hold as Green wondered whether the assignment would run afoul of House Bill 1775.

It took 2  years to get an answer, as an injunction that would temporarily bar implementation of the new law languished on a judges desk. It was one of more than 150 federal motions gathering dust in Oklahomas Western District.

While no one required Green to remove the injustice project or others like it, she feared losing her certification or being fired under the law, which banned certain classroom discussions about race, gender and sex.

Like Green, John McCoy, a Will Rogers College High School world history teacher, rearranged his curriculum because of the law.

Its just another one of those things that is in the back of my mind as a teacher, McCoy said.

Teachers finally got some clarity on June 14 when U.S. District Judge Charles Goodwin issued a partial preliminary injunction on the controversial bill. Goodwin agreed that sections of the law are vague and blocked parts of HB 1775 from being enforced while the litigation is pending. Both sides appealed.

Delays such as the 2 1/2 year wait on the injunction are frequent for Goodwin, who consistently ranks as one of the slowest federal judges in the state, data showed.

Western District of Oklahoma has 12th highest number of motions pending over six months

There are 94 district courts in the federal system, and the Western District of Oklahoma has the 12th highest number of motions pending over six months, data from the U.S. Court system shows.

Of the judges in the Western District Court of Oklahoma, Goodwin had the third-most motions pending longer than six months. That is one of the metrics used to evaluate federal courts under the Civil Justice Reform Act, which seeks to reduce costs and delays in civil litigation.

As of March 31, Goodwin had 49 motions pending that were more than six months old. Thats on par with two other judges in the same district, Scott Palk and Jodi Dishman, who had 57 and 56, respectively.

Goodwin, Palk and Dishman combined to account for 162 of the 170 motions that have been pending more than six months, an excessive backlog compared to the other judges in the district, each of whom had fewer than five pending motions.

More: Can a mom who smoked pot while pregnant be charged with child neglect? It depends

Statewide, Goodwin, Palk and Dishman accounted for 47% of all motions more than six months old.

Only one other Oklahoma judge had a similar count. Northern District Chief Judge John Heil had 55 motions pending in the Northern District, and 59 motions pending in the Eastern District.

U.S. District Court judges earn $243,300 per year, according to court-published data.

Oklahoma Watch contacted the Western District Court to better understand why three judges routinely had such delays but was turned away by the court clerks office, which explained that all data in the report was related to open cases on which the judges wouldnt comment.

Some judges inherit cases or get assigned cases that are more complicated than other judges have, said Andrew Spiropoulos, a law professor at Oklahoma City University.

He said complicated cases can take more time and that can be a reason for the delay.

In the Western District, judges are assigned cases at random, but there are precautions in place to ensure that one judge is not taking on a substantially larger caseload than other judges.

In the report, the judges note that the reason for the delay on many of the motions is because of the complexity of the case and caseload. However, Goodwin has been criticized in the past for slow response time.

Decision on injunction over 'critical race theory' bill took more than two years

When Goodwin was first nominated for the U.S. District Court, the American Bar Association committee for ranking judicial nominees rated him unqualified for the position, citing his frequent delays in arriving at the courthouse. He said he sometimes didnt arrive until the afternoon because he did his court readings and research at home.

After becoming a district judge, Goodwin has consistently had one of the highest totals of slow-moving motions in each of the past five years, according to data published under the Civil Justice Reform Act.

In a conference call regarding the House Bill 1775 case with attorneys in 2022, lawyers for the American Civil Liberties Union urged Goodwin to move faster to address the injunction.

More: Federal judge issues temporary injunction blocking key provision of House Bill 1775

We certainly intend to get you an order as soon as possible, but Im not aware of any events that might provide some added urgency, something thats coming up that youre particularly concerned about, but tell me if Im wrong on that, Goodwin said, according to court records.

Emerson Sykes of the American Civil Liberties Union pointed out the urgency to provide clarity to Oklahoma educators and students in both the K-12 and higher education systems.

Goodwin and the attorneys declined comment when contacted, due to the ongoing case.

For school districts, the more time elapsed, the more uncertainty they faced.

In August 2022, the state Board of Education downgraded the accreditation of Tulsa Public Schools and Mustang Public Schools after complaints under HB 1775.

Tulsas complaints came from a high school teacher who felt a staff training video had an implicit bias. Mustang also faced consequences for an anti-bullying activity conducted in a leadership class.

The impacts of delayed rulings

The HB 1775 case attracted a lot of attention, but there are other examples of delayed justice.

In one case, Eva Kopaddy sued the Pottawatomie County Public Safety Center after her nephew, Ronald Given died in jail.

Kopaddy sued on grounds of excessive force, negligence, assault and battery and wrongful death. Given was involved in a six-minute altercation in which detention officers slammed Given to the ground. Given later died, and the medical examiner determined the cause of death to be an irregular heartbeat due to the struggle with the jailers.

In April 2021, Chief Mason Wilson of the Shawnee Police Department asked to be removed from the lawsuit, arguing that the complaint did not provide a sufficient allegation, and it was not until almost three years later that Goodwin granted the dismissal.

In another case, six people sued members of the Oklahoma City Police Department for violations of their First, Fourth and Fourteenth Amendment rights after an altercation with a police officer in 2020.

Oklahoma Watch, at oklahomawatch.org, is a nonprofit, nonpartisan news organization that covers public-policy issues facing the state.

The case has been reassigned to different judges twice: First to Judge Robin Cauthron, then to Palk and now to Goodwin. The case still has several pending motions, as noted on Nov. 16 by the plaintiffs attorney, with many that date back to 2022.

Those pending motions can severely delay a case resolution. For example, one Western District rule says no party may seek discovery from any source if a motion to dismiss is pending, so a delayed ruling on the motion brings the case to a standstill.

Lawsuits change livelihoods, and the idea that youre in this limbo period for an extended period of time is very concerning, said Gabe Roth, executive director of Fix the Court, a nonprofit that seeks to find solutions to issues within the judicial system.

Roth described the litigation process within the federal courts as one of the most consequential things someone can go through and said it can be both costly and time-consuming.

Both as litigants and as citizens we would want the wheels of justice to move expeditiously, Roth said.

The Civil Justice Reform Act, meant to reduce costs and delays in civil litigation, requires semiannual reports showing case backlogs.

So what you hope is that if you publish the data then judges will themselves want to, at the extent to which they can, speed up so that theyre all about at the same pace, Spiropoulos said. They dont want to be the person who is behind.

Roth said that hopefully, the Civil Justice Reform Act would serve as a reminder to the judges.

A chief judge might also attempt to encourage a judge to move faster, but Spiropoulos said that for the most part, it is self-monitoring.

Oklahoma Watch interviewed multiple attorneys, each of whom expressed frustration with delays in Goodwin, Dishman and Palks courtrooms but declined to go on the record citing fear of retribution that could affect their livelihoods.

They have no work ethic, said one Oklahoma attorney who Oklahoma Watch granted anonymity to protect his practice. They can take their damn time.

Pennsylvania attorney Edward Kang has written extensively on judicial delays and recommended a first step. He suggested that if a motion is older than 60 days, the plaintiff and defendants counsel write a joint letter to the judge, calling attention to the motion and presenting a united front on the need for resolution.

If that procedure fails, these issues should be brought to the attention of the chief judge, Kang said.

Judges are held accountable for such delays through the chief judge, the Civil Justice Reform Act and frequent data reports that are submitted to the courts, Spiropoulos said.

Although a chief judge can encourage a judge to move at a faster pace or reassign the case, federal judges receive lifetime appointments and cannot be removed by a chief judge. Removal from the bench is only possible under limited circumstances and requires impeachment by the U.S. House of Representatives and conviction by the U.S. Senate.

Chief Judge Timothy DeGiusti oversees the judges within the Western District, and each federal circuit has a judicial council with oversight responsibilities, including the authority to make all necessary and appropriate orders for the effective and expeditious administration of justice within its circuit.

That has little effect, attorneys told Oklahoma Watch.

If they get a slap on the wrist from a circuit board, its like a wet noodle, said one Oklahoma attorney.

The Tenth Circuit Court of Appeals refused to comment on the rules and procedures regarding federal judges.

Roth said more judges were needed to reduce the number of pending motions pending. The last time a major bill was signed to increase judgeship was in 1990, under President George H.W. Bush, Roth said.

Sen. Todd Young, R-Indiana, introduced the Judges Act of 2024. The bill would increase the number of judges in the federal system. Sen. James Lankford, R-Oklahoma, backed the bill.

Roth said that as the population increases, so should the number of judges.

Even in the Constitution, in the Sixth Amendment, the word speedy is used to talk about prosecutions, and, in fact, speedy is not a word I would use to describe the federal courts right now, Roth said.

Oklahoma Watch, at oklahomawatch.org, is a nonprofit, nonpartisan news organization that covers public-policy issues facing the state.

This article originally appeared on Oklahoman: Court handling Oklahoma critical race theory suit has history of delays
OKLAHOMA CITY (KFOR)  The U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) announced on Tuesday, $150.9 million for new housing investments in Tribal communities.

In Oklahoma, the Iowa Tribe, the Kickapoo Tribe, the Wichita Housing Authority, and the Wyandotte Nation will share $11,2631,464 under the programs announcement.

The Biden-Harris Administration is proud to work alongside our Tribal partners to help them meet the housing needs that exist in Indian Country, said HUD Acting Secretary Adrianne Todman. These funds will help build and repair homes desperately needed right now.

Bureau of Indian Affairs announce changes to financial assistance and social services programs

The funds are designated for various purposes such as new construction, rehabilitation, and infrastructure to support affordable housing within Indian reservations and similar areas.

The Indian Housing Block Grant (IHBG) competitive program is expected to bring relief to Tribal communities as it set to inject essential financial resources for disadvantaged Tribal families.

The Biden Harris Administration is committed to advancing the supply of affordable housing with tribal nation partners to meet Indian Countrys housing needs, said Candace Valenzuela, HUD Regional Administrator for the Southwest. This substantial HUD funding will help hard working tribal communities preserve and create many decent, affordable housing opportunities for those who need them most.

Tribal Housing Authority Funding:

OK Iowa Tribe of Oklahoma  $3,000,000

OK Kickapoo Tribe of Oklahoma  $3,000,000

OK Wichita Housing Authority  $3,000,000

OK Wyandotte Nation  $2,631,464

Total $11,631,464

View the list of awardees 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 KFOR.com Oklahoma City.
Undocumented immigrants in Oklahoma contributed $227.5 million in state and local taxes in 2022, according to a recently released report. (Getty Images) (This image cannot be republished unless you have a Getty subscription.)

OKLAHOMA CITY  Undocumented immigrants in Oklahoma contributed $227.5 million in state and local taxes in 2022, according to a recently released report by a nonprofit, nonpartisan tax policy organization.

In Oklahoma, some 89,000 undocumented immigrants paid the taxes, according to the analysis by the Washington D.C.-based Institute on Taxation and Economic Policy.

About $122 million were sales and excise taxes, while $49 million were in property taxes, according to the report. Another $51 million were personal or business income taxes, the report said.

The state figures do not include what undocumented immigrants paid into Social Security and Medicare, said Gabriela Ramirez-Perez, Oklahoma Policy Institute immigration policy analyst.

And that is what makes these contributions all the more significant, because theyre basically helping fund Social Security and Medicare  while being barred from receiving benefits themselves, she said.

In addition, undocumented immigrants cant access food stamps, but if they have children who are U.S. citizens, the children can, Ramirez-Perez said.

They also cant access a myriad of tax credits, such as the earned income tax credit, she said.

She said actual policy taxes a backseat to politics.

As our state leaders continue discussions about policies that impact immigrants, we must start by recognizing how deeply immigrants are interconnected in our communities broadly, Ramirez-Perez said. For decades, undocumented immigrants have made Oklahoma their home, raised families, paid taxes, worked essential jobs, cared for our loved ones, and made our communities stronger.

Marco Guzman is a Institute on Taxation and Economic Policy senior policy analyst and co-author of the study.

In Oklahoma, undocumented immigrants paid a higher average tax rate of 8.9% compared to those in the top percentile. They paid an effective rate of 6.4%, he said.

They dont have access to certain exemptions, he said.

While the report doesnt delve into jobs held by undocumented immigrants, research shows many hold jobs in professions where Americans simply dont want to work, he said.

Nationally, undocumented immigrants paid $96.7 billion in federal, state and local taxes in 2022, according to the report.

Six states collected more than $1 billion from undocumented immigrants, including California at $8.5 billion, and Texas at $4.9 billion, according to the report.

In total, the tax contribution of undocumented immigrants amounted to 26.1 percent of their incomes in 2022, according to the report.

The report comes as states like Oklahoma and Texas seek to crack down on illegal immigration..

A federal judge recently put a controversial Oklahoma immigration law on hold pending the outcome of a legal challenge.

The law seeks to create a new crime for willfully entering the state without authorization to be in the country.

Those found guilty of impermissible occupation could face fines, imprisonment and be forced to leave the state within 72 hours.

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FILE - Drag queens prepare to perform on the Debilly Bridge in Paris, during the opening ceremony of the 2024 Summer Olympics, Friday, July 26, 2024. A storm of outrage about the Paris Olympics' opening ceremony took a legal turn Tuesday July 30, 2024, with a DJ who performed at the show saying her lawyer is filing complaints over a torrent of threats and other abuse that the LGBTQ+ icon has suffered online in the ceremony's wake. (AP Photo/Tsvangirayi Mukwazhi, File)

PARIS (AP)  A storm of outrage about the Paris Olympics opening ceremony  including angry comments from Donald Trump  took a legal turn Tuesday, with French prosecutors ordering police to investigate complaints of online abuse from a DJ and LGBTQ+ icon who performed.

DJ Barbara Butch said she suffered a torrent of online threats in the wake of a contentious scene at the Games' opening ceremony. A lawyer for Butch told The Associated Press that she had filed a formal legal complaint alleging online harassment, death threats, and insults. The lawyer, Audrey Msellati, said the complaint doesnt name any specific perpetrator or perpetrators of the alleged crimes.

The Paris prosecutors office confirmed that it received Butchs complaint and said it tasked a police unit that specializes in fighting hate crimes to investigate. The police probe will focus on discriminatory messages based on religion or sexual orientation that were sent to her or posted online, it said.

Although the ceremony's artistic director Thomas Jolly has repeatedly said that he wasn't inspired by The Last Supper, critics interpreted part of the show that featured Butch as a mockery of Leonardo Da Vinci's painting showing Jesus Christ and his apostles. Butch, who calls herself a love activist, wore a silver headdress that looked like a halo as she got a party going during her segment of the show. Drag artists, dancers and others flanked Butch on both sides.

Trump, in the United States, said Monday he thought it was a disgrace.

I'm very open-minded, the former president and current Republican nominee told Fox News host Laura Ingraham, who specifically asked about comparisons to The Last Supper, but I thought what they did was a disgrace.

French Catholic bishops and others were among those who said Christians had been hurt and offended. Paris Olympics organizers have said there was never an intention to show disrespect to any religious group and that the intent was to celebrate community tolerance.

Jolly has said he saw the moment as a celebration of diversity, and the table on which Butch spun her tunes as a tribute to feasting and French gastronomy.

My wish isnt to be subversive, nor to mock or to shock, Jolly said. Most of all, I wanted to send a message of love, a message of inclusion and not at all to divide.

Performer Philippe Katerine, who appeared in the next scene painted blue and nearly nude in a tribute to Dionysus, also told Le Monde newspaper that The Last Supper had not been referenced at all in preparations for the overall sketch.

In a statement of her own, posted on Instagram, Butch said: Whatever some may say, I exist. Ive never been ashamed of who I am, and I take responsibility for everything - including my artistic choices. All my life, Ive refused to be a victim: I wont shut up.

She said she was extremely honored to perform in Fridays ceremony and my heart is still full of joy.

Im committed, and Im proud. Proud of who I am, of what I am, and of what I embody, both for my loved ones and for millions of French people. My France is France ! she wrote.

In an AP interview Tuesday, Msellati described Butch as in a fighting spirit  eager to defend herself and her choices, and still very proud of her participation. She has no regrets, even now, the lawyer said.

She said hateful messages targeting Butch are arriving almost every minute, and that Jolly and the ceremony's drag artists have also been targeted by cyberbullying.

Another performer in the controversial scene, drag queen Paloma, said Tuesday that she had not filed her own complaint.

But, she said, if the insults continue, I will join my friend Barbara Butch in her approach. For now, I am trying to focus on the on the thousands of loving messages I receive."

Of the criticism, Paloma said her first reaction is to say that if Donald Trump is not reacting, then we have not done our job. Unfortunately, we were going to get a negative reaction no matter what we did. She also said it was hypocritical for critics to use religion as a basis for a reaction that is very homophobic, very transphobic, queer-phobic, drag-phobic, even antisemitic and fatphobic.

And another drag queen in the scene, Piche, said she was really happy that queer people were able to be represented in this show. There was no moment that the idea of offending someone or a religion was on somebody's mind. It was just a joyful, happy pop culture moment that most of the planet felt.

___

AP journalists Nicolas Vaux-Montagny and Kwiyeon Ha contributed reporting.

___

For more coverage of the Paris Olympics, visit https://apnews.com/hub/2024-paris-olympic-games.
UPDATE: French DJ and activist Barbara Butch said on Monday that she has filed several police reports after receiving death threats for her participation in an Olympics opening ceremony tableau that drew comparisons to Leonardo da Vincis The Last Supper. The Paris Prosecutors Office confirmed to Variety that a complaint for cyber-harassment was received and an official investigation has been launched.

The national body in charge of combatting against online hate speech (PNLH) has appointed the central office in charge of fighting crimes against humanity and hate crimes (OCLCH) to conduct an investigation into the discriminating messages referring to the religion or sexual orientation that were addressed to her or posted online and flagged, the Prosecutors Office said in a statement. The facts could potentially qualify as abuse aggravated by discrimination, death threats and public incitement to attempt on the life or physical integrity of people.

More from Variety

The scene, which featured drag queens and other members of the LGBTQ community, was the subject of backlash from the Catholic Church as well as prominent conservative figures like Rob Schneider and Candace Cameron Bure. Olympics artistic director Thomas Jolly told French outlet BFMTV over the weekend that the segment was not inspired by The Last Supper, and was instead a tribute to Greek mythology  but it has continued to stoke controversy.

Butch made the announcement on her Instagram account Monday night by posting a statement from her attorney, Audrey Msellati, who said Butch has been the target of an extremely violent campaign of cyber-harassment and defamation.

Msellati continued, She has been threatened with death, torture and rape, and has also been the target of numerous antisemitic, homophobic, sexist and grossophobic insults. Barbara Butch condemns this vile hatred directed at her, what she represents and what she stands for. She is today filing several complaints against these acts, whether committed by French nationals or foreigners, and intends to prosecute anyone who tries to intimidate her in the future.

During the opening ceremony, Butch was in the center of the tableau, DJing while sporting a silver headpiece and blue dress. In an Instagram post, Butch called her look that of an Olympian music goddess.

Olympics organizers apologized for any misrepresentation during a press conference following the ceremony, with spokesperson Anne Descamps saying that clearly there was never an intention to show disrespect to any religious group  If people have taken any offense we are really sorry.

Representatives for the Paris Olympics did not immediately respond to Varietys request for comment.

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President of the Asian American Business Development Center John Wang addresses the China-U.S. Economic and Trade Cooperation Forum in New York, the United States, on July 29, 2024. The China-U.S. Economic and Trade Cooperation Forum was held here on Monday. About 300 business people from various industries from both countries attended this event. (Xinhua/Liu Yanan)

by Xinhua writer Liu Yanan

NEW YORK, July 29 (Xinhua) -- U.S. business people expressed their enthusiasm toward potential opportunities arising from strong commercial ties between the United States and China.

A Chinese delegation led by the China Council for the Promotion of International Trade (CCPIT) is paying a week-long visit to the United States.

The 50-person delegation will have extensive and in-depth exchanges with the U.S. Department of Commerce, the State of New York, the State of Maryland, the U.S. Chamber of Commerce, the U.S.-China Business Council, and other government departments and agencies, as well as with U.S. companies, according to Ren Hongbin, chairman of the CCPIT.

"We look forward to achieving concrete outcomes and cultivating new growth drivers through such communication," Ren told about 300 business people from various industries from both countries at the China-U.S. Economic and Trade Cooperation Forum on Monday.

According to Ren, bilateral trade between the United States and China rose by 2.9 percent in the first half of 2024, and the number of U.S. companies announcing investment in China increased by over 20 percent. The amount of actual investment doubled in the period.

"We are encouraged by the current administration's efforts to resume bilateral dialogue and cooperation with China," said Declan Daly, chief operating officer with United States Council for International Business.

Daly said at the forum that it is time for the United States to re-engage with China on the issues of concern and the trade relationship to find negotiated solutions to long-standing disputes.

"Toward that end, we would welcome establishing a regular bilateral dialogue," added Daly.

Daly said there is no doubt about the importance of this enormous economic relationship between the United States and China to his members, which collectively have an annual revenue of over 5 trillion U.S. dollars and 11.5 million employees.

Peter Tichansky, president and CEO of the Business Council for International Understanding, said the United States and China align on issues like innovation, energy transition, artificial intelligence, chips and trade.

"The reason that we're here is because I wanna meet people that can introduce us into the Chinese infrastructure, Temu, TikTok and Shein," said Jonathan Webb, co-founder and co-CEO of New York-based e-commerce player Packable, Inc.

The U.S. market has a huge appetite for what is being manufactured in China, from selfie sticks to wax warming kits to magnetic puzzles, all the way to EV charging stations, said Webb on the forum's sidelines.

"All those goods are being manufactured in China and being brought to the United States, but everybody is nervous about the tariffs. So we have to figure out how to try to help mitigate those issues," he told Xinhua.

Webb mentioned that he plans to work with Chinese manufacturers and stated that such partnerships are necessary and will shape the future of his business.

Webb sees opportunities in bonded warehouses, foreign trade zones and some U.S. visa programs.

Ultimately, working with China creates jobs and economic stimulus in the United States, which is very important to the local municipalities inside the country, he said.

Webb warned that a further hike in tariffs on China-made products would cause many U.S. innovators who manufacture in China to leave for other countries and create chaos.

"China's involvement in the supply chain globally is very, very important," he said.

Robert L. Garland Jr., CEO of Garland & Zhang, LLC, said he is working to promote international trade directly with Indian communities and cooperation between Chinese manufacturers and American retailers.

"In the last several years, we've seen a lot of decline in supply chain items...So we want to try to reestablish ways to gain these at affordable prices," Garland told Xinhua.

Garland said the forum fostered a much better understanding of Chinese technology.

Jesse Weiner, co-managing partner at YK Law LLP, expressed his delight at seeing business deals, investments and trade flourishing, in contrast to the slowdown during the pandemic.

Weiner said many U.S. entities, entertainers and influences wanted to be in China and market their goods on the video-sharing platform Douyin, the e-commerce platform Tmall and Alibaba.

"Now, there's more positive cooperation and development among the two countries again. And I just can hope it continues in that trajectory," Weiner said. (Xinhua video reporter Xie E also contributed to the article.) 

Peter Tichansky, president and CEO of the Business Council for International Understanding, addresses the China-U.S. Economic and Trade Cooperation Forum in New York, the United States, on July 29, 2024. The China-U.S. Economic and Trade Cooperation Forum was held here on Monday. About 300 business people from various industries from both countries attended this event. (Xinhua/Liu Yanan)

Hu Wei, Chairman of the China General Chamber of Commerce-USA, addresses the China-U.S. Economic and Trade Cooperation Forum in New York, the United States, on July 29, 2024. The China-U.S. Economic and Trade Cooperation Forum was held here on Monday. About 300 business people from various industries from both countries attended this event. (Xinhua/Liu Yanan)

Ren Hongbin, chairman of the China Council for the Promotion of International Trade, addresses the China-U.S. Economic and Trade Cooperation Forum in New York, the United States, on July 29, 2024. The China-U.S. Economic and Trade Cooperation Forum was held here on Monday. About 300 business people from various industries from both countries attended this event. (Xinhua/Liu Yanan)

Chinese Consul General in New York Huang Ping addresses the China-U.S. Economic and Trade Cooperation Forum in New York, the United States, on July 29, 2024. The China-U.S. Economic and Trade Cooperation Forum was held here on Monday. About 300 business people from various industries from both countries attended this event. (Xinhua/Liu Yanan)
From the Olympics to Tacoma: French metal band Gojira to open for Korn at the Tacoma Dome

If you were one of the nearly 29 million people who tuned in to watch the opening ceremony for the Paris 2024 Olympics, then you probably witnessed the mind-blowing performance put on by Gojira.

Gojira, a french heavy metal band, brought the heat to the opening ceremony. The band performed from platforms hanging from the external window frames of the famed Conciergerie, a former courthouse and prison located along the River Seine on July 26. The Grammy-nominated band fused the sounds of loud guitars and intense rhythmic drums with Opera vocals. Their performance also included images of a headless Marie-Antoinette in the windows. She was once held prisoner in that exact location, according to the Conciergeries website.

If you enjoyed Gojiras Olympics performance, then youll be happy to know that the French quartet will make their way to Tacoma this fall.

Gojira will join American nu metal band Korn on their 25-city tour across North America which includes a stop in Tacoma. Gojira will open for Korn on Thursday, Oct. 10 at the Tacoma Dome.

Tickets for this concert are still available on the Ticketmaster website and range from $39 to $495.

Gojira meet-and-greet packages are also still available and cost $304.50 and includes the following:

One premium reserved seat or GA floor ticket

Meet & Greet and individual photo with Gojira

One VIP-exclusive merchandise item

One autographed concert setlist

One commemorative VIP laminate

Early Entry to the venue and early-access for merchandise shopping
One dead in protests against election result in Venezuela

Protesters shout slogans during a demonstration against the government of President Maduro, after the Venezuelan presidential elections. Jeampier Arguinzones/dpa

At least one person died in protests against the election result in Venezuela, the non-governmental organization Foro Penal said on social media platform X on Monday evening, with more protests planned for Tuesday.

At least 46 people were arrested in various cities and states of the South American country, Foro Penal wrote.

The reported death occurred in the northern state of Yaracuy, although further details were initially unknown. Local media reported at least two deaths.

Nationwide, protests following the controversial election that handed another term to authoritarian President Nicolas Maduro led to at times violent clashes between demonstrators and security forces.

Television footage showed police using tear gas and occasionally striking people. Shots were also fired at demonstrators who were marching to the presidential palace in the capital Caracas, the newspaper El Nacional reported and video clips showed.

The shooters could be so-called Colectivos (Collectives), pro-government paramilitary groups that enforce the government's agenda through violence. The video shows police not intervening to prevent the attack on the demonstrators.

The opposition called for a large demonstration against the government for Tuesday. The government camp also plans to bring its supporters to the streets.

The National Electoral Council officially declared Maduro, who has been in power since 2013, the winner of the presidential election with 51.2% of the votes in Sunday's election, while opposition candidate Edmundo Gonzalez received 44.2%. The opposition does not recognize the official result and claims election fraud.

Opposition leader Maria Corina Machado said to media representatives on Monday that the government opponents had access to 73% of the result lists, which indicated an insurmountable lead for the challenger. She said Gonzalez had won in all states and received over 6.2 million votes, while Maduro received only 2.7 million.

The US government and several Latin American countries have also expressed doubts about the official election result.

Maduro is set to begin his third six-year term in January 2025.

Venezuela suffers from mismanagement, corruption and international sanctions.

More than 80% of the population live below the poverty line. According to the UN, over 7 million people - about a quarter of the population - have left the oil-rich country in recent years due to poverty and violence.
LEBANON COUNTY, Pa. (WHTM)  A person was hospitalized after a weekend stabbing in Lebanon County and police say they are investigating.

Lebanon City Police said the victim was stabbed several times during an assault that happened in the 800 block of Church Street.

When police said they were called to the hospital on Saturday, just before 9 p.m., for a report of an assault victim, they found the person was stabbed multiple times.

The victim is reportedly in stable condition and is expected to recover, police said.

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Anyone with information about the assault is asked to contact police at (717) 272-6611.

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KANSAS CITY, Mo.  Police are investigating a deadly shooting in Kansas Citys Blue Hills neighborhood.

It happened just before 9 a.m. Tuesday near 55th Street and the Paseo in Kansas City, according to police.

Federal inmate at Leavenworth dies Monday night

KCPD said officers found a man unresponsive outside of a parked car after getting a call about shots being fired. He was pronounced dead at the scene.

The victim has been identified as 25-year-old Anthony Canaday.

At this time, investigators dont know what led up to the shooting. If you have any information, call the Tips Hotline at (816) 474-8477.

Copyright 2024 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.

For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to FOX 4 Kansas City WDAF-TV | News, Weather, Sports.
One person died and some 200,000 households were left without electricity in Lithuania and neighbouring Latvia as strong storm winds and heavy rain pounded the Baltic nations overnight.

A 50-year-old woman was killed in the Lithuanian capital of Vilnius by a falling tree on Monday, authorities said. Fire and rescue officials in both countries have received hundreds of emergency calls for fallen trees, damaged cars and flooded roads and fields.

In Lithuania, authorities warned people to travel only in urgent situations as the storm brought severe winds and catastrophic levels of rain into most regions in the country of 2.8 million.

In the districts of Siauliai, Telsiai and Silale, a month's worth of rain was recorded on Sunday and Monday according to Lithuanian meteorologists.

People shelter from the rain under umbrellas on a rainy day, in Vilnius, Lithuania, Monday, July 29, 2024. - Mindaugas Kulbis/Copyright 2024 The AP. All rights reserved.

Weather experts said prevailing strong winds in Latvia are set to continue to raise water levels along the coast of the Gulf of Riga. The Daugava river  which runs through the capital Riga  may flood.

Officials in Riga said early Monday that the capitals central Dome Square has been temporarily closed due to the danger posed to the public by wind damage to a section of roof on the medieval Dome Cathedral.

A handful of flights were cancelled or diverted to other airports in Lithuania as planes were unable to land in Vilnius or the second city, Kaunas, due to the storm.

The southern part of Estonia, the third Baltic state, was also hit by heavy rain and storm winds but avoided major material damage.

The storm is expected to remain in the region at least until Monday afternoon.
MIDDLESBORO, Ky. (WATE)  Tuesday marked one year since the death of a 17-month-old child in Middlesboro, Kentucky.

The child, known in the community now as Baby Elena, died on July 30, 2023, after being taken to the hospital a few days earlier. At the time, Bell County Commonwealth Attorney Lisa Fugate said the child showed signs of physical and sexual abuse.

Former Knoxville police officer pleads guilty to child pornography charges

In March, Middlesboro Police reported that after an extensive investigation, the Kentucky State Police Forensic Lab found a lack of male DNA in their analysis, and that the childs cause of death was determined to be non-accidental blunt force trauma.

The childs mother, Erica Lawson, was arrested in connection with the death shortly after it happened. She is the only person arrested in connection to the case. She was indicted in August 2023, however a trial date has not yet been set.

The death impacted the entire community in Middlesboro. A banner that says Justice for Elena, hangs from a bridge over the towns main street.

Middlesboro resident Justin Howard hung the banner downtown.

She didnt have a voice when she was alive, and I felt that it was my responsibility as a citizen, to speak up for her and give her a voice, he said.

Smokies release 2025 schedule: Heres when the first game in new stadium will be

Howard has also helped organize various events to honor Elena and keep her memory alive over the past year. The community gathered for a vigil last summer after her death. He also helped plan an event to celebrate what would have been Elenas 2nd birthday on February 20. Middlesboro Mayor Boone Bowling declared that day as Elena Hembree Day.

The events we had, there was a huge turnout of all different types of people, everybody took this in a way that it was personal. It became personal to them, he said.

Hes urging others in the community to keep her name at the forefront of their minds.

Since Elenas death, her mother is the only person whos been arrested as part of the investigation. With little movement in the case, some people in the community feel like theyre still waiting for closure.

We were all very shocked, Middlesboro Resident Blair Browning said. Everyone kind of reacted in the same way. This is a tragedy, this should never have happened, how are we supposed to respond and continue forward with our lives when we found out about this horrible tragedy.

Browning said the violent incident shook everyone in the typically quiet, tight-knit community.

For myself, I am very cautious even when it comes to just going in Walmart, which makes it really unfortunate that we have that paranoia over our shoulders, I feel like speaking from a community and where we live, its very scary, she said.

Missing Morristown girl, 14, may be accompanied by adult man

According to the Bell County Circuit Court Clerks Office, Lawson has two upcoming court appearances. She is set to appear in court on Monday for a motion hearing, where her attorney can file any new motions.

In April, Lawsons attorney filed a motion to move the trial out of Bell County and the Knoxville media market. Lawson is set to appear in court on Sept. 4 for a hearing on that motion.

Commonwealth Attorney Lisa Fugate previously stated she would seek the death penalty for Lawson in this case. Lawsons attorney filed a motion to dismiss the case or remove the death penalty earlier this year.

Community members in Middlesboro have also stated they want harsher penalties for those convicted of child abuse. Two sisters started a petition to implement what they call, Elenas Law.

6 News also reached out to Attorney Fugate for comment on the case, who did not reply.

Copyright 2024 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.

For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to WATE 6 On Your Side.
AUSTIN (KXAN)  Its less than 100 days until Election Day, and Texas voters have until Oct. 7 to register to vote.

A new Google Trends analysis shows the Austin metro searched the most for voter registration in the last week when compared to other metros in the country, according to QR Code Generator.

More local election news

The analysis found the Dallas-Fort Worth and Waco-Temple-Bryan metros ranked in the top 10 for voter registration searches between July 23 and July 30.

Texas ranked as the fourth region with the most voter registration searches, following Georgia, the District of Columbia and North Carolina.

The analysis used Google Trends data on state and metro levels for the search register to vote and the voter registration topic. The search interest was calculated based on each metro or states percentage of searches of all topic searches to the area with the highest percentage of searches for a topic.

Travis County voters can learn more about voter registration online and check if they are already registered to vote online.

Early voting begins Oct. 21. Election Day is 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 KXAN Austin.
A light show is projected from the Eiffel Tower in Paris, France, during the opening ceremony of the 2024 Summer Olympics, Friday, July 26, 2024. | David J. Phillip

A French DJ involved in the controversy over Fridays Olympic opening ceremony has filed a legal complaint over how shes being treated online, according to The Associated Press.

French prosecutors have asked the police to investigate DJ Barbara Butchs allegations of online harassment, including death threats, the article said.

The DJ played a starring role in one of the most talked about parts of the opening ceremony: a parody of a famous painting that, depending on whom you ask, was either Leonardo da Vincis The Last Supper or a Greek bacchanal.

The opening ceremonys artistic director, Thomas Jolly, has denied that he was referencing The Last Supper, but also expressed regret about causing offense.

My wish isnt to be subversive, nor to mock or to shock, Jolly told The Associated Press. Most of all, I wanted to send a message of love, a message of inclusion and not at all to divide.

Legal complaint from DJ Barbara Butch

As religious leaders and others pushed back against what they felt were problematic religious references in the opening ceremony, Butch, who is an LGBTQ icon in France, claims that she became the target of intense online abuse.

A lawyer for Butch told The Associated Press that she had filed a formal legal complaint alleging online harassment, death threats, and insults. The lawyer, Audrey Msellati, said the complaint doesnt name any specific perpetrator or perpetrators of the alleged crimes, The Associated Press reported.

In a statement posted to Instagram, the DJ said that she remains proud of being part of the opening ceremony, despite the controversy.

My heart is still full of joy, she wrote.

FCC complaint over opening ceremony

As French authorities deal with the fallout from the opening ceremony controversy, NBC, which is airing the Olympics in the United States, is dealing with pushback of its own.

An organization called Judicial Watch has filed an FCC complaint against NBC for airing what it believes was obscene and indecent content during Fridays coverage of the opening ceremony.

To make matters worse, (this content) was aired during viewing hours when it was likely seen by millions of children and minors, Judicial Watchs statement on the complaint says.
MOSCOW, July 30 (Xinhua) -- A growing national debt will most likely have no effect on the militaristic ambitions of the United States, Kremlin Spokesman Dmitry Peskov said Tuesday.

The U.S. federal government's total public debt has surpassed 35 trillion U.S. dollars for the first time, as recorded at the end of last week, according to data released by the U.S. Treasury Department on Monday. This has once again sparked concerns about the nation's escalating debt problem and its potential impact on the world economy.

"Of course, the U.S., as one of the largest global economies, has a direct impact on the international economic situation," Peskov said.

"However, it is unlikely that this whole situation will somehow hinder their militaristic ambitions," he noted.

Meanwhile, he refuted the claims that Russia is trying to influence the upcoming U.S. presidential election, calling it "absurd."

"Every time the U.S. exploits both Russia and (Russian President Vladimir) Putin in its internal political struggle, it causes new irreversible damage to Russia-U.S. relations," he said. 
Excited graduates wearing caps and gowns walk across the stage. After exhorting speeches, auditoriums and bleachers erupt in tears, hugs and laughter as one milestone is passed and another era begins. As the nations school districts celebrate this transition in the lives of the Class of 2024, they are also preparing for the transition from the final year of unprecedented federal COVID relief dollars. Just as college and high school graduates have major decisions to make, so do the school leaders who educate them.

The Class of 2024  students and their schools  began its high school and college experiences dominated by the COVID-19 pandemic. Social distancing, online learning and uprooted peer connections were markers of an unprecedented, sudden and tumultuous shift in education. In response, in 2020, Congress approved the first of three infusions of Elementary and Secondary Emergency Relief (ESSER) funds, enabling districts to invest in technology, mental health support, infrastructure improvements and greater access to tutoring and enrichment programs. Now, as that $190 billion infusion draws to a close, education leaders must plan future budgets without that assistance, and must prioritize responses to voters priorities for dealing with new financial constraints.

Related

Schools Must Know If Their Learning-Loss Programs Work  Before ESSER Funds End

What are those priorities? Though hot-button issues such as parental rights, book banning and school choice dominated education headlines during the pandemic, an online survey of 1,300 likely 2024 voters  including parents of school-age children  conducted by The Hunt Institute in summer 2023 found Americans now value very different things. In summarizing the surveys findings, the institute issued a report titled 2023 Across the Aisle: Bridging the Education Divide to bring clarity about what voters agree are the top priorities related to public education. Among those that should guide district and school leaders decisions:

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Safety

Nearly 80% of voters agree that ensuring schools are free from guns and other physical violence is a top priority. Little learning takes place when students and teachers feel unsafe. Not only did gun violence in schools double between 2020-21 and 2021-22, but bullying and unhealthy buildings also impact student safety. When young people feel unsafe, they are less likely to focus during class than their peers who feel safe  or may skip school altogether. Teachers and staff must be trained to identify warning signs of student disengagement and to employ intervention techniques. But with ESSER money no longer available, states and districts must find local sources of funds. For example, Colorados legislature expanded its Behavioral Health Care Professional Matching Grant Program to cover school behavioral health services and provide access to health care for school communities. Wisconsin doubled funding for school-based mental health programs in its 2019-21 state budget, aiding 120 public school districts with counseling and related services.

High-quality instruction

An overwhelming majority of voters prioritize ensuring that all students have access to well-trained and highly qualified educators and can read at grade level. Some 80% of survey respondents said hiring high-quality teachers is very important, while 66% stressed training and support for educators in the classroom. At a time when nearly 47% of schools had vacancies that went unfilled or were hard to fill in the 2020-21 school year, promising solutions  some started with ESSER funds  are underway. Thirty-one states and the District of Columbia are implementing or supporting teacher residencies with promising results. Similarly, Arizona and North Dakota governors issued executive orders creating task forces aimed at identifying promising practices, including data-informed retention programs.

Related

How Districts Can Keep High-Impact Tutoring Going After ESSER Money Expires

Literacy

Achieving grade-level reading is essential for learning recovery. Though 75% of voters in the survey prioritized literacy, fourth-grade reading scores on the National Assessment of Educational Progress continue to decline. After third grade, students must transition from learning to read to reading to learn, which is crucial for academic success. Fourth-grade reading proficiency correlates to lifetime employment and earning potential  making literacy a priority not only for voters, but for the nations economic development.

Research indicates that adults with higher literacy skills are more likely to have better job opportunities and earn higher wages than their less literate peers.

States have aligned legislation with research-based literacy practices. In 2023, 17 states implemented policies focused on the science of reading, particularly in teacher training. Research-based literacy instruction benefits not only reading but also math, as the same areas of the brain are responsible for skills in both. For example, high-quality literacy instruction can help students understand mathematics because, as University of Buffalo researcher Christopher McNorgan found, the brains wiring for reading significantly impacts how it functions in relation to math.

Related

4 Things Districts Should Do Right Now  Before the Fiscal Cliff

Though federal ESSER funds must be allocated by September, the benefits and new practices that they paid for must continue. The U.S. Department of Education should consider compiling and sharing promising practices begun with ESSER investments, including teaching support, high-dosage tutoring, school safety, mental health and social services integrated with schools, so local policymakers can consider these examples and build on them.

Education leaders would benefit from using this opportunity to align long-term goals with voter values, ensuring students have access to quality teachers in a safe learning environment so they can gain the skills they will need long after graduation.
Sen. John Thune is not a household name in Utah. But he should be. And depending on what happens in November, Thune may soon become very well known to Utahns.

Thune is the senior senator from South Dakota and the Senate Republican whip. That makes him the second-highest-ranking Republican senator after Republican Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell. And with McConnell stepping down from leadership at the end of this Congress, Thune is a leading candidate to become either the Senate majority or minority leader next Congress, depending on how Novembers elections go.

On Aug. 14, the Orrin G. Hatch Foundation will honor Thune with the Titan of Public Service Award at its annual gala in Salt Lake City. The award reflects one of the monikers Sen. Orrin Hatch earned through his many years of Senate service  Titan of the Senate  and recognizes leaders who have made a real difference to our country. The foundation presents the award each year to celebrate those who have dedicated their lives to serving others and to remind us of the true meaning of public service.

Fittingly, last years recipients were none other than McConnell and his wife, Secretary Elaine Chao, who served in the cabinet of two U.S. presidents  George W. Bush and Donald Trump. As McConnell prepares to pass the torch, it seems only right to honor another Senate leader who, while perhaps not as well known as McConnell  at least not yet  has been a key part of many important victories for our nation.

Thune was a longtime friend of Hatch. They served together for many years on the Senate Finance Committee, which Hatch chaired during his final term in office.

Even more importantly, Thune is a nationally recognized leader on a number of issues vital to our countrys future. As a senior member and former chairman of the Senate Commerce Committee, he has spearheaded the fight to modernize our nations telecom infrastructure to ensure we maintain our global edge as the worlds technology leader. He has also played a key role in the oversight of social media companies and efforts to protect free and open discourse on internet platforms.

Together with Hatch, Thune led passage of the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act, which enacted the most sweeping reforms to our nations tax code in a generation and brought much-needed relief to middle-income families. He has authored laws to improve telehealth services, reduce internet taxes and help small businesses engage in global commerce.

In the realm of transportation, he has fought for the rights of airline passengers and secured significant advancements for road and rail infrastructure. And hailing from a state where agriculture is vitally important to the economy, Thune has been a leading advocate for farmers, ranchers and rural health care.

The list goes on and on.

At the same time, Thune is a consummate colleague and friend to his fellow senators. At a time of nonstop polarization and partisan infighting, he is widely recognized as a level-headed leader who focuses on getting points on the board, not scoring media hits.

Thune is the sort of senator who should be a household name. Not because of bombast, but because he gets things done. Like Hatch, his overriding goal has always been to serve the people of his home state and our country. The Senate would be a less dysfunctional place if we had more John Thunes. It would be a place where more gets done, where theres less bickering and more actual legislating.

Thune is a true Titan of Public Service. He goes to work and earns victories for our country, and he does so in the best spirit of Sen. Hatch and other Senate workhorses. The Titan of Public Service Award gala will be an opportunity to both honor him and to remind us all what it means to be a public servant in the true sense of the word.

Sen. John Thune will receive the Titan of Public Service Award at a special gala in Salt Lake City on Aug. 14. For ticket inquiries, please visit orrinhatchfoundation.org/titan.

Matt Sandgren is the executive director of the Orrin G. Hatch Foundation. A 15-year veteran of Capitol Hill, he served as senior counsel on the Senate Judiciary Committee and as Sen. Hatchs chief of staff.
Over the past week, several developments suggest that momentum might be building for peace talks in Ukraine.

Firstly, Ukraine appears to have made significant concessions in negotiations with bondholders, indicating the prospect of a debt restructuring by September. This urgency only makes sense if there is an expectation that the war might end soon, allowing Ukraine to access markets to support reconstruction. Eurobonds have rallied hard since July 22, reflecting how favorable the deal is for bondholders.

Secondly, Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban's controversial visits to Kyiv, Moscow, Beijing, and Mar-a-Lago have stirred speculation. There is no smoke without fire, surely.

Thirdly, former U.K. Prime Minister Boris Johnson's trip to Mar-a-Lago resulted in him publishing a peace plan for Ukraine. Notably, Johnson seems to have softened his stance on not giving territorial concessions to Russia.

Fourthly, Ukrainian Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba's visit to China, the first since the full-scale invasion, resulted in a joint communique indicating Ukraine's inclusion in the Belt and Road Initiative and acceptance of the One China policy. Kuleba emphasized the need for serious peace talks with Russia, and mentioned a potential Chinese-Brazilian peace deal, previously downplayed by Ukraine. The Saudi Arabian foreign minister was also in Kyiv a little while ago  again, a first post-full-scale invasion.

Fifthly, recent opinion polls suggest changing sentiments in Ukraine toward making concessions.

My base case since the full-scale invasion has been, a) Russia withdraws to its position as of before the full-scale invasion; b) Ukraine agrees to discussions over the long-term future of Crimea and the Russian-occupied parts of Donetsk and Luhansk oblasts; c) no immediate commitment on NATO membership for Ukraine, but serious security guarantees from the West; and, d) Ukraine gains European Union membership.

There is growing fear that if Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump wins in November, Western support for Ukraine might diminish, making it crucial for Ukraine to negotiate from a position of relative strength beforehand. Notably, the West is front-loading disbursements to Ukraine from the $61 billion U.S. package and the $50 billion from interest on frozen Russian assets. Ukraine is also receiving F-16 fighter jets, indicating substantial military support.

Some in the West may want to secure a peace deal before the U.S. elections to deny Trump a potential victory claim, instead giving it to U.S. President Joe Bidens administration or Democratic presidential candidate Kamala Harris. Beijing might also prefer a peace deal to avoid a Trump presidency, which could lead to severe trade wars. China's dissatisfaction with Russian President Vladimir Putin's growing ties with North Korea further complicates the situation.

Trumps selection of Senator J.D. Vance as his vice presidential running mate may be the final straw for China, as they anticipate major trade wars in a second Trump term, or a Vance one, if Trump cannot complete his term, given that he would be the oldest president ever elected. Under Biden, the U.S. has eased up on trade tariffs against China, likely in gratitude for Chinas limited support of Russia. China feels it can manage a Harris presidency, while Republican China hawks foresee inevitable conflict.

Putin reportedly desires a deal, with sanctions becoming increasingly embarrassing despite not severely crippling the Russian economy. One might argue that Putin hopes to wait for a Trump victory in November for maximum concessions. However, if China pushes for a deal beforehand, Russia might find it hard to resist. Western sanctions hurt but don't collapse Russia's economy, whereas losing Chinese support would be catastrophic.

There are clear risks. First, any peace involving territorial concessions could politically destabilize Ukraine, creating future opportunities for Putin. Second, Putin might not be serious about peace and could use a ceasefire to regroup for another invasion.

I believe Putin aims to control all of Ukraine and will likely invade again. Therefore, strong security guarantees, similar to Israel's, or NATO membership are crucial for Ukraine in any peace deal. The Budapest Memorandum 2.0 is insufficient.

Editors Note: The opinions expressed in the op-ed section are those of the author and do not purport to reflect the views of the Kyiv Independent.

Weve been working hard to bring you independent, locally-sourced news from Ukraine. Consider supporting the Kyiv Independent.
Objectively, it is an amazing progression in a short window of time. In 2008, Barack Obama, a Democrat, became the nations first Black president. Sixteen years later, Kamala Harris is poised to become the first Black woman chosen by the party to be its candidate for president.

But much has changed in 16 years.

The defining significance of Obamas historic candidacy, its brand, was hope. Just the symbolism of a Black man in the White House moved millions of us to think differently about ourselves. Harris ascension is no such symbol. She becomes the Democratic candidate because as vice president, shes been handed the baton by an aging white man forced to step aside because of worries about his ability to get the job done.

Read more: Harris raised $200 million in first week of presidential campaign, signed up 170,000 volunteers

In other words, Harris color is not nearly as important as her ability to do that job, not just to take President Bidens place on the ticket but to take Democrats across the finish line. She must salvage the desperate, dwindling hope that the whole nation can regain its moral footing in the onslaught of MAGA recklessness and self-righteousness thats eroding Americas shaky democratic foundations.

Thats a much bigger task than Obama had. During his candidacy the country also faced a crisis, the housing meltdown that led to the Great Recession. Certainly that shifted votes in Obamas favor, though the hope that was at the core of his campaign retained its power. When he won, the joy and optimism that erupted around the country was about the triumph of better angels, not its the economy, stupid.

What Harris is facing is an existential crisis that may paralyze as much as it motivates. This election proceeds not from joy or hope, but from an anxious question: Can we ever again assume that whoever is in charge  not just Democrats  will be people of good will? Theres growing cynicism that Republican tricks, from voter suppression laws to a stacked Supreme Court that carves out criminal immunity for Trump, will just keep coming, regardless of the vote. Elections simply wont matter.

Read more: Opinion: What Kamala Harris' run for California attorney general can tell us about this campaign

Harris seems well-matched to this fraught moment. She wants to fight. Trump has made fighting central to his campaign, especially after the assassination attempt, although MAGA has always been belligerent, in-your-face, sneeringly dismissive of "wokeism." Harris, a former prosecutor, is already in battle mode. She knows Trumps type, as shes been telling rally audiences, because she took on predators, fraudsters and abusers. Shes offering what the Democrats have badly needed: an avatar not of hope, but of give-em-hell.

Harris seems to relish the prospect. All of her past missteps and public struggles to convey a core ideology, as vice president and before that in her failed 2020 presidential campaign effort, may be forgiven if she leads with an obligation to punch back.

Read more: Abcarian: Can Kamala Harris and an army of 'childless cat ladies' overcome Republicans' sexism?

That it would be a Black woman punching back will be that much more satisfying. Trump is a racist who holds Black women in contempt, especially those who have dared to criticize or hold him accountable  Fulton County Dist. Atty. Fani Willis, federal Judge Tanya Chutkan, U.S. Rep. Maxine Waters. Harris would have a platform like no other. As a presidential candidate she would be on equal footing with Trump, his counterpart. And as a Black woman she would ably carry the legitimate anger of so many Americans  women, gay and trans people, poor people and immigrants  all of whom find themselves caught in the MAGA crosshairs.

For all the grimness and high stakes of the moment, there is undeniable magic. Harris had a golden career in California, rising from D.A. of San Francisco to state attorney general to U.S. senator with relative ease. She branded herself as a progressive, and while critics have taken issue with that, especially because of her actions as a prosecutor, she is, at the very least, a solid Democrat. Her 2020 primary campaign stalled her ambition only briefly; Biden chose her as his running mate, the first Black and South Asian woman to be on the presidential ticket of a major party. Having broken that barrier, she is set to break another in a sudden twist of fate.

Read more: 'The Simpsons' predicted Kamala Harris' presidential run: A look at the show's history of forecasting

That drama of it all does excite certain segments of the party, especially Black women, a key constituency that must turn out in order for the Democrats to have any chance at winning in November. The Black woman phone call that happened right after Bidens withdrawal announcement catalyzed Harris unprecedented groundswell of financial support. The Zoom gathering, hosted by the organization Win with Black Women, raised $1 million in an hour, harking back to the infectious racial pride of Obamas first campaign. A friend of mine who was on the call, which grew to include thousands more women than expected, described it as truly something to behold.

I have no doubt that it was. But I cant forget that Harris is being rapidly embraced not so much for who and what she is, but for who and what she is not: Trump, and in a different way for different reasons, Biden. She is the likely Democratic nominee who will become a lifeline for us all, for progress itself, and if being of color makes her a better lifeline, thats a plus. But of course we dont know if it will be. What hasnt changed over the last 16 years, what has only gotten uglier, is that race and gender divide.

Theres a lot of onslaught coming. Whether we beat it back depends less on Harris than on the "we" that is democracys real foundation.

Erin Aubry Kaplan is a contributing writer to Opinion and a columnist at Capital & Main.





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This story originally appeared in Los Angeles Times.
Donald Trump looks at his notes during a briefing on Hurricane Dorian in 2019. Reported plans for his second term include suspending research that provides evidence in support of environmental regulation from groups such as the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. (Evan Vucci / Associated Press)

During Donald Trumps first term as president, we witnessed his administrations efforts to curtail domestic environmental regulations and the United States withdrawal from the Paris climate agreement. But few people appreciate just how much worse and deeper the damage to environmentalist goals is likely to run should he win a second term.

The Trump administration was very friendly to oil and gas business interests, unleashing a regulatory rollback of long-standing restrictions on fossil fuel extraction and consumption. In addition to scrubbing all references to climate change from the White House and Environmental Protection Agency websites, it reversed an Obama-era ban on new oil and gas drilling in the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge and elsewhere. Trump also revoked safety regulations adopted after the Deepwater Horizon oil spill. (Both these efforts were later stopped or slowed in the courts.)

Read more: Opinion: The Supreme Court's purely ideological reasoning will change our lives

The first Trump administration also halted rules limiting air and water pollution. His EPA overturned bans on various pesticides , even when the agencys own research demonstrated their harmfulness. Curtailment of air quality regulations between 2016 and 2018 resulted in a 5.5% increase in fine particulate air pollution, reversing the 25% decline that had taken place under Obama.

As bad as all this was for the environment, in a second Trump term the changes wont just be related to policy. Trumps loyalists will aim for wholesale institutional destruction of environmental regulatory capacity, not just suspending Biden-era funding for green infrastructure.

In other words, the goal wont be to just change a policy here or there, but to fundamentally cripple the ability of environmental regulatory agencies to perform their designated functions to such an extent that if a later administration wished to impose stricter standards, officials would find it impossible to do so. The recent ruling by the Supreme Court overturning Chevron U.S.A. vs. Natural Resources Defense Council , which invalidated judicial deference to agency regulatory decisions, will only make this easier.

Read more: Column: With its 'Chevron' ruling, the Supreme Court claims to be smarter than scientific experts

A series of tabletop scenario simulations run in May and June by the Brennan Center for Justice, a nonpartisan, pro-democracy research center based at New York University, made it clear that a second Trump administration is likely to aim at root and branch destruction of agency power in a variety of respects. The first step will be to revivify Schedule F, an executive order from October 2020 that removed protections for civil servants perceived as disloyal to the president, and use it to reclassify tens of thousands of such workers as political appointments. Then the administration will fire them and replace them with anti-regulator or industry cronies. Agencies legal offices and inspectors general, whose role is to prevent the implementation of unlawful orders and to root out corruption, will likely be among the first targets. The result will be systematic evisceration of the expertise, institutional memory and guardrails against malfeasance within these agencies.

In addition to going after employees at environmental agencies, the Trump administration will also seek to suspend research that provides evidence in support of environmental regulation, such as greenhouse gas emission monitoring conducted by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, which in addition to providing weather forecasts is one of the main climate change research entities within the federal government. If Trump cannot convince Congress to defund certain agencies, he may order them moved to remote corners of the country to push their employees to quit. Destroying the agencies will ensure that if Trump is ever replaced by a more environmentally friendly president, the new administration will be unable to reimpose sensible environmental regulation because the administrative capacity to do so will no longer exist.

Read more: Project 2025 plan calls for demolition of NOAA and National Weather Service

The courts, now packed with Trump appointees, are unlikely to protect against such efforts as they did during his first term, when the judges were still mainly Obama and Clinton appointees. Litigation is anticipated to be very limited in its capacity to do more than slow down a second Trump administration, which is likely to be far more focused and strategic than the first one. (As one person in the Brennan Center simulations put it: This time theyre going to know where the door handles are.)

Finally, a second Trump administration will almost certainly pull back from international efforts that are essential to biodiversity preservation, greenhouse gas emissions mitigation, oceanic plastic abatement and space junk prevention. Even Trumps ambition to set up trade barriers to protect American industrialists from foreign competition is likely to be destructive, because it will slow the global rollout of new technologies capable of addressing environmental concerns, such as solar panels and electric vehicles, if they happen to be produced in China or elsewhere overseas.

For Trumps America First supporters that might sound like a feature rather than a bug. But four years of institutional vandalism would end American leadership on the world stage. The credibility built up since World War I would vanish as the worlds largest economy ignores the worlds largest problems.

Nils Gilman is the executive vice president of the Berggruen Institute.

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This story originally appeared in Los Angeles Times.
Opponents of DEI want to stifle America's progress. We can't let that happen.

As daughters of the South who come from historically marginalized communities, we understand the impediments to success that face many people in our country. Doors of opportunity closed to our parents due to systemic racism and sexism were opened to us and many others because of programs and policies designed to correct early prejudices and carve out new avenues for advancement and success for more people.

Our countrys progress, catalyzed by historic movements that pushed our nation to live up to its highest ideals, is undeniable  yet far from complete.

Unfortunately, as weve seen repeatedly in our nations history, movements for justice, recognition and inclusion often spark a backlash from those who wrongly believe that the expansion of the American dream comes at their own expense. Today, we find ourselves fighting back against a powerful, multipronged assault on diversity, equity and inclusion. Opponents of DEI seek to repeal the centuries of progress we have made to ensure equitable opportunity for all Americans.

The enemies of progress are attacking the very pillars of our democratic society: elections, education and fair access to economic opportunity, among others.

And the nations highest court, once a staunch proponent of civil rights, now champions the forces of regression.

Supreme Court has diminished DEI efforts

Protesters rally as the U.S. Supreme Court hears oral arguments in affirmative action college admission cases in 2022. The cases involved Students for Fair Admissions, founded by Edward Blum with a mission to end race from being considered in university admissions. In June 2023, the court declared affirmative action admissions policies used by Harvard College and the University of North Carolina unconstitutional.

In 2013, the U.S. Supreme Court unleashed a torrent of state voter suppression laws that have restricted access to the ballot, especially for voters of color. This tide of anti-voter laws continues unabated.

In 2023  a decade after the court gutted the Voting Rights Act in Shelby County v. Holder  legislators in at least 32 states pre-filed or introduced 150 restrictive voting bills ahead of a critical election year. States including Georgia and Florida have enacted radical laws designed specifically to target voters of color.

And just recently, the Supreme Court upheld the South Carolina Legislatures racially gerrymandered voting map, which a lower court found had resulted in the bleaching of African American voters from a district.

Race-conscious admissions: Supreme Court ends affirmative action in admissions. Colleges will be whiter for it.

Last summer, in a ruling on affirmative action in education, the court opened the floodgates for far-reaching attacks on civil rights even wider. At least 10 states  including Alabama, Florida, Texas and Utah  have implemented anti-DEI laws that curtail the ability of educational institutions to create campuses that are welcoming, fair and free from discrimination and hate.

These laws were passed despite definitive evidence that an inclusive curriculum leads to positive changes in students attitudes and values, improved critical thinking and higher achievement levels for students of all backgrounds.

The right to fully participate in our economy is the newest line of attack.

Opinion alerts: Get columns from your favorite columnists + expert analysis on top issues, delivered straight to your device through the USA TODAY app. Don't have the app? Download it for free from your app store.

Businesses such as Hello Alice and Fearless Fund and institutions such as the Minority Development Business Agency provide investment to historically underrepresented business owners  people of color, women, veterans and others.

Across the country, they and other social entrepreneurs have been bombarded with lawsuits that attempt to shut off the trickle of funds that bring historically disadvantaged communities a chance to fully participate in economic progress and wealth creation. While Hello Alices victory in court represented a win for our nations small businesses and economy, the flawed rulings in the Fearless Fund and the MDBA cases signal a long battle ahead for such ventures.

The groups that spearheaded this flurry of anti-DEI legislation and litigation understand that these actions create a chilling effect. That is their strategy. They know that this fight goes far beyond a $20,000 grant given to a small-business owner. This is, rather, about achieving the ultimate goal of reestablishing systemic and institutional barriers that prevent people of all backgrounds from succeeding.

Stacey Abrams is the founder of American Pride Rises and a former member of the Georgia House of Representatives.

Attacks on DEI are relentless, despite high approval

Even though, as a new Washington Post poll shows, 6 in 10 Americans approve of DEI, the attacks from anti-DEI groups are unrelenting.

We have seen this throughout our nations history: moments of incredible progress being met with vigorous resistance from reactionary groups that wish to take our country backward because they fear change and competition.

We're with Kamala Harris: Black women are ready for our place on America's main stage

Comprehensive education, full participation in the economy and a robust democracy have been fundamental to how we achieve the American dream.

Never before has our nation seen so many benefiting from its promise. This is why we must stand firm and not retreat.

Margaret Huang is the president and CEO of the Southern Poverty Law Center.

Cynical opponents are counting on us not to fight back, but we have come too far as a country to capitulate and not protect our hard-won gains. Organizations like the Southern Poverty Law Center, American Pride Rises and others are committed to winning the fight.

The law and history are on our side.

Our resolve to ensure America fulfills its promise  that everyone has the freedom and opportunity to succeed  is unwavering, because access to the American dream is worth defending, and everyone, no matter their background, deserves a chance to create and fulfill their own.

Stacey Abrams is the founder of American Pride Rises and a former member of the Georgia House of Representatives. Margaret Huang is the president and CEO of the Southern Poverty Law Center.

You can read diverse opinions from our USA TODAY columnists and other writers on the Opinion front page, on X, formerly Twitter, @usatodayopinion and in our Opinion newsletter.

This article originally appeared on Louisville Courier Journal: DEI opponents repeal centuries of progress through litigation
Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife to host meetings on future of state fish hatcheries

The Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife will host three webinars and a public meeting in August on charting a sustainable future for state hatcheries.

The webinars will be held from noon to 1 p.m. on Thursday, Aug. 8 and Aug. 15. The public meeting will be held from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. on Aug. 28 at the ODFW Salem headquarters.

The 2023 Oregon Legislature and third-party contractors conducted an assessment of the 14 hatcheries owned by the state.

During the meetings, ODFW will share information gathered and will seek public input for creating a sustainable hatchery system that addresses the challenges of aging infrastructure, climate change and rising operation costs.

The webinars will be recorded and posted on ODFWs hatchery sustainability website.

Elliott Deins is an outdoors journalism intern for the Statesman Journal. He can be reached at edeins@salem.gannett.com

This article originally appeared on Salem Statesman Journal: ODFW seeks input on future of state fish hatcheries
PORTLAND, Ore. (KOIN)  The Oregon Department of Forestry has enlisted the help of Oregons National Guard amid an intense wildfire season.

On Monday morning, ODF announced that Gov. Tina Koteks State of Emergency Declaration allowed the agency to request assistance from four hand crews from the National Guard.

Oregon wildfire season intensifies with five fires now at megafire status

Two crews will consist of Air Guard members, while the other half will consist of Army Guard members. In total, each group will have 92 personnel  including 22 firefighters, two liaisons and two support personnel.

The forestry department had already requested two medevac helicopters and other air support from the National Guard, following Gov. Koteks emergency declaration.

This years extreme weather has tested our limits, but our unwavering commitment to protecting Oregons communities and natural resources remains, ODF Deputy Director of Fire Operations Kyle Williams said. We are leveraging every resource available to fight the wildfires, including our partners at the Oregon National Guard.

Chance of northern lights in Portland, but, of course, its raining in July

ORNG crews will undergo the administrative process to join State Active Duty orders on Wednesday and Thursday. Afterwards, ODF will assign the service members to fires throughout the state. The assignment is expected to last 14 days, assisting the U.S. Forest Service in battling other fires.

The wildfire situation on the ground is dynamic and challenging, and we need all hands on deck, Gov. Kotek said in a statement. I want to thank the Oregon National Guard for their dedication and cooperation in fighting Oregons wildfires and protecting Oregons communities and natural resources.

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For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to KOIN.com.
PORTLAND, Ore. (KOIN)  A funeral service for former Oregon Senate President Peter Courtney was held on July 31 at a church in Mt. Angel.

Multnomah County deflection program receives criticism as deadline approaches

Courtney died on July 16, at the age of 81.

His political career officially began in Salem, where he served as a city council member until 1980. He became Oregons senate leader in 2003, holding the role until his retirement in January 2023.

With a 38-year tenure in the Oregon Legislative Assembly, Courtney was the states longest-serving legislator. Current Senate President Rob Wagner also recognized him as the most influential lawmaker in the history of Oregon.

Man indicted in brothers death after Hornings Hideout shooting

Peter Michael Coleman Courtney was a legend  larger than life, with a passion for helping Oregonians all across the state, and especially in his beloved city of Salem, Wagner said, in part. The sounds of the Capitol were never complete without Peters voice reverberating through the halls.

Courtneys funeral service was livestreamed on the churchs 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 KOIN.com.
PORTLAND, Ore. (KOIN)  For the first time, researchers at Oregon State University have documented two shark species that are new to the Puget Sound, including one critically endangered species.

During 10 days of fieldwork in 2022 and 2023, researchers caught 10 sharks belonging to the broadnose sevengill and the endangered soupfin species near Olympia.

According to the researchers, the find could mark changes in the economically, culturally, and ecologically valuable waterway.

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Working with the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, researchers confirmed the sevengill  which can grow nearly 10 feet long  now live in the heavily urbanized south Puget Sound, which stretches to the Salish Sea.

Understanding the sevengill presence in this new habitat is crucial for understanding the food webs of the Salish Sea, and it highlights the need for continued monitoring and research  including their relationship with other species of conservation concern, such as salmon, said OSU researcher, Jessica Schulte, a lead author on a recently published sevengill paper.

Oregon State University researchers identified broadnose sevengill sharks in Puget Sound in 2022 and 2023 (Courtesy Jessica Schulte/Oregon State University.)

Broadnose sevengill sharks live in temperate waters around the world, including off the west coast of North America, and from southern Alaska to Baja California.

Before 2021, only one sevengill shark was confirmed in the Salish Sea at Point Roberts, Washington, near the Canadian border, OSU said.

That changed in August of 2021 after reports that several sevengill sharks were caught in the South Puget Sound.

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The scientists caught nine sevengills nearly 200 miles away from their previously documented range.

Eight of those sharks were males, with the largest measuring just under seven feet, and the female was around four feet, six inches.

Our continued research on this species in Oregon and Washington waters will allow us to have a better handle on its role in our valuable marine ecosystems, Schulte said.

Man accused of intentionally running over seagulls on Washington beach

During the concurrent fieldwork with the sevengill project, researchers caught one soupfin shark, a male that measured over five feet.

Oregon State University researchers documented a soupfin shark for the first time in the Puget Sound during research in 2022 and 2023 (Courtesy Dayv Lowry, Maddie English/Oregon State University.)

The soupfin shark is the largest species of hound shark and can grow as big as 6.5 feet, the researchers said, noting the shark got its name because of its use as a key ingredient in shark fin soup.

Soupfin sharks were relentlessly exploited during the 1930s and 1940s, including for their livers, which are rich in vitamin A, said OSU Graduate Student Ethan Personius. Despite lower fishing pressure the species has not been able to recover and is currently under consideration for federal protection under the Endangered Species Act.

Similar to the sevengill, soupfin sharks are found in temperate waters and are top predators in any ecosystem they inhabit.

The researchers noted that during an extreme marine heat wave in 2014 and 2015, known as The Blob, anchovies became a dominant forage fish in the Salish Sea after they were previously uncommon in the area. According to the research team, soupfin sharks are a known predator to anchovies.

The Salish Sea has experienced pervasive shifts in species abundance and composition along with industrialization and significant habitat degradation, Personius said. The appearance of soupfin sharks may be a result of climate change and changes in prey availability.

Copyright 2024 Nexstar Media, Inc. 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.
Do Oregon schools start later in 2024? Here is when Lane County gets back to school

Finn, a first grade student at Maple Elementary School, colors during the first day of the last school year, on Sept. 6, 2023, in Springfield. Districts around Lane County have announced start dates for classes for the 2024-25 school year.

Although to some it may seem like summer just began, the 2024-25 school year is quickly approaching.

The Register-Guard has compiled a list of all K-12 public school districts' start dates for parents and guardians juggling multiple kids in different grades.

Across Lane County, school doesn't start until after Labor Day on Sept. 2, with exact start dates varying based on district and grade level.

Eugene School District 4J

Eugene School District 4J's first day of school for kindergarten, sixth and ninth grade is Wednesday, Sept. 4. For all other grades, classes begin Thursday, Sept. 5.

For more information, visit www.4j.lane.edu.

Springfield Public Schools

Springfield Public Schools' first day of school is Wednesday, Sept. 4, for sixth grade, ninth grade, grades 1-5 and half of kindergarten. The first day is Thursday, Sept. 5, for the other half of kindergarten and all other grade levels.

For more information, visit www.springfield.k12.or.us.

Bethel School District

Bethel School District's first day of school is Tuesday, Sept. 3, for grades K-9. For grades 10-12, the first day is Wednesday, Sept. 4.

For more information, visit www.bethel.k12.or.us.

University of Oregon and Lane Community College

Post-secondary institutions begin their terms even later in Eugene. For both the University of Oregon and Lane Community College, classes begin Monday, Sept. 30.

Other Lane County school districts

Miranda Cyr reports on education for The Register-Guard. You can contact her at mcyr@registerguard.com or find her on Twitter @mirandabcyr.

This article originally appeared on Register-Guard: First day of school in Oregon 2024: Here's when school starts
OTTUMWA, Iowa  An Ottumwa man is behind bars after allegedly fatally stabbing a 40-year-old man at a park early Tuesday morning.

At around 1:02 a.m. the Ottumwa Police Department responded to a report of a stabbing at Foster Park. When first responders arrived on scene they found 40-year-old Jeffery Wayne Johns suffering from a stab wound in his torso. Johns was transported to a nearby hospital where he died from his injuries.

DMPD officer was hit by bullet from other officers gun in shooting that killed suspect

Officers executed a search warrant at around 9:12 a.m. at a home in the 2200 block of East Main Street. The suspect, identified as 32-year-old Joshua Michael, was found hiding in the attic of the home.

Michael was taken into custody and has been charged with first-degree murder in connection to Johns death.

Copyright 2024 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.

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Over 20 dogs living in filth, 2 arrested in Anderson Co.

ANDERSON COUNTY, S.C. (WSPA)  Over 20 dogs were rescued after a welfare check at a home in Anderson County exposed deplorable conditions.

On July 20, deputies with the Anderson County Sheriffs Office said they notified animal control after they went to a home along Old Williamston Road and saw dogs locked in cages and living in filth.

According to the Animal Control Unit, several dogs needed medical attention and were living on urine-soaked carpets.

You had urine and feces and just different debris covering mattresses and piles of trash covering in and out of the home, said Shale Remien, Anderson County Sheriffs Office Public Information Officer.

Reports state the unit seized 26 small-bred dogs, mostly Shih Tzus, and took them to the Anderson County P.A.W.S. for evaluation.

They were found in all parts of the house from the kitchen to the backyard to the bedroom. We found them scattered all throughout that house, said Remien.

Anderson County Animal Control

Anderson County Animal Control

Anderson County Animal Control

Anderson County Animal Control

On Monday, deputies arrested 46-year-old Dessie Kight and 61-year-old Christian Voitle.

Both are facing 26 counts of ill-treatment of animals. Each was given a $1,000 surety bond per each of the 26 charges. Online records show that they are still booked in the Anderson County Detention Center as of Tuesday evening.

For the Anderson County Animal Control officers, Remien said scenarios like these are all too common.

They have been overwhelmed this year in a lot of ways. Not by the amount of calls theyve responded to per say, but just the severity of these calls, said Remien.

According to the county, this year alone has seen more than 250 animals rescued.

Were seeing more animals in tighter spaces so not necessarily more cases, but more animals per case, said Remien. So thats alarming to any officer in animal control and thats the reason were continuing to highlight these cases so that people know that there is accountability so people know if you see something say something.

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More than 500 Mexicans flee to Guatemala to escape cartel violence in Chiapas

The Mexican state of Chiapas was once a haven for Guatemalans fleeing genocide at home, but this historical relationship has recently flipped, with hundreds of Mexicans crossing the border to escape the violent tyranny of organised crime groups.

Entire communities emptied out last week as more than 500 men, women, children and the elderly fled with what they could carry and walked across the border, citing food shortages and the conflicts between criminal groups pressing in ever closer on their homes.

One refugee, a 93-year-old woman, died shortly after arriving in Guatemala.

Guatemalan authorities have issued the refugees temporary humanitarian visas while the two governments work to bring them back to Mexico.

The refugees are the latest victims of the spiralling insecurity in a state that has deteriorated perhaps more than any other since president Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador took power in 2018.

Chiapas used to be a relatively safe part of Mexico, known for its colonial towns and archaeological ruins, as well as the Zapatista uprising of 1994 that became a symbol for Indigenous rights and resistance to globalisation.

That began to change roughly three years ago, and the situation has degraded dramatically over the last year as various organised crime groups fight for control.

Were seeing confrontations with heavy weapons, armoured vehicles and even armed drones, said a local human rights defender who asked to remain anonymous for their safety. During these battles theyve cut electricity and communications, and health services and education have been suspended.

In addition to executions and forced disappearances, local reporters have documented communities being forced to mount blockades or even join organised crime groups.

People live in constant terror, fear, anxiety, said the human rights defender. Its a humanitarian crisis  of a kind we didnt see even when the Zapatistas mounted an armed uprising against the Mexican government. The civil population has been taken hostage.

According to one report, roughly 17,000 people were forcibly displaced in Chiapas between 2010 and 2022, with a dramatic acceleration towards the present.

Small groups had dripped into Guatemala  but last weeks mass exodus was unprecedented.

We havent seen anything on this scale in recent years, said Parker Asmann of Insight Crime. And I think that speaks to how severe the violence has become  and to the complete lack of faith that local communities have in Mexican authorities to ensure their safety.

On one level, the conflict in Chiapas reflects the continuing power struggle between the Sinaloa cartel and the Jalisco Nueva Generacion cartel, the countrys two most powerful organised crime groups, which are fighting to control territory and businesses across Mexico.

Chiapas is a key transit point for cocaine shipments as well as migrants travelling to the United States. Criminal groups have also set up extortion rackets, taxing the local population.

But the conflict between these groups has also taken in and inflamed existing tensions in a region with a history of violence over access to land.

The Zapatistas  who never laid down their weapons  have tried to resist the incursion of organised crime, while other communities have set up self-defence squads and one Indigenous town, San Juan Chamula, created its own mafia, all adding to the proliferation of armed actors.

Related: Mexico president asks cartels not to fight each other after arrest of drug lords

Youve got a lot of things happening at once: longstanding land conflicts, links between officials and organised crime, and a multitude of actors trying to profit from the economic opportunities in the state, said Asmann. It is extraordinarily complex.

Lopez Obrador has tended to play down the situation in Chiapas. Two months ago, he said it was not on fire and that in five years [of this government] we have not had serious problems of insecurity in the state.

The human rights defender accused the state of indifference and denial, while another person who works for an NGO on the border with Guatemala, who also asked to remain anonymous for their safety, said the authorities are completely absent.

Yet it is not clear that the situation would be improved by greater military presence  nor that local communities would want more soldiers.

The Mexican state has a long history of repression in Chiapas, especially of Indigenous communities, said Asmann. Theres a general wariness between local communities and the armed forces. Many of those communities have criticised the state and armed forces for everything from simply being complacent to directly facilitating the violence.
NASHVILLE, Tenn. (WKRN)  A Nashville business owner has been indicted on six felony counts of tax evasion and one count of theft over $250,000.

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Paul E. Cox was indicted on July 24, according to a press release from the Tennessee Department of Revenue. Cox owns Southeast Automotive in Goodlettsville.

The indictment alleges that Cox falsified monthly sales tax returns. Additionally, Cox also failed to remit sales taxes of more than $250,000 to the Department of Revenue.

Most businesses in Tennessee remit the tax dollars they collect from customers, Revenue

Commissioner David Gerregano said in the release. This indictment should serve as a warning to those that believe they can get away with tax fraud. Our department remains committed to prosecuting tax evaders to ensure a level playing field for all businesses.

 Read todays top stories on wkrn.com

Cox could be sentenced to a maximum of two years in the state penitentiary and fined up to $3,000 for each tax evasion charge. Cox could also be sentenced to a maximum of 25 years and fined up to $50,000.

His bond was set at $50,000.

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For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to WKRN News 2.
Insights from Scientific American, The Atlantic, The Conversation, and The New York Times

Jul 30, 2024, 11:56am EDT

The News

Semaglutide, the active ingredient in blockbuster weight-loss and diabetes drugs like Ozempic, may help people quit smoking, a new study suggests.

Researchers found that people taking the drug for diabetes who also smoked were 32% less likely to seek medical care for tobacco addiction than those taking other drugs.

The study is observational, which means it doesnt establish a causal link. Its possible, for example, that the drug makes patients less likely to seek medical care for any issue, rather than making them more likely to quit smoking. But there is other evidence to suggest semaglutide drugs influence will power, addiction, and impulse control, including affecting alcohol consumption and gambling.

But much more research is still needed, and crucially, more understanding of how the drug works.

SIGNALS

Semafor Signals: Global insights on today's biggest stories.

Ozempic may curb addictive behavior, but its unclear why

Sources: Scientific American, The Atlantic

Anecdotal evidence and a handful of observational studies suggest semaglutide may reduce cravings for alcohol, nicotine, gambling, and other compulsive behaviors like skin picking, Scientific American noted. But exactly why this happens is an open question. The scientists who developed the drug initially thought it affected a gut hormone that signals fullness to the brain, helping reduce hunger and, in turn, cause weight loss. But that has turned out to be not entirely correct, The Atlantic wrote. Now, researchers are starting to understand the process better: The same hormone and its receptor are present in the gut and the brain. Its possible the drug affects reward centers in the brain, effectively turning down the dial of want, Vox wrote.

We need more, bigger, and longer studies

Sources: The Guardian, The Conversation

Most studies into semaglutides potential effect on addiction have been conducted in animals; human trials havent involved enough people or followed them for enough time to show whether or how it works on reward signaling in the brain, The Guardian wrote. And the findings are mixed, three addiction experts wrote in The Conversation, with some studies suggesting that it is only curbed in people with obesity, rather than in people in general. These differences in treatment response may come from individual differences that affect addiction, including physical and mental health problems, the experts wrote. Its important to find out for another reason: If semaglutide influences reward in the brain, it could be an issue for people with depression, The Guardian added.

Many unknowns over the long-term effects

Sources: CBS News, The New York Times, The Financial Times

Drugs that use semaglutide and similar molecules are relatively new  Ozempic has been on the market for six years  and not much is known about their long-term effects. And because they are posed as a lifelong commitment, doctors have urged caution. At some point does your body not respond to it anymore? I dont know, an endocrinologist told CBS News. In the past, weight loss drugs similarly hailed as miraculous, like fen-phen, turned out to have damaging side effects, and doctors stopped prescribing them, The New York Times added. Questions have already arisen about the potential consequences of semaglutide: Some women have reported unexpected pregnancies, the Financial Times noted, and its unclear what impact the drug has on a developing fetus.
A small clinical trial suggests that drugs like Ozempic could potentially be used not just for diabetes and weight loss but to protect the brain, slowing the rate at which people with Alzheimers disease lose their ability to think clearly, remember things and perform daily activities. The results need to be borne out in larger trials, which are already underway, before the medicines could receive approval for the disease.

The study, of 204 people with Alzheimers disease in the United Kingdom, found that those taking the diabetes drug liraglutide  an earlier medication in Ozempics class, which are known as GLP-1 receptor agonists  had 18% slower cognitive decline over the course of a year compared with those taking a placebo.

The trials main goal, though  changing the rate at which the brain metabolizes glucose  was not met, which researchers suggested could have been a result of its small size. The findings were shared Tuesday at the Alzheimers Association International Conference in Philadelphia and havent yet been published in a peer-reviewed journal.

Weve known for some time through animal work that GLP-1 has a different type of activity in the brain, said Dr. Maria Carrillo, chief science officer and medical affairs lead for the Alzheimers Association, which was not involved with the research. This study really demonstrates for us the possibilities that are there.

In addition to the benefit for cognition, the study found that the drug was associated with 50% less volume loss in several areas of the brain, according to a news release from the Alzheimers Association. Those findings add to hope that larger trials being run by Ozempics maker, Novo Nordisk, will be successful, Carrillo told CNN.

Beyond diabetes and weight loss

GLP-1 drugs have exploded in use in recent years for diabetes and weight loss, and they have shown benefits for a wide range of other health conditions, such as protecting the heart and kidneys, reducing sleep apnea and potentially helping with addiction.

Studies in animals have suggested that in the brain, the medicines can reduce neuro-inflammation, tamp down on toxic proteins known as amyloid and tau, improve insulin resistance and increase synaptic function, or the transmission of impulses between cells, said Dr. Paul Edison, professor of neuroscience at Imperial College London, who led the trial.

This is the first study that actually looked at a relatively large number of patients for whether there is any neuroprotective effect in Alzheimers disease, Edison said.

The trial enrolled predominantly people with mild Alzheimers disease, measured by a test known as the Mini-Mental State Examination, a scale that goes up to 30. Those with a score of 21 to 26 are considered to have mild Alzheimers disease, and the majority of participants in this study had a score of about 22, although some had scores down to 17, indicating moderate Alzheimers, Edison said.

It excluded patients with diabetes to try to control for any effects of that disease, which is itself a risk factor for Alzheimers.

Edison and his team ran the trial using liraglutide, a daily injection sold under the brand names Victoza for diabetes and Saxenda for weight loss, because its similar to the GLP-1 hormone found in humans, he said, and it was on the market for diabetes when the study started about a decade ago.

Ozempic, which uses the active ingredient semaglutide, was approved in the US for diabetes in 2017 and subsequently in the UK, and its counterpart for weight loss, Wegovy, was approved in the US in 2021. They are given as injections once a week.

The GLP-1 drug class also includes Eli Lillys Mounjaro and Zepbound, which use the active ingredient tirzepatide, which mimics not just the hormone GLP-1 but another called GIP. And a snowballing number of additional companies are trying to develop even more powerful drugs. Already, the existing medicines are in shortage as the companies try to keep up with soaring demand.

Competing in Alzheimers

Lilly already has a business in Alzheimers, gaining approval this month of a treatment called Kisunla that clears buildups of amyloid plaques from the brain. But it hasnt announced any trials of its GLP-1 drugs in Alzheimers.

Lilly told CNN that it continues to evaluate future development options for tirzepatide but has not announced development plans for Alzheimers at this point in time.

Novo Nordisk, which sells liraglutide and semaglutide, has portrayed its Alzheimers trials as a long-shot bet. Its CEO, Lars Fruergaard Jorgensen, told CNN last year that Alzheimers is one of the most difficult diseases to study, and theres been a long list of failed drug development.

So I would just caution, he continued, that this is probably the most risky trial that we have ever undertaken.

Novo Nordisk is running its trials using a daily pill form of semaglutide, with results expected as soon as the fall of 2025. An oral form is already on the market for diabetes under the brand name Rybelsus.

When it announced the studies in 2020, the Danish drug giant said it planned to enroll about 3,700 people with early Alzheimers disease, with a main treatment period of about two years.

The company said in a later investor presentation that its decision to start the phase three trials was based on data including real-world evidence studies showing lower risks of dementia among people on GLP-1 medicines, analyses of effects seen in other clinical trials and animal studies showing that the drugs are associated with improved memory function, reduced neuroinflammation and systemic anti-inflammatory effects.

Earlier this month, a review by researchers at the University of Oxford of US patient records found that semaglutide was associated with a lower risk of cognitive problems and nicotine dependence. It was designed to assess whether the drug could have negative effects on the brain and, instead, found the opposite.

GLP-1 drugs can have side effects, though, primarily gastrointestinal problems like nausea and vomiting. In the liraglutide trial in Alzheimers, those effects were most common.

The study received some funding from Novo Nordisk, in addition to the Alzheimers Society UK and others.

Although more work needs to be done to prove that GLP-1 drugs could help people with Alzheimers, Carrillo heralded the potential for the medicines to be used not just by themselves but potentially in combination with recently approved drugs that clear amyloid plaque buildups from the brain.

Theres a lot of hope, not only for a positive semaglutide trial but also for the ability to be able to combine that with a monoclonal antibody FDA-approved today, she said.

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In a new study, researchers have found that an Ozempic-style drug seems to slow the progression of Alzheimer's, adding to the growing list of potential off-label applications for this groundbreaking class of medications.

Presented this week at the Alzheimer's Association International Conference, this small study out of Imperial College London study focused on 204 Alzheimer's patients in the United Kingdom, per a press release about the results.

In the group who took the active drug liraglutide, a GLP-1 agonist predecessor to Ozempic and Wegovy's semaglutide, patients experienced cognitive decline 18 percent slower than those who took the placebo. As the organization's Dr. Maria Carillo enthused in both the press release and an interview with CNN, these results weren't entirely unexpected.

"Weve known for some time through animal work that GLP-1 has a different type of activity in the brain," Carillo told CNN, a reference to previous studies in animals showing that liraglutide, which is sold under the brand names Victoza and Saxenda by Ozempic manufacturer Novo Nordisk, can have neuroprotective effects. "This study really demonstrates for us the possibilities that are there."

These results, which are being presented this week at the Alzheimer's Association conference in Philadelphia, haven't yet been published in a peer-reviewed journal and very much need to be demonstrated by larger trials. This is especially true because the researchers who led the small trial didn't find, as they hoped, that liraglutide changes the rate at which the brain processes glucose.

Still, as Imperial College's Professor Paul Edison suggested in the press release about the trial he led, the findings do hold potentially groundbreaking promise.

"The slower loss of brain volume suggests liraglutide protects the brain, much like statins protect the heart," Edison explained. "While further research is needed, liraglutide may work through various mechanisms, such as reducing inflammation in the brain, lowering insulin resistance and the toxic effects of Alzheimer's biomarkers amyloid-beta and tau, and improving how the brain's nerve cells communicate."

Edison pointed out in the press release that those who took the active drug in the double-blind study also experienced 50 percent less volume loss, another hallmark of the degenerative disease, in several areas of the brain that dictate memory, language, and decision-making.

As with semaglutide and other GLP-1 drugs, the most common side effect experienced by the patients who received active liraglutide was nausea, which accounted for just over a quarter of all adverse events in that group.

Despite the enthusiasm surrounding this trial into GLP-1's potential effect on Alzheimer's, both Novo Nordisk nor Eli Lilly, which makes Ozempic and Wegovy competitors Mounjaro and Zepbound, consider the neuroprotective investigations into these drugs to be long-shots, CNN reports.

Be that as it may, this new potential off-label use may make these uber-popular drugs even more attractive to doctors and patients alike.

"Repurposing drugs already approved for other conditions has the advantage of providing data and experience from previous research and practical use," Carillo said in the press release, "so we already know a lot about real-world effectiveness in other diseases and side effects."

More on GLP-1s: Drug Companies Have a Sneaky Idea to Get Insurance to Pay for Drugs Like Zepbound
(WHTM)  You might start finding pretty, spotted bugs with brown and red wings more frequently these upcoming weeks, and if you do, squash them!

The Pennsylvania Department of Agriculture took to Facebook to remind residents that the invasive spotted lanternfly enters adulthood at this time of year, and these bugs are trouble.

The Department of Agriculture says lanternflies produce a black, sooty mold that causes serious damage to plants and the surrounding ecosystem. Additionally, lanternflies lay egg masses containing 30 to 50 bugs each.

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This Week in Pennsylvania

The department said a quarantine and treatment order is in place to prevent the insects spread, but quarantine zones are set to expand if necessary.

People who see these critters outside of the quarantine zone are encouraged to kill the bug before reporting it online.

Copyright 2024 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.

For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to ABC27.
Pair of West Coast men arrested in Wisconsin two months after initial crime report, charges filed

VIROQUA, Wis. (WFRV)  Two men from the West Coast were arrested in Wisconsin on Monday afternoon after multiple incidents over the past two months where the suspects reportedly tried to scam motorists for money.

According to the release from the Vernon County Sheriffs Office (VCSO), Alexandru Uca, a 28-year-old from Washington, and 27-year-old Armando Vaduva of California were the two arrested after deputies and officers from multiple departments enforced a high-risk stop.

One person arrested after Marinette County deputies find 160+ grams of cocaine

The release said that the initial crime report was on May 30, where a man in a black SUV approached a caller at a gas station seeking cash, offering jewelry in return. The victim reported a firearm on the suspect and felt threatened, and the jewelry was fake.

Vernon County Sheriffs Office Facebook

A similar incident was investigated by the St. Croix County Sheriffs Office (SCCSO) on June 4, and a crime alert was sent statewide to law enforcement. Another similar incident occurred near Readstown on July 15, which was reported a day later to the VCSO.

An alert deputy saw the vehicle late Monday morning traveling north on U.S. 14 just south of Viroqua. The vehicle was stopped without incident, as officers seized cash and jewelry, transporting both Uca and Vaduva to Vernon County Jail.

The St. Croix County District Attorney is seeking formal charges, as Uca is held for federal authorities, however, Vaduva has been charged with theft/false representation.

Police in Wisconsin pull over vehicle accused of street racing, passenger arrested after throwing items out of the window

The Richland County Sheriffs Office and Viroqua Police Department assisted with the incident on Monday, and the VCSO and SCCSO are working alongside the United States Customs and Border Protection.

No more information was provided.

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For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to WFRV Local 5 - Green Bay, Appleton.
Pakistan says its own messaging app for secure comms among officials is ready to launch

This is a locator map for Pakistan with its capital, Islamabad, and the Kashmir region. (AP Photo)

ISLAMABAD (AP)  Pakistani engineers have developed and successfully tested a government messaging app for secure communication among officials, authorities said Tuesday, even as Islamabad restricts social media use and regularly shuts down internet and mobile phone networks to prevent dissent.

Should the government approve it, the messaging platform could eventually also be available to millions of citizens, said Baber Majid, chief executive officer at the countrys National Information Technology Board.

Enter beep, a chat application that Pakistani authorities say is exclusively homegrown.

Beep has already successfully undergone trial runs since 2023 and is now ready for launch, Majid said.

Meanwhile, ordinary Pakistanis have been struggling to access the social networking platform X, which authorities blocked ahead of the Feb. 8 parliamentary elections earlier this year, a vote overshadowed by violence, an unprecedented national shutdown of all mobile phone services and allegations of vote rigging.

Authorities later insisted that the phone service suspension was necessary for security reasons, but critics and Pakistan's imprisoned former Prime Minister Imran Khan have said the real intention was to disable communication to allow for vote rigging  a charge the government denies.

There have also been frequent internet restrictions in southwestern Baluchistan province and elsewhere. Pakistan every year suspends phone services during the Ashoura, an Islamic commemoration when minority Shiite Muslims hold processions.

Pakistan imposed five separate internet restrictions during and after the elections, according to research by the Netherlands-based cybersecurity company Surfshark B.V., which offers VPN services and data leak detection. It also tracks cases of government-imposed internet and social media disruptions.

Such actions taken by the government undermine the very aspect of democracy and make it impossible for fair elections to take place, it said.

Pakistan's phone and internet suspensions have also affected communication between officials and security forces. Hence beep," which Majid said would ensure uninterrupted communication among officials.

He said the app has been designed to share text, audio, and videos and hold conference calls. It requires an internet connection but Majid did not elaborate on measures that would restrict internet availability to just Pakistani officials  or possibly whoever else gets approval to use the app.

Beep is safer than other messaging apps, he said.
FILE PHOTO: Protesters gather at a military base, after Israeli military police opened an investigation into the suspected abuse of a Palestinian detainee, in Netanya

By James Mackenzie

JERUSALEM (Reuters) -The Israeli military issued an indictment on Tuesday against a reservist soldier accused of severe abuse of Palestinian prisoners, in a case that followed a furore over separate abuse allegations against Israeli soldiers.

The indictment alleges that the soldier beat, handcuffed and blindfolded detainees with a club or with his weapon as they were being transported, and videoed his actions, the military said in a statement.

The alleged actions took place between February and June this year, it said.

The indictment comes a day after right-wing Israeli protesters broke into two military facilities after military police detained nine soldiers over separate allegations of severe abuse of a detainee captured in Gaza.

The protests were denounced by Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, Defence Minister Yoav Gallant and the head of the army, Lieutenant General Herzi Halevi, who described them as "bordering on anarchy".

However, the protests underscored longstanding tensions in the government of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu between hardline nationalist-religious parties and Defence Minister Yoav Gallant and the army command.

Right wing protesters, including Netanyahu's hardline nationalist-religious coalition partners, have reacted with fury to the abuse allegations against the soldiers, saying they had been doing their duty.

According to Israeli press reports, the soldiers have been accused of sexually abusing the prisoner at the Sde Teiman detention facility in southern Israel.

Army Radio reported that the detainee had been a member of an elite unit of the Islamist armed group Hamas who had been captured in Gaza during the Israeli offensive there that followed the group's Oct. 7 attack.

The Israeli rights group, Physicians for Human Rights - Israel said it knew the victim was hospitalized three weeks ago in a life threatening condition, with upper body injuries and severe injuries to the rectum.

Asked whether it could confirm the reports, the military said that the Military Advocate General had initiated an investigation.

"Nine suspects from the base were taken in for questioning by the Military Police regarding the abuse allegations," it said, without providing more details.

HORRIFIC TESTIMONIES

Earlier the association representing Palestinian prisoners called for an international inquiry into allegations of abuse of detainees in Israeli jails since the start of the war in Gaza.

"Every day, as we witness the massacres against our people in Gaza, we hear horrific and harsh testimonies from legal teams and detainees who are released," said Qadura Fares, head of the Detainees and Ex-Detainees Affairs Commission.

He said the Israeli investigation into the Sde Teiman incident was a "farce."

Widespread reports of mistreatment of detainees in Israeli prisons have added to international pressure on Israel over its conduct of the Gaza war.

The Israeli military said on Monday the investigation into the Israeli soldiers was ordered "following suspected substantial abuse of a detainee". It provided no further details.

(Reporting by James Mackenzie and Ali Sawafta; Editing by Sharon Singleton and Conor Humphries)
PALOS PARK, Ill.  Authorities in the Southwest suburbs are offering a warning to residents about a scam targeting homeowners.

According to Palos Park Police Chief Joe Miller, asphalt paving scams begin when a person knocks on a homeowners door and offers to pave their driveway at a discounted rate, telling the resident that they have extra asphalt from another job that needs to be used.

Read more: Latest Chicago news headlines

Once the work begins, the scammer claims that there is a mistake or issue with the project and informs the homeowner that the price for the job has climbed by thousands of dollars.

If the homeowner refuses to pay the additional money, the scammer threatens to leave the driveway incomplete.

In many cases, the homeowners are unable to contact the company, as the scammer provides a false name or the name of another company name that was not involved.

Miller said the scammers high-pressure approach can confusing and intimidating to victims, who are usually senior citizens.

LATEST CASES: Missing people in Chicagoland

According to Miller, people who agree to the project and those who do not firmly refuse the offer can be affected, as a crew quickly appears at the home and begins work.

What can residents do?

Several steps can be taken to avoid falling victim to an asphalt paving scam.

Be wary of unsolicited offers

Residents are advised to be wary of unsolicited offers. Miller advises residents to be wearing of workers who offer services that were never requested. According to Miller, most scams begin when random workers go out of their way to offer unsolicited estimates.

Research companies

Those who are seeking asphalt work are advised to check reliable sources before hiring anyone. Residents are advised to avoid hiring workers and companies with multiple bad reviews and complaints.

Victim pulled from Lake Michigan near 31st Street Beach identified, passengers describe chaotic scene

Get things in writing

Those seeking asphalt work should ask for an estimate in writing before discussing payment. Miller said residents should never let companies begin any projects until detailed and signed contracts are in place.

Stagger payments

Residents who do seek out work are advised to never pay the full project amount in full upfront or before work has begun. According to Miller, residents should agree to stagger payments so they can inspect work at several stages throughout the project.

Use safe payment methods

Residents who do pay for work are advised to use a credit card to reduce risk. If a check is used, Miller said residents should make sure to make it out to a company and not an individual.

Miller also advises against using cash or electronic wallet apps, as they can be risky since there is no way to stop the payment in the event of an issue.

Anyone who falls victim or sees something suspicious is advised to contact 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 WGN-TV.
Panama Canal to increase transit slots in September as rains come early

PANAMA CITY (Reuters) -The Panama Canal expects to increase the number of daily transit slots for vessels to 36 from the current 34 beginning in September, the canal's deputy administrator said, as rains allow authorities to ease drought-imposed restrictions.

Panama experienced its third-driest year on record in 2023, lowering the canal's water level and forcing its authority to limit the number of vessels using the waterway that connects the Atlantic and Pacific Oceans.

At times, more than 100 ships at a time lined up and waited up to 21 days to use the canal, which is responsible for about 5% of global shipping.

"Now (the operation) is practically back to normal. We have 34 transits (per day) and on August 5 we will increase to 35 transits and ... in September we'll be able to increase to 36," Deputy Administrator Ilya Espino said in an interview on Monday.

"For now, we are on the right track," Espino said.

The early arrival of the rainy season in recent weeks has allowed authorities to increase the number of ships authorized to cross the canal.

"In the summer, the aim is not to have to reduce the number of transit slots, just the draft as we do every year (...) and to have normal transit activity from September," Espino added.

The Canal Authority expects this outlook to boost total revenues by 18% year-on-year to $5.6 billion during the 2024-2025 fiscal year, which begins in October, with state contributions growing 13%.

COMPETITION?

Espino told Reuters that the canal would remain competitive even if projects aiming to connect the Atlantic and Pacific gain speed in Colombia and Mexico, projects she described as "complementary."

A transoceanic freight rail line in southern Mexico is among President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador's signature economic development projects, while in Colombia a land corridor connecting the oceans has been debated for years.

"Here we have a very varied market, many segments that a land corridor does not have that flexibility or availability to move as many segments as we do," she added.

Espino said that the canal seeks to strengthen its operational competitiveness, although its priority is to seek new water sources.

To this end, the canal's authorities plan to build a new reservoir in six years at a cost of about $1.6 billion, which would provide the corridor with enough water to keep operating.

(Reporting by Elida Moreno; Additional reporting by Diego Ore; Editing by Mark Porter and Nick Zieminski)
Who is Park Fire arson suspect Ronnie Stout? What to know about Chico mans charges, history

Ronnie Dean Stout II, the man arrested last week on suspicion of starting the sprawling Park Fire in Northern California, has a criminal history dating back to at least 2001 and could face an extended prison sentence if convicted of arson.

Stout appeared Monday for his arraignment in Butte Superior Court. He faces a felony charge of arson of an inhabited structure or property. He also faces an enhancement of committing arson with special circumstances, and three enhancements related to prior convictions under Californias Three Strikes law.

His defense attorney did not enter a plea Monday on Stouts behalf, with court proceedings scheduled to continue Thursday.

Heres what else to know about Stout, his alleged role in the Park Fire and his criminal history.

What is Stout accused of in Park Fire?

Cal Fire arson and district attorney investigators arrested Stout at 2 a.m. July 25, nearly 12 hours after the Park Fire started, which the Butte County District Attorney Mike Ramsey said undoubtedly would result in a charge of arson for Stout, an offender with two strikes, during a July 25 news conference.

Stout was arrested at a mobile home park in Chico after officials gathered evidence from witnesses, including a woman who saw him acting strange after his car lit on fire near Alligator Hole at Upper Bidwell Park on the outskirts of Chico, Ramsey said.

The woman saw him doing nothing other than watch the fire before getting back into the car, Ramsey said, getting out and pushing it down a 60-foot gully near the swimming hole, starting what by Monday had become the sixth-largest fire in Californias history, Cal Fire records show.

The male was then seen calmly leaving the area by blending in with the other citizens who were in the area and fleeing the rapidly evolving fire, a statement from Ramseys office said.

Arson investigators arrested a man accused of starting the Park Fire near Chico by pushing a flaming vehicle into a gully

Officials later determined that the car belonged to Stouts mother.

One witness posted her encounter with initial flames in what quickly became a viral TikTok video, where she described witnessing a man push the burning car and casually walk away, a description she gave to police along with the photos she got of the man.

What are Stouts prior convictions?

In 2001, Stout was found guilty of lewd and lascivious acts with a child under 14 in Butte County where he was sentenced to serve a year in jail. The following year, Stout was convicted of committing robbery and great bodily injury in Kern County.

He was sentenced to 20 years in prison after the 2002 conviction, but was arrested on suspicion of DUI in 2020, so it is unclear when he was released from prison, Ramsey said last week during a news conference.

Details of the criminal cases that led to the two prior convictions were not immediately available. The earlier case resulted in Stout being registered as a sex offender.

Stouts entry on the Megans Law website  Californias database for registered sex offenders  shows his last reported address as a mobile home park in Chico.

A warrant from a local judge allowed Stout to be arrested and held without bail, and he is currently being held in the Butte County Jail.

Under Californias Three Strikes Youre Out law, which increases prison sentences for those previously convicted of violent or serious felons.

Stout could serve 25 years to life if found guilty of arson.
Tuesday marks the seventh day of the Park Fire, which has burned 386,764 acres (604 square miles), making it the fifth-largest wildfire in Californias recorded history. Firefighters reached 18% containment on the blaze, Cal Fire said in an evening update, up from 14% Tuesday morning.

According to Cal Fire, the fires perimeter is 260 miles long, meaning it has burned more than 3 times the surface area of Lake Tahoe as of Tuesday morning. Jeremy Pierce, an operations section chief at Cal Fire, said in a Tuesday morning briefing to crews that they have made tremendous progress on the lower sections of the fire.

As of Tuesday morning, Cal Fire has confirmed 192 structures have been destroyed and another 19 were damaged in the fire. Roughly 4,200 buildings are still considered under threat by the blaze. No deaths have been reported.

Evacuations remain in sections of Butte, Tehama and Shasta counties, though authorities lifted restrictions in Magalia and Paradise. Tuesday afternoon, the Butte County Sheriff lifted evacuation warnings along Centerville Road down to Nimshew, as well as an area east of Forest Ranch in the southern segment of Doe Mill Road.

Newer evacuation orders remain for areas of Manton and Shingletown. One voluntary evacuation area has been activated in Plumas County.

In a video briefing Tuesday morning, operation section chief Mark Brunton said the northwestern section of the fire, in Tehama County, saw a significant increase in fire activity on Monday afternoon. The area is in rugged, inaccessible terrain, which was a challenge for crews to lay control lines, Brunton said.

Crews on Tuesday will be at various stages of fire management, according to a Cal Fire update. Some of the more than 5,500 personnel are still attempting to build containment lines in tricky terrain, some are defending structures in the area and others are mopping up controlled areas.

According to Billy See, a Cal Fire incident commander on the Park Fire, crews began repopulating areas along Highway 32, including Forest Ranch, on Monday, which he said is part of developing some normalcy for the communities out there. Crews in the lower areas of the incident will continue to repopulate communities Tuesday, Pierce said.

Winds on Tuesday are expected to be slightly lighter than before, but temperatures are once again rising after a dip, according to Cal Fire. Gusts are predicted to reach 15 mph, which is 5 mph weaker than Monday. However, Brunton said in the briefing that changes in weather patterns have extended the amount of time the fire is active each day.

The man accused of starting the fire last Wednesday, Ronnie Stout, appeared in Butte County court on Monday, charged with one count of arson of an inhabited structure or property with enhancements for arson with special circumstances and multiple prior conviction strikes.

Stout did not enter a plea deal in court, and Judge Kristen Lucena ruled that he would remain in jail without bail because of the extreme danger posed by the crime of arson. Stout is scheduled to appear again in court Thursday.
Park Fire closes these California highways and major roadways. Heres where to reroute

The Park Fire continues to rage in Northern California, burning more than 385,000 acres as of Tuesday afternoon and continuing to close down highways.

According to Cal Fire, firefighters are steadily making progress on the Park Fire, with containment at 14% as of Tuesday afternoon. That is a slight increase compared to 12% on Monday.

The fire started on Upper Park Road in Upper Bidwell Park, east of Chico, and has spread past Paynes Creek in Tehama County. Parts of Butte, Plumas and Shasta counties are also being affected by the Park Fire.

It has shut down two highways so far, according to Cal Fires map  Highway 32 and Highway 36 East.

A car burned during the Park Fire sits near the intersection of Cohasset Road and Vilas Road in Cohasset on Friday, July 26, 2024. Nearby, other melted vehicles and pieces of metal sat on the scorched earth.

Highway 32 and 36 closures

As of Tuesday afternoon, the only highway affected by the fire in Butte County was Highway 32, Megan Reese, a spokesperson for the Caltrans District 3 office, told The Sacramento Bee. District 3 serves several Northern California counties including Butte and Sacramento.

Reese said its a full closure from the east Chico side of the highway.

According to the Caltrans website, the highway is closed from Platt Mountain Road in Forest Ranch to the Highway 36 junction in Tehama County.

Motorists are advised to use an alternate route, the agency said.

Caltrans Quick Map states there is no estimated time for the highway reopening.

Additionally, Highway 36 is closed from Red Bluff to the junction with Highway 89 near the town of Chester, said Denise Yergenson with Caltrans District 2. That Caltrans district covers counties such as Shasta, Plumas, Tehama and parts of Butte.

Other highways

According to the Caltrans QuickMap, Highway 172 is also under a full closure, in both the westbound and eastbound directions, from Highway 36 West to Highway 36 East.

There isnt an estimated time of reopening, according to Caltrans.

Could Park Fire affect Highway 99? Or Highway 44?

Theres a possibility that the fire could affect Highway 99 or Highway 44, Yergenson said, but it remains unlikely at this time.

The fire is on the east side of 99, but its pretty far from 99 at this point, she told The Bee on Tuesday afternoon. In the last two days, theres not been a lot of movement that is jeopardizing any of the other highways like 99 and 44.

Highway 44 is near Shingletown, which was recently put under an evacuation order, along with Manton.

It looks like the fire crews have been holding it pretty good, away from those routes, Yergenson said. But we are prepared.

She said that Caltrans is ready to conduct traffic control if needed.

Are there detours?

For those who need to head towards the Chester and Lake Almanor area, Yergenson said motorists can drive up to Highway 44 or Highway 89 and go all the way across.

It is a big detour for someone from Chico. Its long, she said, adding that it may add up to two hours to the drive.
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Credit: CSU/CIRA & NOAA

The second-largest wildfire of 2024 continues to rage in northern California, and satellites are watching the destruction unfold.

The Park Fire wildfire is currently burning north of Sacramento and has already consumed more than 560 square miles (1,455 square kilometers), an area larger than the city of Los Angeles. It is already the largest wildfire California has experienced this year. As of July 29, the fire was only 12% contained, according to InciWeb, a wildfire information service operated by the U.S. National Interagency Fire Center.

As the fire continues to rage, satellites overhead are watching the flames and smoke erupt upward. Spacecraft operated by the U.S. National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) captured startling imagery on July 26 and 27, showing dense plumes of smoke rise from the flames and drift northeast across the western United States.

The Park Fire is believed to have started when a burning car was pushed into a gully at a municipal park in Chico, California. The individual responsible has been arrested, the Los Angeles Times reported.

High winds, heat and dry conditions allowed the fire to spread within days, burning over 368,256 acres (149,028 hectares), according to InciWeb.

a satellite's view of earth shows a massive fire emitting dense plumes of smoke from a forested area

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Over 100 wildfires are currently burning across the United States. Another massive wildfire is currently burning near Jasper National Park in Alberta, Canada, forcing thousands to evacuate.

As Earth's climate continues to change, scientists predict that wildfires will become more prevalent and more destructive. A NOAA-funded study published in 2021 found that human-caused climate change is the main driver behind increased wildfires in the western United States.

A previous NASA study found that smoke from these wildfires is warming the planet more than previously thought, by releasing dense carbon particulates into the atmosphere.
The acreage burned by the Park Fire increased Tuesday afternoon to 385,065 acres, according to the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection.

Cal Fire officials noted that the fire continued to prove difficult to contain, while weather conditions remained hot and dry.

"The fire continues to burn very actively. With the steep terrain, wind activity and many inaccessible areas, the fire is making uphill runs and spot fires continue to occur. Critically low fuel moistures and high winds have caused difficulty in suppressing the fire spread," Cal Fire said Tuesday afternoon.

Latest Park Fire Updates: While the blaze continues to grow, Shasta County evacuations eased

The bulk of the fire burned in Tehama County, with 330,515 acres already torched, while 53,104 acres burned in Butte County, Cal Fire said. There were 5,582 people assigned to the blaze as of Tuesday afternoon, the agency said.

The Park Fire continued to grow overnight from Monday, reaching 383,619 acres as of Tuesday morning, moving it up to the fifth-largest wildfire in state history.

The fire grew a little more than 10,000 acres overnight, but containment of the blaze remained at 14%, steady from Monday evening, according to the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection.

The Park Fire started July 24 in Upper Bidwell Park in Chico and rapidly spread north, racing through Tehama County, before it was stopped just shy of the Shasta County line. Thousands of people have been evacuated ahead of the blaze.

Much of Shingletown and Manton, on the southern border of Shasta County, remain evacuated.

While the fire started in Butte County, most of the acreage burned was in Tehama County to the north, according to Cal Fire. As of Monday night, 320,306 acres had burned in Tehama County.

Chico resident Ronnie Dean Stout II has been charged with starting the blaze. He was in court Monday in Butte County for arraignment, but he did not enter a plea. He is scheduled to return to Butte County Superior Court again Thursday.

While the fire has destroyed 165 structures, as of Monday night there have been no reported deaths and no one has been seriously injured, according to Cal Fire.

Also Monday night, the Shasta County Sheriff's Office has increased fire evacuation orders in six alert zones in the Millville, Cottonwood, Shingletown and Manton areas due to increased Park Fire activity.

Evacuation warnings were also issued for six zones Cottonwood, Shingletown and Millville, according to the sheriff's office.

Crews continue to deal with the weather Tuesday as the fire remains active in several areas of the blaze. The temperature Tuesday is expected to reach 95 degrees, but stronger breezes out of the southwest with gusts up to 25 mph are expected throughout the day, according to fire agencies.

Readers, scroll down for updates as they are posted for Tuesday, July 30.

6:45 p.m. Tuesday: Park Fire containment improves

Containment on the Park Fire rose to 18% on Tuesday evening, the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection said in its Tuesday evening report. That's up from about 14% containment earlier in the day.The wildfire's size grew slightly also, up a few thousand acres to 386,764 acres in Butte and Tehama counties, Cal Fire said.

12:35 p.m. Tuesday: Number of structures confirmed destroyed by Park Fire rises

The number of structures destroyed by the Park Fire now totals 192, according to the latest report released by the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection. That's up from 165 structures reported by the agency on Monday night.A total of 19 structures have been reported damaged by the wildfire the agency said, up from 15 on Monday.

Damage inspection teams have completed just over half of their inspections within the current fire perimeter, Cal Fire said. Information is expected to remain fluid as the agency's assessment teams continue to be on the ground surveying and confirming damage from the wildfire, which has roared through Butte and Tehama counties.

The Park Fire has burned 373,357 acres since the arson-caused blaze ignited near Chico on July 24. "The perimeter of the Park Fire is 260 miles, which means it has burned more than three times the surface area of Lake Tahoe," Cal Fire said.

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This article originally appeared on Redding Record Searchlight: Park Fire updates: New evacuation orders issued in Shasta County
DENVER (KDVR)  There are fewer than 100 days left before the general election in November, and the two major political parties are working to get Colorado voters on board with their candidates.

It is a pivotal time for both parties as they look to win not only the White House but both chambers of Congress. For now, they are taking starkly different approaches.

Polis meets with Japanese ambassador in push to grow aerospace, quantum

In scorching hot temperatures, Republicans like Steve Panchenko, Battle Station Director for the NRCCs office in Colorados eight congressional district, are on the ground, trying to garner support for Republicans running for office this fall.

I know its going to take a lot of hard work, Panchenko said. I know that weve got a lot of people that are engaged, but this time feels a little different, right? 22 was hard. It was hard to get people motivated. It was hard to get the message out perfectly. But this time our party is unified. Weve got the volunteer base and weve got a really great candidate. Gabe Evans is going to carry this.

Election canvasser with handouts

Colorados 8th District sees big election spending

Millions are being poured from both sides into Colorados 8th Congressional District, where Evans is vying to unseat incumbent U.S. Rep. Yadira Caraveo.

Democrats won the race by just over 1,600 votes last time around. Republicans are opening a battle station in Thornton to focus on winning that race and others down the ballot.

We want to make sure that we are as coordinated as possible. Thats why out here, we have two other candidates with us. And every single day we are out there with other candidates, Panchenko said. We want to make sure that were doing all we can to connect these folks and make sure their volunteers and our volunteers know what to say, where to be and how to say it.

Colorado has some of the most aggressive drivers in the US: Forbes

Republicans say they are capitalizing on Democrats not having their ground game up and running for the presidential race. But Democrats say they are already getting those plans set so they will be ready as soon as their presidential ticket is solidified.

The Democratic National Committee told FOX31 the party has spent $470,000 in Colorado so far, with an emphasis on winning over younger voters.

While Republicans are physically working the ground, Democrats have been taking to virtual fundraisers and rallies to bring in millions in support of Vice President Kamala Harris in her bid for the White House. Colorado Democrats are holding a grassroots Zoom call for Harris on Monday night.

Copyright 2024 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.

For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to FOX31 Denver.
By Maggie Fick and Ahmed Aboulenein

LONDON/WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Novo Nordisk's decision to stop selling its long-acting insulin Levemir in the United States has left some diabetes patients struggling to switch treatments, patients and doctors in a dozen U.S. states told Reuters.

The Danish drugmaker said in November it would halt U.S. sales of Levemir by the end of 2024. Many health plans no longer cover the drug, which went off patent in 2019, and there are other options for patients on the market, Novo said.

Several people with type 1 diabetes as well as parents of pediatric patients told Reuters they are stockpiling the remaining supply of Levemir and using vials they have on hand beyond their expiration date, while hoping a nascent lobbying effort will keep the drug on the market.

They say Levemir is better suited for youth and others with an active lifestyle. Doses can be adjusted more frequently than with other long-acting, or basal, insulins.

Some described dangerously low blood sugar levels, known as hypoglycemia, or rapid fluctuations, when they used other long-acting insulins Novo says are safe alternatives, including its own Tresiba and products sold by Eli Lilly and Sanofi.

Jaime Losinki's teenaged son was diagnosed with type 1 diabetes seven years ago and prescribed Sanofi's Lantus. He suffered repeated bouts of very low blood glucose that "came out of nowhere." The problem stopped when he switched to Levemir, Losinki said.

"I feel like type 1 diabetics deserve the right to have normal blood sugars just as much as anyone else does," she said. "And if there's a product out there that can help that happen, it shouldn't be taken away from them."

Novo's decision comes as it ramps up production of its fast-selling weight-loss treatments. Its market value has risen by $380 billion since it launched anti-obesity injection Wegovy three years ago, to $572 billion.

In an emailed statement to Reuters, a Novo spokesperson cited global manufacturing constraints in addition to diminished insurance coverage among the reasons behind the decision to discontinue Levemir in the United States.

The Wegovy windfall has also drawn scrutiny from the U.S. Congress over the drug's high list price, at over $1,349 per month. Novo CEO Lars Fruergaard Jorgensen will testify before lawmakers in early September.

Diabetes patient advocates fear Novo is pulling back on manufacturing of less profitable insulins to meet the unprecedented demand for Wegovy. The company denies this.

Story continues

The Levemir decision "makes me and my patients nervous about being at the mercy of the companies just deciding all of a sudden where to put their resources," said Dr. Kasia Lipska, an endocrinologist and professor at Yale University's School of Medicine.

LOBBYING EFFORT

Advocacy groups estimate that over 1 million people in the United States were using Levemir in 2021. It's not clear how far that figure has dropped since then due to reduced insurance access.

Novo reported U.S. Levemir sales of 1.3 billion Danish crowns ($185 million) in 2023, less than 10% of sales in 2016, when Novo launched the higher-priced Tresiba as a successor product.

While some people with diabetes are able to switch relatively easily from one insulin regimen to another, others are extremely sensitive to any change, said Lipska.

"None of the products (Novo Nordisk) cited are exactly interchangeable," said Laura Marston, co-founder of advocacy group The Insulin Initiative. "So for a diabetic that means taking risk."

Marston's organization is primarily focused on lobbying to keep insulin prices affordable.

A new group of parents and patients, called the Alliance to Protect Insulin Choice, have taken their Levemir concern to Capitol Hill. Their petition urging Novo Nordisk to continue making Levemir has garnered over 4,000 signatures, said Alison Smart, one of the parents who set up the group.

Three Democratic U.S. Senators called on Novo to continue manufacturing Levemir until other drugmakers can make a cheaper, biosimilar version, according to a letter they sent to the company in April and to advocates in touch with their offices.

The lawmakers are also asking Novo to hasten a close alternative to market by either helping facilitate introduction of a biosimilar product or making the patents available so others might do so. Senate aides met with Novo representatives earlier this month to discuss Levemir, Reuters reported.

"Levemir has been off patent for a number of years and another manufacturer could produce the drug should they choose to," the spokesperson said.

One father said his seven-year-old son had switched to Levemir after developing anxiety about wearing an insulin pump, which delivers appropriate doses of insulin under the skin. They can be hard for children and some adults to use.

"It was making his life as a diabetic even tougher than it already was," said Kirill Zenchenko from Massachusetts.

Zenchenko is among the parents stockpiling Levemir, trying to put off what he fears would be a difficult transition for his son back to the pump or to Lantus.

"It's tough to explain to him that 'Well, the company is not making this anymore, so that's why you have to go on the pump,'" he said.

"Novo Nordisk should hear the perspective of kids -- and adults too obviously -- of having to go through this process of not having a good choice."

(Reporting by Maggie Fick in London and Ahmed Aboulenein in Washington; Editing by Michele Gershberg, Bill Berkrot and Emelia Sithole-Matarise)
Looking for the top stories featured on the July 30 episode of our Palm Beach County News in 90 Seconds? See the story blurbs/links below.

Netanyahu leaves Palm Beach after meeting with Trump at Mar-a-Lago

Former President Donald Trump stood on the steps of his Mar-a-Lago Club in Palm Beach on Friday to welcome Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu for the pair's first meeting since Trump left the White House in 2021.

Trump posted a video to his Truth Social account of himself smiling and greeting Netanyahu and his wife, Sara, after their motorcade made its way onto Palm Beach island just before noon Friday. Netanyahu stayed for roughly two hours, leaving Palm Beach at about 2 p.m.

During the meeting, Netanyahu thanked Trump and his administration "for working to promote stability in the region through, among many historic achievements, the Abraham Accords, moving the United States Embassy in Israel to Jerusalem, recognizing Israeli sovereignty over the Golan Heights, eliminating Qasem Soleimani, ending the horrific Iran Nuclear Deal, as well as combatting anti-Semitism in America and abroad," Trump's campaign said in a news release.

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State-funded home improvement dreams paused as heavy demand closes first step for funding

Didnt get into the pipeline to claim your state-funded home improvement grant after the possibility reopened July 1? You've got plenty of company.

My Safe Florida Home, which hands out up to $10,000 per home in state money to help Floridians get their homes storm-ready  and perhaps lower their insurance premiums  has proven wildly popular. So much so that just two weeks after the program reopened, those first in line for millions in state grants, residents older than 60 and on a lower income, exhausted the resources earmarked for the first step on the path to get the money.

One of those apparently was Carolyn Deli of Lake Worth Beach. She swung into action the day the program reopened July 1 to begin the process to claim her part of the $185 million the state allocated for the homeowner grants this past legislative session. So the news about the inspection slots being exhausted prompted Deli to check on her application and left her unsure if she was among those approved.

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Delray Beach's Atlantic Avenue dining scene has several new additions, coming attractions

No stranger to great restaurants, Delray Beach's Atlantic Avenue has gotten a recent influx of new dining destinations and several more are slated to open in the coming months.

Located on, or just off, the ultra-cool thoroughfare, these new restaurants promise to bring even more options to diners. Among the newcomers, an award-winning West Palm Beach restaurant that's opening a second location.

The fare at these new restaurants includes barbecue, Italian, Southwestern, Asian fusion, upscale American and even a spot dedicated to soft, gooey cookies.

Here are four that are on their way and four more that recently opened and are ready to serve:

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Diamond Walker is a journalist at The Palm Beach Post, part of the USA TODAY Florida Network. You can reach her at dkwalker@gannett.com. Help support our journalism. Subscribe today

This article originally appeared on Palm Beach Post: Palm Beach County News: Netanyahu visits, My Safe Florida Home paused
On Aug. 20, voters in Palm Beach County will choose two candidates to vie for arguably the county's most powerful elective office. Four men  two Democrats and two Republicans  with varying degrees of law enforcement experience hope to win their respective primary contests and become their party's nominee to win the November general election and lead the Palm Beach Sheriff's Office. What follows is the Post's primary vote recommendations:

Democrats: Ric Bradshaw the better choice

The county's longest serving official wants another four-year stint as sheriff. At 76, Sheriff Ric Bradshaw is showing no signs of relinquishing control of the 4,300 employees and 1,500 volunteers involved in a variety of operations, from community policing to homeland security. In the primary, the Post recommends Democrats choose him as their nominee.

Palm Beach County Sheriff Ric Bradshaw is seeking his sixth term in office.

Our View on Sheriff's spending Palm Beach County can't afford sheriff's 'golden parachute' retirement perks for top brass

Bradshaw, 76, is seeking a sixth term. He wants to continue, in his words, to keep Palm Beach County safe by Improving mental health programs, expanding community policing efforts and use of technology, along with efforts to curb cyber predators, gangs and human traffickers remain priorities.

It's Bradshaw's experience and support of locally elected officials that give him an edge over his primary opponent, Alex Freeman, 55, who has worked as a major in the Riviera Beach Police Department, chief of police in Midway, Fla., and most recently as deputy police chief of the Jupiter Inlet Colony. His priorities would include a forensic audit of the office's budget and reinstating community policing. There's no doubting Freeman's law enforcement background. Is it enough to manage one of Florida's largest sheriff's offices is the question that benefits Bradshaw in this primary race.

Bradshaw's 20-year tenure has been undermined by recent disclosures of questionable spending. His decision to reward top executives with lucrative retirement packages, and the sheriff's role in expanding PBSO's employee benefits insurance brokering contract that led to the hiring of his son-in-law raises questions and concerns. His proposed $952 million budget has some county officials grumbling that its size is encroaching upon other worthwhile programs.

Bradshaw has the edge in the primary but PBSO spending will continue to be an issue as the campaign moves on to the general election this fall.

Republicans: Choose Michael Gauger

Two Republican candidates are hoping to be their party's choice to run for sheriff. The Palm Beach Post recommends GOP voters select Michael Gauger. His longtime work in PBSO's senior management cannot be easily dismissed. Neither can his ideas of what he'd do if he wins the Aug. 20 Republican primary and the November general election.

At 76, Gauger is a PBSO retiree who decided to run against his former boss, Sheriff Ric Bradshaw. Accountability of the agency is his top priority, particularly getting a handle on the budget and reining in some of the sheriff's spending decisions. Of particular concern is the decision in 2010 that created a lucrative retirement program for Bradshaw's executive team, which included Gauger, who received a whopping $743,000 payout from the program when he retired.

Republican Mike Gauger is seeking to win his party's nomination to run against Democratic incumbent Sheriff Ric Bradshaw.

Gauger has other concerns. He would boost county jail personnel and restart the jail's Drug Farm and the Eagle Academy, which he contends were worthwhile programs that should be reinstituted. He wants to revamp the Internal Affairs Division and the Human Resources Division, along with revitalizing the Community Policing Division.

Lauro Diaz, 62, is also seeking the GOP nomination for sheriff. He has more than 30 years of law enforcement experience, including time spent with PBSO as a captain. He also worked with the Bartow Police Department and the Highlands County Sheriff Office.

Bringing sheriff office spending and making the operations more transparent are key priorities for Diaz. He'd also form community work groups that would bring sheriff staff, deputies and community leaders to address ongoing concerns. He'd push to improve school safety by having PBSO work with and help train county school resource officers.

This is Diaz' second run for sheriff, and he's a better prepared candidate. But, Gauger remains the better choice.

This article originally appeared on Palm Beach Post: Palm Beach Post endorses sheriff's candidates in Aug. 20 primary races
EL PASO, Texas (KTSM)  A 19-year-old man was arrested after fleeing in a womans car that was left unattended on Monday morning, July 29 in a Northeast El Paso neighborhood, El Paso Police say.

Police say Andrew Gabriel Hernandez, 19, was charged with theft of property and evading arrest or detention with a vehicle after a 38-year-old woman left her keys in a vehicle and left the drivers door open in a neighborhood in Northeast El Paso.

Just after 9 a.m. that Monday, the woman had just arrived at her residence located at the 11100 block of IIan Ramon Place and parked in the driveway.

The woman then reportedly left her keys in the vehicle and the drivers door open as she walked towards her front door.

Police say thats when Hernandez entered the vehicle and drove away. The woman then flagged down a motorist who was passing by, who turned out to be an undercover police officer, El Paso Police said.

Officers then attempted a traffic stop at Fairbanks Drive and McCombs Street once Hernandez was spotted. However, he then fled from officers in the stolen vehicle, according to police.

Hernandez ended up losing control of the vehicle on Loop 375 and crashed into the center median which caused the vehicle to come to a stop.

Hernandez was then taken into custody and booked into the El Paso County Detention Facility under a total bond of $35,000.

During the short pursuit, officers requested air support from the Texas Department of Public Safety.

Copyright 2024 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.

For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to KTSM 9 News.
WILKES-BARRE, LUZERNE COUNTY (WBRE/WYOU)  A man wanted on a warrant in Luzerne County was arrested after being found unresponsive in Wilkes-Barre.

On July 27 around 8:47 p.m., officers were called to South Main Street after someone saw an unresponsive man lying on the ground inside Park and Lock Central.

Police said they found the man identified as Christian Cooper, 29, of Dallas, and they believed he was under the influence of a controlled substance to a degree that he was a danger to himself.

Woman charged with shooting in Columbia County

According to Wilkes-Barre City Police, Cooper ran from officers through the parking garage but was eventually arrested.

Cooper was found to have an outstanding warrant that was issued by the Luzene County Sheriffs 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 PAhomepage.com.
The Peekskill man accused of viciously beating a Westchester County caseworker who died five weeks later from her injuries told police he had repeatedly kicked her in the head as she lay on the ground, court documents reveal.

Maria Coto's relatives and a dozen of her colleagues from the Department of Social Services were in Westchester County Court on Tuesday for the arraignment of 31-year-old Hasseem Jenkins, who pleaded not guilty to charges including murder, burglary and robbery.

He is charged with second-degree murder in the May 14 attack under two theories, that he intentionally killed Coto and that he killed her while committing another felony, specifically a burglary.

"It's so hard seeing him in court but we just want justice for my sister," said Dora Rivera, who wore a large button with Coto's photo.

Coto suffered severe brain swelling and facial fractures and died from her injuries June 19.

Haseem Jenkins speaks with his attorney Meghan Stelzer as he is arraigned at the Westchester County Courthouse July 30, 2024 in connection with the death of Westchester County caseworker Maria Coto. Jenkins is charged with second-degree murder in the May 14 beating of Coto when she arrived at 900 State Street in Peekskill to check in on a client, and knocked on the wrong apartment door.

Coto, 56, was going to check on a client at 900 State St. around 3 p.m. when she mistakenly knocked on the door of Jenkins' uncle. Jenkins answered and allegedly began punching her and stomping on her with heavy boots, authorities said. When Coto tried to get away by entering another apartment, Jenkins followed her inside and allegedly continued the assault. That is the basis for the first-degree burglary charge, according to the indictment.

Coto managed to call 911 at the beginning of the confrontation. But Jenkins is accused of taking her cellphone, which he had in his pocket when police arrived moments later, the 911 call still active. Jenkins let out a litany of expletives aimed at them and Coto, according to court documents. He was arrested there and initially charged with attempted murder and assault.

At headquarters minutes later, according to the documents, Jenkins initially asked if he had killed anyone, denied doing anything to Coto and claimed she had tried to stab him.

Two hours later, he told detectives that he didn't know Coto and that she knocked on the door looking for someone. He said he grabbed her by the hair and punched her because he thought someone was trying to attack him. Once in the other apartment, he told them, she was bleeding a lot as he kept kicking her in the head.

In addition to the murder and burglary charges, Jenkins is charged with first-degree robbery, third-degree criminal possession of a weapon and resisting arrest. The weapon charge relates to the heavy boots Jenkins was wearing.

Dora Rivera, the sister of Maria Coto, and Judy Yanes, the goddaughter of Coto, at the Westchester County Courthouse in White Plains July 30 2024 where they attended the arraignment of Haseem Jenkins. Jenkins was charged in for the murder of Coto, a Westchester County caseworker. Jenkins is accused in the May 14 beating of Coto when she arrived at 900 State Street in Peekskill to check in on a client, and knocked on the wrong apartment door.

Jenkins' Legal Aid lawyer did not request bail and declined to comment afterwards. State Supreme Court Justice Anne Minihan ordered Jenkins back to the county jail, where he has been since his arrest.

Coto was planning to retire next year to travel

Rivera said her sister was a wonderful aunt to 15 nieces and nephews and that she was planning to retire next year so she could travel.

Judy Yanes, Coto's goddaughter, called her a "beautiful person inside and out." She said the killing was "brutal, malicious and unprovoked" and said it was particularly painful because it happened while Coto was trying to help people doing the job she loved.

"It was such a great loss for us," Yanes said. "We want justice for her, for her name, for her family and for the people she worked with."

Three weeks after Coto was beaten, Westchester County approved a one-year, $209,000 contract with Century Protective Services Inc. to provide security escorts for DSS caseworkers as needed.

This article originally appeared on Rockland/Westchester Journal News: Peekskill NY man pleads not guilty in death of DSS worker Maria Coto
BUFFALO, N.Y. (WIVB)  The president and treasurer of the Pembroke Central School Districts parent-teacher association has been accused of stealing over $15,000 from the organization, the Genesee County Sheriffs Office said Tuesday.

Orchard Park resident Nicole Will, 43, is accused of stealing the money, which amounted to $15,585.07, from the bank account from January 2019 to April 2024. Authorities said that she had access to the PTA bank account due to her roles.

She is charged with one count of third-degree grand larceny. She was processed at the Genesee County Jail and will be arraigned on Tuesday morning.

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Aidan Joly joined the News 4 staff in 2022. He is a graduate of Canisius College. You can see more of his work here.

Copyright 2024 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.

For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to News 4 Buffalo.
The Indian stock market has shown robust growth, climbing 2.3% over the past week and surging 45% over the last year, with earnings expected to grow by 16% annually. In this dynamic market environment, high-yield dividend stocks can be particularly appealing for investors looking for both stability and income.

Top 10 Dividend Stocks In India

Name Dividend Yield Dividend Rating Balmer Lawrie Investments (BSE:532485) 3.57%  Gulf Oil Lubricants India (NSEI:GULFOILLUB) 3.35%  D. B (NSEI:DBCORP) 4.90%  HCL Technologies (NSEI:HCLTECH) 3.18%  Indian Oil (NSEI:IOC) 7.76%  VST Industries (BSE:509966) 3.45%  Bharat Petroleum (NSEI:BPCL) 6.21%  Oil and Natural Gas (NSEI:ONGC) 3.68%  PTC India (NSEI:PTC) 3.48%  Swaraj Engines (NSEI:SWARAJENG) 3.17% 

Click here to see the full list of 14 stocks from our Top Indian Dividend Stocks screener.

Underneath we present a selection of stocks filtered out by our screen.

Simply Wall St Dividend Rating: 

Overview: Bharat Petroleum Corporation Limited operates in India, focusing on refining crude oil and marketing petroleum products, with a market capitalization of approximately 1.47 trillion.

Operations: Bharat Petroleum Corporation Limited generates revenue primarily through its Downstream Petroleum segment, which accounted for 50.66 billion, and a smaller contribution from Exploration & Production of Hydrocarbons at 0.02 billion.

Dividend Yield: 6.2%

Bharat Petroleum's dividend yield stands at a competitive 6.21%, placing it in the top quartile of Indian dividend stocks, though its track record for stability is mixed with notable volatility over the past decade. Recent financials show a sharp decline in net income from INR 106,443 million to INR 28,415.5 million year-over-year as of Q1 2025, potentially impacting future payouts. Despite this, both earnings and cash flow adequately cover the dividends with payout ratios of 33.3% and 34.6% respectively, supporting short-term sustainability amidst market uncertainties and a recent executive reshuffle.

NSEI:BPCL Dividend History as at Jul 2024

Simply Wall St Dividend Rating: 

Overview: D. B. Corp Limited operates in newspaper printing and publishing, radio broadcasting, and digital news platforms, serving both domestic and international markets with a market capitalization of 61.76 billion.

Operations: D. B. Corp Limited generates revenue primarily through its printing and publishing business, which contributed 22.77 billion, and its radio segment, which added 1.62 billion.

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Dividend Yield: 4.9%

D. B. Corp Limited recently declared an interim dividend of INR 7 per share, reflecting a payout ratio of 70% of face value, payable by mid-August 2024. This follows a pattern of fluctuating dividends, with a previous payment at INR 8 per share in early June. Despite these variations, the company's dividends are well-supported by its financial performance; Q1 FY2025 saw revenues rise to INR 6,162.6 million and net income increase to INR 1,178.66 million from the prior year. However, historical data suggests DBCORP's dividend reliability has been inconsistent over the past decade due to volatility in payments and coverage issues despite recent improvements in earnings and cash flow adequacy with a cash payout ratio at 57%.

NSEI:DBCORP Dividend History as at Jul 2024

Simply Wall St Dividend Rating: 

Overview: Indian Oil Corporation Limited operates in refining, pipeline transportation, and marketing of petroleum products both in India and internationally, with a market capitalization of approximately 2.48 trillion.

Operations: Indian Oil Corporation Limited generates 83.35 billion from petroleum products and 2.62 billion from petrochemicals.

Dividend Yield: 7.8%

Indian Oil Corporation (IOC) offers a dividend yield of 7.76%, ranking in the top 25% of Indian dividend payers. While its dividends are supported by a payout ratio of 39.6% and cash flows with a cash payout ratio of 56.8%, the company's dividend track record over the past decade has been unstable, characterized by volatility. Additionally, IOC faces challenges with high debt levels and earnings expected to decline by an average of 20% annually over the next three years, potentially impacting future dividend sustainability despite current coverage ratios. Recent strategic alliances and executive changes indicate active management aiming to navigate these challenges.

NSEI:IOC Dividend History as at Jul 2024

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This article by Simply Wall St is general in nature. We provide commentary based on historical data and analyst forecasts only using an unbiased methodology and our articles are not intended to be financial advice. It does not constitute a recommendation to buy or sell any stock, and does not take account of your objectives, or your financial situation. We aim to bring you long-term focused analysis driven by fundamental data. Note that our analysis may not factor in the latest price-sensitive company announcements or qualitative material. Simply Wall St has no position in any stocks mentioned.

Companies discussed in this article include NSEI:BPCL NSEI:DBCORP and NSEI:IOC.

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(WHTM)  Multiple Penn State University Commonwealth Campuses now have Regional Chancellors in an apparent consolidation effort following more than 300 voluntary separations earlier this year.

On June 11 Penn State University announced that 383 employees opted to participate in a voluntary separation program. The voluntary separation program came among a $49 million deficit at Commonwealth Campuses. According to a publication on Penn State Scrantons website, five Commonwealth Campus leaders decided to retire this year.

Penn State Mont Alto Chancellor Dr. Francis Achampong and Penn State York Chancellor David Christiansen announced their retirements, effective June 28. Penn State Scrantons Marwan Wafa and Shenangos Jo Anne Carrick also retired in June. Penn State New Kensingtons Kevin Snider will be retiring at the end of December.

A map provided by Penn State University highlighted the new regional leadership model.

According to an email from Penn State Mont Alto, Dr. Marilyn J. Wells joined Penn State Mont Alto as Regional Chancellor on July 1, 2024. In addition to the Mont Alto campus, Dr. Wells will also oversee Penn State York and Brandywine where she served as Chancellor since 2020.

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This Week in Pennsylvania

I am honored to lead Penn State Mont Alto as its next Chancellor, said Dr. Wells. I am exhilarated by the campus rich and unique story for over 1320 years, respected and kept alive in todays welcoming spaces and technology-rich facilities.

Penn State Beaver and Penn State Shenango will be led by Chancellor Carey McDougall.

Penn State Fayette, Penn State Greater Allegheny and Penn State New Kensington will be led by Chancellor Megan Nagel.

Penn State Hazleton, Penn State Scranton and Penn State Wilkes-Barre will be led by Chancellor Elizabeth Wright. Wilkes-Barre Chancellor Lynda Goldstein will remain in her position through the end of her contract in 2025 to work with Wright

Penn State says the transformation of operations at Commonwealth Campuses includes anew shared regional administrative model that will create efficiencies across campuses and help reduce expenditures, optimized service teams and a one-time infusion of up to $20 million in additional funding.

Penn State has been making adjustments to address the reality of changing demographics in Pennsylvania and across the country, but these small changes are not enough to position the University for the long term, said Margo DelliCarpini, vice president for Commonwealth Campuses and executive chancellor. We have to make fundamental changes that create the most efficient organization possible in delivering on Penn States mission.

The decision to have one chancellor oversee multiple regional campuses is similar to a move made by the Pennsylvania State System of Higher Education (PASSHE) to consolidate multiple campuses.

This is a developing story. Stay with abc27 News as more information becomes available

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For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to ABC27.
The Pennsylvania man arrested for the dismemberment killing of 14-year-old trans teen Pauly A. Likens is facing additional charges following a preliminary hearing last week, the Erie Times-News and other local media reported.

Likens was last seen alive on June 22 after leaving the home of a friend where she was staying temporarily. Her remains were later found scattered in a lake in Clark, Pa., in the northwestern part of the state.

DeShawn Watkins, 29, was arrested on July 2 and charged the following day with murder in the first degree, aggravated assault  attempts to cause serious bodily injury or causes injury with extreme indifference, abuse of a corpse, and tampering with/fabricating physical evidence. Before Thursdays hearing, Assistant District Attorney Kendra Strobel added a general count of murder and a felony count of involuntary deviate sexual intercourse, the latter count resulting from the age of Likens.

At the preliminary hearing on Thursday, Mercer County Coroner John Libonati told the court Likens was killed by six sharp-force trauma wounds about her head and neck. It was also revealed that some parts of Likenss body have yet to be recovered.

Investigators said they used cell phone location data and surveillance footage from area homes and businesses to track the teens movements immediately before her disappearance near a canoe launch in a local park just after 3 a.m. on June 23. A car police believe belonging to Watkins appears to enter the area around the same time, but no footage definitively places Watkins in the presence of Likens. The car left around nine minutes later and Likens was never seen again.

Related: Here are the 19 transgender Americans lost to violence so far this year

Watkinss court-appointed attorney Assistant Public Defender Vincent Nudi argued the case was circumstantial and cited issues with the integrity of some of the video evidence. While not denying the validity of Nudis claims regarding the video evidence at trial, Sharon District Judge Travis Martwinski found the evidence met the standards for a preliminary hearing and ordered Watkins be held over for trial on all charges.

According to the affidavit of probable cause obtained by The Advocate, Likens was staying with a friend who told police the teen left between 9 p.m. and 9:30 p.m. to walk to her home. It was the last time anyone saw her alive.

Likens posted a picture of a dark and deserted road around 2:30 a.m. June 23, saying she was on a late-night walk to clear her mind. Her friend inquired if she was OK, to which she replied affirmatively. This was Likens's last known communication despite further messages from her friend.

Video footage captured a person believed to be Likens pacing back and forth and looking at her phone as if waiting to meet someone at the canoe launch on the Shenango River Reservoir in Budd Street Public Park.

Around this time, Watkins left his apartment and drove to the canoe launch. Police say his vehicle was seen leaving the area around the same time that Likens's phone was turned off at 3:40 a.m. Watkins returned to his home and was captured on video struggling to move a large duffel bag into his residence, leaving a trail of blood, according to police.

Later the same day, Watkins reportedly purchased a power saw with exchangeable blades and was seen returning to his apartment with a large shopping bag. Police later recovered the saw , but one blade was missing. Watkins was then observed on video repeatedly leaving the residence with a series of smaller bags. Police believe he took those bags to the Shenango River Reservoir, where he dumped parts of the 14-year-old's body.

Police quickly identified Watkins as the prime suspect in the case. They detained him as he returned to his residence Tuesday. Police noted a bandaged cut on his hand at the time of his arrest.

Watkins told police he had met someone matching Likenss description on Grindr and admitted hooking up with this person in the general area. He denied stopping at the canoe launch but did say he might have driven past it as he tried to find his date. He also denied his date returned with him to his apartment.

He further claimed he cut his hand on a piece of sheet metal at work while searching for reptiles.

A search of his apartment complex found a trail of blood traces leading to his residence and more where he placed the duffel bag in his apartment, including the bathroom and under the bathroom tile. Video captured Watkins attempting to clean the sidewalk and hallway leading to his apartment.

Likens is at least the 18th trans person to die by violence in the U.S. this year.

A GoFundMe page has been created to help the family pay for funeral expenses. It has currently raised over $27,000 against a goal of $15,000.

Watkins is next due back in court on Sept. 24.
There's a shed on the grounds of the old John A. Gibson School on C Street with the words "Live, Laugh, Learn" painted on the side. Nearby, on the north side of the old school the word "AIR" is tagged in graffiti, despite the chain link fence around the block-sized building and the numerous "No Trespassing" signs on the fence and on the building windows, boarded up with plywood.

It's a fitting demonstration of what the school, originally a school for Black children in a time of segregation, once was and has now become.

But as for its future, no one knows.

Last week, the Florida Trust for Historic Preservation placed the John A. Gibson School building on its 2024 Florida's 11 to Save, a list of the most threatened historic places in the state.

Each year, the Florida Trust announces its 11 to Save sites, though the program is non-binding and doesn't guarantee that a building will be saved. The school was named for John A. Gibson, a Bahamas-born educator born in 1827. It opened in 1921, years after his death in Pensacola on Oct. 3, 1906.

Righting the past: John A. Gibson, education advocate and community leader, dead at 79

Gibson came to Pensacola in 1872 and became a leader in education, and also served as a city alderman for three terms from 1879 to 1885, one of at least 15 Black people who would serve on the board during Reconstruction. He served as a principal at various Pensacola schools, and in the mid-1880s he worked as a deputy teacher examiner for the school district and helped organize the Institute of Colored Teachers of Escambia County, according to Pensacola historian and educator Robin Reshard.

The John A. Gibson School closed in 1974, but the building continued being a place for education when it then became the headquarters for Escambia County's Gibson Head Start program, a place where children continued to grow intellectually and socially for decades more.

Yet the century-old building was damaged by Hurricane Sally in 2020, and in 2023 Head Start operations in the building ceased.

The memories of the old brick building and what it meant to a neighborhood, a community, are still strong.

Freda Cox was a volunteer at the Gibson Head Start and her mother, Rosa Evelyn Lee, was a teacher there for 29 years. Cox's daughter, Carla Lomax, attended classes there. Now, Lomax is a successful entrepreneur in Jacksonville with a master's degree in business administration.

"The teachers were so good there and really dedicated themselves to the students,'' said Cox, 69. "Field trips to the turtle farm, there were always plays and events for the children. I knew all the children's names. We all did."

She said her mother, now 94, taught 4-year-olds the basics.

"They learned how to eat, go to the bathroom, clean up after themselves,'' Cox said. "They learned about life."

Tracey Adams Golay was one of the students at John A. Gibson School from 1964 to 1966. She only lived two blocks away.

She was a library assistant, and also helped teachers grade papers. She said the librarian at the school, "Mrs. Spencer," not only taught her the Dewey Decimal System, but "cultivated my interest and eventually my love of reading."

"We would have annual productions that would rival any on Broadway,'' Golay said. "We had such excellent educators who were all Black. But we had such a really good education, and based on what we have now in society, I know we received a great education."

She said the teachers  her grandmother and other relatives taught there through the years  "lived in the neighborhood and knew the parents. They were dedicated to their chosen profession, their calling."

Pensacola City Council member Teniade Broughton nominated the building for the 11 to Save list.

"As a representation of the progress for African Americans, the community named the school after (Gibson) and built a strong brick school, when most of the schools for African Americans were wood-framed,'' she said. "It was a testament to the community at the time, because so many people didn't know there was such a strong African American presence and population here."

The Escambia County School District owns the building and property, but in February the Pensacola Community Redevelopment Agency voted unanimously to authorize $570,00 for purchase of the building and property. No agreement has been made, however, and the building's future is still much in the air.

Last week at a press conference, Pensacola Mayor D.C. Reeves spoke of the school briefly.

"We're continuing conversations with the School District about Gibson,'' Reeves said. "We're trying to be proactive in saving buildings, even buildings like Gibson that may not be salvageable. We're still trying to get a step up and see if there are tax credits or something that can make it happen. I think preserving the character of our community is important."

Cox said that "Pensacola has lost too many" buildings that are important to Black residents in the city. She hopes the fate of the John A. Gibson School will be different.

"It's part of our history,'' she said. "So many of our wonderful children passed through that door."

This article originally appeared on Pensacola News Journal: Florida Trust for Historic Preservation 11 to Save has John A. Gibson
Principal Dan Marburger addresses the graduates during the Perry High School commencement ceremony on Sunday, May 29, 2022.

Perry High School principal Dan Marburger will be honored posthumously with an Iowa Character Award for "his love for his students and the Perry community," which culminated in his death protecting others from a school shooter.

The 17-year-old student shot and killed 11-year-old Ahmir Jolliff and wounded seven other people, including Marburger, before taking his own life. Marburger  who police say tried to intervene to protect students  died 10 days later.

"Dan believed all students deserve access to high-quality education and supported each student who walked through his halls. He felt that everyone had value and purpose," a news release announcing the award said. "Dan saved numerous lives during an active shooter event on Jan. 4, 2024, at Perry High School. His selflessness that day is perhaps the biggest example of Dan's character and his love for his students and the Perry community."

More: District dedicates Perry High School gym in honor of principal killed in school shooting

Marburger will be one of 12 individuals and groups recognized for their exceptional character during a ceremony Friday hosted by the Robert D. and Billie Ray Center at Drake University. Iowans are annually recognized by the Ray Center for showing the six pillars of character, trustworthiness, respect, responsibility, fairness, caring and good citizenship.

Marburger will receive the 2024 Character Champion Award.

The late Marburger served in the Perry district for nearly 30 years, first as an associate principal in 1995 and then as principal beginning in 1997.

A news release from the Ray Center said Marburger developed multiple initiatives at Perry High School, including "High Schools that Work," Project CRISS (Creating Independence through Student Owned Strategies) and more. With the help of guidance counselors, he made sure students had the curriculum they needed in high school and he expanded college credit courses at DMACC Perry VanKirk Career Academy.

Other initiatives Marburger helped develop at Perry High School included a school resource officer program, an alternative school program, an at-risk program and a Mentors of Violence Prevention student leadership program.

More: Perry High School graduation honors class of 2024 while remembering principal Dan Marburger

Dan Marburger

"Dan impacted the lives of thousands of students and staff members, ensuring each became a knowledgeable, skilled, and productive citizen of character," the news release said.

Marburgers wife, Elizabeth, will accept the award on his behalf during Fridays ceremony.

A televised special of the 2024 Iowa Character Awards recipients will air at 8 p.m. Aug. 7 on Fox 17. The special also will be posted at IowaCharacterAwards.org.

This article originally appeared on Des Moines Register: Dan Marburger to posthumously receive Iowa Character Award
Supporters of the Venezuelan opposition demonstrate following the announcement that Venezuela's President Maduro won the presidential election, in Caracas

LIMA (Reuters) -Peru's government ordered Venezuelan diplomats in the Andean nation to leave within 72 hours, after Venezuela's electoral authority declared President Nicolas Maduro the winner of Sunday's election.

Venezuela's opposition and independent pollsters have derided a Maduro win as implausible.

Peru's foreign ministry made its announcement to dismiss Venezuela's diplomats in a statement citing the "serious and arbitrary decisions made today by the Venezuelan regime."

Peru is home to one of the largest communities of Venezuelan migrants, most of whom have fled their homeland in recent years.

Asked during an interview with CNN whether Peru will break off relations with its fellow South American nation, Foreign Minister Javier Gonzalez-Olaoechea answered: "It is not our wish, but we cannot rule it out."

He noted that several governments in the region are coordinating their actions over the contested vote "in the same chat."

Peru had said earlier on Monday it would not accept a violation of Venezuelans' popular will and that it had recalled its ambassador.

Many Latin American leaders have rejected the results or said that greater transparency is needed. The Organization of American States is also holding an extraordinary meeting to discuss the election on Wednesday.

(Reporting by Sarah Morland and Marco Aquino; Editing by David Alire Garcia)
(Bloomberg) -- Perus top prosecutor office on Tuesday said it had filed a complaint against President Dina Boluarte for alleged homicide in the death of 44 people, amid what it said were grave violations of human rights.

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The so-called constitutional complaint stems from massive protests against Boluarte early in her presidency and the government response to stop them. Human rights organizations have said Perus police and armed forces killed innocent protesters and published videos showing law enforcement firing at civilians.

In announcing the complaint, the attorney generals office said that 41 people had been killed with firearms and that another 78 had been wounded by them.

The complaint needs to be reviewed by Congress to go forward as it involves a sitting president. But it adds more legal woes for Boluarte, a much disliked president with single-digit approval ratings. Shes also under investigation for alleged illegal enrichment over her use of Rolex watches and other expensive jewelry that she was unlikely to be able to afford.

Boluarte has denied any wrongdoing during her administration and said the protests against her were violent and any response was meant to pacify the country. Her top aide, Prime Minister Gustavo Adrianzen, earlier Tuesday applauded a decision to drop a separate investigation against Boluarte over alleged genocide during the anti-government protests.

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Much of Pete Buttigiegs interview with Jon Stewart on The Daily Show Monday night was consumed with Stewarts speculation that Buttigieg is being vetted as a potential vice-presidential candidate. Buttigieg did not deny the notion, but parried by saying that, generally, being vetted for a political post is like being vetted to become a parent through adoption, as he and his husband had.

It was yet another example of the very particular skill Buttigieg has; more than any of his peers, hes effectively a made-for-TV politician. This isnt to say hes, necessarily, callow or slick, though he certainly has a preternatural smoothness. He simply has the debaters skill of speaking in an unbroken and unbreakable rhythm, thereby allowing the terms of the conversation to shift to whatever is on his mind. Asked by Stewart, for instance, why he keeps going on Fox News, Buttigieg spoke about the value of meeting not-necessarily-like-minded voters where they are, slipping in thats how I won Iowa so deftly it felt practically subliminal.

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Buttigiegs appearances on Fox News, as much as Minnesota Governor Tim Walzs repetition of the idea that the members of the Republican ticket are weird, or Kentucky Governor Andy Beshear saying that vice-presidential candidate, and Hillbilly Elegy author, JD Vance is not from here, have become part of the fabric of this strange, fraught, potential-rich moment. For a vanishingly short window of time, thanks to the abbreviated nature of Kamala Harris run for the presidency, these individuals have the opportunity to campaign for her while campaigning for themselves  proving their value as surrogates while, of course (of course!), keeping the focus on the principal. (Buttigieg also showed an ability to get with the program, critiquing how odd [Vance has] turned out to be, in line with the weird talking point that the party has begun rolling out widely.)

Is Buttigieg appearing on Fox News an admirable attempt at trying to break through to potentially winnable moderates or conservatives? Why not! (His point, to Stewart, that while he doubts the network is operating in good faith, its viewers are watching in good faith, is well-taken.) Can it also be read as an attempt to prove his own mettle? Its hard to watch his recent Fox News Sunday appearance, in which he managed to completely steer the conversation, peppering in so many ripostes against Donald Trump that Shannon Bream simply could not respond point-by-point, and not see a sort of merry ambition. And on Bill Mahers Real Time, notionally a lighter-hearted setting, Buttigieg tailored his approach slightly, dismantling Vances self-presentation and the tech industrys support of Trump with a grin on his face.

Which is hardly a groundbreaking insight: All politicians are ambitious, perhaps few more so than the mayor of a small Indiana city who, on the basis of exactly that much electoral experience, decided to run for president. His run then was fueled, first, by his willingness to appear on-camera for any media outlet willing to have him (and, given the novelty of his story, from his sexuality to his Rhodes scholar/veteran background to the office he held, many were). Now, hes being booked not because hes Joe Bidens Secretary of Transportation, an office in which his wins are by their nature small-bore and tangential to the grand sweep of presidential politics, but because he is known to be good on camera.

Whats interesting about Buttigieg in this moment  beyond how naturally talented he is at being on television  is the question of how far this talent will take him. Whatever is Buttigiegs substance has, in 2020 and today, always come second to his style, his ability to break down the case for the Democratic Party in clear and relentless English. Whether tapped as Harris running mate or not, he seems likely to remain in a unique position: The guy who  very naturally and well, with the sort of earnestness one would like to say you cant fake  plays a Democrat on TV.

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Secretary of Transportation Pete Buttigieg stopped by The Daily Show on Monday to talk about the rapidly developing state of the 2024 presidential electionbut the conversation soon turned to the subject of Sen. J.D. Vance.

Buttigieg has gone after Donald Trumps new running mate plenty of times already, but his message this time had an extra kick to it.

There is a temptation to have our message be entirely about Donald Trump, because were so disturbed by what his return would mean, Buttigieg said. And maybe a little more also about J.D. Vance, because of how odd hes turned out to be.

He explained to Jon Stewart, He just systematically insulted so many people. Its not just the kind of things he said, but the policy ideas behind them. Like, he has this idea that you should get extra votes if you have kids He suggested that you should have extra votes if youre a parent.

He doesnt just say that being a parent gives you an important role as a citizen, which I agree with because it gives you a unique perspective on the future; its that not being a parent makes you less, Buttigieg said.

Oh, I think thats absolutely how they feel, Stewart said.

He said people who dont have children, this is a quote, have no physical commitment to the future of this country, Buttigieg explained. When I was deployed to Afghanistan, I didnt have kids back then, but I will tell you: especially when there was a rocket attack going on, my commitment to this country felt pretty physical.

Can I tell you something? Stewart said. This is why people love seeing you go on their shows. Because that framing is perfect. It points to that idea that, Who are you to tell whats in someone elses heart about what they feel about the future or what they feel about this country? And the sacrifices that you made, as you said, without having had children, were tremendous.

Stewart also brought up the GOPs branding of itself as a friend to the working class, asking Buttigieg, What is this economic populism based on?

Well, its not based on policy, Buttigieg replied. Its just body language. Its this idea that if you just act like you are populist, that counts.

The secretary explained further: Look, Im under no illusions that elections are just a policy exercise But if your party has been systematically against unions, against a higher minimum wage, against things like paid family leave, against overtime, then just because you found Hulk Hogan and Kid Rock and put them on stage doesnt make you a friend of the working class.

Jon Stewart Roasts the GOPs Flailing Attempts to Attack Kamala Harris

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Sen. John Kennedy, R-La., on Monday called the presumptive Democratic nominee for president, Kamala Harris, a little bit of a ding dong,  a phrase he repeated about half a dozen times during a ten-minute Fox News interview.

The GOP senator was met with some pushback from host Neil Cavuto who confronted him for his comment. Cavuto questioned the purpose of the name-calling the vice president has faced from Republicans like Kennedy, calling it petty.

Well, this ding dong, senator, has risen in the polls, Cavuto said.

Margaret Thatcher didnt giggle, Golda Meir didnt giggle. When you look at the polls, fair or not, many Americans  and again, this may not be fair  but Im showing you what the polls show. Many Americans think that the vice president is a little bit of a ding dong, Kennedy told Cavuto.

Without clarifying just what polls hes referring to, Kennedy claimed that polls show that Americans believe that Harris is not a serious person, and is a member of the loon wing of the Democratic Party.

And let me say it again, I think that fair or not, and it may upset you, but fair or not the American people think those who have an opinion of the vice president think that, number one, shes a little bit of a ding-dong, he said.

Im just wondering how you think that will resonate with women when she is called nasty and crazy and a ding-dong and disrespectful, between you and the president, what has been said about her. Im just wondering, do you worry how that comes across? Cavuto interjected.

To which Kennedy clarified his position: he doesn't care about Harris gender, just that she is a ding dong.

"Are you really being objective, senator? I just think you've got a bashathon of name-calling at her. If you call that being objective, I dunno ... I hope you have a better day" -- this Fox News interview DID NOT go well for Sen. John Kennedy pic.twitter.com/gtTfEbUAAL  Aaron Rupar (@atrupar) July 29, 2024
The Japanese stock market has recently experienced significant losses, with the Nikkei 225 Index falling by 6.0% and the broader TOPIX Index declining by 5.6%. Amidst this volatility, investors are increasingly looking towards dividend stocks as a stable income source. In such uncertain times, a good dividend stock is characterized by consistent payouts and strong fundamentals, offering both income stability and potential for capital appreciation.

Top 10 Dividend Stocks In Japan

Name Dividend Yield Dividend Rating Tsubakimoto Chain (TSE:6371) 3.85%  Business Brain Showa-Ota (TSE:9658) 3.66%  Mitsubishi Shokuhin (TSE:7451) 3.56%  Globeride (TSE:7990) 3.81%  KurimotoLtd (TSE:5602) 4.52%  FALCO HOLDINGS (TSE:4671) 6.43%  GakkyushaLtd (TSE:9769) 4.22%  E J Holdings (TSE:2153) 3.68%  DoshishaLtd (TSE:7483) 3.59%  Innotech (TSE:9880) 4.30% 

Click here to see the full list of 414 stocks from our Top Japanese Dividend Stocks screener.

Let's uncover some gems from our specialized screener.

Simply Wall St Dividend Rating: 

Overview: Proto Corporation offers automobile-related information services for new and used cars, parts, and supplies, with a market cap of 58.46 billion.

Operations: Proto Corporation's revenue segments include Commerce at 75.53 billion and Pratt Form at 31.55 billion.

Dividend Yield: 3.4%

Proto Corporation offers a reliable dividend yield of 3.44%, covered by earnings (31.3% payout ratio) and cash flows (58.4% cash payout ratio). The companys dividends have been stable and growing over the past decade, making it a consistent choice for income investors. Recent board changes aim to strengthen management amid evolving market conditions, potentially enhancing long-term value. Trading at 39.5% below estimated fair value, Proto presents good relative value compared to peers in Japan's market.

TSE:4298 Dividend History as at Jul 2024

Simply Wall St Dividend Rating: 

Overview: Sanyo Special Steel Co., Ltd., along with its subsidiaries, manufactures and sells special steel products both in Japan and internationally, with a market cap of 114.63 billion.

Operations: Sanyo Special Steel Co., Ltd. generates revenue primarily from its Steel Products segment at 338.65 billion, followed by Formed and Fabricated Materials at 18.39 billion, and Metal Powders at 5.34 billion.

Dividend Yield: 3.3%

Sanyo Special Steels dividend payments have been volatile over the past decade, with recent decreases from 45 to 30 per share. Despite this, dividends are well covered by earnings (35.4% payout ratio) and cash flows (16.9% cash payout ratio). The company forecasts net sales of 345 billion and profit attributable to owners of parent at 9.5 billion for FY 2025, suggesting potential stability in future payouts despite current challenges in maintaining a consistent dividend track record.

Story continues

TSE:5481 Dividend History as at Jul 2024

Simply Wall St Dividend Rating: 

Overview: IDEC Corporation develops human machine interfaces, industrial switches, control devices, and daily life scenes in Japan and internationally, with a market cap of 89.52 billion.

Operations: IDEC Corporation's revenue segments are Japan (39.09 billion), Americas (14.86 billion), Asia-Pacific (19.76 billion), and Europe, Middle East and Africa (EMEA) (18.54 billion).

Dividend Yield: 4.3%

IDEC's dividend payments have been volatile over the past decade, and its current payout ratio of 86.6% indicates dividends are covered by earnings but not by free cash flows, with a high cash payout ratio of 130.4%. Although trading at 35% below estimated fair value, profit margins have decreased from 12.1% to 6.1% year-over-year. Despite these challenges, the dividend yield is in the top quartile for Japan at 4.28%.

TSE:6652 Dividend History as at Jul 2024

Where To Now?

Click through to start exploring the rest of the 411 Top Japanese Dividend Stocks now.

Already own these companies? Link your portfolio to Simply Wall St and get alerts on any new warning signs to your stocks.

Streamline your investment strategy with Simply Wall St's app for free and benefit from extensive research on stocks across all corners of the world.

Curious About Other Options?

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:4298 TSE:5481 and TSE:6652.

Have feedback on this article? Concerned about the content? Get in touch with us directly. Alternatively, email editorial-team@simplywallst.com
Kamala Harris has gained strong support as the presumptive Democratic presidential candidate. Putting Josh Shapiro, the governor of Pennsylvania, on the ticket would risk fracturing that support.

The most divisive issue among Democrats is the U.S.-enabled Israeli war against the civilian population of Gaza. To unify the party and defeat Trumps MAGA forces, Harris needs to distance herself in a meaningful way from Joe Bidens Gaza policy. If she does so, she can win back the votes and energy of young activists, progressives, racial justice organizers, Arab Americans and Muslims  many of whom devoted weeks or months of their lives in 2020 to defeating Trump on behalf of the Biden-Harris ticket.

But a Harris-Shapiro ticket would jeopardize all that.

Today, parallels are apparent with the pivotal events of 1968, when President Lyndon B. Johnson  increasingly unpopular among Democrats and others because of his Vietnam War policies  stunned the political world by announcing he would not seek re-election. At the Democratic convention in Chicago, the party nominated LBJs vice president, Hubert Humphrey  who had not even run in the primaries  as its standard-bearer. Humphreys halting efforts to distance himself from Johnsons policies were too little, too late, and he was unable to connect with many of the dedicated Democratic activists and voters who were opposed to the war. After failing to detach himself sufficiently from LBJ's war, Humphrey lost a winnable election to Republican Richard Nixon.

If Harris now chooses a running mate who strongly connects her to Bidens policies on the Gaza war, which are widely unpopular with much of the Democratic base, party unity  and the chances of defeating Donald Trump  would be undermined.

Overall, Josh Shapiro is liberal and sometimes progressive on domestic issues (though notably not when it comes to fracking for natural gas or tax subsidies for private schools). But on the contentious issue of Israels relentless war against civilians in Gaza, Shapiro sounds much less bothered by the lethal violence than by U.S. activists for Palestinian lives, many of whom he has demonized. Heres a bit of the history:

In 2021, after Ben & Jerrys (a company founded and led by Jewish Americans) refused to sell its products in Israels illegal settlements, Shapiro, who was then Pennsylvania's attorney general, threatened the company by urging state agencies to enforce a constitutionally suspect law targeting advocates of Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions, or BDS, against Israel over its discriminatory policies. Shapiro smeared such advocates by claiming that BDS is rooted in antisemitism  although the effort has wide support globally, including from many Jews, as a thoroughly nonviolent tactic aimed at advancing Palestinian rights.

After the horrific Hamas attack of last Oct. 7, several dozen Pennsylvania-based Muslim groups wrote a letter protesting Gov. Shapiros one-sided comments: Not only did you fail to recognize the structural root causes of the conflict," they argued, "you chose to intentionally ignore the civilian loss of life in Gaza. Responding to the letter after Israeli bombs and missiles had killed more civilians in Gaza than had been killed by Hamas in Israel on Oct. 7, the governors spokesman said: We all must speak with moral clarity and support Israels right to defend itself.

Last December, after he amplified the Capitol Hill demagoguery of Rep. Elise Stefanik, R-N.Y., a MAGA loyalist, Shapiro contributed to the firing of the University of Pennsylvania president. Shapiro said of Penn's leader: I thought her comments were absolutely shameful. It should not be hard to condemn genocide. By then, after two months of Israeli bombing, more than 17,000 Gazans had been killed, most of them women and children. Later that month, Israel was charged with violations of the Genocide Convention in South Africas filing at the International Court of Justice.

In early April, after Democratic governors in other states had called for a ceasefire in Gaza, Muslim leaders in Philadelphia criticized Shapiro for his refusal to do so.

Beginning in late April, Shapiro and his office repeatedly prodded campuses to restore order and take action against student protest movements such as Penn's Gaza Solidarity Encampment, which called on the college administration to provide greater transparency on university investments, divest from Israel and reinstate the banned student group Penn Students Against the Occupation.

On May 9, Shapiro invoked student safety in demanding the encampment be shut down. Police shut it down the next day, arresting 33 people. In two different interviews, Shapiro seemed to compare campus ceasefire activists, many of whom are Jewish or students of color, to white supremacists camped out and yelling racial slurs and people dressed up in KKK outfits or KKK regalia making comments about people who are African American.

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In May, as activism continued to grow over Israels lethal violence against civilians in Gaza, Shapiro issued an order aimed at Israels critics that revised his administrations code of conduct to bar state employees from scandalous or disgraceful conduct  a vague and subjective directive criticized by the legal director of Pennsylvanias ACLU as a possible violation of free speech protections.

In a July 23 tweet on X, progressive leader and former Ohio state Sen. Nina Turner wrote: Choosing Governor Josh Shapiro for Vice President would be a mistake. Governor Shapiro compared pro-peace protesters to the KKK. Thats simply unacceptable & would stifle the momentum VP Harris has. Hopefully she is looking to build a broad coalition to beat Trump.

A broad coalition to defeat Donald Trump and the fascistic MAGA movement is exactly what we need. Making Josh Shapiro the nominee for vice president would create internal conflict within that coalition, which is exactly what we dont need.
Leanne Lucas, 35, who organised the Taylor Swift-themed class, is thought to be among those caught up in the attack

A dance teacher is believed to be among those injured when a knifeman launched an attack at a childrens dance class.

Leanne Lucas, 35, was holding the Taylor Swift-themed class when a hooded man is thought to have targeted adults and children as young as six just before midday in Southport, Merseyside.

Two children were killed and nine others were stabbed. Six of the wounded children remained in critical condition on Monday night and were being treated at hospitals across the North West. Two adults were also injured and were in critical condition, according to police.

Merseyside Police confirmed on Monday evening that a 17-year-old boy, from the village of Banks, about five miles away from Southport, had been arrested and was being questioned on suspicion of murder and attempted murder.

Ms Lucas, a teacher, had organised the dance, yoga and bracelet-making class and was among those rushed to hospital, according to MailOnline.

Posting a photo of Leanne on Facebook, Sunshine Yoga wrote: Im absolutely devastated. Please please pray for Leanne.

Leanne came on my training course in December. A beautiful young creative girl who was so passionate about helping children. I just cant believe it. Please pray.

A school friend told The Telegraph: To my knowledge she organised it, she used to be a primary school teacher at a local school. I think she got into teaching before I did.

She was really, really lovely. I only knew her from high school. Quite quiet, she was a primary school teacher, she wanted to help people. Thats why you get into it, to do everything you can and thats what shes done.

The area around Hart Street was cordoned off as emergency services assisted residents and parents - William Lailey/SWNS

Her aunt, Pauline Bennett said: Shes only tiny, she wouldnt have stood a chance against a man with a knife, but she just wanted to protect those children.

I cant imagine what she would have been thinking when he came through the door. It all happened so quickly, she just did what she could.

Her sister stayed at her bedside all night and her parents are with her now. Ive been told shes due to have surgery today. Were just hoping and praying that shes going to be ok.

Leanne loves teaching children, its all shes ever wanted to do. She just loves children. Its just heartbreaking that someone could do something like this.

Heidi Barlow, co-organiser of the event and dance teacher, is said to have been present at the dance studio when the attack took place.

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MIAMI COUNTY, Ohio (WDTN)  The man accused of setting off an incendiary device at Piqua High School has entered a not guilty plea.

Grady Egerton pleaded not guilty by reason of insanity on Monday, July 29, according to a document from the Miami County Common Pleas Court.

According to the document, a request has been made to evaluate Egertons competency to stand trial. A pretrial hearing is scheduled for August 5 at 10 a.m.

On July 2, Egerton was taken into police custody following a lengthy overnight standoff.

Crews responded to the 1000 block of Jill Court to execute a search warrant against Egerton for his alleged connection to a fire at Piqua High School.

Egerton was taken into custody on the following charges:

Fourth-degree felony arson

Fourth-degree felony inducing panic

Fourth-degree felony vandalism

Second-degree felony unlawful possession of dangerous ordnance

Egertons bond is set at $250,000.

Copyright 2024 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.

For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to WDTN.com.
CHEROKEE COUNTY, Kan.  A Pittsburg man with a history of drug arrests is back in police custody  accused of possessing a large quantity of meth and fentanyl.



Cherokee County deputies arrested Alex Harman, 25, last night after a traffic stop in Weir. Officers say Harman faces charges of possession and distribution of fentanyl, drug paraphernalia, and meth.

In March of this year, Harman was sentenced to six months in the Kansas Department of Corrections for drug convictions from 2022 and 2023. He was also convicted of weapons charges for a drive-by shooting in Pittsburg in 2019.

Harman is being held without bond in the Cherokee County Jail.

Cherokee County authorities say this is the second significant drug seizure in the last two weeks. The total estimated street value from these seizures is about $10,000.

Copyright 2024 Nexstar Media, Inc. 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.
One of Pittsburghs 700 stairs leads to this observation deck atop Mount Washington overlooking the Monongahela River. Photograph by Cathrine Stukhard, laif/Redux

As more urban hikers take to trails such as the new Underline in Miami and Buffalo Bayou Greenway Connector in Houston, they are rediscovering Pittsburghs unique kind of city challenge. Over 700 staircases climb the towns steep, surrounding hills, plunging through dense residential neighborhoods and leafy thickets. From the steps, as locals refer to them, you can experience sweeping vistas of downtown Pittsburgh that might make you think youre standing atop one of the peaks in the nearby Allegheny Mountains.

History of Pittsburghs steps

From the early 1900s through the 1970s, Pittsburgh was one of Americas leading steel manufacturing towns, producing over 20 million tons of steel annually by the early 20th century. The hills of western Pennsylvania were rich with iron orethe key raw ingredient for steelbut setting up shop within these hills resulted in Pittsburgh building some of the steepest and most lung-busting streets in America.



For the thousands of steel workers living up on the hills that surround the city center, commuting to the factories downtown was a grueling ordeal. In addition to constructing a series of mechanical funiculars that connected the hilltops to downtown, the city built long stairways to help Pittsburghers get to work and back up again without injuring their calf muscles. While you couldnt call climbing these stairways easy, the flat steps were a slightly less arduous alternative to the relentlessly angular grade of Pittsburghs steep streets.

The Kerr Street steps ascend through Pittsburghs West End. The old stone foundations of homes become visible during the fall and winter months. Photograph by Matthew Jacob



Altogether, more than 700 public stairways were created, making Pittsburgh the most step-rich city in the U.S., with a cumulative estimated height of roughly 24,000 feetonly 5,000 feet shy of the Mount Everest summit.

When the steel industry collapsed in the mid-80s, Pittsburgh lost much of its population (and tax base). The rise of the automobile had already prompted many Pittsburghers to abandon the stairways as their primary means of commuting to work. And as the city kept losing residents and revenue, it stopped maintaining the steps, leading to many falling into disrepairposing a stay or go question for some residents whose homes were only accessible by stairway.



But in 2015, Bob Regan, a geographic systems professor, published Pittsburgh Steps: The Story of the Citys Public Stairways, a historic guidebook that brought hundreds of the forgotten stairways back into focus for the wider public, decades after the city had stopped managing the steps and even keeping records of them.

Regan, who biked hundreds of miles around the city to track down and chronicle the lost steps, also handed over his mapping data to the city government, which used it to produce a public interactive map of all the accessible stairways around town. This summer, local stair enthusiasts Laura Zurowski, Charles Succop, and Matthew Jacob joined forces to publish City Steps of Pittsburgh: A History & Guide, a sequel which includes original photos of the steps and several suggested walking routes that include some of the most interesting stairways and striking city vistas.

(Walk across the sky in the U.S.s highest-elevation city.)

Four ways to experience the Pittsburgh steps

Of all the Pittsburgh neighborhoods, South Side Slopes is home to the greatest concentration of steps. Once each year, the South Side Slopes Neighborhood Association draws hundreds of urban hikers for StepTrek, a community adventure in which city residents and visitors are given maps and invited to walk two curated, trail-blazed routes up and down South Side Slopes stairways that offer some of the finest Pittsburgh vistas and scenic curiosities. A local tradition for 23 years, this angular urban hike doubles as a fundraiser for the associations neighborhood projects, which have included mosaic tile artwork on a set of steps at Oakley Street.

We also use part of the money for step cleanups and preservation projects, says board member Jami Szalla. As awesome and fun as StepTrek is, the steps are also part of our everyday lives.There are houses here that can only be reached via public steps.



For first-time Pittsburgh hikers, Zurowski points to Yard Wayone of the longest flights of stairs in the city, which offers direct access to the rustling greenery of Winters Park and a panoramic view of the Monongahela River, the high-rises downtown, and the citys northern hills.

One of the longest stairways in Pittsburgh, Rising Mains 370 steps take hikers some 300 feet in elevation. Photograph by Matthew Jacob

Another stunner is the Saint Michaels Street steps. Those who descend this stairway will be surprised by the sight of an enormous green church steeple towering above South Side Slopess houses and woodlands, with the river serving as a backdrop. Because youre so high up when youre walking around the South Side Slopes, youll often turn around and be like, Whoa! Cool view! Zurowski says, adding that some of the best unexpected vistas that shes stumbled upon during her step adventures have been glimpsed through the alleyways between houses or the gaps between trees.

(Explore some of Americas secret urban walks.)



But some Pittsburgh step traverses are more about the challenge than the views, and one of the most grueling examples is Rising Main. Located in the Fineview neighborhood, on the citys northwestern side, Rising Main has around 370 steps, by which hikers gain over 300 vertical feet of elevation in just two-tenths of a mile. Upon reaching the top of the stairs, you can stagger down Lanark Street to enjoy a sweeping city overlook at Fineview Fieldssavoring the sunlight and the breeze, just like a mountaineer.

Miles Howard is an author and writer covering outdoor recreation, and the founder of Bostons Walking City Trail. He also publishes Mind The Moss, a weekly newsletter about unusual hiking in New England.
Deputy Prime Minister Angela Rayner, pictured (right) with Chancellor Rachel Reeves, wants to build 1.5m homes by 2030 - Lucy North/Pool/AFP via Getty Images

Homeowners face paying 270 more for planning applications under Labour as part of a cash grab to boost building.

The threat of a planning surcharge has emerged in a new Whitehall consultation aimed at supporting Angela Rayners bid to build 1.5m homes by 2030.

To provide councils with more funds to achieve this, ministers are considering whether to more than double planning application fees for homeowners who want to extend their properties.

Ms Rayner, the Deputy Prime Minister, on Tuesday published the draft National Planning Policy Framework (NPPF), which will bring in new mandatory targets for local authorities and contain plans to unlock so-called grey belt land for new development.

To unlock new cash for local authorities to help them speed up the planning process, the consultation document outlines plans to raise more from planning applications.

Currently, the existing fee of 258 does not cover the costs incurred by local authorities to process applications, meaning they effectively make a loss.

As a result, government officials are now looking at whether planning applications fees should rise to 528, which is the level required for councils to break even.

The consultation will close on Sept 24, with any changes to planning fees expected before the end of the year.

This will be pave the way for further changes to the Planning and Infrastructure Bill, which will allow authorities to set fees themselves and reflect the fact that costs vary regionally.

As well as higher planning fees, the Government also plans to raise cash by imposing an extra stamp duty surcharge on overseas buyers.

Cash generated from such levies will help Labour spend 20m on appointing 300 new planning officers.

Getting Britain building again was a key Labour manifesto pledge before the election, as Sir Keir Starmer vowed to boost home ownership and strengthen economic growth.

Analysts argue that improving access to housing will create a more efficient labour market because people will be able to move more easily for work, while wider planning reform will boost infrastructure development.

Andrew Carter, chief executive of the Centre for Cities think tank, said: The Government is right to put planning reform at the centre of its economic strategy.

The UKs cities have the potential to make a larger contribution to the national economy. Tackling the shortage of housing in and around these cities is a key step towards making them  and the country  more productive.

Housing minister Matthew Pennycook will on Tuesday host a roundtable with developers who have backed Labours plans.

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US woman found chained to tree and left to die in India jungle

A 50-year-old American woman was found chained to a tree and left to die in a forest in India, police said.

The woman, identified as Lalita Kayi Kumar, was rescued after a shepherd heard her cries on Saturday evening in Sonurli village, located about 450km from Indias financial capital of Mumbai in the south-western state of Maharashtra.

Police registered a case of attempted murder against Ms Kumars former husband based on a note scribbled by her at the hospital.

The authorities ascertained her identity and residential address from photocopies of a US passport and a national identity card recovered from her.

Based on the note written by the woman at the hospital, a case has been registered against her former husband on charges of attempted murder, act endangering life or personal safety of others and wrongful confinement under the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS), Saurabh Agrawal, superintendent of police of Sindhudurg district, said. BNS is Indias official criminal code.

She was transferred to a hospital in the neighbouring state of Goa, Mr Agrawal told the wire agency Press Trust of India. She is weak and not in a position to give her statement, he said.

Officials do not yet know how long she was left tied to the tree. The area where she was found had experienced heavy rain, Mr Agrawal said.

We have found that the woman, who appears to have been born in the US, had also resided in Goa for some time. We are trying to find out whom she was in touch with in the past few months, he added.

Police say she appears not to have eaten for several days. The husband, whose name was not disclosed by officials, allegedly hails from Tamil Nadu. Forest inspector Vikas Padve told The Hindu newspaper that while doctors told the authorities she was doing fine, Ms Kumar was suffering from psychiatric issues.

She is unable to speak and remains under observation, Mr Padve said.

She reportedly left her husband after a quarrel, a police official was quoted as saying by the outlet.

The victim was believed to be living in India for the past ten years, reported the Hindustan Times, quoting officials from the local police station. The authorities have sent a team of investigators to Tamil Nadu and Goa to trace her relatives.
A 35-year-old man fatally shot in Wilmington on Friday night has been identified by Wilmington Police as Armand Jones.

Wilmington police provided no other information concerning the fatal shooting, which is the city's ninth killing by gunplay so far this year.

The number of people killed by gunfire in Delaware's largest city this year is up by two when compared with the previous year. However, this year in Wilmington 59 people have been shot  that's down one person when compared with last year for the same time period.

More: Tracking gun violence in Delaware

Jones was shot about 7:35 p.m. Friday in the 500 block of S. Van Buren St. in the city's Hedgeville community. That's where police found him, before taking him to a hospital in critical condition.

He died later from his injuries, police said.

Anyone with information about this shooting should contact Detective Brandon Mosley at (302) 576-3646 or (302) 932-7153.

Send tips or story ideas to Esteban Parra at (302) 324-2299 or eparra@delawareonline.com.

This article originally appeared on Delaware News Journal: Police identify 35-year-old man fatally shot in Wilmington on Friday
Police in Newport News have identified the man who was shot and killed Friday night on Settlement Lane.

At 11:52 p.m., Newport News police responded to a Shotspotter activation in the 500 block of Settlement Lane, in a northern part of the city near Fort Eustis. At the scene, emergency services found 20-year-old Kamron Thompson outside with at least one gunshot wound, according to a news release.

Thompson, of Newport News, was pronounced dead at the scene. Police said the investigation is ongoing, and anyone with information about Thompsons death is asked to call the Crime Line at 1-888-LOCK-U-UP.

Eliza Noe, eliza.noe@virginiamedia.com
Police investigating after two found dead in NE Oklahoma City

Police investigating after two found dead in NE Oklahoma City

OKLAHOMA CITY (KFOR)  Police are investigating a double murder in northeast Oklahoma City on Monday.

This is just terrible, just terrible, said Raven Brunner, who lives nearby. Just a horrible death. Its ridiculous.

ORIGINAL STORY: Two people shot, killed in NE Oklahoma City

Officers were called to an apartment complex near NE 36th St. and Lottie Ave. around 11:45 p.m. on Sunday and found the two victims.

Both people were already deceased inside the apartment, said MSgt. Gary Knight.

Police cars lined the complex as investigators combed through the scene for hours.

Theyre working on identifying the people involved and particularly trying to identify a suspect, said Knight.

No one has been arrested so far.

Christopher Hammons moved in just five months ago. He told KFOR he quickly became friends with one of the victims.

He was a nice guy. He would help anybody, said Hammons.

The victim even helped Hammons get on his feet when he first moved in.

Bought me some stuff for my bathroom and bought me some sheets and stuff because I didnt have anything, said Hammons. Didnt ask for nothing in return.

LOCAL NEWS: Police investigating deadly shooting in SW Oklahoma City

Now, he and his neighbors just want answers.

Somebody knows something, said Brunner. I just hope justice just comes for him, his parents, his brothers and sisters.

Anyone with information about the investigation is asked to call the Oklahoma City Police Departments homicide tip line at (405) 297-1200.

Copyright 2024 Nexstar Media, Inc. 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.
China's IP progress contributes to economic growth, international cooperation

09:51, July 30, 2024 By Yuan Quan ( Xinhua

BEIJING, July 30 (Xinhua) -- Just like many other fields, intellectual property (IP) development in China is currently undergoing a transition, seeing a greater focus on quality rather than a simple scale expansion. The latest efforts from China's top IP regulator were presented at a press conference on Monday, highlighting how this significant shift contributes to economic growth and international engagement.

INNOVATIVE GROWTH

Shen Changyu, head of the China National Intellectual Property Administration (CNIPA), noted the progress China has made in generating high-value IP, a key indicator of a country's innovation performance. With a population of 1.4 billion, China's ownership of high-value invention patents had climbed to 12.9 patents per 10,000 people by June this year, surpassing the national target set for the end of 2025.

Certain high-value patents produced by universities and research institutions have already been utilized in advanced, smart and green industries. And the contributions that patent-intensive sectors have made to China's GDP have risen to 12.7 percent, Shen said, citing the latest data and stressing the role of IP in driving innovative growth.

To support the development of emerging industries, China has continuously improved its patent examination efficiency for big data, artificial intelligence (AI) and gene technologies.

And the impact is particularly evident in the field of AI. According to the CNIPA, there were 378,000 effective AI invention patents in China by the end of 2023, representing a year-on-year growth rate of over 40 percent, which is 1.4 times higher than the global average.

China has also taken the global lead in number of generative AI patent applications, the World Intellectual Property Organization reported earlier this month.

The surge in invention patents from industries such as AI has demonstrated strong innovation in the digital economy, which has been a crucial engine driving China's economic growth, senior CNIPA official Ge Shu said at the press conference.

INTERNATIONAL ENGAGEMENT

The term "international engagement" was heard frequently on Monday. Officials repeatedly emphasized the importance of emerging industries' participation in international IP governance, the implementation of strict punitive measures according to the highest global standards for IP protection, and enhanced IP cooperation with the rest of the world.

Shen said that China has signed agreements and established bilateral IP cooperation deals with 57 Belt and Road Initiative partner countries. Over the past decade, it has provided training to more than 1,200 IP officials and practitioners from those countries. And China's patent authorizations in the 57 countries have been growing at an average annual rate of 20 percent, with invention patents related to digital and green technologies experiencing even faster growth.

And, without a doubt, China's IP has also gained international recognition.

The number of foreigners applying for patent protection in China has been increasing. In the first half of this year, foreign applicants filed 78,000 invention patent applications in China, with that figure seeing year-on-year growth of 13.1 percent. Japan accounted for the highest number of applications, followed by the United States and the Republic of Korea.

Committed to creating a fair business environment and ensuring strong IP protection for foreign enterprises, China has intensified its efforts to enhance legislation, implement efficient dispute resolution mechanisms, and establish regular communication channels to support foreign enterprises.

"Over the past year, we resolved several IP disputes involving companies from the United States, Germany, France, Italy, Thailand and Denmark. Our efforts have received high praise from foreign companies," said Hu Wenhui, deputy commissioner of the CNIPA.

China will enhance international IP cooperation further and align high-standard international economic and trade rules proactively, enabling foreign companies to benefit from the country's development in an improved manner, Hu added.

(Web editor: Zhang Kaiwei, Wu Chaolan)
NEWS PROVIDED BY

Richard Haris,

Truth & Liberty Coalition

July 30, 2024



OPINION, July 30, 2024 /Standard Newswire/ -- The following is submitted by Richard Harris, Executive Director, Truth & Liberty Coalition:

Israel is America's closest ally in the Middle East and the only democracy in the region. Last week, responding to an invitation from both sides of the political aisle, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu arrived in the U.S. on an urgent mission to address Congress in a joint session. In his speech, he recounted the horrors of the country's war against Hamas and passionately laid out Israel's case, while refuting claims that Israel had deliberately starved Gaza.



Vice President Harris' only job as Vice President under the Constitution is to preside over the United States Senate, which means she is supposed to attend joint sessions of Congress. Harris couldn't be bothered, however, opting instead to attend a sorority house campaign event in Indiana. Nor was she (or President Biden) present to greet Netanyahu on the tarmac when he arrived.



Meanwhile, anti-Israel protests erupted across Washington D.C. ahead of the prime minister's speech, where brain-washed progressives and Islamist fanatics burned the American Flag and vandalized a Liberty Bell replica with pro-Hamas graffiti in Union Station. Other agitators tore down the American flag and replaced it with a Hamas flag.



It took a full day before Harris, the presumptive Democratic nominee for the highest office in the land, issued a toothless rebuke of the rioters.



Her silence spoke loudly. To Harris, Hamas is a friend and Israel is an enemy.



What a sad day for freedom-loving Americans. On May 14th, 1948, the United States was the first country to stand with Israel and acknowledge her right to exist as a sovereign nation. By ignoring Mr. Netanyahu, as well as the violence in Union Square, the Biden/Harris administration has confirmed that our only democratic ally in the Middle East is of no importance to them.



Prime Minister Netanyahu issued a strong warning to those who would support Hamas, calling them "Iran's useful idiots," pointing out that Israel's fight against terrorists is our fight, too. Harris' conduct was shameful and disrespectful and is exactly the opposite of the kind of leadership America needs in this critical time.
CRISTOBAL HERRERA-ULASHKEVICH / EPA-EFE / Shutterstock.com

Its no secret that conservative platforms have historically had a critical stance toward labor unions. Conservatives in the Republican Party have long argued that unions add financial burdens to companies and can make U.S. businesses less competitive globally.

Check Out: Im an Investor  Im Making These Money Moves Immediately If Trump Wins

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However, there seems to be a curious phenomenon among union voters indicating this voting bloc is poised, at least somewhat, to shift away from the Democratic party. Just a few weeks ago, the Republican National Convention welcomed the first Teamsters (union) president to speak at their convention  Sean OBrien, the president of the International Brotherhood of Teamsters, per The Wall Street Journal.

Though there are mixed reports about how his speech was received, many still warn that a Trump presidency would be detrimental to this working-class demographic. Heres why.

Wealthy people know the best money secrets. Learn how to copy them.

1. Pro-Business Stance

President Donald Trump has always touted himself as a being on the side of business interests  a stance that some critics believe is diametrically opposed to those of labor unions.

The successful businessman and New York native built considerable wealth through real estate and related business ventures. According to his own history, his America First stance was forged by the opportunities the free markets of the American economy provided for him.

It should be no surprise that hed feel obligated to provide U.S. businesses similar opportunities in his bid to keep America First. However, this viewpoint and related legislation could prove problematic for union workers who may see their rights and protections weakened under a pro-business administration.

Learn More: Im an Economist  Heres My Prediction for the Housing Market If Trump Wins the Election

2. Anti-Union Policies

In line with his pro-business stance, Trump has also expressed anti-union sentiment in the past, according to The Washington Post. He has criticized unions for hindering economic growth and job creation, stating that they make it difficult for businesses to operate efficiently.

During his presidency, he implemented various policies, rules and executive orders that have weakened unions power and collective bargaining abilities. These actions have been met with strong opposition from labor unions and workers rights advocates.

3. Trump Advocated for National Right-to-Work Initiatives

Right-to-work states allow employees to be covered by a collective bargaining agreement, even if they opt out of paying union dues. States that enforce this legislation are seen as weakening the efficacy of labor unions. The idea is that these moves weaken collective bargaining efforts and diminish wages, ultimately eroding workers rights.

Story continues

Though a bill that would force all states to become right-to-work has not yet been passed, Trumps advocacy of such ideas may be concerning for workers who could be impacted by neutered unions.

4. Past Presidential Track Record

According to the AFL-CIO, the former president had a devastating and catastrophic anti-labor track record during his presidency. During his tenure as president, he appointed judges who were perceived as hostile to labor interests. Some of the concerns were that judges typically sided with corporate interests and limited workers abilities to sue their employers for discrimination, among others, per The Center for American Progress.

5. Deregulation vs. Workers Safety

During his first bid for the presidency, Trump campaigned heavily on deregulation, pushing the idea of making U.S. businesses more competitive on a global level. He was adamant about not touching regulations pertaining to worker safety, but theres doubt regarding whether or not he honored that commitment.

A 2018 Politico article suggested: The Trump administration has rolled back worker safety protections affecting underground mine safety inspections, offshore oil rigs, and line speeds in meat processing plants, among others.

Bottom Line

Trump, the former president and current political candidate, has a consistent record of promoting his pro-business stance. His past presidency was full of moves backing this sentiment.

Conservatives tend to believe improving businesses bottom lines is wise, while progressives believe the countrys economy should start with the welfare of the working class. Its an age-old conundrum that neither side has seemed to fully address. Well find out at the polls which ideology resonates with Americans later this year.

Editors note on election coverage: GOBankingRates is nonpartisan and strives to cover all aspects of the economy objectively and present balanced reports on politically focused finance stories. For more coverage on this topic, please check out 4 Reasons a Kamala Harris Presidency Could Be Bad for Union Workers.

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This article originally appeared on GOBankingRates.com: 5 Reasons Trumps Pro-Business Stance Could Be Bad for Union Workers If Hes Reelected in 2024
Police say name of Southport stabbing suspect on social media is wrong

Merseyside Police say the name shared on social media 'in connection with the suspect in the incident in Southport is incorrect' - DARREN STAPLES/AFP via Getty Images

Merseyside Police have warned that the name of the alleged Southport knifeman circulating on social media is wrong.

Members of the public have been urged not to spread unfounded details of the attacker amid rampant speculation online.

A 17-year-old boy, from the village of Banks, about five miles away from Southport, has been arrested and is being questioned on suspicion of murder and attempted murder. Because of his age, the suspect cannot legally be named.

He was not the same person being named on social media as the suspect, police said.

A spokesman for Merseyside Police said: A name has been shared on social media in connection with the suspect in the incident in Southport. This name is incorrect and we would urge people not to speculate on details of the incident while the investigation is ongoing.

This incident is not currently being treated as terror-related and we are not looking for anyone else in connection with it.

It comes as a nine-year-old girl has become the third child to die after a knife attack at a Taylor Swift-themed holiday club.

She died in the early hours of Tuesday morning following the deaths of two other girls, aged six and seven, in the attack on Monday.

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.
An Aiken County Sheriff's Office incident report and new information from the South Carolina Law Enforcement Division revealed more details about the officer-involved shooting Thursday, July 25 near JD Lever Elementary School.

Aiken County deputies responded to the intersection of Columbia Highway North and Beaver Dam Road just after 2 p.m. Thursday for a shirtless man running on school grounds, according to the incident report.

One responding deputy, who was not involved in the shooting, pointed his car toward the man and the man "dropped to the ground," according to the report. The deputy got out of his patrol car while telling the man to put his hands behind his back.

The man allegedly "refused to comply," and then the incident report skips to deputies handcuffing and shackling the man, according to the report.

Previous report: Two deputies, male suspect injured in officer-involved shooting near Aiken school

A news release from SLED notes that in between the initial encounter and the man's arrest, there was a physical altercation and two deputies deployed Taser stun guns.

The stun guns "were not effective" and as the altercation continued, both deputies fired their handguns at the man, according to the release.

Aiken County sheriff's Capt. Eric Abdullah previously told The Chronicle the man knocked down one of the male deputies and then charged at him before shots were fired by both deputies.

One of the deputies accompanied the man in the ambulance to the emergency room and assisted paramedics with chest compressions, according to the report.

The man remains hospitalized as of Monday, according to the SLED. Neither of the deputies involved in the shooting were shot, but one was treated for injuries at the hospital.

According to the incident report, a total of 32 deputies responded to the call, including Abdullah and Sheriff Michael Hunt.

"This is an ongoing investigation. As such, no other information about the case will be disclosed by SLED at this time," according to a news release. "SLED agents will conduct interviews with all potential witnesses in this matter. Further, SLED will collect all relevant evidence and will forensically test such evidence as needed. Information gathered in the SLED investigation of the incident will be summarized in a case file report to be submitted to prosecutors."

This article originally appeared on Augusta Chronicle: Police report, SLED provide new details about Aiken County shooting
Police search for driver after man seriously injured in hit-and-run crash on South Side

Police search for driver after man seriously injured in hit-and-run crash on South Side

CHICAGO  Authorities in Chicago are searching for answers after a man was badly injured in a hit-and-run crash on the South Side on Monday afternoon.

According to Chicago police, the crash unfolded in the 2800 block of East 95th Street in Calumet Heights just before 4 p.m.

Read more: Latest Chicago news headlines

Officers say a 36-year-old man was crossing the street in the area when he was struck by a car, leaving him seriously injured.

Authorities in Chicago are searching for answers after a man was badly injured in a hit-and-run crash on the South Side on Monday afternoon.

Authorities in Chicago are searching for answers after a man was badly injured in a hit-and-run crash on the South Side on Monday afternoon.

Authorities in Chicago are searching for answers after a man was badly injured in a hit-and-run crash on the South Side on Monday afternoon.

Authorities in Chicago are searching for answers after a man was badly injured in a hit-and-run crash on the South Side on Monday afternoon.

Authorities in Chicago are searching for answers after a man was badly injured in a hit-and-run crash on the South Side on Monday afternoon.

On Tuesday, police shared videos captured by surveillance cameras of the vehicle that is believed to have been involved.

Officers say they believe it was a silver car, that was possibly a 2009 Volvo, with damage to the windshield and right headlight.

According to police, the vehicle was last spotted traveling east along 95th Street from Escanaba Avenue.

LATEST CASES: Missing people in Chicagoland

Anyone with information on the crash is asked to call the CPD Major Accident Investigation Unit at 312-745-4521 or dial 911.

Those with information can also leave a tip at CPDtip.com. Tips can be filed anonymously.

Copyright 2024 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.

For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to WGN-TV.
Police searching for local business manager they say stole $18k from job

TEXARKANA, Texas (KETK)  The Texarkana Police Department is searching for a woman accused of stealing $18,000 from a local business where she was employed as a manager, and a reward is being offered for information leading to her arrest.

Person cited with misdemeanor in connection to fatal pedestrian crash at Tyler bus stop

Picture of Jill Wright, courtesy of the Texarkana Police Department

Officials said Jill Wright was to make daily bank deposits as part of her job responsibilities, however she reportedly failed to make deposits for several days in May.

Her supervisors reported the theft to Texarkana PD who talked to Wright on the phone weeks ago. She reportedly agreed to visit the station to inform the department what was going on.

Wright allegedly never showed up and avoided calls from the police department.

Hazmat crew cleaning chicken waste after 18-wheeler, dump truck wreck on I-20 near Smith County

A financial audit reportedly showed that almost $18,000 was missing and detectives with Texarkana PD decided they had more than enough probable cause and got a felony warrant for her arrest from a judge.

Now, officials are asking the pubic for help finding her. Anyone with information on the whereabouts of Wright is asked to contacted Texarkana PD at 903-798-3116 or 903-798-3876 after business hours. People can also contact Texarkana Area Crime Stoppers at 903-793-STOP where people can be paid up to $1,000 for information that leads to her arrest.

Copyright 2024 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.

For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to KETK.com | FOX51.com.
A demonstrator holding a candle and a sign with Justice For All Victims of Police Brutality written on it at Folger Park while joining in a candlelight vigil for Sonya Massey, a 36-year-old African American woman was killed by a law enforcement officer inside her own home in Springfield, Ill. on July 6. Credit - Probal RashidLightRocket/ Getty Images

In the past 10 years, headlines have been dominated by incidents of police violence, from the tragic killing of Michael Brown, George Floyd, Breonna Taylor, and most recently Sonya Massey to the numerous protests that followed. These events have sparked a national conversation about the role and history of policing in the United States. The history of policing in the U.S. is neither linear nor monolithic. Instead, it is fragmented and developed differently in various regions. But one aspect of its history stands out clearly: U.S. policing wasnt constructed out of a desire for public safety but out of a desire to preserve power and the status quo.

From its inception, policing in the U.S. has been a colonial project, with international dimensions that connect directly to imperialism. Early colonial formations of policing included slave patrols in the South and watchmen policing groups in the North. Slave patrols emerged in the early 1700s, designed to enforce slavery and prevent enslaved people from rebelling or escaping. These patrols were authorized to use violence and terror to control Black populations. In the North, early watch systems began in the 1600s, focusing on protecting property and maintaining public order, which often meant safeguarding the interests of the wealthy and powerful. The Texas Rangers, established in 1835, represent another early form of policing aimed at maintaining the interests of settlers and suppressing Indigenous populations.

The rise of industrial capitalism in the 19th century brought about new forms of policing, including the use of police to break strikes and suppress labor organizing. The first major city police department was established in Boston in 1838, followed by New York City in 1845, and Chicago in 1851. These early police forces were employed to protect capital and maintain the status quo during periods of labor unrest, illustrating how policing has long been a tool of economic control. This trend continued into the 20th century, with police frequently called upon to quell protests and labor strikes, using violence and intimidation to suppress worker demands for better conditions and wages.

Resistance to police violence and legitimacy crises have played significant roles in shaping the history of policing. And historically, the response to dissent against policing has been to strengthen policing and embed it more deeply into the social fabric of everyday life.

Read More: The Tyre Nichols Videos Demand Solemnity, Not Sensationalism

Governments, media, and mainstream social institutions have socialized us to believe that police are the only organizations that can effectively provide public safety. This belief justifies the idea that police need to maintain a monopoly on the legitimate use of violence. For most of modern history, though, police werent seen this way. Instead, they were viewed as a violent occupying force serving the interests of those in power. For the communities targeted by police violence, the idea that police werent created in the interest of safety isnt surprising. Police are said to be the stewards of public safety, but across the country, policing emerged in the 17th century as a tool of racial and class domination and control. The professionalization era of police, which began in the early 1900s and sought to address widespread corruption and the problems of policing, transformed policing practices but did not address the problems of policing: police power itself. The police violence we see today is not a fluke or aberration. The criminal-legal system today is not broken; it is operating exactly as it was designed to: as a violent tool of race and class control that protects very few.

The mid-1900s saw significant investments and efforts by politicians and police leaders that set history on a course where policing would swell in ways that few could have predicted. President Lyndon B. Johnsons war on crime reinforced the public perception that local law enforcement was the only legitimate guardian of public safety. The 1965 Law Enforcement Assistance Act (LEAA) created a federal funding stream that expanded local law enforcement's capacity to acquire military-grade gear and hire more officers. Over the years, billions of dollars have been funneled into local law enforcement, allowing police to acquire more technology and equipment for biased crime control and protest suppression efforts. Despite differences in policing models, the use of policing to control and punish marginalized communities has remained constant.

Internationally, U.S. policing methods have been exported to support colonial and imperial efforts seeking to expand empire. For example, during the Cold War, the U.S. trained police forces in allied countries to suppress Communist movements and maintain control over colonized populations. This exchange of tactics between imperial armies and police forces highlights the interconnectedness of domestic and international strategies of control. The use of counterinsurgency techniques, developed by military forces to manage colonized populations, became a staple in American policing, particularly in managing protests and civil unrest.

Today, police and prison spending consume hundreds of billions of dollars that could be spent developing community infrastructures and nonpunitive alternatives to prisons and policing. The criminal-legal system, with its origins in racial and class control, has evolved to maintain the same functions under the guise of public safety. The police violence we witness today is not an anomaly but a continuation of a historical pattern designed to preserve power and control over marginalized communities.

In the 1960s, as political resistance grew, policing expanded. The violence of policing was widespread, and police used brutal tactics to suppress protests and maintain racial segregation and discrimination. During the civil rights movement, police violence was brought into the national spotlight, shocking the conscience of the nation and galvanizing support for the civil rights cause. Police employed attack dogs, high-pressure water cannons, and tear gas against protestors. These tactics were part of a larger strategy to repress activism and maintain racial segregation and discrimination. Police also enforced racial boundaries at parks, schools, modes of transportation, pools, and entire communities.

As policing expanded, law enforcement was given a large degree of latitude, enabling the mass arrest and incarceration of Black and increasingly Latinx people, a legacy that continues today. The professionalization era of policing that began in the early 20th century and the federal embalming of the 1960s with President Johnson's war on crime began shifting perceptions. This period marked the beginning of rebranding effortswhich some have coined police propaganda, or copagandathat have positioned the police as crime stoppers and the stewards of public safety. These efforts, supported by federal funds, facilitated a rebranding of police from enforcers of marginalization and political control to perceived protectors of public safety. The promises of police to expand the category deemed worthy of protection and the idea that police are capable of reform further shifted perceptions. This expansion of policing and rebranding efforts in all areas of society led to the shift in public perception, portraying police as essential crime stoppers rather than instruments of social control.

Despite promises of reform, policing continues to focus on reinforcing power structures. These power structures center largely on capital and profit accrual, which have a history of organizing themselves along racial lines. Understanding the origins and evolution of policing in the United States reveals its true purpose: maintaining social control and protecting the interests of the powerful.

We must reimagine public safety in ways that do not rely on coercion and violence but instead focus on community-based solutions that address the root causes of harm and inequality. The rebranding efforts that have positioned the police as crime stoppers and stewards of public safety, alongside their historical and contemporary roles, underscore the need for a fundamental rethinking of public safety beyond policing.

Excerpted from the book BEYOND POLICING by Philip V. McHarris. Copyright  2024 by Philip V. McHarris. Reprinted with permission of Legacy Lit. All rights reserved.

Contact us at letters@time.com.
DENVER (KDVR)  Colorados governor hosted the Japanese ambassador to the U.S. on Monday in a push to strengthen cooperation in the space, quantum and climate industries.

The office of Gov. Jared Polis touted Japan and Colorado as strong economic and diplomatic partners and said he and Ambassador Shigeo Yamada discussed strengthening the relationship.

Colorados strong relationship with Japan boosts our thriving economy by creating new investment opportunities and jobs for Coloradans, Polis said in a statement. I am pleased to welcome Ambassador Yamada and showcase our state as a great place to do business.

Polis declares Slava Ukraini! as Zelenskyy makes plea to US governors

Polis told the ambassador that four Colorado space companies will travel to the Tokyo Airshow in October with state support, his office announced. The governor also welcomed Japanese cooperation with the Elevate Quantum Tech Hub and the Colorado-Wyoming Climate Resilience Engine.

Colorado has been pursuing economic growth in its relationship with Japan. The ambassadors Monday visit to the Governors Residence at Boettcher Mansion follows a 2023 trip of Colorado business delegates to explore investment opportunities in Japan and discuss aerospace, renewable energy, innovation, research and entrepreneurship.

The governor first met Yamada at a February meeting of the National Governors Association, according to his office.

Japan is Colorados 7th-largest export market

In a statement, Yamada said about 80 Japanese companies have been doing business in Colorado in areas like trade, renewable energy, smart-city, medical and space.

Space startups operating here are expected to advance our collaboration between Japan and Colorado even further, Yamada said in the statement released by the governors office. I look forward to strengthening these ties by leveraging innovation and entrepreneurship in the private sector, as well as fostering people-to-people exchanges, including at the municipality level.

Aurora police monitor large gathering related to Venezuelan presidential election

Japan is Colorados seventh-largest export market, including meat, optical and electrical equipment, according to the governors office. About 10,000 Coloradans are employed because of about $3.4 billion in investment from Japanese firms, primarily in biotechnology and aerospace.

Copyright 2024 Nexstar Media, Inc. 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.
According to 2017 data from the Guttmacher Institute, 88% of abortions took place before the end of the first trimester of pregnancy at 12 weeks. (Getty Images)

Its an oft-repeated talking point of anti-abortion rights groups and Republican politicians, before and after the June 2022 Dobbs decision  that those who are supportive of abortion rights also must be in favor of abortions that happen during the last weeks of pregnancy, or even after birth.

Former President Donald Trump brought it up in the June debate against President Joe Biden, saying Bidens position on restoring abortion access would lead to doctors being able to take the life of the baby in the ninth month, and even after birth.

Trumps newly announced vice presidential running mate, Republican Sen. J.D. Vance of Ohio, told Fox News last week that Biden wants taxpayer-funded abortions up until the moment of birth.

And candidates in states such as North Dakota and Montana have campaigned on that rhetoric in recent months, saying some states allow post-birth abortions or abortion the day before a due date.

In reality, abortion after birth does not happen, because it would be categorized as murder under all state laws. And while abortions do occur later in pregnancy, they are exceptionally rare and happen for many diverse reasons, such as a fatal fetal diagnosis and financial or travel barriers that extend timelines.

Abortion-rights advocates say the rhetoric is used because public opinion polls show support becomes more mixed for abortion after 24 weeks, which is the second trimester of pregnancy and the medically recognized point of viability, when a fetus can reasonably be expected to survive outside of the womb with medical interventions. That argument was seemingly bolstered by an anti-abortion groups campaign strategy meeting against Amendment 4 in Florida this week, a ballot question that would restore abortion access to 24 weeks in the state where a six-week ban is currently the law, before many people know theyre pregnant. During a presentation, the campaign organizers displayed a slide that said, How we win: We win by talking about late-term abortion.

Even before Roe v. Wade was overturned by the Dobbs decision, abortion was only protected as a federal right until viability, at which point it could be restricted by states. So if a Democratic presidential administration or Congress were to re-establish and codify Roe as the standard, third-trimester abortion would likely remain restricted in many states. In some states where abortion is legal and there is no restriction by gestational age, such as Alaska, it is still unavailable past the second trimester because there are no clinics that provide it.

According to 2017 data from the Guttmacher Institute, an abortion-rights organization that gathers provider-specific data from across the country, 88% of abortions took place before the end of the first trimester of pregnancy at 12 weeks. A little over 10% happened between 13 and 20 weeks, and 1.3% occurred after 21 weeks, about halfway through the second trimester. Out of 862,320 abortions tracked that year, that means 11,210 happened after 21 weeks. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention shows a slightly lower number of 1.1% after 21 weeks, but does not receive abortion data from Maryland, as it is voluntary reporting. Guttmacher reaches out to individual clinics to collect data, and several of the small number of clinics that take patients later in pregnancy are located in Maryland.

I dont need people to feel comfortable with it

The time between 21 and 40 weeks is a long span in a pregnancy, and in 20 states, abortion is generally banned after 22 or 24 weeks. Only nine states and the District of Columbia dont ascribe gestational limits to their abortion laws, and of those, only four  Maryland, New Mexico, Oregon and Colorado  and the District of Columbia have clinics that openly say they will take patients past 28 weeks.

One of those is Partners in Abortion Care in Maryland, where Dr. Diane Horvath is chief medical officer. That clinic opened in October 2022, and saw about 500 patients in its first year of operation. Horvath told States Newsroom that because there are so few clinics that will take patients at an advanced stage of pregnancy, the people who come to them have generally had to make it through many barriers to access care. That includes their home state laws, travel barriers, time restrictions and costs. In 14 states, a near-total ban on abortion is the law, and five others have bans before 12 weeks.

Nobody ever thinks theyre going to need a later abortion, but when you need it, you need it 100%, Horvath said. Just like youd never imagine yourself needing a later abortion, this could happen to you or anybody that you love.

The idea of an abortion happening in a persons third trimester of pregnancy can be uncomfortable for the average person, Horvath said, and for some physicians. Some doctors may have their own objections to it, or they may just choose not to make their feelings known about it at all for fear of being targeted by anti-abortion activists. Nobody should have to participate in that type of care, she said. But when a position is open at her clinic, she receives hundreds of applications.

Horvath said in all the time shes been practicing abortion care, shes never seen a patient who walked in during their third trimester of pregnancy who wanted to terminate simply because they were tired of being pregnant, as some anti-abortion groups might suggest. The idea that people are choosing that path carelessly is just wrong, she said.

The circumstances in which people are seeking abortions later in pregnancy are really dire. This is not to say every abortion has horrible circumstances, but by the time you find yourself later in pregnancy, lots has gone wrong for you, and this may be due to something that was completely out of your control, Horvath said. Its so easy to demonize when you dont want to understand something.

The most important point, she said, is that there isnt a line in pregnancy where the government becomes more well-equipped to make decisions about a pregnancy than the person carrying it, and there is no possible way to fully understand what a person making that decision is going through.

Its possible to feel uncomfortable about this care and the circumstances under which it occurs and still support someones ability to get that care when they need it, Horvath said. I dont need people to feel comfortable with it.

Women interviewed about abortions had fetal anomalies, financial difficulties

As States Newsroom has reported through a series called When and Where: Abortion Access in America, there are many situations when a clinical diagnosis of severe fetal anomalies happens at a routine anatomy scan, which is typically scheduled at 20 weeks. That leaves only two weeks to get an appointment in a majority of states with legal access  and post-Dobbs, it can be a tall order to get an appointment that quickly, as clinics have been inundated with patients from other states where no access is available at any stage.

Katrina Kimport, a professor at the Advancing New Standards in Reproductive Health program at the University of California San Francisco, has published at least two studies about abortions that take place in the third trimester, including one that detailed interviews with 28 women of different races between the ages of 18 and 46. Their gestational ages ranged between 24 and 35 weeks.

One woman in Kimports study who had already had a complication with a previous pregnancy was assured at 20 weeks that everything was going well this time. But at 29 weeks, her doctors observed problems with the fetus brain and initially said she shouldnt worry too much. But further testing showed pieces of the brain were missing or concave, and specialists eventually told her there was no possibility it was compatible with life.

Theres a heartbreaking number of ways that pregnancy can go wrong, Kimport said.

Two women didnt know they were pregnant until their third trimesters  both of whom were still having regular menstrual cycles, indicating they were not pregnant.

Others reported significant financial difficulties affording the procedure, which can cost at least $500 during the first trimester and increase to tens of thousands of dollars in late stages of pregnancy, on top of the costs of out-of-state travel for some of the women. One of the women reported that she and her boyfriend were living on the street. To the extent any of them received financial assistance to obtain the abortion, according to Kimports research, it was through local or regional abortion funds. Many insurance providers do not cover out-of-state abortion care.

Anti-abortion physician says there is never a reason for abortion late in pregnancy

The Charlotte Lozier Institute, a research arm of anti-abortion rights organization Susan B. Anthony Pro-Life America, did not grant an interview for this story, but sent along its own prepared papers on the subject. In one of those papers, the Institute points out there is some research that indicates fetal anomalies or maternal health conditions make up a minority of abortions that happen late in pregnancy, and more often it is because of unplanned pregnancy, economic considerations and relationship issues.

Horvath said it is true that the circumstances include people who are dealing with complex situations in their own lives, like one patient she could remember whose house burned down. That patient was already in a shelter with her children, Horvath said, and could barely provide for them.

While some might suggest having the child anyway and putting it up for adoption at that point, Horvath said that isnt something that should be forced on a person.

The idea that somebody owes society or an infertile couple a baby is not just, she said. We have one of the worst maternal and infant mortality rates in the world, so to force someone to continue a pregnancy beyond the point theyve decided is not the right time is putting them at risk to give a baby to someone else.

The Institute also quotes an anti-abortion rights physician who says there is never an appropriate situation for an abortion at that stage of pregnancy to take place.

The infant may need to be delivered prematurely and die as a result of that, but it is not necessary to take the infants life, said Dr. Byron Calhoun, a known anti-abortion activist perinatologist. Further, if a fetus has an adverse prenatal diagnosis, all patients should be offered perinatal hospice care since this is far better for maternal health than any elective abortion. Perinatal hospice allows the parents to be parents and provide all the love they can for their child.

The Institute did not provide evidence that hospice care is better for maternal health, but perinatal hospice is an option for anyone who wants to do that rather than have an abortion, when the fetus is typically given an injection to stop the heart and then removed from the uterus. Kimport said she has also interviewed women who could not deliver a baby vaginally because of a health condition, and would be forced to have a Cesarean section surgery if abortion was not available.

Physicians who are affiliated with the Lozier Institute have also told news outlets such as the Washington Post that up to the moment of birth means any stage of pregnancy past 22 weeks, whereas others would think of it as the last two to three weeks of a 40-week pregnancy.

Some of the failure to push back on these really outrageously false claims comes from the fact that there are so many things that are wrong about it and its hard to know where to start, Kimport said.

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As we mark the 87th anniversary of the Marijuana Tax Act of 1937, which effectively made cannabis illegal in the United States, its crucial to recognize the profound impact of cannabis prohibition on Kansas residents. Despite a majority of Kansans from all political affiliations supporting the full legalization of cannabis, the state has been slow to enact meaningful reform. This inertia at the state level inspired a group of dedicated individuals to take action, resulting in the formation of the Cannabis Justice Coalition this year.

Board members include my fellow Prairie Village City Council member Ian Graves; Barry Grissom, the U.S. attorney for Kansas from 2010 to 2016 under President Barack Obama; Leslie Byram, an estate planning and probate attorney who regularly works with clients with special medical needs; and Weldon Angelos, a music producer who was sentenced to a 55-year prison term in 2004 for selling $1,000 worth of cannabis and received a full and unconditional pardon by President Donald Trump in 2020.

Along with the board, the coalition brings together a diverse array of individuals, including concerned citizens, key stakeholders and supportive legislators. Their shared vision for cannabis policy reform is driving a movement that will not be silenced. As we stand on the precipice of change, its time to join our coalition and work toward a brighter, more just future for all Kansans.

In the last legislative session, we saw the introduction of Senate Bill 555, a bill that promised to create a pilot program for medical cannabis in Kansas. While this may seem like progress, the bills provisions fell far short of meeting the needs of patients and responsible adults. The legislation proposed a highly restrictive and monopolistic system, limiting the program to only four cannabis providers who would control the entire supply chain, from growth to manufacture to sale. This kind of centralized control stifles competition, innovation and patient access.

Moreover, the bills restrictions on THC levels (capped at 35%) and product types (excluding smoking, vaping and edibles) would not meet the needs of many patients, let alone responsible adults seeking recreational cannabis.

In recent weeks, the Legislative Coordinating Council granted a two-day hearing to further discuss medical marijuana ahead of the 2025 legislative session. A number of local advocates and organizations are fearful that this is an attempt to bring forward another incredibly restrictive bill that is out of sync with what a majority of Kansans want, which is full legalization of cannabis.

Thats why the Cannabis Justice Coalition is holding a rally this Friday, Aug. 2, from 5:30 to 8:30 pm at Weltner Park at 79th Street and State Line Road in Prairie Village. This event marks a turning point in our states history, as we shed light on the continued disparities in cannabis laws across state lines and their effects on Kansas residents.

At the rally, youll hear from a number of pro-cannabis Kansas legislative candidates and advocates who will share their heartfelt personal stories and voice their support for cannabis reform. These individuals understand the importance of compassionate, evidence-based cannabis policy that prioritizes the needs of patients and responsible adults.

Join us at our rally Friday as we come together to demand change and work toward a brighter future for Kansas. Its time to end the cycle of unfair prohibition that has lasted far too long. Together, we can create a more just and compassionate cannabis policy for our state.

Inga Selders is a member of the Prairie Village City Council and executive director of the bipartisan 501(c)(4) nonprofit Cannabis Justice Coalition, whose mission is to advocate for fair and equitable cannabis laws in Kansas and then work to implement these policy changes throughout the state. Learn more at cannabisjusticecoalition.org
By Andrew R.C. Marshall, Jason Szep and Linda So

(Reuters) - OnlyFans is a porn-saturated website that offers its subscribers a chance to forge authentic relationships with content creators.

But many OnlyFans porn stars rely on chatters to impersonate them in messages designed to pry dollars from randy subscribers. And, increasingly, some of those chatters arent even human  theyre bots.

Some agencies that manage OnlyFans porn performers say they use AI software to sext with subscribers, bypassing or minimizing the need for human chatters.

The software is openly advertised to management agencies but not disclosed to OnlyFans subscribers, who are left to assume theyre chatting in real time with porn stars.

The website of U.S.-based NEO Agency boasts that it has designed an AI chatbot that doesn't just send messages; it creates authentic connections.

The chatbot, called FlirtFlow, captures the essence of years of relationship-building expertise, ensuring every interaction is genuine and meaningful.

OnlyFans terms of service explicitly prohibit the use of AI chatbots by its creators. You cannot use an AI chatbot to write chats or direct messages, the terms say.

OnlyFans declined to answer questions from Reuters about the use of AI on the site. The company has said that its terms of service make clear that creators are legally responsible for any transaction with a subscriber.

OnlyFans promise of direct connections between creators and subscribers has set it apart from other porn sites and made it rich. The company, which takes a 20% cut of its creators income, reported nearly $1.1 billion in revenue in 2022.

The companies that use chatbots are not formally affiliated with OnlyFans. But they work with creators and their management agencies, which have access to OnlyFans accounts.

NEO Agency manages about 70 OnlyFans porn creators and perhaps half of them use FlirtFlow, says CEO Luc Jaris. So do dozens more creators at 20 or so other agencies, he said.

Until a few years ago, AI couldnt really comprehend flirtation, he said, but now the chatbot can be better at it than actual humans.

The software uses a conversational mode  effectively, small-talk  to solicit basic information from subscribers, Jaris said.

You cannot directly jump into the typical Hey, Daddy, tip me! stuff, he explained. You have to start by really comprehending the fan . . . Wheres he from? Whats his problem? Why does he hate his boss? What's his dog's name? You collect information. Because otherwise, how are you supposed to connect with him? How are you supposed to get money out of him?

Story continues

Jaris said the chatbot is most effective with accounts so popular that even a chatting team of 14 people might be just too few. Its less suitable for a small fan-base used to very personalized chatting and more likely to sound suspicious.

He said human chatters still outperform AI when catering to subscribers with erotic niches  such as submission and domination.

Also employing AI is Botly, an Australian company founded in 2023. It charges $15 a month for software that analyzes a subscribers questions and chat history to generate a response in the OnlyFans messaging box, which a creator or chatter can then edit or send. Botly says the technology is used in more than 100,000 chats per month, and its clients are mostly management agencies and some individual creators.

What we are focusing on is making this as conversationally relevant as possible so people can seek companionship through these creators, even though it is an AI talking for them, Kyle Hartley, Botlys founder, said in an interview.

Hartley said his software bypasses OnlyFans bot ban because a human still must manually send the AI-generated messages. Jaris of NEO Agency said FlirtFlow can compose and send messages without human help or detection by OnlyFans.

For a monthly subscription of between $4.99 and $50, OnlyFans offers an opportunity to interact with porn creators and get not just sexual gratification but also emotional connection and even intimacy. But the deceptive use of chatters impersonating models on the site is under increasing scrutiny, a Reuters investigation found.

(Marshall reported from London, Szep and So from Washington. Editing by Julie Marquis)
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. (Photo by Sofia Resnick/States Newsroom)

A public opinion survey released Tuesday suggests that the proposed constitutional amendment to restore abortion rights to the point of viability is winning, as is the measure that would legalize recreational cannabis for adults.

The poll of 774 Floridians who said that they were either definitely or probably voting in the coming election was conducted by the University of North Floridas Public Opinion Research Lab between July 24 and July 27.

Amendment 3 received 64% support, with 31% opposing and 5% undecided or refusing to answer the question. All constitutional amendments in Florida require 60% to become law. As the Phoenix has previously reported, of the 15 states that brought the issue of legalizing recreational cannabis to the voters, only three states have passed the measure by more than 60%  New Jersey, Maryland, and Arizona.

Until recently, the organization supporting Amendment 3, Smart & Safe Florida, had no opposition as it raised more than $60 million in support of the measure. Earlier this month, the group Vote No on 3 was formed to oppose the amendment. The Florida Police Chiefs Association on Tuesday also announced their opposition.

Its not clear yet how much money will be injected into the campaign against this amendment, said Michael Binder, the polls faculty director and a political science professor, in a press release. If the opposing organizations ramp up their campaigns, we may see this number come down, depending on how much cash is spent in opposition.

Amendment 4 gets even higher support, with 69% saying yes and just 23% opposing the proposal. Eight percent said they didnt know or refused to answer.

Again, we have yet to see campaigns on either side of this really get moving, Binder said. Factor in the highly contested and contentious financial impact statement recently added to the ballot summary, and I would expect to see support for this amendment drop before November.

The Florida Supreme Court has scheduled expedited hearings into amendment sponsor Floridians Protecting Freedoms challenge to that financial impact statement.

A new political committee opposing Amendment 4 called Life First was announced on Tuesday. That is at least the third PAC formed to bring down Amendment 4, joining Do No Harm Florida and Florida Voters Against Extremism.

Also, Gov. Ron DeSantis new PAC, the Florida Freedom Fund, is raising money to oppose both Amendment 3 and Amendment 4.

The survey is the first in Florida to compare Donald Trump to Kamala Harris, the new presumptive Democratic presidential nominee, but the results arent much different than when Joe Biden was running. The poll shows Trump up by 7 points, 49%-42%. Another 4% preferred a third candidate and 6% were undecided.

The U.S. Senate race between Republican Rick Scott and his likely Democratic opponent, former congresswoman Debbie Mucarsel-Powell, shows a closer race. Scott leads 47%-43%, with 1% supporting another candidate and 10% undecided.
ST. LOUIS  An accused porch pirate appeared in court Tuesday for a bond hearing after being charged with stealing deliveries from homeowners in Lafayette Square and Soulard.

According to the St. Louis Metropolitan Police Departments probable cause statement, the thefts occurred between June 3 and July 17 at the following locations: the 2200 block of Park Avenue, the 1400 block of Dolman Street, the 1700 block of South 10th Street, and the 1100 block of Dolman Street.

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The victims told police they had Amazon deliveries that had been left outside their homes. Police reviewed surveillance video from each theft and identified Geraldo A. Ford, 35, as the thief. He was arrested on July 28 while officers were on patrol.

The St. Louis Circuit Attorneys Office charged Ford with four counts of stealing  $750 or more and resisting arrest.

Copyright 2024 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.

For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to FOX 2.
PORTLAND, Ore. (KOIN)  Multnomah Countys deflection center is set to open on Southeast Sandy on Sept. 1  but it will lack sobering services.

Until mid-2025, no one who arrives intoxicated at the deflection center will get sobering services or medications for opioid use disorder.

Multnomah County deflection program receives criticism as deadline approaches

In a letter sent to Multnomah County Chair Jessica Vega Pederson on Monday afternoon, Portland Police Bureau Chief Bob Day highlighted the need for a sobering center.

Day noted that the lack of a sobering center where first responders can drop off people who need help is a critical public safety crisis. Multnomah County Commissioner Julia Brim-Edwards agrees.

I was really heartened to see Chief Day take a really strong position, that we need to open as soon as possible the 24/7 drop-off sobering center, Brim-Edwards told KOIN 6.

Im glad to see Chief Day, who I have a lot of respect for and who is a very strong leader, who really sort of laid down the marker on the need for a sobering center as soon as possible, she added.

Lloyd District murder marks 17th homicide since leaders announced Safer Portland grants

According to the police chief, Portland officers routinely express that they need somewhere to take people who are intoxicated.

It is clear we are in urgent need of a safe, secure facility that will hold people so they can be screened, assessed and provided with recovery options that can change the trajectory of their lives, Day said.

Brim-Edwards echoed that statement, saying first responders have told her they currently have three options when dealing with someone who is heavily intoxicated: send them to the emergency room, book them into jail or leave them on the street.

Chair Vega Pederson was recently under fire for holding meetings on the deflection center without other county commissioners.

Late Oregon legislator Peter Courtney will be honored at Mt. Angel funeral service

In a statement issued on Monday afternoon, her office said she looks forward to further conversations with Chief Day and law enforcement partners as the county looks to bring sobering resources including a 24/7 drop-off center online.

Despite Vega Pederson and her staff promising a more set-in-stone plan in the coming weeks, Brim-Edwards stated theres still much work to be done when it comes to the centers two most important goals: safety of the person who needs help and safety of the community.

I think both the community pushing for more accountability and transparency, as well as myself and other commissioners, [think] that this plan shouldnt be built behind closed doors, the commissioner said.

Officials say resources are stretching thin as Microwave Tower Fire grows

Vega Pederson and her team have until Aug. 15 to bring in the health department and other experts to develop a plan that will answer not only the boards questions, but also the communitys.

Copyright 2024 Nexstar Media, Inc. 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.
US House 22: Adeimy for Republican primary

There are three Republicans in what is largely a rematch to find the right candidate to wrest Florida's 22 congressional seat from Democratic incumbent Lois Frankel. The Palm Beach Post recommends voters in the GOP August primary choose Deb Adeimy. She's the best choice among the candidates seeking the office.

The district is a Democratic leaning one that stretches from Riviera Beach through West Palm Beach, south to Highland Beach. It also includes portions of Wellington, Royal Palm Beach, West Lake and unincorporated areas of Palm Beach County west of Boynton Beach, and Delray Beach, communities that have seen GOP growth.

Deb Adeimy is a Republican candidate in the U.S. House District 22 primary

Adeimy, 54, is a financial adviser making her second run for the seat. She bills herself as a moderate conservative. An example would be her support of the U.S. Supreme Court's decision to overturn Roe v. Wade but her misgivings of Florida immediately going from a 15-week abortion ban to its current one of only six weeks. She agrees with the high court's bump stock ruling but says she would consider stricter regulations on high-capacity magazines.

Her status as a lifetime resident of Palm Beach County, she believes, helps make her the most qualified of the Republican candidates to represent the district in Congress. Her views on many of the hot-button issues facing her would-be constituents, whether it's abortion, government spending or property insurance, tend toward the conservative mantras of states' rights, less federal spending and less regulation.

Adeimy faces two Republican opponents, Dan Franzese and Andrew Guttmann, who declined to meet with the Post to discuss their views on issues facing the district or to share their priorities for the office.

Franzese, a managing director in the financial industry, is making a second run for the congressional seat, campaigning on securing our nation's borders, ramping up oil production and supporting Donald Trump. Guttman, is an investment banker who moved to Palm Beach County from New York three years ago. He is campaigning as a stronger supporter of Israel and an opponent of "woke" indoctrination.

US House 23: GOP no-shows get no endorsement

Somewhere in Florida's 23rd congressional district, there are conversations in a largely concealed campaign to find a Republican candidate to run against U.S. Rep. Jared Moskowitz, a Democrat who has a good political grasp on the largely Broward County district. On Aug. 20, GOP voters will choose among six candidates. Of that number only two interviewed with the Post, leaving the editorial board little choice than to issue no endorsement in this race.

Kudos to Darlene Cerezo Swaffar and Joe Thesluca. They deserve credit for at least visiting with our editorial board and thus sharing their views with our readers. Both are enthusiastic about their party and its core principles. For example, both oppose abortion, want a more secure southern border and cuts in government spending they see as wasteful.

Swaffar, a 57 year-old Deerfield Beach resident making her second run for the seat, also wants to improve the solvency of Medicare, and to shift foreign policy to focus on peace. Thesluca, 48, a Boca Raton resident who runs a global consultant group, came to the U.S. from Haiti. His priorities include property insurance, traffic and high housing costs. Again, at least these two seemed willing to share their views with a wider audience to gain support.

The same, unfortunately, can't be said for Gary Barve, Joseph Kaufman, Carla Spaulding and Robert Weinroth. Without having the opportunity to know and share their views on issues facing their prospective constituents, the Post can't make an informed decision about their respective candidacies and how they stack up with their competition.

Thus, no endorsement in that U.S. House GOP primary.

Up Next: County Commission District, Port of Palm Beach and County Court races

This article originally appeared on Palm Beach Post: GOP primary for Congress: Adeimy in one; no endorsement in the other
President Joe Biden, marking the the 60th anniversary of the landmark Civil Rights Act, which ended institutionalized segregation, used the historic parallel in Austin on Monday to call for sweeping reforms to the U.S. Supreme Court, including ending the constitutional provision that provides for lifetime appointments to the bench and proposing imposing a code of ethics on the nine justices.

In a 20-minute address interrupted several times by applause from the invited guests inside the LBJ Presidential Library, the president also called on Congress to enact legislation that would overturn the recent Supreme Court decision that grants former presidents immunity from prosecution for "official acts" during their time in the White House even if they break the law.

"This nation was founded on the principle there are no kings in America," Biden said, as those in attendance erupted in applause. "No one is above the law."

In a twice-delayed event at the library on the University of Texas campus, Biden vowed to do all he can in his time remaining in the White House to keep aloft and expand the principles of racial equality.

Biden's keynote speech Monday was his first in-person address since internal turmoil in his campaign after a dismal performance during a presidential debate June 27 against former President Donald Trump ended with his withdrawal from the 2024 race  the first time in history that a candidate had left the race after winning the primaries. Biden endorsed Vice President Kamala Harris as his successor at the top of the Democratic ticket with just over three months left before the Nov. 5 general election.

President Joe Biden's speech drew an enthusiastic response from invited guests at the LBJ Presidential Library to commemorate the 60th anniversary of the Civil Rights Act.

Ahead of his trip to Austin, the first of his presidency, Biden called for enacting a constitutional amendment to limit immunity for presidents, imposing term limits for U.S. Supreme Court justices and stipulating an enforceable code of ethics for the high court. In an op-ed in The Washington Post, Biden stopped short of advocating to expand the Supreme Court from its nine members.

The Civil Rights Act of 1964, the most sweeping civil rights legislation from Reconstruction to that point, was first proposed by President John Kennedy in 1963 as police violence against protesters, led by the Rev. Martin Luther King Jr., brought attention to discrimination across the U.S. After Kennedy's assassination months later, President Lyndon Johnson pressed Congress hard to gather votes for the bill. He signed it July 2, 1964.

After signing the act, Johnson, a Democrat, told a longtime aide, "I think we've just delivered the South to the Republican Party for the rest of my life, and yours."

The program Monday afternoon featured musical performances from Ruthie Foster and the concert choir of historically black Huston-Tillotson University. Actor Bryan Cranston read an excerpt of LBJ's address to the nation on the signing of the Civil Rights Act.

Jennifer Lee, the Democratic nominee for Central Texas' House District 55, which stretches from Temple to Killeen, attended the speech with her son, Brock.

"The civil rights movement is so incredibly important, and I've seen those rights being chipped away," said Lee, who would be the first Black woman to represent the district and was excited to be running with Harris at the top of the Democratic ticket. "It's definitely concerning, especially here in red state. And that is one of the issues that I do hope to address the Texas Legislature."

Republican Gov. Greg Abbott did not comment directly on Biden's remarks, but he did take the opportunity to deride POTUS' policies regarding the Southern border, emphasizing that Biden would not be visiting the border during his time in Texas.

"Joe Biden & his Border Czar Kamala Harris can come all the way to Texas but not the border," Abbott wrote on X. "Americans are waiting for them to take this national security crisis seriously."

Calls for Supreme Court reform

Passing the 1964 Civil Rights Act was no small feat, as it faced resistance from Southern Democrats as well as conservative Republicans. The bill made it to LBJ's desk more than a year after it was introduced and seven years after LBJ, as a U.S. senator, pushed the largely toothless Civil Rights Act of 1957 through Congress, setting the stage for the later legislation.

Biden drew on that parallel to call on federal lawmakers to begin working toward Supreme Court reforms, a moon shot. Progressive lawmakers in Congress have urged Biden to begin making such reforms for months; he first signaled the proposals to those same lawmakers in mid-July, The Washington Post reported.

In his speech, he referenced several recent Supreme Court decisions that rolled back voting rights, affirmative action admissions and abortion rights. Former President Donald Trump appointed three conservative justices during his term.

"Now, we live in a different era (from Johnson's)," Biden said Monday. "In recent years, extreme opinions that the Supreme Court has handed down have undermined long-established civil rights principles and protections."

President Joe Biden gives an address at the LBJ Presidential Library to commemorate the 60th anniversary of the Civil Rights Act Monday, July 29, 2024, in Austin.

Biden urged Congress and the nation to pass a constitutional amendment that would "make clear that there is no immunity for crimes committed while in office," he wrote in his op-ed published Monday morning. The amendment would nullify the high court's recent ruling that former President Donald Trump, the Republican presidential nominee, is immune from criminal prosecution for acts done in his official capacity, making it a long shot to clear the two-thirds majority it needs in both the Senate and the GOP-dominated House.

Biden is also seeking term limits and an enforceable code of ethics for Supreme Court justices, noting that the U.S. is "the only major constitutional democracy that gives lifetime seats to its high court" in Monday's op-ed. He advocated for a system in which presidents appoint justices every two years to serve 18 years on the bench.

Both reforms would need to be confirmed by Congress, an unlikely prospect while the House maintains a GOP majority. The Senate has 51 Democrats but needs 60 votes to pass most measures.

The binding code of conduct Biden seeks would require justices to disclose gifts, refrain from public political activity and recuse themselves from cases in which they or their spouses have financial or other conflicts of interest and penalize them for breaking the code, replacing a system of self-enforcement.

The call comes as Justices Clarence Thomas and Samuel Alito have faced criticism over reports that Thomas accepted free travel from well-connected billionaires and Alito's wife flew politically charged flags.

"As the press shouted to me before I boarded Air Force One" in Washington, Biden said, U.S. House Speaker Mike Johnson said any bills proposing the high court reforms would be "dead on arrival" in the Republican-controlled House.

"His thinking is dead on arrival," Biden said, drawing hearty applause.

Luci Baines Johnson and Bryan Cranston attend President Joe Biden's address at the LBJ Presidential Library commemorating the 60th anniversary of the Civil Rights Act Monday, July 29, 2024, in Austin.

Historic moments, historic parallels

Biden stood on the stage 10 years after his former running mate, President Barack Obama, said at LBJ Library that, as the first Black man to hold the country's highest office, he had "lived out the promise of LBJs efforts."

Obama also said in 2014 that he was a living contradiction to those who say that nothing has changed, that racism is so embedded in our DNA that there is no use trying politics.

Taking place just one week after endorsing Harris as his replacement, Biden's speech evoked promises of another historic civil rights marker. Harris, who has already collected pledges from a majority of Democratic National Convention delegates, would be the first Black and South Asian woman to be nominated for president by a major political party.

President Joe Biden, traveling aboard Air Force One, arrives at Austin-Bergstrom International Airport at 2:48 p.m. Monday.

Harris has signaled that, if elected, she will take the baton on the court reform proposal.

These popular reforms will help to restore confidence in the court, strengthen our democracy and ensure no one is above the law, Harris said in a statement from her campaign Monday.

Mark Updegrove, president and CEO of the LBJ Foundation, said Biden's appearance marked another historic moment."The walls of the LBJ Auditorium once again echo with history," Updegrove said in his opening remarks for the event.Former United Nations Ambassador Andrew Young, who led protest campaigns that promoted the passage of the 1964 Civil Rights Act, introduced Biden as a longtime friend, noting to the audience that Biden had to wait several days to start his term in the Senate because he was elected before his 30th birthday. "For the last 50 years, he has devoted himself to fulfilling the dreams of the American people, all of them  rich, poor, black, white, red, green, gay, straight, whatever we are," Young said.

Former United Nations Ambassador Andrew Young, a Black activist who led campaigns that pushed for the passage of the Civil Rights Act and the Voting Rights Act, introduces President Joe Biden at the LBJ Presidential Library on Monday.

'Stand up for their personal values'

Outside of the commemoration ceremony on UT's campus, Esala Wueschner, a Travis County Republican Party precinct chair, reminded that Biden is not universally beloved.

Theres a lot of people here in Austin, even Democrats, who dont support Biden, Wueschner said. Im here to give them courage to stand up for their personal values.

For many attendees, however, the speech put a point on the achievements of Biden's administration so far, including a sweeping bipartisan investment in infrastructure.

Biden is "one of the most consequential presidents of the last 30 years, even though he's only been in office for one term," said Jeremi Suri, a history professor at the University of Texas' LBJ School of Public Affairs, who attended with his family. "I think his presidency is leaving a mark on this state and this country that few other presidencies have, and it's wonderful to be here to reflect on that as a historian because this is a historical moment."

Austin city council member Alison Alter, who attended the speech with Suri, who is her husband, and their daughter, said she views Supreme Court reform as "the next frontier for civil rights."

"It's very fitting that we mark the 60th anniversary of the Civil Rights Act by beginning to take the next step," Alter told the Statesman.

Biden ended his address Monday by paying homage to Johnson's legacy and praising his family, including daughter Luci Baines Johnson, who was in attendance. And he offered a look back at America's history, and then a look forward.

"In two years, we'll commemorate the 250th anniversary of the signing of the Declaration of Independence," Biden told the crowd. "Imagine that moment and ask yourself, 'What do we want to be?"

Statesman staff writers Hogan Gore, Lily Kepner and Cross Harris contributed to this report.

This article originally appeared on Austin American-Statesman: Biden visits Austin's LBJ library to mark Civil Rights Act anniversary
President Joe Biden wants to change the rules for the Supreme Court, as conservatives push back

Conservative members of the Supreme Court are seen during a photo session at the Supreme Court building in Washington, Friday, Oct. 7, 2022. Top row, from left are: Associate Justice Amy Coney Barrett, Associate Justice Neil Gorsuch, and Associate Justice Brett Kavanaugh. Bottom row, from left are: Associate Justice Clarence Thomas, Chief Justice of the United States John Roberts, and Associate Justice Samuel Alito. | J. Scott Applewhite

President Joe Biden traveled to the Lyndon Baines Johnson Library and Museum in Austin on Monday afternoon to commemorate the 60th anniversary of the signing of the Civil Rights Act.

He recalled hearing the news of President John F. Kennedy getting shot on the radio as a college student in November 1963. At the time, the country asked President Lyndon Johnson to find a path forward. Biden quoted Johnsons first address, where he says, nothing could more eloquently honor President Kennedys memory (than the) earliest passage of the civil rights bill. A year after the assassination, Johnson signed the Civil Rights Act.

President Johnson understood what President (Abraham) Lincoln understood in his own time, that the courts would determine the scale and scope, the scale and scope of our laws, Biden said. Johnson wasnt afraid to challenge the courts: he nominated Thurgood Marshall, who became the first Black person to serve as a Supreme Court Justice, Biden said.

The president claimed the U.S. Supreme Court has extremist views. He cited the overturning of Roe v. Wade, and the recent ruling in Trump v. the United States that established presidents have immunity for some actions taken while in office. This nation was founded on the principle there are no kings in America, Biden said.

Biden touted his 36 years in the Senate, where as chairman and ranking member of the Judiciary Committee, he oversaw more Supreme Court nominations as senator, vice president and president, than anyone in history, anyone alive today. Two years ago, he appointed Supreme Court Justice Ketanji Brown Jackson.

As he leaves office, he is hoping to make changes to the highest court in the U.S.

What are President Bidens proposed Supreme Court reforms?

Earlier Monday, his administration unveiled three reforms it is proposing for the U.S. Supreme Court in an opinion article in The Washington Post.

First, Biden wants to pass a constitutional amendment called the No One is Above the Law Amendment that would supersede the Supreme Courts June ruling on presidential immunity.

The court made a ruling for one a former president. No other president in history has asked for this kind of immunity for criminal actions. And no president, no former president, not me, not one, not one as and for sure, having given ... any exception to this with such a mandate, the president said.

His second proposal deals with imposing term limits for the Supreme Court justices. This, Biden said, would ensure the bench changes regularly and predictably. The president created a Presidential Commission on the Supreme Court of the United States, including liberal and conservative constitutional scholars. Based on the commissions report, Biden said he believes the best structure is the 18-year term limit.

The third and final proposal is constructing a binding code of conduct for the Supreme Court. At present, the code of ethics, formalized earlier this year, is suggestive, not binding. Biden proposed requiring justices to disclose gifts, refrain from public political activity (and) recuse themselves in cases in which they have their spouses have a financial or other conflict of interest.

Vice President Kamala Harris backed Bidens push for reform, saying their administration believes that the American people must have confidence in the Supreme Court.

Yet today, there is a clear crisis of confidence facing the Supreme Court as its fairness has been called into question after numerous ethics scandals and decision after decision overturning long-standing precedent, the vice president said in a statement, adding the reforms will restore confidence in the court.

According to Gallup polling from 2023, the Supreme Courts approval rating has declined to its lowest point since 1987, with more than half of Americans surveyed disapproving of the courts performance.

What are critics saying about President Bidens proposed Supreme Court reform?

After his arrival at the Austin-Bergstrom International Airport on Air Force One, reporters asked Biden his thoughts on House Speaker Mike Johnson, R-La., declaring the proposal dead on arrival in Congress.

Biden said he thinks its Johnson who is dead on arrival. He added he will figure out a way to pass the reform package.

Shortly after Bidens remarks, Rep. Burgess Owens, in a statement to the Deseret News, condemned the presidents proposal.

On his way out of the White House, President Joe Biden proposed an extreme overhaul of the Supreme Court that has nothing to do with restoring accountability and everything to do with securing the Democratic Partys goal: expanding and packing the court with radical and partisan justices to do the Lefts bidding, Owens, who represents Utahs 4th District, said.

Leonard Leo, the chairman of the board of directors of the Federalist Society, said if Democrats and the Biden White House were actually concerned about ethical violations, then they should ban any elected official from receiving any gifts, starting with Congress, where the real corruption is, as RealClearPolitics Susan Crabtree reported.

For the Supreme Court judges, it would include the things where influence peddling is most present and dangerousand thats when the liberal Justices rub shoulders with influencers at places like law schools, bar associations, progressive think tanks and their conferences, and other groups and events funded by Left-wing billionaires, where they support real vested interests in the work of the Court, Leo said.

He continued, If Democrats want to adopt an across the board ethics ban for all branches, I am in favor of that: no jets, no meals, no speaking honorarium, no gifts for anyone from anyone for any reason in any branch, starting with Congress. Until they support that, lets all be honest about what this is: a campaign to destroy a court that they disagree with.
Prince Georges County Executive Angela Alsobrooks, a Democrat, and former Maryland Gov. Larry Hogan, a Republican, are seeking the Maryland United States Senate seat held by Sen. Ben Cardin, who is not seeking reelection after serving three terms.

Heres more on the candidates:

Angela Alsobrooks (D)

At right, Prince Georges County Executive Angela Alsobrooks, a Democratic candidate for United States Senate, speaks during a discussion with Jewish community leaders in Pikesville, Maryland on June 17, 2024. At left, U.S. Sen. Ben Cardin, D-Md., listens.

Alsobrooks, 53, has led the states second most populous county as executive for about the last six years. Prior to that, she served as the countys states attorney from 2011 to 2018.

Here's what she said about America's role in the world during a June 17 interview:

"America has a set of values. Those values include democracy, freedom, human rights, and integrity and those are issues that I stand by  protecting human rights, and the rights and freedoms of others, and protecting democracy."

"Its something that I believe ought to be intertwined in our foreign policy. Its those values that make us American."

"Democracy and peace and human rights, those are American values."

More: Q&A: Amid US Senate run, Democratic candidate Alsobrooks speaks on foreign policy issues

Larry Hogan (R)

Hogan, 68, was Marylands governor from 2015 to 2023, and the states first two-term Republican governor since 1959.

Here's what he said about America's role in the world during a June 11 interview:

"I happen to believe very strongly that America is the leader of the free world, and that we need to get back to a point where we have a pretty clear foreign policy."

"Im very concerned right now that some of our enemies no longer fear us and some of our allies wonder whether they should still trust us."

"I was a young guy involved with Ronald Reagan, and I believe in "peace through strength" and standing up for our allies and standing up to our enemies."

More: Q&A: Amid US Senate run, Republican candidate Hogan speaks on foreign policy issues

This article originally appeared on The Herald-Mail: Maryland US Senate race features Angela Alsobrooks and Larry Hogan
The primary election is today. Heres what you need to know about how to vote.

Photo via Getty Images

The Arizona primary election is today, and voters across the state have different options on how they can cast their ballots.

All registered voters in the state, even those not registered with a political party, are eligible to vote in the primary election. Voters affiliated with a political party will receive a ballot for their partys candidates, while independent voters are able to choose which partys primary they wish to vote in. Voters need to bring a government issued ID or one of the other forms of ID that the counties accept.

For voters in Maricopa County, information on where to vote in person can be found at Locations.Maricopa.Vote, which shows all polling locations  including wait times at each  and drop boxes for early ballots that havent yet been turned in.

The total expected turnout in Maricopa is estimated to be between 718,000 and 894,000 voters, or about 30% of total eligible voters. Maricopa County expects about a third of those voters will cast their ballots in person at a polling site.

Those in other counties in the state can find information on where they can vote on the Secretary of States Office website at my.Arizona.vote.

Voters with early ballots who havent yet mailed them in can still drop off their early ballot at any polling location before 7 p.m., when polls close. The ballot must be sealed in the envelope given to them by the county and signed. Voters can also vote in person at any polling location and those still in line at 7 p.m. are encouraged to stay in line. Polls open at 6 a.m..

Polling places on the Navajo Nation will close at 6 p.m. as they observe daylight savings time.

Voters in Maricopa County can also get a free ride to a polling place today from Ride347 who can be reached at 602-828-0826.

Voters can find a full list of the contacts for the election officials in their county at this link.

Election results wont be released until 8 p.m.; the first tallies will be early ballots dropped off prior to Election Day. Vote centers in Maricopa County will also be tabulating on-site with bipartisan teams handling the data and taking it to central tabulation once complete.

Voters can find additional information on the vote counting process as well as election results at CountingBallots.Maricopa.Vote.

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Often citing his own political priorities and complaints, former President Donald Trump urged Arizona Republicans to make U.S. Senate candidate Kari Lake his partner in a race against an ultra-left Democrat.

Speaking to listeners on a telephone call Monday for Lakes campaign, Trump called President Joe Bidens departure from the race a coup by Democrats, repeatedly mispronounced Vice President Kamala Harris name and said Lake would help him implement his plans for a second term.

Shes fantastic. She will not let us down, Trump said. Kari Lake, I just think shes going to be as good as you can get. Theres nobody going to be better.

The call came as voting in Arizonas primary election ends Tuesday and as Republican voters choose between Lake, Pinal County Sheriff Mark Lamb and neuroscientist Elizabeth Jean Reye.

The winner will face Democratic contender Ruben Gallego, who is unopposed for his partys nomination in the race to replace the retiring Sen. Kyrsten Sinema, I-Ariz.

Lake is widely viewed as the GOP primary favorite, with Trumps early endorsement, as well as the backing of the National Republican Senatorial Committee and most of the Republican senators she hopes to join.

Lamb has run a low-budget, low-profile campaign. It picked up nearly $350,000 in supportive spending from the conservative organizations American Encore and Secure Arizonas Future.

By contrast, Lake-aligned groups have spent about $140,000 to help her in the primary and Democratic-aligned organizations have spent more than $800,000 against her so far.

Trumps call, which lasted less than 15 minutes, served as a mini-rally of sorts for a candidate he backed from the October night she formally entered the race.

He mixed in complaints against the media, outlined his own agenda of drill, baby drill to bring about lower energy prices, eliminating income tax on tips and, of course, closing Americas borders.

Shes fearless when it comes to being a champion for the common-sense, America-first policies. Kari will vote to seal the border, he said. Were going to seal that border. It will stop them immediately, and that will stop, in turn, the invasion, the largest invasion in the history of probably any country. Theres never been anything like it.

Trump ripped Gallego, calling the five-term member of Congress an open-border zealot.

Trump lingered over Harris ascending on the presidential ticket for a moment as well.

It looks like they did a coup with respect to (President Joe) Biden. He got 14 million votes, and they threw him out, Trump said of his former opponent.

They said, Were getting you out. Youre either going to do it the nice way or youre gonna do it the hard way. And hes gone. Its like a prize fight.  You have a fighter and hes not doing well. They say, Thats OK, lets throw another fighter into the ring.'" Trump said. "Thats what they did with Kamala, but shes actually worse. Shes actually worse than he is. But Kari is going to be a tremendous help and shell be voting with us all the way down the line on energy independence and everything else."

Endorsing rivals: Donald Trump praises Blake Masters in rare last-minute dual endorsement for Congress

Trump said Gallego, whose name he also mispronounced, is an ultra-left, I mean this, is an ultra-left winger, radical Democrat extremist.

Hes a guy thats not respected. Hes not respected there. People dont listen to him, Trump continued. They dont take him seriously, and from what I understand, Kari, the polls are very good.

Public polling in the race since Sinema quit the race in March generally show Gallego leading Lake by mid-single digits.

Records: Court filings in defamation suit against Kari Lake hint at what discovery might reveal

This article originally appeared on Arizona Republic: Trump urges GOP voters to back 'fantastic' Kari Lake on eve of primary
Although There's An Abundance Of Wood, This 75-Year-Old Mill In Montana Is Closing For The Most Surprising Reason

In the picturesque town of Seeley Lake, Montana, surrounded by beautiful forests, Pyramid Mountain Lumber has been the heartbeat of the community for 75 years. But now, despite abundant wood, the mill is closing its doors for the most surprising reason: the town lacks a centralized sewer system.

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Pyramid Mountain Lumber, the town's biggest employer, has been a family-owned business since 1948. Todd Johnson, whose grandfather started the mill, has worked there his entire life. Ive never drawn a paycheck from any other business in my whole life. I started here in sixth grade, Johnson shared. This is all Ive ever known.

The closure is not due to political battles or environmental issues. Instead, it's because the town doesnt have a centralized sewer system, which prevents new affordable housing from being built. This makes it difficult to attract and retain workers.

Johnson explains, There hasnt been an apartment, duplex, or fourplex built in this town in over 30 years, so ... when youre talking about entry-level housing for more blue-collar workers, theres just none available.

Trending: Finally allowing commercial real estate investing to be more accessible  This fund aims to triple your money in 10 years is with a surprisingly low minimum.

Missoula County officials explain that developers cant build cost-effective housing for the mill's blue-collar workers without a sewer system. High-end septic systems are too expensive for the kind of housing needed in Seeley Lake. The town has debated installing a sewer system for years, but residents have consistently voted against it due to concerns about costs and changing the towns character.

The impact of this decision is now hitting home. Pyramid Mountain Lumber, which cuts various sizes of lumber and has grown significantly over the decades, cannot find enough workers to keep running. To make the announcement to the crew was probably the toughest thing, Johnson told ABC News. Ive got friends, family, generations of good friends that work here. I had to tell them were going to shut the doors.

The shortage of workers isn't just affecting the mill. Kyle Marx, the general manager of Rovero's Hardware, mentioned theyre running on a skeleton crew during their busiest season. No affordable housing here, Marx said. Rentals have diminished since COVID hit, and everybody came up here, bought every rental that was available, and turned them into vacation rentals or moved up here themselves.

Story continues

See Also: This billion-dollar fund has invested in the next big real estate boom, here's how you can join for $10.

Dee Baker, who owns the Grizzly Claw Trading Company, said this has been a problem for years. "There could be low-income housing built, but the people in the town cannot come to an agreement with Missoula County," she said.

Dave Strohmaier, chair of the Missoula Board of County Commissioners, explained the irony of the situation. The lack of infrastructure is a big reason why Pyramid Mountain Lumber cannot find housing for their employees, and hence, change is upon us, he said.

With the mill's payroll contributing over $6 million a year to the local economy, its closure will change the fabric of Seeley Lake. You take that out of this economy, itll change the fabric of the town. Theres no doubt, Johnson noted.

Although surrounded by abundant natural resources, Seeley Lake faces a future where its long-standing timber industry might disappear, all because there isn't a place for workers to live.

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This article Although There's An Abundance Of Wood, This 75-Year-Old Mill In Montana Is Closing For The Most Surprising Reason originally appeared on Benzinga.com

 2024 Benzinga.com. Benzinga does not provide investment advice. All rights reserved.
Prince Georges County Police search for person who posed as Social Security Administration employee to elicit money

PRINCE GEORGES COUNTY, Md. (DC News Now)  Police in Prince Georges County are looking for a person who allegedly posed as an employee of the Social Security Administration (SSA) and stole more than $10,000 from a woman after he visited her home in June.

A resident was on their computer and received a pop-up notification indicating that their computer had been compromised, said Lt. Joe Bellino, who heads the Prince Georges County Police Departments (PGPD) Financial Crimes Section.

They were then instructed to call a provided phone number.

The victim spoke to several suspects who falsely represented themselves as computer tech support employees, officials from the bank and officials from the SSA, according to police.

Hawaii man killed self after police took DNA sample in Virginia womans 1991 killing

PGPD said the suspects emailed the victim a document with the persons name and bank. They told the victim that their bank account was compromised and that the SSA was working with government agencies to support them.

The letter  with the SSAs letterhead  contained a signature claiming to be from former Maryland Governor Martin OMalley.

The victim, then following the guidance she believed to be government officials, was told to withdraw $10,000 from her banking institution, Bellino said.

The suspects told the victim that someone would pick up the money in person, using an agreed-upon code word. Police obtained a video of this suspect receiving the money and are asking for help finding him.

Person of interests car (Courtesy: Prince Georges County Police Department)

Person of interests tattoo (Courtesy: Prince Georges County Police Department)

PGPD said that this year, the department has received reports of 22 fraudulent tech support incidents, resulting in the loss of around half a million dollars.

In similar situations, victims have received a computer notification, text or phone call from a suspect posing as a tech support agent, claiming their computer has a virus and they need remote access to fix it.

This often results in the victim being transferred to a fraudulent bank official who steals the victims money.

Its psychological warfare, said Bellino. Theyre trained and theyre instructed to keep the victims at a heightened state of fear.

PGPD advises residents never to give out personal information to anyone they do not know. If you believe you have been a victim or know the identity of the involved person, call detectives at 301-516-1464.

The department said callers who wish to remain anonymous can call 1-866-411-8477 or go online at www.pgcrimesolvers.com.

Copyright 2024 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.

For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to DC News Now | Washington, DC.
Prisoners serving life sentences who are approaching their release dates are being allowed to live in a special unit where they can cook their own meals and host dinners for governors.

Four lifers who are close to being released are being housed in a four-bedroom portable hostel building, overlooked by regular cell blocks, but which is unlocked and unstaffed during the day. The four can come and go, making their own way to their prison jobs or the jail shop.

The hostel  the first of its kind in the UK  is designed to give them more freedom to prepare for life back in the community without having to be transferred to an open prison.

It was set up as an experiment after the last government tightened rules preventing most lifers from completing their sentences in Category D open prisons amid fears over escapes.

The new hostel  or approved premises unit  was opened in October 2022 within an unnamed Category C jail but has only now been revealed by the prison newspaper Inside Time after a psychologist evaluating the scheme disclosed its existence at a conference last month.

The unit has a living room with a rug and four bedrooms. Each has a wardrobe and bed with a normal mattress.

The men have 24-hour access to a kitchen and shower. They are able to buy their own ingredients from the prison shop. The Ministry of Justice disputed claims that they were from HelloFresh and Gousto.

They can even invite the prisons governors around for tea, dinners or breakfast. The four are all serving life or IPP sentences, indeterminate prison terms given to serious offenders who posed a significant risk of serious harm to the public. All have served many years inside and are close to a parole hearing or a release date.

They are free to come and go from the hostel from the early morning when their front door is unlocked until evening when it is locked. It is intended as a stepping stone to show the men what it is like to live in a shared house, so they are ready for release.

Referrals are only accepted from within the jail and there is said to be a long waiting list. Anyone who misbehaves in the unit can be sent back to a regular wing. Officials say this has meant behaviour has been exemplary.

The experiment was revealed at the annual conference of the British Psychological Societys Division of Forensic Psychology in Cardiff. Katy Burgess, a psychologist with HM Prison and Probation Service (HMPPS), who is evaluating the scheme, said prisoners liked it.

According to Inside Time, one of the men told Ms Burgess: Its a bit weird, because youre in prison, so you know you should not be walking around the prison, really, at lunchtime.

Another said: Not having to be escorted or unlocked  it just makes you feel a bit more normal, human, less controlled.

They spoke of getting along together well, without the tensions of a normal prison wing. One said: When things are a little bit nicer, I think people are nicer.

Some of the prison staff were more sceptical. Ms Burgess said: Some staff thought it was a little bit of a step too far in a closed prison, and didnt quite understand the benefit it may bring.

The scheme is designed to tackle a problem that arose as a result of the restrictions on moving lifers and other serious offenders to open prisons. This meant they could be released directly into the community without being prepared for their freedom with more open conditions in a category D jail.

Ms Burgess did not say where the unit is located but it is understood the governor is keen to set up more units. The scheme could be extended to other prisons depending on the evaluation.

A Prison Service spokesman said: This small pilot aims to cut reoffending by better preparing certain prisoners for their eventual resettlement in the community.

Its completely wrong to suggest offenders in the unit can access external food services and they have the same mattresses as other prisoners.

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CHICAGO, Ill. (WCIA)  Governor Pritzker signed into law on Monday a bill that aims to help new mothers and close what is known as the maternal mortality gap.

Data shows that Black women, regardless of income level, are three times more likely to die from complications of pregnancy than white women, state officials said. Maternal mortality data includes deaths during pregnancy, childbirth, and up to a year after birth.

Its unacceptable that Black families must factor risk of death or serious medical complications into the important calculus of having a family, and here in Illinois we are working to close the maternal mortality gap and make sure every Illinoisan can give birth and raise a child safely and healthily, Pritzker said in a press release. Im especially thankful to Lieutenant Governor Stratton for her leadership on this initiative and for her relentless advocacy for women across the state  with her help, were building a better future for our youngest Illinoisans and their families.

A major step towards healthcare equity: Pritzker signs Healthcare Protection Act

The law Pritzker signed is known as the Birth Equity Initiative. Under this law, there will be competitive Medicaid reimbursement rates for doulas, lactation consultants, home visitors and other community-based care providers who help new mothers before, after, and during birth.

Today, were not just signing a bill into law  were writing a new chapter in the story of maternal health in Illinois. Governor Pritzkers signature reaffirms Illinois unwavering commitment to every mothers right to a safe and healthy pregnancy, Lt. Governor Juliana Stratton added. By investing in culturally competent care, addressing systemic inequities, and centering the voices of those most affected, were creating a future where every mother, regardless of race or ZIP code, can bring life into this world without fear.

The Birth Equity Initiative is a part of a larger plan that Pritzker proposed in his State of the State address and instituted in the FY25 budget. Under this plan, the state is investing $15 million in closing the maternal mortality gap. Over $10 million will be used to identify and address gaps in funding programs that can reduce adverse maternal health outcomes. $5 million, or one-third of the total investment, alone will be spent on expanding the Department of Human Services home visitor program and funding for a pilot diaper equity program at DHS.

UI team creating VR training on cultural sensitivity for physicians

Money will also go toward existing clinics, targeted toward birth centers that provide pregnancy services in underserved areas and areas that have seen a large influx of patients following Jackson v. Dobbs. There will also be grant funding to support birth centers trying to gather capital to open in underserved areas.

Thank you, Governor JB Pritzker for signing the Birth Equity Bill (HB 5142) into law which is a strong step forward in addressing disparities in maternal health outcomes, especially for Black birthing people, said Jennifer Welch, CEO and President of Planned Parenthood Illinois Action. As pro-choice champions, Planned Parenthood Illinois Action knows the importance of everyone having equitable access to the full spectrum of birthing options including home birth, home visits and support during labor, an abortion, or a miscarriage. Thanks to this law, today more Illinoisans have access to the pregnancy care they need and deserve.

Copyright 2024 Nexstar Media, Inc. 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.
How Labours private schools VAT raid will work  and the few exemptions

Rachel Reeves has confirmed Labours controversial private school tax raid will begin in January.

It means schools will be liable for 20pc VAT on tuition fees paid from Monday for January next year onwards, while business rates are expected to come into force in April.

Here, Telegraph Money explains how the tax changes will affect your childs education.

Tuition fee rises

The private school sector has warned the tax raid will inevitably lead to parents paying higher fees, as schools are forced to pass on the extra tax costs. This could disrupt the education of thousands of children if parents decide they can no longer afford the bills.

The Government has said schools must take steps to minimise fee increases to parents, and that it does not expect tuition fee costs to increase in line with VAT.

It is not known how Britains 2,600 private schools will react to the policy. If you are concerned, contact your schools bursar for more information and plan accordingly.

Labour has admitted the tax policy may lead to increased costs for some parents but that only a very small proportion would be forced to move their children to the state sector.

Parents should prepare now to pay higher fees this academic year or from the beginning of the next school year in September 2025.

Your school will give you at least a terms notice if it intends to raise fees. Schools typically set fees once a year, but many reserve the right to raise prices during the academic year.

I paid in advance. Have I escaped higher fees?

It depends. In a policy document published on Monday, the Treasury warned it will be carefully scrutinising the details of advance payment schemes.

One detail the document suggests could result in VAT being applied is whether or not schools have specified that parents money has been used to pay for tuition in future academic years for which prices have already been set.

If schools have not clearly stated this, then HMRC could seek to collect any VAT that is owed.

It has been suggested that advance payments, which have been accepted by private schools for years, could offer parents a tax-efficient way of paying school fees in a lump sum before the introduction of VAT. But this remains speculation, and the Treasury has said HMRC stands ready to challenge the validity of such payments. Tax officials will ultimately decide if schools must pay VAT for the schemes.

In any case, there is now a very slim chance that paying in advance will allow you to escape price rises.

Ministers have said anti-forestalling measures will be put in place from July 29 2024, meaning any fees paid from Monday that apply to January onwards will be subject to VAT.

Is this legal?

Senior lawyers have issued guidance as far back as the 1980s warning applying VAT to private education would be discriminatory and therefore likely illegal under the European Convention on Human Rights (ECHR).

The ECHR has been domesticated into British law in recent decades and, if private schools wanted to challenge Labours policy, they would have to take the Government to court. The matter would ultimately be for judges to rule on.

It is too early to say whether schools will resort to this  however, Richard Tice, Reform MP for Boston and Skegness, said before the election he was assembling a legal team to challenge the policy.

The tax policy is yet to become law and the Treasury has only just published draft legislation, marking the first time Labour has put forward detailed plans about how the policy could be implemented.

Ministers will consult with independent schools in the coming months about the proposed tax changes, when the schools are expected to share their concerns about the policy.

Military families

There will be no immediate exemption for military families who receive taxpayer funding for their children to attend private schools through the Continuity of Education Allowance (CEA), although this could change.

The CEA is also used by parents who are diplomats to send their children to private schools.

The Treasury said that it would monitor closely any impact of the tax changes on the families using the scheme with a view to making any changes needed at the spending review next year.

Special needs children

Children with special educational needs (SEN) who have received an official letter from local authorities stating their education can only be fully met in the private sector will be shielded from potential price rises under the policy.

Local authorities will be able to recover the cost of VAT paid on school fees for children with an educational health care plan (EHCP).

Separate measures will be in place for children with SEN in Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland, where different bodies are responsible for funding places at private schools.

The Treasury said it would consider how to address the potential impact of [tax] changes on children in receipt of an EHCP.

However, not all EHCP documents state that children must be educated in a private school, and some parents choose private education for their childs SEN without it being specifically recommended. In these cases, including where children receive general support for SEN within private schools, fees will not be exempt from VAT.

Labour has said this means fees for all but the children with the most acute SEN will be liable for the tax.

Full details of how the plans will be implemented around SEN are likely to be published after the consultation process.

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AUSTIN (KXAN)  On Monday, President Joe Biden was in Austin to give his first public speech since announcing he would not seek a second term in office.

President Biden visits Austin to commemorate Civil Rights Act anniversary

This was for a pre-scheduled commencement ceremony for the 60th Anniversary of the Civil Rights Act of 1964.

However, not everyone welcomed the presidents visit with open arms.

Car caravan protest

The Austin for Palestine Coalition hosted a car caravan protest to express their frustration with Biden over his response to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.

A pro-Palestinian car caravan lasted more than an hour as protestors drove around Austin. (Photo: KXAN)

A pro-Palestinian car caravan lasted more than an hour as protestors drove around Austin. (Photo: KXAN)

A pro-Palestinian car caravan lasted more than an hour as protestors drove around Austin. (Photo: KXAN)

A pro-Palestinian car caravan lasted more than an hour as protestors drove around Austin. (Photo: KXAN)

A pro-Palestinian car caravan lasted more than an hour as protestors drove around Austin. (Photo: KXAN)

A pro-Palestinian car caravan lasted more than an hour as protestors drove around Austin. (Photo: KXAN)

From the streets of east Austin up to Interstate 35, at least twenty cars covered in pro-Palestinian messages were part of the protest.

Were covering our car with messages. Were putting the Palestinian flag. Were putting QR codes. Were trying to let people know and were just trying to be visible in Austin, said Austin for Palestine Coalition Organizer Zainab Haider.

The group met at a park near the LBJ Presidential Library where Biden spoke.

Organizers said theyre frustrated with the Biden Administrations response to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, particularly with the financial support to Israel.

Our country gives weapons and gives money, Haider said. $3 billion every year and $14 billion this year.

The caravan was welcomed with cheers by some people on their route. However, not everyone approved. One person yelled out an obscenity to the protesters.

Ultimately, Haider said even if Biden didnt see it, they wanted to make a statement.

Were just trying to be as visible as we can in the area surrounding the LBJ Center and to drive around and have people see our message, Haider said.

Potential ceasefire agreement

Earlier this month, Biden said both Israel and Hamas agreed to the framework of a multi-stage proposal that pushes for a ceasefire and to bring hostages home.

According to the president, the first phase would include a ceasefire, the withdrawal of Israeli forces from populated areas in Gaza and the release of some hostages.

The next stage would include the release of all remaining hostages and the withdrawal of Israeli forces from Gaza.

The last step moves toward a major reconstruction plan for Gaza and includes the return of the remains of dead hostages to their families.

Copyright 2024 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.

For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to KXAN Austin.
A German property developer has bought a former Nazi concentration camp that used tunnel slave labour, alarming historians and victims relatives.

The owner of GPM Projekt 58 UG, a development company in Saxony that is said to specialise in problem properties, has agreed to pay 500,000 (421,000) for the site after the previous owner went into insolvency.

The decision has angered historians in Saxony as well as relatives of the camps survivors, who say they cannot believe such a historically sensitive landmark has been sold off to a private firm.

The Langenstein-Zwieberge camp was built near the town of Halberstadt in Saxony and consisted of an 8 mile-long tunnel network, where prisoners were forced to help build Nazi weapons such as V2 rockets for the war effort.

Survivors of the camp said the conditions were so barbaric that the bodies would pile up in the tunnels, where many suffered from extreme malnutrition.

I am angry, sad, outraged, all at the same time, Helena Barcikowski, a descendant of camp survivor Marian Barcikowski, told Der Spiegel magazine.

The entrance to the camp, which was sold for 500,000 to a private developer - DPA PICTURE ALLIANCE/ALAMY

Mr Barcikowski had been deported to Germany in 1944 from Warsaw, where he was a staunch opponent of Nazism, she said. He was put to work in the tunnels for seven months and somehow survived.

But when he returned to his family after the war he was a shadow of his former self, suffering from tuberculosis and dysentery  and weighing just 48 kilograms.

His condition was so bad that he was too weak even for a death march, Ms Barcikowski added.

The purchase has also concerned historians such as Rainer Neugebauer, a professor of social sciences at Harz University of Applied Sciences.

[It is stunning] how something like this can still happen after 80 years, he told Der Spiegel. One gets the feeling that none of those with political responsibility are taking this historically sensitive facility seriously... this is not real estate, it is a mass grave.

It remains unclear what GPM Projekt, which is run by investor Peter Jugl, intends to do with the site of the former Nazi camp. However, the firms lawyer has reportedly stated in court that there are no plans for commercial use of the tunnels themselves.

A monument to the crimes committed at the camp cannot be removed - DPA PICTURE ALLIANCE/ALAMY

The companys website includes a portfolio of various residential and office projects, as well as an airport hotel and student accommodation blocks. The same website vaguely refers to the concentration camp site as underground halls in Halberstadt without giving further context.

According to Der Spiegel, local authorities had initially tried to block the purchase of the land because it contained a monument to the crimes committed there which cannot be moved.

But Mr Jugl then sued state authorities and won his case, on the grounds that their right of veto did not apply to the sale of insolvent estates  as was the case with Langenstein-Zwieberge.

The Telegraph has approached GPM Projekt for comment.

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This Professor, Who's Usually Never Wrong, Just Predicted Who Will Win the November Election

American University history professor Allan Lichtman gives a lecture on his Thirteen Keys to the White House at American University in Washington on October 28, 2008 - Image: Nicholas Kamm (Getty Images)

Updated as of 9/06/2024 at 4:00 p.m. ET

We are less than 60 days away from deciding who will become the next president. With this high-stress, high-stakes election season quickly nearing its end, all eyes are on this one American University professor to prophesize who will win between Vice President Kamala Harris and former President Donald Trump. And he just made his call.

According to C-SPAN, Dr. Allan Lichtman is an election forecaster, most notable for correctly predicting nearly every presidential election since 1984, including the last five elections correctly.



The professor spoke to CNN to make his final and exact prediction. After holding out on his definitive choice until after the Democratic National Convention, Lichtman has finally spoken, and he said drumroll please Harris will have a precedent breaking victory over Trump come November, he said.

Dr. Lichtmans Method

Lichtman apparently has the proof to back up his claim. And according to him, the answers to all of the countrys burning questions surrounding the presidential winner will come down to his tried and true method to prove it.

So how does he do it? According to Fox News, Lichtman developed a formula he calls the keys to the White House, and to his defense, his method usually works.

Lichtman correctly predicted Trumps 2016 election and Bidens 2020 win. If that wasnt enough, the historian also predicted both of former President Barack Obamas 2008 and 2012 elections using the exact same method, according to American University. Simply put... the man is good.

The Magic of the Keys

He makes his predictions based on thirteen categorizes or keys as the historian likes to call them. The categories are framed as true or false questions; if the candidate answers true, they also get a key. The candidate with the most keys is Lichtmans predicted winner.

Lichtmans keys explores the strengths and weaknesses of both candidates in addition to analyzing the current state of the nation.

The keys are as followed:

party mandate

contest

incumbency

third party

short-term economy

long-term economy

policy change

social unrest

scandal

foreign/military failure

foreign/military success

incumbent charisma

challenger charisma

So.... How Does Harris Come Out on Top?

At the beginning of this election season, Democrats automatically won the incumbency key, but obviously, a lot has changed since President Joe Biden dropped out. Back in July, Lichtman toldNewsNation a lot would have to go wrong for Harris to lose, and as weve all noticed, a lot has gone right for the Harris-Walz ticket since then.

Off the bat, Harris held six keys: primary contest, short-term economy, long-term economy, policy change, no scandal, and no challenger charisma. Trump had three keys working in his favor: mandate, because the Republicans won the House majority in the 2022 midterms; no incumbency, because Biden is no longer seeking re-election; and the incumbent lacking charisma (sorry, Biden).



Now, Lichtman says the Democratic nominee controls two more keys: third-party and no social unrest. With this, Harris holds most of the keys over Trump, even though foreign policy success and foreign policy failure are still up for grabs, according to the professor

Well have to wait until election day to see if Lichtmans prophecy comes true. And we dont know about yall, but well take our chances betting on Lichtman.

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Good morning and welcome to the A.M. Alert!

EXCLUSIVE  PROGRESSIVE GROUP ENDORSES DEMS IN FIVE CA SWING RACES

Via Nicole Nixon...

Progressive group MoveOn is endorsing five Democrats in battleground House races around California, the organization exclusively shared with The Sacramento Bee.

The races  including two seats up for grabs in the Central Valley and three in Southern California  could help determine control of the House.

The slate of California endorsements announced today include:

Adam Gray , who is in a rematch with GOP incumbent Rep. John Duarte in CA-13

Rudy Salas , also in a rematch with Republican Rep. David Valadao in CA-22

Will Rollins , who for a second time is challenging longtime Rep. Ken Calvert in CA-41

Derek Tran , running against GOP Rep. Michelle Steele in CA-45

Dave Min, who is trying to fend off Republican Scott Baugh and keep Rep. Katie Porters open CA-47 seat blue

President Joe Biden defeated Donald Trump in four of the five districts  the exception was CA-41  in 2020.

Our members endorsed these candidates because they will prioritize a people-first agenda for Californians that will empower our communities while ensuring our rights and freedoms do not collapse at the hands of the MAGA-run Republican Party, said MoveOn Political Action spokesperson Britt Jacovich. MoveOn members know how critical it is to vote to keep control of the U.S. House away from MAGA extremists who intend to take our country backward through their Project 2025 agenda.

The districts are part of MoveOns $32 million effort to win the presidency and other federal races for Democrats. The left-wing group plans to strategically target young voters in battleground states and House races to vote in the November election.

Republicans have been aggressively campaigning, and earlier this month criticized several Democratic contenders for their records on crime.

Democrats need a net gain of four House seats in November to win control of the chamber. The nonpartisan Cook Political Report says that the Duarte, Valadao and Calvert seats are tossups, while the Steel race leans Republican. It says Porters seat leans Democratic.

QUOTE OF THE DAY

Failed policies of the past didnt reduce or address homelessness. We cannot arrest our way out of poverty and homelessness. Wealth inequality and chronic homelessness is a policy failure  as the wealthiest state in the world, California has the moral obligation to offer shelter or housing before sweeping our neighbors away.

- Jane Kim, California director of the Working Families Party, in a statement responding to Gov. Gavin Newsoms order to state officials to begin clearing homeless campsites.

Best of The Bee:

Unprecedented lawsuit could roll back farmworker union wins from 2023 California law, via Mathew Miranda and Melissa Montalvo .

What Black voters think about Donald Trump, Kamala Harris and their top priorities, via Cathie Anderson .

Caltrans sues former supervisor who sexually harassed employee, seeking damages repayment, via William Melhado.
SAN FRANCISCO (Reuters)  Apple (AAPL) relied on chips designed by Google (GOOG, GOOGL)rather than industry leader Nvidia (NVDA) to build two key components of its artificial intelligence software infrastructure for its forthcoming suite of AI tools and features, an Apple research paper published on Monday showed.

Apple's decision to rely on Google's cloud infrastructure is notable because Nvidia produces the most sought-after AI processors.

Including the chips made by Google, Amazon.com (AMZN) and other cloud computing companies, Nvidia commands roughly 80% of the market.

In the research paper, Apple did not explicitly say that it used no Nvidia chips, but its description of the hardware and software infrastructure of its AI tools and features lacked any mention of Nvidia hardware.

Apple did not comment on Monday.

The iPhone maker said that to train its AI models, it used two flavors of Google's tensor processing unit (TPU) that are organized in large clusters of chips.

To build the AI model that will operate on iPhones and other devices, Apple used 2,048 of the TPUv5p chips. For its server AI model, Apple deployed 8,192 TPUv4 processors.

Nvidia does not design TPUs but rather focuses its efforts on so-called graphics processing units (GPUs) that are widely used for AI efforts.

Unlike Nvidia, which sells its chips and systems as standalone products, Google sells access to TPUs through its Google Cloud Platform. Customers interested in buying access must build software through Google's cloud platform in order to use the chips.

Apple is rolling out portions of Apple Intelligence to its beta users this week.

Apple is bringing generative AI capabilities to Siri, elevating the voice assistant to a more prominent role across its operating systems. (Image: Apple) (Apple)

Reuters reported the use of the TPU chips in June, but Apple did not disclose the full extent of its reliance on Google hardware until Monday's research paper.

Google did not return a request for comment, while Nvidia declined to comment.

Apple's engineers said in the paper it would be possible to make even larger, more sophisticated models with Google's chips, than the two models it discussed in the paper.

Apple unveiled a slew of new AI features at its June developer conference, including integrating OpenAI's ChatGPT technology into its software.

The Cupertino, California-based company's stock ticked down 0.1% to $218.24 in regular trading on Monday.

(Reporting by Max A. Cherney in San Francisco; Editing by Matthew Lewis and Varun H K)
A group of progressive leaders is urging likely Democratic presidential nominee Kamala Harris to consider Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz (D) or Kentucky Gov. Andy Beshear (D) as her running mate and rule out Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro (D), as the party seeks to consolidate its base ahead of November.

Close to 50 progressive leaders hailing from states ranging from California to Kentucky  including the originator of the coalition efforts, California Democratic Party Progressive Caucus Chair Emeritus Amar Shergill  signed onto a letter released Tuesday telling Harris that they whole-heartedly endorsed her campaign while noting that it is difficult to overstate the importance of your decision in selecting a Vice-Presidential running mate.

The correct vice presidential candidate can build on the amazing momentum you have established or set us back, especially among hard-to-reach, young, and disenfranchised voters, the progressive leaders wrote in the letter, which was first shared with The Hill. With the compressed timeline ahead of us to defeat the Trump-Vance-MAGA threat, we simply cannot afford any setbacks.

The progressives made the case for Walz and Beshear, saying the two are persuasive advocates for core Democratic values and will energize voters across America without marginalizing any of the communities that we must engage in order to win the electoral college.

The letter noted in particular that they both represent and connect with rural areas and would be the perfect candidates to allow the party to bring those voters back into the fold in November.

At the same time, the progressive argued that while Shapiro is a valued member of the Democratic coalition, he has become known for his shortcomings as a national candidate, including controversial policy decisions like his backing of school vouchers.

While Shapiro has indeed backed school vouchers, hes also noted that its very important that we fully fund public education, according to Spotlight PA. The governors office touted the the largest increase in K-12 basic education funding in Pennsylvania history in its 2023-2024 budget.

Choosing Tim Walz or Andy Beshear as Vice-President Kamala Harris running mate will invigorate the nation by rallying all of our diverse communities, especially young voters, public education advocates, and the working class, California Democratic Party Progressive Caucus Chair Fatima Iqbal-Zubair said in a statement.

Both governors have proven track records of delivering results for communities who typically feel left behind, she continued. By selecting either Walz or Beshear, we can ensure that the Harris campaign continues its tremendous momentum, strengthening our coalition and securing a Democratic victory in November. This VP choice represents a powerful step towards unifying and energizing the electorate.

Harriss campaign is in the midst of choosing her running mate as Democrats prepare for their national convention next month. Shapiro, Beshear and Walz are among those in the mix being vetted in addition to others like Sen. Mark Kelly (D-Ariz.).

Democrats are hoping to use the veepstakes as an opportunity to appeal to a broader tent of Democrats and other key voting blocs. One ABC News/Ipsos poll released this month showed Kelly seen as the most favorable among other floated vice presidential picks.

Copyright 2024 Nexstar Media, Inc. 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 News

Paul Dans, the director of Project 2025, is leaving his post as the program  intended as a road map to a MAGA American future  has instead become a major irritant to Donald Trumps campaign for president.

To every thing there is a season, Dans wrote in a letter to staffers obtained by Semafor and first reported by The Daily Beast. We completed what we set out to do, which was create a unified conservative vision, bringing together over 110 leading organizations, united behind the cause of deconstructing the administrative state. This tool was built for any administration, dedicated to conservative ideals, to utilize. The work of the project was due to wrap with the nominating conventions of the political parties. Our work is presently winding down, and I plan later in August to leave Heritage. Electoral season is upon us, and I want to direct all my efforts to winning, bigly!

Developed under the Heritage Foundation with participation from major conservative groups, the multi-million dollar effort has spent the last few years building a LinkedIn for conservatives that an upcoming administration could tap into for hiring purposes.

Project 2025 also developed a hefty policy book, and has been working in recent months on putting together regulations and executive orders that could be implemented as soon as the next president takes office. Its policy recommendations have been a focus of Democratic messaging for months, with the Biden and now Harris campaign highlighting items like invoking the Comstock Act to restrict abortion access as examples of how a future Trump administration might govern.

In a statement, Heritage Foundation president Kevin Roberts echoed Dans email, saying the project completed exactly what it set out to do under his leadership. That effort, he said, entailed getting various conservative organizations on board and building out the tools for any future administration to use. Roberts will be taking control of the projects operations, a person familiar with the situation added.

When we began Project 2025 in April 2022, we set a timeline for the project to conclude its policy drafting after the two party conventions this year, and we are sticking to that timeline, Roberts said in his statement. Our collective efforts to build a personnel apparatus for policymakers of all levels  federal, state, and local  will continue.

Know More

Trumps top campaign aides have pushed back on Project 2025 for months, frustrated by media reports that they believed conflated some of the projects ideas with that of the campaign, and by growing attacks from the then-Biden campaign over the topic. But recently, that back-and-forth escalated when Trump himself began distancing himself from it in early July: He has since, on multiple occasions, disavowed the effort.

I dont know what the hell it is, Trump said during a rally in Michigan last week. They read some of the things, and they are extreme, I mean, theyre seriously extreme, but I dont know anything about it, I dont want to know anything about it.

Even amid the drama, Project 2025 staffers and allies were briefly buoyed when Trump picked Ohio Sen. JD Vance as his running mate  Vance wrote the foreword to Heritage Foundation president Kevin Roberts upcoming book, after all. Others dismissed the warring as typical politics given the state of the race, and remained confident that Trump would end up tapping into their efforts should he take office. But some staffers are undeniably concerned about the projects  and by extension, their own  future.

The View From The Trump Campaign

Trump campaign managers Chris LaCivita and Susie Wiles reiterated that Project 2025 had nothing to do with the campaign or Trump and said they celebrated any signs of turmoil around it.

Reports of Project 2025s demise would be greatly welcomed and should serve as notice to anyone or any group trying to misrepresent their influence with President Trump and his campaign  it will not end well for you, their statement read.

The View From The Harris Campaign

Harris for President campaign manager Julie Chavez Rodriguez sought to continue tying Trump to Project 2025, arguing that this is his agenda, written by his allies, for Donald Trump to inflict on our country.

Hiding the 920-page blueprint from the American people doesnt make it less real  in fact, it should make voters more concerned about what else Trump and his allies are hiding, she said. What remains clear is that Trump, Vance, and the Project 2025 agenda will take America backwards: more abortion bans, more suffering, higher costs for the middle class, cuts to Social Security and Medicare, repeal of the Affordable Care Act, dirtier air and water, and empowering Trump to destroy American democracy.





Shelbys view

The work of Project 2025 is well underway. Theyve gathered and vetted thousands of names, and received almost 20,000 in total so far. Theyve written a nearly 900-page policy book. Theyve begun drafting executive orders. All of this has already started to redefine a Republican Party toward more populist economic policies and combative stances on some social issues. And all of these people and ideas will remain ready for Trump and other Republicans in the future, should they choose to use them.

But Trumps current rejection of Project 2025 reflects the reality that it remains hard to anticipate what Trump will do if hes elected in November, particularly on policy. He was among the least traditionally conservative Republican candidates when he first ran for president in 2016, and he demonstrated in 2024 that the anti-abortion movement, in particular, needs him far more than he needs them.

This doesnt mean Trump wont end up relying on Project 2025, despite advisors currently claiming otherwise: Project 2025s growing, fully-vetted database, for instance, is likely to be particularly helpful for someone like Trump, whose campaign was caught by surprise when they won in 2016 and remains a lean operation this time around. But both conservatives and Democrats are fooling themselves if they think theres any guarantee of Trumps policy choices, or any power center other than Trump himself.

Notable

Back in February, Project 2025 officially reached its milestone of signing on over 100 coalition partners for its advisory board, Semafor reported at the time . These partners include major players in the conservative movement, like The Claremont Institute and Susan B. Anthony Pro-Life America.

Project 2025 isnt the only effort aimed at involving itself in an upcoming Republican administration: The America First Policy Institute has developed its own transition project in recent years. Both are filled with former Trump administration officials.
Project 2025 shakes up leadership after criticism from Democrats and Trump, but says work goes on

NEW YORK (AP)  The director of the Heritage Foundation's Project 2025 vision for a complete overhaul of the federal government stepped down Tuesday after blowback from Donald Trump's campaign, which has tried to disavow the program created by many of the former president's allies and former aides.

Heritage Foundation President Kevin Roberts said Paul Dans exit comes after the project completed exactly what it set out to do." Roberts, who has emerged as a chief spokesman for the effort, plans to lead Project 2025 going forward.

"Our collective efforts to build a personnel apparatus for policymakers of all levels  federal, state, and local  will continue, Roberts said.

What started as an obscure far-right wish list is now a focal point in the 2024 campaign. Democrats for the past several months have made Project 2025 a key election-year cudgel, pointing to the ultraconservative policy blueprint as a glimpse into how extreme another Trump administration could be.

The nearly 1,000-page handbook lays out sweeping changes in the federal government, including altering personnel rules to ensure government workers are more loyal to the president. Heritage is building a database of potential new hires to staff a second Trump White House.

Yet Trump has repeatedly disavowed the document, saying on social media he hasnt read it and doesnt know anything about it. At a rally in Michigan earlier this month, he said Project 2025 was written by people on the severe right and some of the things in it are seriously extreme.

President Trumps campaign has been very clear for over a year that Project 2025 had nothing to do with the campaign, did not speak for the campaign, and should not be associated with the campaign or the President in any way, Trump campaign advisers Susie Wiles and Chris LaCivita said in a statement.

They said, Reports of Project 2025s demise would be greatly welcomed and should serve as notice to anyone or any group trying to misrepresent their influence with President Trump and his campaign  it will not end well for you.

But Ohio Sen. JD Vance, Trumps running mate, wrote a foreword to a forthcoming book by Roberts in which he lauds the Heritage Foundations work. A copy of the foreword was obtained by The Associated Press.

The Heritage Foundation isnt some random outpost on Capitol Hill; it is and has been the most influential engine of ideas for Republicans from Ronald Reagan to Donald Trump, wrote Vance.

Quoting Roberts elsewhere in the book, Vance writes: We are now all realizing that its time to circle the wagons and load the muskets. In the fights that lay ahead, these ideas are an essential weapon.

Trump campaign representatives did not respond to messages inquiring about whether the campaign asked or pushed for Dans to step down from the project. The Heritage Foundation said Dans left voluntarily and it was not under pressure from the Trump campaign. Dans didnt immediately respond to an emailed request for comment.

Project 2025 has many ties to Trump's orbit

In many ways, Project 2025 served as a potential far-right White House in waiting, a constellation of outside groups that would be ready for action if Trump wins a second term.

The project included not only the detailed policy proposals that Trump could put into place on day one at the White House. Project 2025 was also building a personnel database of resumes for potential hires, drawing Americans to Washington to staff a new Trump administration.

Many Trump allies and former top aides contributed to the project. Dans formerly worked as a personnel official for the Trump administration. And Trump regularly campaigns on many of the same proposals in the Project 2025 book  from mass deportations to upending the Justice Department  though some of its other proposals, including further taxes on tips, conflict with some of what Trump has pledged on the campaign trail.

It was clear that Project 2025 was becoming a liability for Trump and the Republican Party.

Vice President Kamala Harris campaign and top Democrats have repeatedly tied Trump to Project 2025 as they argue against a second term for the former president.

The Harris campaign said Project 2025 remains linked to Trumps agenda, written by his allies for him to inflict on the country.

Hiding the 920-page blueprint from the American people doesnt make it less real  in fact, it should make voters more concerned about what else Trump and his allies are hiding, said Harris for President Campaign Manager Julie Chavez Rodriguez.

For months Trumps campaign had warned outside groups, and Heritage in particular, that they did not speak for the former president.

In an interview from the Republican convention first published by Politico, LaCivita said Project 2025 was a problem because the issues that are going to win us this campaign are not the issues that they want to talk about.

It was almost certain than Trumps campaign forced the shakeup, said one former Heritage aide.

Trumps team was well aware it couldnt risk any missteps from Heritage in this final stretch ahead of the election.

By announcing the departure, Roberts appeared to be sending a signal to the Trump campaign that changes were being made at Heritage to tamp down any concerns over Project 2025, said another conservative familiar with the situation.

If Trump wins the White House, he almost certainly will need to rely on Heritage and other outside entities to help quickly staff a new administration, the person said.

That person and the former aide would only talk on condition of anonymity to discuss private conversations.

Heritage says Project 2025 is not going away

Project 2025s website will remain live and the group will continue vetting resumes for its nearly 20,000-person database of potential officials eager to execute its vision for government, the Heritage Foundation said Tuesday.

The group said Dans, who had started the project from scratch more than two years ago, will leave the Heritage Foundation in August. Roberts will now run Project 2025 operations.

Roberts has faced criticism in recent weeks after he said on an episode of former Trump aide Steve Bannon's War Room podcast that the country is in the midst of a second American Revolution that will be bloodless if the left allows it to be.

Earlier this month, in an interview before beginning a prison sentence for defying a congressional subpoena, Bannon mentioned Roberts as the type of leader who could land a top job in a Trump White House.

___

Mascaro reported from Washington. Associated Press writer Michelle L. Price contributed to this report.

___

The Associated Press receives support from several private foundations to enhance its explanatory coverage of elections and democracy. See more about APs democracy initiative here. The AP is solely responsible for all content.
Paul Dans, director of the Heritage Foundation's Project 2025, is stepping down, the organization confirmed. (George Walker IV / Associated Press)

The director of Project 2025, a controversial conservative playbook for a second Trump presidency that has stoked intense debate on the national political stage, is stepping down.

The departure Tuesday of attorney Paul Dans from his director role at the Heritage Foundation, which oversees Project 2025, was immediately welcomed by former President Trump's campaign, which has been trying for months to distance the candidate from the plan.

"Reports of Project 2025s demise would be greatly welcomed and should serve as notice to anyone or any group trying to misrepresent their influence with President Trump and his campaign  it will not end well for you," said Chris LaCivita and Susie Wiles, two senior campaign advisors.

Dans could not immediately be reached for comment. But officials at the Heritage Foundation said his departure was expected and consistent with long-standing plans for the project to enter a different phase following the major party conventions.

"Paul, who built the project from scratch and bravely led this endeavor over the past two years, will be departing the team and moving up to the front where the fight remains," said Heritage President Kevin D. Roberts.

Roberts said Project 2025 was "built for any future administration to use," not specifically for Trump, and it was "NOT shutting down," he said.

Read more: Project 2025 plan calls for demolition of NOAA and National Weather Service

"Our collective efforts to build a personnel apparatus for policymakers of all levels  federal, state, and local  will continue," Roberts said.

Project 2025 calls for vastly more power to be consolidated with the president, for more federal employees to be appointees of the president and for less federal intervention in a range of areas, including education  where it calls for the elimination of the Department of Education.

It also calls for stricter enforcement of immigration and new rules that would empower mass deportations, and for the wall along the southern border to be completed. It rails against certain environmental protections, and the demolition of key environmental agencies such as NOAA and the National Weather Service.

It calls for much tighter restrictions on abortion, and for the federal government to collect data on the women who receive such procedures. It also supports a slew of ideas that are strongly anti-LGBTQ+. In order to "make the institutions of American civil society hard targets for woke culture warriors," Roberts wrote in an introduction to the plan, the federal government should delete all references to queer identities, diversity, equity and inclusion, abortion or reproductive health from federal legislation and rules.

In addition to staking out conservative policy positions, Project 2025 is working to build out a database of conservative personnel interested in jobs in government  ostensibly as a pool of right-wing candidates for Trump to fill his government with if he wins.

In addition to welcoming Project 2025's demise, LaCivita and Wiles again stressed there is no connection between it and Trump.

"President Trump's campaign has been very clear for over a year that Project 2025 had nothing to do with the campaign, did not speak for the campaign, and should not be associated with the campaign or the President in any way," they said.

Trump has previously said he knew "nothing about" the plan, but also that he found some of its ideas "absolutely ridiculous and abysmal."

Read more: Why Project 2025 and the GOP platform bash California

Democrats, who have described Project 2025 as a far-right agenda that threatens basic American freedoms, have scoffed at Trump's efforts to distance himself from the plan  noting that much of it was written by past Trump advisors or appointees.

Dans himself served in the Trump administration, including as chief of staff in the Office of Personnel Management. His biography on the Heritage Foundation's website notes that he "also served as OPM's White House liaison and worked integrally with the White House Office of Presidential Personnel to staff the approximately 4,000 presidential appointees across the federal government."

It said Trump appointed Dans as chairman of the National Capital Planning Commission in January 2021.

Democrats on Tuesday continued to tie Trump and Project 2025 together.

"Trump and his extreme MAGA Republican sycophants can run from Project 2025. But they cannot hide," said House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries (D-N.Y.). "We will expose their diabolical plan to the American people."

The campaign of Vice President Kamala Harris, the presumed Democratic candidate taking on Trump, pushed out video in which Dans is asked if he has a relationship with Trump.

Dans said he was a Trump supporter who had "been down to Mar-a-Lago many times," a reference to Trump's Florida club. He said the people behind Project 2025 "have integration with folks on the campaign," and "often supply ideas," and hoped to shape personnel decisions in the future.

"This is really going to be the engine room for the next administration," Dans said. "Many of these folks served and will be called upon to serve again."

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This story originally appeared in Los Angeles Times.
The leader of Project 2025 is stepping down from his role amid a power struggle over potential government staffing if Donald Trump wins in November.

Paul Dans, the director of the project housed at the Heritage Foundation, will be departing the team, according to a statement to the Guardian from Kevin Roberts, the president of Heritage Foundation.

The departure could indicate the projects work is ending or at least will not be taking such a public role in the lead-up to the November election, though the policy ideas outlined in its extensive conservative roadmap remain public. Project 2025 has become a shorthand term for its manifesto of conservative policies, but the project includes multiple pillars designed to influence a conservative president.

Dans is leaving after pressure from Trump campaign leadership and an ongoing power rift over staffing control for a second Trump administration, Roger Sollenberger, a reporter for the Daily Beast, wrote on Twitter/X.

Dans, a Trump loyalist, worked in personnel-related roles in the first Trump administration, including as chief of staff at the office of personnel management.

In an internal email obtained by Semafor, Dans said the work of the project was due to wrap after the political parties nominating conventions, which for Republicans was earlier this month.

Our work is presently winding down, and I plan later in August to leave Heritage, he wrote. Electoral season is upon us, and I want to direct all my efforts to winning, bigly!

Roberts claims the change was always intended and followed a set timeline.

When we began Project 2025 in April 2022, we set a timeline for the project to conclude its policy drafting after the two party conventions this year, and we are sticking to that timeline, Roberts said in the statement. Paul, who built the project from scratch and bravely led this endeavor over the past two years, will be departing the team and moving up to the front where the fight remains. We are extremely grateful for his and everyones work on Project 2025 and dedication to saving America. Our collective efforts to build a personnel apparatus for policymakers of all levels  federal, state, and local  will continue.

It is not immediately clear what winding down its work entails, given that the policy playbook is already written and a personnel database already compiled.

The departure underscores the unpopularity of Project 2025 for Trump, who has for weeks attempted to distance himself from it.

Earlier this month, Trump claimed to know nothing about Project 2025 and have no idea who is behind it. The disavowal from Trump came after Roberts said: We are in the process of the second American revolution, which will remain bloodless, if the left allows it to be.

At a recent rally in Michigan, Trump quipped about the project, I dont know what the hell it is and theyre seriously extreme. But the project includes many former Trump administration officials and its aims often align with Trumps policy ideas, albeit with far more detail.

Democrats have seized on the project as a stand-in for what Trump could do if he wins a second term, bringing it up at events, in interviews and in billboard ads around the country. They have called out some of the projects provisions, like further restrictions to abortion and an end to policies that protect LGBTQ+ rights and diversity.

Kamala Harriss campaign said in a statement: Project 2025 is on the ballot because Donald Trump is on the ballot. This is his agenda, written by his allies, for Donald Trump to inflict on our country. Hiding the 920-page blueprint from the American people doesnt make it less real  in fact, it should make voters more concerned about what else Trump and his allies are hiding.

Susie Wiles and Chris LaCivita, Trumps campaign leaders, have dinged the project publicly and noted how it doesnt speak for Trump. LaCivita called the project a pain in the ass.

President Trumps campaign has been very clear for over a year that Project 2025 had nothing to do with the campaign, did not speak for the campaign, and should not be associated with the campaign or the President in any way, Wiles and LaCivita said in a statement on Tuesday. Reports of Project 2025s demise would be greatly welcomed and should serve as notice to anyone or any group trying to misrepresent their influence with President Trump and his campaign  it will not end well for you.

Project 2025s four pillars started with a lengthy roadmap. Alongside the document, the group is creating a database of potential personnel for an incoming Trump administration, as well as training them on how the government should work as part of a Presidential Administration Academy. The final step will be a presidential transition playbook that seeks to help the next president hit the ground running once he takes office.

The personnel piece, in particular, has led to some infighting among Republicans, though so have policy ideas that are unpopular in a general election, like restricting abortions. Trump doesnt want to be seen as outsourcing any element of his administration to an outside group. And the foundations bold, public move to do so may not have endeared the thinktank to Trumpworld.

Hiring staff after winning the presidency is always a huge undertaking, but if Trump and Project 2025 get their way, it would be herculean. Both Trump and the project want to drastically expand the number of political appointees in the federal government, firing civil servants whose roles typically have remained nonpartisan regardless of who is in office. Doing so would require thousands, if not tens of thousands, more political hires who are beholden to the president. Despite the clash, its likely theres some overlap between candidates the project has vetted and would recommend, and the Trump administrations picks. Many of Trumps allies, like Steve Bannon, have praised or supported the project.

While the project skews Trumpian, its goals represent generational changes in policy and how the government works that would last far beyond the next presidency. Roberts said on Bannons show that the project was building not just for 2025, but for the next century in the United States. The project has the left so upset, he added, because theyve never seen the political right be this organized, this focused, this rational about taking power and actually using it appropriately, as the constitution says.

In a Guardian profile on Roberts earlier this month, sources noted his ability to grab attention for conservative causes  a skill that could lead to backlash. One critic of Heritages Trumpian turn warned: Its not at all clear to me that the bet that Kevin is making is going to pay off.

Dans has appeared on Steve Bannons War Room show to boost the project and encourage War Room listeners to get involved as potential appointees in a second Trump administration. He called himself a true-blooded deplorable and explained how the projects goal was about infusing America First in the conservative movement.

We need a new culture, we need this War Room audience to come to work in Washington, he said in an appearance on the show last year.

This week, he was back on the show, seeking to debunk the lefts narratives about the project and again imploring conservatives to help staff the government.

The swamp isnt going to drain itself, we need outsiders coming in to do this, he said, emphasizing that the project was not Trumps, but had built a way to vet candidates for federal roles.

In another video that resurfaced in recent weeks, Dans said that the project had a great relationship with Trump and that Trump is very bought into this, though emphasized that the project is intended to be candidate-neutral.
Project 2025 Director Steps Down, But The Proposals Are As Real As Ever

Paul Dans, the director of the controversial presidential transition plan known as Project 2025, has stepped down from his role at The Heritage Foundation, Heritage Foundation President Kevin Roberts confirmed in a statement.

Roberts made it clear that, despite Dans departure, the political goals of the right-wing manifesto remain very much alive.

When we began Project 2025 in April 2022, we set a timeline for the project to conclude its policy drafting after the two party conventions this year, and we are sticking to that timeline, Roberts said in the statement Tuesday.

Project 2025 will continue our efforts to build a personnel apparatus for policymakers of all levels  federal, state, and local. I look forward to leading this team to continued success.

This tool was built for any future administration to use, he added.

Former President Donald Trump, the GOP presidential nominee, has attempted to distance himself from the roadmap as its morphed into a massive political liability. But as HuffPosts S.V. Date explained earlier this month, the document is deeply intertwined with Trump and Trumps advisers.

More than half of the documents authors are former Trump White House advisers or current campaign aides. His campaign press secretary features in a Project 2025 ad. And Trump himself praised The Heritage Foundations efforts at a dinner in April 2022.

This is a great group, Trump said at the time, and theyre going to lay the groundwork and detail plans for exactly what our movement will do and what your movement will do when the American people give us a colossal mandate to save America.

Sen. JD Vance, Trumps running mate, also praised and wrote the foreword for an upcoming book penned by Roberts.

(Readers may recall Roberts saying in an interview that we are in the process of the second American Revolution, which will remain bloodless  if the left allows it to be.)

Paul Dans, then director of Project 2025 at the Heritage Foundation, speaks at the National Religious Broadcasters convention on Feb. 22 in Nashville, Tennessee. via Associated Press

Despite those ties, the Trump campaign claimed Tuesday to have nothing to do with the transition project.

President Trumps campaign has been very clear for over a year that Project 2025 had nothing to do with the campaign, did not speak for the campaign, and should not be associated with the campaign or the President in any way, the campaign said in an emailed statement.

Reports of Project 2025s demise would be greatly welcomed and should serve as notice to anyone or any group trying to misrepresent their influence with President Trump and his campaign  it will not end well for you.

In a statement, Vice President Kamala Harris presidential campaign said Project 2025 isnt going anywhere despite Dans departure.

Project 2025 is on the ballot because Donald Trump is on the ballot. This is his agenda, written by his allies, for Donald Trump to inflict on our country, campaign manager Julie Chavez Rodriguez said.

Hiding the 920-page blueprint from the American people doesnt make it less real  in fact, it should make voters more concerned about what else Trump and his allies are hiding.

Among other proposals, the sweeping plan calls for: purging tens of thousands of civil servants from the federal government and replacing them with political appointees; basing government social services on biblical values; weakening environmental protections (including ending climate change research); getting rid of the Departments of Education and Homeland Security; passing massive tax cuts; and severely limiting abortion access.

Related...
He built a collection of some of the citys most influential restaurants and was dubbed one of L.A.s most ubiquitous restaurateurs.

Steven Arroyo, the prolific, attention-grabbing force behind Cobras & Matadors, Church & State, Escuela Taqueria, Malo, Boxer, Burger She Wrote, Cobra Lily, Potato Chips Deli and more, died at age 55 on Sunday due to medical complications from cancer treatment, one of his business partners confirmed.

In a career that spanned more than three decades, Arroyo established himself as a curator not only of cutting-edge culinary trends and menus, but also of talent. While not a chef himself, he knew how to find them. Some of the citys most esteemed chefs passed through Arroyos kitchens, including Walter Manzke of Republique, Neal Fraser of Redbird, Brooke Williamson of Top Chef and Playa Provisions and vegan authority Jared Simons.

The restaurateur had been battling cancer for some time. On a Friday night in April, in the dining room of his freshly reopened Cobras & Matadors, he told the Los Angeles Times that only two weeks prior, he hadnt been able to walk due to his medication. But he said he was also a fighter, and that the process of opening a restaurant and being surrounded by all of the familiarity and the excitement was helping him to regain his strength.

It's been good, he said. I think its healing, doing things you love to do.

Family remained a constant for Arroyo; at Malo, in Silver Lake, his mother inspired the restaurants menu and cooked in the kitchen multiple times a week. Throughout the years his children could also be found in his restaurants, sometimes working right alongside him.

Read more: Success with style: Cobras & Matadors owner Steven Arroyo built a small empire through ambition and an uncanny intuition.

Whether overseeing the pickle-topped beef hard-shell tacos at Malo and Escuela, which just last week was named one of the 101 Best Tacos in L.A. , or the decades-admired gambas al ajillo at Cobras & Matadors, the restaurateur had a hunch when it came to what Los Angeles craves.

Arroyo seems to have an uncanny sense of what his audience wants to eat. Now, former former Times food critic S. Irene Virbila wrote in 2001.

His brasserie Church & State, opened in 2008, not only attracted Manzke as a major chef, but it was also one of the earliest restaurants to establish the Arts District at the edge of downtown L.A. as one of the most desirable places in the city to eat and drink.

Arroyo's culinary career began early. He was born in 1969 in West Covina, the eldest of three children and the grandson of the overseer of Beas El Burrito in East L.A. At 19, while selling coffee at the Santa Anita Mall, he pursuaded the cappuccino machine repairman to hire him. He went on to become a salesman for the company, and when one of his customers seemed unhappy, he bought her restaurant from her. Boxer was born.

Read more: RESTAURANT REVIEW : Talented Chef Makes Boxer a Good Bet

Id always wanted to run my own small business, not necessarily a restaurant, he later told The Times' David Shaw . It could have been a hardware store. But once I started visiting restaurants to sell them cappuccino machines, I got to thinking, Hey, Im pretty good with people, I could excel at something like this. I liked the idea of designing a room and having people come in and enjoy themselves.

His first restaurant debuted in 1995, its bistro menu blending Californian, Italian, French and Asian flavors to wide acclaim for chef Neal Fraser. Boxer is the kind of restaurant we should see more of and dont, Michelle Huneven wrote in her Times review. It was a splashy launch that laid the groundwork for Arroyos next concept, the successful Spanish small-plates restaurant Cobras & Matadors.

When he debuted Cobras & Matadors in 2001, Virbila wrote that Arroyo had taken the bull by the horns with food that was more rustic, and closer to authentic Spanish tapas than what anybody else is doing.

Steven Arroyo in 2004 at his restaurant Cobras & Matadors in Silver Lake. (Ringo H.W. Chiu / For The Times)

One of Arroyos most recognizable restaurants, Cobras & Matadors would expand and close and open  sometimes reopening in new locations  for years to come, usually due to a popular but illegal B.Y.O.B. policy, which shuttered it in 2023 for what Arroyo thought would be the final time.

Id been breaking  not even pushing, but breaking  that law for years, he told The Times this spring while sitting in the restaurant's latest iteration, this time on Melrose Avenue.

Earlier this year he received another chance and reopened his beloved Spanish restaurant in the former Spartina space, with a full bar, the way hed always envisioned it. He decorated the dining room with art and photos from his own collection, noting that it was a reflection of himself and, in a way, an extension of his home to share with guests: a goal for all of his businesses, to feel comfortable and inviting.

Read more: Steven Arroyo's Church & State opens today

My house is kind of empty because I just want to bring some of my home into this, because ultimately, thats what it is; these three are my paintings, which I'm really proud of, hed said in April, motioning to a trio of pieces on the wall. Then thats by my friend Ashley.

I hope it's a success, he added about the reopening. We're humbly trying a third time to flap our wings and fly high. Its a hard business, its a very humbling business.

Steven Arroyo is a master at conjuring up the right atmosphere for his audience, Virbila wrote in 2004 . He isnt into trendy. His is a hipper, grittier aesthetic, with an almost pitch-perfect sense of scene. Allergic to glitz, he evokes the urban and noir in his interiors, usually with a theme thats barely sketched in, merely suggested.

Arroyo's nearby Escuela Taqueria, a Beverly Grove institution dedicated to pairing flavors with the corn tortilla, also continues to feed the masses, as does adjacent smashburger destination Burger She Wrote.

Arroyo is survived by his children Lola, Pele and Luca; his life partner, Aimee Mcneilly; and multiple restaurants that continue to leave their mark on Los Angeles and the many ways it dines.

Sign up for our Tasting Notes newsletter for restaurant reviews, Los Angeles food-related news and more.

This story originally appeared in Los Angeles Times.
A prominent Detroit pastor has been charged with sexually assaulting a minor in Farmington Hills for an incident that allegedly occurred in December.

The Rev. Kenneth Flowers, 63, pastor of Greater New Mount Moriah Baptist Church in Detroit, was arraigned Friday in Farmington Hills District Court on one count of criminal sexual conduct with force or coercion and one count of criminal sexual assault with intent to commit sexual penetration. Court records show Flowers stood mute and a plea of not guilty was entered on his behalf. He was released on a $25,000 personal recognizance bond, which means he did not have to post cash or a bond, but would owe the court $25,000 if he fails to appear for future proceedings in the case.

The maximum penalty on the criminal sexual conduct charge is 15 years in prison and the maximum penalty on the sexual assault charge is 10 years.

The Rev. Kenneth Flowers from Feb. 10, 2006.

When I reached Flowers on Monday evening, his only comment was: "I deny all those charges, and that is all I have to say."

Maurice Davis, listed in court records as Flowers' attorney, did not return messages Monday seeking comment.

According to police and court records, Flowers committed the alleged assault on Dec. 20, 2023 and was arrested the same day. Court records and a source knowledgeable about the case indicate the matter involved a 17-year-old man who lived in Flowers' Farmington Hills neighborhood.

The Oakland County Prosecutor's Office declined comment on the case and few other details were available in public records on Monday. More information on what Flowers is alleged to have done will emerge on Aug. 7 at a scheduled preliminary examination, unless Flowers opts to waive the proceeding. A preliminary examination is when prosecutors generally present some of their strongest evidence, which sometimes includes witness testimony, against someone accused of a crime. If a judge determines there is enough evidence to go to trial, the case is bound over to circuit court where a judge or jury will hear testimony, examine evidence and render a verdict.

Flowers has been pastor at Greater New Mount Moriah since 1995, when he succeeded the legendary Rev. Benjamin Hooks, the longtime executive director of the NAACP. The church's website says it has 1,000 members and describes Flowers as "a community/social activist for human rights issues" with an international reputation.

He is held in such high regard that in 2019, Detroit Mayor Mike Duggan appointed him to serve on the city's Board of Ethics. He did not serve long, as he was deemed ineligible to serve after it was determined he lived in Farmington Hills.

Flowers was known for his outreach to leaders of other faiths and his church's website says he is the "first Pastor ever at Greater New Mt. Moriah to license and ordain females to the preaching ministry and to ordain females as Deacons."

The church's website also says that when Flowers celebrated 25 years of preaching the gospel, his gala was "featured in Jet Magazine, was attended by Mrs. Coretta Scott King, the Reverend Jesse Jackson, the Reverend Dr. Benjamin L. Hooks, Michigan Governor Jennifer Granholm and Detroit Mayor Kwame M. Kilpatrick. Noted TV/Radio Personality Tavis Smiley gave a video tribute to his friend."

U.S. Sixth Circuit Court of Appeals Judge Damon Keith once said of Flowers, according to the Michigan Chronicle: My job as a federal judge is reading people, and as soon as I saw him and talked to him I knew we had a Christian superstar on our hands. Thats wonderful. He succeeded Ben Hooks, and they had to select (a new pastor), someone with the potential that could keep up the tradition of Ben Hooks, and Im very proud of him. Hes involved himself in the NAACP, the United Negro College Fund, the Black Pastors of Detroit, and Im just so proud.

Detroit has never been the same since Rev. Ken Flowers came.

M.L. Elrick is a Pulitzer Prize- and Emmy Award-winning investigative reporter and host of the ML's Soul of Detroit podcast. Contact him at mlelrick@freepress.com or follow him on X at @elrick, Facebook at ML Elrick and Instagram at ml_elrick.

This article originally appeared on Detroit Free Press: Prominent Detroit pastor charged with sex assault says he's innocent
Gov. Tony Evers speaks at a press conference Monday with Democratic Party of Wisconsin Chair Ben Wikler, left, opposing two referendum questions on the Aug. 13 primary ballot for an amendment to the Wisconsin Constitution that would end the governor's authority to allocate federal funds. (Wisconsin Examiner photo)

A proposal to amend the Wisconsin Constitution that could dramatically change how federal emergency funds are allocated in the state will go to voters in the Aug. 13 primary election.

The measure has prompted juiced-up campaigns to pass or block the proposal on whats expected to be a low-turnout voting day.

Advocates argue the proposed amendment would ensure that the Legislature has input on spending emergency federal funds. Opponents contend that the result would tie the hands of Wisconsin governors now and in the future, preventing them from moving quickly in a crisis such as the COVID-19 emergency in 2020 and frequent natural disasters including tornadoes and floods.

The proposed amendment has two parts. The first would state that the Legislature could not delegate its power to appropriate money. The second would require all federal funds Wisconsin receives to go through the Legislature before a governor could allocate the money.

This resolution increases accountability, efficiency, and transparency in the expenditure of funds received from the federal government by restoring the legislatures role in approving those expenditures, said Sen. Howard Marklein (R-Spring Green) at a public hearing early this year. Marklein co-authored the amendment with Rep. Robert Wittke (R-Racine).

On Monday, Gov. Tony Evers and the Democratic Party of Wisconsin held press conferences in Madison, Eau Claire and La Crosse to urge voters to vote No on both questions  calling the amendment a power grab by the Republican majority in the Legislature.

Making it difficult to respond in a crisis

If enacted, it will be extraordinarily difficult for any governor  not just me  to respond to a crisis, Evers said at the Madison press conference.

The proposed amendment was introduced originally in the 2022 legislative session after Republican lawmakers unsuccessfully tried to direct how Evers, a Democrat, spent the billions of dollars in federal pandemic relief that came to Wisconsin.

If enacted, the proposed amendment will absolutely delay implementation of federal funds sent to the state in response to an emergency, Evers said.

A longstanding state law dating back to the 1930s authorizes Wisconsins governor to accept federal funds sent to the state. According to a Legislative Reference Bureau memo from 2022, the law authorizes the governor to direct the funds to appropriate state agencies and gives the governor the sole authority to accept the provisions of federal acts making moneys or other benefits available to the state and to take necessary actions in connection with such provisions.

Wisconsin received about $1.9 billion from the CARES Act, the first major federal COVID-19 relief law, enacted in March 2020 under then-President Donald Trump, and another $2.5 billion from the American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA), enacted a year later after President Joe Biden took office.

In 2020, after the state Legislature met to pass legislation so that Wisconsin could receive its share of the CARES Act funding, the Republican majority leadership declined to call any more floor sessions for the rest of the year.

I worked with local leaders, Ive worked with organizations and worked with state agencies and worked with the federal government to get the relief out quickly and where it would make the best impact, Evers said Monday. Without the authority that state law confers now to spend those funds when the Legislature failed to meet, he added, I could not have responded with the money that was there.

Withholding relief funds

Evers pointed to an ongoing impasse in which the Republican majority of the Joint Finance Committee has blocked spending on PFAS remediation, addressing literacy education in elementary schools and providing health care aid to the Chippewa Valley after two hospitals there closed earlier this year.

All those things were passed in law. I signed it, Evers said. That money should have been released.

After ARPA was enacted, Republican lawmakers repeatedly sought through legislation to shape how that round of pandemic relief was spent. Evers rebuffed each attempt throughout 2021 and 2022, pointing to the statute.

The legislators first attempt was to pass a bill enabling the Legislatures Joint Finance Committee to overrule Evers allocations of ARPA spending, which Evers vetoed. The first specific GOP proposal directed ARPA funds to a $1 billion property tax rebate, which the governor also vetoed. Numerous other pieces of legislation sought to apply ARPA funds to various uses, and Evers vetoed all of them.

Constitutional amendments must pass two consecutive two-year sessions of the Legislature in the form of joint legislative resolutions, which are not subject to a veto by the governor. Voters must then vote in a statewide referendum for the amendment to take effect.

The first ballot questions asks voters, Shall Section 35 (1) of Article IV of the Constitution be created to provide that the Legislature may not delegate its sole power to determine how moneys shall be appropriated?

The second question asks, Shall Section 35 (2) of Article IV of the Constitution be created to prohibit the governor from allocating any federal moneys the governor accepts on behalf of the state without the approval of the Legislature by joint resolution or as provided by legislative rule?

In an analysis of the amendment language for the University of Wisconsin State Democracy Research Initiative, attorney Bryna Godar wrote that the Legislature already plays a role in how most federal funds that come to Wisconsin are spent, because the money is directed to specific programs through the state budget.

However, it is unclear if this amendment could impact federal funding processes more broadly, Godar wrote, and it may fall to the Wisconsin Supreme Court to determine the exact bounds of what federal funding is covered.

Republican-allied groups support

Conservative groups typically aligned with the Republican party, including Wisconsin Manufacturers and Commerce, the Wisconsin Institute for Law & Liberty, the Badger Institute and the Institute for Reforming Government, have been endorsing the amendment.

A yes vote on the constitutional amendments on the August ballot will help hold the politicians accountable for billions of dollars in spending, the Badger Institutes president, Mike Nichols, wrote in a mass email message earlier this month.

Opposition comes from a wide array of organizations. Some of them are groups that have historically aligned with the Democrats, including a number of environmental organizations. Others have been historically nonpartisan, including the League of Women Voters, the Wisconsin Democracy Campaign and Common Cause.

Wisconsin Conservation Voters Vice President Cynthia Hirsch, who took part in the press conference with Evers Monday, rejected the claim by proponents of the amendment that it was somehow correcting an imbalance of power in state government. Nothing could be farther from the truth in our state.

Lawmakers and the governor already both have a say when the state budget is drawn up, she said.

We need our governor to be able to spend emergency funds, whether its for the environment or for health, or for some other public disaster, regardless of what party our governors from, and without slowing it down and getting it bogged down in a legislative process, Hirsch said. If these referendums pass the governor wont be able to do that.

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Protesters squinted down the Caracas street through a thick cloud of tear gas. From behind the smoke, a line of soldiers marched towards them.

Some turned and ran  but behind them stood another line of helmet-clad soldiers with shields and guns.

Suddenly, shots pierced the air. A young woman fell to her knees. Dont shoot me, she begged.

The shots  rubber or lead, it wasnt clear  scattered the remaining protesters.

Like millions around Venezuela, the protesters had descended on the Chacaito neighbourhood of the capital to express their fury at the apparent rigging of the countrys election.

On Monday, president Nicolas Maduro was declared to have won a third six-year term by the government-controlled election authority. Its leader, a Maduro ally, said the president had secured 51 per cent of the vote, compared with 44 per cent for his rival.

Claims of a staggering fraud followed swiftly. The opposition promised it could prove that its candidate, retired diplomat Edmundo Gonzalez Urrutia, had won at least twice as many votes as Mr Maduro.

Maria Corina Machado, the oppositions true leader, who was banned from running by Mr Maduro, said: Venezuela has a new president-elect and its Edmundo Gonzalez.

Few believed Mr Maduro stood a chance in a fair vote. Polls before election day showed him lagging far behind the opposition.

The presidents socialist PSUV party has presided over the economic collapse of a once-wealthy oil-rich country, with GDP dropping by 80 per cent over the past decade.

About a third of the population have emigrated and Venezuela has been sanctioned by both the US and the European Union. On Monday, the sound of banging pots and pans filled the air in the hours after the result was announced.

In Petare, one of the poorest neighbourhoods in the capital, demonstrators took to the streets and headed for the presidential palace.

As they went, some tore down posters of Mr Maduro from lampposts, flinging them onto piles of rubbish or small fires.

Traditionally a Maduro stronghold, Petare residents had turned away from the government over its failure to deliver anything but poverty, oppression and misery.

Hes useless. Hes brought hunger to the people of this country, so much hunger, one young man said as he joined the crowd.

At least five statues of the late Hugo Chavez, Mr Maduros predecessor, have been torn down across the country. Once an icon to millions, Chavezs face and name are now a painful reminder of the bitter end of a socialist dream.

In Caracas, opposition supporters threw stones at police, who fired back with rubber bullets and tear gas.

Videos circulating on social media show what appear to be colectivos  small groups of radical, motorbike-driving Maduro supporters  shooting at protesters.

At least four people have already died in violence following the election in Venezuela - YURI CORTEZ/AFP via Getty Images

As of Tuesday, at least four people had been killed in the violence, with dozens more injured.

Freddy Superlano, a leading figure in the opposition coalition, was bundled into a car by officials, representatives from his Voluntad Popular party said. Video footage appeared to corroborate the claim.

Protesters moved from chanting hes going to fall into jubilant cries of he has fallen. For them, the results were clear: Edmundo Gonzalez was their president-elect.

Edmundo is our president, Guillermo Delgado, an opposition supporter, told The Telegraph. We feel cheated by the government, because they want to cover our eyes and deceive us by finding a way to believe we got fewer votes than them. Venezuela and the entire world are clear that Gonzalez Urrutia won.

World leaders have denounced the Maduro government, with demands for the electoral council to release complete and transparent results.

Maria Corina Machado, centre left, who was banned from standing, has declared Edmundo Gonzalez, centre, the winner - AP Photo/Cristian Hernandez

In Latin America, Panama announced it was withdrawing its diplomatic staff from Caracas while Venezuela severed diplomatic relations with Argentina, Peru and Chile over their criticisms of the election.

On Tuesday, the army said it was resolutely behind the Maduro regime, which may be enough to stave off the governments collapse.

Some people admitted to voting for Mr Maduro. On the edge of a protest in downtown Caracas, Reuben and Karolina said they cast their ballots for the president, speaking quietly for fear they would be attacked.

They said they had voted for Mr Maduro to keep the legacy of Chavez alive. But even they acknowledged the revolution had been tainted.

Maduro is trapped because there are extremists on one side, Reuben said, But there are corrupt people on [his] side.

Some have already given up hope. Jorg Salcedo, 23, said he was planning on joining the seven million people who have fled Venezuela under Maduros rule. The vote was our last chance, he said, tears streaming down his face.

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.
Katie Price was declared bankrupt in November 2019 and again in March this year - Aaron Chown/PA

A judge has issued an arrest warrant for former glamour model Katie Price after she failed to attend a hearing relating to her bankruptcies.

Price, who was declared bankrupt in November 2019 and again in March this year, was due to face questions about her finances before a specialist bankruptcy court in London.

Catherine Burton, an Insolvency and Companies Court Judge, said Price had received very clear warnings that she must attend the hearing on Tuesday.

A judge at a previous hearing said the former glamour model risked arrest if she did not attend further court dates, adding that evidence must be provided if she could not appear.

Issuing the arrest warrant, Judge Burton said that Price had failed to attend todays hearing and had provided no explanation for her absence.

She said: It is in my judgment necessary that the court issue a warrant for Ms Prices arrest.

She has no real excuse in failing to attend todays hearing.

She continued: The reason for her absence today is irrelevant.

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.
Protesters squinted down the Caracas street through a thick cloud of tear gas. From behind the smoke, a line of soldiers marched towards them.

Some turned and ran  but behind them stood another line of helmet-clad soldiers with shields and guns.

Suddenly, shots pierced the air. A young woman fell to her knees. Dont shoot me, she begged.

The shots  rubber or lead, it wasnt clear  scattered the remaining protesters.

Like millions around Venezuela, the protesters had descended on the Chacaito neighbourhood of the capital to express their fury at the apparent rigging of the countrys election.

On Monday, president Nicolas Maduro was declared to have won a third six-year term by the government-controlled election authority. Its leader, a Maduro ally, said the president had secured 51 per cent of the vote, compared with 44 per cent for his rival.

Claims of a staggering fraud followed swiftly. The opposition promised it could prove that its candidate, retired diplomat Edmundo Gonzalez Urrutia, had won at least twice as many votes as Mr Maduro.

Maria Corina Machado, the oppositions true leader, who was banned from running by Mr Maduro, said: Venezuela has a new president-elect and its Edmundo Gonzalez.

Few believed Mr Maduro stood a chance in a fair vote. Polls before election day showed him lagging far behind the opposition.

The presidents socialist PSUV party has presided over the economic collapse of a once-wealthy oil-rich country, with GDP dropping by 80 per cent over the past decade.

About a third of the population have emigrated and Venezuela has been sanctioned by both the US and the European Union. On Monday, the sound of banging pots and pans filled the air in the hours after the result was announced.

In Petare, one of the poorest neighbourhoods in the capital, demonstrators took to the streets and headed for the presidential palace.

As they went, some tore down posters of Mr Maduro from lampposts, flinging them onto piles of rubbish or small fires.

Traditionally a Maduro stronghold, Petare residents had turned away from the government over its failure to deliver anything but poverty, oppression and misery.

Hes useless. Hes brought hunger to the people of this country, so much hunger, one young man said as he joined the crowd.

At least five statues of the late Hugo Chavez, Mr Maduros predecessor, have been torn down across the country. Once an icon to millions, Chavezs face and name are now a painful reminder of the bitter end of a socialist dream.

In Caracas, opposition supporters threw stones at police, who fired back with rubber bullets and tear gas.

Videos circulating on social media show what appear to be colectivos  small groups of radical, motorbike-driving Maduro supporters  shooting at protesters.

At least four people have already died in violence following the election in Venezuela - YURI CORTEZ/AFP via Getty Images

As of Tuesday, at least four people had been killed in the violence, with dozens more injured.

Freddy Superlano, a leading figure in the opposition coalition, was bundled into a car by officials, representatives from his Voluntad Popular party said. Video footage appeared to corroborate the claim.

Protesters moved from chanting hes going to fall into jubilant cries of he has fallen. For them, the results were clear: Edmundo Gonzalez was their president-elect.

Edmundo is our president, Guillermo Delgado, an opposition supporter, told The Telegraph. We feel cheated by the government, because they want to cover our eyes and deceive us by finding a way to believe we got fewer votes than them. Venezuela and the entire world are clear that Gonzalez Urrutia won.

World leaders have denounced the Maduro government, with demands for the electoral council to release complete and transparent results.

Maria Corina Machado, centre left, who was banned from standing, has declared Edmundo Gonzalez, centre, the winner - AP Photo/Cristian Hernandez

In Latin America, Panama announced it was withdrawing its diplomatic staff from Caracas while Venezuela severed diplomatic relations with Argentina, Peru and Chile over their criticisms of the election.

On Tuesday, the army said it was resolutely behind the Maduro regime, which may be enough to stave off the governments collapse.

Some people admitted to voting for Mr Maduro. On the edge of a protest in downtown Caracas, Reuben and Karolina said they cast their ballots for the president, speaking quietly for fear they would be attacked.

They said they had voted for Mr Maduro to keep the legacy of Chavez alive. But even they acknowledged the revolution had been tainted.

Maduro is trapped because there are extremists on one side, Reuben said, But there are corrupt people on [his] side.

Some have already given up hope. Jorg Salcedo, 23, said he was planning on joining the seven million people who have fled Venezuela under Maduros rule. The vote was our last chance, he said, tears streaming down his face.
(Bloomberg) -- Hundreds of Venezuelans have taken to the streets to protest what they say is a fraudulent win by President Nicolas Maduro, the longtime socialist leader who presided over the countrys economic collapse.

Most Read from Bloomberg

The capital of Caracas was eerily quiet most of the morning, but demonstrations have begun to intensify. Hundreds marched toward downtown from Petare, one of the citys largest low-income neighborhoods, banging pots and pans and encouraging those on the sidewalk to join. Some were on motorcycles, others were on foot. Some appeared to be armed with guns. Employees from nearby restaurants and shops rushed to join the multitude. Meanwhile, men dressed in riot gear used tear gas to try and disperse the crowd.

They were chanting and screaming freedom, freedom! Others more directly targeted Maduros administration, saying, This government is going to fall, and, The slums are going to get you out, Maduro.

Elba Rosa, a 22-year-old engineering student, was among the crowd. This is the only government Ive known and I dont want it anymore, she said. It was my first presidential vote and it was a fraud.

Around 4:30 p.m., hundreds of others had reached Caracas international airport, chanting the same cry of freedom. Amid honks, the crowd sang this government will fall while waving flags and raising their fists. Other states like Sucre, in Eastern Venezuela near Trinidad, or Tachira, bordering Colombia, were as calm as on Sunday, with slow traffic and people cautiously staying home.

The demonstrations followed a presser Monday morning in which the regime claimed opposition leader Maria Corina Machado was involved in a plot to alter voting results sent from polling places to electoral authority headquarters. Shortly after, Maduro was certified as Venezuelas president elect. The moves escalated tensions in an already contentious vote that was the biggest threat yet to Maduros rule.

The outcry doesnt come as a surprise. Machado and her stand-in candidate, Edmundo Gonzalez created an energetic citizen movement premised on overhauling the economy and reuniting families separated by the diaspora of 7.7 million Venezuelans during Maduros term. An early July survey by Caracas-based firm Delphos found that almost 40% of Venezuelans believed that if there was fraud, they should protest until the government recognizes the real results of the election.

Even if only a few protesters go out, it could resemble the massive demonstrations against Maduros idol and mentor, the late Hugo Chavez  who unseated the political establishment  in his early years of government, Delphos director Felix Seijas said in mid-July. It would also mark the third wave of protests against Maduro since he first rose to power in 2013. His administration brutally repressed demonstrators in the two previous outbreaks, killing, injuring or imprisoning dozens of people.

The opposition party has said that Gonzalez is the rightful winner of the election. An exit poll conducted by US firm Edison Research had Gonzalez winning by more than 30 percentage points  a stark contrast to the National Electoral Councils tally, which said Maduro clinched 51.2% of the votes compared to 44.2% for Gonzalez.

In a presser in the early Monday morning hours, Machado had asked witnesses and table staffers not to move from polling stations, and requested that more Venezuelans join them there.

No one is calling for people to protest, to engage in violence, Gonzalez said. Were making a call for reconciliation, for peace.

Meanwhile, international pressure has been ramping up on Maduro to provide transparency over the election tally. Brazil is in negotiations with Mexico and Colombia to publish a joint statement demanding that Venezuela count all votes and release ballot records from each precinct, according to two Brazilian government officials familiar with the matter. Panama has gone as far as announcing a temporary suspension of ties with the Caracas regime, and Biden administration officials said Monday that the US would determine future sanctions on the country based off whether the government released voting data.

Maduros government has now expelled diplomatic personnel from the Argentina, Chile, Costa Rica, Peru, Panama, Dominican Republic and Uruguay missions in Venezuelan territory, according to a statement posted on X by Foreign Affairs Minister Yvan Gil.

Its in Maduros interest to legitimize his vote not only to Venezuelans but to the world. Without recognition of his presidency, much-needed sanctions relief is unlikely, meaning Venezuela is staring down a a difficult road to economic recovery.

Unrest could also halt the newly signed projects by the state-oil company and ramped up oil production from international oil majors, including US driller Chevron, which account for more than 95% of Venezuelas foreign revenue.

Another exodus is expected, too. In May, a survey found that should Maduro secure a third term, 41% of the countrys estimated 28.8 million remaining citizens will consider leaving.

(Updates in paragraphs 2 to 5 with details of protests, and 12 and 13 with details of growing international pressure.)

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PROVIDENCE, R.I. (WPRI)  A Providence man convicted in connection with a deadly shooting outside of a gentlemans club more than two years ago will spend the rest of his life behind bars, according to R.I. Attorney General Peter Neronha.

Robert Komhlan, 38, was found guilty earlier this year of first-degree murder, discharging a firearm while committing a crime of violence with death resulting, carrying a pistol without a license and possession of a firearm by a prohibited person.

Neronha said Komhlan shot 30-year-old Angelo Gomez three times outside the Wonderland Gentlemens Club in April 2022. Investigators believe the shooting stemmed from an argument between two rival gangs inside the club.

RELATED: Providence Man convicted in deadly shooting outside Providence club

Gomez was rushed to the hospital where he succumbed to his injuries a week later. Komhlan spent several months on the run before he was arrested in Georgia.

Wonderland was forced to temporarily shut down immediately after the shooting. The club was allowed to reopen a few days later after the Providence Board of Licenses determined it wasnt a threat to public safety.

Komhlan will serve two consecutive life sentences, followed by an additional 25 years, at the ACI. He was also deemed a habitual offender and probation violator due to a prior conviction, which resulted in the judge tacking an additional 10 years on to his sentence.

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Electric transmission lines cross a field in central North Dakota. (Jeff Beach/North Dakota Monitor)

The North Dakota Public Service Commission is holding a conference Thursday on data centers, a controversial topic in the state because of their power consumption, and in some cases, noise.

The PSC has no regulatory authority over data centers, unless they are connecting to a regulated utility.

But PSC Chair Randy Christmann said that could change. He said at least one legislator is considering a bill that could require a permit through the PSC for large data centers.

He said the data center near Williston is an example of a data center that was built where it shouldnt have been.

With the oil industry already having a huge appetite for electric power, Christmann said the extra demand for the data center has driven up rates for customers of Montana-Dakota Utilities.

Im not saying it couldnt have been put in North Dakota, but its just not a good fit there, Christmann said of the Atlas Power Data Center.

The PSC regulates investor-owned utilities that provide power in North Dakota, including Montana-Dakota Utilities, but doesnt regulate electric co-ops such as the Mountrail-Williams Electric Cooperative.

MWEC provides the power to the data center. MDU serves the city of Williston and other towns in the area but has to pay to use transmission lines owned by other utility companies.

Christmann said the increased power demand is driving up transmission line costs for MDU.

On the other hand, Christmann said the Applied Digital data center near Ellendale was located in an area with excess power supply and has helped MDU and its customers.

The agenda for the conference said it is intended to be an open dialogue among all parties. The agenda lists utilities, data centers, and other government agencies as taking part. Christmann said it was not intended as a public comment hearing.

The conference starts at 9 a.m. Thursday in the Pioneer Room at the Capitol. It will be livestreamed from the PSC website and recorded.

It will discuss the power demand of data centers and data mining, how locations are chosen for data centers and how to minimize impacts for customers.

During a June PSC hearing on a proposed natural gas processing facility near Williston, noise from the data center came up several times during public testimony.

The PSC does set noise level thresholds for facilities that it permits, such as wind farms.

Gov. Doug Burgum announced the plan for the $1.9 billion Atlas Power Data Center in 2022 in a news release.

This major investment in North Dakota will further cement our states growing reputation as a hub for data centers and cryptocurrency mining, thanks to our incredibly reliable, affordable and redundant power supply and a climate that lowers cooling costs for data center operations, Burgum said in the release.

In 2023, Williams County announced that Atlas Power had paid $232,000 in fines for building code violations.

Christmann said another power plant proposed by Basin Electric and transmission line projects will help ease power congestion in northwest North Dakota but those projects will take years to complete.

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On Monday night, the National Association of Black Journalists (NABJ) announced that Donald Trump will participate in a panel discussion at the organizations annual convention in Chicago, which starts on Wednesday.

The announcement, which said that the Q&A would concentrate on the most pressing issues facing the Black community, was met with swift online backlash from some Black journalists. They decried the decision to invite a presidential candidate who has lambasted Black journalists, led a movement to squash diversity, equity and inclusion efforts and who is responsible for increased anti-journalistic sentiment, including the popularization of the term fake news to describe factual, but potentially unflattering, reporting.

Tiffany Walden, a co-founder and editor-in-chief of The TRiiBE, a digital platform that focuses on Black Chicago, told the Guardian that NABJs decision was irresponsible.

Weve watched Trump threaten to send the feds here when he was in office, Walden said. Weve watched him use Chicago as a dog whistle in all of his campaigns materials during his first run for office. He talked about Chicago having top gang thugs. So this puts the city of Chicago and its residents in a very vulnerable position. It also puts Black journalists in a very vulnerable position at a convention thats supposed to be a safe space for them.

Ameshia Cross, a political analyst, echoed this sentiment on X: The same Trump that attacked Black journalists from the stump. The same Trump who is attacking DEI, cant get ahead of his own racism and sexism. And the guy who wants to dissolve journalism as we know it, thats who is speaking at #NABJ24 w/ record attendance. Cmon yall.

Another journalist, Carron J Phillips, called the move the single dumbest and worst decision in NABJ history.

The outcry led to the NABJ president, Ken Lemon, and others defending the decision, saying that Black reporters should have the opportunity to question a political candidate.

Every year, every presidential election cycle, we invite the presidential candidates to come, Lemon said to NABJ student journalists on Tuesday. We extend that to anyone who is a nominee and in this case we have two presumptive nominees. We invited both of them  This is an important hour. We have people whose lives are depending on what happens in November  This is a great opportunity for us to vet the candidate right here on our ground.

Kamala Harris is scheduled to speak elsewhere on Wednesday, when Trump will be at NABJ, but her confirmation to attend this years convention, which lasts through Sunday, is pending, according to NABJ.

Tia Mitchell, the chair of NABJs political journalism taskforce and a Washington correspondent at the Atlanta Journal-Constitution, wrote on X: I helped make this call. And its in line with invitations NABJ has sent to every presidential candidate for decades. But continue to go off on your feed. Ill continue to work to create opportunities for journalists to interview the potential next President. (Mitchell, NABJ and NABJs Chicago chapter did not respond to requests for comment.)

Wednesdays panel will be moderated by Rachel Scott, a senior congressional correspondent for ABC News; Harris Faulkner, who anchors The Faulkner Focus and Outnumbered for Fox News; and Kadia Goba, a politics reporter for Semafor.

As journalists, we can never be afraid to tackle someone like Trump, Jemele Hill, a contributing reporter for the Atlantic, wrote on X. The reality is that he is running for president and needs to be treated as such. Being questioned by journalists is part of the job, and especially important in the company of Black journalists. Mainstream media keeps trying to convince us that he actually is gaining support among Black people. Lets see if its true.

But the journalist Matthew Wright pushed back on the notion that there was anything productive in questioning Trump.

What does that serve? Wright said to the Guardian. We literally just watched him talk to Laura Ingraham [who] was trying to get him to answer different questions, but he practically played evasive of action even then. If a super conservative white woman cant get straight answers out of him, what makes you think that three Black women are going to get them?

In a statement about the NABJ appearance, Trumps campaign wrote: President Trump accomplished more for Black Americans than any other president in recent history. Some journalists used this statement as evidence that NABJs decision to platform the former president was harmful, and would lead to further perpetuation of falsehoods.

This is the way 45 is touting his appearance before @nabj this week. Was this what you wanted [Tia Mitchell]? He is already lying and he isnt even in Chicago yet. This is your legacy, April Reign, a media strategist, wrote on X.

The timing of the panel announcement  less than 48 hours before the conventions start  also drew concern from NABJ members.

Shamira Ibrahim, a culture writer, told the Guardian that she was shocked by the decision.

It puts everyone in a really bad position, Ibrahim said. You already paid your convention fees, you already paid for a hotel thats likely not refundable at this point, flights are likely difficult to get replaced. Even if you have a moral opposition to it or an ethical opposition to it, youre kind of already stuck in whatever plan you made.

NABJs annual convention has allowed Black journalists a space to fellowship and gather safely since the organizations founding in 1975, with some reporters likening it to a family reunion. Inviting Trump, Ibrahim said, undermined that sense of community.

NABJ is primarily not just a place for journalists to get opportunities to interview politicians, but also a place for Black journalists to network, to have open conversations about things that are happening in the industry, to attend panels, and really get a sense of how to shift in a very, very volatile, fragile space, she continued.

Inviting someone who, one, has made targeted attacks on Black journalists, two, has actively been responsible in defunding programs that help build Black journalists, and three, has publicly attacked the Black press flies in the face of any sort of fidelity convention.

On Tuesday afternoon, a coalition of organizations, including Chicago Alliance Against Racist & Political Repression and Anti-War Committee Chicago, announced plans to rally outside the convention to tell Trump hes not welcome in Chicago.
The Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission is looking for people to join its Python Patrol.

Its offering free training for people who want to become snake hunters.

The online courses will teach people how to identify invasive Burmese pythons, report sightings, and safely capture them.

Read: Family catches 20 snakes to win Florida Python Challenges $10K grand prize

The classes are offered every third Thursday of the month.

The next one is on Aug. 22.

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QandA: Rebecca Nagle on Her New Book, "BY THE FIRE WE CARRY: The Generations-Long Fight for Justice on Native Land

In 1999, Patrick Murphy killed George Jacobs in rural Oklahoma. Four years after Murphy was sentenced to death, his public defender unraveled a mystery: Had the murder occurred on the Muscogee reservation, guaranteed by treaty but which, according to the State of Oklahoma, no longer existed? Did Oklahoma have jurisdiction over the case? Over 20 years later, in 2020, the Supreme Court ruled: most of eastern Oklahoma is tribal land.

In her forthcoming book BY THE FIRE WE CARRY: The Generations-Long Fight for Justice on Native Land (Harper; September 10, 2024), Cherokee journalist and reporter Rebecca Nagle tells the story of the long fight for tribal sovereignty in Eastern Oklahoma.

Native News Online spoke with Nagle about her book, the many ways the McGirt decision has shaped her life and career, and why this Supreme Court decision is important history for all Indigenous people, no matter their tribe.

EDITOR'S NOTE: This interviewQ&A has been edited for brevity and clarity.

NNO: At the center of your book about the Supreme Courts landmark McGirt decision is a question about tribal sovereignty. Can you make that connection clear for readers?

Nagle: I think it's really a story of what happens in U.S. democracy when tribes have a legal right that non-Native residents dont want a tribe to have. When those rights run up against non-Native interests, we often see them under attack. That happens to tribes all the time, whether it's hunting and fishing rights, gaming rights, tobacco sales.

In this case, it was the reservation of Muscogee Nation, which was never disestablished. But Oklahoma, since its creation in 1907, had acted like that reservation no longer existed. That question went all the way to the Supreme Court. And the Supreme Court really followed the law. I think it's a story of what our democracy is capable of doing when it comes to Indigenous rights, even though it can be inconsistent.

NNO: You say in your acknowledgements that this book came from a piece of writing, which led to the podcast, which then became a piece of writing again. Can you talk about your journey with this story?

Nagle: I first learned about the case in the summer of 2017 from a Muscogee legal scholar named Sarah Deer. When the case was at the Tenth Circuit, she posted about it on Facebook, and I saw her Facebook post, and I started following it then. As I learned through my reporting, the case had actually already been around for about 15 years at that point.

I wrote a couple articles about it, and one of those articles got picked up by Crooked Media. They made a podcast about it, and then I had the fortune of writing a book.

NNO: How many years did you spend reporting this book?

Nagle: I started working on the book in a concerted way at the beginning of 2021, but I had been following the case and doing some research since 2017.

NNO: What are some key distinctions between your book and the podcast?

Nagle: Theres a lot more research that went into the book, and theres a lot more space within a book to share that research. I think the background of the case, the story of the case and its origins, and also the history, the book goes a lot more into that.

Never miss Indian Countrys biggest stories and breaking news. Click here to sign up to get our reporting sent straight to your inbox every weekday morning.

We spent very little time covering the original crime and the original trial, the murder of George Jacobs and Patrick Murphy being sentenced to death in the early, early stages of the case. I hadn't had a full sense of how much the original crime was a community tragedy. They were both from a really small, close knit community, and there are so many lives beyond the man who lost his life that were really, really impacted by the murder.

NNO: This book, like your podcast, includes both in-depth reporting on the murder and its proceedings, as well as personal anecdotes from your own family in order to tell the story of The Trail of Tears. When did it become clear that in order to write this book, you must include both?

Nagle: I think that there are limits to my perspective. Im Cherokee, Im not Muscogee. I pass as white, so I have a lot of privilege as an Indigenous person. In writing the book, I tried to strike a balance where I am both honest and upfront about my personal relationship to this case and how I see it from where I sit, and at the same time I really try to bring in other perspectives, including historical figures like the Naharkey family or Opothle Yoholo, or contemporary first language speakers. Even the people who are really directly impacted by the case.

NNO: Was there anything that particularly surprised you in your research?

Nagle: I spent a lot of time with primary source documents around the Ridges and their decision to sign Cherokee Nations removal treaty, the Treaty of New Echota. The main thing that I learned, that I knew, but I felt in a different way, was just how desperate they were for a solution to the crisis facing Cherokee Nation.

I don't necessarily think that they made the right decision, but I think that they made it for the right reason. It was the desire to try and preserve what could be preserved of the tribe at a time when the tribe was facing a really impossible situation. One of the themes of the book is Indigenous leaders grappling with the hard decisions that colonization can force our tribes and our leaders to make, and that those decisions aren't always clean or perfect or pure, but the totality of those decisions is what we have inherited as tribal citizens and as their descendants.

NNO: You write in the prologue that you wrote this book because you wanted the story of the historic Supreme Court decision to be well documented, and because it lived in your body and you wanted it to come out. Can you say more on that?

Nagle: I hope that the book is a service to tribal citizens and our community who know that this case was really important, and might know some underlying details, but dont know the full 20+ year history of how this case came about.

I felt it was also important to document how the history is connected, and how a lot of these things repeat. For example, when it came to allotment, one of the big reasons that people said that allotment had to be necessary was because the lands of the Five Tribes were lawless and chaotic. You saw that exact same argument around the idea of affirming the reservations in 2020, and right after the reservations were affirmed. So those lies that are told about Indigenous Nations, and how they're repeated, was something I really wanted to document.

The last reason I give is that the story lives in my body, and selfishly, I wanted it to come out. Sometimes you also write things because you have to.

NNO: What inspired your title?

Nagle: I had been reading a lot of Joy Harjos poetry. That poem Returning from the Enemy is a poem about going back to Muscogee homelands, and was one I had read over and over again. I just really liked that line:

I have returned to the homelands beloved by my people

Who were marched to the west

by the authority of a piece of paper.

I keep warm by the fire carried through cruelty.

That metaphor is there throughout the book, this idea of generations of tribal citizens taking care of literally the fire, but also if you think about the fire symbolically as the fight for tribal sovereignty and Indigenous rights.

NNO: What is the future for this book? Where and when can readers buy it?

Nagle: The book is out on September 10, and there will be a book tour. Well be in Oklahoma, and have some stops on the east coast, as well as Albuquerque, Minneapolis, and Seattle.

People can pre-order it anywhere they get their books, from the big bookstores like Amazon and Barnes & Nobles, but also you can order from your favorite local bookstore or online at a place called bookshop.

NNO: What would you say to Native folks outside of Oklahoma about how this history might relate to them?

Nagle: I think that Indigenous experiences are universal. Obviously things like history and treaty rights are really tribally-specific. But I think we have a lot of similarities in the way that colonization has impacted us. This book takes a broader view on the role of both Indigenous resistance and colonization in US democracy, and what it means.

About the Author: "Jenna Kunze is a staff reporter covering Indian health, the environment and breaking news for Native News Online. She is also the lead reporter on stories related to Indian boarding schools and repatriation. Her bylines have appeared in The Arctic Sounder, High Country News, Indian Country Today, Tribal Business News, Smithsonian Magazine, Elle and Anchorage Daily News. Kunze is based in New York."

Contact: jkunze@indiancountrymedia.com
Quavo and Vice President Kamala Harris speaking at the Rocket Foundation Summit in June 2024. - Credit: Prince Williams/WireImage/Getty Images

Quavo is set to reunite with Vice President Kamala Harris  and endorse her run for president  at a special rally in Atlanta tonight, July 30.

Harris campaign officials told CNN that Quavo will perform at the event. The rapper will also speak about gun violence, an issue thats brought him into the political fray following the shooting death of his late nephew and Migos bandmate Takeoff in 2022, and endorse the presumptive Democratic nominee, a source familiar with his speech told the outlet. Quavo is expected to encourage attendees to register to vote and stress how crucial Georgia is to an electoral college victory in November.

More from Rolling Stone

Along with Quavo, Harris rally in Atlanta will feature a performance from Megan Thee Stallion. The event is set to kick off at 7 p.m. ET, taking place at Georgia State Universitys Convocation Center.

Quavos endorsement of Harris as her presidential campaign gets underway comes as no surprise. The rapper has worked closely with the vice president on a handful of occasions as hes embraced his role as a prominent anti-gun violence advocate. Back in 2023, Quavo visited Washington D.C. where he spoke with Harris, members of the Congressional Black Caucus, and other prominent politicians about Takeoffs death.

Just this past June, Quavo and Harris appeared together and discussed gun violence issues at the inaugural Rocket Foundation Summit in Atlanta. Quavo and his family launched the Rocket Foundation following their trip to D.C. last year, and speaking with Rolling Stone, the rapper praised Harris consistent support of their efforts to end gun violence in the Black community.

She active in the culture. She wants to be with the things that go on in the field and I commend her for that, he said. This is a huge problem in our community, in our culture, gun violence. And just being a victim, of course, its so personal to me.

Later, Quavo added: I just want to keep building my personal relationship with her so whenever we address the issue, she really feels where Im coming from and where we all coming from as a community. She got a lot on her plate as a vice president, so just engaging with her personally is the best.

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From the The Morning Dispatch on The Dispatch

Happy Tuesday! Stephen Nedoroscik has exactly one job on the U.S. mens Olympic gymnastics team: be really, really good at swinging himself around a pommel horse.

And he was.

Quick Hits: Todays Top Stories

Unknown individuals damaged six telecommunication installations throughout France between Sunday and Monday, marking the latest round of sabotage attacks against the nations infrastructure during the Paris Summer Olympics after coordinated arson attacks on three major railways leading into Paris early Friday morning. While authorities have not formally named culprits in the telecom attacks, police arrested a suspected far-left saboteur on Sunday who they believe was attempting to damage another train line. French Interior Minister Gerald Darmanin said on Monday he considers radical leftists as the most likely perpetrators of the rail attacks.

Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni signed a three-year agreement in Beijing on Sunday to relaunch relations between China and Italy. The Memorandum of Industrial Cooperation between the nations looks to boost Chinese investment in Italys automotive and renewable energy industries while heading off a trade war between the communist state and European Union members. Melonis move comes over seven months after she pulled Italy out of Chinas Belt and Road Initiative (BRI)one of Chinese leader Xi Jinpings flagship foreign policy enterprises meant to increase the countrys international infrastructure and trade investmentsover fears the BRI conflicted with her nations historic partnerships with Western countries.

Two Drug Kingpins Fall

Front pages of Mexican newspapers in Mexico City on July 26, 2024, showing the news of the capture of Ismael "El Mayo" Zambada. (Photo by RODRIGO OROPEZA/AFP via Getty Images)

On Thursday evening, two key figures in the Sinaloa drug cartel boarded a small prop plane in Mexico. But only one of them knew where the plane was going.

The story, unsurprisingly, has the makings of a great TV miniseries. Joaquin Guzman Lopez, son of infamous drug kingpin Joaquin El Chapo Guzman, knew that the plane was headed across the U.S.-Mexico border to land at a tiny airport in New Mexico, near El Paso, Texas. Guzmanwho is facing indictments in multiple U.S. jurisdictions and whose father and brother are doing time in U.S. federal supermax prisonsplanned to turn himself in to U.S. authorities once the plane touched down.

But he wasnt alone. Ismael El Mayo Zambada, who co-founded the cartel, had been in hiding for decades. But he boarded that plane on Thursday, for some reason, only to arrive right in the hands of U.S. law enforcement. Hell now face trial on a plethora of charges for his yearslong drug trafficking operations.

The arrests were a huge victory for U.S. law enforcement in its battle against the powerful Sinaloa cartel, but a number of questions still remain about the circumstances that brought the two leaders to the U.S. Despite the high-profile bust, their capture is unlikely to pause operations in the diffuse organization responsible for a significant portion of drugs trafficked into the U.S., including deadly fentanyl.

This is an incredible win in the fight against cartels, said Elizabeth Neumann, a former assistant secretary for counterterrorism and threat prevention at the Department of Homeland Security during the Trump administration. Its not a perfect parallel, but in the counterterrorism fight, it would be like getting Bin Laden.

These Bin Laden-like figures are key leaders in the Sinaloa cartel, one of the largest and most violent drug trafficking operations in the world. Zambada founded the group alongside El Chapo in the 1980s, and the dispersed network now produces, sells, and transports all manner of drugs, including methamphetamine, cocaine, heroin, and synthetic fentanyl. By the early 2010s, the group controlled, by some estimates, between 40 and 60 percent of Mexicos drug trafficking and was potentially raking in somewhere in the neighborhood of $3 billion every year as it dominated the illicit drug trade in the U.S.

Fentanyl is a relative newcomer to the illicit drug trade, but its a cash cow for the Sinaloa cartel. The synthetic opioid is cheap and relatively easy for cartels to produce in a lab, especially compared to the labor-intensive process of growing poppies or coca and processing it into heroin or cocaine. The drugwhich also has legitimate uses as a pain reliever in certain medical settingsis 50 times more potent than heroin, meaning drug traffickers can cut other, more expensive products with fentanyl to expand their profits. Cartels also often use illegal pill presses to make the drug appear like less-powerful prescription opioids.

Fentanyls high potency means that even a tiny dose can be fatal, and the ubiquitous drug is behind a dire overdose crisis in the U.S. In 2023, an estimated 74,700 people died in the U.S. from synthetic opioid overdoses, primarily caused by fentanyl. That was down slightly from the 2022 figure, which saw more than 76,000 people die from fentanyl overdoses in the U.S. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention says synthetic opioids, including fentanyl, contribute to 70 percent of all U.S. overdose deaths.

Attorney General Merrick Garland last week heralded the arrest of the two cartel leaders as a win in the fight against the drug. The DOJ had charged Zambada with fentanyl trafficking in Februarythough hes also wanted on a slew of other drug trafficking charges, plus at least one charge of conspiracy to commit murder. He pleaded not guilty to drug charges last week in El Paso.

But the circumstances that saw the elusive kingpin arrive in the courtroom on Friday are still murky, at best. Guzman Lopez, El Chapos son and the financial mind behind the cartel, had reportedly been in discussions with U.S. law enforcement to turn himself in, perhaps feeling encircled. His father, El Chapo, who escaped prison twice in the early 2000s, is now doing life in a supermax in Colorado after he was convicted in 2019.

Another of El Chapos sonsOvidio, the mastermind of the Sinaloa fentanyl tradewas arrested during a dramatic raid at his compound in Mexico in early 2023. Online records from the Federal Bureau of Prisons seemed to indicate, however, that Ovidio had been released from federal custody on July 23, two days before his brother turned himself in. When asked by TMD if he was still in federal custody, why the website showed he had been released, and whether he was involved at all in his brothers arrest, a spokesman for the DOJ answered only that Ovidio Guzman Lopez remains in federal custody.

Juaquin Guzman Lopezwho has a $5 million bounty on his head from the U.S. governmentcould have seen the writing on the wall. Hes essentially seen how the story goes, said Ana Quintana-Lovett, a former adviser on counternarcotics to House Foreign Affairs Committee Chair Mike McCaul. Nobody gets out of this in a place where you can actually enjoy your money and the rest of your life in a way thats up to your choosing. Everybody in the Sinaloa cartel-El Chapo orbitit seems like a lot of people are cooperating [with law enforcement].

Its unclear whether Guzman Lopez accepted some kind of deal for a lesser sentence or whether his brother was involved at all in his decision to turn himself in. But U.S. investigators were reportedly skeptical hed follow through until Thursday, when he was suddenly on a plane bound for the U.S. with Zambadaso sudden that agents with the FBI or Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) barely had time to beat the plane to the U.S. airfield.

Initial reporting from multiple outlets indicated that El Chapos son had duped Zambadawho rarely leaves his mountain hideout and has never been arrested beforeinto getting on the plane to survey some property in northern Mexico. Zambadas lawyer, however, claimed Zambada had been kidnapped, and that Guzman Lopez forced him onto the plane against his will.

Though at first blush, the account seemed fancifulthe work of a drug lords lawyer trying to muddy the waters of a major arrestthe New York Times reported late Tuesday that U.S. officials now say the abduction story may be closer to the truth than the original claims from anonymous officials that Zambada was simply tricked onto the plane.

The Times reported that several anonymous U.S. officials say Zambada arrived from his hideout at what he believed would be an amicable meeting with Guzman Lopez in Culiacan, the capital of the Sinaloa state. Instead, they said, he was met with a violent ambush by Guzman Lopezs bodyguards. U.S. officials clarified they had no knowledge of how Zambada may have come to be on the plane when he arrived, and whether he went to the States willingly may not make any legal difference for his prosecution here.

The Mexican government likewise said it had no involvement with either arrest on Thursdaythough if it turns out to be true that Zambada was functionally kidnapped, the Mexican government may step in to demand his return, as it did with the kosher, if embarrassing, 2020 arrest of the corrupt former Mexican Defense Minister Salvador Cienfuegos.

Among the open questions remaining about last weeks bizarre turn of events is how much theyll ultimately matter to the operation of the Sinaloa cartel. You decapitate an organization like Sinaloa, and somebody else is going to pop up into these leadership positions, Doug Fears, a homeland security and counterterrorism adviser to former President Donald Trump, told TMD. And so theres a never-ending stream of people within the organization that can rise into the position thats vacated by somebody thats been interdicted, arrested, extradited, etc. And so a lot of people find that unsatisfying.

The arrests could temporarily disrupt the cartels functioning as it faces potential infighting over who might rise to replace the arrested leaders or if members are acting more carefully for fear theyve been betrayed by someone like Guzman Lopez feeding information to law enforcement. But operations will likely recover. I would argue that as long as our U.S. endgame is reinforcement of the rule of law and bringing somebody to justice, then this is how weve defined success, Fears said. Even if it seems unsatisfying that a criminal organization as big as Sinaloa continues to exist.

Worth Your Time

In a piece for The Atlantic, McKay Coppins analyzed 58 instances of what he claims is the most revealing moment in any Trump rally: the opening prayer. The prayers offered before Trump speaks illuminate this perilous moment in American politics just as well as anything he says from the podium, he wrote. And they help explain how the stakes of this years election have come to feel so apocalyptically high.  Trumps supporters attribute Americas fall from grace to a variety of national sins old and newprayer bans in public schools, illegal immigration, pro-transgender policies, the purported rigging of a certain recent election. Whatever the specifics, the picture of America they paint is almost universallybiblicallybleak.  The premise of all of these prayers is that Americas covenant can be reestablished, and its special place in Gods kingdom restored, if the nation repents and turns back to him. Whats new is how many Christians now seem convinced that God has anointed a specific leader who, like those prophets of old, is prepared to defeat the forces of evil and redeem the country. And that leader is running for president.

Washington needs to keep putting pressure on Venezuelan dictator Nicolas Maduro, argued Jose Ignacio Hernandez, the erstwhile special attorney general of the country under former interim president Juan Guaido. For the past decade, Washington and its partners have applied both sticks, such as sanctions, and carrots, such as sanctions relief, to nudge the Maduro regime in the direction of competitive elections, he wrote in Foreign Affairs. In the absence of this sustained effort over successive U.S. administrations, the Venezuelan opposition may well have boycotted the 2024 election entirely, as it has in the past. Even though Maduro has not conceded defeat, a relatively competitive election has brought Maduros unpopularity into sharp relief. The widespread public antipathy toward the regimeand the groundswell of support for the oppositionis now transparent to all. Going forward, Washington must seize the momentum and dial up the pressure.

Presented Without Comment

Axios: Biden Left Congress in Dark on Supreme Court Reforms

The White House didnt consult Senate Judiciary Committee Chair Dick Durbin and other key congressional Democrats on President Bidens proposals to dramatically overhaul the Supreme Court, Axios has learned. The lack of coordination with Capitol Hill signals that Bidens SCOTUS proposals amount to more of a pre-election messaging push than a legislative imperative.

Also Presented Without Comment

Rep. Lloyd Doggett of Texas, the first Democratic member of Congress to call for President Joe Biden to withdraw from the presidential race, thanked the president on Monday for his decision to step aside.

According to Doggett, Biden responded: Thank you for suggesting it.

In the (Olympic) Zeitgeist

It wont come as a surprise to anyone that this is a patriotic newsletter (   ), and what better opportunity to brag on this great country than the Olympics, where athletes from the great U.S. of A absolutely dominate. So, for the next few days, expect to see a medal tracker here, where we keep you updated on where the U.S. sits in the overall medal standings and how other countries are stacking up.

Chart via Joe Schueller.

Toeing the Company Line

In the newsletters: Kevin considered why () politicians are defined not by their policy proposals but by their brand, the Dispatch Politics team compared Trumps current performance in the polls to this time in the 2016 and 2020 presidential races, and Nick dove into () Team Trump laying the groundwork to scapegoat J.D. Vance.

On the podcasts: Sarah and David are joined on Advisory Opinions by Anthony Sanders, director of the Center for Judicial Engagement at the Institute for Justice, to pan Justice Oliver Wendell Holmes Jr. Sarah also kicked off a new season of The Dispatch Book Club (), discussing The Daughters of Yalta with author Catherine Grace Katz.

On the site: Chris explores the growing gender gap for voters between 18 and 29, Jonathan Schanzer and David Daoud weigh the threat of full-scale war between Hezbollah and Israel, Adam White explains why he thinks Bidens court reform plan is a horrible idea, and Leah unpacks California Gov. Gavin Newsoms new executive order on homeless encampments.

Let Us Know

Do you think picking off the cartels leaders is an effective tactic to bring the group down?

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.
The Rhode Island League of Cities and Towns holds a press conference with municipal leaders at the Rhode Island State House Library to support reforms to the state's Law Enforcement Officer Bill of Rights and encourage lawmakers to carefully consider the impact of unfunded mandates  like injured-on-duty benefits  on municipal taxpayers. ( Rhode Island League of Cities and Towns Facebook page)

Smithfields loss is a gain for the Rhode Island League of Cities and Towns.

The league on Monday named longtime Smithfield administrator Randy Rossi as its next executive director. Rossi will succeed outgoing leader Ernie Almonte, who is set to retire on Dec. 31.

Rossi brings more than 20 years of municipal experience to the statewide group that advocates for Rhode Islands 39 cities and towns. That includes more than 16 years working for the town of Smithfield, first as its finance director and, as of 2017, as its town manager, according to his resume. He has also worked as treasurer for the town of Foster and the city of Cranston.

The League serves as a crucial partner to Rhode Islands 39 cities and towns providing support, advocacy and protecting the taxpayers of our great state, Rossi said in a statement. I am looking forward to building on the progress the League has made over many years and am grateful to be a part of its future.

Rossi was chosen through an internal search over several weeks, Lauren Greene, a spokesperson for the League, said in an email on Tuesday.

Rossi, who will begin his new role this fall, earned a bachelors degree in business administration from Bryant College and a masters degree in business administration from Strayer University. He holds professional certifications as a government financial manager by the Association of Government Accountants and credentialed manager by the International City Management Association.

Smithfield Town Council President Michael Lawton said councilors will meet Thursday to discuss the search process for filling Rossis position.

Lawton praised Rossi as a great guy, noting that he served on the town council that hired Rossi as town manager in 2017.

I guess it was an opportunity that was too good to pass up, Lawton said.

As town manager, Rossi was paid a $150,000 annual salary in fiscal 2024, slated to increase to $156,000 for fiscal 2025 under the recently approved town budget.

Updated to include details on the search process.

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Is the race for WA governor down to two? Semi Bird thinks the polling is garbage

A Tri-Cities candidate running for Washington governor is at risk of getting locked out of the general election, a new statewide poll suggests.

Semi Bird, the Richland Republican who earned his partys endorsement earlier this year at the statewide convention, is polling at 10%.

Thats 18 points behind fellow Republican Dave Reichert, whos polling at 28% and is poised to advance to the general election along with Bob Ferguson, the leading Democrat.

The poll was conducted last week by Public Policy Polling for the Northwest Progressive Institute (NPI), a progressive think tank based in Redmond.

It surveyed 581 likely primary voters by text message and landline phone. It lists a +/- 4% margin of error.

Bird, the retired U.S. Green Beret ousted last year in a controversial Richland School Board recall, could not be reached by the Tri-City Herald by phone and emails about the poll results.

Bird has hovered from 7 to 11% in multiple professional polls conducted since the beginning of the race.

During a live streamed podcast on Friday, Bird dismissed claims he could not win, mentioning 2016 presidential polling.

Poll is wrong, garbage, he told his listeners.

Washington Republican Semi Bird speaks n May 2024 outside the Benton County Elections Office in Richland about his campaign for governor.

WA governor race

The new numbers add assurance to what could be the most competitive Washington gubernatorial general election in a generation.

Democratic Gov. Jay Inslee has chosen to bow out after three terms, adding an aura of political vulnerability to this years race, which has been labeled Lean D by the Cook Political Report.

Political experts and polling suggest Reichert would be competitive in a general election match-up with Ferguson.

With a week until the Aug. 6 primary election, registered voters already have received and begun returning their ballots. They have 28 candidates to choose from in the race for governor.

About 7% of the states 4.8 million voters have voted so far, according to Monday morning numbers, and they have until 8 p.m. election day to return ballots by mail or to a county-authorized drop box.

NPIs poll also included a hypothetical general election head-to-head for both Bird and Reichert with the Democratic frontrunner.

Polls show Democrat Bob Ferguson ahead of his main rival, Republican Dave Reichert.

In a Reichert-Ferguson general election match up, Ferguson (49%) beats out Reichert (43%) by 6 points. In that scenario, about 8% said they were not sure who theyd choose.

The Tri-City Republican does worse.

In a Bird-Ferguson match up, Ferguson (52%) beats Bird (38%) by 14 points, with about 10% responding not sure.

Its a margin of support thats similar to where Democrat Kamala Harris and Republican Donald Trump land in the race for president in Washington state.

Reichert is, however, a much more credible and competitive candidate for the Republicans than Semi Bird, who the party endorsed at its convention, writes NPI founder Andrew Villeneuve.

Birds favorability among primary election voters is also in question in this latest poll, despite being the earliest candidate to declare in the race.

Only about 19% of survey takers had a favorable opinion of the Richland candidate, 38% said they had an unfavorable opinion, and 25% said they had not heard of him.

Reichert is a retired U.S. congressman who represented Washingtons 8th Congressional District  a swing district  for seven terms. He also served two terms as King County sheriff and helped to catch Gary Ridgway, the infamous Green River Killer.

Bob Ferguson, Washingtons current three-term attorney general, leads the primary in NPIs poll with 39% support. Thats an increase of about 8 points since November.

Former congressman and King County sheriff Dave Reichert speaks to attendees at the Mainstream Republicans of Washington Cascade Conference in June 2024.

In the months since Ferguson and Reichert jumped into the race, Bird has lost grasp of his financial front runner status.

Fergusons campaign has raised more than $8.7 million with $2.6 million cash on hand, reported as of July 15. Reichert meanwhile trails with more than $4.3 million raised and $836,000 cash on hand.

Birds fundraising efforts have not kept up with his campaigns operations. While hes raised $661,000 over the last 20 months, as of July 15 he had just $78,000 cash on hand.

Semi Bird background

Bird remains popular among the most grassroots sect of his party going into the primary election, having carved out a niche as a populist play maker with big ideas to reform Washingtons progressive government.

Despite being ousted by Richland voters by a 9-point margin last year in a recall election for violating Washingtons indoor mask mandate, Bird has secured the endorsements of both chapters of the Benton County and Franklin County Republicans.

But Bird also has come under heavy pressure  from even some in his own party  to step away from the race following a series of media reports highlighting his background from decades ago.

Most recently, Jason Rantz of 770 KTTH in Seattle published several bombshell reports detailing allegations that Bird was reprimanded by the Department of Defense for fraud to advance his career, and that he engaged in stolen valor by wearing unearned badges and awards.

Army Staff Sgt. Misipati Semi Bird, is honored with a salute in 2006 from World War II veteran Cliff Dykeman of West Richland after Bird received the Bronze Star with Valor Device, Purple Heart and Army Commendation Medal for valor in Iraq.

In the 1980s, Bird, who is Black, was court martialed while serving in the U.S. Marines for striking a superior who used a racial epithet against him. He was sentenced to one month of hard labor and was reduced in rank.

The Seattle Times and Tri-City Herald also dug into Birds civilian life, detailing incidents that occurred in the 1990s after Bird served in the U.S. Marines.

Bird was charged in 1993 with a single misdemeanor count of bank larceny for using his fathers name on a credit application. He spent two years on probation, agreeing to pay fines, in a plea agreement.

A few years later, he was arrested and charged with felony gun theft for failing to return his law enforcement-issued firearm after leaving his reserve deputy role at the Yakima County Sheriffs Office, the Herald reported.

That charge was later dropped after the sheriffs office retrieved the weapon.
Two racehorse owners at Polk Countys Prairie Meadows Racetrack and Casino are suing a national nonprofit over taxes it collects from owners. (Photo by David Madison/Getty Images)

Two racehorse owners at Polk Countys Prairie Meadows Racetrack and Casino are suing the national nonprofit horseracing organization that collects taxes and fees from owners.

Joseph A. Kelly of Des Moines, a thoroughbred racehorse owner who owns three horses that race at Prairie Meadows, and Douglas L. Anderson of Arkansas, who owns two horses that race at Prairie Meadows, are suing the Horseracing Integrity and Safety Authority in U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Iowa.

HISA is a nonprofit corporation based in Lexington, Kentucky, to which the federal government has delegated the power to assess taxes and fees against all trainers, owners, breeders, jockeys, racetracks, veterinarians, and other people by a state racing commission.

The lawsuit has its origins in one element of an omnibus budget bill approved by Congress in December 2020 and which, according to the lawsuit, provided for a takeover of the thoroughbred horseracing industry by a private organization.

The legislation, known as the Horseracing Safety and Integrity Act, took authority from state regulatory bodies, such as the Iowa Racing and Gaming Commission, and transferred it to the privately operated, self-regulating, nonprofit HISA.

Despite wielding the power of the federal government, HISA is not funded by it, the lawsuit notes. Instead, this private, independent corporation  whose board of directors is not appointed by the president or any elected official  is funded entirely by assessments on either the states or on the thoroughbred horseracing industry.

The assessments, which take the shape of fees or taxes, are used to cover HISAs budgetary expenses. HISA is charged with developing and implementing a national horseracing anti-doping program and a racetrack-safety program.

In 2022, HISA notified the Iowa Racing and Gaming Commission that it was imposing fees on Iowa totaling $953,400. The Iowa Racing and Gaming Commission opted not to provide HISA with that funding, in part because its budget doesnt provide for such an expense. HISA then turned to Prairie Meadows, Iowas only horseracing track, and informed the administrators there that the burden of paying the fee would be shared equally by the track and the horsemen there  although no definition of horsemen was provided.

It was expected that the Iowa Horsemens Benevolent and Protective Association would pay the horsemens half of the fee.

In 2023, HISA told the Iowa Racing and Gaming Commission the states second round of fees would total $1,187,942. Again, the commission opted not to make that payment, so the obligation fell to Prairie Meadows and its horsemen.

By then, the Iowa Horsemens Benevolent and Protective Association had already offered to assist Prairie Meadows with the payment of such fees but only after what it called the exhaustion of all legal options to fully stop the outright unconstitutional takeover of horseracing in Iowa.

With the benevolent association still withholding payment of the 2023 and 2024 horsemens share of the assessments, HISA wrote to Prairie Meadows representatives and said they were frustrated and angry with the stalemate. HISA allegedly stated that if the benevolent association did not pay the horsemens share, HISA would force Prairie Meadows to impose a starters fee on all owners as a condition of having their horses run at the track, with the revenue passed on to HISA.

On July 3, 2024, HISA informed Prairie Meadows that because the issue remained unresolved, it would begin imposing the starter fee. As part of their petition to the court, Anderson and Kelly say they are now forced to bring this lawsuit to stop HISA from imposing that fee and collecting the revenue.

The two owners note that in a letter to Iowa officials, HISA reported that the proposed fee is intended to cover the cost of defending the lawsuits that have been filed challenging the constitutionality of HISAs actions. To date, HISA has spent more than $2 million on such litigation.

HISA, Anderson and Kelly argue, is now passing its legal costs onto the very people who filed the lawsuits against HISA. The two men are asking the court to stop the unconstitutional assessments and bring HISAs unlawful reign to an end.

The United States Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit has twice declared that portions of the Horseracing Safety and Integrity Act are unconstitutional, while the Court of Appeals for the Sixth Circuit has upheld the law in the face of broad constitutional challenges. The Court of Appeals for the Eighth Circuit, where Iowa is located, currently has the issue under consideration.

However, none of those cases has resulted in rulings that directly address the laws granting of authority to HISA to assess taxes or fees on industry players. The new lawsuit filed by Kelly and Anderson focuses almost exclusively on that issue.

The two owners are asking the court to declare the Acts funding mechanisms to be unconstitutional and to permanently enjoin HISA from enforcing it. In addition to HISA, the lawsuit names the Federal Trade Commission as a defendant, citing the agencys power to approve or disapprove some of HISAs regulations.

HISA and the FTC have yet to file a response to the lawsuit, but in other cases they have argued that, under the Constitution, Congress has the authority to delegate certain powers to HISA and similar entities.
Islamic preacher Choudary addresses members of the media during a protest supporting the Shari'ah Law, in north London

By Sam Tobin

LONDON (Reuters) -British radical Islamist preacher Anjem Choudary, whose followers have been linked to numerous plots around the world, was sentenced to life imprisonment on Tuesday for directing a terrorist organisation.

Choudary, 57, was convicted last week of directing al-Muhajiroun, which was banned as a terrorist organisation more than a decade ago, and encouraging others to support the proscribed group.

"Organisations such as yours normalise violence in support of an ideological cause," Judge Mark Wall told Choudary at London's Woolwich Crown Court.

"Their existence gives individuals who are members of them the courage to commit acts which otherwise they might not do. They drive wedges between people who otherwise could and would live together in peaceful coexistence."

Wall imposed a life sentence on Choudary with a minimum term of 28 years before he can be eligible for parole, less just over the year that he has spent in custody since his arrest.

Once Britain's most high-profile Islamist preacher, Choudary drew attention for praising the men responsible for the Sept. 11, 2001 attacks on the United States and saying he wanted to convert Buckingham Palace into a mosque.

He was previously imprisoned in Britain in 2016 for encouraging support for Islamic State, before being released in 2018 after serving half of his five-and-a-half-year sentence.

Prosecutor Tom Little said on Tuesday that Choudary became "the caretaker emir" of al-Muhajiroun after fellow Islamist preacher Omar Bakri Mohammed was jailed in Lebanon in 2014.

Choudary's lawyer Paul Hynes argued that al-Muhajiroun was "little more than a husk of an organisation" and that almost all terrorist acts linked to the group had already taken place.

But Wall said al-Muhajiroun was "a radical organisation intent on spreading sharia law to as much of the world as possible, using violent means where necessary".

Choudary stood trial alongside Canadian citizen Khaled Hussein, 29, who was arrested on the same day as Choudary in 2023 when he arrived on a flight at Heathrow Airport.

Hussein was found guilty of membership of a proscribed organisation and sentenced to five years in prison.

(Reporting by Sam Tobin; editing by Michael Holden)
By Rich McKay

(Reuters) -The largest wildfire in the U.S. swelled to over 600 square miles (1,550 square kms) on Tuesday night, bigger than the city of Los Angeles, fire officials in California said, as thousands of firefighters battled the blaze in a wilderness area north of Sacramento.

More than 5,500 firefighters from across California and other states were working around the clock to douse the Park Fire, burning in the state's Central Valley, about 90 miles (145 km) north of Sacramento, the capital.

The fire grew to 386,764 acres (156,517 hectares), becoming the fifth largest wildfire in Californian history, officials said.

The Park Fire on Tuesday surpassed the size of the 2020 Creek Fire in Fresno County, which burned almost 380,000 acres (153,780 hectares), fire officials said. But it is still smaller than the state's largest fire on record, the August Complex fire of 2020, which burned more than 1 million acres (404,685 hectares) in seven counties in northern California.

The Park Fire - fueled by dry grass, brush and timber - is fast-moving, said Fire Capt. Dan Collins of the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection or Cal Fire.

"This fire has lots of fuel that is receptive to burning, and it's hard to get to," he said. "Our fire line is 260 miles (673 kms) around, that's the size of three Lake Tahoes. It can take two-three hours to get personnel in there over the terrain."

The weather brings no relief for fire fighting conditions, said Ashton Robinson Cook, a meteorologist with the National Weather Service. No rain is in sight this week, and hot and extremely dry weather will prevail, he said.

Temperatures will reach 100 degrees Fahrenheit (37.8C) on Wednesday and highs could hover at that level until next Monday, he said, with relative humidity dropping to as low as 7%.

The Park Fire, which was only 18% contained on Tuesday, has forced the evacuation of more than 4,000 people and destroyed or damaged more than 192 structures, fire officials said. No injuries or deaths were reported.

Jeremy Hollingshead, a spokesman for Cal Fire, said that lingering clouds of smoke have grounded the 41 helicopters used to drop water and fire retarding chemicals on the blaze.

Evacuations included Paradise, the town that was devastated by the 2018 Camp Fire, the deadliest in the state's history.

The man charged with starting the Park Fire, allegedly by pushing a flaming car down a Butte County gully last Wednesday, was formally charged with arson on Monday, but awaits additional charges, officials said.

The man, Ronnie Dean Stout II, 42, of Chico, California, denied wrongdoing at an arraignment on Monday, said Butte County District Attorney Mike Ramsey at a news conference. It was unclear if Stout had an attorney.

Stout did not enter a plea but was denied bail. His arraignment was continued to Thursday, as more charges could be added, Ramsey said.

(Reporting by Rich McKay in Atlanta; Additional reporting by Brad Brooks in Longmont, Colorado; Editing by Frank McGurty, Marguerita Choy and Michael Perry)
CAIRO (Reuters) -Thousands of people are stranded on the streets of the eastern Sudanese city of Kassala as a deluge of rain compounds the suffering of more than a million Sudanese who sought refuge in the region from a 15-month-old war.

The rainy season that began earlier this month has already damaged shelters, made roads unusable, and will put millions at risk of water-borne diseases across large areas of the country.

It comes as the number of displaced people within Sudan, currently more than 10 million, continues to tick up as the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF) expands its territory in the war with the national army.

The war erupted in April 2023 and has sparked warnings of famine and what the United Nations has labelled the world's largest humanitarian crisis.

Some 765,000 people are sheltering in Gedaref state, and more than 255,000 people are in Kassala state, which saw the worst of the rains over the weekend, according to the United Nations.

The most recent wave of 165,000 people is from Sennar state, many arriving on foot in the rain in recent weeks. More than 10,000 who arrived in Kassala city were packed in the few remaining empty buildings, including a school courtyard and an empty hangar, which quickly flooded with water.

"We endured the sun beating down on us, but we can't handle the rain," said Nada Omer.

They now wait under store awnings or tarps in the street, with heavier than usual rains expected to continue until September. Some have rejected a plan to move them outside the city, a government official and aid workers said, where there would be few income opportunities.

"We are waiting in the street and have nowhere to settle," said Hussein Abdo, another displaced person.

UNHCR, the UN's refugee agency, is working on identifying more suitable sites, a spokesperson said, but its work is only one-third funded.

At least five people have reportedly been killed because of the rains, according to the United Nations.

Those who arrived earlier from Khartoum or El Gezira state, or in slightly drier al-Gedaref, are not much better off, sleeping on the floor in schools with few services and makeshift, shallow toilets that have also been flooded.

Little was done to prepare for the situation, said Plan International's Mohammed Qazilbash. "We are coming up to 500 days of the war, and everybody is exhausted... It's one tragedy over another over another," he told Reuters.

The government and aid workers are bracing for the expected rise in water-borne diseases, including cholera, malaria, and dengue fever, with few medicines to treat them.

"We are sharing what is available, but it is above our capacity" said Dr Ali Adam, head of the state health ministry.

The rainy season impacts most of the country. Last week, more than 1,000 houses and 800 latrines were destroyed by rain at Zamzam camp in North Darfur, one of the locations in the country where experts say famine is likely.

Meanwhile, the RSF's advance has not stopped, and on Monday it said it had reached an area about 180km (112 miles) from Gedaref, one of the states that has sheltered the most people.

Kassala, the only neighbouring army-controlled state, does not have capacity to absorb people from Gedaref, nor does the army's de facto capital Port Sudan, on the Red Sea.

"People are scared, but there's no options," said a volunteer in the Gedaref emergency response room. "They are awaiting their fate, the other cities are full."

(Reporting by Nafisa Eltahir, additional reporting by Mohammed Abdulmajid; Editing by Aidan Lewis, Alexandra Hudson)
Rally held in Pittsburgh to demand justice for Illinois woman shot by police

Rallies have been held across the United States, including Pittsburgh, to demand justice for Sonya Massey.

Massey, 36, was shot and killed by a police officer after she called them about a potential prowler outside.

>> Sonya Massey shooting: Deputys body camera footage released

Sunday, community members gathered on the South Side to chant, lay flowers and pray for Massey.

Massey was a mother of two.

Kelli Shakur, the founder of Frogang Foundation, a local grassroots group, says they want the violence and deadly encounters with police to end.

Were coming together to uplift the voice of Black women and tell the world that we will stand together to protect one another and let the world know that we will no longer be disrespected or unprotected, Shakur said.

Sundays rally also paid respect to Breonna Taylor, Kendra James and other Black women killed in police incidents.

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A Summit Avenue homeowners efforts to gather copious information about a proposed sidewalk-level bicycle trail has earned him legal damages from the city of St. Paul, which will have to pay at least $1,000 for each of 14 violations of the Minnesota Government Data Practices Act, according to a recent judicial ruling.

The order from Ramsey County District Judge Patrick Diamond includes a curveball  exact amounts will be determined at trial, and could yield up to $15,000 per violation.

Theres no precedent here. No ones ever ruled on this before, Im quite certain, said Bob Cattanach, the plaintiff in the lawsuit and a partner with the law firm of Dorsey and Whitney. This is the first time these (damages) have been awarded in the state. Hes breaking new ground.

Cattanach represented himself in a lawsuit against the city, claiming St. Paul had failed to provide complete data based on 17 public information requests related to the proposed Summit Avenue bike trail. City officials have maintained that theyve dutifully produced hundreds of emails, studies and other data in response to his back-to-back records requests about the 4.7-mile trail, with some information dating back more than 10 years.

Exemplary damages

Cattanach filed suit in March 2023 in Ramsey County District Court, claiming willful violations of the states data practices act, which requires the city to keep records containing government data in such an arrangement and condition as to make them easily accessible for convenient use.

While acknowledging that the state standard was not particularly specific about what constitutes easy accessibility, Diamond on Tuesday largely agreed that the city had failed to meet that standard, and that Cattanach was entitled to exemplary damages intended to underscore the courts disappointment with how the city handled his records requests. Diamond said the minimum award for each of 14 violations would be $1,000 and the maximum would be $15,000 per violation, but determining the exact amount would require a trial.

The judge probably wants to hear why they did a search this way, rather than this other way, said Cattanach on Tuesday. I think it could have been much worse for them, but Im hardly an unbiased observer.

City Attorney Lyndsey Olson on Tuesday said the city is reviewing its next steps.

The city takes issue with the courts determination that it committed willful violations of the data practices act, said Olson, in a written statement. The city maintains that all efforts have been made to comply with the data practices act and provide plaintiff with the data requested in a timely manner.

Open Data portal limits requests

Among the courts concerns, the city maintains an open data website where the public can enter requests for information, department by department, but searches were not conducted for responsive data outside the referred department, so there was no logical way to submit a master request across all city departments at once. Just as troubling to the court, there was no evidence that a responsible authority or designee had come up with plan to do so in this case, or that policy, practice, procedure, or training had so directed.

Given the potential impact to hundreds of trees along Summit Avenue and the existing historic symmetrical streetscape, Cattanachs March 2023 lawsuit sought a temporary injunction delaying a public hearing on the bike trail, though that effort was not successful for him. The court said at the time it was difficult to find precedent to stop the city council from holding a vote, and the trail was approved in May 2023 by a vote of 6-1. The project has yet to be funded.

The real purpose of the data practices act is to give people access to information that helps them make their case in front of a public body, and I never got the opportunity to do that here, Cattanach said. All they had to do was give me the documents and postpone the hearing a few weeks.

Request for public data

Among Cattanachs requested information in the months prior was all public data created, produced, received, maintained or disseminated from January 1, 2020, to present regarding all analysis, studies or documentations that were done, if any, to assess the suitability of alternatives other than Summit Avenue  including but not limited to Jefferson (Avenue) and Marshall (Avenue) and any east-west street between them.

He also submitted a request for all studies or public data that were used to compare the potential hazards to cyclists between the proposed plan and existing in-street bike lanes, on top of three other requests related to traffic volumes, a potential Environmental Assessment Worksheet and the design between Lexington Parkway and Victoria Street.

In response, the city produced a document indicating that Grand Avenue, Portland Avenue, Marshall Avenue, Selby Avenue, Ayd Mill Road and Jefferson Avenue had all been evaluated at a high level, and that each route had been found to be less than ideal for varied reasons, including obstructions, narrow right-of-way conditions and the lack of parkway characteristics for recreation.

I realized I was only getting Parks and Rec(reation) documents, Cattanach said. Where were the Public Works docs? Thats when I realized I would have to resubmit my request.

Cattanach then requested communications and studies that had been used to support those arguments, including text messages and emails to city consultants or members of the St. Paul Bicycle Coalition.

He later requested documents related to potential funding for the bike trail, including communications with members of the Metropolitan Council, the metros regional planning agency, and emails and text messages between a city traffic engineer and a Grand Avenue toy store owner supportive of the trail, among other text-based conversations.

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WASHINGTON, DC - JULY 25: Sen. Marsha Blackburn (R-TN) speaks during a news conference on the Kids Online Safety Act the U.S. Capitol on July 25, 2024 in Washington, DC. Proponents of the bipartisan Kids Online Safety Act, say the bill aims to protect children from online harms for the first time since 1998. It has support from parents' groups, advocacy organizations, and companies like Microsoft, X, and Snap.(Photo by Kent Nishimura/Getty Images)

This story mentions suicide. If you or a loved one are experiencing a mental health crisis or thoughts of suicide, please dial 988 or chat with a live counselor at 988lifeline.org.

WASHINGTON  Legislation aimed at protecting children online sailed through the U.S. Senate Tuesday, marking what could be the first update since the late 1990s for companies who interact with minors on the internet.

Senators approved the package of two bills in a 91-3 vote, a rare bipartisan landslide in the tightly divided body, despite loud and fervent opposition from civil liberties and LGBTQ organizations that say the measures would hand the government power to subjectively censor content.

The three no votes were cast by Mike Lee of Utah, Rand Paul of Kentucky and Ron Wyden of Oregon.

If passed by the House, the legislative package would require producers of platforms popular among children and teens to follow new rules governing advertising, algorithms and collection of personal data.

House Speaker Mike Johnson, R-La., has expressed interest in working to find consensus in the House.

President Joe Biden released a statement Tuesday calling the Senate vote a crucial bipartisan step forward and said the bill dovetails with measures he advocated for in his first State of the Union Address.

There is undeniable evidence that social media and other online platforms contribute to our youth mental health crisis. Today our children are subjected to a wild west online and our current laws and regulations are insufficient to prevent this. It is past time to act, Biden said, adding that tech companies need to be accountable for the national experiment they are running on our children for profit.

Families asked for federal help

The package contains two bills moving together: the Children and Teens Online Privacy Protection Act, which is mainly targeted at regulating the collection of personal data, and the Kids Online Safety Act, a bill that has been a lightning rod of criticism from outside groups.

A bipartisan group of senators points to years of hearings and meetings with tragedy-struck families  including those whose children struggled with eating disorders and died by suicide  as the motivation behind the proposals.

Sen. Marsha Blackburn, of Tennessee, one of the Kids Online Safety Acts original sponsors, said the legislation is a safety by design bill, a duty of care bill that gives kids and parents a toolbox so that they can protect themselves.

A message that were sending to big tech: kids are not your product, kids are not your profit source, and we are going to protect them in the virtual space, Blackburn, a Republican, said at a press conference following the vote.

Blackburn co-led the bill dubbed the Kids Online Safety Act with Democratic Sen. Richard Blumenthal of Connecticut.

Sen. Ed Markey, who championed the last protections passed by Congress in late 1990s, said back in 1998 only birds tweeted, a gram was a measurement of weight, and so we need to update the law.

The Massachusetts Democrat joined Republican Sen. Bill Cassidy of Louisiana in co-sponsoring the Children and Teens Online Privacy Protection Act.

Markey likened addictive social media products to those of the tobacco industry in previous decades, and cited public health warnings attributing increasing childhood mental health issues to the platforms.

So we have to give the tools to parents and to teenagers and children to be able to protect themselves, and that would be my message to my colleagues in the House. We cannot avoid this historic moment, Markey said at the press conference.

Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer praised the legislations passage in the Senate and said the parents of affected teens are the reason we succeeded today.

Ive heard the terrible stories: children, teenagers, perfectly normal, then some algorithm captures them online by accident, and they end up committing suicide shortly thereafter, the New York Democrat said in a statement. You imagine being a parent and living with that.

New rules for platforms

The original two bills, rolled into one legislative vehicle, respectively outline duty of care rules requiring platform creators to consider broad mental health categories when designing and operating their products as well as a prohibition of the use of personal data for targeted marketing.

The legislation would also mandate that platforms create an easy-to-understand privacy dashboard detailing how a minors personal information is collected, used and protected.

Other measures would include a prohibition on hidden algorithms, mechanisms for minors or parents to remove data, parental controls to restrict financial transactions and annual public reports from the platforms on reasonably foreseeable harms to children and teens and efforts underway to prevent them.

Enforcement

The new policies, if enacted, would be enforced by the Federal Trade Commission and any civil actions would be prosecuted by states in U.S. district court with advance notice to the FTC.

The legislation defines the online platforms as public-facing websites, social media applications, video games, messaging applications or video streaming services that are used, or reasonably likely to be used, by a minor.

Snap, the company behind the popular platform Snapchat, issued a statement specifically praising the Senates passage of the Kids Online Safety Act.

The safety and well-being of young people on Snapchat is a top priority, a Snap spokesperson said in a statement provided to States Newsroom. Thats why Snap has been a long-time supporter of the Kids Online Safety Act. We applaud Senators Blackburn, Blumenthal and the roughly 70 other co-sponsors of this critical legislation for their leadership and commitment to the privacy and safety of young people.

Opponents see dangerous measure

A coalition of organizations advocating for First Amendment rights, privacy and the interests of LGBTQ minors urged the House to vote no on the legislation, criticizing it as blatantly unconstitutional.

Evan Greer, director of the tech policy group Fight For the Future, also lambasted the bill as dangerous and misguided and wildly broad.

The coalition largely takes issue with the Kids Online Safety Acts duty of care provision that requires companies to prevent and mitigate harms associated with anxiety, depression, eating disorders, substance use disorders and suicidal behaviors.

During a joint virtual press conference hosted by the groups during the Senate vote, Greer described the provision as a blank check for censorship of any piece of content that an administration could claim is harmful to kids.

What that means in practice, is that for example, a Trump administration FTC would get to dictate what types of content platforms can recommend or even show to younger users, Greer said, referring to Republican presidential nominee and former President Donald Trump.

Jenna Leventoff, senior policy counsel at the American Civil Liberties Union, said the Kids Online Safety Act is nothing more than a thinly veiled effort to censor information that some consider objectionable

If enacted, KOSA could lead to information about health care, gender, identity, politics and more being removed from social media. And kids note that censorship will make them less and not more safe, Leventoff said. As one student recently told me, they dont get sex education in school, and if information about sex is removed from the internet because platforms fear liability for hosting it, how else can they learn about sex?

Teens in opposition

The ACLU brought roughly 300 teens to Capitol Hill Thursday to lobby against the legislation.

Dara Adkinson, of the organization TransOhio, said the legislation is truly terrifying.

Adkinson questioned whether state and federal authorities could argue that content about climate change or the nations history of slavery causes anxiety and should therefore be regulated.

Regarding content about transgender youth, Adkinson said: We know there (are) people out there that would like us to not exist and having the lack of visibility of the kinds of resources found on the internet is the first step for many of these folks.

Greer said the coalition is concerned about the role of big tech in society. Advocates would support a heavily modified version of the Kids Online Safety Act that focuses on regulating business practices, including targeted advertising or videos that automatically play and encourage continuous, addictive scrolling habits.

Greer said their organization is neutral on the legislation targeted at protecting childrens privacy, but that they would like to see comprehensive legislation that protects minors and adults alike.

Censorship and privacy do not go together, and these should not be moving together, Greer said.
Sen. Marsha Blackburn, R-Tenn., speaks during a news conference on the Kids Online Safety Act at the U.S. Capitol on July 25, 2024, in Washington, D.C. (Kent Nishimura | Getty Images)

WASHINGTON  Legislation aimed at protecting children online sailed through the U.S. Senate Tuesday, marking what could be the first update since the late 1990s for companies who interact with minors on the internet.

Senators approved the package of two bills in a 91-3 vote, a rare bipartisan landslide in the tightly divided body, despite loud and fervent opposition from civil liberties and LGBTQ organizations that say the measures would hand the government power to subjectively censor content.

The three no votes were cast by Mike Lee of Utah, Rand Paul of Kentucky, and Ron Wyden of Oregon.

IF YOU OR SOMEONE YOU KNOW needs help with mental illness:

Dial 988 for the Suicide and Crisis Lifeline or visit 988lifeline.org.

New Hampshire also offers help via phone, text, and chat 24 hours a day through its Rapid Response Access Point.

A 988 operator can connect you or call or text 833-710-6477. To chat, visit nh988.com.

NAMI New Hampshire can connect you and your family with resources. Dial 1-800-242-6264 or visit naminh.org.

If passed by the House, the legislative package would require producers of platforms popular among children and teens to follow new rules governing advertising, algorithms, and collection of personal data.

House Speaker Mike Johnson, R-La., has expressed interest in working to find consensus in the House.

President Joe Biden released a statement Tuesday calling the Senate vote a crucial bipartisan step forward and said the bill dovetails with measures he advocated for in his first State of the Union Address.

There is undeniable evidence that social media and other online platforms contribute to our youth mental health crisis. Today our children are subjected to a wild west online and our current laws and regulations are insufficient to prevent this. It is past time to act, Biden said, adding that tech companies need to be accountable for the national experiment they are running on our children for profit.

Families asked for federal help

The package contains two bills moving together: the Children and Teens Online Privacy Protection Act, which is mainly targeted at regulating the collection of personal data, and the Kids Online Safety Act, a bill that has been a lightning rod of criticism from outside groups.

A bipartisan group of senators points to years of hearings and meetings with tragedy-struck families  including those whose children struggled with eating disorders and died by suicide  as the motivation behind the proposals.

Sen. Marsha Blackburn, of Tennessee, one of the Kids Online Safety Acts original sponsors, said the legislation is a safety by design bill, a duty of care bill that gives kids and parents a toolbox so that they can protect themselves.

A message that were sending to big tech: kids are not your product, kids are not your profit source, and we are going to protect them in the virtual space, Blackburn, a Republican, said at a press conference following the vote.

Blackburn co-led the bill dubbed the Kids Online Safety Act with Democratic Sen. Richard Blumenthal of Connecticut.

Sen. Ed Markey, who championed the last protections passed by Congress in late 1990s, said back in 1998 only birds tweeted, a gram was a measurement of weight, and so we need to update the law.

The Massachusetts Democrat joined Republican Sen. Bill Cassidy of Louisiana in co-sponsoring the Children and Teens Online Privacy Protection Act.

Markey likened addictive social media products to those of the tobacco industry in previous decades, and cited public health warnings attributing increasing childhood mental health issues to the platforms.

So we have to give the tools to parents and to teenagers and children to be able to protect themselves, and that would be my message to my colleagues in the House. We cannot avoid this historic moment, Markey said at the press conference.

Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer praised the legislations passage in the Senate and said the parents of affected teens are the reason we succeeded today.

Ive heard the terrible stories: children, teenagers, perfectly normal, then some algorithm captures them online by accident, and they end up committing suicide shortly thereafter, the New York Democrat said in a statement. You imagine being a parent and living with that.

New rules for platforms

The original two bills, rolled into one legislative vehicle, respectively outline duty of care rules requiring platform creators to consider broad mental health categories when designing and operating their products as well as a prohibition of the use of personal data for targeted marketing.

The legislation would also mandate that platforms create an easy-to-understand privacy dashboard detailing how a minors personal information is collected, used, and protected.

Other measures would include a prohibition on hidden algorithms, mechanisms for minors or parents to remove data, parental controls to restrict financial transactions, and annual public reports from the platforms on reasonably foreseeable harms to children and teens and efforts underway to prevent them.

Enforcement

The new policies, if enacted, would be enforced by the Federal Trade Commission and any civil actions would be prosecuted by states in U.S. district court with advance notice to the FTC.

The legislation defines the online platforms as public-facing websites, social media applications, video games, messaging applications, or video streaming services that are used, or reasonably likely to be used, by a minor.

Snap, the company behind the popular platform Snapchat, issued a statement specifically praising the Senates passage of the Kids Online Safety Act.

The safety and well-being of young people on Snapchat is a top priority, a Snap spokesperson said in a statement provided to States Newsroom. Thats why Snap has been a long-time supporter of the Kids Online Safety Act. We applaud Senators Blackburn, Blumenthal and the roughly 70 other co-sponsors of this critical legislation for their leadership and commitment to the privacy and safety of young people.

Opponents see dangerous measure

A coalition of organizations advocating for First Amendment rights, privacy, and the interests of LGBTQ minors urged the House to vote no on the legislation, criticizing it as blatantly unconstitutional.

Evan Greer, director of the tech policy group Fight For the Future, also lambasted the bill as dangerous and misguided and wildly broad.

The coalition largely takes issue with the Kids Online Safety Acts duty of care provision that requires companies to prevent and mitigate harms associated with anxiety, depression, eating disorders, substance use disorders, and suicidal behaviors.

During a joint virtual press conference hosted by the groups during the Senate vote, Greer described the provision as a blank check for censorship of any piece of content that an administration could claim is harmful to kids.

What that means in practice, is that for example, a Trump administration FTC would get to dictate what types of content platforms can recommend or even show to younger users, Greer said, referring to Republican presidential nominee and former President Donald Trump.

Jenna Leventoff, senior policy counsel at the American Civil Liberties Union, said the Kids Online Safety Act is nothing more than a thinly veiled effort to censor information that some consider objectionable

If enacted, KOSA could lead to information about health care, gender, identity, politics, and more being removed from social media. And kids note that censorship will make them less and not more safe, Leventoff said. As one student recently told me, they dont get sex education in school, and if information about sex is removed from the internet because platforms fear liability for hosting it, how else can they learn about sex?

Teens in opposition

The ACLU brought roughly 300 teens to Capitol Hill Thursday to lobby against the legislation.

Dara Adkinson, of the organization TransOhio, said the legislation is truly terrifying.

Adkinson questioned whether state and federal authorities could argue that content about climate change or the nations history of slavery causes anxiety and should therefore be regulated.

Regarding content about transgender youth, Adkinson said: We know there (are) people out there that would like us to not exist and having the lack of visibility of the kinds of resources found on the internet is the first step for many of these folks.

Greer said the coalition is concerned about the role of big tech in society. Advocates would support a heavily modified version of the Kids Online Safety Act that focuses on regulating business practices, including targeted advertising or videos that automatically play and encourage continuous, addictive scrolling habits.

Greer said their organization is neutral on the legislation targeted at protecting childrens privacy, but that they would like to see comprehensive legislation that protects minors and adults alike.

Censorship and privacy do not go together, and these should not be moving together, Greer said.
Sen. Ron Wyden of Oregon speaks with reporters in the Senate subway at the U.S. Capitol on Sept. 11, 2023 in Washington, DC.

Oregon's senior U.S. senator, Democrat Ron Wyden, was one of three senators who opposed the legislation aimed at protecting children online. (Drew Angerer/Getty Images)

This story mentions suicide. If you or a loved one are experiencing a mental health crisis or thoughts of suicide, please dial 988 or chat with a live counselor at 988lifeline.org.

WASHINGTON  Legislation aimed at protecting children online sailed through the U.S. Senate Tuesday, marking what could be the first update since the late 1990s for companies who interact with minors on the internet.

Senators approved the package of two bills in a 91-3 vote, a rare bipartisan landslide in the tightly divided body, despite loud and fervent opposition from civil liberties and LGBTQ organizations that say the measures would hand the government power to subjectively censor content.

The three no votes were cast by Mike Lee of Utah, Rand Paul of Kentucky and Ron Wyden of Oregon. (See Wydens explanation below.)

If passed by the House, the legislative package would require producers of platforms popular among children and teens to follow new rules governing advertising, algorithms and collection of personal data.

House Speaker Mike Johnson, R-La., has expressed interest in working to find consensus in the House.

President Joe Biden released a statement Tuesday calling the Senate vote a crucial bipartisan step forward and said the bill dovetails with measures he advocated for in his first State of the Union Address.

There is undeniable evidence that social media and other online platforms contribute to our youth mental health crisis. Today our children are subjected to a wild west online and our current laws and regulations are insufficient to prevent this. It is past time to act, Biden said, adding that tech companies need to be accountable for the national experiment they are running on our children for profit.

Families asked for federal help

The package contains two bills moving together: the Children and Teens Online Privacy Protection Act, which is mainly targeted at regulating the collection of personal data, and the Kids Online Safety Act, a bill that has been a lightning rod of criticism from outside groups.

A bipartisan group of senators points to years of hearings and meetings with tragedy-struck families  including those whose children struggled with eating disorders and died by suicide  as the motivation behind the proposals.

Sen. Marsha Blackburn, of Tennessee, one of the Kids Online Safety Acts original sponsors, said the legislation is a safety by design bill, a duty of care bill that gives kids and parents a toolbox so that they can protect themselves.

A message that were sending to big tech: kids are not your product, kids are not your profit source, and we are going to protect them in the virtual space, Blackburn, a Republican, said at a press conference following the vote.

Blackburn co-led the bill dubbed the Kids Online Safety Act with Democratic Sen. Richard Blumenthal of Connecticut.

Sen. Ed Markey, who championed the last protections passed by Congress in late 1990s, said back in 1998 only birds tweeted, a gram was a measurement of weight, and so we need to update the law.

The Massachusetts Democrat joined Republican Sen. Bill Cassidy of Louisiana in co-sponsoring the Children and Teens Online Privacy Protection Act.

Markey likened addictive social media products to those of the tobacco industry in previous decades, and cited public health warnings attributing increasing childhood mental health issues to the platforms.

So we have to give the tools to parents and to teenagers and children to be able to protect themselves, and that would be my message to my colleagues in the House. We cannot avoid this historic moment, Markey said at the press conference.

Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer praised the legislations passage in the Senate and said the parents of affected teens are the reason we succeeded today.

Ive heard the terrible stories: children, teenagers, perfectly normal, then some algorithm captures them online by accident, and they end up committing suicide shortly thereafter, the New York Democrat said in a statement. You imagine being a parent and living with that.

New rules for platforms

The original two bills, rolled into one legislative vehicle, respectively outline duty of care rules requiring platform creators to consider broad mental health categories when designing and operating their products as well as a prohibition of the use of personal data for targeted marketing.

The legislation would also mandate that platforms create an easy-to-understand privacy dashboard detailing how a minors personal information is collected, used and protected.

Other measures would include a prohibition on hidden algorithms, mechanisms for minors or parents to remove data, parental controls to restrict financial transactions and annual public reports from the platforms on reasonably foreseeable harms to children and teens and efforts underway to prevent them.

Enforcement

The new policies, if enacted, would be enforced by the Federal Trade Commission and any civil actions would be prosecuted by states in U.S. district court with advance notice to the FTC.

The legislation defines the online platforms as public-facing websites, social media applications, video games, messaging applications or video streaming services that are used, or reasonably likely to be used, by a minor.

Snap, the company behind the popular platform Snapchat, issued a statement specifically praising the Senates passage of the Kids Online Safety Act.

The safety and well-being of young people on Snapchat is a top priority, a Snap spokesperson said in a statement provided to States Newsroom. Thats why Snap has been a long-time supporter of the Kids Online Safety Act. We applaud Senators Blackburn, Blumenthal and the roughly 70 other co-sponsors of this critical legislation for their leadership and commitment to the privacy and safety of young people.

Opponents see dangerous measure

A coalition of organizations advocating for First Amendment rights, privacy and the interests of LGBTQ minors urged the House to vote no on the legislation, criticizing it as blatantly unconstitutional.

Evan Greer, director of the tech policy group Fight For the Future, also lambasted the bill as dangerous and misguided and wildly broad.

The coalition largely takes issue with the Kids Online Safety Acts duty of care provision that requires companies to prevent and mitigate harms associated with anxiety, depression, eating disorders, substance use disorders and suicidal behaviors.

During a joint virtual press conference hosted by the groups during the Senate vote, Greer described the provision as a blank check for censorship of any piece of content that an administration could claim is harmful to kids.

What that means in practice, is that for example, a Trump administration FTC would get to dictate what types of content platforms can recommend or even show to younger users, Greer said, referring to Republican presidential nominee and former President Donald Trump.

Jenna Leventoff, senior policy counsel at the American Civil Liberties Union, said the Kids Online Safety Act is nothing more than a thinly veiled effort to censor information that some consider objectionable

If enacted, KOSA could lead to information about health care, gender, identity, politics and more being removed from social media. And kids note that censorship will make them less and not more safe, Leventoff said. As one student recently told me, they dont get sex education in school, and if information about sex is removed from the internet because platforms fear liability for hosting it, how else can they learn about sex?

Teens in opposition

The ACLU brought roughly 300 teens to Capitol Hill on Thursday to lobby against the legislation.

Dara Adkinson, of the organization TransOhio, said the legislation is truly terrifying.

Adkinson questioned whether state and federal authorities could argue that content about climate change or the nations history of slavery causes anxiety and should therefore be regulated.

Regarding content about transgender youth, Adkinson said: We know there (are) people out there that would like us to not exist and having the lack of visibility of the kinds of resources found on the internet is the first step for many of these folks.

Greer said the coalition is concerned about the role of big tech in society. Advocates would support a heavily modified version of the Kids Online Safety Act that focuses on regulating business practices, including targeted advertising or videos that automatically play and encourage continuous, addictive scrolling habits.

Greer said their organization is neutral on the legislation targeted at protecting childrens privacy, but that they would like to see comprehensive legislation that protects minors and adults alike.

Censorship and privacy do not go together, and these should not be moving together, Greer said.

U.S. Sen. Ron Wyden explains no vote

Oregons senior U.S. senator, Democrat Ron Wyden, was one of only three senators who opposed the legislation. Wyden said in a statement, he strongly supports parts of the bill, especially provisions to safeguard the personal information of kids online. And he acknowledged that many changes had been to the Kids Online Safety Act to improve it, but said they still werent sufficient to secure his support.

I fear this bill could be used to sue services that offer privacy-enhancing technologies like encryption or anonymity features that are essential to young peoples ability to communicate securely and privately without being spied on by predators online, Wyden said. I also take seriously concerns voiced by the American Civil Liberties Union, Fight for the Future and LGBTQ+ teens and advocates that a future MAGA administration could still use this bill to pressure companies to censor gay, trans and reproductive health information, Wyden said in a statement. For these reasons, I cannot vote for this legislation.

He said if the act is signed into law by President Joe Biden, he will work to watchdog the Federal Trade Commission to ensure kids benefit from a safer internet and to try to prevent his worst fears from coming true.

Whatever happens to this bill, I look forward to working with my colleagues on other initiatives, including regulating harmful and manipulative platform designs, to tackle the vital topic of kids safety online, Wyden said. I also remain convinced that this effort must go hand-in-hand with passing a strong baseline privacy law for all Americans.
(Reuters) - Australian companies will likely post a steeper drop in profit this year than they did last year, as they struggle to match the 'abnormally high' earnings since the COVID-19 pandemic, UBS said on Tuesday.

The profits at companies listed on the benchmark S&P ASX 200 index are likely to decline 3.5% in fiscal 2024, steeper than the 2.9% decrease last year, the brokerage estimated.

"Consensus analysts expect earnings to fall again this year as companies continue to come off the high profits base they set through the COVID years," UBS analysts wrote in a note.

Mining giant Rio Tinto is set to kick off the earnings season on July 31, while other bellwether stocks such as BHP Group and Fortescue will report during the last week of August.

UBS expects the biggest drag to come from the heavyweight banking, consumer staples and retailers sectors as they come off last year's earnings peak.

The leaders, says UBS, are likely to arise among insurers, due to improved profitability, and companies with U.S. exposure, who should benefit from a weaker Australian dollar.

The ASX 200 has risen 4.7% so far this year and hit a record high in mid-July. It increased 7.8% over the whole of 2023.

UBS, though, said that due to the stretched valuations of the companies, "broad-based share price upside will not be easy through this results season."

It said that the corporate forecasts for the rest of this fiscal year will be key to setting the scene for stocks for the next six months.

(Reporting by Archishma Iyer in Bengaluru; Editing by Savio D'Souza)
X owner Elon Musk's reshare of a manipulated, faux campaign ad for Vice President Kamala Harris on social media last week raised alarms because he did not disclose that the clip, which parroted rightwing takes about the likely Democratic nominee, was a parody. But experts warn that the move illuminates AI's potential to further embed distrust of election institutions in among voters ahead of the 2024 election.

Musk reposted the manipulated video of Harris to X on Friday night. The clip, which used much of the same imagery from her first presidential campaign ad, featured a new voice-over that appeared to be digitally altered to sound like Harris.

I, Kamala Harris, am your Democrat candidate for president because Joe Biden finally exposed his senility at the debate, the voice says in the clip. "I was selected because I am the ultimate diversity hire. I'm both a woman and a person of color, so if you criticize anything I say, you're both sexist and racist."

The video goes on to say Harris doesn't know the first thing about running the country" and dubs Biden the "ultimate deep state puppet," while maintaining the vice president's campaign branding and splicing in authentic clips from past Harris speaking engagements.

The viral video underscores the potential for AI-generated images, audio and videos to spread political misinformation even as they attempt to poke fun through parody or satire, an issue compounded in a highly contentious election year and by Americans' waning trust in the nation's electoral process. While Musk's post is far from the first to spark controversy, it's a sign of what role AI deepfakes can play  and how far they can reach  in sowing doubt as voters prepare for November, according to Mekela Panditharatne, senior counsel at the NYU Brennan Center for Justice's elections and government department.

"It emblematizes this period where we are seeing the burgeoning spread of generative AI and its impact on elections and the information environment," she said, noting that similar deepfakes have become more common in the past year. While deepfakes predated the rise of generative AI, the latter allows for deepfakes to "spread in a way that is much faster," while making it "easier and cheaper to produce more sophisticated looking and sounding content."

Because the information environment is very polarized, recognizing parody in a clip like the one Musk shared can vary greatly from observer to observer, even for content that may seem "quite realistic but should be reasonably" understood as parody, Panditharatne said. Content that might be easily or quickly understood to be parody by one type of audience may not be perceived as such by a different audience, "especially if the content feeds into their preconceived notions of what a candidate is like" or their personal politics.

Oren Etzioni, a University of Washington professor emeritus of computer science and the founding CEO of the Allen Institute for AI, told Salon that the Harris deepfake ad, "to the naked eye," was "surprisingly well done."

While frequent X users who saw the clip could click through to the original post and see the original poster disclose it was a parody, Etzioni said that with more than 130 million views, some users are bound to see Musk's post, which only includes the caption "This is amazing" with a laughing crying emoji, and believe it to be "informative" if not "genuine."

That dynamic creates a disinformation problem that's four-pronged, he explained. First, more and more Americans consume part if not all of their news from social media, which allows "true fact" to live "side-by-side with falsehoods." The second is in the way people "tend to be visual animals" and react in a "very visceral way" to what they see, and the third is in the ease with which individuals can create "doctored or fabricated images, video and audio that prey on that."

"Now that combination means that anonymous users can create something that looks real and is fake, that looks compelling, but it's not true," said Etzioni, who also founded TrueMedia.org, a nonprofit that seeks to curb the proliferation of online deepfakes and disinformation by offering a free, online fact-checking tool. "Then when you couple that with the last nail in the coffin, which is having somebody with a wide audience and with some of his own credibility, like Elon Musk, sharing that without any warning, that's a recipe for disaster."

Generative AI deepfakes both inside and outside the U.S. have previously threatened to influence voters either through humor, misinformation or a combination of both, according to The Associated Press. Fake audio clips circulated in Slovakia in 2023 portrayed a candidate hatching a plan to rig an election and increase the price of beer days before the vote, while a political action committee's 2022 satirical ad spliced a Louisiana mayoral candidate's face onto an actor who portrayed him as an underachieving high schooler.

Harris' former running mate has also been a frequent victim of the technology. Earlier this year, a deepfake robocall using Biden's voice urged voters in New Hampshire to skip the state's Democratic primary, and just last week, a deepfake video of his campaign withdrawal announcement appeared to show the president cursing out his critics.

"The potential spread of content that disruptively depicts candidates or officials in ways that manipulate people's perception of those candidates and officials, that undermine the election process itself  that is a very troubling prospect," Panditharatne said, explaining that the risk for viewers of the content to be misled is greatest in the period immediately after the deepfake goes live.

Want a daily wrap-up of all the news and commentary Salon has to offer? Subscribe to our morning newsletter, Crash Course.

In addition to creating potential misrepresentations of officials, malevolent actors can also exploit generative AI to create deepfakes to bolster vote suppression by way of deceptive depictions of election officials and crises at polling sites, and manufactured obstacles to voting among other examples, which could further erode the nation's trust in electoral institutions, she said.

"That growing lack of trust in institutions and authoritative sources and information is generally a problem for elections and democracy, and the advent of generative AI and deepfakes exacerbate that issue," Panditharatne argued.

Etzioni and Panditharatne said they encourage voters to view content that evokes an emotional response with an appropriately critical lens, use or reference a credible fact-checker to verify the accuracy (or lack thereof) of the content they encounter, and engage authoritative sources of information like legitimate news media and official election office websites, in order to stay abreast of accurate information ahead of November.

While Congress has yet to pass legislation regulating AI as it's used in politics, more than one-third of state legislatures have authorized laws of their own around the use of AI in campaigns and elections, according to the National Conference of State Legislatures. These laws, Panditharatne said, reflect First Amendment protections over parody and satire, while working to curb potential election disinformation.

To aid in slowing the spread, Etzioni also recommends tagging political videos that have been manipulated by AI as such, which would allow viewers to engage with altered media from a more informed perspective. According to the AP, social media companies, like YouTube, have created policies with respect to sharing generated and manipulated media on their platforms.

X also boasts a policy on manipulated media barring users from sharing "synthetic, manipulated, or out-of-context media that may deceive or confuse people and lead to harm ('misleading media')," with some exceptions made for satire and memes so long as they do not cause significant confusion about the authenticity of the media.

Some users questioned whether Musk in making the post violated his platform's own policy, while participants in X's "community notes" feature, which works to contextualize if not correct posts, suggested labelling Musk's repost. As of Tuesday, however, no label has been added.

The chance that generative AI will have an impact on the election  and the resources that adversaries or malevolent actors will have to create this kind of content  grows as election day nears, Etzioni warned.

"The closer the election is, the more effort they will put into it," he said. "I think that we need to be both vigilant but also prepared."
Newly released audio recordings show the former Sangamon County, Illinois, sheriffs deputy who fatally shot Sonya Massey was previously reprimanded at another agency for filing an inaccurate report about a traffic stop and pursuit.

During the November 9, 2022, review, Sean Grayson was pressed about the particulars of the chase by Logan County Sheriffs Chief Deputy Nathan Miller, who told Grayson his report could have amounted to official misconduct and constituted several policy violations.

Grayson said he believed he was on a different street that he referenced in his report.

If we cant trust what you say and what you see, we cant have you in our uniform, Miller told Grayson, according to the recordings.

Others will say you have no integrity, and youre lying to get to that traffic stop, Miller said at another point. And I have told you that I have zero tolerance for stretching the law. Because when you have officers that stretch the law, they will get caught, they will get prosecuted.

Im getting goosebumps. This is extremely concerning, the chief deputy said a few minutes later. Everybody likes you. I gotta be able to trust you. Was this a purposefully done lie?

No, Grayson responded.

The audio recordings offer the latest glimpse into Graysons history as a law enforcement officer, which has been scrutinized after Masseys death earlier this month. Grayson has pleaded not guilty to first-degree murder and other charges. Records show Grayson worked at six law enforcement agencies in four years and was charged with driving under the influence twice.

He resigned from Logan County in April 2023 before joining the Sangamon County Sheriffs office the following month.

At the time of Masseys death, Grayson had responded to a prowler report at the womans home on July 6. Bodycam footage from another deputy showed Massey saying she rebuked Grayson, who responded by threatening the 36-year-old. The footage showed Grayson shooting Massey and failing to render aid.

Grayson, 30, was indicted by a grand jury last week on three counts of first-degree murder and one count each of aggravated battery with a firearm and official misconduct. He was denied pretrial release, according to court records.

Sangamon County Sheriff Jack Campbell fired Grayson after Masseys death, saying in a statement last week, Sonya Massey lost her life due to an unjustifiable and reckless decision by former Deputy Sean Grayson.

Grayson had other options available that he should have used. His actions were inexcusable and do not reflect the values or training of our office.

An attorney for Grayson declined to comment Tuesday.

Chief deputy urged Grayson to check reports for accuracy

The conversation captured in the audio recordings appears to coincide with an internal review detailed in Graysons Logan County Sheriffs Office disciplinary records previously obtained by CNN.

Those records indicate Grayson was on patrol early in the morning on September 12, 2022, in Lincoln, Illinois, when he began pursuing a maroon truck, believing a woman in the drivers seat was acting suspicious. The driver then failed to signal while making a turn, and Grayson activated his lights, the documents say, citing Graysons initial report. The driver did not stop.

Grayson pursued the truck through Lincoln at a high rate of speed, Miller writes in a description of the incident. Graysons supervisor eventually terminated the pursuit via radio communications, the documents state, but Grayson continued to travel at a high speed before hitting a deer.

The focus of Millers interview centered on information written in his police report that Grayson admitted was inaccurate  namely which street he was on when he first purported to have noticed suspicious activity. Miller also referenced previous orders hed given Grayson to check his reports for accuracy.

In the recording, Grayson said he believed he was on the street specified in his report. But Miller, referencing a map of the location of the stop, said it was geographically impossible for Grayson to have observed what he claimed to see from the suspect vehicle before attempting to initiate a traffic stop.

You cannot witness what is in this report, Miller said. Do you agree with that statement?

Yes, I do, Grayson replied.

The sheriff and I will not tolerate lying and deception, nor should we, or the county or the state or law enforcement partners, Miller said later. And you understand this?

Yes, I do, Grayson said.

The disciplinary records  which also reference a November 9, 2022, interview with Miller  indicate the sheriffs office recommended Grayson needed report writing training, high stress decision making classes, and needs to read, understand and discuss issued Logan County Sheriffs Office Policy.

This story has been updated with additional information.

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SAN DIEGO (FOX 5/KUSI)  An ambitious effort to revitalize the U.S. Navys 70.3-acre Old Town campus and replace its obsolete Naval Information Warfare Systems Command (NAVWAR) facilities is moving ahead.

On Monday, Navy officials said they are in the midst of the environmental review process for the privately-spearheaded redevelopment of the property, which stretches across land between Pacific Highway and Interstate 5.

The assessment is happening alongside the exclusive negotiation period for a long-term lease with the potential master development group military officials selected to lead the renovation, Manchester/Edgemoor.

Thank you for being part of our journey: Popular San Diego cafe to close

The group consists of two firms: hotel and commercial development firm Manchester Financial, and Edgemoor Infrastructure & Real Estate, an affiliate of Clark Construction that specializes in public-private partnerships. Both will evenly split the ownership stake.

The Navys enduring partnerships with the City of San Diego and surrounding communities are essential to this successful initiative moving forward, Rear Admiral Brad Rosen, Commander of Navy Region Southwest, said in a statement.

Considered the Navys largest leasing initiative, the transaction aims to transfer some 5,000 cybersecurity professionals out of the outdated World War II-era factory facilities currently housing NAVWAR.

The potential lessee for the Old Town hangers, which the Navy first began soliciting for in 2022, would receive the land in exchange for the new, state-of-the-art NAVWAR facilities. The Navy says it could also make additional underutilized property at Naval Base Point Loma available for lease.

While the Navys goal is new mission-capable facilities for NAVWAR and other tenant commands, the Navy recognizes that any project that is good for the Navy should also provide positive impacts to the community, Rosen continued.

Rendering showing a conceptual design for the new NAVWAR facility in Old Town. (Courtesy of Manchester/Edgemoor)

Details about what will become of the remainder of the land is still up in the air, although the Manchester/Edgemoor has described their vision for the area as a mini city with housing, retail and commercial space that also connects to nearby transit.

According to officials involved in the NAVWAR project, the Manchester/Edgemoor group has initiated outreach and engagement efforts with local government officials, transportation agencies and other interests to better understand their priorities.

USS San Diego to relocate to Japan

Public comment opportunities will also be scheduled for soon-to-be-announced dates, naval officials added.

This project represents a generational opportunity for the Navy and City of San Diego, and we intend to make sure the community is involved in each step along the way, Neal Fleming, president of Edgemoor, said in a statement.

NAVWAR is a significant contributor to San Diegos economy, with an annual budget in excess of $11 billion. According to naval officials, the commands work adds $3.3 billion annually to the region, and provides half of all cybersecurity jobs in the region.

Copyright 2024 Nexstar Media, Inc. 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.
Kamala Harris intent to become the next U.S. president is being questioned.

Presidential Race

On July 21, 2024, Harris, the current vice president of the United States, took to X, formerly Twitter, to reveal her intention to join the 2024 presidential race and pursue the Democratic nomination, placing her in the running against Donald Trump, the 45th U.S. president and 2024 Republican nominee.

Harris announcement came shortly after President Joe Biden decided not to seek re-election.

On behalf of the American people, I thank Joe Biden for his extraordinary leadership as President of the United States and for his decades of service to our country, Harris wrote on Instagram. I am honored to have the Presidents endorsement and my intention is to earn and win this nomination. I will do everything in my power to unite the Democratic Partyand unite our nationto defeat Donald Trump and his extreme Project 2025 agenda.

Historic Funding Raise

Already, Harris has received an influx of support, raising $200 million in a week, and 66% of those earnings came from first-time donors, per CBS News.

Harris also broke the record for the highest fundraising amount in a 24-hour period for either party during the 2024 campaign, earning $81 million, AP News reports. Her campaign reportedly claims it is the largest single-day total in U.S. history.

Vice President Harris has been a candidate for less than a week, but shes already coalesced the entire Democratic Party around her campaign and the organic, grassroots enthusiasm is producing results, Michael Tyler, Harris campaign communications director, said, according to CBS News.

DEI Hire

Though Harris has gained significant traction, some opposition remains, with attention on her race and gender. Rep. Tim Burchett (R-Tennessee) labeled Harris a DEI vice president in a tweet shared on July 22, 2024. DEI refers to diversity, equity, and inclusion.

The incompetency level is at an all-time high in Washington. The media propped up this president, lied to the American people for three years, and then dumped him for our DEI vice president. pic.twitter.com/3zJhJBsB4j  Rep. Tim Burchett (@RepTimBurchett) July 22, 2024

Rep. Harriet Hageman (R-Wyoming) echoed that sentiment the following day as she used the label DEI hire and undermined Harris qualifications.

I think shes one of the weakest candidates Ive ever seen in the history of our country, Hageman said, per The Hill. Intellectually just really kind of the bottom of the barrel, and from the standpoint of just who she is and the policies and the positions that shes taken.

She added, I think she was a DEI hire, and I think thats what were seeing, and I just dont think that they have anybody else. I just think that theyre in real disarray.

Yet, Harris resume shows that she served as the District Attorney of San Francisco, Attorney General of California, and United States Senator of California before becoming the first Black woman and first South Asian American Vice President, a White House press release highlights.

Some in the Republican party are looking to separate themselves from the DEI rhetoric. Rep. Byron Donalds (R-Florida) told CBS News those kinds of comments had been nipped in the bud and thats not where we want to go.

The term DEI appears to be used to intentionally diminish the efforts of Black individuals in power. Baltimore Mayor Brandon Scott was labeled a DEI mayor after he addressed his community following the collapse of the Francis Scott Key Bridge in March 2024.

Scott had previously served on the city council before running and being elected as mayor in 2020, earning 70% of the vote, The Hill mentioned.

Weve been the bogeyman for them since the first day they brought us to this country, and what they mean by DEI, in my opinion, is duly elected incumbent, Scott said, according to The Hill.

MSNBC reports Nina Jankowicz, a disinformation researcher and founder of the American Sunlight Project, believes Harris may be more susceptible to this rhetoric because she is a woman of color. In 2020, she analyzed abuse and disinformation against 13 female political candidates, revealing that 78% of the attacks were aimed at Harris.

According to a study conducted by the Pew Research Center in 2023, 72% of Americans said women have to do more to prove themselves than men when looking to secure high political office. Thus, Harris may have to work twice as hard as she seeks to advance her duties in the White House.

The idea there is to undermine her legitimacy, undermine her professionalism, undermine her accomplishments and appeal to peoples basic misogynistic instinct, Jankowicz said, per CBS News. There are people who are alleging that her accomplishments are less than, or that she didnt earn her place because she is a Black woman. Her terms in the Senate and her record as vice president speaks for itself.
Rep. Mike Kelly who represents Butler will lead the House task force to investigate the assassination attempt on former President Donald Trump.

The task force will dig into what went wrong and recommend solutions to make sure a similar attack never happens again.

Kelly was at the rally and witnessed the shooting firsthand.

>> WPXI exclusive photos show cell phone, transmitter found next to Trump shooters body

Speaker Mike Johnson R-La. and Democratic leader Hakeem Jeffries of New York announced Monday that 13 lawmakers have been appointed to the bipartisan task force.

We have the utmost confidence in this bipartisan group of steady, highly qualified, and capable members of Congress to move quickly to find the facts, ensure accountability, and help make certain such failures never happen again, their statement said.

>> Former President Donald Trump says he will return to Butler for rally honoring shooting victims

AP reports many of the lawmakers have a background in law enforcement, legal affairs or the military.

The other Republican members of the task force are Rep. Mark Green of Tennessee, the chairman of the Homeland Security Committee; Rep. David Joyce of Ohio, a former county prosecutor; Rep. Laurel Lee of Florida, a former assistant U.S. attorney; Rep. Michael Waltz of Florida, a former member of the U.S. Army Special Forces; Rep. Clay Higgins of Louisiana, a former Army staff sergeant and local law enforcement officer; and Rep. Pat Fallon of Texas, a former U.S. Air Force officer.

>> Butler Trump rally attendees describe panic as shots rang out during attempted Trump assassination

Rep. Jason Crow of Colorado will serve as the lead Democratic member of the committee. He is a decorated former Army Ranger having served in both Iraq and Afghanistan.

Other Democratic members are Rep. Lou Correa of California, who sits on the subcommittee that recently visited the site of the assassination attempt; Rep. Madeleine Dean of Pennsylvania, who served in that states House of Representatives for more than six years before coming to Congress; Rep. Chrissy Houlahan of Pennsylvania, a veteran of the U.S. Air Force; Rep. Glenn Ivey of Maryland, a former assistant U.S. attorney and states attorney for Prince Georges County; and Rep. Jared Moskowitz of Florida, the former director of emergency management in that state.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

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Ruben Gallego is leaning hard on Latino voters in his uncontested campaign to be the Democratic Partys nominee for Arizonas open U.S. Senate seat.

The efforts by Gallego, a House Democrat from Arizona, have prompted the 14-year-old Latino activist organization Living United for Change in Arizona to make its first Senate candidate endorsement. Gallego has already netted the endorsements of the United Farm Workers, the Latino Victory Fund, the Congressional Hispanic Caucus and civil rights titan Dolores Huerta.

His winning of key Latino endorsements is essential during an election with issues facing the community in Arizona. The nonpartisan NALEO Education Fund estimates Hispanics will be nearly 25% of Arizona voters this year.

"I think hes a hero," LUCHA endorsement committee member Arnold Montiel said.

U.S. Rep. Ruben Gallego speaks during an Arizona Hispanic Chamber of Commerce event on July 29, 2024, at the Casa Corazon Restaurant, 2637 N. 16th St., Phoenix.

Montiel is a 61-year-old former U.S. Army National Guard soldier and Tucson resident who cited Gallegos service as a combat veteran as key to the organizations support. Gallegos campaign has amplified his bona fides as a retired U.S. Marine by running ads of him sharing his experience fighting in the Iraq War.

Montiel cited House Concurrent Resolution 2060 as contributing to what he said was a "dangerous" and "very divisive" political climate that spurred him to become involved in electoral politics. The ballot initiative would make unauthorized southern border crossings a state crime, allow for the deportation of migrants suspected of crossing the border unauthorized, and bolster employee immigration status verification.

LUCHA has warned such legislation would pressure Latino immigrants to flee the state. The organization is among the plaintiffs in a lawsuit filed in early June against HCR 2060 on grounds it is unconstitutional.

"That's gonna negatively affect my gente (people)," Montiel said in an interview with The Republic. "All it's gonna do is just tear people apart."

The Arizona Republic reported in May that President Joe Biden lagged behind Gallego in Hispanic male voter support.

On Sunday, LUCHAs endorsement committee announced their support for Vice President Kamala Harris to be the Democratic presidential nominee. LUCHA Executive Director Alejandra Gomez told The Republic the progressive organization expects the race to narrow with Harris at the top of the ticket.

"If Ruben Gallego wins, you can expect Kamala Harris to have a good election night," Gomez said.

The Gallego campaign started running ads in Spanish starting June 21. His likely Republican opponent, longtime Phoenix TV personality Kari Lake, has been less conspicuous in her Latino outreach. Lake is expected to win the GOP Senate nomination in Arizona against Pinal County Sheriff Mark Lamb.

Lake, whose husband is of Colombian heritage through his mother, said in a video from May that "Latinos embody everything Im fighting for: faith, family and freedom." On the Spanish-language network Univision, Lake said she did not believe children born to immigrants were natural-born citizens.

The Lake campaign on Saturday afternoon did not respond to a request for comment on its Latino voter outreach efforts.

This article originally appeared on Arizona Republic: Ruben Gallego's Latino voter outreach pays off in U.S. Senate race
Supporters of Venezuelan opposition demonstrate following the announcement that Venezuela's President Maduro won the presidential election, in Caracas

Supporters of Venezuelan opposition demonstrate following the announcement that Venezuela's President Maduro won the presidential election, in Caracas

By Hani Richter

(Reuters) - Protesters took to streets throughout Venezuela on Tuesday, demanding President Nicolas Maduro acknowledge that he lost Sunday's election to an opposition that says they clinched a landslide victory. Read our story here.

Calling Maduro an "entrenched incumbent," the LA Times said the election "was among the most peaceful in recent memory, reflecting hopes that Venezuela could avoid bloodshed and end 25 years of single-party rule."

On election night in Buenos Aires, at a vigil for Maduro's government - known as 'Chavistas' after former President Hugo Chavez - spectators had carried signs labeled "RIP Chavismo." But, the Buenos Aires Herald reported, Venezuelans living in Argentina had their "hopes dashed" when a Maduro win was announced. "The news hit like a bomb outside Venezuela's embassy in Buenos Aires," it stated.

The Miami Herald in an editorial said "Maduro's announced victory smells like a dictator's dirty old trick." But it questioned what the international community could do. "Can the U.S. force out a regime that has survived Republican and Democratic White House administrations?" it asked.

Spain's El Pais looked at pressure coming from inside and outside the country for verifiable results. "There is a lot at stake. Chavismo should be the first to benefit from transparency about the election, because it needs a victory that will be internationally recognized," it said.

Ukraine's Kyiv Post asked: "Is Maduro's Fall the Beginning of the End for (Russian President Vladimir) Putin?" as it analyzed "why the Maduro-Putin alliance is so important, and what impact a revolution in Caracas could have on Ukraine's fight for freedom."

Politico examined how the administration of U.S. President Joe Biden is carefully navigating Venezuela's election. It reported on how the U.S. government said it had "serious concerns" but had "stopped short of declaring the narrow victory of President Nicolas Maduro fraudulent." The region was at risk of instability that could increase migration pressure, it said.

(Compiled by Hani Richter, Editing by Rosalba O'Brien)
U.S. Reps. Summer Lee of Pennsylvania and Ayanna Pressley of Massachusetts (U.S. House photos/composite)

U.S. Reps. Summer Lee (D-12th District) and Ayanna Pressley (D-Mass.) will rally in Pittsburgh on Wednesday to highlight Vice President Kamala Harris record on reproductive rights, the same day former President Donald Trump will campaign in Harrisburg.

Harris, the likely Democratic nominee for president, has led the Biden administrations response to the Dobbs decision from the U.S. Supreme Court that overturned Roe v. Wade in 2022. In March, Harris became the first vice president to visit an abortion clinic. And she campaigned at Salus University in Montgomery County in May  while Biden was still at the top of the ticket  speaking with actress Sheryl Lee Ralph about Trumps record on abortion.

If you want to know whos to blame for where we are right now, a finger can be directly pointed at the former president, Harris said in May.

Abortion is legal for up to 24 weeks in Pennsylvania, and Gov. Josh Shapiro has been a firm supporter of reproductive rights.

Both Pressley and Lee have also been staunch advocates of abortion rights, with Pressley serving as chairperson of the U.S. House Pro Choice Caucus Abortion Rights and Access Task Force. Lee is a member of the Pro Choice Caucus. Pressley is also a founding member of a the Houses Stop Project 2025 task force.

Lee and Pressley have both endorsed Harris candidacy for president.

Project 2025 is the conservative Heritage Foundations plan for a second Trump term, which outlines objectives like passing the most stringent abortion ban the next Republican administration can get through Congress and lowering the corporate tax rate. Trump, the GOP presidential nominee, has sought to distance himself from the proposal.

Trump himself has boasted about appointing the three conservative Supreme Court justices who helped overturn Roe v. Wade, and has said he wants states to oversee laws governing abortion access.

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A vacant metal fabrication building in St. Francis is to be redeveloped into the new home of Lean Design Werks.

A blighted, long-vacant St. Francis factory would be redeveloped for an industrial automation and robotics company's headquarters under a plan seeking a state grant.

The former metal fabrication facility, at 4021 S. Kinnickinnic Ave., has been vacant since 2020 and will need an environmental cleanup before being used, according to a Milwaukee County Board report.

Lean Design Werks, a minority- and woman-owned small business, is seeking a $150,000 grant from the Wisconsin Economic Development Corp. to help pay for the site's environmental cleanup.

The County Board on Wednesday is to review the grant application, which was endorsed by the board's Committee on Community, Environment and Economic Development.

Lean Design Werks, which has three full-time employees and three subcontractors, plans to expand its operations and hire up to 10 to 15 full-time and part-time employees, according to the county report.

The company, owned by Renata and Dale Bunger, would relocate to St. Francis from Beloit. It designs and builds electrical polishing machines for medical equipment manufacturers and other customers.

The 15,000-square-foot building, which once housed Badger Metal Finishing Inc., will need a lot of renovations. It has extensive roof, plumbing and wiring damage, according to the grant application.

The goal is to complete those renovations by spring 2025.

Tom Daykin can be emailed at tdaykin@jrn.com and followed on Instagram, X and Facebook.

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This article originally appeared on Milwaukee Journal Sentinel: Vacant Milwaukee-area factory to be redeveloped for robotics business
(The Hill)  The GOP mayor of Mesa, Ariz.  Phoenixs largest suburb  endorsed Kamala Harris on Monday, saying only the vice president can put country over party in the November election.

John Giles wrote in an op-ed for The Arizona Republic that Republicans should reject former President Trump at the ballot box.

Our party used to stand for the belief that every Arizonan, no matter their background or circumstances, should have the freedom, opportunity and security to live out their American Dream, Giles wrote.

But since Donald Trump refused to accept the outcome of the 2020 election, Republicans have yet to course correct, he continued. The Republican Party with Trump at its helm continues down the path of political extremism, away from focusing on our fundamental freedoms.

Giles argued that President Biden and Harris have delivered for Arizona, pointing to infrastructure investments and new jobs, while Trump turned away from immigration reforms. He also argued that Harris represents a return to decency in politics.

Giles recalled the career of the late Sen. John McCain (R-Az.), arguing that Arizona needs more like-minded leaders who can work across the aisle.

And its that same high caliber of character and leadership I see in Vice President Harris, he wrote.

He similarly shouted out Sen. Mark Kelly (D-Ariz.) who is reported to be among those under consideration to be Harriss vice presidential nominee.

Thats why Im standing with her. Kamala Harris is the competent, just and fair leader our country deserves, Giles said. This year too much is at stake to vote Republican at the top of the ticket.

Trump led Biden in Arizona polling, though recent polls have shown Harris neck-and-neck with the former president in the state. Arizona Democrats hope Harris at the top of the ticket can improve their chances of winning the states Senate race in November, where Rep. Ruben Gallego (D-Ariz.) is hoping to succeed the departing Sen. Kyrsten Sinema (I-Ariz.).

Copyright 2024 Nexstar Media, Inc. 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 Republican mayor of a Phoenix suburb endorsed presumptive Democratic presidential nominee Kamala Harris on Monday, invoking the name of Arizona political titan John McCain.

Mesa mayor John Giles endorsed the vice president in an opinion column in The Arizona Republic, part of the USA TODAY Network. In the endorsement, Giles strongly rebuked his party's nominee, saying: "This year too much is at stake to vote Republican at the top of the ticket."

"Since Donald Trump refused to accept the outcome of the 2020 election, Republicans have yet to course correct," Giles wrote. "In the spirit of the late Sen. John McCains motto, 'Country First,' I call on other Arizona Republicans to join me in choosing country over party this election and to vote against Donald Trump."

Giles pointed to federal infrastructure funds appropriated to Mesa under President Joe Biden and Harris as a reason to vote for the vice president, adding that she's "the competent, just and fair leader our country deserves."

Republican Mayor of Mesa John Giles speaks at a campaign rally at Cesar Chavez High School on Nov. 2, 2022, in Phoenix, Ariz.

Election denial, subversion themes in endorsement

Giles wrote that Arizona has faced the brunt of Republican attempts to subvert the 2020 election results.

"The Grand Canyon State is ground zero in the fight against repeated false claims to disrupt our electoral process  from fake presidential electors attempting to undermine Arizonas election, to a sham 'audit' by Arizona Senate Republicans that was spurred by conspiracy theories," Giles wrote.

The Republican-held state Senate held a since-discredited "audit" of the 2020 election results, resulting in a two-year legal battle between The Arizona Republic, the Senate, and Cyber Ninjas, the firm tasked with conducting the audit. The newspaper sought to force the disclosure of emails, texts and other documents related to the audit.

The battle ended in November with a settlement between the parties that produced a legal document dated July 10 in which Cyber Ninjas CEO Doug Logan accused former Senate President Karen Fann of refusing to help him comply with court orders to produce thousands of documents, even though he was working directly for the Senate.

Eighteen people, 11 Arizona Republicans and seven top aides to Donald Trump, were indicted by a state grand jury for participating in a scheme to falsely certify that Donald Trump won the state in 2020.

The nonprofit election security organization States United Democracy Center found that 43% of the Arizona State Senate were election deniers and nearly one-third of the Arizona State House denied the 2020 election.

Mesa conservative suburb in key battleground state

The cross-partisan endorsement could prove critical in the Grand Canyon State as the once ruby-red state has been turned into a toss-up.

Biden and Harris won the state by less than 10,500 votes and won in Maricopa County, where Mesa is located, by just over 45,000 in 2020.

Mesa had a population of 511,648 in 2023, according to the U.S. Census Bureau. The city was named the most conservative city with a population of over 250,000 by Pew Research in 2017.

Harris has narrowed Trump's lead in the state since becoming the presumptive nominee and as Democratic Arizona Sen. Mark Kelly has become one of the favorites to be chosen as her vice-presidential nominee.

Contributing: Stacey Barchenger, The Arizona Republic

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Republican Arizona Mayor John Giles endorses Harris over Trump
Native Vote 2024. MILWAUKEE, Wis.  On day three of the Republican National Convention (RNC), Senator Markwayne Mullin, a Republican from Oklahoma and an enrolled member of the Cherokee Nation, facilitated a panel between lawmakers and tribal representatives to discuss priorities.

Sen. Mullin recalled a conversation he had with former President Trump about six months ago.

He was talking about some of the Indian policies that we had never got to when he was in office, Sen. Mullin said. We have to engage earlier and more often than that.

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The panel discussion was an attempt at engaging earlier to discuss Indian Countrys priorities, according to Sen. Mullin. Congressional members in the panel were: Wyoming Representative Harriet Hageman, North Carolina Senator Thom Tillis, and Kansas Senator Roger Marshall.

Rep. Hageman was elected to office on November 8, 2022, and serves on the House Natural Resources Committee and as chair of its subcommittee on Indian and Insular Affairs. Since taking office, Hageman has visited a variety of tribal members over the past 18 months.

We have really focused on economic development, addressed the challenges associated with the Indian Health Service, and tried to address the issues of security and law enforcement, Rep. Hageman said.

Rep. Hageman also mentioned budget considerations regarding the recent Supreme Court decision on IHS reimbursement to tribal nations.

Senator Thom Tillis said he was embarrassed by how little he knew about Native American tribes until he became a legislator. He served in the North Carolina House of Representative from 2007 to 2015  as House Speaker from 2011 to 2015, and in the U.S. Senate since 2015.

Sen. Tillis mentioned his support for the Lumbee cultural center and compact negotiation with the Eastern Band of Cherokee for an additional casino.

I took a lot of heat for that from the conservative right, but I felt like it was the right thing to do, Sen. Tillis said.

Sen. Tillis refused to support the Lumbee Recognition bill in his first two years in office but has since supported it after doing his homework on the issue.

Sen. Tillis said he has gone to Alaska, Iowa, and Idaho to try to gain support for Lumbee recognition. Hes determined to eliminate obstacles and hold up tribes getting in the way.

Not a day goes by where Im not talking about this, he said. I dont care what state your historical lands are in, you can count me in. Ill be a third senator. All Im asking from you, help me get the Lumbee recognized.

Sen. Mullin ran the panel discussion like a congressional hearing. Kansas Senator Roger Marshall yielded his time, so we didnt hear from him. Discussion moved to tribal leaders.

North Carolina General Assembly Representative Jarrod Lowery is a member of the Lumbee tribe and represents District 47 in Robeson County, North Carolina. He is the first republican Native American to serve in North Carolinas General Assembly.

North Carolina has the eighth largest Indian population in the U.S., Lowery said. There are more Natives in North Carolina than North and South Dakota combined. It is Indian Country.

Lowery said he is often asked why he is a republican.

Because most of the time, our people just want to be left alone to be a self-determined people. I believe that republicans understand that, he said.

Osage Nation Principal Chief Geoffrey Standing Bear spoke about the complex, and often contradictory, relationship between tribal nations and the federal government.

When the Osage Nation received funds from the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security (CARES) Act, they used it to open a meat processing plant and a 40,000 square foot greenhouse.

We now have 2,000 head of cattle, and 300 bison. We are taking care of our people, Standing Bear said. Our food processing is done with aquaponics. Were putting our people to work, but we want to make sure that we are self-sufficient.

On the contrary, Chief Standing Bear pointed to the Department of Interiors 71-pages of new policies that are harmful to the tribes oil and gas business and partners.

Last April, we filed our protest against new regulations that were imposed upon us, he said. We bought our reservation, 1, 470, 000 acres, with our own money. Thats our land. The federal government comes in, says were going to do it, were going to take care of it. But youre going to lose all your property.

As a sovereign tribal nation, the Osage can enact and enforce laws that regulate their business, but the Bureau of Indian Affairs insists they are authorized to handle the issue.

We can do it. We know how to do it. We know how to write our own laws, Standing Bear said.

Now the Osage Nation has filed a lawsuit against the Department of Interior in the District of Columbia to get a legal decision on the matter. Standing Bear said he and the Osage people are very upset with the Department of Interior.

When does this movie end? Its a nightmare, is what it is, he said. I just hope this new administration will join us and make permanent changes, so we really are going to be self-sufficient.

Marshall Pierite, who is the chairman and chief executive officer (CEO) of the Tunica-Biloxi Tribe of Louisiana, expressed his excitement for being present and for change.

Chairman Pierite spoke about three forms of change: information, reformation, and transformation.

Information is of the mind, getting to know, and respecting each other, Pierite said. Reformation is changing the systems and structure that is needed. Transformation is where really opportunity begins. This is what is needed for Indian Country.

Chairman Pierite believes the 574 tribal nations are Americas greatest assets. He said Tunica-Biloxi is small in terms of territory and population, but mighty in vision.

Im talking about using all three components of vision, he said. Hindsight: what we learn from our ancestors, or those that walked before us. Insight: what is happening now and how we can take advantage of opportunities that lie at our fingertips. Foresight: having the ability to look down the future and seeing what we define as a problem and taking that problem and turning it into a solution.

Over the last 30 years, 11.2 million manufacturing jobs have left the U.S. Chairman Pierite envisions bringing those jobs back to the U.S., more specifically to tribal reservations.

Myron Lizer is the former vice president of the Navajo Nation and introduced himself in the Navajo language as he added to the discussion.

Lizer shifted to the ongoing effort to build a Navajo Code Talker Museum, which is situated on an opportunity zone.

I dont think there is a large opportunity zone project in Indian Country. Id love to help make that happen, Lizer said. There are 13 census tracts of opportunity zones in Indian Country that could stand to use other peoples money. Funding is our major dilemma, theres a shortage of it.

Lizer, who is also a business owner, said Indian Country is open for business. He called it the last frontier.

When even Walmart cant find new land to develop for new stores or warehouses, he said. Has anybody looked at Indian Country? We need jobs. We need revenue. We want to be self-dependent. We want to be self-reliant.

Lizer looks at Teslas partnerships with Nambe Pueblo and Sandia Pueblo as examples of how tribal nations build relationships with corporations. He also looks at what role the federal government has in making it easier for tribal nations and corporations to work together.

Adam Crepelle is a law professor at Loyola University Chicago who specializes in federal Indian law and policy, and economic development. Crepelle shared a quote from President Reagan: The nine most terrifying words in the English language are: Im from the government, and Im here to help.

Indian Country knows this very well, Crepelle said. For thousands of years, tribes had vibrant free market economies. Copper from the Great Lakes made its way down to Florida and to Montana thousands of years ago.

Crepelle said long before 1492, tribal nations did this out of economic initiative through institutions of trade to ensure they remained healthy, prosperous, and free.

Unfortunately, much has changed for the worse in Indian Country. Economic freedom is scarce, and poverty is common, he said.

Although some outdated laws and policies contribute, Crepelle says jurisdictional uncertainty is the main detriment to economic development on tribal lands.

We still havent addressed that issue, unfortunately. As a result, private enterprise remains scarce in Indian Country, Crepelle said. The notable exception is Indian gaming. And guess what, Congress has legislated regarding Indian gaming.

The Indian Gaming Regulatory Act (IGRA) was enacted in 1988 and allows for gaming on tribal lands. Crepelle says IGRA is not perfect, but provides clear rules.

With that certainty, Indian gaming has become a $40 billion per year industry, he said. So if we can get more clear rules and greater certainty, Indian Country can thrive.

Crepelle said as economic opportunity grows in Indian Country it benefits everybody, not just tribal citizens.

About the Author: "Levi \"Calm Before the Storm\" Rickert (Prairie Band Potawatomi Nation) is the founder, publisher and editor of Native News Online. Rickert was awarded Best Column 2021 Native Media Award for the print\/online category by the Native American Journalists Association. He serves on the advisory board of the Multicultural Media Correspondents Association. He can be reached at levi@nativenewsonline.net."

Contact: levi@nativenewsonline.net
Former President Donald Trump speaks in Grand Rapids, Michigan on Biden's border policy on April 2, 2024. (Photo: Anna Liz Nichols)

On June 30, actress Taraji P. Henson paused her BET Awards hosting duties to warn viewers about the danger Donald Trump and Project 2025 pose to most U.S. citizens.

They are trying to bring the draft back. Who do you think theyre going to draft first?  Our careers, our next generations to come. Did you know that it is now a crime to be homeless? Pay attention. Its not a secret, look it up. They are attacking our most vulnerable citizens, she said.

The Project 2025 plan is not a game, Henson added. Look it up! She exhorted those who dont or wont vote to get out and do their civic duty.

Im not trying to scare us; Im trying to inform us. Weve got three Supreme Court seats up, you guys. We need those seats or we have no protection, she said. Okay, I got it out of my system. Im talking to all the mad people that dont want to vote. Youre going to be mad about a lot of things if you dont vote.

In this celebrity-driven culture, Henson did more to publicize Project 2025 than all the purposeful talking heads and their preening, pretentious colleagues. Henson has performed a vital public service for the American people because everyone needs to know what Trump has in store for us.

Black people, women of childbearing age, young adults, children, undocumented immigrants, and other marginalized communities have the most to lose if Donald Trump wins a second term, because hes coming for us.

Blueprint

Project 2025 is a sweeping rightwing blueprint for the next Republican president, Trump or not, to run the country. Funded by The Heritage Foundation, the Koch network, and a vast and secretive dark money network, the project has recruited at least 100 far-right organizations and entities to the cause.

Trump  aided and abetted by far-right extremists, MAGA supporters, and the remnants of the Republican Party  is gearing up to reassert racial and political dominance by upending the political system, eviscerating the rule of law, and wielding unconstrained power.

Project 2025 is the cudgel theyll use to implement this strategy. Harold Meyerson in the Prospect explains that Project 2025 is the blueprint for a conservative presidency.

The actions of liberal politicians in Washington have created a desperate need and unique opportunity for conservatives to start undoing the damage the Left has wrought and build a better country for all Americans in 2025, the Project 2025 manifesto says. It is not enough for conservatives to win elections. If we are going to rescue the country from the grip of the radical Left, we need both a governing agenda and the right people in place, ready to carry this agenda out on day one of the next conservative administration.

Yet even as a wider swathe of Americans are learning about Project 2025, Floridians have, since 2019, been watching and living the nightmare. Gov. Ron Santis and his extremist minions have implemented the Sunshine State version of conservatives planned theocratic/MAGA takeover. And Florida is all the worse for it.

Carnage

DeSantis has refused to expand Medicaid; rejects science and denies the existence of the climate crisis; is in the pocket of the fossil fuel industry; bears a special hatred for diversity, equity, and inclusion; has attacked transgender people; is anti-labor; and has used the power of his office to harm undocumented immigrants.

Thats not much different from the 920-page Heritage Foundation manifesto, which outlines the intention to, among other things, privatize Medicaid; deny Medicaid to increasing numbers of Americans; dismiss more than 50,000 civil servants and replace them with loyalists; allow Trump to mobilize the military against dissent; unleash ICE to raid schools, hospitals, churches, and playgrounds to round up undocumented immigrants and U.S. citizens (since hes promised to revoke birthright citizenship); and use the 150-year-old Comstock Act to ban the shipment of abortion pills.

Thanks to Henson, Rep. Ayanna Pressley, brutal ads from The Lincoln Project, mainstream and social media influencers, and others, the word is out about this toxic stew of racial resentment and grievance, Christian nationalism, MAGA outrage, and rightwing power grab.

In interviews, rallies, and on social media leading up to the Nov. 5 election, Trump  the presumed Republican nominee  has promised to unleash political violence, crushing his enemies, routing the media, appointing a special prosecutor to pursue President Joe Biden and his family for alleged corruption, and round up as many as 20 million undocumented immigrants and hold them in vast concentration camps before deporting them.

Hubris

I always thought it strange that Trump and the rest of these cruel creatures would so boldly publicize their plans for a MAGA conservative takeover. It reeks of deep-seated hubris. They appear to have not considered the consequences of tipping their hand.

And, as whats left of the Republican Party learned after the U.S. Supreme Court overturned the landmark Roe v. Wade, theres a price to pay for trying to impose its Christian nationalist ideology on the rest of America. When it comes to reproductive justice, Republicans have been beaten around the head and face by voters in red, blue, and purple states, all of whom intensely reject having government functionaries tell women what to do with their bodies.

Now that the true scope of public outrage is dawning on the GOP, they have been falling over themselves trying to escape the fallout. They have lied, obfuscated, and deflected, trying desperately to assure the public that their noxious anti-abortion positions are palatable, but its too late.

They will pay for their folly in November.

Much like roaches that scurry away when someone turns on the light, Donald Trump  twice impeached, four times indicted, charged with 88 felonies in state and federal courts  is shuffling away as fast as his portly body can carry him, trying to distance himself from Project 2025. Why? Because he and the other power-hungry zombies see the polls showing that many of their proposals stink.

According to a recent YouGov poll, 58% of Americans oppose the Trump/conservative Republican proposal to abolish the U.S. Department of Education. Meanwhile, 59% disagree with Trump/GOP cutting taxes on corporations and 56% are against repealing Obamacare.

Song and dance

Which is why in a recent Truth Social post, Trump performed his evasive song-and-dance: I know nothing about Project 2025. I have no idea who is behind it. I disagree with some of the things theyre saying and some of the things theyre saying are absolutely ridiculous and abysmal. Anything they do, I wish them luck, but I have nothing to do with them.

Oops, too late.

As customary, Republicans think Americans are stupid, because as they weather the punishing blowback, they are attempting a rebrand of Project 2025 to Agenda 47.

Kevin Roberts, president of the conservative think tank Heritage Foundation, which is orchestrating the overhaul of federal government if a Republican wins, crowed that America is in the midst of a second American Revolution that will be bloodless if the left allows it to be.

Incendiary comments like these, widely publicized, are just the fuel needed to mobilize the electorate to ensure that Trump the wanna-be dictator never returns to the White House.

On Nov. 5, Americans opposed to Project 2025 will have the opportunity to wage their own second American revolution and drive out the Republican enablers, insurrectionists, and liars whore in office and replace them with lawmakers who want to govern, who care about ordinary people, and who are interested in fully embracing and advancing Americas inevitable multicultural, multi-ethnic future.

Florida Phoenix is part of States Newsroom, a nonprofit news network supported by grants and a coalition of donors as a 501c(3) public charity. Florida Phoenix maintains editorial independence. Contact Editor Michael Moline for questions: info@floridaphoenix.com. Follow Florida Phoenix on Facebook and X.
By Ted Hesson, Mica Rosenberg and Kristina Cooke

WASHINGTON -Vice President Kamala Harris, tasked to deal with the root causes of migration from Central America as illegal border crossings were rising in 2021, immediately ran into the enormity of the mission.

The region is riddled with corrupt government officials, the drivers of migration are deeply rooted in economic inequality and social factors - and she didn't control the border.

"She was given a very hard, difficult, convoluted portfolio," said U.S. Senator Chris Murphy, a Democrat on the Foreign Relations Committee and an architect of a bipartisan border security bill introduced earlier this year.

At campaign rallies and in social media posts, Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump has intensified his attacks on Harris as a failed "border czar," especially now that she has emerged as the likely Democratic nominee after President Joe Biden ended his campaign for reelection this month.

Despite Harris' efforts, some 7 million migrants have been arrested illegally crossing the U.S.-Mexico border under Biden, according to government data, all-time highs that have fueled Republican criticism.

The reality of Harris's record on migration is far more complicated, according to interviews with three current Biden officials, 13 former officials and others tracking the issue.

First, Harris was never given the portfolio of border czar, said Alan Bersin, who embraced the label as a special representative for border affairs under Presidents Barack Obama and Bill Clinton. "This was not the job assigned to VP Harris," he said.

Instead, Biden asked Harris to lead diplomatic efforts to reduce poverty, violence and corruption in Central America's Northern Triangle countries of Guatemala, Honduras and El Salvador, as well as engage with Mexico on the issue.

It was similar to the job Biden had when he was vice president.

But that was an overly broad mission, Murphy said.

"It's hard in a short period of time to come up with a strategy that impacts the very real and complicated psychological decision-making that people in those countries go through when they're deciding to come to the United States," Murphy said in a phone interview.

And within months of Harris taking the job, the focus on the three Central American countries was out of step with the reality at the border - where illegal immigration from Cuba, Haiti, Nicaragua and Venezuela was spiking, several former officials and outside experts said.

"She started off, in a sense, at a disadvantage because everyone was focusing on those three countries in the Northern Triangle," said Roberta Jacobson, who served as a coordinator for the U.S.-Mexico border in the early months of the Biden administration. "Meanwhile, the migrant population was changing dramatically."

Harris continued to lead the Central America effort although she has increasingly focused on abortion rights this year, a top Democratic issue since a 2022 U.S. Supreme Court decision struck down the nationwide right to an abortion.

The White House said in March that Harris helped engineer $4 billion in government aid and commitments of $5.2 billion in private investment to create or support an estimated 250,000 jobs in Guatemala, Honduras and El Salvador.

Nespresso started sourcing coffee from El Salvador and Honduras in 2021. Gap Inc said it is on pace to meet a pledge to invest $150 million by 2025 to source textiles in the region and that it had increased yarn production in Guatemala and provided skills training to women in Guatemala and Honduras.

Ricardo Barrientos, director of the Central American Institute of Fiscal Studies think tank, said the U.S. aid and private sector investment was a fraction of the remittances migrants from the three countries working in the U.S. send home each year  $37 billion last year alone.

"It's very small compared to the magnitude of the challenge," he said. "Or some would say, 'too little, too late.'"

By May, the number of migrants from the Northern Triangle caught crossing illegally had fallen to 25,000 from a peak of 90,000 in July 2021 - although experts say the impact of Harris' efforts remain unclear.

'BORDER CZAR'

Harris made two trips to Central America: Guatemala in June 2021 and Honduras in January 2022. That was one fewer than Biden, who made three trips to Guatemala after he was assigned a similar role in 2014.

Meanwhile, Republicans began identifying Harris with rising illegal crossings and called on her to visit the border. She made her first and only visit to U.S. border operations in El Paso, Texas, in June 2021, where she defended her portfolio.

"The reality of it is that we have to deal with causes, and we have to deal with the effects," she told reporters at the airport.

During the six-hour visit, Harris toured a migrant processing center, speaking with a group of girls, her office said at the time. But she did not tour the border wall on foot, according to pool reports, which Trump officials did routinely.

Raul Ortiz, the Border Patrol chief from 2021-2023, said he never spoke with Biden or Harris although he met with Trump and then Vice President Mike Pence more than once despite holding a lower rank during that administration.

"I would have liked to have had an opportunity to discuss some of the issues and some of the recommended changes that I thought we should have implemented," Ortiz said.

The White House said in March that Ortiz had been invited to join Biden in El Paso last year and did not attend, although Ortiz contested that, saying he was not invited.

LIABILITY OR ASSET

Immigration is the third-highest concern of U.S. voters behind the economy and extremism, according to a Reuters/Ipsos poll in June, and voters favored Trump's approach to immigration over Biden's 44%-31%.

A Trump campaign attack ad aired in six election battleground states on Tuesday showed images of migrants attempting to illegally cross the border, tying the issue to crime and pinning the blame on Harris.

Studies show immigrants do not commit crimes at a higher rate than native-born Americans.

"If border czar Harris stays in charge, every week will bring a never-ending stream of illegal alien rapists, bloodthirsty killers and child predators to go after our sons and our daughters," Trump said at a rally in North Carolina last week.

The Harris campaign in a statement to Reuters portrayed Trump as an extremist whose administration separated thousands of migrant families and who helped sink the bipartisan border security bill in the U.S. Senate - messaging in line with Biden's approach over the past year.

"There's only one candidate in this race who will fight for real solutions to help secure our nation's border, and that's Vice President Harris," campaign spokesperson Kevin Munoz said in a statement.

Some immigration advocates hope that Harris - herself the daughter of Indian and Jamaican immigrants - would better understand the humanitarian side of the issue.

Harris was instrumental in the Biden administration's rollout of a program in June to offer a path to citizenship to immigrants in the U.S. illegally who are married to U.S. citizens, two people familiar with the matter said.

Daniel Suvor, Harris' chief of policy between 2014 and 2017 when she was California attorney general, pointed to her efforts to marshal legal representation for unaccompanied immigrant children - even though immigration was not explicitly part of her portfolio.

She took it on herself to learn about the application process for special visas for victims of abuse, Suvor said. And she teamed up with Brad Smith, then the general counsel for Microsoft and co-founder of the advocacy group Kids in Need of Defense, and started calling law firms.

(Reporting by Ted Hesson in Washington, Mica Rosenberg in New York and Kristina Cooke; Additional reporting by Trevor Hunnicutt in Washington; Diego Ore in Mexico City and Sofia Menchu in Guatemala City; Editing by Suzanne Goldenberg)
Republicans face a new challenge in light of President Joe Bidens exit from the race. How can they attack likely Democratic presidential nominee Kamala Harris after spending years focusing the strategy on Biden?

While most of the strategic foundation should stay the same, given Harris' role in the Biden administration, there are new opportunities against the vice president and a few pitfalls that Republicans would be wise to avoid but have already stepped in.

While attacking politicians personally has become a staple of American politics, the Republican Party should tread carefully. Certain attacks, which include how Harris laughs, come off as childish and ignore the real issues that matter to Americans, which Harris and the Democrats are weak on.

If Republicans believe we have a better platform for Americans, this is an opportunity to show it.

Republican Party has many policy opportunities to attack Harris

Vice President Kamala Harris answers questions at a news conference after meeting with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu in Washington, D.C., on July 25, 2024.

The through line of the GOP strategy against Harris should be holding her accountable for the Biden administrations record that has given the Republicans any momentum they had before he dropped out. Highlighting that Harris has already been in the White House under an extremely unpopular administration should be the center of their attacks.

Hammering Harris on the economy, immigration and other issues Donald Trump holds more favorability on should be the GOP focus. Most Americans disapproved of Biden. Harris, as his vice president, was part of that disapproval.

In this sense, the GOP attack plan should remain the same. Simply asking Americans if they are better off now than they were under the Trump administration is a powerful question.

Harris VP pick? Republicans, pay attention to who Harris picks for VP. One of them should scare us.

Additionally, Harris has no shortage of personal weak points.

When she ran for president in 2020, then-Sen. Harris of California attempted to differentiate herself by leaning into progressive policy. She said she opposed hydraulic fracturing to extract oil and gas, would consider abolishing the Immigration and Customs Enforcement, opposed hiring more law enforcement officers and supported mandatory buyback programs for certain firearms.

The immigration stances are particularly damning for Harris, given the record high level of illegal crossing attempts our country faced last year and her critical role in addressing the root causes of migration for Biden.

However, these radical stances can and should be used as a preview of what a Harris administration could bring. If she walks these stances back, as she has when it comes to her position on fracking, then the GOP should highlight her disingenuous nature.

Then there is the question of how much Harris was complicit in attempts to hide Bidens mental decline from voters. This is important for the election and for accountability.

Harris was in the White House alongside Biden as it became clear he was not fit for office, and she certainly had insight into how fragile the president had become. The vice president consistently defended Biden's mental fitness against criticisms from the news media, despite what she must have known from her interactions with him. She had to have seen that Biden was not mentally fit for office.

Congress should investigate Harris' role in covering up the truth. She will have a lot to answer for there.

Republican Party should avoid attacking Harris characteristics

Republican vice presidential nominee JD Vance and his wife, Usha Chilukuri Vance, and kids greet supporters at a diner in St Cloud, Minn., on July 28, 2024.

Democrats have been eager to label Republicans as sexist, racist, homophobic or any other -ism in the book for how they've responded to Harris. Republicans should deprive them of chances to do so by stopping some of the reaction that came immediately after Harris took over for Biden.

GOP vice presidential nominee JD Vance quickly came under fire for referring to prominent Democrats as "childless cat ladies." Harris, who has stepchildren, was one of the names he highlighted.

These sorts of remarks are not helpful to the Republican cause of winning in November and will not be popular among suburban female voters, an important group for former President Trump's chances at reelection. In fact, early polling shows Harris gaining ground that Biden had lost with women voters. Vance's comments will make that worse for Republicans.

Trump GOP abandons pro-life activists: New Republican platform makes one thing clear. We've dropped the anti-abortion effort.

One misguided attack against her has been the charge that she is a DEI candidate due to Bidens promise in the 2020 election to pick a woman to be his vice president, as well as his focus on Black women throughout the search.

Republicans can call Harris unqualified without a framing that is off-putting to some moderates. Instead, highlighting the failed record of the Biden administration will force the vice president to either take credit for it or admit she had no control in the White House the past four years.

Opinion alerts: Get columns from your favorite columnists + expert analysis on top issues, delivered straight to your device through the USA TODAY app. Don't have the app? Download it for free from your app store.

According to news reports, the National Republican Senatorial Committee issued a memo last week that outlined attacks against Harris, including a section simply labeled "weird," which included her laugh, her love of Venn diagrams and her enthusiasm for school buses. None of these attacks are actually productive, and I'm not sure why Republicans insist on including them in official memos.

Harris has no shortage of policy decisions both hers and Biden's  that leave her vulnerable to attack, and the GOP would be wise to stick to that. Anything else is unnecessary and a distraction from what matters.

Dace Potas is an opinion columnist for USA TODAY and a graduate of DePaul University with a degree in political science.

You can read diverse opinions from our USA TODAY columnists and other writers on the Opinion front page, on X, formerly Twitter, @usatodayopinion and in our Opinion newsletter.

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Calling Kamala Harris a 'childless cat lady' only helps Democrats
Republicans are brushing off a new attack line from Democrats seeking to characterize them as weird for going after cat ladies and people without children, among other things.

The Democrats, they insisted, are the ones being weird and creepy, taking an Im rubber, youre glue approach as Sen. JD Vance (R-Ohio), Donald Trumps vice presidential running mate, continues to face scrutiny over past comments arguing that people without children have less of a stake in the countrys future.

They called us weird so Ill call them weirder. Thats what I used to do back in high school, Sen. Marco Rubio (R-Fla.) told HuffPost on Tuesday when asked to respond to the Democrats attacks.

Meanwhile, Donald Trump Jr., the former presidents son, called Vice President Kamala Harris a weirdo and accused the presumptive Democratic presidential nominee of supporting lenient policies toward criminals while she served as a district attorney and later as attorney general of California.

You know whats really weird? Soft on crime politicians like Kamala allowing illegal aliens out of prison so they can violently assault Americans, he wrote on X, formerly Twitter.

Democrats believe their new messaging strategy has hit a nerve, with officials up and down the ticket employing it in their statements. Over the weekend, Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg said that Donald Trump was getting older and stranger, while Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.) called Vance weird and erratic.

It kind of captures a zeitgeist that I think is resonating with people, the whole its just weird. Theres a lot of weird there right now, Sen. Martin Heinrich (D-N.M.) said of the GOP.

In 2021, Vance criticized Harris and other Democrats as childless cat ladies who are miserable in their lives and have no direct stake in America because they arent parents. The vice president has two stepchildren with second gentleman Doug Emhoff.

The Ohio Republican also sent out fundraising emails in 2021 that called Democrats childless sociopaths, according to CNN.

Vance doubled down on his initial remarks in an interview last week, saying he had nothing against cats but that it was simply true that people without kids are less invested in Americas future.

Trump also defended Vance in a Fox News interview broadcast Monday.

He feels family is good, and I dont think theres anything wrong in saying that, the former president told network host Laura Ingraham.

The Democrats are good at spinning things differently from what they were, he added. All he said is, he does like I mean, for him, he likes family. I think a lot of people like family, and sometimes it doesnt work out.

But some of Vances fellow Senate Republicans suggested that he steer clear of making such comments in the future since they can become fodder for Democratic attacks.

People are trying to destroy JD, Sen. Thom Tillis (R-N.C.) lamented, before chalking up his remarks about childless Americans to bad judgment.

Youve got to stay away from that, attempts at humor. Im sure JD has got a lot of friends and family that fit into that category.

Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-S.C.), who doesnt have children, said he doesnt believe people without kids are any less valuable to society. Still, he doesnt hold Vances remarks against him.

He said something thats not aging well over time, but name one politician who hasnt done that, Graham told HuffPost.

And Sen. Mike Rounds (R-S.D.) urged everyone to refrain from name-calling and focus on the issues when talking about the November presidential election.

Thats something that might occur in third grade, Rounds said of the weird attacks. The people that I work with up here on both sides of the aisle are good people. Theyre not weird. They may have different points of view, but they want the best for this country.
Republican primaries across Arizona on Tuesday will test whether the far-right cadre focused on election denial still can win among their base, despite major losses in the 2022 primaries.

The state has been gripped with fights over elections for years, with candidates like Donald Trump and Kari Lake refusing to concede their respective races. These general election losses in 2020 and 2022 ended decades-long Republican dominance, delivering the governors office and other top spots to Democrats.

The results could foretell whether Arizonans, particularly Arizona Republicans, are ready to move on from election denialism and the far-right flank that controls the state party. And that lesson could carry into November in the swing state, which Biden narrowly won in 2020 in an upset.

Lake, who lost the governors race in 2022, is now running for US Senate. She faces Mark Lamb, the sheriff of Pinal county, but she is expected to win the Republican contest on Tuesday. The winner will face the Democratic representative Ruben Gallego. The seat is open after senator Kyrsten Sinema left the Democratic party and decided not to run for re-election, making it a top race to watch nationally for control of the chamber.

Gallegos run for Senate leaves a race for his House seat in a strong Democratic district, where the former state lawmaker Raquel Teran is facing the former Phoenix vice-mayor Yassamin Ansari.

Other prominent Republicans who embraced election lies and lost their 2022 races are back in the mix now, too.

Abe Hamadeh, who narrowly lost the attorney general election in 2022, is now in a crowded primary to fill the seat of Debbie Lesko, the Republican representative who will vacate congressional district 8.

Hamadeh has Trump and Lakes endorsements in the crowded field, though Trump made the late decision to also endorse Blake Masters, the Peter Thiel acolyte who lost in the US Senate race in 2022. Trump called Hamadeh and Masters two spectacular America First Candidates.



Blake Masters is a very successful businessman, and an incredibly strong supporter of our Movement to Make America Great Again  He is smart and tough! Likewise, Abe Hamadeh, a Veteran, former prosecutor, and fearless fighter for Election Integrity, has been with me all the way! Trump wrote on Truth Social on Sunday.

The primary field also includes Anthony Kern, senator and fake elector; Ben Toma, the speaker of the Arizona house; Trent Franks, who resigned from Congress after staffers claimed he asked them to serve as surrogates for him; and Pat Briody.

Mark Finchem, who lost his bid for secretary of state and still has not agreed he lost, is trying to return to the statehouse, running against a more moderate Republican, Ken Bennett, for a state senate seat.

Several Maricopa county offices with primary elections include people who either say the 2020 and 2022 elections were stolen or will not say whether they believe the elections were valid.

Stephen Richer, the Maricopa county recorder who became a nationally known voice for defending elections and sued Lake for defamation over election falsehoods, faces primary challengers who have questioned election results. Justin Heap, state representative, will not say whether he believes the 2020 or 2022 elections were stolen, but has called Maricopa county elections a laughingstock and supported bills that stemmed from election conspiracies. Another challenger, Don Hiatt, has said the 2020 election was stolen and wants to curtail voting access.

The Maricopa county board of supervisors and the recorder, which both play roles overseeing elections, stood up to intense pressure campaigns from Trump and his allies in 2020 and have faced ongoing threats, some of which have been prosecuted and led to prison sentences. Errors like printing problems in the 2022 election have added fuel to rightwing conspiracies.

The county primaries could land election deniers or skeptics into roles overseeing elections. Two of the supervisors, Bill Gates and Clint Hickman, decided not to run for re-election, in part because of the threats and harassment. This assures that the board will not have the same makeup next year.

Lesko, the congresswoman who is endorsed by Trump and voted to overturn election results on 6 January, is vying for Hickmans seat. She faces Bob Branch, a professor at the Christian college Grand Canyon University, who has spread false claims about elections, including the one where he lost a state superintendent race in 2018.

For Gatess seat, Kate Brophy McGee, a Republican former state lawmaker who, at times, voted against her party in the legislature, faces Tabatha LaVoie, who says on her campaign website that she wanted to restore voter confidence because Our County cannot continue to raise doubts about the integrity of our elections.

The two other Republican supervisors face primary challengers who are farther right, especially on election issues.

Jack Sellers, currently the board chair, is facing a challenge from Mark Stewart, currently a council member in the Phoenix suburb of Chandler. Stewart wont say whether he would have certified results in 2020 or 2022 and claims he will restore confidence in county elections.

Thomas Galvin, who was not on the board in 2020 but has defended county elections since taking office after beating election-denying candidates in 2022, will need to beat back a challenge from Michelle Ugenti-Rita, a a former state lawmaker and Lake-endorsed candidate who promised to fight for election integrity and take back Maricopa County from the establishment. Ugenti-Rita faced accusations of sexual harassment from a female lobbyist after Ugenti-Rita claimed she was harassed by a state lawmaker who was ousted from the chamber over a pattern of harassment.

Related: Democracy is teetering: at ground zero for Trumps big lie in Arizona

In the politically fraught state, some other races could also have widespread impact.

David Schweikert, a longtime representative, has Republican challengers and a crowded Democratic primary in congressional district 1 because recent elections showed Schweikert to be vulnerable to a Democratic ouster.

On the right, Robert Backie and Kim George want to beat Schweikert, though he is expected to win the nomination. And on the left, contenders include Andrei Cherny, Marlene Galan-Woods, Andrew Horne, Kurt Kroemer, Conor OCallaghan and Amish Shah.

Shawnna Bolick, a state senator who voted to repeal a territorial-era abortion ban and the wife of a state supreme court justice, will have to fend off a challenge from the right in what could be seen as a test for how Republican voters view abortion bans.

Another outspoken election denier, Wendy Rogers, is being challenged for her senate seat by David Cook, a relative moderate.
The Montana State Capitol in Helena on Wednesday, April 26, 2023. (Photo by Mike Clark for the Daily Montanan)

The Republican-led Senate Select Committee on Judicial Oversight and Reform voted Monday to send a letter to Montanas Supreme Court justices, a district court judge and several other court employees asking about how the chief justice decides to appoint retired judges.

Most of the committees meetings so far have been educational, as attorneys and judges have told the Republican lawmakers about the separation of powers, attorney ethics, and where the line sits between the judiciary, legislative, and executive branches when it comes to creating and interpreting the law.

Mondays meeting of the committee  formed in the wake of several court decisions that went against Senate Republican leaderships preferred outcomes  was as well. The committee heard from retired district court judge Blair Jones, the father of Emily Jones, an attorney who often represents the state in cases under the Gianforte administration, as well as Billings attorney Mark Parker and Helena attorney Peter Habein, the chairman of the State Bar of Montana Ethics Committee.

Many of the questions from lawmakers to the three attorneys surrounded attorney and judicial ethics, how the chief justice decides to pick various retired judges when courts needed help, how Supreme Court justices were allowed to communicate with one another, and what, if anything, the legislature could do when it believes judges are incorrectly deciding cases that strike down bills passed by lawmakers.

While the committee continues to work toward crafting a bill for next years session to try to create a mechanism by which Supreme Court, district court and other judges can be evaluated, the only action it took Monday was voting to send a letter crafted by Senate President and Committee Chair Jason Ellsworth, R-Hamilton, to the judges and court employees posing numerous questions about specific former judges and about the process the chief justice uses to appoint judges for certain cases.

The original draft letter, released late last week ahead of Mondays meeting, will be changed slightly before it is sent to the justices and court employees after the State Bar of Montanas Bruce Spencer pointed out the letter incorrectly attributed certain comments made about a case at a continuing legal education meeting earlier this year to retired Judge Michael Moses.

I need to make that clear because otherwise the State Bar will be forced to send out a corrective letter, Spencer told the lawmakers, who agreed to correct the letter.

The updated version finished and released Tuesday afternoon removed that portion in question. Otherwise, the only changes made to it during Mondays hearing were to add the names of the lawmakers aside from Ellsworth who voted to support the letter.

Most of the voting members of the committee  Democrats are not participating because they believe the committees formation and objectives are an attack on the judiciary  voted in support of the letter, though some lawmakers said they did not want to add the name of Sen. Steve Fitzpatrick, R-Great Falls, who is a member of the State Bar, without his permission because he was not in attendance.

The letter itself voices the Republicans concerns over what they call an apparent lack of direction in statute as to how the chief justice appoints retired judges when they are needed and said they see no additional checks and balances governing the process.

The lawmakers first cite their unhappiness that retired Gallatin County judge Michael Salvagni enjoined part a package of housing bills lawmakers passed at the end of last years session. Salvagni said in a December order that lawmakers passed the bills in a chaotic fashion and they led to contradictory rules for cities and counties.

The legislation imperiled by his decision was thoughtfully drafted, vetted through a public process, debated on the floors of both chambers, and passed by a recently elected group of bipartisan legislators, the letter says. In contrast, retired judge Salvagni was last subject to a vote of the people a decade ago, retired eight years ago, and is accountable to just one person, the Chief Justice. There is no way for the public, who are deeply impacted by his ruling, to hold him accountable for it.

The letter goes on to say the lawmakers who signed it believe retired judges need to be subject to the same oversight as the elected judges in the state, and cites other former judges who have resigned or been suspended for their decision-making, written briefs opposing the states position in a case, or made public comments the lawmakers find disagreeable and distasteful.

That includes Lake County Judge Kim Christopher, who resigned following reporting by the Daily Montanan over her conduct in a child custody case; Anaconda-Deer Lodge County judge Ray Dayton, who was suspended by the Supreme Court for making sexual comments about a person in a case he was hearing; Moses; six retired justices who wrote a friend-of-the-court brief in the Held vs. Montana case; and former Montana Supreme Court Justice James Nelson, who has made comments about fighting the current administration and legislature and penned a column after the attempted assassination of former President Donald Trump earlier this month calling the shooting bad karma that youve dumped on other people for years.

We are disturbed by the actions of these former jurists, but mostly we are gravely concerned that a system may proliferate that eschews accountability in favor of expediency, the lawmakers wrote in the letter.

It then lists 15 questions the lawmakers hope the justices, Lewis and Clark County District Court Judge Mike Menahan, who testified at the committees previous hearing, and other court employees  including Supreme Court Clerk Bowen Greenwood and Court Administrator Beth McLaughlin  will answer by noon on Aug. 12.

Those include questions about the process chief justices use to appointed a retired judge; if there is a list of available judges authorized for consideration; if the judges they identified are on that list; if Nelsons comments about Trump fall short of expected judicial temperament and would disqualify him from judging any case in the future; if the people receiving that letter have an opinion on his comments; and questions about if ethical standards and prior political financial contributions are accounted for when appointing retired judges.

The lawmakers said they sent the letter to the 11 people because they dont know who would best answer the questions.

Committee Vice Chairman Sen. Barry Usher, R-Billings, called on all the committee members to be signatories to the letter instead of just Ellsworth, as was originally drafted. Sen. Wendy McKamey, R-Great Falls, suggested the letter contain just Ellsworths signature and a vote total from the committee.

I would also like to comment that I thought the letter was very well-written, its very complete, and I appreciate the information that was presented in a factual way in the letter, and I would be pleased to have my name included on the letter, said House Majority Leader Sue Vinton, R-Billings.

But two attorneys who are non-voting members of the committee voiced their concerns about having their names included. Whitefish attorney Jim Ramlow said he was uncomfortable with the letter criticizing the former justices who wrote an amicus brief in the Held case because typically, attorneys appearing before courts shows an element of qualification for the bench rather than one of disqualification.

Billings attorney Andrew Billstein said he wanted to abstain as a signatory to the letter because it could be construed as calling the court and its rulings into question.

Im not suggesting I believe thats the case, but until certain matters are ruled on, allegedly, me signing onto this letter, to some, would be a violation of the Rules of Professional Conduct, he said.

In the end, all voting Republicans on the committee voted to send the letter once it is amended save for Fitzpatrick because of his excused absence.

The committee hopes to have responses from the justices and court employees by Aug. 12, which is one week before the committee is set to convene again for a two-day meeting on Aug. 19 and 20. A Senate Republican spokesperson provided a copy of the updated letter Tuesday afternoon.

Editors note: This story has been updated to include the final version of the letter released Tuesday afternoon following amendments.

Letter from Select Judicial Committee
Senate Majority Caucus Chair Julie Raque Adams, R-Louisville, asks officials from the Cabinet for Health and Family Services about the implementation of Senate Bill 151, a measure on relative and fictive kin caregivers. The discussion was part of Tuesdays Interim Joint Committee on Families and Children.(LRC Public Information)

FRANKFORT  Kentucky Republican lawmakers slammed the Beshear administration Tuesday for picking and choosing what laws to implement amid funding disputes that threaten 2024 laws to help kinship care families and create a statewide child abuse reporting system.

Eric Friedlander, the secretary of the Cabinet for Health and Family Services, repeatedly told lawmakers during the Interim Joint Committee on Families and Children that the cabinet needs appropriations from the legislature to implement the new laws in question.

This is a specific program that has a cost, he said. It needs to be funded.

When pressed if his team had looked into federal grant money to help with implementation, Friedlander replied: I think we can ask. And well be happy to ask.

Rep. Samara Heavrin, R-Leitchfield, the committees co-chair, said she finds it very concerning that the cabinet said there was no money when it had yet to inquire about federal funds.

I find it even more funny that currently in the administration that you all serve, theres rumor that the governor will be running for vice president, Heavrin said. And what a fantastic opportunity to show his working relationship with the Commonwealth of Kentucky and the federal government, and how well they could work together. Democratic Gov. Andy Beshear has received national attention as a potential running mate to Vice President Kamala Harris, the Democrats presumptive nominee for president.

The Lantern previously reported on the funding dispute, which includes a $20 million price tag on one bill and a $43 million one on another; the legislature didnt allocate funding for the bills during the 2024 budget session. The Beshear administration says its not responsible for finding the money and cannot implement the laws without an allocation.

The first bill discussed Tuesday, Senate Bill 151, allows relatives who take temporary custody of a child when abuse or neglect is suspected to later become eligible for foster care payments. The Cabinet for Health and Family Services has said it cannot implement the law without $20 million.

The second, House Bill 271, mandates creation of a statewide system for reporting child abuse 24/7 that the administration estimates would cost $43 million. Friedlander said this bill would require the cabinet to increase the load social workers carry in a time when the state has a shortage of social workers.

Picking and choosing

Beshear alerted lawmakers in an April 10 letter to what he called a funding omission  five days after he signed SB 151 into law. He asked them to use the final two days of the 2024 session to appropriate the $20 million.

Beshear cited a Kentucky Supreme Court decision from 2005 during former Republican Gov. Ernie Fletchers administration, saying if the legislature doesnt provide funding to implement a policy, then it does not intend for the executive branch to perform those services over the biennium.

House Speaker Pro Tempore Rep. David Meade, R-Stanford, criticized Beshear and said the case shouldnt apply to this situation since it arose after the General Assembly failed to pass a budget for the 2004-2006 budget cycle.

This is just another example of the executive branch picking and choosing what they want to do, said Meade. This is funding that were talking about for kinship care, some of our most needy families in this state. These are political games that have been played for the last four years and it infuriates me that he continues to play them right now with these most needy families.

During the committee, Louisville Republican Sen. Julie Raque Adams, the Majority Caucus chair and primary sponsor of SB 151, asked Friedlander about any programs in the cabinet that are funded with general cabinet dollars.

He said there are many appropriations within the cabinet budget, particularly those that are ongoing across the biennium.

I believe that the cabinet funds programs that are not codified in state law, she said. I believe that (the department for community based services) funds programs that are not codified in state law. This  151  is codified. So the thought is, how can you find things that are not line itemed in the state budget, and then claim you cant do this because its not line itemed in the state budget?

This is a specific program and a specific piece of legislation that has a cost associated with it, Friedlander replied. We communicated that on multiple occasions.

He also said: We do not have a policy disagreement. What we have is a funding disagreement.

Floored and disappointed

Norma Hatfield, the president of Kinship Families Coalition of Kentucky, told the Lantern after the meeting that she is floored and disappointed by the delay in a solution for families like herself who are raising relatives.

I just cant believe this is happening, Hatfield said. This is wrong.

She testified during committee that there are parts of the law that wouldnt require funding  like asking children being removed from their home which relative theyd like to live with.

During the next committee meeting, on Aug. 28, the cabinet will return and give an update on inquiries into any available federal funds.

In the meantime, Raque Adams told the Lantern, shes worried the cabinet is susceptible to a lawsuit that would only drain funds further.

We need to focus on getting money into establishing this program for those vulnerable kids, she said. We dont need to waste more cabinet resources on a lawsuit.

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Republicans want NC absentee ballots returned in the wrong envelopes to be rejected

Photo: Adobe Stock

The state Board of Elections on Monday rejected state and national Republicans challenges to rules for absentee ballots and voter ID.

The Republican National Committee, the National Republican Congressional Committee, the NC Republican Party, and a Pasquotank County voter want county boards of elections to reject absentee ballots if they arrive in the wrong envelope. They also object to procedures for verifying that names on voter IDs are substantially equivalent to the name contained in the voters voter registration record. Republicans claimed that procedures the state elections officials told counties to follow conflict with state statutes.

Republicans raised two issues with absentee ballots returned in the wrong envelopes.

With the initiation of the voter ID requirements, absentee ballots are now sent to voters with two envelopes. The law was written when voters were required to return only one envelope with their absentee ballot, a state Board lawyer explained.

County boards were told not to reject ballots that are returned in the wrong envelope or in the sleeve thats used for photo ID documentation.

Board members unanimously rejected this GOP wrong-envelope complaint.

State law on absentee ballot envelopes does not match the voter ID law, said Stacy Four Eggers IV, a Republican board member.

I dont think I can agree with the declaratory judgment request, he said. It could be a statutory fix.

The board split 3-2 along party lines on whether two absentee ballots mailed to the same address but returned in the wrong envelopes should be counted.

Both absentee ballots and their envelopes are numbered. The ballot numbers and the numbers on the envelope theyre returned in are supposed to match. But it could be that a married couple or a mother and daughter receiving absentee ballots at the same address accidentally switch return envelopes.

Eggers wanted the county boards of election in those cases to contact voters to confirm their intent or to discard and reissue the ballots.

Democrats on the board disagreed.

It happens so rarely, its important we give credence to the intent of the voter, said Board Chairman Alan Hirsch. I would rather make this less complicated than more.

An in-person voter ID rule instructs poll workers to consider reasonable explanations for differences between names on IDs compared to names on voter rolls.

The GOP complaint said the rule interprets the law too broadly.

The board unanimously rejected the complaint.

Board member Siobhan Millen, a Democrat, said she worried about women who change their names after marriage.

The rule is an extra clarification to the voter ID law, she said. Without it, election officials would be more at sea as to what theyre looking at.
Rescue from above: How drones may narrow emergency response times in Virginia and elsewhere

(Moment/Getty Images)

By Michelle Andrews

The drones are coming.

Starting in September, if someone in Clemmons, North Carolina, calls 911 to report a cardiac arrest, the first responder on the scene may be a drone carrying an automated external defibrillator, or AED.

The idea is for the drone to get there several minutes before first responders, such as an emergency medical technician or an ambulance, said Daniel Crews, a spokesperson for the sheriffs office in Forsyth County, where Clemmons is located. The sheriffs office is partnering on the project with local emergency services, the Clinical Research Institute at Duke University, and the drone consulting firm Hovecon. The ultimate goal is to save lives and improve life expectancy for someone experiencing a cardiac episode, Crews said.

The Forsyth County program is one of a growing number of efforts by public safety and health care organizations across the country to use drones to speed up lifesaving treatment in situations in which every second counts.

More than 356,000 people have a cardiac arrest outside of a hospital setting every year in the United States, according to the American Heart Association. Most people are at home when it happens, and about 90% die because they dont get immediate help from first responders or bystanders. Every minute that passes without medical intervention decreases the odds of survival by 10%.

Weve never been able to move the needle for cardiac arrest in private settings, and this technology could meet that need, said Monique Anderson Starks, a cardiologist and associate professor of medicine at Duke University. Starks is leading pilot studies in Forsyth County and James City County, Virginia, to test whether drone AED delivery can improve treatment response times. The work is funded by a four-year grant from the American Heart Association.

A 2017 study found it takes an emergency medical services unit seven minutes, on average, to arrive on the scene following a 911 call, though response times vary considerably by region, and rural wait times can be much longer. Starks said she believes the drone-delivered AEDs in the pilot study could reduce the time to treatment by four minutes compared with first responders.

Unlike a heart attack, which occurs when blood flow to the heart is blocked, a cardiac arrest happens when a heart malfunction causes it to stop beating, typically because of an arrhythmia or an electrical problem. Eighty percent of cardiac arrests start as heart attacks. The only way to get the heart restarted is with CPR and a defibrillator.

In Forsyth County, a drone pilot from the sheriffs department will listen in on 911 calls. If theres a suspected cardiac arrest, the pilot can dispatch the drone even before emergency medical services are contacted. The drone, which weighs 22 pounds and can travel 60 mph, will fly to the location and hover 125 feet in the air before lowering an AED to the ground on a winch. The AED provides simple verbal instructions; the 911 dispatcher on the phone can also help a bystander use the AED.

Eventually there will be six drone bases in Forsyth and James City counties, Starks said.

While the technology is promising and research has often found that drones arrive faster than first responders, theres little conclusive evidence that drones improve health outcomes.

A Swedish study published in The Lancet in 2023 compared the response times between drones and ambulances for suspected cardiac arrest in 58 deployments in an area of about 200,000 people. It found that drones beat the ambulance to the scene two-thirds of the time, by a median of three minutes and 14 seconds.

In the United States, most programs are just getting started, and they are exploring the use of drones to also provide remedies for drug overdoses and major trauma or potential drowning rescues.

In Florida, Tampa General Hospital, Manatee County, and Archer First Response Systems, or AFRS, began a program in May to deliver AEDs, a tourniquet, and Narcan, a nasal spray that can reverse an opioid overdose. The program initially covers a 7-square-mile area, and EMS dispatchers deploy the drones, which are monitored by drone pilots.

There were nearly 108,000 drug overdose deaths in the United States in 2022, according to the National Institute on Drug Abuse.

As of early July, the Tampa program hadnt yet deployed any drones, said Gordon Folkes, the founder and chief executive of AFRS, which develops and deploys emergency drone logistics systems. One request in June to send a drone to an overdose couldnt be fulfilled because of a violent thunderstorm, Folkes said. In the testing area, which covers about 7,000 residents, Folkes estimates that 10 to 15 drones might be deployed each year.

The bread and butter for these systems is suburban areas like Manatee County that are well-populated and where the drones have the advantage of being able to avoid traffic congestion, Folkes said.

There are other uses for drones in medical emergencies. The New York Police Department plans to drop emergency flotation devices to struggling swimmers at local beaches. In Chula Vista, California, a police drone was able to pinpoint the location of a burning car, and then officers pulled the driver out, said Sgt. Tony Molina.

Rescue personnel have used drones to locate people who wander away from nursing homes, said James Augustine, a spokesperson for the American College of Emergency Physicians who is the medical director for the International Association of Fire Chiefs.

In the United States, one hurdle for drone programs is that the Federal Aviation Administration typically requires that drones be operated within the operators visual line of sight. In May, when Congress passed the FAA reauthorization bill, it gave the FAA four months to issue a notice of proposed rulemaking on drone operations beyond the visual line of sight.

The FAA is focused on developing standard rules to make [Beyond Visual Line of Sight] operations routine, scalable, and economically viable, said Rick Breitenfeldt, an FAA spokesperson.

Some civil liberties groups are concerned that the FAAs new rules may not provide enough protection from drone cameras for people on the ground.

Jay Stanley, a senior policy analyst at the American Civil Liberties Union, acknowledged the benefits of using drones in emergency situations but said there are issues that need to be addressed.

The concern is that the FAA is going to significantly loosen the reins of drones without any significant privacy protections, he said.
Independent presidential candidate Robert F. Kennedy, Jr., an environmental lawyer and anti-vaccine advocate, visited Portland, Maine in November and spoke to a crowd of more than 500 people. (Photo by AnnMarie Hilton/ Maine Morning Star)

Independent candidate Robert F. Kennedy Jr. said he has turned in the necessary signatures to be on the November ballot in Maine as a presidential candidate.

The Kennedy campaign said it turned in signatures from just under 5,000 voters Monday, according to a news release. Maine law requires at least 4,000 signatures from voters, but no more than 5,000 to be on the general election ballot as a presidential candidate.

Signatures were collected from nearly 500 municipalities, said James Donahue, the Maine state director for the Kennedy campaign.

The Department of the Secretary of State confirmed that Kennedy turned in enough signatures. However, there will be a challenge period from Thursday to 5 p.m. on Aug. 8. If there are no successful challenges to Kennedys appearance on the ballot, he will have then secured his spot.

If he is on the ballot alongside the Republican and Democratic nominees, Maine would then use ranked-choice voting for the presidential race since there would be more than two candidates.

Under ranked-choice voting, voters indicate which candidate is their first choice, second choice, and so on. If no candidate receives more than 50% of first choice votes on election night, the lowest candidate is eliminated and their votes get reassigned to whomever their voters ranked second. This process is repeated until one candidate wins a majority of votes.

Kennedy, an environmental lawyer and anti-vaccine advocate, visited Portland in November and spoke to a crowd of more than 500 people about his vision of rebuilding the middle class and taking power back from big corporations. His running mate is Nicole Shanahan, an attorney and entrepreneur from San Francisco.

Kennedy has submitted petitions to be on the ballot in 34 states and is working on the other 16, according to his campaign website. He is officially on the ballot of 13 states, as of Monday.

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edication abortion has been the most common way to terminate a pregnancy since 2020, when pills accounted for 53% of all pregnancy terminations, according to the Guttmacher Institute. (Getty Images/Fotostorm)

Reproductive rights has taken center stage in the first post-Roe presidential election that presently features a longtime advocate for reproductive rights in possible Democratic nominee Vice President Kamala Harris, opposite former Republican President Donald Trump, whose three appointed U.S. Supreme Court justices helped overturn federal abortion rights. Although Trumps former health staffers have co-authored the Heritage Foundations conservative anti-abortion policy blueprint for a future Republican administration, called Project 2025, Trump, his outspoken anti-abortion running mate Ohio U.S. Sen. J.D. Vance, and many GOP candidates have attempted to soften their abortion stances while also adopting the longtime movement narrative that abortion is dangerous to women and equivalent to infanticide.

As the first presidential election season since the Supreme Courts Dobbs v. Jackson Womens Health Organization decision heats up, here are the facts behind the most commonly touted myths about abortion.

1. Abortion is safe.

The National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine (NASEM) concluded in a comprehensive review of the safety and quality of abortion care in the U.S. in 2018 that complications from abortion are rare, especially when compared to the complications of pregnancy and childbirth. The anti-abortion movement falsely claims abortions are more dangerous than childbirth, and tried unsuccessfully to legally force the U.S. Food and Drug Administration to revoke its approval of the abortion medication mifepristone. Meanwhile, a new Louisiana law will, starting this fall, classify mifepristone as dangerous, despite opposition from state doctors.

Medication abortion has been the most common way to terminate a pregnancy since 2020, when pills accounted for 53% of all pregnancy terminations, according to the Guttmacher Institute. When administered at 9 weeks gestation or less, the FDA-approved regimen has a more than 99% completion rate, a 0.4% risk of major complications, and a reported 32 associated deaths over 22 years. Common symptoms include heavy bleeding and cramping, diarrhea, and nausea.

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2. Abortion can reduce health risks and infertility and save lives.

There are many conditions that can develop during pregnancy  such as ectopic and molar pregnancies, severe preeclampsia, and preterm premature rupture of membranes  that can put the pregnant person at risk of death, serious health complications, and future infertility, as well as make it unlikely the fetus would survive even if the pregnancy continued. Though anti-abortion activists do recognize this reality, they use the political term separation of a mother and her unborn child to obfuscate that abortion is sometimes necessary. And even in emergency cases, they advocate for riskier procedures like C-sections to avoid performing less invasive abortion procedures. Meanwhile, the future legality of emergency abortions in states like Idaho remains uncertain.

3. Abortion is not infanticide.

Candidates have been campaigning on rhetoric that abortion is infanticide and happens post birth, up until the moment of birth, or after birth, as Trump alleged in the June debate with President Joe Biden. However, abortion does not happen after birth. That would be categorized as murder, as it was in the case of former Philadelphia abortion doctor and convicted murderer Kermit Gosnell.

4. Late-term and partial-birth abortions are political terms not grounded in science.

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, more than 93% of abortions occur within the first trimester, and less than 1% after 21 weeks gestation. Still, anti-abortion groups and candidates emphasize the idea of late-term abortions, which is not a medical term. Susan B. Anthony Pro-Life America, which helps elect anti-abortion candidates, has begun calling the vice president an abortion czar, with president Marjorie Dannenfelser claiming Harris wants to impose on all 50 states all-trimester abortion without any limits, even painful late-term abortions in the 7th, 8th, and 9th month of pregnancy. Though abortions do occur later in pregnancy, they are rare and typically involve nuanced and heartbreaking circumstances. The GOPs national platform opposes late term abortion.

Sometimes anti-abortion activists also refer to partial-birth abortions, a non-medical term for a procedure known as dilation and extraction (D&X), which is already banned under federal law.

5. Abortion exceptions for rape, incest, fetal anomalies, and health risks do not exist in most states where abortion is totally banned.

Despite Republicans oft-touted support for rape and incest exceptions in abortion bans, many currently on the books dont include them. Of the 14 states with near-total abortion bans, only Idaho, Indiana, and North Dakotas maintain some exceptions for survivors of rape and incest. Indiana also allows for abortion if there is a fatal fetal anomaly. Reproductive health experts say abortion exceptions are rarely granted even when they exist.

6. The terms heartbeat bill and six-week abortion bans are misleading.

Currently Florida, Georgia, South Carolina, and soon Iowa will ban abortion at the moment embryonic cardiac activity can be detected on an ultrasound, which typically occurs around six weeks gestation. This type of law is often referred to as a heartbeat bill, but reproductive health experts say the term is misleading because the heart is not fully developed at that stage. These laws are also referred to as six-week bans, which is also misleading, given how gestational age is calculated: by counting from the first day of ones last menstrual cycle. This is an approximate estimate and varies depending on when conception officially occurs. For many, a six-week ban is closer to four weeks or less of pregnancy, before many people realize theyre pregnant.

7. The GOP platform contradicts promises to leave abortion to the states and to protect IVF.

The Republican Partys recently unveiled Make America Great Again! policy platform does not explicitly call for a federal ban on abortion and expresses support for birth control and in vitro fertilization. But it simultaneously supports states establishing fetal personhood under the U.S. Constitutions 14th Amendment, which legal experts warn could lead to the criminalization of pregnancy and implicate abortion, contraception, and IVF.

A nationwide concern about Americans access to IVF kicked off this winter after the Alabama Supreme Court ruled that embryos are children, leading IVF clinics in Alabama to shutter temporarily. In the aftermath, some states, including Alabama, have taken steps to ensure access to the fertility treatment, but future access remains largely uncertain, especially as congressional bills to protect IVF nationally have failed to advance.

8. Emergency contraceptives are not abortifacients but could be impacted by personhood laws.

Emergency contraceptives like Plan B and ella are designed to be taken shortly after sex, to delay or prevent ovulation. They are not abortifacients, according to the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists, and they dont work on someone who is already pregnant. Anti-abortion activists largely oppose emergency birth control (and many other contraceptives), based on outdated drug labeling that Plan B might work by preventing the implantation of a fertilized egg, which many in the movement say should be treated in law as a person. The FDA revised the label in December 2022, following additional scientific evidence concluding Plan B works before fertilization.

Research on ella also indicates it likely does not prevent implantation, but Project 2025 includes a proposal to exclude ella from contraceptives currently covered under the Affordable Care Act, referring to it as a potential abortifacient.

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Should RI have a Constitutional Convention? The cases for and against

Rhode Island Constitutional Convention supporters Tuesday pushed back against the idea that tinkering with the state's founding text would invite a tidal wave of influence by outside special interests, or at least any more than already exists.

Breaking with a coalition of union and advocacy groups that launched last week to fight a convention, Providence Democratic Sen. Sam Zurier on Tuesday said holding a convention could be the only way to achieve reforms the General Assembly has neglected for a generation.

At the top on his list are a set of progressive agenda items: a constitutional right to an education, same-day voter registration, alternative voting systems and term limits for state Supreme Court justices.

"Their main argument was trying to scare voters and say ... look what happened in 1986," Zurrier said about the anti-convention Citizens for Responsible Government. "There was an anti-abortion proposal, which is terrible if it had become law."

"What they failed to say, though is that nothing becomes final until it's approved by the voters," Zurrier continued. "The voters rejected that by a ratio of 2 to 1."

Zurier was testifying in the first public hearing held by the commission tasked with informing the public what a Constitutional Convention is, how it would work and what policy issues it would be likely to take up.

So far, no group has organized in support holding a convention, and no single issue or set of issues has risen to the forefront.

Republicans appear more eager to have a convention than Democrats, but if one were to be held, there might be just as many, or more, progressive amendments debated than conservative ones.

The Rhode Island State House. If a majority of voters choose "yes" on Question 1 in November, it will set in motion two more elections  first, to elect delegates to a state Constitutional Convention, and second, to approve or reject the constitutional amendments eventually proposed by those delegates.

How would it work?

If a majority of voters choose "yes" on Question 1 in November, it will set in motion a process for two more elections.

First, the General Assembly would have to call for a vote to elect the 75 convention delegates  one for each House district  that would make up the convention. The last time voters called for a convention, in 1984, delegates were chosen in a 1985 special election.

Then the elected delegates would convene, debate, negotiate and approve a set of amendments to recommend to voters.

Next, the recommended amendments would be put to voters for final approval, most likely in the next scheduled statewide election. (If the 1986 model holds, an equivalent timeline this decade would be a vote on amendments at the November 2026 general election.)

The 1986 convention was estimated to cost taxpayers $891,000. (That's about $2.5 million in today's money.)

The arguments for and against a convention

In arguing against a convention, Kristina Contreras Fox of the Rhode Island Black Business Association, which is a member of the No on Question 1 coalition, argued that the U.S. Supreme Court's Citizens United decision allowing unlimited corporate and anonymous political spending makes a convention vulnerable to outside influence.

"Personally, if this was going to be truly a convention of the people, where all Rhode Islanders had equal say and equal access to participation, we wouldn't be on the opposing side of it," Contreras Fox said. "But the reality is we exist in a time where if you have the money, especially if you're a billionaire, you have a huge pen with which to rewrite any kind of law, whether it's municipal, state or federal."

Rep. David Place, a Burrillville Republican, countered that any constitutional amendment vote would be subject to Rhode Island campaign finance law and its strict disclosure requirements, not the federal law that created dark money Super PACS.

Former Republican National Committeeman Steve Frias, who has been the most outspoken proponent of a convention so far, led his case for a "yes" vote by arguing a Constitutional Convention is the only way the state will create an office of inspector general. An inspector general, one of the Rhode Island GOP's top priorities for a decade, might have detected problems on the Washington Bridge earlier, he said.

Other potential amendments Frias suggested: citizen ballot initiatives, an Access to Public Records "sunshine" law like Florida's, voter approval of all public borrowing over a certain amount, General Assembly term limits and independent legislative redistricting

"One of the reasons why we have this [convention question] every 10 years is to make sure that if the General Assembly is not doing something, there's an avenue for the people to make changes," Frias said.

The next Constitutional Convention Commission meeting is scheduled for Thursday, Aug. 8 at 5:30 p.m. at the State House.

This article originally appeared on The Providence Journal: Should RI have a Constitutional Convention? Both sides make their cases
Just imagine  its the school holidays, youve forked out an eye-watering sum to get your family away for one measly week, spent the last three days strategically packing to avoid having to take out a loan for checked bags and your toddler has just told you he needs the toilet. What last punishment could holiday hell visit on you? Thats right, a bunch of Just Stop Oil protesters in your way.

Seven of the climate nuts locked themselves to suitcases attempting to bar the entrance to departures at Gatwick Airports Southern Terminal. A video showed holidaymakers stepping over the glum protesters who proceeded to lie down and look even more morose than those about to face a never-ending security queue. Its all impossibly polite  if it were me, my suitcase might have slipped and interacted with one of the killjoys. Eventually, Sussex Police arrested eight people on suspicion of interfering with public infrastructure.

There has to be nothing more miserable than trying to ruin ordinary peoples holiday. This wasnt the business lounge at City Airport, or the private jet of some celebrity, but a targeted attack against normal holidaymakers  many of whom will have been looking forward to a break all year. For evidence of Just Stop Oils anti-working-class prejudice, look no further than these kinds of stunts  lecturing people about how wrong they are to dare to want some joy in their life.

Greens have a funny relationship with international travel. Most of todays climate activists and sympathisers are  or were  also anti-Brexit types. They moaned about the end of easy international travel for students, that the Brexit airport queues would be intolerable or that we were shutting ourselves off as Little Englanders from our global brothers and sisters. They set up organisations like Another Europe Is Possible, making the case that to be good was to be international, not petty nationalist flag wavers but Europeans who enjoy French wine, Italian sunsets and German plumbing.

Its hard to see how any of these internationalist aspirations will be achieved if they keep sitting in front of people in departures. But, these activists argue, spending a week in Torremolinos isnt the kind of international travel we should condone. Pool inflatables are destroying seagull habitats in Malaga, you see.

Instead, the internationalism they celebrate is the Thunberg type, spending months of leisure time nipping about on trains on your way to a climate gathering in a fancy Swiss conference centre. Thats fine if youve got nothing to do and enjoy long delays at train stations, but not so handy if your full-time job only allows you one week in the year for a bit of enjoyment.

International travel is a good thing  whether youre off to Madrid for the sun and Sangria or the Reina Sofia. Cheap air travel has allowed a generation of young people to see the world in ways their parents or grandparents could only have dreamed of. Holidays are important for peoples quality of life, but theyre also valuable cultural experiences, allowing young people in particular to realise that theres a great big world out there with lots of different people and ideas in it. The assault on this wonderful facet of modern life shows how dark-ages the green mentality really is.

Just Stop Oils promise to target international travel is telling  it shows how focused their ire is on the everyday lives of ordinary people, rather than where the real challenges to climate change lie. Theyre not alone in this outlook. For all Ed Miliband might bleat about Great British Energy and how innovative his new plans are, he has yet to address the International Climate Change Committees assurance that the vast majority of change will have to be behavioural. Indeed, back in 2021, the ICCC told Boris Johnson he would have to make the case that people should fly less.

The challenge we face in relation to a changing climate will not be solved by destroying the paltry quality of life most people in this country currently struggle to enjoy. Instead, we should invent new technologies and systems to allow us to continue exploring the world, living varied lives and  crucially  enjoying the short time we have on this planet.

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The Rio Grande Valleys pet population is out of control. Will a proposed limit in one city help?

A dog rests in an area that has air conditioning and access to the outside at Yaqui Animal Rescue in Sullivan City, on July 26, 2024. McAllen city officials are considering joining other cities throughout Texas in setting a limit on the number of pets allowed per household without a permit. Credit: Veronica Gabriela Cardenas for The Texas Tribune

McALLEN  The smell was the giveaway.

For more than a year, Hilda Luna suspected something was off inside the house that sat behind hers in a neighborhood in North McAllen.

Watering her plants every evening, Luna would see at least 10 dogs running around her neighbors yard, the larger dogs affixed with muzzles to protect the smaller ones. The dogs barked and whined as one of the owners shouted at them to be quiet.

But a few months ago, Luna stopped seeing the dogs because they were no longer being let out into the yard. She could still hear them, though, and she definitely smelled the foul odor of piled up feces every time her neighbor opened the door.

An Uber Eats driver caught wind of it too and was the one to make the call that led to the discovery of 93 dogs and a cat in the home.

McAllen law enforcement, some dressed in white coveralls, descended upon the neighbors house on March 30, spending about nine hours removing dog after dog from the house.

Look at that, Luna said as she watched from her backyard. Thats what I thought.

The neighbors, two women, were arrested and charged with 94 counts of animal cruelty. In the months that followed, another three cases of animal hoarding made headlines across the Rio Grande Valley.

Now, McAllen city officials are considering joining other cities throughout Texas in setting a limit on the number of pets allowed per household without a permit, a measure that animal rescue groups see as only a first step toward addressing exponential growth of the stray animal population.

During a workshop last week, the McAllen city commissioners debated the benefits of adopting such an ordinance which, as initially proposed, would have limited residences to four adult pets, either cats or dogs. Pets that exceed the limit would require a permit.

City officials did not immediately adopt the ordinance but recommended that the pet cap be increased to 6 or 8, that the permit fee be reduced or completely eliminated, that fosters not be counted toward the total and requested clarification on the permit application process.

Stacy Smith, executive director of Humane Tomorrow, a nonprofit animal rescue organization in North Texas, said ordinances like the one being proposed in McAllen are common. Though the positive effects of pet limits are difficult to measure, Smith said not having limits is a problem.

Hoarding is probably the single worst thing that we're facing as rescue groups these days in Texas, Smith said, noting that such an ordinance provides the citys code enforcement a tool by which to discourage pet hoarding.

Its that type of tool that residents can point to when they suspect hoarding, said Rebecca Chavez, director of development for Yaqui Animal Rescue which is located about 27 miles west of McAllen.

You have to have something on paper that gives law enforcement or code enforcement the opportunity or the ability to go into someone's house and say, you are violating this code, Chavez said.

Luna, the concerned McAllen neighbor, had contacted the city health and code enforcement department about her concerns months before the arrests but was told nothing could be done. She had decided against calling the police because she didnt think the situation was severe enough to require law enforcement, she said.

Not everyone agrees.

McAllen City Commissioner Joaquin J.J. Zamora thinks the ordinance would only be another burden for law-abiding residents.

Its the hoarders that are not going to comply and are not going to pay the permit and theyre certainly not going to get their home inspected, Zamora said.

To really deter pet hoarding, and address the growing population of stray animals in the area, Zamora believes they need to focus on providing low cost spay and neuter clinics, a service that Chavez agrees is urgently needed.

The problem is exacerbated in the unincorporated areas of the county, Chavez said, and so in an effort to combat the problem, Chavez presented a report to Hidalgo County officials.

The report suggested an estimated 750,000 to 1,000,000 animals roam the streets, second only to Houston which has about 1.2 million stray animals.

And the numbers keep growing.

Most stray animals in Hidalgo County, according to Chavez, are found in colonias which are low-income neighborhoods that often lack running water and adequate sewage systems.

Chavez estimates there are at least 860 colonias that each have 60 to 100 stray dogs. If half of them are female and are capable of giving birth to a litter of six to eight puppies twice a year, that means hundreds or even thousands of puppies added to the population every year.

We cannot keep up with it, Chavez said.

Connie De Leon, left, a runner at Yaqui Animal Rescue, and Mary Ann Windsor, a volunteer, feed stray dogs at an area where people abandon dogs near Edinburg, on July 26, 2024. The rescue is full and cannot take more dogs, but they feed them where they are. Credit: Veronica Gabriela Cardenas for The Texas Tribune

Upon the discovery of the hoarding cases, the animals were taken to Palm Valley Animal Society in the city of Edinburg. The shelter contracts with a handful of cities in the county for animal services.

The city of McAllen is working with the shelter to expand their services, agreeing to invest $820,000 into the design of a regional animal care facility for Palm Valley. The completed project would expand the shelter's current facilities which city officials found to be inadequate to house a large number of animals.

The city is eyeing 2025 for the beginning of construction.

But the root of the problem is the shortage of low-cost spay and neuter services, Chavez said. And while she considers McAllens proposed ordinance as a step in the right direction that paves the way for other cities in the region, she doesnt think theyll get very far if the shelters and the cities dont work together to provide mobile, low cost spay and neuter services.

We're just trying to empty out an ocean with a spoon, she said. Thats all were doing.

McAllen City Commissioner Victor Seby Haddad said increasing the availability of those services is the ultimate goal for the city as well and passing the ordinance would enable them to allocate more resources each budget session to address the problem.

Weve spun our wheels for the last 40 years with the same system and processes in place and obviously it hasnt worked, Haddad said, so we need to proactively focus on changing that and doing something better.

Reporting in the Rio Grande Valley is supported in part by the Methodist Healthcare Ministries of South Texas, Inc.

Big news: director and screenwriter Richard Linklater; NPR President and CEO Katherine Maher; U.S. Rep. Pete Aguilar, D-California; and Luci Baines Johnson will take the stage at The Texas Tribune Festival, Sept. 57 in downtown Austin. Buy tickets today!
RIO RANCHO, N.M. (KRQE)  A Rio Rancho woman has been federally charged for illegally possessing a firearm and ammunition while using controlled substances.

The Fallout From Alec Baldwins Botched Criminal Trial

Courtney Sparks, 39, appeared before a federal judge on July 23 and was placed on conditions of release to a halfway house while awaiting trial. According to court documents, on March 15, 2024, Sparks was arrested for driving under the influence of alcohol. Sparks crashed into an Albuquerque Fire Rescue truck, and a search of her vehicle turned up a loaded revolver, three open bottles of alcohol and a narcotics pipe was found on Sparks.

According to court documents, Sparks was arrested in Rio Arriba County for driving while intoxicated. New Mexico State Police were flagged down and received reports of a possible impaired driver. NMSP observed Sparks driving below the speed limit and crossing between road lines. After her arrest, a search of the vehicle found revolver ammunition, shotgun shells, multiple hatchets, a knife, a machete, and drug paraphernalia.

Sparks faces up to 15 years behind bars for each offense. A trial for Sparks has not yet been scheduled.

Copyright 2024 Nexstar Media, Inc. 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.
Rioters have burnt vehicles, thrown bricks and bottles at police and pelted a mosque in the town of Southport following the deadly stabbing spree that killed three children and injured eight more, including two adults at a Taylor Swift-themed dance and yoga class on Monday.

The scene became so violent that 39 police officers were injured, with 27 taken to the local hospital, the North West Ambulance Service confirmed in a statement on Facebook.

Merseyside Police had earlier confirmed eight sustained serious injuries including fractures, lacerations, a suspected broken nose and concussions. Other officers have suffered varying degrees of injury including head injuries, serious facial injuries and one was knocked unconscious, a statement read.

Three police dogs were also injured. Two sustained leg injuries from bricks that were hurled at them, while the third dog suffered burns to her back leg. A local convenience store was also damaged and trash bins were set on fire.

Offenders are said to have destroyed garden walls to steal bricks to attack officers.

The attack happened after a 17-year-old allegedly broke into the Hart Space Dance studio in Southport, U.K., during a Swift-themed yoga and dance class. The suspect then stabbed three children aged 6, 7, and 9 to death, and injured eight other children, five of whom are in critical condition, and two adults, according to a statement from the Merseyside Police.

The murders became a flash point for anti-immigration sentiment after it was revealed by neighbors of the suspect that the murderer was the son of Rwandan parents, but was born in the U.K., according to the Daily Express.

A large group of mostly men are persistently pelting a mosque with objects. Armed police have now arrived. pic.twitter.com/zNLwmizTW9  Paul Brand (@PaulBrandITV) July 30, 2024

Despite the suspect reportedly being raised by Christian parents, rioters assembled outside the Southport Islamic Society Mosque on Tuesday evening, chanting No surrender! and English till I die!

According to The Guardian, others heard chants of Allah Allah, who the f**k is Allah?

 NEW: Police vans are now on fire at the far-right rally in Southport tonight



Chants throughout the rally of Allah Allah, who the f**k is Allah?pic.twitter.com/Qx9AFdfBsy  Politics UK (@PolitlcsUK) July 30, 2024

The rioters are allegedly members of the far-right English Defence League, an organization that has been referred to as explicitly anti-immigrant and Islamophobic by activists.

At around 7.45pm, a large group of people  believed to be supporters of the English Defence League  began to throw items towards a local mosque on St Lukes Road in Southport, Merseyside police wrote in a statement.

Police also stated that the riots involve many people who do not live in the Merseyside area or care about the people of Merseyside.

Additionally, a number of officers were injured, police confirmed, while a number of cars were also damaged and a shop was broken into and looted in Southport. This is completely unacceptable. Were gathering evidence and those responsible will be brought to justice, police said in an appeal on Facebook.

Online speculation and conspiracy theories claim that the suspect was not born in the U.K. and that he was being monitored by law enforcement before the attack, both of which are untrue.

There has been much speculation and hypothesis around the status of a 17-year-old male who is currently in police custody and some individuals are using this to bring violence and disorder to our streets, Assistant Chief Constable Alex Goss said.

We have already said that the person arrested was born in the UK and speculation helps nobody at this time. Our officers should not have to face this, but we will be there tonight to ensure the safety of the local community who have suffered enough, and will arrest those involved in criminal behaviour.

A 24-hour section 60 Order has been introduced in the area, police said, allowing officers enhanced stop and search powers to stop individuals and is designed to minimize serious violence.

Another, a section 34 Order, has also been introduced, allowing police to direct people who are engaging in antisocial behaviour or are likely to become involved in such behaviour.

Home Secretary Yvette Cooper condemned the conspiracy theories in an address to the House of Commons on Tuesday evening saying, False information has already been extensively shared in the last 24 hours. Those who do this for their own purposes risk undermining a crucial criminal investigation, and I ask everyone to show some respect for the community in Southport and for families who are grieving and in trauma.

Far-right activist, Tommy Robinson, who was arrested on suspected charges of terrorism on Sunday, went viral on Tuesday evening after he posted a rant to his X account in which he condemned the police for allowing people into our towns and cities that are raping their way through our towns.

You care more for Afghanis, Somalis, Eritreans, Syrians, Pakistani... They are a danger to us, Robinson went on. The post has garnered 46k likes and millions of views at the time of publishing.

Before I posted this.



I asked myself "am I too angry?".



No I'm not, children are being murdered, our daughters are being murdered.



None of us are feeling safe in our own country, in our own towns. pic.twitter.com/SMh4puWelQ  Tommy Robinson  (@TRobinsonNewEra) July 30, 2024

MP Nigel Farage, whose Reform UK party has also been called anti-immigrant and racist by activist groups, echoed conspiracy theories about the suspect in a video posted to his X on Tuesday evening.

Was this guy being monitored by the security services, some reports say he was, others less sure, Farage said. The police say it was a non-terror incident. Just as they said, the stabbing of an Army lieutenant colonel in uniform on the streets of Kent was a non-terror incident. I just wonder if the truth is being withheld from us.

My response to the attack in Southport. pic.twitter.com/CCyjKpC7aQ  Nigel Farage MP (@Nigel_Farage) July 30, 2024

Farages post has similarly garnered more than a million views at the time of publishing.

Read more at The Daily Beast.

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Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro is reportedly under serious consideration to become vice president and presidential candidate Kamala Harris running mate. And, in a certain sense, there are good reasons for this: Democrats badly want (some would argue need) to win Pennsylvania. Shapiro is, by all accounts, quite popular in the state he runs. He won the governorship handily in 2022 against Pennsylvania state Sen. Doug Mastriano, proponent of Christian nationalist ideaswhich Shapiro proved unafraid to tackle head-on.

Shapiro is Jewish and has spoken strongly about and against antisemitism, which will surely be a theme in the 2024 presidential election. Republican candidate Donald Trump wonders aloud how any Jew could vote for a Democrat even as his son hosts a fundraiser with pundit Tucker Carlson, promoter of antisemitic conspiracy theories. Republicans reportedly see Shapiro as a threat, while progressive Pennsylvania state Sen. Nikil Saval touted his strong willingness to build coalitions with people that he also disagrees with, and to change his views and policies through that act of coalition-building.

And yet, for all of this, there are demerits to Shapiro, too. In the New Republic, the leftist Jewish writer David Klion made the case that Shapiro could threaten Democratic unity. Some of this is for domestic reasons. (More than two dozen public education advocacy groups wrote a letter asking Harris not to select Shapiro over his support for private school vouchers.) And some of this is because of Shapiros stance on Israel: As Klion notes, Shapiro, when attorney general, backed the states antiboycott, divestment, and sanctions law, describing BDS as rooted in antisemitism. The Forward described Shapiro as having been been a fixture at local rallies supporting Israel during its repeated wars in Gaza. And his support has remained constant in this war, too: During a radio show on Oct. 11, Shapiro said, We need to gird ourselves for what appears to be, you know, going to be a long war and we need to remain on the side of Israel. Since then, as the Philadelphia Inquirer put it, he has resisted calls for a cease-fire. This past spring, as pro-Palestinian protests took place on campuses across the United States, the governor called on the University of Pennsylvania to disband the encampment and to restore order and safety on campus and implied a parallel between white supremacists and students protesting their universitys policies vis-a-vis Israel and the war in Gaza.

All of this could very well hurt Democratic unity and suppress voter turnout on the political left. Nominating Shapiro would also signify an embrace of an understanding of antisemitism that some American Jews contest, issuing a ruling on American Jewish political identity that many would chafe against (though so too could the selection of another rumored veep contender, North Carolina Gov. Roy Cooper, who signed into law a bill that includes in its definition of antisemitism the denial of Jewish peoples right to self-determination and applying double standards to Israels actions). But this policy or way of thinking, if embraced by the Harris campaignregardless of who her running mate iscould do something else, too: It could undercut the core of Harris very compelling argument, which is that her campaign is standing up for American freedoms.

Harris is using Beyonces song Freedom as her campaign anthem. In her first campaign ad, one can hear the song in the background as Harris speaks about the various freedoms shes aiming to protect and expand on: The freedom not just to get by, but to get ahead. The freedom to be safe from gun violence. The freedom to make decisions about your own body.

If this list of freedoms is to mean anything, it has to include the freedom to speak out and protest against the United States and its foreign policy, including with respect to Israel. Its fundamental to the very concept of American liberty.

I do not mean to pit Jewish candidates reportedly under consideration to be Harris running mate against each other, nor do I want to suggest that all Jews should take the same position. (As you may have heard, were not a monolith.) But this is a needle that Illinois Gov. J.B. Pritzker has managed to thread. Back in May, he said that he supported Jewish organizations, but he also said, with respect to calls to oust university administrators, Im not about calling for people to step down. Some protesters were anti-war, he said, and some were anti-Israel and pro-Palestinian, and, yes, some were antisemitic. But, he stressed, What I support is the fact that we need to protect not just Jewish students but all students on campuses where there are protests. Thats how it should be in America: We all have a right to speak out, and we all have a right to be safe.

I can understand and even sympathize with Shapiros obvious desire to use his leadership role to combat antisemitism. However, this past April he said, If the universities in accordance with their policies cant guarantee the safety and security and well-being of the students, then I think it is incumbent upon a local mayor or local governor or local town councilor, whoever is the local leadership there, to step in and enforce the law. This past spring, we saw how sending in law enforcement escalated the situation on campuses; at Columbia, we even saw an officer fire his gun inside a student-occupied building. But beyond that: What does the threat of law enforcement do to academic freedom, or freedom of assembly, or freedom of expression? Arent those freedoms also critical for the well-being of American Jews?

How the Harris campaign manages this isnt all down to whether she chooses Shapiro. On Thursday, in response to protests against Israel on the occasion of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahus visit to Washington, Harris put out a statement saying, I condemn any individuals associating with the brutal terrorist organization Hamas, which has vowed to annihilate the State of Israel and kill Jews. Pro-Hamas graffiti and rhetoric is abhorrent and we must not tolerate it in our nation. She added, I condemn the burning of the American flag. That flag is a symbol of our highest ideals as a nation and represents the promise of America. It should never be desecrated in that way. I support the right to peacefully protest, but lets be clear: Antisemitism, hate and violence of any kind have no place in our nation.

I do not expect a person running for president of the United States to come out in support of flag burning or pro-Hamas graffiti. But the right to peaceful protest has to extend to the right to protest a head of state, even the head of Israel, even if whats said at those protests makes some uncomfortable. Further, while I do not doubt that some people at some protests crossed over into antisemitism this year, the conflation of the protests with antisemitism remains problematic: Netanyahu may have tried to draw a straight line between conspiracies around the Jewish people and criticism of the Jewish state in his address to Congress, but Harris doesnt have to follow his lead. (And, in fairness, she herself criticized the death toll and humanitarian conditions in Gaza on Thursday, vowing that she would not be silent.)

Kamala Harris will not make this country safer for American Jews by trying to shut down or stomp out criticism about Israel. What she can do to ensure our safety, though, with Shapiro or whoever else is on the ticketincluding possible running mate Arizona Sen. Mark Kelly, who clapped when Netanyahu, during his address, referred to protesters as Irans useful idiotsis protect pluralism in politics and in the public square.

Project 2025 has been described as a Christian nationalist mission. It is, I would argue, in the interest of American Jews that those attached to it lose. But the way to do that is to protect freedoms of assembly and expression, too. The freedom to worship how we choose, speak out against our government, and, yes, protestthese are freedoms that make life better and safer for American Jews. And for everyone else, too.
RIVER EDGE, N.J. (PIX11)  The River Edge Fire Departments volunteers have had a lot on their plate this year, especially in the summer.

The department has seen an overall uptick in fire calls, including more calls for grill-related fires than in the last two years combined.

More New Jersey News

Maybe people are just out there cooking more, said Chief Robert Schlossberg. A lot of times, a homeowner likes to keep the grill running after theyre finished cooking to burn off any excess on the grill. We recommend you dont do that.

On Monday, Congressman Josh Gottheimer, D-N.J., visited River Edges Memorial Park to outline a three-part plan to promote grill safety.

Theres nothing partisan about grill safety, said Gottheimer.

First, hes introducing what he calls the Safe Grilling Act, federal legislation to support a nationwide public grilling safety awareness campaign. Next, he will write a letter to the FDA asking them to update guidance on food safety. Finally, hell ask the nonprofit National Fire Protection Association to keep updating its guidance on grilling best practices and have firefighters share them with their communities.

We all love grilling. Lets just do it safely, said Gottheimer.

Officials recommend cleaning your grill with a cleaning tool after every use. They also recommend checking your grill for gas leaks by making sure the hoses are hooked up properly and regularly cleaning your grease pans. Even if youre taking great care of your grill, dangers could still lurk if youre not grilling your food the right way. Doctors remind you not to put your familys health at risk.

More Local News

Make sure any meats that youre using are properly thawed, make sure youre checking temperatures with a thermometer, make sure the food is properly cooked, said Dr. Gian Varbaro, Chief Medical Officer of Bergen New Bridge Medical Center. Also, make sure youre not cross-contaminating different foods, poultry and meat in particular.

Firefighters are hoping the community will turn down the heat on grill fires.

We just want the residents to be safe and if youre going to cook, cook safely and keep your grill away from your home, said Schlossberg.

According to the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission, more than 22,000 people visit an emergency room for grill-related 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 PIX11.
Roads closed, trees down after overnight storms across area

Roads are closed due to trees being down after early morning storms on Tuesday.

News Center 7 is making phone calls for any confirmed storm damage reports and will have the latest information today on News Center 7 at noon and 5.

>>PHOTOS: Storms move through parts of Miami Valley

The National Weather Service issued two tornado warnings for Clinton County just before 2 a.m. Tuesday.

The first warning was issued at 1:48 a.m. Radar indicated that a severe thunderstorm was located over Blanchester.

NWS issued a second warning at 1:55 a.m. They said, A severe thunderstorm capable of producing a tornado was located near Wilmington.

The first storm expired at 2:15 a.m. and NWS canceled the second warning at 2:17 a.m.

As reported Tuesday on News Center 7s Daybreak, viewers sent photos of lightning that could be seen in Preble County.

An iWitness 7 viewer also sent lighting video in Preble County.

>>National Weather Service to survey overnight storm damage across area

Hamilton Township Police reported on social media that W. Foster-Maineville Road is closed at Butterworth Road for a tree down. They are asking drivers to seek an alternative route.

There are trees reportedly down across the roads in Blanchester and Harlan Township, according to WLWT TV in Cincinnati.

This includes Middleboro Road, WXIX TV in Cincinnati said.

News Center 7 has contacted multiple agencies including the Butler, Clinton, and Warren County Sheriffs offices.

We will update this story.
COLUMBUS, Ohio (WCMH)  Foreign hackers tried to lock part of the City of Columbuss tech infrastructure with ransomware, Mayor Andrew Ginther confirmed nearly two weeks after the cyberattack first came to light.

The mayors office revealed Monday that the FBI and U.S. Department of Homeland Security both stepped in at the citys request after initially being compromised by ransomware. Ginther shared that hackers accessed the citys internal network through an internet website download, of a .zip file, rather than an infected email. He didnt specify whether a city employee initiated the download and subsequent breach, or which department it originated in.

The City of Columbus was the victim of a crime committed by an established, sophisticated threat actor operating overseas, Ginther said. We continue to focus on restoring city services  We will support a thorough investigation and help to educate other cities on how they can avoid falling victim to similar attacks.

Crane crashes at Upper Arlington community center construction site

The Columbus Department of Technology completely cut off government systems from the internet after they detected the ransomware attack on July 18. While Ginther told NBC4 the citys IT staff cut off the ransomwares access before it encrypted anything, they are still investigating just how much of the citys data was accessed by hackers. Some individuals personal data may have been exposed in the attack, but the mayor did not specify whose. He noted the city would provide guidance to anyone affected in the coming weeks.

Even though the encryption attempt was prevented, its possible that city data was accessed by the threat actor, Ginther said. For non-IT people, folks at home, the best way to describe this would be robbers were in our house. They tried to lock us out from our own house, but we stopped them. They took some valuables, data, and were in the process of determining the extent, and their value, data, before we notify their owners.

In the days after the ransomware first struck, city employees also lost the ability to send and receive emails to anyone outside their internal network. The city also initially confirmed that some resident-facing websites and services were knocked offline, but didnt specify which ones. Ginther did add that Columbus computer police dispatch system was only partially online as of Monday, but public safety systems were the top priority for IT staff to bring back online.

In this file photo, a laptop displays a message after being infected by a ransomware as part of a worldwide cyberattack on June 27, 2017 in Geldrop.  (Photo by Rob Engelaar / ANP / AFP) / Netherlands OUT (Photo by ROB ENGELAAR/ANP/AFP via Getty Images)

A ransomware attack typically encrypts a computers hard drive, or vital servers in a business environment, and the infection can spread to other computers from the original host. The data on the infected drives becomes locked and inaccessible to the user. Unless they pay a ransom to the hacker, they can either lose their data permanently, or have it leaked publicly. In a successful attack, hackers restore a victims data in exchange for large payments in cryptocurrencies like Bitcoin. Ransomware has made for a profitable business venture for hackers, sometimes even earning the sponsorship of governments like North Korea.

Fifth former Columbus Zoo executive pleads guilty to theft

But in his interview with NBC4, Ginther said investigators only knew so much about the suspects that were involved.

This is an established and sophisticated threat actor operating overseas, Ginther said. We dont know precisely where theyre from, but we have every reason to believe based on our engagement thus far with the FBI and Homeland Security that we are not their first victim  Their goal is to make money, and as much money as possible, by committing these crimes.

Because many of these hackers are attacking from overseas with their countrys endorsement, an arrest or prosecution is unlikely. But federal agencies sometimes seize the ransoms on their way back to the perpetrator. In 2022, the FBI intercepted payments to the tune of $500,000 from a slew of attacks by one group of North Korean operatives.

Separate, unrelated ransomware on July 22 shut down the computer system of the Superior Court of Los Angeles County, the largest trial court in the country. And Columbus wasnt the only high-profile victim from Ohio in 2024, as a similar attack in March shut down insurance claims processing for pharmacies, nursing homes and hospitals affiliated with Change Healthcare.

Copyright 2024 Nexstar Media, Inc. 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.
Theres a new Rat Pack in town.

Mayor Eric Adams is asking for volunteers to join an elite squad of dedicated anti-rat activists named after the group of 1950s A-listers that included Frank Sinatra and Dean Martin.

Those who sign up for the New York City Rat Pack will be rewarded with flashy swag, including t-shirts and hats with a nifty rodent logo, Adams said during a Sunday event-turned-community-cleanup in Sunset Park, Brooklyn.

Joining the citys Rat Pack comes with merch such as a hat with a rat logo. Michael Appleton/Mayoral Photography Office

The shirt is nice, but I wouldnt do it for the shirt, one resident said. Michael Appleton/Mayoral Photography Office

Adams has waged a multi-front war on rodents throughout his time as mayor, from finally requiring the citys garbage be put in containers to appointing a rat czar paid $170,000 a year.

The Rat Pack joins those campaigns via a three-step process to deputize New Yorkers into the fight: attend a Department of Health Rat Academy teaching safe and effective rat prevention methods, join a rat walk detailing the rodents lives in the city and, finally, participating in or hosting an event that supports clean and rat-free conditions.

The branded merch that comes with becoming part of the Rat Pack drew the eyes of some New Yorkers, including Aminat, a 59-year-old Brooklynite.

The shirt is nice, but I wouldnt do it for the shirt, she told The Post Monday. I would do it because I live here.

But not everyone was clawing at the chance to become part of the pest-fighting crew.

Wilson Cheng, who has lived in Sunset Park for 15 years, said the neighborhood is already doing its part cleaning up garbage, only to see the citys sanitation department not pick up the trash piles beloved by rats.

Its not our society that is the problem, its that they dont pick it up, Cheng said. Sometimes we have garbage out and 2 weeks they dont pick it up. We have to take it back inside.

Others were more inclined toward the vocally rat-hating mayors vision.

Locals complained that piles of garbage fester in Sunset Park and draw rats. Gregory P. Mango

No Rat Pack volunteers could be seen in Sunset Park, where garbage lined the street a day after the mayor announced the volunteer program. Gregory P. Mango

If everyone does a little bit of something, we can keep the city a little more clean, said Maria Sldana, who has lived in Brooklyn for 38 years.

Sldana spoke to The Post in Sunset Park, where dozens of trash bags were laid out near 44th Street and Sixth Avenue.

Ive lived here for 38 years and Ive never seen the city so dirty, she said, adding that she would volunteer because she cant take it anymore.

The rodent-repelling initiative also garnered tentative support from a perhaps-surprising source: PETA.

The mayor unveiled the Rat Pack during a Sunset Park event-turned-community-cleanup. Michael Appleton/Mayoral Photography Office

Adams has waged a war on rats during his administration. Michael Appleton/Mayoral Photography Office

Ashley Byrne, the outspoken animal rights groups director of outreach and communications, who lives in New York, said the program appears to focused on non-lethal, humane preventative measures such as neighborhood cleanups.

We are absolutely in favor that because its prevention, instead of slaughter, that will be solution to concerns that New York will be flooded by rats, she said.

However, I will say this, we do wish the mayor would stop demonizing rats and instead take aim at the disgusting people who throw trash on the citys streets and subway tracks.
The Office for Nuclear Regulation says it has not identified any concerns that would prevent planning permission being granted for Rolls-Royce's SMR power station - Rolls Royce SMR

Rolls-Royce has cleared a key hurdle in the race to build Britains first mini-nuclear power plant, as competition across Europe ramps up.

On Tuesday, the FTSE 100 engineering giant became the first developer to advance a small modular reactor (SMR) design to the final stage of examination by UK regulators.

Helena Perry, director of safety and regulatory affairs at Rolls-Royce SMR, said the latest approval was the most important milestone to date in advancing deployment of Rolls-Royce SMRs in the UK.

She added: We have built fantastic momentum and the team will move directly into step three of this rigorous independent assessment of our technology  ideally positioning us to deliver low-carbon nuclear power and support the UKs transition to net zero.

The Derby-based company wants to build a new generation of lower-cost power plants, made from modular parts that would be produced in factories and then assembled on site.

SMRs would each generate 470 megawatts of electricity and cost between 2bn and 3bn initially. Rolls-Royce aims to bring that number down gradually through economies of scale.

The Office for Nuclear Regulation (ONR) said Rolls has now been cleared to move into the third and final stage of the UKs generic design assessment.

That process is expected to conclude by the end of 2026, after which Rolls will be able to apply for site-specific approval to build its first SMR.

A summary assessment published by the ONR on Tuesday said that the regulator has not identified any fundamental safety, security or safeguards shortfalls that could prevent permissioning the construction of a power station based on the generic Rolls-Royce SMR design.

It came as plans for the first SMR in Europe separately advanced. Romanias state nuclear company awarded a contract to build one using designs developed by American developer NuScale Power.

Tufan Erginbilgic, the chief executive of Rolls, has urged the Government to move forward with SMRs quickly to avoid losing first-mover advantage and the potential for huge international exports.

The latest development is a boost for Rolls as it vies against NuScale and other would-be developers in the UKs ongoing SMR design competition.

Companies made their final submissions earlier this month. Rolls, GE Hitachi Nuclear Energy, Westinghouse, Holtec Britain and NuScale were still in the race after French energy giant EDF pulled out.

Two winners are expected to be chosen and then awarded contracts to build their prototype nuclear power stations at so-far-unnamed locations.

The UK has not completed a new nuclear power plant since Sizewell B - Chris Ratcliffe/Bloomberg

The ONR introduced the generic design approval process in order to simplify and speed up the approvals of nuclear power plants. Rollss assessment is the first example of the process in practice.

It has done so as the Government has laid out plans for a nuclear renaissance as part of plans to remove carbon emissions from the electricity grid.

Despite this, the UK has not completed a new nuclear power station since the 1990s, when Sizewell B was built on the Suffolk coast. Several existing plants are due to come offline this decade.

One large power station, Hinkley Point C, is under construction in Somerset, with work on another in Suffolk, Sizewell C, poised to begin this year.

The Government is also developing proposals to build a third in Wylfa, Anglesey.

However, both the previous Conservative administration and the new Labour Government have set out plans for a large amount of new capacity to come from a fleet of smaller, lower cost SMRs as well.

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 Carolina Gov. Roy Cooper, who grew close to Kamala Harris when they both served as their states attorney general, has withdrawn from contention to become her vice presidential nominee.

Coopers exit from the veepstakes was confirmed by three people briefed on the development and granted anonymity to discuss it. Two Democrats close to Cooper cited three factors: His desire to potentially run for Senate, his age and fears that North Carolinas divisive Republican lieutenant governor would take over each time Cooper traveled out of state.

Harris team is looking at Gov. Josh Shapiro of Pennsylvania and Sen. Mark Kelly of Arizona. Others in the mix include Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz, Kentucky Gov. Andy Beshear and Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg.

Although Cooper was initially at the top of some Democrats lists for potential running mates, the governor was never vetted and sent word to Harris team that he did not want to be considered a week ago, according to a person familiar with the governors thinking and granted anonymity to describe private conversations. This person cited fears that Robinson could mount a legal challenge over executive authority during Coopers absences, based on the states constitution, as the primary reason for Coopers decision, rejecting age as a factor.



From the get go, he was not a candidate for this, the person added.

Cooper, 67, built his reputation as a moderate Democrat over decades serving in North Carolina politics, running multiple successful campaigns in an environment that was favorable to Republicans. Cooper, who is in his final term as governor, outperformed President Joe Biden by 6 points in 2020.

Cooper rose through the state legislature, and before being elected governor for the first time in 2016, he served as attorney general for 16 years. That's where he got to know Harris in her capacity as California attorney general.

Coopers withdrawal was first reported by The New York Times.

His signature legislative achievement was expanding Medicaid in 2023 after nearly a decade of GOP opposition, providing health insurance to half a million low-income North Carolinians.

Cooper has squared off with the GOP legislature over hot-button issues like guns and abortion rights, repeatedly clashing with the Republican supermajority that has overridden a number of his vetoes and tried to limit his power.

Amid the vice presidential selection process, Cooper, like the other candidates considered by the campaign, attacked Trump's running mate, Ohio Sen. JD Vance, calling him a Trump "mini-me" and criticizing his past comments on abortion and women.

"Those things are not going to play well in North Carolina or anywhere across the country," Cooper said last week.

Cooper joining the ticket would have posed an unusual wrinkle for North Carolina's highly competitive gubernatorial race. Under the state constitution, when the governor leaves the state, the lieutenant governor assumes the role of acting governor.

That means every time Cooper hits the campaign trail, Mark Robinson, the GOP gubernatorial nominee who serves as lieutenant governor, gets to briefly try on the job, introducing an awkward scenario for Democrats. Many feared that Robinson could not only derive political benefit but also take actions that they deeply opposed.

Meanwhile, other potential running mates made the case for Harris  and, by default, themselves  in recent days on TV and the trail. Shapiro campaigned for Harris in the Philadelphia suburbs on Monday along with Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer.

Shapiro said that Harris had been a "tough as nails" prosecutor who took on polluters, opioid manufacturers and big banks. "She's not only ready, she's damn ready," he said. Donald Trump knows shes ready. And you know how I know this? Because hes afraid to debate her now.

Liz Crampton contributed to this report.
(WGHP)  North Carolina Gov. Roy Cooper has removed himself from consideration to be Vice President Kamala Harris potential running mate, according to multiple news outlets, including The New York Times and Associated Press.

Cooper, 67, backed out in part due to concerns that his Republican lieutenant governor would assume control when he travels out of state if he were selected, two people familiar with the matter told AP. Cooper, according to one of the people, has expressed concern about what Robinson might do if he were to leave the state extensively for campaign travel.

The governor withdrew before Harris formally began soliciting vetting material from potential vice presidents, according to the sources, who spoke on the condition of anonymity to discuss the sensitive search process.

Harris search is ongoing and her teams of lawyers and political aides are still reviewing information on a narrowing list of potential candidates.

Harris vs. Trump: What the early post-Biden polls tell us

Cooper, the former chairman of the Democratic Governors Association, has been close to Harris since they were both state attorneys general.

Appearing on MSNBCs Morning Joe program recently, Cooper said he spoke with Harris as Democrats coalesced around her in the wake of President Joe Bidens decision to drop out.

We understand you had a conversation with the vice president yesterday as well. How did that go? Mika Brzezinski asked Cooper.

It went great, Cooper said. We talked about winning this race.  This is a bottom-up type of thing, Mika. I think Kamala Harris soon is going to be in a position where she can really take off, and Im excited about it and feel confident that she can win this presidency. So the excitement is certainly showing itself up in dollars and cents.

Spokespeople for Cooper didnt immediately respond to requests for comment late Monday.

The Associated Press contributed to this story.

Copyright 2024 Nexstar Media, Inc. 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.
Schools are agonizing over how to implement one of President Joe Biden's top civil rights priorities after a tangle of court orders created a baffling patchwork just weeks before students return to campus.

The regulation, which takes effect on Thursday, updates a federal anti-discrimination law to bolster protections for transgender and pregnant students. But nearly half of the states dont need to abide by the new rule due to legal holdups and many others arent sure how to  especially since the policys fate is unclear.

The Education Department has offered only broad guidance, leaving administrators worried about how to handle sexual misconduct claims and vulnerable students  such as transgender teens  wondering if schools can ensure their safety.

A lot of schools are feeling betrayed, said Brett Sokolow, chair of the Association of Title IX Administrators, which supports schools with the policy. Here's the Department of Education saying you must use this rule, we've vetted it and it's perfectly legal. And then it turns out, a lot of judges don't think it is and the schools are like, Were caught in the middle.

Bidens changes, which amend the federal law known as Title IX, overhaul former Education Secretary Betsy DeVos rule that mandates how schools respond to sexual misconduct. It could prove one of Bidens defining policies as he seeks to cement his legacy. Administration officials have touted the new rule as the most comprehensive coverage students will receive in more than a half-century of Title IX.

The Education Department did not respond to a request for comment.

Bidens changes drew praise from civil rights advocates and LGBTQ+ groups, but prompted lawsuits from Republican state attorneys general and conservative organizations. They argue the new rule weakens the rights of students accused of misconduct and fails to protect sex-separated programs and spaces, such as locker rooms.

The Biden-Harris Title IX rule was built to appease the demands of their radical, woke political base, DeVos told POLITICO in a statement. The real losers here are students and schools, who are once again caught in the middle of a senseless political game  particularly women and girls, who are seeing Title IX used to take rights away from them.

The Biden administration, in an effort to ensure the rule goes into effect, has asked the Supreme Court to let the Education Department enforce it without provisions that safeguard protections for gender identity, since thats the primary focus of the legal fights. The high court could make a decision as soon as this week.

Conservative advocates are calling on the Education Department to postpone its enforcement efforts until the courts figure it out.

It will be a nightmare for the department to enforce this regulation, said Bob Eitel, former senior counselor to DeVos and co-founder of the Defense of Freedom Institute, a conservative nonprofit that is suing over the rule. They need to consider the fact that they've written an illegal rule without basis in law, and they need to withdraw it.

But the agency says it will proceed. Officials sent out guidance last week that instructed schools how to draft new nondiscrimination policies and it will hold a webinar on Thursday to answer questions.

Advocates of the changes say the guidance isnt specific enough and are hoping for more state-by-state clarity. How, some ask, does a school district proceed if enforcement at a single school is blocked? What happens if the rule changes in the middle of a sexual assault investigation?

Students are left feeling really confused and also disheartened to start yet another school year without new Title IX rules that are going to really clarify and solidify their rights, said Emma Grasso Levine, Title IX policy and program manager at Know Your IX, a youth-led advocacy group that informs students of their rights under the law.

The changes make good on Bidens 2020 campaign promise to unravel much of the DeVos rule, a defining policy of her tenure. Supporters of the new rule argue the previous one created a burdensome investigation process for students. They say schools were able to ignore some reports of sexual harassment because the standards for discrimination were too high.

There were a lot of lawsuits filed claiming either reverse discrimination under Title IX or due process violations and I think that has scared schools in some cases from responding to sexual harassment complaints with the seriousness that they deserve, said Shiwali Patel, senior director of safe and inclusive schools at the National Womens Law Center.

While similar lawsuits challenging protections for transgender students are likely, Patel said, many states have laws to protect them. And some schools must comply with previous circuit court rulings such as one that requires Virginia and West Virginia schools to allow transgender students to use the bathroom that aligns with their gender identity.

About 400 members of the Title IX association attended its town hall last week to discuss the uncertainty. Theyre encouraging schools to prepare contingency plans in case they have to flip to one rule or another.

The field is unsettled right now, said Sokolow, chair of the Title IX group. I would say there's a lot of frustration and a little bit of panic.
Russia backs Trump and Iran supports Harris in efforts to influence the election, US intelligence says

Russia and Iran are likely looking to influence the presidential election, a US intelligence official said in a media call on Monday.

The intelligence community believes that Russia will support former president Donald Trump against Vice-President Kamala Harris and that Iran will continue its efforts to target Trump, according to NBC News.

While China doesnt appear to have a preference, they may attempt to affect races on the congressional level, the official said.

The call was organized by the Foreign Malign Influence Center, which takes on foreign propaganda efforts.

In an alert sent out on Monday, the Office of the Director of National Intelligence (ODNI) said: Of note for this cycle, we have observed foreign influence actors refining their tactics to better hide their hand.

Foreign actors are hiring public relations firms, including marketing companies, to use their expertise in communications and technology to carry out their objectives, the notice said. These firms also face fewer bureaucratic limitations compared to governments.

Russia is using influence-for-hire firms to attempt to change US public opinion, including operations connected to the election. The firms have directly and discreetly engaged Americans using their influence platforms, the notice added. It has also used improved tools to create specific content for American audiences while shielding the Russian efforts from public view.

Foreign actors continue to rely on witting and unwitting Americans to seed, promote, and add credibility to narratives that serve the foreign actors interests, the notice stated. The foreign entities are looking to use these Americans to spread their messages via their own channels. For instance, Russian influence actors have made efforts this election cycle to build and use networks of US and Western personalities to create and share narratives friendly to the Kremlin.

Vice-President Kamala Harris (left) and Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump (right) (AP)

Russia, Iran, and China are all seeking to conduct these influence campaigns to undermine US democracy and Washingtons standing in the world, the notice said.

Russia is still the top threat to US elections, the agency said. The Kremlin is using a wide range of actors and tactics to better hide its hand, increase its reach, and create content that better engages American audiences as it seeks to affect presidential and congressional electoral outcomes, damage confidence in US elections, and worsen divisions.

The ODNI said that China is probably not planning on trying to affect the outcome of the presidential election but that it may target congressional candidates who threaten their interests. They did so in the 2022 midterms, targeting members of both parties.

The agency notes that the intelligence community is aware that Chinese influence actors are using social media to sow divisions in the United States and portray democracies as chaotic.

Meanwhile, Iran is looking to fuel distrust in American institutions and worsen social discord. The country is working to affect the outcome of the presidential election, ODNI said, probably because Iranian leaders want to avoid an outcome they perceive would increase tensions with the United States.

Tehran relies on vast webs of online personas and propaganda mills to spread disinformation and have notably been active in exacerbating tensions over the Israel-Gaza conflict, the ODNI said in the Monday alert.

At a briefing in Beijing on Tuesday, a spokesperson for the Chinese foreign ministry said, China has never interfered, nor will it interfere, in US elections, according to NBC News.

A spokesperson for the Iranian mission to the United Nations in New York told The Wall Street Journal in a statement that Iran does not engage in any objectives or activities intended to influence the US election.

The spokesperson added that the allegations are psychological operations designed to artificially pep up election campaigns.

The ODNI previously found that Russian president Vladimir Putin greenlit a propaganda effort aimed at backing Trump and denigrating Biden and the Democrats in 2020. The report from that year also found that Iran made efforts to target Trumps candidacy, a campaign authorized by its supreme leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, but it didnt back Biden or other competitors.

The Trump administration authorized a drone strike in 2020 that killed Iranian military leader Qasem Soleimani.

The agency hasnt named any specific candidates running in the current election in its statements, but in a call earlier this month, when Biden was the presumptive nominee, officials said Russia was still the top threat and that its candidate preferences remained the same as in the last election cycle. Officials also said on Monday that both Irans and Russias preferences had not changed.

The official on the call said Russias top issue is ending US aid to Ukraine.

Russias core interest in this election is opposing candidates who want to offer further aid to Kyiv, and we expect Russias focus will remain on that, the official said, according to NBC News.

Harris has met with Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelensky on a number of occasions as vice-president and, according to the State Department, the Biden administration has given Ukraine roughly $53.7bn in military aid. Meanwhile, Trump hasnt committed to continuing sending aid to Ukraine, and his running mate JD Vance has repeatedly criticized the practice of sending military aid to allies.
By Jonathan Stempel

(Reuters) -Warren Buffett's Berkshire Hathaway sold more Bank of America shares, boosting sales to more than $3 billion this month, taking profits after a big run-up in the second-largest U.S. bank's stock price.

Berkshire sold 18.4 million Bank of America shares for $767 million between July 25 and 29, according to a Monday night regulatory filing.

It has sold 71.2 million shares for $3.05 billion since July 17, reducing its holdings in the Charlotte, North Carolina-based lender by 6.9% to 961.5 million shares.

Buffett's conglomerate remains Bank of America's largest shareholder, with a 12.4% stake worth $39.5 billion as of Monday's close. It must report sales until the stake falls below 10%.

Berkshire and Bank of America declined to comment on Tuesday.

Shares of Bank of America rose as much as 1.9% in morning trading, but have fallen since Berkshire's selling began.

Bank of America's stock price has risen by nearly two-thirds since late October. The stock trades at 1.2 times book value, after trading below book value for most of the last decade.

Buffett has long supported the leadership of Brian Moynihan, the bank's chief executive since 2010.

Berkshire bought $5 billion of Bank of America preferred stock in 2011, when some investors worried if the bank would have enough capital after cleaning up huge mortgage and legal liabilities from the 2008 financial crisis.

Buffett swapped the preferred stock for common stock in 2017 after exercising warrants, and ultimately spent $14.6 billion on Bank of America shares. Those shares were worth more than $45 billion when Berkshire's selling began.

The sales came a little over a year after the 93-year-old billionaire singled out Bank of America and Moynihan for praise, even as Berkshire sold other bank stocks.

"I like Brian Moynihan enormously," Buffett told CNBC in April 2023. "I don't want to sell it."

Berkshire has also been selling Apple, shedding about 115 million shares in the first quarter.

It may disclose more sales when it releases second-quarter results on Saturday.

Buffett said at Berkshire's May 4 annual meeting that he expected the iPhone maker to remain Berkshire's largest stock investment, but selling made sense because the 21% federal tax rate on gains would likely grow.

Berkshire is based in Omaha, Nebraska. Its dozens of businesses include Geico car insurance and the BNSF railroad.

(Reporting by Jonathan Stempel in New York; Editing by Kirsten Donovan and Mark Potter)
Russia to continue its tactical advance in coming weeks  UK intelligence

UK intelligence has predicted that Russia will continue its tactical advance in the coming weeks despite limited overall operational capabilities.

Source: UK Ministry of Defence's intelligence review of the Russo-Ukrainian war dated 30 July, as reported by European Pravda

Details: In July 2024, the UK Ministry of Defence noted that Russian ground forces had continued to launch continuous attacks in the central part of Donetsk Oblast. They made steady progress to the west, taking control of several villages and approaching the logistics hub of Pokrovsk.

Russian ground troops also advanced north towards the village of New-York, which has been near the line of contact since 2014.

It is likely that Russia will continue its tactical advance in the coming weeks.

However, Russia's overall operational capability remains limited due to a number of factors, including high casualty rates, limited training and a lack of officers.

Background: Earlier, UK intelligence spoke about a wave of purges in the Russian defence sector and analysed information about the cancellation of one of the most important elements of the Russian Navy's Day celebrations.

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A Russian military court sentenced a Krasnodar Krai resident to 14 years in prison for allegedly preparing to sabotage railway relay cabinets and for purported links with an anti-Kremlin militia, the court's service said on July 30.

The court called Artem Sanzharaev a "convinced ideological opponent of the state" who "voluntarily joined" the Freedom of Russia Legion through Telegram.

The legion, established in March 2022 in Ukraine, is an armed group made up of ethnic Russians fighting alongside Kyiv's forces against Russia.

Its members have also carried out cross-border raids into Russia and reportedly conducted sabotage operations inside the country.

According to the Russian court, Sanzharaev was instructed by the legion to carry out the sabotage. For that purpose, he "acquired the necessary weapons and equipment, after which he arrived at the indicated relay cabinets and began making Molotov cocktails," the court said.

Sanzharaev did not manage to carry out his tasks as he was detained by Russia's Federal Security Service (FSB) officers, the statement read.

The Kyiv Independent cannot verify this information, and the Russian judicial system is widely thought to be systematically unfair. Torture and forced confessions are also commonplace practices among law enforcement officers, human rights organizations have found.

Russian President Vladimir Putin's crackdown on dissent since the start of the full-scale invasion of Ukraine has seen thousands of his citizens arrested and many jailed.

Read also: Court in far eastern Russian city sentences student to prison for passing troop locations to Kyiv online

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Russia will likely try to influence US election in Trump's favor, intelligence official tells media

Russia is likely seeking to influence the upcoming U.S. presidential election in favor of Republican nominee Donald Trump, NBC News reported on July 30, citing an unnamed U.S. intelligence official.

Authorities say that Russia remains the most significant threat in terms of election disinformation, while there are signs that Iran is increasing its activities and China is taking a cautious approach regarding the 2024 election.

U.S. officials have said that Russia engaged in a widespread campaign of digital disinformation and hacking in the past two American presidential elections, with particular effort dedicated to the 2016 election.

Russia has also been accused of meddling in the U.K.'s 2016 Brexit referendum.

The official, who is associated with the U.S. Foreign Malign Influence Center, said that Iran will likely continue to oppose Trump and that China does not have a preference.

The comments were "the clearest sign yet that the U.S. believes Trump remains Russias preferred candidate even after President Joe Biden dropped out of the race and (Vice President Kamala) Harris became the presumptive nominee," NBC wrote.

It was the latest in a series of warnings about Russia's malicious intentions toward the upcoming U.S. election from American intelligence officials.

The previous day, top U.S. intelligence officials said that the Kremlin is using unsuspecting Americans and commercial public relations firms in Russia to spread disinformation about the race.

Read also: US, UK, Canada warn of Russian interference in Moldovas election

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Russia loses over 1,000 soldiers and 25 tanks in one day

Stock photo: General Staff of the Armed Forces of Ukraine on Facebook

Russia has lost 1,060 soldiers, 46 artillery systems, 38 armoured combat vehicles and 25 tanks.

Source: General Staff of the Armed Forces of Ukraine on Facebook

Details: The total combat losses of the Russian forces between 24 February 2022 and 30 July 2024 are estimated to be as follows [figures in parentheses represent the latest losses  ed.]:

approximately 577,060 (+1,060) military personnel;

8,381 (+25) tanks;

16,141 (+38) armoured combat vehicles;

16,056 (+46) artillery systems;

1,130 (+1) multiple-launch rocket systems;

906 (+0) air defence systems;

363 (+0) fixed-wing aircraft;

326 (+0) helicopters;

12,832 (+27) strategic and tactical UAVs;

2,406 (+0) cruise missiles;

28 (+0) ships and boats;

1 (+0) submarines;

21,687 (+53) vehicles and tankers;

2,696 (+6) special vehicles and other equipment.

The information is being confirmed.

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Russian attacks across Ukraine killed at least four people and injured at least 14 over the past day, regional authorities said early on July 30.

In Donetsk Oblast, a Russian attack against Toretsk killed three civilians and injured three others, Governor Vadym Filashkin reported.

One more person was killed in Hrodivka, and two were injured in Siversk and Rih, he added.

In Kharkiv Oblast, a 71-year-old man was injured during a Russian attack against the town of Kupiansk on the morning of July 30, Governor Oleh Syniehubov said.

Russian attacks against Kherson Oblast injured eight people, Governor Oleksandr Prokudin reported. Critical infrastructure and port facilities, high-rise buildings, houses, and gas pipelines were reported as damaged.

Chernihiv, Dnipropetrovsk, Luhansk, Mykolaiv, Sumy, and Zaporizhzhia oblasts also came under attack, but no casualties were reported.

Read also: Why some Ukrainians choose to ignore air raid sirens

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Russian authorities are illegally detaining migrants without food and water and using physical violence against them to force them to sign military contracts.

Source: Institute for the Study of War (ISW)

Details: The Russian opposition news outlet Okno (Window) has highlighted concerns raised by lawyers and human rights activists, who report that nearly all detained migrants are being pressured into signing military contracts. Russian authorities are reportedly using threats of stripping naturalised citizens of their Russian citizenship and offering citizenship to migrants as incentives for military enlistment.

Okno noted that the frequency of raids targeting migrants has escalated since the terrorist attack at Crocus City Hall in March 2024.

On 29 July, Vyacheslav Volodin, the Chairperson of the State Duma, proposed that Duma members draft legislation mandating military service registration for new Russian citizens upon obtaining their passports. The Duma is also considering amendments to double the mandatory military service period for new citizens from one year to two and to increase the draft age, though the specific new age has not been disclosed.

To quote the ISWs Key Takeaways on 29 July:

The US Department of Defense (DoD) announced on 29 July the provision of security assistance to Ukraine worth US$200 million from the authorisation of a Presidential Drawdown Authority (PDA) package and an additional package worth US$1.5 billion in Ukraine Security Assistance Initiative (USAI) funds.

The Kremlin is intensifying its efforts to codify desired behavioural norms within Russia by cracking down against undesirable behaviour in the Russian information space and within migrant communities.

The Kremlin is likely attempting to establish prominent standards of acceptable and unacceptable behaviour among populations within Russia whose behaviour has recently threatened the Kremlin.

Much of the Russian information space response to the recent Tuareg insurgent ambush of a Wagner Group in northern Mali coalesced around the suggestion that the Russian MoD will seek to benefit from Wagner losses, highlighting the continued distrust between the Russian MoD and both the Wagner Group in the Sahel and pro-Wagner commentators.

Ukrainian drones struck Russian energy and utility infrastructure in Oryol, Voronezh, and Belgorod oblasts on the night of 28-29 July.

Russian forces recently made confirmed advances northeast of Kharkiv City, in Vovchansk, near Avdiivka, and southwest of Donetsk City.

The Russian government continues to take legislative steps to use migrants and newly naturalised citizens to fulfil Russian military personnel needs.

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A new type of Russian drone is being used in combat in Ukraine, reportedly a multirole long-range type that can undertake attack as well as surveillance missions. Known as the Gerbera, the drone, assumed to be of Russian production, is being seen as a complement to the widely used Iranian-designed Shahed/Geran long-range one-way attack drone.

The first evidence of the new drone emerged last week, when photos of one example, apparently downed over the Kyiv region on July 24, were posted on Ukrainian social media accounts. The drone in question reportedly had no warhead fitted, indicating it was being used for a mission other than strike. According to the Ukrainian Defense Express website, the drone was brought down almost undamaged by Ukrainian air defenses, but this cannot be confirmed.

The fairly intact Russian Gerbera drone that came down in the Kyiv region last week. Serhii Flesh/via Telegram



Like the Geran, the new drone has a relatively large delta wing, although with prominently cranked leading edges. Rather than horizontal stabalizers on the wingtips as on the Geran, the Gerbera has a conventional single vertical tailfin, located just ahead of the single pusher propeller driven by an internal combustion engine. Ukrainian accounts suggest that the Gerbera has a wingspan of around 2 meters (6.5 feet) compared to around 2.5 meters (8.2 feet) for the Geran-2 (Shahed-136). Reportedly, the body of the drone is made of radar-absorbent foam and, like some examples of the Geran, the ones seen so far are black-colored.

A close-up of the drones fuselage suggests it may be covered in a radar-absorbent material. via X

Video of the Gerbera that came down in the Kyiv region on July 24:

Writing on Telegram, Serhii Flesh (also sometimes written Serhiy Flesh), a Ukrainian servicemember who has blogged in the past about other Russian drone developments, claims that, while unlike the Geran, the Gerbera is intended to fly reconnaissance missions, as well as strike. He also writes that it will be used to distract Ukrainian air defense systems, suggesting it will also be operated as a decoy, and that it will be operated within a swarm, although its not clear how this would be achieved, or to what ends. It is very unlikely these drones are capable of working dynamically in conjunction with each other in a true swarming fashion. Although sending multiple on missions that are carefully pre-programmed, where each drone operates autonomously but in groups, is very possible.

These claims are also supported by a video report published by a Russian unit known as Stalins Falcons, on July 28. The report also states that the Gerbera can be used as a kamikaze attack drone, for electronic reconnaissance, or as a decoy for air defense systems.

The Russian account states that the Gerbera drone was developed by the Gastello Design Bureau, an otherwise more or less unknown company. It is stated that this UAV could be used for electronic reconnaissance, as a kamikaze drone or as a decoy for air defense systems. While unconfirmed, it has been suggested that the Gerbera is being built in the same factory in Yelabuga, in Russias southeastern Tatarstan region that also manufactures Geran drones.

A Ukrainian Telegram channel shared photos of a previously unidentified Russian one-way attack UAV downed in Kyiv Oblast. Interestingly, the serial number begins with , similar to a Russian-assembled variant of the Shahed-136, suggesting this new UAV may also be made by https://t.co/bfgsexGes0 pic.twitter.com/WpxwQNw2t9  John Hardie (@JohnH105) July 25, 2024

The report from Stalins Falcons explains that the strike version of the Gerbera drone uses a camera for targeting, implying a man-in-the-loop guidance system. This, in turn, will result in a relatively short range, limited by the requirement to maintain direct radio communication between drone and operator. Using airborne relays can extend this connectivity, which is very much a growing tactic in Ukraine, but still major limitations exist for this kind of control concept.

A line-up of Gerbera drones seen in the video released by Stalins Falcons. Gastello Design Bureau



A report in the Ukrainian Militarnyi defense website also claims this is the case, that another drone, fitted with a repeater, can be used to extend the range of the radio communication link to the Gerbera drone.

The same Ukrainian source claims that the example of the Gerbera that came down in the Kyiv region last week was equipped with a pair of 3G/4G antennas as well as a modem containing a SIM card, connecting to the Ukrainian mobile network. This is understood to be another method of providing a semi-sporadic communication channel that can ensure a video link between the drone and the operator, for at least some portions of its flight.

The drone also contains two 3G/4G antennas and a SIM card. via X

It is also presumed that, as well as using a camera for guidance, the Gerbera can also be programmed to fly along a predetermined route without the need for an operator intervention and without a repeater, in the same way as the Shahed/Geran series. At the same time, the camera in the nose could be used for visual reconnaissance, including scouting for additional targets along the pre-planned route. This information would not be available in real time and could only be exploited after the drone is recovered and the data is downloaded.

An image purportedly from the camera of a Gerbera drone. Gastello Design Bureau



Other details of the Gerbera drone are unknown at this stage, with no confirmed information regarding its size and weight, let alone its range, speed, and payload. However, bearing in mind the fact that the first example was recovered in the Kyiv region, it can certainly hundreds of kilometers, at least.

Its also unclear how long Russia might have been using this drone. Since the Geran has a similar appearance and flight profile, and both are used for strike, its possible that some Ukrainian claims for Shahed/Geran drones shot down in recent weeks actually relate to the Gerbera. However, the fact that only one example has apparently been recovered to date suggests the Gerbera is a fairly new addition to the Russian armory.

A view inside the Russian factory where license production of the Iranian Shahed-series one-way attack drone takes place, as the Geran. via X via X

Despite the success of the Shahed/Geran series, its notable that Russia is continuing to develop new extended-range attack drones. At the same time, this very well could be a lower-end type that costs less  Shahed-136s are relatively cheap, but more expensive than most realize  and is easier to manufacturer than the Shahed-136. Russia could significantly cut the range compared to the Shahed-136 and the payload and still have a very useful and effective weapon. Meanwhile, Shahed production is somewhat finite with immense pressure already being on the production capacity that already exists. Getting something a little cheaper and in greater numbers makes total sense. Even using these weapons to suck up precious air defense missiles alone would be well worth their procurement. Ukraine has pursued many types that are similar to this drone that are being employed at various ranges for extended strike operations.

Once Ukrainian authorities have evaluated the Gerbera, more information about its capabilities may well emerge. Regardless, however, its appearance will surely be a concern for Ukrainian air defense operators, already hard-pressed to defend Ukrainian civilian and infrastructure targets against the Shahed/Geran series, let alone the cruise and ballistic missiles and air-launched munitions tat continue to bombard their country.

Contact the author: thomas@thewarzone.com
Since the morning of 30 June, Russian forces have been bombarding the village of Chornobaivka, Kherson Oblast, wounding a man, 32, and a teenage girl, 16.

Source: Kherson Oblast State Administration on Telegram

Details: It is reported that the Russians artillery fire damaged residential buildings and outbuildings in the settlement.

A man, 32, was injured in the Russian strike; he sustained blast trauma and shrapnel wounds to the chest, abdomen, arms and legs. He was taken to hospital for medical treatment.

Later, the Kherson Oblast State Administration reported that a teenage girl, 16, was injured in the attack as well.

She sustained blast and brain injuries, bruises to the soft tissues of her head, and suffered an acute stress reaction. She went to hospital on her own for medical assistance and was hospitalised.

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The Rutherford County School Board Zone 2 race pits Republican nominee Stan Vaught against Robert Brooks, an independent with endorsements from Republicans.

The election also offers geographical differences with Vaught coming from Milton, one of the many rural communities on the county's northside, and Brooks residing in Smyrna near the Nissan automobile factory and being closer to La Vergne.

Republican Stan Vaught, left, and independent Robert Brooks face each other in the Aug. 1 election for the Zone 2 Rutherford County School Board seat.

Brooks, for example, has the backing of Tammy Sharp, a school board member from La Vergne who won reelection unopposed as a Republican in 2022 for her Zone 1 seat.

"Hes going to represent everybody," said Sharp, a former board chairman who worries that the majority of the board has been ignoring the educational needs of students from La Vergne.

'We're not all treated the same': Rutherford County Schools building plans annoy La Vergne leaders

Vaught has support of school board vice chairwoman Claire Maxwell, a fellow Republican unopposed in the Aug. 1 election for the Zone 5 seat.

"I think hes a great guy, a strong conservative God-fearing church man," said Maxwell, noting Vaughn taught Sunday school for her children at First Baptist Church on East Main Street in Murfreesboro.

The Zone 2 ballot also includes independent John Duncan, but he doesn't appear to be actively campaigning after facing a criminal investigation that recently cleared him. Duncan agreed to resign from his former teaching job at Daniel-McKee Alternative School after the Rutherford district accused him of taking an inappropriate photograph at his previous teaching job at Stewarts Creek High School.

Investigation update: School board candidate cleared of crime, resigns over accusation of inappropriate photo

Local GOP chairman calls Sharp a RINO

The vice chairwoman's husband, Austin Maxwell, is the chairman of the Rutherford County Republican Party. He questions why Republicans such as Sharp are backing Brooks.

Republicans who dont support the Republican nominee are RINOs, Republican in name only, and thats for Ms. Sharp and anybody else," Austin Maxwell said.

Sharp stands by her record as a Republican who views Brooks as a conservative who should have been allowed to compete in the March 5 GOP primary against Vaught.

"According to Mr. Maxwell, I have a perfect Republican voting record," Sharp said. "I have lived in Rutherford County for over 22 years and have consistently voted Republican in every primary, presidential, and general election."

Vaught has a strong record of supporting the Republican Party, which requires that its bona fide candidates vote in three of the last four statewide GOP primaries, Austin Maxwell said.

Republican bickering: GOP conflict erupts in email between Chairman Austin Maxwell, Mayor Joe Carr about Property Assessor seat

Brooks could not run as a Republican because he voted in the Democratic primary in 2018, said Austin Maxwell, who also won a nonpartisan election in 2022 to serve on the Murfreesboro City Council.

"We do not support independents when we have a Republican on the ballot, and we do not support independents especially when theyve previously voted Democratic," Austin Maxwell said.

Brooks said his viewpoint aligns with conservative Republicans even if he voted in a Democratic Party primary in 2018 and has been bona fide as GOP candidate with the state Republican Party since 2022.

Who's campaigning? Candidates qualify for Aug. 1 election in Rutherford County

La Vergne officials back Brooks

Brooks has backing from other officials representing La Vergne, including Mayor Jason Cole.

"Robert is the only candidate for school board for La Vergne this cycle who has actually inquired about La Vergnes needs with the school system," Cole said. "No other candidate has done that."

Although serving in a nonpartisan office in La Vergne, Cole said he views himself as a center-right Republican and sees similar values expressed by Brooks.

"Robert Brooks is a fiscal conservative and he believes in parental involvement with the schools, and that I believe as a parent is essential to our schools," Cole said.

Lawsuit against La Vergne: City's sexual harassment case over fired police officer reaches $500K settlement

Brooks also has the backing of Laura Davidson, a fellow independent who won her Rutherford County Commission seat to represent District 5 in central pLa Vergne, which is a different part of the city than the northern area represented by the school board Zone 2 seat. She serves on the commission's Health and Education Committee that includes examining school board funding requests.

"I look at the person. I dont look at the party," said Davidson, noting that she's known Brooks for many years. "Hes a fine upstanding young man. I feel like he would be a wonderful asset to our school board."

Election 2022 brings leadership change: 21-member Rutherford County Commission will see new faces with 9 elected officials

Vaught seeks the county to build career and technical education centers

Stan Vaught

Vaught touts a background of being a sixth-generation resident, and owning and operating a farm in Milton on the far northeast side of the county. He's also a longtime real estate auctioneer and manages two real estate offices.

Vaught also serves as an appointed chairman for the county's Public Building Authority, which includes oversight of public health and safety building projects with combined fire and ambulance stations.

Vaught previously served as an elected member of the Rutherford County Commission from 1986 to 1998. He recalled being one of the strong advocates on the commission in the 1990s to keep high school grades at Eagleville School on the far southwest side of the county when district officials considered dropping grades 9-12 from the campus.

"That community high school has thrived," said Vaught, adding that he will support the needs of students throughout Zone 2 and the county. "I'm a very strong advocate for community schools."

'We've very excited': Open house to celebrate Rutherford County's first Public Health and Safety Building in Rockvale community

Vaught also advocated for magnet schools for high achievers, including McFadden School of Excellence where his sons attended. One of his sons graduated from the county's Oakland High School and Vanderbilt University in Nashville; and the other graduated from the county's Central Magnet School and Rhodes College in Memphis.

"Education has been very important to me," said Vaught, who earned a degree in education and agriculture in 1985 from Middle Tennessee State University in Murfreesboro before pursuing his career in real estate. "My mother was a high school teacher."

His late mother, Nettie Laura Vaught, taught home economics at Central High (now Central Magnet) and Oakland High.

Republican primary opponents for Zone 2: Vaught, Rourke compete in GOP primary for Rutherford County Zone 2 school board seat

Vaught said one of his goals will be to help the school board build two or three career and technical education (CTE) centers that would be open to students throughout the county to pursue training for jobs. He visualizes the county winning government grants and donations from businesses needing a skilled workforce to help fund the CTE centers.

Teaching trades maybe a great opportunity for teens who'd rather avoid the burden of student loan debt from college educations, Vaught suggested.

"I think we owe it to our young people to allow that path," Vaught said. "The vast majority of the people are in a trade that may not need a college education."

Vaught also said listening to parents is important. He also wants to bring a voice that helps calm a sometimes divided school board.

"There's been a lot of dissention on that board a few years now," Vaught said. "Thats not a good way to get things done."

Republican primary results: GOP voters choose Vaughn, Vaught, Tidwell and Maxwell for Rutherford County school board

Brooks advocates for parent choice and parent voice

Robert Brooks

Brooks and his wife, Toshua Brooks, manage Tennessee Baptist Adult Home for special needs residents.

The couple have four children, ranging from age 2 to the oldest pursuing a doctorate at Michigan State University. The family has one child attending Smyrna High School and the other is a homeschool student, Brooks said.

Brooks said he wants to make a difference in the community by advocating for parents to make decisions for their children.

"I want to make sure the parent voice and the parent choice stays at the forefront of our education system," said Brooks, who spoke to the board in April in opposition to limiting public comments to meeting agenda issues.

'Political speech is free speech': County school board postpones vote to limit comments

Brooks supports quality charter schools that offer parents other choices for educating children.

"Im always a firm believer that we can always do better," Brooks said.

Brooks said one of his priorities as a school official will be for the district to improve the county's literacy rate that he views as being too low.

"You have to find ways to be more innovative, to be more creative," Brooks said.

Another goal is for the school board to move faster to purchase land to build needed schools to keep up with growth and relieve overcrowding in a district that depended on 179 portable classrooms this past year, Brooks said.

"We should be planning for whats coming and not sitting idle," Brooks said.

"My hope is that the charter schools will bring some relief until we can actually get some plans put in place."

School choice issues: 3 charter schools could cost Rutherford up to $15M: 'Funding mechanism should be equitable'

Reach reporter Scott Broden with news tips or questions by emailing him at sbroden@dnj.com. To support his work with The Daily News Journal, sign up for a digital subscription.

Election schedule 2024 for Rutherford County

Election Day for Rutherford County and Murfreesboro offices, as well as primaries for state and federal legislative offices: Aug. 1

Election Day for president and offices for federal, state, Eagleville, La Vergne and Smyrna: Nov. 5

Last day to register to vote in Nov. 5 election: Oct. 7

Absentee by mail voting period for Nov. 5 election: Aug. 7-Oct. 29

Early voting period for Aug. 1 election: Oct. 16-31

Source: Rutherford County Election Commission website

This article originally appeared on Murfreesboro Daily News Journal: Rutherford school board race gets divisive with GOP RINO insult
Check Call the Show. News and Analysis for 3PLs and Freight Brokers.

The Future of Freight Festival in Chattanooga, Tennessee, is the event of the fall. Subscribers to Check Call have a special discount code for F3 registration. This is going to be one of the best deals on F3 tickets. Use the code CheckCallF324 or go to this link, and the discount will be applied. There is no better party than a Chattanooga party. This is not one to miss.

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Its the summer of research, and another study has come out for 3PLs: the 19th annual Inbound Logistics Perspectives 3PL Market Research Report. It finds that this years shippers are worrying about issues that were less significant in 2023s report.

For example, while just 37% of shippers cited cutting transportation costs as a top challenge in 2023, this year 41% are seeking ways to spend less. The gaps grow larger from there. Concern about business process improvement has increased by 8 points since 2023, concern about improving customer service has gone up 10 points, and concern about supply chain visibility has gone up 12 points.

There seems to be a common theme across the board as 3PLs cite rising operational costs as an issue. Actually, 73% of 3PL respondents cite operational costs as the top concern this year, compared with 62% in 2023. On the flip side, 45% of 3PLs mention finding and retaining customers as a challenge, up by 12 points since 2023.

As for the reason for a failed 3PL partnership, 36% of shippers cite poor customer service. Thats not as alarming as 29% of shippers saying that failed expectations are why they sought a new alternative. Last year that number was 17%. Cost is also a major factor for shippers: About 21% say thats the reason. In any event, gone are the days of making empty promises to shippers. 3PLs have to start putting their work where their mouth is.

Shippers say theyre unhappy with service and theyre unhappy with cost. Unfortunately those tend to go hand in hand as the better service a 3PL offers, the pricier it is and vice versa. The study found that when it comes down to it, 74% of shippers say service is more important than cost. Shippers know it costs a little more to work with a good 3PL. As long as that partner follows through and delivers, literally and figuratively, shippers are on board with paying more.

Rounding out the survey is a look at sales: 67% of 3PL respondents have seen sales increase since last year. That pales beside the 81% who were enjoying higher revenues in 2023. Meanwhile, 33% of this years respondents have seen revenues hold steady or fall, compared with 19% last year.

As a whole, shippers have higher demands and expectations for 3PLs and freight brokers. With the market anticipated to turn at the end of this year or in Q1 2025, getting a firm understanding now of shippers perspectives is vital to avoid their jumping ship when the turn comes.

Story continues

SONAR TRAC Market Dashboard

TRAC Tuesday. Spot rates from Tampa Bay, Florida, headed into Memphis, Tennessee, are on the decline as the month comes to a close. The spot rates for this lane are almost $1 less per mile than the National Truckload Index, which is hovering around $2.41 per mile. Outbound tender rejections in Memphis have increased from 7.39% to 7.82%, a 164-basis-point increase week over week. No doubt the reason for the drop in spot rates is Tampa Bay, with an OTRI of 1.49%. That is a 64-basis-point decrease w/w. An increase in Lakelands outbound tender rejections is about the only thing that will revive spot rates for this lane.

Whos with whom?

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While it might not be very complicated, there is a 25-year history between Werner Enterprises and Mexico. Werner launched its Mexico-based operations in 1999 with a handful of employees and an office. Fast forward to now, and there are more than 150 associates and 10 offices.

FreightWaves Noi Mahoney writes: The company has many of the same cross-border customers from 25 years ago, Lance Dixon, senior vice president of Mexico, Canada and temperature-controlled divisions at Werner, said. We still do business with Rheem, who makes water heaters and air conditioners; Toro, which makes lawn mowers; and Schneider Electric is another one that was with us early on and is still with us today.

Mexico has maintained its status as the top trading partner with the U.S., and given that this is still the upswing of the rise of Mexico, theres a big future for Werner and other carriers looking to make headway there.

The more you know

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The post Check Call: Shippers spell out expectations for 3PLs appeared first on FreightWaves.
(FOX40.COM)  Two people are in critical condition and several others are injured after a major car crash, according to Sacramento Metropolitan Fire District.

Around 8:15 p.m. on Monday, Metro Fire responded to what they are calling a multi-casualty incident near Jackson Highway and Murieta Drive in Rancho Murieta. The crash involved five people, four of them were transported to a local hospital. Details about the two people in critical condition have not been released.

Officials said the California Highway Patrol is investigating the incident. As of 9:30 p.m., Jackson Highway is closed in both directions.

Additional information will be provided as it becomes available.

Copyright 2024 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.

For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to FOX40.
Sacramento State placed a masters degree program on hiatus, attributing low enrollment numbers in recent years as why.

The College of Business has suspended its Master of Business Administration for Executive program starting this fall, according to a note on the schools website. The program reportedly failed to enroll a sufficient number of students to break even for multiple years.

In an emailed statement, the business school dean, Jean-Francois Coget, said the program is a self-support program, meaning California State University, Sacramento requires the program to generate enough revenue to at least break even on the program costs.

Coget said in his email that breaking even would require roughly 30 students per cohort. A photo on the College of Businesss website showed the most recent graduated EMBA cohort, with 13 students receiving the degree.

Students who were accepted into the EMBA program for this fall were offered admission into CSUSs traditional MBA or online iMBA programs. If they prefer to not attend the school, the university is offering a refund on their application fees, Coget said.

Though the EMBA program has struggled for multiple years, Coget said the MBA and iMBA programs have shown growing demand, as well as the Master of Science programs in Business Analytics, Finance and Accountancy.

What is the EMBA program?

The EMBA program was designed for highly engaged working executives and managers who are seeking leadership or C-suite roles in a company, the business schools website says.

The program is more rigorous than a general MBA through CSUS, with 41 required credits over 15 months, whereas the general program requires 33 credits in an average of 30 months, according to the programs webpage.

Eight classes made up the core component of the program, covering topics like finance, marketing and accounting. The program required students pick four other electives from a broader list of managerial topics. The program culminated with a three-month individual project.

Coget said in his statement that in the fall, the business schools administration and faculty will be reviewing how to maximize enrollment and prioritize innovation and service to the community across the schools five other graduate programs and 10 undergraduate programs.

This is when we will decide about the future of the EMBA program, he said.
Police departments statewide will soon be urged to apply for a slice of a $5 million grant to figure out how to make their private schools safer.

The Private School Security Assessment Grant Program was announced Tuesday at the first of a two-day Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School Safety Commission meeting, where officials said the school security for private schools throughout Florida has not kept pace with improvements made at public schools.

The commission was formed in 2018 to investigate failures that led to the Parkland school shooting tragedy on Feb. 14, 2018. It has been meeting since April 2018 and has been the impetus behind new laws, policies and regulations.

The grant would reimburse sheriffs offices and police agencies for:

 Conducting a physical site security assessment.

 Developing active assailant response protocols and training.

 Implementing active assailant response drills for students and school personnel.

 Providing guidance for private schools to implement a threat management program similar to the one required by public schools.

Pinellas County, which has 160 private schools, already evaluates the perimeter, exterior, and interior of the campus and its buildings for its private schools, and then provides the school with a comprehensive report that identifies their strengths, weaknesses, and opportunities for improvement, according to records.

The program began in 2023, and Pinellas Sheriff Lt. Kim Killian pointed to the March 27, 2023, mass shooting at The Covenant School, a Christian grade school in Nashville where a former student killed three children and three staff members before police fatally shot the shooter.

It doesnt matter whether its a public or private school, officials warned. They look for soft targets, they look for schools that are not prepared, Killian said.

Florida law has required threat management teams in every public school since March 2018 but they are not required in private schools and have, for the most part, not existed in private schools across the state, according to documents provided to the safety commission. While there are 4,000 public schools in Florida, there are nearly 3,000 private schools, according to the safety commission.

The private school safety and security program includes physical site security assessments and active assailant policies and drills.

We know that people react how they train, and in the case of an active assailant on campus, if schools dont have a response plan and people dont regularly train on it, they will not react or certainly not react effectively, according to Pinellas program documentation provided to the safety commission.

Related Articles

Applications will begin in September and be available through June 30, 2025.

Polk County Sheriff Grady Judd said he encourages his schools not to wait to spend the money on improvements the day after the shooter arrives.

Other changes are in store for school safety in Florida:

 New this year is a state law that all school classrooms in district public schools and public charter schools must mark the safest areas in each classroom where students must shelter in place during an emergency. Students must be notified of these safe areas within the first 10 days of the school year. That could be a dot on the wall or a sign. Pinellas County Sheriff Bob Gualtieri, the safety commissions chairman, said he is still haunted thinking of those in Parkland who were killed in the school shooting, unsure of where to hide, two of them seeking refuge behind a television.

 The Safety & Threat Management Portal, an online portal, will be completed by August 2025 and allow statewide tracking of troubled students who transfer schools.

One system, one platform, Gualtieri said.

Currently a physical file is mailed to the new school, or transferred to a document to be emailed. Creating this electronic system which will have real-time information to help identify a childs needs and the services they require, is a significant game-changer in sharing information, he said.

 Also by August 2025 will be the full rollout of the School Environment Safety Incident Report, known as SESIR, which publicly documents 26 types of crimes and incidents sorted by school, including fighting and weapons possession. There are still schools either underreporting or not reporting, and the new system will be streamlined with automated reports, Gualtieri said.

Its too subjective now, he said of the reporting methods.

Lisa J. Huriash can be reached at lhuriash@sunsentinel.com. Follow on X, formerly Twitter, @LisaHuriash
Voice actors will be hitting the picket lines Thursday, as SAG-AFTRA announced the first in-person action against one of 10 major video game companies impacted by the Interactive Media Agreement strike.

The picket will take place at WB Games Inc. in Los Angeles from 9 a.m. to 12 p.m. PT, with members asked to gather at Gate 5 of the studio lot.

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Leadership will be in attendance, including SAG-AFTRA Interactive Media Agreement Negotiating (IMA) Committee members Sarah Elmaleh (Chair), Zeke Alton, Ashly Burch, and Andi Norris as well as National Executive Director Duncan Crabtree-Ireland.

The picket announcement comes after the rest of the Hollywood unions through their support behind SAG-AFTRAs latest strike in a joint statement on Tuesday.

The statement came from the American Federation of Musicians (AFM), Directors Guild of America (DGA), International Alliance of Theatrical Stage Employees (IATSE), International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers Local 40 (IBEW), International Brotherhood of Teamsters Local 399 (IBT), Laborers International Union of North America Local 724 (LiUNA!), Operating Plasterers & Cement Masons International Association (OPCMIA) Local 755, United Association Plumbers Local 78 (UA), Writers Guild of America East (WGAE), and Writers Guild of America West (WGAW

For more than 18 months, the SAG-AFTRA Interactive Media Agreement Negotiating Committee has worked in good faith to reach a deal on a new contract with 10 video game producing companies. Despite the committees efforts, these employers  who generate billions of dollars in annual profit from 3.2 billion active gamers worldwide  failed to recognize the rights of workers to be protected against the unconstrained rise of artificial intelligence, the statement read. These workers have made the difficult choice to strike as they fight for basic AI protections, and we stand with them in solidarity. Our unions understand the need to fight back against the threat of AI. We call on these video game companies to acknowledge the contributions of these performers, and to work toward a future where their work is valued, and their labor cannot be replaced by technology.

The strike went into effect at midnight on Friday, after more than 18 months of negotiations with the major video game companies on a new deal. The union has been outspoken about how artificial intelligence is the main sticking point in these talks, calling it an existential threat.

After just mere hours on strike, several voice actors  including Elmaleh  gathered at San Diego Comic-Con to discuss.

She explained that their proposed contract provisions are built around consent [and] transparency that provides the basis for a meaningful consentand proper compensation. Were willing to work with you, but we need to talk about how this tool is going to be used, and we deserve that right.

Comic-Con was exempt from the strike rules, meaning that voice actors were free to promote their video game projects at the convention. This picket will kick off in-person actions related to the strike, of which there were surely be more.

The 10 companies facing the strike are Activision Productions Inc., Blindlight LLC, Disney Character Voices Inc., Electronic Arts Productions Inc., Epic Games, Inc., Formosa Interactive LLC, Insomniac Games Inc., Take 2 Productions Inc., VoiceWorks Productions Inc., and WB Games Inc.

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Salem man arrested in connection with sexual assault cases at massage businesses

Salem Police said officers arrested a 39-year-old man in connection with two sexual assault cases at massage businesses and are asking for individuals who may have information to come forward.

Officers responded to reports of Felix Flores Jr. attempting to sexually assault an employee at Happy Holiday Massage, located at 1828 Lancaster Drive NE, around 10:45 a.m. Friday, according to a news release.

Flores walked into the business and asked an employee for a "sex massage," according to court documents. When she declined, surveillance cameras show he pushed her into a massage room. The woman fought with him and shouted, which caught the attention of others. Flores fled on foot and was arrested nearby.

Flores also was identified as the suspect in a July 22 assault case, according to the release. On July 22, Flores is accused of sexually assaulting an employee at Sasa Massage, which is located at 820 Commercial St. SE.

Flores pushed his way into the business and locked the front door behind him, according to court documents. He then grabbed an employee around the waist and pushed her into the massage room.

The employee also reported he attempted to return to the business twice that week.

Flores denied any physical altercations, although both were recorded on surveillance video, the documents state.

He was arraigned Monday on charges of sodomy, rape, attempted rape, assault and kidnapping.

The Chevrolet Astro Van driven by a suspect in two sexual assault cases.

Police said Flores drives a late-model, green Chevrolet Astro Van with dark windows, a luggage rack and a rear sunroof.

Police are asking individuals with information regarding Flores to contact Special Victims Unit Detective Sabrina Hunter.

Isabel Funk covers breaking news and public safety for the Statesman Journal. Funk can be reached at ifunk@statesmanjournal.com or on X at @isabeldfunk

This article originally appeared on Salem Statesman Journal: Salem man arrested in connection with sexual assault cases
Duval County Supervisor of Elections has mailed out sample ballots for the August 20th Primary Election.

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While Florida is a closed Primary state, which means that only voters registered within that political party may vote in that partys Primary Election, there is something for all voters to cast ballots on. This includes non-partisan races like judges and school board members.

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Almost 570,000 registered voters will receive sample ballots in the mail. This doesnt include those that have already been mailed their vote-by-mail ballot.

Duval County Supervisor of Elections said a voter can cast a ballot at any of their 24 Early Voting sites starting on Mon., Aug. 5, 2024, through Sun., Aug. 18, 2024. Hours for early voting are 10 a.m. through 6 p.m.

The deadline for voters to request a Vote-By-Mail ballot to be mailed for the Primary is 5 p.m., Thu., Aug. 8, 2024.

For a complete list of early voting locations visit www.duvalelections.gov.

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San Angelo's weekly restaurant inspections. How did they do?

The San Angelo/Tom Green County Health Department regularly monitors restaurants and food establishments for compliance with state food safety requirements.

Frequent inspections are essential in preventing the spread of foodborne illnesses through contamination and improper handling, storage and sanitation.

Scores for retail food establishments, food stores, mobile food units and school and daycare establishments inspected the week from June 30-July 6 are listed below.

Restaurant inspections

The Standard-Times obtained the information through an open records request.

Disclaimer: On any given day, an establishment may have fewer or more violations than noted in its most recent inspection. An inspection conducted on any given day may not be representative of the overall, long-term conditions at the establishment. A few more recent, follow-up inspections may not be included here.

Environmental Health Division inspectors fill out one page of these reports. Other Texas health divisions, such as in Taylor and Wichita counties, fill out multiple pages with details, providing more information the public can obtain about local establishments that handle food.

Any issues, comments or corrections are verbalized to local restaurants, according to Sandra Villarreal, the San Angelo-based health services director.

All food establishments are inspected in accordance with the Texas Food Establishment Rules as adopted by the city of San Angelo.

Perfect scores

Napoli's (bar), 1901 Knickerbocker Road

The Plated Dish, 2005 Knickerbocker Road

High to Moderates Scores

Hope & Manuel's Homemade Tamales, 738 San Jacinto St.: 98

Joe's Taqueria, 1616 S. Chadbourne St.: 94

Napoli's, 1901 Knickerbocker Road: 99

RJ Catering, 1402 N. Bryant Blvd.: 93

San Angelo Host Municipal Pool, 18 E. Ave. A: 99

San Angelo River Stage, 16 E. Ave. A: 99

Senor Changs, 1822 N. Chadbourne St.: 96

Subway No. 14747, 2210 N. Bryant Blvd.: 97

Sylvia's Hawaiian Shaved Ice, 2018 Junius St.: 96

For more information on Environmental Health's services or to file a complaint against a food establishment or other public health nuisance, call 325-657-4493.

June 23-29: Environmental contamination, toxic substances: San Angelo's weekly restaurant inspections

June 16-22: Flies, dirty can opener, contamination: San Angelo's weekly restaurant inspections

This article originally appeared on San Angelo Standard-Times: San Angelo restaurant inspections June 30-July 6
San Francisco Supervisor Dean Preston speaks at a news conference opposing Mayor London Breed's crackdown on homeless encampments in San Francisco on Tuesday, July 30, 2024. Police will start clearing out homeless residents who have refused to move from public areas under new policies. (AP Photo/Terry Chea)

SAN FRANCISCO (AP)  Police in San Francisco will start clearing out homeless residents living in public areas under new policies announced Tuesday by the office of Mayor London Breed, who has pledged a more aggressive approach to tent encampments following a key U.S. Supreme Court decision.

In a memo, Breed's office said city workers will continue offering housing and services to homeless people as they work to dismantle tent encampments, but street cleaners, police and other city workers will have greater leeway to prevent tents from popping back up in areas that have been cleared or to prevent smaller encampments from growing into larger ones.

San Francisco has nearly 4,000 shelter beds for an estimated 8,000 people who are homeless. Breed has expanded capacity since taking office in 2018, but the city is still short.

The goal of this enforcement is for people to accept offers of shelter and know that they cannot remain where they are. Staff will not be required to re-offer shelter in an area where theyve recently been working to clear an encampment if individuals return to that same area, said the release.

The U.S. Supreme Court in June made it easier for cities to ban homeless encampments, an issue cropping up in more parts of the country amid the high costs of housing and opioid drug crisis. In California, which is home to nearly a third of an estimated 650,000 homeless people in the U.S., Gov. Gavin Newsom last week ordered state agencies to begin removing tents and structures on state land.

In central California, the Fresno City Council gave initial approval Monday to a ban on homeless camping despite impassioned pleas from residents and advocates that people should not be punished for being poor.

In San Francisco, a multi-department unit goes out to clear encampments at least twice a day, five days a week, with homeless residents receiving advance notice of upcoming cleanings and outreach.

That will continue, but city workers can now return to cleared areas to force out a returning person. Also, new teams of police and public works employees will go out daily to address smaller encampments.

Breed, who is in a tough reelection bid, said the city will still offer services and shelter. But new methods are needed as homeless people reject two-thirds of shelter offers. Enforcement will be progressive, with warnings followed by citations, escalating penalties, and even arrest, according to her office.

Homeless people say they have rejected shelter offers because they cant take all their belongings or bring pets, or they have had traumatic encounters with staff or other residents. They were among those who sued the city in 2022, alleging the city was not providing notice or making real offers of shelter. The case is pending.

Homeless advocates in San Francisco said at a Tuesday press event that hundreds of subsidized housing units and hotel rooms are vacant and available, but officials are focused instead on encampment sweeps that worsen the situation.

Our local officials are choosing to confiscate people's property, survival gear, medications, the last items they're holding on to after losing everything, instead of offering... a place to live, said Jennifer Friedenbach, executive director of the Coalition on Homelessness.

Officials with Los Angeles County said at a supervisors' board meeting Tuesday they disagreed with the governor's approach to addressing homelessness.

Criminalization is intentionally not part of the countys framework because it makes the problem worse by creating more barriers along peoples path to housing, and it runs counter to our goals to create a more equitable system, said Los Angeles Homeless Services Authority CEO Va Lecia Adams Kellum.

-

AP reporter Jaimie Ding contributed from Los Angeles.
MSNBC's Rachel Maddow on Monday sounded the alarm about former President Donald Trump's concerning comments about voting.

"Get out and vote just this time. You wont have to do it anymore," Trump told a crowd of far-right Christian allies on Friday. Four more years it will be fixed. Itll be fine. You wont have to vote anymore, my beautiful Christians.

"There's one last thing, in terms of the weirdness of this campaign, that I think is actually quite serious," Maddow said on Monday regarding the remark, while also gesturing toward the general peculiarities of the MAGA presidential campaign. Though many Republican figureheads have dismissed Trump's voting comments as hyperbole, Maddow, like many other progressives, was left deeply disturbed by his rhetoric.

"Now, this is not the first time Trump has told a campaign audience that they will never have to vote again once they vote him back in this time, and that is alarming for all the reasons you immediately think it is," she said while citing a similar instance that transpired in June while Trump sought to appeal to Black voters in Philadelphia.

"Christians go to church, but they don't vote that much. You know the power you have if you would vote," Trump said at an event in Washington organized by the Freedom and Faith Coalition, per Reuters. "You gotta get out and vote. Just this time. In four years you don't have to vote, OK? In four years don't vote, I don't care."

"He's positing this like it's a happy thing," Maddow argued. "'Oh joy! Never having the burden of voting again!'"

"The point of democracy is that we vote all the time," she added. "And we like it  that's how we decide what happens in our country. He's promising his followers that he'll end all of that. And it's exactly what you think it is."

Maddow continued by pointing out something that she alleged was "even more strange" than Trump's voting claims, though it hasn't gained as much attention. "The day before Trump made those remarks on Friday ... he didn't say that people wouldn't have to vote anymore once he was elected this November. No  the day before that, on Thursday, he told his supporters, not that they're not going to have to vote again, but that they don't have to vote this time. That they don't need to vote for him this November."

The MSNBC host then played an audio clip of the ex-president speaking to a group of Fox News personalities, saying, "My instruction  we don't need the votes. I have so many votes."

"He says this all the time now," Maddow continued, before airing a montage of Trump iterating the same point in various speeches.

"Of all the weirdness around this campaign, this is a truly strange thing to tell people, right?" she asked rhetorically. "Having a new position on literally anything you can think of as soon as any random rich guy tells you to  that's a weird thing. Picking the eccentric billionaire's intern for your running mate, even though you apparently had no idea who he was or what a disaster he is on television  all of this is weird," Maddow added, referring to Trump's Veep-pick, Sen. JD Vance, R-Ohio.

"But telling voters, 'Do not bother to vote for me it doesn't matter if you do, I don't need your votes.' That is a thing that should prick up your ears," Maddow continued. "Because what that means, is that he doesn't think he needs to win the vote to win the election. He doesn't think he needs to win the election in order to take power. He thinks something other than votes is going to determine whether he gets back in the White House."
Kirkland Police (KPD) are warning residents that scammers are impersonating officers over the phone and demanding payment for fake outstanding fines.

Although this scam is on the rise in Kirkland, police said this is not a new scam.

The scam works by perpetrators passing themselves off as KPD officers warning residents about citations and demanding payment over the phone.

In some instances, the scammers are asking potential victims to come by the police station and pay in cash but to call a specific number when they arrive.

KPD said there are currently no reports that any residents have fallen victim to the scam, although five reports have been made to police.

Police remind residents that the department never requests cash, credit card information, or gift cards for any reason.

Residents are urged to report fraudulent behavior, by filing an online police report, call KPDs non-emergency line at (425) 577-5656 or visit the Kirkland Police Department in person at 11750 NE 118th Street in Kirkland.
Scientists say Autism could be linked to fatty acids in the umbilical cord

TAMPA, Fla. (BLOOM)  Scientists at the University of Fukui in Japan have identified a significant link between specific fatty acid metabolites found in umbilical cord blood and the symptoms of autism spectrum disorder (ASD) in children. This groundbreaking research, published in Psychiatry and Clinical Neurosciences, could pave the way for early diagnostic techniques, potentially improving the lives of those affected by ASD.

ASD, a neurodevelopmental disorder affecting social behavior and learning capabilities, has seen increased awareness in recent decades. Despite this, the underlying causes of ASD remain largely elusive. Current research points to neuroinflammation and polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFA) as key factors, but human studies have been limited.

To bridge this gap, a research team led by Professor Hideo Matsuzaki from the Research Center for Child Mental Development at the University of Fukui, alongside Dr. Takaharu Hirai and Dr. Naoko Umeda, analyzed the levels of cytochrome P450 (CYP) regulated PUFA metabolites in neonatal umbilical cord blood. Their study involved 200 children whose ASD symptoms were assessed at six years old.

Professor Matsuzaki explained the motivation behind the study, stating, CYP metabolism forms both epoxy fatty acids (EpFAs), which have anti-inflammatory effects, and dihydroxy fatty acids, or diols, which have inflammatory properties. We hypothesized that the dynamics of CYP-PUFA metabolites during the fetal period, such as lower EpFA levels and higher diol levels, would influence ASD symptoms and daily functioning in children after birth.

The researchers discovered that the levels of 11,12-dihydroxyeicosatrienoic acid (diHETrE), a dihydroxy fatty acid derived from arachidonic acid, in cord blood significantly impacted subsequent ASD symptoms. Higher levels of 11,12-diHETrE were linked to social interaction difficulties, while lower levels of 8,9-diHETrE were associated with repetitive behaviors. Notably, these correlations were more pronounced in girls.

The levels of diHETrE in cord blood at birth significantly impacted ASD symptoms in children and were associated with impaired adaptive functioning, said Matsuzaki. This suggests that the dynamics of diHETrE during the fetal period are crucial in the developmental trajectory of children after birth.

This discovery holds potential for early diagnosis and intervention. By measuring diHETrE levels at birth, it might be possible to predict the likelihood of ASD development, allowing for timely support and intervention. Professor Matsuzaki also suggested that inhibiting diHETrE metabolism during pregnancy could be a promising avenue for preventing ASD traits, though more research is needed.

These findings represent a promising step towards unraveling the complexities of ASD. Enhanced understanding and early diagnostics could significantly improve the lives of individuals with ASD and their families, offering hope for better outcomes in the future.

For more information, check the University of Fukuis official research page.

Reference: Title of original paper: Arachidonic acid-derived dihydroxy fatty acids in neonatal cord blood relate to symptoms of autism spectrum disorders and social adaptive functioning: Hamamatsu Birth Cohort for Mothers and Children (HBC Study) Journal: Psychiatry and Clinical Neurosciences DOI: https://doi.org/10.1111/pcn.13710

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These Scientists Were Shamed for Claiming Signs of Life on Venus, But Now They're Back With More Evidence

Venus Sky Trap

In 2020, a team of researchers led by Jane Greaves from Cardiff University in the UK announced the discovery of a significant source of phosphine, a "biosignature" gas that's closely related to life on Earth, in the clouds above Venus.

While plenty of questions remained regarding the habitability of the highly acidic environment, the findings suggested that the clouds just might be home to life.

Perhaps unsurprisingly, the findings proved highly controversial, with other scientists disputing the results.

Earlier this month, however, Greaves and her colleagues presented fresh evidence for an upcoming scientific paper at this year's Royal Astronomical Society meeting in Hull, England.

This time, it's about new evidence for the presence of ammonia, another gas that's overwhelmingly the result of biological activity on Earth. It's not a slam dunk, but Greaves' crew is clearly building the case for an otherworldly ecosystem on the second planet from the Sun.

"The exciting thing behind this would be if its some kind of microbial life making the ammonia, because that would be a neat way for it to regulate its own environment," Greaves told CNN. "It would make its environment much less acidic and much more survivable, to the point its only as acidic as some of the most extreme places on Earth  so not completely crazy."

Cloud Atlas

But the gulf between "not completely crazy" and compelling evidence for extraterrestrial life is enormous.

"Theres a lot of other processes that could go on, and we just dont have any ground truth to say whether that process is possible or not," Greaves told CNN.

"We understand why ammonia might be useful to life," added Imperial College London astrophysics reader Dave Clements, who presented separate evidence for the existence of ammonia on Venus at the meeting. "We dont understand how the ammonia is produced, just like we dont understand how the phosphine is produced, but if there is ammonia there, it would have a functional purpose that we can understand."

Other experts also expressed the need for caution, despite our understanding of the extraterrestrial environment changing considerably in light of the latest findings.

University of Aberdeen planetary sciences professor Javier Martin-Torres challenged Greaves' findings in a 2021 paper, concluding that the water availability in the planet's atmosphere was far too low to make it a habitable place.

The most recent finding that ammonia may be able to make a dent in the highly acidic environment, however, has him intrigued. Now he tells CNN that it "challenges our understanding and suggests that more complex chemical processes might be at play."

Fortunately, NASA is planning to have a probe dubbed Deep Atmosphere Venus Investigation of Noble gases, Chemistry, and Imaging (DAVINCI) plunge through the Venus atmosphere in the 2030s  a mission that could finally shed more light on the matter.

More on the findings: Scientists Spot Possible Signs of Life in Clouds of Venus
Scott Peterson to give first on-camera interview in over two decades in new docuseries

Scott Peterson, 51, is set to appear in a documentary that will feature his first interview in over 20 years.

The documentary, titled Face to Face with Scott Peterson, will be shown through NBCs streaming platform, Peacock, which debuted a trailer for the show on YouTube on Monday.

The worlds media hung on every moment of the trial, and Scott was convicted and sentenced to death, read the shows synopsis. Case closed. Or is it?

Peterson is serving a life sentence for the murder of Laci and the couples unborn son, Conner. The search for Laci captivated the nation when she was reported missing in 2002. Interest in the case has persisted since. Peterson was convicted in 2004 and sentenced to death. In 2020, Peterson was resentenced to life in prison.

The trailer shows Peterson talking to the series director and executive producer, Shareen Anderson. The shows synopsis says the series will feature several on-camera interviews with Peterson, Modesto Police Department detectives and Janey Peterson, who is Petersons sister-in-law.

The documentary is set to explore theories purported by Janey Peterson and Scott Petersons new defense team, the Los Angeles Innocence Project, which argue that Peterson is innocent and deserves a new trial.

Most think justice was served, but some dont. reads a title card showed during the trailer, before cutting to a shot of Janey Peterson.

Both she and the L.A. Innocence Project received renewed media interest following the latters filings of several motions to explore aspects of Petersons case they believed would get him a new trial. Since then, many of these motions were either rejected or severely diminished.

The orange van theory, is based on the idea Laci was abducted by being pushed into a van at La Loma Park while walking her dog. The van was found with a bloodstained mattress inside, which already was tested for DNA when detectives were investigating Lacis murder.

A Stanislaus County District Attorneys Office response stated that a male profile was developed and that there is no legitimate DNA test that will turn the male profile into a match for Laci.

Earlier this month, Petersons defense filed a motion asking prosecutors for over 600 items of material, further prolonging his years-long bid for a new trial. The motion came after San Mateo County Superior Court Judge Elizabeth Hill rejected DNA testing for 13 items his defense requested. One item was accepted by Hill.

Prosecutors repeatedly have argued that almost everything the LA Innocence Project is motioning to reexamine was scrutinized during Petersons 2004 trial, his appeals and when his sentence was reduced.

Because of the cases long timeline, prominence and Petersons multiple appeals and court appearances, there are thousands of pages of discovery items. Petersons defense has the ability to scour these and bring him back into a courtroom for months, if not years.

Face to Face with Scott Peterson premieres Aug. 20.
Scranton man sentenced to 28.5 to 60 years after assaulting three kids

SCRANTON, LACKAWANNA COUNTY (WBRE/WYOU)  Authorities say a man will be spending time in prison after being sentenced for assaulting three children.

The Lackawanna County District Attorney Mark Powell in a press release said Judge Michael Barrasse sentenced Kareem Shelton on Monday to 28 and a half to 60 years in prison for aggravated assault of children on three underage victims.

New details in homeless camp homicide investigation

28/22 News reported previously that in August of 2023, the US Marshalls Fugitive Task Force and Scranton Police arrested Shelton at his Scranton home for assaulting children over an 18-month period between 2015 and 2016.

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For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to PAhomepage.com.
Editors Note: An earlier version of this article may have been unclear about when the sentencing would take place.

SCRANTON, LACKAWANNA COUNTY (WBRE/WYOU)  The Lackawanna County District Attorneys Office says the teen who was convicted of being involved in a fatal stabbing in Scranton was sentenced Tuesday afternoon.

The Lackawanna County District Attorneys Office announced that 18-year-old Amir Williams was sentenced to 38 years to life in prison for the stabbing death of 18-year-old Tyler McKenna during a gang-related fight near Scranton High School.

During the sentencing, Tylers mother and father spoke directly to the judge and to Williams, expressing their pain and grief over the loss of their son.

They shared the heartbreaking reality that Tyler was about to become a father, and now his child will grow up without him.

Details into lawsuit filed against Dunmore School District

In a letter read to the court, Williams mother apologized to the McKenna family, acknowledging the shared loss and tragedy of the event, and asked the judge for mercy for her son.

Williams addressed the court himself and expressed his remorse, even saying karma can come back and haunt him.

Judge Gibbons remarked on Amirs association with a gang, stating that his decision to be in one ultimately led him to the courtroom on Tuesday.

I think the sentence is a firm sentence, delivers a clear message, gang activity is not going to be tolerated theres going to be serious consequences to individuals who join gangs, commit crimes while gang members, and hopefully that acts as a deter and protects all of us, Lackawanna County District Attorney Mark Powell said.

Two other individuals were arrested for the crime as well, however, District Attorney Powell could not comment on their cases at this time because they are juveniles.

In 2022, 28/22 News reported three people were arrested after an altercation ended the life of McKenna.

The video footage from the altercation showed then, 16-year-old Amir Williams stabbing McKenna three times in the back and side while he was engaging in a fight with another suspect.

Officials say in the footage a third party joined the fight and Williams stabbed McKenna at least four more times in the chest area.

McKenna died from his injuries.

Investigators say a connection was later made between a Scranton drive-by shooting and the fatal stabbing.

In addition to his sentence, Williams will also serve two years of probation.

Copyright 2024 Nexstar Media, Inc. 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 black and white photo of Helen Keller, standing among with books in braille, holding a large Braille book in her hands.

Helen Keller, a writer, educator and advocate for the disabled, holds a Braille volume in a library surrounded by shelves containing books and decorative figurines in a 1956 portrait. A childhood illness left Keller, a native of Tuscumbia, blind and deaf. (Hulton Archive/Getty Images)

The sculptor of a Helen Keller statue headed to the Alabama State Capitol said Tuesday the sculpture would be ready for bronze casting in probably one more month.

Jay Warren, an Oregon-based sculptor designing the state of the disability rights activist, shared photos of the statue with the Alabama Womens Tribute Statue Commission over a Zoom call.

I want to work on her face some more and get the likeness better, he said. Detail everything, smooth out some stuff.

A statue of a woman extending her hand

The commission is overseeing the installation of statues of Keller and civil rights activist Rosa Parks on the grounds of the Capitol. The two monuments would be the first on the Capitol grounds to depict Alabama women.

Keller, a Tuscumbia native who lost her vision and hearing from an illness contracted before her second birthday, became an author and an advocate for the rights of the disabled. Montgomery police arrested Parks, a longtime activist, on Dec. 1, 1955 after she refused to surrender her seat to a white man on a segregated bus. The arrest sparked the Montgomery Bus Boycott, viewed as the start of the modern Civil Rights Movement.

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Both statues will have plaques attached, and the wording on both plaques was a focus of the meeting on Tuesday. Kellers monument will have quotes from Keller written in Braille. Warren asked for the commissions help in proofreading the Braille quotes.

I want to make sure its perfect before it goes to bronze, he said.

Members of the commission also reviewed suggested language for a plaque attached to the statue of Parks. Commission members and Julia Knight, a Georgia-based sculptor who designed the statue, all agreed that the plaque should break from concept of Parks as refusing to give up her seat due to fatigue and instead reflect her long lifetime of activist work.

This statue, from my perspective, is meant to break the stereotypical concept of her and bring her more into the fullness of her personhood (and) all the aspects of her personhood, she said.

The commission looked at four proposals, developed by the Alabama Department of Archives and History (ADAH). All four reference Parks work investigating and protesting crimes against women. As a member of the Montgomery NAACP, Parks investigated the rape of Recy Taylor, a Black woman, by six white men in 1944.

The proposals also say Parks refused to comply with the citys bus segregation law. Steve Murray, the director of the ADAH, said the goal was to speak directly and clearly about what her action was accomplishing that day and what she was doing, and moving beyond the trope that she was a tired seamstress.

Rev. Agnes Lover, a member of the commission, said she preferred a plaque that would also include Parks full name (Rosa McAuley Parks); the specific dates of her birth and death, instead of only the years, and a mention that she was born in Tuskegee.

I thought that was very important, to show how she is native to Alabama, she said.

The commission did not make a final selection on the plaque language Tuesday.

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An extensive search for a missing child, that included multiple law enforcement agencies, came to a happy conclusion Monday night, the Chapin Police Department said.

The missing 3-year-old child was found in good health and reunited with his family, police said Tuesday in a news release.

At about 9 p.m., police responded to a call about a missing toddler in the Firebridge subdivision, according to the release.

Police said they learned that the child was last seen playing in the backyard of his familys home, and began searching inside and outside the residence, as well as in neighboring yards and further out in the subdivision.

Officers also established a perimeter and received help from other law enforcement agencies, including the Lexington County Sheriffs Department, the Lexington County Fire Service, the South Carolina Law Enforcement Division and the FBI, according to the release.

In addition to the large presence of law enforcement officers, the search also included police dogs, drones and a helicopter, police said.

After an intensive search lasting over an hour, the well-rested child was found sleeping under outdoor patio cushions on the back porch of the home, according to the release.

Police said young children can often fall asleep in unexpected places, and many missing children are often found within the home.

We are grateful for this positive outcome and thankful the child was found quickly and safely, Chapin Police Chief Thomas Griffin said in the release. It was a concerning situation for law enforcement and, more importantly, for the parents. We extend our heartfelt gratitude to the Chapin community and the Firebridge subdivision residents for their cooperation during the search.
Seattle court sentences former medical testing executive for failing to report to prison

The former co-owner of a now-closed medical testing company was sentenced to an additional six months in prison for failing to report as directed, according to the Department of Justice.

Richard Reid, 55, was initially sentenced to two years in prison in January 2023 for his involvement in a scheme to profit from illegal kickbacks in the medical testing industry.

U.S. District Judge John C. Coughenour presided over the sentencing in Seattle, expressing astonishment at Reids continued lack of accountability.

Reids persistent failure to accept responsibility takes my breath away, the judge stated.

Reid, who previously claimed to have COVID-19 and long COVID to delay his prison term, was ordered to report by the end of April 2023.

Instead, he left his home in Astoria, Oregon, and went on the run. The FBI subsequently issued a Wanted poster for his arrest.

He was captured on May 7, 2023, in Taylorsville, Oregon, after a member of the public reported seeing him.

Reid was arrested at a bar following a multi-day search by law enforcement.

Assistant U.S. Attorney Mike Dion argued for an additional ten-month sentence, highlighting Reids refusal to take responsibility for his actions and the wasted resources in apprehending him.

Reid had been involved in a kickback scheme with Bellevue-based Northwest Physicians Laboratory, helping the company secure over $3.7 million by directing urine drug test specimens to certain labs for government billing.

The case was investigated by the FBI, the Health and Human Services Office of Inspector General, and the Defense Criminal Investigative Service.
International sales of Australian wine rose in the year to the end of June thanks to a surge in exports to China.

The value of Australian wine exports was up 17% at A$2.2bn ($1.43bn), according to data from trade body Wine Australia.

However, falling US and EU volumes saw total shipments decline by 0.2% to 619 million litres.

The surge in exports to mainland China towards the end of the financial year saw volume rise from one million litres to 33 million litres and value grow by A$392m to A$400m compared to last financial year, Peter Bailey, manager for market insights at Wine Australia, said.

In March, China lifted tariffs on Australian wine following three years of taxes that impacted several Australian winemaking regions.

The 33 million litre surge is far off from a recovery, as in 2018 Australia exported 176 million litres of wine to China.

The international value of exports, excluding mainland China, declined by 4% to A$1.8bn, while volumes fell by 5% to 587 million litres.

The sales value of exports of higher-priced wines  those above A$20 or more per litre  grew by A$344m.

Wine Australia notes that over 90% of the value growth of wines priced A$20 and above per litre came from exports to mainland China.

The number of businesses exporting grew from 1,221 to 1,496 with most of the increase in businesses exporting to mainland China. There were 574 exporters to mainland China, of which 523 commenced exporting in 202324, Wine Australia reported.

While the EU remained Australias largest export market by volume, it saw volume declines of 2% to 306 million litres, while value dropped by 5% to A$529m.

The US experienced a 4% drop in value to A$505m and volume decreased to 192 million litres, down 9%.

We welcome recent results in mainland China but must confront the fact that sales to the majority of Australias traditional markets continue to decline, consistent with global alcohol and wine consumption trends, cost of living pressures and wider economic uncertainty, Wine Australia GM Paul Turale said.

There are emerging markets offering opportunity that we will continue to cultivate, but we must also defend our current share in established markets to deliver market diversification and in turn a more sustainable demand position.

"China return boosts Australia wine sales but total volumes dip" was originally created and published by Just Drinks, a GlobalData owned brand.







The information on this site has been included in good faith for general informational purposes only. It is not intended to amount to advice on which you should rely, and we give no representation, warranty or guarantee, whether express or implied as to its accuracy or completeness. You must obtain professional or specialist advice before taking, or refraining from, any action on the basis of the content on our site.
Acting Secret Service Director Ronald Rowe struck a different tone from his predecessor Tuesday, telling a meeting of dual Senate committees he was ashamed by the attempted assassination of former President Trump and was prepared to be candid with lawmakers.

In his opening statement before the Senates Judiciary Committee and Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee, Rowe said he visited the site of the July 13 rally where the shooting occurred and lay on the roof Thomas Matthew Crooks fired from.

I laid in a prone position to evaluate his line of sight. What I saw made me ashamed. As a career law enforcement officer and a 25-year veteran with the Secret Service, I cannot defend why that roof was not better secured to prevent similar lapses from occurring in the future, he told lawmakers.

I directed our personnel to ensure every event site security plan is thoroughly vetted by multiple experienced supervisors before it is implemented. It is clear to me that other protective enhancements could have strengthened our security, he said, a nod to the Trump campaigns request for additional protective personnel that day.

Tuesday marked Rowes first time testifying to Congress since taking the helm of the Secret Service last week.

Rowe said hes already directed the agency to use drones to assess sites, and is working to improve communication after local law enforcement struggled to alert Secret Service to Crooks, despite identifying him as suspicious about 90 minutes ahead of the shooting.

He added he is also not aware that any countersnipers or members of Trumps personal security detail were aware of the shooter, but he added there would be consequences for any member of the Secret Service found to have acted inappropriately.

If this investigation reveals that Secret Service employees violated agency protocols, those employees will be held accountable to our disciplinary process, Rowe said.

The new leader also said he was prepared to release more details about the shooting to Congress, a departure from former Director Kimberly Cheatle, who infuriated lawmakers by refusing to answer many questions posed by the House, citing an ongoing investigation.

I will not wait for the results of those findings to assess where we failed that day, Rowe said.

I have taken and will continue to take immediate steps to ensure we do not repeat those failures.

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The Secret Services acting director told lawmakers Tuesday that hes ashamed by his agencys failures at Donald Trumps deadly rally in Pennsylvania.

Ronald Rowe Jr. testified that he cannot defend how his agency allowed Thomas Crooks, 20, to get on a rooftop within 400 yards of Trump with a clear line of sight on July 13.

Rowe said he traveled to Butler, Pennsylvania, to see how our protection failed in the shootings aftermath. What he witnessed left him baffled, he said.

I laid in a prone position to evaluate his line of sight, Rowe said. What I saw made me ashamed. As a career law enforcement officer and a 25-year veteran with the Secret Service, I cannot defend why that roof was not better secured.

An aerial view shows the stage where Donald Trump stood during an assassination attempt, with the roof where Thomas Crooks opened fire from the in the background. Brendan McDermid/Reuters

That marked a sharp shift in tone from Rowes predecessor, Kimberly Cheatle, who repeatedly tried to shift blame for the attack to local cops. She claimed local law enforcement was tasked with securing the building Crooks opened fire from, which was outside the rallys security perimeter.

Cheatle resigned under pressure from lawmakers a week ago.

Ive heard your calls for accountability, and I take them very seriously, Rowe said Tuesday. And given the magnitude of this failure, the Secret Services Office of Professional Responsibility is reviewing the actions and decision making of Secret Service personnel in the lead up to and on the day of the attack.

Despite Cheatles resignation, many lawmakers have called for more heads to roll within the Secret Service for the debacle.

Texts Show How Officers Lost Track of Trump Gunman Thomas Matthew Crooks

Somebodys got to be fired, Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-SC) said at Tuesdays hearing. Nothings going to change until somebody loses their job.

The FBIs deputy director, Paul Abbate, testified at the same hearing that investigators still have not nailed down Crooks definitive motive. He said agents recently discovered a set of online posts they believe were made by Crooks in 2019 and 2020 that espoused political violence and had antisemitic and anti-immigration themes.

Read more at The Daily Beast.

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Secret Service leader grilled by GOP over lack of firings for Trump security failures

Secret Service leader grilled by GOP over lack of firings for Trump security failures

Acting Secret Service Director Ronald Rowe defended the agencys failure to fire any of the agents involved in the planning and response to the assassination attempt of former President Trump, saying he did not want to rush to judgment.

Numerous lawmakers questioned why no agents had been removed from their posts during testy exchanges with the acting director.

In one clash during aggressive questioning by Sen. Josh Hawley (R-Mo.), Rowe said he could not tip the scales and said we need to allow the investigation to play out.

Hawley demanded the firing of a number of Secret Service personnel, from whoever approved the security plan to whoever failed to pull Trump offstage despite warnings about a suspicious person.

Isnt the fact that a former president was shot, that a good American is dead, that other Americans were critically wounded  isnt that enough mission failure for you to say that the person who decided that building should not be in the security perimeter probably ought to be stepped down? Hawley said, referencing the AGR building Thomas Matthew Crooks fired from.

Rowe said agents involved were cooperating with an internal investigation.

I want to be neutral and make sure that we get to the bottom of it and interview everybody in order to determine if there was more than one person who perhaps exercised bad judgment, Rowe said, adding he did not want to zero in on one or two individuals.

Hawley repeatedly asserted that there was prima facia evidence that the Secret Service failed.

Youve been on the job a few days so far. Youve fired nobody, Hawley griped.

At one point in the exchange, Rowe became emotional.

I have lost sleep over that for the last 17 days, just like you have, and I will tell you, senator, that I will not rush to judgment, that people will be held accountable, and I will do so with integrity and not rush to judgment and put people [out there to be] unfairly persecuted, Rowe said.

Unfairly persecuted? Hawley responded. Weve got people who are dead.

You said earlier that youve got to make sure that your protocols are followed and unless theres a protocol violation, people wouldnt be disciplined, Hawley said.

I would just say to you, I dont really care that much about your protocols.

One person was killed and two were wounded in the July 13 attempt on Trumps life at a rally in Butler, Pa.

In another heated exchange  this time between Rowe and Sen. Ted Cruz (R-Texas)  Cruz lobbed questions over whether Trumps team had asked for additional security in the past and was rebuffed by the Secret Service.

Cruz, a Trump loyalist, also wanted to know whether there were specific people involved in making security resource decisions.

The process is that a [campaign] detail will make a request for either staffing, technical assets, that is handled between the field office and the detail, it goes up to a logistics office, Rowe explained.

So theres a bureaucracy, Cruz shot back. Give me the person thats the decision-maker. Is there one?

Rowe refused to give names, saying there is a process and conversation around each request, and its not just an absolute yay or nay.

He added that there is a difference between the sitting president of the United States, and a presidential candidate as far as the resources and number of agents they will receive for events.

Then whats the difference? Cruz shouted, cutting Rowe off.

The difference [is] national command authority to launch a nuclear strike, sir, Rowe responded. There are other assets that travel with the president that the former president will not get.

Stop interrupting me, Cruz yelled. You are refusing to answer clear and direct questions.

Cruz also said that he believes that the Secret Service leadership made a political decision to deny these requests guided by the Biden administration.

Rowe stressed that Secret Service agents are not political.

Updated: 1:09 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.
Mike Durfee State Prison in Springfield. (John Hult/South Dakota Searchlight)

Its been nearly three weeks since an outbreak of violence in Springfield on a former university campus now used as a medium-security prison.

The state Department of Corrections has yet to address any questions on the incident. The agency has declined to tell the public how and why the fights began, the number of inmates involved, the methods used to quell the violence and any punishments or security protocol updates in the aftermath.

Its the last piece that most concerns the people who live in the former college dormitories of Mike Durfee State Prison.

On the day after the July 9-10 fighting began, inmates yelled at reporters from their cell windows, saying they felt unsafe. The DOC said six inmates suffered non-life threatening injuries, but the inmates said that number was deflated by at least half.

Multiple inmates told South Dakota Searchlight that the cell doors at the medium-security Springfield prison are still more like the dorm room doors they used to be than modern prison cells. Doors can be locked from the inside, they say, making it possible for attackers to be locked inside rooms with victims. Inmates have also claimed that understaffing left officers unable to do much but let inmates tussle early on in the fighting.

Inmates and a representative with the state employees lobbying group say more high- or formerly high-security inmates from the penitentiary in Sioux Falls have been transferred to Springfield in recent months.

Inmate Winston Brakeall said the recent fighting included inmates beating other inmates with pool balls and cues, pop machines knocked over to block entryways, bloodied floors and scarred faces.

Theres one guy down the hall, his face just looks like road rash, Brakeall said over the phone. He just got pummeled.

His biggest concern was about the alleged transfer of inmates from Sioux Falls to Springfield. Brakeall has been imprisoned at Durfee for nearly 20 years, and says he cant recall anything as severe as what happened earlier this month.

He attributes much of it to the transfers. Durfee used to be a place where inmates came after they could show they had their s together, Brakeall said.

Now its just another wing of The Hill, he said, referring to the South Dakota State Penitentiary in Sioux Falls.

Eric Ollila of the South Dakota State Employees Organization said hes heard stories of higher-security inmates being transferred to Durfee over the past few months, in addition to ongoing concerns about staffing and officer security.

A 2022 report commissioned by the state to assess the corrections systems security and facility needs did not mention transfers but did note some problems in Springfield, some of which were tied to its layout as a college campus, as well as staffing and security protocols.

At the time of the review, the report said, inmates would be patted down after work, but not again after walking across the campus to their housing units.

Durfee was among the corrections facilities dinged for inefficient facility layouts that present security challenges.

Michael Winder, in response to an email asking about a series of claims by inmates at Springfield  the second email to ask those questions  said the claims that you cite are inaccurate.

I would encourage you to refer to the information that DOC has previously provided on the offender fights, he wrote.

Information that is security sensitive or tied to an ongoing investigation, he wrote, will not be released.

Last week, the agency declined to release information requested by Searchlight under the states open records law on the number of inmates at Springfield whod been classified as high security within six months of their transfer to the medium-security facility.

Ian Fury, spokesman for Gov. Kristi Noem, has yet to reply to questions on the incident.

Earlier incidents of unrest broke out on two nights in March at the penitentiary in Sioux Falls. Court documents filed by Attorney General Marty Jackleys office in criminal cases against 11 inmates offer some details on how those events played out.

The DOC has released little on how the agency has moved to address any underlying security issues that may have contributed to the incidents, for either the Sioux Falls or Springfield facilities.

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How to see a double meteor shower on Tuesday night with a chance of fireballs

One of this summer's exciting celestial events is a double meteor shower, which peaks on July 30.

The two meteor showers are very different from each other, and one is known for its fireballs.

You can check out the double meteor shower in both the Northern and Southern Hemispheres.

Two meteor showers  the Southern Delta Aquariids and Alpha Capricornids  are scheduled to peak around the same time Tuesday evening. And one is known for its spectacularly bright fireballs.

The best time to see any meteor shower  including this double event  is between 2 a.m. and 4 a.m. local time, Nick Moskovitz, a planetary astronomer at Lowell Observatory in Arizona, told Business Insider.

People in the Southern Hemisphere are in for a better show, but folks in the Northern Hemisphere can still enjoy the shower if they know where to look, Moskovitz said.

Where to see this week's double meteor shower in the US

Meteors are named after the constellations they appear to radiate from. Allexxandar/Getty Images

If you're in the US, Moskovitz recommends finding a place where you have a clear view of the southern horizon and are as far away as possible from any light pollution.

"If you're looking to the southern sky from the US, what you'll see is meteors heading to the north, the east, and the west from the southern hemisphere," Moskovitz, who has nearly 100 cameras set up across Arizona that observe hundreds of meteors showers a year, told BI.

These two meteor showers are named for the southern adjoining constellations Aquarius and Capricornus where they appear to radiate from.

People in the Southern Hemisphere will see the meteors overhead because that's where the constellations will be around peak viewing time, when you can see the most meteors per hour. But in the northern hemisphere, you must look south to catch them as they streak across the night sky.

You don't need a telescope or binoculars. Meteors move so fast, the best way to see as many as you can is with the unaided eye. However, you will need some time and patience.

"People go out and get disappointed after five minutes and go in. You really need 15 minutes for your eyes to adjust and acclimate to the dark," Moskovitz said, adding that, "You got to find the site, you got to get comfortable and wait."

A double meteor shower worth checking out

Nick Moskovitz took this composite image of the Perseids meteor shower in 2023. Nick Moskovitz and Global Meteor Network

On their own, the Southern Delta Aquariids and Alpha Capricornids meteor showers are less spectacular than larger showers like the Perseids, which peak in mid-August. But together, the double meteor shower offers a better chance to see two very different types of meteors on the same night.

During its peak, the Southern Delta Aquariids can generate about 25 shooting stars per hour and the Alpha Capricornids produce about five per hour. And Tuesday night is the best chance of catching both, Moskovitz said.

Unlike the Aquariids meteors, which are usually faint and small, the Capricornids can produce brilliant fireballs  the kind of very bright shooting stars that people get excited about, Moskovitz said.

The two meteor showers traditionally peak around the end of July every year, but their peaks usually don't coincide on the same night. This year is an exception.

What causes a double meteor shower

Earth is like a car driving on a highway, and meteors are like the bugs smacking against the windshield. DrPixel/Getty Images

Earth regularly passes through streams of dirt, ice, and dust left over from comets whizzing through our solar system. When that debris enters Earth's atmosphere, it burns up and we see that heat as a shooting star, aka a meteor.

Moskovitz compares it to bugs on a windshield. "Earth is the windshield and the bugs are all these meteors smacking into the atmosphere," he said.

In the case of this double meteor shower, "the thing that's a little bit unusual here is that there happened to be two streams in space that are so close to one another that we see them as sort of a double meteor shower. And that's just kind of a coincidence," Moskovitz said.

As far as meteor showers go, this double event happening tomorrow evening is one of the better ones to enjoy.

"This is a good time of year to do it," Moskovitz said, adding that summer evenings offer mild temperatures so "you'll be a little more comfortable and it's not the worst way to spend a few hours of your night."

Read the original article on Business Insider
See dozens of cars on their side after Iowa train derailment near Glidden. What we know.

A train with around three dozen cars derailed in Carroll County on Monday.

While derailments don't happen often, here's what you need to know.

Where is Glidden, Iowa, the site of a train derailment Monday?

The train derailed east of Glidden, Iowa, a town of around 1,000 in Carroll County, around 5 p.m. Monday, July 29. Glidden is about 60 miles west of Ames on U.S. Highway 30.

The derailment happened on the Union Pacific Railroad.

Clean-up is underway, according to a Facebook post from the city.

The post said all crossings were open as of 9:30 p.m. Monday.

How did the train derailment happen in Glidden, Iowa?

The incident is still under investigation, Union Pacific Railroad spokesperson Mike Jaixen told the Register in an email.

"Union Pacific crews are responding to the incident," he said.

Were there any injuries or fatalities from the Iowa train derailment?

No, there are no injuries associated with the incident.

How often do trains derail?

Derailments are unlikely, Jaixen said.

"A Union Pacific train can travel a distance equivalent to traversing around the earth around 49 times before a derailment," he said.

There have been four derailments in Iowa through April of this year. There were 31 in 2023, according to the Federal Railroad Administration.

Kyle Werner is a reporter for the Register. Reach him at kwerner@dmreg.com.

This article originally appeared on Des Moines Register: Iowa train derailment leaves dozens of cars toppled. See the footage.
LANSING  The renovation of the former Walter French School will include childcare, something other housing developments should consider, said Tom Perez, a former U.S. Labor secretary who visited the construction site Tuesday.

Perez, now director of the White House Office of Intergovernmental Affairs, said childcare will help make the difference for people who will live in the renovated school, which should have 76 one- to three- units at "affordable" rates available for rent by the end of 2024.

The backside of the school, formerly the gym and pool area, will be converted into a daycare center along with office space for Capital Area Housing Partnership, which is redeveloping the school, and for other non-profits. Those are expected to open around this time next year, coinciding with the 100th anniversary of the building.

"We like to maintain the history and we're hearing from a lot of people who are saying 'I remember when my daughter did gymnastics here,'" Mayor Andy Schor said.

City leaders, along with Perez, toured the former middle school Tuesday and gave an update on the project, which received some funding from the American Rescue Plan Act.

Emma Henry, right, Executive Director of the Capital Area Housing Project, right, chats with former Labor Secretary Tom Perez, current Director of the White House Office of Intergovernmental Affairs, Tuesday, July 30, 2024, during a tour of the former Walter French Junior High School.

CAHP Executive Director Emma Henry said the project is on schedule and on track to meet its $35 million budget. About two-thirds of the cost was from private sources. The project has funding from a variety of public sources as well: $1.5 million in Ingham County housing trust dollars, low-income housing credits, $5 million from the Michigan Economic Development Corporation's Revitalization and Placemaking program and city tax credits.

Henry said several smaller grants were also vital to the project.

Perez, who was in the Detroit area Monday to recognize housing upgrades funded by rescue dollars, said it was an impressive array of grants and funding sources, as Henry showed him a nearly-finished unit, with an original brick window sill that was rebuilt along with new windows that were designed from original blueprints.

A tradesman works at the former Walter French Junior High School in Lansing, Tuesday, July 30, 2024.

The large and bright windows will help keep people coming, Perez said, with a lot of natural light and a good view.

The windows were a key feature, and when they were installed earlier this year, the community hummed with excitement because it signaled that the building would really be redone and improved, Henry said.

The windows show a view of Cedar Street that should improve over time, said Schor, who said the city is planning several revitalization projects along the southern corridor.

As Perez and city officials toured the under-construction building on Tuesday, they went into the back sections of the former school, where the offices and daycare center will be located.

On the ground was a badminton shuttlecock, obviously decades old but intact.

It will be used at the new childcare center: A little once-hidden treasure to help connect the old school with the new children.

Former Labor Secretary Tom Perez, current Director of the White House Office of Intergovernmental Affairs, listens to Lansing Mayor Andy Schor during a tour, Tuesday, July 30, 2024, at the former Walter French Junior School in Lansing.

The daycare center will be run by Santrece Roberts, who owns the multi-site Caterpillar Corner Childcare Center, with locations in Pontiac and Lansing with a Flint one opening later this year.

She plans to open the Monarch Early Learning Center, with eight room and spots for 100 children, at Walter French around this time next year.

Contact Mike Ellis at 517-267-0415 or mellis@lsj.com.

This article originally appeared on Lansing State Journal: See inside the renovation of Lansings historic Walter French school
Semi driver pleads not guilty to charges related to Tusky Valley bus crash that killed six

A Zanesville man pleaded not guilty Tuesday to more than two dozen criminal counts related to a November bus crash that killed six people and injured 18 others on Interstate 70 in Etna Township.

Jacob D. McDonald, 61, pleaded not guilty to 26 counts, including six of aggravated vehicle homicide in Licking County Common Pleas Court. He also faces nine counts of vehicular assault and 11 counts of assault.

In court documents, prosecutors allege McDonald failed to slow down when driving a semitractor-trailer that caused a chain reaction crash in Licking County on Nov. 14. The semitractor-trailer hit a car that had slowed down in front of it.

The car then collided with a charter bus carrying 54 students and chaperones from Tuscarawas Valley Local Schools. Three students on the bus were killed, as were a teacher and two chaperones in the car.

Previous coverage: Ohio crash: What we know about the charter bus, truck collision leaving 6 dead, 18 injured

McDonald remains at the Licking County Jail on a $1 million bond. He appeared via video conference from the jail during Tuesdays arraignment.

An attorney representing McDonald argued that his bond was excessive, citing McDonalds resources and likelihood that he would not commit the same crime.

A Licking County prosecutor called McDonalds bond reasonable, alleging that he did not make any effort to avoid the crash. The prosecutor also alleged that there were large amounts of data traced to McDonalds phone minutes before and during the crash.

Advocate reporter Josue Perez can be reached at jhperez@newarkadvocate.com.

This article originally appeared on Newark Advocate: Semi driver in Tusky Valley bus crash pleads not guilty to all charges
The Senate passed two key pieces of legislation aimed at keeping children safe on the internet Tuesday afternoon, marking a major step in Congress' ongoing effort to regulate massive tech companies.

The two bills, which beef up privacy protection for children and limit targeted advertisements toward them, passed with overwhelming support by senators from both sides of the aisle, 91-3.

The Kids Online Safety Act and the Children and Teens Online Privacy Protection Act have been years in the making as advocates -- including parents who have lost their children to suicide, drug use, viral challenges and more -- have argued there needs to be more guardrails for children and teens on social media.

MORE: Mom shares what happened when she took away daughter's screen time

The bill now heads to the House of Representatives where it will face further consideration.

House Speaker Mike Johnson has not yet committed to bringing it up for a vote but has signaled a willingness to consider it.

"I am looking forward to reviewing the details of the legislation that comes out of the Senate. Parents should have greater control and the necessary tools to protect their kids online. I am committed to working to find consensus in the House," Johnson said in a statement to ABC News.

PHOTO: Teens use phone in this undated stock photo. (STOCK PHOTO/Getty Images)

The package, if signed into law, would create a "duty of care" that mandates that companies must take reasonable measures to prevent and mitigate harms to children and teens, and gives parents and guardians more control over how their children use social media platforms. They also create privacy protections for those under 17, prohibit targeted advertising for young people and allow parents the power to erase content.

President Joe Biden commended the Senate for taking a "crucial bipartisan step forward" in passing the internet safety bills package.

"There is undeniable evidence that social media and other online platforms contribute to our youth mental health crisis," he said in a statement. "Today our children are subjected to a wild west online and our current laws and regulations are insufficient to prevent this. It is past time to act."

Biden encouraged the House to "send this bill to my desk for signature without delay."

It has been more than a decade since Congress enacted meaningful legislation to protect children on the internet. Federal laws on the books were written before Instagram, Snapchat or TikTok were even invented.

Majority Leader Chuck Schumer called the bills "perhaps the most important updates in decades to federal laws that protect kids on the internet" during floor remarks on Monday afternoon.

"Too many kids experience relentless online bullying. Too many kids have their personal data collected and then used nefariously," Schumer said. "And sadly, sadly, too many families have lost kids because of what happened to them on social media."

Sens. Richard Blumenthal, D-Conn., and Marsha Blackburn, R-Tenn., have championed the legislation in the Senate and have been fighting for its passage for years. At a press conference last week, the two were flanked by parents holding photos of their children who have lost their lives due to interactions they had via social media.

MORE: Bipartisan pair of lawmakers push to protect children online

One mother, Julianna Arnold, shared the story of her daughter passing after an Instagram drug dealer sold her counterfeit drugs. Another parent, Todd Minor, shared the story of his son who died while participating in a viral challenge he saw on TikTok. Both parents are advocates with ParentsSOS, an organization that advocates for safety for kids and teens online.

Blackburn was in tears addressing parents, telling them she is "happy to be a part" of changing the outcome for families like theirs.

Blumenthal, who has helmed a number of hearings about regulating tech, said the legislation is necessary in part because large tech companies have shown that their products cause harm.

"We've seen from their own documents, their own files, their own evidence that their business model is to get more eyeballs for longer periods of time, so they get more advertisers and more dollars knowing that those profits are derived from destroying lives, destroying lives of your children," he said.

PHOTO: Sens. Richard Blumenthal and Marsha Blackburn hold a news conference on the Kids Online Safety Act at the U.S. Capitol on July 25, 2024 in Washington, DC. (Kent Nishimura/Getty Images)

Leading tech companies such as Snap, X and Microsoft have all publicly endorsed the legislation.

"The safety and well-being of young people on Snapchat is a top priority. That's why Snap has been a long-time supporter of the Kids Online Safety Act. We applaud Senators Blackburn, Blumenthal and the 68 other co-sponsors of this critical legislation for their leadership and commitment to the privacy and safety of young people," Snap said in a statement.

Several tech lobbying groups, however, chastised the bill.

NetChoice called the Kids Online Safety Act "unconstitutional."

"Parents need solutions that are legal and meaningful, but KOSA is neither. KOSA's data privacy, cybersecurity, censorship, and constitutional risks remain unaddressed. NetChoice hopes to work with lawmakers in the House to protect minors and families from KOSA's many issues," Carl Szabo, NetChoice's vice president and general counsel, said in a statement.

Internet lobbying group Electronic Frontier Foundation (EFF) echoed concerns the legislation could result in tech companies implementing policies that restrict free speech.

"The Senate just passed a bill that will let the federal and state governments investigate and sue websites that they claim cause kids mental distress. It's a terrible idea to let politicians and bureaucrats decide what people should read and view online," Joe Mullin, EFF's senior policy analyst, said in a statement.

Google, which owns YouTube, declined to comment to ABC News. It has said it supports "several important bipartisan bills focused on online child safety," but not specifically KOSA.

And while Meta, which owns Facebook and Instagram, said in a statement, "We support the development of age-appropriate standards for teens online, and appreciate KOSA's attempt to create a consistent set of rules for the industry to follow."

"However, we think there's a better way to help parents oversee their teens' online experiences: federal legislation should require app stores to get parents' approval whenever their teens under 16 download apps," Meta added.

MORE: Amid what's being called a youth mental health crisis, is social media facing its own 'tobacco moment'?

TikTok declined to comment to ABC News.

Sen. Rand Paul, R-Ky., who voted against the bill, also gave a speech on the floor before the vote, during which he raised concerns about the bill potentially limiting freedom of speech.

"The bill they've written promises to be Pandora's box of unintended consequences," Paul said. "It is perhaps understandable that those who sit in this body might seek a government solution to protecting children from any harms that may result in spending too much time on the internet. But before we impose a drastic first-of-its-kind legal duty on online platforms, we should ensure that the positive aspects of the internet are preserved. That means we have to ensure that the first amendment rights are protected," Paul said.

Sen. Ron Wyden, D-Ore., also said voting against the legislation, citing concerns that the bill could restrict certain kinds of speech.

"Unfortunately, KOSA's improvements, while constructive, remain insufficient. I fear this bill could be used to sue services that offer privacy-enhancing technologies like encryption or anonymity features that are essential to young people's ability to communicate securely and privately without being spied on by predators online. I also take seriously concerns voiced by the American Civil Liberties Union, Fight for the Future, and LGBTQ+ teens and advocates that a future MAGA administration could still use this bill to pressure companies to censor gay, trans and reproductive health information," Wyden said in a statement.

MORE: Video How social media impacts children's brains

Advocates for the legislation challenge those concerns.

"There are endless myths and misconceptions that have been spread," Blumenthal said. "There's no censorship in this bill, it is about product design. There is no invasion of privacy in this bill, we have chosen not to collect information from kids."

Senate overwhelmingly passes package of bills aimed at protecting kids and teens online originally appeared on abcnews.go.com
The News

The Senate on Tuesday overwhelmingly passed legislation to expand online privacy and safety requirements for children and teens on social media and other platforms.

The passage marked a rare bipartisan win: The Washington Post called it the most significant restrictions on tech platforms to clear a chamber of Congress in decades.

The bills now move to the House, where their fate is unclear.

The legislation, which was approved 91-3, would compel digital platforms to take reasonable steps to prevent harms to children such as bullying, drug addiction and sexual exploitation. Its the product of years of advocacy from parents and lawmakers who say tech companies are increasingly dominating and endangering kids lives.
FILE  Isabella Cimato, 17, from left, Arianna Schaden, 14, and Sofia Harrison, 15, check their phones at Roosevelt Field shopping mall in Garden City, N.Y., on July 27, 2015. The last time Congress passed a law to protect children on the internet was in 1998, before Facebook, the iPhone and long before today's oldest teenagers were born. Now, a bill aiming to protect kids from the harms of social media, gaming sites and other online platforms appears to have enough bipartisan support to pass, though whether it actually will remains uncertain. (AP Photo/Seth Wenig, File)

WASHINGTON (AP)  The Senate overwhelmingly passed legislation Tuesday that is designed to protect children from dangerous online content, pushing forward with what would be the first major effort by Congress in decades to hold tech companies more accountable for the harm that they cause.

The bill, which passed 91-3, has been pushed by parents of children who died by suicide after online bullying or have otherwise been harmed by online content. It would force companies to take reasonable steps to prevent harm on online platforms frequently used by minors, requiring them to exercise duty of care and ensure that they generally default to the safest settings possible.

The House has not yet acted on the bill. Speaker Mike Johnson, R-La., has said he is committed to working to find consensus," but has not said whether he will bring it to the floor for a vote. Supporters are hoping that the strong Senate vote will push the House to act before the end of the congressional session in January.

President Joe Biden encouraged the House to send the legislation to his desk without delay.

Today our children are subjected to a wild west online and our current laws and regulations are insufficient to prevent this, Biden said. It is past time to act.

The legislation is about allowing children, teens and parents to take back control of their lives online, said Democratic Sen. Richard Blumenthal of Connecticut, who wrote the bill with Republican Sen. Marsha Blackburn of Tennessee. He said that the message to big tech companies is that "we no longer trust you to make decisions for us.

The bill would be the first major tech regulation package to move in years, and it could potentially pave the way for other bills that would strengthen online privacy laws or set parameters for the growing use of artificial intelligence, among others. While there has long been bipartisan support for the idea that the biggest technology companies should face more government scrutiny, there has been little consensus on how it should be done. Congress passed legislation earlier this year that would force China-based social media company TikTok to sell or face a ban, but that law only targets one company.

This is a good first step, but we have more to go, said Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y.

If the child safety bill becomes law, companies would be required to mitigate harm to children, including bullying and violence, the promotion of suicide, eating disorders, substance abuse, sexual exploitation and advertisements for illegal products such as narcotics, tobacco or alcohol.

To do that, social media platforms would have to provide minors with options to protect their information, disable addictive product features and opt out of personalized algorithmic recommendations. They would also be required to limit other users from communicating with children and limit features that increase, sustain, or extend the use of the platform  such as autoplay for videos or platform rewards.

The idea, Blumenthal and Blackburn say, is for the platforms to be safe by design.

The message we are sending to big tech is that kids are not your product, Blackburn said at a news conference as the Senate passed the bill. Kids are not your profit source."

Several tech companies, including Microsoft, X and Snap, have supported the legislation. But there was also criticism that signaled a potential lobbying campaign aimed at the House.

Carl Szabo, a vice president and counsel for NetChoice, a a tech industry group that represents X and Snap, along with Google, TikTok and Meta Platforms, said in a statement that the laws cybersecurity, censorship, and constitutional risks remain unaddressed. He did not elaborate.

And Meta Platforms, which owns Facebook and Instagram, said in a statement that it supports the development of standards but it would instead prefer legislation to require app stores to get parents approval when teenagers download apps.

Blumenthal and Blackburn have said they wanted to put the burden on companies, not parents. And they have also worked to find a balance between forcing companies to become more responsible for what children see online while also ensuring that Congress does not go too far in regulating what individuals post  an effort to head off potential legal challenges over freedom of expression.

But some critics say the bill still goes too far. The American Civil Liberties Union said the bill could threaten users' privacy and compared it to book bans and classroom censorship laws.

The House must block this dangerous bill before it's too late, said Jenna Leventoff, a senior policy counsel at the ACLU.

Some advocacy groups have also expressed concerns that the bill could harm kids who wouldnt be able to access information on LGBTQ+ issues or reproductive rights  although the bill has been revised to address some of those criticisms, and major LGBTQ+ groups are not opposing the legislation.

Oregon Sen. Ron Wyden, a fierce and longtime advocate for freedom of speech online, said he voted against the bill because of concerns about the censorship of health information for LGBTQ+ teens and the potential for lawsuits against encryption services that help young people stay safe from predators.

The bill also includes an update to child privacy laws that prohibit online companies from collecting personal information from users under 13, raising that age to 17. It would also ban targeted advertising to teenagers and provide what lawmakers call an eraser button to delete a minors personal information.

Massachusetts Sen. Ed Markey, sponsored the original legislation in 1998  the last time Congress passed a child online safety law  and worked with Republican Sen. Bill Cassidy of Louisiana on the update. Markey said that the online space has come a long way since the first bill and new tools are needed for parents as teens have struggled with mental health.

As their bill stalled for several months, Blumenthal and Blackburn worked closely with the parents of children who have been harmed by social media  either by cyberbullying or social media challenges, extortion attempts, eating disorders, drug deals or other potential dangers.

Maurine Molak, the mother of a 16-year-old who died by suicide after months of relentless and threatening cyberbullying, said she believes the bill can save lives. She urged every senator to vote for it.

Anyone who believes that children's well-being and safety should come before big techs greed ought to put their mark on this historic legislation, Molak said.

___

Ortutay reported from San Francisco.
A state senator denied entry last month to an executive session during a State Board of Education meeting has sent a letter to state schools Superintendent Ryan Walters saying she intends to observe the executive session during the board meeting scheduled for Wednesday.

Oklahomas top law-enforcement official has come down squarely on Borens side.

However, a letter sent from an assistant attorney general to Walters and board members and obtained by The Oklahoman indicates theres still resistance from the boards attorney to allowing Sen. Mary Boren, D-Norman, into this months executive session. Thats despite a section of the Oklahoma Open Meeting Act that allows for the presence of lawmakers in executive sessions, which are closed to members of the public.

The law is clear that legislators have significant oversight authority, Attorney General Gentner Drummond said. No elected representative of the people should be prevented from exercising that statutory power.

More: Senator denied entry to Ryan Walters' executive session intends to file lawsuit

At Junes state board meeting, Boren  who serves on the Senates Judiciary Committee, Administrative Rules Committee and Education Appropriations and Budget subcommittee  gave advance notice she intended to attend the executive session. But she was denied entry, with the boards attorney, Cara Nicklas, citing attorney-client privilege.

Walters, a Republican, reiterated that rationale when speaking to reporters following the meeting: Our attorneys feel like its pretty open and shut. They pointed to the statute, they explained it to the senator, who didnt want to hear it (and) stormed off. But it was a pretty clear attorney-client privilege issue there. They walked her through it multiple times. She didnt want to hear it. I cant say anything else on that one.

In a letter to board members, sent July 18, Assistant Attorney General Thomas Schneider noted that Nicklas remained cool to the idea of Boren being in the executive session.

Cara Nicklas, the State Board of Education's contracted attorney, disagrees with the Oklahoma attorney general's office on the interpretation of the Oklahoma Open Meeting Act.

Schneider said hed spoken to Nicklas that day, and the previous day, about a section of the Open Meeting Act that reads: Any member of the Legislature appointed as a member of a committee of either house of the Legislature or joint committee thereof shall be permitted to attend any executive session authorized by the Oklahoma Open Meeting Act of any state agency, board or commission whenever the jurisdiction of such committee includes the actions of the public body involved.

Nicklas, who works for the Edmond-based law firm McAlister, McAlister and Nicklas, has been the boards contracted attorney since October. According to public documents, Nicklas is paid $300 per hour to serve as the boards attorney.

I respectfully disagree with Ms. Nicklass interpretation of section 310, Schneider wrote in the letter. Accordingly, please be advised that this email serves as notice of my counsel on this issue.

Letters from assistant attorney general, Boren detail why senator has legal right to attend an executive session

Schneider said the use of the word shall removes any discretion from the state agency, board, or commission to disallow a legislator from entering executive session, and later added, the Legislature chose to apply this legislative right to all bases for executive session allowed by the Open Meeting Act. By not carving out any  exceptions to this right, the Legislature expressed itself unequivocally.

Schneider also mentioned a 1978 attorney generals opinion that reads, in part, a legislator, who is also a member of a legislative education committee, does not have a statutory right to attend the executive sessions of a board of education wherein individual employment matters are discussed. However, a local board of education may, in exercising its judgment and discretion, permit such attendance. Schneider said that opinion concerned local school boards, not state agencies, and thus didnt apply to the situation involving Boren and the State Board of Education.

Writing to Walters in a letter dated July 19, Boren copied Drummond, Senate President Pro Tempore Greg Treat, Nicklas, members of the state school board and members of the committee and subcommittees on which she sits.

In her letter, Boren provided legal analysis that she said was the result of many conversations with legal staff at the State Capitol and my own legal research. It is offered to encourage you, the members of the SBE, and your legal staff to improve your analysis of the Open Meetings Acts framework for executive sessions.

Legislators are given the privilege in (the Open Meetings Act) to attend any of the seven types of executive sessions, not just the five where an attorney client communication might not take place, Boren wrote.

Asked for Walters reaction to Borens letter, Dan Isett, a spokesman for the superintendent and board, said, Senator Boren is welcome to attend any public meeting or executive session she is legally entitled to. Isett did not elaborate beyond that.

Dan Isett, a spokesman for state schools Superintendent Ryan Walters and the State Board of Education, says an Oklahoma senator "is welcome to attend any public meeting or executive session she is legally entitled to" but didn't offer specifics.

Having legislators attend executive sessions usually isnt an issue. Two Republican legislators, Sen. Adam Pugh of Edmond and Rep. Mark McBride of Moore, have attended executive sessions conducted by the Oklahoma State Regents for Higher Education during that boards two most recent meetings. No concerns were raised.Schneider wrote to board members that the Open Meeting Acts spirit is to encourage and facilitate an informed citizenrys understanding of governmental processes and governmental problems.

I decline to engage in the line-drawing of where a particular legislators jurisdiction starts and ends, he said. Its an uphill battle considering the provisions broad and, in specific parts, vague language (i.e., includes and actions). Of greater importance, such a battle fosters unnecessary conflict that serves neither the public body nor the legislator.

This article originally appeared on Oklahoman: Oklahoma senator allowed to attend closed education meeting, AG says
Senators urged to compete more with China

WASHINGTON (NEXSTAR)  The U.S. needs to step up its game to compete with Chinas actions on the global scale.

U.S. Deputy Secretary of State Kurt Campbell told lawmakers, We will have to invest substantial resources, build internal capacities in our government and with our institutions to contest everywhere.

Campbell says if the U.S. can take a more active role diplomatically, more countries in Africa and Asia will welcome the U.S. over China.

Our value proposition is strong military, technologically, education, everything, Campbell said.

Many lawmakers agree, its important to add ambassadors to fill these international relation gaps.

How high a priority is it for the United States Senate to confirm, particularly career ambassadors, where we have so many that are vacant today? Sen. Ben Cardin (D-Md.) asked.

The place that really the Chinese are taking it to us is in international organizations. We have to be able to contest there, Campbell said.

Sen. Todd Young (R-Ind.) is concerned about China still portraying itself as a developing nation when he says it clearly isnt.

How are we trying to deal with the hypocrisy? Young asked.

Reform certain issues in the multilateral development banks and the international financial institutions. We need more help along the road, Campbell said.

Campbell noted that better relations with African countries might grant access to rare earth minerals, aiding U.S. technology and defense development.

Copyright 2024 Nexstar Media, Inc. 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.
Convicted Apple River stabber Nicolae Miu is facing a life sentence in prison on Wednesday, if a judge in St. Croix County Circuit Court decides that the Prior Lake man deserves the maximum penalties allowed under Wisconsin law.

Miu, 54, was convicted in April of killing a Stillwater high school student and stabbing four others in the 2022 attack at the popular western Wisconsin recreation area. He now faces a total of 97 years in prison, including up to 60 years for first-degree reckless homicide, and another 37 years in all for the non-fatal stabbings and for his use of a dangerous weapon in the crimes.

Miu stabbed five people in all on June 30, 2022, at the Apple River, the kind of summer Saturday that has seen people from the Twin Cities and region descending on the area for inner-tubing and other recreation. The 17-year-old boy who was killed, Isaac Schuman, was from Stillwater, and was with a group of friends. Miu was also tubing with friends, when he approached Schuman's group in shallow water, in what he later told authorities was a search for a lost cell phone.

A cell phone video recorded by one of the teens showed the group taunting Miu and telling him to go away. At the trial, Miu's attorneys argued that he felt threatened and was acting in self-defense.

A scuffle broke out and Miu was pushed or fell into the knee-deep water twice. When he stood up, he pulled a knife from his pocket and began lunging at the teenagers, killing Schuman and seriously wounding the others. Miu, who had been silent throughout the encounter, then walked away. He threw the knife into the woods and was arrested about an hour later when authorities found him exiting the river with his group.

"A key point in this case was Nicolae's own actions," St. Croix County District Attorney Karl Anderson said on April 11, the day the Wisconsin jury found Miu guilty. "After he stabbed all these people, he walked away, he ditched his knife, he didn't tell his group anything, and then he tried to get away and pretended like he wasn't involved."

The sentencing hearing begins at 8:30 a.m. in the courtroom of St. Croix County Circuit Court Judge R. Michael Waterman. It's expected that victims of Miu's attack will deliver their impact statements for the first hour of the hearing before the prosecution and defense make sentencing arguments.

Neither Anderson, nor defense attorneys Aaron Nelson and Corey Chirafisi had filed sentencing arguments with the court as of midday Tuesday.

The defense requested that Miu be allowed to wear civilian clothes for the hearing. The prosecution objected to the request, saying Miu is now a convicted felon and the sheriff's office should follow its routine procedure of dressing convicts in prison garb and shackles.

Miu claimed self defense, but a circuit court jury convicted him of first-degree reckless homicide, four counts of first-degree recklessly endangering safety and one count of battery.

 Up to 60 years imprisonment for first-degree reckless homicide, with additional time of up to five years possible for using a dangerous weapon

 Up to 12.5 years and a fine of up to $25,000 for each of four convictions of first-degree recklessly endangering safety, with additional time of up to five years possible on each charge for using a dangerous weapon

 Up to 9 months imprisonment and a fine of up to $10,000 for battery, with up to 6 months added for use of a dangerous weapon.
Serbian President wants to celebrate anniversary of Belgrade's liberation with Russia  photos

Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic has said that he will organise a celebration of the 80th anniversary of the liberation of Belgrade from German occupation together with Russia.

Source: Vucic on Facebook after a meeting with the Russian ambassador, as reported by European Pravda

Details: Vucic noted that he had a "very good" meeting with Russias Ambassador Alexander Botsan-Kharchenko.

"We agreed to jointly celebrate the 80th anniversary of the victory over fascism and the liberation of Belgrade," Vucic said.

He discussed with the ambassador "topics of mutual interest", especially in areas such as trade, culture and regional security.

"I once again expressed my gratitude to the Russian Federation for the diplomatic support of Serbia in the international arena on issues of great importance to our country.

We exchanged views on the current situation in the country and the region, and I reaffirmed Serbia's consistent position that it favours dialogue and diplomatic means in resolving disputes in international relations and that Serbia is ready to participate in all initiatives aimed at lasting peace and stability," Vucic stressed.

Background:

On 18 July, Vucic met with Volodymyr Zelenskyy in the UK and told him how important peace is to him.

The difficult relations between Ukraine and Serbia are marked by the fact that Belgrade is Russia's traditional ally in the Balkans.

The Serbian side refuses to support EU sanctions against Moscow but, according to unofficial information, sells weapons to Ukraine through intermediaries.

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Gov. Josh Shapiro in Philadelphia July 30, 2024 (Commonwealth Media Service photo)

U.S. Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen on Tuesday declined to answer questions about the pending $14.9 billion sale of Pittsburgh-based U.S. Steel to Nippon Steel of Japan.

We will look at it  as we would look at any transaction from a national security perspective and try to make a reasonable judgment, but Im not able to talk about the specifics, Yellen said during a press conference in Philadelphia to highlight Pennsylvania joining the IRS free Direct File tax program.

But Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro said he was not happy with the proposed acquisition as it currently stands.

Speaking from a state perspective as governor, if the U.S. Steelworkers arent happy with this deal, which they are not, Im not happy with this deal, Shapiro said. If I dont see a future where U.S. Steel manufacturing continues here in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, and is expanded from what is happening right now, Im not happy. So Ive got really serious concerns.

The deal, announced in December, drew sharp criticism from Pennsylvania lawmakers, including Democratic U.S. Sens. Bob Casey and John Fetterman, and U.S. Rep. Chris Deluzio (D-17th District), who asked the Department of Justice to block the sale. The three lawmakers criticized Japan-based Nippon Steel for having facilities in China, which they described as a foreign adversary of the U.S.

Casey, Fetterman and Deluzio along with U.S. Rep. Summer Lee (D-12th District) sent a letter to Nippon Steel demanding answers about the companys commitment to Pennsylvania. The White House in December called for serious scrutiny of the deal, which is under review by the Committee on Foreign Investment in the United States (CFIUS), of which Yellen is chairperson.

President Joe Biden said in March it was vital that the 122-year-old company remain in American hands, a stance he reiterated in an April visit to the U.S. Steelworkers headquarters in Pittsburgh. The union has opposed the acquisition.

Former President Donald Trump, the GOP nominee for president, has also criticized the acquisition, and pledged to block it if he wins another term

U.S. Steel shareholders voted to approve the deal in April.
'She called for help and we failed': Sheriff asks forgiveness for Sonya Massey shooting

The sheriff for Illinois' Sangamon County Sheriff's Office, which employed the former deputy who shot and killed Sonya Massey in her home earlier this month after she called 911 to report a possible intruder, said during public comments Monday night that they had "failed" her.

Sonya Massey  I speak her name and I'll never forget it, Sangamon County Sheriff Jack Campbell said during a Community Healing & Listening Session Monday night at Union Baptist Church in Springfield. She called for help and we failed. That's all she did: call for help."

"I'm going to say something right now I've never said in my career before: we failed," Campbell continued. "We did not do our jobs. We failed Sonya. We failed Sonyas family and friends. We failed the community. I stand here today before you with arms wide open to ask for forgiveness.

Sean Grayson, the now-former deputy who fatally shot Sonya Massey in her Illinois home July 6 while responding to her 911 call, has pleaded not guilty to first-degree murder, aggravated battery with a firearm, and official misconduct in Masseys death, and remains in custody.

PHOTO: Sangamon County, Illinois Sheriff Jack Campbell spoke face-to-face with Springfield community members about the death of Sonya Massey for the first time in a public forum on July 29, 2024. (WICS)

Many attending Monday's gathering applauded Campbells comments, but some expressed fear and outrage concerning law enforcement and community relations in the area.

I live alone, and even though I already preferred not to call the police, I'm definitely not calling the police now, Sierra Helmer, a Springfield resident, said Monday. If I do need help, I should be able to call the police. Police officers are meant to protect and serve, but here in Springfield, apparently, and shown on camera, they harassed and unfortunately kill. Sonyas tragic death has sparked an outrage in me as a single Black woman who was raised by a Black woman and having many other Black women raise me.

Helmers comments also were met with applause and some cheers from community members.

I asked Ms. Massey and her family for forgiveness, Campbell said. I offer up no excuses. What I do is offer our attempt to do better, to be better."

"We will probably never know why he did what he did," Campbell continued, referring to Grayson, "but I'm committed to providing the best service we can to all of you.

MORE: Sean Grayson was discharged from the Army for serious misconduct

Campbell also said Monday night that he will not resign his position.

I cannot step down, he said. I will not abandon the sheriff's office at its most critical moment. That will solve nothing. The incident will remain.

Grayson, 30, and a second, unnamed deputy responded to Massey's 911 call on July 6 reporting a possible intruder at her Springfield home.

PHOTO: Sonya Massey died at 36 years old. (Courtesy Ben Crump)

Body camera footage released last week and reviewed by ABC News shows Massey, who was unarmed, telling the two responding deputies, "Please, don't hurt me" once she answered their knocks on her door.

Grayson responded, "I don't want to hurt you, you called us."

Later in the video, while inside Massey's home as she searches for her ID, Grayson points to a pot of boiling water on her stove and says, "We don't need a fire while we're in here."

Massey then pours the water into the sink and tells the deputy, "I rebuke you in the name of Jesus."

Grayson then shouts at Massey and threatens to shoot her, the video shows, and Massey apologizes and ducks down behind a counter, covering her face with what appears to be a red oven mitt. She briefly rises, at which time Grayson shoots her three times in the face, the footage shows.

The footage is from the point of view of Grayson's partner, because Grayson did not turn on his own body camera until after the shooting, according to court documents.

A review by Illinois State Police found Grayson was not justified in his use of deadly force. He was fired from his position with the Sangamon County Sheriff's Office on July 17, the same day the charges were filed against him.

Massey family attorney Ben Crump has said the U.S. Department of Justice has opened an investigation into the shooting. However, Chicago ABC station WLS reported last week that the Justice Department told them in a statement that it "is aware of and assessing the circumstances surrounding the tragic officer-involved death of Ms. Sonya Massey and extends condolences to her family and loved ones."

Grayson himself has a history of problematic behavior. Prior to his time in public law enforcement, he was discharged from the U.S. Army for unspecified "misconduct (serious offense)," according to documents obtained by ABC News.

ABC News also learned that Grayson was charged with two DUI offenses in Macoupin County, Illinois, in August 2015 and July 2016, according to court documents.

MORE: Audio reveals chief deputy scolding deputy involved in Sonya Massey police killing

James Wilburn, Masseys father, criticized Sheriff Campbell for his role in Graysons employment and called for Campbell to resign at a press conference last week.

The sheriff here is an embarrassment, Wilburn said. [Grayson] should have never had a badge. And he should have never had a gun. He should have never been given the opportunity to kill my child.

ABC News' Sabina Ghebremedhin and Dhanika Pineda contributed to this report.

'She called for help and we failed': Sheriff asks forgiveness for Sonya Massey shooting originally appeared on abcnews.go.com
Sangamon County Sheriff Jack Campbell said Monday that his department "failed the community" in the July 6 fatal shooting of Sonya Massey.

"We failed. We did not do our jobs," said an emotional Campbell, at a Department of Justice Community Relations Service listening session at Union Baptist Church in Springfield. "We failed Sonya. We failed Sonya's family and friends.

"I stand here before you with my arms wide open and I ask for your forgiveness. I ask (Donna Massey, Sonya's mother) for forgiveness. I offer up no excuses."

Sangamon County Sheriff Jack Campbell listens at a U.S. Department of Justice session on Sonya Massey at Union Baptist Church on July 29, 2024. Several speakers called on Campbell to resign after a deputy was charged for murder in the case earlier this month.

Still, several speakers in the public comment section called for Campbell's resignation. Others threatened to vote him out.

Campbell, who ran unopposed for his second term in 2022, next stands for election in 2026.

Monday's listening session, which attracted 527 people, comes as the DOJ has opened an investigation into Massey's death.

Massey, a 36-year-old Black woman was shot in her home in the 2800 block of Hoover Avenue in an unincorporated part of Woodside Township after reporting a possible intruder.

Sangamon County Sheriff's deputy Sean P. Grayson, 30, was charged with murder and pleaded not guilty in Sangamon County Court on July 18. Grayson, who joined the department in May 2023, remains in custody.

The highly-emotional and sometimes confrontational meeting ended nearly 20 minutes early.

"You didn't come here for nothing," said Kenith Bergeron, regional director for the DOJ's Community Relations Service, pleaded with the crowd. "Believe in the process."

The session came a day after a national day of mourning for Massey, which included rallies and marches in Brooklyn, Los Angeles and St. Louis, among other places. A rally and march at Comer Cox Park, featuring some members of the Massey family, drew about 350 people.

Sunshine Clemons, of Springfield, tries to compose herself after trying to calm down angry residents during a listening session at Union Baptist Church on Monday, July 29, 2024.

Demonstrators demanding Congress pass the George Floyd Justice in Policing Act took to the streets in downtown Chicago Sunday. A rally featuring the Rev. Al Sharpton was scheduled at Chicago's New Mount Pilgrim Church Tuesday evening.

Among the other speakers Monday were Springfield Mayor Misty Buscher, Sangamon County State's Attorney John Milhiser and Springfield Police Chief Ken Scarlette along with representatives from the Springfield NAACP and the Faith Coalition for the Common Good.

Campbell said he would not resign because that would defeat the process.

"I will not abandon the sheriff's office at this most critical moment," Campbell said. "That would solve nothing."

Bree Roberts, a 25-year-old Black woman, said she remembered, as a child, police cars slowing down just to make sure she wasn't getting in trouble.

"(My thinking used to be) at least they're not killing us. At least we're not getting national news because someone who looked like me lost their life," Roberts said. "Now, here I am, with my worst fears being proven."

Sierra Helmer of Springfield pointed out that if she did need the police, "I should be able to call (them). They're meant to protect and serve, but here in Springfield, apparently, as shown on camera, they harass and unfortunately kill.

"Sonya's tragic death has sparked an outrage in me as a single Black woman raised by a single Black mother. As a Black woman, I'm scared. As a nurse, my heart mourns."

Tiara Standage, who organized several protests on Massey's behalf, was fighting back against Campbell with the ballot box.

"I want to tell Black people just how important it is to vote," the Springfield nonprofit owner said. "We will not be quiet. We will not let this be swept aside."

John Keating said the sheriff's office was "stomping on our civil rights, our First Amendment rights" in the midst of the Massey case.

"This is a systemic issue and its been going on since before (Campbell) was sheriff," Keating said.

The Rev. T. Ray McJunkins, who hosted the event, said gather had a purposed of "not letting this die out as another incident that happened.

"We are grieving, and the first stage of grief is that we talk about it, to express ourselves, not assassinate anyone. God also requires us to do justice. We want to start the healing process tonight."

Zach Long, of Springfield, was one of several residents who expressed anger toward Sangamon County Sheriff Jack Campbell during a listening session at Union Baptist Church Monday, July 29, 2024.

Theodis Pace, president of the Illinois State Conference of the NAACP, said the idea of the session was to address systemic issues that contribute to incidents like the fatal shooting of Massey.

"This session is an opportunity for the Springfield community members to voice their concerns, share their experiences and propose solutions," Pace said.

Pace added that the NAACP demanded "a thorough and transparent investigation into Sonya Masseys death. We insist on accountability and justice for Sonya and her family. We must scrutinize our law enforcement practices, challenge thesystemic biases that exist and work tirelessly to rebuild the trust that has been broken."

Contact Steven Spearie: 217-622-1788; sspearie@sj-r.com; X, twitter.com/@StevenSpearie.

This article originally appeared on State Journal-Register: Sheriff in Sonya Massey case: 'We failed her. We did not do our jobs.'
Just because a business does not make any money, does not mean that the stock will go down. For example, although software-as-a-service business Salesforce.com lost money for years while it grew recurring revenue, if you held shares since 2005, you'd have done very well indeed. But the harsh reality is that very many loss making companies burn through all their cash and go bankrupt.

Given this risk, we thought we'd take a look at whether Meta Wolf (FRA:WOLF) shareholders should 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. We'll start by comparing its cash burn with its cash reserves in order to calculate its cash runway.

Check out our latest analysis for Meta Wolf

Does Meta Wolf Have A Long Cash Runway?

A company's cash runway is calculated by dividing its cash hoard by its cash burn. As at December 2023, Meta Wolf had cash of 62m and such minimal debt that we can ignore it for the purposes of this analysis. Looking at the last year, the company burnt through 3.1m. That means it had a cash runway of very many years as of December 2023. Even though this is but one measure of the company's cash burn, the thought of such a long cash runway warms our bellies in a comforting way. Depicted below, you can see how its cash holdings have changed over time.

How Well Is Meta Wolf Growing?

Meta Wolf managed to reduce its cash burn by 88% over the last twelve months, which is extremely promising, when it comes to considering its need for cash. And revenue is up 36% in that same period; also a good sign. Overall, we'd say its growth is rather impressive. In reality, this article only makes a short study of the company's growth data. You can take a look at how Meta Wolf is growing revenue over time by checking this visualization of past revenue growth.

How Hard Would It Be For Meta Wolf To Raise More Cash For Growth?

There's no doubt Meta Wolf seems to be in a fairly good position, when it comes to managing its cash burn, but even if it's only hypothetical, it's always worth asking how easily it could raise more money to fund growth. Generally speaking, a listed business can raise new cash through issuing shares or taking on debt. Commonly, a business will sell new shares in itself to raise cash and drive growth. By comparing a company's annual cash burn to its total market capitalisation, we can estimate roughly how many shares it would have to issue in order to run the company for another year (at the same burn rate).

Meta Wolf has a market capitalisation of 95m and burnt through 3.1m last year, which is 3.2% of the company's market value. That's a low proportion, so we figure the company would be able to raise more cash to fund growth, with a little dilution, or even to simply borrow some money.

How Risky Is Meta Wolf's Cash Burn Situation?

It may already be apparent to you that we're relatively comfortable with the way Meta Wolf is burning through its cash. For example, we think its cash burn reduction suggests that the company is on a good path. And even its revenue growth was very encouraging. After considering a range of factors in this article, we're pretty relaxed about its cash burn, since the company seems to be in a good position to continue to fund its growth. Readers need to have a sound understanding of business risks before investing in a stock, and we've spotted 1 warning sign for Meta Wolf that potential shareholders should take into account before putting money into a stock.

If you would prefer to check out another company with better fundamentals, then do not miss this free list of interesting companies, that have HIGH return on equity and low debt or this list of stocks which are all forecast to grow.

Have feedback on this article? Concerned about the content? Get in touch with us directly. Alternatively, email editorial-team (at) simplywallst.com.



This article by Simply Wall St is general in nature. We provide commentary based on historical data and analyst forecasts only using an unbiased methodology and our articles are not intended to be financial advice. It does not constitute a recommendation to buy or sell any stock, and does not take account of your objectives, or your financial situation. We aim to bring you long-term focused analysis driven by fundamental data. Note that our analysis may not factor in the latest price-sensitive company announcements or qualitative material. Simply Wall St has no position in any stocks mentioned.

Have feedback on this article? Concerned about the content? Get in touch with us directly. Alternatively, email editorial-team@simplywallst.com
CHICAGO  A team of clinicians with the Cook County Sheriffs Treatment Response Team (TRT) is working with employees at downtown businesses on how to help people who may be in crisis.

The effort to educate through training sessions is an extension of the work underway by the TRT, which was started in 2019 in response to the opioid epidemic, and to bridge the gap in services for people seeking treatment for overdoses.

According to program manager, Meghann Cherie, the TRT started its street outreach in 2022 in the River North area, focusing on individuals who would benefit from services and connecting them to treatment.

Dolton senior trustee announces candidacy for mayor, plans to clean house

Sheriff Dart has really promoted that we look comprehensively at the problems specifically going on here in River North, Marcus Whisnant said. While we do street outreach with folks down here, theyre not the only ones impacted, a lot of our businesses are.

So often theyre coming across people that they want to help and they dont know how to, especially in the River North area, where there are so many businesses that are impacted by whether its a patron or someone else who may be struggling, Cherie added.

Whisnant, a clinician with the TRT, has been part of the training at several area businesses. The first one they conducted was in May 2024, with three to date, and several more to look forward to.

Weve worked with residential, weve worked with retail, Whisnant said.

From Starbucks to an area farmers market, and now the Chicago Architecture Center, the TRT has worked with several area businesses to help share resources and information on how to approach a situation of a person in crisis both compassionately and safely.

Theres a lot of good folks that want to do something, but theyre not necessarily equipped to know what they can or cant do, Whisnant said.

Calls for change echo in downtown Chicago during rally demanding justice for Sonya Massey

Eleanor Gorski, CEO and President of the Chicago Architecture Center, said they see a variety of visitors and folks living downtown through their work at the center and on guided tours, and they wanted to be prepared for any situation.

It was really worthwhile for us to understand the challenges theyre going through so we can be respectful and hopefully understand more of how to address the situations we come across, Gorski said. Of course, I was thinking of various incidents that have happened over the past year and a lot of the questions directly went to some of the situations that weve had to address.

In Mondays training session were staff working at the building and docents who helped conduct guided tours via boat, foot, and even on the CTA. Because they interface with the public daily, Gorski said she was excited to partner with the CCSO to coordinate this training for staff.

I thought the advice was just brilliant about understanding and putting yourself in the shoes of the person youre talking to and again being respectful and understanding what is threatening, what is not, Gorski said. I thought the advice was just brilliant about understanding and putting yourself in the shoes of the person youre talking to, and again, being respectful and understanding what is threatening, what is not.

3 charged in connection to 2023 fire that killed Chicago firefighter

During the training, clinicians with the TRT discussed potential situations, and what the best way to address them would be. Safety and empathy were two key points emphasized by staff throughout the session.

Whisnant and Cherie also spoke with the group about determining whether someone is overdosing and the importance of calling 911 when that happens.

They are actively dying when they are overdosing, she said.

Clinicians said they look forward to the work with community partners and businesses continuing and they encourage anyone interested in conducting a training, to reach out to the sheriffs office.

Its great to be able to see the folks come in sometimes with one mindset and leave with another of, this is a community issue, and its something that I can be a part of the solution to, Whisnant said.

Anyone interested in setting up a training can reach out to the Treatment Response Team at 309-463-4357 or by email 4ODHelp@ccsheriff.org.

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AMBLER, Pa.  Two of the Democratic Partys top attack dogs, Govs. Gretchen Whitmer and Josh Shapiro, gave what amounted to running-mate auditions at a rally Monday for the Democratic Partys new presumptive presidential nominee.

Inviting an audience of newly energized Democrats to call her Big Gretch, Michigans Whitmer defended Vice President Kamala Harris from GOP attacks on her Oval Office qualifications, arguing that former President Donald Trump and top Republicans, more than anything, are just scared of her.

Lets be clear, Kamala Harris has more experience than the Trump-Vance ticket combined, Whitmer told hundreds assembled in a high school gym in Montgomery County, a Democratic-leaning Philadelphia suburb, as she referenced Trumps running mate, Sen. JD Vance of Ohio. Between the two of those dudes, they only have 5 years  and its not public service, its self-service.

Whitmer called Harris, a former U.S. senator and California attorney general, tough, experienced and ready to continue Bidens vision for the country. The contrast in this election could not be more clear. Donald Trump bragged about overturning Roe v. Wade and sexually assaulting women. He lost tens of thousands of manufacturing jobs, including right here in Montgomery County.

Shapiro, the first-term Pennsylvania governor, echoed Whitmer, saying Trump wont debate Harris because hes simply too scared.

Shes not only ready, shes damn ready. You know who else knows shes ready? Donald Trump knows shes ready, Shapiro said to rapturous applause. You know how I know this? Because hes afraid to debate her now, you see that? And its not just because shes a skilled debater. ... Hes a pretty good debater. Its because he cant defend his record.

Shapiro had a message for voters who are beginning to forget about Trump and those days of chaos in the White House. Those days when you just didnt want to pick up the phone to see what he did that day. ... We dont want to go back to that again.

He added that following a Supreme Court decision establishing absolute criminal immunity for official presidential acts and the drafting of the right-wing policy agenda Project 2025: [Trump] is dangerous. He is destructive. And the guardrails are off.

Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer (left) and Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro (center) arrive Monday at a campaign event for Vice President Kamala Harris, the likely Democratic presidential nominee, in Ambler, Pennsylvania. Matt Rourke/Associated Press

The rally was designed to energize a key segment of suburban swing-state voters as much as it was a tryout for Shapiro and Whitmer, who are among the nearly dozen Democrats reportedly begin considered as Harris running mate. Harris shortlist skews overwhelmingly white and male with the exception of Whitmer, an emerging national figure who can deliver a key swing state while also being a compelling messenger on womens issues and reproductive rights. But the Michigan governor on Tuesday said she hasnt been vetted and isnt interested in the job.

Whitmer laid into Vance as a sexist for his 2021 comments derisively calling child-free Democratic women childless cat ladies with no stake in the countrys future.

He does not see women as equals, Whitmer said. He does not want everyone to have a seat at the table. Hes scared of us because Democrats, we want everyone to have a seat at the table  even cat lovers and dog lovers alike.

Shapiro has positioned himself as a moderate with a record of rooting out sex abuse in the Roman Catholic Church and staunchly supporting Israel amid pro-Palestinian protests across the nation, particularly at college campuses. Like Whitmer, he could help deliver a swing state thats a key component of the former presidents electoral strategy.

Both Shapiro and Whitmer shouted out President Joe Biden, a Pennsylvania native, but didnt linger on his July 21 announcement that he was ending his reelection campaign. Of course I want to thank a man who dedicated 50 years of his life, Scrantons own Joe Biden, Whitmer said.

After spending months barreling toward a likely blowout in November, many Democrats at the Harris event were no longer dreading the election the way they had been a little more than a week ago, with Biden still committed to running. The vibes were positive, though reporters were barred for most of the event from speaking to attendees on the gymnasium floor.

We need a woman president to change things around, said Michelle Cherry, a retired 62-year-old who last attended a political rally for former President Barack Obama. You want me to be real with you, dont you? [If Biden were still running], I probably wouldnt have come.

Holly Manzone, 67, said she expected a landslide for Harris and whomever she picks as a running mate. Joe is such a nice guy. Hes such a good person. He just wouldnt push back. And Kamala, she can do it now. Shes tough. Shes strong. Much stronger than he is.

Manzone, however, said she doesnt want Harris to pick Shapiro, instead wanting to see Sen. Mark Kelly of Arizona on the ticket.

Hes too good to give up, she said of Shapiro.

Related...
ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. (KRQE)  A Shiprock man has been charged with second-degree murder following a fatal stabbing. Edison Brady, 55, appeared before a federal judge on Monday and will remain in custody until his detention hearing.

A criminal complaint states on July 25, 2024, Navajo Nation Police Department officers responded to reports of a fight in progress near a business in Shiprock. When they got there, officers found John Doe unresponsive on the ground with wounds to his face and chest. Doe was later pronounced dead at Northern Navajo Medical Center.

DOJ: Albuquerque man sentenced for shooting wife at Walmart

Officials say Brady punched and kicked Doe before taking a knife from his backpack and stabbing Doe. Witnesses told officers they saw Brady assault Doe, who did not defend himself. A knife with blood stains was recovered from Bradys possession.

If Brady is convicted, he faces up to life in prison. His detention hearing is on Wednesday.

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CLEVELAND (WJW)  Cleveland firefighters were called to an unusual rescue on the citys west side.

The guys, they heard a loud moaning sound. And then we heard something that definitely sounded like knocking, said resident Bob Smith.

Smith and several men who live in a recovery house in Kamms Corners decided to search the school next door.

Once we were looking for the sound, we ended up at a brick wall. We could hear it beside a boiler room, said Zachary Hahn, resident.

VIDEO: Missing horse trapped in local swimming pool

Cleveland Fires technical rescue team responded to the call of an entrapment Saturday night at St. Patricks School on Puritas Avenue.

An adult male tried to enter the school from the chimney. He got about 20 feet down, said Lt. Mike Norman, with the Cleveland Division of Fire.

Norman said firefighters tried to pull the man up from the top of the chimney but they were unable to get a line underneath him.

So, firefighters decided to breach the chimney from below, removing the bricks one by one until they were able to pull him out.

The man was taken to an area hospital in stable condition with no major injuries.

Watch: Dirt bike riders taunt Cleveland police

I was actually looking down the space at where this guy was. How a human body even got in there was shocking to me, said Hahn.

Firefighters say the man is lucky to be alive.

There is no information on who the man is and why he was trying to get into the school through the chimney in the first place.

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Shoplifter who committed tsunami of dishonesty on Olympian scale jailed for 10 years

Narinder Kaur has a long history of offending and made it her full-time career to travel all over the country to carry out her deceptions - Jam Press / CPS

A serial shoplifter who committed a nationwide tsunami of dishonesty and fraud against top high street retailers worth 500,000 has been jailed for 10 years.

Narinder Kaur, 54, travelled all over the country to deceive retailers into refunding her for items she had stolen.

Gloucester Crown Court heard Kaur defrauded the likes of Boots, Debenhams, John Lewis, Monsoon, House of Fraser and TK Maxx more than a thousand times between July 2015 and February 2019.

The defendant, also known as Nina Tiara and has a long history of offending dating back to when she was a teenager, made it her full-time career to travel all over the country to carry out her deceptions.

The court heard Kaur was seen on CCTV entering stores, taking items from the shelves and taking them to the tills as if they had been previously purchased.

Close examination of her accounts confirmed the pattern of purchases and refunds and that the same process seen on the CCTV was being repeated on hundreds of occasions.

Gareth Weetman, prosecuting, said: This defendant made it a full-time and lucrative endeavour.

This was inherently sophisticated offending with sustained planning, carried out over a five-year period with a large number of victims.

Sob stories

Mr Weetman said Kaur would rely on the goodwill of cashiers or store managers by telling them sob stories about sick relatives to commit her crimes.

The largest single fraud was committed against Boots and an examination of her many bank and credit card accounts showed she had visited stores in Cheltenham, Malvern, Solihull, Droitwich, Kidderminster, Dudley and Smethwick.

Kaur received 60,787.09 in refunds from the high street shop despite having only spent 5,172.73 with the retailer during that same period.

She also received 42,853.65 in refunds from Debenhams despite having only spent 3,681.33 over four years.

Kaur also got 33,131.61 in refunds from John Lewis stores, including in Milton Keynes, Watford, Chester, Cardiff, Chichester and Nottingham, having only spent 5,290.36 between August 2015 and December 2018.

She also visited several Monsoon stores in the West Midlands, South Wales and Thames Valley where she claimed 23,000 more in refunds than in payments to the stores.

House of Fraser stores in Bristol, Cardiff, Bath, Reading, Cheltenham, Birmingham, Swindon, Solihull, Worcester and Exeter fell victim to Kaur, where she spent 2,800 and claimed refunds of 23,000.

She also defrauded Homesense of 18,000, TK Maxx of some 14,500 and Homebase of 3,200.

During two police searches of her home, around 150,000 in cash was found hidden away as well as stolen goods.

No limit to your offending

John Cooper KC, defending, said delays in the case should not be held against the defendant who had been suffering in prison with her mental health.

She has been a victim of bullying and racial abuse - it has not been easy, he said.

She had refused to leave Eastwood Park Prison and was instead sentenced in her absence.

Judge Ian Lawrie KC, the Recorder of Gloucester, imposed a total sentence of 10 years imprisonment for crimes that were stubbornly persistent and on a near-Olympian scale.

You indulged in a veritable tsunami of dishonesty and deceit on a varied assortment of victims, he said. The majority of that dishonesty and deceit was carried out over a significant range of retail outlets covering an extensive geographical area from north to south, Warrington to Plymouth, and from east to west, London Colney to Swansea.

There seems to have been no limit to your offending, all of which was conducted with resolute persistence, unburdened by restraint or inhibition.

The scale of the offending was on a near-industrial scale. The overall value of the offending has been valued at 500,000.

The collective scale and gravity of these offences mean the court is left with no alternative option but to impose a significant term of custody.

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Shuttered Columbus Kroger gets new life at monthly pop-ups as renovations push on

Set back from busy Refugee Road on the city's Southeast Side, a usually quiet, boarded-up building comes to life on the fourth Saturday of each month.

The building, a former Kroger store, is undergoing renovations inside. But outside, there is a monthly pop-up market where local people can get fresh fruit and vegetables by walking or driving up around noon.

Hosted by the Mid-Ohio Food Collective (MOFC) and local community groups, the pop-up market started in April and will continue until the building opens as a social services hub in early 2026, said Brad Draper, the senior vice president of operations at MOFC.

MOFC bought the former grocery store, at 4485 Refugee Road, in early 2023 and announced plans to turn it into a hub to give food, social services and other support to people locally. The Kroger closed in May 2022 after declining store performance.

"It's just to demonstrate to the neighborhood that there are great things happening in this space," Draper said of the pop-up market. "Members of this community came to this location for many years to get their food. We want to start to build goodwill in the neighborhood."

What will be inside the social services hub?

The building is 67,000 square feet and undergoing renovations to become what will likely be known as the Eastland Prosperity Center.

The collective is working with Moody Nolan to design the inside space, Draper said, and it recently hired a construction manager.

Once completed, the space will host a Mid-Ohio Market, where people can shop for free food; a kitchen that will make ready-to-eat meals for customers to take home; a PrimaryOne health center; a Neighborhood Pride Center; an office of CelebrateOne; a community room; and a benefits and customer outreach team.

Where to get emergency food: Mid-Ohio Food Collective to close Grove City drive-thru pantry, open massive market

The area is "a very high need community in Columbus," Draper said, referencing the ZIP code: 43232. The ZIP code often boasts many evictions, high infant mortality and food insecurity.

There are other markets offering emergency food nearby, Draper said, but not at the scale the community needs.

It's largely a new American community and 30% of area households don't have a car, so having services within walking distance is important, he said.

The neighborhood is near the shuttered Eastland Mall and is home to many Liberians and Mauritanians who recently came to the U.S.

Mauritanians, new Americans seek help at East Side market

Bocar Wane, right, a volunteer from the Mauritanian Network for Human Rights in The US, and Brad Draper of the the Mid-Ohio Food Collective package fresh produce at an East Side pop-up food pantry in the former Refugee Road Kroger. Eventually, the Mid-Ohio Food Collective will renovate the building for use as a social services hub.

In front of the former Kroger's entrance, MOFC lays out fruits and vegetables, and local residents walk or drive up, filling a box or the trunks of their cars with food.

Bocar Thiaw, 64, stopped by the market on Saturday. The Mauritanian man came to the United States in May and hasn't been able to find work yet. He will soon seek asylum in the country, he said, speaking Fulani through a translator.

He is one of thousands of Mauritanians who have fled their country, as Black Mauritanians are not recognized as citizens and face arrest, torture, enslavement and death at the hands of the government.

'Guilty until proven innocent'? Advocates say Black immigrants face racial bias in court

Central Ohio has one of the biggest populations of Mauritanians in the nation, with an estimated 9,000 living here.

"I have a very positive view of this," Thiaw said of the pop-up. "It's helpful to come find community members organizing."

One day, Thiaw hopes to be a volunteer with one of the organizations, welcoming newcomers like he is being welcomed, he said.

Dozens line up for food from the Mid-Ohio Food Collective's East Side pop-up food pantry out of the former Refugee Road Kroger. Eventually the Mid-Ohio Food Collective will renovate the building for use as a social services hub.

"Getting food helps," he said.

After loading a cardboard box with blueberries, carrots, potatoes, sweet corn and more, Thiaw balanced the box on his head using one arm as he crossed Refugee Road to his apartment.

'A sharing spirit'

Many individuals who get food at the pop-up aren't taking it home just for themselves, said Houleye Thiam, president of the Mauritanian Network for Human Rights in The US, which partnered with MOFC and Liberians in Columbus, Inc. to host the market.

Abderrahmane Ba, 34, of the East Side, went at the market on Saturday. He feels like the food drive brings the community together, he said, speaking Fulani through a translator.

Liberians in Columbus: Columbus' growing Liberian population aims to start community center on Southeast Side

"When anyone else comes to visit, they can get the food, too," he said, referencing visitors coming to his home.

Many pop-up customers share the food once they get it, Thiam said, and they enjoy coming to the market and meeting people from the community who speak their language.

"I like the set up," said Mamadou Ba, 39, on Saturday. "It's a sharing spirit."

As dozens line up for food, the Mid-Ohio Food Collective operates an East Side pop-up food pantry out of the former Refugee Road Kroger with help from the Mauritanian Network for Human Rights in The US. Eventually the Mid-Ohio Food Collective will renovate the building for use as a social services hub.

Each market serves about 120 families, Thiam said. And all customers have to do is present their ID and an address, making the pop-up accessible, she said.

Volunteers from Liberians in Columbus and the Mauritanian Network run the pop-up market and Thiam is thankful for the MOFC providing food and space.

"The immigrant community never really felt (MOFC)'s presence," she said. Now, it does.

How to find food in Columbus, central Ohio

A man walks home with a box of fresh produce from the Mid-Ohio Food Collective's East Side pop-up food pantry out of the former Refugee Road Kroger. The pop-up operates with help from the Mauritanian Network for Human Rights in The US. Eventually the Mid-Ohio Food Collective will renovate the building for use as a social services hub.

The pop-up market is hosted every fourth Saturday at 12 p.m. at the old Kroger site, at 4485 Refugee Road.

There is also one on the second Saturday of each month at Liberians in Columbus' office at 4300 Kimberly Parkway.

To search for other food pantry and market locations, visit www.freshtrak.com.

dking@dispatch.com

@DanaeKing

This article originally appeared on The Columbus Dispatch: Refugee Road pop-up market revives former Kroger site
EL PASO, Texas (KTSM)  Socorro Independent School District (SISD) high schools are preparing faculty and staff for the new school year with conferences.

Socorro High School and Americas High School feeder areas will participate in day-long events on Tuesday, July 30 for staff members to collaborate on processes, instructions strategies, hear from guest speakers and learn on ways to refine their craft, according to SISD in a news release.

For Americas High School, the following feeder schools will be in the conference:

Vista Del Sol Environmental Science Academy

Myrtle Cooper Elementary

Loma Verde Elementary

Sierra Vista STEAM Academy

John Drugan School

Capt. Walter E. Clarke Middle School

Americas High School.

Guest speaker is Maya Cosette Ruiz, an Americas High School senior who is in STEM robotics, competed in district and international science fairs and has earned her associates degree from El Paso Community College while attending Americas, according to SISD.

For Socorro High School, the following feeder schools will be in the conference:

Campestre Elementary

Escontrias STEAM Academy

H.D. Hillery Elementary

Robert R. Rojas Elementary

Ernesto Serna Fine Arts Academy

Salvador H. Sanchez Middle School

Socorro Middle School

Socorro High School

The feature guest speaker in Bob Sanju, an award-winning education leader that will include learning sessions for leadership, early/elementary, middle school and high school education, according to SISD.

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For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to KTSM 9 News.
Numerous people show their support for opposition leaders Maria Corina Machado (M) and Edmundo Gonzalez Urrutia (M, r) during a demonstration against the official results of the presidential elections, which declared President Maduro the winner. The opposition accuses the government of electoral fraud. Jeampier Arguinzones/dpa

Pressure is mounting on the streets of Venezuela after at least six people were killed and more than 700 detained in the protests against President Nicolas Maduro's controversial re-election.

The non-governmental organization Foro Penal wrote on X on Tuesday that two young people were among the victims of the Monday protests that turned violent.

According to the public prosecutor's office, one police officer was also killed.

Across the country, 749 demonstrators have been detained, Attorney General Tarek William Saab said.

Those arrested had attacked police stations, electoral offices, town halls and hospitals, he said. They are accused of terrorism, incitement to hatred and blocking public roads, he added.

The crisis-stricken country is facing a fresh wave of unrest after Maduro was officially declared the winner of Sunday's vote, securing the authoritarian left-wing leader a third six-year term in office.

The opposition has refused to recognize the official result and has made allegations of election fraud.

Fear of escalation growing

Protesters were expected to take the streets again Tuesday evening as anger grows over the disputed election.

The opposition has called for a large demonstration against the government on Tuesday. The government camp also plans to bring its supporters to the streets.

President Maduro said that there had been over 100 attacks after the election.

On Monday, shots were also fired at demonstrators who were marching to the presidential palace in the capital Caracas, the newspaper El Nacional reported and video clips showed.

Television footage showed police officers using tear gas and beating people.

"We are dealing with a coup d'etat instigated by the fascist forces of the extreme right with the support of the imperial forces, US imperialism," said Defence Minister Vladimir Padrino Lopez. "We will thwart this coup d'etat."

UN Human Rights Commissioner Volker Turk expressed concern about the violence. "I am alarmed by reports of the disproportionate use of force by security forces and armed groups supporting the government," he said in a statement.

"I call on the government to respect the right of all Venezuelans to assemble, protest peacefully and express their opinions freely and without fear."

Opposition rejects official result

The National Electoral Council officially declared Maduro the winner of the presidential election with 51.2% of the vote, while opposition candidate Edmundo Gonzalez received 44.2%.

Opposition leader Maria Corina Machado said to media representatives on Monday that the government opponents had access to 73% of the result lists, which indicated an insurmountable lead for the challenger.

She said Gonzalez had won in all states and received over 6.2 million votes, while Maduro received only 2.7 million.

Maduro, who has been in power since 2013, said that over 100 attacks have been recorded in the country since Sunday, blaming the United States and the opposition.

"This is a fascist, counter-revolutionary and criminal group," he added.

The US government and several Latin American countries have expressed doubts about the official election result.

However, Maduro has received support from Latin American countries such as Cuba and Honduras, as well as political backing from China and Russia.

Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov on Monday decried the protests on Tuesday, saying: "Of course, it is very important that these attempts to aggravate the situation in Venezuela are not fuelled by third countries and that Venezuela remains free from external interference."

Maduro clings on as Venezuela suffers

Oil-rich Venezuela has suffered in recent years from mismanagement, corruption and international sanctions.

More than 80% of the population lives below the poverty line.

According to the UN, over 7 million people - about a quarter of the population - have left the oil-rich country in recent years due to poverty and violence.

The desperate situation has led to repeated protests against Maduro's rule, but he has been able to survive despite intense pressure to step down.

After the last contested elections in 2018, opposition leader Juan Guaido declared himself the legitimate president of the country and was recognized by the United States and other Western countries, but Maduro was able to retain the support of powerful groups within Venezuela, including the military.

Following his latest controversial win, Maduro is set to begin his third six-year term in January 2025.

Maria Corina Machado (R), opposition leader, speaks during a demonstration against the official results of the presidential election. The National Electoral Council had officially declared Maduro, who has been in power since 2013, the winner of Sunday's presidential election. The opposition accuses the government of electoral fraud. Jeampier Arguinzones/dpa

Venezuelans wave flags and shout slogans in support of opposition leaders Machado and Gonzalez Urrutia during a demonstration against the official results of the presidential election. The National Electoral Council had officially declared Maduro, who has been in power since 2013, the winner of Sunday's presidential election. The opposition accuses the government of electoral fraud. Jeampier Arguinzones/dpa
PANAMA CITY (Reuters) - Copa Airlines said on Tuesday that Venezuela has decided to temporarily suspend all commercial flights between Panama and Venezuela beginning on Wednesday evening.

The Panamanian airline said the suspension will start at 8:00 p.m. Venezuelan time, and apologized to its clients for any inconvenience caused by the decision.

Venezuela's transportation ministry had said in a statement that it will suspend flights from and to Panama and also the Dominican Republic temporarily due to their government's interference in Venezuelan affairs.

The transportation ministry claimed the decision was taken "under the presumption of the use of civil aviation for purposes not compatible with safety principles."

Panama and the Dominican Republic were among the countries that have asked for a complete review, involving independent observers, of Sunday's presidential election in Venezuela.

Venezuela announced on Monday it would withdraw its diplomatic personnel from seven countries in Latin America, including Panama and the Dominican Republic.

(Reporting by Elida Moreno, Writing by Aida Pelaez-Fernandez; Editing by Brendan O'Boyle)
SNP calls for more immigration after number of babies born in Scotland falls to record low

There are fewer babies being born in Scotland than at any other time on record - MINT IMAGES

Scotlands birth rate has fallen to its lowest level since records began in 1855, laying bare a demographic time bomb facing the country.

Official figures released on Tuesday showed that there were 45,935 live births registered last year, a record low and around 900 fewer than in 2022.

Scotlands fertility rate, the number of children the average woman is likely to have, has also plummeted to just 1.3. For the population to naturally sustain itself, the rate needs to be at 2.1.

The number of babies born in Scotland was the lowest recorded since records began in 1855, National Records of Scotland (NRS) said.

Last year, there were 17,510 more deaths than births, with 2014 being the last time that the number of babies born outstripped the number of people dying.

Some SNP ministers have suggested that the solution was to allow more immigration into Scotland.

However, with housing and the health service under unprecedented pressure, there are growing doubts over the sustainability and success of such an approach.

Phillipa Haxton, head of vital events statistics at NRS, said the figures reflected the move towards smaller families.

She added: The publication of these annual figures for 2023 gives us an opportunity to step back and look at the bigger picture.

While birth rates have been falling across much of the developed world, in part due to women waiting longer to start families, figures suggest the issue is particularly acute in Scotland.

The fertility rate in England and Wales was 1.49 in 2022, and is 1.46 across the European Union.

Locally, total fertility rates fell to 0.98 in Edinburgh and 1.12 in Glasgow.

Kaukab Stewart, the SNP equalities minister - ANDREW MILLIGAN/PA

Just over half of the Scottish births were to unmarried parents and the most common age for mothers was in the 30-34 age group, followed by women in their late 20s.

The birth rate among teenagers has fallen over time, but rose slightly last year. In addition, the infant death rate  which covers babies who die before their first birthday  rose to four per 1,000 live births in 2023, with 184 deaths.

The SNP government set up a population taskforce in 2019 to look at ways demographic pressures could be addressed.

A lower number of working-age people means there is less taxation to support a growing elderly population, who tend not to be economically productive.

The last time Scotlands fertility rate was at 2.1 was 1973. Births in Scottish cities are considerably lower than comparable locations in England and Wales.

Kaukab Stewart, the SNP equalities minister, said: Lower birth rates are a trend across a number of higher-income countries, and while deciding to have a child or not is obviously a matter for individuals, we are identifying and addressing barriers to people starting or expanding families through the delivery of Scotlands Population Strategy.

Inward migration is also key and while immigration is a reserved policy matter, we hope to work collaboratively with the new UK Government to support people to move to Scotland.

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Solvita is reporting an urgent need for all blood types as they struggle to meet the demands of local hospitals.

The combination of high usage and a decline in donations over the summer has depleted the existing blood supply.

There is a critical need for type O blood and all other blood types have been exhausted.

>> Winning Powerball Ticket sold in Ohio

The gap between what we are collecting and what hospitals are ordering has become an emergency. Solvita needs 350 blood donors a day to keep up with local demands. Recent collections have been closer to 175, Tracy Morgan, the Vice President of Donor Services said.

Solvita is asking all existing eligible donors, lapsed donors, and first-time donors to visit the blood center or a bloodmobile to donate.

Registered donors at the Solvita Dayton Center will get a $10 e-gift card or a $10 Kroger card, plus the Solvita beach towel.

Everyone who registers to donate at any Solvita blood drive or at the Dayton Center in July or August will be entered in a drawing for a chance to win two tickets to the Taylor Swift Nov. 3 performance in Indianapolis.












A heart-wrenching thought has set in for the Scheidecker family over the last year since the alleged hit-and-run death of their their son and brother in a rural area of Kansas Citys Northland. The family has grappled with the possibility they may never know who is responsible for John Paul Scheideckers death.

The beloved 30-year-old Liberty man was found dead along a rural Clay County road outside his vehicle early one morning in July 2023. Investigators said evidence recovered from the scene was minimal, but that Scheideckers death appeared to be the result of a hit-and-run crash. He had gotten out of his vehicle for some reason, but the remaining details surrounding his death remain a mystery.

The family has flipped through an array of questions. Why did he stop? Was he checking on an animal that had been hit? Did he see something out of the ordinary? What happened?

If no one steps up and does the right thing, we may never know, said John Pauls brother Luke Scheidecker at a news conference on Tuesday, the one-year anniversary of his brothers death. As hard as that is, its part of life and youve got to keep moving forward, because thats what he would want.

Luke Scheidecker, brother of John Paul Scheidecker, speaks at a press conference at the Clay County Sheriffs Office on Tuesday, July 30, the one-year anniversary of John Pauls death, as Elaine Scheidecker, his mother, looks on.

One year after John Paul Scheideckers death, family and investigators are putting out a plea for information in the case, asking even for small details that could eventually lead to closure.

Were Christian people, we forgive, we understand accidents happen, Luke Scheidecker said. From our perspective, we would just want clarity about what happened that night. Someone needs to step up and do the right thing. Somebody knows something.

The investigation

Scheidecker was found dead around 4 a.m. on July 30, 2023, on Northeast 120th Street between Missouri Route A highway and Fishing River Road, northeast of Liberty.

The scene was very rural and dark, and little evidence was recovered, said Sgt. Chris Johnson with the Clay County Sheriffs Office.

Johnson said the investigation has remained a high priority and said the department has completed nearly 100 supplemental reports in the case. Even on Monday, detectives worked a lead in the case and have looked into one that is out of state, he said.

No evidence has suggested that Scheideckers death was intentional, and Johnson said the matter could be a tragic accident.

It may be a very young driver, it may be an older driver that just doesnt know what happened, they dont know how to deal with it, Johnson said. Call me. Lets sit down, get in my interview room, lets talk. As scared as you may be, we still need to sit down and talk about it. Itll give that person closure, itll give the Scheideckers closure and most importantly, itll give justice for John Paul.

Elaine Scheidecker, John Paul Scheideckers mother, speaks at a press conference press conference at the Clay County Sheriffs Office on Tuesday, July 30, the one-year anniversary of John Pauls death.

I want to return what he would do for us

Family members said Scheidecker had a vibrant personality and was loved by many in the community.

Ever the entrepreneur, he owned a lawn mowing business at age 14 and amassed a list of about 50 accounts. After graduating from the University of Missouri, he worked in the medical industry, then started his own e-commerce business.

He owned a sprawling farm near Liberty with ponds and trails for dirt bikes and four-wheeling. His home was a space for friends.

After Scheideckers death, family learned the extent of his quiet generosity, of how hed help others who were down on their luck financially and found ways to show kindness.

He would never tell us, said his mother, Elaine Scheidecker. After he passed away, I dont know how many people said that they owed us money because John Paul would give them money. Nobody would know.

Elaine Scheidecker said Tuesday she knows her son would have gone to extreme lengths to find justice for his family if their roles were reversed.

I want to return what he would do for us, she said.

Information about the case can be submitted to investigators directly by calling 816-407-3723 or through an anonymous call to the TIPS Hotline at 816-474-TIPS. A reward is available for information submitted in the case.

The most minimal information that they think may not be anything, thats information we want, Johnson said. We will follow up on every lead that we get.
Son of 'El Chapo' pleads not guilty to US drug charges in Chicago

CHICAGO - A son of convicted Mexican drug lord Joaquin "El Chapo" Guzman pleaded not guilty to U.S. drug charges on Tuesday, five days after his arrest in a dramatic operation in which he delivered his father's former partner to U.S. authorities.

Joaquin Guzman Lopez, wearing an orange jumpsuit but no handcuffs, entered the plea at a hearing that lasted about 10 minutes in Chicago federal court before U.S. District Judge Sharon Johnson Coleman, who ordered him detained pending trial. Guzman Lopez could face the death penalty if convicted.

Guzman Lopez was indicted in 2023 along with three of his brothers - known as the "Chapitos," or little Chapos - on U.S. drug trafficking and money laundering charges involving their assumption of leadership of their father's Sinaloa Cartel after his 2017 extradition to the United States.

Jeffrey Lichtman, lawyer for El Chapo's son, Joaquin Guzman Lopez, speaks to members of the press at the Dirksen U.S. courthouse as his client is set to make his initial U.S. court appearance in Chicago, Illinois, U.S., July 30, 2024. REUTERS/Vincent Alban

El Chapo, convicted on murder and drug charges in 2019, is serving a life sentence in a maximum security prison in Colorado.

Guzman Lopez, who is in his late 30s, was taken into U.S. custody on Thursday night near El Paso, Texas alongside Ismael "El Mayo" Zambada, the septuagenarian accused drug kingpin who founded the Sinaloa Cartel together with El Chapo.

The courtroom was packed during the hearing with onlookers and members of the U.S. Marshals service. Guzman Lopez spoke in English and answered most questions by saying, "Yes, your honor" or "No, your honor."

The judge did not set a trial date and scheduled the next court date in the case for Sept. 30.

The circumstances of Guzman Lopez's arrival in the United States were not discussed at the hearing. Many of the details about the events leading up to his arrest remain murky.

A newspaper seller arranges newspapers reporting the El Paso, Texas, U.S., arrest of Mexican drug lord Ismael "El Mayo" Zambada and Joaquin Guzman Lopez, "El Chapo" Guzman's son, in Mexico City, Mexico July 26, 2024.

Last week, U.S. officials familiar with the situation said Guzman Lopez duped Zambada into boarding a propeller plane in Mexico by saying they were going to scope out real estate in the country's north. Instead, the plane brought both men to the United States - where Guzman Lopez had planned to surrender, but Zambada had not.

Zambada's lawyer, Frank Perez, disputed the version of events offered by U.S. officials. Perez said that Guzman Lopez "forcibly kidnapped" Zambada and brought him to the United States against his will.

Zambada pleaded not guilty to drug charges last week in El Paso federal court.

When asked about Perez's assertions after court on Tuesday, Guzman Lopez's lawyer Jeffrey Lichtman said his client was not being accused of kidnapping.

A Beechcraft jet landed at Dona Ana County International Jetport in Santa Teresa, New Mexico, on Thursday, July 25, 2024, with Ismael "El Mayo" Zambada on board.

"When the government accuses him, then I'll take notice," Lichtman told reporters. "When lawyers who are trying to score points with the media make accusations ... doesn't move the ball forward."

Mexico has opened an investigation into the events leading to the arrest.

One of Guzman Lopez's brothers, 34-year-old Ovidio Guzman, was extradited from Mexico last year and pleaded not guilty to U.S. drug trafficking charges. The two other indicted brothers, Ivan Guzman Salazar and Alfredo Guzman Salazar, remain at large.

U.S. authorities have said that the four "Chapitos" revived their father's drug empire after he was arrested by embracing fentanyl, a synthetic opioid that helped supercharge an epidemic north of the border.

The arrests of Joaquin Guzman Lopez, Ovidio Guzman and Zambada were coups for U.S. authorities that may also reshape the Mexican crime landscape.

This article originally appeared on El Paso Times: 'El Chapo' son pleads not guilty in US court after dramatic arrest
A son of convicted Mexican drug lord Joaquin "El Chapo" Guzman is set to make his initial U.S. court appearance on Tuesday, July 30, after his arrest last week in a dramatic operation in which he delivered his father's former partner to U.S. authorities.

More: Take a look inside the plane that carried alleged Sinaloa Cartel leader 'El Mayo' Zambada

Guzman Lopez, who is in his late 30s, is due to appear in Chicago federal court. He was taken into U.S. custody on Thursday night near El Paso, Texas alongside Ismael "El Mayo" Zambada, the septuagenarian accused drug kingpin who founded the Sinaloa Cartel together with El Chapo.

A Beechcraft jet landed at Dona Ana County International Jetport in Santa Teresa, New Mexico, on Thursday, July 25, 2024, with Ismael "El Mayo" Zambada on board.

El Chapo sons known as Los Chapitos

Joaquin Guzman Lopez was indicted in 2023 along with three of his brothers  known as the "Chapitos," or little Chapos  on U.S. drug trafficking and money laundering charges involving their assumption of leadership of their father's Sinaloa Cartel after his 2017 extradition to the United States.

Guzman Lopez is one of four sons of El Chapo who inherited their father's faction of the Sinaloa Cartel. His brother, Ovidio Guzman, was arrested last year and extradited to the United States.

El Chapo serving life sentence in Supermax prison in Colorado

El Chapo, convicted on murder and drug charges in 2019, is serving a life sentence in a maximum security prison in Colorado.

Reuters contributed to this report.

This article originally appeared on El Paso Times: El Chapo son Chicago court appearance: live stream
Joaquin Guzman Lopez, the son of the former Sinaloa Cartel boss Joaquin "El Chapo" Guzman, is set to appear in a Chicago federal court Tuesday after he was arrested in Texas last week.

Here's what we know, and how to livestream the trial.

Livestream: El Chapo's son Joaquin Guzman Lopez trial

The hearing for Joaquin Guzman Lopez begins at 10 a.m. CT on Tuesday.

Sinaloa Cartel busted in Texas

Ismael "El Mayo" Zambada Garcia, the co-founder and alleged leader of the notorious Sinaloa Cartel, along with the son of Joaquin "El Chapo" Guzman, were arrested Thursday by federal authorities in Texas, the U.S. Department of Justice announced Thursday.

An undated police handout photo shows Ismael Zambada. According the the Justice Department, Zambada and Joaquin Guzman Lopez, the son of Joaquin "El Chapo" Guzman, face multiple charges in the U.S. for heading the Sinaloa Cartels criminal operations.

People are also reading: Mexican drug lord Ismael 'El Mayo' Zambada and 'El Chapo' Guzman's son arrested in Texas

"The Justice Department has taken into custody two additional alleged leaders of the Sinaloa Cartel, one of the most violent and powerful drug trafficking organizations in the world," U.S. Attorney General Merrick Garland said in a statement. Zambada Garcia and Guzman Lopez were arrested Thursday in El Paso, Texas.

Two officials told Reuters that Zambada Garcia and Guzman Lopez were detained after landing in a private plane. FBI Director Christopher Wray said in a statement that the agency and the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration arrested the two alleged cartel leaders "who have eluded law enforcement for decades."

A plane with a U.S. and Customs and Border Protection tag is shown on a plane in which alleged Sinaloa Cartel leaders, Ismael "El Mayo" Zambada and Joaquin Guzman Lopez, landed in Dona Ana County International Jetport aboard this airplane. The two men were taken under U.S. custody in New Mexico July 25, 2024.

The two alleged cartel leaders, according to Wray, "will now face justice in the United States" after they oversaw "the trafficking of tens of thousands of pounds of drugs into the United States, along with related violence."

Both men are facing multiple charges for leading the cartels criminal operations, including its "deadly fentanyl manufacturing and trafficking networks," Garland said. Reuters first reported the arrests.

 USA TODAY reporter Thao Nguyen contributed to this report.

This article originally appeared on Austin American-Statesman: El Chapo's son to appear in Chigaco court Tuesday. Watch livestream
Joaquin Guzman Lopez, the son of the former Sinaloa Cartel boss Joaquin "El Chapo" Guzman, is set to appear in a Chicago federal court Tuesday after he was arrested in Texas last week.

Here's what we know, and how to livestream the trial.

Livestream: El Chapo's son Joaquin Guzman Lopez trial

The hearing for Joaquin Guzman Lopez begins at 10 a.m. CT on Tuesday.

Sinaloa Cartel busted in Texas

Ismael "El Mayo" Zambada Garcia, the co-founder and alleged leader of the notorious Sinaloa Cartel, along with the son of Joaquin "El Chapo" Guzman, were arrested Thursday by federal authorities in Texas, the U.S. Department of Justice announced Thursday.

People are also reading: Mexican drug lord Ismael 'El Mayo' Zambada and 'El Chapo' Guzman's son arrested in Texas

"The Justice Department has taken into custody two additional alleged leaders of the Sinaloa Cartel, one of the most violent and powerful drug trafficking organizations in the world," U.S. Attorney General Merrick Garland said in a statement. Zambada Garcia and Guzman Lopez were arrested Thursday in El Paso, Texas.

Two officials told Reuters that Zambada Garcia and Guzman Lopez were detained after landing in a private plane. FBI Director Christopher Wray said in a statement that the agency and the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration arrested the two alleged cartel leaders "who have eluded law enforcement for decades."

The two alleged cartel leaders, according to Wray, "will now face justice in the United States" after they oversaw "the trafficking of tens of thousands of pounds of drugs into the United States, along with related violence."

Both men are facing multiple charges for leading the cartels criminal operations, including its "deadly fentanyl manufacturing and trafficking networks," Garland said. Reuters first reported the arrests.

 USA TODAY reporter Thao Nguyen contributed to this report.

This article originally appeared on Austin American-Statesman: El Chapo's son to appear in Chigaco court Tuesday. Watch livestream
White South African Serial Killer, Who Killed Dozens of Black People for Sport, Died. But Information About His Killing Spree Lives On

A 72-year-old serial killer who terrorized South Africa during the 1980s post- apartheid has died of his medical condition. But families are pushing the police to investigate the 20 alleged murders beyond the few he was convicted of.



Louis van Schoor hunted down Black people for sport between 1986 and 1989. Over those three years, police claim he took the lives of up to 39 people, according to BBCs report. Van Schoor was hired to protect white-owned businesses in East London where he welcomed himself to shooting at passerbys, the report says.

All of his victims were Black; he even claimed the life of a 12-year-old. At the time of the murders, the apartheid system placed white South Africans on a pedestal above the Black population. During that time, hes believed to have shot at over 100 people total, per The Guardian.

However, police classified 32 of his murders as justified homicides, some of the victims being labeled as burglars but majority of them being random people walking while Black. It wasnt until 1991 that Van Schoor was arrested and convicted on seven counts of murder and two counts of attempted murder.

He was released on parole after serving 12 years in prison. Last Thursday, three decades since his tirade, he succumbed to complications from sepsis.

Read more from BBC:

In 2021, Van Schoor had both his legs partially amputated following circulatory complications. His hospitalization a month ago, in the same East London hospital where many of his victims were taken, was due to an infection in the remains of one of his limbs. Sepsis develops when the bodys immune system overreacts to an infection and starts attacking its own tissues and organs. Van Schoors family said his condition deteriorated rapidly once sepsis set in, despite the best efforts of hospital staff. In his final interview with the BBC, Van Schoor denied that he was a serial killer, but also said he had no remorse and no guilt for his past actions.

Following Van Schoors death, many families of his victims still grieve their chance at getting justice. Though, they still seek answers despite his death.

He got off easy! I hope they still re-open these cases. The families deserve justice. We got nothing and the pain is still the same, said Marles Mvumbi, whose brother was killed by Van Schoor 1986, via BBC.

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Dakotans for Health Executive Director Rick Weiland said opponents to a ballot initiative to reinstate abortion rights in South Dakota are desperate. (Makenzie Huber / South Dakota Searchlight)

Editors Note: This is the first in a series of conversations about voter-initiated efforts to restore abortion access across the country.

Unlike other abortion-rights initiatives across the country, major reproductive rights groups havent backed the effort to restore access in South Dakota.

But that hasnt stopped Dakotans for Health  a ballot question committee behind a measure that is set to appear on the November ballot  from galvanizing voters in the state, where abortion is banned unless the mothers life is at risk. South Dakota enacted a trigger law, first passed by lawmakers in 2005, after the U.S. Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade two years ago.

The ballot question asks voters to ban legislators from regulating abortion until the end of the first trimester, allow regulations during the second trimester in ways that are reasonably related to the physical health of the pregnant woman and let the state prohibit abortion in the third trimester unless the procedure is necessary to save the life or health of a pregnant patient.

Despite the lack of support from major organizations, the group submitted more than 55,000 petition-signatures to election officials in May, South Dakota Searchlight reported. About 46,000 of those signatures were from registered voters, even though the group only needed roughly 35,000 valid signatures to make the ballot.

Anti-abortion groups have mobilized against the measure. Republican Rep. Jon Hansen introduced a bill this year allowing voters to withdraw their signatures from petitions. GOP Gov. Kristi Noem signed the measure into law in March, along with approving legislation that directed health officials to create a video explaining the states abortion ban.

Hansen is also co-chair of the Life Defense Fund, a group that Republican Secretary of State Monae Johnson called scammers and accused its members of impersonating her staff during calls that encouraged voters to remove their signatures from the petition, Searchlight reported. (Johnson asked the attorney general to investigate the calls, but he said no laws were broken and the anti-abortion group identified themselves as volunteers.)

With a few months left until Election Day, Dakotans for Health is focused on encouraging people to vote yes for Amendment G. Last month, it launched the Freedom Amendment Coalition led by former Democratic state lawmaker Nancy Turbak Berry. Republicans and doctors have announced their support to restore abortion access in South Dakota, too.

States Newsroom spoke to Dakotans for Health leader Rick Weiland, a Sioux Falls resident who unsuccessfully ran for Congress three times as a Democrat, about the grassroots campaign.

The following interview has been edited and condensed.

States Newsroom: The casual reader may be surprised to find out that you, a 65-year-old father of five, have spearheaded a campaign to restore abortion rights in South Dakota. So why did you decide to organize the ballot measure?

Rick Weiland: I have two daughters who are of child-bearing years. I have a granddaughter whos 11, and I think about the poor kid that was raped in Ohio and had to go to Indiana to get an abortion, and I have a zillion nieces. Abortion rights are human rights in so many ways. When you look at the fact that women had these rights for 50 years and, with the change in the makeup of the court, they were eviscerated, and now were living in the most restrictive state in the country.

We have, with the trigger law, an exception for the life of the mother, right? But we still dont know what that would constitute. Even after Dobbs and the trigger law kicking in, we couldnt get anything through the legislature  because of the Right to Life lobby  to give doctors some peace of mind that they could help their patients. Finally, the legislature, which by the way is made up of 94 Republicans and 11 Democrats, allocated $100,000 to the state Department of Health to work with the governor and the attorney general to develop some kind of video that will instruct doctors on what they can and cant do. Doctors are still operating under a pretty risky situation, and you hear a lot of stories about women having to travel out of state for help. Its just a mess out here and for me, it checked a lot of boxes, in terms of us getting involved.

SN: If approved, the ballot measure would allow abortion with no restrictions from the state legislature up to the end of the first trimester. But then in the second trimester, it lets lawmakers enact restrictions reasonably related to the physical health of the pregnant mother, and in the third trimester, abortion is banned except to save the life and health of the mother. Why did the committee choose that language instead of using the fetal viability language?

RW: Because Roe was a recognizable 50-year precedent, and were living in South Dakota. When you break it down, the only push back Id have on that second trimester, as you described it, is that they cant restrict, they can regulate, but they cant prohibit an abortion in the second trimester. Were talking about abortion that takes place in a hospital or a licensed medical facility by a licensed medical professional  those are the kinds of regulations that would be allowable, like they were under Roe. Essentially 99% of all abortions in this country occur in the first two trimesters. Right now we have 0% accessibility. Were covering 99%, and then you get into the third trimester, which is pretty typical in most states. Its the life or health of the mother.

SN: Back in December, the regional Planned Parenthood and state American Civil Liberties Union opposed the scope of the measure. Those are organizations with big money who have backed a lot of the successful initiatives in Michigan and Ohio. Have they come around after seeing the success of the initiative so far?

RW: Not yet. We are sincerely hoping that they will. I reached out very early in our process of trying to convene groups of stakeholders. And at the time, I think it was too early for them. We know, having done these initiatives, that we need to get started early out here, because we rely pretty heavily on the grassroots. That can be a mixed bag. Sometimes volunteers dont want to circulate in sub-zero weather. We have tough winters out here, and we knew we needed every day possible, every day available to be able to gather signatures  especially for a constitutional amendment. But we reached out to Planned Parenthood and to the ACLU at the time. To be honest with you, I dont think that they were particularly interested in South Dakota in a ballot measure approach. I think they were looking at other bigger states. Weve extended olive branch after olive branch to these groups hoping that theyll get engaged at some point.

I know there are people on the left that would like to go a lot further. Think about what happened after that trigger law went into effect. It just seems to make a lot of sense and to be able to say, hey, all were doing is restoring the rights that women had for 50 years. Read the language of Roe [side-by-side] with our ballot measure. The language is pretty much exact. If these national groups want to do something after were successful and expand it, have at it. But were concentrating on something that we think makes a lot of sense.

SN: South Dakota GOP Rep. Jon Hansen sponsored legislation that allows citizens to withdraw petition signatures. The governor signed that into law in March, and Hansen is also the co-chair of the Life Defense Fund, which is opposing the abortion-rights ballot measure. How is Dakotans for Health preparing for any future attacks against the campaign as we near the election?

RW: We just intercept it. They were apparently representing themselves as members of the secretary of states office. But a number of people complained about it and thats why [Secretary of State] Monae Johnson requested [Attorney General Marty] Jackley investigate.

I have described their efforts as desperate. They were harassing us the whole time we were circulating. They would send protesters out to harass our circulators and to harass or intimidate voters that wanted to sign the petition. It has been an interesting journey. Ultimately, our mantra has been let the voters decide. Weve been qualified. Were going to be on the ballot. Were prepared for a lawsuit.

SN: In May, you submitted some 55,000 signatures  thats way over the 35,000 needed from registered voters to qualify. What memorable interactions have you had with South Dakotans in support of this? What has the response been from South Dakotans on the ground?

RW: Weve got a number of people from the medical community that are doctors who are just really troubled by the situation today. Theres a woman thats running for Congress out here who came to one of our events last year. She wasnt a candidate then, and Ive known her for quite some time, but her daughter was miscarrying, went to one of the hospitals and was told to go home. Then her husband finds her passed out in the bathroom bleeding and had to call the ambulance to get her in. Of course then her life was on the line and they took care of the situation, but thats not right.

Were calling our effort a freedom amendment. Women who are raped dont have the freedom they once had to make a decision. A victim of incest who becomes pregnant lost that ability, and women with dangerous problematic pregnancies have lost their freedom. We have a governor who likes to tell you to come to South Dakota: Live, work and play. Its a free state. Well, it aint free if youre a female.

SN: Nancy Turbak Berry, a former state Democratic lawmaker and an abortion-rights advocate, will lead the Freedom Amendment Coalition to support the measure in the next phase. Was it a strategic choice to add a woman leader to the effort? Will you still be involved?

RW: Oh, yeah, Ill be intimately involved. We spent so much time this last year and a half focusing on getting signatures. We look at this as the next step of the campaign which is expanding beyond volunteers. The grassroots to building a nonpartisan, bipartisan coalition. Well be announcing Republicans for the Freedom Amendment, Libertarians for the Freedom Amendment, Independents for the Freedom Amendment.

Nancy is very articulate. Ive known her for years. Shes been practicing attorney in Watertown, born and raised up there. I love her story. She was educated in an 11-room schoolhouse but ends up going to Harvard and does her undergrad and then bolts to university to get her law degree, came back, ran for the legislature later and served two terms in the [state] Senate. Shes going to bring a lot to the campaign.
Southeastern Louisiana University welcomes first K-9 officer to police force

HAMMOND, La. (WGNO)  A new, four-legged officer is joining the Southeastern Louisiana University Police Department.

According to a news release, the Southeastern UPD recently welcomed K-9 Jula to its team.

City of New Orleans opens cooling centers amid heat advisories

University officials said Jula is a 2-year-old German shepherd from Poland who specializes in explosives detection.

They said Jula is the first K-9 to join the force in the Southeastern UPDs new K-9 Division.

(Courtesy: Southeastern Louisiana University)

(Courtesy: Southeastern Louisiana University)

Jula will work alongside Sergeant Michelle Blanchard, who attended a certification course in Texas.

Southeastern leaders said Jula will continue training in areas including safety sweeps for special events, sporting events and emergency situations.

Jula will be a great ambassador of safety, student support and officer training and development, said Southeastern President William Wainwright.

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.

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Cosa Resources has signed an agreement to acquire two mineral claims in the Athabasca Basin, Saskatchewan, Canada, from Skyharbour Resources.

The acquisition will double the size of Cosa Resources wholly owned Orbit Uranium Project to 12,718 hectares.

It involves an exchange of 250,000 common shares and is subject to regulatory approvals.

Under the agreed terms, Cosa will gain full ownership of the claims with the consideration shares being subject to a four-month hold period under Canadian securities laws.

Following this period, half of the shares will become free trading, with the remaining 50% becoming free trading after six months due to voluntary resale restrictions agreed upon by the vendor.

The transaction awaits the approval of the TSX Venture Exchange.

The two claims, which represent a small portion of the Skyharbour-owned Karin Property, are located in Saskatchewan around 22km south of the Key Lake mill.

Cosa president and CEO Keith Bodnarchuk said: Cosa will continue to identify and pursue cost-effective opportunities to add to our pipeline of exciting projects and drill targets as we remain fully funded to complete all of our exploration plans into 2025.

Situated 19km south of the Athabasca Basin and 22km from the Key Lake mill and former Key Lake Mine, the Orbit Project is strategically positioned in an area with historic uranium production yet limited modern exploration.

Cosa exploration vice-president Andy Carmichael said: "The northern magnetic-low trend at the Orbit Project hosts known occurrences of uranium mineralisation, hydrothermal alteration and reactivated graphitic faulting on strike to the south-west, all of which can be important indicators of a uranium deposit on trend.

We are excited to have nearly doubled the completely untested strike length of this trend contained by the Orbit Project. Furthermore, the southern portion of the Orbit Project hosts several complex magnetic low trends that have not been significantly explored and warrant additional work.

Skyharbour will retain the ownership stake in five other adjacent claims that constitute the new Karin Project.

"Cosa Resources to acquire uranium claims in Canada from Skyharbour" was originally created and published by Mining Technology, a GlobalData owned brand.







The information on this site has been included in good faith for general informational purposes only. It is not intended to amount to advice on which you should rely, and we give no representation, warranty or guarantee, whether express or implied as to its accuracy or completeness. You must obtain professional or specialist advice before taking, or refraining from, any action on the basis of the content on our site.
Firefighters wait for supplies and orders before attacking the Park Fire, which has burned 383,619 acres Tuesday according to the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection (Cal Fire), in Tehama County, Calif. Butte County District Attorney Mike Ramsey says a 42-year-old man from Chico was arrested for allegedly pushing a burning car into a gully which set off the Park Fire. As of Tuesday, according to Cal Fire, the fire was 14% contained. Photo by John G. Mabanglo/EPA-EFE

July 30 (UPI) -- Firefighters are battling 15 fires in California, including two massive wildfires as the Park Fire in Northern California erupted into the fifth largest in state history Tuesday. Another wildfire prompted mass evacuations in Southern California.

The Nixon Fire ignited Monday afternoon in Riverside County, and quickly grew to 3,750 acres with 0% containment, according to the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection, as the Riverside County Sheriff's Office issued mandatory evacuation orders. Southern California air regulators have issued a smoke advisory through Tuesday night due to the fire.

The Park Fire, which authorities say was deliberately set nearly a week ago in Northern California, continues to burn in Butte, Plumas, Shasta and Tehama counties and has grown to nearly 600 square miles. The fire has destroyed nearly 200 structures, including homes, and was 14% contained on Tuesday, according to Cal Fire.

More than 5,300 firefighters are battling the fire from the air and ground, as Butte County Sheriff Kory Honea warned residents not to defy mandatory evacuation orders.

"If the fire blows over, I can't make any promise or guarantee that we can get up there to save your life," Honea told reporters.

A destroyed structure from the Park Fire, which has currently burned over 383,619 acres, according to the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection (Cal Fire), in Tehama County, California. Photo by John G. Mabanglo/EPA-EFE

The Park Fire escalated Tuesday to become California's fifth largest wildfire in state history at 383,619 acres. The largest wildfire in California state history was the August Complex fire which burned more than a million acres in 2020.

Cal Fire warned residents that 95% of all wildfires are caused by human activity.

"Simple actions such as following fire safety guidelines and avoiding activities that can spark fires are vital in reducing the risk," the department said in a post on X. "Additionally, having a go bag packed with essentials and being prepared for an emergency can make a significant difference in ensuring personal and community safety."

Ronnie Dean Stout II, 42, of Chico, has been charged with felony arson and is being held without bail, after witnesses said they saw him push a burning car into a gully last Wednesday, according to prosecutors. Court records show Stout has two prior felony convictions.

"For reckless arson, the upper term is four years. With his prior strikes, you can double that. Not make it 25 to life, but you can double that," Butte County District Attorney Mike Ramsey said, as he revealed Stout's blood alcohol content was above the legal limit when he was arrested Thursday.

Fire crews have been battling the Park Fire in 90-degree heat and will face triple-digit temperatures in the Chico area starting Thursday and into the weekend.

The fire has also reached Lassen Volcanic National Park "three years after the Dixie Fire consumed much of the western portion," the park said in a post on Facebook after closing the area to visitors.

"Visitors have been evacuated from all campgrounds and reservations have been canceled. All park employees have been evacuated from park housing and their homes in the community," the park wrote. "Staff are scrambling to save historic artifacts stored in the 1927 Loomis Museum."
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Credit: SpaceX via X

SpaceX ignited the engines on its newest Starship spacecraft recently to gear up for a coming test flight, which could be just a few weeks away.

The company performed a "static fire" with the 165-foot-tall (50 meters) Starship upper stage on Friday afternoon (July 26) at its Starbase facility, near the South Texas city of Brownsville. We got a glimpse of the action, thanks to photos and a video that SpaceX posted to X on Saturday (July 27).

Static fires  in which engines are briefly ignited while a vehicle remains anchored to a launch or test pad  are a common prelaunch trial. And SpaceX is indeed prepping for a Starship flight; it conducted a static fire with this spacecraft's first-stage mate on July 15.

a large silver rocket fires its engines on an outdoor test stand, with greenery stretching into the distance

It's unclear when exactly Flight 5 will lift off. On July 5, SpaceX founder and CEO Elon Musk said Starship will fly again "in four weeks," which suggests a target date of this coming Friday (Aug. 2) or thereabouts. But the company is apparently now targeting late August or early September, according to media reports.

Starship is the biggest and most powerful rocket ever built: Fully stacked, the vehicle stands nearly 400 feet (122 meters) tall. Both of its stages  the spacecraft, known as Starship or simply "Ship," and the booster, called Super Heavy  are designed to be fully and rapidly reusable.

SpaceX thinks Starship's combination of power and reusability will be revolutionary, making settlement of the moon and Mars economically feasible. NASA is on board; the agency picked Starship to be the first crewed lander for its Artemis program of moon exploration.

Related: SpaceX test-fires Super Heavy Starship booster ahead of 5th flight (video)

a large black rocket fires its engines on an outdoor test stand, with blue sky in the background

Starship Die Cast Rocket Model Now $69.99 on Amazon.

If you can't see SpaceX's Starship in person, you can score a model of your own. Standing at 13.77 inches (35 cm), this is a 1:375 ratio of SpaceX's Starship as a desktop model. The materials here are alloy steel and it weighs just 225g.

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Starship's four test flights to date occurred in April 2023, November 2023 and March and June of this year. The vehicle has performed better on each successive flight. On the most recent mission, for example, Ship reached space and survived the return trip through Earth's atmosphere, and Super Heavy hit its splashdown target in the Gulf of Mexico.

Flight 5 will apparently aim to blaze a new trail for the big booster. Musk has said the company wants to catch the returning Super Heavy with the "chopstick" arms of Starbase's giant launch tower, a strategy that will enable more rapid inspection, refurbishment and reflight of the vehicle going forward.
Pedro Sanchez with Begona Gomez, who has not commented publicly on the corruption case - Alastair Grant/AP Photo

Pedro Sanchez, the Spanish prime minister, has been questioned by a judge at his official residence in Madrid over a corruption case against his wife.

It was the first time that a sitting Spanish prime minister has been visited by a judge at the Moncloa Palace and asked to give evidence in a criminal case.

In a two-minute hearing, Mr Sanchez reserved his legal right not to testify against his wife and there the questioning ended.

Protesters outside the Moncloa Palace, where Pedro Sanchez was questioned by a judge - Diego Radames/Anadolu/Getty Images

In April, a court opened a preliminary investigation into his wife, Begona Gomez, over allegations of business corruption and influence peddling.

Her husband has said that she has done no wrong.

The original complaint was filed by the anti-corruption activist group Manos Limpias (Clean Hands) using a legal lever known as the peoples accusation, which allows private individuals to bring criminal complaints against third parties.

The hard-Right party Vox and Iustitia Europa, a group best known for its activism against the Covid-19 pandemic restrictions, has also requested Mr Sanchez be called as a witness in the case.

Pedro Sanchez, here with Begona Gomez at the Paris Olympics, said accusations against her were baseless - Chema Moya/EPA-EFE/Shutterstock

Ms Gomez has not commented publicly on the case, but Mr Sanchez has denied the accusations against his wife, saying they were baseless and orchestrated by Right-wing political opponents.

Mr Sanchez has also filed a lawsuit against the judge who called him to testify, accusing him of violating the law.

The lawsuit, filed by Spains state legal services, argues that the judge may have committed criminal acts in his summons by not allowing Mr Sanchez to testify in writing as the socialist leader requested. The judge has not commented.

Demonstrators outside the Moncloa Palace in Madrid - Diego Radames/Anadolu/Getty Images

Judge Carlos Peinado, who is leading the investigation, was the first magistrate to enter the Moncloa Palace complex, to take a statement from a sitting prime minister.

Mr Sanchez was not obliged to testify because under Spanish law he is not required to do so against his wife.

The court has said the investigation seeks to evaluate Ms Gomezs conduct since Mr Sanchez became prime minister in 2018.

At the time the judicial probe was launched, Mr Sanchez stunned the country by taking five days off official duties to consider his future but then returned to his post.

The Spanish government has pointed out that a police investigation, carried out in response to the judges probe, found no evidence of wrongdoing by Ms Gomez.

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WASHINGTON (AP)  Donald Trump's invitation to address the National Association of Black Journalists has sparked an intense debate within the organization and a flurry of arguments online.

Journalism organizations for people of color traditionally invite presidential candidates to address their summer gatherings during election years. But Trump's acceptance of NABJ's invitation has led at least one high-profile group member to step down as a convention co-chair and others to argue their convention may become a platform for Trump to make false claims or be seen as winning NABJ's endorsement.

Trump will be interviewed at 12 p.m. CDT Wednesday in Chicago by three reporters: Kadia Goba of Semafor, Rachel Scott of ABC News and Harris Faulkner of Fox News. Vice President Kamala Harris, the likely Democratic nominee and first Black woman to hold her office, is not currently scheduled to address the convention. A person familiar with her schedule, speaking on condition of anonymity, said the Harris campaign was unable to find a time to appear at NABJ in person and claimed the organization turned down an offer for her to appear virtually.

The debate over NABJ's invite reflects how many journalists are still grappling with how to approach Trump nearly a decade after his first presidential run. Some group members argued journalists should allow newsmakers to be heard, while others pointed to Trump's demeaning of prominent Black journalists while president and his frequent attacks on the free press, including labeling reporters the enemy of the people.

Trump and NABJ also have a tense history over his treatment of Black women journalists. In 2018, NABJ condemned Trump for repeatedly using words such as stupid, loser and nasty to describe Black women journalists including several Black journalists such as Yamiche Alcindor of NBC News; Abby Phillip of CNN; and April Ryan of The Grio.

The most powerful man in the free world is verbally abusing journalists, said then-NABJ President Sarah Glover. His dismissive comments toward journalists April Ryan, Abby Phillip and Yamiche Alcindor are appalling, irresponsible, and should be denounced.

When Trump told Alcindor dont be threatening during a 2020 press conference, then-NABJ President Dorothy Tucker condemned the remarks as "not only unnecessary but demeaning and inappropriate.

Former presidents George W. Bush, Bill Clinton and Barack Obama have all attended NABJ. President Biden attended a virtual NABJ panel during his 2020 run for president where he received criticism for saying: Unlike the African American community, with notable exceptions, the Latino community is an incredibly diverse community.

But for many NABJ members, the decision to host Trump polarizes the organization and threatens the convention's ethos, which aspires to safeguard and advance Black journalists.

I understand that the job should put us in tough situations if were doing it in a meaningful way, wrote Tyler J. Davis, an NABJ member and freelance journalist, in The TRiiBE, a local Chicago Black news outlet.

But this isnt a story assignment or a news conference or a newsroom. NABJ is a place of learning, networking and feeling supported. Its a space for Black folks to feel safe and celebrated; for Black media, specifically, to feel safe and celebrated, Davis wrote.

Ken Lemon, president of NABJ, insisted that the invitation was absolutely not an endorsement.

We invited both of them, we got a yes from one of them," Lemon said. We'd love to get a yes from Kamala as well, but in this case this is an important hour.

Lemon added that the event would be a great opportunity for us to vet the candidate right here on our ground and added that the association had worked with both campaigns for probably for more than a month" and each had given the inclination that both were interested in being a part of what we're doing.

Yet, Lemon and other leaders at NABJ have faced internal backlash and calls to resign since Trump's appearance was announced.

Karen Attiah, a global opinions columnist for The Washington Post, stepped down as the co-chair of the 2024 convention in the wake of the announcement of Trump's appearance.

To the journalists interviewing Trump, I wish them the best of luck, Attiah wrote on social media. While my decision was influenced by a variety of factors, I was not involved or consulted with in any way with the decision to platform Trump in such a format, she continued.

Some industry leaders pushed back on the claim that Black journalists should not take opportunities to interview Trump, noting that any opportunity to hold powerful figures to account should not be wasted and that NABJ as a forum is especially suited to that mission.

To suggest they not interview a Presidential candidate on issues relevant to the organizations constituency is outrageous, Rana Cash, the executive editor of the Charlotte Observer and an NABJ member, wrote on X.

___

Associated Press writer Seung Min Kim in Washington contributed to this report.
A report issued by the law firm that Hennepin County Attorney Mary Moriarty hired to help prosecute a Minnesota state trooper for murder in the shooting of motorist Ricky Cobb II before charges were ultimately dismissed detailed little evidence to counter defense experts' claims that the shooting was justified.

Moriarty hired the Washington, D.C.-based law firm Steptoe LLP as outside counsel in April and its 858-page "Special Prosecutor's Report and Recommendations in State v. Ryan Patrick Londregan" was submitted in early June around the time Moriarty dropped second-degree murder charges against Londregan. Steptoe billed Hennepin County $578,321 for 733 hours of work.

The report details how Londregan's defense was building a use-of-force argument through statements and interviews from the other two troopers on the scene, Brett Seide and Garrett Erickson, along with senior members of the State Patrol who had trained Londregan and were willing to testify that his July 31, 2023, shooting of Cobb as he attempted to flee a traffic stop followed department standards. It also shows how the prosecution's own use-of-force expert ultimately determined that Londregan was likely justified in his decisionmaking because he feared for the safety of Seide, who had half of his body in the driver's side window when Cobb shifted his car into drive.

Many of those witnesses also went before a grand jury, although that testimony was redacted from the report.

All of that information was available to Moriarty before she hired Steptoe and before a hearing on April 29 where Londregan's attorney, Chris Madel, said they would argue that Londregan feared Cobb was reaching for Londregan's gun.

The Steptoe report zeroes in on that piece of information as a turning point in the ability to successfully prosecute Londregan. Moriarty told the Star Tribune in June it changed her belief that she should continue pursuing the case.

A spokesperson for the Hennepin County Attorney's Office said, "In a community where police violence has impacted so many, it would have been unfathomable for us to simply decide to drop a case that at the time we believed we could prove beyond a reasonable doubt. Eventually, that calculus changed, and that is the point at which we dismissed the charges."

Madel said in an interview this week the notion that Moriarty was surprised by any element of their self-defense argument rang hollow.

"When you kill somebody and there is no dispute that you're the one who killed them, you have to find a justification or you're going to go to prison. That's it," Madel said. "For her to say, 'Well, I had no idea.' Well, what did she expect them to do? Come in and say, 'Put me in cuffs, I killed him for fun?'"

The report shows that for the duration of the investigation there was little evidence that any experts were willing to say Londregan's use of force was not justified. And several witnesses for the defense had already given sworn declarations that Londregan was justified to use deadly force once Cobb put the car in drive with Seide's upper body inside the driver's side window.

The report also makes clear that from the beginning the defense was going to present an argument that Londregan believed his life and Seide's life were in danger when Cobb put the car in drive.

Seide gave a statement to the Minnesota Bureau of Criminal Apprehension eight days after the shooting where he used language clearly meant to justify the use of force:

"As the vehicle increased speed I tried run [sic] alongside so as not to fall and get run over. At that time, I knew that Trooper Londregan and I were in danger of being run over by Cobb's car, being hit by an oncoming car on the highway, or otherwise being dragged away at a high rate of speed."

Erickson's statement was turned in 16 days after the shooting and followed a similar argument:

"Due to the fact that Trooper Seide was inside the vehicle, I was concerned that Trooper Seide was in an extremely vulnerable position. I feared for Trooper Seide's life because he could fall out and be run over, or that Trooper Seide would be trapped in the vehicle for an unknown amount of time traveling down the freeway."

The Hennepin County Attorney's Office retained Jeff Noble as a consulting use-of-force expert. Noble, who had been a deputy chief of police in Irvine and Westminster, Calif., was the use-of-force expert witness in Derek Chauvin's criminal trial for the murder of George Floyd.

Noble never gave prosecutors a final opinion on Londregan's use of force, because he wanted more information, but he did say that Londregan was "authorized to respond reasonably to the danger to trooper Seide."

It wasn't until Madel issued a subpoena on April 9, that Noble produced a "draft report" which had his preliminary opinion that, "A reasonable police officer in Trooper Londregan's position may have believed that Trooper Seide was at imminent threat of death or serious bodily injury at the moment that Trooper Londregan used deadly force."

Several members of the State Patrol reached the same conclusion, including Sgt. Jason Halvorson, who instructed Londregan in use of force during his state trooper academy training in 2021 and has served 10 years as the State Patrol's use of force expert.

When Moriarty charged Londregan with second-degree murder, first-degree assault and second-degree manslaughter in January, she quoted an interview Halvorson gave with the BCA in the statement of probable cause. In that interview, Halvorson said that a trooper pointing a gun at a driver wouldn't stop a driver from fleeing the area and could cause them to flee.

Halvorson said those statements were taken out of context and the Steptoe report contains the 37-page transcript of the interview. It shows Halvorson speaking mostly about Minnesota State Patrol policies amid dozens of hypothetical law enforcement situations over a lengthy interview that at times became contentious. He does not offer his opinion on Londregan's use of force.

The first sworn declaration the defense gave in the case came from Halvorson on March 20 when he said his opinion was that Londregan's use of force was justified.

The defense introduced additional sworn declarations from State Patrol leadership including: Lt. Jonathan Wenzel, a firearms instructor and coordinator, who instructed Londregan at academy; Sgt. Troy Morrell, the emergency vehicle operations course and vehicle contracts coordinator, who instructed Londregan at academy; and Maj. Christopher Erickson, who is the statewide on-call major and has been with the State Patrol for 25 years.

All believed Londregan was justified in his use of force.

The report's heaviest criticism of Londregan, Seide and Garrett Erickson was their approach before the fatal shooting. The troopers hadn't discussed any plan for what to do if Cobb was uncooperative or who should approach him. They also never discussed using stop sticks on the rear tires, which could have prevented Cobb from driving away without the troopers needing to enter the car.

It also included several recommendations to help investigations into deadly use of force by law enforcement in the future  namely that the Department of Public Safety ensure that state law enforcement personnel promptly cooperate with BCA investigators and that the State Patrol should require officers who witness use of force provide voluntary interviews within 48 hours of the event.

Londregan never agreed to be interviewed by the BCA or prosecutors about shooting Cobb.

The Steptoe report also states that, "Approximately 37 MSP troopers either refused to be interviewed or did not reply to the BCA's interview requests." The BCA declined to comment on the report.

State Patrol Col. Christina Bogojevic said in a statement that, "The Minnesota State Patrol disagrees with the report released by the Hennepin County Attorney's Office insinuating a lack of cooperation by our troopers. Every individual being questioned as a witness or otherwise in any criminal investigation has a right to retain counsel and seek legal advice. We're extremely disappointed in the inaccuracies of current and previous statements made by the Hennepin County Attorney."

Other recommendations to the State Patrol included greater emphasis on de-escalation and better training on extracting suspects from vehicles.

The report states, as Moriarty has, that Cobb should be alive today. From the moment Londregan opened Cobb's passenger door to when he drew his service weapon and fired twice, seven seconds passed.
I spent $79 on a round-trip ferry to Martha's Vineyard. The ocean views and full-service bar weren't even the best parts.

I took an hourlong ferry ride to Martha's Vineyard, a stunning island in New England.

The $79 ferry trip featured beautiful ocean views and even had a full-service bar on board.

I'm planning on taking more day trips to Martha's Vineyard in the future.

Martha's Vineyard, an island 7 miles off the coast of Massachusetts, has been a popular summer destination for years. The island, which sees as many as 200,000 people each summer, is known for its beautiful scenery and selection of mom-and-pop shops.

Many visitors have made Martha's Vineyard their summertime escape, building homes that range from cozy cottages to multimillion-dollar estates. Several celebrities, including James Taylor, Carly Simon, and the Obamas, have owned properties on the island.

I spent $79 on a round-trip ferry ticket from New Bedford, Massachusetts, to the island to attend the Martha's Vineyard Food and Wine Festival.

I'd taken the ferry a few years ago, but it was a little different than I remembered. Here's what the experience was like.

I purchased a round-trip ticket from New Bedford to Oak Bluffs in Martha's Vineyard.

I went to the New Bedford terminal to board my ferry to Martha's Vineyard. Andrea McHugh

I purchased a $79 ferry ticket from Seastreak the day before my departure. Passengers can also purchase walk-up tickets, but the ferry can sell out, so I'd recommend buying them in advance.

When I arrived, I headed inside the terminal.

The New Bedford terminal had a indoor area and ticket booth. Andrea McHugh

My husband dropped me off at Seastreak's New Bedford terminal, which had a lobby area with a ticket counter and a sign directing passengers to the docks.

When it was time to board the ferry, the process was easy.

Several passengers carrying bags and luggage efficiently boarded the ferry. Andrea McHugh

Like most folks, I lined up under the covered waiting area on the pier. When I boarded the ferry, a staff member scanned my digital ticket.

I chose a seat near the snack bar.

There was a lot of open seating when I got on the ferry. Andrea McHugh

The exact boat model Seastreak uses to transport passengers from New Bedford to Martha's Vineyard varies depending on the time of year.

Seastreak ferries used during the peak season, like the Martha's Vineyard Express or the Whaling City Express, usually have a 149-passenger capacity, so it can get pretty crowded.

The ferry I took offered four-person seating nooks with tables on the enclosed lower deck, and seats were claimed on a first-come, first-served basis. Most of the single seats on the ferry were arranged similarly to those in an airplane cabin.

I claimed a seat in the main cabin just a few rows from the snack bar. Fortunately, the ferry was only about half full, so there was plenty of room. Once I got settled, I went to the ferry's top deck to take in the views.

The ferry had a lot of amenities for a comfortable ride.

I took advantage of the ferry's snack bar. Andrea McHugh

I then headed to the snack bar, where I saw chips, pastries, bars, nuts, and other prepackaged goodies. I got a coffee but noticed some passengers ordering Bloody Marys and mimosas at a full-service cash bar.

Travelers can also bring their own food aboard, so I saw a handful of people with coolers.

The restrooms were clean and spacious, and moving around the boat was easy if I wanted to get fresh air outside  though there were whipping winds when we were cruising.

The ride was smoother and quicker than I remembered.

The hourlong ferry ride went by quickly. Andrea McHugh

I had to get some work done, so I returned to my seat, pulled down the tray table, and comfortably situated my laptop on top.

Before I knew it, I heard an announcement that we were preparing to dock in Oak Bluffs, a town in Martha's Vineyard. As we approached, I packed my belongings and went outside to see the island's stunning coastline.

Disembarking was organized, making it quick and easy.

The process to disembark took five minutes. Andrea McHugh

Docking at the Seastreak ferry terminal at Oak Bluffs was smooth and orderly. An announcement prompted passengers to prepare to disembark, and the whole process took only five minutes.

Taking the ferry was super easy, and I'd definitely do it again.

Taking the ferry to Martha's Vineyard was a breeze. Andrea McHugh

Taking the Seastreak ferry was the quickest, cheapest option for me to get to Martha's Vineyard. Its flexible schedule, affordable fares, and no-hassle ticketing made my experience stress-free.

The $79 trip was well worth the breezy experience, and it inspired me to return for a day trip. It was well worth the price to feel a world away, even if it was just a few miles from mainland Massachusetts.

Read the original article on Business Insider
Spirit Airlines is making a bold new push to target premium customers

Spirit Airlines announced a complete overhaul of its ticket offerings targeting premium customers.

The airline also introduced priority check-in and boarding for premium and frequent fliers.

Spirit's premium transformation results from the low prices that hurt airline profits this year.

Spirit Airlines plans to completely transform how it sells tickets, bundling together previously a-la-carte items like free snacks and checked bags into categories that make the budget airline look more like its competitors.

Among the new premium perks for higher levels announced on Tuesday are priority check-in and boarding for premium passengers, Spirit credit card holders, and Gold-level frequent fliers.

The four ticket bundles range from the no-frills service frequent Spirit flyers are used to up to a more business-class-like premium seat. Here are the details:

Go : The Go bundle is the most budget-friendly, including only a seat and a personal item. Everything else is an optional extra.

Go Savvy : The Go Savvy bundle adds a carry-on or checked bag and seat selection.

Go Comfy : The Go Comfy bundle adds a carry-on and a checked bag, seat selection in rows with the middle seat blocked out, snacks and drinks, and priority boarding.

Go Big: The Go Big bundle offers every amenity available to Spirit customers, including the airline's "Big Front Seats," which are four per row and comparable in size to a domestic first-class seat on a mainline carrier like Delta or American. Go Big is the only bundle to feature priority check-in and Wi-Fi.

The new ticket bundles go on sale August 16 for flights starting August 27.

Spirit's Big Front Seat is a key feature of its new premium ticket offering. Thomas Pallini/Business Insider

Airlines are getting hit hard by low ticket prices.

The Florida-based ultra-low-cost carrier, known for its rock-bottom fares and a la carte pricing strategy where every amenity is an optional extra, has seemingly abandoned its budget-friendly persona with the introduction of these new perks geared toward premium passengers.

It's a move made purely out of necessity.

Airlines across the industry have had to deal with escalating costs and thinning margins.

Spirit, which lost $143 million during the first quarter of 2024, is particularly vulnerable as it worked to recover financially from the costs created by its failed $3.8 billion merger with JetBlue in March.

However, unlike mainline carriers, low-cost airlines like Spirit and Frontier do not have the benefit of high-margin business and first-class cabins to lean on for extra cash.

Consequently, they've resorted to flooding the market with cheap seats to generate additional revenue and fill planes. That's benefited passengers, but hurt their bottom lines.

"The unprofitable capacity is just not sustainable," United Airlines' chief commercial officer Andrew Nocella told investors during its July earnings call.

Industry leaders like Delta CEO Ed Bastian have even questioned the long-term sustainability of the country's low-cost airlines.

Spirit isn't alone in trying to tap into the premium options to up revenue.

Southwest Airlines is scrapping its long-standing open cabin seating policy to appease premium customers who want the ability to pre-select their seats.

In addition, Alaska Airlines announced this month that it's retrofitting its Boeing 737 fleet to add 1.3 million first-class and premium economy seats annually. The retrofit starts in September and will ensure that each Alaska Boeing 737 has 16 first-class and 30 premium economy seats.

Read the original article on Business Insider
SPRINGFIELD, Ill. (WCIA)  The Springfield School District is speaking out on Sonya Masseys death and community violence with a statement on social media.

On Facebook, district officials said that as students return to school, they recognized the fact that the community has faced yet another horrific and preventable death that will forever shape all of our lives. At the latest district board meeting, those present held a moment of silence to honor Massey and her family. Officials said they also paused to honor the memory of students who have suffered at the hands of gun accidents and violence in the community.

Champaign church gathers for Sonya Massey prayer vigil

This is reprehensible and sadly becoming all too familiar, officials said. On behalf of District 186, we extend our deepest condolences to the family and friends of Sonya Massey. As our community continues to process and heal from this senseless death of one of our parents, we are committed to standing with our community partners to provide support, restorative conversations and continue to create learning opportunities that provide hope and individual determination for each student that we serve during the school year, after school and throughout the summer months.

Officials went on to say that they greatly appreciate the response of the community, the events that district board members have already participated in and will participate in, and the outpouring of support across the city as the district addresses families needs.

We encourage our community to continue showing compassion and offer helping hands and hearts to our fellow neighbors in their time of need. It is through our collective strength and unity that we will navigate this challenging time and create lasting change.

Copyright 2024 Nexstar Media, Inc. 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.
As the Central Ohio Transit Authority asks Columbus-area voters for more funding this November, its new chief executive officer is already raking in more money than any other public transportation leader in Ohio.

Monica Tellez-Fowler earns an annual base salary of $363,825, which is more than what the transportation agency leaders in Cleveland, Cincinnati, Toledo, Dayton and Akron all made in 2023, a Dispatch analysis of payroll records found. She also has a higher base pay than the leaders of transit authorities in comparable out-of-state cities, such as Indianapolis, Austin and Charlotte, records show.

Read More COTA's highest-paid employees, ranked  and search our database to see more

In fact, Tellez-Fowler's base salary is $7,421 shy of the transit authority CEO in San Jose, California, where the cost of living is 85% higher than in Columbus, according to personal finance company NerdWallet.

COTA buses pick up and drop off at the downtown Spring Street terminal. As COTA seeks a tax increase to expand services, records show its CEO is paid more than directors of transit systems in comparable cities.

While the top job at a transit agency is a highly coveted role, pay for government officials should never be based on competition like it is in the private sector, said Rea Hederman Jr., executive director of economic research and vice president of policy at The Buckeye Institute, a Columbus-based conservative think tank.

"This is why government transparency is so important, so taxpayers know where their money is going and if local officials are using their tax dollars wisely," Hederman said.

Sean Mentel, vice chair of COTA's board, defended the CEO's pay, saying that the board considered several factors when it decided how much to pay Tellez-Fowler, such as her experience implementing rapid transit in other states. Before arriving at COTA in 2023, Tellez-Fowler served in a slew of top jobs at transit agencies around the country, including as chief financial officer for Trinity Metro in the Dallas/ Fort Worth area and as deputy CEO at C-Tran in Vancouver, Washington.

The board, Mentel said, also looked at CEO compensation at other transit agencies around the nation before it "unanimously arrived at what we believe is an acceptable compensation package."

As members of the COTA board and stewards of public dollars, we take our responsibility seriously," Mentel said in an emailed statement.

Tellez-Fowler was promoted to COTA's top job in May, six months before voters were set to decide whether to approve the LinkUs tax levy. The levy could provide an estimated $2 billion in new revenue by 2030 and more than $8 billion by 2050 to fund rapid bus lines and 150 miles of sidewalks and bike paths.

The 0.75% sales tax will go before voters this fall in Franklin County and parts of Delaware, Fairfield, Union and Licking counties, according to a resolution approved by COTA's board. The tax includes 0.5% that would support LinkUS and 0.25% that would replace a temporary sales tax that is set to expire in 2026.

As voters head to the ballot box, the CEO's salary is sure to draw scrutiny, said Jacob Wasserman, research program manager at the UCLA Institute of Transportation Studies.

"I think it's probably already happening," Wasserman said. "When an agency either asks the voters or asks the state government for more funds ...there's always questions of their pay."

How does COTA's CEO pay compare to other Ohio transit systems?

To gauge pay for employees, COTA can take a variety of different routes, said Nikki Brandon, the agency's chief human resources officer.

First, Brandon said COTA looks around the state of Ohio to see what the state's largest city transit agencies are offering employees.

"In the transit industry, our first stop (is) we want to see: Dayton, Cleveland, Cincinnati, Toledo," Brandon said. "We want to start there to see you know, if we are comparable, whether we're talking about the number of employees, the number of (vehicles), different things like that."

But some of the factors Brandon said COTA considers when it calculates fair compensation would suggest the Columbus system's CEO might make less than the leaders of the Greater Cleveland Regional Transit Authority or the Cincinnati-based Southwest Ohio Regional Transit Authority (SORTA), The Dispatch found.

With 2,100 workers, the Greater Cleveland Regional Transit Authority employs more people than COTA's 1,100. In Cincinnati, SORTA has roughly 850 employees, according to its website.

And when it comes to ridership, COTA falls behind both Cleveland and Cincinnati's transit systems.

Cleveland's transportation authority, which provides some 24-hour service, gives nearly 22 million rides a year and Cincinnati's provides 13 million rides a year, according to each agency. COTA, by comparison, provided 11.12 million rides in 2023.

While COTA's top leader may be paid better than the chief executives in Cleveland and Cincinnati, the Columbus-based transit agency actually paid fewer employees a six-figure salary compared to its Ohio counterparts in 2023.

At least 117 COTA employees earned gross compensation totaling more than $100,000 last year, payroll data shows. By comparison, the Greater Cleveland Regional Transit Authority paid 313 employees more than $100,000 in 2023 and SORTA paid 152 workers more than $100,000 that year, according to payroll records obtained by The Dispatch.

Jarvis Williams, president of the Transport Workers Union Local 208 that represents COTA employees, did not return multiple calls for comment and union vice president Tyson Brown declined to comment when reached by phone.

COTA's service level and subsequent lower ridership are due in part to a lack of funding for public transit in central Ohio, leaders have repeatedly said as the November ballot measure approaches. Although Columbus is Ohio's largest city, COTA spokesman Jeff Pullin said its public transit is funded at a lower rate than both Cleveland and Cincinnati and is more in line with that of Toledo, with a 0.5% sales tax currently on the books.

But COTA's CEO is paid to reflect the level of where the agency is headed rather than where it stands today, Pullin said.

"We don't want her just here through November. We want her here as we're building out the next 10 years," he said. "You have to put the value in and what we're asking of her into that salary."

Survey says: COTA leader makes more than typical CEO of similar sized transit system

Like any other profession, Brandon said transit leadership positions can be highly competitive and sought after roles.

It's not uncommon, Brandon said, for one agency to try to hire someone away from another. To stay ahead of the competition, COTA and other transit authorities use various tools to compare and keep tabs on executive pay offerings, Brandon said.

"It is extremely competitive, and the higher you go, the more competitive it gets," Brandon said.

That competition may help explain why Tellez-Fowler has a base salary that's $42,799 more than that of her former boss, Joanna Pinkerton. Pinkerton, who stepped down as COTA CEO in May, had a 2023 base salary of $321,026, payroll records show.

Monica Tellez Fowler was named COTA's new president and CEO in March.

Often, when a CEO leaves his or her post, their final year's earnings can be higher than usual due to deferred compensation and payouts. Pinkerton's total compensation for 2023 was $420,712, a little more than that of Inez Evans Benson, who stepped down from Indianapolis' IndyGo at the end of 2023 and earned a total compensation of $412,885, records show.

One tool COTA uses is a salary benchmarking report from the American Public Transportation Association (APTA), Brandon said.

COTA initially agreed to provide APTA's benchmarking report, but Pullin later told The Dispatch that the organization asks members not to share such data. The Dispatch has filed a public records request for any reports used by COTA to benchmark pay for employees.

Transit Talent, a trade publication and job board for the public transportation industry, conducts an annual salary survey that benchmarks pay based on an agency's number of employees.

On average, the CEO of a public transit agency with 500 to 1,499 employees earns a salary of $201,077 a year, according to the 2023 survey of nearly 1,000 people. COTA has roughly 1,100 employees on its payroll.

Despite the findings, COTA's Pullin said he was skeptical that the CEOs who participated in the survey were being asked to launch something like LinkUS.

"I think what you have to really look at is the body of work. I don't know what those other agencies that are comparable are doing," Pullin said. "But I can probably say they don't have a (multi) billion-dollar plan to expand transit that they're trying to get across the finish line this November."

mfilby@dispatch.com

@MaxFilby

This article originally appeared on The Columbus Dispatch: CEO of COTA makes more than many other comparable transit leaders
The pastor of St. Susanna Parish in Mason resigned Monday after admitting he ordered the destruction of material connected to an investigation into images possibly showing child sexual abuse while working at another church years earlier.

The Rev. Barry Stechschulte apologized to parishioners more than two weeks ago for his role in the matter and said at the time he remained committed to "maintaining a safe environment here at St. Susanna," a large Catholic parish that also is home to a school. But on Monday, after hundreds of parishioners signed a petition seeking his removal as pastor, Stechschulte announced on the parish website he was leaving his post.

"The last couple of weeks have been difficult ones for all of us at St. Susanna," Stechschulte wrote. "It has become evident to me, after much prayer and discernment, that, for the good of our parish and school, I should step down as pastor, effective immediately."

Priest authorized destruction of hard drive

His decision to leave St. Susanna follows several weeks of turmoil over Stechschulte's admission that he authorized the destruction of a computer hard drive in 2012 after learning it contained sexually explicit images of adults and, in a separate file, images of boys.

A police report said the material was discovered on an old computer that had been used by his predecessor, the Rev. Tony Cutcher, at Holy Rosary Church in St. Marys, Ohio. When the discovery was brought to Stechschulte's attention, the report said, he told a church deacon to destroy it.

The deacon told police he used a blow torch to burn the hard drive.

In his July 12 letter apologizing to St. Susanna parishioners, Stechschulte wrote that he was so "shocked and filled with disgust" by what he saw that his immediate response was to ensure no one else would be subjected to the material on the hard drive.

"So I instructed that the hard drive be destroyed," Stechschulte said. "I realize that not reporting it was a terrible mistake, which I regret."

What was on the destroyed hard drive

Six years later, in September 2018, Stechschulte reported the discovery to the police and acknowledged that he had destroyed potential evidence. The police report described the investigation in 2018 as a "child pornography case," but after interviewing Stechschulte, Cutcher and others, the investigators filed no criminal charges.

According to the report, the images in question were discovered when an old computer was being refurbished. Witnesses interviewed by police described finding sexually explicit images of adult men in one file and images of boys in another, though it was unclear whether the images of boys involved sexual abuse.

St. Marys Police Chief Jacob Sutton, whose office investigated the matter in 2018, said Tuesday the destruction of the computer hard drive complicated the investigation. Without the computer files and a clear description of the images of boys from witnesses, Sutton said, it was impossible to determine whether the material was illegal.

"Any potential evidence will never be found since, obviously, it was destroyed," Sutton said. "The investigation would have been much easier and much clearer had we had the evidence to analyze, because then we would have had the truth."

The police report and Stechschulte's role in the destruction of the material were disclosed earlier this month by WCPO-Channel 9. A spokeswoman for the Archdiocese of Cincinnati, which oversees both St. Susanna and Holy Rosary parishes, confirmed Stechschulte resigned Monday but would not comment further.

She said a retired priest, the Rev. Jeff Kemper, had been appointed as the temporary administrator at St. Susanna.

Did the diocese alert prosecutors?

Neither Cutcher nor Stechschulte could be reached to comment. But in his July 12 apology letter, Stechschulte said he regretted his decision to destroy the hard drive and to wait six years before calling the police. "I wish that I could redo my initial decision from 2012," he wrote. "I am deeply sorry for the distress this has caused all of you."

In a statement posted on St. Susanna's Facebook page, archdiocese officials said that while Stechschulte did not call the police in 2012, he did alert officials at the archdiocese about three weeks after discovering the material, in November 2012.

Church officials said they immediately referred the matter to the Auglaize County prosecutor's office, which did not file criminal charges.

But Auglaize County Prosecutor Edwin Pierce said Tuesday he did not receive information from the archdiocese about Cutcher or Holy Rosary in 2012 or at any time prior to June of this year.

Pierce, who has been the elected prosecutor in Auglaize County for 28 years, said he first learned of the issues at Holy Rosary in June, when the Dinsmore & Shohl law firm, which has represented the archdiocese in previous legal matters, sent his office a public records request seeking any records related to the images found on the computer at Holy Rosary.

'It's certainly something you would recall'

Pierce said the law firm's request included a written statement from Deacon Marty Brown, dated November 2012, explaining the discovery and destruction of the computer hard drive, as well as a statement from archdiocese officials, also dated November 2012, explaining what was found on the hard drive. The problem, Pierce said, is that he did not see either of those documents in 2012. Instead, he said, he learned of them when the law firm sent them as part of its records request in June of this year.

"We have no record, no recollection of receiving either of those documents," Pierce said Tuesday. "It's certainly something you would recall."

If he had received the documents in 2012, Pierce said, he would have referred them immediately to the St. Marys Police Department.

Although Cutcher was not charged with a crime, the archdiocese removed him from ministry in 2018 after he was accused of sending inappropriate texts to a boy. Cutcher resigned as pastor of St. Peter's Church in Huber Heights, north of Dayton, in February of 2021 because of that accusation, archdiocese officials told The Enquirer at the time.

They said local authorities investigated the accusation and "found no evidence of illegal activity on the part of Fr. Cutcher."

The texting accusation against Cutcher in 2018 arose around the same time church officials removed another priest, the Rev. Geoff Drew, for texting a boy at St. Ignatius Parish. Drew, who now is in prison, later pleaded guilty to raping a Catholic school student years earlier.

At the time, parishioners complained that the archdiocese did not disclose previous concerns about Drew's behavior to them before allowing him to join their parish. Similar concerns about the actions of church officials were raised in the past few weeks by parishioners at St. Susanna, culminating in the petition seeking Stechschulte's removal.

"Parents stood up and did the right thing," said Teresa Dinwiddie-Herrmann, a St. Ignatius parishioner who founded Concerned Catholics of Cincinnati after the allegations against Drew arose. She said several parents at St. Susanna reached out to her when the reports about Stechschulte's handling of the computer hard drive arose earlier this month.

"They decided to take the kids' safety first, instead of the church's image," Dinwiddie-Herrmann said of the parents at St. Susanna.

In his post on the parish website Monday, Stechschulte did not say whether he had received a new parish assignment, only that he would be "reassigned elsewhere in the archdiocese" after leaving St. Susanna.

This article originally appeared on Cincinnati Enquirer: Catholic pastor resigns after destroying images tied to investigation


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A majority of species in the animal kingdom use mandibles for eating, and this bright idea mightve originated with the Cambrian arthropod Odaraia alata.

A new study led by scientists at the Royal Ontario Museum (ROM), after analyzing pristine fossil samples from the Burgess Shale in British Columbia, concluded that O. alata was likely one of the first arthropods with mandibles, a departure from previous research that suggested the animal could be a filter feeder.

The authors suggest that this biological trait likely set off an evolutionary arms race as mandibles allowed O. alata to break down large structures and access more sources of food.

Every once in a while, evolution stumbles across a good idea and really runs with it. Despite its odd appearance, the Cambrian creature Odaraia alataan arthropod whose taco-shaped carapace gives it an otherworldly appearanceis one of those good ideas. While its protective body didnt survive beyond the Cambrian, its mandible mouth structure certainly did, as around 70 percent of all animals today, from insects to crustaceans, use similar methods for gobbling up sustenance.

However, Odaraia alatas place as one of the very first creatures with mandibles is actually a new discovery by scientists at the Royal Ontario Museum (ROM). While analyzing pristine fossil samples pulled from the Burgess Shale, one of the most diverse and well-preserved fossil sites in the world and located in Canadas British Columbia, scientists noticed jagged edges near the ancient arthropods moutha distinctive feature of mandibulates. The results of the study were published in the journal Proceedings of the Royal Society B .

The head shield of Odaraia envelops practically half of its body including its legs, almost as if it were encased in a tube, Alejandro Izquierdo-Lopez, lead author who worked on the study as a student at the University of Toronto, said in a press statement. He continued:

Previous researchers had suggested this shape would have allowed Odaraia to gather its prey, but the capturing mechanism had eluded us, until now. Odaraia had been beautifully described in the 1980s, but given the limited number of fossils at that time and its bizarre shape, two important questions had remained unanswered: is it really a mandibulate? And what was it feeding on?

With 30 legs and stretching some 8 inches longa relatively large size for an animal for that specific geologic period, which likely allowed it to roam more open seasO. alata and its method of munching remained a mystery mainly because fossils couldnt detail these small and intricate mouth parts. This led some scientists to surmise that maybe O. alata was a filter feeder with its carapace aiding in the flow of water, but the results were inconclusive.

Of the 150 specimens used in this new study, 24 of them came from the Burgess Shale, according to The New York Times . The Burgess Shale is known specifically for its high-quality preservation of soft body parts due to various sedimentary advantages that restricted oxidant flow during these animals early burial. Because of this favorable sedimentary environment, Izquierdo-Lopez and his team could see details hidden from previous attempts to describe this 500-million-year-old creature.

The Burgess Shale has been a treasure trove of paleontological information, ROM curator and study co-author Jean-Bernard Caron said in a press statement. We already know a substantial amount about the early evolution of mandibulates. However, some other species had remained quite enigmatic, like Odaraia.

These new fossils give a clearer picture that O. alata contributed to an evolutionary arms race as its mandibles allowed the animal to break down large structures into smaller pieces and gain access to different types of food. To keep up with the competition, other animals would also need to develop similar strategies to survive in the Cambrian and beyond, and the result of this competition can be seen today in the many mandibles found in species around the globe.

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Alexcia Cox

In Democratic primary, Alexcia Cox for State Attorney

Palm Beach County Dave Aronberg isn't seeking re-election, prompting a Democratic primary race that pits two experienced, worthy insiders against one another, Alexcia Cox and Craig Williams, and private attorney Gregg Lerman. The Palm Beach Post endorses Alexcia Cox for the job. We think she'd provide a fresh approach.

Cox, 45, is deputy chief assistant to Aronberg. She has handled cases ranging from misdemeanors to felonies and capital murder. She also has a long list of bar committee assignments and community volunteer work to her name, including as a co-founder of the county's Domestic Violence Coordinated Community Response Team.

"My courtroom experience was most notably tested when we successfully tried the Nouman Raja/Corey Jones case," she noted. "We achieved accountability and justice for the family of Corey Jones with the officer being found guilty, the first guilty verdict in the state in over 30 years for an on-duty officer shooting."

While stressing the need to hold repeat-offenders accountable, Cox also prioritized the first-time offender program, to prevent second offenses and not just rack up conviction numbers. She'd start units to battle elder crimes and hate crimes, to prosecute but also with a community education component. Public corruption also would be a priority.

Williams, 59, has nearly 30 years experience prosecuting violent criminals. He also cites his hands-on participation with colleagues he supervises in courtroom work. He has taken the Felony Trial Unit from last-ranked in the state for convictions to third, though he also notes that conviction numbers alone aren't the measure of skill in handling cases. He also touts his internal popularity, saying everybody in the office urged him to run.

More: endorsements The Palm Beach Post recommends Matthew Lane and Charman Postel for school board

Lerman, 64, is a criminal defense trial lawyer who said he jumped into the race when he heard Cox was running, but before he realized Williams would run, who he likes. "It was not on my list of dream jobs to do," he said. In his view, the office needs work on training and morale, and should do more to address elder crimes. He would also press for more county attention to drug and mental health issues.

Cox's candidacy comes with a long list of endorsements. To name a few: U.S. Rep. Sheila McCormick, State Sen. Tina Polsky, State Sen. Lori Berman, State Sen. Bobby Powell, State Rep. Jervonte Edmonds, County Commissioner Mack Bernard, school board members Erica Whitfield and Marcia Andrews and former school board member Debra Robinson. To those we add our own.

In Republican primary, Freedman for State Attorney

In the Republican primary, the Post endorses Forrest Freedman. We believe he has the legal and personal qualities to build up the performance and morale of the State Attorney's Office. He's running against Sam Stern, 43, an attorney and law instructor who once worked in the state attorney's office.

Freedman, a 62-year-old attorney from Boca Raton, says he would put more teeth in first-offender diversion programs, possibly adding work requirements, to cut down on recidivism. But he indicated he's for tough penalties for repeat offenders.

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He has nearly 40 years of legal experience, in the public and private sectors. "I know how to run a business profitably, efficiently, and within a real budget," he says. "We will find the best people, based on merit, to work at the Palm Beach County State Attorneys Office and those workers will be hired from all over the county so that our office will resemble the people who live in Palm Beach with the singular goal of keeping the residents of Palm Beach County safe from and repeat offenders."

We asked both Republican candidates how they felt about Gov. Ron DeSantis' decision last year to fire a state attorney who was unwilling to prosecute violations of Florida's new abortion restrictions. Stern bristled and said it was a prosecutor's job to enforce the law. Freedman said he supported a 16-week ban on abortions but that he would not run the office with a political bent. He commented: "Are we going to prosecute doctors who commit abortion? I don't really think that's the job of the State Attorney's Office."

Stern teaches trial advocacy to experienced attorneys, at the University of Miami and University of Virginia. His priorities are to recruit the best talent and implement a regimen of training for staffers. "Training is so significant," he said.

This article originally appeared on Palm Beach Post: Palm Beach Post endorses Cox, Freedman, for state attorney primaries
Attorneys for the state are pushing for an execution date for convicted murderer Joseph Corcoran. (Photo by Joe Raedle/Newsmakers)

After death row inmate Joseph Corcoran challenged the states motion for an execution date to be set, counsel at the attorney generals office are attempting to poke holes in Corcorans legal arguments and pressing for the Indiana Supreme Court to grant the execution request.

Earlier this month, Corcorans lawyers said in court filing that he is unquestionably seriously mentally ill and therefore should not be subject to the death penalty.

But in court documents filed last week, the state attorney generals office maintains that Corcoran long ago exhausted his legal challenges to his convictions and sentence.

To attack his sentence and ultimately avoid the death penalty, Corcoran would have to gain permission from the Indiana Supreme Court to seek postconviction relief and prove new evidence warrants additional litigation. Because Corcoran has not submitted such a petition, the state argued that Indianas high court must assign an execution date.

  in his response, (Corcoran) asks this Court to proclaim new bounds on the constitutionality of the death penalty in this State, and to declare his sentence inappropriate. He claims this extraordinary reversal is warranted by intervening changes in the law and an allegedly significant decline in his mental health. But he provides no evidence of these changed circumstances and does not seek the opportunity to prove these allegations in a trial court, the state said in the July 19 filing.

Corcoran provides no evidence to support his claim that his present mental condition has severely deteriorated and does not seek permission to pursue the process that would permit him to provide the Court that information if it exists, state attorneys continued.

Corcoran, who was convicted of murdering four people in Fort Wayne in 1997, filed his response with the Indiana Supreme Court shortly after Indiana Gov. Eric Holcomb and Attorney General Todd Rokita announced that the states Department of Correction (DOC) has obtained the drug necessary to carry out the death penalty.

It remains up to the states high court justices how to proceed.

Debate continues over execution date

State and federal public defenders said in their challenge that Corcoran has long been diagnosed as mentally ill and continues to suffer from paranoid schizophrenia that causes him to experience persistent hallucinations and delusions.

As such, they said the state supreme court should deny the motion to set an execution date and hear oral arguments on whether executing Corcoran would be permitted under the Indiana and United States constitutions.

Rokitas office outlined, though, that Corcoran can only dispute his sentence through a petition for postconviction relief or a challenge based on new evidence  including a claim that his present mental condition makes it unconstitutional to execute him.

Story continues below.

Reply to Response to Motion to S

But even assuming that is the case (which the State does not concede), both this Court and the U.S. Supreme Court have declined to find that the existence of mental illness alone precludes execution, state attorneys wrote, adding that Corcoran makes no effort to address the likelihood that he would prevail on postconviction claims.

The state emphasized that Corcoran also has not argued that hes ineligible to be executed under existing legal standards, such as a claim that his mental illness is so severe that it prevents him from currently understanding the punishment he will suffer and why.

Corcoran provides no evidence to support his claim that his present mental condition has severely deteriorated and does not seek permission to pursue the process that would permit him to provide the Court that information if it exists, the attorney. generals office continued.

State rejects questions about execution drug

Corcorans legal counsel have additionally called into question the execution drug, pentobarbital, recently acquired by the state but largely shrouded in secrecy by state officials.

The death row inmates attorneys argued that an execution date should not be set until the state releases an updated execution protocol and affirms no state or federal laws were broken in obtaining the drugs. Theyre also seeking information about the amount of pentobarbital in the states possession and whether the drug has expired.

Rokitas office noted that Corcoran has a legal process available to address concerns about the use of pentobarbital but has not availed himself of it. If Corcoran wants to challenge the method of execution  he must file a lawsuit, the office claims.

Corcoran asks this Court to indefinitely delay scheduling execution until he receives an amorphous list of information related to the execution process, the attorney generals office said in the legal filing.  he seems to believe he can make a bare request for some time to do some investigation. That is not the case.

When asked last month by the Indiana Capital Chronicle where DOC acquired the drug and how much the state paid, Holcomb said he cant go into those details, by law.

Lawmakers made information about the source of the drugs confidential on the last day of the 2017 legislative session.

The Capital Chronicle has filed an official records request seeking the cost of the drugs.

So far, the DOC said its currently evaluating what, if any, information regarding its lawful procurement of pentobarbital it can disclose without contravening Indiana law.

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As recent reporting on events outside of Indiana has underscored, information that is disclosed about the lawful procurement of lethal substances is being used to publicly identify suppliers and deter them from participating in the process, IDOC officials said in response to the Capital Chronicles request. Accordingly, the agency must balance the rights afforded under Indianas Access to Public Records Act with its legal duty to carry out the lawful orders of Indianas courts by obtaining lethal substances and to comply with the aforementioned confidentiality statute.

Advocates have additionally said its critical for the public to know who will be administering the drug  and how  as well as what training those individuals will receive.

The one-drug method is a departure from the states protocol used since 1995, involving a series of three chemicals.

Although no state-level executions in Indiana have used pentobarbital before, 13 federal executions carried out at the Federal Correctional Complex in Terre Haute have been carried out with the drug. Fourteen states have used pentobarbital in executions, too.

After Indianas last execution in 2009, the state was effectively forced to pause. Increased scrutiny of lethal injection drugs led pharmaceutical companies to refuse to sell their products for use in executions. Holcomb said that made acquiring the necessary drugs harder to get.

There are currently eight men on Indianas death row, including Corcoran. No one has been added to the states death row since 2014.

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CHARLESTON, WV (WVNS)  Officials with the West Virginia Department of Education announced new math teaching standards for all state high school and middle school students starting in fall of 2024.

The standard will be extended to students in lower grades according to Clinton Burch, Senior Officer of Adult and Technical Education for the West Virginia Department of Education.

State education officials have said the courses aim to teach students math by showing them how it relates to their day-to-day lives. The new standard fills a gap for students in career and technical education according to state education officials.

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Burch said that nationally math scores among high school students are lower than educators want. He said that all students will benefit from the new teaching method in West Virginia  including those headed to college.

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When a student is walking out of our high schools, I want them to go into the world prepared to be a productive citizen and [to be ready for] the path they choose, said Burch. I want them to be prepared to enter any of those paths at any point.

Burch said the goal is to meet the needs of students headed to college, to the military, and to the workforce.

Copyright 2024 Nexstar Media, Inc. 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.
Alaska Supreme Court Justice Jude Pate, right, asks a question during oral arguments in a case concerning correspondence education allotments, on June 27, 2024, in the Boney Courthouse in Anchorage. (Photo by Andrew Kitchenman/Alaska Beacon)

Alaska Supreme Court Justice Jude Pate, right, asks a question during oral arguments in a case concerning correspondence education allotments, on June 27, 2024, in the Boney Courthouse in Anchorage. (Photo by Andrew Kitchenman/Alaska Beacon)

Supporters of Alaskas ranked choice election system are asking the Alaska Supreme Court to rule on one final attempt to keep a repeal measure from this Novembers election ballot.

Earlier this month, Anchorage Superior Court Judge Christina Rankin ruled that there was insufficient evidence to disqualify the measure from a statewide vote. While Rankin disqualified some signatures from a petition seeking to force a repeal vote, a recount by the Alaska Division of Elections confirmed that enough signatures remain for that vote to take place.

On Thursday, opponents of the repeal initiative asked the Alaska Supreme Court to review an element of Rankins decision.

In a document called a statement of points on appeal, they say Rankin was wrong when she allowed the Alaska Division of Elections to permit signature gatherers the ability to correct minor mistakes with the ballot measure petition after the submission deadline.

In June, Rankin wrote that the division has allowed petitioners the ability to correct minor mistakes as far back as 2015 and that it is allowed under a 2006 Alaska Supreme Court decision that said in part that the right to initiative is not to be defeated by technical rule violations.

If the high court rules against Rankins decision, it could leave petitioners with insufficient signatures for a 2024 vote.

Attorney Scott Kendall, representing opponents of the repeal initiative, said by text message that the Alaska Supreme Court has never been asked whether ballot measures should be held to the strict timelines that apply to candidate filings.

It is true that if the appeal does not succeed, then (the ballot measure) will most likely appear on the ballot, he wrote by text.

The Supreme Court has set an accelerated timeline to hear the case, with written arguments scheduled to finish by Aug. 19. The court has scheduled oral arguments for Aug. 22, two days after the statewide primary election.

The court must rule quickly: Ballot designs must be ready in time for ballots to be printed and mailed to overseas voters by Sept. 21.

Senior reporter Claire Stremple contributed to this article.

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The Minnesota State Patrol released new information about a hit-and-run incident that seriously injured a man in Burnsville earlier this month.

On Monday, the State Patrol said they believe the driver of a black Dodge Ram pickup truck that was likely a model from 2006 to 2009 was involved in the July 17 crash. The truck likely has damage on the front drivers side.

The pedestrian, a 24-year-old Savage man, was hospitalized with serious but non-life-threatening injuries, said Lt. Michael Lee, a State Patrol public information officer.

The crash happened just after 2:30 a.m. July 17 near Minnesota 13 and Washburn Avenue.

We need your help finding the truck involved in a hit-and-run that left a pedestrian seriously hurt earlier this month, the State Patrol posted on its Facebook page.

The agency asked anyone with information to call 651-539-1151.

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Stephen Nedoroscik prepares to perform his pommel horse routine at the Paris Olympics on July 27, 2024. Credit - Photo by Tim Clayton/CorbisGetty Images

Olympian Stephen Nedoroscika.k.a. The Pommel Horse guyintroduced Americans to more than just a niche sporting event when he helped the U.S. mens gymnastics team clinch a bronze medal on July 29. He also raised awareness for an eye condition called strabismus, the apparent reason for the now-viral glasses he wears while waiting for his turn to compete, and which he hoisted in the air while celebrating with his team.

Dr. William Flanary, an ophthalmologist with EyeHealth Northwest in Oregonbest known for the satirical videos he posts as his comedic alter-ego, Dr. Glaucomfleckenposted on X that Nedorosciks fame is possibly the greatest moment for glasses in Olympic history.

Just seeing someone like him on such a huge stage, winning an Olympic medal and unabashedly wearing his glassesdoes a lot for making it normal, Flanary tells TIME.

Heres what to know about strabismus.

What is strabismus?

Strabismus is the medical term for being cross-eyed, or having eyes that point in different directions. Typically, the brain sorts through information transmitted by each eye to create a cohesive visual picture and assess distance and depth. When theres misalignment between the eyes, as with strabismus, you can actually see two images instead of one, explains Dr. Dean Cestari, director of adult strabismus care at Massachusetts Eye and Ear. This often leads to sight issues like double vision, blurry vision, and light sensitivity, Cestari says.

Nedoroscik recently told Today that his vision is not clear without his glasses. He has also posted on TikTok about having light sensitivity.

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For some people with strabismus, one eye is always the one to turn in, out, up, or down. In other people, however, the turned eye can alternate, according to the American Optometric Association (AOA). The latter is the case for Nedoroscik, who has posted on TikTok about his ability to switch [his] dominant eye, a skill that he said at the time he could find little information about.

(Note to Nedoroscik: Flanary says this ability is fairly common among people with strabismus and is known as alternating fixation.)

What causes strabismus?

Babies can be born with strabismus or it can develop later in life. Overall, an estimated 2% to 5% of the population has strabismus.

Strabismus can occur due to problems with the muscles and nerves that control the eyes, as a side effect of an eye injury or other medical condition, or as a complication from significant far-sightedness, the AOA says. It can also run in families. An estimated 30% of children with strabismus have a family member with a similar diagnosis, the Cleveland Clinic says.

a really, really special moment as @GymnastSteve got to meet (and give pins to) a young fan with the same eye condition as him  pic.twitter.com/cM8LEVz0vx  USA Gymnastics (@USAGym) July 30, 2024

Nedoroscik has also posted about having coloboma, a condition that leads to missing eye tissue. Colomba can cause decreased vision or blurry vision, but it can also cause an elongation of the eyeball. Depending on how elongated the eye is, that can result in a strabismus, Cestari explains.

How is strabismus treated?

The earlier strabismus is treated, the better, Flanary says. Kids with untreated strabismus will often learn to basically turn off vision in [their turned] eye and ignore that eye, Flanary explains. Over time, that coping mechanism can lead to long-term vision problems in the turned eye, or what is colloquially known as a lazy eye.

That said, its never too late to treat strabismus, says Cestari, who specializes in treating adults. The most common sentence I hear is, Oh my God, I didnt know this could be fixed as an adult, he says. Its absolutely not true that only kids can be treated.

Read More: How Much Hair Loss Is Normal for Women?

Depending on the person and the details of their case, a pair of glasses in the right prescription may be all thats necessary to straighten vision and address strabismus, Flanary says. But in some cases, according to the Cleveland Clinic, people may also need eye exercises, surgery, medications, or patchingpurposely covering one eye to strengthen the other.

Nedorosciks glasses have become his much-memed trademark during the Olympics, although he doesnt wear them when hes competing. When I go up on the pommel horse, its all about feeling the equipment, he told Today. I dont even really see when Im doing my gymnastics. Its all in the handsI can feel everything.

Write to Jamie Ducharme at jamie.ducharme@time.com.
Comedian Jon Stewart took aim at Republicans who criticized President Bidens exit from the 2024 race, suggesting their party could also replace former President Trump.

Stewart played clips of Republicans claiming Bidens withdrawal from the race and endorsing Vice President Harris was a coup within the Democratic Party on Mondays episode of The Daily Show. He then suggested that Republicans could make it a fair contest and replace their nominee, too.

But I get it. If I thought I had this thing in the bag, you were gonna be going up against Old Joe Biden, then they pull this, Id be like, Ref, ref, open your eyes. How can you not see theyre coup-ing! Theyre coup-ing! Stewart said.

But you know what? I do understand that theyre upset. It makes sense. So how about we do this, out of fairness  Im a fair person, you can replace your old guy, too, he added a few moments later.

Some Republicans have criticized the late switch-up between Biden and Harris as bypassing proper democratic processes. An analysis from The New York Times found at least 65 Republican senators, representatives and governors said Bidens withdrawal was a coup or labeled it as election interference.

Stewart went on to say Trumps response to Biden leaving the race was the Trumpiest way possible, when the former president questioned whether the Republican Party should be reimbursed for fraud in that everybody around Joe, including his doctors and the Fake News Media, knew he was not capable of running for, or being, President.

Well, whats done is done. Youre gonna have to shift gears, recalibrate. Youve had crooked Joe and sleepy Joe on speed dial; youre going to need a new line of attack, Stewart said after showing Trumps Truth Social post.

Biden endorsed Harris for the ticket shortly after announcing his own decision to withdraw from the race last week. In the first week of her White House bid, her campaign raised $200 million.

Copyright 2024 Nexstar Media, Inc. 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.
(NEXSTAR)  The U.S. is seemingly still facing a summer wave of COVID-19 infections, with test positivity rates at or above 10% in nearly all of the country, data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention shows.

If youre experiencing any COVID-like symptoms  which may feel different than those youve experienced before  you may find yourself reaching for those free COVID tests you received via mail as part of a federal program.

The last day you could order those tests, however, was early March, which means any tests you have from the programs various distribution waves may have since expired. While some tests may have extended expiration dates from the Food and Drug Administration, past-date tests may produce inaccurate results.

Why your COVID symptoms may feel different with this wave of infections

So if youre stuck with an outdated test, and dont have any more, can you get more for free?

Ultimately it depends on whether or not you have insurance.

Since the free federal COVID test program ended in March, theres been no indication it will be restarted again.

Those who are uninsured, however, may qualify for free COVID testing through the Increasing Community Access to Testing (ICATT) program. According to the CDC, those without insurance who are experiencing COVID symptoms or were exposed to COVID are eligible for the no-cost testing, which is available at more than 22,000 sites throughout the country, which include CVS and Walgreens stores.

If you meet that criteria, you can find a no-cost COVID testing site near you using the CDCs website. This program is, however, set to end on December 31, according to the CDC.

If you are insured, you may not have a no-cost option at all.

While insurers were briefly required by the Biden administration to either provide you tests for free or reimburse you for COVID tests, that mandate has since expired.

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In some cases, however, insurers may still cover the cost of your over-the-counter COVID tests, a COVID test ordered by your healthcare provider, or both, but it will depend on your individual plan.

Walgreens recommends contacting your insurance provider before ordering COVID tests through its pharmacy. A claim will also be submitted to determine whether the cost is covered, or if youll owe a copay. The retailer notes that even if your plan provides coverage, you may be limited in the number of tests you can get in a month.

If your insurance wont cover your COVID tests, you may be able to pay for them using HSA or FSA funds, CVS notes.

Medicare no longer covers or pays for over-the-counter COVID tests for those with Medicare Part B benefits. Those on Medicare Part B usually pay nothing for COVID diagnostic tests that are ordered by a Medicare-enrolled doctor or healthcare provider. Medicare Advantage Plus may, however, charge copayments, deductibles, or coinsurance for clinical COVID lab tests, according to Medicare.gov.

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If youre insured through Medicaid or the Childrens Health Insurance Program, over-the-counter and laboratory COVID testing will still be covered through the end of September. After that, the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services says, coverage of testing may vary by state.

Your access to free COVID tests may also vary depending on where you live. In California, for example, those enrolled in Medi-Cal can receive up to eight free tests a month, according to the states health department. Most insurance plans in the state will pay or reimburse members for the same number of at-home test kits each month.

Before you buy any at-home COVID testing kits, health officials recommend purchasing those approved by the Food and Drug Administration.

Alix Martichoux contributed to this report.

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Editors note: This story is available as a result of a content partnership between WFTV and the Orlando Business Journal.

Draper, a nonprofit defense contractor based in Cambridge, Massachusetts, has expanded its planned Titusville campus and will triple the number of employees there.

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Currently, we have about 50 employees in Titusville, Vice President and General Manager of Navy Strategic Systems Robert Bacon told Orlando Business Journal. This new facility will bring in another 100, bringing the total to around 150 employees.

Not only will the Draper Strategic Enhanced Ground Test Facility add a second story and be larger than originally planned, but Bacon also said Draper has an option to expand its Titusville campus even further  a move that could happen in the late 2020s.

Read: Police: Man who sexually battered woman at UCF Downtown after following her off Lynx bus arrested

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A Stockton man has pleaded guilty in federal court to one count of attempted sexual exploitation of a child, U.S. Attorney Phillip A. Talbert announced on Monday.

Elmer Yusay Ngo, 28, used social media to sexually exploit girls, according to court documents. This sexual exploitation included attempting to coerce, entice, and persuade the children to produce child pornography for him.

He was arrested following an investigation by the FBI and the Internet Crimes Against Children Task Force, with help from state and local police departments.

Ngo faces a minimum of 15 years and a maximum of 30 years in prison. He also faces a $250,000 fine, restitution, and supervised release.

The case is part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative launched in May 2006 by the Department of Justice to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse. Led by the U.S. Attorney's Office and the Criminal Divisions Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section, Project Safe Childhood uses federal, state, and local resources to locate, apprehend, and prosecute those who exploit children online.

Ngo is scheduled to be sentenced by U.S. District Judge Kimberly J. Mueller on Nov. 4.

Record reporter Hannah Workman covers news in Stockton and San Joaquin County. She can be reached at hworkman@recordnet.com or on Twitter @byhannahworkman. Support local news, subscribe to The Stockton Record at https://www.recordnet.com/subscribenow.

This article originally appeared on The Record: Stockton man pleads guilty to attempted sexual exploitation of a child
Students cell phones to be locked during school at CMSD

CLEVELAND (WJW)  Cleveland Metropolitan School District students are going to be adjusting to new changes regarding cell phones this upcoming school year.

New cell phone policy

According to CMSD, when school begins in August, all CMSD schools will create a cell-phone-free environment to improve student learning and academic performance.

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Cell phones will be stored during school hours, CMSD says.

The district is going to use the Yondr system. The Yondr system uses lockable cell phone pouches.

According to CMSD, the pouches will stay with students throughout the day, but phones will not be accessible.

CMSD says more than 1,000 schools have seen success with the Yondr system.

Akron Public Schools is one of those districts.

Its quieter than it used to be, we dont have the number of fights that we used to, said Don Zesiger, Akron Public Schools former Director of Security after the policy was instituted there beginning last fall.

Whats behind the change

The change is coming for Ohio schools after lawmakers passed House Bill 250.

DeWine signed HB 250 in May. The law requires every school district in Ohio to establish an official policy on cellphones to minimize student use of cell phones during school hours.

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There is a broad consensus today that cell phones in schools are not good, said DeWine when signing the bill.

If children are using their cell phones for monitoring medical conditions such as insulin, and so forth, those things are going to be allowed and will be allowed to continue, said Sen. Edward Brenner, the head of the Ohio Senate Education Committee following the signing of HB 250.

I think first and most immediately, its a distraction. I mean, you really do get addicted to that immediate gratification of picking up and, you know, seeing how many likes you got on Instagram or how many views you got on TikTok. I mean, students really get fixated on that, said Dr. Charles Smialek, superintendent of the Parma City School District, where cell phones are currently banned in classrooms.

Parents have been supportive. They understand these are not good in terms of being learning tools in classrooms, he added.

CMSD says Yondr has seen success at other schools in academic performance, student behavior and student engagement.

This comes amid a surprising recommendation from the American Academy of Pediatrics.

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So the American Academy of Pediatrics recommends that there be zero screen time per day. The problem with that is its nearly impossible, said Dr. Elizabeth Harris, a psychologist with University Hospitals in Cleveland.

So there is, of course, a wide spectrum of of the needs for technology in different kids. But for sure, we will see kids that have or display symptoms of an addiction to technology, said Harris, who favors schools leaving their policies flexible.

Riverside High School in Painesville has adopted a flexible policy.

Some teachers will make you put them in phone pockets, where others say keep it in your pocket until you are done, said Camden Herrmann, a Riverside Junior.

A panel of Riverside students assembled by Fox 8 News overwhelmingly did not mind being separated from their phones during a school day but preferred having them where they could use them during their down time.

I feel like a decent number of kids usually try to sneak them, play games when they should be doing their work, said Cohen Gielink, a Riverside sophomore.

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Its more just a way for me to keep in touch with people just in case something goes wrong, or I dont know its just a big safety thing for me, said Liam Forehlich, a Riverside Senior.

What CMSD recommends for parents

For any questions or concerns, please contact your childs school directly. In case of an emergency, please reach out to the main office at your childs school.

Reaching Your Child: Contact the main office during the school day.

School Emergencies: Students will follow the schools emergency preparedness protocol for safety.

Phone Safety: Phones remain in students possession within the Yondr pouch, kept safe in their backpacks.

Handling Pouch Issues: Damaging a pouch or unauthorized phone use will result in disciplinary actions as outlined by the school.

Read more on the CMSD policy here.

The new law does not require public school districts in Ohio to immediately draft their policy, but gives them until July 2025, the start of the 2025-26 school year to have a policy in place.

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For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to Fox 8 Cleveland WJW.
PARIS, Ill. (WCIA)  When students return to school in Paris this year, the school will be feeding them at no cost to the students.

Springfield School District addresses Sonya Massey, community violence

Mary Morgan Ryan, the Superintendent of Paris School District 95, said all schools in the district will be offering free breakfast and lunch to students. Ryan explained that the district participates in the federal Community Eligibility Provision (CEP) program; based on the population District 95 serves, the CEP program allows the district to provide meals at no cost to students and without asking for families to submit applications.

The district will be reimbursed for meals provided to students.

We are very proud of our nutrition program, Ryan said. Our families have expressed gratitude for providing children two healthy nutritious meals each day. With this basic need met, our students can more fully engage in learning.

The district plans to offer free breakfast and lunch through at least 2027. At that time, the district will renew their application to participate in the CEP program.

In addition to Paris, other school districts including Springfield, Decatur, Champaign, Urbana and Rantoul also participate in the CEP program.

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For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to WCIA.com.
A new study in the Clinical Journal of the American Society of Nephrology suggests that those who get an acute injury of the kidney during their hospital stay due to a heart or lung condition may be at risk of reduced mental acuity.

The study, led by the University of Washington (UW) Medicine, followed 1,538 patients after their hospitalization and performed cognitive tests at three, 12 and 24 months.

For the last two or three decades, there has been a growing recognition and concern of the long-term physical and cognitive consequences after hospitalization, said lead author Dr. Pavan Bhatraju, a UW Medicine pulmonologist and critical-care specialist. Caring for patients in the hospital, we have noticed some patients have declines in cognitive function after leaving the hospital and we were wondering why this happens.

This led the team to look into the kidneys for injuries, due to their role in removing toxins from the body, as a potential risk factor that might result in an inflammatory reaction in the brain, said Bhatraju.

We know that it happens, Bhatraju said. Now we want to know why it occurs and how to prevent it.

Researchers selected inpatients at UW Medicine, Vanderbilt University, Kaiser Permanente and Yale University for this study.

Looking for biomarkers that appeared when the inflammation was discovered, researchers found higher levels in those who had acute kidney injury.

During cognitive tests, participants with acute kidney injury scored below 85 on average, on a scale of 0 to 100. This was lower than the average scores of 92-93 for those without acute kidney injury.

Although the scores dont directly link acute kidney injury and loss of cognitive function, researchers will look for ways to treat patients after such an event to prevent cognitive loss.

We dont know for certain that AKI can lead to brain dysfunction, Bhatraju said. That is what we want to study next.

The study concludes that further work is needed to determine causality or is a marker for cognitive impairment.
Scientists have found evidence proving that doomscrolling is bad for your brain.

In a recent study published in the Journal of Computers in Human Behavior Reports, a team of researchers found there was a connection between doomscrolling and feelings of existential anxiety, despair, distrust, and suspicion of others after surveying over 800 university students from the US and Iran.

According to Flinders University researcher Reza Shabahang, who is the studys lead author, constant exposure to negative news can turn into a source of vicarious trauma, causing viewers and readers to feel as though theyre experiencing secondhand trauma.

When were constantly exposed to negative news and information online, it can threaten our beliefs when it comes to our own mortality and the control we have over our own lives, he explained to The Guardian.

According to the team of researchers, the exposure can lead to feelings of life being fragile and limited, humans fundamentally being alone, and individuals not having full control of their lives.

Through their research, the team found that the constant exposure to negative news ultimately challenged fundamental assumptions about the fairness and benevolence of the world. However, since the study sample was selected based on their accessibility and availability to the researchers, the team cautions that the sample size was not appropriate enough to conclude the effects of doomscrolling.

Doomscrolling typically occurs when people consume negative or depressing content on social media for excessive periods of time. Psychologist Dr Susan Albers explained to the Cleveland Clinic that it can worsen mental health issues, insomnia, and perception of reality.

When were depressed, we often look for information that can confirm how we feel, Dr Albers explained. Doomscrolling operates with the same mindset: If youre feeling negative, then reading negative news only reconfirms how you feel. A lot of times, you might not even be aware youre doing it. But it becomes second nature: Once you have a spare moment, you pick up your phone and start scrolling without even really being aware of it.

Burying your nose in a phone can actually exacerbate feelings of disconnection and loneliness, Dr Albers continued. Too much time on any media or social media sites, whether the news is bad or not, has been linked with feelings of depression.

To avoid the negative effects of doomscrolling, the psychologist implored people to be more conscious about their news and social media consumption. From taking social media breaks to focusing on the present, maintaining a healthy emotional distance from negativity can ultimately help people in the long run.
Study shows wildfires may be increasing in Tennessee with 122% rise in 2022

NASHVILLE, Tenn. (WKRN)  Despite a recent bout of storms, much of Middle Tennessee has been considered to be in drought conditions this summer as record-breaking heat continues to scorch the area.

Across the U.S., record temperatures have increased the threat of wildfires, with a massive blaze in California recently charring more than 300,000 acres, and Texas firefighters battling one of the states largest wildfires on record earlier this year.

Despite rain, the Drought Monitor shows little change for Middle Tennessee

According to a recent study conducted by LendingTree, wildfires are up 17% annually, and while risk varies by state, annual losses are expected to reach upward of $1.4 billion.

California, Florida and Texas, remain the states with the highest wildfire risk, but the latest data from 2022 shows Tennessee has also seen a substantial increase in wildfires. That year, 1,225 wildfires were reported in the state  a 122.7% rise from the 550 fires that broke out in 2021.

Brush fire in Wears Valley in 2022 (Courtesy: Waldens Creek Volunteer Fire Department)

It was the sixth highest increase among all states, with only seven other states seeing a more than 100% increase in wildfires between 2021 and 2022, according to LendingTrees analysis of data from the Insurance Information Institute.

Despite typically having a wetter climate, much of East Tennessee was scorched by wildfires in 2022. Nearly 400, or around 32%, of the wildfires reported that year were in the eastern part of the state.

Report details extent of damage from Wears Valley wildfire

A spokesperson for the Tennessee Department of Agricultures Division of Forestry told News 2s sister station WATE as many acres burned in 2022 as the past four years combined.

Two fires that broke out in late March in Sevier County and Blount County, including the blaze dubbed the Hatcher Mountain fire, burned over 3,400 acres and impacted 221 structures, prompting Tennessee Gov. Bill Lee to issue an executive order declaring a major disaster.

Hatcher Mountain fire in 2022 (WKRN file photo)

A state investigation determined the two fires were started by downed powerlines and exacerbated by high winds. Sevier County Emergency Management estimated the total cost of damage to livable structures from both wildfires at $65 million.

By fall, firefighters were busy again as more than a dozen wildfires broke out in the region. The TDF said its crews had responded to at least 30 new wildfires by Nov. 10. The causes varied from a vehicle sparking a brush fire to a person burning debris without a permit.

Tennessee firefighters prepare for wildfire season

While the latest Drought Monitor issued Thursday morning still shows much of Tennessee in drought conditions, more rainfall is expected in August. The TDF began taking proactive measures to confront the wildfire season earlier this year, beginning with two large-scale wildfire training events  one of which was held in Nashville.

According to LendingTree home insurance expert and licensed insurance agent Rob Bhatt, homeowners in risky areas should ensure they have an evacuation plan in place in the event of an emergency. To view LendingTrees full study on wildfire risks, click here.

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For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to WKRN News 2.
FILE PHOTO: A street in the city of Omdurman damaged in the year-long civil war in Sudan

DUBAI (Reuters) -Sudan's government conditionally accepted on Tuesday an invitation to attend U.S.-sponsored peace talks in Geneva, raising hopes that the talks could advance efforts to end a 15-month-old war.

The government is aligned with the army in its war with the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF). The army has shunned recent bids to restart ceasefire or peace negotiations, with Islamists who hold sway in its ranks calling for a military victory.

The Geneva talks would be the first major effort in months to get the army and the RSF to sit together. The RSF accepted the U.S. invitation soon after they were proposed last week.

"The government said (in its reply to the invitation) that it was the party most concerned with saving the lives and dignity of the Sudanese people, and so it will cooperate with any entity that aims to do so," the Sudanese foreign ministry said in a statement.

The war has caused the world's largest humanitarian crisis with a fifth of the population displaced and famine likely across the country. Previous talks convened by the United States and Saudi Arabia in Jeddah broke up without agreement.

The RSF, which clashed with the army over plans to integrate their forces last year, has taken control of eight of Sudan's 18 state capitals, including the capital Khartoum, and is expanding further into the southeast of the country.

"The government made clear that any negotiations before ... full withdrawal and an end to expansion (by the RSF) will not be acceptable to the Sudanese people," the statement said. However, it also requested meetings with U.S. officials to discuss the agenda for the talks.

U.S. special envoy Tom Perriello told reporters on Monday both sides had been receptive to offers of meetings in advance of formal talks. A planned meeting in the army's de facto capital Port Sudan was cancelled but would hopefully be rescheduled, he said.

The talks would be co-hosted by Saudi Arabia and would include Egypt and the United Arab Emirates, which has supported the RSF, according to U.N. experts, U.S. officials, and the Sudanese army. The UAE denies this.

Army chief Abdelfattah al-Burhan recently spoke on the phone with the UAE's Sheikh Mohammed bin Zayed for the first time since the outbreak of the war.

"We think actually having UAE at the talks gives it a better chance for it to be a real peace deal and one that can be enforced," Perriello said.

(Reporting by Khalid Abdealziz, additional reporting by David LewisEditing by Gareth Jones and Ros Russell)
The Supreme Court, long known for its tradition of confidential negotiations between justices about the outcome of its cases and reputation of staying above the daily political fray, has suffered another leak related to an important case.

An in-depth report from CNN, based on information from unnamed sources with knowledge of the high courts internal dynamics, describes how a rotating coalition of justices first approved a controversial decision on an in-progress case about Idahos near-total abortion ban, then nearly changed course entirely.

Its the latest piece of internal information to make it out of the Washington court after the high-profile 2022 leak of the courts draft ruling in the case where it would eventually overturn the constitutional right to an abortion, a seminal scandal in the courts history.

The Independent has contacted the Supreme Court for comment.

The first major decision in the Idaho case, Moyle v United States, came in January when the Supreme Court decided to allow the state to enforce its near-total abortion ban.

That ban contains an exception to prevent the death of the pregnant person, despite an ongoing challenge from the Biden administration playing out in federal appeals court, which argued federal emergency room protections should preempt the state ban in certain emergency situations.

At the time, the court merely described its conclusion on the matter, but the CNN report reveals the justices voted 6 - 3 to approve this course of action, splitting on predictable lines between the six Republican-appointed justices and the three from liberal administrations.

By April, however, when oral arguments were held at the Supreme Court in the case, the majority seemed to have evaporated, according to the court, as Justices Kavanaugh, Roberts, and Barrett reportedly considered ending the case without a resolution and deeming it improvidently granted.

That reportedly left the court with three different camps and no clear path to a decision: the three liberals on one side, the three ambivalent conservatives on the other, and Justices Alito, Thomas, and Gorsuch part of the third camp, who sided with Idaho.

The alleged three-way split granted the liberals on the court a rare bit of leverage, and the final decision appeared to represent that compromise, preserving Idahos overall abortion policy, while carving out a minor exception.

In a June ruling, which saw the three liberals siding with Kavanaugh, Roberts, and Barrett, the court decided to reinstate a lower-court ruling that ensured hospitals in Idaho provide abortions in emergency medical situations but declined to issue a firm decision in the dispute.

The CNN report is the latest sign of trouble at the normally leak-proof court.

In addition to the Roe decision going public ahead of time, the court has also been under heavy scrutiny for the lavish gifts some of its justices have received from political donors and activists over the years, prompting the court to adopt a formal code of conduct at the end of last year.

Joe Biden has called for sweeping overhauls to the nations top appellate court, including terms limits instead of its current lifetime appointments, a binding ethics code, and no immunity before the court for former presidents for crimes committed in office.
Leonard Leo, best known as the architect of the Supreme Courts conservative supermajority, is not happy about President Joe Biden belatedly proposing reforms to rein in an increasingly lawless, right-wing policy factory.

No conservative justice has made any decision in any big case that surprised anyone, so lets stop pretending this is about undue influence, Leo wrote in a statement blasted out to reporters. Its about Democrats destroying a court they dont agree with.

Alex Aronson, executive director at the watchdog Court Accountability, says, Leos mindset goes a long way toward explaining why Americans have lost so much faith in our Supreme Court. Rather than fulfill their oaths to the Constitution and serve as neutral umpires as they pledged to do, Leo all but admits that the justices he and Trump installed have been reliable servants of the far-right agenda.

Throughout Bidens presidency, the nations highest court has been on a rampage  ending Roe v. Wade so that states can ban abortion, rolling back climate rules, limiting protections for LGBTQ+ Americans, ending college affirmative action policies, invalidating common gun regulations, allowing companies to provide thank-you payments to corrupt politicians, and providing Donald Trump sweeping immunity from prosecution.

The Supreme Court has continued on this path amid an unprecedented ethics crisis, as reporters have exposed some of the justices for accepting and failing to disclose luxury gifts  private jet flights, superyacht trips, and more  from conservative donors.

Leo, who helped Trump pick and install three justices  Neil Gorsuch, Brett Kavanaugh, and Amy Coney Barrett  leads a dark-money network that ran PR campaigns to promote the confirmation of those justices as well as John Roberts and Samuel Alito. His network, which received a historic $1.6 billion donation in 2021, also finances politicians and nonprofits that bring cases to the high court and urge justices to issue conservative, precedent-shattering rulings in those cases.

Leo has also played a key role in some of the courts biggest scandals: He reportedly arranged Alitos seat on a private jet flight to Alaska paid for by a billionaire with business before the court, and he also reportedly steered secret consulting payments to Justice Clarence Thomas wife. Leo has refused to comply with a Senate subpoena demanding he detail gifts and payments he has directed to justices and their spouses.

The slate of reforms that Biden proposed Monday is a relatively modest answer to the justices conduct and the dark money sloshing around the high court: term limits for justices; a constitutional amendment to overturn the courts dangerous immunity ruling; and the creation of a binding, enforceable ethics code.

In his statement, Leo characterized Bidens proposal as a campaign to destroy a court that [Democrats] disagree with. He suggested that if Biden were truly serious about ethics reform, then they would ban all gifts and hospitality of any kind to any public official in any branch of government, starting with Congress, where the real corruption is. (Gifts to lawmakers are already tightly restricted.) Leo also suggests barring lawmakers from accepting payments for speeches, which Congress did three decades ago.

Responding to Leos statement, Sen. Sheldon Whitehouse (D-R.I.) noted that Congress cant take those sorts of secret freebies.

Some of Leos suggestions to Democrats for how to crack down on corruption read like a tacit admission: With respect to judges, he wrote, they would include the things where influence peddling is most present and dangerous  and thats when the liberal justices rub shoulders with influencers at places like law schools, bar associations, progressive think tanks and their conferences, and other groups and events funded by left-wing billionaires, where they support real vested interests in the work of the [Supreme] Court.

If you substitute the terms left-wing and progressive for right-wing, Leos statement suddenly describes exactly how he and conservative billionaires have swarmed the judiciary with dark money, and how they managed to establish a lucrative incentive system that rewards judges for being  and remaining  arch conservative ideologues.

Leo is a co-chair of the Federalist Society, the conservative lawyers organization, and his network donates millions annually to the group. Leo also has a close affiliation with George Mason University, having brokered a $20 million anonymous gift to rename the GMU law school after the late Supreme Court Justice Antonin Scalia in 2016.

As this reporter previously documented at The Lever, GMU and the Federalist Society routinely pay to send judges to conferences and seminars at ritzy locations around the country and the globe  and they do so far more than any other group.

GMU and the Federalist Society sent more than 100 federal judges on 251 trips from 2021-22. In terms of volume of paid travel, these organizations have no competition from liberal groups or even nonpartisan sources.

The story doesnt stop there: GMU has also paid three Supreme Court justices to teach classes in recent years. As The New York Times reported, these classes can look and sound like free vacations, but they come with paychecks approaching $30,000, or the maximum amount of outside income that justices are permitted to accept.

The Federalist Societys annual lawyers convention and black-tie gala dinner in Washington, D.C., regularly features speeches and appearances from the conservative Supreme Court justices.

In closing out his statement, Leo again tells Biden and lawmakers what to do. Let me clear: If Democrats want to adopt an across the board ethics ban for all branches, I am in favor of that: no jets, no meals, no speaking honorariums, no gifts for anyone from anyone for any reason in any branch, starting with Congress, he writes.

You might be wondering: Did anyone ask this unelected political operative what types of ethics reforms he would or would not be OK with? Unclear.

But if Leo wants to dish on where the real corruption lurks in the judiciary, and says law schools and think tanks are where influence peddling is most present and dangerous, we should listen  closely. He knows what hes talking about.

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Diamond Hill Capital, an investment management company, released its Select Strategy second-quarter 2024 investor letter. A copy of the letter can be downloaded here. In Q2, markets saw a modest boost, delivering positive returns across the majority of regions and nations. The Russell 3000 Index showed a +3% increase in US stocks; however, the majority of the gains came from large-cap stocks, which increased by about +4%. Returns were negative across the cap spectrum, with mid-caps and small caps, as indicated by their respective Russell indices, each down about -3%. The portfolio underperformed the Russell 3000 Index in Q2 and returned -4.96% net of fees compared to 3.22% for the index. In addition, you can check the fund's top 5 holdings to find out its best picks for 2024.

Diamond Hill Select Strategy highlighted stocks like Abbott Laboratories (NYSE:ABT) in the second quarter 2024 investor letter. Abbott Laboratories (NYSE:ABT) engages in the discovery, development, manufacturing, and sale of healthcare products. On July 29, 2024, Abbott Laboratories (NYSE:ABT) stock closed at $104.77 per share. One-month return of Abbott Laboratories (NYSE:ABT) was 1.52%, and its shares lost 5.21% of their value over the last 52 weeks. Abbott Laboratories (NYSE:ABT) has a market capitalization of $182.261 billion.

Diamond Hill Select Strategy stated the following regarding Abbott Laboratories (NYSE:ABT) in its Q2 2024 investor letter:

"Abbott Laboratories (NYSE:ABT) is a diversified health care company with an extensive portfolio that spans medical devices, pharmaceuticals, nutritionals and diagnostics. With a substantial portion of its revenues generated internationally, emerging markets contribute about 40% of overall sales. We have always liked Abbotts diverse mix of businesses and its fundamental growth prospects. The management team has consistently demonstrated skill in capital allocation, highlighted by strategic divestitures such as the European generic business in 2014, and significant acquisitions like St. Jude in 2016."

Top Medical AI Companies

An operating room with a doctor monitoring a patient's vital signs during surgery with a medical device.

Abbott Laboratories (NYSE:ABT) is not on our list of 31 Most Popular Stocks Among Hedge Funds. Abbott Laboratories (NYSE:ABT) was held by 62 hedge fund portfolios at the end of the first quarter, compared to 64 in the previous quarter, according to our database. During the second quarter, Abbott Laboratories (NYSE:ABT) recorded an organic sales growth of 7.4% and achieved adjusted earnings per share of $1.14, exceeding analyst estimates. While we acknowledge the potential of Abbott Laboratories (NYSE:ABT) as an investment, our conviction lies in the belief that AI stocks hold greater promise for delivering higher returns, and doing so within a shorter timeframe. If you are looking for an AI stock that is as promising as NVIDIA but that trades at less than 5 times its earnings, check out our report about the cheapest AI stock.

Story continues

In another article, we discussed Abbott Laboratories (NYSE:ABT) and shared Aristotle Atlantic Core Equity Strategy's views on the company. In addition, please check out our hedge fund investor letters Q2 2024 page for more investor letters from hedge funds and other leading investors.

READ NEXT: Michael Burry Is Selling These Stocks and A New Dawn Is Coming to US Stocks.

Disclosure: None. This article is originally published at Insider Monkey .
Suspect arrested after boy, 13, shot to death on his way home from Brooklyn Nets game: NYPD

CROWN HEIGHTS, Brooklyn (PIX11)  A man was arrested in the shooting death of a 13-year-old boy who was gunned down in Brooklyn on his way home from a Nets game in February, police said Tuesday.

Sheik Koureichi, 20, was arrested Monday and charged with murder and criminal possession of a weapon in the killing of Troy Gill in what investigators believe was a gang-related hit on Feb. 29, according to the NYPD. It was unclear if Koureichi was the shooter.

Koureichi and another unidentified suspect were indicted in the murder case, but the second suspect has not been arrested yet, according to court documents.

Investigators said Gill was a member of the Drench Gang and was targeted after a 20-year-old member of a rival gang was attacked hours before the teen attended the Nets game on the night he was killed, according to NYPD Chief of Detectives Joseph Kenny. It was unclear if Gill, who had a Drench Gang tattoo, was involved in the incident.

More Local News

The teen was shot four times near New York Avenue and Bergen Street outside Brower Park in Crown Heights at around 10:30 p.m., authorities said. He was struck in the chest, back, and twice in the arm before he FaceTimed his mom as he was running down the block, police said.

Gill was just a couple blocks from home and his family rushed out to search for him after the heartbreaking call, authorities said. The teen was then found on the sidewalk by a passerby walking his dog.

The boy was unable to speak when officers got to the scene. Cops tried to save him before he was rushed to the hospital, where he died.

The teen also called his mom from the Nets game and from an Uber, which his mom did not send him, police said. It was unclear who ordered the rideshare.

During the investigation, police identified a white jeep that two suspects rented in Philadelphia. The suspects fired eight shots at Gill, police said.

Koureichi has had several prior arrests for criminal possession of a weapon, grand larceny, and reckless endangerment, police said. In the grand larceny case, Koureichi was part of a crew that allegedly stole a 21-year-old mans car in Queens last month, according to the NYPD.

Koureichi pleaded not guilty during his arraignment in the murder case and is being held without bail, according to court records.

Mira Wassef is a digital reporter who has covered news and sports in the NYC area for more than a decade. She joined PIX11 News in 2022. See more of her work here.

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A woman arrested earlier this month in connection with a deadly domestic violence incident involving a Samurai sword has been charged with murder and attempted murder.

On Monday, the Los Angeles County District Attorneys Office announced that Weichien Huang was to be charged in the death of her wife and the attempted killing of her mother-in-law.

Huang was arrested July 18 in San Dimas after Los Angeles County Sheriffs Department deputies responded to the 300 block of South Huntington Avenue and found the woman walking the street while carrying a katana.

Video shared with KTLA showed the moment the suspect was approached by the deputies and laid down her weapon and held her bloody hands in the air.

A woman seen carrying a Samurai-style sword moments before L.A. deputies arrive after a fatal attack on July 18, 2024, in San Dimas. (Danielle Leivo)

A woman seen moments before L.A. deputies arrive after a fatal attack on July 18, 2024, in San Dimas. (Danielle Leivo)

L.A. deputies at the scene of a fatal sword attack in San Dimas on July 18, 2024. (Danielle Leivo)

L.A. deputies at the scene of a fatal sword attack in San Dimas on July 18, 2024. (Danielle Leivo)

Authorities said Huang then led them into a nearby home where one woman was found dead and another was wounded.

Details were limited about the case at the time because all those involved spoke primarily Mandarin Chinese, officials said.

Now new information has been revealed in the investigation, including the relationship between those involved.

The D.A.s Office says Huang is accused of killing her wife, Fei Chen Chen, with the sword at their home. She also allegedly attacked her wifes elderly mother, although she survived after spending a week in the hospital for treatment of major injuries.

Man accused of gunning down suspected car thief in Riverside

District Attorney George Gascon called the violent attacks an example of the insidious problem of domestic violence that affects many throughout our country.

We are deeply saddened by this horrific violence and our hearts go out to the victims loved ones and community, Gascon said.

Huang was expected to appear in a Pomona court on Monday and be formally charged with murder and attempted murder, with special allegations that she inflicted severe bodily injury on a person over 70 and used a sword during the crimes.

Prosecutors were expected to request she be held on $3 million bail, the D.A.s Office said. If convicted as charged, Huang could face a maximum sentence of life in prison.

Gascon added that the D.A.s Office Bureau of Victim Services is ready to provide assistance to the surviving victim, if called upon.

The case remains under investigation by the Sheriffs Department.

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For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to KTLA.
Suspect got away with Hawaiis most famous cold-case murder for decades. A hospital bed sheet closed the case

Dana Ireland (left) was killed in Hawaii in 1991. Alberto Lauro Jr (right) died by suicide after police took a DNA sample earlier this month (Hawaii Police Department)

A suspect in one of Hawaiis most notorious murder cases has killed himself just days after police questioned him and took his DNA sample as part of the investigation.

Dana Ireland, a 23-year-old tourist from Virginia, was kidnapped, raped and left for dead in the Kapoho area of Hawaii on Christmas Eve 1991. She died the following day in hospital.

For over 20 years, investigators believed the case was closed and that her killers had been brought to justice.

Albert Ian Schweitzer had been convicted of her murder in 2000 and sentenced to 130 years in prison. Two other men  Frank Pauline Jr and Schweitzers brother Shawn  were also convicted. Pauline was killed by a fellow inmate in prison in 2015 while Shawn took a plea deal and was released from prison after one year.

Then, in 2023  with Schweizer the lone suspect still behind bars  new DNA evidence proved his innocence and he was exonerated.

Now, one year on, the Hawaii Police Department announced investigators had identified a new potential suspect thanks to DNA from a bed sheet.

Back in 1991, DNA was taken from a swab of Irelands body, from a sheet used to transport Ireland to hospital, and a t-shirt found at the crime scene.

When these items were analyzed in 1991, there was no match in any DNA database, and the DNA was stored and labeled as Unknown Male #1.

As decades passed and technology advanced, investigators were able to narrow down the DNA to some potential suspects.

Dana Ireland was kidnapped, raped and murdered in 1991 (Hawaii Police Department)

One of the names on the list was 57-year-old Albert Lauro Jr, who lived in the Kapoho area at the time of Irelands murder.

In early July, police collected a utensil Lauro threw away, analyzed it and found it matched Unknown Male #1.

While the statute of limitations had expired for rape, it had not for murder.

Yet, police did not arrest Lauro, saying in a press conference on Monday that there was not enough probable cause.

And so police contacted Lauro on July 19 and took a buccal swab from him, before letting him go.

Days later, Lauro was found dead by suicide.

Police Chief Ben Moszkowicz said at a press conference on Monday that the buccal swab ultimately confirmed that the DNA collected at the scene of Irelands murder matched Lauro.

Alberto Lauro Jr, 57, died by suicide this month (Hawaii Police Department)

We felt then and continue to feel that the presence of Lauros DNA at the crime scene was in and of itself not sufficient evidence to prove that Lauro intentionally or knowingly caused her death, Moszkowicz said on Monday.

Moszkowicz defended polices decision not to arrest Lauro on July 19, saying that his arrest could be challenged as inadmissible if they did not have probable cause.

However, attorneys of the Hawaii Innocence Project  which helped exonerate Schweitzer  have called for a federal investigation into why police didnt arrest Lauro, The Associated Press reported.

Chief Moszkowicz said that while this is a considerable development, the cold case is not yet closed with investigators now looking to access Lauros cellphone and speak to his family and friends from 1991.

We remain focused on Dana Ireland, a young woman who was brutally murdered. There is still a lot about this case that we do not know, and our investigation into this case continues to push forward. Our search for the truth is not over, Moszkowicz said.

If you are experiencing feelings of distress, or are struggling to cope, you can speak to the Samaritans, in confidence, on 116 123 (UK and ROI), email jo@samaritans.org, or visit the Samaritans website to find details of your nearest branch. If you are based in the USA, and you or someone you know needs mental health assistance right now, call or text 988, or visit 988lifeline.org to access online chat from the 988 Suicide and Crisis Lifeline. This is a free, confidential crisis hotline that is available to everyone 24 hours a day, seven days a week. If you are in another country, you can go to www.befrienders.org to find a helpline near you.
(SAGUACHE COUNTY, Colo.)  The Colorado Bureau of Investigation (CBI) has identified the suspect who was shot and killed after allegedly attacking a Saguache County deputy with a metal pipe on Thursday, July 25.

According to the CBI, 40-year-old Jonathan Aaron Wood was shot and killed around noon on Thursday, after the Saguache County Sheriffs Office (SCSO) said he was seen near the Baca Grande Subdivision by a deputy who knew Wood had active warrants. As the deputy tried to talk to Wood, Wood pulled a 4-foot metal pipe and began attacking the deputy, according to the CBI.

PREVIOUS COVERAGE: Saguache deputy attacked with pipe, suspect fatally shot

During the attack, the CBI said the deputy pulled out his gun and fired twice, hitting Wood. The deputy immediately began life-saving measures, but Wood was pronounced dead at the scene. The deputy was treated for minor injuries at the hospital before being released.

According to the CBI, at the time of the shooting, Wood was sought on a warrant for Felony Assault on a Peace Officer out of Saguache County and a misdemeanor warrant for Property Damage/Criminal Mischief out of Mineral County.

The CBI said the felony warrant was related to a series of events from Aug. 11, 2023, in which neighbors called law enforcement due to Wood acting erratically and in a threatening manner with a 4-foot stick. Neighbors at the time reported that Wood was insisting he could hear voices screaming for help from his neighbors shed, and then from inside his neighbors house after neighbors opened up the shed to show Wood there was no one inside.

When deputies later tried talking to Wood about the incident, he threatened the deputies with the wooden stick and allegedly punched a deputy in the head. Woods later failure to appear in court for the assault charge is what led to the warrant and his fatal confrontation with a deputy on July 25.

The CBI said it is assisting SCSO in the shooting investigation. The involved deputy activated his body-worn camera and the footage is being reviewed by investigators, the CBI said. The deputy is on administrative leave while the investigation continues.

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For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to FOX21 News Colorado.
DENVER (KDVR)  A man is accused of vehicular homicide and DUI in a deadly crash early Saturday morning in Brighton.

The 2:45 a.m. incident was first reported as a male down on the ground for unknown reasons near the 4500 block of Southern Street.

Woman, child killed in Denver double homicide

The Brighton Police Department reported that a 25-year-old was driving eastbound in a Chevrolet Tahoe near the 4500 block of Southern Street when a 50-year-old man exited the Tahoe and was struck by the vehicle. The 50-year-old man was pronounced dead at the scene.

Ronnie Vigil, 25, was arrested and booked into the Adams County Jail on multiple charges, including vehicular homicide and driving under the influence, after he was allegedly driving a car involved in the deadly crash.

The victims identification is being withheld until the Adams County Coroners Office can identify the deceased and notify the next of kin. Anyone with information about this incident is asked to call the Brighton Police Department tipline at 303-655-8740.

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For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to FOX31 Denver.
Suspects in court after 15+ nabbed in Granville County cockfighting raid, sheriff says

CREEMOOR, N.C. (WNCN)  After a raid at a southern Granville County cockfighting ring over the weekend, several of the suspects appeared in court Monday.

Granville County Sheriff Robert Fountain said the Saturday operation nabbed at least 15 suspects when deputies executed a search warrant at 1009 Lawrence Road  just a half-mile from the Wake County line.

The search followed a tip and a visit by an undercover detective earlier Saturday morning, Fountain said. Those in court Monday faced charges including cockfighting, gambling, and marijuana possession.

Fountain described the brutal operation at the cockfighting ring with razor blades taped to the birds legs for the deadly fights  during which gambling took place.





The sheriff also said animals were injected with adrenaline during fights  with the roosters then tossed back into the ring to continue, despite them being near death.

More than 50 cars and pickup trucks were seized at the property and tow trucks continued to remove trucks from the property through Sunday afternoon, Fountain said.

Several suspects fled into woods during the bust and deputies used a drone to scan for heat signatures Saturday night into Sunday morning. At least one helicopter was above the scene on Saturday.

It was a heavy presence, not knowing what was going on at the start, that was very nerve-wracking, said neighbor Dale Barbour.

Neighbors who had seen birds at the scene in the past reacted to the bust.

When I drive by, I just see lots and lots of roosters, or just chickens, I guess, out front in cages. Theyve been there for a long time, Brad Bennington, a neighbor, said.

Meanwhile, an animal rights group Monday released a statement about the bust in Granville County, applauding the arrests.

(The) Granville County bust this weekend offers a window into the ongoing lawlessness of illegal animal fighters, who are often tied to other crimes, the Animal Wellness Action group said in a news release.

CBS 17 News tried to contact Fountain several times Monday but his only response was about a planned news conference.

He said he would speak to the media at noon Wednesday at the Granville County Sheriffs Office.

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UPDATE: The sheriffs office has reported that the package was non-threatening and that the facility has resumed normal operations.

ETNA TOWNSHIP, Ohio (WCMH)  The Licking County Sheriffs Office is investigating a reported suspicious package at an Amazon Fulfillment Center in Etna Township.

According to a social media post at 8:05 p.m. Monday, deputies were sent to the facility on 11999 National Road SW for a reported bomb threat. Deputies found a suspicious package outside of the building.

Crane crashes at Upper Arlington community center construction site

This embedded content is not available in your region.

The Columbus Division of Fires bomb squad has been called in to investigate.

The sheriffs office said the facility is currently on lockdown and that deputies have secured the area.

This story will be updated as more information becomes available.

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For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to NBC4 WCMH-TV.
OKLAHOMA CITY (KFOR)  A shooting on the citys southwest side Sunday night left one man dead and police are still searching for a suspect.

Neighbors in the area said they heard the gunshots and that it isnt the first time something like that has happened around there.

ORIGINAL STORY: Police investigating deadly shooting in SW Oklahoma City

Its nonstop every day, all night, neighbor Michael Brock said.

Sunday night, it would be no different for Brock. Oklahoma City Police Department cars filled the area just around the corner from his home near SW 21st Street and Harvey Avenue after the shooting call that came in around 8 p.m.

When officers arrived, they found one person there who had been shot, Msgt. Gary Knight with the Oklahoma City Police Department said. That person was transported to an area hospital where he unfortunately passed away.

Knight said it was an altercation that led to gunfire near the Andrews Square living facility.

When I walked outside they had it all taped off and the guy was on the ground, we heard the gunshot in the house, but we wasnt outside to see it, Brock said.

Brock said he has lived there for 30 years. He claims theres been a growing homeless population there.

They all hang out right here at the bus stop and then they try to go in the alley right here behind the houses, Brock said. Ive called the cops three times in the hour on the same guy a couple times.

LOCAL NEWS: Two people shot, killed in NE Oklahoma City

He claims one of his cars got broken into once and his truck got stolen. After Sunday night, he said he hopes more can be done to mitigate the crime around his home.

We just need more help down here, he said.

Anyone with information on this incident is encouraged to call OKC Crime Stoppers at 405-235-7300.

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For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to KFOR.com Oklahoma City.
Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer applauds as Pennsylvania Gov.Josh Shapiro speaks during a campaign rally for Vice President Kamala Harris on July 29, 2024 in Pennsylvania. (Photo by Hannah Beier/Getty Images)

LOWER GWYNEDD TWP.  Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro and Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer rallied Democrats at a suburban Philadelphia high school as Vice President Kamala Harris presidential campaign entered its first full week Monday.

Shapiro and Whitmer, both prospects to be Harris running mate, told the crowd of more than 1,000 at Wissahickon High School that a Harris presidency would build on the achievements of President Joe Biden, who bowed out of his reelection bid July 21 amid crumbling confidence over his fitness and a crescendo of Democratic leaders calling for him to step aside.

The swing state governors recalled Republican presidential nominee Donald Trumps time in the White House as an era of less freedom, fewer jobs and more chaos with a warning that a second Trump presidency with running mate J.D. Vance would be worse.

Trump and Vance want to take us backwards, but were not going back. Our response to them is simple, hell no, Whitmer said, leading the crowd in a call and response. Are we going back to less freedom? Are we going back to cronies and crooks who help themselves at our expense? Are we going back to dangerous extremists?

Hell no, the crowd responded.

Among Trumps few successes, Shapiro said, was packing the Supreme Court with three conservative justices before it overturned Roe v. Wade, the 50-year-old decision establishing the national right to abortion.

He did that when he had no earthly idea how to be president back then. And there were a whole lot of guardrails still around Donald Trump when he was president four years ago, Shapiro said. That same Supreme Court  his buddies he put on there  just ruled that the rule of law does not apply to Donald Trump.

Though Bidens decision to step down late in the presidential election cycle is a risk, many at the rally Monday said it has infused new energy and enthusiasm in the Democratic party.

Allentown Mayor Matt Tuerk told the Capital-Star that Harris campaign brings a clear vision for a future building on the successes of the Biden administration with an even stronger focus on reproductive and womens rights.

Were feeling good. Theres a level of enthusiasm that is just off the charts and Im just riding the wave right now, Tuerk said.

Shapiro, who is less than halfway through his first term as governor, has emerged as a vice presidential frontrunner in the week since Biden stepped back and support for Harris as the Democratic nominee solidified.

Like Whitmer, Shapiro is a popular governor in one of several swing states that are crucial in the race for president because of their relatively large numbers of electoral college votes.

Theyre among several Democratic governors including Tim Walz of Minnesota and Andy Beshear of Kentucky identified as strong candidates to balance Harris profile. U.S. Sen. Mark Kelly of Arizona, who had a high-profile career before politics as an astronaut and Navy captain, would also complement Harris.

But Pennsylvania is seen as the keystone to electoral victory in 2024. Voters in the Keystone state chose Biden in 2020 and Trump in 2016 by similarly narrow margins.

Shapiro has a winning record in statewide elections having decisively won two terms as state attorney general in 2016 and 2020. He defeated the Republican gubernatorial nominee, state Sen. Doug Mastriano, in 2022 by a near-landslide margin. And a Fox News poll of Pennsylvania voters last week put Shapiros approval rating at 61%.

His high profile as a possible running mate has also produced scrutiny of his record on supporting school vouchers, the environment and a sexual harassment scandal early in his administration.

People attending the rally told the Capital-Star theyre open to many of those named as potential Harris running mates.

Amanda Baker of Pottstown said Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg would be her dream VP pick but said shes not confident that voters across the country would embrace a woman of color and a gay man on the same presidential ticket.

Charles Snippert, a retired professor and a school director in Pottstown School District, said Shapiro would be his first choice for vice president, crediting his role in negotiating with the Republican controlled state Senate to produce a budget with historic increases in public education funding.

Were ecstatic over the fact  theyre starting to bring the aid back up to a reasonable level, Snippert said, adding that Pottstown is set to receive about $1 million in additional funding this year. I think Mr. Shapiro deserves an awful lot of credit for working through a compromise.

Robin Allen-McKinnon of Plymouth Meeting said that while shes a fan of Whitmer and hoped Biden would name her as his running mate in 2020, Harris will need to be pragmatic in her choice.

I think that she probably needs to pick a white man. Just to balance out the ticket, Allen-McKinnon said, adding that a politically moderate choice like Shapiro would strengthen the ticket. She noted that Shapiros strong support in 2022 showed his broad appeal.

Thats significant in how divided Pennsylvania is, Allen-McKinnon said. So Im thinking if hes able to do that, then  Im hoping he could replicate throughout the country.

In his endorsement of Harris, Shapiro told the crowd Monday the election will be a decision to stand up together as a nation and fight to protect freedom against those who would rip it away.

Kamala Harris name is going to be on that ballot, and Im gonna be pushing that button for Kamala Harris, Shapiro said, adding that the election isnt about the names on the ballot.

Its about all of us and what it is that were willing to fight for, what it is that were willing to work for, and what kind of future we want to build for our children and our grandchildren, Shapiro said.

I dont know about you. I want a future that is cleaner and greener. I want a future with better schools and safer streets. A future with more freedom, not less, and a future where I can look the 47th President of the United States in the eye and say Hello Madam President.

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Michigan Governor Gretchen Whitmer applauds as Pennsylvania Governor Josh Shapiro speaks during a campaign rally for Vice President Kamala Harris on July 29, 2024 in Ambler, Pennsylvania. Shapiro and Whitmer campaigned to bring supporters behind Vice President Harris's campaign to protect Americans' freedoms, lower costs for families, and slam Trump's Project 2025 agenda. | Hannah Beier/Getty Images

LOWER GWYNEDD TWP.  Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro and Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer rallied Democrats at a suburban Philadelphia high school as Vice President Kamala Harris presidential campaign entered its first full week Monday.

Shapiro and Whitmer, both prospects to be Harris running mate, told the crowd of more than 1,000 at Wissahickon High School that a Harris presidency would build on the achievements of President Joe Biden, who bowed out of his reelection bid July 21 amid crumbling confidence over his fitness and a crescendo of Democratic leaders calling for him to step aside.

The swing state governors recalled Republican presidential nominee Donald Trumps time in the White House as an era of less freedom, fewer jobs and more chaos with a warning that a second Trump presidency with running mate J.D. Vance would be worse.

Trump and Vance want to take us backwards, but were not going back. Our response to them is simple, hell no, Whitmer said, leading the crowd in a call and response. Are we going back to less freedom? Are we going back to cronies and crooks who help themselves at our expense? Are we going back to dangerous extremists?

Hell no, the crowd responded.

Among Trumps few successes, Shapiro said, was packing the Supreme Court with three conservative justices before it overturned Roe v. Wade, the 50-year-old decision establishing the national right to abortion.

He did that when he had no earthly idea how to be president back then. And there were a whole lot of guardrails still around Donald Trump when he was president four years ago, Shapiro said. That same Supreme Court  his buddies he put on there  just ruled that the rule of law does not apply to Donald Trump.

Though Bidens decision to step down late in the presidential election cycle is a risk, many at the rally Monday said it has infused new energy and enthusiasm in the Democratic party.

Allentown Mayor Matt Tuerk told the Capital-Star that Harris campaign brings a clear vision for a future building on the successes of the Biden administration with an even stronger focus on reproductive and womens rights.

Were feeling good. Theres a level of enthusiasm that is just off the charts and Im just riding the wave right now, Tuerk said.

Shapiro, who is less than halfway through his first term as governor, has emerged as a vice presidential frontrunner in the week since Biden stepped back and support for Harris as the Democratic nominee solidified.

Like Whitmer, Shapiro is a popular governor in one of several swing states that are crucial in the race for president because of their relatively large numbers of electoral college votes.

Theyre among several Democratic governors including Tim Walz of Minnesota and Andy Beshear of Kentucky identified as strong candidates to balance Harris profile. U.S. Sen. Mark Kelly of Arizona, who had a high-profile career before politics as an astronaut and Navy captain, would also complement Harris.

But Pennsylvania is seen as the keystone to electoral victory in 2024. Voters in the Keystone state chose Biden in 2020 and Trump in 2016 by similarly narrow margins.

Shapiro has a winning record in statewide elections having decisively won two terms as state attorney general in 2016 and 2020. He defeated the Republican gubernatorial nominee, state Sen. Doug Mastriano, in 2022 by a near-landslide margin. And a Fox News poll of Pennsylvania voters last week put Shapiros approval rating at 61%.

His high profile as a possible running mate has also produced scrutiny of his record on supporting school vouchers, the environment and a sexual harassment scandal early in his administration.

People attending the rally told the Capital-Star theyre open to many of those named as potential Harris running mates.

Amanda Baker of Pottstown said Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg would be her dream VP pick but said shes not confident that voters across the country would embrace a woman of color and a gay man on the same presidential ticket.

Charles Snippert, a retired professor and a school director in Pottstown School District, said Shapiro would be his first choice for vice president, crediting his role in negotiating with the Republican controlled state Senate to produce a budget with historic increases in public education funding.

Were ecstatic over the fact  theyre starting to bring the aid back up to a reasonable level, Snippert said, adding that Pottstown is set to receive about $1 million in additional funding this year. I think Mr. Shapiro deserves an awful lot of credit for working through a compromise.

Robin Allen-McKinnon of Plymouth Meeting said that while shes a fan of Whitmer and hoped Biden would name her as his running mate in 2020, Harris will need to be pragmatic in her choice.

I think that she probably needs to pick a white man. Just to balance out the ticket, Allen-McKinnon said, adding that a politically moderate choice like Shapiro would strengthen the ticket. She noted that Shapiros strong support in 2022 showed his broad appeal.

Thats significant in how divided Pennsylvania is, Allen-McKinnon said. So Im thinking if hes able to do that, then  Im hoping he could replicate throughout the country.

In his endorsement of Harris, Shapiro told the crowd Monday the election will be a decision to stand up together as a nation and fight to protect freedom against those who would rip it away.

Kamala Harris name is going to be on that ballot, and Im gonna be pushing that button for Kamala Harris, Shapiro said, adding that the election isnt about the names on the ballot.

Its about all of us and what it is that were willing to fight for, what it is that were willing to work for, and what kind of future we want to build for our children and our grandchildren, Shapiro said.

I dont know about you. I want a future that is cleaner and greener. I want a future with better schools and safer streets. A future with more freedom, not less, and a future where I can look the 47th President of the United States in the eye and say Hello Madam President.

Pennsylvania Capital-Star is part of States Newsroom, a nonprofit news network supported by grants and a coalition of donors as a 501c(3) public charity. Pennsylvania Capital-Star maintains editorial independence. Contact Editor Kim Lyons for questions: info@penncapital-star.com. Follow Pennsylvania Capital-Star on Facebook and X.
Eloro Resources Ltd.

Updated modelling of the potential starter pit area at Santa Barbara zone highlights the importance of completing additional drilling to better define the grade and extent of the mineral resource in this area. Areas with higher-grade resource typically have much better drilling density but holes outside the core potential pit area are too widely spaced to give an accurate estimate of grade.

Substantive progress has been made on the preliminary economic evaluation (PEA) which is focussing on the Ag-Zn-Pb-Sn mineralization. The preliminary optioneering study has shown that a 12 million tpa mining operation appears the most attractive option based upon XRT Ore Sorting and/or Dense Media Separation which effectively doubles the grade feeding the milling and flotation circuit and which is also likely to enhance downstream metal recoveries.

Reduced pre-concentrated tonnage results in reduction of all downstream capital and operating costs associated with milling, froth flotation and wet tailings storage facility (TSF). The inclusion of this pre-concentration stage in the flowsheet, has allowed Eloro to find optimum pre-concentration scenarios to suit the grades required for downstream processing.

Further studies have helped define local costs for the PEA study.

The high chargeability anomaly in the southeast that extended the mineralized structural corridor at Iska Iska 600m further to the southeast for an overall strike length of at least 2km is a high priority target with excellent potential to outline a second starter pit area. This anomaly is stronger than the anomaly over the high grade resource in the potential starter pit area of Santa Barbara.



TORONTO, July 30, 2024 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Eloro Resources Ltd. (TSX: ELO; OTCQX: ELRRF; FSE: P2QM) (Eloro: or the Company) is pleased to provide an update on Eloros Iska Iska silver-tin polymetallic project in Potosi Department, southern Bolivia.

Tom Larsen, CEO of Eloro commented: Updated modelling of the potential starter pit area at Santa Barbara zone highlights the importance of completing additional drilling to better define the grade and extent of the mineral resource in this area. Areas with higher-grade resource typically have much better drilling density whereas holes outside the core area are too widely spaced to give an accurate estimate of grade. Previous channel sampling along the Santa Barbara adit which returned 165 g Ag/t, 3.46% Pb and 0.46% Sn over a 166m strike length including an exceptional section with 1,024 g Ag/t, 25% Pb and 1.16% Sn over an 8.11m length highlight the important high grade silver-bearing structures present in the Iska Iska mineralized system (see Eloro press release of April 13, 2021) Better definition of these high grade structures in the potential starter pit area to determine their lateral and vertical extents as well as outline additional high grade structures will be a key focus in the next definition drilling program.

Story continues

Mr. Larsen continued: While geological and especially geophysical data clearly show that the mineralization is continuous between wide spaced holes, additional definition drilling is required to provide a more accurate estimate of grade. Supporting this view are the results from our bulk metallurgical testing that returned substantially higher grades than the original twinned diamond drill holes - 91 g Ag/t in the bulk sample versus 31 g Ag/t in the original holes that were twinned (see Eloro press release January 23, 2024), suggesting that grades, especially for silver, may be underestimated, in some cases significantly.

Highlighting the substantive progress on the PEA, Mr. Larsen said: Our engineering team led by Mike Hallewell, C.Eng, Senior VP Engineering Projects/Metallurgy has made major strides on the PEA. The preliminary optioneering study has shown that a 12 million tpa mining operation appears to be the most attractive option based upon XRT Ore Sorting and/or Dense Media Separation followed by milling and differential lead-zinc flotation. These advanced processing techniques effectively double the grade feeding the milling and flotation circuit, while halving the tonnages required for the downstream milling, froth flotation and wet TSF. The higher flotation plant feed grade is likely to improve downstream metal recoveries. Metallurgical studies are well advanced and information on local costs are much better defined which has led to lower capital and operating cost estimates. Some engineering work remains to be completed but our priority in the shorter turn is get the drills turning again to complete the necessary definition drilling to optimize and expand the high grade mineral resource in the potential starter pit area on which the PEA will be based.

Commenting on additional major upsides at Iska Iska, Larsen added: The high chargeability anomaly in the southeast that extended the mineralized structural corridor at Iska Iska 600m further to the southeast for an overall strike length of at least 2km (see Eloros press release of January 29, 2024) is a high priority target with excellent potential to outline a second starter pit area. Holes on the northwest edge of this anomaly have returned significant results, however the majority of previous drill holes in the southeast in the general area of the anomaly were drilled over the top of this anomaly so its core has not been drill-tested. This anomaly is stronger than the anomaly over the high grade resource in the potential starter pit area of Santa Barbara.

Update on Preliminary Economic Assessment (PEA)

Considerable progress has been made over the past several months in advancing the PEA as follows:

The excellent pre-concentration results observed and reported in Eloros press release dated January 23, 2024 have been used to provide inputs to an internal optioneering study that has provided better definition on the optimum capacity and configuration of the pre-concentrator flowsheet. This information is not normally produced until the PEA stage but has been made possible by the higher MRE level of metallurgical studies already conducted by Eloro.

This preliminary optioneering study has shown that a 12 million tpa mining operation appears the most attractive option based upon XRT Ore Sorting and/or Dense Media Separation with all the major benefits mentioned above.

The preconcentration step also has less tangible benefits which are also important, whereby they reduce downstream costs, effectively reducing the cutoff grade.

This preconcentration stage and its ability to operate at a wide range of settings provides Eloro with the ability to establish an optimum pre-concentration setup to suit whatever run-of-mine (ROM) grades or domains are being mined. The level of pre-concentration is dependent upon the ROM grades and the metallurgical domain and this highlights how powerful the use of the pre-concentration stage will be to provide an optimum processing scenario for Iska Iska given increased engineering that would naturally flow from the PEA study.

Local logistical and engineering consultancy group in Bolivia CATALIX have provided Eloro with increased definition on the logistical costs associated with transporting pre-concentrated ore and/or final concentrates, resulting in improved projected capital and operating costs with downstream process site options narrowed down.

Local Bolivian electrical consultants ENER.PLUS have defined the estimated required electrical supply to the site and the capital costs associated with High Voltage electrical connection together with the ongoing unit cost per kilowatt hour (US$/kwhr).

International metal trading groups have been consulted to define port operating costs in Chile and provide a better definition of ocean freight and smelter terms based upon the existing Locked Cycle Tests Lead and Zinc Concentrate specifications already completed on two composite samples of Iska Iskas zinc sulphide polymetallic domain.

A surface hydrological study has defined the cost and capacity of a local water reservoir by collecting surface run off during the wet season.

The location of potential tailing storage facilities (TSF) has been identified.

A structural geometallurgical process modelling system has been developed so that the mine plan and financial model are structured using inputs from the processing studies on selected samples from each of the major domains.

The principal work that is required to complete the PEA study is as follows:

Complete further definition drilling to optimize the mineral resource in the starter pit area of Santa Barbara to support a 1012 year initial mine life. Successful drilling in the SE chargeability anomaly has the potential to add a second starter pit area.

Complete additional PQ diamond drill holes for Ore Sorting and metallurgical tests on the higher-grade tin (Sn) and polymetallic Ag-Zn-Pb-Sn areas to finalize the flowsheet.

Complete geotechnical studies to optimize pit slopes.

Complete outstanding metallurgical testing.

Finalize the optioneering scenarios based upon the updated resource base of each metallurgical domain to provide better processing capacity decisions.

Finalize the TSF study and plant engineering studies at whatever tonnage the aforementioned optioneering study produces.

Southeast Chargeability Anomaly Target

Results of an expanded IP survey in the potential southeastern extension of the Iska Iska Mineralized Corridor were very positive with key conclusions as follows (see Eloro press release of January 29, 2024):

New chargeability high southeast of the MRE open pit indicates that the major mineralized structural corridor that is up to 800m wide extends a further 600m along strike to the southeast for an overall strike length of at least 2km. This new area has not been drilled.

The South East anomaly is stronger than the anomaly over the existing high-grade resource in the potential Santa Barbara starter pit area.

Chargeability highs correlate very well with areas of high-grade mineralization within the MRE. The chargeability anomaly southeast of the pit is very strong, which is a prime target potentially outlining additional higher-grade polymetallic (Ag-Zn-Pb) mineralization.

The Chargeability anomaly is open along strike and at depth as exploration work has still not defined the full limits of this remarkable mineralized system.

Note that all of the previous holes that were drilled in the general area of the SE chargeability anomaly only intersected its edge or were over top of the anomaly. Encouragingly, all of the drill holes in vicinity of the anomaly returned significant intersections (see Eloro press release of April 12, 2023). Three of the holes (DSB-50, DSB-51 and DSB-52) had reportable intersections over 100m long including high grade Ag intersections as follows:



70.52m grading 15.57 g Ag/t including higher grade sections of 32.75 g Ag/t over 10.59m and 31.80 g Ag/t over 12.54m in DSB-49

27.98 g Ag/t over 10.62m in DSB-48

20.76 g Ag/t over 20.00m in DSB-51 60.67 g Ag/t over 7.56m and 25.53 g Ag/t over 9.04m in DSB-52



This target which has the potential to be a second starter pit area is a high priority exploration target.

Qualified Person (QP)

Engineering work for the PEA is being managed by Mike Hallewell, B.Sc., F.I.M.M.M., F.S,A.I.M.M., F.M.E.S., C.Eng, Eloros Senior VP Engineering Projects/Metallurgy, and a Qualified Person (QP) as defined by NI 43-101. Mr. Hallewell has reviewed and approved the technical engineering content of this news release.

Dr. Bill Pearson, P.Geo., Eloros Executive Vice President Exploration and a QP as defined by NI 43-101 has reviewed and approved the technical geological content of this news release. Dr. Pearson who has more than 50 years of worldwide mining exploration, development and production experience, including extensive work in South America, manages the overall technical program, working closely with Dr. Osvaldo Arce, P.Geo. General Manager of Eloros Bolivian subsidiary, Minera Tupiza S.R.L., and a QP in the context of NI 43-101, who supervised all field work carried out at Iska Iska.

IP/Res surveys were carried out by MES Geophysics using Eloros ELREC-Pro 10 channel IP receiver and GDD 3600 watt IP transmitter. Dr. Chris Hale, P.Geo. and Mr. John Gilliatt, P.Geo. of Intelligent Exploration provided the survey design, preparation of the maps and interpretation of data processed, and quality reviewed by Mr. Rob McKeown, P. Geo. of MES Geophysics. Messrs. Hale, Gilliatt and McKeown are Qualified Persons (QP) as defined under NI 43-101.

About Iska Iska

The Iska Iska silver-tin polymetallic project is a road accessible, royalty-free property, wholly controlled by the Title Holder, Empresa Minera Villegas S.R.L. and is located 48 km north of Tupiza city, in the Sud Chichas Province of the Department of Potosi in southern Bolivia. Eloro has an option to earn a 100% interest in Iska Iska.

Iska Iska is a major silver-tin polymetallic porphyry-epithermal complex associated with a Miocene possibly collapsed/resurgent caldera, emplaced on Ordovician age rocks with major breccia pipes, dacitic domes and hydrothermal breccias. The caldera is 1.6km by 1.8km in dimension with a vertical extent of at least 1km. Mineralization age is similar to Cerro Rico de Potosi and other major deposits such as San Vicente, Chorolque, Tasna and Tatasi, all located along the same overall geological trend.

Eloro began underground diamond drilling from the Huayra Kasa underground workings at Iska Iska on September 13, 2020. On November 18, 2020, Eloro announced the discovery of a significant breccia pipe with extensive silver polymetallic mineralization just east of the Huayra Kasa underground workings and a high-grade gold-bismuth zone in the underground workings. On November 24, 2020, Eloro announced the discovery of the Santa Barbara Breccia Pipe (SBBP) approximately 150m southwest of the Huayra Kasa underground workings.

Subsequently, on January 26, 2021, Eloro announced significant results from the first drilling at the SBBP including the discovery hole from 0.0m to 257.5m. Subsequent drilling has confirmed the presence of significant values of Ag-Sn polymetallic mineralization in the SBBP and the adjacent Central Breccia Pipe (CBP) A substantive mineralized envelope which is open along strike and down-dip extends around both major breccia pipes. Continuous channel sampling along the walls of the of the Santa Barbara Adit located to the east of SBBP returned average grades of 164.96 g Ag/t, 0.46%Sn, 3.46% Pb and 0.14% Cu over 166m including 446 g Ag/t, 9.03% Pb and 1.16% Sn over 56.19m. The west end of the adit intersects the end of the SBBP.

Since the initial discovery hole DHK-15 which returned 29.53g Ag/t, 0.078g Au/t, 1.45%Zn, 0.59%Pb, 0.080%Cu and 0.056%Sn over 257.5m, Eloro has released a number of significant drill results in the SBBP and the surrounding mineralized envelope which, along with geophysical data, has defined an extensive target zone. On October 17, 2023, Eloro filed the NI 43-101 Technical Report outlining the initial inferred MRE for Iska Iska, prepared by Micon International Limited. The MRE was reported in two domains, the Polymetallic (Ag-Zn-Pb) Domain which is primarily in the east and south of the Santa Barbara deposit and the Tin (Sn-Ag-Pb) Domain which is primarily in the west and north.

The Company completed a 5,267.7m definition drill program in the fall of 2023 to upgrade and expand the higher-grade mineral resource in the potential Santa Barbara starter pit.

About Eloro Resources Ltd.

Eloro is an exploration and mine development company with a portfolio of gold and base-metal properties in Bolivia, Peru and Quebec. Eloro has an option to acquire a 100% interest in the highly prospective Iska Iska project, which can be classified as a polymetallic epithermal-porphyry complex, a significant mineral deposit type in the Potosi Department, in southern Bolivia. A recent NI 43-101 Technical Report on Iska Iska, which was completed by Micon International Limited, is available on Eloros website and under its filings on SEDAR. Iska Iska is a road-accessible, royalty-free property. Eloro also owns an 82% interest in the La Victoria Gold/Silver Project, located in the North-Central Mineral Belt of Peru some 50 km south of the Lagunas Norte Gold Mine and the La Arena Gold Mine.

For further information please contact either Thomas G. Larsen, Chairman and CEO or Jorge Estepa, Vice-President at (416) 868-9168.

Information in this news release may contain forward-looking information. Statements containing forward-looking information express, as at the date of this news release, the Companys plans, estimates, forecasts, projections, expectations, or beliefs as to future events or results and are believed to be reasonable based on information currently available to the Company. There can be no assurance that forward-looking statements will prove to be accurate. Actual results and future events could differ materially from those anticipated in such statements. Readers should not place undue reliance on forward-looking information.

Neither the TSX nor its Regulation Services Provider (as that term is defined in the policies of the TSX) accepts responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this release.




(Bloomberg) -- Taiwan President Lai Ching-te pledged to work with other democracies around the world to stand up to China, comments likely to deepen his rift with Beijing.

Most Read from Bloomberg

Taiwan will try its utmost to hold the umbrella with democratic partners to protect democracies across the world from the expansion of authoritarianism, Lai said Tuesday in a speech in Taipei. The threat China poses to any single country is a threat to the world.

In a signal that he wants to preserve the status quo, the president called for fostering stable relations across the Taiwan Strait and engaging Beijing under the principle of reciprocity, replacing confrontation with dialogue.

Lais remarks underscore his commitment to resist what he sees as Chinas authoritarian tendencies and are further evidence that is time in office will be marked by tensions with Beijing.

Before winning election in January, Lai indicated hed continue many of the policies of his predecessor, Tsai Ing-wen. Tsai angered Beijing during her eight years in office by working to raise Taiwans profile on the world stage and building relationships with other democracies, especially Japan and the US, which backs Taipei militarily, diplomatically and politically.

That kind of activity irks Beijing, which vehemently opposes nations it has ties with from having any official contact with Taipei.

Defense Autonomy

Taiwan will continue to push for defense autonomy and weapons procurement from overseas, according to Lai. He spoke at a conference held by the the Inter-Parliamentary Alliance on China, an organization made up of lawmakers from around the world that aims to counter Chinas influence.

Taiwan will rely on itself to keep the regional peace and stability, he said at the first IPAC conclave held in Taiwan since the organization was founded in 2020. A cross-strait conflict could have a larger impact than either the war in Ukraine or the coronavirus pandemic, he said.

Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Lin Jian attacked IPAC during a regular press briefing in Beijing, saying it deliberately hypes up issues related to China, spreads lies on China and has no credibility at all.

He also repeated Beijings stance that Taiwan is an alienable part of Chinas territory.

The Associated Press reported earlier that China tried to convince legislators from at least six nations not to attend the IPAC conference. IPAC condemned those Chinese efforts, saying in a statement they were another example of their brazen efforts to curtail other nations democratic privileges and negate Taiwans rights to engage in legitimate diplomatic exchanges.

Beijing has pledged to bring Taiwan under its control eventually  by force if necessary  and has used a range of measures to show its vexed by Lai, a leader it suspects is pushing for independence.

It held major military drills around Taiwans main island shortly after he took office in May, convinced Nauru to switch diplomatic recognition and stepped up its Coast Guard activity around Taiwanese islets just off the Chinese coast.

(Updates with comments from Chinas Foreign Ministry.)

Most Read from Bloomberg Businessweek

2024 Bloomberg L.P.
FILE PHOTO: Taiwanese President Lai Ching-te visits Republic of China Military Academy for its 100th anniversary celebrations in Kaohsiung

By James Pomfret and Yimou Lee

TAIPEI (Reuters) -China's threat to any individual country is a threat to the world, Taiwan President Lai Ching-te said on Tuesday, adding that the island will continue to work hard to promote defensive self-reliance and foreign arms purchases.

Taiwan will also work hard to promote regional peace and stability, Lai told a conference of international lawmakers meeting to discuss threats posed by China.

"I'd like to stress that China's threat to any individual country is a threat to the world," Lai told the Inter-Parliamentary Alliance on China (IPAC) conference in Taipei, a group with ties to an international network of several hundred politicians who promote democratic values and call on Beijing to abide by a rules-based international order.

"Taiwan will do its best to put out a democratic protection umbrella with our democratic partners to keep them away from the threat of authoritarianism," Lai said to the lawmakers from 24 countries including Australia, Britain, Japan and Germany.

China, which views the democratically governed island as its territory, has been staging so-called "grey zone" military exercises for years to pressure Taipei to accept Beijing's claim of sovereignty, despite Taiwan's strong objections.

Taiwan's armed forces are dwarfed by those of China's, but it has been modernising its military with the help of allies such as the United States.

In a statement, some IPAC lawmakers said they had received emails and phone calls from Chinese officials before they left for the summit to dissuade them for attending.

"Democratically elected lawmakers are free to visit and support causes of their choosing. This is the normal exercise of their rights and responsibilities as elected officials," the statement said.

China's Foreign Ministry criticised IPAC for what it said was the malicious hyping up of China-related issues.

"We advise the parliamentarians concerned to abandon ideological bias, stop using the Taiwan issue to interfere in China's internal affairs," said Foreign Ministry spokesperson Lin Jian.

(Reporting By James Pomfret and Yimou Lee; Editing by Tom Hogue and Miral Fahmy)
TAIPEI (Reuters) - Taiwan reached an agreement with China on Tuesday over the deaths of two Chinese fishermen in a maritime incident following months of negotiations, a move that could tone down tensions in the sensitive Taiwan Strait.

Taiwan's coast guard said a settlement had been reached for the families of the fishermen, who died while trying to flee after their boat entered prohibited waters.

"An agreement was reached during the negotiation today, thanks to continuous efforts made by both sides of the Strait," Taiwan Coast Guard Administration Deputy Director-General Hsieh Ching-chin told reporters in Kinmen.

"The both sides will actively implement the agreement as soon as possible," he said, adding there was "good atmosphere" at the meeting. Hsieh's comments were broadcast live.

China claims democratically governed Taiwan as its own territory, over the island's strong objections, and has stepped up military activities near it in recent years, with almost daily incursions into air defence identification zones.

China's coast guard began regular patrols around the Taiwan-controlled Kinmen islands close to its coast since February, after the death of the two Chinese fishermen.

Taiwan has in recent months driven away Chinese coast guard boats that repeatedly entered its prohibited waters. It says China has been using "grey zone" tactics that stop short of actual combat to test and pressure Taiwanese forces, including regular patrols near Kinmen.

In July, Chinese officials boarded and then seized a Taiwanese fishing boat operating near China's coast during China's no-fishing period, and took it to a Chinese port in a further escalation of tensions.

(Reporting By Yimou Lee and Jeanny Kao; editing by Miral Fahmy)
Otsego Housing Task Force logo

GAYLORD  A housing task force made up of 17 community leaders has been established for Otsego County with the Otsego Community Foundation serving as the anchor organization for the group.

Karin Beyer, director of community philanthropy at the foundation (OCF), said the state has been divided into regions to form regional housing alliances.

"Otsego County is a part of Region E (named the Northeast Michigan Housing Alliance) and each region must come up with a list of goals. One of the goals was to have a housing task force. I serve on the Region E planning group and I thought the OCF would be an ideal anchor organization," she said.

Beyer began assembling the 17-member county task force, seeking individuals from a wide swath of the community. Members include Paul Hartmann, chairman of the county planning and zoning committee, Lisa McComb, executive director of the Otsego County Regional Economic Alliance (OCEA), and Hannah Techel, who operates Homes45, a home building firm in the county.

Beyer said the task force is focusing on one-year goals that include advocacy and education, updating a 2022 housing assessment from the OCEA and conducting a community housing survey. The community foundation will pay for the housing assessment update.

"There was a subcommittee that met and they looked at what types of information do we need (from the housing survey). We will take that survey data and share it with municipalities, developers and grant-funding organizations," Beyer said.

Beyer said the survey is open to anyone who wants to answer its eight questions. To participate someone can access the survey at surveymonkey.com/r/CCNNSNY.

"Hopefully this survey will give us some good data. We have received several interesting responses so far," she said.

Karin Beyer of Otsego Community Foundation

Beyer said Carlin Smith of Housing North, a Traverse City housing advocacy group, met with the task force and offered some advice.

"He told us do not become a developer. You can support development but don't get into it. He was involved with Petoskey housing awhile back and they thought they would be a developer and they realized that is not their role," said Beyer.

"Housing is in a crisis right now and it's very easy to say build some homes and apartments. But the problem is they can do it for market rate and the people who have the finances that can afford market rate. But what do you do with that missing middle that may not be able to afford market rate," she added.

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Beyer said the task force hopes to be able to spur solutions for more "attainable" housing.

"We like the word attainable because affordable housing has now become something that everyone thinks it's affordable only for those who can't afford it. Everyone has a different type of attainable housing that they are looking for," said Beyer.

 Contact Paul Welitzkin at pwelitzkin@gaylordheraldtimes.com.

This article originally appeared on The Petoskey News-Review: Task force plans to advocate for attainable housing in Otsego County
(WSPA)  Nearly $40 billion for grade school kids, another $90 billion for college students, thats how much the National Retail Federation said were spending on back-to-school shopping this year.

Whether youve still got school items to buy, or just want to save money on necessities, heres a look at how the tax-free holiday in South Carolina, Friday, August 2 through Sunday, August 4, can help.

It should be easier, but somehow a little chaos always seems to creep into back-to-school shopping.

I already got the wrong notebook, Jason Thomas, who is helping his wife Dani Daunhauer with the class shopping list for the first time, said.

From crayons to glue sticks, shopping for two kids can lead to some sticker shock.

Were talking a few hundred, like $500 probably, Daunhauer, talking about how much they will likely spend on clothes, supplies, backpacks and lunch bags for their two children, said.

Look for store savings

So lets find the savings.

At stores like Target, youll find $5 polos, lunch boxes and even some backpacks for that low price, but catch them while you can.

We have our deal-worthy brand that we just launched not too long ago and guests can find a variety of items for very low cost including phone chargers as well as charging blocks, socks and undergarments for the family, Mel Fuller, with Target in Greenville, said.

No matter where you shop, consider the store brand option, since those are generally half the price of the brand name.

Shop consignment

Now, when it comes to clothes for elementary-age kids who grow so fast, consignment stores like Whippersnappers Kids and Maternity can help you score 70% off retail.

We just put out all of our back-to-school fall clothing, clothing and shoes. We have top brands at affordable prices, you dont always have to purchase brand new items, April Parr, owner of Whippersnappers, said.

Tax-free holiday details

Now, lets not forget the big ticket items. No better time to buy those than the tax-free holiday.

For instance, shaving off the 6% state tax on a $1,000 laptop keeps $60 in your pocket.

You can add to that savings by taking advantage of store promotions like Best Buys Outlet Event for clearance, open box and refurbished items through August 4th.

So, whats tax-free? The general rule just about anything youd see in a classroom or a dorm room, but the list can be confusing.

Bedding is tax-free, but not furniture. Musical instruments, but not sporting equipment, earbuds, but not cell phones and diapers, but not tissues or paper towels.

The Shopping Lists section on this South Carolina Department of Revenue site breaks it down by category.

Reduce the headaches

Even with the savings, if the thought of stepping into a store right now is daunting, take advantage of curbside pickup at places like Walmart and Target. You place the online order, their staff collects your items and you can pick them up same day.

Checking back on Dani and Jason, even with a $500 budget, theyre doing better than most.

The National Retail Federation finds the average family will spend more like $875 on back-to-school items, and for college, its nearly $1,400.

No matter what you spend, most parents agree, that getting it all done is a reason to celebrate.

Copyright 2024 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.

For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to WSPA 7NEWS.
Popstar Taylor Swift says she is at a complete loss after three children were killed and seven were critically injured after being stabbed at a Taylor-Swift-themed dance and yoga class in the United Kingdom on Monday.

The horror of yesterdays attack in Southport is washing over me continuously, and Im just completely in shock, Swift wrote in an Instagram story. The loss of life and innocence, and the horrendous trauma inflicted on everyone who was there, the families, and first responders.

These were just little kids at a dance class, she added. I am at a complete loss for how to ever convey my sympathies to these families.

Local police said a 17-year-old male suspect was arrested in the mass stabbing and remains in custody. He has not been named by police, although a name has been shared online.

This name is incorrect and we would urge people not to speculate on details of the incident while the investigation is ongoing, police said.

The stabbing is not being treated as terror-related and they are not looking for other suspects related to the attack, authorities said.

According to the BBC, Swifts fans have raised the equivalent of tens of thousands of dollars to support the victims.

Copyright 2024 Nexstar Media, Inc. 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 incident, which also saw multiple people hospitalized, took place near a Taylor Swift-themed dance and yoga class in Southport, England on July 29

Octavio Jones/TAS23/Getty Images Taylor Swift performs at Raymond James Stadium on April 13, 2023 in Tampa, Florida

Taylor Swift is speaking out after a tragedy took place at a kid-friendly event inspired by her in the United Kingdom.

On Tuesday, July 30, the pop superstar, 34, shared a message on her Instagram Stories after three children were killed in a stabbing at a Swift-themed dance and yoga class in Southport, England the previous day.

Merseyside Police confirmed that a third child  a 9-year-old girl  had died shortly after Swift's statement. The girl died in the early hours of Tuesday. The news release obtained by PEOPLE also confirmed that the two children who died on Monday, July 29, were aged 6 and 7 years old.

Swift wrote, "The horror of yesterday's attack in Southport is washing over me continuously, and I'm just completely in shock... The loss of life and innocence, and the horrendous trauma inflicted on everyone who was there, the families and first responders."

"These were just little kids at a dance class," she added. "I am at a complete loss for how to ever convey my sympathies to these families."

Related: 'Always Our Princess:' Child Victims of Southport Stabbing at Taylor Swift-Themed Event Identified

taylor swift/instagram Taylor Swift shares statement on stabbing in Southport, England

In a press conference on Monday, Merseyside Police Chief Constable Serena Kennedy confirmed the deaths of two children. Per Tuesday's news release, eight other children were injured and five are in critical condition. Two adults injured in the attack also remain in a critical condition.

Police confirmed that a 17-year-old originally from Cardiff was arrested in connection with the stabbing. Kennedy said at the press conference that he was taken into custody on suspicion of murder and attempted murder.

Related: 2 Children Killed, Others Hospitalized in Mass Stabbing by Teen at Taylor Swift-Themed Event: Police

Octavio Jones/TAS23/Getty Images Taylor Swift performs at Raymond James Stadium on April 13, 2023 in Tampa, Florida

As previously reported, authorities responded to a property on the town's Hart Street around 11:50 a.m. local time, per a statement from Merseyside Police, before having "detained a male and seized a knife."

"At this early stage, enquiries are ongoing to establish the motive for this tragic incident and we would urge people not to speculate while the investigation is ongoing," the Merseyside Police statement read. "We can also confirm that the incident is not currently being treated as terror-related and we are not looking for anyone else in connection with the incident."

James Speakman/PA Images via Getty Police on Hart Street Southport, Merseyside on July 29, 2024

The incident reportedly took place near a Swift-themed yoga and dance class at the town's Hart Place. The Telegraph reported that the event was advertised for kids between the ages of 6 and 11.

"We believe that the adults who were injured were bravely trying to protect the children who were being attacked," Kennedy said.



James Speakman/PA Images/Getty Officers on scene after a man was detained in Southport, Merseyside following a reported stabbing on July 29, 2024

Related: Teen Arrested After 8 People, Including Children, Hospitalized in Stabbing Near Taylor Swift-Themed Event: Reports

"Horrendous and deeply shocking news emerging from Southport," UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer said in a post on X on Monday. "My thoughts are with all those affected. I would like to thank the police and emergency services for their swift response. I am being kept updated as the situation develops."



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Read the original article on People.
Taylor Swift completely in shock after 3 kids killed in stabbing rampage at dance class celebrating her music

Taylor Swift completely in shock after 3 kids killed in stabbing rampage at dance class celebrating her music

TAMPA, Fla. (WFLA)  Taylor Swift said Tuesday she was left completely in shock after three children were killed in a ferocious stabbing rampage at a dance class celebrating her music in England on Monday.

Eight other children were injured, five of them critically in the horrendous incident in Southport, a seaside town near Liverpool. Two adults were also critically injured in the attack as they tried to defend the children, Merseyside Police said. Authorities announced Tuesday that the third child had died.

The horror of yesterdays attack in Southport is washing over me continuously, and Im just completely in shock, Swift said in an Instagram story on Tuesday.

The loss of life and innocence, and the horrendous trauma inflicted on everyone who was there, the families, and first responders. These were just little kids at a dance class. I am at a complete loss for how to ever convey my sympathies to these families, she continued.

Swifts comments came as locals left flowers and stuffed animals in tribute at a police cordon where the incident took place in the town, whose beach and pier are known to attract vacationers from across northwest England.

People leave flowers near the scene in Hart Street where two children died and nine were injured in a knife attack during a Taylor Swift event at a dance school on Monday, in Southport, England, Tuesday, July 30, 2024. Taylor Swift says she is completely in shock after two children died in a stabbing attack in a dance and yoga class themed on the singer. (James Speakman/PA via AP)

Witnesses described scenes from a horror movie as bloodied children ran from the attack just before noon on Monday. A 17-year-old boy was arrested on suspicion of murder and attempted murder in the attack. The motive was not clear, but police said detectives were not treating the attack as terror-related.

Police said the suspect was born Wales, and had lived for years in a village about 3 miles from Southport. He has not yet been charged.

A group of Swifts U.K. fans calling themselves Swifties for Southport launched an online fundraiser to help families of the victims. It raised over 100,000 pounds ($129,000) within 24 hours.

Store clerk stole $1M lottery ticket from customer, tried to collect winnings: sheriff

The rampage is the latest shocking attack in a country where a recent rise in knife crime has stoked anxieties and led to calls for the government to do more to clamp down on bladed weapons, which are by far the most commonly used instruments in U.K. homicides.

Witnesses described hearing screams and seeing children covered in blood emerging from the Hart Space, a community center that hosts everything from pregnancy workshops and meditation sessions to womens boot camps.

The Swift-themed yoga and dance workshop was a summer vacation activity for children aged about 6 to 11.

They were in the road, running from the nursery, Bare Varathan, who owns a shop nearby, said. They had been stabbed, here, here, here, everywhere, he said, indicating the neck, back and chest.

Prime Minister Keir Starmer called the attack horrendous and deeply shocking. King Charles III sent his condolences, prayers and deepest sympathies to those affected by the utterly horrific incident.

Taylor Swift course coming to USF this fall

Prince William and his wife Catherine said that as parents, we cannot begin to imagine what the families, friends and loved ones of those killed and injured in Southport today are going through.

Colin Parry, who owns a nearby auto body shop, told The Guardian that the suspect arrived by taxi.

He came down our driveway in a taxi and didnt pay for the taxi, so I confronted him at that point, Parry was quoted as saying. He was quite aggressive, he said, What are you gonna do about it?'

Parry said most of the victims appeared to be young girls.

The mothers are coming here now and screaming, Parry said. It is like a scene from a horror movie.  Its like something from America, not like sunny Southport.

Britains worst attack on children occurred in 1996, when 43-year-old Thomas Hamilton shot 16 kindergartners and their teacher dead in a school gymnasium in Dunblane, Scotland. The U.K. subsequently banned the private ownership of almost all handguns.

Mass shootings and killings with firearms are rare in Britain, where knives were used in about 40% of homicides in the year to March 2023.

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 WFLA.
By Stefania Spezzati and Oliver Hirt

LONDON/ZURICH (Reuters) - Switzerland's financial supervisor has been scrutinising how UBS vets risky wealthy clients that it wants to transfer from Credit Suisse, sources said, as the regulator takes a hands-on approach to the bank's integration of its fallen rival.

Earlier this year, watchdog FINMA reviewed the filters UBS, currently worth $105 billion on the market, applies to screen Credit Suisse wealth management customers to ensure Switzerland's banking giant doesn't end up with problematic clients on its books, two sources with knowledge of the matter told Reuters, speaking on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to speak to the media.

Banks use filtering technology to identify potential issues associated with clients as part of their compliance rules to mitigate risks including money laundering.

The Swiss financial regulator entered into a back and forth with UBS over filters and "know your client" rules, a set of procedures that banks use to verify the customers' identity and information linked to them. It also reviewed how UBS applies ratings ranging from high to low risk to prospective clients, the people said.

Reuters couldn't establish whether FINMA requested UBS to take any specific measure as result of its reviews.

FINMA could undertake further reviews as UBS progresses with its integration of Credit Suisse clients onto its own platforms, the sources said.

In response to Reuters' questions on FINMA's involvement in UBS's processes, a UBS spokesperson said that "as it prepares for the transition of Credit Suisse clients onto its platforms, UBS upholds the stringent client due diligence procedures it already had in place prior to the acquisition."

"The client review is based on UBS's longstanding procedures, which are in line with regulatory requirements."

FINMA's review of UBS' clients vetting shows how closely involved the regulator wants to be as UBS integrates its former competitor in the largest banking merger since the global financial crisis of 2008.

The financial watchdog was heavily criticised in Switzerland for its handling of Credit Suisse's collapse in March 2023. Its new CEO Stefan Walter, who took charge in April, has called for more regulatory power to supervise banks.

The scrutiny also points to the operational challenges for the bank run by CEO Sergio Ermotti as it enters a trickier phase, with about 2,000 dedicated bank employees working on the integration of at least hundreds of thousands of clients to deliver a promised $13 billion in cost savings by the end of 2026.

Story continues

Addressing questions from Reuters about the regulator's review of UBS' integration of Credit Suisse, FINMA said the merger is a top supervisory concern and that it's closely monitoring developments related to both financial and non-financial risks.

It said it had expanded the team supervising UBS and is using all instruments at its disposal, including on-site inspections.

PROTECTING SWITZERLAND

FINMA has sought to be involved closely in the integration since the start, the two sources said.

It is trying to safeguard Switzerland's financial stability following the takeover, which created a financial behemoth with assets nearly twice the size of the Swiss economy.

Global wealth management is UBS's flagship business, making up more than half of total group revenue of $40.8 billion in 2023. The bank said it aims to have more than $5 trillion of invested assets by 2028.

Ermotti said in May in a speech in Lucerne that risk management was "one of the most important parts of our work and culture."

UBS shares have risen about 57% since the last trading day before the announcement of an emergency takeover of Credit Suisse in March 2023 , against a 44% increase in the STOXX Europe 600 Banks index. But investor focus has shifted to the knottier task of onboarding clients and to Swiss government requests for further capital.

Andreas Venditti, a financial analyst at asset manager Vontobel said the integration was just beginning to address the banks' duplicate structures in detail.

"It's a Herculean task, a massive job," he said.

UBS has said it will first absorb wealthy customers in Singapore and Hong Kong, aiming to complete the transfer by the end of the year before moving to clients in Switzerland in 2025.

Chief Financial Officer Todd Tuckner said in May that a significant portion of expected cost savings would be realised in early 2025 when clients move on to UBS platforms and Credit Suisse infrastructures are closed.

UBS' gross cost savings reached $5 billion by the end of March 2024.

FINMA's head Walter has increased its team, the regulator told Reuters, with about 60 staff providing services related to the UBS supervision and a core team of 22 people exclusively responsible for monitoring the bank.

"Our task is to identify risks and be proactive to remediate problems," Walter said in a speech in May. "We will do this even more deliberately in future".

(Reporting by Stefania Spezzati in London and Oliver Hirt in Zurich; additional reporting by Dave Graham and Danilo Masoni; Editing by Tommy Reggiori Wilkes and Lisa Jucca)
Taylor Swift says she is in shock following a deadly knife attack at a Swift-themed dance class that left three dead and nine injured on Monday.

I am at a complete loss for how to ever convey my sympathies to these families, Swift said in an Instagram story. The loss of life and innocence, and the horrendous trauma inflicted on everyone who was there, the families and first responders. These were just little kids at a dance class.

The 17-year-old suspect allegedly broke into the Hart Space Dance studio in Southport, U.K., during a Swift-themed yoga and dance class. The suspect stabbed three children aged 6, 7, and 9 to death, and injured seven other children, five of whom are in critical condition, and two adults, according to a statement from the Merseyside Police.

My officers were called to reports of a stabbing at 11.47am at an address Southport. When they arrived they were shocked to find that multiple people, many of whom were children, had been subjected to a ferocious attack and had suffered serious injuries, Chief Constable Serena Kennedy said in a statement.

A police officer places flowers, given by residents, behind the police cordon near the scene of a stabbing incident. Temilade Adelaja/Reuters

The suspect was arrested on suspicion of murder and attempted murder and has been taken to a police station where he will be interviewed by detectives, on Monday, Kennedy added.

The family of Bebe King, 6, who was killed during the attack, wrote in a statement to police obtained by the BBC, no words can describe the devastation that has hit our family as we try to deal with the loss of our little girl Bebe.

The parents of Alice Dasilva Aguiar, 9, also wrote in a statement: Keep smiling and dancing like you love to do our Princess, like we said before to you, youre always our princess and no one would change that. Love from Your Hero Daddy and Mummy.

Elsie Dot Stancombe, 7, was described in a tribute by her headteacher at Farnborough Road Infant School as a caring and charismatic young lady who loved to please.

Elsie was a kind and caring friend to all who met her and was adored by everyone in our community, Jennifer Sephton continued. Our hearts and most deeply felt sympathies go out to Elsies family, friends and our Farnborough community who have been left numb by what has happened.

Flowers and a stuffed animal are seen behind the police cordon near the scene of a stabbing incident. Temilade Adelaja/Reuters

A JustGiving fundraiser set up to help raise money for the families affected by the tragedy in Southport has raised $169,510 above the $16,674 goal.

British Prime Minister Keir Starmer along with other ministers visited Southport on Tuesday following the attack, offering their condolences.

British Prime Minister Keir Starmer speaks to a member of the emergency personnel following the attack. Temilade Adelaja/Reuters

Starmer laid a wreath on a memorial set up for the victims with a note that read, To the victims families and people of Southport our hearts are broken. There are no words for such profound loss. The nations thoughts are with you.

Starmer also issued his condolences in a post on X on Monday.

Horrendous and deeply shocking news emerging from Southport. My thoughts are with all those affected.



I would like to thank the police and emergency services for their swift response.



I am being kept updated as the situation develops.  Keir Starmer (@Keir_Starmer) July 29, 2024

The 17-year-old suspect, who has not been named, was spotted on video wearing a green-hoodie and pacing outside a house 20 minutes before the attack, according to ITV. The house was later raided by police.

EXCL: Weve obtained footage of an individual pacing in front of a house that was later raided by police in Southport.



The footage is taken 20 minutes before two children were killed and 11 other people were injured in a knife attack.pic.twitter.com/oVXDQo2n4k  Paul Brand (@PaulBrandITV) July 29, 2024

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U.S. Sen. Ted Cruz speaks to delegates at the 2024 Texas GOP Convention in San Antonio on May 25, 2024. Credit: Eddie Gaspar/The Texas Tribune

WASHINGTON  U.S. Sen. Ted Cruz accused the U.S. Secret Service on Tuesday of making a politically motivated decision to deny former President Donald Trump extra security, exposing him to an assassination attempt during a campaign rally in Pennsylvania earlier this month.

"I believe the Secret Service leadership made a political decision to deny these requests, Cruz said during a joint hearing of the Senate Judiciary and Homeland Security committees Tuesday. And I believe the Biden administration has been suffused with partisan politics.

Ronald Rowe, acting director of the Secret Service who has served since 1999 for presidents of both parties, responded indignantly to the remark in a tense exchange where he asserted, Secret Service agents are not political.

Cruz retorted that Secret Service leadership is appointed by the president and is therefore a political position.

Secret Service has faced withering bipartisan criticism after a gunman came within an inch of shooting Trump in the head during a rally in Butler, Pennsylvania, just ahead of the Republican National Convention. Trumps ear was grazed by a bullet, the FBI later reported, but he was otherwise unharmed.

Kim Cheatle, who was director of the agency when the shooting occurred, faced ire from lawmakers in both parties for her role in one of the biggest security failures since the 1981 attempted assassination of President Ronald Reagan. Secret Service failed to prevent Thomas Crooks, a 20-year-old man, from gaining access to a roof where he had a clear shot at the former president. Cheatle resigned from her post last week.

The U.S. House has opened a bipartisan inquiry into the security failures. U.S. Rep. Pat Fallon, R-Sherman, was named to serve on the inquiry, the only Texan.

Cruz has also previously blamed Secret Services efforts to diversify its ranks for distracting the agency from its core mission of protecting officials. During a podcast he released two weeks ago  after the Butler shooting  Cruz criticized the agency for its efforts to have 30% of agents be women by 2030.

Well, this is yet another manifestation of what we've seen throughout the Biden administration, which is an obsessive focus on bean counting, on quotas, on DEI at the expense of the mission, Cruz said.

Secret Service spokesperson Anthony Guglielmi said to CNN that criticisms of female officers an insult to the women of our agency to imply that they are unqualified based on gender. Such baseless assertions undermine the professionalism, dedication and expertise of our workforce.

Cruz confronted Rowe with reporting by The Washington Post that Trumps security detail repeatedly  and unsuccessfully  requested additional resources from Secret Service in the years leading to the Butler, Pennsylvania, rally. Rowe acknowledged that that may have been the case in the past but said no resources were denied for the Butler rally.

Cruz demanded a full accounting of requests from Trumps security detail and Secret Services responses, which Rowe agreed to provide. Cruz also repeatedly asked for who in the agency denied requests by Trumps security detail and was unsatisfied when Rowe said requests went through an approval process.

Its a conversation. Its not just an absolute yea or nay, Rowe said of approving additional security requests.

Does the buck stop anywhere? Cruz asked.

Cruz also asked for the size of Trumps security detail relative to President Joe Bidens. Rowe said Trump traveled with a full security crew, though he acknowledged a sitting president has more personnel.

Whats the difference? Cruz interjected.

National command authority to launch a nuclear strike, sir, Rowe responded, impatience rising in his voice. There are other assets that travel with the president that the former president will not get.

Rowe said he would get a more detailed breakdown in the number of personnel for Trump and Biden for Cruz.

During the hearing, Rowe placed much of the blame for the security failures in Butler with local police. Secret Service often delegates to state and local law enforcement to cover all vulnerabilities.

Sen. John Cornyn, R-Texas, who also serves on the Judiciary Committee, asked Rowe how the Secret Service, being an elite law enforcement agency, would delegate to local enforcement or others who did not meet the same standards as their agency, which admits only two percent of applicants.

It was a failure to challenge our assumptions, Rowe responded. We made an assumption that there was going to be uniform presence out there, that there would be sufficient eyes to cover that, that there were going to be counter sniper teams in the AGR building, and I can assure you that we're not going to make that mistake again.

The Texas Tribune answering reader questions about 2024 elections. To share your question or feedback with us, you can fill out this form.

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Teen arrested after another teen found fatally shot in vehicle in Phoenix

Phoenix police were investigating a shooting that left a teen dead. On Monday, another teen was taken into custody in connection with the death.

Just after 11:30 a.m. on Sunday, officers responded to calls of a shooting in the area near East 24th Street and South Fifth Avenue.

When officers arrived, they found a 17-year-old boy, identified as Aidan Apel, with gunshot wounds in the driver's seat of a vehicle.

Apel died from his injuries on the scene.

Officers located several witnesses who identified and directed police to the suspect. According to police, the teen suspect admitted to shooting Apel.

Officials continue to investigate what led up to the incident.

This article originally appeared on Arizona Republic: Aidan Apel found fatally shot in car in Phoenix; another teen arrested
Teen arrested after deadly shooting in Orlando, police say

Police in Orlando said they have arrested a teenager in connection to a deadly shooting.

The Orlando Police Department shared a video of officers putting 17-year-old Tenaje Johnson in the back of a patrol car.

The arrest comes after 19-year-old Christopher Dumesle was found shot to death on July 14.

Read: Police: Man riding Lynx bus follows woman off bus, sexually batters her at UCF Downtown

The deadly shooting happened on Lawne Boulevard, not far from Barnett Park.

Dumesle was shot in a car and crashed into a home.

Read: 13-year-old paralyzed after accidental shooting

Officials said the damage left behind to the home made the structure unsafe to live in and destroyed the front wall of the living room.

See more in the video above.

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A teens body was found the day before his birthday and now a mans in jail, SC police say

A man wanted on a murder charge following the death of a South Carolina teenager has been arrested, according to the Sumter Police Department.

JaHugh Martin surrendered Monday afternoon, police said in a news release. Martin was taken into custody three days after police said there was a manhunt for the 20-year-old Manning resident.

In addition to Sumter police, the Clarendon County Sheriffs Office, Manning Police Department and South Carolina Law Enforcement Division were involved in the search for Martin.

Martin is the second person to be arrested after a teenagers body was found the day before his 16th birthday, according to police. On Friday, police said 17-year-old Manning resident Jaylen Hammett was charged with accessory before the fact of murder.

The charges are connected to the shooting death of 15-year-old Derrick C.D. Wilson, according to police.

On July 24, Wilson was reported missing by his family after he was last seen the day before when leaving a relatives home and getting into a car with two unknown individuals, police said.

Wilsons body was found July 25 by officers in the area of Hoyt and Nelson streets, a residential neighborhood south of downtown Sumter.

Police did not say if Martin and Hammett were the people in the car with Wilson when he was last seen. Information about a motive for the shooting was not available, but police said they are working to determine what happened and why.

Both Martin and Hammett were taken to the Sumter County Sheriffs Office Detention Center, according to police. No bond was set for Hammett, police said. Information about Martins bond status was not available.

Anyone with information about the shooting is asked to call Sumter police at 803-436-2700, CrimeStoppers at 1-888-CRIME-SC, or submit an online tip.
ST. LOUIS  A teenager appeared in federal court on Monday and admitted to committing a pair of carjackings within a year of each other in St. Louis.

Prosecutors with the U.S. Attorneys Office of Eastern Missouri say Roman D. Davis, 19, pleaded guilty to committing two counts of carjacking, two counts of brandishing, and possession of a firearm in the furtherance of a violent crime.

Davis told the court he stole a Mazda 3 at gunpoint in 2021 and, over a year later, stole a Mercedes SUV.

Prosecutors say on Nov. 7, 2021, Davis and two others were walking past an alleyway and spotted an older man unloading his 2006 Mazda 3. They decided to carjack the man.

Davis and another suspect, Montrell Jackson, 20, were armed. Davis used a stolen handgun to demand the victims keys. After obtaining the Mazda, they sped off down the alleyway in the stolen car.

It was only hours later that St. Louis Metropolitan Police Department cameras spotted the stolen Mazda. The St. Louis police and Hazelwood Police Department pursued the vehicle in a chase and Davis eventually crashed the Mazda.

Davis hid under a semitrailer near the crash but he was found and arrested.

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After searching the stolen car, police found two handguns, one of which was Daviss stolen firearm.

According to prosecutors, only four days later, Davis was back on the streets with others in a stolen BMW. They came across a 2017 Mercedes SUV parked outside a CVS on Watson Road in Webster Groves.

Using a dark red AR-style pistol, Davis confronted the owner of the Mercedes and pushed her to the ground. Davis and another suspect, Tristan T. Davis, 20, drove off in the SUV. They were arrested four days later.

Davis will be sentenced on November 7. Jackson and Tristan have both pleaded guilty to carjacking and brandishing charges.

Carjacking charges carry a penalty of up to 15 years in prison. Brandishing or using a firearm with the intent of injury or death carries a minimum of seven years consecutive with any other sentence.

Copyright 2024 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.

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Tennessee governor OK with outside money for pro-voucher candidates

Gov. Bill Lee, pictured unveiling his plan for statewide private school vouchers on Nov. 28, 2023. (Photo: John Partipilo)

(This story was originally published by Chalkbeat. Sign up for their newsletters at ckbe.at/newsletters)

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Gov. Bill Lee says he is OK with outside groups spending big on Tennessee legislative races featuring candidates who support his universal private school voucher plan.

Last month, the Republican governor took the unusual step of wading into local races and endorsing some Republican candidates in Thursdays primary election based on their voucher positions.

We have a really smart electorate, and I believe in the power of people to sort through the information, as long as its accurate, Lee said on Friday after speaking at a workforce development event in rural Perry County, west of Nashville.

But some local officials say money from groups such as American Federation for Children, Americans for Prosperity, and the School Freedom Fund is bringing misinformation into several key races.

The fact that out-of-state interest groups would spend that much money in a local House seat election should give us all concern, says a July 23 letter to Williamson County voters from retiring Rep. Sam Whitson and four local city and county mayors.

We have a really smart electorate, and I believe in the power of people to sort through the information, as long as its accurate.

 Gov. Bill Lee

The outside groups  which are not required to disclose their donors  are paying for mailers, television commercials, and other ads seeking to influence voters who will pick a successor for Whitson, a four-term Republican lawmaker who opposes vouchers. Similar special interest group activities seek to favor pro-voucher candidates in other parts of the state.

The tension comes as voters prepare to pick Republican and Democratic nominees to run for the statehouse on Nov. 5 before a critical legislative session for the future of Tennessees education system.

The governor, who wants to give public funding to any family statewide who wants to send their children to private school, says his administration is already crafting a new plan after his 2024 bill stumbled in committees during the recent legislative session.

Its a process that takes several months, but were working on it right now, Lee told Chalkbeat in Perry County.

He did not provide details but promised a commitment to universal school choice.

Lee also pledged to fully vet the programs cost when asked about recent comments by Rep. Scott Cepicky, a Republican voucher ally from Maury County, who called the governors education scholarship proposal a terrible plan that would have plunged Tennessee into dire financial straits.

Thats a part of this process, Lee said of studying the proposals financial feasibility.

Lees slate of preferred GOP candidates include Lee Reeves, a Williamson County real estate investor and attorney who supports private school vouchers, over fellow Republicans Brian Beathard and Michelle Foreman.

Beathard, who chairs the Williamson County Commission and opposes the governors plan, has been endorsed by most top locally elected leaders in the Republican enclave south of Nashville. Mailers and ads funded by outside groups have depicted him as anti-conservative and supportive of higher taxes and labor unions.

But Beathards supporters are pushing back.

All of us are used to some puffing and exaggerations when it comes to political mailers, but the negative messages aimed at Brian Beathard cross the line of decency, says the letter to voters from Whitson, the outgoing Republican legislator, and other local officials.

They say some of the campaign materials include misleading policy statements, innuendo, and outright lies, as well as manipulating photos to distort Beathards appearance. The letter did not give specific examples.

Chalkbeat did not immediately receive responses from leaders with several organizations behind the ads. A spokesman for the School Freedom Fund, a pro-voucher group tied to Club for Growth and New York-based investment billionaire Jeff Yass, asked for specific examples but did not respond directly to the claims.

Marta Aldrich is a senior correspondent and covers the statehouse for Chalkbeat Tennessee. Contact her at maldrich@chalkbeat.org .

Chalkbeat is a nonprofit news site covering educational change in public schools.
Hospital Association of Rhode Island President Teresa Paiva Weed speaks on June 1, 2023, at the 10th anniversary celebration of the passing of the state's family leave act. (Courtesy of Capitol TV)

The head of the Hospital Association of Rhode Island is retiring after seven years on the job.

The hospital trade group on Monday announced that its president, Teresa Paiva Weed, will depart at the end of the summer.

Her departure comes after seven years as association president, including through the tumultuous times of the COVID-19 pandemic which crippled hospital budgets with an estimated $440 million statewide shortfall, based on a 2020 study by the association. Under Paiva Weeds leadership, the Hospital Association of Rhode Island unified the states 15 hospitals as members, including hospitals owned by Brown University Health (formerly known as Lifespan Corp.) which rejoined as an association member in 2022.

She also helped secure permanent restoration of a minimum level reimbursement rate for hospitals through Medicare, known as the Imputed Rural Floor, which reinstated critical funding for Rhode Islands hospitals, according to a statement from the association.

Before coming to the association, Paiva Weed served four terms as president of the Rhode Island Senate, the only woman to hold the leadership position in state history. A Democrat, Paiva Weed held the Senates District 13 seat, which covers Newport and Jamestown, from 1993 through March 2017.

It has been an honor to serve as President of the Hospital Association of Rhode Island and to advocate on behalf of the hospitals in Rhode Island to ensure they can continue to provide the highest quality health care for all Rhode Islanders. I am grateful to the members and the staff for their support, Paiva Weed said in a statement. After seven years at the association, following a 24-year career in public service, I look forward to pursuing interests that allow me the flexibility to spend more time with the people I love.

A search plan has not been laid out, with association board members reviewing next steps for Paiva Weeds replacement, Jillian Scott, an association spokesperson, said in an email on Tuesday.

As we begin the search for a new president, we are confident that the strong foundation Teresa has built will ensure a smooth transition and continued success for HARI, Mary Marran, chair of the associations board of directors, said in a statement. We extend our deepest gratitude to Teresa for her years of service, leadership, and advocacy and wish her all the best in her well-deserved retirement and future endeavors.

Updated to include comment on the search process for Paiva Weeds replacement.

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Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton on Tuesday announced a $1.4 billion settlement with Meta, the parent company of Facebook, over the social media platform's previous efforts to collect biometric data in violation of state law.

Calling it the "largest settlement ever obtained" by a state, Paxton said the lawsuit will help prevent Meta from capturing, using and profiting from the personal biometrics data of millions of Texans without having the permission to do so.

This historic settlement demonstrates our commitment to standing up to the worlds biggest technology companies and holding them accountable for breaking the law and violating Texans privacy rights," Paxton said in a statement announcing the settlement Tuesday. "Any abuse of Texans sensitive data will be met with the full force of the law.

In 1998, under then-state Attorney General Dan Morales, Texas reached a $17 billion lawsuit settlement agreement with some of the nation's biggest tobacco companies.

Morales was later indicted in 2003 for falsifying a tax return and was sentenced to a four-year sentence in federal prison.

Filed in 2022 as a response to what Paxton and attorneys litigating the case have called privacy violations, the Meta complaint centered on Facebook's use of biometric identifiers, such as "a retina or iris scan, fingerprint, voiceprint, or record of hand or face geometry, collected from photos and videos posted to the social media site.

Specifically, Paxton and the state's attorneys argued that the company "repeatedly captured biometric identifiers without consent billions of times" in violation of Texas' Capture or Use of Biometric Identifier Act and the Deceptive Trade Practices Act.

More: Elon Musk is quietly using your tweets to train his chatbot. Heres how to opt out.

"Unbeknownst to most Texans, for more than a decade Meta ran facial recognition software on virtually every face contained in the photographs uploaded to Facebook, capturing records of the facial geometry of the people depicted," Paxton said.

Previously, the dispute was headed for trial in June, but they reached a settlement agreement "on the eve" of the trial, according to a statement from McKool Smith, one of two law firms that litigated the case with the attorney general's office.

At one point, Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg was set to be deposed, but notice to the Texas Supreme Court in May of an agreement to settle the case negated the need for his testimony.

Meta CEO and founder Mark Zuckerberg at one point was set to be deposed in the Texas lawsuit, but the settlement agreement meant he didn't have to.

As part of the settlement, Meta will make its first payment installation of $500 million within 30 days of the effective date of the deal, which was approved Tuesday by Harrison County state District Judge Brad Morin. The remainder of the payment will be paid out in $225 million installments through 2028, with $3 million of each annual payment able to be directed toward attorneys' fees.

Of the initial $500 million payment, $275 million will be directed to the state's general revenue fund while the remaining $225 million is earmarked to recuperate attorneys' fees for the outside counsel involved in arguing the case. If attorney costs are less than that figure, the remainder will also go to the state's general fund.

From the outset of the case, Meta has held that Texas' claims are "without merit.

We are pleased to resolve this matter, and look forward to exploring future opportunities to deepen our business investments in Texas, including potentially developing data centers," a Meta spokesperson said Tuesday, reiterating that Meta is not making an admission of wrongdoing in the settlement agreement.

In announcing the settlement, Paxton touted the deal as a major win that exceeds a previous $390 million settlement between Google and 40 states over location tracking practices. The deal also dwarfs a previous $650 million settlement between Meta and Illinois, which was based on similar facial recognition concerns and settled in 2021.

Companies that operate in Texas must be held accountable for their actions, particularly when it puts the privacy of Texans at risk," said Sam Baxter and Jennifer Truelove, lead counsels for McKool Smith, in a joint statement Tuesday. "Were grateful to have had the opportunity to work with the Office of the Attorney General, and we appreciate how the court handled this lawsuit."

This article originally appeared on Austin American-Statesman: Meta to pay $1.4 billion to Texas as part of data privacy settlement
The Indian stock market has shown remarkable growth, climbing 2.3% in the past week and an impressive 45% over the last year, with earnings projected to grow by 16% annually. In this vibrant environment, identifying stocks that have not yet caught the attention of the majority can offer unique opportunities for investors looking to diversify their portfolios.

Top 10 Undiscovered Gems With Strong Fundamentals In India

Name Debt To Equity Revenue Growth Earnings Growth Health Rating Voith Paper Fabrics India NA 10.79% 9.57%  BLS E-Services NA 43.93% 59.81%  Bengal & Assam 4.48% 3.82% 47.41%  Indo Tech Transformers 2.30% 20.60% 62.92%  Avantel 10.67% 34.84% 36.61%  Spright Agro 0.58% 83.13% 86.22%  KP Green Engineering 13.73% 47.60% 61.28%  Kalyani Investment NA 18.19% 3.65%  Apollo Micro Systems 38.17% 7.94% 2.46%  Rir Power Electronics 53.98% 13.52% 31.41% 

Click here to see the full list of 457 stocks from our Indian Undiscovered Gems With Strong Fundamentals screener.

Underneath we present a selection of stocks filtered out by our screen.

Simply Wall St Value Rating: 

Overview: Jai Balaji Industries Limited is an Indian company engaged in the manufacturing and marketing of iron and steel products, with a market capitalization of approximately 159.91 billion.

Operations: The company operates in the iron and steel sector, generating a revenue of 64.14 billion as of the latest reporting period. It has shown a significant improvement in its net income margin, reaching 13.71% from previous negative margins, reflecting enhanced operational efficiency and profitability over time.

Jai Balaji Industries, a notable player in the Metals and Mining sector, has shown remarkable financial performance with a year-over-year earnings growth of 1420.9%, significantly outpacing the industry average of 18.8%. The company's Price-To-Earnings ratio stands at 18.2x, appealingly below the Indian market average of 34.4x. With a satisfactory net debt to equity ratio of 25.3% and interest payments well covered by EBIT (11.3x coverage), Jai Balaji demonstrates strong fiscal health and operational efficiency, making it an intriguing prospect for those looking into lesser-explored markets.

NSEI:JAIBALAJI Earnings and Revenue Growth as at Jul 2024

Simply Wall St Value Rating: 

Overview: Lloyds Engineering Works Limited specializes in engineering products and services across India, with a market capitalization of 105.02 billion.

Story continues

Operations: Lloyds Engineering Works primarily generates revenue from engineering products and services, with its latest reported revenue reaching 6.24 billion. The company has demonstrated a significant growth in net income, reporting 798.38 million in the most recent quarter, reflecting an upward trend in profitability and operational efficiency.

Lloyds Engineering Works, an emerging player in the machinery industry, has demonstrated robust growth with earnings soaring by 116.8% over the past year, outpacing its industry's growth of 28.6%. Despite a significant increase in its debt-to-equity ratio from 1.1% to 14.8% over five years, the company maintains a higher cash position than total debt. Recent strategic moves include plans to raise up to INR 12,000 million through various equity issuances and an impressive dividend proposal of INR 0.20 per share for FY2024, reflecting confidence in sustained profitability and shareholder value enhancement.

NSEI:LLOYDSENGG Debt to Equity as at Jul 2024

Simply Wall St Value Rating: 

Overview: Prudent Corporate Advisory Services Limited offers advisory and distribution services for a range of mutual funds, catering to individuals, corporates, high net worth individuals (HNIs), and ultra HNIs both in India and globally, with a market capitalization of 98.84 billion.

Operations: Prudent Advisory Services generates its revenue primarily through the distribution and sale of financial products, achieving a revenue of 8.23 billion as of the latest reporting period. The company has seen a notable increase in gross profit, with margins consistently above 45%, reflecting efficient cost management relative to its sales.

Prudent Corporate Advisory Services, a notable player in the Indian market, has demonstrated robust financial health with no debt and a debt-to-equity shift from 27.5% five years ago to zero today. The company's earnings have surged by 28.8% annually over the past five years and are projected to grow by 22.77% per year moving forward. Recently, Prudent announced a dividend increase and reported significant year-over-year revenue growth from INR 6,188 million to INR 8,247 million, underscoring its potential as an emerging gem in the capital markets sector.

NSEI:PRUDENT Debt to Equity as at Jul 2024

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Meta has agreed to pay $1.4 billion to Texas to settle a lawsuit alleging Facebook previously captured biometric data from users without their consent, the state attorney generals office announced Tuesday.

Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton (R) said Meta will pay the massive sum over the course of five years, noting the settlement is the largest ever obtained from an action brought by just one state. Paxton filed the lawsuit in 2022, alleging Meta collected and used the data from millions of Texas users without their permission.

This historic settlement demonstrates our commitment to standing up to the worlds biggest technology companies and holding them accountable for breaking the law and violating Texans privacy rights. Any abuse of Texans sensitive data will be met with the full force of the law, Paxton said in a statement.

The office alleged Metas practices violated the states Capture or Use of Biometric Identifier Act and the Deceptive Trade Practices Act. Paxtons office pointed to Metas rollout of Tag Suggestions in 2011, saying Meta claimed it would make it easier for users to tag others in photos.

Paxtons office said the feature was automatically turned on without notifying the users.

Unbeknownst to most Texans, for more than a decade Meta ran facial recognition software on virtually every face contained in the photographs uploaded to Facebook, capturing records of the facial geometry of the people depicted, Paxtons office said.

Meta denied any wrongdoing at the time the lawsuit was filed, saying the claims are without merit.

A spokesperson for the company told The Hill on Tuesday it was pleased to come to an agreement.

We are pleased to resolve this matter, and look forward to exploring future opportunities to deepen our business investments in Texas, including potentially developing data centers.

One of the firms representing Texas, McKool Smith, said in a press release Tuesday that the parties agreed to settle the dispute on the eve of when the lawsuit was supposed to go to trial in June.

Facebook announced in 2021 it would shut down its facial recognition system and delete more than a billion peoples individual facial recognition templates. The company said at the time the decision was made due to growing concerns about the use of such technology.

Copyright 2024 Nexstar Media, Inc. 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 Biden visited Austin on Monday to deliver comments at the Lyndon B. Johnson Presidential Library, commemorating the 60th anniversary of the signing of the Civil Rights Act and honoring the legacy of a president recently likened to Biden for his decision not to seek reelection in 1968.

His visit prompted several state and local politicians to comment publicly about Biden's legacy, record, and decision to step down from the ticket in November.

Here is what Texas politicians had to say about President Biden's visit:

U.S. Rep. Lloyd Doggett, D-Austin

Doggett wrote that Biden was a "true statesman and patriot" in a post to X documenting the president's arrival at ABIA. His remarks come after the congressmen became the first house Democrat to publicly call for Biden to step down from the ticket.

Great to welcome President Biden at @AUStinAirport. A true statesman and patriot.



We are now making our way to the LBJ Library to commemorate the 60th Anniversary of the Civil Rights Act and reaffirm our commitment to a more equal and just future. pic.twitter.com/fBmmf2Umfm  Lloyd Doggett (@RepLloydDoggett) July 29, 2024

More: Austin Rep. Lloyd Doggett's first call for Biden to withdraw sparked a national movement

Mayor Kirk Watson

Austin Mayor Kirk Watson wrote on X, "The fact that the American economy is the strongest in the world post-pandemic has everything to do with Joe Biden's leadership," in a post containing a photograph of the two politicians shaking hands on the tarmac.

It was my great honor to meet with @POTUS today. The fact that the American economy is the strongest in the world post-pandemic has everything to do with Joe Bidens leadership. (1/4) pic.twitter.com/uGJp31nTMO  Mayor Kirk Watson (@KirkPWatson) July 29, 2024

Mayor Watson continued by noting that America owed Biden a "debt of gratitude" both for his leadership in the White House and for his "extraordinary decision to pass the torch of leadership." Watson finished his statement by pledging a commitment to helping elect Vice President Kamala Harris in November.

More: Bryan Cranston reads from LBJ speech ahead of Biden's visit to celebrate Civil Rights Act

Texas Governor Greg Abbott

While Abbott did not comment directly on Biden's remarks at the LBJ library, he did take the opportunity to deride POTUS' policies regarding the Southern border, emphasizing that Biden would not be visiting the border during his time in Texas.

"Joe Biden & his Border Czar Kamala Harris can come all the way to Texas but not the border," Abbott wrote on X. "Americans are waiting for them to take this national security crisis seriously."

Joe Biden & his Border Czar Kamala Harris can come all the way to Texas but not the border.



Americans are waiting for them to take this national security crisis seriously.



Despite historic levels of illegal crossings, they continue to turn a blind eye to the chaos they created.  Greg Abbott (@GregAbbott_TX) July 29, 2024

U.S. Rep. Greg Casar, D-Austin

Congressman Casar was also among the handful of politicians who greeted Biden upon landing in Austin. In a statement released following POTUS' arrival, Casar praised Biden for his recent pledge to reform the Supreme Court, a central topic in his remarks at the LBJ library.

"With term limits for the justices, an ethics code, and a constitutional amendment limiting presidential immunity, we can ensure the Court is balanced and not corrupted by billionaires and extremists," Casar's statement read. "These reforms would continue the legacy of President Lyndon Baines Johnson -- protecting and advancing civil rights for everyone."

More: 'No one is above the law': Biden calls for sweeping Supreme Court changes

U.S. Rep. Veronica Escobar, D-El Paso

Representative Escobar wrote on X that she was honored to join the President as he commemorated the signing of the Civil Rights Act, a historical moment she described as "representing the culmination of an arduous fight in the never-ending pursuit for equality.

The Civil Rights Act was signed into law at an inflection point in our country's history, representing the culmination of an arduous fight in the never-ending pursuit for equality.



So honored to join @POTUS for his speech to commemorate this legislations legacy. pic.twitter.com/QFVulwwnRz  Rep. Veronica Escobar (@RepEscobar) July 29, 2024

The president was also greeted by Texas Representatives Al Green, Sylvia Garcia, and Lizzie Fletcher as well as Texas Senate and House Minority Leaders Carol Alvaro and Trey Martinez Fischer.

This article originally appeared on Austin American-Statesman: Texas politicians react to Biden's visit to LBJ Library in Austin
Inmates in Texas state prisons are being "cooked alive" by scorching temperatures in facilities without air conditioning, a new investigation claims. Documents obtained by The Texas Newsroom, a public radio collaboration of multiple Texas stations, showed that even as inmates died with body temperatures nearing 107 degrees, officials have continued to blame their deaths on causes other than extreme heat.

In 2023, a Texas prisoner filed a lawsuit challenging the state's refusal to adequately control heat levels. The suit alleged that the state was violating its own laws surrounding prison temperatures, as well as violating inmates' Eighth Amendment rights to be free from cruel and unusual punishment.

"For many years now, the extreme heat has wreaked havoc on Texas's prisons, coinciding with a dramatic increase in illnesses and deaths. And as temperatures increase with global climate change, the problem is only getting worse. Last summer was the second hottest on record in Texas, with some [Texas Department of Criminal Justice] units reaching an astonishing 149 [degrees] Fahrenheit," reads an amended complaint filed in April. "Extreme heat in Texas's unairconditioned prisons caused or contributed to an average of 14 deaths per year from 2001 to 2019."

Only about 30 percent of Texas prisons are fully air-conditioned. While state law mandates that prison temperatures be kept between 65 degrees and 85 degrees, at dozens of state prisons, daily high temperatures topped that. At one prison, Garza West Unit, temperatures stayed above 100 degrees for 11 days straight in the summer of 2023.

This week, The Texas Newsroom published a series of documents obtained in connection with the suit. The report detailed the circumstances of several inmate deaths, in which state officials admitted that extreme heat may have played a rolebut wasn't a direct cause.

One 50-year-old inmate died with a core body temperature of 106.9 degrees, and another 32-year-old prisoner died with a 107.5 body temperature. Elizabeth Hagerty, 37, died in June of last year after complaining of a heat rash and gastrointestinal issues. At the time of her death, the temperature in her cell was over 95 degrees.

"[The Texas Department of Criminal Justice] does not count those deaths as heat deaths because the primary cause of death was due to other reasons such as underlying medical disorders, overdoses, etc.," a TDCJ spokesperson told The Texas Newsroom.

However, not everyone agrees.

"To suggest to the community, to the citizens of Texas, that the heat is not killing people in the Texas prison system is an absolute falsehood," said Jeff Edwards, the plaintiff's lead lawyer, told The Texas Newsroom. "It's outrageous, it's wrong and that's what our case is all about."

By refusing to install adequate heat-control systems, Texas officials aren't just imprisoning their inmatesthey're subjecting them to obviously cruel conditions. A prison sentence shouldn't also mean enduring life-threatening heat.

The post Texas Prisoners Are Being 'Cooked Alive' by High Temperatures, Investigation Says appeared first on Reason.com.
Editor's note: This is a developing story and will be updated as more information becomes available. Visit www.examiner-enterprise.com for updates.

Washington County Sheriffs Office deputies responded to a child abuse case on Sunday morning near Vera, Oklahoman.

Upon arrival to the home, deputies and representatives from the Department of Human Services Child Welfare found a teenaged girl tied up in a yard, apparently having slept on a piece of carpet.

The investigation revealed that the girl was visiting family in the area from Texas, and had been tied to a tree with ratchet straps for over 24 hours.

Deputies reported that the girl's father, Johnny James, told officials he restrained her as a form of discipline and she had mental development issues.

More: Oklahoma's 988 received nearly twice as many calls in its second year: What to know

James claimed he tied his 15-year-old daughter outside to prevent her from urinating and defecating indoors, adding that having her tied up outdoors prevented a mess. He claimed this was due to his daughter wanting to live with her mother.

James girlfriend, Kayla Clark, who was present at the scene, told investigators she was aware of the situation. She explained her silence by saying she was frazzled.

According to reports, other family members who were aware of the situation told investigators they were afraid of James, which prevented them from contacting authorities earlier.

The girl was taken to a hospital for treatment of her injuries, and DHS Child Welfare took her into state custody. Several other children in the home were also placed in DHS custody. The ages of those children are unclear as is whether James is their parent.

Deputies arrested James and Clark on charges of child abuse and neglect. James' bond was set at $500,000. Clark's bond hasn't been set.

This article originally appeared on Bartlesville Examiner-Enterprise: Oklahoma father arrested for child abuse
Text messages released and radio chatter detailed Monday show that law enforcement officers lost sight of Donald Trumps would-be assassin, Thomas Matthew Crooks, and further illustrate the confused communications around tracking him at the July 13 rally.

According to documents released by Sen. Chuck Grassleys office, law enforcement officers knew of and raised the shooters presence at the rally more than 90 minutes before he climbed onto a roof and fired eight rounds at Trump.

At 5:14 p.m., an officer took photos of Crooks sitting outside. Twenty minutes later he sent those images to a group chat, the texts show.

Kid learning around building we are in, one text reads. I did see him with a range finder looking towards stage. FYI. If you wanna notify SS snipers to look out. I lost sight of him.

At 5:38 p.m., a Beaver County sniper sends photos of Crooks to the Beaver, Butler and Washington snipers group chat. - Beaver Co. Emergency Services Unit via Sen. Charles E. Grassley

The Beaver sniper notes Crooks was using a range finder looking towards the stage and recommends that they notify Secret Service snipers to look out." - Beaver Co. Emergency Services Unit via Sen. Charles E. Grassley

Messages show that 10 minutes later, an officer sends the images to a second group chat and tells the other members to forward it: if you wanna send this to whoever at command. Six minutes later, at 5:51 p.m., someone responds: Sent.

One of the members of that same group chat also said they had lost track of where Crooks had gone just 15 minutes before the shooting.

They are asking for a direction of travel, one person wrote at 5:59 p.m., referring to the command center.

Someone responded a minute later: Not sure. He was up against the building. If I had to guess towards the back. Away from the event.

Security plans for Trump rally include contingency plans for a shooting

Grassley also released the Beaver County ESUs after-action report of the shooting and Butler Emergency Services Units plan that detailed the responsibilities of federal and local law enforcement during the rally. Its unclear what the full extent of the security planning was that day, and these documents only provide a glimpse into how local law enforcement saw their roles that day.

The redacted entries reveal the communications as the information is passed up the chain.

This map from the Butler County Emergency Services Unit shows the various locations where snipers and other emergency services were located. - Butler County Emergency Services Unit via. Sen. Charles E. Grassley

In preparation for the rally, law enforcement was planning for a lone active shooter situation as well as explicitly watching for drone activity in the area, both of which happened under their watch.

According to the FBI, Crooks was able to fly a drone in the rally area two hours before Trump took stage and sneak past law enforcement stationed in the area, climbing a roof and nearly killing Trump.

Grassley, an Iowa Republican, also released the Butler Emergency Services Units plan.

Secret Service Counter Assault Team will handle evac, the document states on a contingency plan for a shooting at Trump, adding later that in a single active attack event Butler County ESU (Quick Reaction Force) Team will respond and handle incident.

Response will be quick and direct to the threat to neutralize said threat, the document says of an attack on Trump.

The documents also confirm what officials have testified to: that local law enforcement was positioned in the area where Crooks opened fire.

A phone and other device was found on the roof of the building where the shooter was. - Beaver County Emergency Services Unit via Sen. Charles E. Grassley

According to the plan, the ESU sniper team would be issued a Butler County radio and was given a Butler Police frequency to dial into. Questions remain as to how local law enforcement communicated with Secret Service that day and the lack of a clear line of communication may have contributed to officers losing track of Crooks before the shooting.

The document also details, with redacted names, all of the law enforcement officers who were assigned security that day, including the two Secret Service snipers and their call signs, Hercules 1 and 2.

The Secret Service has not released its operational plan of the rally.

This story has been updated with additional details.

For more CNN news and newsletters create an account at CNN.com
(Bloomberg) -- Thailand will slash by about 50% the personal income tax rate of professionals who are willing to return home to work as the nation seeks to attract talent for industries including electronics, automobiles, robotics and aviation.

Most Read from Bloomberg

Prime Minister Srettha Thavisins cabinet approved the tax breaks on Tuesday to lure the cream of overseas Thai workers, Deputy Finance Minister Paopoom Rojanasakul told reporters. Qualified Thais returning to their homeland will be required to pay a personal income tax of only 17% for five years, Paopoom said. That compares with the maximum 35% rate for residents who earn 5 million baht ($139,000) or more annually.

Srettha, who came to office nearly a year ago after almost a decade of military-backed rule, is under pressure to revive Southeast Asias second-largest economy that has lagged the expansion of its neighbors. He has aggressively pitched Thailand as an investment and travel hub yet the nation has battled a shortage of professionals in high-tech manufacturing and services including the all-important tourism.

Neighboring Indonesia, which is similarly courting foreign investments, has also stepped up plans to halt the exodus of local talent, lure its migrants back home and bolster the nations pool of skilled labor. Both nations have also offered special visas targeting digital nomads.

In Thailand, companies that employ returning Thais under the latest program will be allowed to deduct 1.5 times their expenses of hiring them, according to Paopoom. The perks will be effective until the end of 2029, he said.

To qualify for incentives, Thai nationals must have worked overseas for at least two years and must have a bachelors degree. The program will be open for sign-up until Dec. 31, 2025, according to Paopoom.

We want to bring them back to help develop Thai economy and select industries, the Thai minister said. The move will also help generate more tax revenue we havent got before with the development of key industries, he said.

The government expects at least 500 professionals to take up the offer, which may lead to a tax revenue loss of about 120 million baht over five years, according to an official statement.

Most Read from Bloomberg Businessweek

2024 Bloomberg L.P.
There's a special election in part of Milwaukee County today. Here's what to know.

If you live in the northern third of Milwaukee County, you may have a special election Tuesday for the open 4th District state Senate seat.

You might be wondering why there's another special election, when one was just held July 2. That was the primary to narrow down two Democratic candidates for the seat  state Reps. LaKeshia Myers and Dora Drake.

Drake was the winner of that primary, taking about 66% of the vote, compared to Myers' 34%. That means Drake is the only candidate whose name will appear on the ballot Tuesday, along with a write-in option. No Republicans are running for the seat.

Myers told the Journal Sentinel that some constituents told her they will write in her name, but she hasn't encouraged voters to do that. Because the race isn't contested, turnout Tuesday could be even lower than the about 8% of registered voters who participated in the July 2 primary.

Here's what to know about the special election and what happens next:

Who votes in the special election in Milwaukee today?

The special election only applies to the 4th Senate District. No other voters in Wisconsin go to the polls.

The district includes much of the northern third of Milwaukee County, with some carveouts like Fox Point, Bayside and Whitefish Bay. You can view a map here to figure out whether you live in the district.

What happens after this election?

If Drake wins, she'll finish out the term of former state Sen. Lena Taylor, who left the seat when she became a Milwaukee County circuit judge. That term concludes at the end of 2024.

Both Drake and Myers are running again Aug. 13 for a full, four-year term in the Senate, beginning in 2025. After her loss in the special election primary, Myers said she's focusing on campaigning for the Aug. 13 election.

Whoever wins the Aug. 13 primary will then advance to the Nov. 5 general election, which will determine who represents that part of Milwaukee in the state Senate for the next four years.

When is the next election in Wisconsin?

The next election in Wisconsin  when everyone will go to the polls  is Aug. 13. Many more primaries for seats in the state Legislature are being held that day, including all state representatives and half of state senators.

More: Here's who's running for state Legislature in Milwaukee, suburbs in Wisconsin 2024 election

That ballot will also include primaries for members of Congress, and two referendum questions about the power of the governor to spend federal funds.

The candidates who prevail in the Aug. 13 partisan primary will move on to the Nov. 5 general election. The presidential race is also on that ballot.

More: What are Wisconsin's 2024 elections, and when are they? Four dates to put on your calendar.

What do I do if I still have an absentee ballot?

If you haven't returned your absentee ballot yet, it's too late to mail it back.

You can drop off your ballot at the Elections Operations Center at 1901 S. Kinnickinnic Ave. between 7 a.m. and 8 p.m. Or, you can bring it to Room 501 in City Hall between 7 a.m. and 7 p.m. Don't bring your ballot to your assigned polling place, the Milwaukee Election Commission said.

The Milwaukee Election Commission will offer absentee ballot drop boxes for the Aug. 13 election, but you can't use them yet for the July 30 election. The Wisconsin Supreme Court recently reinstated the use of drop boxes in Wisconsin.

More: What to know about how Milwaukee will reopen absentee ballot drop boxes after court ruling

When are polls open in Wisconsin, and where is my polling place?

Polls are open between 7 a.m. and 8 p.m. As long as you're in line by 8 p.m., you'll be allowed to vote.

You can visit myvote.wi.gov to find information like your polling place. If you enter your address into "What's On My Ballot" and a sample ballot for the special election comes up, you'll know it applies to you.

What do I need to bring to vote in Wisconsin?

To vote, you need to bring a current photo ID that has your name on it. The Wisconsin Elections Commission's website has a list of accepted forms of identification.

You also can register to vote at your polling place, or re-register if you've changed addresses since the last time you voted or if you haven't voted in the last four years. In that case, you'll need to bring a document that shows proof of residence.

A driver's license or ID card issued by the Department of Motor Vehicles counts as proof as residence, if it shows your current address. Or, you can bring documents like a lease, utility bill or bank statement that has your new address.

This article originally appeared on Milwaukee Journal Sentinel: Wisconsin 4th Senate District special election is today; what to know
Acting Secret Service Director Ronald Rowe and FBI Deputy Director Paul Abbate testified for more than three hours about the security failures that led to the July 13 shooting.

Acting Secret Service Director Ronald Rowe told Congress on Tuesday that the agency failed to protect former President Donald Trump when he was wounded during an assassination attempt at a rally in Butler, Pa., earlier this month.

This is a failure of the Secret Service, Rowe said in his testimony before the Senate Judiciary and Homeland Security committees.

His appearance on Capitol came a week after Secret Service Director Kim Cheatle resigned following her own testimony before the House Oversight committee.

Rowe appeared alongside FBI Deputy Director Paul Abbate, who told lawmakers that a social media account believed to be used by Trumps would-be assassin contains posts that appear to reflect antisemitic and anti-immigration themes.

Federal investigators continue to search for the motive of the shooter, 20-year-old Thomas Matthew Crooks, who was killed by a countersniper at the rally.

Here are other key takeaways from Tuesdays hearing:

Secret Service acting director cannot defend why that roof was not better secured

Acting Secret Service Director Ronald Rowe Jr. testifies on Capitol Hill Tuesday about the security failures that led to former President Donald Trump's shooting on July 13. (Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images)

In his opening statement, Rowe said that he cant explain nor defend why Crooks was able to gain access to the roof from where he opened fire.

I cannot defend why that roof was not better secured, Rowe testified.

Rowe said that he visited the rally site last week to better understand how our protection failed.

I went to the roof of [the building] where the assailant fired shots and laid in a prone position to evaluate his line of sight, Rowe recalled to the committees. What I saw made me ashamed.

FBI deputy director says a local officer saw the suspect with a firearm seconds before shooting

Secret Service agents remove Donald Trump from the stage following the shooting at his rally in Butler, Pa., on July 13. (Jabin Botsford/Washington Post via Getty Images)

During his testimony, Abbate revealed that a local police officer spotted Crooks on the roof with a firearm seconds before he opened fire.

Abbate said that surveillance video from a local business captured Crooks getting onto the roof of the building from which he staged his shooting at approximately 6:06 p.m.

And at approximately 6:08 p.m. the subject was observed on the roof by local law enforcement, Abbate said. At approximately 6:11 p.m., a local police officer was lifted to the roof by another officer, saw the shooter and radioed that he was armed with a long gun. Within approximately the next 30 seconds, the shots were fired.

Rowe says that radio communications got stuck and were not recorded

Acting Secret Service Director Ronald Rowe Jr., left, and FBI Deputy Director Paul Abbate appear before the Senate Judiciary and Homeland Security committees on Tuesday. (Kevin Mohatt/Reuters)

The acting director testified that in those 30 or so seconds, radio communication between local law enforcement and federal agents got stuck and that information about the shooter on the roof never made it to the Secret Service.

Rowe said that problems with Wi-Fi connectivity affected the Secret Services counterdrone operations, which werent working when Crooks flew a drone over the rally site earlier in the day.

He also said that the Secret Services radio communications from the day of the shooting were not recorded because the agency typically does not record them during events not involving the president or vice president outside of Washington. Rowe said that he has directed that the agency will be recording radio communications from all campaign events moving forward.

GOP senators demand firings from the Secret Service

GOP Sen. Josh Hawley of Missouri questions acting Secret Service Director Ronald Rowe Jr. during Tuesday's hearing. (Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images)

During the hearing, Republican Sen. Lindsey Graham of South Carolina and Sen. Josh Hawley of Missouri demanded action over the security failures that led to Trumps shooting.

If this happened in the military, a lot of people will be fired, Graham said. And if a lot of people are not fired, the system failed yet again.

We need to learn what happened, make corrective action, he added. But somebodys got to be fired. Nothings going to change until somebody loses their job.

Later, during a tense exchange with Hawley, Rowe said he will not rush to judgment amid the Secret Services ongoing internal investigations into the failures that day.

Sir, this could have been our Texas School Book Depository, Rowe explained, referring to the assassination of President John F. Kennedy in 1963. I have lost sleep over that for the last 17 days, just like you have.

Then fire somebody, Hawley shot back.
The Tampa Police Department announced the arrest of three people on Monday (July 29) in connection with deadly shooting of rapper Julio Foolio last month. According to a press release from the police department, three individuals  Sean Gathright, 18, Alicia Andrews, 21, and Isaiah Chance Jr., 21  were arrested in Jacksonville and each charged with premeditated first degree murder with a firearm and conspiracy to commit premeditated first-degree murder with a firearm; Gathright was also charged with tampering with physical evidence as well as an additional count of premeditated murder in the first-degree and two additional counts of premeditated murder in the first-degree with a firearm.

The station reported that police have put out arrest warrants for two other people as well, Rashad Murphy, 30 and Davion Murphy, 27, who are also wanted on one charge of murder in the first degree each, as well as a count of conspiracy to commit murder in the first degree and three counts each of attempted murder in the first degree. Foolio, 26, born Charles Jones, was shot dead on June 23 while out celebrating his 26th birthday, with his attorney saying that the MC was ambushed by his assailants at a Tampa hotel.

More from Billboard

In the statement, Tampa police said that between June 21-23, the five suspects conspired to commit murder against Foolio, with all five traveling from Jacksonville to Tampa on June 22 in two vehicles to locate and kill Jones in retaliation for an ongoing Jacksonville rival gang feud.

On June 23, police said Chance and Andrews tracked and followed Foolio and his entourage to two different locations. At each location they got out of their vehicle, and Chance used a cell phone, the police statement claimed, adding that after each call a second suspect vehicle arrived at each location before both vehicles followed the rapper and his entourage to a hotel where the killing took place.

Foolio was trying to book a hotel room after getting kicked out of an Airbnb where he was celebrating earlier. The police said that Foolio posted his location online multiple times before the shooting and that after driving by the rappers parked cars twice and leaving, the three armed shooters got out of their car and opened fire on Foolios cars, killing the MC and injuring three others.

Police identified the alleged shooters as Davion and Rashad Murphy and Gathright and said Foolio is a known member of Jacksonvilles 6 Block gang, which has a long, ongoing feud with two other allied street gangs: ATK and 1200. Isaiah Chance is a known ATK member and Rashad Murphy is a documented 1200 member, while Davion Murphy is considered a 1200 associate.

Officials believe that the motive for the shootings is tied to an ongoing, yearslong feud between Foolios 6 Block gang and two rivals, ATK and 1200, which has resulted in dozens of murders over a decade. It was apparent the suspects worked together acting in concert to actively hunt, and ultimately kill, Charles Jones as a part of this gang feud, police said.

Jones most recent project was Aprils Resurrection. Announcing the album, Foolio admitted there had been multiple attempts on his life, but he vowed to keep on pushing.

Best of Billboard
Tensions are mounting in the South China Sea - a hotly contested and globally significant waterway that's become a flashpoint for conflict. In the first instalment of a four-part series we look at why it's so critical for Beijing.

Boiling tensions between Beijing and Manila have given disputes over the South China Sea new prominence, with analysts warning that hostilities could escalate and regional polarisation may worsen.

Beijing's approach to asserting its sovereignty claims to most of the waterway - often at the expense of its neighbours - is back in the spotlight, as China increasingly views these territorial disputes through the lens of its rivalry with the US.

Do you have questions about the biggest topics and trends from around the world? Get the answers with SCMP Knowledge, our new platform of curated content with explainers, FAQs, analyses and infographics brought to you by our award-winning team.

It is not just rocks, reefs and resources at stake. The South China Sea is rich in oil, natural gas and fish, but it is also one of the world's busiest shipping routes, through which more than 20 per cent of global trade passes.

China's expansive territorial claims in the South China Sea overlap with those of the Philippines, Vietnam, Malaysia and Brunei.

For these smaller neighbours, their sovereign rights, fisheries and economic livelihoods are on the line. For Beijing, it is more about vital shipping lanes, deep-sea exploration, its goal for "reunification" with Taiwan, and even the future regional and global order, analysts say.

While Beijing emphasises its sovereignty over the South China Sea, its maritime interests extend beyond territorial claims, according to a senior researcher from the government-linked Chinese Academy of Social Sciences (CASS), who spoke on condition of anonymity.

But that does not mean China wants to close off the sea route or reclaim every island and reef. "The sea lanes must remain open for trade and commerce, and ensuring freedom of navigation is crucial for China's outward-oriented economy," the researcher said.

The South China Sea also serves as a gateway to the deep sea - key to Beijing's ambition to transform its navy from a coastal defence force into one of the world's largest blue-water fleets.

Noting the shallow waters of both the Yellow Sea and East China Sea and other unfavourable conditions, the researcher said China "needs to further increase its presence in the South China Sea, which provides a strategic channel for Chinese navy ships and commercial vessels to go out".

Story continues

They said the South China Sea was also crucial for the country's security in the region as it needed the support of neighbouring countries while countering US-led efforts to "encircle and contain" China.

"The significance of maintaining stability in the South China Sea has grown relative to China's broader strategic interests," the researcher said. "Given America's heightened strategic presence in the region, China must also strengthen its own strategic position in the South China Sea."

Ding Duo, an associate research fellow at the Hainan-based National Institute for South China Sea Studies, also noted the growing significance of the waterway and Beijing's efforts to maintain stability while "protecting its sovereignty" over contested islands.

China claims sovereignty over four archipelagos in the South China Sea, including the Spratlys and Paracels - known in Chinese as the Nansha and Xisha islands.

But Maria Thaemar Tana, a non-resident fellow at the Stratbase ADR Institute in Manila, said the South China Sea was mainly about strategic control for Beijing.

"The South China Sea provides a buffer zone for China, which is critical given the US presence in the region. Controlling the area increases China's military power and deters potential threats," she said.

It also serves as a platform to project power further into the Pacific, an important part of establishing maritime trade routes under Beijing's Belt and Road Initiative. "Controlling the South China Sea enables China to exert influence over these vital shipping lanes," Tana said.

But she said an increasingly powerful China with a significant military presence in the region raises security concerns for the Philippines and other Southeast Asian claimants.

"China's encroachment is seen as a violation of territorial integrity. In addition, fishing and resource extraction are crucial to their economies. China's dominance puts their access to these resources at risk," she said.

"Because they lack the military power to directly challenge China, they often rely on allies such as the United States for assistance and a rules-based order to deter Chinese aggression."

A key People's Liberation Army mission is to be prepared to forcibly unify Taiwan. Photo: Reuters alt=A key People's Liberation Army mission is to be prepared to forcibly unify Taiwan. Photo: Reuters>

Patrick Cronin, the Asia-Pacific security chair at Hudson Institute in Washington, said China's interests in the South China Sea were mainly driven by fear and ambition.

"Beijing fears that outside powers might disrupt vital sea lines of communication. This concern is compounded by the prevailing domestic historical narrative that sees the world through the glasses of a century of humiliation," he said.

Then there are Beijing's ambitions. "A core PLA mission is to be prepared soon to forcibly unify Taiwan, should [Chinese President] Xi Jinping and the Communist Party deem it necessary," he said.

According to Cronin, fortified artificial island reef outposts in the Spratly Islands and maritime peacetime confrontation operations against the Philippines are seen as stepping stones towards achieving control over the South China Sea and the so-called first island chain.

Beijing sees the first island chain - which runs from the Japanese mainland through Taiwan and the Philippines - as the first maritime line of defence against the US trying to contain China.

"These ambitions are deemed necessary by Xi to ensure Beijing will be able to act freely to unify Taiwan, a goal portrayed by the party as a prerequisite to national rejuvenation," Cronin said.

According to Carl Thayer, emeritus professor at the University of New South Wales in Australia, Beijing's geostrategic interest in the South China Sea has evolved with its ascendance as an economic and military power.

He said a turning point was Beijing's 2009 submission to the United Nations of its nine-dash line map, and tensions with Hanoi and Manila had escalated "in scope and intensity ever since".

The Philippines brought an arbitration case against China after Beijing seized Scarborough Shoal, or Huangyan Island in Chinese, in 2012. Four years later an international tribunal dismissed China's claims.

Beijing refused to participate in the arbitration and rejected the ruling. It has also built six artificial islands in the Spratly archipelago.

Buildings and structures on an artificial island built by China in Subi Reef, in the Spratlys. Photo: TNS alt=Buildings and structures on an artificial island built by China in Subi Reef, in the Spratlys. Photo: TNS>

Thayer said the future of regional order was at stake as the era of US primacy was challenged by China's rise.

"First, China seeks to break through the US-dominated first island chain from Japan to the Philippines to shore up its deterrence against nuclear threats from the US," he said.

"This means expelling US military presence from the Philippines and securing undetected passage of Chinese ballistic nuclear submarines from the mainland or Hainan Island to the western Pacific."

He said Beijing would also try to disrupt the US alliance network with Japan, South Korea, Australia and the Philippines and the threat this poses to Beijing's drive to bring self-ruled Taiwan under its control.

"Second, China seeks to negotiate a South China Sea code of conduct with Southeast Asian states that excludes states from outside the region in developing marine resources or engaging in military activities with regional states," Thayer said.

"The US seeks to contain China by reinforcing its position in the first island chain so it can safeguard Taiwan's independence by maintaining a military presence in and over the South China Sea as well as in the Philippines and northern Australia."

He said China's continued pressure on other littoral states would only raise tensions, intensify regional polarisation and likely scupper negotiations on the code of conduct. "The ball is now in China's court," he said.

Shi Yinhong, a professor of international relations at Renmin University in Beijing, said China appeared to have the upper hand over the Philippines with its "grey zone" tactics such as the coastguard's use of water cannons against Philippine vessels.

But he said these pressure tactics had pushed its smaller neighbours closer to the US, Japan and others.

"China's actions in the South China Sea have both positive and negative consequences and it's likely that the negative ones may prevail," he said.

According to the CASS researcher, what started as territorial disputes between Beijing and several littoral states has morphed into a showdown for regional supremacy between China and the US.

"China has attached unprecedented importance to the South China Sea, mostly as a result of growing global focus on the region and the concerted effort by the US, the Philippines and others [aimed at China]," the researcher said.

"The nature of the issue has transformed significantly, as the South China Sea has become primarily a theatre for the Sino-US strategic competition."

The researcher said Washington's Indo-Pacific strategy, launched during the Donald Trump administration, and a statement by Mike Pompeo in 2020 when he was secretary of state were among the biggest drivers behind the shift.

Pompeo marked the fourth anniversary of the 2016 ruling by backing China's rival claimants in the South China Sea, accusing Beijing of trying to set up a "maritime empire", and pledging to reject any attempt to impose "might makes right".

"China is facing a delicate balancing act - it's actually trying to manage the dispute with restraint and avoid any excessive escalation or a breakdown, which is not in China's interests at all because heightened security tensions could disrupt regional cooperation," the researcher said. "The tree wants to remain quiet but the wind simply won't stop."

Tana said ideological differences between China and the US would make it difficult to de-escalate tensions or reach any compromises.

Diplomats from China and the Philippines agreed early this month to "control disputes and differences" after eight Filipino sailors were said to have been injured in the worst clash between the two sides in months. The skirmish on June 17 took place near Second Thomas Shoal, known in China as Renai Jiao. The Philippines carried out a resupply mission on Saturday without "untoward incidents" after the two sides on July 21 reached a "provisional arrangement on humanitarian resupply of living necessities" for Filipino troops stationed on a grounded warship at the disputed shoal.

"Domestic pressure and nationalistic sentiments in China and Southeast Asian nations make it challenging to compromise or back down in the dispute," Tana said. "The region is becoming more divided, with other neighbouring states preferring a neutral position but perceiving the Philippines' actions as challenging China by bringing in the United States and consequently disrupting the regional balance of power."

Cronin blamed China's maritime ambition and the coastguard's "aggressive and reckless" behaviour for the heightened tensions in the region.

"China wishes to dominate the South China Sea and Southeast Asia, while the United States simply wishes to deny any one power from dominating the region. Beijing wants greater control, while Washington seeks a stable balance of power," he said.

"These two positions are not necessarily incompatible, but the way China is going about exercising its influence in the South China Sea threatens smaller neighbours and established rules and norms," he added. "The obvious way to de-escalate is to halt aggressive maritime behaviour and use diplomacy to resolve or at least better manage disputed claims."

Ling Bing, a professor of Chinese law at the University of Sydney, also said Beijing should also reflect on its failure to prevent Manila from tilting towards Washington under President Ferdinand Marcos Jnr.

"The fact that China failed miserably in this diplomatic game and finds itself now facing an ever stronger US-Philippine alliance is one of the major failures of its foreign policy," he said.

Ling said it was "a lesson that China must learn before similar debacles occur in relation to other South China Sea powers such as Vietnam and Indonesia".

He also pointed to a maritime delimitation agreement in the Gulf of Tonkin, signed in 2000 between China and Vietnam, as "an apt example" of how to settle maritime disputes.

"In the appropriate circumstances, China has shown a clear ability and willingness to resolve territorial and maritime disputes with neighbouring states," he said. "Even in ways that are not advantageous to China."

This article originally appeared in the South China Morning Post (SCMP), the most authoritative voice reporting on China and Asia for more than a century. For more SCMP stories, please explore the SCMP app or visit the SCMP's Facebook and Twitter pages. Copyright  2024 South China Morning Post Publishers Ltd. All rights reserved.

Copyright (c) 2024. South China Morning Post Publishers Ltd. All rights reserved.
Authorities have identified the three people who died when the vehicle they were traveling in fell over the railing of Californias Highway 1 down a seaside cliff and into the ocean near Devils Slide.

All three inside the vehicle  Mohammad Noory, 29, of South San Francisco; Angelica Gacho, 28, of South of San Francisco; and Brylyn Aroma, 36, of Fort Riley, Kansas  were pronounced dead on the scene on Friday and later identified by the San Mateo County Coroners Office on Sunday.

A roommate of Noorys told NBC Bay Area the 29-year-old immigrated to the US in 2021 seeking better opportunities to support his family, after serving as a US military interpreter in his native Afghanistan.

Im really sad because he was my friend since 2015. And its, its, really sad for his family. He was the only supporter for his family  Thats all, the roommate, who asked to remain anonymous, told the station.

The crash occurred while Noory was working as an Uber driver, according to an online fundraising page for his funeral.

He left his entire family and loved ones in mourning, the GoFundMe page reads. He is gone but not forgotten.

Gacho served as a US Army communications specialist in Korea at the time of her death, according to a LinkedIn page.

Aroma, meanwhile, previously served as a US Army medic in Fort Riley, Kansas.

Vinny Hall, Aromas boyfriend, said he was devastated and heartbroken, according to social media posts viewed by Mail Online.

You were my rock baby, my whole world. We had so much planned for our future, he wrote. I will always love you so, so much. You will always be in my heart forever and always.

The car went off the road late Friday morning, in a section of sharp turns and steep cliffs 15 miles south of San Francisco.

The California Highway Patrol temporarily shut down a section of the states famous seaside Highway 1, as a CAL FIRE team rappeled down a cliff to inspect the car, where they found two of the three victims and pronounced them dead.

A third body was recovered on Saturday.

The crash is still under investigation.

Last year, a doctor named Dharmesh Patel was accused of driving himself, his wife, and his two children, aged 4 and 7 at the time, off a cliff near Devils Slide.

All four survived, and Patel was accused of attempted murder, to which he pleaded not guilty. Last month, he was granted a mental health diversion.
TikTok safety campaign stops in Jackson to ease concerns. What are the safety measures?

Members of TikTok's safety enforcement team spoke during a media-only event in Jackson on Tuesday morning.

The event aimed to assuage concerns over dangerous or inappropriate content and how it may affect young users in particular.

Tuesday's media event, titled "TikTok Sparks Communities," promoted two main messages: TikTok is safe to use, and it creates communities.

Concerns over safety on the social media platform have raised significantly in recent years. Many of these concerns are directed toward data safety, however, rather than content.

In April, legislation was introduced in the United States Congress to combat the perceived national security risk. The House approved a bill that would force Beijing-based company ByteDance, TikTok's parent company, to sell the social media app or face a practical ban in the U.S.

The Senate then passed the bill and President Joe Biden signed the bill into law days later. However, the legislation will likely face legal pushback before a ban is enforced. The national ban is still up in the air.

Suzy Loftus, U.S. Head of Trust and Safety for TikTok, outlines safety guidelines in a media event at Sal and Mookies in Jackson on July 30.

In the months surrounding this legislation, TikTok representatives have been visiting cities throughout the nation, hosting the "TikTok Sparks Community" media events.

Alongside highlighting the app's support of small businesses and local content creators, the events outline the safety measures TikTok takes to ensure community guidelines are upheld.

"TikTok Sparks Community" made a stop at Sal and Mookie's in Jackson pn Tuesday morning. U.S. Head of Trust and Safety for TikTok Suzy Loftus spoke on the extensive measures her team takes to safeguard the app.

Planning a trip? Where can you go from Jackson by train? Curious Mississippi answers

According to Loftus, who is also the former San Francisco District Attorney, TikTok employs approximately 40,000 safety professionals to enforce more than 30 community guidelines around the clock.

Those guidelines are mainly age based. All TikTok users must be above 13 years old. Depending on a user's age, certain safety features will automatically apply. For example, if the user is 13-to-15 years old, accounts are switched to private by default, direct messaging is prohibited, videos created by the user are not eligible for the "For You Feed" and the app imposes a 60-minute time limit.

As the age ranges go up, those safety measures relax. However, users could skirt around those measures by lying about their age. Also, many of the safety features can be turned off in settings as well. A 13-year-old making an account can go into settings and make their account public.

Loftus said her team combats those issues in several ways. One way involves banning suspected underage users. Those accounts are usually reported by other users.

Tuesday's event featured three Mississippi TikTok creators who use the app to promote their businesses.

One local creator, Jessie Whittington, uses her TikTok account @countrylather2020 to promote her handmade soap business. At Tuesday's event, Whittington explained how she has seen TikTok's safety features in action.

Whittington said one day recently she was hosting a TikTok livestream, and her 13-year-old son tried to join as a viewer. As soon as his account joined, Whittington said, the livestream cut off automatically.

According to Loftus, those features have yielded substantial results. In 2023, the U.S. safety enforcement team removed more than 68 million videos that violated community guidelines and proactively removed 93% of those videos before they were reported.

Another safety measure protecting young users from harmful content is called "family pairing." That feature allows a parent to filter certain content out of their child's feed.

The app contains other safety features including keyword filters and "Comment Care Mode" which users can enable to protect their posts from hateful or dangerous comments.

Despite the efforts made to curtail apprehensions, many people remain skeptical of TikTok's safety, especially for children.

The features described in Tuesday's event are not new.

With growing national concern over both harmful content and data security, TikTok is putting more funding into safety measures. Loftus said TikTok expects to invest over $2 billion in 2024 alone to fund trust and safety efforts.

Mississippi gears up for November: 'We could possibly turn Mississippi blue': Black women in MS rally around Kamala Harris

Got a news tip? Contact Mary Boyte at mboyte@jackson.gannett.com

This article originally appeared on Mississippi Clarion Ledger: TikTok campaign stops in Jackson to ease concerns over content
MOUNDRIDGE, Kan. (KSNW)  A 14-month-old boy fell into a PVC pipe and became trapped underground in Moundridge on Sunday.

Rescuers saved a child who fell into a pipe in Moundridge on July 28, 2024. (Courtesy: Family)

The family says the child was playing at home and stepped on top of a hole, falling into it. The parents called 911 just before 2 p.m.

The Moundridge Police Department, Fire Department and EMS responded. They found a pipe approximately 12 inches in diameter and 10 to 12 feet deep. The toddler was upright in the bottom of the pipe.

The rescuers quickly began working to free the child.

The police department said it wants to especially highlight Officer Ronnie Wagner for creating a catch pole out of a thinner PVC pipe and rope. Wagner, a veteran, has only been with the department for a month.

A toddler is at the bottom of this pipe in Moundridge on July 28, 2024. (Courtesy Moundridge Police Department)

He called Jeremy Samland with EMS. Samland lives nearby and had narrow PVC pipe in his garage.

(KSN News Photo)

The two crafted a 16-foot PVC rod and then funneled fire department rope through it. Wagner tied a circle lasso at the end of it. Rescuers lowered the rod and rope over the boy and lifted him to safety.

3-year-old boy dies after falling 8 stories from high-rise apartment

(Courtesy Moundridge Police Department)

If none of our efforts worked at that time, we wouldve had to start digging, bring in some equipment and start digging a really big hole in the front yard and dig him out, which wouldve been time-consuming, Wagner said.

Police say Wagners creative solution was instrumental in lifting the child safely from the pipe.

They got the child out in approximately 20 minutes.

The child was unharmed. His parents are elated that he is okay.

Copyright 2024 Nexstar Media, Inc. 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 celebrity chef said she opted to keep her tongue after doctors suggested 100% removal to increase her survival rate

Shirley Chung/Instagram

Shirley Chung revealed that she was diagnosed with stage 4 tongue cancer.

On July 26, the Top Chef alum, 47, shared the emotional health update on Instagram, explaining that her diagnosis came after a series of dental issues, including her severely biting her tongue and fracturing her tooth, which needed to be extracted.

Initially, it was thought her problems were caused by her grinding her teeth.

The end of May, ulcers erupted in my mouth and my oral surgeon discovered a hidden tumor under my tongue, she wrote. A few days later, I was diagnosed, stage 4 tongue cancer, as cancer cells also spread into my lymph nodes. I was very calm when doctors delivered the news. As a chef, Ive always thrived under pressure. I was extremely focused on getting all the tests and scans as fast as possible, so I can start on the treatment plans.

Chung, a finalist on seasons 11 of Top Chef who also competed in season 14, said that on June 2, she met with lead oncologist Dr. Allen Ho at Cedars-Sinai Medical Center to discuss her treatment plan.

I broke down, crying, trying to put thoughts together and ask questions but physically couldnt, all I heard was option 1, surgery, 100% removal of your tongue, she recalled. [Husband] Jimmy was holding it together for both of us, asking if we have any option that I can keep my tongue and the survival rates.

Shirley Chung/Instagram

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Doctors told Chung about a unicorn case at the University of Chicago where they were able to cure a patient through radiation and chemotherapy.

Higher survival rate, or keep my tongue? I chose to keep my tongue, I am a fighter, I am a chef, I can be that unicorn too, she said. I just finished 6 weeks of Chemo (and have many more to go), going to the hospital 4 times a week for injections, its like a full time job. My tumor is shrinking, my speech is much better and I can eat most normal food now.

I am learning to lean on others, to let go, to be more vulnerable .. it took me 2 weeks of contemplating to decide to tell my parents about my cancer, only my close circle of friends and my sister have known until now, she continued. I am learning, I can be strong 98% of the time, its ok to be not ok. I have a tough long road to recovery in front of me. Your love and support will carry me through. Cheer me on, Shirley Chung 2.0 will be reborn in 2025!

Shirley Chung/Instagram

Related: Kathy Griffin Says Her Vocal Cord Repair Was Successful Following Damage from Lung Cancer Surgery

Chungs post included a video and photos of her shaving off her hair while surrounded by her loved ones. After starting to lose her hair during cancer treatments, the celebrity chef said in a video that shaving it off herself was better for her mentally than pulling it off in the morning."

Its kinda sexy, she quipped.

In the comments, Chung received tons of well wishes from fans and fellow celebrity chefs as she continues her cancer journey.

Delicious Miss Brown host Kardea Brown wrote, We met you the day before you received you treatment plan..but we had no clue about the battle you were fighting. You cooked for us that night and had the biggest smile on your face the entire time Shirley that speaks volumes about your character! We are praying for you and thanking God in advance for remission and total healing! We love you 

You are inspiring and strong. , added Next Level Chef judge and mentor Richard Blais.

Shirley Chung/Instagram

The PEOPLE Puzzler crossword is here! How quickly can you solve it? Play now!

Top Chef star Gregory Gourdet also commented, You are so strong and gorgeous. You have the spirit of a fighter. See you when you kick this things ass! Love you!!

Chung later expressed her appreciation for the kind messages, writing that shes overwhelmed by the love and support.

I Will be the unicorn , she said. I am reading each and every one of your comments, taking everything in, thank you for sharing your stories with me, we will take on the fight together 

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The top prosecutor where George Floyd was murdered is facing backlash. But she has vowed to endure

Hennepin County Attorney Mary Moriarty explains her progressive approach to prosecutions, Wednesday, June 19, 2024 at her office in Minneapolis, Minn. The former public defender has drawn criticism for her decisions to seek lighter sentences for violent crimes in some cases and to divert more people to programs rather than jail. (AP Photo/Mark Vancleave)

MINNEAPOLIS (AP)  Voters in Minnesotas largest county elected Mary Moriarty as their top prosecutor after she promised to deliver change in a community where George Floyd was murdered and a nationwide reckoning on racism in the criminal justice system was born.

After Moriarty, a former public defender, became the Hennepin County Attorney in January 2023, she vowed to make police more accountable and change the culture of an office she believes had long overemphasized punishment without addressing the root causes of crime.

Her election came as the Minneapolis area was still reeling from the 2020 murder of Floyd by a police officer and the resulting protests and prosecutions of police. Moriarty's two immediate predecessors had been in office for a combined 31 years, and her promises of dramatic changes had the backing of the state Democratic party, community leaders and voters hungry for a new approach.

But only 18 months after beginning her four-year term, Moriarty faces fierce backlash, even among some former supporters. Her critics have questioned her decisions to seek lighter sentences for violent crimes in some cases and to divert more people to programs rather than jail.

Moriarty has had public spats with the state's Democratic governor, and in some cases, she has been caught between groups with divergent political views.

She bore heavy criticism from police officers, local officials and some progressive activists after she charged a white state trooper for the killing of a Black man last summer, only to later reverse course and drop the charges.

Leaders with the Minnesota Police and Peace Officers Association had waged a high-profile campaign urging Tim Walz, the states Democratic governor, to reassign the prosecution away from Moriarty. This month, the association filed an ethics complaint against Moriarty, alleging she knowingly made false statements about the case, a claim she has denied.

Even as Moriarty remains committed to her approach, she acknowledged that some of her initial support has dwindled.

There have been times Ive asked myself, is this the city where George Floyd was murdered? But at the same time, if I look historically, any time theres been progress, theres always backlash, Moriarty said. Theres nothing different about this than when people in the past have tried to change systems that have been in place for decades.

Moriarty was elected among of a wave of progressive district attorneys who took office following the murder of Floyd and subsequent Black Lives Matter protests. In Oregon, voters in May replaced a progressive district attorney with a centrist candidate backed by police groups who vowed to be tough on crime in the Portland area amid frustrations over violence tied to homelessness and drug use. That same month in Californias Bay Area, Alameda County supervisors set a recall election for a district attorney who ran on a platform of offender rehabilitation and police accountability.

The crop of progressive prosecutors promised a more thoughtful approach to holding people accountable, but for many it has been a challenge that has left them vulnerable to complaints that they have endangered public safety.

Moriarty, a former chief public defender for the county, was elected over a former judge with nearly 58% of the vote.

Some of her former supporters now say her approach has gone too far. Matt Pelikan, a former Democratic candidate for attorney general who donated to Moriartys campaign, said the office under Moriarty has taken a permissive approach, resulting in some criminals getting released from custody, only to quickly reoffend.

I supported Mary because I believed, and I still believe that the old formula wasnt working, Pelikan said. But I think Mary has gone further and not abided by the goals of that office, which are safety and justice.

Under Moriartys leadership, more cases have been subject to diversion, which often involves referring someone who has committed a crime to a program they must complete so they can avoid jail time.

Jared Mollenkof, who worked with Moriarty as a public defender, said she has made juvenile prosecutions fairer by restructuring the countys approach to prosecuting juveniles, emphasizing alternatives to incarceration.

I think that there has been a real refocusing to allow prosecutors to make offers that were previously unavailable to them, either due to office policy or just for monitoring perceptions of what was acceptable, Mollenkof said.

In 2023, the number of youth cases diverted by the Hennepin County Attorneys Office increased by 36% compared to 2022. For adult cases, that number increased by 81% in 2023 compared to 2022.

Moriartys office said initial data shows that those who have participated in diversion programs are less likely to recidivate than those cases that arent diverted. Critics say Moriarty has downplayed the concerns of crime victims and damaged public trust in her office.

Martha Holton Dimick, the former judge who Moriarty defeated in 2022, said Moriarty is making decisions based on gripes she developed as a career public defender battling with attorneys from the same office she now leads.

I told people on the campaign trail that this was her revenge tour," Dimick said.

In an interview, Mike Freeman, Moriarty's predecessor, declined to speak in detail about Moriartys performance but said he thinks some of her juvenile justice initiatives had gone too far and that the office had lost a number of experienced attorneys since she was elected.

One of those attorneys is Gretchen Gray-Larson, who worked at the county attorneys office for 33 years. She said she is against draconian drug laws and favors a progressive approach to prosecution. But last July, she decided to retire, in part, because she didnt want to work for Moriarty. She said her colleagues who have stayed have been overwhelmed by the departures and a stifling atmosphere.

People are afraid to talk, Gray-Larson said. The morale is horrible.

According to internal staff figures obtained at the end of June, Larson is one of over 150 staffers to have left their positions with the office since the month Moriarty was elected. Overall employment at the office had risen by 21 staffers, although that figure includes administrative positions other than attorneys.

Now, Moriarty said she is delivering changes that have forced some prosecutors to interrogate uncomfortable truths about past failures.

This is true of many prosecutors who were in office for decades, there is sometimes a difficulty in looking at your career and what youve done and acknowledging that you have done harm.

Among Moriarty's supporters, there is a sense that she has been kneecapped by entrenched leaders at the city and state levels.

Chaz Neal, 47, grew up in Minneapolis and, until a few months ago, resided in one of the citys higher crime neighborhoods. Neal is Black, a political conservative and has a criminal record. Despite his right-leaning views, he supports Moriarty because of his experiences navigating the criminal justice system.

I feel like if people look at her policies and read them, they will see that she is for the people, Neal said.

Moriarty said she will run for reelection and plans to keep pursuing changes, regardless of any backlash.

There are people, who have been critical, who are concerned about their own political ambitions and kind of pandering to whatever group they think will help them, Moriarty said. I have not done that."
WASHINGTON (Reuters) -U.S. Deputy Secretary of State Kurt Campbell said on Tuesday he expects word soon that India is becoming more engaged with Ukraine, responding to a question at a Senate hearing over Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi's Moscow visit this month.

"I think we're likely to hear news of India engaging more directly in Ukraine. I'm grateful for that. I think India wants to play a responsible role globally," Campbell told the Senate Foreign Relations Committee.

Western countries have imposed sanctions on Moscow following its all-out invasion of Ukraine in 2022, but nations such as India and China have continued to trade with Russia.

Modi met Russian President Vladimir Putin in Moscow earlier this month just as a Russian missile attack struck a hospital in Kyiv and killed 44 people across the country, drawing international condemnation.

Indian media outlets have reported that Modi is likely to visit Ukraine in August, his first visit to the country since Russia's 2022 invasion.

Asked about Campbell's comments, India's Washington embassy referred to a news briefing in Tokyo on Monday by Indian Foreign Minister Subrahmanyam Jaishankar, at which he said more needed to be done to encourage negotiations to end the Ukraine conflict and that India was one of the few countries that was in touch with both sides.

"We do believe we should be more active there," Jaishankar said, adding that Modi met Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy on the sidelines of the G-7 summit in Italy before his Moscow visit.

"I can reasonably expect there will be more contacts between us and Ukraine and between us and Russia as well," Jaishankar said, when asked about the possibility of Modi visiting Ukraine.

U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken met Jaishankar in Japan on Sunday and emphasized the importance of a "just and enduring peace" for Ukraine.

The State Department has raised concerns over India's relationship with Russia, especially at a time when it has been seeking to strengthen ties with India as a potential counterweight to China.

New Delhi has resisted pressure to distance itself from Moscow since the invasion, citing its longstanding ties with Russia and its economic needs.

Campbell said he believed India was "probably the most important relationship for the United States to get right," noting the huge Indian diaspora and the desire of most Indians to have a better relationship with the U.S.

"The hardest things to keep in mind is that India is also a great power. It has its own beliefs, its own interests. They will never be a formal ally or partner in the United States, but it doesn't mean that we cannot have the strongest of possible relationships as allied nations on the global stage," he said.

(Reporting by Patricia Zengerle and David Brunnstrom; Editing by Mark Porter, Marguerita Choy and Christian Schmollinger)
Update: Around 4 p.m. on July 30, the TPD announced it located the stolen vehicle and took two people into custody. The search for the missing puppy is ongoing.

TOPEKA (KSNT)  The Topeka Police Department (TPD) is asking for community assistance in finding a stolen vehicle that had a puppy inside.

At 9 a.m. on July 30 the TPD said in a press release its on the lookout for a black Volkswagen Passat with the tag number KS 0806ABC. The vehicle was reported as stolen around 5:30 a.m. from a Kwik Shop at Southwest Sixth and MacVicar.

Police said a puppy was inside the vehicle when it was stolen. The TPD shared a photo of the car and of the puppy.

City of Topeka will vote on a $750k ice skating rink

Photo courtesy of the Topeka Police Department.

Photo courtesy of the Topeka Police Department.

The TPD is asking anyone with information on the vehicles whereabouts to call 911 or report anonymously to Shawnee County Crime Stoppers at 785-234-0007.

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.

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For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to KSNT 27 News.
Torrential flooding yields multiple large fish kills in miles-long stretch of lake: 'Additional reports of fish mortalities are likely'

A large number of dead fish have been reported in a Wisconsin lake after torrential flooding likely led to low oxygen levels in the water, the Wisconsin State Journal reported.

What's happening?

Large numbers of dead fish were reported at Buffalo Lake. When state fish biologists investigated, they found low dissolved oxygen levels in the water  likely the result of recent flooding that led decomposing vegetation to be released from wetlands into the lake.

"When a waterbody has widespread low dissolved oxygen levels and no deeper, cooler water for fish to move to, it can result in fish mortality," the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources explained, adding, "Additional reports of fish mortalities are likely."

Why are fish kills and flooding important?

Wisconsin has been forced to deal with the effects of heavy rainfall recently  in early July, a dam was breached, causing people who lived downriver to evacuate.

"It just wouldn't stop raining in and around the Manawa area," local meteorologist Scott Cultice told the Associated Press. "They had water rescues. Most of the downtown roads were flooded. We just can't get rid of the rain. It's just not moving, just stalling."

Broadly speaking, extreme weather events such as flooding (and also droughts, heat waves, and more) have become more frequent and more intense as a consequence of the changes to our planet's weather patterns that have been wrought by dirty energy sources such as gas and oil.

This is not the first time that these consequences have led to fish kills, either. In Florida, record flooding recently triggered Biscayne Bay's fourth major fish kill in as many years.

What's being done about the flooding?

Wisconsin is looking into how to mitigate future flooding, which it began studying after devastating 2018 floods caused one death and $21.4 million in property damages.

As far as the fish kills go, state officials advised residents to contact the Department of Natural Resources if they spot large quantities of dead fish and to not attempt to collect or handle them themselves.

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Trader Joes representatives toured undisclosed properties in the Tri-Cities on Tuesday, July 30  the most promising sign to date that the quirky grocer may consider locating a store here.

A source who spoke on the condition of anonymity confirmed the visit, adding that it was unclear what specific properties the visitors toured.

A site visit is no guarantee it will opt to build a store here, but the visit is the first time the companys interest has been confirmed to be looking.

Trader Joes tops the list of retailers Tri-Citians most want to see open a store in Kennewick, Pasco, Richland or West Richland. Trader Joes rumors periodically make the rounds, though the rumor mill has been inactive in recent months before springing back to life.

A Facebook page dedicated to supporting a Trader Joes in the Tri-Cities has been inactive for nearly two years.

Word that the Monrovia, Calif.-based company sent representatives to the Mid-Columbia this week was met with surprise and denials by developers or owners of the most obvious locations for a future store.

Those contacted by the Tri-City Herald either denied talking to Trader Joes or affirmed they arent part of its current plans.

A Trader Joes spokeswoman issued a familiar denial as well.

We are actively looking at hundreds of neighborhoods across the country as we hope to open more new neighborhood stores each year. We do not currently have a confirmed location in Pasco, WA. We list all of the stores that are opening soon on our website, Nakia Rohde, public relations manager, told the Tri-City Herald.

Trader Joes operates stores in Western Washington as well as in the Spokane area.

It is developing dozens of new ones, including two within reach of the Tri-Cities  in Coeur dAlene, Idaho, and in Vancouver, Wash.

Other stores are pending in Salt Lake City, Utah, Sherman Oaks, Calif, Mt. Pleasant, S.C., Leesburg, Va., Raleigh, N.C., Santa Clara, Calif., Ladera Ranch, Calif., Pasadena, Calif., Palm Harbor, Fla. Springfield, Va., Sugar Land, Texas, Milwaukie, Ore., Chandler, Ariz., Reno, Nev., Coppell, Texas, Sparks, Nev., Sandy Springs, Ga., Northridge, Calif. , Santee, Calif., King of Prussia, Penn. and Greenville, N.C.

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**Related Video Above: How to stay safe during extreme heat

TYBEE ISLAND, Ga. (WJW)  Georgia first responders were unable to save a beloved family pet over the weekend, after the dog had inadvertently gotten inside a vehicle.

The Tybee Island Police Department said they responded to a call Saturday at about 1:30 p.m. from a distraught family on vacation with an animal in need of medical attention.

Viral video: Turkey attacks car on Boston street

Upon investigation, police said they learned two kids had gone out to the family vehicle to retrieve something that morning, not realizing their small dog had followed them and hopped inside the hot car.

Some time later, the family realized the dog was missing and began searching. Once found, the dog was reportedly in the in the midst of a medical crisis, police reported.

Woman severely burned in rare attack at Summit Metro Parks: Officials

While this event is tragic, the responding officers determined it to be an accident involving children who had no desire or intent to harm their beloved pet, Tybee Island police said in a Facebook post. Our hearts remain with the family, and any who may have been affected, as they attempt to move forward from this 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 Fox 8 Cleveland WJW.
Women's health tech, which leverages innovations in AI, smartphones and connected wearables to give women more insights into reproductive and menstrual health, continues to gain momentum with users, and investors are following.

London-based Flo Health, a fertility-focused period-tracking app, on Tuesday said it has raised a $200 million Series C from General Atlantic. The funding values the startup at more than $1 billion post-money, which, per the company, makes it the first purely digital women's health app to become a unicorn. That distinction is challenging to qualify, since it seems that there are no clear "purely digital" unicorns in the women's health category for comparison. (Maven, which describes itself as a health clinic and benefits platform, was last valued at $1.33 billion in 2022.)

The fundraise comes after an impressive run of growth, which is notable considering the bumps Flo has faced, including one around a now-settled, privacy-related regulatory investigation from the Federal Trade Commission, and the generally bearish state of the technology market. The company says it has served some 380 million users globally so far, and it currently has 70 million monthly active users of its free product, and another 5 million who are paying for the premium version.

The funding will be used both to attract more users, as well as to appeal to older users with a focus on menopause and perimenopause. The startup may also look to make acquisitions to grow inorganically, potentially with more support from General Atlantic.

"We are excited about their big vision and the innovation ahead for the broader womens health and wellness ecosystem," said Jessie Cai, principal at General Atlantic, in a statement. "We believe Flo is a category leader and look forward to leveraging our deep expertise across disruptive consumer technology and subscription platforms to support the companys continued growth. Cai and Tanzeen Syed, MD, and head of consumer internet and technology at General Atlantic, are both joining Flo's board.

Investors have poured nearly $5 billion into women's health startups over the last three years, which represents a jump of around 60% on the three years prior to that, per PitchBook data cited by the Financial Times. Part of that increase has been due to a rapid acceleration of technology, including the use of AI, to provide more insights to users, and part is likely a sign of the times, since digital health is often part and parcel of healthcare.

Flos last round, a Series B of $50 million in 2021, was part of that investment swing. This latest $200 million  raised after significant inbound interest, the CEO told me  points to more acceleration for the biggest players.

Story continues

Flos origins are quite interesting: CEO Dmitry Gurski co-founded the company with his twin brother after accumulating years of experience building other fitness and health apps. The pair are part of the massive trove of tech talent that has left Belarus for other countries in the wake of geopolitical turmoil.

The following is an interview with Gurski about the funding, Flo, and things in between, edited for clarity and length. It was conducted over email.

Many [women's health] startups like Elvie also build hardware as part of their product. Do you have any plans in that area? If not, whats on the horizon for Flo?

We dont have any plans to build hardware into our product. Our priority is to continue integrations with devices like Apple Watch and deliver a personalized experience for users across ages and demographics, and personal health goals. This includes providing accurate cycle and symptom predictions, improving personalized health insights, and strengthening our localization in international regions.

You started Flo in 2015 having never built any healthcare apps previously. What got you interested in this area?

My brother and I had a background in building health and fitness apps prior to Flo, including apps for fitness, yoga and running. I also have a degree in pharmaceutics and drug design.

However, I saw the challenges women face in healthcare, and realized there was a critically underserved gap in the women's health market. At the time we founded Flo, the market was full of simple apps offering surface-level information and tools, but there was a lack of innovation focused on education and personalized insights. So, we set out to create Flo. We envisioned a platform that would empower women with accurate, personalized insights throughout their reproductive journey.

We listened to countless women worldwide, gathering insights on their expectations. We brought in Dr. Anna Klepchukova as our chief medical officer, who established the Flo Medical and Scientific Advisory Board, which now includes over 120+ leading experts in female health.

What would you say has been Flos breakthrough or unique selling point?

Were proud that Flo serves one in four U.S. women today. Flo offers the broadest set of features compared to other period tracking apps across several modes (tracking, trying to conceive, pregnancy, etc.).

Flo sets itself apart with features like "Anonymous Mode" for enhanced privacy, and Symptom Checker for personalized health insights. Specifically, our platform offers curated cycle and ovulation tracking, and users can monitor over 70 symptoms and access various features to enhance their understanding and management of their health. In 2023, Flo launched "Flo for Partners," which lets users educate and empower their partners with scientific insights into their menstrual and reproductive health.

You were the subject of an FTC investigation several years ago, which has now been settled. How did that impact business? What did you do to change your practices at Flo?

We did indeed reach a settlement with the FTC in 2021. It is important to note that agreement was in no way an admission of wrongdoing, but  as a growing company  a decision to avoid the time and expense of litigation and to put the matter behind us decisively. Flo did not at any time sell data.

We have a comprehensive privacy and security framework with a robust set of policies and procedures to safeguard our users data, and these are regularly reviewed both internally and using independent auditors.

We are proud to be the only dual-certified female health app to hold both the ISO 27001 Security and ISO 27701 Privacy certifications.

What have you taken away from that FTC experience?

Our priority is, and always has been, to protect our users data. We understand that our users place trust in our technology to keep their sensitive information private, and the responsibility we have to provide a safe platform for them to use. Thats why we implement measures designed to protect individual user data and privacy rights. We are transparent about our data practices and adhere strictly to applicable regulations.

You currently have both free and premium product offerings. How do you plan to develop that in the longer term? How do you get people to move from free to paid?

Our subscription offering will remain our core business model, and there are no plans to change that.

As part of our next growth phase, we will focus on expanding our user base. We will extend our reach to untapped user segments by developing features for women experiencing perimenopause and menopause, and partners of our existing users through our "Flo for Partners" feature.

Do you monetize the paid tier of users in any way? If so, how? Do you plan to?

Our monetization strategy is through our premium subscriptions, which provide additional features and insights to users. We continuously innovate to enhance the value of our premium offerings without compromising the core functionality of our free version.

Will you continue to keep the free tier indefinitely?

We dont have any plans to change our business model, as it has proven to be very successful.

Can you talk a little about where your users are located currently and their average age? (Im guessing the U.S. is your biggest market but would love to know the actual proportion.)

Flo maintains a strong and growing presence in North America and Western Europe. Our average user age is 18-35, but its important for us to cater to users at all stages of their reproductive lives. That is why one of our key focuses, as part of this next phase of growth, is extending our reach to untapped user segments.

What are the primary differences between business in the U.S. versus Europe or other parts of the world? Does a particular markets healthcare system play a role (for example, in the UK we have the NHS)?

The main difference is mostly the propensity for people to pay for a premium subscription. We see different conversion [rates] to premium in different countries.

Were also aware that in some regions, there is a huge gap in women's health services, and women might be less able to pay for a premium subscription, which was important for us to address. Our global pro-social program provides free access to Flo Premium across 66 countries, including India, Indonesia and Nigeria, with nearly 16 million women already benefiting.

You are originally from Belarus. How has the situation in that part of the world impacted your trajectory as an investor and entrepreneur?

I have been living and working in London, from our HQ, for a while now. Regarding the recent events, I'm fortunate that our business hasn't been directly impacted. We've always maintained a global outlook, and Russia has never been a significant part of our market.

It looks also like a big part of your team is in Lithuania. Do you plan to continue doing the majority of development there (assuming these are R&D workers)?

Flo Health is headquartered in London, but we do have a major hub in Vilnius, Lithuania. We plan to invest in top-tier talent, with an emphasis on engineering, in both regions.

Through your investment firm, Palta, youve been at the table for a number of acquisitions of portfolio companies, including MSQRD, which Facebook acquired. What has that taught you about building Flo?

The most important thing Ive learned is the importance of creating the best possible product for a large market at the right time. This insight has been fundamental to our success and growth. My experience with other companies has provided me with valuable insights on how to grow a business effectively. From the beginning, we understood the significance of timing and the need to address a substantial market with a high-quality product.

For clarity, I have not been part of or involved in Palta since 2018, when Flo reached major growth. In fact, the Palta investment company was created after the inception of Flo Health. I do participate in board meetings and sometimes advise, but otherwise my focus is 100% dedicated to Flo.
Benjamin Perry

More than 200 people recently crammed themselves into an elementary school gymnasium in rural Maine. Bleachers filled to capacity, some folks sat on folding chairs arranged across the floor, and others could only find space leaning against walls. A sea of trans pride flags waved, but the mood was somber as dozens of community members testified, until 2:00 a.m., begging the school board not to eliminate a policy that protected trans students.

Scenes like this are playing out in towns across the country, as trans children and families fight for their rights in the face of legislative bigotry. Fueled by vilification in right-wing media and well-funded lobbying groups, 625 anti-trans bills have been introduced in state legislatures, in 2024 alone, with 193 of them targeting kids in schools.

Despite these daunting odds, communities like mine are fighting back so that every child can attend school safely and be welcomed in the fullness of who they are. What went down in Maine, for example, offers a roadmap for how a town can reclaim power from those who wield it for harm.

From the beginning of the June school board meeting in Maine's RSU 40 district in Union, it was clear that the overwhelming majority of people assembled supported the existing nondiscrimination policy. Quite basic in its construction, the ordinance simply translated Maines LGBTQIA+ legal protections into clear guidance for teachers and administrators: It instructed educators to use the students correct pronouns, enabled trans students to use the appropriate bathroom, prohibited bullying, and prevented teachers from outing students to their parents. The policy had already been in place for six years without incident, yet some board members were still trying to kill it.

Repeatedly, the board heard from school staff about the urgent need for this policy. As one social worker bluntly put it, It would be really super if you could keep the transgender policy in place because it helps us do our job on the ground, with the students that we work with. Deleting the policy isnt going to delete the students I work with who identify as transgender; theyre still going to be there.

Educators tried to gently instruct board members on the facts of gender identity, such as the middle school science teacher who pointed out, The assertion that only binary male and female exists is simply not science, further pleading to the board that, Policy decisions ought to be based on evidence, research, and objective reality.

The simmering confusion and anger many felt about the boards intention was neatly summed up in a librarians plaintive question: Why cause fear and panic in children who are only trying to receive an education?

But the evenings most powerful testimony came from students themselves. One trans student named the stakes very clearly: Without the support of this district, specifically, I dont think I would be here with all of you tonight, they said. This policy is single-handedly the main reason Im able to speak.

A ninth-grader who presented a petition against the policy, which was signed by more than 100 students in the district, wryly observed, It seems our lives at school are about political agendas to some members of the board, not our education. And, with a hint at the events to come, a high school senior cautioned, If you hear our views and continue with the removal of this policy, you are showing us  the teachers, the parents, and staff members in this district  that your actions are not truly in our best interest. I suggest you think hard before making a decision that sends this message.

When public comment ended, 77 people had spoken in favor of the policy; only 22 opposed. But in the end, it didnt matter: The board voted to eliminate the policy. In comments defending her vote, board member Jeanette Wheeler offered trans students conversion, not protection. I say theyre hopeless, and if [the trans children] could search for something in their lives, she said, my thought is, Why not Jesus Christ?

Consider what happened in that gymnasium. A trans teenager had the courage to tell the board that they might have died by suicide if it wasnt for the schools affirming policies. The board also heard from a child psychologist who testified to the higher risk of suicidality. Teachers and administrators pleaded to keep the policy. Parents of trans and gender-nonconforming students begged for compassion. OUTMaine board members testified, citing research from the University of Southern Maine showing that LGBTQIA+ students in the state are eight times more likely to be bullied because of their perceived sexuality or gender expression and nearly four times as likely to seriously consider suicide. These desperate warnings were not heeded. Through their votes, conservative board members pushed policy forward that research shows increases the likelihood of bullying and even death.

Sadly, these dynamics are playing out across the country as lawmakers enact transphobic laws despite widespread protest. Groups like Moms for Liberty have identified school boards as the new frontline in their hateful crusade, and the fruits of that effort are many. Idaho passed a law defining male and female as the only two legal genders, making it illegal to punish teachers who refuse to use a student's chosen pronouns. Louisiana prohibited teachers from any instruction about sexuality and gender identity. Tennessee passed a bill that compels school administrators to out queer children to their parents. Sometimes it can feel as if queer youth face an unstoppable avalanche. And yet, the parable in rural Maine has a radiant ending because of what community members did next.

After bitter disappointment at the hearing, it would have been easy to spend time ruminating on the boards fundamental betrayal of the students it is called to serve. Instead, folks got busy. Seeing that there were four open board seats but only two progressive candidates running, they organized a write-in campaign. Parents, youth, and a coalition of the loving hosted sign-painting parties, sent postcards, and knocked on doors, encouraging their neighbors to ink the name of Leah Shipps, a lifelong Mainer and mother of two children in the local schools, on their ballots. It worked: Shipps was elected by a margin of just 67 votes, defeating a candidate who had tried to get the book Gender Queer banned from local schools.

This Pride, queer students in my small town saw neighbors who were willing to fight for their ability to thrive. Trans rights arent a big-city issue; theyre woven into the fabric of every community. Trans people are our neighbors, children, coworkers, and friends. And appealing to the empathy of people determined to harm queer youth is simply not sufficient.

As one mother of a trans child said through her tears, As a parent, Ive been so upset about our voices not being enough to protect them. In a moral and just world, her testimony would be enough. The plea of a trans child asking to be treated with basic dignity and respect would win the necessary votes. But we do not have time to wait for the conversion of unwilling hearts. Instead, we must take power and wield it, so every queer person hears an unmistakable message: You are not alone. We will fight this, and we will win.

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They transplant more organs every year. The feds may still pull their license.

With help from New England Donor Services, Kevin and Michele Decoteau, of Mason, donated their sons heart to Gary Swain (right) of Marblehead, Massachusetts. They share their story to promote organ donation. (Courtesy)

Dan Decoteau was on life support at Massachusetts General Hospital with a traumatic brain injury, hours from death, when the organ donor team asked his family to make an excruciating decision. Would they donate his organs and tissue to save other lives? Decoteau, 39, of Milford, New Hampshire, hadnt joined the donor registry, so the decision was theirs.

The family talked with each other and the team. They had disparate thoughts about organ donation, his mother, Michele Decoteau, of Mason, said but agreed on this: (Dan) was a kind, compassionate, selfless person, and we thought he would probably want to save lives.

They said yes.

Among those lives Decoteau saved was Gary Swains, who was in a nearby hospital in desperate need of a heart when Decoteau died on Aug. 6, 2021. Swain underwent transplant surgery the next day, and nine months later, on Mothers Day, he drove to Nashua to meet Michele Decoteau, pink roses in one hand and a stethoscope in the other so she could hear her sons heartbeat.

New England Donor Services, which orchestrated that donation and manages donations in most of New England, is at risk of losing its certification under new federal rules that now hold it accountable for ensuring the organs it provides from deceased donors, not living donors, are actually transplanted, a piece of the process it says it cant control.

Its not alone.

The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services, which oversees organ procurement organizations, has said that as of now, only 15 of the countrys 56 organizations would hold onto their certification under the new rules. The threat comes as New England Donor Services and many organizations have seen significant increases in donors over the last 13 years. New England Donor Services has improved donor recruitment by 53 percent since 2020.

In an email, the CMSs communication office said the new rules are aimed at increasing the number of transplants so fewer people are dying while awaiting an organ. They disputed the argument that donor organizations cant influence how many organs are transplanted.

And so far, the agency has rejected dire warnings from donor organizations, hospitals, transplant centers, and members of Congress that the new rules will destabilize rather than strengthen the system, potentially leading fewer people to get life-saving transplants. Among New Hampshires federal delegation, only Congressman Chris Pappas office said he had shared concerns about the new rules.

In a September letter, the heads of the 14 transplant hospitals that work with New England Donor Services, including Dr. Michael Daily at Dartmouth Hitchcock Medical Center in Lebanon, voiced concerns to Secretary Xavier Becerra of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services.

We recognize no regulation is perfect, and that accountability for (organ procurement organizations) is important to serving the system, the letter read. However, this regulatory approach of combining mathematically flawed metrics with draconian consequences for the majority of non-profit organizations in the worlds top performing donation and transplant system seems particularly ill-advised.

To count organs must be donated and transplanted

While CMS will not determine new certification status for New England Donor Services and the other organizations until 2026, it will base that determination on this years organ donation and transplant numbers. The agency has not yet released the 2024 numbers, but last years numbers may be an indication of whats to come.

New England Donor Services numbers for 2023 would land it in Tier 2, meaning it would not be automatically recertified but could compete with other donor organizations to hold onto its contract with CMS.

In order to move up to Tier 1, where recertification is guaranteed, New England Donor Services would have needed to sign on 46 additional donors in 2023 and report 187 additional organ transplants. They transplanted 1,401 organs that year and recruited 549 donors and expect to hit 662 donors this year. In the Granite State, 55% of people with a drivers license or non-driver ID have opted to add their name to the list at registerme.org.

Instead, despite what President and CEO Alex Glazier described as a record year for donations, New England Donor Services is on track to drop to Tier 3 because of its transplant numbers, she said.

Were at 16% growth in organ donors this year, which is almost not sustainable  yet were not going to even make the median, which doesnt make any sense, Glazier said.

In June alone, her organization added six donors from New Hampshire, 27 from Massachusetts, 18 from Connecticut, eight from Maine, and five from Rhode Island. When you look at a system that is showing that kind of growth, I think what you want to do is make sure that youre supporting that growth, incentivizing that growth, and assessing it accurately. What you dont want to do is destabilize it.

Organs donated and unused

In a 2022 analysis, the Scientific Registry of Transplant Recipients found that nearly 9,345 or 19% of organs recovered for transplant nationally went unused that year, a nearly 15% increase from the year before. In a study that same year, the National Research Council found that just about every player in the organ donor and transplant system  including donor organizations, transplant centers, and CMS  could do better.

In its email to the Bulletin, the CMS communications department said its new certification metrics are intended to address both findings; by improving the system, more organs will go unused, and more lives would be saved, it said.

Recent publications have demonstrated the wide variability of organ retrieval by (organizations) that contributes to disparities in the rate of transplants, the email said. These studies have found that, if the rates of retrieval among (organizations) were consistently high, many more successful organ transplants would occur throughout the U.S.

Among the biggest changes is how CMS will evaluate an organ donor organizations success. Those with the highest donor and transplant numbers will set the standard for everyone; organizations that fall too far below their numbers will risk losing or automatically lose certification, without adjustments for the health of their populations or organ rejections by transplant hospitals.

Dorrie Dils, president of the national Association of Organ Procurement Organizations, said her members share CMSs goal of saving more lives and do not object to federal regulations and accountability. They dont believe CMSs new rules will achieve those goals, however, because they are being measured on aspects of the process they say they cannot control.

When we have to go back to a donor family, a grieving donor family, and thank them for the gifts that theyve given and report that sadly, we were unable to use them, that is a tragedy, Dils said. Its also a tragedy for the people who die waiting for an organ transplant in the United States. And somehow we need to create regulations that improve the entire ecosystem, not just one part of it.

The major issues with the rules

There are four primary complaints about the new rules.

CMS is using data from death certificates to determine the number of potential donors in an organizations territory. Thats a problem, said Glazier, head of New England Donor Services, because there are inconsistencies among states, from who completes the certificate to what causes are listed.

If a death certificate states someone died in a car accident or of blunt force trauma but does not also note the person had tumors or other malignancies, CMS will count the person as a potential donor even though their organs may not be usable, she said.

So, the reliability of that data to actually assess the nuance of whether organ donation was an opportunity is really problematic, Glazier said.

The CMS rules hold all organizations to the same standard but do not factor in their populations unique health conditions, socio-economic status, access to health care, or other factors that can determine health outcomes.

Some areas of the country have very young, healthy populations, said Dils, whose organization represents all organ donor nonprofits. Here in the Midwest, that is not true. In the upper Northeast, that is not true. Our populations are older. Theyre more likely to have diabetes. Theyre more likely to have high blood pressure, strokes, and things that impact their organs. So, for CMS to think that were all dealing with the same population is confusing.

The organizations are recertified every four years, but CMSs certification decisions will be based on a single year of donor and transplant numbers. Thats unfair, Dils and Glazier said, and contrary to how the federal government measures other health care systems.

That would not serve the needs of our rural populations

The fourth complaint from organizations relates to CMSs decision to hold it accountable for decisions about organ transplants that are made by hospitals, not them.

That change has created some tension between organ donor organizations and transplant hospitals, namely over how much influence an organization can have over an organs chances of being transplanted.

In May, for example, New England Donor Services made nearly 24,000 offers to candidates on the 46 livers that were donated that month. Fourteen, or 30%, of the livers went unused, even though the organization made nearly 12,720 offers on just those.

Rejections were not unique to livers. Of all 182 hearts, kidneys, lungs, and other organs New England Donor Services offered in May, 87 were not transplanted. Most people on the transplant waiting lists need kidneys, but transplant hospitals rejected 225 kidneys from Glaziers group in 2023 despite the 1.2 million offers it made to hospitals around the country.

And were held accountable by CMS for the fact that they didnt get transplanted, Glazier said.

CMSs communications office said it is taking other steps to improve hospitals transplant rates and offering organizations assistance and training to improve their rates.

Dr. Michael Chobanian, medical director of transplantation surgery at Dartmouth Hitchcock, doesnt agree with CMSs new approach to certification and doesnt want to see New England lose its organization, especially if a large operation like New Yorks absorbs it. The next step would likely be bringing smaller transplant programs under the auspices of the largest programs, he said. That would not serve the needs of our rural populations in New Hampshire and Vermont.

But Chobanian believes organizations have more influence over transplant rates than they suggest.

For example, organs need to be transplanted within hours. Taking too long to obtain information about the donor or testing of organs can render them unusable, he said.

I believe (organ donor organizations) do need to be more efficient and timely, Chobanian said in an email. However, it is not necessarily (an organizations) fault each and every time an organ is rejected.

Organs are rejected for many other reasons, including poor quality or indication from a biopsy that a transplant would likely not succeed, Chobanian said. The age and the quality of organs from deceased donors has changed and led to consequences, he said. For example, hospitals are transplanting marginal kidneys they wouldnt have years ago because the wait list for kidneys has grown so long.

We have been forced to take risks we wouldnt have had to do before the change, Chobanian said. This has forced longer hospital stays, more organs which have not worked as expected  and higher rates of rejection.

From patient to advocate

Erin Geraghty Contino of Lee got a life-saving heart transplant at 18 months old, a year after being diagnosed with idiopathic dilated cardiomyopathy, a disease that enlarges and weakens the heart. Shed been awaiting a heart transplant at Boston Childrens Hospital for nine days when New England Donor Services, which operated under a different name then, located one.

That was nearly 28 years ago. Shes now an advocate for the organization and worries the new CMS rules will end in decertification.

I needed that transplant in order to live, Geraghty Contino said. Without it, she wouldnt have gone to college, gotten married, or had her son Calvin, now 2.

New England Donor Services has been amazing and it is just a breath of fresh air to have them on your team, she said. They handled it so well that I would be very nervous if (local organ donation) was in someone elses hands.

New Hampshire Bulletin is part of States Newsroom, a nonprofit news network supported by grants and a coalition of donors as a 501c(3) public charity. New Hampshire Bulletin maintains editorial independence. Contact Editor Dana Wormald for questions: info@newhampshirebulletin.com. Follow New Hampshire Bulletin on Facebook and X.
Green McAdoo Cultural Center in Clinton presents "Building a Bright Future: Black Communities and Rosenwald Schools in Tennessee," a new traveling exhibition, on display Aug. 1-Sept. 13.

Created by the Tennessee State Museum in partnership with The John Hope and Aurelia E. Franklin Library at Fisk University, the exhibition traces the history of education for Black Tennesseans from the Reconstruction period, through the development of the Rosenwald program, and into the present day.

The last Rosenwald School in Williamson County makes its way from Spring Hill to Franklin in February 2024. The Rosenwald Schools were created to educate Black Americans. A traveling exhibit that tells about them opens Aug. 1 at the Green McAdoo Cultural Center in Clinton.

We couldnt be more excited to host this excellent travelling exhibit from the Tennessee State Museum, Adam Velk, Green McAdoo Cultural Center director, stated in a news release. Getting an opportunity to tell these stories about what education means to a community is a joy. At the heart of our centers story is the discussion about Black education, and this is just a natural extension of that.

What are commonly referred to as Rosenwald Schools were the result of an initial partnership between Sears, Roebuck, and Co. President Julius Rosenwald, Tuskegee Institute President Booker T. Washington, and Black communities throughout the South. Between 1912-1937, that partnership resulted in the construction of almost 5,000 schools for Black children across 15 Southern states, including 354 in Tennessee. Rosenwald schools drove improvement in Black educational attainment and helped educate the generation who became leaders of the Civil Rights movement.

The traveling exhibition on display at the Green McAdoo Cultural Center consists of five two-sided panels and includes the stories of alumni and community members from 16 different Rosenwald Schools in Tennessee.

TSM and Fisk wanted to build a more diverse and inclusive space for all Tennesseans to learn about and honor the history and legacy of Black education in the state, Debbie Shaw, senior curator of archaeology at the Tennessee State Museum, is quoted as saying in the news release. The resilience and perseverance of these Black communities as they strived for equal access to education is highlighted through their work with the Rosenwald School program. The legacy continues today as members from these same groups work toward the preservation of these schools and communities.

A traveling exhibit is coming to the Green McAdoo Cultural Center in Clinton, Tennessee.

Our teams at the Fisk University John Hope and Aurelia E. Franklin Library and the Forging Future Pathways Forward: Building a Portal to Rosenwald Collections for all at Fisk University project were thrilled to partner and collaborate with Tennessee State Museum, stated DeLisa M. Harris, director of library services at Fisk University. This exhibit is the first major showcase of the impact and legacy of the Julius Rosenwald Fund Rural School program in Tennessee.

This traveling exhibit is an expansion of "Building a Bright Future: Black Communities and Rosenwald Schools in Tennessee," an initiative that included a 4,000 square foot temporary exhibit at the Tennessee State Museum and a two-day symposium. The project won a 2024 American Association for State and Local History (AASLH) Leadership in History Award of Excellence and the 2024 Tennessee Association of Museums Presidents Award.

Green McAdoo Cultural Center, 101 School St., is open 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Tuesday through Saturday. It is closed every Sunday and Monday. Admission is free.

The Green McAdoo Cultural Center in Clinton is dedicated to telling the story of the Clinton 12 - the young black students who in August 1956, quietly entered the front door of all-white Clinton High School, making it the first desegregated public high school in the South. The center opened in 2006 as part of the 50th anniversary commemoration of the historic event. It is the former site of the segregated Green McAdoo Grammar School, where African American students attended grades first through eighth. Outside the center is a display of a dozen life-sized bronze statues by The Large Art Company that depict each of the students as they are about to walk from their neighborhood to integrate Clinton High. The center includes a 1950s period classroom, videos, letters and historical artifacts.

This article originally appeared on Oakridger: Exhibit on history of education for Black Tennesseans opens
Travis County looks for solutions to clean up growing public nuisances

TRAVIS COUNTY, Texas (KXAN)  County leaders are looking at how to clean up a growing public nuisance.

On Tuesday, Travis County commissioners approved initial funding for a public nuisance abatement pilot program. The goal is to help clean up and remove some public nuisances for property owners who cannot financially do it themselves, according to county documents.

The initial cost is about $300,000 which will be a fiscal year 2025 budget request. This includes costs for an outside contractor to help property owners with clean up and removal and the cost of one full-time employee who will work with property owners and the county attorneys office.

County staff have tried to work with property owners for voluntary compliance, but some cases have not been resolved, according to county agenda documents. There are dozens of public nuisance cases each year, and the ongoing problem continues to grow, county documents said.

Travis County also has an agreement with Austin Public Health to investigate and mitigate public nuisances.

More information about the pilot program is expected to be presented to commissioners in August or September.

What are public nuisances?

Public nuisances pose hazards to safety, health or public welfare, per county documents.

County code includes these definitions of public nuisance:

Keeping, storing, or accumulating refuse on premises in a neighborhood unless the refuse is entirely contained in a closed receptacle;

Keeping, storing, or accumulating rubbish, including newspapers, abandoned vehicles, refrigerators, stoves, furniture, tires, and cans, on premises in a neighborhood for 10 days or more, unless the rubbish or object is completely enclosed in a building or is not visible from a public street;

Maintaining premises in a manner that creates an unsanitary condition likely to attract or harbor mosquitoes, rodents, vermin, or disease-carrying pests;

Allowing weeds to grow on premises in a neighborhood if the weeds are located within 300 feet of another residence or commercial establishment;

Maintaining a building in a manner that is structurally unsafe or constitutes a hazard to safety, health, or public welfare because of inadequate maintenance, unsanitary conditions, dilapidation, obsolescence, disaster, damage, or abandonment or because it constitutes a fire hazard;

Maintaining on abandoned and unoccupied property in a neighborhood a swimming pool that is not protected with: a fence that is at least 4 feet high and that has a latch gate that cannot be opened by a child; or a cover over the entire swimming pool that cannot be removed by a child; or

Maintaining a flea market in a manner that constitutes a fire hazard.

What nuisance policies does Austin have?

Austin Police Departments Nuisance Abatement Unit works with property owners to get compliance on properties considered a nuisance, according to the city. Properties deemed a common nuisance can be closed for one year after a successful suit unless a penal bond is posted.

The nuisance abatement process supplements traditional policing by providing an addition tool to remedy illegal activity at specific properties and/or locations within the city of Austin, according to APD.

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For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to KXAN Austin.
Trees dont like to breathe wildfire smoke, either  and theyll hold their breath to avoid it

When wildfire smoke is in the air, doctors urge people to stay indoors to avoid breathing in harmful particles and gases. But what happens to trees and other plants that cant escape from the smoke?

They respond a bit like us, it turns out: Some trees essentially shut their windows and doors and hold their breath.

As atmospheric and chemical scientists, we study the air quality and ecological effects of wildfire smoke and other pollutants. In a study that started quite by accident when smoke overwhelmed our research site in Colorado, we were able to watch in real time how the leaves of living pine trees responded.

How plants breathe

Plants have pores on the surface of their leaves called stomata. These pores are much like our mouths, except that while we inhale oxygen and exhale carbon dioxide, plants inhale carbon dioxide and exhale oxygen.

A highly magnified view of stomata in a maize leaf. Umberto Salvagnin/Flickr, CC BY

Both humans and plants inhale other chemicals in the air around them and exhale chemicals produced inside them  coffee breath for some people, pine scents for some trees.

Unlike humans, however, leaves breathe in and out at the same time, constantly taking in and releasing atmospheric gases.

Clues from over a century of research

In the early 1900s, scientists studying trees in heavily polluted areas discovered that those chronically exposed to pollution from coal-burning had black granules clogging the leaf pores through which plants breathe. They suspected that the substance in these granules was partly created by the trees, but due to the lack of available instruments at the time, the chemistry of those granules was never explored, nor were the effects on the plants photosynthesis.

Most modern research into wildfire smokes effects has focused on crops, and the results have been conflicting.

For example, a study of multiple crop and wetland sites in California showed that smoke scatters light in a way that made plants more efficient at photosynthesis and growth. However, a lab study in which plants were exposed to artificial smoke found that plant productivity dropped during and after smoke exposure  though those plants did recover after a few hours.

There are other clues that wildfire smoke can impact plants in negative ways. You may have even tasted one: When grapes are exposed to smoke, their wine can be tainted.

What makes smoke toxic, even far from the fire

When wildfire smoke travels long distances, the smoke cooks in sunlight and chemically changes.

Mixing volatile organic compounds, nitrogen oxides and sunlight will make ground-level ozone, which can cause breathing problems in humans. It can also damage plants by degrading the leaf surface, oxidizing plant tissue and slowing photosynthesis.

Smoke has particles much smaller than the width of a hair and gases that evolve in sunlight. Jen Burgess/IsolineStudios for BC Centre for Disease Control

While scientists usually think about urban regions as being large sources of ozone that effect crops downwind, wildfire smoke is an emerging concern. Other compounds, including nitrogen oxides, can also harm plants and reduce photosynthesis.

Taken together, studies suggest that wildfire smoke interacts with plants, but in poorly understood ways. This lack of research is driven by the fact that studying smoke effects on the leaves of living plants in the wild is hard: Wildfires are hard to predict, and it can be unsafe to be in smoky conditions.

Accidental research  in the middle of a wildfire

We didnt set out to study plant responses to wildfire smoke. Instead, we were trying to understand how plants emit volatile organic compounds  the chemicals that make forests smell like a forest, but also impact air quality and can even change clouds.

Fall 2020 was a bad season for wildfires in the western U.S., and thick smoke came through a field site where we were working in the Rocky Mountains of Colorado.

On the first morning of heavy smoke, we did our usual test to measure leaf-level photosynthesis of Ponderosa pines. We were surprised to discover that the trees pores were completely closed and photosynthesis was nearly zero.

We also measured the leaves emissions of their usual volatile organic compounds and found very low readings. This meant that the leaves werent breathing  they werent inhaling the carbon dioxide they need to grow and werent exhaling the chemicals they usually release.

A clear day at the Colorado test site, on the left, compared to the smoky day when trees responded to the poor air quality, on the right. Mj Riches, CC BY-SA

With these unexpected results, we decided to try to force photosynthesis and see if we could defibrillate the leaf into its normal rhythm. By changing the leafs temperature and humidity, we cleared the leafs airways and saw a sudden improvement in photosynthesis and a burst of volatile organic compounds.

What our months of data told us is that some plants respond to heavy bouts of wildfire smoke by shutting down their exchange with outside air. They are effectively holding their breath, but not before they have been exposed to the smoke.

We hypothesize a few processes that could have caused leaves to close their pores: Smoke particles could coat the leaves, creating a layer that prevents the pores from opening. Smoke could also enter the leaves and clog their pores, keeping them sticky. Or the leaves could physically respond to the first signs of smoke and close their pores before they get the worst of it.

Its likely a combination of these and other responses.

The long-term impact is still unknown

The jury is still out on exactly how long the effects of wildfire smoke last and how repeated smoke events will affect plants  including trees and crops  over the long term.

With wildfires increasing in severity and frequency due to climate change, forest management policies and human behavior, its important to gain a better understanding of the impact.

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: Delphine Farmer, Colorado State University and Mj Riches, Colorado State University

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Delphine Farmer receives funding from the National Science Foundation, the Department of Energy, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, the Alfred P. Sloan Foundation, and the W.M. Keck Foundation.

Mj Riches receives funding from the National Science Foundation.
Trial for Christopher Davis in Barry Schmalbach murder case could begin in September

Christopher Davis, 36, who faces second-degree murder and fraud charges related to the death of Barry Schmalbach, 56, shown in this family photograph. The trial is expected to take four days. Schmalbach, of Cape Coral, hasn't been seen in a year.

The trial for a transient Cape Coral man accused of killing his boyfriend days before he reported his disappearance could come as soon as late September.

Lee Circuit Judge Nicholas Thompson has set a Sept. 24 tentative trial start date for Christopher Davis, 36, who faces second-degree murder and fraud charges related to the death of Barry Schmalbach, 56. The trial is expected to take four days.

Months after the mysterious, sudden disappearance of Schmalbach, authorities announced his boyfriend, Davis, faced the various charges.

Davis is being held at the Lee County Jail without bond.

Schmalbach's family and friends had not heard from nor seen him since the evening of July 19, 2023. He lived in the 1800 block of Beach Parkway.

During a January news conference, Cape Coral police Chief Anthony Sizemore said Davis called police July 22, 2023, to report the disappearance. He also said the call prompted police suspicion and launched an investigation that concluded Jan. 25.

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Investigators collected a "massive" amount of physical evidence, obtained witness statements, and collected and examined digital forensic evidence.

Police issued a warrant for Davis' arrest on one count of second-degree murder, one count of tampering with evidence and nine counts of fraudulent use of personal identification of a deceased individual.

Sizemore said technological advances in forensics were pivotal in charging Davis.

The police chief previously said that, given the "deceptive nature" of the call in question, authorities suspected foul play.

While they investigated Schmalbach's disappearance, Sizemore said they discovered a warrant for Davis' arrest. Cape Coral Police arrested him in front of Esporta Gym, 2301 Del Prado Blvd. S., on the active warrant out of Columbia, South Carolina, for a probation violation dated July 11, 2018.

Just over seven months after the mysterious, sudden disappearance of Barry Schmalbach, 56, authorities have announced his boyfriend, Christopher Davis, 35, will face an array of charges, including second-degree murder.

The violation is related to a 2013 conviction on one count of grand larceny and two counts of credit card fraud, said Anita Dantzler, spokesperson for the South Carolina Department of Probation, Parole and Pardon Services.

He was taken into custody in Lee County on Aug. 1, 2023. Lee County Jail records indicate Davis was extradited to South Carolina nine days later. He was remanded to Lee County on June 27.

Schmalbach's sister, Emily Scaletta, who lives in Chicago, told The News-Press that Schmalbach had lived in Naples before he moved to Cape Coral.

Schmalbach has been described as a 6'3" white male who weighs 200 pounds and has balding blonde hair and blue eyes. His remains have not been found.

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: Christopher Davis trial date set in Barry Schmalbach murder
WEST PALM BEACH  Darnell Mendez and Samantha Yi, a Lantana-area couple accused of dealing drugs, could be sentenced to life in prison in the fatal overdose of a customer's 10-month-old baby. Two months before they were scheduled to fight the charges at trial, Mendez pleaded guilty instead.

Federal investigators said Mendez cut, capped and packaged the drugs blamed for the baby's death. Mendez, unlike his girlfriend, is represented by the federal public defender's office. While his cooperation with prosecutors doesn't guarantee him a shorter prison sentence, it does make one more likely.

Prosecutors wrote Thursday that they intend to recommend that U.S. District Judge Bruce Reinhart sentence the 32-year-old to 30 years in prison. For Yi, who has maintained her innocence and is slated to face jurors in September, prosecutors pressed an additional 15 charges with penalties ranging from 15 years to life.

Ian Goldstein, Yi's defense attorney, said there's "no proof" that Yi provided the drugs to the mother of the baby who died. He added that the infant's mother, who faces her own criminal charges in relation to the baby's death, "is trying to get leniency by testifying against my client.

From the courts: First-degree murder charges for drug dealers in Palm Beach aren't sticking. Heres why.

Yi and Mendez's arrests followed a long investigation by the Boynton Beach Police Department, the Palm Beach County Sheriffs Office and the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration after the infant's death in 2022. Prosecutors believe the couple regularly sold fentanyl capsules to a mother and father in their 30s who were raising an infant in Boynton Beach.

The mother, Kelly Ann Kirwan, told police that she and her partner, who is not named in court records, often emptied the capsules onto the kitchen counters of their Boynton Beach home and snorted the white powder together. She identified Yi and Mendez as their sole suppliers.

Baby's mother bought more drugs before calling 911

On March 31, 2022, while the child's father was at work, Kirwan said she noticed their daughter begin to make strange noises. Kirwan videotaped the baby and texted the clips to her friends and family, one of whom responded: This cant possibly be a normal sleeping sound.

The mother, who investigators say often commiserated with Yi about motherhood while buying drugs from her in nearby parking lots, sent another video to Yi.

Have you ever heard anything like this??!?!!?? Kirwan wrote.

According to court records, Kirwan drove with the baby to Yis home about 7 p.m. that day to purchase more drugs, not yet aware of the severity of her daughters condition. Shortly before 8 p.m.  about three hours after Kirwan recorded the first video of her baby in respiratory distress  she called 911.

Post investigation: Florida Shuffle: State's failure to oversee addiction treatment leaves patients in deadly danger

First responders drove the infant to Bethesda Hospital East in Boynton Beach with her mother. Investigators met Kirwan there before driving to her apartment, where they say they found the childs father in the process of emptying bottles of unidentified liquids and capsules.

Officers found prescription pill bottles throughout the apartment, Benadryl pills on the couch, an empty capsule in the bedroom, another floating in the toilet and two spray bottles overturned in the kitchen sink.

When they returned to the hospital to question the mother, officers said they overheard the father tell Kirwan over the phone not to tell them anything.

Doctors moved the baby, who by then did not have any brain activity or nerve response, to Joe DiMaggio Childrens Hospital in Hollywood. She died soon afterward.

Overdosed and deadly: Five things to know about opioids in Palm Beach County

Accused dealer warned officers the drugs were 'dropping people'

An autopsy conducted by the Palm Beach County Medical Examiner's Office identified fentanyl intoxication as the baby's cause of death. The office ruled her death a homicide, prompting Kirwans arrest on charges of aggravated manslaughter of a child by culpable negligence.

Her criminal case, filed in Palm Beach County Circuit Court, remains open. Following her arrest, Kirwan helped DEA investigators identify the dealers she says are responsible for her baby's death. Investigators uncovered months of texts between Yi and Kirwan that chronicled their drug transactions. As part of the investigation, two undercover officers purchased fentanyl from Yi and Mendez for nearly a year.

"They're really strong. Please be careful," Yi told the undercover officers during one such purchase. "It's dropping people. It's dropping people, so you've got to be careful."

On a Sunday in August, she typed into Google: "What is the charge for killing someone in Florida with overdosing from fentanyl?"

Agents arrested her and Mendez six months later at their home in the Lantana Cascade neighborhood off Congress Avenue. During the raid, officers found 14 firearms which, as previously convicted felons, Yi and Mendez are prohibited from owning.

Hannah Phillips covers criminal justice at The Palm Beach Post. You can reach her at hphillips@pbpost.com. Help support our journalism and subscribe today.

This article originally appeared on Palm Beach Post: Florida man pleads guilty to selling drug that killed customer's baby
One of seven defendants is on trial in the Higher Regional Court as part of the state security proceedings against seven suspected founders and members of a domestic terrorist organisation. The men allegedly leveraged Russia's invasion of Ukraine to go to Germany via Ukraine. Once in Germany, they are said to have founded an IS terrorist cell and collected money for the organization. Roberto Pfeil/dpa

The trial of seven suspected members of the Islamic State terrorist group started in Germany on Tuesday.

German prosecutors accuse the men, who are between the ages of 21 and 47, of establishing a terror cell in the country.

"They were pursuing the goal of committing high-profile attacks in Europe," said senior public prosecutor Simon Henrichs.

According to the indictment, they scouted out possible sites for attacks in Germany and elsewhere in Western Europe. However, no evidence of concrete plans were uncovered.

A court spokesman said that the men had so far remained silent about the allegations. The defence lawyer for the oldest defendant denied the allegations at the start of the trial and explained that her client was neither a Salafist nor a terrorist.

The seven were detained a year ago in various locations in the western state of North Rhine Westphalia and have been in pre-trial custody ever since.

They are standing trial at the Higher Regional Court in Dusseldorf. The court has scheduled 45 trial days through mid-January.

Prosecutors say the men reached Germany via Ukraine, using the chaos unleashed by Russia's invasion to their advantage.

Once in Germany, they had founded an Islamic State terror cell and collected money for imprisoned Islamic State terrorists in Kurdish camps, according to a federal prosecutor representative.

For months, they had been observed "with extensive covert measures" as they considered various forms of attacks, but without starting any concrete planning, he said.

A lack of money had played a role in this. A mosque run by liberal Muslims in Berlin and people of Jewish faith were targeted by the group, he said. "Their aim was to commit high-profile attacks in Europe in order to promote the inhumane ideology of the terrorist organization Islamic State - Khorasan Province."

Five of them are from Tajikistan, one is from Kyrgyzstan, and one is from Turkmenistan.

The alleged head of the terror cell is in prison in the Netherlands and is being prosecuted separately there.
Tropical wave has an increased chance of development this week

A tropical wave in the Central Atlantic has an increased chance of development this week.

The disturbance now has a 60% chance of showing tropical development by later this week.

The system, currently east of the Leeward Islands, could become a tropical depression or tropical storm near the Bahamas.

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What happens to it then is still a big question mark.

If it organizes quickly, it could strengthen into a tropical storm and move into Florida or up the eastern coast of the U.S.

Read: Florida Highway Patrol wins Best Looking Cruiser contest

If it stays weak, it could shoot into the Gulf of Mexico.

A tropical wave east of the Leeward Islands has a 60% chance of development in the next 7 days. A tropical depression could form late this week. Interests in the Greater Antilles, Bahamas, and SE U.S. should monitor the progress of this system at https://t.co/VD8ljHgJUX. #flwx pic.twitter.com/zttGuTtjRM  NWS Tampa Bay (@NWSTampaBay) July 30, 2024

As of Tuesday morning, the system is battling dry air, so development will be limited for the next two days.

Read: These new schools are opening this school year

Channel 9 meteorologists will continue to monitor the system and provide updates on Eyewitness News.

Follow our Severe Weather team on X for live updates:
(Bloomberg) -- GoTo Group reported a narrower quarterly loss after the Indonesian company handed its e-commerce business over to TikTok to shave costs and focus on its main ride-hailing service.

Most Read from Bloomberg

The company, which competes with Singapores Grab Holdings Ltd. in ride-hailing and food delivery, reported a 48 billion rupiah ($2.9 million) adjusted loss before interest, taxes, depreciation and amortization for the three months through June. That compares with a pro-forma loss of 885 billion rupiah a year earlier.

GoTo is focusing on the bottom line as user growth cools and competition from Grab and smaller regional rivals weighs on margins. To improve its profitability, the Indonesian internet leader relinquished control of loss-making e-commerce arm Tokopedia to ByteDance Ltd.s TikTok in a $1.5 billion deal.

As part of the pact, Jakarta-based GoTo gets regular payments from TikTok. The deal contributed a net 157 billion rupiah in fees for the second quarter. For the full year, GoTo reiterated it expects to break even on an adjusted Ebitda basis.

Growth is starting to bounce back to the triple-digit pace of past years, despite stiff competition and shaky consumer spending.

Second-quarter net revenue, which strips out incentives to driver and merchant partners and promotions to users, rose 115% on a pro-forma basis to 3.5 trillion rupiah after it convinced more people to spend on its budget friendly products. The company also said it is embarking on an AI push, and released its first feature  a voice assistant  earlier this month.

Still, GoTo has yet to reach profit on a net income basis, despite thousands of job cuts and large reductions in marketing spending. Since Patrick Walujo took over as chief executive last June, the company has moved closer to profitability  yet its shares have roughly halved.

What Bloomberg Intelligence Says

GoTos continued integration with its e-commerce partner TikToks 100 million active Indonesian users should help it sustain strong momentum in gross transaction value in 2Q, fueling GoTos passive e-commerce fee income, about 40 bps on GTV. The companys bread-and-butter on-demand services segment  comprising ride-hailing and food delivery  could see a revenue pickup as the company reinvests in new products, such as its economic Hemat product line to acquire new users, utilizing resources that were freed up after it sold its high-cash burn e-commerce unit, Tokopedia to TikTok. These put GoTo on track for its group adjusted Ebitda to break even for full-year 2024.

Story continues

GoTo could be included in the local exchanges Watchlist Board if foreign investors bow out, thereby sapping liquidity.

-Nathan Naidu, analyst

Click here for research

While the TikTok deal and the cost cuts are set to ease pressure on GoTos finances, the difficult market has prompted the company and its competitors to consider aggressive options.

GoTo and Grab this year revived discussions about a merger of their core businesses, Bloomberg News reported, a union that could allow them to reduce spending to attract users.

Most Read from Bloomberg Businessweek

2024 Bloomberg L.P.
Trump absolutely wants to ditch Bidens Air Force One color scheme for his beloved red, white and dark blue

Trump absolutely wants to ditch Bidens Air Force One color scheme for his beloved red, white and dark blue

Former President Donald Trump is absolutely interested in scrapping Air Force Ones historic blue and white color palette if he is re-elected.

A former senior Trump White House official told Politico. that Trump was 100 percent planning to make the change if he beats Kamala Harris in November.

Trump reportedly wants to change the famed planes colors to red, white and dark blue, resembling his current private Boeing 757.

The Air Force is working with Boeing on two planes to replace existing aircraft, which are due to be delivered in 2026 and 2027. The new planes will have a light blue and white design, which has been a constant since President John F Kennedys administration.

If elected, however, Trump will still have time to switch the colors of the planes, which he ordered during his time in office. Boeing signed a $3.9bn contract in 2018 to replace the 747-8s planes with 747-200B, a model that has been flying since the 1990s.

Former President Donald Trumps private plane with red, white and blue colors. Trump is apparently hoping to change the colors of Air Force One to model his aircraft (AP)

Dave Calhoun, Boeings CEO, told investors that company executives should never have agreed to the governments terms for the Air Force One deal. According to Politico, the company had agreed to a fixed-price contract, meaning that all changes made to the airplane would come out of Boeings pocket.

The project is currently $2bn over budget, part of which is due to problems stemming from when a subcontractor who was hired to furnish the cabin interior went bankrupt and caused the company to switch supplies.

Plus, Boeing has dealt with challenges including labor shortages and a lack of employees with clearances to work on the planes.

Air Force One carrying President Donald Trump arrives at a campaign rally 28 October 2020. Trump is apparently considering changing the colors of Air Force One to resemble his private planes red, white and blue (Copyright 2020 The Associated Press. All rights reserved.)

The Independent has contacted Trumps campaign for comment.

In office, Trump bragged about getting the cost of the project down from $4.2bn. He bragged about the planes design to foreign dignitaries and showed off a model of his inspired aircraft in the Oval Office.

The model was on the coffee table in the Oval Office and he pointed it out many times to foreign and domestic visitors, the aide said. He thought it represented America more and represented strength, the red, white and blue.

The colors, particularly the dark blue, would lead to expensive design fixes and logistic issues, the outlet reported.

Boeing has found that the dark blue paint on the bottom of the plane would create excessive temperatures, causing the company to modify the plane to cool some of its components, which Boeing would need to pay out of pocket to fix.

If Trump is reelected, changing the color scheme at this point would cost millions in cost overruns and added delays.

In a statement to Politico on Trumps intentions for Air Force One, Trumps campaign spokesperson Steven Cheung said it Sounds like Joe Biden hates the Red, White and Blue.

The spokesperson did not directly answer a question about whether Trump would change the colors.
Donald Trump agreed with a right-wing radio host who called the Second Gentleman Doug Emhoff a crappy Jew during a radio show Tuesday.

The hateful comment about Kamala Harris husband came from Sid Rosenberg during a segment where he interviewed Trump on his New York-based show Sid & Friends In The Morning.

Doug Emhoff, Mr. President, is Jewish, Rosenberg said. Hes Jewish like Bernie Sanders is Jewish. Are you kidding me? Hes a crappy Jew. Hes a horrible Jew.

As Rosenberg spoke, Trump could be heard agreeing by saying yes twice, once after Emhoff was compared to Sen. Sanders (D-VT) and again after the second gentleman was referred to as a crappy Jew.

Trump had his own choice words for Jewish people during the segment, in which he briefly spoke as if Joe Biden remained the nominee at the top of Democrats presidential ticket.

Any Jewish person that votes for Biden or a Democrat, but votes for Biden, he said before explaining he meant to say Harris. ... should have their head examined.

The former president later added: If you are Jewish, regardless of Israel, if youre Jewish, if you vote for a Democrat, youre a fool, an absolute fool.

Kamala Harris and Doug Emhoff will celebrate their 10th wedding anniversary on Aug. 22. Elizabeth Frantz/Reuters

Trump also claimed that Harris, whose husband of nearly 10 years is Jewish, doesnt like Jewish people.

You know it, I know it, Trump said of his unsubstantiated claim about Harris. Everybody knows it, and nobody wants to say it.

Thats not the first time Trump has claimed his opponent is antisemitic. He told a Christian political conference on Friday that Harris doesnt like Jewish people and that shes not going to change.

Trump also railed against Democratic lawmakers for opposing Israels war in Gaza on Tuesdays show, claiming the Israeli lobby in Washington had become weaker than it was 15 years ago. In scoring that point, he bizarrely stated that Sen. Chuck Schumer (D-NY), whos Jewish, had become a Palestinian.

The ex-president also criticized Harris decision to skip Benjamin Netanyahus meeting with Congress for a pre-scheduled Black sorority event. He also claimed that Harris couldnt wait to get away from the Israeli president when he visited the White House.

When she stood up with him, she wanted to get out of there so fast, he said. You could see the disdain.

Read more at The Daily Beast.

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(Reuters) - Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump's campaign on Monday said he would attend a question-and-answer session at the National Association of Black Journalists annual convention this week in Chicago.

Former US President Trump, who has been courting Black voters and whose campaign has been encouraged by some polling showing he may be gaining ground with that group of the electorate, will speak with political journalists before an audience of registered attendees on Wednesday.

The event is closed to the public, but it will be livestreamed on NABJ's YouTube and Facebook pages, NABJ said in a statement.

"We look forward to our attendees hearing from former President Trump on the critical issues our members and their audiences care about most," said NABJ president Ken Lemon.

Lemon went on to say that the Trump event would allow Black journalists in attendance "to ask the tough questions that will provide the truthful answers Black Americans want and need to know."

Trump's campaign said in a written statement that the event "will concentrate on the most pressing issues facing the Black community."

The NABJ said in its statement that fellow presidential candidate Vice President Kamala Harris was also invited to participate in this year's convention, but that her confirmation is pending.

(Reporting by Brad Brooks in Longmont, Colorado; Editing by Michael Perry)
Former President Donald Trump on Tuesday backed up a blatantly antisemitic claim about Vice President Kamala Harriss husband.

During an interview on WABC 77s radio show Sid & Friends in the Morning, Trump agreed with host Sid Rosenberg, who criticized Harriss husband, Doug Emhoff, on the basis of his faith.

They tell me that this Harriss husband, Doug Emhoff, Mr. President, is Jewish, Rosenberg said. Hes Jewish like Bernie Sanders is Jewish. Are you kidding me? Hes a crappy Jew, hes a horrible Jew!

Yes, yes, Trump replied under Rosenbergs rant. As Trump made perfectly clear throughout the interview, to him, the only good Jewish person is one whos voting Republican.

During the interview, Trump repeated his old attack against Jewish Americans who refused to support his presidential bid.

Any Jewish person that voted for her, or him, or whoever its going to be, I assume its going to be her; anybody that did that should have their head examined, Trump said. If you love Israel, or if youre Jewishbecause a lot of Jewish people do not like Israel, and they happen to be in New York, you know that?

Yes, chirped Rosenberg, whose radio talk show is local to New York City.

If you are Jewish, Trump continued, regardless of Israel, if youre Jewish, if you vote for a Democrat youre a fool. An absolute fool.

Trump has previously suggested that any Jewish person who did not vote for him does not love Israel and should be spoken to. The former president seems to have a pretty limited idea of what a Jewish person can and cannot think. He also claimed in March that any Jewish person that votes for Democrats hates their religion.

On Tuesday, Trump complained that Democrats no longer felt afraid to criticize Israel.

You know, 15 years ago the strongest lobby in all of Washington was Israel. It was by far the strongest. Nobody would say anything bad about Israel! Today, its like nobody says anything goodexcept for Republicans by the way, Trump griped.

 In radio interview today with @sidandfriends77, Trump repeated his attack on Jewish Americans voting for Dems.



THEN. He agreed with the interviewer that Doug Emhoff, the husband of Kamala Harris, is a crappy Jew and a horrible Jew.



Listen  https://t.co/FEGwD30Tih pic.twitter.com/gyno4khPvg  Jacob N. Kornbluh (@jacobkornbluh) July 30, 2024

While the American Israel Public Affairs Committee is not the biggest lobby in U.S. politics, its impact is still felt in crucial races. Earlier this year, AIPAC gave a whopping $14.5 million in the New York Democratic primary election to George Latimer, funding his ultimately successful effort to unseat progressive Representative Jamaal Bowman, a staunch critic of Israel.



During the radio interview, Trump also claimed that Harris looked uncomfortable during her meeting with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, which he said suggested that she secretly dislikes Jewish peopledespite being married to one, of course.

You can see the disdain, Trump said. Number one, she doesnt like Israel. Number two, she doesnt like Jewish people. You know it, I know it, and everybody knows it and nobody wants to say it.

Trumps lack of logic on this subject is nothing new. The Republican presidential nominee has previously asserted that Joe Biden and the Democratic Party had abandoned Israel, despite the fact that the U.S. has continued to fund Israels deadly military campaign in Gaza, which has killed at least 40,000 Palestinians and created an ever-worsening humanitarian crisis.
Donald Trump has forced the closure of a controversial plan to replace senior civil servants with his allies and enact hardline policies, following attacks from Democrats.

The 900-page Project 2025 plan, drawn up by the right-wing Heritage Foundation, called for vetted Trump loyalists to be appointed as civil servants to enact sweeping tax cuts and other proposals.

Joe Biden and Kamala Harris have called the project, which was not run by the official Trump campaign, a major threat to democracy.

Project 2025 is the biggest attack on our system of government and on our personal freedom thats ever been proposed in the history of this country, Mr Biden, 81, told a crowd in Michigan this month. He said it was run and paid for by Trump people and was a blueprint for a second Trump term.

In a bid to appear more moderate on issues such as abortion access, Trump has sought to distance himself from the project in recent months, even though many of the groups and individuals that support it are closely linked to him.

Three weeks ago Trump wrote on Truth Social: I know nothing about Project 2025. I have no idea who is behind it.

On Tuesday, the Daily Beast reported the project had been killed off following the intervention of a senior Trump campaign official, Chris LaCivita.

Campaign official Chris LaCivita looks on as Donald Trump holds a rally in Michigan on July 20 - Tom Brenner/Reuters

President Trumps campaign has been very clear for over a year that Project 2025 had nothing to do with the campaign, did not speak for the campaign, and should not be associated with the campaign or the president in any way, the Trump campaign said in a statement.

Reports of Project 2025s demise would be greatly welcomed and should serve as notice to anyone or any group trying to misrepresent their influence with President Trump and his campaign - it will not end well for you.

Those who have followed reports of Project 25 may have been surprised by the former presidents remarks. An analysis by CNN found as many as 140 people who worked in the Trump administration played a role in Project 2025.

Meanwhile, speaking at the Heritage Foundation in 2022, he said of Project 25: This is a great group, and theyre going to lay the groundwork and detail plans for exactly what our movement will do and what your movement will do when the American people give us a colossal mandate to save America.

Project 25 did not immediately respond to enquires from The Telegraph.

The efforts by Trump to distance himself from a group espousing hardline policies comes as his campaign for the presidency was jolted by the sudden decision by Mr Biden to end his campaign and his being replaced as presidential candidate by Vice-President Harris.

The first week of the campaign of Ms Harris, 59, has seen her secure more than $100 million in donations and enjoy a major bump in the polls.

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The Trump campaign forced the architect of the ultraconservative Project 2025 manifesto out of his job on Tuesday as it sought political cover from a controversy dogging Republicans, the Daily Beast can report exclusively.

Trump campaign manager Chris LaCivita put the screws to mastermind Paul Dans in an effort to force him out and shut down the right-wing shop behind Proejct 2025, a sprawling blueprint that sought to overhaul the federal government and implement an array of far-right policies for a potential second Trump administration, a well-placed source told the Daily Beast.

The president of Heritage Foundation, the conservative think tank that employed Dans and conceived of the controversial handbook, fired back on X, formerly Twitter, that Project 2025 is going nowhere.

"Project 2025 will continue our efforts to build a personnel apparatus for policymakers of all levelsfederal, state, and local," Heritage President Kevin Roberts said, adding that he was "extremely grateful" for Dans' work on the policy platform and his "dedication to saving America."

Dans confirmed in an email to colleagues Tuesday that he is stepping down from his role at Heritage, saying he was leaving in order to focus his energy on winning bigly for conservative candidates this election cycle.

His departure hinted that Heritage was shutting down its work on the initiative more than a year after Project 2025 produced its cornerstone 900-page policy mandate that came to define the MAGA movement. The manifesto attracted widespread criticism in recent weeks over its extremist proposals that would demand fealty from federal workers, promote Christian nationalism and overhaul policies from abortion to civil liberties and climate and restructure the departments of Justice and Defense, among other agencies.

As the project backfired politically, Trump sought to distance himself from the group despite its naked ties to his first administration, with Project leadership boasting a number of senior Trump aides and close advisers.

The source told the Beast that the rift between the Trump campaign and the Heritage Foundation was not ideological, but rather was about power and who will ultimately control Trump World and make staffing decisions in a possible second Trump administration.

Theres just one glaring problem with the Trump camps attempt to distance itself from Project 2025: J.D. Vances fingerprints are all over the right-wing project.

In fact, Vance wrote the foreword to a forthcoming book based on Project 2025, Dawns Early Light: Taking Back Washington to Save America, which outlines a second American revolution written by Roberts, the Heritage Foundation president who vows the work will continued.

Vance praised the book, saying, We are now all realizing that its time to circle the wagons and load the muskets. In the fights that lay ahead, these ideas are an essential weapon.

The Trump campaign insisted that neither the former president nor his 2024 presidential campaign was tied to Project 2025, although the handbook was featured prominently at the RNC in Milwaukee where Trump and Vance formally accepted their partys nominations.

President Trump's campaign has been very clear for over a year that Project 2025 had nothing to do with the campaign, did not speak for the campaign, and should not be associated with the campaign or the President in any way, campaign co-chairs Susie Wiles and Chris LaCivita said in a statement.

They ended with an ominous warning: Reports of Project 2025's demise would be greatly welcomed and should serve as notice to anyone or any group trying to misrepresent their influence with President Trump and his campaign it will not end well for you."

Read more at The Daily Beast.

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When the chair of the Republican National Committee came to Arizona in early July, his mind was somewhere else. Donald Trump had a comfortable lead in Arizona polls and had just trounced Joe Biden in the first presidential debate of 2024.

We are going to be here as often as it takes and we're really focusing on states like Nevada, Arizona, Michigan, Wisconsin, Pennsylvania, North Carolina, Georgia. But we also have new states that are going on the map," RNC Chair Michael Whatley said July 2 at a Trump office opening in Casa Grande. We've now started to engage in Minnesota and in Virginia and in New Hampshire. So we're playing offense all around the country.

He didnt know the presidential race was about to turn upside down.

Over the next three weeks, Trump would survive an assassination attempt, accept his partys nomination and then be forced to recalibrate his entire campaign against a new Democratic opponent. And Democrats, who were all but writing off Arizonas presidential election thanks to Bidens anemic approval ratings, have an uncharacteristic pep in their step and say they are seeing a deluge of new donors.

This is gonna be one of those kind of totally crazy, whac-a-mole elections. We don't know what's coming next. We really don't, said Brian Murray, former executive director of the Arizona Republican Party. A lot of times I feel like you can predict out and say, This is how we expect things to happen. But with Trump, you really just cant.

The new dynamic is hardly a guarantee that presumptive nominee Vice President Kamala Harris could carry Arizona. Biden won here by fewer than 11,000 votes in 2020, and Harris has her own challenges, especially when it comes to immigration. But the race certainly shows signs of being a closer contest than it was when Whatley came to open Trumps campaign outpost and Democrats were in crisis over Bidens bad poll numbers.

Trumps campaign activity is ramping up in Arizona, too. The former president still has a much lighter footprint than the Biden and Harris campaigns in Arizona, but he is dispatching running mate JD Vance to Glendale for a rally this week and has opened two new campaign offices over the last several weeks.

Vance will take aim at Harris during his visit, rushing to define her as the new dynamics of the race take shape.

People are really excited, Arizona Democratic Party chair Yolanda Bejarano told reporters last week. We are going to take advantage of the moment.

Harris "probably has a better shot in Arizona than Biden did, said Emerson College pollster Matt Taglia, but the vice president starts her campaign behind Trump. His latest Arizona poll showed Trump with 49% of support and Harris with 44%. Harris outperformed Biden by four percentage points: the president had 40% of support in the last Emerson poll before he dropped out of the race.

We have seen some real shifts. That said, she's still behind in Arizona by about five points to Trump, Taglia said.

Arizona is a crucial battleground state for both presidential campaigns. Biden won here by the most narrow margin of any state in 2020, and Republicans challenged the election results for years. Before he dropped out, Bidens campaign said he would focus on the so-called Blue Wall states of Michigan, Pennsylvania and Wisconsin to score an Electoral College victory.

The early days of the Harris campaign could indicate she sees Arizona as more central to a win, especially if she chooses Sen. Mark Kelly, D-Ariz., as her running mate. Kellys name on the ballot could force Republicans to spend more time and money in Arizona to protect their lead rather than spending that cash to flip blue states such as Minnesota.

"If they pick Kelly, what they're saying is they think they can win Arizona," Murray said. "Trump's got this place pretty well locked down. Their only chance would be to take Kelly, and I'm not certain that that's even enough for them to retake Arizona."

Kelly has a more optimistic view. Arizona is 100% winnable for Democrats, he told reporters last week.

I won it twice, President Biden won it in 2020, and Kamala Harris is going to win it here, said Kelly, who Harris reportedly invited to submit vice presidential vetting materials as she weighs who to tap as her second in command.

A frequent criticism from Democrats is that Trump is not in Arizona enough and has a smaller ground game than the vice president, who took over Bidens campaign operation. Trump has fewer offices than Harris (Trump has 8 and Harris has 12), and Democrats are using a $1.5 million transfer from the Democratic National Committee to grow their staff even larger.

"Rushing to open offices after months of overlooking the state wont distract Arizonans from Trumps Project 2025 agenda of banning abortion nationwide, raising costs on hardworking families and making our communities less safe. There is no question this is going to be a close race, but Team Harris isnt taking a single voter for granted, and we have the energy, the momentum, and strong campaign infrastructure to win," Jacques Petit, Harris's Arizona communications director, said in a written statement.

Trump has been to Arizona once this election cycle for a large rally. Harris has taken six trips here during her time in the Biden administration, although she hasnt visited since becoming the presumptive nominee last week. The Harris campaign has also held more events and news conferences to get its message out to voters.

The Harris campaign said more than 1,300 people engaged with the 67 events it hosted across Arizona over the weekend, which included canvasses, phone banks, watch parties and other gatherings. The campaign had 140 volunteers and supporters knock on 5,000 doors, and made nearly 5,500 calls across 152 phone banking sessions.

Although hes spent less time in Arizona, Trump is giving the state some extra attention lately. The former president teamed up with a Border Patrol agent from Arizona to make the case against Harris on an immigration-focused press call, and his Arizona campaign recently held a Trump Campaign's 100 Day Weekend of Action event to mark the last 100 days before the election.

The pro-Trump super PAC Maga Inc. says it will spend $12 million a week on battleground state TV ads attacking Harris in Arizona, Pennsylvania, Nevada and Georgia through Labor Day.

For months, our staff and volunteers have been recruiting thousands of volunteers to be poll watchers and poll workers, and activating thousands of Trump Force 47 captains, who are talking neighbor-to-neighbor about the key issues Arizonans care about," Halee Dobbins, the RNC Arizona state communications director, said in a written statement.

Trumps backers in Arizona say the former president does not need to make a personal trip to Arizona any time soon.

Hes a busy guy, said Joe Arpaio, the former Maricopa County sheriff who Trump kissed on stage at a Phoenix rally in June.

The Democratic and Republican candidates are so different, said another Trump supporter, that few voters will be swayed ahead of November.

Is it going to be a sales pitch that gets someone undecided over the line? I don't see it, so I'm not the least bit critical of the Trump campaign, said Jim OConnor, a Republican on the Arizona Corporation Commission who served as a Trump elector in 2016. Just as one strong Republican influential voter, I don't need Trump to make another visit to Arizona if he can spend his time elsewhere.

This article originally appeared on Arizona Republic: JD Vance to schedule more visits to battleground Arizona
Trump Explains Why He Told Crowd They Wont Have To Vote, And Makes It Sound Worse

Former President Donald Trump attempted to explain what he meant when he told a crowd of Christians last Friday that, as far as voting goes, they wouldnt have to do it anymore if he wins in November.

Trump spoke to Fox News host Laura Ingraham on Monday amid criticism about his remarks, which Democrats say is further evidence that he would attempt to stay in office beyond a second term. Opponents have pointed to other remarks in which he pledged to only be a dictator on day one of a new term and vowed to retaliate against his critics if he returns to the White House.

Ingraham afforded Trump multiple attempts to reject Democrats claims that he was telling supporters they wouldnt need to vote again in the future, but Trump reiterated that Christians wouldnt have to vote for him multiple times.

This was a crowd that liked me a lot ... and theyre treated very badly by this administration, OK? Trump said of his speech Friday at the faith-focused event in Florida.

That statement is very simple, he added. I said, vote for me; youre not going to have to do it ever again. Its true.

This time vote, Ill straighten out the country, you wont have to vote anymore, I wont need your vote.

Ingraham asks Trump about his comments telling Christian backers they won't have to vote again in 4 years. Trump responds by saying Jews should have their heads examined if they vote for Dems. Ingraham presses him & Trump doesn't exactly quell concerns he wants to end elections. pic.twitter.com/khGeauqp9S  Aaron Rupar (@atrupar) July 29, 2024

You meant you wont have to vote for you because youll have four years in office, Ingraham pressed.

Im saying go out, you must vote, Trump replied. I said to the Christians in the room  you have to vote on Nov. 5. After that, you dont have to worry about voting anymore  I dont care  because were going to fix up, the country will be fixed and we wont even need your vote anymore because frankly we will have such love.

The former president added that Christians and gun owners were the key groups he was trying to appeal to, claiming they dont vote. He also repeated his claim that Jewish Americans who vote for a Democrat should have your head examined.

Vice President Kamala Harris, the presumptive Democratic nominee, has hit Trump in recent days after he has continued to lay groundwork to dodge the next presidential debate, in which Trump would likely face her. President Joe Biden dropped out of his reelection campaign a week ago amid fallout over his disastrous performance in the June 27 debate with Trump. Ingraham asked why Trump didnt seem willing to appear.

Ingraham: Why not debate Kamala Harris?



Trump: Because everyone already knows everything



Ingraham: Theyre saying youre afraid of debating her



Trump: Im leading in the polls pic.twitter.com/gmOwg5lzvC  Kamala HQ (@KamalaHQ) July 30, 2024

I want to do a debate, but I also can say this: Everybody knows who I am, he told the host. And now people know who she is. Shes a radical left lunatic.

Then why not debate her? Ingraham replied.

Well, wait, because they already know everything, Trump replied.

Related...
The South Korean stock market has recently experienced a positive trajectory, with the KOSPI index climbing significantly in consecutive sessions. Amidst this upward movement and global economic cues, investors might find potential in lesser-known stocks that could benefit from current market dynamics and broader economic activities. In such a vibrant market environment, identifying stocks with solid fundamentals yet lower visibility could offer interesting opportunities. These "undiscovered gems" may stand to gain as they capitalize on prevailing financial trends and sectoral growth within South Korea.

Top 10 Undiscovered Gems With Strong Fundamentals In South Korea

Name Debt To Equity Revenue Growth Earnings Growth Health Rating CYMECHS 10.99% 11.45% 3.52%  Samyang 47.03% 6.61% 22.07%  Korea Airport ServiceLtd NA 0.40% 27.17%  Woori Technology Investment NA 22.60% -1.67%  Kyung Dong Navien 26.97% 11.54% 19.49%  Kyungdong Invest 8.15% 3.08% 15.07%  Oriental Precision & EngineeringLtd 59.19% 3.54% 5.92%  Hansae Yes24 Holdings 97.82% 2.74% 18.89%  Daewon Cable 24.70% 8.50% 62.14%  Ubiquoss Holdings 2.69% 9.93% 14.22% 

Click here to see the full list of 206 stocks from our KRX Undiscovered Gems With Strong Fundamentals screener.

Let's dive into some prime choices out of from the screener.

Simply Wall St Value Rating: 

Overview: Hankook & Company Co., Ltd. is a South Korean company engaged in the manufacturing and selling of storage batteries, with a market capitalization of approximately 1.50 trillion.

Operations: The company generates significant revenue from its Storage Battery Division, contributing 859.55 billion, and its Investment Business Division, which adds another 349.37 billion. Its business model showcases a robust gross profit margin trend, peaking at 37.59% in recent periods, indicative of efficient cost management relative to sales revenue.

Hankook & Company Co., Ltd. has demonstrated a robust financial performance with a 72% earnings growth over the past year, outpacing the Auto Components industry's 21.4%. The company's debt to equity ratio rose from 2.8% to 7.4% over five years, yet its net debt to equity ratio remains low at 0.8%, indicating sound financial health. Impressively, Hankook trades at a significant discount76.7% below estimated fair valuehighlighting its potential as an undervalued gem in South Korea's market landscape.

Story continues

KOSE:A000240 Earnings and Revenue Growth as at Jul 2024

Simply Wall St Value Rating: 

Overview: Daewoong Co., Ltd. is a South Korean pharmaceutical company involved in the manufacturing and sale of various pharmaceutical products, with a market capitalization of approximately 922.09 billion.

Operations: Daewoong operates primarily in pharmaceutical manufacturing and sales, generating 1.98 billion in revenue from this segment, which is its main business focus. The company also engages in service provision and real estate rental, contributing 120.70 million and 11.88 million respectively to its revenue streams.

Amidst South Korea's bustling market, Daewoong emerges as a compelling yet under-the-radar entity. With its earnings having surged by 23.6% annually over the past five years, the company stands out for its robust financial health. Despite a recent dip in net income to KRW 21.1 billion from last year's KRW 38.4 billion, Daewoong trades at a striking 77.8% below its estimated fair value, hinting at significant undervaluation. Additionally, the firm has successfully reduced its debt-to-equity ratio from 39.7% to 32.2%, enhancing its fiscal stability amidst fluctuating markets.

KOSE:A003090 Earnings and Revenue Growth as at Jul 2024

Simply Wall St Value Rating: 

Overview: STX Heavy Industries Co., Ltd. is a South Korean company engaged in the manufacturing and selling of marine engines, industrial facilities, and plants both domestically and globally, with a market capitalization of approximately 665.28 billion.

Operations: STX Heavy Industries specializes in manufacturing, with a significant portion of its revenue derived from the cost of goods sold (COGS), which consistently accounts for a high percentage of its total revenue. The company has experienced fluctuations in net income, reflecting varying gross profit margins over the years, notably improving to 17.45% by the end of 2024 from earlier negative values.

STX Heavy Industries, a lesser-known but robust player in the machinery sector, has demonstrated impressive financial agility. With earnings skyrocketing by 149% last year, the company outpaced its industry's average decline of 2%. This growth is supported by a solid debt reduction from 107% to 38% over five years and an EBIT coverage ratio of 6.6 times for interest payments. Trading at a striking 79% below its fair value estimate, STX offers potential as an undervalued gem with high-quality earnings and satisfactory net debt levels at just 9%.

KOSE:A071970 Debt to Equity as at Jul 2024

Next Steps

Delve into our full catalog of 206 KRX Undiscovered Gems With Strong Fundamentals here.

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This article by Simply Wall St is general in nature. We provide commentary based on historical data and analyst forecasts only using an unbiased methodology and our articles are not intended to be financial advice. It does not constitute a recommendation to buy or sell any stock, and does not take account of your objectives, or your financial situation. We aim to bring you long-term focused analysis driven by fundamental data. Note that our analysis may not factor in the latest price-sensitive company announcements or qualitative material. Simply Wall St has no position in any stocks mentioned.

Companies discussed in this article include KOSE:A000240 KOSE:A003090 and KOSE:A071970.

Have feedback on this article? Concerned about the content? Get in touch with us directly. Alternatively, email editorial-team@simplywallst.com
Former President Donald Trump lashed out at Fox News on Monday, complaining that the network aired messages from his political opponents.

Despite previously calling to move a proposed debate with Vice President Kamala Harris from ABC News to Fox News just last week, Trump took to Truth Social to complain about the network's coverage.

"Why is FoxNews putting on Crazy Kamala Harris Rallies? Why do they allow the perverts at the failed and disgraced Lincoln Project to advertise on FoxNews? Even Mr. Kellyanne Conway, a man so badly hurt and humiliated by his wife (she must have done some really NASTY things to him, because he is CRAZY!), is advertising on FoxNews. We have to WIN WITHOUT FOX!" Trump fumed, referring to longtime critic George Conway.

Why is FoxNews putting on Crazy Kamala Harris Rallies? Why do they allow the perverts at the failed and disgraced Lincoln Project to advertise on FoxNews? Even Mr. Kellyanne Conway, a man so badly hurt and humiliated by his wife (she must have done some really NASTY things to  Donald J. Trump Posts From His Truth Social (@TrumpDailyPosts) July 29, 2024

Trump also complained about the network after it reported new poll results showing a major shift in the race and shared multiple Truth Social posts targeting Harris. The poll, which was conducted between July 22 and 24, found Harris with a higher favorable rating than Trump in multiple key swing states, including Michigan, Minnesota, Pennsylvania and Wisconsin.

The ketchup is going to hit the wall in Mar-a-Lago after this new Fox News poll. pic.twitter.com/fGTQpgg2rQ  Keith Boykin (@keithboykin) July 28, 2024
Is Kamala Harris fearless or failed? The Harris and Trump campaigns both launched attempts to define the all-but-certain Democratic nominee with major new television advertisements out Tuesday, the first since President Joe Biden dropped out of the presidential race.

A new 60-second ad from Harris, titled Fearless, is heavy on biographical details, portraying her ascent to the vice presidency as a yearslong crusade of holding banks, drug companies and criminals accountable as a prosecutor. Meanwhile, former President Donald Trump is going all-in on the border czar tagline, attacking Harris as failed, weak and dangerously liberal in two 30-second spots that include footage from Harris 2021 interview with NBC News Lester Holt in Guatemala, where she was criticized for dismissing a question about why she hadnt visited the U.S.-Mexico border.

The new ads are part of major new campaigns, the first since Bidens exit reshaped the race and upended both candidates plans of attack. And they represent the opening salvo of a 100-day election sprint unlike any presidential campaign in modern history: Harris is hoping to ride her honeymoon phase  and high favorables  into November, while Trump aims to put an end to Democrats newfound invigoration as quickly as possible, reverting to similar attack lines that he used against Biden.

The Fearless Harris ad is part of a $50 million national placement through the Democratic National Convention on Aug. 19, Harris campaign said. According to the ad-tracking firm AdImpact, the campaign was reserving airtime in the seven states where Biden had been advertising  Arizona, Georgia, Michigan, Nevada, North Carolina, Pennsylvania and Wisconsin  and also adding the Omaha, Nebraska, market.

The ad will run on local and national broadcast television, cable programming, streaming and social channels, the campaign said  including spots during the Paris Olympics and major shows like The Bachelorette and The Daily Show with Jon Stewart. Though the Harris campaign released the ad on Tuesday, it wont begin airing on broadcast TV until Wednesday, according to AdImpact.

The campaign has $175.4 million in future reservations through Election Day, according to AdImpact. The Harris ad comes on the heels of a $50 million advertising pledge announced by the Future Forward super PAC, which had previously supported Biden, last week.

While Harris ad concludes with a warning of Trumps desire to take our country backward by providing tax breaks to billionaires and repealing the Affordable Care Act, the former presidents campaign continues to hit Harris as Americas border czar in its ad.



The first Trump ad, which began airing on Tuesday, portrays Harris dancing to hip hop at a White House party and deflecting questions during an interview about visiting the border while the narrator argues that millions of people have illegally crossed the border, and 250,000 Americans have died from fentanyl, on Harriss watch.

The second new Trump spot makes a similar argument, using footage from the same NBC News interview while swapping in a clip of Harris laughing. Both are part of a $12.2 million ad buy through Aug. 12 and distributed across six swing states: Pennsylvania, Georgia, Arizona, Wisconsin, Michigan and Nevada. The Trump campaign, which is not matching Harris ads in North Carolina or Omaha, has $112.7 million in future reservations through Election Day, according to AdImpact.
Results of political polls are jumping up and down like lines on a seismograph Velcroed to the side of an active volcano since President Joe Biden withdrew his campaign for reelection.

I pay little attention. Its been a long, long time since I depended upon any published poll for the presidency to provide me with an accurate indication about the leanings of American voters.

There is a significant difference between a poll and a survey, although the word poll is used interchangeably. While a poll often consists of one question with or without a limited number of questions, a survey mixes several open-ended questions with one-word answers. Even so, the real world of survey research is not perfect, as the Pew Research Center wrote in 2020. Do not confuse national polling with that of Iowas Selzer & Co. Ann Selzers poll are more accurate because the methodology consists of a well-defined area and issues that do not compete with an alternative outcome.

A few weeks ago, a friend sent me the following information from Political Wire, one of the earliest and most influential political" websites, founded by Taegan Goddard.

The latest Emerson College survey finds Donald Trump leading Joe Biden in a national matchup, 46% to 43%, with 11% are undecided. When undecided voters were asked which candidate they leaned toward, 50% supported Trump and 50% supported Biden.

The key phrase in this paragraph is national matchup. Unfortunately, the survey would be more accurate if the United States held an election in which the majority of votes decided the winner of the election. However, the Electoral College gets in the way. Not one poll I have checked considers the Electoral College, and I have checked on many.

Emerson Colleges data sets were weighted by gender, education, race, age, party affiliation, and region. Does the data set "region" take into consideration that Rhode Island is predominately Democratic territory compared with Idaho on the other end of the political spectrum? Both states will have four electoral votes this coming election. However, an overall picture of red- and blue-leaning states shows an imbalance of where electoral votes come from. Small states such as Iowa, the Dakotas, Nebraska, Wyoming, and others tip the Electoral College in favor of Republicans. But the heavily populated states of California, New York, and many other coastal parts of the country have an unbalanced number of electoral votes that dwarf those of the flyover states. From Pew: If pollsters only focused on the Electoral College, the vast majority of Americans (about 80%) who live in uncompetitive states would essentially be ignored, with their needs and views deemed too unimportant to warrant polling. Then whats the point of a poll claiming to determine the frontrunner? A national poll may be more accurate discovering the nations favorite peanut butter.

Earlier this month, prior to Bidens withdrawal from the race, a USA TODAY headline read: Harris leads Biden, Trump in new poll. Headlines can be deceiving in an election year. Upon reading the story associated with the headline, you will discover that the poll, taken by an obscure firm, considers several hypothetical matchups. Do people lie when responding to polls? Of course.

Pew again: The 2000 and 2016 presidential elections demonstrated a difficult truth: National polls can be accurate in identifying Americans preferred candidate and yet fail to identify the winner." This happens when the national popular vote winner (e.g., Al Gore, Hillary Clinton) differs from the Electoral College winner (e.g., George W. Bush, Donald Trump).

When national polls in the past have shown that Trump was leading or tied with the Democratic candidate, is it any wonder why Trump and his followers believed the election was stolen? Its similar to demanding your winnings in a horse race in which your horse came in seventh, but the odds predicted the horse to win.

Leave the polling to the unpublished polls of the campaigns and resolve to accept the results of the election, no matter what your opinion tells you based on national matchups.

Marty Ryan of Des Moines is retired after lobbying the Iowa Legislature for 27 years.

This article originally appeared on Des Moines Register: Trump-Harris polls? Wake me when people actually vote.
Trump says Melania either likes or loves him as he reveals her reaction to assassination attempt

Melania Trump was watching her husband's rally in Pennsylvania on television when he was shot - Drew Angerer

Donald Trump has said Melania, his wife, either likes or loves him as he detailed her reaction to the assassination attempt made on him at a rally.

Trump said the former first lady was watching his Pennsylvania rally live on television on July 13 when 20-year-old Thomas Crooks opened fire, grazing him on the ear.

Asked during a Fox news interview how she responded, Trump said his wife: Cant even really talk about it. Thats okay, that means she likes me  she loves me.

She could talk about it freely, Im not so sure which is better. She either likes or loves me, thats nice.

Mrs Trump believed the worst had happened after the shooting, the presumptive Republican nominee said.

She was watching, he said. She was watching live. It was all over the place. It was on television.

Donald Trump is helped off the stage after the shooting on July 13 - 387269162/AP

Donald Trump has agreed to an interview with the FBI as the bureau investigates what motivated Thomas Crooks to try to assassinate the former president.

Theyre coming in on Thursday to see me, Trump said in an interview on Fox News that aired on Monday.

Police noticed Crooks more than an hour before the July 13 shooting in Butler, Pennsylvania, and took a photo to share with other law enforcement officers, an FBI official said on Monday, according to Reuters.

The shooter was identified by law enforcement as a suspicious person, Kevin Rojek, the special agent in charge of the FBIs Pittsburgh field office, told reporters at a briefing on the agencys investigation into the assassination attempt.

Trump, who has been highly critical of the FBI, had agreed to sit for a standard victims interview, which will be consistent with any victim interview we do, Mr Rojek said. We want to get his perspective.

Kevin Rojek, special agent in charge of the FBI, said Donald Trump has agreed to an FBI interview - Brendan McDermid/Reuters

Mr Rojek confirmed Trump was struck by a bullet, whether whole or fragmented into smaller pieces.

Crooks was seen carrying a backpack about 5.56pm, less than 20 minutes before the shooting took place, and at 6.08pm he was caught on a police dashboard camera walking on the roof from where he ultimately fired the shots, Mr Rojek said.

Although the FBI is not the agency responsible for investigating any lapses in Trumps security, FBI personnel are putting together a timeline of events, he said.

FBI officials said they had yet to identify a motive for Crooks, who was shot dead by a Secret Service agent after opening fire.

Trump will probably debate Harris

Fox News host Laura Ingraham repeatedly pressed Trump during the interview on whether he would commit to a debate with Kamala Harris.

I want to do a debate. But I also can say this. Everybody knows who I am. And now people know who she is, Trump said.

Trump eventually said: The answer is yes, Ill probably end up debating.

He went on for a minute, saying any debates need to be held before early voting starts in states, and then added: I can also make a case for not doing it.

The Republican presidential nominee also backed his running mate, Senator JD Vance, over past comments about childless cat ladies that have gone viral and become a political headache for their White House campaign.

JD Vance with his daughter Maribel Vance as he and his family greet supporters at the Park Diner in St Cloud, Minnesota - Stephen Maturen/AP

Trump said Mr Vance, who had a tough upbringing in Ohio and was largely raised by his grandmother, was simply trying to show how much he valued family life.

He grew up in a very interesting family situation, and he feels family is good. And I dont think theres anything wrong in saying that, Trump said.

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Former President Donald Trump on Tuesday issued a dual endorsement in the Republican primary for Missouri attorney general and pledged his support to both candidates.

Trump announced the decision on his social media platform, Truth Social, amid a hotly-contested primary between incumbent Attorney General Andrew Bailey and Will Scharf, a former federal prosecutor who serves on Trumps legal team.

These two men are truly outstanding in every way, shape, and form, Trump wrote. I am honored to give both Andrew Bailey and Will Scharf my Complete and Total Endorsement  NEITHER ONE WILL EVER LET YOU DOWN!

Its the second time this week that the former president has hedged his endorsement for a Republican primary in Missouri. On Saturday, he endorsed all three major GOP candidates for governor.

The split decision allows both Bailey and Scharf to claim his endorsement before the Aug. 6 primary election. Both quickly seized on the announcement without mentioning that Trump also endorsed their opponent.

Bailey posted a photo of him standing next to Trump and said he was deeply honored to receive the endorsement of President @realDonaldTrump.

His leadership and unwavering commitment to America First principles have been an inspiration, Bailey wrote.

Scharf posted that he was honored to have President Trumps complete and total endorsement for Attorney General!

It has been the honor of my lifetime to win big for President Trump in courtrooms across America, including at the US Supreme Court, he wrote.

While Trump has loomed large over Republican primary races across the country, his presence has featured in the Missouri attorney generals race to an unusual degree. Scharf is on Trumps legal team and Bailey has filed numerous briefs in defense of the former president.

With very little daylight on policy between the two candidates, both have tried to outmaneuver the other in their support of Trump.
Republican presidential nominee and former U.S. President Donald Trump attends The Believers Summit 2024 in West Palm Beach

Republican presidential nominee and former U.S. President Donald Trump attends The Believers Summit 2024 in West Palm Beach

By James Oliphant and Tim Reid

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump's campaign will launch a $10 million advertising blitz in six battleground states this week as it tries to counter a surge of voter enthusiasm and donations for his Democratic rival Kamala Harris.

It is Trump's biggest ad buy since January, when he was fighting off Republican rivals for the party's nomination. Trump's campaign did not respond to requests for comment, but the blitz comes as Harris candidacy has changed the race.

Since President Joe Biden dropped out last week and endorsed Harris, she has rapidly consolidated support within the Democratic Party and from big-money donors. She has also sparked a newfound energy among groups such as young voters that Biden had been struggling to win over.

After months of attacks on Bidens fitness for office, Trump's campaign has had to pivot to find a new message to use against the younger and more dynamic Harris, 59, less than 100 days until the Nov. 5 election.

On Monday, Trump, 78, released an ad on his Truth Social platform using Harriss own words from old interviews, campaign events and debates to try to portray her as an extreme liberal out of touch with everyday Americans, particularly in the Rust Belt.

In response, Harris accused the Trump campaign of lying about her record.

"Vice President Harris has been a key leader in working across the aisle to pass the Biden-Harris administrations historic, popular agenda," said Harris spokesperson Sarafina Chitika.

Since she emerged as her party's candidate, Harris has focused on Trump's felony convictions in a New York hush-money trial and the other criminal charges he faces, and portrayed him as responsible for a wave of anti-abortion measures in Republican-led states around the country.

A super PAC supporting Trump, MAGA Inc., kicked off a parallel ad blitz when it said last week it will spend $32 million in three states with new ads criticizing Harris.

Unlike presidential campaigns, there are no limits on donations to super PACs, meaning they often have more money to spend. But they are not permitted to coordinate with campaigns on strategy.

Future Forward, a Democratic super PAC, said it is launching a $50 million effort to back Harris in Arizona, Georgia, Michigan, Nevada, Pennsylvania and Wisconsin, the six states seen as pivotal to deciding the election because their voting preferences can swing either way.

Harris campaign said on Sunday that it raised $200 million in new campaign funds last week.

While Harris is well known, her policy positions are not.

She has a second chance to make a first impression, said pollster Evan Roth Smith of the Democratic polling firm Blueprint.

But the danger for Harris lies in whether the Trump campaign can define her in voters' minds before her campaign can make it to the airwaves, he said.

Brian Schimming, chair of Wisconsin's Republican Party, said Republicans are moving to do just that.

"It's about letting people know that if you didn't like Joe Biden, you're really not going to like Kamala Harris," he said.

As a candidate for president during the 2020 election, Harris adopted several left-leaning positions on immigration and healthcare in a bid to court liberals. But as Bidens vice president, she has has stayed true to the administrations more pragmatic policies.

(Reporting by James Oliphant and Tim Reid; Additional reporting by Alexandra Ulmer; Editing by Ross Colvin, Kieran Murray and Stephen Coates)
(The Hill)  Former President Donald Trump is set to attend the gathering of Black journalists in Chicago this week, his campaigns latest effort to secure support from Black voters, a key demographic ahead of November.

Trump will join a question-and-answer panel with political journalists attending the National Association of Black Journalists (NABJ) Annual Convention & Career Fair, which kicks off on Wednesday, his campaign announced Monday.

The fireside chat, moderated by ABC Newss Rachel Scott, Fox Newss Harris Faulkner and Semafors Kadia Goba, will focus on the most pressing issues facing the Black community, according to press releases from the NABJ and the Trump campaign.

We look forward to our attendees hearing from former President Trump on the critical issues our members and their audiences care about most, NABJ President Ken Lemon said in a statement.

White Dudes for Harris call raises over $4 million

While NABJ does not endorse political candidates as a journalism organization, we understand the serious work of our members, and welcome the opportunity for them to ask the tough questions that will provide the truthful answers Black Americans want and need to know, Lemon added.

The event will be livestreamed to the public at noon local time, but only convention attendees will be allowed to attend.

Vice President Kamala Harris, the likely Democratic nominee, was also invited to attend this years convention, the NABJ said. The group noted that her confirmation is pending.

The Hill has contacted the Harris campaign for a response.

Copyright 2024 Nexstar Media, Inc. 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.
As Donald Trump scrambles to find a line of attack against his new 2024 rival  Vice President Kamala Harris  hes falling back on his basest impulses.

In a Monday radio interview with the conservative Sid & Friends In The Morning show, the former president repeated past assertions that Jewish people who do not support him are bad Jews.

If youre Jewish, if you vote for a Democrat, youre a fool, Trump said. The former president accused Harris of disliking Jewish people and Israel more than Biden did.

Theres little to indicate that Harris harbors any form of deep antisemitism, especially given that her husband, Second Gentleman Doug Emhoff, is Jewish. This contradiction did not escape host Sid Rosenberg, who took the opportunity to attack Emhoff as a crappy Jew.

They tell me that Harris husband  Doug Emhoff  Mr. President, hes Jewish, Rosenberg said. Hes Jewish like Bernie Sanders is Jewish, are you kidding me, hes a crappy Jew. Hes a horrible Jew.

Trump responded in the affirmative, Right, yes, he can be heard saying as Rosenberg rants.

Its not the first time in recent days that Trump has attempted to accuse Harris of being an enemy to Jewish people.

During a Wednesday rally in North Carolina, Trump told the audience that Harris is totally against the Jewish people

It amazes me how Jewish people will vote for the Democrats when theyre being treated so disrespectfully and badly, he added. It amazes me. Its shocking. I dont, I dont get it. I dont get it.

Over the course of his campaign, Trump has repeatedly accused Jews who do not support him of being disloyal to him, Israel, and their own religion and used antisemitic tropes to malign Democratic Jews.

In March, the second gentleman came out swinging against the former president after Trump gave an interview in which he said: Any Jewish person that votes for Democrats hates their religion, they hate everything about Israel, and they should be ashamed of themselves because Israel will be destroyed.

Emhoff had no quarter for Trump. This is a disgusting, toxic antisemitic thing to say, by anyone, let alone a former president of the United States, and it must be condemned, the second gentleman responded.

More from Rolling Stone

Best of Rolling Stone
Vice President Kamala Harris and second gentleman Doug Emhoff kiss during a White House event to celebrate Hanukkah in 2021. (Susan Walsh/AP)

Former President Donald Trump said in a radio interview on Tuesday that Vice President Kamala Harris doesnt like Jewish people, despite the fact that her husband, second gentleman Doug Emhoff, is Jewish.

Number one, she doesnt like Israel, Trump said of Harris on the WABC radio program Sid & Friends in the Morning. Number two, she doesnt like Jewish people. You know it, I know it, everybody knows it, and nobody wants to say it.

An ardent Trump supporter, the shows host, Sid Rosenberg, then disparaged Emhoff.

They tell me that this Harriss husband, Doug Emhoff, Mr. President, is Jewish, Rosenberg said. Hes Jewish like Bernie Sanders is Jewish, are you kidding me? Hes a crappy Jew. Hes a horrible Jew.

As he has for years, Trump said in the interview that Jews in the United States should only be voting for Republicans.

If youre Jewish, if you vote for a Democrat, youre a fool, an absolute fool, Trump said.

In the 2020 presidential election, roughly seven in 10 American Jews voted for Joe Biden, according to the Pew Research Center.

A pattern emerges

Donald Trump meets with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu at Mar-a-Lago, on July 26. (Alex Brandon/AP)

Last week, after he hosted Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu at his Mar-a-Lago home and country club in Florida, Trump made similar remarks about the political views he believed Jews should hold.

"Any Jewish person who votes for Kamala, or a Democrat, should immediately have their head examined, he said.

After Harris, like many Democrats, skipped Netanyahus address to Congress last week to attend a campaign event in Indianapolis, Trump was quick to offer his explanation as to her real motive.

"She doesn't like Jewish people. She doesn't like Israel. That's the way it is, and that's the way it's always going to be. She's not going to change," he said.

In April, before President Biden had exited the race, Trump reiterated his view about Jews voting for Democrats.

Any Jewish person that votes for Biden does not love Israel and, frankly, should be spoken to, Trump said.

A month earlier, Trump sat for an interview with hard-right radio host Sebastian Gorka, who served as a White House aide to Trump. Any Jewish person that votes for Democrats hates their religion, Trump said, adding, They hate everything about Israel, and they should be ashamed of themselves, because Israel will be destroyed.

Those comments drew a rebuke from Jonathan Greenblatt, the head of the Anti-Defamation League. "Accusing Jews of hating their religion because they might vote for a particular party is defamatory & patently false," Greenblatt wrote in a post on X.

When he was president, Trump also regularly cast himself as Israels greatest defender. In a 2019 speech to the Israeli-American Council National Summit, he expressed dismay that American Jews had voted for Obama.

So many of you voted for people in the last administration, Trump said. Someday youll have to explain that to me because I dont think they like Israel too much.

Dinner guests and both sides

Trumps regular insistence that American Jews show allegiance to him and the Republican Party has become a campaign issue in 2024, especially following the Oct. 7 Hamas attack in Israel that killed 1,139 people and Israels military response in Gaza that has left 39,300 dead. But those assertions have been undercut by his own past actions and statements.

In 2022, for instance, Trump hosted white nationalist and Holocaust denier Nick Feuntes and rabidly antisemitic rapper Kanye West for dinner at Mar-a-Lago.

In 2017, when white supremacists held a rally in Charlottesville, Va., to protest the removal of a statue of Confederate Gen. Robert E. Lee, self-described neo-Nazis marched, chanting, Jews will not replace us. Violent clashes ensued with counterprotesters, leaving one woman dead and dozens injured.

Trumps initial response to that incident remains, while calling out neo-Nazis and the white nationalists, seemed to many observers to do just that when he began by noting that "you also had some very fine people on both sides."
Acting Secret Service Director Ronald Rowe on Tuesday acknowledged that the attempted assassination of Donald Trump on July 13 represented a failure on multiple levels, and pledged his full support to the various ongoing investigations into the events of that day.

In opening comments to the Senate committees on homeland security and the judiciary, Rowe said he traveled to Butler, Pennsylvania, earlier this month to see the agencys failures firsthand.

What I saw made me ashamed, he said. As a career law enforcement officer, and a 25-year veteran with the Secret Service, I cannot defend why that roof was not better secured.

FBI Deputy Director Paul Abbate also answered questions at Tuesdays hearing, telling senators the agency has discovered a trove of extremist content that appears to have been written by the would-be assassin Thomas Matthew Crooks.

Abbate said a social media account that Crooks appears to have used in 2019 and 2020 had over 700 comments that appear to reflect antisemitic and anti-immigration themes, to espouse political violence, and are described as extreme in nature. No clear motive has been identified, however.

The agency is investigating the shooting as both an attempted assassination and an incident of domestic terrorism. Sen. Ron Johnson (R-Wis.) objected to the second label, telling Abbate he feared that categorizing the shooting as terrorism would make the investigation potentially partisan.

Secret Service acting Director Ronald Rowe and FBI Deputy Director Paul Abbate testify during a joint Senate committee hearing on the security failures leading to the assassination attempt on former President Donald Trump, in Washington, D.C., on July 30. ROBERTO SCHMIDT via Getty Images

While taking full responsibility for the incident, Rowe also blamed poor communication with local law enforcement for the security lapse.

Local law enforcement officers were aware of Crooks presence at the building for an hour and a half before he opened fire from the rooftop, he said. But, a clearly frustrated Rowe said, the Secret Service was not alerted.

The only thing we had was that locals were working an issue at the 3 oclock  which would have been the former presidents right-hand side  which is where the shot came. Nothing about man on the roof, nothing about man with a gun. None of that information ever made it over our net, Rowe said.

We assumed that the state and locals had it, he added later, prompting Sen. John Cornyn (R-Texas) to counter: Those assumptions can be lethal.

Crooks was obscured by the roofline and went unseen by Secret Service snipers until he opened fire. Rowe said the shooter was neutralized within 15.5 seconds of his first shot.

Rowe took over the top job at the agency last week, after former Secret Service Director Kimberly Cheatle resigned following a disastrous appearance before the House oversight and accountability committee.

Senate Judiciary committee Chair Dick Durbin (D-Ill.) opened the hearing by acknowledging how a failure to adequately regulate guns also contributed to the shooting.

While we rely on the Secret Service to protect elected officials, we must acknowledge the unique challenges they face in light of the proliferation of weapons of war on our street, Durbin said.

Pennsylvania, like many states, allows individuals to openly carry a loaded rifle without a permit, he said. To make matters worse, assault rifles can easily be purchased from the licensed dealers without a background check because of dangerous loopholes in our gun laws.

Related...
By Manoj Kumar

NEW DELHI (Reuters) -India is not re-thinking the issue of allowing Chinese investments into the country, Trade Minister Piyush Goyal said on Tuesday.

Earlier in July, India's Chief Economic Adviser V. Anantha Nageswaran said in the government's annual economic survey that New Delhi should focus on direct investments from China to boost its exports and help keep India's growing trade deficit with Beijing in check.

"There is no rethinking at present to support Chinese investments in the country," the minister told reporters in New Delhi.

The economic survey recommendations are not binding on the government, Goyal said.

Following clashes in the remote Himalayan border in 2020 between the two nuclear armed nations, India tightened scrutiny on investments from Chinese companies.

India's Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman, however, had backed Nageswaran's suggestion to allow more Chinese investment into the country.

The trade minister's comments follow a Reuters report last week that said India may ease restrictions on Chinese investment in non-sensitive sectors like solar panels and battery manufacturing.

(Reporting by Manoj Kumar, writing by Swati Bhat, editing by Sudipto Ganguly and Raju Gopalakrishnan)
Acting U.S. Secret Service Director Ronald Rowe Jr. testifies before a joint hearing of the Senate Judiciary and Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs committees on July 30, 2024. Senators grilled Rowe and Deputy FBI Director Paul Abbate about the events leading to the July 13 attempted assassination of former U.S. President Donald Trump. (Photo by Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images)

WASHINGTON  When acting Secret Service Director Ronald Rowe Jr. visited the site of the campaign rally where a gunman attempted to assassinate former President Donald Trump, he went up to the roof, lying flat on his stomach, to evaluate the shooters line of sight that mid-July day.

What I saw made me ashamed, Rowe told U.S. senators Tuesday. As a career law enforcement officer and a 25-year-veteran with the Secret Service, I cannot defend why that roof was not better secured.

Rowe recounted his trip to Butler, Pennsylvania, which he said took place after being named acting director July 23, at a joint hearing of the Senate Judiciary and Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs committees examining the security failures that led to the assassination attempt. Deputy FBI Director Paul Abbate also testified.

It was the first Senate hearing on the attempted assassination since a shooter killed one rallygoer, injured two others and shot Trumps ear using an AR-15-style rifle during a campaign event in Butler on July 13. The 20-year-old gunman was killed at the scene.

Let me be clear: This was an attack on our democracy, said Sen. Gary Peters, chairman of the Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee.

Americans should be able to attend a political rally and express their political beliefs without fear of violence, and political candidates for our nations highest office should be confident that their safety will never be compromised for their service, the Michigan Democrat added.

Peters launched a bipartisan investigation into the security failures leading to the assassination attempt alongside ranking Republican Rand Paul of Kentucky. Its one of several congressional inquiries examining the failures of law enforcement that day.

Rowe stepped into his post after Kimberly Cheatle resigned as director last week. The day before her resignation, Cheatle testified in front of the House Committee on Oversight and Accountability, where lawmakers on both sides of the aisle berated her over the agencys failures to prevent the attempted assassination of Trump.

Facing heavy criticism, many lawmakers called on Cheatle to resign. House Oversight Chairman James Comer of Kentucky and ranking member Jamie Raskin of Maryland also urged her to step down in a joint letter shortly after that hearing.

Rowe said the attempted assassination was a failure to imagine that we actually do live in a very dangerous world where people do actually want to do harm to our protectees.

I think it was a failure to challenge our own assumptions  the assumptions that we know our partners are going to do everything they can, and they do this every day, he added.

More details on the shooter

Senators sought to uncover what went wrong, what policies are in place to facilitate real-time information sharing between the Secret Service and local law enforcement during an event and whether the Secret Service is developing a security plan for the upcoming Democratic National Convention in Chicago that takes into account what they learned from the July shooting.

Neither the Secret Service counter sniper teams nor members of Trumps security detail had any knowledge that there was a man on the roof of the  building with a firearm, according to Rowe.

Rowe said prior to that, they were operating with the knowledge that local law enforcement was working an issue of a suspicious individual prior to the shots being fired.

Abbate noted that despite not having any definitive evidence as to how the gunman got the weapon onto the roof, they believe based on what they have gathered thus far that he likely had the rifle in a backpack.

Social media account associated with shooter

Meanwhile, Abbate said the FBI uncovered a social media account believed to be associated with the shooter, though they are still working to verify that the account belonged to him.

More than 700 comments were posted from the social media account in about the 2019, 2020 timeframe, when the shooter would have been in his mid-teens, and some of the comments appear to reflect antisemitic and anti-immigration themes to espouse political violence and are described as extreme in nature, Abbate said.

Abbate said though nothing has been ruled out, the FBIs investigation has not identified any motive, co-conspirators or people with advanced knowledge. The FBI has so far held more than 460 interviews, received over 2,000 tips from the public, executed search warrants and seized electronic media.

Congressional efforts

Tuesdays hearing came the day after U.S. House Speaker Mike Johnson and Democratic Leader Hakeem Jeffries announced 13 lawmakers comprising a bipartisan task force to investigate the attempted assassination. The resolution creating the panel requires a final report by mid-December.

Rep. Mike Kelly, a Pennsylvania Republican whose district includes Butler, will chair the task force.

Republican Sen. Chuck Grassley of Iowa and Democratic Sen. Catherine Cortez Masto of Nevada introduced bipartisan legislation last week that would require Senate confirmation of Secret Service directors and limit them to one term of 10 years.
Acting U.S. Secret Service Director Ronald Rowe Jr. testifies before a joint hearing of the Senate Judiciary and Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs committees on July 30, 2024. Senators grilled Rowe and Deputy FBI Director Paul Abbate about the events leading to the July 13 attempted assassination of former U.S. President Donald Trump (Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images).

WASHINGTON  When acting Secret Service Director Ronald Rowe Jr. visited the site of the campaign rally where a gunman attempted to assassinate former President Donald Trump, he went up to the roof, lying flat on his stomach, to evaluate the shooters line of sight that mid-July day.

What I saw made me ashamed, Rowe told U.S. senators Tuesday. As a career law enforcement officer and a 25-year-veteran with the Secret Service, I cannot defend why that roof was not better secured.

Rowe recounted his trip to Butler, Pennsylvania, which he said took place after being named acting director July 23, at a joint hearing of the Senate Judiciary and Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs committees examining the security failures that led to the assassination attempt. Deputy FBI Director Paul Abbate also testified.

It was the first Senate hearing on the attempted assassination since a shooter killed one rallygoer, injured two others and shot Trumps ear using an AR-15-style rifle during a campaign event in Butler on July 13. The 20-year-old gunman was killed at the scene.

Let me be clear: This was an attack on our democracy, said Sen. Gary Peters, chairman of the Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee.

Americans should be able to attend a political rally and express their political beliefs without fear of violence, and political candidates for our nations highest office should be confident that their safety will never be compromised for their service, the Michigan Democrat added.

Peters launched a bipartisan investigation into the security failures leading to the assassination attempt alongside ranking Republican Rand Paul of Kentucky. Its one of several congressional inquiries examining the failures of law enforcement that day.

Rowe stepped into his post after Kimberly Cheatle resigned as director last week. The day before her resignation, Cheatle testified in front of the House Committee on Oversight and Accountability, where lawmakers on both sides of the aisle berated her over the agencys failures to prevent the attempted assassination of Trump.

Facing heavy criticism, many lawmakers called on Cheatle to resign. House Oversight Chairman James Comer of Kentucky and ranking member Jamie Raskin of Maryland also urged her to step down in a joint letter shortly after that hearing.

Rowe said the attempted assassination was a failure to imagine that we actually do live in a very dangerous world where people do actually want to do harm to our protectees.

I think it was a failure to challenge our own assumptions  the assumptions that we know our partners are going to do everything they can, and they do this every day, he added.

More details on the shooter

Senators sought to uncover what went wrong, what policies are in place to facilitate real-time information sharing between the Secret Service and local law enforcement during an event and whether the Secret Service is developing a security plan for the upcoming Democratic National Convention in Chicago that takes into account what they learned from the July shooting.

Neither the Secret Service counter sniper teams nor members of Trumps security detail had any knowledge that there was a man on the roof of the  building with a firearm, according to Rowe.

Rowe said prior to that, they were operating with the knowledge that local law enforcement was working an issue of a suspicious individual prior to the shots being fired.

Abbate noted that despite not having any definitive evidence as to how the gunman got the weapon onto the roof, they believe based on what they have gathered thus far that he likely had the rifle in a backpack.

Social media account associated with shooter

Meanwhile, Abbate said the FBI uncovered a social media account believed to be associated with the shooter, though they are still working to verify that the account belonged to him.

More than 700 comments were posted from the social media account in about the 2019, 2020 timeframe, when the shooter would have been in his mid-teens, and some of the comments appear to reflect antisemitic and anti-immigration themes to espouse political violence and are described as extreme in nature, Abbate said.

Abbate said though nothing has been ruled out, the FBIs investigation has not identified any motive, co-conspirators or people with advanced knowledge. The FBI has so far held more than 460 interviews, received over 2,000 tips from the public, executed search warrants and seized electronic media.

Congressional efforts

Tuesdays hearing came the day after U.S. House Speaker Mike Johnson and Democratic Leader Hakeem Jeffries announced 13 lawmakers comprising a bipartisan task force to investigate the attempted assassination. The resolution creating the panel requires a final report by mid-December.

Rep. Mike Kelly, a Pennsylvania Republican whose district includes Butler, will chair the task force.

Republican Sen. Chuck Grassley of Iowa and Democratic Sen. Catherine Cortez Masto of Nevada introduced bipartisan legislation last week that would require Senate confirmation of Secret Service directors and limit them to one term of 10 years.
Acting U.S. Secret Service Director Ronald Rowe Jr. testifies before a joint hearing of the Senate Judiciary and Homeland Security and Government Affairs committees in the Dirksen Senate Office Building on Capitol Hill on July 30, 2024 in Washington, DC. Senators grilled Rowe and Deputy Federal Bureau of Investigation Director Paul Abbate about the events leading to the July 13 attempted assassination of former U.S. President Donald Trump, days before he accepted the Republican presidential nomination for the third time. (Photo by Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images)

WASHINGTON  When acting Secret Service Director Ronald Rowe Jr. visited the site of the campaign rally where a gunman attempted to assassinate former President Donald Trump, he went up to the roof, lying flat on his stomach, to evaluate the shooters line of sight that mid-July day.

What I saw made me ashamed, Rowe told U.S. senators Tuesday. As a career law enforcement officer and a 25-year-veteran with the Secret Service, I cannot defend why that roof was not better secured.

Rowe recounted his trip to Butler, Pennsylvania, which he said took place after being named acting director July 23, at a joint hearing of the Senate Judiciary and Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs committees examining the security failures that led to the assassination attempt. Deputy FBI Director Paul Abbate also testified.

It was the first Senate hearing on the attempted assassination since a shooter killed one rallygoer, injured two others and shot Trumps ear using an AR-15-style rifle during a campaign event in Butler on July 13. The 20-year-old gunman was killed at the scene.

Let me be clear: This was an attack on our democracy, said Sen. Gary Peters, chairman of the Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee.

Americans should be able to attend a political rally and express their political beliefs without fear of violence, and political candidates for our nations highest office should be confident that their safety will never be compromised for their service, the Michigan Democrat added.

Peters launched a bipartisan investigation into the security failures leading to the assassination attempt alongside ranking Republican Rand Paul of Kentucky. Its one of several congressional inquiries examining the failures of law enforcement that day.

Rowe stepped into his post after Kimberly Cheatle resigned as director last week. The day before her resignation, Cheatle testified in front of the House Committee on Oversight and Accountability, where lawmakers on both sides of the aisle berated her over the agencys failures to prevent the attempted assassination of Trump.

Facing heavy criticism, many lawmakers called on Cheatle to resign. House Oversight Chairman James Comer of Kentucky and ranking member Jamie Raskin of Maryland also urged her to step down in a joint letter shortly after that hearing.

Rowe said the attempted assassination was a failure to imagine that we actually do live in a very dangerous world where people do actually want to do harm to our protectees.

I think it was a failure to challenge our own assumptions  the assumptions that we know our partners are going to do everything they can, and they do this every day, he added.

More details on the shooter

Senators sought to uncover what went wrong, what policies are in place to facilitate real-time information sharing between the Secret Service and local law enforcement during an event and whether the Secret Service is developing a security plan for the upcoming Democratic National Convention in Chicago that takes into account what they learned from the July shooting.

Neither the Secret Service counter sniper teams nor members of Trumps security detail had any knowledge that there was a man on the roof of the  building with a firearm, according to Rowe.

Rowe said prior to that, they were operating with the knowledge that local law enforcement was working an issue of a suspicious individual prior to the shots being fired.

Abbate noted that despite not having any definitive evidence as to how the gunman got the weapon onto the roof, they believe based on what they have gathered thus far that he likely had the rifle in a backpack.

Social media account associated with shooter

Meanwhile, Abbate said the FBI uncovered a social media account believed to be associated with the shooter, though they are still working to verify that the account belonged to him.

More than 700 comments were posted from the social media account in about the 2019, 2020 timeframe, when the shooter would have been in his mid-teens, and some of the comments appear to reflect antisemitic and anti-immigration themes to espouse political violence and are described as extreme in nature, Abbate said.

Abbate said though nothing has been ruled out, the FBIs investigation has not identified any motive, co-conspirators or people with advanced knowledge. The FBI has so far held more than 460 interviews, received over 2,000 tips from the public, executed search warrants and seized electronic media.

Congressional efforts

Tuesdays hearing came the day after U.S. House Speaker Mike Johnson and Democratic Leader Hakeem Jeffries announced 13 lawmakers comprising a bipartisan task force to investigate the attempted assassination. The resolution creating the panel requires a final report by mid-December.

Rep. Mike Kelly, a Pennsylvania Republican whose district includes Butler, will chair the task force.

Republican Sen. Chuck Grassley of Iowa and Democratic Sen. Catherine Cortez Masto of Nevada introduced bipartisan legislation last week that would require Senate confirmation of Secret Service directors and limit them to one term of 10 years.
Trump is Visiting the NABJ Conference in Chicago, and Black Twitter is Spicy About the Whole Thing

Former president Donald Trump will appear at the National Association of Black Journalists annual conference in Chicago on Wednesday (July 31). The announcement Monday night. He will sit for a panel moderated by three Black women  ABCs Rachel Scott, FOX News Harris Faulkner and Semafor reporter Kadia Goba.

In response to the news, Black Twitter became ablaze with anger, frustration and confusion.



Many feel that Trump, who has a disturbing history of racismincluding discriminating against Black tenants, calling for the execution of the Central Park 5, deeming white supremacists very fine people and quoting Hitler should not be platformed at an event for Black journalists.

Esteemed White House correspondent April Ryan spoke out and shared her disgust over the shocking announcement.

From 2017 NABJ JOURNALIST OF THE YEAR



The reports of attacks on Black women White House correspondents by the then president of the United States are not myth or conjecture, but fact. To have a presumed orchestrated session with the former president is an affront to what this  AprilDRyan (@AprilDRyan) July 30, 2024

To have a presumed orchestrated session with the former president is an affront to what this organization stands for and a slap in the face to the Black women journalists (NABJ journalists of the year) who had to protect themselves from the wrath of this Republican presidential nominee who is promoting an authoritarian agenda that plans to destroy this nation and her democracy with his Project 2025, she wrote.

I would like to unwelcome @NABJ for surprising Chicago with this Trump news, a man who has threatened Chicago with state violence in his stump speeches--and attracts a white supremacist following to a Black affinity space.  Morgan Elise Johnson (@MorganEliseJ) July 30, 2024

Morgan Elise Johnson plainly wrote: I would like to unwelcome @NABJ for surprising Chicago with this Trump news, a man who has threatened Chicago with state violence in his stump speechesand attracts a white supremacist following to a Black affinity space.

Donald Trump speaking at an NABJ Convention is some naaaaasty work. Even if youre trying to dunk on him, Donald Trump should not be platformed at all. Idc how brilliant your clapbacks are, he should not be allowed to speak publicly. He is a danger to our nation.  Melech. (@MelechThomas) July 30, 2024

Another user, @MelechThomas, called the choice for NABJ Convention to host Trump nasty work. Even if youre trying to dunk on him, Donald Trump should not be platformed at all. Idc how brilliant your clapbacks are, he should not be allowed to speak publicly. He is a danger to our nation.

Some are supporting NABJs decision to platform Trump, including Atlanta Journal-Constitution correspondent Tia Mitchell, who suggested that journalists should want to ask the potential future president questions.

Some of yall need to take a step back and ask why youre questioning why a group of JOURNALISTS wants to ask former and possibly future President Trump questions. Do you hear yourselves? pic.twitter.com/I54e2MDX9s  Tia "Very Calm Sis" Mitchell (@TIAreports) July 30, 2024

Sports journalist Jemele Hill tried to both sides the situation, saying that journalists can never be afraid to tackle someone like Trump and that Trump is running for president and needs to be treated as such. However, @ocbuckner quickly checked Hill with one of her past tweets.

In the screenshot, Hill previously stated Its journalistically irresponsible to give a platform to known liars. Our profession cant continue to die on the stupid hill of both-side-rism.

That man doesnt even believe the National Association Of Black Journalists should even exist lmao like what are we doing right now  David Dennis Jr. (@DavidDTSS) July 30, 2024

David Dennis Jr. put it best when he stated: [Trump] doesnt even believe the National Association Of Black Journalists should even exist lmao like what are we doing right now.

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Former President Donald Trump delivered a last-minute election twist over the weekend when he announced he would support not one but two Republican candidates to represent the West Valley in Congress.

Trump initially had only backed Abe Hamadeh, a former Arizona attorney general candidate and prominent election denier. On Saturday Trump also threw his support behind Blake Masters, a former U.S. Senate candidate who was backed by Trump's running mate Sen. JD Vance.

Endorsing both candidates a few days before Tuesday's GOP primary election made Trump  who counts loser among his favorite insults  much more likely to end up on the winning side, at a time when polling has suggested a close race between Masters and Hamadeh.

It closed any appearance of a rift between Trump and his newly selected running mate, Vance, R-Ohio, who backed Masters early on and long before he joined the 2024 Republican ticket.

Blake Masters and Abe Hamadeh, U.S. House candidates running in Arizona's 8th Congressional District after incumbent Republican Rep. Debbie Leskos October 2023 announcement that she would not be running for congressional reelection in 2024.

In doing so, Trump formally welcomed back into his orbit a candidate who espouses conservative viewpoints to the right of his own and who has mounted attacks on his rivals personal and religious background that fellow Republicans have criticized as racist.

Both candidates received Trumps backing during the 2022 election cycle, when Hamadeh ran for Arizona attorney general and Masters for Arizonas U.S. Senate seat. Since then, the two have become fierce rivals in the six-way primary race that also includes former U.S. Rep. Trent Franks, state Sen. Anthony Kern, Arizona House Speaker Ben Toma and political newcomer Patrick Pat Briody.

Operating without Trumps formal backing for much of his House campaign, Masters has been willing to buck the former president on certain issues and messaging. Unlike Hamadeh, who has toed the former presidents line that abortion policy should be left to the states, Masters has expressed support for federal abortion restrictions as early as 12 weeks or 15 weeks.

He has leveled attacks about Hamadehs personal life, targeting his rival for not being married or having kids. Last week, Masters defended a controversial 2021 remark by Vance, dismissing some politicians as childless cat ladies." The Vance comment drew fire even from some Republicans and some feared a campaign trail liability in Trumps ongoing re-election bid.

And he has put a substantial amount of campaign energy and resources into drumming up concern about Hamadehs religious background and identity. He has mounted an attack line under the guise of transparency, pointing to deleted social media posts to charge that Abe Hamadeh is hiding his Muslim background from you.

He doesnt want you to see it, apparently, Masters said. I think thats really weird: the concealment.

Masters campaign has plastered an image of Hamadeh, who was raised in a mixed-faith household, draped in Muslim ritual clothing on political signs across the district. He captioned the signs with a comment that Hamadeh made online as a teenager about the multi-religious influences at the countrys founding: America was founded on Islamic principles.

Hamadeh and his allies have called the attacks bigoted and racist even as he seeks to offset them, saying through a spokesperson that he believes in Jesus and Judeo-Christian values.

Distorting his words from his teenage years reveals the extreme lengths his opponents will go to undermine President Trumps chosen candidate, Hamadeh spokesperson Erica Knight wrote in a text message to The Arizona Republic.

Masters pushed back against the idea that Trumps endorsement rewarded him for the personal attacks. Trump backed him because Im the strongest and most conservative candidate in the race, he wrote Monday in a text message.

Trumps early endorsement of Hamadeh did not give him a decisive lead in publicly released polling, including in a survey performed by a top Trump-aligned pollster, Tony Fabrizio, on Masters behalf.

The dual endorsement came amid reports that Trump has been in conversation with the tech magnates Peter Thiel, a mentor of Masters, and David Sacks, another ally of Masters.

The members of Trumps inner circle have been divided over the race. Several allies of the former president, including loyalists Richard Grenell, Kash Patel, and U.S. Senate candidate Kari Lake, have endorsed Hamadeh. Masters on Monday secured a last-minute endorsement from MAGA personality Charlie Kirk less than 24 hours before polls open on Election Day.

Arizona's 8th Congressional District covers parts of Maricopa and Yavapai counties, including Glendale, Peoria, Sun City West and New River. The district heavily favors the GOP. About 40% of active voters in the district are Republicans, 33% are not affiliated with a political party, and 25% are registered Democrats, according to the Arizona Secretary of State's most recent tally.

This article originally appeared on Arizona Republic: Trump endorses Masters after months of religious, personal attacks
Pro-Palestinian demonstrators gather near the U.S. Capitol ahead of an address by Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu of Israel to a joint session of Congress on July 24. Credit - Jason AndrewThe New York Times/Redux

When U.S. Director of National Intelligence Avril Haines warned on July 9 that Iran is becoming increasingly aggressive in their foreign influence efforts, the spymasters rare public statement included a caveat asserting that Americans protesting the Gaza conflict are doing so in good faith.

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu offered no such qualifier in his address to Congress two weeks later, dismissing the Gaza protestors as Irans useful idiots. Yet in asserting that Iran was financing some anti-Israel activism in America, Netanyahu likely spoke out of personal knowledge of how Tehran has sought to inflame social tensions within Israel itself.

The truth is, the Islamic Republic has multiple nodes of influence that it uses to interfere in Western democratic policy debates. Irans Foreign Ministry cultivates relationships with media outlets and think tanks in the United States and Europe, to influence policymaking in directions that serve its interests. It mostly does this through promises of engagement and offering access to individuals and entities it assesses as well-placed to echo its narratives.

Tehran has also been actively engaged in, at the minimum, encouraging American and European protest activity after the October 7 massacreboth physically and online. Irans Intelligence Ministry (MOIS) and the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) Intelligence Organization dominate this space. Months before Haines statement, this could be seen in reports from the United Kingdom that counterterrorism police had identified individuals linked to Irans regime present on the fringes of anti-Israel rallies there. In advance of demonstrations, a memo allegedly written by an IRGC intelligence official, urged significant support measures for April 15 and other rallies with the aim to achieve [Israels] political isolation."

Like Russia, Iran has a long track record of attempting to create societal fissures in its adversaries. Many of these efforts are clumsyand easily thwarted by the security servicesbut can be lethal. In July, three Israeli citizens were arrested on suspicion of operating on behalf of Iranian intelligence in exchange for money. The paid missions ranged from storing cash in different locales to directives to commit arson and murder. In one particularly disturbing incident, an Iranian handler urged an Israeli to deliver packages, one containing the severed head of an animal, to private homes inside Israel. The Iranian handlers camouflaged their identities to make it appear they were Israelis themselves; payment was made in cryptocurrency.

In the U.S., the Iranian leadership long has courted groups which share a similar anti-Israel ideological mindset. One such group is Neturei Karta, a fringe ultraorthodox Jewish sect, whose leaders have been regularly hosted by Tehran. This author has spotted members of Neturei Karta at multiple anti-Israel demonstrations in the United States, especially in New York. One member of Neturei Karta was interviewed by Islamic Republic of Iran Broadcasting (IRIB) on a City University of New York (CUNY) campus at a student encampment in April. The United States has sanctioned IRIB and has revealed its links to Iranian intelligence. There is likewise a history of Iranian intelligence using Neturei Karta members for espionagefor example in Israel.

Iran has also built an extensive online disinformation apparatus that is used to both amplify content promoting its anti-American and anti-Israel worldview and aggravate political and social tensions in democratic societies. MOIS and the IRGC are the key implementers of these online influence campaigns. They have employed sockpuppet accounts which are fake online personas. For example, the IRGC cyber group Cotton Sandstorm (which is operated by under Emennet Pasargad, a company sanctioned for attempting to influence the 2020 U.S. presidential election), ran an X account branded as Jewish Peace Advocate, according to Microsoft Threat Intelligence. MOIS also runs a series of cyberwarfare teams in support of Hamas.

During the campus encampments, a pro-IRGC Telegram channel called Resistance News Network regularly shared posts from channels linked to U.S. college campus demonstrations. In turn, some of those accounts promoted content from the Resistance News Network. American social media influencers have at times raised eyebrows by pumping out messaging glorifying the Islamic Republic.

Washington has demonstrated that it is aware of Iranian influence gambits. But the messaging from the U.S. intelligence community has only focused on informing and warning the American public of such malign activity. Absent from the discussion is what the Biden administration and its allies are doing to deter the Iranian regime from such behavior. These influence campaigns not only serve to create dissension in America; they also risk inciting intimidation and lethal antisemitic attacks. If these countries are truly committed to defending democracy, the Islamic Republic needs to pay a price.

Irans Supreme Leader, for his part, clearly sees an opportunity to exploit protests in the West, dubbing them in July a unique phenomenon in contemporary history. As the campus protests peaked in May, Khamenei welcomed American students into the Axis of Resistance, saying in an open letter that they have formed a new branch alongside Hezbollah and other terrorist groups whose flags have appeared in major cities.

The standards of Hamas, Hezbollah, and the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestineall Iran-backed and U.S.-designated foreign terrorist organizationswere placed, for instance, outside a New York City commemoration for the victims of the Nova Music Festival massacre. It is not known that Iran had any hand in the flags' appearance, though one of the requests the handler in Tehran made to the recruit in Israel was to place anti-Israel posters in Tel Aviv. This, like everything Iran is doing to exploit the Gaza protests, deserves further scrutiny from policymakers and the public.





Contact us at letters@time.com.
GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. (WOOD)  Starting this fall, recent Michigan high school graduates will be able to attend community college tuition-free.

Costs impacting a persons decision to continue their education right after high school is something colleges know well.

Some people think about a gap year because they dont know what to do next and its really the money thats keeping them away, said David DeBoer, executive director for financial aid at Grand Rapids Community College.

Now in Michigan, that barrier may be broken down for thousands of people.

Through the fiscal year 2025 state budget, Michigan high school graduates in the class of 2023 and later can earn an associate degree or skilled certificate at their local community college tuition-free.

It should cover most, if not all of the costs, for a student who is in-district at a community college, whether thats here at GRCC, Kalamazoo Valley, Muskegon, DeBoer said.

Gov. Gretchen Whitmer said its expected to save more than 18,000 students up to $4,820 each year.

Michigan lawmakers pass budget overnight after disagreements in funding for schools

This Michigan Guarantee takes that money piece out of the equation so that they can make a decision thats more for themselves and their goals in life, as opposed to worrying whether or not they can pay the bill, DeBoer said.

In 2021, a similar program named Michigan Reconnect was launched. It was originally designed to help people 25 and older pursue an associate degree or a certificate, but the eligibility age was temporarily lowered to 21 in October 2023.

DeBoer said that caused GRCC to see a significant increase in the number of people in that age group interested in attending college. He anticipates this latest effort will eventually create similar results.

I say eventually because its still new, DeBoer said. So were still learning the rules, the promotion is just now getting out.

Monday, News 8 caught up with a student who now attends Grand Valley State University but began her college career at GRCC.

GRCC: Expanded tuition program would remove barriers

I got all my (general education classes) done and I saved a lot of money, said Vienna Koenigsknecht, a former GRCC student.

Koenigsknecht said shes happy to see other students have one less thing to worry about.

I know people from my high school didnt go to college because its a money thing and moneys hard this time of life. So, I think its really cool that everybody gets the fair opportunity to go, Koenigsknecht said.

To qualify for the program, you must complete the FAFSA form, among other requirements. DeBoer said its not too late to enroll.

Copyright 2024 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.

For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to WOODTV.com.
A Tulalip Tribe member has pleaded guilty to voluntary manslaughter for shooting a friend in a garage on tribal lands.

Abdul Qasim Ray Zahir pleaded guilty on Monday at the U.S. District Court in Seattle.

According to Tessa M. Gorman, U.S. Attorney at the U.S. Attorneys Office, Western District of Washington, Zahirs friend was working on a car in a detached garage of his home on the Tulalip reservation when an argument began with Zahirs cousin stemming from the noise the victim was making during the repair work.

As the victim approached Zahirs cousin, Zahir fired three shots, killing the victim.

In the plea agreements terms, the press release said that Zahir can ask for no less than 10 years and prosecutors can request no more than 18 years in federal prison.

Zahir was already facing separate charges for robbery, illegal possession of a gun and possession of a stolen car.

Zahir agreed to plead guilty to existing state charges, and a state attorney will recommend a concurrent sentence with the federal sentence.

The presiding judge has scheduled sentencing for November 1, 2024.
By Manoj Kumar and Nikunj Ohri

NEW DELHI (Reuters) - India has declined to accept a European Union proposal to levy higher taxes on its carbon-producing industries, which the 27-nation bloc said it was willing to offset when those products enter its borders, a top official told Reuters.

The latest suggestion was made by an EU delegation led by Gerassimos Thomas, director general for taxation and customs union within the European Commission, who defended the proposed carbon border adjustment mechanism (CBAM) in its meetings with Indian officials.

Ajay Seth, India's economic affairs secretary, told Reuters in an interview: "Their suggestion is not practical. Their team had come and met us ... the solution they are offering doesn't work for a developing economy like India."

New Delhi has conveyed its stance to the EU delegation, labelling the proposed CBAM as unfair and detrimental to domestic market costs, Seth said.

The EU last year approved the world's first plan to impose tariffs on imports of high-carbon goods, including steel, aluminium and cement, aiming to reach net-zero greenhouse emissions by 2050.

Negotiations between the EU and India continue at a "technical level," an EU statement said after the delegation's visit earlier this month.

EU officials are trying to win over countries like China, South Africa and India that have opposed the CBAM.

The European Commission delegation had told India that the carbon tax's primary intent was not to raise revenue but to ensure the supply of greener goods to the EU market.

The EU delegation suggested India could implement its own carbon tax to fund advancements in supply chains and cut carbon emissions, while maintaining its share of the EU market.

HIGHER COSTS

Seth said the greening of the steel industry would entail higher costs for the economy, and "with income levels which are one-twentieth of the income levels in Europe, can we afford a higher price? No, we can't."

Assuming there is no domestic Indian plan to tax high-carbon production - and incentivise a move to lower-carbon methods - the EU plans to collect the carbon tax on each consignment of steel and aluminium from Jan. 1, 2026, potentially imposing tariffs of between 20% and 35%, according to industry estimates.

Analysts warn that the deadlock over carbon emissions could strain bilateral trade and affect discussions on a free trade agreement (FTA).

"As India is negotiating an FTA with the EU, it should be ready for the scenario that Indian products will attract a high 20%-35% CBAM tax in the EU and their products will enter India duty free," said Ajay Srivastava, founder of Global Trade Research Initiative (GTRI), a New Delhi-based think tank.

Story continues

The EU is India's second-biggest export destination with nearly $100 billion of exports in total in 2023.

Seth said India wants that EU to adhere to the carbon emission rules agreed in the 2015 Paris Agreement, which allowed developing nations like India more flexible emission-cutting targets compared with developed countries.

India, with a carbon intensity of 632 grams per KWh in 2022, according to think tank Ember, is expanding its renewable capacity and has reduced its carbon intensity by 3.5% since 2018. It aims to achieve net zero by 2070.

"We have now about 170 or 180 gigawatt of renewable energy, but that is not available during night time," Seth said, noting the challenges of producing greener exports solely for the EU market.

(Reporting by Manoj Kumar; Editing by David Holmes)
Photos of 2023 and the stories behind them

ANKARA (Reuters) - Turkey and Armenia on Tuesday resumed talks aimed at normalising ties after a two-year lull and agreed to simplify visa rules for some passport holders, the two countries said.

Ankara severed diplomatic and commercial relations with Yerevan in 1993 in support of Azerbaijan during its war with Armenia over the Nagorno-Karabakh region, and has deepened ties with the ethnically Turkic Azeris in recent years.

Since the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict ended, NATO member Turkey has sought to revive its historically strained ties with Armenia, though it has said any normalisation depends on progress in Armenia's peace talks with Azerbaijan.

Turkish and Armenian special envoys held a fifth round of negotiations on the Alican-Magara border crossing on Tuesday, the Turkish and Armenian foreign ministries said in a joint statement.

They agreed to assess technical requirements for reopening the Akyaka-Akhurik border crossing to rail transport as well as simplify mutual visa procedures for diplomatic and official passport holders, the statement said.

It added the two sides reaffirmed a commitment to pursue normalisation without preconditions, but gave no date for the next round of talks.

Turkey and Armenia have long been at odds mainly over the 1.5 million Armenians who Yerevan says were killed in 1915 by the Ottoman Empire, the predecessor to modern Turkey.

Armenia says this constitutes genocide. Turkey accepts that many Armenians living in the Ottoman Empire were killed in clashes with Ottoman forces during World War One, but contests the figures and denies any genocide occurred.

(Reporting by Tuvan Gumrukcu and Felix Light; editing by Mark Heinrich)
A protester holds a placard that says 'You can't round up, you can't imprison, you can't kill!' during a demonstration against a law that aims to put millions of stray dogs into shelters, and put down any dog who shows aggressive behaviour or is diagnosed with an incurable disease. The law was passed by the Turkish Parliament. Tunahan Turhan/SOPA Images via ZUMA Press Wire/dpa

The Turkish parliament passed a bill on Tuesday to control the millions of stray dogs in the country despite opposition from rights groups who fear it will open the path for animals to be killed or ignored in overcrowded shelters.

The controversial law to regulate the stray dog population passed in parliament early on Tuesday, state news agency Anadolu reported.

The past few weeks had seen protests across Turkey against the divisive law.

The amendments to an existing animal rights law mandate that municipalities collect stray dogs and place them in animal shelters for adoption or other measures, including culling.

The amendment allows dogs classified by veterinarians as sick or aggressive or that pose a "danger to the health of humans and animals" to be put to sleep.

Animal rights activists fear that majority of the animals will be killed, citing what they call the inadequate and poorly regulated animal shelter infrastructure in Turkey.

According to the government, there are an estimated 4 million street dogs in Turkey, but only around 100,000 places in animal shelters.

The amendment also stipulates that municipalities must ensure that enough accommodation is created by the end of 2028. Failure to do so could result in prison sentences of up to two years.

This will lead to "chaos" in its implementation, the deputy chairwoman of the animal protection organization Haytap, Senem Demirel Acar, told dpa.

Acar fears that even healthy animals would be killed before there is enough accommodation or they can be adopted.

President Recep Tayyip Erdogan's government justifies the measure, among other things, by arguing that stray dogs repeatedly attack locals.

A previous law prohibited the killing of stray animals and mandated neutering, vaccinating and releasing them back into their area of origin to control the animal population.

Turkey's largest opposition party, the Republican People's Party (CHP), insisted on sticking to the old regulation.

The CHP leader, Ozgur Ozel, announced on Tuesday that he would appeal the law at the Constitutional Court. Municipalities run by his party would not implement the law, Ozel added.

The CHP won the most mayoral posts in the country in the March local elections.

Government critics argue the stray dog law is part of an attempt by Erdogan to further polarize the public and pressure opposition municipalities.

A protester holds a placard with photos showing dogs being brutally killed during a demonstration against a law that aims to put millions of stray dogs into shelters, and put down any dog who shows aggressive behaviour or is diagnosed with an incurable disease. The law was passed by the Turkish Parliament. Tunahan Turhan/SOPA Images via ZUMA Press Wire/dpa
FILE PHOTO: FILE PHOTO: Garip, a stray dog, who has been taken care by the shopkeepers at a local market, is pictured in Istanbul

FILE PHOTO: FILE PHOTO: Garip, a stray dog, who has been taken care by the shopkeepers at a local market, is pictured in Istanbul

By Ece Toksabay

ANKARA (Reuters) -Turkey's parliament passed a law on Tuesday to round up millions of stray dogs and put them into shelters despite protests by animal lovers and criticism from the main opposition party, which vowed to challenge the legislation in court.

The law, drawn up by President Tayyip Erdogan's ruling AK Party, has touched a raw nerve in Turkey, where many think it will lead to large numbers of dogs being put down.

Turkey has an estimated 4 million stray dogs and supporters of the law cited concerns about attacks, road accidents and rabies. Under the new rules, any dogs showing aggressive behaviour or that have untreatable diseases will be put down.

It was approved with 275 votes in favour and 224 against.

Animal rights activists have called instead for neutering campaigns to be stepped up, and the opposition Republican People's Party (CHP) said it would appeal against the legislation in the Constitutional Court.

"The bill is clearly unconstitutional and does not defend the right to life," CHP leader Ozgur Ozel said after it passed, adding that municipalities had limited resources to deal with the task of taking so many dogs off the streets.

"We will do more than what is required of us in terms of building more shelters, vaccination, neutering and adoption, but it is not possible to completely fulfil this burden with the power that municipalities have," he added.

The country currently has 322 animal shelters with a capacity for 105,000 dogs, according to the bill, far short of what would be needed to round up the number of strays.

The law requires all municipalities to spend at least 0.3% of their annual budget on animal rehabilitation services and building or upgrading shelters, though they will be given until 2028 to do so.

Thousands of people have taken to the streets over the past few weeks to protest against the law, occasionally scuffling with police and carrying banners including slogans such as "You cannot kill them" and "Take back the law".

Residents of Turkish towns and cities often take care of street animals, putting out makeshift shelters, food and water for them. One survey showed less than 3% of people supported putting them down, while nearly 80% were in favour of dogs being put in shelters.

(Reporting by Ece Toksabay and Daren Butler; Editing by Miral Fahmy and Helen Popper)
ISTANBUL (Reuters) - Turkish forces targeted Kurdish militants in northern Iraq with air strikes, killing 13 members of the outlawed Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK), the defence ministry said on Tuesday.

The PKK militants were "neutralised" in the Gara and Haftanin regions of northern Iraq, the ministry said in a statement. The ministry's use of the term "neutralised" generally means killed.

Turkey's military previously conducted air strikes in northern Iraq on Friday and destroyed 25 Kurdish militant targets, the defence ministry said in an earlier statement. It said those targets included caves, shelters, bunkers, depots and facilities.

The PKK, which has been waging an insurgency against the Turkish state since 1984, is designated a terrorist organisation by Turkey, the United States and the European Union. More than 40,000 people have been killed in the conflict.

(Reporting by Tuvan Gumrukcu; Writing by Burcu Karakas; Editing by Daren Butler, Alexandra Hudson)
The social platform X, formerly Twitter, suspended a White Dudes for Harris account following a fundraising video call that attracted nearly 200,000 supporters of Vice President Kamala Harris run for the Oval Office.

The account, @dudes4harris, was suspended Monday night for violating X rules due to a user report, according to a screenshot from Mike Nellis, one of the accounts operators. As of Tuesday morning, @dudes4harris was still suspended and permanently in read-only mode.

We scared @elonmusk and @DonaldJTrumpJr so much tonight they suspended our account and wont let us back in, Nellis wrote on his own X page, using the handles of X owner Elon Musk and the son of GOP presidential nominee Donald Trump. These guys are running scared of the success weve had tonight, but were not going to quit.

Celebrities like Jeff Bridges, Josh Groban, Joseph Gordon-Levitt and Lance Bass, among others, joined the White Dudes for Harris fundraising call, which raised $4 million for Harris Democratic campaign. On X, the White Dudes for Harris account describes itself as Just a few dudes who support Kamala Harris.

When HuffPost asked for comment, X sent an automated reply: Busy now, please check back later.

Musk, who bought Twitter in 2022 and then renamed it X, was previously accused of silencing detractors after his platform suspended the accounts of several journalists who wrote critically about him; their accounts were later reinstated. Musk calls himself a proponent of free speech, but X has sued organizations like Media Matters for America and the Center for Countering Digital Hate, which have studied X and published reports about the social media site. The suit against the latter group has since been dismissed.

Earlier this month, Musk announced that he was fully endorsing Trump in the 2024 presidential race. And over the weekend, Musk called Harris an extinctionist after she said she understands why young people may be hesitant to start families.

Related...
How these two Army veterans got a free home

Two military veterans received a mortgage-free home in a community in Gastonia that is focused on American patriotism.

Army Sgt. Peter Clark and Army Specialist Kelly Clark received the home from 1776 Community and Building Homes for Heroes.

The home is located in 1776 Gastonia, a community for people 55 and over. The community will be governed by a homeowners association, and residents will follow a set of specific standards, which include pledging allegiance to the flag and displaying the American flag at the front of their home.

Kelly Clark, 56, served in the Army in the 1990s, spending time in Saudi Arabia right after Desert Storm.

"It was a big culture shock. We really couldn't do anything over there, the women. When we went to the mall, we had a male with us," she said. "I won't give up that experience for anything, but it was very interesting."

Peter Clark served in the Marine Corp. starting in 1978, when he enlisted at the age of 17.

"I've always wanted to be in the military, always," he said.

Peter Clark enlisted in the Marine Corps at the age of 17.

In 2003, two years after 9/11, he decided to enlist again, but he was told he was too old for the Marines. He joined the Army instead, and went to Iraq.

Peter Clark, left, re-enlisted in the Army after 9/11.

In Iraq, he worked as a motor transport operator, delivering supplies and ammunition and transporting fallen soldiers. During one mission, he suffered a traumatic brain injury, and he was exposed to toxic burn pits, which affected his long term health.

"And then I ended up when I came back home, I developed lung cancer, and a year later, I developed brain cancer," he said.

Kelly Clark said that although Peter, who is 63, had stage 4 brain cancer, he survived.

"The oncologist that we saw said, 'Don't ever both play the lottery. You already won,'" she said.

Although now in remission, Clark suffers from a form of dementia that developed after doctors removed a brain tumor.

After Clark went into remission, the couple spent 10 years traveling around the United States in an RV. Then, shortly after they settled down, the pandemic started. They were looking for a house, but "the market outpriced us," Kelly Clark said.

She discovered Building Homes for Heroes, an organization that gifts homes to injured veterans, online and decided to apply. They were approved.

She said having a mortgage-free home means that she can stay at home and care for her husband.

"He needs a caregiver for the dementia and the short-term memory issues and things like that. He's already been scammed a couple of times  for me to have to go back to work would just be detrimental to his health," she said.

She said she is hoping for a sense of community.

A home dedication ceremony for two veterans, a husband and wife, who are receiving a free house, was held Friday morning, July 26, 2024, at the 1776 development on Founding Fathers Drive.

"I really think it's going to be like, neighbor helping neighbor. That's what I'm hoping for. Everybody helping everybody," Clark added.

Army Specialist Kelly Clark takes a photograph as her husband, Army Sergeant Peter Clark, aplaudes as skydivers parachute in above them during a home dedication ceremony for two veterans, who are receiving a free house, Friday morning, July 26, 2024, at the 1776 development on Founding Fathers Drive.

Great American Home founder, Brock Fankhauser, walks with Army Sergreant Peter Clark and his wife, Army Specialist Kelly Clark, in white, along Founding Fathers Drive during a home dedication ceremony held Friday morning, July 26, 2024.

Army veterans Peter and Kelly Clark were gifted a home in Gastonia in a community devoted to American patriotism.

This article originally appeared on The Gaston Gazette: How these two Army veterans got a free home in Gastonia
Two arrested in Rogers on attempted capital murder charge after alleged stabbing

ROGERS, Ark. (KNWA/KFTA)  A man and woman have been arrested in connection with a mans stabbing in Rogers on July 26, according to court documents.

Mischel Maritza Carrasquero-Romero, 20, of Rogers and Maikel Ruiz-Alvarado, 18, of Rogers were arrested on July 27 on an attempted capital murder charge.

Additionally, Carrasquero-Romero is facing a hindering apprehension or prosecution charge. Ruiz-Alvarado is also facing a first-degree battery charge.

Prosecutor: Garfield man arrested in connection with Benton County crash that killed minor

Mischel Maritza Carrasquero-Romero, 20 (Courtesy: Benton County Detention Center)

Maikel Ruiz-Alvarado, 18 (Courtesy: Benton County Detention Center)

A probable cause affidavit said around 9 p.m. on July 26, Rogers police responded to a stabbing call near Mercy Hospital in Rogers at the 2000 block of West Pine Street.

The hospital told Rogers dispatch that a man was in critical condition and had a severe laceration to his chest.

Detectives went to the hospital and found a man with a 10 to 12-inch laceration on the right side of his chest. The man was not responsive and was in the hospitals intensive care unit, the affidavit said.

A witness later told police there was a fight between Ruiz-Alvarado and another man in the backyard of a home on West Pine Street.

The witness said Ruiz-Alvarado was agitated and attacked the man. Ruiz-Alvarado was seen at one point threatening the man with a broken bottle, according to the affidavit.

ASP: Guatemalan man accused of resisting arrest, assaulting trooper on Interstate 49 in Rogers

A second witness said she heard the fight and saw Carrasquero-Romeo grab a knife from the kitchen and give it to Ruiz-Alvarado before the stabbing.

A third witness told officials he saw Ruiz-Alvarado holding a broken bottle but did not see the stabbing.

A kitchen knife was found in the front yard by police and broken glass from a beer bottle was near the front of the home, the affidavit said.

Carrasquero-Romero and Ruiz-Alvarado were later arrested at a motel in Fort Smith the following morning.

Both are being held in the Benton County Jail on a $1 million bond.

Copyright 2024 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.

For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to KNWA FOX24.
For the first time in 20 years, an election is guaranteed to produce a new member of the Polk County School Board in District 2.

Lori Cunningham, who has served five terms, decided not to seek reelection. Two candidates are vying for the open seat: Travis Keyes and Marcus M.J. Wright Jr., both of Haines City.

District 2 contains 19 schools in northeast Polk County. Candidates must live in the district, though voting takes place countywide.

Vote-by-mail ballots have already gone out for the nonpartisan election, one of three School Board races being held this year. Early voting begins Aug. 10, and traditional voting will take place Aug. 20.

Travis Keyes

Keyes, 43, graduated from Haines City High School and earned bachelors and masters degrees from Palm Beach Atlantic University. A commercial banker, he has two daughters attending Davenport School for the Arts.

Keyes has volunteered for years in an array of positions with Polk County Public Schools. He is currently chair of the districts Finance and Audit Committee and co-chair of the Attendance Boundary Committee. He served on the search committee that recommended Frederick Heid, hired in 2021 as superintendent of schools.

It really is just my passion for education and making sure that all students have an equal opportunity and quality education, Keyes said of his motivation for running. For me, as far as my daughters, I see opportunities not readily available for them as they advance in their educational process, and so that prompted me to get involved.

Keyes listed as his chief priorities school safety, parental choice, student achievement and financial accountability.

Travis Keyes is running for the Polk County School Board in District 2.

What I would bring to the board is an established presence in the community, he said. I am in touch with the needs of the community. And I think also a business and professional acumen that would supplement the board, something that I wouldn't necessarily say is missing but definitely something added, having the connection to the business community.

Pointing toward the rapid population growth in Polk County, Keyes said that some schools are overburdened while others are not fully utilized. He said the district could increase student density at some schools to lessen crowing at others.

The district needs to increase salaries for longtime teachers, Keyes said, but he does not favor imposing a property tax dedicated to that purpose, as the Polk Education Association has suggested.

I'm not particularly a fan of raising taxes, or adding assessments on, he said. I think we need to start first with doing a comprehensive review of the current budget, which is now in the area $2.5 billion dollars, seeing where there's areas there that we could potentially save and reallocate and move toward increasing teacher salaries.

Chronic absences among students have risen nationwide since the disruptions of the COVID pandemic, and schools in Polk County are grappling with the issue. Keyes said that schools need to offer curriculum  such as STEM (science, technology, engineering and math) programs  that stimulate student engagement.

He cited programs available at Davenport School of the Arts, such as digital art and music production, that generate excitement among students.

So I think that's the key, is increasing programs that enhance the learning experience  and then letting the community, letting the parents, know about those opportunities, and making them available, more widespread throughout the county, he said.

How did your school do? Complete list of Polk County school grades for 2023-24

Keyes described disruptive student behavior as symptomatic of societal problems. Teachers and administrators should feel confident in applying the districts disciplinary policy, he said.

Keyes said he wants to address the frustrations he has heard from local teachers.

Having kids in the system has sparked my desire and my passion to help, he said. I mean, youve got two options. You can sit on your hands and complain, or you can take action and get involved. And I'm a take-action person.

Keyes has reported $55,860 in campaign contributions. Donors include former state senator J.D. Alexander; Steve Maxwell, co-founder of Citizens Defending Freedom; Polk County Commissioner Martha Santiago; and retired Publix executive Barney Barnett.

Marcus M.J. Wright Jr.

Wright, 25, graduated from Summerlin Academy in Bartow and holds a bachelors degree in religion and philosophy from Bethune-Cookman University. The son of a longtime teacher, he said that he previously worked for Polk County Public Schools on special projects and is now director of development for Talbot House Ministries in Lakeland.

If elected, Wright said, he would hold at least two town hall meetings a year and encourage district officials to attend.

Summer, we hardly knew you Now school is right around the corner in Polk. What to know

I'm a firm believer that you cannot represent the people if you don't know what the people's needs are, he said.

Wright said he wanted to address the perception that schools in District 2 do not receive the same district support as schools elsewhere in Polk County.

His campaign platform emphasizes allowing students to progress through special academic programs in their assigned schools. Praising the district for offering International Baccalaureate programs in some schools, Wright suggested placing IB preparatory elementary and middle schools in the same zones.

Wright said he would focus on strengthening connections between the community and the school district and seek ways to improve the morale of faculty and staff members. The district must find ways to boost pay for long-term teachers, he said, to reduce departures.

Wright said he is open to a conversation about a potential property tax assessment to generate money for teacher salaries, a revenue source used in some Florida counties. He said the district should also draw upon a recent efficiency audit to direct more money toward teacher pay.

Marcus "MJ" Wright Jr. is running for Polk County School Board in District 2.

Another plank of Wrights platform emphasizes college and career readiness. He praised the district for adding trade-oriented programs at some schools, and he suggested offering the Armed Services Vocational Aptitude Battery test at Polk County schools to benefit students who want to enter the military. He also recommended expanding college and career fairs to include students as young as ninth grade.

Wright acknowledged that chronic truancy is a problem for some students. He said that his proposed town hall meetings could help by giving families a better idea of how the school district operates.

I'm a big proponent on building relationships  building relationships with parents, building relationships with teachers and staff and definitely building relationships with our students, he said. I'm a big proponent of  this is just me speaking  if you build a relationship with this child, the child will want to come and hear from you. But if you don't have a relationship with that child, that child is more inclined not to want to hear anything that you have to say.

No sales tax: Florida's back-to-school tax-free holiday starts Monday. What to know

Some voters might question whether Wright has the experience to serve on the School Board at age 25, though current member Sara Beth Wyatt was 24 when first elected in 2016.

If anything, I think that's a plus because I'm closer to the students which we serve age range, Wright said. I kind of have experienced some of the world that they have experienced, versus someone who may be a little bit older than me.

Wright has reported $12,029 in campaign contributions. His donors include former Polk School Superintendent Jackie Byrd, former Polk County Public Schools lobbyist Wendy Dodge, Haines City lawyer Markeishia Smith and retired Polk Education Association President Marianne Capoziello.

Gary White can be reached at gary.white@theledger.com or 863-802-7518. Follow on X @garywhite13.

This article originally appeared on The Ledger: Candidates for open Polk School Board seat promote ties to district
Two drivers injured after Vancouver car crash goes up in flames

PORTLAND, Ore. (KOIN)  Two drivers were left injured, one in critical condition, after a Vancouver car crash ended in flames.

The Vancouver Fire Department responded to the two-vehicle crash at the 15500 block of Highway 14 around 5 p.m. on Monday. Authorities said witnesses called 911 following the accident that occurred just before the 164th Avenue exit.

Salem man accused of sexual assault may have other victims, police say

One vehicle rolled off of the road multiple times, and then caught fire. According to Vancouver firefighters, witnesses were unsuccessful at their attempts to put out the flames using fire extinguishers and pull the driver from the vehicle.

Officials said the first fire engine on the scene spotted a significantly-damaged Sedan on its side, off the road and engulfed in flames. Crews also found an adult male inside the vehicle.

VFD called extra resources to the scene, including a Battalion chief, a second fire engine and two ladder trucks with special extrication equipment.

The additional crews cut off the roof of the Sedan and removed the man from the vehicle within 25 minutes of their arrival. American Medical Response and Vancouver firefighters transported him to a nearby trauma center, where he suffers multiple serious injuries, including leg injuries and burns.

Nirvana co-founder petitions for new political party in Washington

The second driver, identified as an adult female, removed herself from her vehicle. She suffered non-life-threatening injuries and has been treated at an emergency room.

Washington State Police are investigating the accident.

Copyright 2024 Nexstar Media, Inc. 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.
Fatima Latifova

The Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Azerbaijan (MFA) congratulated Morocco on its National Day, Azernews reports, citing the post shared by Azerbaijan MFA on its official "X" account.

"Congratulations to friendly Morocco and its people on their National Day!" the post reads.
By Bhakti Tambe

MUMBAI (Reuters) - India's Adani Enterprises, the flagship firm of Adani Group, plans to launch its first-ever public issue of bonds in the coming weeks to raise up to 6 billion rupees ($71.7 million), two sources aware of the development said on Tuesday.

"The company has already filed a draft prospectus with Securities Exchange Board of Indian (SEBI). So the issue should open in mid-August after the final approval," one of the sources said on condition of anonymity as the person is not authorised to talk to media.

Adani Enterprises had decided not to proceed with a debut retail bond offering of up to 10 billion rupees last year after U.S.-based short-seller Hindenburg Research accused the group of improper use of offshore tax havens and stock manipulation.

Adani Group denied Hindenburg's allegations, but shares of its group companies lost more than $100 billion in value before recovering in late 2023.

Last week, the company informed the exchanges that it had filed a draft prospectus with the market regulator, and the public issue will have a base size and a greenshoe option of 3 billion rupees each.

CareEdge has assigned an A+ rating to Adani Enterprises' bonds.

Trust Investment Advisors, AK Capital Services and Nuvama Wealth Management are the lead arrangers for the issue, the sources said.

Adani Group and the lead arrangers did not immediately respond to Reuters' email seeking comment.

Since the Hindenburg report in January 2023, Adani Group companies have raised more than $670 million through listed rupee bonds and one dollar bond.

On Monday, Reuters reported that Adani Energy Solutions is likely to launch a share sale this week to raise more than $600 million.

The sale of existing shares will be Adani Group's first fundraise from equity markets after a $2.5 billion share sale was scrapped in February 2023.

($1 = 83.7250 Indian rupees)

(Reporting by Bhakti Tambe; Editing by Sonia Cheema)
When a loudspeaker at the Stillwater prison ordered inmates to the front of their cells for a head count one day in 2022, at least one inmate failed to show up. He couldn't hear the announcement.

Jamie Richardson, 61, was supposed to receive a pager alert under a prison policy that requires equal notice to all deaf and hard-of-hearing inmates. But, Richardson contended in a lawsuit, the guard charged with paging him did not send the alert, and the prisoner received a written warning.

"My client was disciplined because they said, 'Well, you didn't show up the at front of your cell when we called for it,' and it's like, 'I didn't hear it and nobody paged him,'" said Sonja Peterson, a staff attorney with the Minnesota Disability Law Center. "How is he supposed to know?"

An ensuing settlement between Richardson, fellow inmate Timothy Allen Lake and the Minnesota Department of Corrections (DOC) was intended to fix the problem. But in a recent interview at Stillwater's visitor room, Richardson said communications problems persist weeks after the settlement went into effect. Some guards continue to not send him pages, Richardson said.

"I would say the ones that were good are still good, and the ones that are bad are still bad," Richardson said.

DOC spokesman Aaron Swanum said new communications protocols agreed to in the settlement were communicated to Stillwater guards on July 1. It required pager messages for general announcements to be sent immediately after a loudspeaker announcement.

"The DOC is committed to accommodating the known physical and/or mental disabilities of incarcerated people and juvenile residents so that they may participate in departmental programming, services, and activities," Swanum said in a statement.

Richardson was convicted of murder and sentenced to life in prison in 2002 after he shot and killed the ex-husband of a woman whom Richardson was in a relationship with in Two Harbors. He was also convicted of kidnapping, assault and being a felon in possession of a gun, court records show. Richardson said his hearing loss became worse after he was shot in the head by police during a standoff following the killing.

Obtaining equal access to daily announcements and phone services to friends and family has long been a point of contention for Richardson and other inmates with hearing loss. According to the lawsuit filed in 2022, there were many occasions in recent years where guards did not send pager text messages to inmates.

The missed messages meant inmates would sometimes miss daily events such as their allotted time for medication or meals, Richardson and Peterson said during the interview. Other missed daily pager announcements included pill counter availability, recreation time and church programming, Peterson said.

"It's like being in a prison inside a prison when you're not getting all the messages all the other inmates are getting," Peterson said.

The DOC has long required that staff use the paging system to inform hearing-impaired Stillwater inmates, Swanum said. Before the settlement agreement, the department implemented an updated pager system that retains a log of pager messages that's meant to ensure staff are held accountable, Swanum said.

There are currently 32 incarcerated people at Stillwater with documented hearing loss who have used hearing aids. Of that group, 19 have pagers, Swanum said.

Additionally, the DOC has added pager alerts for lockdowns and tornado warnings, and the agency has revised its Americans with Disabilities Act Paging Guidelines, Swanum said.

During the interview at Stillwater, Richardson communicated through a translator who listens through a computer program and instantly types back what is being said.

He reported several instances where he was not informed by guards when it was time for him to get an insulin shot for his diabetes.

Richardson alleged in the suit that he was berated by guards after submitting a formal complaint about a lack of disability accommodations, and was told by some that they were no longer going to page him announcements, the suit alleged.

During the interview, Richardson held up a printed sheet for pager notifications. He pointed to 31 missed announcements he counted between July 1 and 10, when there were a total of 244 pages. Nearly all of the missed pager notifications were for head counts, but one was for a missed pill counter availability, Richardson said.

Peterson did not rule out taking additional legal action if the pager problems persist.

"I hope that we'll stop being looked at as kind of like lepers  and will instead be looked at as just human beings who are having issues," Richardson said.
Two Tennessean presidents had no children. What does JD Vance have to say about them?

Poor JD Vance. His flippant attack on "childless cat ladies" is haunting him three years after he made the remark on former FOX News commentator Tucker Carlson's show in 2021.

Perhaps Vance meant to be funny, but he came across as mean. Moreover, his assertion that people without biological children  including Vice President and presumptive Democratic presidential nominee Kamala Harris whom he mentioned  do not have a stake in this nation is wrong and ahistorical. Five U.S. presidents have had no children of their own.

My colleague, Amelia Robinson of The Columbus Dispatch, aptly reminded readers that the First President George Washington had no offspring though he raised his wife Martha Washington's children.

Two others who had no biological children were from Tennessee: Seventh President Andrew Jackson who served from 1829 to 1837 and Eleventh President James K. Polk who served between 1845 and 1849.

These are two of the most consequential presidents in U.S. history, whose policies have had a lasting impact to this day. To say they had no stake in this country is preposterous.

Washington's impact has lasted more than two centuries. ... He was childless

Here's what Vance asserted to Carlson: "What I was basically saying is that we're effectively run in this country, be it the Democrats, be it our corporate oligarchs, by a bunch of childless cat ladies who are miserable at their own lives and the choices that they've made and so they want to make the rest of the country miserable too."

He went on: "And it's just a basic fact. You look at Kamala Harris, (Transportation Secretary) Pete Buttigieg, AOC (Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, D-New York)  the entire future of the Democrats is controlled by people without children.

"And how does it make any sense that we've turned our country over to people who don't really have a direct stake in it?" he added.

But wait ... Washington modeled the presidency for his successors more than 200 years after he left office in spite of having no biological heirs.

Andrew Jackson reshaped the role of the chief executive

Jackson, an attorney, war hero and populist politician, and his wife Rachel Donelson Jackson had no children of their own, but they raised and served as guardians for relatives' children, according to the Library of Congress.

Former President Andrew Jackson

Among them were Andrew Jackson Jr. who was one Rachel Jackson's nephews whom they raised from infancy. The Jacksons also reared Lyncoya, a Creek Native American child orphaned after the battle at Talluschatchee in the Creek War.

"Though Andrew and Rachel did not have their own biological children, The Hermitage was home to many young ones," according to the website of Andrew Jackson's The Hermitage, which preserves the seventh president's home. "Most of Jacksons wards had Donelson family connections. However, some were connected through Jacksons many friends and associates."

Like Trump in 2024, President Andrew Jackson faced an attempt on his life

Jackson strengthened the role of the chief executive, reshaped the U.S. economy and signed the Indian Removal Act, which displaced tribes from their lands.

James K. Polk massively extended U.S. territory coast-to-coast

Polk and his wife Sarah Childress Polk had no children of their own either.

A mentee of Jackson, Polk served in the Tennessee General Assembly, Congress and as governor of Tennessee. He was the only president to have served as Speaker of the U.S. House. The President James K. Polk Home & Museum is preserved in Columbia, Tennessee, and the Polks' tomb is on the Tennessee State Capitol grounds.

Among Polk's greatest achievements was the expansion by more 500,000 square miles of territory of the United States from the east coast all the way to the west coast due to acquisitions and the Mexican War.

"He left office the most successful President since George Washington in the accomplishment of his goals," wrote Aquinas College history professor John C. Pinheiro.

Clearly, Polk had a stake in the future of this nation.

Lesson for Vance: Don't denigrate other Americans

The other two presidents without biological children were Fourth President James Madison, married to Dolly Madison and known as the "Father of the U.S. Constitution," and Fifteenth President James Buchanan, a lifelong bachelor who preceded Abraham Lincoln and the start of the Civil War.

Vance needlessly riled Americans, including actress Jennifer Aniston and Taylor Swift fans, who may not be able to have children or may have chosen not to start a traditional family. Harris, like Washington and Jackson, raised stepchildren.

My colleague Amelia Robinson spoke openly and vulnerably in her column about a health condition that prevented her from having children. Having known her personally for several years, I can attest she is not a miserable person.

I myself am a married childless dog person currently caring for two pooches who brighten our days. Our decision not to have children had to do initially with not having a supportive enough family environment at the time and financial considerations. Today, the family situation is 180 degrees different, but 20 years into our relationship, we decided that our ages are now the prevailing reason. However, we have a stake in our community and our country as active neighbors, citizens and voters.

I hope this is a learning point for Vance. He may carry different ideas about what families should look like, but denigrating other Americans who do not follow the same path he did will only intensify the backlash against him.

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: JD Vance's 'childless cat lady' comment was ignorant
Two Tennessean presidents had no children. What does JD Vance have to say about them?

Poor JD Vance. His flippant attack on "childless cat ladies" is haunting him three years after he made the remark on former FOX News commentator Tucker Carlson's show in 2021.

Perhaps Vance meant to be funny, but he came across as mean. Moreover, his assertion that people without biological children  including Vice President and presumptive Democratic presidential nominee Kamala Harris whom he mentioned  do not have a stake in this nation is wrong and ahistorical. Five U.S. presidents have had no children of their own.

My colleague, Amelia Robinson of The Columbus Dispatch, aptly reminded readers that the First President George Washington had no offspring though he raised his wife Martha Washington's children.

Two others who had no biological children were from Tennessee: Seventh President Andrew Jackson who served from 1829 to 1837 and Eleventh President James K. Polk who served between 1845 and 1849.

These are two of the most consequential presidents in U.S. history, whose policies have had a lasting impact to this day. To say they had no stake in this country is preposterous.

Washington's impact has lasted more than two centuries. ... He was childless

Here's what Vance asserted to Carlson: "What I was basically saying is that we're effectively run in this country, be it the Democrats, be it our corporate oligarchs, by a bunch of childless cat ladies who are miserable at their own lives and the choices that they've made and so they want to make the rest of the country miserable too."

Republican vice-presidential candidate JD Vance and his wife Usha Chilukuri Vance stand on stage on the last day of the 2024 Republican National Convention at the Fiserv Forum in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, on July 18, 2024.

He went on: "And it's just a basic fact. You look at Kamala Harris, (Transportation Secretary) Pete Buttigieg, AOC (Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, D-New York)  the entire future of the Democrats is controlled by people without children.

"And how does it make any sense that we've turned our country over to people who don't really have a direct stake in it?" he added.

But wait ... Washington modeled the presidency for his successors more than 200 years after he left office in spite of having no biological heirs.

Andrew Jackson reshaped the role of the chief executive

Jackson, an attorney, war hero and populist politician, and his wife Rachel Donelson Jackson had no children of their own, but they raised and served as guardians for relatives' children, according to the Library of Congress.

Former President Andrew Jackson

Among them were Andrew Jackson Jr. who was one Rachel Jackson's nephews whom they raised from infancy. The Jacksons also reared Lyncoya, a Creek Native American child orphaned after the battle at Talluschatchee in the Creek War.

"Though Andrew and Rachel did not have their own biological children, The Hermitage was home to many young ones," according to the website of Andrew Jackson's The Hermitage, which preserves the seventh president's home. "Most of Jacksons wards had Donelson family connections. However, some were connected through Jacksons many friends and associates."

Like Trump in 2024, President Andrew Jackson faced an attempt on his life

Jackson strengthened the role of the chief executive, reshaped the U.S. economy and signed the Indian Removal Act, which displaced tribes from their lands.

James K. Polk massively extended U.S. territory coast-to-coast

Polk and his wife Sarah Childress Polk had no children of their own either.

A mentee of Jackson, Polk served in the Tennessee General Assembly, Congress and as governor of Tennessee. He was the only president to have served as Speaker of the U.S. House. The President James K. Polk Home & Museum is preserved in Columbia, Tennessee, and the Polks' tomb is on the Tennessee State Capitol grounds.

Among Polk's greatest achievements was the expansion by more 500,000 square miles of territory of the United States from the east coast all the way to the west coast due to acquisitions and the Mexican War.

"He left office the most successful President since George Washington in the accomplishment of his goals," wrote Aquinas College history professor John C. Pinheiro.

Clearly, Polk had a stake in the future of this nation.

Lesson for Vance: Don't denigrate other Americans

The other two presidents without biological children were Fourth President James Madison, married to Dolly Madison and known as the "Father of the U.S. Constitution," and Fifteenth President James Buchanan, a lifelong bachelor who preceded Abraham Lincoln and the start of the Civil War.

Vance needlessly riled Americans, including actress Jennifer Aniston and Taylor Swift fans, who may not be able to have children or may have chosen not to start a traditional family. Harris, like Washington and Jackson, raised stepchildren.

My colleague Amelia Robinson spoke openly and vulnerably in her column about a health condition that prevented her from having children. Having known her personally for several years, I can attest she is not a miserable person.

I myself am a married childless dog person currently caring for two pooches who brighten our days. Our decision not to have children had to do initially with not having a supportive enough family environment at the time and financial considerations. Today, the family situation is 180 degrees different, but 20 years into our relationship, we decided that our ages are now the prevailing reason. However, we have a stake in our community and our country as active neighbors, citizens and voters.

I hope this is a learning point for Vance. He may carry different ideas about what families should look like, but denigrating other Americans who do not follow the same path he did will only intensify the backlash against him.

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: JD Vance's 'childless cat lady' comment was ignorant
U.S. should apologize for Native boarding schools where hundreds died, officials say

According to recent report findings, more Native American boarding schools  87  were located in Oklahoma than in any other state. The images pictured here do not necessarily correspond with schools where deaths occurred. Top left: Boys loading hay at Riverside Boarding School in Anadarko, Oklahoma; Top right: A sewing class at Eufaula Creek Boarding School in Eufaula, Oklahoma; Middle left: Eufaula Creek Boarding School students getting on a train car; Middle right: Dormitory at the Otoe Indian Boarding School, 1918; Bottom: Pawnee Boarding School, May 5, 1891.

At least 973 Native American children died at U.S.-funded boarding schools they were forced to attend, according to a federal report released Tuesday after a years-long investigation.

The report also identified 74 sites where children were buried on school grounds, including 16 in Oklahoma.

Officials acknowledged the true death toll is likely higher than what can be traced through historical records, which date back as far back as 1819.

The consequences of federal Indian boarding school policies, including the intergenerational trauma caused by forced family separation and cultural eradication, were inflicted upon generations of children as young as 4 years old, Interior Secretary Deb Haaland said during a news conference. It is heartbreaking, but yet it is also undeniable.

New report calls for formal apology from US government, Pope Francis on behalf of the Catholic Church

The 105-page report lands three years after Haaland launched an investigation into federally run boarding schools for Native children. Her department concluded in 2022 that the schools operated for more than a century with the express purpose of eradicating Native cultures and communities.

The new report expands on the departments previous findings and calls for a slate of actions, including a formal apology from the U.S. government.

Haaland said it also would be a wonderful gesture for Pope Francis to apologize on behalf of the Catholic Church, which ran many of the schools. The pope apologized in 2022 for the churchs role in running similar residential schools for Indigenous students in Canada.

More: An Oklahoma tribal nation conducted a census for the first time. Here's what it found

To compile their latest report, federal researchers worked through an estimated 103 million pages of records and identified more than 417 schools funded by the U.S. to assimilate Native children.

More schools  87  were located in Oklahoma than in any other state. The tallies do not include any church-run schools that operated without federal support.

US should help tribal nations identify children who died, official says

Bryan Newland, the assistant secretary for Indian affairs, said school administrators noted when children died, but sometimes did not record students names and often left out why they had died.

Its very likely that many of those kids died as a result of abuse or the after-effects of abuse that was done to them at the schools, said Newland, a citizen of the Bay Mills Indian Community in Michigan.

He said people in charge of running the schools were also known to send deathly ill students home, and those children's deaths would not be included in official records.

However, federal officials were able to find each childs year of death, as well as their tribal nation. Newland said the U.S. should help tribal nations identify students who died and reclaim their remains.

The records show at least 18 of the students who died were Cherokee. Chuck Hoskin Jr., the principal chief of the Cherokee Nation, described the report as long overdue but appreciated.

We hope that the next steps beyond this federal investigation help account for the injustices that have occurred and that we can begin to heal some of the generational traumas Native people still struggle with as a result of past anti-Indian policies and practices, Hoskin said in a written statement.

Haaland, a member of the Pueblo of Laguna in New Mexico, said she was sorry beyond words for the damages inflicted by boarding schools. Their operations were largely overseen by Interior Department, which she now leads.

Interior Secretary Deb Haaland and Assistant Secretary for Indian Affairs Bryan Newland listen July 9, 2022, to a testimony during the first stop on a U.S. listening tour to hear from students who attended Native American boarding schools at the Riverside Indian School in Anadarko.

She described the investigation as deeply personal, noting that her maternal grandparents were forced to attend boarding schools when they were young children.

As part of their inquiry, Haaland and Newland traveled throughout the U.S. to hear from survivors of boarding schools and their families. They stopped in July 2022 at Riverside Indian School in Anadarko, which is still run by the federal government as a boarding school for tribal citizens. Officials have said the present-day schools no longer seek to erase tribal cultures, languages and identities, as a result of a shift in federal policy.

The schools operated with the goal of assimilating Native children from 1819 until as recently as 1969.

Officials have said the schools helped the U.S. obtain tribal lands and break apart tribal nations, and also led to generations of poor health, economic and educational outcomes that still linger today.

Newland recommended that federal officials begin addressing those harms by funding efforts aimed at keeping Native families together, preventing violence, improving educational opportunities and revitalizing Indigenous languages.

He also called for the boarding school sites to be returned to tribal nations and said the U.S. should build a national memorial to acknowledge what generations of Native children were forced to endure.

He stopped short of calling for repatriations in the form of direct payments to survivors and their families. He said the most frequent ask he had heard from survivors was for the federal government to back forms of community healing.

This article originally appeared on Oklahoman: U.S. finds dozens of burial sites at Native American boarding schools
Sen. Mitt Romney, R-Utah, speaks during a hearing on Capitol Hill, April 20, 2023, in Washington. Romney has proposed the Fiscal Stability Act to try to pass bipartisan solutions to bring down the debt. | Alex Brandon

The U.S. national debt hit a new milestone, as the nations debt rose above $35 trillion. Utahs two senators, Mike Lee and Mitt Romney, responded to the news by raising alarm bells about the effect debt has on the nations economy.

The Committee for a Responsible Federal Budget said the national debt reached $35 trillion on Friday, adding a trillion dollars in just seven months.

We are going to have to get serious about the debt, and soon, said Maya MacGuineas, the committees president, in a statement Monday. Election years cannot be an exception for trying to prevent completely foreseeable dangers  and the debt is one of the major dangers we are facing.

Utah Sens. Mike Lee and Mitt Romney respond to news of rising debt

Both of Utahs senators responded to news of the rising debt by warning that the nation cannot continue to add debt at the current trajectory without consequences for the economy and ultimately for Americans pocketbooks.

Americas national debt just hit $35 trillion for the first time in history, Lee said in a post on X. It was driven by appropriators in both parties through decades of spending, borrowing, and kicking the can down the road. Either Congress closes the checkbook  or the checkbook disappears entirely.

Americas national debt just hit $35 trillion for the first time in history.



It was driven by appropriators in both parties through decades of spending, borrowing, and kicking the can down the road.



Either Congress closes the checkbookor the checkbook disappears entirely.  Mike Lee (@SenMikeLee) July 29, 2024

Romney, who has proposed the Fiscal Stability Act, also said it was time for Congress to act.

In just seven months, our national debt has ballooned by another trillion dollars  now exceeding $35 trillion! The public debt is growing at a rate never before seen in the history of this country, putting our economy and global leadership on the fast track to calamity, Romney said in a post on X.

He continued, Its immoral for my generation to keep adding to the debt, expecting our grandchildren to foot the bill for our benefits for the rest of their lives. Our Fiscal Stability Act would stabilize our nations finances for future generations before its too late.

In just seven months, our national debt has ballooned by another trillion dollarsnow exceeding $35 trillion! The public debt is growing at a rate never before seen in the history of this country, putting our economy and global leadership on the fast track to calamity. https://t.co/9VF1fvQYLX  Senator Mitt Romney (@SenatorRomney) July 29, 2024

Romneys legislation, which he proposed with independent Sen. Joe Manchin, would create a bipartisan commission made up of 16 members, of which 12 would be elected officials from the House and Senate, along with four outside experts. If the commission achieved bipartisan consensus on solutions to tackle the debt, the legislation would require Congress to bring the proposal forward for an up or down vote.

Primary drivers of rising U.S. debt

The rising cost of Social Security and Medicare are the primary drivers of the increase in the debt, alongside high interest payments.

The U.S. is now spending more per year on interest payments on its debt than it is spending on national defense or on Medicare.
Former President Donald Trump pumps his fist as he is rushed offstage after an assassination attempt at a July 13 rally in Butler, Pennsylvania. A bipartisan House panel will investigate security lapses in the attack. Photo by Anna Moneymaker/Getty Images.

WASHINGTON  U.S. House Speaker Mike Johnson and Democratic Leader Hakeem Jeffries on Monday announced the 13 lawmakers who will make up the bipartisan task force investigating the attempted assassination of Donald Trump.

We have the utmost confidence in this bipartisan group of steady, highly qualified and capable Members of Congress to move quickly to find the facts, ensure accountability and help make certain such failures never happen again, the two wrote in a joint statement.

Johnson said last week the panel will release its final report by Dec. 13, though he expects interim reports along the way. The House voted 416-0 on July 24 to establish the panel.

The task force is expected to dig deeper into the Secret Services plans to protect Trump ahead of his rally in Butler, Pennsylvania, and how exactly a gunman was able to get close enough to open fire.

The panel will be chaired by Republican Rep. Mike Kelly, who was at the rally and who represents Pennsylvanias 16th District, where the shooting took place. He wrote in an op-ed published last week by Newsweek that he believes the task force is critical to utilize the collective power of Congress as a tool to dig deeper and find the facts.

The shooting wounded Mr. Trump, took the life of Corey Comperatore, and injured two other Pennsylvanians, Kelly wrote. Its important that we dont jump to any conclusions as we begin these investigations. I look forward to working with my colleagues to get the American people the answers they deserve.

Other Republicans on the task force include Texas Rep. Pat Fallon, Tennessee Rep. Mark Green, Louisiana Rep. Clay Higgins, Ohio Rep. David Joyce and Florida Reps. Laurel Lee and Michael Waltz.

The top Democrat on the panel will be Colorado Rep. Jason Crow, a member of the House Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence and a former Army Ranger. Crow said in a statement Monday that he would help lead this bipartisan task force with Chairman Kelly to investigate and fully examine the attempted assassination of former President Trump, and I will treat it like what it is: a solemn, urgent, and necessary responsibility.

Political violence has no place in our democracy. Period, Crow wrote. We must be united in the belief as Americans, not as Republicans or Democrats, that political disagreement is settled through rigorous discourse, not violence. I am committed to working with my colleagues to conduct a thorough bipartisan investigation to collect the facts and recommend corrective security measures.

Democrats named to the task force include California Rep. Lou Correa, Pennsylvania Reps. Madeleine Dean and Chrissy Houlahan, Maryland Rep. Glenn Ivey and Florida Rep. Jared Moskowitz.

Ivey, who represents the 4th District, echoed Kelly and Crow, saying in a statement that political violence is unacceptable and that, Getting to the bottom of the security failures which allowed such an attempt is of the utmost importance.

Regardless of political party we must follow the facts and work with the evidence and first-hand witnesses to come to the conclusions as to how and why this happened, Iveys statement said. We will do the work necessary to present to the American people a fact-based assessment of what went wrong and what we can do better.

Probes ongoing in Congress

Congress has already begun looking into the shooting at the Trump rally, which killed one attendee and injured two others. The gunman was killed at the scene.

U.S. Secret Service Director Kimberly Cheatle testified before the House Committee on Oversight and Accountability on July 22, just one day before she resigned in the wake of the assassination attempt.

Pennsylvania State Police Commissioner Col. Christopher Paris testified before the U.S. House Committee on Homeland Security the same day that Cheatle resigned.

The U.S. Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee and the Judiciary Committee are scheduled to hold a joint hearing Tuesday on the shooting. Acting Secret Service Director Ronald L. Rowe Jr. and FBI Deputy Director Paul Abbate are both expected to testify at the Senate hearing.

The Federal Bureau of Investigation has launched its own investigation into the shooting.
Republican presidential candidate former President Donald Trump pumps his fist as he is rushed offstage during a rally on July 13, 2024, in Butler, Pennsylvania

Republican presidential candidate former President Donald Trump pumps his fist as he is rushed offstage during a rally on July 13, 2024, in Butler, Pennsylvania. (Anna Moneymaker/Getty Images)

WASHINGTON  U.S. House Speaker Mike Johnson and Democratic Leader Hakeem Jeffries on Monday announced the 13 lawmakers who will make up the bipartisan task force investigating the attempted assassination of Donald Trump.

We have the utmost confidence in this bipartisan group of steady, highly qualified and capable Members of Congress to move quickly to find the facts, ensure accountability and help make certain such failures never happen again, the two wrote in a joint statement.

Johnson said last week the panel will release its final report by Dec. 13, though he expected interim reports along the way. The House voted 416-0 on July 24 to establish the panel.

The task force is expected to dig deeper into the Secret Services plans to protect Trump ahead of his rally in Butler, Pennsylvania, and how exactly a gunman was able to open fire.

The panel will be chaired by Rep. Mike Kelly, who was at the rally and represents Pennsylvanias 16th District, which includes the location of the shooting.

Kelly wrote in an op-ed published last week by Newsweek that he believes the task force is critical to utilize the collective power of Congress as a tool to dig deeper and find the facts.

The shooting wounded Mr. Trump, took the life of Corey Comperatore, and injured two other Pennsylvanians, Kelly wrote. Its important that we dont jump to any conclusions as we begin these investigations. I look forward to working with my colleagues to get the American people the answers they deserve.

Other Republicans on the task force include Texas Rep. Pat Fallon, Tennessee Rep. Mark Green, Louisiana Rep. Clay Higgins, Ohio Rep. David Joyce and Florida Reps. Laurel Lee and Michael Waltz.

The top Democrat on the panel will be Colorado Rep. Jason Crow, a member of the House Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence and a former Army Ranger.

Crow released a written statement Monday that he would help lead this bipartisan task force with Chairman Kelly to investigate and fully examine the attempted assassination of former President Trump, and I will treat it like what it is: a solemn, urgent, and necessary responsibility.

Political violence has no place in our democracy. Period, Crow wrote. We must be united in the belief as Americans, not as Republicans or Democrats, that political disagreement is settled through rigorous discourse, not violence. I am committed to working with my colleagues to conduct a thorough bipartisan investigation to collect the facts and recommend corrective security measures.

Democrats named to the task force include California Rep. Lou Correa, Pennsylvania Reps. Madeleine Dean and Chrissy Houlahan, Maryland Rep. Glenn Ivey and Florida Rep. Jared Moskowitz.

Probes ongoing in Congress

Congress has already begun looking into the shooting at the Trump rally, which killed one attendee and injured two others. The gunman was killed at the scene.

U.S. Secret Service Director Kimberly Cheatle testified before the House Committee on Oversight and Accountability on July 22, just one day before she resigned in the wake of the assassination attempt.

Pennsylvania State Police Commissioner Col. Christopher Paris testified before the U.S. House Committee on Homeland Security the same day that Cheatle resigned.

The U.S. Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee and the Judiciary Committee are scheduled to hold a joint hearing Tuesday on the shooting.

Acting Director of the U.S. Secret Service Ronald L. Rowe, Jr. and Deputy Director of the Federal Bureau of Investigation Paul Abbate are both expected to testify.

The Federal Bureau of Investigation has launched its own investigation into the shooting.
Republican presidential candidate former President Donald Trump pumps his fist as he is rushed offstage during a rally on July 13, 2024 in Butler, Pennsylvania. Butler County district attorney Richard Goldinger said the shooter is dead after injuring former U.S. President Donald Trump, killing one audience member and injuring another in the shooting. | Anna Moneymaker/Getty Images

WASHINGTON  U.S. House Speaker Mike Johnson and Democratic Leader Hakeem Jeffries on Monday announced the 13 lawmakers who will make up the bipartisan task force investigating the attempted assassination of Donald Trump.

We have the utmost confidence in this bipartisan group of steady, highly qualified and capable Members of Congress to move quickly to find the facts, ensure accountability and help make certain such failures never happen again, the two wrote in a joint statement.

Johnson said last week the panel will release its final report by Dec. 13, though he expected interim reports along the way. The House voted 416-0 on July 24 to establish the panel.

The task force is expected to dig deeper into the Secret Services plans to protect Trump ahead of his rally in Butler, Pennsylvania, and how exactly a gunman was able to open fire.

The panel will be chaired by Rep. Mike Kelly, who was at the rally and represents Pennsylvanias 16th District, which includes the location of the shooting.

Kelly wrote in an op-ed published last week by Newsweek that he believes the task force is critical to utilize the collective power of Congress as a tool to dig deeper and find the facts.

The shooting wounded Mr. Trump, took the life of Corey Comperatore, and injured two other Pennsylvanians, Kelly wrote. Its important that we dont jump to any conclusions as we begin these investigations. I look forward to working with my colleagues to get the American people the answers they deserve.

Other Republicans on the task force include Texas Rep. Pat Fallon, Tennessee Rep. Mark Green, Louisiana Rep. Clay Higgins, Ohio Rep. David Joyce and Florida Reps. Laurel Lee and Michael Waltz.

The top Democrat on the panel will be Colorado Rep. Jason Crow, a member of the House Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence and a former Army Ranger.

Crow released a written statement Monday that he would help lead this bipartisan task force with Chairman Kelly to investigate and fully examine the attempted assassination of former President Trump, and I will treat it like what it is: a solemn, urgent, and necessary responsibility.

Political violence has no place in our democracy. Period, Crow wrote. We must be united in the belief as Americans, not as Republicans or Democrats, that political disagreement is settled through rigorous discourse, not violence. I am committed to working with my colleagues to conduct a thorough bipartisan investigation to collect the facts and recommend corrective security measures.

Democrats named to the task force include California Rep. Lou Correa, Pennsylvania Reps. Madeleine Dean and Chrissy Houlahan, Maryland Rep. Glenn Ivey and Florida Rep. Jared Moskowitz.

Probes ongoing in Congress

Congress has already begun looking into the shooting at the Trump rally, which killed one attendee and injured two others. The gunman was killed at the scene.

U.S. Secret Service Director Kimberly Cheatle testified before the House Committee on Oversight and Accountability on July 22, just one day before she resigned in the wake of the assassination attempt.

Pennsylvania State Police Commissioner Col. Christopher Paris testified before the U.S. House Committee on Homeland Security the same day that Cheatle resigned.

The U.S. Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee and the Judiciary Committee are scheduled to hold a joint hearing Tuesday on the shooting.

Acting Director of the U.S. Secret Service Ronald L. Rowe, Jr. and Deputy Director of the Federal Bureau of Investigation Paul Abbate are both expected to testify.

The Federal Bureau of Investigation has launched its own investigation into the shooting.
Georgia Meloni, Italys prime minister, has vowed to relaunch the country's relationship with China after exiting the Belt and Road Initiative (BRI).

Meloni conducted meetings with Chinese leadership during her first visit to Beijing since taking office.

Planning for the future

Italys leader and China's Premier, Li Qiang, signed a three-year action plan to establish and grow their partnership.

Lis office said it aims to increase mutually beneficial cooperation between small and medium-sized enterprises in the fields of shipbuilding, aerospace, new energy [and] artificial intelligence.

One of Meloni's goals is to shrink the gap between Italian investments in China and Chinese investments into Italy, which are a third of the former.

An international project

In 2019, Italy was the only G7 nation to join Chinas BRI. It came under heavy scrutiny from its allies in the Western world.

The BRI is Chinas flagship project to build infrastructure worldwide, grow trade and deepen its ties with other countries.

Critics fear that the policy creates debt traps that give China economic and political leverage in strategic locations. Western countries feel that the programme is an ambitious attempt to increase Chinas influence on the global stage.

Italy joined under former prime minister Giuseppe Contes leadership. An investment influx at a time when Italys infrastructure was failing and recession was looming probably seemed enticing.

A balancing act

Meloni may be trying to balance Italys economic needs with her desire to establish herself as a core Western ally.

Her administration is Italys most right-wing government since the Second World War, raising scepticism regarding her commitment to Europe.

Despite leaving the BRI, having strong economic ties with China is still a priority. Opting for a bilateral relationship rather than being one of the many signatories of the BRI may be an attempt to signal a more equitable agreement.

At the same time, she is eager to remind the world of Italys commitment to NATO and political awareness of China. At the recent NATO summit, she warned of the dangers of Chinas growing presence in Africa.

Can Meloni walk the political tightrope that is an economically close but politically distant relationship with China?

"Italy rekindles relationship with China after exiting the BRI " was originally created and published by Investment Monitor, a GlobalData owned brand.







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Friends, relatives and victims commemorate the 20th anniversary of the IRA Omagh bombing at a ceremony in the Memorial Garden in Omagh

LONDON (Reuters) - An independent inquiry into whether the deaths of 29 people in Omagh in 1998, the worst attack in decades of violence in Northern Ireland, could have been prevented held its first hearing on Tuesday.

The Omagh bombing on Aug. 15, 1998 saw Irish nationalist militants opposed to the Good Friday peace deal signed earlier that year detonate a car bomb on a busy shopping street in the Northern Irish town.

Twenty-nine people including a woman pregnant with twins were killed and more than 200 people wounded.

Britain's High Court ruled in 2021 that there were plausible arguments that the bombing by the Real IRA militant group could have been prevented.

"The trauma caused has been enduring and continues to have a most powerful impact," the inquiry's chairman Alan Turnbull said in his opening statement, pledging the inquiry would undertake its task "rigorously and fearlessly".

"It will not allow itself to be deflected from its purpose by the difficulties which may lie in its way on account of the passage time or the volume and complexity of materials."

Tuesday's session was procedural, with no witnesses due to be called or evidence heard until early next year.

The inquiry will examine the handling of intelligence, use of mobile phone analysis, whether there was advance knowledge of the attack and whether disruption operations could have been mounted.

No one has ever been convicted for the killings. However, a number of men were found liable in civil proceedings.

Charges against a 45-year-old-man from the Irish Republic were withdrawn in 2016. In 2007 the only other man charged with the 29 murders, South Armagh electrician Sean Hoey, then 38, was acquitted after a lengthy non-jury trial.

The attack came shortly after the Good Friday peace accord, which largely ended more than three decades of violence between Irish nationalist militants seeking union with the rest of Ireland, the British army and pro-British militants who sought to keep the region part of the United Kingdom.

(Reporting by Kylie MacLellan; Additional reporting by Amanda Ferguson; Editing by Sachin Ravikumar)
(Bloomberg) -- Keir Starmers new UK government has told the European Union it wants to start substantive negotiations over a defense and security pact in Spring 2025, signaling a quick deal is unlikely to be struck.

Most Read from Bloomberg

The broad time-frame was set by Nick Thomas-Symonds, who Starmer has appointed minister for European relations, in early meetings with EU diplomats, according to people familiar with the matter, who requested anonymity discussing timings that have not been made public. Formal talks would not take place until well after the new European Commission is in place later this year, the people said.

Starmers administration has prioritized what its called a reset in relations with the EU since the Labour Party won the general election in the UK earlier this month. Thats an attempt to highlight a break from years of strained relations with the bloc under previous Conservative governments since Brexit.

Closer cooperation on defense and security in the form of a pact has been seen by the Labour government as an early priority to boost ties  especially as its something the bloc itself sought during Brexit talks. However, a wide-ranging deal including concerns about energy, climate change and health  as proposed by Foreign Secretary David Lammy on taking office  will take time to agree, and its likely to take months to prepare for detailed negotiations, the people said.

As well as tightening security and defense cooperation with the EU, Starmer is also seeking to reduce trading frictions, make it easier for British touring artists to travel around Europe, and secure mutual recognition of professional qualifications. Talks on a veterinary deal would also have to wait until after the Commission is established, the people said.

Starmer had previously indicated he wanted a quick security deal with the EU and hoped to make progress on it soon. I do think there is scope for a significant improving of our defense and security relationship with the EU, he said at a NATO summit in Washington, days after taking office, adding he wanted to advance on a new pact covering those areas, describing it as really important to us.

The proposal was also raised by the premier at a meeting of the European Political Community hosted by Britain two weeks ago. European security will be at the forefront of this governments foreign and defense priorities, Starmer said at that summit.

A Cabinet Office spokesperson pointed to Labours manifesto commitment to negotiate an ambitious new security pact and veterinary deal to reduce border checks on food, adding that the document didnt set out a time-line for the negotiations and Thomas-Symonds doesnt plan to set one. They said they would not be providing a running commentary on the discussions.

Starmer and Commission President Ursula von der Leyen are likely to meet after the summer, possibly in a formal bilateral setting, the people said. However, while the UK and EU would like to hold a full summit at some point, planning for one has yet to begin, they added.

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Ukrainian forces struck the oil depot Logistics Center 43 in the village of Vozy in Russia's Kursk Oblast overnight on July 30, the General Staff reported.

Earlier in the day, Governor Alexei Smirnov claimed that four Ukrainian missiles were intercepted by air defenses over the Kurchatovsky and Oktyabrsky districts.

The attack, carried out by the Security Service of Ukraine (SBU) in cooperation with the Armed Forces, caused a fire at an oil depot, according to the Ukrainian military.

More information on the consequences of the oil depot's damage is still being clarified.

On July 29, Ukraine's General Staff said that its forces had struck at least four power substations in Kursk Oblast.

Smirnov also claimed that Ukrainian drones struck an oil depot in the oblast overnight on July 28-29, causing at least three fuel tanks to catch fire. The governor did not specify which facility was hit.

On July 28, the SBU, in cooperation with the Ukrainian military, hit the Polyova oil depot in Kursk Oblast, the General Staff confirmed.

Kursk Oblast lies on the border with Ukraine's Sumy Oblast. In recent months, Ukrainian forces have been regularly attacking military facilities and infrastructure in Russian regions bordering Ukraine.

Read also: Drones strike oil depot in Russias Kursk Oblast, governor says

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Ukraine needs to increase nuclear power capacity to overcome problems with electricity generation, US official says

Ukraine needs to improve its nuclear power capacity to solve the problems with electricity generation caused by Russian attacks, Penny Pritzker, U.S. special representative for Ukraine's Economic Recovery, said during her visit to Kyiv, NV reported on July 30.

In recent months, Russia has intensified its attacks against Ukraine's critical infrastructure in a renewed assault against the country's energy grid.

Following a wave of mass Russian attacks on Ukraine's energy infrastructure, the Energy Ministry has estimated the damage to the country's power grid at more than $1 billion, according to Minister Herman Halushchenko.

In the long run, the Ukrainian government will decide how to generate electricity on its own, but building up nuclear power is a rational quick solution, Pritzker said.

Pritzker added that Ukraine's partners, including the U.S., are currently making every effort to help Ukraine overcome the shortage of electricity generation after Russian missile attacks.

The Zaporizhzhia nuclear plant, Europe's largest nuclear power station, has been under Russian occupation since March 2022.

In April, Energoatom started building reactor units 5 and 6 at the Khmelnytskyi Nuclear Power Plant using U.S. technology that would help prevent power outages in case of Russian attacks.

After the reactor units 5 and 6 are built and units 3 and 4 are put into operation, the Khmelnytskyi Nuclear Power Plant's power generating capacity will exceed the one of the Zaporizhzhia plant, according to Energoatom.

In total, there are three nuclear power plants on Ukrainian-held territory.

The Khmelnytskyi Nuclear Power Plant operates two 1000 MW units, the South Ukrainian Nuclear Power Plant has three 1000 MW units, and the Rivne Nuclear Power Plant has two 1000 MW and 420 MW units each.

Due to dwindling energy supplies caused by Russian attacks, Ukraine's largest privately-owned energy provider, DTEK, has warned that Ukrainians may only have electricity for 6-7 hours per day in the upcoming winter.

In a "worst-case" scenario in which Ukraine is unable to repair damaged energy facilities and prevent future attacks, Ukrainians could experience up to 20 hours of blackouts a day, DTEK Executive Director Dmytro Sakharuk told the Kyiv Independent in an interview in June.

Read also: Nearly 5,000 workers evacuated from Russian-occupied nuclear power plant in Zaporizhzhia, minister says

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Ukraine open to consultations with EU on Russian oil transit, Foreign Ministry says

Kyiv is open to participating in consultations with the European Union on the transit of Russian Lukoil's oil if Brussels decides to use "an appropriate mechanism," Heorhii Tykhyi, Foreign Ministry's spokesman, said on July 30.

"We reaffirm our willingness to join consultations within the framework of the early warning mechanism under the EU-Ukraine Association Agreement if the European Commission makes such a decision to apply this annex," Tykhyi said during a press briefing.

In June, Kyiv imposed sanctions blocking the transit of pipeline oil from Lukoil to Central Europe to cut off the Kremlin's source of income used to support its military. Kyiv's ban does not apply to other Russian oil exporters who still use the pipeline.

Hungary and Slovakia turned to the EU in July as Ukrainian sanctions effectively halted the supplies from the Russian Lukoil company to the two countries via the Druzhba pipeline.

Hungarian and Slovak officials complained that Kyiv was violating its association agreement with the EU and asked the European Commission to intervene.

Yet, EU ambassadors are not sympathetic to Budapest's and Bratislava's complaints, Politico reported on July 29, citing behind-the-scene talks among European diplomats.

Commenting on Hungary's and Slovakia's reaction to the ban on Lukoil's oil transit through Ukraine, Tykhyi said Ukraine values cooperation with all its European neighbors, and it is grateful for their contribution to "sanctions pressure on Russia and maintaining regional stability, as well as efforts to diversify its supplies."

The Slovak leadership earlier threatened unspecified repercussions against Ukraine, reminding Slovakia's key role as an electricity supplier amid Ukraine's energy deficit caused by Russian strikes.

Budapest, in turn, said it will continue blocking the disbursement of 6.5 billion euros ($7 billion) from the European Peace Facility (EPF) for Ukraine military aid until Kyiv allows the transit of Russia's Lukoil oil.

Read also: Ukraines sanctions on Russias Lukoil may result in fuel crisis in Hungary

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Ukraine has said it is prepared to participate in consultations with the European Union on the transit of Russian Lukoil companys oil, if the EU triggers such consultations.

Source: European Pravda, citing Heorhii Tykhyi, spokesman for the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Ukraine

Details: In a comment on the situation around Ukraines ban on the transit of Russian Lukoils oil, which angered Hungary and Slovakia, Tykhyi said that Ukraine appreciates its relations with all of its European neighbours and is grateful for their contributions to putting sanctions pressure on Russia and maintaining regional stability, as well as their effort to diversify their oil supply.

"We can confirm that we are prepared to join the consultation process under the early warning mechanism in accordance with the EU-Ukraine Association Agreement, if the European Commission makes a decision to do so," Tykhyi said.

Background:

Hungary and Slovakia have been granted exemptions from the European ban on Russian oil imports following Russias full-scale invasion of Ukraine. But on 18 July, Slovakia and Hungary said that they had stopped receiving oil from the Russian Lukoil corporation after Ukraine strengthened sanctions against the corporation.

In response, Ukraine insisted that the same amount of oil is flowing through the pipeline as before, thanks to other Russian companies.

Hungary and Slovakia, on the other hand, argue that Kyivs decision threatens their energy security and have initiated discussions in the European Commission.

On 29 July, Slovak Prime Minister Robert Fico met with Ukrainian Ambassador to Slovakia Myroslav Kastran and threatened to stop the supply of diesel fuel to Ukraine if Kyiv did not resume the oil transit of the Russian Lukoil company.

Hungary said it will withhold a 6.5 billion payment from the European Peace Fund to Ukraine until Kyiv allows Russian company Lukoil to transit its oil through the Druzhba pipeline to Hungary.

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Ukraine says Russian cruise missile submarines are out in force as its Black Sea surface fleet falls back

Russia's deployed three of its cruise missile submarines to the larger Black Sea area, Ukraine says.

The Black Sea Fleet has six improved Kilo-class subs, including one that was damaged by Ukraine last year.

The fleet's surface vessels have abandoned its base in Crimea amid major Ukrainian missile strikes.

The Russian navy has simultaneously deployed three of its cruise missile submarines in waters within the general Black Sea area, Ukraine's navy says.

The subs, likely improved Kilo-class vessels, are out in force just weeks after the last Russian Black Sea Fleet patrol boat left its base in Crimea following relentless Ukrainian attacks. Russia has withdrawn many of its surface vessels to less vulnerable positions.

But the submarine force is still active. Dmytro Pletenchuk, a Ukrainian navy spokesperson, posted on Facebook Monday that Russia, for the first time, had sent out three subs carrying cruise missiles at once in the Azov-Black Sea region.

He signaled this is the main Russian naval threat at the moment. Referencing surface ship losses, he said that Russia's Black Sea Fleet has been "called a submarine fleet," adding that "now, it's true."

Russia's Black Sea Fleet has six improved Kilo-class submarines. One, the Rostov-on-Don, was damaged last fall by an apparent Storm Shadow/SCALP-EG cruise missile fired by Ukraine. The Kilo subs are diesel-electric attack vessels capable of carrying Kalibr cruise missiles, torpedoes, and naval mines.

Russia's Black Sea Fleet warships take part in the Navy Day celebrations in the port city of Novorossiysk. STRINGER/AFP via Getty Images

In late June, Pletenchuk shared that Russian warships were launching missiles from the Sea of Azov, a smaller body of water north of the Black Sea surrounded by Russian territory, because they deemed it a safer firing point than the Black Sea. Then, last week, Pletenchuk noted on Facebook that Russia had pulled its ships out of the Sea of Azov.

At the time, Pletenchuk said that it seemed that Russia had begun "to suspect something," potentially referencing Ukraine's increasingly intense attacks in the Black Sea region. Ukrainian naval officials have said in recent months that strikes in Crimea and around the Black Sea have forced the Russian navy to change its posture.

Business Insider was unable to independently verify Ukraine's claims, but there have been indications of notable changes in force presence at Russian naval bases.

Ukraine conducted several high-profile strikes on the port of Sevastopol and some Russian vessels and submarines, including the Rostov-on-Don, last year. Coupled with the drone boat attacks, these triggered the withdrawal of the Black Sea Fleet to other bases in the area. Satellite images obtained by Business Insider have documented the ongoing dispersal of Russia's naval forces in the area.

A photo of a new model Sea Baby drone. Ukraine has used the drones to devastate Russia's Black Sea fleet. SBU

Lacking a traditional naval force able to compete with Russia's Black Sea Fleet, Ukraine has relied on drone boats and missiles to defeat Russian ships in the Black Sea.

Successes in the Black Sea have been a bright spot for Ukraine amid a grinding ground fight. Ukraine has seen little success in reclaiming occupied Russian territory, such as during its failed 2023 counteroffensive, but has largely, losses like Avdiivka earlier this year aside, been able to hold the line against Russian offensive efforts.

The Black Sea has been a different story. In late June, US Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin said that the Ukrainians had sunk or damaged at least 24 Russian vessels in the Black Sea.

Countering the serious threat posed by Russian cruise missile submarines operating in the region is a more difficult challenge than targeting and engaging surface ships.

Read the original article on Business Insider
Amidst a backdrop of fluctuating global markets, Germany's DAX index has shown resilience with a notable gain of 1.35% recently, reflecting investor optimism in certain sectors despite broader European challenges. In such an environment, exploring small-cap stocks like IVU Traffic Technologies can be particularly intriguing as they may possess strong financial foundations necessary to capitalize on current market dynamics.

Top 10 Undiscovered Gems With Strong Fundamentals In Germany

Name Debt To Equity Revenue Growth Earnings Growth Health Rating Mineralbrunnen Uberkingen-Teinach GmbH KGaA 19.44% -1.40% -8.94%  EnviTec Biogas 37.96% 19.34% 51.22%  Eisen- und Huttenwerke NA -14.56% 7.71%  FRoSTA 8.18% 4.36% 16.00%  Sudwestdeutsche Salzwerke 0.66% 4.03% 11.36%  HOMAG Group NA -27.42% 22.33%  BAVARIA Industries Group 3.19% 0.18% 28.18%  Wilson 64.79% 30.09% 68.29%  Baader Bank 45.72% 12.72% -6.93%  BAUER 78.29% 2.52% -42.89% 

Click here to see the full list of 41 stocks from our German Undiscovered Gems With Strong Fundamentals screener.

We're going to check out a few of the best picks from our screener tool.

Simply Wall St Value Rating: 

Overview: IVU Traffic Technologies AG is a global provider of integrated IT solutions for buses and trains, with a market capitalization of 242.49 million.

Operations: IVU Traffic Technologies specializes in providing integrated software solutions and services for public transportation and logistics, generating a revenue of 126.66 million primarily from these sectors. The company's business model shows a consistent increase in gross profit margin, which stood at 81.95% by the end of 2023, indicating efficient cost management relative to its revenue growth over the years.

IVU Traffic Technologies, a notable player in the software sector, showcases robust financial health and growth potential. With a debt-free status for over five years and a price-to-earnings ratio of 20.9, below the industry average of 24.3, IVU stands out for its value. The company's earnings have grown by 13% over the past year, outpacing the industry's decline of 16%. Additionally, IVU has demonstrated shareholder confidence through recent share repurchases totaling 1.6 million under an ongoing program valid until late October 2024.

XTRA:IVU Debt to Equity as at Jul 2024

Simply Wall St Value Rating: 

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Overview: KSB SE & Co. KGaA is a global provider of pumps, valves, and associated services with a market capitalization of 1.14 billion.

Operations: KSB SE KGaA generates revenue primarily through three segments: Pumps (1.51 billion), Valves (361.44 million), and KSB Supremeserv (943.90 million). The company has consistently maintained a gross profit margin around 54% to 57% over recent periods, illustrating its ability to manage production costs effectively relative to sales.

KSB SE KGaA, a lesser-known entity in Germanys industrial landscape, has demonstrated robust financial health and growth potential. With earnings that surged by 47% last year and are projected to grow annually by 8.6%, KSB outpaces its sector's average growth. Its debt management is commendable; the debt-to-equity ratio plummeted from 9% to just under 1% over five years, underscoring strong fiscal prudence. Additionally, KSB's earnings before interest and taxes cover its interest obligations by an impressive 15.9 times, reflecting high-quality earnings and financial stability.

XTRA:KSB Debt to Equity as at Jul 2024

Simply Wall St Value Rating: 

Overview: Mensch und Maschine Software SE offers CAD/CAM/CAE, product data management, and building information modeling/management solutions across Germany and globally, with a market cap of 1.02 billion.

Operations: M+M operates in two main segments: M+M Software, generating 107.71 million, and M+M Digitization, contributing 216.19 million to the total revenue. The company's business model is structured around these core areas, focusing on software development and digital transformation solutions which together drive their primary revenue streams.

Mensch und Maschine Software SE, often overlooked, showcases robust financial health and promising growth prospects. With earnings up by 7.6% over the past year and projected annual growth of 13.58%, it outpaces the software industry's decline of 16.2%. The company's recent quarterly report highlights a sales increase to EUR 75.1 million from EUR 71.32 million year-over-year, with net income rising to EUR 7.34 million from EUR 6.58 million, reflecting high-quality earnings and efficient capital management as evidenced by a reduced debt-to-equity ratio from 42.8% to just 15.5% over five years.

XTRA:MUM Debt to Equity as at Jul 2024

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This article by Simply Wall St is general in nature. We provide commentary based on historical data and analyst forecasts only using an unbiased methodology and our articles are not intended to be financial advice. It does not constitute a recommendation to buy or sell any stock, and does not take account of your objectives, or your financial situation. We aim to bring you long-term focused analysis driven by fundamental data. Note that our analysis may not factor in the latest price-sensitive company announcements or qualitative material. Simply Wall St has no position in any stocks mentioned.

Companies discussed in this article include XTRA:IVU XTRA:KSB and XTRA:MUM.

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Ukraine has signed two contracts worth a total of $121 million with domestic defense industry companies, Defense Minister Rustem Umerov said on July 30.

In a post on Facebook, Umerov described the two deals as "critically important for the Armed Forces of Ukraine."

"Our defense industry is getting stronger," he said, adding: "As we buy and support our own, contributing to the development of our economy and industry."

Umerov signed the deals while on a trip to Kharkiv and Poltava oblasts with President Volodymyr Zelensky on July 29.

He did not specify the companies involved or what weapons or equipment the deals related to, but in a video accompanying the post on Facebook he is seen inspecting boxes of mortar rounds and being shown a truck-mounted machine gun.

Kyiv has in recent months pushed to increase domestic weapons production amid growing uncertainty about the supply of weapons from partners abroad.

According to Strategic Industries Minister Oleksandr Kamyshin, Ukraine's defense industry has a capacity worth around $20 billion, but the state can muster only up to $10 billion to purchase weapons and equipment.

While still in its fledgling phase, the push for domestic weapons production has already had some successes.

Ukraine has its own versions of drones, sea drones, and planned versions of air defense systems.

Additionally, German arms manufacturer Rheinmetall plans to set up at least four factories in Ukraine to produce artillery shells, military vehicles, gunpowder, and anti-aircraft weapons, with the first one ordered in June.

Ukraine aims for foreign partners to invest around $10 billion into producing Ukrainian weapons in 2024 as part of a campaign called "Manufacturing Freedom," Kamyshin said.

In late December last year, Zelensky said Ukraine had tripled its domestic production of equipment and weapons in 2023 compared to the year before.

Read also: 18 Bohdana howitzers heading for Ukraines battlefield  heres what they can do

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Key developments on July 30:

Ukraine hit oil depot in Russia's Kursk Oblast, General Staff reports

2 bombers damaged in last week's attack on airfield in Russia's Murmansk Oblast, HUR says

US will provide its own weapons for F-16s to be delivered to Ukraine, WSJ reports

Ukraine needs additional $12-15 billion from partners in 2025 'because the war will continue,' finance minister says

Czechia shows interest in Poland's Ukrainian Legion project

Ukrainian forces struck the oil depot Logistics Center 43 in the village of Vozy in Russia's Kursk Oblast overnight on July 30, the General Staff reported.

Earlier in the day, Governor Alexei Smirnov claimed that four Ukrainian missiles were intercepted by air defense over the region's Kurchatovsky and Oktyabrsky districts.

The attack, carried out by the Security Service of Ukraine (SBU) in cooperation with the Armed Forces, caused a fire at an oil depot, according to the Ukrainian military.

More information on the consequences of the oil depot's damage is still being clarified.

On July 29, Ukraine's General Staff said that its forces had struck at least four power substations in Kursk Oblast.

Smirnov also claimed that Ukrainian drones struck an oil depot in the oblast overnight on July 28-29, causing at least three fuel tanks to catch fire. The governor did not specify which facility was hit.

On July 28, the SBU, in cooperation with the Ukrainian military, hit the Polyova oil depot in Kursk Oblast, the General Staff confirmed.

Kursk Oblast lies on the border with Ukraine's Sumy Oblast. In recent months, Ukrainian forces have been regularly attacking military facilities and infrastructure in Russian regions bordering Ukraine.

Read also: Russia struggles to control finances as Ukraine invasion spending soars

2 bombers damaged in last week's attack on airfield in Russia's Murmansk Oblast, HUR says

Two Tu-22M3 bombers were damaged in the July 25 strike targeting the Olenya airfield in Russia's Murmansk Oblast, Ukrainian military intelligence spokesman Andrii Yusov told Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty (RFE/RL) on July 30.

Yusov reported earlier that one Russian bomber was damaged in the attack at the airfield, located about 1,800 kilometers (1,118 miles) north of the Ukrainian border.

In a recent comment to RFE/RL, the spokesperson also clarified that the strikes against the Russian airfields of Olenya in Murmansk Oblast, Engels in Saratov Oblast, and Diagilevo in Ryazan Oblast were carried out on July 25 at around 4 p.m. local time, not on July 27, as was reported earlier.

The restoration of the aircraft hit at the Olenya airfield may take several months, and during the attack, the air raid alarm did not work at the airfield, according to Yusov.

The RFE/RL's Russian service published on July 30 satellite images that "show no traces of a Ukrainian strike on the strategic airbase," according to the journalists.

Yusov said satellite images are "not the only source of information that should be relied on."

"The information has been confirmed from various sources, and we can already speak about this incident as something that definitely took place," he added.

Yusov also said that Ukraine's military intelligence "neither confirms nor denies" Ukraine's involvement in the attack.

While Ukraine does not have permission to fire Western-made long-range weapons deep inside Russian territory, the country frequently uses domestically-produced drones.

Ukraine's drone operations often target oil refineries and airfields, aiming to reduce Russia's oil process capabilities and hinder its economy, as well as target Russian aircraft that bomb Ukrainian cities.

Read also: Russias Su-57  hype vs. reality

US will provide its own weapons for F-16s to be delivered to Ukraine, WSJ reports

The U.S. will arm dozens of F-16 jet fighters being sent to Ukraine with American-made missiles and other weapons, the Wall Street Journal (WSJ) reported on July 30.

Ukraine is awaiting at least 79 F-16s from the Netherlands, Denmark, Belgium, and Norway, with up to 20 expected to arrive this year.

The Pentagon has limited stocks and production capacities, but it will supply Ukrainian F-16s with air-to-ground munitions, precision-guidance kits for bombs, and advanced air-to-air missiles in sufficient quantities to meet Ukraine's most urgent needs, a senior U.S. official told WSJ.

"We are confident that we will be able to supply all of those (weapons), at least the critical volumes that they need," the U.S. official said.

The weapons the U.S. will provide for the F-16s include AGM-88 HARM air-to-ground missiles, long-range JDAM munitions that turn unguided bombs into smart weapons, and GLSDB small-sized precision-guided munitions, according to the media outlet.

The European members of the fighter jet coalition were reluctant to send Ukraine a large number of their limited stocks of ammunition for F-16s, so they settled for supplies from the U.S., which is a member of the coalition but does not transfer its aircraft, WSJ wrote.

Kyiv has been calling for these U.S.-made fourth-generation jets since the very first year of the full-scale war in order to bolster its air force, which is made up of Soviet-made aircraft and has been significantly depleted over the past years of war.

Despite promises by U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken on July 10 that the first Dutch and Danish F-16s are already on their way, no delivery has been confirmed so far.

Read also: Heres where Kamala Harriss potential VP picks stand on Ukraine

Ukraine needs additional $12-15 billion from partners in 2025 'because the war will continue,' finance minister says

Ukraine will likely need an additional $12-15 billion in foreign financial support next year as the war is unlikely to end in 2025, Finance Minister Serhii Marchenko said in an interview with RBC Ukraine published on July 30.

Foreign aid is crucial for Ukraine as the economic pressure caused by the full-scale Russian invasion mounts.

"Now we are constantly discussing with our partners that we need additional financial assurance because the war will continue in 2025, and we need to have a buffer," the minister said. According to Marchenko, the current pledges from partners will not be sufficient.

The figure of $12-15 billion corresponds to discussions between the Finance Ministry and the International Monetary Fund (IMF), he added.

"They (IMF) also potentially see this as an additional need beyond what is currently provided for in the program," he added.

The IMF has allocated $15.6 billion in financial support to Ukraine under the Extended Fund Facility (EFF) program, which is to be disbursed in regular installments until 2027.

Ukraine received the latest tranche of $2.2 billion in early July. Under the IMF's program, Kyiv also received political commitments from its partners of $122 billion by 2027.

The besieged country received $42.5 billion in external financing from various donors last year, allowing it to function amid the ongoing war. The IMF said Ukraine will need roughly the same sum to support its budget this year.

Ukraine is also searching for new revenue sources at home.

"We are showing that we are ready for the most difficult decisions and that we are making our own contribution," Marchenko told RBC Ukraine, reminding that the government is pushing forward a tax hike.

Czechia shows interest in Poland's Ukrainian Legion project

The Czech government is looking closely into the formation of the Ukrainian Legion in Poland and might consider its own involvement, Radio Prague reported on July 29.

The legion was unveiled earlier this month as a volunteer military unit made up of Ukrainian men living in Poland and trained by the Polish Armed Forces.

"The Czech Defense Ministry is gathering information from the Polish side about the creation of the so-called Ukrainian Legion," the ministry's spokesperson, David Polak, told the Idnes.cz news portal.

"Once we have (the necessary information), we will consider our involvement."

It remains unclear whether Prague's involvement would encompass creating a similar unit on Czech territory or aiding the creation of the legion in Poland.

Czechia has trained over 4,000 Ukrainian soldiers on its territory in 2023, the Czech Defense Ministry said.

Czech Defense Minister Jana Cernochova commented that the plan could help Ukrainian men who live in Czechia take part in defending their homeland.

"Lot of (Ukrainian) citizens want to help their country, but they don't want to return to Ukraine, because they don't know what to expect," Cernochova said in an interview with CT24.

There are around 570,000 Ukrainians living in Czechia, including roughly 380,000 living under temporary protection as refugees.

Close to a million Ukrainian refugees live in neighboring Poland.

The legion was announced as part of the security agreement signed by President Volodymyr Zelensky and Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk on July 8.

Recruitment for the Ukrainian Legion will be conducted by Ukrainian consular offices. The volunteers will be conscripted under Ukraine's legislation and trained in Poland by the country's military, he added.

"Several thousand" people have registered to participate in the legion as of July 11, Polish Foreign Minister Radoslaw Sikorski said. The recruits will be allowed to return to Poland after completing their service.

Read also: Land on fire: Russias offensive in Donetsk Oblast brings destruction to new towns (Photos)

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Ukraine's Commander-in-Chief briefs US General Brown on frontline situation and improved air defence

On 30 July, Oleksandr Syrskyi, Commander-in-Chief of Ukraine's Armed Forces, discussed the situation on the battlefield with General Charles Brown, Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff of the United States.

Source: Syrskyi on Facebook

Quote: "We discussed the current situation on the battlefield. I expressed my gratitude for the tangible improvement in Ukraine's air defence, as well as [US] assistance with guns, ammunition and equipment."

Details: Syrskyi said Ukraine's priorities are to gain air superiority and increase its ability to hit Russian military assets, regardless of their location.

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The Armed Forces of Ukraine struck a Russian oil depot Logistics Centre No.43 in the settlement of Vozy in Kursk Oblast on the night of 29-30 July.

Source: the General Staff of the Armed Forces of Ukraine

Quote: "This night, we successfully struck an enemy oil depot Logistics Centre No.43 in the settlement of Vozy, Kursk Oblast, Russia. Intelligence suggests that a fire broke out at the enemy facility as a result of the attack."

Details: Reportedly, the strike was launched by the means and forces of the Security Service of Ukraine (SSU) and other units of the defence forces of Ukraine.

More detailed information concerning the aftermath of the strike on the oil depot is being specified.

Background:

An explosion occurred in the Russian city of Kursk on the night of 29-30 July, and three minutes later, an air-raid warning was issued in Kursk Oblast.

Smirnov later stressed that four missiles were shot down in the sky over the Oktyabrsky and Kurchatovsky districts of Kursk Oblast overnight.

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The Ukrainian Ministry of Defence has signed two defence contracts with Ukrainian armament manufacturers for almost 5 billion hryvnias (about US$121 million).

Source: press service of Ukraines Defence Ministry

Details: Reportedly, the contracts between the Defence Procurement Agency of the Ministry of Defence of Ukraine and the companies of the Ukrainian defence industrial base were signed during a work trip of President Volodymyr Zelenskyy and Defence Minister Rustem Umierov to different oblasts of Ukraine.

"This is extremely important for strengthening the defence capability of our state. This way we will buy from and support our own production, facilitating the development of our economy and [defence] industry," Umierov stated.

Background:

The German Rheinmetall concern will build an ammunition production plant in Ukraine. On 24 July 2024 the Rheinmetall company reported that it had received an order from the Ukrainian government to build an ammunition production plant. This joint project with a Ukrainian state company was announced in February 2024.

The order covers the full technical equipment of the plant up until the start of its operation. The construction is expected to start soon and will be finished in several years.

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Ukraine's energy situation likely to improve during next 3 months, official says

Ukraine might face minimal power outages in the next three months if Russia does not carry out new attacks on Ukraine's energy infrastructure, the advisor to the prime minister on energy issues, Yurii Boiko, said on national television on July 30.

Russia carried out a massive campaign of aerial attacks against Ukraine's energy infrastructure over the spring, similar to the one launched during the fall and winter of 2022-23.

The damage caused a serious energy deficit and necessitated rolling blackouts across the country.

Boiko said that the amount of electricity generated in the system increased due to decreases in weather temperatures and the restoration of some energy-generating facilities.

"We are now more or less in balance in terms of our energy situation," Boiko said. He nevertheless emphasized that to keep the energy supply at the current levels, Ukraine needs to concentrate on protecting the repaired infrastructure from new attacks. For that, Ukraine needs more air defense systems.

Earlier, Volodymyr Kudrytskyi, the head of state grid operator Ukrenergo, commented that after a "very difficult couple of weeks" due to record-breaking heat and power plants being under repair, Ukraine's energy supply situation is improving.

Due to the heatwave in mid-July, the energy consumption in Ukraine hit maximum levels, leading to significant energy shortages in the system and causing necessary scheduled blackouts, sometimes lasting up to 20 hours.

DTEK, Ukraine's largest private energy company, said it had lost nearly 90% of its generating capacity due to the Russian attacks earlier this year. The company said it aims to recover 60-70% of its power generation capacity by October.

Read also: Life in wartime Kyiv with blackouts

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Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky (L) inspecting the construction of fortifications at an undisclosed location in Volyn region. -/Ukraine Presidency/dpa

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky on Tuesday inspected his armed forces' fortifications and defensive positions on the country's border with Belarus.

Zelensky was accompanied on his visit to the north-western Volyn region by senior military officers, according to a statement from the presidential office in Kiev.

"The head of the State Border Guard Service, Serhiy Deineko, reported on the protection of the border, including the number of soldiers involved, their capabilities and weapons," the statement said.

Zelensky got a personal tour of the construction of the fortifications, trenches and shelters. "We have a strong defence, both in terms of personnel and defensive lines," Zelensky said. "And we will continue to strengthen them."

In recent months, the Ukrainian military has massively reinforced the border with neighbouring Belarus, leading Minsk to respond by deploying additional forces on the border.

However, Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko recently declared the crisis on the border to be over and ordered the withdrawal of the additional troops.

Belarus, Russia's closest ally, is not directly involved in the war against Ukraine. However, during Moscow's full-blown invasion in February 2022, Minsk authorized Russian troops to invade Ukraine from Belarusian territory.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky (L) inspecting the construction of fortifications at an undisclosed location in Volyn region. -/Ukraine Presidency/dpa
Ukrainian Navy on Russian submarines in Black Sea: Training exercises, but risk of attack remains

Three Russian submarines are currently deployed in the Black Sea, and Ukraines defence forces continue to monitor the situation.

Source: Ukrainian Navy spokesman Dmytro Pletenchuk on the air of the national joint 24/7 newscast

Quote: "The situation remains unchanged  three submarines are currently there. This is more likely a training exercise for the personnel, but nonetheless, exercises occasionally end with live-fire drills. Therefore, there is always a potential threat from these watercraft, and we are, accordingly, anticipating it."

Details: Pletenchuk said there are currently no Russian vessels in the Azov Sea: surface ships remain in their bases.

Background: Earlier, the Ukrainian Navy spokesman reported that Russia simultaneously deployed three submarines capable of carrying cruise missiles for the first time.

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Ukraine's 79th Tavrian Air Assault Brigade stopped another large-scale attempt by Russian forces to advance near Kurahove in Donetsk Oblast, the Airborne Assault Troops Command reported on July 30.

Moscow has been ramping up its efforts to push forward in the Kurakhove and Pokrovsk sectors in Ukraine's east, with the Ukrainian military acknowledging the situation is "tense and difficult."

Russian forces reportedly used 10 tanks, 47 armored vehicles, 10 motorcycles, and one buggy during the most recent attack.

The Airborne Assault Troops Command shared a video of the battle and reported that Ukrainian forces managed to stop the assault, dealing 68 casualties to Russian troops, including 36 killed and 32 injured soldiers.

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Twelve armored vehicles, eight tanks, nine motorcycles, and one buggy were also destroyed, the unit said.

Ukraine's General Staff said in its daily update that the airborne troops managed to repel 21 attacks in the Kurahove sector.

Last week, Russia carried out one of the largest ground attacks since the beginning of the full-scale war near Kurahove.

Ukrainian forces managed to fend it off, destroying six tanks, seven armored vehicles, and 12 motorcycles, killing 40 and injuring 37 Russian soldiers, as reported by the press center of the 79th Brigade.

Read also: Ukraine war latest: Ukraine damages Russian bomber 1,800 km away from border

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UN and Germany supply 17 generators to Ukrainian food producers, but there's need for more

Ukrainian food producers have received generators from the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO) and Germany.

Source: Ministry of Agrarian Policy and Food of Ukraine

Details: FAO, with financial support from Germany, distributed 17 generators with a capacity of 27 to 88 kW to food producers from Dnipropetrovsk, Donetsk, Zaporizhzhia, Mykolaiv, Sumy and Kharkiv oblasts.

FAO received a total of 395 applications from nine frontline oblasts of Ukraine from food producers in need of an additional source of electricity.

As part of a broader initiative by FAO, Ukraines Ministry of Agrarian Policy and the German government, 245 generators with a capacity of up to 440 kW will be provided to small and medium-sized businesses from Dnipropetrovsk, Donetsk, Zaporizhzhia, Mykolaiv, Odesa, Sumy, Kharkiv, Kherson and Chernihiv oblasts.

"A total of 114 generators have already been distributed, and another 131 will be distributed in the coming weeks. In particular, they will be given to firms engaged in livestock farming and processing and production of basic foodstuffs: bread, meat and milk," the Ministry of Agrarian Policy and Food of Ukraine said.

Background: On 27 July, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy signed several laws removing VAT and duties on the import of energy equipment to Ukraine.

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Pro-Palestine protestors attend a rally calling for Michigan voters unhappy with President Joe Biden's handling of the conflict in Gaza to vote "uncommitted" in the state's Democratic presidential primary on Feb. 27. (Andrew Roth/Michigan Advance)

With President Joe Biden out of the presidential race and Vice President Kamala Harris now taking over as the likely Democratic nominee, Democratic leaders in Michigan and nationwide are calling for the party to unity behind Harris to win the election.

Abbas Alawieh is one of two uncommitted delegates among the 138 from Michigan. In February Michigan held its presidential primary that Biden won, which netted him the majority of the states delegates. Progressives and pro-Palestinian activists organized a movement to vote uncommitted in the primary to protest Bidens support for Israel in its war with Hamas. That resulted in two uncommitted delegates. , There also are 21 unpledged delegates who are primarily elected officials and are not bound to support Harris.

He told the Advance last week that he and the other 35 uncommitted delegates nationwide would love to see more unity in the Democratic Party, but unity has to be for the benefit of all Democrats, including Palestinian Americans and Arab Americans.

I think its important to note that in this moment, where people in the Arab-American community here in Michigan are experiencing a deep level of pain, it has felt like too many statewide elected officials and other elected officials have just tried to pretend like that pain isnt there.  The outreach to our community needs to be a lot stronger from the Democratic Party, Alawieh said.

There was a call last week attended by more than 100 Michigan delegates to discuss if they wanted to commit to voting for Harris at next months Democratic National Convention in Chicago now that Biden has withdrawn. Harris already has enough committed delegates to be the nominee.

Alawieh and a handful of other delegates were explaining on the call why they cant support Harris without meaningful change in the foreign policy towards Gaza. Alawieh said someone interrupted and said, Shut up, asshole.

No one on the call promptly pushed back or chastised the person, Alawieh said, which was hurtful considering he is bound to represent the more than 100,000 Michiganders who voted uncommitted in the Democratic presidential primary.

For no one to push back on the call felt consistent with the culture of dehumanizing Palestinians and being okay with anti-Palestinian racism, Alawieh said. I hope we can be better about that as a party.

House Majority Floor Leader Abraham Aiyash (D-Hamtramck), a vocal supporter of the uncommitted movement, rescinded to Alawiehs post about the call on X saying Democrats are squandering their chance to win in November if they continue to shut down members of the movement.

This culture that tells members of our party to shut up because we want a pro-peace, anti-war platform and a nominee that dignifies the humanity of the Palestinians (which a MAJORITY of Dems support!) is a losing strategy for November, Aiyash wrote.

Delegates who spoke to the Michigan Advance said the meeting was short. Because the majority of the delegation had a consensus for Harris, the group took some time to hear from individuals who are advocating for Harris to speak with members of the uncommitted movement to talk about foreign policy.

What I experienced  was a level of anti-Arab and anti-Palestinian vitriol that elected officials from across the state failed to push back on and that does not feel disconnected from a reality where it feels like our elected officials are disconnected from the pain that the Arab-American community is feeling right now. So my hope is that the Michigan Democratic Party will do better, Alawieh said.

After the call, Alawieh said he spoke with Michigan Democratic Party Chair Lavora Barnes and she said she would try and elevate the request from the uncommitted movement to the Harris campaign.

The disrespect shown to a member of our delegation was completely unacceptable. We know that we are one Democratic family  our differences and the way we respond to them are what make us strong, Barnes said in a statement after the meeting. In this moment, we want to reiterate that our Arab American and Muslim brothers and sisters are welcome in this party. We will continue to work toward our common goal of defeating Republicans up and down the ballot this November.

In Rhode Island, June Rose is the only uncommitted delegate in the state.

Rose stood alone on Wednesday voting against endorsing Harris, telling the Rhode Island Current that it is critical to defeat President Donald Donald Trump. While their hope is to support Harris, she will have to clearly oppose the genocide of Palestinians.

Rose also stands in support of Alawieh.

Abbas is a movement leader who inspires so many of us across the country to fight harder against the senseless murder of Palestinians, Rose said in a text to the Michigan Advance. Abbas leads with empathy and integrity, and deserves nothing but respect. Michigan is lucky to have him and our party will be better off because of him.

Attempts to paint the uncommitted movement as feeding Democratic infighting that will help Trump win, fail to address the core of the movement, Waleed Shahid, a Democratic strategist tied to the movement said on X Wednesday. Rather than ignore the fact that hundreds of thousands of Democratic voters were likely to skip this election, disillusioned by Bidens Gaza policies, the uncommitted movement called on affected individuals to vote.

We know the stakes are high in this election and that is why we started this campaign to save lives and put the Democratic Party in the best position to earn the votes to defeat Trump, Shahid said. The greatest form of respect you can have for an institution is holding it to a higher standard. That is the core of this movement.

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The breaking point for the Richland County jail was years in the making.

As early as 2008, studies commissioned by the county warned that the jail was dangerously understaffed. When the COVID pandemic hit, that breaking point arrived.

Staff levels plummeted as inmate populations rose. From 2020 to 2023, experts found that about half the time entire housing units, which regularly exceeded their 56 inmate capacity, had just one officer on duty. In January, staff of one dorm reportedly performed just 28 of a required 1,176 patrols.

Since 2020, reports of stabbings, weapons and contraband skyrocketed. The smell of tobacco and marijuana smoke came to pervade the facility, according to some accounts. Inmates complained of being left without working toilets or drinking water. Holes in the ceiling and faulty cell doors allowed prisoners to escape their housing areas and commit robberies and assaults.

Safety concerns were so serious that in 2022, the jails health provider declined to renew its contract.

The result, some have warned, is a crisis for inmates diagnosed with a mental illness, which make up two thirds of the jails population.

This in-depth look inside of the Alvin S. Glenn Detention Center was revealed in court documents filed last week in the U.S. District Court for South Carolina as part of an ongoing lawsuit against Richland County. That lawsuit argues that the jails conditions violate the constitutional rights of inmates with mental illnesses.

The filing, a 917-page motion for an injunction made by lawyers for Disability Rights South Carolina, included detailed reports from three experts who investigated the jail, along with internal emails, depositions of staff and sworn statements of inmates.

Images of Lason Butlers jail cell, presented during a press conference at the Strom Law Firm in Columbia on Wednesday, Aug. 3, 2022. Lason Butler died while he was incarcerated at Alvin S. Glenn Detention Center.

One expert, Dr. Kenneth Ray, wrote that of the more than 50 inspections he had performed nationwide while employed at the U.S. Department of Justices National Institute of Corrections, the Richland County jail stands out as particularly hazardous and inappropriate for the management and protection of inmates with Serious Mental Illness.

This July, four inmates died in the jail, at least three from confirmed drug overdoses.

But county administrators have defended their treatment of inmates with mental illnesses.

The detention center is not a mental health hospital, the county said in a statement. While we provide necessary mental health care, a jail is not a therapeutic setting designed to offer the comprehensive psychotherapy and programming found in mental health hospitals, the statement said. This distinction is in line with standards for jails nationwide.

The jail contracts with Freedom Behavioral Health to provide a team of 10 qualified mental health professionals, two psychiatry providers, and a discharge planner providing 24/7 services to detainees, according to the statement.

No inmates were being housed in cells without a working toilet and progress has also been made in renovating the jails facilities, the county says. Along with the kitchen, three dorms have been renovated and reopened, while ongoing repairs are being made to lighting fixtures.

Claims about poor living conditions at the facility are based on outdated information, the county wrote.

Warning Signs

By the middle of 2022, safety concerns at the jail were so serious that the private health care companies contracted by the county were sounding the alarm.

A flurry of emails sent in April that year from health care provider Wellpath laid out the situation in stark terms. Staff had been assaulted and threatened by inmates. They were groped, and unknown liquids were thrown on them. One provider had multiple asthma attacks caused by smoke in the facility.

The staffing shortage meant that there was no way to get in touch with individual officers who were watching multiple dorms. This poses a safety risk as this leaves no way to call for help in the event of an emergency, wrote Cindy Watson, Wellpaths CEO, in an email to members of county and jail leadership.

That same month, Wellpath, which services over 140 detention facilities around the country, decided not to renew its contract with Alvin S. Glenn Detention Center.

There does not appear to be one specific cause for the deteriorating conditions at Alvin S. Glenn Detention Center. High staff vacancy rates and poor resources for an inmate population with high rates of mental illness have been persistent problems at the jail.

A 2014 study conducted by consultants Pulizer/Bogard & Associates cautioned that that the jail had a very high staff vacancy rate of 13%. Additionally, the study warned of inherent problems with the organizational structure, notably the lack of on the ground oversight from jail leadership, which limited effective supervision of inmates and management of the facility

Large numbers of inmates with mental illness are straining ASGDC resources, compounding overall inmate supervision challenges. This will only become more challenging in the coming years, the report said.

After 2020, these problems appeared to grow more severe.

In September 2021, a riot led to the resignation of the longtime director, who was out of town when inmates took over the jail. The jail would be without a permanent director for the next two years.

The jails population was growing while staff numbers stagnated. From 2022 to 2024, the inmate population ballooned from an average of 703 inmates to 999. In the same period, staff numbers only grew from 90 to 101, falling far short of the 294 staff members called for by a 2023 Staffing Needs Assessment performed by Richland County.

Improvised weapons recovered from inside of the Alvin S. Glenn Detention Center were shown to the Richland County Council during a meeting on July 29, 2023.

The result appears to have been disorder. The total number of serious incidents, including the discovery of drugs and weapons as well as assaults on inmates and staff, grew from 210 in 2021 to 321 in 2023.

During the same time period, the number of 911 calls to the jail surged from 493 in 2020 to 750 in 2023. Emergency calls for alcohol impairment, altered mental states and overdoses inside of the jail rose from 11 in 2020 to 59 in 2023.

Reported stabbings and puncture wounds exploded from 2 to 38 incidents while reported inmate on inmate assaults with weapons went from none reported in 2020 to 16 in 2023. The number of weapons found in the jail increased by a factor of 6.

These statistics, however, only begin to scratch the surface of the mounting crisis within the facility, Ray wrote in his report. These figures are not mere numbers; they represent a clear and present escalation in violence and health-related emergencies.

In February, 2022, Lason Butler, a 27-year-old from Orangeburg, was found covered in rat bites, dead of dehydration after suffering an episode of psychosis. His death was ruled a homicide.

That June, a representative of Advanced Correctional Healthcare Inc., which currently provides health care for the jail, wrote to county and jail leadership that they were pulling their nurses out of the facility for the evening when it was discovered that there would only be one officer on duty.

There is a serious safety risk in the facility that has risen to a dangerous situation there. The shortage of correctional staff is dangerous not only to the jail staff and inmates but also to the nurses, the representative wrote.

But in 2023, the decision was made to freeze hiring for 65 security and custody staff in order to increase officer salaries and hire additional management staff. This was an extraordinarily dangerous decision, Ray wrote in his report, later adding, The psychological stress on inmates due to insufficient oversight can also lead to increased incidents of self-harm and suicide.

A mental health crisis

LaRoyal Harley spent three stints inside the Alvin S. Glenn Detention Center. Her third ended in tragedy.

Although Harley was not identified in last weeks filing, The State matched key details with public reporting about her. Harleys was just one instance where multiple failures contributed to the death of an inmate.

After Harley was jailed in Alvin S. Glenn in August 2022 for aggravated assault, mental health providers noted that she struggled with impulse control, anger issues, insomnia, racing thoughts and reliving her crime. While she was not on medication, she requested psychiatric services.

In a report from October 2022, Harley was classified as MH-1, mental health need, not serious. Records submitted to the court do not indicate what treatment Harley received, if any.

There is minimal to no behavioral health treatment at the jail, wrote Nichole Johnson, a forensic psychiatrist who inspected Alvin S. Glenn.

Inmates with mental health needs are typically only seen by a provider once every 30 days, according to court filings. Given the rotating patient population, providers are assigned to dorms, not to specific inmates, meaning there is no set caseload for providers.

In a deposition included in the court filings, the jails mental health director stated clinicians do not engage in therapy as there is not sufficient time to address issues which may arise, according to filings.

Other than medication, treatment consisted largely of being given handouts on coping skills and coloring pages, Johnson wrote.

In June 2023, Harley was placed on suicide watch after staff overheard her on the phone telling her mom that she wanted to die, according to records filed with the court. A box for mentally ill and dangerous to herself was checked on one form dated June 28, 2023.

But after she was placed on suicide watch, mental health staff noted that Harley said she had no thoughts of self harm. Instead, she told staff she wanted to die because no one would pay her bond, according to records.

Suicide watch and assessment at Alvin S. Glenn are inadequate, Johnson wrote in her report. Assessments for suicide risk were conducted with no privacy, in front of other inmates. Guards also failed to check on inmates who were on suicide watch.

While checks on inmates on suicide watch are meant to be performed at irregular five minute intervals, per jail policy, Johnson wrote that she reviewed numerous suicide logs and there were hours unaccounted for, watches done on exact intervals, or done in longer intervals than required, i.e. a watch completed 30 minutes apart.

Harley was released from the jail later in 2023. She was arrested again later that year in connection to a shooting at a club and released on bond, in early January 2024.

In February, Harley was arrested and charged with possession of a weapon during a violent crime.

When she returned to the jail, Harley was placed on a 10-hour observation at intake, a status normally assigned to individuals at suicide risk, according to lawyers for Disability Rights South Carolina, a group that advocates for the rights of South Carolinians with disabilities.

Experts hired by Disability Rights lawyers were critical of the jails intake process. One report in the court filing found that in January 2024, 47 inmates were crammed into just 12 intake cells, with no differentiation for mental health classification.

This falls short of industry standards, wrote Emmitt Sparkman, former deputy commissioner of institutions for the Mississippi Department of Corrections.

On March 2, three days after she arrived, other inmates reported that Harley was distraught after a judge denied her bond.

She cried, screamed... you could tell she needed some type of mental evaluation, according to a sworn statement from an inmate who knew Harley from a previous stay in jail. The two women prayed together, the inmate wrote, but their moment of peace was disrupted when Harley got in a fight with another inmate who spit on her.

There were no officers on the unit to break up the fight so the two women were eventually separated by other inmates, according to the statement. A guard later moved Harley to a lockdown unit, Juliet, without consulting mental health professionals.

When Harley was brought to Juliet, the inmate could hear her speaking to someone on one of the tablets issued to inmates, according to a sworn statement from that inmate.

Around 4:30 p.m., guards let the inmates out for recreation. They were returned to their cells for dinner, but no guards came to the cell block until almost 11 p.m., the inmate wrote. It was silent on the cell block, until she heard the sound of the light fixture falling.

At 10:34 p.m., a nurse delivering medication discovered Harley. She had hung herself with sheets tied to an exposed light fixture.

She was overwhelmed, Richland County Coroner Naida Rutherford told TV station WLTX shortly after Harleys death. And this was at her own hand. This was not something that the jail did that put her in danger.

In their statement, the county wrote, we want to emphasize that this individual had specifically denied any suicidal thoughts or tendencies and had no history of mental health issues or treatment.

Those in the jail dont agree with Rutherfords assessment.

Nobody checked on us, the inmate in the cell next to Harley wrote in her statement. Light fixtures are exposed with wire hanging [and this] has resulted in the death of a 22 year old girl.
TAYLOR COUNTY, Texas (KTAB/KRBC)  An undocumented immigrant accused of sexually assaulting a child in Abilene has been arrested.

Roberto Javier Toruno-Cruz was taken into custody on warrants for Sexual Assault of a Child and Immigration in connection to an incident that happened in March.

Court documents state a mother came forward to police and stated she had found videos of a grown adult engaging in sexual activity with her 14-year-old daughter on her daughters cellphone.

This mother gave a phone number associated with the videos to detectives, which allowed them to identify Toruno-Cruz as the suspect.

Detectives interviewed the victim, and the documents state she said she met a man at a party and agreed to engage in sexual activity with him while he made a video recording. She also described multiple instances of sexual assault.

Toruno-Cruz remains held in the Taylor County Jail without bond.

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Undocumented immigrants in California are paying billions in taxes. Heres how much

Amid pledges for mass deportations of undocumented immigrants by presidential candidate Donald Trump, a new study has highlighted the increasingly positive economic effects of this community.

The report from the Institute on Taxation and Economic Policy, a Washington-based progressive research group, found undocumented immigrants nationwide paid an estimated $96.7 billion in taxes in 2022. About $37.3 billion was spent on state and local taxes, and the rest went to federal taxes.

Californias economy particularly benefits from the undocumented workforce. The population paid an estimated $8.5 billion in state and local taxes in 2022, according to this latest report.

Ariel Ruiz Soto, a senior policy analyst at the Migration Policy Institute, a nonpartisan research group, said the numbers are unsurprising because California has the largest population of undocumented immigrants. More than 2 million undocumented immigrants are estimated to live in the state.

Theres a lot of technology jobs that are being filled by immigrants, but also in the farming industry and the agriculture industry thats so pivotal to California and the U.S. economy, Ruiz Soto said.

Much of those federal taxes fund programs such as Social Security and Medicare  services this population is barred from using. While its been evident for years that undocumented immigrants pay taxes, the extent of their total contributions has grown more clear over the last decade.

This latest report is particularly striking because it includes federal tax contributions, a change from the institutes 2017 study.

It was interesting and eye-opening to see that that number had increased so much, said Marco Guzman, a co-author for the report at a Monday briefing.

The report also directly pushes back against Trumps past and current statements.

He has repeatedly voiced erroneous and unsubstantiated costs of undocumented immigrants. Over the last year, the presidential candidate has pledged to conduct the largest mass deportation event in American history if re-elected. A basis for Trumps argument is that undocumented workers reduce wages and take jobs for American-born workers.

For every one million undocumented immigrants deported, the country could potentially lose $8.9 billion in tax revenue, per the report.

Despite all (that) immigrants contribute to this economy, theyre currently at the center of a concerted dehumanization campaign in which some extremist politicians have chosen to scapegoat people in pursuit of power, said Jackie Vimo, a senior analyst for the National Immigration Law Center.

The study also examined the potential effects of providing work authorization to the undocumented population. Under a scenario where work authorization is provided to all current undocumented immigrants, their tax contributions nationally would rise an additional $40.2 billion per year to $136.9 billion. Californias tax revenue would increase by $1.8 billion.

Having that status is not just a symbolic effect, Ruiz Soto said. It also provides a significant upgrading of their skills and more confidence to boost their opportunities to advance in their current jobs.
Undocumented immigrants in N.J. pay $1.3B in state and local taxes, new study says

Immigration advocates protest in Washington, D.C., on June 15, 2022. A new study shows undocumented immigrants pay nearly $100 billion in federal, state, and local taxes. (Photo by Drew Angerer/Getty Images)

New Jersey is one of six states where undocumented immigrants contribute more than $1 billion in state and local taxes, according to a new study intended to quantify how much undocumented immigrants pay in taxes nationally.

The study from left-leaning think tank Institute on Taxation and Economic Policy notes that more than a third of the taxes paid by undocumented immigrants go toward funding programs  Social Security, Medicare, and unemployment  that they cant access.

There are all these different ways that undocumented immigrants are contributing to funding our services, and we really took the most comprehensive look we could, by looking at all those various kinds of tax collections, said Carl Davis, researcher for the study. We find that the income tax compliance rate in undocumented communities is higher than many folks expect, but its crucial to remember that income tax is far from the only tax being levied.

The estimated 428,000 undocumented immigrants living in New Jersey contributed $1.3 billion in state and local taxes in 2022, according to the study.

If New Jerseys undocumented residents could secure work authorization, theyd contribute an additional $332 million annually, according to the Washington, D.C.-based institute.

Undocumented immigrants made up roughly 7% of New Jerseys workforce in 2023, although some may hold legal working papers, according to Pew Research.

Eliana Fernandez, director of organizing at immigrant advocacy group Make the Road New Jersey, said New Jerseys undocumented community plays a crucial role in contributing to the states economy.

Despite these contributions, undocumented immigrants are excluded from almost every safety net protection, she said, adding that lawmakers should look at expanding access to the safety net.

Providing those kinds of benefits to undocumented immigrants does not come without controversy. Gov. Phil Murphy faced criticism from Republicans when he launched a $40 million pandemic relief fund for undocumented immigrants that provided some families up to $4,000.

Nationwide, 10.9 million undocumented immigrants contributed $96.7 billion in federal, state, and local taxes, the study estimates. Nearly $60 billion was paid to the federal government, and about $37 billion to states and localities, according to the study.

Most of the total came from immigrants in six states with concentrated undocumented communities: California, Texas, New York, Florida, Illinois, and New Jersey.

Providing work authorization to the current undocumented population would boost the figure by $40 billion to $136.9 billion, the study estimates. Most of that new revenue would flow to the federal government, while around $7 billion would remain in states and localities, according to the study.

The researchers stress that these figures make clear that immigration policy choices have substantial implications for public revenue at all levels of government.

Most undocumented immigrants arent eligible for work authorization, which involves a convoluted application process overseen by the federal government. To be eligible for a work permit, you must be in America on a certain visa or belong to a protected class, like asylum seekers or immigrants with Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals protections. Some immigrants with pending status applications can apply.

Amid an influx of undocumented immigrants entering the country, theres been an increase in businesses and advocates calling for work authorization to be extended to workers without legal status or visas. In June, the Biden administration announced it would expand work authorization for undocumented residents who have lived in the United States for at least 10 years and are married to U.S. citizens.

In New Jersey, roughly a third of taxes paid by undocumented immigrants are sales and excise taxes, a third represent property taxes  paid either directly or indirectly, via rent  and the remaining third are income and payroll taxes withheld on paychecks or paid when filing taxes using an individual tax identification number instead of a Social Security number, the study says.

The state and local effective tax rate for undocumented immigrants in New Jersey is 8.4%, compared to 10.5% for the states top earners, the study says. With legal working status, the tax rate for undocumented workers would rise to 9.5%, the study estimates.

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Environmentalists are raising concerns about Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump's pick for vice president after examining Ohio Senator JD Vance's history of prioritizing dirty energy interests.

What's happening?

On July 16, the Guardian reported that Vance has accepted more than $340,000 in campaign contributions from the oil and gas industry since 2019, according to nonprofit OpenSecrets. He is one of the "top industry benefactors" at this point in the 2024 election cycle.

"The selection of JD Vance as a potential vice president is a dangerous step backward for climate action in the United States," Fossil Free Media's Make Polluters Pay campaign spokesperson Cassidy DiPaola told the Guardian. "Senator Vance's record shows a clear pattern of prioritizing fossil fuel interests over the urgent need to address the climate crisis."

Stevie O'Hanlon, the communication director for the environmental justice group Sunrise Movement, also expressed concerns to the Guardian over Vance's reversal on climate issues after previously advocating for clean energy initiatives.

Moreover, Vance has appeared to downplay how humans have contributed to rising global temperatures, telling the American Leadership Forum that he was "skeptical" that changing temperatures were caused "purely by man," according to the Guardian, which is a common straw-man argument intended to mislead, since no climate scientist is saying the planet's climate changes exclusively from human actions.

What an incredible 99.9% of peer-reviewed scientific papers have agreed on, though, is that humans are "mainly" responsible for the extreme rate at which the planet has been overheating in global average temperatures since the Industrial Revolution, worsening in recent decades.

In August 2023, Vance advocated for increasing oil production across the Utica Shale, suggesting in The Marietta Times that the solution to providing "cheap and reliable power" is to support dirty energy projects like new pipelines and refineries.

The Ohio senator also called for incentivizing U.S.-made gas-powered vehicles and co-sponsored a bill that would hinder the Environmental Protection Agency from enforcing a pollution-reducing vehicle standard.

Environmentalists are worried that if Vance serves as vice president, he will be more empowered to roll back planet-friendly policies that have benefited Americans.

Why is this concerning?

While Earth's climate has changed in cycles throughout its existence, as NASA notes, more than 99.9% of peer-reviewed studies agree that human activities are primarily to blame for the accelerated warming following the preindustrial era, according to the Cornell Chronicle.

Major players in the dirty energy industry are on the same page, acknowledging (at least internally) the harm their pollution has caused, per reporting from Heated.

Internal documents from a Senate hearing titled "Denial, Disinformation, and Doublespeak: Big Oil's Evolving Efforts to Avoid Accountability for Climate Change" reveal that dirty energy companies spent millions to influence universities, allegedly working to hide their knowledge from the public and investors about the impacts of their polluting fuels on our planet.

According to Our World in Data, one study estimates that 8.7 million premature deaths in 2018 (around one-fifth of total deaths) were associated with the burning of dirty fuels  which account for more than 75% of human-generated planet-warming gases, per the United Nations.

Rising global temperatures have also contributed to food shortages and price hikes, displacement from more intense extreme weather events, and the spread of disease.

How can I support climate causes?

If you're curious about which causes your representatives are officially advocating for, BillTrack50 and Congress.gov are tools that can help you track legislation.

You can also help hold corporations accountable for their practices by supporting brands working to be more eco-friendly, whether by forgoing plastic packaging or by incorporating recycled materials into their products.

Join our free newsletter for cool news and actionable info that makes it easy to help yourself while helping the planet.
A pin hangs from a vest worn by union organizer and former Amazon worker Connor Spence outside the Amazon warehouse in the borough of Staten Island in New York in Tuesday, June 18, 2024. Workers at Amazon's only unionized warehouse in the U.S. elected new union leaders Tuesday, marking the first major change for the labor group since it established an alliance with the International Brotherhood of Teamsters. Spence is running to be president of the ALU-International Brotherhood of Teamsters Local 1. (AP Photo/Haleluya Hadero)

Workers at Amazon's only unionized warehouse in the U.S. elected new union leaders, according to a vote count completed Tuesday, marking the first major change for the labor group since it established an alliance with the International Brotherhood of Teamsters.

A slate of candidates headed up by a former Amazon worker named Connor Spence received the most votes cast by employees from the warehouse located in the New York City borough of Staten Island. Although turnout was very low, Spence received enough support to lead the Amazon Labor Union as it aims to secure a contract with a company that has resisted those efforts for years.

Spence, a prominent organizer with the union, more recently led a dissident group that sued the union last year to force new leadership election amid internal strife. He was fired by Amazon last year for violating a company policy that forbids workers from accessing company buildings or outdoor work areas when theyre off the clock, a policy critics say is designed to hinder organizing.

Only 5% of the 5,312 workers employed in the warehouse voted by mail-in ballot, said Arthur Schwartz, an attorney who represents the dissident group. Spence received 137 out of 247 votes cast, Schwartz said, defeating a current ALU officer named Claudia Ashterman and another prominent organizer named Michelle Valentin.

After more than two years of fighting to reform our union to make it more democratic, transparent, and militant, we are relieved to finally be able to turn our attention toward bringing Amazon to the table and winning an incredible contract, Spence said in a statement.

Workers at the same warehouse voted overwhelmingly last month to affiliate with the Teamsters union, which agreed to provide the Amazon Labor Union, or ALU, with funding and other types of support until it negotiates a contract with Amazon and begins collecting member dues.

The affiliation agreement, a copy of which was reviewed by The Associated Press, says the ALU will be chartered as an autonomous local Teamsters union with the right to organize Amazon warehouse workers across New York City. The union branch, known as ALU-International Brotherhood of Teamsters Local 1, also is expected to help with organizing Amazon warehouse workers elsewhere and to participate in strategy sessions.

The question is whether the outcome of the election, plus the Teamster affiliation, can create that kind of momentum needed among the rank-and-file, said Ruth Milkman, a sociologist of labor and labor movements at the City University of New York. But even if it does, Amazon is going to fight it tooth-and-nail.

Spence will take over the leadership role from Chris Smalls, a former Amazon worker. He spearheaded the first successful U.S. union organizing effort in the retail giants history in 2022, when workers at the Staten Island warehouse voted in favor of ALU representation.

However, organizers inside the union began questioning Smalls' strategy after the group suffered two subsequent election losses in New York and withdrew a petition for a union vote in California. Some left quietly, while others joined the dissident group headed up by Spence.

Smalls did not seek reelection. Instead, he backed a slate of candidates headed up by Ashterman.

Since mail-in ballots were sent to workers in early July, candidates vying for leadership spots had engaged in a fierce campaign during shift breaks and in public areas near the warehouse, formally known as the JFK8 Fulfillment Center. Morning and evening campaigning also took place in front of a bus stop near the facility.

On a recent evening, Spence and some members of the dissident group erected a small tent by the bus stop and handed out heat safety literature and cold bottles of water to workers starting or ending their 10-hour shifts. Other candidates set up a table where they played music or spoke with warehouse workers waiting to go home.

Some workers stood there 45 minutes or longer while watching for a shuttle bus to come, a pain point known to candidates who campaigned on acquiring or fundraising for additional shuttles.

Spence said in an interview earlier this month that joint strategy sessions with the Teamsters would happen once Local 1 has new leaders. But the powerful labor union already began offering support by footing the bill for the Amazon warehouse election and providing legal aid when needed.

Spence said the Teamsters offered him legal support two weeks ago when Amazon called local police to an ALU rally held near the warehouse. During the rally, which some Teamsters organizers attended, officers arrested Spence and six other participants, saying they had blocked a driveway.

Amazon spokesperson Mary Kate Paradis said the company had also asked non-employees to leave its property. But organizers say the demonstration was held on a patch of grass they believed to be public property and where they've previously held other rallies.

Since the union's affiliation with the Teamsters, Amazon has made small changes around the warehouse, according to workers. The company, which employs methods to fend off labor unions, has installed gates around the building's parking lot and posted security guards to monitor everyone coming in and out of the lot.

Company spokesperson Paradis says Amazon took those extra steps for safety reasons and to deter trespassing incidents that have occurred in the past few weeks.

Amazon continues to face worker unrest elsewhere, including in Kentucky, where employees at a large company Air Hub held a one-day strike last week in coordination with the Teamsters union. More than 100 contracted Amazon drivers in Chicagos northern suburbs have been on strike since late June demanding higher pay and better health care plans, according to the Teamsters.

But Amazon also has scored a few wins in the past few weeks.

In mid-July, warehouse workers in Britain narrowly rejected a union bid at a facility in Coventry, a city about 100 miles (160 kilometers) northwest of London. If successful, it would have been the first union to ever form at an Amazon warehouse in the United Kingdom.

Meanwhile, last week, a Washington state judge ruled in favor of the company in a high-profile worker safety case. Regulators had alleged in the case that Amazon put employees at unnecessary risk of injuries.

In Staten Island, the ALU dissident group has been trying get warehouse workers out of their comfort zones and energized around issues such as heat safety and Juneteenth, for which Amazon doesnt offer paid time off, Spence said.

He hopes the organizing work eventually will lead to a strike, which he thinks is the only thing that will get Amazon to the negotiating table. But, he also knows one unionized warehouse doesnt have enough leverage.

To get them to the table, it has to be a national organizing campaign, Spence said. We have to identify strategic choke points, organize those warehouses and go on strike simultaneously.

Schwartz, the attorney, said the local union's new leaders will be sworn in on Wednesday.
Freda Germany poses for a photo while taking a JTRAN bus in Jackson, Miss., on Tuesday, June 25, 2024. Germany says she has been riding this bus since 2000. "What's great about the bus is that they come - they might not be on time, but [it is guaranteed] transportation back home," Germany said.

Despite Monday's confirmation from Jackson Mayor Chokwe Antar Lumumba that JTRAN would not go on strike and nothing is out of order as of yet," the JTRAN union, ATU local 1208, says a strike in the next 30 days is on the horizon.

Lumumba said on Monday afternoon at his biweekly press conference that MV Transportation and ATU local 1208 were back in talks after threats of a strike and are using official mediation. Though he would not provide specific reasons for the falling out, he said the discussions have revolved around safety concerns.

Charles Tornes Jr. , president and business agent of ATU local 1208, said Monday evening that MV Transportation, which took over as the third-party vendor for JTRAN in January, has not honored the contract that was already in place and supposed to last until December 2025 from the previous vendor.

The union, he said, is concerned that MV Transportation outsourced utility workers even though the union has its own utility workers that JTRAN has traditionally used. MV Transportation does not come to the aid of operators when violent outbreaks or accidents occur on buses, he said, adding that payrolls are often incorrect and that the safety manager with MV Transportation disciplines operators with a harsh point system that has led to multiple unfair firings.

Read our JTRAN investigation: Has JTRAN really improved since its March relaunch? We rode buses to find out

"You have operators feeling like they're walking on eggshells and no breathing room or compassion from the company since they've taken over," Tornes said. "We just had two incidents happen where the company made two of the new drivers work 13 hours behind the wheel. We don't have breaks at JTRAN."

MV Transportation did not respond to multiple requests for comment.

People disembark from a JTRAN bus at Union Station in Jackson, Miss., on Wednesday, June 26, 2024.

Tornes said the likelihood of a strike in the next 30 days is "very, very strong."

The union gave MV Transportation notice of a strike within the next 30 days and filed a case with The National Labor Relations Board on July 18.

More on JTRAN struggles: Disability Rights Mississippi, JTRAN renegotiate 2010 paratransit agreements

"The membership is very much upset, and they want to change," Tornes said, noting that operators thought the first strike, which occurred at the on April 27 and 29 when JTRAN operators called a mass "sick-out," would get MV Transportation's attention and prompt corrections.

"Seemed like they got even worse after that," he said. "Unless something changes before these 30 days, the likelihood [of a strike] is very strong."

This article originally appeared on Mississippi Clarion Ledger: JTRAN union says strike is likely coming to Jackson, MS
Union won't go forward with former deputy's grievance in Sonya Massey shooting

A labor organization won't pursue a fired Sangamon County Sheriff's deputy's grievance, an attorney said Tuesday.

The Illinois Fraternal Order of Police Labor Council filed the grievance on behalf of former deputy Sean P. Grayson, who is charged with murder in the fatal shooting of Sonya Massey on July 6.

The grievance filed against the sheriff's department on July 18, the day after Grayson was arrested, sought his reinstatement, reimbursement of all lost wages and restoration of all lost benefits.

Grayson was fired on July 17 by Sheriff Jack Campbell.

"We have arrived at that final stage of the process where a determination can be made regarding whether or not to proceed with Sean Graysons grievance," a statement from the labor council read. "The Union has determined that it will NOT be proceeding any further."

Tamara Cummings, an attorney for the labor council, said Monday it had "an obligation to preserve the due process rights and other rights (of Grayson) within the collective bargaining agreement."

Cummings would not comment Tuesday about why the proceeding was being halted or who made the decision.

The statement added that the same internal processes "apply to all members who file grievances, including Sean Grayson."

The union represents about 10,000 members statewide.

Grayson, 30, is in custody. In addition to the murder charges, he was charged with aggravated battery with a firearm and official misconduct.

Massey, a 36-year-old Black woman was shot in her home in the 2800 block of Hoover Avenue in an unincorporated part of Woodside Township after reporting a possible intruder.

The chaotic and sometimes gruesome video, released to the public on July 22, has caused international outrage leading to marches, rallies and protests across the country.

The grievance caused heat for another state organization that's similar in name.

The Illinois Fraternal Order of Police State Lodge said in a statement issued Monday that it was a strictly fraternal organization with "a completely separate organization with different leadership, a different organizational structure and a different mission."

The statement, from its president, Chris Southwood, pointed out that the FOP Labor Council is allowed to use the name through a marketing agreement with the National Fraternal Order of Police, one the Illinois Fraternal Order of Police State Lodge "has had many concerns (with)," Southwood said.

Contact Steven Spearie: 217-622-1788; sspearie@sj-r.com; X, twitter.com/@StevenSpearie.

This article originally appeared on State Journal-Register: Union drops grievance filed by Sean Grayson in Sonya Massey shooting
golden hello job s

There is nothing sweeter than starting a new job and immediately being welcomed with a five-figure bonus, simply for walking through the door.

In the past golden hellos were often reserved for executive level positions in the City, but an incredibly tight labour market following the disruption caused by the pandemic recently saw an explosion of sign-on bonuses as employers fought for staff.

The number of job vacancies has fallen over the past 12 months, meaning jobseekers arent in the same position of power as they once were  yet there were still an estimated 889,000 vacancies between April and June this year, according to the most recent data from the Office for National Statistics.

And this is reflected in the jobs market. In January there were almost 7,000 advertised vacancies offering golden hello deals of up to 40,000, according to research by jobs search engine Adzuna.

While this represents a 24pc decline from January 2023, when 9,055 vacancies offered these bonuses, numerous sectors with dire talent shortages are still having to resort to the incentive to entice prospective new staff, explained Adzuna co-founder Andrew Hunter.

So, which careers and companies should you consider to earn the greatest welcome bonus? Here, Telegraph Money picks out all the best incentives on offer right now, and why you might need to act quickly to take advantage.

3,000 healthcare jobs offering sign-on bonuses

Of the 6,920 vacancies offering sign-on bonuses, more than 40pc of these were for healthcare jobs, according to Adzuna, which analysed 900,000 jobs advertised on the platform in January.

The most lucrative of these was a 40,000 welcome payment for a child psychiatrist role at an independent hospital in Staffordshire, in addition to a salary of up to 190,000.

The NHS has also resorted to offering substantial bonuses for hard to fill specialist roles.

East Suffolk and North Essex NHS Foundation Trust is currently advertising a 20,000 sign-on bonus for a consultant oncologist at Ipswich Hospital. It also offered a 13,000 incentive for a histopathologist role, which came with a 7,000 relocation fee to move to Colchester Hospital last year.

A spokesman said it offers a very small number of golden hello deals and, where it does, this was a reflection of a national shortage of colleagues.

Optometrists also appear to be in short supply. At the time of writing, Specsavers was offering a 10,000 welcome bonus for a newly qualified optometrist, on top of a 45,000 annual salary at its Walworth Road branch in south London. Equally, Boots had been offering a 10,000 incentive for an optometrist to join its opticians in Rainham, east London.

Story continues

However, its not just specialists who can command sign-on bonuses. Adzuna found 2,940 jobs in healthcare and nursing which offered the perk, and the average bonus paid 3,832.

This was echoed by research conducted by hiring platform Indeed. It found the percentage of nursing and dentistry jobs listed on the platform offering signing bonuses was up nearly threefold since 2020.

In January 2020, 1.4pc of nursing jobs posted on Indeed offered a sign-on bonus, but this rose to 4pc last month.

Jack Kennedy, senior economist at Indeed, said: Despite the NHS recruitment crisis, most of the jobs offering bonuses are in the private sector  particularly care homes seeking registered nurses.

Employers are offering up to 3,000 as bonuses for nurses, and in the case of dentists, there are many job postings marked as urgently needed. This comes as no surprise, given acute shortages in both professions.

Engineers and teachers can also cash in

After healthcare, jobseekers in the engineering sector are most likely to be rewarded with sign-on bonuses. There were 1,361 advertised engineering vacancies on Adzuna specifying a welcome bonus, which marked a 160pc increase year-on-year.

Aerospace and defence company L3Harris, which supplies management systems for Royal Navy submarines and surface fleets, is offering a 5,000 sign-on bonus for a systems engineer to join its Bristol campus. Other systems engineer jobs at the firm offer a 15pc sign-on bonus.

Fancy working with chocolate bars? Mars Wrigley is offering a 5,000 welcome bonus for an electrical maintenance engineer to oversee the machines which help produce three million Mars bars every day.

Elsewhere, there were 465 teacher vacancies offering welcome bonuses averaging 1,867. State school teachers in England were given a 6.5pc pay rise in September meaning the starting salaries for new teachers is at least 30,000 across the country.

Private sector teaching jobs offer the best route to sign-on bonuses.

However, one academy school in Sheffield offers a 5,000 welcome bonus to senior staff. Its currently offering the incentive to prospective heads of department for design and technology and modern foreign languages.

It pays to know people

While not all jobs offer sign-on bonuses, that is not to say you could not still pocket a lump sum for not much extra work.

Employers are increasingly turning towards referral bonuses as a way to attract top talent and retain their existing staff.

Referral bonuses are awarded to members of staff who successfully put forward suitable candidates for vacancies from within their own networks  helping out struggling recruiters who may be finding it tough to find the right people.

There are almost five times as many referral bonuses as there are sign-on bonuses, according to Adzuna. It found 29,419 job listings which referenced a referral bonus. This was highest in teaching (7,277) followed by social work (5,936), and then healthcare and nursing (5,611).

Some sectors appeared to have completely shifted to this method of awarding bonuses. There were only 20 IT jobs offering a golden hello to new employees, but 573 of them advertised a referral bonus.

It was even more stark in the hospitality and catering sector where there were 5,147 jobs promoting a referral windfall, despite just 131 jobs advertising a welcome bonus.

Why are companies turning away from the golden hello?

The blunt reality is the labour market is cooling down. The total number of vacancies are falling, and its a trend thats set to continue. The Bank of England expects unemployment will rise from 3.8pc currently to approximately 5pc by the end of 2025.

Mr Kennedy said: On Indeed, weve seen a dip over the past 12 months in the amount of jobs offering signing bonuses, from 1.2pc to 0.8pc of all UK job postings.

This reflects a gradual cooling of the labour market and easing hiring conditions in some sectors, as vacancies have fallen from post-pandemic peaks back towards normal levels.

Julius Probst, European labour market economist at Totaljobs, added: Its not surprising to see there has been a stark decrease in employers offering sign-on bonuses  these incentives are short-lived and dont benefit businesses in the long run.

With 2024 being an employer-led market, employers are instead focusing on employee retention to both keep and attract talent to their businesses.

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The worlds first platypus conservation center is now open. The initiative will serve as a beacon of hope for the semi-aquatic species whose population has been declining for decades.

The Platypus Research Program at Taronga Western Plains Zoo in Dubbo, Australia has numerous big players, including the San Diego Zoo Wildlife Alliance, Taronga Conservation Society and the University of New South Wales.

The program aims to crack the code on platypus breeding, the San Diego Zoo Wildlife Alliance said in a July 26 news release. In consultation with First Nations communities, a team of scientists seeking to learn more about these unique egg-laying mammals has launched the first-of-its-kind research program to improve conservation of the species  before its too late.

The platypus, a duck-billed, beaver-tailed mammal that adores the water, is so beloved in its home country of Australia, the nation has featured the species on its 20-cent coin.

The species population, however, has been in trouble for years. Due to climate change and habitat destruction, platypus numbers have dropped significantly, according to the World Wildlife Foundation. The San Diego Zoo Wildlife Alliance says that only 23 puggles  platypus babies  have been born at zoos since 1943.

Many of the physiological, behavioral, and environmental factors that lead to reproductive success or failure remain unknown, the alliance said.

In addition to learning about the platypus reproductive habits, researchers with the conservation program hope to learn how the animal responds to environmental stressors such as climate change. They hope to hone in on interventions they can use to safeguard the species in the future.

The Platypus is such a loved and iconic Australian animal, but there is still so much we need to learn about them if we want to help them thrive into the future, Phoebe Meagher, program co-leader and wildlife conservation officer, said in the release.

The conservation center now has its first residents. Four, to be exact. The San Diego Zoo Wildlife Alliance released video footage showing a platypus popping out from some rocks to explore its surroundings. Another moment shows a platypus enjoying the water in its new home.

Experts with the project say saving the platypus has larger implications for the planets biodiversity, as the mammal plays an important role in maintaining the well-being of watersheds amid a changing environment.

Platypuses are influential ambassadors for wildlife, which faces urgent threats from climate change, Hendrik Nollens, vice president of wildlife health with the San Diego Zoo Wildlife Alliance, said in the release.

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A month after the judge ruled in favor of developers in the lawsuit over deed restrictions, University Heights neighbors, who filed the suit in 2022, are asking for the decision to be reconsidered.

The neighbors were looking to enforce 100-year-old deed restrictions on lots on the northwest corner of National Avenue and Sunshine Street owned by Be Kind & Merciful. The restrictions, limiting construction to single-family residential dwellings, would effectively prevent commercial development on the corner. Just a little over a week before BK&M heads back to Springfield Planning & Zoning Commission with a rezoning application, neighbors again tried to sway the judge's opinion in the case.

Greene County Circuit Judge Derek Ankrom took several months to review evidence and testimony before ruling on the case. In his 42-page ruling, Ankrom's main finding was that the plaintiffs cannot enforce the restrictions to only build private dwellings because the limits have largely been waived over the years by the residents themselves. The restrictions include prohibiting "nothing to be erected thereon, except a private residence," restrictions on the types of materials used on residences, setback restrictions and prohibition of garagettes.

Signs notifying passerby's of a public meeting about the possible rezoning of properties near the intersection of National Avenue and Sunshine Street on Monday, July 29, 2024.

At trial in January, it was shown that originally platted lots had been subdivided or now contained more than one house and accessory constructions like sheds or detached garages. In his ruling, Ankrom interpreted "a" to mean one, therefore concluding that the existence of several private residences and other buildings constituted a waiver of the restrictions.

On Monday, Bryan Wade, attorney representing the plaintiffs, tried to change Ankrom's mind on several of the details of the deed restrictions in an effort to secure a more favorable ruling for the neighbors. During roughly an hour of the hearing, Wade faced several challenges and questions from the judge, who appeared unlikely to budge from his initial interpretation.

(Editor's note: Wade at times has represented the News-Leader in legal proceedings.)

Does 'a' mean one?

The interpretation of "a," which Ankrom relied upon to mean one private residence per original lot, has not been previously established in Missouri courts. In his ruling, Ankrom cited a case from the Utah Court of Appeals which, also dealing with restrictive covenants, determined that in the context "a" was used to mean one.

Wade argued otherwise, citing a case from New York courts that uses "a" not as a numerical limitation but rather to mean "any." While Missouri courts have cited this New York case, it was not in the context of deed restrictions. BK&M's attorney Bryan Fisher argued that the interpretation to "any" would not change the matter at hand regardless  "residence" is still singular. Wade said he did not want to "go down that rabbit hole" and remained assertive that "any" implies multiple.

Wade also noted that subdivision of lots was not an issue brought up in the University Heights case, which was more focused on whether a commercial building can be erected than whether multiple residences are allowed on what was once one lot. He asserted that the "essence" of University Heights as a residential single-family neighborhood has remained the same as it was intended during its original platting.

The properties along National Avenue and Sunshine Street where a proposed development has caused much controversy in the University Heights neighborhood on Monday, July 29, 2024.

During the motion hearing Monday, Ankrom acknowledged that this point is what he struggled with the most in arriving at his decision. While in his eyes the single residence restriction was clearly violated to the point of waiver, he recognized that it was not violated in the same manner as the construction of a non-residential building would be. Ankrom said he could not find a case where a violation of restrictions in one manner could still allow the enforcement of a restriction for violations in another manner.

Fisher argued for the developer that a "waiver is a waiver" and neither the manner of violation nor the details of enforcement are relevant when it comes to determining whether a waived restriction can be enforced.

Argument that restrictions should be considered separately

In his ruling, Ankrom grouped all restrictions together, therefore ruling that if one limitation was waived, essentially all were. But Wade argued that each of the aspects of the restrictions are severable, and if the material restriction is waived, that does not mean that the single residence restriction is, too. He noted that University Heights has remained a residential neighborhood since its inception and that the residential covenant has not been waived, dovetailing with testimony and evidence from the City of Springfield at trial that noted University Heights has remained a traditional neighborhood.

The properties along National Avenue and Sunshine Street where a proposed development has caused much controversy in the University Heights neighborhood on Monday, July 29, 2024.

Wade also argued that the material limitations were not violated because the use of materials other than "brick, stone, or stucco" occurred only after construction and the restriction is pertinent to the construction, not any future work done on the homes.

Ultimately, Wade held that violations of the restrictions have not occurred in University Heights and, if the court finds they have, they are not widespread enough to constitute a waiver, let alone a waiver of all restrictions in the original deeds.

More: Newest University Heights proposal brings traffic concerns, uncertainty

Future of the case

Greene County Circuit Judge Derek Ankrom.

Before taking the arguments under advisement, Ankrom assured the parties, whether they agreed or not, that the initial ruling was not made lightly. He said he put significant time and thought into weighing the options.

"I'm not perfect," Ankrom said Monday, noting that while he hopes he was not mistaken with his ruling, that the Court of Appeals exists to review and correct any mistakes that could have been made. He said a decision on the motion to reconsider the judgment will come "relatively quickly."

After the initial ruling, both parties traded threats of future litigation. Intervenors and neighborhood residents Mark and Courtney Fletcher were absent during Monday's hearing. In June, Mark Fletcher told the News-Leader the two had made the decision to move to Walnut Grove, though they remain as parties in the lawsuit.

Signs notifying passerby's of a public meeting about the possible rezoning of properties near the intersection of National Avenue and Sunshine Street on Monday, July 29, 2024.

The rezoning of the corner for general retail is expected to go before P&Z Thursday, Aug. 8. At the neighborhood meeting July 18, Ralph Duda, developer with BK&M, said there were no set plans yet for what the development would look like as finding users for the property is dependent on the rezoning.

Marta Mieze covers local government at the News-Leader. Have feedback, tips or story ideas? Contact her at mmieze@news-leader.com.

This article originally appeared on Springfield News-Leader: University Heights lawsuit: Springfield neighbors seek ruling reversal
Court cases stemming from several deadly incidents in and around Central Kentucky neared their ends in July as defendants received their prison sentences.

These developments include a Lexington man sentenced for a 2022 shooting at the University of Kentucky fraternity party, as well as a man convicted of reckless homicide for a fatal shooting outside of a party.

Here are updates on court cases previously covered by the Herald-Leader.

Man charged in UK frat shooting sentenced

A Lexington man at the center of a shooting investigation on University Avenue that left 11 University of Kentucky students injured was sentenced to nine years in prison.

Jason Almanza-Arroyo, 21, was sentenced on July 26, for charges of second-degree assault, multiple counts of second-degree wanton endangerment, and first-degree wanton endangerment. He was ordered by Fayette Circuit Judge Kimberly Bunnell to serve nine years in prison and $4,000 in restitution.

He pleaded guilty to amended charges on June 10, according to court documents.

Almanza-Arroyo was originally charged with 10 counts of second-degree assault and other offenses after he allegedly fired a shot that injured 11 people in September 2022. He was 19 at the time of the shooting.

One person was wounded by the bullet and 10 others were hit by shrapnel and debris from the shot, according to court records.

Other charges included wanton endangerment, public intoxication, disorderly conduct, assault on a police officer and felon in possession of a handgun.

Man sentenced for after reckless homicide convicted

A Lexington man found guilty of reckless homicide for his involvement in the death of a man he admittedly shot outside a party in 2022, was sentenced to prison earlier this month.

Woody LaPierre, 31, was charged with murder in connection with the death of a 25-year-old Nigerian man, Adetokunbo Tomi Okunoye. LaPierres trial concluded in early June.

Court testimony revealed LaPierre and Okunoye were at a party together the night of the shooting, and the two men were alleged to have engaged in a verbal argument before shots rang out.

LaPierres testimony painted Okunoye as the main aggressor in the dispute and he tried to scare off Okunoye multiple times before firing the fatal shot from a gun he didnt know was loaded. LaPierre said Okunoye was bigger than him and afraid he could inflict serious physical injury on him.

A jury recommended a sentence of five years for LaPierre. Fayette Circuit Judge Dianne Minnifield upheld the jurys suggestion at a sentencing hearing on July 12.

Man pleads guilty to amended charges in 2017 homicide

A third suspect involved in a shooting that killed a Lexington man in 2018 has pleaded guilty to amended charges and is now awaiting sentencing.

Garren Anderson, 23, pleaded guilty earlier this month to complicity to manslaughter, attempted murder, robbery, burglary, and tampering with physical evidence. He faces a recommended sentence of 17 years, according to court documents.

Anderson is one of five suspects charged in connection to the death of 29-year-old Charles Shryock, who died from a gunshot wound in 2017.

Anderson originally faced 17 charges in connection to Shryocks death, including complicity to murder, attempted murder, two counts of complicity to robbery, complicity to burglary, fleeing police, tampering with evidence, buying or possessing drug paraphernalia, giving false information, and criminal mischief.

As part of his plea deal, five of his charges were dismissed and two were amended, according to court documents. His sentencing is scheduled for Aug. 18.

Mississippi man convicted of manslaughter sentenced for crimes

A Mississippi man convicted of second-degree manslaughter by a jury on July 11 was sentenced to 10 years on July 15.

Bobby Hubbard, 24, was originally charged with murder for allegedly killing Doricky Harris at a Coolavin Apartment on West Sixth Street in September 2022.

But a jury found Hubbard guilty of a lesser charge, manslaughter, after defense attorneys argued it was a case of self-defense.

Harris girlfriend, Jada Richardson, testified at trial she called Hubbard and told him Harris had assaulted her and fired shots earlier that day. Richardson allegedly asked Hubbard to come pick up her and her child and take her to her sisters house in Georgetown, fearing for her safety.

Richardson told Hubbard to come armed, Whitney Kirk, Hubbards attorney, said.

When Hubbard arrived he was told Harris was armed and dangerous, according to Kirk. He went to Richardson and Harris apartment to retrieve baby formula and a car seat while legally armed with a gun. When Hubbard entered the residence, his attorneys claimed he was attacked by Harris.
ST. LOUIS COUNTY, Mo.  Its a historic day for the Urban League of Metropolitan St. Louis as they get ready for the grand opening of a new facility in north St. Louis County.

The grand opening of the new Centene Connection Community Center will be held Tuesday, which is going to be a critical facility for the Urban League to help the north county area.

The Centene Corporation donated the 45,000-square-foot building earlier this year to the Urban League. Urban League officials call the building a state-of-the-art facility that is going to serve as a hub for many services.

St. Louis Police release video of 2022 CVPA high school shooting

The Centene Connection Community Center will be located on Pershall Road, just off Interstate 270, near New Halls Ferry Road.

President and CEO of the Urban League Michael McMillan says the building will enhance the ability of the league to deliver vital services and transformative programs to north county residents.

This building is going to help transform the Urban League Movement, our presence in north county, and it also helps to show the magnitude of the relationship between Centene and the Urban League, he said.

McMillan says the facility will have services to help residents in areas including child care and housing, as well as housing and educational empowerment initiatives. There will also be re-entry programs based in the building and workforce development efforts as well.

It will mean accessibility, especially for those without computers, without a cell phone, so they can come out to this Urban League Empowerment Center and get help with their utilities. We are the primary utility provider right here, Gentry Trotter with Cool Down St. Louis, one of Urban Leagues partners, said.

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The building had a $25 million price tag for Centene. The grand opening ceremony is planned for 11 a.m. Tuesday morning.

The original announcement about the facility was initially made in April.

We will have housing, we will have a bank mini-branch from Enterprise Bank, and we will have a number of other vendors and partners in the building, McMillan explained. This contribution is the single largest donation of any item in the history of 114 years of the national Urban League movement to any particular Urban League in the United States.

In addition to Urban League leaders, those slated to attend include St. Louis County Executive Sam Page and Centene Corporation CEO Sarah London.

Copyright 2024 Nexstar Media, Inc. 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.
URBANA, Ill. (WCIA)  The Urbana Park District is now accepting nomination petitions to name its next Commissioners.

Two Commissioners will be elected to six-year terms in the 2025 municipal elections on April 1. The Park District encouraged anyone with interest in the job to attend Park Board meetings. They should also contact Executive Director Tim Bartlett to schedule a meeting to learn more about the duties, schedules, park facilities, programs and current projects.

Board meetings are held the second Tuesday of every month at 7 p.m. at the Planning and Operations Building, 1011 East Kerr Avenue in Urbana. To schedule a meeting with Bartlett, people should call the Darius E. Phebus Administrative Office at (217)-367-1536.

Incoming U of I freshmen react to this years housing challenges

To be eligible for the job, you must be a qualified voter who lives in the Park District for at least one year prior to the election. Illinois law also requires that people cannot serve on a park board if they are in arrears due to the park district or being a convicted felon.

Nominating petitions can be picked up at the Phebus Administrative Office at 303 West University Avenue from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. on weekdays. Petitions must be returned to the office by November 18, 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 WCIA.com.
The U.S. on Tuesday announced a $500 million investment in the Philippines to help modernize the Filipino armed forces and coast guard as Manila faces a rising threat from China in the disputed waters of the Indo-Pacific.

The half-billion dollars in foreign military financing, which the U.S. called an unprecedented investment, comes from the supplemental package for the Indo-Pacific, Israel and Ukraine passed in April.

Secretary of State Antony Blinken, who is in Manila with Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin, called the new funding a once-in-a-generation investment in Filipino security.

Our relationship between the United States and the Philippines is the strongest that its ever been, he said at a Tuesday press conference. We are living in an incredibly complex moment, and as a result, the partnership between our countries is more important than ever.

Blinken added that the investment would help the Philippines focus on external defense and to be better positioned to defend their sovereignty.

Blinken and Austin, who met with their Filipino counterparts in Manila just a day after reaching a historic agreement with Japanese officials in Tokyo to boost military ties, also agreed with the Philippines to double spending on bases that host a rotation of U.S. forces on the Pacific archipelago, as well as to share information on defense modernization and technology and increase exercises and interoperability.

Austin said the U.S. and the Philippines also pledged to work more closely with other allies in the region, including Japan and Australia, in what he described as a new convergence in the Indo-Pacific.

The United States, the Philippines, and our other allies and partners are operating together more closely and capably than ever, he said at the Tuesday press conference.

The agreements are likely to infuriate China, which has long pushed back against growing U.S. alliances in the Indo-Pacific designed to counter Chinese influence.

China has, in the past couple of years, frequently clashed with the Philippines in the South China Sea, over which Beijing claims nearly complete sovereignty despite a 2016 international ruling. The Chinese coast guard has hit Filipino crews with water cannons and even attacked them with machetes.

An agreement reached this month between the Philippines and China allows Filipino crews to resupply a beached ship at the Second Thomas Shoal reef, where most of the clashes have taken place, that Manila has used to maintain its presence in the South China Sea.

Philippine Secretary of Foreign Affairs Enrique Manalo said Tuesday they would continue the resupply missions after an initial mission after the agreement was reached had succeeded.

Its something that we are committed to pursue in succeeding supply missions, provided, of course, China also adheres to the understanding, he said.

Blinken also said he supported the diplomatic agreement.

Its very important that that be the standard, not the exception, he said. And as I said to the Chinese foreign minister when we met in Laos a few days ago, China must uphold its commitments to not obstruct the Philippines in their resupply missions.

Copyright 2024 Nexstar Media, Inc. 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.
Heavy smoke billows from the Lebanese southern border village of Kfarkela after it was targeted by Israeli shelling. Israel threatened swift retaliation for an attack from Lebanon that killed 12 children and teenagers in the Druze town of Majdal Shams in the Israeli-annexed Golan Heights. STR/dpa

US Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin said on Tuesday that he does not believe a full-blown "fight" between Israel and Lebanon was imminent despite escalating tensions at the border.

While weve seen a lot of activity on Israels northern border (and) we remain concerned about the potential of this escalating into a full-blown fight, I dont believe that a fight is inevitable, he told reporters in Manila where he and US State Secretary Antony Blinken attended a bilateral meeting with their Philippine counterparts.

Asked whether he felt Israel could fight a two-front war in Gaza and Lebanon, Austin said "Israel will do what it needs to defend itself and it's demonstrated that time and again."

While the United States is committed to helping Israel defend itself or whatever it takes, Austin stressed that the US wants to see things resolved in a diplomatic fashion."

Weve been clear about that from the very beginning, he said. But again, we dont want to see that happen. What we want to see happen is things resolved in a diplomatic fashion.

Tensions have increased along Lebanon's border with Israel amid cross-border attacks between Hezbollah and Israeli forces. Israel has been pressing on with its deadly offensive on the Gaza Strip, which has killed more than 39,000 people in more than nine months.7.

The conflict started when Palestinian Islamist Hamas members and others invaded Israel on October 7, killing some 1,200 people and taking another 250 hostage.

Heavy smoke billow from the Lebanese southern border village of Kfarkela after it was targeted by Israeli shelling. Israel threatened a swift retaliation for an attack from Lebanon that killed 12 children and teenagers in the Druze town of Majdal Shams, in the Israeli-annexed Golan Heights. STR/dpa
The US is giving Ukraine a cache of advanced missiles and bombs to go with its F-16s: report

The US is giving Ukraine a cache of advanced missiles and bombs to go with its F-16s: report

The US is giving Ukraine a cache of advanced weapons with its F-16s, per The Wall Street Journal.

The transfer includes advanced missiles and bombs, per the Journal.

While they will bolster Ukraine's powers, they won't transform the war, defense officials said.

The US is giving Ukraine advanced missiles and bombs to go with its F-16s, according to The Wall Street Journal.

The transfer will include the AGM-88E Advanced Anti-Radiation Guided Missile, the Advanced Medium Range Air-to-Air Missile, and the AIM-9X Sidewinder, The Journal said on Tuesday.

The cache was also said to include guidance kits for bombs, and the US-made Small Diameter Bomb.

The Journal cited an unnamed senior US official for the information.

"We are confident that we will be able to supply all of those [weapons], at least the critical volumes that they need," the official said.

Ukraine is due to receive the first US-made fighter jets from its Western partners this summer.

They will significantly improve the capabilities of Ukraine's existing fleet of outdated, Soviet-era jets.

They could play an even more significant role on the battlefield now that allies have given Ukraine permission to use their weaponry to hit targets on Russian soil, George Barros, a Russian military expert at the Institute for the Study of War, told Business Insider earlier this month.

However, during an interview at the Reagan Institute earlier this month, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said there may be too few F-16s to make a difference on the battlefield.

"Even if we will have 50, it's nothing. They have 300," he said of Russia's number of combat aircraft. He said 128 F-16s would be needed to make a difference.

Other challenges Ukraine still faces are training enough pilots, maintaining the aircraft, and deciding the best way to use them.

If the US delivery of advanced weapons is confirmed, it could upgrade the F-16s' capabilities but not turn the tide, according to defense officials.

"It's an important addition," Norwegian defense minister Espen Barth Eide told the Journal, but he added: "It's not in itself changing the war."

Rolf Folland, chief of the Royal Norwegian Air Force, made a similar remark, saying: "It will not be a silver bullet."

"But if you have F-16s with long-range weapons, you will push the Russian air force further away, and that is the most important thing," he told the outlet.

Read the original article on Business Insider
Earlier this summer, leaders at the ed tech company AllHere, contracted by Los Angeles schools to build a heavily hyped $6 million AI chatbot, offered assurances to one of its investors.

At the time, principals with Boston Impact Initiative were finalizing the firms annual impact assessment of AllHere, a 2016 startup that offered a tech-driven solution to chronic student absences. Officials with the equity-focused investment firm were left with an impression that was, it turns out, far from reality.

There were conversations with the company and it was doing really well, CEO Betty Francisco told The 74 in a brief telephone conversation earlier this month.

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AllHere was actually on the verge of collapse and now, Francisco is questioning whether her firm may have been played.

We are trying to also understand what happened, she said of the news that the company, the recipient of some $12 million in investor capital and much praise for being an AI education innovator, was in serious straits. Last month, a majority of its staff were furloughed, AllHere announced on its website; the ambitious AI chatbot that it built for the Los Angeles Unified School District was unplugged and its founder and chief executive officer, Joanna Smith-Griffin, was out of a job.

Francisco said her firm was a minor player in AllHeres venture capital fundraising and that the larger, institutional investors were now working with the company to figure out the plan.

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What that plan might be  and what necessitated it in the first place  remains a mystery. In the month since The 74 first reported on the companys downfall, key figures in AllHeres rise have gone underground. The 74 sought comments from more than a dozen company officials, including its founder, investors at prominent venture capital firms and members of its board of directors. None, aside from Francisco, would speak publicly about the company.

Related

Turmoil Surrounds Los Angeles New AI Student Chatbot; Tech Firm Furloughs Staff

Its a major shift for AllHeres backers, many of whom work at impact investment firms that fund startups through a social justice lens. These figures were once outspoken about AllHere and their shared place in the race to inject AI into schools. Among those who have gone silent is Andrew Parker of the firm Spero Ventures, whose fundraising efforts landed him a seat on AllHeres board of directors. In a 2021 blog post, he described AllHeres AI-powered answer to chronic absenteeism, one of the pandemics most lasting impacts, as a profound innovation in the way schools communicate with parents. The company, he boasted, was a smart bet.

Story continues

Being this primary conduit of communication is a terrific business opportunity, and its how AllHere will thrive in the years to come, wrote Parker, who declined to comment for this story.

AllHeres latest financial woes arent the first time that Smith-Griffin felt the pressure of a company mission gone wrong. Shortly after Boston-based AllHere emerged from a startup incubator at Harvard University, where Smith-Griffin was enrolled, its technological approach to bolster student attendance fell flat.

The first iteration of AllHere failed spectacularly, Smith-Griffin, a former Boston charter school teacher and family engagement director, said in a 2017 interview on a Harvard Innovation Labs podcast. And it was one of the best things that could have happened to us.

Smith-Griffin appears in a video profile for Forbes after she was included in the magazines 30 Under 30 list for education leaders in 2021. An AllHere investor said in a blog post that his firm helped Smith-Griffin secure a spot as the featured entrepreneur. (Screenshot)

In response to those early startup woes, Smith-Griffin changed course. She ditched her initial idea of using data to create lists for teachers of the students most likely to become chronically absent  a service that educators told her wasnt much help  and pivoted to an automated text messaging service that sent personally tailored nudges to parents in the guise of a friendly chatbot.

The $6 million chatbot that it would eventually build for L.A. schools  an animated sun named Ed meant to interact individually with and accelerate the learning of some 540,000 students  was in a different class entirely. AllHere, according to a former employee-turned-whistleblower, put students personal information at risk by taking shortcuts to meet the school districts ambitious demands.

Related

Whistleblower: L.A. Schools Chatbot Misused Student Data as Tech Co. Crumbled

Meanwhile, AllHeres investors publicly touted that it was the infusion of cash and leadership from altruistically inclined impact firms that transformed the company from one with an under-baked product to an AI innovator in the K-12 space. An examination of these firms outsized role suggests that AllHeres venture-influenced embrace of artificial intelligence may have led it to fail once again  this time on a much grander scale.

Disturbed by the allegations

Reached by phone, four members of the companys board of directors  including several with extensive and well-known education policy credentials  declined to comment for this story. In fact, much of the information about AllHeres unraveling has been filtered through an unusual channel: The school district it left in a lurch.

It was an L.A. Unified district spokesperson who first told news outlets that Smith-Griffin was no longer with AllHere and that the company was up for sale. Smith-Griffin, who records show lives in North Carolina, couldnt be reached for comment.

Investigators with the districts independent inspector generals office have launched an inquiry into the former AllHere executives claims that the company misused L.A. students personal data and Superintendent Alberto Carvalho last week proposed a task force to find out what went wrong. The inquiry, Carvalho said, will dig into the districts procurement process and claims the chatbot handled students personal information in ways that violated district policy and basic data privacy principles.

Superintendent Alberto Carvalho (Getty)

Im disturbed by the allegations, Carvalho said in an interview with the Los Angeles Times while speaking simultaneously on AllHeres behalf.

Weve had  our team has had  conversations with the company about those allegations, Carvalho said. The company has denied those allegations.

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L.A. Schools Probe Charges its Hyped, Now-Defunct AI Chatbot Misused Student Data

The task force, an LAUSD spokesperson said in a statement, will create a framework for the district to continue leveraging technology responsibly. AllHere, which has been paid about $3 million so far, won the five-year contract after a competitive bidding process, the spokesperson said, and was selected because it was most aligned with the districts vision for the chatbot and was an established educational technology company focused on personalized and interactive AI solutions to improve student attendance.

A truly amazing board

Ebony Brown (Rethink Education)

After the pandemic shuttered in-person learning nationally and student absences surged to unprecedented highs, Rethink Education, an ed tech-focused impact investment firm that provided early capital to AllHere, saw an opening. A case study by Impact Capital Managers says that Rethink provided the company with more than cash flow; it oversaw a strategic transition, specifically a pivot towards an AI chatbot that observers would later say was outside the scope of AllHeres capabilities.

Rethink Education partner Ebony Brown offered AllHere critical connections to influential education players and helped it build a truly amazing board of directors, according to a 2021 blog post by Matt Greenfield, Rethinks managing partner. She successfully recruited Jeff Livingston, a former senior vice president at McGraw-Hill Education and a Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation consultant, and Janice Jackson, the former CEO of Chicago Public Schools.

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74 Interview: Janice Jackson on Tutoring, Free College and Choice in Chicago

Ebony got introductions to several former superintendents of large districts, secured a meeting with Janice, and delivered an impassioned and ultimately successful pitch, Greenfield wrote. The addition of Livingston and Jackson to the AllHere board was strategic, according to the case study, noting that they have been instrumental in securing deals with major school districts and in developing a customer acquisition playbook to expand the companys nationwide presence.

Matt Greenfield (Rethink Education)

The extent to which board members helped AllHere land the LAUSD contract is unclear. Livingston and Jackson both declined to provide comment for this story. Greenfield and Brown didnt respond to multiple requests for comment.

Brown, who also gained a seat on AllHeres board, then sought to improve the companys visibility, helping Smith-Griffin secure a spot as the featured entrepreneur on the Forbes 30 Under 30 list for education leaders in 2021. A year later, Smith-Griffin served as a Forbes 30 Under 30 judge alongside Purdue University president and former Indiana governor Mitch Daniels and Deborah Quazzo, a managing partner at the investment company GSV Ventures.

GSV is heavily involved in education technology companies. In April, Smith-Griffin and Carvalho unveiled the districts buzzed-about chatbot at the high-profile annual conference in San Diego co-hosted by the venture firm and Arizona State University.

Related

Was Los Angeles Schools $6 Million AI Venture a Disaster Waiting to Happen?

The Forbes profile, Greenfields post notes, in turn led to inbound interest from venture capitalists, multiple term sheets [documents outlining the terms under which VCs fund startups] and a round of investments totaling more than $8 million.

On June 12, just two days before AllHere announced that it had furloughed most of its staff, the company got bad news from the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office. Officials rejected AllHeres patent application for a chatbot that addressed student absenteeism, finding that the tool didnt present eligible technological advancements.

The office wrote: No inventive concept exists sufficient to transform the abstract idea of student monitoring into a patent-eligible application of that idea.
U.S. Representative Jordan (R-OH) speaks at a House Republicans press conference on Capitol Hill in Washington

By Isla Binnie

NEW YORK (Reuters) -The Republican leader of a U.S. congressional committee wrote on Tuesday to demand more than 130 investors explain their environmental, social and governance (ESG) goals, highlighting how his party's scrutiny of such initiatives is continuing.

Judiciary Committee Chair Jim Jordan, who penned the letters, has warned money managers that collective pledges to drive down greenhouse gas emissions might violate antitrust law. The Democratic minority on the committee disagrees, reflecting a broader partisan split on the issue.

Republican ire has landed forcefully upon alliances that formed around corporate commitments to help combat climate change, partly driven by fears of job losses in the fossil fuel industry. One of those groups is Climate Action 100+, which boasts around 700 signatories.

The committee's letters pertain to Climate Action 100+'s push for companies to implement plans to deal with the energy transition.

Each recipient was asked what requests they will make of companies in their portfolio, and was told to preserve "all documents and communications referring or relating to the company's efforts to advance ESG-related goals".

A representative for climate-focused investor group Ceres, which co-founded Climate Action 100+, said "tens of thousands of documents" had already been produced for the committee and the letters were "unlikely to gather any new information".

No antitrust lawsuit has been brought against any climate coalition, but Jordan's committee claims responsibility for the decisions taken by several asset managers to end their membership of the group for fear of a crackdown.

"These letters are another attempt to deter investors from participating in the initiative," the Ceres representative said.

The committee has also interviewed former regulators as part of its antitrust probe.

A rule passed by U.S. President Joe Biden, which itself overturned one put in place by his predecessor Donald Trump to limit socially conscious investing by employee retirement plans, is still being litigated in court.

(Reporting by Isla Binnie in New York; Editing by David Gregorio)
US insists on diplomacy between Israel and Hezbollah

Lebanese army soldiers and pro-Iranian Hezbollah militants secure the entrance of a building that was targeted by an Israeli drone in Beirut's southern suburb. The Israeli military said Tuesday it has carried out a "targeted attack" on a commander of the pro-Iranian Hezbollah militia in Beirut. The explosion occurred three days after a deadly rocket attack on the Israeli-occupied Golan Heights. Marwan Naamani/dpa

Following an Israeli attack in the Lebanese capital Beirut, the White House is calling for a diplomatic solution.

At least one person was killed in the attack which hit a house in a Beirut suburb, acccording to the pro-Iranian Hezbollah militia in Beirut.

It initially remained unclear who the victim was. The Hezbollah spokeswoman confirmed to dpa that dozens of people were also injured in the attack.

According to the Israeli military, the attack targeted a high-ranking Hezbollah commander.

White House spokeswoman Karine Jean-Pierre said on Tuesday, "We do not believe that an all-out war is inevitable ... We believe that it can still be avoided."

The spokeswoman did not comment directly on the Israeli attack in Beirut, referring to Israel's military. However, she emphasized that US President Joe Biden believes in diplomatic solutions.

When asked why Biden has reason to believe that a diplomatic solution is possible, Jean-Pierre replied: "Because we have to continue to be optimistic."

A pro-Iranian Hezbollah militant stands in front of a destroyed building that was targeted by an Israeli drone in Beirut's southern suburb. The Israeli military said Tuesday it has carried out a "targeted attack" on a commander of the pro-Iranian Hezbollah militia in Beirut. The explosion occurred three days after a deadly rocket attack on the Israeli-occupied Golan Heights. Marwan Naamani/dpa

A view of a destroyed building that was targeted by an Israeli drone in Beirut's southern suburb. The Israeli military said Tuesday it has carried out a "targeted attack" on a commander of the pro-Iranian Hezbollah militia in Beirut. The explosion occurred three days after a deadly rocket attack on the Israeli-occupied Golan Heights. Marwan Naamani/dpa
Russia is extremely active in trying to influence the public opinion of oblivious Americans by spreading disinformation about the elections, representatives of the US Office of the Director of National Intelligence reported.

Source: , citing an intelligences briefing, as reported by European Pravda

Details: AP notes that the recent tumultuous weeks in US politics have prompted Russia, Iran, and China to reconsider the details of their propaganda plans.

At the same time, intelligence officials emphasised that these countries remain determined to flood the internet with false statements about American democracy to undermine trust in the elections.

Quote from an official from the Office of the Director of National Intelligence: "The American public should know that content that they read online  especially on social media  could be foreign propaganda, even if it appears to be coming from fellow Americans or originating in the United States."

Details: The greatest threat regarding disinformation during the US elections is seen as coming from Russia, but intelligence emphasises that there are signs Iran is expanding its efforts, and China is acting cautiously.

Officials say that groups linked to the Kremlin are increasingly hiring marketing and communication companies in Russia to outsource some of the digital propaganda work, thereby covering their tracks.

Specifically, two such Russian firms became the target of new US sanctions announced in March  they created fake websites and social media profiles to spread Kremlin disinformation.

The media notes that the disinformation could focus on candidates or voting, or on issues already being debated in the US, such as immigration, crime, or the war in the Gaza Strip.

The ultimate goal, however, is to get Americans to spread Russian disinformation without questioning its origin.

Officials say that people are much more likely to trust and repost information they believe comes from a domestic source. Fake websites designed to mimic American media and social media profiles created using artificial intelligence are just two methods used by the Russians.

Background:

Recently, the United States, in cooperation with the Netherlands, disrupted a Russian-backed propaganda campaign that used artificial intelligence to spread disinformation in Western countries.

A few months ago, European intelligence agencies informed their governments that Russia was planning a pan-European sabotage.

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By Michael Martina

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - A bipartisan group of U.S. lawmakers on Tuesday threatened to cut U.S. funding for the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA), accusing it of failing to properly investigate alleged doping by Chinese Olympic swimmers.

The U.S., the largest single country funder of WADA, has accused the body of not disclosing that 23 Chinese swimmers tested positive for performance-enhancing trimetazidine (TMZ) months before the Tokyo Olympics in 2021.

The incident has cast a shadow over the Paris Olympics and sparked a row between the global and American anti-doping agencies. WADA responded to U.S. allegations by saying it would take the U.S. Anti-Doping Agency (USADA) to the Independent Compliance Review Committee, a move that could jeopardize plans for the U.S. to host the 2028 and 2034 Olympics.

Republican and Democratic lawmakers in the House of Representatives and the Senate introduced the "Restoring Confidence in the World Anti-Doping Agency Act of 2024," which would give the White House Office of National Drug Control Policy (ONDCP) permanent authority to reduce or revoke U.S. funding for WADA.

Republican Senator Marsha Blackburn, cosponsor of the bill, said the International Olympic Committee (IOC) and WADA had tried to "strong arm" the U.S. into dropping an FBI investigation into the matter by threatening Salt Lake City's bid to host the Winter Games in 2034.

"We will not be silenced for trying to promote fair play. This legislation would allow the U.S. to withhold funding to WADA if they do not ensure fair representation on its governing bodies," Blackburn told reporters.

The IOC, which established WADA, has told the U.S. to fall in line and added an amendment in the host city contract for the 2034 Games in Salt Lake City that would allow it to terminate the deal "in cases where the supreme authority of WADA" is not respected.

Any country wanting to compete in or stage an international sporting event must be compliant with the anti-doping code, meaning if the review went against the U.S. it would have to forfeit participating in and hosting the Olympics.

The U.S. is due to host the summer Games in Los Angeles in 2028 and the 2034 Winter Olympics in Salt Lake City.

Blackburn was joined on the bill by Democratic Senator Chris Van Hollen, and John Moolenaar and Raja Krishnamoorthi, the Republican chair and Democratic ranking member of the House select committee on China.

The U.S. contributed about $3.4 million to WADA's nearly $50 million budget in 2023 and the body has budgeted for a similar amount for 2024.

The swimmers were cleared by a Chinese investigation, which said they were inadvertently exposed to the drug through contamination at a hotel where traces of TMZ were discovered in the kitchen. WADA said it had no evidence to challenge China's findings.

The incident was not made public at the time, but some of the Chinese swimmers went on to win medals in Tokyo and are competing at the Paris Olympics.

China's embassy in Washington criticized the bill, saying the U.S. should not interfere in the global anti-doping governance system.

"This non-existent case that the U.S. keeps selling and the threats it hurls at the international organization are all about degrading fine Chinese athletes and obstructing their participation in the Paris Olympics," embassy spokesperson Liu Pengyu said.

(Reporting by Michael Martina; Editing by Don Durfee and David Gregorio)
A US man was taken in by nuns as a baby. After a DNA test, he now has an Irish passport

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John Portmann, a professor of religious studies at the University of Virginia, was born as Thomas James Delehanty  a fact he didnt know until a few years ago.

He also didnt know his mothers name was Therese and his father was called Thomas. Nor was he aware that both were Irish.

Portmann was born in Arizona in 1963. My pregnant mother was in trouble, Portmann says, recounting what he now knows.

Therese somehow got herself from Minneapolis to Phoenix where she met the Sisters of Mercy nuns, a religious order long connected with assisting unwed pregnant women, who found her a room in the house of a Catholic medical doctor.

She seems to have been happy and well-treated, according to Portmann, but three days after giving birth  as per the Sisters of Mercys rules  she relinquished her baby. Around a month later, she appears to have travelled back to Minneapolis, where she carried on her life as before.

Thereses baby was cared for by the nuns for around five or six weeks, before being adopted. The baby called Thomas James Delehanty at birth was named John Edward Portmann by his adoptive parents, who were unable to have children of their own.

Portmann was told from an early age that he had been adopted. However, it was only when he got a DNA test result back in August 2019 that he found out any details of his ancestry.

When I got the result I had no idea what it meant, Portmann says. They just give you a bunch of numbers and you need a trained professional to interpret them for you.

The one line I did understand, and it was at the top of the missive, was that I am 100% Irish. I didnt even know I was 1% Irish.

DNA detective

Left photo: Therese (second to the left on the front row) with her family in Minneapolis, c. 1950. Right photo: Therese (second to the right) with her family in Minneapolis. - Courtesy John Portmann

Portmann was told by a friend that he should contact a DNA detective  a private investigator who helps identify peoples unknown fathers and mothers.

Jennifer Harris, an English professor at Canadas University of Waterloo, who acts as a DNA detective in her spare time, offered to help after she saw Portmann had posted a request for assistance on the Facebook group, DNA Detectives.

It took her a lot of time. She spent around eight or nine days working very hard and she found my mother and father, Portmann says.

Harris has helped hundreds of people find out who their biological parents are and likens the process to academic research.

Im a literature scholar who digs in the archives, finding lost historical subjects and bringing them back to life, she says. My academic research overlaps with my DNA detective work in the space of the archives.

At first Harris used DNA databases, on websites such as Ancestry and 23andMe, to find people with genetic matches to Portmann, which she divided into the maternal and paternal sides. She then investigated in the archives  looking through obituaries, census documents and old newspapers  to find where someone from one side of the family bumped into somebody from the other side long enough for a child to be born.

According to Harris, it was fairly easy for her to determine Johns maternal ancestry, as there was a strong match to a family in Minneapolis and she was gradually able to narrow down the siblings to identify Therese.

However, she was only able to find one paternal DNA match for John in the United States. I managed to build out a family tree using his name; it was a matter of digging into everything I could in their family history, she says.

Harris examined the immigration records of the persons ancestors to see whether any had travelled from Ireland to the US. She found a manifest, listing the cargo, passengers and crew of a ship travelling to America, which listed a Thomas FitzGerald on board.

The DNA Detective found that Thomas FitzGerald went to Minneapolis, which was not the usual destination for Irish immigrants.

Then I was able to find a newspaper article that placed him again in Minneapolis at the time that John would have been conceived, Harris explains, adding that it became quite clear Johns father was Thomas FitzGerald.

Thomas FitzGerald left Dublin to make his fortune in the US, Portmann says He had worked in a luxury hotel in Dublin, then emigrated at age 25 to the US. He ended up working in a luxury hotel in Minneapolis (the Radisson); he met my mother at the Radisson bar.

The search for citizenship

Therese as an older woman. - Courtesy John Portmann

Portmann contacted the Irish embassy in Washington DC to see if he could get Irish citizenship, given both his biological parents were from the country. He said he was told by an official that there was no path forward, as his evidence was deemed insufficient, news he described as devastating.

He contacted a lawyer, who told him that in fact there might be a way to progress, but it would require going to court for a declaration of paternity to legally recognize his biological parents.

The judge had to decide whether or not to grant the declaration of paternity and relied very heavily on the testimony from Harris; that really swayed the day, Portmann says.

The judge was convinced and ruled in his favor. I had this legal document from Arizona, but Ireland was under no obligation to consider it, says Portmann.

He sent the declaration of paternity to the Irish embassy, who said it would need to go to the countrys government for consideration, according to Portmann. So, I sent it off to Dublin and I had to wait a year.

When he heard back from the Irish government, Portmann said they requested he do another DNA test, in an Irish embassy or consulate and with someone from his fathers side of the family.

I had difficulty securing cooperation from one of my biological half-sisters, Portmann said, adding that he was therefore left in limbo.

But one day in August 2022, he heard from an official at Irelands Department of Foreign Affairs that they had decided to accept his citizenship application. It was a really joyous day, says Portmann.

His passport was sent to the Irish embassy in Washington DC. According to Portmann, two of the embassys staff, whom he had come to know, sent him a picture of them smiling, while holding the passport, telling him that he had made it across the finish line.

A couple of days later, his new passport came through the post. I want to thank the Irish government, Portmann says. Im very, very grateful to Ireland.

He has now met his biological mothers side of the family. Therese, who died in 2019 (the same year her son first got a DNA test), married a widower with five daughters, who is still alive. Her husbands children all adored their stepmother, according to Portmann.

Portmann says his mothers husband was aware she had a child in Arizona and told him she had carried a photograph of her baby with her throughout her life.

Portmann also found out that three of Thereses five brothers were university professors. They were quite surprised when they found out he too was a professor, Portmann says.

Setting a precedent

John Portmann with his partner Dan in front of Belvedere College, a Catholic school in Dublin where his biological grandfather James taught Latin and Greek. - Courtesy John Portmann

Irelands Department of Foreign Affairs said that while they do not comment on individual cases, others have also submitted DNA evidence as part of their passport application.

Additional documentary evidence is also required before a decision to issue a passport is made, the Department of Foreign Affairs said. Such applications require considerable engagement with the applicant to ensure that the Passport Service is fully satisfied the applicant has demonstrated their entitlement to Irish citizenship.

Portmann hopes his story will show adoptees they have a route to legal recognition of their ancestry: I want to inspire other adoptees to their constitutional right to citizenship.

He added that the really sad thing is poor people cant afford a lawyer to fight for them, stymieing their access to citizenship.

I think Johns case is really important in terms of the precedent it sets for people who are adoptees, Harris explains. The way I see it is that John is claiming rights that are often denied to adoptees.

Adoption doesnt sever emotional ties and questions of belonging. It doesnt sever identity. It complicates it in some ways.

The rights of adoptees are so important and historically we have pretended they dont exist, Harris said, adding: I think they do have a claim; its part of our human desire to know who we are and what our origins are.

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A commission formed by Congress concluded in a report released Monday that the U.S. may lose a future conflict with Russia and China in a global war unless significant changes are made to the national defense strategy.

The Commission on the National Defense Strategy said in the 132-page report that the security environment was at its most dangerous since World War II but that the U.S. was not prepared for another global conflict.

The U.S. is being outpaced by China, the Commission noted, estimating that Beijing is spending at least $711 billion annually on defense, rising to meet Washingtons nearly $900 billion annual defense budget.

The Commission finds that, in many ways, China is outpacing the United States and has largely negated the U.S. military advantage in the Western Pacific through two decades of focused military investment, the report reads. Without significant change by the United States, the balance of power will continue to shift in Chinas favor.

China has already surpassed the U.S. to host the worlds largest navy and largest army, and is continuing to modernize its armed forces.

The threat from China has become more acute in recent years as Beijing threatens to unify, by force if necessary, with the self-governing island nation of Taiwan  which the U.S. has unofficial relations with but commits to defending. China is also clashing more frequently with the U.S.-allied Philippines in disputed waters of the South China Sea.

The U.S. recognized China as the most significant threat in the 2022 National Defense Strategy, but the commission said it was not confident that the U.S. military would succeed against Chinese forces in a regional conflict.

And the Pentagon has failed to adapt to the growing alliance between its adversaries, including Russia, North Korea and Iran, which could threaten Washington across multiple theaters of war, the commission argued.

A bipartisan call to arms is urgently needed so that the United States can make the major changes and significant investments now rather than wait for the next Pearl Harbor or 9/11, it wrote. The support and resolve of the American public are indispensable.

The group also pushed for the U.S. to modernize, criticizing byzantine research and development under the Pentagon and the use of old military hardware.

The Commission finds that the U.S. military lacks both the capabilities and the capacity required to be confident it can deter and prevail in combat, researchers wrote. It needs to do a better job of incorporating new technology at scale; field more and higher-capability platforms, software, and munitions; and deploy innovative operational concepts to employ them together better.

They also faulted the defense industrial base, calling for a revamped industry with a diverse range of companies working together across allied countries. It recognized progress in the form of new initiatives such as Replicator, which aims to create thousands of autonomous drones, but in the event of a protracted conflict, the commission said the U.S. industry would be unable to meet the equipment, technology, and munitions needs of the armed forces.

That issue has been well-documented, with the U.S. industrial base struggling to supply Ukraine with the artillery shells it needs in the war against Russia, which has a far larger artillery arsenal.

The defense industry has also become more consolidated under a small group of large defense contractors, which have been accused of overcharging the Pentagon and providing underdeveloped technology or weapons.

Political polarization in the U.S. is also endangering national security, the commission found, while the American public has yet to fully realize the threat from Beijing and other adversaries.

To meet the rising threats, the group recommended the U.S. increase defense spending, continue strengthening alliances, address its recruitment challenges and for the Pentagon to be more willing to cancel unnecessary programs and invest wisely  specifically calling for investments in cyber, space, and software. Researchers also called for a whole-of-country approach, with government, private industry and nonprofits working to support national security needs.

The Commission on the National Defense Strategy was created by Congress after the Biden administrations 2022 defense strategy and began its work in April 2023, including meetings with officials across government and private industry.

Copyright 2024 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.

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Top intelligence officials revealed on July 29 that the Kremlin is using unsuspecting Americans and commercial public relations firms in Russia to spread disinformation about the U.S. presidential race.

The warning follows a turbulent period in U.S. politics, prompting Russia, Iran, and China to adjust their propaganda strategies. Despite these changes, intelligence officials emphasize that these nations remain committed to flooding the internet with false and inflammatory claims about American democracy to erode confidence in the election.

"The American public should be aware that content they encounter online  particularly on social media  could be foreign propaganda, even if it seems to originate from fellow Americans or within the United States," said an official from the Office of the Director of National Intelligence, who spoke to the Associated Press anonymously under the office's guidelines.

Authorities say that Russia remains the most significant threat in terms of election disinformation, while there are signs that Iran is increasing its activities and China is taking a cautious approach regarding the 2024 election.

During the briefing with reporters, officials noted that groups associated with the Kremlin are increasingly employing marketing and communications firms within Russia to produce digital propaganda while concealing their involvement. In March, two such firms were targeted by new U.S. sanctions for creating fake websites and social media profiles to disseminate Kremlin disinformation.

This disinformation targets various subjects, including candidates, voting processes, and contentious issues already under debate in the U.S., such as immigration, crime, or the war in Gaza.

Officials monitoring foreign disinformation report that they have issued twice as many warnings to political candidates, government leaders, election offices, and other targets of foreign groups during the 2024 election cycle compared to the 2022 cycle.

While officials did not disclose the number of warnings issued or the identities of the recipients, they noted that the significant increase indicates both a heightened interest in the presidential race by America's adversaries and improved government efforts to identify and alert against such threats.

Read also: Ukrainian cyberattack targets Russias central bank, source says

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US will provide its own weapons for F-16s to be delivered to Ukraine, WSJ reports

The U.S. will arm dozens of F-16 jet fighters being sent to Ukraine with American-made missiles and other weapons, the Wall Street Journal (WSJ) reported on July 30.

Ukraine is awaiting at least 79 F-16s from the Netherlands, Denmark, Belgium, and Norway, with up to 20 expected to arrive this year.

The Pentagon has limited stocks and production capacities, but it will supply Ukrainian F-16s with air-to-ground munitions, precision-guidance kits for bombs, and advanced air-to-air missiles in sufficient quantities to meet Ukraine's most urgent needs, a senior U.S. official told WSJ.

"We are confident that we will be able to supply all of those (weapons), at least the critical volumes that they need," the U.S. official said.

The weapons the U.S. will provide for the F-16s include AGM-88 HARM air-to-ground missiles, long-range JDAM munitions that turn unguided bombs into smart weapons, and GLSDB small-sized precision-guided munitions, according to the media outlet.

The European members of the fighter jet coalition were reluctant to send Ukraine a large number of their limited stocks of ammunition for F-16s, so they settled for supplies from the U.S., which is a member of the coalition but does not transfer its aircraft, WSJ wrote.

Kyiv has been calling for these U.S.-made fourth-generation jets since the very first year of the full-scale war in order to bolster its air force, which is made up of Soviet-made aircraft and has been significantly depleted over the past years of war.

Despite promises by U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken on July 10 that the first Dutch and Danish F-16s are already on their way, no delivery has been confirmed so far.

Read also: F-16s are on their way to Ukraine  heres how they can help fight Russia

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By Simon Lewis and Karen Lema

MANILA (Reuters) -The United States on Tuesday pledged funding of $500 million for the Philippines' military and coast guard in a big show of support for Manila as it faces Chinese actions in disputed waters in the South China Sea.

Secretary of State Antony Blinken and Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin met their Philippine counterparts in Manila to reaffirm Washington's unwavering commitment to its oldest treaty ally in Asia.

"This level of funding is unprecedented, and it sends a clear message of support for the Philippines, from the Biden-Harris administration, the U.S. Congress and the American people," Austin said in joint press conference following security talks.

Ahead of their meetings, Blinken and Austin met with President Ferdinand Marcos Jr who has moved the Philippines closer to Washington since he replaced Rodrigo Duterte, who was openly hostile to the Americans and pursued warmer ties with China during his six-year term.

"I'm always very happy that these communication lines are very open so that all the things that we are doing together... are continuously examined and re-examined so we are agile in terms of our responses," Marcos said.

The Philippines has competing claims with China in the waters to its west also known as the South China Sea. China claims 90% of the sea as its sovereign territory.

Violence broke out after a Filipino sailor lost a finger in a June 17 mission to resupply troops stationed at a contested shoal after what Manila described as "intentional-high speed ramming" by the Chinese coast guard.

Manila reached a provisional arrangement with China for resupply missions this month to ease tensions and manage differences, but the two sides appear at odds over the details of the deal, which has not been made public.

Philippine foreign minister Enrique Manalo said in the same news conference his country agreed to an "exchange of information" under its arrangement with China.

Blinken said the U.S. shares the Philippines' concerns about "escalatory" actions China has taken in the South China Sea.

COUNTERING CHINA

Blinken also reaffirmed Washington's "ironclad" commitment to the defend the Philippines against an armed attack on its vessels, aircraft and soldiers in the waterway.

A 2016 ruling by the Permanent Court of Arbitration in the Hague found that China's claims had no basis under international law. The case was brought by the Philippines and China rejects the court ruling.

The meetings in Manila follow talks between Blinken and Austin and their counterparts in Japan, another key U.S. ally in East Asia, where they announced an upgrade of the U.S. military command in Japan and labelled China the "greatest strategic challenge" facing the region.

Blinken also met on Monday with foreign ministers from Australia, India and Japan, a grouping known as the Quad, and decried China's actions in the South China Sea.

He met Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi in Laos on Saturday and criticized Beijing for actions regarding Taiwan and the Philippines. He told Wang "China must uphold its commitments to not obstruct the Philippines in their resupply missions," he said.

China's foreign ministry hit back at Washington and Tokyo, for attacking what it called China's "normal military development and national defence policy" and accused the Quad of "artificially creating tension, inciting confrontation and containing the development of other countries".

The Pentagon has also proposed spending $128 million on infrastructure improvements at Philippine bases accessible to U.S. forces. There are now nine sites, including three in the north that are seen as important in the event of China invading Taiwan, and one facing the South China Sea.

(Reporting by Simon Lewis and Karen Lema; Additional reporting by Mikhail Flores and Neil Jerome Morales; Editing by Raju Gopalakrishnan and Angus MacSwan)
Guy Gittins, chief executive of Foxtons, says private landlords have been driven away by a dearth of government incentives - Paul Grover for The Telegraph

Successive tax raids on buy-to-let investors have fuelled Britains rental crisis, the boss of Foxtons has said.

Guy Gittins, who heads up the London-focused estate agent, said private landlords have been driven away by a dearth of government incentives, which has reduced the number of available properties to rent.

The UKs housing crisis has only worsened since the pandemic, he said, prompting the recent surge in rental costs.

According to Mr Gittins, the previous Conservative government created an environment that was not attractive or profitable for new landlords to enter the market.

He said: It needs to be taken very seriously. We need anything that will encourage people back into the private rented sector.

Ultimately, the UK needs tens of thousands, if not hundreds of thousands, of extra rental [homes] to manage the price growth and make sure it is tempered as much as possible in the medium term.

Buy-to-let landlords have been put off by a number of tax and policy changes in recent years.

In the most recent Budget in March this year, Jeremy Hunt, the former chancellor, scrapped multiple dwellings relief, which gave buyers discounts on stamp duty when buying more than one property in a single transaction.

This came after the 3pc stamp duty surcharge introduced on second homes in 2016.

The Government has also pledged to bring back Rishi Sunaks plans to ban no-fault evictions.

Mr Gittins is among a growing number of property bosses voicing their concerns that existing policies are deterring buy-to-let investors.

Last week Charlie Bryant, the chief executive of property listings website Zoopla, told The Telegraph that tax rises, red tape and high mortgage rates have meant that becoming a private landlord is no longer an attractive financial proposition.

The latest findings from Rightmove show the number of rental properties available was 20pc below pre-pandemic levels during the second quarter of this year.

The number of buy-to-let mortgages has also shrunk for the first time ever, according to trade body UK Finance.

Despite this, Foxtons current turnaround plan is bearing fruit.

In its half-year results on Tuesday, the estate agent posted an 11pc increase in revenue to 78.5m, while profits jumped 24pc to hit 8.5m.

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Insights from The Washington Post, TIME, Voice of America, Reuters, and The New York Times

Jul 30, 2024, 2:11pm EDT Southeast Asia

The News

The US pledged $500 million in military aid to the Philippines to bolster its defense capabilities in the face of Chinas aggression in the South China Sea.

US defense secretary Lloyd J. Austin said the unprecedented funding  announced during Manila meetings between the two countries defense and foreign ministers  showed the Biden administrations clear message of support to the Philippines at a time of Chinas hostile maritime actions and political uncertainty in the US.

The aid will likely draw Beijings ire: China recently said that it does not take kindly to third parties meddling in regional maritime tensions.

SIGNALS

Semafor Signals: Global insights on today's biggest stories.

Kamala Harris shares strong bond with Philippines Marcos

Sources: The Washington Post, Time, Voice of America

Vice President Kamala Harris, now the presumptive Democratic presidential nominee, shares an unusually strong relationship with Philippine president Ferdinand Marcos Jr., The Washington Post wrote. She was the highest-ranking US official to visit the province of Palawan in 2022, meeting local fishermen impacted by Chinas assertive maritime actions. Her high-profile visit was meant more as a message to China than one to the Philippines, Time magazine reported. What is happening in terms of unprovoked actions against the Philippine interests in the South China Sea is significant and we have been very clear that we stand with the Philippines, Harris said last year.

Biden overlooks Marcos family history to strengthen ties in Asia

Sources: Reuters, The New York Times

US President Joe Bidens administration has embraced Philippines president Ferdinand Bongbong Marcos Jr. in what one Manila analyst described as unprecedented love-bombing. Washingtons overtures to Manila, despite the Marcos familys history of brutality and corruption, reveals that the superpower is anxious about strengthening its Asia-Pacific allies to counter China, Reuters reported in 2023. Especially in Asia, Biden has made alliance-building a hallmark of his foreign policy to deter military actions by Russia and China, The New York Times reported. In the event that China tries to invade Taiwan, the US could use one of the military bases in the Philippines as an indispensable staging point to aid Taipei, Reuters wrote.
US to pursue diplomacy to avoid escalation of Israel-Hezbollah conflict

An ambulance is parked near a site hit by what security sources said was a strike on Beirut's southern suburbs

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The U.S. will continue pursuing diplomacy to avert an escalation of the conflict between Israel and the Lebanese group Hezbollah, the State Department said on Tuesday.

"We're continuing to work toward a diplomatic resolution that would allow Israeli and Lebanese civilians to return to their homes and live in peace and security. We certainly want to avoid any kind of escalation," State Department deputy spokesperson Vedant Patel told a briefing.

Patel spoke after a strike on a Beirut suburb that the Israeli military said was carried out against a senior Hezbollah commander it said was responsible for a missile strike on the Golan Heights that killed 12 children and teenagers.

Patel declined to comment when asked about the incident, saying that "it just clearly happened."

He reiterated that U.S. support for Israel remained "ironclad" as the Jewish state confronts threats from Iran and its "malign proxy groups" like Hezbollah.

"Israel has every right to defend itself" and "certainly faces threats like no other country does in that region of the world," he said.

(Reporting by Jonathan Landay and Daphne Psaledakis; Editing by Chris Reese and Paul Simao)
US soldier Calley, face of My Lai massacre in Vietnam War, dies at 80

FILE PHOTO: Former Vietnamese President Truong Tan Sang and his wife Mai Thi Hanh lay flower during the 50th anniversary of the My Lai massacre in My Lai village

(Reuters) - William Calley, who during the Vietnam War led his U.S. Army platoon into the Vietnamese hamlet of My Lai and carried out one of the worst war crimes in American military history, has died, according to media reports. He was 80.

The Washington Post on Monday first reported Calley's death, which happened in April, according to a death certificate the newspaper cited. The New York Times, citing Social Security Administration death records, also reported Calley's death.

Neither paper reported a cause of death. Calls to numbers listed for Calley's son, William L. Calley III, were not returned.

American soldiers killed 504 people on March 16, 1968, in Son My, a collection of hamlets between the central Vietnamese coast and a ridge of misty mountains, in an incident known in the West as the My Lai Massacre. The killings shocked the U.S. and galvanized the anti-war movement.

Initially charged in an Army court martial for 102 deaths, Calley was sentenced to life in prison in 1971 for the killing of 22 civilians. He was behind bars only three days before then President Richard Nixon ordered him released under house arrest.

Despite being told that My Lai was a hotbed of communist National Liberation Front guerrillas, U.S. forces met no serious armed resistance and found very few weapons, according to the Army Historical Foundation. Still they killed almost everyone there, and raped women and girls.

Four soldiers were brought up on charges stemming from the massacre but only Calley was convicted.

Calley spent three years in home detention at his apartment in Fort Benning, Georgia, where he had visits from his girlfriend, and was then paroled and cashiered out of the Army.

Maintaining that he had merely followed orders and considering himself a scapegoat, Calley became a lightning rod for a country bitterly divided over the unpopular Vietnam War.

In later years, as a successful businessman in Columbus, Georgia, Calley refused to talk about My Lai with reporters or historians.

Friends, however, said he admitted committing the deeds he was charged with and had learned to live with it. In 2009, he made his first public apology.

"There is not a day that goes by that I do not feel remorse for what happened that day in My Lai," Calley told a Kiwanis Club in Columbus, Ohio. "I feel remorse for the Vietnamese who were killed, for their families, for the American soldiers involved and their families. I am very sorry."

William Laws Calley Jr. was born June 8, 1943, the only son and fourth child of a Miami businessman. He attended four high schools in four years, two of them military academies. After he flunked out of junior college, he worked as a bellhop, dishwasher, insurance investigator and train conductor.

Broke in Albuquerque, New Mexico, in 1966, he joined the Army and excelled. Despite a poor academic record, Calley graduated from Officers' Candidate School at Fort Benning one year to the day before the My Lai incident.

After his discharge from the Army, Calley married Penny Vick in 1976 and went to work for her father in the jewelry business in Georgia, becoming a certified gemologist. They had one son and later divorced.

(This story has been refiled to remove a picture)

(Reporting by Alistair Bell; Additional reporting by Brad Brooks; Editing by Shri Navaratnam)
The United States agreed to provide Ukraine with American-made missiles for F-16 jets, which will be delivered by European allies.

Source: The Wall Street Journal, as reported by European Pravda

Details: The United States will provide Ukraine with AGM-88 HARM air-to-ground missiles, long-range JDAM munitions that convert unguided bombs into smart weapons, and GLSDB small-sized precision munitions.

The US will also supply Ukraine with AMRAAM medium-range air-to-air missiles and AIM-9X short-range air-to-air missiles.

The Wall Street Journal's sources refused to provide exact dates for the supply of the F-16s and the munitions to Ukraine for security reasons.

An anonymous American official told The Wall Street Journal that the Pentagon has limited stocks of shells and production capabilities, but Ukraine will receive enough to address its most urgent demands.

Quote: "We are confident that we will be able to supply all of those [weapons], at least the critical volumes that they need," the US official said.

The European countries of the fighter coalition did not want to send Ukraine a big amount of their own ammunition for the F-16s, so they consented to deliveries from the United States, which is a member of the coalition that has not provided fighter jets.

On 10 July, the leaders of the United States, Denmark and the Netherlands, who head the fighter jet coalition, announced that Ukraine will receive its first F-16s this summer.

According to Bloomberg, Ukraine is expecting to receive six F-16 fighters from its Western partners this summer and a total of up to 20 aircraft by the end of 2024.

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USD 501 teachers take to learning in the classroom

TOPEKA (KSNT)  Some local teachers are finding themselves on the other side of the classroom.

USD 501 in Topeka is hosting new teachers and staff members for training this week. The training is focusing on empowering educators, the community, collaboration, innovative training and hearing personal stories from their peers.

Take a listen as one teacher explains what she hopes to take away.

Topeka Zoo ready to launch Love Your Topeka Zoo Giving Day campaign

A big theme that Im feeling this week is building meaningful connections with students, Maesey Meier, a second grade teacher at Ross Elementary said.So Im really excited to get ideas for how to connect with students every day in meaningful ways.

Topeka students return to school on Aug. 12 and 13.

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.

Copyright 2024 Nexstar Media, Inc. 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.
USPS hosting several Pittsburgh-area job fairs in August

The United States Postal Service is hosting several job fairs in the Pittsburgh area in August.

USPS said its looking to hire motivated and dynamic people to help us Deliver for America.

Immediate openings are looking to be filled for the following positions:

City Carrier PTF - $22.18 per hour

City Carrier Assistants (CCAs) - $19.33 per hour

Rural Carrier Associate - $20.38 per hour

PSE Clerk - $20.48 per hour

USPS will be hosting the following job fairs in the Pittsburgh area:

Aug. 1 from 10 a.m. until 2 p.m.

Verona Post Office 620 Allegheny River Blvd. Verona, PA 15147

Aug. 2 from 10 a.m. until 2 p.m.

Johnstown Post Office 111 Franklin St. Room 105 Johnstown, PA 15901

Aug. 6 from 10 a.m. until 2 p.m.

Midland Post Office 831 Midland Ave. Midland, PA 15059

Aug. 7 from 10 a.m. until 2 p.m.

Beaver Falls Post Office 720 11th St. Beaver Falls, PA 15010

Aug. 8 from 10 a.m. until 2 p.m.

Washington Post Office 153 Jefferson Ave. Washington, PA 15301

Aug. 9 from 10 a.m. until 2 p.m.

Uniontown Post Office 47 E. Fayette St. Uniontown, PA 15401

Aug. 13 from 10 a.m. until 2 p.m.

Dubois Post Office 229 Beaver Dr. Dubois, PA 15801

Aug. 14 from 10 a.m. until 2 p.m.

State College Post Office 237 S. Fraser St. State College, PA 16801

Aug. 15 from 10 a.m. until 2 p.m.

Pittsburgh Kilbuck Post Office 1001 California Ave. Pittsburgh, PA 15290

Aug. 16 from 10 a.m. until 2 p.m.

Altoona Post Office 1201 11th Ave. Altoona, PA 16601



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Utah driver hits speeds of 123 mph while trying to impress passenger, police say

LEHI, Utah (ABC4)  A driver in Utah County was taken into custody on Monday night after getting caught at speeds over 120 miles per hour on I-15 in an alleged attempt to impress his passenger.

Ethan Zachary Shuptrine, 21, was booked into the Utah County Jail on misdemeanor charges of reckless driving, speed exhibition on a highway, driving on a suspended or revoked license, and an infraction for failure to display a license plate.

A Utah Highway Patrol trooper reported spotting a blue Chevrolet Corvette driving at 97 miles per hour down southbound I-15 near Lehi and the Point of the Mountain. The trooper said by the time he caught up to the Corvette, the driver, later identified as Shuptrine, had slowed down to around the 70 miles per hour speed limit.

Motorcyclist tossed over road barrier on Trappers Loop

Shortly after, Shuptrine allegedly rapidly increased his speed to up to 123 miles per hour.

The trooper caught up with Shuptrine again and initiated a traffic stop. When asked if he was trying to show off for his passenger, Shuptrine allegedly agreed that was the reason for his speed.

According to a booking affidavit, Shuptrine said the Corvette, which reportedly had no license plate or temporary tags, was a rental. The trooper said records could not confirm the Corvette belonged to a dealership or company. Records also allegedly showed Shuptrines license had been suspended.

Shuptrine was then taken into custody on the aforementioned charges.

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.
SALT LAKE CITY (ABC4)  Convicted murderer Taberon Honie is set to be put to death by the State of Utah next week, and today, a judge declined requests to stop that process.

Honie was not in court today as his defense team objected to protocols and procedures that the state has in place for his lethal injection in the early morning hours of Thursday, Aug. 8. Specifically, they said the Department of Corrections did not duly notify Honie about certain protocols surrounding his execution. Honies attorneys argued that some of those procedures and protocols have not been updated since 2010, before the current prison was built.

Taberon Honie loses last appeal, will be sentenced to death

Honies attorneys, basically attempting any last-minute maneuvers to keep Honie from being executed, also noted he could suffer if his lethal injection is botched, especially since officials are planning to use chemicals they havent previously used in Utah executions.

3rd District Court Judge Linda Jones ruled, however, that not only did the DOC not violate any of Honies rights, but theyve also given him more information and consideration than required. The DOC has already agreed to abandon an experimental cocktail of drugs for the execution  ketamine, fentanyl, and potassium chloride  and use pentobarbital instead.

According to the Death Penalty Information Center, 14 other states use or have used pentobarbital in executions, including Alabama, Arizona, Delaware, Florida, Georgia, Idaho, Mississippi, Missouri, Ohio, Oklahoma, South Carolina, South Dakota, Texas, and Virginia. Colorado keeps it as a backup drug.

Mr. Honie has not sufficiently pled that any inconsistency or deficiency in the [DOCs] protocols and procedures governing the use of pentobarbital will provide actual harm in the violation of a constitutional right, said Jones.

Honie was convicted in the 1998 murder and sexual assault of Claudia Benn, whose grandchildren were in the home at the time of the murder. Last week, the Utah Board of Pardons and Parole declined to commute his death sentence to a life 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 ABC4 Utah.
FILE - A roof of a house in Rolling Hills Estates is severely damaged after a landslide on the Palos Verdes Peninsula in Los Angeles County, Monday, July 10, 2023. Natural gas service to multiple homes was being cut Monday, July 29, 2024, in a neighborhood on the peninsula, due to worsening conditions in an area where a long-running landslide has damaged houses, roads and utilities, authorities said. (AP Photo/Richard Vogel, File)

RANCHO PALOS VERDES, Calif. (AP)  Natural gas service to 135 homes was being cut Monday in a neighborhood on Southern California's Palos Verdes Peninsula due to worsening conditions in an area where a long-running landslide has damaged houses, roads and utilities, authorities said.

Southern California Gas Co. cited significant strain on its infrastructure in announcing during the weekend that natural gas service would be shut off to homes in the Portuguese Bend area of the city of Rancho Palos Verdes.

We regret this unexpected disruption of service, the company said in a statement. This dynamic situation requires we take immediate action to protect public safety.

The land is moving as much a 9 inches (22.8 centimeters) per week, the company said.

The gas company said it will give $2,500 to each account holder to help with immediate needs, such as laundry and meals. There was no estimate for restoration of service.

Portuguese Bend is among several neighborhoods in an area of ancient landslides. Significant increases in land movement began in spring 2023, following heavy winter rains. Water percolating into the ground is believed to be lubricating the earth.

Earlier this year, earth movement forced the dismantling of the landmark Wayfarers Chapel to prevent it from being destroyed. It is hoped that it can be reconstructed elsewhere.
A tractor plows a field in California's Central Coast region. Valley fever, spread through dust, is most commonly found there and in the San Joaquin Valley. (Jason Armond / Los Angeles Times)

California health officials are urging people who attended the Kern County music festival Lightning in a Bottle to seek medical care if they are experiencing respiratory symptoms or a fever.

Authorities have identified five patients with valley fever who attended the six-day event, which was held May 22-27 at Buena Vista Lake, near Bakersfield. Three people have been hospitalized.

More than 20,000 people attended the festival.

One attendee, on a Reddit r/LightningInaBottle thread, said a festival companion had been hospitalized for two weeks with "severe" valley fever.

"If you get unexplainable symptoms such as fever, chills, and headaches/neck pain," the user wrote, "let the doctors know it could be valley fever, even though it's been several months."

Read more: How to best filter your L.A. tap water based on your ZIP Code

Valley fever is an infectious disease caused by the coccidioides fungus, which grows in the soil and dirt in some areas of California. It is most commonly found in the San Joaquin Valley and Central Coast of California.

Health officials say that most people exposed to this fungus don't end up developing the disease, but it can infect the lungs and cause respiratory symptoms in some people, including cough, difficulty breathing, fever and fatigue.

In rare cases, the fungus can spread to other parts of the body and cause severe disease.

Valley fever is not contagious. Past outbreaks have been linked to dust and dirt exposure at outdoor events and job sites where dirt is disturbed  in areas of the state where the fungus is common.

Valley fever is on the rise in California, with particularly high numbers of cases reported in 2023 and 2024. The fungus appears to flourish in wet years.

A 2022 study in the medical journal the Lancet concluded that multiyear cycles of dry conditions followed by wet winters increased transmission, especially in areas that were historically wetter. Climate change is expected to increase the frequency and duration of drought throughout the Southwestern United States, potentially increasing the prevalence of valley fever spores and fungus.

Kern County has the highest incidence rate in the state, and it accounts  on average  for about a third of the cases.

State health officials say that people who have visited Kern County in recent months and are experiencing respiratory symptoms that have not improved or are lasting longer than a week should see a healthcare provider and ask about possible valley fever.

They also urge people to mention attendance at the music festival or travel to Kern County.

Read more: 'Who is buying this?!' Has Erewhons Raw Animal Smoothie taken L.A. health food too far?

Attendees can visit the California Department of Public Health's valley fever survey website for more information and to share details about any illness.

Another Reddit user said they came down with the disease two weeks after returning from the festival to their home in Colorado.

The music fan described a "terrible" cough, headache, body aches, fever and chills.

Representatives from the Lightning in a Bottle festival said in a statement to The Times on Tuesday that they "prioritize the health and safety of all our patrons" and are working with state and county health officials to learn more about the disease and take "any preventative measures we can take to reduce valley fever risk for future festival events."

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This story originally appeared in Los Angeles Times.
Leapmotor International, a 51/49 JV with Stellantis, has shipped the first batch of electric vehicles - C10 SUVs and T03 cars - from Shanghai, China, to European ports, a statement said.

A quantity was not given but Stellantis CEO Carlos Tavares last week claimed hundreds of cars were en route to Europe, in the run-up to the brand's launch in September. He added the first shipment of 800 cars was on the way from China.

During Stellantis H1 2024 results call, Tavares also said that the firm had already decided on several vehicle assembly plants in Europe and this is already being executed. He did not disclose the countries or locations.

The shipment of Leapmotor C10 and T03 vehicles to Europe this month is a landmark moment in the partnership between Stellantis and Leapmotor, said Tavares in the statement.

"This demonstrates our commitment to providing innovative, affordable and sustainable mobility solutions to our customers. Relying on Stellantis strong business assets in Europe and the hard work of our companies teams on guaranteeing product innovation and quality, "I strongly believe that Leapmotors electric vehicles will be widely accepted by European customers.

As of the first half of July, Leapmotor has accumulatively sold over 400,000 EVs in China since the companys first sale, said Leapmotor founder, chairman and CEO Zhu Jiangming.

China is the biggest and most competitive EV market in the world and our products have proved their value by being acclaimed by the local customers."

Leapmotor International plans to build outlets in Europe to 500 by 2026, from 200 at the end of 2024.

At least one new model was planned to go on sale every year in the next three.

"Leapmotors on the way" was originally created and published by Just Auto, a GlobalData owned brand.







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Republican vice presidential candidate JD Vance plans to visit the US-Mexico border this week as part of Donald Trumps 2024 campaign.

The visit will likely provide a backdrop for Vance to attack presumptive Democratic presidential candidate Kamala Harris on border security and immigration.

Vance's multi-day tour of the southern border will begin on Thursday in Cochise County, Arizona, according to the Trump campaign.

President Donald J. Trump and Vice Presidential Nominee, Senator JD Vance are devastated to see the path of death and destruction American families are facing because of the radical-Left policies of the current administration, the campaign said in a press release. A Trump-Vance Administration will secure our border, begin the largest deportation operation in American history, and restore law and order to our country.

Since Vice President Harris announced her run for the presidency following Joe Biden's decision to step away from the race, Trump's campaign has focused their attacks against her on immigration and border issues.

Republican vice presidential nominee JD Vance speaks during a campaign rally on July 22, 2024 in Middletown, Ohio. Vance will tour the US-Mexico border beginning on Thursday (Getty Images)

On Tuesday, the campaign released its first attack ad against Harris, which focused on her border security role in the Biden administration. The ad comes a week after House Republicans approved a resolution meant to condemn Harris's actions in that role, according to The Hill.

Harris's campaign responded by pointing out that it was Trump who lobbied against a bipartisan, congressional border security bill earlier this year.

Republicans  including and especially Trump  have described Harris as Biden's "border czar," but she never held any such title. She was tasked with duties concerning the border  like leading diplomatic efforts to cut down on poverty, violence, and corruption in Central American countries including Guatemala, Honduras, and El Salvador, as well as in Mexico, according to former special representative for border affairs Alan Bersin, who spoke to Reuters.

Regardless, Trump doubled down on the framing during a rally in North Carolina last week.

"If border czar Harris stays in charge, every week will bring a never-ending stream of illegal alien rapists, bloodthirsty killers and child predators to go after our sons and our daughters," he claimed.

US Vice President Kamala Harris tours the El Paso Border Patrol Station, on 25 June, 2021 in El Paso, Texas. Senator JD Vance, Donald Trumps vice presidential pick, is touring the border beginning on August 1 and is expected to attack Harriss immigration record (AFP via Getty Images)

Despite Trump and the Republican's insistence otherwise, Harris was never tasked with the explicit job of securing the southern border. Still, her campaign has insisted she is the only candidate who will look for "real solutions" to border security issues.

"There's only one candidate in this race who will fight for real solutions to help secure our nation's border, and that's Vice President Harris," Kevin Munoz, Harris's campaign spokesperson, told Reuters.

Vance recently admitted that Republicans are struggling to drum up attacks against Harris because she has less baggage than Biden.

He made the remarks during a donor fundraiser in Golden Valley, Minnesota on Saturday, and a recording, obtained by The Washington Post, revealed his unfiltered thoughts about Harriss entry into the campaign.

All of us were hit with a little bit of a political sucker punch, Vance said. The bad news is that Kamala Harris does not have the same baggage as Joe Biden, because whatever we might say, Kamala Harris is a lot younger. And Kamala Harris is obviously not struggling in the same ways that Joe Biden did.
(Bloomberg) -- Venezuelas government is engaging in a full crackdown on any resistance to President Nicolas Maduros self-declared victory, announcing 749 arrests and detaining prominent opposition figure Freddy Superlano on Tuesday.

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A video shared on social media showed Superlano, who campaigned alongside opposition leader Maria Corina Machado, being taken out of his car Tuesday and forced into an unmarked SUV by several men in all-black uniforms in a residential neighborhood in Caracas.

The arrests followed Maduros livestream, broadcast to X on Monday night, in which he said that protesters would be severely prosecuted after thousands of Venezuelans took to the streets of Caracas decrying what they say is a fraudulent win. He held his phone up to the camera over and over again, showing videos of the demonstrations while emphasizing that he would engage security forces to keep the peace.

Selective violence and intimidation have usually been enough to end protests, Teneo Managing Director Nicholas Watson wrote in a note to clients Tuesday morning. A key question in the days ahead is whether the regime can bear the political costs and strains that would likely arise from a more lethal strategy of repression.

Foro Penal, a nonprofit network of lawyers who provide legal assistance to political prisoners in the country, counted 132 arrests on Tuesday and 46 on Monday. Its unclear why there is such a discrepancy with the official count. In total, at least six people have died.

The governments initial efforts to quash protests seems to be working. The capital city was calm Tuesday morning. Meanwhile, hundreds of people have gathered on a main avenue in eastern Caracas, where opposition leader Maria Corina Machado and her stand-in candidate, Edmundo Gonzalez, addressed their supporters.

The two announced that the opposition now had more than 84% of the voting tabulations, which are key to the partys ability to prove that Gonzalez is the rightful winner of the election. They said that they were on track to have more than 8 million votes  close to the 8.2 million the late Hugo Chavez received in the 2012 election.

The opposition last night published the data onto a website, for the international community and citizens alike to see, but said it had to make another after an apparent government attack. It wasnt immediately clear what the next formal steps would be to proving fraud, but they said the timeline wasnt clear and that peaceful demonstrations would continue.

Machado said that it was crucial that any demonstrations were peaceful, and that no one should agitate other citizens, the police or military. She and Gonzalez, however, never made mention of Superlano or his arrest.

What we are combating is fraud, Machado said. The truth is the truth and we will defend it until the end. The crowd yelled, Were not afraid!

The note from Teneo said that, the situation is volatile and the outlook uncertain as an opposition emboldened by its performance and charismatic leadership faces off against a president whose legitimacy has been severely weakened.

The fact that many of the protests have taken place in lower-income neighborhoods  historically strongholds of Chavismo, Venezuelas brand of socialism  could also be alarming Maduros regime.

As tension boils within Venezuela, international pressure has continued to mount, with the US saying it would consider travel bans and other new sanctions should Maduro not comply. Maduro has said he would meet international demands to release full records from Sundays vote.

No other credible third-party vote counts have been released. The Carter Center, the sole election observer of international repute that monitored the election and planned to publicly report its findings, has not yet released its preliminary report as was planned Tuesday.

The White House took a slightly stronger stand in a statement Tuesday afternoon, saying that the release of the voting data is especially critical given that there are clear signs that the election results announced by Venezuelas National Electoral Council do not reflect the will of the Venezuelan people as it was expressed at the ballot box on July 28.

Meanwhile, Maduros government added a new angle to the claim that a cyberattack is preventing the release of voting data, saying North Macedonia was involved. Authorities there denied the allegation, with Digital Transformation Minister Stefan Andonovski telling reporters Tuesday that the government is monitoring the situation and has asked Venezuela for proof that any Macedonian citizens or institutions were involved.

Earlier, Public Prosecutor Tarek William Saab accused opposition leader Machado of conspiring with Leopoldo Lopez and another member of his party in an alleged plot to prevent voting records from reaching the electoral councils headquarters.

Superlano, a 48-year-old former lawmaker, is a popular opposition figure who participated in last years primaries before throwing his support behind Machado. He accompanied her and her stand-in candidate Gonzalez during most of the campaign. On Monday he was among the group that backed Machados claim that there is proof to show Gonzalez won the election.

Superlano had been on the receiving end of veiled government threats for months, including from top Maduro allies Diosdado Cabello and Jorge Rodriguez.

He led the gubernatorial race for Barinas, a Chavista stronghold, in 2021 before the government halted the process, claiming he was ineligible to run due to a previous ban.

His party Popular Will has been the subject of intense persecution by the Maduro government in the past decade, with most of its members  including Lopez  currently in exile.

--With assistance from Slav Okov.

(Updates throughout, including latest arrest count and comments from analysts and North Macedonia authorities. Updates in paragraphs 6 to 10 and 14 to 15 with new comments from the opposition.)

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(Bloomberg) -- Hundreds of people have taken to the streets in Venezuelas capital city of Caracas to protest the election of President Nicolas Maduro. They say the victory of the longtime socialist leader is fraudulent. Earlier on Monday, the regime held a press conference and accused opposition leader Maria Corina Machado of a plot to alter voting results.

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The vote was already contentious, the biggest threat Maduro has faced to his rule yet. In the campaign, Machado and her stand-in candidate, Edmundo Gonzalez, created a citizen movement premised on overhauling the economy and reuniting families.

The demonstrations mark the third wave of protests against Maduro since he rose to power in 2013. His administration brutally repressed his opponents in the two previous waves, killing, injuring or imprisoning dozens of people.

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The Nicolas Maduro regime expelled on Monday the diplomatic missions of seven Latin American nations that expressed concerns over the results announced on Sunday of the countrys presidential election.

Calling the comments on the election made by leaders in these neighboring countries interventionist acts, Maduros Foreign Minister Yvan Gil ordered the diplomatic personnel from Argentina, Chile, Costa Rica, Peru, Panama, the Dominican Republican and Uruguay to leave Venezuela immediately.

Venezuela reserves all legal and political rights to enforce, preserve and defend our inalienable right to self-determination, the Maduro government said in a press release. We will confront all actions that threaten the climate of peace and coexistence inside the South American nation.

In a controversial announcement, the regime-controlled National Electorate Council announced on Sunday that Maduro had won the election over opposition candidate Edmundo Gonzalez even though exit polls from credible independent firms had been showing that the Venezuelan strongman had lost the election by a margin of two to one.

The council said Maduro won the election with 51.1% of the vote, surpassing Gonzalezs 44%. But opposition leaders said the official numbers they had gathered and the exit poll numbers had the Venezuelan presidential candidate winning by more than 65% of the vote.

Opposition parties accused the regime of committing a fraud of gigantic proportions, while officials in Washington said they did not believe that the numbers announced by the Caracas regime reflected the actual voting.

Similar comments were also made by officials from the countries whose diplomatic missions were expelled on Monday, some of which called for a meeting at the Organization of American States to analyze the situation in Venezuela.

The United States and Venezuela currently dont have diplomatic relations.
The Venezuelan president and his main opposition rival have both claimed victory in the countrys presidential election, sparking widespread protests.

Sundays election was closely watched, amid fears of fraud by Nicolas Maduros government and after a campaign tainted by accusations of political intimidation.

Polls had suggested Edmundo Gonzalez, the opposition leader, would heavily defeat the president  who has been in power for 11 years and has presided over Venezuelas economic collapse.

But on Monday, Elvis Amoroso, head of the government-controlled CNE electoral authority and a close ally of Mr Maduro, announced the president had won a third six-year term, with 51 per cent of the vote compared to 44 per cent for his rival.

The opposition dismissed the results as fraudulent and promised to challenge them. It said it could prove Mr Gonzalez had won because it had obtained 73 per cent of the vote tallies and these showed he had more than twice as many votes as Mr Maduro.

What happened in the run up to the vote?

Mr Maduros socialist PSUV party has been in power for 25 years, at first under the leadership of Hugo Chavez, who died from cancer in 2013 after hand-picking his successor.

Mr Maduro, a 61-year-old former union leader and foreign minister, won an election after Mr Chavezs death and another in 2018. The opposition has said both were rigged.

Mr Maduros administration has presided over the economic collapse of the once-wealthy oil-rich country, with GDP dropping by 80 per cent over the past decade.

It has overseen the emigration of around one third of the population, and a sharp deterioration in diplomatic relations, crowned by sanctions imposed by the United States and the European Union.

Maria Corina Machado, who was forced to give up leadership of the opposition coalition, declaring victory with Edmundo Gonzalez - Maxwell Briceno/Reuters

Mr Maduro has also been accused of locking up critics and harassing the opposition in a climate of rising authoritarianism. He warned last week of a bloodbath if he were to lose.

Maria Corina Machado, the previous opposition leader, was banned from holding public office during the campaign, forcing her to pass the torch to Mr Gonzalez, a 74-year-old ex-diplomat known for his calm demeanour.

Venezuelan migrants around the world reported difficulties registering to vote  and only a small percentage of the large diaspora were able to.

What has happened since the results?

Protests erupted on Monday, with thousands of people taking to the streets to chant this government is going to fall.

Many Venezuelans staged cacerolazos, a traditional Latin American protest where people bang pots and pans in anger, while some ripped Maduro campaign posters, blocked roads, and threw petrol bombs at police.

We are tired of this government, we want a change. We want to be free in Venezuela. We want our families to return here, one protester told Reuters, referring to the exodus of Venezuelans in recent years.

Women bang pots in the street in a 'cacerolazos' protest - Samir Aponte/Reuters

At least two statues of Chavez, a socialist revolutionary who led Venezuela for more than a decade, were knocked down by protesters.

Mr Maduro reacted to the protests by pledging that security forces would keep the peace and saying that acts of violence were being promoted by the extreme Right. The armed forces have long supported the president and there were no signs generals were breaking with the government.

Four people were reportedly killed during protests on Monday, with dozens more injured by rubber bullets.

A local monitoring group, the Venezuelan Conflict Observatory, said it had recorded numerous acts of repression and violence carried out by paramilitary groups and security forces during the protests.

On Tuesday morning, Freddy Superlano, a leading figure within Venezuelas opposition coalition was arrested, his party said.

How did world leaders react?

The United States and various Latin American leaders have rejected the results or said greater transparency was needed.

Antony Blinken, the US secretary of state, said the US had serious concerns that the declared outcome does not reflect the will or the votes of the Venezuelan people.

The UK Foreign Office also expressed concern, calling for the publication of full, detailed results to ensure that the outcome reflects the votes of the Venezuelan people.

The election observation department of the Organization of American States  a 35-member regional body  said it could not recognize the results and the CNE had shown itself biased towards the government.

Gabriel Boric, president of Chile, said he found the result hard to believe and demanded total transparency of the minutes and the process, and that international observers not committed to the government account for the veracity of the results.

Uruguays president said of the Maduro government: They were going to win regardless of the actual results, while Peru recalled its ambassador and Panama said it was suspending relations with Venezuela.

Allies of Mr Maduro, however, were quick to congratulate him.

One protester, Consuelo Marquez, holds a Venezuelan flag - Matias Delacroix/AP

Vladimir Putin told Mr Maduro in a congratulatory message: Remember, you are always a welcome guest on Russian soil.

Miguel Diaz-Canel, president of Cuba, said the dignity and bravery of the Venezuelan people had triumphed over pressure and manipulation.

Mr Maduro, meanwhile, said Venezuela had the best and most transparent voting system in the world, and accused violent Right-wing factions of seeking to overthrow him illegally with foreign support.

What is expected to happen now?

Mr Maduro called his supposed victory irreversible and said he would decree a national dialogue on Monday. He dismissed international criticism of the result, claiming Venezuela was the target of an attempted coup detat of a fascist and counter-revolutionary nature.

Fresh demonstrations are expected in the days ahead, with Ms Machado of the opposition calling for families to turn out for popular assemblies nationwide to show support for a peaceful transition of power.

There are millions of citizens in Venezuela... who want to see that their vote counts, she posted on social media.

Nicolas Maduro claiming victory on Monday - Federico Parra/AFP

Jorge Rodriguez, Mr Maduros campaign manager, called for large marches starting this Tuesday to celebrate the victory.

Polls conducted before the election suggested that more Venezuelans would leave the country if Mr Maduro was declared the winner, with one suggesting a third of the population would emigrate.

Neighbouring Latin American countries  to which Venezuelans have already emigrated en masse  could be further affected, as could the US.

Will the US become involved?

Venezuela has the worlds biggest oil reserves but production capacity has been severely diminished in recent years. Mr Maduro has previously blamed US sanctions for his countrys economic woes.

Washington broadly eased sanctions on Venezuelas oil industry last October in response to a deal between Mr Maduro and opposition parties, but reimposed them in April, accusing Maduro of reneging on electoral commitments.

The Biden administration said that electoral manipulation had stripped Mr Maduros claim of re-election victory of any credibility, while Washington left the door open to fresh sanctions.

US officials have yet to unveil any new punitive measures but said Washington would assess its sanctions policy toward Venezuela based on whatever actions Mr Maduro took going forward.

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Venezuela's military chief claimed Tuesday that the country was facing a coup, as new protests were expected following President Nicolas Maduro's disputed victory in the weekend's election. The country's opposition leaders say they won the vote by a significant margin, and a local NGO has reported at least six people killed in unrest that has followed the official declaration of Maduro's win.

Venezuela's attorney general Tarek William Saab said 749 people had been arrested amid the protests, and he warned that number could rise in the coming hours, according to the AFP news agency.

Most would be charged with "resisting authority and, in the most serious cases, terrorism," Saab said.

Election officials in the tightly controlled Latin American nation declared Maduro the winner , granting him a third six-year term after the weekend election, despite exit polls that showed him losing by a significant margin, according to challenger Edmundo Gonzalez and opposition leader Maria Corina Machado, who have claimed to have proof that Gonzalez received over twice the votes Maduro did.

"I speak to you with the calmness of the truth," Gonzalez said Monday outside his campaign headquarters in Caracas, The AP reported. "We have in our hands the tally sheets that demonstrate our categorical and mathematically irreversible victory."

President Biden and Brazilian President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva jointly called for the "immediate release of full, transparent, and detailed voting data at the polling station level by the Venezuelan electoral authorities," a White House statement said. Both presidents said the election outcome represents "a critical moment for democracy in the hemisphere."

Police officers stand guard next to demonstrators waving Venezuelan flags during a protest against Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro's government in Caracas, July 29, 2024. / Credit: YURI CORTEZ/AFP/Getty

The opposition leaders invited supporters to gather peacefully on Tuesday and urged people to remain calm. In a social media post, Gonzalez called on the nation's security forces to "respect the will of the people voiced on July 28 and to halt the repression of peaceful demonstrations."

But declaring the military's backing for Maduro, Defense Minister General Vladimir Padrino denounced the protests, saying on state TV: "There is a coup in progress so President Nicolas Maduro has stepped up to stop it again, and with him the people who elected him president, all the institutions, the Bolivarian armed forces and the democratic institutions."

"We will defeat the coup," Padrino said.

International criticism of Maduro was growing on Tuesday.

"The worst form of repression, the most vile, is to prevent the people from finding solutions through elections," the Organization of American States said in a statement criticizing the National Electoral Council, which is loyal to the ruling party, for its delay in showing precinct-level results.

"The obligation of each institution in Venezuela should be to ensure freedom, justice, and transparency in the electoral process. The people should have the maximum guarantees of political freedom to be able to express themselves at the polls, and to protect the rights of citizens to be elected," the statement said.

The organization suggested a potential do-over election with a robust international observer mission, and it called an urgent meeting of its members.

Maduro took office in 2013, and during his presidency, more than seven million Venezuelan citizens have fled the country, which has been mired in poverty and violence. Many have gone to the U.S.-Mexico border and attempted to cross into the U.S.

"What Venezuelan is going to brave the jungle? They kill you. They take your money. They rape you. What woman, what person, what human being is going to brave this without it being a necessity?" Blanca Sanchez, who fled the country with her young boys and returned just to vote, hoping to help bring about a change of government, told CBS News in Caracas.

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(Bloomberg) -- Venezuela hardened its crackdown on any resistance to President Nicolas Maduros self-declared election win by calling for the arrests of opposition leaders Maria Corina Machado and Edmundo Gonzalez.

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Speaking on state television on Tuesday, head of congress Jorge Rodriguez said Gonzalez was leading a fascist conspiracy, and that his campaign with Machado aimed to spark a civil war. Shortly after, Maduro said Gonzalez was a coward if he didnt assume responsibility for his actions.

Respond, coward! Maduro screamed into the camera. He also took aim at the US.

Behind this plan is the US empire, drug trafficking networks, Elon Musk and the fascist extreme right of the world, he said. Musk has shown support for Machado and aimed insults at Maduro in a series of posts on X since the day of the vote.

The pronouncements appeared to escalate the already aggressive stance taken by the regime against the opposition, which says it has gathered 84% of voting tabulations to prove Gonzalez is the rightful winner in Sundays election. They say theyre on track to have more than 8 million votes  around the 8.2 million the late Hugo Chavez received in the 2012 election.

Maduro had said in a livestream on X Monday night that protesters would be severely prosecuted after thousands of Venezuelans took to the streets decrying what they say is a fraudulent win. He held his phone up to the camera over and over again, showing videos of the demonstrations while emphasizing that he would engage security forces to maintain order.

Earlier Tuesday, the government announced 749 arrests and detained prominent opposition figure Freddy Superlano.

Protests and Legal Threats

Intimidating and arresting opposition leaders have long been part of Maduros tactics. More than 100 of the oppositions aides and allies have been arrested in recent months, according to legal nonprofit Foro Penal. Juan Guaido, who in 2019 was recognized internationally as interim president, was threatened with arrest and now lives in exile in Miami.

Selective violence and intimidation have usually been enough to end protests, Nicholas Watson, managing director at US-based political consulting firm Teneo, wrote in a note to clients Tuesday morning. A key question in the days ahead is whether the regime can bear the political costs and strains that would likely arise from a more lethal strategy of repression.

There have been at least 300 protests nationwide since the election on Sunday, according to a report from the Venezuelan Observatory of Social Conflict. At least nine people have died.

In the capital of Caracas, protests have largely remained peaceful. Hundreds of people gathered on Tuesday along a main avenue in eastern Caracas, where Machado and Gonzalez told their supporters that the opposition now had more proof of their partys election win.

Vote Counts

The opposition last night published the data onto a website, for the international community and citizens alike to see, but said it had to make another one after an apparent government cyberattack.

In the newly released site, Venezuelans are able to check their voting center tabulations by inputting their ID numbers. A scanned copy of the centers vote receipt shows the total of voters, the specific votes for each candidate, as well as the signatures of the centers supervisors and witnesses.

No other credible third-party vote counts have been released. The Carter Center, the sole observer of international repute that monitored the election, said the vote cannot be considered democratic.

It wasnt immediately clear what the next formal steps would be to proving fraud, but the opposition leaders said the timeline wasnt clear and that non-violent demonstrations would continue.

Machado said that it was crucial that any demonstrations were peaceful, and that no one should agitate other citizens, the police or military. She and Gonzalez, however, never made mention of Superlano or his arrest.

What we are combating is fraud, Machado said. The truth is the truth and we will defend it until the end. The crowd yelled back, Were not afraid!

The note from Teneo said that, the situation is volatile and the outlook uncertain as an opposition emboldened by its performance and charismatic leadership faces off against a president whose legitimacy has been severely weakened.

The fact that many of the protests have taken place in lower-income neighborhoods  historically strongholds of Chavismo, Venezuelas brand of socialism  could also be alarming Maduros regime.

International Pressure

As tension boils within Venezuela, international pressure has continued to mount, with the US saying it would consider travel bans and other new sanctions should Maduro not comply. Maduro has said he would meet international demands to release full records from Sundays vote.

Brazil President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva, who has been pressuring Maduro, said in an interview with Globo TV on Tuesday that the government must release the ballot tabulations. Its up to the opposition to file a complaint if it doubts the results and wait for the court to make a decision, he added.

Im convinced its a normal, peaceful process, he said in his first remarks about the situation in Venezuela.

The White House took a stronger line, saying that the release of the voting data is especially critical given that there are clear signs that the election results announced by Venezuelas National Electoral Council do not reflect the will of the Venezuelan people as it was expressed at the ballot box on July 28.

Venezuela severed diplomatic ties with Peru, AFP reported, after the government in Lima officially recognized Gonzalez as president-elect.

Meanwhile, Maduros government added a new angle to the claim that a cyberattack is preventing the release of voting data, saying North Macedonia was involved. Authorities there denied the allegation, with Digital Transformation Minister Stefan Andonovski telling reporters Tuesday that the government is monitoring the situation and has asked Venezuela for proof that any Macedonian citizens or institutions were involved.

In his address on Tuesday, Maduro also said the government now has a special commission with the help of Russia and China to evaluate its cyber security system, particularly that of its electoral agency.

Earlier, Public Prosecutor Tarek William Saab accused opposition leader Machado of conspiring with exiled opposition leader Leopoldo Lopez and another member of his party in an alleged plot to prevent voting records from reaching the electoral councils headquarters.

A video shared on social media showed Superlano  who accompanied her and her stand-in candidate Gonzalez during most of the campaign  being taken out of his car Tuesday and forced into an unmarked SUV by several men in all-black uniforms in a residential neighborhood in Caracas.

The 48-year-old former lawmaker is a popular opposition figure who participated in last years primaries before throwing his support behind Machado. On Monday he was among the group that backed Machados claim that there is proof to show Gonzalez won the election.

Superlano had been on the receiving end of veiled government threats for months, including from top Maduro allies Diosdado Cabello and Jorge Rodriguez.

He led the gubernatorial race for Barinas, a Chavista stronghold, in 2021 before the government halted the process, claiming he was ineligible to run due to a previous ban.

Superlanos party Popular Will has been the subject of intense persecution by the Maduro government in the past decade, with most of its members currently in exile.

--With assistance from Nicolle Yapur and Slav Okov.

(Adds Carter Center statement on election in 14th paragraph.)

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Its a familiar scene that Venezuelans have witnessed too often over the past decade: strongman Nicolas Maduro standing on the balcony of Miraflores presidential palace in the heart of the capital Caracas declaring himself the winner of yet another election.

I can say in front of the people of Venezuela and the world: Im President Nicolas Maduro, re-elected president of the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela, and I will defend our democracy, our law and our people, Maduro said, waving his fist in the air, dancing on stage and wearing a sporty jumpsuit with the colors and stars of the Venezuelan flag.

Venezuelas National Electoral Council (CNE) declared Maduro the winner a little after midnight saying he had won with 51.2% of the votes, with 80% of the ballots counted. His main rival, opposition candidate Edmundo Gonzalez, had obtained 44.2% of the votes, according to the Electoral Council.

The opposition rejected the claim, saying Gonzalez had an overwhelming majority and that voting tallies from about 40% of ballot boxes nationwide showed he obtained 70% of the votes.

We won, and everyone knows it, opposition leader Maria Corina Machado said following the CNE announcement. We won in all sectors and states of the country.

Pots, pans and protests

Massive protests began to spread throughout the country Monday, with people banging pots and pans, accusing the government of fraud and demanding an immediate audit of the votes.

In Caracas, CNN teams witnessed dozens of national guard soldiers in riot gear repressing the mostly peaceful protests with tear gas and batons.

One protester was captured on video surrounded by a group of uniformed officers, who were slapping him on the head while holding him under an overpass.

We want peace for Venezuela, for our family members, a protester, who chose not to be identified, told reporting teams on the ground.

The Maduro government controls most of the countrys institutions, including the Electoral Council, as well as the Armed Forces.

In 2019, deadly anti-government protests killed more than 50 people and led to hundreds of arrests.

Previous anti-government demonstrations in 2017 and 2014 also turned violent.

Anti-government protesters clash with security forces in Caracas on May 1, 2019. - Federico Parra/AFP/Getty Images/File

The view from abroad

The United States, the UN and several other countries and institutions have called on Venezuelas electoral commission to make polling results public.

We have serious concerns that the result announced does not reflect the will or the votes of the Venezuelan people. Its critical that every vote be counted fairly and transparently, that election officials immediately share information with the opposition and independent observers without delay, US Secretary of State Antony Blinken told reporters in Tokyo.

The United Nations and the Carter Center, who were the only two independent election observers allowed inside the country, have also asked for a timely publication of the results.

Electoral authorities should undertake their work independently and without interference to guarantee the free expression of the will of the electorate, UN Secretary-General Spokesperson Stephane Dujarric said on Monday.

A preliminary report from the Carter Center was scheduled to release on Tuesday morning, but the organization canceled its publication and is pulling all its staff from the country, according to a person with knowledge of the centers plans. It is unclear when the report will be issued.

Other Latin American countries, including Argentina, Chile, Costa Rica, Peru, Panama, the Dominican Republic and Uruguay refused to recognize the results and had their diplomatic staff in country expelled Monday.

The Maduro government accused the nations of being a group of right-wing Washington-subordinate governments, openly committed to the most sordid fascist ideological positions.

Some of Maduros close allies, like China and Cuba, were quick to congratulate the 62-year-old Venezuelan for securing his third term in office.

My brother, your victory, which is that of the Bolivarian and Chavista people, has clearly and unequivocally defeated the pro-imperialist opposition, Cuban President Miguel Diaz-Canel wrote on his official X account, formerly known as Twitter.

A policeman shoots tear gas at anti-government protesters during clashes in Caracas on June 12, 2014. - Leo Ramirez/AFP/Getty Images/File

A cyberattack curveball

It seems unlikely Maduros government will pay too much attention to the concerns raised over the results. Indeed, its raised questions of its own, adding a further layer of confusion by making an unsubstantiated claim that a cyberattack was carried out against the countrys automated voting system and pointing the finger at the opposition.

The CNE reported that the results from all polling stations will soon be available on its website, as the authorities have historically done thanks to the automated voting system, Venezuelas Attorney General Tarek William Saab said during a press conference in Caracas Monday.

Saab claimed the attack came from North Macedonia, in the Balkans, with the intention of manipulating data that was being received by the CNE.

He also claimed opposition leaders like Machado, Leopoldo Lopez and Lester Toledo were behind the alleged attack without providing any proof.

An October surprise for Democrats?

Nearly 8 million people have left Venezuela since 2014, according to the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR).

Many have gone to Spain, Peru and Brazil with a growing number making the treacherous journey through the Darien Gap between Colombia and Panama to head northward toward the United States.

A recent survey from Venezuelan pollster ORC Consultores found that more than 18% of the respondents would consider leaving the country if Maduro was reelected.

My family is already thinking of leaving, Eva Martinez said in Caracas a day after the vote.

Venezuelans were the second largest group of migrants apprehended by US Customs and Border Patrol in 2023, totaling over 260,000 encounters, a fivefold increase from 2020 when there were less than 50,000.

According to Will Freeman, a fellow for Latin America studies at the Council on Foreign Relations, such a situation could be a really bad October surprise for the Democrats in the upcoming US presidential election.

Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro reacts following the election results in Caracas on July 29, 2024. - Juan Barreto/AFP/Getty Images

Two Senior Biden administration officials spoke to the media on Monday, reiterating calls for the Venezuelan government to immediately release specific data regarding its presidential election.

The officials declined to give specifics on the actions the US or international community would be prepared to take if the Venezuelan authorities do not release the data or if the results are determined to be fraudulent, but they did not rule out sanctions.

If Maduro takes office in January, he would be sworn in for another six-year term extending his presidency until 2031. He assumed the presidency in 2013, after his predecessor Hugo Chavez died of an apparent heart attack. Chavez established the Chavismo movement when he took office in 1999, his policies were dominated by nationalization and the redistribution of the nations huge oil wealth to the marginalized and poorest communities, as well as a constant push to protect Venezuelan sovereignty against imperialist powers.

The prospect of a further six years may be enough to ensure that  as has happened all too often in the past  many Venezuelans decide they have no other choice but to vote with their feet.

For those who have already made the journey, that is a depressing state of affairs.

I want to be in my home, I want to be in my country, sobbed Heczair Blanco, a Venezuelan woman in Buenos Aires, Argentina, after learning of Maduros supposed victory.

We want Venezuela to be free and for the peoples will to be respected, she said.

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The 2024 presidential election will be here before you know it and many of us are concerned about the consequences of whoever takes over the white house.

One area of interest? Retirement. GOBankingRates spoke with retirement planners to find out what Americans should do if they think Harris will win in November. Heres a look at some strategies retirement planners and financial experts recommend considering.

Also heres another take on what a Harris presidency could mean for retirees.

Trending Now: Trump Wants To Eliminate Income Taxes: How Would That Impact You If You Are Retired?

Find Out: The Surprising Way You Can Get Guaranteed Retirement Income for Life

Wealthy people know the best money secrets. Learn how to copy them.

Stay the Course With Your Long-Term Investment Strategy

Despite the temptation to make drastic changes based on election outcomes, all of our experts consistently advised against it.

Paul Tyler, chief marketing officer at Nassau Financial Group, explained the importance of perspective. Time frames make all the difference when it comes to saving for retirement.

The average worker who starts a job at 21 and retires at age 65 has over 11,000 days to make the right savings decisions. Consistent investment habits over that time frame will negate any politicians impact on a persons retirement future, he said.

Read More: Here Are All the Promises Trump Has Made About Social Security If Hes Reelected

Consider Increasing International Exposure

Thomas Brock, chartered financial analyst (CFA) and certified public accountant (CPA), shared his take on what a Harris presidency could possibly lead.

If you think Harris is likely to win, a shrewd move would be to underweight your allocation to domestic stocks and overweight your allocation to international developed and emerging market stocks, he said. More substantial overseas exposure could help you overcome flagging economic performance and a weakened U.S. dollar.

Maintain Adequate Liquidity

Regardless of the political climate, Brock explained the importance of liquidity. I strive to always have an adequate liquidity reserve, he said. This will ensure you have cash on hand for emergencies and opportunities, regardless of whats happening in the market.

Stay Invested Regardless of Party Control

Edelman Financial Engines research shows that its smart to stay invested regardless of which party controls the White House. Their study found that $10,000 invested consistently from 1948 to present, regardless of the presidents party, would have grown to $37,198,830. This dramatically outperformed strategies that invested only during presidencies of one party or the other.

Story continues

Specifically, the study showed that if Americans invested only when a Democrat was president, starting in 1948, $10,000 would have grown to $1,200,696. If invested only when a Republican was president over the same time period, $10,000 would have grown to $309,811. The stark difference between these figures and the result of staying consistently invested ($37,198,830) underscores the importance of maintaining a long-term investment strategy regardless of political outcomes.

Focus on Personal Financial Goals

The Edelman Financial Engines Everyday Wealth in America study found that 73% of Americans are concerned about the elections impact on their financial security. That makes sense, but the firm advises clients not to act out of fear or change their long-term plans based on election results. Instead, you should focus on your personal financial goals and the factors you can control.

Seek Professional Advice

Given the complexity of retirement planning and the potential for policy changes, its never a bad idea to book time with a financial advisor. They can help you navigate potential changes and ensure your retirement strategy is consistent with your long-term goals, regardless of political outcomes.

Editors note on election coverage: GOBankingRates is nonpartisan and strives to cover all aspects of the economy objectively and present balanced reports on politically focused finance stories. For more coverage on this topic, please check out Im a Retirement Planner: 5 Moves You Should Make If You Think Trump Will Be Re-Elected.

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This article originally appeared on GOBankingRates.com: Im a Retirement Planner: 6 Moves You Should Make If You Think Harris Will Win the Election
Venezuelan opposition leader Maria Corina Machado said on Monday that her team had gathered enough evidence to prove that strongman Nicolas Maduro was resoundingly defeated in the countrys presidential election.

Machado, whose support was the main force behind the campaign of opposition presidential candidate Edmundo Gonzalez, said supporters had compiled more than 70% of the final vote counts provided by polling stations upon the conclusion of voting on Sunday  documents known as actas de votacion.

She said the information gathered leaves no doubt that the great majority of Venezuelans voted in favor of ending more than two decades of socialist rule.

We now have the means to prove the truth of what happened yesterday in our election, Machado said in a press conference. In this moment  we have 73.2% of the registries, and with the results they provide, our president-elect is Edmundo Gonzalez.

Machado said the actas show that the results were so overwhelmingly in Gonzalezs favor that Maduro could not have caught him even if every other vote had gone to the embattled Venezuelan ruler.

The vote difference in our favor is huge and we won in all states, she said.

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According to the numbers gathered by the opposition so far, Maduro obtained only 2.76 million votes, while Gonzalez obtained 6.27 million. Machado said she was confident that Gonzalezs lead, amounting to more than 65% of all votes, will be sustained once they get all the actas, which she hopes will happen tomorrow.

More than 15,700 stations were set up in Venezuela to receive more than 21 million registered voters, although an estimated four million of them are believed to have left the South American country.

Machados pronouncement disputes the results announced early Monday morning by the regime-controlled National Electorate Council (CNE), which said that Maduro had won the election by obtaining 51.2% of the votes. The council said it had tallied the results appearing in 80% of the registries.

READ MORE: U.S. worries violence may follow Maduros claim of election victory in Venezuela

According to the councils numbers, Gonzalez only obtained 44.2% of the votes.

The councils announcement sets up Maduro for a third presidential term that would expire in 2031 and that would extend into a third decade the socialist revolution initiated by his predecessor and mentor, the late president Hugo Chavez.

READ MORE: U.S. officials defend their Venezuela strategy after Maduro claims election victory

However, Gonzalez and Machado immediately questioned the results announced by the council, pointing out that the data they had received directly from the CNE  before the election authority halted the process without explanation  that showed Gonzalez was ahead with 70% of the vote compared to barely 30% for Maduro.

It is impossible, said Machado referring to the announced results, adding that it was a crude lie that seeks to hide the truth plain to all Venezuelans: that Gonzalez obtained the largest margin of votes in a presidential election in the history of Venezuela.
People ride through the streets on motorcycles during Monday's protest against the results of the presidential elections, in Caracas, Venezuela. According to the first report from the National Electoral Council (CNE), Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro was re-elected for a third consecutive term in the elections held on Sunday. The opposition is calling for the release of the full vote count. Photo by Henry Chirinos/EPA-EFE

July 29 (UPI) -- Thousands of Venezuelans protested Monday in Caracas and other cities after authoritarian socialist President Nicholas Maduro was declared the winner of the country's presidential election amid accusations of electoral fraud.

Protesters claim the weekend election was rigged, as they marched toward the presidential palace in Caracas with signs saying, "Knock down the dictator." People banged pots and pans from their homes and on the streets, burned tires on highways and burned Maduro campaign posters as police fired tear gas. Video showed demonstrators toppling a statue of Maduro in the coastal state of Falcon.

Opposition parties claim its candidate Edmundo Gonzalez won 70% of the vote, according to exit polls that suggested a clear victory for Maduro's opponent. Maduro has been in power for 11 years, despite widespread discontent over the country's economic crisis.

While Maduro was declared the winner at a ceremony at the National Electoral Council, which the Maduro government controls, the final vote tallies from Sunday's election have still not been released. Initial results released by the council said 59% of the electoral public cast ballots, with 51.20% of the vote going to Maduro and 44% going to Gonzalez.

"Venezuela has the best electoral system in the world!" CNE president Elvis Amoroso said before announcing Maduro's victory.

Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro (C) celebrates after partial results were announced Monday by the electoral council, in Caracas, Venezuela. According to the first report from the National Electoral Council (CNE), Maduro was re-elected for a third consecutive term in the elections held on Sunday. Photo by Ronald Pena R./EPA-EFE

Opposition witnesses claim they were denied access to CNE headquarters during the vote count. The government, which has been accused of rigging votes in the past, denies any election interference. President Maduro has accused the opposition of calling for a coup.

"They are trying to impose in Venezuela a coup d'etat again of fascist and counter-revolutionary character," Maduro claimed.

On Monday, the White House expressed "serious concerns" about Maduro's re-election.

"Quite frankly, we have serious concerns that the result as announced does not reflect the will and the votes of the Venezuelan people," White House National Communications Adviser John Kirby told reporters Monday, as he called for the release of the vote tabulations.

"We're going to hold judgment until that time. We in the international community are watching, and we will respond accordingly," Kirby added.

The U.S. State Department on Monday also called for the immediate publication of detailed precinct-level polling and urged "Maduro and his representatives to respect the democratic aspirations of the Venezuelan people and to take immediate steps to restore democratic processes in Venezuela."

The Carter Center and the United Nations are also calling for transparency, as people who protested in the region of La Lucha labeled the vote "terrible, fraud."

"We won with 70%, but they did the same thing to us again. They took the elections from us again," said resident Paola Sarzalejo.

"He lost the elections, he has no right to be there right now," added her father, Miguel Sarzalejo.

"We want a better future for the youth because if not, they will leave the country for one where they can work well and earn well," Sarzalejo added. "We have a rich country and he is destroying everything."
Venezuelans in Utah gathered as election results came in, hoping for change

Venezuelans attend a rally for the election in their home country in Herriman on Sunday, July 28, 2024. | Scott G Winterton, Deseret News

On Sunday, thousands of Venezuelans gathered outside Herriman City Hall in Utah, anticipating the results of a presidential election in Venezuela.

For 25 years, Venezuelans have suffered under poor socioeconomic conditions related to economic mismanagement and foreign sanctions. Today, around 82% of Venezuelans live in poverty and 53% of Venezuelans live in extreme poverty, per a United Nations release. According to the International Organization for Migration, 6.1 million Venezuelans have migrated out of the country due to these conditions.

Much of the economic collapse was precipitated by government actions under President Nicolas Maduro and his predecessor Hugo Chavez. This year, according to polls, many Venezuelans hoped to vote Maduro out as they supported his rival, Edmundo Gonzalez.

How did Venezuelans show up in Herriman?

The scene outside Herriman City Hall looked like a celebration. Among the crowds were food trucks, people with face paint, and people playing music and dancing. People showed up with signs encouraging Venezuelans to vote for Gonzalez with messages like No pude votar/ Vota para mi (I cant vote/Vote for me).

At the demonstration, attendees listened to speeches made by those in their community as well as performances. Video coverage of the event can be viewed on the Utah Zolanos and ComandoConVzla Instagram pages. The two organizations provide Venezuelans in Utah with news, community and resources. Ahead of the election they planned Sundays event, with permission from the city, to bring Venezuelans together in support of free and fair elections.

With many Venezuelan embassies and consulates in the U.S. closed, it is difficult for Venezuelans in the U.S. to vote in their countrys elections. According to Utah Zolanos, a Venezuelan media source in Utah, this state of limbo has left many feeling frustrated about their options as far as helping their home country goes. Sundays demonstration, though, gave them the opportunity to show up for their country and speak out for democracy.

Utah Zolanos employed the motto, We cant vote, but we can support, in a flyer posted on Instagram.

A man holds up a Venezuelan flag as Venezuelans attend a rally for the election in their home country in Herriman on Sunday, July 28, 2024. | Scott G. Winterton, Deseret News

What happened in Venezuelas 2024 presidential election?

After the election on July 28, Maduro and Gonzalez both claimed victory, though the national electoral authority declared Maduro the victor late in the night. The organization said Maduro received 51% of the vote, but some doubt the validity of the election results.

Gonzalez said, The Venezuelans and the entire world know what happened, per The Associated Press. Our struggle continues and we will not rest until the will of the Venezuelan people is respected.

Opposition leader Maria Corina Machado, whom Maduro previously banned from public office, said, per Reuters, that Gonzalez won 70% of the vote as independent exit polls indicated that he had overwhelming public support.

Edison Research, for example, collected poll results from 6,846 voters at over 100 polling locations that showed Gonzalez winning 65% of the vote and Maduro receiving 31%. Another firm, Meganalisis, also showed Gonzalez winning 65% of the vote, with Maduro at 14%.

According to Reuters, poll station workers had raised questions ahead of the vote as to whether it would be fair, saying decisions by electoral authorities and the arrests of opposition staff were meant to create obstacles.

U.S. Secretary of State Anthony Blinken also expressed concern regarding election results.

Weve seen the announcement just a short while ago by the Venezuelan electoral commission, he said, per Reuters. We have serious concerns that the result announced does not reflect the will or the votes of the Venezuelan people.

Vice President Kamala Harris said in a post on X, The United States stands with the people of Venezuela who expressed their voice in todays historic presidential election. The will of the Venezuelan people must be respected. Despite the many challenges, we will continue to work toward a more democratic, prosperous, and secure future for the people of Venezuela.

But Florida Sen. Marco Rubio, a Republican, said the Biden-Harris administration mistakenly eased sanctions on Venezuela.

Biden & Harris broadly eased Trump sanctions on Maduro regime as part of a deal for elections in #Venezuela, he wrote in a post on X. Today was that election and it was a complete fraud. The latest example of how our enemies have suckered Biden and Harris repeatedly over the last four years.

Venezuelans attend a rally for the election in their home country in Herriman on Sunday, July 28, 2024. | Scott G Winterton, Deseret News

How do Venezuelans in Venezuela feel about the election results?

Across Venezuela, people have begun to protest, some banging pots and pans from their homes and others marching to the presidents palace, per BBC.

In Maracaibo, Dalia Romero told Reuters, Maduro yesterday shattered my greatest dream, to see my only daughter again, who went to Argentina three years ago. I stayed here alone with breast cancer so that she could work there and send me money for treatment.

Now I know that Im going to die alone without seeing her again.

We woke up sad, another Maracaibo resident, Ender Nunez, said. Were going to be in this nightmare for six more years and what hurts the most is that they robbed us.

A man named Miguel told BBC, We want a better future for the youth because if not they will leave the country. One where they can work well and earn well. We have a rich country and he is destroying everything.

Wilmer Guillen holds a Venezuelan flag as he sits in a chair and listens to music as Venezuelans celebrate the election in their home country of Venezuela in Herriman on Sunday, July 28, 2024. | Scott G Winterton, Deseret News
The phenomenal growth in artificial intelligence tools has made it easy to create a story quickly, complicating a readers ability to determine if a news source or article is truthful or reliable. For instance, earlier this year, people were sharing an article about the supposed suicide of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahus psychiatrist as if it were real. It ended up being an AI-generated rewrite of a satirical piece from 2010.

The problem is widespread. According to a 2021 Pearson Institute/AP-NORC poll, Ninety-five percent of Americans believe the spread of misinformation is a problem. The Pearson Institute researches methods to reduce global conflicts.

As library scientists, we combat the increase in misinformation by teaching a number of ways to validate the accuracy of an article. These methods include the SIFT Method (Stop, Investigate, Find, Trace), the P.R.O.V.E.N. Source Evaluation method (Purpose, Relevance, Objectivity, Verifiability, Expertise and Newness), and lateral reading.

Lateral reading is a strategy for investigating a source by opening a new browser tab to conduct a search and consult other sources. Lateral reading involves cross-checking the information by researching the source rather than scrolling down the page.

Here are five techniques based on these methods to help readers determine news facts from fiction:

1. Research the author or organization

Search for information beyond the entitys own website. What are others saying about it? Are there any red flags that lead you to question its credibility? Search the entitys name in quotation marks in your browser and look for sources that critically review the organization or group. An organizations About page might tell you who is on their board, their mission and their nonprofit status, but this information is typically written to present the organization in a positive light.

The P.R.O.V.E.N. Source Evaluation method includes a section called Expertise, which recommends that readers check the authors credentials and affiliations. Do the authors have advanced degrees or expertise related to the topic? What else have they written? Who funds the organization and what are their affiliations? Do any of these affiliations reveal a potential conflict of interest? Might their writings be biased in favor of one particular viewpoint?

If any of this information is missing or questionable, you may want to stay away from this author or organization.

2. Use good search techniques

Become familiar with search techniques available in your favorite web browser, such as searching keywords rather than full sentences and limiting searches by domain names, such as .org, .gov, or .edu.

Another good technique is putting two or more words in quotation marks so the search engine finds the words next to each other in that order, such as Pizzagate conspiracy. This leads to more relevant results.

In an article published in Nature, a team of researchers wrote that 77% of search queries that used the headline or URL of a false/misleading article as a search query return at least one unreliable news link among the top ten results.

A more effective search would be to identify the key concepts in the headline in question and search those individual words as keywords. For example, if the headline is Video Showing Alien at Miami Mall Sparks Claims of Invasion, readers could search: Alien invasion Miami mall.

Knowing good search techniques can help internet users sift through a more reliable set of results. MTStock Studio/E+ via Getty Images

3. Verify the source

Verify the original sources of the information. Was the information cited, paraphrased or quoted accurately? Can you find the same facts or statements in the original source? Purdue Global, Purdue Universitys online university for working adults, recommends verifying citations and references that can also apply to news stories by checking that the sources are easy to find, easy to access, and not outdated. It also recommends checking the original studies or data cited for accuracy.

The SIFT Method echoes this in its recommendation to trace claims, quotes, and media to the original context. You cannot assume that re-reporting is always accurate.

4. Use fact-checking websites

Search fact-checking websites such as InfluenceWatch.org, Poynter.org, Politifact.com or Snopes.com to verify claims. What conclusions did the fact-checkers reach about the accuracy of the claims?

A Harvard Kennedy School Misinformation Review article found that the high level of agreement between fact-checking sites enhances the credibility of fact checkers in the eyes of the public.

5. Pause and reflect

Pause and reflect to see if what you have read has triggered a strong emotional response. An article in the journal Cognitive Research indicates that news items that cause strong emotions increase our tendency to believe fake news stories.

One online study found that the simple act of pausing to think and reflect on whether a headline is true or false may prevent a person from sharing false information. While the study indicated that pausing only decreases intentions to share by a small amount  0.32 points on a 6-point scale  the authors argue that this could nonetheless cut down on the spread of fake news on social media.

Knowing how to identify and check for misinformation is an important part of being a responsible digital citizen. This skill is all the more important as AI becomes more prevalent.

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: Tracy Bicknell-Holmes, Boise State University; Elaine Watson, Boise State University, and Jose Guillermo 'Memo' Cordova Silva, Boise State University

Read more:



The authors do not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organization that would benefit from this article, and have disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.
Its very disheartening: Sacramento Buca di Beppo employees say they were not given prior notice of closure

(FOX40.COM)  An Italian restaurant chain has permanently closed its Sacramento location.

Buca di Beppo, a chain known for family-style dining, closed its restaurant near Cal Expo on 1249 Howe Avenue, according to the restaurants website and a sign posted on its front door.

We are thankful to you, our loyal guests, for giving us the opportunity to serve you, the restaurants sign reads. Its with great appreciation and gratitude that we say thank you for all the years.

The restaurant had been operating its Howe Avenue location since 1999. Buca di Beppos closest restaurant to Sacramento is in Roseville on 1212 Galleria Boulevard.

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Just knowing this place has been open for so long and its closingis a big deal, former employee Jayden Seizmore told FOX40.com

Seizmore and his former coworker Darington Evans said they were unaware of the restaurants closure until Monday morning. Another former employee said herself and fellow employees were told to report to the restaurant at 11 a.m. for an emergency meeting where they were informed about the closure.

Being able to work here and having the experience that I did here, its just really sad that it abruptly came to an end, Rozalyn Marc-Aurele, who worked at the restaurant for four years, told FOX40.com Its very disheartening to have everything come to an end.

Theres no clear reason why the restaurant was shut down, but the property is listed for sale by commercial real estate company Cushman and Wakefield.

Beloved Roseville restaurant closes after eight years of service

The 8,550-square-foot retail space is currently priced at $3.6 million by the real estate company.

In a statement sent to FOX40.com, a representative for Buca di Beppo said the restaurant thanks its customers for their patronage for the last 25 years.

After being part of this community for 25 years, regrettably, Buca di Beppo in Sacramento has closed, a Buca di Beppo spokesperson told FOX40.com in an email. We thank our customers for their loyalty  it was our privilege to be the backdrop for countless gatherings and celebrations over the past two decades.

Copyright 2024 Nexstar Media, Inc. 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.
Veteran on the hook for $20,000 SBA loan he never borrowed

Veteran on the hook for $20,000 SBA loan he never borrowed

TAMPA, Fla. (WFLA)  Joseph Carpenter fought for our country in Vietnam, and now he finds himself fighting to clear his name with the U.S. government over a loan that he said a crook must have taken out in his name during the pandemic.

The Small Business Administration claimed he has a delinquent loan from 2021, which he said he was just notified about. The U.S. Treasury Department said if Carpenter doesnt fork over the money by September, theyll withhold up to 15% of his monthly Social Security benefits.

Elementary school principal arrested for DUI, fleeing Hillsborough deputies, officials say

Theyre going to take that until they pay off $20,833, Carpenter said. Im 76 years old. Ill be long dead.

Carpenter didnt own a business in 2021 and said he never applied for a business loan.

Its addressed to me as a private citizen, he said. I cant get an SBA loan.

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Even so, somehow, his name was used for someone to obtain the loan. The U.S. Small Business Administration Inspector General estimates more than $200 billion in fraud from SBA loans.

That made Carpenter even angrier that he cant reach anyone within the government to clear this up.

Why cant you figure out where the money went? he asked. That is the simplest thing. It did not go to my account.

Carpenter filed a report with the Pinellas County Sheriffs Office. Consumer Investigator Shannon Behnken called the Inspector General and was told that anyone who thinks they are a victim of this type of fraud should file a complaint directly with their office at: Submit a Complaint (sba.gov)

Copyright 2024 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.

For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to WFLA.
McDonalds has released its latest earnings (AP)

McDonalds is set to change its pricing strategy amid declining sales as bosses hint at a significant change to menus in the near future.

The fast-food giant reports a 1 per cent fall in sales from April to June in franchises that were open for at least a year. This marks the first time company sales have declined since the pandemic.

Chains had begun offering discounted deals since the start of the year in an attempt to win back customers who are conscious of rising costs. However, bosses suggest more changes may be necessary.

Beginning last year we warned of a more discriminating consumer, particularly among lower-income households  and as this year progressed, those pressures have deepened and broadened, said McDonalds CEO Chris Kempczinski on a conference call with investors.

Consumers still recognise us as the value leader versus our key competitors, but its clear that our value leadership gap has recently shrunk, Mr Kempczinski said in a statement on the latest figures. We are working to fix that with pace.

McDonalds may be bringing back fan-favourite meal deals for good amid low sales (PA)

But the CEO admits that sales are likely to remain low over the next few quarters. To combat this the company is undergoing a comprehensive rethink of its pricing, leaning on discounted value meals.

The company points out successes such as the $5 (3.89) Happy Meal in the US and a deal in the UK in which customers can get three items for 3. Both deals have been extended throughout the summer, with the UK deal returning on 31 July for four weeks  and these reports suggest they may be here to stay.

In January, Mr Kempczinski had also complained of a meaningful business impact caused by the Israel-Gaza conflict as many customers decided to boycott McDonalds restaurants over their perceived support for Isreal.

Executives responded to this in April by buying back all of its Israeli restaurants  but continues to operate in the country. A McDonalds spokesperson said the boycotts were disheartening and ill founded, with Mr Kempczinski adding: In every country where we operate, including in Muslim countries, McDonalds is proudly represented by local owner-operators.

So long as this war is going on ... Were not expecting to see any significant improvement, he said.
Veteran organization in urgent need of new home, calling on community for help

HENDERSONVILLE, S.C. (WSPA)  Veterans Healing Farm in Hendersonville is in need of a new home after its landowner decided not to renew the lease on the property.

Now, organizers with the farm are working to spread the word in hopes of saving the non-profit.

Back in 2013, an Air Force veteran founded the farm with a focus on healthy eating for vets.

But our mission has changed to veterans mental health, said Executive Director of the non-profit, Alan Yeck. Our exact mission is to enhance the mental, emotional, physical well-being of our nations veterans and their families.

He said the farm has helped serve thousands of veterans over the years.

Last year, we ran 49 workshops for 477 participants and all of those workshops are either therapies, equine therapy, canine therapy, music therapy, art therapy, neurofeedback therapy, suicide prevention, said Yeck.

Each treatment path is different for each veteran.

Well teach them anything or they dont have to do anything, Yeck explained. [They can] just come out and be with other, other veterans, and their families.

Yeck is a Marine Veteran. He said the farm helped him find peace nearly 30 years after serving.

I didnt know what I needed until I was here and started receiving it, Yeck told 7NEWS. Ive had PTSD for 35 years, going back to my days in Beirut and Ive been on meds and therapy and all that stuff.

And Yeck wants to see that healing help others but worries the time might run out.

The landowner informed us that shes retiring and would not be renewing our lease, which ends August 15th, he shared. So we were given seven months or we have seven months to, to rebuild what took 11 years to build.

Down to the final days, Vets Healing Farm is now looking to the community for help.

We have been looking everywhere for property, Yeck said. We have been fundraising while we continue our normal programming, while were packing up and shutting down.

Yeck said the ideal plot of land would be 10 acres or bigger. On the fundraising side, he added they need about $3 million, but have come up with nearly $600,000 dollars of that funding so far.

Megan Landreth is the Director of Operations for Veterans Healing Farm. Shes responsible for all of the logistics that go on behind the scenes.

As an Air Force veteran and the widow of a veteran, she knows how beneficial a place like this can be.

Thats what touches my heart is being able to see that growth in the veterans and healing in them, Landreth explained. And for me, it was all of that as well. I have a lot of social anxiety and depression and Ive been able to really open up and, and heal my on my own.

Landreth fears, that without a new location, everything theyve worked for will go away.

Its scary to think that in less than a year this organization could disappear and not be here to take care of the veterans in this community and others

We need help just like everybody else. And this is an organization that does that.

Alan Yeck, and Megan Landreth, Thank You for Your Service

If you are interested in helping Veterans Healing Farm, want to make a donation or learn more, 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 WSPA 7NEWS.
(Bloomberg) -- Secretary of Veterans Affairs Denis McDonough told staff he plans to step down from the cabinet-level post after the current presidential term has finished, according to people familiar with the matter.

McDonough, who took the helm at the Department of Veterans Affairs in Feb. 2021, told staff this month that he plans to leave the post irrespective of the election's outcome. Who knows what will happen in November, he said to staff, according to the people familiar with the comments, who asked not to be named as the details are private. I think it's time for some new blood.

President Joe Biden tapped McDonough in 2020 to lead the VA, the second largest federal agency behind the Department of Defense, which provides health care and other benefits to nine million military veterans and their families. Though McDonough didnt serve in the military or have health-care experience, he was a known progressive political operator in Washington.

He previously served as chief of staff to former President Barack Obama during his second term in office. During that period, he oversaw the overhaul of the VA after an uproar regarding wait times for veterans seeking care.

Upon tapping him for the VAs top job, Bidens transition team described McDonough as a first-class manager who could navigate the ins and outs of the government to improve health care and other services for veterans.

During his tenure as VA secretary, the agency encountered challenges such as responding to the Covid-19 pandemic, addressing a spike in veteran suicides, and implementing a $16 billion contract with Oracle Corp. for health records modernization. It also experienced a backlog of almost 400,000 benefits claims, partly due to the Promise to Address Comprehensive Toxics, or PACT Act. Signed into law in 2022, it expanded health-care and benefits for about 3.5 million veterans exposed to toxic burn pits while serving overseas. The pits have been linked to certain illnesses because of the toxins present in the smoke.

Prior to Bidens unprecedented announcement to withdraw from the 2024 presidential election, the 54-year-old McDonough had already determined he was ready to leave the post, according to one of the people familiar with the secretarys plans. That decision isnt likely to change regardless of whether Vice President Kamala Harris or former President Donald Trump wins the presidential election, the person said.

In a statement, VA Press Secretary Terrence Hayes praised McDonough's work.

As President Biden charged him to do on day one, Secretary McDonough is fighting like hell to make sure that Veterans get the health care and benefits theyve earned for their service to our nation  and he will continue to do exactly that, Hayes said.

As the Nov. 5 US elections near, the heads of the 15 executive departments who currently form Bidens cabinet of advisers will likely plot their next moves. The VA secretary must be nominated by the US president and confirmed by the Senate before being sworn in.

More stories like this are available on bloomberg.com

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William Calley (pictured in 1969) was convicted in 1971 for his role in the My Lai Massacre during the Vietnam War. File Photo courtesy of the U.S. Army

July 30 (UPI) -- Former Army Lt. William Calley Jr., 80, died of natural causes Sunday at a hospice center in Gainesville, Fla., decades after being convicted of leading the infamous My Lai Massacre.

Then-2nd Lt. Calley on March 16, 1968, led his Army platoon into the My Lai village in the Son Tinh District near the central coastal area of what then was South Vietnam and initiated a massacre of hundreds of civilians.

Calley's platoon had recently sustained heavy losses during the 1968 Tet Offensive and had orders to search for and destroy members of the Viet Cong who might be operating in the area.

The Viet Cong were expert guerrilla fighters for North Vietnam and had led the attacks during the Tet Offensive.

Although Calley's platoon didn't find any Viet Cong soldiers, it systematically wiped out the village by killing most of its men, women and children in what is considered one of the U.S. military's darkest moments.

The U.S. military says Calley and his men killed 347 villagers during the massacre, but Vietnam records indicate 504 were murdered.

Calley allegedly followed an order by U.S. Army Capt. Ernest Medina, who witnesses said in a mission briefing ordered Calley and others to kill anything "walking, crawling or growling" because they were all believed to be members of the Viet Cong.

Witnesses said Calley radioed Medina on the morning of the My Lai Massacre and was ordered to kill all of the civilians and said it was OK to "wipe the place out" before continuing the mission searching for Viet Cong soldiers.

Medina later denied giving that order, but witnesses said Calley and another soldier started shooting civilians after talking to Medina.

Army Maj. Gen. Samuel Koster was accused of trying to conceal the massacre.

Calley was convicted of murdering at least 22 civilians and was sentenced to life in prison.

A Buddhist monk who was praying and a young boy who crawled out of a ditch were among those Calley was accused of murdering by shooting them.

Army photographer Ronald Haeberle documented the events with his camera and provided photos that were used to prosecute Calley and others during their respective court-martial trials.

Calley was the only person convicted of the massacre on March 29, 1971, after undergoing one of the longest court-martial trials in U.S. military history.

He served only three years for the massacre, most of them while confined at home.

Calley in 1976 moved to Columbus, Ga., and married a woman whose family owned a local jewelry store.

In 2009, he made a public apology and said he was remorseful for the Vietnamese civilians he killed and for the U.S. soldiers who became involved in the massacre.
A 4 p.m. burn ban sign the Virginia Department of Forestry is taking down. (Courtesy of Virginia Department of Forestry)

The Virginia Department of Forestry is changing how it warns people about a state fire safety law that makes burning anything before 4 p.m. illegal, by removing the physical burn ban signs along roadways and posting digital notices on the information highway of the internet, instead.

During the spring wildfire season each year Feb. 15 to April 30, the law forbids open air burning within 300 feet of the woods or dry grass which could carry fire to the woods, except between 4 p.m. and midnight. That information is printed on two-foot by three-foot metal signs posted along roadways statewide. Now, foresters are taking the signs down and spreading the word via informational posts on Facebook, X and the neighborhood chat forum Nextdoor.

Its a very specific change in methods, but nothing to do with the overall mission or importance of the message, said State Forester Rob Farrell.

The signs, which began coming down this spring, were first installed about 75 years ago: on one side, there are instructions in red lettering spelling out the periodic burn ban; on the other side are the words Keep Virginia green, in emerald letters.

Before the transition to digital messaging, every year on the first day of burn ban period, a local forrester from one of the departments field offices needed to drive around to the signs, undo two bolts, flip the sign over to the red-lettered side, clean it and make sure its legible. On April 30, when the burn ban period ended, a forester flipped the sign back to the other side.

Every DOF local office has a map in a file, and they have a little X where each of their signs are, so they can help themselves to remember where all the signs are. Every year, a new forester will come to an area and have to go and find where all the signs are on February 15, Farrell said. A county could have a dozen signs, and then you have 100 in some localities across the state. It certainly could be over 1,000 of these signs around the state.

All of that flipping takes time, which Farrell said could be better spent assisting landowners, assisting loggers, doing all of the other work that our field staff do across the state. The practice also presented safety concerns for the foresters, Farrell said.

Theyre flipping metal signs on the side of rural roads, which are getting busier and busier and busier, and traffic is going faster and faster.

So, why does the spring burn ban lift at 4 p.m.?

Theres nothing magical about four oclock, said Farrell. You just got to pick a time, but [at] four oclock, things are starting to turn in our favor. Temperatures are going down, humidity is coming up, and wind is a little bit lighter in the evening.

The digital messaging also allows the department to use a more immediate, targeted approach to deliver messages to residents of areas whose fire risk is increasing.

Frankly, I think were all used to driving by signs every day, and they may cease to get our attention as they used to, said Greg Bilyeu, director of communications at the department. Also, theres often local burn bans that are put into effect by the localities. Those can change on a dime. We can share that via NextDoor and really push that right into the community that we need to.

The change comes ahead of the fall fire season Oct. 15 to Nov. 30, and as Virginia encounters wildfires that ravage a greater number of acres. Nearly 20,000 acres went up in a blaze this spring in Virginia, while last fall saw 12,500 acres burned. Historically, the annual average of Virginia acres burned by wildfire had been about 9,500.

That is the challenge were facing, Farrell said. There are more people in the way of these fires than ever before, Farrell said.

Although they are a destructive and captivating force, forest management officials have said the blazes in Virginias wetter climate have not been as detrimental as those in western and northern parts of the continent this year and last year.

The department will keep taking the signs down but it may be a while before they can get them all.

I will not be surprised that well continue to find signs here and there around the state that havent been taken down yet, Farrell said during a phone interview, as he gazed at one of the signs. I was a forester for seven years, so I spent my time switching signs. I have a nostalgic connection to these signs as well.

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Polls open at 9 a.m. and close at 8 p.m. Thursday, Aug. 1, for registered voters to cast their votes in the Anderson County General Election, which includes several Oak Ridge seats, and the state and federal primaries.

If you are already registered to vote and didn't vote during the early voting period, July 12-July 27, you should show up at your normal voting site - the one assigned to you based upon where you live - to cast your ballot on Thursday. Information on the location of your voting precinct can be found at www.acelection.com or by calling 865-457-6238. The email address is acec@andersoncountytn.gov.

Mark Stephens

Roane County voters can find out more information at https://roanecountytn.gov/election-commission/. Polls in Roane County are open Thursday from 8 a.m. to 8 p.m.

Here are the races, the candidates in Anderson County

In the Anderson County General Election, the only countywide races are unopposed. They are:

CHANCELLOR - Daniel Forrester, who won in the county Republican Primary earlier this year.

ASSESSOR OF PROPERTY - Incumbent John K. Alley Jr., who also won in the Republican Primary.

The other county races are in specific districts and only registered voters of those districts can vote in these races. They are:

ANDERSON COUNTY COMMISSION, DISTRICT 6 - Aaron Wells, the Republican nominee, and Ebony Capshaw, the Democratic nominee. District 6 is the Oak Ridge City Hall (Senior Center), Robertsville, and West Hills precincts - all in Oak Ridge. The winner will fill the unexpired term of Catherine Denenberg, who moved to Florida in April 2023. The county commission apponted Wells to the position in May 2023, having him serve until the next election. Capshaw was one of the people who applied for the position at that time.

COUNTY SCHOOL BOARD, DISTRICT 3 - Incumbent Dail R. Cantrell, the Republican nominee, and Sharon Burlingame, an Independent candidate. District 3 is the Andersonville, Fairview, Glen Alpine and Norris precincts.

COUNTY SCHOOL BOARD, DISTRICT 4 - Republican nominee Darren Carden and incumbent John S. Burrell, an Independent candidate. District 4 includes the Briceville, Clinton Middle, Lake City Middle and Rocky Top (community center) precincts.

COUNTY SCHOOL BOARD, DISTRICT 5 - Sherri Jarnigan-Beaty, the Republican nominee, Democratic nominee Theresa Evans Venable, and incumbent Andy McKamey, an Independent candidate. District 5 is made up of the Clinton High School, Dutch Valley, Marlow and Norwood precincts.

COUNTY SCHOOL BOARD, DISTRICT 8 - Incumbent Glenda J. Langenberg, the Republican nominee, and Democratic nominee David Miller. District 8 is Oak Ridge's Emory Valley, Hendrix Creek and Woodland precincts.

CITY JUDGE - James T. "Jim" Normand Jr. Normand was appointed several months ago by Oak Ridge City Council to serve as city judge, following the retirement of longtime City Judge Robert "Bob" McNees. All Oak Ridge registered voters will vote in this race. He is unopposed. But you will see Normand on the Nov. 5 ballot, as well. Why? According to Anderson County Election Commission Administrator Mark Stephens, the Oak Ridge city charter calls for a special election to be called, "to fill the unexpired term, during the next regularly scheduled election (Aug. 1)." The regular election for city judge is Nov. 5. Anyone wishing to challenge Normand in the Nov. 5 election has until Aug. 15 to qualify, Stephens said.

Tennessee primaries; some city races

In the primary elections, voters have to chose whether they are voting in the Republican or Democratic primary. Once a primary is chosen, residents will vote for party nominees for U.S. House and Senate seats, and Tennessee House seats. In addition, there is a Republican primary for several school board positions. The winners of these party races will face other candidates for the final vote on Election Day Nov. 5.

The races:

U.S. SENATE - In the Republican Primary, incumbent Marsha Blackburn is running against Tres Wittum. In the Democratic Primary, the candidates are Marquita Bradshaw, Lola Denise Brown, Gloria Johnson and Civil Miller-Watkins.

U.S. HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES, DISTRICT 3 - Incumbent Chuck Fleischmann is running in the Republican Primary. Jack Allen is running in the Democratic Primary.

TENNESSEE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES, DISTRICT 33 - In the Republican Primary the candidates are John D. Ragan of Oak Ridge, the incumbent, and Rick Scarbrough of Clinton. Anne Backus of Oak Ridge is running in the Democratic Primary.

TENNESSEE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES, DISTRICT 41 - Incumbent Ed Butler is seeking the seat in the Republican Primary. The Democratic Primary candidate is Joel Derek Hawn.

OAK RIDGE SCHOOL BOARD - Candidate Mary Crank is running.

CLINTON SCHOOL BOARD - In Ward One, Debra L. Heaton and Joey Smith are running. Voters will get to vote for two in this race. In Ward Three, where people can vote for one candidate, no candidate qualified.

How many voted early and where?

Few people voted during the early voting period. Anderson County has 51,605 registered voters and only 5,448 voted when early voting ended last Saturday, according to information supplied by Stephens. People were allowed to cast their votes at either of three early voting locations.

The breakdown of votes cast and where during the early voting period:

Midtown Community Center/Wildcat Den in Oak Ridge - 2,700

Clinton Community Center - 1,559

North Anderson County Government Offices in Andersonville - 878

Mailed in ballots - 194

Nursing homes - 117

A total of 3,753 votes were cast in the Republican Primary, 1,662 in the Democratic Primary.

The results of Thursday's election

The Oak Ridger will not have the results of the election in Friday's print newspaper because of the paper's deadline. However, the winners will be posted on the newspaper website, oakridger.com, on Thursday night with a more detailed story on Friday online and in Monday's print newspaper. Statewide election coverage will also be at oakridger.com on Thursday night and Friday.

The election commission will also have live results and final, unofficial results on its website.

The Oak Ridger's News Editor Donna Smith covers Oak Ridge area news. Email her at dsmith@oakridger.com and follow her on Twitter@ridgernewsed.

Support The Oak Ridger by subscribing. Offers available at https://subscribe.oakridger.com/offers.

This article originally appeared on Oakridger: Vote 9 a.m. to 8 p.m. Thursday in the Anderson County election, primaries
EAST PALO ALTO, Calif. (KRON)  Vice presidential candidate JD Vance is making his first visit to the Bay Area since being named former president Donald Trumps running mate. He attended a fundraiser and dinner at The Four Seasons Hotel on Monday in East Palo Alto.

Vance was greeted by more than a dozen Trump supporters. There were also some counterprotesters on-site, leading to arguments.

Oakland strikes deal to sell its share of Coliseum complex

For the first time since becoming Trumps running mate, the Ohio senator is in the Bay Area.

Vance rolled in the motorcade and entered the Four Seasons Hotel for a fundraiser dinner. According to Bloomberg, it was hosted by BitGo CEO Mike Belshe.

We are supporting JD Vance as the vice president, said one Trump supporter outside of the event.

Starks came with other Trump supporters to cheer as the vice presidential nominee arrived.

They say they are excited for Vance, adding if Vance was vice president in 2020 instead of Mike Pence, he would have backed Trump on his reported efforts to overturn the election results.

Its just common sense to vote for Trump, said the Trump supporter. The news is all one-sided. People are brainwashed because we dont hear the other side.

Trump supporters speak with KRON4 at a fundraising event in East Palo Alto that JD Vance attended on Monday, July 29.

Kamala Harris spent her early life, career in the Bay Area: Heres where

But protesters nearby clashed with the trump supporters for a moment. Other protesters too say Trump and Vance do not represent them.

They dont like brown people, a protestor against Trump said. I know how they are and they dont like brown people.

Still, Trump supporters vow that theyll keep showing up here in the Bay Area.

It is unknown exactly how many donors were here at this fundraiser dinner, but we do know tickets were pricey  starting at more than $3,000 per person

Copyright 2024 Nexstar Media, Inc. 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.
In star-studded rally, Harris makes case against Trump but says We have a fight in front of us

Vice President Kamala Harris told a cheering, boisterous, packed arena on Tuesday that the next few months would be a serious fight and acknowledged the Democrats were right now the underdogs  but assured the crowd they would win in November.

We have a fight in front of us, the likely nominee said. The momentum in this race is shifting. And there are signs Donald Trump is feeling it.

Harris held what is her largest rally yet at the Georgia State Convocation Center Tuesday evening.

Since Harris became the presumptive nominee in Georgia, the latest polls have her essentially tied with former President Donald Trump in Georgia.

Democrats are expressing new hopes of an expanded electoral map and welcoming the vice president to the state that delivered Biden his narrowest victory margin in 2020 with a show of political force intended to signal a new landscape against Trump.

The roughly 8,000-capacity basketball arena at Georgia State University was filled to its rafters with thousands of voters waving signs, dancing to the Harris campaign soundtrack and celebrating.

This is like Barack Obama 2008 on steroids for me, said Mildred Hobson Doss, a 59-year-old who came downtown from suburban Lilburn. I would have voted for President Biden again. But we are ready.

Harris is hoping the rally, which featured a performance by hip-hop star Megan Thee Stallion, will help affirm her campaigns momentum.

Former Democratic gubernatorial nominee Jason Carter does too.

I think this last week has been one of the greatest energizing weeks that Ive ever seen in a presidential race, Carter said.

The grandson of former President Jimmy Carter and a veteran of numerous political campaigns, Carter believes Harris presence in Georgia indicates the states significance in the upcoming election.

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He noted the establishment of 24 new field offices and the enlistment of 7,000 volunteers in just the past week as signs of increased momentum.

I think shes here to talk to Georgians. I think this election in many ways still has a very huge potential to be decided in Georgia, Carter said.

Republican Lt. Gov. Burt Jones also acknowledged Georgias pivotal role.

Its no surprise that Georgia is an important state. I think the White House runs through Georgia, Jones said.

Jones believes the race will be driven by issues like the economy rather than personalities.

I think the economy is going to do all the talking in this election cycle, Jones said. I dont think its going to be about personalities or how great the media, the national media tries to portray Kamala Harris. I think its going to come down to the economy.

Trump is not taking chances. Earlier Tuesday, the former president announced that he would come to Atlanta on Saturday for a rally in the same Georgia State arena.

Republican consultant Brian Robinson said Harris still has plenty of liabilities, including the progressive positions she took in her failed 2020 primary campaign and her various rhetorical stumbles. But he said Harris so far in this campaign has been in command, and if that continues, we have a new ballgame and she will be competitive in Georgia.

Trump campaign spokesperson Karoline Leavitt dismissed Harris as just as weak, failed and incompetent as Joe Biden and said the vice president would have to explain her support of Biden administration policies that hurt working families in Georgia over the past four years.

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Fatima Latifova

The fifth round of meetings between the special representatives for the normalisation of relations between Armenia and Turkiye, Ruben Rubinyan and Serdar K?l?c, is taking place at the Armenia-Turkiye border, Azernews reports, citing foreign media outlets.

It should be noted that earlier, it was reported that the negotiations would take place in the morning on the Armenian side and in the afternoon in the territory of Turkiye.

Additionally, it had been announced that the meeting of the special representatives would be held on July 3.

It should be recalled that the initiative to open the borders between Turkiye and Armenia was first proposed by the Armenian authorities. Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan mentioned this during the discussion of the report on the implementation of the government's 5-year (2021-2026) program for 2023 in the country's Parliament.

According to him, appropriate efforts should be made in this direction.

"I can't help but touch on a socio-psychological nuance here. It is very important to note that I am not talking about the Armenia-Turkiye disputes, but about the relations between Armenia and Turkiye. These two formulas have common features."

The prime minister especially noted that relations between Armenia and Turkiye are currently on hold.

"Armenia is waiting for the implementation of the agreements reached and officially registered. In particular, we are talking about opening the land border between Armenia and Turkiye for citizens of third countries and persons with diplomatic passports.

In addition, it should be noted that with this initiative, Armenia is trying to restore relations with Turkey outside of Azerbaijan. However, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said in his speech that the restoration of relations between Turkiye and Armenia is possible after the signing of the peace agreement between Baku and Yerevan.

Recall that the borders between Turkiye and Armenia have been closed since April 3, 1993. After Armenia's occupation of Garabagkh, Turkiye closed its borders, and diplomatic relations between the two countries were suspended.

However, in July 2022, the Turkish Ministry for Foreign Affairs announced that the two countries, in the context of a general thaw of their relationship, plan to reopen the border "at the earliest possible date," albeit only for third-party nationals.
A WA teen was trafficked by a man she met on Tinder, she says. Shes still waiting for justice.

Hannah Power, a survivor of what the police suspect to be child sex trafficking, looks out over the Puget Sound by her home in Federal Way. Hannah, who has fought increased depression and anxiety since the night she was exploited in 2022, feels at peace at the beach, she said. (Mike Kane/InvestigateWest)

Hannah Power was 16 when she first saw Max. One face among a sea of adult men that she scanned on her phone screen.

It started as a way to get her mind off things. In June 2022, the anxiety and depression that she experienced from a young age had engulfed her again. Shed quit ballet, her favorite hobby, after losing her passion for dance. She felt increasingly isolated at school and at home. So she downloaded Tinder, one of the most popular dating apps in the world, and entered a fake birth date to get around the requirement that users be at least 18.

She flicked through Maxs dating profile  34 years old, a photo of him at the gym, a picture of a dog. She swiped right. A match, the app told her.

They exchanged phone numbers and coordinated a time to meet. He paid for the 45-minute Uber ride from her home in Federal Way to a hotel in Lynnwood, Hannah said.

Then, he encouraged her to do drugs, put on a little blue dress and perform in front of a video camera, broadcasting her to thousands of people on a popular porn site, she said.

He wasnt forceful, Hannah remembers, which made her feel safer somehow. This type of activity was new to her, and he was older, more experienced. She cared what he thought of her.

I knew that if he does these types of things, then he must have high standards, Hannah said. I just didnt want him to think of me badly.

Hannahs experience that night  performing sex acts for hours on camera while being given powder and pills  left her physically sick, she said, throwing up throughout the next morning. But it wasnt until the Lynnwood Police Department took on her case, following a report by her therapist, that she learned what it had meant: The detective suspected shed been sex trafficked.

She told me what crime was committed, and it felt unbelievable, Hannah said.

Hannah thought sex trafficking meant being kidnapped, taken overseas, held hostage, beaten, sold.

Her experience highlights a gap in Washingtons efforts to stop child trafficking. Dating sites and social media have become the top recruitment locations for sex trafficking in the nation, according to data from the National Human Trafficking Hotline, yet state legislation has done little to address cases like Hannahs. Meanwhile, local police departments like Lynnwood often lack the resources to investigate abusers who recruit kids online, and tech companies have been slow to enact safety measures that prevent online child sexual exploitation, experts and advocates say.

In 2021, the national hotline recorded 583 cases in which a sex trafficking victims recruitment location was known. Two-thirds of them were recruited over the internet, including 14% on dating sites and 16% on Facebook and Instagram, according to an analysis by Polaris, a nonprofit that operates the hotline.

Unfortunately, social media and these dating apps  Tinder and Bumble and things like that  are just fertile ground for people who want to exploit minors, said Alex Voorhees, the lead prosecutor for commercial sexual exploitation cases at the King County Prosecuting Attorneys Office. Voorhees estimates at least half of her cases start with alleged abusers meeting their victims online.

The trend is increasing at an alarming rate, data shows.

The National Center for Missing and Exploited Childrens CyberTipline, the nations centralized reporting system for online exploitation of children, received 17,353 reports of child sex trafficking in 2023, a 47% increase since 2019.

The growth in online child sexual exploitation is outpacing our capacity to respond, the U.S. Department of Justice wrote in a 2023 report to Congress. Congress responded with the REPORT Act, a bipartisan bill passed in April to protect kids from online exploitation and further hold social media companies accountable.

On a state level, the Washington Legislature passed a bill in March that aims to increase prosecutions of trafficking cases and provide more resources for child victims. But the legislation doesnt specifically address the online recruitment and exploitation of children. Age verification on dating apps didnt come up in conversations among legislators, said state Sen. Manka Dhingra, D-Redmond, the bills lead sponsor.

I think thats definitely something were going to have to look at for the future, Dhingra said.

Hannahs 18 now, and the investigation into her case is ongoing. She knows very little about her alleged abuser  she doubts that Max is even his real name. The long wait for justice has left her feeling unsafe, blamed and unable to move on, she said.

Some people are telling me that what is happening is traumatizing and stuff. But the way that the police and everyone is handling things, its just not seeming like, Hannah said, trailing off. I just feel like no ones really on my side.

That night

The Lynnwood Police Department would not comment or release reports from Hannahs case due to the ongoing investigation, and no charges have been filed. But Hannah says she remembers key points from that night. Her account matches the one she told her grandma right after it happened, her grandma confirmed to InvestigateWest, and police found evidence on Hannahs phone supporting the statement that she gave them about the incident, according to her emails with the detective.

Hannah said it was a cool June night in 2022 when she slid into the back seat of an Uber to meet Max. On the drive, she tried not to think about the odd things hed said to her.

Before the Uber arrived to pick her up, Max video-called her and had Hannah take her clothes off in front of the camera, she recalls. He told her not to wear underwear to the hotel and to text him a selfie with her tongue out. He said he was into the porn star lifestyle.

Hes not serious, Hannah told herself. He probably just likes the idea of it.

She arrived at the hotel in Lynnwood around 11 p.m., she said. Max led her up the elevator and into the room hed booked, where she noticed a tripod set up with lighting and a camera. On the floor were two suitcases filled with costumes, underwear, swimsuits and high heels. A laptop hooked up to the TV in the background played porn.

Another young woman inside the room stood naked, Hannah said. The woman introduced herself as Kristy and said she was 19. Kristy was flirty, friendly, confident. Hannah liked her.

Max ushered Hannah to the desk in the room and showed her a white powder piled on its wood surface. A mix of ecstasy and Adderall, Hannah remembers him telling her. He wanted her to take some. Hannah was hesitant, but gave in, leaning down to snort the powder.

He had Hannah exchange her black leggings and wool sweater for a halter dress that plunged in a deep V down her chest, she said. He made sure she wasnt recording anything on her phone and then told her to put her phone under the bed. She waited as he swiped on Tinder, searching for more matches, and periodically got up to rub more of the white powder over Hannahs gums.

When Max asked for her ID to check her age, she got nervous. She didnt have one, she admitted. She was only 16, not 18, like shed indicated on her dating profile.

I know he heard me. I know that for a fact, Hannah said.

He let her stay.

Kristy, who had left the room, returned and asked Hannah if she wanted to smoke fentanyl with her. Hannah had turned down Kristys offers earlier that evening, she said, but this time she agreed. Hannah quickly began feeling heavy, her vision blurred, like she was in a dream.

The details in her memory become foggier after that, she said, but the main aspects of the exploitation, later supported by digital evidence gathered by police, stuck with her.

Max explained the rules. Hannah would perform with Kristy on Chaturbate, a popular online platform with uncensored live webcam shows. She remembers Max telling her that his livestream typically has nearly 7,000 viewers who can comment asking the two teenagers to perform for tips or request custom videos for an additional fee. Hannah would get some of the profits, he told her.

Hannah and Kristy sat in a chair in front of the camera while Max stood behind it, narrating and reading the comments aloud, Hannah said. Max then got a private request for a custom video of Hannah and Kristy performing sex acts with him. But as he filmed it, Hannah started bleeding, a side effect of her birth control.

Max stopped recording, seemingly annoyed. Hannah washed off the blood and got back on camera, but the mood was altered. Shortly after, around 3 a.m., Max ordered her an Uber back to Federal Way, Hannah said.

She took her phone from under the bed and walked down to the lobby alone. She never saw Max again.

The bare minimum

Federal and state law makes clear that minors under 18 cannot consent to engaging in commercial sex acts. State law also specifies that not knowing a victims age or believing a victim was older does not excuse the crime.

Protection of minors, however, becomes less clear on social media and dating apps.

While many dating apps have some form of identity verification, including video selfies and the use of artificial intelligence to flag suspicious activity, kids and traffickers continue to use these platforms with relative ease, police and prosecutors say.

Theres a lot of predators that are on those sites all day long, every day, and their job is to just find the next person, said Maurice Washington, a detective with the Seattle Police Departments Human Trafficking Unit.

Match Group, the American tech company that owns Tinder and other popular online dating platforms like Hinge, Match and OkCupid, has endured criticisms from Congress and advocates in recent years for its failures to protect people from sexual predators on its apps. In February 2020, Congresswomen Jan Schakowsky of Illinois and Ann Kuster of New Hampshire sent a letter to Match Group urging the company to check users against sex offender registries and to be more transparent about its efforts to respond to reports of sexual violence on its platforms.

Amid these calls for action, Match Group announced a partnership in 2021 with a nonprofit called Garbo that would provide background checks for Tinder users. The partnership fell apart in 2023 following turnover in Match Group leadership and a rocky rollout of background check services, the Wall Street Journal reported.

Garbo founder and CEO Kathryn Kosmides describes the partnerships end as a values misalignment. She worried the technology that Match Group wanted to use would provide a false sense of security for users, she said.

From our perspective, Match Group doesnt have any real mission, vision, and values  which we sadly realized when we launched in 2022, Kosmides wrote in a statement to InvestigateWest. After launching, to add insult to injury, Tinder chose not to pay us for seventeen months. The absence of internal support combined with a bizarre focus on a piece of technology that we and dozens of other experts warned against led us to exit the partnership.

Match Group didnt respond to InvestigateWests requests for comment.

Kosmides points out that companies like Match Group have few incentives to keep bad actors off their platforms, as their business relies on users signing up.

That just creates kind of this bad incentivization model in the industry, she said. Its very much a check-the-box, what is the bare minimum that I have to legally do in a lot of these companies. And its very, very unfortunate.

Tinder now plans to expand its optional verification process for users in the U.S. later this summer, according to Match Group. People will be able to upload government-issued identification, and Tinder will check that the ID matches the users photos and profile information. Once verified, users get a blue checkmark on their profiles.

But having users upload additional personal information to dating apps opens up a different debate about user safety: protection versus privacy. Match Group platforms and other dating apps like Grindr and Bumble have faced several lawsuits for alleged privacy violations in recent years, including accusations of storing users biometric data without proper consent and sharing sensitive information to third parties  in Grindrs case, users HIV status.

I think that there are more ways that platforms could be utilizing technology and safety and security other than, Hey, give up your privacy, Kosmides said. Thats a slippery slope.

One way is by reporting misconduct to the CyberTipline run by the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children. The centers staff reviews tips about child sex trafficking and other exploitation occurring online, and works to track down the incidents location so that law enforcement can investigate, according to the center.

Reporting to the CyberTipline isnt optional. Electronic service providers based in the U.S.  including Match Group and social media platforms like Facebook, SnapChat and Instagram  are required under federal law to report instances of apparent child pornography.

But of more than 1,600 electronic service providers registered to make reports to the tipline, only 245 made any in 2023, according to the centers CyberTipline data report. Multi Media LLC, which owns Chaturbate, the porn site where Hannah says she was livestreamed, made 1,599 reports to the tipline in 2023, the data shows.

The relatively low number of reporting companies and the poor quality of many reports marks the continued need for action from Congress and the global tech community, the centers report says.

The federal REPORT Act passed in April creates a new requirement for websites and social media platforms to report child sex trafficking to the CyberTipline. It also gives law enforcement more time to investigate and prosecute these crimes, and raises penalties for companies that fail to report exploitative content, with fines up to $850,000.

In the meantime, livestreaming platforms and dating apps continue to be thriving places for child sexual exploitation, said Washington, the Seattle police detective.

It opens the door to a lot more people being vulnerable and victimized, he said. Thats just the landscape of it.

Justice Process

Later that summer in 2022, Hannah found herself once again driven to Lynnwood to meet with a stranger, taking the same exit off of Interstate 5 and passing the same hotel where she met Max. This time, she continued another half mile to the Lynnwood Police Department.

She took an elevator up to the lobby and waited for Lynnwood Detective Jacqueline Arnett to lead her to an interview room. Seated at a small, bare table, she told Arnett about that night and gave up her phone to be analyzed for evidence.

Hannahs case isnt unusual as far as child sex trafficking goes. In addition to the relatively commonplace recruitment of kids over the internet, research shows that abusers often target girls like Hannah  a mixed-race teen coping with mental health issues  and often use drugs as a means to control their victims.

Its everything from alcohol and marijuana to methamphetamine, fentanyl, heroin, said Voorhees, the King County prosecutor. It obviously reduces that individuals inhibitions. It reduces their ability to stand up for themselves.

Yet while the circumstances of her case arent uncommon, progress remains slow. These types of investigations can take significant time and resources for police as they gather digital evidence and sift through large amounts of data. Investigations are made even more difficult by platforms that allow user anonymity, dont retain messages or livestreamed videos, and operate outside the jurisdiction of the United States, police say.

As Hannah waited for any updates from the detective, she said the impact of that night began to sink in.

I just slowly started becoming more and more depressed over what had happened, she said.

When she went to stay with her grandma, Lauri Power, for a few weeks in Kitsap County, as she does intermittently, Hannah spent her days shut away in her bedroom on her laptop, Lauri says. She stopped going out in public. Shed cry at the smallest things.

We didnt know what she needed or what we could do to help her, Lauri said. She just seemed really, really distraught.

Lauri tried to encourage Hannah to come out of her bedroom and spend less time alone. But her efforts didnt seem to make much difference.

I think that the situations shes been in have not been healthy and probably will hang onto her her whole life and affect her. I know that much, Lauri said.

By the time Hannahs junior year of high school started in fall 2022, Hannah couldnt motivate herself to go for more than a few days. She worried her classmates might recognize her from the video, which, as far as she knows, is still circulating somewhere online. A close family member died around the same time, sending Hannah deeper into depression.

A few months into the school year, she dropped out entirely. I just didnt see a point, she said. She has no plans to go back.

Finally, in late December 2022, six months after the incident, Hannah got an email from Arnett, who declined an interview with InvestigateWest due to the ongoing investigation. The detective had reviewed Hannahs phone and didnt find any identifying information about the suspect.

This case is currently closed, Arnett wrote, adding to contact her if Hannah remembers additional information that could help with the case. Take care!

It must not have been a big deal after all, Hannah told herself. I kind of just thought I was overexaggerating that whole situation, she said.

Shortly after, however, the department reopened her case. The police had found other possible victims and identified a suspect, according to Hannahs emails with Arnett.

But by then, Hannahs faith in the justice process had waned.

They were willing to just close it and not even investigate, she said.

Shed hoped that by working with the police, she would feel safer and less alone, maybe connect with a community of other survivors, she said.

Instead, after two years, she feels like she has more questions than answers. Shes unsure if her case will be prosecuted or if shell ever know the identity of her alleged abuser. She wonders about Kristy, if the teen had been a victim, too. She hardly leaves her house anymore, afraid Max could have connections in the area.

I just dont feel safe around anyone honestly, she said.

She wishes she could move on and start fresh, like her family wants her to. But she still remembers the social media handle that Max used that night. She looked it up recently and found over 5,000 followers on X. She scrolled past faces, videos and livestreams of other young women on his channels across various porn sites.

Then she panicked, scared he would somehow see that shed checked his account, and quickly closed the tab.

InvestigateWest (invw.org) is an independent news nonprofit dedicated to investigative journalism in the Pacific Northwest. Reporter Kelsey Turner can be reached at kelsey@invw.org.
Want to be a poll worker on Election Day? Come to the Board of Elections open house

Ever thought about being a poll worker on Election Day? Now's your chance to find out all the details.

The Washington County Board of Elections is hosting an open house for National Poll Worker Recruitment Day from 9 a.m. to noon Thursday, Aug. 1, at the Washington County Election Center, 17718 Virginia Ave., Hagerstown.

Brochures and applications will be available, as well as additional information about elections and election judges. Election judges and staff will be on hand for questions and running demonstrations with a poll book, a ballot-marking device and a scanning unit.

Those who want to learn more about elections and how Election Day usually works or are interested in becoming an election judge are also welcome.

This article originally appeared on Salisbury Daily Times: Washington County Board of Elections to host an open house
Poll workers check in a voter during Georgias May primary at a Marietta polling place. Local election officials across the country face a poll worker shortage, and a coalition of election leaders, nonprofits and businesses are making a push for more on Aug. 1, National Poll Worker Recruitment Day. (Matt Vasilogambros/Stateline)

This week, a coalition of election officials, businesses, and civic engagement, religious and veterans groups will make a national push to encourage hundreds of thousands of Americans to serve as poll workers in Novembers presidential election.

Poll worker demand is high. With concerns over the harassment and threats election officials face, and with the traditional bench of poll workers growing older, hundreds of counties around the country are in desperate need of people who are willing to serve their communities.

On Aug. 1, there will be a social media blitz across Facebook, TikTok, X and other platforms that will encourage Americans to spend a few hours helping democracy. Theyre being asked to wake up before sunrise, welcome voters to polling places, hand them a ballot, and make sure the voting process goes smoothly.

Many sites will see long lines and frustrated voters; they may face unexpected problems such as a power outage or a cantankerous voting machine. Nearly all will hand out scores of tiny I Voted stickers.

Poll workers are the face of our democracy and the face of our elections.

 Marta Hanson, national program manager for the nonpartisan Power the Polls

The U.S. Election Assistance Commission, a federal agency that works with election officials to improve the voting process, established the recruitment day in 2020. The commission offers a social media toolkit, full of suggested hashtags and cartoon video snippets, to help local election officials reach potential new workers. There are 100,000 or so polling places across the country, and the agencys website shows potential workers how to sign up.

Serving as a poll worker is the single most impactful, nonpartisan way that any individual person can engage in the elections this year, said Marta Hanson, the national program manager for Power the Polls, one of the leading nonpartisan groups in the recruitment effort.

Poll workers are the face of our democracy and the face of our elections, she told Stateline.

Launched in the spring of 2020 during the throes of the COVID-19 pandemic, Power the Polls gathered nonprofits and businesses together to help election workers close the gap left after many poll workers, who tend to be older, decided to no longer serve due to health concerns. Nearly half of the poll workers who served in 2020 were older than 60.

The groups effort recruited 700,000 prospective poll workers nationwide.

It is our vision that every voter has someone who looks like them and speaks their language when they show up at the polling place, and that election administrators have the people that they need, Hanson said.

Polling places still need poll workers. This year Power the Polls is tracking more than 1,835 jurisdictions, spanning all 50 states and the District of Columbia, that the group identified through outreach to election administrators, monitoring local news and working with on-the-ground partners.

Of those jurisdictions, Hanson said, 700 towns and counties have really, really high needs.

For example, Boston needs 500 new poll workers by its Sept. 3 primary, while Detroit needs 1,000 more people to sign up before November. In small towns in Connecticut and rural California, officials are desperate to find 20 people to help. Los Angeles County is looking for people who speak one of a dozen languages that are prevalent in the area.

In suburban Cobb County just outside of Atlanta, Director of Elections Tate Fall said recruiting poll workers has been difficult, but not at the level shes heard about in other communities nationally. Her team has found success at farmers markets, Juneteenth festivals and senior services events.

Among her challenges, she said, is that many of the poll workers who have signed up this year are new and need more training and practice before November. She also worries about reliability.

Its just we have a lot of people sign up and then they never mark their availability, or they only want to work in their precinct, Fall said. We need people that are a bit more flexible. But overall, were doing good.

Over the past four years, local election officials have been bombarded by misinformation, harassment and threats fueled by the lie that the 2020 presidential election was stolen.

To ease voters skepticism about ballot security, officials will often welcome them into the elections office and give them a tour.

In Nevada, Carson City Clerk-Recorder Scott Hoen goes a step further by inviting skeptical residents to see the election process firsthand as a poll worker.

Lo and behold, once they go through the cycle, they understand and they can touch, feel it, see it, know it, understand it, that we run a really good, tight election here in Carson City, Hoen said. I think they have a better comfort with me now doing that, teaching them whats going on.

In Marion County, Florida, Supervisor of Elections Wesley Wilcox has been worried about people who believe the 2020 election was stolen working as poll workers and potentially disrupting the voting process. But the required training to become a poll worker has alleviated some of that concern.

Weve had them, and they actually become some of our advocates in this process, he said.

Joseph Kirk, the election supervisor for Bartow County, Georgia, said that, beyond learning about the voting system, being a poll worker is just fun.

Kirk tells voters that its an opportunity to take a day off work, get paid, meet new people, see the characters of the community and enjoy a good meal, since some poll workers bring in homemade food to share.

And for the high school government students he recruits in their classes, its a way to participate in elections as early as 16.

Its a community, he said. And being part of it is really special.

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 X.
Poll workers check in a voter during Georgias May primary at a Marietta polling place. Local election officials across the country face a poll worker shortage, and a coalition of election leaders, nonprofits and businesses are making a push for more on Aug. 1, National Poll Worker Recruitment Day. (Photo by Matt Vasilogambros / Stateline)

This week, a coalition of election officials, businesses, and civic engagement, religious and veterans groups will make a national push to encourage hundreds of thousands of Americans to serve as poll workers in Novembers presidential election.

Poll worker demand is high. With concerns over the harassment and threats election officials face, and with the traditional bench of poll workers growing older, hundreds of counties around the country are in desperate need of people who are willing to serve their communities.

On Aug. 1, there will be a social media blitz across Facebook, TikTok, X and other platforms that will encourage Americans to spend a few hours helping democracy. Theyre being asked to wake up before sunrise, welcome voters to polling places, hand them a ballot, and make sure the voting process goes smoothly.

Many sites will see long lines and frustrated voters; they may face unexpected problems such as a power outage or a cantankerous voting machine. Nearly all will hand out scores of tiny I Voted stickers.

The U.S. Election Assistance Commission, a federal agency that works with election officials to improve the voting process, established the recruitment day in 2020. The commission offers a social media toolkit, full of suggested hashtags and cartoon video snippets, to help local election officials reach potential new workers. There are 100,000 or so polling places across the country, and the agencys website shows potential workers how to sign up.

Serving as a poll worker is the single most impactful, nonpartisan way that any individual person can engage in the elections this year, said Marta Hanson, the national program manager for Power the Polls, one of the leading nonpartisan groups in the recruitment effort.

Poll workers are the face of our democracy and the face of our elections, she told Stateline.

Launched in the spring of 2020 during the throes of the COVID-19 pandemic, Power the Polls gathered nonprofits and businesses together to help election workers close the gap left after many poll workers, who tend to be older, decided to no longer serve due to health concerns. Nearly half of the poll workers who served in 2020 were older than 60.

The groups effort recruited 700,000 prospective poll workers nationwide.

It is our vision that every voter has someone who looks like them and speaks their language when they show up at the polling place, and that election administrators have the people that they need, Hanson said.

Polling places still need poll workers. This year Power the Polls is tracking more than 1,835 jurisdictions, spanning all 50 states and the District of Columbia, that the group identified through outreach to election administrators, monitoring local news and working with on-the-ground partners.

Of those jurisdictions, Hanson said, 700 towns and counties have really, really high needs.

For example, Boston needs 500 new poll workers by its Sept. 3 primary, while Detroit needs 1,000 more people to sign up before November. In small towns in Connecticut and rural California, officials are desperate to find 20 people to help. Los Angeles County is looking for people who speak one of a dozen languages that are prevalent in the area.

In suburban Cobb County just outside of Atlanta, Director of Elections Tate Fall said recruiting poll workers has been difficult, but not at the level shes heard about in other communities nationally. Her team has found success at farmers markets, Juneteenth festivals and senior services events.

Among her challenges, she said, is that many of the poll workers who have signed up this year are new and need more training and practice before November. She also worries about reliability.

Its just we have a lot of people sign up and then they never mark their availability, or they only want to work in their precinct, Fall said. We need people that are a bit more flexible. But overall, were doing good.

Over the past four years, local election officials have been bombarded by misinformation, harassment and threats fueled by the lie that the 2020 presidential election was stolen.

To ease voters skepticism about ballot security, officials will often welcome them into the elections office and give them a tour.

In Nevada, Carson City Clerk-Recorder Scott Hoen goes a step further by inviting skeptical residents to see the election process firsthand as a poll worker.

Lo and behold, once they go through the cycle, they understand and they can touch, feel it, see it, know it, understand it, that we run a really good, tight election here in Carson City, Hoen said. I think they have a better comfort with me now doing that, teaching them whats going on.

In Marion County, Florida, Supervisor of Elections Wesley Wilcox has been worried about people who believe the 2020 election was stolen working as poll workers and potentially disrupting the voting process. But the required training to become a poll worker has alleviated some of that concern.

Weve had them, and they actually become some of our advocates in this process, he said.

Joseph Kirk, the election supervisor for Bartow County, Georgia, said that, beyond learning about the voting system, being a poll worker is just fun.

Kirk tells voters that its an opportunity to take a day off work, get paid, meet new people, see the characters of the community and enjoy a good meal, since some poll workers bring in homemade food to share.

And for the high school government students he recruits in their classes, its a way to participate in elections as early as 16.

Its a community, he said. And being part of it is really special.

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Stateline is part of States Newsroom, a nonprofit news network supported by grants and a coalition of donors as a 501c(3) public charity. Stateline maintains editorial independence. Contact Editor Scott S. Greenberger for questions: info@stateline.org. Follow Stateline on Facebook and X.
Poll workers check in a voter during Georgias May primary at a Marietta polling place. Local election officials across the country face a poll worker shortage, and a coalition of election leaders, nonprofits and businesses are making a push for more on Aug. 1, National Poll Worker Recruitment Day. (Matt Vasilogambros/Stateline)

This week, a coalition of election officials, businesses, and civic engagement, religious and veterans groups will make a national push to encourage hundreds of thousands of Americans to serve as poll workers in Novembers presidential election.

Poll worker demand is high. With concerns over the harassment and threats election officials face, and with the traditional bench of poll workers growing older, hundreds of counties around the country are in desperate need of people who are willing to serve their communities.

On Aug. 1, there will be a social media blitz across Facebook, TikTok, X and other platforms that will encourage Americans to spend a few hours helping democracy. Theyre being asked to wake up before sunrise, welcome voters to polling places, hand them a ballot, and make sure the voting process goes smoothly.

Many sites will see long lines and frustrated voters; they may face unexpected problems such as a power outage or a cantankerous voting machine. Nearly all will hand out scores of tiny I Voted stickers.

The U.S. Election Assistance Commission, a federal agency that works with election officials to improve the voting process, established the recruitment day in 2020. The commission offers a social media toolkit, full of suggested hashtags and cartoon video snippets, to help local election officials reach potential new workers. There are 100,000 or so polling places across the country, and the agencys website shows potential workers how to sign up.

Serving as a poll worker is the single most impactful, nonpartisan way that any individual person can engage in the elections this year, said Marta Hanson, the national program manager for Power the Polls, one of the leading nonpartisan groups in the recruitment effort.

Poll workers are the face of our democracy and the face of our elections, she told Stateline.

Launched in the spring of 2020 during the throes of the COVID-19 pandemic, Power the Polls gathered nonprofits and businesses together to help election workers close the gap left after many poll workers, who tend to be older, decided to no longer serve due to health concerns. Nearly half of the poll workers who served in 2020 were older than 60.

The groups effort recruited 700,000 prospective poll workers nationwide.

It is our vision that every voter has someone who looks like them and speaks their language when they show up at the polling place, and that election administrators have the people that they need, Hanson said.

Polling places still need poll workers. This year Power the Polls is tracking more than 1,835 jurisdictions, spanning all 50 states and the District of Columbia, that the group identified through outreach to election administrators, monitoring local news and working with on-the-ground partners.

Of those jurisdictions, Hanson said, 700 towns and counties have really, really high needs.

For example, Boston needs 500 new poll workers by its Sept. 3 primary, while Detroit needs 1,000 more people to sign up before November. In small towns in Connecticut and rural California, officials are desperate to find 20 people to help. Los Angeles County is looking for people who speak one of a dozen languages that are prevalent in the area.

In suburban Cobb County just outside of Atlanta, Director of Elections Tate Fall said recruiting poll workers has been difficult, but not at the level shes heard about in other communities nationally. Her team has found success at farmers markets, Juneteenth festivals and senior services events.

Among her challenges, she said, is that many of the poll workers who have signed up this year are new and need more training and practice before November. She also worries about reliability.

Its just we have a lot of people sign up and then they never mark their availability, or they only want to work in their precinct, Fall said. We need people that are a bit more flexible. But overall, were doing good.

Over the past four years, local election officials have been bombarded by misinformation, harassment and threats fueled by the lie that the 2020 presidential election was stolen.

To ease voters skepticism about ballot security, officials will often welcome them into the elections office and give them a tour.

In Nevada, Carson City Clerk-Recorder Scott Hoen goes a step further by inviting skeptical residents to see the election process firsthand as a poll worker.

Lo and behold, once they go through the cycle, they understand and they can touch, feel it, see it, know it, understand it, that we run a really good, tight election here in Carson City, Hoen said. I think they have a better comfort with me now doing that, teaching them whats going on.

In Marion County, Florida, Supervisor of Elections Wesley Wilcox has been worried about people who believe the 2020 election was stolen working as poll workers and potentially disrupting the voting process. But the required training to become a poll worker has alleviated some of that concern.

Weve had them, and they actually become some of our advocates in this process, he said.

Joseph Kirk, the election supervisor for Bartow County, Georgia, said that, beyond learning about the voting system, being a poll worker is just fun.

Kirk tells voters that its an opportunity to take a day off work, get paid, meet new people, see the characters of the community and enjoy a good meal, since some poll workers bring in homemade food to share.

And for the high school government students he recruits in their classes, its a way to participate in elections as early as 16.

Its a community, he said. And being part of it is really special.

This story was produced by Stateline, a States Newsroom affiliate.
Editors note: The two OSHA citations embedded in this story may display only as blank boxes in the Google Chrome and Microsoft Edge desktop browsers. If you experience this, please try a different browser or switch to a mobile device to read the story.

The catastrophic collapse of a steel aircraft hangar at the Boise Airport has puzzled observers for months.

Newly released findings Monday from the Occupational Safety and Health Administration reveal key reasons for the structures failure, which killed three workers and injured eight others. Big D Builders, the Meridian contractor working on the football-field sized hangar, ignored visible warning signs and exercised blatant disregard for standard safety procedures during its construction, the agency said.

Killed in the Jan. 31 structure collapse were Craig Durrant, co-founder of Big D Builders, and two construction workers, Mario Sontay Tzi and Mariano Alex Coc Och.

At the construction site, the morning after a support structure collapsed near the Boise Airport, wreckage shows twisted girders with a crane in the center. Three workers were killed in the accident, and nine others hospitalized when the frame for a airplane hangar being constructed to the west of Jackson Jet Center collapsed Jan. 31.

What OSHA says happened

1. Guy lines werent installed.

The hangar was to span 300 feet. To construct it, Big D Builders planned to place two 150-foot long sections of steel I-beams parallel to each other and then connect them with structural steel and bracing, David Kearns, director of OSHAs Boise Area Office, said by email.

As the company built more sections, it became clear they werent straight, and rather than installing additional bracing or temporary guy lines, as is the industry standard, the company left critical connecting bolts loose and used straps to help straighten it, OSHA said in a news release.

The federal investigators said the company began building the hangar without sufficient bracing or guy wires, the tensioned cables that add stability to freestanding structures.

2. Big D ignored signs of instability.

Big D made no plan prior to construction to secure the large-span structure, Kearns said in a phone interview with the Idaho Statesman.

Its industry practice to take steps for stability and everything remains plumb, Kearns said. When you get to something of this size, shortcuts are going to be much more likely to come back and haunt you.

Construction crews began adding the sections and connecting them on Jan. 29, just two days before the hangar collapsed. Before the accident, workers reported bent rafters, crooked columns and numerous snapped cables, according to a citation issued to Big D Builders.

Big D Builders ignored numerous signs that the 43-foot-tall structure was unstable, according to a news release from the U.S. Department of Labor, which includes OSHA. Some I-shaped beams were visibly curved, bent and wavy.

3. Bolts werent properly tightened.

Investigators found that Big D crews had failed to properly tighten bolts, including two columns in which none of the 24 bolts were tightened, according to the citation. At least eight of the 12 bolts needed were not tightened on a third column.

During demolition of the site in June, OSHA investigators returned and determined that less than half of the connecting bolts had been properly tightened, Kearns said. In almost every case, the bolts were no better than hand-tight, he told the Statesman.

While we cant say it was the direct factor that led to the collapse, its an indication of types of erection being done out there and some serious concerns that we had about that, Kearns said.

4. Employees werent properly trained.

Big D also failed to provide employees with proper training in the hazards associated with connecting, according to the citation. Workers engaged in connecting had not received training to include bolt tightening requirements and torquing methods.

Nor had employees received training in procedures to ensure structural stability of longer-than-normal rafters that support the roof, according to the citation.

5. The ground wasnt prepared properly.

OSHA cited Big D for failing to follow proper procedures for the ground that crews were working on. That exposed workers to the risk of equipment overturning, according to the report.

A firm, properly graded, drained area was not readily accessible to work with adequate space for the safe storage of materials, and the safe operation of the erectors equipment, the citation said. Steel erection work occurred in mud and areas of standing water.

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This embedded content is not available in your region.

What about the toppling crane?

Although OSHA still cannot affirmatively say what led to the collapse, there is no indication that it was a construction crane that toppled the massive steel structure, Kearns said.

What about high winds?

High winds at or around the time the structure failed  measured at speeds higher than 20 mph with gusts in the 30s  may have been a contributing factor, Kearns said. But they were not deemed to be the cause of the collapse.

If you already had some structural stability concerns, then Im sure that the winds were not helpful, Kearns said.

Boise State engineer: Evidence points to poor management

Yang Lu, an associate professor of civil engineering at Boise State University and an expert in forensic analysis of failed structures, said the OSHA report confirmed what he suspected might have occurred after news broke of the hangars collapse in January.

Initially, I guessed that it was a quality-control issue, Lu told the Statesman by phone Monday. Its one floor, right? Its not a very heavy load, and steel structures are usually pretty strong, as long as theyre connected well. And technology-wise, this is a pretty mature design.

Lu said most structural failures that occur during the construction phase are caused by poor management or quality-control problems.

He questioned whether the laborers at the site were adequately trained or licensed to do the kind of work they were tasked with. He said construction engineers shouldve been in the field overseeing the project.

It appears they didnt assemble it well or didnt connect it well, Lu said.

What OSHA proposes, and why

OSHA recommended the company be fined nearly $200,000 for four violations of federal safety regulations. The total fine is one of the larger financial penalties in Idaho in recent years, Kearns said.

No one death or life is worth more than another, but for this many to occur all at once especially when they were preventable like these were, it really hurts, Kearns said.

The regulatory agency also proposed that Inland Crane, the Boise contractor used by Big D Builders, pay more than $10,000 in fines for exposing workers to hazards and failing to ensure the hangars stability as it was erected.

Big D Builders, citing a pending lawsuit, said it had no comment on the citation or OSHAs findings.

Inland Crane said OSHAs findings align with its own initial impression that neither the company nor its equipment contributed to the tragic collapse of the hangar.

But Kearns told the Statesman: They were out there, they were involved, they were very familiar with the bending and the waving, the issues with the structure. They did express concerns, but they did not take steps to remove workers from the hazard. In the end, they were very fortunate that they did not injure or lose any of their own workers.

OSHA: Let this be a wake-up call

Kearns said Januarys preventable fatal incident and OSHAs findings should act as a reminder and wake-up call to contractors in and around the Treasure Valley to mind industry best practices and safety-regulation standards during construction.

Im hopeful that if anything good comes out of a tragedy like this, its that it helps tune up their safety practices, helps improve the culture they have there at the worksite, and workplace safety and health is a core value for them, he said.

Investigators find appalling disregard for safety before deadly Boise hangar collapse

Did not look right: Workers flagged concerns before deadly Boise hangar collapse

Lawsuit says construction firms cut corners, causing Boise Airport hangar collapse
Columbus police issued an arrest warrant Monday for Duron Thomas Sr., 32, who is accused of killing one person and injuring another in Franklinton Sunday.

At 1:43 a.m. Sunday, officers responded to reports of a shooting at the 300 block of South Glenwood Avenue. They found Jacob Coons, 25, and an unnamed victim with gunshot wounds, according to a police report.

Officers provided medical aid to the victims until Columbus Division of Fire personnel arrived. A CFD medic pronounced Coons dead at 1:50 a.m., while the unnamed victim  who is expected to survive  was taken to a local hospital.

Anyone with information on the whereabouts of Thomas Sr. can call police or a tip line at (614)-461-8477, according to the police report.

NHart@dispatch.com

@NathanRHart

This article originally appeared on The Columbus Dispatch: Columbus police searching for Duron Thomas Sr. for Franklinton murder
A BBC correspondent repeatedly described the Dunblane gun massacre as a mass stabbing comparable to the Southport knife attacks.

Daniel Sandford, the broadcasters long-serving home affairs correspondent, said the attack on Dunblane Primary School in 1996 had been another infamous example of a mass stabbing in Britain involving children.

The Dunblane incident was the deadliest mass shooting in British history, with gunman Thomas Hamilton killing 16 pupils and a teacher and injuring 15 others with handguns before killing himself.

On Monday afternoon, Sandford, who was an ITN journalist when the Dunblane massacre occurred, compared it to the Southport stabbings.

Weve had some exceptionally distressing mass stabbings, most infamously of course in Dunblane, back in 1996 I believe that was, when a significant number of primary school children were stabbed to death in a mass stabbing, he said.

But this is not something that is in any way common and the number of mass stabbings involving children, on this scale, really the only one I can immediately think of is the Dunblane Primary School incident in 1996.

The clip of the blunder was widely shared on social media where there was astonishment at the error.

The Dunblane massacre led to major changes in UK gun laws in what was a huge news story at the time with the fallout from the massacre lasting several years.

Sandford moved to the BBC in 1998 and has worked for the broadcaster ever since.

Unacceptable

He was being interviewed about the Southport incident on the BBC News channel shortly after 3pm on Monday, around three hours after the Southport attack.

Police were called to reports of a stabbing at around 11:50 on Monday and they later said a ferocious knife attack had left two children dead at a Taylor Swift-themed dance and yoga event.

Daniel Sandford is older than me, Steve Skipper wrote on X, formerly Twitter. How on earth would a professional journalist recall the 1996 Dunblane massacre as a mass stabbing?

Alex Grant said the national broadcaster must do better. He wrote: To get the details of one of the darkest days in British history so badly wrong is unacceptable. [BBC News] is supposed to be our countrys no.1 broadcaster.

The BBC declined to comment.

A source at the broadcaster said Sanford misspoke which they said can happen in live broadcasting.

They said he had been referring to mass killings of children in the UK.

Broaden your horizons with award-winning British journalism. Try The Telegraph free for 3 months with unlimited access to our award-winning website, exclusive app, money-saving offers and more.
WATCH: Dashcam shows shoot out between CHP and attempted murderer in Tulare County

WATCH: Dashcam shows shoot out between CHP and attempted murderer in Tulare County

TULARE, Calif. (KSEE/KGPE)  Dashcam footage of a police shootout that ended with the suspects arrest was released by the Tulare County District Attorneys Office on Monday. The 2021 shoot-out between CHP and a man convicted of attempted murder nearly cost an officer her life.

According to the DAs office, on February 19, 2021, Marvin Joseph Chang knocked on the window of a car in Three Rivers while holding a gun and pointing at the person inside. That person drove away and called police, who caught up with Chang. He then led them on a high-speed chase which ended with him shooting at law enforcement before he was arrested.

DA: Man guilty of attempted murder of police officer in Tulare County

The recently released dashcam footage shows the final moments of the chase between Chang and a female CHP officer.









Officials say that deputies with the Tulare County Sheriffs Office pursued Chang, who left his car in an orange grove. The CHP officer parked behind the Prius to clear the vehicle and then approached the Prius with her weapon holstered.

In the dashcam video, Chang can be seen firing a gun at the officer from behind a tree. The video goes on to show the CHP officer retreating to her vehicle to return fire. As she attempted to reload, Chang advanced and fired more rounds.

The video shows the officer running around the vehicle to escape Chang, who continued shooting until he eventually shot the officer in the shoulder. Chang reportedly then pistol-whipped the officer when his gun jammed. Deputies then rushed to the scene and Chang fled through the trees.

Chang was apprehended after another firefight with law enforcement, the DAs office says. A search of Chang revealed he had a firearm with an extended magazine and was wearing a ballistic vest.

Following a search of the Prius, the DAs office says an additional handgun, an AR rifle, additional magazines, three knives, and over 1000 rounds of ammunition. Chang was also in possession of hallucinogenic mushrooms.

At trial on July 22, 2024, a jury found Chang guilty of several of charges including;

Five counts of premeditated and deliberate attempted murder,

Assault with a semi-automatic firearm on peace officers,

Felony in possession of firearms, ammunition, and a ballistic vest,

Felony evading,

Special allegations that he discharged a firearm.

The court also found Changs 2008 prior conviction for an assault with a deadly weapon was a strike offense. On July 24, 2024, the same jury found Chang to be legally sane at the time of his crimes.

During his testimony at trial, the DAs office says Chang admitted his history and support for political extremism, including affiliations with anarchist revolutionary groups such as Antifa and others with strong anti-government, anti-law enforcement sentiments.

Chang is set to be sentenced on August 16.

Copyright 2024 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.

For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to YourCentralValley.com | KSEE24 and CBS47.
(Bloomberg) -- Microsoft Corp. said an outage of Azure cloud applications was triggered by a distributed-denial-of-service cyberattack.

Most Read from Bloomberg

The DDoS attack began early Tuesday and an error in Microsofts automated protection mechanisms worsened the impact rather than mitigating it, the company said in a status update.

Customers were affected in multiple regions, including services running on Azure. For example, mobile ordering at Starbucks Corp. was disabled for hours because of the issues affecting Azure, according to a person familiar with the matter.

Denial-of-service attacks direct internet traffic at a website in mass volume to disrupt it or shut it down. The incidents have become a persistent annoyance for financial institutions, causing intermittent downtime and forcing security staffers to repel the activity.

Reports of outages on Azure and Microsoft 365 began to spike shortly after 7 a.m. in New York and comprised hundreds of complaints at the incidents peak, according to user reports compiled by Downdetector. Microsoft said the incident was fixed by about 5 p.m. in New York.

The issue also affected multiple Microsoft 365 services and features, Microsoft said in a post on social network X. Microsoft 365 includes common productivity applications like Outlook, Word and Excel.

Mobile ordering for Starbucks had largely been restored by about 1 p.m. in New York. The company was working to address limited interruptions that continued, a Starbucks spokesperson said.

Earlier this month, some 8 million computers running on the Windows operating system crashed after the cybersecurity firm CrowdStrike Holdings Inc. released a flawed software update. In addition, Microsoft has also been grappling with the fallout from a series of cyberattacks that prompted the US government to issue a scathing report calling for companywide changes.

Microsoft Chief Executive Officer Satya Nadella touted progress in the companys cybersecurity products during a conference call Tuesday after the company reported quarterly earnings. He said the company has more than 1.2 million security customers.

We continue to prioritize security above all else, Nadella said.

(Updates throughout to indicate outage began as cyberattack.)

Story continues

Most Read from Bloomberg Businessweek

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The Senate Judiciary Committee heard testimony Tuesday from acting Secret Service Director Ronald Rowe Jr. and FBI Deputy Director Paul Abbate as part of their investigation into the attempted assassination of former President Trump at a rally in Pennsylvania earlier this month.

Rowe assumed the top position at the agency, which provides security for presidents and their families, as well as presidential candidates, after former Secret Service Director Kimberly Cheatle resigned after backlash following the incident.

In addition to answers about the lapses in communication and action at the July 13 rally in Butler, Pa., Judiciary Committee Chair Dick Durbin (D-Ill.) said he also wants to know what plans are in place to assure the safety of those attending the Democratic National Convention in Chicago beginning Aug. 19.

The hearing began at 10 a.m. EDT.

Watch the video clip above.

Copyright 2024 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.

For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to The Hill.
WATKINS GLEN, N.Y. (WETM)  A Watkins Glen man will serve up to four years in prison after pleading guilty to a weapons charge.

According to the Schuyler County District Attorneys Office, John J. Slack, 38, pleaded guilty to third-degree criminal possession of a weapon (a class D felony) in the Schuyler County Court on March 28. He was sentenced to two to four years in state prison on July 11 as a second felony offender.

Burdett man sentenced to up to nine years in prison following burglary/arson incident

On the day he was sentenced, Slack pled guilty to an unrelated charge: tampering with physical evidence (a class A misdemeanor). Slack was sentenced to 180 or incarceration for this charge.

Schuyler County Chief Assistant District Attorney Jeremy Hourihan prosecuted this case.

Copyright 2024 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.

For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to WETM - MyTwinTiers.com.
Wedding dress designer Hayley Paige Gutman made an appearance Tuesday afternoon on Capitol Hill at a subcommittee hearing about the potential banning of noncompete agreements on workers.

Invited as a witness by Sen. Elizabeth Warren, Gutmans appearance before the U.S. Senate Committee on Banking, Housing and Urban Affairs subcommittee on economic policy touched upon professional struggles and even the U.S. womens gymnastics team at the Olympics. Dressed in a hot pink suit and with her blond tresses curled, Gutmans style was reminiscent of Reese Witherspoons Elle Woods outfit in a fictitious congressional scene in the 2003 film Legally Blonde 2.

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Beaming with a smile throughout her brief remarks, Gutman, who is cofounder of the She Is Cheval label, informed attendees of knowing from a very young age what she wanted to do with her life. She said, I dedicated my childhood, education and industry experience to bringing women joy through wedding dress design. And boy did I love it.

Before discussing how her journey took a harrowing turn and what was a three-and-a-half-year legal battle with her former employer, Gutman informed attendees of her international acclaim after being featured on the reality show Say Yes to the Dress, as well as what was once a brand with distribution in 300 stores.

On Tuesday, the designer explained that she had signed an employment contract that included a noncompete clause in 2011 at the age of 25. The contract was with JLM Couture, which she did not identify by name. (She continued to design her namesake wedding gowns 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.)

Opening the event, the senator had suggested that noncompetes impact 1 in 5 American workers in a variety of fields including doggie day care and hair salon stylists among others. She also spoke in favor of the Federal Trade Commissions final rule to promote competition by banning noncompetes. Warren also reiterated the FTCs estimates that such action will lead to more than 8,500 new businesses being created annually. She also praised the Joe Biden-Kamala Harris ticket for their efforts.

Gutman is the latest Millennial notable with a robust social media following to take a public stand on Capitol Hill recently. In late June, Paris Hilton testified before the House Ways and Means Committee, detailing her teenage abuse in a residential youth treatment center and calling for child welfare reforms. Gutmans social media tally and her appeal with a younger fan base were said to have been part of the incentive for including her in Tuesdays hearing. The Economic Policy Institutes Heidi Shierholz and an orthopedic surgeon R. James Toussaint were the other two witnesses.

In late May, Gutman and JLM settled their years long legal battle. As part of the deal, Gutman agreed to pay JLM $263,000 and the New York based multibrand bridal company gave the designer the rights to the Hayley Paige name and social media accounts. That also paved the way for her to return to the bridal industry, designing wedding gowns. 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.

Hayley Paige Bridal, fall 2018

Asked about Gutmans Capitol Hill appearance, JLMs chief executive officer Joseph Murphy said Wednesday that he was satisfied with the settlement between Gutman and JLM, he wished her well. Murphy declined any further comment.

Over the weekend, the designer used her Instagram to clue in fans to her plans to visit the Beltway, by posting Warrens invitation to speak at the hearing. Before the subcommittee, the designer spoke of the disproportionate negotiation power that many young employees and young creatives are subjected to. Without naming JLM Couture, Gutman summarized all of the legal wrangling, and how she was unpaid in her chosen trade for a seven-year period and had to hand over her heavily followed social media accounts. Gutman claimed that she refused to succumb to victimhood, changed her name publicly and started an Instagram but she was not willing to change her trade after dedicating her life to the necessary skill set.

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 her attorneys 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. 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 determined that Gutman would have to wait out that noncompete through the end of 2025. But both parties settlement in late May lifted that and Gutmans return to the bridal industry was greenlighted.

On Tuesday, Gutman spoke of the residual stress that her brides faced, due to her situation. Now a small business owner, Gutman said, What Ive learned is there are very effective legal precautions you can take to protect your intellectual property. There are privacy policies, fiduciary duties and also ways to effectively impose nondisclosure agreements to effectively safeguard trade secrets.

In one of the more unexpected parts of her remarks, the designer drew attention to the Summer Games in Paris. The irony is that this hearing is taking place on one of the best days of competition in the world  the womens gymnastics team finals at the Olympics. I was a competitive gymnast for 16 years so you can only imagine the poetry that I am experiencing right now. I can tell you that the pride and the patriotism that you can feel when you have no cap on what youre capable of doing  that is where the magic is, Gutman said. so to that, long live fair competition and let a girl design a dress.

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Weird Republicans: Trump, Vance and Kobach can be summed up in one word

U.S. Sen. J.D. Vance, R-Ohio, speaks to reporters in the spin room following the CNN Presidential Debate between U.S. President Joe Biden and former U.S. President Donald Trump on June 27, 2024, at the McCamish Pavilion on the Georgia Institute of Technology campus in Atlanta, Georgia

Republican presidential candidate and former President Donald Trump mocks U.S. President Joe Biden while speaking during a Get Out The Vote rally at Coastal Carolina University on Feb. 10, 2024, in Conway, South Carolina. (Win McNamee/Getty Images)

The word of the moment is weird.

Thats the term floating around about former president and presumptive Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump and his running mate, Sen. J.D. Vance. Pioneered as an attack line by Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz, weird encapsulates the peculiar position of our modern-day Republican Party. It wants voters to support a singularly unappetizing duo, one of them prone to monologues about Hannibal Lecter and sharks, the other hating on childless cat ladies.

Im telling you: these guys are weird. pic.twitter.com/fvNRNf7T7T  Tim Walz (@Tim_Walz) July 24, 2024

This attack wouldnt have gone anywhere if leveled by Democratic President Joe Biden. At 81 years of age and deep into the uncanny valley of repeated facelifts, the president can disconcert audiences. But with Vice President Kamala Harris replacing Biden at the top of the ticket, Walzs attack packs a punch.

Yes, Trump and Vance may pose an authoritarian threat to our democracy. Ive made the point, as have Biden and a host of others. But that puts a heavy burden on voters, one they may be reluctant to accept while grappling with high food prices and expensive housing.

Far simpler to see the orange-hued Florida man as, well, weird.

It perfectly describes the uneasiness people feel. Its how people who dont live and breathe politics every day react to hearing the Republican vice presidential candidate denigrate people without children, Democratic strategist Tim Hogan told Politico. Its simple. Its how you might talk to your neighbor about the crazy political climate were living in.

Weird summarizes Republican extremism across the board.

Obsessed with transgender peoples private lives? Weird.

Angry about women and people of color participating in society? Weird.

Claiming fetuses are people and putting reproductive health care at risk? Yeah, thats weird too.

Here in Kansas, the word could be used fruitfully about Attorney General Kris Kobach. His dogged pursuit of pet issues such as disenfranchising voters, in the face of facts, logic and continuing legal education, seems pretty darn odd when you come down to it. House Speaker Dan Hawkins crusade to block health insurance from those in need  while simultaneously running an insurance business of his own  well, its certainly weird.

Dont even get me started on the Kansas Legislature.

By the way, I dont mean to cast aspersions on any good-natured weirdos and oddballs. As a longtime journalist, I come from a quirky clan. No, were talking about people who choose their weirdness as a way of harming others. These people have adopted a set of beliefs and advocate a slate of proposals that dont benefit our country or state, but instead serve their own selfish ends.

The word also signifies a generational shift in national electoral politics. One thats long overdue. As Reflector columnist Eric Thomas pointed out earlier this month, baby boomers have held the highest office for decades in the United States, and their concerns and rhetoric have grown rancid with repetition.

Modern messaging didnt jibe with Biden. Not his fault, but he is 81 and it just couldnt connect, said Washburn University political science professor Bob Beatty. Harris may be my age, but thats good enough because shes got a direct connection to this generation thats once removed, not twice or three times removed like Biden and Trump.

He added: Ive been hearing the term weird from my students and kids for years and its a very effective term by the Dems to convey in their messaging that the behavior and stances of their opponents are way out of norm.

Most people dont understand that far from being immovable monoliths, U.S. political parties shift all the time.

Archconservative Republicans of today have little to do with the Republican Party as it emerged in the 1850s, as a progressive response to slavery. The Democratic Party once included a bloc of racist Southerners; a multiethnic coalition has thankfully replaced them.

Were on the precipice of further change. As new leaders emerge, the future gleams with possibility. Republicans have grown more populist, although precisely what that means can be debated. Democrats have simultaneously become both more progressive and welcoming of Never Trump Republicans, making common cause for the future of our republic.

Exactly where this all ends up is anyones guess. However, calling extreme and hateful ideas what they are  weird  pushes both parties toward a sensible debate on actual issues that real people care about.

You might even call it normal.

A few images of Trump world being totally normal and not at all weird. First, a collection of people who totally arent Batman villains:

1/ pic.twitter.com/QpSrAr6R6s  Veterans For Responsible Leadership (@VetsForRL) July 29, 2024

Clay Wirestone is Kansas Reflector opinion editor. Through its opinion section, Kansas Reflector works to amplify the voices of people who are affected by public policies or excluded from public debate. Find information, including how to submit your own commentary, here.
Weird Republicans: Trump, Vance and Kobach can be summed up in one word

U.S. Sen. JD Vance speaks to reporters in the spin room following the CNN Presidential Debate between U.S. President Joe Biden and Republican presidential candidate, former U.S. President Donald Trump at the McCamish Pavilion on the Georgia Institute of Technology campus on June 27, 2024 in Atlanta, Georgia. (Andrew Harnik/Getty Images)

This commentary originally appeared in the Kansas Reflector.

The word of the moment is weird.

Thats the term floating around about former president and presumptive Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump and his running mate, Sen. J.D. Vance. Pioneered as an attack line by Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz, weird encapsulates the peculiar position of our modern-day Republican Party. It wants voters to support a singularly unappetizing duo, one of them prone to monologues about Hannibal Lecter and sharks, the other hating on childless cat ladies.

Im telling you: these guys are weird. pic.twitter.com/fvNRNf7T7T  Tim Walz (@Tim_Walz) July 24, 2024

This attack wouldnt have gone anywhere if leveled by Democratic President Joe Biden. At 81 years of age and deep into the uncanny valley of repeated facelifts, the president can disconcert audiences. But with Vice President Kamala Harris replacing Biden at the top of the ticket, Walzs attack packs a punch.

Yes, Trump and Vance may pose an authoritarian threat to our democracy. Ive made the point, as have Biden and a host of others. But that puts a heavy burden on voters, one they may be reluctant to accept while grappling with high food prices and expensive housing.

Far simpler to see the orange-hued Florida man as, well, weird.

It perfectly describes the uneasiness people feel. Its how people who dont live and breathe politics every day react to hearing the Republican vice presidential candidate denigrate people without children, Democratic strategist Tim Hogan told Politico. Its simple. Its how you might talk to your neighbor about the crazy political climate were living in.

Weird summarizes Republican extremism across the board.

Obsessed with transgender peoples private lives? Weird.

Angry about women and people of color participating in society? Weird.

Claiming fetuses are people and putting reproductive health care at risk? Yeah, thats weird too.

Here in Kansas, the word could be used fruitfully about Attorney General Kris Kobach. His dogged pursuit of pet issues such as disenfranchising voters, in the face of facts, logic and continuing legal education, seems pretty darn odd when you come down to it. House Speaker Dan Hawkins crusade to block health insurance from those in need  while simultaneously running an insurance business of his own  well, its certainly weird.

Kansas Attorney General Kris Kobach speaks to the news media at the Kansas Bureau of Investigation in 2023. (Tim Carpenter/Kansas Reflector)

Dont even get me started on the Kansas Legislature.

By the way, I dont mean to cast aspersions on any good-natured weirdos and oddballs. As a longtime journalist, I come from a quirky clan. No, were talking about people who choose their weirdness as a way of harming others. These people who have adopted a set of beliefs and advocate a slate of proposals that dont benefit our country or state, but instead serve their own selfish ends.

The word also signifies a generational shift in national electoral politics. One thats long overdue. As Reflector columnist Eric Thomas pointed out earlier this month, boomers have held the highest office for decades in the United States, and their concerns and rhetoric have grown rancid with age.

Modern messaging didnt jibe with Biden. Not his fault, but he is 81 and it just couldnt connect, said Washburn University political science professor Bob Beatty. Harris may be my age, but thats good enough because shes got a direct connection to this generation thats once removed, not twice or three times removed like Biden and Trump.

He added: Ive been hearing the term weird from my students and kids for years and its a very effective term by the Dems to convey in their messaging that the behavior and stances of their opponents are way out of norm.

Most people dont understand that far from being immovable monoliths, U.S. political parties shift all the time.

The conservative Republican Party of today has little to do with the Republican Party as it emerged in the 1850s, as a progressive response to slavery. The Democratic Party once included a bloc of racist Southerners; a multiethnic coalition replaced them.

Were on the precipice of further change. As new leaders emerge, the future gleams with possibility. Republicans have grown more populist, although precisely what that means can be debated. Democrats have simultaneously become both more progressive and welcoming of Never Trump Republicans, making common cause for the future of our republic.

Exactly where this all ends up is anyones guess. However, calling extreme and hateful ideas what they are  weird  pushes both parties toward a sensible debate on actual issues that real people care about.

You might even call it normal.

A few images of Trump world being totally normal and not at all weird. First, a collection of people who totally arent Batman villains:

1/ pic.twitter.com/QpSrAr6R6s  Veterans For Responsible Leadership (@VetsForRL) July 29, 2024

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 X.

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A well-known Russian dissident is moved from prison along with others, their destinations unknown

FILE - Russian opposition activist and former municipal deputy of the Krasnoselsky district Ilya Yashin gestures, smiling, as he stands in a defendant's cubicle in a courtroom, prior to a hearing in Moscow, Russia, on Dec. 9, 2022. Ilya Yashin, a prominent Kremlin critics who is serving an 8 1/2-year sentence for criticizing Russia's war in Ukraine, has been taken away from his prison to an unknown destination, his lawyer said Tuesday. (Yury Kochetkov/Pool via AP, Pool, File)

TALLINN, Estonia (AP)  Ilya Yashin, a prominent Kremlin critic who is serving an 8 1/2-year sentence for criticizing Russia's war in Ukraine, has been moved from his prison to an unknown destination, his lawyer said Tuesday.

The statement on the Telegram messaging app by Tatyana Solomina gave no further details. However, it noted that several other figures imprisoned for criticizing the military or for alleged extremist activity because of their work with the organization of the late opposition leader Alexei Navalny also were moved.

Among them are Oleg Orlov, chairman of the Nobel Peace Prize-winning human rights group Memorial, sentenced to 2 1/2 years in February; musician Alexandra Skochilenko, serving 7 years for replacing price tags in a supermarket with messages decrying civilian deaths in Ukraine; and former Navalny regional coordinators Lillia Chanysheva and Ksenia Fadeyeva, sentenced to 9 1/2 and 9 years.

Also Tuesday, Memorial said Germany-born Russian citizen Kevin Liik, who was sentenced to four years for allegedly providing information to German special services, has been removed from his prison.

The movements prompted speculation on social media about whether they were in preparation for some kind of a prisoner swap involving Russia, the U.S. and its allies. Kremlin critics and rights advocates have previously called for exchanges that would release Russian political prisoners.

The situation is unique in the sense that we hear several high-profile figures are being moved at the same time," Ivan Pavlov, a lawyer who founded Department One legal group, told The Associated Press. Given the number, we understand that a swap is expected.

Pavlov noted that the simultaneous disappearance of several high-profile political prisoners could mean that they are being moved to one place from where they could be flown abroad.

Two Americans are imprisoned in Russia on espionage convictions: Wall Street Journal reporter Evan Gershkovich, sentenced to 20 years in July, and corporate security executive Paul Whelan. Russian-American dual national Alsu Kurmasheva, a journalist for Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty, convicted in July of spreading false information about the military and sentenced to 6 1/2 years.

Pavlov observed that the quick conviction and sentencing of Gershkovich and Kurmasheva also signaled a possible swap could be in the making.

Yashin is one of the few well-known Kremlin critics to stay in Russia after the start of the war. He was arrested in June 2022 in a Moscow park, convicted of spreading false information about Russian soldiers, and sentenced to 8 years in prison.

The charge stemmed from a YouTube livestream in which he talked about civilians slain in the Kyiv suburb of Bucha. After Russian forces withdrew from the area in March 2022, hundreds of corpses were found, some with their hands bound and shot at close range.

His harsh sentence didnt silence Yashins sharp criticism of the Kremlin. Yashins associates regularly update his social media pages with messages he relays from prison. His YouTube channel has over 1.5 million subscribers.

The convictions for extremism and war criticism are part of a Kremlin crackdown on dissent that has sharply intensified since the February 2022 start of the full-scale invasion of Ukraine.

Russian authorities often transport prisoners without prior notice to their lawyers or families and some do not surface for several weeks. Navalny in December was moved without announcement from a prison in central Russia to one above the Arctic Circle, a trip he said took 20 days. He died of unexplained causes at the prison in February.
Wes Moores approval rating ranks him third among US governors as Maryland faces fiscal challenges

BALTIMORE  A new survey found that Gov. Wes Moores 65% approval rating among Marylanders makes him Americas third most popular governor.

His star has shot out like a comet, said Roger Hartley, the dean of the University of Baltimores College of Public Affairs. To this quickly ascend on the national scene is really, really impressive  especially to have never held public office.

The poll, released by Morning Consult Pro, found that Moore, a Democrat who is halfway through his first term as governor, ranked behind Kentucky Gov. Andy Beshear, a Democrat with a 67% approval rating, and Vermont Gov. Phil Scott, a Republican with an approval rating of 81%.

Hartley attributes Moores success, in part, to what he called the governors personal style, the tendency that he has to talk to individuals in a crowd as if no one else is in the room. Hartley also said Moore has done a remarkable job of meeting with people from across the state, and is unafraid to talk to people on the other side of the aisle, which Hartley said makes him quite likable.

Though Moore is only in his second year in office, his administration has been marked by his close relationship with the White House and President Joe Biden, and his response to the collapse of Baltimores Francis Scott Key Bridge in late March.

I think most everyone has judged his response to crisis to be a plus here, Hartley said, noting that the governor was immediately at the scene, and was empathetic but swiftly took the reins as a leader.

Moores predecessor, Larry Hogan, a popular two-term governor and the Republican nominee to replace U.S. Sen. Ben Cardin upon his retirement, left office with a 77% approval rating, according to a Gonzales Maryland Poll.

Hartley also attributed Hogans popularity rate to personal style. Hogan was very, very warm and personable, Hartley said, and people could relate to him of all different walks of life.

There has been criticism that, once he reached a high popularity rating, Hogan cruised through the remainder of his time as governor without taking significant action.

Todd Eberly, a professor of political science and public policy at St. Marys College of Maryland, rejects that notion, noting that Hogan often butted heads with the Maryland General Assembly and was unafraid to veto its bills  though those vetoes more often than not were overridden.

Despite attacking each other on the campaign trail  though Moore never calls out Hogan by name  Marylands last two governors have their similarities.

One thing that Moore and Hogan have in common is they both speak the language of bipartisanship and moving together, Eberly said.

Eberly also thinks that, like Hogan, he couldnt see Moore coasting through his term now that hes achieved such a high popularity rating.

I dont see Wes Moore as the kind of person who would say, Hey, Im popular now and Im going to just let it ride, Eberly said, noting that Moore has things he wants to get done without the concern of popularity.

It could be difficult for Moore to reach Hogans 77% approval rate.

According to Hartley, Hogan and his team did a remarkable job with Republicans which is a pretty immovable base, but his ability to capture the excitement of independents and Democrats was attributed to being able to use the extremism in his party as a foil.

Hogan never hesitated to criticize former conservative Republicans and former President Donald Trump. Hartley said that allowed him to be as conservative as he wanted and have his constituents think he was being reasonable.

But Moores personal style, which Hartley said would allow him to trade his popularity for the power to persuade, has the potential to be presidential.

Gov. Moore has that talent, he said.

Forthcoming policy decisions could also prove to be tricky for his presidential popularity.

Moore is seen as a rising star in the party, but Maryland, as we know, is looking at difficult fiscal times, Eberly said.

Earlier this month, the Maryland Board of Public Works approved $148.3 million in cuts from the recently enacted budget Moore proposed in the face of financial shortfalls the state has been anticipating for years.

At the meeting where the cuts were approved, Moore acknowledged that those cuts, which equate to only about 0.2% of the states current $63 billion budget, will not solve all of the states fiscal woes.

At some point in the very near future, a choice is going to have to be made between raising taxes and cutting spending, Eberly said, and theyre never popular, but hes going to be faced with that decision.

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The participants of the fighter jet coalition who facilitate the training of Ukrainian pilots on F-16 fighter jets and the supply of these aircraft, are discussing how to satisfy Kyivs need for a bigger number of pilots.

Source: European Pravda with reference to The Wall Street Journal

Details: The training of the Ukrainian pilots on F-16s was a complicated process carried out in several countries, and Kyiv privately stressed the necessity to extend this training to facilitate future maintenance of the F-16s received by Ukraine.

Western and American officials stated in a conversation with WSJ that a significant limiting factor here is the number of Ukrainian pilots ready to start training.

"Still, the US is looking into whether it can expand the training in America, either at the existing Arizona facility or potentially by allowing Ukrainian pilots to use another US air base," WSJ reports.

The possibility of the EU countries sending contractors for the maintenance of the F-16s is also being discussed.

At the moment it is planned that trained Ukrainian professionals will do this in Ukraine but, as explained by a Pentagon official, some maintenance works, such as checking the engine operation, will have to be carried out abroad at least in the early stages.

On 10 July the leaders of the US, Denmark and the Netherlands Joe Biden, Mette Frederiksen and Dick Schoof, who lead the fighter jets coalition, confirmed that Ukraine would receive the first F-16s during the summer.

Bloomberg reports that Ukraine expects to receive 6 F-16 fighter jets this summer and up to 20 jets in total from its Western partners by the end of 2024.

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On July 18, Adidas received backlash from the American Jewish Committee (AJC) regarding its recent SL72 campaign, which stars Palestinian model Bella Hadid. The new campaign focuses on the SL72 sneaker, which debuted during the summer of 1972. It was the same year as the 1972 Summer Olympics, also referred to as Munich 1972, an event that saw several Israeli athletes killed in an attack by the Palestinian terrorist group, Black September.

On the day of the campaign's launch, Adidas came under fire for choosing Hadid as one of the faces, with the AJC posting the following on X: "At the 1972 Olympic Games in Munich, 12 Israelis were murdered and taken hostage by Palestinian terrorist group Black September. For Adidas to pick a vocal anti-Israel model to recall this dark Olympics is either a massive oversight or intentionally inflammatory. Neither is acceptable. We call on Adidas to address this egregious error."

In response to the backlash, Adidas issued a statement that confirmed that it would be "revising" its campaign with Hadid, who has been vocal about her support for Palestine. "We are conscious that connections have been made to tragic historical events  though these are completely unintentional  and we apologize for any upset or distress caused," Adidas said in a statement to USA Today. "As a result, we are revising the remainder of the campaign. We believe in sport as a unifying force around the world and will continue our efforts to champion diversity and equality in everything we do," the company added. Hypebae has reached out to Adidas for comment.

Hadid has since spoken out about her experience with the campaign, sharing a statement via Instagram stories. "For those of you that do not know my heart, I want to make sure you're hearing directly from me about my recent campaign with adidas," the statement began.

She continued: "I would never knowingly engage with any art or work that is linked to a horrific tragedy of any kind. In advance of the campaign's release, I had no knowledge of the historical connection to the atrocious events in 1972. I am shocked, I am upset, and I am disappointed in the lack of sensitivity that went into this campaign. Had I been made aware, from the bottom of my heart, I would never have participated. My team should have known, adidas should have known and I should have done more research so that I too would have known and understood, and spoken up. As I always have, and always will, speak up for what I believe to be wrong."

Hadid ended her statement with "I will forever stand by my people of Palestine while continuing to advocate for a world free of antisemitism. Antisemitism has no place in the liberation of the Palestinian people. I will always stand for peace over violence, any day. Hate has no place here, and I will forever advocate for not only my people but every person worldwide.

Since Hadid's statement, Adidas CEO Bjrn Gulden has spoken out about the campaign controversy during an earnings call to stakeholders. "We [made] the mistake in the way that bits and pieces in this campaign were put together and when you [make] a mistake, you apologize and you move on  and that's what we did," Gulden began.

During the press conference, Gulden also confirmed that adidas still has a relationship with Hadid, stating "She's still a friend of the brand and yes, we pay her according to her contract. We have not heard anything that she's going to sue us. So I don't know where that rumor started."
No one seems to know, yet.

President Joe Biden stepped away from his reelection bid earlier this month, clearing the way for his Vice President Kamala Harris' rapid ascension to the presumptive nomination on the Democratic ticket. In doing so, regardless of the final outcome in some three months' time, this Delaware president will no longer hold the White House after Jan. 20, 2025.

Biden still has months in office ahead. Previous administrations have taken their time in announcing the final location for presidential records. Others have chosen largely virtual archives. But the question remains to be pondered.

Where would Biden place his presidential library?

Biden actually discussed as much with special counsel Robert Hur last fall, among others, according to a transcript made public in March. He mentioned First Lady Jill Biden encouraged him to start thinking about the possible institution, after visiting that of President Harry Truman.

"She said, 'Joe, have you decided on your library?'" Biden recalls in the transcript. "I said, 'I have no idea where I've got  I mean  and I don't think I'm supposed to, while I'm president, think about the library.'"

He hadn't yet made considerations, then. But the president did mention Syracuse University, the University of Delaware and Washington D.C. as possible locales in that interview. This month, on July 22, the White House had no official comment on the subject.

"My recollection is there's people competing," Biden said back in October 2023.

So where?

[Your ideas: Where do you think a "Joseph R. Biden Jr. Presidential Library" should take shape? What could it look like? Send your thoughts to kepowers@gannett.com]

Considering the University of Delaware

President Joe Biden gestures to the crowd during the University of Delaware's 2022 Commencement at Delaware Stadium, Saturday, May 28, 2022.

First of all, the University of Delaware said it is "unaware of any conversations on this topic" on July 26.

Delaware's largest university had "no information to share" at the moment. Biden earned his bachelors degree there in 1965, while the first lady also earned her bachelor's and doctoral degree from the same Newark institution. Today it already hosts the Joseph R. Biden Jr. School of Public Policy and Administration, among other connections.

"My guess is that a presidential library in Delaware might be located/associated with UD," said Annie Norman, Delaware's own state librarian, in an email. Norman had not yet been consulted, or learned anything more, but the leader within Division of Libraries already found herself excited by the idea.

Over in Wilmington, a spokesperson for Mayor Mike Purzycki's office said the city had "no comment or information to offer regarding your questions" concerning the library possibilities, on July 20.

Looking down in Dover, Biden did not mention his state's only HBCU, Delaware State University, in his musings last fall. However, the president has been touted for his contributions to Historically Black Colleges and Universities across the state, particularly by DSU president and head to his Board of Advisors on HBCUs, Tony Allen.

"Its super exciting, though," Norman continued, "to know that there will be one in DE at some point in the future... It seems there is quite a process around those decisions."

There is.

DSU's Tony Allen: Delaware State president says no administration has done more for HBCUs than Biden-Harris

Truman, Obama, Trump: A brief history

Then-President-elect Barack Obama and Vice President-elect Joe Biden and their spouses wave to the media in Wilmington on Jan. 17, 2009 - the last time Obama has made a public appearance in Delaware. Officials say hell be in the state Thursday to visit the I-495 bridge.

The U.S. National Archives and Records Administration will automatically assume responsibility for the custody and preservation of presidents records by term's end, according to federal law.

This was only fully formalized in 1978.

"Though many pre-Hoover collections now reside in the Library of Congress, others are split among other libraries, historical societies and private collections," writes the administration to its website. "Sadly, many materials have been lost or deliberately destroyed."

The presidential library system began back in 1939, as President Franklin Roosevelt donated his personal and presidential papers to the government. By 1950, Harry Truman decided that he would build a library, too.

Fast forward, and the Presidential Libraries Act established a system of "privately erected and federally maintained" libraries in 1955. Then, in 1978, the Presidential Records Act made all presidential records officially property of the country. Before that, the National Archives "successfully persuaded" former administrations to donate.

Now, presidents can choose to build and donate a presidential library to the National Archives, but they're not required.

Opinion from Sen. Coons: Joe Biden is a true Delawarean and the most consequential president of my lifetime

President Barack Obama decided against a physical presidential library. Instead, the Obama Foundation plans to build and operate a private museum and presidential center  while maintaining the first all-digital presidential library. Some 95% of his records were already digital, according to the foundation.

The National Archives will store and preserve materials after digitalization, while some items will be lent for display at the Obama Presidential Center Museum in Chicago. This separate center will focus on the wider story of both the president and his family, before and after the White House, and is still scheduled to open in 2026.

There is yet no announced plan to erect a library for President Donald Trump, currently in the throes of running for his own reelection. For now, the former president's library is also digital, taking the form of a website of records from his term overseen by the National Archives.

Biden will have plenty of choices to make.

Looking back in Rehoboth Beach: Why Joe Biden's decision to step out of the presidential race had to happen in Delaware

Considering New York's Syracuse University

A student heading to Syracuse University in the fall puts on her graduation cap back in June 20, 2015.

The president also made mention of another alma mater, farther north.

Biden said Syracuse University, where he earned a law degree back in 1968, may also have interest in hosting his presidential library. Biden has said he did not graduate in the top half of the class" at its College of Law  but today, he still boasts the highest federal office ever held by any graduate, according to the university. Actually, he already claimed such distinction with his vice presidency in 2009.

Biden's first wife, Neilia Hunter Biden, was a Syracuse alumna. And later, his son Beau attended the same law school in the Class of 1994.

Back in upstate New York, the university did not confirm or deny its interest in a presidential library. However, Senior Associate Vice President for Communications Sarah Scalese said: "There have been no conversations to date on this."

Possibilities abound.

Maybe a case could be made for the president's birth city, Scranton, Pennsylvania. Maybe the University of Pennsylvania in Philadelphia, in which Biden has taught and a Penn Biden Center for Diplomacy and Global Engagement already stands in Washington? Perhaps Delaware's largest city, Wilmington, in a neighborhood without such investment?

Regardless, the National Archives will have to ensure the historic term is captured.

Got a story? Contact Kelly Powers at kepowers@gannett.com or follow her on X @kpowers01.

This article originally appeared on Delaware News Journal: Where will Biden build his presidential library? What we know
Whitaker Center receives $35,000 to help advance equality in STEM

DAUPHIN COUNTY, Pa. (WHTM) Comcast announced its awarding the Whitaker Center a $35,000 grant for its Girls in STEM initiative.

The funding will elevate the Whitaker Centers Girls in STEM initiative, which provides skill-building STEM and digital literacy activities for girls from grades 4 through 12 across central Pennsylvania, according to Comcast.

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Additionally, the Whitaker Center will offer lessons on coding and digital visual software, ethical use of digital resources, digital communications, and online identity protection.

Comcast says this grant is part of Comcasts $1 billion commitment, Project UP, to advance digital equality through various programs and community partnerships online.

Were proud to support the Whitaker Center and know that with this funding they will successfully educate, empower, and enable more people to achieve their goals, said Kevin Broadhurst, Vice President of Government and Regulatory Affairs of Comcasts Keystone Region, based in Pennsylvania.

The Whitaker Center serves as a Comcast Lift Zone that provides free WiFi to six different areas in Dauphin County. Lift Zones also offer access to digital skills training sessions and complement Comcasts Internet Essentials program, said Comcast.

On behalf of our staff and all visitors who benefit from the free WiFi and programming offered through the Whitaker Center, we thank Comcast for their generosity and support, said Mary Oliveira, President and CEO, Whitaker Center. Together, we are helping to close the digital divide.

Copyright 2024 Nexstar Media, Inc. 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.
(Bloomberg) -- Democrats Pete Buttigieg and JB Pritzker joined actors Jeff Bridges, Mark Ruffalo and about 200,000 others to kick off campaign fund-raising efforts by a new group Monday: White Dudes for Harris.

Most Read from Bloomberg

The call on Zoom raked in more than $4 million, including cash and merchandise sales, according to an emailed statement from the organizers.

It continues the social media momentum set by other racial and gendered groups for Kamala Harris since President Joe Biden withdrew from the presidential race against Donald Trump over a week ago.

A call organized by Win With Black Women on July 21 drew 44,000 and raised more than $1.5 million in just three hours. White Dudes for Harris organizers said this was the inspiration for their own gathering. There have also been calls featuring Black men, White women, South Asian women and Hispanic supporters.

Harris campaign has enjoyed a surge in publicity on social media, as her unexpected candidacy inspired an explosion of memes across TikTok, Instagram and X. The Kamala Harris organization said it raised $200 million in the first week of the campaign.

At the start of the month, the Biden campaign, now the Harris campaign, had $96 million, while the Trump campaign began July with $128 million on hand. Thats according to the most recent federal campaign finance filings.

Buttigieg, who is reportedly among several White men being vetted as a vice presidential candidate alongside Harris, said on Mondays call that Harris support for abortion, gay marriage, birth control and IVF also support freedom for men, as well as freedom to join labor unions, and support democracy.

The vibes right now are incredible, he said, describing a visit to a campaign kickoff near his home in Michigans Traverse City resort area. I havent seen that kind of energy for Democrats in Michigan since I was campaigning in the midterms.

Actor Bridges, best known for his character, The Dude, in the cult classic The Big Lebowski, said that when he heard about the gathering, he knew he needed to be on it. Im White, Im a dude and Im for Harris, he said.

White men may be crucial to Harris success in November, even as her entry into the race has narrowed the gap in many polls. White men have tended to vote Republican, with Trump winning 57% of their votes in 2020 compared with 40% for Biden, according to a 2021 analysis by Pew Research.

Mondays Zoom call also featured Governor Roy Cooper of North Carolina, who has pulled his name from consideration as Harris running mate. The organizers said 152,854 people signed up to join the newly formed group.

The invitation for the call had urged the participants to not let the MAGA crowd bully other White guys into voting for a hateful and divisive ideology because we understand that under MAGA everyone loses.

In a small setback, the @WhiteDudes4Harris account on the social media site X was locked Tuesday morning, but has since been re-instated with some restrictions, the group said. The social media company X didnt respond to a request for comment.

--With assistance from Kurt Wagner.

(Adds quotes and data on past voting patterns starting in the seventh paragraph. An earlier version of this story corrected the spelling of Kamala Harris in the fifth paragraph.)

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2024 Bloomberg L.P.
Yet another identity-based group has mobilized to raise massive amounts of money on behalf of the campaign of Vice President Kamala Harris. However, members of the group soon found their accounts suspended on the social media platform X (formerly known as Twitter), which owner Elon Musk has increasingly used to platform right-wing talking points and spread anti-Harris propaganda. The account has since been reinstated.

White Dudes for Harris raises millions for the VP

On Monday, according to the calls organizers, a White Dudes for Harris Zoom call drew over 190,000 participants and raised more than $4 million for the Harris campaign. The call featured celebrities such as Lance Bass, Josh Gad, Joseph Gordon-Levitt, Josh Groban, Mark Hamill and Bradley Whitford. Filmmaker J.J. Abrams attended the call and pledged $50,000. Several pro-Harris political figures also joined the call, including Secretary of Transportation Pete Buttigieg and Democratic Govs. Roy Cooper of North Carolina, JB Pritzker of Illinois and Tim Walz of Minnesota. Actor Jeff Bridges, who many people most fondly associate with his character The Dude in The Big Lebowsky, joined the call and noted his qualifications for joining the group: Im white, Im the Dude and Im for Harris.

Jeff Bridges: Im white, Im the Dude, and Im for Harris.  pic.twitter.com/75MWMRKggC  CALL TO ACTIVISM (@CalltoActivism) July 30, 2024

Suspicion over temporary suspension on X

The main account associated with the White Dudes for Harris group on X, formerly known as Twitter, was temporarily suspended, though it was quickly restored. The account posted that it had pissed off X owner Elon Musk but added dont worry cant keep a good dude offline for long.

Uh oh we pissed off @elonmusk (don't worry can't keep a good dude offline for long) pic.twitter.com/eGRITEpQaw  White Dudes for Harris (@dudes4harris) July 30, 2024

Since Musk gained ownership of Twitter, the social media platform has increasingly leaned toward right-wing content and even hate speech. Musk has used his account to push conservative ideas and to attack Democrats. He is currently being criticized for sharing a deepfake video in which an AI-generated voice impersonating Harris is used to insult the candidate as the ultimate diversity hire and a deep-state puppet. In this context, many supporters of the White Dudes for Harris call have been suspicious of the pages takedown on X.

Identity groups continue to come together for Harris

Despite the temporary social media suspension, White Dudes for Harris was the latest identity-based group to mobilize large numbers and massive donations for the vice president. On July 21, Win With Black Women organized a Zoom call that drew 44,000 Black women, including Democratic Party notables like strategist Donna Brazile and Reps. Jasmine Crockett and Joyce Beatty; the call raised $1.5 million for the Harris campaign. The next day, a Win With Black Men call organized by journalist Roland Martin and the Black Star Network drew over 20,000 participants and raised more than $1.3 million. A call for white women supporting Harris was held on July 25, featuring 100,000 participants  a Zoom record at the time  and raising more than $1.8 million. Other calls have featured Latinas, South Asian women, Native American women and more.

These calls have contributed to the over $200 million the vice presidents campaign has raised since President Joe Biden dropped out of the race and endorsed Harris. The fundraising and mass mobilization over the past 10 days continues to demonstrate the enthusiasm for Harris as she enters the last 100 days of campaigning leading up to Election Day.
Update: As of Tuesday morning, the account has been reinstated and the user behind @whitedudesforharris  a separate account  clarified online that he created the other account to prevent bad actors from taking it. The dual accounts are the likely culprit for why @whitedudes4harris was suspended in the first place, but X has still not responded to TheWraps request for comment.

WE ARE SO BACK!



After a groundswell of grassroots complaints to @ElonMusk from the #WhiteDudesforHarris community, our account was reinstated & we're allowed to post again.



Thank you for coming to our aid & carrying on this conversation in our absence.



More to come! pic.twitter.com/HMZgv9XTSE  White Dudes for Harris (@dudes4harris) July 30, 2024

Original story: The X account for the White Dudes for Harris campaign group was suspended on Monday, apparently just minutes after its debut fundraising event raised $4 million for Vice President Kamala Harris 2024 presidential bid.

Asked on his personal X account why the organization, which boasted over 13,000 X followers, was blocked, organizer Ross Morales Rocketto responded, simply, Got Elon Musk scared.

A backup account for the org launched Monday afternoon and wrote in response to inquiries that @dudes4harris was Ross original account that for some reason was suspended. That backup account was approaching 5,000 at the time of publication.

The reasons behind the White Dudes for Harris account being blocked on X are still unknown, but it had many online Monday decrying election interference from the social media platform, particularly considering owner Elon Musk is a vocal supporter of Donald Trump for reelection. The tech billionaire endorsed the former president after his attempted assassination at a Pennsylvania rally earlier this month.

The free speech absolutist has now suspended White Dudes for Harris. Presumably for raising $4 million in a few hours. The fascists are terrified. Good, wrote one verified supporter.

Representatives for White Dudes for Harris did not respond to TheWraps request for comment on the news. Representatives for X could not be reached for comment.

The first White Dudes for Harris event kicked off with a digital fundraiser on Monday night, featuring The Dude himself, Jeff Bridges, and many other white, male celebrity speakers, including Mark Hamill, Joseph Gordon-Levitt, Bradley Whitford, Sean Astin and Josh Groban.

In all, the event raised $4 million for Harris presidential election campaign against Republican nominee Trump.

I accepted the invitation and I was brought to the party not so much as being white, and I certainly am, but because Im a dude, you know, I qualify, man. Im white, Im a dude, and Im for Harris, Bridges told the attendees, which numbers in the tens of thousands.

In a social media clip of the speech posted by The Tennessee Holler, the Oscar winner then enthused, Im excited, man. I think the fact that Joe has passed the baton so beautifully, I can see her being president. Im so excited. A woman president, man. How exciting! You know, and her championing of womens rights  for that, and for her stance on the environment, and taking care of our children, you know, all of her leadership on that is wonderful. And something that I can get behind in support.

The post White Dudes for Harris X Account Suspended After Raising $4 Million for Kamala Harris appeared first on TheWrap.
The View moderator Whoopi Goldberg is genuinely worried about J.D. Vance. This poor guy, she said on Tuesday. I feel so bad for him.

Goldberg was responding to the recent unearthed footage of J.D. Vance admitting privately that Kamala Harris entry into the 2024 election was a political sucker punch for the Trump campaign.

Remember how Mr. T used to pity the fool? Well, I pity this man, Goldberg added. I pity him, because hes had a very bumpy roll-out so far, and here he is, once again saying one thing in public and another thing in private. So, how much of a liability is this guy becoming?

Co-host Joy Behar agreed: I think Trump is shaking. Hes like, I picked the wrong guy, what do I do?! Hes scared now.

The Ohio senators viral quote came in light of the recent shakeup in the 2024 presidential election, which has seen Vice President Kamala Harris rising in the polls. Although both Vance and Donald Trump have publicly claimed the change is good for them, this new footage from July 27 says otherwise.

Sara Haines then showed the audience a clip of Vances former Yale classmate on CNN, who described Vance as a political chameleon, someone who has changed their opinion on literally every imaginable issue.

He is bereft of morality, hes bereft of empathy. Hes got a spine, its just not a good one, Goldberg said in response.

The segment comes after a week of The View hosts criticizing Vance for his many controversial talking points. They laid into him on Monday morning for his childless cat lady comments, with Ana Navarro telling Vance, How dare you try to tell me that I am lesser than?

Goldberg finished off the Tuesday segment with a plea to the audience: Look, you know what you got to do You can choose to vote. Lots of people dont get to vote. You have the right to vote. It is your birthright, dont toss it away.

Pete Buttigieg Cant Believe How Odd J.D. Vance Turned Out to Be

Read more at The Daily Beast.

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Why earthquake in L.A. felt terrifying to some, nothingburger to others  even in the same building

Two people walk toward Los Angeles City Hall in downtown L.A. Experts say shaking from an earthquake will be felt more strongly by people on a higher floor than on the ground floor. (Myung J. Chun / Los Angeles Times)

The magnitude 4.9 earthquake that rattled Southern California on Monday spurred some classic questions: Why did it feel like it lasted so long for some and so short for others, and why did some not feel it at all?

It is not surprising that people by the epicenter near Barstow felt the strongest, longest jolt.

But in the Los Angeles Basin, some residents felt nothing at all, while others reported swaying for as long as 15 seconds.

In Pasadena, about 95 miles southwest of the quake's epicenter, U.S. Geological Survey geophysicist Morgan Page felt nothing while walking on the first floor, but her colleague, who was sitting in a chair on the second floor, felt shaking for a couple of seconds.

And next to Los Angeles International Airport, on the sixth and seventh floors of The Times' El Segundo headquarters, about 115 miles southwest of the epicenter, journalists felt 15 to 20 seconds of relatively gentle swaying.

Read more: Magnitude 4.9 earthquake shakes Southern California

The ground under you matters

For people at the epicenter of an earthquake, the shaking may seem to last longer because you're feeling weaker ground motions as well as stronger motions generated by the quake, Page said. By contrast, people farther away may feel only some of the major ground motions.

What kind of rocks and soil are beneath your feet also matter.

If you're in a basin  whether it be the Mojave Basin or the Los Angeles Basin  "you have basically shakier sediment" beneath you that can produce "longer duration shaking, and it also amplifies the shaking," Page said.

Read more: Are you oblivious to L.A. earthquakes? Here's why you might be a 'never-feeler'

The Los Angeles Basin is a 6-mile-deep, bathtub-shaped hole in the underlying bedrock filled with weak sand and gravel eroded from the mountains and forming the flat land where millions of people in Southern California live. When earthquake energy is sent into these sedimentary basins, it amplifies the intensity of the shaking  perhaps 10 times worse than if someone were on bedrock  and also causes shaking to resonate like a bowl of Jell-O, extending the duration.

"You get waves trapped in the basin, and that just makes the shaking last longer. But you also get amplifications, so you're feeling waves as higher amplitude, and therefore stronger shaking that, without the amplification, you wouldn't have felt. So both are contributing to this duration," Page said.

People who are sitting are more likely to feel shaking than those who are walking or moving. "If you're doing something versus if you're sitting still, it makes a big difference," she said.

Read more: Unshaken

Higher floors amplify the shaking

How high up you are in a building also matters.

Shaking will be felt more strongly by people on a higher floor than on the ground floor, Page said.

Imagine if you had a table and attached a spring upward, and had a weight on it  like an inverted pendulum. "If you shake the table, the top of that spring is going to wobble a lot more than the bottom," Page said, explaining how people on the top floor of the same building would feel a lot more movement than those on a lower level.

"On the bottom floor, you're attached to the ground. And on the top floor, you're swinging around on this part-flexible, part-stiff structure," Page said.

Why did tall buildings in Darwin shake so much during the M7.3 Banda Sea #earthquake? https://t.co/tdlvh1ccb3 pic.twitter.com/nFsnbpdV2x  EarthScope Consortium (@EarthScope_sci) June 24, 2019

Lessons from Ridgecrest

The difference in shaking was readily apparent during the 2019 magnitude 7.1 Ridgecrest earthquake, which had an epicenter 125 miles northeast of downtown L.A.

During that quake, someone sitting in the lobby of a downtown skyscraper might have felt a few seconds of light shaking. But up on the 50th floor, the experience was terrifying, with sensors on that floor swaying back and forth as much as a foot in each direction for two to three minutes.

On the 48th floor of another downtown building, one woman felt vertigo and her husband felt motion sickness after what seemed like minutes of swaying.

Read more: Earthquake shook L.A. skyscrapers so hard some got vertigo

Seasickness is something you get when youre in these high-rises" during certain earthquakes, Caltech research professor of civil engineering Monica Kohler said in 2019.

Even throughout central L.A. during Monday's quake, which struck at 1 p.m., people reported different shaking experiences. In Silver Lake, a 6-year-old tuxedo cat, Lucas, slept through the shaking, while his owner, on the third floor of an apartment building, felt a rolling motion for four to six seconds.

In the Los Feliz-East Hollywood area, one person sitting at a table felt two waves of shaking  an initial wave for about three to four seconds, followed by an easing of shaking, and then a second wave in which the walls trembled for five to six seconds. But someone else nearby, who was standing, didn't feel anything.

The epicenter of Monday's magnitude 4.9 earthquake was in California's Mojave Desert, about halfway between Los Angeles and Las Vegas.

P waves and S waves

Los Angeles was likely too far away from Monday's epicenter for anyone to feel the quake's "P" wave  the first type of shaking wave an earthquake generates, in which the rock vibrates in the direction of the moving wave. But someone in L.A. could have felt the "S" wave, in which bedrock oscillates perpendicular to the direction of the propagation of the wave, according to Page.

The last bit of shaking felt here may have resulted from longer-period surface waves coming in later, Page said. Surface waves are the longest lasting waves that come in and travel along the earth's surface, arriving even after the S waves.

The surface waves are "often the waves that feel like you're on a boat. They're almost kind of the waves that make you motion sick, versus the jittery P and S waves you get earlier," Page said.

Times staff writers Jim Buzinski, Brittny Mejia, Joel Rubin, Nathan Solis and Terry Tang contributed to this report.

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This story originally appeared in Los Angeles Times.
The UK National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) has decided not to recommend Daiichi Sankyo and AstraZenecas Enhertu, a treatment for advanced HER2-low breast cancer, for National Health Service (NHS) use.

In its final guidance, the regulator expressed disappointment that the companies have not proposed a cost-effective price for the therapy.

This decision marks the first time in six years that NICE could not endorse a breast cancer medication, breaking a series of 21 consecutive approvals.

Enhertu's evaluation followed the same procedures as the approval for Talazoparib (Talzenna) to treat HER2-negative breast cancer, given in February 2024.

The price offered by the pharmaceutical companies did not meet the value criteria set by NICE for the NHS.

Approximately 1,000 patients could have benefited from Enhertu if it had been recommended.

In 2022, NICE revised its methods to emphasise treatments for severe diseases more heavily.

Since then, 22 appraisals have been conducted using the new severity weighting, with 17 resulting in positive recommendations, including 15 for treating cancer.

This modification has also facilitated access to crucial drugs for cystic fibrosis, a change that was not feasible under the former appraisal methods.

Despite the setback with Enhertu, 79% of cancer medicine appraisals under the updated methods have received recommendations, closely aligning with the 78% approval rate for all cancer appraisals since 2009.

The severity modifier, which replaced the end-of-life modifier, is currently under evaluation to monitor its effectiveness.

NICE has indicated a willingness to reconsider Enhertu under its rapid review process if Daiichi Sankyo and AstraZeneca agree to lower the price to an acceptable level, with the potential for a decision in the early autumn of 2024.

NICE medicines evaluation director Helen Knight stated: We are deeply disappointed that we are unable to recommend Enhertu for use in the NHS for advanced HER2-low breast cancer.

As weve always made clear, the fastest and only guaranteed way to get medicines like Enhertu to the patients who need them is for companies to offer a fair price.

NICE and NHS England offered as much flexibility as possible, but the companies did not put forward a new price, so we have no choice but to publish our final decision which is not to recommend the medicine in this group of patients.

This development comes after NICE issued final guidance endorsing Boehringer Ingelheims tenecteplase to treat acute ischaemic stroke for NHS use.

"NICE not to recommend Daiichi Sankyo-AstraZenecas Enhertu for NHS" was originally created and published by Pharmaceutical Technology, a GlobalData owned brand.

Story continues







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Over the last three years, the Biden administration has made a great deal of progress toward replacing the nations lead pipes, which are known to cause brain damage to young children. By any measure, getting this job donewhich will take at least until 2037, in the best-case scenariowill be a monumental achievement in public health. But replacing those pipes is an expensive proposition, and the amount the federal government has set aside so far, $15 billion (to be distributed over five years), will not be enough to cover it. Complicating matters further, a big chunk of this moneymore than $1 billion, according to experts I spoke withmay be allocated to the state of Florida. This is more than almost any other state is set to receive, even though virtually everyone agrees Florida has barely any lead service lines.

Its unclear who is responsible for the anomaly. The process started when the Environmental Protection Agency sent a survey to states, asking how many lead pipes they needed to replace, and also requesting information about how many pipes were made of unknown materiali.e., hadnt been checked.

The inspector general of the EPA has concluded that two statesthe inspector general did not say which onessent back incorrect data, though it also faulted the EPA for not verifying the figures. Meanwhile, Florida is blaming the federal government, saying the problem is the EPAs flawed methodology for calculating states needs.

Most of the money, at least in theory, will not go to waste. Experts say that sooner or later, once Florida figures out how many lead pipes it actually needs to replace, any money it doesnt spend will be reallocated to other states. However, theres disagreement about how long that might take, and some advocates argue that delays have their own costs. It also raises the specter of a future Congress trying to reappropriate the money (even if this is unlikely, given the bipartisan pressures around lead issues).

Im always concerned about losing momentum on this, said Tom Neltner, national director of the organization Unleaded Kids. At the moment, he said, thousands of water utilities nationwide are taking this issue very seriously, and they need this money. So to tie it up in Floridaor worse, to waste it doing elaborate inventories that are unnecessaryis wrongheaded.

To some public health experts, it also bodes badly for the future of the program. They worry that states and utilities that havent kept good records are being rewarded with extra fundswhich means the money is going disproportionately to agencies that arent prepared to spend it effectively.





For centuries, lead was the material of choice for water pipes. The ancient Romans famously used it to channel spring water into their homes. Starting in the Victorian era, it was also favoredand often requiredfor pipes in the United States, as the country was going through urbanization. But as early as the 1920s, it became clear that even tiny amounts of lead in a persons bloodstream can be extremely harmful. Its especially bad for children; it can impair their cognitive development, apparently affecting reading ability and lowering IQ, among other effects.

Even so, lead pipes continued to be installed in public water systems as late as 1986, when the federal government banned them. In 1991, the EPA directed every state to make an inventory of its lead pipesbut virtually none of them did. Thats why were caught where we are now, said Erik Olson, a senior strategic director for health at the National Resources Defense Council. The NRDC has estimated that there are somewhere between 9.7 and 12.8 million lead pipes still in use throughout the U.S., though it also believes the number could be much higher. The largest share of these are in the Midwest.

The Flint water crisis, which started in 2014, elevated the issue in the public consciousness. Scott Pruitt, the first EPA administrator appointed by Donald Trump, started laying out plans in 2017 for a 10-year program to eradicate lead pipes. The Biden administration has advanced that agenda and made it a top priority; it asked for $45 billion in the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law to help cover the cost, though this was negotiated down to $15 billion.

In deciding how much money to dole out to each state, the EPA depended on data collected in 2021. Floridas number of lead service lines was estimated at nearly 1.2 millionhigher than the figures for Illinois and Pennsylvania, two states with notorious concentrations of lead pipes. Based on those figures, the EPA allocated nearly $255 million for Florida in the first round of funding, compared to $230 million for Illinois and $155 million for Pennsylvania. Most states were allocated less than $30 million.

Neltner was working at the time with the Environmental Defense Fund, or EDF. He and his colleagues there were suspicious. Floridas population has nearly doubled since 1986, the year when lead pipes were banned from use in construction, and that growth has been accompanied by a massive construction boom. It seemed unlikely that lead pipes would be in wide use, especially in the largest cities: Jacksonville, Miami, Tampa, Orlando, and St. Petersburg.

EDF researchers called the water utility in Pinellas County, where Tampa is located. EPA data showed it had more than 40,000 lead pipes, but the local utility told the EDF it had not supplied this figure. Instead, in a report to the state government, it had labeled all of its service lines unknown, because it had never done an inventory.

The EDF then contacted the five other Florida utilities that had exceedingly high numbers. We heard back from all but one and the sentiment was the sameconfusion as to where the numbers in EPAs dataset came from, the group said in a report.

In an email to me, the Pinellas County government said its drinking water consistently exceeds all state and federal standards for consumption, and affirmed that the EPA data on its lead pipe count is incorrect.

Altogether, according to EPA data, Florida estimated that it had 638,425 lead pipes to replace. It remains unclear how the state arrived at this figure. (It also told the EPA it had another 2.5 million pipes that were of unknown material or were not reported, and the EPA estimated that 15 percent of these were made of leadwhich Neltner thinks is a reasonable guess.)

When I contacted the Florida Department of Environmental Quality, seeking clarification, the agency initially said it was working on a response, but it never supplied one, and the staff stopped responding to my phone calls and emails. Multiple advocates and industry researchers have also said the department has stonewalled them. In early June, however, the department insisted to a regional radio station, WFSU, that the EPA was responsible for any mistakes. The station, paraphrasing the state government, said the EPAs methodology may have been flawed.

A Florida Department of Environmental Protection spokesman told the station, DEP maintains that once Floridas drinking water surveys are completed, we expect that the actual extent of facilities with lead service lines documented in Florida will be significantly less than what was estimated by EPA.

However, if the EPAs methodology was to blame, its hard to say why Florida would have been the only state with grossly inflated numbers. Another possibility is that the state somehow misapplied the EPAs guidelines.

In the fall of 2023, the EPA gave states a chance to revise their estimates for the second round of funding. Florida apparently made only minor changes, which brought its allocation down from $255 million to slightly less than $229 millionlower than the amount Illinois is receiving, but still far more than almost every other state. If Floridas figures dont significantly change, the state will be on track to receive more than $1 billion by the time all the funds are distributed.

Whether or not Floridas government made any mistakes, a federal watchdog believes the EPA bears the ultimate responsibility. The departments inspector general issued a memo in May, taking the environmental agency to task. The EPA, for its part, did not take reasonable measures to verify the state-submitted data to identify anomalies or discrepancies, the memo reads. Nor did it ask states or utilities to back up their estimates with documentation, showing how theyd collected their data or how theyd crunched the numbers.

The inspector general plans to issue a full report this fall.





In the best-case scenario, Florida will either turn down most of the money it doesnt need or will return it quickly, once it has a more accurate calculation of its actual needs. The EPA told me it has checks and balances in place to make sure the funding wont be misused, including a self-correcting mechanism where funding not used by states will reallotted to states that need it.

Deirdre Finn, the executive director of the Council of Infrastructure Financing Authoritieswhich represents state agencies like the Florida DEP on Capitol Hillexplained in an interview how this mechanism works. The EPA wont actually hand the money over to state governments until they can demonstrate that they need it, she said, and this means submitting a project list.

However, even if this process doesnt lead to significant delays, Neltner fears that Florida will spend a big chunk of the funds on doing detailed inventories, instead of using more efficient methods to estimate its lead pipe count. They could be going out and checking every single line for that much, he said. Its hard for a state to walk away from money and not claim it.

Floridas project list seems to bear out this concern. An inventory in a large urban area typically costs between $150,000 and $350,000, assuming the estimate is done with predictive modeling, according to the analytics company BlueConduit, which many utilities rely on for guidance. But in a recent draft of its project list for the 2023 fiscal year, the city of Tampa was planning to request $20 million to conduct an inventory and replace any lead pipes it finds, and Pinellas County was requesting $12 million. (The Pinellas County government explained in an email that its in the process of replacing all of its analog meters with digital ones, and is checking the pipes as it goes.)

The worst-case scenario is that sometime in the future, the money will be redirected for some other purpose. However, this would take an act of Congress; a president couldnt do it independently. Finn doubts this will happen. My sense is that people want to get this job done, she said. I just dont see that theres much support for that type of change.

Meanwhile, Ronnie Levin, an instructor at Harvards T.H. Chan School of Public Health, has broader concerns. Levin, who was recently featured in Times list of the 100 most influential figures in global health thanks to the research and advocacy shes done on the issue of lead in drinking water, argued that even if the money from the EPA is successfully reallocated, the departments formula will still penalize states that have been most proactive about replacing their lead pipes, and will reward those that have done the least.

She brought up the case of Michigan. In response to the Flint water crisis, the state has made significant strides toward replacing its lead pipes, starting with a robust inventory. Michigan now has really good information, Levin said. But by cutting down on its number of unknowns, it may have reduced the amount of money it will get from the EPAand thats not fair.

On one level, Levin takes heart in knowing that whatever happens, the country will be better off when this program is completed. Even if some of the money ends up being wasted, or spent inefficiently, she said, there will be far fewer lead pipes in the U.S. a decade from nowwhich will amount to a vast improvement in public health.

At the same time, she cautions against taking too much comfort in this kind of reasoning, because there are high stakes for how the money is used. If we take $15 billion, put it in a box, and drop it in an ocean, we have made the U.S. a lot worse, she said. That money could be used for dialysis machines, for instance, or road safety. Even with lead pipes slowly being replaced, Levin said, we can make big mistakes.
The Fort Worth Independent School Districts number of special education classrooms is growing, specifically with its youngest learners.

The district is adding 19 early childhood special education classrooms in the upcoming school year for pre-K and kindergarten students, bringing its total to 60. Over the past five school years, theres been a steady increase in students who are being placed in early childhood special education classrooms, with a 32% increase seen from the 2019-20 to the 2023-24 school years, according to district data. The exception to this was the decrease seen during the 2020-21 school year amid COVID-19.

According to district officials, the trend appears to be the result of a corrective action plan that required the Texas Education Agency to correct statewide issues with evaluating students with disabilities and providing them with the resources they needed, which was uncovered by a federal investigation. Its also suspected that the COVID-19 pandemic has made an impact developmentally on 3-, 4- and 5-year-old students who are just beginning their academic careers.

The overall number of students in (classes and services) has increased slightly every year, but within that big number, what has really significantly increased every year is the kids who need more of these special education settings where were providing more intensive support to those students, said Audrey Thomas, the districts executive director of specialized learning.

District data shows that although the number of students in early childhood special education classrooms has jumped, the overall number of students who receive specialized services, such as speech therapy, but are placed in either a general education classroom or a special education classroom has increased by less than 3% over the same period.

Heres what the numbers say:

FWISD early childhood special education

Infogram

In 2018, the U.S. Department of Education found that the state had failed to properly identify students with disabilities and provide them with appropriate resources by essentially placing a cap on the percentage of students who could receive special education services, according to the Texas Tribune. TEA spokesperson Jake Kobersky told the Star-Telegram that the agency has not been under corrective action by the federal government since June 2023. In a letter issued to TEA Commissioner Mike Morath at that time, federal officials stated that TEA had fulfilled its requirements to comply with the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act, a federal law that ensures public schools provide students with disabilities a free and appropriate education.

In the upcoming 2024-2025 school year, a new blended classrooms model that consists of both general education students and students with special needs will be implemented in 15 pre-K classrooms. This is in addition to the new 19 classrooms designated just for special education students. Thomas noted that the blended model will provide an opportunity for a less restrictive environment and allow students with disabilities to interact more with their typically developing peers.

The process of early identification and intervention for children with disabilities is vital for their academic success, research shows. Ideally, these interventions start before they enter the school system.

The earlier we can intervene and provide skill advancement (and) interventions, that can positively impact that trajectory for them as they go forward in the education system, Thomas said.

Trenace Dorsey-Hollins, a mother of a 5-year-old Fort Worth ISD student who is nonverbal, said the transition from her daughter receiving early childhood intervention services provided through a state program to receiving special education services through the district after age 3 was fairly smooth with the help of Child Find, which requires districts to identify all students in need of special education services who live in their jurisdiction. But Dorsey-Hollins, who is also the executive director of Parent Shield Fort Worth, said she had to do extensive research before meeting with district officials to understand the enrollment process and know what accommodations were available, such as her daughters communication device.

I had to do my own research to kind of find out what all I needed to ask for Nobody still was there to kind of help explain the whole process like, This is what to expect, Dorsey-Hollins said. I had to push a little bit to make sure that she received everything that she needed, but once she got into the school system and she got with her teachers, they were good teachers. They made sure they communicated.

Another parent, Ashley Tolliver, echoed Dorsey-Hollins critique of the district needing to provide better guidance and information to parents about the enrollment process for special education services. Tolliver said she decided to homeschool her daughter for another year after having an unpleasant experience with district staff when attempting to enroll her kindergarten-bound daughter in specialized services for the upcoming school year. She felt disrespected by staff and said they laughed when she and her husband asked questions about the process; Tolliver also said it appeared district staff had forgotten to address one of her daughters diagnoses when drafting an individualized education plan. Her family has since moved to the jurisdiction of Castleberry Independent School District.

Im still learning this whole process. Its not sad, but it is sad that we have to fight so hard for our kids  the special education community  we have to fight that hard to where we have to make sure that were educated in this world, said Tolliver, whose daughter has been diagnosed with autism and ADHD.

Fort Worth ISD officials did not respond on Monday when the Star-Telegram asked for comment on Tollivers experience.
Why Hawaii is not protected by NATO

WASHINGTON (NEXSTAR)  NATO celebrated 75 years this month with a summit of world leaders in D.C., but not every state in the U.S. is protected by the treaty.

The 32-member military agreement says an attack on one is an attack on all but that doesnt include Hawaii.

This really is a technicality on paper, Rep. Jill Tokuda (D-Hawaii.) said.

Hawaii Congresswoman Jill Tokuda says its because Hawaii is south of NATOs cutoff: the Tropic of Cancer, and it became a state a decade after NATO was signed. That was 75 years ago.

Were not in a world today that we were in 1949, Rep. Ed Case (D-Hawaii.) said.

Hawaii Congressman Ed Case says todays threats from China and Russia warrant protection by the alliance. Thats why he wrote a letter to the Secretary of State in May asking for Hawaii to be formally added.

You dont want to wait until it happens to figure out whether other countries will regard themselves as bound to a mutual defense obligation, Case said.

The State Department wrote back, saying an attack would almost certainly draw Allied reaction, but said an amendment would be unlikely because the U.S. isnt the only ally with territory outside the treaty area.

Tokuda says the U.S. military presence, plus frequent exercises with other countries, make the exclusion less a concern to constituents.

Because they see so actively right there in our community oftentimes, the presence of other countries, Tokuda said.

She says strengthening ties in the Indo-Pacific should be a bigger focus.

Case says its worth pursuing. He said hes considering legislation to urge the State Department to support an amendment, or he may go directly to NATOs Secretary General.

I dont think its cause for tremendous alarm, Case said. But its nice to get things confirmed.

Case isnt the only lawmaker who wants to see Hawaii included in NATO. Twelve senators wrote their own letter to the Secretary of State earlier this month to call for the change.

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Outgoing Mesa Mayor John Giles chose early to publicly back Vice President Kamala Harris bid to become the Democratic presidential nominee and urged Arizona Republicans to vote for her, saying former President Donald Trump "poses a threat" to the nation.

Twenty-one current and former mayors across Arizona endorsed Harris, including Giles, who is a registered Republican. He was the most prominent Republican mayor to do so.

Other prominent mayors to endorse Harris include Phoenix Mayor Kate Gallego, Tucson Mayor Regina Romero and Tempe Mayor Corey Woods.

City politicians in Arizona dont run as Democrats or Republicans but their political party affiliations add weight to their public endorsements.

In an op-ed with The Arizona Republic, he wrote it was time to return to the core foundations of the Grand Old Party, and chose a leader who will put country over party.

Mesa Mayor John Giles attends a press conference outside the League of Arizona Cities and Towns requesting Arizona Gov. Katie Hobbs to veto House Bill 2570 in Phoenix on March 14, 2024.

This is not the first time Giles has endorsed a democratic nominee. In 2022, he endorsed U.S. Sen. Mark Kelly's bid for a second term. He was later censured by GOP precincts in his legislative districts. Giles also supported Gov. Katie Hobbs' gubernatorial race in 2022.

Giles has refused to leave the Republican party. In interviews with The Arizona Republic, he said, he remains steadfast that there is still room in the party for a more moderate centrist Republican.

Giles echoed Sen. John McCains Country First motto as he called on other Arizona Republicans to join him in defeating Trump.

It will take Republicans, Democrats and independent voters to stand "together against a far-right agenda" and beat Trump, Giles wrote.

Thats why Im standing with her. Kamala Harris is the competent, just and fair leader our country deserves. This year too much is at stake to vote Republican at the top of the ticket, he wrote.

He touted the achievements of Mesa, Arizona's third largest city and the 36th largest city in the nation, under the Biden-Harris administration including job and economic growth.

Opinions: Why, as a Republican mayor, I support Kamala Harris over Trump

This article originally appeared on Arizona Republic: Republican Mesa Mayor John Giles backs Kamala Harris. Here's why
SAN DIEGO (FOX 5/KUSI)  Fire crews are battling a brush fire that is straddling the U.S.-Mexico border after flames erupted at the base of Tecate Peak in San Diego County on Tuesday.

The fire, which was named the Border 66 Fire, was first reported around 11:15 a.m. roughly two-and-a-half miles west of State Route 188, according to Cal Fire.

As of 1 p.m. Tuesday, the wildfire is estimated to be roughly 296 acres in size and is straddling both sides of the border, according to Cal Fire. By 3 p.m., crews had stopped the forward rate of spread. The fire was 300 acres and 10% contained.

By 9 a.m. Wednesday, the fire was 55% contained.

California Wildfire Map

A large plume of smoke could be seen near the site of the blaze on a nearby camera that is a part of UC San Diegos ALERTCalifornia network. Active flames were also seen by SkyFOX/KUSI in the Sky Tuesday.

It is unclear if any structures are considered threatened at this time or if the wildfire has had any impact on the Tecate Port of Entry. No evacuation notices have been issued at this time.

The Border 66 Fire is the fourth  and biggest  wildland fire to break out in southeastern San Diego County over the last week, following the Border 65 Fire which burned through roughly 60 acres in Marron Valley on Sunday.

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 FOX 5 San Diego & KUSI News.
Lt. William Calley arrives at a pre-trial hearing prior to his court martial for his involvement in the My Lai massacre - Bettman

William Calley, who during the Vietnam War led his US Army platoon into the Vietnamese hamlet of My Lai and carried out one of the worst war crimes in American military history, has died aged 80.

The Washington Post on Monday first reported Calleys death, which happened in April, according to a death certificate the newspaper cited. The New York Times, citing Social Security Administration death records, also reported Calleys death.

Neither paper gave a cause of death. Calls to numbers listed for Calleys son, William L. Calley III, were not returned, Reuters reported.

American soldiers killed 504 people on March 16, 1968, in Son My, a collection of hamlets between the central Vietnamese coast and a ridge of misty mountains, in an incident known in the West as the My Lai Massacre. The killings shocked the US and galvanised the anti-war movement.

US soldier torching a house during the My Lai massacre - History/Universal Images Group via Getty Images)

Initially charged in a US Army court martial for 102 deaths, Calley was sentenced to life in prison in 1971 for the killing of 22 civilians. He was behind bars for only three days before then-President Richard Nixon ordered he be released under house arrest.

Despite being told that My Lai was a hotbed of communist National Liberation Front guerrillas, US forces met no serious armed resistance and found very few weapons, according to the Army Historical Foundation.

Four soldiers were brought up on charges stemming from the massacre but only Calley was convicted.

Calley spent three years in home detention at his apartment in Fort Benning, Georgia, where he had visits from his girlfriend, and was then paroled and cashiered out of the Army.

Maintaining that he had merely followed orders and considering himself a scapegoat, Calley became a lightning rod for a country bitterly divided over the unpopular Vietnam War.

Former Vietnamese President Truong Tan Sang and his wife Mai Thi Hanh help lay flowers in 2018 during the 50th anniversary of the My Lai massacre in My Lai village - Kham/Reuters

In later years, as a successful businessman in Columbus, Georgia, Calley refused to talk about My Lai with reporters or historians.

Friends, however, said he admitted committing the deeds he was charged with and had learned to live with it. In 2009, he made his first public apology.

There is not a day that goes by that I do not feel remorse for what happened that day in My Lai, Calley told a Kiwanis Club in Columbus, Ohio.

I feel remorse for the Vietnamese who were killed, for their families, for the American soldiers involved and their families. I am very sorry.

William Laws Calley Jr was born on June 8, 1943, the only son and fourth child of a Miami businessman. He attended four high schools in four years, two of them military academies. After he dropped out of junior college, he worked as a bellhop, dishwasher, insurance investigator and train conductor.

Broke in Albuquerque, New Mexico, in 1966, he joined the Army and excelled. Despite a poor academic record, Calley graduated from Officers Candidate School at Fort Benning one year to the day before the My Lai incident.

After his discharge from the Army, Calley married Penny Vick in 1976 and went to work for her father in the jewellery business in Georgia, becoming a certified gemologist. They had one son and later divorced.

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Second Lt. William Calley waits for a verdict from a court-martial panel in 1971. (Joe Holloway, Jr. / Associated Press)

The night before 2nd Lt. William Calley shipped out of Hawaii to Vietnam, he was obliged to read his unit a list of rules regarding their behavior in a new land.

The men were arrayed in a horseshoe around the 5-foot-3, boyish-looking officer as he recited the dos and donts from the Pentagon publication Vietnam, Our Host. In his 1971 memoir, he remembered items such as Do not insult the women  do not assault the women. And  Im too foggy about it. Items like Be polite.'

I had only three minutes for Vietnam, Our Host, he wrote. I did a very, very poor job.

Three-and-a-half months later, 24-year-old Rusty Calley was at the center of the My Lai massacre, one of the darkest chapters in U.S. military history. In a hamlet that reputedly had been a Viet Cong stronghold, Calley and the men he commanded shot, stabbed, raped, and hurled hand grenades at hundreds of residents later deemed to be unarmed civilians  mostly women, children and elderly men.

Calley, who was convicted of murder in a 1971 court-martial that was widely seen as a trial of the Vietnam War itself, died on April 28, according to his Florida death record, which said he had been living in an apartment in Gainesville. He was 80.

After My Lai, Calley was sentenced to life at hard labor. However, owing to the intervention of President Nixon, he served only a few months in prison before being released to house arrest. During three years of appeals, he lived in a bachelor-quarters apartment at Ft. Benning, Ga.

Military authorities and then Secretary of the Army Howard Callaway reduced his sentence to 20 years, and then 10. In 1974, he was paroled.

Read more: Column: How two events 50 years ago today helped define the 1960s

By then, Calley had gained millions of supporters. The White House was flooded with more than 300,000 letters and telegrams denouncing his life sentence. A Gallup poll indicated that 79% of Americans believed he had been made a scapegoat.

After his conviction, a popular song based on The Battle Hymn of The Republic  The Battle Hymn of Lt. Calley  sold more than a million records: My name is William Calley / I'm a soldier of this land / I've tried to do my duty and to gain the upper hand / But theyve made me out a villain / They have stamped me with a brand / As we go marching on 

Even some leaders of the antiwar movement thought Calley had been treated unfairly. Its too bad that one man is being made to pay for the brutality of the whole war, said Dr. Benjamin Spock, the late activist and pediatrician whose books were child-raising bibles for frazzled American parents.

In his memoir, Calley portrayed himself as an easy target for officials trying to sanitize the unpopular war. Once the story of My Lai emerged, the American government couldnt say, Oh, thats how it is in Vietnam, everyone, He wrote. It had to protect two million veterans and 200 million Americans. It had to tell everyone, A mad killer did it.

On March 16, 1968, Calley led one of the three platoons of Charlie Company into the village known by U.S. military planners as My Lai 4. Four hours after their arrival, most of the villagers were dead. At least nine girls and women had been raped and mutilated. Zippo squads, using their cigarette lighters to ignite thatched rooves, burned down 246 homes. Bodies were dumped down wells. Even the livestock was shot.

At the My Lai museum outside Da Nang in Vietnam  formally known as the Son My War Remnant Site  a marble plaque lists 504 victims by name. Of the 273 women killed, 17 were pregnant. One hundred and sixty victims were 4 to 12 years old and 50 were 3 years old or younger.

Roughly 100 U.S. soldiers from Charlie Company swept into My Lai on March 16, 1968. They met no enemy fire and saw no Vietnamese males of fighting age. They suffered only one casualty  a GI who shot himself in the foot. All of three enemy weapons were recovered.

Read more: A Day of Darkness

Calley ordered his soldiers to aim their M-16 assault rifles into a drainage ditch where dozens of villagers were huddled, pleading for their lives. The only survivors were those shielded from bullets by the layers of bleeding bodies above. Calley fired into the pit, as well as into a group of captured villagers squatting on a trail. He was initially charged with murdering 109 civilians.

When he saw a white-robed Buddhist monk praying over a prostrate elderly woman, he jammed his rifle butt into the monks face. After the monk crumpled, insisting he wasnt Viet Cong, Calley shot him anyway. A little later, he saw a small boy crawl out of the pit. Calley grabbed his arm, tossed him back in, and shot him too. The boy was 2.

In his memoir, Calley said the publics outrage about slain babies was misplaced.

On babies everyones really hung up, he wrote. But babies! The little, innocent babies! Of course, weve been in Vietnam for 10 years now. If were in Vietnam another 10, if your son is killed by those babies, youll cry at me, Why didnt you kill those babies that day?

Seven of Calleys men refused to follow his orders but most complied. Ultimately, charges were filed against 25 men, including officers who engineered the subsequent cover-up. The cases against most were dropped. Of the six men tried, only Calley was convicted.

At a 50-year anniversary forum on My Lai, former military judge Gary Solis called it an epic failure of military justice.

I believe the convening authorities just wanted the whole damn My Lai case to go away, said Solis, a former court-martial prosecutor who taught military law at West Point. They didnt want the American public to know the full extent of criminality exhibited by U.S. personnel in My Lai and undermining Americas ongoing war effort.

Born June 8, 1943, William Laws Calley Jr. was the son of Ruth and William Calley. He grew up with three sisters in Miami, where his father had a construction business.

An indifferent student, Calley was sent to a military school before graduating from a public high school in 1962. He attended Palm Beach Junior College for a year, held a series of odd jobs, and in 1967 enlisted in the Army as the Vietnam War was in full swing.

For decades after his release, Calley managed a Columbus, Ga., jewelry store owned by his wifes family. He had married Peggy Vick in 1976 at a wedding with 200 guests, including a U.S. district judge who had overturned his conviction but was later overruled. The Calleys son, William Laws Calley III, went on to become an electrical engineer in Atlanta.

The Calleys divorced after 30 years and he later moved to Florida.

Refusing countless requests for interviews, he broke his silence with a public apology in 2009.

At a friends invitation, he spoke at a Kiwanis Club of Greater Columbus lunch.

There is not a day that goes by when I do not feel remorse for what happened that day in My Lai, he said, his voice breaking. I feel remorse for the Vietnamese who were killed, for their families, and for the American soldiers involved and their families. I am very sorry.

Asked whether following an unlawful order is itself unlawful, Calley said he believed it was, according to an account in the Columbus Ledger-Enquirer.

"If you are asking why I did not stand up to them when I was given the orders, I will have to say that I was a second lieutenant getting orders from my commander and I followed them  foolishly, I guess," he said.

At his court-martial, Calleys attorney echoed the defense of top Nazis at their trials in Nuremberg following World War II: He was only following orders.

The day before the attack, Capt. Ernest Medina had gathered the troops of Charlie Company, which he commanded. Most of the men were still relative newcomers to Vietnam but 20 soldiers  about 10% of the company  had been wounded or killed by buried landmines. Just days before the attack, a popular sergeant had been blown apart by a booby trap that took another soldiers arms and legs and blinded a third.

Weeks earlier, Calley and others had been kept awake by the sound of screams. At dawn, they discovered the body of a U.S. soldier hoisted on a pole. He had been skinned alive.

Medina told his troops that the next morning theyd be storming My Lai, where intelligence officials had located several hundred members of the crack Viet Cong 48th Local Force Battalion. Because the attack would be on market day, he said, the village would be empty, except for the VC fighters holed up there.

Our job is to go in rapidly, and to neutralize everything, Medina told his troops. To kill everything.

Asked whether he meant women and children too, Medina, a tough career officer known to his men as Mad Dog, was blunt, Calley recounted.

I mean everything, he said.

Calleys account was both supported and disputed by other witnesses. Medina denied it and was acquitted after jurors deliberated for 58 minutes.

Still, Calley said he believed he and his men were under orders to kill anyone they saw as a threat  and women and children had been known to plant landmines, set booby traps and hide Viet Cong fighters. Calley also said he was under pressure from his commander, who told him in angry radio transmissions to waste the villagers if they got in the way. The action was to be the first to rout the Viet Cong in My Lai and nearby villages.

After Medina blasted him for threatening the mission, Calley made the most momentous decision of his life, wrote historian Howard Jones in "My Lai: Vietnam, 1968, and the Descent into Darkness," his 2017 account of the massacre. Since it was impossible to distinguish between friend and foe, the only conclusion was to presume that all Vietnamese were Viet Cong and kill them all.

It later was determined that the Viet Congs 48th Battalion had been regrouping in the mountains miles away. The intelligence had been wrong.

Read more: Review: My Lai massacre, 50 years later: Jonathan Berger's opera captures the madness

The carnage at My Lai stopped only after helicopter pilot Hugh Thompson looked down and saw U.S. soldiers picking off people in the body-strewn ditch and elsewhere. After a futile confrontation with Calley, Thompson landed his chopper between a group of fleeing Vietnamese and the soldiers closing in on them. He also summoned another chopper to evacuate wounded women and children.

Warrant Officer Thompsons superiors shrugged off his reports as the impressions of an excitable young man. However, he and his two crew mates were honored 30 years later with the Soldiers Medal, the Armys top award for heroism not involving conflict with an armed enemy.

Shortly after My Lai, Calley was promoted to first lieutenant and went on to serve 15 more months in Vietnam. Tiring of combat, he took a job in Vietnam as a community affairs officer, starting a sewing class for ex-prostitutes and teaching children how to use soap.

I had a beautiful thing with the Vietnamese people, he wrote.

Meanwhile, word of the massacre leaked.

While it initially was publicized as a significant U.S. victory, with 128 Viet Cong soldiers killed after a fierce, daylong gun battle, the true story was discovered by Ronald Ridenhour, a soldier who pieced the real version together after conversations with men who had been there.

Ridenhours letter to military and political leaders prompted probes by Congress, a Pulitzer-winning investigation by journalist Seymour Hersh, and an inquiry led by Lt. Gen. William R. Peers. After hundreds of interviews, Peers recommended courts-martial for Calley and 24 others, including Maj. Gen. Samuel W. Koster, who had left Vietnam to become superintendent of the U.S. Military Academy at West Point. Charges against Koster, who was accused in the cover-up, were later dropped.

Calley was charged on Sept. 5, 1969  one day before he would have been discharged and thus immune from war crime prosecution. Eventually, prosecutors winnowed down his 109 alleged murders to 22.

After his conviction, he rose to address the jury, moving from a lectern that was too high to a lowered microphone.

His voice quaking, he said: Ive never known a soldier, nor did I ever myself  ever  wantonly kill a human being in my entire life.

If I have committed a crime, the only crime that Ive committed is, in my judgment, of my values: Apparently I valued my troops lives more than I did that of the enemy.

Steve Chawkins is a former Times staff writer.

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This story originally appeared in Los Angeles Times.
Winner shared lottery tickets online but someone else tried to get the prizes, SC cops say

A Midlands man recently was arrested for trying to claim another persons winning lottery tickets as his own, according to the South Carolina Law Enforcement Division.

On July 18, 40-year-old Orangeburg resident James Antonio Cheeseboro was charged with intent to defraud, counterfeit game tickets, SLED said Monday in a news release.

At about 8 p.m. on July 7, Cheeseboro tried to pass multiple South Carolina Education Lottery at the Quick Pantry gas station/convenience store at 1096 John C. Calhoun Drive in Orangeburg, according to an arrest warrant.

The charge was not unique, as SLED reported that people in separate incidents in both Lexington and Aiken counties also have recently been charged with intent to defraud, counterfeit game tickets.

But in each of those incidents, the defendants were accused of physically stealing the tickets they then tried to redeem for the cash prizes.

Thats not what Cheeseboro was charged with doing.

According to an arrest warrant, Cheeseboro saw a social media post shared by the person who actually possessed the winning lottery tickets. Cheeseboro then took the activation codes from the social media post then provided those numbers to his manager at the Quick Pantry, who then manually entered the numbers into the stores terminal, the arrest warrant said.

Cheeseboro then collected the prizes  a combined $445  for his personal gain without the permission or consent of the ticket purchaser, according to the arrest warrant.

Cheeseboro was arrested after being identified on surveillance footage from the Quick Pantry as well as the stores management, the arrest warrant said.

Cheeseboro was booked into the Orangeburg County Detention Center, according to SLED. His bond was set at $5,000 on July 18, and posted the same day, Orangeburg County court records show.

Hes scheduled to return to court on Sept. 4, according to court records. The 1st Circuit Solicitors Office will prosecute Cheeseboro.

The Lexington County case

In the Lexington County incident, 47-year-old Cayce resident Mitchell Lonnell Gleaton was charged with the same crime on July 16, SLED said Tuesday.

The crime dates back to Aug. 18, 2023, when Gleaton stole two scratch-off lottery tickets from Simba Express at 1830 Frink Street in Cayce, which is in Lexington County, according to an arrest warrant. On that same day, Gleaton cashed in the stolen tickets at the S Mart on Elmwood Avenue in Richland County, the arrest warrant shows.

Gleaton redeemed one of the stolen tickets for $25, according to the arrest warrant.

Information about why it took nearly a year for Gleaton to be charged was not available, but he was seen stealing and cashing the tickets on surveillance footage from both convenience stores, the arrest warrant says.

Gleaton was identified by the Cayce Police Department, and that was confirmed with SCDMV and Lexington County Detention Center records, according to the arrest warrant.

Information about Gleatons bond status was not available, but hes not currently listed on the Lexington County Detention Centers inmate roster.

The Aiken County case

In the Aiken County incident, 37-year-old North Augusta resident Angel Nicole Huitt was also charged with intent to defraud, counterfeit game tickets, SLED said Tuesday.

While Huitt was charged July 18, her incident dates even further back to Feb. 26, 2023, according to an arrest warrant. Thats when Huitt stole 23 scratch-off lottery tickets from the Save and Shop on Atomic Road in North Augusta then redeemed them  for a combined total of $94  at a Circle K store on Old 96 Indian Trail in Batesburg, the arrest warrant shows.

She was seen stealing and cashing the tickets on surveillance footage from both Aiken County stores, then identified through jail records, according to an arrest warrant.

Huitt was booked into the Aiken County Detention Center, according to SLED. Her bond was set at $5,000 on July 18, and posted the same day, Aiken County court records show.
By Scott DiSavino

NEW YORK (Reuters) -Oil prices slid about 1% to settle at a seven-week low on Tuesday as investors worried that demand from China could be weakening while OPEC+ seems likely to stick to plans to increase supplies.

Market participants have been talking for days about a possible ceasefire deal in Gaza that could reduce the geopolitical risk premium for crude prices.

Brent futures delivery fell $1.15, or 1.4%, to settle at $78.63. U.S. West Texas Intermediate (WTI) crude fell $1.08, or 1.4%, to $74.73.

That was the lowest close for both benchmarks since June 5 and kept both in technically oversold territory for a second day.

U.S. futures for diesel and gasoline also closed at their lowest since early June.

Manufacturing activity in China, the world's largest crude importer, likely shrank for a third month in July, according to a Reuters poll. Chinese leaders have vowed to step up support for the economy, but investors expect such measures will be limited since the Third Plenum policy meeting largely reiterated existing goals.

In Lebanon, an Israeli air strike targeted a senior Hezbollah commander in Beirut's southern suburbs in what the Israeli military called retaliation for a cross-border rocket attack over the weekend that killed 12 children and teenagers.

Some analysts have said Israel's measured response could signal a deal was close on Gaza.

A ceasefire deal with Hamas has "the potential to (remove) $4 to $7 (a barrel) of risk premium out of the market," Bob Yawger, director of energy futures at Mizuho, said in a note.

On Thursday, top ministers from OPEC+, the Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC) and allies like Russia, will meet to review the market, including a plan to start unwinding some output cuts from October. No changes are currently expected.

U.S. INVENTORY DATA DUE

Weekly U.S. oil storage data is due from the American Petroleum Institute (API) trade group later on Tuesday and the U.S. Energy Information Administration (EIA) on Wednesday.

Analysts projected U.S. energy firms pulled about 1.1 million barrels of crude out of storage during the week ended July 26. [EIA/S] [API/S]

If correct, that would be the first time U.S. crude stocks declined for five weeks in a row since January 2022.

U.S. job openings fell modestly in June and data for the prior month was revised higher, suggesting the labor market continued to cool, which analysts say makes it more likely the Federal Reserve will reduce interest rates.

The Fed is expected hold its benchmark overnight interest rate steady at its July 30-31 meeting and signal that rate cuts may begin as soon as the central bank's September meeting.

Story continues

The Fed hiked rates aggressively in 2022 and 2023 to tame a surge in inflation. Lower rates can boost economic growth and demand for oil.

The U.S. is considering fresh sanctions on OPEC member Venezuela following disputed results in the South American country's presidential election.

President Nicolas Maduro's victory in the latest Venezuelan election "is a headwind for global supply, as this could result in tighter U.S. sanctions," ANZ analysts said in a note, estimating such a scenario could cut Venezuela's exports by 100,000-120,000 barrels per day.

(Reporting by Scott DiSavino in New York, Robert Harvey and Alex Lawler in London, Colleen Howe in Beijing and Jeslyn Lerh in Singapore; Editing by Helen Popper, David Goodman and Chris Reese)
How winter fuel payments are changing  and what other support is available to pensioners?

How winter fuel payments are changing  and what other support is available to pensioners?

Winter fuel payments will be stopped for millions of pensioners this winter as Labour pushes on with its plan to boost public finances by means-testing the cold weather benefit.

The Labour government has been urged to review its decision affecting 10 million pensioners after the regulator Ofgem announced household energy bills will rise by 150 in October.

Sir Keir Starmer has been warned the double hit will lead to disaster for pensioners on low and modest incomes or living in vulnerable circumstances due to ill health.

Labour now faces a challenge from trade unions over the measure at its annual conference in Brighton. Led by Unite and the Communication Workers Union (CWU), representatives are reportedly looking to force a debate and vote on the cut.

While it would be embarrassing for the government if they were defeated, the vote would be non-binding and so unlikely to force the Sir Keirs hand.

It comes just weeks after the prime minister faced a fresh rebellion in Commons as MPs were granted a vote on the measure. Members voted 348 to 228 to press ahead with cutting the payment, as 53 Labour MPs abstainined and one voted against.

Rachel Reeves revealed the change amongst several cost-cutting measures in July, designed to plug the 22bn black hole in public finances which Labour argues was concealed by the previous government.

Rachel Reeves announces her cost-cutting measures in Commons (Reuters)

Pensioners have spoken to The Independent about how they face a bleak winter ahead due to the price cap rise and the introduction of means-tested winter fuel payments.

Analysis shows energy bills this winter will be the highest on record for older people who previously received the winter fuel payment, worth up to 300.

The winter fuel payment was introduced by Tony Blairs government in 1997, and expanded to all pensioners from 2000. The new change will now mean that only those in receipt of pension credit or other certain benefits will continue to receive them.

The payment amount remains unchanged, at 200 for those aged between 66 and 79, and 300 for those over 80.

Since announcing the measure, charities and campaigners have urged the government to reconisder. Research from Age UK shows that around 2 million vulnerable pensioners are likely to miss out, while money expert Martin Lewis has also said Labour should rethink the measure.

Age UK director Caroline Abrahams said: An estimated two million older people, in all, will face an even steeper mountain to climb in paying their energy bills and staying warm and well when the weather chills.

With pensioners also losing the cost-of-living payments theyve received over the last two years we simply cannot see how some of them will cope.

She adds that lifting of Ofgems price cap for energy bills makes it even more obvious that making the winter fuel payment means-tested could be hazardous for some older people.

If youve been affected by the change to winter fuel payments heres what you can do:

Check if youre eligible for pension credit

The first thing anyone affected by the changes to the winter fuel payment should do is check if theyre eligible for pension credit. If you are able to claim this benefit, it will now unlock the winter fuel payment for you.

Research from Age UK shows that around 800,000 pensioners are missing out on the means-tested benefit. The charity recommends calling their helpline or using their handy benefits calculator to check their eligibility.

To qualify for pension credit, you must be above state pension age  currently 66  and on a low income. It will top up your weekly income to either:

218.15 if youre single

332.95 if you have a partner (shared jointly)

This works out at 11,343.8 a year if single, or a shared income of 17,313.4 for two.

Its crucial those who are eligible for the credit apply for it, as experts describe it as a passport benefit. Alongside the winter fuel payment, claiming pension credit can unlock housing benefit, support with mortgages, a free TV licence and help with NHS dental appointments. This can add up to thousands of pounds in additional support.

However, the eligibility is not tapered: if you receive even 50 over the pension credit income, you will not qualify for this additional support.

Age UK says there are around one million pensioners in this situation. A spokesperson said: Older people in this group often tell us they really struggle financially; the proposed change will make it even harder for them to afford to stay warm when it gets chilly.

Means-testing WFP this winter, with virtually no notice and no compensatory measures to protect poor and vulnerable pensioners, is the wrong policy decision, and one that will potentially jeopardise their health as well as their finances  the last thing they or the NHS needs.

Other support available if youre not eligible for pension credit:

Attendance allowance

Attendance allowance is a non-means tested benefit is designed to support pensioners who need daily living help. It offers a minimum of 3,700 a year, rising to 5644.6 depending on the level of support needed.

To be eligible for the benefit, the claimant must have needed help or supervision for six consecutive months, even if none has been received. This means you need assistance with daily living, or someone to watch you to avoid danger to yourself.

Money guru Martin Lewis recently launched a campaign to raise awareness of the benefit, which he says is going unclaimed by around a million eligible pensioners.

Household support fund

The household support fund is money given to all local councils to support vulnerable households in their area. Councils are free to allocate the funds however they feel is best.

Some have provided cash grants, supermarket vouchers, or energy bill assistance. You will need to visit your local councils website to find out what help may still be available.

To find out what support is available, the End Furniture Poverty charity offers a helpful assistance finder tool.

Energy provider help

Some energy suppliers are offering help for those struggling with their energy bills. These include Scottish Power, EDF, E.ON and Octopus. You will need to contact your energy provider to find out if you are eligible.

British Gas also offer a grant of up to 2,000 to customers of any energy provider. You will need to meet specific criteria to be eligible, and can apply on the British Gas Energy Trust website.

Charitable grants

If you are struggling financially, you may be eligible for certain charitable grants. There are a wide range of grants available depending on your circumstances.

However, these grants will typically require you to meet specific criteria and only be able to offer limited funds.

Several charitable grants are available for older people, with some having additional criteria such as being disabled or ill  and many more. The charity Turn2us has an online tool to search for grants which may be available to you.

For the latest benefits and pensions payment dates and cost of living support, visit The Independents regularly updated guide
The next statewide election is Aug. 13, when Wisconsin voters will weigh in on two referendum questions and narrow down candidates for the U.S. Congress, the state Legislature and some county races.

Early voting may start in some communities as early as Tuesday.

The election is the second-to-last in Wisconsin in 2024. The candidates who advance from this election will appear on the Nov. 5 ballot, which will also include the presidential contest.

Here's what to know about who's on the Aug. 13 ballot, what the referendum questions mean, how to return your absentee ballot, when you can vote early and more:

What's on the ballot in Wisconsin primary election Aug. 13?

The race for U.S. Senate is the only race that will appear on all ballots in Wisconsin. The rest of the races for the state Legislature, the U.S. House of Representatives and county offices depend on where you live.

The boundaries of some state legislative districts changed after redistricting earlier this year, meaning you might see new names on your ballot. Some lawmakers retired or moved into new districts. All state Assembly seats and half of state Senate seats are up for election this year.

Here's a list of the candidates running for state Legislature in the Milwaukee area. The district lines within the City of Milwaukee didn't change much, but there were more changes in the suburbs.

Interactive: See Wisconsin's new state legislative maps

More: Here are 10 races to watch in Wisconsin's newly competitive legislative maps

There are also congressional races on the ballot, including the Senate race, where Democratic U.S. Sen. Tammy Baldwin is up for reelection. The other races for Congress depend on which of the eight U.S. House districts you live in, which did not change during redistricting.

In most counties, there are four county elected offices on the ballot, too  district attorney, clerk, treasurer and register of deeds.

You can preview your ballot at myvote.wi.gov.

Who's running for Congress in Wisconsin?

Here's a full list of the congressional races in the Aug. 13 primary election. You can enter your zip code into this map to see what House district you live in. A (D) denotes a Democrat and an (R) denotes a Republican. An (i) denotes an incumbent.

U.S. Senate

Tammy Baldwin (D, i)

Eric Hovde (R)

Charles E. Barman (R)

Rejani Raveendran (R)

More: Who is Eric Hovde? What to know about Republican candidate challenging Tammy Baldwin

1st Congressional District (southeastern Wisconsin)

Peter Barca (D)

Bryan Steil (R, i)

Chester Todd Jr. (Green)

More: Who is Peter Barca? What to know about Democratic candidate challenging Bryan Steil.

2nd Congressional District (Madison area)

Mark Pocan (D, i)

Erik Olsen (R)

Charity Barry (R)

3rd Congressional District (western Wisconsin)

Rebecca Cooke (D)

Katrina Shankland (D)

Eric Wilson (D)

Derrick Van Orden (R, i)

More: Democratic field narrows in bid to oust Trump-aligned Rep. Derrick Van Orden in 3rd District

4th Congressional District (Milwaukee area)

Gwen S. Moore (D, i)

Purnima Nath (R)

Tim Rogers (R)

5th Congressional District (suburbs west of Milwaukee)

Ben Steinhoff (D)

Scott Fitzgerald (R, i)

6th Congressional District (central Wisconsin)

John Zarbano (D)

Glenn Grothman (R, i)

7th Congressional District (northern Wisconsin)

Kyle Kilbourn (D)

Elsa Rae Duranceau (D)

Tom Tiffany (R, i)

8th Congressional District (northeastern Wisconsin)

Kristin Lyerly (D)

Tony Wied (R)

Andre Jacque (R)

Roger Roth (R)

More: Primary to fill Mike Gallagher's seat pits a Trump-backed candidate against familiar names

What do the August referendum questions mean in Wisconsin?

There are two referendum questions on the Aug. 13 ballot that all voters will see. The questions are written as follows:

QUESTION 1: Delegation of appropriation power. Shall section 35 (1) of article IV of the constitution be created to provide that the legislature may not delegate its sole power to determine how moneys shall be appropriated?

QUESTION 2: Allocation of federal moneys. Shall section 35 (2) of article IV of the constitution be created to prohibit the governor from allocating any federal moneys the governor accepts on behalf of the state without the approval of the legislature by joint resolution or as provided by legislative rule?

The questions stem from debates between Democratic Gov. Tony Evers and the Republican-led state Legislature over distributing federal pandemic relief funds. If the referendums pass, they would require the governor to get legislative approval to spend federal money.

Republicans and conservative groups support voting "yes" on the two questions because they see the amendments as an important check on the governor's power. Democrats and liberal groups support voting "no" because they believe the Legislature would slow down how the state government responds to emergencies.

More: What to know about constitutional amendment questions going to Wisconsin voters in August

Where can I vote early in Wisconsin?

Local governments are allowed to offer in-person absentee voting, also known as early voting, two weeks before the election through the Sunday before the election.

The location, dates and times for early voting vary by community. You can find that information at myvote.wi.gov or by contacting your local clerk.

When does early voting start in Milwaukee?

Early voting starts Tuesday in Milwaukee. Here are the locations, dates and times:

Capitol Drive Voting Center (6001 W. Capitol Dr.)

9 a.m. to 7 p.m. weekdays, July 30 through Aug 9

10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Saturdays, Aug. 3 and 10

Noon to 4 p.m. Sunday, Aug. 4

Zeidler Municipal Building (841 N. Broadway Ave.)

9 a.m. to 7 p.m. weekdays, July 30 through Aug 9

10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Saturdays, Aug. 3 and 10

Noon to 4 p.m. Sunday, Aug. 4

Zablocki Library (3501 W. Oklahoma Ave.)

9 a.m. to 7 p.m. weekdays, July 30 through Aug 9

10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Saturdays, Aug. 3 and 10

Noon to 4 p.m. Sunday, Aug. 4

Good Hope Library (7715 W. Good Hope Rd., opens July 31)

1 p.m. to 7 p.m. Tuesdays, July 30 and Aug. 6, and Monday, Aug. 5

11 a.m. to 5 p.m. Wednesdays, Thursdays and Fridays, July 31 through Aug. 2 and Aug. 7 through 10

10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Saturdays, Aug. 3 and 10

Tippecanoe Library (3912 S. Howell Ave.)

1 p.m. to 7 p.m. Tuesdays, July 30 and Aug. 6, and Monday, Aug. 5

11 a.m. to 5 p.m. Wednesdays, Thursdays and Fridays, July 31 through Aug. 2 and Aug. 7 through 10

10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Saturdays, Aug. 3 and 10

Washington Park Library (2121 N. Sherman Blvd.)

1 p.m. to 7 p.m. Tuesdays, July 30 and Aug. 6, and Monday, Aug. 5

11 a.m. to 5 p.m. Wednesdays, Thursdays and Fridays, July 31 through Aug. 2 and Aug. 7 through 10

10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Saturdays, Aug. 3 and 10

How do I request an absentee ballot in Wisconsin?

You can request an absentee ballot online at myvote.wi.gov. You can also make a request for an absentee ballot to your clerk's office by email, in writing or in-person. Information on those options for Milwaukee voters is available here.

If you're requesting an absentee ballot online or via mail, the deadline is 5 p.m. Aug. 8 for regular and permanent overseas voters. The deadline is longer for indefinitely confined, military and hospitalized voters.

Once you make a request, your local clerk must mail your absentee ballot within one day.

You can view a full list of absentee ballot deadlines here.

How do I return my absentee ballot in Wisconsin?

If you're mailing back your absentee ballot, the U.S. Postal Service recommends doing so at least seven days before the election.

You can check with your clerk on other options for returning your absentee ballot, such as at your clerk's office, at an early voting site or at your polling place or central count location on Election Day.

Another way to return absentee ballots may be available again in some communities. The state Supreme Court recently reinstated the use of absentee ballot drop boxes, and some are on track to reopen for the Aug. 13 election. You can contact your local clerk to see if drop boxes will be available.

More: What to know about how Milwaukee will reopen absentee ballot drop boxes after court ruling

What do I need to bring to vote in Wisconsin?

To vote in Wisconsin, you need to bring a current photo ID that has your name on it. The Wisconsin Elections Commission's website has a list of accepted forms of identification.

You also can register to vote at your polling place, or re-register if you've changed addresses since the last time you voted or if you haven't voted in the last four years. In that case, you'll need to bring a document that shows proof of residence.

A driver's license or ID card issued by the Department of Motor Vehicles counts as proof as residence, if it shows your current address. Or, you can bring documents like a lease, utility bill or bank statement that has your new address.

When are polls open in Wisconsin?

Polls are open between 7 a.m. and 8 p.m. As long as you're in line by 8 p.m., you'll be allowed to vote.

You can find your polling place by typing in your address at myvote.wi.gov.

When is the next election in Wisconsin?

After the August partisan primary, the next election in Wisconsin is Nov. 5. That will be the final election of 2024 in Wisconsin, unless a special election is called due to a vacancy.

On Nov. 5, voters will choose from the candidates who advanced from the Aug. 13 ballot for legislative, congressional and local offices. The presidential race is also on that ballot  the presidential primary was held in April in Wisconsin.

More: The deadline has not passed in Wisconsin to replace Biden on the ballot. Heres why.

This article originally appeared on Milwaukee Journal Sentinel: Wisconsin election; Aug. 13 primary 2024; referendums, early voting
SPRINGFIELD, Mo.  Springfield police arrested a woman after they say she robbed a Caseys convenience store on Friday and stabbed one of the employees.

29-year-old Sierra Davis of Springfield was charged with three felonies, including first-degree robbery, first-degree assault and armed criminal action.

According to the probable cause statement, police arrived at Caseys on West Chestnut Expressway shortly after Davis left. A witness said Davis had three to four plastic bags of stolen items while an employee saw her slipping store items into her pockets.

Ava woman charged with stealing over $400,000 from elderly woman

As the employee was standing next to the front doors, police say Davis dropped the plastic bags, pulled out a knife and charged toward the employee. Davis used the knife to cut the employee on her chest and ran out the front doors, according to court documents. The employees injuries were not life-threatening.

It is believed the only item Davis got out the front doors with is sunscreen.

Police looked at surveillance footage of the incident, identified Davis, and arrested her.

In an interview with police, Davis admitted to stabbing a Caseys employee with a knife and using methamphetamine that morning.

Prosecutors say Davis has a criminal history that includes arrests for assault, drug possession and assault on a law enforcement officer.

Davis is being held in the Greene County Jail without bond.

Copyright 2024 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.

For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to KOLR - OzarksFirst.com.
ESCAMBIA COUNTY, Fla. (WKRG)  The Escambia County Sheriffs Office is asking the public for help finding a missing and endangered woman.

2 Mobile women sentenced for drug money laundering

According to an ECSO Facebook post, 23-year-old Davida Elizabeth Knight has been missing since Saturday, July 27.

The post said Knight was last seen walking in the 1500 block of Gulf Beach Highway around 5 p.m. Saturday.

LOCATION:

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Just another day: Stranded window washer recounts dangling from RSA Tower

Knight is described as being 4 feet 10 inches tall, 160 pounds, with black hair and brown eyes. According to the post, she was last seen wearing gray pants and a gray jacket.

Anyone with information on Knights whereabouts can contact the ECSO at 850-436-9620.

Copyright 2024 Nexstar Media, Inc. 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.
An Independence woman is suing an Overland Park hospital, alleging her newborn baby died while she was in labor at the hospital after an anesthesiologist administered the wrong drug.

Crystal Cole, 38, of Independence, was 34 weeks pregnant when she came to the emergency room at Menorah Medical Center in Overland Park, according to court documents. Staff decided to prepare her to deliver her child by cesarean section.

In the lawsuit filed earlier this week in Johnson County court, Cole alleges that when she was being prepared for surgery, her anesthesiologist, Dr. Cameron Tusken, mistakenly injected the drug Pitocin into her intravenous drip.

According to the Food and Drug Administration, Pitocin is commonly administered to pregnant people to induce contractions if they are not already having contractions by the third stage of labor. It works by stimulating the oxytocin receptors in the uterus, a method also used in some second-term medical abortions.

Because it stimulates contractions and pushing, Pitocin is generally used for vaginal births, not C-section births, according to court documents. It is also generally given to pregnant people through the spine, where epidurals are also delivered.

Ive handled a number of uterine rupture cases, but never one due to administering Pitocin directly into the IV, Stephen Gorny, an attorney representing Cole, told The Star. ...It puts the baby in distress, and obviously puts the uterus at risk.

Court documents indicate that Cole was only in the first stage of labor when she was allegedly given Pitocin, since she was experiencing contractions but not pushing. When Cole arrived at the emergency room, she was having contractions and experiencing spotting, according to court documents.

Cole alleges that after she was dosed with Pitocin, she experienced one long, powerful contraction, which caused both her uterus and placenta to rupture, according to court documents.

Fetal monitor strips from Coles labor, obtained by Coles attorneys, also note that Pitocin was administered in error, according to Gorny.

Dr. Cameron Tusken was unavailable for comment. Representatives for Menorah Medical Center were also unavailable for comment.

Coles baby, who she had named Lucky, died about an hour after the surgery, according to court documents. In the lawsuit, Cole alleges that Lucky was born in significant distress, and that her newborns death was caused by the Pitocin in her IV fluid drip.

Lucky Cole endured tremendous suffering before his ultimate death, Coles lawsuit reads.

Though she is on the mend and has started counseling, Cole will not have any more children after Luckys death, Gorny said. Scarring on her uterus after the rupture could put future pregnancies at risk.

They fortunately do have a large family, Gorny told The Star. But certainly having other [children] doesnt make up for the loss of one.

Tusken, who specializes in anesthesiology, graduated from the University of Kansas School of Medicine in 2014, where he also completed a four-year residency in anesthesiology. He is licensed in both Kansas and Missouri.

Coles lawsuit includes one count of medical negligence against Menorah Medical Center, and one against Anesthesia Associates of Kansas City, a group with which Tusken was also employed when he treated Cole. Anesthesia Associates of Kansas City was also unavailable for comment.

She also filed a separate charge of medical negligence against Tusken himself, court documents show.

According to the Centers for Disease Control, 32.1% of all babies born in the U.S. were delivered by C-section in 2022, the most recent full year of data available.
Woman, two children killed when large truck hits several vehicles on Kentucky highway

Three people were killed and several others injured Monday in a crash in Western Kentucky when a tractor-trailer crashed into several vehicles, according to Kentucky State Police.

Police said the preliminary investigation showed traffic had slowed on westbound Interstate 24 at Grand Rivers because of construction at the Tennessee River Bridge.

Mansur Kholikov, 24, of Brooklyn, NY, who was driving a 2022 Kenworth truck, did not slow along with the rest of the traffic and plowed into several cars from behind, causing them to hit other cars, police said.

One vehicle burst into flames, authorities said.

Three people died in that vehicle. They were Saundra Dodd, 68, of Evansville, Ind., and two children. Police did not release the names or ages of the children.

Emergency workers flew two injured people from other cars to hospitals by helicopter, and several others were transported by ambulance, state police said.

The interstate was closed for several hours in Livingston County.

In a release early Tuesday, police said they were still investigating the reason Kholikov hit the other vehicles.
Tents are set up in an area along Maintenance Trail in Wheeling. Since April, it's been the one legal spot for homeless people in camp in the city. (Daniel Finsley | Finsley Creative for West Virginia Watch)

WHEELING, W.Va.  Roberta, a 39-year-old homeless woman in Wheeling, has stayed in the citys one legal encampment since it opened in April, but a recent run-in with a former partner made her want to leave.

My ex just destroyed everything I own yesterday, said the woman, who declined to tell a reporter her last name. So I am not going back out there. Either put me in jail, whatever. Im not going back out there to have to deal with that.

Roberta cant move her tent and belongings to another part of town. Earlier this year, the city of Wheeling enacted a camping ban aimed at keeping homeless people from sleeping on its streets. The only exception to the law is a 70-yard area in the woods along a trail.

Shelter beds  especially ones for people who use drugs or have a criminal background  are scarce. The situation has left some women with an impossible choice: live in a camp with their abusers or leave and risk being arrested for living elsewhere in the city.

Theres really nothing I can do, I shouldnt have to sit out there Roberta said.  If I get in trouble [and go to jail] for putting my tent up somewhere else, then so be it. Im guaranteed three hot [meals] and a cot, if thats the case.

According to a recent study commissioned by the state Department of Human Services, nearly one in six people experiencing homelessness in West Virginia between January 2018 and December 2023 said that they were fleeing or attempting to flee domestic violence.

Lynn Kettler is a co-founder of the homeless outreach team Street MOMS, one of the Wheeling service providers that are tending to the people staying at the exempted site.

While domestic violence can happen anywhere, Kettler said having one legal site for homeless people to stay is making problems worse for the women staying there. Domestic abuse is a reality for every one of the 15 to 20 women staying in the site, she added.

Its the only place theyre allowed to go, so theyre forced into a 70-yard area to live with their abusers, Kettler said.We dont have one woman thats not been [beaten], traded or sold  Every single one.

Kettler said providers recently removed two other women who had been assaulted and put them in a hotel room for a week with no plan for when they exit after the week is over.

Theyre not going to continue to keep them [at the hotel]there, so theyre back at the camp with the abusers that we just took them from, she said. Its a nightmare.

Police didnt respond to questions

Laura Albertini-Weigel, director of programming for the Wheeling YWCA, which operates a homeless shelter for women, said the city has limited shelter beds. Availability depends on their situation, like whether theyre using drugs, facing mental health issues or fleeing domestic violence.

We continue to struggle with the need for beds and services to be able to meet the need, she said.

While the scarcity of shelter beds is part of the problem, Kettler doesnt think many of the women would go to a shelter, even if they could. Theyd still have to eat meals at the same services as the men, she said. Getting away for the night isnt worth angering the men, she continued.

The Wheeling Police Department did not return a message asking what process, if any, exists for removing people from the camp in the case of domestic violence. City Manager Bob Herron and newly-elected Mayor Denny Magruder also did not respond to requests for interviews.

Christine Pritt said she became homeless four months ago, following a man she fell in love with. Becoming homeless was the only way she could be with him, she said. Pritt has lived at the exempted site since it opened in April.

She said the man started abusing her. The two are no longer a couple, but because of a lack of other options, he still lives in the camp, she said.

The man is not allowed around me, she said. However, thats a rule she will enforce on her own.

Ive got a club now, she said. I will beat him with it. Im not doing it.

She continued, We need help down there, serious help. Theres some of us that knows what were supposed to do and does it. And then theres others that  want to keep stealing everybodys stuff and tearing down the things theyre putting down there.

Kettler makes a point to visit the camp often and check in on the 40 to 50 people who live there at any given time. When shes away from the camp, Kettler said the stories of the women there haunt her.

I havent had any sleep for three nights. Just because I go home  how do you turn it off? she said. I lay there and I think, My god, whats happening down there to those girls? Because they call us. They call us at night. They call us all the time. Theyre in their tents. Theyre scared to go out. Theyre scared to call 911 because that makes them a narc or a rat.

Dr. William Mercer, a physician and the founder of the street medicine team Project Hope, said its common for him to treat women with black eyes. He said the police recently arrested a man from the camp who was dangerous to other people, though no one is sure how long the man will be in jail and away from the other residents.

Providers are trying to keep open lines of communication with the city, he said.

Its kind of tough, he said.  We deal with homeless [people] and people who are down on their luck, but you cant be what I call a real criminal. And if you are, we want you out. So we try to communicate with the police.

Albertini-Weigel said service providers, like herself, are still trying to figure out how to best meet needs in the camp against a backdrop of shortage of mental health providers and housing.

I want to provide as many social service supports as possible to meet those individuals needs, she said. I dont think weve hit the mark yet. I think we are a work in progress, and sad to say that the individuals that are in these camps are basically paying the price while we work through what is a more ideal situation.

Supreme Court decision could mean more camping bans like Wheelings

Earlier this summer, the U.S. Supreme Court ruled that arresting people for sleeping outside does not violate the constitutions prohibition on cruel and unusual punishment, even when there are no shelter beds available to them.

Across the country in recent years, states and cities have enacted laws prohibiting camping or sleeping in public as the number of people experiencing homelessness has increased.

So far this year, at least three states  Oklahoma, Kentucky and Florida  have passed camping bans.

Advocates say the Supreme Courts decision may lead to cities around the country enacting similar ordinances.

In Morgantown, a council member has proposed extending the citys public camping ban from parks to residential properties, city streets, alleyways and sidewalks. A leader in Charleston said the city was reviewing the decision to determine what it might mean for the citys homeless policy.

Cheryl Smith has been homeless for four years due to relationship issues with her family, she said, and has been staying in Wheelings exempted site. On a recent Friday, she was preparing for a job interview. Looking presentable is more difficult when youre staying in an encampment with no electricity or running water, she said, but anybody can do anything if you put their mind to it.

Smith cannot get into a shelter because shed need to quit using drugs, something she said shes not ready for yet.

She said the city is being harsh to homeless people by imposing a camping ban.

Thats stupid. Why do that? she said. I mean theres going to be people that are homeless. Theres going to be people who cant get into housing.

A week after talking to a reporter, Roberta was back at the legal camping spot along Maintenance Trail, where the man also lives, confirmed Kettler with Street MOMS.

Roberta called the camping ban ridiculous, and said the bad behaviors of some people have led to stereotypes.

Were not all bad people, were not all addicts, she said. If they would get to sit down and get to know all of us at once and find out our stories, they would realize that.

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Women resorting to unsafe measures like drinking and punching their stomachs to end pregnancies since fall of Roe

More women are resorting to unsafe measures to end pregnancies since the Supreme Court ruling two years ago which took away nationwide abortion access, a study has found.

Researchers discovered that reproductive-age women who reported trying to end pregnancies by themselves rose from 2.4 per cent to 3.3 per cent, before and after the court overturned the 1973 Roe v. Wade in June 2022.

The methods that women reported included eating herbs, drinking alcohol, hitting themselves in the stomach, inserting an object into their body and lifting heavy items, according to a study published in the peer-reviewed medical journal JAMA on Tuesday.

Some women then had complications that required medical attention, including pain, bleeding and a fever, the study said. In other cases, women had an in-clinic abortion or continued their pregnancy.

Our data show that making abortion more difficult to access is not going to mean that people want or need an abortion less frequently, Dr. Lauren Ralph, co-author of the study and epidemiologist at the University of California, San Francisco, told the Associated Press.

Researchers discovered that reproductive-age women who reported trying to end pregnancies by themselves rose from 2.4 per cent to 3.3 per cent, before and after the court overturned the 1973 Roe v. Wade in June 2022. One method includes self-sourced mifepristone, pictured, according to the study (Getty Images)

Some survey respondents reported using medications obtained without a prescription. Some took emergency contraception and the abortion pills misoprostol and mifepristone obtained outside the medical system.

Mifepristone is a safe-to-use abortion medication that was challenged in a Supreme Court case earlier this year. The nations highest court threw out the lawsuit last month, ending the challenge for the time being. However, some Republican lawmakers have already vowed to bring a new case, Axios reports.

Dr Grace Ferguson, an OB-GYN in Pittsburgh who was not involved in the research, said the study [confirms] the statement weve been saying forever: If you make it hard to get [an abortion] in a formal setting, people will just do it informally.

Abortion rights activists protest the case challenging access to mifepristone outside the US Supreme Court. The nations highest court threw out the legal challenge earlier this year, but some GOP lawmakers have vowed to revive it (AFP via Getty Images)

In the wake of Dobbs v Jackson, abortion has been banned outright with few exceptions in 14 states, all of which are Republican controlled. This means many people have been forced to carry out life-threatening pregnancies.

Breanna Cecil, 34, previously told The Independent that she was denied an abortion in Tennessee for a pregnancy that ultimately destroyed her ability to have children in the future.

The state of Tennessee took my fertility from me, Cecil told The Independent earlier this year. [State lawmakers] took away my opportunity to have a family like my own biological family because of these horrible laws that they put in place.

Others have been forced to travel hundreds of miles out-of-state to the nearest abortion clinic.

Residents of some southern counties would have to travel more than 700 miles, Axios reports. In June 2021, a year before Roe v Wade was overturned, residents of just 216 counties had to travel the same distance.
The Worcester contingent protesting Gov. Maura Healey's emergency shelter restrictions as inhumane are, from left, Nelly Medina, a community organizer, Anne Bureau of Seven Hills Foundation, City Councilor Etel Haxhiaj and Louise Burrell, a community volunteer.

BOSTON  On a day when protesters rallied against her new emergency shelter restrictions, Gov. Maura T. Healey stood by the new rules that limit overflow shelter stays to five days.

The new regulations announced last week state that starting Thursday, families opting to use the overflow shelters would be barred from applying for long-term emergency shelter relief for six months.

The new rules also prioritize long-term residents of Massachusetts over newly arrived migrants, a change in policy over last year when the administration followed a first-come, first-served policy.

The revisions prioritize established Massachusetts families who are facing homelessness because of no-fault evictions or sudden and unusual circumstances beyond their control  such as floods, fires or another natural disaster  or those who have at least one family member who is a veteran, at the top of the list.

The revisions to the states decades-old right-to-shelter laws come on the heels of earlier restrictions placed on the length of stays at the emergency housing sites. Those new provisions limit stays to nine months, with possible extensions for pregnant women, new mothers and veterans.

Rally asks governor to reconsider

Monday morning, a group of legislators, local officials and advocates rallied against the new restrictions.

Our health care system is so fragile, but it will be the emergency rooms that will be filling up as families seek safe places to sleep, said Rep. Marjorie Decker, D-Cambridge.

The crisis of the unhoused in Massachusetts extends beyond migrants, advocates said, touching all residents including those working two and three jobs but still struggling to pay astronomical rents.

The governors policy is inhumane, said Worcester District 5 City Councilor Etel Haxhiaj, who cited the fast-rising rents in her home city. Attending the rally with her were representatives of several community groups.

Any of us could be homeless, make no mistake. Housing prices are untenable. So many families are struggling, said Anne Bureau of Seven Hills Foundation. This is not a way to address the issue. It's punitive.

Rally organizers called for the governor to support rent stabilization measures, stop no-fault evictions and create an office of housing stability. They also said the state should offer more housing vouchers and provide incentives to landlords to refrain from rent increases.

Louise Burrell, a community organizer attending in support of Worcester groups, said her landlord is tacking on an additional $200 a month for the $1,600 apartment she shares. She questions how a family with children could afford such a drastic increase.

Every child deserves a pillow of their own, every family a kitchen to cook in, Burrell said.

Healey stands firm on changes

There will be no changes to the policy, Healey said later, at a press conference where she signed the budget for next fiscal year. That spending plan includes $326 million to support the states emergency shelter program. There are 8,000 families in shelter, Healey said, and the state lacks the funds and the capacity to accommodate more families.

She touted the change in policy that places established Massachusetts residents at the top of the list. More than half of the families in the states emergency shelter system are established Massachusetts residents.

State legislative leaders last week said the policy decision was the administration's to make.

This article originally appeared on Telegram & Gazette: Worcester advocates join rally against MA shelter limits; Healey firm
The Scene

Surrounded by centuries-old olive oil trees just outside the small Sicilian town of Partanna, Howard Schultz made a bold prediction: People are going to add a tablespoon of Partanna extra-virgin olive oil into their drink, the then-CEO of Starbucks said last year. Im sure of it.

The drink, called an Oleato, isnt just Schultzs brainchild. Its also a side investment.

Starbucks buys all of its olive oil from that plantation in Partanna, whose controlling family sold a 19% stake to Schultz in 2023, according to US and Italian corporate filings and people familiar with the matter. Starbucks paid the company, now named Partanna after its Sicilian hometown, $26.5 million between October 2022 and September 2023.

The investment shows how entangled Schultz still is with the company he ran for much of the past four decades. After retiring in March 2023 from his third stint as Starbucks CEO, he remains its sixth-largest shareholder and chairman emeritus for life, which entitles him to attend board meetings and keep his parking spot.

Hes become increasingly irksome to his successor, former Reckitt chief Laxman Narasimhan, whose problems also include a sinking stock price and slowing sales. In May, Schultz publicly criticized Starbucks leadership for its fall from grace, suggesting that they had taken their eye off the customer experience, Schultzs obsession as CEO.

His 2% stake, and his endorsement, are now up for grabs in a corporate fight between Narasimhan and activist hedge fund Elliott Management, which is agitating for changes. Both sides will be seeking Schultzs backing, which could swing other shareholders to support Elliott or give Starbucks a reason to dig in.

Starbucks share price is down 25% since Narasimhan took over. Sales slowed sharply in the spring, a protracted fight with its labor union proved to be a distraction, and its being undercut in China, Schultzs great hope, by cheaper competitors.

Schultz has had a hard time making a clean break from Starbucks before. The first time he retired as CEO, in 2000, he stayed involved in details as minute as choosing Starbucks holiday cup design and signing musicians to the companys short-lived record label, The Wall Street Journal has reported. The second time he retired, in 2018, he stayed on as an advisor to its high-end roasteries and tasting rooms.

Schultz, who brought espresso to American consumers after a trip to a Milan coffeeshop in 1983, says Oleato will transform the coffee industry. He did no consumer research, instead trusting his gut: No ones ever thought of mixing the two except me, he told CNNs Poppy Harlow. You really want to spray the coffee into your mouth.

Story continues

Schultz bought his Partanna stake last year from its founding family, after meeting its fourth-generation owner on a 2022 vacation to Sicily.

One person familiar with the matter said the company needed cash to expand to meet Starbucks orders. Schultz, who was CEO at the time, offered Starbucks the chance to invest its own money, but left the decision to Narasimhan, who was then in the middle of a six-month Starbucks CEO apprenticeship, learning the ropes of the company and earning his barista certificate. Narasimhan passed on the investment.

Partanna, now at least nominally headquartered in Starbucks hometown of Seattle, is run by a former Starbucks senior executive. Its chief marketing officer, chief administration officer, and supply-chain manager are all Starbucks alumni.

Starbucks is already indirectly invested in Partanna, thanks to an unusual private-equity deal in 2019. Then-CEO Kevin Johnson  who ran the company in between Schultzs second and third stints  invested $100 million in Valor Equity Partners, a partnership that Starbucks renewed in 2022. That Valor fund owns a stake in Partanna, acquired alongside Schultzs, a person briefed on the transaction said.

Investing corporate cash into a private investment fund is unusual. The idea was that Valor would incubate food startups and give Starbucks an inside track on commercial deals. Partanna is at least its third: GoPuff, which is Starbucks go-to app for late-night deliveries, and Brightloom, whose mobile-ordering software is used in Starbucks stores, are both Valor portfolio companies. Schultz personally invested alongside Valor in a coffee startup last year.

A spokesman for Schultz declined to comment. Valor didnt respond to an emailed request for comment.

Starbucks  through its Board and multiple audit committee meetings  had a strong governance process in place in the establishment of the business relationship with Partanna/ United Olive Oil, the company said in a statement. This included a thorough review of conflict of interest, including ensuring Howard had no role in business decisions related to the Partanna/ United Olive Oil relationship.

Lizs view

The fight with Elliott is really about who owns Starbucks stumbles  China, labor strife, and, yes, the Oleato, which hasnt sold well  and whether they are the result of Schultzs strategy or Narasimhans execution.

This isnt significant financial self-dealing (Schultzs net worth is estimated at $2.8 billion) but its a corporate governance mess. There are a lot of places Starbucks could buy olive oil, and a lot of outside investors who would be happy to back a producer with a story like Partannas and a purchase agreement from Starbucks. It has echoes of WeWork, whose former CEO, Adam Neumann, charged the company $5.9 million for the rights to the We trademark, and Disney, where Bob Iger undermined his struggling successor for months before finally replacing him. (Starbucks owns the Oleato trademark, a person close to the company said.)

Schultz belongs to a small group of chief executives  Jeff Bezos, Jamie Dimon, Larry Fink  who have become at times messily indistinguishable from the companies they run. Most are founders, and operate with more license than corporate boards generally grant CEOs. Schultz didnt found Starbucks, but joined it in 1983 and turned it into a category-defining giant.

For what its worth, Partanna is very good: A great olive oil, made of Nocellara del Belice, a typical olive from the area of Trapani, Robin Trupia, the manager of Per Se, the upscale New York restaurant, and a native Sicilian, told me.

Notable

Here are Partannas latest financial filings.

Howard Schultz is backseat driving Starbucks. Thats a problem for his successor  WSJ.

The New Yorker called the Oleato fulsome and blubbery, a sensation which only intensified with the passage of time.
The man who was killed at a Paradise Valley construction site on Monday has been identified, according to Paradise Valley Police.

Around 12:30 p.m. on Monday, crews from Phoenix Fire and Scottsdale Fire were dispatched to a construction site on McDonald Drive west of Scottsdale Road for a report of a man trapped under fallen debris.

Officials said they found Jose Ramirez Robledo, a 56-year-old Phoenix resident, and determined that he had been killed from his injuries.

Officials said multiple windows had fallen from a crane operating at the construction site onto Robledo, who was working at the site.

Paradise Valley police officials said the incident was still under investigation.

Reporter Coleby Phillips contributed to this article.

Annie Goodykoontz is a reporter for The Arizona Republic. You can reach her at AGoodykoontz@gannett.com.

This article originally appeared on Arizona Republic: Jose Ramirez Robledo ID'd as worker killed at PV construction site
(Photo courtesy of Iowa State Dairy Association)

Federal health officials are encouraging farm workers who tend livestock and poultry to get vaccinated for seasonal influenza to help prevent a bird flu mutation that might spark a pandemic in people.

The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said Tuesday it would devote up to $5 million to pay for the vaccinations, and that it will rely on states to implement the initiative.

There are 14 known human infections of highly pathogenic avian influenza that resulted from contact with infected dairy cattle and poultry in the United States, and all but one has happened in the past four months.

The virus has been circulated by wild birds for more than two years and has sporadically transmitted to domestic birds. A variation of the virus has been infecting U.S. dairy cattle since December, and four people who worked closely with infected cattle also became ill.

In recent weeks, nine people in Colorado who were tasked with culling infected poultry contracted the virus.

The CDC has maintained that the virus risk to humans is low  those who have been infected so far had minor symptoms of respiratory illness or pinkeye, or both.

It has not been shown to transmit between people, but the virus has the potential to rapidly gain that ability if it infects someone who also has a seasonal flu virus.

Such dual infections, while rare, could potentially result in an exchange of genetic material between two different influenza viruses, Dr. Nirav Shah, principal deputy director for the CDC, said in a call with reporters Tuesday.

Shah said that reassortment process could pose a significant public health concern if bird flu gains the ability to spread person-to-person the way seasonal flu does, potentially resulting in a virus that spreads easily and causes severe symptoms.

A new vaccination campaign

Shah said the CDC will devote up to $10 million for farm workers health related to avian flu. Half will be spent educating and training farm workers about how to avoid being infected.

The other half will pay for seasonal flu vaccines for an estimated 200,000 farm workers who tend livestock and poultry. The CDC hopes to vaccinate all of them but acknowledges that less than half of the general population typically gets a flu shot.

How the voluntary vaccination effort will proceed is unclear. State health officials are expected to implement them, most immediately in the 13 states that have confirmed infections among cows.

That includes Iowa, where 13 dairy herds have been infected. However, no new infections have been reported in the state in the past month.

A spokesperson for the Iowa Department of Health and Human Services  which presumably would coordinate with the CDC  did not immediately respond to a request to comment for this article.

The vaccine will not protect the workers from contracting bird flu, Shah said, nor will it guarantee they wont be infected by seasonal flu. But he said its an important component of the public health response to the new virus threat.

The risk here is a theoretical but important risk, Shah said.

Colorado has most recent infections

The confirmations of new bird flu infections among cattle have waned significantly in most states, except for in Colorado. In the past 30 days, two-thirds of the nations 32 newly infected herds were in that state, according to U.S. Department of Agriculture data.

Some of that might be due to Colorados robust testing protocols, but its also a quirk of history and geography, said Eric Deeble, deputy under secretary for marketing and regulatory programs for the USDA.

The state has far fewer dairy farms than the leading milk-producing states, but most of them are concentrated in one county.

They are all in very close proximity to one another, and so there is a lot of sharing of equipment, a lot of sharing of personnel and a lot of movement on and off farms to adjacent farms, Deeble said.

The USDA has identified the movement of equipment and people between dairy farms as a primary vector for virus transmissions from herd to herd and from herd to flock.

The virus has been identified in 172 dairy herds in the United States this year. Fifty of them are in Colorado. In Texas, where the infections originated, the virus was confirmed in 22 herds, although there were many that went untested because they recovered before bird flu was identified as the culprit.
PORTLAND, Ore. (KOIN)  Oregons U.S. Sen. Ron Wyden is calling for accountability among automakers after an investigation revealed new details about auto companies sharing drivers information without their consent, according to the senator.

On Friday, Sen. Wyden (D-Ore.) and Sen. Ed Markey (D-Mass.) sent a letter to the Federal Trade Commission asking the agency to hold the automakers accountable after an investigation led by the senators found auto companies shared driver data with data brokers without the drivers consent. That information was then resold to insurance companies, according to the senators.

In some cases, the data-sharing made some drivers at risk of auto insurance hikes, the senators said.

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It is particularly insulting for automakers that are selling cars for tens of thousands of dollars to then squeeze out a few additional pennies of profit with consumers private data, Wyden and Markey said.

According to the senators, several automakers  including General Motors, Hyundai, and Honda  disclosed data on millions of Americans without their consent. That data included information on sudden braking and acceleration which would be sent to data brokers for subsequent resale to insurance companies.

In their letter, the senators said GM additionally confirmed they shared customers location data with other companies, which they refused to identify.

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Among their findings, the senators said they discovered Hyundai shared data from 1.7 million cars with data broker Verisk, which paid Hyundai over $1,043,000, or 61 cents per car for the data.

Additionally, Honda shared data from 97,000 cars with Verisk, which paid Honda over $25,000, or 26 cents per car, the senators claimed.

The lawmakers also accused the auto companies of using deceptive design tactics to manipulate consumers into signing up for programs that shared their data with data brokers, which would be up for resale to insurance companies.

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The problematic practices we have uncovered and documented in this letter are likely just the tip of the iceberg, Wyden and Markey wrote in the letter to FTC Chair Lina Khan. We focused our oversight efforts on automakers relationship with one specific data broker in order to determine if there is a problem that warrants further oversight by federal regulators. Verisk has publicly confirmed it sold driver data from three automakers, but the media has reported that other data brokers, like LexisNexis, are still selling driver data.

In January, the FTC banned two data brokers from selling location data from smartphone apps without consumers informed consent. Now, the senators are asking the FTC to apply this precedent and hold the automakers accountable for their disclosure of data.

The FTC should hold accountable the automakers, which shared their customers data with data brokers without obtaining informed consent, as well as the data brokers, which resold data that had not been obtained in a lawful manner. Given the high number of consumers impacted, and the outrageous manipulation of consumers using dark patterns, the FTC should also hold senior company officials responsible for their flagrant abuse of their customers privacy, the senators added.

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These practices by automakers were under scrutiny earlier in 2024 following a New York Times investigative series on automakers sharing driver data.

In a statement to KOIN 6 News, GM Spokesperson Malorie Lucich explained the auto company shares the desire to protect consumers privacy while enhancing safety and innovation, noting the company ended its Smart Driver program in June.

We vehemently deny the assertion that we used manipulative design techniques to coerce consumers into enrolling in Smart Driver. Each consumer was given choice at the time of enrolling and throughout the life of the product, Lucich said.

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To be clear, we established the Smart Driver product to promote safer driving behavior for the benefit of customers who elected to participate. Data was only shared with an insurer if a customer initiated a quote directly with their chosen carrier and provided a separate consent to that carrier, Lucich explained, As is common industry practice, we share de-identified data not associated with specific drivers or vehicles with select partners for purposes that include enhancing city infrastructure and road safety for pedestrians, cyclists, and drivers.

In a statement to KOIN 6 News, Hyundai spokesperson, Ira Gabriel, said the senators letter mischaracterizes Hyundais data policies.

In its statement, Hyundai pointed to its Drive Score feature for Blue Link customers. Blue Link is an app that allows Hyundai drivers to retrieve information about their vehicle and for remote commands. According to the automaker, Drive Score was implemented for drivers to get a better understanding of their driving habits.

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Customers had the option to connect their Drive Score to their insurance for potential benefits, such as a good driving discount, thereby enhancing their driving experience and potentially saving on insurance costs, Gabriel said. Each customers vehicle usage-based Drive Score information was activated only after the customer affirmatively opted into Hyundais BlueLink connected car suite of services.

This opt-in included the customers agreement for the Drive Score data to be provided to Verisk for the purpose of facilitating the sharing of the Drive Score information with insurers should the customer later affirmatively consent. Verisk paid Hyundai for potential future earnings from customers who affirmatively opted into the insurance feature. It is important to note that Verisk was not authorized by Hyundai or the customer to share the Drive Score data with insurers until the customer affirmatively consented to this on an insurers website or app, Gabriel added.

According to Gabriel, Drive Score is no longer a feature and customer data is no longer being shared as Verisk has discontinued the feature.

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Honda spokesperson, Chris Martin, told KOIN 6 News Honda operates from a customer-focused mindset, aiming to build trust with each customer that lasts a lifetime. Toward this goal, as with any modern company, Honda collects customer-related data by various means, including during the operation of our vehicles when equipped with connected capabilities. This is a part of our focused effort to improve and advance our products and provide our customers with better user experiences.

Martin added, in part, With the subscription-based Driver Feedback Program, Honda contracted with Verisk to facilitate a service for Honda customers where, upon expressly opting in, their driving data was collected and given a driving score that the customer would receive along with a contextual overview of their driving behaviors. Some consumers with favorable driving scores were presented opportunities to opt-in to receive discount offers from specific participating insurance companies. Without that clear second opt-in by the customer, no identifiable consumer information was shared with any insurance company.

The Federal Trade Commission confirmed to KOIN 6 News the agency received the letter from the senators but had no further comment.

KOIN 6 News reached out to General Motors, Verisk, and LexisNexis but did not receive a response. This story will be updated if we receive a response.

Copyright 2024 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.

For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to KOIN.com.
The Wyler Aerial Tramway project in El Paso is moving into Phase 1 of the reconstruction process.

El Paso's state delegation, along with the Texas Parks and Wildlife Department, the Camino Real Regional Mobility Authority and the El Paso Community Foundation, announced that bids are now being accepted for the construction project in a news release Sunday, July 28.

"With design plans for the entire project nearly complete," the news release stated, "the CRRMA is inviting contractors to submit bids for the construction of Phase 1, marking a crucial step towards bringing this iconic tramway back to life."

2014: Wyler Aerial Tramway.

El Paso legislators were able to secure $20 million to be used during the initial phase, which will include roadway extensions, additional parking, shelters, supportive infrastructure, an amphitheater and hiking trails.

The Wyler Aerial Tramway is located in Franklin Mountains State Park in El Paso and for decades provided visitors with scenic views of Texas, New Mexico and Chihuahua, Mexico.

The Camino Real Regional Mobility Authority is now soliciting contractors to provide proposals for Phase 1 of the project, and were excited for the public to know that the Wyler Aerial Tramway is really happening," said Raymond Telles, executive director of the Camino Real Regional Mobility Authority. "This project is moving forward with intention, and that is evidenced by the support provided by the Texas Parks and Wildlife Department, our El Paso delegation, and the El Paso Community Foundation."

Phase 1 of the project is expected to be complete by Fall 2025, according to a presentation from the CRRMA.

More: New Wyler Aerial Tramway project progresses: Original tram won't be repaired

Here's what El Paso's delegation had to say about the iconic tramway moving one step closer to a reopening:

State Sen. Cesar Blanco

The Wyler Aerial Tramway is an important local treasure and asset to the El Paso region, and I am happy to see that our collaborative efforts are moving us closer to the reopening of a new and improved tramway, said state Sen. Cesar Blanco, D-El Paso. I look forward to continuing to champion additional state funding in the Senate and working with the entire El Paso delegation, Texas Parks and Wildlife, Camino Real Regional Mobility Authority, and the El Paso Community Foundation to secure the additional public and private dollars needed to finish the new tramway.

State Rep. Joe Moody

Rep. Joe Moody at the El Paso Times office on Thursday, Dec. 21, 2023.

I have fond memories of the Wyler Tramway, and so do generations of El Pasoans," said state Rep. Joe Moody, D-El Paso. "Nothing beats that view of our incredible hometown, so Im excited to see the state funding our delegation secured lay the foundation that will bring the tramway back for generations to come. I wont stop until that happens.

State Rep. Mary Gonzalez

The state of Texas has committed millions of dollars towards the reopening of the Wyler Aerial Tramway," said state Rep. Mary Gonzalez, D-El Paso. "I look forward to continuing to collaborate with local leaders to see the project is completed."

State Rep. Lina Ortega

Rep. Lina Ortega speaks at the 88th Legislative Session Wrap-Up hosted by the El Paso Chamber on Tuesday, Aug. 8, 2023, at the El Paso Community Foundation Room in Downtown El Paso.

The overlook from the tram will provide visitors with a stunning view of our citys majestic landscape, said state Rep. Lina Ortega, D-El Paso. Our communitys quality of life will also benefit from the walking trails that will be available for everyone to use and enjoy.

State Rep. Claudia Ordaz

For years the El Paso community has been waiting for the grand return of the Wyler Tramway," said state Rep. Claudia Ordaz, D-El Paso. "As the states only public tramway, we have the opportunity to attract visitors young and old to highlight the beauty of our city. Im excited that we are finally able to kick things off and look forward to working with my colleagues community members to get this project fully funded.

State Rep. Eddie Morales

"As we always work to promote the livelihood of Texans, which includes the experience of viewing our beautiful natural and urban landscapes, I am excited about the funds secured to bring back the Wyler Ariel Tramway," said state Rep. Eddie Morales, D-El Paso. "I commend my colleagues for their hard work in securing these funds for El Pasoans and all Texans who make their way to El Paso to enjoy."

When was Wyler Aerial Tramway first opened?

Wyler Aerial Tramway was constructed in 1959 by El Paso philanthropist and broadcaster Karl Wyler, who constructed the tramway to transport equipment to build the radio transmitters on top of the mountain.

Wyler opened the tramway to the public in the 1960s and gifted it to the El Paso Community Foundation, which in turn donated the tramway, along with 170 acres of land adjacent to it, to the Texas Department of Parks and Wildlife in 1999.

"It made sense in the 1990s for the El Paso Community Foundation to gift this treasure of our community to the largest urban state park in Texas so that we all could enjoy it," said Eric Pearson president and CEO of the El Paso Community Foundation. "Now, we need to come together again to help make it the best possible new facility for the next generations to enjoy and learn about our Chihuahuan Desert."

Why did Wyler Aerial Tramway close?

The tramway closed in 2018 after an engineering analysis determined that the tramway had surpassed its life expectancy and was no longer suitable for public use.

Adam Powell covers government and politics for the El Paso Times and can be reached via email at apowell@elpasotimes.com.

This article originally appeared on El Paso Times: Wyler Aerial Tramway in El Paso moves one step closer to reopening
On Friday (July 26), X owner Elon Musk shared a deepfake video making fun of Vice President Kamala Harris on the popular app. The clip uses AI to imitate Harris voice to spoof her own campaign. Even though Musk is the owner of the platform, sharing the racist video violates Xs policies against synthetic and manipulated media.

The manipulated footage has Harris saying she is the ultimate diversity hire and that she had four years under the tutelage of the ultimate deep state puppet, a wonderful mentor, Joe Biden. The account that originally posted the video came with a warning as Kamala Harris Ad PARODY.

However, when Musk posted it, he did not include this context. Instead, he merely shared it and commented This is amazing alongside a laughing emoji. The Harris campaign called Musk out for his online antics.

We believe the American people want the real freedom, opportunity, and security Vice President Harris is offering; not the fake, manipulated lies of Elon Musk and Donald Trump, campaign spokesperson Mia Ehrenberg stated.

According to Xs policies, synthetic, manipulated, or out-of-context media that may deceive or confuse people and lead to harm is banned on the on app. X assesses if the content has been significantly and deceptively altered, manipulated, or fabricated.

Sen. Amy Klobuchar (D-MN) explained on Threads that if Musks post remains up absent of context, both X and Musk will not only be violating Xs own rules, theyll be unleashing an entire election season of fake AI voice and image-altered content with no limits, regardless of party.

California Gov. Gavin Newsom (D) said videos like the one Musk shared should be illegal. Manipulating a voice in an ad like this one should be illegal, he said on X. Ill be signing a bill in a matter of weeks to make sure it is.

The post has yet to be removed.

For the latest news, Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.
Among the protesters in San Francisco were those lobbying for a free Tibet - Josh Edelson/AFP

Pro-Communist supporters allegedly used Chinas national flag to hide that they were beating protesters during a summit between Xi Jinping and Joe Biden in San Francisco last year.

A new report claims protesters were deliberately swarmed by crowds supporting the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) who tried to block them from sight with large Chinese flags while hitting and stabbing them with flagpoles.

The 160-page report, by the Hong Kong Democracy Council and Students for a Free Tibet, accuses CCP minions of going to extraordinary lengths to send adoring crowds to greet the Chinese leader, while crushing dissent against his regimes human rights record.

It reports 34 cases of harassment, intimidation, and assault against mainly US citizens of Tibetan, Hong Kong and Chinese descent on the streets of the Californian city. In one incident, a victim was trampled to the ground and their head stamped on, leading to 10 per cent hearing loss.

When Mr Biden met Mr Xi last year, protesters were assaulted - Brendan Smialowski/AFP

CCP supporters were mobilised and transported from across the US to San Francisco. It appears that their primary intentions were to provide the impression of a massive welcome to and support of Xi Jinping as well as to neutralise any show of opposition to Xi or the CCP, the report says.

By trying to silence opposition to Mr Xi on US soil, these groups interfered with the free speech rights of protesters as well as infringing their universal human right to freedom of peaceful assembly, it concludes.

Apec summit

Mr Xi was in San Francisco in Nov 2023 for the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation summit and highly anticipated bilateral talks with Mr Biden, to attempt to dial down tensions over export controls, the future of Taiwan and territorial disputes in the South China Sea.

As fans of Mr Xi lined the streets with balloons, banners and megaphones, belting out patriotic messages, there were ugly confrontations with those wishing to draw attention to the oppression of the Uyghur and Tibetan minorities and Beijings control in Hong Kong.

Pro-Tibet protesters near Xi Jinping's hotel in San Francisco last year - Frederic J Brown/AFP

The report highlights the global reach of the CCPs united front strategy, in which official and unofficial groups promote Beijings narrative and shape Chinas image.

The report concludes the actions of this united front created a pervasive atmosphere of intimidation in San Francisco last year.

Intimidation in China

Those with family on the mainland also reported intimidation of family members in the run-up to the visit. Yao Cheng, a Chinese activist residing in the US, said his daughter was summoned to a ministry of public security office in Chinas Anhui province and instructed to tell him not to go to San Francisco to protest.

In Hong Kong, Anna Kwok, the executive director of its Democracy Council, said she was inundated with seemingly co-ordinated online threats of physical harm after she announced on social media that she would protest against Mr Xi in San Francisco.

One anonymous threat said: Can somebody drop her unconscious body at the Chinese consulate/embassy?

Pro-CCP demonstrators wave flags as Mr Xi drives to the summit - Qian Weizhong/VCG

The US federal authorities have said that countering transnational repression is a national security and human rights priority, but Tuesdays report stresses a lack of coordination with state and local authorities and the need for meaningful measures.

This is a story that needs to be told because it is part of the history of these peoples  Chinese, Hong Kongers, Tibetans, Uyghurs  fighting for their freedom and their human rights, it says.

But it also needs to be told to assist authorities in the US and other countries to more effectively counter CCP transnational repression on their own soil.

The Telegraph contacted the Chinese Consulate in San Francisco and the Chinese embassy in London for comment.

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Ellie the dog was rescued by a dinner cruise boat on Sunday, July 28 after she was spotted in the middle of the bay

WINK News/YouTube Ellie the dog after her rescue

Doggy paddling helped a lost canine stay afloat until a rescue yacht arrived.

A boat captain and several other Good Samaritans helped Ellie the dog reunite with her family after finding her adrift off Fort Myers Beach, Florida  over a mile from shore  on Sunday, July 28, local outlet WINK News reported.

A couple aboard a dinner cruise on the Sanibel Harbor Princess first spotted Ellie paddling alone in the water. Captain Terry Johns, the captain of the dinner cruise yacht and a retired member of the Coast Guard, spotted the pup shortly after.

Johns tells PEOPLE that halfway through the dinner cruise, with the boat taking its usual route towards Sanibel Island, he mingled with the guests while co-captain Kurt Echols drove the yacht. Next thing he knew, there was "a bunch of commotion" on the yacht when guests spotted Ellie in the water, roughly a mile-and-a-half off the coast.

"I looked out the window, and sure enough, I saw a little head swimming by," he tells PEOPLE. Johns says he saw the dog swimming towards the back of the boat, a dangerous spot for the canine to be near.

Echols "accurately maneuvered" the yacht to rescue Ellie by the swim platform she was paddling toward.

John says he had a clear spot to grab Ellie out of the water once the boat was in position, and the dog "was just as happy as she could be" to be out of the water.

The Sanibel Harbor Princess's crew and passengers gave Ellie food and water onboard the boat. Johns says the dog acted "very friendly" and "very happy" despite the conditions she watery endured.



Johns adds that he is proud of the yacht crew for using their training to save the pet effectively. Once the crew got Ellie back on land, they took her to a veterinarian.

The vet found Ellie had a microchip, but it wasn't functioning correctly, Pam Vargas, the director of sales and marketing for the Sanibel Harbor Princess, tells PEOPLE. One of the boat's crew members volunteered to take the dog home until they found the pet's family. To help expedite the search, Johns contacted WINK News to share Ellie's rescue story.



The resulting news story was seen by Ellie's owners, Ben and Kathleen Baker, who were previously beside themselves after their dog disappeared during a boat trip. According to WINK News, the couple and Ellie were on their boat in the afternoon of July 28 when the dog went missing while the Bakers were focused on boat traffic.

When the couple noticed Ellie was missing, their boat trip became a fruitless search for the dog. The pet parents told the outlet they spent hours looking for the dog, zigzagging through the water until it was dark.

"I just figured that was it. I'm 72 years old, and I have probably cried more in the last 18 hours," Ben said.



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.

Thankfully, the Bakers saw Ellie on WINK News and realized their beloved dog had been saved from the water and was doing fine.

Ben said he made some phone calls after catching his dog on the 5:30 news and was able to get Ellie back home soon after.

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Leanne Lucas was identified as one of the adults injured in the attack in Southport, England

Facebook Leanne Lucas

The yoga teacher who organized the Taylor Swift-themed class at which three young girls were stabbed to death has been identified as one of the adults injured in the attack in Southport, England.

The BBC, The Times and The Guardian all reported that Leanne Lucas was one of two adults critically injured.

The stabbing occurred just before noon on Monday, July 29, PEOPLE previously reported. Merseyside Police said a 17-year-old was arrested in connection with the attack. Three young girls were killed, while several other children were injured and two adults were listed in critical condition.

Police said the suspect walked into the studio, where a Taylor Swift-themed event was taking place, and began attacking.

"We believe that the adults who were injured were bravely trying to protect the children who were being attacked," Merseyside Police Chief Constable Serena Kennedy said at a press conference after the attack.

Pauline Bennett, Lucas aunt, said her niece had tried to prevent children from being stabbed during the attack and is set to have surgery, according to The Times.

I just cant get my head around it, she said, according to the paper. Shes only tiny, she wouldnt have stood a chance against a man with a knife, but she just wanted to protect those children. I cant imagine what she would have been thinking when he came through the door. It all happened so quickly, she just did what she could. Her sister stayed at her bedside all night and her parents are with her now.

According to the website for Enlighten Kids Yoga, Lucas says she is the founder of the studio.

I am an experienced primary school teacher and early years practitioner, who has taught many children locally and internationally across the world, she wrote. I have always had an interest in educating children about their wellbeing and mental health and through yoga, mindfulness and meditation I am able to follow my dreams.

Bennett, according to The Times, said her niece was a huge Taylor Swift fan, and had bought a poster at her concert for the kids in her class.

She just loves children, Bennett reportedly said. And then she went on to teach children with disabilities, shes been doing all different courses.

Police identified the three girls killed in the attack as Bebe King, 6, Elsie Dot Stancombe, 7, and Alice Dasilva Aguiar, 9.

Police do not believe the attack was terror-related, but have not yet identified a motive.

In the aftermath of the tragedy, Taylor Swift posted a message on Instagram Stories.

"The horror of yesterday's attack in Southport is washing over me continuously, and I'm just completely in shock, she wrote. The loss of life and innocence, and the horrendous trauma inflicted on everyone who was there, the families and first responders. These were just little kids at a dance class. I am at a complete loss for how to ever convey my sympathies to these families."



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On July 25, authorities captured a feral cat who tested positive for rabies in the Town of Hempstead in Nassau County, New York. The first case in a long time has put officials on high alert. They announced on July 29 that a free clinic would be set up towards the end of next month. Since state law requires dogs, cats, and ferrets to be vaccinated, it would be best to stay up-to-date with them to prevent any possibility of your beloved pet contracting rabies.

Free rabies clinic to be set up in the Town of Hempstead after feral cat tests positive

On Thursday, a feral kitty was captured in Cedarhurst in the Town of Hempstead in Nassau County, New York. Unfortunately, the cat tested positive for rabies, per WNBC. This is the first case of a rabid animal since 2016 in the county. Authorities are taking quick action to ensure it does not spread far and wide.

To tackle the issue, the Town of Hempstead has decided to set up a free rabies clinic for companion animals on Aug. 24. It will be open from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Residents can bring their canines, felines, and ferrets for vaccination.

The Nassau County Department of Health will help organize the free clinic, with officials emphasizing getting furry friends vaccinated to help prevent the spread of the viral disease. It is important to note that rabies has no cure, so vaccinating beloved pets is crucial.

Nassau Health Commissioner Dr. Irina Gelman noted that avoiding contact with wild animals would be best. One should also avoid feeding or touching ferals and strays. In addition to companion animals, livestock must stay up-to-date with rabies vaccinations. Moreover, residents must practice caution while handling any dying or dead animals, like using a shovel and double bagging any carcasses. People should also wear heavy rubber gloves in situations such as these.

The post New York Cat Tests Positive for Rabies, Free Clinic To Be Set Up appeared first on CatTime.
By Olesya Astakhova, Ahmad Ghaddar and Alex Lawler

MOSCOW/LONDON (Reuters) - An OPEC+ panel is unlikely this week to make any changes to its current deal to cut production and to start unwinding some cuts from October, despite recent sharp declines in oil prices, five sources from the producer group told Reuters.

Top ministers from the Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries and allies led by Russia, or OPEC+ as the group is known, will hold an online joint ministerial monitoring committee meeting (JMMC) on Thursday at 10:00 GMT.

"I think it is unlikely that we will see a new change or development in Thursday's meeting, especially to limit more OPEC+ production," one of the sources said, declining to be identified.

Oil has fallen about 9% so far this month, trading below $80 a barrel on Tuesday, waning on dissipating geopolitical risks and concern about the strength of Chinese demand. [O/R]

The Saudi government's communications office did not immediately return a request for comment. OPEC's headquarters in Vienna did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

OPEC+ is currently cutting output by a total of 5.86 million barrels per day (bpd), or about 5.7% of global demand, in a series of steps agreed since late 2022.

At its last meeting in June, the group agreed to extend cuts of 3.66 million bpd by a year until the end of 2025 and to prolong the most recent layer of cuts - a 2.2 million bpd cut by eight members - by three months until the end of September 2024.

OPEC+ plans to gradually phase out the cuts of 2.2 million bpd over the course of a year from October 2024 to September 2025.

The JMMC, which groups the oil ministers from Saudi Arabia, Russia and other leading producers, usually meets every two months and can make recommendations to change policy.

(Reporting by Alex Lawler, Olesya Astakhova, Ahmad Ghaddar and Maha El Dahan. Additional reporting by Yousef Saba; Editing by David Evans)
HARRISBURG, Pa. (WHTM) A York County man was convicted of human trafficking and other sexual offenses related to minors today, July 30, according to the Dauphin County District Attorneys Office.

The DAs Office said Trequan Santiago, 27, engaged in an unlawful sexual relationship with a teenage girl between December 2022 and January 2023.

During the relationship, Santiago picked the child up from their home without permission from their parents, paid for their travel to his residence via Lyft and Uber, and enticed her with gifts in conjunction with sexual activities, according to the DAs office.

Investigators informed Santiago multiple times throughout the investigation that the victim was a minor and he was not legally permitted to be in such a relationship. Police found the victim in his bed despite multiple warnings, said the DAs office.

According to the District Attorneys office, Judge Edward M. Marsico, Jr. accepted Santiagos guilty plea of trafficking in individuals, statutory sexual assault against a victim more than 11 years younger, unlawful contact with a minor in connection with sexual offenses, and interference with the custody of children.

A statement from the DAs office says Santiago will be required to register as a sex offender for the remainder of his life and is sentenced to a term of imprisonment of between five and ten years with three consecutive terms of probation.

Detective Adam Tankersley of the Middletown Borough Police Department and Dauphin County Human Trafficking Task Force investigated the case. Senior Deputy District Attorney Erin Varley prosecuted the case.

Copyright 2024 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.

For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to ABC27.
Young people in Ottawa Co. could own micro homes through this program

WEST OLIVE, Mich. (WOOD)  An Ottawa County team is working to address the communitys housing need by bringing small-footprint homes to the area.

The Ottawa County Housing Commission and the countys Department of Strategic Impact is working on a MicroHome Development Concept project, with a goal of bringing more for-sale starter homes into the county that range in size from 450 square feet to 950 square feet.

Paul Sachs, the director of strategic impact for Ottawa County, said a better way to describe the micro homes would be practical homes.

We used to build these types of starter homes regularly, and that just doesnt occur anymore, he told News 8. Some of the conversations weve had with developers and young professionals, aging seniors, they would love this type of product to become available.

Inside WOODTV.com: Housing crisis in West Michigan

Like many communities in West Michigan and across the country, housing is one of the top issues Ottawa County is facing, Sachs said.

Ottawa County is special in my heart because its so vibrant and beautiful and thriving, and people want to live here, Sachs said. Our biggest challenge is that continued growth rate.

He added that to accommodate a growing workforce, the county needs more housing. Otherwise, people may take their skills elsewhere.

That headwind, if you will, will strengthen, where well lose that local talent and labor force and that next vibrant generation of Ottawa County residents, Sachs said. So we need to address this now to have our kids and our friends kids and everyone else come and move into this area and to give them a home  and not an apartment.

A 2021 Housing Next assessment found Ottawa County needs 15,500 more housing units. Thats a mix of rental and for-sale units; the county needs around 1,300 entry-level, for-sale homes.

Why a W MI business is using hemp to build homes

But while the county is building housing units like rentable apartments, there isnt a lot of development activity to fulfill the communitys housing need for those 1,300 entry-level homes, Sachs said.

So his team has set out to create four designs, to show that the county can have small-footprint homes that are aesthetically beautiful and blend into the fabric of the community, but can also be built at a price point thats accessible to young professionals and aging seniors.

Theyre also working to educate people about the reality of these smaller homes.

Theres also some misconceptions, often amongst the general public, that a small-footprint home is for low-income or transitional housing: It will bring down my property values, It wont look good,' he said. Those are all false misconceptions that we want to address through education.

Sachs said his team is also working with local municipalities to adjust local regulations and zoning that dont allow for small-footprint homes, in order to pave the way for builders and developers who would be interested in working on a small-footprint home project.

Kent Countys housing crisis: What can you do?

(Developers) recognize the need for this housing type. Its also known that this housing type has small margins for profitability, he explained. With those tight margins, it makes it difficult for a developer to expend some resources into designing this product type and then to move it forward to local government approval.

Theres already a handful of developers and builders interested in partnering with the county, Sachs said, and his team is working with them to find potential properties for small-footprint homes.

The goal is to build the small-footprint homes without relying on government subsidies and grant dollars.

Across the state of Michigan, housing is an issue and there are lots of funds available to help subsidize construction of housing units. Those are great tools to use, Sachs said. That housing ecosystem right now is very, very active. Were very intentional with this product, so we dont want to rely on grants that wont always be there. How do we build a quality, sustainable and scalable product that can be embraced by the community that we can continue to build at a cost effective rate for (those who) need it?

The Ottawa County Housing Commission has put out a survey for residents on the project. So far, the majority of responses has been in favor of the small-footprint homes, Sachs said.

Many of the conversations that Ive been having since we launched this project, with local officials, home builders and just residents in general, they validate the need for us to do this work. Because they believe in it, they know we need it and that keeps us going, Sachs said.

Copyright 2024 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.

For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to WOODTV.com.
Part of a series for the Des Moines Register's 175th anniversary that examines Iowa's past and future demographics.

Gabby Guerra stood by the entrance of Jewett Hall on a recent Sunday afternoon, greeting the dozens of Latino families who came from all over Iowa to Drake University's campus. Even the intense heat was no match for Guerra's cheery voice and big smile as she welcomed parents and students armed with duffle bags, suitcases, fuzzy blankets and pillows.

"Pasen, pasen," Guerra said in Spanish, directing the groups to the lobby, where they met her colleagues from Al Exito and Drake students who handed them giveaways before helping them settle in dorms.

July 14 kicked off the first day of the nonprofit's annual summer camp, Al Exito University, a free, four-day event geared toward Latino high school students who are on the path to be the first in their families to attend college. Parents that day attended bilingual workshops with their teens to learn more about applying for college and financial aid, building a support system and working with teachers and counselors to prepare for those next steps.

The Latino community in Iowa is essential to the state's growth  it has grown more than 13-fold since 1969 to 7% of Iowa's population and is projected to more than double to 408,000 people by 2050, according to the Iowa Latinx Project. It also is the youngest of Iowa's racial or ethnic groups, with a median age of 23.7 compared to 41.5 for the white population.

Which is why education has become such a touchstone for programs like Al Exito, one of the only nonprofits in the state working to empower Latino Iowans through education to not only find success but to strengthen Iowa's future workforce. It's also why community groups have fought against the state's latest immigration law, which makes it a crime to enter Iowa for anyone with an outstanding deportation order or who previously has been removed from or denied admission to the U.S.

The law, on hold after a federal judge granted a temporary injunction in June, put Iowa immigrants on edge, igniting fears over racial profiling. Latino Iowans in Des Moines, Waterloo and other cities united in protest this summer, seeking to raise awareness of the far-reaching law that even police departments charged with enforcing it criticized.

Latino high school students from across Iowa tour Drake's campus during the first day of Al Exito University, an annual summer camp that prepares students for college.

Living in the U.S. with uncertainty is a feeling Guerra, a program director at Al Exito, knows all too well. Nearly two decades ago, Guerra came to the U.S. from El Salvador with her parents, who wanted her and her siblings to have a better future.

Guerra said that journey can be tough, lonely and scary, especially for those who are first-generation college students.

The message during the Al Exito University welcome event was reminiscent of the one that poured from this summer's marches: "No estan solo": You are not alone.

Al Exito University seeks to show Latinos are 'powerful'

Before the families dispersed for campus tours, Alejandro Hernandez shared what his father told him after he became the first Latino dean at Drake: "We cannot be looked down upon." Hernandez, who leads the Zimpleman College of Business, said he understood that meant to have humility and to recognize the role is more than a title.

"We are incredibly powerful," he told the crowd of more than 80 teens and their families. "We have so much to contribute."

Drake University senior and Al Exito University camp leader Orlando Fuentes plays a game with a group of students as a way to build community and get to know them better.

In Iowa, Latinos make up about 7%  or 221,805  of the state's population. By 2060, the Iowa Latino population is expected to reach nearly 518,000, according to a report last year by the State Data Center of Iowa. In 2022, 75% of Iowa Latinos over the age of 16 were in the labor force, compared with 67% of all Iowans 16 and older. Latino workers primarily took on jobs in transportation, production, business, management and service, the data center reported.

Recent findings from the Iowa Latinx Project say Latinos own 4,695 businesses in the state, and they generate $1 billion in annual revenue. And the 106,000 Latino workers in Iowa collectively earn $4.8 billion in annual income.

But both reports also highlight disparities, especially in education. While 93% of Iowans 25 and older have at least a high school education, the figure drops to 70% for Latino Iowans, according to the State Data Center. And while 32% of Iowans 25 and older have at least a bachelor's degree, just 16% of Latino Iowans do. Latinos continue to remain underrepresented in colleges and universities.

Lack of educational resources and bilingual programs for children and parents are examples of issues hindering students' success, the Latinx Project found.

For Guerra and colleague Andres Lomeli Cervantes, their work through Al Exito is personal, driven by their desire to help the next generation of students. They, along with other program leaders, know the barriers students and immigrant families face in getting a higher education. Immigration status, lack of money, language difficulties and absence of a support system are common challenges that make it harder to take the next step, they say.

Al Exito's Gabby Guerra and Andres Lomeli Cervantes help lead their organization's free summer camp for Latino high school students. This year's camp, which offers sessions in Spanish and English, was held at Drake University in Des Moines.

"I questioned my place at the university  whether I belong there at all," Cervantes, 19 and a rising sophomore at the University of Northern Iowa, told the audience about his first year in college. "I remember sitting in my dorm feeling isolated and overwhelmed, thinking of all the sacrifices my family made, the pressure.  And I often felt all the weight on my shoulders."

That moment in his dorm room was just part of the story. Prior to arriving at UNI, Cervantes said, he was on track to receive a full ride scholarship for an online institution. It was the chance of a lifetime for the Marshalltown native, who was working three jobs to save up for college. Cervantes said the opportunity fell through at the last minute, but he found refuge in Al Exito, especially in Executive Director Dawn Martinez Oropeza, who supported him and helped him get to UNI.

As Cervantes opened up about his freshman year, he also noted other roadblocks such as switching majors, adjusting to living on a college campus and making new friends.

"The struggle does not stop there," he said, encouraging parents and students alike to ask for help, ask questions and persevere.

'You have a community that believes in you,' program staffer says

Guerra, who graduated from the University of Iowa, recalled worrying about signing up for Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals, also known as DACA, after former President Barack Obama in 2014 expanded the program, which allows undocumented people who came to the country as children to continue to live, work and study in the U.S.

"My family and I were really scared to go into a system," Guerra, 28, told the Des Moines Register. "We were scared of what that could mean now that we became more visible to the United States government. There was a lot of fear filling out that first application because now they had everything of yours, but we decided to take the risk.

"We felt like if this is going to give you the opportunity to go to get an education, then we're going to do that."

Guerra was 7 when she and her parents came to Iowa in 2002 from El Salvador. She was the first among her siblings to arrive and still remembers how her parents explained their nearly 3,000-mile move.

"They told me that I was coming here so I could get an education," Guerra said. She said she knew even then she was undocumented, but set her sights on the goal of doing well in school.

Before the Guerras left their home country, which had long been engulfed in a civil war, it had grown increasingly violent. Poverty rates rose, and jobs and opportunities dwindled. She said her father was a migrant worker who traveled back and forth between El Salvador and the U.S., primarily in California. He took on factory and manufacturing jobs and worked in fast-food restaurants  "really, anything at that time," she said.

Guerra's father had a friend who settled in Utah and a relative who found a home in Iowa. He followed the advice of the relative, who saw Des Moines as a place that was safe for families and had good schools. Cervantes said his parents, likewise, emigrated to the U.S. from Mexico in the hope their children would receive a solid education.

In school, Guerra was a stellar student, and in seventh grade, she was part of an accelerated program at Central Academy. She believed, like so many, that her hard work would pay off, but later in high school, she found her immigration status to be a barrier to college and other opportunities.

Andres Lomeli Cervantes directs students to their tour groups during Al Exito University on Sunday, July 14, 2024, at Drake University.

"That's when my peers started getting jobs, or internships, or professional experience. They started driving, and I couldn't do that," said Guerra, who went to North High School. "I couldn't get a license. I couldn't get a job, so I couldn't have additional money. Volunteering, even stuff like that, I started to have some issues with."

Guerra told the Register she navigated those obstacles by leaning on high school counselors and college advisers for help, answers and guidance with the DACA process.

"I was kind of just going in blind and literally knocking on every door possible," she remembered. She now passes on to students the lesson she carries from that experience: "You have to be the No. 1 person looking out for yourself."

Back at the auditorium, Cervantes continued to tell families about his freshman year. Under the stage spotlight, he walked them through the difficult moments that had led him there and also told of the people who believed in him and wouldn't let him quit. In Spanish and English, Cervantes once more told students they can and they will.

"I want to remind you that you're not alone," he said. "You have a community that believes in you and is invested in your success."

F. Amanda Tugade covers social justice issues for the Des Moines Register. Email her at ftugade@dmreg.com or follow her on Twitter @writefelissa.

This article originally appeared on Des Moines Register: How Iowa's Latinos are finding success through education
A Yuba County judge ruled Friday that the city of Marysville cannot demolish the fire-gutted Hotel Marysville without permission from the buildings owner, the Feather River Plaza LLC.

Judge Stephen Berrier denied the citys request to declare an emergency and approve a warrant, which would have given Marysville the ability to tear down the damaged hotel. During the hearing, Berrier called the hotel a clear and imminent danger, but ultimately ruled in favor of the buildings owners by limiting the citys emergency warrant, the Marysville Appeal-Democrat reported.

The emergency warrant would have sped up city efforts to demolish the Hotel Marysville. The five-story national landmark is at risk of collapse after a fire swept through the historic building June 15, weakening its structural integrity.

Fridays hearing was held after Marysville City Attorney Brant Bordsen requested a ruling on whether the condition of the building could be declared an emergency.

In a letter sent from the legal firm representing the Feather River Plaza LLC, attorneys said they were vehemently opposed to the citys attempt to get a demolition warrant, calling the citys case an unconstitutional attempt to forcefully take our clients property.

The citys pursuit of immediate demolition, without a thorough investigation of the fires origin, is premature, unjustified, and concerning, the letter said.

In the weeks since the fire, Marysville City Council has unanimously approved a state of emergency declaration due to the fires economic impact on the city and Yuba-Sutter region. The Sacramento Bee reported that city officials had little confidence the owners of the historic property would accept financial responsibility for a fire that decimated the aging structure.

After the judges limited ruling, the city is now unable to tear down the building. It could, however, complete construction to prevent the hotel from falling, though it is not required to do so.

According to the Appeal-Democrat, Marysville officials said they would not take this course of action due to unsafe working conditions within the burned structure.
President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has held a security meeting in Volyn Oblast and inspected the construction of fortifications on the border with Belarus and Russia.

Source: Zelenskyy on social media; the Office of the Ukrainian President

Quote: "Volyn. Construction of fortifications and security meetings in our northern regions. The main focus is on protecting our state border in the oblasts bordering Russia and Belarus. We continue to strengthen the Ukrainian border. I am grateful to everyone who works for the protection and strength of Ukraine."

Zelenskyy at a meeting with Ukraines top military leadership

Photo: Office of the President

Details: The coordination meeting was attended by representatives of Ukraines top military leadership: the State Border Guard Service, and the heads of Volyn (Yurii Pohuliaiko), Zhytomyr (Vitalii Bunechko), Rivne (Oleksandr Koval), Kyiv (Ruslan Kravchenko) and Chernihiv (Viacheslav Chaus) oblast military administrations.

      

  pic.twitter.com/RnAlx7pONe     (@ukrpravda_news) July 30, 2024

Serhii Deineko, Head of the State Border Guard Service, reported on border protection, including the number of soldiers involved, their capabilities and weapons.

The heads of the military administrations and Oleksandr Yakovets, Head of the Administration of the State Special Transport Service, reported about the progress of the construction of fortifications along the border with Belarus.

The president got acquainted with the works at one of the strongholds in Volyn Oblast. Zelenskyy inspected the arrangement of trenches, firing positions and dugouts.

The Office of the President said that since the beginning of the full-scale Russian invasion, anti-tank ditches, barrier fences and strongholds with firing positions have been built here. Reinforced concrete structures and protective structures for sheltering personnel have been installed on the fronts of possible movement of the Russian armoured vehicles.

"We have a strong defence both in terms of personnel and defence lines. We have also increased the number of border guards in all oblasts that border Russia and Belarus. And we continue to strengthen it," Zelenskyy stressed.

Background: On 27 July, the State Border Guard Service noted that it had not yet recorded an increase in the number of Russian troops near the border with Belarus or in Sumy Oblast.

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In the age of AI, there's no future for workers content with being code monkeys  and they know it

In the age of AI, there's no future for workers content with being code monkeys  and they know it

Artificial intelligence is now the top priority for major tech firms.

Software engineers know they need to do more than just code to stay relevant in the AI era.

But the way forward isn't to push back against AI  it's to embrace it, they tell BI.

Software engineers know that the days of simply being able to code are behind them.

After all, artificial intelligence taking over jobs is not new  numerous tech giants over the past two years announced that they were axing jobs to focus more on artificial intelligence development.

Last year, Google slashed 12,000 jobs  6% of its then workforce  as the company began shifting its priorities toward AI.

In May 2023, IBM announced that it would pause hiring for roles that could be replaced by AI. The affected roles, which amounted to 26,000 jobs, included those in human resources and other non-consumer-facing departments.

But AI has had a direct impact on software engineers, too.

Although AI has helped to increase their productivity by helping to debug and generate code, software engineers that Business Insider spoke to said that they expect the industry to shrink simply because it doesn't need as many workers as they do today.

This, they said, means they have to work smarter if they want to keep their jobs.

AI will push companies to have leaner software engineering teams

Arpita Kaushik, a data scientist at Rocket Mortgage, told BI that AI tools like ChatGPT and Github Copilot do a lot of the "heavy lifting" for workers like her.

This meant that companies could get by with leaner teams without compromising on output, she said.

"I think there will be a change in the way a software engineer works, and instead of five software engineers you might need four in future," she said.

Kaushik's point was echoed by Aditya Swami, who heads product development efforts at Hatcher+, a venture capital firm in Singapore. In fact, Swami said that shrinking headcounts will be even more apparent in bigger companies.

"That's going to happen," he said. "As an industry, it's going to shrink, and only people who really understand what they're doing are going to survive."

Aditya Swami, the head of product development at Hatcher+, a venture capital firm in Singapore. Aditya Swami

And the problem isn't just about there being fewer jobs available. Kaushik said the rise of AI means that the bar for hiring is much higher now for interns and entry-level software engineers.

"Those people have to stretch their limits; they have to do a little bit of senior-level roles even at the starting of their careers," she added. "Because the basic things they could do, now they could do with AI."

Don't say goodbye to technical skills just yet

However, software engineers who think they can rely on AI to solve their problems may be disappointed to learn that one's technical abilities still matter.

Swami from Hatcher+ said that he still expects his engineers to have strong coding skills, be able to understand code and explain what they are doing.

He said that people who studied software engineering before the rise of AI tools have a stronger foundation because they have "written code from scratch."

"The biggest problem right now is that the AI large language model hallucinates. It's not correct 100%, only 50 to 60% of the time," he said. "You still need to be very careful."

"When it comes to an interview, you should be able to explain line by line what the code is doing. That's still very important, that hasn't changed," he said.

Adrian Goh, cofounder of NodeFlair, a job board for tech professionals in Asia, told BI that one's technical foundations have only become more important in the age of AI.

"Companies value engineers with strong fundamentals who are dedicated to continuous learning and self-upgrading. These qualities ensure adaptability to evolving roles and technologies," Goh said.

A computer science degree is still far from useless

Academics BI spoke to also said the rise of AI has not diminished the value of a computer science degree and the technical skills that come with earning it

"Computer science is not just about AI," said Kan Min Yen, an associate professor of computer science at the National University of Singapore.

"Proper development and use of AI still require fundamental knowledge of software engineering, data management, and security, all tenets of a holistic computing education," he added.

While some may think that tools like GitHub Copilot will render them obsolete, Kan said such concerns may be overblown.

Software professionals, he said, could still add value by understanding the limitations of AI tools and how to troubleshoot them.

"You would go to a mechanic to fix a car and to someone who knows the math and training methods for large language modules to fix and diagnose problems with LLMs, such as ChatGPT," Kan explained.

Bo An, who heads the AI division at Singapore's Nanyang Technological University (NTU), said that "the core value of a CS degree remains robust," and advancements in AI do not erode the value of a CS degree.

An added that foundational knowledge in "algorithms, data structures, software engineering, and other critical areas" is essential for advancing AI technologies.

Aspiring software engineers need to embrace AI and work on their own projects to stay ahead

That said, software engineers looking to score a job in software engineering must strike a tricky balance between integrating AI into their workflows and honing their fundamentals.

David Malan, a computer science professor at Harvard, told BI that AI tools could be a plus for aspiring software engineers who know how to leverage them.

"In the near term, AI is posed to amplify the impact of individual software engineers," Malan said. "Consider just how many more features they can implement, how many more bugs they can fix if they have a virtual assistant by their side."

Malan also advised job seekers to continue building up their portfolio of projects if they haven't already.

Working on your own projects, he said, could come in handy during interviews when employers want to see how candidates approach problems.

"Continuing one's education beyond school, whether formally or informally, forever expanding your own knowledge and skills, can certainly help too," Malan said. "There will always be something new to learn."

Tejas Rajagopal, a recent computer science graduate from NTU, said he's been trying to expand his skillset to strengthen his chances of landing a job.

"You can't just go to classes, watch lectures, do tutorials, and expect to be useful out there," Rajagopal said. "Because if you haven't really done any projects, built anything up by yourself, your education probably won't be adequate."

Read the original article on Business Insider
Company extracts lithium without traditional mining: 'We want to tap into this resource and create a sustainable source'

The mining of lithium, a material used in most rechargeable batteries, is essential in the age of electrification, but the process has notable environmental downsides. Now, as Interesting Engineering reports, a "greener" method of harvesting it has surfaced.

In order to support our renewable energy infrastructure and growing adoption of electric vehicles, we'll need more lithium. Currently, around half of the world's supply comes from South America and places such as Argentina, Bolivia, and Chile. Miners drill holes in salt flats and pump a mineral-rich brine to the surface, per the article.

Unfortunately, that process uses massive amounts of water. Around 500,000 gallons are used for each ton of lithium obtained, a valuable resource in those arid locations. Additionally, sulfuric acid and sodium hydroxide are commonly used in the extraction, which are harmful to ecosystems and local wildlife.

Overall, about 40% of the total climate impact from lithium comes from the mining and refining processes, according to Changeit.

Fortunately, LevertonHELM and EnBW have found a more sustainable method of extracting this desirable material. Through proprietary techniques, as IE puts it, the German-British team has managed to extract 99.5% pure lithium carbonate without traditional mining.

They've gotten it from the mineral-rich brine found at a geothermal power plant in Bruchsal, Baden-Wurttemberg. In this way, they're bypassing the normally invasive mining process and piggybacking on a sustainable European endeavor.

"We need energy storage technologies for the energy transition to succeed. Lithium plays a decisive role in the expansion of electromobility and renewable energies," as Thomas Kolbel, an expert in research and development at EnBW, explained in the IE piece.

"Together with LevertonHELM, we want to tap into this resource and create a sustainable source of lithium to meet the growing demand in Germany and Europe."

Similar progress has been made stateside, where teams are working to extract lithium from the geothermal brine in California's Salton Sea using clean methods. Lithium is filtered out of waters that are surfaced to power electricity-generating turbines before they're returned back to the Earth.

By extracting materials from existing geothermal plants, we can reduce the need for invasive mining and improve the quality of life for the people and wildlife currently living near facilities. It can also help curb the pollution generated from the processes.

Other efforts to reduce the deleterious impact of rare-metal mining are exploring cheaper and more commonly found alternatives, such making batteries with sodium or zinc. It's even been found that pyrite (or "fool's gold") in old disused mines can be a source for this precious metal.

Importantly, existing lithium-based batteries can also be recycled, supporting a more sustainable circular economy.

Join our free newsletter for weekly updates on the coolest innovations improving our lives and saving our planet.
ATHENS (Reuters) - Greeces Supreme Court prosecutor has shelved a case against the intelligence service, EYP, as a preliminary probe by the court showed no evidence that the agency used illegal phone malware to spy on targets, the Athens News Agency reported on Tuesday.

The case stemmed from allegations by an opposition party leader and a journalist in 2022 that they had been under state surveillance via phone malware.

Journalist Thanasis Koukakis, who was being monitored by EYP according to court documents, said his phone had been infected by Predator spyware developed by Cytrox, a surveillance company in the Greece-based Intellexa consortium.

Traces of Predator were later found in dozens of phones, including those of politicians, journalists and businessmen, according to an independent telecom privacy authority ADAE.

"There was absolutely no involvement of any state agency, including the National Intelligence Service (EYP) ... or any government official with the spyware Predator or any other similar software," the prosecutor said in a statement wrapping up a preliminary investigation into the case, according to the Athens News Agency report.

The 2022 allegations, made amid growing concern in the European Union about the use of spyware, raised questions about protection of private communications in Greece, and prompted the resignations of then-head of EYP Panagiotis Kontoleon and the general secretary to the prime minister.

Kontoleon, EYP chief from 2019 to 2022, denied allegations that the intelligence service used such malware when he testified in May as a witness over the case, according to court documents seen by Reuters.

The prosecutor said a court should examine the validity of accusations against legal representatives of private companies that handled Predator and were involved in the case.

Intellexa's founder Tal Dilian, who testified in July, has denied any involvement in the case or wrongdoing.

Some of EYP's targets during that period were the same people whose phones were infected with Predator, said an experts' report included in the court documents.

(Reporting by Renee Maltezou; Editing by Bernadette Baum)
By Michael Erman and Bhanvi Satija

(Reuters) - Pfizer raised its annual profit forecast on Tuesday, helped by cancer treatments acquired through a $43 billion deal for Seagen and strong sales of its heart disease drug as the company deals with a sharp revenue drop from COVID products.

The market for Pfizer's COVID-19 vaccine and treatment has shrunk by billions of dollars a year.

Pfizer CEO Albert Bourla responded with several acquisitions, including the Seagen deal and cost-cutting measures. The New York-based drugmaker also has sharpened its focus on cancer treatments.

Investors fled from Pfizer as COVID worries declined and the company's shares are trading at around half their pandemic-era highs.

"The market is waiting to see if this company can execute," Bourla said in an interview. "We will continue executing this year, on our cost containment, on our pipeline, on all our new product launches ... and that's what I think should be able to turn around our stock price."

J.P. Morgan analyst Chris Schott said he expects Pfizer's stock to continue to trade in the current range due to limited revenue growth and stronger expectations for many of its rivals.

"We believe stronger new launch performance and/or further progress on the pipeline will be necessary to significantly change the narrative," he wrote in a research note.

Pfizer shares were basically flat at $30.67.

Sales of Eliquis, the blood thinner it shares with Bristol Myers Squibb, are expected to be curtailed starting in 2026, when the U.S. begins using negotiated prices for some drugs for its Medicare health plan for people age 65 and over.

Bourla said negotiations over Eliquis with U.S. regulators were tough. Still, Pfizer executives echoed comments from other drugmakers earlier this month, saying it expects to be able to navigate the impact of the new price on Eliquis, which it sees as an important drug for the company for the foreseeable future.

Overall, the impact of the law allowing U.S. price negotiations on Pfizer "is somewhat muted as you think about it economically," Chief Financial Officer David Denton said. He said many products that could be selected for negotiation in the coming years will be nearing the end of their patent protection.

Quarterly sales grew 3% operationally to $13.3 billion, marking its first quarter of sales growth since COVID revenue peaked in late 2022.

The quarter was helped by sales of its heart disease drug, sold under brand names Vyndaqel or Vyndamax and cancer therapy Padcev.

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Pfizer now expects annual profit to be in the range of $2.45 to $2.65 per share, compared with its prior forecast of $2.15 to $2.35.

BMO Capital Markets analyst Evan Seigerman said given the company's previous conservative forecast, the increase was somewhat expected. "Still, we are encouraged to see Pfizer executing where it matters," he wrote in a research note.

Pfizer also raised its full-year sales forecast for its antiviral treatment Paxlovid for high-risk COVID cases by $500 million to $3.5 billion.

Vyndaqel sales came in $200 million ahead of analyst estimates at $1.32 billion for the quarter, according to LSEG data.

Sales Padcev, used to treat bladder and urinary tract cancers, were $394 million in the quarter, beating estimates of $362 million.

Quarterly sales of the COVID vaccine Pfizer makes with German partner BioNTech were $195 million, while Paxlovid sales were $251 million. Analysts were expecting sales of $176 million for Comirnaty and $247.7 million for Paxlovid.

Pfizer was disappointed with its 2023 launch of RSV shot Abrysvo, but the company expressed optimism about the vaccine in the U.S. this year.

"We've significantly strengthened our contracting position," said Pfizer's Chief U.S. Commercial Officer Aamir Malik, noting that those decisions are set to take effect in August. Last year, rival GSK won two-thirds of the RSV vaccine market, mostly due to its contracts with retail pharmacies.

(Reporting by Bhanvi Satija and Christy Santhosh in Bengaluru and Michael Erman in New York; Editing by Anil D'Silva and Bill Berkrot)
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Rambus (RMBS) came out with quarterly earnings of $0.46 per share, beating the Zacks Consensus Estimate of $0.42 per share. This compares to earnings of $0.44 per share a year ago. These figures are adjusted for non-recurring items.

This quarterly report represents an earnings surprise of 9.52%. A quarter ago, it was expected that this memory chip designer would post earnings of $0.44 per share when it actually produced earnings of $0.45, delivering a surprise of 2.27%.

Over the last four quarters, the company has surpassed consensus EPS estimates four times.

Rambus , which belongs to the Zacks Electronics - Semiconductors industry, posted revenues of $137.2 million for the quarter ended June 2024, missing the Zacks Consensus Estimate by 1.30%. This compares to year-ago revenues of $139.3 million. The company has topped consensus revenue estimates three times over the last four quarters.

The sustainability of the stock's immediate price movement based on the recently-released numbers and future earnings expectations will mostly depend on management's commentary on the earnings call.

Rambus shares have lost about 13.6% since the beginning of the year versus the S&P 500's gain of 14.5%.

What's Next for Rambus?

While Rambus has underperformed the market so far this year, the question that comes to investors' minds is: what's next for the stock?

There are no easy answers to this key question, but one reliable measure that can help investors address this is the company's earnings outlook. Not only does this include current consensus earnings expectations for the coming quarter(s), but also how these expectations have changed lately.

Empirical research shows a strong correlation between near-term stock movements and trends in earnings estimate revisions. Investors can track such revisions by themselves or rely on a tried-and-tested rating tool like the Zacks Rank, which has an impressive track record of harnessing the power of earnings estimate revisions.

Ahead of this earnings release, the estimate revisions trend for Rambus: mixed. While the magnitude and direction of estimate revisions could change following the company's just-released earnings report, the current status translates into a Zacks Rank #3 (Hold) for the stock. So, the shares are expected to perform in line with the market in the near future. You can see the complete list of today's Zacks #1 Rank (Strong Buy) stocks here.

It will be interesting to see how estimates for the coming quarters and current fiscal year change in the days ahead. The current consensus EPS estimate is $0.47 on $156.1 million in revenues for the coming quarter and $1.78 on $599.7 million in revenues for the current fiscal year.

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Investors should be mindful of the fact that the outlook for the industry can have a material impact on the performance of the stock as well. In terms of the Zacks Industry Rank, Electronics - Semiconductors is currently in the top 39% of the 250 plus Zacks industries. Our research shows that the top 50% of the Zacks-ranked industries outperform the bottom 50% by a factor of more than 2 to 1.

Another stock from the same industry, Diodes (DIOD), has yet to report results for the quarter ended June 2024. The results are expected to be released on August 8.

This semiconductor components maker is expected to post quarterly earnings of $0.27 per share in its upcoming report, which represents a year-over-year change of -83%. The consensus EPS estimate for the quarter has remained unchanged over the last 30 days.

Diodes' revenues are expected to be $316.6 million, down 32.2% from the year-ago quarter.

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As the Israel-Hamas War continues, 111 of the 251 hostages taken by Hamas terrorists in the October 7th attacks remain in Gaza. This week, in southern Gaza, Israeli forces recovered five bodies of hostages killed by their Hamas captors. Of the American citizens taken hostage, eight have yet to be recovered, and, tragically, three of these are known to have lost their lives. It remains uncertain how many other hostages are still alive.

Tasked with confronting such a grave situation, the Biden-Harris Administration has exhibited a troubling lack of clarity. President Biden has recklessly lent credence to illegitimate claims against Israels right to forcefully recover hostages. He also balked on delivery of support to Israeli defense efforts just days after Congress passed a military aid package for Israel with broad, bipartisan support, and on Wednesday after meeting with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu Vice President Harris called for immediate implementation of a Biden Administration ceasefire plan which would leave Hamas intact.

In March of this year, Vice President Harris publicly opposed the Israeli military moving into the city of Rafah. Strategically located as the southernmost city in Gaza, Rafah has long been known as a Hamas stronghold, and a site where hostages were likely to be kept. Such profound errors in judgement have weakened the standing of the United States in the eyes of the world and eroded trust among our allies. It is the same kind of failed leadership which made the Biden Administrations withdrawal of U.S. troops from Afghanistan so disastrous.

In his address to a joint meeting of Congress this week, Prime Minister Netanyahu demonstrated why Israel is our closest ally in the Middle East and displayed the conviction required to confront the regional instability Israel continually faces.

Expressing Israels resolve to defend its people and hope for a more peaceful future, Netanyahu affirmed, defeating our brutal enemies requires both courage and clarity. He noted the role of the historic Abraham Accords, negotiated by the Trump Administration, in thwarting Irans all-out missile barrage against Israel on April 13 of this year. Thanks to a coalition of regional partners, which would not have been possible to assemble prior to the Abraham Accords, Irans assault was largely intercepted and caused virtually no casualties.

Irans malign influence goes beyond funding regional rogue actions by Hamas, Hezbollah, and Houthi forces in Yemen. Current U.S. Director of National Intelligence Avril Haines recently confirmed Iran has intensified its efforts to undermine order and integrity in the United States, including using social media to stoke division and providing financial support to individuals protesting in support of Hamas. Chillingly, it was also recently reported the Secret Service obtained intelligence on an Iranian plot to assassinate President Trump.

I stand firmly with Israel and continue to support efforts to ensure it has the resources necessary to respond to the provocations of its enemies. I have also been active in the Committee on Ways and Means to help hold tax-exempt American universities accountable for addressing antisemitic violence and discrimination on their campuses.

Prime Minister Netanyahus speech to Congress was an important moment for our critical alliance. His government is rightfully seeking the complete and unconditional surrender of Hamas and the freedom of all remaining hostages. We must also ensure the government of Iran understands its aggression and sponsorship of terrorism by proxy have been mistakes. Blunders by the Biden-Harris Administration, such as releasing $6 billion to Iran less than a month prior to the October 7th attacks, are unacceptable and cannot be repeated. In the spirit of the Prime Ministers resounding words, Never again must never be an empty promise.
Maserati Grecale SUV In India: Maserati has introduced the Grecale in India, starting at Rs 1.31 crore, ex-showroom. The Grecale is Maserati's compact SUV, positioned below the Levante. Maserati announced last year that it would launch the Grecale in 2024. It will be sold as a CBU unit, directly imported from Italy.

Maserati Grecale: Engine Specs

The Grecale is available in three variants with three engine options. The entry-level GT variant is powered by a 2-liter, 4-cylinder mild hybrid engine, producing 296 bhp and 450 Nm of torque. The GT accelerates from 0 to 100 kmph in 5.6 seconds (claimed). The Modena variant features the same powertrain but is tuned to deliver 325 bhp and 450 Nm, achieving 0 to 100 kmph in 5.3 seconds.

The top-of-the-line Trofeo variant boasts a 3-liter V6 turbo engine that produces 528 bhp and 620 Nm. It does 0 to 100 kmph in just 3.8 seconds. All three variants are equipped with an 8-speed ZF automatic transmission and offer an optional air suspension upgrade.

Maserati Grecale: Features

The Grecale comes loaded with tech and features, including a 12.3-inch instrument cluster, a 12.3-inch infotainment system, and an 8.8-inch central console touchscreen that doubles as climate control. The GT variant features dual-zone climate control, while the Modena and Trofeo trims offer three-zone climate control. The Grecale also includes Level 1 ADAS.

Maserati Grecale: Price & Competition

Available in three variants, the pricing of the Grecale ranges between Rs 1.31 crore and Rs 2.05 crore, ex-showroom. The GT variant is priced at Rs 1.31 crore, the Modena at Rs 1.53 crore, and the Trofeo at Rs 2.05 crore, all ex-showroom. It will compete with the Porsche Macan in the Indian market.
Indian space agency Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO), India's space program, achieving remarkable feats with frugal resources. But nurturing the next generation of space scientists and engineers is equally important the current state and potential of space education in India, highlighting ISRO's dedicated initiatives and encouraging programs.

ISRO's focus is on the STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics) portal. This interactive platform offers a treasure trove of resources. Students can delve deeper into specific areas of space science through these comprehensive courses and get certified from the portal. Interactive Video Sessions with Space Scientists is also an opportunity to talk with space scientists. Imagine having your questions answered by the very minds behind India's space missions.

YUva VIgyani KAryakram (YUVIKA)

Young Scientist Programme, targets school children, particularly those from rural areas. YUVIKA aims to kindle their interest in space science and technology, potentially shaping their career paths towards STEM fields. The program provides a foundation in space applications, exposing students to emerging trends that will define the future of space exploration.

Another ISRO space program UNispace Nanosatellite Assembly & Training (UNNATI). UNNATI offers a two-month residential training program for international students, engineers, scientists, and officials. Participants gain hands-on experience in assembling, integrating, and testing nanosatellites, fostering international collaboration and knowledge exchange.

Expanding Horizons with Educational Programs

The Indian Institute of Remote Sensing (IIRS), Dehradun, offers online training programs through its Outreach Programme. These programs cater to academia and professionals, strengthening their knowledge base in space technology applications through interactive online sessions and e-learning courses.

India plays a pivotal role in regional space education through the Centre for Space Science and Technology Education in Asia and the Pacific (CSSTEAP). This collaborative initiative offers postgraduate courses in remote sensing, satellite communication, and space sciences, promoting knowledge dissemination across Asia-Pacific nations.

Learning Through Maps

The NCERT (National Council of Educational Research and Training) portal transforms geographical learning for students. School Bhuvan uses maps to build awareness about India's natural resources, environment, and sustainable development

Facility Visits

ISRO facilitates visits to its centres for select colleges and universities. These guided tours offer students and faculty a firsthand experience of the facilities and technologies driving India's space program, igniting their passion and understanding of the practical applications of space science.
The Department of Personnel and Training (DoPT) has issued a show-cause notice to IAS trainee Puja Khedkar, requiring her to respond to various allegations by August 2. The notice, sent on July 26 via email and post, stems from inquiries conducted by multiple agencies. Khedkar has been given seven days to provide her explanation either in person at the DoPT or in writing.

According to a report by TOI, DoPT officials emphasized that the notice follows standard procedures and grants Khedkar the option to choose her method of response. Should she fail to meet the deadline, further action will be considered. A single-member panel has been appointed by the central government to verify Khedkar's candidature claims and other details based on a report from the Maharashtra government. If Khedkar is found guilty of making false claims, she could face termination from service.

The Union Public Service Commission (UPSC) lodged a complaint, prompting the Delhi Police's crime branch to register a case of cheating, fraud, and forgery against Khedkar. The single-member committee has already submitted its findings to the DoPT secretary, and a DoPT team is currently reviewing the report to determine the appropriate action.

Khedkar was scheduled to report to the Lal Bahadur Shastri National Academy of Administration in Mussoorie by July 23, following her district training program in Washim, Maharashtra. However, officials confirmed that she has not yet reported to the academy.

Pune's Additional Commissioner of Police (Crime), Shailesh Balkawade, stated that the Delhi police crime branch has not requested assistance or information regarding the cheating and forgery case registered by the UPSC against Khedkar.

Pooja Khedkar's Anticipatory Bail Plea

Khedkar's anticipatory bail plea is set to be heard today by Delhi's Patiala House Court. The UPSC, through private counsel, and the crime branch, which is gathering documents from various government departments, have both opposed her bail application. Despite this, the court allowed arguments for Khedkar's bail to proceed and granted the UPSC permission to file any objections.

Khedkar is accused of misusing the disability and Other Backward Class (non-creamy layer) quotas to secure her civil services examination candidature. The UPSC alleges that she fraudulently took the exam beyond the permissible number of attempts by falsifying her identity. The 2023-batch IAS officer was transferred from Pune to Washim earlier this month amid these allegations.
A fire that erupted from an abandoned Pandit house, engulfing five ancient homes of the Kashmiri Pandit community in the Lone Mohalla of Mattan in South Kashmir's Anantnag around 1 am on Sunday midnight. The local majority community promptly alerted the fire brigade, and by 1:45 pm, five fire brigade vehicles had arrived at the scene. After hours of effort, the fire was finally extinguished. The wooden structure of the house meant that smoldering and smoke persisted even two days later. Approximately five buildings were reduced to ashes, with one completely destroyed.

Nissar Ahmed, a Fire Brigade Officer, recounted the incident: "A dreadful fire erupted in the night. We received the call and responded immediately. Five vehicles were dispatched, and the fire was brought under control within three to four hours."

The Jammu and Kashmir Police have initiated an investigation into the fire's origin. Kashmiri Pandits residing outside the region suspect the fire was deliberately set to deter the community from returning to the Valley. The National Conference political party has expressed solidarity with the Kashmiri Pandits of Mattan, Anantnag, following the devastating fire that razed several homes. They highlighted the sentimental value of one of the homes, which belonged to the maternal family of their additional spokesperson, Umesh Tashi, and urged for a prompt and comprehensive investigation to identify and penalize those responsible.

Ravindra Pandita, Chairman of the Kashmir Sharada Peeth Awasthapan, said, "The recent fire incident in the properties of Kashmiri migrants in Mattan area of Kashmir has shocked everyone. The Deputy Commissioner of the district is the custodian of minority properties and is not taking proper steps to preserve minority properties and four houses of Kashmiri Pandit migrants have been burnt to ashes. We request the government to take steps to protect these sites.

"No one lived there, so there was no possibility of short circuit or gas cylinder explosion etc. This is clearly a case of vandalism, and we need to take preventive measures. The administration should be prepared so that the displaced community does not have to witness such acts again and these owners should be compensated." And we expect that all properties will be protected," he added.

Several Kashmiri Pandit community members warned the government that terrorism is still not over in the Kashmir Valley, but even these incidents will not scare them. They said they will continue to live in their motherland with Muslim brothers.

Ashok Kumar, president of All Temples and Shrines South Kashmir, said, "We will not be intimidated, and we are not afraid of it. We have been getting these threats since the 90s, but we will not be afraid. This is our Janmabhoomi and we will always stay here. We are renovating our places and temples, and everyone wants to come back, and we will not be afraid of these acts. The government should ensure the safety of the property and lives of Kashmiri Pandits. These incidents send a wrong message, but it should not affect the return of Kashmiri Pandits to the Valley. I am happy with the administration and police the way they are handling this incident. Those responsible should be punished.

Jammu and Kashmir Police has started investigating the case. FSL teams have taken samples, and an FIR has been registered under Section 326BNS. Police have also collected CCTV footage of the area for investigation.

Javed Iqbal, DIG South Kashmir Range. He said, "There has been a report of fire in the house of Shri Anand Ji Rajdan in Mattan area of Anantnag. On receiving the information, SHO Mattan reached the spot with police party and fire brigade was called. The fire was brought under control in about one and a half hours. Nearby houses have also been damaged due to the fire. Police called the FSL team and took CCTV footage of the area and registered a case under section 326bns. Investigation has started and I want to assure you that we have started a deep investigation, and a senior officer is supervising the investigation

People of the Pandit community living outside the valley and in the valley are demanding a thorough investigation of the incident and are also demanding the LG government to take steps for strict security of such deserted Pandit properties and temples so that the intentions of those elements who do not want the rehabilitation of Kashmiri Pandits fail.
By Leyla Tarverdiyeva, Day.Az



The last visit of Louis Bono, Senior adviser to the US State Department for Negotiations in the South Caucasus, to Armenia was not particularly memorable. It was an ordinary visit within the framework of the activity demonstrated by the United States in the field of the Armenian-Azerbaijani peace process.





The United States is pushing the parties to sign peace as soon as possible and is holding meetings. That's all. It's just that Bono visits Armenia more often than Baku, which, in principle, is not surprising since it depends on her behaviour whether peace will be signed and how soon.



The only noticeable detail of Louis Bono's July visit was that the Armenian media and officials finally stopped representing him as the "co-chairman of the OSCE Minsk Group." The Armenian Foreign Ministry was the first to forget about this non-existent status, ceasing to call Bono a neighbour back in February. The Security Council held out to the last, as evidenced by official reports about the American's March visit to Yerevan. Now the Security Council has also surrendered. During his visit, Louis Bono was the senior adviser to the US State Department on negotiations in the South Caucasus for the Armenians only.





In Armenian public media, this reconciliation with reality is called "fulfilling Baku's demands," and they express dissatisfaction. But not very actively. It seems that the neighbours are starting to get used to the fact that everything that Baku requires comes to an end.



It is finally being implemented. And this is not because of Nikol Pashinyan's weakness or betrayal, but because all the demands of Azerbaijan are legitimate, logical and fair.

Almost immediately after the Second Karabakh War, Azerbaijan announced the physical demise of the Minsk Group. Morally, this structure died as soon as it was born. Azerbaijan has stated that the conflict is over and no mediation group is needed anymore. MG did not play any positive role during the years of occupation, especially since it is pointless to preserve it today. However, the Minsk Group has not yet been officially abolished, which is why certain circles apparently want to demonstrate that they do not consider the Karabakh conflict to be over.



In Baku, everyone sees and understands everything, therefore, President Ilham Aliyev unobtrusively, but persistently and categorically stated that the region no longer needs the services of the MG and it is necessary to dissolve it so that false ideas are not created. During a telephone conversation with US Secretary of State Anthony Blinken, the head of state said that it was time to officially end the activities of the non-functional OSCE Minsk Group and all related institutions in order to completely close the page of the conflict, which has already become a relic of the past.



This was also discussed at a meeting with the OSCE Chairman-in-Office, Minister of Foreign, European Affairs and Trade of the Maltese Republic, Jan Borg, who visited Baku in May. President Ilham Aliyev told the guest that it was time to abolish the OSCE Minsk Group and all related institutions. Stressing that the Armenian-Azerbaijani conflict has already remained in history and does not exist, the head of state said that the Azerbaijani side raised this issue, and there are no reasons why Armenia would not agree to this.



Armenia does not say "yes" or "no". The existence of such a structure, at least on paper, suits the Armenian side. Of course, Yerevan understands that if the institution of the co-chairs, representing powerful powers, could not do anything with Azerbaijan during the occupation, it, moreover, would not be able to do anything today. But the Armenian side is somehow calmer from this mirage, deception. They are pleased to deceive themselves by claiming that the Minsk Group de facto does not exist, not because of the end of the conflict, but because Washington and Paris have quarrelled with Moscow. This is exactly the opinion of the Prime Minister of Armenia. More precisely, he voices this opinion, although he most likely understands what's on his mind.



This is how Nikol Pashinyan reacted to the call of the Azerbaijani President to jointly appeal to the OSCE to abolish the OSCE Minsk Group. This proposal was made during a meeting between President Ilham Aliyev and members of the Parliamentary Assembly of the Turkic States (TURKPA).





"We have already proposed to the Armenian side that Azerbaijan and Armenia jointly make an appeal to the OSCE to abolish the Minsk Group. There is no need for it, it is not functioning now. We will not, de facto, allow it to function. As for de jure, legally it should be abolished, and this will show how sincere Armenia is," the head of state said, warning that if Armenia prefers to preserve the MG, it will mean that its territorial claims against Azerbaijan continue.



Yerevan had to respond to these words somehow. Speaker Alain Simonyan tried to be clever, saying something like that the Minsk Group would cease to exist after the signing of the peace treaty and that Baku was making such demands in order to delay the achievement of peace. Nikol Pashinyan found his original way out of the situation, saying in parliament: "We understand that the members of the OSCE Minsk Group did not communicate with each other after February 2022 and even before that. In other words, the OSCE Minsk Group as such does not de facto exist."



Yerevan has assumed a pose of denial, but as we can see from the reduction of Mr. Bono's regalia in the Armenian media, our neighbours are still not as untrained as it might seem. They still know how to draw the right conclusions and act properly.

After all that Armenia has done, Azerbaijan is simply outrageously humane and tries not to break its criminal neighbour too much. Not because he is sorry or afraid of Yerevan or its guardians, but because Baku is betting on the future, on a peaceful sky for future generations and normal relations in the region.





No one else would do this to an enemy who has been destroying and ravaging for thirty years what does not belong to him. Armenia should be grateful to Azerbaijan for demanding the smallest thing from it - to delete territorial claims from the Constitution and support the abolition of the Minsk Group. For the fourth year, Baku has been patiently corresponding with Yerevan on the text of the peace treaty, although it can simply hit the table with its fist and everything will be resolved instantly. He would have done so if he didn't want this world to be long-term and strong.



Today, the reduction of Louis Bono's regalia is interpreted by Armenian demagogues as a humiliating deflection to the demands of Baku. And what is the humiliation here? To do the right thing, even under pressure, does not mean to humiliate yourself. With its stubbornness and vague hopes to win back everything, Armenia has only condemned itself to daily humiliation. Bickering with Azerbaijan will not help her gain honour and dignity. Which were lost thirty years ago.
If you're not sure where to start when looking for the next multi-bagger, there are a few key trends you should keep an eye out for. Amongst other things, we'll want to see two things; firstly, a growing return on capital employed (ROCE) and secondly, an expansion in the company's amount of capital employed. Basically this means that a company has profitable initiatives that it can continue to reinvest in, which is a trait of a compounding machine. In light of that, when we looked at James Cropper (LON:CRPR) and its ROCE trend, we weren't exactly thrilled.

What Is Return On Capital Employed (ROCE)?

If you haven't worked with ROCE before, it measures the 'return' (pre-tax profit) a company generates from capital employed in its business. Analysts use this formula to calculate it for James Cropper:

Return on Capital Employed = Earnings Before Interest and Tax (EBIT)  (Total Assets - Current Liabilities)

0.025 = UK1.7m  (UK86m - UK17m) (Based on the trailing twelve months to March 2024).

Thus, James Cropper has an ROCE of 2.5%. In absolute terms, that's a low return and it also under-performs the Forestry industry average of 9.1%.

View our latest analysis for James Cropper

roce

Above you can see how the current ROCE for James Cropper compares to its prior returns on capital, but there's only so much you can tell from the past. If you'd like to see what analysts are forecasting going forward, you should check out our free analyst report for James Cropper .

The Trend Of ROCE

In terms of James Cropper's historical ROCE movements, the trend isn't fantastic. Around five years ago the returns on capital were 5.4%, but since then they've fallen to 2.5%. Given the business is employing more capital while revenue has slipped, this is a bit concerning. If this were to continue, you might be looking at a company that is trying to reinvest for growth but is actually losing market share since sales haven't increased.

The Bottom Line On James Cropper's ROCE

We're a bit apprehensive about James Cropper because despite more capital being deployed in the business, returns on that capital and sales have both fallen. We expect this has contributed to the stock plummeting 76% during the last five years. Unless there is a shift to a more positive trajectory in these metrics, we would look elsewhere.

If you want to know some of the risks facing James Cropper we've found 2 warning signs (1 is potentially serious!) that you should be aware of before investing here.

While James Cropper isn't earning the highest return, check out this free list of companies that are earning high returns on equity with solid balance sheets.

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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.

Have feedback on this article? Concerned about the content? Get in touch with us directly. Alternatively, email editorial-team@simplywallst.com
New Delhi: Since becoming the Leader of the Opposition, Rahul Gandhi has delivered two speeches in the Lok Sabha, both marked by a common strategy: invoking Hindu gods, symbols, and scriptures to criticise the BJP. In his first speech, he referenced Lord Shiva and the 'abhaya mudra'. On Monday, during his second address, he brought up the 'chakravyuh' from the Mahabharata, arguing that all power is concentrated in just six individuals. Rahul also alluded to his previous speech, in both instances, Rahul used the BJP's strongest weapon to corner them. .

The 'Chakravyuh' Parallel

On Monday in the Lok Sabha, Rahul accused the central government of trapping India in a 'chakravyuh' like Abhimanyu. He said the opposition alliance in INDIA will break this chakravyuh. Rahul said, "Thousands of years ago in Kurukshetra, Abhimanyu was trapped and killed by six people in a chakravyuh. The other name of a chakravyuh is 'padmavyuh', which is lotus-shaped. Inside it lies fear and violence." He claimed, "Abhimanyu was killed by six people in the chakravyuh: Dronacharya, Karna, Ashwatthama, Kripacharya, Kritavarma, and Shakuni.

Even today, there are six people creating a modern-day chakravyuh. "Abhimanyu was killed by six people. Today, too, there are six people in the centre of 'chakravyuh': Narendra Modi, (Union Home Minister) Amit Shah, (RSS chief) Mohan Bhagwat, (National Security Advisor) Ajit Doval, and (industrialists) Ambani and Adani," the Congress leader said.

Objecting to Rahul's statement on six masterminds, Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla said, "Your party's deputy leader (Gaurav Gogoi) has written that the name of someone who is not a member of the house should not be taken." As a Leader of Opposition, I expect you to uphold these standards, Birla added.

Following this, Rahul Gandhi referred to the country's major industrialists as 'A1' and 'A2'. He further claimed, "In the 21st century, another chakravyuh has been created. What happened to Abhimanyu is being done to India." He claimed that just as Abhimanyu was trapped in the chakravyuh, India has been trapped similarly.

Shiva Procession Remark

On Monday, Rahul said that this country does not like chakravyuh; it likes 'Shiva's procession' where everyone can be included. Referring to the budget, Rahul Gandhi claimed, "There are three forces behind the chakravyuh that have captured India. The first is the idea of monopolistic capital, where two people should own all of India's wealth." He stated that the second force comprises the country's institutions, agencies, CBI, ED, and the Income Tax Department, and the third force is the political executive. Rahul Gandhi said these three forces are at the centre of the chakravyuh and have destroyed the country.

Raj Nath Singhs Counterattack

On Monday, Rahul Gandhi accused, "The army soldiers have been trapped in the chakravyuh of Agnipath. In the budget, no money was given for the pensions of Agniveers." He said, "The farmers asked you for just one thing to come out of your chakravyuh, the legal guarantee of MSP, but it was not given."

After his speech, Defence Minister Raj Nath Singh said that the Leader of the Opposition has spoken on a sensitive topic like national security and has created confusion regarding Agniveers.

During Rahul Gandhi's speech, Parliamentary Affairs Minister Kiren Rijiju interrupted and said that the Leader of the Opposition should know the rules of the house and follow the procedures of the house. The BJP heavily criticised Rahul's statement, calling it anarchic and divisive.

Rahul's First Speech As LoP

After becoming the Leader of the Opposition in the Lok Sabha, in his first speech, Rahul mentioned several religions besides Lord Shiva. He said they all teach one thing: 'Do not fear, do not frighten'.

During the discussion on the President's address, Rahul said, "The concept of Lord Shiva and non-violence is that the trident is kept behind the back and not held in hand." He had said that "the idea of abhaya mudra is to spread this pace of non-violence, love, and fearlessness to everyone."

The Congress leader had then shown a picture of Lord Shiva and said that his message was about fearlessness and non-violence. Despite repeated requests from Speaker Om Birla to refrain from doing so, he continued to show posters of the deity.
On Tuesday, Prime Minister Narendra Modi addressed a post-Budget 2024 conference organized by the Confederation of Indian Industry (CII). He highlighted that in the past 10 years, his government has tripled Indias Budget. The last Budget presented by the Manmohan Singh government in 2014 was 16 lakh crore. In contrast, the Union Budget for 2024, presented a few days ago, stands at 48 lakh crore, which is three times larger, according to Modi. He also mentioned the significant growth in capital expenditure allocation under his government.

PM Modi's Press Conference Record

Despite his extensive tenure, PM Modi has not faced a single regular press conference in his 10 years in office. However, during the 2019 Lok Sabha election campaign, he did hold a press conference, but even then, he did not directly answer media questions and redirected all inquiries to Amit Shah.

The Sole 2019 Press Conference

Five days before the 2019 Lok Sabha election results, PM Modi held a press conference. In it, he described himself as a disciplined soldier of the party and deferred to the party president for answering questions. When a journalist tried to ask Shah about Modi's responses, Shah intervened, stating that the Prime Minister did not need to answer every question.

Avoidance of Press Conferences

Modi's avoidance of press conferences is often seen as part of his preference for one-way communication, where he speaks directly to the public. He typically grants solo interviews to journalists known for government-friendly coverage. By mid-2024, he had given over 64 interviews to various national TV channels, leading English and Hindi dailies, and other regional language newspapers and channels.

Opposition's Allegations

The opposition claims that Modi's interviews are "scripted," with predetermined questions and answers. Journalists rarely ask follow-up questions or challenge his statements. In his interviews, Modi has claimed that his leadership is not ordinary and that he has a divine mission.

A New Culture of Direct Communication

In a recent interview, Modi stated that he has pioneered a new work culture that bypasses traditional media. He asserted that media is no longer the sole medium of mass communication and that he prefers to engage directly with the public. He also mentioned that journalists are now identified by their ideologies, which was not the case before.

One-Way Communication's Significance

French political scientist Christophe Jaffrelot suggests that Modi avoids press conferences because his speeches often depict an imaginary India, detached from reality. Jaffrelot argues that Modi has created a world filled with bright portrayals and myths that are not open to scrutiny.

2007 BBC Interview

In 2007, as the Chief Minister of Gujarat, Modi walked out of an interview with BBC journalist Karan Thapar within four minutes when questioned about the 2002 Gujarat riots.

2023 BBC Documentary

In 2023, the BBC released a documentary on the Gujarat riots, which was banned by the Modi government. It included parts of a 2002 interview where Modi admitted to struggling with handling the media.

PM Modi's approach to media reflects his distinctive leadership style, prioritizing one-way communication. This approach has introduced a new work culture in Indian political discourse, emphasizing direct engagement with the public.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi expressed a bold vision for India's future during his address at the CII post-budget conference in Delhi. He stated that while India gained independence as a poor nation, it will celebrate its 100th year of Independence in 2047 as a developed country.

Vision For A Developed India

PM Modi emphasized that the BJP-led NDA government is committed to transforming India into a "Viksit Bharat" (developed India) by 2047. He highlighted the nations journey from overcoming numerous challenges to achieving its goals, marking a significant transformation in its economic status.

Modi pointed out that Indias policies, commitment, and investments are garnering global attention, forming a foundation for worldwide progress. He noted the eagerness of international investors to engage with India, and the optimism of global leaders about the countrys potential. He urged industries to seize this significant opportunity.

Investor-Friendly Initiatives

During a NITI Aayog meeting with chief ministers, PM Modi encouraged each state to create an investor-friendly charter. This move aims to facilitate more investments and foster economic growth across various regions.

Economic Growth and Aspirations

India is currently experiencing an eight percent growth rate. Modi remarked on the widespread discussions regarding the nations journey toward becoming a developed country. He stressed that this transformation is driven by confidence, not just sentiment, as India now stands as the world's fifth-largest economy, with ambitions to soon become the third-largest.

PM Modi highlighted the current governments efforts with those of the previous UPA administration, highlighting significant budget increases across various sectors. The railway budget has seen an eight percent rise, the highways budget has increased substantially, agricultural spending has grown by over four percent, and the defence budget has increased by over two percent.
A remark by BJP MP Anurag Thakur in Lok Sabha on Tuesday led to an ugly spat between the opposition and treasury benches with Rahul Gandhi saying that he has been insulted and despite the attacks, the INDIA bloc would ensure that caste census is conducted.

Launching a scathing attack on Leader of Opposition Rahul Gandhi for his "chakravyuh" jibe at the BJP-led government a day earlier, Thakur cited purported portions from a book authored by Congress MP Shashi Tharoor to hit out at successive Congress governments since 1947 and alleged that Gandhi has misinterpreted his position of LoP as "leader of propaganda".

Using the 'chakravyuh' metaphor as a leitmotif, Rahul Gandhi on Monday claimed an atmosphere of fear prevails all around with a group of six trapping the entire country in a 'chakravyuh'. He had said the 'chakravyuh' is also called a 'padmavyuh' for its resemblance to a lotus (BJP's poll symbol) formation.

Hitting out at Gandhi for his remarks, Thakur said one of the synonyms for lotus is Rajiv (the name of Rahul Gandhi's father and former prime minister).

You linked lotus with violence, does that mean you also link Rajiv with violence? Thakur asked.

While questioning the Congress' stand on caste census, the BJP MP from Himachal Pradesh's Hamirpur made certain remarks on caste, which led to an uproar with Congress members stooping into the Well of the Lok Sabha.

Rahul Gandhi intervened, saying he has been insulted by the BJP member and asserted that despite all the abuses being hurled at him, the opposition will ensure passage of caste census in this very House.

In another intervention, the Congress leader said he does not want an apology from Thakur for his remarks as his only focus like the Mahabharat's Arjun is on the caste census. "Whoever raises issues of the Dalits and backwards, has to face abuses... I don't want any apology," he said.

In response, Thakur alleged that the definition of OBCs for Congress is "Only Brother-in-law commission" and not Other Backward Classes. He also referred to former prime minister Rajiv Gandhi's opposition to reservation for OBCs.

Without taking any names, Thakur said a few people are "accidental Hindus" and their knowledge of the Mahabharat is also accidental. Jagdambika Pal, who was chairing the proceedings, said Thakur's remarks on caste stand expunged.

Samajwadi Party leader Akhilesh Yadav also questioned Thakur for his statement and described it as inappropriate. "How can you ask anybody's caste?" he posed. The Chair said nobody in the House is allowed to ask the caste of any person.

During the course of his speech, Thakur alleged that Rahul Gandhi's speeches are written by "Uncle Sam", in an apparent reference to party leader Sam Pitroda. The BJP MP claimed that Rahul Gandhi was using "borrowed wisdom" to make speeches in an attempt to be a "cool dude".

Thakur also said that reality and not "reels" make a "real" politician. Citing excerpts from Tharoor's book "The Great Indian Novel", the former Union minister attacked successive prime ministers from the Congress using abbreviations, including "N-Ji, IG and RG 1".

Tharoor intervened, saying his repeated references are from a satirical novel written years ago and the BJP leader did not understand the satire.

The Congress MP from Thiruvananthapuram said he has written several other books which are not being quoted by Thakur because it is not convenient for the narrative he wanted to convey.

Continuing with his attack, Thakur alleged that Rahul Gandhi does not understand the meaning of LoP and has misinterpreted it as "leader of propaganda".

Referring to the leader of the opposition's remarks Monday on the budget halwa ceremony, Thakur referred to a series of alleged scams, including Bofors, CWG, 2G, fodder, urea, coal, jeep and National Herald, asking "who ate the halwa from the scams" and wondered whether it was sweet or bland.

As he referred to the various scams, members from the treasury benches shouted "Congress-Congress".
At least 60 individuals died in landslides that struck Kerala's Wayanad district on Tuesday, as per Zee news TV. A total of 70 injured have been admitted in various hospitals. Several agencies, including the NDRF and the Air Force, have joined the rescue operations in the mountainous regions near Meppadi.

Kerala to observe state mourning on July 30 and 31 as death toll reaches 77.

Defense Minister Rajnath Singh contacted the Army chief, requesting the mobilization of forces for assistance and rescue operations in landslide-hit Wayanad, Kerala. Army teams have already arrived at the incident site, reported ANI.

A massive landslide hit various hilly regions near Meppadi in Kerala's Wayanad district early Tuesday morning, leaving over 400 people feared trapped in the rubble.

According to PTI, a video statement by UDF MLA T Siddique mentioned that district officials are developing plans to airlift individuals from the Mundakkai region.

He added, "We do not yet have full details on the missing and deceased from the landslides. Several areas are inaccessible, and NDRF teams are working to reach these locations."

The Mundakkai, Chooralmala, Attamala, and Noolpuzha villages were among the areas affected and cut off by the landslides, authorities said.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi expressed his concerns over the matter on social media 'X', he wrote, "Distressed by the landslides in parts of Wayanad. My thoughts are with all those who have lost their loved ones and prayers with those injured. Rescue ops are currently underway to assist all those affected. Spoke to Kerala CM Shri @ pinarayivijayan and also assured all possible help from the Centre in the wake of the prevailing situation there." Also Read: Wayanad Landslide Tragedy: PM Modi Speaks With Kerala CM, Assures Swift Action

According to the Chief Minister of Kerala office's statement on 'X', CM Pinarayi Vijayan has directed immediate coordination of rescue efforts in Wayanad following the severe landslide. He stated that the entire government is engaged in the response, with Ministers overseeing and managing the operations.

The Kerala State Disaster Management Authority (KSDMA) has announced that Fireforce and NDRF teams are on the ground in the affected area, with another NDRF team heading to Wayanad.

Two teams from the Kannur Defence Security Corps have been directed to proceed to Wayanad to support the rescue operations, as stated in a KSDMA Facebook update.

Reports from residents indicate that many individuals may be trapped in the affected areas. Rescue operations are facing significant delays due to continuous heavy rainfall.
In a chilling and heart-wrenching incident that has sent shockwaves through Maharashtra, 22-year-old Yashashri Shinde was brutally murdered in Navi Mumbai. The discovery of her mutilated body near Uran Railway Station on July 25 has led to intense scrutiny and a widespread investigation. The prime suspect, Daud Sheikh, has been arrested in Karnataka and has confessed to the murder, though he has yet to disclose his motive. This case has also ignited a fierce debate over a possible "Love Jihad" angle, drawing parallels to other high-profile interfaith relationship cases. As authorities piece together the tragic events, details of the horrific crime continue to emerge, painting a grim picture of violence and betrayal. Here are the ten key points in the ongoing investigation:

Arrest and Confession: Daud Sheikh, the main accused in the murder of Yashashri Shinde, was arrested by the Mumbai Police Crime Branch from Gulbarga, Karnataka. Daud has confessed to killing Yashashri but has remained tight-lipped about his reasons. According to Additional CP Deepak Sa, Daud claimed they were in a relationship and had planned to meet.

Escape and Capture: Following the murder, Daud fled to Karnataka. The police tracked him down hiding in the bushes on a hill. Eight teams were deployed in the search operation. Daud had traveled from Bangalore to Mumbai two days before the murder and returned to Bangalore immediately after committing the crime.

Discovery of the Body: Yashashri's body was found in a severely mutilated state near Uran Railway Station on July 25, following a missing report filed by her father. The body was hidden behind bushes, and the extent of the injuries suggested an attempt to prevent identification. Her private parts had been brutally assaulted, and her limbs were broken.

Gruesome Details: The autopsy revealed horrific details of the murder. Yashashri's body bore multiple stab wounds on her back and abdomen, severe injuries on her chest, and her face was crushed with a stone. The brutality of the murder has sent shockwaves through the community.

CCTV Footage: CCTV footage from the area showed Daud and Yashashri together on the day of the murder, confirming their meeting. This footage was crucial in identifying Daud and tracing his movements, which eventually led to his capture in Karnataka.

Previous Offenses: In 2019, Yashashri's father had filed an FIR against Daud Sheikh for inappropriate behavior towards the then minor Yashashri. Daud was arrested under the POCSO Act and later moved to Karnataka after being released from jail. Despite this history, Daud maintained contact with Yashashri.

Love Jihad Allegations: The case has drawn comparisons to other high-profile incidents involving interfaith relationships, sparking allegations of "Love Jihad." This angle has intensified the political and social discourse surrounding the murder.

Police Investigation: The police are rigorously investigating the case to determine if anyone else was involved. Daud's interactions with another suspect, with whom he was in contact post-murder, are under scrutiny. The investigation includes questioning several other individuals who might have information relevant to the case.

Sexual Assault Suspicions: Police suspect that Yashashri might have been raped before being murdered. Her clothes were found torn, raising suspicions of sexual assault. The postmortem report is awaited to confirm these suspicions and provide further insights into the sequence of events.

Political Reactions and Public Outcry: The gruesome murder has elicited strong reactions from political leaders and the public. Various leaders have demanded swift justice and stringent action against the accused. The incident has also triggered discussions on women's safety and interfaith relationships in the region.
Samajwadi Party leader Akhilesh Yadav in a subtle critique aimed at Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath, suggested that the BJP's self-proclaimed strong leaders are struggling to hold accountable the individual responsible for their electoral setback in Uttar Pradesh's Lok Sabha elections. During a heated debate on the Union Budget in the Lok Sabha, Yadav engaged in multiple exchanges with the members of the treasury benches.

Speaking during the discussion on the Union Budget in the Lok Sabha, Yadav got into a verbal duel with the treasury benches several times.

Yadav referenced a video circulating on social media that allegedly showed Chief Minister Adityanath failing to greet Prime Minister Modi at a meeting in Delhi. This video, however, has been debunked by several fact-checkers who confirmed that Adityanath did indeed greet the Prime Minister.

"Those who used to call themselves very powerful are not able to remove the person who caused their defeat," Yadav said, hinting at certain reports claiming that the BJP was looking to change the chief minister following the poor showing in the Lok Sabha polls.

Questioning the stability of the BJP-led NDA regime, Yadav also said this is not a government that will run smoothly but the one which is bound to fall. "Ye chalne wali sarkar nahi hai girne wali sarkar hai... (This government is not one that will endure, it is one that will fall)," he added.

Addressing his party's position on the Agnipath scheme, Yadav declared that the Samajwadi Party would abolish the program should they come into power, asserting that the concept of 'Agniveer' is incompatible with their ideology.

In the latest Lok Sabha elections, the alliance between the Samajwadi Party and the Congress, known as the INDIA bloc, secured 43 out of 80 seats in Uttar Pradesh, while the BJP-led NDA won 36 seatsa significant decrease from their 64-seat victory in 2019.
New Delhi: Uttar Pradesh Deputy Chief Minister Keshav Prasad Maurya recently made comments that sparked significant discussion. On Monday, Maurya said that elections are not won on the strength of the government.

Following a meeting in Delhi, it appeared that tensions were normalizing, as he was seen sitting next to CM Yogi a few hours later. However, his subsequent remarks have once again become a topic of discussion.

Deputy CM Keshav stated, This is the party that contests elections and wins, emphasizing that elections are not won solely based on the strength of the government.

Reflecting on the results of the 2024 Lok Sabha elections, where the INDIA bloc partners Samajwadi Party and Congress beat the BJP in Uttar Pradesh, Maurya said, "We may have fallen short this time, but next time we will come back stronger."

#WATCH | Lucknow: Uttar Pradesh Deputy CM Keshav Prasad Maurya says, "BJP is the present and the future....This time (in Lok Sabha elections) we might have missed but next time we will come back stronger...The hard work we should have done, we missed because we got caught up in pic.twitter.com/yUgkwYiOKU July 29, 2024

While addressing the working committee meeting of the Backward Class Morcha of the BJP state unit in Lucknow, Maurya added, "Was there a BJP government in 2014? Did we win the (Lok Sabha) elections? In 2017 (Uttar Pradesh Assembly elections), did we have a government? Do we win or not?"

Urging party workers to gear up for the upcoming 2027 Uttar Pradesh Assembly elections, he said, "Forget the mistakes made in 2024 (Lok Sabha elections) and work to ensure a historic victory in the 2027 Assembly elections."
There are many ghost stories or haunted vibes considered attached with many places in India. People often share the news of such a place that is considered haunted among the locals and it seems an exciting topic for them. Many houses, forts and roads are similarly avoided due to these considerations.

Naini Junction

We are talking about the Naini Junction which is around 11 km from Prayagraj city. This railway station is near Naini Jail which was built in the British colonial era and was used to punish the freedom fighters of the related areas. Due to severe beating, many of the imprisoned culprits died there and it is said that their souls started roaming from then. These kinds of talks and considerations have approached the locals and they feel the place as haunted till now.

People claim that the spirits of the fighters who died in jail roam around Naini station at night. Those soul and their activities are seen by many of the locals. Many people say that strange incidents happen in this police station area. That is why some people avoid visiting the railway station at night or alone.

Many people claim that the passengers visiting this railway station and the people living nearby hear strange voices of screaming here. They say that these voices are of the same freedom fighters who were killed during the British period.

Similar Haunted Places

Many of the similar claims are about other railway stations of India as well. Those include Begunkodor train station of West Bengal, Rabindra Sarobar metro station of Kolkata and Barog station of Shimla. These train stations are claimed to be haunted and have seen many unusual activities often at night by people visiting there. Most of the haunted stories relate to the death of somebody by train or several accidental ones. But ultimately these are mere stories.

However, it is essential to note that these haunted stories are largely anecdotal and lack concrete evidence. Despite their haunted reputation, many people visit and travel through these places without any incident, boarding trains from the considered haunted stations. Ultimately, the perception of these places as haunted is a result of local stories and myth.
New Delhi: Prime Minister Narendra Modi took stock of the situation and promised the Kerala government full support from the Centre in response to the massive landslide that hit Keralas district of Wayanad on Tuesday morning leaving at least 19 dead as per Zee news TV.

Also Read: At least 19 Killed As Massive Landslide Hits Keralas Wayanad District, Over 400 Feared Trapped | Latest Updates

PM Modi expressed concerns on social media platform X, he wrote, Distressed by the landslides in parts of Wayanad. My thoughts are with all those who have lost their loved ones and prayers with those injured. Rescue ops are currently underway to assist all those affected. Spoke to Kerala CM Shri @pinarayivijayan and also assured all possible help from the Centre in the wake of the prevailing situation there.

Distressed by the landslides in parts of Wayanad. My thoughts are with all those who have lost their loved ones and prayers with those injured.



Rescue ops are currently underway to assist all those affected. Spoke to Kerala CM Shri @pinarayivijayan and also assured all possible  Narendra Modi (@narendramodi) July 30, 2024

More than 400 people are believed to be trapped after massive landslides hit mountainous regions near Meppadi in Kerala's Wayanad district.

Rahul Gandhi, the Leader of the Opposition and former Lok Sabha MP from Wayanad, announced that he will reach out to Union ministers to seek all available help for Wayanad.

I am deeply anguished by the massive landslides near Meppadi in Wayanad. My heartfelt condolences go out to the bereaved families who have lost their loved ones. I hope those still trapped are brought to safety soon, said Rahul Gandhi on X.

Gandhi further added, I have spoken to the Kerala Chief Minister and the Wayanad District Collector, who assured me that rescue operations are underway. I have requested them to ensure coordination with all agencies, set up a control room, and inform us of any assistance needed for the relief efforts. I will speak to Union Ministers and request them to provide all assistance possible to Wayanad. I urge all UDF workers to assist the administration in the rescue and relief operations.

I am deeply anguished by the massive landslides near Meppadi in Wayanad. My heartfelt condolences go out to the bereaved families who have lost their loved ones. I hope those still trapped are brought to safety soon.



I have spoken to the Kerala Chief Minister and the Wayanad  Rahul Gandhi (@RahulGandhi) July 30, 2024

According to the Chief Minister of Keralas office, CM Pinarayi Vijayan has directed immediate coordination of rescue efforts in Wayanad following the severe landslide. He stated that the entire government is engaged in the response, with Ministers overseeing and managing the operations.

According to a medical officer quoted by ANI, at least 48 people are receiving treatment, and four bodies have been taken to the Wayanad Institute of Medical Sciences.

Residents report that many people might be trapped in the affected areas, while rescue efforts are being delayed by ongoing heavy rain.

In response to the severe weather, the weather department has issued a red alert for Wayanad, forecasting intense rainfall. Additionally, an orange alert has been issued for eight other districtsPathanamthitta, Kottayam, Idukki, Ernakulam, Malappuram, Kozhikode, Kannur, and Kasaragodexpecting extremely heavy rainfall in these regions.
In a historic move, the Samajwadi Party (SP) has appointed a Brahmin leader as the Leader of Opposition in the Uttar Pradesh Assembly for the first time in its four-decade history. This decision comes at a time when Akhilesh Yadav's PDA (Backward-Dalit-Minority) formula is politically successful. Within the SP, this decision has received mixed reactions, and both the BJP and BSP have raised questions about it. Amid issues like caste census and saving the Constitution, Akhilesh's decision has sparked a debate on whether political efforts to mobilize Brahmin votes will intensify.

Political analysts believe that the selection of Mata Prasad Pandey as Leader of Opposition is more about balancing party dynamics and the assembly than Akhilesh's social strategy. Particularly with senior leaders like Shivpal Yadav present, selecting an appropriate face outside the Saifai family was not easy.

The Search for Prasad through Mata Prasad

The first question about Mata Prasad Pandey's appointment was raised by BJP's senior leader and Deputy CM Keshav Prasad Maurya. He highlighted the neglect of the PDA and accused the SP of ignoring backward communities. After the BJP's defeat in Kurmi-Maurya dominant seats in the Lok Sabha elections, Maurya and other backward leaders are under scrutiny. By raising the issue of representation, Maurya is attempting to recover lost votes. However, BJP's Brahmin leaders have a different tone.

Former BJP MLA from Manikpur, Anand Shukla, congratulated Mata Prasad on X (formerly Twitter), stating that everyone needs the 15% Brahmin votes. Meanwhile, after BSP chief Mayawati's reaction, BSP's sidelined national general secretary Satish Chandra Mishra accused the SP government of neglecting upper castes and backward classes and reminded of the atrocities on the Brahmin community. These comments indicate that efforts to gain political favor via Mata Prasad are also intensifying among SP's opposition.

The Controversy in Banthra Village, Lucknow

Last Saturday, in Banthra village of Lucknow, a dispute over electricity led to the lynching of a youth named Ritwik Pandey. The victim's family alleges that a week after the murder, the police have not arrested any accused. This incident has also taken a political turn. SP chief Akhilesh Yadav, mentioning the incident, criticized the BJP government and a local MLA, intensifying the Brahmin versus Thakur narrative. A delegation from SP, including Brahmin leaders, visited Ritwik's home.

Incident Details

On Saturday night in Banthra village, a clash over electricity supply erupted. Around 10 PM, the power supply started, but Ritwik Pandey's area remained without electricity. Ritwik and some others went out to the scene, where villagers Rishu Singh and others also arrived. The dispute escalated into a brawl. After the matter cooled down, Ritwik returned home. Later, Rishu and his family attacked Ritwik's house, leading to Ritwik's death and injuries to his father and brother. The victim's family claims that the police have taken no action.

Political Importance of Brahmins in Uttar Pradesh

Political parties and Brahmin organizations in Uttar Pradesh claim the Brahmin population is around 10-12%. Before the rise of Mandal politics in the 90s, Brahmins, Dalits, and Muslims formed a coalition that kept Congress in power. All Brahmin Chief Ministers of UP were during Congress rule. During Mandal and Kamandal politics, Brahmins supported the BJP. In 2007, Mayawati's Brahmin-Dalit social engineering formula brought BSP to power with the slogan, "Brahmin Shankh Bajayega, Haathi Badhta Jayega."

CSDS data shows that in 2007, despite the highest Brahmin vote going to BJP, BSP received 11% more Brahmin votes than in 2002. BSP had 40 Brahmin MLAs, while SP had 21 Brahmins winning in 2012. Since the 2014 Lok Sabha elections, Brahmin votes have consolidated with BJP. In 2019, 80% Brahmin votes went to BJP, and the trend continued in 2022, with 46 out of 52 Brahmin MLAs belonging to NDA.

Analysts say that Brahmins influence not only vote calculations but also perception chemistry. Akhilesh has successfully convinced his core voters that defeating BJP requires broad alliances, applicable to the 2027 strategy. BSP is worried as its Dalit vote base is shifting, and SP is increasing its share among upper castes. In this scenario, the sidelined BSP seems to suffer the most. After the Lok Sabha election results, BJP, facing internal strife, is concerned about retaining its gains from the past decade, which appeared to be slipping in recent elections. Therefore, SP's move to attract its core vote base has intensified BJP's concerns.

Brahmin Representation in the Assembly

In 1980, there were 87 Brahmin MLAs.

In 2002, there were 41 Brahmin MLAs.

In 2007, there were 56 Brahmin MLAs.

In 2012, there were 47 Brahmin MLAs.

In 2017, there were 58 Brahmin MLAs.

In 2022, 52 Brahmin MLAs were elected.
New Delhi: Soni's endorsement comes on the heels of Ryan Reynolds' recent statement, where he expressed his desire to work with Singh. Soni said Well, because Ryan (Reynolds) said Ranveer, and Ranveer voiced Ryan in the Hindi version of the second Deadpool movie, I have to say him. I think he's got all of it. But weirdly, I want him to play a villain because I feel villains have more fun. He has that energy that I think he would play it really well"

When asked about which Bollywood actor Ryan Reynolds would like to work with, Ryan said, I don't even know. OhRanveer Singh is amazing. He has done the voice of Deadpool I think. He is very funny. But also ripped. While turning to Hugh, Ryan pointed out, You think you are in shape? The Wolverine actor replied, Really! Ryan further said, This guy makes you look like a Crypt-Keeper. He is amazing. Both Hugh and Ryan showered praises on Ranveer.

The mutual admiration between Singh and Reynolds stems from their previous collaboration, where Singh lent his voice to the Hindi version of Deadpool 2.

Karan is also fascinated by Ranveers journey, sharing, "I love his story, too," and adding, "He comes from being an unknown. I always see all those people because I feel that myself. And it's so hard, I think even harder in India to achieve what he has achieved. He feels so Indian, he feels a part of the culture. He'll bring that if he gets to do something here. He'll bring the Indian culture to the international stage.

On the professional front, Ranveer Singh recently announced his next exciting project that took the internet by storm! While he is power-packed performances always win the hearts of audiences and his fans alike - it seems it surpasses merely these and has made its way to Hollywood as well!
New Delhi: Parental savings and fund-building for their daughters' bright futures are encouraged under the Sukanya Samriddhi Yojana (SSY). Regular deposits are accepted for this fixed-income investment, which also yields interest. Deposits into your SSY account could be made through cash, cheque, demand draft, or online transfer.

As a proud parent of a daughter, you can effortlessly use the online payment option to deposit money into your little angel's SSY account. All you need is India Post Payments Bank (IPPB) Savings account and you can transfer money to your SSY account through the app.

How to open a Sukanya Samriddhi Yojna Account?

To offer a secure investment option, the government has made the SSY account plan accessible through post offices. People can also open an SSY account through some banks that are proving this scheme. You have to visit your local post office or any authorized bank branch to open the SSY account for your daughter. Once you have your SSY passbook, you will be able to handle everything online.

Sukanya Samriddhi Yojna: Step-by-step guide to transferring money online to your SSY account

You can make online deposits into your SSY account after opening one. You need to have an India Post Payments Bank (IPPB) Savings account to make the digital payments.

Here's a step-by-step guide on how to deposit money into your SSY account online.

Download the IPPB app and create an account.

Add money to your IPPB account from your bank account.

Under DOP Products, choose the Sukanya Samriddhi Yojana account.

Put in your SSY account number and customer ID.

Choose the amount you want to pay and the installment duration.

When a payment transfer via the IPPB mobile application is successful, you will be informed.



Sukanya Samriddhi Yojna: Digital payments App - DakPay

Customers of the IPPB and post office can now use the government-launched DakPay app for digital payments. DakPay offers digital financial and assisted banking services with the support of India Post and IPPB. With this app, you may send money, scan QR codes, and make digital payments for services and merchants.
New Delhi: Paytm has introduced India's first NFC Card Soundbox, a two-in-one mobile QR payment device. This NFC Card Soundbox combines NFC card payment technology with mobile QR payments.

The new device will equip small shops with an affordable tool for accepting all types of payments, including UPI and card transactions. It enables merchants to process card payments with ease. Notably, this technology allows wireless data transfer between devices that are close to each other, typically within a few centimetres.

Introducing Indias first Paytm NFC Card Soundbox, a two-in-one mobile QR payment device that also serves as an affordable card payments machine for millions of offline merchants. Customers can simply tap a debit or credit card or scan a QR to make payments



Marks the next pic.twitter.com/RwRN5Ydme6  Paytm (@Paytm) July 30, 2024

What is NFC?

NFC stands for Near Field Communication. It is a technology that lets devices share data wirelessly when they are very close, usually within a few centimeters. It is often used for contactless payments and sharing information.

Paytm NFC Card Soundbox Key Features:

Dual Payment Capabilities:

This device enhances flexibility for customers and merchants by supporting both NFC and QR payment options.

Support for Multiple Languages:

The NFC Card Sound Box delivers notifications in 11 languages, including English, Hindi, Gujarati, Bangla, Odia, Marathi, Punjabi, Telugu, Malayalam, Tamil, and Kannada.

Extended Battery Life:

Enjoy up to 10 days of usage on a single charge.

Instant Audio Confirmation and Display Screen:

These features streamline daily transactions, offering quick and clear information to merchants.

How To Use Paytm NFC Card Soundbox For Payments?

The device will allow customers to make payments by tapping a debit or credit card or scanning a QR code. The device can help small shops in accepting all types of payments, including UPI and card transactions.
New Delhi: I&B Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw told the Rajya Sabha last week that WhatsApp and its parent company Meta has not informed the government of any plans to shut down its services in India.

The I&B Minister was responding to questions raised by Congress member Vivek Tankha on whether the messaging app was planning to shut its services in India due to the government's directives to share user details.

Vaishnaw in a written reply to Rajya Sabha said, "Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology (MeitY) has shared that WhatsApp or Meta has not informed the government about any such plans," Vaishnaw told the Rajya Sabha in a written reply.

Vaishnaw said the central government issues directions under Section 69A of the Information Technology Act, 2000 in the interest of the sovereignty or integrity of India, defence of India, security of the state, friendly relations with foreign states or public order or for preventing incitement to the commission of any cognisable offence relating to above in respect of the information on a computer resource.

Earlier this year, WhatsApp had told the Delhi High Court that it will stop functioning in India if it was compelled by the government to break encryption of messages.

WhatsApp and its parent company Meta had challenged the newly amended IT Rules contending that they violate the right to privacy and were unconstitutional.

Meanwhile, the Meta-owned has for the first time revealed its US figures for the WhatsApp service. CEO Mark Zuckerberg has said that WhatsApp has reached 100 million users in the US.

Compared to the US, WhatsApp has with more than 500 million monthly active users in India.

With Agency Inputs
LONDON: Bloodied children ran screaming from a dance and yoga class like a scene from a horror movie to escape a teenagers savage knife attack that killed two children and wounded 11 other people Monday in northwest England, police and witnesses said.

A 17-year-old boy was arrested on suspicion of murder and attempted murder in the stabbing in Southport, a seaside town near Liverpool, Merseyside Police said. The motive was not clear, but police said detectives were not treating the attack as terror-related.

Nine children were wounded  six of them in critical condition  in the latest headline-grabbing attack amid a recent rise in knife crime that has stoked anxieties and led to calls for the government to do more to clamp down on bladed weapons.

Two wounded adults who tried to shield the pupils were in critical condition, police said.

We believe the adults who were injured were bravely trying to protect the children who were being attacked, Merseyside Police Chief Constable Serena Kennedy said.

The Taylor Swift-themed workshop was held on the first week of school vacation for children aged about 6 to 11. The two-hour session was led by two women  a yoga instructor and a dance instructor  according to an online listing.

Witnesses described hearing blood-curdling screams and seeing children covered in blood emerging from the business that hosts everything from pregnancy workshops and meditation sessions to women's bootcamps.

They were in the road, running from the nursery, said Bare Varathan, who owns a shop nearby. They had been stabbed, here, here, here, everywhere, indicating the neck, back and chest.

Prime Minister Keir Starmer called the attack horrendous and deeply shocking. King Charles III sent his condolences, prayers and deepest sympathies for those affected by the utterly horrific incident.

Police were called shortly before noon to a street where several small businesses are located behind rows of brick houses in the city of about 100,000.

The first officers who arrived were shocked to find so many casualties from the ferocious attack, most of them children with serious injuries, Kennedy said.

Colin Parry, an auto body shop owner, said most of the stabbing victims appeared to be young girls.

The mothers are coming here now and screaming," Parry said. It is like a scene from a horror movie. ... Its like something from America, not like sunny Southport.

The suspect, who has not been identified, lived in a village about 5 miles (8 kilometers) from the site of the attack, police said. He was originally from Cardiff, Wales.

Ryan Carney, who lives with his mother in the street, said his mother saw emergency workers carrying children covered in red, covered in blood. She said she could see the stab wounds in the backs of the children.

All this stuff never really happens around here, he said. You hear of it, stabbings and stuff like that in major cities, your Manchesters, your Londons. This is sunny Southport. Thats what people call it. The suns out. Its a lovely place to be.

Britains worst attack on children occurred in 1996, when 43-year-old Thomas Hamilton shot 16 kindergarten pupils and their teacher dead in a school gymnasium in Dunblane, Scotland. The U.K. subsequently banned the private ownership of almost all handguns.

Mass shootings and killings with firearms are rare in Britain, where knives were used in about 40% of homicides in the year to March 2023.
Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan launched a strong criticism against the opening ceremony of the 2024 Paris Olympics in a fiery speech delivered to members of his AK Party in Ankara on Tuesday. Erdogan described the event as a disgusting affront to sacred values, accusing it of being an attack on humanity and Christian morals.

Can you imagine? An international sporting event that is meant to unite people opened with animosity towards humanity, creation, and the values that make humans human, Erdogan said. He expressed his disappointment that what was intended as a celebration of human unity had instead become a platform for what he perceived as a moral degradation.

Erdogan's comments followed a controversial segment in the Paris Olympics ceremony, which many interpreted as an allusion to the Bible's 'Last Supper.' The scene featured dancers, drag queens, and a DJ striking poses reminiscent of the iconic painting, sparking widespread criticism from different religious communities.

Erdogan further criticized the ceremony for what he described as an attempt to bring humans, whom he considers the most noble of creatures, down to a level even below that of animals. He pledged to contact the Pope to share his concerns about what he views as an affront to Christian and moral values.

The Olympics have been used as a vessel for the deviance that ruins human nature, spoils the family, and threatens the security and survival of generations, Erdogan continued. He condemned the use of the Olympics international platform to target children, whom he referred to as our most innocent beings, and labeled the scene in Paris as disgraceful.

Additionally, Erdogan took aim at the portrayal of LGBT themes in the ceremony, contrasting it with the treatment of athletes wearing headscarves. The fact that those who portray the LGBT deviance as freedom cannot tolerate athletes with headscarves reveals the definition of freedom in their minds, he asserted.
Scatec ASA

Oslo, 30 July 2024: Scatec ASA, a leading renewable energy provider, has signed an agreement with TotalEnergies to sell its 51 percent stake in the African hydropower joint venture with Norfund and British International Investment (BII), in line with the companys strategy. The proceeds from the transaction will be used to support Scatecs self-funded growth plan.

The sale covers Scatecs indirect interest held through SN Power of the operating 255 MW Bujagali hydropower plant in Uganda, and a development portfolio consisting of the 361 MW Mpatamanga in Malawi, and the 206 MW Ruzizi III at the border of Rwanda, DRC, and Burundi. The joint venture was established in 2021 between Scatec and Norfund, the Norwegian investment fund for business activities in developing countries, as part of the SN Power acquisition. In 2022, BII joined as a co-investor. The transaction supports the business continuity of the hydropower activities on the continent, including commitments to projects and stakeholders.

Our decision to sell our African hydropower assets is in line with our strategy to focus the largest share of our investments in our core markets and on solar, wind and battery energy storage, while divesting assets in non-focus markets. We are pleased to announce todays transaction, as we believe TotalEnergies will be a strong asset owner going forward, with the ability to further develop the projects and contribute to the energy transition in Africa. We would like to thank the entire hydropower team for their hard work and dedication over the years, you have made a significant impact. In addition, our gratitude goes to our joint venture partners, host governments, and lenders for the support since 2020, said Terje Pilskog, Scatec CEO.

This acquisition of renewable hydroelectric assets and projects in Africa reflects our desire to contribute to the continent's energy transition by bringing electricity to the people of African countries. In particular, we are delighted to be able to become a player in hydro power in Uganda, a country where we are also developing a major oil project. This is another example of TotalEnergies ability to implement its multi-energy strategy in oil-producing countries to support them in their energy transition, said Patrick Pouyanne, TotalEnergies Chairman and CEO.

The transaction is subject to conditions and consents being received from stakeholders including lenders and joint venture partners - and is scheduled to close within first half of 2025. The transaction price and the final accounting effects will be disclosed at closing of the transaction due to commercial considerations.

For further information, please contact:

For analysts and investors: Andreas Austrell, VP IR, phone: +47 974 38 686, andreas.austrell@scatec.com

For media: Meera Bhatia, SVP External Affairs & Communications, phone: +47 468 44 959, meera.bhatia@scatec.com

About Scatec

Scatec is a leading renewable energy solutions provider, accelerating access to reliable and affordable clean energy emerging markets. As a long-term player, we develop, build, own, and operate renewable energy plants, with 4.6 GW in operation and under construction across four continents today. We are committed to grow our renewable energy capacity, delivered by our passionate employees and partners who are driven by a common vision of Improving our Future. Scatec is headquartered in Oslo, Norway and listed on the Oslo Stock Exchange under the ticker symbol SCATC. To learn more, visit www.scatec.com or connect with us on LinkedIn .



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 announcement was published by Kine Aaltvedt, IR Analyst at Scatec ASA, on 30 July 2024 at 08:00 CEST.




Sen. Warren Wants To Tax Billionaires' Estates To Pay For Housing

Benzinga and Yahoo Finance LLC may earn commission or revenue on some items through the links below.

The numbers often differ on the size of the housing shortfall in the United States. Estimates tend to vary between 1.5 and 5.5 million units, and nearly everyone agrees we aren't building enough homes. The question of how to create more affordable housing is center stage as we head into the presidential election.

Dont Miss:

While the finer details of presidential candidate Kamala Harris's housing plan aren't entirely laid out, many wonder if she will support President Biden's plans for a 5% rent increase cap for institutional owners. This plan has raised controversy, with many industry insiders saying that the plan will do little to solve the existing problems. Bob Broeksmit, President and CEO of the Mortgage Bankers Association, called the plan a counterproductive policy idea that ultimately harms renters by distorting market pricing, discouraging new construction, and degrading the quality of rental housing.

President Donald Trump proposed privatizing government-sponsored enterprises, Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac, during his first administration. One of his most famous real estate policies was Opportunity Zones, a plan to incentivize builders and developers to create projects in underserved neighborhoods. Opportunity Zones are areas designated by state governors, and investors receive special tax treatment, including deferred capital gains, for their investments in Qualified Opportunity Funds. Opportunity Zones projects covered all real estate types, from luxury hotels to affordable housing communities.

Massachusetts Sen. Elizabeth Warren isn't waiting for the election to deliver her plan for incentivizing more housing. In an interview with WCVB in Boston, she announced that she is introducing a new housing bill in the Senate, and U.S. Rep. Emanuel Cleaver would do the same in the House. The new bill calls for building three million units of housing nationwide. The American Housing and Economic Mobility Act is designed to reduce costs for renters and buyers, including first-time homebuyers.

Where the funding would come from may be controversial. Warren said, "This bill is fully paid for by changing the rules around the estate tax so that billionaires will not be able to pass on their fortunes to their children by paying virtually nothing, which is what they do now. Warren quickly clarified that this would not impact most people who want to leave something to their children.

Story continues

Warren said the bill would give money to communities that could create housing by changing zoning laws and adding more density. She also said funding would be available for schools and other community benefits, including public transit. The bill provides funding through 2031 for the first-time homeowner grant program. It outlines various ways communities can receive a federal grant, including allowing accessory dwelling units, revising parking requirements, and reducing lot size.

Trending: Private markets have historically outperformed stocks in every downturn of the past 15 years  build your diversified portfolio.

Specific allocations from the bill include $445 billion in the Housing Trust Fund to create two million homes for low-income families and $25 billion for the Capital Magnet Fund, which will be leveraged 10:1 with private capital to build more than 750,000 new homes for lower-income and middle-class families. The bill also calls for $4 billion to create a Middle-Class Housing Emergency Fund for middle-class buyers and renters and $1 billion for rural housing.

Some housing advocates have already expressed support for the plan. Sharon Cornelison, Director of Housing at the Consumer Federation of America, said, "This bill would turbocharge affordable housing construction, incentivize communities to remove exclusionary and unfair zoning restrictions, and ensure that first-time, first-generation homebuyers, including veterans, get their chance at building wealth through homeownership too."

While many bills designed to reform housing have been brought before Congress, many don't move past the discussion stage. For a bill to truly gain steam, it will likely need bipartisan support, which may be hard to come by in the current political environment.

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This article Sen. Warren Wants To Tax Billionaires' Estates To Pay For Housing originally appeared on Benzinga.com
We think intelligent long term investing is the way to go. But that doesn't mean long term investors can avoid big losses. To wit, the Metro AG (ETR:B4B) share price managed to fall 72% over five long years. That is extremely sub-optimal, to say the least. We also note that the stock has performed poorly over the last year, with the share price down 47%. The falls have accelerated recently, with the share price down 16% in the last three months.

Since shareholders are down over the longer term, lets look at the underlying fundamentals over the that time and see if they've been consistent with returns.

See our latest analysis for Metro

Given that Metro didn't make a profit in the last twelve months, we'll focus on revenue growth to form a quick view of its business development. Generally speaking, companies without profits are expected to grow revenue every year, and at a good clip. That's because fast revenue growth can be easily extrapolated to forecast profits, often of considerable size.

Over five years, Metro grew its revenue at 4.5% per year. That's far from impressive given all the money it is losing. It's not so sure that share price crash of 11% per year is completely deserved, but the market is doubtless disappointed. While we're definitely wary of the stock, after that kind of performance, it could be an over-reaction. A company like this generally needs to produce profits before it can find favour with new investors.

The image below shows how earnings and revenue have tracked over time (if you click on the image you can see greater detail).

You can see how its balance sheet has strengthened (or weakened) over time in this free interactive graphic.

What About Dividends?

As well as measuring the share price return, investors should also consider the total shareholder return (TSR). The TSR incorporates the value of any spin-offs or discounted capital raisings, along with any dividends, based on the assumption that the dividends are reinvested. Arguably, the TSR gives a more comprehensive picture of the return generated by a stock. As it happens, Metro's TSR for the last 5 years was -65%, which exceeds the share price return mentioned earlier. The dividends paid by the company have thusly boosted the total shareholder return.

A Different Perspective

Metro shareholders are down 41% for the year (even including dividends), but the market itself is up 2.8%. Even the share prices of good stocks drop sometimes, but we want to see improvements in the fundamental metrics of a business, before getting too interested. Regrettably, last year's performance caps off a bad run, with the shareholders facing a total loss of 11% per year over five years. We realise that Baron Rothschild has said investors should "buy when there is blood on the streets", but we caution that investors should first be sure they are buying a high quality business. While it is well worth considering the different impacts that market conditions can have on the share price, there are other factors that are even more important. For example, we've discovered 2 warning signs for Metro that you should be aware of before investing here.

If you would prefer to check out another company -- one with potentially superior financials -- then do not miss this free list of companies that have proven they can grow earnings.

Please note, the market returns quoted in this article reflect the market weighted average returns of stocks that currently trade on German 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.

Have feedback on this article? Concerned about the content? Get in touch with us directly. Alternatively, email editorial-team@simplywallst.com
By Jihoon Lee

SEOUL (Reuters) - South Korea's exports are expected to have risen in July at the fastest pace in 26 months, as computer chip sales continued to lead growth with robust demand in the United States and a recovery in China, a Reuters poll showed on Tuesday.

Exports in July from Asia's fourth-largest economy are forecast to have risen 18.4% from a year earlier, according to the median estimate of 25 economists in the survey conducted July 23-29.

That would be faster than an annual rise of 5.1% in the previous month and the fastest since May 2022.

South Korea is the first major exporting economy to report monthly trade figures each month, providing an early glimpse into the state of global demand.

Its exports have been growing since October, mostly led by semiconductors and U.S. shipments amid rising demand related to artificial intelligence.

That trend likely continued in July, with sales of cars and shipments to China also improving, economists said, attributing the higher growth rate also to favourable calendar effects.

"While exports of IT products, such as semiconductors and computers, continue to grow, there will also be positive signs seen in sales of automobiles and automobile parts," said Stephen Lee, chief economist at Meritz Securities.

In the first 20 days of this month, exports rose 18.8%, as shipments of semiconductors jumped 57.5%. By destination, exports to the United States rose 13.4%, while those to China climbed 20.4%.

Strong exports will likely remain a main driver of broader growth in the second half of the year, after a contraction of the trade-reliant economy in the second quarter, economists said, while some noted the growth momentum in exports might have peaked.

The poll also forecast a 13.4% year-on-year rise in imports, the fastest increase since September 2022, after a decline of 7.5% in June.

The country's trade balance is expected to post a surplus for the 14th straight month, with the median estimate at $5 billion, narrower than the previous month's $7.99 billion, which was the biggest since September 2020.

South Korea is scheduled to report trade figures for July on Thursday, Aug. 1, at 9 a.m. (0000 GMT).

(Reporting by Jihoon Lee; Polling by Devayani Sathyan and Rahul Trivedi in Bengaluru; Editing by Shri Navaratnam)
By Emma Rumney

LONDON (Reuters) - Diageo warned challenges could persist into next year after missing full-year profit expectations on Tuesday, sending shares in the world's top spirits maker down more than 9% to a four-year low.

The maker of Johnnie Walker whisky and Tanqueray gin has struggled to restore investor confidence after a build-up of unsold inventory in Mexico and Brazil caught the company by surprise in November, and prompted a profit warning.

Sales in the region fell 21.1% over the year to June 30 - a slightly deeper decline than Diageo had anticipated - dragging its group sales and profit just below analyst expectations, down 0.6% and 4.8% respectively.

Chief Executive Debra Crew said Diageo had taken steps to resolve problems in the region and beyond, which she was confident would ultimately restore growth.

However, she warned that factors that had hurt Diageo's performance, including low consumer confidence, could persist into next year. It was difficult to say when the company could return to its medium-term goal of annual sales growth of between 5% and 7%.

"It's really hard to call," she said.

RBC Capital analyst James Edwardes Jones said this was "not reassuring" given warnings from other consumer companies that U.S. consumer confidence is under pressure.

Campari's shares also fell over 7% on Tuesday as the Italian spirits group warned it faced headwinds this year.

TOO MANY NEGATIVES

It seems unlikely that Diageo will meet its sales target within the next two years, said Fintan Ryan, an analyst at stockbrokers Goodbody.

Aside from Guinness, most Diageo products including key categories like whiskey and tequila saw lower sales, he said, adding that the company did not predict any material change next year.

Some analysts and investors have called Diageo's medium-term sales guidance too ambitious, especially with sales down 3% in North America, its largest division.

Crew said Diageo had resolved problems with excess inventory in the United States, but consumers remained cautious.

The company's shares fell to their lowest since 2020 in early trade, and were 7.8% lower at 1009 GMT.

"They haven't regained confidence yet," said Moritz Kronenberger, a portfolio manager at Germany's Union Investment, a Diageo investor, adding that sticking to the medium-term sales target given recent performance was damaging to credibility.

"There are too many negative parts not turning positive," he said.

(Reporting by Emma Rumney; Editing by Bernadette Baum, Kirsten Donovan and Helen Popper)
Starbucks (SBUX) missed the mark on sales again as it reported its numbers Tuesday after market close.

Q3 revenue fell 1% to $9.1 billion, lower than expectations of $9.2 billion, per Bloomberg consensus estimates.

Global same-store sales declined for the second quarter in a row, down 3%, while overall foot traffic fell 5%.

Adjusted earnings per share came in at $0.93, compared with estimates for $0.92.

In an earnings call, CEO Laxman Narasimhan called the current consumer environment "complex," saying the company is doing all it can to regain its footing as a premium player.

He added that he has "full confidence in the long-term potential of Starbucks worldwide."

"We are not satisfied with the results, but our actions are making an impact," he said. Key indicators are "trending in the right direction ... and our runway for improvement is long."

Shares in Starbucks rose 2.6% in pre-market trading on Wednesday after the results.

Starbucks is implementing a three-part action plan for the US that was introduced following its lackluster Q2 results.

It includes getting more customers throughout the day, launching new items while "maintaining our focus on core coffee forward offerings," and providing more value.

While Starbucks missed its earnings numbers, the results were still better than feared, and with a reaffirmed guidance, its shares were up nearly 6% in after-hours trading.

The company is facing plenty of challenges in the US.

Same-store sales declined 2%, while the average check is up 4%, driven by menu price increases and "promotional offers," CFO Rachel Ruggeri said on the call.

Foot traffic dropped 6%, which the company said was mostly due to non-rewards members.

"We are operating in a challenging consumer environment," Narasimhan said of the steep decline. "We see volume increase at home in our ready-to-drink business" as consumers opt for groceries over eating out.

This quarter, the company rolled out new items like popping boba-like pearls and iced energy drinks, which led to the highest week-one product launch in its history.

Cold drinks now make up 76% of total beverage sales in the US.

It also launched a limited-time pairing menu," which allows customers to get a small iced or hot coffee with a butter croissant or breakfast sandwich for $5 or $6.

Executives said the promotions drove active reward members in Q2, which were up 3% from Q2 to 33.8 million, but it has yet to return to the 34.3 million in Q1.

"Cyclical macro issues" may be to blame for Starbucks' struggles, per a note from Baird analyst David Tarantino prior to the results. He anticipated softness in the majority of fiscal 2024 sales as consumers pull back on discretionary spending, which could affect afternoon purchases at Starbucks. He has a Hold rating on shares.

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Narasimhan said demand for the pearls was ahead of expectations, and they had to pull back marketing since it ran out of supply, adding that "afternoons are an opportunity for us."

Menu display featuring Starbucks' new Iced Energy drinks, Melon Burst and Tropical Citrus, at a Starbucks location, San Francisco, Calif., June 28, 2024. (Smith Collection/Gado/Getty Images) (Smith Collection/Gado via Getty Images)

Its second-largest market, China, saw the biggest drop of all Starbucks segments.

Same-store sales fell 14% compared to last quarter when they were down 11%.

Foot traffic there fell 7% and so did the average check size. The company attributed this decline to "more cautious consumer spending and intensified competition in the past year ... and a mass segment price war."

Narasimhan said the team is in the "very early stages" of exploring joint ventures and strategic partnerships in technology, real estate, and supply chain.

In a note to clients, Bank of America analyst Sara Senatore said Starbucks' performance in China is tied to industrywide struggles.

"Intense competition is the natural state of restaurant markets and even the strongest brands are not insulated," she said. "The direction of SBUX's China same-store sales growth is strongly correlated with those of other global brands. And all are correlated with macro factors (GDP)."

Bernstein analyst Danilo Gargiulo said franchising may be the way to go to lessen capital expenditure and exposure to volatile macro conditions.

The company still aims to have 9,000 locations in China by 2025, from its current 7,306 stores.

This earnings report comes as pressure is mounting from activist investor Elliott Investment Management, which took an undisclosed stake in the company, according to a report from WSJ.

On the call, Narasimhan confirmed that "Elliott Management is a shareholder in our company, and our conversations to date have been constructive."

Some on the Street, like Gargiulo, are wondering if this could light a fire under Starbucks.

"Investors have questioned Elliotts experience and track record in the consumer sector, we believe that an external nudge may accelerate making bold decisions and may offer interesting risk-reward opportunities for long-term investors willing to accept that a turnaround may take time," he wrote in a note to clients.

Here are 10 items Gargiulo believes the Elliot team would prioritize.

Earnings breakdown

Here's what Starbucks reported, compared to estimates based on Bloomberg consensus data:

Revenue: $9.1 billion versus $9.2 billion

Adjusted earnings per share: $0.93 versus $0.92

Same-store sales: -3% versus -2.71%

North America: -2% versus -2.30% US: -2% versus -2.37%

International: -7% versus -5.11% China: -14% versus -10.58%



Foot traffic: -5% versus -4.27%

North America: -6% versus -4.91%

International: -3% versus 3.71%

Ticket Growth: 2% versus 1.98%

North America: 3% versus 3.24%

International: -4% versus -0.63%

The company reaffirmed its 2024 guidance, which it revised following Q2, for the third time this fiscal year.

It expects 2024 global revenue growth of low-single digits, down from the previous range of 7% to 10%, which itself was down from a prior guidance of 10% to 12%.

Global and US same-store sales are expected to see a low single-digit decline or stay flat, down from the previous range of 4% to 6% growth. China's same-store sales are expected to see a single-digit decline, down from the previously expected low-single-digit growth.

Starbucks declined to make CEO Laxman Narasimhan and CFO Rachel Ruggeri available for interviews.



Brooke DiPalma is a senior reporter for Yahoo Finance. Follow her on Twitter at @BrookeDiPalma or email her at bdipalma@yahoofinance.com.

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Subsea Integration Alliance, a joint venture between Subsea7 and OneSubsea, has been awarded a contract by bp in the UK North Sea.

The contract is for the Murlach development, previously known as the Skua field, located 240km east of Aberdeen.

Subsea 7 has classified the contract as 'sizeable,' indicating it could be worth between $50m and $150m.

It encompasses the EPCI of subsea pipelines and production systems.

It features the inaugural deployment of OneSubseas standard, configurable vertical monobore tree systems in the UK North Sea, with vessel-based deployment aimed at reducing drill rig days.

OneSubsea is set to deliver two vertical monobore trees, a two-slot manifold and associated topside controls.

The alliance has collaborated with bp to develop a technology solution that utilises OneSubseas standard equipment, which is claimed to be simpler and quicker to install compared with traditional systems.

Subsea7 will be responsible for the installation of 8km of rigid flowline and two flexible jumpers, as well as the associated subsea infrastructure.

The flowline will connect to the Eastern Trough Area Project facility.

The pipeline fabrication will occur at Subsea7s spoolbase in Vigra, Norway, with offshore operations slated for 2025.

Subsea Integration Alliance CEO Olivier Blaringhem said: This is bps third fully integrated EPCI project with Subsea Integration Alliance marking an important milestone as we extend our support to the UK North Sea market.

Subsea7 UK & global inspection, repair and maintenance senior vice-president Hani El Kurd said: We are delighted to be awarded this contract by bp, as it recognises Subsea Integration Alliances global reputation for seamless, full subsea system delivery. Subsea7 has a long relationship with bp and we look forward to supporting their Murlach development.

Earlier in May, Subsea7 announced securing a super-major contract from Petrobras for the Buzios 9 field development off the coast of Rio de Janeiro.

This contract involves the EPCI and pre-commissioning of 102km of rigid risers and flowlines, and is valued at more than $1.25bn.

"Subsea Integration Alliance secures contract from bp in UK North Sea " was originally created and published by Offshore Technology, a GlobalData owned brand.







The information on this site has been included in good faith for general informational purposes only. It is not intended to amount to advice on which you should rely, and we give no representation, warranty or guarantee, whether express or implied as to its accuracy or completeness. You must obtain professional or specialist advice before taking, or refraining from, any action on the basis of the content on our site.
Key Insights

Sunway Construction Group Berhad's estimated fair value is RM7.01 based on 2 Stage Free Cash Flow to Equity

Sunway Construction Group Berhad's RM4.95 share price signals that it might be 29% undervalued

Analyst price target for SUNCON is RM4.51 which is 36% below our fair value estimate

Today we'll do a simple run through of a valuation method used to estimate the attractiveness of Sunway Construction Group Berhad (KLSE:SUNCON) as an investment opportunity by taking the expected future cash flows and discounting them to their present value. Our analysis will employ the Discounted Cash Flow (DCF) model. There's really not all that much to it, even though it might appear quite complex.

We would caution that there are many ways of valuing a company and, like the DCF, each technique has advantages and disadvantages in certain scenarios. For those who are keen learners of equity analysis, the Simply Wall St analysis model here may be something of interest to you.

View our latest analysis for Sunway Construction Group Berhad

Is Sunway Construction Group Berhad Fairly Valued?

We're using the 2-stage growth model, which simply means we take in account two stages of company's growth. In the initial period the company may have a higher growth rate and the second stage is usually assumed to have a stable growth rate. To begin with, we have to get estimates of 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.

Generally we assume that a dollar today is more valuable than a dollar in the future, so we need to discount the sum of these future cash flows to arrive at a present value estimate:

10-year free cash flow (FCF) estimate

2025 2026 2027 2028 2029 2030 2031 2032 2033 2034 Levered FCF (MYR, Millions) RM108.2m RM235.3m RM349.9m RM472.9m RM594.4m RM707.6m RM809.5m RM899.7m RM979.5m RM1.05b Growth Rate Estimate Source Analyst x4 Analyst x3 Est @ 48.73% Est @ 35.17% Est @ 25.69% Est @ 19.05% Est @ 14.40% Est @ 11.14% Est @ 8.86% Est @ 7.27% Present Value (MYR, Millions) Discounted @ 10% RM98.0 RM193 RM260 RM318 RM361 RM390 RM403 RM406 RM400 RM388

("Est" = FCF growth rate estimated by Simply Wall St)

Present Value of 10-year Cash Flow (PVCF) = RM3.2b

We now need to calculate the Terminal Value, which accounts for all the future cash flows after this ten year period. The Gordon Growth formula is used to calculate Terminal Value at a future annual growth rate equal to the 5-year average of the 10-year government bond yield of 3.6%. We discount the terminal cash flows to today's value at a cost of equity of 10%.

Terminal Value (TV)= FCF 2034  (1 + g)  (r  g) = RM1.1b (1 + 3.6%)  (10% 3.6%) = RM16b

Present Value of Terminal Value (PVTV)= TV / (1 + r)10= RM16b ( 1 + 10%)10= RM5.8b

The total value, or equity value, is then the sum of the present value of the future cash flows, which in this case is RM9.0b. To get the intrinsic value per share, we divide this by the total number of shares outstanding. Relative to the current share price of RM5.0, the company appears a touch undervalued at a 29% discount to where the stock price trades currently. Valuations are imprecise instruments though, rather like a telescope - move a few degrees and end up in a different galaxy. Do keep this in mind.

dcf

The Assumptions

The calculation above is very dependent on two assumptions. The first is the discount rate and the other is the cash flows. 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 Sunway Construction Group Berhad 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 10%, which is based on a levered beta of 1.088. 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 Sunway Construction Group Berhad

Strength

Earnings growth over the past year exceeded its 5-year average.

Debt is well covered by earnings.

Weakness

Earnings growth over the past year underperformed the Construction industry.

Dividend is low compared to the top 25% of dividend payers in the Construction market.

Opportunity

Annual earnings are forecast to grow faster than the Malaysian market.

Trading below our estimate of fair value by more than 20%.

Threat

Debt is not well covered by operating cash flow.

Paying a dividend but company has no free cash flows.

Revenue is forecast to grow slower than 20% per year.

Moving On:

Whilst important, the DCF calculation ideally won't be the sole piece of analysis you scrutinize for a company. DCF models are not the be-all and end-all of investment valuation. Rather it should be seen as a guide to "what assumptions need to be true for this stock to be under/overvalued?" For example, changes in the company's cost of equity or the risk free rate can significantly impact the valuation. Why is the intrinsic value higher than the current share price? For Sunway Construction Group Berhad, there are three fundamental factors you should further examine:

Risks: Every company has them, and we've spotted 1 warning sign for Sunway Construction Group Berhad you should know about. Future Earnings: How does SUNCON's growth rate compare to its peers and the wider market? Dig deeper into the analyst consensus number for the upcoming years by interacting with our free analyst growth expectation chart. Other High Quality Alternatives: Do you like a good all-rounder? Explore our interactive list of high quality stocks to get an idea of what else is out there you may be missing!

PS. Simply Wall St updates its DCF calculation for every Malaysian 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.

Have feedback on this article? Concerned about the content? Get in touch with us directly. Alternatively, email editorial-team@simplywallst.com
After a strong start to the year, shares of Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing (NYSE: TSM), or TSMC for short, have cooled off recently following some geopolitical worries. The stock is still up over 50% year to date, but down about 17% from its recent highs. The question for investors is whether TSMC is a buy following the pullback in the stock.

Riding the AI semiconductor wave

TSMC is a semiconductor contract manufacturer, which means that it owns a number of foundries, or semiconductor manufacturing facilities, where it produces chips for semiconductor companies. Many companies that design semiconductors use what it is commonly called a fabless model, where they contract out the production of their chips to a third party such as TSMC.

Building out foundries is a capital-intensive endeavor, and utilization levels must be high for the plants to run profitability. As such, for many semiconductor companies it is easier to outsource production and not have to spend the cash and keep up with production technology advancements, instead focusing on their core competencies of designing chips.

TSMC has become the largest semiconductor manufacturer in the world by revenue and counts Apple and Nvidia among its largest customers. According to Statista, TSMC has an over 60% market share in the global semiconductor foundry market. It is also estimated that it produces 90% of the world's most advanced chips.

Given TSMC's dominant position in the chip manufacturing space, the company has been riding the wave of demand for artificial intelligence (AI)-related chips, such as the graphics processing units (GPUs) designed by Nvidia that are used to help build out the infrastructure needed to run AI applications. Demand for AI chips from Nvidia has been outstripping supply, and TSMC has been working to increase capacity. Meanwhile, other companies have also been designing their own AI chips to try to compete with Nvidia, which is business that benefits TSMC as well.

This strength could be seen in TSMC's second-quarter results, with its revenue rising over 40% year over year and over 13% sequentially. .

In addition to building a number of new manufacturing facilities to help meet future demand, TSMC is also in the process of moving some of its manufacturing to 2-nanometer production technology. Reducing the size of chips helps increase speed and lower power consumption while giving TSMC the ability to fit more chips onto a wafer, helping reduce costs and increase capacity.

It has been rumored that Apple has been looking to secure all of TSMC's 2-nanometer capacity, although the company has indicated that all customers have engaged it on the technology. While the initial ramp can be negative to gross margins, the company expects to reach the corporate average more quickly than it did with 3-nanometer technology.

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The company has also hinted at increasing prices given the value it provides and how well its customers such as Nvidia have been doing. In light of the current capacity constraints and its dominant market share, the company finds itself in a good position to get some better pricing.

Image source: Getty Images.

Is TSMC a buy?

TSMC is riding some powerful waves given the demand of AI chips, and the company looks well-positioned as it migrates to 2-nanometer technology and continues to build out capacity. If AI technology is indeed in its early innings, the company has a long runway of growth in front of it.

Now there are also some potential risks that come with an investment in TSMC. The first is that chip manufacturing is a very high fixed-cost business, so if the company builds additional foundries and future demand does not materialize, it can be a big drain on profitability if these facilities have low utilization levels.

Meanwhile, the U.S. has been considering tougher trade restrictions for chips to China. This is largely for more advanced chips, and not all semiconductors. In the second quarter, about 16% of TSMC's revenue came from China.

Meanwhile, there have long been invasion fears associated with where the company is headquartered, and comments from former President and current presidential candidate Donald Trump about Taiwan stealing the U.S. chip industry and having to pay a higher price tag for its defense rattled the stock. Given the island's importance in the chip manufacturing industry, though, it would be in the U.S. and its allies' best interests to defend Taiwan in any attack to avoid a global chip catastrophe.

TSM PE Ratio (Forward 1y) Chart

TSM P/E Ratio (Forward 1y) data by YCharts

From a valuation standpoint, TSMC trades at forward price-to-earnings (P/E) ratio of under 20 based on 2025 analyst estimates. While there are risks, I think that this is a very attractive valuation given the opportunities in front of the company. As such, I think the recent pullback is a nice opportunity to buy the stock, as its long-term prospects look bright.

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Is Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing (TSMC) a Buy on the Dip? was originally published by The Motley Fool
(Bloomberg) -- The recent wave of artificial intelligence innovation has a dark side. Sure, AI models can write funny poetry and make videos, but theres also the risk that the systems will produce a chatbot that says something wacky, untrue or potentially harmful  not to mention the possibilities of falling afoul of AI regulations.

Most Read from Bloomberg

One small startup sees a market opportunity in that uncertainty. Credo AI is set to announce a $21 million funding round Tuesday for its work on risk and compliance issues around AI adoption. The funding round values the company at $101 million, about double its previous valuation it its last funding round in 2022.

Singapore-based venture capital firm CrimsoNox Capital is leading the deal, with participation from new investors Mozilla Ventures and FPV Ventures. Existing backers Sands Capital, Decibel VC, Booz Allen Hamilton and AI Fund are also joining the round, bringing the companys total funding raised to $41.3 million.

Founded in 2020, Credo AI helps companies make sure that theyre following legal regulations and other standards around responsible AI use. The company  whose customers include Mastercard Inc., Northrop Grumman Corp. and Booz Allen Hamilton  says it has tripled its revenue and headcount in the past year, reflecting the demand from major companies to ensure theyre in compliance with new regulations such as the EU AI Act and the US AI Executive Order.

The innovation in generative AI has really caused not only excitement around what AI can do, but also a little bit of a step back in thinking about, How do we get this right? said Credo AI founder and Chief Executive Officer Navrina Singh, who added that inbound customer demand had recently increased, mainly from Fortune 2000 companies. Singh said that AI governance is the boring but essential work, particularly as companies invest more on AI capabilities.

Singh previously worked as a product director for Microsoft Corp. and Qualcomm Inc., and also has ties to the AI regulatory world. She serves on the Commerce Departments National AI Advisory Committee, the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Developments Expert Group on AI Risk and Accountability and the United Nations High-Level Advisory Body on Artificial Intelligence.

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The truth of the matter is that theres far too many regulations and guidelines for a global enterprise to be able to follow on their own, said Sands Capital managing partner Scott Frederick, one of the companys investors. In order to leverage AI, youre going to need a governance platform that understands this regulatory lattice.

In addition to a patchwork of national regulation in the form of laws and guidance from agencies like the US Federal Trade Commission, firms have to worry about developing state and local regulations as well.

Credo AIs business gives companies an assessment about the risks of AI tools theyre using  Singh says the company currently tracks around 430 distinct types of risks  along with customized information on AI rules and regulations.

Most Read from Bloomberg Businessweek

2024 Bloomberg L.P.
China must find an alternative approach to artificial intelligence (AI) development, in lieu of stacking up processors inside data centres, as US sanctions continue to bar the country's access to advanced semiconductors and chip-making equipment, according to industry experts on the mainland.

Leveraging supercomputing technology that China has developed over the past decade could help break the stranglehold of US-led restrictions on the mainland's AI industry, according to Zhang Yunquan, a researcher at the Institute of Computing Technology under the Chinese Academy of Sciences (CAS), who was quoted in a report on Monday by state-backed tabloid Global Times.

Supercomputing systems designed for training large language models (LLMs) - the technology underpinning generative AI services like ChatGPT - are crucial to replacing power-hungry, data-centre computing clusters, which typically employ from 10,000 to 100,000 graphics processing units (GPUs) for such training, Zhang said in a recent conference, according to the report.

Do you have questions about the biggest topics and trends from around the world? Get the answers with SCMP Knowledge, our new platform of curated content with explainers, FAQs, analyses and infographics brought to you by our award-winning team.

China's quest to establish a viable, advanced computing platform to train LLMs and develop AI applications shows the urgency of becoming technologically self-sufficient on the mainland, as its AI progress remains hindered by limited GPU choices amid US sanctions that have prevented top GPU firm Nvidia from supplying its most cutting-edge chips to the country.

More enterprises are using data centres - secure, temperature-controlled facilities that house large-capacity servers and data-storage systems - to host or manage computing infrastructure for their artificial intelligence projects. Photo: Shutterstock alt=More enterprises are using data centres - secure, temperature-controlled facilities that house large-capacity servers and data-storage systems - to host or manage computing infrastructure for their artificial intelligence projects. Photo: Shutterstock>

Nvidia is currently working on a version of its new flagship AI chips for the China market that would be compatible with current US export controls, according to a Reuters report last week that cited four sources familiar with the matter.

"I believe that [building] LLMs are not achieved by simply adding more chips," CAS academician Chen Runsheng said at the same conference, according to the Global Times report. "They must learn, like the human brain, to lower energy consumption, while improving their efficiency."

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China - the biggest data centre market in the Asia-Pacific, with 3,956 megawatts of capacity - relies heavily on coal power. The country generated nearly two-thirds of its electricity from coal last year.

Chen called on China to work on fundamental research for intelligent computing of LLMs, combined with high-performance computing (HPC) technology, to achieve breakthroughs in computing power, the report said. HPC refers to the ability to process data and perform complex calculations at high speeds, which are accomplished by supercomputers containing thousands of compute nodes that work together to complete tasks.

Engineers work at the Wuhan Supercomputer Centre in central Hubei province on May 24, 2023. Photo: AFP alt=Engineers work at the Wuhan Supercomputer Centre in central Hubei province on May 24, 2023. Photo: AFP>

The batch of LLMs that have been developed on the mainland are based on models and algorithms developed by the US, without enough consideration of fundamental theories, according to Chen. "If we can make progress in fundamental theory, we will achieve groundbreaking and authentic innovation," Chen said.

At present, Chinese companies have been building computing clusters for training LLMs that have 10,000 GPUs or more, which include home-grown chips from Chinese GPU start-up Moore Threads Technology.

Chinese Big Tech firms, such as Tencent Holdings, have been making optimisations in their infrastructure, including speeding up network communications and boosting AI training efficiency. Tencent's Xingmai HPC network, for example, can support a single computing cluster with more than 100,000 GPUs, according to the company.

This article originally appeared in the South China Morning Post (SCMP), the most authoritative voice reporting on China and Asia for more than a century. For more SCMP stories, please explore the SCMP app or visit the SCMP's Facebook and Twitter pages. Copyright  2024 South China Morning Post Publishers Ltd. All rights reserved.

Copyright (c) 2024. South China Morning Post Publishers Ltd. All rights reserved.
Faced with sluggish demand in their home market and increasing trade frictions in Europe and North America, Chinese automakers have stepped up their expansion into southeast Asia and other regional markets this year.

In southeast Asia, where governments are competing fiercely to attract inward investment as they look to establish international production hubs for next-generation technologies, Chinese automakers have ramped up their investments and are beginning to shake-up an industry that has for many decades been dominated by the Japanese.

Thailand has been especially keen to attract new automotive sector investment, as it looks to consolidate its position as the regions largest vehicle producer by leading its transition to zero-emission vehicles. It looks to be pulling ahead of Indonesia in its efforts to attract electric vehicle (EV) sector investments, with three new Chinese EV assembly facilities having come on stream since the beginning of the year.

But this has come at a price, with established vehicle producers and their supply chains struggling with sharply lower business volumes.

Thailands domestic vehicle market has weakened significantly in the last eighteen months after an initial rebound from the Covid pandemic, with the countrys highly indebted consumers struggling with higher interest rate and tighter lending by local financial institutions. Overall vehicle sales fell by almost 9% to 775,780 units last year, according to data released by the Federation of Thai Industries (FTI), reflecting sharply lower demand for internal combustion engine (ICE) vehicles. The data excludes some key brands such as BMW and Mercedes-Benz.

Thailand has been especially keen to attract new automotive sector investment, as it looks to consolidate its position as the regions largest vehicle producer by leading its transition to zero-emission vehicles.

The all-important pickup truck segment has been hit particularly hard, with sales last year plunging by 32% to 264,738 units, while pickup-based passenger vehicle (PPV) volumes dropped by over 9% to 60,286 units. Overall sales of ICE passenger vehicles were down by almost 14% at 238,570 units, while sales of other types of commercial vehicles fell by over 7% to 43,176 units.

By contrast BEV sales surged sevenfold to 73,540 units last year according to separate industry data, driven mainly by imports from China, to account for over 10% of Thailands overall vehicle market and around 16% of total light passenger vehicle sales.

The decline in Thailands domestic vehicle market accelerated in the first five months of 2024, with overall sales falling by almost 24% to 260,365 units  driven lower by a further 41% plunge in pickup truck sales to 75,510 units while PPV sales dropped by 42% to 16,255 units. FTI spokesperson Surapong Paisitpatanapong last month confirmed the situation is getting worse as a result of banks' strict criteria in granting auto loans.

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Vehicle exports have also weakened significantly this year, which has put additional pressure on the countrys component sector. Overall vehicle output fell by 17% year-on-year to 644,951 units in the first five months of 2024. Local analysts expect vehicle production to fall by at least 10% to around 1.65 million units this year, from 1.84 million units in 2023.

Meanwhile, sales of battery electric vehicles (BEVs) continued to grow - by a further 32% to 43,921 units so far this year, with the segment continuing to enjoy generous sales incentives as the Thai government looks to drive up investments in local production and new supply chains. Under its EV3.0 policy introduced at the beginning of the year, BEV imports are currently exempt from tariffs and other subsidies are available to attract investment into the sector, albeit linked with minimum export quotas further down thew line.

At the end of last year Chinese automaker Hozon began assembling the Neta V BEV in the country, followed by Great Wall Motors with local assembly of its Ora 03 BEV in January at its plant in Rayong, which also makes ICE and plug-in hybrid vehicles. This month two other Chinese automakers, BYD Auto and GAC Aion, opened new EV assembly plants in the country  with annual production capacities of 150,000 and 50,000 vehicles receptively. Other new Chinese-owned BEV assembly facilities are scheduled to come on stream in the next twelve months, including by Chinas SAIC Motor, Changan and Chery Auto, as well as Taiwans Foxconn.

Earlier this year the Thai government claimed it has secured total BEV sector investments worth US$1.44bn so far, for a production capacity of some 600,000 BEVs per year, with the government aiming for zero-emission vehicles to account for around 30% of total vehicle output by 2030.

Inevitably, established Japanese automakers are coming under increased pressure from this rising competition from the Chinese. Earlier this year Suzuki and Subaru announced they planned to cease operations at their underperforming vehicle assembly plants in the country.

In July, Honda Motor announced it will cease vehicle production at its Ayutthaya plant in 2025 due to rising overcapacity, with plans to consolidate vehicle production at its Prachinburi plant to help improve efficiency. The company said it will use the Ayutthaya plant to produce components instead, at least in the short term.

Other Japanese automakers understood to be reviewing their production capacity requirements in Thailand include Mazda and Nissan.

The FTIs Surpong Paisitpatanapong told local reporters last month the government urgently needs to introduce measures to stimulate vehicle purchases, particularly internal combustion engine (ICE) vehicles such as pickup truck trucks - which use over 90% locally-produced parts.

With new BEV supply chains still under development, newly established assembly plants still rely heavily on imported parts. Existing Thai suppliers are struggling with lower business volumes. Suphot Sukphisarn, chairman of the FTIs Automotive Parts and Accessories Industry Group, has called on the Thai government to provide support to help existing suppliers reskill and expand into new market segments.

"Thai auto industry struggles with falling demand, EV imports" was originally created and published by Just Auto, a GlobalData owned brand.







The information on this site has been included in good faith for general informational purposes only. It is not intended to amount to advice on which you should rely, and we give no representation, warranty or guarantee, whether express or implied as to its accuracy or completeness. You must obtain professional or specialist advice before taking, or refraining from, any action on the basis of the content on our site.
By Jaspreet Singh

(Reuters) - Match Group will let go about 6% of its staff as part of plans to discontinue live-streaming services on its dating apps, the Tinder parent said on Tuesday, as activist investors push for changes.

Shares jumped more than 8% in extended trading after the company also beat Wall Street estimates for second-quarter revenue as Tinder marked a smaller decline in paying users than in the prior quarter.

Dating app operators such as Match and smaller rival Bumble have remained under pressure from a post-pandemic slowdown in growth, with Match also facing delays in the launch of new features for key apps such as Tinder.

"While Tinder Y/Y payer growth remains challenged, the improved trends reported by management and that we observe in our data do suggest that user experience and brand perception improvements are contributing to sequential payer growth," M Science research analyst Chandler Willison said.

Paying Tinder users declined 8% to 9.6 million in the second quarter, compared with a 9% fall in the prior quarter.

The news comes about two weeks after activist investor Starboard Value built a 6.6% stake in Match, urging it to explore a sale if it is unable to revitalize its business.

Elliott Investment Management and Anson Funds Management have also been pushing for changes this year at Match.

Match expects third-quarter revenue to be between $895 million and $905 million, compared with estimates of $915.4 million.

"Despite some encouraging signs, there is still a lot of work to do to keep the business on track," Third Bridge analyst Jamie Lumley said.

Tinder downloads fell 12% globally, marking its fourth consecutive quarter of declining downloads, data from market intelligence firm Sensor Tower showed on Monday.

Match's second-quarter revenue grew 4% to $864 million, compared with analysts' average estimates of $856.4 million, according to LSEG data.

Total paying users fell 5% to 14.8 million, the seventh straight quarter of decline.

(Reporting by Jaspreet Singh in Bengaluru; Editing by Mohammed Safi Shamsi, Devika Syamnath and Sriraj Kalluvila)
The market in the United Kingdom has climbed 1.1% in the last 7 days and is up 5.9% over the past 12 months, with earnings expected to grow by 13% per annum over the next few years. In this favorable environment, selecting dividend stocks that offer reliable income and potential for growth can be a prudent addition to your portfolio.

Top 10 Dividend Stocks In The United Kingdom

Name Dividend Yield Dividend Rating James Latham (AIM:LTHM) 5.57%  Impax Asset Management Group (AIM:IPX) 6.90%  Keller Group (LSE:KLR) 3.13%  Big Yellow Group (LSE:BYG) 3.82%  Plus500 (LSE:PLUS) 5.75%  DCC (LSE:DCC) 3.72%  Dunelm Group (LSE:DNLM) 6.42%  Rio Tinto Group (LSE:RIO) 6.57%  Hargreaves Services (AIM:HSP) 6.38%  NWF Group (AIM:NWF) 4.66% 

Click here to see the full list of 55 stocks from our Top UK Dividend Stocks screener.

Below we spotlight a couple of our favorites from our exclusive screener.

Simply Wall St Dividend Rating: 

Overview: M&G Credit Income Investment Trust plc focuses on investing in a diverse portfolio of public and private debt and debt-like instruments, with a market cap of 139.98 million.

Operations: M&G Credit Income Investment Trust plc generates revenue primarily from its financial services segment, specifically through closed-end funds, amounting to 15.36 million.

Dividend Yield: 8.1%

M&G Credit Income Investment Trust recently announced an interim dividend of 2.15 pence per share, payable on 23 August 2024. The dividend is covered by both earnings (payout ratio: 84.8%) and cash flows (cash payout ratio: 57.8%). While the company became profitable this year and offers a high yield in the top 25% of UK dividend payers, its dividends have been volatile over the past five years, raising concerns about long-term reliability.

LSE:MGCI Dividend History as at Jul 2024

Simply Wall St Dividend Rating: 

Overview: Record plc, with a market cap of 129.26 million, provides currency and derivative management services through its subsidiaries in the United Kingdom, North America, Continental Europe, Australia, and internationally.

Operations: Record plc generates 45.38 million in revenue from its currency and derivative management services across various regions including the United Kingdom, North America, Continental Europe, Australia, and internationally.

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Dividend Yield: 7.7%

Record plc announced a special dividend of 0.6 pence, totaling 1.1 million, in addition to a final ordinary dividend of 2.45 pence per share for FY-24. The total dividend payout for the year is 9.9 million, representing 93% of underlying earnings and an ordinary payout ratio of 82%. Despite stable and growing dividends over the past decade, high payout ratios (81.7% cash flow; 95% earnings) raise concerns about long-term sustainability amidst declining net income (9.27 million).

LSE:REC Dividend History as at Jul 2024

Simply Wall St Dividend Rating: 

Overview: TBC Bank Group PLC, with a market cap of 1.67 billion, offers banking, leasing, insurance, brokerage, and card processing services to corporate and individual customers in Georgia, Azerbaijan, and Uzbekistan through its subsidiaries.

Operations: TBC Bank Group PLC generates revenue through its subsidiaries by providing services such as banking, leasing, insurance, brokerage, and card processing to both corporate and individual clients in Georgia, Azerbaijan, and Uzbekistan.

Dividend Yield: 6.8%

TBC Bank Group's dividend yield of 6.79% places it in the top 25% of UK dividend payers, with a low payout ratio of 33.5%, ensuring dividends are well covered by earnings. However, the bank has a high level of bad loans (2.1%) and a low allowance for these loans (74%). Despite stable dividends over seven years, its share price has been highly volatile recently. The company is also executing a GEL 75 million share buyback program to reduce capital and boost shareholder value.

LSE:TBCG Dividend History as at Jul 2024

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This article by Simply Wall St is general in nature. We provide commentary based on historical data and analyst forecasts only using an unbiased methodology and our articles are not intended to be financial advice. It does not constitute a recommendation to buy or sell any stock, and does not take account of your objectives, or your financial situation. We aim to bring you long-term focused analysis driven by fundamental data. Note that our analysis may not factor in the latest price-sensitive company announcements or qualitative material. Simply Wall St has no position in any stocks mentioned.

Companies discussed in this article include LSE:MGCI LSE:REC and LSE:TBCG.

Have feedback on this article? Concerned about the content? Get in touch with us directly. Alternatively, email editorial-team@simplywallst.com
As France's CAC 40 Index recently experienced a slight decline amid mixed earnings reports and economic data, investors are increasingly focused on reliable income-generating opportunities. In this context, dividend stocks can offer a stable source of returns, especially in uncertain market conditions.

Top 10 Dividend Stocks In France

Name Dividend Yield Dividend Rating Vicat (ENXTPA:VCT) 6.16%  Rubis (ENXTPA:RUI) 6.87%  CBo Territoria (ENXTPA:CBOT) 6.86%  Frey (ENXTPA:FREY) 6.67%  Teleperformance (ENXTPA:TEP) 3.63%  Arkema (ENXTPA:AKE) 4.21%  VIEL & Cie societe anonyme (ENXTPA:VIL) 4.01%  Samse (ENXTPA:SAMS) 5.97%  Exacompta Clairefontaine (ENXTPA:ALEXA) 4.41%  Piscines Desjoyaux (ENXTPA:ALPDX) 8.77% 

Click here to see the full list of 36 stocks from our Top Euronext Paris Dividend Stocks screener.

We'll examine a selection from our screener results.

Simply Wall St Dividend Rating: 

Overview: Gaztransport & Technigaz SA, with a market cap of 4.98 billion, is a technology and engineering company that provides cryogenic membrane containment systems for the maritime transportation and storage of liquefied gas and LNG in South Korea, China, Russia, and internationally.

Operations: Gaztransport & Technigaz SA generates revenue from providing cryogenic membrane containment systems for the maritime transport and storage of liquefied gas and LNG across South Korea, China, Russia, and globally.

Dividend Yield: 5.5%

Gaztransport & Technigaz (GTT) has recently increased its interim dividend to 3.67 per share, payable in December 2024. Despite strong earnings growth, with net income rising to 170.31 million for H1 2024, the company's dividend payments have been volatile and are not well covered by free cash flows, evidenced by a high cash payout ratio of 139.7%. GTT's dividend yield stands at 5.46%, placing it among the top French market payers but raising sustainability concerns due to unreliable past payouts.

ENXTPA:GTT Dividend History as at Jul 2024

Simply Wall St Dividend Rating: 

Overview: Teleperformance SE, with a market cap of 6.33 billion, provides customer consultancy services both in France and internationally through its subsidiaries.

Operations: Teleperformance SE generates revenue from various segments including Specialized Services (1.36 billion), Core Services & D.I.B.S - LATAM (1.57 billion), Core Services & D.i.b.s. & Majorel (343 million), Core Services & D.I.B.S - North America & Asia-Pacific (2.53 billion), and Core Services & D.I.B.S - Europe, Middle East & Africa (EMEA) (2.54 billion).

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Dividend Yield: 3.6%

Teleperformance SE offers a reliable dividend yield of 3.63%, supported by stable and growing payments over the past decade. The company maintains a low payout ratio of 37.5% and a cash payout ratio of 20.1%, indicating strong coverage by both earnings and cash flows. Despite trading at good value compared to peers, Teleperformance has high debt levels and its share price has been highly volatile recently, which may concern some investors seeking stability in their dividend stocks portfolio.

ENXTPA:TEP Dividend History as at Jul 2024

Simply Wall St Dividend Rating: 

Overview: VIEL & Cie, societe anonyme, is an investment company offering interdealer broking, online trading, and private banking services across multiple regions including Europe, the Middle East, Africa, the Americas, and the Asia-Pacific with a market cap of 612.29 million.

Operations: VIEL & Cie, societe anonyme, generates its revenue primarily from professional intermediation (1.01 billion) and stock exchange online services (65.12 million).

Dividend Yield: 4%

VIEL & Cie societe anonyme provides a reliable dividend yield of 4.01%, with stable and growing payments over the past decade. The company maintains a low payout ratio of 25.8% and a cash payout ratio of 20.1%, ensuring dividends are well covered by both earnings and cash flows. Additionally, VIEL's earnings grew by 33.4% last year, further supporting its dividend sustainability. However, its yield is lower than the top 25% of French dividend payers at 5.43%.

ENXTPA:VIL Dividend History as at Jul 2024

Next Steps

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This article by Simply Wall St is general in nature. We provide commentary based on historical data and analyst forecasts only using an unbiased methodology and our articles are not intended to be financial advice. It does not constitute a recommendation to buy or sell any stock, and does not take account of your objectives, or your financial situation. We aim to bring you long-term focused analysis driven by fundamental data. Note that our analysis may not factor in the latest price-sensitive company announcements or qualitative material. Simply Wall St has no position in any stocks mentioned.

Companies discussed in this article include ENXTPA:GTT ENXTPA:TEP and ENXTPA:VIL.

Have feedback on this article? Concerned about the content? Get in touch with us directly. Alternatively, email editorial-team@simplywallst.com
As of July 2024, Germany's market is showing resilience with the DAX index gaining 1.35%, reflecting investor optimism amid a broader European economic context marked by potential monetary easing. This positive momentum in Germany contrasts with mixed performances in other major global markets, highlighting its relative stability. In such a market environment, dividend stocks can be particularly appealing for those seeking steady income streams from their investments, especially when considering the current economic indicators and monetary policies that favor long-term investment strategies.

Top 10 Dividend Stocks In Germany

Name Dividend Yield Dividend Rating Allianz (XTRA:ALV) 5.33%  INDUS Holding (XTRA:INH) 5.25%  OVB Holding (XTRA:O4B) 4.79%  Brenntag (XTRA:BNR) 3.20%  Mercedes-Benz Group (XTRA:MBG) 8.56%  Sudzucker (XTRA:SZU) 7.44%  MLP (XTRA:MLP) 5.31%  Deutsche Telekom (XTRA:DTE) 3.19%  Uzin Utz (XTRA:UZU) 3.32%  FRoSTA (DB:NLM) 3.17% 

Click here to see the full list of 30 stocks from our Top German Dividend Stocks screener.

Let's explore several standout options from the results in the screener.

Simply Wall St Dividend Rating: 

Overview: CR Energy AG is an investment company that focuses on technology companies in Germany, with a market capitalization of approximately 147.71 million.

Operations: CR Energy AG generates 68.57 million from its real estate rental segment.

Dividend Yield: 10%

CR Energy AG, with a dividend yield of 9.95%, ranks in the top 25% of German dividend payers. Despite a recent revenue drop to 68.64 million and net income fall to 65.78 million in 2023, dividends appear sustainable with a low payout ratio of 22.4% and are well-covered by cash flows at a cash payout ratio of 62.6%. However, the company's short dividend history and past shareholder dilution may raise concerns about long-term stability and growth potential in dividends.

XTRA:CRZK Dividend History as at Jul 2024

Simply Wall St Dividend Rating: 

Overview: OVB Holding AG operates in Europe, offering advisory and brokerage services to private households, with a market capitalization of approximately 267.92 million.

Operations: OVB Holding AG generates its revenue primarily from insurance brokerage, with a segment total of 368.28 million.

Dividend Yield: 4.8%

OVB Holding offers a dividend yield of 4.79%, placing it among the top 25% in the German market. Despite this, its dividends are under pressure with a cash payout ratio of 107.3%, indicating that current payments aren't well supported by free cash flows. However, earnings have shown growth, increasing by 20.5% last year and projected to rise by 5.31% annually. Trading at an attractive valuation, OVB is priced 18.4% below estimated fair value, yet concerns about dividend sustainability persist due to coverage issues.

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XTRA:O4B Dividend History as at Jul 2024

Simply Wall St Dividend Rating: 

Overview: ProCredit Holding AG operates as a commercial bank offering services to small and medium enterprises and private customers across Europe, South America, and Germany, with a market capitalization of approximately 500.64 million.

Operations: ProCredit Holding AG generates its revenue primarily through banking services, totaling 414.42 million.

Dividend Yield: 7.5%

ProCredit Holding reported a net income increase to 33.5 million in Q1 2024, up from 29.5 million the previous year, signaling strong earnings growth. Despite this, its dividend history is less stable, having paid dividends for only seven years with fluctuating payments. The current dividend coverage by earnings stands at 32.1%, projected to slightly improve to 37.4% in three years. However, the company's high bad loans ratio at 2.4% raises concerns about financial health amidst its competitive yield of 7.53%.

XTRA:PCZ Dividend History as at Jul 2024

Where To Now?

Unlock more gems! Our Top German Dividend Stocks screener has unearthed 27 more companies for you to explore.Click here to unveil our expertly curated list of 30 Top German Dividend Stocks.

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Curious About Other Options?

This article by Simply Wall St is general in nature. We provide commentary based on historical data and analyst forecasts only using an unbiased methodology and our articles are not intended to be financial advice. It does not constitute a recommendation to buy or sell any stock, and does not take account of your objectives, or your financial situation. We aim to bring you long-term focused analysis driven by fundamental data. Note that our analysis may not factor in the latest price-sensitive company announcements or qualitative material. Simply Wall St has no position in any stocks mentioned.

Companies discussed in this article include XTRA:CRZK XTRA:O4B and XTRA:PCZ.

Have feedback on this article? Concerned about the content? Get in touch with us directly. Alternatively, email editorial-team@simplywallst.com
French energy giant TotalEnergies has decided to exit several offshore blocks in South Africa, including Block 11B/12B.

The announcement follows a similar move by its partner CNR International (South Africa), a subsidiary of Canada's CNR.

It comes after a review of options for its 45% stake in the block, which it acquired in 2013.

The company also plans to leave exploration blocks 5/6/7, where it holds a 40% interest.

TotalEnergies withdrawal coincides with QatarEnergys decision to exit its 25% interest in Block 11B/12B.

This decision was confirmed by Africa Energy, a partner in the joint venture.

Under the joint operating agreement, the withdrawing parties' interests are to be assigned free of charge to the non-withdrawing partners, proportionate to their existing stakes.

Africa Energy, through its investment in Main Street 1549, which currently holds a 10% interest in Block 11B/12B, has expressed its intention not to withdraw.

The company remains optimistic about the commercial viability of the block's resources, despite the challenges and delays encountered.

The Brulpadda and Luiperd gas discoveries in Block 11B/12B are considered the largest in South Africa.

If developed, they could significantly contribute to the country's energy transition away from coal-fired power plants.

However, TotalEnergies found these discoveries too challenging to develop and monetise economically.

In a statement, TotalEnergies said Brulpadda and Luiperd could not be turned into a commercial development as it appeared to be too challenging to economically develop and monetise these gas discoveries for the South African market.

The exit of TotalEnergies and QatarEnergy is contingent on receiving the necessary regulatory approvals from South African authorities.

If approved, Main Street 1549 is expected to hold a 100% interest in Block 11B/12B.

Africa Energy is now focusing on obtaining the production right approval for the block and securing offtake customers.

"TotalEnergies to exit South African offshore blocks " was originally created and published by Offshore Technology, a GlobalData owned brand.







The information on this site has been included in good faith for general informational purposes only. It is not intended to amount to advice on which you should rely, and we give no representation, warranty or guarantee, whether express or implied as to its accuracy or completeness. You must obtain professional or specialist advice before taking, or refraining from, any action on the basis of the content on our site.
In a market environment characterized by mixed returns and sector rotations, identifying growth companies with high insider ownership can offer unique investment opportunities. Insider ownership often signifies confidence in the company's future prospects, making it an essential factor to consider amid current economic uncertainties.

Top 10 Growth Companies With High Insider Ownership

Name Insider Ownership Earnings Growth Gaming Innovation Group (OB:GIG) 26.7% 37.4% Medley (TSE:4480) 34% 28.7% Fine M-TecLTD (KOSDAQ:A441270) 17.1% 36.4% KebNi (OM:KEBNI B) 37.8% 90.4% Credo Technology Group Holding (NasdaqGS:CRDO) 14.4% 60.9% Calliditas Therapeutics (OM:CALTX) 11.6% 52.9% Vow (OB:VOW) 31.7% 97.7% Adocia (ENXTPA:ADOC) 11.9% 63% EHang Holdings (NasdaqGM:EH) 32.8% 74.3% HANA Micron (KOSDAQ:A067310) 20% 97.4%

Click here to see the full list of 1460 stocks from our Fast Growing Companies With High Insider Ownership screener.

Here we highlight a subset of our preferred stocks from the screener.

Simply Wall St Growth Rating: 

Overview: Vedant Fashions Limited manufactures and trades wedding and celebration wear in India and internationally, with a market cap of 265.74 billion.

Operations: Vedant Fashions generates revenue primarily from branded fashion apparel and accessories, amounting to 12.96 billion.

Insider Ownership: 17.8%

Vedant Fashions, despite recent declines in quarterly revenue (INR 2.61 billion) and net income (INR 624.89 million), shows promising growth prospects with earnings forecasted to grow at 17.69% annually, outpacing the Indian market's average of 16.2%. The company's high insider ownership aligns management interests with shareholders, potentially fostering long-term value creation. However, investors should note the unstable dividend track record and recent financial performance setbacks when considering this stock for growth potential.

NSEI:MANYAVAR Ownership Breakdown as at Jul 2024

Simply Wall St Growth Rating: 

Overview: Hoshine Silicon Industry Co., Ltd. produces and sells silicon-based materials both in China and internationally, with a market cap of CN54.87 billion.

Operations: The company's revenue segments are derived from the production and sale of silicon-based materials.

Insider Ownership: 32.6%

Hoshine Silicon Industry's high insider ownership aligns management interests with shareholders, fostering potential long-term value creation. Despite being removed from key indices like the SSE 180, the company shows robust growth prospects with earnings expected to grow 31.7% annually, outpacing the CN market's 22.1%. However, profitability has declined with net profit margins dropping to 8.2% from last year's 17.8%, and its return on equity forecasted to be low at 12.1% in three years.

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SHSE:603260 Ownership Breakdown as at Jul 2024

Simply Wall St Growth Rating: 

Overview: Beijing SuperMap Software Co., Ltd. provides geographic information system (GIS) and geospatial intelligence software products and services both in China and internationally, with a market cap of approximately CN6.50 billion.

Operations: The company's revenue segments include Software, which generated CN1.96 billion.

Insider Ownership: 18%

Beijing SuperMap Software demonstrates strong growth potential with earnings forecasted to grow 35.1% annually, significantly outpacing the CN market's 22.1%. The company's revenue is also expected to increase by 21.7% per year, surpassing the market average of 13.6%. Recent buyback activities totaling CNY 112.92 million reflect confidence in its future prospects and aim to enhance shareholder value through employee stock ownership plans and equity incentives, despite a relatively low forecasted return on equity of 9.9%.

SZSE:300036 Earnings and Revenue Growth as at Jul 2024

Where To Now?

Discover the full array of 1460 Fast Growing Companies With High Insider Ownership right here.

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Streamline your investment strategy with Simply Wall St's app for free and benefit from extensive research on stocks across all corners of the world.

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This article by Simply Wall St is general in nature. We provide commentary based on historical data and analyst forecasts only using an unbiased methodology and our articles are not intended to be financial advice. It does not constitute a recommendation to buy or sell any stock, and does not take account of your objectives, or your financial situation. We aim to bring you long-term focused analysis driven by fundamental data. Note that our analysis may not factor in the latest price-sensitive company announcements or qualitative material. Simply Wall St has no position in any stocks mentioned.The analysis only considers stock directly held by insiders. It does not include indirectly owned stock through other vehicles such as corporate and/or trust entities. All forecast revenue and earnings growth rates quoted are in terms of annualised (per annum) growth rates over 1-3 years.

Companies discussed in this article include NSEI:MANYAVAR SHSE:603260 and SZSE:300036.

Have feedback on this article? Concerned about the content? Get in touch with us directly. Alternatively, email editorial-team@simplywallst.com
Superapps are nothing short of a phenomenon in Asia. Consumers young and old rely on them, and over the years theyve become a firm part of day-to-day life. Meanwhile, tech enthusiasts and corporations alike have been mumbling for years about when Europe and North America will see its first true superapp. Over a decade on, we are yet to see a Western superapp, but thats not to say Europe isnt creating its own kind of superapp - one managed by governments, not private organisations, and that centres around identity. Lets explore.

The superapp phenomenon

In Asias tech landscape, it is WeChat and AliPay leading the superapp charge. Launched in 2011, WeChat today boasts over 1.2 billion monthly active users, integrating services like messaging, payments, social networking, and even government services. AliPay dates back even further to 2004, beginning life as a payments platform but evolving over the years to offer functions that span financial services, shopping, and everyday utilities.

These apps are marvels for two reasons: how comprehensive they are in services, and how widely adopted theyve become. Unsurprisingly, they have captivated the imaginations of tech enthusiasts and companies in the West for the last decade.

The most recent high-profile attempt to build such a platform came from Elon Musk, who publicly expressed his wish to transform X (formerly Twitter) into a superapp that would encompass social media, finance, and various other utilities. So far, theres been little progress.

On the other hand, the rise of embedded finance has gone some way to realising something of a superapp, whereby more consumer-facing brands integrate financial services like loans and insurance into their offerings. But despite this market doing relatively well, were yet to produce an app that quite rivals the all-encompassing functionality and ubiquity of Asian counterparts. This begs the question - will we ever?

The view from the EU

Europe wont ever see a superapp in the same vein as those in APAC. Data protection rules like GDPR, competition laws, and Europes love of open standards will all prove enough to stop any single private entity from layering so many pieces of functionality into one app and controlling such a vast amount of consumer data. The European Union has already been keeping a keen eye on brands like Apple and Google for their broad consumer data capture, privacy, and any threats of monopolisation.

It also doesnt make sense as a business model in a market where many private apps are already mature, trusted, and widely adopted. Europe is however already making its shift to an identity-centric model that will see digital identities, rather than any single private superapp, at the heart of consumers day-to-day life.

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Digital identities and the power of decentralised models

Were on the cusp of a big change in how identity is managed in the digital ecosystem, powered by decentralised identity models. The EU Digital Identity Wallet (DIW) is set to provide all 447.7 million EU citizens with the ability to store and exchange identity documents and credentials securely and conveniently, all while keeping control of their own data.

Decentralised identity models remove the need for organisations to store huge databases of personal information. Instead, individuals possess their own DIW, typically stored on their mobile device, and have full control over what information they share, when, and with whom they share it.

A crucial part of this model is that you can select what personal information you share with third parties. For example, rather than sharing your full name and date of birth with a retailer selling alcohol, a decentralised identity model allows you to simply verify that you are the minimum legal age. This applies to any scenario where you need to assert and prove personal attributes like adulthood, national residence, and possession of a certificate.

Becoming Europes superapp

The EU DIW utilises open standards and APIs to enable third-party organisations  like banks, education institutions, and retailers  to plug in securely. Decentralised models are inherently highly secure and scalable, meaning its easy for organisations to plug in, and for the wallets to be used across borders. Meanwhile, if an organisation is breached, there is no treasure trove of personal data readily available to be stolen.

Digital identity in this way  covering such a variety of uses and reaching a wide scope of consumers - becomes its own kind of superapp. For users, they provide all the usability benefits of superapps while allowing them to maintain control of their data and privacy. For private organisations, especially operating in a highly regulated environment like the EU, these governmentally controlled models remove a lot of responsibility, liability, and work needed to maintain huge, highly sensitive databases. Its a win-win.

Security is still a top priority in the individual wallets. Here, strong authentication is key  its what stops fraudsters from gaining access to accounts and services, and forces those acting behind the screen to prove they are who they claim to be. Facial biometrics will ultimately be this strong authenticator, for a few reasons.

Things we know, like passwords, are easily shared, guessed, stolen, or forgotten. Things we have, like phones or USB authenticators, are great until we lose or misplace them. But things we are, like biometrics, simply cannot be stolen, shared, or lost in the same way. They can be copied, with significant effort and expertise, which is why robust liveness and genuine presence assurance are so vitally needed to ensure users are who they say they are and they are present in real time.

Super identities and looking ahead

Superapps arent going anywhere anytime soon in Asia, but neither are they likely to appear in Western markets under the same guise. And its not just the EUs wallet either  the State of California also recently launched a mobile driving licence based on the decentralised model.

The identity-centric model that is emerging is hugely exciting and represents its own kind of superapp revolution that will have a comparably profound impact on consumer behaviour, with consumers in control.

Andrew Bud is founder and CEO of iProov

"Why Europe will never have a superapp and identity will be King" was originally created and published by Retail Banker International, a GlobalData owned brand.







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The City of Fremont is poised to possibly purchase the land needed for a new police station, with an item on the agenda of the Tuesday, July 30 city council meeting up for discussion, debate and possible approval.

Plans for a new police station and communications center for Dodge County 911 services has been a high priority for city officials for more than a decade, as the current police station is no longer suitable for use due to several factors.

In November, 2023, Mayor Joey Spellerberg and other city officials hosted a reveal event to tout the hoped for location of the new police station at Gallery 92 West. The location preliminarily chosen is north of Military Avenue and just to the west of the Fremont Municipal Building.

The new police station is expected to be part of a larger redevelopment of land north of Military Avenue from North Broad Street eastward to the city Municipal Building, which will include restaurants, shops and other amenities.

At the November 2023 reveal event, Spellerberg said the new development of the north end of the downtown area would transform the city in the coming 10 to 12 years.

That was the number one thing; if we were going to find a location, it had to be somewhere for the future growth of the (police) department. We wanted to make sure of that. And this site does give us that, Spellerberg said in November. This gives them the facility they need and that they desperately deserve.

Fremont officials had toured the Columbus Police Department before announcing the location in November, hoping to gain insight into what the CPDs more modern, up-to-date facility looks like.

What we really wanted to do, once we began thinking this is the location, we wanted to, instead of piecemealing it, we wanted a fuller picture of what this project could mean for the whole area, Spellerberg said to the crowd of residents at the November open house while pointing to assorted renderings of the proposed changes to the area.

On Jan. 30, the city council approved a $1.2 million contract with a Kansas City-based architectural firm to design the new Fremont Police Station. The approval to hire the firm Police Facilities Design Group of Kansas City, Missouri passed unanimously.

In the staff report, the cost of the land was listed at $1,074,425.11, with the city also agreeing to help fund the demolition of the current abandoned former bank that sits on the west end of the property. The extra demolition costs are estimated to cost no more than $160,000.

The City of Fremont is in the process of developing plans and specifications for the construction of a new municipal police and law enforcement facility and has identified property owned by RVR Bank located along East Eighth Street between North Main Street and North D Street as an optimal location for the construction and operation of the Police Station and parking structure, city officials said in the staff report for Tuesdays meeting.

RVR is in the process of developing plans and specifications for the demolition of the improvements located on the property together with the design and construction of a modern banking facility to be located on the southern 115 feet of the Property, which abuts Military Street, city officials said. As stated in the recitals of the Purchase Agreement, RVR has agreed to sell property to the city.

Officials also noted in the staff report that the closing on the purchase of the property is conditioned upon the city approval of a signage plan, approval of a conditional use permit for drive-thru lanes for RVR, and the parties reaching mutually agreed upon conditions, covenants, and restrictions for development of the two structures and surrounding area.
In the past year, some members of the U.S. Supreme Court have chosen to disclose their justifications for recusing themselves from specific appeals, for reasons including their prior employment or their connection to people involved with the case.
As a crowd gathered Thursday to celebrate former Fort Carson Capt. Andrew Bundermanns receiving the nations second-highest medal for valor, he didnt feel much like celebrating.

The officer who led a cavalry troop through Fort Carsons deadliest day earned the Distinguished Service Cross for repeatedly risking his life to turn back enemy moves and to keep in communication with the artillery and air power that allowed his outnumbered unit to survive a furious attack by more than 300 Taliban fighters.

But a decade after the battle for Combat Outpost Keating, Bundermann called his reception at an arena on the University of Minnesota campus the most conflicting thing as he recalled the eight soldiers who died in the 12-hour firefight Oct. 3, 2009.

Instead of celebrating, Bundermann said the Distinguished Service Cross gives him a pause for remembering Justin Gallegos, Christopher Griffin, Kevin Thomson, Michael Scusa, Vernon Martin, Stephan Mace, Joshua Kirk and Joshua M. Hardt.

It gives an opportunity to honor those gentlemen, said Bundermann, who is now out of the Army and working as a regional manager for a Minnesota packaged foods company.

Bundermann initially earned the Silver Star Medal for his heroism in leading the 53 soldiers trapped at Keating. A Pentagon review last year resulted in his medal being boosted to the Distinguished Service Cross, one of only 19 that have been given during more than 17 years of war in Afghanistan.

The honor adds to the pile of decorations earned by the soldiers from his B Troop, part of the 4th Infantry Divisions 3rd Squadron of the 61st Cavalry Regiment. The unit earned two Medals of Honor, another Distinguished Service Cross, seven Silver Star Medals, 18 Bronze Star Medals and 37 Army Commendation Medals for Valor. Thats 66 medals for 53 soldiers, making Bundermanns troop easily the most-decorated unit for Afghanistan fighting.

Bundermann said its a record that would have been difficult for him to imagine while training at Fort Carson before heading to war.

I wouldnt have expected the valor to ever come up, he said.

Medals for valor never happen on a good day in the Army. Bundermann said even in other firefights, his soldiers werent called to show so much courage.

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But Oct. 3, 2009, was a bad day that started early. After midnight, residents started clearing out of a village near the outpost in eastern Afghanistan. The outpost was fit tightly between the walls of a river valley, giving its troops little room to maneuver when enemy fire rained in before sunrise.

Some of the first rocket-propelled grenades and mortar rounds took out the units generator, which killed the units main radio. Bundermann knew his troops would die unless he could bring in artillery fire, Army helicopters and Air Force planes to tackle the enemy troops.

Risking his life, he set up a satellite dish for communications.

He did much more that day, maneuvering his troops and making hard calls. One of the tougher decisions Bundermann made was to turn American firepower on the nearby village, destroying buildings the enemy was using as headquarters.

Bundermann also realized that the enemy would be able to squeeze his small unit to death unless he led an counterattack. Thats a tough call when most of the 27 soldiers who would earn the Purple Heart Medal that day had been wounded.

But he knew his soldiers from months of fighting overseas and training at home. They were experts at taking the fight to their enemies.

Soldiers do not surprise me when they run to gun, he said Thursday.

Bundermanns soldiers pushed their enemies back. The move bought the unit time as American airpower roared in to turn the battle. Nearly half of the Taliban attackers were dead by the end.

But there was more to valor than killing that day. The Americans including Bundermann also worked to save lives. During the fighting, Bundermann, with the help of medics and an IV hose, pumped his blood directly into one of his wounded soldiers.

Bundermann has a simple explanation for the valor he showed and the blood he gave. Its a part of being a commander that the Army doesnt write down in field manuals.

I love those guys, he said.

Contact Tom Roeder: 636-0240 Twitter: @xroederx
A community organization dedicated to stopping gang violence in Colorado Springs celebrated its third anniversary Sunday.

Men of Influence, a group of about 40 community members, civic leaders and former gang members, was established in July 2021 in an effort to persuade rival gang members to consider exchanging words and ideas instead of bullets, said founding member Brandon Shupp.

We were seeing too much violence in our streets, said Shupp, the lead pastor at Story Church. So we decided to try to get some gang leaders to sit down and see if we could get the different sets to communicate with each other.

Getting gang members to set aside long-standing rivalries and resentments has been a long process, fraught with occasional setbacks, according to Men of Influence leaders.

Weve been in some crazy rooms, said founding member Big Will Starks.

Its taken some time to begin to build trust, Shupp said. Remember, some of these young people have actually shot at each other.

The plan, according to Shupp, was to try to reduce gang violence one area at a time, starting with Memorial Park.

We talked with these different leaders and declared Memorial Park a safe zone, a place thats off-limits to gang violence, he said.

That was in the summer of 2021. Since then, there has not been a gang-related shooting at the park. There has been violence, and there have been shootings, but they have not been gang-related.

Seven months ago, a deadly incident at The Citadel mall convinced Men of Influence that they needed to establish another safe zone.

On Christmas Eve, a fight at the east-side shopping center escalated to gunfire, killing Teryus Thomas, 18, and wounding two. Colorado Springs police did not say the shootings were gang-related, but did acknowledge that the fight was between two groups who were known to each other.

After holding an anti-violence rally at the mall a few days after the shooting, leaders at the organization began working toward making the mall a safer place for shoppers.

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We started having guys show up at random times throughout the week, just walking the mall, showing a presence, Shupp said.

Meanwhile, the communication efforts continued.

What we need to remember is that these are young people, and most young people have someone that they look up to, founding member Shaun Walls said in an earlier interview with The Gazette. If you can find that person and get a dialogue going, that goes a long way.

To that end, some members still maintain a loose gang affiliation, Shupp said.

If you are all the way out of the gang life, you lose credibility, and people wont listen to you.

In June, Men of Influence established a headquarters inside the mall, occupying a space donated by the malls management group.

We pay (for) utilities to keep things working, but management gave us the space, rent-free, because they can see the value in having us here, Shupp said.

On Sunday, the space was alive with music and laughter as the organization celebrated its third anniversary. The event, which coincided with Global Day of Compassion, featured a backpack giveaway (more than 300 new backpacks filled with school supplies) and free haircuts.

Good vibes and good people, Shupp said. Thats what today is about.

Inside the headquarters, Men of Influence member DeMarcus Hysten high-fived kids as he held his own daughter, Teagan, and exclaimed, Happy Day of Compassion! Show some love today!

Think about what has happened in this mall, not even seven months ago, said Hysten, an Army veteran and father of six. This place was empty. No one wanted to come here. But look at all the people here. This is how it should be.
Ashton Murdock was arrested in connection to multiple alleged stabbing assaults and a stabbing death this month, Colorado Springs police said in a news release Tuesday.

Murdock, 20, was arrested July 22 for his alleged involvement in a Dec. 6, 2023, stabbing of a convenience store clerk.

Murdock, of Colorado Springs, is also suspected of stabbing an adult female multiple times on July 17 in the 500 block of East Cheyenne Road. The woman was hospitalized with serious but non-life-threatening injuries, police said.

Further investigation led police to accuse Murdock for being responsible in the July 12 stabbing death of 39-year-old Andrew Lee Orona in the 700 block of East Cheyenne Road.

Murdock faces first-degree murder charges. He's remained in custody at the El Paso County jail since his arrest July 22.

Anyone with information is encouraged to call police at 719-444-7000, or to remain anonymous call 719-634-7867 or 1-800-222-8477.
After over a year in the making, a cross-jurisdictional collaboration between the sheriff's offices in El Paso and Teller counties was announced Monday.

According to both El Paso County Sheriff Joseph Roybal and Teller County Sheriff Jason Mikesell, their agencies have seen an increase in crime that crosses between the two counties.

When a criminal crosses that boundary, there can be a "lag" in the time it takes to communicate between each office.

This new collaboration will allow for crimes to be investigated in a more efficient manner across county lines, according to law enforcement. Neither Roybal nor Mikesell is aware of any other county-crossing collaborations in Colorado, calling themselves "unique."

With the collaboration, officers are able to focus more on the investigation and the criminal, while determining the jurisdiction at a later point. Roybal says this will "expedite those investigations rather than slowing down and determining boundaries."

"If you commit a crime against our citizens in Teller or El Paso, be prepared to pay the price," Roybal said. "We'll find you."

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Deputies will only be pursuing crimes that start in one county and cross over to the other. They will not divert focus to things such as traffic violations, as jurisdictional boundaries are still in place for crimes restricted to one county.

On Monday, deputies from both offices were sworn in, with plans to swear in more over the next few weeks.

"Behind me, you see not only the black uniforms or the gray uniform, you see a sea of blue," Mikesell said as he stood in front of the deputies. "We're all in this together."

Mikesell said this partnership will result in lower tax costs for the counties, as it serves as a "force multiplier."

"Anytime you can build relationships like this where we can work together, it's always a reduction in tax costs," Mikesell said. "I think it's a good thing for all of us."
While navigating the competitive landscape together, the partnership between Pikes Peak State College and University of Colorado Colorado Springs has proven fruitful, and they aim to make it even better.

In a partnership that has been going on for years, Pikes Peak State College and the UCCS have been working together to make it easier for students looking to transfer to the four-year university.

UCCS spokesman Chris Valentine said PPSC is the top source of transfer students for UCCS. To make it easier to transfer, the colleges have built pathways for a number of degree programs over the years. Valentine said its been a win-win for everyone, especially the students.

The idea is that Pikes Peak is a little less expensive, so it doesnt cost you as much in your first two years, and then you can finish getting your bachelors degree at UCCS, Valentine said.

While the system in place is working, the colleges are looking for ways to make it better.

Talk of possible dual enrollment at both colleges and letting PPSC students use UCCS amenities has been put on the table, officials said. The colleges have stalked about making their engineering programs a pilot for dual enrollment.

It would help make it a less intimidating place and an easier place for students to think about doing that transfer, said PPSC President Lance Bolton.

The colleges are also figuring out a way to streamline the transfer process to UCCS by sharing data between institutions and then automating the process.

We want our students to move on. For those who aspire to this, we want to make sure that works really smoothly: that they get full credit for all the classes theyve taken at Pikes Peak, (and) that the process is really seamless, Bolton said.

UCCS recruits their students through degree programs and unique setting

Outside of their collaboration, the colleges have been navigating the current higher education market by utilizing their unique draws.

Chris Beiswanger, executive director of enrollment management for UCCS, said there are at least 60 out-of-state colleges that heavily recruit in Colorado, some even have a physical location in Colorado, so its critical that UCCS plays to its strengths.

The university is constantly refining and adding to programs, such as a new bachelors in visual arts that was recently approved, so that students are prepared for the workforce.

In addition to their degree programs and affordable costs, Beiswanger said the colleges draw is their location.

When were working with students, we tell them that the three things that will keep you busy, will be the campus, will be the city and will be the mountains. And there are not many schools that can say that, he said.

The college caters to the on-campus lifestyle through its Student Life Department, which oversees campus events and student clubs and organizations.

One of the biggest challenges for the department has been reconnecting students after the pandemic, according to Brad Bayer, senior director of Student Life leadership.

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To help students, Bayer said the college introduced a student engagement leader program last year, which pairs a UCCS student with an incoming freshman.

Bayer said the goal is to help students develop a network of friends and understand the types of events and programs the campus offers.

He emphasized the importance of campus life.

Theres a lot of collaboration. So, its not just Student Life. Its the Rec. Center. Its undergraduate research opportunities for our students. It can be student employment, and they develop cohorts and connections through that. Its a holistic approach, Bayer said.

PPSC recruits students through affordability and a fast-track into the workforce

Bolton said PPSC attracts potential students through its affordable education that allows them to quickly enter the workforce after they finish.

To cater to these needs, PPSC provides degree paths that take about two years to complete and programs that help cancel out costs for those who cant afford college.

One of these programs is the Dakota Promise Program, which is a scholarship that covers the cost for students in Harrison District 2 who want to attend PPSC and have a GPA of 2.5 or higher.

Bolton said the program, which started in 2020, has increased the college-going rate in the district by 76% and has become something the district wants to self sustain.

Funding for the first three years of the program was through the Dakota Foundation, Legacy Institute and the Colorado Opportunity Scholarship Initiative, but D-2 created its own foundation after the funding ran out and is also creating its own ballot measure for November that would provide consistent funding for the scholarship during the next decade.

Bolton said the school is extending the scholarship to District 11 this upcoming fall semester, and he is expecting similar success that could be even bigger considering its a much larger district.

Outside of scholarships, PPSC provides degree programs that quickly translate into well-paying jobs, Bolton said. Health care programs for nursing, physical therapy, surgical technology and more were touted by PPSCs president.

We have the Delta Dental Center opening here in August, which will probably be one of the finest community college dental-assisted hygiene facilities in the whole country, he said.

The college also offers degrees, like its new associate of applied science in behavioral health degree, that lets students earn certificates as they complete their coursework.

In addition to tutoring centers offered at their campuses, the college changed the way it taught math courses through a co-requisite model that puts students directly into college level math courses and support labs alongside them.

PPSC data shows the model increased the number of students who passed math courses: 64 out of every 100 students enrolled in the courses completed a college-level career and technical education or non-STEM math course within a year. Comparatively, only 25% of students enrolled in the traditional prerequisite model completed college algebra within a year.

For the next academic year, UCCS raised tuition for resident students by 3% by 4% for nonresident students, which is consistent throughout the entire CU system, Valentine said.

PPSC and other Colorado community colleges have also had to increase tuition throughout the years.

Despite the challenges, both campuses said they are staying relevant in the industry by catering to their unique draws and putting students first.
The Colorado Springs Fire Department is gearing up to host six neighborhood gatherings throughout August and September, opening the doors to all 24 fire stations in the city.

These neighborhood gatherings are part of Mayor Yemi Mobolade's 1,000 Neighborhood Gatherings Initiative. The fire department is doing their part in the initiative, welcoming the community to meet their neighborhood firefighters.

Mental Health is an important topic in my department. I understand the heaviness mental health can bear on our community and fully support Mayor Yemi's initiative in helping our neighbors feel less alone, Fire Chief Randy Royal stated in the press release sent out Monday. I think I can speak for all of my crews when I say we are very excited to welcome our community into our firehouses and meet some new faces, build new relationships, and be good neighbors.

The department will host these gatherings every Saturday starting Aug. 3 until Sept. 7.

Here is the schedule:
By next month, power lines that once hung above a critical segment of Nevada Avenue will be gone  at least, to the naked eye.

Colorado Springs Utilities has nearly completed a project it began in March to move about a mile of overhead electric lines on Nevada Avenue underground, along the stretch between East Harrison and East Commerce streets. Officials said in March the project will bolster the reliance and resilience of Colorado Springs electric grid for this vital corridor that serves thousands of customers and major hospitals, including CommonSpirit Penrose Main hospital.

Between Aug. 5-19, Utilities crews will complete the last segment of the project, connecting electric infrastructure already installed underground, officials said in a news release Monday. Much of the work includes crews digging trenches to install the lines, then paving over the trenches, Utilities spokesman Alex Trefry said.

The power lines will be buried but other infrastructure will remain aboveground, such as transformers and switch boxes that control the flow of power, he said.

The last segment of work will take place at the intersection of Nevada Avenue and Fillmore Street. Construction will take place on weekdays between 9 a.m. and 3 p.m. to minimize impacts to businesses in the area and traffic, Trefry said.

Access to businesses will remain open.

Travelers should prepare for traffic pattern shifts. Through traffic will be maintained in all directions during the work, left-hand turns will be affected as the work zone shifts, according to the news release.

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Burying overhead power lines along this portion of Nevada Avenue supports Utilities Sustainable Energy Plan, officials said. The plan was first developed in 2020 to guide the agencys efforts to reduce carbon emissions 80% by 2030, among other goals.

Trefry said utilities officials also want to safeguard the electric infrastructure along this section of Nevada Avenue, through the undergrounding project, from weather events like extreme wind and other storms.

For example, the Nevada corridor experienced several issues, like pole failures, during a massive windstorm that blew through Colorado Springs in mid-December 2021, he said. The storm toppled semitrailers, tore down centuries-old trees, downed more than 50 utilities poles and knocked out power to as many as 40,000 Colorado Springs Utilities customers.

Moving the power lines underground wont make them immune to interruptions or damages caused by events like extreme weather, but it can mitigate them, Trefry said. Underground transmissions can still be impacted by storms because aboveground sources that feed them can be affected.

Underground lines are also vulnerable to flooding and are harder to repair when damage occurs because the damaged area can be more difficult to locate, according to Utilities website. Traffic lanes on Kiowa Street between Nevada Avenue and Tejon Street downtown were closed for weeks, for instance, after an underground fire on Sept. 11 triggered an extensive power outage downtown that impacted at least 280 customers, including several businesses. Six months after the fire, Utilities announced in March a nicked wire caused the incident.

Utilities is not currently working on other projects to move existing overhead electric lines underground, Trefry said.

City ordinance since the 1970s requires all new developments in Colorado Springs be connected to underground electric services.
The Colorado Bureau of Investigation has identified the suspect killed by a Saguache County sheriff's deputy last week as 40-year-old Jonathan Aaron Wood.

On July 25, at approximately noon, a deputy from the Saguache County Sheriff's Office was driving near Crestone to serve papers when he saw Wood walking about a mile from the entrance of the Baca Grande subdivision. The deputy allegedly recognized Wood as having active warrants.

When the deputy attempted to engage in conversation with Wood, he began to attack the deputy with a 4-foot metal pipe. The deputy pulled out his service weapon and fired twice, hitting Wood at least once.

The deputy attempted to perform life-saving measures, but Wood was declared dead at the scene. The deputy was transported to an area hospital. He was treated for minor injuries and released.

At the time of the shooting, Wood was wanted on a felony warrant in Saguache County for assault on a peace officer and on a misdemeanor warrant in Mineral County for damaged property/criminal mischief, according to CBI.

The felony warrant was related to a series of events from August 2023, where neighbors called 911 because Wood was acting erratically in a threatening manner with a 4-foot wooden stick. The neighbors reported that Wood was insisting he could hear voices that were screaming for help from their shed and home.

When deputies later attempted to speak to Wood, he threatened deputies with the stick and allegedly struck a deputy in the head. The outstanding warrant was due to Wood's failure to appear in court on the assault charge.

CBI is now assisting the Saguache County Sheriff's Office with the investigation. Bodycam footage is currently being reviewed by investigators and the deputy has since been placed on administrative leave until the conclusion of the investigation.
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.
A wildfire burning in Larimer County Monday prompted officials to order an immediate mandatory evacuation of thousands of residents west of Loveland.
China's cataract eradication project restores eyesight for 3,891 patients in SE Cambodia

Xinhua) 09:54, July 30, 2024

PHNOM PENH, July 29 (Xinhua) -- China's GX Foundation-backed Cataract Blindness Elimination Project for southeast Cambodia's Prey Veng province concluded on Monday, helping restore eyesight for 3,891 cataract patients, officials said.

Cambodian Deputy Prime Minister and Civil Service Minister Hun Many and Leung Chun-ying, vice chairman of the National Committee of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference and chairman of GX Foundation, attended the project completion ceremony held here.

In addressing the event, Many spoke highly of the Cambodia-China cooperation in providing eye check-ups, treatment and free surgery to all cataract patients in Prey Veng province since December 2022.

"This project had successfully regained vision for a total of 3,891 cataract patients as well as provided eye check-ups to some 7,600 people," he said. "This project is invaluable for the people in Prey Veng province."

The Cambodian deputy prime minister said restoring eyesight for a patient has not only helped the patient himself or herself, but also positively impacted the patient's family as well as the local community.

"On this occasion, I would like to express my profound gratitude to the Chinese government and the Chinese people, especially the GX Foundation and the Chinese ophthalmologists, for their active contributions to the Royal Government of Cambodia in promoting the health sector and improving the well-being of the Cambodian people," he said.

Many said the project had also significantly contributed to strengthening the expertise of Cambodian ophthalmologists and other aspects of capacity building in the ophthalmology sector of the health care service in Cambodia.

"The participation of Chinese ophthalmologists in this project has also helped raise awareness of eye health and prevention of vision loss at the community level," he added.

The project undoubtedly contributed to the two countries' efforts in building a Cambodia-China community with a shared future, he said.

Leung said through the 18-month project, the GX Foundation and the Health Commission of Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region had organized eight batches of 63 medical personnel to complete 3,891 free cataract surgeries in Prey Veng province.

"We are grateful to patients for sharing with us their great joy after regaining their eyesight, to patients for sending us some agricultural products, and to our friends and vendors at a vegetable market nearby the dormitory for taking care of our medical team," he said. "These are all under the Belt and Road Initiative (BRI), a vivid embodiment of the spirit of people-to-people connectivity and sharing."

Cambodian Health Minister Chheang Ra said the project in Prey Veng province was the second China-aided project after the first one ended in 2019, restoring eyesight for more than 6,000 cataract patients in the southeastern Kampong Cham province.

"On behalf of the people in Prey Veng province and all patients, I would like to extend my heartfelt thanks to the GX Foundation and the Health Commission of Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region for their support and sending of the ophthalmologists to provide free cataract surgery to the patients in Prey Veng province," he said.

Ophthalmologist So Sopanhavatei, director of the Prey Veng Provincial Referral Hospital, said the project had greatly benefited cataract patients and other eye patients in the province.

"After they have received free cataract removal service, they have not only regained their vision, but also returned to their jobs and lived with their families happily," she told Xinhua.

Dim Phon, a 64-year-old cataract patient in Prey Veng province, said she was thrilled to see the world again after having her cataracts in both eyes removed by Chinese ophthalmologists.

"Now, I have my vision restored, I feel very happy. There is nothing that makes me happier than this," she told Xinhua. "Now, my vision is absolutely clear, I can see even a small ant."

Phon showed her sincere gratitude to the Chinese doctors from the GX Foundation for helping restore sight for her and other patients in Cambodia.

A cataract is a condition where the natural lens in a person's eye grows opaque. Various things can cause cataracts including an injury to the eye or too much exposure to bright sunlight.

In the Southeast Asian country, cataract is the main cause of blindness. According to a national estimate, about 0.32 percent of the country's 17 million population suffer from cataracts.

(Web editor: Zhang Kaiwei, Wu Chaolan)
Colorado Springs-area firefighters are being deployed out of state to help battle a few of the nearly 100 wildfires burning in the U.S.

The wildfires have burned a total of 2,083,405 acres, mostly in the western U.S., according to the National Interagency Fire Center's website Monday.

The need for assistance happens when a state's local firefighting resources are exhausted. If crews are available to assist elsewhere, they are put on a list from which they can be called.

At least three fire departments in the Pikes Peak region are helping out of state.

Fire captains and lieutenants from the Colorado Springs Fire Department's Wildland Program, a group that specializes in wildfire management, are helping lead and manage several fires in Oregon and Idaho, according to Ashley Franco, a department spokesperson.

One of these fires, the Gwen fire in Idaho, was caused by a lightning strike and reached up to 27,714 acres and was at 0% containment on Monday.

The Colorado Springs department also has a team deployed in Mesa Verde National Park in southwest Colorado to manage fires that started because of lightning strikes.

Firefighters also come to help in Colorado when it is needed. Franco said the last time out-of-state crews came to assist around Colorado Springs were the Black Forest and Waldo Canyon fires in 2013 and 2012, respectively.

"For Colorado, we're in wildfire season for 365 days, so it can kind of happen any time," she said.

The Northeast Teller County and Canon City fire departments also have crews assisting with fires in California.

One of Teller County's fire captains, Robert Dungan, said their department typically gets called upon to assist in structure protection, which involves preparing buildings for incoming fires .

Canon City Area Fire Protection District Captain Shane Roberts said their crew typically assists in burnout operations and backburning.

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"Everyone's got a role that they play," Dungan said. "We're just one tool in their toolbox that they call for."

Crews from both departments drove firetrucks to California, which Dungan said can take up to four days.

Standard deployment for crews is 14 days on top of travel, but they can get extended under extreme circumstances. Crew swaps can also happen if there is still a need for the extra assistance.

Roberts said the crews are given everything they need to live outside on their own for three days. A majority of the time the firefighters will sleep in tents while deployed, but rougher conditions may necessitate putting the crews in motels.

"It's a terrific opportunity for folks to go because we get more seasoned firefighters who have dealt with bigger incidents. It's incredibly valuable," Roberts said.

It's also common for fire departments to help agencies battle fires statewide. The Monument Fire Department recently deployed a crew to the Durango area to help with a blaze, a department official said.

The system that calls on state responders is organized by the National Wildfire Coordinating Group, an organization that leads and coordinates with the state crews they call upon to assist in the wildfires.

The crews are then led by incident management teams, which are in charge of managing the logistical, fiscal, planning, operational, safety and community and public information issues related to the emergency.

Blazes burning across Colorado, U.S.

According to the National Interagency Fire Center, there were 94 large active wildfires being managed nationwide as of Monday. More than 27,000 wildland firefighters and support personnel have been deployed to combat the blazes as of Monday.

One of these fires is becoming one of the largest fires in California history. The Park fire was at 368,256 acres and only 12% containment Monday, making it the sixth largest wildfire in the state, according to California's Department of Forestry and Fire Protection.

Another wildfire known as the Alexander Mountain fire started Monday just west of Loveland and grew hundreds of acres within the first day.
Almost six weeks after easily winning the Republican nomination for U.S. Senate, Hung Cao has not committed to publicly debating Sen. Tim Kaine, D-Va., the man hes trying to unseat after two terms.

Kaine announced on June 20  two days after the GOP primary  that he had accepted invitations to three debates, much to the surprise of Caos campaign, which said it had not received invitations to any of them.

The Virginia Bar Association, which traditionally opens campaign season by sponsoring a debate at The Omni Homestead Resort in Bath County, quickly delivered the formal invitation. It canceled the July 20 debate early last month because it said it never received a commitment from Cao, a retired U.S. Navy captain, to participate.

Caos campaign did not explain but said then that it was in negotiations with a statewide media company for a much more visible event.

Now, the campaign is saying the same thing about two more proposed debates  one that the Northern Virginia Chamber of Commerce is sponsoring in McLean next month with NBC4, the television networks Washington affiliate, and the other at Norfolk State University in early October, co-sponsored by Hampton Roads NBC affiliate WAVY-TV and Nexstar Media with the historically Black university.

CAPT Hung Cao looks forward to debating Tim Kaine and we are currently in negotiations with a statewide media company for a much more visible event, the campaign said Monday.

Kaine, speaking at a recent media briefing, accused his Republican challenger of hiding from voters.

My opponents decision that he wanted to skip the first debate demonstrates hes afraid, Kaine said. Hes not afraid of me  Im like the nicest guy there is. Hes afraid of voters, and he doesnt want to answer voters questions about the extreme positions he takes.

The sponsors of the Northern Virginia and Norfolk debates have not called them off, so they could still happen. Northern Virginia Chamber President and CEO Julie Coons said Monday that the organization is still working with the Cao campaign for a debate on Sept. 19. Coons said Vice President Nick Clemente, a former Republican candidate for the House of Delegates, is talking to Cao directly as well as his campaign.

Eric Claville, director of the Center for African American Public Policy at Norfolk State, said of the debate scheduled on Oct. 2, As far as we know, its still on.

Farnsworth: Cao not on top-tier candidates list

Cao has been running on the coattails of former President Donald Trump, who endorsed him before the June primary. Cao gave a prime-time speech on national television at the Republican National Convention earlier this month.

He is also trying to run a national race by tying Kaine to Vice President Kamala Harris, the likely Democratic presidential nominee, on illegal immigration at the U.S. border with Mexico. Kaine visited the Rio Grande Valley last week to assess efforts to cut off the flow of fentanyl and other illegal drugs across the border.

Kamala and Kaine are two peas in an open borders pod, Cao said in a news release on Monday. They feel bad for the illegal aliens, the gang members, and the drug runners. I feel bad for the American families destroyed by drugs and crime.

Cao has not had much statewide exposure outside of Northern Virginia, where he ran for Congress two years ago. A resident of western Loudoun County, he ran a competitive race against Rep. Jennifer Wexton, D-10th, in that district but lost by 6.5 percentage points in a newly drawn district that included more Republicans but still leaned Democratic.

Kaine previously served as governor, lieutenant governor and mayor of Richmond. He has a big financial advantage, having raised $16 million during the election cycle, with no Democratic opposition, compared with $3 million raised by Cao, who won a five-way primary on June 18.

Caos challenge is making the race visible enough that it will draw the kind of media attention and donor attention that will be required to make the race competitive, said Steve Farnsworth, director of the Center for Leadership and Media Studies at the University of Mary Washington in Fredericksburg.

Farnsworth said Cao needs the Virginia race to be among the top tier of Senate campaigns that Republicans hope to win to regain control of the Senate. For example, Republicans hope to unseat Sen. Jon Tester, D-Mont., and Sen. Sherrod Brown, D-Ohio, in states that lean to the GOP.

Hes not on that list of top-tier candidates now, Farnsworth said of Cao.

Kaine: I am looking forward to the debates

Cao campaigned last weekend in Southwest Virginia, which he likened to the bellwether influence of Wisconsin in the presidential election, but Farnsworth said Cao cannot afford to neglect suburban areas, particularly in Northern Virginia. In his successful run for governor in 2021, Glenn Youngkin was able to hold down Democratic margins in Northern Virginia and other suburban areas while running up the vote in the Republican countryside to defeat former Gov. Terry McAuliffe.

If a candidate chooses not to participate in a Northern Virginia debate, particularly one offered by the Chamber of Commerce, youre leaving potential votes on the table, Farnsworth said.

Meanwhile, Kaine has been campaigning across the state and taking advantage of his visibility in the U.S. Senate.

Its time for Hung Cao to answer whether he will show up and debate or if he will continue to dodge tough questions from Virginians, Kaine said in a statement on Monday. I am looking forward to the debates at Norfolk State and the Northern Virginia Chamber of Commerce to discuss my record of standing up for Virginia, from lowering the cost of prescription drugs, to investing in our roads and bridges, to supporting military families and veterans.

Virginians know those who wont show up for them, wont stand up for them, he said.

U.S. Senate candidate Hung Cao's speaks at the Republican National Convention
Each fall, millions of hunters across North America make their way into forests and grasslands to kill deer. During the winter, people chow down on the venison steaks, sausage, and burgers made from the animals.

These hunters, however, are not just on the front lines of an American tradition. Infectious disease researchers say they are also on the front lines of what could be a serious threat to public health  chronic wasting disease.

The neurological disease, which is contagious, rapidly spreading, and always fatal, is caused by misfolded proteins called prions. It currently is known to infect only members of the cervid family  elk, deer, reindeer, caribou and moose.

Animal disease scientists are alarmed about the rapid spread of CWD in deer. Recent research shows that the barrier to a spillover into humans is less formidable than previously believed and that the prions causing the disease may be evolving to become more able to infect humans.

A response to the threat is ramping up. In 2023, a coalition of researchers began working on a major initiative, bringing together 68 different global experts on various aspects of CWD to really look at what are the challenges ahead should we see a spillover into humans and food production, said Michael Osterholm, an expert in infectious disease at the University of Minnesota and a leading authority on CWD.

The bottom-line message is we are quite unprepared, Osterholm said. If we saw a spillover right now, we would be in free fall. There are no contingency plans for what to do or how to follow up.

The team of experts is planning for a potential outbreak, focusing on public health surveillance, lab capacity, prion disease diagnostics, surveillance of livestock and wildlife, risk communication, and education and outreach.

Despite the concern, tens of thousands of infected animals have been eaten by people in recent years, yet there have been no known human cases of the disease.

Many hunters have wrestled with how seriously to take the threat of CWD.

The predominant opinion I encounter is that no human being has gotten this disease, said Steve Rinella, a writer and the founder of MeatEater, a media and lifestyle company focused on hunting and cooking wild game.

They think, I am not going to worry about it because it hasnt jumped the species barrier, Rinella said. That would change dramatically if a hunter got CWD.

Other prion diseases, such as bovine spongiform encephalopathy, also known as mad cow disease, and Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease, have affected humans. Mad cow claimed the lives of more than 200 people, mostly in the United Kingdom and France. Some experts believe Parkinsons and Alzheimers also may be caused by prions.

First discovered in Colorado in captive deer in 1967, CWD has since spread widely. It has been found in animals in at least 32 states, four Canadian provinces, and four other foreign countries. It was recently found for the first time in Yellowstone National Park.

Prions behave very differently than viruses and bacteria and are virtually impossible to eradicate. Matthew Dunfee, director of the Chronic Wasting Disease Alliance, said experts call it a disease from outer space.

Symptoms are gruesome. The brain deteriorates to a spongy consistency. Sometimes nicknamed zombie deer disease, the condition makes infected animals stumble, drool, and stare blankly before they die. There is no treatment or vaccine. And it is extremely difficult to eradicate, whether with disinfectants or with high heat  it even survives autoclaving, or medical sterilization.

Cooking doesnt kill prions, said Osterholm. Unfortunately, he said, cooking concentrates the prions. It makes it even more likely people will consume them, he said.

Though CWD is not known to have passed to humans or domestic animals, experts are very concerned about both possibilities, which Osterholms group just received more than $1.5 million in funding to study. CWD can infect more parts of an animals body than other prion diseases like mad cow, which could make it more likely to spread to people who eat venison  if it can jump to humans.

Researchers estimate that between 7,000 and 15,000 infected animals are unknowingly consumed by hunter families annually, a number that increases every year as the disease spreads across the continent. While testing of wild game for CWD is available, its cumbersome and the tests are not widely used in many places.

A major problem with determining whether CWD has affected humans is that it has a long latency. People who consume prions may not contract the resulting disease until many years later  so, if someone fell sick, there might not be an apparent connection to having eaten deer.

Prions are extremely persistent in the environment. They can remain in the ground for many years and even be taken up by plants.

Because the most likely route for spillover is through people who eat venison, quick testing of deer and other cervid carcasses is where prevention is focused. Right now, a hunter may drive a deer to a check station and have a lymph node sample sent to a lab. It can be a week or more before results come in, so most hunters skip it.

Montana, for example, is famous for its deer hunting. CWD was first detected in the wild there in 2017 and now has spread across much of the state. Despite warnings and free testing, Montana wildlife officials have not seen much concern among hunters.

We have not seen a decrease in deer hunting because of this, said Brian Wakeling, game management bureau chief for the Montana Department of Fish, Wildlife & Parks. In 2022 Montana hunters killed nearly 88,000 deer. Just 5,941 samples were taken, and 253 of those tested positive.

Experts believe a rapid test would greatly increase the number of animals tested and help prevent spillover.

Because of the importance of deer to Indigenous people, several tribal nations in Minnesota are working with experts at the University of Minnesota to come up with ways to monitor and manage the disease.

The threat and potential for the spread of CWD on any of our three reservations has the ability to negatively impact Ojibwe culture and traditions of deer hunting providing venison for our membership, said Doug McArthur, a tribal biologist for the White Earth Nation, in a statement announcing the program. (The other groups referenced are the Leech Lake Band of Ojibwe and Red Lake Band of Chippewa.) Tribes must be ready with a plan to manage and mitigate the effects of CWD  to ensure that the time-honored and culturally significant practice of harvesting deer is maintained for future generations.

Peter Larsen is an assistant professor in the College of Veterinary Medicine at the University of Minnesota and co-director of the Minnesota Center for Prion Research and Outreach. The center was formed to study numerous aspects of prions as part of the push to get ahead of possible spillover.

Our mission is to learn everything we can about not just CWD but other prionlike diseases, including Parkinsons and Alzheimers disease, he said. We are studying the biology and ecology of the misfolded protein, he said. How do prions move within the environment? How can we help mitigate risk and improve animal health and welfare?

Part of that mission is new technology to make testing faster and easier. Researchers have developed a way for hunters to do their own testing, though it can take weeks for results. Theres hope for, within the next two years, a test that will reduce the wait time to three to four hours.

With all the doom and gloom around CWD, we have real solutions that can help us fight this disease in new ways, said Larsen. Theres some optimism.
The recent weather pattern of nearly daily thunderstorm activity helped put a dent in the drought across the Catawba River Basin.

After dealing with a dry June and two sun-baked weeks in July, the past 10 days have offered daily afternoon and evening showers and thunderstorms to a large portion of North Carolina. The result is a decrease in severity of the drought as compared to the first half of the month.

From McDowell County eastward to Iredell County, a widespread 1-2-inch rainfall total has accumulated over the past 10 days with some areas picking up significantly higher amounts. Those rains have not erased drought concerns but lowered the severity in the region, according to U.S. Drought Monitor report last Thursday.

We are certainly making progress across the area with the drought and the hope is to continue making strides over the next few days, said Doug Outlaw, meteorologist with the National Weather Service in Greenville-Spartanburg.

Looking at specific data documented on the National Weather Service website, the Hickory area has been the biggest recipient of rain. Since July 15, 4.53 inches of rain has fallen at Hickory Regional Airport. The recent rains moved the monthly total to 4.71 inches, allowing the month to end above normal. The largest 24-hour rain total was 1.22 inches on July 24.

Burke and McDowell counties made up some ground over the past two weeks as well.

The Morganton COOP Station located at Broughton Hospital has received 5.59 inches of rain this month while Marion has received 3.86 inches. Statesville has also seen its fair share of the rain. As of late Monday afternoon the COOP station on the northeast side of Statesville had received 6.07 inches, which is around 2 inches above the normal amount for July.

Data from the Community Collaborative Rain, Hail and Snow Network (CoCoRaHS) shows 14-day rainfall amounts of more than 7 inches across southern Catawba County and southeast Burke County with 2-4 inches in McDowell County during the same timeframe.

Monday National Weather Service forecasts show heightened rain chances through Tuesday and then dropping down to 30% or less for the mid-to-late-week timeframe. With the decrease in rain will come a return of above normal temperatures for the second half of this week, something that could negate some of the recent gains made in the drought.

As we get hotter later in the week and dry out, the evaporation rates will increase, Outlaw said. Thats not particularly good as you can dry out the surface again.

Forecasted temperatures in the lower 90s are anticipated for Wednesday with mid-90s possible for Thursday and Friday, according to the National Weather Service forecasts.
The now closed Greensboro nonprofit run by Yolanda Hill, wife of Lt. Gov. Mark Robinson, has been determined to be seriously deficient by the N.C. Department of Health and Human Services.

On Wednesday, DHHS sent a notice to that effect to Hill and other Balanced Nutrition officials as well as documents from compliance reviews of the organizations operations.

Hill is listed as owner and chief financial officer while daughter Kimberly Cephas is operations manager. They, along with Chairwoman Renee Matthews-Jones, are who the state cite as being responsible for the organizations lack of compliance.

Robinson is the controversial 2024 Republican nominee for governor who, according to statewide polls, is in a close race with Democratic Attorney General Josh Stein.

Mike Lonergan, communications director for Robinson's governor campaign, issued a statement July 29 in which it said an independent auditor issued a report "with no material findings."

"Yet as soon as Mark Robinson announced his campaign for governor in April 2023, the Democrat-run state agency started moving the goalposts. Just as they are doing against President Trump, Democrats are weaponizing the bureaucracy to grind a political ax against their opponents.

"Needless to say, BNI is aware of these findings, vehemently disagrees with them, and is looking forward to challenging them on appeal.

Before being voluntarily closed on April 30, Balanced Nutrition served as a conduit between federal agencies and child care centers seeking grant funds to provide free and reduced-cost meals. The nonprofit provided services through the Child and Adult Care Food Program.

A N.C. Division of Child and Family Well-Being review was announced to the nonprofit in early March that was slated to begin April 15.

The Associated Press has reported  based on tax filings and state documents  that Balanced Nutrition collected roughly $7 million in government funding since 2017.

The nonprofit paid at least $830,000 in salaries to Hill, Robinson and other members of their family over the past seven years, according to the tax records and state documents.

According to the report, Balanced Nutrition did not report expenses accurately and unallowable expenses were claimed for four different child care centers.

DHHS has said the nonprofit received at least $24,400 in reimbursement for unverifiable client claims. DHHS is attempting to claw back those funds.

Even though Balanced Nutrition no longer operates, DHHS said the nonprofit and its officials must provide documentation that shows it has taken the required corrective action for each of the serious deficiencies cited by Aug. 7.

If that doesnt happen, DHHS said it will propose to disqualify the nonprofit and the three officials from further participation in the the Child and Adult Care Food Program that could last up to seven years.

The nonprofit and three officials can appeal a potential disqualification determination, but not the serious deficiency determination.

During Robinsons run for governor, there has been heightened criticism and scrutiny paid to Balanced Nutritions operations and financial status, both by Democrats during the general election and by Republican primary challengers that the DHHS review addresses in part.

Robinson described in his memoir, as reported by AP, how the operation brought fiscal stability to his family, giving him the ability to quit a furniture manufacturing job in 2018 and begin a career in conservative politics. He said he left employment to pursue elected office.

Mark Robinsons close connection to this failed and seriously deficient organization is deeply alarming, Devon Cruz, national press secretary for the Democratic Governors Association, said in a statement on Friday.

Robinson owes North Carolinians an explanation about his involvement in this series of major failures and exactly how this organization was using taxpayer dollars.

Numerous deficiencies

Although Hill chose to terminate the Child and Adult Care Food Program contract on April 30, DHHS proceeded with an already-scheduled review by the state division.

The division requested records from the nonprofit on March 1, March 18 and April 1 for the purposes of the review. When the review began April 22, the nonprofit was found to not have all pertinent documents at its 122 N. Elm St. office.

When DHHS requested in June an exit conference, the nonprofit did not respond, according to the review.

Among the areas cited as being in serious deficiency and requiring corrective actions were administration, recordkeeping, income eligibility applications, enrollment documentation, civil rights, program training, monitoring, meal counts, meal review, fiscal integrity and verification of a valid claim.

Of those areas, four were listed as repeat findings from the 2022-23 review.

One of the primary determinations is that Balanced Nutrition did not disclose to DHHS transactions involving relatives to Hill that included unidentified labor expenses claimed by Cephas.

One example is that the review determined Balanced Nutrition filed eight reimbursement claims for GingerBread Learning Center, based in Durham, between February 2023 and February 2024. GingerBread officials told DHHS it had not filed a claim since November 2022, which Hill acknowledged to DHHS reviewers.

According to the state, Gingerbread was among three clients  the others being Apple Tree Wee School of Rocky Mount and ABG Provider Services Child Care II of Greensboro  that did not maintain accurate income eligibility applications for free and reduced meals.

Balanced Nutrition was found to have filed claims for six clients for meals that did not meet the (Child and Adult Care Food Program) meal pattern.

There were seven clients determined not to have maintained accurate enrollment documentation. Four failed to receive annual civil rights training. And seven were found to have not gotten the required program monitoring.

Responses

Tyler Brooks, a Greensboro attorney representing Balanced Nutrition, was involved in talks with DHHS and Hill in late April, according to the report. Brooks could not be immediately reached for comment.

The Associated Press reported Brooks has questioned the timing of the DHHS review, alleging Balanced Nutrition was being targeted because Hill is Robinsons wife.

In June, campaign spokesman Michael Lonergan defended Balance Nutritions work in comments to the AP, citing a routine audit that didnt find any material weaknesses in the organizations 2021 finances.

Lt. Gov. Robinson is proud of the work his wife has done to help needy children get nutritious meals, Lonergan said. Democrats are weaponizing bureaucracy against the family of their political opponents.
The North Carolina Sheriffs Association hosted sheriffs, sheriffs personnel and their families from across North Carolina for its Annual Business Conference this week.

Each year, the Annual Business Conference allows sheriffs and their personnel to gather for training classes, panel discussions, networking and more. Training classes and panel discussions cover a variety of law enforcement issues. This year, topics included emerging trends in the fentanyl crisis and how the influence of Mexican drug cartels are affecting our borders. Attendees also had the opportunity to hear presentations from guest speakers and attend various association meetings during the conference.

New officers installed

The North Carolina Sheriffs Association also elects new association officers each year at the Annual Business Conference. This years elections resulted in five sheriffs being elected to new offices:

President: Sheriff Mike Roberson, Chatham County

First vice president: Sheriff Ricky Buchanan, McDowell County

Second vice president: Sheriff Clee Atkinson, Edgecombe County

Third vice president: Sheriff Jeff Crisco, Stanly County

Secretary: Sheriff Joey Lemons, Stokes County

Outgoing president, Sheriff Darren Campbell, Iredell County, will transition to the role of chairman of the executive committee, and Sheriff Van Shaw, Cabarrus County, was reelected as treasurer.

I am truly honored to have been elected by my peers to serve as president of the association, Sheriff Mike Roberson said. Its a privilege to represent and support my fellow sheriffs in the coming year. The associations Annual Business Conference is a valuable opportunity for us to come together, share our experiences, and learn from each other. Through our collaborative efforts, we are committed to continually enhancing the service we provide to our communities.

Founded in 1922, the North Carolina Sheriffs Association is a statewide not-for-profit professional and educational organization of our states 100 sheriffs. Through their association, sheriffs work to strengthen the law enforcement profession and services their offices provide to the people of North Carolina.
A green field carved out of the 1,365 acres at Duke Energys Marshall Steam Station stands in stark contrast to the larger, gray areas where 13 million tons of coal ash sit waiting to be moved.

That opening in the woods surrounded by trees is where the company plans an expansion of its natural gas operations that would eventually eliminate the need for coal to provide power to roughly two million people in the Carolinas.

If that happens, we wont have all these rail cars coming in and unloading coal, which will be a little bit quieter for our neighbors, too, Bill Norton said while giving a media tour of the plant earlier this month. Norton is a principal communications manager for Duke Energy Corporate Communications.

Duke officials said less coal means less coal ash, one of the by-products of burning coal.

Being a quiet and cleaner neighbor are two of the selling points the company brought forward in evidentiary hearings with the North Carolina Utilities Commission in Raleigh this week. Those begin a process for the power companys plans to cease coal operations for the oldest two units at Marshall Steam Station by the end of 2028 and convert fully to natural gas at Marshall by 2031, pending NCUC approval.

Ultimately its up to the North Carolina Utilities Commission, so I wouldnt want to project whether theyll approve it or not, ultimately its their call, Norton said. But in evaluating our long-range plan, the public staff, which is the customers advocate, agreed that natural gas was necessary to keep powering North Carolinas economy. So when you have that additional assessment, and the support of local officials advocating for it, its a good message. It sends a good signal that this is needed for our robust economy.

The hearings continue through Aug. 9 before resuming Sept. 3. Norton said that Duke Energy expects a ruling on its plans by the end of this year.

Past, present, and future on display

Natural gas is the present and future of the Marshall Steam Station, and coal is its present and past.

Natural gas, which produces fewer pollutants and carbon emissions than burning coal, can also power the existing coal units thanks to a conversion completed in 2020, according to Norton. The plant already switches between burning coal and natural gas depending on which is cheaper, though coal operations take more than 12 hours to get up and running compared to 10 to 15 minutes for natural gas at the proposed new facility.

It also doesnt produce coal ash, of which 17.1 million tons have been buried around the Marshall Steam Station since it opened in 1964, according to Duke Energy documents.

Coal ash contains arsenic, lead, and mercury, along with other heavy metals. For years it was stored at the Marshall Steam Station below the water level. Those potentially toxic materials in the coal ash are why residents in Mooresville and around Lake Norman have questioned if it is the cause of an increased number of thyroid cancer cases in Iredell County. However, a North Carolina Department of Environmental Quality study in 2020 did not show a link with coal ash.

Not needing additional coal ash storage is something that environmental groups like the Catawba Riverkeeper Foundation will be glad to see if Duke Energys plans of going fully to natural gas are approved.

The environmental organization was one of the groups involved with the settlement the company made in 2020 after years of litigation with environmental groups. Duke Energy agreed to remove nearly 80 million tons of coal ash from six facilities in North Carolina and store it safely on-site.

The concern at the Marshall Steam Station comes from the fact the power plant is located just across the Iredell County border in Sherrills Ford on the edge of Lake Norman.

There were more than 16 million tons of coal ash at the Marshall Steam Station that will be excavated. So far the energy company has removed 3.3 million tons below the water table to above it and there are approximately 13.3 million tons remaining. Duke Energy has a deadline of 2035 to finish the project, though Norton said the company shouldnt have any problem meeting that goal.

That work is currently seen in the man-made hills as coal ash has been moved from the storage basin that was closed in 2019. The coal ash basin where it was stored is less than a mile northwest on the property from the Marshall Steam Station. The coal ash is dug out of the basin and moved into nearby lined landfills on the property. When finished, the coal ash is covered with dirt. a waterproof liner and native grasses are planted on top of it.

The coal ash is sealed in from the top and bottom with a mix of natural and synthetic materials to create a barrier and prevent coal ash material from potentially polluting groundwater. Monitoring stations are spread out along the property to monitor for leaks. No landfil leaks have been reported at the Marshall Steam Station so far, according to Norton.

Catawba Riverkeeper Brandon Jones toured the Marshall Steam Station and said seeing the process in action was a satisfying result of the organizations work. Bulldozers, articulated dump trucks, and excavators dig millions of tons of coal ash produced from the power plants coal operations over the past six decades out of the ground to store it safely elsewhere on the property.

Being out there on the site and seeing the ash being moved, seeing their waste treatment plants, its a tremendous amount of progress that has been made, Jones said. Were not done yet obviously, theres a lot more work to be done getting the coal ash from below the water table, but being able to be on-site and actually seeing the efforts of my predecessors and myself over the last seven years was really fulfilling.

A relationship reset

Jones said the settlement also served as a way to reset the relationship it had with Duke Energy and move forward in a way that was beneficial for the public and the company.

We have the same incentives now. They want this thing cleaned up. They want to move on. We want it cleaned up and theres lots of pollution and issues that we need to work on in the basin, too, Jones said. Everybodys pushing the same direction right now, which is really nice. Duke has been extremely transparent about this process, which is fantastic.

The Catawba Riverkeeper praised Duke Energys willingness to answer questions throughout the process. The organization still serves as a watchdog, but Jones said the goals are currently aligned.

Weve been in that trust but verify mode so far, but again, very impressed with all the work that theyve done in the last year or so.

Jones said much of what Duke Energy is doing isnt just about the incentives of being more environmentally friendly but also makes business sense for the company.

Theyre an energy company, theyre not a coal company. Theyre not loyal to the coal industry, theyre trying to produce power at the lowest rate possible, Jones said. The market for coal is moving on, they are happy to be done with that liability. Having these ash basins next to our drinking water intakes is always a major liability so they certainly have every incentive to want to reduce that just like we do.
Dutch-based telecommunications equipment supplier Eurofiber acquired the data centre operations of Dutch IT infrastructure service provider Bytesnet and taken over two data centres in Netherlands.

Bytesnet is a Dutch provider of colocation, high performance computing, cloud, and connectivity. With data centres in Groningen (dROOT, built in 2018) and Rotterdam (Spanish Cube, 2009), it offers colocation services to its customers in sectors including healthcare, education, and government.

Terms of the deal were not disclosed. In a statement, Eurofiber said the acquisition strengthens its position in the regional edge data centre segment, supporting its long-term growth objectives for open access digital infrastructure.

It adds Bytesnet CEO and co-founder Peter de Jong will remain closely involved with Bytesnet to ensure smooth integration with Eurofiber.

There is an increasing demand from parties who want to manage their data entirely or partially in the private Dutch cloud, so they can physically access it easily and have the guarantee that their crucial data does not leave our country, comments Bytesnet co-founder and CEO Peter de Jong.

Together with the exponential growth of data, partly due to AI, there is a need for scaling up. To achieve this, we have sought a buyer with experience, ambition, and financial strength. We are therefore very pleased with the agreement with Eurofiber.

Per Data Centre Dynamics, the Groningen Internet Exchange (GN-IX) was founded in 1999 and spun out Bytesnet in 2008.

Bytesnet, which started in Groningen, initially rented a data centre space at various data centres including those of the University of Groningen, before building out its own spaces.

The Groningen facility covers around 5,000 sqm (53,820 sq ft). It uses immersion cooling and is part of a district heating scheme with WarmteStad Groningen.

The Rotterdam facility is located in the Spaanse Kubus office building.

Eurofiber operates a fibre optic network stretching over 70,500 kilometers in the Netherlands, Belgium, France, and Germany, providing extensive coverage across these markets.

In addition, Eurofiber offers cloud infrastructure solutions including colocation and private cloud services from data centres in the Netherlands and France.

This is not the first time Eurofiber acquired other data centres. It acquired Eura DC in 2019, which operated space in a Etix facility in Lille and its own site in Douai and Dutch provider Dataplace in 2016.

It acquired French B2B telecom providers Appliwave and Avelia from Septeo in 2023. It also acquired the entirety of its joint venture with Vattenfall earlier this year.

Data Centre Dynamics also reported Eurofibers French hosting and telecoms unit FullSave opened a new data centre in Auch last year.
Australia yesterday launched a new $18 million cable connectivity and resilience centre to help undersea cable networks in the Indo-Pacific area.

The Guardian reported that Foreign Minister Penny Wong announced the centre while in Japan for the Quad foreign ministers' meeting alongside counterparts from the United States, Japan, and India.

The Quad, officially the Quadrilateral Security Dialogue, consists of the United States, Australia, India, and Japan. According to Council on Foreign Relations, maritime cooperation among the countries formed after the Indian Ocean tsunami of 2004.

But today, they all work on a far broader agenda, which includes tackling security, economic, and health issues.

The Council of Foreign Relations added the countries' relations have waxed and waned.

But in 2021, "leaders in all four countries have become more aligned in their shared concerns about Chinas increasingly assertive behavior in the region and are more willing to define a constructive agenda of cooperation."

In a statement, Wong said the centre is integral to the "prosperity and security of our region."

Australia will invest more than $18 million over the next four years in the centre, drawing from its extensive undersea telecommunications cables expertise and experience to:

- Provide technical assistance and training across the Indo-Pacific.

- Commission research and analysis to support Indo-Pacific governments with policy development, regulations, and decision-making regarding undersea cables.

- Share information and host dialogues to strengthen engagement between Indo-Pacific governments and industry.

However, more than just providing connectivity, the establishment of the centre is a sign that Australia is stepping up its efforts to limit China's influence in the Pacific.

The Guardian reported that the centre is an infrastructure and assistance the Pacific nations need, critical to "prevent China from establishing a stronger presence in the region."

Undersea cables connect island nations in the Pacific. Some connections extend to Australia as the closest major developed landmass.

The Chinese government had eyed projects in the region, pursuing to narrow the connectivity gap experienced in nations such as Nauru and Fiji.

In 2022, China pursued a Pacific-wide deal which included communications.

The latest announcement is a renewed push by the US and Australia to strategically "freeze China" out of the Pacific, The Guardian reported.

In late 2023, both countries announced plans for Google and Microsoft to build Pacific cables as part of the Pacific Connect initiative, which blocked Chinese-owned Huawei from establishing its own cables.
GUEST OPINION: Australian small and medium-sized businesses (SMBs) understand the importance of enterprise resource planning (ERP) systems, with most having already implemented systems to streamline operations. However, many face challenges with outdated or poorly integrated solutions.

Josh McHugh-Cullen, regional account executive, ECI Software Solutions, said, "Using multiple software systems leads to duplicated data entry, inconsistent data formats, and time-consuming manual processes. These inefficiencies reduce employee productivity and increase the risk of errors. For example, entering the same data into different systems for accounting, inventory, and customer relationship management wastes time and increases inaccuracies."

Maintaining multiple systems also involves higher operational costs, including licensing fees, IT support, and training expenses for different platforms. Delays in information flow due to a lack of integration can affect decision-making and operational agility, and manual data reconciliation between systems can increase labour costs. At the same time, organisations must adhere to various regulatory requirements concerning data protection and financial reporting.

Josh McHugh-Cullen said, "Disparate systems complicate compliance efforts, making it difficult to maintain accurate and up-to-date records. This fragmented approach also poses security risks, as sensitive data is spread across multiple platforms with varying security measures, increasing the likelihood of data breaches.

"Businesses can achieve greater efficiency, cost savings, and enhanced competitiveness by shifting from disparate systems to a modern, integrated ERP solution. Upgrading their ERP systems lets them overcome the limitations of fragmented processes and position themselves for sustainable growth."

A modern, integrated ERP system offers numerous benefits, including:

Enhanced integration and connectivity

Upgrading to a modern, integrated ERP system centralises all business data into a single platform, providing a unified view of operations. This integration enhances data accuracy and integrity, facilitating real-time access to critical information. Sales teams can access inventory levels and customer order histories immediately for better service and faster response times.

Cost savings and increased return on investment (ROI)

Implementing a modern ERP system yields significant cost savings. Automating routine tasks reduces the need for manual intervention, while streamlined processes minimise errors and enhance productivity. Businesses can achieve higher ROI by eliminating redundant systems and leveraging the comprehensive capabilities of a modern ERP solution.

Improved decision-making

Upgraded ERP systems empower business leaders to make informed decisions quickly with real-time data and advanced analytics. The ability to generate customisable reports and dashboards provides deep insights into various aspects of the business, from financial performance to supply chain efficiency. This improved visibility supports strategic planning and helps businesses stay competitive.

Scalability and flexibility

Modern ERP systems scale with the business. SMBs can add new functionalities and users to their ERP platform easily as they grow. Cloud-based ERP solutions offer flexibility and reduce the burden of IT maintenance, empowering businesses to focus on core activities.

Josh McHugh-Cullen said, "Businesses should look for ERP solutions that offer seamless integration with other business applications, such as customer relationship management (CRM) and e-commerce platforms, to support a holistic approach to data management. Thorough planning and involving key stakeholders in the decision-making process are essential for a successful transition to a new ERP system. Providing comprehensive training for all users and maintaining and updating the system regularly will keep the system aligned with changing business needs.

"Australian businesses using modern, integrated ERP systems can look forward to increased productivity and growth opportunities with improved efficiency, lower costs, and better decision-making capabilities.
As we look towards 2050, Australia, like much of the world, is focused on transitioning to a clean energy future.

This is particularly evident within the halls of government  with both major parties proposing their very different pathways in the lead-up to the next federal election.

While each side will present its case and stake its political future on their proposed solution, a crucial question remains: Do we have the infrastructure to support this energy transition, regardless of whether we choose nuclear or renewables?

With significant public and private capital expenditure on the line, the answer hinges on a very simple yet vital solution  digital infrastructure.

Reaching its full potential

With the advent of grid-interactive infrastructure, adoption of electric vehicles in public transport, and development of new solar farms, there is a clear shift occurring towards a more sustainable future.

However, while we focus on the end goals of these large-scale projects, we often overlook how to ensure these assets reach their full potential and avoid becoming infamous white elephants. This is where digital infrastructure plays a critical role in achieving sustainability goals.

Australia still has a long way to go in embracing digital infrastructures. The Australian Productivity Commissions Advancing Prosperity report found that fewer than 2% of Australian businesses effectively harness data and leverage digital technology to achieve their business goals.

The report highlighted insufficient ICT knowledge and uncertainty around costs and benefits as key barriers to adoption. There is a clear skills and knowledge gap in utilising digital infrastructures, which threatens the success of our large-scale energy transition projects. Regardless of political positions, a bipartisan approach is essential to ensure Australia is adequately prepared to facilitate this transition and maximise our investments.

Advanced projects require advanced technology

Whether we forge down the path of nuclear or renewable energy, its clear that each option requires significant management and maintenance of highly complex assets that will need best-in-class maintenance.

Nuclear plants already go through rigorous testing and maintenance to ensure they are well-managed and maintained in the interest of public safety. In Australia, our high standards of regulation and governance ensure these structures, systems and components operate safely and efficiently.Renewable energy assets, such as solar panels and wind turbines, face their own challenges, such as being subject to extreme weather and environmental conditions. Additionally, many of these assets are located in remote areas, making access and maintenance difficult and costly.

Whichever path we take, we are embarking on a substantial investment in advanced assets that will shape our energy future. Given these assets are highly advanced, technical and are required to produce a significant amount of energy to support an increasingly intensive demand, shouldnt we be thinking more about how were going to keep the power on? This is where technology  particularly the power of predictive maintenance - comes into play.

Better Maintenance, Better Outcomes

Better asset maintenance brings numerous advantages, particularly financial ones.

Predictive maintenance enables organisations to manage maintenance schedules more effectively, optimising labour resources, reducing downtime, and avoiding costly, labour-intensive maintenance procedures.

These insights are powered by comprehensive data analytics and real-time monitoring systems, utilising IoT technologies to track irregularities in sound, vibration, temperature, moisture and more. AI-fuelled digital twin data modelling systems can predict issues before they occur.

By implementing these advanced technological solutions, businesses can make informed, data-driven decisions, ultimately producing alternative energy more affordably and benefiting all Australians.

This is a rare moment in our history to get things right. While challenges, risks, and issues persist in our transition to cleaner energy, each presents a unique opportunity to power our nations future.

To truly harness this potential, we must create the infrastructure and support necessary for these technologies to thrive.

Without it, their promise will remain unfulfilled.

Warren Zietsman, Managing Director of IFS Australia and New Zealand
Cyber Resilience research commissioned by Cohesity, a leader in AI-powered data security and management, reveals many Australian organisations overestimate their cyber resilience capability, in the face of increasingly voluminous and sophisticated cyberattacks, resulting in serious business continuity risks and the paying of ransoms. This research polled from 502 Australian IT and Security decision-makers confirms cyberattacks - especially ransomware - continue to rise, with most respondents falling victim to a ransomware attack in the last six months; and, of those, most having paid a ransom in the past year. Most respondents also said the threat of cyberattacks to their organisation's industry of operation has or will increase in 2024 compared to 2023.

According to respondents, companies cyber resilience strategies are holding up against a worsening cyber threat landscape, with close to 4 in 5 (79%) respondents saying they have confidence in their companys cyber resilience strategy and its ability to address todays escalating cyber challenges and threats.[1] At the same time, 3 in 5 (60%) Australian respondents revealed they had been the victim of a ransomware attack in the six months prior to being surveyed, with 94% saying the threat of cyberattacks to their industry would increase or had increased this year, and close to half (48%) saying it had or will increase by over 50% compared to 2023.

Ransom Paying A Reality, Causing Organisations To Break Do Not Pay Policies

However, despite the majority of Australian respondents saying they were mostly confident or had complete confidence in their organisations cyber resilience strategy, only 7% of respondents said their company would not pay a ransom to recover data and restore business processes. Over 4 in 5 (81%) said their company would, and 12% said maybe, depends on how much the ransom is. With 6 in 10 (60%) Australian respondents saying their company would be willing to pay over US$1 million in ransoms to recover data and restore business processes and over 1 in 3 (34%) saying their company would be willing to pay over US$3 million.

Concerningly, over half (54%) of Australian respondents said their organisation had paid a ransom in the last year, before being surveyed, despite 7 in 10 (72%) saying their company had a do not pay policy. The more than 270 Australian respondents who have paid a ransom, said they had paid ransom(s)[2] totaling[3]:

48% have paid ransom(s) between US$1 - US$249,999 (AUD: $1 - $376,000)

23% have paid ransom(s) between US$250,000 - US$499,999 (AUD: $375,687 - $751,000)

18% have paid ransom(s) between US$500,000 - US$999,999 (AUD: $751,483 - $1,503,000)

8% have paid ransom(s) between US$1,000,000 - US$2,999,999 (AUD: $1,503,056 - $4,509,000)

3% have paid ransom(s) between US$3,000,000 - US$4,999,999 (AUD: $4,509,169 - $7,515,000)

1% have paid ransom(s) between US$5,000,000 - US$9,999,999 (AUD: $7,514,989 - $15,030,000)

The reality for organisations is that destructive cyberattacks, like ransomware, are a when, not if, the reality that threatens their business continuity. However, organisations can tackle this reality head-on by enhancing their cyber resilience - the ability to rapidly respond and recover from cyberattacks or traditional business continuity scenarios - by adopting modern data security, response, and recovery capabilities, said Matt Old, Director of Cloud Alliances, Cohesity Asia-Pacific & Japan. Organisations may have the greatest confidence in their cyber resilience, both in their strategy and capabilities, but the reality is that the majority are paying ransoms or would pay a ransom, which means many organisations overestimate their cyber resilience.

Unrealistic Data Recovery & Restoration of Business Processes Undermines Cyber Resilience

Cyber resilience is the technology backbone for business continuity. Cyber resilience defines companies ability to recover their data and restore business processes when they suffer a cyberattack. However, cyber resilience remains a challenge that threatens business continuity, according to Australian respondents:

Only 5% of respondents said they could recover data & restore business processes within 24 hours

19% said their company could recover data and restore business processes within 1-3 days

36% said they could recover and restore in 4 to 6 days, while 30% would need 1-2 weeks

10% said they would need 3 weeks to 2 months, to recover data and restore business processes

Conversely, when asked what their organisations targeted optimum recovery time objectives (RTO) to minimise business impact in the event of a cyberattack or incident of compromise' was, 97% of respondents said their targeted optimum recovery time was within one day - despite only 5% saying they could recover data and restore business processes within this same period. Over 4 in 10 (43%) said their targeted optimum RTO was within two hours.

Customers and consumers expect consistent continuity of operations or services, which is why effective cyber resilience is vital. Yet, only 5% said their organisations tolerance to disruption of business continuity and downtime due to a cyberattack or data breach was within 24 hours. In fact, 32% of respondents said their tolerance for downtime was within 1-3 days, 51% said 4-6 days and 10% said more than a week, and collectively, this provided a mean tolerance for downtime of 4.38 days. Interestingly, over 1 in 2 (55%) respondents said they had stress-tested their data security, data management, and data recovery processes or solutions by simulating a response to a cyber event or data breach in the past six months.

Zero Trust Security & Data Privacy Remains A Challenge Despite Enhanced Regulation & Legislation

Nearly half (46%) of respondents said the centralised visibility of critical data between IT & Security could be improved to detect anomalies and determine sensitive data exposure or breaches[4]. When asked about their data access control measures to align with zero trust security principles, barely more than 3 in 5 companies had deployed multi-factor authentication, and barely half of respondents had deployed features requiring multiple approvals or role-based access controls:

Multi-factor Authentication (MFA): 61%

61% Quorum Controls or Administrative Rules requiring multiple approvals: 56%

56% Role-Based Access Control (RBAC): 53%

The most vital element of cyber resilience is the ability to recover business-critical data that restores key business processes. But you cant restore critical data, if you dont secure it from external or internal threats first. This starts with deploying effective data access controls like multifactor authentication (MFA) or role-based access controls (RBAC), said Matt Old, Director of Cloud Alliances, Cohesity Asia-Pacific & Japan. The fact that almost 1 in 2 organisations are not implementing these controls to protect sensitive data is alarming and demonstrates a significant risk to an organisations cyber resilience. Especially given everyday consumers and end-users are often - and rightly - required to have MFA enabled to secure their account credentials, with MFA also an important defence measure against AI-based attack techniques.

Despite governments and public institutions going to great lengths to encourage more robust cybersecurity, data protection, and data privacy measures, just over half (53%) of respondents said they had all the IT & Security technology capabilities to identify sensitive data and comply with applicable data privacy laws and regulations. Yet, 83% of respondents also said that advanced threat detection, data isolation, and data classification were vital to their organisations qualification for cyber insurance or to secure discounts on their cyber insurance policies.

When asked What, if any, industries and/or sectors do you think are most impacted by cyberattacks?, respondents selected these as the Top 7 industries or sectors most impacted[5]:

Australia:

IT & Technology - 56% Banking & Wealth Management - 36% Financial Services (including insurance companies) - 33% Utilities (including Water, Electricity, Gas, and other energy services companies) - 27% Telecommunications & Media (including streaming services) - 27% Government & Public Services - 26% Manufacturing - 26%

AI A Plus & Minus In Managing Escalating Cyber Threats

According to respondents, organisations must now contend with AI-based cyberattacks or cyber threats, with over 4 in 5 (82%) respondents saying they had responded to what they believe to be AI-based attacks or threats within the last 12 months. Of those respondents who said: Yes, 80% said they had the necessary AI-powered solutions to counter and respond to these attacks. Of the 20% who said they had not responded to AI-based cyberattacks or cyber threats in the past year, just 2 in 5 (42%) said they have the necessary AI-powered solutions to counter and respond to these attacks, close to 4 in 10 (39%) said they do not, and almost 1 in 5 (18%) said they were unsure.

Cyber resilience is non-negotiable because the incentive and motivation of attackers is so high, with attack surfaces incredibly vast, so a reliance on protective controls is unrealistic, said Matt Old, Director of Cloud Alliances, Cohesity Asia-Pacific & Japan. Successful cyberattacks and data breaches severely disrupt business continuity; impacting revenue, reputation, and customer trust. This risk must be at the forefront of business leaders priorities, not just IT and Security leaders. Similarly, regulation and legislation should not be seen by companies as the ceiling, but instead the floor, in developing cyber resilience, and adopting both data security and data recovery capabilities.

About the survey:



The findings are based on a survey of 502 Australian IT & Security decision-makers (split as close to 50:50 as possible) commissioned by Cohesity and conducted by Censuswide between 27.06.2024 and 18.07.2024. The top five industries respondents selected as best representing their company's operations, in descending order: IT & Technology, Hospitals & Healthcare, Banking & Wealth Management, Manufacturing, and Telecommunications & Media (including Streaming Services). Censuswide abides by and employs the Market Research Society members, follows the MRS code of conduct and ESOMAR principles, and is a member of the British Polling Council.

Additional Resources

About Cohesity

Cohesity is a leader in AI-powered data security and management. Aided by an extensive ecosystem of partners, Cohesity makes it easier to secure, protect, manage, and get value from data  across the data centre, edge, and cloud. Cohesity helps organizations defend against cybersecurity threats with comprehensive data security and management capabilities, including immutable backup snapshots, AI-based threat detection, monitoring for malicious behaviour, and rapid recovery at scale. Cohesity solutions can be delivered as a service, self-managed, or provided by a Cohesity-powered partner. Cohesity is headquartered in San Jose, CA, and is trusted by the worlds largest enterprises, including 47 of the Fortune

[1] Respondents were provided with the NIST definition of cyber resiliency at the start of the survey: The ability to anticipate, withstand, recover from, and adapt to adverse conditions, stresses, attacks, or compromises on systems that use or are enabled by cyber resources. Cyber resiliency is intended to enable mission or business objectives that depend on cyber resources to be achieved in a contested cyber environment.

[2] Respondents were asked to select the ransom amount they had paid with the last year and if they had paid multiple ransoms; to select the total amount of the ransoms they had paid.

[3] The Australian Dollar amounts for this data have been rounded to the nearest 1,000 AUD. However, at the time of the survey being issued these were asked at direct Australian dollar amounts to the corresponding US dollar figure bands.

[4] This combines all respondents who selected: Yes, but we could better centralise our visibility of critical data between IT & Security, Yes, we have somewhat centralised our visibility of critical data between IT & Security, No, we have minimal centralised visibility of critical data between IT & Security, No, we have no centralised visibility of critical data between IT & Security, and No, please specify.

[5] Respondents were asked to select their Top 7, which is why these percentage figures total over 100% for this data set.
Erica Riggeal plays with her son at the Sagamihara Housing Area outdoor swimming pool July 19 during an Army Community Service-hosted child-parent bonding pool playgroup. (Photo by Noriko Kudo)

SAGAMIHARA FAMILY HOUSING AREA, Japan  A new pool playgroup offered here is giving parents the chance to bond with their young children through playtime while also allowing them to stay cool in the summer heat.

Camp Zamas Army Community Service developed the playgroup and will host it every Friday through Aug. 16 at the Sagamihara Family Housing Area outdoor swimming pool. The first session was offered July 19.

Jenny Thapa-Sitaula, a new parent program specialist at ACS, said her organization decided to extend its regular playgroup offering to include pool activities during the summer months, with a goal of strengthening the connection between parents and their newborn to toddler-age children.

ShanDreaha Shay LaNedtra Hudak plays with her son at the Sagamihara Housing Area outdoor swimming pool July 19 during an Army Community Service-hosted child-parent bonding pool playgroup. (Photo by Noriko Kudo)

Military families often face challenges of separation or isolation, making it difficult to build a support network in the community, Thapa-Sitaula explained. This event helps provide a free playgroup specifically designed for parents and babies to strengthen their bond, as well as social interaction with other community members.

Thapa-Sitaula said for children, playing is very crucial because it helps cultivate skills like independence, imagination, creativity and problem-solving. Programs like the pool playgroup can also help children develop social and emotional well-being, and provide parents an opportunity for community-building where they can share experiences, tips and ideas with each other, she said.

[The parents] are getting to interact with each other, Thapa-Sitaula said. I think they were having a great time.

Thapa-Sitaula said she also hopes that through the program, parents in the community will connect and can come to rely on each other, which she said helps families build a sense of community and resiliency while also getting to spend time with their children.

Erica Riggeal, a mother of three, said the program was a wonderful opportunity to spend some quality time with not only her youngest child, but all of them.

This is the first time that me and my kids have done anything pool-related this summer, Riggeal said. The program offers a new experience and educational value with professionals, and I found it very beneficial with all of my kids.

Riggeal said she always feels welcome at events like the pool playground and that they make her feel like a part of the community here.

We really enjoyed it, she said. Well definitely be back.

The remaining dates for the pool playgroup are scheduled for Aug. 2, 9 and 16 from 10:30 to 11:30 a.m. for parents and children ages zero to 3 years old. It is free to attend and there is no registration required. For more information, contact ACS at 263-4357 or email jenny.thapa-sitaula.ctr@army.mil.
Midway into a second day of deliberations, jurors on Tuesday found Lincoln man Joshua Tackett guilty of child abuse resulting in the death of his girlfriend's 22-month-old son last year.

After the bailiff read the verdict on count one, members of Rudy Requejo-Ybarra's family could be heard exhaling deeply, as if they'd been holding their collective breaths.

In closing arguments a day earlier, both sides agreed on one thing: the shocking and terrible extent of young Rudy's injuries, which included broken ribs, a broken leg, a black eye and a head injury.

But who was responsible for it was another story.

"It's hard to imagine someone beating, burning, pinching, punching, slamming, throwing, grabbing and twisting a 22-month-old boy who is deaf to death," Deputy Lancaster County Attorney Amy Goodro told the jury late Monday morning. "But that's what the evidence has shown beyond a reasonable doubt that Mr. Tackett did."

On March 12, 2023, a Sunday, Rudy was life-flighted to Children's Nebraska hospital in Omaha, but it would be too late to save him. He died there of a head injury that caused bleeding on his brain.

Tackett's attorney, Tim Noerrlinger, said there were two people in the home  Tackett and Rudy's mother, Brittany Cook  and no indication who had done it without jurors engaging in "guess, conjecture or speculation," which they aren't allowed to do.

He said it was impossible even for the state's medical expert at trial  Dr. Suzanne Haney  to determine who committed those crimes.

"Because they are crimes," Noerrlinger said. "Someone beat Rudy up, and it's sad. But that doesn't mean the state can prove ... beyond a reasonable doubt, that Mr. Tackett is the one that did it."

He argued that more evidence pointed to Cook.

Prosecutors couldn't even prove Tackett was home that morning because investigators hadn't asked for cell tower records, he said.

Noerrlinger said the only evidence about how Rudy's leg was broken involved Tackett getting woozy at the sight of blood and passing out while holding him, falling on Rudy.

Cook's oldest daughter said Tackett had fallen, and he was seen on the floor coming to. That, Noerrlinger argued, wouldn't amount to first-degree assault because it hadn't been intentional.

Noerrlinger said Tackett had limited interaction with Rudy and several others had been watching him around the time his ribs were broken. He said there was insufficient evidence to prove who caused Rudy's black eye or his other injuries, including the suspected shaking.

"However, there certainly appears to be more evidence to point to Ms. Cook and her presence in the home at the time than to Mr. Tackett," he argued.

Noerrlinger pointed to Cook's circuitous route to the hospital, past two other closer hospitals, as actions of Cook's "guilty mind."

"This is a tragic, sad case," he said. "I feel for the family of Rudy Jr. But when you deliberate, ... you need to look at the evidence. And when you look at the evidence in this case, I would suggest to you that the state cannot prove who committed the offense in this case."

Goodro, on the other side, pointed to a 17-minute call March 12, 2023, between Tackett and Cook, as she drove Rudy to a Lincoln hospital unconscious, wrapped up tight in a blanket and covered in bruises.

"They're trying to come up with a story right before she gets to the hospital so that neither one of them will get in trouble for what they've done," she said.

At the hospital, Goodro said, that's where the lies, excuses and covering up for Tackett start on Cook's part.

Rudy had healing broken ribs and leg, as well as signs of ongoing abuse, along with bruises, scrapes and burns.

But it was a head injury that would cause the little boy's death.

"Maybe the issue here really is how do we know it was Joshua Tackett. How do we know it was him and not anyone else? There were multiple other caregivers," Goodro said. "The answer is simple. The other people cared."

She said Tackett didn't even shed a tear seeing the photographs of Rudy's injuries at trial.

As for Cook? Goodro said she was guilty, too, but in a different way. She knew Tackett was abusing her son and did nothing.

Cook stands accused of the same charge, her trial set for September.

After Cook brought Rudy Jr. into the ER at CHI St. Elizabeth unresponsive at about 4 p.m. March 12, 2023, she told investigators her son had fallen down the stairs and slammed into a baby gate a couple of days earlier but seemed fine after.

Then, when she went to wake him up from a nap on the afternoon of March 12, 2023, he just wouldn't wake up.

Cook later acknowledged the fall never happened.

And phone records show she had searched on her phone the night before about whether a toddler could sleep with a concussion before she went to the casino with Tackett, leaving Rudy home alone with his 3- and 4-year-old sisters.

Haney, the child abuse pediatrician, testified that after Rudy sustained the brain injury it would have been immediately clear he wasn't OK.

When police searched Tackett's apartment on G Street, where Cook and her kids had just moved in a few days earlier, they found evidence of tension, Goodro said. Fast food, which Cook had bought the night before, had been thrown in the bedroom. Ketchup was on the wall.

Goodro said it's the state's theory that Rudy never woke up Sunday morning. That he was unconscious, suffering the side effects of a fatal brain injury. Cook and Tackett just didn't realize it until 10 or 11 a.m., when Cook started a series of more searches on her phone that made it clear things were terribly wrong with her little boy.

"Mr. Tackett is home. He knows what happened to Rudy. Not only because he saw Rudy that morning, but because he did that to Rudy," the prosecutor said.

The jury got the case just after 11:30 a.m. Monday and returned with its verdict at about 2:30 p.m. Tuesday, finding Tackett guilty of child abuse resulting in death and delivery of marijuana in a school zone.

He could get up to life in prison at his sentencing in October.

Jurors found Tackett not guilty of three other felony charges: first-degree assault and two gun charges for being a felon in possession of firearms that Cook had put under the bed in his apartment when she moved in.

In a statement posted to social media Tuesday night, the family of Rudy said: Although this GUILTY verdict doesn't bring Rudy Jr. home nor provide the family with closure or healing ... it brings us closer to ensuring this murderer is not given the opportunity to take another childs life. Let's keep moving forward with hope and determination.

Top Journal Star photos for July 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.

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Kenosha residents rallied Sunday to decry the fatal shooting of a Black woman by an Illinois sheriffs deputy earlier this month.

They gathered at Civic Center Park, 900 57th St., to join the national day of mourning for Sonya Massey, 36, who was fatally shot in her Illinois home by a now-fired deputy charged in her death.

She was killed by a white Sangamon County Sheriffs Office deputy in Woodside Township near Springfield, Illinois, after she called 911 to report a possible prowler on July 6. Autopsy findings revealed she died from a gunshot wound to the head, according to the county coroner.

Were here to stand with the rest of the country in solidarity (after) another senseless killing of another unarmed Black woman, Sonya Massey, said Tanya McLean, executive director of Leaders of Kenosha, a local social justice nonprofit. Were just here in spirit and in truth to stand in solidarity against this shooting.

McLean said were living in some extremely trying times right now and were all going to have to figure out how to get along.

McLean said she is choosing not to watch the bodycam video of Masseys death because its too much and its hard not to hold onto that anger and grief.

Im just choosing to remember her beautiful face as I see it, McLean said. Were still all human beings and what happened to Sonya Massey, she was treated like she wasnt a human being. No one has that kind of power over anyone else. When people see these kinds of things and these kinds of behaviorswhether its your friends, your family, someone at your jobyou need to call it out. ... Wrong is wrong and right is right.

McLean said she wished the Downtown park was filled with even more people expressing their outrage over Masseys killing.

Alvin Owens, a local entrepreneur and community organizer, read the names of unarmed Black people killed across the nation over the past 15 years that have sparked headlines across the world.

Whats wrong is wrong and whats right is right, Owens said. We have to educate especially our youth and we have to go back and re-educate even some of our elders to make sure that we are standing on the right side of history. I love you Kenosha and we definitely are standing with the (Massey) family today.

The Rev. Monica Cummings, a minister at Bradford Community Church Unitarian Universalist and a leader of Congregations United to Serve Humanity, spoke of how she felt watching the video of Masseys death.

Let us share in a moment of silence and hold in love the family, friends and all those who loved Sonya Massey, Cummings said. When I first heard about it, and I did watch the video, I was numb and then heartbroken.

Cummings said she was heartbroken that an innocent Black woman experienced the trauma of being cussed at before she was shot in the head and killed.

Heartbroken that a Black woman called the police for help and was murdered in her home by the very person who swore to serve and protect her, Cummings said. Heartbroken that a person of African descent was needlessly murdered by law enforcement. Most of us here want the same thing: safe streets, safe neighborhoods and to feel safe in our homes. To be able to call law enforcement for help and to survive the experience.

Cummings said we need law enforcement and they need us but if we keep doing what we are doing we will keep getting what weve got, and what we have is rising Black body count.
On Aug. 13, primary elections will take place across the state. The Tribune sent a questionnaire with four questions to competing candidates in the region. Candidates were limited to 700 characters, about 150 words, per question.

The 96th Assembly District includes southern La Crosse, Shelby, Viroqua, La Farge, and Greenwood.

Tara Johnson





Occupation: Retired United Way professional and local elected official

Party affiliation: Democrat

Q: What experience do you have? How has your previous experience prepared you for the position youre seeking?

A: With Fair Maps in place, we have a real opportunity to elect a legislator in the 96th AD who shares our values and will advocate and vote for laws that reflect those shared values. My 20 years experience on the County Board has positioned me well to get elected, get to Madison, and get to work in the Assembly. As a mom, I will take to Madison an important perspective on issues such as reproductive care, advocacy for public education, and protection of the environment. As the only female in the race, I am uniquely positioned to help grow the number of women in the Assembly so that that body begins to look more like the population of the district and state, more than half of whom are women.

Q: Why do you want to serve the Assembly district that you are running for?

A: Too many state legislators head to Madison having zero public service experience or understanding of how the legislative process works. This inexperience leads to lock-step, party-line votes and extremism. Unlike my opponent, I am running to continue a lifetime of public service and to put my problem-solving experience to work in Madison fighting for families in the 96th AD.

Q: What is one big issue that you are most focused on within your campaign? How do you plan to address this issue if elected?

A: As I knock on doors throughout the district, the number one issue I hear about is choiceprotecting reproductive rights. 68% of Wisconsinites favor the right to choose when and if to become a parent. Rep Oldenburg supports the anti-choice law passed in 1849, more than 70 years before women had the right to vote. Worse still, he also introduced AB 975 that would have further restricted access to abortion. This is just one of many examples of how he and his party spend time bottle-necking the legislatures work with ill-advised, mean-spirited bills that do not reflect the wishes and values of constituents and do nothing to help families in our district.

Q: What is one issue that you think is not recognized enough? How will you bring more awareness to this issue?
A Wisconsin man was convicted and sentenced to time served Monday for threatening to shoot state lawmakers in 2022 if they passed a bill allowing teachers to carry firearms.

James Stearns of Fond du Lac was found guilty of making terrorist threats, a felony, by Judge Anthony Nehls and sentenced to seven days in jail, which he had already served, and fined $500. Stearns' attorney, Matthew Goldin, did not return an email seeking comment Tuesday.

The 75-year-old Stearns sent two emails in May 2022 threatening to shoot state legislators if they passed a bill allowing for teachers to be armed, according to the criminal complaint. The possibility of arming teachers was discussed by Republican lawmakers days after 19 elementary school students and two teachers were killed in Uvalde, Texas.

One of the emails was sent to a state lawmaker who is not identified in the complaint. Another was sent to a conservative talk radio host in Wisconsin.

In that email, contained in the complaint, Stearns identified himself and said if the bill passed, he will purchase a gun, the most powerful I can purchase, and go to Madison and shoot as many of the people who vote for this law as I can before someone shoots me.

In the email sent to the lawmaker, Stearns wrote that he would kill the lawmaker within 60 days of the bill passing.

People will hunt you down and your family like animals, Stearns wrote, according to the complaint.

Fond du Lac County District Attorney Eric Toney said in a statement that threats to murder legislators for doing the work of the people is a threat to democracy and must never be tolerated.
Scientists are raising pigs to produce human organs at a specialized research farm in the American state of Virginia.

A medical company called Revivicor runs the farm in the rural community of Blacksburg. The area is surrounded by the Blue Ridge Mountains. Workers at the farm follow intense measures in an effort to prevent infection and disease spread.

About 300 pigs of different ages live on the research farm. Some animals raised there have already provided the first genetically changed pig organs ever transplanted into humans.

Individuals working at the center must undergo a series of safeguards aimed at preventing infections in the organs grown for people.

Matthew VonEsch is an executive with United Therapeutics, the parent company of Revivicor. He told The Associated Press the research farm was designed with the goal of protecting the pigs against contamination from the environment and from people.

David Ayares is the founder and chief scientific officer of Revivicor. He described the farmed pigs to the AP as precious animals because of their ability to help save human lives.

The research farm looks very different from a traditional animal farm. This is because of the strong security and cleanliness measures needed. It was built to meet U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) safety requirements.

For example, pigs living at the farm only drink water that is highly filtered. All food also gets disinfected.

Revivicors farm aims to produce human organs that can be used in scientific experiments or actual transplants.

There is currently a great need in the U.S. for organ transplants. Thousands of people are waiting for a donor organ. But experts say there will never be enough human donors to fill that need.

Using animal-grown organs for human transplants is one possible way to deal with the shortage.

Scientists use genetic engineering methods to grow organs in animals. These organs behave more like human ones than animal ones, which reduces the chances that the body will reject the animal organs. Teams have been working for many years to grow more humanlike organs in pigs.

So far in the United States, four compassionate use transplants have happened. These cases involved last-minute experiments to transplant pig organs into humans who faced life-threatening conditions. Two transplants involved hearts and two involved kidneys. Revivicor provided both of the hearts and one of the kidneys.

All four patients died within a few months. Still, experts say each transplant offered the possibility for valuable, real-life research. The goal is to one day attempt to put pig organs into human transplant patients who are not quite as sick.

Revivicors Ayares said the company is aiming to produce organs in the pigs that closely meet the size and needs of each patient. The idea is that such organs will perform better than human-donated organs because they are younger and free of disease.

Ayares added that transplant doctors who have received organs from Revivicors farm say, Oh my god, thats the most beautiful kidney Ive ever seen. He said the reaction is the same when they get a pink healthy happy heart from a young animal.

Officials at Revivicor say the biggest difficulties they face include overcoming the rejection of pig organs in humans and preventing animals from carrying unknown infection risks. Scientists try to deal with the rejection issue by employing different engineering methods to make the pig organs as humanlike as possible.

Genetic changes are made to the pig eggs that Revivicor receives. The engineered eggs are then nurtured in the lab with the hope of producing a healthy embryo. The embryos are then taken to the research farm to be put inside living pigs.

It is expected to take years of experimentation to prove whether animal organ transplants will work long-term in human patients. But if the efforts succeed, United Therapeutics plans to open additional research farms to produce up to 2,000 organs a year.

Ayares said the efforts are currently at a point where several studies have suggested theres no immediate rejection of the genetically engineered pig organs. He added, The next two or three years are going to be super exciting.

Im Bryan Lynn.

The Associated Press reported this story. Bryan Lynn adapted the report for VOA Learning English.

_____________________________________________

Words in This Story

transplant  v. to perform a medical operation in which an organ or other part that has been removed from the body of one person is put into the body of another person

contaminate  n. to make something dirty or poisonous

precious  adj. very important or valuable

filter  v. to pass a liquid or gas through a piece of equipment in order to remove solid pieces or other substances

compassionate  adj. showing compassion: a feeling of sympathy for others who are suffering

nurture  v. to care for or encourage the growth of something
GOTHENBURG  Retiring police Sgt. Matt Langley was honored Friday afternoon at an open house in the Gothenburg City Council Room.

The event, attended by community members from various local organizations, celebrated Langleys 26-year career in law enforcement.

Attendees included representatives from the Gothenburg YMCA, Dawson County Sheriffs Office, Dayspring Bank, Gothenburg Police Department, Gothenburg Public Library, Waypoint Bank and several other local organizations.

The hour-and-a-half event provided an opportunity for community members to express their gratitude and admiration for Langley in person. Attendees enjoyed snacks and refreshments while engaging in conversations and sharing memories with the retiring sergeant.

Many took the chance to shake his hand, offer congratulations and make small talk. Playful comments like Congrats on being old added a light-hearted touch, resulting in laughter and camaraderie.

When asked about his decision to retire in 2024, Langley explained that personal circumstances influenced his choice. He said he felt it was time to embark on a new adventure after dedicating over two decades to law enforcement.

Reflecting on his career choice, he said, I always knew I wanted to be in that type of career in one capacity or another.

Discussing the challenges he faced over the years, Langley highlighted the evolution of technology.

Id say the biggest challenge would be technology, he said. Before when I got in, we didnt have any car cameras, we didnt have a lot of computers or anything like that, and just trying to adapt to that throughout the years was a challenge.

Langley identified his collaboration with Gothenburg Public Schools as his greatest achievement. He expressed pride in forming a strong working relationship with the schools staff and helping students.

Just helping the kids out and helping the counselor out by forming a great work relationship with them has been great, he said.

Beyond professional accomplishments, Langley emphasized how his career shaped him personally.

Dealing with different kinds of people and different situations throughout the years has helped me when Im not on duty, Langley said. I learned that just helping talk with people and work through any issues that they may have going on has been beneficial.

Langley shared his post-retirement plans, which include staying in the community and spending quality time with his two children who still live with him.

He also offered advice for aspiring law enforcement officers: Treat people like how you want to be treated.

When asked about his desired legacy, Langley expressed a simple yet profound wish: I want to be remembered as someone that came into work every day and accomplished whatever needed to be done while treating people with respect.
Queen Letizia was among the distinguished guests who attended the closing ceremony of the 14th Atlantida Mallorca Film Fest at La Misericordia in Palma de Mallorca. The Spanish royal family was joined by such stars as Michael Douglas and others.

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The monarch complemented her look with a pair of metallic strappy sandals from Mango. As a finishing touch, the Queen wore a pair of geometric earrings and added a shiny silver clutch. Although the royal's style can be described as combining traditional, classic silhouettes with modern elements and jewelry, her sparkling outfit has a trendy look.

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More than 5,000 people isolated by flooding in northwest North Korea were rescued in airlifts and other evacuation work supervised by leader Kim Jong Un, state media reported yesterday.

Heavy rainfall on Saturday had caused a river on the North Korean-Chinese border to exceed a dangerous level and created a grave crisis, the official Korean Central News Agency said.

About 10 military helicopters and navy and government boats were mobilized for the evacuation efforts in Sinuiju city and Uiju town where flooding had isolated residents.

KCNA did not mention any deaths or how much damage the flooding caused. It said each of the about 10 helicopters made several fights to move the residents despite bad weather, ultimately rescuing 4,200 of the affected people by airlift.

It said Kim guided the evacuation works Sunday, ordered food and other necessities to be provided to affected people, and set tasks for recovery and relief works.

KCNA cited Kim as calling the rescue works miraculous as more than 5,000 people were saved through the efforts.

Summer floods in North Korea often cause serious damage to farmlands due to poor drainage, deforestation and dilapidated infrastructure. Typhoons and torrential rains in 2020 were among the difficulties Kim previously said had created multiple crises at home, along with draconian pandemic-related restrictions and U.N. sanctions over his nuclear weapons program.

During his weekend visit to the flooded region, Kim also scolded officials for lowering their guard though he had ordered efforts to prevent flood damage more than once, KCNA said.

They, seized with defeatism at combat with nature, do not confidently turn out in the disaster prevention work, only expecting chance from the sky, Kim said, according to KCNA.

Kim stressed that the irresponsible attitude of those tasked with ensuring peoples safety should not be overlooked. He said the Norths emergency response agency and the Ministry of Public Security didnt even know the exact populations of the flood-hit areas so the number of people rescued was larger than expected.

Kims criticism could be seen as an effort to shift blame while establishing his own image as a leader caring about his people while North Korea struggles with economic difficulties and international isolation, observers say. MDT/AP
Hengqin has made its entire road network available for driverless car road tests to advance autonomous driving technology, following the recent approval of the last batch of roads for testing self-driving cars by local authorities.

This initiative aims to support the development of the Greater Bay Area as a hub for self-driving technology, the South China Morning Post has reported.

The Hengqin Cooperation Zone, which focuses on economic cooperation between Macau and Guangdong province, has allocated 330 kilometers of roads for autonomous driving tests.

This decision follows a gradual opening of road sections for such tests since September 2022, with the latest approval covering the final 135 kilometers of the network.

By providing a variety of traffic scenarios for testing, Hengqin intends to help self-driving car manufacturers enhance their algorithms by collecting more comprehensive road data.

This effort is also expected to attract more self-driving car enterprises and research institutions to establish a driverless car industry cluster in the cooperation zone.

Chinese cities, including Shenzhen, have been expanding opportunities for autonomous driving testing.

Shenzhen, known for its robotaxi services, has been testing autonomous taxi services since 2021. Companies like Baidu and AutoX have been actively involved in testing their robotaxi services in different districts of the city.

Moreover, Shenzhen plans to introduce a fleet of 20 driverless buses in the Qianhai district by the end of the year. These buses will serve various areas such as subway stations, commercial districts, industrial parks, residential areas and tourism sites.
The establishment of a crematorium and the legalization of ride-hailing services will be debated this week at the Legislative Assembly (AL).

Lawmaker Ron Lam, who submitted the topics to AL in early June, initiated both debate proposals.

The proposals will be presented to the plenary Wednesday.

Regarding ride-hailing services, Lam said the taxi transport service has been unable to meet the demand over the years in Macau.

Therefore, the government must respond to the public need to create an online on-demand transport service through a platform where drivers and vehicles are subject to regulation.

This will respond to the real needs of residents and tourists and solve the longstanding difficulties with accessing public transport, Lam said.

Lam cited Transport Bureau (DSAT) statistics, noting a 19% reduction in the number of taxis in service since the second quarter of 2021. This reduction contrasts with the increasing demand from locals and tourists. He said the current taxi service business model is inadequate and that Macau lags behind other countries and regions, including mainland China and Hong Kong, where ride-hailing services are widely available and commonly-used. Lam also referenced a 2016 statement to the media from

former Chief Executive (CE), Chui Sai On, who said that if there was public consensus on the necessity of ride-hailing services, the government should proceed with the necessary legal amendments. On the second topic, Lam said that in about 80% of recent deaths, over 2,000 residents had opted for cremation, more than double the number in 2007.

He said that in 2018, the government had planned to establish a permanent crematorium in Taipa, but the public had rejected the project due to a lack of detailed information and concerns about potential problems.Lam stressed the need for a crematorium to avoid the logistical difficulties and high costs of transporting bodies to neighboring cities like Hong Kong or Zhuhai.

He called on the government to reconsider the idea, evaluate suitable locations, and conduct a broad public consultation to ensure the population is well-informed about any proposed crematorium.Debates initiated by lawmakers on public interest issues are rare and often in conflict with establishment interests.

In the past, such proposals have been voted down, preventing discussions from taking place.

While lawmakers have the right to propose and amend laws and regulations to address matters of public interest, the understanding from larger factions aligned with government and established interests is that only proposals initiated by the government are acceptable to be addressed at the plenary.

Individual attempts to raise proposals to be addressed by the AL are typically voted down, citing

procedural illegality due to lack of prior authorization from the Chief Executive to raise the matter at the AL.

According to the Macau Basic Law, Article 75, Members of the Legislative Council of the Macao Special Administrative Region may introduce bills in accordance with the provisions of this Law and legal procedures. Bills which do not relate to public expenditure or political structure or the operation of the government may be introduced individually or jointly by members of the Council. The written consent of the Chief Executive shall be required before bills relating to government policies are introduced.
Top diplomats from Japan, the U.S., Australia and India met Monday to discuss security concerns and joint support to reinforce maritime safety and cybersecurity in the Indo-Pacific region amid growing tensions with China.

At the meeting hosted in Tokyo by Japanese Foreign Minister Yoko Kamikawa, U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken, Australian Foreign Minister Penny Wong and Indian External Affairs Minister Subrahmayam Jaishankar were expected to share strong opposition to Beijings escalating assertiveness in the South China Sea.

China has triggered growing tension with many Asia-Pacific nations with its sweeping claims over the South China Sea and its crucial maritime trade routes.

At what are known as the Quad talks, the four ministers were expected to discuss cooperation to counter cyber attacks, deal with disinformation and ensure maritime security. They are also looking to support other countries in the region to bolster their abilities in those areas.

Kamikawa said in her opening statement that maritime security in the region is increasingly unstable, so unity and cooperation is needed more than ever among the Quad countries in securing a rules-based free and open international order.

Without specifically naming China, Kamikawa said escalating tensions in a certain region and cyberattacks by a certain country can easily spill over to others in the region and increase their risks.

In order to have the prosperity in the region, we must ensure stability of the foundation in maritime, cyber and space domains, she said. We Quad nations aim to protect the foundations of prosperity in the Indo-Pacific as we seek to achieve an international community of co-existence and co-prosperity.

Australias Wong said they are facing the most confronting circumstances in our region in decades.

She said the Quad nations are working to achieve a region that is governed by accepted rules and norms where all of us can cooperate, can trade and thrive and where sovereignty is respected and competition is managed responsibly.

The talks were also expected to discuss Russias war in Ukraine, conflict in the Middle East and other shared concerns.

Blinken said those conflicts elsewhere in the world must be brought to an end, but he stressed the importance of events in the Indo-Pacific region. We have not lost sight, indeed we are resolutely focused on this region that we share.

The talks came after Japan and the United States held their 2+2 security meeting Sunday, when they called China the greatest strategic challenge. They agreed on further deepening military cooperation by making major upgrades to their command structures and bolstering Japanese production and repair of U.S.-licensed weapons. MARI YAMAGUCHI, TOKYO, MDT/AP
In a renewed push for environmental noise control, lawmaker Jose Pereira Coutinho has urged the government to act immediately on the growing issue of noise pollution in the city.

In his second interpolation on the subject, Coutinho has criticized the existing 2014 noise prevention law as outdated and ineffective, particularly in handling intermittent noise complaints.

Coutinhos concerns center on the need for authorities to recognize the seriousness of the problem, which he said, seriously affects residents quality of life  particularly the elderly, children, and shift workers, who depend on a quiet environment to rest and maintain their productivity.

To this end, he has called for the government to hire acoustics professionals, acquire modern noise detection technology, and implement acoustic mapping in line with European Union guidelines.

The lawmakers requests come in response to a statement from the Environmental Protection Bureau director, Raymond Tam, who said there were no plans to review the current legislation.

Tams response, which did not directly address Coutinhos specific proposals, has prompted the legislator to reiterate his call for more comprehensive solutions.

Coutinho has urged the government to provide the necessary resources and infrastructure to effectively manage noise pollution in the city.

The Macau community awaits clear action from the government on this issue negatively impacting many citizens quality of life, Coutinho said. Victoria Chan
Lawmakers from at least six countries said Chinese diplomats were pressuring them not to attend a China-focused conference in Taiwan, in what they described as efforts to isolate the self-governed island.

Politicians in Bolivia, Colombia, Slovakia, North Macedonia, Bosnia and one Asian country that declined to be named said they were getting texts, calls and urgent requests for meetings that would conflict with their plans to travel to Taipei. Taiwan is part of Chinas territory.

The conference begins Monday and is being held by the Inter-Parliamentary Alliance on China, or IPAC, a group of hundreds of lawmakers from 35 countries concerned about how democracies approach Beijing. IPAC has long faced pressure from the Chinese government: Some members have been sanctioned by Beijing, and in 2021 the group was targeted by Chinese state-sponsored hackers, according to a U.S. indictment unsealed earlier this year.

But Luke de Pulford, the alliances director, said the pressure from Chinese officials the past few days has been unprecedented. During past IPAC meetings in other locations, lawmakers were approached by Chinese diplomats only after they concluded.

This year, the first in which IPACs annual meeting is taking place in Taiwan, there appeared to be a coordinated attempt to stop participants from attending.

The Associated Press spoke to three lawmakers and reviewed texts and emails sent by Chinese diplomats asking whether they were planning to participate in the meeting.

Im Wu, from Chinese Embassy, read a message allegedly sent to Antonio Miloshoski, a member of parliament in North Macedonia. We heard that you got an invitation from IPAC, will you attend the Conference which will be held next week in Taiwan?

In some cases, lawmakers described vague inquiries about their plans to travel to Taiwan.

China routinely threatens retaliation against politicians and countries that show support for Taiwan, which has only informal relations with most countries due to Chinese diplomatic pressure. Klaric said the pressure was unpleasant but only steeled her determination to go on the trip.

The Chinese Foreign Ministry did not respond to a request for comment.

Lawmakers from 25 countries were expected to attend this years meeting, including Japan, India and the U.K., and IPAC said in a statement that some would meet with high-level Taiwanese officials. The Taiwanese Foreign Ministry did not respond to a request for comment. MDT/AP
The Public Security Police (PSP) has arrested a local man in his 60s for allegedly providing prostitution venues and supplies to a woman, a police spokesman announced.

According to police, officers on regular patrol in the Iao Hon district noticed a woman constantly harassing male passers-by and a suspicious man nearby.

Police suspected she was engaging in prostitution and investigated her.

During their investigation, they discovered she was renting a room in a building in Iao Hon for prostitution.

The woman admitted under questioning to engaging in prostitution and said she rented a room through a local man.

She claimed she had been paying daily rent of MOP450.

The man was also accused of providing prostitution supplies and watching out for the woman while she solicited customers, earning a total profit of about MOP10,000.

Officers later spotted and intercepted the suspicious man, who was confirmed to be the local man the woman had mentioned. However, the man denied involvement and refused to answer questions.

The PSP referred the mans case to the Public Prosecutors Office to face possible charges of prostitution control.

Police authorities have also referred the woman to the Immigration Control Department for actions inconsistent with her visitor status. VC
A pawnshop worker was robbed at knifepoint early Sunday morning in Nape.

The suspect, a 49-year-old mainland Chinese man, was apprehended just four hours later in Zhuhai, with the coordination between the Macau and Zhuhai police forces.

The incident occurred around 5:30 a.m. when the suspect entered the Rua de Coimbra pawnshop, pretending to be a customer.

He closed the shops gate and held a fruit knife to a female employees neck, demanding the money in the cash drawer. The suspect stole HKD145,000 in less than two minutes before fleeing.

The employee, who suffered minor injuries to her neck, immediately contacted the police.

Investigations revealed the suspect had taken a taxi to the Portas do Cerco border post and crossed into Zhuhai around 6 a.m.

Macau police then notified mainland authorities.

Under the guidance of the Guangdong Provincial Public Police Department, the Zhuhai Public Security authorities apprehended the suspect by 10 a.m. the same morning.

Approximately RMB20,000 and HKD14,000 in cash, believed to be the stolen funds, were recovered.VC
A recent study conducted in Macau has shed light on the intricacies of sick leave management, urging employees and policymakers to adopt strategic measures to address the problem effectively.

Published by Kelvin Leong, vice president of Executive Committee and Director of Youth Committee of the University of Macau Alumni Association, the study delves into the patterns of sick leave among Macaus civil servants and corporate employees.

The findings highlight the need for improved sick leave management strategies to curb misuse and enhance workplace productivity.

The study, which included six in-depth interviews across different industries, had 349 respondents.

According to the survey, 24.3% of respondents admitted to abusing sick leave, and 48.5% suspected their colleagues of abusing sick leave.

For Leong, this reflects the trust issues among colleagues and the challenges of sick leave management.

Notably, some large companies provide more sick leave days than the regulations require to avoid being seen as unethical and to maintain their corporate image, he added.

While the data shows sick leave in Macau is relatively low compared to other developed countries, with employees taking an average of 3.024 sick leave days per year, the study underscores the importance of addressing the root causes of sick leave misuse.

The research reveals the detrimental impact of sick leave, not only on financial losses for employers but also on the psychological well-being and workload of colleagues.

Sick leave misuse poses a significant threat to the relationship between employers and employees.

When individuals work while unwell, it not only diminishes work efficiency but also impacts morale.

Conversely, when sick leave is abused, it can lead employers to question the integrity of their workforce, potentially necessitating work reassignments and fostering dissatisfaction among other employees.

Factors influencing sick leave vary, with work stress, motivation, shift work, permitted sick leave days, and percentage of annual leave used playing pivotal roles.

The research noted employees are more likely to take sick leave when faced with heightened work stress, shift work requirements, or limited annual leave options. Addressing these factors can significantly impact sick leave frequency and employee well-being.

The case study involving Macau customs officers, as unveiled by the Commission Against Corruption (CCAC), further underscores the urgency of effective sick leave management.

In late April, the CCAC found that two customs officers in Macau fraudulently obtained over 2,300 sick leave days, costing the government over MOP3 million in wages.

For the author, by delving into the nuances of sick leave dynamics, organizations can craft tailored policies to curb absenteeism rates more effectively.

Sick leave issue negatively impacts Macaus workplace and economy, but it can be effectively addressed through proper management measures, said Leong.

For instance, provisions for additional leave time for shift workers to balance stress levels can prove beneficial.

While some companies have adopted innovative strategies like incentivizing healthy attendance, these approaches may not be universally applicable, especially for smaller enterprises.

The research noted that by implementing targeted policies that cater to employees needs and promoting a culture of transparency and accountability, organizations can foster healthier work environments and mitigate the negative repercussions of sick leave abuses. Victoria Chan
The first half of the year saw a significant increase in tourism, with the Statistics and Census Service (DSEC) reporting 968,000 inbound tourists on package tours, a 1.7-fold increase from the previous year.

Group tourists from mainland China rose 1.4 times to 851,000, while international group tourists surged 8.4 times to 102,000.

In June alone, Macau welcomed 120,000 package tourists, marking a 52.1% year-on-year increase.

Notably, group tourists from South Korea and India grew 14.3 times and 20.5 times, respectively. Additionally, Macau residents purchased 259,000 outbound travel services through agencies, up 49.8% from last year.

The hotel sector also experienced growth, with 143 establishments providing accommodation, an increase of 12 year-on-year.

The number of available rooms rose 9.1% to 47,000, and the average occupancy rate climbed to 84.0%, up 6.1 percentage points from last year.

Five-star hotels reported an occupancy rate of 85.8%, while four-star hotels reached 80.4%.

In total, 7.277 million guests stayed at hotels in the first half of the year, a 20.4% increase year-on-year.

International guests numbered 542,000, with Korean visitors increasing 2.7 times.

Despite a slight dip in June occupancy rates to 82.7% due to increased room supply, the overall outlook remains positive. NS
Chinese President Xi Jinping called for further cooperation with Italy yesterday at a meeting with Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni, saying the two countries were the ends of the historical Silk Road trade route.

Meloni pulled Italy out of Chinas Belt and Road Initiative  whose name refers to the ancient overland trade route  in December, but signed an agreement Sunday that provides a new path for the two countries to cooperate on trade and other issues.

Meloni is on a five-day state visit, her first trip to China as prime minister.

The Belt and Road Initiative, one of Xis signature policies, aims to build power and transportation infrastructure around the world in order to stimulate global trade while also deepening Chinas ties with other nations.

China and Italy are located at opposite ends of the ancient Silk Road, Xi told Meloni, and the long-standing friendly exchanges between the two countries have made important contributions to the exchange and mutual learning of Eastern and Western civilizations, as well as human development and progress.

If countries are inter-connected, they will advance; if they are closed to each other, they will retreat, said Xi.

Meloni said Italy could play an important role in Chinas relationship with the European Union and creating balanced trade relationships. The EU imposed provisional tariffs of up to 37.6% on China-made electric vehicles in early July. Chinas support for Russia after it invaded Ukraine has further strained relations with the EU.

She also noted Chinas role as a diplomatic power on the global stage. There is growing insecurity at the international level, and I think that China is inevitably a very important interlocutor to deal with all these dynamics, said Meloni. MDT/AP
RACINE  Nakeyda Haymer lost her brother to a 2017 shooting in Michigan. Shes since dedicated herself to interrupting the cycle of violence that takes children from their mothers and brothers from their sisters.

Haymer is Racine Countys violent crime reduction coordinator, and she is one of many in the county and city of Racine working to quell the gun violence that reached historic highs during and after the pandemic.

A look at the data

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, in 2020, 79% of all U.S. homicides involved firearms. The CDC report noted that the firearm homicide rate in 2020 was the highest recorded in over 25 years. From 2020-2021, the rate increased again.

Data provided by the Racine Police Department depicts homicides increasing from five in 2020 to 10 in 2022. In 2023, 13 people were murdered in the city.

While weve had two homicides this year, and thats two too many, our homicides and gun violence rates have gone down and have, relatively, stayed down, Mayor Cory Mason said. We just always have to remember that for anybody dealing with the trauma of gun violence  for them thats very real.

Gun violence, defined by RPD as shots fired or people shot, may also be in decline compared to 2022 and 2023.

There are focused efforts to reduce gun violence in the city of Racine, Racine Chief of Police Alex Ramirez said in a statement. I attribute its reduction to law enforcement and efforts by our community partners. Regardless of the downward trend, there are still victims of this violence. The Racine Police Department will not scale back its efforts in reducing gun violence.

County response

In response to rising rates of violence, the county and city joined with partners throughout the community, investing in numerous prevention strategies.

Their efforts have produced an ecosystem of violence prevention, an ecosystem in which Haymer and others are deeply embedded.

Paired closely with her role with the county, Haymer is also the state director for the Voices of Black Mothers United.

VBMU is a nonprofit with branches throughout the country. It seeks to empower Black mothers who have lost children to gun violence to take an active role in stopping the cycle of violence and interrupting attempts at retaliation.

Though a county employee, Haymers work primarily focuses on the city of Racine and its residents. She operates out of the Geneva Street COP House, 1140 Geneva St.

The key elements of her work include intervention and crisis response.

In the aftermath of a shooting or homicide, Haymer is often one of the first crisis responders on the scene. She is usually accompanied by a mother from VBMU. Her focus is on the affected family and its immediate needs, like hotels, food and child care.

We just want to make it clear to them as soon as possible that were here to help ... and let them know that this network, this unity of impacted people, already exists, Haymer said. We are here to stand with you, walk with you, and be whatever it is you need us to be.

Another crucial priority for Haymer is identifying individuals most at risk for retaliating.

Her message to at-risk family members harkens back to her own loss:

I know how you feel. I lost a brother, I was there. I understand youre hurt. I understand youre mad, Haymer said. But there are some things that are not okay. You cant go back. You cant go back to shoot.

Community connectors

Maurice Horton, a city alderman and the countys community violence prevention manager, oversees these responses, regularly deploying Haymer as well as people known as community connectors.

At the scene, a community connector is tasked with consoling the crowd. When not responding to the scene of a shooting, community connectors work full time in district schools to forge meaningful relationships with Racines youth in order to reduce suspensions and provide a model of a life lived apart from violence.

Its a whole ecosystem, Horton said. Everything works within the system.

Shortly after serving a 16-month sentence for a drug conviction in the 1990s, Horton began volunteering with the police department. Horton worked with the Gang Diversion Task Force out of SAFE Haven of Racine for 16 years, spending the last 10 as its director.

While I was doing time, I just said, you know, if I ever got a second chance ... I would give back more than I took, Horton said.

Horton received a gubernatorial pardon in 2010.

Horton and Haymer work closely to support families and communities affected by gun violence, but both also work proactively to intervene and disrupt the cycle.

Interventions usually consist of Haymer laying out the options: accept help and make different decisions or law enforcement will pursue prosecutorial action if theres an evidentiary basis to suggest criminal involvement.

Haymer and her team dive deep into what any given individual needs to succeed. For many, its job resources or further education.

Horton recalled one individual who had been consistently connected to a volley of shootings. After meeting, the individual expressed his desire to finish school. Haymer drove him to Milwaukee twice to enroll him in a program. According to Horton, his name has not resurfaced in their system.

City response

While the county focuses its interventions on juveniles, adult cases are handled primarily by the citys Department of Community Safety. John Tate II leads the newly established department, which evolved from the citys Office of Violence Prevention.

A staple of the departments efforts is the Group Violence Intervention model or GVI model.

The GVI model emphasizes intense collaboration between both law enforcement and social service providers. The core concepts of the model within Racine are the shooting review and the custom notification.

Since February, the department has spearheaded biweekly shooting reviews with the police department, the sheriffs office, probation and parole representatives, the school district, Horton and often the district attorneys office.

The goal of the review is to investigate individuals who may have been involved in recent shootings. The team identifies individuals who need to be held accountable as well as those who likely require social services.

After the review, a small team, including Horton and Tate, approach individuals of interest and provide them with their options. Tate and Horton inform the individual that theyre on the radar and that they can either continue down a path that will lead to prosecution or accept help.

If you want something else, Tate said, were here to support you.

Both Horton and Tate noted that all but one individual approached has accepted the offer of support.

People who accept help are assigned intensive care specialists. These specialists build relationships, connect people to resources and support them in a journey toward healthier decision-making.

The department seeks to provide an off ramp for people that doesnt end in death or incarceration, Tate said.

Its not prevention or accountability. Its prevention and accountability, Tate said. The safest communities do both.

Effect of interventions

According to Mason and Tate, the efforts on the part of the city, the county and their partners are meaningfully contributing to the declining rate of gun violence in Racine.

Swifter arrests for violent offenders, engaging those at high risk of violence, and outreach to youth before they have a chance to engage in violence are all known to have an effect, Tate said.

The City of Racine has done quite well around gun violence and gun violence prevention in recent years compared to similar cities or cities in the region, Mason said. I think its because of the smart investments that weve made here in response to the spike in crime that we saw a couple of years ago.

As the ecosystem continues to operate, Haymer stressed the need to avoid silos. Unity is key, she said.

Horton forecasted the need for bilingual services and emphasized the importance of continued funding.

According to Mason, much of the violence prevention funding is a direct result of the federal American Rescue Plan.

Wed certainly like to see the next administration continue to make these investments across the country, Mason said. Cities like ours need help if were going to maintain these programs.

Domestic violence is also a safety threat that requires attention, Mason and Tate said. According to Mason, more than half of all homicides last year were related in some way to a domestic situation.

Gun violence, while it makes a big splash, is a very narrow and limited activity within the community as it relates to the direct impact on everybodys lives on a daily basis, Tate said.

Moving forward, Tate hopes to develop additional interventions that target the root causes of domestic violence while also surveying communities to determine what factors lead them to feeling safe or unsafe.

The department does believe that declining gun violence is an indicator of success.

One homicide is too many. One night of gun violence is too much, Horton said. Its important that no matter what your ZIP code is that you should be able to live in a nice neighborhood and not be terrified of what happens at night while you sleep or while your kids are sleeping. So, we still have work to do.
MAJDAL SHAMSIsraeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has vowed a severe response to a deadly strike that killed youths in the annexed Golan Heights, as diplomats raced to contain escalation between Israel and Hezbollah.

On a visit to the site of the rocket strike which killed 12 children in the town of Majdal Shams, Netanyahu said: The State of Israel will not, and cannot, let this pass. Our response will come and it will be severe.

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He was greeted by protests during the visit, which came after mourners gathered in the Druze Arab town to bury the last victim, 11-year-old Guevara Ibrahim.

Israel and the United States have blamed the strike on Lebanons Iran-backed Hezbollah movement, which has traded near-daily fire with Israeli forces since war in Gaza began between Hamas militants and Israel in early October.

In Lebanon, Israeli missiles struck two air defense bases in southern Syria overnight, a war monitor said Tuesday, as tensions surge on Israels northern border after a deadly rocket strike on the annexed Golan Heights.

The Britain-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights reported no casualties in the overnight strikes in Daraa province, which abuts the armistice line separating Syrian and Israeli forces on the Golan.

Syrias state-run media did not report any strikes.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has vowed a severe response to Saturdays strike, which killed 12 youths in a Druze Arab town in the Golan.

The State of Israel will not, and cannot, let this pass. Our response will come and it will be severe, he said on a visit to the town of Majdal Shams on Monday.

He was greeted by protests during the visit, which came after mourners gathered in the town to bury the last victim, 11-year-old Guevara Ibrahim.

Israel and the United States have blamed the strike on Lebanons Iran-backed Hezbollah movement, which has traded near-daily fire with Israeli forces since the war in Gaza between Hamas militants and Israel began in October last year.

Lebanese Foreign Minister Abdallah Bou Habib said a flurry of diplomatic activity has sought to contain the anticipated Israeli response.

Lebanese Foreign Minister Abdallah Bou Habib said a flurry of diplomatic activity has sought to contain the anticipated Israeli response.

Israel will escalate in a limited way and Hezbollah will respond in a limited way These are the assurances weve received, Bou Habib said in an interview with local broadcaster Al-Jadeed.

Several analysts told AFP that this was likely to be the case, with Israel wary of having to fight wars on two fronts.

The United States, France and others were trying to contain the escalation, Habib added, while Lebanese Prime Minister Najib Mikati said talks are ongoing with international, European and Arab sides to protect Lebanon and ward off dangers.
The devastation wrought by Typhoon Carina serves as a stark reminder of the urgent need for effective flood management

FOLLOWING Super Typhoon Carina and the relentless southwest monsoon, the Philippines finds itself grappling with the all-too-familiar devastation of widespread flooding.

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Senate President Francis Escuderos impassioned plea, What happened to building back better? captures the nations frustration and despair.

This sentiment is echoed by House Speaker Ferdinand Martin Romualdez and other lawmakers, who are calling for a comprehensive overhaul of the countrys flood control systems.

The urgent question is: can the Philippines finally break free from this vicious cycle of calamity?

Typhoons are not merely weather events in the Philippines; they are cataclysmic forces that reshape lives and landscapes.

The archipelago, in the typhoon belt of the Western Pacific, endures about 20 typhoons annually, with a handful being particularly destructive.

The harrowing memories of Typhoon Ondoy in 2009 and Typhoon Yolanda in 2013 still haunt the nation, underscoring the urgency of robust flood control measures.

Comparatively, nations like China, Taiwan, and Japan, which also face frequent typhoons, have made significant strides in mitigating their impact.

Chinas extensive network of dams and levees, Taiwans advanced early warning systems, and Japans state-of-the-art drainage infrastructure serve as models of resilience.

Yet, despite various initiatives and significant financial allocations, the Philippines continues to struggle.

Call for accountability

Escuderos demand for a thorough investigation into flood control projects is both logical and necessary.

With P255 billion allocated to the Department of Public Works and Highways for flood control out of the P5.768 trillion national budget, the public deserves transparency and accountability.

This inquiry could unveil inefficiencies, corruption, or simple mismanagement, providing a roadmap for future improvements.

Romualdezs call to update and fully implement the flood management master plan is a pragmatic approach.

As climate change intensifies, stronger storms and heavier rainfall are inevitable.

The master plan, if rigorously followed and updated with the latest data and technologies, could significantly enhance the nations preparedness.

Philippine laws, like the Climate Change Act of 2009 and the Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Act of 2010, mandate the government to build resilient infrastructure and mitigate disaster risks, bolstering the lawmakers stance.

Limits of human effort

Critics might argue that no amount of planning or funding can fully eliminate the threat of typhoons.

The sheer scale of these natural disasters can overwhelm even the most sophisticated systems.

This perspective is not without merit.

The unpredictable nature of climate change means storm patterns and intensities are constantly evolving, raising challenges to develop foolproof solutions.

Additionally, the bureaucratic inertia and fragmented implementation of projects often lead to suboptimal outcomes.

The Supreme Court has recognized these systemic challenges in G.R. 185375, emphasizing the need for realistic expectations and incremental progress.

The complexities of coordinating among multiple agencies, ensuring proper use of funds, and maintaining infrastructure amidst ongoing urban development further complicate the issue.

Both Escudero and Romualdez raise valid points that underscore the need for a multifaceted approach to flood management.

The emphasis on accountability, transparency, and continuous improvement aligns with best practices and legal mandates. However, the inherent unpredictability of typhoons and the systemic challenges within the government machinery cannot be ignored.

Recommendations

Comprehensive Review and Update: Initiate a detailed review of the current flood management master plan, incorporating the latest climate models and technological advancements. International experts and successful models from countries like China, Taiwan, and Japan should inform this process.

Strengthening Oversight: Establish robust oversight mechanisms to ensure effective use of public funds. This includes regular audits, public reporting, and stringent penalties for mismanagement.

Enhanced Coordination: Foster better coordination among the DPWH, MMDA, LGUs, and other relevant agencies. Clear roles and responsibilities, coupled with effective communication channels, are essential.

Public Engagement: Increase public awareness and engagement in flood preparedness and response. Community education on evacuation procedures, flood-resistant construction practices, and drainage system maintenance is crucial.

Climate Change Adaptation: Integrate comprehensive climate change adaptation measures into flood management strategies. This encompasses infrastructure improvements and sustainable land use policies to minimize flood risks.

The devastation wrought by Typhoon Carina serves as a stark reminder of the urgent need for effective flood management.

Escudero and Romualdezs calls for accountability and action are not just timely but essential.

However, the path forward must be realistic, recognizing the limits of human effort against natures fury while striving for continuous improvement.

By learning from global best practices, strengthening oversight, and fostering a culture of preparedness, the Philippines can build a more resilient future.

In this relentless battle against the elements, the true measure of leadership will be the ability to turn crises into opportunities for lasting change.
King Mohammed VI has outlined this Monday proposals to a final settlement to the Palestine-Israel conflict saying that the deteriorating conditions in the region require going beyond the logic of crisis management and seeking, instead, a final solution to this conflict.

This came in a speech the King delivered, on Monday, on Throne Day, marking this year the 25th anniversary of the Sovereigns accession to the Throne, in which he underlined that the keen interest he takes in the situation prevailing in Morocco does not mean that he is oblivious of, or insensitive to, the tragedy befalling our Palestinian brothers and sisters.

As Chairman of the al-Quds Committee, I managed to have an unprecedented route opened up, through which we delivered urgent food and medical aid to our brothers and sisters in Gaza, he recalled.

Actually, King Mohammed VI had ordered the delivery of humanitarian assistance to the Palestinians in Gaza in June and March this year.

The aid was conveyed, in an unprecedented move, by route, making of Morocco the first nation to use the Kerem Shalom border crossing to send aid to Gazans.

The Sovereign pointed out that if putting an end to the war in Gaza is an urgent priority, then this must be achieved concurrently with opening up political prospects conducive to a just and lasting peace in the region.

As a second step to end the conflict, the King argued that opting for negotiations to revive the peace process between the Palestinian and Israeli sides requires cutting off the path for extremists  from whatever side they may come.

Thirdly, the King underlined, achieving complete security and stability in the region can be realized only within the framework of the two-state solution, with Gaza an integral part of the territory of the independent Palestinian state, and East Jerusalem its capital.

Part of the same responsible commitment, the King assured that He would continue to support constructive initiatives aimed at finding practical solutions for the conclusion of a concrete and lasting ceasefire and addressing the humanitarian situation.
France has clearly expressed support for Moroccos territorial integrity and sovereignty over the Sahara territory, and backing to the autonomy plan as the only basis to find a lasting solution to the conflict, a support that Rabat considers a significant development as came in a statement by the Royal Office.

In a letter to King Mohammed VI congratulating him on Throne Day, President Emmanuel Macron announced that France considers that the present and future of Western Sahara are within the framework of Moroccan sovereignty.

France will act according to this position in support of Moroccos territorial integrity domestically and at the international level, President Macron said.

This announcement by the French Republic, a permanent member of the UN Security Council, is an important and significant development in support of Moroccan sovereignty over the Sahara, reads the Royal Office statement, adding it is part of the momentum launched by King Mohammed VI and carried by many countries in different regions of the world, in favor of the territorial integrity of Morocco and the autonomy plan as the exclusive framework for the resolution of this regional dispute.

In his letter, President Macron said France, in particular, will continue to anchor the sincerity of its friendship for Morocco and the effectiveness of its partnership with it in a clear and strong position on the issues most essential for Your Majesty and the Moroccans.

For France, autonomy under Moroccan sovereignty is the framework within which this issue (Sahara issue) must be resolved. Our support for the autonomy plan proposed by Morocco in 2007 is clear and constant. For France, this is now the only basis for achieving a just, lasting and negotiated political solution in accordance with the resolutions of the United Nations Security Council, Macron said further.

The continued economic and social development of the Sahara territory is an imperative, he said, adding that France welcomes all the efforts made by Morocco in this regard. France will support it in this process for the benefit of the local populations.

Its time to move forward. I therefore encourage all parties to come together for a political settlement, which is within reach, he said.

Today, a growing international consensus is emerging in this regard. France plays its full part in all the forums concerned. In this context, it supports the efforts of the UN Secretary-General and his Personal Envoy. These should be the beginning of a renewed regional integration process, promoting cooperation, stability and prosperity in the Maghreb, President Macron said.

In the current context, I wish to assure Your Majesty of my unwavering commitment to continue, as we have agreed in recent months, the deepening and modernization of the exceptional policy that binds our two countries, to enable them to better meet together the new challenges they face, with the African continent and the rest of the international community, President Macron said.
In a dramatic turn of events, Russian mercenaries operating in Mali have suffered significant casualties following a rebel ambush during a sandstorm. The incident highlights the complex and volatile situation in the West African nation, where various factions vie for control.

The Russian mercenary group, now operating under the name Africa Corps, had joined Malis military in fierce battles against separatist rebels and jihadist militants. However, the tables turned when separatists launched a major attack, reportedly killing between 20 to 50 mercenaries.

Among the casualties was commander Sergei Shevchenko, whose death was confirmed by the mercenary group. The attack, which occurred near the north-eastern town of Tinzaouaten, was initially repelled. But a sudden sandstorm allowed the rebels to regroup and overwhelm the Russian forces.

Two groups have claimed responsibility for the attack: the Tuareg-dominated CSP-PSD and the al-Qaeda affiliate JNIM. Both have boasted of inflicting heavy losses on the Russian mercenaries and capturing equipment.

This incident underscores the challenges facing Malis military regime, which turned to Russian mercenaries in 2021 after ousting the previous government. The junta had hoped to quell unrest stemming from a decade-old Tuareg rebellion and subsequent Islamist militant involvement.

As Mali navigates this turbulent landscape, the effectiveness of its alliance with Russian mercenaries is being put to the test. The recent ambush raises questions about the strategys long-term viability in addressing the countrys complex security challenges.
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An image from the study, showing the areas of the brain affected by Alzheimer's disease (yellow) found when using real data and when using synthetic data generated by several methods. As you can see, the "ours" images are much more similar to the "real" ones, meaning that synthetic data from our model shows the same as real data as a tool to study disease. Credit: Dr. Jorge Cardoso, King's College London

An AI model developed by scientists at King's College London, in close collaboration with University College London, has produced three-dimensional, synthetic images of the human brain that are realistic and accurate enough to use in medical research.

The model and images have helped scientists better understand what the human brain looks like, supporting research to predict, diagnose and treat brain diseases such as dementia, stroke, and multiple sclerosis.

The algorithm was created using the NVIDIA Cambridge-1, the UK's most powerful supercomputer. One of the fastest supercomputers in the world, the Cambridge-1 allowed researchers to train the AI in weeks rather than months and produce images of far higher quality.

The findings are published in the journal Nature Machine Intelligence.

The 3D, high-resolution images have all the characteristics of real human brains, such as correct folding patterns and regions of the right size. It can also accurately produce images which reflect clinical factors like age, sex or disease status.

Data produced by the model was realistic enough to replicate human anatomy. For example, the team showed that a dementia research study running on real data would show the same outcomes as a study running on generated synthetic data.

By looking at large volumes of data, the AI model learned how age and sex affect the brain, and how pathologies impact anatomy. These tools have many direct uses, from making AI diagnosis more accurate and equitable, to helping neuroscientists better understand how brains change with age and with disease; this can be transformative to our ability to study the brain and find treatments for critical conditions.

Dr. Jorge Cardoso, Reader in Artificial Medical Intelligence and senior author on the study said, "We've taught a computer what the human brain looks like, and used it to generate realistic brains for specific ages, sexes and pathologies. Unlike AI images of people with six fingers or three legs, these images are anatomically correct down to every minute detail.

"Collection and access to data from real human brains significantly limits research, and the diversity of real-world data can create research biases and inconsistencies.

"The synthetic images produce high-resolution and potentially infinite data, in which we can control external variables. We can even use the model to make data sets more equitable, such as including a greater range of brains by age, gender or ethnicity.

"The potential for neurological research is enormous. With more development, the technology could help us understand which drugs are best for each patient, how certain conditions might evolve differently in different patients, and how a person's brain might react to a specific treatment.

"Put simply, clinicians would be able to tailor and optimize treatment plans based on the model's predictions for each specific patient."

Parashkev Nachev, Professor of Neurology at UCL said, "To understand the imaged brain we must first acquire the power to recreate it. This implies not merely learning the appearance of a set of brains, but defining the bounds on the possible, counterfactual characteristics of any brain, in health and disease.

"It's a solution which paves the way to overcoming the greatest challenge in medicine: how to predict the optimal treatment for each individual patient to deliver truly personalized care."

With more data and computing power, the models will continue improving. The research is also being expanded to other organs like the heart and lungs, and even to complex multi-system diseases like cancer.

More information: Petru-Daniel Tudosiu et al, Realistic morphology-preserving generative modelling of the brain, Nature Machine Intelligence (2024). DOI: 10.1038/s42256-024-00864-0 Journal information: Nature Machine Intelligence
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How the assessment of cancer risk could be improved in patients with non-specific symptoms by including information from common blood test results. Credit: Meena Rafiq (CC-BY 4.0, creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/)

The results of routine blood tests could be used to speed up cancer diagnosis among people with stomach pain or bloating, suggests a study led by UCL researchers.

Most people who report these symptoms to their GP are referred for blood tests. However, it is not known how well these blood tests, used to explore a range of possible causes of ill health, can predict cancer risk.

The study, published in PLOS Medicine, looked at data from more than 400,000 people aged 30 or older in the UK who had visited a GP due to stomach pain and more than 50,000 who had visited their GP due to bloating. Two thirds of this group had blood tests following their appointment.

The researchers found that, in 19 commonly used blood tests, abnormal results were linked to a higher risk of being diagnosed with cancer within a year. They estimated that, if these abnormal results were taken into account, there would have been a 16% increase in the number of people with undiagnosed cancer who were given an urgent referral, compared to assessment based on symptoms, age and sex alone.

This translates as an extra six people with undiagnosed cancer being urgently referred out of 1,000 people who had visited the GP with stomach pain or bloating, on top of 40 people with cancer being urgently referred already, without using blood test results.

Lead author Dr. Meena Rafiq, of the UCL Department of Behavioral Science & Health, said, "Our study suggests we can improve cancer detection with blood tests that are already available and that are routinely given to patients with non-specific symptoms whose cause is unclear. This could be an efficient, affordable way to improve early cancer diagnosis and, in some cases, increase the likelihood of successful treatment.

"Given that in practice it may be challenging for GPs to interpret a range of blood test data, our study points to the need for an automated tool that could assess cancer risk based on multiple variables."

The study used anonymized patient data from the Clinical Practice Research Datalink (CPRD), collected from a network of GP practices across the UK between 2007 and 2016.

The researchers found that one in 50 (2.2%) people who went to the GP reporting stomach pain were diagnosed with cancer over the next 12 months. Precisely the same proportion (2.2%) of people reporting bloating were also diagnosed with cancer within a year.

In the UK, guidelines from the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) say that people should be given an urgent cancer referral (i.e. referred to a specialist or for tests) if their risk of cancer is higher than 3%.

In the new study, the researchers found that people aged 60 or over who had gone to the GP with either stomach pain or bloating had a high enough risk to warrant an urgent cancer referral (that is, their risk was higher than 3%) regardless of blood test results. Currently, over-60s with stomach pain or bloating are only given a cancer referral in the UK if they have an additional potential cancer signal such as weight loss.

Risk of cancer was estimated to be 3.1% for men in their 60s reporting stomach pain, rising to 8.6% for men in their 80s with this symptom. For women in these age groups, the risk was 3.1%, rising to 6.1%.

The researchers cautioned that the incidence of cancer was likely to be higher in the study sample than among a broader group of people experiencing stomach pain or bloating who would not necessarily go to their GP or have blood tests.

In the UK study sample, the researchers found that, among people aged 30 to 59 years with abdominal pain or bloating, anemia, low albumin, raised platelets, abnormal ferritin, and increased inflammatory markers strongly predicted a risk of undiagnosed cancer.

For example, in women aged 50 to 59 with abdominal bloating, pre-blood test cancer risk of 1.6% increased to 10% with raised ferritin, to 9% with low albumin, to 8% with raised platelets, to 6% with raised inflammatory markers and to 4% with anemia.

Currently, only raised platelets and anemia are included in guidelines for cancer referral. The guidelines, the researchers noted, focused on the presence of 'alarm' symptoms and risk of cancer of a single organ, with limited guidance existing for vague symptoms that could be a sign of cancer in a number of different organs.

Dr. Rafiq added, "Half of all people with as-yet-undetected cancer will first go to the doctor with vague symptoms that can be challenging to diagnose. Many of these patients are investigated in primary care with commonly used blood tests that could help to identify which patients are most likely to have underlying cancer and should be prioritized for referral.

"This research shows these common tests can substantially enhance assessment of cancer risk."

The study also showed which types of cancer were most common for people with these symptoms and how this varied depending on age and sex. Overall, bowel cancer was most common, followed by prostate and pancreatic cancer in men, while in women bowel cancer was followed by breast and ovarian cancer.

The researchers said the findings on the predictive value of blood tests for cancer could not be extrapolated to other health systems with higher or lower rates of blood test use.

More information: Rafiq M, Renzi C, White B, Zakkak N, Nicholson B, Lyratzopoulos G, et al. (2024) Predictive value of abnormal blood tests for detecting cancer in primary care patients with nonspecific abdominal symptoms: A population-based cohort study of 477,870 patients in England. PLoS Medicine (2024). DOI: 10.1371/journal.pmed.1004426 Journal information: PLoS Medicine
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A collection of confiscated vapes found in schools alongside Prof Pudney's spice detection machine. Credit: University of Bath

Testing hundreds of confiscated vapes in 38 schools in England reveals 1 in 6 (16.6%) contained spice.

Spice, a synthetic street drug, can cause a wide range of dangerous side effects, including cardiac arrest.

Police, schools and researchers believe the much cheaper spice is being substituted into vapes which are sold as containing cannabis oil.

Professor Chris Pudney from the University of Bath conducted these tests using the world's first portable device that instantly detects synthetic drugs.

Working with concerned schools and police forces around the country, Professor Pudney tested 596 vapes confiscated from schools in England and discovered spice in 28 out of 38 (74%) schools across London, the West Midlands, Greater Manchester, and South Yorkshire. About 1 in 6 (16.6%) of the vapes contained spice, while roughly 1 in 100 (1.17%) contained THC, the psychoactive component of cannabis.

With the school summer holidays approaching, Professor Pudney is urging parents and guardians to discuss the serious health risks posed by illegal vapes with their children. He said, "Teenagers think they are purchasing vapes or vape fluid containing THC or nicotine when, in fact, they are laced with spice.

"We know children can have cardiac arrests when they smoke spice, and I believe some have come quite close to death. Headteachers are telling me pupils are collapsing in the halls and ending up with long stays in intensive care.

"This is not just a niche, one-off occurrence that happens in a school far away from you; this is something common. As we go into the school holidays if we can have an open dialogue and talk with children about the risks they face, then they've got a chance of making a different choice."

Echoing this concern is Ben Davis, Headteacher at St Ambrose Barlow RC High School in Salford, who invited Professor Pudney to test a batch of confiscated vapes at the school in July. He said, "We've had specific instances of young people under the influence of spice. I recall one young man describing how his hands felt like cartoon hands. He couldn't control them and they felt like they didn't belong to him. We've also witnessed two children collapsing.

"Dealing with the aftermath is challenging, especially when you have to explain to the child's family that something potentially life-threatening happened while they were in our care. It's equally distressing for their friends who witnessed the collapse and for the staff involvedit's their worst fear realized.

"What do we do if it happens again and we're unaware? One incident occurred on the playground, where many people were present to help. But what if it happens in a bathroom cubicle, and they are alone? It would only be when they didn't show up for class, were marked absent, and we started searching for them, potentially finding them too late. We've been fortunate so far, but I believe it's only a matter of time before serious injuries or fatalities occur.

"My message to families is, don't assume your child is not involved. There's a high chance they are, or they know someone who is. Please talk to them about it. Be open, non-judgmental, and accepting. As soon as you judge or blame, barriers will go up, and you won't reach your child. This conversation is crucial for their safety."

Credit: University of Bath

To help combat this issue, Professor Pudney has deployed a spice detector to Devon and Cornwall Police. Chief Inspector Sarah Johns, Devon & Cornwall Police Prevention Command said, "We have been aware of Professor Pudney's work in quickly and accurately testing for the presence of controlled substances in vapes such as the synthetic cannabinoid spice and are pleased to be one of the forces which has received one of his devices for ongoing testing in our area. It will help us to ascertain the scale of this issue in Devon and Cornwall so that we can target resources most effectively.

"We work with schools across Devon and Cornwall, and in Plymouth our Child Centered Policing Team has visited all secondary schools to educate pupils on the health risks of using illegal vapes containing THC or spice. Our clear message to all young people is that the risks associated with unregulated vapes are not worth it. Young people obtaining these fluids, or being offered them, will never be able to know for sure what's in them and as Dr. Pudney's work indicates, if it's spice then that could lead to serious harm.

"There is also criminality and exploitation associated with the production and distribution of vapes or fluids containing spice or THC, and Devon & Cornwall Police will seize these whenever and wherever we are aware of their presence. Professor Pudney has also tested vapes in four schools in Greater Manchester, with oversight from Greater Manchester Police.

Detective Sergeant Laura Bell, of GMP's Organized Crime Unit in Salford, emphasized the importance of proactive measures to protect young people. "It's important that we take a proactive approach to keep young people safe; we know one of the most effective ways of doing this is through education. It is vital that we engage with the young people and schools in our communities to do this.

"Students are educated about the risks of drug use and illegal vapes, the potential impact on their health and the wider long-term consequences it can have on their futures.

"We encourage parents and guardians to discourage their children from getting involved in any illegal activities and continue to remind them of the negative consequences that using drugs can have.

"Unscrupulous vape sellers have no place in Greater Manchester and unregulated vapes are often intentionally marketed to young people, harming their health.

"GMP along with our partners, are committed to keeping illegal vapes off our streets. We will continue to take proactive action to tackle illegal vaping products and ensure that these potentially harmful products are inaccessible to young people.

"Our operational work has seen us seize countless vapes, through a mixture of store visits, raids, and warrants across anywhere that we receive intelligence."

This is a national problem reports of pupils falling seriously ill in schools across the country. Areas where schools or police have issued safety warnings include but are not limited to: Cornwall, Devon, Kent, Lincolnshire, Lancashire, London, Middlesborough, Somerset and the West Midlands.

Professor Pudney calls on schools experiencing issues with spice-spiked vapes to come forward for testing and urges the government to prioritize this issue on a national level. He said, "Currently, this issue is being addressed regionally, but I urge the government to elevate it to a national harm reduction priority.

"I call on the Home Office and the Department for Education to highlight this problem and to provide police forces and schools with comprehensive harm reduction guidance and support."

Professor Pudney will publish an academic paper on his vape testing findings, with a pre-print expected mid-August. This builds upon a growing body of research from Professor Pudney, including spice detection in prisons.
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Credit: CC0 Public Domain

Though it is exceedingly rare, some people diagnosed with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) partially or fully recover from the lethal neurodegenerative disease.

A better understanding of this baffling phenomenon, reported in medical literature for at least 60 years, could point to potential new treatment approaches. To that end, researchers at Duke Health and St. Jude's Research Hospital recently launched a study of ALS recovery patients and found certain genetic factors that appear to protect against the disease's typical assault on motor neurons.

The findings appear in the journal Neurology.

"With other neurological diseases, there are now effective treatments," said Richard Bedlack, M.D., Ph.D., the Stewart, Hughes, and Wendt Professor in the Department of Neurology at Duke University School of Medicine. "But we still don't have great options for these patients, and we desperately need to find things. This work provides a starting point to explore how biological reversals of ALS occur and how we might be able to harness that effect therapeutically."

Bedlack and colleaguesincluding co-lead author Jesse Crayle, M.D., who is now at Washington University in St. Louisconducted a genome-wide association study of 22 participants who had been diagnosed with ALS and recovered, comparing them to similar patients whose ALS progressed. Researchers at St. Jude Children's Research Hospital led the genetic analysis.

"Our whole genome sequencing pipeline leveraged a multiomics strategy to combine newly available gene expression and epigenetic data, and maximized not just this unique dataset but the CReATe and TargetALS patient databases," explained co-lead author Evadnie Rampersaud, Ph.D., St. Jude Children's Research Hospital Center for Applied Bioinformatics. She stated that the finding was made possible because the patient samples were characterized so well.

The team identified a common genetic variation called a single nucleotide polymorphism (SNP). The SNP reduces levels of a protein that blocks the IGF-1 signaling pathway, and study participants with this one-letter change in their DNA were 12 times more likely to have experienced a recovery than those without it.

IGF-1 is a growth factor that has long been a target of interest in ALS research because of its role in protecting the motor neurons. ALS patients with fast progression of disease have lower levels of IGF-1 protein, but clinical trials aimed at raising their IGF-1 levels have had disappointing results.

The current finding provides a potential new approach to targeting IGF-1.

"This suggests that the IGF-1 pathway should be further studied as a potential target for future ALS treatments," Crayle said. "While it may not be effective to simply give people IGF-1, our study indicates we might have a way to go about it differently by reducing the levels of this inhibiting protein. It is also possible that the prior studies with IGF-1 were just not adequately dosed or need to be dosed in a different way."

Bedlack said the research team is now exploring whether there is a correlation between the blocking protein and disease progression in a much larger number of patients. Results of that analysis will inform whether a clinical trial targeting this protein could be launched.

In addition to Bedlack and Crayle, study authors include Jason Myers, Joanne Wuu, J. Paul Taylor, Gang Wu and Michael Benatar.
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Credit: Unsplash/CC0 Public Domain

Extreme heat and plenty of sunshine is a given for Atlanta, especially this summer. In June, there were nearly 285 hours of sunshine, and it's on track for more rays this month, according to U.S. Climate Data.

That's a lot of UV radiation exposurea form of energy the sun producesand a potential risk for skin cancer, the most common form of cancer by far.

While the vast majority of skin cancers are highly treatable when caught early, if left untreated they can become invasive, grow into deeper layers of the skin and spread to other parts of the body.

A new clinical trial at Winship Cancer Institute of Emory University in Atlanta is testing a new type of radiation treatment for people facing a recurrence of a specific form of skin cancer: squamous cell carcinoma. It is the second most common form of skin cancer.

While this trial will not include other types of skin cancer, including melanoma, the deadliest form of skin cancer, Dr. Zachary Buchwald, a radiation oncologist and cancer immunology researcher at Winship, said this treatment could potentially be used to treat other skin cancers.

This investigational treatment is new in the kind of radiation used to treat the cancer and how the radiation therapy is administered.

Typical radiation therapy requires regular visits to a hospital and a large machine is used to direct high-energy X-ray beams onto a precise point on the body.

Emory's trial studies a new way to administer radiation by inserting tiny "seeds" that are about the size of a grain of rice underneath the skin at the precise location of the cancerous tumor. Buchwald said the seeds are like "grains of rice on a string" and are injected with a simple needle procedure.

"We basically deposit the seeds in a lattice network to cover the whole tumor," he said.

The targeted treatment also minimizes damage to surrounding healthy tissue.

The treatment is administered during an outpatient visit and remains in place for two weeks, at which point the patient returns and it is removed. Buchwald noted this is convenient for patients, so they don't have to make daily visits for radiation treatment, especially for patients who must drive long distances to reach Emory's Winship Cancer Institute on Clifton Road in Atlanta.

The seeds give off a type of high-energy radiation, known as alpha radiation, to kill cancer cells. People may be familiar with a prostate cancer treatment using similar technology and requiring the radioactive seeds to be implanted in the prostate. But Buchwald noted this investigational treatment uses a different type of radioactive substance.

The trial is accepting new patients grappling with the return of this form of cancer. There is no cost for participating in the trial and participants don't need to be Emory Healthcare patients.

While early in the trial, Buchwald said he's hopeful and encouraged by some early "impressive results."

"I had this patient who had like multiple, multiple recurring squamous cell carcinomas around his nose. And unfortunately, he had to have a total rhinectomy, so his nose was basically removed. He had prior radiation, multiple surgeries and was kind of at his wit's end in terms of getting his cancer under control. We treated him in December as part of the trial and he had no evidence of recurrent disease at that time."

There are no statistics on how many people will develop or die from squamous skin cancer. Basal and squamous cell skin cancers are the most common forms of skin cancer and are not tracked by cancer registries.

Melanoma is the least common but most serious form of skin cancer, and it is tracked by health authorities. In 2021, the latest year for which data are available, in the United States, 90,365 new cases of melanoma were reported by the CDC's U.S. Cancer Statistics, meaning for every 100,000 people, 23 new cases were reported.

In Georgia, the rate was slightly higher. In 2021, there were 2,986 new cases of melanoma, equivalent to 25 cases for every 100,000 people.

Most squamous cell cancers are caused by too much ultraviolet radiation, which is a type of light that comes from sunlight or tanning beds. The UV index is a method of predicting how strong UV rays will be outdoors. The higher the UV index, the less time it takes for skin to become damaged by the sun.

It's estimated one in five Americans will have skin cancer over their lifetime. Skin cancer rates in Georgia are higher than the national average, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

"The average rate of skin cancer relative to the rest of the United States is higher because we have a lot more high UV days here," Buchwald said about Georgia. "And perhaps people may not have good adherence to sun hygiene like wearing sunscreen."

He said a lack of access to dermatologists, especially in rural areas, may also play a role because it can mean people delay getting skin cancer screenings or skip them altogether.

Sometimes skin cancer signs aren't all that obvious.

Buchwald recommends people pay attention to "any new bumps that pop up and kind of persist especially in sun-exposed areas, so on your shoulders, on your face, your back. Anything that looks a little bit abnormal, they can look crusty or a little red bump, anything that pops up on your skin and lingers I think really needs to be evaluated by a dermatologist with a biopsy."

Spotting skin cancer

Skin cancer appears on the body in many different ways. It can look like a:

Changing mole or mole that looks different from your others

Dome-shaped growth

Scaly patch

Non-healing sore or sore that heals and returns

Brown or black streak under a nail

It can also show up in other ways.

To find skin cancer on your body, you don't have to remember a long list. Dermatologists sum it up this way. It's time to see a dermatologist if you notice a spot on your skin that:

Differs from the others

Changes

Itches

Bleeds

2024 The Atlanta Journal-Constitution. Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC.
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Age specific rate of deaths from non-melanoma skin cancer in Australia over the last 20 years; collated from Australian Bureau of Statistics data. Credit: Pathology (2024). DOI: 10.1016/j.pathol.2024.05.002

Deaths from non-melanoma skin cancers have almost doubled in Australia this millenniumand the culprit is hiding in plain sight, according to new medical research led by the University of the Sunshine Coast.

In a study that has alarmed researchers, most of the deaths were attributed to a high-risk version of cutaneous (skin) squamous cell carcinoma (SCC)commonly found on sun-exposed areas of the head and neck and often cured by localized removal.

In a paper published this month in the journal Pathology, data analyzed from sources including the Australian Bureau of Statistics showed the number of non-melanoma skin cancer deaths rose from 400 a year in 2001 to almost 800 in 2021.

Sunshine Coast Health pathologist Dr. Andrew Dettrick led his Ph.D. study with UniSC supervisors and a team of fellow specialists from Sunshine Coast University Hospital and Pathology Queensland.

He said the figures revealed the danger of underestimating the urgency of treating non-melanoma skin cancers.

"Non-melanoma skin cancer is often trivialized because of its high prevalence combined with easy treatment for the majority of tumors," Dr. Dettrick said. "However, there is a subgroup of squamous cell carcinoma that is associated with a high risk of metastasis and death.

"The real extent is unknown because, unlike melanoma, the pathologies of these cancers are not recorded on Australian cancer registries due to the huge number of cases treated across GP clinics and hospitals."

Dr. Dettrick said the study recommended fixing deficiencies in defining, diagnosing and managing treatment of the cancer before it could spread elsewhere in the body.

"While the prognosis is excellent for the majority of patients with this skin cancer, including cure rates between 91% and 95% following localized removal, things quickly worsen once the cancer has advanced locally or spread to lymph nodes," he said.

"Patients and their caregivers must understand that cutaneous squamous cell carcinoma is a serious and potentially fatal cancer. Identifying it early, before it has metastasized, is critical."

UniSC medical science academic Dr. Rebecca Donkin, who supervised the study with Dr. Anna Kuballa, said the study's recommendations could have a great impact on improving outcomes for patients.

"Many significant prognostic factors have been identified but there is no universally accepted prognostic index, so guidelines for treatment and follow-up have been open to interpretation," Dr. Donkin said.

"To reduce deaths from this aggressive, potentially fatal malignancy, clinicians and pathologists must be able to identify cases early to improve the management of, and the chances of survival from, the disease. This is what Dr. Dettrick and his colleagues are striving for."

More information: Andrew Dettrick et al, The hidden Australian skin cancer epidemic, high-risk cutaneous squamous cell carcinoma: a narrative review, Pathology (2024). DOI: 10.1016/j.pathol.2024.05.002
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Credit: Unsplash/CC0 Public Domain

The National Education Association, the nation's largest union, reversed course July 26, on its threat to cut off health insurance to about 300 Washington, D.C.-based workers in an effort to end a bitter contract dispute.

"The NEA is not discontinuing its unionized staff's health insurance and will continue to pay insurance premiums as we bargain a new contract," Kim Anderson, NEA's executive director, said in a statement to KFF Health News. "Both parties have mutually agreed to mediation and we are making every effort to reach an agreement as quickly as possible."

The NEA's decision came just hours after KFF Health News reported on the union's warning that it would cancel health benefits on Aug. 1 for striking workers, including some with ongoing medical issues. Officials at the NEA staff union confirm they had been notified by the NEA.

Some private employers have used the threat of cutting off health benefits as leverage against unionized workers, a tactic that has drawn scrutiny from congressional Democrats and is prohibited for state employers in California. Experts on labor law say they've never seen a union make the move against its own workers.

"This is like a man-bites-dog situation where the union is now in a position as the employer," said Paul Clark, a professor of labor and employment relations at Penn State University. "It's not a good look for a union."

NEA workers with pressing health needs were worried but said they wouldn't fold. Joye Mercer Barksdale, a writer on the NEA's government relations team, said she needs coverage for a medical procedure to address atrial fibrillation, a cardiac disorder. "This is insane for the NEA to use our health benefits as a bargaining chip," she said.

But Barksdale had said she was "not ready to give in." She said she was thrilled by the reversal.

The NEA Staff Organization, the union representing workers at the NEA's headquarters, launched a strike on July 5 in Philadelphia, during the union's annual delegate assembly. It was its second walkout this summer as the two parties negotiate a new contract, navigating sticking points such as wages and remote work.

In response, the NEA ended the conference early. President Joe Biden was supposed to speak at the event but withdrew, refusing to cross the picket line. The NEA on July 24 endorsed Kamala Harris for president.

On July 8, the day after the conference had been scheduled to end, the NEA locked out workers. In a letter the day before, the NEA informed its unionized workers that they would not be paid, effective immediately, and their health benefits would expire at the end of July unless a new deal were reached.

"NEA cannot allow NEASO to act again in a way that will bring such lasting harm to our members and our organization," Anderson, the NEA's executive director, wrote in the letter, obtained by KFF Health News. "We are, and have always been, committed both to our union values and to the importance of conducting ourselves as a model employer."

Democrats in Congress, including Sens. Sherrod Brown of Ohio and Bob Casey of Pennsylvania, introduced legislation last year to protect striking workers from losing their health benefits, after several large companies, including General Motors, John Deere, RTX (formerly Raytheon Technologies), and the maker of Kellogg's cereals, threatened to or did cut off coverage during labor disputes.

"Workers shouldn't have to choose between their family's health and a fair contract," Brown said in a statement to KFF Health News.

The legislation was endorsed by large labor unions, including the Service Employees International Union and United Steelworkers, according to a press release from Brown's office. The NEA wasn't among them.

"This tactic is immoral, and it should be illegal," United Steelworkers' president at the time, Thomas Conway, said in the release.

Kate Hilts, a National Education Association digital strategist, says she fears that losing her coverage will leave her unable to afford treatment for a rare autoimmune disease that attacks her kidneys. Her next treatment was slated for August. "I wake up every day and can't believe this is happening," she says.

Joye Mercer Barksdale, a writer on the National Education Association's government relations team, worries that losing her employer-paid insurance could be bad for her health, as she needs a medical procedure to address atrial fibrillation, a cardiac disorder. "This is insane for the NEA to use our health benefits as a bargaining chip," she says.

Officials at the NEA, which represents teachers and other administrators, declined an interview request. In a statement Wednesday, the organization's president, Becky Pringle, said "we are making every effort to reach an agreement as quickly as possible" with its staff union.

"As union leaders who have been on strike, we recognize the significance and impact of these important decisions on a personal and family level. We truly value our employees and look forward to continued collaboration with NEASO to develop a new contract that benefits us all," she said.

Kate Hilts, a digital strategist who works for the NEA, said she feared losing her coverage would leave her unable to afford treatment for a rare autoimmune disease that attacks her kidneys. Her next treatment was slated for August.

"I wake up every day and can't believe this is happening," she said. "You would expect this from an employer that is antiworker or has a terrible labor record, but I am totally flabbergasted that a labor union would do this that bills itself as pro-worker, pro-family, pro-education, and pro-children."

The NEA staff union has filed multiple charges with the National Labor Relations Board this year, including allegations that the NEA withheld holiday overtime pay and failed to provide information on the outsourcing of millions of dollars in bargaining unit work.

California is one of the only states that protects striking workers from losing health coverage. The state legislature passed a law in 2021 that blocks the tactic from being used against public employees and another law in 2022 that allows any striking workers who lose their insurance to immediately get heavily discounted coverage through the state's Affordable Care Act marketplace.

If they had remained locked out, the NEA workers would have been eligible for coverage under COBRA, a federal program that allows people who are fired or laid off to maintain their employer-sponsored insurance for 18 months.

But the coverage can be a financial hardship, as individuals often must pay the entire cost of their insurance premiums, plus a 2% administrative fee.

Another option for workers would have been coverage through the Affordable Care Act marketplace, though that also can be costly. And it may have been unclear how soon that coverage would begin or whether insurers would cover their existing doctors.

"I'm hoping the NEA will be so ashamed of what they are doing that, at the very least, they will not take away our health benefits," Barksdale said before the NEA's decision.

2024 KFF Health News. Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC.
Rugged is putting it mildly when it comes to 80 percent of Norway. Historically, it was a challenge to live here. That's why Vikings ventured south and so many emigrants left for America.

But I find excuses to return to Norway regularly. Three of my grandparents grew up there. I once told my TV producer, So many people in Norway look like my brother. Having traveled with me for years, he was shocked: I didn't know you had a brother! I don't. But if I did, he'd look like the guys in Norway.

Yet it's more than how they look. It's how they are. A fun part of travel is to feel a kinship with people from the land of your ancestors. In this intensely scenic corner of Europe, the challenges presented by nature have met the tough and creative spirit of the Norwegian people. The result: a fascinating land well worth exploring.

I head for western Norway to experience the best of natural beauty. Northern Europe's highest mountains are here  in the region called Jotunheimen, or Giant's Country. This lofty national park feels like the top of the world. You can imagine the Norse spirits of Thor and Odin inhabiting these misty peaks.

The countrys famously steep mountains and deep fjords were shaped by the glaciers that covered Scandinavia 10,000 years ago. The distance from seabed to mountaintop around here is nearly two vertical miles.

At the glacier called Nigardsbreen, the scale is enormous. Cruising on a boat across a pristine lake to the glacier, I felt dwarfed by blue cliffs of ancient ice. Adventurous travelers can lash on crampons and follow a guide on a trek over the ice and snow. While there are more demanding Nigardsbreen routes, I like to join a family hike  just an hour each way, but enough to bring me face to face with the glacier's majesty.

To get deep into the heart of the fjords, sightseers ride traditional ferries or excursion boats. The stunning scenery keeps everyone on deck, cameras clicking. For an exhilarating alternative, sign up for a speedier tour in a small, open Zodiac-type boat. As the boat rockets across the water, you'll be thankful for the all-weather suit that comes with the ride.

From the heart of fjord country, a handy express boat quickly gets travelers to Bergen, the biggest city in the west of Norway. Just one sheltering island away from the open sea, Bergen has long been a safe port of call. Its popular with cruise ships and a refuge when heavy winds drive in the boats that serve North Sea oil rigs. Much of Norway's affluence is fueled by the oil and gas it drills just offshore.

The urban heart of colorful Bergen has a thriving personality all its own. After a week in this expensive country, I'm comfortable with the notion that, here, beer is wine ($10 a glass). Busy with business travelers and popular with tourists, Bergens hotels spike up and down with the demand. (It pays to check hotel websites for deals.)

Back in the 13th century, Bergen was Norway's capital. But, while breathtaking vistas are everywhere you look, the city's history is harder to see. For most of its past, Norway was extremely humble. As the wealthier parts of Europe were building grand churches and castles of stone, Norway built with wood, and little survives from centuries past. Bergen has burned down and been rebuilt several times.

In the touristy wharf area, called Bryggen, creaky wooden warehouses lean haphazardly across cobbled alleys. This was the historic trading center. A medieval boomtown, Bergen was a member of the mighty Hanseatic League, an alliance of seafaring merchants.

The Hanseatic Museum, on the edge of the wharf, helps bring to life the salty economy that made Bergen prosper. It was all about the fish. Norwegian fishermen knew how to catch cod and Germanic traders knew how to sell it. Customers ate it up  then as well as today. The bustling fish market at the head of the harbor has a seafood circus of eateries.

Pale locals bolt outside when the sun peeks through in Norway's rainiest city. Pick one of the 60 days when the sun shines to ride Bergen's popular Flibanen funicular up Mount Flyen. It rises 1,000 feet above the city to dazzling views that lead all the way to the Atlantic. In the last century, Bergen was a launching point for countless adventurers headed to the New World. Today their descendants, returning to their Viking roots, discover a prosperous, contented, and beautiful country.

(Rick Steves (www.ricksteves.com) writes European guidebooks, hosts travel shows on public TV and radio, and organizes European tours. This column revisits some of Rick's favorite places over the past two decades. You can email Rick at rick@ricksteves.com and follow his blog on Facebook.)
China releases first large-scale seismic data processing model with 100 million parameters

Global Times) 09:57, July 30, 2024

The world's first large-scale seismic data processing model with 100 million parameters called "DiTing" has been officially released, a significant advancement for China in key technologies in seismology, according to the Chengdu science and technology bureau in Southwest China's Sichuan Province on Monday.

The model was developed by the National Supercomputing Center in Chengdu in cooperation with the Institute of Geophysics of the China Earthquake Administration and Tsinghua University, the Xinhua News Agency reported.

In September 2023, the National Supercomputing Center in Chengdu partnered with the Institute of Geophysics of the China Earthquake Administration to establish a joint laboratory for research into earthquake large-scale model innovation applications.

They launched the training of the "DiTing" model with researchers from Tsinghua University and the Institute of Geology and Geophysics, Chinese Academy of Sciences, to advance artificial intelligence algorithms in seismology and research in earthquake monitoring and forecasting services, said Guo Li, chairman of Chengdu Supercomputing Center Operation Company, according to the supercomputing center on Monday.

The "DiTing" dataset is the first and one of the largest seismic AI training datasets for seismology with the most comprehensive sample types and labeling, said the center.

Researchers have developed a seismic wave model with 100 million parameters in the half-year study in the joint lab, which is now ready for use, and a version with 1 billion parameters is expected to be completed pre-training by August 2024, supporting earthquake prevention and disaster reduction efforts, according to the developers.

In the future, the model could be applied in fields such as mine seismic monitoring, shale gas exploitation, urban underground space structure detection, underwater earthquake monitoring, and others, according to the developers.

(Web editor: Tian Yi, Wu Chaolan)
Wildland firefighters responded Sunday afternoon to a new wildfire west of Lost Trail Pass, just barely within Montana, as a separate fire to the northwest in the Selway-Bitterroot Wilderness filled the Bitterroot Valley with smoke.

Crews were dispatched to the Hughes Point fire at 3:33 p.m. Sunday. The fire was discovered burning about 5.4 miles southwest of Lost Trail Pass on U.S. Highway 93 at the Montana-Idaho state line. That's about 4.6 miles southwest of the high point of Lost Trail Ski Area on Lewis and Clark Ridge.

The fire is on the southwest point of a ridge that extends west from Hughes Point in the upper reaches of the Hughes Creek drainage. The fire is in Montana but only about 1.4 miles from the state line to the east.

Bitterroot National Forest officials stated in their initial announcement of the fire Sunday afternoon that it was estimated at about 40 acres. At that time, initial attack of the fire included 13 smokejumpers  wildland firefighters who parachute into the area of a fire from an airplane  a wildland fire engine crew, a small suppression crew, five helicopters and multiple large air tankers dropping retardant.

By late morning Monday, the forest stated that the fire was about 60 acres. The Lolo Interagency Hotshot Crew was assigned to the fire and a second crew was ordered. Aircraft flight tracking data Monday morning showed a slew of large air tankers, each with a 3,000-gallon retardant capacity, working the area of the Hughes Point fire.

Alexandra Stuart, a public information officer for fire management on the Bitterroot, said around 2:45 p.m. Monday that the fire was likely smaller than 60 acres; smoke had made it difficult to accurately size up the fire. A more accurate acreage would be released later Monday, she said. One heavy-lift helicopter and four large air tankers continued to work the fire Monday.

Stuart said that the second hotshot crew on order may not be needed or deployed to the fire. There was some firefighting activity based out of the ski area, she said, but the ski area itself was not at risk.

"Theres no actions being taken for the ski area. The helipad is there, thats where theyre flying out of," she said. "Theres no threats right now to backcountry yurts, no other values at risk right now."

Meanwhile, a fire deep in the Selway-Bitterroot Wilderness about 31 miles west of Hamilton degraded air quality in the Bitterroot Valley.

The Wye fire was discovered around 10 a.m. Thursday, July 25, on the north side of East Fork Moose Creek about 8 miles northeast of the Moose Creek backcountry airstrip and the confluence of Moose Creek into the Selway River.

The lightning-caused blaze rapidly grew to an estimated 7,000 acres in a day and inundated the Bitterroot Valley to the east with smoke. Air quality reached "hazardous," the most severe of six levels, on Thursday evening, and it hit "very unhealthy," the second-most-severe level, Friday morning. Air quality Monday morning was "unhealthy for sensitive groups," the third of the six levels.

It was unclear how large the Wye fire had grown by Monday morning. On InciWeb, a national database of emergency incidents, officials stated Friday that the fire was "Currently unstaffed due to higher priority fires closer to populated areas and communities."

The fire's acreage hadn't been updated since midday Friday, but satellite detection of heat signatures showed that the fire may have pushed east up East Fork Moose Creek and around the southern flank of Bell Point by Monday morning.
Trump deserves Golden Russian award

In a world I wish existed where autocrats actually told the truth, Donald Trump and the MAGA Republicans in the House and Senate would receive the Vladimir Putin Golden Russian Award. This award would be given to those who are not Russian but who advance the Russian agenda most effectively.

Putin would cite Trump and the Republicans for withholding aid and support for Ukraine which allowed him to rebuild his depleted and retreating forces and avoid an embarrassing humiliation for his army.

He would deeply appreciate being able to bomb Ukrainian troops, killing thousands and bomb Ukrainian cities killing women and children with impunity.

Putin would give special recognition to Trump for his undermining NATO and its long standing as a deterrent to his plans to restore the Balkans and other countries to their rightful place as a part of Russia. He would also recognize the MAGA Republicans for their ongoing campaign to convince all Americans that their country is failing, that their institutions are corrupt and that what they need is a strong man to lead.

Putin would express great gratitude to the Republicans who have undermined Americans faith and belief in their own country which he has been seeking to do unsuccessfully for years.

It takes leadership from within to destroy Americans belief in their own elections, court system, justice department, Intelligence Services, and even their public schools, Putin would say. He would also give a shout out to Fox News for its fair-and-balanced reporting.

John S. Flood, Jr.

Morganton

Figure out another source for water, not ours

A neighboring metropolis is wanting to get a guarantee on receiving an amount of water from the Catawba River.

The only ones who profit from this plan are the utility companies and new property developers. We can use water for the same reasons.

We have been in a drought while there are families in Charlotte watering their yards. I have already lived through one drought, and it cost me yard damage as we were not supposed to water our plants in our yards but down river, they took their quota of our liquid.

Our lake nearly drained, was not necessary as Charlotte puts in a water park with rapids that take up a lot of water to operate, that they are probably under contract to provide.

Again, the profit goes to the company. They just charge their customers more for their water.

When we get rain in the mountains you will get your contract amount, but dont ask for more gravy when you dont have the potatoes to need it.

Our community is growing also so we have just as much of a need for water as you do. Figure out another source, not ours. You take our resource and then you charge your customers, where is our cut of the water?

Dave Tubergen

Morganton
Former Isiolo South MP Abdi Tepo faces five criminal charges, including possessing forged bank notes and illegal firearms.

Prosecutors revealed that Tepo had 300 pieces of paper designed to pass as the special paper used for US dollar currency notes.

In addition to the forgery charges, Tepo also faced allegations of possessing ammunition and a firearm without the necessary certificates.

Tepo and his wife, Halima Gura Roka, a Quality Assurance Officer at the defunct National Hospital Insurance Fund (NHIF), were arrested by Ethics and Anti-Corruption Commission (EACC) officers on Thursday, July 25, 2024.

EACC detectives were investigating fraudulent payments totaling Kes.199 million made to Beirut Pharmacy and Medical Centre by the National Health Insurance Fund (NHIF) between 2021 and 2023 when they arrived at the couples home.

During the raid, Tepo reportedly cocked his Ceska handgun but eventually allowed the detectives access. The investigation also led to searches at the homes of Beirut directors and hospital administrators.

The couple was arrested on Thursday afternoon after the MP purported to open fire at EACC detectives who had gone to his residence for a search operation targeting his wife, a prime suspect in the multi-million NHIF graft scandal under investigation by the Commission.

During the operation, detectives recovered two briefcases full of US dollars, estimated to be in millions, and assorted chemicals (in powder and liquid form) suspected to be used for making fake notes. Samples of the notes tested at the EACC Integrated Financial Forensic Lab were fake, the EACC reported.

Tepo pleaded not guilty to the charges in court. The court granted him bail of Kes.100,000 and required him to provide one contact person.

The case is set for mention on August 12, 2024, for pretrial.
The Kenyan government has officially submitted documentation supporting Raila Odingas bid for the African Union Commission (AUC) chairperson.

Led by Foreign Affairs Principal Secretary Korir Singoei, the delegation presented the documents to Dharmraj Busgeeth, Dean of the Eastern Region, and the Office of the Legal Counsel of the African Union in Addis Ababa.

Singoei highlighted Raila Odingas key priorities for the AUC chairperson role, which include fostering African integration and infrastructure development, driving economic transformation, boosting intra-African trade, achieving financial independence, promoting gender equity and equality, advancing agricultural transformation, addressing climate action, ensuring peace and security, and empowering African youth.

Candidates for the Chairperson position must submit a resume in the approved AU format along with a brief vision statement. This statement should outline their strategy for tackling the continents most pressing issues, be written in at least two of the Unions working languages, and not exceed one and a half pages.

The AU will post each candidates vision statement on a dedicated webpage on its website.

During the African Unions 22nd Extraordinary Session of the Executive Council in Addis Ababa on March 15, 2024, the commission set February 2025 as the election date for senior leadership positions.

The council decided that the Eastern region would propose candidates for Chairperson, while the Northern region would nominate candidates for Deputy Chairperson.
A senior Kenya Wildlife Service (KWS) officer died instantly when his Toyota RAV4 plunged into the Mwachome River in Msambweni, Kwale County.

Msambweni police chief Francis Gachoki confirmed the incident on Monday morning. He reported that the vehicle, traveling from Msambweni to Likoni, lost control and veered off the road before crashing into the river at the bridge linking Diani and Tiwi areas.

The vehicle lost control just before the bridge, rolled several times, and landed on the riverbed. The officer was ejected from the vehicle during the crash, Gachoki said.

Gachoki noted that the officer might have been on his way to work, as his belongings, including his uniform, were discovered among the wreckage. The damaged vehicle has been towed to Diani Police Station.

The police chief added that the officer was driving his personal car when the accident occurred. Authorities later informed the officers colleagues about the incident.

Witnesses confirmed that the deceased was the only occupant of the vehicle when it lost control on the bridge. The crash disrupted traffic on the Likoni-Lungalunga highway, causing hundreds of locals to stop and observe the scene.

We are relieved that the police arrived promptly because some individuals were attempting to steal his gun and other valuables from the car, said witness Ali Namatsi. The eyewitness noted that the accident happened just before 7 a.m.

Gachoki reported that the officers body was transported to the Aga Khan Hospital morgue in Mombasa County. The police are continuing their investigation to determine the cause of the accident.
Lobby group Operation Linda Jamii has petitioned the court to direct the police to facilitate a peaceful procession to the State House in Nairobi and all State Lodges.

Court documents reveal that the group has notified the Inspector General of Police about the nationwide march scheduled for today(Tuesday, July 30).

During this event, protesters will deliver their petitions to these locations.

Operation Linda Jamii plans to include their members and supportive Kenyans in the processions, aiming to present petitions to the State House in Nairobi and state lodges in Mombasa, Kisumu, Sagana, Nyeri, Eldoret, Nakuru, Kakamega, and Kitale.

The group has voiced concerns over the police forces previous actions against peaceful protesters. They have urged the Inspector General of Police to ensure that officers show restraint during the nationwide march.

The document highlights that, despite Kenyans consistent efforts to peacefully and unarmed express their discontent with the regime, they have faced severe violence, intimidation, torture, detention without trial, murder, and enforced disappearances at the hands of the State.

The petitioner also criticized the Kenya Kwanza regime for allegedly using officers to intimidate citizens, arguing that such actions breach the 2010 Constitution. They told the court, The nation is rapidly becoming a police state. The regime is criminalizing dissent on a large scale, denying due process to those opposed to it, and the horrors of enforced disappearances and extrajudicial killings have resurfaced.

They further added, The preamble to the 2010 Constitution of Kenya acknowledges the aspirations of all Kenyans for a government based on human rights, equality, freedom, democracy, social justice, and the rule of law.

The First Schedule of the Protected Areas Act designates the State House and State Lodges as protected areas, stipulating that unauthorized presence on these premises constitutes an offense punishable by up to two years in prison, a fine not exceeding five thousand shillings, or both.
The Party of National Unity (PNU) has announced its intention to exit the Azimio coalition. This decision comes in response to the Orange Democratic Movement (ODM) submitting four of its members for appointment to President William Rutos cabinet.

PNU leader Peter Munya disclosed that the partys National Executive Council (NEC) will convene on Thursday to discuss their membership in the coalition. We are meeting on Thursday to decide our relations with Azimio, Munya stated.

Munya emphasized that the Raila Odinga-led ODM cannot simultaneously occupy roles in both the government and the opposition, necessitating PNUs decision to disassociate.

They (ODM) have said they want to be in the government. For those of us who want to be in the opposition, we must bolt out so that we can continue fighting for the people of Kenya, he asserted.

Munya criticized the current administration, arguing that it has caused numerous problems for the Kenyan people.

He also clarified that he is not interested in taking up any job within President Rutos government, emphasizing his commitment to remaining in the opposition to fulfill his oversight role.

I have not been offered any job, and even if I am, I will decline. I believe I am better off working with the people to bring the changes they need rather than strengthening a government that people have many issues with, he explained.

The former Meru Governor also challenged Raila Odinga and other coalition partners to declare their stance on whether they are still in the opposition or have joined the government.

As PNU, we believe we can play a better role in the opposition. We urge our brothers in Azimio to make that choice as well. If they decide to join the government, they should do so fully, so it is clear who is playing which roleright now, there is confusion, Munya elaborated.

Munyas remarks highlight a growing rift within the Azimio coalition, as parties struggle to align their positions in Kenyas political landscape ahead of what promises to be a momentous 2027 General Election.

The upcoming NEC meeting on Thursday will be pivotal in determining PNUs future actions and its stance within the opposition. This move by PNU signals a potential reshuffling in the political alliances and opposition dynamics in Kenya, with Munya poised to champion the partys new direction.
Kisii Senator Richard Onyonka has made new claims regarding the contentious deal between Jomo Kenyatta International Airport (JKIA) and Indian firm Adani Airport Holdings.

Onyonka suggested that the public do not fully understand the agreement that has generated significant controversy. He disclosed that the deal not only involves Adani Airport Holdings managing JKIA but also overseeing all other airstrips across Kenya.

It is not only JKIA. It is that all the airstrips in the republic of Kenya are going to be manages by this company. There needed to have been public participation, stakeholders ought to have been called, as some Kenyans might lose their jobs, he said.

Onyonka has urged President William Ruto to make public the documents from the JKIA deal negotiations instead of keeping the details hidden. He also highlighted discrepancies between statements from Prime Cabinet Secretary Musalia Mudavadi and the Kenya Airports Authority (KAA) regarding the agreement.

Also Read  Mudavadi Addresses JKIA Takeover Reports Amidst OccupyJKIA Protest

All I am asking is for the President to direct his team to release the documents to the Senate. If their claims are true, the documents will vindicate them, Onyonka said.

He questioned, KAA admitted that there was such an agreement then why is Musalia Mudavadi saying that there is no contract or agreement over the sale of JKIA.

RELATED  KAA Confirms Adanis Plan for Comprehensive JKIA Modernization

The senator stressed that managing the airport is a national security issue and should not be handled by any private entity.

And the parliamentary committee has recommended that no public-private partnership (PPP) should involve a national airstrip because of its critical role in national security, he added.

President William Ruto dismissed reports on Sunday about the governments plan to lease JKIA to Indias Adani Group as fake news.

However, he confirmed that a public-private partnership will be established for the airports expansion.

Adani Group, one of Indias largest and most politically influential conglomerates, has faced recent scandals, including allegations of fraud and insider trading. The company has denied these accusations.

During a town hall meeting in Mombasa on Sunday, President William Ruto did not address any deal with Adani Group and focused on reassuring the public that the airport would not be sold.

I want to persuade you, Kenyans, dont buy into fake news. Dont buy into the propaganda, he stated.

Ruto explained that the government is seeking investors to upgrade the airport through a public-private partnership. He emphasized that the process will be conducted transparently and accountably.

The current Nairobi airport is outdated and inadequate. Thats why we need to collaborate with investors to build a new, modern airport, Ruto said.
Emory University student Hina Raheel, MSc, RN, has been selected by Jonas Nursing, a leading supporter of doctoral nursing education in the United States, and the American Association of Colleges of Nursing (AACN) to the 2024-26 cohort of Jonas Scholars, awarded to promising nursing doctoral students to support their education and expand the pipeline of nursing faculty.

Raheel is one of only 63 PhD and Doctor of Nursing Practice students in the nation selected for the program, which provides financial assistance, leadership development, mentorship and networking support. Each scholar receives $12,000 in tuition with a school match and is eligible for a possible $6,000 award if they accept a faculty position after graduation. Jonas Scholar alumni go on to serve as faculty, researchers and leaders in academic nursing.

Raheel has been a PhD student at Emory since 2021. Her research focuses on the intersection of environmental health and gender roles. She works alongside advisor Lisa Thompson, RN, FNP-BC, MS, PhD, FAAN, a School of Nursing professor with a joint appointment in Emorys Rollins School of Public Health. Raheel holds a Master of Science degree in epidemiology and biostatistics and a Bachelor of Science in Nursing from Aga Khan University in Pakistan.

Hinas selection is a recognition of her talent as a nursing scholar and a reflection of the excellence of our doctoral programs, says Kim Jones, PhD, RN, FNP, FAAN, associate dean of academic achievement at the School of Nursing. We are excited that the AACN and Jonas Nursing have selected her, and we know that the investment in Hinas preparation will yield great things for the nursing profession.

The Jonas Scholars program seeks to address the nations nursing faculty shortage, a leading barrier to expanding student capacity in nursing schools. Since its launch in 2006, the program has invested more than $28 million in nearly 1,500 nurse scholars in all 50 states. The program is carried out in partnership with the AACN, which represents more than 875 member nursing schools nationwide, and a signature program of Jonas Nursing, a Jonas Philanthropies initiative focused on nursing leadership and the health of underserved communities.

More than 50% of the 2024-26 cohort are students representing Black, Latino and other communities of color, ensuring that future nursing leaders reflect an increasingly diverse patient population, says John Jonas, co-president of Jonas Philanthropies.

About the Nell Hodgson Woodruff School of Nursing

As one of the nations top nursing schools, the Nell Hodgson Woodruff School of Nursing at Emory University is committed to educating visionary nurse leaders and scholars. Home to the No. 1 masters, No. 3 BSN and No. 6 DNP programs nationwide, the school offers undergraduate, masters, doctoral and non-degree programs, bringing together cutting-edge resources, distinguished faculty, top clinical experiences, and access to leading health care partners to shape the future of nursing and impact the worlds health and well-being. Learn more at nursing.emory.edu.
The EPFO has added about 6.2 crore members in the last 6 years, as per government officials told ANI. About 19 lakh new registrations in EPFO in the month of May 2024. The government officials said that the ministry will initiate discussions with industry to boost employment opportunities in the country. The government will come up with the proper guidelines after consultations with industry players, as per the sources. Additionally, discussions are underway on raising the minimum Employees' Provident Fund Organisation (EPFO) pension beyond Rs 1000. The officials said that the government is also discussing ways to implement new labour laws. However, the government has not set any timeline for the implementation of new labour laws. As per the recent data released by EPFO, about 19.50 lakh net members were added in May 2024 with around 9.85 lakh new additions. As per the official data, more than 1.3 crore net subscribers joined EPFO during 2023-24. The 9.85 lakh new additions are the highest since the first payroll data for the organization was issued in April 2018. The year-over-year data for EPFO shows a growth of 19.62 per cent in net member additions. As per the EPFO, the increase in the new additions has been registered due to the increased employment opportunities, a growing awareness of employee benefits, and the effectiveness of EPFO's outreach programs. The organisation last month said that industries such as expert services, the building and construction industry, garments making, textiles, engineering products and contractors, trading commercial establishments, beedi making, and electronic media companies stood ahead of other industries in terms of members' additions. In her budget announcement, Finance Minister Niramala Sitharaman announced the Prime Minister's package to boost employment in the country with Employment and Skilling. As part of the scheme, the package will facilitate employment, skilling, and other opportunities for 4.1 crore youth over a 5-year period. Under the announced programmes, the government will target first-time employees in the formal sector registered with EPFO, this scheme offers a one-month wage (up to Rs. 15,000) in three instalments. It will also incentivize both employees and employers for the additional employment of first-time employees, offering benefits based on their EPFO contributions during the first four years of employment. Employees with salaries up to Rs. 1 lakh will be eligible. In addition, the government will provide support to employers by reimbursing Rs. 3,000 per month for two years towards their EPFO contribution for each additional employee with a salary of up to Rs. 1 lakh per month. (ANI)
PRNewswire Bhubaneswar (Odisha) [India], July 30: KIIT Deemed to be University (https://kiit.ac.in/) has been granted the distinguished Special Consultative Status by the United Nations Economic and Social Council (UN ECOSOC), recognizing the University's substantial contributions to the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). From a pool of 476 applications around the World, only 19 organizations, including KIIT DU, were selected for this prestigious honour. The status was conferred during the UN ECOSOC management segment meeting held on July 23, 2024, at the United Nations Headquarters in New York. This recognition underscores KIIT's unwavering commitment to the United Nations' Agenda 2030 and the SDGs. Attaining Special Consultative Status marks a significant milestone, positioning KIIT among a select group of universities globally that have earned this esteemed distinction. In another development, KIIT has signed an MoU with UN Volunteers (UNV). This partnership opens a remarkable opportunity for students of KIIT DU to engage with various UN agencies to serve as 'National University UN Volunteers' who will be deployed for various development initiatives within the UN agencies. These opportunities will equip KIIT students with valuable professional experience in international development, shaping their future career paths with proper stipend. This initiative is a first of its kind by any private university in South Asia. Similarly, the American Council of Young Political Leaders (ACYPL), a global leader in fostering international understanding and diplomacy has announced its historic collaboration with the Kalinga Institute of Social Sciences (KISS) and KIIT. KISS is the sister concern of KIIT. With the steadfast support of the U.S. Department of State and a score of other partners, over 8,900 leaders in the U.S. and in 129 countries and territories around the world have travelled on our life-changing exchange programs. With alumni that include prominent figures such as Prime Minister Narendra Modi of India, Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell, U.S. Department of Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg, North Carolina Governor Roy Cooper, Illinois Governor JB Pritzker, Congresswoman Tulsi Gabbard of Hawaii, and former South Carolina Governor Nikki Haley, ACYPL has a storied history of influencing international relations and leadership. Expressing his happiness Dr. Achyuta Samanta, Founder, KIIT & KISS (https://achyutasamanta.com/) said that it is a matter of pride that KIIT is the only professional/ technical university in India to achieve UN ECOSOC Special Consultative Status. Also, in India, both KIIT and KISS in Odisha are proud to get this prestigious award. KISS has already been awarded with UN ECOSOC Special Consultative Status in 2015 and has been continuing with this status till date, he informed. He has also expressed that KIIT is the only university in South Asia to get UNV status for engaging students for internship. ACYPL is a very prestigious thing for KIIT to engage political diplomats and leaders to visit KIIT & KISS from across the world and have an internship programme, he added. Photo: https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/2470742/KIIT_Deemed_to_be_University.jpgLogo: https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/2234144/4513631/KIIT_Logo.jpg (ADVERTORIAL DISCLAIMER: The above press release has been provided by PRNewswire. ANI will not be responsible in any way for the content of the same)
You are here: Arts

The 6th Singapore International Cultural Festival, attended by over 1,300 participants from countries and regions including China, Germany, India, and China's Hong Kong, concluded here on Monday.

The four-day cultural festival featured martial arts shows, dance performances, calligraphy and painting exhibitions, and the display of intangible cultural heritage.

Held every two years since 2013, the event was hosted by the Singapore Youth Culture and Arts Center this year.
BusinessWire India Kochi (Kerala) [India], July 30: Job seekers have to prepare well before attending gruelling job interviews. An artificial intelligence-powered mobile app Vaiva offers a solution to help them win over interviews. Vaiva is a free mobile app available both on AppStore and PlayStore. It is a boon for millions of job seekers to practice real time mock interviews without any cost. Interviewers expect job seekers to give quick and correct replies. Unless thoroughly prepared for a rapid-fire, with all the tensions and pressures at hand, job seekers normally wither away. Many job seekers fail in interviews not because they lack knowledge, but because they fail to express that. Systematic rehearsals and practice help them overcome their fear of interviews and gain confidence to sail through. Using the immense power of Artificial Intelligence, Vaiva was created as a mobile app that can ask interview questions to job seekers. In the process of answering those, candidates gain the techniques to respond to questions effortlessly. Additionally, Vaiva also provides suggested answers, which can be compared with the candidate's answer. Led by its CEO Ram Mohan Nair, business strategists at Edyounet TeleClassrooms Ltd, a Kerala-based software company, were exploring ways to address a peculiar situation where job seekers fail in interviews despite knowing the answers. The team noticed that the psychological fear of failure due to lack of preparation was the reason and wanted to find a solution to that. They realized thorough practice in the form of mock interviews would instil confidence in them. Personalized expert training would be costly and hence they turned to Artificial Intelligence to pretend to be an interviewer to ask questions. Upon successfully testing, with the incredible capabilities of AI, the software engineers at Edyounet wrapped the solution into a mobile app. "The AI engine can ask questions from any field of knowledge," points out Ram Mohan Nair, CEO of Edyounet, the owners of Vaiva app. "The candidate only needs to provide answers to some basic questions like his name, the designation applied for, his qualification, experience and the concerned industry. Then AI will act as an interviewer and bring forth in-depth questions from the given industry," explains Ram. The beauty of the 'artificial' interview lies in its provision of suggested answers. This helps job seekers to verify their answers with that of the suggested ones and re-frame them accordingly. Deciding on a revenue model for the app was the real challenge given the high running costs of AI deployment. "We want to make it available to all job aspirants and hence we made it a free app relying on advertisements to cover its costs," said Ram. Pointing to its business potential, Ram Mohan mentioned that at least a million interviews are being conducted in India daily. The app can cater to ten million hits daily assuming that about three job seekers attend each interview, and they practice for three days. "The satisfaction derived from supporting the aspirations of millions of job seekers, is the real revenue," smiles Ram. Going further, they have plans to include more interview areas like, IAS interviews, College interviews, field, exit, and appraisal interviews, etc. Vaiva is aiming to be an interview preparation powerhouse in the days to come. "With suspicion of Artificial Intelligence eating up job opportunities growing stronger, that an AI-powered app is coming up to support job aspirants to win over jobs is a pleasant surprise!" pointed out Ram Mohan. (ADVERTORIAL DISCLAIMER: The above press release has been provided by BusinessWire India. ANI will not be responsible in any way for the content of the same)
VMPL New Delhi [India], July 30: In a heartwarming initiative that exemplifies the spirit of compassion and community support, Surjagad Ispat Pvt Ltd, in collaboration with MIAM Charitable Trust, launched the "Smiles Campaign" to distribute new school bags to children at the Indra Nagar Anganwadi. As part of the celebration for the Joy of Giving Week, this act of generosity emphasizes the belief that every child deserves a new school bag before stepping into the world of education. The Smiles Campaign - Every Child Deserves a New School Bag Amidst the colourful festivities of the Joy of Giving Week, the Smiles Campaign unfolded at the Indra Nagar Anganwadi with a simple yet impactful objective: to ensure that every child has a new school bag. The founders of Surjagad Ispat Pvt Ltd and MIAM Charitable Trust understand that the first step to education begins with the right tools to support learning. A school bag, though it may seem like a minor accessory, serves as an essential resource in a child's educational journey, empowering them to carry not just their books, but their dreams. These school bags are not merely vessels for books and stationery; they symbolize hope, dignity, and the joy of learning. In many underprivileged areas, children often rely on makeshift alternatives like cloth bags or tote bags, which do not provide the necessary support for their school supplies. By giving out colourful, sturdy backpacks, Surjagad Ispat Pvt Ltd and MIAM Charitable Trust are not only making education accessible but also instilling a sense of pride among the children. Celebrating the Joy of Giving Week Through Bhoomi Pujan The launch of this initiative coincided with the Bhoomi Pujan festivities, marking a special occasion for the Surjagad Ispat team and the local community. The ceremony served as an auspicious beginning for the Smiles Campaign and reinforced the commitment to uplift the educational standards in the region. The symbolism of planting seeds--both literal and educational--resonated deeply with the values of the campaign. As the new school bags were handed over to the children, there was a palpable cheer in the atmosphere, filled with smiles and laughter. Education, they say, is the most powerful weapon which you can use to change the world. Surjagad Ispat Pvt Ltd and MIAM Charitable Trust firmly believe that enabling children with the right resources is instrumental in nurturing their critical thinking and decision-making skills, which are pivotal for their future success. The Importance of Education in Maharashtra's Vidarbha Region Maharashtra's Vidarbha region is characterized by its socio-economic challenges, particularly in areas such as Indra Nagar, which is affected by Naxalite activity and is severely underdeveloped. In such contexts, the impact of providing educational resources can be profound. The emphasis placed on supporting Adivasi children through this campaign reflects a deep commitment to bridging the education gap for marginalized communities. The distribution of these colourful school bags brings not only material support but also an emotional upliftment. The children, who often did not have adequate means to carry their educational materials, are now equipped with the essential tools required for schooling. No longer will they have to rely on flimsy substitutes; instead, they will have a vibrant backpack that can hold their dreams and aspirations securely. Indeed, the thoughtful gesture of gifting school bags adds a layer of significance to their educational journey. It reinforces the idea that education is not merely about acquiring knowledge, but also about fostering an environment where children feel valued, respected, and supported. A Collaborative Effort for a Brighter Future The partnership between Surjagad Ispat Pvt Ltd and MIAM Charitable Trust exemplifies how collaborations between businesses and charitable organizations can lead to transformative changes in communities. By pooling resources and efforts, they are leading a charge that not only addresses immediate needs but also builds a foundation for sustainable growth and development. As the donation drive unfolded at the Indra Nagar Anganwadi, it was clear that this was more than just a one-time event. The Smiles Campaign represents a long-term commitment to enhancing education in the region and fostering a culture of giving and community engagement. Surjagad Ispat Pvt Ltd has not only invested in the community's infrastructure through its business initiatives but has taken a step further to support the vital area of education. In conclusion, the collaboration between Surjagad Ispat Pvt Ltd and MIAM Charitable Trust during the Joy of Giving Week signifies more than just the distribution of school bags. It reflects a shared belief in the power of education as a key factor in improved critical thinking and decision-making skills for young children. As these new school bags bring smiles to children's faces in Maharashtra's underserved communities, they also pave the way for brighter futures, underscoring the impact of kindness and cooperation in fostering change. For more information visit :- Miam Charitable Trust https://www.miamcharitabletrust.com/ (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)
VMPL New Delhi [India], July 30: Punjabi is trending everywhere! Punjabi Aa gaye oyee!! Punjab's biggest studio Saga Studios has recently announced a strategic tie-up with the new and upcoming global OTT player in the market, Kableone, where it is known to release its invincible movies' catalogue. Not only this, the Studio has partnered with Kableone for the production of remarkable stories from Punjab which are waiting to be heard and watched. One such beautiful story, titled, Constable Harjeet Kaur, has gone on floors where Saga Studios and a Bombay-based Production company named Shalimar Productions Limited has joined hands together. Shalimar Productions Limited is not just a film production studio, but it also has another company, Trisha Studios, which is a fully equipped post-production studio with state-of-the-art technology. The title poster of the web film has been released today, and it looks gripping. While discussing about this strategic tie up, the Associate Producer of the film, Kiran Shergill, revealed, "Constable Harjeet Kaur is a women-centric film. When I heard the story first the first time, I knew that it was meant to be made and heard. This is not a regular and cliched story but something new and fresh which audiences will love to watch. The cast is fresh and all actors are masters of their craft. I'm excited to be a part of this project." Simranjeet Singh, CEO, KableOne, expressed his excitement about this, and said, "I'm glad that the response is positive, and studios have faith in our vision. Before the launch of the platform, we were fortunate to tie up with some renowned production studios for content production. I believe in the vision with which we have built this platform, and Punjab and its stories are definitely the next big thing." The film is being directed by Simranjeet Hundal. The cast ensemble of this film is highly acclaimed by actors from the industry. To name a few we have Sonia Mann in the titular role, Abheyjit Attri, Jaswant Singh Rathore, Kanwaljit Singh, and many others in pivotal roles. The official launch of the platform is just around the corner and we can't wait the watch the stories from Punjab. (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)
India PR Distribution New Delhi [India], July 30: Recently, the International Youth Development Foundation (IYDF) collaborated with the socially conscious enterprise Evolution Fitness Club to host a significant humanitarian aid event in the Manzoorgarhi community on Raithgaye Road, Aligarh. The event was organized by the founder of Evolution Fitness Club, Mohd Shariq, who led a team of four dedicated volunteers: Kabir Thakur, Salman Khan, and Muneer Khan. The event commenced at 3:30 PM on July 27, 2024, where volunteers distributed essential relief materials to underprivileged children and their families in the community. The supplies included wheat, rice, sugar, lentils, cooking oil, soap, toothpaste, soft drinks, biscuits, dry fruits, and spices. These basic necessities will significantly alleviate the residents' living pressures and improve their living conditions. Mohd Shariq stated, "As the founder of Evolution Fitness Club, I have always believed that businesses should actively take on social responsibilities and give back to society. This event is not just about donating supplies; it is about raising awareness of the living conditions of underprivileged children and encouraging more people to provide help and support." The event was warmly welcomed and highly praised by the community residents. A representative from IYDF remarked, "This collaboration with Evolution Fitness Club has been very successful. We hope more enterprises will join such charitable activities in the future, contributing to social harmony and development." The successful execution of this humanitarian aid event showcased the social responsibility of both IYDF and Evolution Fitness Club, providing tangible help and warmth to the families in need. They plan to continue working together to support more people in need in the future. (ADVERTORIAL DISCLAIMER: The above press release has been provided by India PR Distribution. ANI will not be responsible in any way for the content of the same)
NewsVoir Pune (Maharashtra) [India], July 30: In the equity mutual fund space in India, large cap funds are a popular investment option. Such funds invest predominantly in the well-established companies, making them suitable for investors who want to combine growth potential with relative stability. The latest addition to the large cap fund space is the Bajaj Finserv Large Cap Fund. Launched by Bajaj Finserv Asset Management Ltd., this fund follows a unique concentrated strategy for its portfolio, seeking to optimise return potential while mitigating risk. The New Fund Offer period, where investors can buy into the scheme for the first time, began on July 29th, 2024 and is on till August 12th, 2024. This article tells you more about the Bajaj Finserv Large Cap Fund and how it is different from other funds in its category. Concentrated strategy Large cap funds invest at least 80 per cent of their portfolio in large cap companies - those that are listed between 1 and 100 on the stock exchange. This relatively small investment universe can make it challenging for such funds to deviate significantly from the benchmark index (such as the Nifty100). This, in turn, can make it difficult to generate alpha - or returns that beat the benchmark - in the long-term. That's where Bajaj Finserv Large Cap Fund differentiates itself. The fund adopts a 'quality over quantity approach' choosing just 25-30* stocks for its portfolio. This strategy involves meticulously selecting high-conviction stocks - securities that the fund manager believes have strong long-term growth prospects. This selection is done through thorough research and analysis. These stocks are carefully selected to provide an optimum balance between risk and return potential. The fund manager will diversify across sectors to spread risk. The Bajaj Finserv Large Cap Fund will focus on Champions of Corporate India - the country's leading companies - for its concentrated portfolio. These are companies that have been leading the charge of India's impressive growth story. They have strong fundamentals, healthy balance sheets, a competitive edge, and a track record of relatively stable growth. These are also stocks that have shown resilience to market conditions - registering relatively smaller declines during market downturns and making speedier recoveries. They have also shown consistent long-term growth (past performance may or may not be sustained in the future). Active share With this concentrated strategy, the Bajaj Finserv Large Cap Fund will also have a high active share. Active share measures the extent to which a portfolio's holdings differ from the benchmark index. High active share suggests that the manager is taking significant positions away from the benchmark in an attempt to outperform it. Conversely, a low active share indicates that the portfolio closely tracks the benchmark, implying a more passive management style. The Bajaj Finserv Large Cap Fund will thus craft a portfolio with a high active share to potentially achieve the scheme's investment objective of outperforming the market in the long term. How to invest in Bajaj Finserv Large Cap Fund NFO Investors can purchase units at the face value of Rs 10 during the NFO period (till August 12th, 2024). Once the NFO window closes, the fund will reopen for subscription within a few business days. At that time, investors can purchase units at the applicable Net Asset Value at the time of purchase. The NAV is determined by the performance of the underlying securities in the portfolio (among other factors). So, the NAV can rise or fall from one day to the next. The minimum investment amount is Rs 500 and you can use both lumpsum and SIP to invest. You can invest offline or online through Bajaj Finserv AMC. To invest online, visit www.bajajamc.com and click on the login/register tab on the home page. You can also visit the Bajaj Finserv Large Cap Fund scheme page and click on 'Invest Now'. Existing Bajaj Finserv AMC investors can log in with their PAN details, while new investors can sign up by providing their PAN, identity details and bank account information. You can also invest online or offline through distributors and aggregators. *The above investment strategy is based on prevailing market conditions and opportunities available at the time of investment. The Fund Manager reserves the right to change the count of stocks invested based on the SID and the opportunities available at the time of investment done, Position in derivatives will not be considered for the computation of total number of stocks in the portfolio. Mutual Fund investments are subject to market risks, read all scheme related documents carefully. (ADVERTORIAL DISCLAIMER: The above press release has been provided by NewsVoir. ANI will not be responsible in any way for the content of the same)
NewsVoir Chandigarh [India], July 30: The second edition of the Building Business Summit, organized by the renowned Sushma Group, concluded successfully on July 26, 2024, at The Tagore Theater in Chandigarh. As India's only event dedicated to channel partners, the event witnessed the august presence of esteemed industry leaders, discussing the future of commercial real estate, technology, and brand building. The summit aimed to empower and educate channel partners to elevate their brands and businesses, showcasing informative sessions led by key speakers. The first session focused on the future of commercial real estate expansion in tier-2 cities. Shriram PM Monga, Principal Consultant and Co-Founder of SRED, along with Firoz Khan, Vice President and Head for North India at PPZ, shared their valuable insights on the emerging trends and opportunities within the commercial real estate landscape. The panel was expertly moderated by Namrata Kohli, a renowned journalist and author known for her expertise in business and real estate. Following this, Following this, Mr. Akash Gautam delivered an engaging Happiitude speaker session, inspiring channel partners on how to maintain a happy heart and achieve success in their work. The second session, led by the eminent speaker Ashwinder R. Singh, Co-Chair CII, Real Estate and Renowned Author, spoke about Brand Building. His insights on the Future of Technology in Real Estate and AI/IoT in Real Estate emerged as visionary, providing opportunities for learning, networking, and business development. The summit also featured Q&A sessions where experts enriched the channel partners with their enlightening thoughts. Excited about the successful culmination, Prateek Mittal, Executive Director of Sushma Group, marked the summit as a significant milestone. "We acknowledge our key speakers' valuable contributions and insights shared during the summit. The Building Business Summit has undoubtedly set a new benchmark in the real estate industry, promoting collaboration, innovation, and growth," he adds. Shriram PM Monga, Principal Consultant and Co-founder of SRED, says, "The Summit provided a platform for meaningful discussions on the future of commercial real estate in tier 2 cities. The insights shared here will definitely navigate the sector towards growth. It was an honor to be a part of such a transformative event." "The conversations around the expansion of commercial real estate in tier 2 cities brought together the best minds in the industry, paving the way for a brighter future. It was enlightening to be a part of the Building Business Summit," adds Firoz Khan, Vice President and Head for North India at PPZ. Ashwinder R. Singh, Co-Chair of CII Real Estate and Renowned Author, expressed, "The discussions at the summit have highlighted the importance of technology and innovation in real estate. From AI to IoT, these advancements are shaping the future of our industry. The summit was an excellent opportunity to explore how we can leverage these technologies." The event was a great success, focusing on staying updated with tech advancements and offering practical strategies for using social media and CRM in real estate branding, emphasizing the importance of adapting to changing market dynamics. (ADVERTORIAL DISCLAIMER: The above press release has been provided by NewsVoir. ANI will not be responsible in any way for the content of the same)
NewsVoir New Delhi [India], July 30: IEEE, the world's largest technical professional organization advancing technology for humanity, recently hosted the IEEE Higher Education Summit: Transforming Engineering Education, Changing Paradigms in India. The summit brought together respected educators, industry leaders, and policymakers to discuss the future of engineering education in India. One of the panel discussions, moderated by Prof Mini Shaji Thomas, focused on "NEP 2020 and Indian Technical Education". This session explored the National Education Policy (NEP) 2020, which aims to transform India's education system. Prof. V. Ramgopal Rao, Group Vice-Chancellor for BITS Pilani Campuses, delivered a Special Address, highlighting NEP 2020's key elements and its potential to revolutionize technical education. Leaders from top institutions like Delhi Technological University, TSCHE, Somaiya University, Shiv Nadar University, and 2024 IEEE President-Elect Kathleen A. Kramer shared insights. They discussed NEP 2020's focus on holistic development, flexible learning, interdisciplinary education, and skill development, and explored challenges and strategies for effective implementation to prepare students for future careers. Tom Coughlin, 2024 IEEE President and CEO, delivered the Keynote Address. He said, "The rapid technological advancements and the changing landscape of industry necessitates a paradigm shift in engineering education. By embracing flexibility, interdisciplinary approaches, and fostering strong industry-academia collaborations, we can equip the next generation of engineers with the skills and knowledge required to drive innovation and address global challenges. IEEE is committed to supporting these transformative efforts and ensuring that engineering education in India remains at the forefront of excellence." Francis Staples, Senior International Sales Director at IEEE, delivered the Welcome Address, setting a positive tone for the day's discussions. Prof. T G Sitharam, Chairman of AICTE shared an inspiring Inaugural Address, highlighting the need for innovative teaching methodologies and curriculum reforms to better prepare students for the future. The summit also featured Dr. Vinay Kumar Pathak (President, Association of Indian Universities & VC, CSJMU Kanpur), who provided a Special Address, emphasizing the importance of transforming engineering education to meet the evolving demands of the industry and society. Another panel discussion, "Industry, Academia, and Professional Societies - Partnering to Deliver Excellence", moderated by Dr. Preeti Bajaj, explored how collaboration between these sectors can advance engineering education. Mr. Preet Yadav, Chairperson IEEE CASS & CSS Delhi Chapter, Head India Innovative Ecosystme at NXP Semiconductors spoke about industry expectations from engineering graduates. Panelists Dr. Madhu Chitkara (Pro-Chancellor, Chitkara University), Dr. Rajul K. Gajjar, (VC, Gujarat Technological University), Dr. S. V. Kota Reddy (VC, VIT AP), and Deepak Mathur (2024 VP, Member & Geographic Activities, IEEE) discussed how partnerships can tackle real-world challenges, integrate cutting-edge research, and promote best practices. They stressed the need to blend theoretical knowledge with practical skills to prepare a workforce ready for today's technological and societal challenges. The event concluded with Closing Remarks by Prof. Dr. Abdul Quaiyum Ansari, Chairperson of IEEE Delhi Section, who reiterated the importance of continued dialogue and cooperation among all stakeholders to achieve the vision of a transformed engineering education landscape in India. The IEEE Higher Education Summit marked a significant step towards reshaping engineering education in India, aligning it with global standards, and preparing students to meet the challenges of the future. IEEE is the world's largest technical professional organization dedicated to advancing technology for the benefit of humanity. Through its highly cited publications, conferences, technology standards, and professional and educational activities, IEEE is the trusted voice on a wide variety of areas ranging from aerospace systems, computers and telecommunications to biomedical engineering, electric power and consumer electronics. (ADVERTORIAL DISCLAIMER: The above press release has been provided by NewsVoir. ANI will not be responsible in any way for the content of the same)
The Asian Development Bank (ADB) and India signed a USD 200 million loan agreement to improve solid waste management and sanitation in 100 cities across eight states in India, said ADB on Tuesday. The loan agreement has been named as the Swachh Bharat Mission 2.0-Comprehensive Municipal Waste Management in Indian Cities Program. The agreement was signed by Juhi Mukherjee, Joint Secretary, Department of Economic Affairs in the Ministry of Finance, who signed for the Government of India, and Mio Oka Country Director of ADB's India Resident Mission, who signed for ADB. After signing the loan agreement, Mukherjee stated that the program supports the objectives of Government of India's Swachh Bharat (Clean India) Mission-Urban 2.0 by enhancing sanitation and solid waste management infrastructure including waste segregation, collection and disposal. "This program is guided by lessons derived from ADB's experience in urban infrastructure development across several states and will incorporate international best practices, new digital technologies, and mainstream climate- and disaster-resilient approaches in municipal solid waste management to promote a clean environment free from garbage and pollution," said Ms Oka. She further added that "It will also strengthen women's participation in sanitation and service delivery and harness private sector participation." According to the agreement, the ADB's support will upgrade and establish solid waste processing and management facilities such as bio-methanation plants, composting plants, managed landfills, material recovery facilities, and plastic waste processing facilities. It will also support the construction of community toilets and urinals and the purchase of sweeping equipment. These facilities and delivery of urban services will include climate- and disaster-resilient, gender equality and social inclusion-responsive features. The program will build urban local bodies' capacity on waste management and sanitation, encourage peer-to-peer learning, and proactively engage with the private sector. It will help conduct annual reviews and progress updates of citywide solid waste and sanitation action plans. Training and awareness campaigns for sanitation workers and communities will be conducted to improve waste segregation and waste collection. ADB will provide an additional USD 3.15 million technical assistance (TA) grant from its Urban Resilience Trust Fund, Republic of Korea e-Asia and Knowledge Partnership Fund, and the Sanitation Financing Partnership Trust Fund. ADB said that the TA grant will support program implementation, capacity building of selected states on financial management and monitoring and evaluation and facilitate twinning or city-to-city partnerships. (ANI)
NewsVoir Chandigarh, July 30: Chitkara University launched the iOS Student Developer Program, in association with Apple. This innovative program represents a major milestone in empowering the next generation of app developers through hands-on experience, mentorship, and exposure to real-world projects. "We are delighted to join forces with Apple to introduce the iOS Student Developer Program at Chitkara University," remarked Dr. Madhu Chitkara, Pro-Chancellor, Chitkara University. "This initiative resonates deeply with our unwavering commitment to providing students with experiential learning opportunities that not only equip them with technical skills but also foster critical thinking and problem-solving. In an ever-evolving tech landscape, it is imperative that our students are not just prepared for today's challenges but are also equipped with the adaptability and creativity to thrive in the future. The program aligns perfectly with our vision of nurturing well-rounded professionals who can make meaningful contributions to the world." Aditya Gabha, a third-year Bachelor of Engineering student in Computer Science Engineering from Chitkara University, who participated in the first cohort, was selected as one of the finalists of the WWDC Swift Student Challenge 2024. His achievement highlights the program's potential to elevate student capabilities and recognition on global platforms. The program will encompass app development across various domains, including community, education, healthcare, lifestyle, and marketplaces. Students will have the chance to explore their interests and contribute to projects that make a tangible impact on society. The association between Chitkara University and Apple signifies a commitment to fostering innovation and preparing students for success in the rapidly evolving tech industry. The program stands as a testament to the university's dedication to providing unparalleled learning experiences and shaping future leaders in app development. As the program unfolds, it is poised to ignite a wave of creativity and ingenuity, driving forward the landscape of mobile app development and contributing to societal progress. Chitkara University, situated near Chandigarh, has emerged as the most vibrant and high-ranking University in North India. It is ranked among the top 5% of higher education institutions in India. The University is awarded NAAC A+ accreditation and ranked by NIRF (National Institute Ranking Framework). The University offers courses in Engineering and Technology, Business Management, Planning, Architecture, Art & Design, Mass Communication, Sales and Marketing, Hospitality Management, Pharmacy, Health Sciences, Nursing, Law, Psychology, and Education. Students studying at Chitkara University get the best start-up support, world-class research excellence, and many internationally renowned opportunities. For more information, please visit www.chitkara.edu.in. (ADVERTORIAL DISCLAIMER: The above press release has been provided by NewsVoir. ANI will not be responsible in any way for the content of the same)
The central government has set up six nano urea plants and four nano DAP plants to promote the use of nano fertilizers among farmers. Union Minister of State for Chemicals and Fertilizers, Anupriya Patel, mentioned this while replying to a question in Rajya Sabha on Tuesday. The minister also highlighted that the government has implemented various steps to promote the use of nano fertilizers among farmers. She shared that the use of nano urea is promoted through different activities such as awareness camps, webinars, nukkad nataks, field demonstrations, Kisan Sammelans, and films in regional languages, among others. The government has made nano urea available at Pradhan Mantri Kisan Samridhi Kendras (PMKSKs) through concerned companies. It has also been included under the monthly supply plan issued regularly by the Department of Fertilizers. To increase the production of Nano Urea in the country, the Department of Fertilizers has encouraged its PSUs, namely National Fertilizers Limited (NFL) and Rashtriya Chemicals & Fertilizers Limited (RCF), to set up Nano Urea plants. "ICAR (Indian Council of Agricultural Research) through the Indian Institute of Soil Science, Bhopal recently organized National Campaign on efficient and balanced use of fertilizer (including Nano-fertilizers)" said the minister. The minister also added that with the aim of providing drones to 15,000 women Self Help Groups (SHGs), the Government of India has launched the 'Namo Drone Didi' Scheme. Under this scheme, 1094 drones have been made available by fertilizer companies to Namo Drone Didis of Women Self Help Groups, ensuring increased application of nano fertilizers through drones. The Department of Fertilizers, in collaboration with fertilizer companies, has initiated a Maha Abhiyan for the adoption of Nano DAP in all 15 agro-climatic zones of the country through consultations and field-level demonstrations. Additionally, the Department of Fertilizers, in collaboration with fertilizer companies, has launched a campaign for field-level demonstrations and awareness programs of Nano Urea plus in 100 districts of the country. (ANI)
The value-added industrial output of China's non-ferrous metals industry rose by 10.8 pct year on year in the first half (H1) of 2024, with the growth rate being 4.8 percentage points higher than the country's general value-added industrial output growth during the same period, according to latest data.

In particular, the value-added industrial output of mining and dressing enterprises grew by 9.1 percent year on year, while enterprises engaged in smelting and processing saw 11.1 percent growth in value-added industrial output, according to the data released by the China Nonferrous Metals Industry Association.

Since the beginning of this year, the industry sustained steady growth, evidenced by improved investment structure, robust imports and exports, and significant growth in corporate profits, according to Chen Xuesen, vice president of the association.

Chen said that policies, including large-scale equipment renewal and trade-ins, have supported domestic demand and promoted non-ferrous metals consumption.

The rapid development of the tech-intensive green trio, namely lithium-ion batteries, photovoltaic products and NEVs, high-end manufacturing like high-speed trains, aerospace techs as well as the development of a new generation of emerging industries, including electronic information focused on artificial intelligence, have also driven the demand for non-ferrous metals, Chen said.

"In the second half of this year, the fundamentals of the non-ferrous metals industry are still solid, and it is preliminarily expected that market demand will still maintain steady growth," Chen noted.
BusinessWire India Mumbai (Maharashtra) [India], July 30: The Tata Group's flagship e-commerce platforms--Tata CLiQ, Tata CLiQ Luxury, and Tata CLiQ Palette--are hosting Moments that CLiQ Sale, a shopping extravaganza that encourages consumers to refresh their wardrobes and homes to make every social gathering and occasion memorable given the upcoming festive season. This highly anticipated 11-day sale, starting from August 1 to August 11, will allow consumers to enjoy huge savings across categories such as apparel, accessories, beauty, eyewear, footwear, home, jewellery, watches, and more. Gopal Asthana, Chief Executive Officer, Tata CLiQ, said, "We are excited to announce Moments that CLiQ Sale that allows consumers to maximise savings on leading global and Indian brands on Tata CLiQ, Tata CLiQ Luxury, and Tata CLiQ Palette. August marks the beginning of the festive season, a time when people reunite with family and friends, which offers the perfect opportunity to refresh and upgrade wardrobes and homes. For this sale event, we have expanded our assortment further across various categories on all three platforms, allowing consumers to browse and shop from a wide range of collections. We look forward to a phenomenal response to Moments that CLiQ Sale as we continue to focus our efforts on becoming the preferred platform for fashion, luxury, and beauty." Avail up to 85% off on the latest collections curated from leading brands across fashion and lifestyle on Tata CLiQ, one of India's leading e-commerce destinations. Consumers can also enjoy added benefits such as additional coupons, assured cashback, and bank offers. Elevate your style as menswear and womenswear brands including BIBA, Jack & Jones, Levi's, Only, U.S. Polo Assn., W, and more are up to 30-80% off. adidas, Puma, and Woodland in the footwear category are up to 70% off. It's also the best time to shop for a new timepiece, as watches from brands like Armani Exchange, Fossil, and Titan, are up to 20-80% off. One can grab the best offers in the accessories category, which is up to 90% off. Tata CLiQ Luxury, India's premier luxury lifestyle platform, invites consumers to avail up to 50% off leading global and Indian premier and luxury brands across categories. It's the best time to shop for apparel, as brands like Boss, Calvin Klein, Gant, Forever New, Lacoste, True Religion, and Tommy Hilfiger are up to 40-60% off. Aldo, Bugatti, Ecco, New Balance, Under Armour, and more in the footwear category are up to 35-50% off. The Indiluxe section, which features prominent homegrown labels, has attractive offers on brands like Ganga Fashion, House of Ritu Kumar, Isharya, Masaba, Mokobara, OMA, Saint G, and Satya Paul. In the fashion jewellery category, leading brands like Emporio Armani, Michael Kors, and Swarovski are up to 50% off. Watch enthusiasts are in for a treat as brands like Just Cavalli, Maserati, Michael Kors, and Seiko are up to 10-50% off. Shop for trendy sunglasses from Burberry, Dolce & Gabbana, Prada, Rayban, Tom Ford, and Versace, which will have offers one can't simply miss. In the accessories category, brands like Aldo, Guess, Samsonite, and Tommy Hilfiger are up to 30-50% off. Save big on home brands like Le Creuset, Noritake, Smeg, and Spread Spain, which are up to 10-40% off. Treat yourself to fragrances from Chopard, Giorgio Armani, and Jean Paul Gaultier that are up to 20-50% off. In addition, get gifts with purchases from Jo Malone London, Tom Ford, and Yves Saint Laurent. In beauty, avail offers and complimentary gifts from Dyson, Estee Lauder, M.A.C, Moroccanoil, Shiseido, and more. Enjoy up to 60% off on Tata CLiQ Palette, India's beauty matchmaker. The platform is offering the biggest beauty brands at unbeatable prices, allowing consumers to stock up on beauty essentials and indulge in luxurious products. Shop for makeup must-haves from brands like Colorbar, Lakme, Maybelline New York, and Sugar Cosmetics, which are up to 25-50% off. Skincare essentials from Cetaphil and L'Oreal Paris, along with The Body Shop in the bath and body care category, will have offers one can't miss. Make the most of special offers on haircare brands like Sebastian Professional and Schwarzkopf Professional, as well as beauty tools from Dyson, Ikonic Me, and Philips. Fragrances from Ajmal, Guess, and Skinn by Titan are up to 50-65% off. In the luxury beauty section, avail gifts with purchases from renowned brands like Anastasia Beverly Hills, Bobbi Brown, Clinique, and Milkshake. In the fragrance section, Azzaro, Carolina Herrara, and Ferragamo are up to 10-40% off. Forest Essentials in bath and body and Olaplex in haircare are also offering complimentary gifts. Tata CLiQ, Tata CLiQ Luxury, and Tata CLiQ Palette are offering a 10% instant discount on ICICI bank credit cards. This offer is only valid from 31 July - 11 August 2024. *TC&C apply Shop here - https://www.tatacliq.com/https://luxury.tatacliq.com/https://palette.tatacliq.com/ (ADVERTORIAL DISCLAIMER: The above press release has been provided by BusinessWire India. ANI will not be responsible in any way for the content of the same)
SMPL Mumbai (Maharashtra) [India], July 30: Volo Health Services, an award-winning, fast-growing startup, is pleased to announce the addition of DCode Care, a comprehensive platform for cancer patients in its portfolio. As part of this deal, Volo Health will acqui-hire DCode Care along with complete IP acquisition. Cancer cases are increasing at alarming rate globally and in India. According to ICMR and NCDIR reports, India will witness 12.8 per cent increase in cancer incidence by 2025 as compared to 2020. As per the report, 1 in 9 people in India is expected to face a cancer diagnosis in their lifetime. This exponential increase in cancer cases puts a huge burden on all stakeholders viz patients, families, insurers, hospitals, and corporates. Currently, DCode Care offers second opinions, tumor board reviews from senior oncologists, access to discounted treatments, diagnostics, and specialty drugs, specialized digital patient engagement tools, and support from trained medical counselors. Volo Health has deep relationships with insurers, TPAs, hospitals and corporate clients. With this strategic acquisition of DCode platform, we plan to expand our reach for cancer care solutions to corporate clients, insurers, hospitals apart from individual patients. Solution will also include tie-ups with financiers and specialty drug providers to address the issues of affordability and cancer care financing. "Preeti and her team at DCode Care have done an excellent job during last 3 years in building patient-centric cancer care platform and services. By integrating DCode Care's expertise in cancer care with Volo Health's reach to different stakeholders, we are poised to offer unparalleled support to our patients, healthcare partners, insurers and corporate clients ensuring they receive the best possible care, financing support, and reduced cost of treatment and solve this big healthcare challenge effectively;" said Mohit Agarwal, Co-Founder of Volo Health Services. Preeti Veenam, Founder of DCode Care, commented: "With Volo's vision of comprehensive health solutions, we have found the perfect ecosystem to launch our services to the educated Indian healthcare consumer who values quality of care. Through our deep experience in assisting over 15,000 cancer patients in making the right treatment decisions, we are confident of impacting the lives of patients during the hardest moments of their cancer care journey. With our digital engagement programs, AI-based remote monitoring products, and medical counselors, patients can achieve better outcomes with significant savings on the overall cost of care." Ankur Mittal, Co-Founder of Inflection Point Ventures, commented: "Volo's growth and strong relationships in the healthcare sector, in addition to the 20+ years of experience that Mohit brings from banking, insurance, and health tech, make them an ideal partner to advance DCode Care's mission. This strategic move will allow DCode Care to expand their comprehensive cancer care solutions to a wider audience, including corporate clients, insurers, and hospitals. We look forward to seeing how DCode Care's innovative approach and specialized digital tools will enhance Volo Health's portfolio and improve cancer care accessibility and affordability." About DCode Care: * Operating since 2021 * Offers second medical opinions for cancer, discounted diagnostics and treatment options, medical financing, exclusive pharmacy discounts for specialty drugs, and support services such as nutrition consultations and mental health support. * Champions preventive screening of cancers through early detection programs. * Partnered with a wide range of hospitals and care facilities Pan India. * Served over 15,000 patients, achieving savings of up to 30 per cent on cancer treatment costs. * Developed proprietary AI-based patient engagement programs and patient education in regional languages, accessible through their patient app. About Volo Health: Founded in 2021, specializes in innovative solutions that enhance healthcare financing, payment systems, administration, and technology management for a seamless healthcare experience. Positioned at the intersection of healthtech, insurtech, and fintech, redefining healthcare experiences for employees, employers, insurers, and providers alike. For more information about our services, please visit volohealth.in and dcodecare.com. Contact Information: Tushar Rastogi Co-founder, Volo Health Services Private Limited Email: support@volohealth.in Website: http://www.volohealth.in/ (ADVERTORIAL DISCLAIMER: The above press release has been provided by SMPL. ANI will not be responsible in any way for the content of the same)
VMPL Lalitpur (Uttar Pradesh) [India], July 30: Simpolo Vitrified, one of the leading players in the Indian ceramic industry recognized as most innovative player and pioneers of large format Sintered compact surfaces and 16/20mm thickness outdoor tiles, Kitchen platform tiles and many other categories. Simpolo Vitrified inaugurated its exclusive tiles and sanitary ware Gallery at V K Traders, Near SDPS School Badi Nehar Panari Road, Rawatyana, Lalitpur, Uttar Pradesh - 284403 an area of over 5000 sq. ft. The showroom has on display Simpolo's best selling products like 1200x2400 Dry Granula first in class along with 1200x1800 Posh Surface adding style statement and enriching indoor space with 16mm Rockdeck series for outdoor applications, Kitchen top, & Glazed Vitrified tiles, wall tiles etc. Simpolo also proudly announces the update of its acclaimed 'Ricco' collection with the introduction of 'Ricco-2.0'. This edition retains the signature Posh Surface, now enhanced with trend-setting subtle colour tones. Additionally, the incorporation of 'Glimmer Tech' introduces a subtle sheen to selected areas of the designs, adding a touch of elegance. This year, Simpolo introduced the groundbreaking 'StrongX' surface, setting a new standard for matte finishes with its zero shine and absence of reflection. Boasting an impressive surface hardness rating of 8, 'StrongX' delivers unparalleled durability, making it the ideal choice for high-traffic environments such as airports, malls, and institutions. Remarkably, despite its matte finish and exceptional hardness, the 'StrongX' surface remains remarkably easy to clean and maintain. This showroom meets all the tiling needs of every Classy House Builder and Architect. The showroom exhibits one of the most exquisite collections through state-of-the-art mock-up displays in appropriate ambiance. These mock-ups are designed to give customers a feel of how each tile will look in its actual use and inspire designers to go further from there. "At the grand opening of the showroom, Bharat Aghara, the Chief Marketing Officer (CMO), expressed, 'This showroom is poised to redefine the tile shopping experience with its unparalleled richness in design and visual appeal. It's bound to compel even the most prestigious brands to reassess their competitive strategies in Lalitpur" Speaking on the occasion, Sanjeev Singh (GM - NORTH 2) said "Lalitpur is celebrated for its sophisticated taste and keen eye for aesthetics. Through our showroom, we aspire to cater to their demands by offering a curated selection of products tailored to their preferences and those of their discerning clientele, who always seek the pinnacle of home decor." (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)
EaseMyTrip, an Indian online travel company headquartered in New Delhi, will hire 500 interns under a Central Government scheme announced in the Union Budget. Nishant Pitti, CEO & Co-Founder of EaseMyTrip, made this announcement on the social media platform 'X' after attending Prime Minister Narendra Modi's inaugural session of 'Journey Towards Viksit Bharat: A Post Union Budget 2024-25' Conference organized by the Confederation of Indian Industry (CII) in New Delhi today. Pitti on X said, "We announce that @EaseMyTrip will be hiring 500+ employees across India under the new employment scheme introduced by our Hon'ble Finance Minister in the 2025 budget. This initiative supports the government's vision of employment and skill development for more than 10M youth. We commend Hon. PM @narendramodi ji for his unwavering commitment to building a #ViksitBharat. More details to follow." EaseMyTrip is the first company to announce the hiring of 500 interns after the Finance Minister announced the internship scheme in the Union Budget. EaseMyTrip was founded in 2008 by Nishant Pitti, Rikant Pitti, and Prashant Pitti. The company provides hotel bookings, air tickets, domestic and international holiday packages, bus bookings, and white-label services. EaseMyTrip has overseas offices in Singapore, UAE, and Thailand, with country-specific websites for UAE, UK, and Thailand. Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman announced in the Budget speech that the Centre will launch a scheme for internship opportunities for the youth in the top 500 companies of India as part of the Union Budget 2024-25. She said this scheme will be implemented over the next five years and is expected to benefit 100 million youth. Interns will receive a monthly stipend of Rs 5,000 and a one-time assistance of Rs 6,000. The companies will bear the cost of training the interns via corporate social responsibility. Pitti said, "We are elated as we plan to add 500+ talented individuals to our team. This move supports the government's futuristic vision for the country and perfectly aligns with our growth strategy. The expansion underscores our dedication to nurturing the next generation of industry leaders. As we invest in human capital, we intend to set new benchmarks for excellence in the travel sector in India." He further added, "The Hon'ble Prime Minister's commitment to building a Viksit Bharat is commendable, and we truly support his vision. Our plans to expand our team signify a notable step towards empowering the youth, driving innovation, and contributing to the nation's progress." EaseMyTrip's plan to undertake large-scale hiring will positively impact the Indian travel industry's landscape. By bringing in fresh talent, the brand is helping generate employment in the market while paving the way for growth and innovation across the ecosystem. (ANI)
Union Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman, during her reply to the budget debate in Parliament on Tuesday, highlighted that the budget for farmers has increased by five times in 2024-25 compared to 2013-14. She stated, "The budget allocation for the Department of Agriculture and Farmers Welfare was only Rs 21,934 crore in 2013-14, but now it has increased to Rs 1.23 lakh crore in the budget for 2024-25. This is a five-time increase." She also added that more than Rs 3.24 lakh crore has been disbursed to 11 crore farmers under the PM Kisan scheme since its launch. On the institutional credit targets for agriculture, the Finance Minister added that they have increased more than 2.5 times. She said, "In 2014-15 it was Rs 8 lakh crore; now it has increased to Rs 20 lakh crore." The interest subsidy for farmers has also increased 2.4 times. She stated that in 2014-15 it was Rs 6,000 crore, and now it has increased to Rs 14,252 crore. Sitharaman also highlighted that the number of small and marginal farmers availing of agricultural loans has increased from 57 percent in 2014 to 76 percent now. On the MSP to farmers, the Finance Minister stated that the "National Commission on Farmers, M. S. Swaminathan, had recommended in 2006 that the Minimum Support Price should be at 50 percent more than the weighted average cost of production. This was not accepted by the UPA government." She criticized the Congress on the MSP issue, saying, "The cabinet note which was drafted by the UPA government in July 2007 stated that MSP recommended by the CACP on objective criteria considering the variety of factors involved. Therefore, setting an increase of at least 50 percent on the cost may cause distortion in the market." She also added that the UPA government, through the cabinet note, sidelined the M. S. Swaminathan report in 2007. The Finance Minister further stated that the Congress said it would examine the feasibility of Direct Income Support to farmers, but PM Kisan Samman Nidhi was implemented by PM Modi in 2019. Attacking the Congress, Sitharaman said, "Congress is just shedding crocodile tears for farmers." Regarding employment schemes in the budget, the Finance Minister stated that the government has introduced a special PM Yuva package for the youth. "We introduced a PM Yuva package in this budget, which includes five schemes to make youths independent and capable. In addition to this, we have introduced many schemes for the youth to make them competent and independent." On employment data, she added that, according to RBI data, during the UPA era in 2012-13 to 2013-14, total employment in the country declined. Highlighting the increase in employment in the country, Sitharaman shared that the labor force participation rate has increased from 49.8 percent in 2017-18 to 57.9 percent in 2022-23. "Women's labor force participation has also surged to 37 percent in 2022-23 from 23 percent in 2017-18," she said. She also shared that the overall unemployment rate in the country has declined from 6 percent in 2017-18 to a low of 3.2 percent in 2022-23. The Finance Minister cited an SBI research report released in July 2024, which stated that India created 12.5 crore jobs between 2014 and 2023, compared to only 2.9 crore during the 10 years of the UPA government. Youth unemployment for the age group 15-29 years has declined sharply from 17.8 percent in 2017-18 to 10 percent in 2022-23. She also criticized Congress for allegedly misleading on the employment situation in the country, adding that the data contradict Congress's claims. (ANI)
On July 29, Pax, 20, was rushed to the hospital after sustaining a head injury following a harrowing crash in Los Angeles, Page Six reported, citing TMZ.

Pax is now in a stable condition and is likely to be discharged from the hospital soon.

Sources told TMZ that Pax was approaching an intersection when he crashed his bike into another vehicle, which had been stationary at a red light.

The other driver reportedly got out of the car to check on the Hollywood scion before emergency services arrived at the scene.

Pax is one of the six children that the exes Jolie and Pitt share. Their other kids are Maddox, 22, Zahara, 19, Shiloh, 17, and twins Knox and Vivienne, 15.

The former couple -- who were declared divorced in April 2019 -- adopted all their children except for Shiloh, who was born in a Namibian hospital in May 2006, and the twins, whom they welcomed in July 2008.

A few months ago, Shiloh Jolie-Pitt, the 18-year-old daughter of Jolie and Pitt took steps to assert her independence by legally dropping her father's surname from her own.

Sources close to the matter revealed to People magazine that Shiloh initiated the process of changing her last name, with her 18th birthday on May 27, marking a significant milestone in her decision-making journey.

The decision to shed the Pitt surname reportedly stems from Jolie's allegations of an "abuse history" within the family, a factor influencing Shiloh's choice to distance herself legally from her father. (ANI)
Rapper-actor Chino XL is no more. As per Variety, Chino XL passed away last Sunday at his home. He was 50. The Bronx-born rapper, whose real name was Derek Keith Barbosa, is survived by his children, Chynna, Bella, Lyric and Kiyana; stepson Shawn; five grandchildren; his mother and his longtime partner Stephanie. The news of his demise was shared by his family via a statement. In a joint statement, his daughters wrote, "Our father had many titles -- King of Punchlines, Puerto Rican Superhero -- but the most important one was Girl Dad. And what he gave us most in that role was his strength, straightforwardness, and ability to be super realistic. The main thing we are feeling now is that our Dad is at peace, and so we are at peace." Born in 1974, Barbosa grew up in East Orange, New Jersey, where he became a rapper in school and took on "Chino" based on his childhood nickname. In the late 1980s, he joined forces with producer Kerri Chandler to form the duo the Art of Origin. They signed with Rick Rubin's Def American Recordings via Warner Bros. in 1991 and after releasing singles, Chino XL embarked on a solo career. He released his debut album, "Here to Save You All," in 1996, and followed with "I Told You So," which featured collaborations with Cypress Hill's B-Real, Kool G Rap, and J Dilla, among others; he later gained the rights to the album and re-released it independently. As an actor, he was featured in "Alex & Emma" as well as television series including "The Young and the Restless," "Reno 911!" and "CSI: Miami." (ANI)
Jennifer Garner's inaugural San Diego Comic-Con experience took an unexpected turn when she found herself trapped in a hotel elevator for more than an hour. The actress was at the event to celebrate her return as Elektra in the upcoming film 'Deadpool and Wolverine', according to Deadline. Garner's day took a dramatic twist at the Hard Rock Hotel in San Diego, California, when she and several others became stuck in an elevator. The actress took to Instagram to document the unusual situation, sharing a series of videos that captured the escalating drama. https://www.instagram.com/p/C98N-5cSlPy/?utm_source=ig_embed&ig_rid=de5a992c-00d1-49c9-a1b8-d43b1fa01ce3&img_index=1 "Hey guys, we're stuck on this elevator," Garner said in her initial video. "I could use a Wolverine, I could use a Deadpool. I could use someone." Her lighthearted approach provided some levity during the ordeal. By the 11-minute mark, Garner commented on the conditions inside the elevator, "It's toasty. I'm sphitzy; I need to blot." She joked about the situation, saying, "Don't cut the blue wire is what we're hearing," making the best of the confined circumstances. At 35 minutes into the episode, Garner, who had taken to sitting on the floor, referenced popular culture with, "I think I heard on an episode of The Office or Brooklyn Nine-Nine or something that you're supposed to sit. So we're sitting." The situation grew more intense as the minutes passed. At 41 minutes, Garner sang "99 Bottles of Beer" to keep spirits up. When the 45-minute mark arrived, she revealed that 911 had been called for assistance, according to the report. The ordeal continued for over an hour, during which Garner serenaded her fellow passengers with Madonna's "Like a Prayer," a nod to the film she was there to promote. The song choice added a touch of humour and camaraderie to the tense situation. The rescue finally came after an hour and 12 minutes when firefighters managed to pry open the elevator doors. The moment of freedom was met with cheers from those trapped inside. Garner's Instagram post about the incident attracted a flood of supportive and amusing comments from celebrities. Nathan Fillion described the situation as "Terrifying," while Tracee Ellis Ross commended Garner's calm demeanour with, "Oh my! Well done on staying calm." Gina Torres humorously added, "OMG! Let that be a lesson to all you kids out there! Always pray to Madonna!" Gwyneth Paltrow wrote, "Okay, no way oh my god how are you so calm," and Aisha Tyler was simply overwhelmed, saying, "OH MY GOD BEYOND." 'Deadpool and Wolverine' was released on July 26 in theatres. (ANI)
Chief Minister Vishnu Deo Sai has said that the state government is preparing a "Vision document" for a developed Chhattisgarh and it will be dedicated to the public on the foundation day of the state on November 1. Speaking to the media, CM Sai said, "Niti Aayog meeting was held on the 27th under the chairmanship of PM Narendra Modi. There was a very meaningful discussion that the country has to be made a developed India by 2047 and we are also preparing a vision document for developed Chhattisgarh. The vision document is being prepared after taking opinions from all sections, which will be dedicated to the public on the foundation day of the state on 1st November." "Information about this was given there as well and today we met Shivraj Singh Chouhan, who is the Agriculture and Panchayat Rural Development Minister of the country. The poor people here have been deprived of Pradhan Mantri Awas in the last 5 years and we have approved it as soon as the government was formed. And those who surrender in Naxalite areas, people should be given the benefit of Pradhan Mantri Awas separately. All these requests have been made and he has listened to us and has assured us that he will cooperate," he added. Chhattisgarh Chief Minister Vishnu Deo Sai met Union Agriculture and Rural Development Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan on Monday and discussed in detail issues related to agriculture and rural development, mainly Pradhan Mantri Awas Yojana and Pradhan Mantri Gramin Sadak Yojana in naxal-affected areas of Chhattisgarh, and exemption from the Aadhar-based payment system (ABPS) for naxal-affected regions under MGNREGA. During the meeting at Krishi Bhawan here, the chief minister informed the union minister that 15.18 lakh families in Chhattisgarh have not yet received housing approval under the Pradhan Mantri Awas Yojana. Of these, 6.99 lakh families are on the permanent waiting list and 8.19 lakh families are included in the Awas Plus scheme. He highlighted that the problem persisted due to non-receipt of the state's share of the scheme in the past five years. (ANI)
Samajwadi Party leader Fakhrul Hasan Chand slammed the Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath-led Uttar Pradesh government over bringing amendments in existing law regarding 'Love Jihad' and said that the BJP only wants to do negative politics. In a self-made video, Chand said, "The BJP government, which has brought the ordinance on Love Jihad, already has a law on it. If someone traps someone in his/her love trap with some motive, then there is a law for it but BJP only wants to do negative politics. It does not want to do anything about unemployment and paper leak." "Samajwadi Party understands that these are diversionary issues. These will not do any good to the people," the SP leader added. The Yogi government of Uttar Pradesh on Monday introduced the UP Prohibition of Unlawful Religious Conversion (Amendment) Bill in the Assembly, under which there will be life imprisonment for 'love jihad' in UP. The bill has proposed to double the punishments for certain crimes listed under it. Earlier in the day, UP CM introduced four new Ministers of his cabinet - OP Rajbhar, Anil Kumar, Dara Singh Chauhan and Sunil Sharma - to the House on Monday as the Assembly session commenced. "These four Cabinet Ministers were part of this Assembly. I introduce them as part of the Cabinet in this House," Adityanath said while speaking at the Assembly. Meanwhile, Uttar Pradesh Assembly Speaker Satish Mahana welcomed Samajwadi Party leader Mata Prasad Pandey who has been appointed as the Leader of Opposition in the House. "I thank you for your gesture. The state is facing very serious issues currently - there is flood, law and order issues and corruption as well," Pandey said. In response, Speaker Satish Mahana said, "We will discuss all of these. You are the LoP and you have the right to give notices, you will do it and we will discuss all of them. The government is ready to answer." (ANI)
A staff member demonstrates a gesture-controlled robot during the 2024 World AI Conference in Shanghai, east China, July 4, 2024. [Photo/Xinhua]

The number of effective artificial intelligence (AI) invention patents in China reached 378,000 by the end of 2023, representing a year-on-year growth rate of over 40 percent, the country's top intellectual property regulator released the data on Monday.

"The growth rate in China is 1.4 times higher than the global average," the China National Intellectual Property Administration (CNIPA) said at a press conference in Beijing.

The AI industry exemplifies China's digital economy's robust innovation vitality. Last year, the digital economy's core industries contributed 10 percent of the GDP.

In 2023, the number of invention patents approved in China's core digital economy industries reached 406,000, accounting for 45 percent of the total number of granted invention patents in the country. Moreover, the average annual growth rate over the past five years stood at 21 percent, said Ge shu, a senior CNIPA official, noting that technological innovations are thriving in the field of digital economy.

He added that by the end of 2023, a total of 155,000 domestic enterprises had obtained invention patents related to the digital economy, an increase of 31,000 compared to the previous year.

Foreign enterprises are also strengthening their patent portfolios in the core industries of China's digital economy. According to Ge, by the end of last year, a total of 93 countries (regions) held valid invention patents in these industries in China, with the digital product manufacturing sector accounting for 61.8 percent.
The Chairman of the Ram Temple Construction Committee, Nripendra Mishra, has said that the goal of completing the construction of the temple by December 2024 is lagging behind due to a significant decrease in the number of workers due to weather conditions. Speaking to the media after attending the meeting, Mishra said, "The biggest challenge is the construction of the shikhar (pinnacle), which can only be completed once the second floor's construction is finished and the domes on the second floor are completed. At the current pace, there will be a delay of two months." "Larsen and Toubro (L&T) has been instructed to increase the number of workers. The pace of construction has slowed down in the past three months due to a significant decrease in the number of workers due to weather. If 200 to 250 more workers are not added, it will be difficult to complete the work by December. The current progress is two months behind schedule," he added. He also mentioned that due to the condition of weather, the workers also left from here. "L&T is facing problem in getting them back. But it is not impossible that the entire work will be completed by December," Nripendra Mishra said. The 'Pran Pratishtha' of Shri Ram Lalla at Ayodhya's historic temple was held on January 22, with PM Modi performing the Vedic rituals, led by a group of priests. The Shri Ram Janmbhoomi Mandir is constructed in traditional Nagara style. Its length (east-west) is 380 feet; width is 250 feet and height is 161 feet; and is supported by a total of 392 pillars and 44 doors. The pillars and walls of the temple showcase intricately sculpted depictions of Hindu deities, Gods, and Goddesses. In the main sanctum sanctorum on the ground floor, the childhood form of Bhagwan Shri Ram (the idol of Shri Ramlalla) has been placed. Lakhs of devotees have been flocking to Ayodhya since the Pran Pratishtha ceremony of Lord Ram Lalla. The number of daily visitors to the Hanumangarhi Ram Temple has also been increasing rapidly. According to the Ministry of Tourism data, more than 1.5 crore people have visited the Ayodhya Ram temple since the consecration ceremony. (ANI)
Targeting the BJP, Trinamool Congress leader Kunal Ghosh said that the people of West Bengal are supporting Mamata Banerjee and rejecting the BJP for their cheap politics. "Bengal is ok; the state is moving towards development. The people of Bengal are supporting Mamata Banerjee, TMC and they are rejecting BJP. For their cheap politics, they are depriving Bengal, misusing the powers of Central agencies. They are trying to create confusion regarding the state," Ghosh said. Earlier, West Bengal BJP Chief and MP Sukanta Majumdar on Monday said that Prime Minister Narendra Modi met his party's Members of Parliament from West Bengal and advised them to serve the people of Bengal and contribute to realizing the vision of Sonar Bangla. According to the sources, PM Modi told MPs that the people of West Bengal have accepted the BJP and instructed them to stay active for the upcoming assembly elections in the state and serve the people of the state. PM Modi also held separate one-to-one meetings with party leaders Sukanta Majumdar and Suvendu Adhikari and discussed ways to further the reach out to the people of the state and make them aware of the central schemes. PM Modi further applauded every worker of the party and reiterated to build a better future for West Bengal. Taking it to a social media post on X, PM Modi wrote, "Met Shri Suvendu Adhikari Ji and Dr. Sukanta Majumdar Ji. We discussed ways to further spread our good governance agenda among the people. I applaud each and every @BJP4Bengal Karyakarta for their courage, passion and spirited fight against TMC misrule. Together, we all will build a better future for West Bengal. @SuvenduWB @DrSukantaBJP." On the other hand, Congress leader Isha Khan Choudhary, in his meeting with Congress General Secretary KC Venugopal on Monday, said that discussions were done on how to strengthen the Congress party in West Bengal. Currently, Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury is the President of Congress in West Bengal and it is speculative that there might be changes in the role after he lost the Baharampur constituency in Lok Sabha 2024. Isha Khan Chowdhury is the only Congress Lok Sabha MP from West Bengal who won from the Malda-South constituency this year. (ANI)
Congress leader Ghulam Ahmad Mir hinted at the formation of a new party unit in West Bengal after meeting with Congress General Secretary KC Venugopal in Delhi and said a process is being worked out to raise a new party high command in the state. "After Lok Sabha elections, West Bengal PCC President Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury presented his resignation to the party high command. A process is being worked out to raise a new party unit in the state, for which many meetings have been held... After extensive talks with the party cadre, an easy roadmap will be created to set up a structure in the state as per the wishes of the people," Mir told ANI. "The Congress high command interacted one-on-one with around 25 leaders of West Bengal about the future roadmap of the party and to strengthen the party in the upcoming assembly election of their state. The focus of today's meeting was how to take Congress forward in the future in West Bengal," he added. Thanking Congress leadership for the steps they took for the formation of a new unit in the state, the Congress leader said, "This is a good setup from AICC, Congress President and General Secretary organisation." Earlier on Monday, West Bengal Congress leaders met party General Secretary KC Venugopal and discussions were held on how to strengthen the Congress party in the state. Congress leader Isha Khan Choudhary, in his meeting with Congress General Secretary KC Venugopal, said, "We had a meeting about how to strengthen our party in West Bengal. We asked for suggestions from everyone. We discussed what more we can do in West Bengal." On being asked about any major changes in the party's leadership in the TMC-ruled state, Choudhary said that it was the decision of the high command. "It will be decided by the high command. The main reason for the meeting is for the strengthening of the organisation in West Bengal," he said. Currently, Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury is the President of Congress in West Bengal and it is speculative that there might be changes in the role after he lost the Baharampur constituency in Lok Sabha 2024. (ANI)
Congress MP Manish Tewari on Tuesday gave an adjournment motion notice in the Lok Sabha demanding a discussion on the border situation and the huge trade deficit with China. In the notice he said, "I hereby give notice of my intention to ask for leave to move a motion for the adjournment of the business of the house for the purpose of discussing a definite matter of urgent importance, namely:- That this House do suspend Zero Hour and relevant rules relating to Question Hour and other businesses of the day to have a discussion on the border situation and the huge trade deficit with China," "Since 2019, there have been ongoing border clashes between India and China, with reports of Chinese troops blocking access to patrolling points in Eastern Ladakh. Recently, China rejected the Inauguration of the Seva tunnel and claimed parts of Arunachal Pradesh as its territory. Additionally, in 2023-24, India's trade deficit with China exceeded USD 85 billion, with exports at USD 16.65 billion and imports at USD 101.75 billion. I urge the Government to inform the House about the border situation and the trade deficit, and to provide details on efforts to resolve the border dispute and protect India's integrity against Chinese aggressions. I request permission to raise this matter," he added. Meanwhile, Congress MP KC Venugopal has given an adjournment Motion notice in Lok Sabha regarding the massive landslide in Wayanad. He urges immediate search and rescue measures. Kerala Health Minister Veena George has confirmed the deaths of 11 people as the landslides struck the hilly areas near Meppadi early this morning. Prime Minister Narendra Modi announced an ex-gratia of Rs 2 lakh for the next of kin of deceased in the landslides that hit Kerala's Wayanad on Tuesday. "The Prime Minister has announced an ex-gratia of Rs 2 lakh from Prime Minister's National Relief Fund (PMNRF) for the next of kin of each deceased in the landslides in parts of Wayanad," PM Modi said in a post on X. A large number of people also remain trapped in the area, where rescue workers are finding it difficult to access. PM Modi said that he spoke to Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan and assured all possible help from the Centre in the wake of the prevailing situation there. Rescue operations are currently underway to assist all those affected, he added. Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan has given directions to coordinate the rescue operations in Wayanad promptly following the devastating landslide. He announced that the entire government machinery is actively involved in the efforts, with Ministers overseeing and coordinating the operations. 250 members of the Fire and Rescue, Civil Defence, NDRF, and Local Emergency Response Teams are carrying out the rescue operation in Wayanad's Chooralmala. An additional team of NDRF are en route, the KSDMA said. The budget session of Parliament began on July 22 and, according to schedule, will end on August 12. (ANI)
A total of 225 Army personnel have been deployed for rescue operations in Kerala's Wayanad as landslides claim 11 lives, officials said in a statement on Tuesday. At least 11 people have died and several have been feared injured after massive landslides hit the Meppadi area in Wayanad in the early hours of Tuesday. The statement said that the Army received a requisition for providing aid to civil authority on Tuesday morning. In response, the Army has mobilised four columns, including two columns ex 122 Infantry Battalion (Territorial Army) and two ex the DSC Centre, Kannur. "Hundreds of people are suspected to have been trapped. The total strength of the Army deployed so far for the rescue operation is approximately 225 including medical personnel," the statement read. The defence officials said that the Kerala State Administration has requisitioned rescue Columns of 122 Infantry Battalion (TA) MADRAS in response to the severe landslide in Chooralmala, Wayanad district. A team under the Second-in-Command along with a Medical Officer, two JCOs and 40 soldiers have mobilised to be deployed to aid in ongoing rescue efforts, they added. In the wake of the situation in Wayanad, a special control room has been set up by the district administration at the police headquarters in Thiruvananthapuram. The public can provide information to the 24-hour control room. The control room functions under the direct control of the state police chief. Phone numbers - 9497900402, 0471 2721566. The state police chief has directed the ADGP (law and order) to coordinate the operations. Police personnel from four and five battalions of the Kerala Armed Police and Malabar Special Police are en route to Wayanad. The North Region IG and Kannur DIG have been directed to lead the relief operations. Prime Minister Narendra Modi announced an ex-gratia of Rs 2 lakh for the next of kin of the deceased in the landslides. "The Prime Minister has announced an ex-gratia of Rs 2 lakh from Prime Minister's National Relief Fund (PMNRF) for the next of kin of each deceased in the landslides in parts of Wayanad," PM's office said in a post on X. The post further said that the injured would be given Rs 50,000. PM Modi also spoke to Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan and assured all possible help from the Centre in the wake of the prevailing situation there. Rescue operations are currently underway to assist all those affected, he added. Congress MP Rahul Gandhi also expressed anguish over the situation and spoke to the Kerala Chief Minister and the Wayanad District Collector. "I have requested them to ensure coordination with all agencies, set up a control room, and inform us of any assistance needed for the relief efforts. I will speak to Union Ministers and request them to provide all assistance possible to Wayanad," Rahul Gandhi said in a post on X. Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan gave directions to coordinate the rescue operations in Wayanad promptly following the devastating landslide. He announced that the entire government machinery is actively involved in the efforts, with Ministers overseeing and coordinating the operations. As per the Kerala State Disaster Management Authority, landslides occurred in Meppadi panchayat, Vythiri taluk, at around 3.49 am on Tuesday. 250 members of the Fire and Rescue, Civil Defence, NDRF, and Local Emergency Response Teams are carrying out the rescue operation in Wayanad's Chooralmala. An additional team of NDRF are en route, the KSDMA said. The State Health Department has opened the district-level control room early in the morning. 8086010833 and 9656938689 can be contacted for emergency health services. "All hospitals, including Vaithiri, Kalpatta, Meppadi, and Mananthavadi hospitals, are ready. In the night itself, all the health workers had arrived for service. More teams of health workers will be deployed in Wayanad," the Health Minister said. (ANI)
Following the landslide in Wayanad, Union Minister George Kurien said that Prime Minister Narendra Modi is monitoring the situation, adding that the state government and central government are working together. At least 24 people have been killed and 70 people are injured after massive landslides hit Wayanad. "Since early morning itself, the PM was active, he was monitoring everything. He was taking stock of the situation and directed the Force, NDRF, to reach there for immediate rescue actions. They have already moved from Kerala and outside Kerala, all forces have been alerted," Kurien told ANI. Kurien said that the Air Force has reached the incident spot and the Army is also about to reach. "The Air Force might have reached there now and the Army is also reaching there. It is a hilly area and the problem is that reaching there is very difficult, a helicopter and other help are needed. The State Government also requested the centre, and the PM spoke to the Kerala CM, together we will do the rescue work," he added. Meanwhile, Kerala Governor Arif Mohammad Khan consoled the loss of lives in the landslided, "Your heart goes out to all those families. I have been told that so far our teams have not been able to reach the landslide site due to heavy rain and that the river has changed its course." Earlier, Prime Minister Narendra Modi spoke to Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan and assured all possible help from the Centre after massive landslides hit Wayanad in the early hours of Tuesday as heavy rainfall continued in Kerala. The Prime Minister has announced an ex-gratia of Rs 2 lakh from the PMNRF for the next of kin of each deceased and the injured will be given Rs 50,000, a statement by the Prime Minister's Office said. Union Home Minister Amit Shah said that the NDRF is conducting search and rescue operations on a war footing. "Deeply concerned by the incidents of landslides in Wayanad, Kerala. The NDRF is conducting search and rescue operations on a war footing. The second team is on its way to further strengthen the response operation. My condolences to the families of the deceased and prayers for the speedy recovery of the injured," Shah posted on X. A total of 225 Army personnel have been deployed for rescue operations in Kerala's Wayanad. Two Air Force helicopters, a Mi-17, and an ALH, will also be coordinating the rescue operations, the Chief Minister's Office said. (ANI)
Reacting to Lok Sabha Leader of Opposition Rahul Gandhi's 'Chakravyuh' remark, Union Minister Pralhad Joshi on Tuesday said that the 'Chakravyuh' is being formed but against the "Congress' scams and corruption." Speaking to ANI, the Union Minister called it "dramabaazi" and said that the LoP is saying all this to cover up the corruption and scams done during the last 60 years. "The 'Chakravyuh' he is talking about, I would like to tell Rahul Gandhi that our government indeed formed 'Chakravyuh' for Congress' scam, corruption. We have zero tolerance towards corruption. But I would like to ask him one thing, if Rahul Gandhi and his mother ran the government for 10 years through a remote control, he tore an Ordinance. Why did they not have a Caste Census? Why are they indulging in 'dramabaazi' now? This is 'dramabaazi'. Who rejected Mandal Commission recommendations? He is speaking all this to cover up the corruption and scams during the last 60 years and to ensure that the people believe him," Joshi said. Earlier on Monday, drawing parallels from the Mahabharata, Rahul Gandhi, attacked the Bharatiya Janata Party over the Union Budget and said that there's an atmosphere of fear in the country, adding that the country is now trapped in a "Chakravyuh of lotus," referring to the BJP's symbol. Speaking on the Union Budget 2024 in the Lok Sabha, the Leader of the Opposition criticised the Prime Minister for prominently displaying the lotus symbol and claimed that a new Chakravyuh had been created in the 21st century. "Thousands of years ago, in Kurukshetra, six people trapped Abhimanyu in a 'Chakravyuh' and killed him. I did a little research and found out that 'Chakravyuh' is also known as 'Padmavuyh' - which means 'Lotus formation'. Chakravyuh' is in the shape of a Lotus. In the 21st century, a new 'Chakravyuh' has been formed - that too in the form of a Lotus. The Prime Minister wears its symbol on his chest. What was done with Abhimanyu, is being down with India - the youth, farmers, women, small and medium businesses. Abhimanyu was killed by six people. Today, too there are six people in the centre of 'Chakravyuh'. Six people control India today too -Narendra Modi, Amit Shah, Mohan Bhagwat, Ajit Doval, Ambani and Adani," he added. The LoP said that the budget has stabbed the middle class, which enthusiastically banged thalis when asked to do so by Prime Minister Modi. "The Chakravyuh that has captured India has three forces behind it: first is the idea of monopoly capital, that two people should be allowed to own the entire Indian wealth. So one element of Chakravyuh is coming from the concentration of financial power. I am explaining the Budget. The second element is the agencies, institutions, CBI, ED, and Income Tax departments of the nation and the third is the political executive. These three together are at the heart of the Chakravyuh and they have devastated this country," he said. The LoP said that the 'Chakravyuh' that the central government has built is harming crores of people. The budget session of Parliament began on July 22 and, according to schedule, will end on August 12. (ANI)
A bench of Justices Bela M Trivedi and Satish Chandra Sharma made the interim bail permanent, subject to conditions set by the special court.

The interim bail was made absolute or permanent till disposal of the regular bail plea filed by him before the Bombay High Court.

Counsel appearing for Malik told the bench that his client is suffering from various ailments and his one lung has collapsed.

Additional Solicitor General SV Raju appearing for the Enforcement Directorate (ED), didn't oppose the plea for interim bail and said that the interim medical bail may be made permanent.

Malik has been on interim medical bail since August 2023.

In August 2023, the top court granted Malik interim bail on medical grounds for two months, which was extended by three months in October. The apex court has been extending his interim bail from time to time.

Malik had earlier approached the apex court against a Bombay High Court order, which rejected the temporary medical bail plea.

Malik, while seeking bail on health grounds, had claimed before the top court earlier that he was suffering from a chronic kidney disease, apart from various other ailments.

The Directorate of Enforcement (ED) arrested Malik in February 2022, alleging that he usurped a property in Kurla with the help of Dawood Ibrahim's late sister Haseena Parkar between 1999-2006.

ED alleged that since Parkar handled Dawood's illegal businesses, the money was ultimately used for terror funding. (ANI)
Madhya Pradesh Congress Committee has suspended two of its party leaders citing 'indiscipline' for welcoming state cabinet minister and senior Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leader Kailash Vijayvargiya at their party office in Indore. Congress leaders Sadashiv Yadav, Congress District President and Surjit Singh Chaddha, City Congress President were suspended and notices, dated July 20, were also served to them seeking a reply from them in seven days. The notice reads, "A person who murdered democratic values in the city of Maa Ahilya and shamed Indore in the country and abroad by taking away the right to vote from the people of Indore, which was condemned by the people of Indore as well; welcoming him in District Congress Committee Gandhi Bhavan (Congress office of Indore) fall under the category of indiscipline. You should submit your reply within seven days and till then, you will remain suspended." On the other hand, Madhya Pradesh Congress leader Mukesh Nayak told ANI, "Kailash Vijayvargiya is a leader who made our official candidate for Lok Sabha elections sit in his vehicle and took him to withdraw his candidature. The timing of this conspiracy was such that we could not come up with an alternative. What is the use of welcoming those, who murder democracy, to Congress office? This is indiscipline." "We are not against extending courtesy but if they want to do that, call him to their own home and offer him tea. Congress office is not the appropriate place to do this. They have been suspended from their post, further action will be taken on the basis of what reply they give. Their reply is awaited," Nayak further said. Speaking to ANI over the phone, Sadashiv Yadav said, "I have submitted my reply to the party in view of the notice but I have yet not received any further response from the party in this regard." Notably, state cabinet minister Kailash Vijayvargiya had met them at the party office to invite them for the mega plantation drive that took place in the city on July 12. (ANI)
The Inspector General (IG) of the Border Security Force (BSF) South Bengal Frontier Maninder PS Pawar made an important strategic visit to the battalions of Sector Headquarters Malda deployed on Indo-Bangladesh border in the Malda and Murshidabad districts of West Bengal. During this visit, which lasted from July 27 to July 30, Pawar, along with the Deputy Inspector General of Sector Headquarters Malda, took stock of operational preparedness on the border. At the beginning of this visit, Pawar along with the DIG of Sector Headquarters Malda visited Border Outpost Khutadha, JJ Pur of Adhoc SB-II Battalion BSF. After that, he visited Border Out Post (BOP) Agra, RK Wadhwa, Kotalpur BOP Harinathpur, BOP Itaghatti, BOP Nangalbhagga and Beldanga and reviewed the night domination patrolling and security policies and interacted with the jawans deployed on duty. After this, IG BSF visited the area of responsibility of 12th Battalion BSF's border outposts Tilsan, BOP Anuradhapura, BOP Samsher, BOP Kalaibari and BOP Sirsi where the battalion commander apprised him about the area of responsibility of the battalion and the cross border crimes and the strategies for their prevention. After this, IG BSF visited BOP Mahadipur, BOP Gopalnagar of 70th Battalion BSF. After that along with other BSF officers visited BOP Sowapur and BOP Sowapur TP of 115th Battalion BSF. After the security review, IG Pawar addressed the jawans and officers posted at Border Outposts Chandnichak, Boyraghat, Maiya Port and BOP Khandua. He appreciated their dedication and hard work in safeguarding the country's borders. The briefing included a detailed description of the security policies implemented in the area to ensure that all personnel are well-informed and equipped to deal with any potential threat. Earlier, on Monday, in different incidents, alert BSF Troops of BSF South Bengal foiled smuggling attempts at the International border of West Bengal and seized 384 bottles of Phensedyl, being smuggled from India to Bangladesh. (ANI)
Kerala Governor Arif Mohammad Khan offered condolences on the deaths following massive landslides that struck the Meppadi area in Wayanad in the early hours of July 30. "My heart goes out to all those families. I have been told that so far our teams have not been able to reach the landslide site due to heavy rain and that the river has changed its course," Governor Khan said while speaking to reporters in Thiruvananthapuram. At least 44 people were killed and around 70 were injured following a series of massive landslides that struck Meppadi in the state's Wayanad in the early hours of July 30. Kerala Minister MB Rajesh said that 250 people have been rescued so far in the affected area and were shifted to temporary shelters. The Minister added that rescue operations have been undertaken on a war footing. He said that the Chief Minister is closely monitoring the operation and has sent a team of ministers to Wayanad. Congress MP Shashi Tharoor said, "It is a very serious situation. I hope and pray that more lives will not be in peril. We need to get action on the ground as soon as possible." Congress leaders Rahul Gandhi and Priyanka Gandhi are expected to visit Kerala's Wayanad, where massive landslides claimed 44 lives. CPI leader Annie Raja said that the need of the hour is to announce the tragedy as a national disaster. "Once again, tragedy has struck the people of Wayanad. It happened last night but, in some of the areas, the rescue team has not reached even now, according to reports," she said. Annie Raja said that the government of Kerala is trying its level best to reach out to people and save them. Ministers have already reached Wayanad and they are meeting people in hospitals. She further said that the prime minister has said that he has contacted the Kerala government. He has also announced some financial support for those who died or were injured. Annie Raja said that the need of the hour is to announce it as a national disaster. "The entire rescue, relief and rehabilitation process should be taken care of by the centre. I hope that the central government and the prime minister will take note of the situation and extend all possible help," she added. The landslide has affected Meppadi, Mundakkal Town and Chooralmala areas, and the state health minister said that the government has rushed rescue personnel, medical equipment and health workers to Vythiri, Mananthawadi, Kalpetta and Meppadi government hospitals. To aid the Wayanad landslide relief efforts, the Department of Information and Public Relations (PRD), Kerala has opened district and state-level media control rooms. These will operate 24/7 to provide official updates and announcements. The district control room, based at the Wayanad Civil Station, is supervised by Kannur and Kozhikode Deputy Directors and coordinated by Wayanad District Information Officer P Rasheed Babu. The contact number is 0483-2734387. The state-level control room, located at the Secretariat, can be reached at 0471-2327628 or 2518637. (ANI) "
At least 44 people have died and 250 people have been rescued and shifted to temporary relief camps on Tuesday following a series of massive landslides that struck the hilly areas of Meppadi, Wayanad district, in the early hours of July 30. Meanwhile, NDRF DG Piyush Anand informed that one team of the National Disaster Response Force arrived at the Wayanad landslide site on Tuesday following a series of massive landslides that struck the hilly areas of Meppadi, Wayanad district, in the early hours of July 30. Three more teams are on the way. Kerala Minister MB Rajesh said that rescue operations have been undertaken on a war footing. "So far 44 people have died. We fear the gravity of this tragedy is much more. Rescue operations are being carried out by various agencies on a war footing. We have sought help from the Army which will reach the affected area soon. The CM is closely monitoring the operation. He has sent a team of ministers to Wayanad. An IAS officer will be camping in Wayand to coordinate the rescue ops. 250 people were rescued and shifted to temporary shelter camps. We are airlifting stranded persons. All efforts are being taken by the govt for rescue ops," the Minister stated. Health Minister Veena George said that teams of the NDRF and Civil Defence are present in Wayanad and a team of the Navy is also en route to the affected site. "We are trying every possible thing to rescue our people. We have received 24 bodies in different hospitals. Around 70 people are also injured. We have ensured proper treatment of the injured. Teams of NDRF and Civil Defence are present there; a team of Navy will also be reaching there soon. A bridge in the area has also washed away," she said. A Naval team from Azhimala will assist with rescue operations in Wayanad. The Navy's River Crossing team is being deployed. The landslide has affected Meppadi, Mundakkal town and Chooralmala areas. The Ministry of Defence said that" Based on a requisition received from Kerala Government this morning for rescue of approximately 250 persons likely to be stranded in a major landslide in Meppadi Panchayath, Vyithiri Taluk, Wayanad, District in Kerala, two rescue columns of Indian Army with a strength of approximately 200 soldiers from Defence Security Corps (DSC) Centre, Kannur along with medical team from Military Hospital Kannur and troops from Territorial Army from Kozhikode has been deployed. Two helicopters from Air Force Station Sulur have been despatched for rescue operations. Weather over the affected area is adverse." The Kerala Chief Minister's office said that a control room has been established to provide immediate relief and rescue assistance following the landslide at Chooralmala in Wayanad. Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan has given directions to coordinate the rescue operations in Wayanad promptly following the devastating landslide. he announced that the entire government machinery is actively involved in the efforts, with ministers overseeing and coordinating the operations. (ANI)
A bench of justices, Bela M Trivedi and Satish Chandra Sharma, imposed various conditions, including not influencing witnesses among others while giving bail to Mondal.

The top court also directed Mondal to surrender his passport and cooperate in trial.

Senior Advocate Mukul Rohatgi, for Mondal, said that his client has been in jail for two years and other co-accused in the case are released on bail.

Anubrata Mondal has filed a petition through advocate on record Lzafeer Ahmad BF in the Supreme Court challenging the Calcutta High Court order, which rejected his bail plea.

Anubrata Mondal was arrested in the case by the CBI in August 2022. The CBI had earlier arrested a former Border Security Force (BSF) commandant in connection with illegal cattle smuggling across the India-Bangladesh border, as per sources.

Anubrata Mondal's name came under the scanner during the investigation of the case, the sources added.

As per the CBI investigation, over 20,000 cattle heads had been seized by the Border Security Force (BSF) between 2015 and 2017 as they were being smuggled across the border.

Anubrata, his daughter Sukanya, former bodyguards Sehgal, and Enamul Haque and BSF commandant Satish Kumar, who were arrested by the CBI and ED in connection with the case.

Anubrata Mondal is said to be a close aide of Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee, he was arrested by the CBI in connection with the case in July 2022. (ANI)
Kerala Health Minister Veena George on Tuesday visited the Health Department Directorate and assessed the ongoing arrangements following massive landslides that struck the Meppadi area in Wayanad. The Kerala Health Minister provided a detailed overview of the situation and instructed for precise tracking of available hospital beds in the affected areas. Minister George recommended setting up temporary hospitals if necessary and emphasised the need to evaluate the mortuary systems at existing hospitals, including the utilisation of mobile mortuaries. She also reviewed the operations of the control room, which will function 24/7 to assist both health workers and the public. The minister directed an assessment of the availability of Rapid Action Medical Units of 108 ambulances from other states to ensure they can reach remote hilly areas. Additionally, she stressed the importance of evaluating the relief camp operations and ensuring the availability of health worker services, highlighting the critical need for epidemic prevention measures. Senior officials from the Health Department were present at the meeting. Kerala Minister AK Saseendran confirmed that 54 people have died so far in the landslides that hit the Meppadi area in Wayanad in the early hours of Tuesday. Meanwhile, Union Home Minister Amit Shah spoke to Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan and took stock of the situation in Wayanad. The Home Minister assured all possible help from the Centre government. Tamil Nadu CM MK Stalin also had a telephone conversation with Kerala CM Pinarayi Vijayan regarding the landslide situation in Wayanad. MK Stalin offered his condolences to the deceased in landslides and assured, on behalf of the Tamil Nadu government, all possible help. CM also ordered a rescue team headed by two IAS cadres to assist the Kerala government, and they are rushing to Kerala immediately. CM Stalin also ordered to release of Rs 5 crores for relief measures to Kerala Government from the Tamil Nadu government from CM General funds From Tamil Nadu, 20 fighters from the Fire rescue department headed by its Joint Director, 20 fighters from the State Disaster Management Authority headed by Superintendent of Police, and one medical team comprising 10 doctors and nurses are rushing to Kerala today itself. Earlier, Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan held discussions with top Kerala State Disaster Management Authority (KSDMA) officials on the situation in the landslide-affected Wayanad areas. "Evaluated the ongoing relief and rescue operations at Chooralmala, Wayanad, following the severe landslide, in a visit to the Kerala SDMA office," Vijayan said. An Indian Navy team from the Ezhimala Naval Base in Kannur is being sent to the district in Kerala to assist in the rescue operations at Chooralmala, which was hit by landslides on Tuesday morning, following torrential rains. The Navy team is being dispatched at the request of Chief Minister Pinrayi Vijayan, who sought the help of the Navy's River Crossing team, according to the Chief Minister's Office. Army and Air Force have also been mobilised for the rescue operations in the area, which have been hampered as a main bridge has collapsed in the town of Chooralmala. Defence Minister Rajnath Singh spoke to the Army chief and directed to mobilize forces for assistance and rescue in the landslide-hit area and that army teams have reached the ground. (ANI)
The raid took place on Monday night, following which four skilled workers were detained along with the owner, Akhilesh Kumar Kushwaha, whereas his co-partner Anil Kumar Yadav remains at large.

During the search, several items were recovered from the minigun factory. This included one 7.65 mm semiautomatic improvised firearm, 7.65 mm live cartridges, huge numbers of semi-finished improvised 7.65 mm pistol body parts like pistol bodies, pistol sliders, pistol grip and pistol barrels, one lathe machine, two milling machines, one drilling machine, one grinding and polishing machine, one welding machine, one diesel-powered electric generator, one hand grinder and a huge amount of raw materials and tools used for the production of those improvised firearms.

The workers have been identified as Mohammad Chand alias Domu (30), Mohammad Sahil Alam (20), MD Irfan and Mohammad Parwaz Alam. A case will be registered at Madharwa Police Station in this regard.

Earlier this month, in a joint operation launched by the Indian Army and Manipur Police, a huge cache of arms and ammunition was recovered during search operations conducted in Imphal East district.

A joint team of the Indian Army and Manipur Police acted on specific information about the presence of arms and ammunition in Chanung Top in Manipur's Imphal East District. Indian Army along with Manipur Police launched an extensive search operation from Kangpokpi and Imphal East District.

The 72-hour-long operation was conducted with the deployment of Patrol dogs and Explosive Detection Dogs due to the complexity of the terrain.

The operation resulted in the recovery of a huge cache of arms and ammunition including thirteen Long Range Mortars, four Burmese Iron Rod, an Improvised Explosive Device, one Modified Grenade Launcher, one G3 Rifle, and six 303 Rifles.

One .22 Pistol, a Grenade, 25 locally made Improvised Explosive Devices, 115 rounds of ammunition of various weapons, three magazines of multiple weapons, two Radio Sets and other war-like stores were also found. (ANI)
Kerala Chief Secretary V Venu said that over 80 bodies were recovered as rescue operations continued in the landslide-hit regions in Kerala''s Wayanad on Tuesday. According to the State Revenue Minister''s office, around 116 people were injured and undergoing treatment at various hospitals in the district. Union Minister of State George Kurian is heading to Wayanad to lead relief and rescue operations. On the directions of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, the minister will coordinate with National Disaster Relief Force personnel, paramilitary forces, Kerala Government officials and other agencies in the operation. Kerala Forest Minister Saseendran reached the affected area to assess the damage and coordinate immediate response measures. State Minister Ramachandran Kadannappalli is expected to join the efforts on the ground. In addition, a delegation of state ministers of Revenue, Public Works, and Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes Departments are travelling by air from Thiruvananthapuram and are expected to reach the site soon, as per the Kerala chief minister''s office. An Indian Navy team from the Ezhimala Naval Base in Kannur is being sent to the district in Kerala to assist in the rescue operations at Chooralmala, which was hit by landslides on Tuesday morning, following torrential rains. The Navy team is being dispatched, at the request of Chief Minister Pinrayi Vijayan, who sought the help of the Navy''s River Crossing team, according to the Chief Minister''s Office. The Army and Air Force have also been mobilised for the rescue operations in the area, which have been hampered as a main bridge has collapsed in the town of Chooralmala. Around 200 Indian Army personnel from DSC Centre Kannur and 122 TA Battalion from Kozhikode were dispatched to the site. 122 TA battalion has now arrived at the incident site and is assisting in relief operations. A team of 30 specialist swimmers from the Indian Navy has been deployed. Two helicopters from Air Force station Sulur have also been despatched, as per the Defence officials. NDRF teams are also part of the relief operations, S Shankar Pandian, Deputy Commandant, NDRF said, "Our teams are located at various locations in Wayanad. Even in Kozhikode, a landslide was suspected, NDRF team is deployed there. Already 3 teams of NDRF are in Wayanad. We are doing our best to carry out rescue efforts. We are facing difficulty in reaching interior parts in the landslide-affected area." The India Meteorological Department has issued a red alert for eight districts in the state for heavy rainfall. A red alert has been issued for the Idukki, Thrissur, Palakkad, Malappuram, Kozhikode, Wayanad, Kannur and Kasargod districts. An orange alert has been issued for Pathanamthitta, Alappuzha, Kottayam and Ernakulam districts for today. (ANI)
Indian Air Force deployed two choppers- a Mi-17 and one ALH Dhruv- for rescue and relief operations in Wayanad in coordination with the state government and National Disaster Relief Force, IAF officials said on Tuesday. The choppers have been sent from the Sulur air base in Coimbatore from the neighbouring state of Tamil Nadu. The army deployed 200 soldiers from the Defence Security Corps while a team of Navy personnel from the Ezhimala Naval Base in Kannur are also assisting in rescue operations in the landslide-hit areas of Wayanad. Two teams from the Kannur Army Cantonment comprising around 200 Indian Army personnel were dispatched to the disaster-hit district. 122 TA Battalion reached Wayanad post noon and joined the rescue and relief operation. A team of 30 specialist swimmers from the Indian Navy have also been deployed, the Defence PRO said. Earlier in the day Defence Minister Rajnath Singh spoke to the Army chief and asked him to mobilise forces for assistance and rescue in landslide-hit areas in Kerala. Kerala government had requested the Indian Army to deploy its Dog Squad for rescue operations in Wayanad. In response, the Dog Squad from Meerut Remount Veterinary Corps Centre (RVC) will be arriving to assist in search efforts. Additionally, a Forest Department drone is assisting in the search efforts, the Kerala Chief Minister's office said in a statement. In response to a requisition from the Kerala Government, the Indian Army launched two relief columns from the Defence Security Corps (DSC) Centre in Kannur, to rescue approximately 250 individuals likely stranded in a major landslide in Vyithiri Taluk, Wayanad, a statement from the Southern Command of the Indian Army said. "The columns also include medical detachments from Military Hospital Kannur and infantry troops from the Territorial Army. Equipped with advanced rescue gear, the teams are prepared to provide all necessary assistance to ensure the safe evacuation of the stranded personnel," the Army said in a statement. Teams from NDRF are also engaged in the rescue operations. According to the office of the State Revenue Minister K Rajan, at least 63 people were dead and a total of 116 people are reported to be injured in the landslides that hit the district in the early hours today. The Meppadi, Mundakkai Town and Chooralmala areas have suffered destruction in the landslides triggered by torrential rain. Buildings, including shops and houses, have been buried and vehicles swept away by the massive landslides. The State Health Minister Veena George's office said that temporary hospital facilities will be established at a mosque and madrasa in Chooralmala, Wayanad, to aid in the ongoing relief efforts. (ANI)
Leader of Opposition in Lok Sabha Rahul Gandhi on Tuesday appealed for a comprehensive action plan to address the "growing frequency of natural calamities" in ecologically fragile regions in the backdrop of landslides in Kerala's Wayanad that claimed over 80 lives. Speaking in Lok Sabha, the Congress leader, who is a former MP of Wayanad, urged the central government to extend all support for rescue and relief work. "Early this morning, Wayanad was hit by several devastating landslides, more than 70 people have been killed. Mundakkai village has been cut off and the devastating loss of lives and extensive damage are yet to be assessed due to the scale of the tragedy. I have spoken to the Defence Minister and the Chief Minister of Kerala. I request the Union government to extend all possible support for rescue and medical care." Gandhi also urged for the immediate release of compensation to next of the kin of the deceased. "If that compensation can be increased as well, restore vital transport and communication lines, setup relief at the earliest and prepare a roadmap for the rehabilitation of the affected families. Our country has witnessed an alarming rise in landslides in the last few years. There's an urgent need for mapping of landslide prone areas and to take up mitigation measures and an action plan to address the growing frequency of calamities in ecologically fragile regions," Rahul Gandhi said. Over 80 people were killed and many others injured in the landslides that hit the Meppadi area of Kerala's Wayanad in the early hours of Tuesday, following torrential rains. The members in two Houses of Parliament expressed their concern at the tragedy with some opposition members demanding that it be declared national disaster. Rajya Sabha Chairman Jagdeep Dhankar expressed concern over the loss of lives in Wayanad landslides. He said that the Central and state governments are taking necessary steps. CPI-M MP John Brittas sought assistance from the Defence, Home and Finance Ministries. An Indian Navy team from the Ezhimala Naval Base in Kannur is being sent to Wayanad in Kerala to assist in the rescue operations at Chooralmala. The Navy team is being despatched, at the request of Chief Minister Pinrayi Vijayan, who sought the help of the Navy's River Crossing team, according to the Chief Minister's Office. The Army and Air Force have also been mobilised for the rescue operations in the area. A main bridge has collapsed in the town of Chooralmala. Around 200 Indian Army personnel from DSC Centre Kannur, 122 TA Battalion from Kozhikode have been despatched to the site. A team of 30 specialist swimmers from Indian Navy are being deployed. Two helicopters from Air Force station Sulur has been despatched, as per the Defence officials. Kerala Chief Minister held discussions with top Kerala State Disaster Management Authority (KSDMA) officials on the situation in the landslide-affected Wayanad areas. (ANI)
The Enforcement Directorate (ED) on Tuesday conducted raids on the residence of rice mill owner allegedly a close aide of former TMC minister Jyotipriya Mallick, in connection with an alleged ration scam. In April this year, the Enforcement Directorate (ED) in Kolkata attached 48 immovable properties worth over Rs 150 crores belonging to the then state Minister Jyoti Priya Mallick and other accused in connection with the PDS Ration Scam in West Bengal. These assets include two hotels and residential houses belonging to Jyoti Priya Mallick, then Minister-In-Charge of the Food and Supply Department of the government of West Bengal, Bakibur Rahaman (rice and flour miller), Sankar Addhya and others. The value of the attached properties is Rs 50.47 crore, which the agency claimed was allegedly acquired out of Proceeds of Crime (PoC) derived and obtained from the PDS Ration Scam by several persons, including Jyoti Priya Mallick. ED's Kolkata Zonal Office provisionally attached these assets which include 48 immoveable properties of different persons and entities including a residential house in Salt Lake, Bolpur of Jyoti Priya Mallick, several other 'Benami Properties' held in the name of his close associates, two Hotels of Bakibur Rahaman each in Kolkata and Bengaluru and balances in various bank accounts and Fixed Deposits. ED initiated the investigation on the basis of various FIRs registered by West Bengal Police, wherein various private persons were found in unauthorized possession of Ration meant for delivery through PDS and also found to be involved in bogus procurement of paddy. During PMLA investigations, three important modus operandi were detected for the generation of Proceeds of Crime (PoC) related to PDS scams such as siphoning of PDS ration to open market, mixing of old wheat flour in fresh flour meant for PDS distribution and bogus paddy procurement at Minimum Support Price (MSP). In this case, Bakibur Rahaman, Jyoti Priya Mallick, Sankar Addhya and Biswajit Das were arrested under section 19 of the Prevention of Money Laundering Act, 2002. (ANI)
A Congress MLA from Gwalior Rural Assembly Constituency, Sahab Singh Gurjar, and several others were booked for allegedly assaulting women in Madhya Pradesh's Gwalior district, a police official said on Tuesday. The incident occurred at MLA Gurjar's residence in the Ohadpur, Mahalgaon locality on Monday when a group of women, along with men, went to meet the MLA regarding their electricity issues. After the incident, they approached the SP office to lodge a complaint, the police said. Superintendent of Police (SP) Dharmaveer Singh told ANI, "A written complaint was made by Munni Lodhi, a resident of Mau Pahari locality. Taking cognizance of her complaint, prima facie, an FIR has been registered against Congress MLA Sahab Singh Gurjar and a few unknown persons." The case has been registered under sections 115 (2), 296, 3(5) of the Bhartiya Nyay Sahita (BNS), 2023, and further investigation is underway, he added. Earlier on Monday, Additional Superintendent of Police (ASP) Shiyaz KM said, "A few women, along with men from Mau Pahadi village, came here to meet the SP, alleging that MLA Sahab Singh Gurjar misbehaved with them and beat them up. The SP was unavailable at the moment, so I heard their problem and asked them to submit a written complaint." The complainant told the police that the matter was related to an electric transformer. Before the elections, they were promised the installation of the transformer and had met with the MLA several times in the past. On Monday, they went to meet the MLA again, and a dispute ensued, resulting in them being beaten up, as they told the police, the officer said. "We have asked them to submit a written complaint about their allegations, and further action will be taken according to the investigation," he added (ANI).
You are here: China

Volunteers and staff load supplies for the disaster-stricken areas onto a helicopter at a middle school in Zixing, central China's Hunan Province, July 29, 2024. [Photo/Xinhua]

China is currently battling heavy rainfall that has triggered dike breaches, flooded streets and forced the evacuation of people.

In the past two days, three dike breaches occurred in sections of the Juanshui River in Xiangtan County, central China's Hunan Province. One of them was successfully sealed on Monday afternoon.

The Juanshui flows into the Xiangjiang River, a major tributary of the Yangtze. In the wake of Typhoon Gaemi, some sections of the Juanshui experienced record-breaking floods.

Xinhua reporters rushed to Hekou Township after a dike breach measuring over 30 meters occurred around 1:40 p.m. on Monday. A large number of houses and crops were inundated. With helicopters hovering overhead, rescuers raced to search for and evacuate trapped residents.

"We are accelerating our search efforts to ensure that no one is left behind," said Huang Xi, a rescuer at the site.

Liu De'an, a 67-year-old local villager, was trapped by the rising floodwaters due to his limited mobility.

"I watched the water rise quickly, flooding the first floor of my house. I was terrified," he recalled. "Thankfully, they (the rescuers) arrived just in time and saved me."

Another dike breach took place around 8 p.m. Sunday in the section of Juanshui River in Yisuhe Township, with more than 3,800 residents evacuated as of Monday morning.

Over 1,200 people, including armed police, militia and professional rescuers, have been mobilized into rescue and relief work, assisted by more than 1,000 local officials and Party members, according to local flood control and drought relief headquarters.

Technologies such as drones, GPS measuring instruments, radar speed sensors, and unmanned hydrological surveying boats have been used to provide support for the closure of the breach and rescue operations.

Search and evacuation operations are still underway.

Torrential rains have also wreaked havoc in other parts of the country. From Friday to Sunday, the city of Dandong on the lower reaches of the Yalu River was lashed by heavy rain, causing 12 reservoirs and five rivers to exceed warning levels.

Xinhua reporters saw the Yalu River overflowing its banks on Monday night and flooding the main street in Dandong, Liaoning Province.

Yalu River Park, usually bustling with tourists, was submerged under nearly 2 meters of water.

Since July, Dandong has experienced seven episodes of heavy rain, accumulating a total of 486.5 millimeters of rainfall, 90 percent more than the historical average for this period over many years.

By 4 p.m. Monday, Dandong had relocated over 28,700 people. A total of 45 flood-control gates had been put in place by Sunday night.

China's meteorological authorities on Monday issued an orange alert for rainstorms, the second-highest level in its four-tier warning system, across parts of the country.

In southwest China's Chongqing Municipality, 19 districts and counties raised their emergency responses for floods on Monday afternoon, as the city is expected to be lashed by torrential rain from Monday night to Tuesday.
Surat, an industrial city in Gujarat, is known as the Silk City for its world-renowned textile industry, which significantly contributes to the country's economy. The industry, with a centuries-old history, has embraced modern technologies to produce world-class textiles on a large scale. Surat's sarees are particularly famous for their beauty and intricate designs, featuring techniques like embroidery, zari work, and printing. The textile industry in Surat is primarily driven by small and medium enterprises (SMEs), with thousands of factories producing various textiles. The city also has several large textile markets, serving as important hubs for traders and buyers. Notably, Surat contributes approximately 40 per cent to India's total man-made textile production. Sanjay Sarawagi, Managing Director of Laxmipati Group, said, "So far, as we all knew, Surat's focus was on the domestic market, where saree production was happening on a large scale. After that, dress materials came into play. Then, the fabric used for making tents, which was cotton, completely shifted to polyester and nylon. Following this, gradually, Surat advanced in the manufacturing of tapestry or what you call furnishings." He added, "The new phase that is coming up now is 'technical textiles'. So, if we look at it, Surat is diversifying its textile products very well. The fabrics that we used to import from China or other countries are now gradually being made in Surat, and Surat is slowly becoming proficient in this area as well." Surat's textile industry has embraced advanced technology and innovations, boosting both production capacity and quality. As a result, the industry continues to advance rapidly. Sameer Chokhawala, HOD Weaving of Laxmipati Group, said, "Surat is the largest market for sarees in all of Asia. The future of Surat is very bright because the people here are hardworking and always ready to adopt any technology. Keeping this in mind, the future of Surat's textile industry looks promising." Surat is a key pillar of India's textile industry, crucial for boosting the economy and providing large-scale employment. The city's textile sector is making a significant impact both domestically and internationally, establishing a strong global presence. (ANI)
The Supreme Court on Tuesday directs that current enrolment fee structure charged by the State Bar Councils (SBCs) is unreasonable as it causes excessive financial burdens on young law graduates at the time of enrolment and causes economic hardships, especially for those belonging to the marginalised and economically weaker sections of society. The Supreme court held that "The State Bar Coucuils cannot have unbridled powers to charge any fees given the express legislative policy under Section 24(1)(f)". Imposing excessive financial burdens on young law graduates at the time of enrolment causes economic hardships, especially for those belonging to the marginalised and economically weaker sections of society. Therefore, the current enrolment fee structure charged by the SBCs is unreasonable and infringes Article 19(1)(g)," a bench of Chief Justice of India Dhananjaya Y Chandrachud and justices J B Pardiwala said. The top court order came while closing petitions challenging the validity of the enrolment fees charged by State Bar Councils. The grievance of the petitioner was that the fees charged by the SBCs at the time of admission of persons on State rolls are more than the enrolment fee prescribed under Section 24(1)(f) of the Advocates Act 1961. The top court ruled that SBCs cannot charge "enrolment fees" beyond the express legal stipulation under Section 24(1)(f). The court further said that Section 24(1)(f) specifically lays down the fiscal pre-conditions subject to which an advocate can be enrolled on State rolls. The SBCs and the BCI cannot demand payment of fees other than the stipulated enrolment fee and stamp duty, if any, as a pre-condition to enrolment, the top court said. The decision of the SBCs to charge fees and charges at the time of enrolment in excess of the legal stipulation under Section 24(1)(f) violates Article 14 and Article 19(1)(g) of the Constitution, the top court said. The court made it clear that this decision will have prospective effect and the SBCs are not required to refund the excess enrolment fees collected before the date of this judgement. "The result of this decision would have entitled advocates who have paid the excess enrolment fee to a refund from the SBCs.115 The SBCs have been levying the enrolment fees for a considerable duration and utilising the collected amounts to carry out their day-to-day functioning. Therefore, we declare that this judgement will have prospective effect. Consequently, the SBCs are not required to refund the excess enrolment fees collected before the date of this judgement," the top court said. The top court also clarified that the only charges permissible at the stage of enrolment are those stipulated under Section 24(1)(f) of the Advocates Act. All other miscellaneous fees, including but not limited to application form fees, processing fees, postal charges, police verification charges, ID card charges, administrative fees, photograph fees, etc. charged from the candidates at the time of admission are to be construed as part of the enrolment fee. The fees charged under these or any similar heads cannot cumulatively exceed the enrolment fee prescribed in Section 24(1)(f), the top court said. The Advocates Welfare Fund Act was enacted to provide for the constitution of a welfare fund for the benefit of advocates, the top court noted.Section 3 provides that the appropriate government shall constitute an Advocates Welfare Fund. Section 15 mandates the SBCs to pay annually to the welfare fund an amount equal to twenty per cent of the enrolment fee received by it under Section 24(1)(f) of the Advocates Act "This decision will not have any effect on the obligation of the SBCs under Section 15 because they will continue to charge the enrolment fee as stipulated under Section 24(1)(f)," the top court said. "The SBCs and the BCI are directed to ensure that the fees charged at the time of enrolment comply with Section 24(1)(f) and the provision is not defeated either directly or indirectly under the garb of different nomenclatures. The SBCs cannot charge an enrollment fee or miscellaneous fees above the amount prescribed in Section 24(1)(f)," the top court said. (ANI)
Kumar Mangalam Birla, Chairman of the Aditya Birla Group, met West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee on Tuesday and discussed potential business opportunities and investment prospects in the state. Sharing a post on her official X handle, Banerjee said, "Kumar Mangalam Birla, Chairman of the Aditya Birla group, met me at Nabanna today afternoon. While this was a courtesy visit, he discussed with me the business opportunities of Bengal and their investment intentions here." Elaborating on the various projects in the state, Banerjee assured Birla that the government is committed to providing support. "They are having ongoing/in-pipeline projects worth Rs 5000 crore in different sectors like cement and paints manufacturing. They are also planning to open a world-class educational institute in the city and they have other plans too for fresh investments. We discussed all this and I assured him of our support," she said on X. Meanwhile, a day before, Banerjee affirmed that her state will oppose any kind of agreement between India-Bangladesh on the Teesta River, as sharing of Teesta water will mean "depriving north Bengal of water." Opposing the Teesta Water Treaty while addressing legislative assembly, Banerjee said, "My government will oppose any agreement between India and Bangladesh over sharing of the Teesta river water, as sharing of Teesta water will mean depriving north Bengal of water." She further lashed out at the Centre and stated, "Without consulting West Bengal, they're doing Teesta Water Treaty. Why they allow 14 Hydro Power Plants on Teesta in Sikkim? I am repeatedly saying that there is not enough water in Teesta River and we can't supply water to Bangladesh from it. If we will supply water to Bangladesh, then most areas of North Bengal will face water crisis. This is one sided decision." Mamata Banerjee on Monday lashed out at the BJP leaders for demanding the incorporation of north Bengal to north-eastern states and said we will never let this happen. (ANI)
Taking to X CM Manik Saha, "Kudos #India. Manu Bhaker & Sarabjot Singh beat the Korean pair 16-10 in 10m Air Pistol Mixed team event to win India's 2nd medal in Paris. Special regards to Manu Bhaker for becoming 1st Indian to get 2nd Medal in the same Olympic Games by any individual."

Bhaker and her partner Sarabjot Singh secured bronze in the 10 m air pistol mixed team event on Tuesday.

Earlier, Bhaker had won bronze in the women's individual 10M air pistol event.

Manu-Sarabjot beat South Korea's Lee Wonho and Oh Ye Jin 16-10 in the bronze medal play-off match. With this medal, India's medal tally increases to two at the Paris Olympics. Both Bhaker and Sarabjot shot consistently with regular 10s in the series against the Koreans.

Manu is the first athlete from the Indian contingent after independence to get two medals in a single edition of the Paris Olympics. Earlier in the 1900 Olympics, Norman Pritchard won two medals while representing India, both silver in the 200 m and 200 m hurdles.

Manu-Sarabjot's shooting mixed team medal is India's first-ever shooting team medal in Olympic history.

Also, Bhaker joins an elite group of athletes to have multiple individual medals at the Olympics: PV Sindhu (badminton silver at Rio 2016 and bronze medal at Tokyo 2020) and Sushil Kumar (wrestling bronze at the 2008 Beijing Olympics and silver medal at the 2012 London Olympics). (ANI)
Kerala State Disaster Management Authority Secretary Sekar Kuriakose said on Tuesday that the rescue of lives in the landslides that hit the Meppadi area of Kerala's Wayanad is coordinated and they have sufficient forces. The Kerala Revenue Minister's office informed that the death toll has increased to 84 in the Wayanad landslide incident and a total of 116 injuries have been reported so far. Kuriakose informed that 10 teams of fire and rescue, 200 civil defence volunteers, and 3 teams of the National Disaster Rescue Force (NDRF) will operate and they have also requested a fourth team. "The rescue is coordinated and we have sufficient forces. NDRF was prepositioned... 10 teams of fire and rescue, 200 civil defence volunteers...3 teams of NDRF will operate and we have requested the 4th team, two teams of Defence security cops, and one Navy river crossing team. We have also requested an engineering task force from the army. We have aircraft ready to move these troops," he said. Meanwhile, the Kerala government has declared official mourning in the state on Tuesday and Wednesday after 84 people lost their lives in a landslide incident in Wayanad. Earlier, the Indian Army column reached the landslide site at Chooralmala by noon. Using ropes, soldiers are being ferried across the river, which is in spate, to assist and carry out rescue efforts in Ward No. 10 of Chooralmala. Kerala Forest Minister Saseendran reached the affected area to assess the damage and coordinate immediate response measures. State Minister Ramachandran Kadannappalli is expected to join the efforts on the ground. In addition, a delegation of state ministers of Revenue, Public Works, and Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes Departments are travelling by air from Thiruvananthapuram and are expected to reach the site soon, as per the Kerala chief minister's office. An Indian Navy team from the Ezhimala Naval Base in Kannur is being sent to the district in Kerala to assist in the rescue operations at Chooralmala, which was hit by landslides on Tuesday morning, following torrential rains. The Navy team is being dispatched, at the request of Chief Minister Pinrayi Vijayan, who sought the help of the Navy's River Crossing team, according to the Chief Minister's Office. The Army and Air Force have also been mobilised for the rescue operations in the area, which have been hampered as a main bridge has collapsed in the town of Chooralmala. The India Meteorological Department has issued a red alert for eight districts in the state for heavy rainfall. A red alert has been issued for the Idukki, Thrissur, Palakkad, Malappuram, Kozhikode, Wayanad, Kannur and Kasargod districts. An orange alert has been issued for Pathanamthitta, Alappuzha, Kottayam and Ernakulam districts for today. (ANI)
The vigilant troops of the 193 Battalion of the Border Security Force (BSF) in Meghalaya successfully intercepted and seized 19 wooden boats belonging to Bangladeshi smugglers in the Jadukata River near Ghumaghat. The smugglers were attempting to cross into Indian territory to collect stone boulders and sand. This operation, which was held on July 29, underscores the dedication and vigilance of the BSF in securing the border and preventing illegal activities, the BSF said in a press release. Sharing a post on X, the BSF Meghalaya said, "On 29 July 2024, the vigilant troops of 193 Bn #BSF #Meghalaya successfully seized 19 #Bangladeshi wooden boats in Jadukata River near Gumaghat while the BD smugglers were attempting to cross into Indian territory for stealing of stone boulders and sand." The swift and efficient action by the BSF thwarted illegal activities and ensured the security of the border region. These kind of special operations are indicative of the mission mode the BSF troops have adopted on the border. However, Bangladeshi miscreants often attempt to sneak into Indian Territory through riverine areas to steal stone and sand. In this regard, the BSF has lodged a protest with the BGB regarding the illegal activities by Bangladeshi nationals in Indian territory. The seized boats have been taken into custody for further handover to the Customs office in Dangar, the release added. To maintain peace along the Indo-Bangladesh border, a battalion commandant-level meeting was held between the BSF and Border Guard Bangladesh (BGB) to discuss issues related to enhancing border domination and vigilance. Additionally, simultaneous patrolling systems were coordinated, especially in vulnerable areas. All these measures are going to impact the border domination. Taking to X, the BSF Meghalaya said, "To maintain peace and tranquility along the Indo-Bangladesh border, a battalion commandant-level meeting was held on July 29, 2024, between the #BSF and #BGB to discuss issues related to enhancing #Border domination and vigilance." (ANI)
Sunita Kejriwal, wife of Delhi Chief Minister and AAP national convenor Arvind Kejriwal, on Tuesday spoke about his health issues and said that his illness was neglected as part of a conspiracy. The remark was made by Sunita Kejriwal as she was joined by Delhi Minister and AAP leader Gopal Rai, NCP-SCP chief Sharad Pawar, and CPI General Secretary D Raja in the INDIA bloc protest at Jantar Mantar over Arvind Kejriwal's health and his illegal arrest. The Aam Aadmi Party took to its official X handle and shared a video of Sunita Kejriwal speaking on the health issue of Arvind Kejriwal. She said, "Arvind Kejriwal has been suffering from diabetes for 22 years. He takes insulin to control his high sugar. When he went to jail, he was not given insulin. We had to go to court to get his insulin. What is the meaning of this? His illness was ignored as part of the conspiracy." Elaborating more on Delhi CM's health issues, Sunita Kejriwal said, "There is a sensor fitted on the Chief Minister's hand. He takes readings from the reader to know his sugar level. A graph is prepared in this reader and the sugar level of the whole day is recorded in that graph. Generally, if the sugar level goes below 70 then the patient feels nervous. Whenever this happens at home, we take care of the Chief Minister." She further said, " A few days ago we came to know that his sugar level in jail was continuously down and even at night while sleeping it had gone below 50. Thank God that no untoward incident happened. But his life is in danger. A conspiracy is being hatched." Sunita Kejriwal also targeted Delhi's Lieutenant Governor VK Saxena and said, "The Lieutenant Governor has written a letter and alleges in the letter that the Chief Minister is deliberately eating less. Is it a joke? Is he (Arvind Kejriwal) putting his own life in danger? On the other hand, they say that they are taking less insulin. Now you people tell me that this is not a dictatorship. Is this not a conspiracy?" Lashing out at the BJP, Sunita Kejriwal said that the government is trying to defame the CM elected by the people. She added, "What have BJP MPs done for the people of Delhi? They just want to stop the work of Delhiites. These people have only one politics, that of hatred and stoppage of work, but your CM and Delhi's CM is not afraid of all these things. He will fight for everyone." Meanwhile, the Rouse Avenue Court on Tuesday fixed August 12 for consideration of the supplementary chargesheet filed by the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) against Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal and five other accused persons in connection with the excise policy case. (ANI)
Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan said on Tuesday that 93 bodies have been recovered and 128 people have been injured after massive landslides hit hilly areas near Meppadi in Kerala's Wayanad district. He further said that 3,069 people are in 45 relief camps in Wayanad alone, and five ministers are coordinating the efforts of the relief and rescue operations. Addressing the press conference, Vijayan said, "The landslide in Wayanad is a heart-wrenching disaster. There was extremely heavy rainfall. An entire area has been wiped out. We have recovered 93 bodies so far, but the numbers may change. There are 128 people receiving treatment for injuries. Many who went to sleep last night have been swept away." Prime Minister Narendra Modi has offered assistance after 93 people died and 128 were injured following massive landslides in Wayanad. "Upon learning of the disaster, both the Prime Minister and Rahul Gandhi, along with various party leaders, have offered their assistance. They have assured us that we will work together to address this crisis," he said. The chief minister said that the state government has arranged the best possible treatment for the injured, adding that several people are still trapped under the debris and rescue operations are underway. "Many people are still trapped under the debris. We have opened 45 relief camps in Wayanad and a total of 118 camps across the state, accommodating 5,531 people. The fire force, NDRF, and police are working together. Various divisions of the Army and Navy are coordinating the rescue operations," he added. Elaborating about the relief operations, said, "321 members of the Fire Force have been deployed in Wayanad. The services of the Army have also been made available. An NDRF team of 60 members has reached Wayanad, and an 89-member team from Bengaluru is on the way". Pinarayi Vijayan expressed grief over the deaths saying that the landslide incident in Wayanad is a heart-wrenching disaster. "Additional Kaniv 108 ambulances have been brought in. 3,069 people are in relief camps in Wayanad alone. Five ministers are coordinating the efforts. Due to adverse weather conditions, people were relocated, and an orange alert was declared. A dog squad will be arriving for the rescue operations," he said. Furthermore, he informed that senior NDRF personnel are coordinating the rescue operation in the area. "The IG of the Northern Range, DIG, and the Additional DG of Law and Order will coordinate the operations," said CM. "Steps have been initiated to deliver food and essential supplies. Two vehicles carrying 20,000 litres of drinking water will arrive at the disaster area. Health workers currently on leave are instructed to return to duty immediately. Nothing can replace the loss of loved ones or possessions, but we must extend our support and lift those affected, " he added. In the wake of the landslides in Wayanad, the CM urged people to come together to aid those suffering. "More assistance is needed to rebuild the region. I urge everyone to contribute to the Chief Minister's Disaster Relief Fund (CMDRF) and provide support. Those who can should make donations. The arrival of unnecessary vehicles is causing significant blockages and must be strictly avoided. Everyone must be prepared to cooperate," he said. "The local administration has been directed to ensure that drinking water, food, and other essentials are provided to those in the camps. The IG of the Northern Range, DIG, and the Additional DG of Law and Order will coordinate the operations. Everyone must avoid situations where people are merely spectators at disaster sites. Control rooms have been established under various government departments. I have instructed that officials in essential services be prepared and on standby due to the heavy rain conditions." CM further requested the public not to visit the disaster sites merely as spectators and said, "Media persons in the disaster area should exercise caution and ensure they do not hinder the rescue operations. Everyone must avoid situations where people are merely spectators at disaster sites. Control rooms have been established under various government departments. I have instructed that officials in essential services be prepared and on standby due to the heavy rain conditions." "Steps have been initiated to deliver food and essential supplies. Two vehicles carrying 20,000 liters of drinking water will arrive at the disaster area. Health workers currently on leave are instructed to return to duty immediately." Informing about the donations in the Chief Minister Distress Relief Fund, CM said, "Kerala Bank has already contributed Rs50 lakh to CMDRF. The Chief Minister of Sikkim has pledged Rs2 crore, and Tamil Nadu Chief Minister M.K. Stalin has promised Rs5 crore in aid. In response to the disaster in Wayanad, the state has declared two days of official mourning. Public events and celebrations have been postponed. We request that the national flag be flown at half-mast as part of the mourning period." Union Minister of State George Kurian is heading to Wayanad to lead relief and rescue operations. On the directions of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, the minister will coordinate with National Disaster Relief Force personnel, paramilitary forces, Kerala Government officials and other agencies in the operation. Kerala Forest Minister Saseendran reached the affected area to assess the damage and coordinate immediate response measures. State Minister Ramachandran Kadannappalli is expected to join the efforts on the ground. In addition, a delegation of state ministers of Revenue, Public Works, and Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes Departments are travelling by air from Thiruvananthapuram and are expected to reach the site soon, as per the Kerala chief minister's office. An Indian Navy team from the Ezhimala Naval Base in Kannur is being sent to the district in Kerala to assist in the rescue operations at Chooralmala, which was hit by landslides on Tuesday morning, following torrential rains. The Navy team is being dispatched, at the request of Chief Minister Pinrayi Vijayan, who sought the help of the Navy's River Crossing team, according to the Chief Minister's Office. The Army and Air Force have also been mobilised for the rescue operations in the area, which have been hampered as a main bridge has collapsed in the town of Chooralmala. Around 200 Indian Army personnel from DSC Centre Kannur and 122 TA Battalion from Kozhikode were dispatched to the site. 122 TA battalion has now arrived at the incident site and is assisting in relief operations. A team of 30 specialist swimmers from the Indian Navy has been deployed. Two helicopters from Air Force station Sulur have also been despatched, as per defence officials. The India Meteorological Department has issued a red alert for eight districts in the state for heavy rainfall. A red alert has been issued for the Idukki, Thrissur, Palakkad, Malappuram, Kozhikode, Wayanad, Kannur and Kasargod districts. An orange alert has been issued for Pathanamthitta, Alappuzha, Kottayam and Ernakulam districts for today. (ANI)
Madhya Pradesh Cabinet has approved an amount of Rs 12.10 crores for ensuring benefit of insurance cover of Pradhan Mantri Jeevan Jyoti Bima Yojana and Pradhan Mantri Suraksha Bima Yojana to Anganwadi workers, Mini Anganwadi workers, and Sahayikas according to their eligibility under the Saksham Anganwadi and Poshan 2.0 scheme. A proposal in this regard was tabled at the cabinet meeting held at Mantralaya in Bhopal on Tuesday, and the council of ministers approved it unanimously. Following the decision, an amount of Rs 3.63 crore will be spent every year in the fiscal year 2024-25 and 2025-26 as central share and Rs 2.42 crore as state share respectively for the operation of schemes ensuring security cover to Anganwadi workers, mini Anganwadi workers, and Sahayikas. A total of Rs 12 crore 10 lakh was approved for two financial years, stated an official release. According to the release, Pradhan Mantri Jeevan Jyoti Bima Yojana (PMJJBY) - A life risk of Rs 2 lakh will be covered in case of death due to any reason by payment of an annual premium of Rs 436 per beneficiary to Anganwadi workers, Mini Anganwadi workers, and Anganwadi assistants in the age group of 18 to 50 years. Pradhan Mantri Suraksha Bima Yojana (PMSBY) - Anganwadi workers, mini Anganwadi workers, and Anganwadi Sahayikas in the age group of 18-59 years will get Rs 2 lakh in case of accidental death and permanent total disability and partial but permanent disability by payment of Rs 20 per beneficiary as annual premium. There is a provision to give Rs 1 lakh in case of disability. The implementation of both the above insurance schemes will be done by the respective bank branch to the bank account where the honorarium of Anganwadi worker, mini Anganwadi worker, and Anganwadi helper is deposited. Under this, the amount of the insurance scheme premium will be deducted from the bank account with the consent of the Anganwadi worker, Mini Anganwadi worker, and Anganwadi Sahayikas, which the department will reimburse according to the ratio 60:40 (Government of India 60 percent and State Government 40 percent) financial expenditure prescribed by the Government of India, it added. State Cabinet minister Kailash Vijayvargiya said, "The cabinet has approved that all the Anganwadi workers will be covered under the Pradhan Mantri Jeevan Jyoti Bima Yojana and Pradhan Mantri Suraksha Bima Yojana and the state government will bear the cost of premium of the for the scheme. A total of 57,324 women in the state will get the benefit of the scheme." (ANI)
A Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) was signed between Maharashtra government and NSDC International Limited to establish a centre for skill-based certificate courses in Pune. The agreement was signed in the presence of Chief Minister Eknath Shinde and aims to provide employment opportunities to the youth of the state, both domestically and internationally. The CMO Maharashtra also took to its official X handle and posted about the signing of the MoU. It said, "An MoU was signed between the state government and NSDC International Limited in the presence of the Chief Minister Eknath Shinde for setting up a centre for skill-based certificate courses at Pune. This MoU will benefit the youth of the state to get employment opportunities in the country and abroad. NSDC International Limited Company will be provided space at Government Distance Education Tantra Niketan Sanstha in Pune for the training centre." Deputy Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis, Deputy Chief Minister Ajit Pawar, Higher and Chief Executive Officer of NSDC International Limited Company Vedmani Tiwari, NSDC International Company Advisor Sandeep Kaura, Vice President Nitin Kapoor, concerned officers of all departments were present. Notably, NSDC International Limited conducts skill-based courses in accordance with the employment opportunities announced by the Ministry of Skill Development and Entrepreneurship of the Central Government in order to provide employment opportunities to the youth of the country. This MoU was signed with NSDC International Limited Company to conduct these courses in the state. According to this agreement, the company will provide training according to the skill requirement of manpower in different countries. In addition, the company will provide job opportunities abroad to the students. Meanwhile, the CMO Maharashtra on its X handle also said that approval was given for seven large and ultra-large projects with an investment of Rs 81,000 crore in the state. The post said, "In the Cabinet sub-committee meeting of the Industries Department chaired by the Chief Minister Eknath Shinde, approval was given for seven large and ultra-large projects with an investment of 81 thousand crore rupees in the state. Due to this, about 20 thousand people will be directly employed in the state." It added, "A large amount of investment will be made in the areas of Marathwada, Vidarbha along with Konkan. Deputy Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis, Deputy Chief Minister Ajit Pawar, Industries Minister Uday Samant, Chief Secretary Sujata Saunik and others were present in this meeting." (ANI)
You are here: China

The State Flood Control and Drought Relief Headquarters activated a Level-IV emergency response to floods in the Beijing-Tianjin-Hebei region on Monday in anticipation of severe rainfall and potential flooding.

From Monday to Tuesday, heavy to torrential rains are forecast in the region, giving rise to high risks of floods and waterlogging, according to the Ministry of Emergency Management (MEM).

To support local relief efforts, the MEM has worked together with the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology in dispatching unmanned aerial vehicles to central China's Hunan Province.

The MEM and the National Food and Strategic Reserves Administration have also allocated disaster relief materials worth 4.41 million yuan (about 618,000 U.S. dollars) to northeast China's Liaoning Province.

China has a four-tier emergency response system for flood control, with Level I being the most urgent response.
Leader of Opposition and Congress leader Rahul Gandhi accused BJP MP Anurag Thakur of "abusing and insulting" him in the Lok Sabha during the discussion on the Union Budget on Tuesday. Anurag Thakur entered into a heated argument with Rahul Gandhi during his speech in the Lower House of the Parliament, saying that those whose caste is unknown are speaking on the issue of caste census. Reacting to this, the Congress leader said that whoever raises the issues of Adivasi, Dalit, and the backward gets abused. "Those whose caste is not known, talk about the caste census. I want to remind the Speaker that in this House itself, a former prime minister RG-1 (Rajiv Gandhi) had opposed reservation for OBCs," the BJP MP said. Rahul Gandhi replied, "Whoever raises the issues of Adivasi, Dalit and the backward, is abused. I will happily accept these abuses...Anurag Thakur has abused me and insulted me. But I do not want any apology from him." Sawamjwadi Party (SP) chief Akhilesh Yadav intervened in the conservation and questioned Anurag Thakur how one could ask about the caste of any person. "How can you ask caste...?" he asked BJP leader in the Lower House. The caste census was one of the Congress party's promises in the 2024 general elections. The Congress party has promised to pass a constitutional amendment to raise the Supreme Court mandated 50 per cent cap on reservations for Scheduled Castes (SC), Scheduled Tribes (ST) and Other Backward Classes (OBC), as per its poll manifesto. The party also promised to conduct a nation-wide Socio-Economic and Caste Census to enumerate the castes and sub-castes and their socio-economic conditions. Meanwhile, Anurag Thakur defended the BJP's lotus symbol and launched a scathing attack on the Congress party during the discussion on the Union Budget on Tuesday. Thakur began by congratulating Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman on presenting the seventh consecutive budget, describing it as a "budget that resonates with public sentiments." He then replied to the criticisms from opposition leaders who had made derogatory remarks about the BJP's election symbol, the lotus. "The lotus is not just our election symbol but also represents Goddess Lakshmi, our national flower, and the meditative posture of Padmasana," Thakur stated. He accused the opposition of insulting revered figures like Lord Shiva, Buddha, and Lokmanya Tilak by disparaging the lotus. Thakur's speech quickly pivoted to a sharp critique of Congress and its leaders. He highlighted the Congress's historical opposition to OBC reservations and accused them of being disconnected from the realities of caste and community issues. Referring to rghe novel written by Congress MP Shashi Tharoor, "The Great Indian Novel," which depicts historical and political figures, asserting that it aligns Congress with the negative characters of the Mahabharata. He also lambasted the Gandhi family, accusing them of nepotism and corruption. "For them, OBC means 'Only for Brother-in-law Commission,'" he quipped, referring to Congress's alleged favoritism. Concluding his speech, Thakur dismissed the Congress's allegations of fear and instability under the current government. "Yes, there is fear--fear among criminals, corrupt people, and enemies of the nation," he declared, reiterating the budget's focus on public welfare and development. Thakur's remarks, punctuated by historical references and literary citations, underscored his defense of the BJP's policies and symbol while attacking the Congress's legacy and leadership. Notably, Rahul Gandhi drew parallels from the Mahabharata, on Monday and attacked the Bharatiya Janata Party over the Union Budget saying that there's an atmosphere of fear in the country, adding that the country is now trapped in a "Chakravyuh of lotus," referring to the BJP's symbol. In the last speech, I spoke about some religious concepts. Shivji's concept and concept of Ahinsa is that the trishool is placed behind the back and is not held in the hand. I spoke about the snake on Shivji's neck and I also said how all religions in our country proposed the idea of non-violence, which can be capsulated in the phrase Daro mat Darao mat. I also said that there is an idea beyond the personal. The idea of the Abhay Mudra is that transmits this motion of Ahinsa and affection and fearlessness to everybody else. There is an atmosphere of fear, dar ka mahool hai Hindustan main. My friends are smiling but they are also scared. Budget par hi bol raha hu sir. Sir, you see the problem in the BJP: only one man is allowed to dream of being Prime Minister. If the Defence Minister decides he wants to be Prime Minister, there is a big problem--there is fear. So there is fear in the country. The question I was asking myself was: Why is this fear spreading so deeply? Why is it that my friends in the BJP are terrified, the ministers are terrified, the farmers of India are terrified, and workers and youngsters are terrified," Rahul Gandhi said.(ANI)
The case, which surfaced in March 2013, came to light following the arrest of Canadian NRI Anoop Singh Kahlon in Fatehgarh Sahib, Punjab.

Bhola, a dismissed DSP, was subsequently arrested, sparking controversy with his allegations against prominent figures.

The court has sentenced Bhola, along with co-accused Manpreet, Sukhraj, Sukhjit Sukh, and Maninder, to ten years of imprisonment. Bhola's wife, Gurpreet Kaur, received a three-year sentence.

Out of the 23 accused, four have died, and two have been declared Proclaimed Offender.

The case unveiled a major international drug trafficking racket, with Bhola's claims implicating high-profile individuals, including politician Bikram Singh Majithia.

Based on his revelations, authorities also interrogated and arrested leaders Bittu Aulakh and Jagdish Singh Chahal, who were involved in a pharmaceutical company in Amritsar. This case has highlighted the deep-rooted issue of drug trafficking in the region and the involvement of influential personalities.

The investigation was done under the provisions of the Prevention of Money Laundering Act, 2002, initiated by the office in the year 2013 based on eight different FIRs registered at different police stations in Punjab. Properties and assets worth approximately Rs 95 crore have also been provisionally attached to this case.

It is the biggest conviction order in terms of the number of accused convicted in a single case till date by ED. (ANI)
Chhattisgarh Chief Minister Vishnu Deo Sai bid farewell to former Chhattisgarh Governor Biswabhusan Harichandan in Mana on Tuesday. Speaking to ANI, Sai said that, under the leadership of former Chhattisgarh Governor Biswabhusan Harichandan, the state has developed in many sectors. "Our government had his (Biswabhushan Harichandan's) blessings and support. Under his leadership, our state developed in many sectors. Today, his tenure has been completed, so we bid him farewell. He has assured me that he will maintain his relations with the people of Chhattisgarh," he said. Sai also took to X, bidding farewell to the former governor. "Today we all bid farewell to the Honourable Governor Shri Bishwabhushan Harichandan Ji at the State Hangar in Mana. He left for Bhubaneswar. Chhattisgarh has established new dimensions of progress under the guidance of the honourable governor. I wish him a long and healthy life. He said that his love and affection for the people of Chhattisgarh will remain lifelong," he said. The farewell ceremony was organised at the State Hangar in Mana, after which Biswabhusan Harichandan left for Bhubaneswar. Bishwabhushan Harichandan will be replaced by Ramen Deka, a former Lok Sabha member from Assam as well as a former BJP national secretary. Sai further welcomed the Deka at the State Hanger in Mana, today. In another post in X, Sai said, "Welcome! Today, the new Governor of Chhattisgarh, Shri Ramen Deka Ji, was welcomed by presenting a flower bouquet at the State Hangar in Mana. During this, Assembly Speaker Dr. Raman Singh Ji, cabinet colleagues and MLAs were also present. Under the excellent guidance of respected Ramen Deka Ji, our state will definitely take new steps towards "Developed Chhattisgarh". 3 crore Chhattisgarh residents heartily welcome and congratulate the newly appointed governor." On Saturday, July 27, President Droupadi Murmu named new governors for ten states, including Chhattisgarh. (ANI)
The Supreme Court on Tuesday criticised the Centre for not being able to make decisions relating to the pension payable to regular captains in accordance with the One Rank One Pension Scheme (OROP) and imposed a cost on it. A bench of Justices Sanjiv Khanna and R. Mahadevan, however, gave a last chance to the Union Government to resolve the issue relating to pensions under the scheme. The court granted time to the Centre until mid-November and adjourned the matter. The court said, "How many years will it go on like this? They are retired captains." The court warned that if the decision is not taken by the next date of hearing, then it will direct that the regular captains will get their pensions enhanced by 10 per cent." The court directed that the cost amounting to some lakhs be deposited in the Armed Forces welfare funds. When the hearing began today, the court sought to know the status of the pension under the scheme. Additional Solicitor General Aishwarya Bhati apologised to the court and said that despite working on it no decision has taken place yet. She sought three months. But the court expressed unhappiness with the centre for taking any decision in this regard. The court was dealing with the issue related to the pension payable to the regular captains, whereby there was an anomaly that required resolution for the implementation of the One Rank One Pension Scheme. (ANI)
Uttarakhand Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami on Tuesday welcomed the Kanwar Yatris (Shiva devotees) who came from different states at Om Pul Ghat near Damkothi, Haridwar, by washing their feet and offering garlands, shawls, and Gangajal. Welcoming the Kanwariyas who came to Uttarakhand from different states of the country, he said that Haridwar is the centre of devotion for the whole country. This holy place has the special blessings of Mother Ganga and Lord Bholenath. "Kanwar Yatra has special significance in the month of Shravan. The state government has the privilege of welcoming the Kanwariyas. By making the Kanwar Yatra smooth and safe, the government is working as a supporter of the Kanwariyas in this journey. Serving the Kanwariyas is a virtuous act for everyone," CM Dhami said. He described the welcoming of Kanwariyas with flower showers as the tradition of Atithi Devo Bhavah of Devbhoomi. The Chief Minister said, "We should not only enjoy the journey by joining the system, but also contribute to the successful progress of the Kanwar Yatra program of the holy month of Shravan by showing self-discipline with faith and belief." The Chief Minister also wished all the devotees involved in the Kanwar Yatra a smooth and safe journey. The Chief Minister said that with immense reverence, devotees from different parts of the country are coming on the Kanwar Yatra, carrying the country's pride and pride tricolor along with reverence and faith. He has also appealed to the Kanwar pilgrims to follow the traffic rules and the guidelines issued by the government administration. Addressing the Shiv Samagam program organized at Om Pul Ghat, the Chief Minister said that the state government is working to preserve the Sanatan culture along with faith and development. He said that all Kanwar devotees will take Ganga water and perform Jalabhishek of Lord Shiva. The Chief Minister also appreciated the cooperation of the district administration, saints, public representatives, social organizations, voluntary organizations for the smooth management of the Kanwar fair. He said that the state government has made adequate arrangements for health camps, toilets, parking, tin sheds, resting places at various places for the Kanwar Yatra. This year the arrangements have been improved further as compared to last year. He said that last year, about four crore Kanwariyas came to Uttarakhand in the Kanwar Yatra. With the blessings of Lord Bholenath, last year's journey was completed safely. He said that this year also, a large number of Kanwariyas are expected to come to Uttarakhand for which the government administration is fully prepared. Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami said that Prime Minister Narendra Modi has a special attachment to Uttarakhand. "The grand and divine Kedarnath has been built under his leadership. Work is going on on the master plan in Badrinath. A grand Ram temple is being constructed under the leadership of Prime Minister Modi. The reconstruction work of various temples like Kashi Vishwanath, Mahakal has been done with grandeur. Work on the Haridwar Rishikesh Corridor will commence soon, which will provide more convenience to Kanwad pilgrims in the coming times," he added. (ANI)
The Unit conferred the prestigious rank of Honorary Colonel of the National Cadet Corps (NCC) to the distinguished professor in a resounding program at the University's administrative block on 30th July, Tuesday.

The above ceremony celebrated the significant contributions of Prof. Santishree Dhulipudi Pandit to the national building. While accepting the honour, the Hon'ble Vice Chancellor said, "I was a NCC cadet but never thought that I would become a Colonel one day." She further said that the faculty should encourage students to join NCC as it instils a sense of national pride and national character. She also thanked her NCC training for her success today.

Meanwhile, ADG Major General P Vishwasrao, Sena Medal Bar, hailed the Hon'ble Vice Chancellor as a soldier without a uniform. He said the army protects the borders, but teachers shape the future inside the country.

The event also showcased a video film featuring all the NCC activities in JNU over the years. JNU Rectors Prof. Brajesh Kumar Panday, Prof Satish Chandra Garkoti, and Prof. Deependra Nath Das were also present at the occasion. (ANI)
Union Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman on Tuesday hit back at Congress leader Rahul Gandhi over his "budget ka halwa" jibe during discussion on union budget and said the ceremony is "more than just a ritual and a testament to the hard work and dedication" of the Finance Ministry officials and staff. Sitharaman emphasised the importance of the ceremony in fostering a sense of solidarity and teamwork among the members involved in the meticulous task of budget preparation. Rahul Gandhi, who is Leader of Opposition, in his remarks, alleged that there was lack of representation of weaker sections in the preparation of union budget. He came to the House with a poster which he sought to display but the Speaker told him that it is against norms. "Budget ka halwa' is being distributed in this photo. I can't see one OBC or tribal or a Dalit officer in this. Desh ka halwa bant raha hai aur 73 per cent hai hi nahi. 20 officers prepared the Budget of India...Hindustan ka halwa 20 logon ne baatne ka kaam kiya hai," Gandhi alleged in his speech on Monday. Referring to the UPA government budget in 2013-14 with the then Finance Minister going to the cellar and distributing Halwa, Sitharaman said why Rahul Gandhi did not raise his objections at that time about lack of representation of weaker sections . "Leader of the opposition, why did you not ask the finance minister at that time that how many SC brothers are with you when you go down to distribute Halwa? Say it. If it was so powerful, why did you not cancel halwa then? Because at that time, it was remote control, right? Why did you not cancel halwa? At that time, it was not asked. How many SCs, STs, OBCs were there...At that time, no statistics were counted. But now it is being asked. That is why I am saying, in this country, people are being divided. With some conspiracy, this question is being asked. Sir, it is a shame," Sitharaman said. A customary Halwa ceremony is performed every year before the 'lock-in' process of officials involved in the Budget preparation begins. The ceremony marks the beginning of the budget printing process, which takes place in the basement of North Block. Sitharaman noted that the staff involved in this process is required to remain within the premises until the budget is formally presented to maintain confidentiality. "Once they go inside after the Halwa ceremony, they can't come out until the budget is read. This tradition recognizes their hard work and dedication," Sitharaman said. She recalled the commitment of officials and named two of them who continued their work despite personal tragedies, reflecting their profound sense of duty. She pointed out that the tradition was not new and had been practiced long before it became a media event. Sitharaman also pointed to the cultural relevance of such events as such ceremonies are held during auspicious occasions. "In India, there is a tradition to eat something sweet before doing anything good. It symbolises a good beginning. The Halwa ceremony serves as a recognition for the hard work and dedication of the finance ministry officials and staff who have been diligently preparing the budget documents," she said. Sitharaman presented the Union Budget on July 23 in the Parliament and made major announcements for Bihar and Andhra Pradesh, including a boost in infrastructure and special financial support. The budget session of Parliament began on July 22 and is slated to conclude on August 12. (ANI)
Karnataka Minister KJ George said on Tuesday that Chief Minister Siddaramaiah has clarified that he has not done anything illegal in the alleged Mysuru Urban Development Authority (MUDA) scam and accused the BJP of trying to make something out of nothing. "The CM said that whatever has happened is legal. They (the BJP) can hold a 'Padayatra'. We cannot stop it, as it is a democratic country. It's up to them. The Chief Minister has said that he has not done anything illegal," he told reporters here. He further added, "Please tell me (the media) what illegality has happened. I have not seen anything that they (the BJP) are mentioning... Politically, they (the BJP) are trying to make something out of nothing." The BJP leaders in Karnataka are likely to stage a 10-day padayatra against the alleged scams of the Siddaramaiah government. The padayatra is likely to begin on July 31. On Friday, Karnataka's BJP MPs protested over the alleged MUDA and Valmiki Development scam in the parliament premises. The Valmiki scam pertains to the alleged illegal transfer of funds from the Maharshi Valmiki ST Corporation, which is charged with implementing welfare programmes for scheduled tribe members. Earlier, a complaint was filed by social activist Snehamayi Krishna against Karnataka CM Siddaramaiah and nine others for allegedly forging documents to claim compensation from the Mysuru Urban Development Authority. The complaint alleges wrongdoing by Siddaramaiah, his wife Parvathy, his brother-in-law Malikarjuna Swamy Devaraj, who claimed to be a landowner, and his family. It was further alleged that MUDA created fake documents and obtained plots worth crores of rupees. Snehamayi Krishna has raised several questions in his complaint. The BJP demands that the land given to the CM's family should be returned. The opposition accused Siddaramaiah of usurping the lands that belonged to the Dalit community. (ANI)
Trinamool Congress Lok Sabha MP Sudip Bandyopadhyay said that the TMC staged a walkout because their National Secretary, Abhishek Banerjee, categorically demanded the release of a white paper on the budget on Tuesday. "The TMC staged a walkout because Abhishek Banerjee very clearly stated that the white paper must be released. Our MGNREGA allocation and Awas Yojana allocation need to be declared and released," he said. Bandyopadhyay further mentioned that Union Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman evaded all the questions raised by their leaders. "The Finance Minister avoided answering the questions raised by our leader. She started listing projects where funds were allocated, but this is not what we asked for," he said. Earlier, TMC Lok Sabha MP Abhishek Banerjee questioned why Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman did not issue a white paper on the budget allocations for West Bengal. Speaking to ANI, Banerjee said, "I am saying that I can make statements; BJP ministers and leaders can make statements; they may be right or wrong, but papers never lie. Since losing in Bengal in 2021, the BJP hasn't allocated a single penny to Bengal for 100 days' wage employment and the housing scheme. The list of 11,36,000 people who should receive houses from the state government has been pending for over a year and a half, but not a single penny has been given yet. If funds have been allocated, I request the Prime Minister, Finance Minister, and every member of the Modi government's cabinet to release a white paper and reveal the truth." "I have given my response in the House on the budget and presented my facts, which you all have seen. I also said that I am presenting some facts, they may be right or wrong, and Nirmala ji is presenting some facts, which may also be right or wrong. When a minister speaks, especially in Parliament, in the Lok Sabha, they should present their statements with evidence in hand. That's why I insisted that Nirmala Sitharaman should release a white paper," he said. Banerjee also criticized the BJP, saying, "The BJP is misleading people; Bengal's name is not even mentioned in the budget; not a single penny has been allocated to Bengal. Instead, they are using Bengal's tax money to build bridges in Bihar, which will collapse. They are misusing people's money, exploiting people, and silencing journalists." (ANI)
Delhi Minister Gopal Rai claimed on Tuesday that a conspiracy is being hatched to keep Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal in jail, alleging a continuous dip in his sugar levels. His remarks came after INDIA bloc leaders gathered at Jantar Mantar on Tuesday, demanding the release of Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal. "The people of this country have given a message to the BJP to stop undermining democracy and the Constitution. A conspiracy is being hatched to keep him in jail continuously while his sugar level is continuously decreasing...," Rai told ANI. Reacting to the INDIA bloc rally, he said, "Today all the leaders of the INDIA alliance came here against this (demanding the release of CM Kejriwal). Our fight will continue to save the Constitution, democracy and the release of Arvind Kejriwal...". The AAP leader vowed to fight against the BJP-led Centre by taking the fight from the Parliament to the streets of Delhi. Replying to a query on the Rajendra Nagar incident in which three UPSC aspirants lost their lives, he said, "The way the BJP is playing with the lives of the people, the Aam Aadmi Party will fight against it from Parliament to the road, from LG's office (Delhi Lieutenant Governor VK Saxena) to Parliament, until action is taken against the culprits..." Earlier in the day, Sunita Kejriwal, wife of AAP national convenor Arvind Kejriwal, spoke on Tuesday about his health issues and said that his illness was neglected as part of a conspiracy. The remark was made by Sunita Kejriwal as she was joined by Delhi Minister and AAP leader Gopal Rai, NCP-SCP chief Sharad Pawar, and CPI General Secretary D Raja in the INDIA bloc protest at Jantar Mantar over Arvind Kejriwal's health and his illegal arrest. The Aam Aadmi Party took to its official X handle and shared a video of Sunita Kejriwal speaking on the health issue of Arvind Kejriwal. She said, "Arvind Kejriwal has been suffering from diabetes for 22 years. He takes insulin to control his high sugar. When he went to jail, he was not given insulin. We had to go to court to get his insulin. What is the meaning of this? His illness was ignored as part of the conspiracy." Elaborating more on Delhi CM's health issues, Sunita Kejriwal said, "There is a sensor fitted on the Chief Minister's hand. He takes readings from the reader to know his sugar level. A graph is prepared in this reader and the sugar level of the whole day is recorded in that graph. Generally, if the sugar level goes below 70 then the patient feels nervous. Whenever this happens at home, we take care of the Chief Minister." Meanwhile, the Rouse Avenue Court on Tuesday fixed August 12 for consideration of the supplementary chargesheet filed by the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) against Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal and five other accused persons in connection with the excise policy case. (ANI)
China sees improved air, water quality in H1

Xinhua) 09:58, July 30, 2024

BEIJING, July 29 (Xinhua) -- Official data showed a steady improvement in China's air and water quality in the first half of this year (H1), as the country continues to battle pollution and pursue green development.

According to the Ministry of Ecology and Environment, during the January-June period, the average density of PM2.5 in 339 Chinese cities at and above the prefecture level stood at 33 micrograms per cubic meter, down 2.9 percent year on year.

The proportion of days with good air quality in these cities during the period was 82.8 percent, up 1.4 percentage points from the same period last year.

The ministry's data also showed that 88.8 percent of monitored sections had "fairly good" surface water quality -- at or above Grade III in the country's five-tier water quality system, up 1 percentage point year on year.

The share of surface water below Grade V, the lowest level, stood at 0.8 percent, down 0.2 percentage points from a year earlier, according to the ministry.

China has steadfastly advanced its "Beautiful China" initiative, emphasizing ecological and environmental protection as a top priority in its social and economic development.

During the third plenary session of the 20th Central Committee of the Communist Party of China earlier this month, Chinese leadership pledged to "prioritize ecological protection, conserve resources and use them efficiently, and pursue green and low-carbon development."

(Web editor: Zhang Kaiwei, Wu Chaolan)
 Flash

Chinese President Xi Jinping meets with Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni, who is on an official visit to China, at the Diaoyutai State Guesthouse in Beijing, capital of China, July 29, 2024. [Photo/Xinhua]

Chinese President Xi Jinping met with Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni in Beijing on Monday.

Noting that China and Italy are at the two ends of the ancient Silk Road, Xi said the time-honored friendly exchanges between the two countries have made significant contributions to the overall exchanges and mutual learning between Eastern and Western civilizations, and to the progress of humanity.

The Silk Road spirit of peace and cooperation, openness and inclusiveness, mutual learning and mutual benefit is a shared treasure of China and Italy, Xi said.

He said that amid accelerating global changes unseen in a century, countries will either progress together through connectivity and unity, or retreat separately through closure and division. China and Italy should uphold and promote the Silk Road spirit, view and develop bilateral relations from a historical dimension, strategic height and long-term perspective, and push their relations to go steady and far.

Xi said the healthy and stable development of China-Italy relations is in line with the common interests of both countries and their peoples. Despite the ongoing profound changes in the international landscape, China's commitment to valuing and developing relations with Italy has not changed, the nature of win-win cooperation of China-Italy relations has not changed, and the friendship between the two peoples has not changed, he added.

Xi called on both sides to carry on the tradition of friendly exchanges, and continue to understand and respect each other's development paths. Noting that China and Italy have complementary industrial advantages and represent opportunities for each other, Xi said both sides should adhere to mutual openness and cooperation.

The third plenary session of the 20th Communist Party of China Central Committee has just concluded, and China will continue to promote high-level opening up, inject strong impetus into Chinese modernization, and bring new opportunities for expanding cooperation with Italy and other countries, he added.

Xi said China is willing to work with Italy to optimize and upgrade traditional cooperation in trade and investment, manufacturing, technological innovation and other fields, and to explore cooperation in emerging areas such as electric vehicles and artificial intelligence.

He noted that China welcomes Italian companies to invest in China and is willing to import more quality products from Italy. It is hoped that Italy will also provide a fair, transparent, secure and non-discriminatory business environment for Chinese companies to develop in Italy, he added.

Both sides should cherish the achievements of cultural exchange and mutual learning, promote cultural inheritance and innovation, and enhance amity between the two peoples, he said.

Xi said China supports Italy in hosting the 2026 Winter Olympics and hopes that Italy will provide convenient visa measures for Chinese citizens traveling to Italy.

Xi stressed that in a world of economic globalization, only by upholding openness and cooperation in global industrial and supply chains can win-win development be achieved. China adheres to the path of peaceful development and never seeks hegemony, and is willing to share development opportunities with other countries, he added.

It is hoped that Italy understands and supports China's development concept and plays a constructive role in promoting dialogue and cooperation between China and Europe, and in actively promoting the positive and stable development of China-EU relations, said Xi.

Meloni said that as countries with an ancient civilization, Italy and China have always appreciated and learned from each other. The current international situation is undergoing profound changes, and China -- as an important major country -- plays an irreplaceable role in addressing global challenges.

Italy attaches great importance to China's international standing and role, and is willing to carry forward the time-honored Silk Road spirit, foster a closer and higher-level partnership with China, open up a new chapter for the comprehensive strategic partnership between the two countries, and make new contributions to world peace and progress, she said.

Meloni said Italy adheres to the one-China policy and hopes to strengthen dialogue and cooperation with China, tap the potential for cooperation, deepen bilateral cooperation in such fields as trade, investment, electric vehicles and artificial intelligence, strengthen people-to-people exchanges, and encourage more Italian products to enter the Chinese market.

Italy opposes decoupling and protectionism, and is willing to play a positive role in further deepening and consolidating EU-China relations, Meloni said.

The two sides issued a 2024-2027 action plan on strengthening their comprehensive strategic partnership.
In the wake of the devastating landslide in Kerala's Wayanad district, the Indian Army launched extensive Humanitarian Assistance and Disaster Relief (HADR) operations to aid the affected communities, which included Control Centre Establishment, air effort by the Indian Air Force among others. Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan said on Tuesday that 93 bodies have been recovered and 128 people have been injured after massive landslides hit hilly areas near Meppadi in Kerala's Wayanad district. He further said that 3,069 people are in 45 relief camps in Wayanad alone, and five ministers are coordinating the efforts of the relief and rescue operations. Under the Initial Response and Mobilization, the Indian Army had been engaged in the rescue operations since 10.30 am. However, they had received the assistance request at around 4.30 am in the morning. Earlier, two HADR columns from the Defence Security Corps (DSC) Centre from Kannur and two HADR teams from the 122 TA Battalion from Kozhikode were deployed. Two HADR teams (strength 2-2-40) and one medical team (strength 1-0-3) reached Muppidi, Wayanad at 12.30 pm. Under the Engineering and additional resources, the state government had requested the deployment of a 690 feet bailey bridge. Currently, up to 330 ft of the bridge is being moved from the Madras Engineer Group (MEG) Centre, Bangalore, by road. The remaining parts are being airlifted from Delhi Cantonment. Two additional columns from the 91 Infantry Brigade in Trivandrum are on standby and will be airlifted by the Indian Air Force (IAF). Also, a Control Centre is being established in Kozhikode under the Commandant of the Para Regimental Training Centre, Brigadier Arjun Segan. This centre will coordinate all HADR efforts on the ground. The teams from the 122 TA Battalion actively assisted the National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) in rescue operations and damage assessments. The Indian Army coordinated closely with state authorities to ensure swift and effective relief efforts. Three 110-feet Bailey bridges and three JCBs also departed from Bengaluru. One 110-feet Bailey Bridge airlifted from Delhi, and additional engineering resources will be mobilized based on assessments by the Engineer Recce Team. Under the air efforts by the Indian Air Force, airlift of two columns (strength 140) with stores from Trivandrum to Kozhikode, airlift of one 110-feet Bailey Bridge and three search and rescue dogs from Delhi to Kozhikode, and helicopter recce of the Engineer Recce Team to assess damage and determine further resource requirements. The ECHS Polyclinic Kalpetta is providing essential medical aid, including doctors, nursing assistants, and ambulance services. The ones in need can contact at 9492305388 / 9446510778. The Indian Army remains committed to supporting the state of Kerala during this challenging time. Our teams are working tirelessly to provide relief and rescue operations in the affected areas. We are continuously monitoring the situation and will provide further updates as necessary. (ANI)
TMC MP Abhishek Banerjee on Tuesday asked why Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman did not bring out a white paper on what she allocated to West Bengal in the budget. Speaking to ANI, Banerjee said, "I am only saying that I can say something; BJP ministers and leaders can say something; it may be right or wrong, but papers never lie. After losing in Bengal in 2021, the BJP didn't give a single penny to Bengal in 100 days' wage employment and the housing scheme, and the list of 11,36,000 people who should get houses from the state government has been pending for over a year and a half, but not a single penny has been given yet. If given, I request the Prime Minister, Finance Minister, and every member of the Modi government's cabinet to release a white paper and let the truth come out." "I have given my response in the House on the budget and presented my facts, and you all have seen it. I also said that I am giving some facts, it may be right or wrong, Nirmala ji is giving some facts, it may be right or wrong. When a minister speaks, especially in Parliament, in the Lok Sabha, they should present their statement with facts in hand. That's why I said Nirmala Sitharaman should release a white paper," he said. He said, "On the day of the budget presentation, after presenting the budget in the Lok Sabha, when the budget was tabled in the Rajya Sabha, she said that for 10 years, we have given thousands of crores to Bengal, but the Bengal government has not been able to utilise those funds properly. I asked Nirmala Sitharaman a small question that day: after losing in Bengal in 2021, how much money did you give to Bengal in 2021-22, 2022-23, and 2023-24 financial years for housing and 100 days' work? Release a white paper to reveal it." He also said that "Today, the outstanding amount for Bengal is Rs 1,71,000 crores. Our Chief Minister attended the NITI Aayog meeting two days ago, and she was not allowed to speak. Andhra Pradesh CM Chandrababu Naidu was given 25 minutes to speak, Goa CM Pramod Sawant was given 15 minutes, Assam CM Himanta Biswa Sarma was given 15 minutes, and our CM Mamata Banerjee was not allowed to speak for more than 5 minutes." He criticised the BJP, saying, "BJP is misleading people; Bengal's name is not even mentioned in the budget; not a single penny has been given to Bengal; and they are using Bengal's tax money to build bridges in Bihar, which will collapse. They are misusing people's money, exploiting people, and silencing journalists." "By taking votes from the people of Bengal and not doing anything for them, the BJP is trying to divide Bengal, which will not work. I would tell the 2 crore people of Bengal who voted for the BJP to see who they voted for, whose duty was to provide them with housing, prepare roads in their villages, arrange for water supply, and bring development to their lives, but today they are trying to break Bengal. They are talking about the North Bengal-North East merger plan. This is the same divisive politics that the CPIM had during their 34-year rule in Bengal, and today their politics have collapsed. Bengal will not break; the Prime Minister's arrogance has been shattered and will continue to shatter," Banerjee said. Earlier Bengal BJP president Sukanta Majumdar's request to the Centre to "include" the northern part of West Bengal with the "North East" has sent shock waves within political circles in West Bengal. Historically, there has been a perception among residents in north Bengal that the region has been neglected in terms of development and infrastructure compared to Kolkata and adjoining areas in the southern part of the state. (ANI)
They have been provided with medical aid and evacuated to safer places.

Indian Army has been carrying out rescue operations in landslide-hit areas of Wayanad in conjunction with the National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) and other agencies.

Indian Army officials informed that apart from the four columns with a total strength of approximately 225 personnel who are already deployed for the operation, two more columns having a strength of approximately 140 personnel are on standby in Thiruvananthapuram to be airlifted on short notice, in case the need arises.

The Army is setting up a Command-and-Control centre at Kozhikode for coordinating Humanitarian Assistance and Disaster Relief (HADR) efforts. Helicopter reconnaissance of the affected area is being undertaken and damage assessment is being carried out to channelize rescue operation in the correct direction.

Additionally, the Indian Army is inducting various resources from Bangalore and Delhi, such as teams of search and rescue dogs. Besides the aid in terms of medicines and first aid, ECHS POLYCLINC Kalpetta is extending all possible help in terms of the Service of Doctor/ Nursing assistant and Ambulance service to the flood operation columns.

As many as 108 people lost their lives while 128 were injured after massive landslides hit the hilly areas of Meppadi in Kerala's Wayanad district.

The injured individuals are receiving treatments in the nearby hospitals. (ANI)
Security forces arrested a terrorist associate in Mangnar village in Jammu and Kashmir's Poonch district on Tuesday, police said. Senior Supterintendent of Police (SSP), Yougal Manhas, said in a statement that the terrorist was held along with a consignment of arms and ammunition. "In a joint operation, the Indian Army Romeo Force and Special Operations Group Poonch Police arrested one terrorist associate in Mangnar village with arms and ammunition, a resident of Gurez and captured him in Poonch with a consignment of arms and ammunition," SSP Manhas said. Further details are awaited, he said. Meanwhile, pointing to the increasing terror incidents in Jammu and Kashmir, National Conference Chief Farooq Abdullah said that the central government should take steps to stop terrorism, adding that the situation is "alarming and dangerous". "If this (terrorism) continues, Hindustan will not be able to tolerate it. The people of Hindustan would like to see their country take some steps to curb terrorism. There is no doubt that terrorism is on rise and trained people (terrorists) are coming here. May God save us from this trouble," Farooq told reporters here. The former Chief Minister of the erstwhile state, urged Pakistan to shun the path of terrorism and suggested that it should talk peace."We will pray that God puts some sense into their heads. (Pakistan). It (terrorism) will not solve the matter but rather turn it worse. They should repeatedly think through it and try to walk on the path of peace," he added. His comments came in the wake of an uptick in terrorist activities, especially in the Jammu region, in the past few weeks. Responding to the recent attack by Pakistan's Border Action Team (which included commandos from the Pakistan Army and terrorists) along the Line of Control in Kupwara district, Farooq said, "It will happen now. Trained people are coming...The way they are attacking, it seems they are very trained. It is a very big danger." Earlier in the month, one Pakistani intruder was killed as Indian Army troops foiled an attack by the Pakistan Border Action Team (BAT) along the Line of Control (LoC) in the Machchal sector of Jammu and Kashmir's Kupwara district. One Indian Army soldier had lost his life, while four others, including a major-rank officer, sustained injuries in the attack. In the last few months, there has been a spike in terror attacks in the Jammu region, including the terror attack on an army convoy in Kathua and encounters in Doda and Udhampur. (ANI)
Calling the Union Budget "visionary," Union Minister JP Nadda on Tuesday said that the Budget is for inclusive growth, sustainable development and economic resilience. Addressing the Rajya Sabha on the budget discussion, Union Minister JP Nadda said, "This budget is for inclusive growth, sustainable development and economic resilience. In times, when the economy of major economic powers in the world is shaking, if India is performing well after the Covid-19 era, then it is only due to its economic resilience. This budget is a visionary budget that fulfils both the immediate needs and long-term goals through a robust framework. This is a 360-degree impactful budget. It's a comprehensive budget and is dedicated to economic and social development." Highlighting the priorities of the budget, Nadda said, "Infrastructural development, strengthening logistics, technological innovations and social welfare is the priority of this budget along with fulfilling the goal of Viksit Bharat. This budget is a forward-looking budget that will accelerate the growth policies, create jobs and enhance India as a global hub for start-ups." Adding it to further, he said, "Whenever we create a budget, whether it is of a nation, state, municipal corporation or family, we put emphasis on three points, which are income, expenditure and leakage between the income and expenditure. The quality of life depends on the income, as larger the income, larger the quality of life." Meanwhile, he also congratulated PM Modi for the third term and said, "While discussing this budget, I want to congratulate PM Modi for being elected as the Prime Minister for the third consecutive term. 60 years ago, when Nehru Ji was PM, there was a euphoria of independence in the nation and opposition was way weaker than today. But today, PM Modi has been elected as the PM, that too with such opposition, which is a big deal. This is the mandate of stability, continuity, good governance, pro-poor policy and unfoldment of Vikshit Bharat. But some people in a consecutive third time, couldn't even get the 100 seats. The opposition's total is still less than BJP's total. They are 0 in 13 states, and in Gujarat, Madhya Pradesh and Chhattisgarh, they could just manage 2 seats out of 64 seats." (ANI)
As many as 108 people lost their lives and 128 individuals were injured after massive landslides hit the hilly areas of Kerala's Wayanad earlier on Tuesday. The injured have been receiving treatment in various hospitals in Wayanad. Rescue operations are ongoing in the affected areas. Efforts are underway to locate missing persons and continue with all available resources. The first landslide occurred at 2 AM today, followed by another at 4:10 AM, causing immense damage to homes and livelihoods. Many areas, including Meppadi, Mundakkai and Chooralmala, have been isolated, and roads have been washed away. The Vellarmala GVH School was completely buried. Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Opposition Leader Rahul Gandhi, Home Minister Amit Shah, Tamil Nadu Chief Minister MK Stalin, and Bengal Governor CV Ananda Bose have expressed their condolences and offered assistance on the incident. Meanwhile, a high-level meeting was held under the leadership of Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan on Tuesday to coordinate rescue operations in the landslide-hit Meppadi areas of Wayanad and discuss further steps on it. In the meeting, the Chief Minister assessed the rescue operations. The Chief Minister also reviewed the coordination with the central government agencies, the deployment of disaster response forces, health and safety precautions and the facilities in the relief camps. Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan said on Tuesday expressed his grief over the loss of lives in the Wayanad landslide incident and said that 3,069 people are in 45 relief camps in Wayanad alone, and five ministers are coordinating the efforts of the relief and rescue operations. Addressing the press conference, Vijayan said, "The landslide in Wayanad is a heart-wrenching disaster. There was extremely heavy rainfall. An entire area has been wiped out. We have recovered 93 bodies so far, but the numbers may change. There are 128 people receiving treatment for injuries. Many who went to sleep last night have been swept away." Prime Minister Narendra Modi has offered assistance after 93 people died and 128 were injured following massive landslides in Wayanad. "Upon learning of the disaster, both the Prime Minister and Rahul Gandhi, along with various party leaders, have offered their assistance. They have assured us that we will work together to address this crisis," he said. The chief minister said that the state government has arranged the best possible treatment for the injured, adding that several people are still trapped under the debris and rescue operations are underway. Elaborating about the relief operations, said, "321 members of the Fire Force have been deployed in Wayanad. The services of the Army have also been made available. An NDRF team of 60 members has reached Wayanad, and an 89-member team from Bengaluru is on the way." An Indian Navy team from the Ezhimala Naval Base in Kannur is being sent to the district in Kerala to assist in the rescue operations at Chooralmala, which was hit by landslides on Tuesday morning, following torrential rains. The Navy team is being dispatched, at the request of Chief Minister Pinrayi Vijayan, who sought the help of the Navy's River Crossing team, according to the Chief Minister's Office. The Army and Air Force have also been mobilised for the rescue operations in the area, which have been hampered as a main bridge has collapsed in the town of Chooralmala. Around 200 Indian Army personnel from DSC Centre Kannur and 122 TA Battalion from Kozhikode were dispatched to the site. 122 TA battalion has now arrived at the incident site and is assisting in relief operations. A team of 30 specialist swimmers from the Indian Navy has been deployed. Two helicopters from Air Force station Sulur have also been despatched, as per defence officials. The India Meteorological Department has issued a red alert for eight districts in the state for heavy rainfall. A red alert has been issued for the Idukki, Thrissur, Palakkad, Malappuram, Kozhikode, Wayanad, Kannur and Kasargod districts. An orange alert has been issued for Pathanamthitta, Alappuzha, Kottayam and Ernakulam districts for today. (ANI)
The death toll in the Wayanad landslides tragedy climbed to 116 as of July 30 evening. According to Kerala Health Minister Veena George, the postmortem of 116 bodies has been completed. The two massive landslides that washed away Mundakkai and Chooramala areas of Vellarimala village took place under Meppadi Panchayat in Wayanad on Tuesday morning. The landslides destroyed several houses, uprooted trees and made water bodies swell, hampering the rescue work. Meanwhile, as per the India Meteorological Department (IMD), "Heavy to very heavy rainfall is very likely to occur at isolated places in Kerala on July 31 and August 1."' The weather department has predicted heavy rainfall for August 2. Additionally, it said, "Strong surface winds with speeds reaching 30-40 gusting to 50 kmph are likely to prevail occasionally over Kerala on July 30 and 31." Earlier, the death toll in the landslides was reported at 108. As many as 128 individuals were reported to be injured after the massive landslides hit the hilly areas of Wayanad. The injured have been receiving treatment in various hospitals in Wayanad. Rescue operations are ongoing in the affected areas. Efforts are underway to locate missing persons and continue with all available resources. The first landslide occurred at 2 AM today, followed by another at 4:10 AM, causing immense damage to homes and livelihoods. Many areas, including Meppadi, Mundakkai and Chooralmala, have been isolated, and roads have been washed away. The Vellarmala GVH School was completely buried. Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Opposition Leader Rahul Gandhi, Home Minister Amit Shah, Tamil Nadu Chief Minister MK Stalin, and Bengal Governor CV Ananda Bose have expressed their condolences and offered assistance in the incident. A high-level meeting was held under the leadership of Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan on Tuesday to coordinate rescue operations in the landslide-hit Meppadi areas of Wayanad and discuss further steps on it. In the meeting, the Chief Minister assessed the rescue operations.The Chief Minister also reviewed the coordination with the central government agencies, the deployment of disaster response forces, health and safety precautions and the facilities in the relief camps. Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan expressed his grief over the loss of lives in the Wayanad landslide incident on Tuesday and said that 3,069 people are in 45 relief camps in Wayanad alone, and five ministers are coordinating the efforts of the relief and rescue operations. Addressing the press conference, Vijayan said, "The landslide in Wayanad is a heart-wrenching disaster. There was extremely heavy rainfall. An entire area has been wiped out. We have recovered 93 bodies so far, but the numbers may change. There are 128 people receiving treatment for injuries. Many who went to sleep last night have been swept away. (ANI)
Hyderabad police arrested an interstate mobile theft gang consisting of 6 accused from MS Maqta, along with one home guard and two constables, and seized 15 phones from their possession on Tuesday, Assistant Commissioner of Police, Panjagutta Division, Hyderabad, said in a press release. The six accused have been identified as Alamin Gazi (24), Mohammad Shahanwaz (39), Govinda Kumar Mahto (32), Jugeshvar Noniya (31), Jonu Kumar (22) and Md Mukhtar Shekh (28). Home guard K Ashok (45 years) and two police constables P. Somanna (38) and Sai Ram (34) have also been arrested. According to police, "Working on available clues in recent mobile theft cases in Metro trains, under the supervision of S M Vijay Kumar, DCP West Zone, Hyderabad and S Mohan Kumar, ACP, Panjagutta Division Police got a break through and an interstate mobile theft gang consisting of six accused persons were apprehended in MS Maqtha along with one Home guard and two constables and seized 15 phones from their possession." According to police, during interrogation, the accused confessed that the main kingpin of the gang, namely Rahul Kumar Yadav of Theenpahar village in Jharkhand state, had formed a gang and deputed the gang members to various parts of the country, such as Hyderabad, Surat, Lucknow, Ranchi, Belur, Chennai, Varanasi, Nagpur, and Patna. "The gang members identified crowded places such as vegetable markets, Metro trains, religious processions, etc. The gang members moved in the said places, identifying gullible victims who kept their cell phones in their shirt pockets, and when the gang members gave cover to disturb the concentration, a trained member of the gang picked up the cell phone from the pockets of the victims and handed it over to another member of the gang. To escape from apprehension immediately after committing theft, all the gang members would sneak from the place, and they would go to another crowded place to commit cell phone theft," police added. In a press release, the Asst. Commissioner of Police said that when they committed a theft of mobile phones of about 50-60, they informed gang kingpin Rahul Kumar Yadav. "He used to send another person, Muktar Singh to Hyderabad and other cities to collect the mobiles and bring them to Jharkhand, and they both together proceeded to West Bengal and sold them to Bangladeshi citizens near the India-Bangladesh border. On July 23, 2024, Shanu came to Hyderabad M.S. Maktha to their room and took away all the stolen cell phones, approximately 58 cell phones." the press release added. According to Asst. Commissioner of Police, the police personnel working in Gadhi Nagar Police Station i.e, Ashok Home guard and Police Constable (PC) Somanna & Saifabad PS, i.e., Sai Ram PC, helped gang members get released from police stations by taking money from the gang members as and when they were apprehended by the police. (ANI)
Two children were killed and nine others were injured in a knife attack targeting a Taylor Swift-themed dance class in northern England on Monday, CNN reported, citing local police. Merseyside Police said it received reports of a stabbing in Southport, north of Liverpool. Serena Kennedy, the Chief Constable of Merseyside Police, said six of the injured children are in critical condition, adding that the attack has also left two adults in critical condition. According to the police, the attacker walked into the premises armed with a knife and started attacking the children. "We believe that the adults who were injured were bravely trying to protect the children who were being attacked," Kennedy said at a news conference on Monday evening. Emergency services were called to a "major incident" in the town at around 11:50 am (local time). A 17-year-old boy was arrested at the scene. "The investigation is in its early stages and the motivation for the incident remains unclear. However, Counterterrorism Police Northwest have offered their support," Kennedy said. The police said earlier that the incident was not treated as terror-related. Local business owner Colin Parry, one of the people who called the police, said the incident in Southport was like a "scene in a horror movie," CNN reported, citing PA Media. Parry said he believed a number of young girls had been stabbed. "The mothers are coming here now and screaming. It is like a scene from a horror movie," Parry said, adding that "police have got him." The Alder Hey Children's Hospital Trust in Liverpool, about 20 miles from Southport, declared a "major incident," as reported by CNN. "The Trust is working with other emergency services to respond to this incident and our Emergency Department is currently extremely busy," the hospital said in a statement posted to its website. "We ask parents to only bring their children to the emergency department if it is urgent," it said. Britain's King Charles and his wife, Queen Camilla, said they were "profoundly shocked" by the incident. "My wife and I have been profoundly shocked to hear of the utterly horrific incident in Southport," King Charles said in a statement shared on the Royal Family's official social media channels on Monday. The couple went on to send their "most heartfelt condolences" to the "families and loved ones of those who have so tragically lost their lives" and all those impacted by the incident. UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer also responded to the events, saying in a clip shared with broadcasters that the "whole country" has been left "deeply shocked at what they've seen" in Southport. "I know I speak for everybody in the whole country in saying our thoughts and condolences with the victims, their families, their friends and the wider community. And it's almost impossible to imagine the grief that they're going through, the trauma that they're going through," Starmer said, also paying tribute to emergency services for their response to what he described as an "awful incident." (ANI)
Ahead of the Sri Lankan presidential polls, Sri Lanka Podujana Peramuna (SLPP), the biggest party in the parliament, has decided not to back President Ranil Wickremesinghe, and instead put up its own candidate, the Daily Mirror reported. Notably, SLPP is the party associated with the Rajapaksa brothers, who held most of the major power positions in the government until a few years ago. Although, Wickremesinghe is the president, his party, the United National Party, has only one seat in parliament, which makes it important for him to have the backing of other parties, especially the SLPP. SLPP General Secretary Sagara Kariyawasam told reporters on Monday, that the SLPP decided, by majority, to nominate its own candidate at the election in September. He said that the SLPP was split in its decision, with some members backing Wickremesinghe. However, the party went with the majority decision and will name its candidate before the election, the Daily Mirror reported. Kariyawasam also said that action will be taken against SLPP MPs who go against the party decision and who contest the election without the backing of the party. He stated that among the factors that went against Wickremesinghe were issues related to privatizing state assets. Rajapaksa loyalist and former diplomat Udayanga Weeratunga had said on Friday that the Sri Lanka Podujana Peramuna will nominate businessman Dhammika Perera as its presidential candidate, as reported by the Daily Mirror. He also said that SLPP National Organiser Namal Rajapaksa will be nominated as the Prime Minister in an SLPP-led government. The island nation will go to the polls to elect a new president on September 21. Notably, Wickremesinghe was sworn in as the eighth President of Sri Lanka in July 2022, when then-President Gotabaya Rajapaksa resigned from the post. Wickremesinghe has retained United National Party (UNP) leadership since 1994 despite various challenges, the Daily Mirror reported. Prior to serving as President, Wickremesinghe held the Prime Minister's post from time to time from 2002 to 2004, from January to August 2015, and from August 2015 to November 2019 and for a brief period in 2022, the report said. In May 1993, he became Sri Lankan PM in the interim government formed after the assassination of President R Premadasa. Last week, Wickremesinghe announced his candidature for the presidential polls. The Sri Lankan President said that it was love for his country that drove him to take up the task of rebuilding Sri Lanka, which was in chaos and on the brink of bankruptcy. He called on people to support him to create a bright future for Sri Lanka. (ANI)
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Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian and Syrian Prime Minister Hussein Arnous pledged to enhance bilateral relations in various areas during their meeting in the Iranian capital of Tehran on Monday.

Pezeshkian said relations between Iran and Syria had always been "friendly and brotherly," noting that the two countries remain "each other's friend during tough times," according to a statement from the president's office.

He stressed the need to elevate economic, trade, cultural, and social interactions to match their robust political rapport, adding that his administration is committed to expediting the implementation of existing agreements to bolster bilateral ties.

Arnous, attending Pezeshkian's upcoming inauguration, conveyed Syria's gratitude to "friendly" nations, especially Iran, for their support in enhancing Syrian security.

He highlighted the significant strides in the Damascus-Tehran relations over the past two years, while calling for deepening collaboration to unlock untapped potential in the bilateral ties.

Pezeshkian emerged as the winner on July 6 in the country's presidential elections and was officially endorsed by Iranian Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei as Iran's ninth president on Sunday.
Renowned author Salman Rushdie has backed US Vice President Kamala Harris for the presidential elections, saying it is great to see a "black and Indian" woman running for the White House. Calling Harris' rival, former President Donald Trump, a "hollow man without a single noble quality", the Booker Prize-winning author said the alternative can't be allowed to happen. Rushdie was speaking at a virtual event named 'South Asian Men for Harris', which was attended by scores of leading names from the Indian-American community "It's a critical moment...I am a boy from Bombay, and it's great to see an Indian woman running for the White House. My wife is African American, so we like the fact that there is a black and Indian woman running for the White House," he said at the event. He further said that Harris entering the presidential race has 'transformed' American politics in the last week. "Something very extraordinary, transformative has happened in American politics. In just under a week, the conversation has entirely changed with the arrival of Kamala Harris' candidacy...it has happened in the most joyful way," Rushdie added. Weighing his support for the first Indian-American Vice President, the Indian-born British author further said he is "1000 per cent in for her." "We have to make that work, because, we can't allow the alternative to happen...this hollow man without a single noble quality trying to drag this country towards authoritarianism. That cannot happen. Kamala, I believe, is the person, who can prevent it...I am right in 1000 per cent in for her," Rushdie further said. Last week, President Joe Biden dropped out of the presidential race and nominated his deputy, Kamala Harris, as the Democratic nominee for the race. Harris signed US Vice President Kamala Harris signed the forms, officially declaring her candidature for the US presidential elections, She emphasized that in November, her people-powered campaign would win and further reiterated that she would work hard to earn every vote. https://x.com/KamalaHarris/status/1817721033782129039 Earlier on Sunday, Harris' campaign announced its latest fundraising total, stating it has raised USD 200 million, the bulk of which (666 per cent) came from first-time contributors in the 2024 election cycle. Additionally, over 1,70,000 volunteers have also signed up to help the Harris campaign with phone banking, canvassing, and other get-out-the-vote efforts. Harris' takeover has re-energized the Democratic campaign that had faltered following Biden's performance in the presidential debate against Trump, leaving the party in doubt about Biden's chances of defeating Trump or his ability to continue in the White House if he had won. (ANI)
Hollywood star Jennifer Aniston, in an unusual episode, was seen getting coated in oil while filming for her acclaimed series 'The Morning Show' in Manhattan on Sunday (local time), the New York Post reported. Aniston, 55, was photographed getting splashed in the sticky, tar-like substance, looking angry as her white shirt and slacks got destroyed. The 'Friends' star appeared to be filming a scene in which her character, Alex, was surrounded by protesters who flung the oil at her. The oddball drama recently earned a slew of Emmy nominations -- including 'Outstanding Drama Series' and 'Outstanding Lead Actress in a Drama Series' for both Aniston and her co-star, Reese Witherspoon, 48. 'The Morning Show' is set in the behind-the-scenes world of a fictional morning news program. It follows rival anchors Alex and Bradley (Witherspoon), and often tackles timely topics such as the pandemic and the Russia-Ukraine conflict. "Happy Sweet 16 indeed! I'm so honored and so proud of our show and all of our wildly talented actors, directors and crew! #grateful," she wrote. She expressed gratitude after her show garnered 16 Emmy nominations. Last week, Aniston, launched a scathing attack on Republican Vice Presidential candidate JD Vance, over his past comments on VP Kamala Harris Vance's remark from a 2021 interview has been going viral, where he referred to now Democratic Presidential nominee Kamala Harris and several others as "people without children". As per Deadline, he said the US was being run by "a bunch of childless cat ladies who are miserable at their own lives and the choices that they've made and so they want to make the rest of the country miserable, too." These remarks evoked a strong reaction from Aniston. Taking to Instagram, she wrote, "All I can say is... Mr. Vance, I pray that your daughter is fortunate enough to bear children of her own one day." Trump announced Vance as his running mate, during the Republican National Convention. Last week, President Joe Biden dropped out of the presidential race and nominated his deputy, Kamala Harris, as the Democratic nominee for the race. (ANI)
Abu Dhabi [UAE], July 30 (ANI/WAM): The President of the Republic of Chile, Gabriel Boric Font, visited the Sheikh Zayed Grand Mosque in Abu Dhabi, accompanied by Reem Al Hashemi, Minister of State for International Cooperation, Mohammed Saeed Al Neyadi, UAE Ambassador to Chile, several senior Chilean officials, and the accompanying delegation, as part of his official trip to the UAE. President Boric and his delegation began their visit by paying respects at the mausoleum of the late Sheikh Zayed bin Sultan Al Nahyan, reflecting on the qualities and wise approach of the Founding Father, which have enriched the culture of tolerance and peaceful coexistence among nations worldwide. During their visit, President Boric and his delegation toured the halls and external corridors of the Sheikh Zayed Grand Mosque, accompanied by Dr. Yousif Al Obaidli, Director-General of the Sheikh Zayed Grand Mosque Centre, and were briefed on the mosque's message of coexistence, tolerance, and openness to others, all of which are rooted in the principles and values established by the UAE's founding father. They also learned about the significant role played by the Centre in promoting a tolerant Islamic culture and enhancing cultural communication between different cultures and peoples worldwide, further exploring the history of the grand structure, its aesthetic grandeur, and the exquisite art of Islamic architecture displayed in all its aspects. At the end of the visit, the guest was presented with a gift that encapsulates the mosque's beauty: floral mosaic designs of the exterior columns, a compass inspired by the mosque's chandeliers, and a copy of "Sheikh Zayed Grand Mosque: Lights of Peace." This publication from the Centre offers a photographic journey through the mosque's architectural splendour, featuring award-winning images from the "Spaces of Light" Photography Award and highlighting the mosque's unique architectural artistry. (ANI/WAM)
The Third Plenum - a meeting of Central Committee members held from 15-18 July to clarify China's long-term economic and social policies - illustrated how Chairman Xi Jinping is holding unwaveringly to his vision for China. It also demonstrated how he is ignoring calls for any course correction. A total of 199 members and 165 alternate members attended this plenary session of the 20th Central Committee, held nine months late. Xi's overarching objective is to attain a "high-standard socialist market economy in all respects" by 2029, with Xi Jinping Thought acting as the guiding light. Since 1982, the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) has usually convened seven plenums every five years. Whereas the first and second plenums in each five-year term focus on senior party leadership appointments and restructuring of governmental institutions, the third plenum typically introduces major policy initiatives for the next 5-10 years. This Third Plenum was the first since November 2013 and, reflecting China's increasing opacity, the CCP offered no explanation as to why it was delayed for so long. The party also simply announced refinements of existing measures, rather than any major shift in strategy. Markets reacted glumly to Xi's unwavering trajectory, with Chinese stocks promptly suffering their largest decline in six months. Neil Thomas, a Fellow on Chinese Politics at the Asia Society Policy Institute's Center for China Analysis, pointed out how draft decisions in 2013's plenum invoked 2,564 comments and 539 revisions, equating to a 21 per cent acceptance rate for modifications. On the other hand, the 2024 plenum's draft drew 1,911 comments and just 221 revisions, a remarkably lower 12 per cent acceptance rate. Thomas thus concluded, "Cadres are less willing to speak, and Xi is less willing to listen... There is less internal policy discussion; cadres sent 25% fewer comments." The academic added, "In 2013, Xi chaired several plenary meetings of the drafting team. This year, he just reviewed drafts, gave instructions and read notes from team interviews with other leaders. Xi seems increasingly secluded from lower-level officials and less interested in policy debates." The CCP, in an 18 July communique, patted itself on the back. "At the session, the Central Committee gave a highly positive assessment of the success and achievements we have made in comprehensively deepening reform since the beginning of the new era, and studied the issue of further deepening reform comprehensively to advance Chinese modernization." However, members were cognizant of growing challenges: "It was stated that the present and the near future constitute a critical period for our endeavor to build a great country and move toward national rejuvenation on all fronts through Chinese modernization." China's position is "serious and complex," it said. Indeed, COVID-19 precipitated am existing crisis, including weak consumption, a slowing economy and unequal wealth distribution. Xi highlighted five foci at the plenary session. The first was the "leading role of economic system reform". Of course, "reform" in Chinese vocabulary has a vastly different connotation to its meaning in the West. Chinese "reforms" do not mean altering direction but, rather, minor technical adjustments. After all, major shifts in strategy would be an admission that the CCP had been mistaken, something anathema to authoritarian systems. Economically, the communique stated, "We must better leverage the role of the market, foster a fairer and more dynamic market environment, and make resource allocation as efficient and productive as possible. We will lift restrictions on the market while ensuring effective regulation, striving to better maintain order in the market and remedy market failures." Perhaps surprisingly, the communique glossed over the need to raise domestic consumption. Household consumption in China, expressed as a percentage of GDP, plummeted after 2019. China wants to lure back Western companies too, as net inflows of foreign direct investment collapsed. After reaching their acme in 2021, by 2023 China had suffered a 90 per cent drop in investment to just USD33 billion. This amount represented a 30-year low.However, Xi did not offer any positive recommendations as to how this situation could be reversed. Instead, China articulated rhetorical goals of "fostering a first-rate business environment that is market-oriented, law-based and internationalized, and protecting the rights and interests of foreign investors in accordance with the law". With China surreptitiously supporting Russia's war in Ukraine, Western restrictions are only likely to increase. Furthermore, spooked private companies are reshoring in their home countries or moving operations to the likes of India, the Philippines, Thailand orVietnam. Naturally, tight party control undermines many policy goals. By imposing strict control over intellectual property and implementing national security and espionage laws, many foreign companies are being dissuaded from doing business in China. Paradoxically, simultaneous to declaring greater openness to foreign investment, the CCP announced tighter party control over the market! Private companies must act "in accordance with the law" and align with party interests, a stance that offers no reassurance for foreign investors. A second focus highlighted by Xi was "comprehensive reform" that aligns policies in other domains with high-quality development. The phrase "new national system" is now popular, referring to distribution of national resources with stronger centralized control, and allocating capital to sectors with strategic significance. This is to achieve geopolitical, rather than economic, goals, and it represents China's recipe to counter Western sanctions and boost domestic technological progress. A third focus of Xi is "integrating development and security". China is attempting to juggle economic policies with modernization of its armed forces and national security. The communique stated: "We must maintain the party's absolute leadership over thepeople's armed forces and fully implement the strategy of strengthening the military through reform to provide a strong guarantee for realizing the centenary goal of the People's Liberation Army (PLA) in 2027 and achieving basic modernization of national defense and the armed forces. We will improve the systems and mechanisms for leading and managing the people's armed forces, further reform joint operations systems, and deepen military-civilian reforms." There is a section on "advancing the national security system and the modernization of capacity," with Xi putting the safeguarding of national security in a more prominent position. Arran Hope, Editor of the China Brief at The Jamestown Foundation, observed:"The addition of this section and its emphasis on the inseparability of the two suggest that security is increasingly factored in as an underlying economic consideration." Such a stance ends hopes of any rebalance toward development. Hope added, "Beyond reiterating requisite phrases, such as the PLA's 'centenary goal' and emphasizing the need for political loyalty within the PLA, much of this section is taken up by instructions for the military-industrial complex, especially for equipment development and procurement." The Third Plenum pledged to "speed up the development of strategic deterrence forces," a reference to nuclear weapons. In its 50-page final summary of the Third Plenum, China said it would accelerate "strategic deterrence forces, develop new-domain forces with new combat capabilities, while ... [strengthening] traditional combat forces". Three years ago, Xi ordered the PLA to "speed up the creation of a high-quality strategic deterrence and joint combat system". This has seen a rapid build-up in nuclear warheads, ballistic missiles, missile silos and missile-carrying submarines. The US Pentagonestimated that China had boosted its nuclear warhead inventory to 500 in 2023, compared to 400 just a year earlier. At the plenum, expulsions of Li Shangfu (former minister of national defense), Li Yuchao (former PLA Rocket Force commander) and Sun Jinming (former PLARF chief of staff) from the party were confirmed. Their seats were filled by alternate members. Perhaps oddly, new Defense Minister Dong Jun was not elevated to the Central Military Commission. At the same plenum, former foreign minister Qin Gang's resignation was accepted, his being a fate less stern than that of his defense ministry colleague. The fourth focus underlined by Xi was "building institutions and mechanisms to support comprehensive innovation". This emphasizes education, human capital and science and technology reforms. The party is pinning hopes of economic revival on leveraging new,emerging technologies as the world enters the next round of techno-industrial revolution. Already, almost 70 per cent of local government industrial investment funds are being directed towards science and technology manufacturing. China also calls this approach "new quality productive force". Instead of trailing others, China wants to lead, all the while insulating its supply chains and growth potential from Western threats. Countries like the US have imposed export controls on technological components to China. Bloomberg predicts that technology industries could account for 23 per cent of China's GDP by 2026, even as the real estate sector slumps from 24 per cent to 16 per cent. The fifth and final focus according to Xi is "strengthening party leadership". Xi was reaffirming his determined belief that centralized power improves government performance. Thomas of the Asia Society Policy Institute drew this conclusion: "Xi thinks his main problem is poor execution. Side notes say the party already has a relatively clear picture that Xi controls top-level design of reforms, but now the party should concentrate on their overall promotion and supervision of implementation." Additionally, Thomas shared, "Xi is now firmly in control of central decision-making, but he still feels that local officials, state bureaucrats and business executives are not doing what he tells them to do." In January, Xi complained that cadres were holding back his agenda because of their "inadequate understanding", "old-fashioned concepts" and "insufficient ability". In other words, Xi thinks there is nothing wrong with his policies, but that the problem lies in their execution by underlings. Unsurprisingly, the session placed Xi on a pedestal. "We must thoroughly study and implement General Secretary Xi Jinping's new ideas, viewpoints and conclusions on comprehensively deepening reform and fully and faithfully apply the new developmentphilosophy on all fronts," the communique urged. Willy Wo-Lap Lam, a Senior Fellow at The Jamestown Foundation, identified three noteworthy themes: high-tech innovation, taxation and re-collectivization of rural land. Although the communique only briefly mentioned tax reform, there are indications that Beijing will broaden tax categories, especially for consumption or sales taxes. For example, a greater share of sales taxes will go to local governments to help relieve their fiscal difficulties, which now amount to an astounding RMB100 trillion (USD13.8trillion) of debt. Moneyless local authorities are already subjectively extracting levies and negotiating tax levels with businesses as creative ways of recouping funds. The phrase "deepening reform of the land system" briefly appeared in the communique too, with growing concern about plots of land left fallow after millions of farmers flocked to cities. Lam therefore speculated, "Xi appears to be contemplating some degree of land recollectivization. This would not support the high-tech economy that Xi is focused on, but it could be construed as a magic bullet, boosting agriculture's contribution to the economy while simultaneously mitigating the unemployment problem by mobilizing more young men and women in the cities to return home to work in the agricultural sector." No rival clique challenged Xi during the plenum, and his position remains unassailable. Lam thus concluded, "If Xi's proposed reforms for the economy do not have the desired effects, and the deep structural issues are not resolved, the balance of power within the party could finally start to shift. For now, however, Xi remains the undisputed core of the party and of the country." Xi is also guaranteed to remain as General Secretary and commander-in-chief for a fourth five-year term, from 2027-32. Incidentally, there was speculation that Xi's wife, Peng Liyuan, might be elevated to the Politburo. However, her accession failed to materialize. After this Third Plenum, Thomas offered this prognosis, "Xi is clear on where he wants China to go. It is unclear what could change his mind - perhaps an economic collapse that decisively discredits his policies, though that seems unlikely. Likelier is gradual stagnation that exacerbates social instability and political uncertainty. For now, we must search for actions rather than words." (ANI)
Of the 14 People's Liberation Army (PLA) aircraft, seven crossed the median line of the Taiwan Strait and entered Taiwan's northern and central Air Defence Identification Zone (ADIZ), according to Taiwan's MND. Taiwan sent aircraft and naval ships and deployed coastal-based missile systems to monitor China's military activity.

In a post on X, Taiwan's MND stated, "14 PLA aircraft and 9 PLAN vessels operating around Taiwan were detected up until 6 a.m. (UTC+8) today. 7 of the aircraft crossed the median line and entered Taiwan's northern and central ADIZ. We have monitored the situation and responded accordingly."

https://x.com/MoNDefense/status/1818089123955245504

Earlier on Monday, Taiwan's Ministry of National Defence said that it detected 18 Chinese military aircraft and 14 naval ships around Taiwan between 6 am (local time) on Sunday and 6 am (local time) on Monday.

Of the 18 People's Liberation Army (PLA) aircraft, 13 crossed the Taiwan Strait median line in the northern, central, southwestern, and eastern Air Defence Identification Zone (ADIZ), according to Taiwan's MND. In response to China's military activity, Taiwan sent aircraft and naval ships and deployed coastal-based missile systems to monitor PLA activity.

This latest incident adds to a series of similar provocations by China in recent months. China has increased its military activities around Taiwan, including regular air and naval incursions into Taiwan's Air Defence Identification Zone (ADIZ) and military exercises near the island.

Taiwan has been governed independently of China since 1949. However, China considers Taiwan part of its territory and insists on eventual reunification, by force if necessary. (ANI)
Maldivian Member of Parliament for South Galolhu constituency, Meekail Nasym, has expressed hope that Maldives President Mohamed Muizzu acknowledges the geographical significance that New Delhi and Male hold for each other and tries to maintain the age-old relationship between the two nations. Speaking to ANI, Meekail Nasym said that Muizzu has realised that his foreign policy is not working. He said that Muizzu was unable to source aid from China and the Middle East and did not receive any budget support that he had promised the people of Maldives. His comments came against the backdrop of Mohamed Muizzu thanking India for its support of the island nation in easing its debt repayment, and also affirming hope that New Delhi and Male would forge stronger ties and sign a free trade agreement. Asked about his reaction on Muizzu's statement, Nasym said, "I think it will take time and a long time for our ties to reach normalcy. But I think it's good that the president has come to realize finally that his foreign policy wasn't working. He had tried earlier to source aid from the Middle East and as well as China, but he wasn't able to. get any of the budget support that he had been promising the Maldivian people that he would get." "So, I think this was finally a very desperate attempt and a very ironic, I would say that he mentioned all of these things in his speech and it wasn't long after his parliament members had been saying that India had played a major role in compromising the sovereignty of the Maldives. And a few days later, he goes on and says this. So I find his foreign policy to be quite unstable. And I hope that he maintains on this path and finally acknowledges the geographical significance we hold for each other - India and the Maldives. And I hope that he tries to maintain the age-old relationship that we have had, regardless of who was in power in both the countries," he added. He affirmed hope that India and the Maldives would sign a Free Trade Agreement (FTA) and called it necessary for the Maldivian economy. He stressed that it is important that Maldives reduce its expenditure locally when asking for assistance from other nations in reviving the country's economy. On being asked about the Maldivian President's statement that the government was in talks with India on an FTA, Meekail Nasym said, "I hope it works out because I think it's necessary for the Maldivian economy. And looking at the very volatile exchange rate fluctuation that we are having right now, I think it's important for us to take measures. And I think it's also important when dealing with foreign countries and asking them for assistance in reviving our economy." "I think it's important to show that we are sincere about it and we are also cutting down on our expenditure locally, but sadly that is not to be seen. We have seen the complete opposite. We have seen that the government has been hiring unprecedented numbers of political appointees whose payroll costs, the state every year and I think that what we do locally has to match what we ask for internationally and we aren't able to see that with the current government and that's my fear," he added. While addressing the official Independence Day function in the Maldives on Friday, Muizzu commended the administration's foreign policy, celebrating eight months of 'diplomatic success,' according to the Maldives President's Office. He expressed gratitude to India and China for their support in easing the Maldives' debt repayment, thereby enabling the country to ensure economic sovereignty. Emphasising the need to alleviate the local shortages of US dollars, he said that the Maldives government is negotiating currency swap agreements with both New Delhi and Beijing. The Maldives President also announced that his administration is negotiating a Free Trade Agreement (FTA) with the United Kingdom and expressed hope to reach a similar agreement with India. Shortly after he was sworn in, President Muizzu stirred bilateral tensions by demanding the removal of approximately 88 Indian military personnel from the Maldives. These personnel were repatriated from three aviation platforms and replaced by Indian civilians by the May 10 deadline set by President Muizzu. Recently, Muizzu's government in the Maldives took a reconciliatory tone after ties between the two nations soured, leading to a diplomatic row in January after three Maldivian deputy ministers made derogatory comments against Prime Minister Narendra Modi over his pictures from the visit to Lakshadweep. PM Modi had called for the Indian island cluster to be developed as a destination for beach tourism and promotion of domestic tourism. The matter snowballed into a major diplomatic row, with New Delhi summoning the Maldivian envoy and registering a strong protest against the viral posts. Later, the three deputy ministers were suspended. Since January, many efforts have been undertaken by the Muizzu-led government in order to restore the relationship, which includes several high-level visits, including the President himself coming to India for the swearing-in ceremony of the Indian Prime Minister or the visit of the Maldivian Foreign Minister. Earlier this year, Muizzu sought debt relief measures in the repayment of the hefty loans taken from the country over consecutive governments. He even stated that India will continue to remain the Maldives' "closest ally" and emphasised that there was no question about it. The loan amount owed by the Maldives to India by the end of last year stood at 6.2 billion Maldivian Rufiyaa, according to Maldives-based The Edition. (ANI)
Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) founder Imran Khan has reiterated his earlier statement that he directed his party workers to hold a peaceful protest outside the military's General Headquarters (GHQ) in Rawalpindi before his arrest on May 9, 2023, Pakistan-based Geo News reported. Imran Khan's remarks came despite the denials issued by PTI regarding the party founder's confession about the May 9 protests. PTI leaders claimed that Imran Khan "didn't say what is being reported in the media," according to Geo News report. Recently, the former Pakistan PM acknowledged that he had asked PTI workers to hold a protest outside the GHQ before his arrest last year. Referring to Imran Khan's statement, former National Assembly speaker and senior PTI leader Asad Qaiser said, "We [categorically] deny this." Despite PTI leadership's denials, Khan once again stood by what he had said earlier, stating that he had confirmed the same in "three vlogs." While speaking to reporters on Monday, Imran Khan said, "I had told the party to stage a peaceful protest outside GHQ if I get arrested." The PTI founder said that he had given instructions to hold protests in the cantonment areas of the garrison city, adding that he had mentioned these things a dozen times during the probe, according to a Geo News report. On being asked about the May 9 protests that witnessed attacks on state properties, including military installations in many parts of Pakistan, Imran Khan said that the protest was not peaceful as the riots were "pre-planned." He stressed that the criticism must be done regardless of the institution. Khan also shared his views on the "only animals are neutral" statement from 2022. He said, "Neutral doesn't mean animal, it means apolitical. I meant to say the army is non-partisan," while referring to his remark made at a rally in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa's Lower Dir when he was the prime minister in 2022. The former Pakistan PM has been facing several cases over his alleged involvement in the May 9 riots. On May 9 last year, violent clashes broke out across Pakistan after Imran Khan was arrested. The protests were held in remote and major cities as the party workers were agitated due to Imran Khan's arrest. Moreover, army installations, including the Corps Commander's house in Lahore, were attacked during the protests by PTI workers. The then-government, including the incumbent one, has blamed Imran Khan and PTI's senior leadership for orchestrating "organised" attacks on military installations, Geo News reported. Imran Khan, who served as Pakistan's PM from 2018 to 2022, has been incarcerated in Adiala Jail since August 2023 on multiple charges, including the Toshakhana case after his acquittal in iddat case. (ANI)
Quota reform protesters held protests across Bangladesh, including in Dhaka and Chattogram cities, on Monday. However, law enforcers dispersed protesters in many places and detained at least 80, Bangladesh-based The Daily Star reported. Ruling party men also stopped the protesters from holding demonstrations in many places. Students from different universities and colleges held protests against the "detention of six coordinators of the quota reform protest by the Detective Branch of Dhaka Metropolitan Police and forcing them to issue a statement on ending protests. Police detained at least 10 students after breaking up a protest by some 100 students in Chattogram's Jamal Khan area on Monday afternoon. According to witnesses, university and college students reached the Cheragi intersection at around 3 pm (local time) to hold a rally. A large number of police personnel, Border Guard Bangladesh, Bangladesh's Armed Police Battalion, and army personnel were deployed in the area. Tensions flared after 100-150 leaders and activists of the Jubo League and Chhatra League, led by Chattogram City Corporation Ward-21 Councillor Saibal Das Sumon, reached the site and verbally abused the protesters. At one stage, the Jubo League and Chhatra League men beat up two students and handed them over to police. The police used truncheons as some students tried to free the detainees. Protesters then reached near the Kadam Mubarak mosque and shouted slogans. Police fired stun grenades and teargas canisters at protesters at around 4 pm (local time). Three police personnel and a journalist were injured in the incident, according to The Daily Star report. Another group of protesters threw brick chunks at police near Andarkilla Shahi Jame Masjid at around 5:00 pm (local time), prompting law enforcers to fire rubber bullets and teargas at them. Deputy Commissioner (south) of Chattogram Metropolitan Police, Mostafizur Rahman, said police took action as all gatherings and protests were banned during the halt in curfew. Law enforcers detained at least 70 people from different areas of Dhaka. On Sunday, Abdul Kader, a coordinator of the quota reform protest, announced on social media that they would hold demonstrations in eight places in Dhaka, including Science Lab, Gate-8 of North South University, Jatiya Press Club, BNS Centre in Uttara, Mirpur-10, ECB Chattar in Mirpur, Rampura, and Mohakhali. Police detained at least 10 protesters from the Mirpur-10 intersection, two from Purana Paltan, 10 from Uttara, 10 from in front of Star Kabab in Dhanmondi and six from Badda. Two security staffers of a private university in Bashundhara Residential Area, who requested anonymity, said, "Students were standing in front of gates 1, 2 and 5 of the university since 10:00 am. Police detained at least 15 of them and got them on to three police vans until 1:30 pm." Students at Jahangirnagar University staged a protest calling for the unconditional release of the coordinators of the quota reform protest and the other detainees. Several JU teachers expressed solidarity with the demonstrators. Several hundred students of Rajshahi University blocked the Dhaka-Rajshahi highway in Rajshahi from 12:20 pm (local time) to 1:00 pm (local time), protesting the detention of the six coordinators of the quota reform movement. They shouted slogans calling for the deaths of their fellow students and for those responsible for the deaths to be held accountable. At least 15 students were injured after Chhatra League activists at Barishal University allegedly attacked protesters near the university's administrative building at around 2 pm (local time). Sujoy Subho, one of the injured, said some 40-50 Chhatra League men, armed with sticks, targeted students when they held discussions regarding their next course of action. Students of Government Brojomohun (BM) College staged a protest in Barisal City's Nathullabad Central Bus Terminal area. Students blocked the Dhaka-Noakhali highway in front of Noakhali Zilla School in Noakhali from 2 pm (local time) for three hours. More than 200 students took out a procession in Thakurgaon with black flags calling for justice for the recent killings of students. Police broke up a demonstration by students in Mymensingh's Firoz-Jahangir Chattar. Pro-Awami League men, with sticks and iron rods, stopped around 60 Comilla University students from moving towards the Dhaka-Chattogram highway in Cumilla. Later, the students held demonstrations outside the university at around 3 pm (local time), according to The Daily Star report. A group of students of Shahjalal University of Science and Technology held a protest at the main entrance to the university in Sylhet at 3 pm (local time) and later took out a procession. Cultural platform Bangladesh Udichi Shilpigosthi could not hold a stage rally in front of the Jatiya Press Club yesterday afternoon as the law enforcers cordoned off the area. Meanwhile, some coordinators of the quota reform protest rejected the government's call for nationwide mourning for those killed in the recent violence. Instead, they called on students of educational institutions and people to cover their faces with red clothes and share their pictures online today, The Dail Star reported. They made the announcement through a press release, signed by Mahin Sarker, a coordinator of the Anti-discriminatory Student Movement. The statement said, "We would like to tell the government that no movement in the history of Bengal could be suppressed by firing at students. Immediately accept our nine-point demand and bring stability to the country." The demands of quote reform coordinators include an apology from Bangladesh Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina and the resignations of Bangladesh's Home Minister Asaduzzaman Khan, Education Minister Mohibul Hasan Chowdhury, Law Minister Anisul Huq, Road Transport and Bridges Minister Obaidul Quader, State Minister for Information and Broadcasting Mohammad Ali Arafat, State Minister for Post, Telecommunications, and Information Technology Zunaid Ahmed Palak. (ANI)
Pakistani journalist Hamid Mir has said that Baloch activist Sammi Deen Baloch, along with several other Baloch activists, was allegedly arrested by the Gwadar police. He stressed that arresting women will not resolve the problem and instead it will further complicate the situation. In a post on X, Hamid Mir stated, "There are reports that Gawadar police arrested @SammiBaluch[?] along with some other Baloch activists. DIG Gawadar is denying her arrest. A case was registered against her few days back. Arresting women will not resolve any problem. It will further complicate the situation." https://x.com/HamidMirPAK/status/1818001213247603141 Sammi Deen Baloch is an activist known for her work advocating for human rights and freedom of expression. She has been involved in raising awareness about issues affecting marginalised communities in Pakistan, including the Balochistan region, where there have been long-standing conflicts and human rights abuses. Her activism and reporting often focus on the struggles faced by Baloch people, including issues related to enforced disappearances, extrajudicial killings, and political repression. Hamid Mir's statement came after Pakistani security forces reportedly took severe actions against participants of a Baloch national gathering, reflecting an intensified crackdown on dissent in Balochistan. Reports have indicated that several Baloch individuals were detained and arrested during the gathering. The Baloch Yakjehti Committee (BYC) took to social media platform X to describe the situation. In a post on X, BYC stated, "Security forces attacked the sit-in protest in front of the University of Balochistan, detaining twelve female and over fifty male protesters. Human rights violations in Balochistan are at an all-time high, with state institutions brutally suppressing peaceful voices, marking another chapter of atrocities against the Baloch people. The sit-in was organized in protest against the state's harsh measures against the Baloch Raaji Muchi. Instead of receiving justice, the protesters became victims of a repressive regime." In addition, the BYC said that Pakistani forces fired upon and forcibly redirected a peaceful caravan of the Baloch National Gathering (Baloch Raaji Muchi) from Karachi at Kund Malir. BYC noted, "Yesterday, Pakistani forces opened fire on the peaceful Baloch Raaji Muchi caravan in Kund Malir and forced them to turn back. In response, the caravan has initiated a sit-in at Zero Point and will continue the blockade until they are permitted to join the Baloch Raaji Muchi in Gwadar." This crackdown has drawn significant criticism, with concerns that such measures will only worsen the situation rather than address the underlying issues. Balochistan has a history fraught with conflict and human rights violations. The Baloch people, an ethnic minority in Pakistan, have endured numerous injustices and acts of violence over the years, leading to persistent unrest and activism. This community has faced substantial political repression, including curbs on freedom of expression, assembly, and association. Activists and political figures advocating for Baloch rights and greater autonomy have been particularly targeted. (ANI)
The Baloch Human Rights Council (BHRC) has appealed to the United Nations and other human rights organisations, including Human Rights Watch and Amnesty International, to take swift action to protect the fundamental rights of people in Pakistan's Balochistan. The BHRC called for immediate intervention from the UN and other global entities to halt the violence and secure the release of those detained by the Pakistani forces. In their letter, BHRC condemned the international community's inaction in response to the severe repression faced by participants in a peaceful protest organized by the Baloch Yakjehti Committee. This rally, aimed at addressing human rights abuses and advocating for basic rights, was met with violent crackdowns by Pakistani authorities. The BHRC Stated, "The international community's indifference to the plight of the Baloch people must end. We call upon the United Nations and human rights organizations worldwide to take swift and decisive action to protect the people's fundamental rights in Balochistan." The BHRC is a human rights body dedicated to advocating for the rights and freedoms of the people of Balochistan. It plays an important role in raising international awareness about the ongoing repression in the region. The BHRC's appeal came after Pakistani forces crackdown on Baloch protesters who had gathered for the Baloch national gathering on July 28. This crackdown has faced considerable criticism, with concerns that such actions may exacerbate the situation rather than resolve the underlying issues. Baloch activist Mahrang Baloch has vowed to continue the Baloch National Gathering despite the Pakistani authorities' attempts to scare the participants with guns.Mahrang Baloch made the remarks while addressing the participants of the Baloch National Gathering. Multiple reports have surfaced showing a brutal crackdown on peaceful protesters in Gwadar by the Pakistani forces, during the Baloch National Gathering. Taking to X, the Baloch Yakjehti Committee stated, "Dr. Mahrang Baloch addressed the Baloch Raaji Muchi at Marine Drive in Gwadar last night. She stated, "Pakistan wants to scare us with its guns, conscience-selling soldiers, and death squads. But I am sure that Baloch mothers have given birth to children who will stand in front of bullets." In another post on X, the Baloch Yakjehti Committee (BYC) said that the brutal crackdown on participants of the Baloch National Gathering has continued since July 28. Citing the latest reports, the BYC said that more than ten participants were seriously injured after forces attacked peaceful demonstrators in Gwadar. It accused the Pakistani forces of indiscriminately breaking into residential areas where participants were staying and harassing the participants. The BYC urged the judiciary and the international community to stop further bloodshed. Taking to X, the BYC stated, "From 28th July the brutal crackdown against participants of the #BalochNationalGathering continues. According to the latest reports, more than ten participants were seriously injured after forces attacked peaceful demonstrators in Gwadar." "The forces are indiscriminately breaking into residential areas where participants were staying, causing significant damage to households. They are now raiding homes to frighten and harass the peaceful participants, including elderly men, women, and children. The lives of thousands of participants are at risk. We urge the judiciary and the international community to intervene to prevent further bloodshed and loss of life," it added. The Baloch community has faced severe human rights violations. Enforced disappearances are a major concern, with individuals being abducted by state or affiliated forces without legal charges, causing immense distress for their families and often leading to severe torture. The situation is further exacerbated by extrajudicial killings, where activists and critics are targeted without fair trials, creating widespread fear and suppressing dissent. Detention often involves torture and mistreatment, with victims subjected to physical and psychological abuse to force confessions or stifle opposition. In addition, there is significant suppression of free speech, with journalists and activists facing harassment and censorship, which hinders public discourse and accountability. (ANI)
Tel Aviv [Israel], July 30 (ANI/TPS): Sixteen children injured in Hezbollah's deadly rocket attack on Saturday remain hospitalized, including seven in serious condition, hospital officials said on Monday morning. The Ziv Medical Center in Safed, where eight are being treated, said three are in serious condition, of whom two remain sedated and on ventilators. The hospital added that all three are suffering abdominal and chest injuries, and limb fractures. One child is in moderate condition while four others are being treated for light wounds, mostly from shrapnel, mainly suffering from shrapnel injuries. Haifa's Rambam Medical Center said it is still treating five victims. Three are listed in serious condition in the pediatric intensive care unit where they are sedated and on ventilators. Another two suffering from shrapnel injuries are in mild condition in the pediatric surgery unit. Three children are hospitalized at the Northern Medical Center near Tiberias. One is listed in serious condition, one in moderate condition, and the third is expected to be discharged soon. Saturday's rocket attack killed 12 children, injured more than 40, and sent tensions soaring as the Iran-backed Hezbollah braces for an expected retaliation. Residents of Majdal Shams, a Druze village in the Golan Heights, called on the government to punish Hezbollah. Israel's Druze community of 152,000 trace their ancestry back to the Biblical figure Jethro, the father-in-law of Moses. Israeli Druze serve in senior positions in public and military life, and the bond between Jewish and Druze soldiers is referred to as the "covenant of blood." The Druze speak Arabic but are not Muslim and are very secretive about their religious beliefs. The Alma Research and Education Center told TPS-IL on Thursday that Hezbollah rocket barrages on northern Israel are expanding in range, reaching deeper into Israel to unevacuated communities. Nearly 80,000 Israelis were forced to evacuate their homes near the Lebanon border when Hezbollah began launching rockets and drones in October. Hezbollah leaders have said they will continue the attacks to prevent Israelis from returning to their homes. The attacks have killed 23 civilians and 18 soldiers. Israeli officials have been calling for Hezbollah to be disarmed and removed from southern Lebanon in accordance with UN Security Council resolution 1701, which ended the 2006 Second Lebanon War. (ANI/TPS)
The Vietnamese PM will be accompanied by a high-level delegation, including several ministers, deputy ministers, and business leaders.

PM Pham Minh Chinh will conclude his visit on August 1, the Ministry of External Affairs said in a statement.

During his visit, Vietnamese PM Chinh will receive a ceremonial welcome at the forecourt of Rashtrapati Bhavan, after which he will visit Raj Ghat to pay tribute to Mahatma Gandhi.

Moreover, he will also hold bilateral discussions with PM Modi, who will also host a luncheon in his honour.

Prime Minister Chinh is further scheduled to call on President Droupadi Murmu and Vice President Jagdeep Dhankhar.

External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar is also expected to call on the visiting Prime Minister of Vietnam, the MEA stated.

Last week, National Security Adviser Ajit Doval and Defence Minister Rajnath Singh paid their respects to the late General Secretary of the Communist Party of Vietnam, Nguyen Phu Trong, in separate solemn ceremonies marking his state funeral.

National Security Adviser Ajit Doval represented India at the state funeral held in Hanoi on last Thursday.

Simultaneously, Defence Minister Rajnath Singh visited the Vietnam Embassy in India to express his condolences on behalf of the Indian government and people.

India and Vietnam have age-old historical and civilizational ties, which were elevated to a comprehensive strategic partnership during the visit of PM Modi to Vietnam in September 2016.

Furthermore, India considers Vietnam a key pillar of its Act East Policy and an important partner in its Indo-Pacific vision. (ANI)
Two members of the US Senate Armed Services Committee have proposed a bipartisan bill that would impose a wide range of sanctions on China if it attacks Taiwan, reported Focus Taiwan. The bill states that it would impose sanctions on China should it initiate "a military invasion of Taiwan." Senators Dan Sullivan (R-Alaska) and Tammy Duckworth (D-Ill.) introduced the Sanctions Targeting Aggressors of Neighbouring Democracies with Taiwan Act of 2024, or STAND with Taiwan Act of 2024 for short, on July 25. The proposed bill "would impose devastating, comprehensive economic, energy, financial, and other sanctions on China in the event that the People's Liberation Army (PLA) initiates military aggression against Taiwan," according to a press release issued by Sullivan's office on July 26. The sanctions would include the targeting of "Chinese Communist Party members and Chinese financial institutions and industrial sectors, as well as prohibiting US financial institutions, including investment companies, from making any investments in a Chinese entity that benefits or is affiliated with the CCP," the release said. Further, the bill would also restrict the importation of China-produced goods into the United States, as reported by Focus Taiwan. "In these increasingly dangerous times, it is critical that America show steady, unwavering bipartisan commitment and resolve in support of Taiwan's democracy," Sullivan said. Tammy Duckworth said that it was important for the US as a global leader to show support for Taiwan, which is facing escalating threats from China. "With this legislation, we're sending a strong message to our partner [Taiwan] and our competitors that we are here for long haul -- and we won't tolerate the kind of unilateral aggression that would endanger a democratic friend and the health and stability of the global economy," she stated. According to the draft text of the bill, if passed into law, the STAND with Taiwan Act would "require the imposition of sanctions with respect to the People's Republic of China if the People's Liberation Army initiates a military invasion of Taiwan." The term "military invasion" is defined in the bill to include amphibious landings, airborne operations, aerial bombardments or blockades, missile attacks, naval bombardments or blockades, or an "attack on any territory controlled or administered by the Government of Taiwan, including offshore islands." The two senators were among the visiting US Congressional delegation to Taiwan in May, during which time they met with President Lai Ching-te (Lai Qing De ) at the Presidential Office in Taipei, Focus Taiwan reported. However, Sullivan previously introduced the STAND with Taiwan Act in 2022. The bill was later referred to the Committee on Banking, Housing, and Urban Affairs, but no further action was taken by Congress in relation to the proposed legislation. Earlier on Tuesday, Taiwan's Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MOFA) thanked the two American lawmakers for their continued support and for proposing the STAND with Taiwan Act of 2024. MOFA spokesperson Jeff Liu said that MOFA will closely monitor the progress of the legislation and "continue to work closely with friends from all walks of life in the United States on the basis of the robust friendship between Taiwan and the US". (ANI)
Australian High Commissioner to India, Philip Green, condoled the lives lost in the landslides that hit the Meppadi area of Kerala's Wayanad. Philip Green praised the brave efforts of the first responders who helped the affected people in the landslides. Taking to X, the Australian High Commissioner stated, "Devastated at the news coming out of #Wayanad district in #Kerala. Our thoughts are with those who have been affected by #landslide and the brave efforts of first responders. @CMOKerala @pinarayivijayan @AusCGChennai" https://x.com/AusHCIndia/status/1818239556476411974 Meanwhile, Israeli Ambassador to India, Naor Gilon offered condolences and prayers for the grieving families. Further, he wished the injured people a speedy recovery. "Deeply saddened to hear about the the devastating landslide incident in #Wayanad, #Kerala. My deepest condolences and prayers for the grieving families. AUM shaaNtiH Wishing a speedy recovery for those injured," he said on X. https://x.com/NaorGilon/status/1818227235116986706 Earlier in the day, External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar condoled the loss of lives in the landslides that hit the Meppadi area of Kerala's Wayanad, resulting in the death of 84 people.Around 116 injuries are reported so far. As per the information from the State Revenue Minister's office, 116 injured are undergoing treatment at various hospitals in the district. Kerala Chief Secretary V Venu said that over 80 bodies were recovered as rescue operations continued in the landslide-hit regions in Kerala's Wayanad on Tuesday. Union Minister of State George Kurian is heading to Wayanad to lead relief and rescue operations. On the directions of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, the minister will coordinate with National Disaster Relief Force personnel, paramilitary forces, Kerala Government officials and other agencies in the operation. In addition, a delegation of state ministers of Revenue, Public Works, and Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes Departments are travelling by air from Thiruvananthapuram and are expected to reach the site soon, as per the Kerala chief minister's office. The India Meteorological Department has issued a red alert for eight districts in the state for heavy rainfall. A red alert has been issued for the Idukki, Thrissur, Palakkad, Malappuram, Kozhikode, Wayanad, Kannur and Kasargod districts. An orange alert has been issued for Pathanamthitta, Alappuzha, Kottayam and Ernakulam districts for today. Meanwhile, the Kerala government has declared official mourning in the state on Tuesday and Wednesday. (ANI)
While highlighting the resilience of the Baloch community, a prominent UK-based Baloch activist, Hyrbyair Marri strongly denounced Pakistan authorities for their cruel treatment towards the Baloch community. In a post on social media platform X, Hyrbyair stated, "Pakistan has the 6th largest military in the world and the Baloch are not scared of them. It is the sheer determination and resolve of the Baloch people that the occupiers are afraid of. They are stopping and shooting civilians from going to Gwadar city to please the Chinese, but Gwadar is not China or Pakistan, and the Baloch people have every right to travel within their country." Marri criticized the Punjabi-dominated regime accusing Pashtuns of violence against Baloch civilians, suggesting they historically served foreign interests rather than focusing on effective governance. Mari said, "These chicken-hearted Punjabis are pointing fingers towards Pashtun and claiming that it is not them, but the Pashtuns who are shooting the Baloch people. How quick they are to place the blame on others. The Punjabis are not built to rule; throughout history, they have only served foreign occupiers. The British divided India to weaken them and created Pakistan for their own interest, the British consented and helped them to occupy Balochistan." Mari alleged that the Muslim Punjabis were handed a nation as a tool to serve their former colonial masters on a silver platter. He stated "The muslim Punjabis were given a country on a silver platter only to facilitate their pre-1947 Masters, but now they are serving all the major powers. They are continuing their historical role of serving other nations. A reminder to the occupiers of Balochistan, Iran and Pakistan: people who live in glass houses shouldn't throw stones." https://x.com/hyrbyair_marri/status/1818173446750134611?s=46&t=asf6m9kgD4XXzGlsrfozGA Marri's social media post followed a crackdown by Pakistani forces on Baloch protesters gathered for the Baloch national gathering on July 28. This crackdown has drawn substantial criticism amid concerns that such actions could escalate rather than resolve the underlying issues. The Baloch community continues to endure severe human rights abuses, particularly enforced disappearances where individuals are abducted by state or affiliated forces without legal recourse, causing profound anguish for their families and often resulting in severe torture. The situation is compounded by extrajudicial killings targeting activists and critics without due process, instilling widespread fear and stifling dissent. Detainees frequently face torture and mistreatment, subjected to physical and psychological abuse to extract confessions or silence opposition. (ANI)
Former MLA of the Pakistan-occupied Gilgit Baltistan Assembly, Javed Hussain brought attention to administrative and social issues during a traders' protest in Sost village. Speaking to Pamir Times, Javed criticized the present state of affairs, emphasizing the necessity for more effective strategies and better governance to tackle these issues and improve overall conditions. He also supported the cessation of tax collection, aligning with a recent ruling by the PoGB Chief Court that declared several local taxes illegal. Javed remarked, "The administration must abide by the court's decision. Customs officials and the regional collector are obstructing trade resumption. A commission should investigate them for having ulterior motives." Traders from PoGB launched a sit-in protest at the NLC Dry Port in Sost, urging the enforcement of a court directive on tax exemptions for cross-border trade with China via the Khunjerab Pass. This demonstration has suspended trade operations, and traders have warned of escalating measures such as blocking the Karakoram Highway if their demands are ignored. They assert that government actions are unjustly impeding their trade and employment prospects. Talking to Pamir Times Javed discussed the inadequate management and lack of sufficient reforms across various sectors, noting that despite numerous attempts, the outcomes had been disappointing. Hussain highlighted the need for more substantial and effective changes to resolve longstanding problems. He pointed out deficiencies in handling critical issues, which had led to public frustration. Hussain suggested that a more proactive approach was necessary to address these issues and improve conditions. "The protest will continue. This is an important issue of Gilgit Baltistan. It will decide the future of small traders. With the support of the people, I think the matter will be solved" Javed told Pamir Times. According to a report from Pamir Times, traders in Pakistan-occupied Gilgit-Baltistan (PoGB) initiated a protest following a writ petition by the PoGB Importer and Exporter Association. The court had issued a stay order preventing customs authorities from collecting various taxes at the Sost border station until a final decision is made. However, traders allege that customs officers and the Federal Bureau of Revenue (FBR) are employing delaying tactics to avoid implementing the court's order. Taxation issues in Pakistan, particularly in regions like PoGB, are intricate and involve multiple layers. Traders often face inconsistent enforcement of tax laws across different areas, leading to confusion and disputes. Rapid changes in tax policies further complicate matters, making it costly and challenging for traders to comply with new regulations. Despite court rulings against certain taxes, enforcement remains a challenge due to delays and resistance from authorities. Corruption among tax officials is also a significant issue, with traders sometimes encountering demands for bribes or facilitation payments, adding to compliance difficulties and costs. Delays in processing tax documents and refunds exacerbate cash flow problems for traders, compounding their challenges in conducting business effectively. (ANI)
The Union Minister represented the Indian government at the Iranian president's swearing-in ceremony.

Minister Nitin Gadkari conveyed good wishes from Prime Minister Narendra Modi to President Pezeshkian on assuming office.

During Gadkari's interactions in Iran, both sides positively assessed the state of bilateral relations, including cooperation on the development of Chabahar Port.

Moreover, both sides underscored that Chabahar Port would contribute to strengthening bilateral and regional trade.

It would further provide access to landlocked Afghanistan and Central Asian countries to regional and global markets.

Snap elections were held in Iran after President Ebrahim Raisi died in a chopper crash along with Foreign Minister Hossein Amir-Abdollahian and other officials in Iran's remote northwest in May.

Earlier this month, reformist candidate Masoud Pezeshkian secured a win in the presidential elections in Iran, CNN reported, citing Press TV.

Out of the 30.5 million votes counted in the runoff, Pezeshkian received over 16.3 million votes, while his ultraconservative rival Saeed Jalili got more than 13.5 million votes.

According to election headquarters under the auspices of the interior ministry, the voter turnout was 49.8 per cent in Iran's presidential elections, the report said.

Pezeshkian was elected in a second round of voting after he received the highest number of votes in the first round, ahead of Jalili. The first round witnessed the lowest turnout for a presidential election since Iran was established in 1979. (ANI)
Condoling the loss of lives in the tragic landslides of Wayanad in Kerala, the Ambassador of China to India, Xu Feihong has said that his thoughts are with the bereaved families. Sharing a post on X, the Chinese envoy wrote, "Deeply saddened to hear about the tragic landslides in #Wayanad, #Kerala." "Our thoughts and hearts are with the people there and bereaved families," he further added. https://x.com/China_Amb_India/status/1818280737067745779 Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan said on Tuesday that 93 bodies have been recovered and 128 people have been injured after massive landslides hit hilly areas near Meppadi in Kerala's Wayanad district. He further said that 3,069 people are in 45 relief camps in Wayanad alone, and five ministers are coordinating the efforts of the relief and rescue operations. Addressing the press conference, Vijayan said, "The landslide in Wayanad is a heart-wrenching disaster. There was extremely heavy rainfall. An entire area has been wiped out. We have recovered 93 bodies so far, but the numbers may change. There are 128 people receiving treatment for injuries. Many who went to sleep last night have been swept away." Prime Minister Narendra Modi has offered assistance after 93 people died and 128 were injured following massive landslides in Wayanad. "Upon learning of the disaster, both the Prime Minister and Rahul Gandhi, along with various party leaders, have offered their assistance. They have assured us that we will work together to address this crisis," he said. The chief minister said that the state government has arranged the best possible treatment for the injured, adding that several people are still trapped under the debris and rescue operations are underway. "Many people are still trapped under the debris. We have opened 45 relief camps in Wayanad and a total of 118 camps across the state, accommodating 5,531 people. The fire force, NDRF, and police are working together. Various divisions of the Army and Navy are coordinating the rescue operations," he added. An Indian Navy team from the Ezhimala Naval Base in Kannur is being sent to the district in Kerala to assist in the rescue operations at Chooralmala, which was hit by landslides on Tuesday morning, following torrential rains. The Navy team is being dispatched, at the request of Chief Minister Pinrayi Vijayan, who sought the help of the Navy's River Crossing team, according to the Chief Minister's Office. The Army and Air Force have also been mobilised for the rescue operations in the area, which have been hampered as a main bridge has collapsed in the town of Chooralmala. Around 200 Indian Army personnel from DSC Centre Kannur and 122 TA Battalion from Kozhikode were dispatched to the site. 122 TA battalion has now arrived at the incident site and is assisting in relief operations. A team of 30 specialist swimmers from the Indian Navy has been deployed. Two helicopters from Air Force station Sulur have also been despatched, as per defence officials. (ANI)
Amid escalating tensions in Balochistan, Amnesty International's Deputy Regional Director for South Asia, Babu Ram Pant, issued a scathing condemnation of Pakistani authorities' response to the Baloch Raji Machi protests. He expressed grave concern over reports of three deaths and the mass arrests of protest organisers, including Sammi Deen Baloch, Sabghatullah Shah, and Sabiha Baloch. According to Pant, these incidents reflect a troubling trend of using violence and repression to stifle peaceful demonstrations by the Baloch community. "Every time Baloch protests take place, their demands are met with violence by security forces and mass arrests. We saw it in December last year at the Baloch Long March. We see it now again with the Baloch Raji Machi protests in what is clearly a punitive attempt by the Pakistani authorities to deter, vilify and criminalise peaceful protesters," Pant said. Highlighting the gravity of the situation, Pant called for an immediate halt to the harsh crackdown on Baloch protests and demanded the unconditional release of all individuals detained. "The reports of three deaths and the arrest of organisers, including Sammi Deen Baloch, Sabghatullah Shah and Dr. Sabiha Baloch, are extremely concerning and indicative of the continuing decline in civil and political rights in Pakistan. Amnesty International calls for an end to the brutal crackdown on the Baloch protests and the immediate and unconditional release of all those arrested for exercising their right to peaceful assembly" Pant added. Additionally, Pant criticised the government's imposition of roadblocks and shutdowns of internet and mobile networks in Balochistan, which he argued severely restricts movement and access to information. He reminded Pakistan of its obligations under both its constitution and international human rights law to uphold freedoms of expression, access to information, movement, and peaceful assembly. https://x.com/amnestysasia/status/1818262181303001192 Amnesty's reaction came after Pakistani security forces reportedly took severe actions against participants of a Baloch national gathering. The recent crackdown has sparked significant backlash amid fears that these measures might exacerbate rather than alleviate the underlying problems. The Baloch community remains subjected to serious human rights violations, notably enforced disappearances, where individuals are taken away by state or affiliated forces without legal avenues, causing immense distress to their families and often leading to severe torture. Adding to the complexity, extrajudicial killings targeting activists and critics without proper legal procedures have created a climate of fear, suppressing dissent. (ANI)
Abu Dhabi [UAE], July 30 (ANI/WAM): Al Ansari Financial Services (AAFS) has signed a Sales and Purchase Agreement (SPA) to purchase 100 percent of BFC Group Holdings W.L.L., (BFCGH), a prominent foreign exchange and remittance group incorporated in Bahrain, for a total acquisition purchase price of USD 200 million (AED735 million). AAFS plans to secure financing under customary market terms to finance the acquisition. The acquisition will enable AAFS to expand its geographic presence and become the largest remittance and exchange provider in the GCC region by branch network. The combined entity will have over 410 branches (a 60 percent increase on AAFS's current branch network) across the UAE, Bahrain, Kuwait, and India, supported by a workforce of approximately 6,000 employees (a 25 percent increase on AAFS's current workforce). Rashed Ali Al Ansari, Group CEO of AAFS, remarked, "This strategic acquisition represents a pivotal moment in our growth trajectory, establishing our Company as the leading foreign exchange and remittance service provider in the Gulf region. By broadening our customer base and extending our services across the GCC and India, we aim to provide a wider audience with access to our comprehensive remittance and foreign exchange solutions. This move not only enhances our regional presence but also aligns with our broader strategy of diversification and expansion into new markets. Ultimately, this transaction is designed to deliver sustainable value and optimal returns for our shareholders." Ebrahim Nonoo, Managing Director and CEO of BFCGH, said, "This strategic move highlights the value and potential of our organisation and opens new opportunities for growth and innovation. Our team has worked tirelessly to build a strong foundation, and we are confident that Al Ansari Financial Services PJSC will continue to drive our mission forward, ensuring the best possible outcomes for our clients and stakeholders. We look forward to seeing the remarkable achievements that will undoubtedly result from this acquisition." (ANI/WAM)
On the occasion of the enthronement celebrations of Mohammed VI King of Morocco held here in Delhi on Tuesday, the Ambassador of Morocco to India, Mohamed Maliki said that this celebration in India has a special meaning, as the nations are two old cultures, and civilizations. Expressing happiness, the envoy said that he is elated to see how the Moroccans and Indians get along together. While speaking to ANI, the Moroccan Ambassador said, "...Today is only celebrating this happiness, this bright, shared destiny. And then I'm happy to share it with all the Indians. And I have seen this celebration in India has also special meaning because we are two old nations, two old cultures, two old civilizations, two old cultural heritage civilizations as well. And the kind of crowd which has come today denoted the kind of friendship we enjoy both the two countries. I'm happy that the Moroccans and Indians do get along together." Sharing the importance of the enthronement celebrations, the envoy further underscored the importance of Morocco's "strong" cultural heritage. "Creating the silver jubilee of the enthronements of His Majesty, corresponding to the 25th anniversary of his enthronement. And then it's also a moment to take stock of what has been done. It has been a wonderful journey, a reign which has changed Morocco, a whole nation, being one of the oldest nations in the world, one also with a very strong cultural heritage. And then people are happy because the monarchy symbolizes a communion between the people and their monarchy, the king. And it has been through centuries and centuries," he said. On the bilateral ties shared by Morocco and India, Ambassador Maliki said, "I believe since the visit of His Majesty in 2015 on the margin of the India Africa summit, we have been able to reach new heights, both in terms of cultural exchange, in economic exchange, in terms of the presence of Indian companies." He affirmed how Morocco-India ties look very bright and optimistic. "If only I want to talk in terms of numbers. We moved from USD1.1 billion in 2015 to 4.2 billion, a record high, in 2022. And then we moved from 13 indian companies to 45 Indian companies and more than 200 which are linked indirectly," the envoy said. "I see the future as very bright, and very optimistic because we are opening new fields of cooperation, and new ways of doing things. So I am quite confident that the future will be brighter," he added. Relations between India and Morocco go back to the 14th century when the famous traveller and writer from Tangier, Ibn Batuta, travelled to India. In modern history, India was active in the UN supporting the Moroccan freedom movement and recognised Morocco on June 20, 1956, immediately after its independence. Diplomatic relations were established in 1957. The celebrations were also attended by Union Minister of State for Health and Family Welfare, Anupriya Patel as well. "Today is a very joyous occasion for the people of Morocco as they celebrate the 25th throne day of His Majesty Mohammed VI King of Morocco. On behalf of govt of India and our people, we extend our heartiest wishes to them on this very important day. The two countries have a deep enduring friendship and the bilateral trade between the two nations has been constantly growing," MoS for Health and Family Welfare, Anupriya Patel told ANI. "I am also very happily sharing that Morocco is a leader in Phosphate production and it is a very very important country in so far as India's own food productivity and food security is concerned," she said, adding that the two nations will continue to enhance the cooperation in future. For long, India has been one of the major markets for Moroccan phosphates and its derivatives. India's export basket to Morocco has also grown significantly in recent years. The main items of India's exports to Morocco are cotton yarn, synthetic fibre, chemicals, manufactured metals, machinery and instruments, transport equipment, pharmaceuticals, automotive parts and spices. The main items of Moroccan export to India are phosphoric acid, phosphate, metallic ores metal spray and inorganic chemicals. (ANI)
Dubai [UAE], July 30 (ANI/WAM): The Salama Training Center for Preventive Training, in collaboration with the Prevention and Safety Authority (SPSA), organised the Heat Stress Awareness Week event. This event targeted more than 500 workers in the private sector whose job duties require working under the sun. The aim was to raise awareness about the importance of preventing heat stress, protecting themselves from heat-related illnesses, and how to deal with such conditions if they occur. The event included a series of awareness sessions and interactive workshops, delivered by trainers and specialized experts from the Salama Training Center. These activities aimed to enhance the culture of occupational health and safety and to encourage workers to follow and adhere to a set of health and physical requirements to protect themselves from heat stress. These requirements include maintaining normal body temperature, drinking sufficient amounts of water to prevent heat stress, and wearing protective gear to shield from direct sunlight. Engineer Hamid Al Zarouni, CEO-SANED, said, "OrganiSing this event emphasiSes the importance of concerted efforts by all stakeholders and the necessity for employers and workers to implement the legal decisions and regulations enacted by the state regarding the prohibition of work in high-temperature areas. This is based on the law issued by the Ministry of Human Resources and Emiratisation, which prohibits performing work under direct sunlight and in open areas during the summer. This ensures occupational health and safety requirements at work sites, preventing injuries and protecting workers from heat stress, especially those in the construction and industrial sectors, as they perform their duties during the afternoon hours in the summer months." Al Zarouni emphasszed, "Through this event, we aim to educate and raise awareness among workers about all aspects of occupational health and safety." He noted that the state has paid significant attention to occupational health and safety issues by formulating comprehensive policies, strategies, and plans to reduce work-related accidents, injuries, and illnesses". (ANI/ WAM)
He was welcomed by Union Minister of State for External Affairs, Pabitra Margherita, at the airport.

Taking to social media platform X, Ministry of External Affairs spokesperson, Randhir Jaiswal said the visit of Vietnam PM will further strengthen the comprehensive strategic partnership between the two nations.

"Warm welcome to PM Pham Minh Chinh of Vietnam as he arrives in New Delhi on a State Visit. Received by MoS @PmargheritaBJP at the airport. India & Vietnam share civilizational links and a longstanding friendship based on mutual trust. The visit will further strengthen our Comprehensive Strategic Partnership," he stated.

https://x.com/MEAIndia/status/1818342801932689473

PM Pham Minh Chinh is on his visit at the invitation of Prime Minister Narendra Modi. He is being accompanied by a high-level delegation, including several ministers, deputy ministers, and business leaders.

During his visit, Vietnamese PM Chinh will receive a ceremonial welcome at the forecourt of Rashtrapati Bhavan on August 1, after which he will visit Raj Ghat to pay tribute to Mahatma Gandhi.

Moreover, he will also hold bilateral discussions with PM Modi, who will also host a luncheon in his honour.

Prime Minister Chinh is further scheduled to call on President Droupadi Murmu and Vice President Jagdeep Dhankhar.

External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar is also expected to call on the visiting Prime Minister of Vietnam, the MEA stated.

Last week, National Security Adviser Ajit Doval and Defence Minister Rajnath Singh paid their respects to the late General Secretary of the Communist Party of Vietnam, Nguyen Phu Trong, in separate solemn ceremonies marking his state funeral.

National Security Adviser Ajit Doval represented India at the state funeral held in Hanoi last Thursday.

Simultaneously, Defence Minister Rajnath Singh visited the Vietnam Embassy in India to express his condolences on behalf of the Indian government and people.

India and Vietnam have age-old historical and civilizational ties, which were elevated to a comprehensive strategic partnership during the visit of PM Modi to Vietnam in September 2016.Furthermore, India considers Vietnam a key pillar of its Act East Policy and an important partner in its Indo-Pacific vision, MEA stated. (ANI)
The first meeting of the India-Saudi Arabia High Level Task Force on Investments was held on Tuesday, wherein the two nations affirmed their commitment to bolster cooperation in the areas of petroleum, renewable energy, telecom and innovation. The meeting was co-chaired by the Principal Secretary to Prime Minister Narendra Modi, PK Mishra, and Saudi Energy Minister, Prince Abdulaziz bin Salman bin Abdulaziz Al Saud in virtual mode, the Prime Minister's Office said in a press release. The two sides reviewed the discussions held between the technical teams of the task force. Constructive discussions were held on various opportunities for bilateral investments in diverse areas in the public and private sectors, including refining and petrochemical plants, new and renewable energy, power, telecom, and innovation, among others. The two sides had a detailed review of the measures aimed at promoting two-way investments in a mutually beneficial manner. Principal Secretary to PM, PK Mishra, reiterated the firm intention of the Government of India to provide active support to Saudi investments of the order of USD 100 billion that were committed during the visit of the Crown Prince and PM of Saudi Arabia, the release stated. The two sides agreed to regular consultations between technical teams on both sides to take forward the discussions and reach an agreement on specific investments. An empowered delegation led by Secretary Petroleum will visit Saudi Arabia for follow-up discussions on the mutually beneficial investment in the oil and gas sector. The Saudi side was also invited to set up an office of the Sovereign Wealth Fund (PIF) in India. The Principal Secretary also invited the Saudi Energy Minister to India for the next round of the meeting of the High Level Task Force. The High-Level Task Force is a special body to facilitate bilateral investments following the decision taken by Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi and Crown Prince and Prime Minister His Royal Highness Prince Mohammed bin Salman bin Abdulaziz Al Saud during the latter's State Visit to India in September 2023, according to the PM Office. It comprises senior officials from both sides, including CEO Niti Aayog, Secretaries for Economic Affairs, Commerce, MEA, DPIIT, Petroleum and Natural Gas, and Power from India. (ANI)
The Israel Defence Forces said that top Hezbollah commander Fuad Shukr was killed in the Israeli strike in southern Lebanon on Tuesday (local time), which came in retaliation to the rocket attack at Golan Heights that killed 12 children, Times of Israel reported. Fuad Shukr, the "most senior Hezbollah military commander," was killed in the Israeli strike, the IDF said in a statement. Shukr sat on the Jihad Council, Hezbollah's top military body, and was considered to be the head of its strategic division Since the October 7 attack by Hamas, he has been managing Hezbollah's attacks against Israel, including the deadly strike in Majdal Shams over the weekend that killed 12 children, according to the military. The IDF says Shukr was "responsible for the majority of Hezbollah's most advanced weaponry, including precise-guided missiles, cruise missiles, anti-ship missiles, long-range rockets, and UAVs" and for the terror group's "force build-up, planning, and execution of terror attacks against the State of Israel," as reported by Times of Israel. "Eliminated: Fuad Shukr "Sayyid Muhsan", Hezbollah's Most Senior Military Commander and Hassan Nasrallah's Right-Hand Man," the IDF said in a post on X. "Shukr has directed Hezbollah's attacks on the State of Israel since October 8th, and he was the commander responsible for the murder of the 12 children in Majdal Shams in northern Israel on Saturday evening, as well as the killing of numerous Israelis and foreign nationals over the years. He was also responsible for the majority of Hezbollah's most advanced weaponry, including precise-guided missiles, cruise missiles, anti-ship missiles, long-range rockets and UAVs," it added. https://x.com/IDF/status/1818397182602707308 US Vice President Kamala Harris reacted to the development and expressing support to Israel, said that Tel Aviv has the "right to defend itself." She also affirmed the need to find a "diplomatic solution" to end these attacks. "Israel has a right to defend itself against a terrorist organization, which is exactly what Hezbollah is. But all of that being said, we still must work on a diplomatic solution to end these attacks and we will continue to do that work," she told reporters, as quoted by Politico. Meanwhile, the Iran-backed Houthis and Hamas have both condemned the Israeli strike, in separate statements, CNN reported. "While we affirm our solidarity with Lebanon and its resistance in the face of Zionist arrogance, we appreciate the great role of Hezbollah in supporting the Palestinian people and triumphing over their oppression, at a time when the Arab regimes have abandoned their role and responsibility in defending the Palestinian people and confronting crimes," a statement read from the Houthi political wing, also known as Ansar Allah. In a different statement, Hamas declared "full solidarity with our brotherly Lebanon and the brothers in Hezbollah." Hamas also said it considers the Israeli strike a "dangerous escalation." Israel had blamed Hezbollah for the rocket attack at Golan Heights on Sunday. The Iranian-backed militant group, however, has denied responsibility. The IDF confirmed the strike in Beirut and said it targeted the commander responsible for the Majdal Shams attack. "Initial report, the IDF carried out a targeted strike in Beirut, on the commander responsible for the murder of the children in Majdal Shams and the killing of numerous additional Israeli civilians," the IDF said in a post on X. "At the moment, there are no changes in the Home Front Command defensive guidelines. If any changes will be made, an update will be released. Details to follow," it added. Earlier, CNN reported, citing Lebanese media, that at least one woman has been killed and several others have been injured in the Israeli strike, and the casualties were transferred to three nearby hospitals. The development marks the most significant Israeli escalation since tensions between Israel and the Iranian-backed militant group flared after October 7. (ANI)
Nepali lawmakers have raised objections to the remarks by Chinese Ambassador to Nepal, Chen Song, about the ongoing search operation in the Trishuli River to locate two missing passenger buses that were washed away in a mudslide, earlier this month. The leaders have termed the comments at a time of grief as 'inappropriate' and asked the Nepali government to summon the envoy. The incident happened on July 12. Two passenger buses carrying 65 passengers on board were swept into the Trishuli River by a mudslide in the Simaltal of Chitwan during the wee hours. Only three passengers could escape the bus, while the remaining are unaccounted for and the search operation for the possible human remains and the buses has continued till date. In the course of the search operation, a magnet weighing 19 kilogrammes, brought by Indian specialists, was washed away by the current of the Trishuli River. The Chinese Ambassador shared a news link on X, stating, "Find the magnet then," while the search operation had continued for weeks. Abdul Khan, a former minister and lawmaker from the Janamat Party, raised the issue during Tuesday's parliamentary meeting and called the comment offending for the families who are undergoing grief. Lawmaker Khan also stated that it is not acceptable for any of the Nepali citizens on any terms and called for the action of the government. "On 28 Ashad (July 12), two buses were swept into the Trishuli River. In the search operation for 65 people on board the bus, one of the neighbouring countries assisted by sending experts and equipment. Another neighbour, the People's Republic of China's ambassador, made mockery of Madhesi, Muslims, Tharu, so-called-Dalits and Nepal as a whole. At the hour of grief, adding more pain gave an offending statement," he said. The Nepali leader further said the government needs to seriously look at the issue. "It is a clear intervention and uninvited comment on internal matters of a nation, which an ambassador of any nation is not acceptable and welcome in any scenario. Nepali citizens won't tolerate it at any level," Khan said. Soon after the Chinese Ambassador's remarks created an uproar, he defended his post and said the search operation should be expedited. "Some people argue that it is inappropriate to comment. My answer to them: What is wrong with the comment, Shouldn't the search be speeded up and facilitated by all means? If a magnet is needed to speed up the search, then find the magnet. Why, when a magnet was lost, people started to think of ending the search," Chen Song said in a post on X. Another lawmaker, Sarbendra Nath Shukla from the Loktantrik Samajbadi Party, also criticised the Chinese envoy 's remarks, labelling them "irrational" and "unfortunate." Shukla stated that a good friend of Nepal would not make fun of the sorrow the nation has been undergoing at the moment. He also called the action of Chinese Ambassador to be against the diplomatic norms and values of any nation while addressing the parliamentary meeting. "For seven continuous days, a large team comprising more than one hundred searchers, nothing, which is unfortunate. More unfortunate than getting no clue are satirical expressions. Thousands of people are now grieving, and they are lamenting for not being able to see them breathing or even the body of their loved ones for last time. As everyone is grieving and in sorrow, one of the excellencies made fun of it by making posts on 'X'. A friend is supposed to express sorrow but far from that expectation, the joint efforts are also being ignored. These kinds of acts are against the diplomatic norms of any country," Shukla said. Nepali Congress lawmaker Ramhari Khatiwada also called for Nepal's Foreign Ministry to summon Chinese Ambassador, Chen Song, for an explanation regarding his "inappropriate comments" about the search for missing passengers and buses in the Simaltal accident. Ramhari Khatiwada said, "Till today, we don't know the status of over forty passengers but in such a situation, one of the ambassadors of our neighbouring nation, breaching the diplomatic norms, the diplomatic code of conduct, has been commenting on the issue." "He has been tweeting, 'Good Luck all the search team' and 'Find the magnet then.' In this hour of pain and trouble, at least he could have talked about human sense, rather than making fun of and mocking it. I would request not to make human sentiment a subject of gags. I also request that the Ministry of Foreign Affairs summon the concerned ambassador on the issue," Khatiwada said. Two buses carrying 65 passengers along the Narayanghat-Muglin road section were hit by a landslide in the wee hours of July 12 and swept away by the Trishuli River. Three of the passengers somehow managed to get outside the bus and swim to the bank. Rescue and search teams from the Nepal Army, Nepal Police and Armed Police Force (APF) have been searching the bus and the passengers since the incident, but they haven't been able to trace the buses so far. The buses were washed away by a landslide at Simaltal on the Narayanghat-Mugling road. More than 200 security personnel have been deployed to search for passengers. So far, about two dozen bodies have been found in different locations and 17 people have been identified. The whereabouts of the two buses and the 37 passengers on them are still unknown. The rescue team from India had arrived in Nepal at the request of the Nepali government due to a lack of manpower and proper equipment in the country. The team also returned earlier on Sunday after assisting the Nepali team for a week. The Nepali side, on the other hand, has continued the search operation, though nothing has been found. (ANI)
As the opposition leaders continue to dispute the election results that saw President Nicolas Maduro secure another term in power, the protests intensified on Tuesday, with more people taking to streets, Al Jazeera reported. The opposition's Maria Corina Machado called for families to turn out on Tuesday for "popular assemblies" across the South American nation. Machado told reporters a day earlier that a review of available voting records from Sunday's election showed that presidential candidate Edmundo Gonzalez had achieved a "categorical and mathematically irreversible" victory over Maduro. The two opposition leaders appeared at a gathering in the capital of Caracas on Tuesday. "What we are fighting here is a fraud by the regime," said Machado, urging peaceful protest. A large crowd, many waving Venezuelan flags, chanted: "We are not afraid!" Opposition protesters also marched in the cities of Valencia, Maracay, San Cristobal, Maracaibo and Barquisimeto throughout the day. The demonstrations come a day after Venezuela's National Electoral Council (CNE) formally confirmed that Maduro had been re-elected by a majority of Venezuelans to another six-year term as president "for the period 2025-2031." That announcement fueled widespread anger and thousands of protestors took to streets to voice their opposition to Maduro and his government. They were met by tear gas and rubber bullets fired by police, as reported by Al Jazeera A local monitoring group, the Venezuelan Conflict Observatory, said it had registered 187 protests in 20 states by Monday evening, with "numerous acts of repression and violence" carried out by paramilitary groups and security forces. According to rights group Foro Penal, at least 11 people had been killed in incidents related to the election count or the protests. Meanwhile, Venezuelan opposition party Voluntad Popular said in a social media post on Tuesday that its national coordinator, Freddy Superlano, had been detained. Dismissing all the international criticism and doubts raised over poll results, Maduro claimed that Venezuela was the target of an attempted "coup d'etat" of a "fascist and counter-revolutionary" nature. His government has called the protesters "violent agitators," and Maduro directly blamed Gonzalez, his presidential challenger, for the deteriorating situation "I hold [Gonzalez] responsible for everything that is happening in Venezuela, criminal violence...the wounded, the dead, the destruction," said the Venezuelan leader. Maduro also warned that "justice will come," Al Jazeera reported. (ANI)
Indiana Attorney General Todd Rokita celebrates his office's victory over the city of East Chicago in a video released Tuesday. (Screenshot)

Indiana Attorney General Todd Rokita on Tuesday celebrated the city of East Chicagos repeal of its welcoming city ordinance  just three weeks after he initiated a lawsuit alleging the policy runs afoul of a state ban.

His office dismissed the lawsuit in response.

We are pleased East Chicago will no longer operate as a sanctuary city, giving safe harbor to illegal aliens, and are now following state law, Rokita said in a news release.

This is a big win for hardworking Hoosiers and legal immigrants who came to our great nation the right way, he continued.

Indiana Code has long barred local governments and their employees from refusing to communicate or cooperate with federal immigration authorities about the immigration status  lawful or unlawful  of an individual.

The General Assembly approved that ban in 2011, but it didnt stop some local units from passing sanctuary city or welcoming city ordinances.

East Chicagos 2017 ordinance, as cited in Rokitas complaint, barred law enforcement from:

requesting information about  or otherwise investigating or assisting in  the investigation of a persons citizenship or immigration status;

detaining a person based upon an immigration detainer, administrative warrant, or [a]ny other basis that is based solely on the belief that the person is not present legally in the United States, or that the person has committed a civil immigration violation; and

working with federal agencies to support or assist in any capacity with immigration enforcement operations, or cooperating with the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) unless presented with a criminal warrant.

The city council voted to repeal the ordinance on July 24, and Mayor Anthony Copeland approved the move on July 26, the city clerks office told the Capital Chronicle.

Rokita said his office would continue exercising our new enforcement authority by pushing forward with a lawsuit against Monroe County over a similar policy.

Lawmakers last session gave his office the power to enforce the ban on such ordinances. That came after Indianas two highest courts dismissed resident-led lawsuits aimed at East Chicago and the city of Gary for a lack of standing and injury.

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A federal jury has convicted 24-year-old Tonnaire McNair-Matthews for his role in a series of carjacking attempts that ultimately led to his kidnapping, sexual assault and robbery of a woman, the U.S. Department of Justice said Tuesday.

McNair-Matthews and three other Delaware men were arrested in April of 2023 for rear-ending cars in New Castle County and Pennsylvania in an attempt to carjack the drivers. They were federally indicted that July.

What happened?

McNair-Matthews, whom prosecutors claimed was the leader of the group, drove the other men  23-year-old David Hinson, 21-year-old Michael Caldwell and 20-year-old Mahkiya Powell  in a stolen Jeep as they started their carjacking spree on the morning of April 14, 2023.

They first rear-ended a car near Centreville, but fled the scene before police arrived, according to police. The driver of the other car was taken to the hospital with minor injuries.

McNair-Matthews rear-ended a second car less than half an hour later in Pennsylvania, according to court documents and previous reporting by Delaware Online/The News Journal. The driver of the car, a Pennsylvania woman on her way to work in Delaware, pulled over just across the state line and called 911.

McNair-Matthews, who was wearing a disguise, "smacked" the phone out of her hand, according to court records, and forced her back into her car at gunpoint. He drove her in her car back to Pennsylvania while the other men followed in the Jeep, police said.

McNair-Matthews sexually assaulted the woman while he drove, according to the Department of Justice, and raped her at gunpoint back in Pennsylvania. He also stole her debit card and demanded she give him her PIN code.

He then abandoned the woman in Pennsylvania and drove back to Delaware in her car, withdrawing money from the woman's bank accounts at ATMs along the way. The Department of Justice said McNair-Matthews reunited with Hinson, Caldwell and Powell  who had stolen a Nissan Pathfinder  in Wilmington and gave them his gun and the woman's bank cards and PIN.

The three other men cleaned the woman's car and stole her purse while McNair-Matthews changed clothes to "evade detection," according to the Department of Justice. When police later spotted McNair-Matthews' stolen Jeep at a convenience store, he and Powell, who was in the vehicle with him, fled and led police on a "high-speed chase," court documents state.

McNair-Matthews and Powell managed to escape police, but McNair-Matthews was arrested three days later after fleeing to Maryland, according to the Department of Justice.

The charges

McNair-Matthews was convicted on Thursday of kidnapping, carjacking, Hobbs Act robbery and conspiracy, and brandishing and use of a firearm in relation to Hobbs Act robbery and kidnapping.

The Hobbs Act forbids actual or attempted robbery, or extortion, that affects interstate or foreign commerce.

The defendants engaged in a heinous crime spree with devastating consequences," said U.S. Attorney David Weiss. "I commend the victims bravery and hope that the jurys guilty verdict brings some measure of closure.

McNair-Matthews faces a maximum penalty of life imprisonment, according to the Department of Justice. His sentence has not yet been determined.

MORE: ChristianaCare files lawsuit over controversial health care cost oversight law

Send story tips or ideas to Hannah Edelman at hedelman@delawareonline.com. For more reporting, follow them on X at @h_edelman.

This article originally appeared on Delaware News Journal: Federal jury convicts Delaware man for carajcking, robberies, rape
Greece is cracking down on businesses breaching the rules on its beaches  with fines of over 800,000 (600,000) having been issued in the last three weeks.

According to the Greek Ministry of Economy and Finance, more than 4,500 beach checks were carried out in July after citizens complained of countrywide rule violations.

Greece introduced a series of tightened beach rules in March, including a minimum four-metre gap between sunbeds and the shoreline for improved accessibility and sunbed caps to just 30 per cent of the beach, to control overcrowding on its famed coast.

Over 750 businesses on 150 Greek beaches have been investigated by the police and municipal authorities since the start of the summer, with fines applied to those breaking the rules.

Illegally setting up sunbeds beyond a business designated boundaries and occupying beach areas without a lease are among the violations that resulted in fines this July.

The ministry reported that 20 cases of illegally occupied beach areas by sun loungers in Rhodes, Volos, Corfu, Parga, Thessaloniki and Heraklion are accountable for a large portion of the 800,000 fines.

Many of the 4,500 complaints were submitted via the MyCoast beach planning app or phone calls from locals to the ministrys local real estate services.

The Halkidiki peninsula in Macedonia topped the list of areas with beach rule-breaking complaints.

The popular Greek coast received 1,396 complaints across eight beaches and 38 businesses, with eight violations resulting in a fine.

Preveza and Eastern Attica, both with over 500 registered complaints, had 35 and 49 businesses inspected for flouting beach rules.

As for holiday hotspots, in the Cycladic Islands (409 complaints), Corfu (325 complaints) and the Dodecanese Islands (163 complaints) one, three and nine violations were fined respectively.

Greeces Ministry of Economy and Finance said: The broader picture that emerged following the massive checks conducted in the last weeks is clearly improved compared to previous years as the majority of businesses providing beach services have conformed to the new rules and regulatory framework.

However, the checks of complaints also found many violations which ranged from a lack of signs to overtaking space limits with sun shades and even arbitrarily occupying public space without a concession contract.

In all cases where checks found violations the businesses face administrative fines, while those operating without a concession contract were shut down.

The finance ministry added that the checks will continue at a more intensive pace throughout the summer and priority will be given to the areas with the highest number of complaints submitted by citizens.

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Idaho Attorney General Raul Labrador wants his office to continue to represent Secretary of State Phil McGrane in a lawsuit he filed against McGrane, despite concerns from the state Supreme Court about whether that amounts to a conflict of interest.

Labrador sued McGrane and a coalition aiming to end Idahos closed primaries with a ballot initiative last week, with the goal of stopping the measure from appearing on the Nov. 5 general election ballot. Both Labrador and McGrane, as a state official, are being represented by lawyers who work for Labrador. The two elected officials in the past week have requested opposing deadlines for when the Idaho Supreme Court must make a ruling on the lawsuit.

The dual representation by the Attorney Generals Office of Labrador, the petitioner, and McGrane, a respondent, prompted the Idaho Supreme Court to openly question whether Labradors office was overstepping the Rules of Professional Conduct, which are the standards of behavior that all lawyers in the state must comply with.

The attorney general generally provides legal representation for state officials.

The court ordered Labrador to show cause as to why he and the deputy attorneys general in his office should not be disqualified from representing the secretary of state under the rules, Vice Chief Justice Robyn Brody wrote in a Monday order. She gave Labrador less than two days to provide justification.

Labradors office declined to comment Monday, citing the pending litigation. In his initial court filing, the attorney generals office said McGranes office would be represented by different attorneys within the attorney generals office, and that he had implemented ethical screening procedures to ensure the secretary receives zealous representation.

McGranes office also declined to comment.

Labrador, McGrane cite different timelines

Labrador argued that the measure runs afoul of the state constitution and used signatures that were deceptively collected by the coalition, Idahoans for Open Primaries. The groups spokesperson, Luke Mayville, has denied those allegations and called the lawsuit from Labrador a political stunt that is an insult to the thousands of ordinary people who volunteered their time to collect signatures.

With less than four months before Election Day, Labradors petition to the Idaho Supreme Court would need to be expedited for a resolution to come before voters cast their ballots. But the attorney general requested a longer timeline than what McGrane thinks the state needs.

Labradors office asked the Supreme Court to hear oral arguments on Aug. 23, and to issue a final decision on Sept. 6, which is a day before the secretary of state is required by law to submit the ballot initiative to the county clerks, according to court filings.

But McGrane said the case needs to be decided much faster: by Aug. 8, in time for his office to mail 850,000 voter pamphlets about the initiative  which are also required by law  to households across the state. The printing of those pamphlets takes a month, and the states printer has said it needs the final text no later than Aug. 9, according to filings.

In response to that argument, lawyers for Labrador objected and again argued that a six-week timeline was appropriate.

If McGrane starts printing the pamphlet with the initiative on it, and the measure is later found to be invalid, then the only consequence of its inclusion in the pamphlet will be that its sponsors get free advertising for their next attempt, one filing said. It added that the case raises extremely important issues and that finances are not the most important matter at stake.

The secretary of state shot back in another filing that printing pamphlets before the matter is resolved would waste taxpayer money and potentially confuse voters, who might see a ballot measure on their informational pamphlet and then not on their November ballot.

If ... the most important thing here is for the court to have sufficient time, then why should this matter be expedited at all? the filing said.

The conflict is so obvious

Benjamin Cover, a law professor at the University of Idaho who specializes in election law, told the Statesman the situation appeared very likely to conflict with the rules of professional conduct.

It looks like the sort of conflict that cant be waived, and it looks like the sort of conflict that applies not just to one lawyer but to every lawyer in the office, he said, noting that the request from the court was unusual.

The conflict is so obvious that the Idaho Supreme Court is affirmatively asking for clarification, (saying) What is going on here, how can you possibly represent the secretary of state in this case? he said.

Cover said it was also potentially problematic that McGrane had not been previously informed of the case by Labradors office. McGrane told the Statesman that he had only learned about the lawsuit through the newspapers inquiry the day the lawsuit was filed.

The initial lawsuit was nearly 200 pages and had five sworn statements from voters. As soon as the attorney generals lawyers contemplated filing a lawsuit, Labradors attorneys should have discussed its impact on the secretary of state and whether he needed an independent attorney, Cover said.

Theyve clearly been working on this for a while, he said. The secretary of state is their client, and they need to help their client do their job. And part of that is making sure the secretary of state meets these really important election deadlines.
The state of Arkansas and the organizers of an effort to put abortion access before voters in November continue to wrangle in court over whether the Secretary of State's office acted within its legal authority in throwing out the measure.

In a Monday legal filing, Secretary of State John Thurston denied allegations his office acted "unlawfully" when rejecting the ballot measure.

Thurston addressed factual claims in the lawsuit brought by Arkansans for Limited Government and reiterated his position that the committee cannot be granted legal relief.

The Arkansas Supreme Court on Friday ordered Thurston's response by Monday as well as further briefs, setting deadlines of Aug. 2 and 9 for both parties.

How many signatures did Arkansans for Limited Government collect?

Still, Thurston's office was ordered Tuesday to do an initial count of signatures collected by volunteer canvassers in response to Arkansans for Limited Government's motions to expedite the case and for emergency relief.

That count, which was finished Thursday, found that signatures collected by volunteers amounted to nearly 88,000, higher than Arkansans for Limited Government's previous estimate.

The total initial count, including signatures collected by paid canvassers (subject to additional paperwork that's the crux of the legal battle) is 102,730, exceeding the qualifying threshold of 90,704.

The Supreme Court has yet to rule on the central issue of the case, which is whether the signatures obtained by paid canvassers are legally acceptable in this instance and if the committee is entitled to a 30-day cure period.

Rebecca Bobrow, director of strategy for Arkansans for Limited Government, said Monday she was frustrated with Arkansas Attorney General Tim Griffins assertions that the group failed to meet requirements to be on the ballot in November. That, she said, is not true."

"No determination has been made in court," she said.

His statements have made it seem like its over and thats certainly not the case, she said.

Arkansans for Limited Government said in a written statement it was looking forward to our opportunity to once again demonstrate to the Supreme Court that the Secretary of State has acted unlawfully.

Attorney Generals motion to dismiss

Griffin filed a motion to dismiss the suit on July 19, citing the ostensibly incorrect paperwork in his decision to reject the petition on a technicality and decline to start an official count of the signatures.

"AFLGs petition falls short and further proceedings would be futile," the attorney general's filing reads. "The Court should therefore decline to require further merits briefing, deny the requested relief, and dismiss this case."

A week later, on Friday, after the Supreme Court issued its order for Thurston, Arkansans for Limited Government said in a written statement that the group "fully complied with the law governing ballot initiatives and we intend to demonstrate that again to the Supreme Court."

A representative from the Secretary of State's office declined to comment on Monday.

What is the lawsuit about?

The suit, in part, asked the Supreme Court to order the state "to complete the counting, verification, and certification process in the original time-frame set forth in law.

Each day that passes without the counting and verification of signatures makes it more unlikely that certification can occur by the August 22 deadline, it reads.

Soon after Arkansans for Limited Government submitted its signatures, Thurston said that the group had not filed certain accompanying paperwork correctly.

He said in a letter that that "require(s) me to reject your submission outright."

The committee's executive director Lauren Cowles wrote in a July 11 response, "Contrary to your claim, AFLG met the requirements."

She said the committee had in fact submitted the documentation for paid canvassers both in late June and again on July 5 with the signatures.

My position remains unchanged, Thurston said in response, citing two technical issues. Each of these defects independently required me to reject your petition."

What is in the amendment and what happens now?

The amendment, if approved by voters, would legalize abortion up to 18 weeks from fertilization, in cases of rape, incest, fatal fetal anomaly and to save the health of the mother.

Abortion is currently illegal in Arkansas except to save the life of the mother in a medical emergency.

Arkansas is rated the most abortion-restrictive state in the country by pro-life organizations including Americans United for Life.

The extra requirements for paid canvassers at issue were added in 2013, soon after Republicans took control of the state House for the first time in decades, though that legislation had Democratic sponsors and passed with bipartisan support.

This article originally appeared on Fort Smith Times Record: Arkansas abortion measure: Legal wrangling continues over signatures
Mark Kelly was there when I needed help for my daughter. He's the VP America needs

I am writing with a rebuttal of the opinion regarding Sen. Mark Kelly by Jake Byrne (Dont canonize Mark Kelly as a VP contender. Hes no saint).

Mark Kelly never wanted to be a politician. The tragedy suffered by his wife was the catalyst that propelled him into the world of politics. We need a leader that is not doing it for the power and notoriety, but for his family and country.

You need more proof of his authenticity? My daughter is serving in the military overseas stationed in Bahrain. We got a call one evening from her commanding officer as she was in dire straits due to a botched procedure by the locals. The news was grim, and I knew I needed to get her out of there.

Forget Kelly: This GOP senator should be Harris' VP

I reached out to the offices of both Sens. Kelly and Kyrsten Sinema for assistance. I never heard from Sinemas office; however, a representative from Kellys office responded within four hours and asked what they could do to assist and was prepared to intervene on her behalf.

Fortunately, by that time the crisis had passed. I have never forgotten that and I am proud to have that man represent me and my state.

He is exactly the type of politician we need at exactly the right time in America. Personally, I wish he was at the top of the ticket.

Brad Chamberlain, Maricopa

Whats on your mind? Send us a letter to the editor online or via email at opinions@arizonarepublic.com.

This article originally appeared on Arizona Republic: Mark Kelly was there for my Navy daughter. He'd make a great VP
Putin's Wagner Group mercenaries got thrashed in the African desert  and Ukraine says it helped

Putin's Wagner Group mercenaries got thrashed in the African desert  and Ukraine says it helped

Ukraine says it aided rebels in Mali to defeat Russian Wagner Group mercenaries.

The battle shows a new front for Ukraine in countering Russia  this time, in Africa.

Mali's junta, propped up by Wagner, faces opposition from separatists.

Ukraine's defense intelligence claimed a role in a recent battle in Africa  where separatist rebels destroyed a detachment of Russian Wagner Group mercenaries fighting overseas.

Andriy Yusov, a spokesperson for Ukraine's Main Intelligence Directorate said on a TV broadcast on Monday that the rebels got "necessary information" from Ukraine to win the battle, the Kyiv Post reported. He did not give further details.

The paper published a photograph of Malian separatist forces holding up a Ukrainian flag, an apparent expression of solidarity with the country.

Business Insider was unable to independently verify the image.

The apparent involvement of Ukrainian intelligence in the battle suggests a new dimension in its efforts to counter Russia.

Razgruzka Vagnera, a social media channel closely linked to the Wagner Group, on Monday admitted major losses in a week-long battle with separatist forces and a Jihadi group near the town of Tinzaouaten, in eastern Mali.

Wagners fought alongside Malian armed forces, the channel said.

The channel said Wagner forces, alongside Malian fighters, initially saw off the attack before a sandstorm developed and allowed the rebel forces to regroup with greater numbers.

They attacked the mercenaries once again with heavy weapons, drones and suicide vehicles, the channel said.

The last message sent from the Wagner Group's forces said there were just three left fighting, the channel said.

It's unclear how many people were killed, with estimates ranging between 20 and 50, the BBC reported.

The battle killed Wagner Group commander Sergei Shevchenko, Razguzra Vagnera said.

The independent Russian Telegram channel Astra also reported that the popular Russian propagandist Nikita Fedyanin was killed.

BI was unable to independently verify the reports.

Fedyanin has more than half a million followers on his pro-Russian GREY ZONE Telegram channel, which shares updates on Wagner activities.

The channel has not posted since July 23, when it shared an image of Wagner Group soldiers in what it said was one of the countries of the African Sahel  which includes Mali.

Photos circulating online appear to show killed and captured Wagner soldiers. BI was also unable to verify those images.

The separatist group that claimed responsibility for the attack is the Permanent Strategic Framework for Peace, Security and Development, or CSP-PSD, the BBC reported.

The al-Qaida-affiliated Jamaat Nusrat al-Islam wal-Muslimin also claimed responsibility, per the BBC.

The CSP-PSD opposes Mali's junta, which has been propped up by the Wagner Group for several years.

The junta leader, Colonel Assimi Goita, deposed the country's elected president in 2020.

Since then, Goita and his supporters have routinely postponed promised elections, cementing his power with the "apparent intent to maintain military government indefinitely," as the Pentagon-funded Africa Center for Strategic Studies put it.

ACSS says that the junta brought in around 1,000 Wagner troops, at a cost of an estimated $10.9 million a month. The relationship with Wagner has continued even after the death last year of the group's founder, Yevgeny Prigozhin.

African military leaders like Goita can "simply cannot survive without Moscow's support," the ACSS wrote.

The battle is a single flashpoint amid vast Wagner Group-led Russian influence operations across Africa.

The ACSS has mapped Russian disinformation campaigns in 25 African countries, including Mali, and has long tracked the Wagner Group's activities there.

"In Mali, Wagner is linked to more than 320 incidents of human rights abuses and hundreds of civilian deaths," as of last year, it wrote.

Read the original article on Business Insider
A low angle view of a long line of people waiting to vote in the elections.

File

COLUMBIA  More than 10,000 South Carolinians will be needed to work the polls for the November election.

The South Carolina Election Commission estimates that 13,000 to 17,000 poll workers could be needed statewide.

But convincing enough of the states nearly 3.8 million registered voters to work the elections can be a challenge. To fill these roles, the state Election Commission and counties are working to recruit poll workers, which includes participating in National Poll Worker Recruitment Day on Thursday.

For the general election, each polling place is supposed to have three managers for every 500 voters, rounded up, who are registered to vote at that location.

In larger counties, this adds up to a significant number of workers. Charleston is looking to recruit 2,000 poll workers for the fall. Richland and Greenville are each looking for well over 1,000.

We appreciate all the help we can get, said Conway Belangia, the county director for Greenville.

On Election Day, polls are open 7 a.m. to 7 p.m., but poll workers must be there by 6 a.m. to get ready for voters and must stay as long as it takes for people still in line at 7 p.m. to vote, then process ballots.

The state compensates counties for poll worker wages. The state rate is $60 to attend training and $75 on Election Day, for a total of $135. Poll clerks, who lead each precinct and undergo more training, will get an additional $100.

Some counties supplement that pay. Charleston nearly doubles it, paying poll workers a total of $250 each and clerks $410. Beaufort adds $100 to the state rate; Richland adds $50; and Horry adds $25. Greenville County, the states largest in population, does not supplement their pay at all.

According to Power the Polls, a nonpartisan nonprofit working to recruit workers, several counties in South Carolina have a significant need for poll workers, including Charleston, Greenwood and Clarendon.

Greenwood had about 250 poll workers for the June primary, enough to run the election but about 50 people short of its goal, said Connie Moody, the countys election director. For November, she wants 325 workers and said there is a lot of interest from people to work that election.

Moody said recruiting workers for the primary runoff was particularly challenging. The county does not supplement the pay, and since there is no second training period for that contest, people who worked the runoff were paid only for the day worked.

Requirements to be a poll worker:

Must be registered to vote in South Carolina

Cannot be a candidate or close relative of a candidate and work at any polling place where the candidate is on the ballot

Clerks must be registered to vote either in the county they are working in or in an adjacent county

Teens 16 and 17 years old, while too young to vote, can work as assistants

Source: State Election Commission

They worked 13, 13.5 hours for $75, Moody said.

In Clarendon, the county had about 108 poll workers for the June primary, which was less than officials were hoping for, according to Christine Harvin, the county director.

To hit the goal of about 125 poll workers in November, the office does about one outreach effort a month, Harvin said. The office will also be holding a recruitment event on Thursday at the election office for Poll Worker Recruitment Day.

Richland County, home of the state capital, is looking to recruit 500 new workers. Thats in addition to a core group of about 800 people who regularly work the elections, said Travis Alexander, the county director.

Alexander is hoping to draw new recruits from Columbias colleges and universities, to get some younger workers. This week he is going to start reaching out to political science and history departments, and he will be recruiting through August.

We want to make sure were there when orientation is going on, Alexander said.

Some counties like Beaufort are always recruiting. Marie Smalls, the county director for Beaufort, said she is confident they will have enough workers for the general election.

Recruiting is an ongoing effort for us, Smalls said. We had enough poll workers in June and Im hoping we have enough for November.

Editors note: The number of poll workers needed statewide has been changed after the State Election Commission informed us that it initially provided incorrect information.
Tall ship to visit Provincetown this weekend. It will go through the Cape Cod Canal first.

Editor's note: The Kalmar Nyckel cruised through the Cape Cod Canal Wednesday. Marinetraffic.com showed it in Provincetown late Wednesday morning.

Visitors to Provincetown can get a hint of how the skyline at the harbor once appeared  bristling with wooden masts, booms and yards  as a tall ship comes to port and lowers her gang plank to welcome passengers aboard.

On Thursday, the Kalmar Nyckel, the tall ship of Delaware that's a full replica of a 17th century square-rigged sailing vessel, will arrive at MacMillan Pier for an 11-day stay, offering excursions out on the waves the old-fashioned way.

"We're excited because we haven't been to Provincetown in five years," said Jan Ross, director of marketing and public relations for the Kalmar Nyckel Foundation.

The Kalmar Nyckel heads under the Bourne Bridge. The Kalmar Nyckel motored through the Cape Cod Canal on the morning slack tide around 7 a.m. The tall ship of Delaware is a replica of the 17th century square-rigged sailing vessel. It arrived at MacMillan Pier in Provincetown Wednesday.

The once annual visits were interrupted by the pandemic. Pier manager Jamie Demetriou said she invited the Kalmar Nyckel to return.

"I think it's wonderful that they come here," she said, noting that tall ships are a big attraction at the pier when they come.

Ship will transit Cape Cod Canal on way to Provincetown

The Kalmar Nyckel, with Captain Lauren Morgens at the helm, has already set sail from her home port, and is expected to transit the Cape Cod Canal sometime on Wednesday, depending on the conditions at sea.

We are excited about returning to Provincetown, one of our best ports for great sailing, said Morgens prior to setting sail.

On Monday, port Captain Sharon Dounce said she is not certain exactly what time the ship will go through the canal, "but they will come in on a slack tide. I would say, make sure you know when the slack tides are on the canal and watch marinetraffic.com."

She said as the ship approaches, it's a safe bet it will begin transiting the canal on the next slack tide.

Experience sailing as it was done in the past

The Kalmar Nyckel is scheduled to arrive in Provincetown on Thursday and will offer 2.5-hour day sails Aug. 2-12 from MacMillan Pier. The ship is a full-scale replica of a Swedish ship that in 1638 brought the settlers who founded New Sweden, the first permanent European settlement in the Delaware Valley.

During the Provincetown visit, the ship will give passengers a chance to experience sailing as it was done in the 17th century.

"Provincetown is the absolute best day sailing on the East Coast for our ship. There is nowhere better, because there is plenty of deep water and there's not a lot of obstructions, so we can go out there and sail our hearts out," said Dounce, who has captained the ship out of Provincetown herself many times in the past.

At dock, the ship's sails are furled or hanging in their gear, and engines are used to get off the dock, "but then we set sail, and that's when the fun begins," she said. "Once we get out there, it is all under sail. It's just wonderful. We put the guests to work, if they'd like to help, setting lines on a 17th century square rigged ship."

But helping out is completely optional, said Ross.

"You can haul lines and learn to heave to a chanty song or you can just relax and wander around and meet the different crew members who are from all over the country and the world," she said.

A fun part of the excursions, noted Dounce, is tacking, or turning, the ship.

"That does take a lot of people," Dounce said.

They keep the ship relatively close to land during the outings, she said. Every once in a while, they have seen whales during their sails.

"It's a rare sighting, but it's so cool," she said.

Kalmar Nyckel's Provincetown sailing schedule

The Kalmar Nyckel will offer one excursion on Friday, Aug. 2, 5-7:30 p.m. During the rest of the ship's visit to Provincetown, it will set sail twice daily according to the following schedule:

Sunday, Aug. 4, 10 a.m.-12:30 p.m. and 2:30-5 p.m.

Tuesday, Aug. 6, 10 a.m.-12:30 p.m. and 2:30-5 p.m.

Wednesday, Aug. 7, 10 a.m.-12:30pm and 2:30-5 p.m.

Thursday, Aug. 8, 11 a.m.-1:30 p.m. and 3:30-6 p.m.

Friday, Aug. 9, 11:30 a.m.-2 p.m. and 3:30-6 p.m.

Sunday, Aug. 11, 12:30-3 p.m. and 4:30-7 p.m.

Monday, Aug. 12, 12:30-3 p.m. and 4:30-7 p.m.

How to get tickets

Morning and afternoon sail tickets are available online at KalmarNyckel.org/explore or by calling 302-429-7447.

Tickets are $75 per adult and $40 per child 12 and younger. The sails are recommended for ages 8 and above. Space is limited to 49 passengers per sail. Advance reservations are highly recommended. The schedule is weather dependent and subject to change.

Heather McCarron writes about climate change, environment, energy, science and the natural world, in addition to news and features in Barnstable and Brewster. Reach her 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. Here are our subscription plans.

This article originally appeared on Cape Cod Times: Tall ship in Provincetown: Dates, sailing times, tickets and more
Four teenage boys were detained Saturday night in connection with reports of gunshots in the Daniels Hill neighborhood, according to the Lynchburg Police Department.

Shortly before 8 p.m. on Saturday, police went to the 900 block of Cabell Street where witnesses said a group of juveniles and a gray Jeep were involved in the incident.

Police were unable to find any suspects when they first arrived, according to the news release. But about an hour later, police received new reports that the same group of teens had returned to the scene.

Witnesses told police they saw a teenage boy who was wearing a red hoodie in possession of a gun, the release said.

When police returned to the scene, they detained the four teens and confiscated the gun from a 15-year-old, who was charged with carrying a concealed weapon and possession of a firearm by a minor, according to the LPD.

Another 15-year-old was charged with providing false identification to law enforcement, the release said. A 14-year-old boy was served with two outstanding criminal petitions. The fourth juvenile, a 13-year-old boy, was released to his parents, with charges pending, police said.

In another recent incident involving a juvenile, police arrested a 17-year-old male in connection with a July 13 shooting at Langview Apartments near E.C. Glass High School. Shortly after the shooting, a man arrived at Lynchburg General Hospital with a non-life-threatening gunshot wound, police said.

The teen in that case was charged with malicious wounding, use of a firearm in the commission of a felony, and possession of a firearm by a juvenile, according to police.

Anyone with information about Saturday nights incident can contact the Lynchburg Police Department, or Crime Stoppers at (888) 798-5900, or provide an anonymous tip online at http://p3tips.com.
TOKYO, Jul 30 (News On Japan) - At the recent US-Japan 2+2 meeting, discussions focused on Japan's national security, particularly in the context of war and disaster responses.

Japan and the US have agreed to strengthen their military cooperation amid rising tensions in East Asia. A new Joint Operations Commander will be established in Japan to enhance command integration between the Self-Defense Forces (SDF) and US military. This change aims to streamline decision-making during emergencies such as wars and natural disasters.

The new structure mirrors the US system where regional commanders, like those in the Indo-Pacific Command based in Hawaii, have direct operational authority. The move is seen as crucial for maintaining an equal partnership with the US while ensuring Japan's strategic autonomy.

One challenge is the rank discrepancy between Japanese and US commanders, which may affect coordination. In South Korea, both US and South Korean commanders hold equal ranks, providing a model for effective cooperation.

The US and Japan also reaffirmed their commitment to the US nuclear umbrella for Japans defense. As Japan implements this new command structure, it must navigate the complexities of maintaining its security partnership with the US, especially with the upcoming presidential transition in the US.

Overall, these developments are critical for Japans national security and the future of US-Japan defense relations.

Source: YOMIURI
KOBE, Jul 30 (News On Japan) - Awaji Island, approaching 30 years since the Great Hanshin-Awaji Earthquake next year, is experiencing a remarkable revival. Once designated as a 'disappearing city' due to its ongoing population decline and extensive damage, the island is now 'boiling' with activity.

Major personnel services company Pasona Group has relocated part of its headquarters to the island, prompting many employees to move there. Alongside this, new leisure facilities are rapidly opening, transforming Awaji into a major tourist destination in the Kansai region.

Additionally, various accommodation facilities are being established within the island. Pasona is also constructing large hotels aimed at inbound tourists and the affluent, in anticipation of the Osaka-Kansai Expo next year. Moreover, Bar Ni Bar Bi, a company known for developing eateries on idle regional land, has ventured into Awaji Island. They are attracting visitors from both inside and outside the island by creating a new restaurant district that utilizes local ingredients in areas where there was once nothing.

Source: BIZ
SHIZUOKA, Jul 30 (News On Japan) - Police are on the hunt for a 27-year-old man wanted for the murder of three family members, stabbed to death in the abdomen and chest, according to investigators.

The suspect wanted for the murders is Hirokazu Katayama, 27, whose address and occupation are currently unknown.

Katayama is suspected of attacking and killing Shoichi Shibuya, 87, his wife Ikuko, 81, and their daughter Rumiko, 52, with a knife at their residence in Honjo, Kikugawa City, on the 28th.

Katayama is the grandson of the Shibuya couple.

According to investigators, Ikuko was not only stabbed in the abdomen and back but also kicked, while Shoichi was stabbed in the chest and Rumiko in the abdomen.

Furthermore, Ikuko was found collapsed at the entrance, and Shoichi was found in the bathroom.

The police are widely seeking information on Katayama's whereabouts.

Previously: 27-Year-Old Grandson Wanted for Triple Murder

Source: ANN
SHIZUOKA, Jul 31 (News On Japan) - A man wanted for the murder of three family members in Kikugawa, Shizuoka Prefecture, has been apprehended in Tottori City.

The suspect, Hirokazu Katayama, a 27-year-old former Self-Defense Force (SDF) member, was wanted on charges of murder.

Katayama is suspected of killing his grandfather Shoichi Shibuya, grandmother Ikuko Shibuya, and aunt Rumiko Shibuya with a knife at their residence in Kikugawa on the 28th.

According to police, Katayama was apprehended in Tottori City around 7 p.m. on the 30th.

He was injured in the abdomen and has been admitted to a local hospital for treatment.

Previously: Grandson Wanted for Triple Murder

Source: ANN
Nagano, Jul 31 (News On Japan) - A bear and its cubs were filmed relaxing in a river in Kamikochi, Nagano Prefecture, a popular hiking destination, showing no fear of humans. The photographer, originally there to capture bird photos, encountered the bears unexpectedly.

Locals are usually advised to quietly leave if they spot a bear, but the photographer and about 20 to 30 other tourists chose to stay put and film the scene from a distance of about 50 meters. The Ministry of the Environment advises against filming or making loud noises in such situations.

Pank Machida, Director of the Asian Animal Medical Research Center, recommends avoiding sudden movements and backing away slowly while maintaining eye contact if encountering a bear.

Source: FNN
By Gabriel Ewepu

ABUJA-ONE of the arrowheads of the nationwide protest scheduled to commence on Thursday, August 1, 2024, Deji Adeyanju, Monday, declared that there is no going back on the protest.

Adeyanju stated this during an interview with Vanguard on the fixed date of the protest, in which he said Nigerians are very ready to participate in the peaceful protest, while he spoke on other issues concerning the protest.

He said: The protest is going to hold on Thursday and there is no going back on it.

On preparation for Nigerians joining the protest on August 1, 2024, based on the fact that a lot of groups pulling out of the protest, he said, Basically, the idea is to ensure that people are as peaceful as possible.

He further, stated that security agencies protect protesters, Also ensure security people ensure protesters are protected, and that is the whole idea.

Meanwhile, he said they will The demands are properly streamlined so that the government can have a grasp of the entire demand.

However, he said his message to Nigerians who would join the nationwide protest remains absolutely peaceful.

On the police saying they are yet to receive an application for protest, he said, Nigerians dont need to apply for protest, the court has severally held.

On his fear of whether the security agencies would scuttle the nationwide protest on August 1, he expressed confidence that Protest is the constitutional right of the citizens, the police have no right to stop the protest, no single right whatsoever.

Speaking on the possibility of using those groups pulling out of the protest to be used to stop the protest, he said, We are anticipating that already.

There is nobody that doesnt want to be part of the protest. The government is sponsoring people to attack protesters that they always do like during the EndSARS.

The federal government is sponsoring people to see that they pull out of the protest, and all those statements and press conferences it is the federal government that is behind it.

There is no Nigerian in his right senses that will say is not going to be part of the protest. There is suffering in the country and it is too much.

On how to counter sponsored groups to attack those Nigerians that would participate in the August 1 protest, he said, On goal has always been to appeal to the security agencies to do their job, the job that the taxpayers are paying them for. The police should not sit by while thugs sponsored by the government attack people protesting.

Thank God that the police has said that citizens have the constitutional right to protest. So Nigerians should indeed go all out to join the protest.

Meanwhile, according to him (Adeyanju), the nationwide protest with just three days to go would achieve the purpose.

If government would allow the peaceful protest to go on, the protest will achieve its purpose and objectives, he said.

Speaking on timeframes to meet the demands of the protest, he said, Government is enjoined to meet the demands before the protest starts, and it is a kind of ultimatum. Government should be responsible, and why should the government even wait for the protests to happen before they come?

He added that, Government exists primarily for the purpose of the people, and if the government is not doing what the people want and the people are complaining, the government should heed to their cries and do the needful.
By Luminous Jannamike

The Registrar of Wigwe University, Ms. Ulonna Inyama, has died under mysterious circumstances in Abuja, sparking concerns about medical negligence and hospital safety.

According to a family source, Ms. Inyama died due to complications from fibroid surgery and a wrong blood transfusion.

The source revealed that she was initially admitted to a hospital in Abuja for fibroid treatment but suffered a fatal reaction after receiving the wrong blood type.

She died of loss of blood due to fibroid complications under mysterious circumstances. We were told that wrong blood transfusion led to her death.

When her condition worsened due to complications, she was referred to another hospital, where she passed on, the source told Vanguard on Monday in Abuja.

The incident has raised questions about the quality of medical care and safety protocols in Nigerian hospitals. The family has demanded an investigation into the circumstances surrounding Ms. Inyamas death.

Ms. Inyamas death comes just months after the tragic loss of Wigwe Universitys founder, Herbert Wigwe, who died in a helicopter crash in California, USA, along with his wife and son.

The university community is still reeling from the loss of its founder and now faces another devastating blow with the loss of its Registrar.
By John Alechenu, Abuja

 urges protesters to be civil

Ex-National Chairman of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Uche Secondus, has said President Bola Tinubu lacks the moral authority to stop the planned #EndBadGovernance in Nigeria protest because he is the biggest beneficiary of protests.

Secondus said this in a statement signed by his Special Adviser (Media), Ike Abonyi, in Abuja, on Tuesday.

He recalled that Tinubu, while in opposition, was a notable arrowhead in anti-government protests and wondered why he should be selfish on it this time.

Secondus noted that citizens have a civic duty to save our dear country from collapse in the face of an unprecedented economic crisis and insecurity occasioned by perennial bad governance by all tiers of successive governments.

He further argued that the state of anomie in which we find ourselves today has incrementally worsened because the citizens failed in their duty to hold governments at all levels to account.

Secondus asserted that this has been the case because political leaders often use partisan, ethnic, and religious sentiments to either discourage protests when they are in government or encourage them when they are in opposition.

According to the former PDP helmsman, the planned #EndBadGovernanceProtest is a non-partisan pan-Nigerian and altruistic engagement of the citizens aimed at addressing the malaise in our country.

This protest should not be discouraged. Protests remain the most potent democratic platform through which the consciousness of nations can be aroused, and indeed, the consciousness of the leadership elite can be nudged and compelled to act rightly in the interest of citizens.

Secondus contended that the injunction in the Holy Bible, which says, You shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free applies to our situation as Nigerians.

In essence, this is not the time to sweep issues under the carpet; it is the time to speak truth to power and awaken our collective conscience so that we can work together to build a better society.

He, therefore, called on all protesters to be organised and peaceful and shun all acts of violence. Also, governments at all levels and security agencies should provide the necessary security environment to ensure peace and order by international law and the Nigerian Constitution.
By Richard Ogunsile

The Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU), Ebonyi State University Chapter, has criticized the Student Loan scheme by President Bola Tinubus government, asserting that its implementation and sustainability are not feasible.

The Union has urged for a reassessment of its demands which include enhanced funding for revitalization, and the promotion of university autonomy and academic freedom throughout the universities in the country.

Naija News reports that the Chairman of the EBSU-ASUU Chapter, Dr. Ikechuku Igwenyi, made these remarks during a press conference held on Monday in Abakaliki, the capital of the state.

His words read: As you all are aware, the education system in Nigeria has been bedevilled by underfunding and successive governments. Consequently, public primary and secondary schools have been destroyed, and their teachers have very low self-esteem as the poorest of public servants in Nigeria, with most of them earning less than $20 per month.

This deplorable and unfortunate situation has encouraged the massive drift of students from Public schools to privately owned Primary and Secondary Schools in Nigeria, where people are exploited for quality education. Having achieved the destruction of the basic education system, it seems now is the turn of tertiary institutions.

This anomaly, ASUU has vowed to resist and is exactly the reason ASUU is asking for renegotiation, improved funding for revitalization, university autonomy and academic freedom.

These basic problems of our university education system have been truncated with several diversionary policies such as non-payment of Earned Academic Allowances, imposition of IPPIS, threats to the University Autonomy and autonomy of the University Senate by the forceful introduction of CCMAS, obnoxious notional promotion clauses, threat to Union Leaders for public advocacy, unregulated proliferation of state and private universities when there is no funding capacity, among a myriad of others. Today, the story is about the Student Loan Scheme.

Student Loan

Continuing his argument, Igwenyi traced the inception of the student loan scheme back to the military regime of Yakubu Gowon.

He highlighted that the scheme was conceived to assist students whose parents and guardians businesses had been impacted by the civil war, enabling them to afford their education.

He reminisced that the origins of the students loan scheme can be traced back to 1972, following the establishment of the Students Loan Board by General Yakubu Gowon (retired) as part of post-civil war recovery initiatives.

This initiative aimed to support students across the nation in financing their education, thereby alleviating the financial burden on parents and guardians whose businesses had suffered during the civil war.

A significant amount of money was allocated to the scheme, with repayment presenting considerable challenges for the military government.

Out of the loans issued, over N46 million were outstanding, with a portion of the remaining amount, approximately N40 million, proving unrecoverable.

Had that sum been invested in the funding of tertiary institutions, the impact could have been substantial, the ASUU chief noted.

He further noted that in 1993, the Nigerian Education Bank was established through Decree No. 50 of 1993, with the objective of providing financial assistance to students.

However, the scheme faced challenges due to its complexity in implementation and recovery, leading to its delayed implementation under the leadership of General Ibrahim Badamosi Babangida (retired).

In 2016, Hon. Femi Gbajabiamila, the Leader of the House of Representatives under Gen. Muhammadu Buhari (Rtd) sponsored the Bill for an Act to provide for easy access to Higher Education for Nigerians through Interest-free Loans from the Nigerian Education Bank, which did not see the light of day till 2022. The House of Representatives and Senate passed the Students Loan Bill by a modified name, Access to Higher Education Bill.

The Bill is now signed by President Bola Tinubu as Access to Higher Education Act, 2023; the NELFUND Student Loan. Some of the modified conditions are that the students submit their data like NIN and Bank BVN with a promise to repay the loan 2 years after NYSC, with a caveat for loan forgiveness in the event of death of the beneficiary, he added.

Igwenyi added that it is ASUUs responsibility to give the public proper information on the student loan scheme, which has generated so much controversy.

He stated, ASUU has a duty to inform the public properly on this matter. It is disheartening that our leaders who enjoyed free and subsidised education in Nigeria and abroad are the people who have resurrected this obnoxious policy of funding education through individual loans. Education is a public good that must be catered for by the government. One wonders why it is difficult to use the money for an already failed enterprise for intervention in public tertiary institutions and make the institutions financially autonomous through the provision of basic facilities for a functional education system with local content.

Remember that the government had, through thorough engagements with stakeholders, agreed to inject N1.3 trillion as a consequence of the NEEDS Assessment Report of 2012 for turn-around maintenance of tertiary institutions in Nigeria. This was to reduce the financial pressure on the Government, create Research Institutes for research and innovations, provide basic learning infrastructures, build hostels to remove students from town effects and make tuition affordable, and create opportunities for improved internally generated revenue, among other benefits.

The Federal Government released N200 billion in 2013 with a strong promise to release N220B annually for five years ending in 2018. Apart from the first tranche released in 2013 by the President Goodluck Jonathan-led administration, not a single complete tranche has been released to date. This is part of the issues ASUU is struggling to achieve, and a major demand of the Union that has seen several MoUs and MoAs without fidelity on the side of the Government.

That single release of N200 billion in 2013 is the reason for most of the modern structures and facilities in all public Universities, Polytechnics and Colleges of Education and Agriculture in Nigeria. On the Student Loan, ASUU was not comfortable with the inclusion of family income threshold, the initial disbursement ratio between the institution and the candidate, the source of the funding, repayment plan in a depressed economy where farmers are expelled from their farms, heavy taxes and tariff imposed on businesses, no reliable power supply, high risks of doing business, and insecurity, jobs are not guaranteed and unavailable after Youth service.
By Ikenna Ngere

In a wave of violence leading up to nationwide protests set for Thursday, August 1, 2024, hoodlums in Calabar, Cross River State, have launched an attack on journalists, seriously injuring a Nigerian Tribune reporter, Joseph Abasi-Abasi.

According to Daily Post, the assailants also targeted an 18-seater bus belonging to the Nigeria Union of Journalists (NUJ) that was transporting food items from the State Emergency Management Agency warehouse to the Ernest Etim Press Centre in Calabar.

Naija News gathered that the attack occurred at approximately 10 a.m., with the hoodlums assaulting the NUJ bus driver, Joseph Akpaenin, and auxiliary staff member, Saviour Ekpenyong. The food items on the bus were meant for the NUJ Cross River State Council.

During the assault, the attackers managed to steal some of the food items from the bus and severely beat several journalists. The bus driver, Joseph Akpaenin, suffered injuries to his shoulder and face, and his phone was also stolen. Other journalists sustained significant bruises in the attack.

Comrade Archibong Bassey, Chairman of the NUJ in Cross River State, has condemned the violence and theft perpetrated by the hoodlums.
By Rachael Omidiji

President Bola Tinubu has approved the establishment of a youth secretariat for the Federal Capital Territory (FCT).

FCT Minister Nyesom Wike announced this on Monday during a town hall meeting at the Bwari Area Council. The meeting aimed to mobilize youths in the territory against participating in the planned hunger protest.

Earlier, during similar town hall meetings at the Abuja Municipal Area Council and the Abaji Area Council, Wike had promised the youths that he would present their request to the President. He highlighted that three of his current cabinet appointees were young people, two of whom are indigenous to the FCT.

Wike also mentioned that he had requested the appointment of an FCT indigene as the Head of the FCT Public Complaints Commission, a request that the President has also approved.

The minister expressed gratitude to the youth for choosing dialogue with the government over joining the planned #EndBadGovernance protests.

Let me thank you for saying that you prefer to dialogue, you prefer to talk to each other instead of going to the streets. That shows your maturity, that shows your understanding and support for the administration, Wike said.

He continued, On Saturday, I told the people of AMAC when they requested the establishment of a youth secretariat. I said they should take it for granted, I know that when I meet Mr. President, he will approve. Yesterday, while at Kwali, I repeated what I said. I bring you good news; I saw the President last night, and he has approved the establishment of the youth secretariat.

The President has the capacity; he has never denied that there are challenges. He said there are challenges, but we must be patient as he works to solve and tackle these challenges.
WASHINGTON (AP)  Israeli military strikes are targeting Iran's armed allies across a nearly 2,000-mile stretch of the Middle East and threatening Iran itself. The efforts raise the possibility of an end to two decades of Iranian ascendancy in the region, to which the 2003 U.S. invasion of I
In the Friday, Nov. 18, 1887, first edition issue of the Daily News, the contents one will find are quite a bit different from what you'd see in a modern paper. Advertisements were of the times, with such services as blacksmithing and livery stables still relevant during the era.
Following their visit to Beijing and Jiangsu, a delegation of nine from the World Evangelical Alliance (WEA) visited CCC&TSPM.

Rev. Lin Manhong, vice president and general secretary of the China Christian Council (CCC), welcomed the delegation and reviewed the history of interactions between the WEA and CCC&TSPM on July 24, said CCC&TSPM. She also briefly introduced two significant initiatives currently being promoted by the Chinese church: the sinicization of Christianity and the administration of churches according to the law.

Rev. Geng Weizhong, vice president of CCC, informed the delegation about CCC&TSPMs writing ministry and publishing ministry, referring to the Bible, hymnals, church books, and CCC&TSPMs flagship magazine named Tianfeng or the Heavenly Wind. Gu Mengfei, secretary general of the National TSPM, provided a brief overview of CCC&TSPMs related work.

Pastor Frank Hinkelmann, vice chairman of the International Council of the World Evangelical Alliance (WEA), stated that the visit had deepened their understanding of the Chinese church, with gratitude on behalf of the delegation for the warm reception they received. Rev. Godfrey Yogarajah, a member of the International Council of WEA and chairman of the Evangelical Fellowship of Asia, introduced the organizational structure and ministries of WEA, which has 650 million believers as a coalition organization including 143 national alliances and nine regional alliances. Its ministries primarily involve missions, evangelism, social care, spiritual formation, and unity.

During the meeting, the hosts and guests discussed issues such as the decline in the global Christian population and the uneven development of Christianity worldwide. After the meeting, the delegation visited the Holy Trinity Cathedral in Shanghai and the bookstore named Sharing Grace Through Reading.

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The WEA's last visit to China can be traced back to 2017 when the then secretary general, Bishop Efraim Tendero, met with the late Elder Fu Xianwei, the then chairman of TSPM.
King Mohammed VI proudly celebrated the 25th anniversary of his accession to the throne. In his speech, he expressed his gratitude to God for the political, institutional, economic, and social achievements of his reign.

The King highlighted efforts to consolidate Moroccan identity, ensure social cohesion, and strengthen Moroccos position on the international stage.

The King also underscored the ongoing challenges, particularly the issue of water exacerbated by drought and climate change. He emphasized the importance of good governance, the prompt implementation of water transfer projects, the construction of dams, and the acceleration of desalination plants.

The speech also addressed Moroccos support for the Palestinian cause, the Kings commitment as President of the Al-Quds Committee to provide urgent aid to Gaza, and the promotion of a sustainable solution based on the two-state solution.

Finally, the King praised the efforts of all the nations vital forces and paid tribute to the Royal Armed Forces and security services for their dedication to defending national unity and preserving the countrys security.
King Mohammed VI underscored the need to address the water challenge by speeding up desalination projects that are powered by renewable energies.

In a speech on the 25th anniversary of his accession to the throne, the King underscored the pressing need to take urgent, innovative steps in order to avoid water shortages, following six years of drought that emptied dams and depleted underground water.

Drought was complicated by a rising demand and delays in completing water policy projects.

In this respect, the King highlighted the role of desalination, citing in particular Casablancas plant which will be the largest of its kind in Africa, and the second worldwide to be 100% powered by clean energy.

Desalination plants, would help Morocco cover more than half of its drinking needs by 2030 and supply 1.7 billion cubic meters of fresh water annually, said the King.

This will also make it possible to irrigate vast farming areas, thereby helping to enhance the countrys food security, he said.

And since water production from desalination plants requires supplying these facilities with clean energy, it is necessary to expedite the completion of the electrical connectivity project to transfer renewable energy from the southern provinces to the countrys central and northern areas as soon as possible, he said.

The monarch also called for the development of a national water desalination industry as well as courses for the training of specialized engineers and technicians. I also encourage the creation of Moroccan companies specialized in the construction and maintenance of desalination plants.

He also urged building dams in areas receiving significant rainfall as well as building waterways connecting the water-rich bassins of Oued Laou and Loukkos to the Oum Er-Rbia basin, through the Sebou and Bouregreg basins.

Considering the efforts that are being made to provide water for us all, we ought to be honest with ourselves regarding the sound, rational use of water resources. Indeed, spending billions and billions in order to mobilize water resources, only to see that cases of waste and misuse continue to exist, is unacceptable. The King said.
King Mohammed VI, Chairman of the Al-Quds Committee, urged a break away with crisis management in favor of a lasting solution to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict that would help achieve an independent Palestinian state, including Gaza territory, with eastern Jerusalem as its capital.

In keeping with the same spirit of commitment and responsibility, I continue to back constructive initiatives aimed at finding practical solutions, achieving a tangible and permanent ceasefire, and addressing the humanitarian situation, the King said in a speech on the occasion of the 25th anniversary of his accession to the throne.

The deteriorating conditions in the region require going beyond the logic of crisis management and seeking, instead, a final solution to this conflict, he said.

Such a solution should be first based on putting an end to the war in Gaza as an urgent priority, then this must be achieved concurrently with opening up political prospects conducive to a just and lasting peace in the region.

He also called for opting for negotiations to revive the peace process between the Palestinian and Israeli sides which requires cutting off the path for extremists  from whatever side they may come.

The solution also requires achieving complete security and stability in the region (which) can be realized only within the framework of the two-state solution, with Gaza an integral part of the territory of the independent Palestinian state, and East Jerusalem its capital.

On the same occasion, the King recalled that he, in his capacity as Chairman of Al-Quds committee, managed to have an unprecedented route opened up, through which Morocco delivered urgent food and medical aid to brothers and sisters in Gaza.

The keen interest we take in the situation prevailing in the country does not mean we are oblivious of, or insensitive to, the tragedy befalling our Palestinian brothers and sisters, he insisted.
France has expressed a clear-cut support for Moroccos territorial integrity and sovereignty over the Sahara territory, while backing the autonomy plan as the only basis to find a lasting solution to the conflict.

This came in a letter from President Emmanuel Macron to King Mohammed VI congratulating him on Throne Day and announcing that France considers that the present and future of Western Sahara are within the framework of Moroccan sovereignty.

France will act according to this position in support of Moroccos territorial integrity domestically and at the international level, President Macron said.

France, in particular, will continue to anchor the sincerity of its friendship for Morocco and the effectiveness of its partnership with it in a clear and strong position on the issues most essential for Your Majesty and the Moroccans, said Macron in the letter.

For France, autonomy under Moroccan sovereignty is the framework within which this issue (Sahara issue) must be resolved. Our support for the autonomy plan proposed by Morocco in 2007 is clear and constant. For France, this is now the only basis for achieving a just, lasting and negotiated political solution in accordance with the resolutions of the United Nations Security Council, Macron said further.

The continued economic and social development of the Sahara territory is an imperative, he said, adding that France welcomes all the efforts made by Morocco in this regard. France will support it in this process for the benefit of the local populations.

Its time to move forward. I therefore encourage all parties to come together for a political settlement, which is within reach, he said.

Today, a growing international consensus is emerging in this regard. France plays its full part in all the forums concerned. In this context, it supports the efforts of the UN Secretary-General and his Personal Envoy. These should be the beginning of a renewed regional integration process, promoting cooperation, stability and prosperity in the Maghreb, President Macron said.

In the current context, I wish to assure Your Majesty of my unwavering commitment to continue, as we have agreed in recent months, the deepening and modernization of the exceptional policy that binds our two countries, to enable them to better meet together the new challenges they face, with the African continent and the rest of the international community, President Macron said.
Moroccos Royal Office said French support for Moroccos territorial integrity and the autonomy plan as the only basis for a solution to the Sahara conflict under the Kingdoms sovereignty was a significant development.

This came in a statement by the Royal Office following a letter from President Emmanuel Macron to King Mohammed VI, announcing Paris new clear-cut support for Moroccos sovereignty over the Sahara territory.

This announcement by the French Republic, a permanent member of the UN Security Council, is an important and significant development in support of Moroccan sovereignty over the Sahara. It is part of the momentum launched by HM King Mohammed VI  may God preserve Him  and carried by many countries in different regions of the world, in favor of the territorial integrity of Morocco and the autonomy plan as the exclusive framework for the resolution of this regional dispute, reads the Royal Office statement.

In the letter to the King, President Emmanuel Macron said he considers that the present and future of Western Sahara are within the framework of Moroccan sovereignty.

He affirmed that the French position remains steady and that the Sahara was an issue of national security for the Kingdom, adding that France would act accordingly to this position at the domestic and international levels.

For France, autonomy under Moroccan sovereignty is the framework within which this issue shall be resolved. Our support for the autonomy plan proposed by Morocco in 2007 is clear and unwavering, the French Head of State said, adding that this plan constitutes now the only basis to achieve a just, lasting, and negotiated political solution, in accordance with United Nations Security Council resolutions.

Today, an increasingly broad international consensus is emerging, said the French President regarding the autonomy plan under Moroccan sovereignty.

On the development projects launched in the Sahara, Macron said France will support Morocco in this process for the benefit of the local populations.
The U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken has commended the leadership of King Mohammed VI in the region and welcomed the remarkable progress achieved in the partnership between the United States and Morocco.

The past twenty-five years has been a period of remarkable progress in our relations, and our partnership is stronger and more prosperous than ever, the U.S. official said in a statement Tuesday on the occasion of Throne Day.

Antony Blinken said he is grateful to the King for his leadership in the region and steadfast support, as we seek to resolve some of the most pressing issues of our time.

On behalf of the Government and citizens of the United States of America, I want to extend my best wishes and congratulations to His Majesty King Mohammed VI and the people of the Kingdom of Morocco on the 25th anniversary of the Kings ascension to the Throne.

The Kingdom of Morocco is one of our oldest and closest friends, and I deeply appreciate the close cooperation that the United States enjoys with our Moroccan partners, the U.S. Secretary of State said.

He concluded the statement by wishing the King and the people of Morocco a wonderful celebration and much prosperity in the years to come.
Dr. Amos Brown in his pulpit. Photo: Romain Fonsegrives/AFP/Getty Images

Its no secret Republicans are seeking to take the batteries out of Kamala Harriss surge in support and enthusiasm by depicting her as a radical leftist posing as a mainstream Democratic politician. Conservative media are doing their part with revelations of Harriss allegedly extremist background in the notoriously liberal bastion of Northern California. And this week, the Washington Free Beacon has entered the fray with an attack on Harriss longtime pastor, Dr. Amos Brown of the Third Baptist Church of San Francisco:

Harris and Brown, the longtime pastor of San Franciscos Third Baptist Church, have known each other for nearly a quarter century, and the two have remained close throughout her vice presidency. In July of 2023, Harris posted a picture of the two to the vice presidents Instagram account and described Brown as an inspiration to me always.

Less well known, however, is Browns history of radical, anti-American remarks that have elicited blowback even from San Francisco Democrats, including former House speaker Nancy Pelosi.

To the Free Beacons conservative readership, of course, Pelosi is a devil figure associated with every kind of leftist peril. So finding an occasion when Harriss pastor managed to scandalize even her was pure gold:

At a memorial service for victims of the 9/11 terror attacks held just six days after al Qaeda murdered nearly 3,000 Americans, Brown used the occasion to point the finger at the United States in remarks that, according to the San Francisco Chronicle, set a lot of peoples teeth on edge and left politicians stunned.

America, is there anything you did to set up this climate? Brown asked the audience. Ohhhh  America, what did you do? 

Pelosi used her time on the dais to push back against Brown. With all due respect to some of the sentiments that were earlier expressed  some of which I agree with  make no mistake  the act of terrorism on Sept. 11 put those people outside the order of civilized behavior, and we will not take responsibility for that, she said at the time.

If this tale of a Black preacher associated with a Black politician making controversial remarks about Americas wickedness sounds familiar, thats because it carries a direct echo of the 2008 brouhaha over Jeremiah Wright, Barack Obamas Chicago pastor. Wright went much further than Brown after 9/11, famously saying on the subsequent Sunday:

We bombed Hiroshima, we bombed Nagasaki, and we nuked far more than the thousands in New York and the Pentagon, and we never batted an eye, Rev. Wright said in a sermon on Sept. 16, 2001.

We have supported state terrorism against the Palestinians and black South Africans, and now we are indignant because the stuff we have done overseas is now brought right back to our own front yards. Americas chickens are coming home to roost, he told his congregation.

It was a 2003 sermon in which he recommended Black Americans say God Damn America instead of God Bless America, however, that made Wright a potential millstone for Obamas candidacy. His inflammatory utterances hit the political world like a hurricane in the spring of 2008 when Obama was locked in a close primary battle with Hillary Clinton. Obama eventually distanced himself decisively from Wright, who reciprocated with angry recriminations.

Brown hasnt provided the kind of dream sound bite for conservatives that Wright served up. Aside from the 9/11 memorial event, the most the Free Beacon could find was Browns attendance at a 2001 anti-racism conference in South Africa, where a resolution passed equating Zionism and racism, and his support for slavery reparations on a study commission created by Gavin Newsom. Harris, whose husband is Jewish and who very recently called her support for Israels national security ironclad, isnt terribly vulnerable to accusations of antisemitism. And she can easily disclaim support for cash reparations as nearly every major California Democrat (including Newsom) has done when the topic gained attention this year.

The question now is whether conservatives and their Republican allies choose to go full Wright on Brown and demand that Harris formally break with her pastor. He is in significant ways a harder figure to demonize than Wright was. Browns ministry was formed in the crucible of Jim Crow Mississippi. He was quite literally a student of the Reverend Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. and was especially close to another civil-rights martyr, Medgar Evers. At the age of 83, he remains president of the NAACPs San Francisco chapter.

As a follow-up to the Free Beacon article, Fox News unearthed examples of Brown defending Wright (and Obama). If this too sounds familiar, you may remember the efforts of Georgia Republican senator Kelly Loeffler to tie her opponent, the Reverend Raphael Warnock to Wright in her unsuccessful 2020 reelection bid. Warnock patiently explained that his (and for that matter, many of Wrights) critics misunderstand the heritage and mission of the Black church, which in the best tradition of the Hebrew prophets, constantly challenged its own country to live up to its religious and civic ideals. Listeners to such sermons  whether its Obama, Harris, or the white Christians called to account for their own sins  are asked to spiritually reflect on such challenges, not endorse the particulars.

In the end, the Wright scandal didnt cause Obama enduring political damage, and Warnock is now in the U.S. Senate. Its unlikely that turning Brown into another scary Black preacher will stop Harris, either.
Lander protesting outside the office of Bill Ackman in January. Photo: Michael M. Santiago/Getty Images

Last year, after Comptroller Brad Lander criticized City Halls handling of the migrant crisis, Mayor Eric Adams denigrated him as the loudest person in the city. Its only one of many issues theyve clashed over, from budget cuts to Rikers Island, since the Brooklyn Democrats both ascended to citywide office in 2022. The tension is partially by design: As the citys chief financial and accountability officer, the comptroller is tasked with auditing the mayoral administration. Lander has done so with zeal, issuing report after report on problems with homeless sweeps, police technology, emergency contracting, and more, causing Adams to at times lash out.

Now, Lander will challenge Adams for mayor in next years Democratic primary.

Mayor Adams is not providing the leadership that the future of the city demands, Lander said in an extended interview leading up to his official announcement on Tuesday. Weve come out of the pandemic, he continued, but he is neither articulating a compelling vision of the future nor getting things done on a daily basis.

According to Lander, the mayor is failing across the board  on public safety, housing affordability, early childhood education, and, more generally, the basics of running city government. The problems hes solving are the ones he created, Lander said, citing Adamss recent agreement with the City Council to restore tens of millions of dollars in cuts to library funding the mayor himself had previously made despite widespread protests from Lander and many others.

A top progressive leader, he joins the growing field of challengers seeking to unseat the centrist former NYPD captain who has low public-approval ratings but a sizable war chest and solid political base of support. Lander appears to be the most formidable challenger to Adams given his own citywide perch and the strength of his 2021 electoral coalition. During the campaign, he will offer a progressive vision as a bighearted policy wonk, but hes clearly honing a broad-based appeal, promising to invest more in popular programs like universal 3-K while stressing stronger management. He gets that he may have the most convincing to do when it comes to voters concerns over public safety. In a sense, hell try to sell to voters that he can merge the best of the two prior mayors: Michael Bloombergs innovation and management chops and Bill de Blasios focus on equity.

People want more affordable housing. They want a city that doesnt have mentally ill people sleeping on the street. They want a city where the subways are working and are well funded, Lander said. Big bold ideas that require good leadership and good management that delivers results. And I really do believe that transcends some of the more ideological political divides that are playing out nationally. And thats my plan for this campaign. Its part of a trend among progressives who are recalibrating in response to pandemic-era increases in crime, public frustration with rising costs, a backlash against wokeism, and some voters of color moving toward Republicans.

Lander, 55, entered politics by succeeding de Blasio in the City Council, representing a swath of Brooklyn from Gowanus through Park Slope and down to Kensington from 2010 through 2021. His top accomplishments, he told me, were sponsoring a long series of workers-rights laws, a large-scale rezoning of Gowanus expected to produce thousands of new housing units, and efforts to desegregate district middle schools. In 2021, he won an upset victory in the comptroller primary, narrowly defeating Corey Johnson, the Council Speaker.

Landers brownstone-Brooklyn political base  he lives with his wife and two young-adult children in Park Slope  is vote-rich territory, home to many highly educated white liberals. If Landers going to become mayor, he will need massive turnout from his base and other similar neighborhoods on both sides of the East River. In the 2021 primary, he drew together liberals, progressives, and democratic socialists in the sort of unity that eluded everyone to Adamss left in the mayoral race. Recapturing that support in the months ahead may be Landers most important campaign goal.

He joins a primary field that includes Adams; former comptroller Scott Stringer, who came in fifth last time but has a base on the Upper West Side; and Brooklyn state senator Zellnor Myrie, a young rising star. Zellnor and Scott are friends and people I have worked with, and people I admire, and they, of course, will make their case as well in the coming months, Lander said, hedging on how he may strategically approach the primary competition under ranked-choice voting. One thing we all agree on is we need a new mayor.

With record-low polling and federal investigators looking into his orbit and seizing his phone, Adams is undoubtedly vulnerable. But no incumbent mayor has been unseated in three decades, even longer in a primary, and though there are signs it has been fraying, Adams has a formidable base across communities of color, especially in Black middle-class neighborhoods, and moderate-to-conservative white voters throughout the boroughs. He also has a financial advantage and will likely be supported by significant outside spending, whether from labor-union allies or wealthy interests who like his policies or may fear a more progressive mayor.

Adams, the citys second Black mayor, has been offering his own narrative of success, and he and his allies have pushed back against criticism of his incompetence as false racist tropes. What does Lander, who is white, say to those allegations, which will only intensify as the campaign unfolds?

First, the set of people who are dissatisfied with Eric Adamss leadership is broad and all across the city, he said, regardless of neighborhood, of race, of ideology, people feel the lack of leadership on the key issues that matter. So thats not me. Thats New Yorkers, and you can see it if you talk to them; you could see it in the polling; you could talk to a lot of diverse elected officials; you could talk to people who supported and voted for him who feel that way.

Its also in the data that his office produces, according to Lander. The fact that its taking longer than ever to get low-income, working-class, and homeless New Yorkers into the affordable housing were building  thats just what the data says, he said. Lander is quick to list off a series of other problems his office has helped expose, pointing to its work unraveling the citys $432 million emergency contract with DocGo, a problematic medical-services provider the Adams administration chose to use for migrant care.

Landers platform will include proposals to significantly expand affordable homeownership opportunities (leveraging city resources to help municipal employees buy a home and launching a new Mitchell-Lama program) and reimagine the public-university system through taking city control of CUNY. Other ideas include a ban on smartphones in city schools and a major expansion of after-school programming.

But one key question for Lander, and other candidates to Adamss left, is whether he can convince voters to trust him on public safety. As mayor, we will end street homelessness of severely mentally ill New Yorkers, Lander said. The mayors approach has been to push them around. He promised a detailed plan for a continuum of care with a housing-first approach but also more psychiatric hospital beds and, at times, involuntary removals of individuals from public spaces.

As de Blasio painfully learned early in his tenure, a progressive mayor can easily clash with the NYPD. Lander, who focused on police reform in the City Council, believes he can run the department effectively by choosing the right leadership, instituting more accountability, and appealing to officers by improving their working conditions through departmental policies and labor-union negotiations.

Any mayor has to contend with the governor, and Lander is now leading an effort to sue Governor Kathy Hochul over her pause of congestion pricing, which Adams supports. We need congestion pricing so we can reduce traffic, fix the subways, improve the air quality, Lander told me, and even though his key leaders say its needed, hes AWOL. Thats the kind of failure to pay attention to the metrics. Thats failure to support the bold ideas the citys future demands.

Lander is potentially sacrificing an almost assured second term as comptroller, though he has until roughly January to change his mind and seek reelection. Its a big personal and professional gamble, though in part, Lander is betting that conditions will be more favorable for him next year than in a potentially wide-open 2029 mayoral race.

People may or may not believe it, but I was not planning to run for mayor in 2025, Lander said. When Im out in neighborhoods all across the city, people are expressing frustration with the leadership failures of Mayor Adams. New Yorkers broadly dont feel like theyre getting that leadership, and they want it, and I believe I can provide it. And thats why Im running.
A new Police Chaplaincy Service has been launched by the Royal Saint Lucia Police Force (RSLPF) on the island of St Lucia in the Caribbean, with a population of around 180,000 people.



The pioneering initiative, headlined Standing Strong in the Lord and His Mighty Power (Ephesians 6:10) on the police forces Instagram social media channel involved a lively inaugural ceremony on July 23, resplendent with lively worship and prayers of thanks to God.

Commissioner of Police Crusita Descartes Pelius, known as Sister Pelius to her colleagues, who has worked in the islands police service for 30 years, gave welcoming remarks at the commissioning ceremony.

In a YouTube video recorded by Cameron Browne Productions, Pelius is seen repeating the words of a worship song, Light in the darkness, My God what a powerful God you are as she started her welcome message.

God is good, right? asked the police commissioner to the event attendees. And we must not do things just for crime fighting but we must do things to reap souls for the Lord because what we do on Earth we get paid there but what we do for the glory of God is for the other place, so lets do Gods glory for that.

Pelius called the launch of the dedicated chaplaincy a momentous occasion, following on from regular devotional services held for police officers every fortnight since Sept. 2020.

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The aim of the dedicated chaplaincy, she said, is holistically addressing officers emotional, psychological and spiritual needs because a happy officer is more equipped to do his or her job well. She alluded to spiritual armor being as important for officers as physical firearms.

This is indeed a momentous occasion. Scripture says if you lift up the Lord, He will lift you up and in these challenges times that we face, I can tell you, when people ask me the question how can I do it [policing], its not just my own [sic] its because of the grace of God.

Pelius pointed out the spiritual realities and battles that frontline police officers face every day in St Lucia. This week a report leaked on social media revealed that death threats had been made against police officers on the island.

I know we dont fight for flesh and blood, so if we dont fight flesh and blood when we face criminals or whoever it is when we [sic] break this law in this country, we dont know what dwells in the vessels, added Pelius at the ceremony.

And we cannot fight on our own and expect to be successful if there is not a great being in the mix to fight with us and to protect us as we go out there and we dont know what it is we are facing.

And we go out there in our brokenness and sometimes we look firm and we think we can make it but sometimes we are broken indeed and we have to face other people to make life better for them. We cant do this on our own  its by the grace of God and only by his grace.

Policing is not merely a job, it is a vocation that requires extraordinary dedication, resilience and fortitude, Pelius said.

Officers face a myriad of challenges daily from confronting crime and ensuring the safety of the public and the communities where we serve.

These responsibilities are often accompanied by significant stress and emotional strain which can take a toll on our mental and physical well being and sometimes when we have given our all to our communities we need to go back to face our own families.

If we dont have a place to refill our cup, a spring of living water, theres no way we can make it and Im sure that there are some of you here that can testify to this and we need not be ashamed to speak about these things.

We are not just physical, we are spiritual and we ought to understand this and the sooner we understand this the sooner well be able to cope [with] the challenges that I can tell you its only by the grace of God that I can stand there and I shall not be moved.

Pelius was joined at the ceremony by dignitaries including Permanent Secretary Dr. Elizabeth Bailey and Deputy Permanent Secretary Ricky Quinlan from the Ministry of Home Affairs, and members of the RSLPFs executive. There were also representatives from the Saint Lucia Customs and Excise Department, Saint Lucia Fire Service, and church leaders from the Wesleyan Church, Revival Centre Ministry, and Redemption Ministries.

The ceremony progressed, and Sergeant No. 70 Andre Marquis provided a brief history of the chaplaincy, tracing its origins and the evolution of its mission within the RSLPF, stated the RSLPF Instagram post. He noted the adoption of the term 'Officers in Christ' (OIC) as a symbol of the chaplaincy's spiritual focus, which is led by faith; a double entendre inspired by the RSLPFs 'OIC,' an acronym referring to the 'Officer in Charge.

Inspector Denver Thomas gave a sermon on the pursuit of peace, according to reports, and the Royal Saint Lucia Police Band gave a live performance.

The event also included a heartfelt testimony by civilian chaplain Kurline George who is engaged in the police chaplaincy.
Photo-Illustration: Intelligencer; Photo: Getty Images

In March, I had a call with an influential former regulator in Washington, D.C., about the huge influx of crypto money that was already pouring in for the presidential election. It was a stunning change in the industrys standing. Just a few months had passed since Sam Bankman-Fried was criminally convicted  which, in retrospect, turned out to have been roughly the end point of a crypto winter, a prolonged bear market when the industry bled money and clout. But since then, crypto had retrenched, hired better lobbyists, and become more sophisticated. A warning shot came last year when a super-PAC funded by venture-capital firm Andreessen Horowitz and Coinbase, the largest U.S. crypto exchange, spent about $10 million to help defeat Katie Porter in her Senate race. This ex-regulator warned me the race wouldnt be the last we heard from the crypto lobby. Money doesnt buy experience. Experience does, and theyve gotten a lot more experience. Theyve learned from the failures of 2022, he told me. Its not just huge checks to be a shill anymore. Now its Were assembling a list of reasonable targets.

Since Kamala Harris became the presumptive Democratic nominee for president, the digital-asset world has very quickly found itself becoming more popular in Washington. Bitcoin is worth roughly $70,000, near all-time highs. Trump, after years of being a crypto skeptic, now loves it, telling a Nashville conference crowd this weekend that its going to the moon. I want America to be the nation that leads the way, then promising to fire Gary Gensler, the Securities and Exchange Commission chair who has antagonized the industry. More surprising, though, is that Harris has reportedly had aides meet with industry officials seeking to reset relations with some of the worlds biggest crypto exchanges. Its unclear what, if anything, has been discussed between the Harris campaign and the industry, but crypto companies have been making the same demands for years: clearer rules specifically for the kinds of digital tokens that make up the crypto economy, rather than the same onerous, often expensive rules for Wall Street. (Some are demanding far more, including that the government essentially subsidize the market by buying up bitcoins as if they were oil). Is Harris likely to give in, or is this all just a play for money in a wild election year?

Crypto is a boom-and-bust industry. Since the most recent bust  which started in late 2021 and culminated in SBFs collapse a year later  the obvious villains and goofs of the previous cycle have receded from view or been called out by regulators and courts. Its not that anything about digital money has substantially changed, but the anything-goes atmosphere of its pandemic-era boom has been replaced with sober money managers like BlackRock and Franklin Templeton, which have made bitcoin and ethereum available for the typical 401(k). In this iteration of the crypto world, the market has climbed back up to about $2.5 trillion in value, from under $1 trillion following the implosion of FTX. Plenty of Democrats, including the influential congressional representatives Ritchie Torres of New York and Ro Khanna of California, have since come around to being vocal supporters. (There are still powerful Democrats who have been deeply skeptical of crypto for years, including Elizabeth Warren and Senate Banking Committee chair Sherrod Brown).

Harris has, at this point, made no outward promise to the industry. But her record is hardly going to endear her to crypto die-hards. The Biden administrations position on the crypto industry has been essentially to regulate digital-asset companies as if they were traditional Wall Street firms. The crypto industry sees even the major positive developments for crypto, like approval of the bitcoin exchange-traded funds, largely as a position they were forced into by the courts.

Theres also plenty of reason to think that Harris, as a former prosecutor, may not want to get too close to the industry. Crypto has been notoriously used to facilitate drug and sex trafficking as well as to help launder money for countries like North Korea. Im sure its not sincere, said John Reed Stark, a former head of enforcement at the Securities and Exchange Commission who recently testified before Congress on regulating digital currencies. Its a prosecutors nightmare. Bitcoin, especially, is a killer app for criminals. And that comes from all these government reports; its not just me hypothesizing.

But in a broader political context, cryptos big advantage is obvious: It makes its own money. In previous election cycles, this hasnt always worked out so spectacularly. SBF, for instance, spent more than $50 million supporting losing candidates in 2022, prior to the collapse of his companies and before his name became associated with fraud. If he wasted money, so what? There was always another way to mint some more two or four years later.

Harriss campaign is nine days old, lacks a running mate, and, to the extent that she has any policy positions, they are not available on her website. Maybe shell come out in a big way for crypto, promising the industry everything it has ever wanted. But will it matter? The past two crypto booms lasted two or three years, which is shorter than a presidential administration. Harris may be reaching out to the crypto industry simply to put less daylight between them and President Trump, Stark said  that is, to give die-hard crypto bros less of a reason to vote against her, rather than a real play for their votes.
Montanas Jon Tester, the most embattled Democratic Senate incumbent. Photo: Al Drago/Bloomberg/Getty Images

During the recent slough of despond afflicting his party as Joe Biden struggled to decide whether to continue his age-afflicted presidential campaign, a lot of Democrats decided to write off Senate control as a lost cause. It was always going to be a long shot, given a terrible 2024 landscape in which nearly every competitive race was on Democratic turf, with one seat in West Virginia all but already gone after Joe Manchins retirement. Without the Senate tie-breaker that a vice-president would supply, there seemed no path to continued control, and there was talk of major donors focusing on House races to keep Republicans from achieving a world-changing trifecta.

One of the many glad tidings the Biden-Harris switcheroo has brought is the revival of hope for a Democratic Senate in 2025. Its still a stretch: Harris is obviously by no means a sure thing in the presidential election, a condition precedent for Democratic control of the upper chamber. And her party will (barring a miracle) still need to sweep competitive Senate races. But there is definitely a narrow path to doing just that.

According to the wizards at the Cook Political Report, Democrats are now favored (albeit not by much) to hold seats in Arizona (where ex-Democratic independent Kyrsten Sinema is retiring), Pennsylvania, and Wisconsin. One reason for optimism in Arizona is that likely Republican nominee and MAGA wild woman Kari Lake has struggled to put away underfunded primary opponent Mark Lamb and is accordingly a real underdog against Democrat Ruben Gallego in November. In Pennsylvania, veteran Democrat Bob Casey Jr. has led every single public poll against Republican David McCormick and is ahead in the RealClearPolitics polling averages by a comfortable 6.3 points. Similarly, in Wisconsin, popular incumbent Tammy Baldwin has never trailed Republican Eric Hovde in a public poll and leads him by 6.2 points in the RCP averages.

Cook shows four Senate races, all for seats currently held by Democrats, as toss-ups. Two are in presidential battleground states where Harriss positive momentum is turning frowns upside down and Democrats were already leading modestly in polls. In Michigan, where Debbie Stabenow is retiring, Democrat Elissa Slotkin has steadily led in polls against Republican front-runner Mike Rogers (whose primary is on August 6). And in Nevada, freshman incumbent Jacky Rosen is in a closer race (against Republican Sam Brown) than is Baldwin or Casey but has never trailed in a public poll.

The two races in which Senate Democrats have most feared top-of-the-ballot deadweight are in solidly red Ohio and Montana, where two hardy veterans are battling to run ahead of the national ticket. Ohios Sherrod Brown has maintained an extremely steady lead over Republican MAGA candidate Bernie Moreno; hes up 5.2 points in the RCP averages in a state Trump won by 7.9 points in 2020. And in Montana, Jon Tester has built a big financial advantage over Republican self-funder Tim Sheehy. Hell need it; of all the Democratic-held Senate seats, this is likely the most vulnerable. Trump won Montana by 21 points in 2016 and 16 in 2020, and the very limited public polling of this race has produced mixed results. Tester has been notably absent from the happy ranks of Democrats praising Harris, but hes used to distancing himself from the national party, as the Montana Free Press reports: For the record, Tester has never endorsed a presumptive Democratic nominee during his 18 years in the Senate and has never attended the Democratic National Convention in the same year he was up for reelection.

So Montana may produce the most heartburn for Democrats this fall. There is, for the record, a remote chance of an upset in one of two races where Republicans are defending seats: in Texas, where the perpetually controversial Ted Cruz has a steady but not overwhelming lead in the polls over Democrat Colin Allred, and in Florida, where a potentially distracted Rick Scott (hes running to succeed Mitch McConnell as Republican leader in the Senate) has posted unimpressive margins in recent polls against Democrat Debbie Mucarsel-Powell. Meanwhile, in Maryland, fears that former Republican governor Larry Hogan could pick off a previously safe Democratic seat have subsided as Democratic nominee Angela Alsobrooks has opened up a sizable lead in the polls in this very blue state (Biden won it by 33 points in 2020).

A potentially important wild card in the fight for the Senate involves ballot measures to restore or ensure abortion rights. There are initiatives definitely on the ballot in Florida, Maryland, and Nevada, and they will likely appear in Montana and Nevada as well. All are very likely to pass (though in Florida, a 60 percent threshold for amending the state constitution could be a problem). That and a revived presidential ticket could help Democrats do something that looked impossible just weeks ago: handing Kamala Harriss gavel as presiding officer of the Senate to her soon-to-be-announced running mate in January.
Photo-Illustration: Intelligencer; Photo: Google

Big Tech is trying to interfere in the election AGAIN, says Donald Trump Jr. Theyre trying to memory hole it, writes Chaya Raichik, a.k.a. LibsofTikTok. Texas congressman Chip Roy responds, Can verify. Roger Marshall, a Republican senator from Kansas, claims hell be making an official inquiry. Elon Musk asks the question on everyones mind: Election interference?

The fix is in, theyre not even hiding it anymore, this one goes all the way to the top, etcetera. Were talking, of course, about Google Search auto-complete:

Big Tech is trying to interfere in the election AGAIN to help Kamala Harris. We all know this is intentional election interference from Google. Truly despicable. https://t.co/gWDbFGaHI7  Donald Trump Jr. (@DonaldJTrumpJr) July 28, 2024

This is real, and you can try it yourself: Typing something like the attempted assassination will produce a bunch of historical suggestions, and adding of Donald will eliminate suggestions altogether. Google, a company whose attempts at avoiding backlash reliably produce backlashes of their own, responded to unsatisfiable critics with an unsatisfying statement: Our systems have protections against Autocomplete predictions associated with political violence, which were working as intended prior to this horrific event occurring. Were working on improvements to ensure our systems are more up to date.

The company is referencing its public auto-complete policies, which claim that it has systems in place to prevent the appearance of health-related predictions, sensitive and disparaging terms associated with named individuals, predictions of serious malevolent acts, and elections-related predictions (which the company describes as suggestions that might be interpreted as taking a position for or against any political figure or party or making a claim about the participation in or integrity of the electoral process). Google has published these policies since at least 2018, and the rule about election-related content has been in place since before the 2020 election. What these posts and the many partisan news stories covering them dont mention is that Google prevents a wide range of election-and-politics-related suggestions. Its true that Google wont suggest assassination-attempt-related results for Donald Trump. Itll also stop suggestions if you start to type Donald Trump felon or Donald Trump conviction. In favor of the conspiracy for Democrats, it wont complete for Joe Biden dement  Against the conspiracy, it wont even complete Kamala Harris campa 

It would be a mistake to take these posts too literally, of course. Don Jr. isnt trying to make factual arguments about how Google works and isnt interested in putting together an evidence-based case for tech bias. Hes affirming a preexisting narrative in the context of overlapping ideological and political campaigns. Google is a useful villain.

It would likewise be a mistake to suggest that Googles policies are coherent, sensible, or unbiased, whatever that would mean. Google is hugely influential, and the fact that auto-complete wont fill in a massive recent news event is weird. And while its insignificant on its own (you can search for all this stuff and get comprehensive results, so sort of the opposite of a cover-up) it provides a useful map for understanding the strange, shrill, potent, let-me-speak-to-your-manager tech-platform politics of the 2024 election and beyond.

Auto-complete has been a pain in Googles ass since the company turned it on by default in 2008. In its early years, it was a window into relatively current search trends, suggesting incorrect and occasionally libelous material (the company was sued, with some success, numerous times). By 2013, auto-complete was a real if minor source of political outrage: Barack Obama was a reptile, gay, an idiot, and a Muslim; Joe Biden was a moron, dead, and a dumbass; while Ted Cruz was Canadian, a moron, and crazy.

Auto-complete is, again, a minor feature in a major product. Its nominally a tool for saving time, but from the start, it was also a fascinating portal into what other people were searching. It was also, in hindsight, a tool for amplifying dicey material: While the suggestions are based on what Googles customers are doing, Google is the one publishing them. Its a vector through which, for example, a relatively small number of people searching for photos of a celebritys feet turns into Google actively suggesting that its users search for celebrity feet.

It doesnt suggest this sort of thing anymore  censorship???  and is generally pretty cautious these days about what it does. The stakes around tech censorship are understood to be much higher now, and the discourse around them has been thoroughly operationalized. By the 2020 election, search suggestions were refusing a wide range of political content; in 2024, after bruising stretches as scapegoats for liberals and conservatives, big tech companies have been attempting to depoliticize their products, which is both sort of impossible and, as seen here, tends to bring attention to their undeniable importance.

In 2024, a Google auto-suggest backlash might feel rote, an auto-completing mini-scandal for the fully bought-in. But we should expect to see more of this  a lot more  in the next few months. Before the 2020 election, it was a common belief among liberals that social media had in some way swung the 2016 election for Trump, which was reputationally disastrous for big tech; going into the 2024 election, its conservative dogma that the 2020 election was in some way stolen by, or at least interfered with, by big tech companies. And while companies like Google would very much like to neutralize these perceptions, they cant. Theyre more influential than ever, and the previous main subject of both earnest and bad-faith accusations of bias  the news media  is basically niche in comparison to the big platforms, whose decisions are rightly if not always fairly interpreted in editorial and/or conspiratorial terms. For certain people, including at least one of the candidates, the 2024 election is going to involve a lot of pointing at screens and screaming, Mods???

This explains why Google sometimes retreats into willful ignorance. But charges of bias have also been given new life by big techs charge into AI, which takes the risk inherent in search auto-complete  Google is telling me to search for something I hadnt thought of before  and turns it into the entire product. Its generally glib to say that AI is just fancy auto-complete, but in this sense, the comparison is apt: If search suggestions are fertile ground for accusations of bias, what does that mean for chatbots, which just say things in an authoritative voice, under Googles brand? As Google is already discovering: nothing particularly good.
He cited the movie "IF" as a film that "resonated strongly" with moviegoers in the heartland.



It still flopped though.

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Right! That movie didn't even break even as far as I know.

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According to Wikipedia the budget was 110 million & it made 186.3 million.

I'm not sure if the "3 times the budget to be successful" thing still applies, but it would need to make 330 million for that. If it's only 2 times the budget, it would be 220.

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How is mentioning climate change excluding anyone?

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Cause they're in the same boat as anti-vaxxers and flat-earth truthers. It's all forced woke made-up liberal hollywood agenda to them.

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I remember when they started foaming at the movie over that movie with Betty Gilpin, the Hunt(?). Crying that it was left wing propaganda about how republicans would hunt people for sport. Then when the movie came out, they all of a sudden went silent. Because it was really a movie giving a critique on online culture, where we forget that the person on the other end of the screen is a person too, and how people can be radicalized with just a few mouse clicks.

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Cause these people get offended and feel targeted when you try to mention anything scientific or based in reality.

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Cause climate change does not align with rural values duh

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Itll offend the kind of people who are stupid enough to bring their infants out to 100+ degree weather and not realize why said kids die of heatstroke.

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denying science for profit sounds about right tbh



Edited at 2024-07-29 10:44 pm (UTC)

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late stage capitalism tea

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so no old guard then you fucks you know for a side of people that say "fuck your feelings" they sure like being chatered to there is literally a scene from the simpsons movie i just watched where green day is like:"Now we want to talk about the enviorment and the crowd immediatdly turns on them and says stop being preachy and one of the members says back :"we're not being preachy" simpsons predicting the future again what a shock.sarcasm



Edited at 2024-07-29 10:45 pm (UTC)

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I posted my very detailed angry comments about the old guard and netflix's strategy below LMAO

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you and me are on the same page here for sure

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the way "The Color Purple" imploded is still baffling to me

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what happened exactly?

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people were expecting it to be a big award player and do well at the box office since it is a familiar IP



and then pretty much no one watched it, the box office numbers were terrible and it really struggeled that award season

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The movie was hounded with negative rumors and iirc people hated Oprah during its run. Surely that didnt help

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Adding that it also didnt help that they didnt market it clearly as a musical and a lot of people saw it and were put off when realizing it was one, so WOM wasnt great.

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I still haven't watched this new version, idk the concept seemed weird to me.

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In my area the movie was marketed as this fun musical for a girls night out. But the film had some VERY havy themes, so potential audiences were understandably confused.



I think the cast did great though, and was buzz worthy!



Edited at 2024-07-29 11:08 pm (UTC)

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I saw it and really enjoyed it BUT I think a lot of people thought it was a remake of the original and not based on the Tony award winning musical production. The advertising was not clear. I do think Taraji P Henson was miscast but everyone was excellent and I thought the transition to film worked.

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idk personally I didn't want to see Black Suffering tm. And I read the synopsis, it just wasn't for me.

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I had no idea it was the Broadway musical. I thought it was another tired remake.

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I love the movie/book and Ive seen the musical on stage. But if they werent going to lean into the queerness I didnt need to see a movie adaption of the musical adaption of the movie adaptation of the book.



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it was terrible

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I def don't mind progressive messages in film but my issues is that half the time it's shitty and lazy writing. I keep thinking it was more setup for that social media reaction or those positive thinkpieces on why that scene was great rather than letting it flow better in the movie. Like America's speech in Barbie I agree with what was being said but it was so poorly done cause I immediately was like "this is Greta's girl power moment" like the one she had in Little Women. I don't like when it takes me out and I can guess what the director's mindset was in that moment whether they were sending a message or setting up an oscar bait moment.



Edited at 2024-07-29 11:01 pm (UTC)

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Yeah, I actually didn't care much for the messaging in Barbie because it was so tell-and-not-show.

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Tell and not show is exactly right. Everyone keeps trying to give these big speeches or have these one-liners in their movies (I blame Whedon) to fix everything and bring it all together when they needed to be doing something MORE the whole time.



9 to 5 is one of my top favorite feminist films, and they don't just make some speech about fixing things - they get together and do it, and show the results. And the entire film is about the friendship that forms between these three women and the solidarity with their coworkers. The only big speech I can think of is Dolly's hilarious one where she threatens to turn the boss from a rooster to a hen lol.

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Exactly! I know some people in HW and even here argued that the masses are dumb and it had to be simplified in this way for them to understand. While I agree that the masses can be dumb, there has to be a way to write this type of message much better and still make your point obvious. A speech done in this way, I would almost argue, is probably less effective in terms of audience impact than if you cleverly weave your message into and throughout the entire story.



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i hated the scene for this exact reason

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Oh the 'X-women' cringe line in X-Men or the 'women assemble' moment in Avengers. It's so on the nose and feels, as a result, disingenuous. And I say this as a feminist lmfao.

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I agree I dont mind progressive messages as well, but often its just really bad writing.

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People don't mind progressive messages. They mind terrible writing.

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But climate change is a FACT, not a buzz word, not a political position. Just say you dont want to alienate certain audiences because want more profit. Sugarcoating the truth from conservatives serve no one but their pockets.

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Climate change is absolutely a fact but people decided to make it political. Even here in Canada there are so many people convinced that our wildfires are started by the liberals to make a point about climate change. They genuinely believe this.

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That these big movie executives would even pander to them for profit is absolutely disgusting. Like how can you make a movie about mega tornadoes and not even mention climate change just so you dont accidentally offend these idiots? The ridiculousness!

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This is a serious issue but lmao irllll @ there are so many people convinced that our wildfires are started by the liberals. Maybe Canadian Liberals are a little more effective than we are down here but lmaooo

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people are truly pissing me off with that. my own sister thought it was from someone fucking around with fire.



not to mention once again, its all Trudeaus fault duh. except it was the mayor of Alberta cut funding towards the fire department.



i hate it here.



Edited at 2024-07-30 04:51 am (UTC)

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and the polar bear situation in Churchill? Do they think the liberals are planting the polar bears too?

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TBH, if they want to send progressive message without pissing off right wing weirdos in the audience, they need to do look to what classic sci fi shows (Twilight Zone, Star Trek, Dr, Who) did, and cleverly sneak that message in.





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Show don't tell is the best way to go in general. If you gotta spoon-feed your audience then it's a lack of skill on the director/writer's part.

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I'm starting to think a lot of the people did not get the underlying messages in those shows. No concept of subtext or anything.

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Of course they didn't. Star Trek was a fucking commie space utopia and people say that having gay characters on it now is what made it go woke.

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The Midnight Sun still trips me out to this day

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i agree but that requires clever writing

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Of course red state audiences went back to the theaters first, they were the first to reopen them. Anyway, this sounds like a bunch of bullshit as well as a reflection of the political conservatism of studio heads.



Also, what kind of homework did you need to do with The Marvels, The Color Purple, or Strange World? Studios will always have an excuse for why female-center and Black + POC-led productions can't make money. There are several examples of successful films but they will latch on to the ones that didn't work to avoid greenlighting others.



Edited at 2024-07-29 11:02 pm (UTC)

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I thnk people automatically thought you needed homework to deal with The Marvels, especially seeing as how Imani (literally don't remember her character's name) has a show that came out beforetime. but with Strange World, you're literally watching a Disney cartoon, that's just a shitty excuse lmao

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The Marvels had the handicap of Kamala (Ms. Marvel) being introduced in a very cute, IMO, D+ series. However, that movie was always going to have an uphill battle because of the OTT hatred of Brie Larson, having two WOC co-leads, and being directed by a Black woman.

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My brother and I enjoy the Marvels even if we didn't see the Disney+ show. It was a fun movie. I want to see on Black Friday to see if they run a sale on the dvd.

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I really enjoyed the Marvels, but I cant say it was a great movie (it wasted a lot of potential and ended abruptly)and word-of-mouth probably wasnt good (add to that the irrational Brie Larson hatred from certain sectors).



The Color Peopleso many people around me treasure the original movie and had no interest in seeing what they considered to be a remake. They wouldnt even give at chance. Many others said they were tired of seeing trauma and suffering.

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I just saw twisters today and I enjoyed it.



I found the lack of mentioning climate change refreshing. I know its the reason for extreme weathers of all kind I dont need Hollywood to lecture me about it like Im a slow child .



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I sorta felt the same plus it had Maura Tierney's character alluding to climate change in a very heavy handed way anyway lol

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I've said it before, but if this is why The Old Guard 2 is being held back despite having been filmed TWO FUCKING YEARS AGO (and having been test screened over a year ago now)... It was one of the top movies ALL TIME on Netflix for a while. And yes, it was unabashedly queer as hell for a superhero movie. The Midwest isn't gonna save Hollywood. also the only thing preachy in The Old Guard were guards being told off for making a joke about a gay couple and one half of the couple actually calling them out on their bullshit. Preach away. eta and the only kiss in the old guard was just closed mouth LMAO. jeez. And Charlize said explicitly that it was put on hold because of Netflix's leadership changes, and guess what? Netflix has basically said they want their originals to appeal to "as many people as possible". Hmm I wonder.



Edited at 2024-07-29 11:11 pm (UTC)

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as a gay that is especially frustrating because i'd like to see more gay people on screen in relationships not less

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Yet GLAAD found that in TV, LGBTQ+ representation dropped dramatically in 2023. https://glaad.org/whereweareontv23/summary-of-broadcast-findings/ And you know what else is happening? More and more Americans (and Europeans lbr) are becoming less and less tolerant. Exposure to LGBTQ+ people, including in movies and TV, has long helped increase acceptance, and what are we doing? Dramatically turning back the clock. I really hope that they didn't put a hold on TOG2 to do something stupid like tone down the queer characters. I know the author of the comics said he refused to let them be adapted unless the famous monologue was included, but Netflix is showing that they're pieces of shit all around as of late. (and you'd think from the people who went after the movie for being ~woke~ back when woke was first a thing that it was Brokeback Mountain. No, bitch, it was clearly two straight guys kissing, lbr.) eta And I also wonder if Netflix didn't like that it seemingly was way more popular with women than men for an action movie. The vast majority of fans I know are women and LGBTQ+ people, not straight men. Besides my dad. My dad is a fan.



Edited at 2024-07-29 11:40 pm (UTC)

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The Old Guard is queer? Let me try to watch it again.

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I dont think a fun disaster movie like twister needs to have any message and can just exist to be dumb fun. But its weird these are the discussions going on and with all the issues in Hollywood, box office, movie funding, THAT is what they are focused on. Hollywood execs continue to just have the worst instincts.

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All films have messages, whether they're intending to or not. That's why the makers of movies (and any fiction) have a moral responsibility to evaluate the messages their stuff might be putting out there. And by message I don't mean a big lesson or someone saying out loud "climate change is bad!", just that any fictional story is a representation of some kind of the reality, and it matters what it implies.



Edited at 2024-07-30 04:54 am (UTC)

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Well yeah obviously? I understand the concept of stories and film and themes lol. But I meant political messages like on climate change. The original twister is not a statement on climate change. It was a love story about people chasing tornados.



Edited at 2024-07-30 12:42 pm (UTC)

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I mean, I would agree except you literally can't talk about tornadoes increasing without talking about the climate. It's a huge fucking plothole done for stupid ass pandering reasons. If you don't want to talk about the planet, then don't make a movie about the climate!!!!

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Oil prices continued to fall on Tuesday morning, ignoring the rising geopolitical risk in the Middle East and the potential of a supply disruption in Venezuela. Concerns about global demand continue to drive bearish sentiment in oil markets.

- The Q2 quarterly earnings season has continued this week with most of oil majors reporting their performance results, with TotalEnergies and BP providing no clear direction for where oil firms are headed.

- Totals net income underperformed market expectations of $4.95 billion and came in at $4.7 billion, with the French major dragged down by a 36% year-on-year decrease in refining and chemicals revenue.

- BP, for a long time the least mouth-watering of the oil giants, posted a $2.8 billion Q2 net profit and beat analyst expectations by some 200 million, despite a hefty $1.5 billion impairment from shutting parts of the Gelsenkirchen refinery in Germany next year.

- Weaker downstream performance will be the main drag for US majors, too, with Chevron and ExxonMobil both publishing their results this Friday (August 2), with oil majors collectively expected to see a 6-7% drop in net profits quarter-over-quarter.

Market Movers

- US shale producers Vital Energy (NYSE:VTLE) and Northern Oil and Gas (NYSE:NOG) agreed to jointly purchase the Permian assets of PE-owned Point Energy Partners for $1.1 billion, with Vital taking 80% and Northern buying the remaining 20%.

- Chinese refining giant Sinochem (SHA:600500) is reportedly in talks with Brazilian independent producer Prio to sell a minority stake in the giant Peregrino offshore field, having paid $3 billion for a 40% stake in 2011.

- Italys oil major ENI (BIT:ENI) signed a temporary exclusivity agreement with global investment firm KKR to sell a 20% to 25% stake in its biofuel and mobility unit Enilive for up to $13.5 billion.

Tuesday, July 30, 2024

For the first time since the post-OPEC+ meeting selloff, ICE Brent futures dipped below $80 per barrel, driven lower by disappointing global demand as Chinese imports in July are set to hit the lowest level in two years. The decline might be somewhat overdone considering the geopolitical risk upside, with Israel-Lebanon flaring up over the weekend and Venezuelas highly contested election lifting the risk of operations in the Latin American nation.

With No Mandate for Change, OPEC+ Meets Again. Oil ministers of OPEC+ will hold an online joint ministerial monitoring committee meeting (JMMC) on August 1, reviewing the effects of decisions taken two months ago, but the market expects no changes, only internal discussions.

Labour Government Hikes UK Windfall Tax. The new Labour government confirmed this week that it would raise the windfall profit tax rate by 3% to 38% and increase overall taxation to a punitive 78%, whilst extending the measure (called Energy Profits Levy) by another year to 31 March 2030.

Uranium Prices Soar to 16-Year Highs. Long-term uranium prices have hit 16-year highs, trading as high as $79 per pound lately, as demand for the radioactive fuel is soaring on the back of new power generation buildouts that are expected to double global consumption by 2050.

King Coal Defies Calls for Global Decline. The International Energy Agency believes that global consumption of coal will remain stable in 2024, rising marginally to 8.74 billion tonnes, postponing its forecast for peak coal to 2025 when it sees a slight downslide, citing declining Chinese appetite for coal.

Saudi Influence Extends into LME Warehousing. Attesting to the increasing clout of Saudi Arabia in the mining industry, the London Metal Exchange (LME) has approved the Red Sea port of Jeddah as a warehouse delivery point for copper and zinc traded on the exchange.

Iran Seizes Another Oil Tanker for Smuggling. Iranian authorities have seized the Togo-flagged oil tanker Pearl G for allegedly carrying 700,000 barrels of smuggled crude, with tracking data indicating the vessel has spent the past months sailing between the UAEs Sharjah and the Iraqi coast.

French Major Gave Up on South Africa. Frances energy major TotalEnergies (NYSE:TTE) has relinquished its stake in Blocks 11B and 12B offshore South Africa, despite having discovered two giant gas fields, citing a challenging environment to monetize the Luiperd and Brulpadda finds.

US Resumes SPR Purchases as WTI Drops. The US Energy Department purchased 4.65 million barrels of crude for the Bayou Choctaw site of the Strategic Petroleum Reserve at an average price of $76.92 per barrel, with ExxonMobil (NYSE:XOM) offering the most and being awarded 3.9 million barrels.

Iraq Boosts Oil Export Capacity. Being the worst overproducers of OPEC+ in recent years, Iraq has nevertheless continued its build-out of crude infrastructure, adding two pumping units next to the Zubair oil field and adding 300,000 b/d of export capacity to around 3.5 million b/d.

Texas Oil Regulator Opens Probe into Earthquakes. Following last weeks powerful earthquakes across the Permian, with the largest measuring 5.1 on the Richter scale, the Railroad Commission of Texas has opened an investigation into disposal wells in the Camp Springs production area.

White House Has No Plans for Venezuela Tightening. Protests have erupted across Venezuela after Nicolas Maduro won a third six-year term in a highly contested vote, although the Biden administration said it is not looking into the retroactive cancellation of existing sanction waivers.

Glencore Mulls Coal Demerger, Announcement Soon. Mining giant Glencore (LON:GLEN) has kept its 2024 production guidance unchanged to reflect the purchase of Tecks coking coal business, but it said it would disclose its decision on a potential coal demerger at its H1 financial results presentation next week.

US Natgas Prices Continue Their Downfall. US natural gas Henry Hub futures dipped below $2 per mmBtu this week, the lowest since early May, losing more than 55% of their value in less than a month on the back of soaring gas production and August promising to see milder weather compared to July.

By Michael Kern for Oilprice.com

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The world has probably not been in such a pervasively dangerous position since the end of the Second World War, so the question of who leads the worlds leading power has never been more critical. As oil is a crucial determinant of every countrys financial and economic future, it plays a vital role in shaping the domestic and international politics of the worlds major oil producing and consuming countries. And because the stakes are so high, the energy policies of the new U.S. president  Kamala Harris or Donald Trump  will be critical to how wider global events play out in the coming four years.

Harris is expected to follow the broadly greener energy approach of the administration of President Joe Biden, while former President Trump has made it clear his priority is that the U.S. must have the number lowest cost energy of energy of any industrial country anywhere on Earth. Crucially, though, on the issue of the price of oil - and gasoline, which historically is around 70 percent derived from this  the two candidates are likely to be in broad agreement that these should be kept in check. There are two key reasons for this, one political and the other economic, although they are closely related, as analysed in full in my latest book on the new global oil market order. The political reason is that since the end of World War I in 2018, the sitting U.S. president has won re-election 11 times out of 11 if the economy was not in recession within two years of an upcoming election. However, sitting U.S. presidents who went into a re-election campaign with the economy in recession won only one time out of seven. Even this only win is debatable, as the winner - Calvin Coolidge in 1924 - had not strictly speaking won the previous election (and thus could not be re-elected), but rather had acceded to the presidency automatically on the death in office of Warren G. Harding. The same pattern broadly applies to the re-election chances of candidates of the presidents party in U.S. mid-term elections as well, the outcome of which affects the ability of the incumbent leader to push ahead with their legislative agenda for the last two years of their presidency.

Related: Russias Crude Oil Shipments Plunge to 11-Month Low

In turn, the chance of the U.S. economy being in recession within two years of an upcoming election is dramatically increased as the oil (and gasoline) price rises, as also detailed in my latest book. Longstanding estimates are that every US$10 pb change in the price of crude oil results in a 25-30 cent change in the price of a gallon of gasoline, and for every 1 cent that the average price per gallon of gasoline rises, more than US$1 billion per year in consumer spending is lost. According to a 2016 study by Laurel Harbridge, Jon A. Krosnick, and Jeffrey M. Wooldridge called Presidential Approval and Gas Prices, a 10 cent increase in gasoline prices correlated with a 0.6 percent decrease in presidential approval over the study period from January 1976 to July 2007. In any event, the statistics make sober reading for incumbent U.S. presidents and the senatorial, congressional and gubernatorial candidates of their party when considering how to handle domestic and international policies related to the oil price. As Bob McNally, the former energy adviser to former President George W. Bush put it: Few things terrify an American president more than a spike in fuel [gasoline] prices. Historically, a gasoline price of under US$2 per gallon of gasoline has been most advantageous for U.S. economic growth, and US$2 per gallon has historically also equated to a West Texas Intermediate (WTI) oil price of around US$70 per barrel. As WTI has historically traded at a discount of between US$5-10 per barrel to the Brent oil benchmark, this US$70 per barrel of WTI price broadly equates to around US$75-80 per barrel of Brent.

This is why there has been far less divergence in such policies over the past 10 years that directly affect the oil price than many might imagine. During his term in office, President Trump very vigorously sought to enforce a Trump Oil Price Trading Range with the lower part set at around US$40-45 per barrel of Brent and the upper part at US$75-80 per barrel, as analysed in my latest book on the new global oil market order. The top side was geared to the optimal level to spur U.S. economic growth, and the bottom side to the minimum level required for healthy U.S. shale producers to breakeven and to make a decent profit on top. Following the end of the 2014-2016 Oil Price War instigated by Saudi Arabia to destroy or at least severely disable the then-nascent U.S. shale oil industry, the sector had stunned everyone by reorganising into a leaner, meaner oil-producing machine capable of breaking even at the low-US$30 per barrel pricing area of Brent level if needed.

Consequently, Trump was never in any mood to tolerate any nonsense from OPEC in general, and Saudi Arabia in particular, that affected his carefully chosen Oil Price Trading Range. When Saudi Arabia (with the help of U.S. Cold War nemesis Russia) was pushing oil prices up over the US$80 per barrel of Brent level in the second half of 2018, Trump sent a clear warning to Riyadh to stop doing this, as also detailed in my latest book. Specifically, in a speech before the United Nations General Assembly, he said: OPEC and OPEC nations are, as usual, ripping off the rest of the world, and I dont like it. Nobody should like it. He added: We defend many of these nations for nothing, and then they take advantage of us by giving us high oil prices. Not good. We want them to stop raising prices. We want them to start lowering prices and they must contribute substantially to military protection from now on. As the Saudi Arabian- and Russian-led OPEC+ oil production cut agreement continued to push oil prices up in that period, to slightly over the top band of the Trump Oil Price Trading Range, Trump made the same warning again, even more clearly at a rally in Southaven, Mississippi, in October 2018. He said: And I love the king, King Salman, but I said, King were protecting you. You might not be there for two weeks without us. You have to pay for your military, you have to pay. Following Trumps direct and clear warnings to Saudi Arabias Royal Family in the third quarter of 2018 of the catastrophic consequences if the Kingdom continued to keep oil prices higher than the US$80 per barrel Brent cap in the Trump Oil Price Trading Range, Saudi Arabia increased production and oil prices came down again. That period was the only part of Trumps presidency that saw his Oil Price Trading Range breached.

The first half of Joe Bidens presidency was able to keep this price range intact. However, following Russias invasion of Ukraine on 24 February 2022, it was significantly broken to the upside until around the end of December that year, when it settled back down to a level slightly above the top of the range. It is a testament to the acute awareness of U.S. presidents of all political leanings to the crucial importance of the oil and gasoline price that when Brent crude was trading over the US$100 per barrel level in the early aftermath of Russias invasion of Ukraine, moves were well advanced to strike a scaled-down version of the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action, JCPOA, or colloquially the nuclear deal) with Iran. This was solely aimed at bringing the Islamic Republics then-3.5 million barrels per day or so of oil back into the global oil market to bring down prices, as thoroughly detailed in my latest book on the new global oil market order. These efforts were only truly derailed when Irans Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps (IRGC) scuppered the possible deal (which still included within it measures aimed at destroying the IRGC) by giving the go-ahead to its proxy Hamas to launch murderous attacks on Israeli civilians on 7 October 2023. The strategy employed by Bidens team since then, with Kamala Harris likely to follow if elected president, has been to balance the scaling up of sanctions against major energy producers Iran and Russia with allowing for the flow of sufficient of their oil and gas in the shadow market to keep prices at the lower end of recent historical levels. It has always been Bidens intention, according to a senior Washington-based legal source who works closely on the U.S. sanctions team, to snap the trap shut on Iran and Russia once their energy resources were no longer required to keep the Oil Price Trading Range intact.

By Simon Watkins for Oilprice.com

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Colombia's state oil company, Ecopetrol SA, announced that natural gas from its Caribbean offshore projects is unlikely to start flowing before 2029, two years later than initially expected. This delay is a significant concern for the country, which anticipates a substantial natural gas shortfall beginning next year. The current supply-demand gap is around 12% and is projected to increase to 30% by 2026, exacerbating the energy crisis.

To address this, Ecopetrol is investing $300 million this year in offshore drilling, marking its highest annual investment in this sector. The company's offshore chief, Elsa Jaimes, emphasized the urgency of accelerating gas production to mitigate the looming shortfall. Typically, it takes 10 to 15 years to bring offshore gas to market, but Ecopetrol is pushing to reduce this timeframe.

One of the promising projects is the Tayrona block, a joint venture with Brazil's Petrobras. This block might be the first to come online as it requires less additional land infrastructure compared to other projects, such as the one partnered with Shell Plc. Currently, Ecopetrol and Petrobras are drilling the Uchuva-2 well in the Tayrona block and expect to have results on its gas potential by the end of the year.

Ecopetrol's CEO, Ricardo Roa, had previously suggested that gas from offshore wells could be available as early as 2027, but this depends heavily on obtaining environmental licenses and local community approvals, which could take up to three years. Jaimes noted, "The timing isn't just up to us. We need everyone's help."

Meanwhile, Colombia's broader energy strategy is facing a dichotomy. Despite President Gustavo Petro's climate-focused agenda, which includes halting new drilling licenses, the government is pushing to increase oil production. The Energy Ministry aims to boost output to 1 million barrels per day by revitalizing underutilized exploration blocks. This effort is crucial as oil and coal account for half of Colombia's total exports.

By Julianne Geiger for Oilprice.com

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Over the past decade, the global energy sector has turned its attention to Latin America thanks to the regions critical role in the ongoing electrification drive. Latin America produces nearly 40% of the worlds lithium supply and is home to over 65% of global reserves. Unfortunately, LatAm hardly gets a passing mention in another booming industry: Liquified Natural Gas or LNG.

Over the past two decades, the LNG market has emerged as one of the fastest-growing segments in the energy industry, quadrupling in size and doubling its share of global natural gas trade. Indeed, global LNG trade hit 404 million tonnes in 2023, up from 240 million tonnes in 2013.

And, the LNG boom is not over: Shell Plc (NYSE:SHEL) has predicted that global LNG demand will increase by more than 50% by 2040, as industrial coal-to-gas switching gathers momentum in China while Southeast Asian countries use more LNG to support their economic growth.

LatAm continues to largely miss in action in the global LNG value chain. The region has considerable gas reserves, with Venezuela alone having 196 trillion cubic feet in proved reserves compared to 432 trillion cubic feet by the United States.

Currently, only Peru and Trinidad & Tobago export LNG. Peru has seen its LNG gas exports soar amid the global energy crisis that was triggered by Russias war in Ukraine. Back in 2022, Peru LNG, the consortium responsible for the countrys exports, increased its LNG deliveries by 70% while shipments to Europe alone saw a 46-fold increase. The Peruvian government even discarded the renegotiation of the consortiums Camisea contracts in a bid to encourage the consortium to export at full capacity of 4.4 MTPA. Unfortunately, Peru has little capacity to expand exports at this juncture as the government focuses on supplying the local population.

Related: Valero Energy Sees Q2 Net Income Cut in Half



Trinidad's annual gas output has been on a tailspin, dropping from 1.479 tcf in 2012, to 0.988 tcf in 2022 in large part due to declining gas reserves in mature gas fields, overshadowing discoveries in neighboring countries and unappealing fiscal terms.

Meanwhile, Bolivia, a key regional exporter, has seen natural gas production fall from a peak of 2.1 billion ft3/d in 2014 to 1.3 billion ft3/d in 2023, as the countrys reserves become more difficult and expensive to extract at commercially viable levels. The situation has become so bad that Bolivia has failed to meet volume requirements under export contracts.

Brazil remains one of the largest LNG importers in the region despite having more regasification capacity than any other country in the region. Indeed, Brazil is the sixth largest importer of U.S. LNG globally. Whereas Brazil has traditionally relied heavily on hydropower, changing weather patterns have forced the country to rebalance its energy mix with gas-generated power meeting shortfalls in its hydropower production. Brazil is set to launch a power auction in the current year, with expectations that base electricity supply will continue to transition from hydropower to thermal gas plants.

Overall, Latin America and the Caribbean remain a net gas importer, thanks to declining production from mature fields, inhospitable terrain, and a lack of regional gas interconnections. LNG Industry now estimates that without additional development, the regions gas imports will potentially soar to 12 billion ft3/d from current levels of 5.2 billion ft3/d by 2035. LatAm governments are currently having to strike a fine balance between supporting domestic industry and regional gas demand as power generators increasingly turn to gas as the hydropower sector faces unpredictable weather patterns.

Source: OILNOW

The Vaca Muerta/Suriname Promise

Thankfully, all is not lost as Latin America continues to pursue energy independence. Under libertarian president Javier Milei, Argentina could soon become a regional and even global energy and gas powerhouse as Milei moves to privatize 41 state-owned companies, including national oil firm YPF SA, nuclear power company Nucleoelectrica Argentina and energy infrastructure player Energia Argentina. Milei also seeks to decouple crude exports and leave local fuel prices at the mercy of market forces, undoing decade-old rules that have come under increasing criticism for holding back the countrys vast shale patch known as Vaca Muerta.

Energy prices will couple with international values. The most radical change is eliminating the requirement to satisfy the needs of the local market  its an historic rupture with a century of Argentine tradition, Juan Jose Carbajales, energy consultant and former oil and gas undersecretary, wrote in a report.

Mileis energy reforms are viewed as a big win for YPF SA as well as dozens of Vaca Muerta oil and gas companies such as Chevron Corp. (NYSE:CVX), Shell and Vista Energy (NYSE:VIST) whose shale investments have been curtailed by low oil prices and protectionist policies that primarily favor national energy companies. Located in the oil-rich Neuquen province, Vaca Muerta is a massive shale play estimated to hold 16 billion barrels of oil and 308 trillion cubic feet of natural gas in recoverable hydrocarbon resources, making it the second-largest shale gas deposit in the world. Indeed, Vaca Muerta is similar to the prolific U.S. Eagle Ford shale but on steroids because its dry gas window has proven to be commercially viable.

Argentinas existing and planned gas pipeline transportation networks will allow it to export gas locally to key gas importers such as Brazil and Chile, effectively reversing historic

gas flows. The development of Vaca Muerta presents an opportunity for Argentina to not only meet pre-existing local demand and potentially replace Bolivia as the main regional exporter but also become a key international player in LNG exports. Two years ago, YPF and Petronas reached an MOU to build a floating LNG processing plant in Argentina by 2027. The initial LNG plant will export up to 2 million tpy with a potential second phase increasing export capacity to 9 million tpy.

Additionally, major discoveries offshore of Suriname and Guyana have the potential to further transform the LatAm LNG landscape. Suriname is currently progressing with the development of a 4-million tpy LNG project, due for completion in 2025. However, international oil majors led by ExxonMobil are currently focussing on oil rather than gas.



By Alex Kimani for Oilprice.com

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BP (NYSE: BP) raised its dividend by 10% and extended its buyback program as it booked better-than-expected earnings for the second quarter of the year.

The UK-based supermajor reported on Tuesday $2.8 billion in underlying replacement cost profit  the metric closest to net profit  for April to June, up from $2.7 billion for the previous quarter.

The earnings were also higher than the $2.59 billion for the second quarter of 2023, and ahead of the analyst consensus of $2.54 billion.

Compared with the first quarter of 2024, the result reflects an average gas marketing and trading result, significantly lower realized refining margins, stronger fuels margins, and lower taxation, BP said.

Operating cash flow jumped to $8.1 billion in Q2 2024, from $5 billion in the first quarter and $6.3 billion for the second quarter of 2023.

The stronger cash flow helped BP reduce its net debt to $22.6 billion at the end of the second quarter from $24 billion as at the end of March 2024.

Earlier this month, BP warned that impairments, primarily related to the review of the Gelsenkirchen refinery in Germany, would impact the second-quarter results.

Still, the earnings came in better than expected and BPs shares in London rose by 2% following the results release.

Our decision to increase our dividend by 10%, and extend our buyback programme commitment to 4Q 2024, reflects the confidence we have in our performance and outlook for cash generation, CFO Kate Thomson said.

BPs chief executive Murray Auchincloss commented, Our recent go-ahead of the Kaskida development in the Gulf of Mexico business, and the decision to take full ownership of bp Bunge Bioenergia while scaling back plans for new biofuels projects, demonstrate our commitment to delivering as a simpler, more focused and higher value company.

BP and its UK-based peer Shell have recently pivoted back to oil and gas operations while carefully studying which low-carbon energy projects would warrant going ahead based on expected returns.

By Tsvetana Paraskova for Oilprice.com

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Chesapeake Energy booked a net loss of $227 million for the second quarter of the year on persistently low natural gas prices and lower production.

The result compared with a profit of $391 million for the second quarter of 2023.

Like other gas producers, Chesapeake has suffered a blow from lower energy demand last winter, which pressured prices significantly. In response, the gas industry began curtailing production and deferring new wells, which also affected Chesapeakes bottom line.

We continue to execute our business as we prudently manage current market conditions and prepare for our pending combination with Southwestern. We remain focused on operational improvements and enhancing capital efficiency, chief executive Nick DellOsso said.

Chesapeake Energy, which went through bankruptcy in 2020 when oil and gas prices crashed, has been solidifying in the past year its strategic focus on its gas assets in the Marcellus shale in Appalachia and in the Haynesville shale play in Louisiana while reducing its Eagle Ford position where it held oil assets.

Earlier this year, the company said it would merge with Southwestern Energy, to create the biggest natural gas producer in the United States. The all-stock deal was valued at some $7.4 billion. The finalization of the deal was earlier this year delayed to the second half, after the Federal Trade Commission requested additional information about the deal from the two companies.

The short-term outlook for gas producers remains somewhat depressing but over the long term, demand prospects are a lot better due to the expected increase in electricity demand from data centers and the lack of alternatives to gas-fired power generation and its round-the-clock supply.

Natural gas-fired electricity generation in the United States has jumped year-to-date compared to the same period last year, as total power demand rose with warmer temperatures and demand from data centers.

By Irina Slav for Oilprice.com

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Police in Pakistan have refused to arrest two Muslims who raped a 15-year-old Christian girl, and the suspects have threatened to harm her family members if they do not withdraw the case, relatives and attorneys said.

Sonia Mehboob said her daughter was raped by Fahad Nasir and Muhammad Amjad on the night of July 1 in Lahore. Police reluctant to file a case delayed registering a First Information Report (FIR) for a day, she said.

We made several visits to the police station, but each time we were treated harshly by the police, Mehboob told Christian Daily International-Morning Star News. When the police finally registered our FIR, no attempt was made to arrest the accused, enabling them to obtain interim bails from the court.

Her daughter, whose name is withheld as an alleged rape victim, had left the house around 10 p.m. to go to a nearby grocery shop. As she returned, the two suspects stopped her on the street and forced her to drink some water laced with drugs, Mehboob said.

She fell unconscious after drinking the drug-laced water, after which the accused took her to a house and raped her, she said.

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Mehboob, a Catholic domestic worker, said that when her daughter did not return, she and her husband set out to search for her.

While we were looking for her, we saw Fahad standing in the street, she said. Upon asking him about our daughter, he said that he had seen her going towards a nearby park.

They rushed to the park and, not finding her there, returned to their street.

Fahad wasnt there, Mehboob said. After some time, we saw Amjad coming out of a house followed by [my daughter], who was struggling to walk.

Amjad ran away upon seeing them, she said, adding that her daughter was drugged and could barely talk.

Her clothes were drenched in blood. We immediately called the police, who took her to the hospital for treatment and medical examination, Mehboob said. The medical examination showed that she has been raped. There were also torture and bite marks on her body.

Some officers went to the crime scene and seized evidence. They also recovered illegal weapons from the house, she said.

Mehboob filed an application for registration of a case against Nasir and Amjad, but area police were reluctant to register the FIR that day, she said. She pleaded with the investigation officer several times to conduct DNA tests of the victim and the two suspects, but he refused, she said.

The accused are now threatening us to withdraw the case, warning us of dire consequences, Mehboob said.

On July 19 the suspects filed a false case of assault against her 16-year-old son Zikaria, accusing him of attacking Nasir even though the teenager can barely walk due to a leg injury, she said.

They also involved Sadiq Masih, a Christian counsellor of the area, in the case because hes helping us in our pursuit for justice, Mehboob said.

Her daughter said that when she regained consciousness, she was confused to find herself in a room.

My mind was numb and vision was blurry when I gained consciousness, she told Christian Daily International-Morning Star News. At first, I couldnt figure out what had happened to me, but then I started to feel the pain. It was awful. There were some bite injuries on my body which also hurt a lot.

There was no one else in the house when she regained consciousness, and after some time Amjad unlocked the main gate, she said.

I tried to run, but he beat me up, biting me on the cheek when I was struggling to free myself, she said. I started screaming for help, after which he let go of me and left the house. I followed him outside, and while I was trying to make out where I was, my parents saw me and took me in their arms.

She said the assault has left her with severe mental and physical trauma.

Im still unable to sleep at night. The bitter memory of that night continues to haunt me to this day, she said as tears welled up her eyes.

Shahid Altaf, a local Muslim of the ruling Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N), said he was supporting the Christian family because it was the right thing to do.

Though Im a Muslim, Im seeking justice for her because she is the victim of a barbaric crime, Altaf told Christian Daily International-Morning Star News. The accused are notorious criminals and have a history of sexually assaulting minor children. They also act as informers for the police, which is why no action is being taken against them.

With Altafs help, the family on Saturday (July 27) engaged Christian attorney Zunaira Yousaf to pursue the case. She said she would contest the bails of the suspects at court hearing scheduled for Tuesday (July 30).

Ive also filed an application with the senior superintendent of police investigation branch to change the investigating officer of the case, Yousaf told Christian Daily International-Morning Star News. The police are clearly siding with the accused; nearly a month has passed, yet the police have not conducted DNA tests of the accused and the victim. Due to this, the accused have thrice managed to get their pre-arrest bails extended from the court.

The case shows how vulnerable Christians face challenges in obtaining justice in Pakistan, she said.

In her police statement, [the victim] has identified Fahad as the person who intoxicated her, Yousaf said. Moreover, the house where she was raped is under Fahads rental. These facts warrant Fahads immediate arrest, but the investigation officer has deliberately not opposed his pre-arrest bail.

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.
A growing number of Chinese solar manufacturers are going into bankruptcy or restructuring on a deepening product glut that has led to a massive price slump.

According to a Bloomberg report, two companies have entered some form of bankruptcy proceedings since the start of this month alone. These are both relatively small sector players, with more limited resources to weather the oversupply storm.

Larger players, on the other hand, have resorted to production suspensions and layoffs, Bloomberg also wrote, citing the strategy of one of the biggest in the industry, Longi Green Energy Technology. Longi, by the way, said it would book a net loss for the first half of the year, signaling even the biggest players are not immune to the effects of the glut. The loss was calculated at a minimum of $660 million.

Smaller solar manufacturers, however, cannot afford to do that. One of the companies that declared bankruptcy after a court ordered it to begin reorganization has been reporting net losses since 2019, the report said.

The Chinese solar manufacturing industrys growth has been fast and furious, turning the country into the dominant player in that field globally. To date, China controls as much as 80% of the global solar panel supply change. However, this has come at a cost and the cost has been a price war to eliminate the weaker market participants and relieve the pressure.

Earlier this month, a Chinese solar industry group called for a concerted effort to consolidate the sector to avoid more financial pain and bankruptcies.

Chinese solar companies, local and central governments, and financial institutions need to work together toward faster consolidation in the sector, in which many smaller firms are currently struggling, Wang Bohua, head of the China Photovoltaic Industry Association, said at a solar conference last week.

By Irina Slav for Oilprice.com

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Russian seaborne crude oil exports have dropped to their lowest level since August 2023, as Russias refinery runs are rising and Moscow is working to comply with its OPEC+ production quota, tanker-tracking data monitored by Bloomberg showed on Tuesday.

The four-week average crude shipments from Russias export terminals dropped in the four weeks to July 21 to the lowest level since August of 2023, according to the data reported by Bloombergs Julian Lee.

The estimated four-week average of the shipments in the week to July 21 was down by about 710,000 barrels per day (bpd) compared to the recent peak in Russian crude exports in April 2024.

Russia has pledged to comply with the cuts and to compensate for previous overproduction while its domestic refining levels are nearing the highest in six months in July amid the peak demand season.

Since the April peak, the four-week average export volumes have continuously dropped in the past weeks, Bloombergs tanker-tracking data showed.

Last week, Russian Deputy Prime Minister Alexander Novak said that there is no discord between Russia and OPEC+ over Moscows recent poor compliance with the groups production cuts.

The OPEC Secretariat said last week that it had received compensation plans from Iraq, Kazakhstan, and Russia for their overproduced volumes for January to June 2024.

The cumulative overproduction in these six months was about 1.184 million barrels per day (bpd) for Iraq, 620,000 bpd for Kazakhstan, and 480,000 bpd for Russia, OPEC said.

Russias plan envisages Moscow mostly compensating for its overproduction in the months of March to September 2025.

Russias Energy Ministry said last Wednesday that the country remains fully committed to the OPEC+ agreement.

Russia exceeded production volumes in June, but output has declined in each month since April, per estimates from independent sources approved by the agreement, the ministry said.

By Charles Kennedy for Oilprice.com

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In a continued escalation of hostilities, Ukrainian forces have reportedly targeted another Russian oil depot, this time in the Kursk region. The attack, confirmed by Ukraine's General Staff, resulted in a significant fire at the facility located in Vozy settlement. This strike follows a pattern of Ukrainian military actions aimed at disrupting Russia's energy infrastructure.

According to reports, the operation involved a coordinated effort by Ukraine's Security Service and other forces. The Kursk region, known for its strategic importance in Russia's energy network, has seen repeated attacks recently, including drone strikes on a nearby oil refinery earlier this week.

Earlier this month, Ukraine targeted an oil depot in Russia's Volgograd region. While Russia successfully destroyed the drones responsible for the attack, debris from the drones set the oil depot and substation on fire, according to Russian media. That attack followed a significant Russian missile attack on the Ukrainian capital, striking a children's hospital.

Russian authorities claim their air defenses intercepted and destroyed multiple Ukrainian missiles aimed at the Kursk region overnight. These actions come amid broader military maneuvers, with Russian forces advancing in eastern Ukraine, prompting civilian evacuations due to sustained shelling.

As both sides engage in retaliatory strikes on energy infrastructure, the conflict shows no signs of abating, further complicating efforts toward a peaceful resolution.

The IEA estimates that Russia's oil and fuel exports in April hit their lowest levels in five months, exporting 7.3 million barrels per day of crude oil and petroleum productsa 4.6% decline from the previous month. Russia's oil revenues, however, remain strong at $13.5 billion, data from Russia's finance ministry showednearly double the April 2023 income, Bloomberg estimates showed.

By Julianne Geiger for Oilprice.com

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Weak demand and high inventory levels are benefiting almost no one in the aluminum market.

Via Metal Miner

After aluminum prices increased in the spring and early summer, bulls became exuberant, believing that green initiatives like EVs, renewables, and associated power transmission technology would push the metal price higher. However, contrary to their expectations, the LME price continued to fall steadily since early June, a trend mirrored on Chinas SHFE. This decline leaves aluminum buyers unsure about future prices. In fact, many must now question what factors are really driving the market if demand from new technologies has faded.

The enthusiasm largely depended on a rise in Chinese consumption. As the worlds largest consumer of aluminum, Chinas economic slowdown and correspondingly disappointing demand have significantly impacted aluminum prices. Despite expectations of mild stimulus from Beijing, the anticipated increase in spring activity has yet to occur.

Meanwhile, investments in green initiatives, whether in private consumption or corporate ventures, have been lackluster. This is particularly true in Europe, where sluggish economic growth continues to hinder investment across multiple sectors. Meanwhile, poor manufacturing PMIs indicate weak industrial activity in both Europe and the U.S., further weighing on aluminum prices.

Rising Aluminum Prices Meet Oversupply

Rising aluminum prices in Q1 prompted some restocking despite consumers starting the year with more inventory than they probably needed. Weak demand also led to increasing primary aluminum inventories in LME-registered warehouses, depressing sentiment and putting pressure on prices.

Despite thin margins and weak demand, China recently reached record levels of aluminum production, unrestrained by last years drought restriction on hydropower. Meanwhile, high levels of cheap imports from Russia have also contributed to the oversupply situation.

Over the past couple of years, the SHFE premium over the LME had become so significant that it boosted aluminum flows into China, with imports of unwrought aluminum and products jumping 27.5% year to date since October 2023. Inevitably, this inflow depressed the SHFE price even more than the LME.

At MetalMiner, we have often discussed the inverse correlation between the USD and commodity prices. While it doesnt always hold true, the strength of the USD has arguably pressured metal prices in a general way.

Renewables May Not Pay Off Until Later

Realistically, demand from green initiatives was always a long-term prospect. Speculators got ahead of themselves, expecting aluminum and copper prices to rise soon because of renewables and EVs. If (or when) renewable demand materializes, it will likely be in the latter part of the decade. Legislation roll-backs are already occurring, while EV automotive targets and subsidies are seeing reductions in a Europe-wide tight budget environment.

Meanwhile, mills and traders continue to hold on, hoping for some stability in price levels. At the same time, consumers are unable to take full advantage of falling prices due to weak demand and high inventory levels. Currently, the market benefits almost no one. But at least consumers can keep forward commitments light, as there appears to be little on the horizon over the coming months to support prices.

By Stuart Burns

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Nearly three years after an Omaha man shot one woman and attempted to shoot another at Standing Bear Lake, he has been found guilty of three felonies.

Marckenzy Edmond, 36, pleaded no contest Monday in Douglas County District Court to first-degree assault, use of a firearm to commit a felony and attempted assault. He will be sentenced in October. Two other charges of use of a firearm to commit a felony and one count of terroristic threats were dismissed by prosecutors.

The woman he shot, Shantel Thompson of Omaha, was struck in the spine by a bullet about 6:45 p.m. Oct. 7, 2021, while walking at the northwest Omaha lake. Thompson, who graduated from the University of Nebraska at Omaha with a degree in criminal justice before attending law school in Minnesota, is still recovering from her injury.

Thompson had passed her Nebraska bar exam just three days before being shot. She now works as an attorney for Creighton University and plans to speak at Edmonds sentencing.

A GoFundMe account has been started to help pay for a trip to a clinic in Addison, Texas, where she can participate in a neurological rehab program. The funds raised will support Thompsons travel, hotel, food and participation in the Bachik Methods training program.

I cant walk right now without braces, Thompson said Tuesday. I do have movement in my legs, but I need the braces.

Thompson, then 33, was the second woman authorities say Edmond shot at on Oct. 7, according to a court affidavit. Omaha police officers went to the park that evening after getting a report of someone with a gun.

A woman told them that a man with a hat, mask, navy jacket and navy pants yelled at her to hang up her phone or he would shoot her. When the woman ran away, she told officers, the man fired at her. Authorities said she flagged down someone in a car and jumped inside to escape.

The woman said the man, later identified as Edmond, fled in a sedan with a screen for a rear window. Officers found a silver Chevrolet Malibu abandoned near 137th and Fort Streets. The car had a screen on the window of the rear passenger door.

Then, the affidavit said, the officers heard a female in distress and one gunshot.

Thompson told a friend a man she didnt recognize wanted to walk with her. When she said no, he responded by shooting her in the side. Officers found Thompson on the trail with a gunshot wound to her upper torso. A witness said the man who had fired the shot was running back to the parking lot.

They arrested Edmond and found the abandoned Malibu was registered to him. The woman who had been shot at identified Edmond as the shooter.

His case wound slowly through the Douglas County courts, partially due to numerous defense requests for continuances and also a mental competency evaluation. Edmond had written a rambling letter to Douglas County District Court Judge LeAnne Srb, prompting prosecutors to request that he be examined at the Lincoln Regional Center.
A 42-year-old woman was allegedly seen consuming several drinks at a southwest Omaha bar before fatally striking a man with her vehicle as he attempted to remove debris from the street.

Cynthia Garcia of Omaha is charged in a Douglas County arrest warrant with failure to stop and render aid after a collision resulting in death on July 13. She was arrested last week in Council Bluffs, extradited to Omaha on Monday and booked into the Douglas County Jail, where she awaits a bail hearing.

Garcia is accused of causing the death of Robert G. Mummert, 56, of Omaha, when the vehicle she was driving struck him at 2:23 a.m. at the intersection of 90th and L Streets. Police said Mummert had parked his motorcycle near the intersection and appeared to have been clearing debris from the road when he was struck by a vehicle traveling eastbound through the intersection. He was pronounced dead at the scene.

According to the arrest warrant, video surveillance shows Mummert parking his motorcycle and trying to remove a large piece of furniture from the roadway. A silver Dodge Caliber with black paper dealer plates is seen striking Mummert and braking before continuing eastbound on L Street.

Security video from the L Street Lounge, 4727 S. 96th St., allegedly shows Garcia arriving at the bar driving a silver Dodge Caliber with black paper dealer plates and a male passenger. Video from inside the bar, the warrant says, shows Garcia consuming several drinks before driving away in the Dodge Caliber at 2:19 a.m.

Traffic camera video allegedly shows the Dodge Caliber head southbound on South 96th Street before making a U-turn in the middle of the road, continuing northbound and then turning eastbound on L Street only 35 seconds prior to crash.

Investigators received an anonymous tip on July 24 to watch a social media post that they said belongs to Garcia. The post from July 2 allegedly shows Garcia announcing her purchase of a silver Dodge Caliber that is shown with black paper dealer plates from New Horizon Auto Sales, where she is employed.

Officers found a Department of Motor Vehicles drivers license photo of Garcia that the warrant says matches the woman seen in the L Street Lounge and driving the vehicle that struck Mummert.
With fewer than 100 days until the 2024 general election, U.S. Senate candidate Preston Love Jr. challenged current U.S. Sen. Pete Ricketts to debate.

Love, a Democrat, said Tuesday morning the Republican incumbent hasnt responded to a request to meet. Outside his North Omaha campaign headquarters, Love accused Ricketts of trying to hide.

Love, a longtime North Omaha community and civil rights advocate, cast himself as a face of change. If elected, Love said he would be the first Black U.S. senator to represent Nebraska. He previously ran for the Senate as a write-in candidate in 2020. He earned just under 60,000 votes out of about 940,000 cast in the Senate race that year.

Ricketts, a former Nebraska governor, has been in the Senate since current Gov. Jim Pillen appointed him in January 2023, following former U.S. Sen. Ben Sasses resignation.

In responding to Loves debate challenge, Chris Nelson, manager for Ricketts Senate campaign, said in a statement the Democratic challenger has failed to meet even the most minimum threshold for electoral viability.

Nebraskans know where Pete Ricketts stands, and thats why he was elected by strong majorities in two successive statewide elections, Nelson said. Sen. Ricketts will continue to engage directly with voters on the issues that matter most to them  securing the border, restoring the economy, advancing our shared values, and growing Nebraska.

Love said he and Ricketts have divergent views relating to education, whether to ban assault rifles and other issues.

There is a sharp contrast between me and Mr. Pete Ricketts and our views on a womans right to choose, Love said.

I hope the voters give an indication for him  ignoring this opportunity to give the voters a clear choice, Love said.

The Omaha World-Herald is among the media organizations that invited the candidates to a debate.

Our best Omaha staff photos & videos of July 2024
LINCOLN  A key business leader told state lawmakers Monday that Nebraskas property taxes are not as far out of whack as Gov. Jim Pillen contends.

Nebraska Chamber of Commerce President Bryan Slone made the argument during the first day of public hearings on bills introduced during the special legislative session that started Thursday. He testified on behalf of the state, Omaha and Lincoln Chambers of Commerce.

While Slone said he is a very unhappy property taxpayer personally, he cited figures from the national Tax Foundation showing property taxes account for a similar share of state and local taxes paid in Nebraska as in neighboring states and urged lawmakers to spend more time studying the problem before taking what he called risky action.

We dont have a $2 billion problem, he said, referring to the amount of property taxes that Pillen has targeted for cutting. There isnt a need to reduce property taxes 40% to be competitive.

But Scott Peterson, a rancher and an attorney who lives near Kilgore, testified that there is a substantial difference between the property taxes he pays on land he owns in Nebraska and land he owns in South Dakota. He supported a proposal to ratchet down the maximum school property tax levy over the next decade.

This is a path that makes sense, he said.

That plan, introduced by State Sen. Jana Hughes of Seward, drew the most interest of the seven bills heard Monday. The seven addressed property taxes, the focus of the special session, in a variety of ways. They did not include Pillens proposal, which is scheduled for a hearing Tuesday.

The governors plan would create a new property tax credit worth $2.03 billion in the first year, aimed at offsetting school property taxes but distributed based on property valuation rather than the amount of school taxes paid by property owners. It would pay for the credit by increasing or imposing sales taxes and sin taxes on a number of goods and services, bringing in about $900 million, while capping property tax revenues collected by cities and counties.

The plan would leave major issues to be addressed by future lawmakers, including how to fulfill Pillens goal of having state dollars replace property taxes for school operating costs. Legislative Bill 1, introduced on his behalf by Sen. Lou Ann Linehan of the Omaha area, would state the Legislatures intent to revamp the state school aid formula before the 2026-27 school year.

Among the seven bills heard Monday were measures setting a higher income tax rate for the wealthiest Nebraskans, creating a special tax on luxury items, raising cigarette taxes and offering income tax credits to renters who would not get direct benefit from property tax reductions.

Hughes LB 9, which she called the Lower the Levy Cap bill, could offer an alternative to Pillens plan. She said it would provide Nebraskans with stable, sustainable property tax relief, while preserving local control of schools.

The measure would trigger additional state aid for schools and force reductions in the amount of property taxes schools would be allowed to collect. She said the approach was better than the bill Pillen is pushing.

I dont feel were going to fix our way out of this problem with a tax credit, she said. The maximum levy cap for schools is the ultimate hard cap.

Under her plan, the school levy lid would drop from the current $1.05 down to 65 cents next year, then drop another 10 cents every two years until it reaches 25 cents in 2033. The lower lids would trigger additional state aid for schools and reduce the disparities in tax levies from district to district. It also would make changes in the state school aid formula to direct more aid to agricultural-based districts.

LB 9 drew support from agricultural groups, including the Nebraska Farm Bureau and Nebraska Farmers Union, and from some education representatives. Other education leaders, including groups representing school boards, school administrators and teachers, took neutral positions, saying they wanted to see models of how the bill would affect individual school districts.

Spencer Head, speaking for the Omaha Public Schools, objected to two provisions of the bill. One would eliminate the averaging adjustment, a factor in the state school aid formula that helps larger districts with lower than average per-school spending. The other would steer aid too much in the direction of rural districts.

Our best Omaha staff photos & videos of July 2024